darkness, was compelled to pass the night alone on the ice, upwards of 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. The vigour of youth, and a constitution naturally strong, enabled him to withstand the effects of so trying an exposure; and when morning came, he was fortunate enough to discover a route which seemed to afford the long-desired access to the summit.

FIRST ASCENT, BY PACCARD.

WHEN Jacques Balmat reached the village of Chamouni on his return, he was seized with a very severe indisposition, the effect of extreme fatigue and exposure to intense cold. He was attended by Dr. Paccard, a physician of the place, to whom, as a mark of gratitude, he communicated his discovery, offering at the same time to show the doctor the way to the summit. The offer was accepted, and on the 7th of August (1786,) these two daring adventurers set out from Chamouni upon this memorable expedition. They

took the route of La Côte, and reached before dark the

upper part of that mountain, where they passed the night on the Glacier des Bossons. At four on the following morning they pursued their route over the ice, ascended the side of the Dome du Goûté, and having reached a great height turned to the east, and passed along the ridge which is seen from Geneva, lying on the left of the summit. Here they first began to experience such intense cold, and such extreme fatigue, that Dr. Paccard was almost induced to relinquish the enterprise; being, however, encouraged by Jacques Balmat, who was more accustomed to such toilsome and dangerous expeditions, the Doctor followed his companion. The wind was so violent and piercing, that, in order to avoid its blowing in their faces, they were obliged to walk sideways for a considerable time. At half-past six in the evening they at length attained the summit of Mont Blanc, and stood triumphantly on a spot of ground which no one had reached before. The eyes of many in the valley had followed their track by the aid of telescopes, and the whole of the population of Chamouni came out to catch a glimpse of them. They remained on the summit no longer than half an hour, the cold being so intense, that their provisions were frozen in their pockets, the ink congealed in their ink-horns, and the mercury in Fahrenheit's thermometer sunk to 184°, or 131° below the freezing-point. They had employed fifteen hours in ascending, and though they regained the mountain of La Côte in five hours, yet they found great difficulty in descending, their sight being debilitated by the reflection from the snow. They arrived at La Côte about midnight, after twenty hours of unremitted fatigue. Having reposed themselves two hours, they again sallied forth, and returned to Chamouni at eight in the morning. Their faces were excoriated, and their lips exceedingly swelled; Dr. Paccard was almost blind, and his eyes continued to be affected for a considerable time. The King of Sardinia made Balmat a present, and a small subscription was subsequently raised for him; he was honoured also with the familiar appellation of Mont Blanc.

ASCENT OF SAUSSURE IN 1787.

As soon as Saussure heard that a practicable route had been found, he became anxious to lose no time in mounting to the summit himself, and there making those observations and experiments, on account of which he had been for nearly thirty years anxious to see the ascent accomplished, and the importance of which, in his days, invested the undertaking with an interest not attaching to it in our He left Chamouni at seven o'clock on the morning of the 1st of August, 1787, being accompanied by a servant and eighteen guides, of whom Jacques Balmat was the principal, with a tent, mattresses, ladders, ropes, straw, provisions, &c., and the instruments required for the scientific objects of the expedition.

own.

The party passed the first night on the top of the mountain of La Côte, in a tent previously constructed for that purpose. At four o'clock on the following afternoon they reached an elevation of 9312 feet above the valley, or 12,762 feet above the level of the sea; here they encamped for the night, and formed an excavation in the hardened snow, which they covered with their tent. In this icy habitation, instead of suffering from the cold, Saussure felt such a suffocating heat from the closeness of the tent, and the number of persons crowded into so small a compass, that he was frequently obliged to go into the open air in order to breathe freely. The next morning the whole company resumed their journey at seven o'clock, and found the

ascent in some places so steep, that the guides who preceded were obliged to hew out steps with a hatchet. At eleven they reached the summit of Mont Blanc. The whole party had been seen by the people of Chamouni as they approached the last heights, and all the bells in the village were set a ringing as the topmost point was attained. Thei: track had been incessantly watched by Madame Saussure and her two sisters. ་་ My first regards," he says, "were fixed on Chamouni, where I knew that my wife and her two sisters were, with their eyes at the telescope, anxiously following my steps; and I experienced a pleasant and con soling feeling, on seeing waving the standard which they had promised that they would set up when their fears should be at least suspended, on observing my arrival at the summit. I was then able to enjoy, without regret, the grand spectacle which I had under my eyes. A light vapour, suspended in the lower regions of the atmosphere, deprived me, in truth, of the view of the lower and more distant objects, such as the plains of France and Lombardy, and what I did see with the greatest clearness, was the but I did not much regret this loss; what I came to see, ensemble of all the high summits whose structure I had so long desired to know. I could not believe my eyes; it seemed to me a dream, when I saw beneath my feet those majestic summits, those formidable aiguilles, the Midi, the Argentière, the Géant, to reach whose very bases had been to me a work of so much difficulty and danger. I seized at once their relations, their connexion, their structure; and a single look removed doubts which years of labour had been unable to clear up."

