The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1854-09-30

concerned, the question at presents, not how
to get out of St. Petersburg, but how to ret
into it. This, however, is the reverse of the
usual case, which is further changed and SUI
perccled on the opposite hard, by the un-
wontcd eagcrness of the Russians to see an
other residence. The mobiles, not engaged in
military service, not holding great civil char
ges, and not attached to the court by honora-
ry functions, which they would resign if they
dared, have levantcd to Moscow and other
places. And, in Short if the truth we're
known, the natives arc as anxious now, as cv-
cr strangers used to be, to give the northern
Paris" (oh, senselcss cpithet) an opportune
goodbye. Doubtless, to them this is crie-
vance; for them that wretched spot is full of
charm But in normal and in ordinary times.
he who generally wants to abridsc his sojourn
in the least genial, least economical, least
comfortable, and probably least saIubrious of
all capitals, is the inexperienced traveller
when once he has come to understand the &C.
MUS Of the place. Begui!ed by the splendors
of snowy city-seat of stupendous dcspo-
tism, and residence Of an imperial court, he
has roamed from happier communities, and
friendlier climates. with a present intention
of enjoying himself, and perhaps with some
vague idea of making his more settled abo,lc
in the midst of that deluSive and dismal mag
nifcencc, tasteless, heartless, soulless and
mindless.
a foreigner who, after six months soiourn
in St. Petersburg, remains there another
week-unlcss he be one who has gone while
an infant to those scenes, and been so early
broken to their moral and material peculiar
tiles that his better organization is overlaid
by a thick superstratum of Russian human
nature, must have important business on hand
or must be heavily in debt, or must pine with
in the toar walls of prison. These things
might dctain a man, yet am not sure.
You omit lore says the reader. Would
not that also detain a foreigner Listen:
car imagine a youth cnamorcd OF woman
at st. Petersburg, but scarcely of St. Pc
tcrsburg woman. There are pretty and en-
gacing damscls in the town; but they are
as surely forci .ncrs as they arc good looking
Poles. Italians. Germans, French, British,
Great British, and Irish. The moment you
sec an attractive girl, set it down, and be rca-
dy to bet on it, that she is not native, or that
if she be, her parents, at least, were not in
digcnous. You will have the averages in
your favor, and win your wager nine times
Out Of ten. Indeed, by whimsical chance,
one of the greatest beauties, who figured in
Petersburg society when was there, hap
pencd to be a jealous Nicholastic Russian
girl, apparently some nineteen or twenty
years old - daughter of a general. But both
the father and mother were forcign-Frcnch,
/ think. In one generation, even Russia
has not time to make family ugly. Heaven
bless the women of the north Of Russia, they
arc cmincntly ill-tavorcd, the most illia-
vorel ever saw; and as foreigners are of
course in minority among them, | thought
it might easily and naturally mislcad the rca
der to add the case of man in love, to the
instances in which You hight expect to find
sane people voluntarily inhabitng that dctes
table metropolis OF course some foreign
merchants have there made their fortunes :;
and to such mems hearts, the place may be
as dear as it is to cvcrybody's pocket.
! The climate, which is very disagrccablc, is
the least disagreeablc thing about it. To be
sure, if you are not lucky, or not cautious,
your nose and ears in winter may drop away
mortified - bitten off by the invisible teeth
OF the frost, and then spat out of the dark
mouth of that savage atmosphere For my
part, was saved by being vain of a curl-it
was a fine, full, brown, natural curl, which
waved over the ear. This curl had habit
Of arranging, or rather deran.inc, with my
hand, as walked; and one evening, when
was proceeding to play chess at the chess
club, where met as pleasant and intelligent a
set Of fellows as the whole city contained,
(thcy were chiefly from these Islands, was
passing over the Isaac Bridge, while breeze
p of saws, gimblets and razors, was blowing
sportively down the Neva, and saluting the
right side of my head with great many agues,
toothaches, ear-aches, shivcrings, and rheu-
matte spasms, knocking for entrance and ella
morng for abode. put up my hand and felt
the curl, but / was struck by the curious
manner in which found my ear; but while
the hand felt the ear, and gave an account of
1t, the ear did not in the least feel the hand.
and was quite silent on the subject. Had it
been marble ear, carved by some sculptor
on the side of the head Of a statue, it could
not have had less sense of that contact. of
which my fingers were duly aware. The
alarm came just in time; and gathering hand
iul after handful of snow, rubbed the dead
member into consciousness and life, and 50
escaped very we'll out of that insidious nrial
pillory.
But this precious climate Gin which hea-
w, trealy-lined fur cloak, called 'Shooba,
is frequently as good winter protection to
you as vesture made of ladies' lace wells. or
at all events. of cambric ocket-handkerchiefs