is the spice of life.  The truth of this profound observation is especially obvious when one has been living for ten weeks in a sunny hotel-room, looking out upon stone pavements.  Besides, one’s senses become somewhat blunted to the joys of moving, if repeated often in a short time, so I determined to forego these same pleasures, handed over all papers to Klueber, gave Engel my keys, explained that I should take up my lodgings in the Stenbock house in a week, and rode to the Moscow station.  That was yesterday, twelve noon, and today early, at eight, I alighted here at the Hotel de France. * * * It lies in the nature of this people to harness slowly and drive fast.  I ordered my carriage two hours ago, and to all inquiries which I have been making about every ten minutes during the last hour and a half they say (Russian), “Ssitschass,” ("immediately"), with unshaken and amiable calm, but there the matter ends.  You know my exemplary patience in waiting, but everything has its limits; hunting comes later, and horses and carriages are broken in the bad roads, so that one finally takes to walking.  While writing I have drunk three glasses of tea and made way with a number of eggs; the attempts at heating up have also been so entirely successful that I feel the need of getting some fresh air.  I should shave myself for very impatience if I had a mirror, in default of which, however, I shall send a greeting to my dear Tata, with yesterday’s stubble beard.  It is very virtuous really that my first thought is always of you whenever I have a moment free, and you should make an example of that fact.  Very rambling is this city, and especially foreign-looking, with its churches and green roofs and countless cupolas, quite different from Amsterdam, but the two are the most original cities that I know.  Not a single German conductor has any idea of the luggage that can be slipped into one of these coupes; not a Russian without two real, covered head-cushions, children in baskets, and masses of provisions of every sort, although they eat five big meals at the stations on the way, breakfast at two, dinner five, tea seven, supper ten; it’s only four, to be sure, but enough for the short time.  I was complimented by an invitation into a sleeping-coupe, where I was worse off than in my easy-chair; it is a wonder to me that so much fuss is made over one night.

Moscow, June 8th.

This city is really, for a city, the most beautiful and original that there is; the environs are pleasant, not pretty, not unsightly; but the view from above out of the Kremlin, over this circle of houses with green roofs, gardens, churches, towers of the most extraordinary shape and color, most of them green or red or light blue, generally crowned on top by a colossal golden bulb, usually five or more on one church, and surely one thousand towers!  Anything more strangely beautiful than all this, lighted by slanting sunset rays, cannot be seen.

[Illustration:  CORONATION OF KING WILLIAM I AT KOeNIGSBERG.  From the Painting by Adolph von Menzel.]