“Having thus been entertained with truly imperial hospitality for the entire day, ending with this sumptuous entertainment, we descended once more to the carriages and drove to the quay, where a large barge belonging to the Jean d’Acre, English man-of-war (which is the ship put in commission for the service of Lord Granville), manned by stalwart man-of-war’s-men, was waiting to take the English party of nobles, etc., on board the steam-yacht.  When all were collected we left Peterhoff and were soon on board.  The weather was fine and the moon soon rose over the palace of Peterhoff, looking for a moment like one of the splendid gilded domes of the palace.

“On board the yacht I had much conversation with Lord Granville, who brought the various members of his suite and introduced them to me,—­Sir Robert Peel; the young Earl of Lincoln, the son of the Duke of Newcastle, who, when himself the Earl of Lincoln in 1839, showed me such courtesy and kindness in London; Mr. Acton, a nephew of Lord Granville, with whom I had some conversation in which, while I was speaking of the Greek religion as compared with the Romish, he informed me he was a Roman Catholic.  I wished much to have had more conversation with him, but the time was not suitable, and the steamer was now near the end of the voyage.

“We landed at the quay in St. Petersburg about eleven o’clock, and I reached my lodgings in the Hotel de Russie about twelve, thus ending a day of incidents which I shall long remember with great gratification, having only one unpleasant reflection connected with it, to wit that my dear wife, my niece and our friend Miss L. were not with me to participate in the pleasure and novelty of the scenes.”

CHAPTER XXXVI

AUGUST 28, 1856—­SEPTEMBER 16, 1858

Berlin.—­Baron von Humboldt.—­London, successful cable experiments with Whitehouse and Bright.—­Banquet at Albion Tavern.—­Flattering speech of W.F.  Cooke.—­Returns to America.—­Troubles multiply.—­Letter to the Honorable John Y. Mason on political matters.—­Kendall urges severing of connection with cable company.—­Morse, nevertheless, decides to continue.—­Appointed electrician of company.—­Sails on U.S.S.  Niagara.—­ Letter from Paris on the crinoline.—­Expedition sails from Liverpool.—­ Queenstown harbor.—­Accident to his leg.—­Valencia.—­Laying of cable begun.—­Anxieties.—­Three successful days.—­Cable breaks.—­Failure.—­ Returns to America.—­Retires from cable enterprise.—­Predicts in 1858 failure of apparently successful laying of cable.—­Sidney E. Morse.—­The Hare and the Tortoise.—­European testimonial:  considered niggardly by Kendall.—­Decorations, medals, etc., from European nations.—­Letter of thanks to Count Walewski.

His good democratic eyes a trifle dazzled by all this imperial magnificence, Morse left St. Petersburg and, with his party, journeyed to Berlin.  What was to him the most interesting incident of his visit to that city is thus described:—­