they were principally confined to the younger artists: the tree looks healthy towards the roots, but weakens as it spreads. I could not help observing, that most of the adult students were occupied in painting whole and half length likenesses of the emperor, in his regimentals, instead of attending to the works of the ancient masters, several of whose productions adorn their galleries. The almighty Disposer of the universe has limited nations, as well as individuals, to their proshare of his beneficence. Whilst he has determined that the vine of the Tyrol shall never bend with its luscious grape upon the shores of the Frozen Sea, he seems to have allotted a more benign region to painting, and to have precluded her from wandering far in the north. To the Russian that god has been bountiful :-but Russia has never yet sent an illustrious painter into the world :—it may be too confident to say, she never will.

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In the hall of architecture were some exquisite models; many in cork, of Roman ruins; the principal were a prodigious one of St. Peter's at Rome, which entirely filled a large room; its dimensions admitted two of us to stand under its dome, and another of the kazan. In the hall of statuary we saw several students at their occupations, who displayed considerable ability: there were here some beautiful casts, from Canovre's statues, many of which are in prince Usupoff's gallery. The adjoining rooms to this were for the accommodation of the engravers and medalists.

The late empress lavished enormous sums upon this institution, which, if it does not ultimately reach the perfection of similar establishments in more genial climates, will at least have the merit of having made some advancements. After the profuse magnificence of Catherine, and the thoughtless waste of the imperial treasure during the short reign of his disastrous predecessor, Alexander has most judiciously confined himself to a cautious and scrupulous expenditure. Russia is unquestionably much indebted to the genius and spirit of the late empress; but it was impossible that extended civilization could be the fruits of her costly culture. In raising magnificent palaces, she raised so many monuments to her memory, which at first surprised the common Russian, but never informed him; and, in doing so, she too much neglected the cottage. If I dare intimate the spot where, in such a country the spirit of civilization should commence her operations, I would point to the hovel of felled trees, where the smoke issues through the same hole which admits the

light: ameliorate the domestic economy of rude and abject nature: take care of the peasantry: the higher classes are pretty nearly the same all over the world. The reverse of this plan will ever present the hideous spectacle of a voluptuous and vicious nobility, and of a people corrupt before they are refined; or, in the language of a shrewd observer of mankind, ❝rotten ere they are ripe." As far as my observation and information extended, I should conceive that the civilization of Russia would be rapidly promoted, after the removal of that most frightful and powerful of all checks, slavery, by improving the farms, by establishing colleges for the education of those who are destined to the priesthood, by reducing the number of holidays, by instituting rewards for menial integrity at the end of a given period, and by preventing parents from betrothing their female children before the age of consent, and contrary to their will.

The day when we visited the places before described being remarkable fine, captain Elphinstone, of the Russian navy, proposed a visit by water in his barge to Kammenoi Ostroff, a little seat, and the favourite residence of the emperor, about seven versts from the city. The bargemen were very fine fellows, clean shaved, and dressed in clean shirts. As we rowed round the islands formed by the Petrovka, branching from the Neva, my gallant friend gratified me, by relating the following anecdote of the delicacy and fortitude of Catherine's mind. After the battle between the Russian and Swedish fleets, off Cronstadt, in May, 1790, captain Elphinstone, then a very young lieutenant, was dispatched by his uncle, admiral Creuse, to Catherine, who was at that time at the palace of Zarsko Zelo, with an account of the successful manœuvres of her fleet. For four days and nights preceding the empress had taken no rest, and but little refreshment, the greater part of which time she had passed upon the beautiful terrace near the baths of porphyry; listening, with the greatest anxiety, to the distant thunder of the cannon, which was so tremendous, that several windows in Petersburg were broken by its concussion. It is said that, anticipating the last disaster, her horses and carriages were ready to convey her to Moscow. Young Elphinstone arrived at the palace late at night, in his fighting clothes, covered with dust and gun-powder, and severely fatigued with long. and arduous duty. His dispatches were instantly carried to the empress, who ordered her page in waiting to give the bearer refreshments and a bed, and requested that he might on no account be dis

turbed. The gallant messenger availed himself of her graciousness, and Tir'd Nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep!" never quitted his eye-lids till the dawn had far advanced, during which period Catherine had sent three times to see if he were awake. At length captain Elphinstone, in all his dishabille, was conducted to her presence by her secretary, when she commenced an enchanting conversation, in which she complimented the gallantry and many naval achievements of his family; and after proceeding upon various topics for about half an hour, she said, calling him "my son," "Now let 66 us proceed to business: I have received the dispatches, which "have afforded me infinite satisfaction. I thank you for your bravery " and zeal; I beg you will describe to me the position of the ships;" which, as captain E. explained, she indicated with her pencil upon a leaf of her pocket-book; and as she gave him her orders to the commander in chief, she presented him with a rouleau of ducats, a beautiful little French watch, and, although very young, promoted him to the rank of captain.

