The Russians at Home: unpolitical sketches, ... Comprising also four Russian designs (on stone)

Front matter

THE RUSSIANS AT HOME: (Unpolitical sketches, SHOWING WHAT NEWSPAPERS THEY BEAD ; WHAT THEATRES THEY FREQUENT ; AND HOW THEY EAT, DRINK, AND ENJOY THEMSELVES J WITH OTHER MATTER RELATINO CHIEFLY TO LITERATURE AND MUSIC, AND TO PLACES OF HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS INTEREST IN AND ABOUT MOSCOW; Comprisiwi* also Jftrar Russian gtsigns (on stone). BY SUTHERLAND EDWARDS. LONDON: s. W? H. ALLEN AKD CO., LEADENHALL STREET. 1861. [The right of translating and reptiMishing this worlc {of which a portion is written by an American citizen) is reserved.) Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, by J. C. HANEY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York. LONDON! PRINTED BY WOODFALL AXD KIXDRR, ANGEL COURT, SKIXNBR 3TK8BT. CONTENTS.

Chapter I. Journalism

Among the numerous accredited errors on the subject of Russia, one of the most remarkable is that which exists in England with regard to the diffusion of the French language throughout the empire. Mauy other wise well-informed Englishmen imagine that Russian is spoken in Russia merely as Irish is spoken in Ireland, or Flemish in Belgium, and that French is the ordinary medium of communication between all persons possessing the slightest pretensions to education. The English tourist who arrives at St. Petersburg, and finds to his astonishment that the Custom-house officers neither search his person, nor confiscate his " Murray," nor " crumple up" his shirts, as Mr. Cobden would say, is almost equally surprised at their utter inability to under stand French. This surprise changes into annoyance, or even alarm, when neither the isvostchik, who takes possession of him and puts him on to a droshky, nor the first, second, or third person he accosts in the street, nor any of the dealers or customers in any of the shops along the Quai, are able to understand a word he says, let him speak either French, German, or, as a last resource, English.

The sensible isvostchik, if left to himself, will soon release the traveller from his difficulty by driving him to a German hotel (in Russia, by the way, all foreigners are " Germans," as formerly in England all foreigners were "Frenchmen"); and the German hotelkeeper will in all probability speak not only French, but also English. Other wise, to imagine that in any part of Russia a knowledge of French will enable you to find your way about the streets, or to purchase a pound of tea or a quire of paper, is to cherish an illusion which experience will very quickly dispel. Doubtless French is spoken better in Russia than in any other country except France ; and a few Russian authors, such as Tegoborski, Herzen, and Oulibisheff — to mention three who, in very different circles, have found readers in England — write, as circumstance appear to de mand, either in Russian or in French ; but it must be remembered, that each of the authors we have named has also published works in German ; and it may be safely stated, that in all those houses in which French is the habitual language of the drawing-room, the younger members of the family at least have also a sufficient knowledge of German or English, if not of both.

In other words, the upper classes of society in Russia pay great attention to the study of English, German, aud especially of French, which is always spoken at the court ; but the vast majority of the population know no language but their own. One thing which would seem to render it impossible, even if it were desired, to perpetuate the tradition of the French language among the 'Russian hereditary aristo cracy, is the peculiar character of the institution of nobility in Russia. An officer who has gained his regiment, or a civil functionary who has attained the tchinn, or rank, of councillor of state, — though he be the son of a foreigner, of a merchant, or even of a liberated serf, — is, politically speaking, on an equality with the Volhonskis and the Dolgoroukis. He may become the proprietor of estates and of serfs attached to them, which, with a lower grade in the service, he could neither pur- JOURNALISM. chase nor inherit (at present, however, it is far more difficult than formerly for the children of merchants and personal nobles to attain hereditary nobility); and his sons, if they enter the army, will receive their first com mission after the usual two years' service in the ranks.

