Cronstadt is Russia's principal naval station, and contains vast manufactories and storehouses belonging to the government. Scores of old seventy-four gun ships, built of wood, and now practically useless for modern warfare, are laid up here. The town is the port of St. Petersburg, seventeen miles distant and all large vessels are obliged to discharge and load here, though most of the steamers from foreign countries run up to the city. The bar of the River Neva has only from eight to ten feet of water.
The squadron ran into Merchants' Harbor, and came to anchor there. Within it, vessels were loading and unloading at the very doors of the warehouses. The students were allowed to land at once, but there was little to be seen in the town, which is simply a commercial place, though the government buildings are lofty and substantial structures. A better idea of the fortifications was, however, obtained, and the boys realized that St. Petersburg was safe from capture by sea, until something even more terrible than iron-clads should be invented.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE LECTURE ON RUSSIA.
On the day after the arrival of the squadron at Cronstadt, when the usual recitations of the day had been completed, all hands were summoned to the steerage of the ship to listen to the preliminary lecture on Russia. As the students knew less of this vast country than of most of the others of Europe, they were more interested in the exercise than usual. Mr. Mapps had a large map of Russia in Europe suspended to the foremast, upon which he had drawn the railroads completed up to that time, and made such other additions as the recent changes in the country demanded.
"Russia is probably the largest empire, territorially, that exists now, or ever has existed," the professor began.
"Can you tell us how to pronounce the name?" asked Commodore Lincoln.
"I do not speak Russian, but Professor Badois does, and I have asked him to give us the name in Russian characters or letters," replied Mr. Mapps, pointing to a large sheet of printing paper, upon which this name and certain statistics were written. "Here it is—РОССІЯ."