406 Dr. Granville’s Travels to St. Petersburgh. [Ocr. 
some of the royal institutions, connected with the morals, manners, and 
education of the people, we must not dismiss so briefly—as they involve 
considerations of real interest and importance to all the civilized nations 
of Europe. First, however, we may cull a few personal anecdotes of 
the present emperor, who is just now an object of such intense interest 
throughout the whole of Europe :— 
“ Nor is the individual conduct of the Emperor himself without its good 
effect on the minds of his people. His application to business is most regular. 
The affairs of the state alone seem to engross his attention, and it is said that 
he seldom gives an hour to pleasure, which might have been better devoted to 
the welfare of his subjects. He rises early, and spends some time in transact- 
ing military matters. Part of this consists in receiving, as I before stated, 
Count Diebitch, the chief of the Etat-Major, who daily waits on his Majesty 
from seven o'clock till nine, and reports the state of the army during the pre- 
ceding day, and receives his Majesty’s commands. After breakfast he either 
attends the council, or receives his Ministers daily ; each of whom has his 
appointed days and hours for waiting on the Emperor. He has on some occa- 
sions attended the senate ; and it was reported, while we were at St. Peters- 
burgh, that having heard that the Senators had been in the habit of assembling 
very late, a practice which caused considerable delay in public business, his 
Majesty called early one day at the House of the Senate, and finding none of 
its members assembled, simply desired it to be made known to them, that the 
Emperor had attended to transact business at such an hour. From that time 
the Senators took care to be at their post with greater punctuality. At one 
o'clock he generally attends the parade.” 
“ The following trait of Nicholas, though of a different description, deserves 
to be recorded. I had it from the best authority. It is known that the Per- 
sians have, of late years, endeavoured to introduce the European tactics into 
their armies ; yet, with so little success, that the Russian troops opposed to 
them have found little difference in their mode of fighting. Some months 
before the capture of Erivan by the Russians, some hundreds of these Perso- 
European soldiers were made prisoners, when the Emperor desired that a 
certain number of them should be sent to St. Petersburgh, where he had them 
dressed in the uniform of one of his regiments of guards, and ordered that they 
might be trained and instructed like them. He even took care that their 
clothing should be of better materials, and their food of the best kind, and, 
from time to time, his Majesty himself would go to see them manceuvre in 
order to judge of their progress. When he found them well trained, he sent 
them back to the Shah, with this message: “Tell your Sovereign, that if he 
really wishes to introduce the modern European system of tactics and military 
discipline into his armies, he may safely take you as models—and that he may 
form as many such as he pleases, by applying to his immediate neighbours, 
instead of employing some renegade officers, or runaway adventurers from 
distant countries.” 
Of the Empress mother, Dr. Granville gives a very exalted character. 
The two following illustrations of it are all that we can afford to 
extract :—- 
“Those who are accustomed to look on the names of illustrious persons 
found in the capacity of patrons of schools, hospitals, and other charities, as 
being placed there merely to add lustre to the establishments, but not to call 
for personal exertion and interest from them, except on extraordinary occa- 
sions, will be surprised to learn that the Empress Maria Feodorowna of Russia 
does not consider her station, at the head of the numerous institutions alluded 
to, as a mere sinecure, but that she actually superintends the management of | 
them all, from day to day, and from morning till night: visiting them all in 
turn, and being for ever occupied in devising improvements, extending their 
sphere of utility, or maintaining that which has already been confirmed by 
the test of experience. 
