This palace, which has been the slow growth of ages, consists
of a pile of buildings of every conceivable order of architecture. It
is furnished with all the appliances of luxury which Europe or Asia
can produce. The pleasure grounds, in their artistic embellishments,
are perhaps unsurpassed by any others in the world. Fountains, groves,
lawns, lakes, cascades and statues, bewilder and delight the
spectator.

There is an annual fete on this ground in July, which assembles all
the elite of Russian society. The spacious gardens are by night
illuminated with almost inconceivable splendor. The whole forest
blazes with innumerable torches, and every leaf, twig and drop of
spray twinkles with colored lights. Here is that famous artificial
tree which has so often been described. It is so constructed with
root, trunk and branch, leaf and bud as to deceive the most practiced
eye. Its shade, with an inviting seat placed beneath it, lures the
loiterer, through these Eden groves, to approach and rest. The moment
he takes his seat he presses a spring which converts the tree into a
shower bath, and from every twig jets of water in a cloud of spray,
envelops the astonished stranger.

The Winter Palace at St. Petersburg is also a palace of unsurpassed
splendor. More than a thousand persons habitually dwell beneath the
imperial roof. No saloons more sumptuous in architecture and adornment
are probably to be found in the world; neither are the exactions of
court etiquette anywhere more punctiliously observed. In entering this
palace a massive gateway ushers one into a hall of magnificent
dimensions, so embellished with shrubs and flowers, multiplied by
mirrors, that the guest is deceived into the belief that he is
sauntering through the walks of a spacious flower garden. A flight of
marble stairs conducts to an apartment of princely splendor, called
the hall of the Marshals. Passing through this hall, one enters a
suite of rooms, apparently interminable, all of extraordinary grandeur
and sumptuousness, which are merely antechambers to the grand audience
saloon.

In this grand saloon the emperor holds his court. Presentation day
exhibits one of the most brilliant spectacles of earthly splendor and
luxury. When the hour of presentation arrives some massive folding
doors are thrown open, revealing the imperial chapel thronged with
those who are to take part in the ceremony. First, there enters from
the chapel a crowd of army officers,