Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-05-21
Description of St. Petersburg.

A St. Petersburg Russia) correspondent OF
the New York Herald gives the following deS-
cripiion of that Capital:
You ask me about ST. Petersburg and my inn
prcssions of Russia. | will endeavor to write
them and amuse you with a little chit chat. 10
give you an idea of this magnificent city by com
parison with any other would be quite impossl-
BILE; built on low marshy land on islands lying
at the mouth Of the river it seems hardly solid,
and makes you think of fine fleet ready to sail
down the Baltic. 1t is rich in palaces, churches
and fine buildings, which, however, lose much OF
their beauty from being on such low ground;
there are no points of view, and you are not a.
ware of their immense size until you circuit
them The streets are very large, and many
gardens swell the city to an enormous size; this
renders it necessary for every one to drive, and
course no matter what distance in the city is
fifteen cents A lady seldom walks, except by
way of fashion, on the Quay in front OF the win
ter palace. There are several canals through
the city on the east or great side, of admirable
construction. You may well suppose this city
unhealthy, from its low, damp position and
spongy, marshy soil.
Peter the Great, the founder, had only COM
mercial facility in his mind, and possessing an
iron constitution, never i'll, insalubrity OF posi-
ton did not enter his breast. Typhoid and low
fevers are very prevalent One OF the causes OF
this is the exceedingly warm atmosphere OF the
rooms it being summer heat in the houses and
twenty degrees Reaumur and over in the open
air. In the corner of each room Is white por-
celain stone, called petch, pronounced peach
this almost reaches the ceiling is nearly live feet
wide and quite ornamental, mo one suspects it be-
! ing stove; this is heated every morning and q
| loft ic
to coal and the gas exhausted, then closed, and
this mass of brick retains and gives out slowly
heat for twenty-four hours. The rooms are SC
warm that flowers bloom all winter in the win
dows. which are doubled in all the houses. One
ing our gentlemanly Minister'S charming salon,
was the large oriental plants, almost pressing the
high ceiling, and the enchanting little arbors O.
yer the sofas made by trellis work of cane,
and at each end of the sofa large pot contain
ing creeping vine. This made complete sum.
mer arbor, and you could fancy yourself in mid.
summer To sit with as lovely person as Mad
anne de-, the renowned beauty whom
met there, chatting Under such a lovely vine,see-
ing such taper rose-tipped fingers playing with
the green leaves, would turn the head OF much
stronger minded person than myself, and | can
not but think a happy lover must first have in
vented these arbor sofas. The passages, entries,
stairways, all being heated to over sixty degrees
Fahrenheit there is little chance of renewal OF
fresh air in the rooms consequently, this want
of vitality brings about state of system open to
attacks of low fevers. The second window is
put in with plaster, and never opened; but In
one window of room there is pane left to o.
pen at pleasure, but this is not often done. I'm
til ono becomes accustomed to this heat, there is
sense of sutfocation and dizziness-anais Pha-
5itude Jait tout.