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conducted into a spacious apartment, one door of which leads to a conservatory of trees
called the winter g a rd en ; beyond which is another, called the summer garden, 400 leet
in Icno-th, formed of soil elevated on masonry, to a height of more than forty feet.
This artificial garden must have heen the result of prodigious lab o u r; but in St. Petft-s-
biu-gh all public works are on a scale of magnificence that fills a stranger Avith astonishment.”
(Elliott’s Letters, &c., p. 288.)
Thr .ynrdnis of the oalocc of the Hermitage. Dr. Granville describes the winter garden as a large
n uadransular conservatory, planted with laurels and orange trees, among which, m former times, linnets
! n d S f r v b i r d rw e r r a l lo \ r a d to fly about a t perfect liberty. But th e feathered trfoc have disappeared
from th s spot? which is /ow reduced to a simple orangery. T h e summer garden,
h e s a v r c o S o c te d with it, a /d having the form of a parallelogram, is about 392 feet long, divided mto
l im S V s Srterr^^^^ entirely comW cd of artiflcial soil raised forty-two feet above th e surrounding
eround This pensile garden forms, certainly, not the least interesting of the curiosities f t the
‘‘ T h e peSod of my visit to St.P ete rsbdrgh,” continues D r. Granville, “ precluded the, possibility
of niv seeing it in its brilliant state ; b u t an English traveller, who had an oppoftunity of enjoying and
/o /tem p la tin g its beauties, speaks of them in the following animated strain Here, suspended as it
were in the air, the visiter, to his amazement, treads on gravel walks ; sees the green tu rt vivid araund
him and finds shrubs, and even trees, growing in luxuriance, under the shelter ot which he may take
rofuKe on a couch, and contemplate the execution and fair proportions of some tavounte statues, ftv e rft
rqUige on coucn, ai u ^ th e garden. The novelty of th e whole scene, and the recollection where it
. . . . . .1- _ . _re re —rei.irere .. A .1/kH fVkft rkX/ftT of which are to be .—k— ............»--------- . Fift wrk»*iTi O' inis
situated, _— not on the ground, but on or near the ti of a palace,—added to the overpowering inllUence
Ol u i e uoumue»» iivima <-<> uuviA.v. .kk.k. . . . .—- - ——— J.----
for some time kept me tonguetied, and induced an opinion that the wonders c
almost worth a journey to St. Petersburgh.’ ” (Travels in Russia, &c.)
4 452.0 2 *. -Tlw I ie first U O i attempt (at the „modern style s;,o f gardening . thcrinc 0 .,l about JK the . year ^ Alt 1768,IHO UKr. at evKr-.Zarskojesclo,w,. 1 J.-— or r-e ..- m e.Russia was made .by Ca-
rp„e
Tzarsco rere.^re rere, rr^Celo f tl,r ek /(r^eu.impenal TkVkftm•n 1I c spot),n n f\l at n t t..that
h1 n tr.time enlarged and relaid out. This princely residence owes owcs ii
its ongm to Catherine 1.,
and its enlargement and emhellishinent to Elizabeth; but it
is mdchted for its comtime
pletion, in its present state, to Catbcrine H. Tho gorgoons magnificence of this
residence is well known. A natural bncb forest, on ground somewhat vai'iod, forms the
groundwork of the park and gai-dcns. The gate by which toey are approached is an
immense arch of artificial rockwork, over which is a lofty Chinese watditower. The
first gi-oiip of obiects is a Chinese town, through which the approach leads to ftc
palace : a building which, with its enclosed entrance comt, offices, baths, conservatorfts,
cliurch, theatre, and other appendages, it would seem hke exaggeration to descnbe.
The rest of the gmden scenery consists of walks, numerous gai'den buddings, coiumns,
statues, &c. ; with bridges of mai'ble and wood, a large lake, and extensive kitchen-
gardens and hothouses.
