The people in Russia do not object to the cold, uninviting houses. Pleasant days bring thousands into the streets below. The Nevsky Prospect is a splendid street that intersects all the rings of the city. It winds its way between the handsome residences, pierces the Chamber of Commerce and touches the poorest parts of the city. Here all types of Russian life are seen, from the proudest nobility, driving in their auto-cars and handsome carriages, to the poorest peasants living in one of those immense, densely crowded apartment buildings. The scene in this portion of the street at about midday may challenge comparison with any street in the world, and the spectacle is enhanced by the magnificence of the decorations. Besides the handsome residences, there are many large shops and cafés offering recreation to the crowds promenading up and down. St. Petersburg has a number of large summer gardens, which are an adornment to the city and offer a pleasant rest to thousands in warm weather. The Summer Garden is the largest and most attractive of these. Everywhere are the large, well-shaded benches, thronged with matrons, while the children play in the sand and catch their balls. On one side of the Summer Garden is the Tzariziuski Lug, or Field of Mars. Now these resorts are well nigh destitute of men. There are a number of buildings in St. Petersburg that are worth noticing. Of these the Exchange is certainly the most prominent. It stands on the farthest point of Vassili Ostroff, with a large open space before it, and it is reared on an elevated foundation. The granite quays on either side give solidity, while a long flight of granite steps leads down to the river. The space before the building is decorated with two immense columns, supporting the prows of ships cast in metal and erected to the memory of Mercury. The building is of immense proportions and took twelve years to build. The great hall is lighted from above, while at either end and on both sides are spaces in the forms of arcades. There is an altar at one end, and a light is always kept burning for the pious merchants, who offer up a prayer before they commence the undertakings of the day. The Hermitage Museum is a veritable treasure prison; there is a large picture gallery, one of the finest and most celebrated in Europe. The collection includes a large number of Dutch cottages, such as Van de Meer and Ostada painted. The gallery is equally rich in the old Italian and French masters. A most interesting part of the collection are the treasures that were once housed at Malmaison. When the Emperor Alexander was in Paris, he visited the divorced consort of Napoleon, who spoke of the property that remained to her and the insecurity of the possession. To protect it until it could be reclaimed, Emperor Alexander bought the treasure and took it to Russia.