Fifteen miles from the capital of Russia is the beautiful palace of Czars-Koe-Selo, the Versailles of St. Petersburg. Catherine II. was very fond of this place, and spent enormous sums on its embellishment. Originally every ornament and statue upon the façade of the palace, which is no less than twelve hundred feet in length, was heavily plated with gold. After a few years the gilding wore off, and the contractors engaged to repair it offered the empress nearly half a million of dollars for the fragments which remained. But the extravagant Catherine answered them scornfully:— “I am not in the habit, gentlemen,” she said, “of selling my old clothes.” The main avenue leading to this palace of Czars-Koe-Selo is ornamented with several Chinese statues. One morning as the empress was taking her usual promenade along the avenue, she thought she detected a faint smile upon the face of one of the heathen images. She observed it more closely. Surely it was no fancy! the eyes returned her gaze, and that, too, with an expression remarkably human. Catherine II. was not a woman to be afraid of anything. Accordingly, she walked straight towards the statue, determined to solve the mystery. She _was_ startled for a moment, however, when all the figures leaped from their pedestals, and, hats in hand, begged her to pardon the little surprise with which they tried to enliven her morning walk; for her favorite Potemkin and three other courtiers had, in jest, exactly copied the dress and attitude of the Chinese figures. When Prince Bismarck was Prussian ambassador at the court of Alexander II., he was one day standing with the Czar at a window of the Peterhof Palace, when he observed a sentinel in the centre of the lawn with apparently nothing whatever to guard. Out of curiosity he inquired of the Czar why the man was stationed there. Alexander turned to an aide-de-camp. “Count ——,” said he, “why is that soldier stationed there?” “I do not know, your Imperial Majesty.” The Czar frowned. “Send me the officer in command,” he said. The officer appeared. “Prince —— why is a sentinel stationed on that lawn?” “I do not know, your Majesty.” “Not know?” cried the Czar in surprise; “request then the general commanding the troops at Peterhof to present himself immediately.” The general appeared. “General,” said the Czar, “why is that soldier stationed in yonder isolated place?” “I beg leave to inform your Majesty that it is in accordance with an ancient custom,” replied the general evasively. “What was the origin of the custom?” inquired Bismarck. “I—I do not at present recollect,” stammered the officer. “Investigate, and report the result,” said Alexander.