From this table it will be seen that the capital employed by the whole foreign trade of Russia, is to the capital employed by the German towns of the Baltic provinces as seven to one ; that is, that the Baltic provinces include a seventh of the whole trade of Russia. The trade of Riga is to that of all the other towns put together, as nine to two ; Riga is as thirty, Libau as two, Pernau as one and a half, Reval one, Narva one, Windau one-fourth, Arensburg one-eighth. The number of ships annuallv entering Riga is on an average 1300, at Libau 300, at Reval 100, at Peraau 100, at Narva sixty, at Windau twenty, and at Hapsal fifteen.
Ingermannland has always been far more Russian than any other province of the Baltic ; and since Peter the Great's time, it has been so far Russified as scarcely to be German at all. Still it cannot be called thoroughly Russian, and forms a middle ground between the German provinces and the Russian neighbouring province of Novgorod, and as such it must be included in every complete account of the German provinces.
Narva even, which belongs to this province, though a thoroughly German town, shows many more Russian characteristics than the towns of the other provinces, and the moment we leave Narva on the Ingermannland side, we appear to enter another country. The villages by the roadside are all built in the Russian style, the inhabitants speak Russian, and wear long Russian beards. The very first inn after Narva is painted red and yellow, the favourite Russian colours. But the country is only Russian to this degree on the high road. In the forests and marshes of the interior live many of the old Ingrians, and the castles are inhabited by German or Swedish noblemen.
Near Narva we saw a large piece of forest that had been cleared, and the trees and branches were lying upon the ground. I was told that this Avas done to strengthen the ground. The wood would decay in five or six years, and would then be excellent manure. Manuring with decayed wood is practised in all the Baltic provinces ; but nowhere are the noble trees wasted for this purpose, on so large a scale as in Ingermannland. In Courland, only the useless twigs and branches are used as manm'e.
As the cultivation grows much more imperfect, and the number of inhabitants much less, in Ingermannland, so the wild beasts become much more numerous and bold. We met several wolves almost immediately after leaving Narva. A little way before us on the road was another sledge, and the wolves continually crossed the road between the sledges, with astonisliing boldness and nonchalance. The bears, though stronger, are much more shy than the wolves, who are every day persecuted with stones and sticks by the shepherds, and, therefore, if they do not grow courageous, become at least more impudent, and more indifferent to blows.
At a post-station in Ingermannland, for the first time we became acquainted with a specimen of that interesting class of men, Russian liackney -coachmen, in the person of one whom we hired, called Paul Ivanovitsh. He was a sharp smart young fellow of about twenty-five, and he served us not only as coachman, but as valet, musician, and watchman. In spite of the most freezing cold, he was always singing comic songs at the full pitch of his voice, on his windy seat, whilst we, warmly imbedded inside, had to stuff up our mouths with wool. At night when the sledge was put into a courtyard, he lay down upon our trunks as watchman, and was quite contented with a mat and some straw for a bed. He was always full of resources in time of need ; and once, when we were in want of some cord to bind a box, he in a moment twisted together some straw from he sledge, and tied the box as firmly with it as if it had been nailed down.