Placed by his side, a goodly rummer, And raved by turns, and sipp'd and muddled, Till in denouncing drunkenness Our Saint became completely fuddled, While he abused the song so fast, Still quoting it to prove his theme, Betwixt a hiccup and a scream, That in my tipsy reeling measure Mr. Muggs at a ball, Who danced as if frantic ; And paint every sprawl, And ridiculous antic, By which he denoted his floundering pleasure, Till Vandals came with hoop and hollo, To scare our capering Apollo. It seems that from a town just by A Vice-suppressing Company Had march'd their forces one and all, To storm and take an apple-stall, Had plunged in horrors up to her chin. 650 Returning from this pious frolic A sound more rousing to their spirits, To prowling weasel, stoat, or reynard.— Throws all her soul into her fingers, And felt his restless fingers itching And now I'm excessively shock'd to relate They no sooner began their intentions to state, Than the face of their virtuous chairman was scored, And launch'd from his hand, to the midst of the fight, Impinged upon Muggs who was groping his way To me 'tis amazing it did not strike light, Or, at least, that his scull was not fractured outright, But it must have been crack'd, and I'm free to maintain, Imagine the rest in their fisty-cuff freaks, And list to the swearing, and tearing, and shrieks, Occasion'd by sundry kicks, thumps, smacks, and bounces up GLEANINGS FROM FOREIGN JOURNALS, HINTS OF A TRAVELLER IN RUSSIA. To travel in Russia it is indispensably necessary to possess a knowledge of the language, for hospitable as the Russian is, it is only towards such as can address him in his native tongue; all others he regards as beings of a distinct and inferior species. It is owing to the want of this knowledge that foreigners experience so much to try their patience, or excite their disgust. A trifling misunderstanding is not unfrequently the cause of much serious altercation, trouble, inconvenience, and expence; and yet foreigners will incur all this rather than take the trouble to acquire the language of the country. At Petersburg and Moscow the necessity for conversing in Russian is not so great, since one may always shift tolerably well there with either French or German. Yet it is very extraordinary that even the German professors, of whom there are so many at the various Universities, will not study the language of the people among whom they reside, although they are perhaps, acquainted with every other European dialect. During my stay at Kasan, I attended a mathematical lecture: the Professor had three pupils, the first of whom could speak a little German, the second a little French, and the third nothing but Russian. The two former were obliged, therefore, to officiate as interpreters to their companion, to whom they translated-or at least affected to translate -propositions which they themselves probably did not comprehend. And although these people may think there is nothing worth their learning in Russian-which, by the bye, is a very gross error-yet they should consider that, as they are employed to teach, it behoves them not to relinquish the only medium by which they can be enabled to do so effectually. Independently of its other merits, the Russian language possesses three qualities, which render it an object of attention to every one who is determined not to be exclusive in his literary studies. In the first place, it approaches more nearly than any other modern tongue, to the ancient languages-especially to the Greek and Latin, in its construction, in the employment of a number of participles, and in the conciseness of its idioms; whereas the other modern European dialects are all, more or less, loaded and deformed with articles, auxiliary verbs, and other succedanea for varied terminations. * Secondly, it has an advantage over them, in the inexhaustible treasures of the ancient Slavonic, which continued for a length of time to be the dialect consecrated to literature and the church, and from this may be borrowed, without at all departing from the genius of the modern Russ, terms to denote all those shades of expression, and all those new ideas, produced by an increase of national culture and civilization. While, for want of similar resources, other nations are obliged to derive their philosophic and abstract terms from languages totally unknown to the mass of the people, the Russian language, on the contrary, is capable of developing them from its own core; and for this reason it possesses a freshness, a vitality, and an integrity, in which other modern idioms are all, more or less, deficient. Thirdly, and lastly, it is, as far as the authority of history will avail us, one of the most widely-extended of all languages, ancient or modern. What was the Greek, even at its most flourishing period, when it was the language of Magna Græcia in the west, and of Asia Minor in the east? What was the Latin-at one time spoken, or at least understood, throughout all the then known and subjugated world? What was the That the study of Russ would not be wholly unprofitable or uninteresting to the classical scholar, will be admitted by those who have perused Mr. Galiffe's arguments in favour of its being the parent of the Latin tongue. The analogies and affinities which he traces, appear less fanciful than the generality of philological hypotheses. Arabic, that, during the flourishing ages of the Caliphat, had spread itself from the shores of the Tigris and the Euphrates, even to the peaks of Gebel Tarif (Gibraltar)?—What were all these in comparison with Russ, which has not been raised, by favourable circumstances, to a momentary elevation merely, but has continued, with all its dependant dialects, to be, since time immemorial, the language of an immense tract of country? From the eastern frontier of Bavaria to Kamtschatka, and even to the western shores of North America, it is not only understood but spoken. Having pointed out the necessity of making one's self acquainted with the language of the country, and the value of the acquisition, I would next advise whoever intends to travel in Russia, to provide himself with a vehicle of his own. A hired carriage may always be procured of a post-master; but it subjects those who adopt it, to the imputation of a contemptible poverty. Were any one to make a pedestrian tour, he would infallibly be regarded as a beggar: even the commonest peasant is generally the possessor of two or more horses; and so averse are the inhabitants of some of the provinces, from the exercise of walking, that they will not proceed the shortest distance, except in a carriage. Indeed so little idea have they of walking for mere amusement, that a promenade appears to them an egregious absurdity; and a man who walks abroad, apparently for no other purpose than that of returning home again, is regarded as little better than a madman. When unoccupied, they indulge in the Oriental luxury of reposing upon a carpet. With respect to the