THE GALLERY OF ILLUSTRATION.
A second picture, succeeding that of Constantinople, is now added, or rather tagged on, to the diorama of the Ocean Mail at this gallery. It is St. Petersburg by moonlight: the motive for its appearance among a series of views to which it is not related, lying, of course, in the interest at present attaching to Russia and her proceedings. The view presents a striking and stately architectural coup d'wil, which justifies the reputa- tion of St. Petersburg as the most imposing, at a first general view, of the European capitals. In front stands the enormous range of buildings forming the Emperor's Winter Palace; a specimen of the Italian palazzo style, which, if size and repetition of the same main features confer grandeur, may be pronounced grand. To the left of this is the Hermitage Palace, the residence of the Empress Catherine, followed by the Marble Palace. A host of spacious white edifices rises in the background, pier- cing the frosty air with domes and pinnacles. In the foreground lies the frozen plain of the Neva, crossed by its bridge of boats, and traversed by sledges and pedestrians. The picture gives a vivid and a favourable idea of what St. Petersburg must be.
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