PET 
PET 
gardens. The palace was begun by Peter I. and finifhed 
by Elizabeth. As it is placed upon an eminence, it 
commands a moft fuperb view of Cronftadt, Peterfburg, 
the intervening gulf, and the oppofite coaii of Carelia. 
The p:dace is moft magnificently furniftied, and the fuite 
of apartments are truly princely. The prefence-chamber 
is richly ornamented with portraits of the fovereigns of 
the houfe of Rontanof, who have reigned in Ruflia fince 
1613. 
“ The gardens of Peterhoff (fays an intelligent tra¬ 
veller) have been celebrated for their tafte and elegance; 
and from the number of jets-d’eaux, fountains, bafons, 
cafcades, parterres, &c. they have been compared to thofe 
of Verfailles: and indeed in one refpedf they are far fu- 
perior; for the water-works of the latter only play upon 
particularoccafions, whilethofe of Peterhoffare perennial. 
Thefe gardens, which at the time of their formation were 
greatly admired in this country, though not congenial to 
the prefent tafte, are fuffered to remain.” A vaft number 
of filver dolphins and gilded ftatues are fcattered through 
them ; but the moft remarkable figures are thofe of two 
gladiators placed in a bafon of water. Thefe are repre- 
i'ented, not with the fword and buckler, the ancient im- 
plements of war, but with a brace of piftols. Thefe they 
point to each other in a threatening pofture, while the 
water gullies impetuoufly from the barrels. In that part 
of the garden which lies between the palace and the gulf, 
clofe to the water, is a building which was the favourite 
retreat of Peter I. It is preferved, together with its fur¬ 
niture, entirely in its original ftate with a kind of religi¬ 
ous veneration. Its plainnefs Ihows the frugal fimplicity 
in which that monarch was accuftomed to live. In the 
fame celebrated gardens there is a remarkable building 
called the mountainforJledges, and often by travellers the 
flying mountain. “ It Hands (fays Mr. Coxe) in the 
middle of an oblong area, inclofed by an open colonnade, 
with a fiat roof, which is railed for the convenience of 
holding fpeftators. The circumference of this colonnade 
is at leaft half a mile. In the middle of the area ftands 
the flying mountain, ftretching nearly from one end to 
the other. It is a wooden building, fupported upon 
pillars, reprefenting an uneven furface of ground, or a 
mountain compofed of three principal afeents, gradually 
diminilhing in height, with an intermediate fpace to re¬ 
ferable valleys: from top to bottom is a floored way, in 
which three parallel grooves areformed. It is thus ufed : 
Afmall carriage containingone perfon, being placed in the 
centre groove upon the higheit point, goes with great 
rapidity down one hill; the velocity which it acquires 
in its defeent carries it up a fecond ; and it continues to 
move in a fimilar manner until it arrives at the bottom 
of the area, where it rolls for a confiderable way on the 
level furface, and flops before it attains the boundary: 
it is then placed in one of the fide grooves, and drawn 
up by means of a cord fixed to a windlafs. To a perfon 
unacquainted with the mechanifm, this entertainment 
would appear tremendous ; but, as the grooves always 
keep the carriage in its right direction, there is not the 
leaft danger of being overturned. At the top of the 
mountain is a handfome apartment for the accommoda¬ 
tion of the court and principal nobility; there is alfo 
room for many thoufand fpeefators within the colonnade 
and upon its roof. Near the flying mountain is a fpa- 
cious amphitheatre, in which tournaments are ufually 
exhibited.” Coxe’s Travels, vol. i. 1784.—Thefe Mon¬ 
tagues Ruffes, as they are called, were introduced into 
Paris, as an amufeinent, a few years ago; and were exhi¬ 
bited at Sadler’s Wells, London, in the prefent year 1823. 
PETERKIN'GEN, a town of Swiflerland, in the canton 
of Berne : nine miles north of Berne. 
PE'TERS, a town of North America, in Franklin- 
county, Pennfylvania; containing 1749 inhabitants. 
PE'TERS (Rev. Charles, A.M.) Reftor of St. Mabyn, 
in Cornwall, was one of the moft elegant and vigorous 
polemics of the laft century ; but we are not acquainted 
Von. XIX. No. 1343. 
