1851-05-31_Letter-A_Alvord-to-MyDearMyrtilla

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St. Petersburg May 30. 1851

My Dear Myrtilla

We arrived Safely & cast anchor at the Guard Ship at Cronstadt last Sabbath at 1 oC PM (25th inst.) & I should have written you immediately, but thought I would wait until I arrived here where I expected to find letters from you—In this however I have been sorely disappointed & have waited for them up to the present time in vain. I suppose you did not expect we should have so short a passage, or did you forget that you were to write in two weeks after my departure—I do not chide you, but Ezra found his letter here as he had expected & have reason to fear that something has happened I hope you are not sick, or that you have been called to watch a-round the Sick bed of one of our little ones—I have had but little else to think of since I left you, I can hardly enjoy any thing now until I hear. From Elsinore I wrote you an a/c of health & prosperity on the voyage which you have probably ere this received—Our passage through the Bathe was delightful—& we remained long enough at Elsinore & receive the hospitality of our Danish friends—& to visit the Elegant Old Castle of Cronborg near the City—Here as you will see in your reading Queen Matilda wife of Christian VII & sister of George III was imprisoned—We say the room which held the imperial Captive—In 5 days from the time I wrote before were were in Cronstadt—with an immense fleet of other ships passing in sight of Copenhagen (the public buildings of which we could examine quite minutely with our glass). the islands of Bornholmd (Danish) Oland & Gottland (Swedish) the pretty spires of whose thickly villages & towns we could see all along the latter island for 150 miles (I counted 15 at one time with a single sweep of the eye) As before, we outsailed every thing around us, & this was by far the most pleasant part of our voyage—such beautiful nights—I did not at any

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time sit up until midnight—but I could read distinctly fine print on deck at 1/2 past 10. It did not seem to be northern light at all but a soft brilliant universal twilight—Until the last day the sea was free from swell, & our ship glided on by night & by day as still as though we had been in a parlor at home. A sailing vessel is vastly more comfortable than a Steamboat in pleasant weather—not a sound save the song of the sailors on the rippling of the water as it runs past the sides of the ship—At Cronstadt we had a good deal of trouble in getting past the Guard Ship—(a Russian Frigate of 60 guns) &, through the almost endless departments of the custom House—Our persons searched—& I es-caped this humiliating process of having a dirty Russian majors hand thrust into all my pockets by the American Consuls telling them that I was a Clergyman. Ezra had to go through the whole; his pocket book & all his letters of introduction taken from him, pulled open & closely scrutinized—His money came back, but a part of his letter he only obtaind afterwards through the Post Office by paying 50 or 60 copecks each (about 1/2 a dollar copeck a little less than a cent) But I will tell you more of all this when I see you. Nicholas is dreadfully afraid of any influence from abroad—though he treats Americans I am told with especial favor If so, I pity travelling from other nations—Our [humble?] bags [to?] are still at the Custom House, though we have been permitted to get from them a few ar-ticles of needful clothing, ^but^ this only [through?] the [Carmst?] [Sohatahm?] of our [cousul?] who had to be present, All ^this^ however, has given us a closer look & feeling of despotism & I hardly regret having had ^the^ experience he had to pay [&?] [silver?] [Roubles?] /20/—) for a pass to come up to this city & yesterday we had to wait on [Comt?] Orloff/ occupying most of the say/ in getting our [papperts?] to leave—[he?] obtained [blinty?] to [her?] & weeks but it will cost us some 6 or 8 Roubles, for the privilege—So much in brief for these ^[govt?]^ trials, I hardly call them trials, we are pleasantly situated at [Kufs?] [Bendend?] boarding House (English) delightfully situated in the center of the city ^on the banks of the [river?]^ & near the laundry place of the Emperor—Our room is a [laye?] square room like the parlor in your old house, with two [funds?] bedsteads (simple) two [dussey?] bureaus ^two wash stands^—2 card tables 2 center tables—Sofa, wardrobe, 5 arm chairs—carved & with hair seats covd with tapestry & we have a [lage?] bow-ing [skeen?] to divide the room in two, when we phase—2 ^large^ minors—windows (three) very large & curtained; with a pleasant [morpeed?], & plenty of servants to wait upon us I just

