published scientific notes, established learned societies, etc. G. Monastyrev in his books adds to this that “learned societies, growing on the rocky Kazan soils, languished,” and that, for example, the society of lovers of Russian literature, which had not had regular meetings for a long time, resumed them in 1846, “but this was the death throes, after which it no longer expressed its existence in anything, although “it was not fundamentally closed." But if we remember everything that was said above regarding the extreme lack of sympathy: I of the Kazan society of that time for the cause of enlightenment, then, of course, one cannot be surprised at everything expressed by Mr. Monastyrsky; in any case, it is not the university that must be blamed for the fact that the flames of the undertakings did not always lead to the desired results -
The fundamental library of the academy contains over 40 thousand volumes. Solovetsk bithe library consists mainly of manuscripts and ancient books (2865 volumes); it has
[fragment unreadable in scan of first edition]
there, and the business on which the university devoted its efforts was slow in its development.
Kazan University has trained quite a few advanced students: the famous Lobachevsky graduated from there, and Tg also came from there. Melnikov and Boborykin, there I listened to left-handers and gr. Lev Nikolaevich Tolotoy.
The university printing house, one of the oldest on the Volga, was founded in 1808 and, due to its richness of fonts of oriental languages, is rightly considered the first in Rosey.
In addition to the two periodicals mentioned above, the following newspapers are currently published in Kazan: “Volzheyumy Vetnik”, “Kazansvi Telegraph” and “Gubernsekya V Domosti”. Among the museums, special attention is drawn to the anatomical museum attached to the university, which, among other things, contains, as real treasures, the skeletons of two famous Volga robbers, who once brought terror to the entire local region and, in the end, died under the blows of whips - Bykov and Chaikin; Quite a few legendary stories are associated with the names of these terrible villains.
As for factory life and industrial life in general, Kazan from this side cannot be considered among the very first points of the Volga region. The production of carriages, which was famous in it, has now fallen significantly, which is partly explained by the decline of the former helper life, when it was the widely living landowners who were the main consumers of carriage production. Soap production, for which an incredible amount of eggs is brought to Kazan, which was once the most extensive and powerful in Russia, in our time is far from playing its former role, thanks to the proliferation of manufacturing companies in the form of various famous steam factories in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities. In Kazan, however, to this day there is a so-called spring fair, lasting from May 1 to 1 pony, the turnover of which extends from half a million to a million rubles. The total trade turnover of Kazan currently extends to almost 70 million rubles; There are more than 1320 factories and factories in the city. There are up to 150 thousand residential residents in Kazan.
But let’s leave aside the history of Kazan and talk about its past and present significance; It's time to introduce the reader to the city itself.
The first impression of a tourist upon disembarking from the ship at the Kazan pier is undoubtedly unsavory; It’s somehow hard to believe that such an important center of the Volga region could flaunt such a pitiful pier and, in addition, a pier that is almost seven miles away from the city. The Volga here makes a sharp turn towards the quarterdeck, strongly presses against the left bank and almost always in high water snatches off large pieces from it; Therefore, every spring, the Kavan pier presents in some part of it a picture of some destruction. As soon as you get off the ship, you see the following: a narrow sandy strip with holes and ruts and on it, in two rows, nondescript wooden buildings - either barracks or booths, intended for shops, taverns, taverns and cafes. During high water, this entire pier is flooded with water and then it takes on the appearance of a nondescript floating village; at this time the ships land almost 8 versts closer to the city. The road from the pier to the city is boring and monotonous;