Excursions in the interior of Russia; including sketches of the character and policy of the Emperor Nicholas, scenes in St. Petersburgh, &c. &c

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

University of Toronto

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EXCURSIONS

IN THE

INTERIOR OF RUSSIA:

INCLUDING

SKETCHES OF THE CHARACTER AND POLICY

OF THE

EMPEROR NICHOLAS,

SCENES IN ST. PETERSBURG,

&c. &c.

By ROBERT BREMNER, Esq.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.
SECOND EDITION.

LONDON-
HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER,

GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET.

1840.

\ij*

j LIBR A. R Y

LONDON:
Printed by William Clowes and Sons,
Stamford Street.

4)K

CONTENTS

OF THE

SECOND VOLUME.

CHAPTER I.

PREPARATIONS FOR VISITING THE INTERIOR.

The Russians seen in perfection in the interior only — Police forms before
leaving — The traveller must advertise himself in the Journals — Pass-
ports— Preliminary explanations — Old and new style — Mode of mea-
suring distances — To turn versts into miles — Government bank notes
— Coins — The kopeek — The rouble — Platina coins — Account of that
metal — Variation in the value of Russian notes and coins at different
places ...... Page 1

CHAPTER II.

FROM ST. PETERSBURG TO NOVGOROD-VELIKI.

General character of Russian scenery — Tame when compared with that
of other countries — Our party — Companions — Our mode of travelling
— Russian diligence — The most comfortable in the world — Splendid
road — Care with which it is kept — Crops — Mode of farming — Barns
— Herds — Hamlets — Houses — Village scenes — Appearance of the peo-
ple— Post-houses — Crowds asleep at night in the open air — Horses —
Postilions— Military colony — Novgorod- Veliki — Its decayed state 10

CHAPTER III.

FROM NOVGOROD-VELIKI TO MOSCOW.

Krastze — Country fair and country beauties — Vishni Voloshok — Great
Canal of Russia — Village churches — Scenes by the roadside — Waggons
— Telegas — Safety of travellers in Russia — Torjok — The city of Cutlets
— Tver — Srate of education in the northern governments — Russian
forests — Vast extent — Process of making tar — Pitch — Russians have
no love of trees like the Turks or Germans — " Luther's Linden," a
reminiscence of Germany — People sweeping the roads — Burnt village
— Klin . .... 21

a2

IV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER IV.

MOSCOW AND ITS KREMLIN.

Splendid sunset view — Beautiful situation — Its sad condition during the
visit of the French — No traces remaining of the great fire — The
Kremlin — Its fantastic architecture — Summer evening on its terrace
and in the gardens — Singular religious ceremony — The Blessing of the
Waters — The metropolitan — Cathedral and churches of the Kremlin
— Its palaces — The Emperor's private palace — His bridal days —
Portraits of the Empress — Her popularit)r — The Treasury — Valuable
jewels, crowns, curiosities, &c. — The great bell of Moscow — Its disin-
terment— Tower of Ivan Veliki — Moscow preferable to St. Petersburg
— Abounds with objects of interest — Markets — Bazaars — Large
roof ....... Page 33

CHAPTER V.

UNIVERSITY OF MOSCOW.

Public institutions — The University — Its library — The catalogue — Valu-
ab'e museum — Professors — Scottish remembrances — Singular disco-
very connected with General Gordon — Inquiry about the Gordon fa-
mily— Institution for Orphans of the Cholera — Its admirable arrange-
ments— Munificent charities of Russia — Native tutors . 54

CHAPTER VI.

THE "FOUNDLING" OF MOSCOW.

Catherine's institution for foundlings — Immense extent of the building
— Expenses — Number of inmates — Singular scene with the nurses —
Infants — Apathy of Russian parents — Patients from the ball-room —
Objects of this establishment, of a political nature — Melancholy effects
on the morals of the people . . . . .62

CHAPTER VII.

THE EXILES OF SIBERIA.

Visit to the prison for convicts on their way to Asia — Government allows
the Committee of prisons to intercede for them — Dr. Hazy — Descrip-
tion of the prison — Dress and appearance of the prisoners — Crowded
rooms — Applications of convicts listened to — Wives and children al-
lowed to accompany them — Touching sight — Band setting out on
their long march — Fastening of their letters — Asked us for Bir-les —
Visit to the prisoners newly arrived — The murderer — The executioner
— The returned exiles — Polish nobleman among the prisoners — The
hospital — Police function .ry banished — Russians deny that the Poles
have been banished in large numbers — Cruel treatment of Poles on the
march — Condition of the exiles in Siberia — Nobles can banish their
serfs — Curious case of a wife — Siberian statistics . .71

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VIII.

NOTES ON THE RUSSIAN CHURCH ON THE GENERAL CHARACTER

OF THE CLERGY — AND ON RELIGIOUS SECTS.

History of the church in Russia — Number of metropolitans, bishops, &c.
— Of monks and nuns — Respectability of the religious fraternities —
Church honours — Admission of a young monk — Dress and rules of the
orders — Profession of a clergyman hereditary — Peculiar tenets of the
Russo-Greek church — Distinctions between it and the Roman Catholic
— The Eucharist — Marriage of the clergy — Not to take a second wife
— Preaching neglected — Fast-days — Popular religion — More crossing
and bowing — Fear of evil spirits — Respect for proverbs — Karasmin's
beautiful account of their origin — Sectarians — Razkolniks — Singular
tenets — Duchoborzy — General status, and conduct of the established
clergy — Not respectable — Their ignorance — Fees for marriage — The
burial service — Observance of the Sabbath — General state of morals in
the Greek church ..... Page 96

CHAPTER IX.

FOREIGNERS IN MOSCOW — ACCOUNT OF A FOREIGNER'S PRO-
GRESS IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

General account of the population — French — Germans — English — Com-
plaints of foreigners regarding the climate — Dreadful winter — Cause
explained — Expense of liviug here — Hotels — English boarding-house
— Daily expenditure of the traveller — No beds at most inns — Restau-
rants— Foreigners find the Russian language very difficult — Best way
of learning it — The traveller's most useful words — Pashloushti! —
Tchitchass! — Pashol ! — Numbers, &c. — Travellers seldom acquire the
language — First adoption of the Russian as a literary language 111

CHAPTER X.

SKETCHES OF LIFE IN MOSCOW.

Scene at the Semonofsky convent — Peasants' holiday — Russian Donny-
brook — Cruel treatment of a female — Wild dances — Cossack policemen
— Beautiful vespers — Another religious ceremony — Melancholy super-
stitions— Marriage-feast — Independence of the nobles of Moscow —
Their partiality to the ancient capital — Amusements — Horse-racing
— English jockies — Extravagant sums paid for horses — Walk in the
palace-gardens — Drive to a nobleman's palace in the country — Style of
the building — Its apartments and furniture — No fine trees in the
grounds — Contrast with an English country -si at „ .122

VI CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XI.

MEMS. ON RUSSIAN POSTING AND CARRIAGES.

No roads beyond Moscow — Little to be got at post-houses — Difficulty of
getting correct information — No public coaches — Commander of our
party— Best kind of carriage — Dishonesty of the Russian coach-
maker — Laying in provisions — Padoroshna explained — Expense of
posting very small — No road-book — M. deBoulgakof — OurGovernment
courier — Attractions of the Great Fair — Our marche-route Page 139

CHAPTER XII.

EASTERN RUSSIA, FROM MOSCOW TO VLADIMIR.

Murning scere — First specimens of true Russian roads — Sandy deserts
— Peasants — Villages — Pigs — Dogs — Hunt of heads — Huts — Stoves
— Forests — Harvest — Fields — Buck-wheat — Bogorodsk — Pleasures of
travelling on the same line with the Emperor — Harrowing the roads- —
Danger of meeting a prince — A night in the streets of Plotava — Our
nexr-door neighbours — Pass the exiles on their march — A sorrowful
sight— Stepping at the stations — Many horses required — Vladihir
— Another night in the streets — Rain! . . .148

CHAPTER XIII.

FROM VLADIMIR TO NISHNEI-NOVGOROD.

Statistics of the Government of Vladimir — Harvest scenery — Terrible
roads — A stand-still — How to treat the postilions, or Russian per-
suasion— State of the roads a reproach to the Government — Evils of
a large carriage — Appearance of the people — Russian mode of nursing
children — Muddy villages — Mouiton — Its churches — Market — Cross
the Okka — N<> lively streams in Russia — Sands — A woodland drive
— Merry postilions — Tartar huts — Female costume — Dull forests —
Scarcity of birds . . . . . .159

CHAPTER XIV.

NISHNEI-NOVGOROD AND THE VOLGA.

First symptoms of the fair — Road miseries — Site and appearance of the
city of Nishnei — Population — Churches — The Volga — Its majestic
size — Compared with other rivers — The Danube — The Thames — The
Spey — Commerce — Fisheries — Character of the country at its mouth
— Cholera first entered Euroj e by this river — Muddy hue of most
continental rivers . . . . . .170

CONTENTS. VU

CHAPTER XV.

THE FAIR OF NISHNEI-NOVGOROD.

Site of the fair — Shops — Police arrangements — Description of the
crowd — Singular groups — Chinese, Turks, Persians, English, &c. —
Contrasted with the great Leipsic fair — Numbers attending — Goods
sold — Their value — Morocco leather — Silks — Jewels — Teas — Mode
of procuring them — Superior to those brought to England — Reason
of this — The countess and her gown — Cachmere shawls — How they
are manufactured — Russian horse-shoeing — Visit to an eating-house
—The patron saint — Advantages of this situation — Imperfect com-
mercial system — Mode of effecting payments — Political considera-
tions— The Emperor and the Asiatic tribes * . Page 181

CHAPTER XVI.

GAIETIES AND GRAVITIES ON THE BANKS OF THE VOLGA.

The Governor of Nishnei — Singular military show — Government of Nije-
gorod — Our inn — Hint to the traveller — Native fare — State of educa-
tion in the provinces — Average proportion of education in Russia,
contrasted with that of Great Britain — Russian mode of reckoning —
The abacus — Tourists in Russia — Analysis of a party of foreigners,
Germans, English, &c. — Marvels of modern travelling — Shakspere
and Monsieur Scribe on the banks of the Volga — A gifted Othello —
Russian Desdemona . . . . # 205

CHAPTER XVII.

CROSS-CUT THROUGH THE OLD COUNTRY OF THE TARTARS.

Road-makers — Men in gloves — Bare legs — Evening scene — The cloister
— The hermit — Melenky — Hospitality of an old soldier — Scenery more
lively — Running stream — Appearance and habits of the Tartar popu-
lation— Russian shepherdesses — Mot ey flocks — Herdsmen in Germany
— Kazimoff — Decayedaspect — Tartar suburb — Shah Ali's tomb — Ano-
ther ferry — Boat dragging — Swimming horses — Eraklour — A sandy
village — Post-house suppers — Cro: s — Sunflower, its uses — Wattles —
Government of Riazan — Town of Riazan — German inns — Printing
establishments in the provinces — Market — Bad fruits in Russia —
Neglect of «he Sabbath . . . . .217

CHAPTER XVIII.

A VISIT TO TOULA, THE BIRMINGHAM OF RUSSIA.

Female costumes — Pretty country — Village belles — The harvest — Hair
hunt — Zaraisk — Cooking our dinner — Evening song — Marriage party
— Stuck in the mud — Night travelling — Fettev — Perishability of Rus-
sian architecture — Windmills — Jniskma — Breakfast with an old pea-
sant woman — Gipsey scene — Habits of Russian gipseys — The Don
— Its source. &c. — Toui.a — Its misfortunes — Manufactures — Guns —
Iron and steel works — Rings — Snuff-boxes — Russian gun-making
comrared wiih English— Sorry inn — More sleeping sights — Travelling
fare — Butcher-market — Herd coming home • • 233

viii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIX.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE CORN-GROWING DISTRICTS OF CENTRAL

RUSSIA.

A Russian courier — Great road to the South — Droves from the Ukraine
— Dead cattle — Ravens — Forests of the North disappear — Rogueish
postmaster — Rich corn-country — Habits of the farmers^ — Their
wives — Ignorance — Mtzemk — Government of Orel — Array of wind-
mills— Astonishing fertility of central Russia — Immense resources of
Russia — Mode of farming — Produce, flocks, and general statistics
of the governments of Riazan, Toula, Orel, and Koursk — Returns of
grain — Compared with those of Scotland, &c. — Landlords — Slow pro-
gress of improvements among Russian farmers — The town of Okel
— Its trade — Filthy aspect — Fortifications and general appearance of
a town in the interior .... Page 249

CHAPTER XX.

GLANCE AT THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS ON THE COSSACK BORDER.

Comforts of a large carriage — "Wretched climate — Account of the post-
houses in this part of Russia — Of the roads — Method of driving —
Koursk — Beautiful situation — Analysis of the population of a Russian
town — Government functionaries — The Russian apothecary — Polish
prisoners — Population of the government of Koursk — Crops — Climate
improves — Game — Medwenka — Approach to Little Russia — Manners
of the Little Russians — Order — Cleanliness — Oboyane — Hand-plaster-
ing— Pretty cottages — New people — Pleasant travelling — Serenade
from the Syrens of Yakowbevo — Russian singing compared with
Italian — Bielgorod — Ancient wisdom . . . 266

CHAPTER XXI.

JOURNEY AMONG THE COSSACKS OF THE UKRAINE.

The warm South — The Ukraine — Mazeppa — Wolf hunt — Kharkopf —
Its sands — University — Its fairs — Articles sold — Caviar, how pro-
cured— Sketch of a Jew money-changer — The penny-shows — Pano-
rama— Dancing-dogs — The Emperor. and his passion for travelling —
The cavalry colonies — Singular burial-places — Fertility of the
Ukraine — Evening encampment of a travelling herd — Description of
the ox of the Ukraine — Litbotin — The mule — Russian Wyoming by
moonlight — Night-singing — Valky — Music of the poultry — Exagge-
rations about Russia — Travellers' tales — State of agriculture in the
Ukraine — Xo manure — The Kourgans or tombs of the south of Russia
— Various theories about these ancient monuments — Herodotus —
Major Rennell . . . . . .281

CONTENTS. IX

CHAPTER XXII.

BATTLE-FIELD OF PULTAVA.

Swamps of the Ukraine — Pultava — Search for lodgings — Fall a prey
to Jews — Sketch of an old one — Visit to the field of battle — Appear-
ance of the ground — Astonishment — Voltaire — Monument to the
Swedes — Reflections on the fate of the prisoners, and of Charles XII,
— Contrast with Napoleon — Account of the town — Fine streets and
houses — Public walk — Grapes — Climate of central Europe becoming
worse — French prisoners — Cheap liviug — Marketing — Beef — Wines —
Melons — Price of horses — Draught oxen — Leech-gathering — Cossack
revel — Dancing — Fare at our inn — Beds — insects . Page 306

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE LOWER UKRAINE, AND NOTES ON THE VARIOUS COSSACK

TRIBES.

Cottages — Farms — Dung and reeds for fuel — Crops — Account of the
buck-wheat — Russian and Scottish sheep-farmers — Want of canals
and rail-roads — Devastations of the locust — Wretched state' of edu-
cation— Village inn — Cossack trousers — Nut-brown maids — Large
farms — Stack yards — Mode of farming — Cossack farm-house
— Bees — Omelink — Birds — Krementchoug — Trade — Jews — Delays
— Plots of a post-master — Notices of the Don Cossacks — Their conn-
try — Form of government — Privileges — The Cossackt soldier — Beran-
ger's Ode — Sir Walter Scott's beautiful picture of the Cossacks — Cos-
sack regiments in the Emperor's service — General origin of these
tribes — Karasmin's account of them .... 324

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE STEPPES.

Comforts of travelling without a dinner — Crossing the Dniepek —
Account of that river — Its falls — Journey by moonlight — Concert of
dogs and poultry — Willows — Symptoms of approaching barrenness —
Adjamka — Russian wells and our morning ablutions — Flies — Increas-
ing heat — Elizabethguad — Jews — Water-melons — Appearance of
the people — Trees disappear — Cultivation ceases — Entrance on the
Stepfes — Account of these regions — Herds of horses — Numerous
birds — Gazelle — Pelican — Serpent — A souvenir of Russia — Woman's
kindness prized by the stranger — The traveller's loneliness — Mourn-
ful thoughts ....... 346

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XXV.

THE DISMAL BORDERS OF THE BLACK SEA.

Kompaneevka — Grassy road' — Quick travelling — Sougakley — Village
settlers in the Steppes — Geese — Night-scene at Wodenaya — Scotch
names — Many horses — Drive across the Desert — Poplars — Nicolaepp
— Its public buildings — Gardens — Ships — Dockyards — Not flourish-
ing— Its strange houses — Scenes in the sandy market-place — " Craw-
fish"— Cooking-house — Crossing the bog — Trailing for crawfish —
Account of the bog and its Liman — More night-scenes — Climate —
Draw near the Black Sea — Italian Wanderers — Birds — Flowers —
Adjelik — Ships — Scenes near Odessa . . . Page 361

CHAPTER XXVI.

ODESSA.

Pleasant impressions — Improvement in the looks of the people — Site —
History — Trade — Export of grain — Of wool — Crowds of carters
and oxen — Shipping — The harbour — The Winter — The climate —
Dust — Now more healthy — The Lyceum — Resemblance to towns of
Italy — Many Italians here — Poles — English — The British Consul-
General — Kindness of our countrymen — A Hutor, or Summer villa
— Ravages of the Locusts — Concert to frighten them — Dissolute
character of the higher classes — Lady-cigars — The Opera — More
specimens of the Jewish character — Statistics of our journey — Expenses
of travelling in Russia — Living at Odessa — Marketing — The Hotel
Richelieu and its good fare — Scenes of vice — Warning to tourists —
Conclusion — Farewell to Russia — Glance at her resources — No
probability that her manufactures can soon rival those of Eng-
land ........ 375

INTERIOR OF RUSSIA.

EXCURSIONS,

Sfc. tyc.

CHAPTER I.

PREPARATIONS FOR VISITING THE INTERIOR.

The Russians seen in perfection in the interior only — Police forms before
leaving — The traveller must advertise himself in the journals — Pass-
ports— Preliminary explanations — Old and new style — Mode of mea-
suring distances — To turn versts into miles — Government Bank notes
— Coins — The kopeek — The rouble — Platina coins — Account of that
metal — Variations in the value of Russian notes and coins at dif-
ferent places.

'■ He who has seen only St. Petersburg knows little of
Russia, and still less of the Russians/' said a learned
German, who, having spent ten years in the Emperor's
dominions, had enjoyed ample opportunity for studying
the character of the nation to the utmost advantage, and
consequently was well qualified to advise a foreigner on
the best method he could adopt for becoming acquainted
with the real condition and habits of this most interest-
ing people.

His advice having been seconded by all our friends,
with the unvarying assurance, " Unless you go to the
interior you have not seen the Russian, but merely the

VOL. II. B

2 THE RUSSIAN CHARACTER.

Russian of St. Petersburg," we resolved to employ the
remainder of the autumn in visiting the districts lying
between the Gulf of Finland and the Black Sea ; and,
now that our project has been accomplished, can say, in
confirmation of the opinion thus expressed by our kind
advisers, that in the provinces alone is the national cha-
racter to be seen in perfection. At St. Petersburg the
Russian, though still a savage, is a savage whose man-
ners have bee", modified by contact with civilized supe-
riors; but visit Mm in the lonely forest hut — find him
anion <r the pestilent swamps of the inland lake, surrounded
by his pitch and his charcoal — rouse him from his night-
lair among the steeds of Tartary or the herds of the
Ukraine — and there will you find him unpolluted by im-
provement, untouched by change.

The reader, therefore, who wishes to learn what Russia
and the Russians really are, will not refuse to follow us
throughout the long, but not dreary, wanderings which now
awaited us. Before entering on them, however, it will be
necessary to premise a few words concerning the prepara-
tions which the traveller has to make when about to leave
the capital.

That it is no easy matter to enter St. Petersburg the
reader will already have seen, from the account of the
Custom-house delays at Cronstadt, given in the first
volume. He will now be surprised to hear — if anything
can surprise him after the specimens which have been
given of Russian inconsistency — that, thanks to the
police formalities, it is nearly as difficult to get out of it
again.

Every person about to leave St. Petersburg for a foreign

PASSPORTS.

country is under the necessity of advertising his intention
in the newspapers at least three different times. The
professed object, of this regulation is to prevent people
from running away in anybody's debt ; but its real object
is to give the police time to ascertain, privately, whether
the traveller may have any motives of a political or trea-
sonable nature. Owing to this arrangement, the stated
time required for getting a passport ready is little short
of a fortnight ; so that travellers who go to St. Peters-
burg on a flying visit ought to commence advertising
themselves the day after they arrive. Restless English-
men cannot do St. Petersburg so quickly as Naples.
A learned Templar boasts of having seen the whole of
the latter city during a twelve-hours' stay; but the
shortest stay a man can make here is at least that num-
ber of days. For a merchant or other person who has
been long settled in the country, the process is much
longer ; in fact, the formalities in this case are so trouble-
some, that he finds it difficult to get away at all. At the
end of the Russian and German papers there are always
long lists of the people arrived, departed, and about to
go away. The form of the note is simply :

" John Smith, British subject, (going) to Lu'beck, may
be found in the Galernoy Oulitza, No. 10, in the house
of Madame Moreau."

The lists of these notices frequently fill a column or two
of the paper.

Those starting from St. Petersburg for the interior, in
the intention of leaving Russia without returning to the
capital, as in our case, have also to perform this cere-
mony of advertising themselves, but have it in their

b2

PASSPORTS.

power to do so either before leaving St. Petersburg, or at
the place of embarkation, as may be found most conve-
nient. Being anxious to get away as quickly as possible,
we started without advertising; but we should advise all
travellers, whether embarking from that port or not, to
go through the whole ceremony at St. Petersburg, in
which the process of advertising is more expeditiously
accomplished than at a distant sea-port — where, as news-
papers appear in such a place only once a-week, a
foreigner has to wait a long time, unless he has private
friends who will become security for all debts and claims
which may be brought against him after his departure.

The only protection which we took with us was a pass-
port for the interior. We should advise English travel-
lers, however, who intend visiting other foreign countries
after leaving Russia, in place of asking for this Russian
document, to get back their original passport, counter-
signed by the Minister of the Interior — who, as we dis-
covered too late, is quite willing to give it up when ap-
plied for in time. They will thus not only get on fully
as well throughout Russia, but save themselves the
trouble of providing a new passport on reaching another
kingdom. As in other countries, most of these police
matters are managed by the people of the hotel in which
he lives, without giving the stranger much trouble.

Including advertisements, the expense of passports
comes to be much greater in Russia than in any other
country. But, however troublesome these matters, pre-
vious to staiting, may be, the traveller will meet with
less trouble in the interior than in the other countries
of Europe. In some parts of Italy his carriage is stopped

DATES AND DISTANCES. 0

three or four times a-day to have his passports or lug-
gage inspected ; but he may traverse Russia from side
to side, and from end to end, without having luggage
touched so much as once ; and, unless at Moscow and
one or two of the principal towns, even passports are never
asked for.

An explanation of the padoroshna, and of the posting
system and expenses, will be given in the account of our
journey from Moscow, when we first were under the
necessity of making ourselves acquainted with these
topics. Meantime, in order to render the following
pages intelligible, it will be necessary to say a few words
on Russian dates, distances, and money.

In regard to the first of these it may be stated, that
the stranger, on arriving here, is sadly annoyed by them,
in consequence of the Russians still retaining the old
style. But, in order to find our day of the month from
theirs, he has only to add twelve to the given date ; thus
their 19th of July corresponds to our 31st; their 1st of
April to the 13th of ours. The reduction of Russian to
English distances is equally simple. There being about
three versts to two English miles, the shortest way is to
divide the number of versts by three, and deducting the
third from the whole, the remainder is the number of
miles English : thus eighteen versts make twelve of our
miles.

Motiey is not always so easily dealt with. On the
whole, however, the rouble piece, being in size and value
exactly the same as the French franc piece (lOtf. Eng-
lish), we found it the best way, for large as well as small
sums, to reckon twenty-five roubles to the pound sterling.

RUSSIAN MONEY.

We did not get that number of roubles for every pound
from the bankers, the exchange at the time being unfa-
vourable ; but for all general purposes the ratio now
stated is sufficiently accurate. Dividing any number of
roubles, therefore, by twenty-five gives the sum pretty
nearly in pounds sterling: thus, seventy-five roubles
divided by twenty- five make three pounds.

The kopeek is a thin copper coin, twice as large as our
farthing, but not so valuable, ten of them being required
to make the value of a penny English ; consequently, one
hundred make a rouble, or tenpence. There are hand-
some copper coins of ten kopeeks ; that is, of the same
value as a penny, but much larger. There are old five-
kopeek or halfpenny pieces, not now in circulation, as
large as twopence of our copper. Formerly, indeed, the
whole of the Russian copper money was so very large in
proportion to the value of copper in other countries, that
it became a regular trade to export it for sale in England
and elsewhere: but the new coinage is of a size which
leaves no temptation to the exporter.

Silver coins, of many different values, are in circula-
tion ; such as pieces of five roubles, one rouble forty
kopeeks, one rouble sixty kopeeks, and two roubles, &c.
These require no particular explanation.

The gold coins are remarkably handsome, but are not
in very general circulation.

There are also platina coins for as many roubles as
would make several pounds sterling ; but though this
metal be more rare even than gold, it does not appear to
be in great favour as a substitute for the better known
metals. As some readers may not be acquainted with

PLATINA.

this metal, which is now often heard of in connexion with
Russia, it may be stated, that platina is comparatively a
new metal, having been made known to Europe only
about the year 1749, when Mr. Ward, assay- master in
Jamaica, first published an account of its properties. For
many years it was found only in South America and St.
Domingo, and then only in the smallest quantities.
Lately, however, it has been found in what may be con-
sidered large quantities, in various parts of Asiatic Russia,
especially in the mountains of the Ural, where 1 pood
33 pounds were dug in 1824. In 1830 not fewer than
303 poods 14 pounds were collected. A lump is shown
in St. Petersburg from the mines of the DemidofT family,
weighing more than twenty pounds. In its pure state
this metal is not unlike silver, only darker, and with less
lustre. In beauty, ductility, indestructibility, and espe-
cially weight, it comes so near gold, that, when first intro-
duced to Europe, a law was passed in Spain prohibiting
its importation, for fear that it might be employed in
adulterating gold. " This," say the chemists, " was
quite unnecessary, for the addition of about one-fortieth
impairs its properties so much, that it is easily detected."
It is greatly employed in lining retorts and other vessels
used by chemists.

On reaching Moscow we found Spanish dollars (the
colonnati of the Mediterranean) and other foreign pieces
in constant circulation. The great bulk of the circulat-
ing medium of Russia, however, is in pape?\ The notes
are of five, ten, fifty, roubles, and are all of the same
size, but are blue, vermillion, or white, according to their
value. Even the notes of smallest value (4.s. 2d. Eng-

8 RUSSIAN PAPER-MONEY.

lish) are nearly as large as a ten- pound Bank of Eng-
land one ; but the paper being of a peculiarly soft and
clammy texture, the Russian notes lie in little room and
look very neat.

The emperor has an excellent bargain of these same
notes. They are nominally payable on demand ; but
as copper is the standard coin of the empire, nobody
would be rash enough to ask for payment. It would
take a wain or two to carry home a hundred pounds ster-
ling : the government paper is thus virtually irredeem-
able. In fact, so high does it stand in public favour, that
on reaching Moscow we found our notes worth seventeen
per cent more than in St. Petersburg. This arises from
a defective system of banking, or rather from the doubt-
ful state of private credit. There being no banks, as in
other countries, and little confidence among merchants, it
becomes necessary for a trader at Moscow or any part of
the provinces, who has a payment to make in the capital,
to buy government paper to the amount of his intended
remittance, there being no other medium through which
remittances can be made. This operation naturally
makes bank-notes in these places be always at a pre-
mium, varying according to the amount of payments due
at the time.

The traveller gains in the same proportion on all
silver brought from the capital. The only coin we found
at a discount is a very handsome new one, nominally
worth something more than two roubles, but which, in
some remote parts, after leaving Moscow, is under that
value, and occasionally will scarcely be taken at all.
The premium varies so rapidly, that, on entering a shop

RUSSIAN MONEY. 9

at Moscow, you never know how far your roubles are to
go. As a general rule, however, the gain is so consider-
able, that travellers going to the interior may always take
cash with them from the capital for their whole journey,
with the certainty of gaining by it. At Odessa, where
business relations with the capital are of a different
nature, money resumes its original value.

b 3

10

CHAPTER II.

FROM ST. PETERSBURG TO NOVGOROD-VELIKI.

General character of Russian scenery — Tame when compared with that
of other countries — Our party — Companions — Our mode of travel-
ling.— Russian diligence — The most comfortable in the world — Splen-
did road — Care with which it is kept — Crops — Mode of farming —
Barns — Herds — Hamlets — Houses — Village scenes — Appearance of
the people — Post-houses — Crowds asleep at night in the open air —
Horses — Postilions — Military Colony — Novgorod Veliki — Its decayed
state.

Russia is the largest and the ugliest country in the
world. Nature seems to have lavished all her deformity
on this one empire, which, without question, covers the
least beautiful portion of the whole habitable globe. With
the exception of the Crimea, the Russian Italy — and
even of it many speak in terms of very moderate praise
— there is scarcely a single inch of this overgrown terri-
tory that can be called picturesque.

It has been deemed necessary to make this statement
before commencing our wanderings, in order to keep the
reader from being alarmed lest we should be pausing at
every step with endless descriptions of scenery — heaping
epithets upon epithets, and figure upon figure, in the
hope of conveying some idea of its beauties. The writer
on Russia is not in the smallest danger of offending in
this respect. It is not as in Norway or Sweden, where
the traveller is constantly falling in with something that

RUSSIAN SCENERY. 1 1

would keep him prating for hours. In Russia, it is pos-
sible to travel five hundred miles without being once
arrested by a romantic scene. He who journeys over it
cannot indeed say "It is all barren ;" for he passes many
an interesting sight : but assuredly he will not find a
single beautiful mountain, nor a rugged cliff, nor a brawl-
ing stream, nor a fresh green glen, to detain him. He
finds nothing but the dead, wearisome, ceaseless mono-
tony of tame plains and tamer forests.

Yet, if Russia possess little beauty in point of scenery,
in one respect it surprises the stranger most completely.
He comes expecting to find large portions of it entirely
desert ; and, doubtless, there are many in this state : but
the lines through which the great roads lie are generally
so well cultivated, that, with the exception of the Steppes,
Russia will by no means be found such a wilderness as
we usually conceive it to be. There are few " moors,"
or waste places, to be seen : all the ground not under the
plough is covered with wood.

During our journeyings through the interior, our party
consisted of four Englishmen, the original party of
two having been agreeably doubled by the accession of
two countrymen, father and son, — the one full of in-
formation, from his experience both as a soldier and a
politician ; the other fresh from Oxford, and possessed of
every amiable quality required for the composition of
that most rare character — a good travelling companion.
Our expedition, as far as Moscow, was performed in the
" Diligence," the Russian substitute for a stage-coach.
In general appearance this vehicle has a great resem-
blance to its French namesake, but is much more com-

12 RUSSIAN DILIGENCE.

fortable. The horses, usually four in number, are yoked
abreast. The open cabriolet in front being large enough
only for the " conducteur" and a couple of passengers,
the yemtchik (postillion) takes his seat on a lower box.
The hind-part of the body of the machine is occupied by
a covered bench, closed in with leather cushions, for
three persons, who are far from comfortably lodged.
The body is divided into two compartments, for two
persons each: in these the arrangement is superior to
anything we have seen, each passenger having a portion
fenced off for himself, where he sits as in an arm-chair,
conversing with the neighbour at his elbow, but never
interfering with his comforts. Each has a small looking-
glass before him, by way of securing for every one a
sight of the face which he is most in love with. Before
one of these little glasses, a Russian who travelled with
us was constantly trimming his long beard. There is
also a small folding table in front of each person — very
useful in a country where the natives invariably lay in
stores for a journey, that they may be independent of
taverns bv the wav. Their meals of sausage and bread
are all eaten from this small table while the horses move
on. Foreigners, of course, do not think of providing a
stock, and consequently come poorly off at times. We
had no reason to complain : though not at all the post-
houses, yet there are many, which may be easily found
out beforehand, where tolerable fare can be had. In
these cases, however, it is dangerous to trust to servants.
The master, or, if there be two or three of a party, one
of the masters, must himself visit the kitchen, and show
that he is in earnest, else little will be forthcoming.

RUSSIAN DILIGENCE. 13

From this account of the diligence it will be seen that
Russia is making progress as well as her neighbours.
Not many years ago, no kind of public conveyance was
known in the country ; but now this line of road is con-
tested by rival companies. The traveller may find a
most excellent conveyance nearly every day in summer.
In fact, although we never expected to have such a con-
fession to make, the most comfortable public conveyances
in Europe are those of Russia. We have tried all the
public vehicles, by whatever name they may be called,
from Naples to Stockholm, and decidedly the only one
at all convenient is that now spoken of. How superior
it is to a barbarous French interieur, or even an English
inside, thus to sit alone and independent, yet not unsocial
— for besides the neighbour at your elbow, you have only
to turn up the cushion running across, and carry on a
talk with the other two — will easily be conceived by those
who have endured all the horrors of a six-inside machine
for two or three hundred miles — from Geneva to Paris,
for instance.

The fare is also very moderate ; including the charge
for postillions, it is below four pounds for a journey of
648 versts, or 466 miles. The cabriolet, which is still
cheaper, is by far the best seat for seeing the country :
here some of us were always seated, the weather (in
August) having been so mild, that even at night we did
not feel the slightest inconvenience. The horses being
generally supplied by the peasants at the different
stages, and not by the regular postmasters, there are
often long delays in procuring them; but, on the whole,
the speed is superior to that of French travelling.

14 RUSSIAN ROADS.

The road throughout the whole distance to Moscow
is, without exception, one of the finest in the world. It
has been opened only within a few years. It is very
broad, with sloping gutters from the edge of the middle
part to the ditch on each side. For a considerable dis-
tance, a row of trees has been planted on either hand.
The Emperor has a pride in keeping it as neat as a
garden walk ; and for this purpose has erected, at the
end of every seven or eight versts (about five miles
English), a range of very handsome wooden buildings, a
few yards back from the road, for an inspecting corporal
and party of soldiers, who have nothing to do but to keep
their portion of the road in repair. Being painted of a
yellow colour, and surrounded with a smart fence and
neat garden, which, as well as the gravelled court, is
dressed with military precision, these houses are great
ornaments to the country. In front of each, within the
stockade, are posted a couple of iron ploughs, flanked by
heavy rollers, in place of a battery. Stones being scarce
in most districts, the spaces where bridges ought to be on
this road are left unoccupied; a wooden substitute, very
substantial, is built close beside each vacant gap : so that,
in all, there are several hundred wooden bridges to cross
in the course of the journey. Smart stone pillars mark
the distances. Though sometimes sufficiently tiresome,
the road does not delight so much in straight lines as
a French highway does. Wherever it runs through a
forest — and a great part of the first day's journey is of
that description — the trees are cleared away near a
hundred yards on each side; an arrangement which not- I
only helps to keep the road dry, by allowing a free circu-

RUSSIAN AGRICULTURE. 15

lation of air, but also affords pasture for the numerous
herds of cattle constantly passing to the capital.

This magnificent road, worthy of the Romans them-
selves, contrasts amazingly with the old one, known as
that of Peter the Great, remnants of which mety still be
seen in many places, running parallel with the present
line. It was made of round trees, laid from side to side,
corduroy-fashion. What a punishment it must have
been to have been jolted five or six days ona such a mer-
ciless track !

At first the crops were scanty and late, and nothing
but rye to be seen. It is needless to state, that wheat
cannot be raised for a great distance round St. Peters-
burg ; and that even oats and barley are far from
common. In fact, all kinds of grain are extremely pre-
carious ; the night- frosts of autumn, or rather of our
summer, often leave scarce one sound ear for the reaper.
In some of these districts three returns, and even two,
are thought a good crop. Hemp and flax, however,
grow remarkably well. The grain crops are divided
into those of winter and summer. The former are the
better of the two, and consist chiefly of rye ; "the cul-
ture of which," says an author who seems to have studied
the subject, "differs little from that of wheat in Britain.
It is sown in autumn, after summer fallow. The winter
snow protects it from the severity of the frosts. The
summer is short, and when attended, which it generally
is, with heavy rains, the harvest is retarded. The oats
and barley are then cut green, and dried in their barns
with stoves. The rye, under the same circumstances, is
treated in the same manner. The process is very simple :
the grain, with its straw, is placed upon rafters in the

16 THE RUSSIAN PEASANT.

barn, and a stove heated beneath them. A few hours
only are necessary to dry the grain in so hot an oven,
and a new quantity is brought till the whole crop is
dried."

In the first day's journey little corn-land is seen.
Frequent herds of beautiful white cattle, feeding among
the rank grass between the road and the wood, begin
to appear soon after leaving the gates of the city.
Compared with those of Scandinavia, the trees look
like low brushwood : hence the forests are not at all
imposing.

On this road, and indeed throughout the whole of
Russia, a house is almost never seen standing by itself:
the peasants are all congregated in small villages, con-
taining from thirty to one hundred houses, ranged in a
line on each side the highway. It is in these places that
the Russian is found in unsophisticated purity. Flat-
terers may prate as they please about the progress
Russia is making : the Russian, whatever his country
has been doing, remains exactly where Peter found him.
That royal reformer gave him a push forward, after his
rude fashion, but the moment its influence ceased to be
felt, the good Russian came to a stand-still, and there
you may see him at this hour, in his skins and his shoes
of bark, standing by the door of his filthy dwelling, every
thing precisely the same as early authors describe.

This dwelling of his is worth noticing Between the
road and the houses is a space of seven or eight yards,
one unbroken plash of impassable mud. The end of all
the houses is turned to the passer-by — a high-peaked ]
concern, with boards fantastically carved descending
nearly to the ground along the two sides of the triangu-

RUSSIAN COTTAGE. 17

lar roof, which is generally of thin deals, but sometimes
of straw or reeds. One corner of this gable is usually
occupied by a door, and the upper portion of it displays
at least six or eight small windows, with folding shutters
to each, gaudily painted. Every house has a bench,
sheltered by the projecting roof, where young and old sit
to sun themselves on holidays. Sometimes the door is
not seen from the road, being in the side of the house,
and reached only through the fenced court-yard. Scarcely
a cottage is without its large draw-well, with wheel and
rope, before it : in some hamlets these wells are ridicu-
lously numerous.

Altogether there is much more ornament about the
houses than on those of the same rank in Sweden ; but no
paint being employed except on the shutters, they have
always a dingy, decaying look. There is no want of com-
fort, however; that is, of Russian comfort, of which
cleanliness makes no part. The houses do not stand side
by side — each reigns in a domain of its own, a court-
yard, namely, of considerable size ; to fence which a high
boarded wall runs on either side the gable : in this wall
are a couple of lofty gateways, right and left of the house,
opening into the vast mud-covered area, round which
stand sheds supported by an open range of wooden
pillars in front, but boarded close at the back. The
stranger is surprised at the great extent, of out-buildings
of this nature seen in a Russian court -yard : a very
small place will have as great an extent of out-house
shelter as a pretty large farm in England. Their dreadful
climate accounts for this. They can leave nothing in the
fields in winter. Every thing must be housed ere the
snow appears.

18 POST-HOUSES BEGGARS.

Unless on holidays, few people, young or old, are to
be seen about the doors, in such hamlets as that now
described. Even about the post-houses there is little
life. These establishments are nearly all like the houses
now described, only that the court-yard is much larger
and more muddy, owing to the long trains of waggons
and draught-oxen which they harbour, on their way to
St. Petersburg. After night-fall, about the doors of such
places, or heaped together in the lobbies, we always found
crowds of men sleeping most profoundly. At first, being
unprepared for such obstructions, we often stumbled over
them on our way to negotiate for coffee in the kitchen,
which is sometimes upstairs, and sometimes far away at
the end of some mysterious passage. Among these
sleepers we remarked that those who have a cloth coat —
such a blue robe or caftan as has already been described —
always pull their arms out of the sleeves, and, rolling it
about their head and shoulders, make it serve for a
blanket. The hard step of the door is their only pillow.
For a time we fancied that they must be drunk, but soon
learned that it is the general fashion for carters and ser-
vants of every description, when travelling, to pass the
night in this way.

We seldom stopped in the daytime without having
some beggars about us. As already stated, benevolence to
the distressed is very strong in every Russian; even the
poorest moozik, though he has but half-a-dozen kopeeks
in the world, will give some of them to the beggar. The
consequence is that foreigners who decline giving at the
different stages are regarded as very brutal, and the dis-
appointed applicants look less than civil.

Sometimes the distance between the post-houses is

RUSSIAN POSTILLION. 19

very great. The same horses frequently took us thirty-
three versts; and even thirty-five (about twenty-four
miles) were not uncommon. Yet they were kept in
spirits and good-humour all the time by their friend the
yemtchik. A Russian postillion is one of the most sin-
gular creatures we have ever encountered. In his greasy
sheepskin, faded sash, and low round hat, with clear
buckles on it, or a few peacock's feathers tv\ isted in the
band, off he flies the moment he mounts his block,
at the rate of eight miles an hour, whistling, singing,
shouting, and making love to his horses, raising as
much noise as an Irishman in a fair; his whip, like
Paddy's shillelah, flourishing fierce round his head,
but seldom coming down with the same violence. In
fact, it is by his tongue, more than his whip, that he
impels his horses. He speaks to them, reasons with
them, remonstrates, conjures, upbraids, all the time.
If you tell him that your head is sore with his noise, he
shrugs his shoulders, raises his eyebrows, and gives
you to understand that his pigeons, his rabbits, his
darlings, his turtle-doves, are so fond of talk, and so well
accustomed to his voice, that they would never move if he
were silent. Some of his speeches, as interpreted to us,
are not of the most delicate nature ; " but," says he, " it
affronts them, and does not hurt half so much as a lash
of the whip." There is so little variety in the Russian
face and dress that we scarcely knew when we had
changed one of these noisy gentlemen for another. They
are all about the same size too. We at last got into the
way of distinguishing them by the patches on the back,
which are much more varied than their lovely faces.

20 NOVGOROD-VELIKI.

The second morning brought us near some of the em-
peror's military colonies. The neat, well-kept cot-
tages, as stiff and formal as a regiment on a review
ground, have a very different appearance from the widely-
ranged houses of the ordinary villages. Whether there
is much wisdom in thus dividing the population into two
distinct classes, each with feelings, habits, and training
totally distinct from those of the other, is a question
which may easily be decided, without pretending to the
gift of prophecy.

Novgorod- Veliki, that is, the " Great," stands about
twenty- four hours' journey (121 miles) on our way. It
is well known that in the days of its commercial pros-
perity this city was so splendid that the proverb said,
" There is nothing great but God and Novgorod ;"' but
now it is so sadly fallen that it could scarcely furnish us
with a breakfast of good bread and bad butter. The
large creaking inn with difficulty afforded even a basin
and one towel among four of us. Its 100,000 inhabitants
have dwindled to less than 10,000. But it is still a very
showy, interesting place, with its time-worn kremlin,
wide, well-paved streets, St. Petersburg houses, and,
above all, a most romantic history. Bells were tinkling
softly on every hand from the minarets, — their eastern
aspect will scarcely allow us to call them "steeples,"
though in a Christian country, — and recalled the days
when they summoned the citizens to battle against the
Russians in defence of their republican independence.
There is a fine wooden bridge, founded on granite pil-
lars, built across the Volkhoff, the river which drains
Lake Ilmen.

I

21

CHAPTER III.

FROM NOVGOROD-VELIKI TO MOSCOW.

Krastze— Country fare and country beauties— Vishni Voloshok—
Great Canal of Russia— Village churches— Scenes by the road-side
—Waggons— Telegas— Safety of travellers in Russia— Torjok— The
City of Cutlets— Tver— State of Education in the Northern Govern-
ments—Russian forests— Vast extent— Process of making tar-
Pitch— Russians have no love of trees like the Turks or Germans—
" Luther's Linden," a reminiscence of Germany— People sweeping
the roads — Burnt village — Klin.

About eighteen miles after leaving the once proud,
but now humbled Novgorod, the Msta is crossed on
a floating bridge, at the small town of Bronnitzy, near
which several of the most important military colonies are
established.

The country now became more pleasant. Houses,
large and showy, are very frequent by the way-sides ;
and both crops and culture are far superior to those of
our first four hundred miles from St. Petersburg.

The women were selling strawberries in the villages,
and at Krastze, a small district town, forty-two miles
from Novgorod, bilberries were brought us in crreat
abundance. The people here were assembled round the
post-house, all in holiday altire. We had already seen
some men displaying unusual symptoms of gaiety in
their dress, and especially with a kind of yellow cap,
amazingly fine. Now the women attracted our notice
by their gaudy dress; but they were horrible creatures,

22 FEMALE PEASANTS.

with their breasts hanging down so far on their bellies
that they had a most disgusting appearance. The
fashion of Norway, in some parts of which the women
press their breasts up to the chin, is not so disgusting.
Fortunately, however, people's notions of beauty differ
very widely ; for one damsel, whom we should have
thought quite deformed, was receiving most ardent atten-
tion from a youth on the inn steps, before all the world.
The gala dress of the female, both in this and some of
the adjoining parts of the country, has the merit of
being showy enough. The most conspicuous portion
of it was a loose jacket of sky-blue silk, reaching below
the waist, lined with white fur; the arms of this garment,
lined with rich spotted fur, hang loose from the shoulder.

The crowd amused us greatly while our hostess was
preparing a dinner of pork a la mayonnaise, and two
soups, to be mixed with each other, one of sorrel,
the other some yellow mystery, with lumps of beef
and veal floating through them. No man in ordinary
health should ever take his cook with him in travelling :
he who does so loses half the pleasure of travel. The
mirth occasioned by a haphazard trust to the outlandish
cookery of a foreign country is better than the best
things that a Frenchman can concoct.

Dinner in these places generally costs about As. each
person, including a share of a bottle of tolerable Medoc or
St. Julien. When wine failed, there was always sure to
be abundance of their beloved vodki, or brandy, and
sometimes Russian gin, with rivers of kvass. Breakfast
is a poor meal at such places — nothing but tea and good
bread, with something called butter; for all of which

RUSSIAN EATABLES. 23

they charge Is. 8r/., and more when coffee is de-
manded. Except in Moscow and St. Petersburg, there
are few parts of Russia where butter can be got. In the
south, they make a rancid poisonous stuff called butter,
but it is scarcely eatable : it is for export to Turkey
alone : butter is never used by the natives themselves.

At Vishni-Voloshok, a district town of the government
of Tver, 198 miles from St. Petersburg, we had an
opportunity of examining, more minutely than at any
former place, part of the great canal, by means of which
the waters of the Baltic are united to those of the
Caspian. Nothing can be more beautiful nor more
solid than everything connected with this magnificent
undertaking, which, uniting the Volga and the Neva, to-
gether with some intermediate rivers of less importance,
completes a line of inland navigation 1,200 miles long —
the most extensive ever known. The most substantial
and ingenious contrivances have been adopted for sur-
mounting all the difficulties. The town boasts of four
thousand inhabitants; but it is a scattered, comfortless
place. It has a bazaar, and fine walks along the Tsna.
At least four thousand large barks pass here annually for
St. Petersburg, where they are broken up, the nature of
part of the river navigation rendering it impossible
to bring them back.

While horses were changing, we often had time to
walk on several miles before the coach overtook us. We
thus had opportunity to survey some of the villages,
which still continued as wretched as in the early part of
our journey, only that here each boasts of a more conspi-
cuous church. This is generally too fine for the locality.

'24 MODE OF TRAVELLING.

A showy Grecian portico, with white-washed stuccoed
pillars, fifty feet high, looks sadly out of place, towering
over a cluster of miserable black huts.

The road was now often covered with hundreds of
waggons, bound for the capital, all loaded with goods
manufactured in the interior. Some are from T>ula,
a journey of 582 miles. Few private vehicles are met.
The favourite conveyance of the country seems to be the
telega, a lowr, wide, boat-like concern, with an oiled
canvass top, where the traveller may sit or lie, as he feels
inclined. His position is as comfortable as can be ex-
pected in a vehicle without springs. Large bands of
peasants, travelling on foot, now frequently passed us
on their way northward. The raven and hooded crow
are very frequent company by the road-side, and the
jackdaw may be seen in large flights, living most fami-
liarly with the villagers. The circumstance of our being
on foot seemed to excite less surprise among the people
we passed, than it would have done in Sweden and Nor-
way. Travelling on foot, however, is very rare here,
with all above the lowest class. Some have said that it
is dangerous to travel alone in Russia ; but this is
contrary to what we heard from gentlemen who have
been long in the country : they assure us that a foreigne
may travel all over the empire alone, and even on
foot, without danger, the poorest being ready not only to
share his morsel with him, but to assist and protect him.
These gentlemen admit, however, that it is not equally
safe for a stranger who makes a show of money, or is sus-
pected of having it, to travel alone : he runs a great
chance of having his throat cut.

TORJOK. 25

The country, which has hitherto been almost an un-
broken plain, begins to undulate a little before entering
Torjok, 316 miles from the capital. This town, con-
taining about 10,000 inhabitants, and the second in
importance in the government of Tver, is one of the few
in Russia which can be described as being rather prettily
situated. The houses are grouped on a broken height,
interspersed with trees, giving them in the sunset a
warmer and more romantic look than is usual in this un-
romantic land. The town is very old, and seems to be
declining. Its inn, the only good one on the road,
is famed all over Russia for its cutlets, made of fowl ;
and we found them in every way worthy of their reputa-
tion. Cherries were brought us as a rarity. Here it is
customary to buy morocco boots, &c, for which the
place is famous; but the very articles manufactured
here may be bought much cheaper, both in the capital
| and at Moscow.

At Tver, 358 miles from St. Petersburg, the capital
| of the extensive government to which it gives its name, we
crossed the largest of European rivers, the winding Volo-a
which we hope to see again at a more interesting part of
its long career. This town, as a place of residence, is
one of the most agreeable in Russia. Its twenty thou-
isand inhabitants are nearly all supported by the active
land valuable commerce carried on by means of the
Vol era.

It gives a striking idea of the deficient state of educa-
tion in the country parts of Russia, to find, from the
statistical returns quoted by Schnitzler, that, so late as
1826, among twenty-three schools in the government of

VOL. II. c

26 COUNTRY SCHOOLS.

Tver, at which both sexes were admitted, there was not a
single girl attending. Of late, the returns make men-
tion of some female scholars; but that education is not
advancing very rapidly with either sex appears but too
strongly, even by the latest returns, which, for the whole
government, give fifty schools of every kind, attended by
4132 scholars — or only one to every 314 inhabitants.

In both of the governments which we have been tra-
versing, Novgorod and Tver, the proportion of arable
land to that covered by forests is so inconsiderable, that
these extensive regions may literally be said to be still
covered with wood. The forest of Yolkonsky, which
partly lies in Tver, is the largest in Europe. From
merely travelling by the high road, the stranger would
scarcely suspect that there is so much of these northern
governments uncultivated. He finds a deceitful slip of
corn-land, within sight, nearly all the way from the gates
of St. Petersburg, and forthwith sets the provinces down
as generally well cultivated. The flatness of the country
helps this delusion. One never reaches any elevation
from which the eye can take in a large sweep at one
moment. But the boundless extent of wood with which
Russia is covered may be inferred, from the condition
of one government alone, in which, on 50,000,000 of
acres, its whole extent, 47,000,000 consist exclusively of
forests.* According to an estimate made in 1809, which
refers only to the north of Russia, these forests appeared
to contain no fewer than 8,192,295 pines fit to be masts,
each being at least thirty inches diameter. The accu-

* These and many other curious facts will be found in the eighth
v lume of the Transactions of the Acalemy of Sciences of St. Petersburg :

BOUNDLESS FORESTS. 27

racy of this estimate has now been amply confirmed by
actual survey, in the course of which it has been ascer-
tained that in the three northern governments of VoWda,
Archangel, and Olonetz, there are 216,000,000 acres of
pine and fir. In the centre of Russia oak grows well,
together with the Russian maple, white poplar, and
hornbeam. From the fifty-first to the fifty-fifth degree
of latitude, birch, aspen, and lime are abundant. In-
stead of being favourable to game, these thickets often
harbour nothing but vermin. The elk and the bison are
sometimes found ; but wolves, bears, foxes, and badgers
are their most numerous tenants.

These forests, even where they cannot be turned to
account as timber, are of great value to the pro-
prietors, were it only for the tar procured from them.
This, as is well known, is one of the most important
articles of Russian trade. The way of making it is
extremely simple, being precisely the same as that pur-
sued in Sweden and Norway; and, what is very singular,
it would also appear to be the method described by
Dioscorides and other ancient authors, as having been
followed by the Greeks in making this article. °Those
who have seen charcoal made will easily understand the
process. Generally the best tar is made where the worst
fir grows ; that- is, in a marshy situation, which is not so
favourable to the growth of the tree as a dryer soil. Li
such a place, however, the roots, from which tar is chiefly
procured, are found to be most productive. In a moist
forest-district, therefore, on the side of a bank, a pit is
dug, of the shape of a funnel, tapering towards the bot-
tom, in which an iron pan is placed, furnished with a

c2

28 TAR-MAKING.

tube, communicating with a barrel outside. This pit is
filled with the healthiest pine-roots, bundled up with the
most resinous portions of the tree ; on the top large quan-
tities of charcoal are heaped, and the whole driven hard
together by heavy mallets. Over all a close covering of
turf is laid, and finally fire is set to the mass, which
consumes, without blazing, by a slow combustion, in
the course of which the tar, distilled per descensum, falls
into the pan at the bottom, and thence by the tube into
the barrel, which conveys it to the market. Pitch, also,
brouo-ht in large quantities from Russia, is tar in another
shape, being made by inspissating or boiling it down to
dryness.

Neither in the part of the country we are now travers-
ing, nor elsewhere in Russia, have we ever seen among
the people any symptom of that love for trees which cha-
racterizes many of the continental nations, and especially
their neighbours, the Turks and Germans. In every
Turkish village, by the mosque or shading the fountain,
there are trees the growth of centuries — some of them
the most beautiful in the world — regarded by the whole
community with something of religious love. The ample
boughs of the familiar plane-tree shade the young
maiden, when she seeks the spring and pauses a stolen
moment to hear the venerable mullah, in converse with
the patriarchs of the hamlet, utter maxims of wisdom,
from his seat of daily resort. The wayworn pilgrim
^eeks shelter and repose beneath its wonted shade : the
wearied steed, too, rejoices in its protection, while his
master reposes from the noonday sun. Both man and
beast would mourn the decay of a single bough.

GERMAN LOVE FOR TREES. 29

In Germany again — to whose humble but interesting
tale-adorned villages these dreary Russian places carry
the wanderer back with redoubled affection — in Ger-
many, no hamlet is without its alley of lime-trees, where
the Sabbath crowd assembles till the good pastor mingles
with them on his way to church. The dorflinden — his
\ village-lime" — calls up a thousand dear associations in
the German's breast. Some places have a linden-tree so
old and so beautiful, that the inhabitants are prouder of
it than of a charter from Charlemagne. The history of
the aged tree is often the history of the place. Could
these boughs speak, how many stirring tales could thev

tell — tales of village sorrows and of village joys of

fathers met to take despairing counsel together in the
terrible days of Wallenstein— of whispered vows, too, from
faithful hearts when happier days came back. Others
are dear to the community from associations of a vet
higher character. We shall mention only one the re-
membrance will lighten the heaviness of these storyless
Russian wilds.

In the town of Trewenbritzen, between Wittemberg
and Potsdam, stands one of the finest lime-trees of Ger-
many, endeared to the people by a circumstance of the
noblest kind. Time and war have shorn it of many a
goodly arm, and the stately trunk, hollowed by years,
presents but the shell of what it has been ; but its head
still nourishes green and fair, while the remaining
branches, as if emulous to atone for the loss of their
brethren, are each year spreading wider and wider
abroad.

'.' Look well at our linden,'1 said the good schoolmaster

30 luther's tree.

before whose garden it stands : " you will wander far
before you see such a noble one, and there is none that
can boast of being consecrated by such a scene as it once
witnessed. The greatest blessing ever conferred on our
town was received under its shade ! It was beneath

THIS TREE THAT LuTHER FIRST PREACHED TO US. The

church, which, though now enlarged, still looks as if
creeping under it for shelter, was then too small for the
eager crowd. Young and old had flocked to hear the
eloquent man, whose name was already beginning to
echo so wondrously in every corner of our wide father-
land. So many came, that half of them could not be
contained within the church. They at last entreated
him to give them all an opportunity of hearing, by taking
his station beneath the tree, even at that time large
enough to shelter so great a throng. That was truly a
memorable day in the history of our town, when thou-
sands stood where we now stand, listening for the first
time to the life-giving, and no longer darkened, truths of
the Gospel. A proud day, too, in the history of our
tree ; for from that hour to this it has been known as
Luther's Linden ; and there is not a heart in Trewen-
britzen that does not thank God each year when its
leaves return again. We would sooner part with our
meadows than our tree."

How few cathedrals can tell such a history as this
honoured tree ! As we looked up through the strong
boughs crossing and arching themselves above us, we
thought the tracery of its verdant roof more rich than
ever was hewn by Gothic chisel. The tree must now be
some four hundred years old.

RUSSIAN PEASANTRY.

31

In Russia, however, no traditions of this kind interrupt
the traveller by the way. Neither here, where large
hardwood trees are scarce, nor farther south, where they
acquire a great size, did we ever see a single row of trees
in the village green, nor even a solitary elm to serve as a
place of rendezvous in the summer eve.

Yet, after passing Tver, the country improves a little
and becomes more interesting. In a land where there
are no hills, a few knolls, which now come in sight, tell
for much. The fields, too, are now under higher cultiva-
tion.

The people also change, but not greatly for the better,
unless red beards, in place of sandy ones, be an improve-
ment. In the villages, men, women and children were
busy picking away the grass on the road before their
house i : the emperor was expected to pass, and no slo-
venliness must meet his eye. The soldiers of the road-
stations were also busy at the same work. Some of ihem
were actually engaged in the ignoble task of sweeping
the sides. This is keeping roads clean with a vengeance.

The peasants in general appear to be in good circum-
stances. We were always struck with the look of abund-
ance— some would say comfort — both about the people
and their cottages. Every man seems to be well lodged,
and to have plenty of food, fuel, and clothing. Their
houses, however, are as filthy as their persons. Some of
the crown-serfs who were liberated in these districts, not
knowing what to do for a protector when difficulties arose,
have placed themselves under the superiority of the neigh-
bouring noblemen. Such cases need not surprise us : —
those who never knew liberty cannot learn all the duties

32 APPROACH TO MOSCOW.

nor all the privileges of freemen in one day, nor in one
year.

In the last day's journey we were greeted by a melan-
choly scene, but too frequent in Russia — the remains of
a large village which had recently been destroyed by fire.
A sad sight it was to see nothing but a few blackened
posts where so many happy hearths had lately been !
So effectual was the destruction, that no one could have
guessed that there ever had been houses on the spot. In
these wooden towns everything goes like tinder. The
very boards connecting the houses with the road had
been burnt.

For the last fifty miles before entering Moscow, the
country is so well cultivated that it might almost be
called beautiful. Meadows and corn-fields stretch back
as far as the eye can reach, with villages, churches, and
fine mansions on the soft heights. We were not sorry,
however, to reach Klin, which aspires to the dignity of a
town. It was our last halting-place before entering the
ancient capital of Russia, which we did after eighty-one
hours' constant travelling from the time of starting.
Those who can command horses at the stages may do it
in much less.

33

CHAPTER IV.

MOSCOW AND ITS KREMLIN.

Splendid sunset view — Beautiful situation — Its sad condition during
the visit of the French — No traces remaining of the great fire — The
Kremlin — Its fantastic architecture — Summer evening on its terrace
and in the gardens — Singular religious ceremony — The Blessing of
the Waters — The Metropolitan — Cathedral and churches of the
Kremlin — Its palaces — The Emperor's private palace — His bridal
days — Portraits of the Empress — Her popularity — The Treasury —
Valuable jewels, crowns, curiosities, &c. — The great bell of Moscow
— Its disinterment — Tower of Ivan Veliki — Moscow preferable to St.
Petersburg — Abounds with objects of interest — Markets — Bazaars —
Large roof.

Those who have first seen Moscow under a beautiful
sunset, as we did, will not soon forget the sensations of
that moment. It is certainly one of the most beautiful
sights in the world. We do not recollect any city which
makes so fine a show at a distance, and disappoints les*
when entered. Full eight miles away its countless tow-
ers and cupolas were gleaming bright in the sun. Not
a single cloud hung over it. The sky, and the glitter of
the buildings, were both Italian, as well as the fresh crar-
dens and tufts of verdure which lay round many of the
houses, and heightened their brightness. It would be
impossible to describe the feelings which rose as we ad-
vanced. It was the realization of some fairy tale; for
each moment brought new domes, of blue, and gold, and
white, into view. We could scarcely persuade ourselves

c3

34 Moscow.

that we were not in Asia, — so truly oriental is the aspect
of this glittering city.

The fair Moscow, in circuit not less than thirty miles,
and sheltering 300,000 inhabitants, now lay as it were at
our feet — not in one thick mass of impenetrable build-
ings, but spread with exactly that degree of open and or-
derly confusion which taste prefers to straight lines and
sharp angles — over a finely undulating hollow, embo-
somed among a circle of broken heights, some fringed
with wood, some green with cultivation, which at once
give protection and beauty to the stately city. Distinct
and beautiful in the midst of all, rises the hundred-
crested Kremlin.

What most surprises in the view of Moscow, is the
freshness with which everything smiles to the eye. We
had thought of it as a wretched assemblage of mud
hovels and wooden palaces ; but the buildings are as solid
as they are splendid. On coming nearer, the gaudy vil-
las of the nobility, the Chinese-looking summer palace,
the broad promenades, the glittering equipages crowded
on the race-course, the well-clad guards, gave it all the
pomp and eclat of a capital.

We enter by a noble triumphal arch, resembling
bronze, to the memory of Alexander, as restorer of
the city reduced to ashes at the time the French were
lie re.

Ail allow that Moscow has arisen from its ashes in
greater splendour than ever. It would seem to have suf-
fered on that occasion only to make way for more regular
and more tasteful structures, many of which are so new,
that Moscow, in some places, outshines even the bright-

MOSCOW.

35

ness of St. Petersburg. The efforts made to repair the
ravages are beyond all praise. The Russians were al-
ways proud of Moscow, and the association of its destruc"
tion with the overthrow of a hated invader made them
still more proud of it. Every one bearing the name of
Russian, from the emperor to the lowest peasant, felt
honoured in contributing to the patriotic work of its re-
storation ; and in consequence of this patriotic unanimity,
though it be not yet much more than twenty years since the
French were here, yet scarcely a single trace of their visit
is now to be found, except in the splendours just spoken
of. Fortunately, Napoleon did not succeed in one of
the most, wanton and disgraceful pieces of malice ever at-
tempted— his wish, namely, to destroy the Kremlin.
Part of it perished ; but had he succeeded to the extent
which he contemplated, Moscow would have been Mos-
cow no more. It was not till after his departure that the
citizens were aware how far his spite could go. Mines
had been dug under its walls, which exploded one after
another, when the French had retired. But the strength
of the ancient masonry was such, that no irreparable da-
mage ensued.

In conversation with Russians, we had ample con-
firmation of the now generally received opinion, that the
burning of Moscow was not, as was long believed, a pre-
meditated act of heroism on the part of the inhabitants.
It arose from the isolated acts of individuals, who, without
reflecting that the flames would spread to their neigh-
bours' property, set fire to their own houses, in order
that they might not fall into the hands of the enemy, on
whose approach nearly all the inhabitants fled. The first

36 MOSCOW.

fires were in the Coachmakers'-street, which lies far from
the Kremlin. Once begun, there can be little doubt
that some intoxicated Frenchmen, seeking for plunder,
had as much hand in spreading the conflagration as the
Russians. The wind, however, had a greater share than
either ; for on the third night it blew so strong that the
flames spread irresistibly to the Kremlin, and the most
crowded parts of the city near it. Such at least is the
account given by one who ought to have known well if
government had any share in this work ; Count Rostop-
chin, governor of Moscow,— whose Verite sur Vlncendie
de Moscou we find, as just hinted, more reason than
ever to look upon as correct, after visiting the scenes he
speaks of. It began on the 14th September, the very
dav the French entered, but the principal destruction
was on the 19th ; and, before the five weeks of Napoleon's
stay had expired, it was a complete desert, scarcely able
to shelter, and certainly not to feed, the 120,000 men
who were all that he led to Moscow of the 420,000 who,
adding 100,000 Germans, 30,000 Poles, and 20,000 Ita-
lians to his 270,000 French, composed the vast army
quartered so lately as the month of June between the
Vistula and the Niemen. Even of his small Moscow
band, and of those whom he had between him and
Poland, how few survived to tell the truth, either about
this burning, or the other disasters of the Russian cam-
paign !

The total number of houses destroyed is variously
stated; some authorities saying, that when it ceased on
the 19th, 76S2 houses had been destroyed; others that,
besides pala?es and government buildings, 13,800 houses

Moscow. 37

had disappeared, leaving but 6000 standing. The latter
version, though given in the Histoire de Vlncendie de
Moscou, appears to be exaggerated. Some, in less
precise terms, say four-fifths of the city were burnt ;
others, two-thirds. But however much statements may
differ about the number of houses destroyed, all agree
on the general fact that, without reckoning the loss of
government buildings, property to the value of at least
200,000,000 of roubles (8,000,000/. sterling) was de-
stroyed in the conflagration, and that the ruin was so
complete as to render it difficult to recognise the lines of
the various streets; while the number of half-burned
bodies found in the rubbish, not only of cattle, horses,
and dogs, but of human beings also, showed that in many
places the destruction had come upon the unhappy
tenants before they knew of their danger.

All these ravages, as we have stated, are now com-
pletely effaced. Not a single ruinous structure is to be
seen. In fact, the beautiful buildings which have again
sprung up are so numerous, that the stranger forgets
that ever the French were here. He passes through
street after street without seeing anything but splendour,
and is only reminded that he is in the city (the tales of
whose " burning " are among the most vivid recollections
of his youth) on being told in some public institution,
'The fire"— they seldom speak of the French--" but
for the fire we should have had something worth showino-/'
Nor was it, unfortunately, the first fire that had im-
poverished its public establishments. This ill-fated city
has been built, and laid low, over and over again,
having been at least three times burnt. The recurrence

38 THE KREMLIN.

of such a calamity is now rendered less probable by the
precautions employed in building : one-third of the
present houses are of stone, but the remainder are still

of wood.

Durino- our ten days' sojourn in Moscow, no place
attracted so much of our attention as the Kremlin.
We were in it the first night soon after our arrival ; and,
we believe, every night and every morning of our stay,
and always found something new. Kreml, it appears,
is a Tartar word signifying fortress ; and, in keeping
with this signification, we found on visiting it that it is
not one large palace, as we had supposed, but a fortified
place, walled off from the city, containing many palaces,
besides churches, nunneries, monasteries, the ancient
palace of the patriarchs, the senate-house, the mint,
jewel-rooms, &c, many of which buildings are of great
extent, and quite detached from each other. This in-
teresting fortress stands in the most crowded part of the
city, on a little mount whose base is washed by the
slow waters of the Moskwa— a small river which would
scarcely fill one of the arches of Westminster Bridge,
twininop like a line of silver through the wide circle of
houses and gardens.

The shape of the Kremlin is very irregular. Of its
many sides, some are ten times the length of others.
Its crenellated walls, now very ancient, are of great
height, and of most massive construction : seen from
without, however, their height and heaviness are dimi-
nished to the eye by their whiteness, as well as by the
light appearance of the towers and palaces rising in such
beautiful groups within. After passing the first deep

THE KREMLIN. 39

gateway, the paved court by which the stranger usually
enters is found encumbered with cannon : round it stand
long ranges of government buildings. Making his way
onwards, he passes through a labyrinth of churches and
palaces, and at last reaches the large open terrace or
esplanade, or where he begins to get better acquainted
with the localities. The first thing that occupies him
here, however, is the view, which, from the centrical
position of the Kremlin and its elevation above the city,
is truly magnificent.

The numerous towers and minarets within the Kremlin
itself form groups of most singular and varying beauty ;
but it is chiefly the city view that here fascinates. The
towers, churches, convents, hospitals, theatres, academies
—the institutions of every kind scattered over the hollow,
and rising gently up the heights— are so numerous, and
the whole scene so imposing, that one has difficulty in
believing that Moscow is not still the capital of the
empire. What a country that must be which can boast
of two such capitals as St. Petersburg and this '

The ancient city has one immense advantage over its
modern rival, from its picturesque situation. It has a
thousand advantages, but this one in particular: in St.
Petersburg there is not a single commanding point can
be reached, unless by climbing some of the churches,
from whence a view of it, or even of part of it, may be
enjoyed. Here, from the Kremlin, the whole lies before
the eye, as comprehensively as in a picture.

A gayer scene than that on the terrace, in the fine
summer evenings, cannot be seen, as the more respectable
inhabitants come here to walk till nightfall. At the foot.

40 THE KREMLIN.

of the walls too., outside, is a fine garden, where all the
beauty and fashion of Moscow may be met twice a-week,
when a regimental band plays from the ramparts above.
The handsome uniforms of the young officers give a
lively aspect to this select crowd. The nobles of Moscow
being famed for their wealth, the display of costly dresses
among the fair on such occasions is always very great :
but of the many stately and highly-dressed dames of
princely rank, we saw few conspicuous for beauty. Most
of them had a couple of footmen walking behind. Few
wanted large warm cloaks to guard them from the cold
blasts, which become formidable even in August. It
was curious to contrast the newest fashions of Paris with
the flowing costumes of some Persians lounging on the
benches, and gazing in wonder on the gaudy scene. It
was altogether one of the gayest and most interesting
promenades we have ever visited. Nowhere can Russian
manners be studied to more advantage than beneath the
fantastic turrets of the Kremlin — in the very stronghold
of Russian history and Russian power.

Besides being hallowed by the ancient palaces of the
sovereigns of Muscovy, the Kremlin is sanctified in the
eyes of every Russian, from the peculiarly venerable
character of some of the churches which it encloses. It
is, in fact, looked upon as one of the most sacred spots in
the empire ; and one of its gates in particular is invested
with such sanctity, that none can pass through without
taking offhis hat in reverence : the women do homage by
crossing themselves before the holy image displayed in it.

