tism, and marriage.
What a wonderful amount of gold and jewels are visible in the churches
and chapels of the Kremlin! The floor of one is of jasper and agate;
pearl and amethyst and onyx adorn the inner walls of another. One has
vast pillars of porphyry, and the domes and turrets of all are
liberally spread or starred with gold. The pictures of the infant
Saviour and his mother are hung with necklaces of jewels, each of them
almost a fortune. One might easily think that the wealth of Ormuz or
of Ind had been gathered to adorn the shrines of the most oriental
Christian faith.

I visted the Imperial Theatre, which the Muscovites pronounce the
finest in the world. To my mind it is only equaled by La Scala at
Milan, or San Carlo at Naples. Outside it reminded me of our
_ci-devant_ Academy of Music. Inside it was gorgeous, well arranged,
and spacious.

[Illustration: VIEW ON THE NEVSKI PROSPECT--ST. PETERSBURGH.]

The _Kitai Gorod,_ or Chinese town of Moscow, is close by the Kremlin
and outside its walls. The only feature worthy the name of this part
of the city is the number of Tartar inhabitants and the immense
bazaar, or Gustinni Dvor, where the principal trade of Moscow has been
centered for nearly three hundred years. The quantity of goods in the
bazaar is something enormous. A Russian said to me: "If half the
houses in Moscow were stripped of furniture, ornaments, and all things
save the walls and roofs; if their inhabitants were plundered of all
clothing and personal goods except their bank accounts,--the _gastinni
dvor_ could supply every deficiency within two hours. You may enter
the bazaar wearing nothing but your shirt, and can depart in an hour
dressed and decorated in any manner you choose, and riding in your
carriage with driver and footman in livery."

The railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow is a government affair,
and forms nearly a direct line from one city to the other. It is said
that the emperor Nicholas placed a ruler on the map and drew a line
from one capital to the other to mark the route the engineers must
follow. Notwithstanding the favorable character of the country the
cost of the road was enormous, in consequence of alleged peculations.
There is a story that the government once wished to make a great
impression upon a Persian embassy. All the marvels of St. Petersburg
and Moscow were exhausted, but the oriental embassadors remained
serene and unmoved.

"What shall we do to surprise