The gardens are laid out in the English manner; Catherine II. ^»vmg imbibed that taste fr^read^^^^^
n work written by the Count M unchausen, called the Hausvater. She farst ordered th f t « f t more trees
should be clipped in any o fth e imperial gardens, and afterwards told her
in future, when making gardens, they should endeavour to follow nature ; f t t
feel nor comprehend. They made various attempts to please th e empress,
She did not know how to direct them exactly what they ought to do, yeftshe felt
they had done was not right. At length, iindiiig th f t she could have nothing t^ f t ftea seft «ft* she ° f t
termined to get a landscape-gardener from England to lay out hm ^^®^ftreou^
was the person engaged to go out to Russia for this purpose -, and he w ft prefon ed «« f t ol his
speaking the GermaS language. In the year 1771, he g p e «P his e s t a b l f tW n t a t Hft^kn^^^^
nursery and foreign correspondence, to Messrs. Loddiges. In the year 1772 he
work, t’éough n o t i t . T za,- 4 C e lo ta .it ™ a jn l_ a b o u t five
1774 th e empress paid her first visit to this place, wu «uuvui.a w.w . : “ „ure» 'i
gravel walk planted on both sides, she appeared struck with surmise, and exclanned, is wh ft I
wanted ! ” This walk led to a fine lawn, with gravel walks round f t which /.foftod to strike v / ^ t h e
more forcibly, and she again said. “ This is what I have long Anshed to have 1 1 he ‘h®
Tzarsco Celb cardoiis wore given to the charge ot John Busch, who ea rned on Hthise siomnp, rJoovseemphe nBtsu scWh,
t i r / e m ^ r h e i heleftAere^^^ ■ finished during the
succeeded h iii, and went on with the works; b u t the g a r ftnw a s not /ftftY sA n d
reign of Catherine. T h e emperor Paul, who succeeded Catherine, prfte rred
tre is , and the late emperor Alexandecrr wwaass floonnudO f It bufutuhis st^k ^ji^e s^.^ v-.jipi»oreink,v» »
Carriage roads being introduced, intersecting the walks, make the
at Tzarsco Celo, and other places,
gardens •uens ra ra the tne r r unpleasant unpleasant to to walk want in,
in, as one must always be on the look-out, in fts e ®
ing. Hence these gardens have become a park in a pleasura-ground,
g rW .und d surroundedTby siirroimded bv a a park.nark. There There are are a a variety variety ui of guuu good buildings uuiiu.w|» in .w the ®g a rV"r d e i?n s L'iifVYL , particftftly^flii'arinei
somo
designed and built by Charles Cameron, and a new front to a p a rt oi the palace (fig- 137.) by Guarmgi.
T h e emperor Alexander enlarged these gardens considerably, and continued, in a mixed style of old
and modern art, to add to and improve them, till his death. In th e park, he built a dairy, which the
imperial family often visited during their residence a t Tzarsco Celo, and also two h ..ie
th e Gothic style. These and other buildmgs, with the new roads and .other imnrovemefts that^^^^^
been made, have added much to the beauty of the place since we saw it m 1813. In th e gardens, whidi
are about four miles in circumference, the keeping is equal, if not superior, to any m K u rw e , no ex pense
being spared to have every thing in th e best possible order. The improvements made by ^ e x -
ander were executed by an architect who succeeded Mr. Busch m th a t department.
vol. ii. p. 386.) Among the curiosities of this garden th a t admit of a description, th e following objects
may principally be recorded: — A small temple, containing a collection of antique and modern statues ;
a solitude for dinner parties, like th at in th e Hermitage ; a magnificent bath ; a coach-hill, similar to
th a t at Oranieiibaum; picturesque ruins ; a miniature town, to commemorate the taking oi T au rida,
&c. Two artificial lakes are connected by a running stream, crossed by an arched bridge, covered
at the top by a roof resting on two rows of marble columns, on the model of the bridge a t Stowe. On
one o fth e islands on these lakes stands a Turkish mosque, and on another a spacious hall for musical
entortainineiits. In a thick shrubbery there is a pyramid fn the Egyptian form, m the vicinity whereof
arc two obelisks.
