resemble the Esquimaux Indians, who occupy the northern parts of the American continent.

5. It would seem that these people would have a very dull time of it, up in their cold country, where three-fourths of the time is winter, and where the nights are sometimes six months long. But they appear to enjoy themselves pretty well. They have no books, but they tell long stories, and crack their jokes as other people.

6. They have no history, for they seem to keep no more record of what passes among them than a hive of bees. One generation succeeds another, and so things pass from age to

age. They are not warlike, and have no great events to tell. Thus they go on, living now as their great-grandfathers lived before them. They acknowledge the authority of the emperor, but the country is so cold, he never comes among them, so they do pretty much as they please.

7. In the southern and western portions of European Russia are a good many Tartars, who are very fond of riding about on swift horses. Along the river Don, there is a race of Cossacks. These too are fond of horses, and in battle fight terribly with long spears, which they hurl to the distance of two hundred feet.

8. Besides these tribes, there are many Jews, several millions of Poles, a good many Germans, and some Gipsies, in Russia. In the cities, the people generally live pretty much as they like, each man pursuing what occupation he pleases.

9. But the country people who till the land are held in a state of bondage similar to that of the vassals in old feudal times. These are called boors, and are in a sad state of ignorance and poverty. They belong either to the emperor or the rich people.

10. Like all other slaves they are degraded and miserable, and, like other slaves, they grow worse rather than better. They are, in short, the property of their masters, who look upon them as animals, made for their service, and they care little about them, except to get as much out of them as they

can.

11. That golden rule, Do to another as you would have another do to you, seems never to be thought of by these Russian masters. What a sad thing it is to think of, that there are thirty-six millions of people living in this state of slavery and degradation in European Russia!

QUESTIONS.-1. What of Moscow? What was done in 1812? 2. What of the commerce of St. Petersburg? What of Moscow? 3. What of the czar of Russia? 4. What tribes live in European Russia? Whom do they resemble? 5. What of their employments? Their life? 7. What of Tartars? Cossacks? 8. What of other inhabitants? 9. Who are the boors? What of them? 10. How are they like other slaves? 11. What rule do the masters of these slaves never practise? What is a sad reflection?

CHAP. CXXXVII.-EUROPE continued.

THE REIGN OF PETER THE GREAT.

1. ALTHOUGH Russia is such an immense empire, its history will not detain us long. It was a country of barbarians, till within little more than a hundred years. It cannot be said to have taken a rank among civilized nations till Peter the Great ascended the throne.

2. Peter was a very strange man, and, though he began the work of civilizing his empire, he found it a more difficult task to civilize himself. In fact, he was somewhat of a barbarian all his life.

3. The emperors of Russia are called czars. When the czar Peter was twenty-five years old, he left his throne, and travelled over Europe in search of knowledge. He did not go to any of the learned universities, nor apply himself to the study of the dead languages.

4. That was not the sort of knowledge which Peter wanted. The first thing he did was to go to Holland, and put himself apprentice to a ship-carpenter. The house is still standing where he used to live while there. He afterwards went to England, and followed the same trade as in Holland.

5. Besides learning the business of ship-carpentry, he took lessons in other branches of mechanics, and also in surgery. In short, he neglected no kind of knowledge

which he thought would be useful to himself or to his subjects.

6. In a little more than a year, he heard that his sister was endeavouring to make herself empress of Russia. This intelligence compelled him to break off his studies and labours, and hasten back to the city of Moscow. On arriving there, he put some of the conspirators to death, and confined his sister in prison.

7. His time was afterwards so much occupied in war, and in taking care of the empire, that he never had leisure to finish his education. But he had already learned a great deal, and the effect of his knowledge was soon seen in the improvement of Russia.

8. Peter used to rise at five in the morning, and busy himself all day about the affairs of the empire. But in the evening, when his work was over, he would seat himself beside a big round bottle of brandy, and drink till his reason was quite gone.

9. This habit, together with the natural violence of his temper, rendered him almost as dangerous to his friends as to his enemies. He often said that he had corrected the faults of Russia, but that he could not correct his own.

10. Peter was in the habit of beating those who offended him with his cane. The highest noblemen in Russia often underwent this punishment. Even the Empress Catherine, his wife, sometimes got soundly beaten; but perhaps not oftener than she deserved it.

11. It is supposed that the czar Peter ordered his own son to be put to death, and that he was privately executed in prison. He had many faults, and was guilty of some great crimes, but his name stands high on the list of sovereigns; for he was one of the very few who have laboured hard for the welfare of their subjects. He did more for the good of Russia than all the czars who went before and have come after him.

QUESTIONS.-1. What of Russia? Peter the Great? 2 What can you say of Peter? 3. Who are called czars? Describe the manner in which the czar Peter set about acquiring knowledge. 8. In what vice did Peter indulge? 10. What habit had he? 11. What is supposed to have been the fate of Peter's son? The character of the czar Peter?

CHAP. CXXXVIII.-EUROPE continued.

THE SUCCESSORS OF PETER THE GREAT.

1. PETER died in 1725, at the age of fifty-three, and was succeeded by his wife, the Empress Catherine. She had been a country girl, and the czar Peter had married her for the sake of her beauty. In some respects, Catherine was a good sort of woman; but, among other faults, she was rather too fond of wine.

2. She reigned only about two years, and was succeeded by her husband's grandson, named Peter the Second. He died in 1730, and left the throne to Anne Iwanowna, his niece. The empress Anne was a good sovereign, and per