East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-02-27
HISTORY OF THE KRENILIN.

The city of Moscow is irregularly
built. On the northern bank of the
river rises the Kremlin, the acropolis
of old Moscow, 'and for many CEN
turies the center of the political and
religious life of Russia. The Krem-
lin was the nucleus of the modern
city and contained, i'm the early peri
DDS of the history of Moscow, the
palace of the czar, the chief churches
and monasteries and the palace of the
nobility. The Kremlin, which is
more than 500 years old, is a triangu-
lar inclosure, 1880 feet in circumfer-
ence, fortified with battlemented
walls.
1t contains the great palace erect
ed in 1SSS-40, having the treasury,
forming sort of wing, on the right
while also connected with it is the
Terem, old palace of the czar. In it,
also, are the Miracle monastery: the
tower, from the windows of which
Napoleon saw the city burn, and
many other historical structures. As
the city developed the merchants and
numerous artisans began to settle
outside the walls. Thus grew up the
commercial quarter east of the Krem-
lin.
The royal palace in the Kremlin
is always kept in readiness for its i'm
perial tenant, and he spends a few
weeks there at intervals each year,
in order to crafty the loyal subjects
in the holy city-"Our Mother Mos
cow" In some respects it is the fin
est residence of all the sovereigns of
Europe-not so immense as the win,
ter palace at st. Petersburg. but
richer and more majestic, and some
of the rooms, notably the halls of the
Order of st. George, the Order of
St Alexander Nevski and the Order
of st. Andrew and st. Catherine, are
without doubt, the finest in the
world. The first named is 200 feet
long and IS feet wide and the cell
ing is 5S feet from the floor. These
rooms are seldom used except at a
funeral or coronation. There are
other state apartments fin
ished and furnished with barbaric
splendor 500 and 500 years ago.
much gold and silver and many pre-
cious stones having been used Gold
was once so plentiful in Russia that
it was spread over the walls of pal
aces; jewels were so numerous that
they were imbedded as ornaments in
doors, mantels, chandeliers, stoves
and furniture, while silver was used
as we use wood for tables. picture
frames, balustrades, chandeliers. cab
Inets and thrones.
The throne of Ivan the Terrible.
for example, is made of solid silver.
ornamented with gold and studded
-hckly with gems. His robe of state.
which is still on exhibition, was de-
'cribed by a writer of the fifteenth
century as Seeming to be one sheet
IF diamond, While his neck collar. |
he bands of his sleeves and the
rain that he drew behind him were
within of sable and without of uni
orm pearls like large drops of water
If the purest whiteness, each being !
If the value of a male slave" This /.
mantle can be seen any day between /
he hours of 10 and i'm the treas /
~ y ana Ine ancient writer did not I
its richness.
According to popular opinion there .
$ in the Kremlin enough useless
reasure to pay the public debt of .
russia; and in the churches and the .
palaces enough gold and jewels to
'uild a school house in every village
nd give an education to every child |
n the empire. The czar has 21 city
ma country palaces-all of them |
furnished and filled 1.
With costly plate and ornaments-but
he palace of the Kremlin surpasses
hem all for richness, value and
niqueness of its treasures. The pal
ce of the holy synod, which is the
'fficial residence of the metropoli-
an of the orthodox Greek church.
contains sacred treasures of similar
'alue- The collection of pontftical ,
obes dates back to the tenth and .
eleventh. centuries, and they are or
with rare and valuable /
ewels. The diamond in the mitre of |
| metropolitan who lived in the fif- .
eenth century is valued at $3.50, 900. |
md in another is what is claimed to |
Ie the finest sapphire in the world, |
'alued at 100000.
The injunction, "Swear not at ALL"