NOTES OF A NINE YEAE8' RESIDENCE IN RUSSIA, FBOM 1844 TO 1853. WITH NOTICES OP THE TZARS NICHOLAS I. AND ALEXANDER IL BY ROBERT HARRISON. LONDON : T. CAUTLEY NEWBY, 30, WELBECK STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE. 1855. TO AUSTEN HENRY LA YARD, Esq. M.P. ETC. ETC. ETC. THE PUBLIC MAN, ON WHOM, TX THE PRESENT CEISIS, THE EYES OF ALL ENGLAND ABE MOST EARNESTLY AND MOST HOPEFULLY FIXED, ^i)ii aSoofe IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, AS A MARK OP HOMAGE DUE TO HIS GREAT TALENTS, UNWEARIED ENERGY, AND FEARLESS PATRIOTISM, BY HIS SIXCEKE ADMIKER A>"D VERT OBEDIENT SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. The substance of the following- ^^ Notes" is taken from the Author's Journals. Assisted b}^ a lively remembrance of the scenes he passed through, he has given these memoranda such form and coherence as they were capable of assumino'. Many interesting- facts and circumstances which he had noted down, are necessai'ily omit- ted in this little work, inasmuch as they have been already well told to the Engiish public by other writers on Bussia. But what had not already been seen in print, it seemed a kind of duty to publish, now that an acquaintance, more or less intimate, with the Russian Empire is sought by every Englishman. The humblest contribution to a knowledo-e of that remarkable country must acquire additional interest and value with every new event that marks the progress of the present war. Trusting that he may at least claim the merit of a sincere desire to record exactly what he saw and heard, the VI PREFACE. Author commits his book to the indulg*ence of his readers. The first portion of the work describes the coui'se of the writer's travels and the incidents accompan3'ing them. The second part^ com- mencing- with Chapter Y., contains his impres- sions of the national characteristics^ and for the sake of gTeater clearness is arrang'edin the fol- lowing- order : I. The Moojiks or Peasants, who form the substratum on which the social edifice of Russia reposes. II. The Svestchenniks, their spiritual pas- tors. III. The Pameshtchiks, their owners. IV. The Chinovniks, or civil functionaries, their oppressors; Grajdanun or citizen. V. The Military, their protectors and con- trollers. VI. The Tzar, their Demig-od. The illustrations are selected from orig*inal drawing's made on the spot, and will, it is hoped, from their truth and character, materially as- sist the reader to form his own conclusions on the external appearance of the Russians. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. FAGB First glimpse of Russian Character — After dinner cus- toms — Mareclial Sebastiani — Napoleon and Fontaine- bleau— Assiduity of Russian officers — Nicholas — King of Prussia — Eothen — Similarity of Russ and Bohemian tongue — Culm — Tilsit — Liberty of opinion — Riga— Reval — Count Heyden — Russian Roads and Horses — Datchas — Alexander's Arch — Barrier — Petersburg — Nevsky — Sledges — Coachmen — Neva River — Quays — Public Buildings— Moonlight — Ice — Sign-boards . 1 CHAPTER II. Promenaders — Minister of Justice, of War — Mentschi- koff — Nesselrode — Literati of St. Petersburg — Salu- tation — Gostinnoi Dvor — Merchants — Poor Dwell- ings — Emperor's Telegraph — Perevoshtchiks — Mr. Baird— Cronstadt — Gulf of Finland . . .26 CHAPTER III. Russian Railways — Post-cart — Postillions — Road be- tween Petersburg and Moscow — Provincial Towns — The watch-box — The Church — Villages— Moscow — Its Churches— The Kremlin — Gigantic Bells — Splendour of Cathedrals— MS. Sclavonic Scriptures— Silver Caul- drons — Image of St. Simeon — Religious Processions — Tombs of the Tzars— Church of St. Basil— The Granit- naya Palat — Environs of Moscow — Swedish Architect — Dr. Haaz— Russian Convicts . . .45 Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. PAGE The Tzaritsin Palace — Colomnia — Visit to Voskreceu- sky — Black Bread—" New Jerusalem" — The Sclavono- pliiles — Moscow University — Lectures — Freedom of Discussion — The Dissenters — Monks and Nuns — The Bazaar — Tea-drinking' Shops — Russian Waiters — Part- ing- View of Moscow — City of Vladimir — Nijni Novo- gorod— The Noble and his Serfs — Beehives — A blind Beggar — Foundinga new Church — Little Russian Car- riers — Town of Arzamas — Region of " black earth" — Town of Simbirsk — Monument to Karamzin — The Volga 72 CHAPTER V. Picturesque and fertile promontory of Simbirsk on the Volga — The Sveteolka — The Molodetzhj Koiircjan — Bargemen — Fish of the Volga — Model Farm — Rus- sian Peasants — their huts — Images — Conflagrations — Arrangement between lord and serf — Manumission — The ohroli — The Passport system — Boris Petrovitch's estate — Forest trees — Value of timber — Wild honey — Runaway serfs — Fisheries on the Volg'a— Organization of the Villages — Military Conscription — The School- master among the serfs — Finnish children — The Prin- cess and her Peasants . . . .94 CHAPTER YI. The Russian Priest — The Monk — Hereditary Priesthood — The Priest's Daughter — Value of livings — Character of Parish Priests — The KietF Vicar — Superstitions of the Russian Church — Images and Pictures — Ration- alism of the higher classes — Religions Toleration — Distribution of the Scriptures — Anecdote of Peter the Great— Orthodox and Dissenters — Fanaticism of the Rascolniks — Almsgiving .... 130 CONTENTS. IX CHAPTEE VII. PACE The Pameshtchik or Landed Proprietor — Dishonesty among the Stewards — The Lord's dinner party — Rural Amusements — Russian Libraries — Imperial Authors — Habits of resident Landlords — Marriage of their Serfs — "The Dead Souls" — Education of the young Nobility — Anecdote of the Emperor Nicholas — Horse-racing — Masquerade Anecdote — Treatment of Political delin- quents — The Captive of Orenburg — Despotism of the late Tzar — Punishment of Count P. — Tax on Pass- ports — The Chemist and the Crystal Palace . . 153 CHAPTER YIII. Russian Officials — Their Organization and Rank — Cha- racter and Power — " Monte Christo" — Munificent gift to the Emperor — Pilfering and Bribery — Anecdote of a Police Major — The provincial Tchinovnik — Story of Official Villany — Gogel's " Revisor " — The Empress and the Brandy-farmer ..... 186 CHAPTEE IX. The Citizen— Guilds— The Koopetz—Yisit of Tallow- merchants to the Great Exhibition — Habits of the Merchant — Debtors' Prison— The fraudulent Bankrupt — Payment of Debts — Social intercourse — Newspaper Press — Russian " art of conversation " — Merchant Princes — Manufactures — Dress of the people . . 199 CHAPTER X. Military power of Russia — The Guards — The Line — Pe- culation of the Superior Officers — Medals— Brutality of CONTENTS. PAGE General Arakcbeef — The late Tzar's mimic campaigns — Reviews — Summer encampments — Russian Cadets — The young Georgian — The Tzar's Grandsons — Chances of promotion — Nicholas and the sledge-driver — Medical service of the Army — Sir James Wylie — The Circassian war— The regiment of Kabarda — Russian ferocity — Desperate encounter with Schamyl — Use of the Lasso ...... 215 CHAPTEE XI. The Tzar — Power of Nicholas — Sketch of his early Life — Visits England — His Marriage — Accession to the Throne — Restores absolutism — Admiration of England — His restless activity — The private bell — Nicholas' art of governing — His unceremonious visits — The Emperor and the Mimic — Anecdote of Nicholas and an officer from the Caucasus — Military mania — The German artist — Death of the Grand Duke Michael — Reply of Schamj'l's son to the Emperor — Instance of the Tzar's humanity — His behaviour in the nursery — The Imperial parrot— Last illness of Nicholas— His death . . 245 CHAPTEE XII. Alexander IL — His character — Anecdote of the fabulist Kriloif — Alexander's position during the military revolt — His education— His companions — ArsenieiF his pre- ceptor — Pension of tutors — Alexander's visit to England — 'His marriage — Character of the present Empress — Banquet at Orenburg — Alexander's excursion in the Caucasus — His personal appearance— Paternal affection — Sketch of the Imperial family . . . 277 CONTENTS. . XI CHAPTEE XIII. PAGE Moral Influence of the Russian Government— Author's reasons for leaving' Russia — Effects of the Porte's Declaration of War — Remarks on the present Crisis — The PrinciiJle of " non-intervention " — Mr. Layard's observations on the war — Necessity of extraordinary exertions — Sacrifices made by Russian subjects — Conclusion ...... 299 LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS. I, St. Peteesbueg. II. MOOJIK AKD jElfTSCHINA. III. SVESTCHEKNIK OE PeIEST. IV. Stait-Captais- of the Yolhinskt Eegiment. NINE YEARS' RESIDENCE IN RUSSIA. CHAPTER I. First glimpse of Eussiau Character — After dinner cus- toms — Mareclial Sebastiani — Napoleon and Fontaine- bleau — Assiduity of Eussian officers— jSTicholas — King of Prussia — Eothen — Similarity of Euss and Bohemian tongue — Culm — Tilsit — Liberty of opinion — Eiga — Eeval— Count Heyden— Eussian Eoads and Horses — Datchas — Alexander's Arch — Barrier — Petersburgh — Nevsky — Sledges — Coachmen — Neva Eiver — Quays- Public Buildings — Moonlight — Ice — Sign-boards. It was in Paris that I first became ac- quainted with Russians. I was at once struck with the courtliness of their manners, and the mag'nificence of their style of living*. In one of the splendid houses in the neighbourhood of the TuilerieS; in apartments richly decorated and huno- with flowered satin I found the family to which I had introductions. The entrance hall was filled with servitors belong-- B 2 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE ing" to nearly all the nations in Europe, and their intercourse with their master soon afforded me an opportunity of witnessing" the marvellous facility which a Russian g'entleman displays in the manag"ement of foreig*n lang-uag'es. My young- ears were confounded at hearing- the Eng-lishman, Frenchman, German, Italian and Russ, addressed each in his respective tong-ue by one individual, whose Eng-lish and French (the only lang-uag-es of which I could then judg-e) were certainly unexceptionable. From what I now know of the Russian charac- ter, I feel convinced that this ling'uistic display was made in my presence for the purpose of producing* an effect upon me, humble personag-e thoug-h I was. The Russian always acts a part before strang-ers and before those people from whom he wants to g-ain some small advantag-e. To do this is so habitual with him that he cannot do otherwise, and many a fine trait of character, that I shall be able to set forth in these pag-es, may partly lose its value from the conviction forcing- itself upon the observer's mind, that the Russian world is really a stag'e and all its men and women IN RUSSIA. 3 merely players, constantly seeking* theatrical effect, and flattering- themselves that they de- ceive the world by their superior dissimulative skill. The Russian families that I saw in Paris, belong'ed to la haute volee, and exhibited none of those characteristics of dirty splendour — no costly jewels on g'rimy hands — that were once attributed to the Muscovite nation in the popular mind of Western Europe. On the contrar}?- all was elegance and fashion. Dinner, for instance, was served on solid silver, in one house that I was acquainted with, and works of art in painting- and sculpture, tog-ether with rare articles of virtu were accumulated without reg-ard to cost. The best Parisian society assembled at their luxurious tables, where the refinement of Parisian manners prevailed. On one occasion, however, I witnessed an ana- chronism in the usag-es of society, that in Paris was certainly startling-. Dinner being- over, a venerable looking' Russian g-entleman of the old school, rose solemnly from his seat and after making- the customary sig-n of the cross, which answers to our g-race after meat, 4 NINE years' residence he bowed with the most profound gTavity and respect first to the hostess^ then to the host, and finally to the various members of the famil}'. On reaching- the drawing* room, whither all the guests of both sexes retire at the same time, the old Russian kissed the hand of the lady of the mansion. I may here add as the result of subsequent experience, that this custom of returning' thanks after meals to the human as well as to the Divine giver of the food, is almost universal in Russia, and that the practice is inculcated by parents on their children as a sacred duty. However strang-e and farfetched such a custom may appear, it helps to confirm the grand lesson which all Russians live to learn — submission to authority. Among- the intimates of one Russian family that I saw much of at Paris, was the late Marechal Sebastiani, who as one of Napoleon's generals and a fellow Corsican, a favorite more- over with Louis Philippe, was a persona g"e of g-reat interest to us. He was short in stature and of slig-ht make, and spite of the stern ex- pression of his face, there was a bright intelli^ gence in his eye and a symmetry of features IN RUSSIA. O that still told of the g'ood looks which, it is said^ were instrumental in starting- him in his career of fortune. I mention him here for the sake of introducing- an anecdote that bears upon a disputed historical fact. An expedition was formed with the Marshal at its head to explore the ancient Palace of Fontainebleau. I was of the party, and a very delig'htful one it was. In passing' throug'h the room that Napo- leon used to occupy, a Russian g-entleman pre- sent asked Sebastiani if it were true that the Emperor, for so he spoke of Napoleon, had attempted to poison himself there. " Too true," was the veteran's repl}^, and his eyes filled with tears. To one born several years after the g-eneral peace and reg'arding- the actors in the last war as entirely of a past ag'e, it was extremely interesting* to sit at a table with men who had commanded opposing* forces in the great Russian campaigns of 1812 and 1813, and to hear a French Marshal quietly discussing- the events of those campaig-ns with a Russian General. Great deference was shewn to the Marshal by all the Russians of our circle, a deference paid; I presume to his military capacity, for most of 6 NINE years' residence the latter were military men, and some of them seemed eag'er to increase their professional know- ledge. One officer of the artillery, whose name I see now occasionally fig-uring' in the Times, was most assiduous in his attendance upon an " Exposition/' then open in Paris, pursuing- with eag'er interest every inventive sug-g-estion that promised advantag'e to his profession. From Paris I accompanied my Bussian friends to Berlin. Here I saw for the first time the Tzar Nicholas, returning" from that brief visit to Eng-land, which was destined to bear him such bitter fruits in the latter days of his reig-n. Even then he was in deep sorrow, having- been hastily summoned to the dying- bed of his favourite daug'hter. It would be impossible ever to forg-et the impression his appearance stamped upon my mind. The mas- sive and stately fig^ure, that has been so often described, the stern, melancholy face, with cold, grey, impenetrable e3^es, which seemed rigo- rously to exclude every expression of the inward emotion, made the gazer feel that here was a man isolated from his kind by the proud eminence he had been doomed to occupy. It IN RUSSIA. 7 is difficult to conceive how those impassive orbs ever could appear the " mild eyes/' which have lately become a byword. Yet that in his lofty isolation Nicholas has always left room for the play of his common human nature, in the indul- g"ence of domestic affection, the following* anec- dote, g-athered from authentic sources at the period now alluded to, g-oes far to prove. On reaching- St. Petersburg-, after a journey of extraordinary rapidity even for him, the Tzar found that little hope was entertained of his daug-hter's recovery. He was informed that an interview with the Princess in the con- dition she was then in, mig-ht prove dang-erously ag-itating- to her. Ordering* his couch, there- fore, to be made up on a sofa in her apartment, screened from her view, he passed sleepless hours in listening- to her moans and to the words that were to prove her last. While there, he heard her ask for his portrait, and addressing- it tenderly as her " Dear Papa,'* with many expressions of the affection she felt for a most indulg-ent parent, request that it mig"ht be placed in her coffin. The scene was too much for the iron man, and this descen- 8 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE dant of the Great Peter fainted as he lay listen- ing'. While I was at Berlin, the King- of Prussia was spoken of very contemptuously by the Russians, and his attachment for the widow Cliquot, whose champagne bottles have afforded Mr. Punch so much amusement, was the sub- ject of unreserved allusion. A German, emi- nent in science and letters, and of European reputation^ was pointed out to me as his Ma- jesty's boon companion, and the rubicund tint of his face did certainly not belie the imputa- tion. No g-reat number of Russians were to be seen at Berlin, the place does not suit them so well as Paris, gravity of thought and extent of learning' have few charms for such pleasure seekers. Near Potsdam there still exists the Russian village planted by the Emperor Alex- ander at the desire of the late King* of Pi'ussia, but if one mayjudg-efrom the priest with whom I conversed at some length, the colonists must have become thoroug-hly Germanised by this time. Leaving* Berlin for a secluded Bohemian val- IN RUSSIA. 9 ley, I there found the Muscovite g'entry and merchants in considerable force, the}^ being- drawn thither by the fame of the mineral waters. Here I first saw the hero of Satalieh, whom Mr. King-slake has immortalised in the last chapter of Eothen, and who, bellicose as is his aspect there, now exercises the most peace- able functions as one of the imperial ministers at St. Petersburg'. When Eothen was pub- lished, he was all the more shocked at the work, as it contrasted so strong-ly with his own " Pil- gTimag"e to Jerusalem," published shortly after, wherein his Excellency does not fail to invest the holy city with Russo-Greek robes of sanc- tity, and to claim the keeping* of the too famous key for the orthodox Greek priests. Other Russian notabilities had been drawn to the healing' waters of this '^ mountain cauldron,'' and some Austrians of rank, an archduke and an archbishop among* others. As an illustra- tion of manners, the joke of a merry old Ger- man prince may not be misplaced. He told the archbishop with a peculiar rollicking* sort of g'lee, that in church he stood near the archduke and overheard him praying that " all arch- B 2 10 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE bishops^ bishops and priests mig-ht be sent to lodg-e anywhere but at a watering- place where archdukes came to take their pleasure." From all I heard and saw^ the 3''oung' imperial hig'hness did not suffer much from ecclesiastical restraint^ however many dig-nitaries mig'ht be in his neig-hbourhood. Though the Russians and the Tchechs, or Bohemians^ are members of the same Slavonic family who have been long* estrang-ed from each other, we found upon trial that their lang-uag-es retained enough of similarity to be intellig-ible to persons of both nations. With a certain kind of appropriateness, as if to impress us with an idea of the military gi'eatness and g'lory of the country upon which we were entering*, our road lay through the grand battle-plain of Culm in Saxony, where the French General Vandamme was made pri- soner by the Russians, after a contest in which the stedfast courage of their troops was conspi- cuously displayed. One of the regiments nearly destroj'cd on this occasion, the Pavlovsky, wore and still wears a curiousl}- shaped hat, some- thing like a broken sugar-loaf, faced with a gilt IN RUSSIA. 11 spread-eag-le^ from which the French named the regimentj " les bonnets d'or." A peculiar and not inexpressive mark of honour conferred on the braves of this reg-iment at the present da}', in remembrance of former feats of arms, consists of the hats, pierced with bullets in that terrific fig'ht, and inscribed with the names of every successive wearer. The approach to the Russian frontier from Berlin is unattractive in the extreme. It requires the historical associations of the gTeat German and Polish wars to impart any interest to the four broad rivers, which the traveller must cross on this route— the Oder, the Vistula, the Niemen and the Duna. The eifect of sandy plains, g-rim pine forests and swampy flats, which alternately present themselves, is but little relieved by the dirty crowded villag-es of Jews' which from time to time meet the e3'e. Their appearance and costume indeed, so oriental and so ill suited to the country' and climate in which they here live, mig'ht g-ive rise to moral reflec- tions upon the fate and history of the dispersed people, such as Monmouth Street would cer- tainly never sug'gest. At Tilsit where we 12 NINE YEABS' RESIDENCE crossed the Niemen^ not a trace remains to speak of that famous interview of the two Emperors in the middle of the stream, which was meant to decide the fate of Europe, and on which later events are so sing'ular a com- ment. As I crossed the frontier, the moon was rising- over the dominions of the Tzar, whilst the sun shed a parting- flood of lig-ht over all that was visible of Prussia, yet not- withstanding- the calm beauty of the scene, I felt an involuntary sinking- of spirits, as the barrier fell behind me like an instrument of execution, severing- me as I thoug-ht from all that was European and free, to enclose me in the Asiatic bondag-e of an Autocrat. Indeed, I may say, that, althoug-h I always enjoj^ed as much personal liberty there as I do in my own country, the sense of feeling's and opinions suppressed, in myself and in those around me, became at last insupportable, and was one strong- motive for my quitting- Russia and the many kind friends, whom I count it my privi- lege still to retain in that country. Not many g-enuine Russians are to be seen in the Baltic Provinces of the Empire, for those IN EUSSIA. 13 who by appointment or other means, are settled among- the German inhabitants of those reg-ions, acquire with a facihty that is truly national, the habits and to a certain extent the ideas of their Teutonic fellow subjects. How it comes to pass that these latter, with their traditions of ancient independence and g*loryj should be the class from whom the Tzars have obtained some of their most devoted servants and most passive tools, is an historical problem* that I can hardty undertake to solve. To the truth of the fact man}^ notorious names will testif3^. Rig"aisthe capital of these German provinces, and its streets animated with bustling* passen- g-ers- &tilL betoken a certain amount of commer- cial activity, notwithstanding* the jealous policy which permits the sand to accumulate at the- mouth of the port, in order to damao*e the trade of this rival of St. Petersburg*. It is said that if Peter I. had g-ained the battle of Narva in 1700, Riga would have become the metropolis- of Russia, and the swampy banks of the Neva, would have remained undisturbed. AVhat would in such a case have been the operation, of Russian influence upon Europe, might 14 NINE years' residence be made the subject of a curious specula- tion. Eevalj to which we diverg-ed for the sake of a little sea bathing-, is a miserably dull and dreary cit}- ; everj^thing about it looks old yet not venerable, from the decrepid lime trees in Catherincnthal to the decaying- churches and houses within the town itself. That charming- book " Letters from the Baltic" has exhausted nearly all the points of interest about Eeval and its environs, the Esthonian inhabitants and their German lords. During* my stay there, I had the opportunity of seeing- some- thing" of the late Port- Admiral of Reval, the g-allant old Count Heyden who had commanded the Kussian squadron in the battle of Nava- rino. He was by birth a Dutchman but had passed nearly the whole of a long- life in the service of Bussia, To me he seemed the livino- picture of a naval hero. In person tall, strong- and hearty-looking-, he was at once frank and courteous in manner, keen in observation, and rich in that expressive eloquence which is a seaman's characteristic. He took us one day in his twelve-oared shallop to visit some of the IN KUSSIA. 15 vessels in the harbour. His demeanour towards the sailors on board was quite fatherly ; he sin- g-led out those who had been with him on active service for some special observation^ and we witnessed with much interest his "rencontre" on board one pet little craft which he had named Navarino^ with a sailor who had been eno-ag'ed in that battle. The appearance of the ships we visited was extreme^ neat, even elegant, and the only marks of disapproval the Admiral exhibited, were directed ag-ainst what he called the fopperies of the new school of seamen. He spoke English fluently, and had a professional liking* for the nation. His sailor-like mode of announcing* rain by saying* there was a " leak in the sky," was very cha- racteristic of the man. The journey from Reval to St. Petersburg* is all the more tedious in autumn for want of g'ood roads. Not until 3'ou reach the Emperor's hig'hway between Peterhof and the capital, can you hope to advance with less than six horses to the carriag-e. Miserable little nag's indeed they are, these so called horses in rope harness, with a r-ag'g'ed postillion for the two leaders, and 16 NINE YEAKS' RESfDENCE a dirty shag-gy-haired driver behind the four shaft horses. By dint^ howeverj of screaming' out caresses and curses at the poor steeds, they make them accomplish the tedious process of drag'g'ing' you through the mud, and then break out into a wild song*, whose piercing* notes, ac- companied b}^ the tinkling- bells on the collars, do anything* but promote the traveller's repose. At Strelna, about 18 versts (12 miles) from St. Petersburg', we first came upon a fine mac- adamized road. A similar highway extends in a direct line from Taurog*en, on the frontier, to the capital, but we had missed it b}^ making* the detour to Reval. At Strelna may be seen the larg*e and rich convent of St. Serg-e, in the cemetery of which only wealthy people can be buried, if we may judg-e from the splendour of the monuments with which it is crowded. As we advanced along- the road the eye was every- where met b}- increasing* evidence of the proxi- mity of a g-reat city. Detached country villas line the side of the road overlooking* the g*ulf of Finland. Those which I first saw were larg*e and separated by extensive g-rounds, but the nearer we approach the cit}'', the smaller and. IN RUSSIA. ' 17 more thickly set do they hecome^ till at last their appearance was that of a street of fanciful little wooden houses^ with verandahs leading into the smallest possible patch of g-arden shaded by onC; two, or three hanging' birch trees* These country boxes or datchas as they are called, may be seen on all the roads leading* into St. Petersburg", on the suburban banks of the Neva, and on the islands made by the branches of the river. They testify to a practice almost universal in Kussian cities, that of making a change of residence {datcha means change) during- the summer months. From June ta September when the weather is very hot, all these houses will be found occupied by peopla of every rank, from the poor official who pa3'S his 30 roubles* for the season, to the wealthy merchant or noble, pa3ang his 800, or possess- ing a mansion of his own. As every tenant must take his own furniture, the city in spring- presents the appearance of a universal " flitting," * A silver rouble is worth rather more than three shillings English, so that 100 roubles = ^615. and some shillings ; 1000 roubles = £150. to £IQ0, according to the rate of exchange. 18 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE which the strang'er newly arrived is at a loss to understand^ and which for a long* time puzzled me completely. After passing throug'h a double line of datchas or countr}^ houses, we drive under the triumphal arch of bronze^ erected by Alexander to commemorate the return of the Eussians from Paris, in 1815. Here at the gnard house the passports are examined, and we drive into the interminable city. The inspection of pass- ports at Russian g'uard houses once filled me with a certain amount of trepidation, lest any- thing* treasonable to the state should uncon- sciously cling* about me ; but I soon found out how g'oodnatui'ed the inspecting* chinovnik was, and how naturally he took a twenty copeck* piece in exchang-e for the countermark required by the sentinel, without my showing* the pass at all. This ceremony is of course only g-one throug-h by travellers easily distinguished from occupiers of datchas, who pass on unchalleng'ed by the g-uard. The g'reat city itself has been so often and * 100 copecks = 1 rouble, therefore 20 copects is wortli about 8c?. IN RUSSIA. 19 SO well described^ that few words on the subject from me will suffice. Like the Pharaohs of Eg'3^pt^ the Muscovite Tzars in their architec- tural undertaking's have had to deal with vast level plains^ on which they found it necessary to erect edifices of extraordinary size, and if Petersburg- has not its pyramids, it may boast of some of the larg-est houses perhaps in Eu- rope. The number of building's constructed by and for the Government in every Russian town, but particularly in the capitals, is remarkably g"reatj barracks, military schools, ministerial bureaux, and all the public offices necessary to a system which g-overns seventy millions of people by the mystery of routine and red tape. The streets of Petersburg* are very wide, and very straig-ht, showing* that this city, unlike the other cities of Europe, which have gTown from small to g-reat, subject to the caprices of suc- cessive g'enerations of men, was built upon a plan conceived by one mind, just as the cities of Adelaide, Auckland, and other colonial capi- tals have been in our own day. The effect of this, however stiff, is very imposing", and the Nevsky Perspective is un- 20 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE doubtedly the finest street in Europe. The canals; which intersect the principal streets of the city^ not only serve in summer for the transit of boats and barg'es, but become in winter firm and delig-htfully smooth roads for sledg-es. After the dulness of Berlin I was much de- lig'hted with the active bustle that prevailed in Petersburg'. Yehicles of every description, from the lig'ht droschky of the dapper shopkeeper to the four-horsed carriage of the titled dame, rattle throug-h the streets at full spee4. In winter wheels disappear, and the luxurious sledgfe whirls over the snow with a rapidity that seems to threaten the safety of the heedless pedestrian, who may attempt to cross the street without carefully looking* both wa^^s. The penalties, however, consequent upon accident, are very severe, and as the cry of " beryg-eese," take care — resounds throug-h the air, the strang-er is led to perceive the reasonableness of the maxim which demands, as a quality essential to a good coachman, the lung's of a stentor. My favourite walk in St. Petersburg* was the quay, extending* for more than two miles in a Btraig"ht line along* the beautiful river Neva. IN RUSSIA. 21 The continuity of the line is broken in one place, by the enormous quadrano-ular structure called the Admiralty, which covers about as much space as one of the London squares, and divides the quay into two parts, called respectively the Court qua}^ and the Eng-Hsh quay. The quay itself formed of smoothly-cut blocks of g-ranite, and kept clean and sanded in all weathers, makes a handsome promenade in front of nearly all the palaces of the imperial family, which con- joined Avith the lofty mansions of the nobility, form one vast pile of splendid structures. These stand on the south bank of the Neva ; on the opposite side is seen the citadel, separating- two broad arms of the river — one of which flows round the delta, constituting- the Vassili Os- troff, or Basil's Island, on which Peter origi- nally founded the city. The other arm of the stream, with its dependent branches, encloses several islands of various extent, which are covered with pretty suburban villas, and plea- sant gardens laid out for the recreation of the public. Often have I stood upon the little bridge that spans the Fontanka, near the summer garden, to enjoy the g-olden sunset. 22 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE The indescribable tints that pervaded the at- mosphere seemed absorbed, rather than reflected in the deep, clear and rapid current j beyond the g-loomy masomy of the citadel, stood out in bright relief the noble Exchang-e with its classic porch, set off by two towers built with rostra, in imitation of the pillar on Pharos isle ; next to it, the Academy of Sciences ; a little further the eleg^ant fa9ade of the University, almost shouldered out of place by the vast edifice now containing* the corps of cadets, but orig'inally built by the first Mentschikoff as his residence ; beyond that ag-ain rises a noble pile — the Academy of Arts, in ft'ont of which wide- terrace g'ranite steps lead to the water's edg'e, having for support on the rig'ht and left two beautiful sphinxes sent from Egypt by Mehemet Ali j private mansions, all in g-rand proportion, succeed the Academy, and complete the line of building-s between it and the Naval Colleg-e, and again, between the latter and the estab- lishment for the Mining Corps, which two edifices are constructed on the same scale of magnitude as their neighbours, but which are , beyond the ken of a spectator standing on IN EUSSIA. 23 the Fontanka bridg-e. Beautiful^ however^ as this coup d'oeil is, ilbiminated by the rays of a setting' sun^ a moonlig'ht scene on the Neva is still more so. The calmness of the air, the g'littering- purity of the firmament, the brilliancy of the swift, broad stream, broken only by the deep shadows of the unwieldy-looking* pontoon bridg'es, combine to excite in the g-azer's mind a sense of deep and solemn delight. I learnt to entertain a feeling" of something* like fondness for that g'lorious looking* river, and almost grieved to see it chained up for months together with ice that seemed like adamant. Yet even then the scene had charms, when, finding* out some silent spot, swept clean of snow by the sharp winter wind, one could sail about on skates, watching the delicate rose tints of the early closing day that crept over the virgin snow around, or dispersed in prismatic hues as they pierced through the crystal blocks of ice, cut out and left for the night, by some poor peasant, who earned a scanty meed by filling the cellars of the city householders with that universal requisite. St. Petersburg, though now 150 years old, 24 NINE years' residence has not yet been acknowledg-ed by the mass of the Russian people^ who regard it as a city of foreigners and style it, " Niemetzlioe Gorod" or the German town. The non-Russ portion of the inhabitants is^ in fact; unusually large and various, as evidenced not only by the appearance of those whom you meet in the streets, but by the simple fact that the shop- keepers in the Nevsky and other large tho- roughfares invite their customers by signboards, having inscriptions in the four languages of the five great Powers — Enghsh, French, German, and Russian. The signboards give a peculiar aspect to the Russian cit}^, for besides their written devices, they appeal to the unlearned by elaborate displays of the art pictorial. How- ever little the grocer may possess inside his shop, he will have a large and splendid paint- ing, representing sugar loaves, pickle jars, dried and fresh fruits, and whatever else is grateful to the taste. The tailor announces his art generally by a huge pair of painted scissors, sometimes by a colossal copy from a print in the Journal des Modes, whence the milliner like\\ ise draws the splendid decorations IN RUSSIA. 25 of her door post. Fig-aro in Russia makes the public acquainted with the double nature of his craft by the representation of a g"entleman hav- ing- his hair cut, on one side, while on the other a lady is depicted fainting* from loss of blood that spouts from her arm under the operation of the judicious lancet — the whole picture being- surrounded by an ornamental border of leeches. 26 NINE years' eesidence CHAPTER II. Promenaders — Minister of Justice, of War — Mentschi- koff — Nesselrode — Literati of St. Petersburg — Saluta- tion — Gostinnoi Dvor — Merchants — Poor Dwellings — Emperor's Telegraph — Perevoshtchiks — Mr. Baird — Cronstadt — Gulf of Finland. Though the amount of mercantile business and the outlay of money in St. Petersburg* is considerable ; the traffic of passengers throug-h the streets never seemed to me so g-reat as I expected it to be in a city containing- half a million inhabitants. This spare appearance of the population is no doubt owing- to the unusual width of the streets and squares^ ov plostchads, as they are called. An exception^ however, must be made in favour of the Nevsky Per- spective, at a certain hour of the day, when it is a g-eneral rendezvous and promenade. Be- tween 2 and 4 o'clock on a fine winter's after- IN EUSSIA. 27 noon, in February or March,, I frequently watched the g-ay crowd that throng-ed the broad clean foot pavement. Men and women of all ranks and of all nations were there, in every variety of costume. The striking peculiarity of the concourse was the number of uniforms that glittered in it ; every third man I met bore the badg'e either civil or military of service in the state. Ministers, g-enerals, ambassadors, princes and princesses, counts and countesses, ming-led in the stream of pedestrians, with clerks from the public offices, guardsmen and subalterns of the army, all in loud converse carried on chiefly in the French languag-e. Russians and Germans, Eng-lish and French, Persians, Armenians and Circassians, Turk and Tartar, all had their representatives in the pro- miscuous throng-. Let us pause for a moment to observe some of the personages. That very tall thin man, closely buttoned up, with a dry caustic expression of countenance shaded by a rather shabby hat, is the Minister of Justice, whose occasional eloquence in the Council of State is reputed to be more effective than it is acceptable at head-quarters. The tall broad- 28 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE shouldered old man^ with a small black wig- on liis singularly shaped head and over his Chinese looking' eyeS; is the President of the Council. He was long* Minister of War, and fig-ured in the campaig-ns ag*ainst Napoleon, taking- g-reat g-lory to himself for the easy capture of Hesse Cassel. The Minister of the Marine, the too famous MentschikofF, is not often seen in the crowd of his fellow nobles. He has the lofty bearing" of a prince, with a sarcastic expression spread over his handsome features, indicative of the pung-ent wit with which he castig-ates his duller compeers and g-ratifies his imperial master. Much was expected of him when he went to Constantinople, but after the miserable failure of his mission, the cry arose in every company that he was only fit for the amuse- ment of salons, statesmanship being* quite out of his reach. That to say this was ung-rateful, if not unjust, cannot be doubted — for his mis- take lay in adhering- only too faithfully to his instructions. The first time that I saw Prince Mentschi- koff was in the performance of an act of cour- teous kindness to the memory of a most esti^ IN RUSSIA. 