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TRAVELS

VARIOUS COUNTRIES

''•» ^ OP

*«-

ROPE ASIA AND AFRICA

,, E. D. CLARKE LL.D

RUSSIA TAHTARY AND TURKEY

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[ FplTRT/f miTICHf

V0LtkK. THE. FIRST

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LONDON

PRINTED FOR T. CADFXL AND W. DAVIES

IK THB STRAM)
BT R. WATT8 CROWN COHRT TBMPLB BAR.

MDCCCXVII.

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TO THB

FOURTH EDITION.

Intelligence has lately reached the author
of a transaction connected with the First
Part of these Travels, which is so highly
hoDourahle to the indimdual whom it concerns,
and to the Sovereign whom he represented,
that it is hoped every one, interested in
the character of the British Nation in foreign
countries, will. Ije gi^^tified by it^' insertion. It
was conveyed in a JjcUln Ictt-er from the Capital
of the Don Cossacks^ ivrrfcten by Colonel Alexius
Pa PDF, president ! and *. dkeblor of all their
scholastic institutions ; to the following purport.

Sir Gore Ouseley being upon his return from
Persia^ where he had resided in his capacity of
British Ambassador to the Court of the Shak^
came to the Cossack Capital. Here he de-
iipatched a messenger to Colonel Papof^ inviting

Aa€ fMtrr to Ida presence. Upn dbc diamtrs
arrival. Sir Gon Chadem proeeeded to sctte^ diat»
^aa die Repreaoitaxrre of a firinsh Sorcreisiu
ht caaaind it tt> be Itis dvrr tt> adbwarledge
liie diftnitffeiiicd bogptsaEcr diewB. hf the
CUomel, and bf the GMnobin general, cotbose
Eogfiah traTellers wbo had fiated TcitrituJk ;
and therefijce be besged to bestow upon bis
finnilTSiidi anark of bis eratirade as it was
iben in bis power to oi&r.'' Haring accompanied
fiat declaration witb a bandsome present. Sir
Chre fortber gratified bis gnest, by translating,
firoB Ais wori:, all tboee p^sages wbkJi related
cidier to bimsrfC or to bis coontrrnien ; until
die worfliT Coaaeij as be is kind enoogb to
eonfeaB, «* shed tears of ddigbL'"

In rdating ^^qrc^^ nature, an

aotbor mar i»^*'be created ^irben be pro-

' *•» • • •••• •«•• *

£e»e8 bimself not tpJbe:iDiine''m£fferent to tbe

• • ••• *«• •• •

boiuMir tberebr 7Hi«dBe|re^: tfpon: bis work» tban
to its general sncbtts^^' * \Hitr*iM> antbor will

(1) IToCwitfastaBiii^sferockMS attack BMltvpQK Hiaaa At

fer Ac Rmmmm Gawammat eaMci tfcc «tkl> wluch appMrad
iatW Awterietm iteMV,Mid to bewrittabya Rmmm, to be le-
prfatcd, aMl kMCTtad ia OM of Ae auMT JMnab or Aiftoi^ An

To THB FOURTH EDITION.

be SO sensibly affected by tbe encouragement
be receives, as one wbo is conscious of wit-
nessing, in tbe favourable reception sbewn to
his writings, tbe triumpb of trutb. Having
every reason to be convinced tbat tbey bave
outlived tbe opposition made to tbem, in conse-
quence of tbe description given of tbe MussianSf be
now confesses tbat, wben be publisbed tbe First
Part of bis Travels, be was not politician enougb
to be aware of tbe clamour it was likely to
excite. In sbewing tbat bis testimonies con-
cerning tbis people coincided witb tbose of tbe
most reputable writers wbo bad gone before
bim^ be tbougbt be bad fulfilled an obligation

anmioa to Uie Foreifpi Editions of this work having been introdacedf
the mathor cannot avoid noticing a French Translation of it, publisbed
at Paris ia 1813, in three volumes octavo; because it is accompanied
by Sotes, said to have been inserted under the surveillance of Buona-
parte. Those Notes are evidently intended to persuade the Russian :
Government of the bad policy of an alliance with Oreat Britain^
the writer, perhaps, not being aware that this alliance is not so
moch a matter of choice, as of necetsity, French Notes explanatory of
the text of an English author are sometimes highly diverting : of this
we have an instance in a Note, of the Edition now mentioned, upon
the words ^^ purlieus of St, Oilers;'* which the French translator ex-
plalnf, by saying that they signify " Certainet terres dhnembrUs des
forits royales, et sur lesquelles le proprUtaire a droit de chasse," Voy*
torn. I. p. 1 63. Note (I) du Traducteur. Paris, 1 8 13.

(:2) Even the Eulogists of the Rusnan Government might be cited to
prove that tbe condition of the people does not dllTer from the account
given of it in this work. " The peasantry," says Mr. Eton, " look upon
the monarch as a divinity; styling him {Zemnoi Bog) Goo of the
Eabth.' {See Eton's Survey of the Turkish Empire, p. 433.) It

rcwaiued

ADVBRTISBMBNT TO FOUBTH BDITION.

to the public. Leavings howeyer, this point
to he decided by his adversaries; and their
harmless opposiUan, to the inevitable fate . of
all political struggles, fitted only to serve the
interests of partj/ ; atid> moreover, being called
upon for a Foutth Edition of the particular portion
of his work against which so much hostility was
levelled ; he has nothing more to say of it, than
that it is, at length, printed in a more commo-
dious form, and with every attention to accuracy
which repeated revision has enabled him to
bestow.

tenulned for Mr. Thondonifruint Sitae of Turkey, voi. II p. 90. Hote,
Lffttd, ISO^ to shew iviist were Mr. JStcn*9 real sentiments coiiMTiilikg
tlie Muaian Ootmmmmt; hy contrasting the observations lie made
after tlie death of CJimBRlirB, with those whidihekad before pnblished.
^ Two yean,'' observes MV. Thornton^ '^ after wrfthkg «n euhgimn on
the Rtutktn GfovemmetU, Mr. JBton wrote his PoUteript ; theogh both
were published together. The Empress Cathbriitb was then deed ;
and then we are told, ** that it ib timb thb toicb of truth sbali.
BB KBARD."— <' It IS Only Infore^pi poUties," says Mr. JBion, ^ that she
(Cathbrtnb) appears great : as to tiie internal government of the
{SusMhm) Empire, a mostBCandaloos negligence, and a general oorrop-
tion in the management of afihirs, was visible^ in every department,
from Petenburg to Kami^ihiu**

Cambridgey Jan. 1. 1816.

THE THIRD QUARTO EDITION OF
PART THE FIRST.

A THIRD Edition of the First Part of these
Travels, within the short space of time that
has elapsed since its original publication, may
be considered as affording a good practiced
answer to certain objections which have been
made against it. Whether this presumption
be true or false, the author ventures, upon
such encouragement, to proceed with the rest
of the work according to his original plan.

In the present Edition, the text has been
revised : the account given of the state of the
society in Mussia has been suffered to remain
nearly as it was printed in the former Editions,
and as it was written upon the spot.

Talmpikoton, near Cambkid4>c,
Jlay 1, 1813

TH£ SECOND QUARTO EDITION OF
PART THE FIRST.

Ik the present Edition, some verbal corrections
will be found in various passages. Some addi-
tions have also been made ; and it is hoped that
they will add to the general interest excited by
the work. The Notes, in certain instances, have
been augmented, and the number of Inscriptions
increased, by very valuable communications
from Charles Kelsall, Esq. of Trinity College^
Cambridge^ who lately pursued a similar route
to that of the author, in the South of Russia.
Robert Corner^ Esq. of Malta^ has also obligingly
added to the Appendix^ an important article
concerning the Internal Navigation oi\he Russian
Empire^.

After the fullest and most impartial conside-
• ration, the author is contented to rest the truth

(1) S«e the AppendUr to this Volume.

and validity of his remarks, concerning the
Russian character, upon the evidence afforded hy
almost every enlightened Traveller who has
preceded him. In addition to their testimony,
the unpublished observations of the late Lord
RoTSTON^ may be adduced, to shew that, sub-
sequently to the author's travels, and under
happier auspices of government in Russia^ the
state of society appeared to that gifted young
Nobleman, as it has been described in the follow-
ing jmges. Lord Rotstov, when writing to an

(1) 1%e kiadneM of the Barl of Hardwiehe tnUuvix^s tiiitalliiaioQ
to hb Son's Letters. Lord Rotston's name carries with \t a claim to
public consideration. Altliongh the knowledge of his great acqslre-
mcols had scarcely transpired beyond the ciide oi )m A<oadffir»|fal
acquaintance^ his eradition was regarded, even by a PorsoN| with
wonder. The loss sustained by his death can never be retrie?ed ; but
soaie consolation is derired horn the eoaseioasaess that ill the fmlts of
his literary lahoars have not baa» analhUal^. The suhUmc pro{»he«9r
of his own Caaandra, uttering " a parable of other times," will yet be
heard ; in hfs native language, shewing ^ her daA speech," and thus
pOBvCayhig hfs mtlanrholy ead*

^ Ye dlA of Zas«aK» and ye waiv» which wash
Opheltes' crags, and melancholy shore,
Ve rocks of Trychas, Nedon's dangerous heights,
Dirphossian ridges, and Dlacrian caves,
Ye plains where Phorcyn broods upon the deep,
And founds his floating palaces, what sobs
Of dying men 4ia!l ye not hear? what groans
(H masts and wrecks, aU crashing jp 4he wind ?
^Vllat mighty watcrfi, wliose receding waves
Bursting shall rive the continents of earth ?*'

VitcQuni Uoyiton'f Cassandra, p. 28.

TO THE SECOND EDITION. *

accomplished friend, who was snatched from
the pursuit of worldly honours hy a fate as
untimely, although not so sudden as his own%
thus briefly, but emphatically, characterizes the
state of refinement in the two great cities of the
Russian Empire*. " A journey from Peitnhttrg
to Motcaw is a journey from Europe to Awu
With respect to the society of the former city
I am almost ashamed to state my opinion, after
the stubborn fact of my having twice returned
Udther, each time at the expense of a thousand
miles : but although I had not imagined it pos-
sible that any place could exist more devoid of
the means of enjoying ratiimal conversatioD, I
am now, since my residence here, become of
a different opinion. Not that I have not been
excessively interested, both during this and
my former visit to Moscow. The feudal magni-
ficence of the nobility, the Asiatic dress and
manners of the common people, the mixture
of nations to be seen here, the immensity,

the variety, and the singular architecture
of the city, present, altogether, a most curious

(9) Rer. G. D.Wkiitington, aathor of an "Historical Survey (/
Gothic ^rcAt/M/urc/* published since his death by certain of liis distin-
piiabed friends. See the elegant tribute to his memory, in a Preface
to that work, by the Earl of Aberdeen.

(I) This Letter 18 d«led, Motcaw, April \^th, 1809.

ADVERTISEMBNT

and amusing assemblage." In a former part of
the same Letter, the inattention of the superior
Clergy to the religion of the lower orders, is
forcibly illustrated. The words are as follow :
" You have probably received some account of
my journey to Archangel; of my movement
thence, in a north-easterly direction, to Mezen ;
of the distinguished reception I received firom
the Mayor of that highly-dMized^ city, who
made me a speech in Russian^ three-quarters of an
hour long ; of my procuring, there, twelve r^-
deer, and proceeding towards the Frozen Ocean,
until I found a Samoied camp in the Desert,
between the rivers Mezen and Petchora ; and of
my ascertaining, that that nation, which extends
over almost all the North of Busaoj remains still
in a state of Paganism ; a circumstance, of which
the Archbishop of the diocese was ignorant."

The description, given in this work, <^ the
miserable condition of the Russian peasants^ and
of the scarcity of provisions in the interior
of the country, has been disputed. Let us now
therefore see what Lord Royston has said upon
this part of the subject It is contained in a

(1) So marked in Uie or%iiMl.

TO THS SECOND EDITION.

