The first blow is more than half the battle on these occasions, but it is not all the battle. It is only that part of the ice which lies in the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg that moves away on the first day. The ice from the upper part of the river frequently comes down afterwards in huge masses, and more than once forces the inhabitants of the one side to postpone their visits to their friends of the other side. For several weeks after the first break up, the Ice continues occasionally to come down In great force from the Ladoga lake. As this lake has a surface of 2000 square mUes, If all the Ice had to go down the Neva, which is only a verst in breadth and not very rapid In Its current, it would take more than two months of incessant Eisgang. It follows, therefore, that the greater part of the ice must melt within the lake Itself ; stiU quite enough remains for the annoyance of the St. Peters burgers, who are often Inconvenienced by the accumulation that takes place at the mouth of the river. The boatmen of St. Petersburg, however, are tolerably familiar with Ice, and the navigation on the river Is seldom Interrupted by these later arrivals from the lake.
All the other harbours of the Baltic are usually free from Ice before that of St. Petersburg, and a number of vessels are almost always awaiting. In the Sound, the news that the navigation of the Russian capital has been resumed. The first spring ship that arrives in the Neva Is the occasion of great rejoicing, and seldom fails to bring its cargo to an excellent market. It is mostly laden with oranges, millinery, and such articles of taste and vanity as are likely to be most attractive to the frivolous and wealthy, who seldom fail to reward the first comer by purchasing his wares at enormous prices. The first ship Is soon followed by multitudes, and the most active life succeeds to a stillness hke that of death. All the flags of Europe come floating In from the sea, and fragile rafts and rudely-built barges descend the river with the products of the Interior. The contents of the warehouses find their way on ship-board. The ships of war take their departure for their peaceful evolutions In the Baltic. The smoking steamers are seen snorting and splashing up and down the river, where a few weeks before a seal could not have found room to air himself. Every day, every hour, brings something new, till the disenchantment of the Icy palace Is complete.
An Immense quantity of Ice Is consumed In Russian housekeeping. Throughout the summer, Ices are sold in the streets of every Russian town, and not only Iced water, iced wine, and iced beer, but even Iced tea Is drunk in immense quantities. The short but excessively hot summer wcnild spoil most of the food brought to market, had not the winter provided in abundance the means for guarding agninst such rapid decomposition. An icehouse is therefore looked on as an indispensable appendage not merely to tJie establishments of the wealthy, but even to the huts of the peasants. In St. Petersburg alone there are said to be ten thousand ice-houses, and it may easily be supposed that to fill all these cellars is a task of no trifling magnitude. It is not too much to calculate that each ice-house, on an average, requires fifty sledge loads of ice to fill it. The fishmongers, butchers, and dealers in quass have such enormous cellars, that many hundreds of loads will go into them, and the breweries, distilleries, &c., consume incalculable quantities. According to the above calculation, 500,000 sledge loads of ice would have to be drawn out of the Neva every year, but this calculation is under rather than over the mark. It is certainly the merchandize in which the most extensive traffic is carried on during winter. Whole processions of sledges laden with the glittering crystals may then be seen ascending from the Neva, and thousands of men are incessantly at work raising the cooling produce from its parent river.