The Greek church delights in pompous processions,
and we had the good fortune here to witness one of the

RELIGIOUS PROCESSION. 41

most magnificent of the whole year, termed the Blessing
of the Waters, which in some parts of Russia is celebrated
in the month of January. At an early hour in the fore-
noon we took our stand among the crowd, in a laro-e
open space, formed by several churches and one of the
palaces : here those who were to figure in the procession
soon began to assemble, waiting for the principal digni-
taries, who met in the Cathedral of the Assumption.
The crowd of spectators in the court, on the steps,
balconies, and turrets was immense. In order to grace
the procession, every monastery seemed to have been
emptied. Long trains of monks were constantly arriving,
each brotherhood with the heavy banner of their convent
raised aloft among them. Every variety of monkish and
clerical finery was to be seen — pure white, and glittering
gold, and solemn black. The greater part wore em-
broidered copes of white, green, or blue, according to
their rank; all were bearded to the breast, and had
huge mustachoes trained round the mouth. As each
priest came up, he saluted the brethren near, not with
the kiss of friendship on the cheek, but with a less becom-
ing one on the lips; after which, taking out a large
comb, he removed his lofty black cap, and proceeded to
deck his greasy tangled locks with most disgusting
precision.

Nothing, however, could move the surrounding crowd

JO

from their devout and orderly demeanour. Whenever a
new banner passed, every spectator uncovered to the
sacred signs with which it was adorned. At length
when the ground had been duly strewed with yellow

['2 CURIOUS RELIGIOUS CEREMONY.

sand — every banner being raised aloft, every censer
waving to perfume the air, and every bell, far and near,
pealing loud — forth walked the Metropolitan of Moscow,
to head the long array of ecclesiastics. He wore a long
white satin pall, and stooped low beneath the burden of
a cross laid upon his head and along his back, with both
hands raised to help in sustaining his load. On either
side of him walked a high dignitary of the church, bear-
ing on a pole a glory, gleaming bright in the sun : many
similar emblems followed among the banners.

The pressure of the crowd now became frightful, but.
we managed to follow the lengthened train, as it wound
slowly down the Kremlin mount towards the river.
Here, we were told, for we could not come near enough
to see, the cross was dipped in the waters of the
Moskwa, and other rites gone through. The purport of
the ceremony nobody seemed to trouble himself about:
all they knew was, that before this day no new honey
can be eaten ; it is not considered safe till this blessing
has been invoked. In what way a procession to the
waters can impart a blessing to honey was more than
any one could explain to us. There is another grand
day, on which apples are consecrated ; and vet a third,
for some other articles of food.

The great attraction of this show is the high-priest
himself. It is one of the few occasions on which he
appears in public; and, being highly venerated for
piety and talent, all ranks flock in thousands to see
him. As he dashed past us, previous to the ceremony,
on his way to the Kremlin, with six stately black steeds,

THE METROPOLITAN THE CHURCHES. 43

he seemed to be worn and stricken with age; but we
afterwards learned that he is still young. His years, in
fact, are too few for the high honours with which he is
invested ; but he owes them entirely to his abilities
and learning, which have rendered him a great favourite
with the emperor, and given him much influence in the
state. Nearly the whole business of the church falls upon
him, in consequence of the age and infirmities of the
Metropolitan of St. Petersburg. He is the only ecclesi-
astic whom we heard spoken of in Russia, as being con-
spicuous for the time he gives to study as well as
business.

Of the many religious edifices in the Kremlin, the
Cathedral ofihe Assumption, from which the procession
set out, is the most important : in it the emperors are
crowned. It is neither large nor imposing, but exceed-
ingly curious, from the number of pictures, frescoes, and
gilded pillars, all in the usual horrid taste. The image —
no, the picture — of the Holy Virgin of Vladimir is
highly venerated. The nature of the Greek religion is
shown by the sums lavished in decorating these perform-
ances : part of the ornament about her head is valued at
80,000 roubles (3000/.) People are to be seen con-
stantly kissing this much-prized treasure.

The toy-looking church, Sjwss-na-borou, so small, that
you would think a man might leap over it, attracts little
attention, until you are told that it is the oldest in
Moscow, and had long the dignity of being a cathedral.
It is modelled on the celebrated church of St. Sophia, at
Constantinople, of wThich there are several imitations in
Russia. In proportions and antiquity it is in admirable

44 PALACES.

keeping with the fanciful half-Chinese affair near it, with
rooms, windows, and arched passages, so small, that one
wonders to hear it called the Ancient Palace of the
Tzars.

The Granovitaia, or Angular Palace, is also very old.
It consists of but a single-vaulted hall, of many sides,
which the Russians, even in the seventeenth century,
regarded as one of the wonders of the world. The vaults
all radiate from one huge pillar in the centre. Olearius
and other old travellers give most marvellous accounts of
the splendour with which the tzars, surrounded by their
bovars, here received ambassadors in bygone days. It
is now used as the banqueting-hall after the coronation.
The throne in the corner, under its costly canopy, and
the rich crimson velvet on the walls, with other modern
innovations, are out of keeping with the antique style of
architecture.

Close to that now mentioned, and indeed united with
it, stands the Imperial Palace, a- large and handsome
modern structure. It was the residence of the Emperor
Alexander while in Moscow. The rooms are still ele-
gantly furnished, but they have a deserted look.

The present emperor has also a palace in the Kremlin —
one of the homeliest yet completest royal mansions we
have seen. It was his residence before his elevation to
the throne ; and having spent the first happy years of his
marriage here, he still has a great attachment for it-
The furniture and general arrangements, like those of
his private palaces at St. Petersburg, speak well for the
simplicity of his tastes. The musket of a common sol-
dier is shown in one of the rooms, as a favourite piece of

THE EMPEROR AND EMPRESS. 45

furniture. The emperor uses it in going through the
manual exercise, while giving his little sons their first
lessons in the art of war. A Polish standard rests near
When residing here he is often compelled to show him-
self at the windows, to the enthusiastic crowd on the
parade-ground below, who will not go home at night till
they have seen their beloved Nicholas. On these occa-
sions he generally has some of his children in his hand.
The people greet him with shouts of joy.

Nowhere is the amiable empress seen to more advan-
tage than within the halls of the Kremlin. The remem-
brance of perhaps her happiest days — when love was
young, and hope gilded the future with its fairest rays —
renders Moscow a favourite residence with her. State
considerations of course forbid that she should be often
here; but from the warmth with which the inhabitants
of all classes speak of her, we should say that in no part
of her goodly dominions have her grace and condescen-
sion made a stronger impression. Many of her portraits,
taken in her bridal days, are shown in Moscow ; and all,
even at that period, speak of that calmness of judgment
and placidity of spirit, wThich have since made her so
valuable a helpmate to a monarch whose ardent charac-
ter has frequent need to be tempered by the milder
counsels of the female heart.

From the emperor's private palace we passed to the
Armoury Palace — also called the Treasury — which con-
tains some most splendid and interesting halls. Here
are preserved the state jewels — crowns, sceptres, rings,
goblets — beyond number. The intrinsic value of these
relics, glistening as they are with gems of great size, is

46 THE CROWN JEWELS.

immense. The history of many of them is so obscure,
that men of learning have lately been expressly com-
missioned to make careful researches concerning them'
and the other treasures with which the halls of the
Kremlin once groaned. The crowns alone would furnish
materials for a volume. They are twelve or fifteen in
number, each of a splendour and value far outshining
those of the crowns made now-a-days. Some of them
are supposed to have been gifts from the Greek Emperor
Comnenus to the great Vladimir ; but this is one of the
points which the learned are now trying to clear up.
Several are entirely covered with the costliest diamonds,
some with large turquoises, and often on the top is a ruby
of great size. The shapes are all different — some low
and simple, some high and conical, with stout ribs of
gold. The work is generally most exquisite.

Never, perhaps, throughout the whole of his sojourn in
Russia is the foreigner more forcibly struck with her
immense power than while walking about among these
crowns. Almost every one of them formerly belonged
to an independent king ; now they might be melted down
into the one massive diadem of him whose empire has
swallowed up the fair kingdoms whose majesty they sepa-
rately adorned. Here stands the crown of fallen Poland,
side by side with that worn by Nicholas when crowned at
Warsaw. Next come the ancient crowns of the kingdoms
of Kasan, Astracan, Georgia, Siberia, &c. Then follow
imperial sceptres massive with gold and gems. In short,
apart even from all consideration of the power which it
represents, this rich collection really amazes the visitor by
its intrinsic value. There is no great anxiety displayed

ROYAL RELICS. 47

about locking up these treasures. They are placed in a
room of beautiful proportions and well lighted, most of
Ihem under bells of crystal, elegantly shaped, ranged by
the wall on one side, and the principal ones placed on
handsome pedestals on the floor. Among these, several
chemists and jewellers were taking notes, and conducting
their examinations.

Rich, however, as this collection is, the jewels now
remaining in Moscow are of trifling value compared with
those described by ancient travellers : in fact, this city
has so often suffered by fire, that not only its treasures,
but its very records have disappeared ; all the ancient
documents have been burnt ; so that now, very strangely,
the Russians themselves are forced to go to the books of
Olearius, or of English travellers, in order to get inform-
ation about these very jewels and their ancient Kremlin.
Had the French got a hand on these, few had now been
here ; but fortunately they were removed in time to Kasan,
550 miles away.

The same room contains some ancient thrones, great
curiosities in their way. There are several chairs, also,
of immense value. One, a gift from some of the ancient
shahs of Persia, is studded over with thousands of the
most precious stones. .There is also an ivory one,
of great price, beautifully carved by Greek artists, and
as old as the time of Ivan III. The double throne of the
brothers John and Peter, with a curtained space behind,
where their sister stood and prompted them while ad-
dressing the nobles, is another of the curiosities. The
plain arm-chair of poor Charles XII., found at Pultava,
looks sadly out of place among these splendours. Next

4S ROYAL ARMOURY.

follows the coat in which Peter worked at Saardam, now
keeping company with the coronation robes, of emperors
and empresses, all preserved here (for what is not so
preserved here ?) with great care. There is even a
collection of imperial boots and shoes stored up for the
edification of posterity. Peter's huge boots would swallow
up a dozen of Alexander's puny peaked ones, and as
many of the present emperor's smart broad toes into the
bargain. That the collection of imperial relics may be
complete, they have been at pains to preserve, in the
lower part of this palace, the state carriages used by each
sovereign — the most ridiculous things imaginable — some
of them large enough to carry all the kings of Europe on
an ai rin or top-ether.

Amid all these curiosities — many exciting our admira-
tion, and some our smiles — there was one which excited
our pitv. A stranger whom we met in one of the rooms
drew our attention secretly to a small coflfer on the floor
— there lies, humbled indeed, the Constitution of poor
Poland, with the keys of Warsaw over it, as the em-
peror's brief but emphatic commentary. This insult, if
intended as such, might have been spared, even in an im-
perial toy-room.

One hall is entirely filled with gold articles for the
table — vases, plateaux, cups, ewers, figures for flambeaux,
and plates of pure gold, two feet in diameter, and oi
great thickness, &c. &c The largest and handsomest
hall is filled with weapons and armour, chiefly modern,
beautifully grouped with specimens of the most striking
of the Russian uniforms, from Poland and the north.
Am. ng the swords is one of the Emperor Alexander, the

ENORMOUS BELL. 49

hilt of which is set with jewels, each valued at 1Q;000
roubles (400/.). The helmet and mail of St. Alexander
Nefsky, recently dug up, have now come to keep com-
pany with trophies of modern armour, as beautifully
arranged as ever the pencil did on paper. The collection
of horse-gear, as in use in various nations at the present
time, is highly interesting; with saddles used by the last
khans of Tartary, the present shah, &c.

But the greatest curiosity of the Kremlin yet remains
to be spoken of— its far famed Tom, or rather, beo-o-ina-
his pardon, John the Great, Ivan Veliki ; for such is the
name of the huge bell of Moscow, which everybody has
heard of. We have said above that the Russians are
mad about bells ; and here surely these bell-worshippers
have the father of all bells. This venerable gentleman
measures twenty feet in height, and eighty in circumfer-
ence, while its weight, as near as can be, is i 0,000 poods
or 3,214 cwt. His exact worth cannot be ascertained
but it is supposed to be very great, the faithful havino-
cast in gold and silver to an immense amount, while the
casting was going on.

We had the good luck to see this bell to more advan-
tage than any preceding travellers. Only four days
before our arrival it had been raised from the pit in
which it had lain more than a hundred years. All
Russia was rejoicing over the happy disentombment •
and adventurous travellers will no longer have the plea-
sure of being suffocated by the foul air which formerly
made it impossible to creep down into it, except at the
risk of life. It is said to have fallen from the place where
it was hung during a fire. But more probably it never

VOL II. D

50 GERMAN LADIES.

was suspended at all ; having been rendered useless by
some accident which broke a large piece out of it, appa-
rently as soon as it was cast, the priests would appear
never to have moved it from the hole in which it was
formed, In later time?, many attempts have been made
to get it out of the ground, merely as a curiosity; but
all* failed, until now that the present emperor, who
seldom fails in anything, set to work with ropes, beams,
windlasses, and such combination of mechanical powers,
that the mighty mass was at length got aloft, and set,
a few feet away from its old dungeon, on a platform
raised by masonry, a foot or two from the ground. Some
idea of the difficulty of this undertaking will be formed
from the fact that five hundred men were at work on the
levers alone, at the moment it was raised. During our
stay the Kremlin was constantly crowded with people
flocking from all parts to see the bell. When we entered
it the fatal gap in its side yawned like the door of an
old cathedral. Even a tall man feels himself very small
indeed within it. It being the workmen's idle hour, five
or six peasants were sleeping within it, among huge
beams and coiled ropes; but these brawny inmates looked
small indeed in the monster's womb.

If the traveller wish to enjoy one of the finest prospects
in Europe, before leaving the Kremlin he ought to
ascend the Tower of Ivan Veliki, at the foot of which
the bell stands. It is very probable that he will, like
us, have the luck to accomplish the ascent in company
with a troop of merry German girls in red frocks— for
German ladies are now as frequently met with in all out-
of-the-way places as Englishwomen were twenty years

SPLENDID VIEW. 51

ago. The times are gone when the poet would find only

" Some Mrs. Hopkins taking tea
And toast upon the wall of China."

We are quite persuaded that he would have an invitation
from some Hochwohlgeborene Frau von Altenstein, to a
rival party not a mile off. A French traveller visiting
Thebes, complains of having had his thoughts grievously
distracted by meeting amid its venerable ruins an English-
woman in a " pink spencer/' philosophising among the
monuments of Egyptian grandeur. But in addition to
his English disturbers he would now have to defend him-
self against Teutonic wanderers; for we are credibly
informed that these and other parts of the Pacha's domi-
nions have of late been made happy by the presence of
at least one pair of learned " reds" — not " blues"— from
the borders of the Maine. That their countrywomen
therefore should be found quite at home on the top of
Ivan Veliki did uot at all surprise us. This tower, the
loftiest and most venerable in Moscow, forms a part of
the Church of St. Nicholas the Magician. It contains
thirty-two bells, of which the largest, weighing 4,000
poods, is held so sacred, that it is sounded only three
times a-year. The English, who like to leave their
names everywhere, have chalked it over and over with
records of their visits.

On reachin the battlements the most careless specta-
tor, however familiar he may already be with the different
parts of Moscow seen separately, must be struck with the
splendour in which they now burst upon him as a mag-
nificent whole. The number of cupolas and minarets

d2

52 CURIOSITIES OF MOSCOW.

flittering with gold, or painted with the most fantastic
diversity, elegant private edifices, with roofs of green or
red, the variety of immense public structures, of every
style and object, some of them forming probably the
largest buildings in Europe — add too the fresh, showy
look of everything — and some idea will be formed of the
sio-hts which render Moscow the city without a rival. On
this spot, more than any other, one is surprised at the
thought, that so shortly ago all this was but a mass of
smouldering ruins.

Now that we have given the reader a sketch of some
of the curiosities of its most singular portion, we must
lead him through the other wonders of Moscow ; but the
courage which would not grapple with St. Petersburg
will certainly not dream of describing a city which, in the
interest and variety of its sights, far surpasses even that
sight-abounding capital. St. Petersburg wearies by its
monotony, Moscow amuses by its irregularity ; for though
the streets are handsome and well paved, they run
round, and up, and down, in all imaginable confusion.
As to size, the stranger finds both sufficiently inconve-
nient. Moscow is so large that we never should have got
over it on foot ; which, when the place is not too vast, is
always the best way for a stranger. Even in adroschky,
or a carriage, it is often quite a journey before the de-
sired spot is reached.

That in the number of its sights Moscow is not behind
its rival would be sufficiently proved by a bare list of its
markets, stored with birds and products both new and
rare ; its ranges of shops and stalls for butchers'-meat, fish,
fruit, vegetables; its Gostinoi-dvor — in itself a city, with

CURIOSITIES OF MOSCOW. 53

lines for every description of dealers, from jewellers down
to old clothesmen as ragged as their commodities ; its
carriage manufactories, enough to keep London rolling ;
its horse-fair, where all the refinements of the jockey art
are exhibited in the highest perfection ; its theatres,
French and Russian, as well as its riding-schools and
exercise-houses, one of which has the largest free roof in
the world, it being eighty toises (506 feet 10 inches)
long, and twenty-one (133 feet) broad, without pillar or
intervening prop of any kind, while the famous roof of
the town-hall of Padua, which used to be considered the
largest, is only, according to the measurement of Mr
Woods, 240 feet long and 80 feet broad.* To all of
these should be added its seminaries, convents, &c, but
even this dry list we shall not attempt to complete.

♦Westminster Hall is 275 by 75; and King's College, Cambridge,
291 feet by 45^, and 78 bigh.

54

CHAPTER V.

UNIVERSITY OF MOSCOW.

Public Institutions — The University — Its Library — the Catalogue — Va-
luable Museum — Professors — Scottish remembrances — Singular disco-
very connected with General Gordon — Inquiry about the Gordon fa-
mily— Institution for Orphans of the Cholera — Its admirable arrange-
ments— Munificent charities of Russia — Native tutors.

Some of the public institutions of Moscow are so re-
markable, that they cannot be passed over in silence.

Of these the University is one. The building which
it formerly occupied was completely destroyed by the
fire, and the fine library reduced to four hundred vo-
lumes. The present one is an edifice of great extent and
beauty, in the Italian style, containing the new library,
museums, lecture-rooms, &c, all of the most complete
description. The museum has again become one of the
richest in Europe — not as a whole, but in some of the
departments of natural history. The collection of
zoophytes is very complete, and that of minerals even
more so. But the most singular portion of it is the col-
lection of Siberian fossils, among which, as is well known
to the learned, there are things not paralleled in any
other museum. The tremendous mammoth skeleton
looks larger and more complete than the one at St. Pe-
tersburg. Among the fragments of animals of which the
race has perished, is the celebrated jawbone of the Elas-
motherium, an animal of which this is the only trace that

MUSEUM AND L1BJIARY. 55

has ever been discovered. Along with these antediluvian
relics, there are some modern curiosities, such as canoes,
large and safe, hollowed from a single bone, &c.

The library is recovering rapidly. It already con-
tains about thirty thousand volumes ; but being formed
from general contributions, the collection is not very
select. The catalogue is on a principle seldom em-
ployed in England. In place of keeping a folio for enter-
in sr each work as it arrives, the title is written on a loose
slip of paper, which is placed, under its proper letter, in
a line of open boxes, five inches square, along the side of
a desk containing a box for each letter of the Russian
alphabet. This, though a very mechanical system, is
found very convenient for the librarians. In addition to
this flying catalogue, there is an admirable Catalogue
Raisonnee now in the course of being printed, of which
the first volume has already been published.

The University of Moscow, though the oldest in
Russia, was founded only in the year 1755. Among its
professors may be reckoned many names of great emi-
nence. Fischer, the naturalist, and others still living,
enjoy a high reputation. The number of students in
1808 was only 135, but is now generally about 700; of
whom one-third belong to the faculty of medicine, about
the same number to the ethico-political faculty, and the
remainder to the two other faculties, mathematics and
literature.

It surprised us " men of the north countrie" to meet
among the learned of such a remote university one who
was as well acquainted with the Brebners, Haddens, and
other civic dignitaries of Aberdeen, as if he had belonged

6 A SCOT IN RUSSIA.

to the good city itself. He had become acquainted with
them during a visit to Scotland many years ago. The
particular inquiry in which he was occupied at the time
of our visit was also of a kind to astonish us a little, at
this distance from home ; for, much as we were inclined,
like good Scotchmen, to magnify the importance of
everything connected with Scottish genealogy, we never
expected to find a Russian professor engaged in re-
searches concerning the Gordon family.

It appears that a general of that naraej who served in
the Russian armies about sixty years ago, had rendered
very important services to the empire. He was particu-
larly distinguished as the conqueror of the important city
of Azofffrom the Turks (1774) ; but having left Russia
in his old age, his name had ceased to be remembered,
till recently recalled by the visit which the late Duke of
Gordon made to the emperor at Kalisch. Little, how-
ever, being known of the history of the Scottish soldier,
the emperor caused the imperial archives to be searched,
in the hope that some documents might be found throwing
light on his early career. At the time of our visit no-
thing had been ascertained concerning the latter part of
the generals life ; but these researches led to a much
more valuable discovery : for it is said that letters have
been found, written by him when in command on the
southern frontier, which are likely to be of the very great-
est importance at the present moment, in reference to
the emperor's plans of Oriental conquest.

This discovery having naturally excited his majesty's
curiosity still higher, he had directed that the researches
should be continued, and was especially anxious to ascer-

EDUCATION IN RUSSIA. 57

tain whether the general was a cadet, as had always
been believed in Russia, of the family of his Kalisch
guest. From information which we have lately obtained,
this distinguished soldier would appear to have been the
General Gordon who long resided at Auchintoul, in
Banffshire, and who, at his death, to the great horror of
his peaceful country neighbours, was buried in the
family vault, in the full uniform of a general in some
foreign service, « with belted sword and spur on heel,"
all as complete as if he had been girt for the battle-field.
He was not related to the Duke of Gordon, but was pro-
bably allied to that division of the Gordons of which
Lord Aberdeen is the head. From the hands of a Rus-
sian general the estate of Auchintoul passed into those of
a Russian merchant, the late Mr. Morrison, some time
M.P. for Banffshire.

We should have heard more of the state of the uni-
versity, had we not been disappointed of meeting the
learned professor whom Count Strogonoff, director, or,
as we should call him, chancellor of the institution, had
kindly instructed to receive us. Dr. Fischer also was
put of the way, at his villa ; and, by a melancholy
fatality, his assistant had committed suicide the nio-ht
^efore. In this concatenation of disappointments, we
[thought ourselves fortunate in meeting one of the libra-
Hans, who speaks English and other foreign languages
fluently. The elegance with which all the rooms are
fitted up is most remarkable. The museums and libra-
ries of Berlin are mere dingy garret-rooms, compared
jvith these gilded roofs and waxed floors.

It is needless to state that there are many seminaries

d3

58 SCHOOL FOR

of high character, subsidiary to the university : those for
the education of the clergy, in particular, are well spoken
of. Without entering, however, on any lengthened
detail regarding the educational establishments of the
ordinary kind, we shall mention one which is certainly
among the most magnificent, even in Russia, where every-
thing of the kind is splendid. We allude to the institu-
tion for the education of the children of parents who
died of cholera. From its name, we took it for a charity
house, but. found it a palace. The able director, Mj
Schinchin, enjoyed our surprise greatly. Visiting first
the inferior apartments, we found the refectory furnished
with tables superior to those of the halls of Oxford. The
kitchen is as clean as a drawing-room, and the food pre-
pared in it of the very best quality. The diet consists of
milk and brown bread for breakfast, three good dishes j
for dinner, and milk again in the evening, with the same
excellent bread, which most Russians prefer to white.
Gymnastic rooms and play-grounds are stored with all j
that can contribute to health and innocent amusement.
On ascending to the upper divisions, we found examina-
tion-rooms, a small museum, &c, all in high order.
The first class-rooms were filled with fine healthy boys, |
dressed in light-blue jackets and white trowsers a la miliA
tdire ; in fact, they might have been taken for young |
soldiers, as they walked out in column, &c. The remain- j
ing class-rooms were filled with young girls.

But we must now explain the particular object of this j
institution. Hitherto Russian families have never been j
able to procure native tutors or governesses ; they have
always been compelled to commit their children to the

NOBLE ORPHANS. 59

care of teachers brought from Switzerland and other
foreign countries. The taste for education having of
late years begun to spread more widely every day, this
defect was continually becoming more inconvenient ; but
no effective remedy was devised till the emperor, with his
usual quickness, seized the melancholy opportunity
offered by the cholera, to provide at once for the public
wants, and for the necessitous orphans whom the disease
had bereft of support. This establishment was accord-
ingly opened, for the education of such children, till they
shall reach the age of nineteen, when they are received
into private families, on the same respectable footing as
foreign instructors. Besides these cholera orphans,
children made orphans by other diseases are now admit-
ted ; but, both at first and at present, only the children
of nobles are received. On remarking that wre thought
the charity might have been better bestowed on the
offspring of more needy families, the director reminded
us that there are two kinds of noblesse in Russia (he was
not speaking of the grades of nobility, which, as we have
seen, are much more numerous), an ancient nobility
who are wealthy, and a new race who are poor. The
children of the latter are often utterly destitute, while the
children of citizens (bourgeoise), he said, can never be
unprovided for ; the guilds, which are very rich, support-
ing the families of all who have belonged to them. None,
therefore, are admitted here except the orphans of nobles,
or of state employes, wTho generally belong to some grade
or other of the nobility. Of both sexes, there are now
three hundred in the house, munificently maintained,
with clothes, lodging, and education, all at the emperor's

60 ORPHAN NOBLES.

expense. The large sleeping-room, with its long ranges
of white columns and excellent beds, is quite a sight in
its way. The two departments are under one general
director ; but the girls, of course, are more immediately
under female instructors. There is a common place of
worship for daily prayers ; but none are required to con-
form to the Greek church, if their parents were not of that
persuasion. Besides the common branches of education,
the boys learn French, German, Latin, but no Greek.
The latter is not commenced till they enter the university,
which all have it in their power to do at a certain stage
of their progress. The girls learn music, embroidery,
and the modern languages. There are in all forty- five
teachers. The method employed in teaching French is
that now generally adopted in Germany ; it should be
called the mechanical system. The progress made is
astonishing ; as much is acquired in six months as could
be done in twelve by the ordinary method. The building
is of immense extent and great beauty. Its healthiness
was well shown by the state of the hospitals — in each we
found only two patients.

Our visit to this place was one of the most interesting
we made in Moscow. It was a great treat for the younger
inmates to get hold of so many big foreigners, whose
education had been so hopelessly neglected, that they
could not even speak Russian ! One or two of the rooms
are occupied by the very young — those from three to six.
This part of the house the emperor is always sure to visit :
he who is so fond of children cannot, after all, be a very
bad man.

Institutions of this kind are amon£ the things best

EDUCATION IN RUSSIA.

61

worth visiting, and consequently best worth describing, in
Russia; they form the bright side — the beau cote of the
government. If there be nothing in them that we need
to imitate at home, no traveller should fail at least to
jjive the Russian government the praise which it most
undoubtedly merits, for the great exertions it is now
making in the cause of education. When we think of
what has been done within the last thirty years, to pro-
vide instruction for the higher classes and for the profes-
sions, we need not despair of soon seeing much more
done for the education of the poor. The liberal way in
which this and every benevolent institution in the king-
dom is managed is also most praiseworthy. The charity
of Russia is not of a mincing, niggardly, insulting kind —
it is done nobly. No parent need grieve at the prospect
of leaving his child in such hands : the children are as
well dressed and cared for, in every way, as they could be
under the paternal roof.

62

CHAPTER VI.

THE "FOUNDLING" OF MOSCOW.

Catherine's Institution for Foundlings — Immense extent of the build-
ing— Expenses — ■Number of inmates — Singular scene with the nurses
— Infants — Apathy of Russian parents — Patients from the ball-room
— Objects of this establishment, of a political nature — Melancholy-
effects on the morals of the people.

The remarks with which the foregoing chapter con-
cluded apply with particular force to another of the
institutions of Moscow — its famous Foundling Hos-
pital— one of the most gigantic and most wonderful
establishments in Europe.

This building is among the most beautiful of the whole
city, and probably ranks with the largest ever built
in any part of the world — as may be inferred from the
fact that it contains ample accommodation for nearly four
thousand persons, young or old, with handsome apart-
ments for the managers, sleeping- rooms, hospitals, lying-
in rooms, &c, all under the same roof. There are 2228
windows in it. Though plain, yet the architecture, from
its large proportions, has a very fine effect. Several long
wings, four or five stories high, are already built ; and
the plan is such that more can be easily added. The
whole is of stone covered with stucco.

This establishment was founded by Catherine, for the
reception of infant foundlings, many of whom are nursed
and brought up in the house; but the numbers admitted

FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 63

are now so great that thousands are also sent out to
nurses in the country, and brought back when old enough
to begin to read. All are maintained till they are fit to
be bound out to some trade ; or, if possessed of talent,
till they can go to college and study for a profession —
the whole being at the cost of the establishment, which
maintains them till they can maintain themselves. The
number of children supported by the house in 1824 was
12,075; in 1831, 23,788; and at the time of our visit
there were in all about 30,000, either in the establish-
ment or supported by its funds ! The annual outlay is
now considerably above 20,000,000 roubles (800,000/.) :
in 1831 it was 17,223,993 roubles.

On our first visit it turned out that the order for ad-
mission with which we had been favoured from the
governor of Moscow was for another day. Our journey
was not altogether fruitless, however, for this untimely
visit brought us in for a scene not often to be matched —
the sending off of the infants newly received to nurses in
the villages, or the farm belonging to the hospital. A
long string of peasants' carts, filled with straw, was
stationed in the open court; each in its turn drove up to
the door, and in tumbled, sometimes two, sometimes
three or four stout clumsy women : these were the nurses.
A little baby was next handed to each of them, and she
instantly gave it the breast. The little imp set bravely
to work, and away drove the rustic equipage in gallant
style. Two men on the steps were checking the name
of the nurse and the number of the child as they entered
the carts ; for here children are counted pretty much as
sheep are elsewhere. The little creatures were swad-
dled up as tight as pounds of butter going to market.

64 FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.

We were surprised to see parents taking a parting kiss
of some. We had believed that all belonged to those
who were unwilling to acknowledge them, but now learnt
that any one may send a child to the house, weaned or
unweaned. All who do not wish, or are not able, to
bring up their children, may leave them here without
paying a farthing; so that, though at first strictly a
foundling hospital, and though the majority of the chil-
dren depending on it are still of that description, yet this
institution now contains many of other kinds. It is, in
fact, a sort of general nursing establishment. Whether
the parents or the children are improved by this heart-
less way of breaking all the ties which we usually con-
sider the strongest and the most delightful of the human
breast, is a point which the government never troubles
itself about : what they want is subjects at any price.
Though the number of deaths be fully as great as among
the infants in all similar institutions, where, it is welt
known, the average mortality is very high, yet govern-
ment says, " On the whole, we nurse better than the
parents themselves can do, and therefore we want to re-
lieve them of the risk of starving his majesty's infant sub-
jects." Nor is this extinction of the finer feelings the
only evil that ensues from such an institution : its effects
on the morals of the people are of the most deplorable
nature, as will be seen immediately.

All maintained in the house are not exclusively at the
expense of the government. Parents paying 100 roubles
(£4) on entering an infant, have the right of insisting
that it shall be brought up in the house, the inmates of
which are better cared for than those sent out to nurse.
For this trifling sum a parent gets rid of the whole bur-

FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 65

den of clothing and educating his child up to manhood.
W e wonder if the child looks on the kind nurses here, or
its unnatural ones at home, with most affection ! Yet
there was one touch of nature exhibited in the crowd.
Generally the children sent away were unacknowledged
—they had been brought secretly to the house, and
nobody knew anything about them; but some of those
about to be despatched belonged to parents who had
come with them, and were standing in the court to see
them away. The tears hung big on the cheek of a young
mother, apparently a widow, as she followed her first-
born with long and reluctant gaze — the pang of parting
with her babe, though not the first, seemed the bitterest
she had yet endured. Beside her, again, were a father
and mother most respectably dressed, who had also come
to see their infant away, but stood there as unblushingly as
if there were no shame in throwing off the ties of nature,
and submitting their offspring to the ignominy of being
trained a pauper.

The allowance to these wet-nurses is not so munificent
as to secure very careful treatment; five roubles a-month
(4.?. 2d.) is all they get. Some, however, when there are
many children to dispose of, take two: that is, with the
addition of her own child, one of these ill-fed peasant
women suckles three infants ! Of course, the poor things
are starved. The number of women at command, how-
ever, is generally so great, that it is not often necessary
to give two children to one nurse.

So accommodating is the emperor to his fair subjects,
that one division of the house is devoted to the reception
Df pregnant mothers, who, on paying a small sum, can
?ome here to be confined. 120 beds are constantly pre-

6(3 FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.

pared for this purpose. It is open day and night. N
question is asked of the visitor— her name is never known,
and no one sees her but the midwife. The only dis-
tinction made is, that if she come in a fine equipage, as
is not unfrequently the case (!), she has a more splendid
apartment allotted to her. Every room is good, however,
and the attention equal to all comers. We were assured
on the spot that instances are known of ladies hurrymc
here from a ball. Whether they were married or not
none ever knew. They came in secret, and went in
secret; their rank betrayed only by the elegance of
their dress, and of the equipage they came in. Such
facts require no comment ! All remain till perfectly

cured.

Hitherto our acquaintance extended only to the out-

side of the building. Returning on the appointed day,

we met with great attention from all the managers and

directresses— people of good education and good man-

ners. The elegance and cleanliness of everything was

quite surprising, in a place where at least two thousand

children are constantly lodged, with an equal number of

teachers, servants, &c, always in motion. We did not

see the boys, but came on the bigger girls at dinner, in a

large handsome hall. Here were assembled five hundred

well-dressed, healthy-looking creatures, from eight to

eighteen, heartily engaged with good fare. -There was

nothing of the charity-school in their appearance ; there

was even an elegance in the manner and looks of most.

All were dressed in light blue frocks and white tippets

—or rather they were bare-necked during dinner, and

put on the tippets when they went to play. There was

such an unstinted allowance of every dish, that a great

FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 67

part remained untouched. When dinner was over, the
portion of them that were taught singing joined in a
hymn, and then all marched out in high spirits, two and
two, with a precision which even the emperor's military
eye might have pronounced faultless. He is a frequent
visitor here also, when in Moscow.

One of the tables was occupied by girls of the most
advanced class — those ready to leave the house as go-
vernesses ; for this institution likewise has now been
turned to the same account as that last spoken of.
Smart, good-looking damsels they were, with easy, gen-
teel manners. One of them we were told was a bride.
They are allowed to see their friends on certain days, and
in these short moments, it seems, her black eyes had
found time enough to play havoc with a bold Cossack's
heart, who was to carry her off in a week or two. The
matron said that many of them succeeded in providing
good husbands for themselves before the time comes
when they are to leave the institution.

It is impossible to visit such a place and not be more
and more confirmed in the opinion that the Russians are
essentially a good-natured people. We always find these
youngsters overjoyed at our visit. The slightest famili-
arity pleases them beyond measure ; and they were all
fun and frolic the moment the hour of freedom arrived.
A visit of foreigners seems to give them great delight,
and the little ones have always many questions to ask.
At first they did not know very well what to make of us :
the Bavarian ambassador had been expected to visit them
the same day, and for some time our party passed for
that of his excellency ; but even when undeceived as to

68 FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.

our rank, the attention we had been treated with con-
tinued the same, plain Englishmen being in most coun-
tries reckoned as good as titled Germans.

The girls all go through the same course of education
up to a certain age: they are then ranged according to
their capacities. Those who can pass certain examina-
tions, and have already shown talents for learning, are
advanced to the higher departments, where they study
French, German, music, drawing, &c, and at eighteen or
nineteen are provided with situations as governesses.
Those who show no taste for these things are kept in
what are called the working classes : that is, they learn
millinery work, &c.

The boys are treated precisely in the same way. All
who show abilities are sent to the university, after a
good preliminary education. Most of them enter the
medical profession. One lately got four thousand rou-
bles from the emperor to enable him to travel abroad.
In short, everything is on the most princely scale. The
two thousand receiving education in the house will enter
the better classes of society ; and every one, whether in
the house or out of it, will be enabled to provide for
themselves. Of the thirty thousand now depending on
it also, all will be free, as was mentioned when alluding
to the emperor's reform, and a similar establishment at
St. Petersburg. The funds here are so ample that they
will be able to increase the numbers when necessary.
Besides the allowances from government, the house has
a private revenue from money lent, &c, of seven millions
of roubles, of which at present only five millions are
expended annually.

FOUNDLING HOSPITAL. 69

After inspecting the educational department, with its
dependant class-rooms and dormitories, all in the very
greatest perfection, we came on what is not the least cu-
rious part of the house — that in which the infants are
nursed. There is a room in which each child brought
in is examined by the surgeon, and a report drawn up of
its health and condition. Passing this, we entered a
long hall, in which a formidable file of nurses ranged
themselves along each side as we entered. Here is a
bed for each person, and close by it a small cot for her
child. They all wore white aprons and high turbaned
caps of muslin, wrought with scarlet and gold, which
seems to be the universal livery of a nurse in Russia, just
as much as the long white cauchoise is of one in France.
These ladies are in high training ; one might have sup-
posed that they had got the word of command from some
female drill-serjeant of their number; for each jjresented
her babe, in good firelock fashion, as we passed. There
was great kindness apparent, however, in the whole system.
Those whose infants attracted our attention for a minute
were as happy as if they had been their own. In
another place we came on those who have been weaned ;
healthy and lively imps all of them. The familiarity
with which the superiors of the house treated all ages
showed that there is nothing like harshness encouraged.

The last place we visited was the room to which the
foundlings are brought by their parents or those em-
ployed by them. As already stated, all are admitted.
Only three questions are asked when a child is brought :
Whether it is a boy or a girl ? whether it has been bap-
tized ? and if not, what name they would wish to be
given to it ? The only other formality is, that the clerks,

70 FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.

of whom one is always in attendance, give the person a
ticket, containing the number under which the child is
entered in the books, and on producing which, any
person interested in the child is entitled to receive
information about it at any future day. All are at
liberty to reclaim their infants when they please ; but,
when once taken out of the house, they cannot of course
be again admitted.

The question so long agitated, about the effects which
such institutions may have on public morals has already,
we fear, received in every country of Europe too decisive
an answer to render it necessary to say one word on the
subject. Foundling hospitals have now long been esta-
blished in nearly every great capital. There has been
sufficient time for judging of their effects, not from one
solitary experiment, but from many, conducted among
nations of the most opposite habits ; and the undeniable
result is, as given by Chateauneuf, in his Considerations
sur les En fans trouves dans les principaux Etats de
r Europe, that, in spite of the well-meant predictions oi
the benevolent founders, public morals have not im-
proved in these places ; for it is too incontrovertibly
established, that, instead of diminishing, the number ol
illegitimate births has been constantly increasing since
these hospitals were begun.

In no place has this been more glaringly the case than
in Moscow. We heard many strange and melancholy
anecdotes, illustrative of the pernicious influence which
this institution exerts on the morals of females of every
class living within its sphere ; but the one already given,
of the mysterious patients from the ball-room, must of
itself be sufficiently conclusive on this painful subject.

71

CHAPTER VII.

THE EXILES OF SIBERIA.

Visit to the prison for convicts on their way to Asia — Government
allows the committee of prisons to intercede fur them — Dr. Hazy-
Description of the prison — Dress and appearance of the prisoners-
Crowded rooms — Applications of convicts listened to — Wives and
children allowed to accompany them — Touching sight — Band setting
out on thtir long march — Fastening of their fetters — Asked us for
Bibles — Visit to the prisoners newly arrived — The murderer — The
executioner — The returned exiles — Polish nobleman among the pri-
soners— The hospital — Police functionary banished — Russians deny
that the Poles have been banished in large numbers — Cruel treatment
of Poles on the march — Condition of the exiles in Siberia — Nobles can
banish their serfs — Curious case of a wife — Siberian statistics.

The laws of the empire requiring that all those con-
demned to exile, in whatever part of the country they
may have received sentence, must pass through Moscow
on their way to Siberia, the traveller has here the best
opportunity that can be afforded in any part of European
Russia of learning something of the treatment and pro-
spects of those unhappy men.

On reaching this city, they are allowed a brief rest in
the convict prison ; their daily journeys being so calcu-
lated that the separate bands all arrive here, from the op-
posite corners of the empire, each Saturday night. After
resting throughout the ensuing week, during which they
are relieved from their chains, they are despatched in
[me common band on the second Monday after their

72 THE EXILES

arrival; on which occasion government allows some
member or members of the committee of prisons to be
present, to control the harshness of the jailors or the
guards, and to see that none suffer any unnecessary
degree of restraint. They are even empowered to hear
any statement which the prisoners may make, and, in
most cases, to grant immediate redress; or if the appli-
cation be not of a nature to be granted on the spot, to
pledge themselves that it shall be duly attended to after
their departure. This, it will at once be seen, is a great
indulgence to the prisoners; and the government, so far
from thwarting the benevolent visitors, complies with
almost every suggestion. These interferences do not, of
course, extend to the quashing of legal proceedings, but
merely to the prisoner's comforts, his health, or his
wishes regarding his family.

The person most frequently present on those occasions
is the excellent Hazy, physician to the prisons, one of the
warmest philanthropists we have ever known. His ex-
ertions in behalf of the unhappy convicts are most inces-
sant. His labours are evidently those of love, and that
makes him deem no sacrifice of time or comfort too
great. He is a German from Cologne, and as keen a
Roman Catholic as that zealous city ever sent forth ;
but it would be well for the world if half of us possessed
as much of the true Christian spirit as this worthy phi-
lanthropist. It does one good to have come in contact
with such a man as Hazy. We thought better of the
Russian government ever after we found them employ-
ing such an agent in such a cause.

Being anxious to witness the ceremony of sending'

OF SIBERIA. 73

away the weekly band, which could not fail to give us
some farther insight into the treatment of criminals in
Russia, and enable us to form some opinion on the
charges "of cruelty towards those condemned to Siberia,
which have long been brought against the government,
we applied for, and readily obtained, permission to be
present on the Monday morning. The prison being
situated at some distance from the city, and the departure
always taking place at an early hour, we had to leave
home by four o'clock in order to arrive in time. It was
still dark, therefore, as we drove through the silent streets,
and even when daylight came both mist and rain com-
bined against us. But on reaching the Sparrows' Hills
(for so the place is called), the sky cleared, and afforded
us a splendid view back on the city.

Instead of a frowning prison, we were surprised to see
merely a collection of log huts, united, however, and
surrounded by a wooden wall, strong and high. Indeed
we soon saw that the place, though of seemingly frail
materials, is made fully as secure as stone and lime
could be — numerous sentinels being posted round it, as
well as at every gate. On being admitted, which was
done writh great caution, and after a strict scrutiny, we
found the first court occupied by a file of prisoners
already chained for their dreary journey. Poor wretches !
with those heavy fetters on their ancles, they were to
walk every step of a journey which lasts only a few days
less than six months ! They were all, men and women,
in the convicts' dress, a long loose kind of great-coat
made of coarse lightish-grey cloth. The men have one
side of their head shaved ; but to distinguish soldiers

VOL. II. E

74 THE EXILES

more readily from the others, they have the whole fore-
part of the head shaved, in place of the side. All are
permitted to retain the enormous beard, in which they
take much delight. Each is allowed a low felt cap ; but
they always remained uncovered when any visitor came
near : in fact, the whole time we remained in the prison,
the manner of all we saw was not only respectful, but
becomincr. There was something of composed resignation
amongst them, which touched us more than clamorous
orrief would have done. Of what is still more shocking
in such places — levity — there was also none — not a single
instance of the swearing and attempted tricks generally
seen in such places at home.

Leaving the court, we entered a large prison-room,
most frightfully crowded with men, women, and children,
who were to depart that morning. Dr. Hazy and
another member of the committee were seated near the
door, and by them stood the principal keeper, who had
the long list of names in his hand, to each of which was
added a brief notice of the crime and historv of the
individual. Always, as a new name was called, the
person came forward from the crowd, and, before passing
out to have his chains put on in the yard, was asked
whether he had any application to make. Many of them
had nothing to ask ; others had petitions about wife or
child, or relations, which were almost invariably granted.
If the request be of a kind which cannot be fulfilled
without a short delay, the visitors' powers go so far a-
to entitle them to defer a prisoner's departure for a
week.

The readiness, the clearness too, with which they

OF SIBERIA. /.J

seemed to state their cases, surprised us ; a few words
sufficed : while the firm yet respectful way in which the
plea was urged showed that they felt themselves in
friendly company. Their joy and gratitude, when any
wish was complied with, knew no bounds. The anxiety
shown to gratify them astonished us, and proved that the
system is not in all respects so cruel as we had imagined.
Individual cases of oppression there may be; but in
general the government is desirous to extend every in-
dulgence even to the worst.

The applications were of course of very different kinds.
One man, for instance, a Jew, came forward and beo-o-ed
that he might be granted eight days' delay, as his brother,
also a convict, would arrive the following week, and it
would be some consolation to them, even in disgrace, to
travel together. Would this very natural prayer have
been granted in England ? Here it was instantly com-
plied with ; and the poor man — he had been condemned
for a species of forgery — drew back overjoyed into the
throng.

A female who had volunteered to accompany her
husband, and had an infant in her arms, wished that
they might be allowed to remain a little, to give time
for receiving an answer to an application which they had
made to see whether the parish would allow their other
child to accompany them. This also was conceded. In
explanation of this case it may be stated, that by the law,
if a prisoner wish to have his wife with him, and she is
willing to go (she cannot be compelled, banishment to
Siberia cancelling the bonds of marriage), government
pays all her expenses on the journey, but she must

e 2

76 THE EXILES

assume the convict uniform and go along with the chain
— not tied 3 nor in it, but behind it — in one of the carts
for infants and baggage. With children the case is dif-
ferent — they belong to the parish, not to the parents.
Each parish and each proprietor having an interest in
keeping their population as high as possible, parents are
not allowed to claim any above five years of age when
boys, nor above seven when girls. Boys, in particular,
parishes are very unwilling to part with ; as may be
expected in a country where the numbers to be drawn
for the army in each parish depends, not on the amount
of population at the moment of drawing, but on the
amount a short time before; so that the conscription
falls more heavily on those who remain, if they part too
readily with youngsters. Sometimes,, however, great
indulgence is shown, both by proprietors and com-
munities ; hence even in this place of misery we saw
several happy families — yes, happy, for they were all
together, father, mother, and three or four children. To
such groups exile was but a name.

There were other rooms full of convicts going away.
Amongst them were some interesting prisoners, a few of
whom will be mentioned below. The ceremony just
described was gone through with all, and by the time
we returned to the principal court, fetters had been
placed on nearly the whole band. It is a cruel operation.
The fetters consist of a couple of heavy iron rings, one
for each ancle, united by a chain generally two feet long,
or rather more, and made of links each four or five inches
in length. The chains are not placed on the naked skin,
but over the short boot. Instead of being fasfened by a

OF SIBERIA. 77

padlock, however, so as to be easily removed at night, —
the prisoner is never relieved of them till he reach his
journey's end — the chains are rivettedby the executioner
who drives an iron bolt through the ankle-rings, and, by
strong hammering, flattens it at both ends in such a way
that nothing can take it out — it must be cut through by
main force. While the chaining is going on, the serjeant
who is to take charge of the prisoners on their journey
stands by all the time, to see that all are secured to his
satisfaction — that is, in such a way as he thinks will
justify him in answering for their safe keeping with his
own life. Of the whole band, only one remained still
standing by the block. He was pained by the tightness
of the ring on one ancle. There was some hesitation
about removing it, but the doctor interfered, and it was
taken off. Then came the hammering anew — a barbarous
sight ; every blow went to the heart. The prisoner puts
his foot on a block, in the middle of which stands a small
anvil, the height of the ankle. The strong executioner,
clad in a short coarse great coat, seemed to have little
pleasure in his task. There was confusion in his looks
and manner : his dishevelled hair, partly concealed by a
ragged covering, hung wildly about his face; but though
there was something savage about him, he looked, on
the whole, shy and timid, as if unwilling to be seen in
such work.

The whole band being now fettered, they were again
mustered in the yard, after which a new chaining com-
menced— they had still to be linked four and four together
by the wrists. At the head of the line a little table was
standing covered with copper coin, from which every

78 THE EXILES

man was receiving, in advance, a certain part of his daily
allowance, government giving each, for his maintenance,
forty-eight kopeeks, or a fraction less than fivepence a
day. To each woman who accompanies her husband
half that sum is allowed, and for each child something
in proportion.

As the moment of starting approached — the moment
when for them the world, our world, should cease to have
any interest — for when once these gates are passed they
are considered as dead, cut off from society — we were
more than ever struck with the calm bearing of the troop.
So far from being sad or repining, they looked almost
cheerful and willing to go. This feeling is inspired by
the general leniency of their treatment. Some of the
officers employed about them may be harsh, but the
system, as was remarked by one of our party well ac-
quainted with the prison discipline of England, is in many
things much more indulgent than our own. They are
warmly clothed, provided with strong shoes for the
journey, and plentifully fed. If sick they are also cared
for.

All being now ready, the final scene was gone through
by the doctor asking — it is the last chance they have of
making their wants known — "Whether they were satis-
fied, or had any request still to make?" All replied,
if We are contented; we have nothing to ask."

Another file near at hand consisted of recruits going
to join their regiments, who sometimes march along with
the chain, but do so merely for the convenience of for-
warding them in greater security ; though we cannot but
think that this way of associating a soldier's duty with

OF SIBERIA. 79

the punishment of criminals must tend to lower the
character of the profession in the eyes of the people. On
approaching these, some of them expressed a wish to
have a copy of the Bible, of which, it seems, there is
always a supply in the prison, furnished by the British
and Foreign Bible Society. Their desire was instantly
complied with, the doctor requesting that our party should
present them, wrhich of course was done with joy, our
good interpreter conveying to them our hope that they
would practise the precepts of the Gospel, and draw
comfort from its promises. The delighted men kissed
the hands of the giver with fervent gratitude. Two
Poles next expressed a desire to have the same favour
granted them, and they also were not refused. That
moment was one of the proudest of our lives. We have
often, in foreign countries, had occasion to be proud of
England ; but never had we so much reason to glory in
being able to call it our country as here. To find its
noble, its truly Christian benevolence thus actively at
work in the very heart of a Russian prison — cheering
and claiming brotherhood with the most despised, and
hitherto the most neglected of mankind — made us feel
more honoured in being Englishmen than any one of the
thousand triumphs that adorn our history. Bibles and
New Testaments, both in Russian and Polish, are always
at hand to be bestowed on every one, soldier or convict,
who may wish to possess the inestimable treasure.

All being now ready, the gates were thrown open, out-
side of which the exiles, of whom there must have been
more than one hundred, were handed over to a strong
guard on foot, belonging to a corps employed, we believe.

80 THE EXILES

exclusively in this duty, all wearing faded blue uniforms.
Every man loaded his gun in the presence of the pri-
soners. There was a mounted escort with long spears ;
the commander of which instantly began to use the poor
creatures very roughly, riding fiercely about amongst
them, striking right and left with his strong whip, with-
out the smallest reason for doing so, just as a brutal
drover might do amongst cattle. A little confusion pre-
vailed for a time, but soon all was in order, and they
moved slowly away, — the men in a band by themselves ;
after which followed the carts with their wives, their
children, and their little bundles of clothes ; and last
came the female convicts, marching in a band by them-
selves, strongly guarded, but not chained.

When they had got to some distance it was terrible
to hear the slow regular clank of their chains, as they
crept across the turf among the small clumps of fir.
They gave us a long look as we turned away — could they
be blamed if it was one of envy ?

Of the band in march we shall afterwards have to
speak when we come upon them in our way eastward.
Each day's journey is from twenty-two to twenty-five
versts (from fourteen two-thirds to sixteen two-thirds
miles English), but never more than the ordinary
military march, and there are houses of shelter for them
over-night. The escort is always relieved at short
intervals.

There was still much to be done after these had moved
away. We now had to visit the room in which were
confined those last arrived. This, however, was a more
pleasing task ; for we had the satisfaction of seeing the

OF SIBERIA,

81

poor creatures released from their chains ; which, how-
ever short the relief, is to them a most welcome boon,
for some had been travelling for months with their heavy
load. Among them were several who had not yet
received sentence : they were merely passing through,
from the government in which they had been arrested, to
be tried in that to which they belonged, or where the
crime had been committed.

This room we found as much over-crowded as the
other: it is disgraceful to the government to huddle so
many human beings, however great their crimes, into
such narrow space. The only distinction made was be-
tween those who had wives and those unmarried ; a sepa-
rate division of the room being set apart for such as had
their wives and children with them. Here again a roll
was called, and the crime briefly named, on which each
came forward, his chains clanking fearfully on the hollow
floor. Generally the keeper allowed them to pass out
and be liberated. It was touching to see the lightened
step and happy face with which each left the block, carry-
ing his fetters in his hand ; for they are intrusted to his
own keeping till the fatal day of departure comes round.
When the keeper hesitated about liberating any prisoner
— which was only when his crime was unusually great,
or when he was notorious for fierceness, or otherwise
difficult to manage — the kind doctor interfered, and
seldom without success.

But there was one case in which even his benevolence
could scarcely say a word : it was that of a murderer,
who pleaded hard for release. He had assassinated his
wife, his dreadful crime being aggravated by circum-

e 3

82 THE EXILES

stances of unusual atrocity. For this he had received
sentence of death, as we should say in England, though
the term will not apply in Russia, where, as formerly
stated, the punishment of death is now almost unknown.
But though his life had been spared it was to be a life
of sufferingr Besides beinor condemned to constant
labour in the most deadly occupation within the bounds
of Siberia, he had been punished with the knout, branded
with hot irons on each cheek, and had the word n mur-
derer" stamped on his brow. These disfiguring stains
added to the sinister expression of his countenance; and
there were some beside him with looks fully as forbidding-.
Yet, bad and fierce as we knew most of these men to be,
and though there were no guards in the room, we walked
about amongst them with a confidence which, to speak
frankly, we never felt in such a scene in England.

It is impossible to be any time amongst Russian con-
victs without seeing that they are of a less ferocious tem-
per than our countrymen. The ease with which thev
are managed is perfectly surprising. In England, double
the number of soldiers would be required, and, after all,
such a prison would not hold our convicts a single night.
They were extremely grateful for the smallest favour or
the smallest word. The affectionate manner of the
doctor at once gained their hearts. Some few poor
creatures bent down to kiss his feet ; others, for whom
he had done something, tried to catch his eye, and then
wished to kiss his hand. Tc the men he spoke with great
affection, still greeting them with the welcome name of
"brother:" the females he saluted on the cheek, the
children he fondled ; to all he tried to do some good or

OP SIBERIA. S3

other, — refusing their applications kindly when forced to
refuse, and complying eagerly when able to do so. Some
wished letters to be written to their relations, or the autho-
rities of their native place, on points which they consi-
dered of importance; and though the interval before
their departure was too brief to admit of an answTer being
received, yet they wrould go away comforted with the
assurance that their wish would be carefully attended
to, and the answer safely fon* aided to wait their
arrival in Siberia.

Among the prisoners who most attracted our notice,
was a black moustachoed, powerful-looking man, still
young. His manly and handsome, though fierce counte-
nance, would have excited interest, even if seen in com-
pany of a very different stamp ; but he stood alone, and,
to our surprise, seemed to be shunned by his companions.
Think who he was — the executioner of Moscow, now
loaded with chains, and on his way to Siberia ! And, for
what ? — The poor wretch's crime showed him to have
still something good about him, notwithstanding his ter-
rible office. It is the law that when this situation be-
comes vacant, any one condemned to Siberia may have
his sentence commuted, provided he accept the unenvia-
ble post. He is still a prisoner, but is allowed to live
by himself, and to go about free within the walls of the
prison. Some time before, this man had accepted the
office, but wras soon so disgusted wTith the bloody task,
that he made his escape ; was caught again, and now
irrevocably banished. From having already shown such
dexterity in escaping, the keeper was very reluctant to
relieve him of his chains ; but he pleaded hard, and, •

S4 THE EXILES

through our party, was successful. He bowed to us in
gratitude, and hastened back from the block again to
thank us.

Two of the convicts had been condemned for returning
from Siberia. They were detected on reaching their na-
tive districts. One of them was so old, that it was impos-
sible he could stand this second journey ; yet, old as he
was, he could not forget his home : he had trudged
through a thousand dangers, and across a thousand
wastes, to see it but once ere he died- — all this, too, with
the certainty that he would be discovered and sent back,
under worse circumstances than before, besides receiving
severe corporal punishment.

We were much moved to find a Polish nobleman in
one of the rooms, undistinguished from the lowest thieves
and horse-stealers. His pale and wasted appearance
told how much his degradation was preying upon him.
Conversation with him was of course not permitted ; but
we were told that he had been guilty of falsifying some
government papers. The sight of this unhappy indivi-
dual induced us to try whether we could obtain informa-
tion about the way in which prisoners of rank are treated ;
but we learnt little on this unwelcome subject. It was
admitted, however, that they are compelled to march the
whole way on foot, the same as the others, and along with
the others ; this, too, whatever their offence may have
been — whether the charge be of a political or of a crimi-
nal nature, no distinction is made. The onlv indulgence
we could hear of, and even of this we are doubtful, is,
that they are lodged at night in a less crowded place, and,
though they walk with the rest, are not chained. To this

OF SIBERIA. 85

latter part of a nobleman's indulgences, however, we ac-
cidentally discovered an exception, in the very case of the
individual now mentioned. Forgetting what we had just
been told about no nobleman being: fettered, one of us
asked whether he had chains on like the rest. " Oh, no,"
at once answered the doctor ; but shortly after the poor
man happened to move aside his long prison-coat, when
it was seen that he was loaded like those we had left.
The doctor, though indignant at the abuse, was yet over-
joyed at the discovery, as it gave him an opportunity of
ordering that the chains should instantly be removed,
having been imposed in direct violation of the law. It is
highly probable that, whatever the rules may be on this
subject, the keepers take the law in their own hands when
once out on the march ; for unless here, there is no place
where a prisoner's voice is heard — there is none to take
the smallest interest in them : in fact, they are not heard
of more than if dead.

A great proportion of the prisoners had been con-
demned for petty thefts — some for house-breaking — and
a great many for horse-stealing. One man was banished
for attempting to pass off a child as belonging to the
class of free citizens, while it actually was of the class of
slaves. In a country where human beings are the pro-
perty of their superiors, this is, of course, a great crime.
Several had been condemned for sheltering criminals. In
one place, thrown among the crowd of men and women
of every description, was a clergyman, or rather a monk
— a youth with long shaggy hair. We could not make
out his crime distinctly, but were told that the numbers
of priests, or men in one way or other belonging to that
order, who pass here, are very great.

8G THE EXILES

We had now been long in the prison, and seen almost
every room : but there was still one place to be visited —
the hospital. It is kept with almost an excess of comfort.
We had already visited one of the prison hospitals in
Moscow, and found occasion to admire the doctor's care
and attention to the poor inmates ; but he said there was
a consideration that made this his favourite hospital — it
was the first time and the last that most of the patients
would know comfort or meet with kindness. In a small
room at the end of the male ward was a prisoner of some
distinction, with whom the doctor conversed in French,
but he seemed unwilling to tell us about him, and the
keeper evidently was anxious to prevent us from seeing
him. We afterwards heard in the city that he had been
high in the employment of the secret police at St. Peters-
burg, but had abused his power to such an extent, that
nothing could screen him from the highest punishment
of the law.

A similar room, cC another ward, was tenanted by a
man evidently ashamed of his position. Seeing that he
held down his head, and seemed pained when we came
near, we withdrew, and asked no questions — which pro-
bably would not have been answered even if we had.
His hairs were turning grey. He was evidently a man
who had held a distinguished place in society. We heard
in the evening that he was a clergyman of high rank,
but our informant would not tell his crime.

On the whole, we left the prison with a better opinion
of the Russian government. Whatever may be the cruelty
exercised at other times to prisoners, here at least there
is great kindness, and even indulgence. Yet the question

OF SIBERIA. 87

may be asked, praiseworthy as this treatment is, is there
not a sensitiveness in their humanity, an anxiety, as it
were, to atone, at this late hour, for all the previous in-
justice, or at least harshness, of which prisoners may have
been the victims ? Does it not imply a consciousness on
the part of government itself, that the law is liable to
abuse — that much evil may be inflicted by its agents, for
which it would gladly atone by softening in some degree
the lot of the sufferer ? With all this show of humanity,
the condition of the exile remains essentially unchanged.
Clearer laws, and incontestable rights bestowed on the
people, would be better guarantees against injustice than
all the sympathy displayed in the place we have been
describing.

These considerations will be found to have double weight
when we view the conduct of the government towards its
many jjolitical prisoners. The treatment of some of these
unhappy men is, we have undoubted authority for be-
lieving, of a kind that cannot be justified. On this point,
even the strongest admirers of Russia must be dumb.
Dr. Hazy, indeed, denies, and we believe him fully, that
the Poles were banished to Siberia in such numbers as
represented in England ; and maintains that in no in-
stance were children (except along with their parents)
sent to that dreary region; or whole villages, men, women,
and babes, driven away in flocks, as was also reported in
foreign countries. That such things could have happened
without his knowledge he insists is utterly impossible, for
he has seen all the prisoners during many years ; every
man going to Siberia must pass this way ; there is but one
road and one rule for all. He does not deny that many

88 POLISH EXILES

Poles were banished, but it is the charge of harsh treat-
ment that he repels. They were used exactly like other
convicts — neither better nor worse. Those of them who
fell ill were most carefully tended. One in particular he
recollects — an aged nobleman, who died here on his way,
after a lingering illness, in the course of which every in-
dulgence was lavished on him ; Prince Galitzin, the amia-
ble and excellent governor-general of Moscow, paying
him frequent visits, to ascertain that nothing was neg-
lected. He had come in his own carriage, along with
the common escort; but this indulgence was allowed only
on account of his infirmities ; otherwise his rank would
not have exempted him from walking with the rest.

Admitting, however, that in the newspaper statements
there may have been exaggeration as to the numbers ba-
nished, there cannot be the least doubt that much cruelty
was exercised on nearly all who were sent. As if

" The hopeless word of — never to return "

had not been sufficient punishment, their heavy sufTer-
incrs were aggravated in the cruellest manner. During
their short gleam of comfort in Moscow — and alas, what
miserable comfort, to be linked by hundreds among the
lowest felons ! — there may have been something like for-
bearance shown to them; but when once out on the
march again, their unfeeling taskmasters treated them
worse than brutes. A touching picture was given of
their condition on the way, in the Times newspaper of
3d May, 1832, from which, as we know the statement to
be strictly correct, we make a few extracts, in order to
acquaint the reader with the true nature of Russian

TO SIBERIA. 89

" mercy." The passages form part of the diary of a
traveller, a native of Poland, who mentions what he saw
in the different towns he passed through : for instance, at
l( Wasil, a little town in the government of Nishnei
Novgorod," he says, " I met fifteen officers from Vol-
hynia, who belonged to the corps under General Dwer-
nitzki. They are sent to Tobolsk on foot, to be there put
as common soldiers in the garrisons. I want language
to describe their misery : still their tears are less con-
secrated to their own misfortunes than to those of their
country. They hope for a divine retribution.

" Drakzow. — I met here a large number of children
between ten and twelve years old, mothers with their
sucklings in their arms, and old men. Farther on the
route I met similar groups, consisting of one hundred
souls and above : they are unfortunate families who fled
for shelter in the forests of Lithuania, Volhynia, and
Podolia : they fell in the hands of the Cossacks, and are
now transported as prisoners of war. In entering the
government of Mohilew, there are found on all the sta-
tions fortified and barricadoed houses called ostrogi :
These disgusting, pestiferous, and dark huts, destined as
quarters for felons condemned to transportation, are now
crowded with victims of the insurrection, of every age,
sex, and rank, and excite the most heart-rending sym-
pathy.

" Kaluga. — In the ostrogi of this town there is now
sighing young Gotthard Sobanski, with chains on his
arms and feet. After having passed five years in this
horrible dungeon, he is now to be sent off to the mines of
Siberia for the remainder of his life.

90 POLISH EXILES

" Lipnow, a village in the government of Vladimir. —
A singular and frightful noise heard from some distant
spot excited our attention — it seemed as if it came from
the bowels of the earth. It was that of 150 Lithuanian
nobles, who were all chained and barefoot on their march
to Siberia. The sentence passed on them was, lhat they
should be put as common soldiers among the regiments
of the Caucasus, Orenburg, and Siberia. Shocking was
the sight of the two young Counts Tyskiewicz, almost
children ; at every step they sunk under the load of their
heavy chains ; they stretched their hands for a little cha-
rity, in order that they might buy themselves chains of
less weight, which their heartless keepers refused them.

" Koupka, a village in the government of Mohilew. —
About one hundred soldiers, all emaciated from suffer-
ings and fatigue, without arms and on crutches, on their
route to Siberia.

ei Choracewicze. — Met a detachment of between fifty
and sixty soldiers in chains, on their way to Siberia.
They belonged to those who, confiding in the amnesty
promised by the Tzar, and guaranteed by the King of
Prussia, resolved to return to Poland (from Prussia).
Many of them began to cry when they approached us ;
others tried to sing their national hymn, e Poland, Po-
land is not yet lost.' Others exclaimed to us, ' Return,
return to our dear mother (their country) : we hope still
once to return again.' On the other side of this town met
Mr. Warcynski, the marshal of Osmiand (the same town
where the Kirgises murdered in a church four hundred
wives, children, and old men). He was on a waggon
with post-horses, under the guard of gensdarmes; his

TO SIBERIA. (J1

hands and feet were chained, an iron ring round the
body, which was fastened to another round the neck; his
lonor beard flowed down to his breast — the head was
shaved in the form of a cross — his coat half-black and
half-white. He is condemned to hard labour for life.

u Bobruysk, a fortress in the government of Minsk. —
Six hundred soldiers of the fourth regiment of the line,
of the Kuszah chasseurs, and others, are here working
on the fortifications. They go in bands of ten, chained
together by a long iron pole ; the chains are only taken
off during the hours of labour. There is also a noble
Lithuanian of the name of Zaba3 pining here in a dun-
geon, and awaiting his sentence. He is accused of
having intended to deliver over the fortress to fche insur-
gents. When he was arrested, he had a list of the names
of the patriots in his pocket. He tried to swallow the
paper down. The sbirri tore his teeth open, lacerated
the palate, and drew forth from his throat some few
pieces of the paper."

The treatment here described, be it remembered, was
not confined to one year and one class of men : Russia is
never without her political prisoners. We have not the
least doubt that, though not pointed out to us, there
were several of them in the train we saw sent away.
We venture to assert that at this very hour there are
hundreds marching the same blood-stained path, and
receiving the same unrelenting usage.

Having now seen the exiles before starting and when
on their march, let us next inquire what their condition is
after reaching Siberia.

The fate of those condemned to the highest degree of

92 TREATMENT OF

punishment is one of perhaps unmitigated misery —
nothing can be more wretched than their condition.
From the first hour after their arrival, they are engaged
in the most laborious and unwholesome toils — in the
freezing depths of the mine, or amid the suffocating
vapours of the places where unhealthy chemical pro-
cesses are carried on — shut up from the light of day,
the breath of heaven, the sympathy of their kind. They
not only lose goods and rank, but by a refinement
in cruelty, they lose their very names — that which
marked them to be Christians, and by which they were
known among men, is taken away. Christian and
family appellations are alike obliterated, and a number
given in ^heir stead, by which they are always called by
the driver when he has occasion to address them.

Hard as all this may be, the government answers, and
perhaps with some reason, that such a punishment is
better than to take away their lives, which would have
been their sentence in almost every other country.

It must also be stated that the number of those who
suffer in this way is very limited : the greater part of the
Siberian exiles are by no means severely treated : they
are more colonists than convicts, and have it fully in their
power not only to live in comfort, but to secure the re-
spect of those about them. In fact, until this visit, our
notions on the subject were altogether erroneous. Xow
for the first time did we learn that, to the greater part of
the exiles, Siberia is not the terrible land we had always
figured it to be. Some prisoners who have made their
escape, and got back to Russia, have said that, but for

THE EXILES. 93

the unquenchable desire to see their native village, they
would not have wished to change their condition.

Most of the convicts are settled out on allotments, which
they cultivate ; and as it is the interest of government to
colonize the country, and people it as fast as possible, a
man with, a family is always encouraged. Taking, there-
fore, the great mass of those sent thither, the true way of
regarding Siberian exile would be to consider it as a new
life to the prisoner. From the moment he leaves Mos-
cow, all connexion between him and the community to
which he hitherto belonged entirely ceases ; he is cut off
from every previous connexion ; habits, observances, du-
ties— are changed ; — the past becomes a blank ; but the
future may not be misery. If he can reconcile himself to
it, his lot becomes supportable; even more, he may amass
something, and leave a family, who, taking warning by
their father's sufferings, may, by perseverance in the paths
of virtue, soon cause their origin to be forgotten.

It surprised us to find that, besides those banished by
the sentence of the regular courts, a great many are sent
to Siberia by the proprietors of land, noblemen, &c,
whose sentence is fully as imperative as that of the judges.
When one of his serfs offends him, a landlord has but to
condemn him to exile, and he is rid of him for ever. Se-
veral of ihose we saw were of this class. This punish-
ment cannot be inflicted, taking the strict letter of the
law, at the mere caprice of the individual ; but in practice
it is found difficult to control a nobleman : he is to all in-
tents and purposes irresponsible for the exercise of this
dangerous privilege. It being his interest to retain as

94 NUMBER OF EXILES

large a number of slaves as possible on his estate, he is
not, of course,, too rasli in driving them away.

But that this fatal power may be very cruelly abused
is well shown by a case which we heard of in Moscow. A
licenlious nobleman, who had formed a passion for the
wife of one of his peasants, in order to get rid of the hus-
band, banished him to Siberia. There was no escape for
the poor man — the law is inexorable, the proprietors
right undoubted. Before leaving, however, he made an
application to have his wife sent along with him, with
which the woman was eager to comply. But here, of
course, the nobleman again interposed his right, refusing
the consent without which she could not leave. As, how-
ever, the establishment of a precedent of this nature would
lead to the most infamous abuses, the affair, which was
still undecided at the time of our visit, had been taken up
by the law authorities of the crown, who maintained that,
though a proprietor cannot be compelled to part with the
wife of one of his peasants condemned by the other courts,
yet that, in the case of a man condemned by the proprie-
tor'«? own sentence: he is not entitled to detain the wife
when she is willing to go.

