The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

ST. PETERSBURG. 337including the huge oblong pile of the Admiralty, surmounted by a gilded tower,the cathedral of St. Isaac, a marble and granite domed nave glittering in gold,malachite, and precious stones ; the vast "Winter Palace, with its long sculpturedfacade rising above the Neva ;and other stately mansions adorned with colonnades,and often surrounded with verdure. Close to the Admiralty, and in a squarewhose granite steps are washed by the Neva, stands the famous equestrian statueof Peter the Great by Falconet, poised on a block 16 feet high, and proudlypointing to the frowning stronghold raised by him in the midst of swamps.Facing the neighbouring Winter Palace stands the Alexander column, a Finlandgranite monolith 76 feet high ; but this remarkable monumeut of human industry isalready crumbling, and will soon have to be kept together by means of iron clamps.A general view of the city may be had from the Admiralty tower, or betterfrom the dome of St. Isaac's. Southwards are seen the diverging lines of thegreat avenues, or" perspectives," amongst them the famous Nevskiy Perspective,flanked by palaces, bazaars, churches, and stretching for about 2 miles to theMoscow railway terminus. The Neva winds east, north, and west under thearches of the great bridges, and nearly opposite the Admiralty it ramifies roundthe island of Yasiliy, on which stand the Exchange, Custom House, and principallearned institutions, such as the University, Academies of Sciences and Fine Arts,Historical and Philological Institute, Physical Observatory. Beyond the buildingsstretch north-westwards the wooded " isles of the Neva," with their windingavenues, kiosks, and pleasure boats. This panoramic view presents many points ofinterest, but there are few quarters which can be visited with pleasure. Like"Washington, Petersburg is a city of " magnificent distances," with interminable,broad, regular, monotonous streets, lined everywhere with the same gloomybarracks, stone or wooden houses, without beauty or originality of design.Nor is it a wholesome place, the annual mortality, as in Odessa, exceeding thebirths, so that but for the constant immigration this swamp-encompassed citywould soon revert to its original state. But so considerable is the inflow, consistingchiefly of young men in the vigour of life, that amongst all European citiesSt. Petersburg is remarkable for the great excess of its male population, generallyaveraging about four to three of the opposite sex. According to the statisticalreturns the proportion was more than double before themiddle of this century,and although most of the men are married, about half of them have left theirwives and families in the provinces. Every part of the empire and all its racesSlavs, Finns, and even Tatars—take part in the yearly immigration. The Tatarschiefly follow the smaller occupations, and are largely engaged as waiters in thefirst-class restaurants, or as old-clothes dealers. There are no less than 50,000Germans following every calling, licit or illicit, from the merchant and bankerto the artisan and smuggler. One Lutheran parish is composed entirely ofGermans by descent, who- have forgotten their mother tongue, and now speakRussian alone. Both public health and morality naturally suffer from thesocial condition, and the rate of illegitimacy was as high as 30 per cent, between1856 and 1865. Infant mortalitv attains fearful proportions, the chronic