29 mable man, whom I had the happiness to know, the late Major Whistler, an American, and Chief Eng"ineer of the Petersburg' and Moscow railway. He came to attend the funeral of this g-entleman, and I witnessed a little incident, scarcely worthy of mention but for the noto- riety which the personag-es concerned have lately acquired. His Hig-hness* was seated in the vestry of the British chapel, among* the friends who had assembled to pay the last honours to the deceased, when, with the pom- pous bluster that so often characterises natura- lized foreig'ners who hold official situations, there entered General D'Estrem, now said to be com- manding" the eng-ineers at Sevastopol. Expos- ing his breast, covered with orders, and shewing* his heavy epaulettes, the latter beg-an to pa- tronise the company, consisting- mostly of civilians, in a loud and unbecoming* tone of voice, when suddenly he observed the smiling- g-entleman in a military cloak quietly sitting- in the shadow of the wall. The change that came * Mentschikoff is one of three or four Eussian uoblea who enjoy the dignity of Svetlost, which the French translate by Alt esse, in English, Highness. 30 NINE years' eesidence over him was almost ludicrous. Before the Emperor's Minister and favourite, pomposity became servility, the loud bass tone became a moderate tenor, and with manj^ low bows the decorated General of Engineers inquired after his Hig>hness the Prince's health. I give this anecdote merely as an illustration of manners, without pretending- to judg'e of the g-eneral merits of the two officers named.* * The following anecdote, current in St. Petersburg at the time of the mission to Constantinople, will convey an idea of the wit, or rather jocularity, in which Prince Mentschikoff was supposed to indulge. It must be pre- mised that the Emperor after exhausting aU the titleSy decorations, and personal favours within his gift upon his old servant the President of the Council, had recently made his son, a youth of fourteen, a lieutenant in the Gruards ; and the boy was seen strutting through the streets of the capital in full uniform, when many older sons of the nobility were stiU in the coarse coat of the younker, or non-commissioned oflScer ; when the rumour got abroad that Mentschikoff was setting out on an extra- ordinary embassy to the Porte, some one asked him what he was going for. " I am going," replied he, " to demand the Sultan's daughter in marriage for young T — (the premature lieutenant), and to aid me in this matrimonial negotiation, young N — is to be my Secretary of Lega- IN RUSSIA. 31 Whilst speaking" of the ministers^ I may add that the only time I, to my knowledg-e, saw- Count Nesselrode was on a Good Friday, in the Ambassador's pew at the British chapel, where his Excellency came about once in two years, as the law requires every servant of the Empire, to participate in the sacramental rite in that period, and having- been born on board an English ship, he professed to belong- to the Ang'lican Church. But to return to the fashionable crowd in the Nevsky. Some, if not all, the members of the diplomatic corps may be seen there. Na- ples and Wirtemberg- are walking arm in arm tog-ether ; Austria chang'es his companion very often ; France keeps in liis carriag-e g-enerally ; the United States of America are rather dan- dified, and w^alk with a mincing- g-ait j Great Britain's representative has the simple, una- dorned aspect and demeanour of a country squire. The celebrities of Russian literature likewise tion." Now Count N — , the son of a celebrated diploma- tist, had just been the victim of a great scandal, his wife having run away with a Trenchman. 32 NINE YEARS^ RESIDENCE walk abroad their little hour. The stout hard- faced man, carr^^ing* a thiek^ knotty cudg'el, is the editor of the Nortliern Bee ; he is carica- tured in statuette under the form of a bear. That smart^ military-looking- man, wearing- a moustache, is the editor of the Contemparary^ a bulky monthly. Another editor is that mild, g'entlemanly-looking* man, with his head thrown back, and face looking' upward, and who keeps his hands always behind him. Yonder, the tall, overgrown Count, in loose hang-ing- g-ar- ments, is the lively author of the Tar ant ass ^ Many writers, however, the most orig'inal and profound, are forbidden these courtly precincts, being- condemned to the dulness of a provincial town, or oblig-ed for security to live as exiles in Paris, London, or Brussels. But see, there is a movement among* the promeneurs, civilians raise their hats, and the militar}-, from the g-enerals to the sub-lieutenants, turning- towards the kerb-stone, stand '^ attention," stift* as their own swords, with then' eyes fixed upon a single- horsed sledg-e, that threads its way rapidly throuo-h the countless carriag-es in the middle of the Perspective. Sitting- therein behind the IN RUSSIA. 83 driver, is an officer in General's uniform, of coinraanding" aspect, and stern, immoveable countenance. It is Nicholas, the Autocrat of all the Russias, unescorted and unattended, save by that " divinity which doth hedg-e a King-." Let us now pick our way across the street to that long" colonnade of shops, kept by native dealers, for the reader must know that most of the grand establishments in the Nevsky belong- to foreigners. An instructive and amusing* study of human nature and national manners may be made among the Russian dealers and shopkeepers who tenant the Gostinnoi Dvor, or g-eneral bazaar, an institution that is to be found in every Rus- sian town. In Petersburg" there are several, the largest and handsomest abutting on the Nevsky Perspective — the oldest and dirtiest, yet most characteristic, lying" on the Sadovia, or Garden street. Here, among" other things, you may remark the simpleness, not to say silliness, of the uninstructed Russian mind, when not excited by the national disease — cupidity. The shop- c 2 34 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE men and touters, who stand in front of the cold little stalls and shops^ take part in g-ames and practical jokes of a kind that one used to think very nonsensical^ even in the school play- ground. But assume the air of a customer, aud approach one of those overg-rown boys ; his whole being" at once underg-oes in a moment a marvellous metamorphosis, the spirit of g'ain brightens his eyes and informs his countenance with keen intelligence j with voluble eloquence he urges the purchase of his goods, and bar- gains with a diplomatic skill of the highest order. In affairs of barter and sale, the Eus- sian dealer seems "to the manner born." He delights in the art of chaffering for its own sake, and is disappointed if his customer falls too easy a victim to the price first demanded. He regrets in such a case the imaginary sum he might have gained b}'^ asking a higher price. The dark little chapels in these bazaars, Avith their old images in gaud}^ frames, to which every Russian does homage when he opens his shop and when he closes it — the similar images over the shop door, to which he seems to confide his stores when he padlocks them up for the IN RUSSIA. 35 night — the simple cord that is passed along- the exterior of the arcade of the vast quadrang-le, with the watch-dog-s attached here and there, and the one sole patrol, who^ in the intervals ot sleep, beats his heavy stick upon the pavement as a warning" to all depredators — these form a series of pictures, hig-hly illustrative of one phase of Russian life (the mercantile), which, however, it would require a volume duly to elaborate. As the Tchurkin Dvor in the Sadovia is the bazaar or market of the poor, so the streets in its neig-hbourhood and around the Sennaya, or Haymarket, may be called the " back slums" of St. Petersburg". Here, on the damp borders of a canal, are seen irregular piles of houses, Avhose tawny coloured walls, besmeared and streaked with the rain from the roof, each sur- round close and dirty courtyards, from vari- ous points of which spring three or four stair- cases, dark and foul, that lead to the squalid dwelling places of the poor. In streets, again, remote from the busy centre of the town, houses built of wood predominate, and from their greater cheapness are often chosen as the abode •36 NINE years' residence of poverty. In a sing-le apartment of one of these wretched tenements, I once saw as many as eig*hteen persons, who had contrived to hire each a corner for shelter ag'ainst the inclemency of a Russian winter. The better class of arti- sans and mechanics monopolize the Gorokhovy, or Pea Street, which, tog-ether with another long- street, called the Voznessensky, starts from the same centre as the Nevsky Perspective — the three streets spreading* out like the rays of a fan, and forming-, in fact, three radii of a circle, having- for its centre the Admiralty and its vast plostschad. I am inclined to think that the elevated balcony, near the roof of the Winter Palace, which surrounds the Emperor's Tele- graph, commands a view along- all these streets, but cannot speak with certainty ; the balcony on the Admiralty tower manifestly enjoys this advant.ng-e of position, and sugg-ests an analog-y with the Model Prison at Pentonville and its many corridors, overlooked by the warder standing- in the centre. The mag-nificence of the Tzar's Court, the splendour of his palaces, the grandeur of his military displays, have been so often dilated IN EUSSIA. 87 upon^ that I deem it prudent to abstain from a recital of ni}^ visit to the Winter Palace, and to those of Peterhof andTzarsko-Celo, as subjects with which my readers are already sufficient^ famiHar. For the same reason I resist the temptation of describing- the costly contents of the New Hermitag-e, the curiosities of the Mu- seum, the mineral treasures displa3'ed at the Mining" School, and the books and scrolls of the Imperial Library. The splendours in marble and malachite and the brilliant labours of many artists in Isaac's Cathedral, the silver and g'old in the Kazan Cathedral, and the war- like trophies which overhang* the unadorned tombs of the Tzars in the church of Peter and Paul within the walls of the citadel, have like- wise been described by many Eng-lish travellers. Before quitting- St. Petersburg" for the interior of Russia, however, I would entreat the indul- o-ence of the reader while I narrate one of the many excursions which I made to Cronstadt. The exceedingly handsome stone bridg-e which stretches across the Neva from the Eng'lish quay to the Vassili OstrofF, since its recent completion affords a safe passage across 38 NINE YEATIS' RESIDENCE the river at all times of the year, even when the debacles y or floating" down of the Ladoga ice, requires the temporary removal of the three }3ontoon bridg-es. The various steamers that ply to Peterhof and Cronstadt are stationed below this bridg-e ; those used by the Imperial Family; the Court and the Government officials being" on the south of the river, along-side of the Eng'lish quay and nearest to the city ; those devoted to the service of the ordinary public on the northern or Vassili Ostrofl" side. On my way to the Preesfan or landing- place of the Cronstadt steamer, avoiding* the bridge, I was tempted to jump into a ferry boat in which I saw two or three passeng-ers waiting* to be ferried across, but soon discovered that I should have to wait till our living- freig-ht was increased to the number of six, the sum of whose fares at one copeck each was the amount to which the boatman was entitled for every transit he mig-ht make. I had either to make up the required sum or take another boat for my especial service, when the leg-al charge would be three copecks. I introduce these trifling- details as illustrative of the system of organisation wliich descends IN RUSSIA. 39 to the meanest thing* in Russia^ and is perhaps one of the few advantag-es resulting- from a despotic g-overnment. The Neva ferries are farmed out for a g-ood round sum^ 10,000 roubles a-year having- been paid, even since the erection of the stone bridg-e. The Perevoshtiks, or boatmen, are fine athletic fellows, who receive a cei'tain amount for the ferrying* season, and are provided with board and lodg'ing*, such as it is, by their employer. I heard from one of them that as many as forty slept in the same apartment, which helped me to understand why they frequently made their bed in their open boats. What with their pa}^, the g-ratuities they receive from passeng-ers, and other means not quite so honest, they do contrive to scrape tog-ether a little money before winter sets in, spite of their tyux-e3^ed and exacting* super- visor, who is stationed in a wooden box on the landing*-place. To return from this dig*ression, I secured a ticket for Cronstadt at the floatino- little office on the Preestan, and went on board Mr. Baird's steamer, the Vesta. Mr. Baird is the owner of extensive iron works situated near the mouth of the Neva, 40 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE upon land that was acquired by the present proprietor's father, a Scotchmanj under very favourable circumstances. As Mr. Baird is a naturalised Russian subject, and of a rank which enables him to hold serfs, we oug-ht per- haps to moderate our surprise at the circum- stance of his having* undertaken contracts with the Russian Government, which in time of war no man calling* himself an Englishman oug'ht to have undertaken. To proceed, ten minutes after leaving* the quay the steamer is in the broad shallow estuary, which commences the Gulf of Finland. Its low flat shores have no- thing* to recommend them to notice ; the chan- nel of deep water, in which she is obhg*ed to keep, is in parts very narrow, as the masts of that Finnish barque peering* out of the water too fatally tell. When larg*e ships, built at the Admiralty, are broug*ht down to Cronstadt, the}'" are lifted over the sand bar at the river mouth by that hug*e float called a camel, which is kept hig-h and dry on the shore. As we advance alon^ the gulf, Strelna and the convent of St. Serg*e come into view, far on our left, About ten versts farther on, may be descried IN EUSSIA. 41 the imperial palaces and g'ardens of Peterhotj at a distance fi'om which, of five or six versts^ stands the countr}^ palace of Oranienbaum^ g-enerally appropriated to some junior branch of the imperial family. The shore here rises to a certain deg'ree of elevation, and upon these heig'hts it was, that the population of St. Peters- burg' assembled in crowds to g*aze at the for- midable squadrons of Sir Charles Napier, not without some expectation of beholding* a battle. The island of Cronstadt lies exactly opposite Oranienbaum, midway between it and the Fin- land shore of the Gulf. The water here is so shallow, except in the channel near the larg-e forts, that our steamer cannot g-et near the land, but disembarks its passeng'ers at the extremity of a ver}^ long* jetty, where taking" a droschky^ I am whirled into the town of Cronstadt. The aspect of the place is not inviting* — the streets wide and deserted — the houses scattered — piles of cannon balls and shells — a few marines and g'ang"S of prisoners slowly performing* their rude task work, are the prominent features that first meet the stranofer's view. The liveliest part of the town is the neig-h- 42 NINE years' residence bourhood of the Mole, or mercantile harbour, where j^ou seem to meet none but Eng-lishmen, and to hear only our native lang-uag*e, a very delig'htful chang'e to one who has been long- am ong- a strang-e people. English inscriptions over shop doors abound, " Grog's," and " Por- ter sold here," being* of frequent occurrence. The Eng-lish Vice- Consul is one of the most important personag'es in the place, and the English church one of the handsomest edifices. I was not then suflBciently interested in the character and condition of the fortifications to pay particular attention to them. The new granite forts look formidable enough, but I was told by an oflBcer in the service, that on a trial made upon them in the presence of the Em- peror by ship guns, the granite was found to be more friable and sensitive to cannon balls than was expected. I may mention another illustration of the quality of this granite, which was aftorded me during an excursion into Fin- land, when one day striking' with my foot what seemed a block of granite that lay by the road- side, to my great astonishment, portions crum- bled away into gravel— the frost and snow had IN RUSSIA. 43 made it; so to speak, perfectly rotten. And further, the action of the water on the innu- merable hug-e masses that lie thickty along* the shore of the Gulf (rendering- it impossible for even a Thames wherry to reach the land) pro- duces the most beautifully transparent red g-ravel in immense quantities, clearl}^ proving- the want of tenacity in this stone. The passag'e to Cronstadt, being* with the current, occupies about an hour and a half; the return requires two hours steaming-, for as my readers doubtless are aware, there is no perceptible tide-flow in these waters. The peculiarity of the upper end of the Gulf of Finland, forming* an embouchure of the Neva, is the g*reat expanse of shallow, the long- sandy shoals lying- dry, and covered with sea-fowl, within a few yards of the narrow channel throug-h which our steamer is navig-ated. Ex- cepting- which, it is in no part more than two fathoms deep, and thoug-h in fine weather as smooth as a mill-pond, a long-- continued g-ale from the west would in a few hours annihilate St. Petersburg-; the inundation of 1824 lasted five hours, and did incalculable damag-e. No 44 NINE years' residence sounding's are allowed to be taken but by the Admiralty, and the channel is marked out by long- sticks stuck into the bed of theg^ulf. The batteries on the Riesbank, lying* on the south- ern side of the navig"able channel, and those on the small islands Kronshlott, orig-inally built by Peter, are chiefly of wood, and mig-ht possibly be set on fire by Cong-reve rokects or hot shot. On board the steamer I met a g-entleman from Count Orloff 's office, with whom I was slig'htly acquainted. He had been sent down to inquire into a case of collision between the g-ens-d'armes and some workmen, that had re- cently occurred. I could not but admire the mild demeanour of the individual charg-ed with such a duty, and the tact with which he informed me of the severity that he was or- dered to use towards the police officers, fearing- as I did, that little leniency would be shewn, on the other hand, to the poor peasants who had dared to look authority boldly in the face. I was indeed surprised to hear of a conflict of the kind taking* place in the vicinity of the capital, where the submission of the masses is g-enerally most complete. IN RUSSIA. 45 CHAPTER III. Eussian Railways — Post-cart — Postillions — Eoadbetween Petersburg and Moscow — Provincial Towns — The watch-box — The Church — Villages — Moscow — Its Churches — The Kremlin — Gigantic BeUs — Splendour of Cathedrals — MS. Slavonic Scriptures — Silver Caul- drons — Image of St. Simeon — Religious Processions —Tombs of the Tzars— Church of St. Basil— The Granitnaya Palat — Environs of Moscow — Swedish Architect — Dr. Haaz — Russian Convicts. The g-reat innovator of modern times, the steam eng-ine, is only now beginning* to exercise an influence in Russia, an influence that we may well believe will be productive of incalcu- lable benefit in a country whose vast level offers such facilities for the construction of railways, and in which one g'reat bar to public improvement has hitherto been the enormous distances which separate the several points of the empire, and the consequent diflSculty of intercommunication. The recent completion of the railroad between St. Petersburg* and 46 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE Moscow has already endowed each capital with an additional embellishment in the form of a larg-e and handsome station. That in the northern capital is finely situated at the south- ern extremity of the gTeat Nevsky Perspective. In starting" thence for Moscow the traveller has to g'o throug-h the same preliminaries that he would have to perform in a railway station in England, except that before he can purchase a ticket, he must shew his passport, properly stamped by the inspecting* agent of police. The latter personage, who wears the epaulettes of a Colonel, has a compartment in the large hall set apart for him and his clerk. This little office was one of the first fruits of the inroad made by the locomotive upon established usage, for it has in a great measure done away with the old, troublesome, and expensive sys- tem which required a fresh passport or per- mission to travel for every journey that a man might take be3^ond the jurisdiction of the city, and again a new one for his return home. Another compartment in this capacious hall deserves notice^ it is a branch post office, where letters for the interior are received up to the IN EUSSIA. 47 last few minutes before the departure of the train. Strict punctuahty is observed in the departure and arrival of the trains, but the deliberate nature of the arrangements would shock a Euston Square station porter. There is but one passeng-er train per diem from each terminus^ leaving* the two capitals at precisely the same hour, eleven o'clock a.m, and reaching' their destination the following- morning- at nine o'clock. If a g-uard be imprudent enough to arrive many minutes before his time, his ears are soundly boxed or punishment more severe inflicted upon him. The delays at the inter- mediate stations are tediously long-, and appa- rently calculated upon the time required for smoking- a cigarette, if I may judge from the universality of that practice on every stoppage, though really by the necessit}^ of stowing the engine tender with wood for fuel at each stoppage. The railway carriages are built by American contractors, and have a passage down the centre by which the guard is enabled to walk from one end of the train to the other while it is in motion. The length of the line from Peters- 48 NINE years' residence burg* to Moscow is nearly 500 miles ^ it was laid down, as the Emperor is reported to have said, for '^ his soldiers/' not for the ordinary public, so that it only touches one town throug-h- out its whole transit. In these few words about a Bussian railway I have somewhat anticipated the course of my narrative j for when I first went to Moscow | the steam locomotive and the rail were unknown ' in that part of the world. The hig-h road was i however excellent, and the mail coach most comfortable and rapid, performing* the journey in two, three, or four days, according- to the weight of the g-oods taken, and whether it were the heavy, the lig'ht, or the express mail. Another mode of travelling*, which prevails es- ; pecially on roads where the mail comes rarel}', and the diligence of private speculators never, f is that by j)erekladnoy or post cart, which is changed with the horses at every stag*e. The conversance is of the most primitive kind, inno- cent of spring*s and g*enerally lined with an | armful of hay. The experienced traveller ' carries with him cushions, pillows, and even a feather bed, which he requires not only in his I IN RUSSIA. 49 cart but at the Trakteer or hotel where he may be doomed to stop, for there he will find nothing" more than a suspicious looking- bed- steady and probabl}^ a long* oilskin-covered sofa or divan. I have seen persons accustomed to all the luxury which wealth supplies^ b'"^& ^^ hay spread over the floor of an inn, and cO" vered with a sheet and a blanket, and a very pleasant bed it makes, after a w^ear}^ day's shaking- over half formed tracks dig-nified with the name of roads. The drivers and postillions of these various con^ ve^^ances display all the varieties of the Russian character, ting-ed with the local peculiarities that mark the inhabitants of different provinces and districts. The dark-faced Tveritchaneen, or na- tive of Tver, is usuall}?" sombre and cynical in cha^ racter, while the Moskovsky Yemstcheek is lively and g-arrulous. The favourite team of the Russ is the troika, or " three-in-hand," in which three horses are harnessed abreast, after the fashion of the ancient charioteers. The rude telega, or cart, comes rattling- out of the yard, g-uided by the g-allant yemstcheek or postilhon, who, in his red shirt and knowing- little hat, with a peacock's D 50 NINE YEARS EESIDENCE feather twisted in the hat-bancl, and large boots that come over his nether g-arments, stands on the footboard of the vehicle^ with a pleasant look of audacity in his face, that seems to -say^ " Now I am ready for anything-." It is not orthodox for Russian drivers to use a whip, thoug'h they sometimes do conceal one in reserve for a stubborn horse, under the sheepskin that serves at once for coachman's seat by day, and his covering" by nig-ht. But this is for the country roads, in town he observes strict eti- quette, and as soon as you (the traveller) have settled down into 3^our bed of hay, with the reins in his left hand, he weaves his rig'ht, and screaming' at the toj:* of his voice, the horses fly off in a g-allop, at which he keeps them by a loud flow of expletives, caresses, and abuse, of which the English lang-uag-e can convey no adequate idea. OoloohcJiik (little dove), yah- lotchka (small apple), pagann (pag"an), mas- shennik (rascal), &Co &c. are lavished on the poor quadrupeds with prodig-al eloquence, and accompanied by shrill cries and whistling*. Once in the open countrj^, on the solitary road, w^here there is no one to admire his witching- IN EUSSIA. 51 feats of horsemanship, Jehu subsides into a comparative state of tranquillity, and having- reduced his horses' speed to the regulation trot, he strives to eng'ag'e the " barinn," or g-entleman he is driving', in conversation, failing" in which, he breaks out into one of the many popular song's of which he is a living' repository. The solitudes ring- ag'ain with his shrill and long'- drawn notes, which are, by the way, as g-enuine a characteristic of the national melodies, as the low plaintive chaunt that travellers hear in the villag'e choruses or cJiorovodi. On the hig'hroad between St. Petersburg* and Moscow, a distance of about 500 miles, there occur but five towns, Novg-orod — the once mig'hty Hanseatic town, now fallen into decay and neg'lect — Valdai, hardly more than a post- station on the mountain rano-e of that name — Vishny Volochok, a commercial emporium of some importance in the internal communication and canal trade of Russia — Tarjok, famous for veal-cutlets and embroidered leather shoes — Tver, the provincial capital of an ancient prin- cipality. Compare this with 500 miles of any other hig-h road in Europe, and say whether 62 NINE years' eesidence the Tzar might not profitabty employ his time at home, in developing- the resources of his country, instead of unjustl}^ gTasping- at additional terri- tor}", when he has more than he can adequately reg'ulate alread}'. There is a sing-ular uniformity in the ap- pearance of Russian provisional towns, almost tempting- one to suspect that they, like many of their inhabitants, had g-one throug-h the drill, and were standing- on parade. The description of one, is the description of all. The streets are long*, wide and ill paved, but alwaj^s'straig-ht. There are no sinuosities to delude you with the bare hope of an improvement in the prospect ; the blank dreariness of the place, in this respect unlike the defects in Russia g-enerall}^, reveals itself at once and unmistakeably. The houses in the principal street are of stone, so called, that is, they are built of bricks, stuccoed over, and painted a nasty yellow colour ; they seldom rise hig-her than two or three stories, while in Petersburo- five storied houses are com- mon. The black spread eag-le, crowned, that stands out in relief over the door of one or two houses in the main street^ points out the pubhc IN EUSSIA. 63 offices where the business of the district Ooyezd, or of the Government^ Gouheniie, is transacted. More disreputable simulacra of the same symbol of autocratic power are to be seen over the dark, damp, and dirty dram shops, where the reeling' Moojik contributes to the revenues of a monopolising* Tzar, and to the enriching- of the unconscionable brandy farmers. The pre- valent 37ellow colour of the principal edifices is somewhat toned down b}^ the ding-y g'ray of old wooden houses, dotted here and there in the larg-er streets, and of which the smaller cross streets entirely consist. A third and most unpleasing" variety of domicile in these unpictu- resque toAvns unites the ug'liest features of both the other kinds, the basement being' of bad bricks, unstuccoed, and the superstructure of wood painted jellow. The footpaths are made of planks fastened down on sleepers about a foot hig'h, in order to keep the passeng-ers out of the snow or sloug-h of the road. The rickety state of these footpaths is a very characteristic sig'n of a Russian country town. This description would be incomplete, were I to omit the inevit- able hoodtka or watchbox, a small square wooden 54 NINE YEAKS* RESIDENCE hut^ that has once been painted with the g'overn- mental mark of white, black and red chequers. One of these cots is placed in a spot where it commands the view of two or more streets, and constitutes the residence of two boodtoshniks, or stationary policemen, who mount g-uard in turns outside the structure, with an old fashioned halberd, walking* occasionally a few steps away from their post and back ag'ain, like a spider from the centre of his web. Sig'nboards of various degrees of dinginess and brig'htness may be seen widely scattered over the town. Pre-eminent above them all for mag^nitude and for effect, is that of the Kliai^chevnia or Restau- ' rant, representing* a billiard table with two fashionabl}^ dressed players, evidently at a critical moment of the g^ame. Before conclud- ing* this imperfect sketch of a provincial town, I must point to the church or churches all built upon nearly the same plan — the form of the Greek cross. The bod}^ of the edifice with its white washed walls and iron roof painted g'reen, supports five turrets with bulb-shaped cupolas, painted g-reen or blue with a sprinkle of g'olden stars. The four smaller turrets sur- IN EUSSIA. 05 rounding' the larg'er central one, with the sym- bolism that is so prominent in the Greek church, are meant to represent the four Evang-ehsts around their Divine Master. The belfry of the church is g-enerally a detached tower, of equal height with tlie church itself - The villao-es on the hig-hroad are various in aspect, according* to the wealth of the pro- prietors, and the attention paid by them to the condition of the serfs. As I purpose to enter more fully into an account of villag'e-life at another part of my journey, I will now only observe, that there are, at least, three kinds of villag^es : — Selo, a villag'e, possessing* a church; Seltzo, the diminutive, a smaller villag*e ; and derevnya^ a hamlet without a church. They all consist of %d)a8j log'houses arrang-ed g*able-wise along* both sides of the road, the g*ables fantastically decorated with carving-s, and sometimes with very pretty fretwork. At the entrance of the village stands a painted board, stating* the name of the proprietor, the number of houses, and the number of souls contained therein. Ac- commodation is g*enerally provided near each house, in the shape of a perforated box on the 56 NINE years' residence end of a long* pole, for the starling* or the pig'eon, creatures reg'arded as more or less sacred by the Russian. Each house has a larg-e yard, surrounded by a shed for cattle, all boxed in with wooden walls, and a larg"e wooden g-ate. Attempts have been made by some proprietors to introduce cottages of brick among* their serfs, but not often with success, so strong* are the prejudices of the people in favour of their old habits, and their combustible log'houses which they imagine to be warmer. Fires consequently are very destructive, when once they break out in the country places. The near approach to the ancient capital of Russia may be discovered in the demeanour of the Yemstcheek. The orthodox Russian peasant, on first hearing* the sound of Moscow bells uncovers, and sig*ning* himself with the sig*n of the cross, utters an invocation to his patron saint. Moshva ! Bailaya Moskva, White Moscow ! Svaitaya Moskva , Holy Moscow ! Matusckka Moskva, dear Mother Moscow ! as the Russian, lavishing* all his terms of endearment, affec tionately calls the home of his proudest tra- IN RUSSIA. 57 ditions, and fondest associations, is indeed a beautiful cit3^ It is built like Rome upon seven hills, not veiy elevated, it is true, for they are commanded by superior heig-hts all round, and viewed from thence the city seems to lie in a basin, where its mixture of cupola, turret, and tower, their g-ilt or painted summits resplendent above the white walls of countless edifices, combines with the masses of verdant foliag-e in the boulevards and g-ardens, public and private, to produce on the mind of a traveller the effect of Asiatic splendour, sustained by European power. The churches are almost innumerable, and some among- them of so gTeat sanctity, that pilgfrimag'es are made to them from remote corners of the Empire. The singular caprice of a certain class of zealots has, it is said, been exhibited here in vows, undertaken, and actually performed, to pray on each of the 365 days of the 3^ear, in a different church, dedicated to a different saint, within the walls of Moscow. What chang-es the railway may speedily have made in this strong-hold of Muscovite con- servatism, it is impossible to say, but when I first went there, in 1845, Moscow presented D 2 58 NINE years' residence as stroiio- a contrast to St. Petersburg" as can well be imao'ined. The bustle in the streets was less, the number of uniforms did not strike the eye so g-laring-ly, and a greater air of freedom prevailed g-enerally, as though the people felt the advantage of not dwelling in the atmosphere of the Court, and in the very presence of supreme authority. In 1853, when the railway had been opened a short time, there might be observed greater activity in the business streets, but few other decisive marks of change, except a tendency manifested among the old families of Moscow, so long faithful to the traditions of their fathers, to go at last to the northern capital, and witness its luxuries and splendours. In the arrangement of its streets Moscow has not been built like Petersburg on a rectangular plan, but has grown together in concentric circles, the Kremlin being* the most central point. Within its venerable walls the Kreml, as its name is written, contains cathedral churches and imperial palaces of great antiquity and historical interest. The new palace, which the Emperor Nicholas has built there, seems misplaced amid its antique neighbours. IN RUSSIA. 6Q Situated on one of the seven eminences al- ready named, tlie Kremlin looks indeed a lit throne for the Tzars. Its lono* crenellated walls, surmounted by numerous towers and turrets, enclose palaces, monasteries, barracks, and cathedral churches, picturesquely jumbled to- g"ether in a comparatively small space. The grey g-reen spires upon the white exterior walb blend admirabl}'' in colour with the barbaresque decorations of the churches, whose g'ilt cupolas, and especially the burnished summit of the beautiful octao-onal tower that rises hio-h above them all, and is known by the name of its founder, Ivan Veliky, g-reatly heighten the general effect, which effect is particular^ strik- ing in the long twilights of aEussiansummer, when the light of day continues apparently in- effaceable from sunset to sunrise. At the foot of Ivan^s Tower, lies the broken mass of the Great Bell, as large as a tolerably sized cottage. A bell actually suspended in the belfry, thougli not equal to its gigantic compeer, is of very large dimensions and weight. A friend and m3^self, with our united strength, could hardly move the clapper, w^hich when it does strike the 60 NINE years' residence metal^ causes such a vibration^ that a strang'er in the belfry, involuntarily clutches the nearest support to hold by, in the tremendous shaking that ensues. This bell is only rung- on hig'h festivals, on Easter eve, for instance, at mid- nig'ht, when it sends forth a sweet and solemn sound that penetrates through all obstructions, and rejoices the hearts of the faithful, for many miles around. Much rude splendour is seen in the interior of the cathedrals : silver shrines, and images richly jewelled, painting's overlaid with gold and silver gilt, crowd every part of each sacred edifice ; no spot in all the church, indeed, re- mains absolutely free from ornament. The in- terior surface of the four cupolas is covered with the representation of a colossal head, with huge dark eyes, looking down upon the worshippers, and meant to represent the Virgin, or one of the Divine Persons of the Trinity. I saw some pilgrims enter, two men and several women, coarsely attired, way-worn, and travel-soiled. Depositing their bundles at the porch, after many prostrations and frequent signings of the cross, they kissed the tomb of Patriarch Peter, I I IN EUSSIA. 