Saussure remained three hours and a half upon the summit,-a far longer time than has been spent there by any subsequent adventurer; of the observations which he made we shall have occasion to speak hereafter, in our detailed description of the ascent generally. He returned to Chamouni on the morning of the 4th. The indefatigable M. Bourrit, whose unsuccessful efforts we have already mentioned, immediately set off to make another attempt; but a sudden change in the weather, no uncommon occurrence in the climate of Chamouni, compelled him to return again unsuccessful. He made another trial in the following year (1788,) in company with his son and an English and Dutch gentleman. Our countryman, Mr. Woodley by name, was the only one of the party who reached the summit; but he paid dearly for his success, both his hands and his feet being frozen. The same misfortune happened to the fingers and toes of the rest, who had not even the compensation of gaining their object. M. Bourrit may be deemed particularly unfortunate; he made five attempts, yet never reached the summit, "though it would seem, as Dr. Barry remarks, " to have been partly through his indefatigable zeal that Saussure was induced to persevere.” Mr. Woodley was not, however, the first Englishman who stood upon the top of Mont Blanc. Colonel Beaufoy made the ascent six days after Saussure, meeting with greater obstacles than his predecessor, in consequence of the enlargement of the chasms in the ice: an account of his journey was read before the Royal Society towards the close of the same year.

It is unnecessary to describe in detail all the subsequent ascents; to some of them, of which accounts have been published, we shall refer in our general description. We subjoin, however, a list of all; it is a translation of one furnished to Dr. Barry by the Syndic, a magistrate of Chamouni, who keeps a regular account of them, and furnishes every successful adventurer with a certificate, drawn up and attested with all the formality and precision of a legal document.

..Chamouni. ..Ditto. .Geneva.

Statement of all the Ascents which have taken place to the summit of Mont Blanc :1786-Aug. 8..... (Jacques Balmat (Guide) Dr. Paccard 1787-Aug. 3.... M. de Saussure 1787-Aug. 9......Colonel Beaufoy. 1788--Aug. 5......Mr. Woodley ....Baron Doorthesen.. 1802-Aug. 10.... M. Forneret 1812-Sep. 10......M. Bodatz 1818-Aug. 4......Count de Matezesecki.

1819--June 19. J.Dr. Rensselaer

Mr. Howard 1819-Aug. 13......Capt. Undrell, R.N. 1822-Aug. 18...... Mr. Frederick Clissold 1823-Sep. 4.... Mr. Jackson 1825-Aug. 26..

English. Ditto.

.Courland.

..Lausanne. Hamburg. Polish. American Ditto. .English.

..Ditto.

..Ditto.

Dr. Edmund Clarke
Capt. Markham Sherwill ......Ditto.

...Ditto.

It may be amusing to observe the comparatively large number of our countrymen who figure in this list; out of the seventeen successful expeditions they are the heroes of no less than ten. It is easy to assign them the merit of courage and fortitude,-common qualities enough,-it is more difficult to discover any good resulting to mankind from their efforts. The only name in the list which, in the latter point of view, deserves to be, or will be remembered, is that of the Swiss naturalist, De Saussure, always excepting, of course, the names of Paccard and Balmat, who led the way to the summit.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE ASCENT.