Thismajc slic sanc tuaryqf art and n a t u r e , Storch, is a t th e same time a magnificent temple of
merit. Formed of the rocky foundations of the earth, here the monuments of great achievements tower
toward the skies, fearless ot the destructive vicissitudes of time. A marble obelisk reminds us of the
victory near Kagul, and of the victor Ilomanzolf Zadunaisky. To the Dey of Tschesmi, and tho hero
Orlof Tschcsmcnskoy, a marble column on a pedestal of granite is devoted. A grand triumphal arfti
proclaims the patriotic ardour of Brince Orlof, with which he faced rebellion and the plague in the
capital, and quelled them both. T h e victory in the Morea and the name of Feodor Orloi are handed
down to posterity by a rostral column. Flaiii and gigantic as the sentiments of the heroes whose memories
are perpetuated in these masses of rocks, they stand surrounded by the charms of Nature, who
softens her majesty by a veil of artless graces. ^ ,
The palace oJ Tzarsco Celo, Alexander observes, in 1820, “ has had immense sums expended m beautifying
it by Catherine and Alexander : the agate, amber, and lapis lazuli rooms have not their equal any
where ; the floors are inlaid with the most costly exotic Avoods ; and the chapel is so resplendent with
richly gilt carveil Avork on a black ground, that it is impossible to conceive that any thing ol th e kind
can surpass it. The Russians carefully preserve th e clothes of their sovereigns ; and here, m th e bedroom
of Alexander, are the gloves, cocked hat, and boots, which he left before his death f t I aganrog.
T h e grounds of Tzarsco Celo are of great extent, and are diversified with artificial hills and crags,
groves of trees, streams, lakes, and grottoes. A curious Chinese thea tre has been recently erected in
th e p a r k ; and the farm-yard contains cattle from all parts of the world: an English bull th at we saw
th ere was eighteen lumds high.” (Travels in Russia, &c., p. 57.)
453. Pauhvisky presents the best specimen of the English style, in the neighboinliood
o f the Russian capital, or indeed in the empire. It Avas begun during the reign of
Catherine, in 1780, from a design said to have been furnished by the celebrated BroAvii,
from a description sent him l>y Gould, an Englishman, the gardener of Potemkin ; and
linishcd afterwards, during the reign of I'aul. This place possesses considerable vai'iety
of surface, and a vai'ied clothing of Avood ; tlic Scotch pine and aspen being natural to
tlieso gi'ounds as well as the birch. Near the palace there is a profusion of exotics ot
every description, including a numerous collection of standard roses, Avhich, Avith some
of the American shnibs, require to be protected Avith straAV and mats during Avinter.
The Chevalier Storcli has given a very interesting description of these gardens, in his
Briefe über Paulowsky, &c., 1802. PanloAv.sky, says Alexander, in 1829, “ is quite an
Elysian retreat. The grounds present an undulating surface, diversified A\-itli lakes,
rich foliage, and ornamental buildings, containing statues and ccnotajilis. The niuniscuii.
v.LV/1- rereireuL re., rev.rerev/retirei, —re w.rew - - . . . re z
before wliosc AvindoAvs Avcrc most charming gardens and floAvcr-beds, filling the apai*t-
mcnts with an aromatic perfume.” (Travels in Russia, &c. p. 57.)
454. The gardens o f Potemkin, a man avIiosc mind, as the Prince de Ligne has observed,
contained mines of gold and steppes, and avIio Avas one of the most extravagant encoiu-agers
of our a it that modern times can boast, Avcre of various kinds, and situated in ditferent
parts of the empire. Tlic most extensive gardens of tliis prince were in tlic Ukraine ;
but the most celebrated were those belonging to the palace of Taurida, uoav an imperiid
residence, in St. Petersburgh. Tho grounds are level, Avith several Avinchng and straight
canals and walks, adorned Avith numerous buildings, a rich collection of exotics, and most
cxtcnsiA’-e hothouses of CA'cry description. Their grand feature, in Potemkin’s time, Avas
the conservatory, or winter gai'den ( fg . 138.), attached to tlic palace. The plan of this
j ¡art of the building is that of a semicircle, embracing the end of a saloon, nearly 300 feet
long. I t is lighted by immense AviiidoAvs, bctAveen columns, has an opaque ceiling,
ami is at present licatcd by common German stoves. I t is too gloomy for the growtii
of plants ; but those grown iu the glass sheds of the kitchen-garden arc carried there, sunk