Recollections of Siberia, in the years 1840 and 1841

Preface

. It may seem extraordinary that the souvenirs of a tour in Siberia should be sufficiently pleasing* to tempt a traveller to commit them to paper. But though he can hardly hope that they will be as interesting to the public as to himself, still the very limited and often incorrect acquaintance we have with that country, and our few authentic details of its moral condition, induce him to venture to pub lish the notes made during an excursion of less than six months through a part of those distant regions. In Russia itself Siberia is almost as little known as in England ; its very name condemns it without a trial. On our arrival at Moscow we were congra tulated by some on having escaped from an exile Avhence so few return ; by others we Avere cross questioned as to the possibility of having really existed so long in such a place ; and by all we Avere regarded as a nine-days' wonder, so incredible did it appear that such a journey should have been a

PREFACE.

. IV made voluntarily, and without any specific object. Omne ignotum est pro magnifico, an adage no less true in our days than in those of Tacitus, perhaps more so, because so much less comparatively is unknown now than then. In modern times we have, it is true, a Tour in Siberia and Kamtchatka, by Mr. Dobell, (an Irish man by birth, and now Russian Consul at Elsinore) in the years 1812 and 1814 ; but he describes the latter much more than the former. We have a Pedestrian Tour, by the late Captain Cochrane, in 1821, made under such extraordinary circumstances, as well as that of the blind traveller, Holman, that while they increased public interest in what regarded the narrators, they somewhat diminished their confidence in the accuracy of the information. At a much more recent period a work has appeared under the auspices of Major Sabine, a translation of the German account of Baron Wrangel's voyage of discovery in the North-East of Siberia and Kamtchatka, undertaken at the same time that Captain Cochrane was travelling in those countries.

It does not, however, describe in any way those parts of Siberia where we have been ; it was, indeed, purely a tour of a scientific nature, executed by the orders of the late Emperor Alex-

PREFACE.

. V ander, and, strange to say, no details of it were ever published in Russia — we could not learn on what account. In the course of the present nar rative of our OAvn reminiscenses, we shall, with all deference, offer some observations on it, in those points Avhere we venture to differ from the noble author, on the strength of information acquired in the country itself. There are various German works on Siberia, several of which appeared in the last century; the most valuable are the Travels of Pallas, from the year 1768 to 1774; a work of the highest merit, but of greater interest to the naturalist, than the general reader. Did he even go more into detail on the condition and mode of life of the inhabitants in that day, it could not be supposed to offer a just picture of Siberia in the middle of the nineteenth century.

Russia, in general, has made greater strides in civilization since the accession of Peter the Great, than any country in the world in the same space of time. It would be unreasonable to expect that Siberia should have advanced with the same rapidity, as many other portions of that vast empire, in the scale of civilization, yet, we believe, that in proportion to her advantages, her progress will be found not to be slower, than that of other a

PREFACE.

. VI nations. It is to be feared that hospitality is one of the virtues more honoured in ages and countries, in which artificial refinement has not yet reached a very high pitch. Judging Siberia by this standard, we should place her very low indeed in the scale, for, we believe, there is no country where it is so generally and so cordially practised. We should, indeed, be ungrateful if we did not seize every opportunity of offering our humble testimony to the uniform observance of this patriarchal usage among all classes from the Governor-general down to the peasant. We have endeavoured, in the following work, to make the orthography of names and places as correct as possible, the want of which in almost every book published on Russia is so great, as to render the names of persons often difficult to recog nise by those most familiar with them.

Many of the Russian letters having no analogous sounds in our alphabet, are not easy to be represented ; the (x), which is pronounced as in Spanish, we have given by (kh) ; the vowel (w) by (y). This latter it is almost impossible for a foreigner to pronounce correctly ; it is a French (i), with the most guttural sound that can be given it. (m) is (ch), (h) (tch) and (m) (stch). There are two mutes which regulate the pronuncia-

PREFACE.

. VII tion of almost every word (t.) and (b). The first makes the sound long at the end of words, the other shortens and gives them a sharp sound ; viz., the river Ob is pronounced as if written with an apostrophe at the end, thus, Ob'. The (k>) at the beginning of a word is pronounced like (yu), in the middle and end like the French (u) : in the northern river AHK3H, this letter with the one that follows it, forms a sort of tripthongue, which may be expressed thus, Anuiy. The accent is, generally, on the second syllable in trisyllabic Russian proper names, and the (e) is often pronounced as (o), for example Berezof is pronounced as if written Berozof. The first syllable being commonly short, the (o) in it is often pronounced as a short (a), as Golitzin is pronounced Galitzin, but for all these conventual usages there is no fixed rule.

