I passed Serpukhov at night; but there seemed to me much improvement in his buildings; I even noticed a kind of boulevard lined with trees; I found a shop with Tula products, very good, at the tavern, and bought a couple of pistols and a double-barreled shotgun; crossed Oka on a rather bad ferry, and arrived in Tula on the morning of the 18th. Tula is not a very ancient, but historical city; I knew it when its beauty could still equal our best provincial cities: its small but beautiful Kremlin, weapons factories, huge government institutions and machines of all kinds belonging to them made it one of the most important points in the State; now he is just beginning to shake off the ashes into which he was completely reduced by recent and terrible fires; part of the churches, factories and many houses fell victim to the flames. But the Emperor immediately turned his attention to him; large sums and all kinds of benefits rushed to the aid of residents. I saw extraordinary activity in bringing everything back to its previous form; carpenters, masons, blacksmiths swarmed all the streets like ants; the watchful eye and mighty hand of the Monarch, with the help of the citizens, will no doubt soon restore the city to its former flourishing state! I had lunch here, bought a lot of trinkets from Tula; by the way, two daggers, completely imitating Persian ones: this was a supply for gifts to Asia and Greece; then he set off further on his journey.
The next day, driving through part of the Bogorodsky and Krapivensky districts, I looked with admiration at the rich and rich soil. The villagers were already plowing everywhere; the black, deep layers emitted steam from the power of growth: how could this earth not give birth! The oak, ash and maple groves sufficiently proved by their presence that here the earth was waiting only for Orata and was ready to reward his labors a hundredfold. I had the opportunity, later passing through the best countries of Italy and France, to make a comparison, and I can safely say that the soil of the earth nowhere, except for Asia Minor, can compare with the Tula soil in fatness and fertility. There is no talk about climates; here neither olives, nor grapes, nor many other fruits can be produced; but wheat, barley, beets, without a doubt, will be born ten times better than anywhere else. The peasant can and should be more abundant and content: this will depend on the government, and it will certainly not lose sight of this. I passed through the rich and magnificently rebuilt villages of Prince Gagarin and Mr. Lazarev; it’s a pity that landowners rarely live in them; It seems that I would not part with such treasures!
In Mtsensk I only changed horses. In his district there is a remarkable beet sugar factory, which was first owned by Mr. Blankennagel together with Major General A.I. Gerard, and then belonged to the latter alone. This is the first beet sugar production plant to appear in Russia. How many experiments, how many failures at the first establishment he must have been subjected to, while in foreign lands they still knew this business poorly; but the diligence of the owners, their constancy, and with limited means, were able to overcome everything. The venerable A. I. Gerard, like a hardworking bee, collected from everywhere all the new discoveries in this part, adapted them to our climate, and with the help of his own acquired experience carefully moved forward, so that when many such institutions, established after him, burst and ruined the landowners, he survived, and now brings benefit and income to his widow, who inherited it after the death of the General.
I arrived in Orel at night and didn’t stop. This city was familiar to me; I lived in it for a whole month, when my uncle, S. A. Zinoviev, was its Provincial Leader. I then went to visit Prince A.B. Kurakin. After his removal from business during the reign of Emperor Paul the First, he was ordered to live in his rich estate, the village of Kurakine. By visiting him I was fulfilling a duty of gratitude. During Catherine's time we were in touch and lived together; then, when he became a minister and a nobleman, and I fell into exile, he not only, like many others, did not withdraw from me, but took me under his protection and defended me in a matter on which my entire well-being depended; then, under Emperor Alexander, he petitioned for me to have an honorable place and rank, and remained friends with me until his death. Peace to your ashes, venerable nobleman! Your memory will forever be precious to my heart!