The working men go about in what we were used to call top-boots, and even little boys have them, with the upper part variously coloured, but mostly red, a favourite colour in Russia.
The serf wears a long coat reaching to the calves of his legs, with a number of gathers fastened together at the waist by a strap, in which he tucks his gloves, his whip or his axe. His shirt of checked linen, not often washed, and his neck entirely bare, with the lower garment consisting of wide linen trousers. With the use of stockings he appears totally unacquainted, wrapping his feet in linen rags. His shoes are a sort of sandal made of linden bark or leather, continuing his ragged wrapper up to his knees, binding it round with pack thread. The covering of his head is a deep crowned hat with narrow brim.
The serfs pay about ten or twelve roubles annually (about £2 sterling) to their nobles, and also a certain proportion from the women and children. If not able to make up the tribute they must beg, borrow or steal to make up the deficiency.
Their food consists chiefly of vegetables, and coarse fish, with black bread made of rye, but considered very nutritious.
Both sexes wear a crucifix on their breasts, suspended round their necks by a string, which is put on at their baptism and never afterwards taken off; those of the peasants are of lead, but the better sort have them of silver or gold.
In my several rambles over various parts of the Continent I have scarcely ever found any difficulty with a little knowledge of the French language in making myself understood, but here it was very different; in vain we addressed many respectable persons we met with in the streets respecting some public buildings, and we found every droshky man quite uncommunicative, so that directions had to be given at the hotel of our intended route, and if we changed our driver we managed to return by pointing the way, right or left. All this might have been obviated by the use of a few Russian words, but our time seemed too short to look into the vocabulary.
Our first drive was past the statue of Peter the Great, near the Admiralty, St. Isaac's Cathedral, and along the Nevskoi Prospect, the Regent Street of St. Petersburg, three miles long and very wide, having in some parts the advantage of a wooden pavement. In this street are numerous shops with large signboards containing some letters of an unusual form, but rendered more intelligible by drawings of some of the articles to be sold.
In the same street, on the opposite side, are also to be seen houses, or rather palaces, so large that fifty extend over an English mile.
At the end of this street is situated the monastery of St. Alexander Nevskoi, one of the most celebrated in Russia, containing within its walls towers, churches and gardens, with many paintings, and a very remarkable monument of Alexander Nevskoi, of massive silver, which, with its ornaments, weighs 5,000 lbs. of pure metal.
There is a library containing many valuable manuscripts, also a cemetery of such great repute that large sums are said to be paid for permission to repose in its holy ground.