Diary of John Quincy Adams, volume 1
1. Friday.
We were obliged to wait about 2 hours at a Dram Shop out of the city waiting for the gates to be opened. And there Mr. Gummer overtook us. He had left St. Petersbourg the same day with us, at about 4 o'clock. P.M. At seven o'clock the gates were opened and we went and stopp'd at the tavern. Mr. Gummer dined out. I was very unwell. The Count and Mr. Gummer spent the evening out: I was so unwell I did not go.
| List of the roads from | |
|---|---|
| From St. Petersbourg to | wersts |
| Dranizoukow |
25. |
| Walkiasiary2 | 15. |
| Lindola |
18. |
| Weremcki3 | 20. |
| Surenoja |
19 |
| Kamerala |
20. |
| Wibourg | 22. |
| 139 |
In general people take for the first post private horses. We paid 4 Roubles for 4 horses. For post horses you pay for the first station 2. copicks. pr. horse pr. werst. From Draniznikow to Lindola you pay 1. copick pr. horse pr. werst, and from Lindola forward you pay only 8 copicks pr. 10 wersts for each horse. When we arrived at Draniznikow we gave 30 copicks to the post master and had our horses directly. We gave at every post 5. 6. or 8 copicks to the post master and were very well served for horses. We gave the postillions from 5. to 15 Copicks, but never 15. unless in the night. The roads in general are very bad from Petersbourg to Wibourg, at the present season of the year, because the Land is pretty good and the frequent rains have made a great deal of mud. There are no houses where to lodge, and if one does not go night and day, one must sleep in the carriage.
Wibourg is a small city situated upon the river:
Because JQA's spellings of town names along the route from St. Petersburg to Stockholm often vary widely from contemporary sources, alternate spellings have been supplied from “Carte de la partie européenne de l'empire de Russie avec l'indication des chemins de poste, ainsi que des douanes frontières et de la reparti-155 image tion actuelle en gouvernements et districts,” St. Petersbourg, 1809.
The map, referred to above, lists Bieloostrowskaya Kirka as 18 versts from Lindoulia.
The same map lists Pampola as 20 versts from Lindoulia.
Left blank in MS.
This morning at about 11 o'clock we set off from Wibourg for Frederichshamm; we rode all night and arriv'd, the next day at about 4. o'clock P.M.1
The Diary continues into the following day's entry without a break.
Mr. Gummer arrived there at about 8 o'clock in the morning. Here people generally change their russian money for Swedish Rixdallers. We paid 1 Rbl. 40 cop. for each Rixdaller. Mr. Gummer supped out.
| List of the roads from Wibourg to Frederichshamm. | |
|---|---|
| From Wibourg to | wersts |
| Terwajoki |
20. |
| Willajoki |
17. |
| Urpala |
23. |
| Pytterlax |
16 |
| Kouckis1 | 18 |
| Frederichshamm | 16. |
| 110. |
From Wibourg to Frederichshamm you pay the same for the horses and for the postillions as from Lindola to Wibourg; the roads in general are at present very bad, and no such thing as a tavern upon the whole way.
In the “Carte de la partie européenne de l'empire de Russie,” Hrenwik is listed as 16 versts from Frederichshamm. See entry for 1 Nov., note 1 (above).
This forenoon at about 10 ½ o'clock we left Frederichshamm and rode till about 7. P.M. when we arriv'd at the last russian station. There we stopped.