61 the picture of the Virgin painted by St. Luke^ (?) and other silver shrines and painted imagoes. An old monk took us into the sacristy to see the treasures^ among- which none were more beautiful or more costl}^ than the MS. copies of the Scriptures in Slavonic. One^ presented to the church by Peter the Great's mother^ was richly illuminated inside^ while its external cover was of extraordinary magnificence. On a chased surface of pure gold were laid emeralds^ rubies^ sapphires^ diamonds^ pearls and rich enamel^ the emeralds^ pure and large^ bore the graven effi- gies of the four Evangelists. Though but one side of a folio volume, the cost was stated to have been a million roubles (nearly £50,000). Other splendid folios were there, but none so superb as this. The riches of sacerdotal robes and crowns, both ancient and modern, were also displayed, and with these the three silver caul- drons presented by the Empress Catherine, (Voltaire's great friend) used in preparing the sacred oil for the service of all the churches in the E-ussian dominions. A curious fact was named with reference to the image of St. Simeon that hangs over the altar of the cathedral. In 62 NINE years' residence days of j^ore, when new year's day fell upon the 1st September^ this imag-e was carried into the public place, and in its presence all differences and unfinislied transactions were adjusted and brought to a close, so that ever^'body mig-ht beg'in the new 3^ear afresh, and clear off old scores. The first relig^ious procession I witnessed in Moscow, took place on a rainy day. Banners of various devices and antiquity were borne at the head of the procession; then came the portly priests, or jjopas, in rich robes, but bare- headed, accompanied by iJrotapopeSj who wore their purple hats ; these were followed by dig'- nitaries of a hig-her rank, crowned with mitres; and last of all came the Metropolitan, a little delicate looking man with an expressive face, and long- grey beard. The Primate was in- dulged with an umbrella, held by one of his chaplains ; he distributed his blessing on either side, by waving his hand, which many of the bystanders seized and kissed most devoutly. Holy water was dispersed by means of a bunch of twigs steeped in the consecrated liquid, and vigorously dashed by the officiating priest into the faces of the grateful multitude. I once IN RUSSIA. 63 went to the cathedral to see the Metropolitan officiate^ and m the hope of hearing- him preach, as Philarete was eminent for his learning" and piety, but the church was so crowded, that I was oblig'ed to come away disappointed, having- only enjoyed the pleasure of seeing- his emi- nence robed and unrobed in the centre of the church, b}^ his ecclesiastical attendants. Another sing-ular ceremony that I saw performed by the Archimandrite in the cathedral, consisted, in part, in the combing- out of the dig-nitarj-'s long- hair, in the presence of the cong-reg-ation. Before quitting- the subject of the Kremlin cathedrals, I would indicate the tombs of the Tzars which crowd their floors. They are simple blocks, covered with faded red velvet palls, upon which are propped smal] metallic plates inscribed with the names and dates of the departed sovereig-ns — the dates being- twice stated, both anno Domini and anno Mundi — while on the screen along-side are pointed their various portraits. Of the innumerable churches outside the Kremlin, the most remarkable is that dedicated to Basil the blessed. It is an extraordinary cono-lomeration of dark little 64 NINE years' residence chapels surmounted by a sing-ularly fantastic variety of oddl}" shaped and differently coloured cupolas, piled tog-ether in most symmetrical and justl}^ balanced order. It is related, concerning- the founder of this church, that he was so pleased with the work when finished that he put out the e3^es of the architect, to prevent him from making- another like it, and so to keep his own unique. Good authorities, however, assert that this ing-enious illustration of a Tzar's ferocious love for the fine arts is a pure inven- tion. The Granitiiaya Palat, in the Kremlin, before which are rang-ed the monstrous ordnance taken from the Turks and other national foes, contains the Treasury, full of remarkable objects. M}^ attention was particularly struck by the series of royal and imperial crowns, judiciously arrang-ed to impress the beholders with a sense of the extensive swa}^ and majesty of the exist- ing* sovereig-n. There is the crown of the old Tzars, a cap of sable, set in a jewelled diadem — beside it repose those of Siberia, Astracan and Georg-ia — while the Imperial crown itself, con- spicuous above all, is literally covered with precious stones. Several thrones also are ex- IN RUSSIA. 65 hibited each havino' a history of its own. But the most sig-nificant objects of the kind in the whole collection are the crown and throne of Poland^ whose story is emphatically told by a g-rim looking- iron box placed near them, con- taining- the constitution of Poland, securely locked, with keys of conquered fortresses press- ing- heavily on its lid. Strang-e, in such com- pany, appears, among- the portraits on the wall, that of our own king*, Georg-e the Third. Such are some of the treasures and relics of the Kremlin at Moscow, which in miniature g-ives a not unfaithful representation of the character and progress of the Russian Empire. The environs of Moscow are very picturesque, and from their most elevated portions offer various beautiful prospects of the city itself 5 and it is well worth the trouble of driving- to all the points of the compass, to obtain, under various aspects of sun and shade, the many different views of this unsurpassed panorama. The traveller pauses at the spot whence Napo- leon obtained the first view of the devoted cit^'', and reflects on the emotions which must have affected him as he g-azed upon plain and river, G6 NINE years' residence tower^ turret and cupola , palace and public building-j set in a fi*ame of brilliant verdure and foliag-e. Kuntzova^ ag-ain^ is a villa g-e that for situation and variety deserves to be called the " Eichmond Hill/' of Moscow. Here stands a monument erected b}' the late King- of Prussia, in commemoration of his havino* first seen Moscow thence, and expressed his g-ratitude to the city for having* saved his dominions. On one of the Sparrow hills which overlook Moscow, I remarked three g-rand terraces, cut out; from each of which a new prospect was obtained — it was the spot on which the Em- peror Paul beg'an the building- of a temple in imitation of that of Jerusalem, which he after- wards abandoned and pulled down. A project of a similar kind was entertained by the Em- peror Alexander^ who^ of all the plans submitted to him on the occasion, was most pleased with one desig^ned by a Swede — a Protestant. Having" sent for the architect, and conversed with him at considerable leng-th, His Majesty accepted the plan, and said, " Go to church at once, and thank God for having- inspired you with the idea." The Swede went straight to IN RUSSIA. 67 a Russo-Greek bishop, requesting- to be ad- mitted within the pale of his church. He afterwards conducted the building* operations as far as they went, but his curious mystical desig'n was soon found to be impracticable and proved to be a failure. The Swedish architect was enriched and forgotten. This architectural anecdote leads to another, referring* to the same potentate and his father. When the plans of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg* were approved and sig'ned by the Emperor Paul, he, calling* for his son Alexander, requested his opinion of them — " They seem every thing* that can be desired," said the Prince. " Then sign the document yourself, so that no chang-es ever may be made." He affixed his signature ; the actual edifice, however, is on a plan very different from that approved by Paul. One of the most striking* spectacles I wit- nessed in Moscow was at the Rag'oshka g'ate, where the criminals condemned to exile in Siberia bid a final adieu to their friends. Among* these stood pre-eminent forman}^ years the philanthropic Dr. Haaz, who devoted his time, his means, and influence, to the service of 68 NINE years' residence the wretched prisoners. Of his devotion to the cause he had taken in hand, no stronger proof can be given, than the fact, thnt in order to test the Aveio-ht of the manacles attached to each prisoner, he had a pair put on his own legs, and tramped the whole length of the first stage on the highway, successfully proving* to the authorities, from his personal experience of the torture inflicted, that the fetters ought to be made lig-hter. I see him now — the 2*ood old man — in his black old fashioned costume of knee breeches, silk stockings, and shoes with silver buckles, distributing tracts and money to the culprits, whom he benevolently called ^^ children." The convicts always leave the prison on Spar- row hill at 12 o'clock on Sunday-, and marching through the town, pass the first night of their melancholy pilgrimage at this station, just outside the barrier on the great eastern road. As thev move alono- the streets clankino' their chains, it is surprising* to see the number of donations they receive from persons generally of the lower class — loaves of bread, biscuits, sugar, money, are hastily thrust into their IN RUSSIA. 09 hands by men and women, Avho seem quite eag*er to help them. This g-eneral commisera- tion for men doomed as felons is all the more extraordinary to an Eng'lishman, who may have heard the yells of execration with which the people in his own country gTeet the public appearance of a criminal. Whether the S3^m- path}" of the Russian, expressed on such occa- sions, arises from his more compassionate nature, from a loAver standard of morality that will not be shocked at crime, or from a feeling- of the uncertain and partial administration of justice under the Tzar's g'overnment, I will not venture to decide, though I incline to the last opinion. I entered the prisoners' station, a simple wooden tenement, with a sloping* wooden platform, which serves for a bed, running- down the centre. They were 46 in number, all dressed in coarse linen shirts and trowsers, and the ordinary peasant's boots — one half of the head was shaved, and few among- them wore cap or hat. Some were more heavily ironed than others, a few not at all. On the central platform, round which they were then standing-, lay piled the bag-s of provisions that each man 70 NINE years' residence carried with hinij and at one end was spread a handkerchief, as a receptacle for the contri- butions of visitors. Copper, silver and notes were there, and the g'ifts were received with a certain ceremonial that was not unimpressive. A woman, for example, came into the room, crossed herself before the image which, accord- ing* to universal custom, was suspended even in this wretched tenement 5 and, unfolding' a piece of paper, gave some money out of it to a convict, w^ho seemed to take the lead. As he put it on the heap, he cried out in a deep, exjiressive voice, "Unfortunates, thank the donor," where- upon the whole g'ang*, bowing- their heads, simultaneousl}^ cried out with one voice, "Thanks to 3'ou, honourable and benevolent mother." A young* man, apparently a trades- man, came and deposited a note with the same forms, and was welcomed in the same manner. The behaviour of the man in command of the escort resembled somewhat that of a drover, he always spoke savag-ely to them, and though he did not strike any one before so many spec- tators, he raised his hand as if he had the habit of doing' so, every time that a prisoner passed IN EUSSIA. 71 near him. After a little time we were politely beckoned out of the house^ and presently the g-ang* came out, two and three abreast, some chained tog'ether. Five or six women were included among* them, several quite young-. The escort consisted of six mounted lancers and about twenty-five foot soldiers — all marched quickly forward, prastchye (farewell) was heard ; and sobs here and there in the crowd around, and they were fairly off for their six months journey, in all probability never ,to return. Five or six small carts followed, holding* stores, and two individuals who, I presume, were una- ble to walk. Their rate of prog-ress, I was g-iven to understand, would be about twenty versts (13 miles) a day. 72 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE CHAPTER IV. The Tzaritsin Palace — Colomnia — Visit to Voskrecen- sky-^Black Bread — " Xew Jerusalem " — The Slavono- philes — Moscow University — Lectures — Freedom of Discussion — The Dissenters — Monks and Nuns — The Bazaar — Tea-drinking Shops— Russian "Waiters — Part- ing View of Moscow — City of Vladimir — Nijni Nov- gorod—The Noble and his Serfs — Beehives — A blind Beggar — Founding a new Church — Little Eussian Carriers — Town of Arzamas — Begion of " black earth " — Town of Simbirsk — Monument to Karamzin —The Volga. Among the places near Moscow that I visited from motives of curiosity, were Tzarit- siii; Colomnia, and Yoskrecensky. The first is remarkable for an abortive attempt of the famous Potemkin, to build, for his imperial mis- tress Catherine, a palace that in stupendous mag'nitude and oriental splendom' should sur- pass all that had hitherto been erected. It had risen to its present advanced state — the vast shell roofed in and surmounted by six odd- IN RUSSIA. 73 looking* excrescences meant for ornament — when the Empress, g'oing* to see the progress of the construction, hiughed at its singular ap- pearance, which she said reminded her of a coffin. The capricious minister instantlj" put a stop to the works, and left the unfinished design a monument of his extravag-ant folly. In a country where there are no antique ruins, this enormous failure of seventy years ag'o, with the grass growing' on its floors, and trees thrusting* themselves through its unfinished windows, affords a remarkable lesson that tells of fallen pride and disappointed ambition. Oolomnia was once the residence of Alexis, Peter the Great's father, and is the place where the g'reat reformer passed his youth, drilling* his companions into soldiers, and trying* that little boat which first awoke in his mind the resolve to have a Russian fleet and a sea-board to the Russian empire. All that remains of the an- cient palace is a low brick pillar capped with stone, upon which were laid, in the time of Alexis, public or private petitions addressed to the Tzar. The position and outhne of the old residence is however preserved by a number of E 74 NINE years' residence acacias that have been planted on the ancient foundation^ so that what once was an audience- chamber is now a verdant avenue. In my visit to Voskressensk}-, which I at- tempted on foot in the company of a friend^ I had a chance of seeing* a cottage interior j for being' wet throug-h w ith rain^ we accepted the hospitable invitation of a poor peasant woman to shelter under her roof. Our bed consisted of a sheepskin coat laid on the floor^ whilst the inmates of the hut slept on the top of a large stove that nearly filled the apartment. Black bread, boiled milk covered with the burnt scum called j;c?i^«, a gTeat delicacy to the Russian peasant, eggs boiled hard and wild strawberries were set before us, and afforded an excellent repast. The good woman even insisted upon our carrying some eggs with us for consumption on the road. Let me here say a word in vindication of the much calumniated black bread ; it is made of good rve-flour, and though when cut it looks clammy and heav}", and tastes slightly sour, it is very satisfying, easy of digestion, and after a little practice, quite palatable. The tables of the IN RUSSIA. 75 wealthiest are furnished with it as a chang-e from Avheaten bread, and the peasant prefers it for its substantial qualities to the latter, which he considers as a delicacy — and the ladies of hig-her rank for the white pearly colour it g'ives to their teeth, owing- to the g*rit contained in the flour of rye. The fondness for this forbid- ding'-looking' aliment I once saw striking-ly exem- plified in the person of a French youth return- ing- from Russia, who on board ship could eat nothing- for several da3"s, until we shewed him a lump of black bread that had travelled with us from Petersburg- ; he darted upon it with an eag-erness only equalled by the craving- im- portunity with which he continued to apply ever}" day after for a fresh supply. But to g-o back to Voski'essensky, the chief object of our visit was the church and convent called ^^ New Jerusalem." This pile of building's, which is beautifully situated on an isolated mount, does really assume to be a representation of the temple at Jerusalem, and to contain facsimiles of the most interesting- relics for which pilg-rims travel to the sacred city ; the holy sepulchre, the mano-er, and the Church of Bethlehem. The whole is surrounded by a double wall, be- 76 NINE years' residence fore the g*ate in which stand five or six can- nons in position. Russian convents, it may be remarked, have been ever disting'uished in his- tory for their stubborn resistance of invaders, and this one seemed ready to take its share in that distinction, should it ever be attacked. The monk, our g-uide, was not very anxious to shew off the building* to us, probably because we were heretics. Many interesting- mementos of the patriarch Nikon, the Russian Thomas- a-Becket, mig-ht have detained us in this place, but out of humour with the weather and with our unceremonious reception, we returned to Moscow in disgust. The manner of living" in Moscow is much more free and easy than the luxurious and courtly fashion which prevails in the modern capital. The military g'overnor is not quite so awful a personag-e to dwell near, as the Auto- crat whom he represents. The old families residing here still keep up the remembrance of bo3^ard independence, and tacitly maintain a certain sullen opposition to the course of modern politics. One of the theoretical principles of the party of Slavofiophiles, whose head-quarters IN RUSSIA. 77 are at Moscow, is g-rounded on the historic fact that the ancient Sclavonians lived in communi- ties, which were in every essential particular republican,* and its partisans do not hesitate to assert that such a form of g-overnment, g"iving' scope and developement to the ag-ricultural and productive powers of the nation, is the most fit and natural system for the Russians to revert to. I m3^self have heard an officer in the Im- perial service, vig'orously call in question the wisdom of Peter the Great's reforms, and assert, as he pointed to his clean shaven face, " all we beardless ones should have our heads cut off and then Russians, in their own way, and with their old beards, would work out a civilization most suited to them." From the fi'eedom with which opinions like this were frequently uttered, I concluded that the Government reg-arded them as harmless, else they would have been soon effectually checked. Indeed Panslavism has of late years been rather in favour with the Emperor Nicholas himself, for reasons, however, I suspect which refer rather to the Sclavonic * Sloboda, the name of these ancient communities is a corruption of Svoboda, the Eussian word fov/ree. 78 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE nations incorporated with Germany and Turkey_, than to the emancipation of his own subjects from despotic rule. Moscoav University, ag"ain, has sent forth more Russian liberals than any other educational institution in the Empire, not excepting- Dorpat, from which it would have been natural to expect some displa}^ of the Teu- tonic aspirations after freedom. While I write, there is living as a refug-ee in London, a g-en- tleman of eminent talent, educated at the uni- versity of Moscow, who has underg-one in prison and exile, suifering-s that no pen can de- scribe so A\ell as he has done himself, in a w^ork which he has recently printed in London, en- titled Tiourma e Silka (Prison and Exile). It was w'ith no suiall deg"ree of pride and pleasure, that I heard^ when at Moscow, of a Avinter course of lectures delivered by a Professor in the university, '^n a comparison of the histories of France and Eng-land, broug'ht down to the period of the Stuarts. A salvo of plaudits, deafening" and irrepressible, accompanied the lecturer's closing- words, when after alluding- to the g-reat men of France, and sa3'ing- that the g-randeur of Shakespeare and Bacon seemed IN EUSSIA. 79 to efface that of all others, he thrice emphati- cally repeated Bacon's words, " Knowledg-e is power, knowledg-e is power, knowledg*e is power !" The enthusiastic reception of these charmed words, b}^ so larg-e and mixed an as- sembly, seemed an instructive indication of the incipient " march of intellect," that must sooner or later produce its eftects in spite of ukases and secret police. Another unexpected instance of freedom of discussion, I witnessed in the public square of the Kremlin. It was in Easter week, and was said to be an annual custom. The Hascolnik.^, or dissenters, assembled in moderate numbers in the Kremlin, and opened a public controversy with the members of the established Russian church, upon disputed points of doc- trine and ritual. No doubt the police main- tained a control over the debate by means of "detectives," and the like, still the fact is worthy of note. The disputants stood in various g'roups, and every one took some part in the discussion. Alleg'ory was the favourite form of rhetoric employed by the "old believers," and when taunted upon their mode of performing^ mass, they retorted with accusations ag'ainst the 80 NINE years' residence Reformed church, of having' permitted, if not introduced the use of tea, tobaccco, and potatoes, all, in their opinion, causes of dire disease and death. I need hardly explain that the}', the dissenters, are now without a priesthood, for so staunch is their faith in the Apostolic suc- cession, that they repudiate a clergy ordained by any bishop who was not such before the ecclesiastical reforms made by Peter the Great. Th€y entertain g'reat reverence for the old ca- thedrals, and at this Easter festival, crowded to kiss the sacred relics and images of saints, but left the churches as soon as mass beg'an to be celebrated by men whom they reg-ard as having" no title to the priestly character. One -advantag'e at least they possess over the ortho- dox, in being- dilig-ent readers of the Scriptures, which they possess in the old Sclavonic version. The convents and monasteries that are so numerous in and about Moscow, are reported to have been the scene from time to time of dreadful trag-edies, but I confess that I was not on the alert for such horrors, and had no means of confirming* the rumours. Monks and nuns are constantly met with, darkening- with IN RUSSIA. 81 their black robes the throng* in ever}^ street^ just as officers and soldiers give the predomi- nant colour to a Petersburg- crowd. The mercantile portion of the town is like what I have already described as existing- in the more northern capital, the Gostinnoi Dvor (Bazaar) being- perhaps more antique and its covered passag-es more dark and intricate. I was once led thither to taste of the various kinds and qualities of Russian mead, and can honestly recommend any of my readers who may like a sweet and sparkling* beverag'e to g*o and do the same. There is apple mead, and currant mead, and raspberry mead, in fact mead flavoured and coloured by all the fruits that g-row in the prolific empire. Moscow is also famous for its wheaten bread made into loaves called Saiky. I once received a present in Petersburg* of a Saika broug-ht from Moscow by an enthusiastic young* lady, who wished to express the pride she felt in her country and her gTeat regard for me by a sending* a Moscow loaf three or four days old. Curious scenes, illustrative of national manners, are often to be witnessed in the Trakteers or tea-drinknig- shops. E 2 82 JsiNE years' eesidence These favourite places of resort consist g*enerally of a suite of rooms, situated either on the base- ment or on the first floor of a corner house, the hig'her ones being- reckoned the more g-enteel. Round various small tables, distributed over the room, are to be seen g-roups intently con- versing- as the}' swallow cup after cup of tea, ad infinitum. Their mode of drinking- is rather peculiar ; the tea, without cream or sug-ar, is sipped from the saucer which is held nicely balanced on three fino-ers of the left hand ; the rig-ht hand holds a lump of sug-ar, from which the possessor nibbles a portion, and keeping* it between his teeth, sucks the warm liquid throug'h it. It is astonishing- how much sugar is con- sumed in this way, and as an important conse- quence, how large a development the manufac- ture of suo-ar from beetroot is taking- in various parts in Russia. The waiters in these establish- ments would look strang-e by the side of the " plump head-waiter at the Cock," or any of his London compeers. Their costume consists of a striped cotton shirt worn like a kilt over a pair of cotton pantaloons ; their long* thick hair is parted down the middle and kept ahvays IN RUSSIA. 83 smooth and very g-listening-, to the manifest detriment of the napkin^ which a Russian atten- dant invariabty carries slung' round his neck. The parting- view I obtained of Moscow from the Hag-oshka g"ate^ throug'h which I passed on my journey eastward, was very beautiful. The lofty white towers of the Kremlin were mag"- nified by a peculiar hot, dun-coloured mist, ag'ainst which their burnished gilt tops shone with unusual lustre^ while the more distant turrets and building's were hid in the sing'ular vapour, the whole vividly recalling- the fancied' but never foro'otten scenes of the mao-ic Arabian tales. Twenty hours' post travelling-, throug'h almost uninterrupted forests of birch and pine, broug-ht us to the ancient city of Vladimir with the Golden Gate. It counts third, among* the five capital cities which have successively ac- quired supremacy in the ever-varying* domains of the Russian empire. Picturesquely situated on a hill, where about twenty churches come prominently into view, Vladimir overlooks a superb extent of wild wooded country watered by the sinuous stream of a noble river. The Golden Gate is not an ungraceful structure. 84 NINE years' residence where it stands an isolated monument of past times ; tlioug-h it must be remarked that it is neither used as a Gate^ nor has any other tint but that acquired from whitewash and the never- faiUng- g-reen paint. The onty objects I have noted as being- seen on our road to this place were a g"ang- of Siberian exiles^ and a troop of dancing" bears with their keepers. These most fertile regions have a population no larg-er than the most barren district of Scotland. A^ain, miles and miles of interminable forest varied ' occasionall}'; as we approach the river Okka, by larg'e and populous villag-es, and thirty-six hours of incessant rolling- bring- us to Nijni Novg'orod, the seat of the far-famed fair at which Asiatics and Europeans meet to chaffer over their respective productions — tea broug-ht in caravans from China being* the most important commodity. The town is situated on a hig'h promontoryj whose base is washed on one side by the Volg'a^ on the other by its tributary the Okka. An ancient Kremlin or citadel, with low embattled walls, stands on the hig-hest point and falls over the slope towards the river, beyond which, on a perfectly level and appa- IN RUSSIA. 85 rently boundless plain, lie widely-spread rows of booths, those devoted to the reception of Chinese merchandize being* constructed in the form of pag-odas. Striking-ly prominent among- the building's is a mosque, the tall pointed spire of which, surmounted by a brig-ht metaUic cres- cent, seems to assert its position in the face of the temples of the cross. This mosque is, as I have been informed, the most northern Moham- medan temple that exists. Having- to pass a nig'ht at Nijni we found the comfort of the bed- tick sacks that we had brought with us, which stuffed with hay we converted into excellent beds. Here too I witnessed, for the first time, the ceremonious reception of a Lord by a depu- tation of serfs sent to meet him with the bread and salt — hleh e solia. Three sturdy peasants with flowing' beards, and comfortably dressed in sheepskins, came into the g"arden where their master received them, and presenting- a larg-e black loaf and a small portion of salt, offered the cong-ratulations of their villag-e upon the arrival of the Gospod (or lord) among- them — Batiishka Alexander Alex- androvitch, (Alexander the son of Alexander), 86 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE Their expressions of devotedness extended to the lady and the children of the famil}^, and Matushka, or Batushka^ (old mother or old father) was the title attributed to every one, whether A'oung- or old. It was not a little curious to observe the manner of intercourse between the rude children of the soil on the one hand, and the wealthy and travelled noble, their master, on the other. Thoug-h the reverences of the former were very lowly and frequent, the tone of their conversation was free and unem- barrassed, so much so that the master was obliged on occasions to " couper leu7' cmpiet" as he termed it, dismissing* each one with a Bog stoboi, " God be with thee," and a g'racious extension of his soft white hand for them to kiss. We afterwards came to a succession of villag'es, the property of A. A., and were received at the g'ates by crowds of peasants, bearing- the bread and salt. The excitement was very great among- the rustic population, they pressed round the carriag-es full of admiring- wonder, and lifted up their children to the windows, asking- innu- merable questions. At one place, to m}'- g-reat horror, the whole mass fell upon their knees, a IN RUSSIA. 87 posture from which their master hastily bid them rise. Wherever the water was g"ood, a sample Avas broug-ht to us, often from wells 2.3 fathoms deep, Avith ice on the shaft all the summer throug-h. The serfs in some of the villao'es, beino- eno-ao-ed in trade, were rich men, and lived in larg-e comfortable Avooden houses. One old fellow, who invited us to a refection of tea, cakes, orang-es, and sweetmeats, had been overlooker or steward of several villag-es, and for his g'ood conduct had received a caftan of honour decorated with g*old lace. His garden and his house were both well furnished. Among- the cucumbers, pota- toes, and apple-trees, stood at least five-and- twent^'' stumps of trees, a puzzle to me, until I discovered that they were hollowed out for beehives, and welJ-stored with wild honey. Amid all the joy and satisfaction apparently caused by our arrival, there were, however, occasional indications of the miser}^ that w-as kept in the back-g-round by prudent stewards and overlookers. One wretched looking' man, watching- his opportunity, threw himself at the feet of his " barinn," and piteously implored. 88 NINE years' residence justice. He was briefly referred to the proper authorities at the Kontora, or steward's office, and bid to depart. But for the most part all was flattering- and joyous. Some expres- sions, characteristic of the occasion and the people, I have preserved. A blind beg'g'ar from a neighbouring- estate was observed by the lady- mistress, who said to the female peasants around^ " He comes from the strang-er villag'e to this, I suppose, because he g-ets so much from 3^ou." "Ah," replied they, "perhaps we are now alive upon the earth, because of the little we haveg-iven him." So positive and real was their apprecia- tion of the Scriptural text that refers to the " cup of cold water." On being asked whether he thoug-ht that our host had been pleased with his coat of honour, one peasant answered, " Yes, I am sure he was very g'lad to have it ; but he merited it, he quite deserved it, for he has served you well." As a crowd of women persevered in accompanying' her to a considerable distance from their own villag'e, the lady inquired, " if they were about to conduct her all the way f they returned, " Oh, to the end of the world, if Vou wish 3 we will carry you in our arms, you IN EUSSIA. 89 and your children too." "No/' replied she, " as you are old women, my children will be ready rather to carry you." These g-limpses of the exag-g-erated expressions of feeling", that on g-reat occasions proceed from the Russian serf, will help the reader to perceive the g-rounds which I had for fancying', as I often did, that a resemblance existed between the unadulterated Muscovite rustic, and the ardent native of Ireland. The proprietor's visit was made the occasion of laying' the foundation-stone of a new church in the principal villag'e on the estate. It was Sunday, and mass having' been performed in the old tumble-down wooden church, a procession, consisting' of the priest, deacon, choristers and school, with banners, painted imag'es, cross and chalice, moved forward to the g'round, marked out for the new erection, accompanied by a crowd of bearded men, and kerchiefed female villag'ers. Another long* mass was per- formed under the canopy of heaven, at the con- clusion of which the Gospod, and the various members of his family, each placed a brick in the cavity prepared, arrang'ing- them in the 90 NINE years' residence form of a cross ; coins were deposited as usual, holy water was sprinkled on every brick, and upon the sacred gTound ; while much crossing- and sprinkling' of the worshippers commenced and concluded the scene. For each scion of the master's house special prayers were offered, as for the members of a reig-ning- famil3\ A festival succeeded ; in the absence of cannon a musket was frequently fired, a tar-barrel and other illuminations blazed — the national soup with black-bread and doses of corn-brandy were consumed at tables, improvised on the green- sward. But all was solemn and quiet, no mer- riment — not a sino'le cheer was heard from one of the assembled company. This silence was not so much in deference to the day of rest as it was in accordance with the g-rave character of the people ; Russians very rarel}- commit the impropriety of an enthusiastic outbreak of feeling — the soldiers, whose " hurrahs" our brave fellows at Sevastopol hear so frequently, are actually drilled into the habit — I have heard them myself repeatedly practising* this part of their duty in the barrack-3'ards. One circum- stance struck me forcibly on this occasion, as IN RUSSIA. 91 illustrating- the violence of sectarian prejudice among* these people : numbers of peasants of the old faith stood eyeing- the provisions which their orthodox fellow-serfs were eating" with g'reat relish, and refused to sit down or partake the food with them. This, under the very eye of a master possessing- almost absolute power over them, proved at least the streng-th of their religious convictions. E.esuming our route, after four days' repose, we journej^ed on for three days and nig-hts throug'h the Government of Nijni Novg'orod to that of Simbirsk. The undulating' and fer- tile plains are frequently marked with prosperous looking- villag-es— here cradled in a hollow — there perched upon a modest hill. On the road we passed a bivouac of Malorossisky, or Little Eussian carriers, their teams of oxen standing- browsing- around the heav}^ carts from which they had just been unharnessed. Th^ men were tall and bony, with less hair on thei^. small heads than the Great Eussian wears ; they are said to be very hot tempered and more independent than their fellow subjects in other provinces. I myself confess to a lilting for 92 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE tlieiTi; having* met in Russian society with the most frank and cordial treatment from o-entle- men born in Little Russia. We met also Kibitkas, or tilted carts^ full of Tartars^ mov- ing' towards JN^ijni for the g-reat fair. Arza- mas^ an old episcopal town^ at which we chang-ed horses^ besides a g'reat number of churches, possesses a convent that was once in great repute ; it also fig-ured prominentl}^ in the formidable rebellion of the Cossack Pougatchoff', who personated the Emperor Peter III., Catherine's husband and victim. Passing* on, we entered the fertile region of the " tcliormoy zeimi" or " black earth/' which extends in a broad belt diag'onally across the Russian empire, from the Volg*a near Simbirsk to the Dnieper below Kieif, and admired the extraordinary fertility of the land, although from the rich dark soil we g*ot covered with dust as black as coal. A larg-e and populous village, belonging' to the Potemkin family, is worthy of note for the bustling* activity which prevailed in its markets, where I was struck by seeing' loads of grain exposed for sale in the open carts. The town of Simbirsk itself is IN RUSSIA. 93 prettily situated on the banks of the Volg^a^ which here rise considerabl}^ above the level of the normal flatness of Russian scenery". Over and above the ordinary structures which are common to all provincial capitals, Simbirsk boasts of a monument erected in honour of Karamzin, the historian of Russia, who was born here. It consists of a block of polished Q'ranite, inlaid on two sides with bronze relievos, commemorating" the presentation by the Emperor of a pension to the histo- rian's widow ; a niche in front contains a bronze bust of Karamzin, and on the top of the block stands a larg-e fig'ure of the g*enius of Histor}^, also in bronze. The police from time to time have had to interfere with the ig-norant peasants, who, on first seeing- this statue, ima- g-ined it to be that of a saint, and crossed and prostrated tliemselves before it. I proceeded about 150 versts beyond Sim- birsk, where my journey came to an end in the month of July, and the following' eight months I passed on those distant shores of the Volg*a, 94 NI>-E YEAES' KESIDENCE CHAPTER Y. Picturesque and fertile promontory of Simbirsk on the Volga — The Svefeolka — The Molodetzk^ Kourgan — Bargemen — Fish of the Volga— Model farm — Eussian Peasants — their huts — Images — Conflagrations — Arrangement between lord and serf — Manumission — The oh'oJc — The Passport system — Boris Petrovitch'a estate — Porest trees — Value of timber — "Wild honey — Runaway serfs — Fisheries on the Volga — Organiza- tion of the Villages — Military Conscription — The Schoolmaster among the serfs— Finnish children — The Princess and her peasants. The extensive estate on which I made this prolong-ed sojourn is situated on the rock}^ promontoiy enclosed in the remarkable flexure or elbow which the Yolo-a makes as it flows from Stavropol to Syzran. This elevated shore on the rig'ht of the gTeat river, overlooking- a vast low level on its left, has convinced g-eologists of the former existence in these reo-ions of an im- mense sea^ of which the river Yolg-a^ the sea of Chambers fc. Sons, Chromo Lil' PEASANTRY IN RUSSIA. 