On the other hand, if a descendant of Ruric neglected to attain the first tch inn in the Government service — either as an officer, a civil functionary, an artist of the academy, or a member of the university — and if his son were guilty of a similar omission, then the grandson would have lost all his rights, and would be in a lower position than a soldier who has gained a medal ; for a man who wears a decoration cannot be struck, whereas a private individual who has not taken Government rank is liable, for certain offences, to corporal punishment. A Russian would be amused to find it gravely stated in an Euglish book that the business of the Russian nation is actually transacted in the native tongue, and that even the newspapers are not written either in French or German. "We feel it necessary, however, to impress both these facts, especially the latter, on our readers, who, from continually seeing allusions in the English journals to the Invalide Russe, the Abeille du Nord, and the Moskauer Zeitung, may imagine that the " Russian Invalid," the " Northern Bee," and the " Moscow News," are not published in the Russian language, whereas they certainly never appeared in any other.

We may at the same time remark, that the errors we have alluded to are significant, as showing on the part of our journal ists (who evidently derive most of their Russian news from French and German sources) a curious ignorance of the life and literature of the Russian nation. The error respecting the universality of the French tongue in Russia has met with some encouragement from our tourists, who, finding that their Russian acquaint ances always addressed them in French, seem to have concluded that that was the only language they could b speak. A man who remains but a few weeks in Russia, and during that time goes only into what is called " good society," may possibly come away with the sincere con viction that French is the habitual language of a con siderable portion of the inhabitants ; but let him attempt to order a dinner at a traktir's, or to purchase a pair of boots or a hat, or anything except bread, which he may procure at a German baker's, or gloves and perfumery, which, if he happen to be at Moscow or St. Petersburg, he may buy from a Frenchman ; let him, above all, enter a theatre, or the news-room of a club — and he will soon find out whether Russian is or is not the language of Russia.

In the army and navy the word of command is certainly not given in a foreign language ; and although in the regiments of the line there are a number of officers who, in the words of a celebrated Russian comedy, " have small waists aud even speak French tolerably," the ma jority of them, whatever may be the dimensions of their waists, have but a scanty acquaintance with the language of Vauban. In the innumerable Government offices, too, no language but Russian is spoken ; and it is in the na tional tongue that the clerks thank you for the inevitable " gratuity " they will extort in return for the smallest service performed, or even promised and not performed. But if French be not the habitual language of either the middle or the upper portions of Russian society in the present day, we may mention by way of memorandum, that the educated classes scarcely spoke any other in the time of Catherine, and, as nearly as we can judge, until about the end of the reign of Alexander.

Up to the middle of the eighteenth century Russia had no literature, except a large number of national songs and certain historical and ecclesiastical records, such as the chronicles of Nestor tne oldest that exist in any modern tongue, Lomonossoff is spoken of as the Malherbe of the Russian language ; but his style is also described as being full of Slavoniauisms ; and the Russians of the present day, who JOURNALISM. 5 are unable to read his poems without some difficulty, regard Karamsin as the author who first established the language on its natural basis, after which it underwent a purifying process in the hands of Poushkin. Karamsin, it must be added, was the contemporary and friend of Alexander I., as Poushkin was the contemporary, though not so mucii the friend, of Nicholas. (Nevertheless, the stories so industriously circulated in England and France about the death of the great Russian poet are quite with out foundation.

Poushkin was shot in a duel by his brother-in-law Dantes, a French Dutchman, serving in the Russian Horse Guards. He had received numerous favours from the Emperor Nicholas, and on his deathbed was consoled by the assurance that his family should be provided for at the expense of the crown.) The constant use of the French language, which was so desirable at the commencement of Catherine's reign, when Russia had no literature of her own, became an absurdity and an affectation in the time of Alexander, when the Russians had translated all the best literature of France and England, and when they had plenty of admirable writers in their native tongue. Accordingly Karamsin, in his Travels, attacked and ridiculed this silly custom nearly sixty years since. One would have thought that the invasion of 1812, followed by the march from Moscow to Paris, would, by rousing the patriotism of the nation, have led them to forswear every kind of French imitation.

