110 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE-XIII 



music, which was selected from the anthems of Bortnian- 

 sky, was very solemn and impressive. 



During the winter came court balls, and, above all, the 

 &quot;palm balls.&quot; The latter were, in point of brilliancy, 

 probably beyond anything in any court of modern times. 

 After a reception, during which the Emperor and Em 

 press passed along the diplomatic circle, speaking to 

 the various members, dancing began, and was continued 

 until about midnight ; then the doors were flung open into 

 other vast halls, which had been changed into palm- 

 groves. The palms for this purpose are very large and 

 beautiful, four series of them being kept in the conserva 

 tories for this special purpose, each series being used one 

 winter and then allowed to rest for three winters before 

 it is brought out again. Under these palms the supper- 

 tables are placed, and from fifteen hundred to two thou 

 sand people sit at these as the guests of the Czar and Czar 

 ina. These entertainments seem carried to the extreme 

 of luxury, their only defect being their splendid monot 

 ony : only civil, military, and diplomatic officials are pres 

 ent, and a new comer finds much difficulty in remembering 

 their names. There are said to be four hundred Princes 

 Galitzin in the empire, and I personally knew three Counts 

 Tolstoi who did not know each other ; but the great draw 

 back is the fact that all these entertainments are exactly 

 alike, always the same thing: merely civil and military 

 functionaries and their families; and for strangers no 

 occupation save to dance, play cards, talk futilities, or 

 simply stare. 



The Berlin court, though by no means so brilliant at 

 first sight and far smaller, since the most I ever saw in 

 any gathering in the Imperial Schloss at the German 

 capital was about fifteen hundred, was really much more 

 attractive, its greater interest arising from the presence 

 of persons distinguished in every field. While at St. 

 Petersburg one meets only civil and military function 

 aries, at Berlin one meets not only these, but the most 

 prominent men in politics, science, literature, art, and the 



