object of
great veneration. No one, not even the Emperor, passes beneath it
without removing his hat and bowing the head. A miracle is supposed to
have been wrought in connection with this picture of the Redeemer at the
time when the retreating French made a vain attempt to blow up the
Kremlin, and hence the special reverence given to it.

The most strikingly fantastic structure in Moscow is the Cathedral of
St. Basil, which is top-heavy with spires, domes, and minarets,
ornamented in the most irregular and unprecedented manner. Yet, as a
whole, the structure is not inharmonious with its unique
surroundings,--the semi-Oriental, semi-barbaric atmosphere in which it
stands. It is not within the walls of the Kremlin, but is just outside,
near the Redeemer's Gate, from which point the best view of it may be
enjoyed. No two of its towering projections are alike, either in height,
shape, or ornamentation. The coloring throughout is as various as the
shape, being in yellow, green, blue, red, gilt, and silver. Each spire
and dome has its glittering cross; and when the sun shines upon the
group, it is in effect like the bursting of a rocket at night, against a
dark blue background.

In front of this many-domed cathedral is a circular stone whence the
Tzars of old were accustomed to proclaim their edicts; and it is also
known as "The Place of the Scull," because of the many executions which
have taken place upon it. Ivan the Terrible rendered the spot infamous
by the series of executions which he ordered to take place here, the
victims being mostly innocent of any crimes. Here Prince Scheviref was
impaled by order of this same tyrant, and here several other members of
the royal family were ruthlessly put to death after being barbarously
tortured.

The treasury of the Kremlin, erected so late as 1851, is a historical
museum of crowns, thrones, state costumes, and regalia generally;
including in the latter department the royal robes of Peter the Great as
well as his crown, in which there are about nine hundred diamonds; and
that of his widow Catharine I., which contains three thousand of these
precious stones. One comes away from the labyrinth of palaces, churches,
arsenals, museums, and the treasury, after viewing their accumulation of
riches, quite dazed and surfeited. To examine the latter properly
requires more than a single day. It is a marvel of accumulated riches,
including the crowns of many now defunct kingdoms, such a