Robert Heywood

“ Petersburg.
In some streets we come to a large palace and then to a wretched hovel. Another time we see a row of little cottages of one storey standing next to a stately mansion, and in other places little streets as in a country town.
In the centre of this vast collection of buildings is the Kremlin, situated on a hill nearly two miles in circumference; it is surrounded by high walls of stone and brick, with several towers and gates, the most important of which is the gate of the Redeemer. Over the arch of which is a picture of the Saviour, with a lamp constantly burning. ”

“ Whilst in catholic countries the churchgoers are mostly women; in Russia we find both sexes engaged in such duties.
On entering the church a wax candle is purchased, and sinking on one knee, bowing his head to the pavement and crossing his breast respectively with the thumb and the two forefingers of his right hand, the worshipper proceeds to the shrine itself, he lights his candle at the holy lamp, and sets it up in one of the numerous sockets in a large silver stand; then, falling low on his bended knee, kisses the pavement before the altar. ”

“ The Winter Palace, the most splendid and largest royal residence in the world, is 700 feet in length, three storeys high, and nearly square, and is said to have 6,000 persons under its roof during the Emperor's residence in the capital.
Among the extensive suite of apartments, galleries and halls filled with marbles, precious stones, vases, and pictures may be mentioned, first, the hall of St. George, where the Emperor gives audience to foreign ambassadors. It is 140 feet by 60 feet, on the splendour of which the Russians most pride themselves. ”

“ The cost of all this polishing and extreme attention is above 100,000 roubles yearly.
Very odd caprices are exhibited in the decoration of the grounds, several fanciful towers, a Dutch and Swiss cottage, a Gothic building, a marble bridge with Corinthian columns, bronze and other statues, and numerous monuments raised by Alexander to his companions in arms, intermingled with hermitages, artificial ruins, Roman tombs, grottoes and waterfalls.
Like almost all other royal buildings in Russia, Tzarskoe owes its origin to Peter the Great. ”

“ The king's palace, though very extensive, has a shabby appearance.
The state apartments are decorated with good paintings, tapestry, and large chandeliers of solid silver; and there is a beautiful chapel, with the floor ornamented with various marbles; also a library containing 500 Bibles in different languages and editions.
There is a most noble equestrian statue of Frederick the Great.
The Arsenal, a noble structure, containing arms arranged in excellent order for 200,000 men, probably like our guns at the Tower, more ornamental than efficient ”

“ It is frequently visited by the Tzars, and it is said that Alexander the First never omitted to do so, and more than once in the middle of the night he wakened the monks that he might perform his devotions.
In addition to all these places of worship, there is an [Pg 29] immense cathedral dedicated to Jesus, erected on rising ground a little out of the city.
It has taken 21 years in building, and will require as many more to complete it; the interior presenting only a forest of props placed in all directions.
The dome is very large, resembling that of St. Isaac, and equally splendidly gilt. ”

“ In my several rambles over various parts of the Continent I have scarcely ever found any difficulty with a little knowledge of the French language in making myself understood, but here it was very different; in vain we addressed many respectable persons we met with in the streets respecting some public buildings, and we found every droshky man quite uncommunicative, so that directions had to be given at the hotel of our intended route, and if we changed our driver we managed to return by pointing the way, right or left. ”

“ Though called a foundling hospital, it is in reality a general receptacle for all children, who are received up to a certain age, without exception, it being left entirely to the option of the parent to state their names and condition, and to contribute or not, to the future support of the child. ”

“ The railway carriages, like most others on the Continent, greatly excel ours; the 1st class have three spacious seats, the 2nd two double seats, and the 3rd much like our 2nd. It is a good line, and I should think made at a moderate cost, there being few cuttings or embankments, and not many bridges; the rails appeared to be about seven yards long. On both sides we observed extensive fields of grain, and many women among the reapers.
The city of Berlin is situated on a level sandy plain, and has many wide streets and numerous public buildings, boulevards and other delightful walks. ”

“ A Bible, the gift of the mother of Peter the Great, the cover so laden with gold and jewels that it requires two men to carry it into the church; it is said to weigh 120 lbs. The emeralds on the cover are an inch long, and the whole binding cost 1,200,000 roubles, or £200,000 sterling.
In the house of the Holy Synod are thirty silver vessels containing the holy oil used in baptising all the children in Russia. It is made of the finest Florence oil, mingled with a number of essences, about three or four gallons serving all Russia for one and a half or two years. ”

“ The population at Moscow use at least three times as many votive tapers in honour of their saints as the inhabitants of St. Petersburg, and in numerous churches many a ton of wax is said to be used for pious purposes. Wax lights are a great trade, and occupy much space. ”

“ The great Riding School is one of the wonders of Moscow, being 560 feet long and 158 feet broad and 42 feet in height; supposed to be the largest room in the world unsupported by pillars or props of any kind. ”

“ The tower of John the Great is more than 200 feet high, surmounted by a gilded dome, of which there are about 60 in the Kremlin.
In the first storey hangs a bell, which but for its mightier neighbour below would appear stupendous, being 60 tons.
To ring it is impossible; even to toll it requires the united strength of three men pulling with separate ropes the vast clapper ”