Letter to Mr. Whittifigton from Cdsan^ dated
May I6th, I8O7. "I left Moscow on Tuesday
the 5th of May ; and the first town at which I
arrived was Vladimir^ formerly the capital of an
independent sovereignty, and the residence of a
Grand Duke. The accommodations are such as
are alone to he met with all over Muscovy ; one
room, in which you sleep with the whole family,
in the midst of a most suffocating heat and smell ;
no furniture to he found, hut a bench and table ;
and an absolute dearth of provisions.*^

In the Extracts, added to the Notes, from Mr.
HAer^s Journal, there are certain observations
which are said to be at variance with the remarks
in the Text ; but it is hardly necessary to add,
that they were introduced for this special
reason. Some persons have also insinuated,
that the author has accused the Mussians of
want of hospitality ; although the very reverse
may be proved from his writings. In describing
the reception which he experienced at Moscow^
he lays particular stress upon the hospitality of
the inhabitants ; " although^* to use his own
words in the Fourth Chapter of the present
Volume, " it was considered dangerous at that time to
have the cJiaracter of hospitality towards English-

ADVERTISEIONT

meny He also cites a passage, in the Notes,
fipom a French work of celebrity, to prove, with
reference to Moscow^ that *^ FhospitalitS des Russes
parolt id dans tout son jour *' Another extract
from Lord Roystoris Letters will shew, that the
same characteristic of the inhabitants was ob-
served by his Lordship ; although, as he expressly
declares, it did not alter his ^^ general opwian'*
of the people. It is taken from a Letter to the
Right Honourable Charles Yorke, dated Moscow^
May 5th, 1807. *' Notwithstanding all the plea-
sure I promise myself from my tour, I shall be
sorry to leave Moscow : the hospitality of the
people is very great ; and it is unpleasant to be
always forming new and agreeable acquaintance,
with the expectation of shortly leaving them,
and the probability of never seeing them again.
On leaving Petersburg^ notwithstanding my ge-
neral opinion, I felt very strongly how painful
it is, to quit, for ever, a place in which we have
resided for some time ; and believe it was solely
that feeling which caused me to return thither
from Moscow.**

Indeed it may be urged, that even those
Authors who endeavour to present a favourable
view of the Russian people, and who strain every

TO THl 6BC0ND BDITIOlf .

effort to acoompliHh the undertaking, are con-
tinaally betraying the hidden reality. Their
pageS) like embroidered vestments upon the
priests of JtfMcoir, disclose, with every gust that
separates them, the rags and wretchedness they
were intended to conceaP. Nor is it only in
thom periods of Russian history when hostility
threw off the veil, and enabled other nations to
observe the real disposition of the people towards
every coantry but their own, that their character
hat been thus manifested. It is alike displayed
in peace and war ; in circumstances of seeming
dvilizatioii, or of acknowledged barbarism ; in
the reign of P^teR) or of Catherine ; under the
^franny of Paul, or the mild government of
AuxANDBR. These are facts, indeed, which a
traveller may withhold : he may say, with Fonie-
nelle^ ^^ If I had my hand full of tmthsy I would
not suffer one of them to escape ;*' or, like Voltairct
he may wait ** until he has leisure to methodize

(1) '^ Ycm can hardly imagine any thing more showy than the appear-
icc of the priettfl of these churches on their festival days. But if the
■hoald diance to blow aside the sacred vestments, you would
pgehabiy feel a degree of disgust not easily described, at seeing shoes
aod stocking, and breeches, and shirt, of the coarsest materials, gene-
nOy ragged, and always dirty, af^pearing from under robes of the most
superb and costly embroidery.'' Letters from SeamUnaviaf ro7. 1, p. 71 .
LimtL 1700.

events,*' prior to their communication: but if
he expect credit to be^ given, when he tells the
theme of praise, when all that '^ is lovely and
of good report " claims its due regard, it is not
from such philosophy, that he can hope for its
acquirement\

At all events, the subject, as far as the author
is concerned, shall now rest. Another portion
of his Travels, describing objects of a more
pleasing nature, diverts his attention from
Scythian wilds and from all their fur-clad tribes ;
from uniformity of scenery and of disposition, to
regions highly diversified, and to human nature
under every circumstance of character ; from
wide and barren plains, to varied territories
** flowing with milk and honey ;" from rivers,
and lakes, and stagnant waters, to seas traversed
by " men out of every nation under heaven ;
<^ Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and
'<the dwellers in mesopotamia, and in

(1) *' Even the author of the History of Charlbs XILofpBTBR I«
and of the age of Louis XIV. was of opinion, that it was of greater
importance to say what is naeM than what Is trae ; as if what was
false coold ever be useful ! In a Letter to Count S^uoaiqff he says,
* Until I have leisure to methodize the terrible event of the death cf the
Teareuitchf J have be^un another tocrk,* Is this the language of a
phUotopliiedl historian V Mem. of the Court qfPetereburg, p. 81 .

TO THE SECOND EDITION.
•* JuDSAy AND IN CaPPADOCIA» IN PoNTUS, AND

•• Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphtlia, in Egypt,
** and in the parts of Lybia, about Cyrene,

** AND strangers OF RoME, JeWS AND PROS-
** ELYTES, CrETESi AND ARABIANS."

VOL.

PREFACE

PART THE FIRST.

xir presenting the First Part of his Travels
to the Public, the author is desirous to explain
the general extent of bis undertaking.

His design is, to com|^ete, in three separate

Parts, a series dt Travels, in Europe^ Asia^

»d Africa ; bo tbail each portion ^ consisting of

one, or more, Tolumes,. maj constitute a survey

of some particular region. Thus, for example,

ihe Part now published, relates to Travels in

Ruma, Tahiarjfy and Twrkey ; a Second Part

my inclade the observations collected in Greece^

Egypt, and Palestme ; and, finally, a Third

Part, those objects which were presented in

Dtnmarky Iforway, Sweden, Laphmd, and JPiw-

imd. Bui;, in order to accomplish so extensive

n imdertaking, some indulgence ia required to

fte manner of its execution ; some credit for a

better disposition towards his fellow-creatures,

than the author's severe penance in Russia may

seem to have excited. It is not so generally

11 PREFACE.

known as it may be, that the passage of a small
rivulet, which separated the two countries of
Sweden and Russia^ at the period of the author's
journey, and before the dismemberment of
Finlandj the mere crossing of a bridge, con-
ducted the traveller ft*om all that adorns and
dignifies the human mind, to whatsoever, most
abject, has been found to degrade it. If, there-
fore, the late Empress and Autocrat of all the
MtusiaSf Catherine the Second, could find a
Volnej/j who would prostitute his venal pen to
varnish the deformities of her reign and of her
empire ; if Potemkin did not want an apologist,
and an advocate, even among the Writers of
this country ; Great Britain will forgive the
firankness of one, among her sons, who has
ventured, although bluntly, to speak the truth.
It is a language not wholly obscured in the
more cautious descriptions of former Writers.
Tubervilef of England ; Augtistine^ of Germany ;
OlearittSy of Denmark; and, more recently, the
Abb6 de la Chappe^ of France, together with the
authors of many anonymous productions, re-
present the real character of the people, in
colours, which neither the antidote of Aleksye
Musine Pttchkine, the drivellings* of Voltaire^ nor

(1 ) See VoUttir^s Correspondence with the Bmpresa Catrbrims, la
the latter part of his life.

PREFACE. Ul

all the hired deceptions of French philosophers
and savansy have been able to wipe away'.

A few words, by way of acknowledgment, to
those who have contributed to the accomplish-
ment of the present undertaking, it is hoped,
will not be deemed superfluous: at the same
time, it is not necessary to repeat expressions
which occur in the following pages. With
the exception, therefore, of Lord Whitworth,
whose respectable name the author here begs
leave to introduce, no repetition will be offered.
To his kindness, while Ambassador at Petersburg^
the very existence of the First Part of this
work may be ascribed ; and his character ought
to stand recorded, in having afforded, as an
English Minister, the very rare example of
liberal patronage to his travelling countrymen,
during the whole of his embassy.

(2) ^ Omoes enim passim, cujascimque conditionis sint, nullo re-
itpeeta personarum habito, durissim^ scrvitute prcmuutur. Nobilcs,
magnates, prtpfccti, primores^ conslliariiquc universi, se c7ilopo8, id
est, abjectissimos et vilissimos servos Magiii Ducis fatentiir ; et bona
mk omDia, mobilia ct immobilia, quce possidcnt, non sua, sod Prin-
dpis esse agnoscunt. Ut autcm equestris ordo a Ma^^no Duce, ita
aim plebeius ordo k Nobilibus ct Magnatibus gravissime premitur :
oolonoram enim et oppidanorum bona, militariuni hominum et Nobi-
Com praedse ezp^sita sunt. Sex dies coloni in septimana dominis suis
laborvit; ««ptimus dies privato labori conce<litur. Nefjuc hi strenud
sboraot, nut bene nerberati." JDeseriptio MotcovuB. L. Bat, 1(KK).

iv PREFACE.

In the course of the subsequent narradre, tlie
author has generally used a plural expression,
even with reference to his own personal obser-
vations. This mode of writing was adopted,
not solely, with a view to divest his style of
egotism, but in allusion to his friend, the cause
and companion of his travels, John Marten
Cripps, M.A. oi Jesus College^ Cambridge ; whoBe
unceasing ardour in prosecuting every enter-
prise, added to the mildness and suavity of his
manners, endeared him to the inhabitants of every
country he visited. The constancy and firmness
which he preserved through all the trials and
privations of a long and arduous journey, as
well as the support which he rendered to the
author, in hours of painful and dangerous
sickness, demand the warmest expressions of
gratitude. The Plants collected during the
route were the result of their mutual labour;
but the whole of the Meteorological Statement
in the Appendix^j together with the account
given of Relays and Distances*, are due to his
patient observation and industry.

To the Rev. Reginald Heber, late Fellow of
All'Souhf College J Oxford^ the author is indebted

(1) Sec the Appendix to VoIb. 11. IV. VI. & VIII.

(2) Ibid.

PREFAGZ. ¥

far tbe valuable Manascript Journal whidi
wManied the extracts given in the Notes. In
additkn W Mr4 Sebef^s habitual accuracy, may
he mentioned the gtatistical information^ whiofa
itutqpB a peculiar yalise on his obserraloons :
this has enriched the volumes by communica*-
tions which the author himself was incompetent

to Bupj^y.

To ArLitati Bourkb Lambert^ Esq. FeUow
ef the Royal, Antiquarian, and Linna^an Socie-
ties, author of several Botanical writings, and
am<mg others, of a splendid work on the
Genus Pinus^ as well as possessor of the finest
Herbarium in Europe, for his kindness in
arranging the Plants collected in the Crimea
and in preparing a List of them for the
Appendix?

If the Vignettes prefixed to the several Chap-
ters, answer the purpose for which they were
intended, by exhibiting, within a small compass.

(3) See Appendix to Vol, II. Mr. Lambert \b the present poflWMor
of the celebrated Herbarium of Pallas , purchaied by Mr. Cripps daring
\k residence with the Professor, and brought to Englandy in the
BraoMy by the aathor's brother, the late Captain Oenrge Clarke, of
tW Boyal Nary, A. D. 1605.

▼1 PRBFACB.

and in the least obtrusive manner, objects re-
ferred to in the text, — the merit is solely due to
her, whose name appears occasionally annexed^
to those . Designs, and who, from the rudest
docmnents, has afforded an el^ant and fedthfol
representation of truth.

Notwithstanding the care bestowed upon the
accuracy of the text, it is highly probable that
some errors have escaped the author's notice.
Should this prove to be the case, it is hoped that
the Public will overlook defects in the style of a
mere writer of travels ; from which the more
responsible pages of an Addison^ a Steele^ and
a Gibbon^ have not been found exempt In the
progress of transcribing a journal written in a
foreign land, remote from scenes of literature,
more attention was often given to fidelity of
extract, than to elegance, or even purity of
composition.

The unsettled state of English orthography,
as far as it affects the introduction of Russian
names, produces considerable embarrassment
to the writer who wishes to follow a fixed rule.
Upon this subject it not only happens that no
two authors agree, but that the same author is
inconsistent. Jonas Hanwatfi whose writings are

PRBFACE. yU

more accurate than those of any other English
traveller who has visited Rusnoj may be con-
sidered as affording, perhaps, the best model
in this respect : but Hanway himself is not con-
sistent^

In the Russian alphabet there is no letter
answering to our W; yet we write Moscow, and
Waronetz. Where custom has long sanctioned
an abuse of this kind, the established mode
seems preferable to any deviation which may
wear the appearance of pedantry. The author
has, in this respect, been guided by the autho-
rity and example of Gibbon ; who affirms % that
*^ some words, notoriously corrupt, are fixed,
and as it were naturalized, in the vulgar tongue.
The Prophet Mohammed can no longer be strip-
ped of the famous, though improper, appellation
of Mahomet ; the well-known cities of Aleppo j
Damascus^ and Cdiro^ would almost be lost in
the strange descriptions of Haleby Damashky and
Al Cahira.'' But, it may fairly be asked, where
is the line to be drawn ? What are the Russian

(1) The name of the same place is written Kieva in vol. I. p. 9.
KIdeta in p. 15, and Khiva in a note. Nagai Tartars^ in p. 8. vol. I.
are written Nagay Tartan in p. 11. Throughout his work, the termi-
oating *owel is somctiniw* t, and as often, as y ; Valdai, poderosnoif and
Yakutskjfy Na»arow»ky.

(2) P.S. to pref. ch. xxxix. Hist, of the Decline and Fall, &c.

▼iii P It E F A C E.

Dttiies, wMch we are to consider ^ fixed and
naturalized in the vulgar tongue ? Are we to write
WoranetZf or VoronSje ; Wolga^ or Volga ; KioWf
or Kiof; Azowy or Azof? Lord W/dtworth wrote
Chioff and Asophj although hoth these names
have the same original termination'. It is the
B ( Vedy) redoubled in oomponnd words» which
occasions the principal diffictdty, and which has
been conlounded with our W. Thus, as it is
mentioned by Storch\ from LSvesgue^ the Russian
word VvSdiniij signifying ^ introduction^' consists
of the preposition vo or v (into)^ and vSdSniS {to
conduct). The proper initial letter in English^
therefore, for this word, would be F, whose
power it alone possesses; and not W, which
conveys a fidse idea of pronunciation. When
this compound occurs as the termination of a
word, it is best expressed by our/, as Orlofj for
Orlow; which exactly answers the mode of
pronunciation in Russia. Some writers use the
letter doubled, as ff: the latter f is however
superfluous. The plan pursued by the author,
but to which, perhaps, he has not regularly
adhered, was to substitute a V for the Russian

(1) Aecoant •f Buitia, by Charla Lord Whittoorth. Strawberry
mU, 1768.

(2) Tableftu de TEmpire de Rumic, torn. I. p. 19. See abo Huioire
ds Ruuu par Livetque, tarn, I. p. 1 7. Hamb. 1800.

PHBFACE. IX

W^ whenever it occurs at the beginning, or in
the middle of a word ; and an f^ whenever it ia
fomid as a termhiation.

