LEAVES FROM THE DIARY OF A BLIND TRAVELLER. A TRIP THROUGH RUSSIA BY WAY OF DENMARK AND SWEDEN. open, RUSSIA, at the present period of time, is the most interesting of all countries to an Englishman, owing to the fierce war in which we are engaged with its crafty and obstinate rulers. It is an empire the resources of which are but imperfectly known, although, unlike China or Japan, nominally open to the rest of the world. But though it is difficult to be visited without the special permission of its government, and therefore cannot be easily reached, fairly or impartially judged of, or comfortably and pleasantly travelled over. In spite of all this exclusiveness, when we reflect on the historical associations of the country, and call to mind the great deeds that have been achieved by Peter the Great, and his successor Catharine the Second, together with the distinguished parts which many of their subjects have played in European warfare, from the time of Frederick the Great to Napoleon the First, we are induced to give to isolated Russia by no means an insignificant place amongst the family of civilized nations. But, on the other hand, when the more intricate sources of domestic government are judged of by long residence in the country, when we read the accounts given by various travellers of the haughty nobility, the cruel landlords, the mercenary police, wretched peasantry, and the artificial state of society, we naturally modify our previously favourable opinion, and consider the bulk of Russians as barbarous in their domestic relations as we before supposed them civilized. This mixture, however, of barbarism and civilization in the characters and habits of the Russians has been, and still is, the source of Russian greatness; for in the thorough Russ will be found united the courage and vigour of the earliest ages, with the foresight and talent of the later period of society. The impressions received during a long trip through the interior of the vast continent of Russia, and the novelty of life and manners which were daily and hourly brought before me, suggested the idea of committing my impressions to paper. I thus transcribe a few Russian leaves from my diary, and, although a blind traveller, will do my best to amuse the seeing reader. In the autumn of the year 1844, having resolved to extend my travels by a visit to Egypt and Syria, I was assailed by some of my friends, who, taunting me on my love of roving, remarked that as I was fond of undertaking extraordinary journeys and had never been to the North of Europe, a tour through Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Russia, would be both a novel, interesting, and out-ofthe-way route, by which to reach the East. Accordingly, in my usual hap-hazard mode of proceeding, I at once took the hint, and secretly determined to visit the North of Europe on my way to Turkey, although totally unprepared for such a journey. Neither my travelling companion and friend the Doctor, nor my servant A. (the best of continental travelling couriers), knew any thing of these northern regions; and too little time remained, owing to the lateness of the season and my hurry, to obtain letters of introduction. I had often heard that letters of recommendation were as indispensably necessary for getting on in Russia, as hot water and a samovar for the brew of tea on the sandy and arid steppe of the interior: while respectability and station were said to carry every thing before them, in a country where the unknown traveller was usually treated with every incivility, and made to encounter endless difficulties in the way of official tyranny. In spite of all this fore-knowledge, Russia for a time became my land of promise, while I yearned to find myself in a district of Europe which had given birth to Peter the Great, and where civilization went hand in hand with almost Asiatic despotism. The first thing to be done before leaving England was to obtain a foreign-office passport, and to get affixed thereunto the vize or signature of the Russian Ambassador. This was, however, unattainable in the month of August, as Baron Brunow had left London, and his second in command peremptorily refused the proper signature to our papers, unless he received direct orders from his chief, who was then taking his otium at Brighton, and would not be disturbed in his retirement. After some delay, we were fortunate enough to get access to his Excellency, who was induced at last to arrange our passport; though a fresh difficulty occurred, which would only have presented itself to the mind of a Russian. Our servant, being a Swiss, could not be allowed to accompany us; as so despotic a monarch as the Czar but seldom permitted the importation of a Swiss republican into his kingdom. Fearing the opinions and political views of the most enlightened Helvetians, they must at all hazards be kept out of Russia; and hating democracy in every shape, he feared lest his subjects, in mixing with foreigners, should, with their usual quickness and penetration, become acquainted with external politics, and thus learn to apply a foreign remedy to their own complaints, and adopt democratic ideas instead of succumbing to despotism. We were therefore, after all, obliged to describe our servant as an Englishman, in order to enable him to accompany us; though the disguise was scarcely necessary, in consequence of his somewhat Bri tish appearance and correct manner of speaking the English language. All obstacles having now been removed, we started for Hamburg; at which port we arrived after a fine passage of about fifty hours. From thence we travelled through Holstein, on our way to Kiel; the scenery much resembling that of the north of England. Being anxious to prosecute my journey as quickly as possible, I took the steamer from the port of Kiel direct to Copenhagen; although, from the appearance and size of the town of Kiel, it must have contained much to interest the traveller. It had long occupied the mind of the King of Denmark to make Kiel the principal harbour and port of his dominions; and accordingly he had from time to time spent large sums of money in attaining that object, and had certainly done much for the harbour, which will probably now become commodious for shipping and trading purposes. After having stopped a few days at Kiel, we went on board an excellent steamer, and journeyed through the night towards Copenhagen. When I awoke the next morning, there was a slight motion of the vessel; but the sea must have been tolerably tranquil through the night, otherwise we should all have suffered from sickness, being but poor sailors. Having dressed with all expedition, we came on deck about half-past seven o'clock. It was a lovely Sunday morning; the sun shone brightly, and though the wind was blowing somewhat freshly from the southwest, it helped us quickly on our way. The vessel was being steered parallel with the island of Mour, which was described to me as a bold and rocky upland, with cultivated slopes on its upper