ODESSA AND MISKITCHEE. 43 



are marked, and the names are sufficiently like tho.se 

 given them by their inhabitants to enable a stranger 

 to recognise them. 



The journey from St. Katherine's Docks to 

 Odessa, mfi Vienna, has nothing in it worthy 

 of record. Most men who travel nowadays have 

 seen as much of it as they care to. For my own 

 part, having made the journey several times, I 

 think the things that have made most impression 

 on my mind are the gradual improvement in the 

 railway carriages, from the time you leave our 

 English abominations until the time you find your- 

 self surrounded with at least all the necessary con- 

 veniences of life on the last stage to Odessa ; the 

 gradual diminution in pace, until some little dis- 

 tance from your journey's end it amounts to little 

 more than a crawl ; the sudden clearing and 

 brightening of the atmosphere once you have crossed 

 the channel ; the predominance of blue in all the 

 dresses of the French peasant ; the absence of 

 fences to make a run interesting, if runs took place 

 in this land of vulpccides ; the disappearance of the 

 rook, and the appearance of his grey- backed con- 

 gener the hooded crow in his place ; the multitude 

 of magpies, and the loquaciousness of one's travel- 

 ling companions. I am afraid my readers, if I 

 have any, will at once put me down as unobser- 

 vant, but it may only be that first impressions are 

 lost if the same journey is often repeated. 