There is yet another letter of the Russian
alphabet, which, from its frequent recurrence
as an initial, requires a perfect reconciliation to
smne settled law <^ English orthography ; viz»
the Tchirve : this has the power of our cA, in
cieeK and childy and occurs in the name of the
CmsocAs of the Black Sea^ Tckemomorski. With
regard to words terminating in ai and oi, as
Valdaiy Paulavskoij perhaps it would be well to
snbstitnte ay and oj/f as VaJday^ Paulovshoy ; or
y only, as Valy, Paulovsky ; which last offers a
dose imitation of the vulgar mode of pronun-
ciation in general : but the variety caused by
different dialects, in different parts of the em-
pire, will, after every attention is paid to a set-
tled rule of writing, occasion frequent perplexity
and embarrassment.

In the orthography of the names of places
immediately south of Moscow^ frequent attention
was paid to the Map of Reymann^ published by
Schmidt, at Berlin, 1802. But even in that
map, the territories of the Don Cossacks^ Kuban
Tartaryj and the Cmmea, appear only as a
forlorn blank. Many years may expire before

X PREFACE.

HusdOy like Sweden^ will possess a Hermelik,
to illustrate the geography of the remote pro-
vinces of her empire ; especially as it is a maxim
in her policy, to maintain the ignorance which
prevails in Europe^ concerning those parts of
her dominions. On this account, the indecision,
which must appear in the perusal of this volume,
to characterize the description of the country
hetween Biroshf and Odessa^ admits of expla-
nation. The geography of all that district is
little known *, the courses of the Dniester^ the
Bog^ and the Dnieper j as well as the latitude
and soundings of the coast near their em-
bouchures, have never been adequately sur-
veyed. The only tolerable charts are preserved
by the Russian Government, but sedulously
secreted from the eyes of Europe. It has,
however, fallen to the author's lot, to interfere,
in some degree, with this part of its political
system, by depositing within a British Admi-
ralty certain documents, which were a subse-
quent acquisition, made during his residence in
Odessa. These he conveyed from that country,
at the hazard of his life. They are too volu-
minous for insertion in the work, but may serve
to facilitate the navigation of the Russian coasts
of the Black Sea^ if ever the welfare of Great
Britain should demand the presence of her
fleets in that part of the world. In making this

PREFACE. XI

addition to our stock of knowledge, for the use
of our navy, no ties of confidence, or of honour,
were broken with a people who have violated
every engagement with this country. Those
documents were entrusted to the author by
persons fully authorized to concede the informa-
tion, and their injunctions have been sacredly
obeyed.

wg^js-gg ViiUUIE* A KOKEY.

J£.

-vsee:

vkich

5.?

TABLE OF RUSSIAN MONET.

Ill 1664, BaublBi were introduced at Moscow m^n form
of htOBy witk deep notches ia them (romNi)y wbickeiiftUed
the possessor to detach aa mnch of the bar aa his payment
might require*. Hence the origin of the word Raubk.
Almost all the copper money of Russia is coined in Siberia^
and principally at Catherineburg, near the Ural ilftnea.
Sixteen Roubles of pure copper weigh a Poud.

Atpreseoi^ the qieoie of tb0 coontry has nearly dis-
ai^earedy and paper ia its only represestaliYe. The Copeek
BO longer exists as current eoin.

The fblfewing statemeal of tjm Names aJid Vahye of
BwMiian H 09ey is chieiy extracted from Oeorgi.'f

SILVER MONET.

1 Rouble .... equals 100 Copeehs.

1 Polten, or ^ rouble = 50 Do.

1 PolupoUefij or \ rouble = 25 Do.

1 Dvagrwen - - - = 20 Do.

1 PaetaUen - - - = 15 Do.

1 Griven - - - - = 10 Do.

1 Paetach - - - = 5 Do.

COPPER MONEY.

1 Paetach - - - - equals 5 Copeeks.

1 AUine - . . - = 3 Do.

1 Orosli . . . . = 2 Do.

1 Copper Copeek - - = 1 Do.

This last coin represents, in front, the Figure of 8t George
on horseback, piercing a dragon with his spear. '< From
this spear/' says OeorgiX^ called Copcea in Russian, the
word Copeek has been derived.

* Georgi, D^ript. de St. Peten. p. 187. Edit. Franc. Peters. 1793.
t Ibid, lect 8. chap. 3.
t Ibid, p. 191.

TABLB OF RUSSIAN MONET.

1 Denga or Denuthka - - - - equals ^ a Oopeek.
1 Pohukka^ the smallest coin ofSuMna = i Do.

The Pobithka takes its name from a hare-skin, Ushka
(which, before the use of monej, was one of the lowest
articles of exchange) ; Pol signifying ha^; and Pobuhkon
half a hare^B tkm.

The gold coinage of Rvuia is scarcely erer seen. It
consists principally of ducats^ the first of which were stmdk
by PsTSB TBB Great, worth two roubles and twenty-fiye
eopeeks each. When the author was in PeUrsburgj a
coinage was going on at the mint, day and night, for the
private nse of the Emperor Paul, of seventy-three poudt
of gold ; the whole of which was made into ducaU. The
mint was worked by steam-engines.

UST OF EMBELLISHMENTS AND MAPS

OOMTAIVBD IN

VOLUME THE FIRST.

TO f IRYB Af DIBBOnOM* TO TBB BINDBB.

A newly engrafed Portrait of the Author • . to face the Title*
General Outline of the Author's Route . . • to face Chap, L

M^ of the Mouths of the Don : • . . p. 339*

M^ of the Situation of Tcherkask . . . p. 348.

LIST OF THE VIGNETTES

IN VOLUME THE FIRST,

TBB neWBITBS ABB BNORAVBD OM WOOD, BT AVSTIII.

CHAP. I.
No. Page

1. Profile of the Emperor Paul, from a Drawing by

E. D. Clarke 1

2. Crystallization of Water 12

CHAP. II.

3. Anns of Novogorod 14

CHAP. III.

4. WinddW of a Russian Cottage 32

5. Stocldngs used by Female Peasants of the Valday • 44

CHAP. IV.

6. Archbishop of Moscow at the Ceremony of the

Resurrection 58

7. Gipsies dancing the Barina 80

VOL. I. C

VIGNBTTES TO THE FIRST VOLUME.

CHAP. V.
No. Page

8. Gsie of Moscow 86

CHAP. VI.

9. Anns of the City oi Moscow 107

CHAP. VII.

10. Phn o{ the City of Moscow 140

11. Great Gun of Moscow 154

12. FaC'Simile of the Hand- writing of Pbter the

Great 165

CHAP. VIII.

13. A Russian DrosA^y 171

CHAP. IX.

14. The Rustic Pipes of Russia 193

CHAP. X.

15. The sort of Sandal common to all the Northern

Nations 227

CHAP. XI.

16. Ancient Tumti/t, as they appear covering the Steppes 260

CHAP. XII.

17. Manner in which the Author and his Companion,

traversed the Steppes of Russia 297

J 18. Portrait of a Ca/mt/cA: Woman 317

CHAP. XIII.

19. Douhle Canoe, used by the Don Cossacks • . • 343

CHAP. xrv.

20. Hamaxohii of Herodotus, as seen at the present day • 395

CHAP. XV.

21. Map of the proposed Junction of the Rivers Volga

and Don . . 426

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS

TO PAST THE PIBST,

VOLUME THE FIRST.

Adtbstibevbkts to the Fourth, Third, and Second Editions,

Prbfacb to the First Edition.

Tables of Russian Measure, Weight, and Money,

List of Embellishments, Maps, and Vignettes.

CHAP. I.

P. 1.

PBTERSBURG.

Preliminary Observations — State of Public Affair s^^Strange
conduct of the Emperor — Insolence of the police — Extra-
ordinary phiBnomenon.

CHAP. II.

P. 14.
JOURNEY FROM PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW.

Departure from Petersburg — Manner of travelling — Palace
of Tsarskoselo— Gardens — Anecdote of Billings's expedi-
tion to the North-west Coast of America — Ledyard —
Barbarous decoration of the apartments — Arrival at No-
vogorod — Cathedral — Antient Oreek paintings — Manner
of imitating them in Russia — Superstitions of the Oreeh
Church-^Virgin with three hands^^Story of her Origin-^
Russian Bogh,

GSmSRAL STATEMENT OF OOHTENTS.

CHAP. III.

P. 81.
NOVOGOBOD.
AnHeni history of Navogarod — First ckurckes tn Russia —
Procopius — Evagrius — Baptismof Olga^ afterwards Helena
— Arms of Novogorod — Ceremony of crossing — General
picture of this route — HeighU of Valdag — Costume— Tu-
muli— Jedrova — Domestic manners of the peasants — &r-
vile state of the empire — Vyshney Voloshoh-^Torshok-^
Tver — Milanese vagrants — Volga — Tumuli — KBn^Pe-
trovshy — Arrival at Moscow — j

CHAP. IV.

P. 68.
MOSCOW.

Peculiarities of climate — Impressions made on a first arrival
— Russian hotel — Persian^ Ktrgissian^ and Bucharian
ambassadors — Fasts and Festivals — Ceremonies observed
at Easter — Palm Sunday — Holy Thursday — Magnificent
ceremony of the Resurrection — Excesses of the populace —
Presentation of the Paschal eggs —Ball of the peasants —
Ball of the nobles — Characteristic incident of caprice in
dress.

CHAP. V.

P. 86.
MOSCOW.

•

Surprising talent of imitation among the Russians — Remewh
able fraud practised by a native artist — Boohsellers — State
of literature — Libraries of the nobles — Equipages — Cos-
tume of the Bourgeoisie — Amusements of the people —
Chapel of the Tverschaia — Miracles wrought there — iVio-
ture of the imposture — Artifice of a merchant — Asstusina--
turn of an archbishop — Motive for the worship of pictures —

GENERAL 8TATBMSNT OF CONTBlfTS.

Resemblance between Russians and Neapolitans — Wives of
the nobles — Conduct of their husbands — Children of Or lof
— Princess Menzikof — Retributive spirit exercised by th€
Emperor at the funeral of his mother.

CHAP. VI.

P. 107.
MOSCOW.

State of exiles m Siberia — Tobolshy — Generous conduct ofja

eiiixen — Prince turned paumbroher — Picture-dealers^

State of medicine — Manners of the people — Opinions en-

tertained of the English^— Relative condition of slaves and

their lords— Noble behaviour of Count Oolovhin's peasants

— Servants of the nobility-^Theft committed by a party

of the nobles — Convent of the New Jerusalem— 'New pro-

kibitions^ Public censors — Convent of the Trinity —

Chmrdk ofSt.Basil^Ivan BasiUmch—TuberviU's Letters.

CHAP. VII.

P. 140.
MOSCOW.

Sunday marhet — Promenades during Easter— Kremlin —

Holy Gate — Great Bell — Great Gun — Antient palace of

the Tsars — Imperial Treasury — Manuscripts — Superb Mo^

del — General appearance of the Kremlin — First Christian

church — Festival of the Ascension.

CHAP. VIII.

P. 171.

MOSCOW.

Order of the Maltese crou — Minerals of Count Golovkin —

Pictures — Antiquities — Shells — Gallery of Geditzin —

Library of Botterline — Botanic garden — Philosophical

instruments — Other collections — Stupendous objects of

Natural History — English horse-dealers — Public baths:

their mode of use ajid national importance — Foundling

Hospital.

OBNBRAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

CHAP. IX.
P. 193.
MOSCOW.
VUit to the Archbishop of Moscow — his conversation — CoH"
vent of NicoLL na Perbbha — Funeral of Prince Oalitzin
— Stalls for fruit and food — Sparrow Hill — Public morals
-^Banquets of the nobles — Barbarous etiquette observed
at Russian tables — Anecdote of two English Gentlemen —
Precautions to be used in travelling — Dealers in Virtu—
Adventurers and swindlers — Immense wealth of the nobles
— CowUtion of the peasants.

CHAP. X.

P. 227.
JOURNEY FROM MOSCOW TO WORONBTZ.
Departure from Moscow^^Celo Molody — Serpuchof^^ Inso-
lence and extortion — River Oka — Celo Zavody^^Antient
games — Vast Oriental plain — State of travelling — Tula —
its manufactures ^Imperial fabric of arms — Present state
of Tula — Economy of fuel — Iron mines — Road from Tula
to Woronetz — Dedilof-^ Change of cHmate — Boghoroditx
—Celo Nikitzhoy—Bolshoy PUUy—Effremof— Nikolai-
jevka — Ceh Petrovskia Palnia — Eletz — Ezvoly — Zado'
netz — Celo Chlebnoy — Bestuzevka — Celo Staroy Ivotin-
skoy-^Woronetz.

CHAP. XI.

P. 260.
FROM WORONETZ, TO THE TERRITORY OF THE

DON COSSACKS.
Present state of Woronetz — Climate and productions-^Gar'
den of Peter the Grbat — Inundation and product of the
rivers — Increase of buildings — Arsenal — Commerce, tn/er-
nal and external — Wine of the Don — Change of manners,
and of features — Neglect of drowned persons — Tumuli —
Malo-Russians — Plains south of Woronetz — Celo Usmany
— Podulok Moscovskoy — Mejocksy Ekortzy, and lestakovo

0£N£RAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

— Locava Slohoda — Paulovshoy — Plants — Animals^
Trade — Rash conduct of a young peasant — Kazinskoy
ChuUnr — Nizney Momon — Dobrinka — Metscha — KasaU'
kttia, Jint stanitza of the Don Cossacks.

