At the end of every year, the Russians keep a long fast, and as soon as it is over, lay in their store of winter’s provisions, at a market held once a-year on the river Neva, which is then frozen over.  I should like you to see this market, it is so full of gaiety and singularity, while the high piles of frozen provisions look so picturesque along the ice.  The Russians are remarkable for their cheerfulness and contentment, and are so fond of singing, that they are always enjoying a song when at work.  Russian songs are very different from ours, and sound rather odd to us.

The food of the common people is black rye bread, sometimes, by way of treat, stuffed with onions, carrots, or green corn, and seasoned with sweet oil.  They use eggs, salt fish, bacon, and mushrooms, of which last they have a great plenty.  The men are ordinarily dressed in loose trousers; short coats of sheep-skin, tied with a sash round their waists, and folds of flannel, fastened round with pack-thread, on their legs, for stockings.  The women are dressed just as oddly, in short gowns, and with their hair plaited and hanging down their backs, if they are unmarried; or a cap and cotton kerchief round their heads, if they are married.  The peasants’ houses are built of wood, and have one or two rooms only; they are miserably furnished, with no beds, as the family sleep on benches in summer, while nearly one-fourth of the principal apartment is filled by an enormous stove, or rather oven, upon which they sleep in winter; for the smoke of which, there is no chimney beyond a hole in the wall.  I don’t think you or I would much like to spend a winter in Russia.

Many useful things, you may observe, have come from Spain—­cheeses, honey, dried fruits, salt, lime, wool, oil, flax, and cotton; with guns, swords, and also beautiful ornaments; with some precious stones, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds.  The Spaniards are not either a very active or a very cleanly people, but they are exceedingly proud, honest, and hospitable; they are skilful workers in woollen and silk stuffs, and manufacture sword-blades of a very fine kind; while their leather is celebrated for its superiority.  They also work beautifully in gold and silver; and trade in immense quantities of those oranges you like so well, lemons, citrons, grapes, raisins, olives, nuts, and wines.

The chief amusement of both high and low is one which neither you nor I would be pleased with, I hope, for it is bull-fighting; which cruel entertainment they learned from the Moors, who once had possession of Spain, and built all the beautiful castles and palaces that are in it.  The manners of the rich people are merely like those of our own gentry, but the common people are very peculiar; and all classes delight in playing on the guitar, and singing, both of which they perform charmingly.  They have also two favourite dances, called a fandango, and a bolero, both extremely lively and graceful.  The mode of conveyance in Spain is by mules, and these beasts are surprisingly obedient to their masters, and answer to their own names just like our own pet dogs.  The tails of the mules are oddly decorated, by cutting the hair into stars, flowers, and other fanciful designs.