TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.*

WE have copied only a small list of Dr. Granville's titles, which fill twelve lines more, in very small type. The chief professional pursuit of this "hero of etceteras" is that of " physician accoucheur." The United States possess a famous savant, who has been celebrated as a fellow of fortynine societies;" but this physician accoucheur" may be denominated centifolious; -he is the flower of his tribe, with a hundred rustling leaves. Without furnishing a regular auto-biography, he makes himself known to his reader in every way :- we are brought acquainted with what he was; the writings that he has published; the offices which he enjoys; the great estimation in which he deems himself to be held by others, and the prodigious degree of his self-esteem and consequence. A more remarkable specimen of the art of book-making than the doctor's volumes present, we never recollect to have seen. The quantity of matter light or heavy which they contain, is truly wonderful, when we consider the space which was achieved in the short period of seventeen weeks, and the quality of the traveller at home-"a medical man, fully engaged in practice in such a metropolis as London," to say nothing of his avocations as a correspondent of half the republic of letters.

In the middle of July, 1827, Dr. Granille hied for St. Petersburgh, as the medical attendant, the safe companion, and the easy friend, of the Russian Count Michel Woronzow and his fair countess, exalted and accomplished nobles, whose auspices ensured to him a favourable reception in the best circles, wherever they appeared together, independently of his being a clever man, with a full share of the savoir vivre, or savoir faire. Not enjoying a proportional latitude of space or remark, we cannot accompany him from city to city, or kingdom to kingdom; but must be content with using a part of his evidence concerning Russia, which we shall offer as food for a general curiosity, that recent occurrences in Europe have freshened and animated. Our inquisitive and locomotive doctor, found or made opportunities of collecting information, ample or meagre, on nearly all ordinary topics-it is an account of the Russian capital that he specially offers to the world; but he communicates whatever he could extract or infer relative to the peculiar institutions and various resources of the empire at large. He is the latest witness among the British writers;-which forms our chief

St. Petersburgh. A Journal of Travels to and from that Capital, through Flanders, the Rhenish Provinces, Prussia, Russia, Poland, Silesia, Saxony, the Federated States of Germany and France. By A. B. Granville, M D. F. R. S. F. L. S. M. R. A. F.

S. S. and M. R. A. S.

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motive for introducing to our readers, one who is more fluent than profound, and withal a true courtier, constantly intent on preserv ing the good graces of the foreign personages who honoured him with their courtesies. this point of politic gratitude, he differs widely from his carping predecessors, Drs. Clarke and Lyall, who saw and painted every thing en noir-for whom, in Russia, every member of the government was a tyrant or profligate, every patrician a debauchee and oppressor, every merchant or dealer a rogue, every peasant a brutish slave, every priest a sot or hypocrite, every woman dissolute, every public functionary corrupt, every domestic a spy or pilferer, every national dish a poisoncus mixture, every fair semblance a mere gloss or treacherous disguise.

In the course of this article we shall also refer to another recent and popular work, in which more of Russia is described from personal observation. We allude to the tour of Captain Jones of the Royal Navy. The imperial family of Russia distinguished this commander also by a flattering notice; but the captain is less of a general or set encomiast than the doctor; he can find fault, and in so doing, is not addicted to eupheumism; and his cast of sentiment smacks of his professional education and habits.

To return to our medical traveller. In passing from Dover to Calais he successfully administered laudanum to the countess for sea-sickness, and recommends it to all who suffer the horrible qualın. At Weimar, in witnessing the portentous energy of the Germans at the table d'hôte, our author indulges himself, after the manner of Sterne, in a digression on stomachs; condemning and ridiculing those physicians who class morbid stomachs and prescribe accordingly. Our doctor affirms, that "one can no more find two stomachs than two roses alike," and that the whole secret is in learning how the stomach of the patient has been educated, and dealing with it conformably. Dietetic hints are never amiss. Eating in Germany, at the ordinaries, was not the most delectable duty, for a stomach like the doctor's, finished in London and Paris. He gives the following account of the cuisine at one of these places. "The dinner began with potage au rix, of which deep basinfulls with grated cheese were speedily swallowed. To this succeeded, in single and orderly succession, plain boiled beef with sour mustard, boiled carp, with all its silvery scales in all and a profusion of fermented red cabbage, a substance resembling hasty pudding, light their brilliancy upon its back: large balls of and savoury, swimming in a bowl of melted butter resembling castor oil, and eaten most voraciously by all present, with the addition of a sweet compôte des pommes. Chevreuil piqué au lard was next introduced, followed by some sort of fried fish. At last a boiled

capon made its appearance, to which I, who had hitherto been a motionless as well as a silent spectator, commended myself for a dinner; and while thus engaged, I observed that fried parsley roots, hot and hissing from the pan, were received on the table with the approving exclamation :