CHAP. XII.
P. 297.
TEBRITOBY OF THR BON COSSACKS.
Appearance of the Cossacks at Kasankaia — House of tke
Ataman — Ideal dangers of tke Country — Voyage by wa-
ter— Amusements and dances of tke people — Departure —
Steppes — River Lazovai — Visit to a camp of Calmucks —
Of tkeir brandy distilled from mares* milk — Personal ap-
pearance of Calmucks — Jlrts^ armour, and weapons — Re-
creations and condition of l\fe — Acenovskaia — Of tke
Snrokey or Bobac, of the Steppes — Tke Biioke and Suslic —
Nature of villages named in Russian maps — Stragglers
from tke army — Distinction between Cossacks of tke
Steppes and of tke Don — Kamenskaia — Iron Foundries of
Lugan — Etymology of tke word Tanals — Numerous camps
of Calmucks — Approack to Axay.

CHAP. XIII.

P. 343.

CAPITAL OF THE DON COSSACKS.

Arrival at Axay— Public entry — Reception by the Don Cos-
sacks— Papulation of their territory — View of the Don —
Celebration of a Court festival — Mode of fasting — Ana-
logy between tke Don and tke Nile — Natural curiosities
and antiquities — Fishes — Extraordinary appearance of
Tcherkask — Inhabitants and public buildings — Origin of
tke Cossacks — Causes of their increase — Emigrations —
Foundation of their capital — Circassians — Commerce of
Tcherkask — Polished manners of the people — Remarkable
wager — Survey of the town — Entire houses moved^-— Dis-
eases of tke people — Greek impostor — Departure from
Tckerkask,

GENERAL STATEMENT OF CONTENTS.

CHAP. XIV.

P. 304.
VOYAGE DOWN THE DON, TO AZOF AND TAGANROG.
Visit to the General-iri' chief of the Cossack army — Em'
barkationfor the Sea of Azof — General view of the South
of Russia — Db Rubruquis — Tahtars — Armenian Colony
of Nakhtshivan — Fortress of St. Demetry Ratsof— 'Divi-
sion of tlie Don — Tumuli — Fortress and village of Azof— '
City of Tanais — its probable situation — ComUtion of the
garrison of Azof-^Opinion entertained of the Cossacks —
Departure from Azof — Mjbotis — Remarkable phoTwrne^
non — Arrival at Taganrog,

CHAP. XV.

P. 4S6.
EUROPEAN AND ASIATIC SHORES OF THE SEA OF AZOF.

Taganrog-'^Commerce, external and internal — Canal of com-
munication between the Caspian and Black Sea — Marriage
ceremony of the Calmucks — Consecrated ensigns of the
Calmuck lauh^Difference between their sacred and vulgar
writings — Sarmacand — Various inhabitants of Taganrog
^^AntiquiHei — Voyage across the Sea of Azof -^ Chum-
burskaia—Margaritovskaia.

ADDITIONAL NOTES, P. 447—460.

Appendix, No. I.

P. 451.

Letter from Count Solt^cof Oovemor of Moscow f explaining

the Author's situation in Russia.

No. n. '

P. 463.
Account of the intemal navigation of Ruseia, translated
from an Original Document afforded to the Oooemment of
that Country by a Board appointed to survey all the m^ans
of communication by water.

Prelmmtary Observations — State of Public Af-
fears — Strange Conduct of the Emperor — luso-
lence of the Police — Extraordinary Pheenn-

A cL-RiosiTY to visit the Eastern bounda-
ries of Europe is naturally excited by the
arcumstance of their situation, in a countr}-
rarely traversed by any literary traveller, and
little noticed either in anticnt or in modem
histoiy. Above two thousand years ago, the

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

TandiSy watering the plains of Sarmatia, sepa-
rated the Roxolani and the Jazyges from the
Hamaxobii and the Alani. In modem geography,
the same river, altered in its appellation,
divides the tribe of the Don Cossacks from the
Tchemomorskiy whose territory extends from the
Sea of Azof to the Kuban. The (jreeks, by
their commerce in the Euxine, obtained a slight
knowledge of the people who lived on the
Palus MiEOTis, The wars of Mussia and
Turkey sometimes directed our attention to this
remote country ; but the knowledge of its
inhabitants, both among the Antients and
Modems, has scarcely exceeded the names of
the tribes, and their character in war. With
their domestic habits, the productions of the
land, the nature of its scenery, or the remains
of antiquity they possess, we are very little
acquainted. By referring to Antient History,
we find that the same want of information
prevailed formerly as at present. This may be
accounted for by the wandering disposition of
a people, seldom settled for any length of time
upon the same spot : and with regard to their
successors, since the establishment of a metro-
polis in the marshes of the Don^ and the
expulsion of the Kuban Tartars by the Cossacks
of the Black Sea^ the country has been sub-
mitted to verv little examination. It was

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.

among these people that the political differences
of England and Russia drove the Author, a
willing exile, from the cities of Petersburg and
Moscowy in the last year of the eighteenth
centary. Necessity and inclination were
coupled together ; and he had the douhle satis-
&ction, of escaping persecution from the
enemies of his country, and of surveying
r^ons which, in the warmest sallies of hope,
he had never thought it would he his destiny
to explore.

In the course of this journey, through exten-
sive plains which have heen improperly called
deserts, and among a secluded people who
with as little reason have heen deemed savages,
he had certainly neither the luxuries and dis-
sipation of polished cities, nor the opportunities
of indolence, to interrupt his attention to his
journal. If therefore it fail to interest the
puhlic, he has no apology to offer. He presents
it in a state as similar as possible to that
wherein notes written upon the spot were
made ; as containing whatsoever his feeble
abilities were qualified to procure, either for
information or amusement ; and adhering, in
every representation, strictly to the truth.

B 2

PBTBRSBURO.

After suffering a number of indignities, in
TMif common with others of our countrymen, during
Affaire. Q^y, residence in Petersburg; about the middle
of March, 1800, matters grew to such extre-
mities, that our excellent Ambassador, Sir
Charles (now Lord) Whitworth, found it neces-
sary to advise us to go to Moscow. A passport
had been denied for his courier to proceed with
despatches to England. In answer to the
demand made by our Minister for an expla-
nation, it was stated to be the Emperor* s pleasure.
In consequence of which Sir Charles inclosed
the note containing his demand, and the Em-
peror's answer, in a letter to the English Govern-
ment, which he commited to the post-office with
very great doubts of its safety.

Strange In the mean time, every day brought with

of uie^ it some new example of the Sovereign's absur-

mperor. jj|.jgg g^^ tjrranny, which seemed to originate

in absolute insanity. The sledge of Count
Razumovsky was, by the Emperor's order,
broken into small pieces, while he stood by
and directed the work. The horses had been
found with it in the streets, without their
driver. It happened to be of a blue colour;
and the Count's servants wore red liveries :
upon which a ukase was immediately published.

PBTERSBURG.

prohibiting, throughout the Empire of all the
RussiAS, the use of blue colour in ornamenting
sledges, and of red liveries. In consequence
of this sage decree, our Ambassador, and many
others, were compelled to alter their equipages.

One evening, being at his theatre in the
Herndtage, a French piece was performed, in
which the story of the English Powder-Plot
was introduced. The Emperor was observed
to listen to it with more than usual attention ;
and as soon as it was concluded, he ordered all
the vaults beneath the palace to be searched.

Coming down the street called The Per-
tpectivej he perceived a Nobleman who was
taking his walk, and had stopped to look at
some workmen who were planting trees by the
Monarch's order. — "What are you doing?"
said the Emperor. " Merely seeing the men
work,** replied the Nobleman. ** Oh, is that
your employment? — Take off his pelisse, and
pve him a spade 1— There, now work yourself I"

When enraged, he lost all command of him-
self which sometimes gave rise to very ludi-
crous scenes. The courtiers knew verv well
when the storm was gathering, by a trick the
Emperor had in those moments of blowing

PETRBSBCJBG.

from his under-lip against the end of his short
nose. In one of his furious passions, flourishing
his cane ahout, he struck hy accident the
hranch of a large glass lustre, and broke it.
As soon as he perceived what had happened,
he attacked the lustre in good earnest, and did
not give up his work until it was entirely
demolished.

In the rare intervals of better temper, his
good-humour was betrayed by an uncouth way
of swinging his legs and feet about in walking.
Upon those occasions he was sure to talk with
indecency and folly.

But the instances were few in which the
gloom spread over a great metropolis, by the
madness and malevolence of a suspicious
tyrant, was enlivened even by his ribaldry.
The accounts of the Spanish Inquisition do not
afford more painful sensations than were excited
in viewing the state of Russia at this time.
Hardly a day passed without unjust punish-
ment. It seemed as if half the Nobles in the
Empire were to be sent to Siberia. Those who
were able to leave Petersburg went to Moscow.
It was in vain they applied for permission to
leave the country : the very request might
incur banishment to the mines. If anv familv

PBTBRSBURG. 1

received visitors in .an evening ; if four people chap.
were seen walkinfif toffether ; if any one spoke ^-^^^^^

,^ ^ ■ ^ ^ Insolence

too loud, or whistled, or sang, or looked too of the
inquisitive, and examined any public building
with too much attention; he was in imminent
danger. If he stood still in the streets, or fre-
quented any particular walk more than another,
or walked too fast or too slow, he was liable to
be reprimanded and insulted by the police-
officers. Mungo Park could hardly have been
exposed to a more insulting tyranny - among
the Moors in Africa, than Englishmen experi-
enced at that time in Russia^ and particularly in
Petersburg. They were compelled to wear a
dress regulated by the police : and as every
officer had a different notion of the proper
mode of enforcing the regulation, they were
constantly liable to interruption in the streets
and public places, and to the most flagrant
impertinence. This dress consisted of a three-
cornered hat, or, for want of one, a round hat
pinned up with three corners ; a long queue ;
single-breasted coat and waistcoat ; and buckles,
at the knees, and in the shoes, instead of
strings. Orders were given to arrest any
person who should be found wearing panta-
loons. A servant was taken out of his sledge,
and caned in the streets, for having too thick a
neckloth; and if it had been too thin, he

g PKT£RSBURG.

CHAP, would have met with a similar punishment.
After every precaution, the dress, when put on^
never satisfied the police or the Emperor : either
the hat was not straight on the head, or the
hair was too short, or the coat was not cut
square enough. A Lady at Court wore her hair
rather lower in her neck than was consistent
with the ukascy and she was ordered into close
confinement, to he fed on hread and water. A
gentleman's hair fell a little over his forehead,
while dancing at a hall ; upon which a police-
officer attacked him with rudeness and with
ahuse, and told him if he did not instantly cut
his hair, he would find a soldier who could
shave his head^

When the ukase first appeared concerning the
form of the hat, the son of an English merchant,
with a view to baffle the police, appeared in the
streets of Petersburg^ having on his head an
English hunting-<;ap, at sight of which the
police-officers were puzzled. ** It was not a
cocked hat," they said, "neither was it a
round hat." In this embarrassment, they re-
ported the affair to the Emperor. An uAase was
accordingly promulgated, and levelled at the
hunting-cap ; but not knowing how to describe

^ 1 ) A iiiodc in which crimiaals arc punished in Rus»ia.

PBTERSBURG.

the anomaly, the Emperor ordained, that *^ no
person should appear in public wiih the thing on
his head worn by the merchants son**

An order against wearing hoots with coloured
tops was most rigorously enforced. The police-
oflBoers stopped a foreigner driving through the
streets in a pair of English boots. This gentleman
expostulated with them, saying that he had no
other, and certainly would not cut off the tops
of his boots; upon which the officers, each
seizing a leg as he sat in his drosky^ fell to work,
and drew off his boots, leaving him to go bare-
footed home.

If Foreigners ventured to notice any of these
enormities in their letters, which w^ere all opened
and read by the police, or expressed themselves
with energy in praise of their own country, or
used a single sentiment or expression offensive
or incomprehensible to the police-officers or
their spies, they were liable to be torn in an
instant, without any previous notice, from their
families and friends, thrown into a sledge, and
hurried to the frontier, or to Siberia. Many
persons were said to have been privately mur-
dered, and more were banished. Never was there
a svstem of administration more offensive in the

•r

eves of God or man. A veteran officer, who

]0 PETERSBURG.

had served fifty years in the Russian army, and
attained the rank of Colonel, was broken without
the smallest reason. Above an hundred officers
met with their discharge, all of whom were
ruined; and many others were condemned to
sufier imprisonment or severer punishment.
The cause of all this was said to be the Em-
peror's ill-humour; and when the cause of that
iU-humour became known, it appeared that his
mistress, who detested him, had solicited per-
mission to marry an officer to whom she was
betrothed. To such excessive cruelty did his
rage carry him against the author of an epigram,
in which his reign had been contrasted with his
mother's, that he ordered his tongue to be cut
out; and sent him to one of those remote
islands, in the AleoutanTracty on the North-west
coast of America^ which are inhabited by
savages^

Viewing the career of such men, who, like a
whirlwind, mark their progress through the
ages in which they live by a track of desolation,

(1) Tlic following is tlie literal sense of that memorable Epigram.
It originated in the Emperor Pavl*a attempting to finish with briek^
work the beautiful Church qfSt. i«aac, which his predecessor Catbb*
RINE had begun in marble,

'^ or two reigns lichold the imRge :

*' Wliosc baiM; is marble and summit brick !"

