The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-03-17
Impressions of Moscow.

Our first impressions of the Cars
southern capital were not very inspir
ing. The streets are short, narrow, i'll
paved and dirty; the buildings low,
succeed and shabby. The shops, as a
rule, are cramped, dingy, hardly more
than blind holes through the wall. A
few of the better streets have been
Europeanized, but there is really no.
where any approach to street architec-
ture, and large per cent of the dwell
ing-houses are low, One-story succeed
boxes, looking much as though they
had been transported, with yard and
stable, from the country. The smells
are-very pronounced, and not such as,
according to Shakespeare, foated from
Cleopatra's barge when she came out
to meet Marc Antony. Indeed, our
family day before yesterday, has already
got his fill of them, and says they shall
be off tonight. But he is making a
mistake. He should see the city, as we
have now done, from the Sparrow hills
the point from which Napoleon got
his first view of the city-and he would
have carried away very different i'm
preston from that with which he is
now leaving it, The Russians say
and / suppose believe-that when Ma
poleon from this spot caught his first
glimpse of their holy city he was over
come by its grandeur and beauty, and
fell helpless to the ground. 1t is just
possible that something of this story
may be ascribed to national pride, and
we are permitted, 1 suppose, to make
modest abatement from it, But no one
who gets his impressions of Moscow
from the Sparrow hills will soon lose
them, or wish to. Certainly it is one of
the beautiful sights of earth; and the
enthusiasm of the Muscovite is readily
explained, if not justified. The city's
countless towers, its thousands of
domes-blue, red, silver, green and gold
-standing thick like gaudy flowers in a
garden, the great fortress of the Krem-
lin, with its palaces and churches, and
the cleaning Moskva running at the
base of its high old walls, all make a
picture most unique and impressive;
and seen, as we saw it yesterday, in
the mellow light of a setting sun, it
stirs the emotions too deeply to be ever
forgotten. But, per contra, the road
from the city gates to the hamlet where
one is offered this glorious view is
about the most eXecrable / ever saw.
One marvels that the autocrat should
leave it so, for if he would but sell one,
almost any one, of $4,000 diamonds he
owns he could Macadamize the whole
distance, and win the everlasting graft
tude and benediction of all the horses
in Moscow blessing, by the way,
by no means to be contemned; fol
horses in Russia, like grass in England
are an institution. They are splendid
fellows, and an old hack among them is
about as rare thing as white COW
The carriage that brought us from the
station to our hotel was drawn by
splendid grays, well-fed, faultlesslN
groomed fellows, and driven at dash
ing rate, four abreast. The Russian
loves a good horse, and even that garb
age cart over yonder, like every Other
in the city, is drawn by horse Boston
lady would willingly promote to thu
dignity of her carriage. You see none
anywhere to remind you of the aspiring
New York swill-carter, who had go
tired of buying cheap half-dollar horses
and who said he meant to make raise
in his next purchase and go up tC
seventy-fve cents. These fine horses
have very easy and natural connection
with one of the national traits of thu
people; for the Russian is lazy fellow
who will never run when he can walk
never walk when he can ride and neve
sit up when he can lie down. / have
been three days in the city, one o
which was Sunday, and / have yet t,
see the first well-dressed Russian, maj
or woman, on foot in the streets. O
course we have been to the Kremlin
The morning we arrived l strolled VI
there and passed in through the st
Nicholas gate-like my great predeces
sor, Napoleon, who went first into tn
Kremlin through this gate, and as tn
Russians take good care you shall re
member, went out of it again, som
weeks later, with a very big flea in hi
ear. There is a speaking reminder O
this pleasant little incident that con
fronts the visitor Immediately on hi
right as he enters. For here stands tn
old arsenal, and along its walls, in tn
open court, in double tier, no fewe
than S75 brass cannon that Napoleon
somehow or other thought best to leav
behind him when he set out to re-visi
Paris after his pleasure trip to Russi
in 1Sl2.-Reu Amos Laurence, IN ZION