IN THE STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG.--ISVOSHCHIKS AND DROSKIES.--COUNTING
IN RUSSIAN.--PASSPORTS AND THEIR USES.--ON THE NEVSKI
PROSPECT.--VISITING THE CHURCH OF KAZAN.--THE RUSSO-GREEK
RELIGION.--UNFAVORABLE POSITION OF ST. PETERSBURG.--DANGER OF
DESTRUCTION.--GREAT INUNDATION OF 1824.--STATUE OF PETER THE
GREAT.--ADMIRALTY SQUARE.--THE SAILORS AND THE STATUE.
A commissioner from the Hôtel de l'Europe was at the station. Doctor
Bronson gave him the receipts for their trunks, and after securing their
passports, which had been examined on the train during the ride from
Gatchina, the party entered a carriage and rode to the hotel. Frank and
Fred were impatient to try a drosky, and wondered why the Doctor had not
secured one of the vehicles characteristic of the country.
"You'll have abundant opportunities for drosky-riding," said Doctor
Bronson, in reply to Fred's query on the subject. "For the present the
vehicle is not suited to our purposes, as we have our hand-baggage and
other trifles; besides, we are three individuals, while the drosky is
only large enough for two."
The youths confirmed with their eyes the correctness of the Doctor's
assertion as the little vehicles were whizzing around them in every
direction. The drosky is a stout carriage on low wheels, somewhat
resembling the victoria of Western Europe, and is drawn by a single
horse. The isvoshchik, or driver, is seated on a high box in front, and
somehow he manages to get an astonishing speed out of the shaggy animal
that forms his team. Frank afterwards wrote as follows concerning
droskies and isvoshchiks:
"It is astonishing to contemplate the swarm of droskies with which St.
Petersburg and every other Russian city abounds. They are to be found
everywhere and at all hours. No matter where you may be, or at what hour
of the day or night, you have only to call out 'Isvoshchik!' or
'Drosky!' and one of the little carriages appears as if by magic. Not
only one, but half a dozen will be pretty sure to come forward. The
drivers contend, and not always very politely, for the honor of your
patronage; but as soon as you have made your selection the rejected
ones drop away and leave you undisturbed.
[Illustration: ISVOSHCHIKS IN WINTER.]
"There is something interesting in the manner of the isvoshchik,
especially in the marked contrast before and after he has made a bargain
with you. Until the transaction is closed, he is as independent as the
hackman of New York or the cabby of London. The moment the bargain is
settled and he has accepted your offer, he is your willing slave. Offer
him forty copecks an hour, and he refuses, while demanding fifty or
sixty; you walk on, and he pretends to go away, and if your offer is
unreasonably low he will not trouble you again. Suddenly he reins up his
horse close to the sidewalk, springs from his seat, and with the word
'_Poshowltz_' ('If you please') he motions you to enter the carriage. He
is now at your service, and will drive just as you desire; your
slightest wish will be his law.
[Illustration: DROSKY DRIVERS.]
"Doctor Bronson told us we must learn how to count in Russian, and also
acquire a few phrases in common use; the more of them we could learn the
better. While on the train from Warsaw to St. Petersburg we learned to
count. I think we did it in about two hours, as it was really very
simple after we had gone through the numerals up to ten and fixed them
in mind. Perhaps you would like to know how it is done; well, here it
is:
"The numerals from one to twelve are o-_deen_, dva, tree, che-_tee_-ri,
pyat, shayst, sem, vocem, _de_-vee-at, _de_-ci-at, odeen-nat-zat,
dva-nat-zat. For thirteen, fourteen, and so on, you add 'nat-zat' to the
single numerals till you get to twenty, which is 'dva-deciat,' or two
tens. Twenty-one is 'dva-deciat-odeen,' or two tens and one, and so on.
You go up to thirty, which is 'tree-deciat,' or three tens, but
generally shortened in pronunciation to 'treetsat' or 'tritsat.' All the
other tens up to ninety are formed in the same way, with the exception
of forty, which is 'sorok.' Ninety is 'deviat-na-sto' ('ten taken from
hundred'), and one hundred is 'sto;' two hundred is 'dva-sto.' The
other hundreds are formed in the same way to five hundred, which is
'pyat sot;' six hundred is 'shayst sot,' and the other hundreds go on
the same way; one thousand is 'tis-syat-_sha_.' You can now go ahead
with tens and hundreds of thousands up to a million, which is
'meel-yon'--very much like our own word for the same number.