"He who would reach the summit of Mont Blanc, has, very early in his journey, to make his way along a path cut upon the face of a cliff, sometimes perpendicular, and sometimes overhanging, several hundred feet in height, so narrow, that he must frequently walk sideways, in order to keep his balance; and this is one of the least perilous portions of the expedition. He soon meets with abysses, which can only be crossed by laying a few poles over, and walking or sliding upon them. Others he must pass, so broad, that he can only get over upon natural bridges of snow; and as the snow is frequently too thin to bear the weight of a person walking, one crawls over, and the others are drawn by ropes. In one place a huge block of ice is in the way, and lies upon a crevice so deep, that the eye cannot see to the bottom. Upon the perpendicular side of this block, steps are cut with a hatchet, and by means of these the adventurous traveller, in quest of amusement, reaches the other side, should he be fortunate enough to escape without slipping. Sometimes, in climbing up the sides of the glacier, the feet give way, and he rolls and slides to the very edge of the precipice, before the guide, to whom he is attached by a rope, can venture to stop him, lest he should, on his own insecure footing, be moved by the effort, and be dragged after him over the brink. An avalanche is so frequent, that, in the course of the journey, it is many chances to one, that he should be buried under it. The latter part of the ascent, from the rarefied state of the air, with the fatigue of climbing, makes the bursting of a blood-vessel extremely likely, and is sure to prove fatal if there be any hidden defect in the chest or head. The dangers of the return are considerably increased by the great difficulty of keeping the head steady in descending, and of using the limbs under the effect of exhaustion." Such are the difficulties and dangers which must be encountered by the adventurous traveller who ascends to the summit of Mont Blanc. The first point upon which he should satisfy himself is, that the state of the mountain renders success possible; for this purpose he must apply to the experienced guides, and by their judgment he must be bound, for to hazard the experiment contrary to their advice, as Dr. Clarke observes, would be not only "childish, contemptible temerity," but "a base and selfish trifling with human life." Previous to engaging in the expedition, he is recommended to make several preparatory mountain excursions, "both to ascertain the physical strength in hand, and to augment the stock for the time of trial." It is to the neglect of this precaution, more than to anything else, that the ill success of so many of the attempts which have been made to ascend Mont Blanc is to be attributed. Six or seven guides are usually taken upon the excursion; their remuneration is fixed beforehand at a certain sum, and there is generally a stipulation, that, if the party do not succeed in reaching the summit, they shall be paid a portion of the whole sum agreed on, proportionate to the distance accomplished.

"My agreement," says Mr. Jackson, "with them, was this; if we reached the summit, they were each to have sixty francs. If we only succeeded in getting as far as Mr. Greenwood had done, which was within about three hours of the summit, they were to have forty-five francs; and if we should be unable to ascend higher than the Grands Mulets, they were to have only thirty francs. This agreement was, I think, fair enough, considering they must be occupied at least two days, and possibly three; besides which, there certainly was a chance, however small, of their

losing their lives, and leaving their families bereft of every resource. Upon my return I made each of them a present of an additional five-franc piece, with which they were all perfectly content."

ROUTE TO THE FOOT OF THE AIGUILLE DU MIDI.

As the excursion to the summit of Mont Blanc cannot be performed in less than two days, it is necessary to fix upon some spot on the mountain at which the party may spend the night, during which they are out upon it. That generally fixed upon, is the Grands Mulets Rocks, whence the traveller departs on the second morning for the summit, and whither he returns on his descent, either to rest a while if he means to accomplish the expedition in two days, or to sleep again, if he intends or is compelled to devote three to it. The Grands Mulets Rocks are eleven thousand feet above the level of the sea, or less than five thousand feet below the summit of Mont Blanc; and to reach them is generally a sufficient task for one day. Mr. Clissold spent the night much higher, on the Rochers Rouges, not a thousand feet below the summit; and it would seem to be desirable that the traveller should get as high as he car the first day, that he may have abundance of time to gain the summit, and descend it the next. The height, however, at which it would be proper for him to sleep, must depend on the length and coldness of the nights. Clarke is of opinion, in spite of the general practice, that no person should think of sleeping on the Grands Mulets Rocks the first night. "To do so," he says, "is to incur no trifling danger. With the finest possible weather, and the utmost exertion, we found it no very easy task to reach the summit and return before night. A shower of rain, or the most trifling accident, would have proved rather serious. Having found, however, so much difficulty in mustering the requisite number of guides, it was clear either that the journey must be entirely abandoned, or the manner of prosecuting it left entirely to their direction. After much discussion, therefore, we consented to encamp the first night on the Grands Mulets rocks, and Coutet, (one of the guides,) repeated his waggish suggestion, that we should, probably, next morning, quietly walk down again,-a termination of the voyage which he said had happened to him on very many occasions before."

Dr.