“ On account of the boggy state of the ground the buildings are constructed on piles at an enormous expense, so that it has been said by an English resident that larger sums had been expended under ground than above, which I can the more readily believe after witnessing the extraordinary foundations of a new palace now in the course of erection.
Most of the buildings, including palaces and churches, are built of brick, and covered with a cement of various colours; often out of condition and presenting a less substantial appearance. ”

“ Besides steamers there are many other boats, some very large rudely constructed, bringing wood from the lake of Ladoga, mostly birch, cut in short lengths for fuel, and others freighted with leather, hemp and various products from the interior. In discharging these boats with fuel the serfs [4] make use of a sort of truck with a framework to hold the billets, and the wheels, being not more than six or seven inches in diameter, require a narrow plank to be laid across the street a little below the uneven pavement. They have also a very defective mode of watering the streets ”

“ The Taurida Palace, now in a neglected state, is famous for its ballroom, 320 feet long by 70 feet wide, and lighted up with 20,000 wax candles.
Among other numerous palaces may be mentioned the Michaelhof, erected by the Emperor Paul with extraordinary rapidity, there being 5,000 men employed daily, and in order to dry the walls more quickly large iron [Pg 13] plates were made hot and fastened to them. Yet after the Emperor's death it was abandoned as quite uninhabitable after a cost of eighteen millions of roubles, or three millions sterling. ”

“ In the upper storey are collected and arranged the crowns of the early Tzars, also a throne covered with crimson velvet and blazing with diamonds. The two long galleries which open out of this room [Pg 26] contain innumerable treasures, the captured crowns of the various countries now forming provinces of this vast empire, as well as those of the Moscovite Tzars, one containing 881 diamonds, another 847, and that of Catherine, the first widow of Peter the Great, 2,536 fine diamonds, to which the Empress added a ruby of enormous size. ”

“ At each station a person goes round striking the wheels and axles to see that all is sound. The engines are supplied with wood fuel, and seemed powerful, dragging us along in some parts with great rapidity. ”

“ Both sexes wear a crucifix on their breasts, suspended round their necks by a string, which is put on at their baptism and never afterwards taken off; those of the peasants are of lead, but the better sort have them of silver or gold. ”

“ From the gardens we proceeded to the original wooden palace, or cottage of Peter the Great, situated on one of the islands.
It consists of three small rooms, one his bedroom, another his reception room, and a third his chapel, where the pictures he worshipped are carefully preserved. Many relics are still to be seen, a boat and sails, with an old armchair, all which are said to have been made by his own hands. ”

“ The members of the Greek religion pray standing,—the interior of the church is always devoid of pew, bench, or chair; but in every church there is a place set apart for the Emperor to stand in, which is raised above the floor, and usually covered with a canopy. ”

“ The passage through the tower is about twenty paces long and every one, be he what he may, Mahommedan, Heathen or Christian, must take off his hat and keep it off till he has passed through to the other side. It is a truly singular sight to watch the carriages coming along at full speed slackening their pace as they approach the sacred gate, while the lord and lackey cross [Pg 24] themselves reverently and drive through hat in hand. ”

“ These densely-crowded districts form a striking contrast to other parts of the city, where scarcely a person is to be seen, and it should be further mentioned, to their credit, that we only observed one altercation, and another person in a state of intoxication, being the first disorderlies we had seen since entering the country. ”

“ Petersburg can boast of several large monuments, the Ramanzof erected to the field-marshal of that name, and Suwaroff, one of their most distinguished heroes; also the column of Alexander, a single shaft of red granite, upwards of 80 feet in height. The base and pedestal is composed of one enormous block, above 25 feet square, and to secure the base there were no fewer than six successive rows of piles, the shaft of the column alone weighing nearly 400 tons. ”

“ The Bazaar is also an immense pile of building, three storeys high, comprising 5,228 shops, connected by an endless number of passages and steps. In these courts and galleries there is a continual fair throughout the year, attended by traders from every part of Europe, Siberia, China, and Tartary, numbering upwards of 1,000 merchants, all eager and very importunate to do business.
In the same neighbourhood are many streets of shops, arranged in masses, perhaps thirty shops for paper, [Pg 32] another range for spices, a third for ornamental articles, and a fourth for pictures and saints. ”

“ This condition of the streets, with the droshkies, a small four-wheel carriage, holding two persons, sitting together behind the driver, or sometimes back to back, with the fore-wheels about twelve inches high, and drawn very rapidly over such a pavement, you may suppose, makes it no easy matter to keep your seat.
The droshky drivers have generally a round hat, and wear long loose dresses almost reaching to their heels, with a band round their waist. ”

“ Here our passports were examined, and the passengers along with their luggage were transferred to a smaller steamer to convey us up the Neva to St. Petersburg.
Soon after leaving Cronstadt, on the right are seen the gilded towers of the palace of Peterhof, and a little further we discern a large golden ball, the dome of St. Isaac, with the glittering taper spire rising from the Admiralty. Approaching nearer, we see numerous domes and spires, painted blue and green, with silver and golden stars. ”

“ An old invalid soldier commands his 500 or 600 men as gardeners and overseers. Every leaf that falls in pond or canal is carefully fished up. They trim and polish the trees and paths in the gardens to the greatest nicety, and the grass borders are kept in the finest condition. ”