88 PREPARATIONS. 



Count Romanzoff, the author of the wliole enter- 

 prize, who treated me with so much goodness and 

 distinction, that he infinitely heightened ,my cou- 

 rage to meet all the hardships that awaited me. 



We left St. Petersburg on the 17th of February ; 

 and, after a pretty fatiguing march, arrived, on the 

 19th, at Abo. It seemed to me that we had 

 already given a little specimen of our persever- 

 ance and fortitude j for, in truth, a journey on 

 foot from Reval to Abo, by way of St. Petersburg, 

 at this season, would be very unpalatable to many 

 persons. Our joy at the sight of the town was 

 great, and every one longed for the warm stoves; 

 but how were we disappointed ! for I myself, with 

 my officers, and my poor sailors, were all put into 

 wretched dilapidated huts, about nine feet square, 

 which were not heated all the winter, and might 

 probably have served as stalls for geese or fowls. 

 I exerted all my eloquence to point out to my 

 landlord that he had quartered us in styes: in vain; 

 he shrugged his shoulders, and said, "that is good 

 enough for Russians.'* After we had been con- 

 fined for a fortnight in these wretched cold holes, 

 we obtained better quarters. 



The keel of our new ship, the Rurick, was laid 

 down ; the workmen proceeded diligently, and our 

 daily occupation was to see how they went on. 



March 16. By this day's post, the ship-builder 

 received from Count Romanzoff a gold watch, as 

 an acknowledgement for his indefatigable zeal in 