As these pages were going to press, we regret to learn that the principal part of the beautiful city of Casan has again been reduced to ashes, by a tremendous fire, the origin of which is involved in mystery, not without strong suspicion of its being the work of an incendiary. The University and Observatory seem to have been destroyed, which is truly a national calamity. These were splendid buildings worthy of any country. The little town of Perm has also almost ceased to exist owing to the ravages of the same destructive element. TAGS 1 33 CONTENTS.

Chapter I

Moscow. — Sparrow Hills. — State of Prisoners there. — Dr. Haas. — Converting the Jews. — Roskolniks. — Their departure for Siberia. — Their treatment on the Road. — Our own start for Siberia. — Travelling in Russia. — Route to Makatelum. — Visit to Mr. de Karamsin Country Life in Russia. — Crossing Volga at Murom. — Simbirsk. — Crossing it again at the frontier of the Government of Orenburg. — Postmasters. — Dishonesty of Russian Chinovniks. — Russian Artillery. — Mode of purchasing Cavalry troop-horses. — Cossacks of the Ural. — Russian Merchants. — Arrival at Orenburg ......

Chapter II

Description of Orenburg. — Inhabitants of the Steppes. — Kirghis. — Trade with them. — Russian Expedition to Khiva. — General Perofski. — General Molostof. — Reciprocal Judgments of Russians and Englishmen of each other. — Russian Manufactures. — War in the Caucasus. — Society of Orenburg. — Mr. Khanikof. — Captain Abbott. — Count Simonich. — Lieutenant Vikovich. — Sir R. Shakespear. — Frontier Route. — Russian Fortresses. — Ural River. — Escort. — Ural Mountains. — Guberlinski Range. — Orska. — Troitska. — Description of the Steppes. — Camels. — Siberian Frontier two hundred versts beyond Troitska

Chapter III

Siberia. — Similar Language and Religion. — Ancient History of the Country. — Conquest by the Russians. — Tatars. — Khazars. — Yermak Timofeef; his Death. — Fire of Tobolsk. — Ancient Remains found. — Different Inhabitants. — Name whence derived. — Old Inhabitants of Perm. — Latitude and Longitude of Siberia. — Area. — Treaty with the Chinese. — Amur. — Albasyne. — Russian Embassy at X CONTENTS. PAGE 65 90 135 Peking.— Soil and Climate. — Divisions. — Mines. — Agri culture. — Rivers. — Possible Communication between the Pacific and Baltic by Water. — Land Communication. — Cold more severe the farther East

Chapter IV

Difference of Cold in two Divisions. — Baron Wrangel. — Mr. de Hedenstrbm. — Effects of extreme Cold. — Depth of Frozen Soil.— At Berezof, Obdorsk, Tobolsk, and Yakutsk. — Causes of this. — River Lena. — Mode of Cultivation and Products of Siberia. — Fish. — Burates. — Siberian Promysle. — Yukaghires. — Mode of shooting Animals for their Fur. — Catching them in Traps. — People's love of Brandy. — Roguery of Traders. — Tonguses. — Their Yourtes. — Mode of Life. — Yakuts. — Animals and Birds. — Geological Phenomena. — Mammoth. — Change of Climate in Siberia. — Other Fossil Remains. — Rivers

Chapter V

Frozen Soil. — Talc. — Minerals. — Mode of reckoning Distances among Yakuts. — Their Mode of Self-Government. — Origin. — Summer Huts — Food. — Superstitions. — Tonguses. — Baron Wrangel's Polar Expedition. — Mr. de Hedenstrom. — Count Speranski. — Pugachef. — His Successes and Death. — Petro-Paulofski. — Trade with Kirghis. — General Russian Frontier Trade. — Our Rivalry with them. — Omsk. — Cossacks. — Settlement from thence to near the Frontier of Thibet. — Gold Sands in Steppes of the Kirghis. — Schools and Etat Major at Omsk. — Winter sets in. — Semipolatinsk. — Chinese Frontier. — Trade with Chinese. — A Chetsse. — Mr. Kareline. — Journey to Ust-Kamenogorsk. — Altai ......

