MOSCOW. 
It should first be mentioned, there are no 
people who observe Lent with more scrupulous 
and excessive rigour than the Russians. Tra- 
velling the road from Petersburg to Moscow, if 
at any time, in poor cottages, where the pea- 
sants appeared starving, we offered them a 
part of our dinner, they would shudder at the 
sight of it, and cast it to the dogs; dashing 
out of their children’s hands, as an abomina- 
tion, any food given to them ; and removing 
every particle that might be left, entiiely fiom 
their sight. In drinking tea with a Cossack, he 
not only refused to have milk in his cup, but 
would not use a spoon that had been in the 
tea offered him with milk, although wiped care- 
fully in a napkin, until it had passed through 
scalding water. The same privation takes 
place among the higher ranks ; but, in propor- 
tion as this rigour has been observed, so much 
the more excessive is the degree of gluttony 
and relaxation, when the important intelligence 
that “ Christ is risen ” has issued from the 
mouth of the archbishop. During Easter they 
run into every kind of excess, rolling about 
drunk the whole week ; as if rioting, debauch- 
ery, extravagance, gambling, drinking, and 
fornication, were as much a religious obser- 
vance as starving had been belore ; and that the 