"Das ist ganz vortrefflich!" This comedy had now lasted upwards of an hour, and I be gan to repent of my experiment. At last Dutch cheese, peas, and sponge biscuits were laid on the greasy table cloth; coffee and liqueur were presented to some and not to others, and the "convivii turbulenti," after having rolled up their weekly napkin, and confined it within a ring of red leather, paid their moderate reckoning of half a rix-thaler (eighteen-pence!), and departed one after the other, in all the swaggering complacency which a full stomach is apt to inspire."

Sleeping in Germany, in what he terms a bachelor's bed, our doctor thus piteously describes:

"We are to figure to ourselves a deep wooden cradle (which, in the present instance, was made of highly polished mahogany), about five feet four inches long, and just three feet wide, containing a hard, thick mattress at bottom, resting on a number of cross pieces of wood, and a full feather bed at the top, covered with the sheets, over which is laid, as the only cover, a puffy silk bag, the length and breadth of the crib, stuffed with the lightest down, and weighing consequently a mere nothing. Two square pillows, both filled with feathers, and a straw bolster of the same shape, intended to raise the former, are so arranged as to give them considerable inclination. These, from their great size, take up at least one-half of the length of the bed, so that to lie flat in it, is out of the question. A large proportion of the miseries of human life are really so many bon bons, compared to the misery endured in such a bed. If you attempt to stretch your legs, the solid footboard reminds you to keep your knees bent; if you turn on your side, again the poor knees are the sufferers, for you are sure of knocking them violently against the sideboards. The feather bed heats your loins-the down bag heats your chest-the feather pillows heat your shoulders-and by the time you are worked up into a fever, perspiration flowing from every pore, and drowsiness at last overpowering you-off flies, at an unlucky turn, the flimsy and untucked bag under which you were buried; and a chattering shiver of the frame awakens you to the full consciousness of bruised flesh, sore bones, broken back, and stiff neck, with parched mouth, and a dreadful headach into the bargain-the inevitable results of such a feathered nest."

The music at Berlin, indemnified him for the miseries of the cradle; and he truly exclaims, when he had heard Winter's new

opera (Das Unterbrochen Opferfest)—“ no person can form an idea of the difference between the performance of this, or any other piece of music, by a German orchestra and the orchestra of any other nation, who has not heard both." Mademoiselle Sontag was the star or the magnet of the Prussian metropolis at this period. Several pages are devoted to a rapturous delineation of her person, and a learned analysis of her vocal powers and skill. The German language is proscribed as utterly unsuitable for the musical expression of the softer passions. Our doctor places the German next to the English tragedians, allows the Germans a considerable degree of merit in the walks of genteel comedy, and represents broad farce to be decidedly their fort.

We are now within sight of autocratic Russia. The approach to the capital from Stremla, on the Gulf of Finland, is stated to be an uninterrupted line of sumptuous palaces in every variety of chaste, fanciful, and imitative architecture, with gardens and pleasure-grounds attached to the country seats of the nobility and gentry of St. Petersburgh.

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The general coup d'œil which the imperial residence of St. Petersburgh presents to the traveller, is one of the most magnificent in Europe. It does not, like that of Naples and Constantinople, heightened by the magic effect of the surrounding country, convey the idea of beautiful nature and picturesque situation; neither is the impression first received, on entering the spacious streets and extensive squares of St. Petersburgh, like that which the capitals of London and Paris excite, when first beheld, imparting at once just notions of the wealth, splendour, and luxury of their inhabitants. But it surprises more than either, from the great number and magnitude of the public buildings, from the bold style of architecture which pervades every part, and from the total absence of those dark and wretched courts and lanes, the abode of the lowest classes, which, in other cities, obtrude themselves on the notice of the traveller, in the midst of grandeur and stateliness of exterior.

"It was not without some reason, that a French traveller newly arrived in this city, asked where the people lived? Partout on ne rencontre que des palais et d'innombrables edifices,' he observed; and the remark thus far was correct. No capital in Europe can, in this respect, be compared to St. Petersburgh; for no where else do we meet with buildings of such striking appearance, nor does any other city contain so many private houses, which might rival the palaces of Rome. St. Petersburgh is, in fact, a city of palaces."

