BOOKS.

HILL'S TRAVELS IN SIBERIA.* MR. RILL has the love of locomotion very strong in him. He has been round the world, without any other object, apparently, than to see and be seen. And, to judge from the portion of his explorations before us, neither fatigue nor obstacles of a common kind retarded him. From Moscow to Kiachta and Maimatchin, the frontier towns or rather depots of Russia and China, some ten degrees of latitude from the great wall—from Irkoutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia, thence down the river Lena to the fur-depot of Yakoutsk, and on, across a wilderness of swamps,-torrents, and mountains, to the port of Oehotsk on the sea of the same name, and finally, on a voyage in a Russian vessel to Kamtschatka—all is more or less of discomfort or endurance, though much more on land than on water. A diligence runs from Moscow to Novgorod at least about fair time, which seems no worse than stage-coaches in other places that travel day and night, only there are no meals or com- forts to be had on the road : but for the kindness of passen- gers, our traveller would have mortified the carnal creature much against his will. After leaving Novgorod the labour of Rus- sian travelling begins. On, on, on' day and night, for days or even weeks together, till, what with tension, fatigue, jolting, and indifferent fare, the traveller becomes a patient, and falls sick, to get acclimatized so to speak. In Mr. Hill's journey from Novgorod to Tomsk in Western Siberia, he and a mercantile companion, whom he joined as knowing more of the people's ways, had a touch of travelling fever at Kazan, once the capital of European Tartary.

"After this interview with the polite German, we returned to our hotel, but not to follow up the plans we had severally laid down ; for towards the middle of the day, when the heat was excessive, we found our restless night had been but the forerunner, in both our cases, of decided fever.

"We were not at first aware, though we soon afterwards learned, that we were, however, only in the ordinary condition of travellers in the interior of Russia, who rarely escape an atter of fever commencing between the fourth and tenth day of their journey, and which usually endures from three to ten, but 'sometimes for twenty days, yet is rarely attended with fatal consequences. Even the feld-jagers, which are the Government couriers between the distant parts of the empire who make the longest journies in an incredibly short space of time, and vibe are, moreover, men chosen for their strength of con- stitution and hardihood, and to whom travelling is the sole occupation of their lives, seldom escape this visitation, and are even often attacked as early as the third day of their journey."

To the discomforts en route even on the great roads of Russia in Europe, and the fever which follows them, add an excess of cold, (for Mr. Hill made part of his journies in the depth of winter,) when frost-bites are common in spite of every precaution, and even the slumber of death may overtake the wayfarer, and the reader will see that our author's travels were no child's play or vocational tour. In his winter's residence in Siberia, though not much be- yond the fiftieth parallel of North latitude, the cold was sometimes so intense that most people avoided the open air.

Theobald remarked that the object of Milton in " L'Allegro " and "Il Penseroso " was to show how objects derive their colours from the mind. Johnson considered that the poet's aim was rather to show how, "among the successive variety of appearances, every disposition of mind takes hold on those by which it may be gra- tified." In books of travels both these peculiarities appear, with- out any design on the part of the writers. They take hold of those things which attract them most, and colour conclusions ac- cording to their dispositions. Unlike the generality of travellers in Russia, Mr. Hill's disposition is highly favourable to the piety of the people, the paternal feelings of the Emperor, the efforts made by the upper classes in favour of education and national ad- vancement; while Czar, nobles, people, and institutions, are all capital together, or where there is any evil it is a legacy of the past or of necessity. Unluckily, the panegyrist's particular facts almost continually contradict his general representations. We have seen the hygienic results of travelling in Russia; part of it attributable to the state of the roads, which in a despotic country are under the control of Government. The greater part of it, how- ever, is owing to the necessity of continually going on because of the thinness of the population, the infrequency of towns, and the impossibility of resting, much more of sleeping, in the miserable post-houses : yet the Russian Government achieves more difficult things than erecting what in India is called a bungalow as a rest- house, though even the power of the Autocrat might be insuffi- cient to keep it clean. Last week, we intimated that De Lagny's picture of the domestic interiors of St. Petersburg seemed too filthy to be true. It is but just to the Frenchman to say that Mr. Hill's account of some of the peasants' hovels into which he was com- pelled to put his body were as bad as anything Be Lagny de- scribes ; and probably town and country are much alike in the Russian dominions. Our traveller attended a public punish- ment, not by the knout, for the name is changed, but the affair was as revolting as the scenes of The _Knout and the Russians, painted by Be Lagny. Mr. Hill, like Mr. Shirley Brooks, speaks of the greater politeness and freedom from corruption of the higher order of Russian officials ; and, no doubt, they do their business more smoothly than the soldiery and police,—though it may be observed in passing, that our author obtained a letter from the English Ambassador, and another from Nesselrode, permitting him to travel in Siberia. The arrival of a Governor-General of Eastern Siberia, who manifested a disposition to inquire into abuses, threw the entire body of officials into a

