New-York daily tribune., 1858-11-02
Bsf,gD TsyLoG ~ soyr segy HIRcPE-
No. ly z
RAILROADS IN RUSSIA.


So PETERSBURG, July, 1852.
On leaving Moscow for this place. W" were
obliged TO take out fresh passports GIVING up 'oo'o
which W. hnd obtained in Warsaw. As one "a re-
ss,red to appear personally, this formahty ga hthe
troubles,,ne. but We were subjected tono question
nc. and the documents were ready at the nIse
,,mis,d After pay ing the fe"s, We were about
20 le.ve. when the official whispered: "You have
G.,,,otieu MY tea-lnoDey." The readiness WITH
~b,ch he changed note, while the subordnates
lacked the Other way, proved TO me that THIS s,s-
tsm of gratuities (ts Il mild term is not Only
general, but permitted by the higher authorities.
Many Of The civil officers have salaries ranging from
lx TO ten rubles month-barely enough 70 clotbe
shem--so tlat without this " "tca-mOncy," The ma
shiDery OF government would move very slowly.
also went to the Office of the Censor, to inquire
concerning tte fate Of the books taken from me on
the Polish frontier Here ! was very politely
received. and was Informed that the books had not
arrived. The Censor seemed a little embarrassed,
sna bali suspected that the books might be on
The prohibited list Kohrs work, | have been
informed, belongs to this class, although SAW IN
posed were much more objectionable than hs. ~
Is permitted to all literary and scientific men, how
ever, to import freely whatever works they choo'e'
The list Of foreign newspapers admitted ih'o NuS-
sis has recently been much enlarged, but they also
pass through the Censors hands, and one frequently
sees paragraphs or whole columns either covered
with coating Of black paste, or so nicely erased
that no sign Of printers inb Is LETT.
During our stay in Moscow, we lodged at the
Heti de Dyesde. which can conscentiously rec
oumend to future travellers. IL is Il large, low
building on the Government square, at the corner
Of the Tyerskaia Onlitza, ana convenient to the
Kremlin. The only discomfort, which IT shares IN
soumon with the other hotels, ia that the
wants are all Russian. We obtained a large,
pleasant room for two rubles day, und dinner,
cooked in the most admirable style for ruble
each Other charges were in the same proportion;
% that the daily expense WAS about So. AS there
IL no tail. dh6it, the meals being served in ones
own room this is rather below New-Y0rk prices
A German author, who resided two years in Mos
COW, gave me $1,000 as fair estimate of the
annual expense of living for bachelor. House
rent and the ordinary necessaries Of Life are cheap;
but lu1uries of all kinds, clothing, &c, are very
dear.
On the northern side of the city, just outside the
low earthen barrier stands the great Railroad Sta
tiOn. The principal train for St. Petersburg leaves
daily at NOON aud reaches its destination the next
morning at eight-GO0 versts, or 400 English miles,
IN twenty hours. The fares are respectively ~,
13 and rubes for the Grst, second and third class
The station building is the most imposing scale,
and al the operations Of tho road are conducted
with the utmost precision aid regularity, although
perhaps little slower than in other countries.
The frst-cass carriages are divided into cOmpart-
nents, and luxuriously cushioned, as ia England:
the second-class are arranged exactly on the Ameri
can plan (in fact, | believe they are built in
Anerica) except that the seats are not 50 closely
crowded together. The entrance is at the END,
over a platform on which the brakeman stands, as
with u.s. As the day of our departure happened TO
be Monday, which il considered so unucsy day
.mcng the Russians that they never travel when
they can avoid it, there was just comfortable
uumber of passengers. Re bade adieu 10 our
obhginc friend, Col. Claxton. whose kindness had
contributed so much to the interest OF our visit,
and. as the dial marked noon, steamed off for St.
Petersburg
Straight ss suubeams, the four parallel lines OF
rail shoot away to the northwest, and vanish far
Of in a sharp paint on the horizon Woods hills,
swamps rayiues rivers, may interscct the road,
bat it sweryes not hair from the direct course,
except where such detection is necessary to keep
the general level between Moscow and the Volsa.
After passing the Valdsi Hills, about halfway To
81 Petersburg, the course is almost as straight as
drawn with ruler for the remaining two hun
ared miles. The Russians say this rosd is only TO
b. looked upon as an article of luxury. The En-
peror Nicholas consulted hls own convenience and
The facility of conveying troops rather thsn the
convenience Of the country and the development
q ,ts resources. BY insisting upon the shortest
possible distance between the two cities, he carried
sbe road for hundreds of versts through swamps
where artificial foundation of piles was neces'
sary while, by bending its course a little to the
south. nearer the line Of the highway, not only
would these swsmps have teen avoided, but the
cities of Noyqorod, Valdai and Torshok, with the
settled ana cultivated regions around them, would
have shared in the advantages and added TO the
profits of the rosd.
In it's construction and accessories, one can truly
say that this is the finest railway in the world. Its
only drawback is an occasional roughness the
csuse Of which suspect, lies in the cars rather
tlan the road Itself There are thiriy-three STA
tons be .ween Moscow and st. Petersburg. AT
the most of these, the station houses are palaces,
ai built exactly alike, and on scale of msgnii-