sia--The Priests--The Landed
Proprietors and their Habits and Characteristics--Civil Officers of
Government--The Army and its Organisation--Russian Officers--A
Breakdown--A Russian Inn--The City of Vladimir--Nishni-Novogorood--Its
Great Fair--Addressed by a Stranger--His Mysterious Conduct.

Away rattled the tarantasse, with our travellers inside, through the
gates of the Holy City of Moscow towards the town of Nishni-Novogorood,
where the great annual fair of Russia was then taking place. The rough
vehicle bumped and thumped and jumbled along at a rapid rate over the
uneven road, in a way to try the nerves and bones and tempers of those
inside; but none of the tumblifications they endured had the effect of
disturbing the equanimity of their tempers, or of dislocating their
joints, each bump of unusual violence only making them laugh more
heartily than ever. Once clear of Moscow, the road was tolerably smooth
in most places, and the body of the carriage moved easily along between
the two long poles to which it was slung. Such is the principle of the
tarantasse. The body of the carriage may be of any form or size. It
may have come out of Long Acre, or it may be a little waggon covered in
with a tarpaulin. The important part is formed of the strongest and
roughest materials, so that it is not likely to break, or, if it does,
any peasant on the road can mend it. Cousin Giles had hired one of the
common sort. It was, in truth, a little waggon with a tilt over it, and
made very comfortable with a good supply of straw and leather cushions,
for which the Russians are famous. All travellers carry them. They
serve for their seats by day and their couches by night. Our friends
had brought a supply of provisions with them, so that they were entirely
independent of inns, which are very bad throughout the country.

The party in the tarantasse consisted of Cousin Giles and his two young
friends, of Mr Allwick, their interpreter, and of Mr Evergreen, who
had begged leave to join them. Cousin Giles would rather have had a
more sensible companion; but he was so good-natured and so ready to
sacrifice his own convenience to that of others, while his quaint and
simple observations afforded so much amusement, that he was more
desirable than many persons with superior pretensions.

The road was very unpicturesque, running chiefly between forests of
birch and fir-trees, with few or no hills to vary its monotony. The
jou