Doubtless some such effect was produced ; though in Griboiedoff's comedy, written ten years afterwards, we still find that the mo3t inviting mark for the arrows of a Russian satirist, is the love of his countrymen, and above all, of his countrywomen, for everything that is French. Even the invasion of the Crimea acted as a powerful stimulant to the national feeling. This was seen in the adoption of the sarafan (the old Russian dress) by ladies at evening parties ; in the Shchogoleff ear-rings, formed out of four microscopic cannon-balls, suggestive of the four guns with which the daring artillery-officer, after whom they are named, is supposed to have kept off the whole ofthe allied fleet at Odessa (vide Charivari, 1854) ; in the long gray jackets, imitated from the soldiers' coats, which were worn by the little boys and girls, and in the complete uniforms in which many of the boys were clad.

However, the total abolition of the French language as a medium of communication between Russians can never be brought about by a mere excess of patriotism ; nor can satire accomplish it, though satire may aid it. The pitiable custom in accordance with which a small fraction of the community speak, well or ill, a language which the re mainder are unable to understand, and which thus, in the midst of a united and powerful empire, produces the semblance of two nations, can only yield to one influence — that of an important national literature ; and the effect of this influence is clearly visible, if only in the education of the children of the present generation, who in all the Government gymnasiums are soundly instructed iu the language and literature of their country. It is true that at the present day, in St. Petersburg, the window through which Russia is said to look out upon Europe, one French and one German newspaper are still published.

But the German sheet is printed for the exclusive benefit of the numerous German residents, while the Journal de St. Petersbourg is little more than a collection of official notifications, which in many cases have appeared the day before in the Police Journal, and which are reproduced in French because in the original they would be unintelligible to foreigners. It also gives court news, lists of persons who have been decorated, and similar uninteresting information. During the coronation, this journal, we must admit, allowed itself the luxury of a special correspondent in Moscow ; but iu his first letter the enraptured contributor declared that the sight of so much splendour had completely overpowered him, 'and that he must decline, for the present, to say anything at JOURNALISM. all about the subject which he had been sent specially to report- Indeed, journalism as we understand it in England, scarcely exists in Russia.

A Russian journal is as inferior to an ordinary French journal as the best newspaper in France is to the Times. The Russians know this them selves, for they read the Times, and translate its articles. Thus when we were in Moscow we observed that the review which the "leading journal" published of Mrs. Stowe's " Dred" was translated and printed in a St Petersburg magazine a few weeks after its appearance in London. Indeed, it is the magazines and reviews that form the strength of what is called " journalism" in Russia ; and many families that subscribe to no news paper at all receive regularly twice a month the " Na tional Annals " or the " Russian Messenger," which, like the " Contemporary" and the " Library for General Reading," publish in each number a retrospect of political and literary events.

These reviews possess a peculiar value from the fact that they have all been started by men of letters, and are not under the influence of Govern ment like the great majority of the newspapers. They are generally about as large as our Quarterlies. We have several " Messengers " by our side, and find that each fortnightly Number of that publication contains 384 pages of nearly the same size as the " Cornhill Magazine." The subscription to the " Messenger " is fifteen roubles a year — £2 10s., or about 2s. a copy ; so that, regard being had only to the amount of printed matter sold, it is really the cheapest periodical of the kind in Europe. Even in England, a very large number of a review of the dimen sions we have stated would have to be sold in order merely to cover the expenses ; but in Russia, where paper and printing cost nearly double what they do with us, the sale of such a work must be enormous.

" No where except in England," says Mr. Herzen, " has the influence of reviews been so great as in Russia. It is, in fact, the best form for spreading light through a vast country. The ' Telegraph,' the ' Moscow Messenger,' the ' Telescope,' the ' Library for General Reading,' the ' National Annals,' and their natural son the ' Con temporary,' without reference to their very different tendencies, have circulated an immense amount of in formation, notions, and ideas during the last twenty five years. They have rendered it possible for the inhabitants of Omsk and Tobolsk to read the novels of Dickens or George Sand two months after their publication iu London or Paris. The fact of their appearing periodically has, moreover, the advantage of rousing indo lent readers." * One difficulty which is inseparable from any attempt to make a chapter on contemporary Russian reviews interesting to the English pubhc, is found in the fact that most English readers know nothing either of Russian authors who are dead, or of those who are living, or, indeed, that there are any living Russian authors at all.