PBTEBSfiURQ. ] I

can we wonder at the stories we read of regi-
cides? ''There is something/* says Mungo
Park^ " in the frown of a tyrant, which rouses
the most inward emotions of the souL" In the
prospect of dismay, of calamity, and of sorrow,
which mankind might experience in the reign
of Paul, we began to feel a true presentiment
of his approaching death ; and do freely confess,
much as we abhor the manner of it, that it was

-" a consummatiou

Deroutly to be wished.'*-

The season began to chancre before we left ExtraowH-

° ° , ^ naryPhsB-

Petersburg. The cold became daily less intense ; nomonaii.
and the inhabitants were busied in moving from
the Neva large blocks of ice into their cellars.
A most interesting and remarkable phsenomenon
took place the day before our departure, — the
thermometer of Fahrenheit indicating only nine
degrees of temperature below the freezing
point ; and there was no wind. At this time,
snow, in the most regular and beautiful crjstals,
fell gently upon our clothes, and upon the
sledge, as we were driving through the streets.
All of these crystals possessed exactly the
same figure, and the same dimensions. Every
one of them consisted of a wheel or star, with
six equal rays, bounded by circumferences of
equal diameters ; having all the same number

]^ PBTERSBtrBG.

CBAP. of rays branching from a common centre. The
.^•v'^' ^^ ^ each of those little stars was equal to
the circle presented by the section of a pea,
into two equal parts. This appearance continued
during three hours, in which time no other
snow fell; and, as there was sufficient leisure
to examine them with the strictest attention, we
made the representation given in the first figure.

Water in its crystallization, seems to consist
of radii diverging from a common centre, by
observing the usual appearances on the sur&ce
of ice ; perhaps, therefore it may be possible

PETERSBURG. ]3

to obtain the theory, and to ascertain the laws, chap.
firom which this structure results\ Monge^
President of the National Institute of Paris,
noticed, in falling snow, stars with six equal
rays, descending, during winter, when the
atmosphere was calm. Hauy records this, in
his observations on the muriate of ammonia*.

The first drosky^ had made its appearance in
the streets of Petersburg before we left it ; and
we began to entertain serious apprehensions
that the snow would fail, and our sledge-way to
Moscow be destroyed. We had often been told
of the rapidity with which the warm season
makes its appearance in this climate ; there being

(1) An equiangular and equilateral plane hexagon is divisible into
three equal and similar rhombs: and if the engraved Figure A be
attentively observed, it will appear that each linear ray of the star is
a diagonal (See Figure B), joining the acute angles of a rhomb, whose
sides are the loci of the extreme points of the lines of ramification
from those diagonals. The rhomb may therefore be the primitive
form of water crystallized. This seems the more manifest, because
if equal and similar rhombs be applied between all the rays of the
star A, in the spaces 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, an equilateral and equi-
angular hexagon will be the result ; as represented by the dotted line
in Figure C.

{%) " II en r^sulte des ^toiles & six rayons, lorsque le temps est
calme, et que le temperature n'est pas assez 61ev6e pour desformer let
cristaux." Haut, Traiti de Min» tom. il. p. 386.

(3) The drosky is a kind of bench ufion four wheels, used in Russia
as our Hackney-coaches : it contains four or six persons, sitting back to
back, thus driven sideways by the coachman, who sits at the end of the
bench. This vehicle succeeds the sledge, after the melting of the snow.

CO*""

. *«»'='"

tW '

\ev^

\e«'

ii»l»

fiist

fig*"

14 PETERSBURG.

hardly any interval of spring, but an almost
instantaneous transition from winter to summer.
The frozen provisions of the city, if not con-
sumed by the appointed time, which may be
generally conjectured to a day, almost instantly
putrify when the frost disappears.

CHAP. II.

FBOU PETER8BURO TO MOSCOW.

Dqxtrture from Petersburg — Manner of Tra-
velling— Palace of Tsarskoselo — Gardens —
Anecdote of Billing^ s Expedition to the North-
west Coast of America — Ledyard — Barbarous
Decoration of the Apartments — Arrival at
Novogorod — Cathedral — Anttent Greek Paint-
ings— Manner of Imitating them in Russia —
Superstitions of the Greek Church — Virgin ivith
Three Hands — Story of her Origin — Bussian
Bogh.
tVe left Petersburg on the morning of the ^"j^*"-
third of April, and arrived with great expedi- '"^^^^
tion at Tsarskoselo. Our carriage had been Depwtore
placed upon a traineau or sledge ; and another tenborB.

IQ FROM PBTERSBURO.

sledge, following us, conveyed the wheels. It
is proper to describe our mode of trayelling,
Tro^m^ that others may derive advantage from it. If
the journey be confined to countries only whore
sledges are used, the common method adopted
by the inhabitants is always the best ; but if a
passage be desired with ease and expedition
from one climate to another, some contrivance
should secure the traveller from the rigours of
the seasons, without impeding his progress by
superfluous burthen. For this purpose, the
kind of carriage called a German bdtarde is most
convenient. A delineation of one of these is
given in the work of Reichard', who also men-
tions the expense of building it in Vienna^
where those carriages are made for one-fourth
of the money required by the London coach-
makers; and they answer every' purpose of
travelling, full as well as vehicles made in
England. The bdtarde is nothing more than an
English chariot with a dormeuse, advancing in
front, and made sufficiently high to furnish a
commodious seat for two persons on the out-
side, upon the springs. We caused the driver
to sit upon the trunk in front ; but it would be
better to provide for him a little chair raised for
that purpose. The door of the dormeme within

(1) Guide des Voyageura en Europe, torn. ii. plimche 1.

TO MOSCOW.

the carriage lets down upon the seat ; it contains
leathern cushions, and a pillow covered with
thin leather. The carriage has, besides, an
imperial, a well, a sword-case which may be
ooDYerted into a small library, and, instead of a
window behind, a large lamp, so constructed
as to throw a strong light without dazzling the
eyes of those within. Thus provided, a person
may travel night and day, fearless of want, of
acoonunodation, or houses of repose. His car-
riage is his home, which accompanies him
everywhere ; and if he chooses to halt, or acci-
dents oblige him to stop in the midst of a forest
or a desert, he may sleep, eat, drink, read, write,
or amuse himself with any portable musical in-
strument, careless of the frosts of the North, or
the dews, the mosquitoes, and vermin of the
South. Over snowy regions, he places his house
upon a sledge, and, when the snow melts, upon
its wheels; being always careful, where wheels
are used for long journeys through hot countries,
to soak them in water whenever he stops for
the night.

Setting out from Petersburg for the South of
Eussioy the traveller bids adieu to all thoughts
of inns, or even houses with the common neces-
saries of bread and water. He will not even
find clean straw, if he should speculate upon

VOL. I. c

18 tvjjl r

cHir. the ciiaDoe of a bed. ETierv iHnsE ht ^or wit

IX- - - .

moftt tikereic^ne be laken viih >rip A pevter

teapot wfl] prove of more iBrpC'TtsDOP than a
cbe^t ot plate ; and more so than ooe of aim;
becaase it will not be nokn. and maj be kepi
equally clean and entire. To this he win add,
a kettle ; a sanryjian, the top of whidi may be
used for a diah ; tea, sugar, and a larse cheese^
with several loaves of bread made into rusks,
and as much fresh bread as he thinks will keep
till he has a chance of procuring more. Tboiy
while the frost continues, he may carry frozen
food, such as game or fish, which, being cob*
gealed, and as hard as flint, may jolt about among
his kettles in the well of the carriage without any
chance of injury. Wine may be used in a cold
country ; but never in a hot, or even in a tem-
perate climate, while upon the road. In hot
countries, if a cask of good vinegar can be pro-
cured, the traveller will often bless the means
by which it was .obtained. \^lien, with a-
parched tongue, a dry and feverish skin, he
has to assuage his burning, thirst with the bad
or good water brought to him, the addition of
a little vinegar will make the draught delicious.
Care must be taken not to use it to excess ; for
it is sometimes so tempting a remedy against
somnolency, that it is hardly possible to resist
iiHing the vinegar without any mixture of water.

TO MOSCOW. IQ

Tlie palace of Tsarshoselo is twenty-two yersts chap.
firom Petersburfff and the only object worth '^^^v-v^
notice between that city and Novogorod. It is Tsanko-
built of brick, plastered over. Before the edifice
is a large court, surrounded by low buildings
kff the kitchens and other out-houses. The
fitmt of the palace occupies an extent of near
eight hundred feet ; and it is entirely covered^
in a most barbarous taste, with columns, and
pilasters, and cariatides, stuck' between the
windows. All of these, in the true style of
Datcb gingerbread, are gilded. The whole of
the building is a compound of what an architect
ought to aToid, rather than to imitate. Yet so
much money has been spent upon it, and par-
ticularly upon the interior, that it cannot be
passed without notice. It was built by the Em-
press Elizabeth ; and was much the residence
of Catherine, in the latter part of her life, when
her favourites, no longer the objects of a licen-
tioos passion, were chosen more as adopted
children than as lovers.

In the gardens of this palace, persons, who Qarrieng.
wished to gain an audience ^f the Empress,
were accustomed to place themselves when she
descended for her daily walk. A complaint in
her legs caused her to introduce the very ex-
pmsive alteration of converting the staircase of

c 2

20 TSARSKOSBLO.

CHAP, the Hermitage, at Petersburg, into an inclined
s^v^ plane; offering a more commodious and more
easy descent. A similar alteration was intro-
duced at Tsarskoselo. This conducted her from
the apartments of the palace into the garden.
It was in one of those walks, as Professor Pallas
Anecdote aficrwards informed me, that Commodore Billings
itojS'tEx- ohtained, by a stratagem, her final order for
pediUon. j^j^ expedition to the North-west coast of
America. Bezborodko, the Minister, although
he had received the Empress's order, put him
off from time to time, not choosing to advance
the money requisite for the different prepara-
tions ; and Billings began to fear the plan would
never be put in execution. In the midst of
his despondency. Professor Pallas undertook to
make the matter known to the Empress, and
advised the Commodore to accompany him to
Tsarskoselo. As soon as they arrived, Pallas
conducted him to a part of the garden which
he knew the Empress would frequent at her
usual hour. Here they had not waited long,
before she made her appearance. With her usual
affability, she entered into conversation with
Professor Pallas ; and, after inquiries respecting
his health, asked the name of the young officer,
his companion. The Professor informed her;
adding, ^^ he is the person whom your Majesty
was pleased to appoint, in consequence of my

II.

T8ABSK0SBL0. 21

recommendation, to the command of the ex- chap.
pedition destined for the North-west coast of
America." ** And what," said the Empress,
" has delayed his departure ?'* *• He waits, at
this moment, yom- Majesty's orders," replied the
Professor. At this the Empress, without any
reply, and evidently somewhat ruf&ed, quick-
ened her pace towards the palace. The next
morning the necessary supplies came from the
Minister, with orders that he should set out
immediately.

That the expedition might have been con-
fided to better hands, the public have been
dnoe informed, by the Secretary Saaer} This
Professor Pallas lamented to have discovered,
when it was too late. But the loss sustained
by any incapacity in the persons employed to
conduct that expedition, is not equal to that
which the public suffered by the sudden recall
of the unfortunate Ledyard: this, it is said, Ledyard.
would never have happened, but through the
jealousy of his own countrymen, whom he
chanced to encounter as he was upon the
point of quitting the Eastern continent for

(1) See Accoant of an Expedition to the Northern Parts of
Jcc. by Martin Saner, Secretary to the Expedition. 4to.
1803.

22 tSARSKOSELO.

CHAP. America, and who caused the information to
J[^* be sent to Petersburg which occasioned the
order for his arrest.

The gardens of Tsarskoselo are laid oat in
the English taste ; and therefore the only novelty
belonging to them is their situation, so far
removed from the nation whose customs they
pretend to represent.

gj^^"* The interior of the building presents a number
^^^ of spacious and gaudy rooms, fitted up in a
»ents. style combining a mixture of barbarism and
magnificence hardly to be credited. The walls
of one of the rooms are entirely covered with
fine pictures, by the best of the Flemish, and
by other masters. These are fitted together,
without frames, so as to cover, on each sid^
the whole of the wall, without the smallest
attention to disposition or general efiect. But,
to consummate the Vandalism of those who
directed the work, when they found a place
they could not conveniently fill, the pictures
were cut, in order to adapt them to the ac-
cidental spaces left vacant. The soldiers of
MummittSf at the sacking of Corinth^ would
have been puzzled to contrive more ingenious
destruction of the Fine Arts. Some of Ostade^s
best works were among the number of those

II.

TSARSKOSELO. , 23

thus ruined. We were also assured, by au- chap.
thority we shall not venture to name, that a
profusion of pictures of the Flemish School
were then lying in a cellar of the palace. But
the most extraordinary apartment, and that
which usually attracts the notice of strangers
more than any other, is a room, about thirty
fi^et square, entirely covered, on all sides, from
top to bottom, with amber ; a lamentable waste
of innumerable specimens of a substance which
could nowhere have been so ill employed.
The effect produces neither beauty nor mag-
nificence. It would have been better expended
even in ornamenting the heads of Turkish pipes ;
a custom which consumes the greatest quantity
of this beautiful mineral. The appearance made
by it on the walls is dull and heavy. It was
a present from the King of Prussia. In an
apartment prepared for Prince Potemkin^ the
floor was covered with different sorts of exotic
woodj interlaid ; the expense of which amounted
to an hundred roubles for every squared archine.
A profusion of gilding appears in many of the
other rooms. The ball-room is an hundred and
forty feet long by fifty-two feet wide, and two
stories high. The walls and pil^ters of another
apartment were ornamented with lapis-lazuli^
as well as the tables it .contained. The Cabinet
of Mirrors is a small room lined with large

TSARSKOSELO.

CHAP, pier-glasses, looking upon a terrace, near which
''• is a covered gallery above two hundred and
sixty feet long. There are various statues
about the house and gardens, in marble and
in bronze, all without merit. The chapel is
entirely of gilded wood, and very richly or-
namented.