Chapter VI

Detained. — Unable to cross the Ulba. — Bees in Siberia. Crossing Ulba at Ust-Kamenogorsk. — Bucktarminsk Road back. — Pass the Uba. — Zmenogorsk. — Mines of Silver. — Mode of working the Ore. — Crown Peasants. Kolyvan. — Minerals. — Deep Snow. — Barnaoul. — Mines. — Depot of all the Gold east of the Ural. — Mode of melting it. — Search for Gold. — Society of Barnaoul. Journey to Kusnetsk. — Biisk. — Snow Storm. — Severe cold. CONTENTS. XI PAGE 184 219 259 — Road to Tomsk. — Overtaken by Buran. — Sixteen Horses to Carriage. — Society of Tomsk. — Residence of Gold Searchers. — Writers on Russia. — Want of Liberty of the Press in that Country. — Effects of it .

Chapter VII

Mr. Astaschef. — Process of searching for Gold. — Quantity found since 1829. — Dangerous and Expensive Speculation. — Mode of Washing it. — Sent to Barnaoul, and thence to Petersburg. — Value. — Net Profit. — Advantage to Russia. — State of the Exiles at Tomsk. — None in Siberia in the Mines for Political Offences. — Government of Tomsk, area of. — Meteorological Observations. — Crawley, the Albino. — Superstitions of Tatars here. — Improvement in Town of Tomsk. — Great Fire. — Longevity. — Mr. de Hedenstrom. — Road to Irkutsk. — Krasnoyesk. — Valley of Yenissei. — Fertility. — Rivers of Eastern Siberia. — Angara and Yenissei. — Government of Irkutsk

Chapter VIII

Town of Irkutsk. — Englishmen there. — Classification of Criminals. — Their state. — Mr. Dobell. — Their Treatment. — Conduct. — Necessity of being more severe with them. — Count Speranski's Siberian Code. — Knout. — Observations on Capital Punishments. — Road to Baikal. — Angara. — Baikal Lake. — Mode of passing it. — Want of Steamers. — Mountains. — Probable formation of the Lake. — Products. — Road from it to Selenginsk. — Burates. — Roskolniks. — Government. — Ancient inhabitants. — Shamanism Siberian Plague. — Budhism. — English Missionaries at Selenginsk .......

Chapter IX

Baths of Tourka. — Lama Priests, Physicians. — From Verkhne- Udinsk to Kiakhta. — Troitsko Sauski. — Treaty with Chinese in 1728. — Description of the Fortress.— Timbowski. — Distance to Peking. — Tea Trade. — Douane of Kiakhta. — Trade with Chinese in general. — Against the Russians. — Alterations proposed. — Mai-ma-tchin. — Description of it. — No Chinese Women allowed there. — Chinese Dinners. — Dzar-gou-tchai. — Curious Antiquity on Yenissei River. — Nertchynsk. — Yablonnoi Mountains. — CONTENTS. PAGE 301 333 Crown Peasants. — Mines. — Criminals. — Produce of Iron and Lead Foundries. — Wild Animals. — Inhabitants. — Yakut Horses.— Fond of Racing. — Oblava. — Traffic with Okhotsk. — Mode of crossing the Baikal on the Ice .

Chapter X

Start from Irkutsk for Petersburg. — Tomsk. — Barabinski Stenpes. — Caravans with gold going to Petersburg. — Kainsk. — Omsk. — Road to Ekaterinburg. — Fair of Irbit. — Tobolsk Government. — Town. — Re-enter Russia before reaching Ekaterinburg. — Description of the Town. — Merchant Riazanof. — Mines. — Copper. — Malachite. — Gold. — Platinum. — Schools and Establishments. — Demidof. — Jacoblef. — Stone-cutting. — Town of Perm. — Mesmerism. — Village of Sabakina. — Burdn. — Town of Casan. — Description of it. — Journey to Nijni Novogorod. — Description of it. — The Fair.— Last Journey to Moscow. — Bad Roads. Arrive there. — Retrospect of Siberia. — Moscow. — Passion for Music. — Bohemiennes. — Ceremonies of Easter. — Petersburg. — Marriage of the Grand Duke Cesarevich. — Fetes at Court. — General View of Russia and her avenir ERRATA.