horses, they proceed with extreme rapidity, although they are but meagre, miserable-looking animals; and instead of there being any occasion, as in Germany, to urge on the postillions to greater expedition, it is here absolutely necessary to entreat them to abate somewhat of their speed. Indeed it is no uncommon thing for them to travel 150 or 175 versts in twelve hours. Such is the celerity and the frequency with which they perform journeys of 500 or 600 miles and upwards, that they attach no more importance to them than we should to a trifling excursion for a single day. It is no unusual thing to hear a Russian mention, in the course of conversation, that he is just returned from visiting the catacombs of the Holy City-from Spain, Switzerland, Archangel, or Åstrakan, as if from some place in the immediate environs. I remember that, on my arrival at Moscow, there lodged at the same inn as myself, an opulent merchant, who was in the habit of coming, with his family, every year from Tobolsk, to spend the carnival there, and then return home: and although the distance is not less than 2336 versts, he accomplished it in only eight days. The Director of the Gymnasium at Irkuzk, travelled, with his family, from that city to Kasan, a distance of 5070 versts, in nineteen days; and this journey was undertaken merely for the purpose of paying a short visit to an old friend. Having procured a carriage of one's own, the next thing to be observed, is to take no more luggage than is absolutely necessary. The drivers, who consider celerity more than any thing else, are exceedingly impatient of whatever may tend to impede it: and it will be found in every respect more prudent, and, I may add, more economical, to have all one's baggage conveyed either by water or land carriage. Owing to imprudence in this respect, Germans, who proceed to settle in Russia, occasion themselves great delay, vexation, and expense: and they often incommode themselves during a long journey, with what they could as well purchase at the place of their destination. I have sometimes seen a caravan of these settlers with their waggons packed with tables, chairs, hen-coops, doors, and windows, in short, with all their moveables and fixtures. Thus they improvidently retard their progress, lose their patience, and become disgusted with the country, the inhabitants, the language, and every thing that is Russian. Russia has for some time past become an object of attention to the west of Europe, with which it has been brought more immediately into contact. Numbers emigrate thither from Upper Germany; and the Rus P sian Universities are principally filled with German Professors, who might here find enough to exercise both their curiosity and their literary industry; and yet, strange to say, very little is the information they possess of the national character of the Rus sians little more, in fact, than that vague and erroneous species of information traditionary in popular school-books, and systems of geography. How, indeed, is it possible to become acquainted with the genius and disposition of any people, so long as we continue ignorant of their language? A residence of a few months In the metropolis, where the stranger generally mixes with his own countrymen, or with the higher classes of the natives, is as little adapted to enable him to judge of the people and their peculiar characteristics, as travelling post through the country, and conversing with none but postillions and innkeepers. Whoever travels from Tala to Moscow, and from thence to Volodimir, will be convinced, more perhaps than in any other place, how contagious to morals is the pestilential atmosphere of a great city; but he will be greatly mistaken should he imagine, that the duplicity and cunning, from which he here suffers, are characteristic of the people in general: in order to convince himself of the contrary, he needs only turn aside a few miles from the high road. Traders and artisans, who have the best opportunities of observing the habits and manners of the lower and middling classes, have seldom either the leisure or the ability to publish them; and the traveller who mixes only with the higher orders of society, will find but little to distinguish them from the same ranks in the other civilized countries of Europe. The best means of becoming acquainted with the most prominent traits of national character, is to intermix for some time with the lower and middling classes, or, if this be not practicable, to study their manners and dispositions in their genuine popular romances, wherein they are faithfully transcribed from the life. Of these, however, there are scarcely any to be found in Russia, with the exception of some national comedies, little, if at all; known, except to the natives. A series of reverses, misfortunes, and repeated sacrifices, will at length destroy all energy of character in na tions, as well as in individuals; and thus it happens that states verge towards imbecility and complete exhaustion: yet, should a people possess sufficient perseverance to work its way through the storms of adversity and revolution, until they attain security and independence, they will likewise acquire a fixed character. That this has been the case with Russia is well known to every one who is at all acquainted with its history. This fixity and uniformity of character, extending through such an immense empire, is a phænomenon unparalleled among any other nation, whether of ancient or modern times. From Archangel to Cherson, from Wilna and Kiev to Oshotsk and Nishnikamtskatt, there is but one language, with hardly any admixture of dialects, and but one religion; there are the same customs and manners; the same education and way of living; the same costume and the same popular amusements, In his temperament, the Russian is vivacious and sanguine, and it is to this peculiarly happy constitution, that he is indebted for those advan tages which distinguish him from other nations, and which may, at some future period, elevate him to a point that has not hitherto been attained. From this cause arises his almost indestructable gaiety, and that truly enviable accommodation of temper, which enables him to elicit enjoyment from every the most trifling circumstance. Singing is, with the Russian, an almost universal specific with which he sweetens all his toils and difficulties. To a foreign ear their national melodies appear melancholy and plaintive; but for a native they possess something tenderly engaging. Never, no not even in Italy during the vintage, have I heard more singing in the open air then I have in Russia. In every village, a lively troop of youthful peasantry assembles in a circle during the delightful summer evenings; and the air resounds with the finest voices, the most charming melodies, accompanied by songs of such enchanting delicacy and simplicity, that they might be attributed to a Sappho, or an Anacreon, without detracting from the reputation of either. Even in |