The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-08 00:00:00

SIR ROBERT FEEL ON RUSSIA.

BIRMINGHAM, JAN. 6.
Last night the new library in Adderley-park was inaugu-
rated by a dinner given to the members of the late bazaar
committee, and subsequently by a meeting in the Museum
Room, at which, were present Lord Lyttleton, Lord Leigh,
Sir Robert Peel, M.P., Mr. Adderley, M.P., Mr. M`Ges-
chy, the Mayor of Birmingham, Mr. Charles Ratcliffe, and
❑umerous friends of the institution. The great attraction
of the night was a promised lecture by Sir Robert Peel on
the subject of " Moscow," which proved, upon delivery, to
be highly amusing, if not instructive.
After appropriate addresses from Lord Lyttleton and
Mr. Adderley, announcing the flattering prospect of " the
People's Park and Library."
Sir R PEEL presented himself, and was loudly cheered.
He said that it was only the day before he had read in a
public newspaper that he was expected to appear on that
odeasion to address an audience upon the far distant city
of Moscow. His humble services had, however, been, and
should be, at the disposal of the public. The hon. baronet
then proceeded to dilate upon the immediate subject with
which his name was associated in the programme. He
said, " You are aware that last summer I went, in com-
pany with many others, to that distant country called
Russia. I had the proud satisfaction of being conveyed
thither on board one of those magnificent vessels which
plough the ocean like queens, and gloriously assert the in-
dependence and greatness of our country. (Cheers.) I
proceeded up the Baltic, where in the year preceding such
mighty fleets were assembled. I passed along the shores
of Finland, and arrived within gunshot of that great for-
tress which Sir Charles Napier did net take. (Loud
cheers, laughter, and, hisses.) Some gentlemen express
dissent from what I state, but I believe it is strictly and
literally true. (Laughter.) I saw that mighty fortress
rising before as. I reflected naturally upon the past and
upon the great distinction that might have resulted from
any successful operations against it. We then advanced up
the Neva, that great and mighty river which flows by St.
Petersburg. We arrived at St. Petersburg sufficiently tired
by the journey, and expecting to be overcome by the heat.
Although it was in the middle of summer it was bitterly
cold ; the weather was very changeable, like everything
else in Russia, and I had the greatest difficulty to keep
myself warm. St. Petersburg is built on piles, and is
always very subject to the east wind. (Laughter.) When
the east wind blows St. Petersburg has a chance of be-
ing done away with, as the public expected Sir Charles
Napier would do away with it---(laughter)—at all
events, it then stands a good chance of being sunk in the
water. It is not a very magnificent city, and does not
strike one by its fine streets and buildings after all. It
has nothing else but granite floors, with outsides all paint
and stucco. Its edifices are a great deception, as are most
things else we have heard of in Russia. (Laughter.) The
Admiralty is a remarkable building situated next to the
Winter Palace, which palace is the residence of the Czars.
It is in this palace that the Emperor Nicholas' lived in the
simplest manner, great as was his mind ; and it was in a
poorly furnished room on the north-east side that he
breathed his last. The square before this palace is one of
the largest in the world, and the monolith in the centre is
the largest in the world, consisting of a single piece of stone,
on the top of which is placed a monument ,to the Emperor
Alexander, who died in 1825. In the Winter Palace are
deposited the Crown jewels. I have travelled a good deal
and seen many fine sights, lent I never saw anything like
the splendidjewels belonging to the sovereign and people
of that Court and country. They are something beyond
belief. The crown exhibits a ruby such as was never seen
before; the sceptre has the largest emerald in the
world ; the ball of state has an enormous sapphire ; the
Empress's beautiful crown of pearls contains the largest
pearl I ever saw ; and the effect produced by this congre-
gation of brilliants is something quite magnificent. In this
palace there is also a number of portraits of distinguished
Russians and great generals; among others the Duke of
Wellington. There is likewise a splendid picture by Horace
Vernet, illustrating the attack on Poland, one of the most
interesting and, at the same time, most bloody episodes in
Russian history. (Hear, hear.) Another palace is called the
Hermitage. It is, however, nothing like a hermitage, for it
is in the middle of the town, and holds a most famous collec-
tion of pictures, originally from this country, and known as
the Walpole collection. It is a misfortune that no private
individual could be found to secure such a collection for our
country; and it is quite out of the question to expect
Governments to be liberal on such a matter. ("Hear," and
laughter.) I went to view the pictures one Sunday after-
noon. The man in charge of the collection pointed my at-
tention to a quantity of works of arti and said, "Here is the
Kertch collection." I said, " I thought they were all taken
by the people"—(laughter)—to which he replied, "Oh no ;
they were removed by order of the Emperor two years ago."
That shows the premeditation of the man. (Cheers.) Those
pictures had been removed at great cost and difficulty from
Kertch to St. Petersburg two years before ; and this pro-
ceeding leaves little doubt on my mind that there was a
great design against the liberties of Europe. (Hear, and
^hears.) The next palace is called is the Marble Palace.
In everything there is deception, and in this instance there
is almost another deception. It is called the Marble
Palace, beeause it is built of granite. (Laughter.) The
Marble Palace is the residence of that " frank and open-
hearted sailor" Constantine. How I laughed when I read
that description of Constantine's character. (Laughter.)
You may remember what has been said about the distin-
guished Admiral Constantine. With all respect to his
Highness, I must say that I never saw a man who gave
me less of the impression of a " frank and open-hearted
sailor.)" (Cheers and laughter.) It is all soft sawder, you
know. (Laughter.) There is another great palace, the
Tanrida. It was given by Catherine to the remarkable

