what the priest said who read from the Bible. Their only business seemed to be to cross themselves and to bow, touching the ground with their foreheads, during the whole three hours the affair lasted. Still the churches fill, and the people fancy, I suppose, that they derive some benefit from what takes place. The music is certainly very fine; it is all vocal; there are no instruments, and no organ, and as women are not allowed to sing in churches, boys are trained to perform their parts.

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'Altogether,' Cousin Giles says, 'there is very little difference in the main features between the ceremonies of the Greek and Romish Churches. Both are intended to attract the senses, to please the vulgar, and to deceive the credulous, and neither can have any effect in changing the heart.'

"But it is time that I should bring my long letter to a conclusion. Much of the above information was given me by a German gentleman speaking English whom we met at Chollet's table-d'hôte. I have before said that we like the Russians; I mean the peasantry. When I spoke of the existence of thieves in Moscow, I do not suppose that there are more thieves in St. Petersburg or Moscow than in any other of the capitals of Europe. Many of the peasants are fine-looking men, though generally, from bad

feeding, they have not the stamina of Englishmen. Of one thing I am certain, that if one Spaniard can lick two Portuguese, and one Englishman can lick all three, one Englishman can lick three Russians with a big boy to help them. Still I hope that we shall not have to go to war with them again. Poor fellows the Russian soldiers had not a grain of spite or ill-feeling against us. They were driven on

to the attack, and worked up by all sorts of falsehoods, and a plentiful administration of vodka, to commit the atrocities of which some of them were guilty.

"We are preparing to leave Moscow. Cousin Giles and Harry have gone to get the tiresome passport business arranged with Mr. Allwick, and as I have sprained my ankle, I remained to write to you. We shall be very sorry to part with our interpreter ; he has contributed very much to the pleasure of our visit to this city. Through his means we have seen and understood much more than we could otherwise possibly have done about the place and the people. We have no satisfactory news about poor Saveleff's affairs. The Count has promised to allow him to remain among his people as long as he wishes, and to protect him to the utmost of his power; but he owns that that power is likely to extend a very little way.

He says that he will spare no expense, if bribery is likely to effect the object. He thinks, however, that if the true state of the case could be laid before the Emperor, the poor fellow's cause might be gained, but the difficulty is to let the Emperor know the truth. We cannot help fancying that we saw poor Saveleff's old father and mother among the exiles starting for Siberia. Poor fellow! it is very sad. He does not despair, and yet he has very little hope of happiness in this world. Even now, if the police find him out, he will not be allowed to remain very long in quiet.

"To-morrow we are off by the railway for St. Petersburg.

"Your affectionate son,

"FRED MARKHAM.”

CHAPTER XX.

Last Letter from Fred Markham to his Mother-Return to St. Petersburg-Ceremony at the Kzan Church-Pic-nic into Finland-Visit to Peteroff-The Palace of the Czar -Villas of Peter the Great and Catherine-Beautiful fountain-Russian caricature-Leave St. Petersburg-Cronstadt-Voyage down the Baltic-Copenhagen-Journey from Copenhagen to Hamburg-Conclusion.

"HAMBURG, 20th Oct., 1856.

"MY OWN DEAR MOTHER,-Here we are within two days' paddling of England, and we hope within a week to be with you. In the meantime I will give you an idea of what we have done since I last wrote from Moscow. We journeyed back from that wondrous city with hundreds of other mortals returning from the coronation fêtes, and took up our old quarters at the Gosteniza Benson. We looked in the next morning at the Kzan church, which we had not before seen. The columns which support the roof are of grey and red granite, and their bases and capitals are gilt; there are long rows of them in each cross. Banners, tattered, blackened, and pierced by many a bullet, taken from the enemies of Russia, hang from the walls. Some ceremony was going

forward. A fat, cunning Shylock, in spectacles, sat at a counter just inside the entrance, and sold wax tapers to men and women, old and young, bearded officers and thin striplings. The votaries then advanced, and bowed and crossed themselves. Some were so devout as to kneel down and kiss the horribly dirty floor on which beggars were spitting. Harry and I felt much inclined to kick over one young fellow so employed close to us, and who looked as if he ought to have known better. Having genuflected to their hearts' content, they advanced to the altar, and stuck their tapers into a frame on a huge candlestick placed before some saint or other. One saintship, who appeared to be a great favourite, had got his candlestick inconveniently full, but an old soldier-evidently in charge of the altar, and to whom some votaries presented their tapers-while pretending to stick in one took the opportunity to slip out four or five others, so that there was always room for more. I suspect the old soldier and Shylock were in league with each other, and that the same tapers did duty many times. I am grateful that I was not brought up in the Greek Church. Cousin Giles says we ought to be thankful that we are Englishmen and Protestants.

"The Monday before we left, some friends invited us to go to a pic-nic in Finland, the borders of