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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