Including vagabonds, who are all sent to Siberia, the
total number banished in 1831 was 10,520, of whom
1.700 were convicted of the heavier crimes. In 1833,
7,884 criminals of both sexes reached the inhospitable
region, and in 1834, 10,957. By government returns, it
appears that the total number of culprits in Western Si-
beria on the 1st January, 1833, amounted to 33,921 males,
and 6,S73 females; while the eastern division contained
42,675 men, and 8,589 women : in all, 92,058. On the

TO SIBERIA. 95

1st of January, 1835, the total number of culprits in both
divisions was 97,121, being an increase of 5,063 in two
years. The greatest proportion of convicts is from the
government of Kasan, and the least from those of Arch-
angel and Olonelz.*

* Some readers may not be aware that the account of Siberia contained
in the delightful little tale whose title has been borrowed for this chap-
ter is. in general, very near the truth. Those who have seen the country
say that the only misapprehension worth .noticing into which the gifted
authoress has fallen is regarding the scenery, which she represents as
mountainous, with avalanches falling, &c. ; whereas Siberia is in reality
more free from mountains even than her own monotonous France. It is
one of the flattest tracts of our globe.

90

CHAPTER VIII.

NOTES ON THE RUSSIAN CHURCH — ON THE GENERAL
CHARACTER OF THE CLERGY — AND ON RELIGIOUS
SECTS.

History of the Church in Russia — Number of metropolitans, bishops, &c.

Of monks and nuns — Respectability of the religious fraternities —

Church honours — Admission of a young monk — Dress and rules of
the orders — Profession of a clergyman hereditary — Peculiar tenets
of the Russo-Greek Church — Distinctions between it and the Roman
Catholic — The Eucharist — Marriage of the clergy — Not to take a
second wife — Preaching neglected — Fast-days — Popular religion —
More crossing and bowing — Fear of evil spirits — Respect for pro-
verbs— Karamsin's beautiful account of their origin — Sectarians —
Razkolnisks — Singular tenets — Duchoborzy — General Status, and Con-
duct of the established clergy — Not respectable — Their ignorance —
Fees for marriages — The burial service — Obseivance of the Sabbath
— General state of morals in the Greek Church.

The national religion of Russia, like every other na-
tional distinction, having been more conspicuously forced
upon our notice at Moscow than at St. Petersburg, we
were now led to inform ourselves more particularly re-
garding the church in general, as well as the character of
its clergy; and we shall therefore, before leaving this
stronghold of all that is Russian, throw together a few
brief notes on these interesting subjects.

It is a proud fact in the history of the Russian church
that, though sprung from a persecuting mother, she has
seldom stained her hands with blood.

For many centuries the church depended on that of

1HE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 97

Constantinople ; but with the fall of the Greek empire
fell also the influence of its once mighty patriarch.
During a long period after that event the spiritual con-
nexion between Russia and Greece was merely nominal,
till at last the Russian church became altogether inde-
pendent, about the year 1588, when Jeremy, patriarch
of Constantinople, who had come to Moscow to collect
alms, consecrated a patriarch of that city, and conferred
on him the same powers, as head of the church in Russia,
which he himself had in the south.

This order of things continued till the time of Peter
the Great, who, being ill able to brook a superior even in
spiritual matters, declared himself head of the church,
and introduced in that capacity many new arrangements.
Since his time the ecclesiastical government has been
variously modified under different sovereigns. At pre-
sent there are thirty -six eparchies, of three different
classes, only four being of the highest class, those of St
Petersburg, Moscow, Novgorod, and Kieff. There are
nine metropolitans, thirteen archbishops, and twenty-nine
bishops. All aspiring to these dignities must be mem-
bers of some monastery, and unmarried. By a statement
published a short time since, the number of monasteries
throughout the empire would appear to be 350, with
5,330 monks. There are 98 nunneries, containing 4,162
nuns. All of them belong to the strict order of St.
Basil. These institutions were once exceedingly wealthy ;
but Catherine II. clipped them of their wide domains,
and the present emperor is said to have an eye on some
which are still thought to be burthen ed with superfluous
wealth.

vol. n. F

9^ THE RUSSIAN CHURCH.

The Russian clergy may be divided into three classes :
1st. Those who are in full orders, including'' protopapi,'"
or inferior priests, and " papi," or common priests ;
2nd. Those who are only in what may be called half or-
ders, such as deacons and readers, who are not allowed
to administer the sacrament ; 3rd. Those who have re-
ceived no ordination at all, such as choristers and sacris-
tans, who, strictly speaking, do not belong to the cleri-
cal order, but merelv discharge the duties of attendants.

It has been justly remarked that the members of the
religious fraternities are here of more importance, com-
pared with the other clergy, than in the west of Europe,
since from them alone are the highest functionaries of the
church selected. Thev are divided into, 1st. Ecclesias-
tical functionaries of the highest class, such as metropo-
litans, archbishops, and bishops; 2nd. Heads of religious
bodies, such as archimandrites (abbots), and igumen
(priors) ; and, 3rd. monks.

Whoever aims at the honour of being a bishop, &c,
must, of necessity, become a monk. On account of their
higher learning and more correct life, the monks are held
in much greater estimation than the secular clergy
Ambition and envy are less known among them thai
among those of other countries, chiefly owing, perhaps,
to the fact that they all form, in a manner, but oneorder.
By the strict letter of their rules, they are never allowe<
to taste flesh. They are never to sleep more than foui
hours, must fast very often, and, in general, lead a life of
the severest self-denial.

The reception of a novice, according to a German
author, who appears to have been well acquainted with

THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 99

the subject, is conducted with great formality. He musi
answer a great many questions : for example,

Question. What do you want?

Answer. To lead a life of abstinence.

Question. Will you obey your superiors?

Answer. God be my helper, &c.

When all have been answered, the symbolic ceremony
of cutting off his hair begins. It intimates that he must
now lay aside all evil thoughts and desires. In order,
however, to make it evident that everything is done volun-
tarily on the part of the young monk, he must with his
own hand give the prior the scissors with which his locks
are to be shorn. The prior, however, puts the instru-
ment aside three different times, indicating that he has
no desire to compel him to adopt this strict life. But
when the youth still persists in giving him the scissors,
he at last cuts off his hair in the form of a cross, and then
presents him with the long robe of a monk, the girdle,
the cowl, the mantle, and a pair of sandals. The novice
now takes the sacrament, and finally receives a taper, a
cross, and the kiss of brotherhood.

The dress of the monks is black ; that of the secular
clergy, on the contrary, is of all colours, blue, violet, and
grey, &c. The hair soon grows again after the initiatory
rite, and henceforth is seldom touched either by scissors
or comb, but allowed to flow over the shoulders in long
and filthy profusion. This enormous quantity of hair on
the back, with the copious beard on the chin, give them
a most singular appearance.

The profession of a clergyman in Russia is in a man-
ner hereditary, though not exactly in the same way as it

f2

100 THE RUSSIAN CHURCH.

was among the Jews and Egyptians, but from traditional
usage. Most of the clergy, both in towns and in the
country, send nearly all their sons to the ecclesiastical
seminaries, where they are trained for becoming either
priests or monks. A soldier's son is very seldom edu-
cated for the sacred profession, notwithstanding the daz-
zling prospect held out to him of rising to a bishopric.
The proprietors of land, of course, do not allow the sons
of the common peasants to enter the church, because
they would thus be deprived of the money which they
pay to them annually, as well as of their labour as serfs.
All connected with the church, down to the lowest verger,
are excepted from direct taxes.

In reward to the doctrines of this church, it may be
briefly stated, that in general they accord with those of
the Roman Catholic. This accordance, however, is merely
general ; for they differ in many most essential particu-
lars, three of which deserve to be carefully pointed out.
The first is, that it holds that the whole body must be
immersed three times in water, whether the baptized be
an infant or an adult, before the stains of original sin
can be washed away. The second great difference is in
regard to the eucharist, in which the Greeks admit the
doctrine of transubstantiation, as well as the Roman Ca-
tholic notion of the host ; but they affirm that the bread
must be leavened, and the wine mixed with water ; and
they allow both elements to be distributed to every com-
municant, even to children before they have any correct
idea of sin. The way of administering the sacrament is
to give the bread broken in a spoon filled with the con-
secrated wine. The third important distinction relates

THE RUSSIAN CHURCH. 101

to the marriage of the clergy. While the Roman Ca-
tholic church strictly forbids its priests to marry, the
Greeks enjoin theirs to do so. This, of course, does not
apply to the monks, but to parish priests, who must be
married. Only once, however, is this permitted. If the
wife of a clergyman die, he is not allowed again to assume
the bands of matrimony. It would appear, also, that a
priest is not allowed to marry a widow. At one time it
was even required that a priest should give up his charge
altogether when his wife died, and retire to a monastery :
now, however, the holy synod seldom enforce this rule.
But though the widower still retains his charge, he
virtually becomes a member of the holier order of monk-
hood, and is eligible to the highest honours of the church,
provided he has for a time resided in a monastery.

In addition to these characteristics, it ought to be borne
in mind that the Greek church rejects the doctrine of
purgatory, predestination, works of supererogation, in-
dulgences, and dispensations. Instrumental music is
strictly excluded from every part of sacred worship.
Vocal music, however, is much cultivated, each congre-
gation having a choir of singers to itself. The people
do not sing from books, but merely follow the choristers.
The mass is the chief part of their public service. The
litany consists of passages of Scripture, prayers, and
legends of the saints. The creed is also recited, and the
officiating priest begins certain pious sentences, which the
people, with one voice, take up and conclude. In short,
as has elsewhere been hinted, there is little in the service
of this church but the mechanical repetition of mere out-

102 THE RUSSIAN CHURCH.

ward forms. Catechising is scarcely known, and preach-
ing is even still more rare. In fact, at one period — some
time in the seventeenth century — all preaching was most
strictly prohibited, from its being looked upon as too
likely a channel for the propagation of new doctrines.
We never saw a Russian priest preaching either on Sab-
bath or week day.

They have many fast- days, and keep them with great
rigour. In addition to the Wednesday and Friday of
every week, they have four great fasts in the year, the
most important of which are, one of forty days in spring,
and another of fifteen in autumn, beginning with the first
of August. These fasts are observed with much solem-
nity by the great mass of the people.

The state of religion among the lower orders in gene-
ral will have been gathered from many incidental remarks
scattered throughout these volumes. In order, however,
to make the reader more clearly acquainted with their
condition in this respect, it may again be stated, that, ac-
cording to the popular notion, the most important parts
of public worship are — first, to pronounce distinctly and
fluently the two words Gospodi pomilui — secondly, to
make the sign of the cross on the breast a countless num-
ber of times — and thirdly, to bow the head to the very
ground over and over again.

The words Gospodi pomilni occur in the service every
moment. They mean " God be merciful," " Kyrie
Eleison." Now they are uttered by the priests, the next
instant by the choir, and immediately after by the people.

They believe that the sign of the cross, which it was

RUSSIAN SUPERSTITIONS. 103

formerly stated they are so fond of making, has power
to drive away evil spirits, as well as to avert every kind
of misfortune that man is liable to. The way of making
this sign is different from that of the Roman Catholics,
who move the hand from the left to the right shoulder ;
the Russians, on the contrary, and the whole Greek
church, move it, in this exercise, from the right to the
left. Every man who has any pretension to a devout
character, at certain stages of the public service, makes
this sign at least twenty times running, all the while re-
peating his Gospodi pomilui as fast as the lips can move,
and accompanying it with deep bowing of the head and
body. The violence of their prostrations, however, has
been already noticed. Some remain stretched on the
ground all the time they are in the church. On fast-days,
and especially during the penitential services, whole crowds
may be seen stretched at full length on the cold pave-
ment.

The common people — may not the higher classes be
also included? — have a firm belief in good and bad
angels. Evil spirits are the tempters and betrayers of
men. As these are believed to be incessantly exciting to
all kinds of sin, the superstitious stand in greater awe of
them than of God.

The Russians, as has already been stated, professing to
be guided by the strict letter of the divine command-
ment, " Thou shalt make unto thyself no graven image,"
reject all round or solid figures of the Saviour or of saints,
as idolatrous ; but pictures, mosaics, bas-reliefs — in short,
all that is represented on aflat surface — they do not con-
sider to be violations of this law.

104 ORIGIN OF THEIR PROVERBS.

In farther illustration of the popular religion, it may
be stated that the Russians have a great regard for pro-
verbs— nearly as great, indeed., as that which they enter-
tain for the maxims of Holy Writ. Some of these are of
a political, some merely of a practical nature. Their
origin is thus elegantly accounted for by Karamsin : — " In
addition to books of piety, and the wise doctrines of Scrip-
ture, which were deeply engraved on the minds of our
ancestors, Russia (in the fifteenth century) had a peculiar
code of morality, in those proverbs whose origin may in
part be assigned to the period in question : such, for ex-
ample, as 'Where the king is there also is the horde,' and
1 It was by always saying yes that the people of Novgorod
lost their liberty.' Now-a-days men of talent write; in
other times they were satisfied with speaking. The les- .
sons of experience, profound observations, and striking
ideas, are imparted by conversation only, in an age of
ignorance. Now the dead live in their writings ; formerly
they were to be found in their proverbs. All beautiful
thoughts, all energetic expressions, were handed from one
generation to another. In the present day we skim lightly
across what we read, sure that we shall find it when
wanted in the book ; our ancestors, on the contrary, made
a point of retaining in the mind whatever they heard, for
the loss of a single happy thought or singular fact was
irreparable. The merchant or the boyar, who could sel-
dom write, loved to repeat to his grandchildren the witty
saying which he had heard from his father, which thus in
the end became a proverb in the family. It is in this
way that, even under the greatest oppression, the human
mind finds means of acting: like the river hemmed in bv

StCTS IN RUSSI \. 105

rocks, which forms to itself a subterranean path, or
escapes in small streams across the masses which oppose
its course."

While on the subject of religion, it may be stated that
there are few sectarians in Russia. There is one body of
them, however, so numerous, that they deserve to be par-
ticularly mentioned. They are known by the name of
Razkolniks or Roskolnicians (Apostates), and first ap-
peared about the year 1606. They do not compose a
distinct ecclesiastical body, with peculiar symbols and
usages, but exist in separate congregations, independent
of each other. They differ from the present church,
chiefly, in retaining unchanged the ancient Sclavonian
liturgy, and in cherishing some enthusiastic notions re-
garding Christian duties. They have a consecrated
clergy ; and having been persecuted on their first appear-
ance by the dominant church, they have become very
numerous in the districts to which they retired, especially
in the east, and towards the south of Russia. It would
be tedious to describe all their peculiarities, each congre-
gation having some distinctive shade of its own devisingr.
In general, however, all the Razkolniks agree in declar-
ing the use of tobacco and strong drinks sinful. They
also fast much more strictly than the orthodox, and re-
fuse to take oaths. Their strictness in these matters,
however, is now fast giving way, as well as their strange
ideas about marriage, dress, the priesthood, and martyr-
dom. Ere long they must merge back into the great
body of the church. One peculiarity of theirs is by
no means an amiable one — they refuse to shelter or feed
those who are not members of their body. An English

f3

1C6 SECTS IN RUSSIA,

traveller who fell amongst them and asked for aid, was
beaten from door to door by the women with their besoms.
For our own parts, however, though we also traversed the
same part of the country, we met with no such recep-
tion : they merely made us sleep in the streets all night,
without the besoming, for which we ought to be very
thankful.

Only one other Russian sect deserves to be mentioned
— the Duchoborzy — who differ yet more widely from
the Greek church. They have taken refuge on the
Steppes beyond the Don, where they still persist in
rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity, and refuse to receive
any part of revelation except the Gospels. They have
neither churches nor priests.

Reverting to the clergy of the established church, it is
but fair to admit, that among the upper orders are
many men of profound learning and undoubted piety ;
but it is to be feared that the great bulk of the lower
orders are among the most degraded that ever assumed
the priestly habit in Europe. No efficient steps having
been taken to secure men of good education for the holy
office, many of the clergy are as ignorant as the boors
with whom they associate. Their want of knowledge
might be excused, were they not also chargeable with a
more grievous defect — want of good morals. In the
large cities their conduct is not so notoriously irregular ;
but in the country they live as recklessly as the peasants,
amoncr whom they drink and riot, without ever at-
tempting to set them a good example. In the prisons
and among the convicts we frequently found men who
had belonged to the clerical order, brought to the degra-

IMMORALITY OP THE RUSSIAN CLERGY. 107

dation in which we saw them by drinking. Individuals
here and there may keep themselves sufficiently respect-
able, but as a body the clergy enjoy no regard, either
from rich or poor. In towns they have little intercourse
with their people out of church, beyond an annual visit
to the respectable families on the saint's-day, or name-
day, of the head of the house, when the " papa " — for so
they call the priest — comes to say prayers, and spend
the day in eating a good dinner and playing faro. In
the country, however, the priest lives entirely among the
peasants, drinking with them at home, and driving with
them to market ; never receiving, and never caring for,
any more respect than any other tillers of the ground, —
from whom, out of church, he is scarcely to be distin-
guished either by dress or manners, while their houses
are precisely alike in filth and wretchedness. Nowhere
are the clergy looked upon as fit companions for gentle-
men. A proprietor would never think of noticing the
neighbouring pastor. Such, at least, is the account
given us by Russian gentlemen, some of whom even
spoke of them in terms which we would not repeat.
One concluded his remarks with the sentence, " In
Russia it is not the church we respect, but the churches.
We always bow to a steeple, but care nothing for him
who officiates under it." In the south, especially in
Little Russia, we found them much more respectable.

The income of a priest varies according to the quan-
tity of land assigned him. It also depends much on his
skill in begging from house to house at certain seasons
of the year; and on fees, especially on those paid on

L08 A RUSSIAN FUNERAL.

marriages, which vary from five to fifty and one hundred
roubles, according to the wealth of the parties. Mer-
chants are extremely liberal on these festive occasions.
The ceremony is performed in church with great pomp.

Russian marriages have been so frequently described,
that few readers can be unacquainted with the nature of
the ceremonies observed on those occasions : but, as their
funerals are less generally known, it may be stated, that
in general the Russians bury in the morning. The
bodies of the rich are first carried to church ; those of the
poor are conveyed at once to the church-yard. Every
Russian at his baptism receives a protecting saint, and
the picture of this patron is carried before his bier. The
accompanying choristers sing passages taken chiefly from
the ancient fathers. One of these, according to the
German author already referred to, may be translated as
follows : —

•• What pleasure in life is not mingled with sorrow ?
What earthly joy is there that can be called lasting ?
All things are empty as a shadow, more fleeting than a
dream ! In the twinkling of an eye death takes them
away !

" What is the applause of the world ? What is the
end of fleshly pleasures? What is gold or silver ? O,
let us pray to the immortal King, that he would bless
his departed servant — that he would grant him rest in
his everlasting happiness !

" I thought on the words of the prophet, when he
-aid, ' I am dust and ashes.' I looked on the grave,
and saw the bones which had been freed from their flesh.

A RUSSIAN FUNERAL. 109

I said, ' Is this a king or a beggar?' — a rich or a poor
man ? — a just man or a sinner?' Lord, give thy servant
rest among the righteous !"

Before the dead body is laid in the earth, the
officiating priest gives it the last parting kiss ; the same
is done by the relations and friends of the departed,
Now, however, it is customary to salute only the coffin,
or to make merely the form of doing so.

The deceased takes into the grave with him a small
ticket, on which a kind of confession or prayer is written ;
this is called the hope and confession ; it is in the
Sclavonian language, and, though of considerable length
in the original, may be thus abridged : —

"Thou, O triune God, didst create me [here stands
the name of the person] for virtue ; but I have often
sinned, and grieve for it sorely. Judge me not accord-
ing to my works, but according to the true faith, after
the wisdom "of the only holy eastern church, in which I
was brought up. I place my confidence in the love of
Christ, and implore pardon with my last breath. Grant
me everlasting happiness. Amen."

This prayer is read aloud, and put into the hand of
the dead person. There is no law of the church for it,
however ; the observance is founded merely on custom
and ancient usage.* Mourning is worn commonly
for six weeks or forty days, during which period the
priest, when he is paid for it, prays night and morning
over the grave. Of these days, the third, ninth, and
twentieth after the day of interment are the most im-
portant ; on them the family, according to their circum-

* See Skizze von Russland, by a German, &c.

110 RUSSIAN MOURNING ILLEGITIMACY.

stances, give alms, pray, and cause prayers to be said for
the repose of their relative. In addition to all this, the
Russians show respect to the memory of their departed
friend for several years after his death, by annually
repairing to the grave, to offer up prayers and burn
incense.

The Russians do not keep the sabbath much better
than their neighbours, the Germans. At St. Petersburg,
indeed, a considerable distinction is made on this day of
rest ; the only shops which we saw open were those of a
few of the grocers in the morning, and in the afternoon
one or two of the glove-shops in the Xefsko'i. But in
the provincial towns we always observed that the shops
and bazaars were open the same as on week-days, while
the market-places were even more than usually crowded
with people come from the country to sell their fruit and
vegetables.

The general state of morals in the Greek church,
compared with those of Protestants in Russia, may be
inferred from the tables of births in St. Petersburg,
published by the holy synod. According to Ihese, it
appears that, out of 8,663 births, the number which
took place within the year (1834) in families of the
Greek church, not fewer than 1,589 were illegitimate;
while in the Protestant congregations, in 1,031 infants
baptized, only 76 were illegitimate.

Ill

CHAPTER IX.

FOREIGNERS IN MOSCOW, AND SOME ACCOUNT OF A FO-
REIGNER'S PROGRESS IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

General account of the population — French — Germans — English — Com-
plaints of foreigners regarding the climate — Dreadful winter — Cause
explained — Expense of living here — Hotels — English boarding-honse
— Daily expenditure of the traveller — No beds at most inns — Re.
staurants — Foreigners find the Russian language very difficult — Best
way of learning it — The traveller's most useful words — PashloUshti ! —
Tchitchass ; — Pas ho I ! — Numbers, &c. — Travellers seldom acquire the
language — First adoption of the Russian as a literary language.

Without entering into a minute analysis of the popu-
lation of Moscow, we may state that, according to the
census quoted in Androsoff's account of the city, of
the 305,631, which was the total number of inhabitants
in 1831, 4,946 belonged to the clergy, 22,394 to the
nobility and higher class of public officers, and 16,210
were described as merchants. The great bulk of the re-
mainder of the population are employed in the various
kinds of manufactures which have been established within
the last twenty years. Besides those of silk, cotton, and
woollen, many other branches of manufacturing indus-
try are cultivated with great success.

The proportion of foreigners is much inferior to that
in St. Petersburg, there being only 2,691 in the whole
city. In general, they are also of a very different

112 ENGLISH IN MOSCOW.

description. There are very few English here; some
teachers of languages and governesses in wealthy fami-
lies, travelling agents for St. Petersburg houses, a few
workmen in some of the factories, and some holding situa-
tions in the households of the nobility, were all we heard
of. There is not one Englishman established in any
extensive business. We must not forget to state, how-
ever, that there is an excellent English clergyman here,
who preaches to his countrymen every Sunday. He has
a salary of 200/. a-year, of which 150/. are paid by the
Russian Company, and the remainder, we believe, by a
society in London.

A great many Germans live here — professors, lec-
turers, surgeons — a banker or two, with tailors, book-
binders, &c, in tolerable profusion.

The number of French is also considerable — book-
sellers, cooks, confectioners ; but especially an abundant
supply of a class who are so willing to wander in the
cause of civilization, that they may now be found, proba-
bly, at the foot of the Great Wall, waiting patiently till
his celestial majesty shall be pleased to admit them —
with their transforming needles and scissors : — milliners,
namely, from the Palais Royal.

There would be more foreigners here encased in busi-
ness on a large scale, did not the laws of the empire
almost prohibit them. No foreigner is allowed to establish
himself in the interior without taking the oath of alle-
giance; in other words, without being naturalized as a
Russian subject. In the seaports foreigners are allowed
to carry on business without changing their allegiance,
being there considered merely as agents, or wholesale

FOREIGNERS IN RUSSIA* 113

purchasers of produce, for transmission elsewhere. In
Russia a foreigner may obtain naturalization after a very
short residence, on paying the customary fees and an
annual patent. In other continental countries, and
France in particular, a long residence is nec?ssary be-
fore this step can be gone through.

However long they may have been domiciled in this
terrible climate, all foreigners complain bitterly of the
cold of the Moscow winter ; for, though this city does
not lie farther to the north than Edinburgh, the cold in
winter is nearly three times more intense than that felt in
the Scottish capital. To account for this seeming ano-
maly, the following extract may be given from the Ency-
clopaedia Britannica : —

" In islands, and on the sea-coasts of Europe, the
mean temperature of the year is higher, and the heat is
more equally distributed through the different seasons^
than in any of the other great divisions of the world in the
corresponding latitudes. As we advance from the west
eastward, the mean annual temperature diminishes ; but
the heat of summer and the cold of winter increase. Thus
London has the same mean annual temperature as
Vienna ; but it has the summer of St. Petersburg, and
the winter is warmer than at Milan. The Mediterra-
nean, the Baltic, and inland lakes of Europe, produce
the same effect as the ocean in an inferior degree. The
following table, taken from Humboldt's Memoir on the
Distribution of Heat (Annals of Philosophy, vol. xi.),
shows the temperature of the year, and the various sea-
sons, in places having the same latitude : —

114

TEMPERATURE IN MOSCOW

Mean

Temperature.

1

Places
iu Lat. 56.

Of the
Year.

Winter.

Spring.

Summer.

Autumn.

Warmest
Month.

Coldest
Month.

Edinburgh

47-8

38*6

46-4

58*2

48*4

59*4

38*3

Copenhagen

45-6

30-8

41*2

62-6

48*4

65*

27*2 i

5

Moscow . .

40*2

10-8

44'

67-1

38-3

70-6

6-

'• Copenhagen is about 620 miles east from Edinburgh •
Moscow about 1,000 miles farther." — See Ency. Britt.,
Art. "Europe."

To be melted by insupportable heat during the short
summer is a poor compensation for being frozen during
five or six months of the year by a cold so intense as that
indicated by the preceding table.

Living in Moscow is much more reasonable than in
St. Petersburg : families who would be unable to appear
in the capital can here make a very respectable figure on
a limited income. Even as strangers, we found our
expenses but trifling at the Hotel de Nord. The ac-
commodation is much better than we had been prepared
for ; in fact, fully equal to any met in the second-rate
towns of Germany, of which country the respectable and
obliging master is a native. The five rooms which our
party required cost only twenty roubles (16,?. 8c?.) a
day ; and the dinners, though rather too much in the
German style, were always reasonable, whether taken at
the table d'hote or in private. It is very centrically
situated, near the palace of the governor. There is
another hotel in the same quarter very inferior in every-
way. The English-boarding house, kept by Mr. and

LIVING IN MOSCOW, 115

Mrs. Howard is very well spoken of; their charge for
excellent board and lodging is only twelve roubles a day.
Hotels corresponding with our ideas of such establish-
ments are very rare in Russia. There are only three
places in the whole empire, St. Petersburg, Moscow,
and Odessa, where the traveller can get a bed of any
kind ; everywhere else people must have their bed and
bedding with them, or sleep on the bare floor. Valets
de place are always to be found in Moscow, both German
and English.

The eating-houses of Moscow are very numerous.
Several restaurants in the French style are far superior
to those of St. Petersburg, and may even compare with
the best in Paris. Good hackney-coaches, and, of course,
droschskies by thousands, are to be had at any hour of
the day or night, in all parts of the city, and on very
reasonable terms.

In short, Moscow wants nothing that is to be found in
any other great capital. It is therefore, in many respects,
a much more agreeable city for a stranger than St.
Petersburg itself.

All foreigners, even those who have been long settled
in Russia, complain of the extreme difficulty of the lan-
guage. A very protracted residence is necessary, as well
as much study, before they can read with any profit.
Many who attempt to learn it are staggered, in the very
outset, by an alphabet nearly one-third longer than our
own, and all its characters, though very beautiful, exceed-
ingly puzzling. Some of these, however, are easily re-
membered, from being very like those of the Greek. It
is amusing to see foreigners, newly arrived, in search of

116 Russian language.

>ome particular shop, trying to decipher the legend on a
sign-board in these mysterious characters.

Advancing from the alphabet to the grammar, the
difficulties multiply, its principles being totally different
from the languages with which we are most familiar. A
knowledge of Greek facilitates the study to a certain
extent ; but, generally speaking, the Russian is more an
Asiatic than a European tongue, and therefore requires
a long and peculiar course of study before anything can
be made of it. Many words are very like the Latin, and
often have precisely the same meaning. It appears, how-
ever, that in place of being borrowed at secondhand
from that classical source, these words have been taken
by both languages from a yet earlier root — the Sanscrit —
to which nearly all the languages of the earth may be
ultimately traced.

Those who find themselves compelled to learn Rus-
sian usually repair to some town in the interior where
no foreigners reside. An English gentleman lately went
to a place about five hundred versts from St. Petersburg,
and took up his residence with the clergyman, who, hap-
pening to be superior to most of his brethren, was able to
give him lessons, charging thirty-six roubles (1/. 8^. 4d.)
a month for instruction, and sixty (21. 8s. 4c/.) for board.
At the end of nine months, the scholar had made such
progress that he was able to enter a mercantile house with
every prospect of being useful ; but, after all, he had not
acquired more Russian than he would have done of
French in a third of the time.

The way in which the Russians name each other in con-
versation with a third party, of whom they may be speak-

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. 117

ing, (of which an instance has already been given,) struck
ns as pretty enough. They never style persons by their
family names, but always by the christian name of the
father. Thus, instead of addressing a lady, " Good morn-
ing, Anna," if her father's name were John it would be,
" Anna Ivanopwrt" (the feminine) : that is, " Good morn-
ing, Anna, daughter of John ;" while the brother of the
young lady would be styled '" Tom Ivanovitch" (the
masculine), or " Good morning, Tom, son of John."
When any of the royal family is coming up, if you ask
who it is, the answer would not be " The grand duke,"
&c, but " Michael Paul ov itch" — " Michael, the son of
Paul."

The great words for a stranger are pashloushti and
tchitehass — with these two a man may do wonderful things.
There are no bells, be it known, unless in foreign houses
When any thing is wanted, therefore, you plant yourself
on the head of the stair, and, in your helplessness, roar
out pashloushti — " Hey ! come here !" After a befitting
pause, pashloushti appears in the shape of an intelligent
lad, to whom, having no words to express your wants,
you make signs explaining what is required, pointing to
your boots, to your writing materials, or whatever else
your wants may be connected with. The lad listens in
silence, for he is too well-bred to stop you in the middle
with a torrent of words, as a French garcon would do,
and too honest to say he understands you when he does
not. He waits patiently, therefore, till he comprehends
your dumb show, and then shuffles off with a knowing
shake of the head, and a consenting dassj, class] — " yes,
yes" — or a mysterious chorosho, chorosho, changed some-

118 RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

times into dobriij, dobriij, one or other of which is
always on their lips, and means " Good — all right — cest
bon." Seldom indeed is the negative njet, njet, " No,
no," heard on these occasions ; for they are much more
quick at understanding than most nations. If wise, how-
ever, you will add the second word above named, t chit ass,
tchitass, " Quickly, instantly," else you run a great risk
of waiting long enough for his return.

Beyond these two potent words we cannot boast of
great achievements in Russian, always excepting the few
indispensable phrases podaite mnje, "give me ;*' to which
we were able to add, as occasion required, any of the ever-
recurring substantives, vody, water; chlebj, bread ; pivo>
beer; vina, wine; vodki, brandy, liquor; tchay, tea;
koffe, coffee ; stekklo, a glass ; stakkans uody, a glass of
water; ssacharu, sugar ; masslo, butter ; ssur, cheese;
iehaschka, a cup; savtrakk, breakfast; objed, dinner ;
ushin, supper; sslivki, cream ; moloko, milk ; ssolj, salt ;
j)erza, pepper ; nkssussa} vinegar ; gortschitszu, mustard ;
kartoffel, potatoes ; nosh, a knife; wilki, a fork ; tarelka,
a plate ; sswjeth, light ; posstelia, a bed ; loschadj,
horses ; sstol, a table ; schljdpa, a hat ; ssapogi, boots ;
platjey a dress ; ssertuk, a great coat ; kaftann, a coat ;
kamsoll, a vest ; bjeljie, linen.

The great words in posting are pashol, " get on," and
skory, skory, " quick, drive faster ;" which are more im-
pressive from the fact that Russians generally follow
them up with something more emphatic than words —
good blows, namely, with a stout stick on the shoulders
of the poor yemtchik. The following are also very
essential : —

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. 119

Tschto stoit, skolko stoit ; how much does it cost ?
what is to pay ?

Eto dorogo, that is dear.

Eto mnogo, it is too much.

Gdje traktir, where is the inn ?

Spassibo, thank you.

Kogda wu vjedet, when do you start ?

Savjlra, to-morrow.

Tscheres tchass, in an hour.

Pora ujechatj, it is time to be off.

Sdvastwui, good morning.

Dobroi (dobruj) ?iotsche, good night.

Gossudari moi, gentlemen,

Podaite nwje jescht — scho ssaehoru, give me more
sugar.

Kotoroi dorogoje mnje itli - - -, which is the \va\
to- - - ?

Proschu, pokashite mnje dorogn, I beg of you to show
me the way.

Kakoica doroga, what kind of road is it ?

Gdje chorjain, where is the landlord?

Kak namwajetssja eta dereicnja, how do you call this
village ?

Kotoruj tschass, wThat o'clock is it ?

We always noticed that, in telling the price of any
thing to a foreigner, the Russians take care to hold up
the corresponding number of fingers. When it is only
one rouble, they do not prefix the numerals, but answer
simply " ru-ble, ru-bUT The numbers, which should
always be among the first things learnt by a traveller in
every country he comes to — at least if he wish to avoid

120 RUSSIAN LANGUAGE.

beino- taken advantage of every time he pays an ac-
count — are as follow : —

Odinn, one. Ssemj, seven.

Diva, two. Vossemj, eight.

Tris three. Bevjdtj, nine.

Tscheture, four. Dessatj, ten.

Pjatj. five. Odinnatzatj, eleven.

Schesstj, six. Dwanzatotj, twelve.

It is not pretended that these are specimens of correct
Russian ; they are mere travelling scraps, intended to
give some idea of the language to those who have no
wish to know more of it. Those who know the language
would probably spell them differently : they have been
here given as we acquired them from our friends — some-
times by the ear, and sometimes from written notes. The
traveller in Russia who speaks French has so little
occasion to use any other language, that he rarely picks
up even as much of Russian as has now been given.

The following extract gives, in small space, a very
instructive account of the way in which the Russian
language began to assume its present form : — ie From the
thirteenth to the fourteenth century," says the eloquent
historian of Russia, " our language generally became more
pure and more correct. Our scrupulous authors gave up
the use of the Russian language, as yet too rude, in
order to attach themselves more strongly to that which
had been employed in composing the books of our
church ; namely, the ancient Servian, in which our
Bible is written. Thev followed its rules, not onlv in

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE. 121

the declensions and conjugations, but even in the pro-
nunciation and orthography. Nevertheless, as may be
seen in Nestor, the force of habit made them often recur
to their natural idioms ; a circumstance which has intro-
duced into our literature a mixture consecrated by anti-
quity, and so deeply rooted amongst us, that often in the
same book,, and in the same page, we write zlato and
zoloto (gold), glad and cjolod (hunger), ml a dost and
molodost (youth). The time had not yet arrived for
giving to the Russian language that energy, that flexi-
bility, that grace and delicacy, which, in the days of peace
and prosperity, are coupled with the rapid progress of
the intellectual faculties, with richness of ideas, variety of
knowledge, as well as with the formation of taste, and the
sense of the beautiful. We see, however, that our ances-
tors endeavoured to express their thoughts with more
distinctness ; that they sought to soften the still too rude
sound of words, and to give less stiffness to their style.
In short, putting aside all national pride, we may sav
that though, compared with other Europeans, the
Russians might appear very ignorant, they were never-
theless far from having lost all the fruits of civilization —
they proved how much force it has to resist the rudest
assaults of barbarism."*

* Histoire de /' Empire de Russie, par M. Karamsin, traduite par MM.
St. Thomas et Jauffret, tome v. Paris : 1819-1826.

VOL. II. G

122

CHAPTER X.

SKETCHES OF LIFE IN MOSCOW.

Scene at the Semonofsky convent — Peasants' holiday — Russian Donny-
brook — Cruel treatment of a female — Wild dances — Cossack police-
men— Beautiful vespers — Another religious ceremony — Melancholy
superstitions — Marriage-feast — Independence of the nobles of Mos-
cow— Their partiality to the ancient capital — Amusements — Horse-
racing — English jockies — Extravagant sums paid for horses — Walk
in the palace-gardens — Drive to a nobleman's palace in the country
— Style of the building — Its apartments and furniture — No fine
trees in the grounds — Contrast with an English country-seat.

Moscow abounds with so many amusing sights that
every hour of the stranger's time is agreeably filled up.

The best opportunity which we had of seeing the people
in their unsophisticated glory was on the evening of one
of their religious festivals, when the whole city go to hear
Vespers performed at the Semonofsky Convent, a
laro-e mass of fantastic buildings, situated on a fine height
about four miles from the Kremlin. The place is much
frequented at all times, for the beautiful view which it
commands of the city ; but on this occasion everybody
was there, from the prince to the beggar. The whole
road out was one cloud of dust ; and on arriving, the place
surrounding the convent was already strewed with car-
riages of every description : of droschkies alone there
could not be less than one thousand. While the priests
were busy preparing in church, a very different scene, in

A RUSSIAN CROWD. 123

fact a sort of Donnybrook, was going on not far away
from it. Our steps, however, were first directed to the
convent. After visiting the private chapel of the monks,
their plain refectory and spacious kitchen, we joined what
might be called a select portion of the crowd, composed
of citizens, with their gay wives and pretty daughters,
promenading in soft green alleys shaded with fine trees.
They had evidently come here for anything but the
vespers.

Ladies of the bourgeois class dress much more gaudily
than the noble dames of the Kremlin gardens ; but it
should be remembered that, everywhere in Russia, it is
only among the women of the very lowest class that any
national dress is now to be seen. The long flowing robes
and veils of old pictures have given way to the style of
dress common among; our own ladies. Nothing, there-
fore, could be more Frenchified than the delicate pink
robes here displayed in great profusion : this, with some
other shade of red, is in such favour with Russian ladies,
that it may almost be called the national colour. Their
partiality to red is also shown in a less equivocal way :
many even of those little above the peasant class paint
most glaringly.

The younger women of the middle classes here are
prettier than those of the northern provinces. Their
features are often very sweet, but rather small, as well as
their eyes. Their carriage is more languishing than
graceful. The men by whom they were escorted all dis-
played the usual gentilities of a Russian elegant of the
second or third class : long beards, long coats, long boots,
and long pipes, swarmed thick among the trees. Kvass,

g2

124 A RUSSIAN FAIR.

cakes, strawberries well powdered with dust flying in
from the road, cigars too, and pipes, were hawked
about or sold in booths. It should be stated, however,
that the pipes now mentioned are far from being insepa-
rable appendages of a Russian of any class. In fact,
there was more smoking here than we had yet seen in
any assemblage of Russians. In general they are little
addicted to tobacco, though, as in other countries, the
use of it is fast spreading, especially among officers.

All these fine things, however, could not keep us from
the humbler but far more attractive part of the fun. This
was going on below the beautiful esplanade, on a large
green, which the people, the genuine crowd, seem to have
reserved for their own especial and exclusive pleasures
on these occasions. An hour in this place would be
worth thousands to one who could hit off national cha-
racter and dress. Numberless tents were set out with
spirits ; for the sober kvass of the genteeler crowd above
here gave way to gin and vodki. The strong whiskey
smell issuing from these places reminded one forcibly of a
country fair in another northern kingdom. Many of the
tents were stored with eatables. Open booths also were
dotted about in every direction ; while hawkers, men,
women, and young lads, were tempting the crowd with
gooseberries, beans, carrots, and turnips, all as they had
been plucked from the field. The last were in great re-
quest, almost everybody eating them. One-half the
immense multitude were drunk. Even the women were
not sober. Looking at the long draughts which all of
them were making from the little black jugs, it was a
wonder that one remained fit to walk.

BARBAROUS SCENE. 125

Circles, consisting of six, eight, or ten persons of both
sexes, were seated on the grass, singing, carousing, ca-
ressing. Here a dozen lads would join in some national
song : one would break in with the lively repartee of the
comic dialogue ; another would at the proper place favour
us with a long, long trill ; and then all would join in a
sudden sharp " hech-hu!" which ended the song. Yon-
der an amorous pair are singing sweet and maudlin
things, scarce able to articulate for excess of joy. But
hush — a woman's scream ! The brutes, the barbarous
beasts ! they are pursuing and yelling after a defenceless
female. Some one strikes her down, but the poor wretch
reels to her feet again, and flies with the whole mob still
at her heels, not one of them manly enough to take her
part. They are still cheering after the offender, as if
they would tear her to pieces, but no one interferes, for
she and her lover had quarrelled, and in such a case the
mob always sides with the man. In this instance he
headed the chase, and such unmanly exhibitions are said
to be frequent among the peasants.

When order is restored, the next scene that attracts
our attention is of a more lively character — a group of
women squatting on the grass, and singing as loud as the
loudest. They are neither very young nor very fair ; and
the Tartar look of many of them is very striking. Most
of them have little black sparkling eyes, and olive com-
plexions, but, alack ! little of the Italian softness with
which the idea of that tint is associated. Near them a
band of vouths, in long- blue caftans, the skirts of which
are tucked up in one hand, are going merrily through
one of the most intricate of their national dances, squat-

126

COSSACK POLICE.

ting, squeaking, and capering, in terrific style— now sink-
ing to the ground, then bounding up again, and whirling
round till the eye swims after them. But lo ! the Cos-
sacks are here— fellows in coarse blue jackets and wide
trousers of the same colour, armed with heavy whips and
huge swords. They have come to keep order, but surely
they are wild policemen. The boys have incensed them
by their gibes— smack goes the black whip about the ears
of one— now goes a thump on the back of another. But
all will not do : their short stock of patience is exhausted,
and now these restorers of order are blindly running
a-muck against all and sundry.

When night began to fall, the ceremonies in the church
drew us from those wild scenes. The crowded burial-
ground, which we had to traverse in reaching the en-
trance, is filled with monuments very like those of the
German church-yards. The practice of burying in the
churches does not appear to have ever been so frequent
in Russia as in other countries. The crowd within the
sacred edifice soon became very great. A basin of, we
were told, consecrated water stood near the door, with an
iron ladle in it, from which so many had drank that little
remained for late-comers. The picture of the Virgin
hanging on the wall is so highly venerated that every one
kissed its feet as they entered, and mothers had brought
their children all the way for this purpose. For a long
time the crowd was moving about from place to place in
idle expectation. Women, however, we remarked, were
not admitted to the sanctuary where the altar stands; but
nobody seemed to object to our entering every part that
was open.

RUSSIAN DEVOTION. 127

When the tapers were lighted, we found the church
one blaze of gilding; walls, ceiling, and lofty dome, all
in the usual bad taste of the land. Being merely a con-
ventual church, it is not of great extent. The brotherhood
is said to be very richly endowed, the present emperor
having added to their already great wealth by liberal do-
nations of jewels. When the service began we were per-
fectly amazed at the magnificent singing. Italy itself
has nothing more beautiful. Strong choirs of men, in
glittering robes, occupied various parts of the church,
every corner of which soon rung to their deep rich voices.
Tne Russians, ever sensible to the charms of music,
listened with rapture; and even the strangers, to whom
half the treat was lost from their ignorance of the lan-
guage, could not come away till night was far advanced.

Another religious exhibition,, which took place during
our stay in Moscow, is also worth mentioning. These
things are valuable from the light they throw on national
character. Outside the holy gate of the Kremlin, at the
end of a fine irregular square, stands one of the oddest
and most original buildings ever seen. One is at a loss
for something to compare it to. It is like nothing else
ever put together of stone and lime, and can only be de-
scribed as a heap of pepper-boxes towered together, some
long, some short, some beside and some above each
other, with a bit of red brick wall peeping out at one
place, and a piece of green-painted roof showing itself at
another. Inquire what this motley concern may be, and
you will find that it is a church, or rather a collection of
churches, properly called the Cathedral of the Protection,
Pakrofskoi, but among the populace familiarly known as

123 RUSSIAN SUPERSTITION.

Vassilii Bldgennoi, or St. Basil. Ivan Vassilievitch the
Terrible, by whom it was built in 1554, thought this
matchless structure so beautiful, that, to prevent the
architect from imitating such a lovely whim elsewhere,
he gratefully put out his eyes.

The eve on which we entered one of the many chapels
comprised in this edifice happening to be that of some
festival, the crowd of poor creatures, aye, and of rich ones
too, whom we found crossing and kissing, and bending
and mumbling within it, was most immense. The fine
chaunting of the priests, surrounded by a blaze of tapers,
was again found to be worth all the squeeze. It con-
tinued long ; but at last one grim official, whom we had
not previously seen, unexpectedly issued from a small
door, and, bowing like a Chinese, closed the ceremony in
a moment. Before departing, however, most of the crowd
turned to a precious relic stretched on a small table — an
embroidered likeness of the Virgin — and kissed it most
devoutly, by way of good night.

Again are we forced to repeat, that all we ever saw,
even among the most ignorant Roman Catholics in any
country, is nothing to the superstition of the Russians.
We had seen so much of it within doors, that we ex-
pected to find none of it outside ; but their fervour was
not yet exhausted. Many were still muttering and ges-
ticulating as they went away from the church; while one
old woman, more furious than her neighbours, was pro-
strating herself in adoration on the stones, in the middle
of the throng-. For a time we could not discover the ob-
j ect of her worship, but soon perceived that it was to the
holy gate she was directing her distant homage, on which,

ARMENIAN CHURCH. J -9

as in many of the churches, lamps were burning in "ho-
nour of the evening. The crowd seemed to be greatly
edified by her wild devotions. Such street prostrations
are not uncommon. We can never find out what it is
that fires the enthusiasm of the people in these religious
ceremonies. Were there any preaching on the occasion —
something said to excite the enthusiasm, as is done, and
often eloquently done, by Roman Catholic priests — we
could understand it ; but we never hear even so much as
one word of exhortation or warning. The whole :is
chaunting and waving of the arms. u

While in Moscow we also attended public worship at
the Armenian Church. This small but elegant place
of worship consists of two divisions : one, the larger, is
for the audience, carpetted but without seats ; the other
is a small domed recess, for the priests and the altar.
The men were ranged by themselves on one side of the
place, and the female worshippers on the other. The
gilded altar, burning tapers, and chaunting attendants,
at first seemed very like the Greek worship ; but we soon
perceived that it is much less monotonous, or rather a
still greater departure from the simplicity of the simplest
of all religions.

One priest came after another in such strong array,
that for a time they were more numerous than their au-
dience. All wore long robes highly adorned. Some
were in blue, some in white, others had yellow, and one
had pink robes, all sprinkled with gold stars, and all
as splendid as the loom could make them. There was
one priest with a high black hood, another with a purple
velvet crown adorned with stars of gold, similar to those

g3

130 ARMENIAN PRIEST.

which glistened everywhere else in such profusion. Some
wafted incense on the altar, on the holy books, on the
people, through whom they walked all round the place.
They were dignified, fine-looking men, with black clean
beards of greater length even than those of the Russians,
and the hair behind floating in curls on the back.
Almost every creature in the congregation, too, had jet-
black hair, bespeaking their Oriental descent.

Beincr wearied by the length of the service, we sat
down in the window, but at one part of the service were
told by one of the brethren to rise, beyond which no
notice was taken of us. The whole service was chant-
in^ or reading the Bible, which was done at a small desk
near the altar. There was no sermon. The most sin-
gular part of the whole was when the red screen before
the altar was drawn across, to conceal the priests, who
had retired behind it, and who instantly began a low,
singular chant or cry of woe, sometimes musically soft
and sometimes like the loud lowing of a cow. This was
renewed at another stage of the ceremonies, but we did
not understand it. In spite of these drawbacks, the ser-
vice is, on the whole, more dignified than that of the
Russian church ; but the question which always rose on
seeing these changed and numerous robes, these crossings,
and shoutings, and lowings — this tinkling of bells and
raising of banners — the kissing of the priest's hand —
the acting, too, of the whole — the question which all
this continually suggested was, can this be Christianity
— the simplest religion of the earth?

Near the end, the principal priest came and whispered
something in the ear of the person nearest him, who

A MARRIAGE-FEAST. 131

turned round and repeated it to the one behind, he again
to his neighbour, and so on till the word of blessing went
through the whole assembly. There was crossing and
kneeling, just as in the Russian congregations, during
the whole of the service, especially among the women,
some of the oldest of them bending their foreheads in
the dust. The men were much less intent than their
Russian friends. They seemed all of respectable rank.
There were about a dozen of fine youths present, be-
longing to the Armenian school, the greater part. of them
from Tiflis. They receive an excellent education, learn-
ing the European languages so carefully, that some of
them were able to converse in French and German with
our party on coming out. The emperor is very kind
to them. They are to be sent back to their native dis-
tricts when their education is finished.

A marriage-feast among the middle classes in Russia
is by no means conducted in a corner. Coming home
in the twilight, through a remote but handsome street,
we were attracted by the sound of music, and a crowd of
idlers gathered round some windows, which were half
open. Within sat a solemn assembly, probably mer-
chants' families of the second guild, the females ranged
on one side of the apartment, the men on the other.
Champagne was poured out, something was said, and
the bride — for such her white dress, flowing veil, and the
flowers in her hair betokened her to be— rising with
dignity from a raised seat at the end of the room, seemed
to greet the company, and then sat down. We know
not whether the young lady made a speech, but can
safely assert that it was neither interrupted by " hear,

132 THE NOBLES OF MOSCOW.

hear,'' nor followed by marks of " great applause. "
They were in fact the most silent company we ever saw.
What amused us most was the part which the crowd
outside bore in the proceedings : they stood not only
about, but in the windows, so near that they might have
touched the guests, but behaved with such propriety
that they were well entitled to the indulgence granted
them.

W e have devoted so much time to the crowd of
Moscow, that we must be brief in our notice of their
masters. We cannot leave the city, howTever, without
saying a few words of the most distinguished and most
influential portion of its inhabitants.

The nobles of Moscow- constitute a distinct class of
the empire. The policy of all the latter sovereigns of
Russia, but especially of Catherine, towards the nobility,
was to draw as many of them as possible to the court.
Y\ ith the poorer nobles the scheme succeeded admirably.
She encouraged their extravagance, and then lent them
money, which they have never been able to repay; so
that they are now implicitly tied to the reigning dynasty.
Not so, however, with the richer nobles, and those of
Moscow in particular. Some of the wealthiest of them
have doubtless long been the greatest favourites and
supporters of the imperial family ; but for the great body
of them they had no lure strong enough. Old-fashioned
Moscow and independence were dearer to them than St.
Petersburg and its stars, coupled with slavery. Hence
it is that the nobles of this important part of the empire
have long been looked upon with a jealous eye by the

THE NOBLES OF MOSCOW. 133

court; and, whether justly or not, they are at present,
as has been already intimated, regarded as being, of all
the nobles of Russia, the portion most generally infected
with liberal opinions.

They have constantly before their eyes a monument
not likely to diminish their love of freedom — the beauti-
ful group of Mijnine and Pojarsko'i, which was erected
in front of the Kremlin in 1818, with the inscription,
" To the Citizen Mijnine and the Prince Pojarsko'i,
grateful Russia." It represents the patriotic citizen of
Nishnei Novgorod, in the act of calling on the liberator
of his country, to rise and free their native soil from the
evils inflicted by the Poles, who at the time (1610) were
masters of Moscow. The enthusiasm of the one as he
speaks, and the increasing excitement of the seated prince
as he hears the rousing tale, are admirably expressed.

Whatever share their love of independence may have
in keeping so many of the nobles at Moscow, no one
who has seen the two cities will doubt that they show
much better taste in preferring it. Not only have they
the advantage of living here free from the troublesome
etiquette of a court, where they would have to be con-
stantly dancing a thankless attendance, but they also
enjoy a life much more varied and agreeable than that
of St. Petersburg. The city itself is much prettier, and,
from various circumstances, affords a much greater choice
of amusements and exercise to the rich than can be found
in the modern capital. Their mansions are on the same
scale of grandeur as their fortunes ; and English fashions
are in as great favour amongst them as English principles.
The elegance with which many of them speak our

134 THE NOBLES OF MOSCOW.

language, and their predilection for the true English
sport — horse-racing — are well known. So fond are they
of this amusement, that the race -course seems to be
their favourite place of resort in the summer evenings.
The season of the regular races had not begun, but we
always found the ground crowded with noblemen, young
and old, to witness some trotting-match or other. One
night, in particular, it was very full; but what a contrast
to an English race-course ! The company in the stand
was not indeed so very dissimilar: it consisted of the
principal nobility, who, being as plainly dressed as
people of rank in other parts of the world, presented
nothing very conspicuous. But the crowd, ranged in very
great order along the ropes, had nothing in common
with an English one, except the eagerness with which
they watched the sport, which, until of late, has been
considered almost exclusively British. The greatest
difference of all was, that no ladies were present ; and
we must not omit another distinction, which tells greatly
to the credit of their husbands and brothers — there
seemed to be little gambling on the occasion. An excel-
lent horn-band kept all in good humour till the hero of
the night appeared, in a light racing droschky, with iron
wheels, built expressly for such occasions. It is a very
smart concern, with room for two persons, but of course
carrying only the driver — a long-robed personage, with
the most, earnest look in the world. One or two more
soon drove up, and the sport went on with great life.
The speed of the animals may be inferred from the fact,
that the trotter in the shafts always keeps pace with a
horse running along with him at full gallop. The latter

HORSE-RACING AT MOSCOW. ]3f)

animal is not harnessed with the other, but mounted by
a lad, who works him with great science. There were
several good horses, but all were eclipsed by Bitshok,
the best trotter in Russia. He is a beautiful light bay,
strong and handsome, and gets the credit of doing thirty
versts (twenty miles) an hour ! We saw him do the rate,
but scarcely think that he is fit for the distance. He
won the match with great ease, accomplishing his three
versts and about a half (two miles and one third) in five
minutes, forty seconds. An Englishman present stated
his general achievements to be two miles and a half in
five minutes ! The horse was said to have been sold that
morning for 2,580 roubles (£1,000). Rumour doubled
the sum ; but even the one we have named is a laro-e
price, in a country where a horse that will be useful for
years may be bought for £9.

The Russians seem determined to deprive poor Eng-
land of her superiority in horse-flesh, as well as in other
matters; and, for this purpose, the racing-club have
wisely begun by engaging, at a high salary, a trainer
from Newmarket, while nearly all the nobles in Moscow
have English grooms. Government likewise is at great
expense in maintaining studs at many places, to which
some of the best horses have been sent, They also
employ agents to purchase horses all over the east ; but
if fame speak true, these gentlemen are more dis-
tinguished for their high prices than their superior
judgment. We have heard that the sums which they
pay at Bagdad and elsewhere are so ridiculous, that the
f Russkys" have become the laughter of the Arabs and
Persians, who say that they can get any price for the

136 ARISTOCRATIC PROMENADE.

most miserable jade, provided they can produce a pedigree
with it. Six and seven hundred pounds have frequently
been paid for animals worth only sixty or seventy ; and
three hundred pounds is a common price for a hack.
Somebody at a certain eastern court, who wanted to get
rid of a couple of useless carriage-horses, put five hun-
dred pounds on each, knowing that the Russians would
be sure to jump at them on hearing of such a price.

The ladies, whom we had missed at the race-ground,
we found in the gardens of the Petrofski Palace, which
is quite near. It would seem to be the Kensington
Gardens of Moscow, with this clifTerence, that here the
company is almost exclusively noble. It is the most
select place of public resort in Europe, the lower ranks,
though not excluded, having so many places of amuse-
ment more to their taste nearer home, that they seldom
visit it. Besides the handsome carriage-drive and beauti-
ful shrubberies, threaded by walks in every direction, there
is an elegant summer theatre in the gardens, where a
troop, chiefly composed of foreigners, perform during the
tine season. On the adjoining promenade, the number
of magnificent toilets and showy equipages was greater
than we had yet seen in any similar place. The Russians,
we have already said, are the most contradictory people
in the world ; and here we found another proof of it.
On some nights, which we thought warm, they were to
be seen wrapped in heavy mantles ; now — probably
because it was cold — the ladies were walking in what
looked very like ball-dresses. While the men nearly all
had their large grey military cloaks about them, their fair
companions were clad in gossamer.

A STAN KIN A. 137

The neighbourhood of Moscow abounds with country
mansions of the nobility. Many of these are very
elegant, and their grounds laid out with great taste.
We had no opportunity of visiting any but Astankina,
three or four miles away, belonging to the Cheremetieffs,
already named as one of the wealthiest families in Russia.
Its youthful lord, being always at court, has seen it only
twice in his life. The place, therefore, is not kept in
high order. Were it not so gaudily whitewashed, the
mansion might be said to have something of a feudal air,
with its hamlet and church pressing close upon the gates.
The front is Italian, but the wings and corners, for want
of a better word, must be described as beingr in the Rits-
sian style. The magnificent dining-hall, lavishly adorned
with gilding, busts, and carving, savours much of the
age of the Grand Monarque. The theatre, with its
massive columns, is another piece of Gallic taste. The
drawing-rooms are very splendid, and contain some ex-
cellent pictures ; among which a Claude and a Rembrandt
are the best. We saw only one Russian picture in the
whole house. There are good copies of the usual statues,
placed on pedestals in the drawing-rooms or cabinets;
and one or two antiques, the most conspicuous of which,
called a Vulcan, probably because its colour comes so
near that of the forge, claims a very respectable antiquity,
the guide gravely assuring us that it has been here two
thousand years ! There are several memorials of Ca-
therine, but especially her statue, with the inscription
"Victoriis potens Liberalitate Victrix." We had seen
her just before in the Kremlin, mounted on horseback,
n the disguise of a knight.

138 MUSHROOM GATHERING.

The first part of the grounds is in the French taste,
with formal plots and stiff alleys; but the walks soon
become more natural, and at last terminate in a sheet of
water, prettily bounded by a village and rising- ground.
The gloomy evergreen is banished from these haunts of
the great, the fir being replaced by slender birches and
other deciduous trees. In all the grounds, however, we
did not come on a single tree of stately growth and
venerable age, such as abound near the seats of our own
nobility. Xo ,f unwedgeable and gnarled oak," with its
tales of other years — no "nodding beech" that wreathes
" its old fantastic roots so high" — no lettered ash, with
its records of village loves and village friends now sleep-
ing in distant lands — not a single tree so large that one
might,

" Under its shade of melancholy boughs,
Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time.'1'

In Russia everything looks as of yesterday. It is an
old country, and yet there is little in it to link us with
the past. This place has probably been in the same
family for centuries, but has nothing about it that might
not have been " got up " within the last forty years.

In short, there is more poetry in an old grey tower
and a clamorous rookery, than in all the fierce splen-
dours of Astankina, and its scores of thousands of serfs.
At an English hall — but we are interrupted in our di-
gression : a band of little mushroom-gatherers, wander-
ing through the tall grass among the trees, with baskets
and little pails in their hands, come, as if on purpose,
to bring back our thoughts from " England and its good
green wood."

139

CHAPTER XL

MEMS. ON RUSSIAN POSTING AND CARRIAGES.

No roads beyond Moscow — Little to ba got at post-houses — Difficulty
of getting correct information — No public coaches — Commander- of
our party — Best kind of carriage — Dishonesty of the Russian coach-
maker — Laying in provisions — Padoroshna explained — Expense of
posting very small — No Road-book — M. de Boulgakof — Our govern-
ment courier — Attractions of the Great Fair — Our Marche -route.

On leaving1 Moscow we had wanderings to the extent
of full 1,500 miles before us; an extent of ground which
would be formidable in any country, but more especially
in regions where as yet the only road is an irregular
track stolen from the field or the forest, sometimes
tolerably good, but, when rain has fallen, next to im-
passable. Beyond Moscow there is not an inch of made
road in any direction.

We knew also that, in addition to bad roads, we
should have bad inns to encounter, without beds, without
cooks, without comfort of any kind : while, to crown the
list of our impending difficulties, we had not beyond a
few words of the language, to fight our way through a
long file of postmasters, invariably represented as ready
to take every advantage of strangers. Under these
circumstances, it became necessary to lay our plans well
before setting out ; and we shall mention them pretty
fully, for the benefit of future travellers, who may rest

140 DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVELLING.

assured that they will get little aid on the subject in the
country itself. The ignorance about travelling in Russia,
and about the state of the interior generally, which pre-
vails even among the most intelligent English at St.
Petersburg is quite surprising. Many of them having
never travelled beyond a hundred versts from the capital,
they have really as little idea of a journey to the places
we were now to visit as the merchants of Leith or Liver-
pool. When we asked advice, they always referred us
to what we should learn at Moscow ; but at Moscow
there were few willing to give any advice on the subject.
The stranger has to hunt everything out for himself
from twenty different channels.

A person ignorant of the language, setting out alone
on this journey, would find himself very awkwardly
placed: fortunately for us, we were four. Having entered
into a treaty with the two friends who had come with us
from St. Petersburg, and whose society we had enjoyed
during our stav in Moscow, the first thing we did was to
elect a commander-in-chief, in order to maintain some
discipline in our little troop. The choice unanimously
fell on the gallant veteran whose rank and experience
best entitled him to the honour. We knew, moreover,
that, to say nothing of his uniform button, his very title,
Herr Palkovnik, " Mr. Colonel," would strike awe into
scoundrelly postmasters and loitering yemtchiks.

W e next formed a common fund for the necessary
disbursements, elected a . paymaster-general, and drew j
up certain articles of war, to be binding on the high con-
tracting parties throughout the approaching campaign.

These preliminaries settled, we proceeded to discuss" j

DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVELLING. 141

the mode of conveyance which it might be most advisable
to adopt. Of public carriages in any shape the traveller
will find none beyond Moscow. As a specimen, how-
ever, of the accuracy of the information to be got on the
subject of travelling at St. Petersburg, it may be men-
tioned that we had been assured that there was a dili-
gence going regularly to Kieff; but we found that for
a long time there had been nothing of the kind. Coach
advertisements not being quite so rife in the Bazaar of
Moscow as in Piccadilly, it took us long to discover
even this fact. The only alternative, therefore, was to
buy some kind of vehicle for our journey to the east and
south ; but what would be most suitable ? This question
was not easily answered among the hundreds of opinions
given us by the coach-dealers, each of whom recom-
mended his own articles, and of course the dearest of
them. Natives almost always employ the telega on
long journeys, from its being nearly the only vehicle of
Russian construction which can stand the terrible roads.
Young officers who wish to travel cheap often hire one
of these from stage to stage. With an open front, to let
the traveller see the country by day, and bed and
blankets for the night, it is perhaps the best, and cer-
tainly the cheapest vehicle of all. It has no springs, but
the wood it rests upon is so elastic, that the jolting is not
much worse than in a carriage ; and it has the great
advantage of being strong and clumsy enough to bowl
safely through the ruts, which few carriages can long
survive. Instead, however, of unsocially embarking in
two or three of these small craft, we at once purchased
a goodly ship of war, or, in plain language, a double-

14*2 RUSSIAN VEHICLES.

seated carriage of spacious dimensions, fit to hold us all
four, with our servant in front, and stowage for trunks in
the rear. Had the workmanship of the bazaars of
Moscow been at all like that of Long-acre, we should
have had no reason to regret our bargain. It was not
from want of variety that we chose wrong : there are
hundreds of vehicles, among which are some excellent
carriages, always to be seen in these places ; but, to
show what sort of conscience Russian tradesmen have,
we may mention, that, when the carriage was brought to
us, it was found that there were no lineh-pins. On re-
monstrating with the man, he boldly answered, that he
had put none, because we had not bargained for them.
He might as well have said that we had not bargained
for the wheels, because neither the one nor the othei
were expressly named. So much for Russian honesty
For the sake of saving twenty pence in a forty-pound job,
he would have allowed us, had the thing not been de-
tected, to start with the carriage in such a state, that wi
must have broken down within the first five miles !

The next step in our preparations was to lay in pro-
visions ; and in no part of our arrangements did we more
strongly feel the advantage of having a commander so
intimately versed in the duties of the commissariat as
was our energetic friend. The portable soup, the roast
fowls, the tongues, the hard-boiled eggs, the Madeira, and
eke the Cognac, proved afterwards to be no unnecessary
stock. We might not have starved, absolutely starved,
of hunger; but our dinner, unless for his foresight, would
often have been worse than scanty. The plates, knives,
forks, spoons, drinking-glasses, &c, for which we rum-

RUSSIAN POSTING. 143

maged the bazaars of the city, were also indispensable :
there were very few houses by the way in which we
could have found anj^ one of these articles.

We were now in condition to apply to the governor for
our padoroshna, or order from him on all the post-
masters along our intended route, enjoining them to give
us a specified number of horses. The fee for this docu-
ment is usually pretty heavy, so many kopeeks per verst
being levied for each horse : for instance, a person setting
out on a journey of 2,200 versts — say, 1,500 miles in
round numbers — and paying two kopeeks per verst, which
is the usual charge for each of the four horses he is to
use all the way, must advance about £13. 12s. for his
padoroshna before starting ; but there is nothing lost by
it, the horses being charged so much less at each station.
The padoroshna is exhibited at every stage : if the horses
be at hand, the master is compelled to furnish at least
the number ordered in it, but he is also at liberty to give
more, if necessary from the state of the roads.

The sum paid for the padoroshna makes posting in
Russia appear very high ; but in reality it is extremely
cheap. Thus, in some parts of the country only five
kopeeks are paid per verst for each horse, which, even
including the two kopeeks of the padoroshna, makes the
charge for four horses on a stage of eighteen versts, or
twelve miles, only 46*. 2^d. This, indeed, is the lowest
price ; but even the highest was only eight kopeeks in
place of five, making the charge on a twelve-mile stage
exactly six shillings for four horses. This is the price in
all the more frequented parts of the country : in England
it would not pay the turnpikes !

144 CONVENIENCE OF

The yemtchiks (postillions) generally get a trifle from
foreigners at the end of each stage — a rouble, or even
half a one, sends them home overjoyed. Russians give
nothing.

Every traveller ought also to furnish himself with a
marehe-route. There being no books of roads and posts,
it is customary to apply to the clerks of the post-office
before starting from St Petersburg or Moscow, who,
for a fee of ten or twelve roubles, make out a list in Rus-
sian and Italian characters of all the posts on the line,
with the number of versts between each — a help which
we found of the greatest consequence.

Carriage, provisions, padoroshnas, are things easily
o-ot ; but there was still another — a more serious want to
be supplied : how were we to get on without the lan-
oria^e ? Tn the last chapter we have laid before the
reader our whole stock of Russian; and he will admit
that it is sufficiently scanty for such an expedition as
was now before us — more especially as the post-masters
notoriously take advantage even of Russians, where it is
possible, and of course are doubly active in fleecing
foreigners who cannot speak for themselves. The worst
lo-s of all sustained through them is the loss of time.
Foreseeing our danger, and knowing that a common
servant inspires little awe on the road, we waited on the
director-general of the post-office, M. de Boulgakoff, to
ascertain whether he could spare a government courier to
accompany us — a favour which, we had heard, is some-
times granted on paying the man's expenses, which are
very moderate, with of course some gratuity on sending
him back at the end of the journey. We had the good

A COURIER. 145

fortune in this instance to have to deal with one of the
most gentlemanly men in Russia : he instantly granted
our request, assuring us that nothing gave him greater
pleasure than to show attention to Englishmen. Our cou-
rier turned out to be not only a handsome, soldier-like fel-
low, in smart military coat, and white trousers, with cocked
hat and sword, but also one of the most faithful, perse-
vering companions we could have desired. The very
sight of him seated on the box, with his sword lyino- be-
side him, struck the innocent natives with wholesome ter-
ror, and made the postilions drive as if the emperor
himself had been at their heels.

Instead of going direct south to Odessa, we first made
what for Russia is a short detour, by going some 300
miles out of our way, in order to see the great fair of
Nishnei, which has nowr become the " lion" of Russia.
All who come to this country must go to the fair, if they
do not wish to spend the remainder of life under the re-
proach that they neglected the only opportunity they can
ever have of seeing one of the most singular sights in
Europe. The emperor himself was to be there, besides
one or two of the foreign ambassadors, and not a few
idle travellers like ourselves.

To avoid the trouble of returning all the way to Mos-
cow, however, wTe were to make a cross-cut by Melenky,
Kazimoflf, and Riazan, so as to join the great route to
the south at Toula, and thereby have the advantage of
crossing a wide district of country very little visited by
strangers, as well as the satisfaction of adhering to a rule
which we have generally found a good one in travelling :
namely, never to spend time and money in going unne-

VOL. II. H

146

MARCHE-ROUTE.

cessarily over the same ground a second time. There
are other routes to Nishnei besides the one we followed.
Many go to Jaroslavl by land, and thence down the
Volga on some of the huge market- barges ; but the na-
vigation is often dangerous, and always tedious.

To give the reader a more correct idea of the ground
we are about to traverse together, we subjoin a copy of
the French column of our marche-route, supplied by the
post-office at Moscow.

MARCHE-ROUTE.

De Moscou a Nischm Novgorod, et de la par Mourom, Riasan, el Ton/a,

a Odessa.

Moscou, Capitale
Verstes.

Novaya 22

Bogorodsk, ville du district 26

Plotawa 23

Pocrow, ville du district . . 22^

Lipnia 2&j

Dmitrievskoye 28

Vladimir, ville du gou-

vernement 22

Barakowa 12

Soudogda, ville du district . 24

Verstes-

Doskino 26

Aleschkaro 21

Yarimowo . 25

Osiablikawo 19

Monakowa 31

Mourom, ville du district . . . 30^-

Koulaky 1 S|

Melenky, ville du district .. 18£

Okchewo 23

Dmitriewo 19 J

Moscock 31J ! Kassimow, ville du district. . 19

Drarchevo 25* Eraktour 30

Mourom, ville du district . . 26J Tscherskoye 27

Monakowa 30 - Ki.trous 23

Oiablikowo 31

Yarimowo 19

Alechkowo 25

Doskino 21

Nischni-Novoorod, vile du
gouvernement 26

Soumboalowa 29

Riasan, ville du gouverne-

ment 26

Tcherskoye 29

Zaraisk, ville du district ... 27
Ousounowa 29

MARCITE-ROUTE.

147

Verstes.
Wenev, ville du district ... 31

Anischina 2S^

Toula, ville du gouverne-

ment 27

Yassna Poliana 17

Solowa 18

Serguiyerskoye 24f

Scouratowo Maloye 25^

Scouratowo Bolcheye 18

Mlzensk, ville du district . . 25^

Otrada , 27

OREL.ville du gouveraement 25

Khotetowa 23

Borissogtebsteaya 25

Otchky 25

Olkhovatka 16

Sorokovoy Kolodeze 21

YsakievskyPotchtowy Dvory 23
Koursk, ville du gouverne-

ment 17

Slikowy Potchtowy Dvory. . 17

Medwenka 18

Obiyane, ville du district . . 24
Kotchetoosky Potchtowy

Dvory 18

Yakowbewo , 20

Belgorod, ville du district . . 28

Tcheremochno} e 26

Liptzy 22

Kharhow, ville du gou-
veraement 28

Lubotin 2G

Walky, ville du district ... 28

Verstes.

