The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-08-27
PANORAMIC VIEW OF MOSCOW.
[Bay.rd Tsylors Correspondence Of tho N " Thbunol

4
Moscow, exclaimed, q Poid Rome 1artare r. This may
have been true before the destruction Of the ancient city
but would hardly apply at the present day In its
immense extent Moscow may well rival Rome, as In this
respect Is surpassed by modern capital except Lon
don; but, although its Asiatic character is quite
strongly marked that of Constantnople 1t is by
means Tartar No other city In the world presents
cosmopolitan an aspect. The gilded domes of Lucknow
the pagodas of China byzantine churches Grecian tenn
PIES palaces In the style of Versailles heavy nexprcs
svc German buildings, wooden country cottages, garing
American sgns, bouleyards gardens silent lanes,
ing streets open markets Turkish basaars French cais
German beer cellars, and Chinese tea houses
found here, not grouped exclusively into separate
tons, but mixed and umbed together until Europe and
Asia the past and present. the Old World and the New
10 blended and confounded that it is impossible to
say which predomnates Another city 80 bizarre and
picturesque Moscow does not exist To call it Russian
would be too distinction it suggests the world
itd position the imaginary line where continent
IL ntged into the other accounts for this The waters
Of the Moskya seek Asatc sea- yet Its ports
are those OF Central Europe It's fbres of commerce
branch eastward across tho Tartar stePpes to Mongolia
and China southwark TO Samarcand and Boxhara, to
Cashmere and Persia northward to Archange and the
Polar and the west to all the rest OF Europe.
The who founded it from the southeast and
brought with them the minaret and the swelling Oriental
dome the love Of gliding and glarng colors It's religion
came from Constantnople, with the Byzantine pillar and
| the Greek and the founder Of Russian power
learned his trade in the west On every Of its thou
sand spires and domes gtte the crescent surmounted
by the triumphant At its southern end the Tartar
muezzn calls to prayer from the roof of his mosque
while at the northern the whistle of the locomotive
nounces the departure of the train tor ST. Petesburgh
When you overlook the city from elevated point it
loses nothing of its originality In the broader compass of
your vision. On the contrary many clashing impress
sions naturally arising from the ncongruty of its fea
lures forgotten, and the vast dazzling panorama
| sumes grand dramatic character. 1t is an immense
show gotten up for temporary effect and you
ly believe that may not be taken to pieces and
ed its purpose has been attained Whence this
Inv
spires aud towers stranger and fantastic than
bulded in mad architects dreamf Whence these
gded and silvercd domes which blind your eyes with
ected SUNS and seem to dance and toter in their
splendor, you move, 1t be city of trade and
government of pleasure and scandal Of crime and reig
Ion, which you look upon it built when the Ara
ban Nights true, and the Prince Of the Hundred s
lands regns in its central palace
And yet there few cities in Europe Berlin excepted
which havo not greater advantages Of position than Mos
COW. Accident whim to have suggested the
choice of the site to its founders The little Moskva il
not nayigabo In for steamers drawing eighteen
inches of water 1t is insignificant tributary, not of
the Volga but of the Okla which falls into the Vola
Mini Novgorod, and here Is the spot pointed out by
nature for the commercial emporium of Central Russia
and Western ASIA But in the days of Vladimir, this
point too the Tartars, and though Peter the
Great, at time seriously designed to make 1t his cap
tal his rivalry with Sweden and his desire approach
Europe rather than ASIA finally prevailed and St. Peters
burgh arose from the Finland swamps. Moscow. since
then has lost the rank and advantages of capital al
though continues to be the Holy City Of tho Russians
and the favorte residence of many OF the ancient noble
families. The rapid growth Of the manufacturing inter-
est in this part of Russia has recently given it start but
its growth is Slow and its population $3.50 OOO) prob
ably not much greater than in the days Ivan Michael
Romanof.
The Mossva, in passing through the city, divides il
into two unequal parts about threefourhs occupying the
northern bank and fourth the southern. The river
s toruous that it may be said to flow towards all
points of the compass before reaching the Kremlin,
whence its is eastward towards the Oka In the
centre and rising directly from the water is the isolated
hill Of the Kremin, natural mound, about mile in
circumference and less than hundred feet in height
On either side of it, the northern bank asccns very grad
ually for the distance of mile or more, where it mes
into the long undulatons of the country On the south
side of the Mosva at the southwestern extremity
Of the city, the Sparrow Hills which, running near
y due east and west form cord to the great winding
Of the river and enclose the whole southern por
ton Of Moscow, which is built on the level bottom be-
tween it and their bases These hills arc steep and alb
rupt the northern sde and though rising less than
two hundred feet above the water overtop every other
elevation far and near. Every stranger who wishes to
the panorama of Moscow should first mount the tower
of Ivan yeki, the Kremlin, and then make
sion to the Sparrow Hills.
The confagration of 1872 though with the exception
of the Kli- Gorod Chinese City, which wholly escaped
1t left scarcely fifty houses standing, contributed very
little to modernize the aspect of Moscow few of the
principal streets widened and two concentrc circles
of boulevas introduced in the restoration OF the city,
but most of the old streets and lanes rebuilt the
same plhn, III salllo character before
Inside the outer boulevard which embraces the business
portion of the city, the houses almost exclusively OF
brick covered with stucco and painted yellow light blue
pink pale red Outside of it, for many verst stretch
tho of private residences intespersed with garden
plots while the outskirts made up of the houses of
the poorer classes onestoy cottages Of boards logs
gau,iily painted, ms In the country villages. Many of
the better dwellings also Of wood which material Is
recommended both by Its cheapncss and comfort Stone
Is scarce and dear, and there does to be su
cent to pave the streets properly. shallow bed of
small cobbe-stones lightly rolled that 1t becomes
uneven jos the life out Of you at this season. but
in the spring it is said to be far worse.
Tho diameter Of the city from north to south cannot
be than eight miles, while Its circumference will fall
little short of twenty-five Its low houses broad ram
bling streets, largo interior cours market places and
gardens account for this extent 1t is truly city of
magnificent distances and Its people have their Pc
cuiar ideas of what and what is far great
ly taken in until discovered this fact 'Close ut hand
proved to be mile off and when says of anoh
err ''We are neghbors you may depend that they live
an hour walk apart Another difficulty is there
few right lines that it is next to impossible go directly
from given point to another Your is either
a right angle semisrclc, cllptcal curve the let
ter s. have had considerable practice In or,re but
yet had much trouble to learn the topoga
ply Of town 1t Is full of those scarcely perceptble
and deections which gradually carry you out OF
your drecton while you imagine you going straight
ahead II you have tried 10 trundle wheclbarrow
mark blindfold, you will know how easily one may
he baffed in this way.
just this circumstance however prolongs the impress
sion Of novelty which, to old traveller like myself is
rare charm There "reminiscences from all parts Of
the world which have already SEEN but in addition
stnup and character of picturesque incongruty entirely