soon on board. The weather was fine and the moon soon rose over the
palace of Peterhoff, looking for a moment like one of the splendid gilded
domes of the palace.

"On board the yacht I had much conversation with Lord Granville, who
brought the various members of his suite and introduced them to me,--Sir
Robert Peel; the young Earl of Lincoln, the son of the Duke of Newcastle,
who, when himself the Earl of Lincoln in 1839, showed me such courtesy
and kindness in London; Mr. Acton, a nephew of Lord Granville, with whom
I had some conversation in which, while I was speaking of the Greek
religion as compared with the Romish, he informed me he was a Roman
Catholic. I wished much to have had more conversation with him, but the
time was not suitable, and the steamer was now near the end of the
voyage.

"We landed at the quay in St. Petersburg about eleven o'clock, and I
reached my lodgings in the Hotel de Russie about twelve, thus ending a
day of incidents which I shall long remember with great gratification,
having only one unpleasant reflection connected with it, to wit that my
dear wife, my niece and our friend Miss L. were not with me to
participate in the pleasure and novelty of the scenes."

CHAPTER XXXVI

AUGUST 28, 1856--SEPTEMBER 16, 1858

Berlin.--Baron von Humboldt.--London, successful cable experiments with
Whitehouse and Bright.--Banquet at Albion Tavern.--Flattering speech of
W.F. Cooke.--Returns to America.--Troubles multiply.--Letter to the
Honorable John Y. Mason on political matters.--Kendall urges severing of
connection with cable company.--Morse, nevertheless, decides to
continue.--Appointed electrician of company.--Sails on U.S.S. Niagara.--
Letter from Paris on the crinoline.--Expedition sails from Liverpool.--
Queenstown harbor.--Accident to his leg.--Valencia.--Laying of cable
begun.--Anxieties.--Three successful days.--Cable breaks.--Failure.--
Returns to America.--Retires from cable enterprise.--Predicts in 1858
failure of apparently successful laying of cable.--Sidney E. Morse.--The
Hare and the Tortoise.--European testimonial: considered niggardly by
Kendall.--Decorations, medals, etc., from European nations.--Letter of
thanks to Count Walewski.

His good democratic eyes a trifle dazzled by all this imperial
magnificence, Morse left St. Petersburg and, with his party, journeyed to
Berlin. What was to him the most interesting incident of his visit to
that city is thus described:--

"_