ted, it is necessary thus to
prepare its foundations, often at an enormous expense.

The shores of the lake-like expanse along which they were steering were
covered with woods, from among which peeped the gilt domes of the
Imperial Palace of Peterhoff, and many other golden cupolas and spires,
and marble-white towers, and walls of churches and monasteries, and
palaces and villas, and also some stables, larger than any other edifice
in the neighbourhood, belonging to the Grand Duke Michael. On a hill
above them, a little distance to the west, appeared the unpretending
villa of the late Emperor. It is exactly like a second-class country
house. Here he used to delight to retire with his family from the cares
of state, and to throw aside completely all imperial grandeur.

"Ah! Notwithstanding his overpowering ambition, his towering pride and
haughtiness, that villa alone shows that he was a man after all,"
observed a fellow-passenger to Cousin Giles.

The head of the gulf narrowed a little, but very little, as they
advanced. A few buildings now appeared ahead, and their friend was
pointing out to the young travellers the walls of some barracks burnt
long ago, and the ancient galley mole which sheltered the Russian
galleys in the war with the Swedes, when on a sudden they found
themselves among vast warehouses and manufactories, and tanneries and
granaries, and the magnificent foundry and private residence of Baron
Baird, who is by birth and education an Englishman. All the buildings
are on the banks of the Neva, close to its very mouth. The steamer
making several sharp turns among crowds of steamers and shipping of all
sorts, they speedily found themselves in a region of colleges, and
palaces, and churches, and other public buildings, the houses, which
anywhere else would be palaces, each vying with the other in size and
magnificence, and forming a vast street, the clear, rapid Neva flowing
down the centre, with superb granite quays on each side of it. Nowhere
in the world is there a finer street, though the height of the houses is
lost from its great expanse. Along the line on either side arise marble
columns and golden spires and domes innumerable, the two sides being
connected by one bridge of iron--massive it must be to stand the ice--
and several bridges of boats, which can be removed at the approach of
winter; while in the centre of the stream were men-of-war and other
steamers, and numerous vessels which h