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preffion of homage not exacted from foreigners. No ladies, excepting thofe of theEmprefs’s houfehold, make their appearance at the morning levees.
. Every court day, the great Duke and Duchefs have alfo . feparate levees at their ownapartments in the palace. And on particular occafions, i’uch as her own and theEmprei’s’s birth-day, &c. foreigners have the honour of killing Her Imperial Highnefs’shand. .
In the evening of a court^ay, there is always a ball at the palace, which begins be-fween fix and feven; the foreign ladies kils the Emprefs’s hand, who falutes them inreturn on the cheek, tier Majelty, unlefs indifpofed, generally makes her appearanceat fever ; and if the sflembly is, not numerous, plays at Macao in the ball-room ; theGreat Duke and Duchefs, after dancing, lit down to, whilt. Their Imperial High-neffes, after a ftiort interval,' rife, approach the Emprefs’s table, pay their refpefts, andthen return to their game. When the ball happens to be crowded, the Emprefsforms her party in an adjoining room, which is open to all perfons who have beenprefented. ,
The richnefs and fplendour of the Ruffian court furpaffes defeription. It retainsmany traces of the Afiatic pomp, .blended" with European refinement. An irnmenieretinue of courtiers always preceded and followed the Emprefs; the coftlinefs and glareof their apparel, and a profufion of precious Hones, created a fplendour, of which themagnificence of other courts gives a faint idea. The court-drefs of the men is in-theFrench falhion ; that of the ladies is a gown and petticoat, with a fmall hoop ; the gownhas long hanging lleeves and a Ihort train, and is of a different colour from the petti-coat. The ladies wore, according to the falhion of the winter of 1778 at Paris andLondon , lofty head-dreffes, and were not fparing intheufeof rouge. Amid thefump-tuous articles which diftinguilh the Ruffian nobility, none perhaps is more calculated toftrike a foreigner than the profufion of diamonds and other precious Hones, which fpar-kle in every part of the drefs. In rrioft other European countries thefe coftiy ornamentsare principally appropriated to the ladies; but here the men vie with the fair fex in theufe of them. Many of the nobility were almofi covered with diamonds ; their buttons,- buckles, hilts of fwords, and epaulets, were fet with diamonds, their hats were frequentlyembroidered, if I may ufe the expreflion, with feveral rows, and a diamond ftar on thecoat was fcarcely a diftinftion. , This paffion for jewels feems to pervade the lower ranksof people, for even private families abound with them, and the wife of a Ruffian burgherwill appear with a head-drefs or girdle of pearls, and other precious ftones, of the valueof two or three hundred pounds.
On days of high ceremony, the Emprefs generally wears a crown of diamonds, andappears with the ribbands of the order of St. Andrew and St. George, both thrownover the fame lhoulder, with the collars and the two ftars emblazoned upon her veft.
On certain anniverfaries the Emprefs dines in ‘public; two of thefe days occurredduring our ftay at Peterfburgh. The 2d of December being the feaft of the Ifmailofregiment of guards, Her Majefiy, who as Sovereign, is Colonel of the corps, gave, ac-cording to annual cufiom, a grand, entertainment to the officers. She was dreffed inthe uniform of the regiment, which is green trimmed with gold lace, made in the formof a lady’s riding habit. The officers having kiffed her hand, a falver with wine wasbrought in by one of thg lords in uniting, and the Emprefs prefented a glafs to eachofficer, who after a low obeifance, drank it off. At the conclufion of this ceremony HerMajefiy led the way, at one o’clock, into an adjoining apartment, in which afumptuousdinner was fpread: ffie took her place in the middle of the table, and the officers were