Even Karamsin's History has never been translated into English ; and his Travels, which were translated (from a German edition) more than half a century ago, are now out of print. Nothing of Poushkin's has appeared in English,— - if we except a mutilated version of the " Queen of Spades," of which the source was unacknowledged, and which Poushkin himself would have been the first to disavow. Gogol has been treated in a similar fashion ; that is to say, a charming little tale of his, with rather an untranslatable title (which, however, signifies as nearly as possible "A Country Couple of the Olden Time"), after being adapted from the French, was subjected to the Procrus tean operation, so as to bring it within the limits of an article in a penny paper. Lermontoff has met with a * The "Contemporary" appears once a month, and each volume contains about 700 pages of forty-four lines.

Six of these general reviews are now published in Russia, besides a large number of special journals. JOURNALISM. 9 somewhat better fate in England. His poetry, like that of Poushkin, is utterly unknown ; but those who may wish to read his "Hero of Our Own Time," can obtain a very spirited English translation of the French rendering of the German version of the Russian original. We shall have finished the list of Russian poets, novelists, and dramatists belonging to the present century who have been heard of in England, when we have mentioned the name of Gri boiedoff. The translation of that author's "Gore ot Ouma " has been executed very conscientiously (but not elegantly) by a compatriot named Benardaky. What an advantage it would be if some of those Russian gentlemen who write books in English on the subject of Russia would occa sionally imitate Mr. Benardaky 's example, and, forgetting for a time their tirades against absolutism, and their anecdotes about the Emperor Nicholas, would occupy themselves with translating some of the master-pieces of their country's literature !

In speaking of the authors, they could omit biographical details ; otherwise any fair account of the lives of Karamsin, Kriloff, Poush kin, Joukovsky, Gogol, or Griboiedoff — six of the most eminent writers the last half-century produced — would at once disprove their favourite theory about the per secution of intellectual superiority in Russia ; though it cannot be doubted that under Nicholas the position of an independent journalist was one of difficulty and danger. But even during the last few years, the num ber of political exiles from all parts of Europe living in England, while proving the liberality of our institutions, also shows that Russia — as Mr. Herzen himself so well observes — does not terminate at the frontier, but that it extends over all the continent. Victor Hugo and Freiligrath could testify that it is not the only country which will not tolerate hostile criticism of the State.

It must be remembered, too, in connection with the suppression of certain reviews by the Emperor Nicholas, that their editors, and especially Polevoi, had attacked the b despotic system with a vigour and directness of which we have had no instance in Imperial France. On the other hand, as the Russian empire is governed more in accord ance with the general wishes of the people than any other of the nations which are ruled despotically, there is less persecution there — or rather was, during the last reign — than in countries which are split up into parties, or, as in the case of Austria, into distinct nationalities. The first thing we remark in the Russian reviews, is the great attention they pay to English literature. The most popular of our works of fiction are translated ; and those books which even at home are not too generally read, and which in France and Germany have scarcely been heard of, are made the subjects of long notices.

The next feature that strikes us is the thoroughly English — that is to say, positive — style of the contents, in which we find no frivolous feuilletonism, no unnatural romance, and at the same time no mysticism, nor senti mentalism ; but novels and tales founded upon observation, sketches of character, satire of officials, and of various kinds of governmental abuses, articles on the re sources of the country, on its early history, and on its future development. Let us see what the " Contemporary," which was esta blished by the poet Poushkin, and which is one of the best of the four reviews we have selected for examination, was publishing during the first year of the war. In their address to the subscribers at the end of the twelvemonth, the editors, Nekrassoff, and Panaeff, state that, owing to the all absorbing interest of political affairs, they had been prepared for a considerable falling off in the number of their subscribers.

