Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-04-16
LIFE IN RUSSIA.

leCluTeu OeIOre inc SChillcrbund, at Wash
ington, few nights since, on his ex
periences in Russia. He began with
few remarks upon the climate of 81
Petersburg, and said we were mistaken
IN thinking the temperature so low that
one could scarcely venture out of doors
with safety, and that people were Contin
ually rubbing each others noses on the
street with snow to take out the frost
have experienced much greater colo
in my home in Hartford than in Russia
But the average winter temper
9ture is certainly very low there. Frosts
begin in September; by the 1st Of DC
tober all the leaves have fallen; by the
10th and 18th ice is abundant, and by
November everything is hermetically
sealed up for the next eight months. Tht
suns rays fall so nearly horizontally IL
mld-wlnter that they impart but littlt
warmth during the short days of four o
hve hours, consequently the temperatur,
at MONDAY is but few degrees highe
than at night.
After winter sets in the houses ar,
carefully closed up to keep out the cold
and, as the ventilation is very defective
nearly all the women who are confined
Mt home have sallow, unhealthy com
fANsN'SAi' bub NllN Hull dlC EtItIullH II INC
stalwart race. The fruit buds do not be
gin to swell before May, but, by the ac
cumulation of heat in the long DAYS and
short nights of summer, fruit and gras,
are ripcned in an incredibly short period
as they have to be, if at all, to avoid
the early frosts; but of course fruit
grown and harvested in the space of
sixty or seventy days cannot be of re.
markable quality. Although there is
plenty of snow, l have never seen q
snow storm during my residence in Rus
sia. The explanation is as follows St
Petersburg is built on very low, fiat land
at the mouth of the Neva, and the atmos.
phere is saturated with moistness arising
from the soil and the bodies of water
adjacent. A slight reduction of temper
ature is sufficient to CONCEAL this, and it
is deposited in the form of snow, OF
rather ice-crystals, at the rate of two
inches every night, until it attains the
depth of several feet; and yet no one
has seen it fall.
" As there is no such thing as hill
anywhere near ST. Petersburg, artificial
ones are made, so as to allow the amuse
ment of coasting on steel-shod sledges
OF which the Russians are very fond. As
an illustration of the soil in st. Peters
burg, 1t is said the piles upon which the
principal church is built cost as much rs
some of the finest churches in this Coun
try, and yet it has settled some"
MIR. Jewell next spoke of the royal
family and the court. "The Emperor,
though an autocrat, by no means con.
siders himself entitled to life of idle
ness. He rises at eight a. m, goes to
work at nine, breakfasts at twelve. The
Czarovitch pronounced czar-ay-vitch), OF
heir apparent, is about the only man
coming to throne in Europe fitted to
fill it. One of his accomplishments is
that of being able to talk to the repre-.
sentative of each foreign country in his
own language. Nor is he the only young
member of the royal family thus accom-.
plished. AT a court reception attended
the Princess AleXandrowna- now Ouch.
ess OF Observation-Disclosures every
foreign Minister, except the Turkish and
one other, in his own language, passing
from one to another as they were all
ranged solemnly in order, and sustaining
the burden of the conversation, as it is
not etiquette for them to do more than
answer her"
We next quote from some incidents
connected with Mr.. JEWELS first pres
entation at court: "a full Ambassador
is entitled to the honor of having a coach
sent to convey him to court the first
time, but as our Ambassador is only an
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plen-
ipotentiary' he must find the way there
as best he can. / went in my own coupe.
Arriving at the door / was received by
one l knew to be servant by his not
taking his hat off (as servants never do
in RUSSIA, and conducted through hall
after hall lined with platoons of soldiers,
with shouldered arms, who gave no indi-
cation that they recognized my pres
ence. Being transferred from attendant
to attendant, each higher in rank, was
finally received by Prince, who ushered
me into the private cabinet of the Car,
who received me as he does every one,
with an atlability which soon put me en-.
tirely at ease and removed all apprehen-
sion of not being able to pass through
the ordeal. The evening being over
passed out by the way entered and the
different demeanor of the soldiers was
very marked. Before, although accredit-
ed by my own country as Minister, had
not been received by their lord and mas
teF,-aHd, therefore, was nothing 10 them,
but now, having been accepted and re.
celved his imprimature, | had suddenly
become second only in importance to the
royal family itself, and hence every
platoon of soldiers presented arms and
every band began to play as l reached
and passed them.
The royal banquets are magnificent
affairs, and seem gotten up not only re-
gardless OF expense, but with an effort
TO see how much can be spent on them.
A Nrhnrn I ntt ,,,la Al.
Emperor of Austria sat on the right
hand of the Gar and the Prince of
Wales on the left--there were / 900
guests, and though some 600 had to take
their supper standing the service for the
whole 1900 was of solid silver, including
splendid epergnes and fifty plates at the
head OF the table of solid gold. The IL
Illumination of the salons required some
10000 wax candles, as the Russians
never use gas except in halls, kitchens
and inferior parts of the house, consider
ing il unhealthy.
To grace the feast not only beauti-
ful flowers but large palm.trees in tubs,
where they grew, were brought from the
royal greenhouses, some five or six miles
distant, and 1t being mid-winter small
houses had Ia be built over them to pro.
tect them during the journey. These
contained 500 iaponica trees
OF various hues and palm.trees over
sixty feet high.
The chasseurs, or footmen of the for.
elgn Ministers, wear plumes of the ma
tional colors of their respective countries
those of the American legation being,
OF course, red, white and blue.
Pedestrians have literally no rightg
which drivers are bound to respect; If
person gets run over, and is not killed,
be is liable 10 be arrested for being In
he way When the Cars carriage comes
along, everybody and everything gets
)ut Of the way, and, next to his, that of
A foreign minister is of greatest impor
lance, and the drivers fully appreciate the
fact. .--
p THE nobility have French cooks, and
their tables do not differ so much from
other countries, but the native cuisine
Is quite peculiar, and would not be rel
shed by many foreigners. Among their
lelleacies are cabbage soup thickened
with sour cream, and cdUidre, which is
made Of sturgeon Toes uncOOked and
packed in oil. The staple army
'ations is black bread They have cab.
page fOr soup once week which. when