Excerpt from Russia and the Russians: Or, a Journey to St. Petersburg and Moscow, Through Courland and Livonia; With Characteristic Sketches of the People When the author undertook to travel in Russia, - a country about which so many conflicting opinions have been published, - he thought he would best consult the advantage of the public by making his book a work entirely of information, and allowing whatever amusement it might contain to depend upon the nature of the facts communicated. It was with this idea he set out upon the journey, and he soon found reason to congratulate himself upon his decision. He has not indulged either in theory or controversy. He has given a plain account of what he saw with his own eyes, and heard with his own ears; and however much the narrative may in some parts be condemned by former travellers and their admirers, he is conscious that it will one day receive credit for its truth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.