, 1862-07-04
GREAT FIKEIE ST. PETERSBURG
Revolutionary Incendtartsm.

GREAT FIREIN ST. PETERSBURG. J
Revolutionary Incendiarism.
From the New York Evening Post.1
Our foreign files bring Us startling news
from Russia-ncluding further accounts Of
the revolutionary schemes in that great en-
pire and Of the incendiary attempts to destroy
The capital by fire.
St. Petersburg is not city which would
easily burn up. To pass along It's vide ave
nues and look upon its universal stone aud
s'ucco palaces, it would appear almost i'm
pregnable to the flames. Il has ample faclll-
up With large CANALS, and the Neva, wide
and inexhaustib1e river runs almost through
the middle Of the city. Unlike Moscow. it
has no traditions OF great fires, excepting the
destruction Of the Winter Palace some thirty
Nicholas made himself prominent by allo wing
none Of the Workmen to endanger their lives
in reseuing the furniture, declaring that he
would prefer it should all be destroyed rather
than have single life lost. In the famous
Gotinnoi Doyor, or public bazI, the most
extraordinary preparations are made to guard
against fire.
Yet VIC learn that notwithstanding all this,
ecnln thirty:.dres had taken place IN the city
during the two weeks preceding the depart
u1e Of the last European steamer. The city
has be en- placed under martial law, trade and
commerce is at q stand still, and even goods
ordered from England to st. Petersburg have
been countermauded. The committee OF the
Bank las passed resolution for the nlimited
prolongation Of the credits hitherto opened to |
large commercial firms, whose establishments |
were burnt III the late conhagration. 4 Syn !
| dicate has likewise been appointed, for the |
| purpose Of opening credits 10 smaller shop |
! ket ptEs.
These fires have political Significance, and
| therefore create sensation disproportiouate
| even to their great extent. An imperial de-
S41,o {I,bfr
murder, incendiarism and destruction Of crops
is to be punished with death.
The statements that d third Of the city has
| been destroyed are greatly exaggerated, and it
is acknowledged that the burnt district ln-
c1udes only the poorer and inferior portions
| Of the city. Yet the loss is roughly estimated
at from two and half to five million OF dollars
| Of our money. None Of the great palaces, or
| public buildings near Neya have been de-
| stroyed.
Yet this fire has consumed one Of the most
| remarkable and characteristic features Of st.
| Petersburg-the celebrated ApraNn DTor,or,
| as it is called By the English residents, the
Louse Market. This WIS large space, some
fifteen acres in are surrounded BY uniform
| rows Of stores, and situated near the great &C.
stinnoi Dvor, in the heart Of the city and buta
few minutes walk from the Neysky Prosprkt,
the Broadway Of St. Petersburg. This Louse
Market is the favorite resort Of the poorest
classes. 1t is entered By wide gates between
the GORDON Of buildings which enclosed it, aud
which, quite respectable in appearance, would
lead one to expect 3 regular and even elegant g
series Of stores. But oHce inside, all this
changes. The entire area is covered By q most
intricate labyrinth of streets or paths wide
enough tor pedestrians and nanked by little
wooden houses, never more than twc stories
high, and generally butbne. Occasionally the
paths expand into'l little open spaces filled with
, peddlers instead of houses, Every conceiVa-
ble thing, and great many that are not con-
ceivable, could be bongh here--from a ton Of
from feather bed to . need1e-from a piano
forte to broken candlestlck-for in Russia
ever, thing has a marketable value, aud ped
dler may and has been aeen crying vehemently
!, to passers-by to purchase something from his
:. stock, said stock consisting Of an iron pair Of
+ Epectacles without any glasses, two 1all0w
q candles, and q rusty key Here also are the
q shops where arc made the quaint holy pic
!. to be found in every Russian house-portraits
r Of saints or tie Madonna, painted on wood
8 and then covered over with tin or gilt foil SC
- that only the face and hands of the painted
saint can be seen, as if he were peerlng IRON
Y the bars Of prison.