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mention these things minutely that you may look in upon us & see how we are. The balcony in front of the house has a most magnificent view. The river about 50 rods wide is before us, its banks walled on both sides with, heavy cut granite—a parapet all along, about 3 feet high—& winding granite steps at small distances to go down to the water—Immediately be-neath us in the street lively with multitudes of Droshkies (some of them very beautiful) the walks, especially the one next the water, exhibiting the various spe-cimens of Russian humanity from the serf to the noble—Directly opposite lie the Emperors [bayes?]—Elegant gilded little steamboats + vessels with sails about a hundred feet long—8 or 10 of them–Their decks clean as a polished table & guarded by soldiers in Russian uni-form—Just below lie the Emperors Hire ships,—opposite on the other side of the river are the steamboats which connect with those at Cronstedt going to London Hull [Subedt?] +c, beyond is the city, as well as on our side, with its turrets & spires & domes in any of them glittering with gold—(being covered with solid plating of it)—you look down the river + for a mile there is an unbroken row of palace looking buildings—you look up, for 2 1/2 miles, + there is one continuous line of Palaces in reality—Three bridges with from 8 to 12 arches each—+ of from 15 to 100 feet span rise one above the other in beautiful perspective—Each bridge about 1/2 a mile apart & still beyond rises a magnificent range of public Edifices brought in sight by a bend of the river—They appear diminuative indeed in the distance, but making the picture very perfect Little boats are plying in all directions—(we have taken a sail in one of them up as for us we go under two of the bridges, one of which we found to be of solid iron & granite, called the bridge of the Annunciation. Every thing [here?] almost having a sacred name) On our own side the river bends so as to bring in sight the Admiralty with its 1/2 mile of front. The Emperors winter palace, said to be the first in Europe & giving us a side long view of a great many other things—all this from the front of [Mils?] [Bausous?] + The whole city is nearly square. Here again you see I have been particular for I wish you to see with your own eyes,—How I wish you was here to see in re-ality, you would, (a lover of sights as you are) enjoy it so much—my hostess is [amiable?] lady of 57 & I am forming some pleasant acquaintances—Have dined out once—by invitation from a Mr [Munhis?] to whom I [had?] a letter. Have been abroad evry day of course + seen a great many beautiful objects—but cannot describe them now—Ezra who is a [scubbly?] [officer?] who has just looked at his watch says we only have only 5 minutes more to write—if we go by the steamer today my health is not as good as I wish it was, but better than when I last wrote

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Dear Sister, [Winsted] Out, 25 1857 Your letters from Bro John, for which all thanks, have been perused and reperused, as you may have probably suppossed form the time they have been kepy among us, and now just as the maid is closing I hasten to drop you a word or less. In accordance with your respect + my promise I wrote your husband the next week after my return home—giving him quite a minute account of what had transpired during his absence. By first Annican Steamer Mrs. J. W. Alvord Greenwich Count Care of [Mrfs?] Anson Hardy +c —Liverpool—

My respect to ourselves we are getting along after the [old|ale?] rate. Chad + wife with their little Clara (baby) left us for Vermont about two weeks since. We have heard once from them and they were enjoying themselves finely in the region of Lake Memphremagog. We trust your health is fast improving and should be happy to see you and sister whenever you feel able to make the trip. The day is excessively warm in [Nuisted?], and this P. M. Susan is making a call with her responsibility (Harriet) To-morrow I am going to Hillsdale N. Y. and possibly to N York City, though not to stay. All unite in sending much Love Mrs. [unclear] George

Direct letters according to our agreement + do be punctual. We maintain here about 12 days longer + then our plans beyond are not [made?]—I shall write again + let you know. Excuse my haste + you know how important all my writing is—I am so ner-vous—Show it to no one I charge you—Kiss the label 40 times over over + love to all—A kind providence be with + protect you Your very affectionate husband J. W. Alvord

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