95 Aral and tlie Caspian are but the remnants. The country is unusuall}^ picturesque and fertile. Wood and rock, river and plain, corn and mea- dow land lie spread out before the spectator who ascends to the summit of any of the many neig'hbouring* heights, upon one of which a fantastic little tower, called the Sveteolka, has been built by the proprietor to indicate the spot whence the Tartar invaders of Russia g-ained their first g-limpse of the fair lands which the}^ coveted. In a country whose natural features generally presenc a monotonous aspect, per- fectly wearying to the traveller, there is a peculiar satisfaction derived from the view of a bold and picturesque variety, such as that offered b}^ the hills and valle3's of Oussoha, Jigoulee, and the river Ousa, where it falls into the Volga. The atmospheric glories, if I ma}^ be allowed the expresssion, spread over and beautif}" every corner of the earth. The effects of cloud and sunshine excite our admiration in the deserts of Africa, on the snow3^ plains of Lapland, or upon the interminable steppes of Russia, and such effects furnish nearty all the pleasure which a traveller in Russia can extract from 96 NINE years' residence external nature. The wide expanse of earthy the pure sk}^, the brig-ht sun, the moon and stars are the few g-reat natural objects with which the inhabitant of these reg-ions is broug-ht into spiritual or poetical communion. We see in consequence that space in its widest accepta- tion is the popular aspiration of the Russians, the vag-ueness of which is however corrected by a clear tangible positivism of mind that requires everything to be placed in a strong- lig'ht. The national passion for territorial acquisition is an impressive illustration of this truly Russian characteristic. For my own part, fatigued with the unvarying- horizon so constantly presented to view during* m}'^ Rus- sian travels, I experienced intense pleasure at finding- m^'self in the picturesque promontor}- of the g'overnment of Simbirsk. Its hig-hest point, Molodetzky Kourgan, a majestic rock clothed with shrubs and wild flowers, that has been honoured by a visit from Peter the Great, commands a magnificent view of the monarch of European rivers and its extensive shores. On the west the eye takes in forests and culti- vated fields, picturesque eminences and popu- IN RUSSIA, 97 lous villa g-es with their grey wooden houses faintly discernible in the distance; on its eastern shore boundless steppes^ whose verdure is maintained by the dews of heaven, but which conceal no water-spring* for the refreshment of man. The camp-fires descried far off may belono* to a troop of Cossacks in bivouac, or to a band of herdsmen or haymakers, who, Avhen employed on the steppes, have to carry supplies of water from their houses, or trust to the juices of the plentiful water-melon which gTows here almost spontaneously. Floating* on the surface of the river may be seen hug*e corn- laden barques towed against the slug-g-ish stream by g*ang*s o^ Boorlaks, or barg*emen, the cadence of whose chorussed songs is finely modulated by the vast solitude around ; or they ma}^ be toiling- painfully along with one of those im- mense rafts of massive timber, on their way to distant lands, destined not unfrequently to supply the wants of the navy of England. As accessories to this scene stands the eaMe on the rock, or a flock of wild swans flies high above, or the pelican fills his sack from the rich stores F 98 NINE years' residence that swim beneath the wave. The fish of the Yol- g"a indeed are renowned ; the beluga for its great size, the sterlet for its delicate flavour, and the Sturgeon for its roe, which makes the favourite Russian comestible called caviare ; and I re- member well an expedition, of which I formed part, to an island some miles down the river, ^^•here that morning's spoils of the fishermen were cooked for us over a fire made on the sand, and we made a sumptuous repast off sturgeon and sterlet soup. As it was in this remote cornerof the empire that I saw much of the unsophisticated Russian peasant, his way of life at home, and in his rela- tion with those above him, I shall endeavour in the following remarks to set forth the result of my observations, and exhibiting the Moojik (peasant) as he is, proceed in ascending steps from him, as the broad social foundation, to iflustrations of the various grades that consti- tute the edifice of Russian society, the apex of which, figuratively speaking, is the Tzar him- self. In doing' this. I shall in some measure preserve the continuity of my narrative in the IN RUSSIA. 99 hope of expressing' as vividty as possible the realit}^ of the incidents that came within my experience. The property of the g-entleman, whom I shall call Boris Petrovitch, which includes several villng'es and many thousand serfs, was maintained by the enterprising* spirit of its owner, and the intellig'ent activity of his chief steward, in most admirable order. Quite a model farm had been created by the latter g-entleman, who had studied ag-riculture in Scotland and elsew-here. It was not without surprise that I saw hand- some brick stables, faced wdth stone, a cowhouse with a certain deg-ree of foppery displayed in its arrangements, the names of its forty in- mates, for example, painted above their neat stalls — and the eleg*ant dairy being* about to receive fresh embellishment from a series of bovine pictures. There was something-, doubt- less, incong-ruous in the proximity of these and other appliances of modern rural eco- nomy to the wretched-looking' huts and rude implements of the Russian serf, w^ho pertina- 100 NI>'E YEAES' RESIDENCE ciousty sets his face agaiDst innovation and improvement. As an instance of this opposition to novelty it ma}^ be mentioned, that after the erection of the neat stone parsonage of the principal village, several cottages were built of the same matej rial, but no one would willingly inhabit them, because they were colder than the log-huts ; so the people said, but a stronger objection to them was, I believe, that they regarded them as god- less dwellings, opposed to the institutions and traditions of their ancestors, and admitting too rude a glare upon the dim, lamp-lighted images of saints, which are suspended in every izba. It would, however, be for the interests of mor- ality, if these grimy old homesteads could be made to give way, with a few other staunch prejudices, to the spirit of modern improvement ; for whatever patriarchal simplicity there may be in three or four generations occupying- the same small cottage, it must be admitted that the custom cannot promote either health or decency. But the izbas, or wooden huts, still IN RUSSIA. 101 remain, as I have said, the favourite d\velling;s of the Russian Moojiks. They are built of pine logs, transversely laid and morticed tog-ether ; the roof of planks is sometimes covered with loose straw, held toge- ther by pronged branches of trees ; the door almost invariably has a porch, with a bench inside for rustic delectation on summer even- ings ; the interior of the dwelling is usually divided into two apartments, with one small' window in each, and an enormous brick or tile stove built into the partition which separates the rooms. Conspicuous in one corner is the ohraz, or saintly image, framed and glazed, if the owner be rich enough, and having a little lamp suspended in front of it, that burns night and day, as long at least as oil can be found to feed it, and this image is the first object saluted by every person who crosses the threshold. The temperature of these dark dwellings is generally at 70° or 80° both winter and summer, though the wealthy peasant often has two houses, each suited to the different season, and some proprietors have even erected in their ,7 102 NINE YBAES' RESIDENCE villag-es two churches^ one for summer and the other for winter. The izha is hg-hted at night by a pine stick thrust torch-hke into a crevice of the wall. As the interstices between the log's, of which the hut is built, are filled up or caulked with hemp and other combustible mate- rials, this mode of lig-hting-, it may easily be imagined, is dang-erous, and not unfrequently results in fire. To meet this too common calamity, every Russian serf is bound to answer the tocsin, and bring* with him such implement as is prescribed to him for the extinction of the flames. That no mistake may arise in this mat- ter, the board which bears the peasant's name in front of the izha, is also embellished with the representation of a pail, an axe, a mop, or a ladder, as the case may be, which article is re- quired of its owner at ever}- couflagTation. I witnessed several of these fiery visitations, which exhibited in striking* conti'ast the apathy of the families whose property was burning-, and the dashing' activit}^ of other peasants directed by their lord to stop the progress of destruction. With folded arms, the sufferers. IN RUSSIA. 103 looked on, uttering- few lamentations and occa- sionally invoking' the aid of the saints, while their neig*hbours rushed in among* the falling- rafters, reckless of the dang-er to which they exposed themselves, to sn ve such household trea- sures as they could lay hold of. On one occa- sion of this kind, an affecting* incident took place ; the master of the cottag-e happened to be absent when the fire broke out, and as he drew near the ruins of his home, his assembled neig-hbours burst into tears, thus showing- the depth of their sympathy with his misfortune. That human passions, however, as well as human sympathies find room to pla}^ among- these uncultivated people, was proved by an act of incendiarism that destroyed a whole villag-e : a woman jea- lous of her husband's intimacy with his neig-h- bour's wife, rushed into the hut of her rival, and set it on fire. The poor maddened creature, after having- perpetrated the act of reveng-e, fled across the Volg-a, but was captured by the steward of the estate soon after, and sent to Siberia. The destruction of this villag-e was the more lamentable, as many improvements 104 NINE YEAES* RESIDENCE in the style and comforts of the dwelling-s had been introduced into it by the steward, from Eno;-land and Sweden. Devastation of this kind, either from fire, famine, or inundation, often leads to the permanent transfer of the whole population to new gTOund, where new- tenements are erected by the sufferers, the master furnishing' the timber. On this estate there was a villag*e styled Seetia or " satisfied," whose inhabitants had come from another estate of the same proprietor, where they had been starved out in a year of scarcit}^ Many of these forced removals, however, of a rural community from one locality to another, ori- g-inate in a motive that displays in a very strong* light the cruelty and narrow policy of the system of serfag'e, while it reveals the g-erm of an agrarian revolution, destined perhaps to rival the most violent convulsions of this nature yet recorded in history. A word or two of explanation of the bond which unites lord and serf, will render this statement more intelligible. The owner of the soil, in return for the labour which is to make that soil productive, g"ives to IN RUSSIA. 105 each of his serfs a portion of land^ which the latter cultivates for his own use and advantag-e, being" furnished besides, from his lord's forests, with materials for the construction of a dwellino-- house. The week is divided into two troikas, or sections of three da3^s, one of which is de- voted to the master's service, the other is the peasant's own. When this arrang-ement is equitably carried out, the condition of the moojik, when happily situated with reg-ard to soil, is by no means unfavourable, especially as he relig'iously avails himself of the saints' days and holidays (formerly so numerous, but now reduced by a recent Ukase, to fifteen in the year) which fall within the landlord's troika. Now, it has been for some years past a growing- difficulty with landowners and their stewards, to find means to eradicate from the serfs mind, the conviction that the house and land occupied for a number of years by himself and his fore- fathers, is bondjide his own, and to meet this difficulty, the Pamesktchiks (Proprietors) resort to the cruel expedient of making- '' a deserted village," by transporting its inhabitants to F 2 lOG NINE years' residence another part of the estate. Sometimes too. these changes arise from the mere superfluity of land and scarcity of population. The fertility of the soil in one spot^ being- worked out, that locality is left to lie fallow for years, and the peasantr}^ are transferred bodily to a new, unexhausted region. That was certainly a g'reat and wise step of the Emperor Alexander, which emancipated the serls belong-ing- to the appanages of the Crown, for thoug-h the habit of dependence on a master may have made it seem hard to them at first to pay their own taxes in a direct manner, to battle with the official authorities, and to incur other responsi- bilities of comparative independence, yet 1 have ascertained by incidental conversations with the men themselves, that the Crown peasants are hapi^ier, and more generally prosperous than the bondsmen of the boyars. Still, it is a fact, that the notion of emancipation is unwelcome to many peasants. In the summer of 1 853, when on a visit at a countr}^ house near Moscow, I was amused with the lamentations of a young- man, whose father had been manumitted by a IN EUSSIA. 107 former owner of the estate. When I told him that he oug'ht to rejoice at being" a free man, ^^ Look," said he^ " at Feodor, the head of all the servants in the house, master of the pantiy and the wine cellar, what a g-ood place he hns, and he is a serf, while I can get nothing- to do with all ray freedom, and am now only in the house as a supernumerar3^" I could not reply to this practical arg-ument anything" that would have been convincing" to the Russian mind. As I have before stated, there are serfs living" in situations favourable to trade, who have become millionaires, and some of the richest shopkee[)ers in St. Petersburg belong- to Count Sheremetieflj who receives onl}^ about £l. a 3'ear each from them, as obrok, or tribute, yet will neither g-ive nor sell them their freedom. He is proud to own these wealthy peasants, and they perhaps not unwilling" to enjoy his protection and fa- vourable countenance. Serfs of this description do g-ive sometimes large sums of money for the purchase of their freedom. The g-entleman whose propert}" I have been describing-, told me that one of his " people" 108 NINE years' residence bad boug"ht his liberty with 33,000 roubles (£1500), the sum offered being- fixed by the man himself. I did not learn what the good man's occupation was, but it must evidently have been something- very lucrative, to permit of so hig'h an appreciation of himself. The productive value of an agricultural peasant depends in some measure upon the seasons, and the nature of the soil, whether they be propitious or not. At the jieriod of my residence in the agricultural district that I have introduced to the reader, the season was not considered to have been very favourable^ yet the products of the principal estate, which numbered 4000 men in its eight or ten villages, gave a net return of 110 roubles, or 5 pounds sterling per man. By bearing in mind the fact that these labourers support themselves and families by tilling their own allotments of land during the legal troika, or three days set apart for them, the reader may form some conception both of the wealth that may be extracted from these fertile regions, and of the vast importance of an unimpeded^ miblockaded commerce to the Russian noble. IN RUSSIA. 109 The ohrok paid to their owners by traders and artisans is a commutation of the labour troikn, which the master claims from every serf; and except in a iew cases, like that already mentioned, the amount of it rises with the g-ains of the peasant. When a peasant bo}^ displays an aptitude for some calling* that can be pursued profitably in a town, he is sent to underg'o a roug'h apprenticeship w^ith a master of the art, and afterwards to work his way up in the world. If he should fail his owner is burdened with him ag'ain in his native village ; if he succeed he will have to make a hard bargain with his master, W'ho holds him fast by means of a pass- port renewable every year, or in some cases every six months. At each renewal the ohrok must be paid ; for by withholding* the pass, the landlord confines the serf to his own villa o-e, since not onl}^ the police authorities of a town are bound to see that every resident has docu- mentary authorit}" for living- in that part of the Avorld, but every employer is responsible for his workmen and servants, and must see that their passports are of the rig-ht date and in order^ 110 NINE YEAKS' RESIDENCE Thus if it pleased some future Count Shereme- tieff to refuse a passport to one of his rich peasants in Petersburg"^ that individual would be forced to leave his well furnished house and luxurious habits of living'^ to return to his native izha and the toils of field labour. I cannot say that I ever heard of an instance of such a reverse^ but the law certainly allows it. The serfs of the poor g-entry, naturally suffer most by the ohrok system. We once had a young' nurse-g'irl in our employ, receiving* the modest pay of two roubles (six shilhng-s) a month. On the very day when it was due I was favoured with a visit from her mistress, a lady of shabby g-enteel appearance, who spoke French, and requested me to pay Alaska's wag-es to her. " But, madam," said I, " the g-irl will want to buy clothes with the money she has earned." " Dear me, sir, she will ruin herself and me too, if she be left to buy her own clothes ; I can buy such things much more advantag-eousty, and therefore I beg- you will always pay me the money she earns." And regularly every month the worthy dame either IN RUSSIA. Ill came round herself, or sent a collector in the shape of an old wonuin servant, until we had too much reason to believe that Masha helped herself from our wardrobes, when we sent her back to her benevolent mistress. To return to my villag-e life. The extensive farming' operations carried on upon the estate of Boris Petrovitch furnished ample employ- ment for all the population both summer and winter. Great as Avas the number of his serfs, they were barely equal to the labour of gather- ing* in the produce of his rich and countless acres. Ever}'' hour of the short summer season appeared to be incalculably precious. The hay was stacked upon the fields where it had g-rown, not to be carj-ied away till frost and snow had put a stop to all labours of tillage; the corn was stacked in like manner to be threshed in winter — wheat, rye, millet and buckwheat were thus laid up, a month or two later, in the anhan'i or wooden warehouses on the river bank, ready for exportation. In the goomno or barnyard of one village, I counted 26 stacks of corn. On their own fields the peasants were driven to 112 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE the necessity of threshing' out their seed corn on the nearest hard spot of g-round, winnowing* it in the ancient manner by throwing* it into the air and letting- the chaff fly before the wind. One day a party of us came upon some villagers thus eng'ag'ed and singing' at their work, when I was much struck by the remark of a Russian lady present, "You may tell by their singing- that they are at work upon their own fields." This sug-g'estive observation was forcibly illus- trated shortly afterwards by the view of a troop of women and g"irls eng*ag*ed on a meadow of their lord's, under the superintendence of a prikastchik or overseer, who carried a long- tough twig- in his hand, a sufficient preventive, no doubt, to singing- and hilarity in general. Besides the labours which the fields require, the forests also give occupation to numbers of the rural population. They are of great ex- tent, some being ten miles long- for instance, and kept in excellent order, being well aired by regular alleys cut in nil directions. Their value in this part of the world is much en- hanced by their proximity to thnt great artery IN RUSSIA. 113 of communication, the Yolg-a. Moreover, since the Baltic provinces have been denuded by the demands of commerce, and especially by the consumption as fuel of their best timber, larg'e trees for masts and like purposes can hardly be found nearer the sea-coast than in this locality. I well remember the surprise I felt at the ap- parition of a fellow-countryman in that remote reg'ion, who had come from Rig'a to clear some enormous pines that had been purchased for the British navy. The authorities at the Admiralty would also, no doubt, have been surprised to learn that those majestic children of the forest had originally been sold by the under-steward for twenty-two copper roubles a piece, or about one pound sterling*. I must add that the owner himself was heartily vexed at the sale having- taken place, and loudly expressed his dissatis- faction while driving me throug-h the forest, where I saw eig-hteen stout oxen laboriously tug-g-ing- forward a sing'le tree. While upon the subject of forests, I would mention a circumstance communicated to me by the steward of a Prince Galitzin, who, I was in- 114 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE formed^ possessed in the Government of Koursk, an oak forest of 6000 desyateens, i.e. 16/200 En- g-lish acres in extent, which is nearly valueless to its owner, simply from the want of easy commu- nication, and the difficulty of transport to the populous districts, or to the ports of the empire. A birch and pine forest belonging- to the same nobleman, but situated in the neigiibourhood of Moscow, produces him an annual revenue of 20,000 silver roubles (£3200), without compro- mising- its existence as a forest. In Russia, as elsewhere, " there is a pleasure in the pathless woods," and many a ride and ramble throug-h tangled copse and wood}^ dell can I recall, that displayed to m}^ delig-hted eyes innumerable sylvan beauties. The wild hop, with its g-race- ful tendrils hang-ing- like ring-lets, is ver}^ abun- dant near the Volg-a ; so are the wood straw- berry, the cranberry and bilberr}^, and the varieties of wild flowers are countless, the pale violet, wood anemone and harebell predominat- ing-. Unavoidably trampling- upon these dear familiar objects, I was once ag-reeabty startled by finding- myself in a rustic apiary, thus hid IN RUSSIA. 115 in the recesses of the forest. The hives con- sisting* of hollow trunks of trees, and covered with a loose lid, similar to those already de- scribed as at the villag-e near Nijni, were rang-ed round a clearing- of moderate area, and in this wild spot might not unreasonably have been taken at first sight for the ruined pillars of a wooden Druidical temple. Any dream of this kind, however, was soon dissipated by the voice of a watchman, who started out of a hut made of boughs, and informed me that so much honey had been recently taken by thieves, that the villagers had undertaken to do his work and placed him there on guard. Depredations just at that time had been frequent, and extended to horses and cattle, as well as honey \ for a band of runaway serfs, headed by one KozakofF, a military deserter, infested the hills and caused so much excitement in the neighbourhood, as upon one occasion to interrupt a water trip that we were taking- down the Volga. The fellows, however, could not have been very desperate bandits, for I heard, to my no small amusement, that the steward's head clerk, aB 116 NINE years' EESIDENCE old man who enjoyed some popularity in the villag-es, had held a parley with the eneun^, and g-enteelly requested them to abstain from alarm- ing- the g-ood ladvj Helena Ivanovna. Nothing- occurred to call out the excited lo3'alty of the lady's followers. The police-major of the dis- trict was subsequently sent for^ and of course did nothing", until the men set at work by the enero'etic steward had captured some of the delinquents, when the official g-entleman, whom the humourist of our party had nicknamed Arbooze, or water-melon, from his size and shape, met the valiant band and played Young* Norval, by beg'g'ing* a peasant to give him one prisoner to bring* into the village in triumph. In addition to the labours of forest and field, there were the fisheries of the river, that g-ave employment to many of the peasants on this estate. In a country where the church re- quires the observance of frequent fasts or ab- stinences from flesh-meat, fish becomes a very important article of commerce, and piscatorial delicacies like the sterlet, can be had nowhere but from the Yolg-a. I was informed that the IN RUSSIA. 117 twenty versts of the river, to which the owner of Jig'oulee had a ng'ht, were worth 10,000 cop- per roubles (nearly £500) per annum, thoug-h the situation was somewhat distant from any larg-e towns. For winter supply the fishermen stored their finny spoil in ponds formed on the meadows by the spring' inundations. It was curious to see them in the coldest time of the year draw the creatures alive from beneath ice a foot or two thick. A larg-e hole being- made in the centre of the ice to receive the net, and smaller perforations all round, through which to pass the ropes, fish of all kinds and sizes were drawn to the surface, and a selection made of such as were wanted. Like wildfowl and g-ame, fish is kept sweet in winter, long- after death, b}' being frozen, and it is thus carried to markets, at a g-reat distance, by the cheap con- veyance of sledges. I may here add, that in Petersburg- I have often boug-ht a pair of frozen Habtchik, a kind of heath-cock,* for fifteen copecks, or sixpence Eng-lish, and a brace of plump partridg-es irozen, for one shilling-. * Capercailzie. 118 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE Caviare^ made from the roe of the sturgeon, is also exported from the Volga^ and is^ as I have before hinted^ rather a costly commodity, and hig-hl}' relished by the Russians. A Avord or two in this place on the ruling- organization of villages may prove interesting. On the part of the master there are generally four grades of overlookers — 1st, the superinten- dent of the whole estate ; 2nd, the local steward of a district, who has charge of two or three villages; 2rd, the Starostaj or elder of each village ; and 4th, the Prikastchikj or gangsman as we should say of a party of labourers- Besides the Starosta, however, who is respon- sible to the master for the conduct of the villag*e, there are elders chosen by the people, and charged with the protection of their interests before the master and the steward. These usually form the deputations to the master, bear petitions, and speak in the name of the whole village in matters of complaint, congratu- lation,or of mutual arrangement between master and people. It is found convenient, for instance, to distribute the labour due to the master in IN RUSSIA. 119 such a manner, that half the serfs work for him on one troika, half on the other^ so that a par- ticular piece of work is not broug-ht to a stand still in the middle of the week. To an ar- rang'ement of this kind, the consent of the elders is necessary. Ag-ain, when the dreaded conscription or military levy comes, the elders are consulted by the master as to what men can best be spared out of the villag*e. They possess, in fact^ a sort of mag'isterial power, and can inflict punishment to a limited extent for immoral conduct, and preserve in many respects the faint traces of a popular system of self-g'overnment that may possibly, in the course of time and prog'ress of events, be restored to a more vig^orous action than it ever possessed. The power of the steward is, in practice, ab- solute, and almost without appeal ; though by law he can do no more wuth a disobedient serf than lock him up, and inflict upon his body forty stripes save one. He can, how^ever, punish in a manner more justly hateful than this, by sending" an offender to be a soldier. I never saw 120 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE less military ardour in any people than is openly manifested by the Russian peasantry, nor could I be surprised at this reluctance to serve, for independently of their naturall}^ unwarlike cha- racter, the prospect set before them is not very encourag-ing*. If a man survive the harsh treatment and cruel privations of twenty-five years' service, he has been alienated from his family and friends, and returns to his villag-e little better than a strang-er, with all the vices of a military life indelibly fixed in his character, and being" no long'er a serf, he has no claim upon the benevolence or protection of his former master. In a future chapter I propose to enter more fully into the career of the Russian soldier, and his chances of promotion to the hig-hest ranks. At present, as an illustration of peasant character, I will only mention, with reference to this subject, an instance of noble contention in self-sacrifice that occurred in one of the Oussolsky villag'es. At one levy of seven men in a thousand, all the eligible rog"ues and vaga- bonds of the estate being- exhausted, the lot fell upon a family, consisting- of a father and three IN RUSSIA. 121 sons, all married. As the old man stood weeping- before the steward, the young-er men strove with one another as to which should devote himself for the safety of the others. ^^ You have more children than I have/' said the 3^oung'est, ^^ and can be ill-spared, let me g'o into the army." " No," replied the eldest, ^' you are my father's favourite, and to lose you would break his heart ; I shall g'o myself." ^' You are both wanted at home more than I am," said the middle brother, " therefore, I shall be the recruit this time." The steward, who narrated this little inci- dent, assured me that, accustomed though he was to painful scenes, the touching' earnestness of this heroic abneo-ation almost unmanned him. Not only are the militar}^ levies, which the Emperor of late has caused to be made so frequently, heavy burdens on the peasantry', thus torn from their homes and the support of their families, but they tax the revenues of the landowners to a very serious extent. Referring* to the data mentioned in a previous pag'e, it will be seen that the levy of 7 per 1000 of able- G 122 NINE years' residence bodied ag-ricultural labourers^ making' 28 ou tbe whole estate containing' 4000^ is nearly equivalent to the confiscation b}^ the state of £140 a 3'ear. The consideration of facts like this will show how extremely important to Russia and her prosperous development is peace^ and especially those practical fruits of peace, mechanical con- trivances calculated to abridg-e manual labour. Machinery had been introduced partly into the estates I -visited, and in one villag'e 80 men were doino* the work that always before had required 120 men to do it. As an instance of the extensive nature of the agricultural opera- tions performed by these untutored serfs, I may state that 28,000 sheaves of corn were thrashed, winnowed, and stored in g-ranaries in one day. This was upon one estate, numbering* 8 villag'es ; on another, 15,000 sheaves were disposed of in the same way, 6000 having* been done in one (joomno, or barn-yard, by the help of machiner3\ Yet even here where its advan- tag-es are so manifest, diminishing' the g-eneral labour and increasing' the g'eneral wealth, IN RUSSIA. 123 machinery is reg-arded with a supicious eye by the peasantiy, who would, if left to themselves, rather o-o on in the way their fathers went before them, without improvements, novelties, or manufactures, save those the}- have ever practised. I used to see the women combing* out their bit of flax near the cottag^e door, spin- ning- with the distaff and spindle, and making- their strong- linen cloths by hand-looms. It was amusing* to hear how stoutly too these villa o-e worthies had resisted the school- master abroad. This dreaded individual, the harbing'er of revolutions, made his avatar on these villa o-es in the form of a hio-h-minded and handsome Indy, the mistress of the vast estate, who soug'ht relief from the pomp of cities, and the life of courts, in visitino- the home of her poor and ig-norant serfs. She resolved to carry out the injunctions of an imperial ukase that appeared about 1830, and to establish schools among" them, undertaking* herself to be the first teacher, and to form a normal class. No one would come to the Gospodshy dome^ or Hall, for such a purpose, so she fixed on a certain 124 NINE years' residence hut, for the first lesson. Two or three g*irls assembled, but the old folks could not find a seat for the harinna (mistress), and the door was left open, so that some how or other, the pig's g'runted their way in, as innocently as possible. On another occasion, and at another house, geese were admitted during* the lesson, and cackled loud enoug-h to drown all instruc- tion, to the g-reat delig"ht of the malcontents, who manifested their opposition in every way, short of rebellion. The lady, however, persevered, and I had the pleasure of seeing- the fruit of her labour in numerous schools scattered over the property, and under the direction of the young" women who had been her first scholars. The instruc- tion afforded by these was, as may be supposed, very moderate both in amount and quality, — g'irls were taug'ht reading', the church catechism, knitting, and spinning-, in the old fashioned way ) the boys, reading-, writing-, and arithmetic ; in the absence of copy books, the inexpensive expedient of a little sand sprinkled over the desk was adopted. IN RUSSIA. 125 At Christmas, the children were indulg-ed with a tree, and various presents of ribbons, stuffs for dresses, lumps of sug"ar, &c. were distributed among- them by the lady. It was a festival which, no doubt, rendered that winter memorable in the villag'e annals ; for ten years have now elapsed, during* which the Gospodsky famiUa — the master's family — have not visited those shores of the Volga, save in small section s^ and for very brief periods. The superintendence of the schools devolved on the priest, who in return permitted the chil- dren to reap his corn for him in summer ; a season in which time, as I have already said, was far too precious in those ag-ricultural dis- tricts for any native — man, woman, or child, to think of schooling" or in-door labour of any kind. At one ot our examinations, his reve- rence showed no little pride in exhibiting* three children of the Tchuvash race, a fallen branch of the Finn tribe. The Tchuvashes and Mord- veens had, not long before my arrival, been baptized in a crowd on the river bank by a bishop, acting' under orders from head -quarters ; 126 NINE years' residence they nevertheless, it was said, continued to prac- tise pag-an rites in the secret recesses of a wood near their villag*e. The children were neatly dressed in coarse linen frocks, embroidered on the breast, back, and shoulders with a pattern that strong-ly reminded me of the New Zealand- er's tatoo. These devices are Runic in character^ and the symbolical meaning* of some of them is still understood b}^ the people. Beads and shells of different colours formed their necklaces, and fring-ed their g'aud}^ sashes. Thoug'h they had been three years under tuition, the wild scared look of their restless eyes bespoke minds in a still savag-e state. The eldest g-u'l re- peated the prayers asked of her, and performed all the crossings and bowing's required by the Greek ritual in a flurried manner, her ag'itation being" so gTeat that the examination was abruptly broug'ht to a close lest she should fall down in hysterics. Altog-ether the scene was very pain- ful, for the Russians, both old and young*, shrunk from the poor creatures with contemptuous smiles, as from outcasts and savag'es, a feelings in which the mistress, even while she kissed the IN RUSSIA. 127 trembling- children, seemed involuntarily to par- ticipate. Kind acts, like those just mentioned, g'reatly endeared the Princess to her peasants, who, having' once broken throug-h the barriers of reserve, communicated with her in a certain tone of intimacy, that curiously revealed both their simplicity and their shrewdness, and dis- played whatever patriarchal spirit may be said to exist in serfdom. The following* instances will convey an idea of the intercourse that sometimes subsists between mistress and serf: — An aged peasant of venerable appearance had been invited to sit for his portrait to an artist of our company, and took extreme interest in the progress and completion of the drawing*. A short time afterwards, the old man was intro- duced into the boudoir of his lady mistress, which was hung- round with family portraits of personages of hig-h rank and station in the Imperial service, when the following- dialog^ue ensued : " Well, Sarokin, how do you like my apartment, here, you see, are my brothers?" 128 NINE years' residence '^Ah, Matuschka Helena Ivanovna^ it is a beautiful room, and the pictures are splendid. That is Alexander Ivanovitch^ he is serving*^ I think^ in the Caucasus." " Yes, he was badly Avounded in the last eno'ao'ement, and this is Vladimir Ivanovitch^ now with the jNaslednik (the heir apparent)." " And what a handsome man Anatole Ivanovitch must have g"rown ; wh}', all the family is here ; but where is my portrait ! I don't see my portrait hang-ing- up, and the painter finished it some days ag'o." '' Oh/' returned the lady, unable to repress a smile, " it shall be hung- up, Sarokin, as soon as the frame has been made and fitted to it." She kept her word, Avell pleased by so simple an act to gratify the ancient serf and make herself popular among* her people. On another occasion, a peasant woman standing- in the same tastefully arrang-ed cabinet, broke out into the exclamation : " Wh}^ it is quite a paradise, and you deserve such a dwelling*, you will g'o to the paradise above too, you are so g'ood." In the same strain of rustic admiration^ a IN RUSSIA. 129 roug-h loo"kino* fellow, his face beaming' with smiles, kept walking round and round the l^dy to her great perplexity ; when she asked what he wanted, he replied, " Nothing* more than to look at you, Matuschka Helena Ivanovna." G o 130 NINE years' residence CHAPTER VI. The Eussian Priest — The Monk — Hereditary Priesthood — The Priest's Daughter — Value of livings — Character of Parish Priests — The KiefF Vicar — Superstitions of the Eussian Church — Images and Pictures — Eatiou- alism of the higher classes — Eeligious Toleration — Distribution of the Scriptures — Anecdote of Peter the Great — Orthodox and Dissenters — Fanaticism of the RascolniJcs — AlmsgiWug. From the peasant I pass on to the priest, a transition not so violent as it would appear in England, for in tastes and habits the country clergy in g-eneral are very slig'htly raised above the serfs, among* whom they minister. '^ He is but a moojik," is an expression I have often heard applied by Russians to their priest, whom they g'enerally rank with the starosta, or under- steward. The reverend personag'e, however with whom I became acquainted on the estate j^.hoM':% ambers&:.Sons,Ch.' SVESTCHENNIK OR PRIEST. IN EUSSIA. J 31 of Boris Petrovitch, was an honourable excep- tion to this rule^ both in his own individual qualities, and in the treatment he received from the lord of the land. He was tall and robust in person, with a jovial countenance, and pos- sessed of that essential qualification to the priestly character in Russia, a full and sonorous voice. His g-reat efficiency as a pastor was not derived from his moderate intellectual acquire- ments, so much as from his active participation in every scheme of improvement that was set on foot by the proprietors of these scattered vil- lag-es. As I have already stated the schools were committed to his charge and supervision. A short religious tale that he wrote and had printed for distnbution among' such as could read, and of which he g'ave me a copy, I still preserve as a " Volga traci" He was a mar- ried man, as the law required, for in curious contrast to the discipline of E,ome, the Greek Church makes it a condition of holdino* a bene- fice, that the priest shall have a wife alive ; and as he can only be the " husband of one wife," the lady is I presume well taken care of, and 132 NINE years' residence every human effort made to prolong* her ex- istence. Should a priest become a widower, he enters the ranks of the monastic clerg'jj from whom alone the hierarchy is supplied. It is a strang-e transformation from the lusty priest, with his flowing- hair and beard, in his loose g-reen robe and broad brimmed hat, to the pale monk who has taken leave for ever of all meats strong-er than fish, and who is robed in black with a brimless hat and a crape veil hang-ing- therefrom over his shoulders, the very picture of asceticism, voluntary and involun- tary. In disposing- of his family the priest usually sends his sons to the seminary set apart for ecclesiastical students, whence they are turned out prepared to follow their father's vocation ; so that the clerical profession may be said to be hereditar} , and to partake of the nature of a caste, as well as that of an order. Sometimes, however, the youths enter upon a secular career, either in a military or civil capacity. I knew a man, the owner of some of the larg-est dwelling' houses in St. Petersburg-, who had atn IN BUSSIA. 