• Travels in Siberia. By S. S. Hill, Esq. In two volumes. Published by Long- MIA and co.

frightful panic. The following little trait of Russian proceedings on the road, though the great man himself, it was subsequently found, " knew nothing about them," is indicative of the respect for rights which obtains in Mr. Hill's model empire. The pro- fessor of the extract was a Frenchman, a teacher of languages, who had resided in the country for years, and joined our author and his friend on their journey.

" While, however, we were seated, free from care, over our tea, the un- pleasant news was brought us, that the civil Governor of Eastern Siberia had unexpectedly arrived, on his way to the seat of his government, Irkutsk, and that his attendants, finding a scarcity of horses, had very unceremoniously seized upon six of the eight we had engaged ; and as the professor, our guide and counsellor in all difficulties that regarded the laws and usages of the country, recommended our taking no notice of a proceeding so strange to those less acquainted with the customs existing among this people, we deter- mined to consider ourselves only unfortunate, and bear with patience what we could not remedy. * * * * We had some idea, indeed, in the midst of resignation, of going to the Governor, who, we thought, might chance to know nothing of the conduct of his servants, to endeavour to get him, if possible, to share with us all the horses that were to be obtained, in something like a just proportion to the wants of both parties. But his excellency was at the opposite end of the village, and the passage to and fro, without more horses than we now had, was next to impossible ; and our prudent adviser still feared, that if we did reach the house at which the Governor was breakfast- ing, in case of ill success, we might get out of temper, and do ourselves more mischief than any we could receive from the becoming patience which he re- commended : so we remained uncomplainingly resigned.' * * * "We had not, however, sulked away an hour, before a peasant arrived, to say that there were now all the horses we wanted at our service, and the very best in the village, and quite fresh, with which we might proceed. This knowing fellow, it appeared, had outwitted the attendants of the Gover- nor. Ile had timely heard of his excellency's approach to the village, which had been some time expected, with three equipages; and he knew very well that all the horses that could be obtained would be required for the represent- ative of the Sovereign to dash through the mud at apace that would become a man of high rank • and, not caring to expose his horses to such usage, espe- cially for a gage inferior to that which he would receive from the foreigners, he had hid away his best beasts, and had paraded out such as were unfit for the journey, with the air of a loyal subject most forward to aid his Sove- reign's high officer on his tiresome way.

'I love the Emperor,' said the man, with whom we had now some joking about the manner in which he had outwitted the Governor's attendants ; but I like my horses better than any of his officers, and I will not risk the loss of them when a little management may save them.' "

There are continual flourishes about Bunion piety and priests. A contrasting picture of a Mahometan village unfortunately shakes the general panegyric.

