the display of military power; the strange
and restless throngs forever moving through the haunts of business and
pleasure; the uncouth costumes of the lower classes, and the wonderful
commingling of sumptuous elegance and barbarous filth, visible in
almost every thing, produced a singular feeling of mingled wonder and
isolation--as if the solitary traveler were the only person in the
world who was not permitted to comprehend the spirit and import of the
scene, or take a part in the great drama of life in which all others
seemed to be engaged. I do not know if plain, practical men are
generally so easily impressed by external objects, but I must confess
that when I trudged along the streets with my knapsack on my back,
looking around in every direction for a gasthaus; when I spoke to
people in my peculiar style of French and German, and received
unintelligible answers in Russian; when I got lost among palaces and
grand military establishments, instead of finding the gasthaus, and
finally attracted the attention of the surly-looking guards, who were
stationed about every where, by the anxious pertinacity with which I
examined every building, a vague notion began to get possession of me
that I was a sort of outlaw, and would sooner or later be seized and
dragged before the Czar for daring to enter such a magnificent city in
such an uncouth and unbecoming manner. When I cast my eyes up at the
sign-boards, and read about grand fabrications and steam-companies,
and walked along the quays of the Neva, and saw wood enough piled up
in big broad-bottomed boats to satisfy the wants of myself and family
for ten thousand years; when I strolled into the Nevskoi, and jostled
my way through crowds of nobles, officers, soldiers, dandies, and
commoners, stopping suddenly at every picture-shop, gazing dreamily
into the gorgeous millinery establishments, pondering thoughtfully
over the glittering wares of the jewelers, lagging moodily by the
grand cafes, and snuffing reflectively the odors that came from the
grand restaurations--when all this occurred, and I went down into a
beer-cellar and made acquaintance with a worthy German, and he asked
me if I had any meerschaums to sell, the notion that I had no
particular business in so costly and luxurious a place began to grow
stronger than ever. A kind of dread came over me that the mighty
spirit of Peter the Great would come riding through the scorching hot
air on a gale of snowflakes, at the