Far handsomer than this palace was the charming country-house of Prince Mirzewsky.  It is seated on a hill, in the centre of a magnificent park, and affords a delightful view of the mountains and sea.  The principal front is Gothic.

The villa of Prince Gallizin is built entirely in the Gothic style.  The pointed windows, and two towers of which, decorated with a cross, give to it the appearance of a church, and the beholder involuntarily looks for the town to which this gorgeous building belongs.

This place lies nearly at the extremity of the fine country.  From here the trees are replaced by dwarf bushes, and finally by brambles; the velvety-green turf is succeeded by stony ground, and steep rocks rise behind, at the foot of which lie a quantity of fallen fragments.

Even here very pretty seats are to be seen; but they are entirely artificial, and want the charm of nature.

After travelling about thirteen wersti, the road winds round a stony hill, and the castle of Prince Woronzoff comes in sight in its entire extent.  The appearance of it is not by any means so fine as I had imagined.  The castle is built entirely of stone, of the same colour as the neighbouring rocks.  If a large park surrounded the castle, it would stand out more prominently, and the beauty and magnificence of its architecture would be better shown.  There is, indeed, a well laid out garden, but it is yet new and not very extensive.  The head gardener, Herr Kebach (a German), is a master in his art; he well knows how to manage the naked barren land, so that it will bear not only the ordinary trees, plants, and flowers, but even the choicest exotic plants.

The castle is built in the Gothic style, and is full of towers, pinnacles, and buttresses, such as are seen in similar well preserved buildings of olden time.  The principal front is turned towards the sea.  Two lions, in Carrara marble, artistically sculptured, lie in comfortable ease at the top of the majestic flight of steps which lead from the castle far down to the sea-shore.

The interior arrangement of the castle reminded me of the “Arabian Nights;” every costly thing from all parts of the world, such as fine woods and choice works of art, is to be seen here in the greatest perfection and splendour.  There are state apartments in Oriental, Chinese, Persian, and European styles; and, above all, a garden saloon, which is quite unique, for it not only contains the finest and rarest flowers but even the tallest trees.  Palms, with their rich leafy crowns, extend to a great height, climbing plants cover the walls, and on all sides are flowers and blossoms.  The most delightful odour diffused itself through the air, cushioned divans stood half-buried under the floating leaves; in fact, everything combined to produce the most magical impression upon the senses.

The owner of this fairy palace was unfortunately absent at a fete on a neighbouring estate.  I had letters to him, and should have been glad to have made his acquaintance, as I had heard him spoken of here, both by rich and poor, as a most noble, just and generous man.  I was, indeed, persuaded to wait his return, but I could not accept this offer, as I should have had to wait eight days for the arrival of the next steamer, and my time was already very limited.