In every chamber such things are preserved as memorials, as the illustrious personages may have happened to leave behind them. In the cabinet of Maria Feodorovna, for example, a box containing " veritable pate de gumaux en Pastilles, faite par ctHenault a Paris" has the honour to be preserved as something valuable, because it was used by an empress. The pictures in the cabinet of this empress breathe a gentle spirit of love and humanity that makes a favom'able impression on every one who enters. They are beautiful drawings in sepia ; copies of pictures, the choice of which ^betrays not only a pure taste, but a feeling heart. There are two St. Cecilias after Guido Reni, a Penitent Magdalen in the cave, a Transfiguration of the Virgin after Raffaelle, the " Night'' of Corrcggio, and others in the same spirit.
In the chamber of the Emperor Alexander are also some pamyatniks (souvenirs) : a handkerchief which he left here before he set off for Taganrog, as if he had bequeathed it to the Moscovites to weep his loss ; and some instruments which indicate the occupations of the em)eror, as a rule, black-lead pencil, and Indian rubber, a quadrant, note book, &c. His bed-chamber is as simple as it can well be ; a bed with a straw mattrass, half-a-dozen leather-covered chairs, and a small looking-glass, make up the whole furniture.
The " Muloi Dvorez" (little palace), was built by Nicholas Neither is there lierc any great magnificence displayed. There are some pictures representing scenes from the Polish history. Here I saw, for the iirst time, how the Pohsh kings were crowned in the open air on the field of Vola, the solemn procession of tlie nobles, the throne placed on a carpet in tlie middle of the field around a bank of turf, within which sat the clergy and the nobles, awaiting the king, all with their swords by their sides.
A picture by an untaught Russian subaltern officer, representing JVIinin and Posharski in the field, is not without value as a work of art, and has an interest as a kind of sequel to the monument on the " Red place." In the latter, Minin is depicted rousing the prince to arms by his patriotic eloquence ; in the former the two are shown victorious over the Poles.
Nothing I saw here amazed me so much as the bed of the Emperor Nicholas, as it must every one who is accustomed to think of kings and emperors reposing on velvet and down. The Emperor Alexander slept on straw covered with leather, but it was loosely stuffed. The mattrass of the Emperor Nicholas, on which he lies without any other bed between, is stuffed so hard and tightly, that there are certainly few peasants whose couch is ruder than their emperor's. A homily might be preached on it with good effect to some people. The bed stands in a room wholly unadorned, with bare white walls. The library in the emperor's cabinet contains all the books that have been written about Moscow, in French, Russian, and German ; they are quite in their place here.
In one of the rooms, under a glass cover, there were a number of loaves which had been presented to the emperor on his various visits to Moscow. These loaves have the form and size of those used by the Russians at the sacrament, something of the figure of a cup and saucer reversed. On the top a seal is impressed by the priest ; and in partaking of the sacrament, a triangidar piece is cut off and eaten. When the emperor comes to Moscow, the " Golova" (the chief) of the city comes, attended by some of the citizens, and brings a silver salver with a gold saltcellar and a loaf, which he presents to the emperor, requesting him to taste the " bread of Moscow." The emperor thanks him, breaks off a piece of the roll and eats it ; he then invites the Golova to eat his bread, that is a splendid dinner, at which the magistrate is presented ta the empress and the imperial family.