vernment, and to offer their services as commanders-in-chief of her
fleets and armies.

As the vessels steamed on, the travellers had on their left side the
rocky and wood-covered heights of Finland, between which and the island
of Cronstadt there is a narrow but tolerably deep passage. Through this
passage, which was unknown to the Russians themselves, the English
admiral proposed to send up a fleet of gun-boats and small steamers had
the attack on the fortress been resolved on. On the right hand from
this entrance into the Gulf of Finland they had had the province of
Esthonia. They now had that of Saint Petersburg, the shores of which
appeared high and well wooded. They by this time had reached what may
be considered nearly the end of the Gulf of Finland; for, although above
Cronstadt there is still a fine expanse of water, it is generally very
shallow, there being only a narrow and intricate channel, worked by the
strong current of the Neva.

Among the various craft they passed, they were much amused by the little
Finnish schooners, which went careering on before the breeze, laden
chiefly with firewood, or some other not very valuable cargo, for the
Saint Petersburg markets. They were built of fir, with very little
paint, very few ropes, and had very white canvas. Altogether they had,
as Cousin Giles observed, an exceedingly fresh-water look about them.
The Finns who manned them were, however, hardy fellows, and formed by
far the best seamen on board the Russian men-of-war. The Russians are
not good salt-water sailors; they have no taste for the sea, and are not
likely to obtain it. Peter the Great tried to form a navy. He
succeeded in building ships, but it was quite a different thing when he
tried to find seamen to man them. A gentleman on board told the lads a
story, and they much wished to know if he could vouch for its truth.
The late Emperor Nicholas on some occasion wanted to send a
line-of-battle ship in a hurry to sea. No men were to be found. The
Emperor was indignant that anything should oppose his imperial will. He
stormed and raged; but even to appease his wrath no men could be made to
rise out of the earth. At last his eyes fell on a regiment of dragoons
who were defiling slowly by.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, as a bright thought struck him, "why should not
those tall fellows make good seamen?" He called the colonel to him.
"Colonel," said he; "order your men to dismount, and do you and your