Kolomaky 25

Waynorskaya 28

Douduikowsky Khoutor ... 16
Poltawa, ville du gouverae-
ment 20

Kouremykarsky Khoutor . . 17

Reschetylowka 18

Kirilorsky Traktyr 18

Pestchannye 23

Omelnik 12

Krementehoiig.v'xWt du district 22

Tvitina Balka 24±

Alexandrie, ville du district 27

Noraya Praga 21

Adjamka 25

E/isabethg?-ad.vi\]e du district 22

Kompaneevka 24

Sougakley 2H

Gromokley 18

Maximowka 19

Wodenaya 1 64;

Weylandowa 20i

Kaudibina 23

Nicolaew, ville du district . . 24

Warwarowka 3

Tschemerleyskaya 25

Sassitskaya 22

Tiligoul 22

Adjeilk 28

Odessa, ville du district .... 18

,290

H 2

148

CHAPTER XIL

EASTERN RUSSIA, FROM MOSCOW TO VLADIMIR.

Morning scene — First specimens of true Russian roads — Sandy deserts
— Peasants — Villages — Pigs — Dogs — Hunt of heads — Huts — Stoves
— Forests — Harvest — Fields — Buck-wheat — Bogorodsk — Pleasures of
travelling on the same line with the Emperor — Harrowing the roads —
Danger of meeting a Prince — A night in the streets of P/otava — Our
next-door neighbours — Pass the exiles on their march — A sorrowful
sight — Stopping at the stations — Many horses required — Vladimir —
Another night in the streets — Rain !

We bade adieu to Moscow on a beautiful autumnal
morning-. The lonp- streets were crowded with the usual
early throng of large cities —milk-carts, barrows with vege-
tables, loads of screaming poultry,- and every other mar-
ket dainty that a great capital can require or a rich coun-
trv produce. But soon after passing the eastern gate we
found all as dreary and silent as the desert.

The space occupied by the road, or rather by all that
serves for a road, to the east of Moscow, is at least one
hundred yards wide — an inviting stretch of heavy sand,
or, more generally, of mud and water, through which you
may choose any one of the twenty wheel-marks by which
it is deeply furrowed. In the first stage or two sand
predominates — waves of it from wood to wood.

The hamlets on this route look very miserable, with
the doors of the houses almost choked up by drifted sand.
On the more frequented routes of other parts of the coun-

MISERABLE SCENERY. L*±Xt

try the arrival of a carriage generally excites some atten-
tion ; but here the peasant keeps his seat by the door, and
never troubles himself about who comes or goes. Even
when people are seen moving about in these singular places,
they only heighten the loneliness : with noiseless step and
downcast eye, and wearing garments the very colour of
the sand, they look like so many phantoms deprived of
rest. The villages, in fact, are silent and lifeless, without
even a dog to bark you out of them. Pigs are also un-
known : not one has been seen since we left St. Petersburg.

There is one wayside scene, however, connected with
the animal kingdom, not unfrequent ; mothers, namely,
in front of their cottages, eagerly engaged among their
children's hair, in a sport which has not inappropriately
been termed " a hunting of heads " — not for ideas, but
for things much more tangible and abundant ; — a sport
for which we must not condemn the barbarous Russian
without including the classic Italian in our censure : for
the sight is not unfrequent among the Florentines, and
some of their painters have not disdained to make it the
subject of their pencil. The day is not long gone by
when even in some quarters of Rome the people might
be seen spending their holiday in this animating exercise,
three of them one above the other, chasing and chased !

The cottages here are generally constructed of clay and
stone. On entering any of them, we always found a
large portion occupied by the stove, which is placed in a
central position, so as to make one fire heat the kitchen
and a couple of rooms at the same time. It seems to be
built of clay and stone white-washed, and is so large
that, while its interior forms the fireplace, its surface,
about the height of a table, supplies the want of a kitchen-

150 THE CROPS.

dresser. At one place, where preparations for the family
dinner were going forward, pipkins full of peeled mush-
rooms were scattered about on it, waiting for the onions
which the sleepy mistress was slowly chopping with an iron
weapon heavy enough to cut off heads with. The people
seemed always to be greatly amused when we popped
into these dens, and searched about among their coarse
earthen jars and bowls — of metal utensils they have very
few — in order to get initiated into their domestic mys-
teries.

From St. Petersburg to Moscow almost the only tree is
common fir, but now the pine (or spruce) becomes fre-
quent. For a long way on our present route the soil is
thin, but not unproductive. Buck-wheat and rye are the
favourite crops. There is not a great breadth, however,
under cultivation of any kind. In many places women
were busy with the rye-harvest ; but, on the whole, buck-
wheat is the most frequent crop. Its grain constitutes
the favourite food of rich and poor in this district, and is
really very nice, either baked with meat or eaten alone.
The plant is about a foot high, and, with its bright flowers
and glossy leaves, is a great ornament to the dull land-
scape. When ripe, it is generally pulled up by the roots,
not cut.*

In the dull grassy Bogorodsk, a district-town thirty-
two miles from Moscow, booths were set out with the
holiday fare of green peas and beans, substantially flanked
by loaves of mixed flour, of excellent quality, and so cheap
that for a couple of shillings we might have provisioned
our party for a week.

* For a more full account of the buck-wheat, see father on, when we
come amongst the Cossacks, by whom it is extensively cultivated.

RUSSIAN ROADS. 151

Even before reaching this place we began to feel the
inconvenience of travelling on the same line with the em-
peror. At every post the horses were either kept in
expectation of him, or taken up by his av ant- couriers.
The roads, too, strange to tell, were monopolized by his
majesty : that is to say, the best track in the middle had
been raked anew for him, and the gaps filled up with
branches, over which earth had been spread, and the
whole brought to a tolerably level surface. But on this
tempting line no ordinary wheel was allowed to trespass.
In fact, we had to search about for a safe pathway
where we best might — sometimes on the road and some-
times off it — in the wood or in the field, as the case
might be.

At one place we witnessed a scene which may give a
good idea of what real Russian roads are. At first we
could scarcely believe our eyes, but, on coming nearer,
found that some people, whose motions had greatly
puzzled us at a distance, were actually harrowing the
road. Both man and horse, toiling wearily from side to
side of the poached declivity, seemed to think it rougher
work than was ever afforded by the ploughing of a
field. Such is Russia, the land of contrasts, with roads
in some places so fine that the broom is employed to
sweep them, and in others so rough that the harrow is
their daintiest leveller.

We now saw large flocks of cattle feeding by the way-
side. There were frequently as many as two hundred
of them together, generally white, but sometimes brin-
dled, and always very handsome and in good condition.
They feed on each side of the road, the same as on the

152 A TRAVELLING PRINCE.

great one which we had already traversed. There are
invariably slips of fine grass, of width corresponding to
that of the road, which at one place was so spacious, that,
while we were wandering on foot in search of mushrooms
and plants by the side of our tardy vehicle, we could
scarcelv see another carriage, which was wading through
the sands far away on the other margin Though we
had been creeping on all day, night found us only forty-
seven miles from Moscow, in the long miserable village of
Plotawa, where we were doomed to meet a specimen of
the pleasures of travelling in Russia more impressive even
than any we had yet seen. We had already experienced
delay from coming in contact with the emperor, and now
had to do penance for encountering one of his courtiers,
Prince Butera, whom we met here on his way from a jour-
ney through the Ural mountains. As his convoy of three
or four carriages required nearly twenty horses, none re-
mained for us. It was impossible to go farther that
night. This, it will be said, could be no great misfortune ;
better to sleep in peace than be jolted all night on a vil-
lanous road. But the reader forgets that, we were not in
England, the land of beds and comfort : here there was
not a single bed to be got in the post-house — nay, not
even a room to sit or lie down in, till the horses should
return. We could not get so much as a hole to eat our
dinner in; and therefore, putting as good a face on mat-
ters as possible, we set bravely to work, and made a
dining-room of our carriage, devouring in our hungry
wrath a whole hecatomb of cold fowls, — an operation
which we performed to the complete satisfaction of all
the boys and girls of the village, who had gathered round

TRAVELLING COMFORTS. 153

us on the occasion. The poor vehicle was also our bed-
room, for — not a single hole having been opened to us,
not even an out-house of any kind — unless we had chosen
to sleep on the cold ground and in the open air, there
was absolutely no place in which we could shelter our-
selves but in the useful limits of the carriage. As
already hinted, it was not, thanks to Muscovite taste,
of the smallest dimensions: but nothing- that ever ran on
wheels could have been a very sufficient bed-chamber for
four persons with such gifts of chest and limb as all of us
laid claim to.

One of our party, indeed, out of complaisance to the
others, slept a la Russe, viz., on the ground, with no
more shelter than the projecting eaves of the post-house
might afford him, and vowed that it was mighty pleasant.
But, even with this diminution of our numbers, we had a
curious night of it in that narrow street, with hundreds
of waggons and carriages creaking constantly past us to
the fair. Travelling, like adversity, makes us acquainted
with strange bedfellows. Our carriage was alongside a
singularly-mounted waggon, with arched roof and axle-
trees like the pillars of a church, in which lay an officer,
his wife, and their children, come all the way from
Tobolsk. The little creatures were as quiet as if it were
as natural to live in a house on wheels as in one that
never makes long journeys. The Russians have profited
by the example of some of their Kalmuck neighbours,
who, in former times, had no other home but their
kybitkas, or carts. Hence, it is only when horses are
wanting that a Russian ever thinks of stopping in the
evening while on a journey : his rule is to travel on, night

h3

154 THE EXILES AGAIN.

and day, without intermission, whether the journey be of
six weeks or six days.

When at last we started in the morning, the first sight
that struck us was a melancholy one — the poor convicts
whom we had seen setting out a few days before on their
march to Siberia. They do not march in a regular co-
lumn like soldiers, but are spread into a large straggling
band. They eyed us so wistfully, that we could not
help commiserating them the more. Most of them
might well say —

u Every tedious stride I make
Will but remember me^what a deal of world
I wander from — the jewels that I love '."

They were toiling on, with no prospect of ever again
revisiting the land of their affection. We passed several
more of these bands within the next few days. The
houses in which they spend the night are wretched
hovels, generally at the outskirts of a town or village.
When the band is on march, men are constantly riding
about amongst them to see that no attempt at escape is
going on, and making the whip play upon their shoulders
with the most wanton brutality. The prisoners also
know that for the smallest breach of rules the loaded
gun is at the shoulder in a moment, or, what they dread
even more, that there is a knout at the next sleeping-
place.

The country now began to improve a little, beinor
occasionally varied with gentle heights, from which wide
sweeps of cultivated land may be seen, with trees and
spires dotted through them. Until the nearer approach
of winter, the grain seems to be left on the fields in very

NUMBER OF HORSES. 155

neat stacks., sometimes square, sometimes round, with an
open passage through each to let the wind circulate.

Those accustomed to good roads could form no idea
of the number of horses required in these districts
during the fair to which we were now travelling. Most
of the villages have little to support them but the carry-
ing-trade of these few weeks; and, fortunately for them,
the roads are so bad, that seven horses, and even nine,
are very frequently required by each vehicle, whether a
private carriage or for goods. Six is the average allow-
ance. The waggons are not so large, nor the loads so
heavy, as those usually seen in other countries ; but on
such roads as these the rule is to take as many horses as
can be got.

While stopping at the stations we often met officers of
the army travelling from distant posts, and, as all of
them spoke either French or German, we were generally
able to get some information about the places we rested
in. One had come an immense journey from some
distant part of Asiatic Russia, in a rude thing like a hill-
cart, with scarcely any covering ; while his servant, a
rough soldier, sat, or rather was bundled on behind,
on a board scarcely large enough for a dancing-dog, and
without the smallest shelter. They had been travelling
for a month or two ; but, if their expenditure in other
articles had been as moderate as their outlay on soap,
the emperor would not be much out of pocket by them ;
for, though the gentleman actually washed himself on
seeing us do so, he confessed that water had not touched
his face for eight days before.

The only stay which we made by the way was for

156 TRAVELLING PARTICULARS.

breakfast and dinner, which were always eaten in great
mirth and thankfulness. When it was possible to get a
room to sit in, the stores were unpacked,, and we held
our feast in the post-house, where not a particle was to
be got to help out our fare. All the villages and towns,
however, furnished delightful bread, a few stalls being
always laid out in the principal street with a fresh sup-
ply of this necessary article. When we had no intention
to stop, our colonel's jolly shout, " Lo-she-te, lo-she-te," t
emphatic for loschadj, "horses/' soon brought the wanted
relay. When we were to make any stay, the younger
members of our caravan made the quaking stairs and
remote kitchens ring with cries of " Tchay ! tchay /"
■'tea! tea!" and " Wody !* wody! " water! water!"
That we should use tea was nothing new to the Rus-
sians ; but that we should be such fools as to waste the
good water in washing ourselves was to them something
quite incomprehensible. In fact, we could scarcely get
hold of basins with water to wash in, so little are they
accustomed to such an extravagance.

In all parts of the empire, but especially on the road,
the inns of small villages, and even of towns, are much
worse provided, and more uncomfortable, than the smart
post-houses built by government at lonely stations,
where there is not perhaps another house within sight.
We always remarked, however, that, whatever might be
wanting in these places, the very poorest could boast of
a brass tea-urn, of classic shape and size. The most
public rooms, also, invariably contained a picture of the
Saviour, and often one of the Virgin, or of some saint, in
addition.

VLADIMIR. 157

We passed through Pocrow, Llpnia, Dmitrievskoyie,
and other villages or towns, varying in size from three
hundred to eight hundred of population, without meeting
a single thing worthy of being noted. Evening brought
us to the handsome town of Vladimir, capital of the
government of the same name, seventy-two miles from
our starting-place of the morning.

Here we were again forced to pass a night in the
street — whether at the gate or at the post-house remains
a mystery ; for it rained so fiercely that no adventurous
foot stepped forth from the carriage, to rouse the slum-
bering inhabitants and seek for shelter — which we were
assured beforehand could not be got. The lightning
flashed about us as if in mockery of our helpless-
ness ; but — so good a nurse is fatigue — neither rain nor
thunder kept us from sleep. When morning came the
place proved to be one of the finest provincial towns
that we had yet visited ; but we saw little of it, being
too glad to hurry on, now that our journey was likely to
be so seriously impeded by the rains, which made the
roads, bad enough before, all but impassable. The wea-
ther was completely broken : for several days, we might
almost say for several weeks, we now scarcely had a dry
hour.

The best view of Vladimir is obtained by looking back
after crossing the Kliazma, along which it is built.
Standing high on the wooded bank, with its lofty church
and large barracks rising among some ancient-looking
structures, which give it a general air of antiquity, it
would form no bad subject for the pencil. This city has
made a figure in history. It was long the seat of the

158 VLADIMIR.

Dukes of Vladimir, and was frequently ravaged by the
Tartars. It is also held very sacred from its ecclesias-
tical dignity, but especially from its traditions of Alex-
ander Nefsko'i, whose ashes reposed here till they were
removed to St. Petersburg. Like the other ancient
cities of Muscovy, however, it has sadly sunk from its
former glory ; the population now scarcely surpassing
three thousand souls, most of whom live by sheltering
or forwarding the numerous carriers and travellers who
pass to the fair. The cherry-orchards, which adorn the
town, also help to support it, the fruit being in great
request at Moscow.

159

CHAjl xi^ri XIII.

ROM VLADIMIR TO NISHNEI-NOVGOROD.

Statistics of the government of Vladimir — Harvest scenery — Terrible
roads — A stand-still — How to treat the postilions, or Russian per-
suasion— State of the roads a reproach to the government — Evils of
a large carriage — Appearance of the people — Russian mode of nursing
children — Muddy villages — Mourom — Its churches — Market —
Cross the Okka — No lively streams in Russia — Sands — A woodland
drive — Merry postilions — Tartar huts — Female costume — Dull fo-
rests— Scarcity of birds.

The government of Vladimir, whose capital we were
now leaving, contains a population of 1,200,000 souls,
and ranks among the most important in the empire. The
climate is favourable to every description of crop — wheat,
oats, barley, rye, hemp, &c, being raised in considerable
quantities. A great part of the population, however, is
employed in manufactures of different kinds. There are
not fewer than four hundred of these in the government ;
but the cotton-works of Prince Cheremetieff appear to be
the most considerable. The spinning-works of other pro-
prietors employ about twenty-five thousand workmen.
Fine cloths are not made to any great extent, but the
manufactures of glass, crystal, and leather are very suc-
cessfully prosecuted. The peasants nearly all belong to
the noble families of the country, who are also proprietors
of the principal manufacturing establishments. The
number of schoolmasters in the whole government is 105,

160 RURAL SCENERY.

attended by one scholar to every 234 inhabitants. There
are many wealthy monasteries and other religious insti-
tutions, some of which possess as many as eight thousand
serfs.*

The country about Vladimir is very pretty : its soft
well-cultivated slopes, crowned with abundance of trees,
both fruit and forest, and the small divisions of the fields,
recall some parts of Herefordshire ; but the high enclosing
heel ores are wanting. The eve frequently commands wide
stretches of corn-land, which were richly covered with
grain readv for the sickle. The fields look wonderfully
neat, and appear to pay the farmer well for his labour.
But the reader need not be told that the general aspect
of an agricultural district in Russia is very different from
that of an English corn-country. There is no intermix-
ture of green crop to vary the prospect; turnip, clover,
and even potatoes, being almost unknown.

A scene of plenty, however, such as was now before us,
is always agreeable to look upon,, though very different
from those we are more familiar with ; but the pleasure
we should have had in travelling through it was marred
by the terrible state of the roads. They were now so bad,
that we were sometimes up to the naves in mud, and some-
times ploughing our way through sinking turf, among
trees and bushes ; and, more frequently than all, we were
at a complete stand-still, our yemtchik beating the horses
with what remained of his whip, and our courier beating
him with a huge stick — with a rope — a branch from
the nearest tree — in short, with whatever came first

* See Schnitzler, pp. 101 — 106 ; and the Dictwnnaire Geographique
de la Russie, article "Vladimir."

TERRIBLE ROADS. 161

in the way — or perhaps kicking him most industriously
with his feet, till we put an end to all these amiable fa-
miliarities. Neither of the parties, the postilion least of
all, could understand why we should not permit the beat-
ing to continue. So little are these poor creatures accus-
tomed to kindness from their superiors, that he was com-
pletely puzzled when he received a piece of money to
encourage him to persevere in his laborious efforts to get
the carriage through. He looked at the giver and then
at the coin, as if some " cantrip" were about to be played
off upon him. It was such a mysterious thing to him
altogether, that, instead of the usual profusion of gratitude,
he pocketed it with trembling, never doubting but that
we had by this gift intended to purchase full right to
thrash him to our hearts' content at the end of the
stage.

After a long series of breaking of traces, applying of
shoulders to the wheel, &c, matters began to look better ;
but not till one of our six horses was so completely
knocked up, that he had to be turned adrift in the bog
On reaching higher ground the track was more firm ;
but even then it was sad work. At one moment the horses
would scarcely be able to drag us through the mire, and
the next few yards they would be splashing and plunging,
through holes deep enough to bury streets in. Yet this
is no by-road ; it is the great route to Asia ! one of the
most important lines of communication in the whole
empire. Shame upon the emperor ! If he had any
particle of true policy about him, he would not have
another review, nor build one frigate more, till something
efficient has been done towards improving a road which

162 TROUBLESOME CARRIAGE.

brings more wealth to the country than all his holiday
battles and rickety ships can squander.

For these difficulties, however, we were ourselves
partly to blame. We ought not to have taken so large
a carriage to travel in through a country where every
vehicle should be as small and light as possible. In
place of four horses, which we had been told would be
quite enough for it, we seldom had fewer than six, and
sometimes eight — yoked six abreast, and two in front.
Yet, whatever number of horses we might order, the post-
masters and peasants were always frightened at so large
a machine, and delayed us, coaxing and bargaining with
them at each stage. Our baggage, also, from the inces-
sant jolting, soon began to be troublesome ; neither chains
nor ropes would hold it. The springs, of course, had soon
yielded ; so that there was no end to our patching and
hammering.

The small towns of Barakou-a, Soudogda, &c, were so
full of mud, that while changing horses at them we could
not set a foot on the ground, for fear of having to be
dragged out with ropes. The houses in the villages here
press much more closely on the road than in those of the
north. In other respects we perceived no difference in
them, nor in the people, who dress precisely like their
brethren within fifty miles of St. Petersburg : a trimming
of some cheap kind of fur round the edge of the sheep-
skin is all the distinction.

The traveller never sees infants in these Russian vil-
lages. Nursing, which occupies so large a portion of the
female population in other countries, seems here to be
unknown. We do not recollect that in any part of

MOL'ROM. 163

the country we ever saw a woman with a child in her
arms. In fact, Russians appear never to carry children :
there may be seen near all the houses a small hand-
carriage, in which the youngest of the family is dragged
about. It is not unusual to meet women returning from
the distant field, pulling one of these behind them, with
a brat perched in it, swaddled up like a mummied cat.

We travelled on through these places without stopping
— our backs not quite broken, but greatly damaged by
the jolting. The excessive cold of an autumnal night
gave us some idea of what a winter one must be in these
regions. Morning brought us in sight of Mourom, a
district-town of considerable importance, eighty-one miles
and a half from, and belonging to the same government
as, Vladimir.

The first glimpse of this place in the early sunshine was
more than welcome after such a night. It lies on the
high ridge which here forms the west bank of the Okka,
one of the mightiest tributaries of the Volga. Judging
by the imposing appearance of its long-extending line of
towers, and large clusters of cupolas, we should have pro-
nounced it a city in rank inferior only to Moscow. But,
alas ! it is a most miserable deception. Here are churches
enough for at least twenty thousand inhabitants, but there
are not more than 4500 in all. It is often thus in
Russia. The churches seem to eat up the towns they
stand in. What promises at a distance to be all splen-
dour, turns out to be an assemblage of hovels, crouching
at the foot of mountains of whitewash and gilding. We
found the streets and squares wide enough for a capital,
but so full of mud, that, like the people of the Landes, we

164

MARKET PLACE.

should have required stilts to walk from door to door
upon. The inhabitants are as black and filthy as their
native mire. Mourom was formerly one of the principal
places in Russia for the manufacture of leather but the
townspeople find themselves in altered circumstances
since the foreign demand for Russian leather diminished
so much.

The Russian towns occupy more than three times the
extent of ground covered by places of equal population in
England. Large spaces are required for their numerous
churches, ill-kept squares., and wide streets. In fact, they
generally possess all the pretensions of a capital, being
often divided into gorod, city ; pocad, quarters ; slobodes,
suburbs ; with celos, or dependent parishes ; a kreml,
or fortress ; and a Gostino'i dcor, bazaar or caravan-
serai.

The market-place was full of open booths, clustering
round the largest church. Forty or fifty of those booths
contained nothing but cucumbers : many were full of
bread, the coarser kind in large round lumps, the finer in
small loaves, with a handle, as in the other towns, to carry
it by. There is a black bread in some places, which we
tried to eat, but it was worse than the sour clods of Nor-
way. Carts were set out with cranberries and other wild
fruits. Before entering the town a little girl had brought
us bramble-berries. A great many booths were stored
with ropes and waggon-tackle, of which a supply may be
had in all the towns, the execrable roads creating a heavy
demand for traces, &c. Not far from the market-place
stands the inn, which is better than that of most towns.

Mourom is said to have a history older than that of

THE OKKA. 165

Muscovy itself. It has been held successively by Tartars,
Mordouins, Russians ; and those who would take time to
explore its ancient cathedral and sixteen showy churches
might still find some interesting monuments. These
churches are nearly all of the Russian aspect and form :
for we now perceive thai the churches of this country
differ little from each other. Except the great cathedrals
of St. Petersburg or Moscow, they generally consist of
a large parallelogram, with a great dome in the centre,
by which light is admitted, and a small cupola, more or
less elevated, at each of the four corners. A Grecian
portico, or some other fancy, is occasionally added. What
with whitewash on the walls, gilding on the dome, and
pictures over the entrance, they are gaudy enough to
please the most furious taste.

We crossed the Okka in a large boat, navigated by a
rope stretching from side to side. This river rises far
above, in the centre of the country, and pursues a course
nearly as tortuous and as slow as the first half of the
Volga itself. It is very wide, but the yellow sands of its
banks are so rapidly filling up the bed, that the large
barges, of which there were many in sight on their way
down to Xishnei, are often seriously impeded in their
voyage. Unfortunately, the sands, which thus injure the
navigation of the river, appear to have lost a quality
which would have compensated for these impediments —
they no longer yield gold ; but there are still valuable
mines of copper and iron near the river.

Rivers in Russia would need to be large when we do
come upon them, for the traveller has far to wander
before he sees one. We have now travelled some six

16G A WOODLAND DRIVE.

hundred miles, and have not seen more than three rivers
worth speaking of. In Norway or Sweden we should
have seen thirty of them in the same space. How dif-
ferent too from the noble tides of Scandinavia ! Instead
of rushing boldly on, as rivers should, all, except the
Neva, steal along as if afraid to assert their rights. The
dash of the wave, or even the murmur of the rivulet, is
unknown in Russia. We seldom heard the roar of a river
after leaving St. Petersburg.

In place of mud we now had to traverse wide plains of
sand. Except that here and there some coarse bent, and
leafy reeds, were to be seen on the long mounds, the
scene for a time was as barren as the desert, and our
wheels cut their heavy wTay more slowly even than the
steps of the wearied camel. Yet even in these wastes
population at last begins to appear. We first came on
woods of birch, pine, and fir, intermixed with patches of
well-cultivated land, groaning beneath abundant crops ;
and shortly passed several small hamlets of very mise-
rable aspect, but still adorned with a showy church. At
one place the site — only the site — of a recently burnt
hamlet was visible : it had caught like tinder, and left as
little trace behind.

We now came on a soft greensward path, wdiere our
carriage bowled along most delightfully, after the sad
work of the mud and sand. The sun, too, was nowr
visible — almost the first time for several days. The
merry shout of our y em tchik made the woods ring again,
when matters thus began to look more cheerily.

Thev are admirable creatures, these same Russians :
they toil on with you through twenty miles of difficulty,

RUSSIAN POSTILIONS. 167

never losing temper with their horses, nor looking sulky
at the traveller who has unseasonably exposed them in
such weather. When we could muster Russian enough
to greet them with a " Good-morrow, brother " — the
kindly epithet generally employed here in addressing
inferiors — we were always sure of a famous start ; for
civility goes as far in Russia as in other countries. But
whether with or without the " Good-morrow, brother,"
they were invariably willing and obliging. Nothing
about them amused us more than the steady earnestness
of their dialogue with the horses ; for the poor brutes
almost seem to answer them in some way of their own.
This friendly chat is kept up as long as the roads are
bad, and is amusing even to those who can understand
only its coaxing, persuasive tone. The approach of a
good bit of road is easily known by the loud piercing
shriek of joy — whee-ee-eet ! — louder than the war-cry of
an Indian rushing into battle — with which they urge
their horses when there is a prospect of some good being
done. They at the same time rise in their seats, flourish-
ing the wliip half a mile above their heads in the air.
This shout gradually subsides into a drowsy nasal song,
the most tuneless thing ever heard, and which continues
till the bad road returns, when the entreaties, upbraid-
ings, tales of love, &c, begin anew. Then, when all is
over, they think themselves munificently paid with forty
kopeeks, or four-pence, for five or six hours' hard work.
Their right to this poor gratuity is very doubtful ; at all
events, the courier took great pains to prevent them from
approaching us at the end of the stage. He no longer
plied his stick on their shoulders however; but we still

168 COTTAGES OF THE PEASANTRY.

saw him, when it could be done quietly, pulling them by
the long beard, and otherwise loading them with every
indignity.

The appearance and manners of the people now
change considerably. The round forehead and bright
sparkling eve of the Tartar may be seen at every door.
The men wear coarse cloth more frequently than skins;
and the women display marvellously short velvet jackets,
covered with embroidery, over showy petticoats. Some
protect their hair with a large handkerchief of yellow
silk, floating behind them in the breeze. In short,
gaudy colours seem to be in great favour, even the
poorest having at least a couple of stripes of showy
trimmino- down the front of their kirtle.

The cottages, which have been nearly the same every-
where, are no longer houses, but huts or wigwams.
They look, in fact, like large bee-hives, consisting of
nothing but roof, in the shape of huge cones, covered with
thatch, descending to the very ground. The apple-trees
which surround them have a singularly black and
blasted appearance. The climate would appear to be
very unfavourable to fruit, for among a hundred trees
we did not see half-a-dozen apples. The red berries of
the mountain-ash, which is a favourite near the houses of
the peasants in this and other districts, are the only
ornaments of the orchard.

Large trees, except pines and firs, are as rare as ever.
We must still complain, therefore, that nothing is to be
seen equal to the stately growth of our English glades.
Half-a-dozen old willows in a dell are the only trees of
any size that we passed in the whole one hundred miles

ABSENCE OF BIRDS. 169

from Moscow : in fact, the woods of Russia are far from
cheerful to travel through. As already stated, the
tinkling rill never enlivens them, and the song of the bird
is equally mute. True, autumn is not the season of
song, and therefore we could not expect to hear the
tenants of the grove; but we did not even see singing-
birds of any kind. The grey wagtail is almost the only
feathered creature that ever greets the eye : yet the
Russians would seem to be fond of the society of birds,
for in the villages, and even in the suburbs of large
towns, we often see a wooden box, not much larger than
the fifst, either nailed high on the gable of the cottage,
or perched on a pole in the garden, for sparrows to
build in.

VOL. II.

170

CHAPTER XIV.

NISHNEI-XOVGOROD AND THE VOLGA.

First symptoms of the fair — Road miseries — Site and appearance of the
City of Nxshnei — Population — Churches — The Volga — Its majestic
size — Compared with other rivers — The Danube — The Thames — The
Spey — Commerce — Fisheries — Character of the country at its mouth
— Cholera first entered Europe by this river — Muddy hue of most con-
tinental rivers.

Twenty-four hours' travel from Mourom brought us
within sight of the long-looked-for Nishnei, whose white
walls and blue domes, as wTe approached, struggled so
unfavourably against a watery sky, that the impressions
produced by the first view of this most singular city were
far from cheerful.

Bad as the roads had been the whole way, the last nine
miles surpassed all that travellers have ever been dragged
through. Meantime the symptoms of proximity to the fair
had gradually been increasing ; the different streams of
traders and merchandise were all converging to their cen-
tral point. The bands of Cossacks, stationed by way of
police, in rude tents along the road, with their long lances
glittering among the trees, had become more frequent ;
the trains of vehicles, too, and the crowds of wild eastern-
looking men, in new and varied costumes, were every
hour becoming more dense ; till, at length, the crowding
and turmoil surpassed all we had ever seen. Though

APPROACH TO THE FAIR. i71

much, perhaps the greater part, of the goods are trans-
ported hy water, yet there is an immense proportion both
comes and leaves by land-carriage ; during the fair, there-
fore, the great avenue from the west is constantly crowded
with waggons beyond number. In place of a train of
them every two or three miles as hitherto, we had now
line after line of them, without intermission, for miles,
each creaking vehicle dragged by at least two, and some-
times four, huge bullocks. There were also long convoys
of hurdles, of various shapes and sizes, drawn by beautiful
horses.

In consequence of all this commotion, the wide road,
or what ought to be road, latterly became one impassable,
impracticable field of mud several feet deep : it took us
five hours to get over as many miles. The scene was one
of the most singular that could be seen. One driver would
try this line — another, the one beside it; so that the
whole width was ploughed by deep furrows. For a time
all would go well, till some treacherous slough would
occur, and bring the long-following train to a dead stand.
Whenever we came to a spot more clear of waggons, the
scene looked something like the sea-beach after a storm,
so thick and melancholy were the fragments of carts and
carriages that had perished in this miry desert. The Cos-
sacks were on the alert to maintain order ; but, on the
whole, there was little occasion for their interference. The
only squabble we had was when we got into a beaten
track, and were met by an opposing file of fifty or sixty
waggons, the leader of which would not stir an inch to
the side, but thrust our solitary vehicle out of the way to
struggle alone through the untried depths. When the

i 2

172

HORRID ROADS.

momentary altercation which this occasioned was over,
silence again prevailed — scarce a word was spoken — we
have never seen so much work performed with such small
waste of breath. Both men and animals seemed wisely
to have agreed that there was nothing for it but pa-
tience.

A few handfuls of the gold wasted on brick and plaster
at St. Petersburg, mixed with this mud, would in a few
weeks make it as hard and firm as the granite of Fin-
land,

The ancient and flourishing city of Nishnri, — which-
according to the Russian spelling, is Nishnyi- Novgorod
— that is, " Lower'' Novgorod — capital of an important
government of the same name — stands on a fine trian-
gular height, at the junction of the Okka aad Volga, in
56° 19' 40" north latitude, and 61° 40' 34" east longi-
tude. The situation is not only admirably adapted for
commerce, but is at the same time so commanding, and
so centrical in regard to Asiatic as well as European
Russia, that Peter the Great, as appears from a plan
which has been discovered in the imperial archives, at
one time intended to make this the seat of the capital of
his empire, instead of the mouths of the Neva.

To a population of eighteen thousand souls, this city
contains no fewer than twenty-six churches of great size
and beauty, a couple of monasteries, and a nunnery. It
consists, properly speaking, of two divisions, one of which
stretches along the face and at the foot of the high
ground which forms the southern bank of the Okka.
The j rincipal part of the city, however, lies on the top of

NISHNEI-NOVGOROD. 173

this elevation, and is chiefly composed of three great
streets, well paved, and displaying handsome houses, con-
verging towards a wide irregular space in front of the
Kremlin, which covers the lofty point of the triangle im-
mediately overhanging the Volga. The subsidiary streets
are neither very fine nor very numerous ; but there is a
beautiful terrace above the river last named. This terrace
commands a wide plain of corn and forest land, stretching
mysteriously away towards Asia, and presenting one of
the most interesting and singular views to be seen from
any city in Europe.

The public buildings of Nishnei are very elegant, and,
with the whole town, have a look of freshness and solidity
far beyond what is common in the provinces. Many im-
provements are now going on, which will give it an archi-
tectural splendour inferior only to that of the first cities
in the empire. So far, however, is Russia behind every
other country, that there is not a single regular hotel to
be found in a place annually visited by many thousand
strangers. It was not without difficulty that we obtained
(in the upper town) a small filthy room or two, with a
doubtful promise of beds, in a kind of ricketty caravanse-
rai, fronting to the grand square, and communicating, by
wooden galleries behind, with a traktir's establishment,
well stored with Russian fare.

The Kremlin, with its low-arched gates and jagged
walls, is one of the most singular of these ancient struc-
tures now remaining in Russia. Its scattered knolls
mingle in strange confusion with pepper-box cathedrals, a
monument to the patriotic Mijnine and Pojarsko'i, barracks
and government buildings, all of which, at the moment

174 THE VOLGA.

we entered them, were shaken to their very foundations
by the loud music of a band at least one hundred
strong. Singular as these structures are, however, they
possess little interest compared with the indescribable
views among which they rise. It is altogether one of the
most striking and remarkable spots we have ever stood
upon ; and would be so even without the picturesque
churches and singular masses of buildings rising on every
hand ; for it looks down on what so few spots command
— two of the mightiest rivers in Europe, flowing so near,
that it seems as if a pebble could be thrown into either
from that lofty brow.

The Volga ! There is a mystery, a charm, in all
mighty rivers, which has ever made us gaze upon them
with an interest beyond that inspired by other great and
glorious sights ; but to look on the largest of European
rivers — the king of our fair tides and oft-sung streams —
gave a thrill of joy surpassing all former pleasure of the
kind. Those who know that the first glimpse of some
great object which we have read or dreamt of from
earliest recollection is ever a moment of intensest enjoy-
ment, will forgive the foolish transport felt while first
standing on that commanding height, and devouring
the majestic stream that rolls in such gloomy grandeur
below.

The demeanour of this river sovereign is worthy of a
king. Leaving less powerful rivals to raise themselves
into importance by fuming and brawling — secure in his
might and uncontested dignity — he moves calmly but re-
sistlessly on. There is no noise, no surge — the glassy tide
lies as peaceful as a lake, and, on the first glance, from

CRAFT ON THE VOLGA. 175

its great breadth, bears some resemblance to one. The
Volga at this point is 4600 feet wide — that is, more
than four-and-a-half times the breadth of the Thames
at Blackfriar's Bridge (995 feet), seven times that of the
Seine at the Pont Royal, and (that our home friends
may have some idea of the Volga) about twenty-six
times the breadth of the Spey in its summer bed (182
feet) at Fochabers. The relative dignity of this mighty
river, however, is best shown by dividing the Danube,
for instance, into 100 parts, and then comparing the two
together, when it will be found that the length of the
Volga is as 130; while that of the Dnieper, is 72; of
the Don, 69; of the Rhine, 49, &c. The Danube is
the longest river that is entirely in Europe, its length
being 1500 miles. The length of the Volga, even at
the lowest estimate, is 2700 miles ; but the latter part
of its course is beyond the boundaries of Europe.

Smooth and silent as the Volga seems from the point
above indicated, its strength is soo-i ap arent from the
slant rig- course which the broad skiffs are compelled to
take Many of them are crossing every moment, over-
crowded with passengers. Looking up the river, both
banks seem very flat ; here, and for a short way below,
the west bank is high ; farther down both banks are very
steep, confining the stream to a breadth of about two-
thirds of a mile.

Many hundred boats and barges from the northern and
central districts of Russia, as well as the countries border-
ing on the Caspian, line the nearest shore for more than a
mile, but especially towards the mouth of the Okka, where
they lie so thick as to impede the stream. The various

176 RICHES OF THE VOLGA.

names of this motley craft are too difficult for the memory.
Those from the side of Astrachan, termed ladia, kayouhi,
and nosedi, ships,, barks, and rafts, are charged chiefly
with dried fish, isinglass, and sturgeons' roe, or caviar
(for an account of which see farther on, at Kharkoff). The
greater part of all these valuable products is obtained
from the river itself : for the Volga is not the king of
European streams merely in regard to size, but is also
their king in regard to wealth. Tn productiveness it is
perhaps the first of all the rivers of the world. Every
spring the thirty miles of fishing-ground between As-
trachan and the Caspian are visited by such abundance
of sturgeon, sterlet, carp, belugas, pike, salmon, shad,
and seal, that twelve thousand fishermen flock from all
quarters to share the spoil, which can scarcely be carried
away in six thousand of the barks of the country. With-
out this river the Russians could not live. It is said to
supply more than half of the fish consumed in the em-
pire ; and it needs not be stated that among the Russians,
from their many Lents, fish is one of the articles of con-
sumption in greatest demand. In fact, the fisheries of
the Volga are the most valuable in the world, having
been calculated to yield the fishermen a clear profit of
220,000Z. In addition to the fishing-craft, the trade of
the river annually employs five thousand vessels of other
kinds, most of which, from the danger of the upward na-
vigation, are broken up at Astracan.

\\ ell, then, does this river deserve the name of
" Volga," which, it is said, comes from the Sarmatian
language, and signifies " great." It has sometimes been
termed the " Scythian Nile," both from the wandering

BANKS OF THE VOLGA. 177

habits of some of the tribes on its banks, and from the
many branches into which it divides, as will be seen by
glancing at the map. At Astracan, which corresponds
to the Alexandria of its Egyptian godfather, it is still
undivided ; but soon after it branches into eight great
divisions, and sixty-five minor streams. The principal
arm is 750 yards wide. The Caspian, into which it
flows, presents some unexplained phenomena, one of the
most singular of which is the changes that take place
in the height of its surface. Its present level seems to
be more than three hundred feet below that of the neigh-
bouring sea of Azoff; but levellings made even by the
same individuals — especially those of Professor Parrot
— having given contradictory results, the emperor has
recently empowered the Academy of sciences of St. Pe-
tersburg, to send a committee of their number to con-
duct a new survey in the most careful manner.

Many of the barks bring up cochineal, velvet, fruits,
liquorice, soda, hides, and seeds. Their return cargoes
are cloths, drugs, dye-stuffs, carpets, oil, &c. There
was a small steamer lying amongst them, of which we
had previously heard, and had at one time contemplated
descending the Volga in it For though the shores of
the Caspian do not present the beauty and fertility of
more favoured lands, yet we had a great desire to see a
country where, in place of verdure, whole regions are
covered with salt — where the soil, the lakes, the rivers,
the rain, the very dew, the atmosphere itself, are all im-
pregnated with the briny matter — where, if Potocki
speaks truth, ships may be seen lying high and dry nearly
fifty miles from the sea — blown thither when the waves

i3

178 SHORES OF THE CASPIAN.

have been forced inland by particular states of the wind,
and left helpless when these withdrew — where, according
to Pallas and Gmelin, men look like obelisks, low bushes
wave in the breeze like mighty trees driven across the
plain by the whirlwind, and camels at a distance re-
semble mountains dancing a saraband ; all arising from
some optical deception peculiar to these Steppes, by
which the range of vision is singularly extended, and
every object magnified to unnatural bulk. We should
like, too, to have seen the rare flowers which spring up
beneath the breath of summer in the more favoured
spots, especially its thousands of the great rose-coloured
water-lily, rearing its leaves like broad shields to protect
the waters from the sun, and sending up those richly-
scented flowers, so dear to the Hindoos from a belief
that their deities are embodied in them after death. We
were compelled, however, to abandon the wish to see
these and other rare sights, on learning that the naviga-
tion of the Volga is so precarious, that the steamer was
as likely to take three months as three weeks to the
voyage.

High as was the gratification felt in beholding the
Volga, there was something of melancholy mingled with
our joy. Standing on its banks, it was impossible to
forget that these waters first brought to Europe one of
the most fearful scourges by which it has ever been
visited. The cholera, which had appeared in India only
fourteen years before, was brought to Europe in 1831,
by the boats ascending this river to the fair of Xishnei.
Its first appearance here created an alarm which it were
impossible to describe. Every precaution was used to

THE CHOLERA OF 1831.* 179

keep it from spreading; but precautions were vain. The
people fled in terror, and in flying spread wider the
disease which, as it had been assigned no mean path
by which to invade us, so was it also commissioned not
to pause in its devastations till it had humbled the
proudest cities of Europe. There was something sadly
in harmony with these reminiscences the first time we
looked on the Volga. We had hurried to it immediately
on our arrival ; but from the state of the atmosphere
little could be seen on the other side of the river, except
a few low bushes close to the shore. The whole sky
was apparently one mass of water, floating on the very
surface of the ground, and held together by so slight
a cohesion, that it every moment seemed about to burst
in fury on the gloomy scene. It was oppressive to gaze
at such a cheerless watery prospect.

But what wonders can sunshine achieve ! The next
time we looked on the Volga from the same spot, all
gloom had fled from the landscape. The air was dry
and warm — every cloud had disappeared — a brilliant
sun lighted up one of the widest and most singular
views that ever eye beheld. The country beyond the
river, towards Asia, is so perfectly flat, that not a single
undulation is to be seen in the whole horizon. The im-
mense stretch of ground thus embraced from the heights
of Nishnei is chiefly covered with forests ; but there are
some villages, with their white churches peeping out,
and patches of corn-land around them. Looking north-
wards, the flat banks appear to be covered with woods
of the same sombre character. To the south, much
sand is seen on the opposite bank, which is also flat.

180 CLEARNESS OF THE VOLGA.

The ridge on which Nishnei stands continues lofty as
far as the eye can go : though not rocky, yet from its

heio-ht it forms a noble barrier against the insidious tide.

© °

This rid^e ought to have been the boundary of an em-
pire.

The Volga has little of the muddy colour which pol-
lutes nearly all the rivers of the continent. The Tiber
is not the only w yellow" stream that travellers have to
muse upon. The poet's epithet may be literally applied
to the Elbe, the Saal, the Rhine, the classic Po, and the
prosaic Seine. Notwithstanding Byron's just tribute to
its parent lake — the Leman blue —

" That mirror where the stars and mountains view
The stillness of their aspect in each trace
Its clear depth yields of their far height and hue,"

even the Rhone itself is as muddy as any of them alL
throughout the whole of its course below Lyons. In fact,

a clear stream is a sight which one longs for in vain in

© ©

any part of southern Europe ; and the eye, therefore,
after being long confined, as ours had been, to discoloured

DO * '

waves, gazes with redoubled charm on such limpid
waters as now rolled beneath us.

181

CHAPTER XV.

THE FAIR OF NISHNEI-NOVGOROD. .

Site of the fair — Shops — Police arrangements — Description of the
crowd — Singular groups — Chinese, Turks, Persians, English, &c.
— Contrasted with the great Leipsic fair — Numbers attending —
Goods sold — Their value — Morocco leather — Silks — Jewels — Teas —
Mode of procuring them — Superior to those brought to England —
Reason of this — The Countess and her gown — Cashmere shawls —
How they are manufactured — Russian horse-shoeing — Visit to an
eating-house — The patron saint — Advantages of this situation —
Imperfect commercial system — Mode of effecting payments — Politi-
cal considerations — The Emperor and the Asiatic tribes.

" But the Fair !" exclaims some impatient reader.
" Here are whole pages about Nishnei and its rivers,
but still not a word about that which chiefly lured you
so far out of the way." Nor does this impatience sur-
prise us ; for, What has become of the Fair ? — was the
very question which we ourselves had been putting ever
since we entered the place. After passing the gates not
a single symptom of it had we seen.

Turn this way, however: from the Volga and Asia
look in another direction — across the Okka — and there,
on a low, almost inundated flat, exposed to the waters of
both these rivers, lies a scene of bustle and activity un-
paralleled in Europe. A vast town of shops, laid out in
regular streets, with churches, hospitals, barracks, and
theatres, now tenanted by more than a hundred thousand
souls, but in a fewT weeks to be as dead and silent as the

182 THE FAIR

forests we have been surveying : for when the fair is over
not a creature will be seen out of the town, on the spot
which is now swarming with human beings. Yet these
shops are not the frail structures of canvas and rope with
which the idea of a fair is associated in other countries.
They are regular houses, built of the most substantial
materials, and are generally one story high, with large
shops in the front part, and sleeping-rooms for the mer-
chant and his servants behind. Sewers, and other
means of maintaining cleanliness and health, are pro-
vided more extensively even than in the regular towns
of Russia.

The business of the fair is of such importance, that the
governor of the province, the representative of the em-
peror himself, takes up his residence in it during the
greater part of the autumn. There is a large and hand-
some palace built for him in the centre, accommodating
a train of secretaries and clerks numerous enough to
manage the revenues of a kingdom. Strong posts of
military are planted all round to keep down rioting,
and the Cossack policemen are always on the alert
against thieves, who, notwithstanding, continue to reap
a good harvest from the unwary.

The first view of this scene from the heights of the
Kremlin is very imposing ; nor was the interest dimi-
nished by the repeated visits which we made to it during
the three or four days spent in its neighbourhood. The
fair may be about a mile from the centre of the city, but
much less from the outskirts, to which, in fact, it is
united by a long wide bridge of boats across the two
arms of the Ckka, and a line of good houses along the

OF NISHNEI. 183

steep and difficult slope leading to the bank of that river.
This slanting street is filled with a countless throng from
morning to night — carriages, waggons, droschkies, pedes-
trians, uniting to form the only scene out of England,
except, perhaps, the Toledo of Naples, that can be at
all compared to the crowds of Ludgate-hill or Cheap-
side. The crowd becomes, if possible, greater when we
reach the river, the branches of which, all round the
bridge, wide as they are, can scarcely hold the many
barges of every shape and tonnage either discharging or
taking in their cargoes. The shops in the nearer streets
of the fair receive the goods at once from the river ; for
the more remote ones there are canals which the barges
penetrate.

Immediately on leaving the bridge the fair-ground
begins. This part is always crowded with labourers
looking out for employment, and Cossacks planted among
them to maintain order. Then come lines of temporary
booths, displaying objects of inferior value for the lower
classes, such as beads, trinkets, and some articles of
dress, especially caps. Of these last a great variety is
displayed — round turbans of short curly wool from
Astracan (here called crimmels, because the best is fur-
nished by the lamb of the large-tailed sheep imported
from Crim Tartary) — high black Kirghis bonnets made
of wool resembling hair — and flat gold- figured cowls
from Kasan. These booths stand in front of coffee, or
rather tea-rooms, laid out with little tables, and eating-
houses large enough for two or three hundred to dine in
with comfort, and at any price, from two pence to two
pounds.

184 THE FATR

This being the great entrance to the fair, it is always
the most crowded part of it, and, consequently, to the
stranger, the most interesting. If he can secure room
for a moment beneath the projecting roof of some booth
— no easy matter where so many thousands are boiling
along like the bubbles of a whirlpool— he will here see
costumes and faces more varied and more strange than
ever before were assembled in so small a compass. Let
it not be forgotten, however, that the crowd does not pre-
sent the gaudy look of an ordinary fair. The ribbons
and the lace, the gay bonnets and (greatest loss of all)
the red cheeks are not here. The mirth, the dance, and
the brawl, too, are wanting, as well as the drums and
the showmen. For this is not an idle, holiday meeting,
but a place of business. The Nishnei buyers are not
country bumpkins with only a few shillings in their
pockets, but rich merchants and grave bankers, who have
here their whole fortunes at stake. This fact, however,
only renders the scene more wTorthy of the survey on
which the reader has been invited to accompany us.

First advances a wrhite-faced, flat-nosed merchant from
Archangel, come here with his furs. He is followed by
a bronzed, long-eared Chinese, who has got rid of his tea,
and is now moving towrards the city, to learn something
of European life before setting out on his many months'
journey home. Next come a pair of Tartars from the
Five Mountains, followed by a youth whose regular
features speak of Circassian blood. Those with muslins
on their arms, and bundles on their backs, are Tartar
pedlars. Cossacks, who have brought hides from the
Ukraine, are gazing in wonder on their brethren who

OF NISIINEI. 185

have come with caviar from the Akhtuba. Those who
follow, by their flowing robes and dark hair, must be
from Persia : to them the Russians owe their perfumes.
The man in difficulty about his passport, is a Kujur from
Astrabad, applying for aid to a Turcoman from the
northern bank of the Gourgan. The wild-looking Bash-
kir from the Ural has his thoughts among the hives of
his cottage, to which he would fain be back ; and the
stalwart Kuzzilbash from Orenburg looks as if he
would gladly bear him company, for he would rather be
listening to the scream of his eagle in the chase than to
the roar of this sea of tongues.

Glancing in another direction, yonder simpering
Greek from Moldavia, with the rosary in his fingers, is in
treaty with a Kalmuck as wild as the horses he was
bred amongst. Here comes a Truchman craving pay-
ment from his neighbour Ghilan (of Western Persia),
and a thoughtless Bucharian is greeting some Agris-
khan acquaintance (sprung of the mixed blood of Hin-
doos and Tartars). Noga'is are mingling with Kirghi-
sians, and drapers from Paris are bargaining for the
shawls of Cashmere with a member of some Asiatic tribe
of unpronounceable name. Jews from Brody are set-
tling accounts with Turks from Trebizond ; and a cos-
tume-painter from Berlin is walking arm-in-arm with the
player from St. Petersburg, who is to perform Hamlet
in the evening.

In short, cotton merchants from Manchester, jewellers
rom Augsburg, watchmakers from Neufchatel, wine-
merchants from Frankfort, leech-buyers from Hamburgh,
grocers from Konigsberg, amber-dealers from Memel,

186 THE FAIR

pipe -makers from Dresden, and furriers from Warsaw
help to make up a crowd the most motley and most
singular that the wonder-working genius of commerce
ever drew together.

As most of the Oriental dealers who frequent the fair]
belong to tribes which are in constant intercourse with
the Russians of the south, there is not such a diversity of
garb as might be expected from the variety of tongues
assembled. The long robe of Russia, as a compromise
between the loose folds of the east and the scanty skirts-
of Europe, is worn by a great majority.

There are Russians, of course, from every corner oh
the empire ; but the greater part of the crowd, we wer
assured, and certainly the most singular, consists o
dealers belonging1 to tribes of Central Asia, whose names
we never heard before, and will not pretend to repeat :
this, in fact, is the great point of union between Europ
and Asia, which here make an exchange of their re
spective commodities. There is no spot in the world,
perhaps, where so many meet belonging to the different
divisions of the globe. The number of Mahomedans is
so great, that a handsome mosque has been built for them
at the end of the fair, in which worship is performed as
regularly as in their native cities.

Singular, however, as this crowd is, yet, as already
hinted, it almost entirely wants one interesting ingredient
— women : the consequence is, that it has, on the whole,
a dull and cheerless look. What life and gaudy variety
would it present were each Asian to bring his dark-eyed,
wondering bride along with him ; but Oriental jealous
forbids such a journey among the lawless sons of th

OF NISHNEI. 187

west. The busily occupied character of the throng is also
noticeable : if talking, every man is talking on business ;
if alone, he is plunged in thought — hurrying on as if
winter were at hand, and would scarcely allow hira sun-
shine enough to get his harvest gathered in.

This fair is altogether such a scene as would require
the highest descriptive powers to do it justice. The
only thing of the kind to which it can be at all compared
is the great fair of Leipsic. Having been present at
that famed congress of German industry only eleven
months before, its lively sights were fresh enough in
our remembrance to justify us in contrasting the two ;
and we have no hesitation in saying that Nishnei far
surpasses it in every way. At first, perhaps, there is a
feeling of disappointment on coming here ; but let any
one who has been to Nishnei think of it twelve months
or twelve years after, and say whether it be not a sight
that furnishes more to meditate upon than any similar
scene he has ever witnessed. Leipsie has a livelier —
more gaudy look ; but this is owing to the great inter-
mixture of females in the crowd : all the beauty of a city,
where beauty is not rare, comes to the aid of the trading
populace. The German fair gains also from being held
in the picturesque, old-fashioned streets of one of the most
interesting cities in Europe, which boasts of houses as
lofty as those of the old town of Edinburgh, and is sur-
rounded by beautiful walks and scenes of historic and
literary interest on every side. Poor Nishnei, on the
contrary, is thrust away here, out of the world, to a spot
that nobody ever heard of — a swampy point, which two
rivers threaten to drown every day in the year, with no-

lss THE FAIR

thing round it but dreary forests and watery plains, so
endless, that the eye wearies in measuring them.

Yet, in spite of all the difficulties it has to struggle
against, this is a much more marvellous sight than Leip-
sic. In place of temporary booths, filled with German toys
and Tyrolese guitars, we have here substantial, well-
stored shops, groaning with articles at once the most,
costly and the most essential to human existence. We
have not forgotten that the most important part of the
Leipsic business is not transacted out-of-doors, but in the
vast magazines with which the best streets are filled :
yet let the contents of every wareroom and every booth
in Leipsic be turned out to the pavement, and we ven-
ture to say that the goods brought to Nishnei in one
year far surpass in value those brought to its rival in
two.

There is a short way, however, of settling the relative
importance of these great marts — namely, by a reference
to the amount of sales in Nishnei and Leipsic. Schnitz-
ler and the other authorities state the annual value of
goods sold here at 125,000,000 roubles, or 5,000,000/. ;
but we were assured by a gentleman filling a high
situation, that this is only the official value given in
to government by the merchants, which always falls short
of the real value sold. " It is notorious," he says, " that,
in order to escape the payment of part of the duties, the
merchants never give the true value of their stock."
There has also been a great increase since the time to
which this statement relates ; so that the real amount of
money turned over in the place may now be fairly esti
mated at 300,000,000 roubles, or twelve millio*s

OF NISHNEI. 189

sterling ! — Such, at least, was the statement made to
us on the spot. Leipsic, on the other hand, even putting
tiie spring and autumn fairs together, does not sell one-
half of this value. But the relative importance of the
two places may also be known from the numbers who
attend them. In Leipsic there are seldom more than
40,000 strangers : Nishnei, as we were assured on good
authority, is annually frequented by the enormous num-
ber of "250,000 in the course of the two months of the
fair. Some even rate the number much higher, espe-
cially Erdmann, who states it at 600,000, an estimate
which Schnitzler very justly rejects as exaggerated,
though his own estimate of 200,000 would appear to
be too low.

In one respect Nishnei differs most completely from
Leipsic — in the total absence of anything literary from
its stores. Leipsic is essentially a literary fair, or rather
it is the literary fair of Europe : for, besides the 6000 or
8000 new books which appear every Easter, you may
find there 600,000 or 800,000 old ones— all that have
been written since the world began. But the Emperor
of Russia has more sense than to send his people all this
way for such idle stuff: he gives them plenty of warm
clothes for the back, and good things for the belly, and
allows the mind to remain — where it was. We did not
see a single bookshop in the whole place. Everything
made by hands or produced by earth and sea was here,
except the pestilent productions of the pen and the
press.

The great fairs of Frankfort-on- the- Main cannot in
any way be compared to that of Nishnei : they have still

190 THE FAIR

the reputation of being gay and attractive scenes, but
are inferior to those of Leipsic. Even in the sixteenth
century, when they were the talk and wonder of all Eu-
rope, they were not attended by more than forty thou-
sand strangers — a mere drop in the bucket compared
with the oceans of Nishnei.

But the reader will by this time be accusing us of un-
politeness : we had forgot that he has been kept standing,
without permission, at the edge of a poor huckster's booth
all the. while that we have been talking of Germany, and
discussing statistics with that dry but most useful man,
Monsieur Schnitzler, who tells a great deal more about
the place than we have patience for, and gives a plan of
it into the bargain. We shall now atone, however, for
our want of civility, by taking the reader on a walk
through the fair. Not that we shall lead him into every
shop, or even every street — he would be tired before we
had got half through. We shall take only a flying
glance.

But there is a sad obstacle in our way at the very out-
set. We have no sooner left the dry bit by the bridge
than the streets are found full of that commodity which is
decidedly the most abundant of all Russian commodities —
mud : one might as well think to walk through a street
of tar as through these creeping eddies, where the fur-
rows of straggling wheels close almost immediately after
them.

" Courage, monsieur!" exclaims some light-hearted
Gaul from the crowd ; " un petit peu de courage, s'il vous
plait ; autrement "... The autrement presented too
serious an alternative to permit of hesitation : so let us

OF NISHNEI. 191

do as others are doing — the mud won't reach much
higher than the knee, and in case we actually stick mid-
way, there is help at hand to drag us out before we can
be run over by any of the thousand vehicles constantly in
motion. Besides, is not the emperor coming here in a
day or two to see the fair ? and are not the people very
glad that all this rain has fallen just at the best moment
for letting him see Nishnei in its worst state ? He will be
shamed into generosity : he cannot but do something to
improve the streets through which, in their present state,
even his fiery horses will scarcely be able to pull him.

The streets of this city of shops are as regular and as
wide as those of the new town of Edinburgh. The cross
ones are about the some length as the lines from Princes-
street to Queen-street : the main ones, probably three
times as loner. Their number, as well as the magnitude
of the business done here, may be estimated from the
fact, that the rents drawn from them for the very short
period of the fair amount to eighteen thousand pounds
(445,000 roubles). One quarter goes by the name of
the wooden shops; but the principal divisions are all
built of stone. Most of the streets have elegant light
arcades on each side, supported in front by thousands of
cast-iron columns, where purchasers can walk about, well
sheltered in all kinds of weather, to view the tempting
displays in the windows. The shops are generally very
handsome, and in some instances extend from street to
street, so as to have two fronts. They present nothing of
the confusion of a fair : the goods of every kind are as
neatly ranged as in a city.

An enumeration of all the articles exposed for sale
would be impossible — there is literally nothing wanting,

192 THE FAIR

from the heaviest articles of commerce to the very
lightest — from cathedral bells to ostrich-feathers. A
great deal of space is taken up by the more bulky ar-
ticles, made in the country, such as ropes, wooden imple-
ments, domestic and agricultural — nails, door-bands,
&c. ; raw hides, hats, winter-boots, with furs, and all the
commonest kinds of clothing. To facilitate business,
there is a separate quarter set apart for each different
kind of the more important descriptions of goods. One
quarter contains groceries, of which the value sold is very
great. In another, fish and caviar are exposed in most
fragrant variety : of these, about sixty thousand pounds
worth are sold at each fair. A third quarter contains
leather articles of every kind, which may be bought
surprisingly cheap, but, in particular, boots and shoes,
here disposed of ready-made in great quantities. Mo-
rocco leather, for which Russia is so famous, is also sold
wholesale to a very large amount : a great deal of it
comes from Astracan, where, as in other parts of Euro-
pean Russia, goats are kept, for the sake of their hides
to make this leather with, more than for their milk or
flesh. The agreeable soap of Kasan is sold to a large
value. Iron articles from Toula, and glittering arms of
every description, occupy a conspicuous share of the
streets. The cloth range is also large and well stocked :
the value of woollen goods, Russian and foreign, sold
annually, is seldom less than 3,000,000 of roubles
(120,000/.). But one of the most curious of all is the
tea quarter, which occupies the greater part of an im-
mense division, standing by itself. This is one of the
most singular corners, not only from the number of

OF NISHNEI. 193

Chinese seen in it, but also from the great amount of cash
turned over by them. The chests are all sewed into
tough skins. One quarter contains ready-made clothes
of all descriptions : the cloaks, both for men and women,
are made from stuffs with the most singular patterns.
Some of the figured works from Asia are really very
beautiful.

The quarter for fancy articles— gloves, handkerchiefs,
ribbons, canes, &c. — is always crowded with purchasers,
attracted by the graces of the fair occupants from the
Rue St. Honore. The division for wines is not very
large. That for cotton goods appeared to be very valu-
ably stocked. Most of the articles had an English look ;
but among the thousands of dealers assembled here from
all other towns we met with only one countryman. Of
cotton goods, Russian and foreign, the value sold generally
averages twenty-two millions of roubles (£880,000).

The gaudiest display of all is among the numerous
shops for silks and shawls. Most of these articles beino-
of Oriental manufacture, the patterns far outshine even
the waistcoats of our modern beaux. The manufactured
silks here disposed of every year are estimated at ten
millions and a half of roubles (420,000/.)— while of raw
silk 308,000 lbs. are sold. Nothing surprised us more,
however, than the furniture-shops — costly tables, chairs
sofas, all the heaviest articles of furniture, brouoht in
safety to such a distance, and over such roads, were what
we did not expect to meet, even in this universal empo-
rium. Large mirrors, too, from France as well as St.
Petersburg, and crystal articles from Bohemia, were
displayed in great profusion; and many a longing eve

VOL. II. K

]94 THE FAIR

might be seen near the windows of the jewellers and sU-
versmiths, who are said to do a great deal of business,
not only in selling their home-made articles, but also in
buying jewels brought from Asia.

We made several purchases in the course of our ram-
bles ; and, though the wholesale trade be the great object
of attention, we were always welcomed, even with our
petty demands. The old Russian leaven clings to all
the dealers, for they invariably asked more than the just
price ; but the Russian by whom we were accompanied
had also his price, and they never allowed us to go away
without making a bargain.

Even for an article of such constant demand as tea
they had two prices. On asking whether it was of good
quality, they told us that bad tea is unknown in Russia;
and the fact is easily accounted for. The supply of this
article comes direct from the tea-growing districts of
China, and through channels where there are no other
competitors to create an unusual or unforeseen demand.
Good teas may be sent to England, but, without any fault
on the part of our own merchants, they may just as fre-
quently be bad ; for it is now well known that there is a
regular manufactory of teas at Canton, where other leaves
are substituted for those of the real plant. The substitu-
tion of other leaves not noxious to life would be little,
were it not proved that substances the most deleterious are
also employed in some parts of the process. The official
statement on this subject, published in England by one
of the tea-inspectors, is well known ; and from it we
learn that, at the time when the remission of the tea-
duties in the United States had occasioned a greater

OF NISHNEI. 195

demand for teas at Canton than it was possible to supply
in the usual way, the author of the statement referred to
obtained admission to a place where he found people not
only preparing the false leaves, but making green tea out
of damaged black, or what was supposed to be such.
Aud by what means was this metamorphosis accom-
plished ? Simply by mixing them in iron pans with tur-
meric, Prussian blue, and gypsum ! Wonder, after this,
that people in England should have headaches and spasms
on drinking poisoned leaves. The smallness of the quan-
tity brought to Russia may also account for the purity of
their teas. Nishnei is not the only mart in the empire,
but it is the greatest ; yet, after many inquiries, we could
not ascertain that more than forty thousand chests are
sold here every year, while the annual export for Great
Britain from Canton, in 1833-4, was 325,307 chests, and
for several years preceding had seldom been less than
three hundred thousand.

The town at which the teas are purchased by the
Russians, on the frontier of China, is called Kiakhta. It
is a very insignificant place, no more than fifty
Russians being required to manage the trade. Sepa-
rated from it by a small brook stands the Chinese town
of Maimai, inhabited by only two or three hundred
traders, who suffice for all the transactions between the
two greatest empires in the world.

While making our rounds in the fair, every merchant
had complaints to utter about the dulness of trade ; and
no small share of the blame was laid on the weather and
the emperor — on the one for spoiling the roads, and on
the other for not having long since made them better.

k2

196 THE FAIR

The ladies of Xishnei, however, were not among the
grumblers — they thanked their stars that the things which
they most needed had all arrived before the bad weather
set in. They can buy here many articles of French and
English manufacture nearly as cheap as in Paris. The

amiable and lively Countess de summed up the

merits of the fair with an illustration which, though a
feminine one, is as good as a dozen of arguments from a
political economist : " My daughter and I have been to
the fair, as you may see by our handsome silk batiste
crowns, which vou have been in love with all the evening.
How much did they cost, think you ? just twenty-pence
a yard. Now, without being very old, I can recollect
the time when it would have cost three times as much ; or
rather, here, at the ends of the earth, we could not have
got such a pretty article at all. We Russian ladies
ruined our husbands in velvets and other costly dresses,
which alone were worn by people of rank; for, except the
coarse stuffs of the country, nothing else was to be got.
But now that our fair has become known, Russian hus-
bands will get rich on our savings, and we poor folks can
dress as decently, and nearly as cheaply, as other
Christians."

This was nothing more than the truth. Thanks to the
fair, the stranger who enters a noble drawing-room at
Nishnei will find little to remind him that he is some
thousand miles away from the Faubourg St. Germain.
So far as the ladies are concerned, the resemblance in
grace, manners, language, is complete ; while the furni-
ture and general arrangements really differ but little, the

OF NISHNEI. 197

pendules, ottomans, bergeres, mirrors, being all precisely
as in a French salon.

Of all who frequent Nishnei, few are more welcome to
the Russian dames than the vendors of the shawls of
Cashmere, a great portion of which also reach the
shoulders of the beauties of St. James's and the Tuileries.
They are generally brought to the fair by Persians, who
also supply other articles of the female toilette. Some of
the shawls are sold at 10/., and some as high as 50/. ;
but of the whole number brought here, it is impossible
that one-half can be genuine. We could not obtain any
correct statement of the number sold, but even the lowest
estimate would compel us to believe that these shawls
have the power of multiplying themselves on their wray
from India : for it appears that, in the romantic Cashmere
itself, not more than eighty thousand shawls are manu-
factured in a year ; the number of looms, which, two
hundred years ago, amounted to forty thousand, now
scarcely reaching sixteen thousand. There are still almost.
sixty thousand persons employed in the weaving, each
loom requiring at least two persons, and, for superior
kinds, four. The shawls are made from the fleece of a
goat known as " the shawl-goat of Cashmere," which, by
all accounts, is confined to one particular region, having
never been found to thrive out of the narrow range which
nature has assigned it. This animal is found at a con-
siderable height on the Himalaya mountains ; and, what
is most singular, it flourishes only on the northern face,
being found to degenerate the moment it is transplanted
to the south side. It is very diminutive and ugly. There

198 THE FAIR

is an inferior variety of it, known as the u Angora goat,"
from whose fleece, it is asserted, are made a great many
of the shawls sold at N ishnei and elsewhere as genuine
Cashmeres.

On leaving the shops and their attractive contents, we
found an interesting sight of another kind at the outpost,
where a colony of carpenters and blacksmiths is stationed,
for doctoring broken-down carts, and shoeing horses.
Such a scene of wreck and confusion has seldom been
witnessed. Their mode of shoeing horses is more cruel
even than that practised along the Rhine, and in other
parts of Germany. Outside the farrier's door strong
posts are fixed, with huge straps and pulleys attached.
The poor horse is wheedled into this treacherous cradle,
and, before he knows what is about to befall him, the
straps and ropes are crossed below his belly, the wheel is
turned, and lo ! in one moment he hangs in the air as
helpless as a bale of wool. Other straps are fastened in
some way or other about his flanks, in such fashion that
he cannot move a limb ; and his cowardly assailants, one
seizing a fore and the other a hind foot, proceed to shoe
him with as little ceremonv as if he had neither heels to
kick nor teeth to bite with.

We might next visit the splendid apartments where,
as already stated, the governor and other high authori-
ties are constantly sitting — the hospitals, always open in
case of accidents — the Russian, Armenian, and other
churches; or we might walk to the part where long
lines of trucks and waggons are kept constantly har-
nessed for removing goods — the station for empty carts
— the place where the washing is carried on — the rag-

OF NISHNEI.

199

market — the corner where potass is sold — the Tartar
eating-houses — each and all of which are highly inter-
esting ; but we have need of rest, and cannot do better
than step into one of the large trahtirs, or tea-houses,
which, now that evening is come, will be found full to
overflowing.

The scenes presented in one of these traktirs (" eating
and tea-houses" is the best English name for them) in
the fair of Nishnei are among the most singular in the
world. The merchant here banishes care after the toils
of the day. Wrinkles forsake his brow as he inhales the
refreshing aroma of his favourite leaf, and talks over the
events of the fair with his neighbour. Notwithstanding
the immense crowd in these places, the attendance is ex-
cellent, there being bands of active long-bearded waiters,
all clad in flowing white cotton from neck to heel. The
tables are covered with white napkins, and on the centre
of each stands a slop-basin, indicating that tea is the most
general fare of the place. Many, however, order soup,
fish, or a kind of peas-pudding which seems to be in
great favour. Tea is taken so strong, that, on inspecting
the pot prepared for our party, it was found quite full of
fresh leaves. Though the waiters understood very well
what was meant by cognac, so little is milk in use, that
here, as in other places, they could not comprehend us at
all when we asked for that English addition to the beve-

rage.

