are
indescribably luxurious and commodious. The pit is filled by rows of
comfortably-cushioned chairs with cushioned backs, numbered, but not
barred. The boxes are divided by very low partitions, so that the
aristocratic world seems to sit on a tribune. The seats in the pit and
the first and second tiers are covered with dark-red silk damask; the
royal box is a splendid saloon, the floor of which is covered with the
finest carpets. Beautiful oil-paintings, in tasteful gold frames,
ornament the plafond; but the magnificent chandelier is the greatest
curiosity. It looks so massively worked in bronze, that it is painful to
see the heavy mass hang so loosely over the heads of the spectators. But
it is only a delusion; for it is made of paste-board, and bronzed over.
Innumerable lamps light the place; but one thing which I miss in such
elegant modern theatres is a clock, which has a place in nearly every
Italian theatre.

The other buildings on this square are also distinguished for their size
and the beauty of their architecture.

An unusually broad stone bridge, with a finely-made iron balustrade, is
built over a little arm of the Spree, and unites the square of the opera
with that on which the palace stands.

The royal museum is one of the finest architectural piles, and its high
portal is covered with beautiful frescoes. The picture-gallery contains
many _chefs-d'oeuvre_; and I regretted that I had not more time to
examine it and the hall of antiquities, having only three hours for the
two.

From the academy runs a long street lined with lime-trees, and which is
therefore called Under-the-limes (_unter den Linden_). This alley forms
a cheerful walk to the Brandenburg-gate, beyond which the
pleasure-gardens are situated. The longest and finest streets which run
into the lime-alley are the Friedrichs Street and the Wilhelms Street.
The Leipziger Street also belongs to the finest, but does not run into
this promenade.

The Gens-d'arme Square is distinguished by the French and German
churches, at least by their exterior,--by their high domes, columns, and
porticoes. The interiors are small and insignificant. On this square
stands also the royal theatre, a tasteful pile of great beauty, with many
pillars, and statues of muses and deities.

I ascended the tower on which the telegraph works, on account of the view
over the town and the flat neighbourhood. A very civil official was
polite enough to explain th