PART THE THIRD. JOURNEY FROM ST. PETERSBURGH TO LONDON. CHAPTER I. POLAND. Winter Roads.-Frights and Accidents. Delays. - Freezing of the DWINA. State of the Towns in the Government of WILNA.- Post Houses. We cast off our Sledges. — The Jews. Roads to the Russian Frontiers. KOVNO. Custom-house and curious regulation respecting money. Crossing the Niemen. - Bonaparte Frontiers of the Kingdom of Poland. and the Sinister Omen. Napoleon at LoMZA. - OSTRO Approach to WARSAW. ances, Political, Fiscal, Financial, and Medical. Vistula.- Hôtel de l'Europe. · - More Annoy The Streets, Squares, Churches, and Palaces. - Situation of the Parallel between Warsaw and St. Peters burgh. The Poles. - The Lieutenant du Roi. - Military PaIntroduction to the Grand Duke CONSTANTINE. sonal appearance. His ménage and mode of living. — Conduct of the King of Poland and Constantine towards the Poles in matters of Civil Administration. Popularity of the Grand-duke with the Army. General FANSHAWE. - The Polish Army. IT was on the 11th of December 1827, and at 7 o'clock A.M, the thermometer marking 0 degrees of Fahrenheit, that we turned our backs on the Russian Capital, and soon found ourselves on the road to Riga. I cannot say much for the pleasure of travelling in a carriage on sledges, particularly if it be a double, instead of a single-bodied sledge. The roads were so uneven from the drifts of snow, hardened by the frost, that we employed no less than five hours and a-half between the second and third post-station, (a distance of nineteen versts,) and were tossed about as in a rough sea, rolling and pitching, and frequently in danger of upsetting. Our situation was by no means a pleasant one; and in addition to our anxiety for the safety of the carriage, which was violently strained on its springs at each dip, we had to quake for our lives during the night, as we could not prevent the fellows from continually drinking on the road, a practice which made them quite unmanageable. We found it expedient, pretty soon after our departure, to have six instead of four horses; by means of which, and the sight of a strong private recommendation to all the post-masters with which the Director of the Post of St. Petersburgh, M. Boulgakoff, had furnished us, we overcame all objections and difficulties, and succeeded in humanizing the few sturdy and knavish post-masters whom we had to deal with on the road. Our first night was really dreadful, and the cold had so much increased, (2° below 0 of Fahrenheit,) that we wondered how our poor fellows outside, and even the cattle, could bear it. At daylight we met three hundred sledges, each carrying a large barrel of that which serves to keep off cold in Russia, vodka, (brandy,) going to St. Petersburgh. The rencontre of these caravans, (oboz,) with the yamstchicks, either asleep or dead drunk, is by no means agreeable. Our second night also had its horrors, among which that of being suddenly plunged out of the track into deep snow was not the least alarming. We stuck fast, and re mained so for many hours, until one-third of the male inhabitants of the neighbouring village could be got together to lift us out of our hobble, literally with a long pole. We reached Riga in safety on the 15th; experiencing the same sensation of comfort at that circumstance, as I have felt on finding myself suddenly in still water, after scudding away before a rough storm in a ten-gun brig. Soon after our arrival we waited on Mr. Cumming, the English Consul, through whose kindness, as well as in consequence of the recommendation I had brought from the capital, we obtained one of the postillons, as they are called, or couriers, belonging to the General Post-office of St. Petersburgh, a set of hardy fellows, short lived, active, and faithful, who are employed to carry mails, orders, or dispatches, and sometimes, as in our present case, in escorting travellers. We were compelled to solicit this favour, as we had discovered on the road, that I had been very unfortunate in the choice of my servant, or courier, who was by birth a Pole, and whose ninnyism was sometimes quite provoking. Never did a more useless animal offer to do duty as a domestic. The winter had prepared a new and striking spectacle for us on the wide Dwina, which I had seen two months before covered with merchant vessels near the town of Riga. That river being now frozen, a brisk and incessant traffick of carriages and pedestrians, appeared to be going on in every direction on its smooth surface. The police is very vigilant, in order to prevent accidents. To them we were glad to surrender the care of drawing our britschka across the field of ice with two horses only -a larger number being considered unsafe; and we followed in a light sledge in order to diminish the weight of the carriage. The smooth and well-frequented road from Riga to Mittau, where, instead of the sands of the sum |