Page 105, line 5 from bottom, dele most. „ 118, „ 2, for primogenius, read primigenius. „ 170, „ 1, for little Russian, read Little Russian. „ 181, „ 15, for Tschugo-Tschuk, read Tsehugo-Tschak. „ 182, „ 18, for was freezing hard, read was freezing sharply. „ 224 and 228, for Ydnisse*ik, read Yenisseisk. „ 237, line 5 from bottom, after Tomsk, dele and. „ 319, „ 16, for Shammanism, read Shamanism. „ 325, „ 24, for strongly, read strangely. „ „ lines 25, 26. The semicolon should be after " respect," not after "mines." „ 406, line 21, for ever, read even. Lmil.m 1-uHi th.-.l hi, rii.i/mim I flail . /*; . Smuul .Xor-W /*.-)# RECOLLECTIONS OF SIBERIA.

Chapter I

Moscow. — Sparrow Hills.— State of Prisoners there. — Dr. Haas. — Converting the Jews. — Roskolniks. — Their departure for Siberia. — Their treatment on the Road Our own start for Siberia. — Travelling in Russia.— Route to Makatelum. — Visit to Mr. de Karamsin — Country Life in Russia. — Crossing Volga at Murom. — Simbirsk. — Crossing it again at the frontier of the Government of Orenburg. — Post-masters. — Dishonesty of Russian Ckinovniks. — Russian Artillery. — Mode of purchasing Cavalry troop-horses. — Cossacks of the Ural. — Russian Merchants. — Arrival at Orenburg. In common with most other travellers who have bent their steps as far as the ancient city of the Czars, we took the earliest opportunity of witnessing one of the periodical gaol-deliveries, and the departure of a convoy to Siberia.

On an eminence, some four miles from the Kremlin, though, from the great extent of ground which Moscow covers, but a short distance beyond its Avails, is the general depot for almost all the subjects of the Russian empire, who are sentenced either to banishment for aggravated crimes, or to become merely colonists in Siberia. It must not be supposed that all those, whose doom it is to pass the remainder of their lives in this distant part of the Russian dominions, are so sentenced, either for civil or political offences. Still less true it is, that it is in any degree a punishment to the B THE SPARROW HILLS. great majority. The far greater part consists of persons living in a state of vagabondage, belonging to no one, without a home, or the means of gaining an honest livelihood. All those in short who have no passport or certificate from the official register of the police of the district to which they belong, are sent to colonize the thinly populated parts of Siberia.

We shall in another place describe their condition when arrived at their different destinations, and we believe that we shall be able to convince our readers, who are not unwilling to be convinced, that the general impression conveyed by the term "banishment to Siberia," is no less erroneous as regards the persons banished, than unjust towards the Russian Government. The long ridge of rising ground known by the name of the Sparrow Hills, to which we have alluded, would in a less flat country than is the general character of this part of Russia, present no feature sufficiently marked to deserve particular notice. But as the whole of the route from Petersburg to Moscow, a distance of four hundred and fifty English miles, is one dead flat, with the exception of a small part, where it crosses the Valdai Hills, this slightly elevated plateau appears almost a mountain.

But the view which it presents, and the associations connected with it, stamp it with a peculiar interest. Moscow lies before you, a living panorama — at its feet flows the little river Moskva, which, from its meanderings through the adjoining meadows, has all the picturesque ajmearance of a brook, the stream being barely rapid enough to float down the necessary provision of firewood for the city. Nearer to you arc the superb Donskoi, Siminofskoi, and De- MOSCOW. 3 vitzkoi convents, above which the unrivalled Kremlin rears its majestic front. It is not only the vast space of ground that Moscow covers, which gives it so imposing an appearance, though, the circuit of its walls being twenty-seven English miles, it is almost the largest city in the world — but from the irregular way in which it is built, on terraces rising one above another, the eye embraces more easily all its most striking features at once.

Its three hundred churches, of all imaginable forms, and painted with all the colours of the rainbow, many of them originally Tatar mosques which have been consecrated, and display the cross raised above the crescent, each reflecting in its different hues the rays of an almost tropical sun, combine to give it an oriental character totally unlike any other city. Casan, indeed, boasts many of its finest points, and bears a striking resemblance to Moscow, with the additional advantage of having the magnificent Volga visible from its walls. Could a painter group on one piece of canvas the same number of picturesque objects which are embraced in the coup d'œil from the Sparrow Hills, we doubt if his imagination could select and arrange any that are wanting here, to form his beau ideal. The vast number of golden domes in the Kremlin alone, with the lofty Ivan Veliki towering above them all; the fantastic form and colouring of the church of Saint Basil, so near as to appear to belong to it — contrasted with the whiteness of the superb modern palaces, and hospitals Which might well be taken for palaces — the theatres, the barracks, and military school — its manege, the largest in Europe, — intermixed with the more humble B MOSCOW. and rare wooden buildings, — serve to form an ensemble, difficult to imagine, because the world contains nothing to which to compare it.

