60 THROUGH RUSSIA ON A MUSTANG. 



fairly in the country. Our way led through the estates 

 of Prince Galitzin, a wealthy land owner in this part of 

 Russia. Villages dotted the level landscape thickly, 

 their positions being indicated by big churches painted 

 white, with green spires and domes. Russia is a 

 hedgeless country, and fences are confined to gardens 

 and house grounds, or to special bits near the country 

 mansions of wealthy landlords, such as Prince Galitzin. 



This nobleman's country residence was a fine, large 

 mansion, on the edge of a lake, several hundred acres 

 in extent, which had been artificially created in the 

 good old day of serfdom, princely squanderings in 

 Paris, and a steady diet of champagne and sterlet at 

 home. The serfs are " freed " ; we hear nothing nowa- 

 days of Russian spendthrifts in Paris, and the land 

 owners who can afford to entertain largely on the 

 above named costly articles of consumption, have 

 dwindled to a very small company indeed. 



Who has profited by the mighty change? Popular 

 supposition opens wide its eyes, in astonishment at 

 the ignorance implied in such a question, and conde- 

 scendingly replies, " The peasants, of course. Were 

 they not formerly serfs, and are now free from the 

 hardships of having to work without pay? ' 



The peasants — we rode through their villages ; and, 

 bearing in mind this popular conception, one could 

 but marvel at their condition, and wonder if, like so 

 many other changes brought about under the direc- 

 tions of a too paternal government, their improvement 

 was not theoretic rather than material. 



But it is early on the journey to begin moralizing 

 on the condition of the people whose acquaintance 