"It helps us greatly in getting around among the people without a guide.
We can bargain with the drivers, make purchases in the shops, and do
lots and lots of things which we could not if we didn't know how to
count. Any boy or man who comes to Russia should learn to count while he
is riding from the frontier to St. Petersburg, and if he takes our
advice he will do so. He can find it all in Murray's or any other good
guide-book, and he will also find there the most useful phrases for
travelling purposes.
"In driving with the isvoshchiks, we have found them very obliging, and
both Fred and I have been many times surprised at their intelligence
when we remembered that very few of them were able to read or write
their own language. When they find we are foreigners, and do not speak
Russian, they do not jabber away like French or German drivers, or
London cabbies, but confine themselves to a very few words. Take one we
had to-day, for example: as he drove along he called our attention to
the churches and other public buildings that we passed by, pronouncing
the name of the building and nothing more. In this way we understood
him; but if he had involved the name with a dozen or twenty other words
we should have been in a perfect fog about it.
[Illustration: SLEDGE OF A HIGH OFFICIAL.]
"In winter the drosky makes way for the sledge, which is the tiniest
vehicle of the kind you can imagine. Two persons can crowd into a
sledge, though there is really room for only one. Whether you are one or
two, you sit with your face within ten or twelve inches of the driver's
back, which forms almost the entire feature of your landscape. The
sledges in winter are even more numerous than are the droskies in
summer, as many persons ride then who do not do so when the weather is
warm.
"Everybody rides in a Russian city in winter--at least everybody who
claims to have much respect for himself; and in fact riding is so cheap
that it must be a very shallow purse that cannot afford it. For a drive
of a mile or less you pay eight or ten copecks (ten copecks equal eight
cents), and you can ride a couple of miles for fifteen copecks, and
sometimes for ten. By the hour you pay forty or fifty copecks; and if
you make a bargain you can have the vehicle all to yourself a whole day
for a dollar and a half, and sometimes less. They go very fast; and if
your time is limited, and you want to see a good deal in a little
while, it is the best kind of economy to hire an isvoshchik to take you
about."
We left our friends on the way to the hotel when we wandered off to hear
what Frank had to say about the droskies and their drivers. The ride
along the streets was full of interest to the youths, to whom it was all
new; but it was less so to Doctor Bronson, who had been in St.
Petersburg before. They drove up the Vosnesenski Prospect, a broad
avenue which carried them past the Church of the Holy Trinity, one of
the interesting churches out of the many in the city, and then by a
cross street passed into the Nevski Prospect, which may be called the
Broadway of the Russian capital. We shall hear more of the Nevski
Prospect later on.
At the hotel they surrendered their passports to the clerk as soon as
they had selected their rooms; the Doctor told the youths they would not
again see those important documents until they had settled their bill
and prepared to leave. Frank and Fred were surprised at this
announcement, and the Doctor explained:
"The passports must go at once to the Central Bureau of the Police, and
we shall be registered as stopping in this hotel. When the register has
been made the passports will be returned to the hotel and locked up in
the manager's safe, according to the custom of the country."
"Why doesn't he give them back to us instead of locking them in the
safe?" one of the youths inquired.
"It has long been the custom for the house-owner to keep the passport of
any one lodging with him, as he is in a certain sense responsible for
his conduct. Besides, it enables him to be sure that nobody leaves
without paying his bill, for the simple reason that he can't get away.
When we are ready to go we must give a few hours' notice; the passports
will be sent to the police-office again, with a statement as to our
destination; after we have paid our bills and are ready to go, the
passports will be handed to us along with the receipt for our money."
"That makes hotel-keeping a great deal more certain than it is in
American cities, does it not?" said Fred.
"And you never hear in Russia of a man running away from a hotel where
he has contracted a large bill, and leaving nothing but a trunk filled
with straw and stove-wood as security, do you?" Frank inquired.
