COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

676

foreign miniders and a fplendid train of courtiers ftood fpeftators of the entertainment,and feveral were occafionally noticed by the Emprefs.

Two or three times in the winter there are mafquerades at court, to which perfons ofall ranks are admitted. At one of tbefe entertainments which we attended, eight thou-fand tickets were didributed ; and a magnificent fuite of twenty apartments, handffimelyilluminated, was opened on this occafion. One of thefe, a large oblong room, the famein which the common balls at court are held, had a fpacein the middle enclofed with alow railing, appropriated to the nobility who danced. An elegant faloon of an ovalform, called the great hall of Apollo, nearly as fpacious as the rotunda at Ranelagh,but without fupport in the middle, was allotted for the dances of the burghers, andother perfons who had not been prefented. The remaining rooms, in which tea andother refrefhjnents were ferved, were filled with card tables, and crowded with perfonscontinually palling and repaffing. The company either retained their mafks, or tookthem off at their pleafure. The nobles in general wore dominos; the natives of infe-rior rank appeared in their own provincial clothes, perhaps embellifhed with occafionalornaments. An exhibition of the feveral dreffes actually ufed by the different inhabi-tants of the Ruffian empire, afforded a greater variety of motley figures, than the wildeftfancy ever invented in the mafquerades of other countries. Several merchants wivesv'ere decked with large quantities of valuable pearls, many of which were fplit in halvesfor the purpofe of making more ffiow.

At feven the Emprefs made her appearance at the head of a fpperb quadrille, con-fiding of eight ladies led by as many gentlemen. Her Majefty and the ladies of thedeleft band w^ere fumptuoudy appareled in Greek habits, and the gentlemen were ac-coutred in the Roman military garb, their helmets richly dudded with diamonds;among the ladies I didinguiffied the Duchefs of Courland, Princefs Repnin, and Coun-tefs Bruce ; among the gentlemen, Prince Potemkin , Marffial Razomoffki, and CountIvan Tchernichef. The Emprefs led the way, leaning upon the arm of Marflial Razo-moffld, and palling in great date through the feveral apartments, walked two or threetimes round the hall of Apollo, and then fat down to cards in an adjoining faloon;the company docked thither in crowds without didinftion, and arranged themfelvesround the table at a refpeftful didance. The Emprefs withdrew as ufual beforeeleven.

A feparate edifice called the Hermitage, communicates with the palace by means ofa covered gallery. It takes this appellation becaufe it is the feene of imperial retire-ment ; but bears no refemblance to a hermitage, the apartments being extremely fpa-cious, and decorated in a dyle of regal magnificence. To this favourite fpot the Em-prefs ufually repairs an hour or two every day, and on a Thurfday evening gives aprivate ball and fupper to the principal perfons who form her court; ambadadors andforeigners being feldom invited. At this entertainment all ceremony is banilhed, as faras is confident with the refpeft due to a great Sovereign, The attendance of fervantsbeing excluded, the fupper and various refreffiments are prefented on fmall tables, whichrife and fall through trap-doors. Many directions for the regulation of this deleft fo-ciety are difpofed in the various apartments ; and their general tendency was to encou-rage freedom baniffi etiquette, and invite the mod unredrained eafe. One written inthe French language I comprehended, and retained. “ AJfeyez vous ou vous voulez, ctquand il vousplaira,fans qu’on le repete mille fois

* Sit down where you chufe, and when you pleafe, without its being repeated to you a thoufandtimes.

A winter