BURFORD'S PANORAMA OF ST. PETERSBURG.
Scene succeeds scene fast under the hand of Mr. Burford; whose ex- hibition has all the energy of youth joined to the "established" respect- ability of age. The new picture which he presents to the public is St. Petersburg ; a subject particularly appropriate now that peace has re- turned, and that the curious interest excited regarding the Russians by the war will have opportunities of being gratified in tour and traveL St. Petersburg is probably the most remarkable among European capitals for the qualities of palatial architecture, imposing by its vast scale and correct uniformity, but owing little to art of any exalted kind, or to invention whether daring or ingenious. We see in the panorama a splendid city, crowded with gigantic palaces and public buildings, bur- dened with a .monotony of straight forms and whole groves of columns, amid which the only architectural features which yield a certain variety and individuality of character are the continually recurring domes and pinnacles. The Neva flows grandly amid the crowd of stately structures ; blue bills in the Northern distance point the road to Cinnstadt ; dock- yards line the quays ; shipping gives life to the smooth-gliding water; and a pale clear morning mm lights up the whole. The panorama, while it presents less of striking contrast or effect than some former ones, is among the best and most complete which Mr. Burford has ex- hinted; and it is particularly to be praised for the liquidity of its waters and water-reflections.
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