The town of Rsheff, lying on that part of the Volga where it first becomes navigable, and which enjoys a considerable trade, holds within its walls considerable numbers of those who protested against Peter the Great's tobacco-smoke and razors. The place contains 10,000 inhabitants, and many of the richest merchants belong to the Staroverui. The orthodox believers are less numerous, and have in consequence suffered much from the insolence of the " old-believers." In the year 1832, the latter went a little too far, and an accusation was made, to examine the truth of which an extraordinary commission was sent from St. Petersburg. A party of the oldbelievers had given an old disbanded soldier, a poor devU who was ready for any mischief, a few hundred rubles, to put some gross insult upon their orthodox townsmen. He went, in consequence, one morning to the principal church of the latter, burst through the " royal door" of the Ikonostas, through which the high-priest alone enters, entered the sanctuary, seized the consecrated bread and threw it on the floor, and drank up the red wine as if to the health of those present. Then throwing the chahce at their heads, he burst through the not very numerous congregation and went to his patrons to relate his scandalous exploit. After such an occurrence as this, it may be readily supposed that both parties broke out into open hostilities, and even during the stay of the commission, which consisted of several generals, and other persons of rank, various murders were committed, the incensed parties lying mutually in wait for each other. The commission could do as little with these episodical crimes as with the original offence. The " old-believers" corrupted all the witnesses, and even went so far as to offer, through a third hand, a bribe of 200,000 rubles, to the commissioners themselves. Some of the poorer offenders were punished; but the wealthy planners of the whole scandal escaped altogether, and the commission separated without doing any thing.
There are "old-believers" in St. Petersburg, but they are few. Moscow is their head -quarters, to judge by the size of their cliurchyard. In Tula there arc said to be 10,000. It is not possible to make a very exact estimate of their numbers, as they conceal themselves in some measure, and do not willingly confess their absurd tenets. No government has produced more Staroverui than that of Peter the Great, because none introduced more reforms. As the open protestations of the discontented were without eflfect, they naturally formed sects, which, though small, originally, compared with the great body of orthodox believers, are said rather to have increased than diminished in later times. Many of the " old-believers " on finding themselves oppressed in their native place, have left it and settled elsewhere. The numerous Cossack colonies in the northern Pontine lands, are abundantly recruited with such heretical emigrants. In the steppes of Southern Russia there are many villages of " old-believers," said to have been settled tliere from the time when those provinces were not subject to Russia. They are also numerous along the former Turkish frontier on the Dnieper. It is to be remarked of these " old-believers," that they are by no means so hospitable as the orthodox part of the community. Volunteer ciceroni are never found in their churches, and they are not willing to receive strangers into their houses without numberless previous conditions. They are particularly afraid, not of their smoking, for that they take care they shall not do, but of their bringing even the smell of smoke with them, as in that case the whole house must be aired, purified, and fumigated. Western Europeans they do not at all like, as to them are ascribed the hated innovations ; hence the Staroverui are unfit subjects for the St. Petersburg emperors ; they would better have suited the Muscovite czars, bemg in all respects people of the ancient regime.
The University of Moscow had some years ago a striking example of attachment to youthful recollections, in the person of a professor of chemistr)'^, who, up to the year 1829, made use of a compendium published in 1778, whence he conscientiously taught his pupils the same doctrine that he had himself imbibed in his youth. He overlooked the fact that, in the course of forty years, all to which he clung with such enduring love had been long utterly rejected and cast away. He forgot that science was not standing still ; that the advance of chemistry was palpable from year to year, almost from day to day ; and he continued gravely to sit on his egg, and to prophesy that it would speedily be hatched, long after it had become evident there was nothing under him but an empty shell.