The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-15
LIFE IN ST. PETER SBURG.

LIFE IN 81. PElEk SbJ kU.
Hi. Impressions of the People nd the
Climate.
A letter from the Hon. Marshall Jewell,
United States Minister to Russia, to lady
relative in Rochester, is published by the
Democrat of that city. 1t is dated at st.
Petersburg. We take the following ex-
tracts:
Speaking of greenhouses, we visited one
the other day for trees and shrubs, ferns and
cacti only, not flowers, which has 30 900 va
reties in it, and 10000 pots or specimens.
All the corps diplomatique are invited
every winter. There appears to be no end
to the money this court spends on such an
occasion. This, Of course, is seldom done.
The Emperor is a splendid man, very
polite, and for that matter SO are they all to
us. There is little or no middle class in
Russia. The few live like Princes; the
many work and live like slaves. Very fine
and handsome people are the nobility very
low and degraded are the working classes.
But it is vastly improved under this En-
peror, who is.a really just and good man.
Russia has its own code of morals, l sup
pose, which the people live up to. From
our point of view there are no morals here.
They all cross themselves on going past a
church or shrine. There is shrine in every
house, in the presence of which no one can
wear his hat, not even the Emperor. So
inside Russian door hats otf-a carpenters
shop, saloon, or palace-it's all the same.
They keep Lent rigidly. Circuses and
theatres are full SUNDAYS, except in Lent.
There are over sixty "prOswicks or fete-
Iavs in ha yaar on which no ono will yvnrl,
Sunday is less cared for, though generally
no work is done OH that day. Drunkenness
is more common than in any country in the
world. Common people drink all the
"boOka" they can get Their food is black,
sour, rye bread and cabbage soup mostly.
But they are a good-natured, laughing
race of beings. There is but little social
life here, though in fact not much visiting,
as we do it evenings. So much social inter-
course comes from our schools and religions
affinities, which are entirely lacking i'll this
country, that it makes the difference very
marked to an American. The French lam
guage is almost as much used as the Russian :;
more so, in fact in the higher circles.
Most of the Government officers speak
English, also, and more than half the Rus
slams / meet. All the young ladies speak
it, as they all have English governesses.
English and American books are in first
class libraries, Russia having but compare
lively little literature of its own. Law and
order here are as much respected as with
us. While the Emperor appoints every
thing and everybody, AMI can do exactly as
he likes, still he governs by and through
law. The knout is long since abolished, and
trial by jury is regular and SAFE 1t is no
heather country by a long ways, but the
Greek and orthodox church is strict i'll its
discipline and thorough i'll its organization.
Divorce is almost impossible. Prisons are
few. Capital punishment is unknown except
for attempts OH the Emperors life. All con-
victs are sent to Siberia, the worst to work
in the mines, and others on the land. Their
families can go with them, if they like, so
that country is now full of pretty good peo-
pie Of this kind. This country is growing
rapidly in all the directions of national
greatness. Education is being pushed
steadily bnt slowly. Most of the people
see can already read and write. But the rich
being SO very rich and the poor SO very poor
makes progress very slow. The police regu
lations are perfect, though people drive
through the streets as fast ever they can
go. Those on foot have no rights which the
carriages are bound to respect. Handsome
black Tartar horses go past one lik: the
wind, with little light harness, no binders,
and low, light sleighs, or sledges, as they
call them.
Nobody goes out minute here without
being fully wrapped mp in fnr, and no one
sits minute in the house with them on. In
the halls are servants to take off and care
for these wrappers In this way they never
appear to take cold. III no other way could
they live in this very changeable climate.
Not one of us had a cold this winter. So all
the stories about this being so bad climate
annpar tO ia tn he a hunbuU Rut great
care is necessary, and that everybody takes
of himself. So in this way we get along,
and, on the whole, find the climate not bad.
Do like it. Well, some. Don't believe l
want to spend my life here, though. 1t is
great thing to see for a time, and find my
colleagues pleasant pc, pie, and the social
life of indoors was enjoyed for time. In
all of the elements of strength and great
ness America is so far ahead of Europe that
the contrast is painful.