The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-11-02

Ieter the Great must nave lOVed ONT
color above all others, and that q very
rich, soft orange, inclining toward am
Der. He found, no doubt, that It's lus
clous eflulgency agreed well with {
country which, though yerdant enough
in June, must be rather trlste in Janu
airy, for which reason. also, 1t is welded
= to the rich gliding that every Russian
adores, since 1t sparkles so admirably
above Wintry landscape OF pure white
! snow. This palace of Peters, built by
Leblond under his directions, is colored
orange still.
The fountains at Peterhof had been
mentioned us fine, but the ones In the
park were not impressive. Hence 1t
was with revulsion of feeling from
disappointment to intenseat admira-
ton that the real display was met be-
meath the terrace in the front of the
palace, after leaving the park. Such
an exqulsitely proportional and ar
ranged demonstration of water I had
never seen, nor had any memory with
which to compare it either-not even
the display at Versailles; and that was
all the better
Trickery no one would impute to the
produce the magnificent results that
crown their efforts in their displays;
the word is too paltry and means too
low thing to father on them. Yet
they always, when they make the eff
fort, succeed in accomplishing sur
prise; in Petersburg, on the side of
great and solid magniflcence; al Peter
hof, on that of frankly childish ingenu-
| ity. Everything within this wonderful
| park Is fresh, diverting, unexpected and
! lovely. But to revert to the fountains,
| A steep bank beneath the terrace dips
to series of marble plateaus, each one
of majestic length and broken up at in
tervals by marble steps. From the
deepest hollow springs the Samson,
colossal bronze figure tearing open the
jaws of a lion from which a volume Of
water spouts eighty feet high. This is
the tour de force of the assemblage but
its magnif1cence is hugely enhanced by
the myrads of fountains all round
about it. They foam plumeike in ver-
teal and horizontal streams cascade
down the marble stairs mlngle their IL
quid pearls in showers, and then spray
in gossamer wells at the winds will,
while still further away from the Sam
son, through a beauteous wood, runs
the harbor canal, crossed here and
there by marble causeways and set on
either side with festooning sparkling
columns of water. At the end of the
liquid avenue lap the waves of the
Gulf Of Finland, and Cronstadt is visi-
BILE in the distance, AS l looked
through the wreathed mists of the
fOnnt0inc ha lift1o IF eao
at the end glided a pleasure steamer
from Petersburg, gala dressed all over
with myriads Of colored flags 1t was
the prettiest holiday scene any one
could wish to see, and to find one more
uncommon it would be necessary to
search very far afield.
Yet this was merely the threshold of |
wonders. The drosky driver, sum
moned from his fellows proceeded, as
II by rule, to the woods beneath the |
fountains, driving along the narrow,
well kept, pathlike roads past all sorts
of diverting little pleasure hooks. Sue
cesslve Cars must have amused them
selves with experiments in water. One
fountain forms liquid pyramid COM
posed of a mass of jets; another rises
with stately grace In the center of a
ring of columns: third Is
just a silly little pond fountained in the
center and arranged with a mechanical
scene; foresters with their
dogs, ducks and what not, warranted
to play up" magniicently, and with
realistic quacks, banks and bangs.
Then there are the cottages. Marty
and Monplasir are built in with rem-
niscences Of Peter the Great, who lived
there They are tiny palaces; summer
houses where the Car could live in Sc
clusion and mediate on those plans of
his which We're to help Russia to be-
come so powerful; watching from his
garden his infant fleet
moored beneath the batteries of Kron-
stadt. Now these gay little places are
both museums.
The custodians at Marty and Mon
olaisir both display Peters dressing
gown and night attire, his slippers and
,ther bits of personal attire; at Marty
hey treasure a watch he picked to
pieces and a table and box he made.
they call your attention to the fish in
he pond there, which, according to Pc
er's directions, have always been
brought up to come to meals al the
sound Of a bell, Probably the self -
anne flowers that His Majesty elected
hould grow in the quantity fashioned
'arden that fronts Monplaisir are still
he chosen ones; they look so old and
Weet, poisoning there IN staid profu- S
ion, around tiny trickllng fountains.
Monplaisir is a little house with one
arge center room and galleries and
mailer apartments leading from it. I
t looks ready for some one to live in it fl
low. Even the Empress Elzabeths
itchen where she liked to play the
ook Is fully equipped with furnish
1ent of splendid pewter platters and
ottles. In the little Chinese room
here are two bullet shot marks on the
tall, the result of the Empress Anne's
i'm at an elk she was pursuing which
ed from the forest and took refuge in
he cottage. Out in the grounds there \
) trick seat. Fling yourself upon 1t,
nd as likely as not you will find your
IF part Of a fountains, which, at wills,
ushes forth from the innocent looking
round around.
Amid all this gayety one expects to
I'd the present Cars home of peace
splendenty conspicuous. But it is
thin high walls and completely hid Ct
a u In H. ,1N,s |