working and trafficking community, and if the generality of them have recourse to him for loans to meet demands, or extend business, the property of the little community will be soon in his coffers, or secured to him in some way. Just as where you heard the buzz of insects, and marked the glitter of their wings by a garden wall in the sunshine, you may pass again, and instead of this pleasant sparkle, and music, and movement, find nothing but a dark, bloated, and motionless spider coiled up in his web."

Some representations made by the Englishmen of the existence of usurers bearing the mask of Christians, and of many nobleminded, benevolent Jews were without result.

Getting into the Czar's barge in waiting they coasted the Strangers' Isle, and admired the fine palace of the Admiral Apraxin, and the winter and summer palaces of the Czar, the latter being built on the eastern or higher part of the island. The building in itself was no way remarkable, but the pleasure-grounds and large park were nicely laid out.

There were yachts and barques of every description moored in a sort of harbour adjoining the palace. Peter did not seek the principal entrance, but brought his new acquaintance by a side passage into the park, and indulged them with the inspection of what he looked on as the chief curiosity of his city. He conducted them into a darkened room in a house in the park, made them warily approach a table on a small platform, and then invited them to take seats and wait in silence for a few seconds.

In a short time they found them

selves in the centre of a gigantic celestial globe the ground of a soft bluish hue, and the constellations and stars of every magnitude accurately marked in their places. Being adjusted for the latitude of Petersburg they observed the unaccustomed elevation of the pole star, and had the satisfaction of seeing the great concave slowly revolve from east to west, and some ordinary astronomical movements represented. Peter enjoyed their surprise and delight as frankly as a child exhibiting a peep-show, and of course named the inventor, the celebrated Tycho Brahe.*

When he had allowed them what he considered a sufficient time for the contemplation of this masterpiece, he conducted them into his ordinary hall of justice--a long room in the grounds furnished with a chair, and platform. As they passed up through the centre the folk of different degrees at each side made lowly greetings. The four visiters were provided with four seats, and the Czar entered on his functions of supreme magistrate and receiver of petitions, the claimants being heard according to their arrival at the hall. The first with a petition was an ex-cook of the Czar's, Velten by name, who begged his great father to attend a christening at his house next evening but one, and stand godfather to the newlyborn. "How can you ask me," said the Czar, "after allowing my fine Limburg cheese to be eaten by some of your rascally assistants after I had charged you to lock it up?" "Surely," said Velten, "the Czar has not forgotten the sound caning he gave his servant on that occasion for his negligence." "True, true," said Peter with

an approach to a smile; "the offence and the punishment were nicely balanced. I will attend." The gratified petitioner drew back, and gave way to the next, whose complaint was directed against a man of law. He went on to say that he had laid a statement of his complaint against a neighbour with a certain advocate, but when his turn came to have his cause heard, he found the court occupied with another case, brought forward by the same man, though the complainant in it had made his application later by a day than himself.*

This petitioner had the satisfaction to hear from the Czar's own lips that the advocate's day book should be examined before sunset, and if his statement was true the culpable man of law be punished. Otherwise he, the complainant, should be made acquainted with the bataog or perhaps the knout next day.

Not to divide this incident, we may as well mention the sequel in this place. After the Czar's hour of justice had expired, he despatched two of his incorruptible denchtchiks who obliged the advocate to produce his book. In spite of some ingenious cooking they saw that the poor man had told a true story, and the Englishmen witnessed the finale the next day as they passed a police office. The defaulting lawyer was lying flat on the ground with his back exposed naked, and one artist sitting on his legs, and another on his head, were exercising two special good rods on all the fleshy region they found between their separate positions. For aggravated offences of this kind the knout and a residence in Siberia were prescribed.

Next applicant was one of his negro attendants whom he had caned

the day before on board ship. He had been cruising out in the gulf, and after his early dinner, was enjoying his usual nap. A couple of the young officers forgetting everything but some present whim, were engaged at horse play, and roused him up by a sudden noise caused by some awkwardness. A sudden waking before the time always put the Czar in a violent passion. The culprits contrived by a swift movement to get out of sight, and the black first meeting the angry eyes of the Czar, received a sound caning. The poor fellow protested his innocence in vain at the time. Now, however, he took the opportunity of appealing from the Czar a party to the Czar a judge, and succeeded. "I find," said Peter, "that I was too hasty; and as it is out of my power to undo that correction, you shall go free the next time you deserve one."

Our limits do not allow of the details of the other petitions and applications of that morning, the Czar uniformly exhibiting a desire to meet the suitors' wishes when they did not contravene his own notions of justice. The visiters were struck by the strong feelings of reverence and attachment exhibited in the demeanour of the people to their great father, as they called him. They feared him, doubtless; but this feeling was absorbed, so to say, in those of unbounded love and awe. The lower the subject's rank, the less his fear and the greater his unlimited confidence in the goodness of his superior.

The audience being at an end, the people dispersed, but not without some unchecked explorations in the park. Peter was before his time in respect of devoting pleasure-grounds to the comfort and amusement of the

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people. He requested his four companions of the morning to follow him into the palace, and there in a room not remarkable for splendour or rich furniture, he introduced them to the Czarina Catharine, who graciously offered them her hands to be kissed, and addressed some friendly remarks to the officer and the merchant, both of whom were already well known to her. She also entered into conversation in French with the Englishmen, but they could perceive that she loved not to converse in foreign tongues. They scarcely expected to be treated to a glass of brandy each from the still fair and dimpled hands of the Empress, yet they enjoyed that fiery and flattering distinction. Peter also took a glass to do them honour. There was a grim attempt at a smile under his moustache as he remarked the flush about their mouths and eyes, and listened to their restrained coughs, as they strove to empty their glasses. They had heard of the extraordinary circumstances that distinguished the life of this remarkable woman, and were prepared to find something striking in her manners and appearance. However, they gazed merely on a comely, matronly face, of a most gentle and benevolent expression. She could be dignified at need, but not imperious or commanding. Her character admirably fulfilled the promise of her features. She was idolized by her husband and by her subjects, and her ordinary life was replete with kind and charitable offices toward the distressed and those who had fallen under her husband's displeasure.

