prepared the poifon, which the lady administered to him at dinner in a glafs of wine. News coming to the father of his fon's death, and the fup. pofed caufe, he immediately repaired to the King, and throwing himself at his feet, befought juftice. The King, incenfed at the lady's crime, ordered

I.

her to be burnt at the take. The ballad clofes with her lamentation and admonition to every dame to take warning from her fall.

This ballad (fays Mr Pinkerton) is now first published *; whether it has any real foundation the editor cannot be pofitive, tho' it is very likely.

Shyning was the pointed ha

Wi gladium torches bricht;
Full twenty gowden dames fat there,
And ikane by a knicht:
Wi mufic cheir,
To please the eir,
Whan bewtie pleas'd the ficht.
II.

Wi Gunning fkill his gentle meid
To chant, or warlike fame,
Ilk damfel to the minstrels gied
Some favorit chieftan's name:
"Sing Salton's praife,"
The lady fays

In fuith the was to blame.
III.

"By my renown ye wrang me fair,'
Quoth hautie Woodhouse Lie,
"To praise that youth o' fma report,
"And never deim on me;

"When ilka dame

"Her fere cold name, "In a this companie."

IV.

The morn the to her nourice geed: "O meikle do I feir

"My Lord will flay me, fin yeftrene "I prais'd my Salton deir.

"I'll hae nae ease.
"Till Hevin it pleafe,
"That Flye on my beir."
V.

"Mair wold I lay him on his beir,” The crafty nourice faid;

"My faw gin ye will heid but anes "That fall nae be delaid." "O nourice fay, "And, by my fay, "Ye fall be weil appaid." VI.

"Take ye this drap o deidly drug, "And put it in his cup,

"When ye gang to the gladfum ha, "And fit ye down to fup: "When he has gied "To bed bot dreid,. He'll never mair rife up.

PE

is

ETERSBURG, with all its itately palaces and gilded domes, fituated in the midst of a wood, as wild and barren as any in the north. It presents a wonderful picture of what power and genius can accomplish. Independently of art, the Neva is its only ornament: a dead, fandy, flat country,covered with brush wood, furrounds it upon every fide; a few miferable huts, scattered about, com, plete the scene.

Petersburg is the emporium for naval, Mofcow for rural affairs. The Ruffian Empire, extending over a confiderable part of Europe and Afia, must have a capital city to every kingdom of which it confifts. Toboliky is the chief city of the Ruffian dominions under the pole, and bordering upon China; Petro Paulousky, of the eaftern countries adjoining to America and Japan; Orenburg, of the provinces bordering upon Tartary and India; Cafan and Aftrakan, of kingdoms of the fame name, near the frontiers of Perfia; Cherfon, of the Crimea and provin ces adjoining and Kioff and Mohilow, of the Ukraine and Little and White Ruffra bordering upon Turkey and Poland.

The city of Petersburg is not huddled together: it fpreads out like the wings of the Imperial eagle. The principal quarter ftands upon the continent, and upon the fouth banks of the river Neva; the fecond divifion is what is called Old Petersburg, and is fituated upon feveral islands toward the north banks; the third quarter upon Williams ifland, in the middle channel of the Neva, between the other two. This noble river, after embracing the whole in its course, empties itself into the Gulph of Fin

land immediately below the city. The old city, originally built on one ifland, bearing its name, now ftretches over feveral leffer ones. It is very irregularly built, and confifts chiefly of wooden houfes: here, however, aie the first objects that draw attention

the citadel, in which is the cathedral, a fine pile of building, with its gilded fpire and turrets; whofe fparkling grandeur ftrikes the eye at a great distance, and marks the facred fpot where lie interred the remains. of Peter I. and his Emprefs, the Livonian villager, Catharine I. This is the Ruffian Mecca, and none but infidels will neglect to make pilgrimage to it. Mahomet's fplendid impofture collects together a crowd of vagrant Turks and Arabs; but the mausoleum of Peter attracts the philofopher as well as the warrior, from every corner of enlightened Europe: the first admires the legislator; the fecond comes to touch the bones of Scanderbeg!

The boat which gave Peter the idea of building a navy, is carefully preferved in a small house near the fepulchre: it is emphatically, called the Grand Sire. Before this relic was depofited here, a naval review took place at Cronstadt: the Grand Sire had the honour of carrying the admiral's flag, and received a gene ral falute from the Ruffian fleet.

Some will fay, that the Ruffian nation is not yet civilized; and that Peter only began the work of civilization-of arts and sciences. What a narrow thought! When the work is finished it is his. Will fucceeding monarchs think themselves difgraced in being named the difciples of this immortal Prince? He gave the plan of the building-he laid the founda

sions,

tions, and reared a part of the walls! Succeeding Monarchs are his workmen, his bricklayers, flaters, carpen ters, painters, and upholsterers.

Catharine II. is the most diflinguished of Peter's work people, and has made fuch elegant improvements upon the original plan, that it is fo far become her own. The hatchet was the Emperor's favourite inftru. ment: his work was ufeful, but unpolished. He feemed to be fenfible of this, and early called in the afliftance of a female. Another Catharine is born to him: the fine arts go hand in hand with thofe of war, of agriculture and commerce.

