No. 244.] 347 



July 18, 1848. 

 Henry Harris, in the Chair, Henry Meig-«, Secretary. 

 Mr. Meigs read the following tr;^i.:lations, made oy him, from the 

 latest Freach journals received by the Library of the Tastitute. 



Horticuliural Journey of M. Massnn, Chief Gardener of the Horticultural Society 

 of Paris, thro' Russia, Pomerania, Prussia, Stisony, Bohemia, and Germany. 



Translated from the French by Henry Meigs, July, 1848. 



The Palai.es and Pleasure Gardens, which are for the most part 

 situated at a moderate distance from St. Petersburgh, do not yield to 

 those of the Capital in that art and magnificence with which nature 

 has been constrained to bend to the will of the Sovereion. Two of 

 these residences merit our particular attention, I speak of Tsarskoe- 

 Selo and of Paioloivski. A railroad, the oldest in Europe, for 

 which they are indebted to the genius of Count Alexis Boboinski, 

 conducts tiavellcrsto these two palaces, of which the first is called 

 the Village of the Czar, and is situated about fourteen miles from 

 the Capital, on the road to Moscow. Before you reach it, you will 

 see a small Gothic palace, with graceful turrets — that is Thesme ; 

 it is worth visiting on account of its containing a collection of por- 

 traits of the Royal families of Europe. 



Tsarskoe-Selo is first discovered by its fine gilded cupola, which 

 gives it an air of pomp. This palace was in fact constructed by 

 Catharine, and embellished by Elizabeth, and is truly remarkable for 

 its grandeur and the richness of its architecture. The most of-p- 

 cious materials, and above all, gold, have been prodify?.l!y used in 

 itc, dccoraiion. In the i.ntericr, a roag'TfTic-nt trarblri <i;tr.if oysv ].^'»f's 

 to tl-iv^ huV.:,, all ,!.L'y f^;T.!ohcd — oae \>it3i mother of pearl, the 

 second with amber, the third with Chinese Lacker. 



\ 



The gardens and park were replanted and arranged in English 

 style, in the years 17 74 to 1789, by the celebrated John Busch. 

 These gardens are of immense extent, and incredible sumptuosity. 

 You are at every step surprised with some new spectacle, bridges of 

 marble and of wood, artificial lakes, surrounding Russian mountains, 

 Turkish Mosques, picturesque ruins, pyramids, obelisks rising above 

 the masses of bushes and shrubs which garnish a lake; a Chinese 

 village, a Swiss farm full of munificent cattle and stock from the 

 hills of Tyrol; all these objects are scattered about with truly impe- 

 rial profusion. To complete this assemblage, there is a small city 

 which recalls the conquest of Tauris, and a delictous lifle temple, 

 ornamented with a coliection of statues of the greatest value 



