a kind of gallery, which communicates with one of the windows of the imperial palace, at which the empress and her family come out to attend the ceremony, which begins as soon as the regiment of guards have taken post on the river. Then the archbishop, at the sound of the bells, and of the artillery of the fortress, comes out of the palace, and walks in procession, with all his clergy, to the little temple we have just mentioned. When arrived at the place where the ice is broken, he descends, by means of a ladder, to the side of the water. There he dips his cross three or four times, afterwards says some prayers, an orison to the great St. Nicholas, and the waters are then thought blessed. The prelate sprinkles the water on the company around him, and on the colours of all the regiments that happen to be at St. Petersburg. After this benediction, the archbishop retires. Then the people crowd towards the hole, by which this prelate has blessed the waters. They drink of them with a holy avidity. Notwithstanding the cold, the mothers plunge their infants, and the old men their heads, into them. Every body makes it a duty to carry away some for the purification of their houses, and curing certain distempers, against which the good Russians pretend this holy water is a powerful specific. While every one proceeds to this useful provision, four popes, who are at the four corners

of the sanctuary, sing a kind of litany, in which they rehearse all the titles of the empress, and to which the people answer by these words, Pameloi-Bog!-May God take pity on her!

"The Russians have a great number of abstinences, or fasts, and among the rest four Lents. The Greek priests have much more reverence and meditation in their way of going through divine service, than the Latin or Romish priests; and the discipline of their church directs, that when once a priest is at the altar, he must not remove from it during the time he ought to stand there, whatever may happen to him. For instance: we are told, that the prelate Gabriel, at present metropolitan of Novogorod, and Archimandrite to St. Alexander Neuski, being one day engaged in saying mass at St. Petersburg, the house contiguous to the church took fire, and the flames reaching the steeple, Gabriel was warned of the danger he was in, and yet he stirred not, even although he was told a second time, that the bells would not be long in bruising him to atoms. As the cries of the multitude, conjuring him to remove from certain death, made no impression on him, one of his relations leaped towards the altar, and tore him from it. Scarcely was he twenty paces from it, when the steeple fell in with a great crash upon the sanctuary

Efforts have been made to join the Greek to the Reformed church; but hitherto they have failed of success. The Rev. Dr. John King published an account of the doctrine, worship, and discipline of the Greek church in Russia. There are several particulars to be found in the Russian Catechism, composed by the Czar, and which was published in London, 1725; in Robinson's Ecclesiastical Researches, and in a work, entitled Secret Memoirs of the Court of Petersburg.

That the reader may form some judgment of the present state of the Greek church, the lastmentioned work presents us with the following fact, translated from the Imperial Gazette of Petersburg:

"Petersburg, 17 Dec. 1798. "In 1796, a coffin was found at the convent of Sumovin, in the city of Trotma, in the eparchy of Volgoda, containing a corpse, in the habit of a monk. It had been interred in 1568, yet was in a state of perfect preservation, as were also the garments. From the letters embroidered on them, it was found to be the body of the most memorable Feodose Sumorin, founder and superior of the convent, and who had been acknowledged as a saint during his life, for the miracles he had performed." It is then stated, that the directing synod had made a very humble

report on this occasion to his Imperial Majesty. After which follows the Emperor's Ukase or proclamation.

“We PAUL, &c. having been certified by a special report of the most holy synod, of the discovery that has been made in the convent of Spasso-Sumovin, of the miraculous remains of the most venerable Feodose, which miraculous remains distinguish themselves by the happy cure of all those who have recourse to them with entire confidence: we take the discovery of these holy remains as a visible sign, that the Lord has cast his most gracious eye in the most distinguished manner on our reign. For this reason, we offer our fervent prayers and our gratitude to the Supreme Dispenser of all things, and charge our most holy synod to announce this memorable discovery throughout all our empire, according to the forms prescribed by the holy church, and by the holy fathers, &c. The 28th September, 1798."

The following anecdote, however, from the same work, and on the same subject, almost exceeds credibility:-"I knew a Russian princess, who had always a large silver crucifix following her, in a separate carriage, and which she usually placed in her bed-chamber. When any thing fortunate had happened to her in the course of the day, and she was satisfied with her admirers,

she had lighted candles placed about the crucifix, and said to it, in a familiar style,- See, now, as you have been very good to-day, you shall be treated well-you shall have candles all night -I will love you-I will pray to you.' If on the contrary, any thing occurred to vex this lady, she had the candles put out, forbid the servants to pay any homage to the poor image, and loaded it with reproaches and revilings!!!"-The author closes the chapter with this sensible paragraph:-" I shall not particularize all the superstitions with which such a religion, if it deserves that name, must necessarily inspire an ignorant and enslaved people. It seems the present policy to thicken the clouds of error, which the geniu of Peter, the humanity of Elizabeth, and the philosophy of Catharine, sought in some degree to attenuate. While we pity the state of degradation under which a great people crouches, we should do justice to the enlightened Russians, by whom it is lamented; but they are chained by prejudices, as the giant Gulliver by the Lilliputians; his bonds were weak and imperceptible as his enemies were minute, but every one of his hairs was separately fastened to the ground, and he was unable to raise his head."

In addition to the books already mentioned, I shall close this article of the Greek Church, with recommending the REV. WILLIAM TOOKES's Ilis