and crenellated walls of the old
Kremlin, and the glittering cupolas of twenty-six churches before us,
and a lack of population which contrasted amazingly with the whirlpool
of life below. Monsieur D., our new, but most faithful friend, took us
to the hotel, every corner and cranny of which was occupied. There was a
possibility of breakfast only, and water was obtained with great
exertion. While we were lazily enjoying a tolerable meal, Monsieur D.
was bestirring himself in all quarters, and came back to us radiant with
luck. He had found four rooms in a neighboring street; and truly, if one
were to believe De Custine or Dumas, such rooms are impossible in
Russia. Charmingly clean, elegantly furnished, with sofas of green
leather and beds of purest linen, they would hive satisfied the severe
eye of an English housekeeper. We thanked both our good friend and St.
Macarius (who presides over the Fair) for this fortune, took possession,
and then hired fresh droshkies to descend the hill.

On emerging from the ravine, we obtained a bird's-eye view of the whole
scene. The waters of both rivers, near at hand, were scarcely visible
through the shipping which covered them. Vessels from the Neva, the
Caspian, and the rivers of the Ural, were here congregated; and they
alone represented a floating population of between thirty and forty
thousand souls. The Fair, from this point, resembled an immense flat
city,--the streets of booths being of a uniform height,--out of which
rose the great Greek church, the Tartar mosque, and the curious Chinese
roofs. It was a vast, dark, humming plain, vanishing towards the west
and north-west in clouds of sand. By this time there was a lull in the
business, and we made our way to the central bazaar with less trouble
than we had anticipated. It is useless to attempt an enumeration of the
wares exposed for sale: they embraced everything grown, trapped, or
manufactured, between Ireland and Japan. We sought, of course, the
Asiatic elements, which first met us in the shape of melons from
Astrachan, and grapes from the southern slopes of the Caucasus. Then
came wondrous stuffs from the looms of Turkestan and Cashmere,
turquoises from the Upper Oxus, and glittering strings of Siberian topaz
and amethyst, side by side with Nuremberg toys, Lyons silks, and
Sheffield cutlery. About one third of the population of the Fair was of
Asiatic blood, embracing representatives from almost every tribe north
and west