Fête for Princess Marie of Hesse and Prince Alexander; checking out at customs

Wedding of Grand Prince
Alexander and Princess Marie
of Hesse (Maria Alexandrovna)

The whole city had been topsy-turvy for some time past, with sham fights, taking the citadel near the Hermitage fete all for the amusement of L’affiancée of the Grand Duke, Prince Royal—the fact is, the citizens must give up every thing to military movement.  The bridges across the Neva are removed and they must cross in small boats.  The squares are filled with Cossacks, cannon fire, and all must keep their windows open, if they do not wish them broken bvy the cannon.  Military life is all in fact.  My books I had the good fortune to retrieve from the Customs House, but my pistols were not delivered up, until the moment we sailed (midnight Oct 4.) and then were brought down by a soldier to Cronstadt some 20 miles from the city. Thus I was forced to pay the duty of Six silver rubles a pound on them nearly 5 dollars a pound.  

St. Petersburg without a guidebook

After finishing this disagreeable visit to the Custom House, we dressed ourselves and felt quite like other beings having in feeling made quite a voyage. [unint.] We took now our first walk in this really most magnificent city.  Every thing is laid out on the most grand scale.  The streets broad, airy, clean, and frequently paved with wood, and of very great length, and one can scarcely turn around without viewing on every side some of the finest buildings of any [11] continental city.  St. Petersburg is situated on the Neva, which runs directly through the city, the largest and prettiest looking stream that I can recollect of having seen passing through any city.  The sides are built upon its whole length.  Long beautiful quays built of huge blocks of dark granite giving the whole a noble appearance.  I have as yet taken but short walks through its principal streets, and though having seen the Palaces admired the Hermitage etc. can hardly say which is which as the Police (bless them) have got my guide books. This is one of the fête days in the Greek Church (the Church of Russia) and every thing is like on a Sunday.  T’is the day of St. John the Baptist, and what is very singular the people of the Church on this day do not eat any thing round such as apples, potatoes &c.  What the reason is, I cannot judge; unless it should be that the Baptist’s head on the charger [12] was round—Tis a strange thing, but nevertheless true, that I left London on the first day of September 1840, and yet, though I was nearly nine days on the passage I reached St. Petersburgh on the twenty-eighth day of August 1840.  

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.