In his preparations for the journey, the traveller is always directed by the guides, and others whose local experience qualifies them to play the part of counsellors. A supply of clothes rather stronger and more substantial than his ordinary garments, must be provided; as also shoes studded with iron nails, especially at the heels, gaiters, green veils, and, perhaps, green spectacles. "Other articles," says Mr. Jackson, "necessary to be taken, were two blankets, a long sheet for a tent, a saucepan to dissolve the snow for water, ropes about fifteen feet long to secure each other in passing dangerous places; a hatchet for cutting steps in the ice and frozen snow; and for each of us a pole about six feet in length, with a spike in the end." Concerning the provisions which it is customary to take, we will quote Dr. Clarke's bill of fare, the party consisting of himself, Captain Sherwill, and seven guides:-" twentyone bottles of vin ordinaire, one bottle of Cognac brandy, one bottle of vinegar, one toupelle of syrup, two of sirop de vinaigre, two bottles of old Neuchatel wine, two bottles of claret, seven loaves, five pounds of cheese, two pounds and a half of sugar, and lemons, three pounds of raisins and prunes, nine cold fowls, eight joints of veal and mutton. These provisions, he adds, were all packed in havresacks, and sent on by porters to the edge of the glacier, where we were to breakfast. These porters the guides thought proper to hire themselves, that they might be less embarrassed in ascending the base of the mountain, and be ready to embark on the ice with unimpaired vigour."

The route, on quitting the Prieuré, lies for a little distance along the valley towards its south-western extremity, as far as the village des Pélérins. Here it quits the valley and ascends the mountain by the southern end of that great buttress which extends in front of the Prieuré more than two miles on each side of it, and of which the northern end is the "Montanvert," overhanging the Glacier des Bois. The ascent is by the side of the Glacier des Bossons, which flanks this buttress on the south, just as the Glacier des Bois flanks it on the north. It lies at first through a fine forest, on emerging from which it becomes by degrees more steep and troublesome, but it is practicable for mules

for about three hours from the Prieuré. The Châlet de la Para, the last human habitation, is reached in about an hour and a half; the prospect from this point is described by Dr. Clarke as perfectly delightful. "At the northeastern extremity of the valley before us rose the lofty green passage of the Col-de-Balme, then came the red craggy thunder-smitten pinnacles of the Aiguilles Rouges, (the Acroceraunia of the valley,) then directly opposite to us the long fine woods and bare broken summit of the Breven; then, turning a little round, the bold calcareous turrets of the Aiguille de Varens, partly covered by a low mass of white cloud. Then came the green hills closing the other end of the valley of Chamouni. Looking directly downwards, you saw under your feet the dark pine woods at the back of the mountain, intersected by the white stony torrent that had burst itself several channels to form the Arve. Then further on, numerous brown châlets, dispersed irregularly among the parallelograms of yellow corn, or green hemp, or flax, or clover. A little, further the clustered village of Chamouni, and the light tin-covered spire of the church. Turning your back on the village, and rising a little from the valley, you have a long line of tall thick dark-green pines, forming a most beautiful back ground to the white icy pinnacles of the rugged Glacier des Bossons, which projects far down into the smiling vale beneath. Then higher up you found above you the Aiguille du Goûté, and the huge bulk of the Dome du Goûté shining like polished silver in the morning sun; and still higher, and directly over head, the snowy pinnacles of the monstrous Aiguille du Midi; its base covered with ice, and lower down with moss, heath, juniper, rhododendron, &c."

The mules are quitted at the Pierre Pointue, a sort of stone-tent, formed of a vast block on one side, and a wall of uncemented pieces on the other side. " The mouth is open, but when once within you are tolerably snug. Here the solitary goatherd and part of his flock find

occasional shelter from the pelting storm and biting blast." The only remarkable passage in the remainder of the route to the foot of the Aiguille du Midi, as it is customary to call the top of the buttress upon which the traveller has ascended from the valley, or the point at which he quits it to enter upon the ice, is a ledge of rock in the side of the mountain, overhanging the Glacier des Bossons. This occurs soon after leaving the Pierre Poin tue. "We proceeded," says Mr. Auldjo," by a narrow footway, or ledge, in the face of the cliff, in some places perpendicular and in others overhanging the abysses below. This track is partly natural, but in some places improved by the people of the valley; and a tolerably accurate idea of it may be formed by imagining, that against a precipice, of some hundred feet in height, a wall of two feet thick was built about half way up, and the path consisted merely of the space on the top of the wall, which was frequently so narrow, that, we were under the necessity of advancing sideways with our faces towards the rock, because the ordinary breadth of a man's shoulders would have thrown the balance of his person over the edge of the precipice. The track was also slippery and covered with loose stones, the crumbling materials of the decaying rock around points of which we sometimes wound, now climbing, and then with greater difficulty descending, or rather letting ourselves down from one pinnacle to another; so that this part of our journey, though less perilous than our subsequent ascents and descents in the icy precipices of the glaciers, was yet sufficient to try the nerve of a novice, and to require the utmost caution in the movement of even the most experienced of the guides."

