The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1890-12-13
Cur 0lio.
TRAVELLING IN RUSSIA.

letter from South Africa was published
some months since in the Ledger, has
written another letter from Moscow, Russia,
to his friend, Mr.. Peter S. Dooner and the
latter has sent it for publication to the
Ledger. The present letter describes
rather rout-of-the-way tour through Southern
Russia. 1t is as follows:
Moscow, Russian date, Sept 25, 1890.
-FOUR date, Oct. Z. My Dear Dooner =
Up to this time we have Travelled in Russia
proper 4 $3.50 English miles, including our
southern trip to the Crimea and the eau
casus, mere dot in the grand total, when
you consider that this empire owns and
controls about one-seventh of the land area
of the globe. Travel here, were it not for
the slow schedule time Of trains-15 to 25
miles per hour-and the long distances
from point 20 point would be more enjoy
able, and the monotony of the steppe, or
fiat country, more bearable, could you skip
over it at faster gait, for the roadbeds
are generally in frst-class condition, and
their passenger cars, built of boiler iron,
are roomy, comfortable and in excellent
condition, having all the conveniences of
the American patterns. You are comforted,
/ however, by the fact that the rates of fare
are much nearer those of our own country
than those of more Western Europe, trife
over three cents per mile. At night the
cars both first and second-class, can be
changed into sleepers without extra charge.
We had no better on the wagon-lit train
when coming to Moscow from Vienna, and
! for which they charge so much extra. You
must, however, furnish your own bed
clothing, pillows, wraps, towels, &c, and,
as all travellers in Russia, as general thing,
have them, you are not much incommoded,
except at times, when you cannot undress.
The great trouble is from the unusual
amount of bundles and traps of all sorts
that passengers are permitted to take into
the cars with them, oftentimes thereby in
fringing upon the rights of others in
the occupying of all of the racks and most
of the desirable seats, especially so when
/ often upon trains of from 10 to IL passen-
ger cars there is no more than one-half of
a car allotted to frst-class passengers. The
frst-class half is painted blue outside and
numbered, and the other half drab, also
numbered as to class. You are also an
noyed at the clouds of cigarette smoke,
caused by the universal habit of smoking
in the cars, at table, and almost everywhere
else. There are no smoking rooms, not
even in the hotels. Women, without re-
gard to rank, all join in. Travel is gener-
ally by second class; the peasants by the
third, with very little difference, except in
fare, between the first and second class.
In the first you have more elbow room and
freedom from bundles. Should you be
lucky enough, as we were, to secure ahead
the exclusive use of compartment, you
can be very comfortable indeed
Restaurants are numerous on all lines,
with tea, coffee, edibles and drinks, all good
and in abundance. The country, south, is
generally flat, and the soil sandy, much
like that in New jersey, with scarcely a
tree of any kind to be seen. In fact the
whole country is fat, except that in close
proximity to the mountain ranges. For
merly, when the peasaRtry were compelled
to live on and farm the ground to which
they belonged, better crops were grown
than now. The ground was plowed deeper
and better cared for. Now, the men flock
to the cities, leaving the ground for their
families to look after. There are no barns
nor comfortable looking farm houses to be
seen, as is with us in Pennsylvania.
The people huddle together in villages,
at long distances apart, with their houses,
1 am told, more comfortable and cleanly
within than one is led to suppose from a
passing outside view. No fences anywhere,
except in the villages, and they are made
basket fashion in pattern. Houses of same
material, and plastered.
KIEF AND ODESSA.
Our visit to Kief, 'the Jerusalem of
Russia" and held by its people in great
veneration, was very enjoyable one.
Besides the great Nicholas Suspension
Bridge, 6,775 feet long, spanning the
Dneiper, and their fine churches, one of
them built by Mazeppa, of wild horse no.
toriety, you must pay visit to the great
'Pecherskoi" Monastery, the first in rank
in Russia, and the most ancient, built III
1855, on the banks Of the river. Within
its grounds you can see the celebrated cat
acombs of ST. Anthony, the founder of the
monastery. These are excavated in the
cliffs of limestone that overhang the river.
The passages, like all such, are about seven
feet high and narrow. The best OF its
kind we have yet seen, and remarkably
clean, considering that from 100000 to
300 900 pilgrims from all parts of Russia
visit it yearly. The flight of steps leading
to them are somewhat similar to those lead
ing to the catacombs at Palermo, on the
Island of Sicily. Skeletons of monks, 73
in number, having their pictures hanging
alongside, their hands crossed upon their
breast, and each covered with a light silk
pail, rest in open cofins in the various
inches of the catacombs. Prominent among
them is that of st. Anthony, in one of
silver, alongside of the cell in which he
spent Is years Of his life without breathing
! the fresh air.
Next we visited Odessa, great trading
port on the Black Sea, possessing a fine
harbor, fine buildings, streets well paved
fine boulevard on the bluff, and an unusu-
ally fine opera house recently finished at
great cost. Here we embarked on the
steamship Olga, one of the finest Of the
Russian Companys fine feet, bound fol
) Sevastopol, ten hours, or l6S miles, dis
tant. These steamers are very comfort
/, able and table excellent,
sEyAsToPoL 30 TIFLIs.
$ We were disappointed with Sevastopol
: II does not size up to what we expected
has very little trade, and; as a consequences
tis small and quiet place. Neither do the