The Sparrow Hills possess no inconsiderable interest from being the point whence the French army, in 1812, caught their first glimpse of this devoted city. Well may we imagine their sensations, when, like the soldiers of Hannibal viewing from the summit of the Alps the fertile plains of Italy, they saw within their grasp, what they had long anticipated as the goal, where their labours were to terminate, and victory to crown their unparallelled efforts. From thence they could dis tinctly discern the rear-guard of the Russian army retreating, and its numerous population pouring forth to leave them undisturbed possession. Here, may we imagine, Napoleon anxiously awaiting his dearest triumph — that moment, which never arrived, when a deputation of her most illustrious senators should offer him the keys of prostrate Moscow.

And had she no interest for him in her Kremlin, her churches, and her university — had her society no charms, her inmates no hospitality, no luxury to offer — surely, her self-devo tion in the hour of danger, when the fate of Europe, no less than that of Russia, was in the balance — when her unheard-of sacrifice annihilated the power of her enemy, in her self-kindled fires — it would always be the spot to which the traveller would most anxiously point his steps, and excite in him the enthusiasm which every son and daughter of Moscow feels in so eminent a degree. She has, indeed, risen like a phœnix from her ashes, more lovely than before and we at least must always feel that after having seen EXILES TO SIBERIA. 5 almost all that Europe offers of interest, we can look back on no period of our lives, which has left so many agreeable recollections, as the three months we spent at Moscow.

But we forget that our purpose is to write of Siberia. It was then on the Sparrow Hills that we first began to feel a desire of knowing the real state of Siberia, and the condition of its inhabitants. As we began by observing, one of our earliest excursions at Moscow was to witness the departure of the de'portes for their place of exile. Our notions on this subject were naturally gathered from the descriptions of other travellers, and Mr. Murray's Hand-book. We had read how, in this general place of rendezvous, "■all ages and sexes were indiscriminately thrust together, Fresh from the knout, and recent from the chain, till the limbs, torn and maimed, had recovered sufficient strength to bear them on their way," and how "the mournful band were ignorant alike of their sentence, as of their crime."

But from having travelled a good deal, and knowing how little dependence is to be placed on travellers' views in general, which differ so materially according to their knowledge of languages, their own personal advantages, and the society into which they chance to be thrown, we were naturally anxious to judge for ourselves on this, as Well as other matters. An English friend of ours, established about forty years at Moscow, without having lost a particle of his English feelings, to whom we expressed our wish of witnessing this ceremony, and whose account of it was totally at variance with the one we have just quoted, kindly undertook to escort us thither, and we claim MR. ROWANO. the testimony of several other English gentlemen who formed our party, should this ever meet their eye, to corroborate the correctness of our relation.

We could not have been more fortunate than we were in the choice of our cicerone. Our friend Mr. Rowand has been for many years one of the committee of management for all matters connected with prison discipline. It was, therefore, his peculiar province to visit, from time to time, the establishment on the Sparrow Hills, and his great good-nature prompts him to act as guide and interpreter to any of his countrymen who come to Moscow. We were there introduced by him to a Dr. Haas, a Roman Catholic physician from the Rhenish provinces, and like himself one of the prison directors. This gentleman is more than a second Howard — he literally spends his whole life in doing good, to the sacrifice of his health and fortune. He has an apartment in the prisoners' hospital here, and one in another hospital in Mosco*w, and during our residence there, he had well nigh fallen a victim to his philanthropy, having, at one time, four hundred and fifty patients on his hands, the greater number with an infectious fever, which all the hospital surgeons had taken, and deprived him consequently of their assistance.

To dedicate one's whole life to any pursuit, be it what it may, without the incitement of* honours and emoluments to be gained by it, a man must be an enthusiast, aud although we are convinced that the motives which guide and cheer this gentleman through his arduous undertakings, are a high sense of Christian duty and good-will towards men, yet the force of habit has rendered it also his hobby and his DR. HAAS. delight. We found him among eighty prisoners who were to begin their sorrowful journey that morning, conversing with and comforting each individual, though we should not say that we observed the necessity of the latter, excepting in one instance, that of a young woman under twenty years of age, who had set fire to a whole village, and had been knouted three months before. She did not certainly view with complacency the prospect before her, but all the rest appeared totally indifferent.