The crowd of idlers seldom remain in these places, or
even in the streets, later than nine. On leaving to go
home, we were surprised to find so few of them walking
towards the city ; but the smallness of the numbers seen

200

THE FAIR

moving across the river arose from the arrangements,
which prohibit all persons coming here on business being
allowed to lodge in the town. The consequence is, that,
while the plain below is a scene of unexampled activity, a
great part of Nishnei itself remains as tranquil as ever,
there being nobody in its streets but a few old women
selling bilberries and tripe to some idle soldiers, or an-
swering the impertinences of still more idle travellers
like ourselves. Visitors who are not merchants have
alone the privilege of living in the city. This arrange-
ment is adopted by the police, in order to preserve a more
efficient control over so many strangers. The merchants
and their assistants all sleep in the rooms attached to
their shops, or in the villages not far from the fair-
ground. Many labourers are sheltered among the barks
in the rivers.

But though the town does not gain much by lodging
strangers, almost every family in it depends more or less
on the fair, some out of each household being employed
about it as inspectors, tax-gatherers, secretaries of po-
lice, &c. This employment, however, does not last long ;
the fair, strictly speaking, continuing only from the 1st
of July to the 1st of September, old style.

This great meeting is still known among the Russians
as the " fair of Makarieff," beino- so called from St. Ma-
carius, under whose protection it is held, and who also
gives his name to the place in which it formerly stood —
a decaying town in the same government on the oppo-
site bank of the Volga, and fifty-six miles distant.

As it would be impossible for anything to go on in
Russia without some superstitious mummery, a grand af-

OF NISHNEI. 201

fair was got up by the priests of Makarieff, on the birth-
day of the patron saint (8th of August) — said to be by
far the best day for a stranger to be here — when the
picture of the holy man is brought up the Volga, and
paraded with immense ceremony. On this occasion a
rich harvest of offerings is reaped from the faithful — the
only thing the priests have to make up for the great loss
which they and their town, with its monks, have sus-
tained by the removal of the fair.

The old situation having been found unsuited to the
increasing commerce, the site was changed in 1817; and
the spot on which the fair is now held is undoubtedly
the fittest to be found in Europe for such a purpose.
The two rivers at whose junction it stands not only rank
among the largest in our division of the globe, but are
both of them navigable to a great distance, and one, in
particular, is of importance in a commercial point of
view, from its being now, by canals, in communication
both with the north of Europe and with some of the
finest provinces of Asia. Great as is the quantity of
goods transported by land, it bears no proportion to the
cargoes conveyed by the countless armament, already
alluded to, floating on every side ; most of them hulks,
averaging from forty to one hundred tons burden, be-
sides the steam-boats and ships of greater size in the
Volga. Compared with all this, the extent of shipping
was most trifling when the fair was first planted here.
But of the many proofs that can be brought in favour of
the new site, none is more striking than that furnished
by the great increase in the business of the fair. Not
many years ago the sales at Makarieff did not exceed

k3

202 THE FAIR

the value of fifty millions of roubles; now, as we have
seen, even by the official valuation, it is much more than
double. The sales, even in 1832, an unfavourable year,
were valued at 123,000,000, of which 89,500,000 were
for goods belonging to European Russia, 16,700,000 for
Asiatic goods, and 17,0C0,000 for foreign articles.

Notwithstanding its proximity to the rivers, the site is
not considered unhealthy ; and measures are in progress
for still further promoting the salubrity of the place.
The danger from inundation is now greatly diminished by
strong embankments. The town of Nishnei stands high,
above all chance of inundation, and is looked upon as
one of the healthiest spots in Russia. The soil is so dry,
that the effects of rain disappear very quickly : to this
we can ourselves testify, our dreadful roads havincr be-
come almost dry during a very brief cessation of the rain.
The route from Moscow, which we found so formidable,
is, in fine weather, one of the best in Europe.

So far from being a proof of a thriving state of com-
merce throughout the empire generally, the extent of
business transacted here only shows how far Russia is
behind other countries. The fair-system is resorted to
solely by countries of which the commerce is compara-
tively in its infancy. It answers well for a time, but gra-
dually disappears with the extension of commercial
credit, and the establishment of regular communications
between the remote parts of a kingdom. England had
her miscellaneous fairs until a very late period, and Scot-
land had hers not twenty years since ; but they have now
almost entirely disappeared from both countries. They
still continue in many foreign countries besides Russia, as

OF NISHNEL.

203

in Germany, at Leipsic, &c, and in France, at Beaucaire.
But of late years even these long- frequented marts
have also begun to decline, and ere long will disappear
altogether.

We had imagined that the barter system had pre-
vailed here to a great extent, but find that it is seldom
resorted to, payments being generally effected by means
of a government bank, established expressly for the
fair.

Before leaving this interesting place, we may state that,
with his characteristic attention to the minutest circum-
stance which may tend, even in the most distant manner,
to advance the political interests of Russia, the Emperor
Nicholas has availed himself of the annual presence of so
many Chinese traders at Nishnei to obtain a more inti-
mate acquaintance with the geography of that country, as
well as with the manners and language of the people.
Further to aid in this scheme, he has recently established
a professorship of Chinese in the university of Kasan, and
holds out great encouragement to all who attempt to enter
the well- guarded empire. Even although political ends
should not be advanced by the intercourse between
Europe and the east opened up at Nishnei, there can be
little doubt that the visits of so many traders from the
distant parts of Asia will be of great consequence to sci-
ence and discovery ; for, through the agency of these
strangers, the Russian government hopes to obtain some
information about those wide regions in central Asia of
which Europeans as yet know almost nothing ; and with
this view it has repeatedly sent men of science to accom-
pany the returning caravans as far as possible. The

204 THE FAIR OF NISHXEI.

..

result of these expeditions has not yet been made public ;
but it is whispered that they have not been altogether
fruitless, and it was said that more than one Russian of
high qualifications was to leave in 1836, to advance as
far at least as the frontier of China, and try to become
better acquainted with the territories laid down in our
maps under the general name of " Tartary," but of
which, as yet, very little is really known to Europeans.
Caravans from some parts of this unexplored tract occa-
sionally visit the English possessions in India, and have
lately brought down most singular books, in bindings an
inch thick, and written in a character altogether unknown
in other parts of the east ; and the report of this is doubt-
less stimulating Russia to be the first, if possible, to make
the world acquainted with this interesting field. Tobolsk,
in Siberia, is still the great place of rendezvous for all
going from Russia to Kiakhta, on the Chinese frontier ;
but passages also appear to have been accomplished
lower down.

205

CHAPTER XVI.

GAIETIES AND GRAVITIES ON THE BANKS OF THE

VOLGA.

The governor of Nishnei — Singular military show — Government of
Nijegoroi) — Our inn — Hint to the traveller — Native fare — State of
education in the provinces — Average proportion of education in
Russia, contrasted with that of Great Britain — Russian mode of
reckoning — The abacus — Tourists in Russia — Analysis of a party of
foreigners, Germans, English, &c. — Marvels of modern travelling —
Shakspere and Monsieur Scribe on the banks of the Volga — A
gifted Othello — Russian Desdemona.

Our recollections of Nishnei would have been of a far
less agreeable nature, had we not, during our three or
four days' sojourn there, been honoured with the attention
of General Boutanieff, governor of the province, whose
soldier-like appearance, and the ten medals or crosses on
his breast, tell that his fifty years (for such may be his
age) have not all been spent at home. It is seldom that
any governor in Russia can be said to hold a sinecure ;
but least of all will this be said of the governor of
Nishnei. During the fair his duties are literally of the
most harassing nature; except for the hour or two when
he comes to town to dine with his family, he is night and
day at head-quarters in the fair. The impending visit
of the emperor having also created a great deal of addi-
tional work, we felt doubly grateful that he should have
taken time to show us any kindness.

206 MILITARY SPECTACLE.

From the balcony of the general's house in the city we
one evening witnessed a very singular military show.
All the troops in the government having been drawn to
the town to prepare for the emperor, a grand review had
been held in the afternoon outside the gates. From this
the men were now returning in high order, and though
the number was not great for Russia — only a few thou-
sands— yet the immense variety of the uniforms made the
sight entremely interesting to a stranger, who might
never have another opportunity of seeing specimens of
nearly all the different kinds of troops in the Russian
army assembled together at one time. There were at
least one hundred different uniforms displayed. The
appearance of all the men was most soldierly, but none
looked better than a troop in which alone no fewer than
eighty- four different uniforms were exhibited. It was
composed of subalterns, all handsome men ; and, notwith-
standing the great variety of colour and ornament, the effect
was splendid. The governor being with us at the window,
but merely as a spectator, he spoke familiarly down to
the officers as they passed ; and always as he saw a com-
pany come up, he greeted the men with a friendly "good
evening, carabineers !" '* Good evening, guards !" " good
evening, veterans !" " Good evening, grenadiers !" &c. and
was answered by the whole body with " I wish you good
health," or u I salute you, governor." The veterans had
nearly all been disbanded, and many of them were,
strictly speaking, no longer liable to serve, but they were
so delighted at the opportunity of once more appearing
before the emperor, that many had come a long way to
entreat to be allowed to bear arms during his visit. Every

PRODUCE. 207

old trooper in the town and neighbourhood had been fur-
bishing for a whole fortnight, as busily as if he had been
about to wed a young bride.

The province or government over which the general
presides, and of which, as already stated, Nishnei is the
capital, is known by the contracted name of Nuegorod.
It ranks among the first of the empire, both for the
variety of its natural resources and the industry of its in-
habitants. Wheat, ryes, hemp, and flax, are the princi-
pal crops ; sunflower* and vegetables of every kind are
also raised in great abundance, but we cannot say much
for the quality of the fruits. The breeding of horses
brings a great deal of money to the province, government
having formed several establishments for this purpose,
in addition to those of the resident landowners. Every
village contains some small manufactory for making
either soap, leather, ropes, sail-cloth, or some kinds of
tin-work. The population is chiefly Russian, but with
a great mixture of other tribes, settled here during the
many invasions to which all the countries in the centre
and in the east of Russia were so long exposed. Tartars,
Mordwines, Tsheremisses, and Tshawashes, are ancient
names still employed to describe the inhabitants of the
various districts. The whole extent of the government
may be about 880 square geographic miles, and the
population about. 1,000,000 — of which, according to the
statistical returns, there is not more than one in every
570 attending school — an average infinitely small when
compared with the state of education amongst ourselves.

* See p. 229 of this volume.

208 EDUCATION.

In order to make more intelligible this and other notices,
occasionally given in the course of these chapters, of the
relative proportion of scholars to the population, it may
be stated that, by the Presbyterial returns made pursu-
ant to an address of the House of Commons in 1834, the
average number of children then attending school in
Scotland was found to be 9'2-3ds per cent, on the whole
population. A similar inquiry made throughout Eng-
land and Wales in 1833 shows an' average of 9 per
cent, on the estimated population, So that with us, in
place of one scholar in 570, as in this province of Russia,
there would be 51 in the same number : that is to
say, the average education in this, and in many other
parts of the empire, is fifty times less than that of Eng-
land.

Though Nishnei-Novgorod, the capital of this fine
province, has now become a place of such frequent resort
for travellers — which it would be even without the fair,
being on the high-road to Asiatic Russia — yet, as already
stated, it does not contain anything worth the name of an
inn. For our two wretched rooms — the doors of which,
if doors they could be called, did not shut — we paid
daily just as much as for five good ones at Moscow ;
and the promised beds proved to be filthy mattresses.
That neither sheets nor blankets were to be procured did
not grieve us, for travellers in Russia soon learn to do
without these effeminacies, and are glad to wrap them-
selves over-night in the cloaks or great-coats which have
served them during the day. But we could willingly
have dispensed with the amiable company which had
already taken possession of these leathern retreats, and

WRETCHED ACCOMMODATION. 209

sallied forth in thousands and tens of thousands to feast
on our unhappy bodies, and to drive sleep fairly to flight.
This was almost the first time, but not the last, that we
suffered from such attacks in Russia.

Besides beds and blankets, there are two other im-
portant articles which have not yet found their way to
the fair, nor, consequently, to the inns of Nishnei —
towels and wash hand-basins. It was quite a warfare to
get hold even of substitutes for these. Verily the Rus-
sians— always excepting the higher classes — cannot be
charged with the vice of cleanliness, in any of its shades.

Whatever may have been our discomforts at this
house, however, according to all accounts they would
have been much greater at the Dom Monacho, which is
situated in the lower town. Many English visitors are
directed to this place ; but, from the accounts given us by
those who have lived in it, we should warn the travelle
to locate himself in the upper town, unless he wish to be
cheated (it is cheating, all the wTays of it) out of four
times the amount which ought to be paid.

But if even the best of the accommodation for travel-
lers at Nishnei be very bad, its fare is far from con-
temptible. We feasted like boyars, on sturgeon, tehee —
as formerly stated, rather a good but greasy soup — and
other native dishes, for which we always remarked a
higher price was charged than for what they were
pleased to nickname French dishes. The wines at these
places are very poor ; but at a private house we found
claret, Sauterne, Champagne, Malaga, and even — out of
honour to us, doubtless — London porter, as good as ever
washed the lips of bricklayers or draymen.

210 RUSSIAN MODE OF RECKONING.

It was at Nishnei that we were first led particularly
to remark how difficult a matter the summing up of a
bill is in Russia, whether it is to be paid to merchant or
innkeeper ; and even when the amount is only a few-
shillings. Ask what is to pay, and the landlord, instead
of telling you at once, trudges off, not for a written
account, but for an abacus or reckoning-frame, an
instrument about the size of a schoolboy's ciphering-
slate, with several row of wooden beads, like musket-
bullets, moving freely on stiff wires stretched from end to
end. When the calculation begins, crack goes a ball on
one wire, two on another, and so on ; and at last, after a
great many intricate movements, both of the balls and of
the lips, which are muttering all the time, he tells you
the amount of a bill which an English waiter would
have summed up in two secconds. The process seems
quite mechanical. Instruments nearly similar are said
to be employed by the Chinese, who are so expert in the
use of them, that, while one man is reading over different
large items of an account, another has them summed up
on the abacus almost before the first has done speaking.
In Russia we never saw anything like expertness in using
it. It must be added, however, that the payment of
accounts is further complicated by the difference between
the commercial and nominal value of money, formerly
explained. After they have summed up the account in
monnaie, as they call it — or at least as they called it to
us — they must find out how many roubles in assignats,
meaning government paper, are required to make up the
sum. Most kinds of silver always bearing the same
premium as paper, a similar calculation is necessary

INCREASE OF TRAVELLING. 211

when specie is offered in payment. But the matter
becomes triply complicated when, after calculating the
amount in monnaie, and converting it into assignats,
there is still a third calculation to make, if payment is
offered in a new piece nominally worth a little more than
two roubles, but which in remote places is under that
value. In making a bargain in Russia, it is always
necessary to stipulate whether the number of roubles
agreed on be monnaie or assignats.

There were a good many general travellers here about
the time of our visit, among whom the English, as usual,
formed the majority. The place is now, in fact, coming
into such repute, that it will soon be the fashionable
autumn trip to the idlers of London, as well as those of
St. Petersburg. The only official personages whom we
heard of among the visitors expected while we were there
were the ambassadors of France and Bavaria.

It is singular to observe the groups which the increased
spirit for travelling now brings together, in the most out-
of-the-way corners, and from the most opposite ends of
the earth. Now that men travel some thousand miles
for a harvest-tour, the friend wThom we dined with in
town at the breaking up of Parliament may give us
news from the cataracts of the Nile, or the last bulletin
of the king of Ava's white elephant, when we dine with
him at Christmas. This remark has been suggested by
the recollection of a party at which we were present here,
furnishing a good specimen, on a small scale, of the
variety of characters and nations now brought together
in the least likely spots. One of the guests was a Rus-
sian who had recently come from an embassy in Spain.

212 A MIXED PARTY.

Another was a German, one of the Ariadne-Beth-mana,
who had told his cook one fine morning that he wanted
his company on a drive across from the pleasant city of
Frankfort-on-the-Main, to see what sort of fare there
might be among the Ural Mountains. A third was a
tutor from Paderborn, who had long been an exile ; but
the eyes of the good man moistened, and his lips quivered,
as we gave him news of what he called his " gutes schones
Vaterlandr The fourth was also a German, come from
we know not where, but probably from Newmarket, of
which his talk savoured most marvellously, and now bent
on a little trip into Asia, which could not be extended
above a thousand miles or two, as he had to be at Melton
Mowbray in December. We, the English part of the
company, had as nice little journeys before us as any of
the company ; — for, besides having a great part of Russia
yet to run through, we had Turkey and Greece to visit
before eating our new-year's dinner, which some of us
hoped to do luxuriously at Naples, some politically in
Ireland, and some philosophically in the Temple. Yet
we made as sure of being able to accomplish these
journeys, though it was now the middle of autumn, as if
we had been shooting partridges in Normandy, or
counting the waves at Brighton, and not on the last
confines of Europe, separated by roadless deserts and
fickle seas from the places we were aiming at.

The journey through Nishnei to Asia must by and by
come into vogue. Prince Butera's reports of his excur-
sion will send everybody thither. The high cultivation
of the country surprised him beyond expression. " He
had seen nothing equal to it," were his words, as

SHAKSPERE AT NISHNEI. 213

repeated to us. The road, for the whole of the 255
miles from this to Kasan, is said to be through a
country still more highly cultivated than the neighbour-
hood of Nishnei.

From the business character of the fair, government
finds that there is no occasion for being at much expense
in providing amusement for the congregated thousands ;
for, generally speaking, they all find amusement for
themselves in their occupations. This object, however,
has not been altogether neglected, several places of
amusement being constantly open in the fair. The best
frequented of all is the theatre for the regular drama,
conducted by a troop of the best actors in Russia.

We little expected to meet with Shakspere on the
banks of the Volga; but genius has the privilege of
belonging to every country. Being told that Othello
was to be acted on one of the evenings of our stay,
we could not resist the temptation of seeing how the
fatal love of the Moor would be represented in the
most easterly theatre in Europe. The house, once a
barrack, is very well fitted up, with a state-box, and all
the paraphernalia of a metropolitan establishment. It
is fully equal in size and show to the better of the minor
theatres in London. The prices being very high and
the attendance always full, the sums drawn must be very
considerable. The governor was in his box, and had
some gay company near him. The pit was filled with
merchants, while the stalls gave shelter to the common
herd of travellers, and some literary Frenchmen, waging
war with a Russian general high in command here.
Who would have expected to find the battles of the ro-

214 A SINGULAR AUDIENCE.

manticists and classicists of the Francais, or the scandal
of the Opera Comique, revived among the swamps of
the Okka ?

From the scarcity of ladies, the aspect of the house
was far from gay : it had, in fact, a most sombre
appearance, in spite of the great number of officers
present. Such a many-tongued assemblage never before
sat down together. English and German were heard
on every side. Near us grave and bearded Russians
were in converse with aquiline-nosed Armenians. A
grinning Kiptchak sat by the side of a high-browed
Georgian, and the small eye of the Tartar might be seen
twinkling near the watery, unmeaning phiz of a Ca-
relian. All spoke, but what most of them spoke, or
how they contrived to make themselves intelligible to
each other, is more than we can pretend to explain. So
far as we could learn, most of those present, though be-
longing originally to such different tribes, had acquired
Russian from their residence in Astracan. Of whatever
tongue they might be, however, it was impossible not to
be struck with the great solemnity and high civility
apparent in the demeanour and look of all.

To criticise a performance carried on in a language
of which we know so little would be going beyond even the
usual licence of critics and travellers. We understood
just enough to perceive that the play is not a translation,
but an adaptation. The acts are very short, and the
story altogether advances much more rapidly than in the
original play. There is no Iago, and consequently no
Emilia. In place of the husband, there is a very un-
meaning Pesaro, and for his lady they have invented a

A RUSSIAN OTHELLO. 215

horrid duenna, dressed in secondhand black. Desde-
mona — pronounced Djesmona — was performed in a
style somewhat too matronly, perhaps, yet with much
nature and tenderness, by a full German-looking dame,
with soft features and softer tongue. Othello him-
self raged nobly in the person of a stout, intellectual-
faced, half- savage personage, who, like some of our own
great actors, began in a low equable tone, reserving his
energies for the passionate scenes, in which he was tre-
mendous. His slight copper tinge showed the varying
expression of the face much better than the sooty brush
of the English stage ; and the red tunic, with the short
Venetian mantle, left the limbs more free than the
ample robe more usually worn. The plainness of his
attire contrasted amazingly with the gorgeous over-dress-
ing of the "very grave and reverend seigniors" before
whom he pleaded.

We could not seize all the shades of passion which he
meant to convey, but lost less than we had expected.
Now and then, when gloating, in anticipation, over his
meditated vengeance, he was quite fearful ; the house
shook with his growls almost as much as with the
applause which rewarded his best scenes. There was
great beauty in the scene where, from trying to hate his
wife, he passes all of a sudden to the touching confession
" njeat, njeat^ " no ! no ! I cannot !"

The father is here a more conspicuous character than
with us. He seems to act a very cruel and unnatural
part, prevailing on his daughter to sign some document
or other, seemingly a letter to Cassio, to whom she also
gives the gold ornament from her hair. These Othello

216 THE MARCH OF CIVILIZATION.

gets hold of — there is no handkerchief — and produces to
his wife in evidence of her guilt. The final scene is
brought on with appalling haste. The thunder grumbles
loud in the midnight gloom — Othello enters, his eyes
rolling in ominous contradiction with his vainly-assumed
tranquillity — the scene soon becomes animated — sharp
words from his lips, gentle denials from hers — till he
draws the dragger, and sinks it slowly in her breast, on
which she falls at his feet, breathing nothing in death
but " Otella r feebly " Otella !"

The afterpiece was a translation of Scribe's Demoiselle
a marler, which was acted with great life. The vaude-
ville couplets of the French stage, at all times detestable,
are even still more abominable in Russian. They put
the audience into excellent humour, however; and the
governor himself, who had come round to sit in the
stalls, gallantly waited till the actress had been recalled.

Who, then, will say that Russia is not advancing in
civilization ? Monsieur Scribe flourishing on the con-
fines of her Asiatic possessions, in company with one of
the very newest devices of modern times — the recalling,
namely, of a dead Othello and a living demoiselle — are
proofs of civilization which we defy the whole French
Academy, and M. Scribe at its head, to impugn.

It was long past midnight ere we got home. The
stars gleamed bright and joyous from the peaceful
Volga; but, among the thousand slumberers on its
bosom, all was as still as if the scenes which we had so
lately beheld, full of life and its vanities, had suddenly
returned to their primitive loneliness.

217

CHAPTER XVII.

CROSS-CUT THROUGH THE OLD COUNTRY OF THE

TARTARS.

Road-rakers — Men in gloves — Bare legs — Evening scene — The Cloister
— The hermit — Melenky — Hospitality of an old soldier — Scenery
more lively — Running stream — Appearance and habits of the Tartar
population — Russian shepherdesses — Motley flocks — Herdsmen in
Germany — Kazimoi-f — Decayed aspect — Tartar suburb — Sbah Ali's
tomb — Another ferry — Boat-dragging — Swimming horses — Eraktour —
A sandy village — Post-house suppers — Crops — Sunflower, its uses —
Wattles — Government of Riazan — Town of Riazan — German inns —
Printing establishments in the provinces — Market — Bad fruits in
Russia — Neglect of the Sabbath.

Every Russian bein^ taxed twenty-five kopeeks (2Jc/.)
a year for the maintenance of the roads, it is scarcely
reasonable that the people should at the same time be
liable to such oppressive service as that which we found
them performing soon after starting on our southward
journey. A short way from Nishnei, what seemed the
whole population of the country were busy at work,
clearing, or rather cleaning, the way for the emperor,
which, as we were given to understand, they are bound
to do without any remuneration. The wide road, there-
fore, was literally covered for miles with peasants, men
and women, raking the sand to the side, while fleets of
harrows were breaking the rougher parts.

It struck us to find in these crowds, as in previous in-
stances, among the " hardy " Russians, as we call them,

VOL. IT. l

218 SINGULAR CUSTOM.

that even the roughest boor never works without gloves.
The effeminacy is explained by their long. and terrible
winter, when the cold is so great that no skin could
endure it ; while the summer is not long enough to break
them from the habit of wearing gloves. But if the hands
are thus defended, it is curious enough that the women
generally leave the legs bare, or nearly so ; for they
seldom wear anything but stockings without feet — scot-
tice, " moo-airis" — leaving: a great part of the ancle ex-
posed, except, as is often the case, when these imperfect
stockings are left hanging loose on the clumsy sandal.
Many are even guilty of another Scottish enormity —
o-oing bare-legged altogether — especially the women of
the washing-barges on the Okka. These ladies, be it
also stated, were the only young women we had seen
in Russia employed in any out-of-doors work. In the
villages, and all along the road, none are seen but old
women or children.

After passing these bands, we journeyed on a whole
dav without meeting a single object to rouse our at-
tention. At last, however, we came on a scene which,
besides being in itself beautiful, possessed an additional
charm, from the rarity with which scenes at all approach-
ing to the picturesque are to be met with in Russia. We
were now near Yarimov, about fifty-four miles from
Xishnei. The sun had already set, when, on entering
a wide valley, we descried the white walls of a cloister
risino- among the trees of a thinly-wooded island, which
is very beautifully situated in the middle of a small
lake. This scene of perfect repose was in itself very
attractive; and even while we were gazing on it, its

PICTURESQUE SCENES. 219

charms were heightened by the light of the rising moon,
which, nearly at full, now began to appear in the low
horizon, and threw a reddening shade over the trees and
pale towers. All is peace and rest around — not a leaf
stirs — not a single object is near to distract the attention.
But mark ! — a sight unexpected in a scene which ap-
peared to be the haunt of solitude itself — a human
figure appears !

** Why stands so fix'd that hermit form ?"

It is an aged monk, with long beard, and clad in white
robes. As we advanced, he came forward from a small
place of shelter on the shore of the lake, to ask alms for
the brotherhood. The silence of the evening hour
solemnized the feelings inspired by the scene, and we
parted from it almost ready to admit that, even in
Russia, there may be sometimes such a thing as poetry.
Alas ! it was the only scene in a two thousand miles'
journey that betrayed us into this avowal.

On again reaching Mourom, we struck otf towards
Toula, in the centre of Russia, by a cross-road so little
frequented, that everybody had assured us there would
be difficulty in getting through it ; but so far was this
from being the case, that we were able to make better
progress than in the more frequented routes. Our
journey, however, was impeded for a time by a furious
thunder-storm, and at night the increasing rain com-
pelled us to take shelter in Melenky, a small district
town of the government of Vladimir, eighteen miles
from Mourom.

Melenky boasts of a glass-work of considerable re-
pute, and carries on some general trade with the nearest

l 2

220 RUSSIAN HOSPITALITY.

towns. But though the books had told us these facts
regarding it, we did not expect to meet with much com-
fort, nor to enjoy much kindness while within its gates,
and were, therefore, the more grateful for the attention
shown to us by the postmaster, a respectable old soldier,
who received us, wet, weary, and wayworn, with a hospi-
tality and a warmth which we can never forget. Be-
lieving ourselves in a place of public entertainment, we
called lustily for all that could be got — supped as travel-
lers in Russia rarely sup, and slept as travellers in
Russia still more rarely sleep — on beds. In fact, the
o-ood man took a crreat deal of trouble on the occasion,
he and his little son waiting on us as anxiously as if we
had been their lords. Much as all this surprised us,
however, we were still more surprised when morning
came : our kind host and his household were up by day-
light, to prepare tea and coffee for the parting refresh-
ment ; they also gave us every aid in making our toilette,
and with an alacrity which showed that they were de-
liodited to contribute to our comforts. Yet in return for
their wine, apples, beds, and other good things, besides
a world of trouble, they would not accept of a single
farthing of remuneration. The ribbon on the old gentle-
man's breast showed us that he had himself wandered,
and perhaps the recollection of kindness received as a
stranger had taught him how much the stranger prizes
an unexpected courtesy.

Throughout the district which we were now traversing
some of the villages have a more compact look than those
to which we had hitherto been accustomed. Many of
them we entered by a large wooden gateway, from which

NUMEROUS VILLAGES. 221

a thin fence stretches round the whole place. The vil-
lages also become much more numerous : indeed the great
number of them often in sight at one time renders this
part of the country exceedingly cheerful. Almost every
ridge is adorned with a village, looking placidly down on
the fine fields and meadows stretching on all sides.

The roads, too, are of a much more agreeable charac-
ter; for in place of mud, we have fine wide glades of
hard green sward, with woods of birch and fir on either
hand, and large flocks of white cattle feeding from bank
to bank. Altogether, few parts of Russia have such a
rural look. In most other places the views are so heavy
and cheerless that the mind tires beyond description ;
but now there is some freshness, some variety. And hark \
the murmur of living water ! It is the voice of a small
stream stealing softly through the grass, the first really
rustic sound that had greeted us for many days, for on
these dull plains water stagnates as much as life and joy
would seem to do :

" Within these regions drear was never heard
The pipe of pastoral swain — the bleat of flocks
Within these valleys never ! — but the howl
Of famish' d wolves is echoM fearfully.
No Naiad, hidden in the sedgy stream,
Carols beneath its tide her lay, misdeem'd
The music of the waters : here no stream
Meanders softly by its verdant marge."

The population of the country after leaving Melenky
is greatly mixed with foreign blood. The population of
the government of Vladimir is purely Russian, but the
governments to the south-east contain both Mordwines
and Tartars. In the province of Riazan, which we were

222 THE MORDWINES AND TARTARS.

now approaching, and in the villages after leaving Me-
lenky, there are considerable bodies of the latter, who to
this day retain the manners of their forefathers. In
habits, of course, they are completely changed; these
wild tribes, once the terror of Muscovy, being now among
the most peaceable inhabitants of the empire. Their
houses are smaller than those of the Russians, and their
domestic arrangements of the rudest kind. Strangers
who have lived amongst them say that their marriage and
funeral ceremonies are conducted with singular pomp ;
and even the passing traveller may note amongst them
some of the wild usages ascribed in books to their ances-
tors. Their swarthy oval face, and small well-moulded
figures — their round forehead, hooked nose, and dark eves
— are all so different from the surrounding sameness of
Russian features, that the traveller at once distinguishes
them, even if their ragged, indescribable habiliments
were not so noticeable. They are soon recognised, also,
by the furious pace at which they drive their kybitkas, or
carts ; which, however, are no longer employed as move-
able tents, but for the vulgar purposes of the field and
the road.

These wild-looking men interested us, as the advanced
sentinels of a race famed for great deeds, and more widely
spread than perhaps any other in the world. One portion
of the Tartar tribes fills Central Asia nearlv from side to
side ; and as if the largest share of one quarter of the
globe were not enough to hold them, we here find them
advancing many hundred miles into another quarter.

Towards the northern frontier of the government of
Riazan the farmers appear to be very comfortable. Hops

RUSSIAN SHEPHERDESSES. 223

in small plots may be seen near most of the villages, and
patches of sunflower in the gardens. Oats, barley, and
a little wheat, are also cultivated. The flocks feeding in
the road-track and on the commons are so numerous,
that several villages must unite in making them up. Pigs,
which have become very abundant, and mingle most so-
ciably with the sheep and cattle, are only a very few de-
grees removed from the wild- boar. Turkeys have also
made their appearance about some of the yards, but geese
are rare.

In Russia the village flock— a motley family of all
kinds of live-stock, straggling over the common far and
near — is always tended by the women. In Germany the
pigs, geese, and cows form three distinct squadrons, and
generally feed in different places, men tending the pigs and
cows, while boys in top-boots, and wielding a four-in-hand
whip, care for the geese. With a huge (tobacco) pipe
in his mouth, knitting-wires in his hands, and a great
military cloak on his shoulders, a German shepherd is
the most unsentimental of all living sights, except it be,
perhaps, a Russian herdswoman. But we will not shock
the reader's fine fancies with a description of her terrible
charms. Let it suffice to state, that she would make an
admirable wife to the Teutonic monster whose picture we
have drawn.

As we pass along, birch and fir continue to be the most
frequent kinds of wood. Oak is occasionally seen, but as
yet neither beech nor ash appears. Where the woods
have been cleared away, young trees have been planted,
as an edging to the road, always three together, so as to
shelter each other, and leave less chance of gaps from
accident.

224 COSTUME — CIVILITY.

In one of the larger villages some fete was going for-
ward, an occasion on which the old-fashioned dresses of
the country are always abundantly displayed. Among
the women here, as in other parts of the country, gaudy
colours are still in greatest favour. One had a dress of
scarlet silk, and a little French net-cap ; a style very un-
usual in those remote parts, where it is rare to see a
female of the lower or middle class dressed to look at
all like any other European. Most of them wear the
showy little national tippet of yellow or red silk, lined
with fur.

As a proof that this route is little frequented, we no-
ticed that most of the men uncovered as we passed — a
mark of respect not very usual in Russia. The only salu-
tations we had hitherto been greeted with were on the
road to Nishnei, when the Colonel's yellow buttons or our
courier's military look, occasionally procured us a salute
from some Cossack sentinel.

We were detained some time in Kacimoff, a very an-
cient city of the government of Riazan, sixty-six miles
from Mourom. It stands high on the left bank of the
Okka, which, like many more of the Russian rivers, seems
throughout the greater part of its course to be bounded
on one side by a very steep bank, while the other is per-
fectly flat. This place is greatly famed in Tartar history,
and in our approach to the town we had seen many of
that race, distinguishable from all about them by their
black beards and gleaming eye, as well as by their fa-
vourite skull-cap clinging close to the head. In fact,
there is a suburb here occupied entirely by Tartars, con-
taining at least five hundred of unmixed blood. Their

TRIBE OF TARTARS BEGGARS. 225

quarter forms a careless encampment of miserable huts,
huddled together on a high point above the river. The
terrible Shah-Ali is interred amongst them, in a tomb
raised beside the ancient mosque. His fame slumbers
beneath an Arabic inscription, which nobody seeks to read.

The entire population of Kaqimoff may be about 4,500.
The town has a neglected, decaying look. A pair of
comely maidens, leaning from a balcony, seemed sadly at
a loss how to kill time ; but except these lonely doves,
we could discover few signs of life in what seemed the
best part of the town. The sound of billiards, and the
music of a barrel-organ, sounded most woefully from a
half-deserted mansion not far from where we halted ; but
they only made the dreariness of the place more percep-
tible. A broad, ill-paved street, overhung by houses
which appeared in many instances to be abandoned, and
ready to tumble down, brought us to an old church, be-
hind which we found a poor apology for the univeral
Gostinoi dvor, with people selling turnips, and other
coarse vegetables, on the muddy slope that led to it.
Bread, as usual, was seen in great quantities : as in most
of the other towns, it is sold by weight, the women
or boys who have charge of the stall carrying a small
steel balance about with them for the purpose. Begging
seems to be the only industry of the place ; our carriage
was at one time surrounded by vociferous claimants — a
sight most unusual in the centre and south of Russia.
Even in the north we were seldom addressed by more
than three or four applicants at any resting-place.

The dress of the women here is remarkable. A robe
of coarse dark cloth, made somewhat like a soldier's

l3

226 THE OKK.V.

great-coat, is fastened round the body by a belt ; boots,
short and strong1, enable them to march through the
mud ; and the head is adorned with a whitish handker-
chief, folded stiff and square in front, and hanging loose
behind, in distant imitation, but with none of the pi-
quancy, of the Italian brunette.

The Okka, wider even than when we last crossed it
far below, pops sadly in the traveller's way. On leaving
Kacimoff we passed to its right bank, but had again to
ferry across it, or some of its arms, oftener than once
within the next fiftv miles. The higher bank of the
river here consists of a bright yellow freestone, very soft,
but employed in the buildings of the town. Till now we
had scarcely seen the face of anything approaching to a
rock in Russia.

In entering the boats at ferries we generally came out
of the carriage for fear of accidents : but both Russian
men and Russian horses seemed to think this ceremony
very unnecessary : for the man on the box, as well as
the little fellow on the front horse, always kept their
seat, and rattled up to the farther edge of the boat as
coolly as if still on land. We have never seen auv acci-
dent on these occasions, the boats being in general very
well managed. Country people crossing in them along
with us remained uncovered all the time. A Russian of
rank would probably think himself degraded did he not
insist on this humiliating mark of respect.

While we were crossing the Okka at Kacimoff, a
heavy barge was ascending the stream, drawTn by at least
thirty horses, which formed one of the strangest teams
ever beheld, one line running here, another there, but all

ERAKTOUR. 2*27

doinor their work well. It was a singular sight, with
three or four peasants flying about among the various
lines of horses, now smacking to the right, and then
screaming to the left, with restless fury. Similar teams
may be seen in various parts of France, especially about
Aries, and, if we recollect aright, even as far north as
near Besan<}on ; but the Russians seldom make their
horses take to the water as the French do. The latter
often make their jaded brutes swim with immense loads
against the stream.

The soil now became very sandy and poor : for a con-
siderable distance we had on either hand wild forest-
land, which would be of little value were it not for the
plentiful crops of mushrooms which it rears.

Near the large village of Eraktoar, twenty miles from
Kaqimoff, the scanty stubble was pastured by geese.
The downs bear so little grass, that fewer cows are kept
in this part of the country than in those previously tra-
versed : those seen, however, are very fine. There are
two large churches in this place, one of which is of sur-
prising splendour for such a remote corner.

Somewhere near this we passed through a village,
whose street, only about an eighth of a mile wide, is one
broad bed of sand, in some places rising in ridges near
as high as the houses. The people, however, seemed to
think it a very lovely scene ; for as we toiled slowly
through it, they were sitting in philosophic admiration
by the doors, or trudging gaily about behind the sand-
hills, the men in sheepskins, and the women in flannel
garments, of a colour scarcely distinguishable from the
fickle pavement on which they were exhibiting them-
selves.

228 WATER SCARCE — KISTROUS.

When we reached Tcherskoye, eighteen miles farther
on, the rain had become so heavy that the passage from
the carriage to the inn was an expedition attended with
considerable peril. A merry supper, however, soon made
us forget our ducking, Of the said supper it ought to be
mentioned that it was eked out by a bottle, not of wine,
but of water, from the old postmaster — all he had to
give us. Lightly as the reader may deem of such a
matter, a bottle of water in Russia is sometimes no easy
conquest. A few nights before, supping, or rather dining
— for we kept very fashionable hours, eating luncheon
a la Russe in the carriage, and seldom stopping to dine
till eight or nine o'clock — dining, then, at a very showy
post-house, so poorly were our entertainers provided with
articles for the table, that, to say nothing of a glass, not
even a bowl, nor a cup of any kind, could be got, to put
on the table with water for us. Aided by the propitious
moon, however, the youngsters explored the kitchen or
other remote settlements, and soon returned in triumph,
with a suspicious-looking tub, brimming with the refresh-
ing liquid, as black as a tan-pit — no seemly ornament,
it is true, for the festive board, but to us doubly welcome
as a trophy of daring prowess ; it having been captured
from reluctant matrons, who, thinking they might for
ever bid adieu to their uncomely utensil if it once fell
into the hands of the rapacious English, fought with des-
perate but unavailing bravery, to prevent them from lay-
ing hold of it.

At a late hour — our supper at Eraktour being finished
— we turned in, not to bed, but to our caravan, and held
on all night. Morning found us at Kistrovs, a post-

THE SUNFLOWER. 229

house among young birch trees on a sandy knoll, the
country seen from which is of very different character
from that through which we had now for some days been
travelling. Both waving forest and fertile field have dis-
appeared ; sandy undulations stretch away on every side,
with a lazy river creeping through them.

On advancing farther, oats become more frequent. In
place of the scraggy birches, close lines of not very fine
willows are planted on each side of the road. The
houses, especially those for cattle, are made of close
wattles. When fertile spots occur, every garden is filled
with strong beds of the sunflower ; and on inquiring
into the use made of this plant, we wTere given to un-
derstand that it is here raised chiefly for the oil expressed
from it. But it is also of use for many other purposes.
In the market-places of the larger towns we often found
the people eating the seeds, which, when boiled in water,
taste not unlike the boiled Indian corn eaten by the
Turks. In some districts of Russia the seeds are em-
ployed with great success in fattening poultry : they are
also said to increase the number of eggs more than any
other kind of grain. Pheasants and partridges eat them
with great avidity, and find the same effects from them
as other birds. The dried leaves are given to cattle in
place of straw, and the withered stalks are said to pro-
duce a considerable quantity of alkali. With so many
valuable properties, it did not surprise us to see the sun-
flower cultivated in every cottage-garden. We found it
throughout the whole of the centre and south of Russia.

Though the government in which we were now travel-
ling (Riazan) is one of the most important in Russia,

"230 PROVINCE OF EIAZAN.

both in point of wealth and population, yet it cannot
boast of more than one scholar to 934 inhabitants : in
other words, the average education of the people is one
eighty-fourth part of that of England ! Of parish schools
there are very few ; and even those in the district towns
are but poorly attended. The same remark applies, un-
fortunately, to too many of the governments of Russia.

The south-eastern districts of this province are said to
be much more fertile than those through which we passed.
The pastures of these are so rich, that the Cossacks of the
Ukraine are in the habit of driving large herds to graze
on them in summer, before disposing of them for the
markets of Moscow and St. Petersburg. According to
the very minute statistical account of the province drawn
up by General Balachef in 1824, there were 202 manu-
facturing establishments in this government, for spinning,
weaving, needle-making, glassworks, &c. There are
thirty brandy-distilleries, the greater part of whose pro-
duce is sold within the province. The other products,
such as corn, cattle, honey, tallow, iron, and wood-workj
find their way to Xishnei and Moscow, by means of the
Okka and the Moskwa. The whole extent of the govern-
ment is estimated at 723 square geographical miles, and
the population at 1,032;043.*

Riazan. 156 miles south-west from Mourom, and 127
south-east from Moscow, is one of the gayest-looking towns
in the interior of Russia. The rise of this place has been
very rapid. In the time of Catherine II. it contained
only 1,500 souls, and now there are at least ten thousand
industrious citizens well supported within it. It occupies

* Further details will be found in Schnitzler pp. 330 — 334.

RIAZAN. 231

a wide hollow, and part of the adjacent declivities. The
houses and the streets are in general both spacious and
handsome, especially towards the centre of the city, where
there is a public garden with a gay kiosk, flower-plots,
Grecian columns, and treliised verandahs, all in high
order. We found a tolerable inn, kept by a German from
Breslau, who seems to have adopted Russian habits, both
in his housekeeping and way of charging. There are
huge sofas in some of the rooms, intended for beds ; and
in others, that, substitute for a bed which is universal
throughout our journey — a rude frame with a coarse
brown rug nailed on it, over which the traveller lays the
bedding he has brought with him.

We always find a printing establishment, perhaps two,
in such places as this : but the state of provincial litera-
ture is not so flourishing as might be inferred from the
existence of these establishments ; for no books are printed
at them, and country newspapers are totally unknown.
Indeed, after leaving Moscow, neither book nor newspaper
is ever to be seen in places for the accommodation of tra-
vellers. Any printing executed in the country is merely
of government schedules, church ceremonies, &c.

We had here new occasion to remark the bad quality
of all kinds of fruit in Russia. At St. Petersburg, and
indeed everywhere, except in the extreme south, the fruit
is the worst of any country in Europe. The market-
place here was full of every kind of fruit ; but the only
good one was that of the bramble, which is large and
well-flavoured. Of the many varieties of apples exhi-
bited, the only eatable one was that, known amongst us
by the name of the nonesuch.

232

SUNDAY.

It is impossible even for the most careless traveller to
escape being struck with the way in which the Sabbath is
kept in these provincial towns. People were busy at
work on the fields in the neighbourhood ; and the
market-place was crowded with peasants selling thei
potatoes, mushrooms, apples, turnips, cucumbers. Sec,
just as on ordinary week-days. The Gostino'i dvor was
also open. In short, Sunday seems to be the great fair-
day in most parts of Russia. Except that towards even-
ing the women may be seen sitting by the cottage-doors
in tiaras whiter than usual, there is little to tell that it is
the Sabbath.

233

CHAPTER XVIII.

A VISIT TO TOULA, THE BIRMINGHAM OF RUSSIA.

Female costumes — Pretty country — Village belles — The harvest —
Hair hunt — Zaraisk — Cooking our dinner — Evening song — Mar-
riage party — Stuck in the mud — Night travelling — Fenev — Perisha-
bility of Russian architecture — Windmills — Aniskina — Breakfast with
an old peasant woman — Gipsy scene — Habits of Russian gipsies —
The Don — Its source, &c Toll a — Its misfortunes — Manufactures
— Guns — Iron and steel works — Rings — Snuff-loxes — Russian gun-
making compared with English — Sorry inn — More sleeping sights —
Travelling fare — Butcher-market — Herd coming home.

After passing Riazan, the traveller discovers a very
welcome improvement in the features of the people. He
no longer meets the dark tint and darker eye of the Tar-
tar; fair, softish features are predominant, and some of
the women might pass for good-looking. This impres-
sion, however, may, in part, be attributable to their dash-
ing costume, which is much superior to that last described.
The flat front of the head-dress is now adorned with gold
or silver embroidery, while the portion floating behind is
of finer materials, and looks much more graceful. The
le£s are swathed in folds of white worsted, and the feet
lodged in sandals. The principal robe is a white eastern
tunic, girdled round the waist, but floating loose below,
and left open enough at the bosom to display the top of a
short petticoat trimmed with red. In gay tiara and
flaunting robe, the maidens of Riazan strut about with all
the dignity of tragic queens.

234 SCENERY LIVE STOCK.

The scenery in the western portion of the government
of Riazan, through which our route now lay, is of a much
more pleasing character than any we had yet seen in Rus-
sia. Villages lie in every hollow, sheltered by fine clumps
of oak. Wide sweeps of the richest pasture stretch far in
the distance, while the nearer fields are covered with
heavy crops of grain ready for the mower.

Is there, then, a connexion between beauty of scenery
and beauty of person? Let the curious in such matters
account for it as they may, the women here, and for the
next forty miles, are by far the prettiest we saw in Russia.
Precisely where the scenery began to improve, the looks
of the people also began to improve.

The women were sauntering idly from door to door,
while their husbands, now at an advanced hour of the
afternoon, were still busy cutting grain in the fields, with
the short scythe which seems to be the implement most
generally employed by them for the purpose. The rain,
which had annoyed us for so many days, having ceased,
the roads, though still rough, were already dry : from
the nature of the soil, it dries almost with the first hour of
sunshine. The village herds, as usual, were revelling in
the wide track. Milk and cream, as rich as those of
Norway itself, may be had in every hamlet.

In the return carts which were constantly passing us,
it was no uncommon thing to see a lad with his head laid
luxuriously on the knee of his companion, who is busy
searching his hair for a species of live-stock, said to
flourish amazingly on Russian pasturage.

Though the old town of Zaraisk — the first place of
any importance on this route — contains five thousand in-

COUNTRY CIVILITY. 235

habitants, we could not find in it anything like a regular
inn. The kind mistress of the post-house, however, gave
up her best chamber, from which we scared away the
pretty guests who had come to spend the evening with
her. She evidently thought herself more than paid for
our intrusion, by the amusement, she had in witnessing
the good-humoured perseverance displayed by the most
useful members of our party, in cooking a dinner from
the mushrooms they had gathered by the way. In fact,
we have no doubt but their culinary fame will long live in
the annals of Zaraisk.

On such occasions as the one now alluded to, we always
found the people delighted with any departure from the
sullen pomposity of Russian travellers. Cookmaid, help,
mistress, and all, trot backwards and forwards with the
greatest alacrity, and appear to be overjoyed when they
succeed in guessing at our wants. We never find any
disposition to cheat, except at the more regular inns —
just as among the regular shopkeepers. The country-
people who supply us with anything, or those of the less
frequented post-houses, are extremely moderate in their
charges. We also found the postmasters most civil and
attentive. Each hurried on his blue uniform surtout the
moment we were seen approaching, and they were always
out to receive us.

The town has more than the usual quantity of broad
streets, but its houses are going rapidly to decay. The
columns on many are black and broken, and the once
well-plastered bricks of most of them are all bared by
the frosts. St. Petersburg would have exactly the same
look as this place has, were .the annual scrubbings and

236 EVENING SONG.

patchings discontinued for a year or two. Many of the
churches, as in other places, have rude fresco pictures
outside, on the large space above the principal entrance.
Here is a ruinous Kremlin, and a Gostinoi dvor, black
and gloomy ; and beyond a deep hollow a town of
wooden houses may be seen, the streets of which are as
closely covered with grass as the best pastures in the
province.

Altogether, Zaraisk is a lonely, sinking place. Yet we
saw some happy sights in it. Young women were trip-
ping about in red slippers and red silks, bound for some
merry-making. The grey walls of the Kremlin were
invested with new beauty by the shadowy splendour of
the moonlight which began to fall on them as we again
resumed our journey. On the open space in front of this
venerable ruin, a band of young girls, twined hand-in-
hand, were singing to a simple violin a slow half- plain-
tive melody. The voice of the young, however untu-
tored, is always heard with pleasure, but its effect was
really delightful at the quiet hour when evening has
hushed all around so completely into repose, that

" No sound intrudes, save what the awaken' d ear
Of listening Fancy catches w\th delight
And mingles with her meditations wild."

The whole population seemed to be indulging in gaiety,
as if hastily availing themselves of what we found so rare
in Russia — a fine evening. In walking down a descent
near the Kremlin, which is so steep that it was thought
unsafe to remain in the carriage — and it is almost the
first time we have had occasion to employ the word
steep in writing of Russia — we found a crowd of gazers

A MARRIAGE.

237

assembled round a cottage where a marriage party were
holding1 their feast. But for the long white veil which

© ©

fell gracefully on her shoulder, the bride would scarcely
have been distinguished in the throng ; for she had more
the look of a fading mother than of a nuptial spouse.
The people around her looked very quiet and very stupid.
One or two were in the uniform of excise-clerks; but
they were completely eclipsed by the vulgar splendour
of one magnificent personage, who, in glaring waist-
coat and long surtout, was strutting about the room, with
a huge chibouque in his mouth, volleying forth tobacco
clouds, without any regard to the comforts of those whom
he honoured with his presence.

The climate of Russia is surely the worst of all the

climates in the world. No sooner had we begun to flat-

©

ter ourselves that we should have fine weather for the
remainder of our journeyings, than our bright hopes were

cast down : for though the evening was so beautiful when

© ©

we started from Zaraisk, we had not gone far before the
rain again converted our fine roads into such a puddle
that, having only four horses, we fairly stuck by the way.
So familiar, however, had we now become with these
trifling interruptions, that most of us slept on in the cold
and rain, without knowing that anything unusual had
happened. The struggles of the nags to pull us out of
the slough wrere taken for the natural joltings of these
smooth paths. At last, however, the jaded beasts suc-
ceeded in extricating us, and before morning we had

© ' ©

made a journey of forty miles, to Venev, a district town
of the government of Toula.

This town occupies one of the few heights to be found

•238 VENEV.

in Russia. The approach to it is the steepest piece of
road that we recollect in the whole country. It boasts
four thousand inhabitants, a church or two, very conspi-
cuous on the high ground, a wooden prison, streets full
of mud, and a hovel of a post-house, surrounded by a
morass of such impassable mire and filth, that it was
scarcely safe to put the foot down. A soft yellow sand-
stone being now frequent, most of the houses here, as in
Zaraisk, have the foundations of stone : the superstruc-
ture is of stuccoed brick. Many of the mansions have
been showy, with their ranges of pilasters, verandahs,
and balconies ; but now they are in such a dilapidated
state, showing patches of naked brick round every window,
and roofs threatening to slide over, that we should advise
the admirers of Russian architecture to take a trip this
length before saying too much about the splendours of
the capital. Ten years ago, Yenev was as gaudy as the
Nefskoi Prospekht.

On entering the government of Toula, woods, which
have gradually been becoming more scarce, are seen only
at very wide intervals. The cottages, which hitherto
have always been of timber, except for the short tract
where the outhouses were formed of wattles, are now of
clay. Windmills are fighting valorously on every height :
they are not very abundant near St. Petersburg, but
sufficiently numerous about Nishnei, and almost every-
where else.

As we advanced, most of the fields were already
ploughed for the next crop ; but the harvest in general
was only about half through.

At Aniskina, a village consisting of one wide street,

VILLAGE ACCOMMODATION. 239

with a single line of houses on each side, the only accom-
modation that could be found was in a poor woman's
house adjoining the post. An outside stair, dirty and
crazy, led to a garret, whose dimensions might be some
eight feet by seven, with a wretched pallet in one corner,
and another sleeping-place over or rather on the large
plastered stove, which appears to be a favourite position
for beds among the people. In this room, which more-
over opened on a balcony — for, even in the most miser-
able hamlets, the Russian matrons must have a lolling
place for idle hours — we breakfasted on milk, the only
thing that could be got. There was a tea-urn among
the lumber, which was more than we expected in so poor
a place; but it seemed very doubtful whether we could
procure a fire to boil water with. This convinced us expe-
rimentally that we were no longer in the forests of the
north. To make up for all deficiencies, however, the
good mistress sat down on a bench in the room, to enliven
us with her company, but found our mirth so dull, that
she was fast asleep in a few minutes. When roused to
be paid, she was in such raptures with the trifle bestowed,
that she could not be kept from prostrating herself to
the ground and touching it with her forehead, first at
the feet of the one who paid her, and then to the com-
pany.

Soon after setting out from this last place, we passed
a small encampment of gipsies, who had/ taken up their
habitation in a crazy car or two, that were standing un-
yoked on the green turf of the middle of the road. Meet
them in what corner of the earth we may, these singular
beings are ever the same. The dark elf-locks and flash-

240 RUSSIAN GIPSIES.

ing eye of each member of the band, the mother's whine,
the outstretched hand and ready antic of the youthful
beggar, the sullen scowl of the father, the rags, the filth
— all were precisely the same as would have been pre-
sented by a troop of Bohemians at the Pont de Garde,
or in any other part of Europe. Institutions, dynasties,
manners— everything around them may change; but
this mysterious race continues the same in every king-
dom and in every clime.

But where was the donkey ? a band of gipsies without
a donkey is incomplete. We can only account for the
deficiency by stating another fact, that donkeys are un-
known in Russia, at least in the parts which we tra-
versed.

Farther south we often met gipsies, both in country
places and in the markets of large towns, and in every
instance found new reason to wonder at the unchange-
ableness of their habits. It is impossible to mistake
them. We have seen them in almost every corner of
Europe, and never missed the dark eye and tawny fea-
tures— the look, the glare, the something, be it called
what it may, that used to terrify in infancy, and cannot
be forgotten through life. In one of the towns a Russian
gentleman with whom we were passing through the mar-
ket-place asked a young Bohemian if she would bring
her band to sing to us. The offer was eagerly accepted,
but circumstances prevented its fulfilment. It appears
that they are reckoned the best singers in Russia. When
a feast is given on any great occasion in private families,
it is usual to have a band of them to sing before the com-
pany ; and it is said that the performance, while singu-

THE DON. 2A\

larly wild, is yet of very great beauty. Their trade of
fortune-telling thrives here as much as in other lands ;
and the Russian housewives, like those of other countries,
by no means deem their poultry more safe when the rag-
ged tent is in the neighbourhood. Alas ! too, another
branch of their trade — at least, one for which they are
notorious in Bohemia — still characterises them in Russia
— their extreme licentiousness, and readiness to lend
themselves to the vilest occupations.

Not far from the road we were now upon lies the small
lake, Ivanofskoe, in which the Don has its source.
Though this river, known to the ancients as the Tanais,
is not among the largest of Russian streams, yet its name
is more familiar than that of any other, from the fact
of its being always associated with that of the most pow-
erful of the Cossack tribes, whose country it waters in
the lower part of its course. From the point where it
rises till it enters the sea of Azoff at Tcherkask, it winds
a course of nearly nine hundred miles, but is generally so
sluggish and full of shallows, that at no part of its career
is it navigable for vessels of any size. From the middle
of April to the end of June small vessels come as high as
Zadonsk ; but at other times there are not more than two
feet of water on the sand-beds. Its mouth is so com-
pletely choked with sand, that none but flat boats can
be used upon it. As far as Voronesh its course lies
through fertile hills ; from that place, till . it pass the
chain of the Volga, its left bank is so flat, that the waters
often spread over it in unhealthy swamps ; but its right
bank is lofty. In the lower part of its course there is a
dreary steppe on the left side, and chalk hills on the

VOL. II. M

242 TOULA.

right. Though its waters are so strongly impregnated
with chalk and mud as to be dangerous to. those un-
accustomed to drink them, yet they abound with all
the kinds of fish usually found in Russian rivers.
There is neither a whirlpool nor a waterfall in its whole
course.

Our cross-journey was now drawing to a close. We
had every reason to be satisfied with ourselves for having
made it, the saving of distance — besides avoiding a second
visit to Moscow — being at least seventy versts. The road
itself is also much better, and, from the small number of
travellers, horses may be got more readily than on the
great routes. The post-horses are not all so good as
those on the south road, but a tolerable set is met with
now and then.

We joined the great road to Odessa at the once rich
and flourishing city of Toula, 348 miles from Nishnei,
and 117 in a direct line from Moscow. The city is finely
situated on both banks of the small stream of the Oopa.
The houses fill a wide hollow, and spread gently back
till they reach two ridges of considerable elevation, which
are covered with mansions of very imposing appearance.

Dr. Clarke's beautiful description of this place, as a
scene of happy industry, was fresh in our memory as we
entered ; but wre looked in vain for the life and bustle
which he dwells on with such delight. Churches there
still are in abundance ; but the " ringing of bells" is now
as silent as the " hum of industry." We drove through the
kremlin, but found nothing in it except crumbling walls,
and a desolate melancholy square occupied by some
wretched booths. WTe next traversed a wide street, and

DREADFUL CONFLAGRATION. 243

—still seeing no sign of prosperity — began to wonder at
the fairy-tale of the great traveller — when, on advancing
a little farther, the blackened fronts and empty windows
of some burnt houses reminded us of the sad calamities
which have brought ruin and desolation on this ill-fated
place. Within the short reign of the present emperor,
Toula has been twice ravaged by fire ! It had just begun
to recover from the first conflagration, when a second, in
1834, reduced one-half of its thirty thousand inhabitants
to complete ruin. In a country where insurances are
unknown a visitation of this kind leaves the citizens in
beggary.

On traversing the different parts of the town, we saw
that whole quarters had been reduced to ashes ; not a
wall was standing. In some places, where the buildings
had been of stone, may be seen whole streets of what
were fine mansions, without roofs or windows, ready to
fall before the first wind. Bazaars, counting-houses,
stores, the very richest and most important buildings,
had all been destroyed. Quarters widely distant from
each other, separated by extensive unoccupied spaces, —
nay, those standing far apart on opposite sides of the
Oopa, — have suffered equally with the centre. The ex-
tent of the desolation, however, will not appear wonderful,
when it is considered that formerly nearly all the houses
were built of wood. For the houses which have been re-
built, and they are not numerous, nothing but brick and
stone have been employed. In the last conflagration
twelve hundred houses were burnt, besides churches.
The splendid bells have in many instances been saved,
but are now sadly humbled, many of them being hung

m 2

244 THE BIRMINGHAM OF RUSSIA.

low, in a wooden frame close to the ground, beside some
temporary church.

Toula has long been a city of note in Russian history.
From its position on the direct road from the south, it
was often pillaged by the Krim Tartars, on their way to
Moscow. It was never famous for its fidelity to the
Tzars, and paid dearly for the support which it gave to
the false Demetrius. These disastrous days, however,
hav*e long been past. Under the protection of Peter the
Great, it became a place of high importance, and his suc-
cessors having all continued to protect its artisans by
every means in their power, it has risen to such a degree
of importance in some kinds of manufacture, that it
is now considered the Birmingham of the empire.

Many of the articles made here, such as rings, snuff-
boxes, clasps, and other fancy articles, both of steel and
iron, have long had a high reputation in all parts of the
Continent. The staple branch of industry, however, is
the manufacture of fire-arms, which was formerly carried
on with such activity that one thousand muskets were
delivered weekly for many years. The number now
produced is much smaller. It surprised us to find that,
instead of having one large establishment, where all the
branches of gun-making could be prosecuted together,
and where all the workmen could carry on their various
departments under proper inspection, nearly all the
work is performed by the blacksmiths at their own
houses. When one has done to a musket all that
belongs to his branch, it is sent away to another, and so
on till it has traversed Toula a dozen of times. We
thus found hundreds of blacksmiths carrying about mus-

MANUFACTURES OF TOULA. 245

kets from place lo place when labouring hours were over.
The operations have generally been under the direction
of able engineers from England or Scotland; but now
there is only one Englishman connected with them, and
he is English only in name, — a Mr. Jones, born in
Russia, and son of a person originally from this country.
The emperor, very wisely, is now trying to keep every-
thing in the hands of natives ; it is only from necessity
that he still goes abroad for workmen of any description.

A great part of the iron and steel wrought here comes
from Siberia; but iron of the best quality is also found in
the district itself. The whole soil abounds with ore, and
in some places, especially towards the government of
Kalouga, it may be reached by the plough. The mines
are, in consequence, very easily worked; but, smiling
crops having in many districts replaced the once exten-
sive forests, fuel has become so scarce, that the forges are
wrought at very considerable expense. Those of the
Demidoff family, only fifty versts distant, are still the
most important.

The country cannot be described as mountainous, but
its undulations are of a much bolder character than is
usual in Russia. Notwithstanding its natural wealth,
and the great industry of its inhabitants, the government
of Toula labours under considerable disadvantages ; not
the least of which is want of good communications.
The Oopa, in spite of the locks and other formidable
machinery raised on it, is but a mere puddle.

In fact, there are no large rivers near, and the expen-
sive land-carriage to St. Petersburg and Moscow en-
hances the price of everything so much that, at a

246 GUNS OF TOULA.

distance, few can afford to purchase its tempting manu-
factures. On the spot, however, we found them very
cheap. Pretty rings may be had for five or six roubles,
and the handsome platina snuff-boxes, which sell very
high in Germany, may here be bought for Si. lbs. In
regard to the fire-arms of Toula, they are of very inferior
quality compared with our English guns. Percussion
locks, of course, here, as everywhere else, are fast driving
all others out of use. Little care, however, is exercised
in the selection of the metal for barrels, compared with
what is done in England, where old horse-shoes and
stubs are in such request for this purpose ; or in Spain,
where, if stubs or worn metal cannot be had, the black-
smith will hammer down a forty-pound piece of iron to
the weight of a common barrel, and make you glad to get
it for as many pounds sterling. The boring process, as
well as the proving, are also very roughly conducted.
The consequence of all which is, that accidents are
of frequent occurrence from these guns ; and, perhaps,
will continue to be so, till a more general diffusion
of taste for field-sports encourage manufacturers to pro-
duce a superior article. The common gun, like every-
thing common, is always better made where a dear one
is sure to find a ready purchaser. Government protec-
tion can do much among the Russians; but its encou-
ragement would be more efficient if they had a Marquis
of Rockingham to present a Colonel Thornton with a
fowling-piece worth four hundred pounds. They show
at St. Petersburg some guns of Toula manufacture that
are greatly admired; but when will Toula produce an
article like Napoleon's famous Versailles guns, worth

SLEEPING IN RUSSIA. 247

two thousand pounds each, or his pistols, valued at four
hundred pounds a-piece ?

Generally speaking, we did not see much to admire in
the Toula workmanship. The things are very slight,
and of inferior finish. When used for a while joints
were always going wrong, and screws are never a
week fit for use. Except the snuff-boxes, few fancy
articles receive the labour that would be bestowed on toys
in England. Heavy things, however — water-pipes, fit-
tings for furniture, &c. — are substantially done.

We found but a sorry inn, compared with what
any place of the same size in other countries would
have afforded. Our beds were hard sofas; and, after
a learned negociation with the waiter, we succeeded
in hiring a leather pillow, and even a sheet. The
Russians are always greatly surprised that we should
trouble ourselves so much about, our sleeping ; for
when they themselves in travelling are so unlucky as to
have no bed with them, they tumble unceremoniously
down in antechamber, lobby, or kitchen — wherever there
is space enough for them to stretch their limbs. Thus,
on opening our bed-room door in the morrting, we found
its vicinity so thickly strewred with men — all of very
respectable appearance — that it was not easy to steer
through them. Their coats had been taken off, but,
except a light wrapper round them, they lay without
blanket or covering of any kind. The balcony be-
hind, and the passage to it, were similarly occupied;
and in the yard below, under the gateway, among the
carriages, by the stable doors, they might be heard
snoring as happily as if on beds of down. A Scotchman

248 DIET.

from the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, who has for
thirty years acted as steward to the Davidoff family
somewhere near this, when we complained of the
wretched state of the Russian inns, told us to be thankful
— that now we travel luxuriously, compared with the
wayfarers of other days, when he used to be compelled
to carry not only his beef for dinner, but also the char-
coal to cook it with.

However deficient they may be in beds and cleanli-
ness, the inns of all the larger towns generally turn out a
very tolerable dinner. Dressed fowls, or something of
the kind, may always be laid in at such places, to carry
travellers through the country stations, where nothing is
to be got, except milk or hot water for tea. Unless in
the very largest towns, butcher-meat would appear to be
very little used. Even in such places as Toula and
Zaraisk a butcher's shop is never seen ; a calf with the
skin half off is sometimes displayed at a butcher's door,
but the sight does not occur above once in two hundred
miles. Fish is even more rare than beef; being always
sold alive from the river, none is ever exposed in the
market-places. Vegetables and milk compose a great
part of the diet, in the districts we have now reached.
In order to provide themselves with the latter of these
articles, most families, even in the towns, keep a few
cows. The common herd, therefore — though it was not
a little amusing to see village habits retained in such a
large place — was to be seen, even at Toula, straggling
peaceably home at night, each member, with familiar
low and sagacious step, seeking her own stall, as securely
as in smaller populations.

LM9

CHAPTER XIX.

JOURNEY THROUGH THE CORN-GROWING DISTRICTS
OF CENTRAL RUSSIA.

A Russian courier — Great road to the South — Druves from the Ukraine
— Dead cattle — Ravens — Forests of the North disappear — Roguish
postmaster — Rich corn-country — Habits of the farmers — Their
wives — Ignorance — Mtzensk — Government of Orel — Array of wind-
mills— Astonishing fertility of Central Russia — Immense resources
of Russia — Mode of farming — Produce, flocks, and general statistics
of the Governments of Riazan, Toula, Orel, and Koursk — Returns of
Grain — Compared with those of Scotland, &c. — Landlords — Slow pro-
gress of improvements among Russian farmers — The Town of Orel —
Its trade — Filthy aspect — Fortifications and general appearance of a
town in the interior.

A night's rest enabled us to start from Toula with
spirits as fresh and buoyant as if we had never been
shaken on Russian roads, nor stretched on Russian
boards. As we set forth, the other travellers who had
lodged in the house over night were anxiously pacing the
court-yard in long blue robes, half covered in front with
their grisly beards, and eyed us with looks wThich seemed
to say that foreigners had no right to obtain horses while
natives were kept waiting for them. But it was not so
much our character as foreigners that we had to thank
for being readily served as the good management of our
courier. A more useful companion we could not have
desired. Mr. Lebedeff may, or may not, have believed
that all four of us were travelling on important service

m 3

250 RUSSIAN COURIER.

of the King of England ; but assuredly the represent-
ations which he made to the postmasters, of our high
and august characters, could not have been more fervent
had the emperor himself been guarantee for the truth of
his statements on this head. His reasoning seemed to
be, that if we were not great personages, his presence
made us so. The way in which he treated the post-
masters, therefore, was very unceremonious. He did
not deign to entreat, or even to explain ; a short word, an
authoritative command, was all he used. Postmasters,
he seemed to think, were made to be bullied, not to be
reasoned with ; and, whether his theory was correct or
not, he always succeeded in procuring horses, when other
travellers had to wait. In short, his services were of
immense importance to us. It should also be stated,
by wav of information to those who think Russians can
possess no good qualities, that with us he was extremely
modest and respectful, obeying every order with the
punctuality and silence of a soldier. He was as econo-
mical in all disbursements as if the money had been his
own ; he was also very temperate, and, for fear of appear-
ing intrusive, always kept out of the way when we were
at meals. When travelling, the dashing uniform which
he wore in the towns was laid aside for a glazed cap, a
smart green coat, and grey trousers. The formidable
sword was also unbuckled, but only to be conspicuously
displayed on the box of the carriage, from whence its
varnished scabbard gleamed terror into the hearts of our
foes. How he managed to understand what we said to
him is a mystery which we cannot pretend to explain ;
yet, though we knew scarcely a word of each other's

CATTLE FROM THE UKRAINE. 251

language, our dialogues were often long and agreeable.
There were a great many djasses and vjeats in them,
and no lack of knowing shakes of the head, and expla-
natory movements of the hand, which, thanks to the
good-nature and intelligence of our patient, friend, were
so successful, that we never felt any serious inconvenience
from cur want of the Russian language.

As we sallied forth from Toula, few of its inhabitants
were to be seen in the early dawn. A short distance
from the southern gate stand the park and holiday
grounds of the citizens, who, like the inhabitants of the
other towns, have borrowed from France imitation Rus-
sian mountains for their amusement in summer, when
the real ones, of snow, cannot be had. These contriv-
ances, which form conspicuous objects in most places of
popular resort, consist of a couple of lofty wooden towers,
with ropes stretched between them, like the chains of a
suspension bridge, along which the holiday people glide,
in machines contrived for the purpose.

It is seldom that any large body of troops is seen in
this part of the interior ; but, to our great surprise, we
passed, near Toula, an extensive encampment, which the
emperor intends to renew every summer.

The road, for a time, was almost impassable, and ex-
ceedingly dreary. Ere long, however, its qualities im-
proved, and the dreariness was lightened by numerous
droves of cattle from the Ukraine, on their way to the
markets of the norlh. These animals are all greyish-
white, and, with their long, spreading horns, are at once
seen to be a distinct race from the pure white oxen so
frequently met in the north of Russia. While traversing

252 CATTLE FROM THE UKRAINE.

these central districts, we always found many droves of
cattle at rest on the roads in the morning, before com-
mencing their long day's march ; they often filled the wide
road so completely, that the carriage could scarcely get
through them. When the herds stop for the night, the
drivers light large fires amongst them in the middle of
the road ; and by the light of these alone is the traveller
enabled to steer his way through the prostrate hundreds.
A short way from Toula we found what, when we got
farther south, was no unusual sight — an ox left dead on
the highway, where it had fallen from the fatigue of a
journey of many hundred miles. The ravens which were
gorging themselves on the carcase flew away as reluc-
tantly as if they had wished to prove their legal right to
the waif; and in many instances they would appear to
be the undisputed claimants ; for, after the skin is
stripped off, the flesh is generally left at their free dis-
posal. So effectual is the process which they adopt with
their prey, that in a short time little is left but the heaps
of bones which we now found bleaching in every hollow
as we passed along.

