himself out of the dirt.

Perhaps with the same object the late Emperor introduced foot pavements
in Saint Petersburg. Formerly foot passengers had to pick their way
from stone to stone among rivulets of mud. English ladies used to be
much admired for the propriety of their walking dresses; now, on account
of the undue length of their gowns, they kick up so great a dust that it
is most unpleasant to walk behind them. Uncle Giles says, "Perhaps they
do it to keep off danglers." Russian ladies never think of walking in
the city--the streets of Saint Petersburg, in truth, do not tempt them;
in spring and autumn they are thick with mud, in summer with the finest
dust.

The ladies of Russia are, like those in other countries, very fond of
lap-dogs, and give very high prices for them. The groom who came over
with us brought two dozen, shut up in hen-coops, and expected to get 20
pounds at least for each of them.

The wealthy Russians generally give enormous prices for luxuries. Our
captain on one voyage brought over some oysters, which sold, he told us,
at fourpence each. They are not to be found in the Baltic. He made
about nine hundred per cent, by them. Saint Petersburg is very ill
supplied with salt-water fish; there are neither lobsters nor flatfish.

It is generally supposed in England that the very finest tea is to be
found in Russia, brought all the way overland from China. This an
English friend assured us is a mistake. There is certainly very good
tea in Russia, but what costs there ten shillings is not superior to
what can be bought in England at from four to five shillings. Very
large quantities of very bad tea are smuggled over the German frontier,
a large proportion probably having come round from China by sea, and not
considered good enough for the English market.

Our friend on one occasion, being on his way home overland, having
missed the diligence, had to stop a day at Tilsit, a place celebrated
for the Articles of Peace signed there between Napoleon and the Allies.
While wandering round the town, he saw large storehouses with chests
piled upon chests of tea. He asked where all the tea was to go. Some
people would not answer, but others told him that Russian merchants came
and bought it, and carried it away over the frontier. Large quantities
used to be smuggled through Finland, which has different custom
regulations to those of Russia. A light duty only was charged on tea in
that coun