g the crown and jewels of the Imperial
family. Here diamonds, rubies and emeralds are ranged round the room in
small cases, of such dazzling beauty that it is almost bewildering to
look at them.

The crown of the Emperor is adorned with diamonds of an extraordinary
size, and the Imperial sceptre contains the largest in the world, the
Kohinoor excepted; it was purchased by the Empress Catherine for 450,000
roubles, or L75,000 sterling.

In addition to the splendid apartments just described there is also a
small room occupied by the late Emperor Nicholas containing a very small
hard bed on which he died, this being almost the only room he occupied
in that grand building. This room is held in great respect, and
everything remains in the same state in which he left it. His mind was
bent on other objects than mere splendour.

About twenty years ago this gigantic pile of building fell a prey to the
ravages of fire, and in a few hours were consumed much of those
treasures and works of art which had been collected during the
prosperous reigns of Elizabeth and Catherine.

Kohl, speaking of its immense extent, says: "The suites of apartments
were a perfect labyrinth, so that even the chief of the Imperial
household, who had filled the office for twelve years, was not perfectly
acquainted with all its nooks and corners."

Though the crown jewels and most valuable articles were saved from the
flames still the destruction of property must have been immense, spread
over a surface of such enormous extent; the principal rooms alone,
nearly one hundred in number, occupied on the first floor an area of
400,000 square feet.

So great was the daring exhibited by the watchmen to preserve the
property that, to the credit of the Emperor Nicholas, it is said that he
ordered some officers to go and smash the large mirrors in order to
prevent the soldiers and people from sacrificing themselves in making
any further attempts to save the property.

In one point of view this destructive fire has proved an advantage, for
the custom of consigning to solitude those suites of rooms occupied by
deceased sovereigns had here closed so many of the finest apartments
that in a few more generations the reigning monarch would have been
fairly turned out by the ghosts of his predecessors.

The Hermitage is connected with the Winter Palace by several covered
galleries, and forms a sort of continuation of that vast building. It
was erected by the Empres