Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1898-12-07
RUSSIA AND
ST. PETERSBURG.
Interesting and Instructive Letter from
w. r. Holloway, Consul General
to ST. Petersburg.

CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE UNITED srArEsl !
AMERICA.
ST PETERSBURG. RUSSIA. Nov. Is. 1885, /
Hon Joseph g. RatliY:
Dea. Friend Your letter of Octo |
Der 18th, enclosing the resolution of
the Waynesyille Yearly Meeting of
Friends, was duly received and handed !
to Herbert II d. Peirce, Ist secretary
of the Embassy, now Charge d. At |
fairs, In the absence Of our ambassa-
dor.
| enclose you Mr.. Peirce's letter
which shows why he cannot present it.
In our country all official documents
here to the old way.
There is more etiquette and form
here than at any other court in the
world. II is the most interesting
country in Europe to an American, by
reason of the fact that they do every
thing the way we do not do it. They
use The old style calendar which is
twelve days behind that used by the
rest of the world; use the Reaumur
thermometer that places zero at the
freezing point; have twelve more let
ters IN their alphabet than we. and
most of ours they use have different
sound, while othsrs are upside down
aud wrong side foremost. | send my
official card and slip cut from a
newspaper to show you how much
easier it is than Chinese.
They use versts instead of miles,
arshines instead Of yards, pools (36
lbs. instead Of 100 pounds or tons,
dessatines instead of acres Eah
| building, no matter what its frontage,
has one numbe-. There may be six or
eight stores on the ground floor and
two or three entrances to the upper
| floors, where there may be 100 sepa-
rate appointments, occupied by differ
ent people, which causes endless con-
fusion; they wear shoes without heels,
sell eggs, oranges, apples, ETC., by
tens instead of dozens. Their silver
ruble ia the size of our dollar and is
worth 80 cents of the money of any
gold standard country; but a little
over 5 per cent of the people read and
write, as a consequence the retail bust
ness and = arge Per cent. of tie manu-
featuring is in the bands Of Germans,
while the Russians are the menials
Their fete days and Sundays number
ninety per annum on which genera
business is suspended During winter
there is not to exceed six hours of dav.
light; between May and August no
night. The wealth of the churches il
marvellous and the palaces are the
finest in Europe.
| Last winter the mercury stayed neal
the freezing point right along, without
rain and little wind. Most of the We
hicles are on runners; finest horses il
the world but no bells, except 'troi
kas;" side walks kept clean. Church
music not equalled in any other coun
try. The picture gallery, while mo-
the largest, is the finest in the world
ST. Petersbu, z has l .267 ,023 inhab
ltants ana Is uooiaSas,- --.....auolitan
lyou meet people of every nation OF
1.-THE streets. While there is no end o
drunkenness, the Russians are no
lquarrelsome and there is far less crime
here than in any country | know any
thing about. Houses are not to ex
coed FIVE stories high and have doubl'
windows. are dark, and there are bu
few elevators in the city. There is NJ
system of sewerage and the water i
not fit for drinking; the roadway il
q few of the leading streets is wood
the others cobble stones.
TIE people are exceedingly polit
and very hospitable. There are Amer
leans coming and going all the tim
and but sixty Americans residing here
The ambassador il splendid man
and doing q great work in finding
market for our surplus; has splen
did family and is very popular with s.
classes.
do not know whether you have eve
visited Europe or not, but if you d
S arrange to come, do not fail to Wis
E Russia. Moscow is to me the most in
a teresting city in the world. 1t is a
Russian. like it much better than
expected l would.
', W. r HOLLOWAY.