TO RUSSIA AND BACK. 5 



by a cross, which may serve the newly-arrived stranger as 

 a landmark from all parts of the city. Pigeons make it 

 their home, semi-wild ones of domestic origin, like those 

 which in London frequent the British Museum, the Houses 

 of Parliament, and Somerset House. Crowds of House 

 Martins had gathered on the Winter Palace. The pert 

 Jackdaw was also there, and the ever-present Sparrow, the 

 same as in England. 



Those who are not pressed for time when they have done 

 the principal sights, not forgetting the Hermitage and 

 Peter the Great's House, ought to take steamer to Peterhof 

 Palace. One of the rooms is panelled from skirting-board 

 to ceiling with t,6S portraits of girls, all selected for their 

 beauty ; besides this singular collection there are other 

 things in the palace worth seeing. A fire had just taken 

 place at this suburb when I was there, and nearly two 

 acres of houses had been burnt downj but the Russians are 

 too much accustomed to this sort of thing to think much 

 of two acres of wooden houses. Great precautions are 

 taken in the city by building lofty watch-towers, from 

 which, by means of a system of hoisting balls, alarm can 

 be given in case of fire. 



The streets are spacious but badly paved ; they are 

 covered with snow half the year, and I suppose the in- 

 habitants do not think it worth while paving them any 

 better. Many of them are of wood, which is delightfully 

 easy to drive on in your " droski " when new, but wears out 

 very soon, without an upper coating of asphalt. They are 

 well lighted with gas, and there is nothing prettier than to 

 lean on the parapet of St. Nicholas' Bridge, and look up 

 the river at the two long rows of lamps reflected in the 

 water. 



There is a garden on the Vassili Ostrof which is used in 

 summer as a market for live birds, rabbits, snakes, lizards, 

 tortoises, shells, etc. Here I saw, besides sundry birds 