133 tained to considerable wealth b}^ the shrewd and unscrupulous use of opportunities at his com- mand in the civil service^ and who boasted to me that as a boy, the son of a priest, he had ploughed his father's field, wearing- the luptee — plaited bark shoes used only b}^ the poor peasantry — " and now," added he, '' I am worth 50,000 roubles a year." But the priestly office does, generally speaking, descend from father to son in a long line of succession. The clerical blood, if I may be allowed the ex- pression, is moreover kept pure, by the necessity entailed upon members of the order of choosing their wives from amono- the dauo-hters of the clerg}'. This custom is carried out in a way that curiously illustrates the practical mode of deal- ing with questions of ecclesiastical economy that prevails in Bussia, of which I will give an instance that occurred within my own know- ledge. I was staying' at a village near Moscow, when the cholera was raging violently. The priest, a simple but worthy man, after burying one of his children in the day, was called up in 134 NINE YEAPvS RESIDENCE the middle of a tempestuous nig-ht to administer the sacrament to a dying* person at some dis- tance. Grief of mind and personal exposure broug-ht on a fatal attack of the disease, which carried him off by noon next day. The living* was vacant, but the priest's widow and a numerous family, remained to be provided for, and the following* method, usual in such cases, was adopted for the accomplishment of that end. A petition was immediately addressed to the Metropolitan at Moscow, stating- the cir- cumstances which had deprived the villag*e of its spiritual g'uide, and pra3'ing* his Grace to send an officiating* priest ad interim ; the peti- tion alleo^ed further that amono* the bereaved family there remained a daug*hter of the de- ceased of marriag*eable ag*e. The temporary nominee to the sacred office promptly arrived, in the shape of a quondam militar}' chaplain, a sort of Russian Friar Tuck, who illustrated the abundant flow of his conversation by a copious use of vituperative expletives that certainly smacked more of the camp than of the church. A few days later I saw the priest's daug*hter^ IN RUSSIA. 135 a g'ood looking" young" woman of five-and- twenty^ setting* out for Moscow in a teleg-a and pair^ furnished by the steward. Arrived there, she was in due course favoured by the Metropo- litan with an interview, in which, after a few questions, he informed her of his intention to provide for her and h^r father's surviving- family, by appointing' to the vacant benefice some single man who should marry her. An hour was then fixed for her to come and make her choice, and certain aspirants in the seminary were offered the chance of a wife and a living-. At the ap- pointed time four or five of these }• oung- men were ushered one after the other into the lady's presence, and eng'ag-ed her in conversation, each being" eager to ascertain the lady's attractions, and display his own. The successful candidate, having" the young" woman's choice ratified by the Archbishop, was ordained and married, and soon found himself in possession of a wife, a living-, and a house, well stocked and tenanted by the wife's mother and little brothers and sisters. The value of these country livings, however, 136 NINE years' residence is very small^ and consists chiefly in the house and g-lebe allotted by the owner of the property, and in a small stipend derived from the same source. My memoranda on this point are not precise ; but I think I am not in error in assert- ing", that the priest's annual stipend on an estate yielding" £5000 a-year, was about £13. These feeble resources are aug*mented, sometimes con- siderably, by fees paid for the performance of Church rites and sacraments, and by o£Fering"s made at the numerous festivals which occur in the course of a year. At Easter, for instance, when the priest and his staff of deacons and choristers g*o round to every house, repeating- a form of prayer in each apartment, and sprink- ling- it with holy water, a collection is made for their benefit. Besides the Church festivals, there occur in reg-ular succession during* the 3^ear, the ceremonies of blessing' the waters, blessing* the cattle, blessing- the apples and the corn, and none of these little opportunities of increasing" a scanty income are neg'lected by the clerg-y. The conveyance of a sacred imag^e to the houses of the sick and dying- is IN EUSSIA. 137 also rewarded by small contributions. By such means and by the produce of his glebe, the villag-e pastor contrives to support his family in a position just above that of the peasant. In personal demeanour, the parish priests are frank and hearty enough, given to hospi- tality themselves, and accepting it from others readily. Doubtless there are occasions, on great holida3's, when some among them so far yield to human frailty, as to be overcome with strong drink, it being offered to them at every house they visit. But the Russian sense of official dignity and the necessity of keeping* up appearances is so great, that I do not believe many priests could be found in the country who would allow themselves often to be thus overtaken. M}^ friend Father Simeon certainly would have denied the imputation indig-nantly. A trifling' circumstance will serve to illustrate one feature of sacerdotal dignit}", as displayed in the outward manifestations of conventional respect. I was given to understand that I had been guilt}^ of a solecism in manners b}^ uncere- moniously shaking hands with a priest. What 138 NINE years' residence other mode of salutation remained open to me, a foreia-ner and a Protestant, I could not dis- cover \ but the mode adopted by the foithful is to place the back of one hand in the palm of the other^ and thus present a receptacle for the unction that flows from the priest's iing-ers, which make the sig^n of the cross in the direc- tion of the layman's open hand. Many Rus- sians, particularly among- the lower orders, kiss the priest's hand when they meet him. Yet with all this outward show there is surprising-ly little real respect entertained for the clerg-y as individuals. Boris Petrovitch invited Father Simeon to his sumptuous table very frequently on principle, because he thought it rig-ht to g-ive an example of respect to the office he held, but this was a rare instance of politeness shewn by an aristocrat to a priest. The g-eneral neg-lect into which the clerg'y have fallen would seem to be sanctioned, if not promoted by the Govern- ment, which has no desire to see the reig-n of the Patriarchs restored, or even to be reminded of their former power. The following* anecdote proves the existence IN RUSSIA. 139 of this kind of feeliiio-. There was at Kieff a vicar^ who gained g-eueral admiration by his superior learning- and piety. A new governor of the town was so deeply struck with the reve- rend personag-e's high qualities^ that in writing to head-quarters his account of men and things, he said : " Here is a vicar whose monastic con- dition one must regret, for he has talents that fit him to be a minister of state.'^ This unlucky recommendation was productive of an order, which arrived with the speed of unpleasant news, for the removal of the unconscious eccle- siastic to Viatka, a fortress on the confines of Siberia, where he remained in exile for two or three years. In the same spirit of keeping* down the Church, and asserting' the supremacy of the State, has the Government chosen for the most influential post in the Synod, a military man, the rattle of whose sword is said to silence any unacceptable debate that may arise among the bishops, archbishops and primate. It is not my purpose to enter into detail re- specting the superstitious observances of the Russian Church, for, to give the first impressions 140 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE which they produced upon mj mind^ would be unfair to the Russians ; and to enter into the S3anbolism upon which the}^ are founded, would be departing- from the subject to which this book is confined. The extensive use of imao-es is the CD most observable of these errors. Every Russian bears a small cross, or an imag-e, and very often both, suspended on his breast next the skin ; ever}^ room is furnished with an image, larg*e or small ; they are to be found in shops, school- rooms, barracks, and near water-springs j to the sick and sorrowful, such as are endued with special sanctit}^, are brought from churches and convents. I remember durino- the cholera in 1853, that a heavy image, covered with silver, Avas brouo'ht from the church of one villao'e to that of another at some distance, and afterwards paraded with mournful chants fi-om house to house. If that did not drive away the plag"ue, I was told resort would be had to a charm belonging', I imag-ine, to a pree-christian su- perstition. It consisted in the assembling- together of the single women of the villag'e at midnight, when, with torches in their hand, IN EUSSIA. 141 with hair dishevelled, and robes loosely flowing-, they danced round in a circle, uttering' a wild and meaning-less form of exorcism. AVhatever object came within their view, while performing" this witches' dance, they would pursue and kill, were it man or beast, persuaded that it was a form assumed by the evil spirit which broug-ht the calamity upon them. While the reverence of the uncultivated Russian mind, is almost exclusive^ flxed upon imagfes of ancient and g-rotesque desig'n, taken from the barbarous models of the primitive Greek Church ; the religionists of a more in- tellectual order, employ the art of painting-, ostensibly as an aid to devotion, and ornament their places of worship with finished works by modern masters. A striking' instance of the extent to which this search after scenic effect is sometimes carried, occurred one Easter in the private chapel of a nobleman, at St. Petersburg-. A painting- of Christ in the sepulchre, had been exposed to view there, during- the whole of Passion week, until Easter eve, when at mid- nig'ht, as a crowd of worshippers were en- 142 NINE years' residence g'ag-ed in the imposing- Easter service^ and the multitude were lighting' their tapers, exchanging the usual kiss, and exclaiming Christos voskress, '' Christ is risen/' suddenty the old picture disappeared, and an elaboratel}^ finished painting' of the Resurrection, supplied its place. It is worthy of remark, that the manufacture of the rude, old fashioned images, forms the staple of the old town of Soozdal, which supplies nearly all Russia with them.* To return to the church. Genuine religious feeling, if I ma}^ venture an opinion upon so serious a subject, seemed almost confined to the lower orders. Among the educated classes, the doctrines of Voltaire, Hegel, and the modern rationalists, were continually met with, and openl}^ maintained by both men and women of various deo-rees of intelliofence. The late Em- peror Nicholas, towards the end of his reign, strove to give a religious tone to the society in * This is by no means the sole instance of a town, or village, devoting itself to one particular occupation. There are one or two Eussian villages, where the speciality of the inhabitants is the training of dancing bears. IN RUSSIA. 143 his capital^ and partially succeeded. Religion became fashionable, but freethinking* was not overcome, and Ics csprits fortSy were still to be found in the neig'hbourhood of the throne. What can be worse than the followino- flag'rant instance of contempt for their national religion ? A 3'ouno' ojQficer, speaking- of the compulsory sacrament, of which every servant of the crown must partake, at least once in two years, told me that he and his comrades, in order to avoid the disagreeable necessity of confessing to a priest, gave their chaplain two or three roubles a piece, to induce him to sign the document, which tes- tified to their having performed the solemn religious duty thus required of them by law. Though the young men may possibly have fancied themselves actuated by a sentiment of honour, in refusing to perjure themselves, what can be thought of the military Balaam, who accepted their bribes. The religious toleration of the Russians as exhibited, for example, in the numerous churches in St. Petersburg, consecrated to nearly all the existing confessions of Christendom, may be 144 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE explained by the foregoing- remarks, as springing' from the la}^, rather than the clerical element of the national church. Much of this ma}^ be traced to the philosophic indifference of the Empress Catherine, and to the more christian liberality of the Emperor Alexander I. My readers may, perhaps, be surprised to learn that there exists at this moment, in St. Peters- burg, a depot of our Eeligious Tract Society, where their tracts, translated into E,ussian, are openly displayed for sale ; and further, that these Protestant tracts are not only extensively distributed among the populace, but that,shortly before m}^ quitting the country, they were, by Imperial permission, dispersed among many thousands of the Eussian soldiery. With regard to the recently mooted point of the distribution of the Holy Scriptures printed in the Eussian vulgar tongue, by our Bible Society, I may state that the first edition intro- duced into the empire, was bought up by the Synod, and retailed b}^ that body to any person who applied for a copy 3 but when the edition IN RUSSIA. 145 was exhausted, the clergy had influence enough to prevent the introduction of a reprint.* To counteract the effect of this prohibition, a Life of Christ, embod3'ing- the main portion of the Gospels, was translated into Russian, ob- tained the sanction of the censor, and was printed. According- to custom, it was presented ag-ain at the censorial department as a printed book, and, quite contrar}' to the usual practice, was refused the second approval ; thereby caus- ing- a loss of £200 to the undertakers of the work. A new censor had come into oiSce, and the influence of the clerg-y preponderated. A translation of the Old Testament into the vul- gar tongue was also made by a learned Russian ecclesiastic, and lithographed, so as to evade the censorship to which a printed book was subject ; but being, notwithstanding, made known to the authorities, it was immediately ordered to be burnt ; the reverend philologist himself onh' escaped harsh treatment through having been a pi*eceptor of the heir apparent, * The ancient Sclavonic Scriptures are still disseminated among the dissenters in MS. 146 NINE years' residence tlie present Emperor^ and by living' in compara- tive obscurity. The best motive which I ever heard assigned for this persecution of the Scrip- tures in an intelligible form^ was in the spon- taneous expression made by a well educated Hussian youth, on his hearing- some passag'es read from the Eng-lish version, — " How childish it seems when in a familiar lang'uage." The formal sound of the dead Sclavonic had, by association, absorbed a portion of the real respect he felt for the word of God, and imposed upon his understanding* according-ly. Much of the internal stability, and external preponderance of Russian power has been obtained, by skilfully acting- upon a principle of this kind in politics as well as in religion, and Russia has often obtained g-reat political results by an imposing- display of force, which, if tried, would not have borne the test of action. Before quitting- this subject of the Scriptures, I would mention a curious fact respecting- Peter the Great and his undeveloped views with reg-ard to the Bible. AVhen in Holland, he caused to be printed a large foHo edition of the Scriptures IN RUSSIA. 147 in Dutch, so arrang-ed that one half of each pag-e was left a blank column for the reception of the Sclavonic text, which he ordered to be added to the work when he returned to his own countr}'. To a few copies this was done, but whether purposely or ig-norantly, the various sacred books in Slavonic were erroneousl}'" applied to the Dutch text, and the whole work became a complete jumble. The project was abandoned, and the principal stock of the book destroyed. Copies of it are now only found in the libraries of book-collectors, in two of which I have seen the work. What was Peter's desig-n in having- it done, is as hard to divine, as it is to calculate the results that mio-ht have been produced by so mig-hty an instrument introduced into Russia 150 years ag"o. The uitolerance of the so-called orthodox Russian Church is further seen in her treatment of the Ilascolniks, or dissenters, in the penalties of confiscation and expatriation awarded to new seceders, and in the law which requires the offspring* of mixed marriages to be brought up in the Russo-Greek faith. In this way, the 148 NINE years' residence Protestant father of a family with a Russian wife, or vice versd, is compelled to see his chil- dren educated as members of the established Russian Church. Dissenters from this estab- lished Church are very numerous, and present many shades of difference in doctrine and prac- tice. The Sta7'i vairtzy (or old believers) and the Stari ohratzi (worshippers of old imag-es) are the most respectable in numbers, station and conduct. One source of bitter controversy spring's from the mode of making- the sig-n of the cross j the orthodox unite the foreiing-er and the major with the thumb in performing- this operation j the sectarians insist that the junction of the annular and the little fing-er with the thum.b is the only true way of discharging- this sacred duty. What recondite principle of the doctrine of the Trinity is concealed in this apparently trivial dispute, I need not stop to inquire. The Rascohiiks^ refusing- to attend divine service in the reg'ular churches, assemble secretly to worship in retired places, very fre- quently in the apiaries, which make no unbe- coming* temple. As their schism arose from a IN EUSSIA. 149 religious horror of change, it is not quite unac- countable that they should entertain a strong' antipathy to shaven chins, tobacco, potatoes, and Germans, under which name the}^ include all foreio-ners. There still exists a convent belong'ing to them on the steppes, about 300 versts (200 miles) from the Volga village where I was staying. The church also is standing, and various relics of wealth and grandeur re- main, but reparation even by a single brick is strictly forbidden, as is the slightest attempt to build another. The nunnery was burnt to the ground, and the inmates, with martyr-like constanc}^ of purpose, excavated dwellings in the earth, where they now live. They were commanded to cease rino-ino- the church bells, and even to pull them down ; but the execution of this harsh sentence they left to the officers of the police. The reputation of this persecuted sect was, however, not unsullied, and certain communistic notions and practices were attri- buted to them, which their isolation from their fellow-countrymen might possibly encourage. 150 KINE YEA-ES' EESIDENCE Thoug'h the Russian peasant^ g-enerally spesk- iiig-, has^ accordmg- to his lig'ht, a practical^ common sense way of viewing- relig'ious ques- tions^ fits of fanaticism do occasionally break out in particular communities. The entire population of a village^ belonging'^ I believe, to Count Nesselrode^ was once exterminated by mutual acts of martyrdom. Instances^ too^ have been named to me^ of crucifixion^ maiming^ and mutilation, pulling" out the rig-ht eye, and cutting" off the rig"ht hand, by fanatics who had misread portions of Holy AVrit. An example of another kind of fanaticism was given by the parents of certain children that had been vacci- nated • they scratched the vaccine matter out of the pustules, saying in excuse that it was sinful so to interfere with God's will. From the frequent deprecation of sin by the Russians, one might be led to suppose them the most pious people on the face of the earth. One will sa}^ it is a sin to tell a lie, while uttering the most unblushing falsehoods ; another will pro- * fess horror at the crime of theft, while man- IN EUSSIA. 151 oeuvring' to cheat you. But there is one Christian duty which few Bussians indeed are ever found to neoiect, and that is the p'ivino* of ahns. However small the coin, something* is given to every beg'g'ar, and I have seen men coming- out of churches with a handful of the quarter copecks (less than half a farthing-), which they distributed among* the crowd of mendicants lying- in wait at the church door. The very expression, Ne prognaivetess (Don't be ang-ry) addressed to an applicant whom you do not relieve, shows the universal feeling- with reg-ard to giving* to the poor. One numerous class of beg'g-ars seen in the towns and on the hio'h roads are the mendicant monks and nuns, soliciting* funds for the repair of a convent or the erection of a church. Having- obtained authority from the police, not, I imagine, with- out paying for it, they wander about with a book in their hands, covered with a cross- embroidered cloth, on which lie a few copper coins to act as deco3's, and beg- from every passer-b3^ What sums are collected in this 152 NINE years' residence way I never heard^ but the patient endurance of these devotees^ and the immense distances they are known to travel, used to invest them in my eyes with the romantic charm of middle-ag-e pilg'rims. IN EUSSIA. 153 CHAPTER YIL The PameshtchiJc or Landed Proprietor — Dislionesty among tlie Stewards — The Lord's dinner party — Rural Amusements — Russian Libraries — Imperial Authors — Habits of resident Landlords — Marriage of their Serfs— " The Dead Souls"— Education of the young Nobility — Anecdote of the Emperor Nicholas — Horse-racing — Masquerade Anecdote — Treatment of Political delinquents — The Captive of Orenbourg — Despotism of the late Tzar — Punishment of Count P. — Tax on Passports — The Chemist and the Crystal Palace. Though land is held by nobility of all g-rades^ from Yevo Blagoroclio, " His Honour," and Yevo Vesokohlagorodw, '' His Hig-h Honour," up to Yevo Siyafclstvo, " His Lustre/' and Yevo Svetlocf, " His Serenity," vet the name of Pameshfchik, is g-enerally applied to the class of small proprietors residing- on their estates, " Honours/* and " Excellencies/' rather than to the Counts and Princes, whose immense possessions suppty Europe with grain and other H 2 154 NINE years' residence products. The latter, as mag'nates of the Empire, live in the blaze of court splendour, or in the excitement of foreig-n travel, and rarely visit their country mansions and estates, save to confer with the steward, or make some indispensable reg'ulation among* the peasantry. Like the sovereig-n whom they serve, they are exposed to the dishonesty and chicanery of their servants and stewards, whom they now and then attempt to detect, by suddenly appearing* in the villag*e, receiving- deputations of peasants, hearing" their complaints, and asking* them questions. This mode of proceeding- does not always bring* out the truth, for the steward very often makes the serfs accomplices in his rog*uery, by g'ranting- them unlawful privileg-es at the expense of his master. I saw a flag-rant in- stance of this on an estate of which the staple product being* timber, the steward g-ave no further account of the hay and corn produced, than to say it was consumed by the people and horses of '^ the house," whereas he sold these commodities for his own benefit, realising- three or four thousand roubles a year. The peasants IN EUSSIA. 155 meanwliile, living- in substantial brick cottag-es, built by the owner of the property^ having-, besides corn land and g-rass land for their own use, paid an ohroh of thirty roubles (£1. S-s) per annum, and carried on an extensive business in basket-making-, by which several of them had become rich. In this instance, the ab- senteeism of the lord, seemed to inflict injury on no one but himself. A few of the g-reat nobles, however, with their families, do pass a certain season of the j^ear at their ^^ village," busvino* themselves with the manag-ement of the estate, and partaking* in all the pleasures that the country aifords. Birthdays in the famil}^, and saints daj^s in the villag-e, are com- memorated with unusual festivity, under the presiding" g-enius of the lord, who is too happy to vary the monotony of country life, not to be g-enerous of expense, on occasions of this kind. Friends and neighbours, when only separated by one or two hundred versts, pay mutual visits, and sumptuous dinners are g-iven, consisting- of every delicac}' within reach, always including- a bottle or two of champag-ne, genuine or 156 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE counterfeit. Distinctions of rank are laid aside at these banquets, with the greatest g'ood nature, though sometimes the company assembled is promiscuous enough. I will attempt to describe one of these dinner parties. Previous to the great repast, and by way of introduction to the serious business of eating, a little bye-play goes on in the drawing room, where a tray, con- taining caviare, 03^sters, cheese, salt fish, or other piquant viands, is served round to the guests, together with strong liquors to wash the dainty morsels down. The move into the dining room, is not always made in prim English fashion ; the ladies, however, taking* the lead, if the gentlemen do not offer their arms. At table, the sexes are usually ranged face to face, ladies on one side and gentlemen on the other. Let the reader imagine himself at one of these entertainments, seated at a long table, well covered, and garnished with flowers, and with the fruit destined for dessert, among which the melon and water-melon stand conspicuous. jNo dishes are on the table, for the meats are IN RUSSIA. 157 all served round, but tall bottles of French and Khenish wines, are disting-uished like sig-n-posts down each side of the hospitable board. The lady of the mansion presides : her tall and stately figure, fair complexion, g-olden hair, and larg'e liquid blue e3^es, combine curiously with hig'h cheek-bones, and hard expression of countenance, to proclaim that mixed Teutonic and Slavonic descent, which characterizes many of the Russian nobility of the present day. Her lord, seated opposite to her, is a g^entleman of frank and pleasant aspect, tall and straig'ht in person, somewhat stiff in manner, but, thoug-h mindful of his dig-nit}^, he is evidently fond of a joke. The pale, quiet looking-, and rather corpulent Prince, sitting* near him, with his clean shaven face and loose-hano-ino* o-arments, is the representative of one of the oldest families in the empire, and after holding- important offices in the state, now employs his time happily in the study of old books. The stout dark man, with a moustache on his unexpressive face, is the Governor of the province ; he has the unmis- iakeable look of the untravelled Russian digni- 168 NIISE YEARS RESIDENCE tary, lieav}^^ sensual^ arrog'ant yet cunning*. His Secretar}^, who bears an ancient and noble namC; pa3's particular attention to the bottle within his reach, to prepare himself, doubtless^ for a performance, with which he will favour 3'^ou after dinner, of a nauseous scene, in which, reg'ardless of the presence of ladies, he simulates the disg'usting- contortions and coarse lang-uag'e of a drunken Russianized German. That hand- some^ middle-ag'ed man, with the long* beard and dark flowing* locks, who drinks so indis- criminately and talks so loud, is a priest, whose odd notions and free tong-ue have brouo*ht him into discreditwith his bishop. Theland steward is also here, a Swede, and one of the best informed and most g-entlemanly men present. The doctor, a German, is rather grotesque than interesting* * he is strongly persuaded of the virtue of hydropathy, and converses in bad French, in preference to g'ood German. Beside the genial tempered and timid Russian artist^ who has a pleasant word for every one, sits an Englishman, and among the servants in waiting behind the guests, a French valet, who completes IN RUSSIA, 159 the medley of nations, represented in this distant retreat of a Kussian nobleman. There is one individual among* the company, whose anoma- lous position of half dependant, half relative, arises from a custom very common with ladies in Russia, of adopting children, and bringing" them up. This young- lady, of the true native t3^pe, dark complexion, bright black eyes, me- lancholy expression, and g-raceful little fig-ure, rather inclined to emhonjwintj is complete in all the accomplishments of the day ; music, draw- ing*, and the modem lang-uag-es, yet, though she calls the great lady " mamma," she is in reality nothing- more than a governess to her young foster sisters, and will, probably, in the end, marry either the village doctor, or the family tutor. The table is filled up by the 3^oung members of the famil}^, their tutors and governesses, who take part in the conversation without restraint. Even a little child is there, with his nurse standing behind him, and the propriety of his behaviour seems to justify the system of instructing the young mind, thus early, in the ways of the world. The dinner 160 NINE YEARS* RESIDENCE lasts about an hour and a half, the intervals between the courses bemg- long* ; the cloth is not removed for dessert^ and when the ladies rise^ the gentlemen accompan}" them to the drawing* room; where coffee is served immediatel}^, and the g'uests rapidl}^ disperse. Yarious modes of pastime are resorted to in these country residences, at the places which I visited; there was shooting'^ boating, coursing" the hare, picnic making-, long rides through the forests, and long- drives to see the country round. The Gospodsky Familia also participates in the meny makings of the peasantry, which are general^ of a very quiet and subdued kind. I have been surprised, as well as amused, to see the scramble made by grown up men and women, together with the children, for cakes and nuts that were thrown among them in the hay field. On one festive occasion, commemo- rating the Saint's day* of the young- lady of the house, sixteen peasant couples were married, and * The day consecrated to the Saint, after whom an individual is named, for no Eussian bears a Christian name that has not its equivalent in the calendar. IN EUSSIA. 161 received from their harinn (master) a liorse^ cart, and ploug-h each. For in-door amusements there are in Russian country houses the usual resources of billiards^ bag-atelle, chess, draug-hts, and all the other g*ames of chance set forth b}" Ho34e. Besides these there is very often a librar}^, and in one mansion that I was staying" at there was even an observatory, constructed by a former pro- prietor, who had a taste for astronom}-. This inclination of the old noble was so decided, that he used to instruct his servants, mere peasants, how to disting-uish the various constellations, so that they mig'ht come and inform him of their appearance. "Your Excellenc}', Arc- turus is risen," or " Orion is peering- above the horizon," was no uncommon announcement in the drawing'-room of this enthusiastic disciple of Herschel. The library of this ojt?e^2;(merchant) with his portly body robed in a long- blue caftan, and whose onl}^ mode of keeping* accounts is by means of the schott (a series of beads arrang-ed decimally on wires), is now rapidty disappearing* before a generation of clean shaven, fashionably dressed dandies, who have been educated at the commercial schools established during- the last two reig-ns. I once travelled with a, party of five tallow merchants g'oing- to the Great Ex- hibition in London, and only one among- them retained the beard and caftan, and even he, at IN RUSSIA. 201 the table d'hote in Hamburg'j appeared bril- liantly aiTa3^ed in a sort of hunting' coat, with resplendent gilt buttons. The whole party was very amusing'^ especially on board the steamer, and before the}^ had assumed the overstrained manner and efforts after politeness, consequent upon the fear the}' had of conunitting* themselves before foreig-ners. They had never been to sea before, and were surprised at the lovely calm which prevailed on the water during- a three days' passag'e from St. Petersburg- to Trave- munde. They consumed an enormous quantity of sherry and champagne in that short time ; every opportunity was seized for drinking- healths, and passing- the bottle round ; a lady musician for lack of a piano, sang- tunes for the company to dance to, and her health was fre- quently drunk in champag-ne at the expense of the Russians. A journal was kept by one of them, who would suddenly disappear from deck as a rock or an island came in sig'ht, and at sunset, and on occasion of any other noteworthy phenomenon, to fix his impressions on paper before the}' fled j I discovered, however, that the journal was very often a mere subterfug'e K 2 202 NINE years' eesidence for a quiet pint of sherry. I parted coinpan}'- with them at Hamburg-, but heard subsequeutly that they had been enraptured with London, where they had been sumptuously entertained by the Russia merchants, to whom they g'ave a splendid return banquet at the Albion, before leaving" ag-ain for their own country. I after- wards learnt, however, that the results of their journey were not on the whole fortunate ; they fell into a kind of mercantile ambuscade, being induced to transact larg-elvinthe London market themselves, contrary to the established practice of employing- some of the foreign commission merchants, in St. Petersburg*, and their specula- tions being rash, were far from successful. The way of life of the merchant class at home exhibits more costhnessthaneleg'ance. A merchant must have a splendid prancing horse to his sledge or droschky, thoug-h he may reside in the shabbiest apartments possible, with an entrance, probably through the foulest of court-yards, and up the filthiest of stone-stairs. The viands for his repasts are usually of the most expensive kind, but they are served in so slovenly a manner, that there is no comfort in sittinji: down to IN RUSSIA. 203 them. He spends considerable sums of money on all fete days, visits the katcheli (whirligig-s) and halagans (itinerant shows) daring the Butter-week and at Easter ; but makes up for this extravagance b}^ a rigorous stinginess at other times ; and by being very hard at a bargain always. His wife will appear in public, robed in the richest silks, but with only a kerchief upon her head, while her daughters, being of the new generation, and having learnt French, German, and the use of the piano-forte, wear bonnets of the most florid style, and most striking colours. He is a rigorous observer of Lent, eating hardly anything in that season but fish and caviare, though he drinks plenty of tea, and is not afraid of spirituous liquors ] the sug'ar for his tea is purified b}"" a process that obviates the use of blood ; and the cream is made from crushed almonds, so that he may avoid all animal matter in his food. The last week in Lent, it may be observed, is kept with very great strictness by all classes of people in Russia, who then gavait as they call it, i.e. prepare for taking the sa- crament on the last day of the week : before this solemn act, they attend the church-service 204 NINE years' residence several times every day ; they ask pardon of their acquaintance, should they have offended them in an^^ way • and they almost deprive themselves of meat and drink, so riofid is their fast. It is during' Easter that the wealthy visit the debtors' prison, and release some of the prisoners by pa^^ng- their debts, as an act of charity and mercy, becomino* the solemn season. The number of persons confined for debt, to whom this benevolence can be extended, is limited by the fact, that the creditors are com- pelled to pay for the debtor's maintenance while in prison ; so that they are willing- to accept the smallest "composition," rather than resort to the last extremity of the law. This state of things tends to encourag-e fraudulent bankruptcies, which are very frequent ; and ^hich have been made the object of satire on the Russian stag'e, a place much resorted to by the mercantile class. I have read a drama written a few years ao'o for the Russian theatre, unsparing'ly exposing- this system with a vig-orous hand. The prin- cipal character is a tradesman, who had been successful in business ; but who has resolved to make one more g-rand speculation before he IN RUSSIA. 