Long trains of waggons, dragged by bullocks, were now
meeting us every half-hour, loaded with casks of tallow.
This road altogether presents a singular contrast to the
lonely one from Mourom to Riazan ; but in many places
it is equally bad, especially after a few hours' rain. For
a long way here the colour of the road shows the rich-
ness of the soil — a fat mould often as black as peat-moss.
One rare sight presented itself — a rich wooded dell, such
as our eves had lonor been strangers to. Near it was the
fine seat of some nobleman, which is also a very unusual

ROGUISH POSTMASTER. 253

sight in Russia. One may travel a hundred miles with-
out seeing a country mansion ; in the last four hundred
versts which we had traversed we had seen only two !
The ash now appears for the first time; fine clumps of
it are scattered over the declivities. Other hard-wood
trees are also seen here, of great size and beauty, in
patches often so regular that they would appear to have
been planted. The fir, which had been getting more
rare, was not seen at all after this (lat. fifty-four degrees
north, and about six hundred miles from St. Peters-
burg).

At Yassna Poliana, the first station out of Toula, we
began to experience some of the tricks for which Russian
postmasters are famed. Under pretext that the horses
were engaged for the governor of the province, it was
announced that we must be detained perhaps all day ;
but fortunately up came the " gubernador" himself, who
at once made horses appear. In fact there was a suffi-
cient supply in the stable all the time, but the postmaster
wanted a bribe.

The same was attempted at Soloica, the next stage.
In vain did we threaten to enter a charge against the
postmaster in the book kept at every station for that
purpose. The postmasters in general know well how to
dispose of such complaints — either presenting the wrong
book for the traveller to write in, or falsifying the en-
trance in some way or other. Believing that this per-
sonage would treat ours in this way, we had no help for it
but to remain kicking our heels in the muddy street of
the village. The man vowed that he had not a single
horse in the stable. What use murmuring under such

254 RUSSIAN POSTMASTERS.

circumstances? At length, however, our Herr Palko-

vinck's English blood was roused ; a formal complaint

was entered, and a letter written to the governor — upon

which, when he saw he had more hardy customers to deal

with than had been expected, the postmaster's tone at

once changed from bluster to cringing entreaty. The

horses, which had all the time been in a stable at a short

distance from the public one, were forthcoming in an

instant. Flattery, supplications, tears were employed to

soothe us. " Surely we, generous Englishmen as we

were, would not injure a poor man and an old soldier."

And so we parted the best of friends. Had we once

begun with bribery, we should have had to pay double

at every stage, many of the postmasters, and our friend

here in particular, being notorious for their cupidity.

They are so apt to impose on females who may fall into

their hands, that few travel without some good courier*

like our faithful Lebedeff, who is often sent to take charge

of lady-travellers. It is but just to add, however, that,

from our own experience, we have nothing bad to say of

the postmasters in general. Though we sometimes had

to wait a little — seldom above half an hour — till horses

came, we never met with incivility. In fact, the emperor

and his travelling subjects are to blame for all the

roguery of these men ; the emperor, because he sends to

such situations men who have had respectable characters

as non-commissioned officers in the army, giving them a

good house, but almost no salary to support them and

their families. They are thus compelled to be dishonest

in order to live. Russian travellers, again, are to blame,

because, in place of using the postmasters civilly, they

THE CORN DISTRICTS. 255

treat them like brutes, even when they do their duty ; and
never pay them when they stop at their houses, or give
any extra trouble !

Near the village of Sergidyerskoije stands the fine
mansion of Prince Gagarin, who holds a high official
appointment at St. Petersburg. His park is enclosed by
a wall — English fashion — the first we had seen in
Russia.

The country now improved at every step. Without
having seen it, no idea could be formed of its fertility.
For many miles it is by far the richest district we had
yet been in. Forests having almost entirely disappeared,
nothing is to be seen but ridge beyond ridge of the most
beautiful corn-land, in many places now stripped of the
crop, but still showing what its abundance had been.
The young wheat is already coming beautifully through
the ground. Wherever the plough has been really at
work, the soil may be seen black and rich enough to
break" an English farmer's heart with envy. And yet
there is little reason why an Englishman should murmur
at the sight of Russian luxuriance, for nothing strikes us
more than the fact, that, precisely in the districts which
appear to be naturally the richest, the peasants are
always the most wretched. They are poor, downcast
creatures, with ragged, dirty clothes. As formerly stated,
they are entirely at the mercy of their masters, who, the
moment they begin to thrive a little, step in with new
demands, and sweep all their savings away.

The morals of the people in these agricultural districts
are as low as their circumstances. From the want of
religious knowledge, there is no tie to keep them within

256 FEMALE PEASANTRY.

the bounds of morality; and, consequently, the number
of illegitimate children is very great. Instances of mo-
thers having children to several fathers are also of con-
stain occurrence. Women appear everywhere to share
in the most toilsome drudgery of the field ; and the prac-
tice of beating their wives is so common among the
farmers here, as to be altogether disregarded by those
who witness the operation going on. " Kindness to
women" — using the words employed by an old author in
describing another wild race — " is regarded by their
husbands merely as spoiling good working creatures."
To all appearance his account of the wives of the Ameri-
can Indians will also hold good of the Russian wives ; for
" commendable is their mild carriage and obedience to
their husbands, notwithstanding all this customarie chur-
lishnesse and savage inhumanitie, not seeming to delight
in frownes, or offering to word it with their lords, not
presuming to proclaim their female superiority to the
usurping of the least tithe of their husband's charter, but
resting themselves content under their helplesse condi-
tion."

Though the peasants of this and the adjoining govern-
ment of Orel are among the wealthiest in Russia, they
do not send to school more than one in every three hun-
dred of the population. There may now and then be
found amongst them a boy of twelve or fifteen years old
who can read ; but of grown-up people, scarcely one
knows the alphabet. Present anything printed or writ-
ten to a farmer, and he puts it away as a thing which in
no way concerns him — which he is neither entitled nor
expected to understand. In England the boor who can-

MTZENSK. 257

not read blushes at least when detected ; the Russian
peasant does not yet know that there is any shame in
being ignorant.

We had a hurried and hungry scene at supper in the
post-house of Scouratovo-Maloye, after which we em-
barked in our frigate for the night ; but at dawn, in con-
sequence of renewed rain and abominable roads, we found
ourselves only at Mtze?isk, two stages farther on. This
district town, containing six thousand inhabitants, be-
longs to the government of Orel, and is eighty-six miles
distant from Toula. It presents a range of very hand-
some houses on a height above the Zousha, which runs
through the town. Some manufactures are also carried
on, but the greater part of the population live by agricul-
ture, or by the transmission of the products of the south
to Moscow.

The information given us at this place by Russian
gentlemen, about their ordinary rate of travelling, by no
means helped to reconcile us to the snail's pace at which
the state of the roads now compelled us to advance. In
good, weather, natives, when their telegas are well
stored with blankets, often travel in this part of the
country 1000 versts in four days, or 166 miles m
twenty-four hours.

The government of Orel, through which we are now
passing, presents one unbroken field of the greatest fer-
tility. There being no enclosures in Russia, and in this
part of it few trees, the eye now ranged over mile
beyond mile of fields, many of them no longer waving
with grain; but the stubble with which they were still
clad indicated how rich were the crops they had just

258 WINDMILLS.

resigned. The great number of windmills would alone
suffice to show the fertility of the country. Instead of
one at a time, the knight of La Mancha wTould here
have had whole legions of them to fight, some knolls
being often completely clad with them. The valiant
Don, however, would have found them an easy con-
quest ; for they are such low puny things, that, in spite
of their half-dozen tattered sails, the schoolboys are able
to arrest them when at their fullest flight — to the great
annoyance of the honest miller, who thinks his machi-
nery bewitched, to stop when a good breeze is blow-
ing. Water-mills for grinding corn are also numer-
ous ; but, from their position in low hollows along
the streams, they are seldom seen from the road. From
the same cause, few of the brandy-distilleries, which
abound in all of these provinces, are seen by the traveller.

Near one of the farm-houses we passed a merry scene
of men, women, and children, thrashing the grain in the
open air. A large bed of it is spread on a floor of wood,
or of hard earth, round which the happy household sing
and beat away with great zeal. This was the first in-
stance we had seen of it; but farther south, in Little
Russia, it is a very common sight.

This tract of country is rich beyond all example.
The 335 miles from Riazan on to Koursk — a line ex-
tending through no less than three large governments,
Riazan, Toula, Orel — surpasses all we have seen in any
country of Europe. We had not supposed that the earth
contained such an immense stretch of the finest corn-
land, all in the highest cultivation, and without the inter-
vention of a single barren acre. The whole of the soil

VAST RESOURCES. 259

may not be equally rich, but, even where its general cha-
racter is sandy, there is always a mixture of good patches.

What a country this Russia is ! was our frequent ex-
clamation while journeying through these rich districts.
It is only by travelling in it that one can have any
adequate idea of its immense resources. In the north we
had been traversing forests fit to build navies to every
sea-power in Europe ; and now we were in a region
which, under proper management, might be the granary
of whole kingdoms. As yet, however, agriculture is but
in its infancy. There is great industry, but little
method. The peasant toils from morn to night, and
leaves not a foot of his land waste; but he has old-
fashioned, unwieldy implements — knows nothing of rota-
tions— cropping on from year to year without either a
judicious variation of manures, or any attention to soils —
and, lastly, he has not a sufficient inducement to do
better. He labours for another. Yet, even under every
disadvantage, in the government of Orel there are usually
seven returns, and sometimes ten ; in Koursk, seldom
less than nine ; in Toula and Riazanjfoe.

On consulting the lists of the annual produce of these
governments, we found that Orel yielded 8,076,623
tchetverts,* from an average sowing of 1,800,000 tchet-
verts on 2,163,112 deciatines -j- of arable land. Koursk
yielded 8,169,613 tchetverts, after 1J million tchetverts
sown; Toula 6,616,359 tchetverts, from an average sow-
ing of 1,864,981 on 1,888,317 deciatines ; and Riazan

* The (chetvert is equivalent to «68 of a bushel, or to 2 -73 English
pints.
f The deciatine corresponds to 2*693 imperial acres.

260 RATIO OF PRODUCE.

6,496,316 tchetverts, from 1,827,216 tchetverts, on a total
of 1,708,859 deciatines of arable land. Each of these
governments is able to export from two to three millions
of tchetverts annually. In order to form a correct
judgment of the state of agriculture, as shown by these
statements, it should be borne in mind that a great por-
tion of the extent given as arable land is often not under
a grain-crop, while in some governments a large share of
it is occupied by hops, tobacco, hemp, flax, cucumbers,
and vegetables of every kind. Many of the farmers also
pay great attention to the rearing of horses, sheep, and
cattle. Riazan, for instance, contains 334,116 horses,
292,172 head of horned cattle, and 769,976 sheep;
Toula, 361,811 horses, '292,559 horned cattle, and
1,066,976 sheep ; Orel, 488,853 horses, 287,388 horned
cattle, and 631,940 sheep.

By stating that the governments which we were now
passing through present such a great breadth of culti-
vated land, it is not meant that the whole surface is
under the plough, but merely to give an idea of the
general aspect of the country. Thus it appears that in
the government of Riazan there are 1,412,691 deciatines
covered with forests, 277,486 of pasture, and 236,443 of
waste ground; in Toula, 476,326 forest, 213,178 pas-
ture, and 68,469 waste ; in Orel, 1,285,008 forest, 329,364
pasture, and 152,538 waste.* Generally speaking, how-
ever, the forests are not so extensive as the manufactures
and general wants of the region would require. In the
government of Koursk, as will afterwards be seen, there

* These statements are taken from General Balachef s report, quoted
by the indefatigable Schnitzler.

COMPARATIVE RETURNS. 261

is not enough of wood for fuel, there being only 80,548
deciatines of forest-land on its whole surface.

Lest it should be thought that the number of returns
above stated is very small — and it is certainly small com-
pared with the returns on good land in England and
Scotland — we must warn the reader that he is not to
compare the produce raised in a country where farming
is so imperfect with the returns in countries where farming
is carried to the highest state of improvement. The true
way is to compare Russia with some country on the
Continent, over the greater part of which farming is in a
very backward state: with France, for instance, which
has as good a soil as the part of Russia now under con-
sideration and a better climate. On doing this, we find
that, from his superior industry, the Russian farmer
beats the French one completely ; for there are few parts
of France where, on an average, more than five or six
measures of wheat are reaped from one sown, while some
of the central districts of Russia, we have seen, yield as
many as ten.

Even at best, however, this way of valuing crops is so
deceitful, that we have tried to obtain some data show-
ing the produce per acre, which is by far the best way of
judging the quality of a soil, as well as the skill of the
agriculturist ; but there are no tables of the kind for
Russia. Taking the Continent in general, however — ex-
cepting Flanders, part of Holstein, perhaps, and the
north of Italy — the crops on the best lands, and in the
most favourable climates, always fall one-third short of
the return on the same quantity of good land in Eng-
land, and are fully one-half less than that of the best

262 RUSSIAN OBSTINACY.

lands in Scotland ; thus showing that industry and well-
applied capital can make up for an inferior climate.
There are few parts of France where the produce of an
acre of wheat averages more than fifteen or twenty
bushels, or oats above twenty-five to thirty.

The farms in this part of Russia are generally small.
The large proprietors are now at much pains to improve
the system, by establishing model-farms, aad by procuring
experienced stewards from other countries ; but there is
no creature in the world so unwilling to give up his old
fashions as the Russian. He will submit to any burden
his master chooses to impose upon him, but he must be
allowed to carry it in his own way. Every other nation is
changing, and making progress ; the Russian, in most
respects, remains where he was.

The remarks which have now been offered will give
some idea of the country through which we travelled
before reaching Orel, the capital of the government
already so often named. It lies 120 miles from Toula,
near the white clayey bed of the Okka, and has the filthy
stream of the Orlyk stagnating among the long dingy
streets of its lower quarter. The town, wrhich formerly
reached onlv to this small river, now spreads a full half-
mile beyond it, the population, by the official accounts,
having increased eleven thousand in ten years !

The books state that the very flourishing condition of
this place is attributable to its being the point where all
the provisions necessary for the victualling of Moscow
are collected from Little Russia : — such as grain of every
kind, tallow, cattle, pigs, leather, honey, wax, wool —

OREL. 263

besides the corn and hemp sent to St. Petersburg for the
navy. There are also works for tanning, melting of tal-
low, weaving, rope-making ; and important fairs are held
here occasionally. The Russian statements, however,
regarding this as well as other places, are too magnilo-
quent to give any idea of the real state of things. They
would make the stranger think that he is to find a Bir-
mingham or a Manchester where there is not business
enough to employ the population of half a street in
either of those places. We do not. deny that this may be
a flourishing town, but its look certainly does not indi-
cate great prosperity. In the low quarter many of the
houses, which are all of wood, appear to be deserted.
The windows of several were cracked and broken, doubt-
less by the musical fury of the regimental bands, that
were rehearsing in them with anything but harmony.

By the sides of some of the fetid waters, putrid beef
and offal were exposed, to tempt the soldiers, of whom,
infantry and cavalry together, there are four regiments
here. The dark bazaar savoured strongly of a Jewish
keeping ; and near it is a range of hucksters' shops dis-
playing abundance of tin vessels, ropes, harness, and
such like commodities; but there is not a single shop
with the substantial look which one would expect in a
place of 31,000 inhabitants, described as being in easy
circumstances. The upper town, however, pleased us
much more ; for it presents some tolerable streets, and in
one of them we found an inn, which, if it provided little
else, produced at least a good dinner for those of us to
whom any appetite had been left by feverish, and all
but sleepless, nights, spent on these horrid roads.

264 OREL.

There is plenty of staring show in some of the Rus-
sian towns, but comfort is a word which none would ever
employ in speaking of tkem. They cover too much
ground,, compared with their population, to allow any
part of them to look comfortable. There are not only
vast squares and vast streets, out of all proportion with
the insignificance of the place, but on journeying to the
suburbs, away as would be thought out of the town, there
will also be found manv long and silent lanes, with low
wooden houses on each side, and acres of green grass in
the middle — of themselves taking up ground enough for
a good-sized town. That such places should be fortified
is of course out of the question ; it would be as easy to
fortify Glasgow, with its population of 200,000 souls, as
to put walls round a Russian town w7ith only fifteen thou-
sand. In fact, they are well enough fortified, without
walls or ditches, at all seasons of the year ; in winter by
the wastes of endless snow — in spring by impassable
swamps — and in summer by the rivers, the forests, and
the roads — which latter are of such a kind, that in such
a variable climate they cannot be reckoned on for a
couple of weeks together, even in the finest months. But
though there is no regular fortress in the towns we are
now speaking of — even the Kremlins, of which so many
were seen farther north, having now disappeared — yet
there is always a considerable military force in them.
Some are also imperfectly protected by palisades. There
is no military pomp observed however; except at the
governor's mansion, scarcely a sentinel is to be seen.
Neither in entering- nor leaving is any trouble given at
the gates about passports or luggage. You drive in and

OREL. 265

out again, without a single question having been asked,
the exhibition of the padoroshna to the postmasters being
sufficient to secure all that the traveller wants. In case
of need, however, the authorities, when waited upon, are
not only very courteous, but most ready to yield every
assistance to the stranger.

vol ir. n

G6

CHAPTER XX.

GLANCE AT THE PRINCIPAL TOWNS ON THE COSSACK

BORDER.

Comforts of a large Carriage — Wretched Climate — Account of the Post-
houses in this part of Russia — Of the Roads — Method of Driving —
Koursk — Beautiful situation — Analysis of the Population of a Rus-
sian Town — Government Functionaries — The Russian Apothecary —
Polish Prisoners — Population of the Government of Koursk — Crops —
Climate improves — Game — Medwenka — Approach to Little Russia —
Manners of the Little Russians — Order — Cleanliness — Oboyane —
Hand-plastering — Pretty Cottages — New People — Pleasant Travelling
— Serenade from the Sirens of Yakowbevo — Russian Singing com-
pared with Italian — Bielgorod — Ancient wisdom.

From Orel,, two roads lead to Odessa ; one, going
some hundred versts round by Kieff, another, nearly
direct, by Poltava. We preferred the latter ; but, before
setting out, it became necessary to repair our carriage —
for the third time since we left Moscow, besides sundry
minor refittino-s. Considering what the Russian work is,
it is onlv surprising- that springs, axles, crane-neck, and
all, did not give way long before.

For the benefit of future travellers, it should be told,
that in Russia thev ought always to have a vehicle in
which, to use a homely phrase, they can pack well to-
gether. It was not from want of room, but from having
too much, that we suffered most ; we sprawled about so
loosely, that every jolt was like to throw us out on the
road. The luggage was also another source of annoy-

HINTS TO TRAVELLERS. 267

ance No ropes could have kept it from shifting, in such
paths. It is customary to fasten exposed articles with
chains, in consequence of the character which the Rus-
sians have of stealing luggage placed behind, by cutting
the ropes in night travelling; but all the chains that we
employed were scarcely sufficient to keep things from
shifting-. We did not meet with a single instance of
pilfering, however, during the whole journey, though
articles were constantly left exposed in the carriage, and
large trunks were so loose, that they could easily have
been removed.

We set forth from Orel in the evening, and after
bidding adieu to the Okka, which is here so shallow that
we forded it in the carriage without much danger, found
ourselves in an open, highly cultivated country. The
mangled, stunted line of willow trees on the roadside, by
no means gives a just idea of the fertility of the soil.
But though the fields around bore every appearance of
having yielded an early and abundant crop, we found no
reason to praise the climate. We had been assured that
it would here change greatly for the better ; but when
night came on, we thought ourselves still far from the
promised south. Tt was so cold and frosty, that we sat
shivering in the blast, and we had difficulty in persuading
ourselves it was not December. " How can you blame
us, poor Russians," said a friend, " for loving Italy so
well? with such a detestable climate, and such people to
live amongst, nobody would remain here if they could
help it. You are now in a part of Russia which ranks
among the most favoured provinces of the empire, both
in regard to climate and soil ; yet you see what that fine

N 2

268 CLIMATE OF RUSSIA ROADSIDE INNS.

climate is ! The cold and rain which you have been
travelling in for the last few days were frost and snow at

© " -

St. Petersburg and this before the harvest is finished

©

in the warm districts, and long before it has begun in the
cold ones ! We have the worst climate in the world."
" And England the best," murmured somebody; "what
can tempt people to leave it ?"

Fortunately, horses were now so quickly procured at
all the stations, that we had not the additional vexation
of delay to complain of. The post-houses on the whole
of this south-road are very good ; generally they are
handsome houses of one story, with several lofty, well-
aired rooms. There is not much furniture in them, but
still enough to show that if there were more travellers
of rank, or were those that travel in the habit of stopping
at such places over-night, the long, leathern sofa, and the
three or four cane chairs, would scon be incrpased to the
ordinary comforts of wayside taverns. Though these
places are generally situated in populous villages (for it
is very seldom that one is found standing by itself), yet
we never witness any fighting or dram-drinking at them :
by night and day they are as quiet as private dwellings.

The average length of the stages here is seventeen

© © ©

English miles ; none are shorter than eleven miles.
From the inequality of the roads, the ground got over in
an hour is constantly varying. From five in the even-
ing till nine in the morning we had sometimes accom-
plished about seventy miles ; but this was the best we
had yet done. The roads are no longer the soft green
tracks of our Tartar cross-cut ; from the constant passing
of heavy loads, and numerous droves of cattle, the whole

RUSSIAN ROADS AND DRIVERS KOURSK. 269

wide space is now one poached gutter,, with a wheel-mark
here and there, which the yerntchik follows for a little,
till he perhaps finds himself in a slough, — when he
flounders out as he best can, and seeks a safer bottom in
the surrounding depths.

The Russians are very cautious on coming to a decli-
vity ; the drag is always put on where there is the least
slope : Norwegian or Swedish whips would drive full
gallop down places ten times more steep ; for they deem
the drag such an unnecessary invention, that, if allowed,
they will take a traveller all through their land of rocks
and mountains without one. The Russians are also at a
little more pains in measuring their roads than their
friends just named ; for at one side of the road, at the
end of every verst, they place a wooden column eight
feet high, painted white, with black figures at the top,
those on one side showing the distance from the last sta-
tion, those on the other the number of versts still remain-
ing to the next. These are kept up with great care ;
but, from the width of the road, it is often impossible to
read them, even from its centre. A little more care in
making the roads would be fully as praiseworthy as all
this wooden array for measuring them.

After much hard work, we at length reached Koursk,
a town of 22,0C0 inhabitants, and capital of the govern-
ment to which it gives its name. We were more pleased
with this orderly city than with any other place in this
part of Russia. The houses, filling a broad valley, and
climbing beautifully up the ample receding slopes of a
surrounding- circle of heights, are intermixed with
orchards and gardens in the liveliest manner. It has

270 KOURSK.

altogether a more compact and finished look than most
of the towns we had lately visited. Two heavy white
columns, surmounted by emblematic groups, mark the
northern entrance ; from which a well-paved street leads
down to a central point, surrounded by bazaars and
market-places. Here another street of stone houses
strikes away at a right angle, down one side of the val-
ley and up the other, till it terminates in a showy
triumphal arch, very finely situated on the summit of the
ridge. From this handsome street many small ones
branch off, and run in straight lines along the declivity,
which is so completely covered with a succession of ter-
races, one rising above the other, that from the east side
of the valley it presents a beautiful variety of white
churches, and their blue cupolas, minglino- amoiF villas
adorned with pillared verandahs, or nestling among trees
and flowers. Looking back from the arch, after crossing
the valley, the slope on which we first stood presents an
equally beautiful appearance.

This place is also remarkable for having one of the
handsomest inns in Russia ; but as it was shut for re-
pairs, we had to put up with indifferent quarters at a
second-rate traktir. Several people, as we drove from
the gate, came to offer lodgings, of which we did not
meet with another instance in any part of the country.

The streets are generally paved, and the principal
ones have even a footpath. Both at night and early in
the morning they presented more of the bustle of a large
town than any place we had been in since leaving
Nishnei. The fruits of the district are said to be good;
but in the market we found none except tolerable apples

KOURSK. 271

and bad pears. In the market-place were several gipsy
women, as tawny and ragged as usual. Like all the
rest of their tribe, they seem to have no idea of applying
themselves to any of the regular work of a market, but
live by picking up things thrown away as refuse.

Cloth, linen, and leather are made here ; and the trade
with the Ukraine leaves a share of the benefits which it
confers on so many other towns along this line. Besides
those engaged in trade, however, there are a great many
respectable families who derive their incomes from other
sources. To give some idea of the population of a Rus-
sian town, we may state, that first comes the governor;
he always has the best house. Then comes the bishop —
for the capital of every government boasts of one — he
has the next best house. At a Ions1 distance from the
wealth of these dignitaries follow the superior officers of
the various regiments, of which several are stationed here
and in similar places. The judges, and heads of depart-
ments, tax-collectors, &c, must next be named. Under
these is a second class of officers, numerous without, end.
Generally speaking, there are very few private individuals
of independent fortune in Russian towns. In English
towns, those who live by government appointments form
an imperceptible portion of the higher population ; but
in Russian ones they constitute the majority. There may
be a few rich merchants, but they have no station in
society ; a man may be worth thousands of pounds of
yearly income, and pay hundreds of weekly labourers,
yet be a nobody, because he wants the honour- giving
attributes derived from birth or a government appoint-
ment. Doctors, even, are scarcely men of much note in
such places. As for parsons, they live, if married, in

272 THE RUSSIAN APOTHECARY.

hovels : or, if single, in barracks, called convents. Law-
yers play but a very small part in Russia, the emperor
himself being both lawgiver and lawyer to his people.

But in this analysis of the more respectable part of the
population of a Russian town, we have omitted one con-
spicuous personage — the apothecary. He is always
among the wealthiest of the place. None can sell drugs
without a patent ; and as only one or two in a provincial
town, willing to gain their bread in this way, have influ-
ence enough to obtain the emperor's permission, there is
but little opposition in the trade. Nothing is paid for
the patent, so that the free profits of such a business are
often very large. A German, whose daughter is married
to the second apothecary of a government town near this,
told us that he had seen his son-in-law's books, and sel-
dom found the profits less than 32,000 roubles (or more
than 1200/.) a-year; while the first apothecary, as our
informant asserted, draws 50,000 roubles, or 2000/.
a-year. He instanced a smaller town, in which the two
dealers in physic draw 15,000 and 25,000 roubles respec-
tively. There are other parts of the continent where
apothecaries are equally wealthy ; as in German towns,
where they are always among the richest citizens.

After the late war in Poland, Koursk was one of the
places to which those unfortunate nobles were sent to
reside, against whom no proof could be got sufficient for
transporting them to Siberia. Alas for these ill-fated
men ! There are hundreds of them still scattered over the
towns of Russia, almost in beggary — pining in hopeless
inactivity, far from the fair possessions which their Rus-
sian conquerors are seizing as their own. And what are
their crimes ? They are suspected — not convicted, but

POLTSH NOBLES.

273

merely suspected — of having favoured the rebellion ; and
in Russia, suspicion is reason strong enough for hunting
a man from house and home.

To this imperfect sketch of the population of the town
of Koursk, it may not be out of place to add an abstract
of that of the government, which, though brief, will give
the reader a general idea of the way in which the rural
population of this part of Russia is composed. It should
be premised, however, that there are few governments in
which so many free husbandmen will be found : in place of
the thousands, as here stated under that head, most of the
o-overnments through which we have passed do not contain
many more than the same number of hundreds. The
large proportion of freemen here is owing to the influx of
independent settlers from the adjoining country of Little
Russia, where the system of slavery established in Russia
has never been known. In other respects the list, which
contains only the Male population, differs little from those
which have been published of the other governments :—

Nobles 5'35S

Clergy 6>"0

Merchants •• 5'605

Artisans and Raznocihintsi (people of vari-
ous professions) o,oo/

Odnodvortses (free husbandmen) 239,881

Belonging to the military colonies 19,596

Serfi* ..311.073

Gipsies (Bohemians) 151

Yemtchiks ->•" r

In all, 600,283 males.

n3

274

IMPROVED CLIMATE.

Generally speaking, the people of this favoured district
are much more comfortable than those of the adjoining
ones ; and the wheat, hemp, tobacco, hops, and other
productions of their fertile soil, would be still more pro-
fitable, but for the want of navigable communications
with the purchasing districts.

We left the really beautiful town of Koursk accompa-
nied by two excellent companions, — the sun, which we
had not seen for many a day, and a Russian friend who
had accepted of a seat in our carriage some way back,
and continued with us for several days in this part of our
journey. As he spoke French with the ease so common
here among all people of rank, his society proved a great
acquisition.

At this point the climate really improves (lat. 51° 43') :
we had not a drop of rain during the remainder of our
journey; and though we travelled nearly every night,
we never knew after this what cold was.

On getting through the first twelve miles of light sand,
the country once more becomes a fertile and busy scene.
Except a few pretty clumps in the distance, wood is now
so scarce that we begin to prize even the lines of poor
willows along the road. Behind these, however, waved
fields of the richest corn, with long stalk and heavy ear :
great part of the crop was already cut, and the rest was
fast falling beneath the scythe and the sickle. There
being no game-laws here, to make poachers, there is great
abundance of game all over these regions ; every body,
lord or boor, may kill what and where he pleases. The
wolves and foxes, however, are the best sportsmen, and

CHANGE OF MANNERS. 2/5

most effectually keep down every description of large
game ; even hares are scarce. Partridges are very plen-
tiful, but the people prefer killing the quails, which are
an easier prey.

At Medwenka, twenty-four miles on, though still in the ^
government of Koursk, we were reminded that we were
approaching a new country, and almost a new people.
We were now leaving what is known as Great Russia, and
were approaching the confines of Little Russia, but more
particularly that part of it called the Ukraine, in which
— though now under the same government — manners,
language, and institutions are completely different from
those of the country we have been traversing. One of
the great points of difference between the Muscovite and
the Little Russian, is his cleanliness, and it was one of
the first to strike us. The people of the village just
named attracted our attention by their smart appearance.
The cottages, too, — rare treat to an English eye, — are
actually whitewashed ! The spire of the showy church
is a great ornament to the wide hollow covered by the
village. The language of the people sounds differently
from what we had been accustomed to, but all under-
stand Russian.

Oboyane, sixteen miles farther south, is an insignifi-
cant district town, straggling over some steep banks of
white clay. The population is said to be five thousand.
For want of soldiers, some town-police were doing duty
at the guard-house, awkwardly enough. The passion for
cleanliness and order obviously increases as we advance ;
for the women — probably because their husbands were
bearing arms for the emperor in the market-place — were

2T6 CLEANLINESS AND ORDER.

busy repairing their elay-built mansions, some plastering
the holes with their hands (not very cleanly work, we
must admit), while others were carefully coating with
whitewash the parts which had become dry.

The cottages seen by the wayside after we passed this
place have a tidy look, glittering white through the trees,,
and they are as clean inside as out. They are nearly all
thatched with straw or tough grass, the walls very low,
the roof high and tapering. At Kotchetovsky-Potchtovy-
Dvory (a lovely little Russian name), another most won-
derful sign of improvement became obvious — clean shirts.
In other respects there is little change in the dress : the
first one thousand miles from St. Petersburg should be
called the country of sheepskins and dirt.

Hark ! a do^ barks. We cannot tell when we heard
one before. They are now to be seen at every door.
The passing peasant begins to salute us — as much as to
say, f? Strangers are rare in our land ; it is not every day
that we see a caravan with four Englishmen in it."

What crops ! never have we seen wheat so rank and
close on the ground. The roads, too, improve with the
soil. As we now sent our courier on before us in a telega,
to order horses, they were always ready at the inns the
moment we arrived. We could now with safe conscience
call out " skurry ! skurry!1' "pashol! pashol ! " to the
yemtchik ; formerly we were ashamed to hurry him — it
would have been more becoming to have dismounted and
put our shoulder to the wheel, to help him out of the
yawning ruts. " Skurry ! skurry ! " and on he goes,
with a merry tale to his steeds, or a song as long as the
stage, and as sweet as if it came all from his nose. He

PASSION FOR MUSIC. 277

wonders greatly — yea, grins with delight — on seeing one
of our party take the reins. Such a thing was never
heard of in Russia till now. The lad on the front pair
looks back, perfectly confounded, and fully believes that
the people capable of such an innovation will next ask
one of the horses to step inside.

At nine o'clock Yakoubevo yielded us a supper of
milk and eggs ; while the village-girls, all wearing a
kind of gipsy turban, which is common here, treated us
with a serenade — the first instance we met with of a
custom universal in Little Russia. These damsels are so
mad about music, that in the short darkness of summer,
they sing literally all the night through. Here they
come according^, in full force. A band of them return-
ing from the harvest-field, linked arm-in-arm, and with
a measured step, are marching past our door, singing a
low drowsy air, quite different from that we heard so in-
cessantly among the Muscovites ; and in which, though
we had occasionally had songs from very young girls, we
never heard the grown-up women join. This evening
song was not, indeed, quite so sweet as that of Milton's
" sirens three,"

" Who, as they suii£, would take the prison'd soul
And lap it in Elysium ;"

but it was more tolerable than the singing with which we
were so often assailed in other parts of this musical
country. The Russian is essentially a singing animal.
Scourge him till he howl again, and, be assured, his
wonted d>'awl about grandmother and the goose is
resumed before you have turned the corner. Talk of

278 PASSION FOR MUSIC.

Italy ! Russia shall henceforth be the land of song.
You may travel from one end of Italy to the other,
and never hear a peasant, man or woman, carol a single
air. Even in the large towns, unless from some bacchan-
alian party going home from a glee-club or the theatre,
the traveller seldom hears Italians singing. They keep
all their notes to themselves, to make us pay dear for
them in London. Among the Russians, on the other
hand, nothing but singing greets the unhappy traveller's
ears, from Cronstadt to Odessa. Wearisome as our postil-
ions' songs had always been, they became even more
irksome to us after we learnt that the words, if words
they can be called, which they consist of, have not the
smallest meaning. It would be impossible to draw any
kind of sense from their most favourite songs.

In some parts of the country ballads of considerable
beauty may still be heard; but they are now very scarce.
Many of these, according to Karamsin, " are exceed-
ingly beautiful, and especially those of a historical
nature. They generally relate to the happy times of
St. Vladimir, and were composed during the subju-
gation of our empire — in those disastrous days when the
imagination, weighed down beneath the yoke of the in-
fidel, had no other spur than the remembrance of the
eclipsed glory of the country. The Russian," he most.
truly adds, "sings in joy, and even in the midst of
sorrow.'*

Yakowbevo was still ringing with its twilight songs, as

© © © ©

we once more sallied out to spend a night on the high-
way. A rapid drive soon brought us to the fair city of

BIELGOROD.

279

Bielgorod. The moonlight, which slept on its towers,
gave it for the moment a double title to the appellation
of the white city ; and the peaceful Ziolka, a small tribu-
tary of the Don, which laves the walls, was looked on by
us with more respect, from its being the only stream of
any note that occurs for some hundred miles in this part
of our journey.

This city was once a place of much importance, and
was often the subject of contest between Tartar and Cos-
sack ; but, with a population of only seven thousand
inhabitants, it has now dwindled down from the rank of a
capital into a district-town of Koursk. At two in the
morning, the hour at which we passed through it, we
had little opportunity of sympathising with its inhabit-
ants on their fallen dignity, but were glad to learn that,
in times of old at least, the Bielgorodians enjoyed a high
reputation for wisdom, as appears by 'the following
extract taken from the historian who has just been
quoted: — "The Petcheneges, while besieging Bielgorod
(anno 997), cut off all communication between it and
the surrounding country so completely, that famine soon
be^an to be felt among the besieged, who at last assem-
bled and showed a desire to surrender themselves to the
enemy. ' The prince is far from us,' said they ; ' the
Petcheneges will put only a few of us to death, while all
of us will perish by famine.' In this critical conjuncture
they were saved by the stratagem of one of their old
men. This person had caused two wells to be dug, at
the bottom of which he placed a couple of tubs, one of
which was filled with honey, the other with dough. He

280 RUSE DE GUERRE.

now sent to invite the more distinguished of the enemy
to meet him, as if intending to enter on a negotiation for
surrender. On seeing these wells, however, the deputies
fancied that it was the soil itself which produced food
and drink so excellent; and they returned to their
prince, spreading the tidings that the city could not
be reduced by famine; so that the Petcheneges pru-
dently abandoned the siege."

281

CHAPTER XXL

JOURNEY AMONG THE COSSACKS OF THE UKRAINE.

The warm south — The Ukraine — Mazeppa — Wolf-hunt — Khakkoff —
Its sands — University — Its fair — Articles sold — Caviar, how procured
— Sketch of a Jew mouey-changer — The penny-shows — Panorama —
Dancing dogs — The emperor and his passion for travelling — The
cavalry colonies — Singular burial-places — Fertility of the Ukraine-
Evening encampment of a travelling herd — Description of the ox of
the Ukraine — Lubotin — The Mule — Russian Wyoming by moonlight
— Night singing — falky — Music of the poultry — Exaggerations about
Russia — Travellers' tales — State of agriculture in the Ukraine — No
manure — The Kourgans or tombs of the south of Russia — Various
theories about these ancient monuments — Herodotus — Major Reunell.

The south ! the warm south ! We had been shivering
with cold during the whole of our night journey ; but
with dawn came the sun and warmth. We felt relieved,
and at last could breathe with comfort. After travelling
so long in the land of mud, rain, and cold, so new was
the feeling of enjoyment, that we could have flung
our caps in the air, and danced for joy.

In sober phrase, the change of temperature here is
most perceptible. The climate, which had gradually
been improving, was now most delightful. At this point,
also, the vegetation of the south first became apparent ;
the shrubs, the flowers, the fruits, have the luxuriance of
another clime. Many of them are new, and all are
more abundant. It was literally as if, in a single night,
we had passed from the frozen to the torrid zone.

282 THE UKRAINE.

The reader, then, must forgive our raptures. Are we
not, too, in the Ukraine, the land of freedom ? for no Cos-
sack is a serf, like the degraded Russian peasant — the land
of romance and of wild adventure; for it is the land of
Mazeppa, with whom, had we been able to lay hands on
another " Tartar of the Ukraine breed," we could now
have exclaimed : —

" Away ! — away ! — My breath was gone,
I saw not where he hurried on ;
:Twas scarcely yet the break of day,

And on he foam'd — away ! — away !

* * * * s^-
Is it the wind those branches stirs ?
No, no ! from out the forest prance

A thousand horse — and none to ride I
A thousand horse ; — the wild, the free,
Like waves that follow o'er the sea,

Came thickly thundering on."

Our thoughts of Mazeppa, however, were interrupted
by a sight which made us regret that, though now in the
very land where all this happened, yet we could not get
hold of one of these steeds ; for a good opportunity of
putting him to his mettle presented itself soon after we
entered this romantic region. A wolf — a famous fellow,
tall and gaunt as a Scottish grenadier — was seen crossing
the road, not many yards before us, with a large lamb in
his mouth. Altogether this was as cool a piece of im-
pertinence as we ever witnessed; for not only were
several passengers near at the time, but the fields in
which he seized his victim were quite close to some
populous villages. So far from being in a hurry, he
ambled away at a pace which made us expect to get at
him with pistol-shot, and on foot. Forth sped the

A WOLF CHASE. 283

gallant huntsmen to the chase ; but he was not to be so
easily caught. There was a long range of steep corn-
land before him, with people at work on different parts of
it, ploughing for the new crop ; but lie dreaded neither
them nor the hill. Pursuit made him quicken his pace
through the new-shorn stubble, but did not frighten him.
Grasping the creature more firmly, he took to the climb
— slanted most knowingly to ease it — gave a scowl of
contempt at some curs which the work-people sent off to
make him drop his mutton — turned his head half-round,
now and then, to wish his pursuers joy of the sport he
was giving them — and so, without so much as once
letting the lamb out of his mouth to rest himself, he was
quietly gaining the top, laughing at pistols, peasants,
dogs, Englishmen, and all, when an unexpected foe came
in the way — a large black dog, which got so near as to
make him drop his seizure. Had this scene occurred in
a lonely district, it would not have been worth mention-
ing : but it shows the singular audacity of the wolf, to
have attempted the theft in open day, with houses all
round, and among fields full of labourers. The people,
however, give themselves very little trouble about a sight
which is of daily occurrence, in a district where wolves
are as plentiful as the magpies which we saw swarming
on every hedge and every house. Bones of cattle were
so thickly strewed on the road, that there seemed to be
enough of carrion both for bird and beast.

This scene presented itself soon after we had left the
village of Liptzy, the country near which fully confirms
all we had heard of the riches and dense population of
the Ukraine. A short way from the road is a considerable

284 A COSSACK UNIVERSITY.

height covered with wood, by the foot of which there
runs literally a string of villages, some of them with at
least one thousand inhabitants. For nearly fifteen miles
there is not a single break in this populous line, one
village joining on to the other by means of detached
houses. It is, in fact, the most populous track that we
recollect in any country. Every inch of land is under
crop, and every hand busy ; but even with all this in-
dustry, the soil that can support such a population must
be of no ordinary fertility.

These rich scenes at last brought us lo Kharkoff,
the capital of the Ukraine, 134 miles distant from
Koursk. The outskirts of the town present some very
goodbuildings, especially an hospital and a lunatic asylum,
adjoining each other, both highly spoken of for their
excellent arrangements. The university is also said to
be very flourishing. Nor need the reader start at the
announcement : why should not the Ukraine have a
university, as well as a scientific association, all very well
lodged in large, dull, white buildings? The information
that the university is in such a thriving state, we could
hardly reconcile, however, with the fact, that though
there are upwards of ninety professors or teachers con-
nected with it, yet there are only somewhere about
three hundred students in attendance. But the anomaly
was explained by the circumstance, that many of the
university people are employed in correspondence, and
business of various kinds, connected with the wide extent
of country over whose educational interests this alma
mater watches. The Crimea, Astrakhan, the Caucasus !
form part of her charge, to say nothing of the Cossacks

CAPITAL OF THE UKRAINE. 285

of the Don and those of the Black Sea. At all events,
in case of a challenge from these youths, as fiery,
doubtless, in literature, when they do devote themselves
to it, as their sires in war, our phalanx would have been
able to have made a most respectable appearance. One
heavy-armed Oxonian, ready to do battle in all love and
honour ; two skirmishers, fresh from the fields of academic
strife in Germany; and, most trustworthy of all, our gal-
lant colonel, who in controversy as in war,

" — so well can bear

His lance in fight, and dart the flying spear ;"

these, we thought, would surely be strength sufficient to
cope with the foe in any reasonable onslaught.

The chief part of the town lies in a wide slope looking
to the south. The streets, and the deserts (nicknamed
squares) surrounded by houses, are as ample as usual,
but with the uncomfortable addition of sand — oceans of
it, so wide and deep, that the laden steers, many of which
were entering from every side, could scarcely wind
through it with all their patience. The dust was flying
so disagreeably, that we wondered how people could
live in such noxious whirlwinds. Let a breeze spring up,
and the wilds of Africa can scarcely be worse ; life in
such a place must lose all sweetness. Yet there is no
accounting for Russian perversity. So far from being
deserted, Kharkoft' is both very showy and prosperous,
— as we soon began to discover, by the busy fair which
was going on near the quarter where we found shelter,
at one of the best hotels in Russia. The streets and
squares in this part of the town were filled with lines of
booths, and open tables loaded with goods, ranged so

286 THE FAIR.

thick, that we could scarcely make our way through
them.

Several fairs are held here in the course of the year,
and during the time that these continue, the stationary
population of fourteen thousand is increased by many
thousands belongingr to the various Cossack tribes, who
nock thither from all the surrounding districts to buy and
sell. The sales at one of these meetings are valued at
more than £800,000. The official statement from which
this is taken adds, that the sales of wool make up at
least a third of this sum. The wool sold here is chiefly
raised from the flocks of Merino sheep, now spread all
over the south of Russia, — but towards the Crimea, in
particular, — and partly from Silesian fleeces. Cotton
and silks do not figure for much in the account; indeed,
the commerce, generally speaking, is of a much more
humble character than that of Xishnei, the articles being
chiefly of the kind suited for an agricultural population.
Farming implements of every description, from wooden
ploughs and pitchforks to rude beams for the horse's
neck, were strewed about in great profusion. The
quantitv of iron articles surprised us; there was a greater
bulk of them than of anything else. Church bells, a
curious stock to bring to a market, heavy and new,
were exposed in considerable numbers. Coarse cloths
and cotton stuffs occupied some temporary booths. The
groceries were in a handsome bazaar. Fish of all
kinds constitute a valuable portion of the stores : besides
our old friends, the sturgeon and sterlet dried, we here
found some other varieties of the sterlet tribe.

Large casks of ikr'i, or caviar, were also displayed in

C A VI All. 287

the sun — an article of such importance in Russia, that it
cannot be dismissed without more explicit notice. There
were immense stores of it at Nishnei, also ; but we were
there too much occupied with other matters to think of
vulgar fish-roes. Of this singular dainty, great quantities
are consumed all over the empire. It is fortunate for
the Russians that, with their great predilection for every
thing of the fish kind, their seas are stored with an
unexampled profusion of fish. The sea of AzofT is
perhaps the most abundant in fish of all the seas or lakes
of the known world. The Caspian and Volga, as formerly
stated, are also munificently stocked ; while the mouth
of the Don literally swarms with the small sirga, of which
many were in the market here, hard and dry as a piece
of fir-bark. This is the fish of the poor; just as the
costly fishes formerly mentioned are those of the rich ;
to the latter, also, must exclusively belong the ikri now
spoken of. It is of consequence, also, as an export ; for,
though there is an article nearly similar, well known on
the shores of the Mediterranean, under the name
of "botargo," and made much in the same way,
from the roes of a species of mullet, yet the Russian
article is often sent to Italy. Germany and France take
considerable quantities, and England a little, but so little,
that, for the information of some of our readers, it may
be necessary to state that caviar is a shining brown
substance, in small grains, exactly like those of bramble-
berries nearly ripe. In order to make it, first catch your
sturgeons : it is a long way to go, but in the month of
March they are to be found in millions, on their spawning
beds in the mouth of the Danube, the Dnieper, the Don,

288 THE JEW MONEY-CHANGERS.

or the Volga, where both nets and hooks are employed
against them. Then open your sturgeon, and if a good
one, you will find in her probably three millions of eggs.
Having removed all the membranes of the roe, wash the
grains with vinegar, or with what, as travellers can tell
to their cost, is not unlike vinegar, the cheap white wines
of the country. Next spread them to dry in the open
air ; after which you must rub in salt enough to burn a
Russian mouth ; then put them in a bag, and press the
juice out. Finally, pack them into wide-mouthed casks,
bring them to the fair here at Kharkoff, and you will
make a fortune by them; for the profits are said to be
very great. After all, it is not worth the money ; it is a
bitter, cucumber-tasted stuff. It is eaten raw, w7ith oil
and lemonjuice, and tastes worse than Hamburgh herrings
or Swedish salmon. It is one of the most valuable
articles of Russian trade, however ; the sales, external
and internal, being probably rather above than below the
annual value of two millions sterling. An inferior kind
is made from the roes of other large fish.

Among the stalls in the streets of KharkofT we found
a great many small tables, kept by money-changers.
In most of the towns we lately visited we had seen such,
even in the ordinary market-place, and, true to the call-
ing of his race, we always remarked that each was kept
by a Jew. Here he sits, in beard and gaberdine, ex-
posed to sun and wind, on a three-legged stool — gloomy
and unsocial, holding converse with none — not a crea-
ture near him, yet the happiest of all the passing crowd ;
for his eyes are gloating over what to him is dearer than
friend or human converse — his hearts blood, his idol, his

THE JEW MONEY-CHANGER. 2S9

golden calf, his first love and his last — his money. If
he speaks it is only in mutterings to himself, as he eagerly
counts over pile after pile, sliding the pieces rapidly from
palm to palm — carefully though, not to icear them. So
well does he love his pelf, that he cannot part with
enough to clothe and feed himself, as is shown hy his
scanty apparel and spare frame ; yet he is said to be
rich. It could not be inferred, however, from all that is
here seen ; the whole of the piles of crown-pieces and
copper before him are scarcely worth twenty pounds
British, and the shabby deal table on which they are
displayed, with the stool he sits on to the bargain, are
certainly not worth as many pence. He is a careful
man, your Jew, and indulges in no superfluities ; for
people see money as well on a greasy fir board as on a
mahogany counter ; besides, all the world knows that he
has plenty at home. The profits he here makes, a trifling
per centage on changing notes into silver, and silver into
small copper, would be nothing to an avaricious man :
this is merely his sign-board, his place of call. It is in
the dark, behind the curtain, that he operates, — lending
money himself, or finding a friend to lend it, on such
reasonable terms, that in many provinces the needy
nobles of Russia, like the nobles of other lands, writhe
hopelessly in the gripe of the children of Israel. In the
Ukraine, however, Jews are not so numerous as in some
of the other distant governments of Russia. In Podolia,
for instance, bordering on Bessarabia and Gallicia, there
are nearly one hundred and forty thousand of them.

Leaving the Jew, however, and his table, wondering
only that some furious bullock or drunken moozik does

VOL. II. o

290 THE PEOPLE OF THE UKRAINE.

not kick it down, kopeeks and all, among the sand, — let
ns next take a peep at the shows ; and this we do on
the principle already hinted at in these pages, that
travellers who do not mix with the people have not the
smallest right, when they come home, to say one word
about the national character of those amon£ whom thev
have been sojourning. For such tourists there is a much
better way of travelling than that of getting a passport
from Lord Palmerston, and crossing the Channel with it :
it is to get a passport for their carriage, and send the
well-furnished vehicle to make the tour of the continent,
while they are lounging at home.

Behold us then among the penny- shows, and glad we
are at having gone ; for had we not paid this visit we
should not have been able to do justice to the people of
this part of Russia. The Little Russian is one of the
most mirth-loving creatures alive ; he is more fond of
amusement even than his brother in the north ; the mo-
ment the rake or the whip is out of his hand he must
have a frolic. We were now in the midst of a large
crowd of them, all idle, and all come to enjoy them-
selves ; yet to their credit be it told, not one of them was
intoxicated. They are not nearly so much addicted to
drinking as the people we had left.

There is much more provided here in the way of
amusement than at Xishnei. One of the shows was
curious enough: many Englishmen would have probably
recognised it as an old acquaintance ; — it was a pano-
rama of Constantinople, which began its career in
London, and after making the tour of all the capitals of
Europe, had now come to close its days among the

DANCING DOGS THE EMPEROR AGAIN. 291

Cossacks of the Ukraine ! In other corners trumpet and
drum announced the usual muster of peeps, giants, jug-
glers, dogs, — and such dogs ! all drilled by a man as
stiff and as solemn as his master the emperor at a review.
The weeping philosopher himself would have laughed
had it only been to see how the Russians enjoyed the
grave bowing of the dogs, their dignified politeness, their
courtly minuets, their coach-driving, their love-makino-,
their flounces, their petticoats, their red uniforms. Then
there was the puppy with the impudent tail and dubious
attire. Oh ! wonderful dogs, and more wonderful pup-
pies ! A lady, who came with her children, seemed to
wonder that Englishmen could care for such things.
Nihil humanum, &c, might have been our apolooy ; but,
probably, though she had understood Latin, she would
not have allowed the philosophic maxim to extend to
dogs, even when dressed in petticoats and surtouts.

The emperor, whom we have been forget tin a- for so
long a time, seemed determined not to foro-et. us. He
was the first man we met in the Baltic, and he was now
likely to be among the last we should see in the empire ;
for here he was again near us, on his way to Tchougouieff.
Of what other monarch could the same rapidity of move-
ment be reported ? Two months before we had met him
near a hundred miles at sea; and now he was chasino-
us through a district nine hundred miles from his capital
— about as far as the farthest town in the British domi-
nions is from London. To him such a journey is no-
ihing. He travels more in a week than all the other
sovereigns of Europe have done in their whole lives.

He was now on his way to inspect the famous Cavalry

o2

292 IMPROVED TRAVELLING.

Colonies, of which several are in this government. The
principal districts of them are TchougouiefT, Koupiansk,
Starobielsk, and Isoum. According to Tanski's Tableau
du Systeme Militaire de la Russie, " each division is
composed of four regiments, constituting six squadrons
for active service, three squadrons of reserve, three squad-
rons of tenant colonists, one of cantonists ; in all thir-
teen. The strength of each division of colonized cavalry
may be reckoned at five thousand horse." So much,
however, has been already published on these colonies,
that, as we had no opportunity of learning anything new
on the subject, it is unnecessary to enter into further
details.

The blacksmith having strengthened our carriage by
the addition of sundry bolts, and the post-master having
supplied us with five fine greys, when leaving Kharkoff,
we dashed through its streets in great style, in spite of
break-neck ruts and heavy sand. The horses, hitherro,
had been poor worn-out creatures : but throughout the
whole of the several hundred miles we had still to travel
they were large and in high condition.

Soon after leaving the town we were struck with the
sight of some simpie burial-places. They present merely
a few little knolls in the wood, or close by the wayside,
without a fence to protect them, or a stone to mark the
boundaries ; are broused by the cattle, and crossed very
nearly by the carts : in short, nothing but a few wooden
crosses tell that here rest the former tenants of some ad-
jacent village.

When the first sandy stretch was passed, we were
again reminded that we were in the fertile Ukraine.

ASTONISHING FERTILITY.

293

The crops had been gathered in, but it was easy to see
that the soil we were travelling through is one of the
finest in the world. It is so rich, that our notes, taken
on the spot, at this place, contain repeated entries of
" Wonderfully productive J" fCWhat crops they have
been reaping !" " Never have seen such a rich tract !*'
&c.

Again must we exclaim what a country this is ! And
yet what we here see is nothing to the scenes of fertility
said to be presented in other parts of Little Russia. We
can now understand with what reason the merchants of
Odessa assert that, were the farm rg in Russia improved
a little, they would be able to feed England, even were
half the land turned into hunting-fields.

The convoys of cattle and waggons with provisions, of
which we had met many throughout the whole of the last
three or four hundred miles that we had travelled, here
became larger and more numerous. The sun was set-
ting as we entered one of them, which had halted for the
night, and presented a scene which, with all its pic-
turesque concomitants, would have made an admirable
subject for the pencil. The oxen had been unyoked
from the waggons, and allowed to mingle with the droves
wandering loose in the fields. Many, wearied by the
long march, had sunk down in the ruts ; and the large
half-gnawed heads and thigh-bones both of oxen and
horses, scattered among the surrounding bushes, relics
of former night-droves, showed how probable it was that
some of the poor brutes which we were now disturbing
with our wheels would not join the forward throng in the
morning. But the blank would soon be supplied, there

294 A BIVOUACK.

being always with each train several draught-oxen as a
relay in case of accident. Fires had been lighted at dif-
ferent points in the wTide bivouack ; and at some of these
the waggoners were preparing their meal ; while at others
the blacksmiths of the band had pitched their imple-
ments, and were busy repairing the damages of the day.
We had been told that there was danger in passing these
convoys at night ; but neither here, nor in passing
through others at later hours, when it was much darker,
did anything occur to us of a nature to confirm the
charge.

Flocks of oxen meet the traveller in the Ukraine so
frequently that we cannot dismiss them without more
particular mention. They are destined for the markets
of Moscow and St. Petersburg ; the one five hundred, and
the other nine hundred miles distant. If many die in
this loner journey, the price obtained for the survivors
fully covers the loss. A drover whom we questioned
said he would get nine pounds at St. Petersburg for an
ox which he would have parted with at Kharkoff for
forty shilling's.

The Ukraine ox, sometimes, but inaccurately, termed
the Polish ox, is so well known from better descriptions,
that it is not necessary to say much of his qualities here.
He is laro-e in limb and horn, and has altogether a very
different look from our own fine breeds. An English eye
would condemn him as coarse, and not at all compact.
The head in particular is different from that of any ox
we ever saw, being very short from the horn downwards,
and terminating in a broad muzzle, reminding one of that

© * ©

of the lion. The long limbs and flabby sides must take

THE OX OF THE UKRAINE. 295

much time to feed compared with our tidy race : yet it
is said that on good pasture they fatten very soon, and
bring great profit to the dealers. The flesh is juicy, and
far superior to anything found in France or Germany.
The colour of the animals, as formerly stated, is gene-
rally greyish-white : year-olds may be seen now and then
with a blackish coat, but seldom ; and white is scarcely
ever met with. The horns are of such extraordinary
length, that one of these animals would be an awkward
friend to meet in a London alley. Even in the mile-
wide roads of Russia, the traveller at first feels far from
comfortable on seeing a flock of them advancing, tossing
their white horns in the sun, like the bayonets of a regi-
ment on march. They are extremely gentle, however,
and though not so hardy for draught as some other
continental breeds, especially the shorter-necked and
shorter-limbed Hungarian, yet they are of immense
value to the Russians of the south, from their steadi-
ness, and the ease with which they can be kept on
journeys of many hundred miles. Indeed, it is chiefly for
carrying-purposes that they are used, the cows being of
little use in the dairy, from the difficulty of milking them.
In general look they come nearest to the classic white
steers of Italy — one of the finest sights of that country
rich in sights ; but the horns are neither so long nor so
finely shaped as those of the oxen of the Apennines.

After getting through the first of these vast herds, the
evening became so beautiful, that, with the aid of the
moonlight, we drove along most, delightfully. In every
hamlet nothing but singing was to be heard from the
young women walking arm-in-arm on the little footpaths.

296 A SCENE OF REPOSE.

At Lubotin, twelve miles from Koursk, they were lilting
away long after dusk, till the very air seemed to be
filled with the monotonous chorus. The cricket, too,
was chirruping in the thatch ; and just as we were
musing in the porch on all these pleasant themes, and
especially on the cheerful contrast which this part of the
emperor's dominions affords to that which we had left,
up came a mule, the first of his tribe seen in Russia to
tell us that we were in quite a newr region, where the
people are as different from the Russian in origin and
manners as the droschky-horse of the Neva is from his
reverence the mule of the Ukraine. Had he been able
to say more, our long-eared philosopher would have
added that there is no use for mules, and as little for
donkies, in a country where horses are so cheap and
abundant as they are in the centre and north of Russia.

Most of our party were fast asleep as we passed through
a cottage-looking place, of very strange appearance, and
so lost a very singular scene. The straggling light of
the moon, just about to sink, falling upon it, produced
such a picture of dreary repose as has seldom been sur-
passed : the place seemed the Wyoming of Russia — a
spot where gentle beings might dwell, and never dream
of a world without. The small thatched cottages, clean
and comfortable, with tapering roofs descending almost to
the ground, standing in the middle of laro-e fresh gardens,
well stocked with shrubs and fruit-trees, looked exactly
like large bee-hives, — of which plenty of small ones were
to be seen among the shrubs. We almost began to think
that the bees would mistake the fair moon for the sun,
and begin their morning hum ; but we had not listened

NIGHT SCENE VILLAGES OF THE UKRAINE. 297

long ere another kind of song saluted us: for just as
we reached the last straggling lanes of the place, a troop
of peasant girls were heard returning from some wake,
singing, though it was now near midnight, as merrily as
if it had been noonday.

The people of the post-house at Valky, a district town
of the government of Kharkoflf, wondered greatly to
see folks taking their dinner at one o'clock in the morn-
ing ; but a few roubles sent them back pleased to their
sleep, and we jogged on through this strangest of
countries. We could see that it was very populous :
there were villages at the end of every mile, and many
lay far back on either hand. But there was a kind of
population soon began to make themselves heard, that we
had not reckoned on — not the bees nor the singing
maidens —but the poultry : cocks, hens, and chickens —
geese, turkeys, every winged creature that man ever
tamed — long before dawn filled the air with such a crowing,
droning murmur, as at first we could in nowise compre-
hend. It seemed as if the whole region had been one
large hen-roost. 'I he houses and trees rang with their
din. At last, when day dawned, between three and four,
we began to understand it a little.

The villages were scattered around us by hundreds.
The country is not picturesque ; for scarcely any wood
grows in it. Near the road it is very flat, but farther
back on the west is an irregular ridge, by the foot of
which a stream is seen. The whole space commanded
by the eye is dotted with houses — some in hamlets, some
solitarv, but all surrounded by such careful, ingenious
cultivation as is seldom to be seen in any country. Many

o3

298 travellers' tales.

of the farm-steads stand by themselves, which is rarely
seen in the higher parts of Russia ; and in general they
have a very comfortable look. Each farm has its wind-
mill, and the hamlets are guarded by whole squadrons
of them ; water-mills are also frequent. Had anything
been wanting to convince us of the industrious habits of
the people, it would have been furnished by the early
hours which, as we soon saw, they are in the habit of
observing. Obedient to the call of chanticleer, thev
were moving before it was light ; and when day had
fully appeared, not one was to be seen idle. Some were
driving cattle to the pasture, some searching for pigs
that had wandered overnight, and some, finally, were
marshalling the feathered stock, which had puzzled us
so much. Countless, therefore, were the flocks of poultry
which were now crossing the road at every instant. They
seemed to have an especial eye on the buck- wheat, which
was still uncut. Ludicrous was the dignity with which
the self-important bipeds strutted away among the larger
cattle, and great was the contempt with which they ap-
peared to regard the society of the ignoble sheep. The
oxen here are very beautiful, and the sheep are nearly
all black.

So many stories have been given to the world concern-
ing the Ukraine, and especially of its fertility, that some
readers may be surprised to find that we have nothing
more marvellous to relate concerning it. In self-defence,
however, we must fairly confess that we saw nothing
more wonderful than what has been above described.
We have not one fact to offer in confirmation of those
narratives which state, that, in the Ukraine, cattle are so

TRUTH VERSUS FICTION. 299

abundant, and of such small value, that in order to get
at the tallow, the people do not take the trouble of eating
the flesh of the animal, but after stripping it of the skin,
put the whole carcase into a machine for squeezing out
the fat, which they collect in the skin, and then throw
away what remains in the machine for manure ! or
rather, they throw it into the river, there being no use
for manure in a country where — as is further narrated —
the soil is so rich, that the numerous herds cannot con-
sume one- fiftieth part of the clover; so that farmers must
set fire to the fields in order to get rid of the surplus!
When they have taken a crop in one spot, away the
horde moves to some other district, which, having never
been torn by the plough, is enriched by ihe rotten grass
of centuries.

Such are some of the fables still printed regarding the
Ukraine ; and they by no means equal in exaggeration
the statements which circulate daily, in works intended
for the people, of the barbarity, the rude dresses and ha-
bitations seen in this and other parts of Russia. These
stories would be excellent did they possess one particle
of truth; but of them, and of much more that is stated
regarding Russia, it is enough to say, that he who comes
to the country will find scarcely a single trace of all the
wonders he has been perusing since his youth. Time
alone, and the more frequent visits of travellers, can
remove these misrepresentations : and all who publish
an account of what they have here beheld, however
humbly the task may be executed, deserve well of those
who wish to see ignorance and prejudice corrected.
Even after the exaggeration of popular tales has been

300 FERTILITY OF

rejected, there will be found among the Russians much
that is most singular and new. Though not " barba-
rians " — at least not in the sense in which the term is
often applied to them in England — they are still, by
their usages, their institutions, their circumstances, so
completely distinct from all the other nations of Europe,
that he who makes human manners his study is well
rewarded for the trouble of coming amongst them. On
one point ail who have been in Russia will agree, viz..
that they have found it totally different from what they
had previously imagined it to be — in density of popula-
tion, in the general character of its scenery, in fertility,
in resources — in every point, except the most import-
ant of all, civilization; and yet they have a kind of it
too.

The fertility of the Ukraine is such, that no exaggera-
tion is necessary regarding it : the references which so
frequently occur in the foregoing pages to the numerous
beeves which were constantly passing us are sufficient
evidence of the richness of the soil. In fact, so fertile is
the whole of Little Russia, both in pasture and corn
land, that, besides exporting such vast herds and enor-
mous quantities of wheat, it is also able to feed nearly the
whole of the cavalry of the empire. With the exception
of the cavalry of the guard stationed at St. Petersburg,
and the long-necked pets of some Cossack policemen,
scarcely a single mounted soldier is seen by the traveller
until he reach the southern districts. There are 45,000
cavalry in Little Russia alone.

There is some truth in the statement often made, that
the farmers in this fertile province never employ manure

THE UKRAINE. 301

on their lands. It is not quite correct, however, to assert
that they throw it away ; for, on the contrary, they pre-
serve it very carefully, fuel being so scarce in the treeless
regions of the south, that the people are under the neces-
sity of drying the dung of their cattle in the sun, in order
to employ it in making their fires. If there be any
truth in the notion, as old as the days of Theophrastus,
that manure, in regions where little rain falls, burns in-
stead of invigorating the earth, the dry soils of southern
Russia yield more abundant crops without the kind of
aid now referred to.

Returning from this digression about the marvels ot
the Ukraine, we must now direct the reader's attention to
those singular green knolls, best known by the native
name of kourgans, which so strongly excite the curiosity
of all who visit this interesting region. The first of them
began to appear soon after we entered the government of
Pultava; but similar objects also occur throughout the
whole country for at least three hundred miles to the
south of that point, and with a frequency truly remark-
able. These mounds are from twenty to thirty feethicrh,
and generally of a conical form. They are usually
placed in irregular groups of three or four, which have
the appearance of so many encampments of miniature
hills, raised to break the monotony of a country which
by nature is so extremely flat.

The feelings of curiosity excited among us by the
first view of these singular objects were always renewed
by each fresh cluster. Many and contradictory were our
first conjectures regarding them. Are they ancient forti-
fications ? Irish barrows ? Scotch cairns ? or Greek

302 FUNERAL MOUNDS.

tombs ? were a few of the questions which they sug-
gested when they first appeared, and which were still far
from being satisfactorily answered when we saw the last
of them. Our difficulties concerning them are by no
means diminished by the fact, that similar monuments
are to be met with in so many countries which, whatever
bond of union may have once existed between them, have
for many centuries had no tie in common. Mounds pre-
cisely similar to those which we saw in these Scythian
wilds are to be met with in the most classic spots. Those
tumuli, for instance, which stand near the site of Troy,
and round which Alexander and his heroes did honour
to the memory of Achilles and his beloved Patroclus, are
exactly similar to the kourgans of Russia. Passing to a
very different and distant region, we find them also in
Sweden ; for the little mounts at Old Upsala are in
shape and size exactly the same as those which we saw-
on the plains of Troy. Similar monuments, it is well
known, are found in England also ; as on the downs of
Wiltshire. Even on the remote Mainland of Orkney cor-
responding structures are to be seen : for the " barrows,
or mounds, which stand near the celebrated Standing
Stones of Stennis are exact copies both of those of Asia
Minor and of the Ukraine.

What, then, shall we say of these kourgans? Are
they the monuments of a time when a similar religion
and similar usages prevailed over the whole of the dif-
ferent regions where they still exist — the only, but also
the imperishable, records of a history which it is now vain
to attempt to explore? In fact, after all the labour
which the learned have bestowed in clearing up the

THE KOURGANS.

503

history of these monuments, their origin and objects
still remain very obscure. The most probable theory
regarding these wonders of the Ukraine is, that they are
the burial-places of some great and numerous race, which
once flourished in these rich regions, but have left no
other trace of their grandeur. Some authors think that
the people who raised them must have been of Mongo-
lian descent. This opinion is founded on the rude stone
images by which the mounds are often surmounted, and
of which the features, as well as the shape of the head
attire, resemble those of the people now named, — a theory
which we can neither contradict nor confirm, as neither
stone nor image of any kind was to be seen near any of
the many hundreds which we passed. We were assured,
however, that on digging into some which have been
opened, coins of gold and silver have been found, with
gold rings, buckles, and other ornaments of value, — dis-
coveries which lead us to what, probably, is the only true
account that history contains of the origin of these monu-
ments. For, referring to Herodotus, it will be found
that, while treating of the very regions which we were
now travelling through, he gives what, without exaggera-
tion, can be pronounced a most minute account of these
koKrgans. His words are so remarkable, that they
deserve to be quoted without mutilation : " The sepul-
chres of the kings of the Scythians," says he, " are in the
country of the Gerrhi. As soon as the king dies, a large
trench, of a quadrangular form, is sunk, near where the
Borysthenes begins to be navigable. When this has been
done, the body is enclosed in wax, after it has been

304

SINGULAR CONFIRMATION

thoroughly cleansed, and the entrails taken out : before
it is sown up, they fill it with anise, parsley-seed, bruised
cypress, and various aromatics. They then place it on
a carriage, and remove it. to another district, where the
persons who receive it, like the royal Scythians, cut off
a part of their ear, shave their heads in a circular form,
take a round piece of flesh from their arm, wound their
foreheads and noses, and pierce their left hands with
arrows. The body is again carried to another province
of the deceased king's realms, the inhabitants of the
former district accompanying the procession. After thus
transporting the dead body through the different pro-
vinces of the kingdom, they come at last to the Gerrhi,
who live in the remotest parts of Scythia, and amongst
whom the sepulchres are. Here the corpse is placed
upon a couch, round which, at different distances, dag-
gers are fixed : upon the whole are disposed pieces of
wood covered with branches of willow. In some other
part of this trench they bury one of the deceased's con-
cubines, whom they previously strangle, together with
the baker, the cook, the groom, his most confidential
servant, his horses, the choicest of his effects, and, finally,
some golden goblets, for they possess neither silver nor
brass : to conclude all, they fill up the trench with earth,
and seem to be emulous in their endeavours to raise as
Jtigh a mound as j.ossible. The ceremony does not ter-
minate here. They select such of the deceased king's
attendants, in the following- year, as have been most
about his person : these are all native Scythians, for in
Scythia there are no purchaseable slaves, the king se-

OF HERODOTUS.

305

lecting such to attend him as he thinks proper : fifty of
these they strangle, with an equal number of his best
horses."*

In a note to this passage, Major Rennell says, " It has
not come to our knowledge that any of these monuments
have been found in the Ukraine, where the sepulchres
described by Herodotus should have been:" but from
what has been stated above, it will have been seen that
this objection is completely without foundation, for these
kourgans occur precisely on the spot referred to by the
historian, and that required by his able commentator.
It may also be added, that, in addition to the objects
above enumerated, some of the kourgans which have been
opened were found to contain human bones, skeletons of
horses, ancient weapons, and domestic utensils. The
human bones often occur in such large quantities, as
could have been produced in no other way than by
such barbarous hecatombs as those described by the
historian.

* Beloe's Herodotus, book iv. ch, 71.

306

CHAPTER XXII.

BATTLE-FIELD OF PULTAVA.

Swamps of the Ukraine — Pultava — Search fur lodgings — Fall a prey
to Jews — Sketch of an old one — Visit to the field of battle — Ap-
pearance of the ground — Astonishment — Voltaire — Monument to the
Swedes — Reflections on the fate of the prisoners, and of Charles
XII. — Contrast with Napuleon — Account of the town — Fine streets
and houses — Public walk — Grapes — Climate of central Europe be-
coming worse — French prisoners — Cheap living — Marketting — Beef —
Wines — Melons — Price of horses — Draught oxen — Leech-gathering
— Cossack revel — Dancing — Fare at our inn — Beds — Insects.

