greater request here in society, than the young ladies; for Russian notions impose upon the latter so much restraint, that it really is difficult to keep up a conversation with them: they can hardly be induced to say more than "yes" or "no," and the unmarried men are absolutely afraid of them; since if they pay any young lady half the ordinary attentions, which, according to our ideas, common politeness would appear to exact, it would be at once supposed that they meant to offer their hands. I often felt a great degree of pity at seeing a knot of girls huddled together in a room like a flock of lambs, who saw wolves prowling around them, and seated at supper always like a set of children, at a separate table, without a single partner to enliven them, while the young men looked equally dull, collected in other quarters.

It must be confessed that an animated conversation is much more rare and more difficult to maintain in Russia than in England. The Censorship, as I have already remarked, places a great restraint upon literature; and there are few subjects of general interest, since political topics are entirely banished, and no one likes, in general society, to hazard the most indifferent remark on any act of Government; which is said, with what truth I, of course, cannot tell, to have active spies in every quarter: at all events, there are in every town officers of gens-d'armes, or, as they are often called, the secret police, part of

whose duty avowedly is to report to St. Petersburg all that is passing around them, even, as I am told, to the merest gossip. Count Benkendorf is at the head of this body; and all persons unite in declaring that nothing could render so odious a system tolerable, but the manner in which it is organised by its present Chief, who has succeeded in acquiring much popularity in spite of his unpleasant office.

So strongly is the habit of prudent reserve imprinted on the minds of Russians, that their natural curiosity and desire for information often seems to be stifled, and it is difficult to excite their interest. in any public event. On the evening after the arrival of the post, which brought intelligence of the Winter Palace having been burned, we happened to be at a small party, consisting of less than a dozen people, one of whom had received a letter from a friend at Petersburg, giving him an account of what had occurred; as no public papers had arrived that day, it would have been natural for this gentleman to impart his correspondent's information, and to tell us all he knew about an event of such general interest. Instead of this, however, small and private as the society was, it was merely mentioned in the room that a report had arrived of a serious fire at the palace; and no one would at all enter upon the subject. The fact, I suppose, was, that silence was the

* I have since been informed that the Emperor caused it to be understood at Petersburg, that the subject of the fire was not agree

safe course, and that no one liked to be the first to bruit about the news of such a disaster. When the newspapers arrived, they merely stated in a short paragraph, that the palace had unfortunately been destroyed by fire; they entered into no details, and only made their account of the misfortune the vehicle for a little flattery of the Emperor and the Imperial family.

I will conclude my letter with the account which I heard lately of a most extraordinary occurrence which took place three years ago at Petersburg. Incredible as the story appears, I am assured, not only by the narrator, but by other people, that it is undoubtedly true.

About Christmas, masquerades are much in vogue in Russia, and even when an ordinary ball is given at this season, it is not unusual to place candles in the windows of the house as a signal that masks are admitted without invitation.

At the period to which this story refers, namely, the Christmas of 1834, a ball was given at a house at Petersburg, which was mentioned, but I have forgotten the name of the owner, and the ordinary signal was displayed for the admission of masks, several of whom arrived in the course of the evening, staid a short time as usual, and departed.

At length a party entered, dressed as Chinese,

able to him, and that the less it was discussed in society, the better he should be pleased.

and bearing on a palanquin a person whom they called their chief, saying that it was his fete-day. They set him down very respectfully in the middle of the room, and commenced dancing what they said was their national dance around him. When this was concluded, they separated, and mingled with the general company, speaking French very well, and making themselves extremely agreeable. After a while they began gradually to disappear unnoticed, slipping out of the room one or two at a time, till at last they were all gone, leaving their chief still sitting motionless in dignified silence in his palanquin in the middle of the room. The ball began to thin, and the attention of those who remained was wholly drawn to the grave figure of the Chinese mask.

The master of the house at length went up to him, and told him that his companions were all gone, politely begging him to take off his mask, that he and his guests might know to whom they were indebted for all the pleasure which the exhibition had afforded them. The Chinese, however, gave no reply by word or sign, and a feeling of uneasy curiosity gradually drew around him the guests who remained in the ball-room. The silent figure still took no notice of all that was passing around him, and the master of the house at length with his own hand took off the mask, and discovered to the horrified by-standers the face of a corpse.

The police were immediately sent for, and on a

surgical examination of the body, it appeared to be that of a man who had been strangled a few hours before. Nothing, however, could be discovered either at the time or afterwards which could lead to the identity of the murdered man, or the discovery of the actors in this extraordinary scene: it was found on enquiry that they arrived at the house where they deposited the dead body in a handsome equipage with masked servants.

If this story be true, as I am positively assured it is, the method by which the murderers disposed of the remains of their victim is certainly the most unaccountable which was ever planned or executed by human ingenuity. It is supposed to have been, in some way or other, the denouement of a gambling

transaction.