"Such a thing is unknown," the Doctor answered. "I once told some
Russian acquaintances about the way hotel-keepers were defrauded in
America by unprincipled persons. One of them exclaimed, 'What a happy
country! and how cheaply a man could live there, with no police officers
to stop his enterprise!'"
"When you go from one city to another," said the Doctor, "the formality
to be observed is slight, and the hotel people will attend to it for you
without charge. When you are going to leave Russia, a few days' notice
must be given at the police-office; and if any creditors have filed
their claims against you with the police, you must settle them before
you can have your passport. If any one owes you money, and you have
reason to believe he intends leaving the country, you can stop him or
get your money by leaving your account with the police for collection.
Absconding debtors are nearly as rare in Russia as absconding
hotel-patrons, for the simple reason that the law restricts their
movements. In spite of what our English friend said of the passport
system, there are some excellent features about it. Another thing is--"
They were interrupted by a servant, who came to ask if there were any
friends in St. Petersburg whom they wished to find. The commissioner was
going to the Police Bureau with the passports, and would make any
inquiries they desired.
The Doctor answered in the negative, and the servant went away.
"That is what I was about to mention," said Doctor Bronson, as soon as
the door was closed. "The first time I came to St. Petersburg I was
riding along the Nevski Prospect, and saw an old acquaintance going in
the other direction. He did not see me, and before I could turn to
follow him he was lost in the crowd of vehicles. But in two hours I
found him, and we had a delightful afternoon together. How do you
suppose I did it?
"Why, I sent to the Police Bureau, paid two cents, and obtained a
memorandum of his address. For a fee of two cents you can get the
address of any one you name, and for two cents each any number of
addresses. In numerous instances I found it a great convenience, and so
have other travellers. If you wanted to find a friend in New York or
London, and didn't know his address, you would have a nice time about
it; but in Moscow or St. Petersburg there would be no trouble whatever."
As soon as they had removed the dust of the journey our friends went out
for a stroll before dinner. The Hôtel de l'Europe is on the corner of
the Nevski Prospect and one of the smaller streets, and only a short
distance from the _Kazanski Sobor_, or Church of Kazan. But before they
enter this celebrated edifice we will look with them at the grand
avenue, the Nevski Prospect.
"It is straight as a sunbeam for three miles," said Fred in his
note-book, "with the Admiralty Buildings at one end, and the Church of
St. Alexander Nevski at the other, though the latter is a little way
from the line. It is perfectly level from end to end, like a street of
New Orleans or Sacramento. St. Petersburg is built on a marsh, and
through its whole extent there isn't a hill other than an artificial
one. It is a broad avenue (one hundred and thirty feet in width),
reminding us of the boulevards of Paris, and the crowd of vehicles
coming and going at all hours of the day and far into the night makes
the scene a picturesque one.
[Illustration: RUSSIAN WORKMEN ON THEIR WAY HOME.]
"All classes and kinds of Russians are to be seen here, from the mujik,
with his rough coat of sheepskin, up to the officer of the army, whose
breast is covered with decorations by the dozen or even more. The
vehicles are of many kinds, the drosky being the most frequent, and
there is hardly one of them without the _duga_, or yoke, over the horse
between the shafts. The horses are driven furiously, but they are
completely under the control of their drivers, and accidents are said
to be very rare. Perhaps this is owing to the fact that a driver is
liable to severe punishment if he causes any injury to a pedestrian.
[Illustration: RUSSIAN OFFICER WITH DECORATIONS.]
"Somebody has remarked that the Nevski Prospect ought to be called
Toleration Avenue, for the reason that it contains churches of so many
different faiths. There are of course the Russo-Greek churches,
representing the religion of the country, and there are Catholic,
Lutheran, Dutch, and Armenian churches, standing peacefully in the same
line. It is a pity that the adherents of these diverse religions do not
always agree as well as do the inanimate edifices that represent them.
"The buildings are very substantial in appearance, and many of them are
literally palaces. The military headquarters are on the Nevski, and so
is the palace of one of the grand-dukes; then there are several palaces
belonging to noble families. There is the Institution of St. Catherine,
and the Gostinna Dvor, or Great Market-place, with ten thousand
merchants, more or less, transacting business there. We'll go there to
make some purchases and tell you about it; at present we will cross the
Nevski to the Church of Kazan.