"One of the most remarkable and striking features of this great metropolis, is, doubt

lessly, the Neva; a river which, whether we consider its origin, its rapidity, great depth, and the beautiful transparent blue colour of its water, or the advantages it affords, stamps the character of the capital as one, on that account, unrivalled in Europe. Travellers accustomed to behold only the muddy streams that traverse the principal cities of Europe-impressed with the recollections of the clay-mixed currents which flow between the banks of the Thames, the Seine, the Po, the Arno, and Tiber, the Elbe, the Spree, and the Vistula-on approaching the embankinents of the Neva, as it rushes past the palaces of St. Petersburgh, must be struck at once with surprise and delight at the novelty of the scene."

The population of the Russian metropolis, which, in 1801, was 230,000, is now 320,000. It is continually expanding by the addition of magnificent palaces and churches, besides the new streets and squares which business creates. By law, the name of the proprietor or tenant of every house is inscribed on some conspicuous part of it. The footways, paved with white granite flags, are raised three or four inches above the general level of the streets, most of which are from sixty to one hundred and twenty feet wide. There are not fewer than seventy bridges, one half of which are of granite, and eight or ten of iron; but no permanent one has been attempted over the main river, on account of the floating ice. The quays of the Neva, and canals, deserve to be styled magnificent. They are, in the ensemble, absolutely unrivalled. The distinction between the fashionable and unfashionable districts of St. Petersburgh, is as strongly marked as it is in London. Every large city, in fact, even in republics, has a Court-end, where the more wealthy and refined are supposed to be collected, and either just claims, or flse airs of superiority, are particularly prevalent. Walking is not à la mode in the Russian capital, though pedestrians have no where more comfort and security, and more "points of view and objects of interest." Authority keeps the pavements clear and clean, and sweeps away all the mendicants. It is indispensable that all fashionable visits should be paid, all dinner parties attended, in a coach and four-a custom of which Captain Jones complains as somewhat expensive. The public means of conveyance to and from St. Petersburgh, are numerous as those to be found in any other country. Private carriages are seldom drawn by fewer than three, and often by four, six, and eight horses. The national vehicle, the Drosky a bench with springs and cushions on four wheels-did not gain the favour of Captain Jones. He considers the motion as " absolutely tormenting," and the exposure dreadful. The Russians have gorgeous equipages and fine horses. The

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number of vehicles of all sorts used in the capital, has been estimated at fifty thousand. A maitre d'hotel, and the cook of a patrician, will not go to market on foot. Every man in good circumstances keeps his carriage. In May, 1827, a steam vessel, larger than a first rate frigate, began to ply between London and St. Petersburgh, and performed the voyage in nine or ten days.

The Russian capital, according to Dr. Granville, is not excellently provided with hotels or great inns, but this in part is owing to "the ready hospitality of the upper classes of society, frequently imitated by the wealthy merchants and the middle classes of inhabitants." A foreigner, well introduced, may count upon being asked to dine out almost daily. Captain Jones, on the contrary, asserts, that probably there never was a capital "so little distinguished for hospitality;" and this, he adds, is a general complaint, which he had no particular reason to make, for he received "more invitations than his neighbours." Of good society, the classes are as numerous as in the other great capita's of Europe;-with regard to the ladies, Dr. Granville thinks, that in point of manners, and general dignity of deportment, they yield to none of the most eminent of the fair sex elsewhere; and some of them he deems superior in accomplishments and the more solid advantages of education. Of the Russian merchants resident in St. Petersburgh, the younger part do not differ from persons of the same age and order in Germany. Many of the older have relinquished the native dress. A considerable part (about one ninth) of the population of St. Petersburgh, consists of foreigners, of whom the most numerous are the Germans, next to them the French, and then the English. The latter mix less in society with the natives than they did formerly. It is no longer the policy of the government to tempt foreigners to settle in the empire, except as colonists. Notwithstanding the great proportion of strangers, and its influence upon the general character and manners of the inhabitants, our author believes that almost every custom connected with the religion, habits, amusements, and peculiar mode of living of the Russian, is as strongly illustrated in every part, and on every occasion, at St. Petersburgh, as in Moscow. should infer that the former city represents less strongly and comprehensively, the mass of the native population, than any other European metropolis. The Emperor Nicholas himself, said to the Doctor :

Yet, we

"Allez à Moscow-Vous verrez une ville qui mérite à tout égard l'attention d'un voyageur. Vous nous voyez ici (à St. Petersbourg) dans des habits tout neufs, que nous tachons de porter le mieux possible; mais à Moscow on voit le Russe tel qu'il est, ou decouvre ce qu'il a été, et on peut juger par

là ce qu'il pourra devenir un jour. Certes, l'ancienne capitale de la Russie doit offrir des reflections intéressantes à une personne instruite et sans préjugés."