These anticipa tions, however, had happily not been fulfilled; and the editors, while thanking the readers for their continued sympathy and support, regarded the success of their journal under such adverse circumstances as an indication that literature was no longer taken up as an occasional JOURNALISM. 11 amusement in Russia, but that its study had now become an indispensable necessity. Among the novels and tales that had appeared during the year were the following : — The Two Friends. By Tourgu6neff. Bleak House. By Charles Dickens. Moumounia. By Tourguuneff. The Poor Girl. By Panaeff. Mrs. Perkins's Ball. By Thackeray. Fanfaron : a Specimen of one of our own Snobs. By Pisemsky. Memoirs of a Cavalry Officer during the Turkish War of 1 828. A Journey to Paris: being Two Chapters from the Paris Sketch-book.

By Thackeray. The Adventures of Major Gahagan. By Thackeray. Experiments with Russian Snobs. By Panaeff. Men of Character. By Douglas Jerrold. The contributions of verse are very numerous, as might be expected in Russia, where, if we except Gogol, all the really great writers in the belles lettres are poets. It would be useless to mention the authors who had distinguished themselves in this department ; but with regard to two of them, — Nekrassoff, the editor, and Count Tolstoi, who has a double reputation as a poet, and a writer of prose, — we shall have to say a few words hereafter. We must not omit to state, that two unpub lished poems by Lermontoff, together with an extract from one of his letters, had found their way to the pages of the " Contemporary. " The list of biographical, critical, and scientific articles includes : The Life and Dramatic Works of R. B. Sheridan.

By Droujinin. Delvig.* By Gaevsky. * Baron Delvig was the schoolfellow and intimate friend of Poush kin, and was associated with him in the editorship of a literary journal. . THE RUSSIANS AT HOME. Thackeray's Lectures on the English Humorists. By a Provincial Subscriber. Attempt at a Biography of Gogol (with forty unpub lished letters). By N. M. Souvenirs of Gogol, recalled by the "Attempt at a Bio graphy." By Longenoff. Two Articles on the Novels and Tales relating to the Working Classes. Three Articles on the present Position of Turkey. Life and Death of the last Ruler of Montenegro. By Kavalevsky.* On the Sincerity of Contemporary Criticism. The warlike Deeds of the Don Cossacks against the Khan of the Crimea and Pougatcheff the Pretender in the Years 1773 and 1774. Works on the Russian Language published in 1853.

By Zernina. Byzantine Portraits : The Emperor Basil I., the Mace donian. By Zernina. Gerard Frederic Muller. By Salavieff. Makaroff and his Journal the "Moscow Mercury." By Gennade. Travels in the Polar Regions and along the Coast of White Russia. By Shpelevsky. The editors, in conclusion, state, that they have long been endeavouring to improve the critical portion of their journal, aud that they believe they have now to some ex tent succeeded iu doing so. In the meanwhile, the "Con temporary" will continue to criticize the other periodicals, and invites criticism in return. The Prospectus for the ensuing year (the nineteenth of the journal's existence) pro mises, in addition to tales, novels, etc., articles on all new Russian books as they are published, and remarks on the contents of the Russian journals by the "new poet," &c. The "new poet" is Panaeff, the joint-editor with Ne- • This writer has since been appointed Minister of Public Instruc tion, and Rector of the Moscow University.

JOURNALISM. 13 krassoff. That journals should write about a new poet appears natural enough ; but that a poet, new or old, should write about journals will strike the reader as some what strange. We have explained, however, that, in St. Petersburg and Moscow, what are called journals are for the most part large reviews ; while as regards the " new poet," we must state, that in the more important of the articles bearing that signature Panaeff justifies the nom de plume which he affixes to all his critical contributions by the introduction of epigrams and fables, and of verses written in contemptuous imitation of the victim he hap pens to have selected. He is, iu fact, the satirical writer of the review. For some time the identity of Panaeff and the new poet remained a secret ; but it is now under stood that the editor is the " new poet " whenever he wishes to indulge in criticism, and that he becomes Panaeff again to write sketches of society and tales.

