rs, cheese, caviare, _pate
de foie_, pickles, cherries, oranges, and olives, were among them.
Instead of being a prelude to dinner, it was almost a dinner in itself.
Then, after a Russian soup, which always contains as much solid
nutriment as meat-biscuit or Arctic pemmican, came the glory of the
repast, a mighty _sterlet_, which was swimming in Volga water when we
took our seats at the table. This fish, the exclusive property of
Russia, is, in times of scarcity, worth its weight in silver. Its
unapproachable flavor is supposed to be as evanescent as the hues of a
dying dolphin. Frequently, at grand dinner-parties, it is carried around
the table in a little tank, and exhibited, _alive_, to the guests, when
their soup is served, that its freshness, ten minutes afterwards, may be
put beyond suspicion. The fish has the appearance of a small, lean
sturgeon; but its flesh resembles the melting pulp of a fruit rather
than the fibre of its watery brethren. It sinks into juice upon the
tongue, like a perfectly ripe peach. In this quality no other fish in
the world can approach it; yet I do not think the flavor quite so fine
as that of a brook-trout. Our sterlet was nearly two feet long, and may
have cost twenty or thirty dollars.

With it appeared an astonishing salad, composed of watermelons,
cantaloupes, pickled cherries, cucumbers, and certain spicy herbs. Its
color and odor were enticing, and we had all applied the test of taste
most satisfactorily before we detected the curious mixture of
ingredients. After the second course,--a ragout of beef, accompanied
with a rich, elaborate sauce,--three heavy tankards of chased silver,
holding two quarts apiece, were placed upon the table. The first of
these contained _kvass_, the second _kislischi_, and the third hydromel.
Each one of these national drinks, when properly brewed, is very
palatable and refreshing. I found the kislischi nearly identical with
the ancient Scandinavian mead: no doubt it dates from the Varangian rule
in Russia. The old custom of passing the tankards around the table, from
mouth to mouth, is still observed, and will not be found objectionable,
even in these days of excessive delicacy, when ladies and gentlemen are
seated alternately at the banquet.

The Russian element of the dinner here terminated. Cutlets and roast
fowls made their appearance, with bottles of Ruedesheimer and Lafitte,
followed by a dessert of superb Persian melons, from the southern shor