Aj'Bil, 1902.] 



KNOWLEDGE. 



89 



drivers of which are iisii illy drunk. The only tilings that 

 jdeiised us in Arehangel were the huoded erow.s.* wliieh 

 acted a3 scavengers aud were very uuinerous and tame, 

 and the roofs of the houses which were of beautifully soft 

 colours. Had it not Iieeu for Mr. Henry Cooke, the 

 British Vice-Consul, who gave us most kiud hel|), it is 

 doubtful when we should have escaped, for to go tiirough 

 the custom house aud to get away within a week was 

 considered almost a miracle. This feat Mas ouly accom- 

 jilished at the last by a remarkable drive. 



The steamer to Lapland sailed only once a week, and so 

 pushed Were we for time at the last moment, that to catch 

 it we had to load all our things upon two droskis 

 and drive two miles in twenty minutes. There was no 

 tiu'e to fasten on the baggage, and the only thing to be 

 done was for each of us to stand up in his machine and 

 hold on to the bags and boxes tooth and nail. The 

 roughness of the roads and the springlessness of the carts 

 maile it by no means a simple task to keej) the luggage 

 from falling and at the same time to impress upon the 

 driver that his horse must gallop. Words had no effect 

 on their stolid drivers, aud it was <mly by thumping them 

 whenever we had a free hand to do it, that the necessary 

 pace was maintained. All went well until we were 

 Hearing the quay, when a heavy holdall containing all 

 our bedding fell off one of the droskis, but by signs and 

 shouts to a passer-by we induced him to shoulder the 

 holdall and run aft<;r us. The steamer was casting off 

 her ropes as we galloped up to her side, and the excite- 

 ment we caused amongst the crowd of people who were 

 gathered to say farewell to their friends was worth a great 

 deal to see. 



An uncomfortable night with berths only five feet six 

 inches long [lu the small crowded steamer, which rolled 

 and j)itclied at| the slightest provocation, brought us to 



Soloretski Monastery. 



From a photograph fci/ Mr. F. It. Katii.ih. 



the monastery of Solovetski, far famed as one of the 

 holiest places in Russia. 



The monastery is very large and very rich, and is 

 surrounded by enormously high and thick granite walls. 

 Within these are many churches and <'hapels, with white 

 walls and green cupobis, surmounted by gilded crosses, 

 while here and there are great blocks of white, barrack-like 

 houses. Pilgrims, chiefly of the peasant class, journey 

 thither in thousands, and are housed aud fed with simple 

 food for three days. No charge is made, but should the 



• Corvut comix. 



])ilgrims have sufficient means he is expected to present a 

 donation to the monastery. We were anxious to see some 

 of the plate and vestments, for the richness and rarity of 

 which the monastery is famed, but the churches were so 

 packed with jieople, all standing, that we were not able to 

 get further tli;in the doorwavs. 



No living thing may be molested within the precincts of 

 th(! monastery, and it is remarkable that hundreds of 

 herriug gulls, f by no means tame birds by nature, have 

 discovered the sanctuary. They positively swarm within 

 the walls, aud have their nests in all the courtyards, even 

 on the narrow pathways. Most of them had young ones 



The Entrance to Solovetski Monastery. 



from a photograph (»y Mr. F. R. Ratcliff. 



at the time of our visit, aud it was most amusing to watch 

 the old birds feeding their dark grey fluffy offspring (juite 

 unconcernedly whilst hundreds of people were all round 

 them. Indeed, so tame are the birds that they will take 

 food from one's hand, and will not move out of one's way, 

 and should anyone jipproach too near to the youug, the old 

 birds rush up and ]>eck him vigorously. It is certainly 

 extraordinary that these wild birds have been rendered as 

 tame as chickens by the simple expedient of allowing them 

 to do as they pleased without the slightest interference. 

 The herring gulls all leave Solovetski, we were told, after 

 the breeding season, aud it is a remarkable fact that the 

 very birds which are so bold inside these high walls, are no 

 tamer than other gulls when met with outside the walls. 

 How they originally discovered the sanctuary, and how 

 many generations were needed before they realized its 

 absolute security, we endeavoured to ascertain, but could 

 get no definite evidence. 



At Kem, our next stop, we were delayed for some time 

 loading cargo into small boats, which were " manned " 

 almost entirely l)y women. In the summer months there 

 are very few men left on the White Sea coast, as all the 

 able-bodied males go north to fish, leaving the women in 

 charge of their homes. From Kem we journeyed to 

 Keret, where there is a large saw mill, and then crossing 

 the Arctic Circle once more, we put in at Kovda, where 

 another saw mill flourishes, and exports much timber to 

 England. At Kovda we were fortunate in obtaining the 

 services of an interpreter, a Kussiau, Gregori Kokorin liy 

 name, who was a tallyman at the mill, and had picked up 

 a little English from the crews of the boats which came 

 there every summer for wood. 



The ice and fog had caused such delays that it was not 

 until July 4th that we reached Kandalax, which was 



f Larus argeutatus. 