"It reminds us of the Church of St. Peter at Rome, as it has a colonnade
in imitation of the one which attracts the eye of every visitor to the
Eternal City, and takes its name from "Our Lady of Kazan," to whom it is
dedicated. Kazan was once a Tartar city, and the capital of the Tartar
kingdom of the same name. It was fortified, and stoutly defended, and
gave the Russians a great deal of trouble. In the sixteenth century John
the Terrible conquered the kingdom and annexed it to Russia. The last
act in the war was the capture of the city of Kazan. The Russians were
several times repulsed, but finally the Kremlin was carried, and the
Tartar power came to an end. A picture of the Virgin was carried in
front of the attacking column, and this picture, all devout Russians
believe, gave the victory over the Moslem. The church was built in
memory of the event, and the sacred picture from Kazan is preserved and
worshipped here.
"It is a beautiful church, in the form of a cross, two hundred and
thirty-eight feet long and one hundred and eighty-two feet wide. From
the ground to the top of the cross above the cupola is more than two
hundred and thirty feet, and the cupola is so large that it is visible
from a long distance. As we entered the church we were struck by the
absence of seats. We were told by the Doctor that Russian churches
contain no seats, and all worshippers must stand or kneel while at their
devotions. To this there are no exceptions; the same requirement being
made of the Emperor as of the most obscure peasant.
"There is no instrumental music in the Greek Church, and church choirs
composed of male and female voices are unknown here. All the singers in
the churches are men; the prayers are mostly intoned, and all the
congregation joins in the responses. There are no pews, or reserved
places of any kind, except a standing-place for the Emperor, all
worshippers being considered equal; neither are there any fees to be
paid by those who come to worship.
"The picture of Our Lady of Kazan, which has such a miraculous legend
connected with it, is richly covered with precious stones, said to be
worth nearly a hundred thousand dollars. There are other costly pictures
in the church, but none to equal this one. There are a good many flags,
and other trophies of war, along the walls and around the pillars; and,
to tell the truth, it has almost as much the appearance of a military
museum as of a cathedral. There are the keys of Hamburg, Leipsic, and
other cities which at various times have been captured by Russia, and
the church contains the tombs of several Russian generals who were
killed in the war with France in 1812.
[Illustration: A RUSSIAN PRIEST.]
"We observed a curious effect in the pictures in this church which we
found afterwards in a great many holy pictures in Russia. The hands and
face, and any other flesh, are painted on a flat surface, but the dress
and ornaments are often raised in gold, silver, or other metal, and
studded with precious stones, according to the will or financial ability
of the owner. The Church rejects all massive images of the Saviour or
saints as idolatrous, and says they violate the commandment "Thou shalt
not make unto thyself any graven image." It does not exclude mosaics,
and anything produced in low relief, but the rule that flesh shall be
represented by a flat surface is imperative.
"We afterwards attended service in the Kazan church, and were impressed
with its solemnity and simplicity. The vocal music had an admirable
effect as it resounded through the vast building, and we have never
anywhere seen a congregation more devout than this. Nearly every one
held a candle, and carefully guarded the flame from the draughts that
occasionally swept over the congregation. Illuminations have a very
important place in all church ceremonies, and there are no weddings,
betrothals, funerals, or any other sacred services, without candles or
tapers.
"Lights are kept burning in front of the principal pictures in the
churches. Throughout the Empire there is an _Eikon_, or sacred picture,
in the principal room of every house whose owner is an adherent of the
Church of the country, and often in every room of consequence. On
entering a room where there is such a picture, every devout Russian
crosses himself; and so great is the respect shown to it, that when
Russian thieves enter a room for the purpose of stealing, they spread a
handkerchief over the picture so that the saint who is represented upon
it cannot see them.
"Religion has a more important part in the practical life of the
Russians than in that of any other people of Europe. The blessing of the
Church is invoked upon every undertaking. Steamboats, ships, and all
other craft are blessed by the priest at their launching or before being
put into service; the locomotives and carriages of a railway are
similarly treated; and the same may be said of every vehicle, machine,
or other thing of consequence. So with cattle, horses, sheep, and other
live-stock; and so, also, with the furniture and adornments of the
house.