"As we drove up to the Mussulman's house, which was a neat dwelling, placed within a court and a little aside from the road, a smart-looking lass of ten or twelve years of age came out, with her face half covered, and though evidently too much pleased to see strangers to have any inclination to retreat, Moslem-like, took no notice of our yemstchik's demand, if indeed she understood it, whether the good man of the house was at home. The merchant, however, made his appearance before we had time to alight. He was dressed in a shinier style to the richer sort of the Arabs of Syria ; and with more taste or exactness than the greater part of the Tatars we saw at Kazan, or in any of the villages of Russia. After him, came out three or four children of both sexes, all neatly attired. Then another well-attired Tatar, who we learned was a brother of the merchant, appeared, to greet our arrival ; and after all the arrangements were made for horses, and for some repairs to our carriage which it again needed, the merchant invited Us to enter his dwelling. "We found everything as neat and appropriate within the house as with- out; and although we did not see what were doubtless its chief ornaments, the wife or wives, and the elder daughters of our hiussulman host, we saw evidences enough of superior comfort in the divans, stools, and materials of the ménage' to convince us of the well-regulated lives of its inhabitants. We breakfasted upon sweetmeats and coffee ; after which we sat down, on the merchant's divans and smoked our chiboocks. It was to myself like a dream of Egypt or Syria, which fair lands now became the subject of our conversa- tion.

"The Tatars were in raptures when I informed them that I bad visited those countries ; and they put many questions to me concerning what I knew of the Mussulman life there ; to which it was highly agreeable to reply, with as faithful descriptions as my experience, reading, and memory, slid our

means of intercourse through a translation, permitted. * * *

"I passed by several of the farm-houses ; and wherever I saw any of their habitants, I made the Arab salaam used in Egypt, in touching the forehead and the breast with the right hand, and uttering. the words 'Es seism° aley keen' (' Peace be with you '); which was certainly understood, though I did not comprehend the reply which I received. "All the Tatars here seemed as busily occupied as if they had been Chris-. tian men in our own Britain. One or two that were at their doors, invited use to enter; but as I could not hold any conversation with them, I declined, indicating as well as I was able that time did not permit my. stay. One of the good men, however, who seemed determined that his meaning should not be misinterpreted, brought me out some milk to drink; which was very grate- ful after the sweets and coffee upon which we had just breakfasted. "All I saw about these rural habitations exhibited the same respect for propriety and cleanliness which had been apparent at the merchant's. 'There were to be seen, indeed, indications of that happiness which it has been so justly said is oftener found in the retired dwellings of competence and con- tent than amid the splendour of the court or the turmoil of populous cities. And I will take this occasion to say, that no one could travel thus far, and hear and see all that fell under our observatien concerning the lives and condition of the inhabitants of these Tatar villages, and compare them with the condition and state of morals generally in even the better sort of vil- lages inhabited by the Russo-Siberians without regretting the inferior suc- cess of the Popes [priests] to that of the Mussulman Imanme in their lessons for enforcing attention to cleanliness and all the accompanying decencies of life, as well as in implanting those virtues which are so essential to the peace and security and proper conduct of the family life."

Siberia is in fact a penal colony. The visitor must therefore look for a low moral tone ; though the number of political exiles and their descendants ought in some degree to dominate over if not to influence the common criminals. But the picture drawn by Mr. Hill is without parallel, we suppose. Servants, of wars°, are of the order of Australian "ticket-of-leave men," and here is a. couple of them: we quote not for what the men were in Tomsk, but in Russia.

"My worthy host, indeed, did not know when he engaged them to which class of the ' unfortunates' they belonged. They had suffered their scourg- ing, branding, and transportation ; and by the laws and customs of society they were now regarded as other ordinary rogues, and, like the rest, were freer than they were in Russia before their conviction. They might, in- deed, have passed for mere whipped thieves, were it not that their shame was perpetuated, like that of the first murderer, by a mark that the Russian law sets upon the foreheads of these criminals. They had been engaged with their caps over their brows and over their temples, which were both marked, and mine host's eyes were not of the best. When the circum- stance, however, of our having two actual murderers in the house became known, 'Albinos' called them into our common apartment, and questioned them concerning the particulars of the sad events which the marks upon their foreheads and temples disclosed ; hoping to hear some extenuating ex- planation. Their answers, however, were the reverse of this. One of them, in reply, said, quite jocosely, that he was sent into Siberia for stealing a man's cap, which was of velvet, and very tempting, without taking it off his head. Be seemed, indeed, to be well satisfied with the notoriety he en- joyed. The other said, very coolly, that he was one of several sent into exile for showing an old lady, who was their mistress, the shortest way to heaven, by strangling her while she was sleeping, upon a journey on which they were conducting her. They were her serfs, be also said, and they mur- dered her on account of the severity with which she had treated them ; but if they had been free, he added, they would not have done it. Yet it could not, he said, matter greatly ; for she was old, and would not have lived much longer."