Dr. Granville speaks favourably of the climate of St. Petersburgh, against which, in the winter, precautions and defences abound, that counteract or defeat its inclemency. He was delighted with that hyperborean season ;he treats it as a luxury, when "the ground is covered with snow, the rivers and canals frozen, the air pure, and the sky serene.' So is it in our climate; and we may repeat after him-" one feels then more than usual energy and elasticity, more inclination to exercise, digests his food better, has excellent nights, grows robust, keeps disease at bay, and smiles at the doctor." In general, the snowy days in the year, from October to May, amount to eighty or ninety-and the quantity of snow is immense. Storms and drifts are frequent. The Aurora Borealis appears, on an average, twenty-one times annually. There are so few diseases of the chest, catarrhs, and defluxions, and feverish colds, in the Russian capital, that our traveller was quite surprised, on hearing consumption quoted as an endemic complaint." Determination of the blood to the head is common, and ascribed to the use of stoves in confined rooms: scrofula exists in great force; scarlet fever and erysipelas, prevail more than in any other capital of the same extent; and the doctor testifies, that at least one out of every three persons of both sexes, labours under the hemorrhoids, and foreigners seldom escape. This malady he avers to be strictly indigenous. He describes in abundant detail, the means employed to preserve a warm temperature in the Russian dwellings, and particularly the petch or stove, which is unique, and which he celebrates as by far a more rational and effectual mode of warming a house, than either the coal-grate of England, the blazing hearth of France, or the iron-stove of Germany. He dwells, through six pages, upon that great winter luxury of the Russians, their peculiar bath, which no tourist fails to mention, but which every one has not courage to try. Dr. Granville "determined to ascertain with his own eyes, and by his own experience, the nature and form of such a bath," and narrates every appearance and incident in the course of his enterprise; still, we prefer the report of Captain Jones, as less lengthy, and more quaint and honest, and shall, therefore, proceed to quote the latter:

"Having seen and heard so much of the Russian baths, we determined to try the effect of one, contrary to the advice of our medical friends and others, many of whom had been born and lived nearly all their lives in Russia, without venturing the experiment. We accordingly repaired to that which is

esteemed the best in this city; and I will describe the whole thing precisely as it was administered. The baths are private, and only contain one person. First, there is a dressing-room at a moderate temperature, with cushions and conveniencies for the toilette. When undressed, a fellow presents himself stark-naked, and conducts you into the bath, a good sized room, having a bench like a bedstead, with a slight rise for the head. At the opposite side are fitted up shelves like flower stands, which terminate with a similar bench or bedstead, to be subsequently used. The bath is at a high but not oppressive temperature, and is furnished with several pipes, communicating with water, from the freezing to the boiling point.

"You first of all sit down on the bench, while he forms a lather and scours your head well, after which, he prepares a bundle of soft shavings, with soap and hot water, when he obliges you to lay down at full length, while he curries you all over on both sides. After this, you stand up and are rinsed with tepid water, when he prepares a bunch of birch leaves, and obliges you to mount by the shelves, or steps, to the upper

bench before described. He now throws water on a hot iron, which produces such a vapour or steam, that it is almost impossible to support the heat: he then obliges you to lie down, and, with the birch leaves, performs the same operation he had previously done with the shavings, except that while you are roaring out with pain from the heat, and begging to be relieved, yet afraid to lift your head, because every inch in height, from the vapour ascending, causes some increase in the intenseness of the heat, the fellow coldly affects indifference, and laughs at your request, or sings a few words of a song. At length he relieves you, when, jumping down as hastily as possible from a heat which really struck me as red hot, and I thought must have brought the skin off, the fellow adroitly seizes the moment you are on your legs to pour buckets of cold water on your

head.

