In the vast square in front of the structure is the Column Alexander I. Opposite this monument are the Hermitage and the Winter Palace, which are on the river. Looking across the Great Neva, where the Little Neva branches off, the Exchange may be seen on the point of land between the two streams. It is an imposing structure, with lofty columns around it, and flights of steps leading down to the river. On each side of it is a lofty pillar, one hundred feet high, adorned with the prows of ships, which project from the sides, and give it a very singular appearance when seen from a distance. The omnibuses turned, and went back to the Admiralty, some of whose windows command a view down the Nevski Prospect, which is the principal street of the city. As the procession passed down this avenue, which is wider than Pennsylvania Avenue, at Washington, in places, the students had to keep their eyes wide open, in order that nothing should escape them. The droskies were as thick as snow-flakes at Christmas, and rattled at great speed through the streets. Every driver wore the long pelisse and the bell-crowned hat. A horse railroad extended through this street. There were plenty of omnibuses, drawn by three or four horses abreast, the driver having a whole handful of reins. The wagons, on which merchandise is conveyed from one part of the city to another, were really ludicrous to the students, and seemed to be constructed so as to give the horses the greatest possible amount of work. The wheels were quite small, and ran on wooden axletrees, with at least six inches' "play" between the hub and linchpins, so that, in rough places, the body slid on the wheels from right to left. From the end of each forward axletree, a rope, or a wooden bar, extended to the shafts. The vehicle was very heavy and clumsy, and evidently ran hard. The bow or arch over the ends of the shafts was very large and heavy, adding a useless burden to the labor of the poor horses. "That's a singular-looking building," said Lincoln. "That is the Cathedral of Kazan," replied the doctor, "or the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. It is a poor imitation, on the outside, of St. Peter's. There is a Don Cossack." The surgeon pointed to "a solitary horseman," who was riding slowly along the sheet. He wore a short jacket, with stripes across the front, and secured by globular buttons. He had on a Tartar cap, and carried in his hand a lance. "He don't look like the terrible being we have read about," laughed Lincoln. "No; the Cossacks are a well-disciplined body; but perhaps, in their wild condition, they are all you imagine."