The white towers of Pultava, ninety-two miles from
Kharkotf, began to appear on their lofty point while we
were yet twenty miles away from them ; and the gay
sight enabled us to fast, with tolerable patience, for a
few hours more. Our self-denial, however, was probably
aided on this occasion by the knowledge which we had,
that here, in the midst of plenty, the post-houses are
even more scantily stored than in less wealthy provinces ;
for the hospitable people of the Ukraine like better to
crive a man a dinner than to send him to the tavern to
pay for one.

We had lono- remarked that the Russian roads are
always worst near towns; and that leading to Pultava
did not contradict the rule. For the last ten miles it
runs through a tract of heavy sand, with wooded swamps

PULTAVA.

307

on either hand. What these swamps must have been
in winter, the season in which Charles XII. was wander-
ing through them, may easily be imagined when we see
that even in summer they are almost impassable, espe-
cially when the small Vorskla, here joined by the smaller
Poltavka, overflows its shallow bed. These streams
meet, close beside the city.

Pultava, which had made so gallant a show for many
miles back, did not deceive us when we climbed its
height. We were surprised to find, however, that in a
place of 9300 inhabitants, with many wealthy nobles
and traders amongst them, nothing in the shape of an
inn is to be found. At the first house where we ap-
plied for lodgings, they would have nothing to say to us.
On we drove, therefore, through market and lane, by
church and tower, when at last we began to have hope
on seeing that we were among Jews. Wherever there
are Jews, nothing will be refused for which money can be
offered.

Jews are to be distinguished in a moment from the
Russians. Like the Jew, the Russian merchant wears a
lonor swaddling robe : but the coat of the Russian is
blue, and generally tied with a sash ; that of the Jew
is black, and for the most part buttoned to the chin,
thereby concealing the filth below : it is as greasy and
shining as a sheep-kin. The Russian has a long beard,
and so has the Jew ; but the Russian's is reddish, the
Jew's black as the raven's plume. If any doubt still
remain about the lineage of the person before him, the
traveller has but to look at the twinkling dark eye and
cunning face. No Russian ever had these; for in

308 JEWS IN PULTAVA.

general his eye is- light, and his face full of good-natured
simplicity,, without any tincture of cunning. Our com-
parisons, however, which we made while being trundled
from house to house in the streets of Pultava, with our
carriage surrounded by a constantly-increasing crowd of
hungry-looking Jews, were at last put an end to, on our
being admitted by an eating-house keeper, who agreed
to give us the best beds which his house afforded — that
is, hay and straw, as much as we pleased, for some of
the party, and greasy mattresses for the resf.

We had scarcely alighted in the yard when we were
assailed by the troop of Jews, who had hunted after us
as staunchly as a pack of wolves. Amongst them weie
two brothers, who both w7anted to be our guides to the
field of battle, which they know is the principal object of
interest to travellers. An old man next put himself in
nomination for the job. Another, also old, wanted to
exchange money for us, wThile we were all the time starv-
ing for want of food, not for lack of gold. There was
like to be no end to their annoyance — they went on
yelling at us with open throats, pressing upon us, and
seizing us by the arms, with true Jewish pertinacity —
till at last, as the only way of getting rid of them, we
managed to set them a fighting with each other, and we
escaped in the storm. But a Jew, especially an old one,
is not so easily baffled as we had imagined. Neither
harsh words nor entreaty (and as he spoke German we
were able to give him a little of both) could drive the
oldest one away. He pursued us to the public room,
and then to our bed-rooms, urgently begging of us to
think again : we must be needing something from him :

JEWS OF PULTAVA. 309

if we did not want money, he could supply us with
smuggled goods, with silk handkerchiefs, with wine, with
anything — only let him make a little by us in some way
or other — a little,, and he would be satisfied. It would
have been a violation of his dearest principles to have let
us enter the town without having made some gain by us.
When at last we showed him Russian notes, to con-
vince him that we had sufficient funds without applying
to him, his lip quivered with emotion : the very sight of
money makes the eye of a Jew glisten with excitement.
We had only made the matter worse. He became
more obstreperous than ever in his offers of service.
There was no help for us but to turn him out by force.
Yet he still lingered, prowling for our exit, not to revenge
himself on us, but to renew his supplications, and be
a^ain insulted.

We have described this person and his conduct, be-
cause he is a specimen of a tribe which swarms in all
the towns of the south of Russia. Those who have
crossed from Breslau, by Cracow, down to Brody, will
also recognize an acquaintance — for in the towns on that
line the traveller is pestered beyond belief by these re-
markable men. Nothing can be more painful than to
witness the meanness of their importunity. It makes
one blush for humanity.

•/

Singular, unhappy race ! What reflecting man can
come in contact with them, either here, or in those other
parts of the continent, and of the east, where they are
beheld in all their debasement, without being constrained
to believe in that faith which these men confirm by re-
jecting it. The degradation of the Jews is no ordinary

310 FIELD OF PULTAVA.

degradation — such is the impression which we have
always felt, while exposed to a scene like that which we
have mentioned — it is too strongly marked to have been
produced by common causes. It is not the mere de-
moralization under which the descendants of other great
nations of antiquity also pine ; but it is a punishment —
the visible chastisement of that terrible wrath which is
still hot against them — the indelible stamp pointing
them out to all men, and to all times, as living monu-
ments of the truth of Him who " came to his own, yet
his own received him not/'

The great object of interest to all who visit Pultava
is the famed field of battle where Charles XII., after
years of glory, at last was humbled by his rival Peter
the Great.

There has been, probably, but one battle fought with-
in the last 150 years whose consequences can compare in
importance with those of the battle now named ; for,
from the moment that Charles fled from the Ukraine-
wounded, deserted, loaded with every misfortune but dis-
honour— Sweden, which since the great Adolph's time
had played such a mighty part in the affairs of Europe,
began to dwindle into the obscurity of a second-rate
power, and Russia got rid of the only rival that could
have effectually barred her way to the attainment of the
high position which she now holds. Nor have the full
consequences of that victory yet been seen. The future
history of Europe, the encroachments which Russia is
still to make on her civilized neighbours, will alone show
the full extent of the evil arising from her triumph on

FIELD OF PULTAVA. 311

the spot which, from these considerations, we are now
about to visit with feelings of no common interest.

Our drive to the ground was accomplished in true
Russian style — in droschkies, namely, and accompanied
by one of the younger Jews — " page unmeet, " we allow,
for a field where such chivalrous deeds were done ; but
he was poor and in sorrow — 'had lost his parents and had
few friends — claims which made us prefer him to more
clamorous candidates.

The scene of action, now covered with rich corn-fields,
lies to the south-west of the town, on a plain about four
miles from the principal gate. In going to it, we first
followed the road to Kieff, but soon struck off to the
right, by a path leading through fields where nothing
was left by the reaper but some patches of buckwheat.
A little hill, if we may apply the term to an artificial
height, rising not much above thirty feet from the
ground, with a large white cross on its summit, which
had for some time attracted our attention, proved to be
the mound which marks the burial-trenches of the
enemy. On ascending the naked sides of this funeral
mount — for even the green sod has never flourished on
its mould — we found an inscription in Russian, painted
on the transverse part of the cross, stating, without any
pompous exaggeration, in less than a dozen of words,
" Here are interred the Swedes who fell in the great
day of Pultava."

At this point, then, we are in the centre of the battle.
The white towers of Pultava, and of the convent near it
are seen ; but except these, not a single object, house or
hill, is within sight, to break the dead level spreading on

312 FIELD OF PULTAVA.

every side. Some woods, indeed, are seen, and there
is a deep ravine, partly between us and the town, open-
in^ in the bed of the Vorskla, which skirts the battle-
field on the west ; but neither ravine nor river-bed is
much seen from where we stand. In fact, on witnessing
the extreme uniformity of the surrounding country, it
struck us all that the ground was ill-suited for the small
armv of the royal Swede to make a decisive stand upon.
The military chief of our party, in particular, whose ex-
perience gave him a right to speak on the subject, was
surprised at the nature of the scene. In the 1*27 years
which had elapsed since this famed engagement took
place, the surface of the ground may have been con-
siderably altered; but that it can have been materially
changed in any of its great features is impossible. The
mound which the Russians have piled over the slain
is not — like the mountain which the illustrious Belgians
have so modestly and so deservedly raised to their own
bravery, on the field of Waterloo — of such dimensions as
to deface the adjoining ground, and render it impossible
to understand the accounts of the action. Here no vain-
glorious feeling has been at work ; and the spade and
the plough, in their ordinary rounds of industry, leave
the general aspect of a country unchanged from century
to century. There may, however, be less wood or fewer
swamps than in other days ; but still, allowing for all such
chano-es, the spot appears a very singular one to have
been chosen by such a master in the art of war, as the
place for making a final and desperate effort. Whatever it
may have formerly been, now it does not present a single
advantage for an already weakened combatant : it is a

THE FIELD OF PULTAVA. 313

dead, unvaried flat, with the ravine at too great a dis-
tance to have been of the slightest use, either for defence
or retreat.

Altogether the field looks more like a place where
friendly kings would marshal their armies, to witness a
festive tournament, than one where they would join in
deadly combat. The woods, however, of which, as we
have said, there were probably more in other days, may
have yielded some shelter to the Swedes. Looking to-
wards the town, there is one of some extent on the right,
near the high road, with a smaller one at our back : a
line may have extended between these. There is an-
other wood advancing towards Pultava, on the left,
above the ravine ; but make even the best of these, and
the ground still appears very unfavourable to Charles.
If there be any truth, however, in the traditions of the
place, which state that he had been driven from the
monastery which occupies such a conspicuous height
outside Pultava, it is probable that the fighting began
on the winding ravine in front towards the town, and that
he -withdrew by degrees till he reached this extensive
flat, favourable for the operation of his small band of
cavalry.

Voltaire's account of the battle, which reads very well
at school, is not intelligible on the spot. More recent
authors, in describing it, say that the burial trenches are
still visible; but we saw nothing of the kind.

Every reader is so familiar with all the particulars of
the battle, that it is unnecessary to recall them. The
Russians, besides having the strong town of Pultava at
their back, were three times more numerous than the

VOL. II. p

3J4 THE FIELD OF Pl'LTAVA.

Swedes, who, including 12,000 Cossacks, were never more
than 30,000 strong. Of the Swedish force, 24,000 en-
tered the field, including 8000 Cossacks. Besides 9000
of all descriptions slain, 6000 were made prisoners, of
whom at least 1000 were Swedes. The remnant of the
army made good their retreat to the Dnieper, at the mouth
of the Vorskla, but were compelled to surrender three
days after the battle. Leave was granted to the Swedes
to inter their slain, on the spot where we mused upon all
that had passed ; and it is highly to the honour of
the Russians that to this hour they show every respect to
the memory of their brave foes. A religious service is
performed every year on the little mount, when great pro-
cessions come out, with priests and funeral hymns, from
the city ; and when the emperor was last here, he gave
orders that a church should, be raised on the field, where
mass will be duly said for the repose of the fallen
Swedes.

The hazel and wild hawthorn of the adjoining copse,
both laden with their autumnal burthen, yielded us a
wreath to the memory of Charles and his brave com-
panions. The interest which we felt on the occasion
compelled us to ask how it happens that military glory
blinds us to so many faults. Charles, we knew, was but
a reckless, unmerciful soldier, who never formed a single
scheme for promoting the welfare of his own subjects, nor
cherished a single wish for advancing the happiness of
the human race ; and yet we now gave him the tribute
of our sympathy, as warmly as if he had been the bene-
factor of mankind, and meditated here, amid the dull
plains of Russia, on the scene of his saddest humiliation,

FATE OF CHARLES XII. 315

as reverentially as we had done some -months before,
while standing on the scene of his death, amid the wild
rocks of Norway.

On inquiring whether any descendants of the Swedes
who were made prisoners in the battle were now to be
found in this part of Russia, we were reminded that all
who were captured in the Swedish wars, especially
officers, were turned to excellent account by the saga-
cious Peter; for, as most of them were men of good at-
tainments, he sent them to his distant towns, where they
made a comfortable subsistence as teachers and superin-
tendents of public institutions. Tobolsk, though we can-
not think of it but as a city of barbarism and misery, is
said, owing to the circumstance of many Swedes having
been sent there at such an early period, to be in many
respects far before the towns of European Russia. Ac-
cording to the unhappy fashion of the times, some of the
captive Swedes appear to have been sold as slaves to the
Turks, who were at the time on good terms with Sweden !
The Cossacks were all broken on the wheel.

The fate of Charles himself in this battle has been
made the frequent theme both of the historian and the
poet. Too brave to flee from the danger into which he
had brought them, he did not leave his gallant army till
the very last necessity. When violently carried from the
field, none accompanied him but Poniatowsky, a brave
Pole, Colonel Gieta, and Mazeppa, the renowned chief of
the Cossacks, who remained faithful to Charles, and
soon after died by his side, in his seventieth year. The
fugitive king found his wray to the banks of the Dnieper,
there bade adieu to the shattered remains of his army,

p2

31G CHARLES XII. AND NAPOLEON.

and at last arrived in safety on the Turkish side of the
Bog at Oczakow, where he was safe from pursuit.

It is singular enough to consider, that something more
than a century after this battle was fought, another
great soldier, who had also been conqueror in a hundred
fields, was, like Charles, to meet his first and his most
ominous reverse on the distant plains of Russia. Like
that of Charles, too, the whole of Napoleon's remaining
Career, after his Russian disasters, was but a continued
series of humiliations. One great difference, however,
between the two restless warriors cannot fail to strike us:
Charles struggled on with his men to the very last ;
Napoleon deserted his as soon as their dangers became
serious. In fact, there is nothing in history more touch-
ing than the picture of perseverance and magnanimity
which the royal Swede presents, in the winter preceding
the battle of Pultava, while struggling through the
morasses and horrors of the Ukraine, in the midst of
snow and ice, — without shelter, without rest, without
food, — yet never once dreaming of abandoning his army
to their fate. If at last he does forsake them, it is only
when hope itself had vanished. Even then it was not to
his own country that he fled, but to that of an ally, some
thousand miles away : but Napoleon left many thousands
of his brave men to perish amid the snows of Russia,
while he himself was warm and gay in his well-secured
capital.

From being situated in such a commanding position,
Pultava must in former days have been a place of great
strength ;now it is merely a showy town, with abundance
of green domes and crowding pinnacles, scattered along

PULTAVA. 317

the extensive height. An ill-kept rampart still sur-
rounds the most exposed parts; but, finding only six
hundred soldiers here, we inferred that little importance
is attached to it in a military point of view. It covers a
great deal of ground, but the streets, though as straight
and as long as all other streets in Russia, are not so de-
caying and dull in their look as those of many other
towns. The larger and more ancient of the houses are
of wood, but there are many handsome structures of re-
cent date built of stone ; among which are the imperial
institution for the education of young ladies, some of
whom are free boarders, while others pay eight hundred
roubles (twenty pounds) a-year. A fine building for the
corps des cadets is now in progress. Near it is a vast
market-place, which must be more than half a mile long,
with a square bazaar in the centre, and small shops in
the piazzas which run round the whole space. On the
side of the town lying nearest the field of battle is a very
handsome square, round which stand the mansions of the
governor, the director of police, and other high officials,
with a fine shady garden, London-fashion, in the centre,
— the only thing of the kind seen in Russia. This garden
is adorned with a fine monument to Peter the Great,
consisting of a green bronze column, fifty feet high, sur-
mounted by the Russian eagle, which eagerly raises its
neck, and flutters its wings, as if impatient to fly toward
the field of battle, on which its gaze is fixed. Some ex-
tremely handsome mansions, scattered through the town,
are occupied by the nobility of the district, many of
whom are very rich. One of the most distinguished is
the young Count K , well known in England, his

318 PULTAVA.

mother having been our countrywoman. The family-
are of Greek origin, and have large possessions in the
Crimea.

A good many Germans, chiefly tradesmen, are mixed
with the population of the town ; and the Jewrs, as may
be inferred from the scene already mentioned, are in
great force.

We were surprised to find here one of the finest public
walks on the continent. It is called the Imperial Gar-
den, and forms I he boundary of the town to the south-
east, where it covers one of the slopes, and part of the
bottom of a beautiful valley, closed in on every side by
lofty ridges. There are some very fine trees, with walks
through them, and well-kept seats, commanding the
finest points of view. In this valley we first saw the vine
in Russia. There were some rich clusters of fruit on the
plants, but the people of the town who accompanied us in
our walk assured us, that, from the frosts setting in so much
earlier than formerly, grapes now never ripen here. They
insist that, the climate all over these provinces is rapidly
changing for the worse. A person who has been eight-
and-twenty years here says, that in former times August
and September used to be insupportably hot ; now people
are forced to wear fur in those months, their climate hav-
ing become fully as bad as that of St. Petersburg, though
they lie ten degrees south of it ! In fact, that a great and
rapid change is taking place in the climate of central Eu-
rope cannot be doubted. We were lately told by a no-
bleman from Moravia, who has been several years away
from his estates, that he now trembles to receive letters
from home in the harvest season, each successive year

PULTAVA. 319

having brought him more disastrous accounts than the
former, about the failure of the more essential crops. Or-
chards where the more delicate fruits used to ripen freely
will now scarcely produce the commonest apple ; grain of
all kinds is of inferior quality ; and potatoes, on which the
people had begun to rely as their principal food, have for
some seasons been a complete failure throughout the whole
of that part of the Austrian dominions where his property
is situated. Crossing from thence into Russia, we find the
change equally great. Clarke speaks of the grape as
flourishing in his time at Voronege, which is in 51° 39^'
north latitude, and now it does not ripen at Pultava in
49° 35'. The subject is worthy of more attention than
has yet been paid to it.

Though so highly distinguished by its fidelity to
Russia during the desperate struggles with Sweden in
Peter's time, Pultava appears now to have cooled in
its loyalty. We were amazed — for there are few places
in Russia chargeable with the same crime — that the
Pultavians rejoiced at the first successes of the French,
and prepared to welcome them as deliverers. When
Napoleon was in Moscow, pikes and arms were secretly
prepared here for a general rising throughout the dis-
trict ; but the sudden reverses of the great soldier put an
end to all their schemes of insurrection. When the
French were defeated, however, as the people of Pultava
had shown so much anxiety to have these foreigners
amongst them, a good many of the prisoners were sent
to them. Among these was a wealthy French general,
who lightened his bondage by giving splendid balls to
the townspeople and his brother officers, and is still well

320 CHEAP LIVING.

remembered by the Russians. The greater part of the
French prisoners were sent to the most distant towns,
Kasan, &c. The postmaster who facilitated Napoleons
escape from Russia, and without whose horses he would
have been made prisoner, was long in confinement here.
One of the richest emigres of the first Revolution has
permanently settled in the place.

Pultava is one of the cheapest places in the world.
Hearing one of its citizens complain that, among other
grievous changes which had come over the place, none
was more grievous than the terrible increase in the price
of provisions of all kinds, we took occasion to ask what
might be the price of beef, for instance ; when it turned out
that this dear article costs just ten kopeeks, or one penny
the pound; while mutton is charged the exorbitant price
of eight kopeeks, or three-farthings a pound, and the second
quality six kopeeks, or a fraction more than one halfpenny
per pound. Our friend, we now thought, must be one of
the grumbling school to call these prices dear : but he was
not so unreasonable, after all ; for it appears that, some
years ago, beef was sold for — how much ? — precisely
two kopeeks, or less than a farthing per pound. Who
would go to France to economise after this ? Decidedly
we must all be off to the Ukraine next year; that is, all
of us with light purses and heavy complaints about Eng-
lish taxes and English extravagance.

Among the cheap attractions of Pultava we must not
omit the white wine of the Crimea, which is here sold for
Is. 3d. a bottle. It is by far the best wine we ever drank
for the money. Though sweeter, and of inferior body, it
is not unlike the famous Leistein wine of YViirzburg.

LEECH-GATHERERS. 321

A pair of good draught oxen, at the time of our visit,
were to be bought for two hundred roubles, or eight
pounds ; but this was cheaper than usual, owing to the
temporary scarcity of fodder. A good horse may be
purchased here at all times for three hundred roubles
(twelve pounds). This price secures a first-rate animal,
and a tolerable one may be had for the fourth of it.

Water-melons, though cultivated farther to the north,
we did not find ripe until we came here ; they are sold
for twelve kopeeks each, and common melons for the
some. There is very good butter for eightpence per
pound; and a delicious honey peculiar to the country,
called the white honey of the lime-trees, is sold for ten-
pence : it was very scarce at the time ; in ordinary
seasons it may be bought for half. Even fish is not dear ;
though the land-carriage is so long, ten of the dried
sirgas are sold for threepence.

One of the branches of industry prosecuted here is
singular enough : it is the gathering of leeches for th?
Hamburg dealers. When talking uith a person con-
nected with this trade, we thought of Wordsworth's
friend, of leech-gathering fame ; but the collectors of
the Ukraine do their work in such a wholesale,
unpoetic way, that Wordsworth would not soil his
verses with them. Having exhausted all the lakes of
Silesia, Bohemia, and other more frequented parts of
Europe, the buyers are now rolling gradually and im-
placably eastward, carrying death and desolation among
the leeches in their course — sweeping all before them,
till now they have got as far as Pultava, the pools and

p3

322 COSSACK MERRY-MAKING.

swamps about which are yielding them great captures.
Here a thousand leeches are sold for four roubles (3s.
4:d.) ; at Hamburg, before reaching which one-half die,
the same number is sold for 120 roubles (near £5) ; and
in England the country apothecary pays £9 and £12.
1 0.?. for the quantity which originally only cost 3<y. 4d.
But of every thousand at least seven hundred die before
reaching England.

In wandering through the deep ravines outside the
town, we came on a merry scene of peasants and soldiers,
enjoying their holiday. This part of the vicinage is
really romantic ; — straw-thatched cottages, neat and clean,
are scattered among well-stocked orchards and large
trees, with pieces of water and broken dells all round.
Among these, crowds of little black Cossack soldiers were
seated in groups on the turf, drinking their vodki in
loving harmony, with pears, apples, and cucumbers
passing freely from hand to hand. They were greatly
pleased when we partook of their proffered cheer, but
particularly when the crazy strains of a violin tempted
us to enter a low hut, where their wives were waiting to
be invited to the dance. And there they footed it right
merrily, Cossack and Cossack's bride, on the hard clay
floor. Their dance is a kind of reel, very decent and
inoffensive — much more so than the waltzing of French
or German peasants. One dance was performed solely
by females, three together : two advance hand-in-hand
towards their companion, who moves a little to meet
them ; after some becks and bows, the parties, hand-
kerchief in hand, dance away from each other, and then

COSSACK FEAST.

323

commence some mazy evolutions executed with great
solemnity of face, the handkerchiefs being always waved
round the head at certain turns of the air.

We concluded the toils and amusements of the day
with a Cossack feast at our quarters. Though cooked
by a German, the dishes were all in the style of the
country. The beef was as juicy, and nearly as raw, as
if it had been broiled in the tent of the wanderers them-
selves. We must protest, however, against the fowls of
the Ukraine. It may be very well to hear them, for once,
rousing people out of their beds in the morning, but we
have no wish ever to see them again on the table. The
tenderest of them was as tough as a piece of Cossack
horse could have been. With this exception, the fare of
Pultava was admirable, and certainly the cheapest that
we ever partook of in any country.

We had so many things to see, or subjects to discuss,
that, it was late before we repaired to the beds before
mentioned ; and when we did so we were too painfully
convinced that sleep is generally a stranger to the couch
of the traveller in the Ukraine. Those of us who deemed
ourselves happy in having secured mattresses from mine
host, found them populous with bugs. Nor were those
of us who had been satisfied with the humbler accom-
modations of a bundle of hay on the floor altogether safe
from these formidable rivals of their neighbours, the
leeches. In justice to Russia, however, we must state
that the traveller's rest in it is not nearly so much dis-
turbed by these monsters as in France or Germany.

324

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE LOWER UKRAINE, AND NOTES ON THE VARIOUS
COSSACK TRIBES.

Cottages — Farms — Dung and reeds for fuel — Crops — Account of the
buck-wheat — Russian and Scottish sheep-farmers — Want of canals and
rail-roads — Devastations of the locust — Wretched state of education —
Village inn — Cossack trowsers — Nut-brown maids — Large farms —
Stack-yards — Mode of farming — Cossack farm-house — Bees — Ome-
link — Birds — Krementchoug — Trade — Jews — Delays — Plots of a
postmaster — Notices of the Don Cossacks — Their country — Form of
government — Privileges — The Cossack soldier — Beranger's Ode — Sir
Walter Scott's beautiful picture of the Cossacks — Cossack regiments
in the Emperor's service — General origin of these tribes — Karamsins
account of them.

It was in leaving Pultava that the first symptoms of
autumn greeted us; the sere and yellow leaf now dis-
played its monitory warning on every tree. The morning
was sunny, but sharp, as an autumnal morning should be.
The horses and roads were so good that we regularly ac-
complished ten English miles an hour.

As we advanced, wood became scarcer at every verst.
The cottages amono-st which we were travelling are made
of wattles, covered with clay. Large heaps of small cakes
of dried cow-dung are raised by the doors for fuel, and in
the pools are dense crops of gigantic reeds, used also as
fuel, when withered. Lines of waggons meet us so often
that the wide way is literally encumbered by them.
Detached farms of great extent, with good houses in the

BUCK-WHEAT. 325

centre, now become very frequent, and villages more
scarce.

Within the whole horizon, as we travel on, nothing is
seen but cultivation and industry. One of the principal
crops is buck-wheat ; and as this plant is of great im-
portance in Russian agriculture, we may now state some
particulars regarding it. It has a strong branching stem,
from one to two feet high ; the leaves are like those of
the ivy, but tender and juicy, and growing alternately on
the stalks. From the time of its first coming into bloom,
which is very soon after it rises above the ground, until
gathered for the barn, a new set of flowers is always ap-
pearing before the last fades; so that in every month of
summer and autumn a field of this plant presents a fine
show of reddish flowers. From being a native of a warm
climate, it seldom thrives in a northern latitude. It can
never be cultivated where the nights of May are frosty.
Even in this southerly district it is liable to be injured by
frosts. It is customary to let it stand on the ground just
as long as there is no danger from autumn frosts ; but we
see plenty of it taken from the field with unwithered
flowers, it being unusual to wait for the ripening of more
than the earlier seeds. So far as we have seen, it would
appear to be more frequently pulled up by the roots than
cut with the sickle. It does not thrive so well in rich
land as in a common soil, where there is a considerable
mixture of sand. In the north of France, where a good
deal of it is cultivated (under the name of bled Sairasin,
because it is supposed to have been brought into Spain
by the Saracens), manure is seldom put on the soil for it,
the plant being apt to run to straw when fed too much.

3*20 BUCK WHEAT.

It succeeds well in some parts of England, where it is
now spreading, more as an attraction for pheasants, who
feed on it voraciously, than as a substitute for other crops.
The Russians, who give it to their poultry, say that there
is nothing all kinds of birds are so fond of. The straw
cut young, when given to cows in moderation, is said to
be very good for increasing the quantity of milk. The
grain, which resembles the seeds of the beech-tree (hence
its English name, which is taken from that of the Ger-
mans, who call it buch-waizen, beech -wheat), is given to
horses in the Ukraine, in place of corn ; roughly ground,
the farmers also give it to their pigs and oxen, which fat-
ten rapidly on it. It is singular enough, however, that
though pigs can eat it with safety when given in the state
now mentioned, they are soon seized with delirium when
allowed to range the buck- wheat stubble.

In England, this grain is much used bv the gin-distil-
lers, who import large quantities of it every year from
Holland. Any hurtful quality which the grain may ori-
ginally possess is completely destroyed by the process of
baking. The flour is very white, but does not ferment so
well as to make good bread, though excellent cakes and
pastry are made of it, both in France and Flanders. The
great use of it in Russia is for making the pudding spoken
of in our first volume, as being such a favourite with all
classes. The supplies from the north come chiefly from
the country we are now in. The most northerly point
where we noticed the buck-wheat was near Vladimir
(56° 7J'), the climate of which is not so good as that of
the central districts of Scotland. It is thought to be a
great relief to a soil which has been long cropped with

PRODUCTIONS OF THE UKRAINE. 327

wheat or barley. There are seldom more than six re-
urns from it. French writers speak of a species which
yields more than a hundred returns ; but we heard of
nothing of the kind in Russia.

Buck-wheat, however, is not the only crop of this
region ; for great quantities of beautiful wheat are also
raised in it; nearly all of which, from the extensive use
which they make of buck-wheat in their own families,
the farmers of the Ukraine are able to send to foreign
markets. Nor must we forget to add that, in order to
procure a good price, some of them are in the habit of
keeping their wheat ten years on hand before sending it
to Odessa. For this purpose it is stored up in silos. A
smooth kind of wheat called ghirka is in great favour in
the district, chiefly, we believe, from its capability of being
preserved a long time without being damaged.

Oats, barley, and Indian corn are also raised ; as well
as the sunflower, which is here cultivated principally for
the sake of its oil. Hops, hemp, flax, tobacco, beans,
pulse, pease, and carrots are also grown. In short, ex-
cept the vine, almost everything that grows in any part
of Europe, from its most temperate to its warmest regions,
is raised in this favoured province.

The farmers here are also very attentive to their flocks ;
many of them have large numbers of sheep, all black, of
which we meet some at every moment straggling on the
road. In the government of Ekaterinoslaf, which borders
with that of Pultava, there are said to be, among the ten
thousand German colonists, some who possess flocks more
numerous than those of the wealthiest sheep-farmers in
Scotland. These Russian patriarchs sometimes possess

323 PEST OF LOCUSTS.

as many ss seventeen thousand head of the finest sheep,
while we do not know of any Scotch farmer possessing
more than twelve thousand sheep, even in the county of
Sutherland, which contains some of the richest wool-
growers in the kingdom.

When we have added that honey is also obtained in
great abundance throughout this district, many of the
farmers keeping at least a hundred hives of bees, we may
be allowed to ask what region surpasses the Ukraine in
richness end fertility? In fact, both in regard to soil
and climate, it is one of the most favoured regions of
Europe. There is one drawback to its advantages, how-
ever ; but from this it suffers in common with the whole
tract from Moscow to Odessa — the want, namely, of
water communication. Would the emperor, in place of
eating them up with cavalry regiments, help the people
to form a good canal, he would be doing more for them
than by all the conquests he can make. The country is
also admirably adapted for railroads.

Yet, rich and favoured as this fine district is, it is
liable to be visited by one of the worst scourges that can
afrlict any country — the locust, which comes in such
myriads, that herb and tree are laid bare in its devas-
tating- flight. It is also melancholy to reflect, in passing
through this province, that, while so richly favoured with
physical advantages, and all that is required for the sup-
port of life, it is still but a moral desert. Of knowledge
or information of any kind on any subject, beyond the
routine of their daily labours, the people possess little
more than the beasts which plough their fields. Nor
can we wonder at their ignorance, when we find that

COSSACK COSTUME. 329

throughout the whole government of Pultava, in which
this district is included, there is only one scholar at-
tending a schoolmaster out of every 662 of the inha-
bitants.

Passing Kouremykavsky Khutor, we rested to break-
fast at Reschetylowka, a long village, larger than some
district towns. We had of late been observing many
indications of comfort among the peasantry, far beyond
anything witnessed in the north ; and in the post-house
of this place we found a wonderful confirmation of the
improved habits and circumstances in the population of
this part of Russia. The room we sat in was furnished
with something like rustic comfort ; it actually contained
a bed, seductively white and soft, with large pillows — the
first decent sleeping-place we had yet seen at a Russian
inn. The floor was covered with strong canvas by way
of carpet, the cupboard rilled with drinking- glasses, and
the walls hung with pictures. The post-mistress, a
comely Jewess, did the honours with great courtesy.

Everybody must recollect the Cossack trowsers which
were in fashion a good many years ago. We had begun
to think that, like other things attributed to the Cossacks,
they might be unknown in the country itself; but, on
reaching this place, we saw that they are really part of
the national dress. The peasants below Pultava wear
them with plaits round the waist, as preposterous as those
of the caricatured dandies of other days.

The climate here became so warm, that we were glad
to throw aside the cloaks and burdens of the north. The
brown tinge on the cheek of the countrywomen, also,
speaks of a nearer approach to the sun. Their charms

330 AGRICULTURE OF

are not of the highest kind, and they dress so like men,
that we often drove through a band of them before dis-
covering their sex. The men generally wear a round
black cap, a short loose great coat, and while trousers
thrust into boots ; and this is very nearly the dress of the
bronzed maidens whom we meet driving along in carts ;
only that in place of boots they sport bare legs, while
the kirtle supplies the place of the wide trowsers. The
coquettes amongst them have their hair tied in a knot
behind, with a showy yellow ribbon.

The carts for taking corn from the field are of im
mense length ; and the grain is built in stacks as large
as a good-sized house of two stories. Near every farm-
house crowds of labourers are seen gaily at work,
making all secure before winter. Large flocks of turkeys
and geese may now be seen wandering over the downs.
To the north of Koursk the former are never met with,
and the latter not often; which fully explains why the
people here have soft beds, and those in the north leather
mattresses stuffed with rags. Ducks seem to be in little
favour in Russia. The pigs here become very compact,
handsome fellows. There is a different race of them in
every district : that of Koursk is the largest ; but most
of them are too heavy in the head and neck to feed
well.

On inquiring about the mode of farming here, we
found it a very simple affair : it may be explained in
two words ; — they take as many crops out of the ground
as it will give, and then let it lie fallow a year or two.

The houses of the farmers are now much larger, and
have a great look of comfort and thrift about them.

THE UKRAINE. 331

Many houses are placed close to the highway, to which
the back, neatly plastered, and containing six or eight
small windows, is generally turned. Each house is sur-
rounded by a neat garden, in which the bee-hives are
stationed. On the whole, however, we did not see many
hives until we reached the hamlet of Omeltnk. We
found plenty of them on strolling into the wood there,
and great abundance of splendid flowers to make the
honey from — chiefly mallows and geraniums — among
thickets of overgrown sloes and wild pear-trees.

After this the road is often very sandy, and few houses
are seen near it ; but all the slopes at some distance from
it are clothed with hamlets. The number of tiny wind-
mills is greater than ever : there they are, fighting away
with their six little arms at a great rate. Running water
is scarcely ever to be seen. Our road in general is per-
fectly level, but the adjoining country undulates occa-
sionally. The churches have now become plain grey
structures, without paint or gilding. The willow is here
a fine tree, with a huge trunk. It is almost the only
tree. At one place, however, we found a wood of apple-
trees, loaded with fruit as small and sour as the wild-
ing-crab. Large flocks of lapwings may be seen by the
roadside, apparently quite tame, as all winged creatures
in Russia may be said to be ; for nobody disturbs them.
Clouds of unknown birds are sometimes seen high in the
air, wheeling mysteriously over us as we journey on.

Evening brought us to Krementchoug, a district
town of Pultava, from which it is seventy-seven miles
distant. It is situated on the Kagamlik, close by its
junction with the Dnieper, one of the largest rivers 01

332 KREMENTCHOUG.

Russia. It contains eight thousand inhabitants, among
whom some manufactures of cloth, sheeting, &c. are
carried on with considerable success. Wool-washing is
another branch of industry ; and a considerable trade is
transacted in tallow, a great deal of which is brought
here to be melted.

Instead of entering by the regular path, we crossed a
morass to reach the gate, but were interrupted by a
soldier hastening from the guard-house to ask our pass-
ports, which were again demanded at the opposite bar-
rier, on leaving the town ; but it is the only place in the
interior in which the authorities ever addressed us on the
subject.

We had to traverse the whole of this wide city, from
side to side, before reaching the post-house. But
though it took us a long time to get through its un-
comely bounds., it may be described in very few words.
It consists of nothing but vast squares and long sandy
streets. The houses, some of which are of two stories,
and some of only one, being chiefly constructed of tim-
ber and plaster-work, have all the patched and peeled
characteristics of Russian houses in general. Though so
dull in its look, however, the place could not be called
desolate, for every corner was full of swarthy and eager
Jews. Some of the churches and public institutions are
adorned with fine porticoes, composed of immense stuc-
coed pillars, and have, on the whole, a handsome appear-
ance. The bazaar, with its many ranges of low arcades,
is large enough for a town of double the size.

On the whole, therefore, this is a very dreary place.
The cheerless look of its vast squares, covered with deep

POST-HOUSE PLOTS. 333

beds of sand in the middle, and with deep piles of bulky
tallow-casks marshalled round the edge, is of itself suffi-
cient to make one wish himself out of it as fast as possi-
ble ; and certainly, on finding how few were its attractions,
we had no intention of honouring it long with our pre-
sence. Though evening was now falling, we determined
to travel on all night; but the want of horses delayed us
a considerable time, during the whole of which the Jew
postmaster seemed to be contriving some plot against our
purses. Many eager looks were exchanged among a knot
of the brethren in the large court-yard, and mysterious
were their whisperings and gesticulations, while sundry
emissaries were sent to correspond about us with confe-
derates in distant parts of the town. Our suspicion that
the landlord's intentions were not of the most honest de-
scription was confirmed when wre discovered that, though
he and his people had been tormenting us with Russian
the whole time, yet he himself spoke very good German.
All this puzzled us very much ; especially as the landlord,
though his house was very good, and promised better ac-
commodation than any wTe had seen for a long time, did
not seem anxious that we should remain all night, and
did not hold out even the promise of a good dinner to
make us stay. A good bribe would probably have pro-
cured us horses, and put an end to these consultations in
a moment.

Meantime, while we are detained at this the last town
of the only tribe of the Cossacks which we had any op-
portunity of visiting, let us hold some gossip regarding
the other branches of that interesting race.

Beginning with the Cossacks of the Don, the most

334 COSSACKS OF THE DON.

powerful of all the tribes that bear this warlike name,, we
find that they are a perfectly distinct race from those
among whom we have been travelling. The form of go
vernment which prevails amongst them is also quite
different from that of all the other members of the great
Russian family. They acknowledge the Emperor of
Russia as their sovereign, but neither pay him taxes, nor
receive his laws. They render him military service, but
retain the old names and the old forms of their primitive
institutions. Their country lies to the east of the Ukraine,
with which it borders at one point, whence it spreads
away along the government of Ekaterinoslaf, which forms
the rest of its western boundary — the Noga'i Steppes in
the Taurida, and the sea of AzofT, forming its south-west
— the government of Circassia its south-east — that of
Astrakkan its eastern, and those of Voronesh and Sara-
toff its northern frontiers. The territory covers 3611
geographic square miles. Except along the banks of the
Don and in the north, as well as towards the Caucasian
range, which sends some shoots into it near Lake Bolskoi,
their country is a complete flat. On the banks of the
larger rivers many fertile tracts occur ; but a great part
of the surface is covered with the steppe-land, on which
little but pasture is seen. A large proportion of the
people live by agriculture, in which, however, they are
not very skilful. Some occupy themselves with gardens,
some with the rearing of bees, some with the preparation
of caviar, isinglass, glue, and the drying of fish for ex-
portation. A very numerous portion occupy themselves
with what has usually been considered the only industry
of the province — the rearing of cattle. Horses thrive so

COSSACKS OF THE DON. 335

well in the wide steppes, that in no part of the world per-
haps may so many be seen as there. Though strong and
active, however, the true Cossack horse is not a hand-
some animal ; he is small, very long necked, and narrow
behind, altogether presenting a hungered look ; but put
him to his mettle, and few will be found more fleet or
more hardy.

The population is not so numerous as their warlike
fame would lead us to suppose. The returns for 1832
make it only 512,570, including gipsies, Noga'i Tartars,
Armenians, and Greeks, as well as 16,413 Kalmucks,
who are worshippers of the Dalai-Lama, and lead a
wandering life,, living in rude skin-tents, with camels,
cattle, sheep, and horses browsing around them, all of
which they rear with great success. A considerable part
of the Russian light cavalry is supplied by the Kal-
mucks.

The Cossacks of this tribe are in general of the Greek
religion, and hold the Kalmucks in great horror. The
dignity of hetman no longer exists as a local title amongst
them, nor any other of the tribes. Catherine II. deposed
Count Kazoumoufsky, the last chief of the Ukraine ; and
the present emperor has transferred the title of hetman
of the Don to his eldest son. ™ The population," savs
Schnitzler, " is divided into two cities, and 11.9 stunitza, or
assemblages of houses and families, varying from 50 to
309 houses each, arranged in un paved streets, and sur-
rounded by a kind of rampart and ditch : the khutors
or stables are outside. The country is governed in a
manner entirely different from that of the Russian go-
vernments. At one time the Cossacks formed a demo-

336 COSSACKS OF THE DON.

cracv, with an elective chief, whose powers were very
limited : but this democracy became by degrees an aris-
tocracy ; the assemblies of the stanitza, long preponde-
rant, lost their rights ; and the influence of the council-
of-war at St. Petersburg increased. The emperor
reserved to himself the nomination of the chief, whose
authority from that time became more firm and more
active. At present all power is vested in the chief called
voiskovo'iatcunan (this is the dignity which the heir-ap-
parent now holds), and, in his absence, in the nakaznii-
ataman, or vice-ataman. They are divided into p oiks or
regiments, and sotnes or companies, which are again
subdivided into sections of fifties and tens. Each polk
has a standard-bearer, and an iessaoid or major."*

The Cossacks of the Don are free from taxes of every
kind (this exemption is not enjoyed by the Kalmucks) ;
but in return, all, from the age of fifteen to fifty, are liable
to serve the emperor; each individual dressing, equip-
ping, and arming himself, solely at his own expense. They
keep 2500 cavalry in constant readiness for service ; but,
in case of need, can easily equip twice that number ; and,
if called upon, every man capable of bearing arms must
serve. They have pay only when in active service, or on
the Russian frontier ; but government supplies them with
field-equipage. The principal weapon of the Cossack is
the long and formidable lance. He carries also a sabre,
a musket, and a pair of pistols ; nor must the natraika,
or hard whip, be forgotten, for it is used against his foe
as well as his own steed. At home the Don Cossack
dresses very showily, — in a blue jacket lined with silk,

* La Russie, la Pologne, ^e., pp. 490-491.

ORIGIN OF THE COSSACK TRIBES. 337

and edged with gold lace, silk vest and girdle, ample
white trowsers, and a large cap cf black wool, with a red
bag floating behind. But the soldiers dress in a short
Polish jacket, wide dark-blue trowsers, and a huge sheep-
skin cap. The chin is always adorned with a long black
beard, peaking out before ; the hair of the head is cut
short. Their women have very agreeable features, and
dress in open silk tunic, wide trowsers, and yellow
boots.

Without entering on a minute consideration of the
circumstances of the other Cossack tribes, it may be
stated generally, that, besides minor divisions, there are
in all four great tribes of Cossacks in the Russian domi-
nions : those of the Ukraine, those of the Don, those of
the Black Sea (who, from their vicinity to the Caucasus,
are almost, constantly in active service), and those of
Siberia, All of these appear to have had the same
origin, having spread from Little Russia, where the Cos-
sacks arose on the downfall of the Tartar dominion.
Their language is chiefly Little Russian, with a mixture
of Polish and, some say, of Turkish words. " Cossack"
seems to be a Tartar word, expressing " light-armed
horsemen fighting for pay ;" but it would be difficult to
say from what race they originally sprung. In all pro-
bability they were a mixture of Little Russians, who
formed the great bulk of the hordes, with Kalmucks,
gipsies, Tartars, fugitive Poles, and adventurers of all
nations, who united to fight for independence, now against
Turk, and now against Muscovite. For the sake of
security, they fortified themselves in the island of Kov-
letzkoi, situated near the mouth of the Dnieper. This

VOL. n. Q

338 ORIGIN OF THE

place afterwards became famous as the Setcha of the
Zaporoghes, the name by which they were long known ;
it referred to their position in regard to the paroghi, or
cataracts, of the river. It was not till 1577 that they
were known by the name of Cossacks, when they began
to be heard of in the Polish wars. They soon afterwards
formed themselves into the military government of regi-
ments, which still exists. In 1592 they placed them-
selves under the protection of the king of Poland, who
gave them a hetman, and employed them as a barrier
ao-ainst the Turks and Tartars, between whom and the
Cossacks there had always been a most deadly hatred.
In consequence of some arbitrary interference with fheir
privileges on the part of Poland,, they sought the protec-
tion of Russia in 1654, and yielded her the same ser-
vices which they had done to their former allies. They
remained faithful to their new protectors till 1708, when
Charles XII. came to the Ukraine ; and even at that
time the Zaporoghes of the Setcha kept to their alle-
giance. In consequence of Peter the Great's cruel con-
duct towards the offenders, the whole body now joined
the Khans of the Crimea ; but a speedy return of their
old disgust drove them back to the Empress Anna, who
treated them kindly. New feuds arose, however, under
Catherine, who caused their Setcha to be destroyed, re-
duced the regiments of the Ukraine to the form of ordi-
nary troops, and banished the Zaporoghes to Taman,
where they founded the tribes now known as the Cos-
sacks of the Black sea. By degrees, however, the Cos-
sacks who remained on the Don regained their posses-
sions and privileges ; and now for a hundred years they

COSSACK TRIBES. 339

have been faithful and useful auxiliaries to their Russian
protectors. The Cossacks of Siberia are sprung from a
colony from the Don, which fled under Yermak, in 1549,
when the Cossacks had been temporarily subdued by
the Muscovites.

By the following extract from Karamsin's great work,
it will be seen that his account of the origin of the Cos-
sacks differs in some particulars from that now given.
" The chronicles of the year 1444," he says, " make
mention of the Cossacks of Rezan, those light troops so
celebrated in our day. The Cossacks then were not con-
fined exclusively to the Ukraine, where their name be-
gins to be known in history about the year 1517. Every-
thing conduces to make us believe that they were known
in Russia even before the invasion of Bati, and that this
name designates the Torchi and Besendeans inhabiting
the banks of the Dnieper below Kief. It is there also
that we discover the first settlement of the Cossacks of
Little Russsia. Like the Torchi and the Besendeans,
the Cossacks called themselves Tcherkasses. In fact,
various tribes, very different both in name and lineage,
appear to have united, for the sake of living free and in-
dependent on the islands of the Dnieper, surrounded by
rocks and impassable marshes. They drew after them a
great number of Russians, flying from slavery, who were
soon confounded with them under the name of Cossacks ;
who, as one people, became entirely Russian, with the
greater facility that, since the tenth century, the ancestors
of these same Cossacks, as inhabitants of the province of
Kieff, were themselves Russians. Their number increased

q 2

340 ORIGIN OF THE COSSACKS.

from day to day, and, animated by the spirit of inde-
pendence and brotherhood, they founded a Christian and
military republic in the southern regions of the Dnieper,
and began to build villages and fortresses in the districts
desolated by the Tartars. They declared themselves
the defenders of the Lithuanian provinces, against the in-
habitants of the Crimea, and against the Turks, and suc-
ceeded in attracting the especial good-will of Sigismund
the First, who granted them several privileges, as well as
lands above the cataracts of the Dnieper, where they gave
their name to the town of Tcherkass. They were divided
into centuries and regiments. Their hetman, or chief,
received, as a mark of respect, from Stephen Bathory,
king of Poland, a royal standard, a horse-tail, a club,
and a seal.

" For this people, born to war, and enthusiastic for
liberty, was it reserved to deliver Little Russia from the
power of strangers, towards the middle of the seventeenth
century, and to restore in a manner to our country pro-
vinces which formerly belonged to it. The Cossacks, called
zaporojskie (from the preposition z a, ' beyond,' and the
word parojskie, * cataract'), that is, from the other side of
the cataracts of the Dnieper, were, for the most part, Little
Russians. A land fortress, which at first had served them as
a place of meeting, became in the sequel the dwelling-place
of the unmarried Cossacks, whose sole means of subsistence
was war and pillage. It is probable that the example of
the Cossacks of the Ukraine, always armed, ever ready
to drive back the enemy, first gave our cities of the south
the idea of organizing a militia similar to theirs. The

ORIGIN OF THE COSSACKS. 341

province of Rezan, which of all others was the most ex-
posed to the incursions of the brigands of the horde, had,
more than any other, need of such defenders. Seduced
by peculiar advantages, or probably still more by the
powerful attraction of booty, young people, men without
any avowed object, hastened to enrol themselves among
the Cossacks. The name of Cossacks designates parti-
sans, volunteers, men of valour, and not brigands, as seve-
ral men of learning assert, quoting the Turkish dictionary
as an authority. Of a truth this name was not meant
as an insult, since brave paladins, who died for liberty,
for their native land, and for religion, thought it a glory
to bear it."*

To complete our brief notice of these warlike tribes it
may be stated, that since the year 1831, when the empe-
ror re-established the regiments of the Ukraine, under
the name of the Cossacks of Little Russia, the Cossacks
altogether furnish no fewer than 164 regiments of cavalry,
consisting of 101,760 men. Of these, seventy regiments
of the line, and nineteen of the guards, are furnished by
the Don Cossacks ; twenty-one line, and one of the
guard, by those of the Black Sea ; eighteen line, by
those of Little Russia ; thirty, by those of Siberia ; and
the rest from Cossacks of the Ural, Upper Terek, and
the Volga.

One of the privileges of which the Cossacks most
proudly boast is, that no recruit belonging to any of their
tribes can be chained, when on march to head-quarters,
as the Russians are; nor is it allowed to examine his
person. In general, they may be regarded as far superior
* Histoire de la Russie, par Karamsin, tome 6. p. 476.

342 PRIVILEGES OF THE COSSACKS.

to the Russians, from their independence of spirit and
their free form of government. The higher classes
{star chines) receive an excellent education ; but taking
the whole government of the Don Cossacks, the average
of scholars is not very high, there being only about one
at school out of every 580 inhabitants. Some authorities
state that three years is the period of service required of
each Cossack, and that they serve from the acre of eight-
een to forty : others, more correctly, say four years, and
that the age of service is, as quoted above, from fifteen to
fifty. This applies, however, only to a time of peace ; for,
in case of war, there is no limit to the period of service ;
all under the age of fifty must march, leaving only the
old at home.

That a change of circumstances can change the cha-
racter of a people, is a fact which has held true in all
ages. In no instance has it ever been more strongly con-
firmed than by the Cossack. At home he is the best-
natured being in the world. We have seldom seen a more
quiet, friendly creature. He seems fit to think of nothing
but his fields and his poultry. One who knew nothing of
him but from travelling through the district which we vi-
sited, would be almost tempted to call him soft and childish-
But follow him to the battle — see him even in a march
at the head of an invading army — and the Cossack will
be found a very different being. He is no longer the
quiet, unobtrusive husbandman, but the bold marauder —
the true member of the fiercest of all the hordes which
Russia can bring in countless swarms against Europe, —
in fact, the reckless adventurer, whose character has been
so well embodied by Beranger, in his noble ode, when he

COSSACK CHARACTER.

343

paints him hastening a second time to the banks of the
Seine, and disdainfully addressing his steed : —

u Efface, efface, en ta course nouvelle,
Temples, palais, mceurs, souvenirs, et lois.
Hennis d'orgueil, 6 mon coursierjldele,
Et foule auxpieds les peuples et les rat's."

Noi is it merely in the field that the fierceness of the
Cossack soldier is seen ; we have only to watch him doing
duty as a policeman in a Russian crowd, pelting right
and left with his heavy whip, and some idea will be
formed of the character he displays in war. The very
touch of the uniform seems to change his nature. For-
tunately, however, he assumes his inoffensive character
the moment the drill jacket is thrown aside. With his
hcnd on the plough, he is once more our obliging friend
of the wayside ; his campaigning fierceness so completely
forgotten, that he scarcely raises his eye to exchange a
look with us as we pass his humble door.

The picture of the Cossacks drawn by Sir Walter
Scott is so vivid and complete that we cannot refrain from
giving it. Its accuracy reminds us of the singular privi-
lege which genius has, of always doing greater justice to
a subject than an ordinary mind can do, even when its
opportunities of becoming acquainted with the subject have
been greater. Except during his short visit to Paris in
1815, the author of the Life of Napoleon never saw Cos.
sacks in his life, yet the following passage from that work
surpasses every description of them to be met with in
books of travels: —

"The natives on the banks of the Don and the Volga
hold their lands by military service, and enjoy certain

344 COSSACKS IN THE FIELD.

immunities and prescriptions, in consequence of which
each individual is obliged to serve four years in the Rus-
sian armies. They are trained from early childhooa to
the use of the lance and sword, and familiarized to the
management of a horse peculiar to the country,— far from
handsome to appearance, but tractable, hardy, swift and
sure-footed beyond any breed perhaps in the world. At
home, and with his family and children, the Cossack is kind,
gentle, generous, and simple ; but when in arms aid in a
foreign country, he resumes the predatory, and somatimes
the ferocious habits of his ancestors, the roving Scythians.
As the Cossacks receive no pay,* plunder is generally
their object; and as prisoners were deemed a useless in-
cumbrance, they granted no quarter, until Alexander
promised a ducat for every Frenchman whom they brought
in alive. In the actual field of battle their mode of at-
tack is singular. Instead of acting in a line, a body o:"
Cossacks, about to charge, disperse at the word of com-
mand, very much in the manner of a fan suddenly flung
open, and joining in a loud yell or hourra, rush, each act-
ing individually, upon the object of attack, whether in-
fantry, cavalry, or artillery; to all of which they have
been in this wild way of fighting formidable assailants.
But it is as light cavalry that the Cossacks are perhaps
unrivalled. They and their horses have been known to
march one hundred miles in twenty-four hours, without
halting. They plunge into wroods, swim rivers, thread
passes, cross deep morasses, and penetrate through deserts
of snow, without undergoing material loss, or suffering
from fatigue. Xo Russian army with a large body of
* This is true only of the time of peace.

THE COSSACKS. 345

Cossacks in front can be liable to surprise; nor, on the
other hand, can an enemy surrounded by them ever be
confident against it. In covering the retreat of their
own army, their velocity, activity, and courage render
pursuit by the enemy's cavalry peculiarly dangerous ; and
in pursuing a flying enemy their qualities are still more
redoubtable. In the campaign of 1806-7, the Cossacks
took the field in great numbers, under their celebrated
hetman, or ataman, PlatorT, who, himself a Cossack, knew
their peculiar capacity for warfare, and raised their fame
to a pitch which it had not attained in former European
wars."*

So wonderful and so rapid then is the progress of even
a barbarous tribe when animated by the spirit of liberty.
The men whom we have seen, only three short centuries
ago, a mere handful of fugitive shepherds or lawless ma-
rauders of the Ukraine — without institutions, and even
without a name— with nothing to unite them but that love
of freedom which we have just referred to ; these obscure
men have already become one of the most formidable of
the tribes of Europe, hovering on her borders in ominous
numbers, and preparing ere long to shake — shall we say
to ascend — the proudest of her thrones.

* Scott's Life of Napoleon, Chapter on the year 1807.

Q 3

346

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE STEPPES.

Comforts of travelling without a dinner — Crossing the Dnieper —
Account of that river — Its falls — Journey by moonlight — Concert of
dogs and poultry — Willows — Symptoms of approaching barrenness —
Adjamka — Russian wells and our morning ablutions — Flies — Increasing
heat — Elizabethgaod — Jews — Water-melons — Appearance of the
people — Trees disappear — Cultivation ceases — Entrance on the
Steppes — Account of these regions — Herds of horses — Numerous
birds — Gazelle— Pelican — Serpent — A Souvenir of Russia — Woman's
kindness prized by the stranger — The traveller's loneliness — Mourn-
ful thoughts.

Small is the number of readers who will deny that it is
t( mighty unpleasant" to be told by the landlord of the
inn which you have reached after a long day's journey,
and in which you had fondly hoped to dine as travellers
only can dine, that the said inn affords nothing to appease
your wants except milk and — no bread. But smaller
still is the number of those who will deny that it is yet
more unpleasant to be told, after you have got your port-
manteau, writing-case,, night-cap, and other comfortables
restored to their place in the carriage, from which you had
prematurely removed them, in the hope of a quiet night's
rest, and just when the postilion is turning his ear to
catch the brief but peremptory "All right!" which; is
to send you galloping off with all the speed that six good
horses and a well-plied whip can command, — still more
unpleasant is it, we say, to be told, at that interesting

A DINNER MARQUEE. 347

moment, that a good dinner is to he got after all — that
the cook had forgotten there were so many good things
in the house, but is now ready to produce them, if you
will but change your mind, and stay all night.

Yet such, or very nearly such, was our unhappy case
at the inhospitable Krementchoug, where we have been
holding the long discussion about the Cossacks with which
the last chapter concludes. No one, therefore, will be
surprised that we should be in such bad humour with that
city, and have scarcely a good word to say of it. But.
that neither our wrath nor our hunger were very malig-
nant, may be inferred from the fact, that although on
setting out we fully intended to hold a midnight banquet
at the first post-station we should reach, yet once in
motion, we altogether forgot the very agreeable and very
essential duty of dining, until next morning at breakfast,
when we had got over at least sixty good miles of road, —
an anachronism of which, it is but justice to confess, we
have very seldom been guilty, but which ought to immor-
talize us, as we are probably the first and the only
travellers who ever forgot their dinner.

In fact, the nicdit was so beautiful, with its soft summer
air breathing on us so gently, and the fair moon and ten
thousand glorious stars looking down on us so benignantly,
that we travelled on without pausing, as if food and sleep,
the mere wants of the body, were subjects too vulgar to be
thought of, when such sights were around us to occupy
the mind.

Nor will we part on bad terms even with Krementchoug
itself. As we wish to part friends with all men, — to say
as little evil of them as possible, and all the good that

348 THE DNIEPER.

conscience will permit, — so do we wish to part from, and
so do we wish to speak of, all places. Readily there-
fore do we admit that our recollections of Krementchoug
are brightened by one redeeming object — its noble river.
As the reader must have Ions' ago discovered that we
are a little crazy on the subject of large rivers, and fall
hopelessly in love with each new one that comes across
our path, he will not wonder that our wrathful remem-
brances of Krementchoug are mollified, when we think of
the beautiful waters by which it is laved.

The Dnieper is indeed worthy of admiration. The
moment our carriage stopped we hastened to get a
glimpse of it before night should have concealed it from
our view ; and seldom have we gazed on a more impos-
ing tide. The sun was just sinking below the horizon ;
but, as if reluctant to quit so fair a sight, his parting
beams still lingered 0n the burnished waters, which
flowed so sullenly that they seemed scarcely to move — a
silent but mighty stream.

Immediately after leaving Krementchous" we crossed
this river by a bridge of boats, not unlike that on the
Rhine at Coblentz. Shortly after, wTe had to cross
another arm of it, the bridge of which is so long that it
seemed a journey before we got to the end of it. Tramp,
tramp wrent the feet of our horses on the boards, as if the
monotonous concert would continue all night.

Though it washes the lands of a barbarous people, the
Dnieper is entitled to the honours of a classic stream ; for
it was well known to the ancients, under the high-sound-
ing name of the Borysthenes, and in the middle ages
bore the equally euphonious appellation of the Dana-

THE DNIEPER. 349

pirs. It rises in the government of Smolensk, near the
sources which feed the Volga and the Dwina, among the
Alaunian hills, where they are covered by the southern
skirts of the great Volkonsky forest already spoken of.
It is swollen by the Beresina and numerous other tri-
butaries, in the earlier part of its course, and at Kieflf is
so large, that the bridge which there crosses it is 1638
paces long. After leaving the government of Kieff, it
forms the boundary of those of Pultava, Ekaterinoslaf,
and Kherson, and enters the Black Sea, after a course of
nearly 1000 miles. Except the Danube, there is no
river in Europe which drains such a large extent of coun-
try. It is navigable all the way from Smolensk to Kieff,
but farther down its bed is so full of rocks, that at one
part of its course it becomes necessary to transport goods
for a great distance by land, in order to avoid the cata-
racts. There is no direct navigation, therefore, from
Krementchoug down to Alexandrofsky ; but at the latter
place the river is again navigable, and continues to be so
throughout the remaining two hundred miles of its course.
At Kherson it begins to form a liman, in many places six
miles broad, which, being afterwards joined by that of
the Bog, forms a kind of inland sea fifty miles from the
Euxine.

The banks of the Dnieper, especially on the eastern side,
are in general high. Sturgeon, shad, pike, and carp,
abound in it. Of the seventy islands which occur before
the commencement of the liman, some are very fertile,
while some abound with serpents, wild-cats, and other
animals. The largest island, as formerly mentioned, is
famed in Cossack story, as the place where the Zapo-

350 THE STEPPES.

rooties established their camp. In the upper, part of its
course it is frozen from November to April, and at Kieff
from December to March ; the bridges, consequently,
must be removed in October, or the beginning of Novem-
ber, and cannot be replaced again till summer has set in,
without the certainty of their being carried off by the
floating-ice in spring.

The great cataracts of this river, known by the name
of Paroglti, are said to be well worth visiting. They are
situated a short way above Ekaterinoslaf, and cover from
forty to fifty miles of the river's course. Thirteen con-
siderable falls have been reckoned, but it is only in the
autumn or winter that they are worth seeing, the high
floods of the early summer covering them so completely
that few of the falls are then perceptible. At the season
referred to, the barks of the Cossacks float safely over the
loftiest ledges and the wildest whirlpools; but the river
still presents a most magnificent sight, careering along,
as it does, in a bed at least one thousand feet wide, which
for miles on miles is one continued sheet of roaring foam.

A new people, a new language, and new manners
presented themselves the moment we crossed the river
which has now been described : for, though the whole
of the tract of 270 miles from Krementclioug to Odessa
cannot be said to possess the barren, deserted character
which the term stejijje implies, yet, even in the fertile
portions of the government of Kherson, through which
the first part of this journey lay, such a complete change
is visible, when compared with the districts we had left,
that we were at once prepared for the lonely and singular
wastes at which we were soon to arrive.

ALEXANDRIA.

351

We were not without companions in our delightful
night-journey across the Steppic border ; for the waning
moon and her attendant stars continued their faithful
watch through many a league. We had plenty of
music, too, — not exactly that of the spheres, but from
the dogs of the country, which kept up such a continued
barking, from side to side of every valley, that it seemed
as if we had got into a region peopled only by the canine
race. The numerous packs of wolves which infest these
districts compel the herdsman to keep his trusty senti-
nels constantly on the watch, both summer and winter.

Nor were the dogs our only choristers ; for no sooner
had they gone to sleep than our friends of the roost took
up their melodious note — cackle, cackle went the song,
till broad day put them to shame.

In the course of the night we passed through Alex-
andria, a district town of Kherson, thirty-eight miles
from Krementchoug, and sundry villages so insignificant
as to be unworthy of having their barbarous names
recorded. As we passed along we observed that the chill
of midnight did not prevent some of the wearied pea-
sants from sleeping in the open air, at the post-houses.

The country in which we found ourselves at dawn was
still populous and fertile, but there was scarcely a tree
within sight except the willow, which is here larger than
we have ever seen it in any other parts of Europe. It is
cultivated for the wattles which it yields, and of which
the greater part of the houses are still formed. Carriages
and waggons are met by the way, but in much smaller
numbers than to the north of the Dnieper. We encoun-

352 VILLAGE WONDER CHANGE OF CLIMATE.

tered little to attract our notice in the course of the
morning, with the exception of a large body of cavalry,
marching in very straggling order.

Passing the long village of Nov ay a Praga, we break-
fasted at the hamlet of Adjamka, where we were like to
be eaten up, honey, roast fowls, and all, by myriads of
flies. Just as in the north, the people of the places we
stop at in the morning are always amazed to see us make
such a fuss about wTater to wash ourselves. Water they
regard as intended for better purposes than to wear away
the human skin with. We were here able to get plenty
of it from the well in the large court-yard, where we
performed our ablutions, raising the bucket with a wheel
and cable fit for a coal-pit. Most of the houses are low
clay cottages, with whitewashed chimneys, so small and
neat that nothing can look better.

Books are a rare sight in Russia. At this place,
however, while rummaging through the fly-covered
closet for plates to help out our breakfast service, we
actually discovered a suspicious-looking volume or two ;
and we record the fact from its being the only instance
in which we ever saw a book, or anything like one, at a
Russian inn.

Having for the fiftieth time repaired our carriage, long
since become a perilous wreck, we sallied forth once
more for the desert. The weather had now become
fiercely warm. Between dust and heat, we were almost
suffocated before entering the district town of Elizabeth-
grad, forty-four miles from Alexandria. Symptoms of
a change of climate are here more numerous than ever,

JEWS THE WATER-MELON. 353

in the new and luscious fruits with which the wide
market-ground w^as strewed. It is a strange, black,
desolated, and yet populous place, of 2,700 inhabitants,
in a parched, treeless hollow. The streets were full of
Jews, prowling about in large scowling hats, from
beneath which their black curled locks han£ down on
the long robe, which is as filthy and black as all the
rest of their dress.

It was here that we first got the water-melon in per-
fection,— one of the greatest luxuries the traveller meets
with. Unlike the common melon, it is perfectly round,
and generally about the size of a man's head ; the rind
never becomes yellow, but even when ripest is of a very
dark green. When cut, the fruit is found to be full of a
delicious red pulp, which melts away in the mouth most
luxuriously. It is not so sweet nor so heavy-tasted as
other melons, and can therefore be eaten in much greater
quantities. In the burning heats, which now continued
all the time we remained in Russia, we devoured many
of these melons daily, and never felt the smallest incon-
venience from them". This fruit would be a great acqui-
sition to our English dessert : but no care of the cultivator
can make up for the sultry sky and arid wastes of its
native climes. It drinks juice from the very sands to
which the clouds deny their rain, and affords one of the
thousand proofs of the wisdom and bounty displayed by
Providence in the adaptation of its gifts to the varying
wants of each varying region. In countries watered by
few rivers, and seldom visited by rain, what could be
more grateful than a fruit easily raised, and extending
through a long season, full of one of the most delicious

ox

54 APPROACH TO THE STEPPES.

substitutes for water that ever refreshed the thirsty wan-
derer.

Horses having been quickly procured, we left Eliza-
bethgrad with very little ceremony. As we journeyed
on we could not help being struck with the fact that the
inhabitants of this region are small and ill-made. The
men of the south are far inferior to the Russians in
figure, and the women are as far behind the Russian
females as those are behind their own husbands. There
appears to be less of Turkish seclusion than among the
Muscovites, for women of all ages may be seen out of
doors : more of them are engaged in field-labour than in
Central Russia.

Up to this point cultivation has not quite disappeared ;
there are still extensive tracks under the plough, with
numerous flocks of cattle, and stacks of hay as large as
hills, near the houses. Everything shows, however, that
we are bordering close on the Steppes. There is a
threatening heaviness in the sky — an oppression on the
breathing — a growing desolation in the aspect of every
thing around; plainly telling that we are fast leaving
the fertile scenes which have bordered our route for now
nearly a thousand miles. Not a tree is to be seen, look
the whole horizon round ; and, except some small bush
by a peasant's hut, there is not so much as an osier for
the winter blast to bend.

At length, a few miles from the town last named, the
gradually lessening signs of cultivation entirely vanish :
we were now fairly in the Steppes — one of the gloomiest,
loneliest, most remarkable regions in the world. Though
there are still some spots under the plough, they bear so

THE STEPPES. 355

small a proportion to the wide extent before the eye,
that they increase rather than diminish its general cha-
racter of barrenness. For the most part, nothing is to
be seen but one wide level stretch of rank grass, now
brown and crackling with age : for though called a waste,
these regions are not a barren waste ; they are covered
far and wide with grass — strong and coarse, indeed, yet
readily eaten by the flocks of the country. In spring,
when covered with lively green, these plains must be
pleasant to the eye ; in autumn their withered look almost
burns it.

This singular tract forms a part of those wide regions
known as the Steppes of Europe, which are divided into
the Higher and LowTer.

With the Lower Steppes we have nothing to do; they
lie far away from our present course, at the eastern ex-
tremity of Europe, separated from the Higher by the
lofty range between the Don and the Volga. It may be
mentioned, however, that the Lower Steppes cover a sur-
face twice as large as the area of the British islands, no
part of which, except to a trifling extent, near Astracan,
is under cultivation. In general they are covered with
salt and sand, except in some places where a poor grass
may now and then find root among stunted shrubs.
They are supposed to lie many hundred feet below the
level of the sea.

The Higher Steppes, in which we now were, although
at present less neglected, were for a long period occupied
exclusively by the Nomadic tribes of the Petcheneges,
who afterwards made way for the Polofti — a people who
wandered along the Dnieper, from the mouth of the

356 THE STEPPES,

Vorskla to that of the Ross. Neither of these races had
any turn for agriculture ; but finding that the soil of
itself produced sufficient grass for their flocks, they left
it as they found it — a region covered with coarse herbage,
without tree or house ; and such it continues to this day.
These steppes lie along the northern shore of the Black
Sea, from which they spread back many hundred miles.
They commence near the Don in the east, and, crossing
the Dnieper, spread westward up its right bank, till they
meet the outskirts of the fertile regions of Little Russia.
Of the peninsula of the Crimea, connected with them by
a low neck of land, three-fourths are steppes. Its south-
ern shores are very high, especially near the Chatyr
Dagh, whose summit is more than 5000 feet above the
sea. In general, however, the surface of the Higher
Steppes does not rise more than 200 feet above the level
of the sea.

The traveller crossing the Steppes may occasionally
be greeted by a cultivated spot, in some hollow where
there is water ; and in such a place a few shrubs may be
found ; but, in general, there is nothing to be seen ex-
cept a coarse rank grass, the sight of which becomes at
last as wearisome to the eye as absolute barrenness.
Among the rough bushes found in the few places alluded
to, the most frequent is the species of bramble (Rubus
saxatilis), the fruit of which has already been so fre-
quently mentioned as a favourite in the markets of the
norih.

The pasturage is not suited for cows or oxen ; but
horses thrive well on it. Of these, accordingly, immense
herds may be seen. The poorest inhabitant of the

THE STEPPES. 357

Steppes, especially among the Don Cossacks, has three
or four horses ; and the wealthy possess tribunes or
herds, containing as many as 1200 noble steeds. Of
these large herds, none are kept in the stalls, except such
as are used for the saddle ; but their number is very
small. All the others are kept in the open air, and pro-
vide for themselves the whole year round. In summer
it is no difficult matter for them to forage abundantly ;
but, in winter, it is with difficulty they procure enough to
keep in life, by scraping away the snow with their feet.
The reeds by the rivers serve them as food, when the
snow is too deep on the ordinary pastures. Khutors, or
buildings consisting of sheds and stables, are built in
many places ; and at these the horses are assembled
when a purchase is to be made. The owners draw large
sums from government, for supplying the cavalry every
year.

The soil being sufficiently productive wherever any
care is bestowed on its cultivation, every family in the
Steppes is able to raise enough of grain for its own sup-
port. The people in general bear a great resemblance
to the Cossacks of the Ukraine ; but there are many
colonists from Germany and other parts of Europe in
the more fertile districts. Education being well attended
to in these colonies, the general proportion of scholars in
the government of Kherson is more favourable than in
the adjoining provinces.