surface, belonging to the Danish government. On our right, the expansive waters of the Baltic were seen, bounded by the horizon; and about twelve at noon, we sighted the shores of Zealand, with its low and flattened districts stretching far away on our left, whilst the most southern point of Sweden, called Skane, was seen soon after on our starboard bow. We met a very intelligent young Englishman on board, who, having settled in the central part of Sweden as a cotton spinner, had gained much experience of the localities through which we were about to travel. He amused us with various accounts of the resources and products of both Denmark and Sweden, and astounded me in his description of the circulating medium employed by the Danes. A metallic currency is almost unknown in those parts, the chief money being represented by paper notes. He showed us notes of the value of fourpence half-penny, which I learned were the commonest form of available money. The currency is both strange and somewhat difficult to be understood by foreigners, though the following table greatly facilitated my knowledge of it: 16 skillings make 1 mark Danish = = = 4ld. The chief copper coin in ordinary use is the five-skilling piece, having the king's head on the one side, and the arms of the country on the other. The notes of the rigsbank dollar are, next to the skilling, the most common of the other forms of currency. Many other passengers began to enter into conversation with us in our mother tongue; and one young Swede constantly talked to me, and explained our position and the course we were taking. He described the mainland of Finland lying on our left, and, later in the day, assured me that we were nearing Copenhagen. From his description, I did not think its situation prepossessing, the flatness and lowness of the shore giving it the aspect of a marshy district. Opposite Copenhagen, a large wellbuilt fort stands out in the sea, whilst on the right shore reposes the once famous fort of Frederickshaven, now converted into pleasure walks for the inhabitants. To the left, extends the island of Amak, the long arsenal and dockyard for the Danish fleet. It Copenhagen is more interesting to a naval or military man than to an ordinary traveller, as it abounds in fortifications, and has been twice bombarded by the English-in 1801, and again in 1807. is situated on the island of Zealand, between which and the mainland there is but a very narrow channel. This renders the town difficult of approach and attack; which fact was fully proved in the last war, when many of the English vessels engaged in Lord Nelson's expedition went ashore and were lost. We had to pass completely round the sea-girt fortress before we dropt anchor, when we were boarded by boat-loads of people, who scrambled in no very orderly manner to the vessel's deck. In fact, there seemed to be so much confusion and squabbling, that I expected every minute to hear of some accident. My fears were eventually fulfilled; for the entire living cargo of one of these boats was immersed in the water, and with great difficulty the lives of some half dozen Danes were rescued from a watery grave. After having waited till the bustle and confusion had subsided, we disembarked and walked along the dull and deserted streets of Copenhagen to the Hotel d'Angleterre a grand, but miserable house, situated in the principal street of the town. As it rained the greater portion of the time I was at Copenhagen, I formed no very favourable impression of the place. The town is generally dirty, cold, ill paved, and wears a deserted aspect; the streets are long and dreary; signs are hung out from the sides of the houses, indicating the trades of the occupants; and the gutters are wide, filled with running water, or with the accumulation from the houses carelessly thrown there. So large and wide are these water-courses, that in some places huge bridges of wood are laid over them, to enable the foot passenger to cross from one pavement to the other. Within the town itself there are many buildings of interest; such as the Exchange, the Christians burg Palace, and the Museum; all of which I visited, but with the description of which I will not attempt to bore my readers, as they will find them described in almost every work on Denmark. I cannot, however, omit to mention the Rosenburg Palace, built by that celebrated man, Christian the Fourth; for every place bearing impress of his name is fraught with the greatest interest to the historian. He it was who first attempted to assist the Protestants in Germany during the thirty years' war, but who became enfeebled, in consequence of the violent opposition raised against him by such generals as Wallenstein and Tilly, and who was at last obliged to resign so difficult a task into the hands of his more fortunate neighbour, Gustavus Adolphus. The Rosenburg Palace contains many curious reliques, including the sword used by the kings when conferring the order of knighthood, the silver thrones and furniture of former palaces, the coronation robes of many of its sovereigns, and a large collection of jewelled drinking cups and objects of virtu, all more or less possessing some historical association. The chief topic of interest in Copenhagen, at the time of my visit, was the much-revered Thorwaldsen, who had breathed his last only a few weeks before my arrival. This celebrated man, a descendant of an Icelandic family, early showed great talent in carving figures out of rough pieces of wood. These attracted the attention of some wealthy and influential person, who offered to take him to Copenhagen, and to place him in the studio of a worker in marble, in order that what artistic talent he might possess should be properly developed. From thence, after a time, he went to Rome, studied the great master-pieces of art in that capital, and made rapid strides in his profession. On his arrival in Rome, in spite of his undoubted talent, his lot was for a time one of great poverty; until he found a warm and generous friend in the person of Mr. Thomas Hope, who not only assisted him with money, but helped to bring him into public notice, by purchasing every work he was industrious enough to complete. After this period, Albert Thorwaldsen assumed the highest place amongst living, and equalled many of the greatest of bygone, artists; for Canova and Praxiteles might both have claimed him as their brother and their equal. After a life spent in toil, away from his native land, he returned to end his days at Copenhagen; where he was received with all the homage it was possible for his countrymen to bestow upon him. Here he lived for some time in retirement, at his own simple dwelling, amid the works of his own creation. It caused me a melancholy reflection, as I placed my hands on some unfinished groups, the cunning designer of which death had snatched away, and touched the faded bouquets of flowers with which his pupils had ornamented his studio, to welcome him on his last return from foreign travel. D |