"In the theatres the Government does not allow the representation of any
kind of religious ceremonial as part of a performance, lest it might
bring religion into ridicule, and under no circumstances can an actor be
dressed to personate a priest. The Czar, or Emperor, is the recognized
head of the Church, and among the common people he is regarded as only a
little less than a divinity.
"Those who have lived long among the Russians, and ought to know them,
say the venerative feeling among the common people is very great, and
more so among the higher classes than in the Latin countries of Europe.
They are devout church-goers, and the feasts and fasts of the Church are
carefully observed. They form a serious drawback to business matters, as
there are certain days when no man or woman can be induced to work at
any price. The owners of establishments which require to be kept
constantly in operation manage to get around this custom by keeping
their employés constantly in debt, as the Russian law and custom compel
a man to work steadily to discharge such indebtedness.
"Pilgrimages to monasteries and shrines are more common among the
Russians than any other Christian people, and the poorer classes often
go on long and painful journeys through their religious zeal. A large
number of Russian pilgrims can be found in Jerusalem every year at
Easter, as well as at other times. So important is this pilgrimage that
the Russian Government maintains a convent at Jerusalem for lodging its
subjects; and the Crimean war practically grew out of a quarrel which
was brought about with reference to the holy places of the famous city.
[Illustration: CONVENT OF SOLOVETSK IN THE FROZEN SEA.]
"Great numbers of pilgrims go every year from all parts of Russia to the
Convent of Solovetsk in the Frozen Sea, seven or eight hundred miles to
the north-east of the capital.
"We may have more to say on religious matters before leaving Russia, but
for the present we will drop the subject and continue our walk on the
Nevski."
As they strolled in the direction of the Neva, the river that gives its
name to the long avenue, Fred asked how it happened that St. Petersburg
was built on a marsh instead of upon elevated ground.
"It was because Peter the Great wanted a capital city that could be a
seaport, and this was the best site that could be found. Moscow was
inland (it is four hundred miles from here to that city), and Peter
realized that no country could be great and important without
communication over the sea to other lands. So he came here and founded
the city which bears his name. It was a forbidding place, but his will
was law, and the city grew and lived though a hundred thousand men
perished in the first year of its construction. The first house was
built in 1703. In 1712 Peter declared it his capital, and the Imperial
court was moved here from Moscow. For a long time the place was very
unhealthy, and even down to the present day it is not by any means the
best location in the world for a city. The drainage is defective, the
drinking-water is not good, especially in the summer season, and the
city has several times suffered from inundations.
"For many years every vessel coming to the port, and every cart entering
the city, was required to bring a certain number of stones for filling
the marsh and paving the streets. Where the large buildings stand,
fabulous amounts have been expended in making foundations, and many of
them have cost more than the buildings that stand upon them. The
foundations of the Church of St. Isaac are said to have cost four
millions of dollars, and twenty-five years were spent in their
construction."
Frank asked about the inundations mentioned by the Doctor.
"There have been some eight or ten of them," the Doctor answered. "The
most serious inundation of this century was in 1824, when the water of
the Neva rose thirteen feet and four inches above its ordinary level.
Observe that line," said he, as he pointed to a mark upon a building:
"that is the point to which the waters rose in the inundation of 1824."
[Illustration: THE INUNDATION OF 1824.]
The mark was nearly four feet above the level of the sidewalk where they
stood. Frank and Fred regarded it with astonishment, while the Doctor
continued:
"In a single night (November 17th) property to the value of twenty
millions of dollars was destroyed, and it was estimated that not less
than eight thousand people lost their lives. The flood was caused by a
strong westerly wind which combined with the tide and forced the waters
in from the Gulf of Finland, which is here formed like a funnel. Now
suppose the flood had occurred in April, at the time when Lake Ladoga
breaks up and pours its accumulated ice and water through the Neva, what
would have been the result?"
"Would the city have been destroyed?" queried one of the youths.