These pictu ures are to be had at all prices
I from twenty copek5 to q thousand rubles
Here are also the bookstauds, very much like
"a bookstands in other cities, comprising in thei
"a stocks ipnumerahle old book in unreadablt
T. Russ, vast numbers in French, not few il
n Spanish and Italian, and some in English
"a | The gaudiy -eoloTed pictures sold at kopeE
ID apiece to the peasants, and representing saint
is in blue and yellow glory, or scarlet apotheo
, scs of the Cars Nicholas and Alexander, O
or fierce warriors on 1uiraculouslS shaped steed6
n prapclDg over soil striped in blue and pur
ne ple or pictures of the sufFerings Of those WHIT
B. have not paid tithes to priests, or deliniaion
hv Of scripture parables or portraits Of the reign
a. ing family, Or representations Of popular lie
ne gends-al1 these were to be found in the Lous
to market. Here too was the great depot Of oil
ne clothes and cheap jewelry and sanoyers or te
lc- urns.. AL the shopkeepers wore the good Oh
MT Russian costume of blue cloth in one Ion
tn gown, reaching from the neck to the heels
nj and buttoncd in front; and they wore mas
re nifcent auburn boards and had their hair pa1te
he in the middle, like Mario, and some Of ou
de uptown tops, and were moreover provide
We With touters, who cried out the ezceller
of boys, and they made terrible racket Til
, # was peculiarly Of the Apraxin Dvor-th
iu- it was li7elg and noisy. and people acted I
II they were wide awake. In the streets
,de st. Petersburg, in summer ererg thing is ma!
'is niflcent1y quiet and dul1-but once in the Lou
aid Market and sill is different. There is plent
ois Of noise, aud melodies noise, too, for Il
st. Russian language, the most euphonious
I'll unmusical, not even when bawled out by tt
to lowest and most iliterate classes. It Was
,eir relief to get ont Of the dreagy sp1endor Of
his Petersburg into the cor eordtum Of the city
~ ~ teristic and Aprazln D7c;, whlc
,oi- by they way, has no special claim to its Il
he he prepossessing soubriauet Of Louise Market.
en- On WhitMonday last, in accordance vi
its an old custom, al the poorer people-sho
rne fo1mer-dresscd in their best clothes II
jEc wearing all their tinery, came out to the SUI
arv nler Garden, partially to attend the asmc
be obsolete wifs-shoW, but principally to she
;oS o themselves of. The Summer Garden, q lo
ln5 park, cut up rectangular walks, shaded
~ luxurious trees, bounded on one side by t
! of Eeva, and on the others by wide stone-fae
, nf canals, WIS so crowded that the vide aTeuu
ror. Tonld scarcely hold the moving and pol
lent had his hat half the time off his head, in
he frequent salutations to other long.coat'
MI. sloek-haired, polite old Russians like himst
sub 1t was just ut this time that terrible
.ood Summer Garden. The Apraxin Dvor was
that flrc, md all that part of the city WAS thre
pin. ened with devastation. In hot haste the e
den wns deserted. The men leaped tuto
atis- ed drivers drove oH TO the Nevsky Prospe
r. with fury surprising in even Russian Je
The Wou1eG came running On after, aim
fainting with fear and anxiety. But all ami
~ too late, The old bazaar WIS destroyed,
''2' gether with rows and rows Of stores in
adjoining streets. The great gogernm
ob1e- building, occupied By the Minister Of the
nro. terror, was in flames, while the soldiers
p,o police were dashing around to rescue hun
THIS beiugs from the flames, for it was useles:
? are try to save property. Up the wide STIR
an dashed the great clumsy fire engines, drs
and - - rnen 1rsased IN ehor,3 froc1rS 11car;9g
life. mcts and carrying heavy axes in their ham
'dier, These engines would excite the un9tter'
roth con.e1nps p u ane nsn' "
1ns merely green barrels OF water On whe
1nty Along the line Of the canal we're crowds thr
e be- ing over rich carriages and furniture to
,-,~. serve them from destruction by fire. The
onl5 engines from Moscow, 500 miles distant, '
Us, st sent for, but only stald one day. being mex
aoHn o in Their own city, where four fires had bre
1tteo | ont.
faith Towards evening the priests came on
their their rich robes, flashing with gold and
wives pie, and with banners and Greek cro
LIE IN marched through the streets, the ch
ose it ters chanting the magnificent CHI
-ongh OF the Greek church. At night the ch
aging / porticos and the halls of the pa]
:e for were: crowded with homeless people,
soon would have starved but for govern
ms IN aid. During the night the EmH
isipns | cana DOWN from his country: .oa1act
ere at Tsa1koe SeIo and visited the frightened, r
9el, IN | ing crowds, personally assuring them O
! that care and protection For three days the
home flaHation continued, and at latest dates
= Will not yet entirely subdued. The property
9M, IN stroyed IN the stores and dwellings <apart
There fhe edifcea thenselyes} Is estimated /
stint Petersburg at 1t, 900 COO of rubles.
PIE OF In some quarters this fearful fire Is att
e GOV ted to Polish lncendiar1m, and there arc
9eople that 1t is not the last the city will suffer.
@ Lhem Gostinnoi Dvor. comprising the most in