gives a party or
a ball he has strong liquor distributed among them, and wood to build
campfires in the courtyard and the street.

The common people of Russia are in general ugly, but their behaviour
is at once simple and dignified, and they are the best creatures in
the world. One never sees a drunken man, although the popular beverage
is corn brandy. Most of the Russians of this class live on potatoes
and garlic, with oil, which they eat with their bread, so that they
always stink, although it is their habit to take a bath every
Saturday. But their food does not prevent them from singing loudly
when at work or rowing their boats, and they often reminded me of
something the Marquis de Chastellux said one evening at my house
about the beginning of the Revolution: "If their bonds are taken off
they will be much more unhappy!"

The Russians are clever and capable, since they learn all trades with
great ease, some of them even gaining success in the arts. One day, at
Count Strogonoff's, I saw an architect who had once been his serf.
This young man exhibited so much talent that the Count made a present
of him to the Emperor Paul, who made him one of his architects and
ordered him to build a theatre-hall after the plans designed and
submitted by him. I never saw the hall, but was told that it was very
handsome. In the matter of artistic serfs I was less fortunate than
the Count. As I found myself without a man-servant, after being robbed
by one I had brought from Vienna, Count Strogonoff gave me one of his
serfs, who was supposed to prepare his daughter-in-law's palette and
clean her brushes when she amused herself with painting. This youth,
whom I therefore engaged for the same purpose, became persuaded, after
serving me for a fortnight, that he was a painter, too, and gave me no
rest until I had obtained his freedom from the Count to enable him to
work with the Academy students. He wrote me some letters on this
subject that were really curiosities of style and ideas. The Count, in
yielding to my request, had said, "You may be sure that before long he
will want to come back." I gave the young man twenty rubles and the
Count gave him at least as much. Accordingly, he at once hastened to
purchase the uniform of the students in painting, and thus attired
came to thank me with a triumphant air. About two months later he
brought me a large family picture, which was so bad that I could not
look at it, and for which the poor you