ST. PETERSBURG, OR PETERSBURG?
IT° THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Mr. Herman Merivale asks the interesting question, " What is the name of the chief city of Russia ?" He says in his letter :--" All the Britons (telegrams included) call the place St. Petersburg ; all the French, I believe, Petersburg." Since reading Mr. Merivale's remarks, I have consulted the "Nouvelle Geographie Universelle," by Eliseo Reclus, Paris, 1880, and I find in its pages both forms, " Peters- bourg " and "Saint Petersbourg," used, with complete im- partiality. On page 589, M. Reclus has the following remarks on the name of the city:—"Par un singulier caprice, en donnant son nom meme ii la capitale de son Empire, it employait ce nom sous la forme hollandaise de Piterburg. En Rassie et 1 l'etranger, l'usage a fait predominer la designation allemande de Petersburg (Peterbourg) ; mais dans le langage ordinaire, la vile est encore appelde simplement, Piter." In literary Russian,
I believe, the usual form is " Peterburg." It seems, then, that Mr. Merivale was wise in consulting the young lady of the modern-educational school.—I am, &c., 18 Bradmore Road, Oaford, June 11th. A. L. MkYuEw.
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