A small flower-garden leads to the bath,
which is ornamented with jasper^ agatesj and
statues and columns of marble. The grotto is
also similarly adorned with a number of beau-
tiful minerals, wrought as columns, busts, bas-
reliefs, vases, &c. ; among others, there is a
vase composed of the precious stones of
Siberia. From this grotto is seen a lake, on
which appears the rostral column to Orlof;
erected by the Empress in honour of the
naval victory he obtained over the Turks at
Tchesmi.

After we left Tsarskoseloy the snow diminished
very fast, and our fears of reaching Moscow
upon sledges increased*. But during the night,
and part of the morning of the 4th of April,

(1) The carriage-road from Petersburg to Moicow, a distance of near
£00 miles, consiflts, in the summer season, of the trunks of trees laid
across. In consequence of the jolting these occasion, it is then one of
the most painful and tedious journeys in Europe.

NOVOOOROD. 26

it fell in such abundance, that all trace of the chap.
roads disappeared, and we lost our way once v^pjji^
or twice before we arrived at

NOVOGOROD.

The place was half buried in snow, but we AiriTaiat
managed to get to the Cathedral, curious to ^^^^
see the collection of pictures, idols of the Greek
Church, which that antient building contains;
and which, with many others dispersed in the
cities and towns of Russia^ were introduced
long before the art of painting was practised
in Italy. The knowledge of this circumstance
led us to hope that we should make some very
carious acquisitions in the country: and upon
our first arrival from the Swedish frontier, we
had given a few pounds to a Russian officer
for his God; this consisted of an oval plate
of copper, on which the figure of a warrior was
beautifrilly painted on a gold ground. The
warrior proved afterwards to be St. Alexander
NevsJd : and as we advanced through the
country to Petersburg^ there was hardly a hut,
or a post-house, that did not contain one or
more paintings upon small pannels of wood :
the figures of these were delineated, after the
manner of the earliest specimens of the art,
upon a gold ground, and sometimes protected

26 50T0G0B0D.

CHAP, in frvnt hj a sUver coat of mail; leaving only

s^v^/ the faces and hands of the images visible.
A small attention to the history and character
of the Russians will explain the caose.

AnticBt When the religion of the Greek Church was

first introduced into Russia, its propagators,
prohibited by the Second Commandment from
the worship of canred images, brought with
them the pictures of the Saints, of the Virgin,
and the Messiah. Very antient sanctuaries in
the Holy Land had paintings of this kind, which
the early Christians worshipped; as may be
proved by the remains of them at this time in
that country'. To protect these holy symbols
of the new fiuth from the rude but zealous
fingers and lips of its votaries, in a country
where the arts of multiplying them by imitation
were then unknown, they were covered by
plates of the most precious metals, which left
the features alo];ie visible. As soon as the
Messengers of the Gospel died, they became

(1) In the first edition, it was erroneously written **ftnt ChristiAns."
The earliest notice of the use of pictures is in the Censure of
the Council qf lUiberit, three hundred years after the Christian «im.
Among the ruins of some of the most antient churches in Palettine,
the author found sereral curious examples of encaustic painting,* of
a very early date. One of these, firom Sepphariaf near NaxarethJfM
now in the i)098e88ion of the Principal Librarian of the University
of Cambridge.

NOTOOOROD. 27

themselves Saints, and were worshipped by chap.
their followers. The pictures they had brought
were then suspended in the churches, and
regarded as the most precious relics. Many
of them, preserved now in Russia, are con-
sidered as having the power of working mi-
racles. It would then necessarily follow, that,
with new preachers, new pictures must be
required. The Russians, characterized at this
day by a talent of imitation, although without Humer or
a spark of inventive genius, strictly observed them in
not only the style of the original painting, but
the manner of laying it on, and the substance
on which it was placed. Thus we find, at
the end of the eighteenth century^ a Russian
peasant placing before his Sogh a picture*
purchased in the markets of Moscow and
Petersburg, exactly similar to those brought
from Greece during the tenth ; the same stifiF
representation of figures which the Greeks
themselves seem to have originally copied from
works in Mosaic, the same mode of mixing
and laying on the colours on a plain gold
surface, the same custom of painting upon
wood, and the same expensive covering of a
silver coat of mail ; when, from the multitude
and cheapness of such pictures, the precaution
at first used to preserve them is no longer
necessary. In other instances of their religion,

28 NOVOQOBOD.

CHAP, the copies of sacred relics seem to be as much
\^s^ objects of worship among the Russians as the
originals themselves. This will appear fix>m
the description of Moscow. In the neighbourhood
of that city there is a building, erected at
prodigious expense, in imitation of the Church
of the HoJy Sepulchre at Jerusalem ; having
exactly the same form, and containing a feuthfiil
representation of the same absurdities.

^^'■**'*^^' The Cathedral of Novogorod, dedicated to
St. Sophioj in imitation of the name given to
the magnificent edifice erected by Justinian at
Constantinoplej was built in the eleventh century*
Many of the pictures seem to have been there
from the time in which the church was finished,
and doubtless were some of them painted long
before its consecration, if they were not brought
into the country with the introduction of
Christianity. At any rate, we may consider
some of them as having originated from Greece^
whence Italy derived a knowledge of the art,
and as being anterior to its introduction in
that country. Little can be said of the merit
of any of these pictures. They are more re-
markable for singularity than beauty. In the
g ^^ dome of a sort of ante-chapel, as you enter,
tioMofthe aj.0 g^en the representations of monsters with
Chmeh. many heads; and such a strange assemblage

XOVOQOROD. 29

of imaginary beings, that it might be supposed ^g^p
a Pagan rather than a Christian temple. The ^^-
difierent representations of the Virgin, through-
out Hussiaj will shew to what a pitch of ab-
surdity superstition has been carried. Almost
all of them are to be found in the principal
churches; and the worship of them forms a
conspicuous feature in the manners of the Rus-
sians. Some of those pictures have a greater
number of votaries: but, although they be all
objects of adoration, yet they have each of them
particular places, where, as tutelary deities, they
obtain a more peculiar reverence: and some-
times there are small chapels and churches
dedicated particularly to some one of these
representations : — such, for example, as The
Virgin of Vladimir; The Virgin with the
Bleeding Cheek ; and The Virgin with
Three Hands ! The authors of the Universal
History assign this last picture to the church
of the Convent of the New Jerusalem. It was
perhaps originally painted as a barbarous re-
presentation, or symbol, of the Trinity ; and in
that case it more properly applies to another
convent in the neighbourhood of Moscow. The
following story has, however, been circulated
concerning its history.

An artist, being employed on a picture of the

30 NOVOGOROD.

CHAP. Virgin and Childy found, one day, that instead
\«^-v^^ of two hands which he had given to the Virginj
ijjj^^^ a third had been added during his absence
Hands. ^^^ j^jg ^qj-j^^ Supposing some person to

be playing a trick with him, he rubbed out
the third hand, and, having finished the picture,
carefully locked the door of his apartment
To his great surprise, he found the next day
the extraordinarv addition of a third hand in
his picture, as before. He now began to be
alarmed ; but still concluding it possible that
gome person had gained access to his room,
he once more rubbed out the superfluous hand,
and not only locked the door, but also bar-
ricadoed the windows. The next day, ap-
proaching his laboratory, he found the door
and windows fast, as he had left them ; but,
to his utter dismay and astonishment, as he
went in, there appeared the same remarkable
alteration in his picture, the Virgin appearing
with three hands regularly disposed about the
Child. In extreme trepidation, he began to
cross himself and proceeded once more to alter
the picture ; when the Virgin herself appeared
in person, and bade him forbear, as it was her
pleasure to be so represented.

Many of these absurd representations are
said to be the work of angels. In the Greek

NOVOQOROD. 3 1

Church they followed the idols of Paganism, chap.
and have continued to maintain their place, v^^^^
They are one of the first and most curious
sights which attract a traveller's notice ; for it
is not only in their churches that such paintings
are preserved; every room throughout the
empire has a picture of this nature, large or
small, called the Bogh, or God, stuck up in Russian

Bogh.

one comer*; to this every person who enters
ofiers adoration, hefore any salutation is made
to the master or mistress of the house. Tlie
adoration consists in a quick motion of the
right hand in crossing ; the * head howing all
the time in a manner so rapid and ludicrous,
that it reminds one of those Chinese-Mandarin
images seen upon the chimney-pieces of old
bouses, which, when set a-going, continue
nodding, for the amusement of old women and
children. In the myriads of idol paintings
dispersed throughout the empire, the subjects
represented are very various : and some of
them, owing to their singularity, merit a more
particular description, than can be afforded
without engraved representations.

(1) The picture itself is said to bear the name of Ohraze; but as
tite Obraze is considered by every Russian as his Household Ood^ it
b Tery generally called Bogh, which is the Russian name for God.

CHAP. III.

WOVOGOROD.

Antient History of Novogorod — First Churches
in Russia — Pj^copius — Evagnus — Baptism of
Olga, afterwards Helena — Arms of Novogorod
— Ceremony of Crossing — General Picture of
this Route — Heights of Valday — Costume —
Tumuli — Jedrova — Domestic Manners of the
Peasants — Servile State of the En^nre —
Vyshney Voloshok — Torshok — Tver — MUaneae
Vagrants — Volga — Tvmuli — KUn — Petroosh/
— Arrival at Moscow — -Police — Accommoda-
tions.

*^^,jP- J- HE melancholy ideas excited by the present
tMA^ appearance of Novogorod have been felt by all
Kor^'or^. travellers. Who has not heard the antient

NOVOGOROD. 33

sajing, which prevailed in the days of its great- chap.

1 X A*

ness?* Nomade Slavonians were its founders, n^v^/
about the time that the Saxons, invited by Vorti- if Jtoiy of
gem, first came into Britain. Four centuries ^^^<^°"^-
aftenrards, a motley tribe, collected from the
original inhabitants of all the watery and sandy a.d. 460.
plains around the Finland Gulph, made it their
metropolis. Nearly a thousand years have
passed, since Ruric, the Norman, gathering
them together at the mouth of the Vokhovaf
laid the foundation of an empire, destined to
extend over the vast territories of all the
Rossias : afterwards, ascending the river, to the
spot where its rapid current rushes from the
Bmen to the Ladoga Lake^ he fixed his residence
in Novogorod.

In the midst of those intestine divisions which a.d. ioi6.
resulted from the partition of the empire at the
death of Vladimir^ who divided his estates
between his twelve sons, there arose three
independent princes, and a nmnber of petty
confederacies. The seat of government was
successively removed from Novogorod to Suze-
dalj Vladimir^ and Moscow. Novogorod adopted
1 mixed government, partly monarchical, and
partly republican. In the middle of the thir-

(«) " Quis coNTKA Dbos, bt Maonam Novooordiam ?•'
VOL. I. D

34 NOVOOOROD.

c^AP. teenth century it was distinguished by the
victories of its Grand Duke, Alexander Nevsky,

'over the Swedes, on the banks of the Neva;
and, by its remote situation, escaped the ra-
vages of the Tahtars in the fourteenth. In the
fifteenth, it submitted to the yoke of Ivan the
First, whose successor, Ivan the Second, in the
sixteenth, ravaged and desolated the place,
carrying away the Palladium of the city, the
famous bell, which the inhabitants had dignified
with the appellation of Eternal. But its ruin
was not fiilly accomplished until the building of
Petersburg ; when all the commerce of the Baltic
was transferred to that capital*

Bodies, miraculously preserved, or rather mum^
mied, of Saints who were mortal ages ago, are
shewn in the Cathedral of St. Sophia. This edi-
fice has been described as one of the most antient
First in the country. The first Russian churches were
in Russia. Certainly of wood ; and their date is not easily
ascertained. Christianity was preached to the
inhabitants of the Don so early as the time of
Justinian. That Emperor was zealous in build-
ing churches among remote and barbarous
people. According to Procopius, he caused a
church to be erected among the Ahasgi, in
honour of the Theotocos, and constituted
priests among them. The same author also
relates, that the inhabitants of Tanciis earnestly

NOVOGOROD. 35

intreated him to send a bishop among them, which chap.
was accordingly done. JSvagrius Scholasticusi
has related this circumstance, as recorded by
Procopius. But by Tandis is said to be intended
the stream which runs out of the McBOtis into
the Euxvne ; that is to say, the Cimmerian Bos-
pharus, or Straits of Taman. The arrival of a
bishop so invited, and under such patronage
might be followed by the establishment of a
church ; and it is probable, from existing docu-
ments, as well as the traditions of the people,
that this really happened, either on the Asiatic
or the European side of those Straits, about that
time. The jurisdiction of the province after-
wards annexed to the crown of Russia by
Svetoslaf the First, father of Vladimir the Great,
included the Isle of Taman, and the Peninsula of
Kertchy. In those districts, therefore, we might
be allowed to place the first tatemacles of
Christian worship ; although, in the distant
period of their introduction, the foundation of
the Russian Empire had scarcely been laid.
It is pleasing to bring scattered portions of
history to bear upon any one point ; particularly
when, by so doing, the obscurity of some of
them may be elucidated. The journey of Olga,
wife of Igor, son of Ruric, to Constantinople,

(1) Lib. iv. c. 23.
D 2

36 NOVOGOROD.

CHAP, after avenging the death of her husband upon

^-^"v^^ the VolgOj occurred very early in the annals of

that country. " She wentj'' say the compilers

of the Modem Universal History^ ^^for what

BBipUsm of reason we know not^ to Constantinople.** Yet when

the middle it is related, that she was baptized there- ; that,

ofthetenth . ^ •, , ^ ,

century, m cousequence of her example, many of her
subjects became converts to Christianity; that
the Russians, to this day, rank her among their
Sa^its, and annually commemorate her festival ;
the cause of her journey will hardly admit of a
doubt. The result of it proves incontestably
the introduction of Christianity^ and the esta-
blishment of churches in Russia^ at an earlier
period than is generally admitted ; namely, the

A.D.991. baptism of Vladimir^.

