The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-06-28
Wednesday Morning, June Is, 1856.
From the Atlantic Monthly.l
Winter Life in St. Petersburg.
A RUSSIAN nay.

"For darkness, rather than cold. il the char.
acteristic OF the st. Petefsburgh winter. The
temperature, which at Montreal or st. Pauls
would bethought remarkably low, seems to
Dc more severely felt here, owing to the alb
sence of pure daylight. Although Lake La
duga and the gulf Of Finland are frozen. the
air always retains damp, raw, penetrating
quality, and the snow is more frequently
sticky and clammy than dry and crystalline.
Few, indeed are the days which are not cheer
less and depressing. In December, when the
SKY Is overcast for weeks together, the sun.
rising after nine o'clock, and sliding along
Just above the horizon, enables you to dis
Pense with lamplight somewhere between ten
and eleven; but by two in the afternoon Won
must call Tor lights again. Even when a clear
oay comes, the yellow, level sunshine Is a
combination OF sunrise and sunset and naith
er tempers the air nor mitigates the general
expression OF gloom, almost of despair, upon
the face Of Nature. sse III
The preparations for the season, Of course.
have been made long before In most houses
the double windows are allowed to remain
through the summer, but they must be care :.
fully examined, the layer OF cotton between
them, at the bottom, replenished, small yes .
sci Of salt added to absorb the moisture and
prevent it from freezing on the panes. and
strips OF paper pasted over every pos
sible crack The outer doors are covered
WIN Waadeo iestner, overlapping the frames
onall sides. The habitatioAs being thus. al
most Theoretically sealed, they are easily warm
ed by the huge porcelain stoves, which retain
warmth so tenaciously that one Gre her dav is
sufficient for the most sensitive constitution.
In my own room, found that, one armful Of
brentwood reduced to coal, every alternate
morning, created a steady temperature of six.
ty-four degrees. Although the rooms are al
ways spacious, and arranged in suites of rom
three to dozen, according to the extent and
splendor oil the residence, the atmosphere
soon becomes close.
A RIDE ON AN ICE-Hu.L.
The ice hills erected in the Russian cities
Tor purposes of amusement have often been
described; but the sensations of an ice ride
have seldom been more wildly narrated than
in these words: .a.5
Aengaged one OF the nnaiiik:a in attandanaA-
to pilot me on my first voyage. The man hav
ing taken his position well forward on the lit
tie sled, knelt upon the rear end, where
there was barely space enough for nay knees,
placed my hands upon his shoulders, and
awaited the result. He showed the sled with
his hands, very gently and carefully, to the
brink of the icy steep; then there was mo-
ments adjustment, then poise, then sinking
OF the heart, cessation of breath, giddY roar
ing and whistling Of the air, and l found my
self scudding along the level with the speed
of an express train. / never happened to ia
out Of ioutrh-story window, but / immedi
ately understood the sensations of the unfor-
tHnate persons who do. 1t was so ffightful that
j shuddered when we reached the end of the
course and the man cooly began ascending the
steps OF the opposite hill, with the sled under
his arm. But my companions were waiting
to see me return, so l mounted after him, :,
knelt again, and held my breath. This time,
knowing what was coming, caught glimpse
of our descent, and found that only the frs4
plunge froMlhe brink was threatening. The
lower part of the curve, which is nearly par
abolic line, is more gradual, and the seeming
headlong fall does not last more than the
tenth part Of a second. The sensation, new
ertheless, is very powerful, having all the at
traction, without the reality, of danger.
CANDLES.
Although the streets of st. Petersburg are
lighted with gas, the palaces and private resi-
dences are still illuminated only with wax
candles Gas is considered prebian, but it has
probably also been ound to be disagreeable
in the close air Of the Theoretically sealed
apartments. Candles are used in such pro-
fusion that | am told thirty thousand are re-
quired to light up an Imperial ball. The quad
ruple rows Of columns which support the
Hall of st. George are spirally entwined with
garlands Of wax lights, and immense chande-
ners are suspended from the ceiling The
wicks of each column are connected with
threads dipped In some infiammable mixture
and each thread being kindled at the bottom
at the same instant, the light is carried in a
few seconds to every candle in the hall. This
instantaneous kindling of so many thousand
wicks has magical effect.
Here is a pleasing sketch of the
sl EMPRESS OF RUSSIA.
Grace and refinement, rather than beauty
distinguish the Empress, though her eyes and
hair deserve the latter epithet. She is an in
Valid and appears pale and somewhat worn
but there is no finer group of children in Eu-
rope than those to whom she has given birth
Six sons and one daughter are her jewels; and
of these, the third son, Vladimir, is almost
ideally handsome. Her dress was at once
simple and superb-a cloud of snowy tulle
with a.scarf Of pale blue velvet, twisted with a
chain of the largest diamonds and with knot
and tassel OF pearls, resting halfway down
the skirt, as il it had slipped from her waist.
Ca another occasion remember her wearing
crown OF five stars, the centres OF which
were single enormous rubies and the rays n
diamonds so set on invisible wires that thew
burned In the air over her head. The splen.
dor which was part of her role was always
made subordinate to rigid taste, and hereir
prominently distinguished her from many O
the Russian ladies, who carried great fortunes
upon their heads, neeks and bosoms. | hat
several opportunities Of conversing with her
generally upon art and literature, and wa
glad to find that she had both read and though
as well as saen YOu NAV tell the hoaara,