s
and under their chins. Their appearance is not attractive.

On Sunday we went to the church of the English Factory, of which Dr Law
has been minister for many years. The outside is like a house. The
residence of the minister is under it. There is also a library attached
to it. The church itself is a very handsome hall. The ladies sit on
one side, the men on the other. Several persons in Russian uniforms
were there. Their parents probably were English, and, though they have
entered the Russian service, they are allowed to adhere to their own
form of worship.

We find the Russian language perfectly unpronounceable. It is said to
be like Hindustanee; for instance, a stick is _palka_ in Russian, and
_palkee_ in Hindustanee, and there are numerous words equally alike in
the two languages. It is very rich, we are told. There are but few
words expressing the same thing. In English we say a man, a dog, and a
tree dies; the Russians say a man dies, or rather departs, a dog
perishes, a tree withers. This shows that, heathens though they were
when their language was invented, they must have believed in the
immortality of the soul.

The late Emperor disliked drinking and smoking. If either a military or
civil officer was known by him to have been intoxicated, from that
moment his promotion was stopped, if even he escaped being dismissed
immediately from his office. The Emperor passed an edict prohibiting
smoking in railway carriages. On one occasion, the Grand Duke Michael,
who was going a short distance with a party of friends by the train,
appeared on the platform with a cigar in his mouth, but threw it away
before stepping into the carriage. This he did to show his respect for
the Emperor's edict, for no one would have ventured to stop him had he
smoked on. Even then most of the imperial family smoked, as does the
present Emperor.

Log-huts, very similar to those used in Canada, are the usual
habitations of Russian peasants. They are found close up to that mighty
city of Saint Petersburg. A groove is cut in the length of the log,
into which the log above it is let. The interstices are filled with
moss. They are considered far warmer than any brick or stone houses.
Sometimes they are boarded over, and when painted gaily have a cheerful
aspect. Ordinary plank houses are used in summer, but would scarcely be
habitable in winter.

When people during the winter are travelling in Russia, they do not use