(1) Vol. XXXV. p. 182.

(2) The Emperor, John Zimiseei, according to some historiani, was
her §rodfather upon this occasion. It has been related, that he be-
came enamoured of the Scythian Princess, and proposed marriage ;
which was refused. The old lady, notwithstanding, was at that time
in her sixty-sixth year; for she died at the age of eighty, which hap-
pened fourteen years after her baptism. Collateral annals, by dia-
eordant chronology, seem to prove that the whole story, about tiie
Eastern Emperor's amorous propensities, is founded in error and ab*
surdity. Zimisees was not crowned until Christmas-day, A.D. 969.
Ten years before this period, Helena (which was the name borne by
Olga, after her baptism) had sent ambassadoia to. Otho, Emperor cf
the West, desiring Missionaries to instruct her people. ^ mission was
consequently undertaken by St, Adelbert, bishop of Magdeburff, into
RuuiOf A.D. 962.

(3) Some people place this event four years earUer. The present
chronology is that of Du Freenoy.

III.

NOVOGOROD. 37

This subject is materially connected with <^{*,fP-
the history of the fine arts ; for with Chris-
tiamty the art of painting was introduced into
Russia. Some of the most chosen idols of their
churches are, those curious Grecian pictures
which the first Gospel Missionaries brought with
them from Constantinople. The inscriptions
upon them often exhibits the Greek characters
of those times ; and the pictures themselves
afford interesting examples of the art, many
centuries before it became known to the more
enlightened nations of Europe. Nor was the
srt of painting alone introduced with Chris-
tiamity into Mussia. All that they knew of let-
ters, or of any useful and liberal art, for many
centuries afterwards, was derived from the same
source. The inhabitants of the South-Sea
Islands can hardly be more savage than were
the Russians, when the Gospel was first preached
to them. The full accomplishment of this great
event certainly did not take place till Vladimir
became converted. It was a condition of his
marriage with the sister of the Greek Emperor ;
and it is said, that no less than twenty thou-
sand of his subjects were christened on the
same day. The change effected by this mea-
sure was nothing less than a complete revolu-
don in their manners and in their morals.
Vladimir led the way by his example. The

38 NOVOGOROD.

CHAP. Pagan idols, and eight hundred concuhines,
v^v-iw were dismissed together ; and the twelve sons,
which his six wives had home unto him, were
baptized : churches and monasteries brought
around them towns and villages ; and civiliza-
tion seemed to dawn upon the plains and the
forests of Scythia. Indeed, a memorial of the
blessed effects of Christianity^ among a people
who were scarce removed from the brute
creation, seems to be preserved even in the
Anns of Arms of the Government of Novogorody the
district where it was first established; and
the ludicrous manner in which this event is
typified, is consistent with the barbarism of the
people. Two bears, supporters, are represented
at an altar upon the ice, with crucifixes crossed
before the Obraze^ or Bogh, on which is placed
a candelabrum with a triple lustre, as an emblem
^ of the Trinity^.

The fortress of Novogorod is large, but of
wretched appearance. It was constructed after
the plan of the Kremlin at Moscow j towards the
end of the fifteenth century, and contains the
cathedral. Upon the bridge leading to this
fortress from the town, is a small sanctuary,
where every peasant who passes either deposits

( 1 ) See the Vignette to the preceding Chapter.

III.

NOVOGOROD. 39

candle or his penny. Before this place, ^?,^^-
which is filled with old pictures of the kind
abeady described, and which a stranger might
really mistake for a picture-stall, devotees,
during the whole day, may be seen bowing and
crossing themselves. A Russian hardly com-
mits any actiop without this previous ceremony.
If he be employed to drive your carriage, his
crossing occupies two minutes before he is
mounted. When he descends, the same motion
is repeated. If a church be in view, you see him
at work with his head and hand, as if seized
with St. Vittis^s dance. If he make an earnest
protestation, or enter a room, or go out, you
tre entertained with the same manual and
capital exercise*. When beggars return thanks
for alms, the operation lasts a longer time ; and
then between the crossing, by way of interlude,
they generally make prostration, and touch
their foreheads to the earth.

The snow increased very fast in our road
from Novogorod to Tver ; but afterwards we had

(S) It was a common practice among the early Christians, towards the
Md of the second century. Tertullian, who flourished A.D. 102, thus

fntinna it : *' Ad omnem progressum atque promotum, ad omnem

tiitnwn et exitum, ad vestitom, ad calceatum, ad lavacra, et mensas, ad
I, ad cubilla, ad sedilia, qusecunque nos conversatio ezercet, fron-
cmcifl aignaculo terimus."— TVr^ul^ian. de Coran. Mil. cap. 3.

40 FROM PETERSBURG

CHAP, scarcely sufficient for the sledges, and in some
' — ^ places the earth was bare. The traveller will
be more interested in this information than
readers at home ; and he will of course compare
April 6, 7, the observation with the date of the journey ; as
the weather in Russia is not subject to those
irregular vicissitudes experienced in England.
It may generally be ascertained by the Ca-
lendar.

A notion has become prevalent, that the road
from Petersburg to Moscow is a straight line
through forests; perhaps, because it was the
intention of Peter the Great to have it so made\
The country is generally open, a wide and
fearM prospect of hopeless sterility, where the
fir and the dwarf birch, which cover even
Arctic regions, scarcely find existence. The
soil is, for the most part, sandy, and of a nature
to set agriculture at defiance. Towards the
latter part of the journey, corn-fields of conside-
rable extent appeared. What the summer road
may be, we are unable to say ; but our pro-

(I) When Jonas Hantoau, (Travels, Vol. I. p. 92.) passed in 1743, only
one hundred miles had been completed according to the original plan *
which was, to make a bridge of timber for the whole distance of four
hundred and eighty-seven miles. For that space of one hundred miles,
according to the calculation made by him, no less than two millions one
hundred thousand trees were required.

TO MOSCOW. 4]

grass was as devious as possible. In all the chap.
province or district of Valday, the soil is hilly, ^^-^-^
not to say mountainous ; so that, what with the ^^''^ '^
undulations of the road itself, from the heaps
of drifted snow, and the rising and sinking of the
country, our motion resembled that of a vessel
rolling in an Atlantic calm. Our good friend
Professor PaUas experienced as rough a journey
along this route, a few years before. He men-
tions the delay, and even the danger, to which
he was exposed on the Heights of Valday*. So
precisely similar were the circumstances of the
seasons, that in both cases the snow ftuled in the
moment of arrival in Moscow.

The female peasants of the Valday have at^^oMnma.
costume that resembles one in Switzerland.
It consists of a shift with full sleeves, and a
short petticoat, with coloured stockings. Over
this, in winter, they wear a pelisse of lamb's
wool, as white as the snow around them, lined
with cloth, and adorned with gold buttons and
lace. The hair of unmarried women, as in moat
parts of Russia, is braided, and hangs to a great
length down their backs. On their heads they
wear a handkerchief of coloured silk. When
married, the hair is trussed up ; and this consti-

(S) Traieli ifarough tha Southern PTuviDcei, &c. Vol. 1. p. 4.

1^ m^w.

4» *'4fii: «r*«u: ai? vrrthir^

4i^'«^vair 41^ <(if Ubvik iRwJl rami t&r
n/ nii^ Uurlk </ t&k^ bcrdb'^M; and ««dDDyaB

fr^ fr^lttieiftdy rjn this rood. IW laniii n*
fuinrkst^iA^ loay t^ otiterred m the
Y^z^Almky unA VaUlay^ €m both sides of Ae
t/ca ehUttly 4m ttjis left; and ther cuminue to
u\pipt!iir fr4tm the Utter place to Jfdrom. Fro-
fe«(i^/r PalbM kflK jtriven a representation of faor
of ihimi tunmlif in a Vignette at the begimiiii^
iit i\ut f%r%i volume of bis late work^ Ther are

t'Anuuuin all over the Russian Empire : and
irHbfi^il, it may Xm asked. Where is the conntry
in whidi Much sepulchral hillocks do not appear?

f\) Triivi<l» throuKh th#! Sonthinm ProTincet, &c.

TO MOSCOW. 43

We had been pestered the whole way from chap.
Petersburg by a bell, which the driver carried, ^^v^
suspended to his belt ; but were not aware that
it passed for a mark of privilege, until we arrived
at Jedrava. Here we saw a poor fellow cudgelled
by a police-oflBcer, because he had presumed to
carry a bell without a, poderosnoy\ the title to
such a distinction.

The whole journey from Petersburg to Moscow Jedroya.
offers nothing that will strike a traveller more
than the town or village of Jedrova. It consists
of one street, as broad as Piccadilly^ formed by
the gable-ends of wooden huts, whose roofs
project far over their bases ; and this street is
terminated by the church. A view of one
of these towns will aflFord the Reader a very
correct idea of all the rest, as there is seldom
any difference in the mode of constructing the
poorer towns of Russia. A window in such
places is a mark of distinction, and seldom
found. The houses in general have only small
holes, through which, as you drive by, you
see a head stuck, as in a pillory^

(i) The Imperial order for horses. Those who travel with post
borses cany a bell. It serves, as the horn in Oermany, to give notice
to persons on the road to turn out of the way ; such horses being in
tW service of the Crown.

(3) Se« the Vignette to this Cliapter.

PROM PETBBSBDRG

Upon some of the women we observed such
stockings as the Tirolae wear; covering only
the lower part of the leg, about the aacle, with
a sort of cylinder formed by spiral hqops of
wool.

The forests, for the most part, consist of poor
stunted trees ; and the road, in summer, is
described as the most abominable that can be
passed. It is then formed by whole trunks of '
trees, laid across, parallrf to each other ; which
occasion such violent jolting, as the wheels
move from one to the other, that it cannot be
borne without beds placed for the traveller to
sit or to lie upon.

M*°"*'rf ^® ^^ ^ ™^ interesting peep into the

tbe Pek- manners of the peasantry. For this we were

indebted to the breaking of our sledge at

Poschol. The woman of the house was prepar*

ing a dinner for tbe members of her family, who

TO MOSCOW. 45

were gone to church. It consisted only of a chap.
mess of pottage. Presently her husband, a
boor, came in, attended by his daughters, with
some small loaves of white bread not larger
than a pigeon's egg : these the priest had con-
secrated, and they placed them with great care
before the bogh\ Then the bowing and cross-
ing commenced ; and they began their dinner, all
eating oat of the same bowl. Dinner ended,
they went regularly to bed, as if to pass the
night there, crossing and bowing as before.
Having slept about an hour, one of the young
women, according to a custom constantly ob-
served, called her father, and presented him
with a pot of vinegar, or QuasSf the Russian
beverage*. The man then rose ; and a complete
fit of crossing and bowing seemed to seize him,
with interludes so inexpressibly characteristic
md ludicrous, that it was very difficult to pre-
serve gravity. The pauses of scratching and
grunting — the apostrophes to his wife, to him-

(1) This practice of placing an offering of bread from the Temple
Idbn the Household God, was an antient Heathen custom.

(S) It is made by mixing flour and water together, and leaving it
til the acetous fermentation has taken place. The flavour is like that
if linegar and water. It looks turbid, and is very unpleasant to
rtnagen; but, by use, we became fond of it; and in the houses of
Koblea, where attention is paid to its brewing, this acidulous bererage
k iiirmrd m delicacy, especially during summer.

4,5 FROM PETERSBURG

CHAP, gelf, and to his God — were such as drunken
III.

^^v^ Bamaby. might have expressed in Latin, but
cannot be told in English.

Servile The picturc of Russian manners varies little

Empire, with reference to the Prince or the peasant.
The first nobleman in the empire, when dis-
missed by his Sovereign from attendance upon
his person, or withdrawing to his estate in con-
sequence of dissipation and debt, betakes him-
self to a mode of life little superior to that of
brutes. You will then find him, throughout the
day, with his neck bare, his beard lengthened,
hb body wrapped in a sheep's skin, eating raw
' turnips, and drinking quass ; sleeping one half
of the day, and growling at his wife and family
the other. The same feelings, the same wants,
wishes, and gratifications, then characterize the
nobleman and the peasant ; and the same system
of tyranny, extending from the throne down-
wards, through all the bearings and ramifica-
tions of society, even to the cottage of the
lowest boor, has entirely extinguished every
spark of liberality in the breasts of a people
composed entirely of slaves. They are all,
high and low, rich and poor, alike servile to
superiors ; haughty and cruel to their depen-
dants ; ignorant, superstitioiis, cunning, brutal,
barbarous, dirty, mean. The Emperor canes

TO MOSCOW. 47

the first of his grandees^ ; princes and nobles chap.
cane their slaves ; and the slaves, their wives v^%^
and daughters. Ere the sun dawns in Russia,
flagellation begins; and, throughout its vast em-
pire, cudgels are going, in every department of
its popuktion, from morning until night.

