justice, I found myself almost alone with his excellency,
his eye resting on me for the first time.

'Ah!" he said, his tone and manner changing
on the instant, "you are an Englishman, I
perceive. What may your pleasure be?"

"Simply to beg that you will sign this
certificate of good character, which I have here
under your jurisdiction."

"It shall be done instantly; sorry to keep you
waiting. You see how I am tormented by these
canaille. Pray excuse me. A safe journey,
Adieu."

He thrust me out, and I am driven to the
governor-general's, to get his signature to
my new passport. The governor-general has
gone to dine. Another day is to be lost. The
hour of the diligence for Moscow for starting
every morning is eight. The governor's office
does not open until ten, so that the next day is
also to be lost unless I choose to hire post, which
would be a desperate proceeding in such weather.
The signature is obtained, however, by the aid
of a consideration to the clerk, the day passes
heavily away, and next morning I start for Moscow,
distant two hundred and sixty-three versts,
in a public diligence, in company with four
Russians and a German.

THROUGH SNOW, BY DILIGENCE, TO MOSCOW.

In ordinary weather the road to Moscow from
Jaroslav is one of the best and busiest in the
empire. In both summer and winter it can be
travelled over, in twenty-eight or thirty hours.
There are post stations every sixteen or twenty
versts, where horses are changed, and a fresh
driver is put on to every fresh team. These
drivers are the most reckless and determined
whips I have seen. No weather scares them, no
obstacles stop them; the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals would put every man
and boy of them in jail. The knout or whip is
used without mercy; the men take especial
delight in beginning at the top of a steep hill a
fierce gallop, that grows to racing speed as they
get near the bottom, so that the cattle and
passengers find themselves up the next
acclivity before the momentum is lost. They don't
know the meaning of patent drag, but drive
determinedly on at full stretch to the end of the
station. The Russians cross themselves when
a start is made, lie back in the most convenient
manner possible, and, amid jolting, bumping,
cries, and lashing, go to sleep as composedly as if
they were in a railway carriage. Wheels will come
off, poles break, and other casualties occur. But
as spare ropes, hammer, axe, nails, and even
spare wheels, are always carried, a break-down
seldom causes a delay of ten minutes. This is
summer travelling: the vehicle used being a
"tarantas," a large double calèche without
seats, placed on and tied to the centre of
horizontal poles, for springs of the best steel would
snap like glass. Passengers make seats of
their luggage, and with straw and pillows save
their joints from dislocation. Winter, however,
brings other contrivances. The universal
travelling '" kibitka" is got out. This is a nearly
square frame of wood covered with canvas,
having a door on each side. The covered frame,
which resembles a large box, is fixed on a low
strong sledge. Primitive birch shafts are
fastened to the front, the horses are put in, and the
turn-out is perfect. Without the cattle it may
cost two or three pounds, because it is all
covered in. This is a luxurious winter equipage
compared to the open sledge.

It was in a kibitka, dignified by the name of
diligence, that we started at eight o'clock A.M.
from Jarislov. We had no sooner cleared the
town than our difficulties commenced, not to
terminate for seven following days and nights.
For three days since the great storm little snow
had fallen, but there was a blinding wind lifting
into clouds the snow already on the ground, and
building it into mountain ridges right in our
track. The smooth broad macadamised road
was a myth, buried here six, or there ten, feet
deep, and in case of ridges or wind sweeps, thirty
feet. Traffic was nevertheless going on: indeed,
had been going on during the whole time of the
storm. A snow-storm, however fierce, never
deters the Russians from a journey. For this
reason a single track was commonly available, but
that track was by no means a level or smooth one;
it worked like Toby Tosspot's, " with sinuosities
along," not only transversely but vertically, in a
continued succession of ups and downs, from six
to ten feet in depth, so that the horses' heads
were generally in the hollow. When the
"kibitka" was on the crest of the snow wave, we
soon found that our team of three good horses
was totally unable to pull us over these dreadful
"yamas." In many cases the six passengers
got out to help the cattle, and even then it took
a good pull all together to accomplish it. To save
this labour, three additional horses were added
at the first small village at our own expense,
and then we got on rather better. It would be
tedious to enumerate how many times we were
overturned and had to dig ourselves out of the
soft snow. Many vehicles of like construction
to ours were struggling on under the same
difficulties, to or from Moscow. At nine P.M. one
of our horses gave up, died, and, having been
cut out of his traces, was left to the wolves. At
eleven o'clock, another burst a blood-vessel, and
shared his fate. A third gave up within a mile
of the town at which we intended to recruit,
and finally we had to get out and walk to a place
of refuge, leaving the three remaining animals to
pull the empty carriage after us. We had, in
sixteen hours, with three separate teams of fresh
horses, accomplished the distance of forty-five
versts: our pace being little better than two
miles an hour.

The town we had entered is called Rostov,
and had been, for the two previous weeks, the
scene of an immense fair, second only to the
great Nishni Novgorod fair held in August. It
was nearly over when we reached the town.
Had we come two days sooner, there would have
been great difficulty in finding shelter; as it
was, it was one o'clock in the morning before
we got under cover in a large traktera, or inn,