We had an opportunity of talking to many of them who spoke German, and so far are they from regretting their fates, that we saw in the prison at Moscow one old man ninety years of age, fall down at the doctor's feet entreating his interference to get him sent to Siberia. This was, however, impossible, as the law does not allow any who have passed the age of sixty to undergo the toilsome journey. Dr. Haas makes a point of becoming acquainted with the reasons for which every individual is sentenced to Siberia, and it constantly happens, that when, upon investigation, he finds a loop-hole for mercy, he pro cures for the prisoner a postponement of his departure, and if, on revising the case, any injustice appears done, often obtains a remission of the sentence. To each person he distributes the New Testament, published in different languages by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, with the passages most appro priate to their respective cases marked out for their particular attention.

The doctor told us, that a year or two ago, an English lady who was witnessing the scene we are describing, to whom he showed several passages which he had marked, naively inquired what JEWISH CONVERTS. texts he selected for the Polish exiles; he confessed he was a little posed, although there are many which enjoin submission to the " powers that be." He gave us a German Testament, in which he noted down the circumstances under which it had been presented to us, and we shall ever regard his handwriting with feelings of pleasure from the recollections of our visit to the Sparrow Hills. It frequently happens, that among the convicts are some of the Jewish tribe, on whom of course the Doctor spares no persuasion to induce them to embrace Christianity. AVe would fain hope, that his efforts are not always in vain, but we fear that he is too often their dupe.

On the present occasion, we saw him in earnest conversation with one of these proselytes, who was speaking German to him ; and we discovered that, being now on the eve of his departure, he felt, or feigned, some remorse, for having deceived the worthy Doctor as to his conversion, and was then expressing his contrition and assurances of hearty repentance. It appeared that he had been four times baptized, and had received on each different occasion some solid mark of the charity of the person who flattered himself he had gained a soul unto salvation. He now admitted that the Doctor had been one of those so deceived, and that he had even sold the Testament he had given him at the time of his baptism. But he at last pro fessed to be really convinced of the error of his wavs, and promised to become a Christian indeed.

It is probable that he was at least sincere in his promise of professing Christianity, as great advantages are held out to Jews when established in Siberia, who abandon JEWISH CONVERTS. 9 the faith of their fathers. It enables them to marry, and settle themselves more comfortably as colonists; and, what is an essential point to a Jew, to enjoy the society of those among whom their lot is cast. This man had been sent to Siberia before, and made his escape ; had probably been baptized there, and relapsed into Judaism, in order to profit by the Doctor's libe rality on his re-conversion. We have frequently heard in Russia of these repeated recantations, and how the new Christian has complained sometimes on the last occasion, that he got more by it on the former ones. During their detention at the depot, before their turn comes to start for their place of destination, the unhappy people have every provision made for them, compatible with their situation.

The females are lodged on one side of the prison, the men in another court by themselves, and never communicate with each other, unless they have their relations with them. The different sorts of malefactors are classified as much as possible according to the nature of their crimes, of which many are of the most heinous description, for which, even now, death is the punishment in England. Those who have committed more venial offences, are separated from the abandoned criminals, while those who are to be banished solely for vagabondage, (and they form the great majority) and are merely to become colonists, are entirely separated from the society of the depraved and vicious. We saw in an apartment by themselves, three persons, evidently of a better class, and whom we recognised, from their flowing beards, as Roskolniks, or, as they call themselves, people of the ancient faith.

R0SKOLNIKS. There are in Russia a vast number of dissenters of this denomination, whose principles of doctrine may be in some degree compared to those of the Puseyites of our own country. During the seventeenth century, in the reign of the Czar Alexis, the Patriarch Nikon, a man of great erudition, perceived that the Russian-Sclavonic translation of the Bible, and other sacred books, from the original Greek, was in many parts faulty and the sense perverted ; he obtained his sovereign's permission to make the requisite corrections, which were ordered to be generally adopted. A certain number of anti-reformers succeeded in persuading the common people that these innovations were heretical and attacked the foundation of their religion, and so induced them to adhere to the old version. A severe law was j^assed against these simple-minded people, who were literally persecuted till the reign of the Emperor Alexander, when the celebrated Metropolitan of Moscow, Plato, proposed some milder regulations which received the Emperor's sanction, and the persecution ceased.