character called Potemkin—remarkable for the power he
acquired over that most powerful Empress. Potemkin se-
cured to Russia that very spot, the Crimea, in which so
much precious blood and treasure has been lately expended
by the allies. Potemkin caused the Khan of the Crimea to
be assassinated, and then attached that border of the Black
Sea to Russia. It was he who first raised the post with the
well-known inscription, " La route de Constantinople"—
an inscription which is has ever been the anxious desire of
the Northern Czars to carry out, and which remains for
us ever to resist. (Cheers.) Having finished the palaces, I
will turn to a more serious subject, the churches. The
Izaak Church is the chief church of Russia, and 2C3,000/.
was spent in preparing for it a foundation of piles before a
single stone was raised. It was commenced 19 years ago,
and is not yet finished. In the interior are eight magni-
ficent malachite columns, given by a rich Russian pro-
prietor, Demidoff, and valued at 1,009,000 roubles.
There was not much to keep us in St. Petersburg,
for we were so horribly fleeced by our innkeeper.
(Laughter.) I have lived a great deal in that way, but I
never in my life came across a man with such enormous
ideas of the principles of " doing." ( Laughter.) lam a
Ilan who am satisfied with little, but our dinner every
night cost us 601. sterling. (Roars of laughter.) It was per-
fectly monstrous. If I had not been in Russia I should have
lived with the police, but I gave up that notion after wit-
nessing the manner in which Russian constables knock
people about. (Laughter.) The police use a sort of great
antique fork, which they stick into their unfortunate vic-
tims, and then leave them on the ground, instead of taking
them to a lock-up or something of that kind. (Laughter.)
We were glad to get away to Moscow, that being thegreat
goal of our anticipations. When we get to the station to
start off our luggage was so enormous that the station
could not hold it. We took a most extraordinary quan-
tity of clothes, and all sorts of fancy dresses, and as there
were 20 of us, with 20 servants, and more than 20 other
attendants, you may imagine what a tremendous amount
of moveables we carried about. At last we started, bowl,.
Mg behind what we could not take. In Russia the trains
are in the habit of stopping every quarter of an hour,
and remaining a quarter of an hour when they do
stop. (Laughter.) When wo arrived at Moscow we were
wearied, but not•hungry, having plenty to eat, for the
in the carriages.
quarter of an hour stoppages were apparently made for the
express purpose of eating. We had most charming apart-
ruenal
English railway directors are
stingy about their accommodation, but not so the Russians,
for we had every convenience that a well-regulated esta-
blishment could possibly desire. After passing the night
tolerably well, we reached Moscow, and found 10, 0
troops drawn up at the station, together with an enormous
quantity of footmen. We had just arrived with the Impe-
rial jewels in the same train, and it was thought necessary
to surround them with pomp, I had made as agreement