teen feet, according to circumstances.* The inner harbour, as it may be called, where ships can only load, is very narrow, but is three quarters of an English mile in length. On the east side of the harbour are twenty-nine mills for sawing wood; and on the north point of the port, is a light-house. Opposite to part of the harbour is an island of sand, which, at one period, was covered with trees; but these were cut down by the Russians. On this spot stands a solitary house, where Kotzebue is said to have written several of his interesting works. The coast may be considered dangerous; and it was off Memel that Lord Royston, only son of Earl Hardwicke, met with a watery grave. The air is keen, but salubrious, so that contagious distempers rarely occur. During summer, the thermometer of Reaumur stands, in the shade, as high as 23 and 25°. * A number of English vessels visit this port, as will appear from the following table, from the years 1817 to 1823. In 1817. 626 vessels, whereof were 300 British The exports consist of timber, corn, seed, flax, hemp, hides, bristles, wax, &c. For some years past the imports have been trifling, and consist chiefly of colonial produce. There are Consuls here for England, Russia, Holland, Denmark, Hanover, and Oldenburg. Mr. Fowler is the first mentioned of these. The town is subject to conflagrations; and we found that several houses had been lately burned down. In some of the docks, where tar is prepared, a very proper regulation is introduced by the police, particularly enjoining that the buildings should have iron doors, to guard against any accident from this dangerous operation.* Slaves are employed at the various different public works, and we observed them labouring in repairing the roads. From the citadel, which is on a height surrounded with water, there is a fine prospect of the town and harbour. The commander, who resides here, has the title of colonel, and it is one of the few situations in Prussia that may be considered as a sinecure. Upon the 6th of June we proceeded on our journey, and passing through an uninteresting *The following is a copy of this order, which is recommended for adoption in places where similar inflammable articles are kept : "You are desired to boil your pitch and tar in the kitchen, marked No. 1. and to have a careful watch upon it during the time. If the tar or pitch should happen to take fire, the iron chimney lids are to be pulled down, and the windows and doors shut immediately. Immediate imprisonment and hard punishment will be inflicted upon those that are found guilty of the least neglect or disobedience to any part of this order. "Royal Prussian Harbour Policy Commission." 162 IMMORSETT. RUSSIAN FRONTIERS. About 500 country, arrived at Immorsett. paces beyond this, the Prussian territories terminate at a barrier, where our passports were examined; and nearly a hundred steps further, is another barrier, where the Russian frontiers commence. The barriers of every state on the continent have their distinct and peculiar mark. Those of Prussia are painted with black and white stripes alternately; and in Russia they are white, with a red border. The gate was opened by an officer, and a filthy, surly Cossack, wrapped up in a brown coat, and with huge bushy whiskers, beard, and mustachioes, holding a naked sword, and assuming an air of official superiority. At Polangen all the luggage was taken to a house occupied by the douaniers; and every article was turned out, handled, and examined. We were prepared to find great jealousy exercised on the part of the Russians towards books, especially such, however trifling, as treated in any way of this country; and had, therefore, abstained from bringing any. Their suspicion of such articles had been of late greatly increased by publications speaking unreservedly on the subject of the Russian empire. I had but one book in my portmanteau, and this was a volume of my travels in the Holy Land, which was intended as a present to the Emperor. It was, however, instantly seized upon the officers took it into another room, and shut the door; STRICT EXAMINATION OF LUGGAGE. 163 but it being in the English language, they could not tell what were its contents, and demanded the nature of the publication. On my Russian servant informing them that it was for his Imperial Majesty, and that if they chose they might attach the lead to it, with the official mark, and send it to St. Petersburg, they again held a consultation, and sent for the principal douanier. We were then ordered into the apartment, where was a most ferocious-looking fellow with a drawn sword, whose appearance was well calculated to inspire awe; he stood on one side, in an erect attitude like a statue, beside an enormous pair of scales suspended from the ceiling; and after much conversation, through the medium of my interpreter, the volume was returned.* But now another difficulty occurred: on our passport being examined, which had been obtained by our servant from the Russian consul of Hamburgh, and was duly signed by the authorities at the different stages of our route, we were informed that it was absolutely necessary it should be subscribed by the consul of Memel. Nor could the strongest arguments or representations satisfy them; but the servant was actually obliged to set off directly to that place, in order to obtain the requisite signature. Pa * A lady and her servants had their luggage so strictly investigated, that actually their cases of needles and thread were examined. 164 CHURCH AND MONUMENTS tience being now our only remedy, we proceeded to an inn kept by a Jew, where we found ourselves surrounded by beings totally different in looks, dress, and manners, from any we had hitherto met with. The houses are built entirely of wood; and one side of the street is inhabited by the Hebrew race, the other by Cossacks. The church is very ancient; and in the burying ground attached to it, are three lofty crosses, in memory of those on Mount Calvary. There is also a figure, intended to represent our Saviour chained to a pillar, and suffering flagellation. This was besmeared with paint in imitation of blood; and one cannot but regret the bad taste, to call it nothing worse, that indulges in exhibitions of this kind, so little calculated to promote genuine piety, or rather so apt to excite feelings of a very different nature. There was, too, in the church-yard, a monument of the strangest form we ever beheld, it being not much unlike a pigeon-house. It had a window on three sides, and on the fourth the painting of a clock-dial; and in the interior was the figure of a coffin surrounded by angels. In the church are three chapels dressed up with a deal of trumpery ornament; and several females were crawling on their knees round the altar, offering up their devotions. In this wretched place we were obliged to continue the remainder of the day, without any means of whiling away the time, in |