The purity of the Neva water has already been mentioned, yet it is a well known fact, that when drunk by strangers it produces at first unpleasant effects, for which reason persons, when they first arrive at St. Petersburg, are always advised to drink no water without mixing wine or spirit with it. This lasts, however, for a very short time ; and once accustomed to the Neva water, most people grow so fond of it, that they prefer it to every other water in the world. A St. Petersburger, on returning from a journey, always congratulates himself on being again able to slake his thirst in the water of his beloved river, and many a Russian, no doubt, has been welcomed home again in the same way in which I once saw a young man welcomed on his return to his family, — namely, with a goblet of Neva water. The Emperor Alexander, it is said, when he travelled, always had a quantity of Neva water bottled up for his own drinking during his absence from his capital. The tea and coffee in St. Petersburg are excellent, and their good qualities are ui part attributed to the water with which they are prepared. In the shape of beer it is dr^mk in every comer of the empire, and the English residents are unanimous in their testimony to the superiority of Neva water for washing linen.
The Neva water is, however, the only usable water within reach of St. Petersburg. All the wells that have been sunk in and near the city vield nothing but a yellow disagreeable water, unfit for any domestic purposes. In none of the liouses is the water laid on by means of pipes, but in each house there is a large water-butt, and the men, whose exclusive business It is to fill these reservoirs, are busily engaged all day long with their water-carts, drawn generally each by one horse. The poorer classes fetch their water from the river-side in pails. These are fastened to long poles, that the water may be drawn as far as possible from the bank, for In the middle of the stream the water Is of course purer than near the side. In the winter, holes are hewn in the Ice, whence the water is pumped up, and troughs are constructed of Ice In the streets for the use of the horses. In spring, when the snow melts, the river, for a time, loses its accustomed purity, and the want of clean water becomes a subject of general lamentation. The water-carts plying in every direction, form one of the constant decorations of the St. Petersburg streets. Perhaps one of the most useful innovations that a Russian emperor could introduce into the interior organization of his capital, would be a good water-company, that would lay down pipes throughout the city, and Introduce a constant supply of so necessary an article Into the interior of every dwelling.
The washing of linen is an occupation usually carried on with us in the interior of our houses. Throughout Russia It Is seldom that the laundress plies her work any where but in the river Itself. On all the canals and along the banks of the river, are seen floating washhouses, where the linen is undergoing the operation of being Immersed In water, and then soundly beaten with a kind of flat wooden mallet. This primitive system of washing prevails throughout all the countries peopled by the Slavonian races, from St. Petersburg to Macedonia. Even during the severest winter, when It costs some trouble to keep their Ice-holes open, the hardy women engaged in these chilly labours may be seen busily at work, and though almost Incrusted in ice, they are never heard to complain of the severity of the cold. There are some indeed of the luxurious St. Petersburgers, who do not content themselves with so rude a process. I have been told of some who carry their delicacy on this point so far, that they declare It is impossible to have a shirt properly washed in Russia, and therefore send their dirty linen every fortnight by the steamer to London, whence they receive it back, in due course, washed and bleached to their satisfaction.