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@OXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 697
Cuap. VII.—Palace and Gardens of Tzarfkoe-Zelo.—Oranienbaum.—Hiftory of Prince
Menichikof.—Fortre/s.— Apartments of Peter III.—Palace and Gardens of Peterhof.—
Dutch Houfe built by Peter the Great.—Schlufelburgh.—Origin, Hiftory, and Defcrip-
tion of the Fortre/s.
THE feafon of the year being far advanced on our arrival at Peterfburgh, we had no
time or opportunity to vifit many places in the neighbourhood of that capital, yet we
contrived, before the approach of winter, to make excurfions to Tzarfkoe-Zelo, Orani-
enbaum, Peterhof, and Schluffelburgh.
Tzar{fkoe-Zelo, an imperial palace, fifteen miles from Peterfburgh, is the favourite
fummer refidence of the Emprefs, where fhe lives in a more retired manner than at
Peterhof. ‘This palace, built by Elizabeth, is a brick edifice {tuccoed white, of difpro-
portionate length, and in a heavy ftyle of archite@ture. The capitals of the outfide pil-
lars, as alfo many of the other exterior ornaments, together with the wooden ftatutes
which fupport the cornice and adorn the roof, are all gilded, and exhibit a tawdry
appearance. ‘The apartments are large and magnificent: fome fitted up in the old ftyle
of gaudy profufion; others in a lefs fplendid but more elegant tafte, by the prefent
Emprefs. One room is much admired, being richly incrufted with amber, a prefent from
the King of Pruffia.
Having viewed the palace, we walked round the gardens, which are laid out in the
Englifh tafte, and agreeably diverfified with lawn, wood, and water. Among feveral
bridges, we were particularly {truck with one, built after the model of Lord Pembroke’s
Palladian bridge at Wilton. It is exactly of the fame fize, but more magnificent, the
lower part being of granite, and the colonade of marble. The marble was hewn and
worked in Siberia by an Italian artift, who employed nine years in completing it: from
Siberia it was tranfported by water to Peterfburgh, and from the capital to Tzarfkoe-
Zelo by land. It was a pleafing fatisfaction to obferve our works of tafte introduced
into thefe diftant and formerly inhofpitable regions. Several buildings were fcattered
about the gardens, raifed in honour of thofe perfons who diftinguifhed themfelves in the
imperial fervice. Among thefe I remarked a triumphal arch to Prince Orlof, for check-
ing the progrefs of the plague at Mofcow; a building to Count Alexéy Orlof, in me-
mory of the naval victory at Tchefme; and an obelifk to Marfhal Romantzof, for his
fuccefles againft the Turks.
Our next excurfion was to Peterhof, Oranienbaum, and Cronftadt *.
The road lay at a {mall diftance from the Gulf of Finland, at firft through a flat dif-
tri€t, chiefly marfhy, producing pafture and little corn. On our left extended a ridge
of low hills, which once formed the boundary of the Gulf, when it {pread over a larger
fpace than it covers at prefent. Weafcended this ridge; obferved on our left the con-
vent of St. Sergius, and on our right the palace of Strelna, begun by Elizabeth, but
never finifhed. About four miles further we pafled by Peterhof; and proceeded to
Oranienbaum, through a country covered with foreft.
The palace of Oranienbaum, near the Gulf of Finland, at the diftance of twenty-feven
miles from Peterfburgh, was erected by Prince Mentchikof, in the meridian of a power
to which fcarcely any fubject but himfelf has ever arrived. The rife of this extraordi-
nary man is varioufly related by different authors. Some affert that he was apprentice
¢ * Cronftadt will be defcribed in the chapter which treats of the Ruffian navy
OL. VI. 4u ta
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