205 retires. B3" straining" his credit to its utmost limits, he larg'ely increases his actual wealth, which he then makes over to a shopman in whom he feels confidence, and declares himself unahle to pay his creditors more than |th per cent. Eather than pay for their debtor's im- prisonment, they accept the composition of- fered ; and the bankrupt rejoices in the success of his stratag-em, till he discovers that the shopman, who is secretly in league with his (the tradesman's) daughter, refuses to give up the propert}' that has been fraudulently confided to him ; and, of course, the cozened rogue has no redress. Transactions of a kind, which this drama but too faithfully represents, have done much to destroy the principle of credit among traders in Russia. The native dealers do business only for ready money, and entertain little respect for the wisdom of any man who gives them credit. This, perhaps, may be the reason why the foreign shopkeepers in St. Petersburg and Moscow are specially favoured with the patron- age of the Russian nobility, who do not, in the least, object to get into debt. An amusing 206 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE instance of the repug-nance Avhich a Russian feels to paying" a debt; however slig-ht^ once occurred to myself. The trifling' sum of ten roubles was due to me from a lawyer^ upon whom I called for a settlement. He re- ceived me very pleasantly, acknowledg-ed the debt, but could not pay me then ; we entered into g^eneral conversation j and as we gTew more cordial, he said he thought he had three roubles in the house, which he would give me on account ; this I accepted, not without a smile at this sudden relaxing* of his purse -string-s ; our conversation proceeded, and became rather animated, to the manifest satisfaction of my debtor, who, before I left, paid me the re- maining- seven roubles, thoug-li he had at first solemnly assured me, there was not a rouble in his house. He jdelded to honliomiej and a spirit of good fellowship, what the sense of duty would never have urged him to give up ; and his conduct furnishes a trait, highly characteristic of the Russians. Social intercourse among the mercantile class is assiduously maintained by ceremonious visits on birthdays and other fete days ] by balls and IN RUSSIA. 207 tea-drinkiiig's in winter^ and suppers at the datchas in summer, when incredible quantities of wine are consumed. The custom of staying* at home, on one set evening- in the week for the reception of friends, is very prevalent ; and is recommended by its gTeat convenience, since every man's evening-, being- thus well-kno\^'n, invitations are neither given nor required, and a vast amount of trouble is obviated. Tea, talk, tobacco, and cards are the prominent ing'redients of enjoyment on occasions of this kind. The flow of conversation, indeed, is sometimes per- fectly overwhelming' to any one, accustomed to the quiet company of books and newspapers. In the absence of a free press, the Russians seek some sort of compensation in colloquial intercourse, which, when the company are well known to each other, often becomes of the most open and unrestrained character. I used to meet a man, holding- a post under the Imperial Government, who was accustomed to indulg-e in the expression of outrag-eous radical- ism, without incurring- any personal dang-er in consequence. His opinions on political matters were known to his official superiors, who also 208 Ts'iNE years' residence knew that they were mere abstract opinions^ held by a man of a limited circle of acquaint- ance, and put forth for the mere sake of talk. Having* alluded to newspapers^ I may here mention, that I never knew of more than six in St. Petersburg- : three in Russian, two in German, and one in French. The Russian are the Police Gazette^ filled with official announce- ments and trading* advertisements ; the Invalid^ a naval and military journal, formerly edited by Baron KorfF; and the Northern Bee, which enjo3's a certain reputation for the violence with which it attacks whatever is offensive to the law of authority, — its editor was Mr. Bulg'arin. The French Journal de St. Petershourg usually contains, besides the ordinary official statements of promotions, &c., a few meagTe extracts from English, French, and German papers ; it con- sists of a small sheet of four pag*es, not much larger than the London Gazette, with occa- sionally an extra half-sheet when circumstances permit. Of the two German Zeitung*, I know nothing* further than that one is published under the auspices of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. IN EUSSIA. 209 The volubility of the Russians^ facilitated as it is by the expressiveness of their lang-uao'e, becomes very disaoTeeable from the loud tone which they adopt in speaking-. Gesticulation also constitutes an important element in their " art of conversation/' in which, I must add, the prevailing" feature is the form interrogatory. Inquisitiveness is a characteristic, in which this nation is hardly excelled, even by the free citizens of the United States of America. An Eng'lish lady of my acquaintance was once questioned by a casual fellow passeng-er in an omnibus, as to whether she was married, how many children she had, how many servants, what her husband was, how much he made per annum, and how old he was. Mone^^ is a very common topic of conversation among- these semi-orientals ; a friend once observed to me, that it was impossible to pass two Russians in the street without catching- the word ^' rouble " or " copeck " in their conversation ; and on making- the experiment mj^self, I found in almost every instance, he was rig-ht. In spite of this universal eag-erness after g'ain, there is really very little true commercial enterprise in 210 NINE YEARS* RESIDENCE Russia ; the mercantile spirit there, is petti- fog-g-ing-, rather than boldly speculative. Men of all ranks^ however, are eng"ag'ed in trade, and names of the nobility may be seen g-racing" shopdoors ] so that the retort of the Englishman to the old sarcasm, of our being* " a nation of shopkeepers/' struck home, when he said " Our merchants are princes, and your princes are merchants." I know a colonel in the Guards and aid-de- camp of one of the ministers, who alwa3"s took contracts for army cloth himself, and executed them in factories of his own, erected solely for the fabrication of that coarse kind of cloth ; he has, besides, extensive g"lass-works, the produce of which was sold in a shop at St. Petersburg bearing" his name. Another colonel, and aid-de- camp to one of the Imperial famil}^, has grown rich by the sale of soap of his own manufacture ; and a shop in the Nevsky, where paper is sold, belongs to a general who owns a paper-mill. These undertaking-s by men of some fortune, are doubtless encouraged by the Tzar's govern- ment, which sees the importance ofaug'menting the manufacturing power of the country. But IN RUSSIA. 211 thoug-h manufactures certainly have much in- creased in the last twenty years, they are 3'et far from being* adequate to the wants of the people. In 1S52, it appears that there were in Russia 380 beet-root sug-ar factories, many of which, be it observed, en passant, belong' to an aristo- crat. Count Bobrinsk}^, one of the wealthiest and most respectable nobles in the Empire. By a calculation that has been recently made, it would seem that Russia, if left to her own re- sources in respect of manufactures, could furnish no more than one yard of woollen cloth as the annual suppty for a whole famity, 2^ yards of linen for a whole famil}^ per annum, and 3 pounds of soap for five persons throug-hout the year. Of cotton g'oods, 10 yards, and of sug-ar 10 pounds per family, are made annuall}^, while the supply of g'lass and crystal would be limited to six pieces, for the same number of individuals in a year, and of porcelain and earthenware one piece would have to be divided between six families, and one hat among' twenty families. The Emperor has several manufactories of his own for paper, cotton, iron and fire-arms ; but none, I believe, except the last named, w^iich 212 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE furnishes weapons to the troops^ repays the expense of its establishment. Thoug-h there are several mills and zavods (works) carried on by foreiofners in and about St. Petersburof, the g-reat centre of native manufacturing- industry is MoscoAV, and its neig*hbourhood. Yet so poor are the supplies from all sources within the country^ that it has been said^ ^^ if Russia is to be compelled to sue for peace by our attempts to narrow her foreig-n trade^ measures oug-ht to be taken to prevent her from importing* foreign goods rather than checking- the exports of her own products. Besides tallow^ to the value of about three millions sterling-^ the whole quantity of hemp and flax, her principal articles of home growth, will barely suffice to produce one single shirt annually for each of her inha- bitants, since Russia's total annual exports of these products do not exceed the amount of two millions and a half sterling-, or about lOcl worth of those articles per head, if consumed in the country itself."'* The mass of the Russian population, indeed, * See Economist. IN RUSSIA. 213 is clothed at very small expense. Cotton trow- sers tucked into hig-h boots of half dressed leather^ a cotton shirt and a sheepskin coat^ or coarse camlet caftan bound round with a sash, constitute the whole outward man of the moojik, whose entire equipment may cost about ten roubles (SOs), the sheepskin beino- the most ex- pensive article. Ten shilling's would buy a common female costume, which consists of a sarafan or long- petticoat held by straps, which pass above the arms, a chemise with sleeves ex- tending- nearly to the elbow, a kerchief over the head, a pair of shoes and sometimes stocking's, but more frequently strips of cotton or linen cloth wrapped round the leg* and foot ; for out- of-doors wear, a quilted jacket is added to these, and where circumstances will permit, a salope or long- cloak in the German fashion. The simplicity of their dress is not a matter of taste with these people, who when they can afford it are strong-l}^ addicted to finery, and it is amusing* to observe the g-radual transformation of the servant women, who on coming- into town to their first service wear the villag-e sarafan, but as their wag*es are paid and increased, assume 214 NINE years' residence the nemetzkoy mode (tbreig'n fashion), and indulo-e extensively in crinoline. Ekaterinhof is the field favoured by this class for the display of their finer}^, and no traveller, curious in the manners of Russian townspeople, should omit visiting* this place on a g*ala-day, when the promenade is crowded. The g-ardens are maintained in g-ood order at the expense of the municipality of St. Petersburg", and possess one g-reat charm for the citizens in the libert}^ that is there given to smoke in the open air, an indulgence that is not granted anywhere else so near the capital. I Clian-be'i 'So Sons . Cltrnmc "'If THE nn AHTiS IN RUSSIA. 215 CHAPTER X. Military power of Eussia — The Guards — The Line- Peculation of the Superior Officers — Medals — Brutality of General Arakcheef — The late Tzar's mimic cam- paigns — Eeviews — Summer encampments — Eussian Cadets — The young Georgian — The Tzar's Grandsons — Chances of promotion — Nicholas and the sledge- driver — Medical service of the Army — Sir James "Wylie — The Circassian war — The regiment of Kabarda — Eussian ferocity — Desperate encounter with Schamyl- — Use of the Lasso. That the military power of Russia should have become the bug-bearof Europe^ was no doubt owing' to the reputation its armies had acquired for extent of numbers, completeness of equip- ment, and perfection of discipline, rather than to any renown they had won by g-reat feats of arms. If this were the proper place for a disquisition, it would not be difficult to shew by the whole course of Russian histor}', that the territorial ag'g-randizement of that empire has been accomplished by polic}'" and not by 216 NINE years' residence prowess. To wait and watch for the "sickness" and decay of the state whose domains were coveted ; and then, b}^ an imposing display of apparently irresistible forces to terrify the victim into submission, has always been the deep, safe g'ame pla^-ed by Russian conquerors. Such was the course pursued three centuries ag-o by Ivan Yelik}^, or the Great, and such the system attempted to be carried out, happily without success in his last venture, b}^ Nicholas, whom his senators once proposed to call 3Ioodry or the Wise. With this object in view the late Tzar devoted himself to the improvement of his army, especially of the Guards, whom he kept almost always under his own eye. Their healthy appearance, excellent, and in some cases splendid, uniforms and accoutrements, their presence in all parts of the cit}", the con- tinual drill and frequent parades they under- went, never failed to impress the mind of a stranger visiting* St. Petersburg* with the notion that Russia was a great military nation, and the Tzar a chieftain of countless tribes of disciplined soldiers. Now, as in so many other thing's observable IN RUSSIA. 217 ill Russia^ theatrical effect is an element that enters very larg-el}^ into displays of this kind, and without pretending* to deny that the costly efforts of the late Tzar resulted in the forma- tion of a ver}^ numerous and well reg'ulated army, I must avow my conviction that he never did and never could inspire the naturally unwarlike race over whom he reig-ned with a strong' martial spirit, or convert them into a nation of warriors. The ag'gressive policy of the Russians has been successful often, their ag-g'ressive wars seldom, and never without great losses at first; the decisive battles in which they have conquered have been few, while their successful wars of defence have owed more to the inclemenc}" of their climate, the aridity of their desert plains, and the skilful disposition of their fortresses than to personal valour or love of inilitaiy g'lory* We have seen in another chapter how hardly the conscription presses upon the peasant, and with what painful reluctance its sum- mons is obej^ed, and certainly to judg-e from the appearance of the privates of the line their condition must ba- anything- but enviable. L 818 NINE years' residence By the side of the g-uardsmen^ they look the squalid and hag-gard victims of neglect and ill treatment. A troop of Cossacks which I once encomitered in the interior^ instead of the blue coat and trousers and smart cap of the dashing* reg"iments seen in St. Petersburg-, wore dresses of various kinds and colours in wretched condition. What amused me about them was to see two of the band playing* the violin on horseback, while the whole party joined in vocal chorus to a fine martial tune. Rations and clothes are often withheld from the private soldiers, who are starved to enrich their commanders. The extent to which peculation is carried on by the superior officers, was illus- trated by a case made public when I was in St. Petersburg. A g-eneral was degraded and his epaulettes publicly torn from his shoulders, because he had starved his men to death for the sake of the money allowed for supplies 3 when ordered to furnish drauo-hts to augment the army in the Caucasus, he, in order to keep his accounts square, actually dispatched dead men in their coffins as part of the contingent, direct- ing their living" companions to bury them on IN RUSSIA. 219 various points on their route, as if they had died there. Conduct Hke this may possibly become less odious to some from force of early habit, for I was told b}' an officer of one of the g'uard regiments in the capital itself, that he had often been ordered to bury men who had died in the hospitals, during- the nig-ht, that their death mig'ht remain unobserved, and their names be kept upon the muster-roll as long* as possible. This, he said, was a common practice, and added that ^^ an officer in the army might retain the feelings of a gentleman and a man of honour, until he reached the grade of colonel, but after that it was next to impossible, the temptation to increase his poor pay being so great and so rarely resisted." Copious illustrations might be given of the harsh usage to which private soldiers are sub- jected. I have frequently seen officers strike their men and pull their hair, as though the}'' would tear it out by the roots. Medals, how- ever, gained in a campaign, have this real value for a Russian soldier — that the}' keep him in- violate from a blow. Once decorated, no man 220 NINE years' residence can strike liim with impunity^ for the law then protects hiiii. An extraordinary instance of military des- potism^ on the one hand^ and complete subjec- tion on the other, is related of the tyrannical favourite of Alexander I., General Arakcheef. That worthy commander had, by the brutality of his conduct, rendered himself perfect^ odious to the troops under his orders, and on one occa- sion, when the Emperor himself w^as reviewing- them, the cry was raised, Dvoogoy natchalnik, " another commander." The General contrived to explain the difficulty to the easy Alexander, who soon after quitted the field, and left Arak- cheef in supreme command. There were some 12,000 men present in position, on ground close by a river. The General gave the word to face about toward the stream, then " march ;" and marched them right onward until the 12,000 men were nearly up to their chins in water. He then bade them face about once more, and for two mortal hours kept them in that position, while he lectured them on the impropriety of calling' his mild sway into question. The habit IN RUSSIA. 221 of obedience is very deepl}" planted in these people^ or one can hardly conceive why an out- rag-e like this was not bloodily aveng-ed on the spot. The manoeuvres which the Tzar Nicholas was so assiduous in carrying' out every summer at PeterhoiF^ Krasnoy Seio^ and elsewhere^ cost him on an average the lives of 30 or 40 men each season. The exposure and fatig'ues of an actual campaig-n were frequently underg-one by the soldiers in these military g-ames, so pleasing* to the imperial commander. I was informed by an officer that he and his reg'iment were kept on a run^ with all their equipment on them, for 15 versts, (10 miles,) the Emperor on horseback leading" them at a sharp trot. They afterwards had to pass the night up to their knees in a marsh, and so exasperated have they become at times as to insert sand and g-ravel into their firelocks to discharg*e into each other's faces. His Majesty had the success of these mimic campaigns much at heart. The g-enerals who were mal-adroit enouo-h to defeat or out-manoeu- vre him met with his displeasure and were some- 222 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE times disgraced. Eudio'er and Mouravieff have both suffered in this way. The reviews in St. Petersburg* ever}^ May were splendid militar}^ spectacles^ in which .30^000 men, in all the pomp and glitter of steel, gold lace, and waving" plumes, marched to the sound of martial music from 30 bands, in front of the imperial tent, in which sat the Empress and her court, with her ^jreux chevalier ^ the Emperor, his sons, and a brilliant staff, mounting- g-uard near the tent door. Yet, be- neath this g'org'eous display, lay concealed the canker of corrupt administration. As a mat- ter of prudence, commanding' officers usually return to head-quarters a clean bill of health, even when the regimental hospitals are pretty well filled with sick, and in order to maintain the complement of their battalions under the eye of their master, these g-entlemen are accus- tomed to convey the sick soldiers in full uni- form to the parade ground, and allowing* them to sit on drums or whatever is convenient till the Emperor g-allops by, make them fall into the ranks at the needful moment, so that no IN RUSSIA. 223 gaps or deficiencies may be apparent to the imperial eye. The reg-iments of the Guard always encamp in summer time^ some at Novaia Dereony^ on the Finland side of the ISTeva^ some near the Volkqffsky cemetery on the Moscow road^ and the majority at Krasno Selo, near Strelna. In 1848, when the cholera was rao-ino- in St. Petersburg" and the revolutionary mania in the rest of Europe^ camps were formed in the town itself on the ordinary parade grounds. In the course of that gloomy summer^ I had frequent occasion to see a young* man who was under- going the probationary discipline of a younker in the regiment of Sappers and Miners^ and visited him in his tent, which he shared with a comrade. It was anything but a comfortable residence during the rainy season which then prevailedj although the}^, as officers and some- what contrary to the reg'ulations, had boarded their tent round, and endeavoured to exclude the wet from above by tarpaulin, but without much success for the floor remained decidedly sloppy . The external aspect of the camp was orderly in the extreme, the soldiers occupying' long' tents 224 NINE YEAES' EESIDE^XE that contained twenty or thirty men each, while every officer had a tent to himself, or shared with one comrade. Thouo'h mv youno- friends were eno-ag'ed in study^ preparatory to their examination^ the officers generally passed their time when not on duty in playing- at cards, smoking-, and drinking-. The active duties of the regiment consisted in the erection of some very extensive earthworks and formidable redoubts, which, being- regularly sapped and mined when the Emperor had inspected them, •were blown up in His Majesty's presence with great eclat. The Emperor was much pleased with the regiment on this occasion, ordered a silver rouble to be given to each man, and call- ing the officers around him, he inquired their names,* and paid them a few comphments, saying' he always recollected with pleasure that * Among the subalterns present was a lieutenant, Romanoff, whom Nicholas jocosely asked, if he were " a relation of his." Nyett Vaslia Imperatorslcy Veleetchestva ! " No, your Imperial jMajesty," was his simple answer, for which his comrades jeered hira not a little, as letting sHp an Qpportunity of promotion, which a witty reply might have procui'ed him. IN RUSSIA. 225 he had served in that reg'imeiit himself. This mode of rewarding- the troops for g'ood conduct is usual with the Tzars^ whose personal influence it extends^ and compensates, in some measure, for the miserably low pay of the Eussian sol- dier. A donation of this kind amounts to between 8000 and 4000 roubles (500/. and COO/.) ; for a regiment at its full complement contains four battalions of 1000 men each. The battalions, which are commanded by colonels, are divided into Rotas, or companies, of which, in time of peace, a certain number, equivalent to a battalion, retire to their homes till called for, reducing* the regiment, which is under the command of a general, to about three battalions. I must remark by the way that an officer is not allowed ever to appear in public without his uniform, nor ever to employ an umbrella^ though his ample military cloak suffices to shield him from the vreather and to cover any discreprdicies in the cut of his coat. Younkers, who wear the great coat of the common soldier, are not allowed to ride in a carriao-e or on a droschk}', a regulation which, however, I know L 2 S-26 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE was constantly evaded in excursions from the camp to town. In this respect, the condition of cadets in the military schools is more com- fortable, as they enter the regiment at once as officers, yet the rough two years probation of a younker's life is often preferred to the easier duties of the college, because the time is rec- koned as active service in the former case and not in the latter. The cadets, both naval and militar}-, perform like their seniors the service of a miniature campaign ever}" summer; the former, in three old frigates stationed near Peterhoff ; the latter, in a camp situated on a flat plain near the same imperial residence. The cadet camp is arranged in a long parallelogTam, the cavalry and artillery at one end, and the long wooden sheds or stabling for the horses at some dis- tance. The tents stand in rows, or streets, planking being laid down for the roadway where the land is soft and marsh3% The acquain- tance whom I and another friend visited there, held command over a certain number of cadets who lived together in a long canvas tent, the roof supported by poles, around which, atregu- IN RUSSIA. 227 lar distances the muskets were piled in nice or- der. The tent was divided into stalls or compart" ments^each containing" a small camp bed and wooden bench, under and about which the cadet had to stow away his instruments, writing* case, full dress uniform, and all his moveables. Our ' locale' was a small tent at the upper end of this? with a square aperture cut out of the canvas to enable the occupant to overlook the proceeding's in the larg-e one. A bed, two or three chests, a couple of most useful g-lass tumblers, and the same number of chibouques, constituted the '' g-arnishing'." An old soldier, our servant, occupied a still smaller establishment opposite to us, in which he usually reposed on the bare earth^, rolled up in a sheepskin. We passed our time very merrily on this ' tapis vert ;' I was installed in the bed, " Mattvey/' the ser- vant, having" improvised one for his master on two of the chests, the third being- propped on end between us by way of table. We awoke to beat of drum, when Mattvey entered with much reverence, bearing- in either hand a tumbler of hot cJii, or tea, which whilst sipping " en couchant," he presented a lighted 228 NINE years' eesidence chibouque to be inhaled in the same easy posi- tion, and carr3'ing' out the tumblers, returned with them filled with hot water for shaving*. After a bathe in the g'ulf, into which all the camp appeared to have emptied itself, we strolled about^ returning' at twelve to breakfast off fish, flesh, caviare, and cucumbers^ Avhen the tum- blers were ag-ain in requisition with French or Rhenish wine. Dinner^ by the officers^ was taken at four in the mess-tent, to the music of a capital band. A Georgian youth, in a splen- did hght blue dress, with yellow satin sleeves, decorated with silver lace, and a Persian sheepskin cap,* observing- my friend sketch, volunteered to sit. His full oval face, dark eyes and reo-ular features had a melancholy xpression, which was accounted for when I heard that he was the son of a Circassian chief- * I cannot help suspecting that the two officers who fell bravely fighting in the attack upon our trenches be- fore Sebastopol, on the 23rd of March, and who are described by " Our own Correspondent" as Albanians, were Circassians of the provinces which have submitted to the Tzar. Their rich and picturesque costume might induce a belief that they were Albanians. IN RUSSIA. 229 tain, had been taken prisoner in the Caucasus, and was now receivino- an education to fit him for the Russian arm3\ The cadets were in the habit of mounting- g-uard and posting* sentries with the care and vigilance of an army in the field, liable as they were to a visit from the Emperor at any moment. The late Tzar Nicholas made a toy of this juvenile force ; he would manoeuvre them before the Empress, and set them at times the most extraordinary feats to perform. On one occasion,! was told, he stationed a number of cadets at the foot of the o-reat PeterhofF cascade when all the waters were pla3'ino-^ mid ordered them to cli mb up to the top of the rock, offering* a prize to the boy who should be first in this amphibious race. Not many of the little fel- lows reached the terrace above, where it was a poor satisfaction to them to shake their drenched clothes in the presence of the Empress and her ladies. At a review of this cadet corps, held by his Majesty at PeterhofF, I was much amused once to see his two g-randsons, the present Tzarevitch and his brother, in the front line of infantry. They fixed bayonets and 230 NINE years' residence presented arms when the Emperor rode up, with as g'ood a gTace as a joung- militiaman would on Hampstead Heath, their father riding" behind their gTandfather, as the head of his staff. The Russian private soldier is not shut out from all chance of promotion ; by g-ood conduct he may obtain a commission in about twelve years, and even sooner b3"a sig'nal act of bra very The late General Scoboleff, commandant of the citadel of St. Petersburg-^ a man hig-hly and justly in favour with his Imperial master, had been a private in the regiment of Sappers and Miners, and would often point out, while passing* throug'h the barracks as Inspecting* General, the wooden cot that he had occupied when a private. Officers in abundance, however, are furnished from among" the young* men who enter the ranks as younkers, as well as from the numerous larg'e military schools, or as they are called, cadet corps. The system pursued in these immense establishments, tends to infuse a mar- tial spirit into that class of societ}'' which is willing" to furnish officers, however little may have been done towards creating" in the peasant IN EUSSIA. 231 class a passion for military g-lory. The cadets in their tenderest years are clothed in military uniform, with the double eag-le impressed on their metal buttons, a diminutive hehnet on their heads, and a small musket and ba^'onet in their hands. Though a numerous staff of officers and teachers is maintained at considerable ex- pense for the instruction of this juvenile army in various branches of scientific and practical knowledg-e, the large portion of time devoted to the drill, and the long detention of the youths at the camp in summer, render any great achievements in the intellectual field impossible. The prizes consequent on passing a g'ood ex- amination, no doubt are worth strivino- for, 7 consisting' as they do of commissions in the guards, and bringing with them the notice of the commander-in-chief, most frequently a member of the reigning famity, and many a poor gentleman's son has thus had the career of fortune opened to him. Every cadet who passes his examination at all, receives a com- mission in the armv, but beino' sent to a re^i- ment of the line, that is, from the gay capital to a dull garrison town, or a lonely military 232 NINE years' residence station, is not an enviable lot. It is said that certain cadets who have more money than they have learninD* or industry, interleave with bank- notes the papers which the}' g'ive to the Ex- aminers, and thus secure to themselves a mark of " distino'uished" success. The moral charac- ter of these immense educational establishments, containing'^ as some of them do, 700 pupils, is not free from stains of even a worse description than venality. Truth-telling- and honesty in trifles, is not a distino-uishino- characteristic of these military youths, too many of whom hold by the same low standard of morality when they g'et out into the world. To cheat or "bilk," as the term was, a hackney coachman, used to be esteemed a clever and not dishonoui'able feat in some parts of England, and the following" anecdote proves the existence of a similar practice in Russia. One winter's morning- the late Emperor Js^icholas, having- walked across the ice to the cathedral of Peter and Paul, which is inside the citadel, hired on his return, a common hack sledo-e which brouo-ht him to the palace door. The g-reat Autocrat was about to enter the buildino- and order his fare to be IN RUSSIA. 233 paid, when the Ishvoshtchikj who seems not to have known his passeng-er from any other offi- cer^ insisted on keeping- the Tzar's cloak till the money was sent to him, for, said he, ^^ I have been cheated several times by officers who went in at that door and promised to send me the mone}" ; but there are many doors to the palace, and I have never seen either money or officer ag-ain." His Majest}^ was much shocked at this statement, but dishonesty is a national failing- that passed even his power to correct. On another point of much interest at the present time, the real state of the Medical service of the arm}^, I am unable to say much, but as far as appearance went, it was efficient and well manao'ed. There are two laro-e mili- tar}^ hospitals in St. Petersburg-j one containing* 2000 beds, the other 1100. Invalids beyond the skill of regimental surgeons, are sent there, if not affected with ophthalmia or cutaneous diseases, for which there are separate hospitals. The wards shewn to visitors look clean and in g-ood order ', the bedsteads are of iron painted g-reen, covered Avith straw mattresses four inches thick, and in some of the wards a softer couch 234 NINE years' residence of horsehair may occasionally be found. Car- peting* laid down between the rows of beds g-ives a great air of comfort to the ^vards. Another striking* feature of these establishments is the service of baths^ of w^hich there are hot, cold and vapour ; nor can a strang-er fail to remark in the lavatories, the endless series of taps fi'om w^hich the water falls for the patients to wash themselves, as they never, if they can avoid it, dip their hands into that fluid, but allow it to run in a stream upon them. In the chapels, which occupy no inconsiderable space in these building's, service is performed every da}^ The smaller of the two Hospitals which is called the '^ Smolnoi" from its localit}', counts forty-five doctors and surg-eons on its staff, three of whom are resident. Man}- of these gentle- men are Germans, most of them foreig'uers of one nation or another, thouo-h amono* the few natives eminent in science of whom Russia can boast, one is undoubtedly a great surg-eon, M. Pirag'off. The chief of the whole medical staff of the Empire, till his death, w^hich happened last yearj w^as a Scotchman, Sir James Wylie, man}'" years body-surg-eon to the Emperor TN RUSSIA. 235 Alexander I. The career of this g'eiitleman, whose eccentric bequest of his larg'e fortune to the Emperor Nicholas recentl}" excited so much attention, was very remarkable, and will render the memoirs which he is said to have written, if ever published, very interesting'. He went to Russia to seek his fortune in the reig-n of the Empress Catherine, was not at first so success- ful as he expected to be, and about to return home in disappointment, when he was invited to enter the service of Prince Galitzin. A luck}^ operation broug-ht him under the notice of the Imperial family, and he Avas thencefor- ward attached to the person of Alexander. He it was who superintended the embalming" of the Emperor Paul's corpse, a topic that he could never be induced to dwell upon in conversation, the reason for which may be well imagined. He accompanied Alexander during- all his campaig'ns, visited the Empress Josephine at Malmaison by desire of the Tzar, and was in attendance upon Moreau after the wound which cost that General his life. Sir James always said that Moreau would have lived, if after the amputation of his leg's, he had not been dis- 236 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE turbed by g'eneral officers who came to consult with him on the prog'ress of the conflict. The old doctor witnessed the death of his friend Alexander, who seems never to have taken an}^ medicine from him, was received into the favour of Nicholas, and died only a few months before his Imperial legatee. A nephew of Sir James's, who died a few years ago, w^as medical atten- dant to the late Grand Duke Michael, who loved him for certain FalstafF-like qualities that he possessed, being- " not only witty himself, but the cause of wit in others." The long- and harassing- war, with the moun- taineers of the Caucasus, has been so far ser- viceable to the Russian power, that it has fur- nished a probationary school for the army, and by its constant demands on the fortitude, in- trepidity and vigilance of the soldier, has con- verted raw levies into well-trained veteran troops. In this respect, Circassia has done for Russia what India and Kaffirland have done for England, and what Algeria is doing* for France. A few details concerning those troops, which I had from an officer who knew them well, and had led them into many an action. IN RUSSIA. 237 may not be unacceptable to my readers. He spoke especially of one reg"iment that distin- g-uished itself above the rest by its excellent soldierly qualities^ whose commander I liappened to be slig'htl}" acquainted with, and who has since risen to the hio-hest rank in the sendee. To show the confidence which these men had in themselves, my informant told me, that in traversing' one of the wild mountain passes of the Caucasus, he met a detachment of them ; and inquiring' who they were, was answered by the serg-eant, as he stepped forward, " The fir&t soldiers in the world ; we belong- to the regi- ment of Kabarda." Their Colonel had, indeed, identified himself with his followers, not only in leading' them to many a g-allant exploit ag-ainst the warriors of Schamyl, and in attacks upon their strong' Aouls, or fortified villages of the Caucasus, but b}^ accompanying' them in their laborious marches, himself on foot, and bearing-, like a common soldier, the billets of wood, which, in those bleak reg'ions, everv man was bound to • carry from one encampment to another, i saw this g'entleman set out from St. Petersburg', to go to the Caucasus, the Heir-apparent himself 238 NINE years' residence being" present at the farewell dinner, g-iven to him by his comrades. He had given up his property to his nearest relative, in consideration of an annual stipend being- paid to him, in order that he mig-ht be free to carry out a resolution, if not a vow, which he had made, to devote himself to his profession of arms, and to take Schamyl dead or alive. He has since become the first man, or nearly so^ in that troubled regfion of the Tzar's dominions ; and being- still comparatively a young man, he may be expected to play, under the present Emperor, an impor- tant part in the history of his country. To return to my friend's narrations. He himself being- on the staff of General Arg-outinsky, had formed part of an expedition, sent to recover a strong-ly fortified mountain post which had fallen into the hands of Schamyl. Their way lay throug'h a difficult country strewed with rocky debris, a foaming* torrent on the one side, and steep precipices on the other. As they advanced, hug'e rocks were hurled down upon their heads by the women, old men, and child- ren of the tribe, stationed on the summit of the precipice. This destructive by-play became so IN RUSSIA. 239 serious^ that the Russian General commanded a halt, and brought his artillery to bear upon the heig'htS; which he, by this means, cleared. Besuming- their march, the force came upon a most formidable position of the enemy, who, in considerable number, occupied a kind of natural fortification— a rising* g-round fenced, as I have said, on either side by mountain and river, and strewed all over with immense fragments of rock, behind which the Circassians took their stand right in the path of the advancing* Rus- sians, upon whom the}^ fired down a hail of bullets. There was no time for hesitation, the latter formed at once, and charg-ing* g-allantly, carried the position at the point of the bayonet. A circumstance occurred at this spot which, while it shews the ferocit}^ of the Russian sol- dier, will explain, if not palliate, the practice we have since had so much reason to deplore, namely, that of stabbing* the wounded. The statement was made to me in the summer of 1852, before any motives for a war with Eng*- land had come to lig'ht, and therefore long- before the letter recently sent to the Danish Minister at St. Petersburg* on this very subject. 