The pupils, of whom there are six hundred, are admitted in the sixth year and dismissed in the twentieth. When the course of study here is completed, they are according to circumstances and talent either placed in the lowest offices of the church, as Diakon, or sent to the academy of the Troitzkoi cloister, to pursue their studies further, and prepare themselves for the higher dignities. On hundred of the pupils live in the convent itself, the rest without the walls. The variety of costumes I saw in the classes was an agreeable appearance to me, every one dressed according to his own taste, and the military spatterdash service, the counting of buttons to be done or undone on coats and waistcoats, had not yet found entrance there. There are eight professors, all Russians. The library is said to be the best public library in Moscow, and consists of G eek, Latin, Russian, and German books. In the theological philosophical book-cases, I found Schelling's works, Neander's Church Historj, Cicero and Tacitus, and several copies of Luther's Bible. I was just coming out of the library with Father Eusebius when we met the rector, who invited me to attend the lesson he was about to give himself in the classes. He now looked quite a different person, his countenance was radiant with civility, and his toilette brilliant. Over his black dress his hair hung in the usual three clubs, one club principal behind, and one over each shoulder. Round his neck he wore a large gold cross set with jewels, and carried in his hand a long wand tipped with bright silver, — a real rector magnificus.
In such company it was no wonder if the professors served up the best they had to offer. However, having once squabbled with the rector, I soon withdrew with Father Eusebius into his private apartment, which differed little from that of a German of the same condition. I found there several theological works both by Catholics and Protestants, Luther's Bible again, and Niemeyci's, which he praised very much. I could not help expressing my wonder at the variety of the collection, to which he replied, ' Oh, yes, we take the best from all ;" which the fact proved in the best possible manner.
I was one day as much out of tune as a damp lute, and the wings of my fwncy were as little clastic as the wings of a bird when Jupiter Pluvius is descending from heaven. I wanted something to excite me, and flew to the five monks of the Greek convent in Kitai Gorod in search of conoslation. The convent Is small, with one small gallery surrounding a naiTow court, in the midst of which stands the church. I stood a while in this gallery talking in a loud tone to the Russian servant, in the hope that curiosity would allure to me some of the fathers, with whom I might have a httle conversation. I was not deceived in my expectation ; in a short time a hlack Greek eye sparkled at the door.
" There is Father Arfael (Rafaelle) peeping out," said the Russian ; ' he can tell you all better than I can." And accordingly with Father Arfael, I contrived to keep up a dialogue which doubtless must have been a very comical one to any third party, on account of the bad Russian in which we were both obhged to spell out our ideas to one another. After I had introduced myself as a foreigner and explained what I wanted, he began to question me about my native city and my kindred. When he heard that I had a mother, sisters, and brothers, he took me to task for " travelling about out of mere curiosity, when I ought to stop at home, to sweeten the declining life of my mother, instruct my brothers, and get my sisters married, for all this was the duty of a young man of my age ; and before all curiosity and all knowledge, honouring and cherishing a mother should have precedence."
I held it my duty to submit to all his questions respecting my social relations, because I meant to demand the same from him ; yet I endeavoured to turn by degrees the conversation from the narrow streets of my paternal city to the airy heights of Mount Afon (Athos), which is more celebrated and more spoken about in Russia, than Olympus is in Greece. This convent is an offshoot of the Iberian convent founded by the Georgian czar son Mount Athos.
This convent shelters five monks and an Archimandrite, who are ^eheved by new comers every five years. Father Arfael had held out four, and thought the fifth would soon be over, when he would return to his cell on Mount Athos, where the stove would not be the chief piece of furniture in the room, and where it would not be necessary to cover the winter church with the summer one to keep it warm. The object of this convent is to minister to the two hundred Greeks resident in Moscow.