"So it is said, by many who have studied its position. They aver that
when a high tide, a westerly wind, and the breaking up of the ice in
Lake Ladoga shall all come together, the streets of St. Petersburg will
be not less than twenty feet under water, and Russia will be obliged to
select another site for her capital. But as it is not likely that all
these things will happen during our visit, we won't borrow any trouble
about the matter."
"I have read," said Fred, "that in that inundation the prisoners in the
fort were drowned in their cells. The lower part of the fort was
flooded, was it not?"
"Yes," the Doctor answered; "but so many romances have been written on
the subject that it is difficult to get at the exact truth. It is very
likely that the prisoners in the lower cells of the fort were drowned,
and I believe the authorities admit that such was the case. In the Paris
Exhibition of 1867 there was a startling picture representing the death
of a Russian princess who was imprisoned there at the time. She is
represented standing on her little bed surrounded by rats that have been
driven from their holes by the flood. The water is nearly up to the
level of the bed, and is pouring in at the grated window. The picture
haunted me for years after I saw it, and even now it occasionally comes
up in my dreams. I haven't thought of it for some time, but this
question of yours has revived it."
[Illustration: STATUE OF PETER THE GREAT.]
They continued their walk towards the Neva, with an occasional glance at
the needle-like spire that rises above the Admiralty buildings. They
came out into Admiralty Square, a large open space, which gave them a
view of the Admiralty buildings, the Church of St. Isaac, the equestrian
statue of Peter the Great, and the Winter Palace, together with one of
the bridges spanning the Neva to the islands opposite.
"Which shall we see first?" queried the Doctor of his young companions.
"Whichever you think best," answered Frank, to which Fred nodded
approval.
"Our time just now is limited," said the Doctor, "and perhaps we will
satisfy ourselves with the statue of Peter the Great. But as we walk
about we must not fail to take in the general view, which is of unusual
interest."
The statue is well known through its frequent representation in
engravings, and is one of the most remarkable monuments of the Imperial
city. It was ordered by the Empress Catherine, and was cast by Falconet,
a Frenchman. The inscription upon it reads--
"PETRU PERVOMU.--EKATERINA VTORYA."
(_To Peter I.--By Catherine II._, MDCCLXXXII.)
Evidently Catherine had a sufficient idea of her consequence, as the
letters which make her name are considerably larger than those of her
illustrious sire's.
"The horse," said Fred, in his note-book, "is on the brink of a
precipice, where he is being reined in by his rider. Peter's face is
towards the Neva, while his right hand is directed to the city which he
built. Under the horse's feet is a serpent, which typifies the
difficulties the Czar has overcome. The horse is balanced on his hind
legs and tail, his forefeet being clear from the rock. It is said that
the weight of the statue is about ten thousand pounds.
"The statue stands on a block of granite that originally weighed fifteen
hundred tons, and was brought from Finland. The block is fourteen feet
high, twenty feet broad, and forty-three feet long. It consists of two
pieces that have been carefully joined together, and the operation of
moving it was a triumph of engineering skill.
"I have read a good story apropos of this monument--about two boys who
belonged to an English ship that was lying at the quay beyond the
statue. They had wandered off into the city and lost their way, and in
order to get back they engaged a carriage. But after engaging it they
were in trouble, as they could not tell the driver where to go.
"Two sailors from the same ship happened along, and to them the boys
told the story of their perplexity. The sailors were in the same
predicament, as they wanted to get back to the ship, and didn't know
which way to go.
[Illustration: IMPROVISING A STATUE.]
"'If we only knew what the Russian is for that statue,' said one of the
boys, 'we could make him understand.'
"They tried all the words they knew, but to no purpose. Suddenly an idea
occurred to one of the sailors. He asked the other to get down on
all-fours, which he did, wondering what was the matter with his comrade.
Jack mounted his friend's back as though he were a steed, and took the
attitude of Peter the Great as nearly as he could remember it. The other
sailor caught at the idea, and reared slightly on his feet in the
position of Peter's horse. The isvoshchiks comprehended what was wanted,
and roared with delight; the two sailors jumped into a drosky, which
followed the carriage containing the boys, and in due time the party
arrived safely at its destination."