Madame de SlaeVs Ten Vears^ Exile. 



653 



Gallicia was at that time, at least under 

 poUtkal consideiatious ; and it was 

 appareutly to conceal this spectacle 

 from general observation that so many 

 difficulties were made in allowing a 

 stranger to reside in, or even (o pass 

 through (he country. 



• ■• . VOLHYKIA. 



/.The first province we had to cross, 

 Volhynia, forms a part of Iljissiau Po- 

 land ; it is a fertile country, over-run 

 with Jews, like Gallicia, but much less 

 misetable. I slopped at the chateau of 

 a Polish nobleman to whom I had been 

 recommended, wlio advised me to 

 hasten my journey, as the French 

 were marching upon Volhyuia, and 

 might easily enter it in eight days. 

 Tlie Poles in general, like the Rus- 

 sians much belter than they do the 

 Austrians; (he Russians and Poles are 

 bodi of Sclavonian origin : they have 

 been enemies, but respect each other 

 mulually, wliile the (Germans, wlio are 

 farther advanced in European civiliza- 

 tion than tlie Sclavoniaus, have not 

 learned to do them justice in other re- 

 spects. It was easy to see that the 

 Poles in Volhyuia were not at all afraid 

 of the entrance of tlie French ; but al- 

 though their opinions were known, 

 they w^cre not in the least subjected to 

 that petty jiersecutiGU which only ex- 

 cites hatred without restraining it. 

 The spectacle, however, of one nation 

 stibjected by another, is always a pain- 

 ful one ;• — coitin-ies must elapse before 

 the iminn is sufficiently established to 

 make the names of victor and van- 

 quished be forgotten. 



KIOVS^ 



Determined to continue my journey 

 Ihrough Russia, I proceeded towards 

 Kiow, theprincipalcity of the Ukraine, 

 and formerly of all Russia, for this 

 empire began bj'' fixing its capital in 

 the South. The Russians had then 

 continual communication with the 

 Greeks established at Constantinople, 

 and in general with the people of the 

 East, whose habits they have adopted 

 in a variety of instances. The Ukraine 

 is a very fertile country, but by no 

 means agreeable; you see large plains 

 of wheat which appear to be cultivated 

 by invisible hands, the habitations and 

 inhabitants are so rare. You must not 

 expect, in approaching Kiow, or the 

 greater part of what are called cities in 

 Russia, to find any thing resembling 

 the cities of the West: the roads are 

 not belter kept, nor do country houses 

 indicate a more numerous population. 



Monthly Mag. No 356. 



On my arrival at Kiow, the first object 

 that met my eyes was a cemetery, and 

 this was the iirst indication to me of 

 being near a place where men were col- 

 lected. The liouses at Kiow generally 

 reserable tents, and at a distance, the 

 city appears like a camp; I could not 

 help fivncyiug tliat the moveable resi- 

 dences of the Tartars had furnished 

 models for the construction of those 

 Avooden houses, which have not a much 

 greater ajjpearance of solidity. A few 

 days are sufficient for building them ; 

 they are very often consumed by fire, 

 and an order is sent to the forest for a 

 house, as you would send to market to 

 lay in your M'inter stock of provisions. 

 In the middle of these huts, however, 

 palaces have been erected, and a num- 

 ber of churches, whose green and gilt 

 cupolas singularly draw the attention. 

 Wheu towards the evening the sun 

 darts his rays on these brilliant domes, 

 3'ou would fancy that it was rather ao 

 illumination for a festival, than a dura- 

 ble edifice. 



The Russians never pass a church 

 withotit making the sign of the cross, 

 and their long beards add greatly to 

 the religious expression of their phy- 

 siognomy. They generally wear a large 

 blue robe, fastened round the waist 

 by a scarlet band ; the dresses of the 

 women have also something Asiatic in 

 them ; and one remarks that taste for 

 lively colours which we derive from the 

 East, where the sun is so beautiful, 

 that one likes to make his eclat more 

 conspicuous by the objects which he 

 shines upon. I speedily contracted 

 s\ich a partiality to these oriental 

 dresses, that I could not bear to see 

 Russians diessed like other Europeans, 

 they seemed to me then entering into 

 that great regularity of the despotism 

 of Napoleon, which fiist makes all na- 

 tions a present of the conscription, then 

 of the war- taxes, and lastly, of the 

 Code Napoleon, in order to govern in 

 the same manner, nations of totally 

 dili'erent characters. 



The Dnieper, which the ancients 

 called Borysthenes, passes by Kiow, 

 and the old tradition of the country 

 affirms, that it was a boat-man, who in 

 crossing it found its waters so pure that 

 he was led to found a town on its bvnks. 

 In fact, the rivers are the most beauti- 

 ful natural objects in Russia. It would 

 be difficult to find any small streams, 

 their course would be so much obstruct ■ 

 ed by the sand. There is scarcely any 

 variety of treet ; the melancholy biich 

 4 N is 



