languid. Sometimes the master of the house, instead of sitting down with his guests, spends the whole time of dinner in walking about from one to another, and seeing that the servants are alert in attending to or anticipating their wishes; this, however, is an antiquated notion of hospitality which is now almost obsolete.

LETTER XVI.

Severity of Frost-Frost-bites-Snow Storms in the Steppes-Panic -Destruction of the Winter Palace by Fire-Conduct of the Emperor and Empress-Anecdote-Washerwomen in WinterSentinels Christmas Gaieties-Mode of issuing InvitationsMorning calls--Ladies' dress--Evening parties--Room for improvement--Separation of the sexes in society--Secret Police-Count Benkendorf--National reserve--Remarkable occurrence at a Masquerade.

Tamboff, January 16th, 1837.

THE frost has now lasted for two months without interruption, and the winter is considered very severe even in Russia. We have frequently had twentyfour or five, and sometimes, thirty degrees of cold by Reaumur; and the intensity of this cold has been often increased by wind; for twenty degrees of frost on a still day are more supportable than ten with a wind. The difficulty in going out is to preserve the face, especially the nose and forehead from being frost-bitten or rather frozen. When this misfortune occurs no pain is felt, but the part affected becomes hard and white ;* it is easily cured at first

* A stranger will often stop a person in the street to tell him that his nose or his cheek is frozen.

by rubbing the skin with snow till the circulation is restored; but if it is neglected, the effects of the frost are very painful, and sometimes a wound ensues which may end in mortification. If the skin is blistered, the application of gooseoil is considered an excellent remedy. Four years ago, I am told, that more told, that more than five hundred persons were frozen to death in this government, which, it must be remembered, consists chiefly of open steppes, where the effects of a high wind are most formidable, since the snow is blown from the ground and buries horse and man in the drifts, or else it obliterates the tracks, so that the traveller loses his way, and almost inevitably perishes on the unsheltered plain. From the scarcity of wood on these steppes, the inhabitants have little fuel, except straw and dried cow-dung; the latter, it is said, makes a very hot fire, and if properly managed, is entirely free from any unpleasant smell when burning. In the severe winter which I have mentioned of 1833-4, a complete panic was excited, and a prophecy was spread abroad which gained credit, not only with the common people, but with some of a higher class, that on the first day of the new year there would be a hundred-and-ninety degrees of frost, and, of course, that man and beast would perish.

The papers have, no doubt, made you acquainted with the misfortune which has occurred at Peters

L

*

burg in the destruction of the magnificent WinterPalace, which was burnt to the ground on the night of the 29th of December. Various reports have been spread as to the origin of the fire: it has been hinted that it was not altogether accidental, and that the authors of the calamity are no other than conspirators against the existing government. All such rumours, however, appear to be utterly groundless, and it seems that the fire undoubtedly originated in want of precaution on the part of those who were charged with the care of the stoves, some of which were out of order, so as to ignite the adjoining wood-work. This it is supposed had been smouldering for a day or two; and it is even said that a smell of burning had been perceived, and yet that no precautions were taken. Be this as it may, the fire broke out on the night which I have mentioned, while the Emperor and Empress with their grown-up children were at the theatre where Taglioni was dancing. A messenger was immediately sent to the Emperor, who left the theatre without alarming the Empress, under the pretence that a courier had arrived with dispatches for his own hand.

He found that the young Grand Dukes had been already taken out of the palace and placed in a car

*I found afterwards that this statement was not quite correct. The walls of the palace, from their great thickness and solidity, remained almost uninjured by the fire.

riage to await his directions: the valuable jewels had also been removed to a place of security: his Majesty therefore proceeded to his own private apartments, and with the assistance of his valet-de-chambre, packed up and secured his private papers, and when he had completed this important task, he sent to inform the Empress of the disaster. She immediately came to the palace, and after directing the removal from her own apartments of those articles which she prized most, and personally ascertaining the safety of all the ladies attached to the court, some of whom were saved not without difficulty, she went to the house of Count Nesselrode, on the opposite side of the Imperial place or square, and established herself at one of the windows, where she remained for two hours watching the progress of the fire, which gained ground rapidly, since, owing to the intense frost, (twenty-six or twenty-seven degrees of Reaumur,) the engines were useless for want of water. The flames continued to rage all night, and the loss is estimated at more than a million of pounds sterling. A considerable part of the magnificent furniture was saved, with most of the pictures and valuable curiosities. More might have been rescued from the fire, but as it spread, the Emperor forbade all further exertions, on account of the danger. The soldiers, however, who were engaged in removing the furniture, were so eager, that it was difficult to restrain them, and even the Emperor himself, as it is said,