1792. on the winter gardens of Ru/fsia. 509: 
I fhall here subjoin an account of the winter gar~ 
den in her imperial majesty’s town palace, on the’ 
same floor with her superb gallery of pictures, the 
jewel room, and other curiosities, from a little work. 
of Arcticus not yet printed. 
Account of the winter gardens in Rufsia.- 
‘« The imitation of the summer atmosphere, and 
other summer appearances, are so exact in the win- 
ter garden of her imperial majesty, and of prince 
Potemkin, on a much larger scale at his house in the 
horse guards, that the artificial, almost rivals the 
natural season, whilst all is ice and snow out of 
doors. Indeed the deception is truly astonifhing, on 
finding yourself on gravel walks, bordered’ with 
trees, and a great variety of fhrubs- and flowers 
blowing round you, and filling the air with their 
perfumes, whilst a multitude of birds, of various na+ 
tions and plumage, are warbling on the spray, nay, 
even propagating their species, beguiled, like you, 
with the appearance of summer; with all this, the 
suffocating warm air of a hothouse, by no means 
conveys an idea of the climate breathed and felt 
‘there; for by means of ventilation and. communica- 
tion with the external air at pleasure, the air in 
these gardens, like that of our houses, is mild and 
agreeable like a fine summer’s day. | Besides these 
advantages, as we have a very bright, though a very 
feeble winter sun, from the reflection of the snow, 
this gay feathered mansion is illuminated with all 
his splendour, if not his heat; but as that necefsary 
principle steals unseen from other artificial sources, 
a stranger, if it was pofsible to convey him here un- 
