Imperial Gardens of Tzarsco Celo. 387 



of a carriage coming. Hence the Tzarsco Garden is become 

 a park in a pleasure-ground, and not, as is usual, a pleasure- 

 ground surrounded by a park. 



There are a variety of good buildings in the gardens, par- 

 ticularly some designed and built by Charles Cameron, and 

 a new front to a part of the palace {fig. 103.) by Guaringi. 



103 



The Emperor has enlarged these gardens considerably, and 

 still continues, in a mixed style of old and modern art, to add 

 and improve, and particularly in the park, wherein is built a 

 dairy which the imperial family often visit during their resi- 

 dence at Tzarsco, and also two gates with lodges in the 

 Gothic style. These and other buildings, with new roads 

 and improvements that have been made, have added much 

 to the beauty of the place since you saw it in 1813. In these 

 gardens, the extent of which is about four miles in circum- 

 ference, the keeping is equal if not superior to any in Europe, 

 no expense being spared to have every thing in the best possi- 

 ble order. 



The present improvements are executed by an architect 

 who has succeeded Mr. Busch in this department, the latter 

 being now employed in forming an entire new garden and 

 park on Yelagen Island, situated in the Neva, about three 

 miles from the palace of St. Petersburg, late the property of 

 Count Orloff, but now belonging to the imperial family, and 

 containing a beautiful palace surrounded with garden and 

 park scenery. 



The Palace and Gardens of Taurida {fig. 104.) contain 

 nearly sixty acres. The natural surface of the ground pre- 

 vious to its being made into a garden was flat, and in many 

 parts a bog ; other parts were occupied as kitchen-gardens and 

 artillery magazines ; there were also many private buildings, 

 all of which were cleared away for the purpose of making this 

 garden, which was begun by Prince Potemkin in the year 

 1780, and was finished by the same prince. Afterwards it 

 fell to the crown, and was a favourite retreat of Catharine the 

 Second, particularly in spring, before Her Imperial Majesty 

 went to her summer palace Tzarsco Celo, and likewise in 

 the autumn, when the weather rendered it disagreeable to be 

 so far from town. 



c c 2 



