said he, "order your men to dismount, and do you and your officers lead them on board that ship, and get her under weigh immediately. There is no time to be lost. You'll have something to learn, probably, but that does not matter-it is my willdo it."

The poor colonel knew that there was no use expostulating. The men were ordered aloft-cocked hats, jack-boots, and spurs. Up they went the upper ones with their dreadful spurs catching those following by eyes, or noses, or mouths, and the surprising thing was that any got up at all. There is, however, nothing that a Russian cannot do, in a way, when put to it. The topsails were at length loosed-the anchor was got up, and the ship was actually under weigh; but where she went to, or if she ever went anywhere at all, their friend could not exactly say.

All this time the steamer was passing among the Russian men-of-war. Some of them were huge, towering line-of-battle ships, and all of them, outwardly at least, were in prime order. At length the steamer ran in past a high white tower, between two piers-the screw stopped-she was hauled alongside a wharf—and the voyage was ended. Instantly she was filled with men in grey and blue uniforms.

They were custom-house officers, who came professedly to prevent smuggling, but in reality to collect any fees they could pick up.

The travellers now heard, for the first time, the incomprehensible sounds of the Russian language, while their eyes were amused with the various and strange costumes of the wild-looking, shouting people who surrounded them. Some of the officers had shaven chins, but most of the people had long beards and straggling hair flowing from beneath their caps; but unattractive as were their countenances generally, they wore an aspect of goodnature and simplicity, which made amends for their ugliness.

In a short time a little steamer came alongside the Ladoga, into which the passengers and their luggage were transferred, to be conveyed up to St. Petersburg, under charge of a party of the militaryequipped custom-house officers. The little satellite shoved off from the side of the big steamer-the master stood on the taffrail with his hat in his handthe passengers waved theirs, and thus they bade farewell, most of them for ever, to the ill-fated Ladoga. After leaving the mole they passed along the wharves of the Imperial Dockyard, within which were collected a great number of line-of-battle ships and frigates, laid up in ordinary, which, as Fred said, looked like

idle sulky fellows shut up in a poorhouse, with nothing to do.

"Very fine ships," said Cousin Giles, "but without the men to handle them, in spite of their long guns, they are like dogs with broken legs, they may bark and howl, and gnash their teeth, but they can do no further harm. We should not despise Russia, but

we need not be frightened at her."

Their helmsman, who stood with the tiller between his legs, with his hands crossed, and hid in his bosom, was a picture in himself. A low cap covered a head of shaggy reddish hair, while his thick straggly beard was of the same hue. His upper man was clothed in a coarse white jersey, beneath which appeared the tail of a red striped shirt, while his widish green cloth trousers were tucked into high leather black boots. He was a fine big fellow, and had a seaman's air about him, so that he might have served as a model of a Scandinavian rover, ten centuries ago. There were a number of other, to the young travellers, strange-looking figures, helmeted, long-cloaked, thick-bearded and moustached beings, who, with piles of luggage, crowded the decks, and in this numerous company away they hurried towards the modern capital of the Czars.

D

CHAPTER III.

Distant View of St. Petersburg-How it is built-Enter the City of the Czar-Its appearance at First SightMount a Drosky-The Travellers reach their Hotel-Outline Sketch of St. Petersburg-A Tour round the City— Its Palaces and Public Buildings.

"THERE it is! there it is! there's the city-St. Petersburg itself!" exclaimed the young travellers, as, directly ahead appeared, rising out of the water, a line of golden domes, and tall spires, and towers, glittering brightly in the sun, like some magic city of ancient romance. Conspicuous above all was the superb pile of the Isaac Church, the most modern sacred edifice in the city, and by far the finest, and near it was seen the graceful tower of the Admiralty, tapering up like a golden needle into the blue sky. Soon, other buildings-hospitals and palaces, and houses, and towers, either not so lofty, or further off, rose to view; but no land could be discovered on which their bases might rest. This vast city they learned was built by the imperial will of Peter the Great, on a marsh, he hoping to make it a great maritime port.

Every house in it stands on a platform of piles, driven far down into the soft ground. Before a building can be erected it is necessary thus to prepare its foundations, often at an enormous expense.

The shores of the lake-like expanse along which they were steering were covered with woods, from among which peeped the gilt domes of the Imperial Palace of Peterhoff and many other golden cupolas and spires, and marble white towers, and walls of churches and monasteries, and palaces and villas, and also some stables, larger than any other edifice in the neighbourhood, belonging to the Grand Duke Michael. On a hill above them, a little distance to the west, appeared the unpretending villa of the late Emperor. It is exactly like a second-class country house. Here he used to

delight to retire with his family from the cares of state, and to throw aside completely all imperial grandeur.

"Ah! notwithstanding his overpowering ambition, his towering pride and haughtiness, that villa alone shows that he was a man after all," observed a fellow-passenger to Cousin Giles.

The head of the gulf narrowed a little, but very little, as they advanced. A few buildings now appeared ahead, and their friend was pointing out to the young travellers the walls of some barracks