Yet Mr. Hill rather inclines to the practical planterlike view of the " institution " (for few advocate slavery in the abstract) ; and so it is throughout. Particular instances of filth, brutality, ig- norance, drunkenness, corruption, tyranny, are ever confuting the author's favourable opinions of things in general. The Yakoutes of Siberia, "barbarians" converted by ukase, and retaining pagan practices in secret, are far better than the Russians. - There are very many more striking sketches in the work than this sketch of Kiachta, but we take it as a curiosity—the border- line of the Russians and Chinese.

• "This remarkable little town lies in a valley between the same two ranges of hills which confine the town of Troitskosavsk. and is built upon an in- clined plain on the right bank of the stream. It is sufficiently uniform in its plan and construction. A wide square occupies a central position in re- lation to the portions of the town upon three of its sides, but touches the neutral ground between the two great empires on the fourth side. Ita upper part is formed by a church, which is in the centre, and the palace of the Russian Governor. Upon the lower side appear houses of an inferior grade, between which short streets conduct to the river. Upon the side at which we entered the square, which was opposite to that of the neutral ground, appeared the better sort of the private houses and two short streets. But towards the Chinese frontier there is only a palisade which marks the bounds of the neutral ground, and at the lower end of which there is a gate and a guard-house. Beyond this frail defence, at the distance of half a verst, ap- peared the walls of the Chinese town, above which were seen rising two gaudy pagodas, and one or two gilded flag-staffs.

"The proper town of Kiachta consists merely of the streets above-men- tioned. But there are also here large storehouses for the tea and other Chinese merchandise, which may arrive at a season when it cannot be con- veniently forwarded to Russia. These are placed apart from the private buildings, in the rear of the church, beyond the upper part of the square. "The private houses of Kiachta probably do not exceed sixty or seventy in number ; but being ger erally inhabited by the agents of the merchants, many of them are painted; which gives to the place, upon the whole, an agreeable aspect. The population of Kiachta, I was informed, does not ex- ceed 300 souls.

"I had expected to find here a little Nijhni Novgorod. I was, therefore, surprised at the absence of all appearance of business amidst the mightiest commercial transactions, at the very place of exchange of the products of the two empires to the value annually of many millions of roubles. There was, indeed, rarely, at any of the several times that I came and spent a considerable part of the day here, a dozen men to be seen at the same time in the square or in the streets; and above half that appeared were usually Chinese, wilt might be seen at intervals crossing the square at a creeping pace, in parties of three or four, with their small pipes and tobacco-bags in their hands, and unaccompanied by any Europeans."

As a narrative of travels through rarely-visited regions, and a picture of hardships and privations cheerfully borne, Mr. Hill's volumes are a remarkable work. They are also full of information about the inhabitants, manners, and mode of life in Siberia, pre- sented in the attractive form of incidents and anecdotes. The writer's descriptions and stories, however, are over-detailed, and his narratives are long drawn out. The essentially characteristic information might be condensed into much less space. Of the general opinions, or rather panegyrics, we have already said enough. The accounts of Russian institutions are not new or the result of observation ; in fact, they bear internal evidence of "cramming." The geographical accounts are better, and of more interest ; but, like the general reflections of a rather sermonizing nature, to which Mr. Hill is prone, they encumber a work whose original matter as presented by the author is quite long enough of itself.