Of four-footed game, little is found in any part of the
Steppes. They abound, however, with animals of a less
noble kind — such as wolves, foxes, wild cats, martens,
marmots, dwarf otters, the zaiga-gazelle, and hares.

358 A PLEASING REMINISCENCE.

These solitudes seem to be the favourite haunts of birds
innumerable ; swans, bustards, partridges, quails, snipes,
and falcons, abound in every corner of them, and in
some places the pelican is not uncommon. Reptiles,
and especially snakes, are extremely numerous.

These notices will show that we were now indeed
within a dreary region ; but we shall try to lighten our
way across it, by summoning back one happy remem-
brance. This world of ours would be a very miserable
one, did we not make the most of the bright gleams
which now and then illumine our pilgrimage through it,

Where, then, we have to ask — not of the reader (though
authors, from time immemorial, have had the privilege
of asking a great many questions, and some of them
very impertinent ones, of that patient, much-tried, and
mysterious personage, " the reader") — but it is of our
companions in these now closing Excursions that we ask,
was it on this or some other desert wild of Russia, that a
fair hand sent each of us the little flower which we
vowed to treasure, as a remembrance of distant plains,
and — of her ?

Dreary as the desert was, the remembrance of that
simple gift renders it bright to the eye of memory. A
flower — such a tasteful souvenir, presented in scenes so
remote, where there is little but gloom and desolation,
and things unlovely — is something more valuable than
it may appear to him who has never known the dulness,
the misery, the utter prostration of heart, which occa-
sionally oppresses the traveller, while wandering over re-
gions in themselves most rude, and in which he finds

A PLEASING REMINISCENCE. 359

himself as one alone, without a single link binding him
to the hearts of those around — where all are strangers,
and regard him as but a stranger — where no service is
rendered for love, but for lucre, and is rendered to the
next comer with the same mechanical promptitude as to
him — where, in short, there is nothing to tell him that he
is still a member of the human family, from which, in
his loneliness, he is at times ready to regard himself as
for ever disunited. He who has never been in circum-
stances to experience this feeling, can scarcely know how
much any of the little courtesies or playful attentions of
ordinary life affect one in a foreign land, and especially
when rendered by the sex which, in every clime, is en-
dowed with the self-denying grace of thinking more of
the feelings of others than men ever do.

Of those, however, who have experienced the feeling
now described, none will wonder that we should make
mention of an incident so trifling. Blessings on the
hand, then, that bestowed this little token ! Its bright
colours have not yet faded ; but even when it shall have
withered away from its present shelter, it will still be
fresh in our memory. Though separated from them by
many a league, which of us will not sometimes look back
to the noble halls where the kind bestower rules? If
women knew how well they are remembered for a kind-
ness, be it even but a trifle such as this, rendered to the
stranger, they would feel themselves amply repaid.

Travelling has its pleasures — but it has also its pains;
and that just alluded to is one of the greatest of them —
the feeling, namely, of being abandoned — of having
no friend near who cares whether you are joyful or sad

360 PAINS OF TRAVELLING ABSENCE,

— whether you are in health or in sickness. It is not
in the desert only that heaviness and sorrow take posses-
sion of the pilgrim. What sojourner in strange lands has
not, even while in the heart of the most crowded cities,
occasionally been saddened by thoughts to which he dare
scarce give utterance? "\ am alone !" will he sometimes
sav to himself, — " cut off from those who love me. Were
I to fall ill — to die, in this populous, but to me desolate
scene, what hand would compose my limbs — what step
would follow my bier ? Those of the mercenary — who
would feel for me as little as for the bough which he sees
torn by the wintry blast from the stem which it adorned.
Warm hearts will throb for me far away, and young
cheeks be moist; but what eye would here weep for me?
What friend would cast a flower on my lonely resting-
place? Not one! — not one ! The night-breeze will sing
my only monody — the night-bird be the only visitant
to my grave !"

361

CHAPTER XXV.

THE DISMAL BORDERS OF THE BLACK SEA.

Kompaneevka — Grassy road — Quick travelling — Sougakley — Village set-
tlers in the Steppes — Geese — Night-scene at Wodenaya — Scotch names
— Many horses — Drive across the desert — Poplars — Nicolaefk —
Its public buildings — Gardens — Ships — Dockyards — Not flourish-
ing— Its strange houses — Scenes in the sandy market place — -'Craw-
fish"— Cooking-huuse — Crossing the Bog — Trailing for crawfish —
Account of the Bog and its liman — More night-scenes — Climate —
Draw near the Black Sea — Italian wanderers — Birds — Flowers — Ad-
jelik — Ships — Scenes near Odessa.

The observations contained in the last chapter will
have prepared the reader for the general character of the
country in which we found ourselves soon after leaving
Elizabeth grad. Sixteen miles from that place stands
the post-house of Kompaneevka, a poor hut on the wing
of S hamlet composed of cottages small enough to be the
dwellings of pigmies. In its gardens are a few trees,
which seem to thrive tolerably, while the plots of ground
where the soil has been recently dug or ploughed show
such a rich composition, that it is evidently not from bar-
renness, but neglect, that the Steppes are so naked. The
crops — what few there are of them — are not all gathered
in ; fine herds are frequent along the downs. Generally
speaking, however, the view is singularly dreary, without
a speck for the eye to rest upon.

The road is good and easy; we drove over it as
VOL. 11. R

362 SINGULAR SCENE.

smoothly as on a new-shorn lawn. In fact, it is nothing
but a grassy track, so wide, that, though many waggons
and carriages pass, there seems to be a new line for each :
there are no ruts ; all is one smooth space from side to
side. The road is so like the country on either hand,
that, to prevent people from wandering out. of it, black
and white posts are planted on both sides of the way, at
every quarter of a verst.

The large village of Scugakley presents a singularly
striking scene. After passing through a broken valley,
almost exclusively composed of a dull clay, except at
some spots, where a soft white sandstone peeps out, a
confused medley of small huts appears scattered over a
sort of witches" glen, with huge grey stones rising here
and there amongst them, higher than the chimneys; but
neither tree nor shrub is visible in the whole scene. Some
houses creep up to the summit of the ridge, where, hav-
ing no kind of shelter round them, they present a most
lonely sight.

As we alight at the posthouse, a Jew is seated by a
large heap of gourds and melons: near him some hand-
some Armenians are in earnest talk about the strangers
who have just arrived; and farther off a few soldiers are
mustering for parade. All this in a place which is lite-
rally but a desert surprised us not a little. Even in
spite of these signs of life, there was something so death-
like in the silence and general aspect of the spot, that
we always looked to see whether the people did not issue
from the grey caverns, — whether they were not, after all, -
beings conjured up by our fancy, rather than creatures
of flesh and blood like ourselves.

NUMEROUS BIRDS. 363

The screams of their large flocks of geese reassured
us of the fact that the villagers were but men. We could
not understand, however, in what way the poor geese
contrived to subsist, — streams, or even pools, being un-
known for leagues on leagues around. In most parts of
the Steppes it is necessary to dig very deep before water
can be got ; and in seasons of unusual drought even
this supply is dried up. It surprised us to find the hand-
somest telegas of Russia made in this sequestered glen.
Their soil needs so little from them, that they throw the
dung into the hollows, to be washed away by the rain.

After passing this place, our attention is drawn to

myriads of strange birds, with which the grass is covered

on all sides. Some of them are large, and of heavy

flight ; but a small bird resembling the lark is also to

be seen in countless flocks. Nobody touches them. The

largest bird we see is a species of bustard, peculiar, we

believe, to this region, and therefore known as n the

fowl of the Steppes" (Otis tetrax). The magpie, which

loves cottages and sheltering trees, and is therefore so

abundant in other parts of Russia, flies this naked land.

The distance to the next small village, Gromokley, is

twelve miles, which, with five good horses, and on roads

so smooth, are accomplished in little more than an hour.

The post-houses are far from bad ; some of them are even

better than those of the north. The floors of all the

houses, however, are of clay. The room we dined in

here had no fault but the pleasant one of smelling like a

geese-pen, — a very common odour in all the houses of

the district.

It was now late ; but a night in the Steppes was some-

r2

364 RUSSIAN COMFORT.

thing worth sallying forth for. Once more, then., were
we on our way. What silence ! how still, how breathless !
The night-birds seemed frightened into peace. The dog
himself is rarely heard among the thinly-scattered habi-
tations. Even the sound of our wheels is not to be dis-
tinguished, so smoothly do they roll on the rich turf.

At Woden ay a, a lone post-house, where we halted at
midnio-ht, we found the common room heated like an
oven. In it people were stretched asleep on slabs so
near the stove, and consequently so hot, that when we
touched the stones they almost burnt the hand. Such
is the idea which Russians have of comfort ! now sleep-
ing in the open air, and anon stewing in a forcing-house!
Even a Norwegian sheepcot is preferable to this Russian
oven, or rather oven of Russians.

Though the poor master was in grief,' — for his child
was sick, — he tended us with his best care, and opened
another room, where some of us slept on the narrow
benches in a milder atmosphere than that of the first
apartment. Others of us kept by the carriage, which
proved an excellent berth, with nought but silence
around, and the " starry-mantled night" walking so-
lemnly above. The majesty of night is always impres-
sive, but never more deeply so than in the wide and
tenantless waste, where the mind, having no near object
of earthly interest to rest upon, rises to higher and holier
converse above.

The first intruder on this solitude was the laggmg
moon, on whose approach the few objects distinguishable
in the almost unbroken horizon were silvered bv her light

with beauty bevond that of dav.

-

FATHER-LAN 1).

365

In rolling about, this wide world, one meets with fami-
liar names in strange out-of-the-way places. We never
expected to hear a Scotch name in the Steppes of
Russia, and much less at such an untimely hour; but
just as we were ready to start before dawn, up came a
Russian, who had seen our papers with our courier, to
tell us that he himself was of Scotch descent, as his
name of Lesly well showed. He could not resist the
only opportunity he might ever have of speaking with
people from the far land which gave his fathers birth,
and especially with one who bore his own name, as one
of our party, though not a native of Scotland, happened
to do.

Bidding adieu to " bonny Lesly," we again flew across
the desert, as swiftly as if our good steeds had not felt
the carriage behind them. The country now becomes
so desolate, that in some stages we travel from station to
station without seeing a house. Plenty of horses, how-
ever, are feeding on every hand; they are as numerous
as the herds of oxen that roam through the pastures of
the Ukraine. Lono- files of them are scattered on the
downs, as far away as we can see ; they wander free and
unmolested, attended only by a single guide, who is able
to take charge of as many as forty of them. The people
say that here a horse costs nothing, and his keep less ;
and, iu proof of the truth of the saying, we may mention
that each postmaster has at least half a hundred in his
stables, and of excellent quality, as our galloping pace

can testify.

We drove forty-two miles this morning without seeing
a single tree, except a few tali poplars, in very thriving

366 NICOLAEFF.

condition, near a stiff imperial-looking place where
cavalry-horses are kept. The ground in cultivation
about it bears such good crops, that it is astonishing
that more of this immense tract has not been reclaimed.
After passing this, no human being was to be seen for
miles ; but we were constantly discerning large herds of
horses, and birds flew about us in thousands.

At last, through the cloud of dust raised by our
wheels, we got sight of Xicolaeff, extending alono- a
high bank on the east side of a small river, towards
which we descended by a rapid declivity. Just as we
were about to cross the bridge a little girl ran from a
house in the suburbs, calling out " Raki ! Raki!" at the
same time exhibiting something red from her basket.
We thought it must be some delightful ruddy fruit; but
the fruit proved to be " craw- fish," ecrevisses, piping hot
from the pan, ten of them for four copeeks, or less than
a halfpenny.

Nicolaeff, once one of the greatest building stations
and arsenals of the Russian fleet, is a district town of
Kherson, 111 miles from Elizabethgrad. In the short
space of forty-six years it has shot up into splendour,
and again almost sunk back into decay. Russia is the
favourite soil of mushrooms; cities which were forced up
to please some passing fancy disappear, or at least lose
their importance, before we have time to know of their
existence. Let some Tzar take it into his head that
Astrachan or Tiflis is better suited for the seat of govern-
ment than the present capital, and in a few years St.
Petersburg itself will become what this fading place now
is. Prince Potemkin ordered it to be begun in 1791 ;

NICOLAEFF. 367

the admiralty of the Black Sea was removed to it from
Kherson ; showy structures sprung up ; an artificial
prosperity was fostered ; it became, in short, one of the
" marvels" which French authors were so busy in
trumpeting over the world in praise of Russia. But all
its glories are now disappearing. In spite of a some-
thing of elegance in its air beyond its sister-towns, it still
looks deserted ; for the tide of imperial and plastering
care has forsaken it, since Sebastopol became the chief
station of the Black Sea fleet. In place of 30,000, it
now contains little more than 8000 inhabitants.

This city of the waste stands on a parched table which
overhangs the liman of the Bog, just at the point where
that ample river is joined by a small tributary. Liman
means neither a swrampy lake, as it is sometimes ex-
plained, nor an arm of the sea, though it looks very like
it : it denotes an estuary formed by the still water between
what is properly the mouth of a river and the main sea.
Several Russian rivers terminate in a liman, which is
often, as in this case, fifty miles long, and deep enough
for the largest vessels. The dockyards are at the foot
of the height above the bridge. Along the top of the
bank below the bridge runs a public walk, planted with
trees and flowering shrubs : behind this walk stand the
more important of the public buildings, such as the
College of Cadets, the handsomest of the whole ; the
admiral's residence, the observatory, the admiralty* &c.
Behind these, again, run the wide sandy streets of the
town.

A large edifice was in progress, composed entirely of
the stone of the country — a species of limestone thickly

S6S XICOLAEFF.

encrusted with sea-shells. Many prisoners in chains
were at work on it. In the dock-yards there appeared
to be nothing going on except the repairs of a rotten
ship or two. Some fifty- gun ships were anchored in the
estuary, under the walk ; but otherwise we saw no bustle,
nor symptom of naval preparations. Several English-
men are employed in the dock-yards ; but this place
having always been of more consequence as a winter
harbour for the fleet than as a building station, there
were not so many here as in the other ports of the Black
Sea.

The dingy splendour and drowsy bustle of the public
quarter, in which all the places now spoken of are
situated, deceive the stranger. Nicolaeff, to one who
wanders no farther, appears not unworthy of its preten-
sions ; but the real town has not yet been seen. It is
only on penetrating backwards that the true city is de-
tected ; a far-spreading assemblage of straight lines,
endlessly long, and of huts marvellously low, all with
grey roofs, composed of strong reeds, or thin unpainted
boards.

The market-place is larg3 enough for a town to stand
upon. It. is a desert, full of dreary, drifting sand, on
which 'he sun beats with strength sufficient to roast the
governor's eo^s. Fruit, which in such a climate is more
than a luxury, is very abundant. Large heaps of course
plums were lying mixed with piles of gourds and melons,
which last fiaiit is so abundant, that every peasant we saw
was refreshing himself with a slice. There were many
carts filled with the large red berries of a species of haw-
thorn, and which are said to be of great value in years

N I C O L A E F F

369

when grain is scarce. Apples, better than any we had
yet seen in our journey, were mixed with bad pears : in
general neither of these fruits is brought to any perfec-
tion in Russia.

The only kind of fish which we saw exhibited in the
market-place was the raki, already named, which forms
a great part of the food of the lower orders. It is a
sweet and delicate fish, lodged in a shell as large as that
of a small crab ; but as each shell contains scarcely more
substance than a couple of good gooseberries, a man must
suck many a dozen before he can make a meal of them.
Under the name of Astacus ftuvtatilis, it is well known
to naturalists, as being found in many of the rivers of
Europe, especially in those of France, where the sport of
taking it is very common. Though not a stranger to
the sea, it seems to thrive best in fresh water, getting into
a hole in the banks, or ensconcing itself by the edge of a
stone, and there watching an opportunity to pounce on
minnows and other small fry.

In one corner of the market-place is a cooking-esta-
blishment, where Russian life may be seen in genuine
purity. This well-frequented temple, built of wood, and
open at the sides, is traversed by alleys from end to end;
in some of which women, with brawny arms and broad
glowing faces, were toiling among their fires and sauce-
pans, while at others ladies equally charming were tempt-
ing the passengers with savoury steams from soups,
stews, boiled raki, and tea, all arranged in most seduc-
tive order on the wooden counters. Of the qualities of
the food it becomes us not to speak ; but its cheapness

K O

370

MCOLAEFF.

none will gainsay, for a man may have a dinner here for
one penny !

The people of Nicolaeff have a wild, half-Asiatic look.
Many Jewesses were amongst them, in turbans glittering
with gilt embroidery. The fuller form of all the women
points them out as distinct from the Cossack race. By
each stall or heap of fruit in the square, a little ragged
piece of canvas was raised among the sand, by way of
tent, with sprawling sticks projecting in every direction ;
beneath this lolled the mistress of the store, with her
swarthy brats about her, whom she had difficulty to keep
in unruly order. The group would have made a good
picture.

Between the heat and the sand, NicolaefY must be per-
fectly insupportable to all who have it in their power to
live elsewhere. The post-house affords very fair quarters,
but the annoyances just mentioned induced us to set
forward early in the afternoon. We ferried across the
liman, a short way below the town, in companv with a
crowd of passengers, in a clumsy ferry-boat. It took us
nearly an hour to make the passage ; but the evening
was so fine that even the naked heights on either hand
looked beautiful. Thev continue equallv bare throughout
the whole fifty miles from this to the point where the
Bog and Dnieper unite to form a larger liman.

While waiting for horses on the west side, we witnessed
the very primitive way in which the people here fish for
raki. Two women — there was no danger of mistaking
them for sea-nymphs — each holding one end of a piece
of strong canvas, which is six or seven feet long, and is

THE BOG AND THE DNIEPER. 371

stretched between two poles, advanced into the water till
it reached the waist, pushing the canvas before them
with their poles, after they had sunk it to the bottom of
the water. When they had gone as far as they could
walk in the tide, they turned back, still raking the ground
before them, to the shore, where they emptied their net,
if so it can be called, of a mass of slime, sprats, and raki.

The Bog, known as the Hippanis to Greek and Roman
authors, rises to the S.E. of Tarnopol, in Podolia, and
joins the Dnieper near Oczakow, after a course of 480
miles. It flows very smoothly ; but, owing to a series of
falls in the neighbourhood of Sekolnie, and sand-banks
in other places, it is not navigable above Nicolaeff,
except after heavy rains, or during the thaws of spring.
It was at one time the frontier between Russia and
Turkey ; but the Tzar now rules many hundred miles
south of this river. It is 520 feet broad, even a con-
siderable way above the commencement of the liman.

After we left its shores, the number of birds became
hourly more remarkable. In other respects the country
is as desolate as ever. We had intended stopping to eat
the dinner brought with us from Nicolaeflf, at the first
post-house, a mud-floored place with aflat roof; but, on
looking in, the hut appeared so uninviting, that, though
hungry as wolves, we held on fifteen miles farther, to
Sassitskaya, an imperial post-house — that is, one enjoy-
ing some privileges beyond the common ones, and always
well furnished.

Another stage of the silent desert brought us to the
post-house of Tiligoul, where we made beds of hay for
ourselves, and slept till morning. We here got a lesson

3/2 HINT TO TRAVELLERS.

about Russian travelling, which we should have learnt
long before now had we stopped oftener at night : it is
this — never to stop while on a journey in Russia when
you can get horses, and when the roads are good. In
a country where people on public business are constantly
in motion on all the great routes, the chance is, that, if
you go to bed trusting that the horses will be kept for
vou till the morning, vou will have the mortification of
learning, when you awake, that the horses have been
required bv some official personage or by couriers : or, if
delav should not arise from this cause,, rain enough may
have fallen to spoil the roads for the day. In the present
instance, when we were ready to start in the morning,
it was announced that all the horses were out, in con-
sequence of some government people having come up in
the night. It was by no means pleasant to be thus de-
tained so near our journey's end ; but, being assisted in
our negotiations with the post-master by a government
courier, who spoke French, and, like all his brethren,
wherever we have met them in our journey, was most
anxious to help us, we got out of our dilemma much
sooner than we had expected. Had we been compelled
to remain, there was little to amuse us during our delay,
except a large Thibet goat, a race which thrives well
in some parts of the Steppes.

From what we heard here, the climate of the region
would appear to b*» far from wholesome. The days are
excessively hot, and the nights, except in the middle
of summer, very cold. As the north winds sweep these
naked plains without mercy, those who are any time ex-
yosed to the chill night-blast in travelling are in con-

THE BLACK SEA. 373

siderable danger. The day is always far advanced
before anything like warmth is felt while traversing this
particular belt of the Steppes.

The thought that our toilsome journey was drawing
to a close enabled us to start as merry as the birds that
were wheeling round us. We had not gone far before
we perceived that we were approaching the sea, which
here sends some quiet branches several miles inland.
On the maps they appear to break the high road so
seriously, that we had imagined there would be some
ferries to cross in following the shore to Odessa ; but
nothing of the kind occurs after passing the Bog.

Objects now began to assume, as we thought, an
Asiatic aspect; flowers and birds not known to us as
European — the former rank and gaudy, the latter small
and restless — were presenting themselves in great num-
bers every moment. The verdure, or what had been
verdure, though close and tough, was as withered and
ugly as if the simoom had swept over it. At length,
from a high ridge, we beheld the Black Sea itself,
glancing calm below us in the sun. No words can tell
how fresh and beautiful it looked to the eye which had
for weeks seen nothing but wearisome plains.

Shortly before reaching the sea we met, what we
scarcely expected to meet in this lone region, a happy
band of foreigners, driving along in an open car, on their
way to the fair of Tiflis (by Nicolaeff and Kherson),
with the smallest stock in trade that ever adventurers
began the world w:,th. The leaders of the party were a
couple of Tyrolese and an Italian from Genoa, who had
clubbed their means to purchase a few trained birds and

374 ARRIVAL AT ODESSA.

s >me fine dogs ; and these were all they had to carry
them through the world ! While we wished the light-
hearted wanderers " good luck" on their way, we could
not help thinking that their poor companions, both
winged and four-footed, would have hard work to feed so
many masters. \

At Adjelik, the last station, the dust was covering us
inches thick : it is so fine as to make its wav through the
smallest opening. After resting awhile in a house near
the sea, kept by Jews from Germany, we started for the
fair city in which our journey was to terminate. It had
now long been visible, stretching stately and warm above
the sea ; but, beautiful as it looked, our attention was for
a time distracted by the white sails of the vessels steer-
ing for the harbour, and the fresh dash of the waves on
the beach ; for never did ships look more beautiful in our
eves, nor the murmur of the sea sound more welcome in
our ears. Ere long, however, the worn and furrowed
road ; the broken waggons strewed helplessly about on
it; lines of oxen toiling wearily on with grain ; travelling
equipages whirling along amid clouds of dust ; houses
becoming more numerous, all built of stones so full of
sea-shells, that each dwelling looks an encrusted mass ;
nets drying on the flat roofs and on the pebbly beach ;
Cossack policemen riding about on every side of us ; and
finally the barrier, at the line of entrenchment, beyond
which the privileges of the free port do not extend, and
where our passports were demanded ; — these told us that
Odessa itself was at hand, and at length we had the
satisfaction of entering it in triumph, all as fresh and
well as when we started from Moscow.

375

CHAPTER XXVI.

ODESSA.

Pleasant impressions — Improvement in the looks of the people — Site —
History — Trade — Kxport of grain — Of wool — Crowds of carters and
oxen — Shipping — The harbour — The winter — The climate — Dust —
Now more healthy — The Lyceum — Resemblance to towns of Italy —
Many Italians here — Poles — English — The British Consul-General —
Kindness of our countrymen — A. Hut or, or Summer Vdla — Ravages
of the locusts — Concert to frighten them — Dissolute character of the
higher classes — Lady-cigars — The Opera — More specimens of the
Jewish character — Statistics of our journey — Expenses of travelling
in Russia — Living at Odessa — Marketing — The Hotel Richelieu and
its good fare — Scenes of vice — Warning to tourists — Conclusion —
Farewell to Russia — Glance at her resources — No probability that her
manufactures can soon rival those of England.

We shail never forget the pleasant sensations with
which we rolled through the streets of Odessa on our
way from the distant barriere. After the dreary and
decaying cities to which we had been so long accustomed,
its fresh houses and well-paved streets recalled us to
ideas of prosperity and comfort. Instead of the deep
sloughs which adorn most streets of the interior, we now
had good and smooth pavement, on which our wheels,
so long silent on the soft grass of the Steppes, sounded
very pleasantly. People were seated at the windows,
and gay robes were seen at every crossing — all as if we
had got back to a civilized country. Most of the men
Were in the ordinary dress of Europe, the Russian garb
being seldom seen here, and never but in the remote

376 ODESSA.

quarters of the city. The shops too were like those of
our more familiar experience, with large windows ex-
hibiting the usual display of gaieties.

What struck us most, however, was the improvement
in the appearance of the women. They actually had a
feminine look — were something like human beings ; and,
if this remark be thought superfluous, the reader must
remember that the terrible females we had been travel-
ling1 amongst are the most forbidding harridans ever
beheld.

As we advanced towards the gayer quarter, the crowd
became still more lively. 'Change-hour being at hand,
all the magnates of the city were assembled in groups in
front of the Bourse, wThich stands immediately opposite
the excellent hotel where we were to find repose. But,
before saying more about our personal fortune, we must,
in as few words as possible, make the reader acquainted
with the situation, history, and commerce of the city of
which we have now the honour to treat.

Odessa overhangs a wide and beautiful bav of the
Black Sea, situated near two important estuaries, called
the Khodjabeyskoi and the Kuialskoi estuaries, both
formed by the great Kuiainek rivers. Its principal
division extends along the top of a bold range of cliffs,
commanding an extensive sea- view, and the ever- varying
clusters of the ships of all nations floating in the harbour
below. Immediately on the top of this cliff is the beau-
tiful public walk, planted with flowering shrubs and trees,
whose verdure is doubly welcome in a country so com-
pletely destitute of woods, A conspicuous spot near this"
wa.k is adorned with a statue of the late Due de Riche-

ODESSA.

377

lieu, who was governor of the city, — a work of such effe-
minate expression, that it was long before we could per-
suade ourselves it was not intended to represent a woman.
On either side of this statue, and parallel to the summit
of the cliffs, runs aline of splendid mansions, comprising
the residences of the governor and the principal inhabit-
ants. From this terrace a street branches off at right
angles, communicating with the quarter in winch the
Opera, the Exchange, and the principal horels are situ-
ated. From the Exchange run broad and regular streets
in every direction, a few of them paved with broad siabs
like the streets of Naples, and the rest macadamized.
Some stretch along the shore, both north and south,
some through a deep and rugged ravine to the south-
west, and some, of great length, extend towards the
country. In this last direction lie the public markets,
the streets beyond which are exceedingly mean. The
houses in the best quarters are very lofty and handsome,
being generally built of a light-coloured stone, and roofed
with sheets of iron or painted wood. The stone used
in building is of the same composition as the rocks on
which the city stands, and the many others which abound
in the neighbourhood. It is a kind of semi-indurated
limestone, containing a considerable portion of oxide ot
iron, and with such immense quantities of cockle-shells
mixed up with the principal substance, that many of the
houses have the rough appearance of an artificial grotto.
The softness of this stone, which is such that it may be
chipped with a hatchet, renders it very favourable for the
more showy purposes of the architect.

Odessa does not occupy, as has generally been sup-

378 ODESSA.

po-ed, the site of the ancient Odessus, for that classic
port stood much nearer the mouth of the Borysthenes.
The real site of the ancient Odessus (which is also spoken
of by classic authors under the name of Ordesus) would
appear to have been in the neighbourhood of the modern
Oczakow. Tn fact, there were several cities of this, or of
a nearly similar name ; one of which (also called Odis-
sus and Odesopolls) was situated on the spot whereVarna
now stands. The site of the present Odessa would, in
fact, appear to be the spot which was anciently known
as the Port us Istricorum. Whatever may have been the
name, however, or whatever the history, of the port where
Odessa now stands, its great advantages as a station for
shipping were lost sight of for many ages, until the Turks,
early in the last century, built a fort here, with the name
of Khodja-bey, under the protection of which their ships
carried on a petty trade in tallow and hides. When this
fort fell into the hands of the Russians, in 1789, its con-
queror, Rear-admiral de Ribas, by birth an Italian, re-
calling the days when the galleys of Genoa and other
ports of his native country covered this remote sea with
their gilded prows, directed the attention of his imperial
mistress to the many capabilities which it possessed for
becoming a mercantile harbour of the first rank. In
consequence of this representation, Catherine, in the year
1793, empowered him to found a city near the fortress;
and, going yet farther back in history, — to times when
Athens and Egina, as they now again do, drew their
richest supplies from the northern shores of the Euxine,
— she gave it the classic name of the city already re-
ferred to.

ODESSA. 379

Advantageous, however, as the site is for a shipping
station, the stranger is surprised at the boldness of the
idea of founding a city on a spot so bleak and barren.
The surrounding country looks like a burnt desert. So
parching is the breeze of summer, and so cold that of
winter, that not a tree will grow. The hard clay is also
unfriendly to the root.

But, to show that the anticipations of its sagacious
founder have been completely realized, it may be stated
that in 1799 Odessa already contained 4147 inhabitants.
Three years after this the Emperor Alexander appointed
the Due de Richelieu governor of the city; and so many
were the advantages conferred on it during his rule, that
this enlightened foreigner may be considered its greatest
benefactor. The city, which he found with 8000 inha-
bitants, contained, only twenty years later, not fewer than
36,000 souls. In the course of 1823, Count Woronzow,
already named in these pages, took up his residence here,
as orovernor of Little Russia; and under his paternal ad-
ministration (now, as was above stated, at an end) the
city has added 9000 to its population in the course of
thirteen years. Of its 45,000 inhabitants, which was
stated to us to be the amount of the population at the time
of our visit, 4000 are foreigners, or at least not natural-
ized Russians. Not less than 8000 Poles now visit the
city every year — the better classes for the sake of sea-
bathing, and the poorer to seek employment about the
harbour.

Nor has Odessa yet reached its full splendour. No
one who has considered the many advantages which it
enjoys, as the key to a vast district of country, whose

380

ODESSA.

wants are daily increasing, and whose inexhaustible re-
sources are only now beginning to be appreciated, can
doubt that it is destined to become one of the greatest
commercial cities in the world. The nature and extent
of its trade at the present moment will best appear from
the following brief account of its general exports and im-
ports.

EXPORTS.

Articles.

Places they are sent to.

Wheat, from the provinces of
Kherson, Podolia, Volhynia,
the Lkraiae, and Ekaterinos-
laf.

Rye. from the same provinces.

Barley .......

Wheat- Flolr (only about 8000
sacks annually).

Tallow, from the manufactories
mar Odessa, and those of
i" Nicolaeff, Kischenew, &c.

Wool (now a very valuable ar
tide in the trade of this port),
from the Crimea and Bessa-
rabia.

Ropes, Salt Butter, Caviar,
and Tallow-Candles.

Wax. from the Ukraine .

Linseed and Oil-Cake . . .

Iron, in very small quantities .

Constantinople, Syra (the prin-
cipal port of Greece), Zante,
Leghorn, Genoa, Marseilles,
London, and New York.

Ports of the Adriatic.

Smyrna, and other Turkish ports.

Chiefly to Greece.

The greater part to England,
and some to Constantinople
and Trieste.

Coarser kinds to Trieste, Leg-
horn, and Marseilles ; the finer
to Moscow.

Constantinople, Smyrna, and
other Turkish ports.

Leghorn, Genoa, and Marseilles.

Holland and England.

The ports of Italy.

Grain, as is well known, constitutes the most import-
ant branch of the commerce of Odessa ; the quantity
exported every year being seldom less than one million
of tchetverts (each of which, as already stated, is equal
to -63 of an English bushel.) From all we could learn
on the spot, the merchants seem to be of opinion that

ODESSA.

381

this branch of the trade with England may be consider-
ably increased — of course at the expense of the British
farmer. The wool is also fast rising- into importance ;
the merino sheep, and some excellent crosses of that race,
being now very abundant in the Crimea, and in all parts
of Bessarabia. But our home-growers have little to fear
from competition with this wool, most of it being required
for the manufactories of Moscow, which are now very
active. The wagcrons which £0 to Moscow from this
place generally require from thirty to thirty- five days for
the journey, and, when the roads are very bad, as many
as fortv. The cost of carriage varies from one and a
half to three roubles (2s. 6d.) per pood (thirty-six Eng-
lish or forty Russian pounds).

Nothing that we heard among the merchants surprised
us more than the fact that they now export grain all the
way to America ! It had never been done until the yea
before our visit ; but some cargoes of rye then sent to
New York had paid so well, that it was intended to
make shipments of grain on a much larger scale.

The exportation of oak-staves for making barrels, &c,
chiefly to England, would appear to be another new
branch of trade. They are brought down the Dnieper
from the forests of the interior.

Some traffic also now takes place also in the wines
of the Crimea, which are fast rising into repute, though
we cannot agree with the Russians in thinking that they
will supplant the wines of Oporto. The annual sales of
the Crimea, including those of the Kokour wine, now
generally average about twelve million bottles.

It is chiefly in summer that grain, and all other

382 ODESSA.

articles of export, are conveyed here from the interior.
Small quantities are occasionally brought in winter also ;
but the journey at that season is so precarious that few
merchants like to trust to it. The population of Odessa
is at times increased to an enormous decree, by the
influx of boors employed in transporting grain. The
whole of it is conveyed in cars drawn by bullocks, each
car being loaded on an average with five tchetverts ;
consequently, before one million of tchetverts can be
brought in, not less than two hundred thousand cars are
required. Allowing a man to every five cars, we shall
find that Odessa must at such times contain at least fifty
thousand strangers, of this description alone. They do
not, of course, all come, more than they all leave, to-
gether; but this influx has been known to take place in
the course of a few weeks. The maintenance of the
bullocks is also a serious affair; for, there being two to
every car, the whole number employed is not less than
four hundred thousand.

The total value of the exports for four different years
was as follows: — in 1830, 27,031,000 roubles, besides
exports to Georgia, valued at 121,683 roubles ; in 1831,
20,063,953 roubles ; in 1832, 29,088,259 roubles ; and
in 1835, 27,000,000 roubles. Without giving the amount
of duty paid in each of those years, it may suffice to
state that the duties paid in the first of them amounted
to 1,217,824 roubles, meaning always the 'payer rouble
(equal to 10J. English), as everywhere throughout these
pages.

The consumption of foreign articles throughout the
vast provinces of Southern Russia is so limited, that the

ODESSA.

383

imports of Odessa scarcely reach in value half of what
might he expected. There can be no doubt, however,
that the heavy duties on all foreign goods operate greatly
against this balance side of the trade. The following
table shows the principal imports.

IMPORTS.

Articles.

From.

Colonial products* refined sugar, pewter,
tin, Maieira and port wines, coals
(chieiiy for steamers), woollen and
cotton goods.

Wines i;i casks and bottles-, Dutch cheese-
colonial products, corks, fine oils, aro-
matic vinegar, sweet almonds, woollen,
cotton, and silk goods.

Colonial products, olive-oil, Parmesan
cheese, corks, and lead.

Colonial products, olive-oil, alabaster,
straw hats, &c.

Colonial products:, Spanish lead, fresh
oranges and lemons.

Olive-oil. citric acid, orange and lemon
peel, sweet and bitter almonds, manna,
sulphur, Marsala wine, fresh oranges

. and lemo is.

The red wine of the islands. Cyprus
wine, cotton and silks, common ol ve-
oil. dried fruits (including dates, figs.
&c), tobacco, coral, saffron, gum, in-
cense, bath-sponges, &c.

England.

France.

Sardinia.

Tuscany.

Malta.

Thk Two Sicii.iks.

Constantinople, Brovs-
sa, Smyrna. Syr a, and
other ports of the
Archiepel\g;k

-,

The united value of all these imports, including those
consumed in the city and those sent to the interior, in
the years above mentiened, was as follows : — In 1830
goods were imported by sea to the value of 33,450,114
roubles, besides imports overland by Brody to the value
of 1,872,675 roubles. The duties on imports for this

384 ODESSA.

year amounted to 1,87*2,675 roubles. In 1832 the im-
ports were valued at 21,169,121 roubles ; in 1833 at
26,871,140 roubles; and those of 1835 at 29,000,000
roubles.

In this summary of the trade of Odessa we must not
omit to state that the town contains nearly sixty manu-
factories of coarse cloth, &c. ; but these have little influ-
ence on the general trade of the place.

The general state of the shipping of this port may b:j
inferred from the fact, that, of the 855 vessels which en-
tered in 1830, as many as 555 were empty; while, of
the 931 which left, only 14 were without cargoes.

The greater part of the carrying trade is performed in
Austrian ships, of which 228 entered the port in 1830
(54 laden, and 174 empty'. Sardinia comes next in
the list, having sent in the same year 222 ships (62 laden.
and 160 empty). Of Russian ships, 150 entered (91
laden, and 69 empty) ; while of English vessels 'there
were in all 144(55 laden, and 89 empty). The number
of French ships is surprisingly small, only 8 having
entered in the year now named. Greece sent 53 ships;
Turkey, 11; Sweden, 8 ; Spain, 3; the Netherlands, 2:
and the United States, 2. Of the small coasting barks
of the country (lodki, &c), there are at least 800 enter
and leave the port every year.

Odessa has never been used as a military harbour :
none but trading vessels ever visit, it. There can be
little doubt that the shipping of this place would be
greatly increased were it possible to improve the harbour.
" On the whole, however, the roads are spacious and
good; they are opened from the north-east to the south-

ODESSA. 385

east ; at the bottom there is mud and grass. Ships
anchor generally to the north-east of the mole, which is
288 fathoms long, in a depth of between thirty-five and
fifty feet. The quarantine harbour, protected by this
mole, stretching out irregularly to the north-east, will
not hold more than 300 ships. The present emperor
has for some time had the intention of increasing the
size of the harbour by lengthening the mole ; but it is
to be feared that such an alteration would cause a great
quantity of sand to be drifted into the quarantine station.
At its present mouth there is not more than from twent y
to twenty-two feet of water • and near the shore not
more than four and a- half to six and a-half feet : there
is a machine for clearing away the mud. The harbour
into which ships are admitted after the expiration of their
quarantine is small and shallow ; at its mouth there is
not more than ten or twelve feet of water, and it is little
used except by the coasting barks. It is protected by a
mole 206 fathoms lono-, called the Inner Mole."*

The winter, though generally severe, is sometimes verv
open. The trade is seldom interrupted by the frosts for
more than six weeks or two months; and even when this
lakes place the ice is not of great strength. The ther-
mometer rarely falls below 18° of Fahrenheit. In sum-
mer, on the other hand, the heats are very intense, the
thermometer often ranging as high as 95°. The greatest
annoyance during the warm weather proceeds from the
clouds of dust, or rather of a subtle impalpable powder,
which are raised by the slightest breath of wind, and

* "Russian Ports in the Black Sea," p. 15 ; a. valuable little pam-
phlet, published by Schloss. London, 1837.

VOL. II. S

386 ODESSA.

even by the wheels of a carriage passing along the street.
We found it at times exceedingly disagreeable ; and it
is considered so injurious to tender lungs, that the
wealthy people having young families always remove
them to the country in the dry season. Before this prac-
tice was introduced, which was not till good physicians
settled here, the town was considered very unhealthy.
Now, however, that the doctors insist on this partial emi-
gration, and have prevailed on people to build houses
and procure clothing suitable to the rough winter, —
which they were very long in doing, — Odessa is consi-
dered sufficiently healthy.

To complete the statistics of Odessa it must be added,
that it contains a very important academic institution,
not unknown to the learned world as the Richelieu Ly-
ceum. Though it does not enjoy the nominal rank of a
universitv, this establishment exercises most of the func-
tions of one ; for it contains professors (chiefly Germans)
of Greek, natural and general history, and all the higher
departments of science. It is also provided with a
botanic crarden, astronomical instruments, &c, and super-
intends the educational interests of the extensive govern-
ments of Kherson, Ekaterinoslaf, and Taurida. It is
generally attended by 450 students. The Journal
d' Odessa does not proceed from this learned body; it is
a mere-commercial publication, but now and then gives
some articles of news connected with the army of the
Caucasus.

The details which have now been offered will make
the reader in some degree acquainted with the city in
which we closed our Scythian campaign. Of the thou-

ODESSA. 387

sand cities of Russia, Odessa is decidedly the least
Russian ; for, as in all the other sea-ports of the empire,
the best branches of the trade are in the hands of
foreigners. The only portion of it conducted by Russians
ix the petty traffic along the coast, or on the rivers.

One part of the city is, indeed, sufficiently Russian,
both in filth and misery ; but it. lies so far out of the
stranger's way that he seldom visits it. The quarter
best known to him looks very like some of the gayer
cities of Italy. Most of the streets in this part, as we
have said, are paved with broad slabs, like those of
Naples ; and the beautiful terrace commands a sea-view
which almost reminds one of that of Genoa. The climate
too, is Italian. The bright sky and the balmy air
resemble those of the cities now named. There is also
an Italian Opera, as well-appointed and patronised as
most in Italy ; and, lastly, the soft accents of the lingua
Toscana itself are heard from so many lips, that, the
overjoyed stranger, after supping full of Russian horrors,
almost persuades himself that he has reached the gayest
and sunniest portion of Europe.

Of the Italians here, many are engaged in the higher
departments of trade. Some are jewellers; some book-
sellers, or merchants on a small scale ; and not a few are
employed at the Opera.

This being the only place to which the Poles are
allowed to resort out of their own country, the number
of them here, as already stated, is very great. In
summer, the wealthiest families now remaining all meet
at Odessa during the bathing season ; and, notwithstand-
ing the jealous and severe surveillance of the emperors

s2

388 ODESSA.

police, they manage to lead a very gay life. Not a step
can they take, however, nor a word can they utter, that
is not watched.

Many Polish Jews live here as pedlars, valets de
place, and servants. Lemberg, and the adjacent pro-
vinces, also contribute some of the most melancholy
specimens of Jewish rapacity and meanness that are to
be found in the world.

German mechanics of everv description are very nume-
rous ; and some of the fint bankers and merchants belong
to that nation.

Greeks flock hither in great numbers. One of them,
Mr. Ralli, whose brothers are also well known in the
commercial world, is one of the wealthiest inhabitants of
the place.

Of the many Frenchmen resident in Odessa, some
carry on trade on a very extensive scale, some are em-
ployed under government, and others are hotel-keep-
ers, &c.

The least numerous, but not the least important, part
of the foreign population is composed of English mer-
chants, whose rights and interests are ablv defended bv
Mr. Yeames, British consul-general, well known as one
of the most talented men in our consular service. It is
superfluous to state that at a place like Odessa, which
from its position is of great importance, in a political as
well as in a commercial point of view, it is absolutely
necessary that we should be represented by a man of
integrity and vigilance. As a central point in relation
with many important countries, and for collecting informa-
tion, it is of greater moment to England than some royal

THE ENGLISH AT ODESSA. 389

courts, where our envoys cost us many thousands an-
nually ; and from all we heard on the spot, our interests
in this part of Russia could not be in better hands than
they are at present.

Several Englishmen for whom we had introductions
were absent at the time of our visit, — some on sportino-
excursions, and some on more grave pursuits ; but those
of our countrymen whom we found in the city, especially
Mr. Moberley, and Messrs. Philpotts and Damian, of
the house of Carruthers and Co., showed us so much
attention, that we were not allowed to feel the absence of
those on whose kindness we had greater claims.

The villas to which the wealthy residents generally
retire every evening during the summer and autumn, are
called hutors — a name which is employed also at War-
saw to denote a suburban retreat. Nothing can be more
delightful than these retreats, situated, as they generally
are, among shrubs and flowers, on the sea-shore, at the
foot of a magnificent range of cliffs, running south-east
from the city. The evening at these places is spent by
some of our countrymen in fishing- excursions, on one of
the most beautiful seas in the world. Every walk round
these mansions is overhung with fine specimens of the
acacia, which is almost the only tree that can be brought
to thrive in the country. It is not often, however, that
the hutors of Odessa are surrounded by verdure so rich
as that which we found near them ; for in some years the
country is invaded by immense flights of locusts, which
leave not a single green leaf either on herb or tree. This
insect is the greatest scourge that the country is exposed
to. Every person at the time of our visit was frightened
with a belief that the following year the locusts would

390 RAVAGES OF THE LOCUST LOCUST CONCERT.

destroy the crops of every description ; for they had re-
cently been in this district as well as in Bessarabia, and
though they had vanished without doing much injury at
the time, yet they had been long enough in the country
to prepare a future year of misery to the poor peasant :
for it appears that it is not always by actual invasion in
flights that the greatest harm is done, but also by the
larva? bred from eggs deposited in the ground during a
previous visit. The severe cold of winter, which might be
expected to destroy these noxious deposits, has no effect
on them : the only thing that destroys the egg is a smart
frost in August.

\S hen the locusts come in their dense array from the
south, nothing but noise has any effect in preventing
them from settling in any particular spot. An English
lady gave us a very amusing account of the musical en-
tertainments held in her house and gardens a few years
before, at the time these swarms were in progress. Her
lord and husband was, as of right, leader of the harmo-
nious band, and for this purpose armed himself with a
huge bell, which he swung with amazing effect. Next to
him came the gardener with his watering-pan; after this
zealous functionary came the footmen with the fire-sho-
vels ; then the housemaids with their pots and kettles ; and,
finally, the children of the family, equipped with tea-
boards and toasting-forks, which, assuredly, played no
secondary part in this noisy concert. Ever as the hour
of danger returned the performers were at their posts,
walking up and down, to their own great amusement and
delectation, but greatly to the dismay of the locusts, as
well as of the families in the adjoining hutors, who
thought that their English neighbours had all gone

RAVAGES OF THE LOCUST.

391

mad. So effectual, however, were these performances,
that while not a leaf was left in any other part of the
land, this well-watched garden continued as verdant as
ever.

In fact, the visit of the locust is here a most dreadful
calamity. Their flights, at times, literally darken the
sun. In some years everything is eaten up ; not a blade
is left for man or beast. Instances are known of people
dying of actual hunger, not far from this place, during
the famine occasioned by their devastations. The coun-
try having been quite free of them for two seasons pre-
vious to 1836, the people had begun to flourish a little;
but their hopes were sadly cast down during our visit by
the prospect of new devastations, We saw many locusts
among the grass, but not in such numbers as in the in-
stances above alluded to. Snakes are not uncommon ;
they often penetrate to the most private rooms in the
summer villas, but not being venomous they are little
dreaded. A species of scolopendra (centipede), ugly and
said to be venomous, is also frequent.

Undisturbed, however, by fears of locusts, or of any
other evil to which the land may be subject, we enjoyed
ourselves at Odessa as if it were the most favoured spot
on earth. The week which we spent there was in fact
one of the most agreeable of the many weeks we have
spent in strange lands. The genial climate and the re-
freshing water-melons would of themselves make Odessa
an elysium, after the chills and the turnips of Muscovy.
Though September was now far advanced we were able
to bathe in the sea every day. In short — boating parties
on the beautiful bay, good dinners with our friends, twi-
light walks on the promenade, where all the best society of

392 AGREMEXS OF ODESSA.

the place is to be met, and plenty of music at night — all
these helped to make time pass very agreeably, without
reckoning certain oriental luxuries, such as the Turkish
bath — which, though the building is not very elegant,
may here be enjoyed in as great perfection as at Con-
stantinople itself — and the seductive chibouque, which he
who once touches it seldom lays aside, so long as tobacco
can be procured, or cherry-tubes will hold together.

The gentlemen of Odessa rival the Turks themselves
in their passion for smoking : nor are they here the only-
lovers of the narcotic weed, for ladies of rank also use it.
Several of the most distinguished Russian countesses fre-
quently smoke small cigars ; and among the Polish ladies
in Odessa the practice is still more common.

The nobles of this city lead a very gay, and, we fear, a
very dissolute life. Sad stories are current regarding their
private habits, but we forbear to soil our page with them.
Their great place of resort is the Opera, without which,
in fact, they could scarcely live. So fond are the Polish
visitors of this amusement, that the boxes are g'enerally
all engaged bv them two or three vears in advance. Two
rival prima donnas divided the favour of the public
during the time of our stay. The feud ran very high —
the Countess W leading the one party, and Coun-
tess somebody the other ; and the worst of it was that
strangers were expected to enter quite as keenly into the
Avar as if they had known La Signora Patera and her
rival for many a day, while, in fact, they had never be-
fore enjoyed the felicity of hearing their illustrious names.
Besides costing the nobles themselves a great deal every
year, this theatre is a very serious charge on government;
as may be inferred from the fact that a tenor had been

mi: JEWS OF ODESS V. 393

engaged for it at an annual salary of 15,000 roubles,
with a free house and appointments worth about 5,000
more, in all about 800/. ; which, it will be allowed, is no
bad salary for a singer in a town not much larger than
Chester, and in a country where a lieutenant of many
years' standing is thought sufficiently paid with twenty-
eight pounds a-year.

Jews, as everywhere else in the south of Russia, are
here at once useful and annoying to the traveller. They
make themselves useful by acting as money-changers,
valets, guides, or venders of such articles of native ma-
nufacture as strangers are most likely to buy. In short,
there is nothing too high nor too low for them. From
cashing a bill to carrying dirty linen to the washerwo-
man, all comes alike to them.

It is this grasping eagerness to obtain employment
which makes them also, as has just been stated, a nui-
sance to the stranger. Morning, noon, and night they are
pestering him. If he fly from their attack in the street
they pursue him to the house. In vain even does he
seek to hide himself in his apartment — they hunt him out
as staunchly as bloodhounds. If he drives them away,
and after an hour or two's concealment sallies forth, in
the belief that now surely the coast is clear, he will find
them still watching his exit, as coolly as if they were the
best of friends. When they cannot prevail on him to buy
anything of theirs, they occasionally take a fancy for
something of his ; and the trouble whxh they now give
in trving to make him sell is just as great as that which
they had before given in trying to make him buy. We
were highly amused with the passion which one of them

s3

394 THE JEWS OF ODESSA.

took for an article not at all considered likely to tempt a
bargain-maker. This was nothing else than an old beaver
cap, which had travelled so long, and rendered such
faithful service, that it possessed few charms for an ordi-
nary eye. What might be its peculiar recommendations
to an Israelite we could never divine ; but great they
must have been, for from the moment he caught a
glimpse of it he was like one out of his senses. At
earliest dawn, and latest light, he lay in wait with pro-
posals about the darling object of his desire, offering
goods or services in exchange for it, and at last money,
when nothing else would prevail — more, too, than it had
cost many years before. Conquered by all this pertina-
city the owner finally parted with it in exchange for an
Astracan cap of little value, and was rewarded for the
sacrifice by hearing, what few have heard, a Jew avow
that he was contented.

Fortunately there is nothing so old or so hopeless
that a Jew will not find some use for it. Even our
shattered carriage had charms for the brethren of Odessa.
We were almost sorry to part from the rumbling ark
which had furnished us with bed and board for so many
weeks, but were reconciled to the separation by the
thought that it was passing into hands which would soon
make it look as smart as ever. They gave us something
more than a third of what it had cost us, including re-
pairs, and probably sold it in a few weeks for a much
higher sum than it was worth in its best days.

Heavy as our carriage was, we had been able to ac-
complish en an average about ninety miles each day that
we travelled. We halted only in the principal towns, and
in these seldom more than a day or a night. On the

RATE OF TRAVELLING ODESSA AND LONDON. 395

whole, all the places along our route are so uninteresting
to the general traveller,, that he will seldom feel inclined
to tarry in them longer than we did. Our journey of
1235 miles from Nishnei- Novgorod, which occupied us
fourteen days, would have been performed by foreign
mercantile travellers, by Russians of every class, by cou-
riers, and, though it be very disrespectful to name him
last, by the Emperor himself, in half the time. The
shortest stage in any part of our journey was one of twelve
versts (nine miles) in leaving Vladimir ; and the longest
was one of thirty-one and a half versts (twenty-one miles),
which occurred soon after. The average length of Rus-
sian stages is eighteen miles.

In our rnarche-route the distance from Moscow to
Odessa by Nishnei is marked as 2,290 versts; but as
several of the stages are in reality longer than is indicated
in the list, we may add at least, a dozen of versts more for
all differences, making 2,302 versts ; to which, if we add
the 698 versts from St. Petersburg to Moscow, it will be
found that the whole length of our wanderings in Russia
was three thousand versts, or exactly two thousand

MILES.

At Odessa we were sixty miles farther from St Peters-
burg than London is from that capital. In fact, the in-
tercourse between Odessa and the Russian metropolis is
not so great as that between London and St. Petersburg :
in proof of which we may mention that Mr. Yeames told
us that a parcel for Lord Durham had been lying beside
him a month or two, for want of an opportunity by which
it might be forwarded. In London he would have oppor-
tunities every week. The merchants of Odessa, when
returning from their visits in England, prefer the route

396 EXPENSES OF

by Hamburg, Berlin, Breslau, Cracow, and Brody, to
that by Vienna and Gallatz. The time required in going
by Hamburg is about twenty-one days ; and many per-
form the journey alone, without knowing a word of Ger-
man, Polish, or French.

Our faithful LebedefY must not be forgotten in these
concluding reminiscences. We found him the very prince
of couriers. Bating a certain incorrigible propensity to
keep his hand in practice on the shoulders of the posti-
lions, he is one of the best-hearted fellows in the world :
— which, with all his other good qualities, having been
duly attested in a letter which we gave him to the head
of the post-office at Moscow, he returned to that city the
happiest of men — loaded with ribbons for his sweetheart,
and more grateful for the few pounds he had gained by
his trip than an Italian courier would have been after
easing a milordo of as many hundreds.

Before quitting this subject, we may state a few parti-
culars on the general expenses of travelling in Russia.
These vary so much, according to the habits of the indi-
vidual, that no fixed rule can be laid down regarding
them ; but it may be stated in a few words, that, on the
whole, though a belief in the contrary is very general,
Russia is not much more expensive to travel in than the
other countries of the Continent. For instance, two
friends travelling as we did — that is, living at the best
hotels, and denying themselves no comfort that the
country affords, but avoiding all unnecessary outlay —
will not spend more than from 26/. to 30/. a month each-
This includes the purchase of a carriage, say 40Z. or 50/.,
to be sold at the end of the journey, and the wages of a
native seivant en route. In other terms, two friends

TRAVELLING IN RUSSIA. 307

vi si ling Russia together, and spending three months be-
tween the capital and the provinces, would expend from
l.")Q/. to 180/. ; and we suspect that, on comparing notes,
few will find that they have been able to live for three
months, and travel 2,000 miles, for less than this, even in
the more frequented countries of the Continent.

Those who are inclined may travel even cheaper than
this : for example, they have only to buy a telega in
place of a carriage, and they at once strike off 25/. from
the three months' expenses above quoted. But there is
no saving in travelling four together, as we did, even on
the padoroshna. A party of four certainly needs but
one padoroshna, while two parties require two : but as the
tax paid for this document varies according to the num-
ber of horses required, and as a large carriage which
holds four people needs double the number of horses of
a small one holding two, the single padoroshna costs pre-
cisely the same as a pair would do for two separate par-
ties. The great advantage of four travelling together is
the sense of security which numbers give, and which one
is not. sorry to enjoy in such a_ dreary country. There is
also a still greater advantage derived from an increase of
numbers — and it is one which we appreciated very highly
in our own case — namely, the additional chance of ob-
taining a greater variety of information about the country.
In such a party, one has a taste for one department of
knowledge— one for another ; and the result is that each
aids his neighbour, by turning his attention to some new
topic, which might otherwise have escaped him.

While in Odessa, the traveller will find his expenses
extremely moderate ; it is, in fact, one of the cheapest
towns on the Continent : its markets are well supplied

393

THE BROAD-TAILED SHEEP.

with beef and mutton of excellent quality, and the gour-
met may procure in them an article little known in other
parts of Europe — namely, the tail of the broad-tailed
sheep of Arabia, which has now spread all over the
Steppes of Russia, as well as through Egypt and other
parts of North Africa. The flesh of the animal is not
good, and its wool, or rather coarse hair, is totally use-
less to the manufacturer. The tail, however, is reckoned
a great delicacy ; and though we never heard that it. here
becomes so large, that the Russians, like the humane
nations which other travellers have visited, must provide
the animal with a wheel-barrow to drag it about upon,
yet there are parts even of Russia where this caudal enor-
mity sometimes attains the goodly weight of ten pounds.

All kinds of poultry are cheap in Odessa. A large
bustard may be bought for a rouble ; a great variety of
game, and the most delicate kinds of fish, are sold equally
cheap. Fruits of delicious quality are very abundant.
Odessa being, as we said, a free port, foreign wines may
be bought on very reasonable terms. The same remark,
however, will not apply to the purchase of fancy articles,
apparel, &c, all of which sell very dear. This was ac-
counted for by the mode of transport employed in bring-
ing such commodities to Odessa ; for it seems they do
not come by sea direct from France or England, but are
all purchased at the fairs of Leipsic, from whence there
is a long and expensive land-carriage. Residents also
complain that house-rent is very high. Fuel is another
dear article; it is sold as high as eighty-four roubles
(3/. 8.5-. 4d.) per cubic fathom. Water is also very ex-
pensive; for none is to be got within the town. The
nearest place where it can be procured is a few versts

LIVING IN ODESSA NO WATER. 399

oil"; so that families must keep horses for the particular
purpose of bringing this indispensable article, or pay
very high for it to the carriers. No attempt has been
made to bring it in by laying pipes, and all attempts to
procure water by digging in the city have been unsuc-
cessful. Upwards of 80,000 roubles have been expend-
ed on Artesian wells, some of which were sunk to the
depth of 600 feet ; but though streams of water were
crossed several times in the progress downward, none has
ever been met with that would rise.

By the passing traveller, however, these expenses are
scarcely felt. He may hire an excellent suite of rooms
at the Richelieu for ten roubles (&s. 4.cl.) a- day. The
charge for bed-rooms varies from six to eight roubles;
and a person remaining a few weeks will not pay more
than three roubles (2s. 6cl.) each day. The expense of
apartments entirely depends on the choice of the traveller
himself ; for here, and in other parts of the continent, it
is not as at many English inns, where all comers pay the
same : in foreign hotels every one makes a bargain for
himself, and selects the accommodation suited to his
means. Odessa contains hotels of every variety. The
one on the terrace, commanding a beautiful view, and
provided with an irreproachable cuisine, is an excellent
house ; and some others in the adjoining street are equally
good.

But none of these houses can compare with the Riche-
lieu, which has already been so much praised by travel-
lers that little can be added to its fame. It is a large
and stately structure, with a lofty gateway, and ample,
well-kept stairs ; and is altogether more like the newer
town mansions of the French nobility lhan a public

400

PLEAS A NT REMINISCENCES.

hotel. Madame, though Russian, is the comeliest of
landladies ; and Monsieur, being French, is the very
prince of cooks. Oh ! pleasant is he to behold, in his
white nightcap and white apron, preparing to slaughter
some innocent, but well-fed bustard, whose good qua-
lities render it totally unfit for longer stay in this gor-
mandising world. Pleasant also is he to behold, with
glowing face and naked arm, toiling among his sauce-
pans, and watching the progress of his interesting con-
coctions, with eye as eager as ever was that of alchemist
of old when watching the bubbling of his crucibles.
But, more pleasant still is he to behold when, the night-
cap thrown aside, and, the evening being now come, the
snowy apron exchanged for a yet more snowy waistcoat,
he presents himself with a bottle of choice Burgundy in
his hand, to hear the laudatory sentence which you have
to pass on the works of his hand. Pleasant also is it to
tread his well-polished floors, shining like the best oaken
parquets of his own France. Pleasant is it to sit in his
breakfast- room, with its neatest of tables, and gayest of
mirrors. But most pleasant of all the pleasurables we
have enumerated is the pleasure of sleeping in his beds
of softest and purest down. In fact, after duly meditat-
ing on all these pleasant things_, we came to the irresisti-
ble conclusion, that the cunning emperor has placed
Monsieur Alphonse and his spouse here for no other
purpose than to make travellers ashamed of all the
grumbling they have been guilty of while traversing this
comfortless empire — comfortless every inch of it, until
they reach this, the last of its cities.

These notes on Odessa cannot be closed without some

lirVTS TO TRAVELLERS. 401

allusion to certain of its sights and scenes, with which
strangers in general are but too familiar, and which

BO *

would merit to be spoken of in a very different tone from
that hitherto employed in this chapter. In fact, every
town in Russia contains scenes of the most disonsting
profligacy ; and they are now referred to for the double
purpose of satisfying those who, knowing Russia, wrould
be surprised to find no notice taken of them in these
pages, and at the same time of warning our travelling
countrymen that both in Russia, and in other parts of the
continent, they ought to shun those haunts, if not out of
respect for themselves, at least out of respect for their
country, the character of which has too often suffered by
the conduct of those who leave our shores. Even indi-
viduals who at home would shudder at the idea of com-
ing in contact with vice, often throw aside their scruples
when abroad, on the plea that it is a traveller's duty to
see everything. The plea, however, is inadmissible : it is
the traveller's duty to see all that is distinctive, peculiar,
or new, in the countries he visits ; but, as we have never
heard that, vice and immorality are very rare in any part
of the world, he cannot with reason plead the attraction
of novelty, as an excuse for wilfully seeking such sights.
The traveller's object ought to be to find out what is good
in foreign countries, rather than what is bad. Instead
of the foul and degrading recollections of the nature now
alluded to, he ought to try to carry away some happy
and improving remembrance, to bind him in after-days
with each land he has visited.

If we may believe the testimony of those who have
been long acquainted with Russia, it abounds more with

402 USES OF TRAVEL.

scenes of vice than any country of Europe. But it is the
stranger's own fault if he meets with such. If he do not
seek for them, they will not thrust themselves in his way.
In fact, the man who has a proper self-respect may travel,
not through Russia only, but through all parts of the
continent, without having his better feelino-s wounded
more than if he were under his own roof. All depends
on the taste and habits of the individual. But, surely,
he who travels for the sake of becoming acquainted with
the scenes which we now censure sadly perverts the
noble ends of travel. Properly employed, foreign travel
is the most improving, as well as the most delightful, of
all occupations. None yields greater variety of instruc-
tion and amusement at the moment ; and none furnishes
such ample store of pleasant remembrances for after-life.
In the present day it is also to be more prized, from the
fact that now it is the only distinction which the man of
means and education can boast of above the mechanic.
The journeyman with the awl or plane in his hand, is now
often as well acquainted with the more valuable branches
of knowledge as the scholar who can boast of his degree,
or the peer who can wear a star on his breast. Books,
and other aids to the acquisition of knowledge, once at
the command of the rich alone, are at length within the
reach of the poor ; and that their new possessors can turn
them to as good account, it is now too late to deny.

In fact, a system of equality, much more efficient than
any that the politician ever dreamt of, has established it-
self so widely, that the two extremes of society now meet
more nearly than our ancestors could have ventured to
anticipate. But there is one distinction still exists be-

ABUSES OF TRAVEL HOW TO TRAVEL. 403

tween them, and that distinction we have already named.
The power of indulging in foreign travel, even with all
the facilities for visiting other lands afforded by modern
improvements, remains an aristocratic privilege. The ar-
tizan cannot move from the spot where his bread is won :
the man of rank can wander where he lists. Is it then
wise of the traveller to pervert this, his only, and his
truly enviable, privilege, in the way in which, it is to
be acknowledged with regret, too many do pervert it?
Surely the lot of the humblest who toils for his daily
bread, so long as he toils in virtue and contentment, is
more honourable than that of him who thus abuses his
advantages.

If we had any hope that the counsel would be listened
to — the counsel of one who has had opportunity of wit-
nessing the fatal effects of the course he is now denouncing
— we should say to the thousands of our youthful country-
men now traversing the continent from side to side : Do
not turn into a curse opportunities which, rightly employed,
ought to be your greatest blessing. The countries you are
visiting abound with sights of the most amusing character,
which may be enjoyed without summoning a blush to
the cheek at the moment, or laying up a sting for after-
life. Seek these without restraint. Frequent the new
and ever-varying crowds ; mingle freely with the poor,
see them in their workshops, and see them in their re-
creations. In all this there is nothing to be censured ;
the more such scenes are frequented the better, since it is
from them alone that the true character of a people is
to be learnt. Spend your time in this way, and you
come home an improved and a useful man, with stores of

404

HOW TO TRAVEL.

knowledge that will render you an ornament to your sta-
tion and a benefactor to your country.

But if, on the contrary, your years abroad are spent
in the haunts of vice and shame, instead of returning
with increased capability for entering on the noble
duties to which your station calls you, you will come
home with minds enervated and hiodi faculties ren-
dered useless; accomplished in every foreign vice, but
with not one English virtue left ; condemned by that
healthful moral feeling which, happily, still pervades
the higher ranks of your countrymen ; in your own class
shunned by those who would once have courted you, and
in all classes the object of a scorn from which neither
titles nor fortune will shield you ; — in one word, you will
again tread the shores of England, alas! not with the
emotions of pleasure which every good man feels as he
once more sets foot on his native soil, but with the humi-
liating conviction that you come back unfit for any useful
purpose, except it be to serve as a beacon to warn others
from the course which has brought you to shame.

And now we take our leave of Russia. The changing
year is on the wing, and in its flight bids us prepare for
other lands.

One word, however, ere we part. We leave Russia
with higher opinions of it than when we entered. Our brief
sojourn in its capital, and hurried excursions through its
provinces, have removed some, and at least shaken most,
of our prejudices against it. We now see that it is vain
any longer to call the Russians " barbarians." This ap-
pellation can with justice be applied only to those who

RUSSIANS NOT BARBARIANS. 405

are not sensible of their barbarism, and have never sought
to emerge from it : but so far is this from being- the case
with the Russians, that they are making every effort to
escape from their hitherto low position in the social scale.
We do not say that they have yet made great progress in
the journey towards refinement ; but it is much to have
begun the good course. Our visit, however, has not im-
pressed us with a belief that Russia is destined to rise
immediately to that high eminence in civilization which
some have predicted ; nor has it excited any fear that she
is about to obtain that overwhelming influence in the
affairs of Europe, which her emperors have so long and
so steadily endeavoured to secure for her. The reasons
which constrain us to differ from so many on these sub-
jects, it. is not necessary to recapitulate here, as they have
been fully given in the foregoing pages.

Before concluding, a brief allusion may be made to
another theme of alarm, which has of late become general
among some classes in England, viz., that our manufac-
tures are threatened with dangerous rivalship from those
of Russia.

We have deferred giving an opinion on this subject un-
til we should have had opportunity of becoming acquainted
with the condition of the principal towns of the interior, and
have learnt something of the various branches of industry
pursued in them ; and now that we are entitled to give an
opinion, we have no hesitation in saying that this alarm is
as groundless as some others which were discussed in our
first volume. Where are these boasted manufactures of
Russia? We traversed it from north to south in search
of them; but our search was fruitless. There are, un-
deniably, many establishments of industry, but they are

406 RUSSIAN MANUFACTURES.

on the most limited scale. Those in the large cities are
not fit to supply the wants of half the population around
them 3 and even those in the smaller towns do not suffice
for the demands of the neighbourhood. The highest of
their cloth manufactories, for instance, produces only
coarse stuffs, worn by none but the poorer classes, who
have never made use of English goods, and who therefore,
let them wear what they may, can never be reckoned
anion g our lost customers.

The only tenure which England has of the Russians,
or of other foreign nations, as purchasers of her manufac-
tures, lies in the superiority of the goods she produces.
Not one of these nations will buy a single web from us —
nor do we see why they should — after the day when they
can procure as good and as cheap an article at home.
That the Russian manufacturer, however, is not likelv to
be soon in a condition to drive us even from his own mar-
ket, far less from that of any other state, the slightest ac-
quaintance with that country will very satisfactorily show.
In no part of it did we see many articles of native manu-
facture that would be worn by any person above the lowest
rank. Even the finest of the goods which we saw at Nish-
nei — the best place that a stranger can visit in order to know
what Russian manufacturers can produce — were rude and
clumsy. Those which we afterwards saw at Toula must
be described in the same terms ; and, lastly, all that we
have now seen produced by the high-sounding "manu-
factories" of Odessa are, if possible, of still meaner cha-
racter. In short, all that we saw of the products of
Russian looms confirmed us in the belief, that England
has no more reason to fear that she will be driven from
the market by them, than she has to fear that the cottons

RUSSIAN MAM I \i I'URES. 407

gunners of Manchester, and the cloth-weavers of Hud-
dors field, are to be ruined by the formidable rivalry of
the linsey-wolsey of the thrifty housewives of the Scottish
Highlands, and the honest homespun of Cumberland.

Even those Russian articles which look indifferently
well at first, — such as hats, boots, and some kinds of
cloth, — are rendered useless, as we can tell from ex-
perience, by a very short wear. As for the minor articles
of the toilet, though an attempt has been made to produce
them, they are so poorly executed, that even in Russia
itself no one will look at them who can afford English
ones. In fact, the best comment on the products of the
Russian manufactories is that which is furnished by the
Russians themselves. A glance at the dress and orna- '
ments of a party of Russians of the higher classes, is
worth a whole volume of declamation on the subject.
While in Russia, we often tried to assign each article,
worn by the different individuals composing such a party,
to its native country; and we always found that scarcely
a single article belonged to Russia itself. The ladies
displayed nothing but muslins from England, or silks
from France : the jewels, the gloves, the trimming, all,
from the comb in the fair tresses, to the satin slipper on
the pretty foot, were from lands remote. Nor did the
dress of the gentlemen shame that of their gayer com-
panions, by being more patriotic. The epaulettes on
their shoulders, or the cross on their breasts, might be
made in Russia, but assuredly all else, from the eau de
Cologne of the handkerchief, to the varnish of the shoe,
were from a foreign market.

These statements are not made in scorn of Russia ;
but merely to counteract representations of an opposite

408

CONCLUSION.

tendency, which have of late been circulated in England.
We should indeed regret if it could be for a moment
supposed that any statement in these pages has been
dictated by enmity toward Russia; for we can confidently
avow that we have tried to write of the country which
we are now leaving with nothing but good feeling, and
a strict regard to truth. We have ever spoken with ad-
miration of the good qualities of its people; and, though
we have blamed some of the public acts of its emperor,
we have neither libelled him as a tyrant, nor concealed
our admiration of his private qualities. We may have
erred, as the most conscientious err, in the judgments
formed of a foreign country ; but assuredly the errors
into which we may have fallen are not those of in-
tention.

Having left the country with a high respect for the
people, and with changed views regarding their, govern-
ment, we mav be allowed to give utterance to our fervent
wish that, spite of all the symptoms which now appear
so ominous to many of the good and the wise, Russia and
England may still continue united by a friendship which
has hitherto stood firm under many rude assaults, and
which is alike honourable and advantageous to the two
greatest empires in the world.

London : Priuted by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street.

O

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•ursions in the interior
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