made for bringing it on shore, &c. The introduction of poisonous drugs into the country is strictly prohibited, and a small medicine chest which we had was detained for further examination, but was afterwards very civilly given up to me unopened. We were now conducted to our lodgings, which were near at hand, and tolerably comfortable; and after being up and restless all night, and all morning on board the packet, and during the examination of our luggage, we were exceedingly glad to find ourselves by two o'clock in a place where we could sit down at our

ease.

After dressing and refreshing ourselves, we set forth with our laquais de place, whom we shall of course retain during our stay in Petersburg, to see a little of the city, which is very beautiful; but the weather being exceedingly hot, we came in thoroughly exhausted, and were glad to go early to bed, and sleep without the fear before our eyes of being disturbed by custom-house officers. I have this morning been to write down my name at the Alien Office, which is the only personal trouble given to a foreigner on his arrival by the police regulations. Our passport is given to our landlord, whose duty it is to forward it to the proper authorities, by whom it is detained; and a ticket of residence, as it is called, or a permission to remain in the country, which must be renewed on the 1st of January, every year, is sent in its place: this I expect to receive to-morrow or

the next day. For the ticket of residence a charge is made upon foreigners of five roubles, or about four shillings; from which persons of title, clergymen, officers in the Army and Navy, &c., are exempted. Our books have been returned from the Censor's office, with a certificate that they have been examined, and are permitted; so that all the troubles of a first arrival are over, and we may consider ourselves as fairly established in Petersburg. We do not mean however to remain here more than a few days, as the town is very empty, and we wish to lose as little as possible of the short Russian summer before we proceed into the interior, reserving the sights of Petersburg to be visited as we pass through on our way home.

7

LETTER II.

Intended mode of travelling - Russian practice of bathing horses -Kazan church-Pavements in Petersburg-English churchDifference of calendar in Russia-Comparison between London and Petersburg-Equipages-Want of hackney coaches-Droschkas-Summer garden—The islands-The Hermitage-The Winter Palace-Military uniforms-Public buildings.

of

St. Petersburg, June 28th, 1837. We are on the point of leaving Petersburg, and only await a conveyance to take us southwards, which, strange to say, in this great capital, is at this moment a little difficult to meet with. The plan which we mean to pursue, and which is the most comfortable any that could be devised for strangers, is to hire a small diligence, which will be at our disposal for the journey. It will contain four people, besides the driver and conductor, who will manage every thing upon the road, we paying a fixed sum for the journey before we start. We have engaged a man and a maid, the former of whom speaks English, and both speak German and Russian more or less. Most people are now in the country, but we have dined out twice with M-'s relations since we have been here; once in town, and once at a villa in the imme

diate neighbourhood. The dinners were served in the style which I believe is universal on the Continent; nothing but the dessert being put on the table, and the dishes being brought in, and handed round successively. The chief peculiarity to be remarked here was the custom of handing round liqueurs, with cheese, caviare, &c., before we went into the diningroom. We had also some national dishes, such as mushrooms, of various kinds and of all colours, which, if they are to be found, at least are never eaten in England. The principal novelty, however, was a kind of cold soup called Batvinia, of which the Russians appeared very fond, and without which they declared that a dinner in hot weather could not be called complete. Like most foreigners, however, I found it exceedingly bad, and, indeed, perfectly uneatable. It is made with quass, (a Russian substitute for beer,) chopped cucumbers, onions, &c. It is iced, and a large slice of salt fish, sturgeon if it can be got, is eaten with it.

The Neva ran close before the windows of the villa where we dined, and in the evening we saw several horses brought down to have a swim in the river. There was a small raft moored close to the shore, round which a man walked, leading into the water the horse, who very quickly got out of his depth. The horses all seemed used to bathing, and I find that it is a general custom to give them a swim almost every evening during the summer. These

small rafts which one sees every where here in the river and the canals, are for the washerwomen, who stand on them with bare legs and wash the linen in the water at the side, or at a hole about four feet square, which is cut in the middle of the raft.

As we returned home we stopped to see the Kazan Church, which is the Cathedral of Petersburg. Another church, however, the St. Isaac's, which is now in progress, will, when finished, be far finer. The chief beauty of the Kazan Church consists in a handsome semicircular colonnade facing the street, and leading from either side to the principal entrance; and in the beautiful pillars of polished granite which support the roof. The dome is much too small for the size of the edifice, and the interior of the church is somewhat narrow. The pavement is entirely unencumbered by pews or benches, as is universally the case in a Greek church. The rails of the altar, which are handsome and massive, are of solid silver.

At the lower end of the church are a number of flags taken from the Persians, the French, and other nations. Against one of the pillars are suspended the keys of various captured fortresses, with brass plates, giving the name of each. Marshal Davoust's baton is also hung up in a conspicuous spot, in a glass cylinder, to protect it from injury.

Throughout Petersburg are excellent trottoirs for foot passengers; but the pavement of the streets in