The boulevards are nicely laid out with broad walks, with occasional seats, and planted on each side with trees and shrubs. Near to them is the flower garden, which consists of numerous small gardens, containing huts of painted wood filled with a variety of flowers and shrubs, mostly of a common sort, and some cherry and peach trees planted in pots.
In this country fruit is scarce, and of course dear, so different to the south of Europe, an important circumstance to the teetotaller.
We also visited the Moscow Hotel—not a coffee house, coffee being little used—but one of the largest tea houses in the city, where traders of all ranks assemble to settle their various bargains with copious libations of tea, which they drink out of large glass goblets.
I have not the dimensions of this establishment, but perhaps some idea of its size may be formed by the daily consumption of 14lbs. of tea, requiring about six tons of water. The waiters are all dressed in white jackets, pantaloons, and aprons.
Another day we took a drive to one of the cemeteries—of great extent, but not containing any remarkable monuments.
Here we visited Peterskoi, another palace, more comfortable, being of moderate extent and less decorated.
The chief interest attached to this chateau is that refugees, when Moscow was in flames, fled to it for safety, and an apartment is shown where by the light of the flaming city Napoleon dictated the dispatch conveying the sad intelligence to France.
A little further on is the racecourse, which to our great surprise we found attended by a concourse of people, and the riders mounted just ready to set off. After witnessing two heats, displaying no extraordinary speed, we left the ground. This sort of sport, we were told, is not much encouraged by the Russians, nor should we suppose there is much gambling, when a bet of £50 by Sir Robt. Peel occasioned the greatest surprise.
The following afternoon we set off to Sparrow Hill, and partook of some tea under a small tent commanding a splendid view of Moscow, and said to be the spot whence Napoleon had his first glance of this wonderful city.
Some parts of the road were exceedingly bad, very deep ruts, reminding me of some of the mud turnpikes in America. Whilst the horse was resting our guide partook of some quas, the common drink of the country, which we found to be a sort of weak muddy beer, rather acid.