We have given a view of this passage in page 129. The engraving in page 133, and that below, illustrate subsequent parts of the ascent, of which we shall speak in our next number.

SOUL BE WITHOUT

Magazine.

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE PEASANTRY. We have already made our readers acquainted with the habitations and dress of the Russian peasantry, it remains for us to endeavour to trace a few of their national, physical, and moral characteristics.

The Russian, generally, is of middle stature; the shoulders square, and the chest full; the muscular system of the upper extremities is strongly developed, but, averse to foot-exercise, his step is deficient in firmness and energy, and his limbs are feeble and ill formed, a natural consequence of the practice general among the peasantry, of swathing the legs in thick bandages of coarse linen or wollen cloth, bound on by cords of birch-bark; his forehead is straight and narrow, his nose turned up or clubbed; his eyes small, round, and of hazel colour, glistening with an expression of deep low cunning, mingled with a merry leer, contrast most ludicrously with the gravity of his bushy beard, that falls over his brawny neck and ample chest; his hair brown and curly, varying in shade from the almost flaxen colour of the northern to the dark hue, approaching to black, of the southern provinces, is shorn straight round the head and over the eyebrows, in one continuous line, to ensure the regularity of which they put a deep wooden bowl upon the head and cut round its edge.

The excessive severity of the climate deadens, in a VOL. XI.

great measure, the delicacy of the organs of taste and smell (a fact of which the traveller too soon finds ample proof); the sense of hearing, however, is in comparison, usually very acute. His voice is strong, masculine, and harmonious. Deformities are comparatively rare; excessive want of cleanliness, and the severity of their mode of life, rendering it all but impossible for children of weak constitutions to survive, and sweeping off incredible numbers, even of those who, had a little common prudence and care been paid to their physical education, might have become efficient members of the community. In Moscow, the average population of which is estimated at about 280,000 to 300,000, nearly 5000 children, a number equalling one-half of the births, never attain the age of one year. The natural fondness of children displayed by the peasant, his innate courtesy of manners to strangers, contrast strangely with his harsh uncouth appearance.

In temperament he is warm, but very rarely vindictive. Impetuous and grossly abusive in language when irritated by an equal, but cringing to a superior, at whose feet, if he have offended him, he will throw himself, kissing the very ground,-ever cautious in proceeding to blows, he generally contents himself with a fury of words and angry vituperation, accompanied by abundant spitting. A fatalist in

338

principle, his courage is that of endurance rather | than of action, rather physical than moral; an exemplification of this is given in Count Segur's interesting narrative of the Campaign in Russia. He states that a body of Russian troops having been ordered to take up a position on the field of Borodino, drew up, in consequence of some error in the transmission of orders, within the range of a French battery of heavy metal, but ill supported, where they remained passive, whilst the French poured in a deadly fire, which swept their ranks and almost annihilated the corps. which made no attempt to carry the battery, as might have been done with comparatively little loss. The lower classes have so utter an abhorrence of military service, that, like the "Murci" of the degenerated Romans, they will frequently cut off a finger, or otherwise mutilate themselves, to secure an exemption. Among other expedients they sometimes thrust into the ear a berry of the Daphne mezereum, which produces a continued serous discharge without blistering. The practice so widely prevailed at one time, as to produce a repeal of the regulation by which those who had lost a finger, an eye, or a front tooth, were declared unfit for service. Hospitality is a national virtue, most freely and cordially exercised among all classes,-charity towards the destitute is equally characteristic. In the humblest cabin of the most miserable village, the poor beggar, "kindly told to stay," is sure of finding food and warm shelter for the night, and a store of provisions for the morning's journey. This undisThis undiscriminating benevolence is, however, productive of an evil strongly felt in the large towns, where beggars, not from necessity, but from choice, actually swarm; and so lucrative is mendicity found, particularly by those who have the good fortune to possess any deformity, that they frequently pay a handsome abrok, or capitation tribute, to the lord of the soil to which they are attached, rather than abandon their degrading vocation, and return to labour in their native village.

