Part 5 (1/2)

Soaily have a cheerful aspect Ordinary plank houses are used in summer, but would scarcely be habitable in winter

When people during the winter are travelling in Russia, they do not use hot bricks or water-bottles, as the Canadians do, for their feet, but wear very thick fur boots, made of ample size, so as in no way to iht boot is painful and dangerous, and many a person in consequence has lost a foot, even his life When walking, India-rubber goloshes are worn, which are taken off when a person enters a house A very large thick fur cloak, in which a person is co It is thron in a corner as soon as a person enters a house, where it lies like a heap of dirty clothes

Spitting is as co all classes as we heat that it is in America Carpets have only of late years been introduced into the houses of the opulent, but people spit over them just as they did over their brick floors A refined sort of spittoon has been introduced, with a high handle By touching a spring the lid flies open, and drops again when made use of Uncle Giles says the inventor would have done better to have invented so his countrymen off a dirty habit; perhaps, however, the hot air in the roo to do with it

The English here say that the habits of social life a the Russians have very much improved since they mixed with them: I do not knohat view the Russians take of the case

Thirty years ago, palaces and public offices were alike dirty in the extreland, introduced great i, at all events, are kept fairly cleanI do not think, however, that the houseot so far south as Moscow; it is too holy a place, in a Russian's idea, to lish friend told us that once upon a tireat house The entrance-hall was unspeakably dirty; round it, against the walls, were a number of ottomans, on which slept nu-coated, red-shi+rted serfs, with their master's fur cloaks rolled up as pillows The next hall was scarcely cleaner The third was gorgeously furnished, but no neat-handed housemaid, apparently, ever entered to sweep the floors or brush away the cobwebs An ante-rooreat man's private chamber looked really coard for cleanliness to keep himself out of the dirt

Perhaps with the same object the late E Forers had to pick their way frolish ladies used to bedresses; now, on account of the undue length of their gowns, they kick up so great a dust that it is most unpleasant to walk behind thelers” Russian ladies never think of walking in the city--the streets of Saint Petersburg, in truth, do not te and autumn they are thick with mud, in summer with the finest dust

The ladies of Russia are, like those in other countries, very fond of lap-dogs, and give very high prices for theht two dozen, shut up in hen-coops, and expected to get 20 pounds at least for each of theive enorht over some oysters, which sold, he told us, at fourpence each They are not to be found in the Baltic Heis very ill supplied with salt-water fish; there are neither lobsters nor flatfish

It is generally supposed in England that the very finest tea is to be found in Russia, brought all the way overland frolish friend assured us is a ood tea in Russia, but what costs there ten shi+llings is not superior to what can be bought in England at froe quantities of very bad tea are se proportion probably having coh for the Englishon his way hoence, had to stop a day at Tilsit, a place celebrated for the Articles of Peace signed there between Napoleon and the Allies

While wandering round the town, he saw large storehouses with chests piled upon chests of tea He asked where all the tea was to go Some people would not answer, but others told hiht it, and carried it away over the frontier Large quantities used to be sulations to those of Russia A light duty only was charged on tea in that country, but how to get it into Russia was the question To effect this, logs of ere hollowed out, filled with tea, and floated down the streams Carts loaded with casks of apples entered the country; inside the casks were chests of tea This sort of s just suited the taste and enterprise of a Russian peasant

Once upon a tiler broke down in front of the Emperor's palace Not only did the cart break, but so did the casks of apples, and out rolled the chests of tea The affrighted slers fled, and left their property to the police, whose samovars did not probably smoke the less merrily in consequence At all events, the _contretemps_ opened the eyes of the Eh restrictive duties with a frontier so enormous as that of Russia; but, whatever were his plans of refore quantities of tea are at the present ti Ger them into Russia

Of course, as is to be expected, there is much bribery and corruption in all departments of Government An officer of the Guards, Count ---, was appointed chief of the Custoe of business, but he resolved tointo things with his own eyes Once upon a tihter of one of his subordinates was married, and he was invited to the feast Now, on so ie enough to entertain his guests, he borrows one from a friend On this occasion the father of the bride borrowed one from an official in his own department When Count --- entered, he ad in it

”Of course you have hired this; to whos to my friend So-and-so; he has lent it to ht the Count ”So-and-so must have a fine private fortune, or else he e bribes”

He consequently watched the unsuspecting So-and-so very narrowly, and soon discovered that he had fingers of a most tenacious description, which easily accounted for his handsome inco dismissed from his office, and corace

The Russians are at all ti the war none of the English who relishresided in the country, were allowed to move about as they liked, and several even resided at Peterhoff, in sight of the British fleet The only people who ever said a word against them were some Prussians, whose direct trade was injured by the war Prussia herself, however, benefited by the transit of goods across her frontier

Thehouses has been very much improved of late years

The best houses have now fireplaces, as well as stoves, which add much to the ventilation of the rooms The stoves are made of brick; they are peculiar to the country, and may be called air-stoves The fresh air is introduced by pipes fro over the stove, is conveyed in other pipes through the house The air also passes over a plate of iron, which is sprinkled sometimes with plain water, or by thethis plate, a current of air is sent through the room

All the rooms have double s; the inside one is removed in summer-- not the outside one, as in Canada If the air was allowed to get in between the ts, the glass would becolass panel, which opens at both ends, is introduced between the ts, and through this the rooin to heat the roolass in this case also would become coated with ice, and would remain so all the winter

The Russian peasants are very econo the broth in which a leg of land They will make a dish out of almost any of the herbs of the field, or of birds, beasts, or creeping things They make all sorts of fish soups, of which they are especially fond; so, indeed, are the rich All classes have an especial affection for the black rye bread of the country We found it very sour, though I daresay habit es of every description Buck-wheat is used for this purpose, as also to make cakes, as in America What we call manna croup is also used in a variety of ways A favourite fish aeon; soup is made of it, but it is very expensive

Good as soulations are, others are very absurd If a person is wounded or otherwise injured, no one o near him; for, if the wounded man should die, the person ent to help him would be carried off to prison, and certainly be tried for the murder An acquaintance told us that one day in winter he saw fro with a friend, an English lady driving in a sledge; at thatit, and severely injuring her A policee, and would have taken it and herself to the police office, where, to a certainty, she would have died There was not a ht His friend knocked down the policee and drove off to a hotel, whence he sent for the lady's husband The lady was ill formore of the knocked-down police hie which had co to Saint Petersburg we have lost two hours of tiain The Russians, it must be remembered, in their love for Conservatism, keep the old style of time, which is about ten days behind the new This rather puzzled us at first

Skating is not in vogue in Russia; indeed, the ice so soon becomes covered with snow, that there is very little opportunity afforded to indulge in the pastie hills are formed of ice and snow, and placed in a line, one beyond the other People clientlee, a lady holds on behind, and away they go down one hill, the i them up the other, or a considerable way up it, and thus the whole line is traversed So fond are the Russians of the amusement, that they have, even in sureased roads, which answer the purpose of ice