From old Petersburg we proceed along a bridge of boats to Williams Ifland. Upon the north fide, and fronting the old town, are the merchants wharfs, the exchange, the cuftom-house, and warehoufes. In the river, between Old Petersburg and Williams Ifland, lie all the veffels that take down to Cronstadt the produce of Ruffia, to the larger foreign fhips, that cannot come to Petersburg, the channel being narrow and shallow at the mouth of the river. These. veffels likewife bring from Cronstadt all goods imported, landing them at the cuftom-houfe to fecure the duties. The fouth fide of Williams Island fronts the new city of Peterf burg; and here is built a fuperb line of houses, among which are the Imperial Academies and the Museum. The Imperial Academy of Sciences is a grand structure, and is amply endowed for its fupport. The profeffors are eminent in the republic of letters, and are of different nations, Her Imperial Majefly, to adorn thofe eftablishments, felects merit from every climate and country.

-The museum is fituated upon the highest and east point of Williams Ifland, oppofite to the Imperial palace upon the continent to the fouth; and the citadel to the north. The west point of this Ifland reaches to

the mouth of the Neva. The museum, I beg her Imperial Majefiy's pardon, is a fmall warehoufe, containing famples of the various productions of her empire. This world of dominion furnishes a mufeum of itself; yet no expence has been fpared to complete the collection with every curious production from other countries. Here the naturalift and merchant find equal pleafure; the one views with rapture the veins of gold, filver, and lead, in the native ore; the other confiders how much one hundred weight will produce of pure metal.

The Cadet Corps, or Academy of War, formerly the palace of Prince. Menzi koff, is fituated between the academy of Sciences and the mufeum; is the nursery of young warriors, the fons of the nobility and gentry; and from this feminary of Mars are taken the officers for the army. The palace of the Prince Menzikoff was applied to its prefent ufe by Count Munich. There are a number of buildings adjoining, for the accommodation of the young gentlemen.

The history of Menzikoff is romantic. Raifed from the humbleft ftation to the rank of Prince, then racked upon the wheel of fortune; yet, in every fituation, the military art continued his favourite ftudy. During his banishment in Siberia, the table of his cottage was always covered with maps and plans of the countries, the feats of former wars, and of battles in which he had been engaged; ftill delighting in what had occafioned his fall, and poring over his deftruction! It must appease his manes, that his houfe is ftill the nurfery of war.

Except this line of building upon the banks of the Neva, and another ftreet, the whole of this quarter of the city confifts of wooden houses. Thefe are built very regularly in Atreets interfecting each other at right angles; canals run through the

middle of the fireets; but, owing to the level furface of the ground, the water in them, in the heat of fummer, ftagnates, and is offenfiue.

A bridge of boats crofles the Neva opposite the Cadet Corps, making a communication from Williams Ifland to the grand quarter of the city upon the continent. As you walk along this bridge, you have a front view of the equftrian ftatue of Peter I. which is erected upon the oppofite bank of the river; the horfe, upon the fummit of a rock, majeftically rearing, and pawing the air-feems confcious of his rider he fmells the battle afar off; his neck is clothed with thunder.' Around the ftatue are always feveral · Ruffians, attended by fome biographer.

be condemned, till it fhall certainly be determined which of these two kinds of glory belongs more particularly to him, who has fo well deferved them both; but more especially, which of them was moft ufeful to the happiness of mankind. The habit I have given the ftatue of Peter the Great, is the habit of all nations-of all men-of every age-in a word, it is an heroic habit.'

Upon the right hand of the statue, and to the eaft, is the Admiralty and Dock-yards, and immediately beyond thefe the Imperial palace. At this inftant there are two firft rate fhips of war building under the palace windows! From the admiralty fpire, all the streets run out as radii from the centre of a circle. The principal ftreet is that line of buildings fronting the Neva, for an extent of between three and four English miles. The bank for the fame extent is lined with granite ftone, with baluftrades, and footpath of the fame materials. Near the extremities of this fuperb street, called the Grand Million, and which, taking the course of the Neva, forms a vaft obtufe angle, a canal is cut acrofs the main land, making the base of this angle, and furrounding the city upon the continent to the fouth; fo that this quarter is entirely inclofed, with the Neva on one fide, and this canal upon the other, for an extent of about eight miles; the whole bank lined with granite ftone, having granite baluftrades or iron railing. Over thefe canals are erected drawbridges, likewife built of granite ftone. The quarter without this canal may be deemed the fubrubs; the houses are moftly of wood, but the houses within the canal are moftly of brick, and plaiftered, painted with every variety of colours. No houfe is fufferred to be rebuilt within the canal, of wood, but with brick; and the new is quickly driving the old city out of the gates! Amid thefe modern fabrics, the Ruffian churches every

You can trace, without any knowledge of the language, by the geftures of the orator and his audience, when he is recording the defeat at Narva, or the victory at Pultowa. They add in these orations, that Peter stood upon the very rock which now fupports his effigy, while he beheld the Swedish army fly from the field of battle. I have taken a draw ing of this celebrated work of M. Falconer. I was affifted by an engraving from a drawing of Young, and have endeavoured to correct fome errors in that drawing; or perhaps, his engraver has not done juftice to the drawing. When an heroic monument,' fays M. Falconer, is to be confecrated to the memory of a prince, and this prince has achieved great matters in various and even oppofite departments- he has gained victories in war he has enacted wife laws, and founded establishments conducive to the happiness of his people in time of peace-his academical eulogium may turn upon both these texts: but in a statue, which can reprefent but one inftance, we must confider and choose. If we give a preference to his civil qualities over his military virtues, this preference cannot juftly

where