The visiters did not abuse their privileges; they made but a moderate stay, and after some kind expressions on one side, and respectful and grate

ful ones on the other, they took their leave.

Peter and Catharine sat down to dinner that day in a small room adjoining the kitchen, an arrangement devised by the Czar himself, in order that the viands might not have time to cool. The dishes were handed in through an aperture closed by a sliding panel, and the only attendants were a page and a waiting woman. For the sake of antiquaries of the school of Epicurus, we are happily enabled to mention some delicacies in the bill of fare-soup with sour cabbage, gruel, pig with sour cream for sauce, cold roast meat with pickled cucumbers or salted lemons, lampreys, salt meat, ham, and the inevitable Limburg cheese. We do not assert that their Majesties eat in any quantity, or even tasted some of these eatables, but they had their turn on some other day. Peter would have taken a glass of stiff brandy just before dinner had he not previously treated himself as mentioned. Our fastidious authority calls this preparatory whet by the mild name of aniseed water, but it was genuine spirit notwithstanding. His concluding draught was quass, or Russian beer. After dinner he slept for an hour or more, and as already hinted, if disturbed during his slumber, would wake in a terrible paroxysm. When on a journey or in a boat, one of his denchtchikst would lay himself down for a pillow, and be very careful indeed not to stir body or limb till his master's "exposition of sleep" had passed.

In their return home by canal and street the Britons had occasion to see the people dining on their rye bread and salt fish, and refreshing themselves with draughts of quass. Now and then a family would be seen,

spoon in hand, engaged at a bowl of brown-looking hasty pudding, which Dimitri informed the foreigners was a preparation made from flax-seed. Everywhere pigeons and doves were hopping and fluttering about the streets more confident than sparrows in English cities, no one dreaming of catching or molesting them. This, as their acquaintance informed the Englishmen, arose from the ordinary representations of the HOLY SPIRIT under the figure of the dove. They were amused and rather surprised by the manoeuvres of an artist, who fixed on the top of a ladder, was making some repairs about the eve of a house. Having finished the point he was improving when the company were passing, and wanting to remove the ladder about a foot to one side, instead of spending a minute in coming down and shifting the article in the legitimate way, he executed some complicated and inexplicable movement of body, limbs, and ladder, and shifted it to the desired spot, thus gaining time, and saving himself the trouble of descending and ascending, but at the manifest risk of breaking his neck.

In the evening at Mr. Brindley's the discourse continued to run on the Czar and the Czarina; and it was very gratifying to Vazile and Dimitri to observe the respect entertained by the Englishmen, the younger one especially, for the untiring energy displayed by Peter-for what he considered the benefit of his people.

"Ah!" said Vazile, "I fear that as you are not accustomed to the hard drinking of Russia, your high opinion of our great father will suffer a little after you have shared a few entertainments with him, at his own table or those of his great officers. Either through a defect of good taste in himself, or because he is indulgent to the native bad taste of his people, you will see great pasty covers removed, and naked dwarfs stepping out, and making buffoon speeches. When drinking commences he never strives to maintain any authority, and, in fact, is not pleased to see any one making a point of keeping himself sober. If anything outrageous occurs owing to the invasion of the brains by strong brandy, it is never remembered nor punished. The only vengeance I can call to mind was

inflicted by him upon a vainglorious general, who having boasted three times of taking a city, was thus reproved :-'I made you general for that achievement, and I now condemn you to empty this goblet three times for your boasting.' He has a wonderful head himself, and is scarcely ever excited beyond the good-natured point, and continues to promote the hilarity of the evening while his guests can keep from under the table.

"I recollect how he exerted himself to amuse his people while he showed the inconvenience of abiding by old customs, before he ever thought of leaving our dear old Moscow."

"Ah!" said Dimitri at this point,"I am ready to cry when I think on the good old comfortable days we spent there. No matter; Peter knows best. Go on."

"There was a marriage of two dwarfs of the court, and Peter arranged that the old customs and the old dresses should be revived. The Boyars were obliged to wear caps a foot higher than those in use at the time, and clothes of preposterous shape and gaudy colours. In the procession they used chains of thin flat pieces of silver as bridles, and the breastplates and cruppers were covered with small squares of the same. The poorer sort used tin, and in the procession the most curious musical sounds were produced by the clash and clatter of these plates.

"The women came in sleeves of twelve yards in length, crimped up like a ruff between shoulder and wrist, and shoes with heels five inches deep. They rode in waggons roofed with red cloth, and totally unprovided with springs. You may fancy their discomfort from jolting. The vehicles were so high that they were obliged to scramble up into them by the help of step-ladders.

"A mock Czar and mock patriarch sat on their thrones in the great hall, and every one in turn advanced, making bows and genuflexions at nearly every step. Arrived at the Czar he kissed his hand, receiving in return a glass of wine. Then paying his court to the patriarch and quaffing a second glass of the liquid, he retired to his place, keeping his face to the throne, and executing his reverences as before.