240 NINE years' residence could have been written. It was a common ruse "with the Circassian^ when his ammunition was nearl}' exhausted^ and he had no time to escape from the advancing* enem}*, to throw himself on the g'round^ and, simulating* death as naturalty as he could, fire upon his foe at an}^ favourable opportunity. On this occasion, a Kussian baj'onet was thrust into a prostrate body by Avay of test, and it made the unfortu- nate victim leap ag'ain into life. The officers ordered him to be taken to the rear as a prisoner, but before getting- so far he was knocked on the head with a musket, and hurled into the torrent below by the infuriated Rus- sians. Similar traits of the brutahty and, at the same time, reckless daring- so frequently exhibited by the Russians at Sevastopol, incline me to think that the troops which foug'ht at Inkermann had been trained in the "frosty Caucasus." But to return to the narrative. On reaching' the place which they were sent to attack, the Muscovites were ag'ain oblig'ed to pause and make something* like reg-ular ap- IN RUSSIA. 241 proaehes. The houses m these Aouls, it must be observed; are all built of stone, with flat roofs; and so constitute, with very Httle prepa- ration, a series of little citadels, Avhence the mountain marksmen commit terrible havoc upon an approaching* foe. Of the precision of their fire a remarkable proof was g-iven on this occasion. The Russians had hastity raised a breastwork of loose stones before one of these houses, from which the unseen mountaineers were dealing- out death with fatal rapidity j but the stones not lying- compactly tog-ether, left numerous crevices, through which the rays of the setting- sun penetrated from behind the as- sailants. The besieg-ed did not fail to profit by this little circumstance, for every time that a crevice was darkened the}^ fired at it, and with such effect that in this way several ofiicers and men were wounded in places which the^^ least expected to be touched. A 3'oung* Count Heyden, son of the admiral already mentioned, received a dangerous wound in the gToin from one of these shots. This was not all j the Rus- sians were beg-inniiig- to fall with wounds re- 242 NINE YEAES^ RESIDENCE ceived from below^ no one knew how^ until it was discovered that they were standing- on hollow gTound^ pierced for the service of three or four Circassian sharpshooters stationed in a subterraneous cavern. The entrance to this cavern being- discovered^ and the stone which blocked it up removed^ not witliont difficulty, the bold fellows within were taken prisoners, thoug-h one of them made a daring* attempt at escape, by g-etting* throug-h a hole in the cave and rolling- himself like a ball down a steep ravine ; unfortunately for him, a Russian soldier on the other side of the ravine observed the movement, and rolled down too, with a ba^'onet in his hand, wath which he forced him to sur- render. The house above was not taken till after considerable loss, and w'as then found to contain a very small number of the enemy. The same bloody conflict had been carried on all through the villag-e, which, when he saw that it was untenable, Schamyl finally suc- ceeded in leaving- with the greater part of his followers. The Russians, however, loudly ex- pressed their exultation at this victory, and a IN RUSSIA. 24S Prenchmaii in St. Petersburg', proprietor of the Circus there, made a rich harvest the ensuino* Easter holidays, by a theatrical representation of the capture of the Circassian fortress. It had a run of I know not how man^^ da^'s and nig'hts ; and the Court having* patronized the exhibition, it was considered loyal to go and fiin the patriotic flame by witnessing* the mimic display of a Russian victor}''. A statement was made not long' ag-o, by one of our nev.spaper correspondents, that some Russians at Sevastopol had made use of the lasso to capture stra}^ officers and men belong*- ing- to the besieging" force. Improbable as this story may seem, it is not impossible ; for the Russians may well have learned to perform the feat from the Circassians, their schoolmasters in war, who, as I was credibly informed, employ that mode, among- others, of catching- and kill- ing- their enemies. Concealed on some elevated point, near a Russian encampment, the wily mountaineer lurks with the bloodthirsty pa- tience and vigilance of a Thug, till some in- cautious horseman passing near, unconsciously 244 NINE years' residence offers himself for a prey. In the twmkling' of an eye the lasso is round his throaty he is drag'o-ed from his horse^ and a dag-g-er is in his lieart^ before he knows who it is that has so treacherously attacked him, or from what quar- ter the attack is made. IN RUSSIA. 245 CHAPTER XI. The Tzar — Power of Nicholas — Sketch of his early life — Visits England — His Marriage — Accession to the Throne — Eestores absolutism — Admiration of England — His restless activity — The private bell — Nicholas' art of governing — His unceremonious visits — The Emperor and the Mimic — Anecdote of Nicholas and an officer from the Caucasus — Military mania — The Ger- man artist — Death of the Grand Duke Michael— Eeply of Schamyl's son to the Emperor — Instance of the Tzar's humanity — His behaviour in the nursery — The Imperial parrot — Last illness of Nicholas — His death. The Tzar of Russin, standing' at the head of his nation^ absokite master in fact, as well as in name, of seventy millions of human being's, offers a grand spectacle in these unheroic da3"S. He bring's back to our minds the personag'es of ancient history. The Pharaoh, who by a mere word condemned thousands of a tributary people " to make bricks without straw f the kings of Nineveh and Babylon who razed cities to the ground, and transported their 245 JflNE YEAES' RE.?IDE^CE inhabitants to distant regions^ by whose watere they " sat down and wept f or the Greek and Roman potentates^ who by a nod could send legions upon legious of brave wavriors tog-ratify the inordinate lusts of one man's ambition. A lofty imperial position of this kind the Tzar Nicholas seemed born to fill ; his outward man "looked ever}^ inch a king-/^ and he bore himself as though he w^ould " bestride this narrow earth like a Colossus/' His power was indeed colossal ; with one foot on Arch- angel, and the other on S-evastopol, it cast a dark shadow over all the countries contio-uous to Russia, from Sweden to Turke3\ Yet, though he filled a throne \\\\h so much becoming dignity, the late Emperor of Russia was not a man of that brilliant genius and vast grasp of intellect with which it has been the fashion of late to invest him. His position was an extraordinary one, that of a despot in the nineteenth century. With all the appliances of science, and the noble products of freedom in other lands, at his command, he was absolute ruler over a fourteenth part of the human race, and master of a seventh por- IN RUSSIA. 247 tion of the g-lobe. A finished European educa- tion had been given him, astute and accomphshed ministers surrounded him, and a submissive people bowed before him. All he required to become a great sovereign, was a strong- will, a sing-le purpose, and a firm hand to hold the reins of power. But his possession of these qualities in however eminent a degree, never- theless, did not establisli his claim to the attri- butes of genius, to the wide-searching* giance, all commanding* view and creative mind, which enables the elect few to impress upon the mass of mankind the marks of their own individualit}'. His own words, at least words attributed to to him by Custine, g'o far to prove this truth — when he modestly said, '^ Happily the machine of g'ovemment is ver}^ simple in m}^ country-, for with distances which render ever}^ thing* difficult, if the form of government were com- plicated, the head of one man would not suffice for its requirements." In his vain attempt to shine as a great militar}" commander, in the splendour of his court, boasting' of it as ^' la premiere cour de i'Europe," in his prodigal g-enerosity and even 248 NINE years' residence in his frailties^ he offered many points of re- semblance to Louis XIV. ; and we all know how indig-nantly Napoleon I.^ the most striking- modern example of g'enius on a throne, repu- diated the compliment which ventured to com- pare him with " le Grand Monarque." At the time of his father's tran-ical death Nicholas was only about five 3^ears old, and his education as well as that of his vouno-er brother and sister, was confided wholly to the care of their excellent mother, the Dowag'er Empress Marie. Eight g-overnors and one "chef," among' whom were Storch the statisti- cian and Adelung* the philologist, were appoin- ted to conduct the educatioii of the vouno- prince j a different g-overnor was on duty each day, by which division of preceptorial labour it Avas perhaps intended to save the royal pupil from any individual influence, like that Avhich La Harpe had exercised over the mind of the eldest brother. During' the life of the Emperor Alexander, Nicholas, even when arrived at man's estate, was kept in comparative obscurity ; and he appears to have had no opportunit}* of displaying' IN RUSSIA. 249 his abilities^ except in tlie enforcement, as General, of a rig-orous discipline among- the Guards, "which served to render him very un- popular with that formidable arm of Imperial power. Soon after the g-eneral peace, in his nineteenth year, he made the " g-rand tour ;" but appears to have attracted little more than the ordinary notice, accorded to a man of his rank. When in England, the g-entleman ap- pointed to attend him was Sir W. Congreve, the inventor of the famous rockets, a companion all the more agreeable, no doubt, to the Grand Duke, from the special interest which, even then, his Hig-hness took in every subject connected with artillery and fortification. It is recorded that, in order to assist him in ob- taininof a thorouo-h knowledo-e of the Eno*lish character, a boxing'-match for a purse of 20 g'uineas was got up at Coombe Warren, Avhither the Grand Duke " came in a carriag-e-and-four, accompanied by several noblemen and g-entle- men." How far the opinion then formed of English pugnacity influenced his subsequent policy, or how much Eng-land ma}^ owe to the two rude pugilists, for the respectful conduct ob- M 2 250 NINE YEARS BESIDENCE served towards her by the gTeat Tzar Nicholas^ it is impossible to say. Although^ when he first landed at Deal, a mihtary impulse had prompted his immediate visit to Dover, in search of fortifications, before he left En g-land again he had discovered the real sources of her power, by a g-eneral survey of all the manufacturing districts. As he returned home, he was be- trothed at Berlin to the lovely daughter of the beautiful and patriotic Queen Louise of Prussia ; and the marriage took place in St. Petersburg on the j\- July, 1817. Following the example of his parents, rather than that of his sovereign brother, Nicholas, while Grand Duke, strictly fulfilled the duties of a retired domestic life. If we may judge by the portraits taken of him at this period, even his personal appearance, which constituted no inconsiderable element of the prestige* which subsequently surrounded him, * An amusing illustration of the influence he sought to derive from his imposing personal appearance, is given in an article in the last Quarterly Review upon the " Em- peror Nicholas." An actress tells the Tzar, that his person " a diablement le physique de son emploi," "is de- vilishly well adapted to his line of characters ;" a charge he does-not attempt to refute. IN RUSSIA. 251 was not remarkable. His tall, slender fig-ure, and long' thin face, g'ave little token of the power and energy latent within him. The violent moral concussion, which he underwent on his accession to the throne in the 28th jeav of his ag-e, seems to have acted with g-alvanic force upon his mind and body, causing- the latter to dilate, while it concentrated and invig'orated his mental faculties. The events of that critical pe- riod are written in the pag"e of European history. It would appear from the hesitation then exhibited by Nicholas, that he Avas not fully aware of his deceased brother's intention with regiird to the succession, nor convinced of the sin- cerity of Constantine's abdication. A strikinof proof this, of the small deg-ree of confidence accorded by Alexander to his youno-er brothers. It would almost seem, that in the succession of her rulers during- the nineteenth century, coming', as they severally did, just at the time when most needed, Russia had been under the special protection of Providence. Paul, whose exag'g-erated admiration of Na- poleon I., like that felt by his father Peter III. for the Great Frederic, had led his people into 252 NINE YEAES^ EESIDENCE a war with the nation from whose hostihty hi* country had most to dread, was succeeded by the Hberal-minded Anglomane, Alexander I.^ who once said^ that if he were not Emperor of Eussia^ he Avould wish to he a farmer on Eichmond Hilh The latter^ who, by the force of circumstances, rather than by poUtical or niihtary skill, raised his empire to an unexpected pitch of power and grandeur; but who, at the same time, had unconsciously introduced and fostered principles destructive of autocracy, the chief element of Eussian poAver, opportunely g'ave jDlace to a sovereig'u — Nicholas — whose whole life was bent upon restoring- absolutism to its full Tig-our. But Nicholas, having- suc- ceeded in his object, and having- brought a g-reat portion of continental Europe to acknow- ledge his supremacy, involved himself in a war, which threatened to dislocate his vast empire, and humble its loftiest pretensions, when death removed him from the scene of mortal strife, to make room for a prince, whose liberal education commenced under the superintendence of the first Alexander, and whose enlarg-ed view of matters, politic and social, promise to heal the IN BtJSSIA, 253 wounds of battle, and restore peace to his country^ and to Europe. The effect upon Nicholas of the revolt of 182o was to make him hate and abhor consti- tutionalism. Under the impulse of the shock which he then received^ he devoted himself to the duties of g'overnment^ as though resolved to prove that an enlightened despotism is more suitable to the wants of a large portion of Europe than a mixed government. The convulsions in 1848 confirmed him in this opinion, though the firm attitude of Eng- land during that extraordinary crisis, while it greatly astonished him, excited his profound admiration. Antagonist as he was of political liberalism, his sagacious mind perceived that England was at least as strong and aggressive as himself, and that the day must come when the two powere would cross their swords in a contest for supremacy. Obedient to the tradi- tions of his ancestors, and intent upon the task which the^^ had bequeathed to him, he prepared for encroachments upon his neighbours by strengthening his seaboard, north and south, with vast fleets and fortresses well nigh impreg- nable. 254 NINE YEAES' EE&IDENCE There can be no doubt that the catastrophe of war which fell so suddenly upon Europe, was unduly precipitated b}' Mentschikoff's mission to Constantinople^ the result ^-er}- probabty of a kind of relig'ious infatuation that had latterlj^ got hold of the Emperor's mind ; but that a strug*g'le must come^ sooner or later^ with the powers of the West, was unmistakeably evi- dent. There is abundant evidence of the fact that Russia would willino-ly have delayed the con- test. I was much struck with the reply of a Russian o-entleman in St. Petersburo- who was in daily attendance upon the Emperor, to a question I put to him, when affairs in Turkey beg'an to look ominous, and there was a rumour of war. " Will it be a war with Eng-land or with Turkey ?" said I. " With Eng-land !" he exclaimed, " oh ! no, Eng-land is too strong- for us to g*o to war with her." " Yet," — perhaps he mentall}' added j for a few 3'ears previous to this conversation, I heard a Russian of rank coolly assert that '^' the Russian empire was but a scaffolding*, the fabric of her power being- onl}' in course of erection, and that she was IN EUSSIA. 2d6 waiting* to take advantag'e of the time of transi- tion in Europe." These words were uttered in 1847, at the time of the Tzar's loan (as it was called) to France of 50 million francs, and before the revolutionary outbreak of 1848. At that time Russia, by the manifold ramifications of her efficient diplomatic staif, was so well acquainted with the fig-ures on the European chess-board and their relative positions, that she thoug-ht she could play them as she liked for her own advantag'e, but the rapid evolution of events in France disconcerted her, and a false move made in relation to that country and her remarkable ruler, spoiled the Russian g-ame. But to return to Nicholas and his personal character. He was essentially the man of action, g"uided by a spirit of resolution that was seldom '^ sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thoug-ht ;" that is to say, his vision was clear enoug-h when directed towards a sing'le object, while his mental rang'e was not so wide as to disturb the fixity of any resolve he mig'ht make to attain such object. The very reverse of Hamlet, who has been said to typify modern 256 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE Germaiiyj Nicholas, at the head of Russia, mig'ht find a truer representative in Macbeth. He worked incessantlvj examining- state papers, consulting' with his ministers, inspecting- public establishments, superintending* court ceremo- nies, holding- reviews, and traveUing- from one end of his vast empire to the other, with an impatient activity that allowed him no rest. He endeavoured to exercise a personal super- vision over the whole country, and to facilitate his object, he reduced the entire system of o'overnment to one of military uniformity and routine, the strict reg'ulations and etiquette of which he allowed none but himself to break throug-h. His vig'ilance, however, was often defeated by the cunning- of his " amiable" people, as he called them, in his conversation with Custine. I v.as amused to discover in the porter's lodge of some of the public establish- ments at St. Petersburg-, a private bell-pull; which was used for one purpose only, nameh', to announce the sudden arrival of the Emperor or some member of the Imperial family. The late Tzar exercised his faculty of con- trollino- and iufluencino- other men with some- IN RUSSIA. 257 thing' like artistic care ; it was his art of go- vernino-. He studied the men who came in contact with him, and operated upon their minds with the skill of a consummate actor, distributing: smiles and frowns with admirable discrimination. He knew how to play off his ministers ag-ainst each other, just as Nesselrode produced a balance of Russian influence in Europe, by setting- the Courts of the Continent one ag*ainst another. Nicholas did not scruple to make instruments of the members of his own family. That he mio-ht always shine before the soldiers, like the Sun of mag-nanimity and g-enerosity, his brother, the Grand Duke Mi- chael, a man of reall}^ kind heart and the com- mander-in-chief, was made to be the represen- tative of unflinchino- rio-our and of sternest dis- cipline. On the other hand, in order to keep those immediately around him on the alert, the Tzar did not hesitate to mortify and humble the high functionaries of State, by sternly no- ticing trivial errors, omissions of " tithe, anise, and cummin," even when he remained undis- turbed by the knowledge that " weightier mat- ters of the law were left undone," and beyond 1^58 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE his power to enforce. An instance of the dis- agreeable things which he could say and do, was exhibited at a visit which he condescended to pay to one of his wealthiest subjects, allied by marriag-e to a reig'ning* house in Europe. The g-entleman, who in some manner had dis- pleased the Tzar, received his Imperial g-uestat the door, with a taper in each hand, and walked backwards all the way until he had ushered him into the saloon where the company were assembled, without once receivino* a word or a glance of recognition. " Does he think," said Nicholas, to one of his officers, " that I am come to see him? I came to see my cousin, the princess ;" and he made his way, without further notice, to the place where his host's wife sat receivino- her visitors. Althoug-h he had an intense feeling of his own personal dignity and what was due to it, he often overstepped the bounds of etiquette in his conduct towards others ; for instance, in the abrupt, unceremo- nious visits which he paid to crowned heads in Stockholm, Berlin, and Vienna; and again in his frequent, unexpected appearance in assem- blies of his own subjects ; for, be it understood, IN RUSSIA. 259 with all this apparent familiarity of behaviour, it was not friendly intercourse that he soug'ht_y since his presence alwa3'S inspired a feeling* of restraint, if not of terror. The g'racious affa- bility, which he knew well how to assume, was rarely exhibited^ except in the privacy of his palace ; or, if in public, it was with a special view to produce an effect. He once entered an omnibus, when those vehicles were first started in St. Petersburg-, but, thoug'h he bade the pas- seng-ers keep their heads covered before him, every one seemed desirous of escaping- from the carriag-e, and from their proximity to this " Leviathan at play." The conductor wished to take his Majesty to the palace door, but the Emperor's g'ood sense, or his love of order, for- bade any such departure from the reg-ular routine. Nicholas, like other potentates, was often disposed to enjoy a joke -at the expense of his friends, a characteristic that was once ludi- crously displayed in the apartments of Prince Yolkhonsky, Hig-h Steward and Minister of his Household. During- an interview which Martineff, the comedian and mimic, had sue- 260 NINE YEAES^ RESIDENCE ceeded in obtaining' with the Prince, the Em- peror walked into the room unexpectedly, yet with a desig'n, as was soon made evident. Telling- the actor that he had heard of his talents, and should like to see a specimen of them, he bade him mimic the old minister. This feat was performed with so much g-usto that the Emperor laug-hed immoderate^ ; and then, to the g'reat horror of the poor actor, de- sired to have himself ^' taken off." ^' 'Tis phy- sically impossible," pleaded MartinefF. " Non- sense," said Nicholas, ^^ I insist on its being- done." Finding himself on the horns of a dilemma, the mimic took heart of g-race, and, with a promptitude and presence of mind that probabty saved him, buttoned his coat over his breast, expanded his chest, threw up his head, and, assuming- the Imperial port to the best of his power, strode across the room and back, then, stopping- opposite the Minister, he cried, in the exact tone and manner of the Tzar, " Volkhonsky ! pay M. Martineff 1000 silver roubles." The Emperor, for a moment, was disconcerted ; but, recovering- himself with a faint smile, he ordered the money to be paid. IN RUSSIA. 261 The story was long- current among- the g-ossips of St. Petersburg*, to whom it afforded infinite amusement. I will here relate an anecdote, which g'ives a favourable view of the late Emperor's manner when he was pleased. I g"ive the scene as described to me by the officer who enacted a part in it. This g-entleman was the bearer of despatches from the Caucasus, where, after an obstinate conflict, a fort had been re-captured from Scham3'l. He had been travelling* for twenty-five days without stopping-, and at the last station before reaching- St. Petersburg- was so prostrated by fatig"ue that he had to be lifted out of one teleg*a into another. The prospect of an interview ^^'ith the Emperor, however, roused him completely, and thoug'h on entering* the capital he found that his Majesty was at Tzarsko Celo, which necessitated a further drive of nearly 30 versts, the excite- ment of arriving- at the palace must have imparted considerable animation to the young- officer's handsome face. Soiled, unshaven, and rag-g'ed as he was, (for the long- journey had left such marks upon his outward man S6'2 NINE years' residence that he was^ on his return to town^ refused admission into the first class carriao-es of the railway train), he was ushered immediately into the Imperial Cabinet. Here the Emperor received him, and taking- the despatch from his hand, laid it down upon the table unopened; then making' the captain sit down, he said, •' Haskajee vso kak builo,'' " Tell me everything- as it hap- pened." This the officer did with an eloquence peculiar to him, and which the occasion called prominently forth. His Majest;y seemed hig-hly pleased with the recital and manner of it. He kissed the narrator on both cheeks, and bade him ^' go and sleep, for he must need it." As the latter remounted to his telega in order to proceed to the War Minister, who had required the interview to be reported to him, an envelope was put into his hands, addressed to that hig-h functionary. It proved to be the " orders of the day," written in pencil,* bN^the Emperor's own iiand, and was to the followino- effect : "^ Intelii- * The Emperor Nicholas, I have been informed, usually ■wrote with a pencil, even when signing ukases and other state documents. The important autograph was imme- diately fixed by the application of some kind cf varnish. IN RUSSIA. S63 g'ence of the capture of Fort Axtee has been broug*ht b}' Colonel , my Adjutant." In the corner was written, " Kajetsa shfo 7nuladetz" " he appears to be a fine fellow." The Minister cong'ratulated the young* man upon this some- Avhat unusual promotion from junior Captain to be Colonel and Adjutant to the Emperor, by which indeed his fortune was made ; for since that time he has worthily fulfilled several important missions. The military mania of the late Tzar was exhibited not only in the manoeuvres, parades, and exercises which he continually inflicted on his soldiers, but in a certain attention to the minutife of costume and appearance that in any other person would have been harmless and amusing. It is said, for instance, that when men were wanted for the Guards, picked sol- diers of the line were submitted to his Majesty's inspection, who apportioned them among- the several regiments according* to their stature, complexion and g*ood looks ; so that he had not only the tall and short regiments, or hg-ht and dark ones, but also the ugly and the handsome soldiers duly sorted and paraded in distinct 264 NINE years' residence battalions. One of the curiosities of his palace was a room containing* the uniforms of ever}" reg"iment in his army, made for himself to wear, on occasion of special visits to the diffe- rent barracks. Another object manufactured for Imperial use was a dinner service of Russian porcelain, with the devices and uniforms of every reg-iment in the army ; and in the private Imperial Cabinet, at Tzarsko Celo, mentioned above, I remember being- struck with the bald simplicity of the furniture and decora- tions, the latter being* nothing' more than an immense series of papier mache models of cavalry soldiers. The Tzar's ideas of the picturesque even were formed on military principles, as the following* anecdote will show. An old German artist residing* at Tzarsko Celo, told a friend of mine that he had been eng-ag'ed for some twenty years executing* pictures of the interior of the arsenal there, and all its contents. " The Em- peror," said he, " at one time often came to look at my work, and the only fault he found with it, was that, in the fig-ure of that old soldier who acts as warder, I had, to relieve IN RUSSIA. 265 the straight lines of his unifornij depicted two buttons of his coat unfastened^ which was against the reg-nlations. He conies more rarely now, but is always very kind, and finds no fault." This was said shortly after the sudden death of the Grand Duke Michael^ the Emperor's ^-ounger brother, at AVarsaw — an occurrence which deeply affected him. '^ Our old friend is gone," said the Tzar to one of the pen- sioners at the arsenal, taking hold of his arm and walkinj)- alonsf with him ; " our brother is gone before his time and out of his turn. Alex- ander Paylovitch went first, then Coustantine Pavlovitch, and now it was m)" turn ; but it has pleased Providence to take Michael Pav- lovitch, who was a true friend to the Russian soldier. I must wait." He had a shorter time to wait than he probabl}' anticipated. Acts of gracious condescension like this were more frequent towards the humbler classes, who received them as pure bounty, than to his more aristocratic subjects, who would scan his motives, and perhaps seek to profit by the occa- sion. His Majesty is said to have been once rather N 266 NINE years' EESIDEN'CE disconcerted by the repl}' of Schamyl's soUj who, having' been taken prisoner, Avas being* educated in the first cadet corps. Having* taken the boy on his knee, the Tzar asked him what he would do, if he were now to be sent back to Circassia. " Fight for my father, and kill the Russians," stoutly returned the 3'outh. Good care was taken that he should not do this, and he was made to enter the Russian service. According* to recent reports, the young* man has been sent back to his father, in exchang*e for the Russianladies of rank, seized by Schamyl in his late foray into the neig*hbourhood of Tiflis. Another illustration of the g'ood-nature of the Tzar Nicholas must be g*iven here, since it sprang- from a genuine feeling* of kindness. By orders of his medical men, he was accus- tomed to walk out every morning* between eight and nine o'clock. I have often met him in the precincts of the Winter Palace, striding* along with no other company than two or three English greyhounds. In one of these prome- nades, it appears one of the dogs had snatched a hunk of black bread from the hands of a IN RUSSIA. 2Q7 squalid little lad, who Avas running- home ^^ ith it. The urchin heo-an to cry out lustily, and to call the doo- by all the vile names he could remember, to the no small amusement of the Emperor, who had observed the incident, " Why are j^ou calling- my dog- by such hard names ?" said the Tzar. " Oh, the vile rascal," returned the boy, who did not recognize his interlocutor ; " he has taken all the bread that my mother was to have had to-da}^ I had just bought it in that lavka,''^ pointing- to a dirty shop in a cellar, and shedding* tears of vexation. "Where does your mother live? But come along" with me, and I will get you some bread." He took the rao-o-ed little fellow with him into the palace, where the astonished attendants were directed to suppl}" him with food, to ascer- tain full particulars of his mother's actual con- dition, and to report to His Majesty. The poor woman proved to be the widow of a peesar, or writer in a public office, in very reduced cir- cumstances, and her heart was rejoiced by the receipt of a pension, such as her husband would have enjoyed for length of services, had he lived to perform them. 268 NINE years' eesidence The behaviour of a man towards children or other irresponsible agents, is sometimes a key to his character ; and Nicholas, if he could have felt sure that his sixty milHons of subjects were really in the state of ])upilao'e to which he would have had them reduced, would pro- bably have relaxed the sternness of his bearing- towards them, and allowed himself to indulge in a roug'h jocularity-, and play the g-rim humourist, like the ancestor of his friend Fritz, Frederic the Great. An indication of this disposition may be discovered in the Emperor's manner -when in the nursery of his g-randchil- dren, the sons of the present Emperor, who were under the charg-e of English nurses. I have heard that it was a standing- joke with the Autocrat to employ the little English he knew in saying' " naughty words" to the children, and to enjoy with malicious zest the remon- strances of the worthy women which this language provoked. Another slight illustration of the bent of the " iron Tzar's" disposition, is to be seen in the trivial circumstance of his possessing' a parrot that imitated his voice exacth. I was IN RUSSIA. 2 09 once o-reatl}' amused b}^ hearing- a lady describe her alarm, while passing- on a court day through the private rooms of the palace in order to escnpe the crowd of courtiers, at finding' herself sud- denly brought to a stand-still by hearing* the ang'ry voice of the Emperor in the apartment she was about to enter. Her pause of per- plexity enabled her to discover that the tones proceeded from the parrot, His Majesty being-, as she had at first supposed, in the throne- room surrounded by his court. Many facts no doubt could be collected to shew that this ' demig-od,' as he has been called, justified the French proverb, which says, that no man is a hero before his valet-de-chambre. Here is one : it was afiirmed in St. Petersburg*, with how much truth I cannot sa}'', for valets in such cases are discreet, that the tig-ht bandag-e round his waist, which the Emperor persevered in when past middle ag*e, for the sake of pre- serving* his fine military fig'ure, occasioned, when unbuckled at nig-ht, such a reaction in his physical system that His Majesty often fainted. Recent events must have seriously affected his health. In September, 1853, when 270 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE the shadows of these events had already fallen upon him, he was much changed from what he had been a few months before. I saw him then, for the last time, he was in an open caleche with his second son the Grand Duke Constantine; deep furrows marked his face, his clieeks hung- down, his eyes were sunk, and the bold and confident bearing of the would-be master of Europe was gone. Severe, indeed, must have been the trial which reduced his haught}' spirit, thus to confess as it were before the public eye a weakness of frame that the first illness which ensued might and indeed did render fatal. He appears, however, for the last year of his life, to have thrown himself upon the loyalty and affection of his people almost unreservedly, and as a last resource ; and he perhaps never was so much beloved by them as when, baffled and defeated by his antao'onists, he lay down to die. Though the touching spectacle* of the strong man brought low, and taking an affec- tionate farewell of his tearful family and friends, has excited a kindly feeling among even the * See Quarterly Eeview, Xo. 192. IN RUSSIA. 271 enemies of the powerful monarch, yet it is impossible not to remark an instance of the strength of his ruling* passion, even in that solemn moment. Dr. Mandt, whose veracity no one who has had the pleasure of knowing him will be inclined to doubt, reports as follows: — At ten minutes past three, he asked me, after I had mentioned the name of his father-confessor, " Must I then die ?" I an- swered, "Yes, Sire." Not a muscle of his face moved, not the least quickening of pulsation. " HoAV," said he, " can you find the courage thus to doom me to death ; to tell me so to my face ?" What a truly imperial sense of per- sonal dignity was there in that question, what an indomitable confidence in himself seems to have returned to the dying Tzar, when a sub- ject took the liberty of telling him to his face that he was mortal ! Yet the real greatness of the man shone out upon his death bed. He flinched from no suffering, omitted no duty, forgot no friend. The power and welfare of his country seem to have occupied his thoughts to the last, while the occurrences of his eventful reign passed in review through his mind. He 272 NINE YEABS^ KESIDENCE sent special thanks to the re^ments of Guards, who had been faithful to him durino- the con- vulsion which marked his accession to the throne ; he remembered the words of his father-in -la Wj the late King- of Prussia, and requested that his brother-in-law Fritz should be reminded ag-ain and ag'ain of those promises of fidelity to Russia.* From the num- ber of persons he saw and conversed with; there can be no doubt that he disburdened his mind of all state secrets. He told the Empress she ought to remain on earth in order to be " the centre of the family," as his own mother had been in regard to himself and brothers. To his son and heir, he doubtless confided the whole scheme of his policy, and his view of its prospects of success, and instructed him how to retreat and when to advance. His interview with the father-confessor may have been not the least interesting- of these solemn '^ last * It now begins to appear, that when Frederic Wil- liam III. gave his daughter to the young Grand Duke Nicholas, in 1817, a sort of compact was made with Alexander for the exclusion of Constantine from the throne and the siTCcession of iS'icholas. IN RUSSIA. 273 words;" though the pride that made itself apparent in his conversation with the medical man, may have borne him unhumbled through this exacting- rite of his reHgion. What were the unspoken thoughts and silent souvenirs of the hour of dissolution, no one on earth can tell. Times of previous escape from death must vividly have recurred to his mind— the conflict with his rebel troops in December^ 18*25 — the storm in the Black Sea, on his re- turn from Varna, in 1829 — the quelling of the fury of the populace, at the time of the cholera in 1831 — the conspiracy in 1848 — and an attempt upon his life, which is said to have been made in the Winter Palace itself.* * The story here referred to, which I heard in St. Petersburg, is to the effect that a certain senator, suffer- ing from some real or imaginary wrong, resolved to stab the Emperor in his bed ; but that, by means of a woman, this design was made known to the Tzar. A senator, by reason of his rank, can demand access to the Sovereign at any hour of the day or night, with a plea of urgent busi- ness. Precautions being taken, the would-be avenger was admitted to the palace in the dead of the night, and hastened towards the Emperor's chamber ; passing by the first sentinel, he came upon the Grand Duke Michael 274 NiiNE years' residence His death, though straiig'ely enoug-h predicted on physiological gTounds by Dr. Granville, came upon Europe like a thunder-clap, announ- cing- to many of its inhabitants a dispersion of the heavy clouds that oppressed the nations^ while to a small number of them it presaged a great diminution of apparent strength and influence. It was, as the Chinese say, when speaking of the death of any of their Emperors, '''■ The crash of a falling mountain,"* the rever- berations of which resounded from one end of the world to the other. statloued as sentinel in the private corridor, who allowed him to proceed ; at the chamber door stood the Grand Duke Alexander, also disguised as a sentinel, who siilFered him to enter the room. The assassin went straight up to the bed, and plunged a dagger into the figure lying there ; the Emperor stepped from behind a curtain : the figure in the bed had been of wax. The senator was immediately secured with as little eclat as possible, and put into confinement as a maniac. * The Chinese have difierent words for death, accord- ing to the rank of the individual ; Sze is the ordinary term ; Hung for a nobleman or prince ; Pang for the Emperor, which signifies, " to rush down as a falling mountain." — Hue's Chinese Empire. IN RUSSIA. 