Detained at Customs; Miss Dee's Boarding House

The Winter Palace about 1840 by Ferdinand Victor Perrot

The River Neva is a fine broad noble looking river and formerly / this is denied by some & asserted by others.

had a fine channel but one of the former Emperors placed a bar in its bed for the purpose of preventing any vessels of war coming to the City.  It is said that if any one should be found sounding the river, he would
in all probability be sent to Siberia.  At Cronstadt is a very fine [8] Navy Yard, and almost completely filled with fine ships, though the Russians have not at the present moment a large Fleet at sea. On our arriving at the City (which from its being now being [sic] quite dark & raining we had not opportunity of seeing well, we were detained for some length of time for the Custom House officers to board us.  On our passports being delivered up to us, we were obliged to go through the same examination for the third time.  When after a quite rigorous personal examination we were allowed to go on shore, through without  the least article of our luggage, not even a dressing case.  After a short walk we four Yankees proceeded to Miss Dee’s an American landlady where we were made quite comfortable, and found the house filled with American Captains though no travellers.*  
*"From the total absence of everything like comfort, cleanliness, or attendance, at the hotels in St. Petersburg, several boarding-houses have sprung into existence ; which, being conducted by English women, combine every advantage that a traveller can expect or require. Those kept by Miss Benson on the English Quay, and by Miss Dee in the Galerny, are extremely good: the attention and arrangement of those ladies leave nothing to be desired. They are frequented by numbers of English and Americans, and occasionally by travellers of other nations; and, as English is naturally the language used, there is less constraint and reserve, probably, than at other tables in the empire of a public nature."  Edward P. Thompson, Life in Russia, or The Discipline of Despotism (London, 1848), 31.

Arrival in Kronstadt and St. Petersburg

 A birds eye view of Kronstadt from 1855.

We then once again embarked and finished the remainder of our passage to St Petersburgh very pleasantly or rather as I should say to Chronstadt. When in London, on going to have our passports viseed by the Russian Consul we were obliged to obtain a written guarantee from some one known to him to the following effect. “that the person (myself) [6] was known to them as respectable, born in New York, aged so many years, such & such a profession, the reason for going to Russia and the name of some respectable person in St Petersburgh to whom I was addressed.”  I thought this class enough.  however by the politeness of my Bankers, I obtained the required guarantee of good behavior to[o] , and started. On our approaching Chronstadt, a number of officers form the guard-ship there boarded us and proceeded to see if there was anything contraband on board, and soon after this leaving us. We were visited by some twenty members of the Secret Police of his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias etc. etc. etc.  The leader of them, was at the head of the Secret Police of the Empire, having a most unremarkable face and such an one as would imply (as our Captain observed) that he would smile at the same time [7] that he would cut your throat.  They all descended into the cabin, and arrayed their papers when we were all called up in turn, and obliged to answer questions to the same effect as those proposed in London, and moreover write it all down ourselves and place our signature to it.  This was frustrating enough but they had not finished with us yet.  We now went on board a smaller steamer in order to approach the city, the channel not allowing vessels but of small size to go up to the City.