ne Novgorod, the
greatest, I believe, in the world.

There are many fine houses in the upper town, with indications of
considerable wealth. I had a letter of introduction to the Chief of
Police, Colonel Kretegin, who kindly showed me the principal objects
of interest in and around the Kremlin. The monument to the memory of
Minin Sukhoruky possessed the greatest historical importance. This
man, a peasant and butcher, believed himself called to deliver Russia
from the Poles in 1612. He awakened his countrymen, and joined a
Russian noble in leading them to expel the invaders. A bronze monument
at Moscow represents Minin starting on his mission. The memorial at
Nijne is of a less elaborate character.

We drove through the fair grounds, which wore as empty of occupants as
Goldsmith's deserted village. It is laid out like a regular town or
city, and most of its houses are substantially built. So much has been
written about this commercial center that I will not attempt its
description, especially as I was not there in fair season. The
population of the town--ordinarily forty thousand--becomes three
hundred thousand during the fair. More than half a million persons
have visited the city in a single summer, and the value of goods sold
or exchanged during each fair is about two hundred millions of
roubles.

Colonel Kretegin told me that the members of the Fox embassy were much
astonished at finding American goods for sale at Nijne Novgorod. It
would be difficult to mention any part of the civilized world where
some article of our manufacture has not penetrated.

[Illustration: TAIL PIECE]

CHAPTER LII.

At the close of the second day at Nijne Novgorod I started for Moscow.
As we drove from the hotel to the railway the jackdaws, perched
everywhere on the roofs, were unusually noisy. Leaving Asia and
entering Europe, the magpie seemed to give place to the jackdaw. The
latter bird inhabits the towns and cities east of the Ural mountains,
and we frequently saw large flocks searching the debris along the
Volga road. He associates freely with the pigeon, and appears well
protected by public sentiment. Possibly his uneatable character and
his fancied resemblance to the pigeon saves him from being knocked in
the head. Pigeons are very abundant in all Russian cities, and their
tameness is a matter of remark among foreign visitors.

The railway station is across the Oka and near the site of the annual
fair. We went at