Thomas Henry Barker

“ Moscow is a sight, a city of magnificent, ponderous buildings & ancient, richly coloured walls, towers and statutary, a place of barbaric splendour, with every attention to material and pleasure. The baths are magnificent. ”

“ He had a purse full of English coins, which he said were better than Russian money.
We reached here 5 hours late at 6.15pm last night, & I wired you & Sir Alfred today. I had working & re-packing to see to, & did not get out until 11am today. I then went first to buy a German guide to Moscow & afterwards spent 11⁄2 hours with the British Consul, Mr or rather Capt Groves. Afterwards I drove round the Kremlin to St Saviour's church, a gorgeous church. There they make much of Christ & less of the Virgin. Russia is most religious. ”

“ We have nothing like them: they are relics of Rome.
I shall be here until Tuesday night, when I leave by express for St Petersburg. I have to see here Baron (illegible text) 's sister, who is married to Major General something, Judge of the Court Martial court, evidently a great & powerful functionary. They say the Russians are courting the English just now.
Mr Groves has just told me of the narrow escape of our Queen – how delighted I am at the news. It would have been dreadful had she been burnt. The Russian Empress is better, & I hear the German Emperor is middling. ”