The first gives a violent and unexpected shock, which you instantaneously recover; and the second produces a most delightful glow, a perfect elysian feel, which you would willingly continue; but, fearful of checking the perspiration too long, the bath is brought to a higher temperature, and, when the pores are again open, and perspiration appears, the Russian bath finishes, you return to your dressing-room, wrap warmly up, get into your carriage, drive home, lie down on your bed much relaxed for an hour, after which you feel quite restored, and are fit for any thing. Indeed, two hours after, I joined a large party at dinner, with a most excellent appetite. The price of a private bath is two rubles and a half, and I gave one to the attendant. The common ones vary

from ten to fifty copecks; they are merely large rooms, constantly filled with vapour. The bathers take their own birch leaves with them, and mutually scour each other, but, as they cannot have cold water inside, they either plunge into the river, as we marked at Helsingfors, or if it is winter, the yard being full of snow, they roll themselves in it, and then return to the bath for a moment, to restore perspiration. After this, they dress as usual, and walk home, or remain in the cold, washing their clothes. This must be the effect of habit, as it certainly would be extremely dangerous for a stranger to be so exposed to the action of the air, after being so much relaxed. Fortunately, the Greek religion requires ablution before attending the church, and, equally fortunately, the attendance is exacted twice a week, so that the lower classes by this means ensure health and cleanliness of body, which otherwise, from the length of time they wear their garments, could not be preserved.

"Upon the whole, I must say that these baths present a greater want of delicacy than it is possible to imagine in civilized society; and yet, within these few years, they have been much reformed. Originally, there was no distinction of sexes, both promiscuously entering the same bath, and rendering mutual assistance. Indeed, in many places, the old custom is not abolished, and in all it is not considered indelicate to enter the court appropriated to the females, who continue their cold ablutions, apparently unconscious of shame. Added to this, it is said, that for a small gratification to the proprietors or attendants, they make no difficulty in clandestinely admitting visiters into those baths that are supposed to be exclusively appropriated to the use of younger females. In short, it is impossible to conceive any public custom, or establishment, which produces more immoral conduct between the two sexes. Having, as a traveller, gratified my curiosity, I do not feel any desire to repeat a Russian bath."

The Winter Palace, so called among the imperial mansions at St. Petersburgh, occupies an area of four hundred thousand square feet. There are from ninety to one hundred principal rooms on the first story. Neither the Tuilleries, nor the palace at Versailles, possesses any saloon so rich and magnificent as the great hall of St. George. Another of the apartments, the military gallery, one hundred and eighty feet long, is entirely covered with half-length portraits of the general officers, who signalized themselves in the Russian service during the war with France. It is asserted, that upwards of two thousand persons habitually reside in the Winter Palace, and even a larger number, when the emperor is in St. Petersburgh. Every writer on the domestic habits of the

Russians, has cited the populousness of their households. Dr. Granville experienced astonishment at the number of the servants in the great families-generally ten times more than can be properly occupied. He complains, however, that during his apparition in St. Petersburgh, he never once cast his eye on that useful being yeleped a housemaid; and a Russian officer of distinction emphatically remarked to him—" with all these regiments of domestics, there is not a woman any where to make your bed, or dust your room, both operations being performed by men, than which nothing can be more odious in my sight." Our doctor's review of the national dishes, or favourite food, must destroy the appetite of all fasting readers, with other than Sclavonian or Teutonic palates. No national cookery can boast of a greater variety of dishes and sauces; but the renowned Kitchener, as a declared enemy to ascescent fermentation, would, we think, have rejected the whole. Dr. Granville says:

"We dined generally, and so did every body else I believe, at five o'clock. In one of the principal drawing-rooms there is a small table set out with a number of small dishes containing carved cold tongue, dried herrings, caviar, preserves, anchovies, thin slices of bread and cheese, with small bottles of liqueurs or brandy: most of the guests partake of some of those before dinner. The Marchese Caraccioli, who was a great gourmand, and spent several years in England, as ambassador from Naples, used to observe, in reference to English cookery, Il y a en Angleterre soixante sectes religieuses différentes, et une seule sauce, le melted butter! quel pays!" Had the marquess been ambassador at St. Petersburgh instead, he would have been spared the trouble of such an antithesis. Maitre Anonyme, the editor of the Almanach des Gaurmands, will be considered as not having done one half of his duty if he expires before he has opened to the public the budget of Russian dishes. These are presented to the guests by the maître d'hôtel and his assistants, already carved at the side tables, and one after the other, with the pleasing attention of whispering into your ears the nomenclature of each dish. One comes and another goes, and a servant follows with a decanter in each hand. The first commends to your attention a little vareniky; the second, finding that you have already before you a dish of stachy, brings round the rastingay, or oblong pastry, to eat with it. He of the bottles then thinks it high time to remind you of such cordial beverages as Champagne, Burgundy, Lafitte, Pacharete, Vin du Commandeur, du Johannisberg, de la Comète, and so on, until you know not what choice to make. Mine was the easiest task on such occasions, for I took none, and I am the better for it; but the quantity of Champagne that I saw