275 He left a name that will demand the respect of Russians to a late posterit}'^ both for what he projected^ and what he accomplished towards the agg-randisement of the empire ; Avhile even the g*rand mistake which he committed^ in excit- ing- the present war, may produce happy results for his country, if the nation thereby learns its proper place in the world, and the bounds which it cannot safely pass. The most valuable legacy he bequeathed to his people were the penitent words, preg-nant with instruction for his suc- cessors, which were among- the latest that he breathed : " If the condition of all ni}^ subjects has not been improved as much as I could wish, it is because it was not in my power to do more." This confession carries with it a decisive condemnation of the form of government called " absolute," a system in which Nicholas had placed entire confidence for the regenera- tion of his country, and it should teach all succeeding Tzars, who have the welfare of their subjects at heart, to modify their despotism, and unite their people with them in seeking to benefit the fatherland. Ten 3'ears have barely elapsed since this 27(i NINE years' residence gTeat Potentate was the welcomed and highly honoured g'uest of England, who applauded to the skies his munificent liberality, his justice, his love of peace and order, and was confident that hi him she had secured a friend, whom no untOAvard circumstance could possibly detach from her. But, like another Caesar, misled by his ambition, Nicholas crossed his Rubicon (the Pruth), and encountered a more formidable confederacy than was ever dreamed of by his prototype. In that month, the Ides of which proved so fatal to the ancient conqueror, the Emperor of the north, who grasped at the dominion of t\\ o continents, breathed his last sigh, and the generous feeling" of England on the fall of an enemy, who had once been a friend, would not be ill expressed by the lan- guage of the Roman patriot : " As Ceesar loved me, I aa eep for him ; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it ; as he was valiant, I honour him ; but as he was ambitious, I slew him. There is tears for his love ; joy for his fortunes ; honour for his valour ; and death for his ambi- tion." IN RUSSIA 277 CHAPTER XII. Alexander II. — His character — Anecdote of the fabulist Kriloff — Alexander's position during the military re- volt — His education — His companions — Arsenieif his preceptor — Pension of tutors — Alexander's visit to England — His marriage — Character of the present Empress — Banquet at Orenburg — Alexander's excur- sion in the Caucasus — His personal appearance — Paternal affection — Sketch of the Imperial family. Of the sovereig-n who has just mounted the throne of all the Russias, Alexander Nico- laeviteh^ very little is yet known beyond the precincts of his own capital, and even there the reserve entailed upon him, by the necessities of his position, has hitherto prevented the g-eneral public from arriving* at any just appre- ciation of his character. From the little that I heard concerning- this Prince during" my residence in St. Petersburg-, I g'athered, that the role ofbon vivant was partly assumed by him from a prudent regard to the 278 NINE years' residence jealous fear of Nicholas^ who would rather have seen his son eng^qo-ed m the frivolities of the day than have brooked a partner near his throne. The manner of Alexander, as Heir-apparent, when with his father at reviews and on other public occasions, expressed, as far as my obser- vation went at least, quite as much the fear of a subject as the love of a son. It may be however that the Prince, when he became master of his own household, was not sorry to make amends for the simple regimen to which he was restricted when under the charg-e of tutors and g'overnors. In illustration of this simplicity of living-, an anecdote is told of the disappointment experienced by the Fabulist Kriloff, a famous g-ourmand, who was at that period invited to dine with the Tzareyitch. In anticipation of a g'lorious feast, the Russian Lafontaine observed a rig-id fast that day, that he mig'ht be able to appreciate more intensely the g'ood thing-s that would be set before him • and he resolved further not to indulge larg-ely in the first courses, but reserve himself for the more refined dishes, which would doubtless IN BUSSIA. 279 close the banquet. Punctual to the hour appointed^ half-past three, the compan^^ assem- bled and sat down to table, the Grand Duke, his tutors and Kriloff. Soup was first served^ of which the g^uest partook comme de rrgle, thoug-h it was nothing* very extraordinary in quality ; but of the plain beef, the sly gour- mand ate so sparing-ly that his host, not pene- tratino- the motive of such abstemiousness, pressed him to partake a second time. But His Hig'hness pressed in vain, for the wily diner-out awaited better thing's ; on the tenter- hooks of expectation he continued conversing- his best, w^hen, to his horror and dismay, the Grand Duke rose from table, and the visitor discovered that the repast was at an end. The poor Fabuhst went home half-famished, vowing* never to be taken in again by the prospect of a dinner at the palace. Alexander was in his eio-hth year when his father came to the throne, and at that tender age bore a part in an incident which might teach him that a monarch's path is not all strewed with roses. In the militar}- revolt, which threatened to deprive iNicholas of the 2S0 NiiNE years' residence crown he had but just assumed, the child Alexander was confided by his father to a reg'iment of infantrj^ of the Guards, with a solemn injunction that, whatever happened, the}' should defend him to the last. They accepted the charg-e, and as they handed the young" Prince through the ranks, vowed to shed the last drop of their blood in his defence. The rough kindness of these bearded men, who could not be induced to g-ive up the boy till the Emperor himself had told them that the crisis was over, must have made a deep im- pression on Alexander's mind. His education had been beg'un under the partial superintendence of his uncle Alexander I., whose character is thought to have strong"ly impressed, and in some measure to be repeated in, his own. Visitors to the park of Tzarsko Celo may still see the handsome teleg-raph tower and mimic ruin, which, with its surround- ing* apparatus for gymnastical exercises, was erected by Alexander I. for the use of his nephew^ Nicholas himself, however, paid great atten- tion to the practical education of his children. IN RUSSIA. 281 In the larg-est lake of the park at Tzarsko Celo is a small island^ on which the Grand Duke^ with the assistance of other boys, built a house and laid out a g-arden ; thither he was accustomed to row his sisters in a boat, and reg'ale them with the produce of his own g-arden. The youths thus placed in com- panionship with the young- Prince were care- fully selected from among- the sons of the nobility. Several of them, profiting- by this brilliant opening- of their career, have since distinguished themselves b}- their prowess, and obtained rapid promotion, and they will no doubt ere long- be invited to the counsels of the young- Emperor, or be entrusted with the execution of some of his enterprises. In measuring- the extent of Russian mili- tar}' power, now that death has removed the Sovereig-n whose iron will compacted (so to speak) and invig-orated his forces, we shall do well to remember that the present reig-n has a compensation for that stern and dreaded will, in the mutual confidence which exists between the Tzar and a faithful band of friends of his own ag-e, trained like himself in all the know- 2S2 NINE YEAES' RESIDENCE ledg-e of the time ; enthusiastic^ proud; and ambitious for themselves and for their country. The object of the Tzar Nicholas^ in appointing- these companions for his son^ and in choosing- them from the best Russian famiUes was^ no doubt; to make the heir to the throne as national as possible. Indeed the nationalism, for patriot- ism is hardly the rig-ht word; of some of these g-entlemen, whom I chanced to know, was as fanatical as the creed of the most rabid Ameri- can Know-nothino*s. The intention of the late Emperor was fur- ther manifested; in the appointment of an emi- nent Russian; the poet Joukoffsky, to the post of Governor to the Tzarevitch; while as many Russians as possible were employed about the Prince in the capacity of instructors. They all found him to possess a docile and kindly tem- per; a pleasant wit; with a disposition inclin- ing- rather to indolence than to exertion. M. Arsenieff; who was his precejitor in "• econo- mics;" shewed me an instance of the Prince's attention to his teachers, which; slig-fft as it waS; expressed a feeling- of personal reg-ard; and speaks well for the natural disposition of IN RUSSIA. 283 the Imperial pupil ; it was a present of the Grand Duke's engTaved portrait, inscribed Avith his autog-raph. Lest the reader should think this little compliment was a cheap way of settling" accounts with an old servant, I must add, that all the teachers employed in the instruction of members of the Imperial family continue to receive the stipend paid to them for that instruction, as a pension, up to the day of their death. The lowest sum thus paid out of the Imperial treasury is 1000 roubles (nearly £oO) per annum for each pupil ; so that where the same master has been appointed to three or four of the Tzar's children, his few years' easy labour is Avell recompensed, since his employment in the palace makes him, as a mat- ter of course, the fashionable and highly paid master among- the courtiers, and g'enerally ena- bles him to secure one or two lucrative places in the educational establishments of the crown. I know a gentleman who at the present time is in the enjoj^ment of nearly 10,000 roubles annual pension, obtained in this manner, besides his gains fi'om private teaching. He, too, was 284 NINE years' residence accustomed to dwell with an air of gTatified pride upon marks of Grand Ducal favour and affection. " At one of the Easter levees/' he told me, " which the Heir-Apparent began to hold after he came of ag-e, I was standing- low down in the circle, when His Hig-hness entered the audience-chamber. As soon as he perceived me, he hastened across the room, passing- by Generals and dig'nified officials to come and shake me heartily by the hand, and kissing- me on both cheeks, said how g'lad he was to see an old friend there, and how pleased he should always be to welcome me." Making* every deduction for the vanity of the narrator, and the habitual practice by the Prince of the suaviter in moclo, anecdotes of this kind prove that good nature is an ing-redient in the new Tzar's character. On the attainment of his majority in 1839, the Tzarevitch went forth on his travels through Europe, with the double object of extending- the rano-e of his knowledo-e and of makino- D O O choice of a wife. At the Court of our Virgin Queen he at- IN RUSSIA. 285 tracted considerable attention ; and among' the " vulg'ar errors " of the day was one which named him as a suitor for the hand of Her Majesty. Strang-e as the possibihty of such a union may seem^ if the supposition had been well founded; it would not have been the first time that a Russian Prince had made a matrimonial offer to a British Queen.* The Grand Duke entered eag-erly into the enjoyment of British sports, and, by a liberal g'ift, founded the Tzarevitch Stakes at New- market. The Derby day at Epsom that year, at which the Imperial visitor was also present, is remembered by many, owing* to the circum- stance of the course being* covered with snow at the time of the race, which caused the wits of the turf to make many smart comments on the obsequiousness of the Russian climate, in following" the Grand Duke on his travels. The * Ivan IV., or, aa he was too justly called, "the Terrible," sent an embassy to Queen Elizabeth, demand- ing her hand in marriage. The Belphoebe of Faery Land politely declined the honour, but offered to send an English lady of rank in her stead, and a Lady Hastings was actually named for the unenviable distinction. 286 TS'INE YEARS RESIDENCE liberalit}' of His Highness was unstinted ) in one day he is said to have distributed £20.000 among* the pubUc charities of London. To the WelUng-ton Testimonial he ' contributed £300 ; and after inspecting- the House of Cor- rection in Tothill Fields, where debtors under £5 were confined, he asked for a list of their liabilities, and immediatel}^ discharg-ed them all. Without imputing- improper motives to the dispensation of these munificent larg'esses, it is impossible not to admire the politic skill of the Tzar's government in thus popularising itself in England, when the soreness of feeling- caused by the affair of " the Yixen " was scarcely healed, and when the Eastern Question was about to undergo an important phase in its complicated developement. So successful a pacificator did the Tzarevitch prove, whatever were the means he employed, that, at a public dinner given in his honour b}^ the Russia Compan}^, our Prime Minister, Lord Mel- bourne, and the Russian Ambassador, Pozzo di Borgo, made speeches indicative of the most cordial amity exxisting* between the two nations. On visitino- Oxford the Grand Duke and his IN EUSSIA. 287 cousin^ Prince AVilliani Henry of Holland, received the honorary deg'ree of D.C.L,^ to- g-ether Avith JoukofFsky and Count OrlofF. In- spections of the household troops, balls^ ban- quets, and festivities of various kinds, were set before the two Princes, as part of our national entertainment. A hoii mot of the late Duke of Sussex, delivered on one of these occasions, will, perhaps, bear repetition in this place. Going- to a splendid banquet, g-iven at Apsley House in honour of the Grand Duke Alexander, His Roval Hig-hness of Sussex was met as he descended from his carriag-e by the Duke of Welling-ton, who, standing- at the door to receive his royal guest, was greeted by the words, " Well, 7mj grand Duke, how do you do ?" The compliment was g-reat, and exceeding-ly well-timed. In his subsequent prog-ress throug-h Ger- man}^, where one object of his journey was well understood, he appears to have been as thoroug'hl}^ " set at " by the mammas and youno- ladies of the various courts of the con- federation, as the g-reat Marquis of Farintosh is said to have been in the lordly assemblies of 288 NINE years' residence Great Britain. His good fortune, or his g'ood sense; or both imited, led him to fix his reg-ards upon one who was least disposed to force her- self into notice. The Princess of Hesse Darmstadt, it is said, had nearly escaped an introduction to the Prince, till he himself requested to he presented to her, and speedity discovering- her to he as superior in intellig*ence and g'race as she was in modest}^, became a successful wooer. She was publicly received in St. Petersburg- with g'reat ceremony, and after a year of betrothal employed in acquiring- the Russian lano'uao-e and in conformino- herself to the Eusso-Greek church, as required by the law of the empire of which she is now mistress, was mari'ied to the Grand Duke, on the 28th of April, 1841. By the exercise of a sound judg- ment and hio-h toned character, she has sue- ceeded in maintaining- a powerful influence in the mind of her Imperial Consort up to the present time. There was a want of moral refinement in the Court to which she was thus introduced, that made her resort, in pure self-defence, to a cold reserve of manner, and the proud ladies IN RUSSIA. 289 who suiTounded her, accused herof haug-htiness. She could not but perceive that a cold, haug-hty bearing- was the surest way of bringing' the mass of the Bussian nobility to her feet, and she behaved accordingly. Her dislike to cere- fli&niousness was also displeasing- to the boyars and their ladies. A trifling instance of this characteristic came under my own observation. A lady of rank, being' about to give a grand ball, at which she was desirous of receiving- the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, requested to know when the Imperial pair would honour her house with their presence. Some days passed before an answer was vouchsafed, which when it did come, consisted of a few lines in pencil, addressed to one of the ladies in waiting, to this effect, ^^ Tell Marie Ivanovna that the ball may take place on the 21st." To return to the Grand Duke. Before his marriae'e he made an extensive tour throuo-h his father's dominions, and had an opportunity of observing* the difference that exists between the customs of eastern and western Europe. At Orenburg, where he received the homage of two Sultans of the Bashkirs, he was treated o 290 NINE years' residence with a banquet; consisting' of the prime joints of 50 horseSj served on 600 dishes, with abun- dance of Kumiss to wash down the delicate viands. Races succeeded the feast; the first being' run by 25 horses^ the second by 45, the third by 105, and the last by ten camels. The proceeding's closed by the Shumane or Priest, shewing" his pseudo-supernatural prowess by taking' live serpents between his teeth. The cross of St. Georg'e worn by Alexander, a decoration which is only g'iven for some brilliant feat of arms, was g-ained by the Grand Duke a few j^ears ag-o, during* an excursion iii the Caucasus, when, as Prince Yorontzoffin his report on the subject wrote, "the fiery ardour of the Prince urg-ed him to dash forward in pursuit of a troop of Circassians, who had ven- tured to appear in sight of the Imperial corteg-e^ and who fled at the approach of his Imperial Hig-hness." Whether the troop of horsemen were introduced upon the scene, as the populous villages of lath and plaster had been to the eyes of Catherine II. in the Crimea, or the roast pig' in every cottage to the observation of Alexander I., I will not undertake to say* IN RUSSIA. 291 In person the present Emperor looks more of a Russian than the late Tzar^ whose fan* complexion and fine physiog-nomy bore distinct traces of his German descent. He is ver}'- tall and robust, of a dark complexion, with full round eyes, which though occasionally lig-hted up b}^ the spirit of merriment, habitually wear an expression of melancholy. The last time I had a close view of Alexander, then Grand Duke, he was waiting" for a railway train at the station at Tzarsko Celo j he walked about the public waiting' room, in familiar conversation with an aide-de-camp, causing* apparently as little restraint to the surrounding* public, as he seemed to feel himself in their presence. He looked the very picture of bonJwmie, but appearances are often deceitful, and it was impossible not to remember his close relation- ship to the first Alexander, whom a g-reat master in the knowledg*e of human character desig-nated " a Greek of the lower Empire." I never heard, however, anything but a favour- able opinion of the present Tzar's excellent qualities as an affectionate husband and father. An amusing- instance of the unaffected way 292 NINE years' residence ill which he thoug-ht of his children, was told me by a young* lad}', who had charg"e of a stall at a fancy fair. The Naslednik (Heir- Apparent) came to ask her for the larg-est doll she had in her stock, and ha^dng- secured it, he strode away with it in his arms, seeming'ty as pleased as such a present might have made him on his second or third birthday. His paternal feeling's received a cruel shock shortly after the occurrence of this little incident, b}^ the death of his only daug'hter ; his remaining' four children are all sons. Of the three brothers of Alexander II., the Grand Duke Constantine takes the most pro- minent part in public affairs. He was edu- cated for the Navy, served as a Cadet on board ship, even performed a voyage round the world in company with his governor. Ad- miral Liitke, and seemed to identify himself with the maritime power of the Empire. What his febrile energ-}' of character might have done with a better instniment under his com- mand as Lord High Admiral, it is hard to say, but the experience of the last campaign has proved that he had no confidence in his boasted IN RUSSIA. 293 Baltic and Black Sea fleets. His restless inquisitive mind must have been deeply im- pressed on his visit to Eng-land, in June 1847, with the wonders of our naval arsenals and dockyards, which he perused^ so to speak, in their minutest details and with the most pro- found attention. He is the Emperor's junior by some years, having been born in September 1827, nearly two years subsequent to his father's accession to the throne ; a circumstance which, according" to Petersburg* g'ossip, g'ave rise in their young* daj^s to a dispute between the brothers, Constantino asserting* that he was the eldest son of the Emperor, since at Alex- ander's birth, Nicholas had only been Grand Duke. The puerility of the distinction insisted on, seems to prove that it was but a boyish cavilling*, and yet the rumours of a disputed succession, that were so rife two months ao*o, had probably no better foundation than this anecdote. In person, Constantine is spare, and, compared with his brothers, diminutive ; his features are reg'ular, but stamped with an expression of premature care, quite painful to see J his manners and speech are as bluff as 294 NINE years' residence any sailor's need be, and to judg-e from the lines of his countenance^ I would not venture to say that his temper was of the sweetest. It is difficult to pronounce an opinion on the talents of a Prince who is surrounded by a band of followers devoted to his praise^ and rejoicing' in the countenance he gives to them as the ^^ Old Eassian party," but as yet Con- stantine Nicolaevitch, thoug'h much lauded by his friends, has g-iven no public proof of g-reat abilities. It has been insinuated that he rules the Empire, over Avhich his brother nominal^ reig'ns. Such statements, however, like those which affirm the existence of powerful and opposing- parties in Russia, must be received with o-reat caution. As long- as the Tzar in the absoluteness of his authority can by a word consig'n his nearest relative like any other subject to a dung'eon, or send him into exile, or appoint him to a distant and sterile command, and of such famil}' discipline there are prece- dents abundant in the history of Russian sove- reigns, so long" will it be impossible for any Russian lieg-eman to exercise aug*ht but a dele- g-ated authority, or to foster a party that ^^'ould IN RUSSIA. 205 have more than a sembhmce of influence^ or indeed of existence. The Grand Duke was always reputed to be afflicted with Ajig'lo- phobia, a disease, the virulence of which his cordial reception in Eng'land did not diminish, and which recent events must have greatly envenomed. The Tzar's younger brothers, Nicholas and Michael, Avere just entering upon manhood when I left the country, and had been ap- pointed by their father to high posts in the military service. Both of them, tall and hand- some youno' men, neither had then o-ivon sio-ns of extraordinar}^ capacity. Nicholas, the elder of the two, was thought to possess his father's taste for military display ; while Michael was spoken of as studious and devoted to the gentler arts of peace, though his position as chief of the artillery demanded the exercise of rougher qualities. One of the most influential members of the Imperial family at the time I speak of, was the Grand Duchess Marie, eldest daughter of the late Emperor, and widow of the Duke of Leuchtenberg". Endowed with great personal 296 NINE years' residence charms and considerable mental powers, this lad}^ has exercised a potent sway over the minds of her brothers and their families, while Tzar Nicholas himself is supposed not to have been insensible to an influence which she brought to bear upon him Avith the tact of an accomplished politician. Though not a favour- ite with the few fastidious ladies of the Rus- sian nobility, she has a numerous circle of admirers among' their lords, whom she employs without scruple to serve her purposes and fur- ther her plans. She has a large family ^ sons and daughters, who, by a decree of the late Emperor, issued after the death of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, are commanded henceforth to bear the name of Eomanoffsky. Another lady member of this family, who for- merly possessed gTeat influence at Court, is the Grand Duchess Helen, widow of the late Grand Duke Michael, the youngest of Paul's sons. Gifted with beaut}^, wit, and discernment, she is said to have rendered no mean service to the Kussian Crown, by important political missions in German}', carried on under the guise of visits to the German Spas, professedly in search of IN EUSSIA. 297 means for renovatino- her health. She has always been a g'enerous patroness to literature and the fine arts, and has mtroduced into Russia many men of talent, whom she has g"enerally led on to fortune. This slig'ht sketch of the Imperial family of Russia would be incomplete without mentioning- the Prince and Princess of Oldenburg*, cousins to the present Emperor, whose amiable charac- ter and unobtrusive manner of life justly entitle them to the respect of all who hear their names. While the Prince has devoted himself to the founding* and fostering* several larg-e and most useful establishments for the educa- tion of youth, with a special view to the civil service of the state, the Princess, on her side, has been as active in promoting* charitable in- stitutions for the relief of the destitute, the raising' the wretched, and for calling* back the sinner from his ways. The voice is now silent that could have spoken most distinctly to the truth of these statements ; calm and un- assuming* as that voice was, it was never raised in vain when it brought to the ears of the Prince and Princess of Oldenburg* the 2 298 NINE years' residence cause of the poor and miserable. I allude to the late Mrs. Biller, the efficient instrument of princely charities, and the devoted friend of outcast women and children in St. Peters- burg-. IN RUSSIA. 299 CHAPTER XIII. Moral Influence of the Russian Government — Author's reasons for leaving Russia — Efiects of the Porte's Decla- ration of War — Remarks on the present Crisis — The Principle of "non-intervention" — Mr. Layard's observa- tions on the war — Necessity of extraordinary exertions — Sacrifices made by Russian subjects — Conclusion. I TOOK a final leave of Russia in the autumn of 1853; being- compelled by sanatory reasons to seek a milder climate for my family. There was a moral insalubrity likewise in the country, to which I would not willing-ly have exposed my young" children much long-er — a moral lethargy that I had felt creeping- on myself every year of my stay in Russia, and which seemed to arise fi'om the consciousness of all thoughts and speech, being- " cabined, cribbed, confined," by some invisible, but controlling- power. Not that I was ever interfered with b\^ the authorities, nor my liberty of movement checked, further than by the troublesome and inquisitive passport system. Every time that 300 NINE years' residence I went to Count Orloff s ojffice for permission to travel, or permission to live in the town ag-ain, the official there took occasion to remind me by some casual observation, uttered in the politest manner, that he knew all about my movements ; what relatives I had in Eussia ; where they were, and what they were doin^ ; and, by adroit questioning-^ that I could not well avoid answering-^ he mentally sketched out for himself a tolerably accurate map of my past and proposed movements. This simple circumstance, however, though it occasioned me no actual inconvenience, so impressed my mind with the necessity of being- careful in all that I said and did, that I found myself by deg-rees avoiding' all topics of g-ene- ral interest from the fear of committing- myself. The reader can easily imagine the stultif3'ing- effects of such a state of mind, and what a longing" for my native countr}^ arose within me. I found that it was absolutely necessary either to return to Eng-land, and escape the insidious torpor, or force ni}' self at once to look at everything" from a Russian point of view, and become a true and loyal subject of the IN RUSSIA. 301 Autocrat. Happily^ I chose the better part ; and believe that I should have done so had the sacrifice demanded of me been g-reater than the one I had to make. I know several most respectable men who have become subjects of the Tzar^ as far as their own act can make them so, but I never fancied they were happy in the condition they had adopted ; and cer- tainly some of the most cordial abuse of Eng*- land and the English that I ever heard has proceeded from the mouth of one of these pseudo-E-ussians. The note of war had not yet sounded fully out, when on the 3rd of October, 1853, we took our places on board the London steamer lying- at Cronstadt. It was, however, nearer than the Russians seemed g'enerally to expect. The amended Vienna note had been rejected by the Emperor Nicholas, but the prevaibng* opinion seemed to be that Turkey had too lively a remembrance of the disasters of 1829, not to yield to Russia's threatenino' demonstrations and avoid war. The Porte's declaration of war, therefore, which reached St. Petersburg^ on the 15th of October, naturally exasperated 303 NINE YEARS RESIDENCE the Tzar and his subjects ag-ainst the western powers, who supported the Turk in his bold resistance to the Muscovite. I was happily not there to witness, and perhaps incur in a slig-ht measure in my own person, the explosion of indig'nation ag'ainst the Eng-lish which then took place. According- to the letters, however, which I have continued to receive from St. Petersburg* and Moscow, the persons and pro- perty of British subjects there have been as religiously respected as are those of Russian sub- jects now resident in Engiand. It is my belief that the majority of Eng-hshmen residing* in Russia, suffering- thoug-h they are and that severely from the present war, in a commercial point of view, yet believe it to be a just and necessary war, and that it could terminate but in one way j namely, victory on our side, if the Allies were seriousl}' and sincerel}' to make the effort to conquer. The Russians, however, feel already that they have proved their supe- riority, in protracting' the contest to the present time; their dread of British power and pug-- nacity is g'one, and the}^ have learnt that stone walls are strong-er than John Bull, a truth IN EUSSIA. 303 never credited before. Of this, we may all be fully assured^ that arms having* been once taken up, they will not be laid permanently down ag'ain, till Russia is either very g-reatly humbled, or her invincibility, and consequently supremacy, full}^ established. "Were the war reall}^ conducted in the old hard-working-, pains- taking-, prompt and resolute spirit of Eng-lish- men, there could be no fear for the result. No Muscovite contrivances of bastions, counter- scarps and sunken ships will resist the onslaug'ht of the British lion, when his spirit is thoroughly roused. Time it is that he should rouse himself], or like the Noir Faineant in Sherwood forest, he may find himself beset by fearful odds. The arm of every Englishman should be nerved to this contest, by remembering* that the blow which shall cure the Russian monarchy of its military pride and arrog'ance will confer vast benefits on the Russian people, no small portion of the human race. Let the Autocrat learn by humbling" experience, that he is in error to sup- pose that ^^ Russia has a mission to proselytize the world," that " the Russian people are se- lected by God to be the rulers of Europe," — let 304 NINE years' residence him be disabused of this false and mischievous idea^ and his subjects will then perhaps begin to enjoy the benefits of modern civilization. AVhen a million of men are no longer abstracted ft'om the industrial and productive energy of the empire, to be sacrificed to the Moloch of ambitious war, the reapers of the cornfield of Europe, for such might the plains of central Russia become, will " go on their way rejoicing, carrying their sheaves with them." If we would not have a second Caliphat founded in Europe, more terrible than the first, because more powerful, more sweeping and more selfish, we must make a great effort to reverse as much as possible the dictum left b}^ Peter the First to his successors : " I found Russia a rivulet, I made it a river ; and bequeath to ni}'- heirs the duty of converting it into an ocean." We must stem the torrent of this new Mahometan- ism, which raises the war-cry of " God is God, and the Tzar is his vicegerent." It is idle to talk of the principle of " non- intervention," as if nations, any more than indi- viduals, could sit still while their neighbours are pulling- their houses down upon one another. IN RUSSIA. 305 The Millenium is not come j-et^ and no nation can expect to sit down for half a century tog-e- ther to the enjoyment of luxurious repose. Even if we could be spared for so long a period the sore wounds and evils inflicted by war^ it be- comes a serious question whether in our present mundane condition, the loss to the nation w ould not be greater than the gain. Have the last forty prosperous j^ears, productive as they have been of w^ealth to the country at large, brought any large accession of happiness to the individual homes of which the nation is made up ? What has the developement of manu- factures and the progress of education done for the national spirit, when we find ourselves in this month of April, in the year of grace 1855, nearly in a state of political collapse, — the English people powerless to help them- selves, and the men to whom they have for a time confided the destinies of the country une- qual to the effort required of them ? ^^ Egotism is the cancel' of which England is dying," said a profound observer of the pathology of nations, the historian Niebuhr j whose opinion too of the political economy of 306 NINE years' rksidence the Manchester school (the nucleus be it re- membered of the present violent peace party) was that it was eine schaale rvelsheit, '' but a shallow wisdom/' inasmuch as it restricted its interest in the welfare of the million to an nterest in their physical welfare. The same opinion was once propounded to me by f. g-entleman I met in Russia ; who^ like many other men^ being- much struck by the attitude which Eng'land steadily maintained during* the troublous year 1848, had said to me, '^ Yours is a great country, her power and freedom, being* the gTowth of centuries, have acquired a solidity that nothing- seems able to shake, but," he added, "^ in the M-anchester party, devoted almost solely to the worldl}^ and material prosperity of the people, you have a canker eating- at the core of vour national o-reatness." The reality and mag-nitude of the evil here spoken of is beg-inning' to be felt and strug-- g-led ag-ainst. Quite recently, Mr. Layard, who seems to be the man specially raised for the present crisis, uttered the follow- ing- pertinent observations before an audience IN EUSSIA. 307 selected from the most mercantile commu- nity in Eng-land : " It is very easy to appeal to the sj-mpathies and the pocket ; but although I am speaking- before g'entlemen who have sympathies and who have pockets, I believe at the same time that I am addressing- g-entlemen who have a deep sense of national honour and national responsibility 5 I believe that a nation which buries everything- in its mere worldly prosperity, that looks merely to its commerce, is very much like a man who has worldly transactions, and who sa3^s, ^ It sig-nifies little Avhether I have any principle or relig-ion, so long- as I effect my sales or my shop pays me.' " The loud applause with which these sentiments were received by a commercial as- sembly, g'oes far to prove that the professional merchant is far from being- a mercenary poli- tician, or one deficient in a g-enerous interest for the dig-nity and g'lor}^ of his country. Such a g-enerous and self-denying* interest is sorely needed by us at the present moment, when the exig-encies of the contest upon which we have entered demand g*reat personal sacrifices from all. 308 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE The issue of that contest is still hidden in the obscure future. " The chaos^ confusion, and the certainty of an European war/' which the Emperor Nicholas predicted as about to ensue from the approaching- fall of Turke}^, has not come actually to pasS; because Turkey has survived the ag-g-ressor himself, and risen to greater streng'th than she enjoyed for centuries before. But the effectual rollino- back of the tide of Russian power, is a work to be achieved, and a work which demands from the Allied Powers very extraordinary exertions. To force concessions and command respect from the Russian nation^ a daring* and fearless mode of warfare is necessary. The astonishment excited in the minds of the Russians by the British advance up the heights of Alma^ was in itself a reinforcement to our troops that would have been invaluable if it had been made use of immediatel}^ ; but Balaklava and Inkermannj thoug"h g'lorious to our arms, proved that the Muscovite courag^e had returned, and the moral influence of an heroic combat was lost to us. Still, I confess that I am surprised at the Tzar's continuance of the war, and puzzled to IN EUSSIA. 309 know upon what resources lie places his reli- ance for Avithstanding- a really earnest attack of the Eng'lish and French forces^ which must surely take place hefore the conclusion of this next campaig'n. The gTeat London journal has well described the sacrifices which his sub- jects have to make^ or rather the outrag-es which they are forced to endure. "A nation/' it says, " the upper classes of which, at any rate, are among* the most luxurious people in the world, is suddenly called upon to exist without imports : the currency is debased by an unlimited issue of inconvertible paper ,• and larg'e subscriptions in aid of a failing* revenue are gratefully accepted, or it would perhaps be more just to say, rig'orously exacted. Conscrip- tion follows conscription with merciless severity; fathers are torn from their children, and hus- bands from their wives, to be swallowed up by the devouring* exig*encies of war^ and to meet no more on this side the g*rave." True, we English have to bear our share of similar trials and suffering's, but when the strength of the respective antagonists is fairly measured, there ought not to be a doubt or a 810 NINE YEAES' EESIDENCE. moment's hesitation as to which can command the victory. May it speedily follow that ancient and world-known banner, upon which are inscribed words fit to sustain ever}' man under the most arduous trials to which duty may expose him — DiEu ET MON Droit. THE END. i i ^5~'7"i-^^3