It was during this battle that the Swedish monarch behaved with his accustomed distinguished gallantry. As he was rowing in his barge, and giving his orders, in the thickest of the battle, a shot carried away the hand of the strokesman, and, at this moment, a small Russian vessel of war, discovering the king, bore down upon him. The brave and generous monarch, seeing the accident which his poor bargeman had sustained, and his own personal peril at the same time, calmly took out his handkerchief, and bound it over the wound; then leaped on board one of his gun-boats, and miraculously escaped, by that good fortune which never favours little minds, at the instant when his barge was boarded by the enemy, the cushions of which were preserved in the apartment of captain Elphinstone, in the marine barracks, as trophies of war and of humanity.

A short time after the Swedish fleet had retired, the gallant and venerable admiral Creuse, who commanded the Russian fleet, paid his respects to his sovereign. Owing to the corpulency of the admiral, the narrow plank floor of the presence-chamber shook with his weight, which the hero remarked with some little humour, to Catherine, when she turned this trivial circumstance into the following beautiful compliment:-" My brave Creuse, wherever you go you "make the earth shake under you, and your enemies tremble." As we rowed along we passed several national baths, from which the

people precipitately issued in a stream of perspiration, and plunged into the river. They regard these transitions from extreme heat to extreme cold as conducive to an invigoration of the frame. As we turned up the little Nevka, we saw several beautiful country houses and grounds: the chateau of count Narishkin was of this description; it had a centre, surmounted by a vast copper dome painted green, and very extensive wings upon a ground floor; a flight of steps led to the principal entrance, shaded from the sun by a vast projecting awning of canvas; the whole edifice was built of wood, and painted of a light yellow. Several elegant yachts and pleasure barges with gay streamers, floating green-houses and baths, were moored before it; the whole had an Asiatic appearance. A superb pleasure barge with twelve rowers, covered with a rich awning from stem to stern, passed us, in which was a lady of rank, and a little yellow humpbacked female ideot, who had the good fortune of being her pet! The Russian nobility, whether from whim, genuine compassion, or superstition, I know not, are uncommonly fond of these little, sickly, shapeless, blighted beings: uniting man to monster, and apparently formed by heaven to mock the proud presuming nature of those whom he has made after his own image. The imperial chateau is small, has a terrace in front towards the water, and a wood behind; as the emperor was here we did not attempt to see the inside of it, but I understand most of the rooms are for use and comfort only. The empress, who is one of the most amiable and the shyest being that ever wore a diadem, hurries with delight from the gaudy tumult of a court, to veil herself in the tranquil shades of this sequestered place; and the emperor exhibits the same love of privacy. Is there no moral in their choice? Does it not point to the spot where only genuine happiness is to be found?

We went on board one of the imperial yachts, a beautiful vessel, the state-room of which was most elegantly fitted up. Soon after leaving Kammenoi Ostroff, we passed count Stroganoff's gardens, which are prettily laid out, and embellished with the customary decorations of hillocks, rustic temples, artificial rocks and waterfalls. The count very liberally opens his garden gates on Sunday to the public, when the walks are very much crowded, and resemble, but in miniature, those of Kensington gardens. Upon cur return, we rowed against the stream of the Neva a considerable way, and floated down with it, for the purpose of enabling our boatmen to take in their oars,

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and afford us a specimen of Russian vocal music. They first faced each other, and sat very close together, and upon a signal being given, the leader sang a little song alone, which, upon his striking a tamborine, all the party stedfastly gazing upon each other, joined in, and, although their voices at a distance frequently produce an agreeable harmony, such was the shrillness on the present occasion, that I could not help thinking the conclusion of the song by far the best part of it. When captain E. was lying in his frigate, a few years since, off Palermo, he invited a party, in which were two Italian princesses, to a marine breakfast, during which the latter requested to be indulged with a native Russ chorus, the fame of which had reached them. The sailors, who were assembled round the cabinlight, commenced their national song before their fair auditors expected it, who, terrified at the screaming sounds which issued from the strained throats of these untutored warblers, instantly raised their hands to their ears, and implored captain E. to stop his men; but, convulsed with laughter, and overpowered by the din of the chorus, he was obliged to let them make a natural finale. When they had stopped, captain Elphinstone said, "Now, ladies, will you have a little more?" "Not for the world, my dear captain, not for the world, we are quite content," was the universal cry.

Whilst I was upon a visit at the house of my much respected and hospitable friend, John Venning, Esq. I used generally to be awakened by a cowkeeper, collecting, Orpheus-like, his cows together, by a very long pipe, from which he produced some strains by no means unpleasing. The dress and attitude of this fellow, with his instrument in his mouth, resembled very much some of the figures which I have seen upon Etruscan vases. For two or three days, whilst the wind was northerly, we were much annoyed in the city by a dense smoky atmosphere, arising from a large forest, which had been burning for several days, about thirty versts from Petersburg: to prevent the spreading of this terrible conflagration, two regiments were marched to the spot, who, after great exertion, by felling trees, and digging trenches, succeeded in impeding its progress. Accidents of this kind are attributed to the reaction of intense heat from the rock, upon the dry moss which is frequently found upon it.