times civil to strangers, and even during the
war none of the English who remained were ever insulted by them. The
English merchants, indeed, who have long resided in the country, were
allowed to move about as they liked, and several even resided at
Peterhoff, in sight of the British fleet. The only people who ever said
a word against them were some Prussians, whose direct trade was injured
by the war. Prussia herself, however, benefited by the transit of goods
across her frontier.

The mode of heating houses has been very much improved of late years.
The best houses have now fireplaces, as well as stoves, which add much
to the ventilation of the rooms. The stoves are made of brick; they are
peculiar to the country, and may be called air-stoves. The fresh air is
introduced by pipes from the outside, and, passing over the stove, is
conveyed in other pipes through the house. The air also passes over a
plate of iron, which is sprinkled sometimes with plain water, or by the
more luxurious with rose-water. By depressing or elevating this plate,
a current of air is sent through the room.

All the rooms have double windows; the inside one is removed in summer--
not the outside one, as in Canada. If the air was allowed to get in
between the two windows, the glass would become permanently covered with
frost. To prevent this, a glass panel, which opens at both ends, is
introduced between the two windows, and through this the room is aired.
Great care is taken not to begin to heat the rooms till the second
window is put in, or the glass in this case also would become coated
with ice, and would remain so all the winter.

The Russian peasants are very economical in their mode of cooking. They
are horrified at seeing the broth in which a leg of mutton is boiled
thrown away, as is too often done in England. They will make a dish out
of almost any of the herbs of the field, or of birds, beasts, or
creeping things. They make all sorts of fish soups, of which they are
especially fond; so, indeed, are the rich. All classes have an especial
affection for the black rye bread of the country. We found it very
sour, though I daresay habit might make one like it. All classes use
porridges of every description. Buck-wheat is used for this purpose, as
also to make cakes, as in America. What we call manna croup is also
used in a variety of ways. A favourite fish among the higher classes is
the sterlet, a sort of sturgeon; soup