This capital, however, with all its importance, has as yet attained to no literary distinction. Its celebrated foun der, indeed, invited men of genius and talents to it from every quarter, and was a devoted admirer and patron of learning ; but none of his successors have shown themselves possessed, in any degree, of similar dispositions ; and the cause of literature, if it has not languished, has certainly not flourished since the death of that wonderful man. Pe tersburg, however, can boast of several libraries, and not a few societies and establishments of a literary description, such as the Academy of Sciences, the Academy of the Fine Arts, the Academy for promoting a Knowledge of the Rus sian History and Language. But the libraries, the best of which are very imperfect, were not open to the public till 1812 ; and the literary societies, though the names of some of them are extensively known, are little better than nomi nal, as most of the members that compose them are fo reigners. The native and resident scholars are, in gene ral, so ignorant or so careless, that some of these most im portant institutions are shamefully neglected. The obser vatory, for instance, is often in so damp and ruinous a state, that observations cannot, without great difficulty, be made in it, particularly during the winter season. Though this capital was not, till 1819, distinguished by a university, it yet contained a considerable number of inferior seminaries, some of them of no mean importance, such as military schools, schools for medicine, navigation, mining, &c. But notwithstanding of the number of these institutions, the de partment of medicine is almost the only one in which the Russians have attained to any thing like eminence ; and this result has been owing, in no mean degree, to Dr. Ers kine, a Scotch physician, who settled in Petersburg under the patronage of Peter the Great, and to various other me dical gentlemen of this country, who, since that period, have held the dignified office of physician at the Russian court. This capital contains also a botanical garden, and several scientific collections. of which the most valuable are those belonging to the Academy of Sciences, the Min ing Schools, and the Medical Society. The inhabitants of Petersburg, though they have not yet acquired any very high literary reputation, will, it is hoped, soon be roused to avail themselves of the advantages which; from the above enumeration, it is evident they enjoy. Government besides has, much to its honour, lately stepped forward to encour age learning : A university, as just mentioned, was esta blished in 1819 ; and above thirty charity schools are sup ported at the public expense, in which not fewer, it has been computed, than 7000 children arc educated : a fact which, in a few years, cannot fail to have a most beneficial effect on the intellectual and literary character of this ce lebrated city.
By a survey made in 1817, the population of Petersburg was found to amount to 285,000 ; of whom, it was stated, 55,000 were connected with the land and sea service, and 25,000 were foreigners. Of the character of the people hospitality is a prominent feature. A mania for gaming pervades all ranks The lower orders are addicted to the intemperate use of spirituous liquors ; and they are not very remarkable for honesty. The female character is much more respectable here than in most cities of the same size, particularly in Paris; unmarried ladies seldom go into mix ed companies, and the married pride themselves chiefly in the neatness and economy of their domestic establishments. In Petersburg there are three theatres, a German, a French, and a Russian. The actors are paid by government, and
do not depend, in any degree, on their audience ; but none are permitted to attend without having obtained a ticket of admission. In winter, the ice on the Neva is the great centre of pleasure and relaxation. Skating, sledge-racing, sliding down artificial elevations, form the daily and favour ite amusements of the citizens. These elevations, gene rally about thirty feet in height, are composed of snow, and are encrusted with ice ; and 60.vn the declivity thus formed, the Russians descend on a .i'zdge with such velo city, that they are often driven on thz surface of the ice to a distance of 300 or 400 feet.
After having gradually undergone various improvements and modifications, the police of Petersburg was finally or ganized in 1782; the system then established has been uni formly adhered to since that period ; and there are indeed few cities of equal extent where the peace and property of the inhabitants are so completely guarded and secured. The officers arc, a grand-master, two inspectors, eleven presidents of quarters, with various other dignitaries of an inferior description. Sentinels being stationed in the streets at the distance of 150 yards from each other, the least dis turbance is thus easily prevented; and few, while the town is so guarded, have the hardihood to attempt a breach of the peace. Russia, like France, is quite a land of pass ports ; and a stranger, to save much disagreeable trouble, must, immediately on his arrival in Petersburg, deliver his passport at the principal police-office, and must, besides, publish his arrival three different times in the public pa pers ; and a similar process must be submitted to on his departure from the capital. The officers of police here, as in most other cities, are invested with various judicial functions of a subordinate nature, such as deciding differ ences between master and servant ; and in spring they are deputed to superintend the breaking up of the ice on the Neva, a work of no small difficulty and danger. The po lice have also the superintendence of the various hospitals of the city—of which there are a considerable number, and which are all liberally endowed.
The neighbourhood of Petersburg, though it is distin guished by several imperial palaces, is devoid of every thing like natural beauties; on the contrary, it presents to the view a dead uncultivated flat, diversified only by forests and marshes of the most hopeless and gloomy de scription. These marshes, however, government is at present endeavouring to drain ; and other improvements will undoubtedly be attempted; but the rigour of the cli mate, and the level and barren nature of this district of the Russian empire, will for ever, it is feared, render it totally unproductive and unprofitable Cronstadt. though situated on an island, in the Gulf of Finland, twenty-two miles distant from Petersburg, may be looked upon, from its commanding the entrance to the Neva, as the fortress of the city ; it is, besides, the principal naval station of the Russian fleet, and contains great magazines of naval stores, and extensive docks and yards for ship building.
See the various Lives of Peter the Great; particularly those by Voltaire and Gordon ; State of the Russian Em pire, by Perry, who was contemporary with Peter the Great ; Tooke's View of the Russian Empire, 3 vols.; \Vraxall's Tour, &c. Travels in Russia, &c. by Dr. John Cook, M. D. 2 vols. Edin. 1773; Coxe's Travels in Po land, Russia, &c. 5 vols. see vol. 2d. (r. m.)