Panaeff wrote an excellent ai-ticle on Mr. Thackeray's " Snob Papers," which he concluded by pointing out certain Russian snobs, who were only waiting to be dissected Soon afterwards he commenced his "Experiments with Rus sian Snobs," No. I. being the " Snob of the Great World." This author does not despatch a snob in a single paper, but tells a tale about each ; so that his sketches are not imitated, even as to form, from Mr. Thackeray's admirable book. Our readers will not be able to pronounce it, but they may feel interested in seeing that the Russian word for " snob " is khlishch. It will be observed, that four years ago, before the "Miscellanies" were published, the editors of the " Con temporary" had been looking up Mr. Thackeray's early writino-s in " Frazer's Magazine," and had even laid the " Paris Sketch-books" under contribution.

" Vanity Fair," "Pendennis," and the " Newcomes," were translated as they appeared ; and we believe the Russians can now read in their own language everything that Mr. Thackeray has written, with the exception perhaps of the '* Irish' Sketchbook," the local colouring of which — as the St. Petersburg reviews have a large circulation in Siberia, and penetrate even to the confines of China, — might fail to be appreciated by many of the subscribers. Indeed, of the O'Mulligan's humour one would think a great deal must have been lost before that amusing Irishman who lived "over there" reached even so far east as Nijni-Novgood But M. Oulibisheff tells us that Nijni has its Opera and its Philharmonic Society ; and of course there are balls and polkas and suppers and intruders in Russia as in England, and we believe there are even Irishmen, — at all events there are Poles.

Thanks too to the completeness of iir. Thackeray's characters, they must lose less than those of any other novelist in translation. The picturesque personages of Mr. Dickens's fictions, with their highly characteristic language, cannot but suffer even in the hands of the most skilful translator ; but his vivid descrip tions, on the other hand, can be appreciated in Russian almost as well as in English, and there is an amount of natural feeling and humour in all his books which not even a French translator could destroy, and which a Russian would be sure not to injure.* Of the anonymous "provincial subscriber" who con tributes a review of Mr. Thackeray's lectures we know nothing ; but Pisemsky, who writes " Fanfaron, a Spe cimen of one of our own Snobs," has produced several comedies, and has gained a great reputation by his novels and sketches of peasant-life.

Tourgueneff, the author of " The Two Friends," " Mou mounia," ifcc, is probably the most popular living wi-iter in Russia. In England he is not known. In France he is known by an imperfect, incorrect translation of his " Memoirs of a Sportsman," published five years since, • Most of the French translations of Mr. Thackeray's works are remarkably free " imitations," and in one version of " Vanity Fair," "the century was in its teens" is rendered by " le siecle etait dans les I armes." JOURNALISM. 15 under the title of "Memoires d'un Seigneur Russe." We have not seen this translation ; but Tourgueneff de nounced it himself in the pages of the " Contemporary " as an absurd imposition, in which nothing of the original could be recognized. One of Tourgueneff's most admired books was written as a corrective to Lermontoff's " Hero of our own Time," which enjoyed a Werther-like success during the years succeeding its first publication.

His work on the writings of Gogol, — who had devoted a large portion of his life to the branding of corrupt officials, — was refused a licence by the censor ; but Tourgueneff published it all the same, and thus incurred the penalty of exile, from which he was only saved by the personal intercession of the Grand Duke Alexander, now Alex ander II. Nekrassoff, the other editor of the " Contemporary," confines himself to the composition of verse. A volume of his collected poems, — of which many referred to sub jects of the day, — was recently published with success in St. Petersburg ; but it was rumoured that a second edition would not be permitted by the censorship. It is right to add, that this rumour was soon afterwards ascribed to the booksellers, who sometimes spread, or at all events profit by the circulation of such reports, in order to have a pretext for selling their books at double or treble the marked price.