gentleman, sitting at the
table beside me, obligingly translated all the principal facts into
French, as they were stated. I afterwards found that he was Count Panin,
Minister of Justice. In the Transactions of the various literary and
scientific societies the Russian language has now entirely supplanted
the French, although the latter keeps its place in the _salons_, chiefly
on account of the foreign element. The Empress has weekly
_conversazioni_, at which only Russian is spoken, and to which no
foreigners are admitted. It is becoming fashionable to have
visiting-cards in both languages.

Of all the ceremonies which occurred during the winter, that of
New-Year's Day (January 13th, N. S.) was most interesting. After the
members of the different legations had called in a body to pay their
respects to the Emperor and Empress, the latter received the ladies of
the Court, who, on this occasion, wore the national costume, in the
grand hall. We were permitted to witness the spectacle, which is unique
of its kind and wonderfully beautiful. The Empress, having taken her
place alone near one end of the hall, with the Emperor and his family at
a little distance on her right, the doors at the other end--three
hundred feet distant--were thrown open, and a gorgeous procession
approached, sweeping past the gilded columns, and growing with every
step in color and splendor. The ladies walked in single file, about
eight feet apart, each holding the train of the one preceding her. The
costume consists of a high, crescent-shaped head-dress of velvet covered
with jewels; a short, embroidered corsage of silk or velvet, with open
sleeves; a full skirt and sweeping train of velvet or satin or _moire_,
with a deep border of point-lace. As the first lady approached the
Empress, her successor dropped the train, spreading it, by a dexterous
movement, to its full breadth on the polished floor. The lady, thus
released, bent her knee, and took the Empress's hand to kiss it, which
the latter prevented by gracefully lifting her and saluting her on the
forehead. After a few words of congratulation, she passed across the
hall, making a profound obeisance to the Emperor on the way.

This was the most trying part of the ceremony. She was alone and
unsupported, with all eyes upon her, and it required no slight amount of
skill and self-possession to cross the hall, bow, and carry her superb
train to the opposite side, without turning her back on the Imper