He pre

In general the Russian has little taste for agriculture, the product of which is obtained only by that continued labour to which his volatile and inconstant temperament renders him strongly averse. fers the trade of the city, but, at the same time, is wholly incapable of entering into the spirit of commercial enterprise. There may be individual exceptions, but, as a body, the Russians never have been, nor will they ever become, distinguished for mercantile energy. The shopkeeper has no idea of establishing his credit by the sale of good articles, and by taking a moderate profit; he purchases as cheaply as he can, no matter the quality, and sells at any price he can get, no matter by what means,—always demanding much more than he will eventually take. The writer of this paper has frequently purchased at one-fifth the price asked; in one instance he purchased, from curiosity, for about 3d. a knife, for which the dealer asked four roubles,-nearly 3s. 6d. I assure you, sir," said the dealer, "I lose by it."- "Then why do you sell it?" "Why, the fact is, that the extent of my sales makes it answer my purpose," replied the man. Their utter disregard of all veracity and honour in their little trading transactions is inconceivably great. A bold barefaced lie seems more familiar to their lips than truth, nor will they blush for it when discovered; and, what is still more awful, the more impudent the falsehood, the more earnestly will they invoke their Maker to attest its truth.

As manufacturer, the Russian possesses, in the highest degree, the art of imitation, but he is inca

pable of carrying any branch of manufacture to perfection, contenting himself with giving his articles an external elegance of form, and totally disregarding the essential of useful solidity. The cutlery rivals in appearance the productions of the first Sheffield houses, with whose name it is generally stamped, but there all comparison ends. The woollen cloths are so highly finished, as to deceive any but a very good judge, but they are rotten in texture, and fugi. tive in colour. In fact, the same miserable shortsighted policy is visible in every branch of manufacture. The Russian, of every class, enters eagerly into any new project, but his ardour relaxes in proportion as difficulties become more serious, and is extinguished, the moment that a certainty of a conderable profit and immediate return no longer sustains his energies.

A great proportion of the peasantry from all parts of the empire, resort in the vigour of their age to the capitals, where they find employment as potters. (Drornikë,) coachmen, (Izvoshtehikë,) handicraftsmen and street hawkers. Some succeed in realizing a little money, furnishing a petty shop, or establishing a small manufactory. Scarcely one in ninety ends. his days in the cities, by far the larger proportion quitting them, when old age, sickness, or intemperance, impairing their physical energies, incapacitates them from labour, return to their native villages, and to the bosom of their families, where the universal respect which is paid to old age and infirmity, ensure for the decrepit, kind treatment, and a quiet shelter, in which to linger out in tranquillity the remnant of his days.

The life of a Russian artisan is one of the most comfortless that can be conceived. Crowded together in low small rooms, unventilated, and heated in Winter to an insupportable temperature, they pass day after day without breathing the fresh air, and without even passing the threshold. In the selfsame room they work, and take their meals, and on its floor they sleep, wallowing in filth, and breathing an atmosphere so corrupted, so surcharged with disgusting pestiferous effluvia, that a stranger can scarcely endure it even for a few moments, whilst half an hour would be more than enough for the strongest nerves not utterly callous. The consequence is, that their appearance generally is in the highest degree unhealthy, their complexions have a livid cadaverous hue, their eyes are sunken, and of lead-like dulness, their limbs weak, their gait stooping and unequal. Wholly destitute of any healthful relaxation, either intellectual or physical, the only relief to which their uncultivated minds and enfeebled frames are disposed, is the brutalizing excitement of ardent spirits, and to this they eagerly fly at every leisure hour, so long as they possess the means of procuring it.

Never have we looked at those pitiable beings without feelings of the deepest commiseration, and without thinking of the happier, healthy, and intellectual operatives of our own heaven-favoured land. We have seen much of the misery of the manufacturing districts of London, and of the country, but we have never witnessed anything approaching in the slightest degree to the filth, the wretchedness, the moral and physical debasement of the Russian mechanic*. The only real comfort they enjoy is in the use of the vapourbath, to which they resort in droves, on the vigil of a festival, to rid themselves of the weekly accumulation of filth and vermin. No class is more deserving of pity, and few share it less, till they return in prema

The Russians universally, and in a common way, employ the words "Tcheorn," filth literally, or "Tcheornié Lioude," filthy people, to designate the labouring classes.