78 7 
with the date of his birth or death. His “Critical Dif- 
fertation on the Book of Job” is the fineft commentary 
in our language, whether it be confidered with refpeft to 
verbal criticifm, literary refearch, or evangelical illuftra- 
tion. In language it is elegant, and in learning pro¬ 
found : the argumentative part is unanswerable, and the 
wit is equally pleafant and good-natured. Bifliop War- 
burton never had fuch an adverfary as Mr. Peters, who 
completely fucceeded in demolifhing the ideal fyftem ad¬ 
vanced in the prelate’s famous work on the Divine Le¬ 
gation of Mofes. The bifliop, however, affeffed to treat 
his acute antagonift with contempt, and in his ufual 
coarfe language defignated him by the illiberal appella¬ 
tion of the Cornifli Critic. Bifliop Lowth, in his letter 
to the author of the Divine Legation, quotes the paffage, 
and in a note fubjoined oblerves thus: “ The very 
learned and ingenious perfon of whom this decent lan¬ 
guage is ufed, is the Rev. Mr. Peters. I mention his 
name becaufe the readers of the Divine Legation will 
hardly know it from thence, where he pafies by the ftyle 
and title of the Cornifli Critic. What the true meaning 
and import of this title may be I cannot fay : I fuppofe 
it may allude to fome proverbial faying relating to Corn¬ 
wall, perhaps like that of the Jews, equally falfe, concern¬ 
ing Galilee, that out of Cornwall arifeth no critic ; but 
this is mere conje&ure; I have never heard of any fuch 
proverb. I was thinking of explaining it by another 
common faying; but then the title would imply a com¬ 
mendation, and, what is worfe, would have too great a 
propriety. Every one has heard of a Cornijh hug; which, 
if a man has once felt it to the purpofe, he will be fore of 
as long as he lives.” Mr. Peters was alfo the author of 
a volume of admirable Sermons. New Monthly Mag. 1815. 
PE'TERSBACH, a town of Bavaria, in the principal¬ 
ity of Aichftatt: five miles north of Aichftatt. 
PE'TERSBERG, a town of the duchy of Magdeburg: 
forty-eight miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Magdeburg. 
PE'TERSBURG, or St. Petersburg, a city of 
Ruflia, and capital of the whole empire, iituated on the 
river Neva. The beginning and increafe of this great 
city were very extraordinary; for, till the year 1703, the 
only buildings on the fpot where this flourilhing metro¬ 
polis now ftands, were two fmall filhing-huts. But Peter 
the Great, having in that year taken the town Nyen- 
fchanze, feated on the river Neva, and made himfelf 
mailer of this country, its commodious fituation for the 
Baltic trade determined him to build a town and fortrefs 
here. He immediately began to put his projefl in exe¬ 
cution, calling the town by his own name. At firft it 
was defigned only for a place of arms, to which all kinds 
of military ftores might be conveniently brought from 
the interior parts of the empire; fo that, by that means, 
the war with Sweden might be carried on with more vi¬ 
gour and difpatch. At this time both the public edifices 
and private houfes were built only with timber. The 
dock and the town had no other fortifications than a 
mean rampart of earth ; nor were the ftreets paved. In 
lliort, if the czar had been then deprived of the place, the 
lofs of it would not have been great. But the vidtory of 
Pultowa, and the conqueft of Livonia, infpired Peter with 
hopes that he Ihould be able to preierve his conquefts, 
and to render Peterfburg the capital of his empire. His 
fondnefs for maritime affairs, a defire for perpetuating 
his name, and his averfion to Mofcow, where, in his 
younger years, he had received fo much ill treatment, 
were the chief motives that induced him to lay the foun¬ 
dation of this new feat of empire ; to which fome add 
another inducement, namely, the pleafure of mortifying 
the Ruffians, who were fo ftrongly attached to the city of 
Mofcow. Upon this, Peter ordered the caftle to be built 
with ftone, the admiralty to be walled in with the fame 
materials, and all the buildings to be eredled in a hand¬ 
fome and more durable manner, and gardens to be laid 
out. In the year 1714, he removed the council to Peterf¬ 
burg; and handfome edifices were erefted in a ftraight 
9 P line 