Vyshney Voloshok is a place of considerable vyahney
importance, remarkable for the extensive canals
on which the great inland navigation of Russia
is carried on. A junction has been formed
between the Tvertza and the Msta^ uniting, by
a navigable channel of at least five thousand
verstSy the CcLspian with the Baltic Sea^. Per-
haps there is not in the world an example of
inland navigation so extensive, obtained by
artificial means, and with so little labour ; for
the Volga is navigable almost to its source ; and
three versts, at the utmost, is all the distance

(1) An officer chastised by the Emperor Paul, upon the Parade at
PeUrwburg, retired to his apartment and shot himself. By this it
appear, that soch ignominy from the hand of an Emperor is
common. Peter the Great, however, used to take his Boyars by
the beard : and all Petersburg knows that Poiemkin boxed the ears of
a Prince who presumed to applaud one of his jokes by clapping the
" What,** said he, " miscreant ! do you take me for a stage^

(2) See the Appendix, for a full account of all the Internal Navi'
\ qf JSussia, This valuable document was communicated to the
r, once the publication of the First Edition, by Robert Comer,
Jbf., a British Officer at Malta.

48 FBOM PETERSBURG

CHAP, that has been cat through, in forming the canal,
v^v*^/ The merchandize of Astracan^ and of other parts
of the South of Sussiaj is brought to this place.
Above four thousand yessels pass the canal an-
nually. The town, or village as it is called, is
fidl of buildings and shops. It is spacious, and
wears a stately thriving appearance ; forming a
striking contrast with the miserable villages
along this road.

At the different stations which occur in the
route from Petersburg to Moscow, are buildings
appropriated to the Emperor's use, when he
passes. .This rarely happens above once in a
reign. As there is hardly any place of accommo-
dation for travellers, no harm would happen to
the buildings if they were used for this purpose ;
neither would the national character suffer by
such hospitality. Of course we allude to changes
that may take place in better times ; for when
we traversed the country, kindness to a stranger,
and especially to an Englishman, was a crime of
the first magnitude, and might prove the cause
of a journey to Siberia. It is but justice to make
this apology for the conduct of those under the
immediate eye of Government.

Tanhok. From Vyshney Voloshok we come to Torshok^
seventy-one versts distant, remarkable for a

TO MOSCOW.

spring, superstitiously venerated, and attracting chap
pilgrims from all parts. This town has no less n,^^^
than twenty churches : some of which are built
of stone. It is in a thrivmg condition.

At TveVj sixty-three versts farther, there is a Tver.
decent inn. A shop is also annexed to it, as it
sometimes happens in the more northern parts of
Europe. This shop is kept by Italians, natives
of the Milanese territory, a vagrant tribe, whose MUimese
industry and enterprise carry them from the ^'^'-
Lake of Como to the remotest regions of the
earth. They are seen in all countries : even in
Lapland. They generally carry a large basket,
covered with an oil-skin, containing cheap co-
loured prints, mirrors, thermometers, and baro-
meters ; being, for the most part, men of inge-
nuity, of uncommon perseverance, industry, and
honesty. Living with the most scrupulous econo-
my, they collect, after many years of wandering,
their hard earnings, and with these they return
to settle in the land of their fathers, sending out
an oflfepring as vagrant as themselves.

At Tver we beheld the Volga^ and not without voiga.
considerable interest ; for though bound in
" thick-ribbed ice," and covered with snow, the
consciousness of its mighty waters, navigable
almost to their source, rolling through -a course

VOL. I. K

50 PHOM PETERSBURG

CHAP, of four thousand versts in extent, bearing wealth

^^v*^ and plenty, is one of the most pleasing reflections.

It seemed to connect us with the Caqnan^ and

the remote tribes of those nations, so little known,

who dwell upon its shores.

The situation of JW, upon the lofty banks of
the Volga^ is very grand. It has a number of
stone buildings ; and its shops, as well as churches,
merit particular regard. The junction of the
Volga and the Tvertza is near the Street of MiU
lions. Pallas speaks of the delicious sterlet taken
from the Volga, with which travellers are regaled
in this town, at all seasons of the year.

The journey from Tver to Moscow in the
winter, with a khabitka^, is performed in fifteen
hours. The road is broad, and more straight
than in the former route from Petersburg. But,
in certain seasons, such as those of melting
snow, it i^ almost impassable. In the second
stage from Tver, between the sixth and seventh
versts from the post-house, on the left hand,
appeared an entire group of those ancient
Tumuli. Tumuli before mentioned. They are so perfect

(1) The khabitka is the old Scythian waggon. In some parts of
Tahtary, the top takes off, and at night becomes a tent. Hence tlie
name given by the Russians to the tents of the Calmucks and JfaghaS^
Tahtara ; both of which they call khabithu

TO MOSCOW. 51

in their forms, and so remarkably situate, that ^^j^^*
they cannot escape notice. We endeavoured to
learn of the peasants if they had any tradition
concerning them. All the information they gave
OS was, that they were constructed beyond all
memorv, and were believed to contain bodies of
men slain in battle. A notion less reasonable,
although common to countries widely distant
from each other, is, that such mounds are the
tombs of giants. Thus, on the Hills near Cam-
bridge, two are shewn as the Tombs of Gog
and Magog, whence the name given to the
eminence where they are situate. The Tomb
of Tityru, the most antient of all those men-
tioned in the History of Greecey is described by
Homer^, as a mound of earth raised over the
qK>t on which that giant fell, warring against
the Grods.

Eighty-three versts from Tver we came to a KUn.
small settlement between two hills : this is
marked in the Russian Map as a town, and
called Klin. It hardly merits such distinction.
On the right, as we left it, appeared one of
diose houses constructed for the accommodation
of the Empress Catherine, on her journey to
tbe Crimea*

ii) PausanioM saw it in PhocUj at the base of PamauuSy tweuty
from Chasronea^

E 2

52 MOSCOW.

CHAP. The rising towers and spires of Moscow
^^^>r^ greeted our eyes six versts before we reached
the city. The country around it is flat and
open ; and the town, spreading over an immense
district, equals, by its majestic appearance, that
of Home, when viewed at an equal distance. As
we approached the barrier of Moscow, we
Palace of beheld, on the left, the large palace of PetravsAyj
built of brick. It wears an appearance of great
magnificence, though the style of architecture is
cumbrous and heavy. It was erected for the
accommodation of the Russian Sovereigns, da-
ring their visits to Moscow ; the inhabitants of
which city pretend that none of them durst take
up a lodging within its walls, being kept much
more in awe of their subjects than they are at
Petersburg. It is said that the Empress
Catherine used to call Moscow her little
haughty republic\ This palace is about four
versts from the city.

ArriTaiat Arriving at the barrier, we were some time
detained during the examination of our pass*
ports. This entrance to the city, like most of
the others, is a gate with two columns, one on

(1) " lU ne nraiment pas beaocoap, (dit elle;)— je ne suit point k
la mode jk Moscoa.'*

I.,ett, et Pens, du Prinet de Ligne'^ tmi%e i. p, 140.

III.

MOSCOW. 53

each side, surmounted by eagles*. On the left chap.
is the guard-house. Within this gate a number
of slaves were employed, removing the mud
from the streets, which had been caused by
the melting of the snow. Peasants with their
ihabitkas, in great numbers, were leaving the
town. Into these vehicles the slaves amused *
themselves by heaping as much of the mud as
they could collect, unperceived by the drivers,
who sat in front. The officer appointed to
superintend their labour chanced to arrive and
detect them in their filthy work, and we hoped
he would instantly have prohibited such an
insult from being offered to the poor men. His
ccmdact, however, only served to afford another
trait in the national character. Instead of pre-
venting any further attack upon the khahitkas
he seemed highly entertained by the ingenuity
of the contrivance ; and to encourage the sport,
ordered every peasant to halt, and to hold his '
horse while they filled his kJiabitka with the
mud and ordure of the streets ; covering with
it the provisions of the poor peasants, and
whatever else their khabitkas might contain,
with which they were going peaceably to their
wives and families. At last, to complete their
scandalous oppression, they compelled each

(3) See tlie Vignette to Chap. V. of this Volume.

54 MOSCOW.

^?ii.^* peasant, as he passed, to sit down in his
khabitkaj and then they covered him also with
the black and stinking mud. At this unex-
ampled instance of cruelty and insult, some
of the peasants, more spirited than the rest,
ventured to murmur. Instantly, blows, with a
heavy cudgel, on the head and shoulders,
silenced the poor wretches' complaints. Before
this began, the two sentinels at the gate had
stopped every Ahabitkoj as it passed, with a
very different motive. First, a loud and
menacing tone of voice seemed to indicate some
order of Government j but it was quickly
silenced, and became a whisper, in consequence
of a small piece of money being slipped into
their hands by the peasants ; when they passed
on without further notice. If the practice con-
tinues, the post of sentinel at a Russian barrier
must be more profitable than that of a staff-
officer in the service. We were witness to
upwards of fifty extorted contributions of this
nature, in the course of half an hour, when the
plunder ended as has been described.

A miserable whiskered figure on horseback,
intended for a dragoon, was now appointed to
conduct us to the Commandant's ; and here our
jwdcrosnoy^ together with our other passports,
underwent a second examination. The snow

III.

MOSCOW. 55

was by this time entirely melted ; and the ^{^f ^-
sledge upon which our carriage moved was
dragged over the stones by six horses, with so
much difficulty, that at last the drivers gave
it up, and declared the carriage would break,
or the horses drop, if we compelled them to
advance. The dragoon said we must take
every thing, exactly sts we arrived, to the
Commandant's ; and proceed sitting in the
carriage. At the same time he threatened the
peasants with a flagellation ; and giving one
of them a blow over his loins, bade him halt
at his periL Another efibrt was of course
made, and the sledge flew to pieces. It was
highly amusing to observe the dilemma into
which the dragoon was now thrown ; as it was not
probable either his menaces or his blows would
again put the carriage in motion. A drosky
was procured, on which we were ordered to
sit; and thus we proceeded to the Comman-
dant. From the Commandant we were next
ordered to the Intendant of the Police : and
all this did not save us from the visits and
the insolence of two or three idle officers,
lounging about as spies, who entered our apart-
ments, examined every thing we had, and asked
a number of frivolous and impertinent questions,
with a view to extort money. Some of them
found their way even into our bed-rooms, when

/y] MOSCOW.

tuui* wo were absent, and gave our servant sufficient
oiuployment to prevent them from indulging
a Htrong national tendency to pilfer ; a species
of lanH>ny which actually took place afterwards,
cinnuiitted by persons much their superiors
iu rank.

The accommodations for travellers are beyond
titfif^*ri(>tioii bad» both in Petersburg and in Mas-
iVK^. lu the latter, nothing but necessity would
rvudw them sufierable. Three roubles a day
ar^ demanded for a single room, or rather a
kemoiel, in which an Englishman would blush
to keep tus dogs. The dirt on the iGLoor may
be removed onlv with an irtm hoe, or a shovel.
These places are entirely destitute of beds.
They consist of bare walls, with two or three
old stuflEed chairs, ragged, rickety, and full of
vermin. The walls themselves are still more
disgusting, as the Russians cover them with the
most abominable filth.

In thus giving the result of impressions made
on entering this n^markable city, we might
appeal to ^>me of the first fiunilies in the
empire tor the vericity of the statement ; but
i^iK'b a test of their hberatity wouki materially
aftn."! their $afi^t\. ^Ve shall therefore mn-
imlly prwewi to rvtate what we have

III.

MOSCOW. 57

seen, in that confidence which a due regard to ^^^p*
truth will always inspire. Moscow contains much
worth notice ; much that may compensate for
the fatigue and privation required in going
thither — for the filthiness of its hotels, the
profligacy of its nohles, and the villainy of its
poUce.

Peculiarities of CUmate — Impressions made on a
first Arrival — Rmsian Hotel — Persian, Kirgi'
gian, and Bucharian Ambassadors — Fcuts and
Festivals — Ceremonies observed at Easter —
Palm Sunday — Holy Thursday — Magnificent
Ceremony of the Resurrection — Excesses of the
Populace — Presentation of the Paschal Eggs —
Ball of the Peasants—Ball of the Nobles—
Characteristic Incident of Caprice in Dress.

Xhere is nothing more extraordinary in this
couDtry than the transition of the seasons. The -
people of Moscow have no spring : Winter

MOSCOW. 59

vanishes and summer is! This is not the work chap.

IV.

of a week, or a day, but of one instant ; and the y^^r^
manner of it exceeds belief. We came from
Petersburg to Moscow in sledges. The next
day, snow was gone. On the eighth of Aprils
at mid-day, snow beat in at our carriage win-
dows. On the same day, at sun-set, arriving
in Moscow, we had difficulty in being dragged
through the mud to the Commandant's. The
next morning the streets were dry, the double
windows had been removed from the houses,
the casements thrown open, all the carriages
were upon wheels,, and the balconies filled with
spectators. A few days afterwards, we expe-
rienced ^9f of heat, according to the scale
of Fahrenheit J when the thermometer was placed
in the shade at noon.

We arrived at the season of the year in imprcg-
which this city is most interesting to strangers, ©n a first
Moscow is in every thing extraordinary ; as well
in disappointing expectation, as in surpassing it ;
in causing wonder and derision, pleasure and
n^ret. Let the Reader be conducted back
again to the gate by which we entered, and
thence through the streets. Numerous spires,
glittering with gold, amidst burnished domes
and painted palaces, appear in the midst of an
open plain, for several versts before you reach

60 MOSCOW.

CRAP this gate. Having passed, you look about, and
wonder what has become of the city, or where
you are ; and are ready to ask, once more, How
far is it to Moscow ? They will tell you, " This
is Moscow r and you behold nothing but a wide
and scattered suburb, huts, gardens, pig-sties,
brick walls, churches, dunghills, palaces, timber-
yards, warehouses, and a refuse, as it were, of
materials sufficient to stock an empire with
miserable towns and miserable villages. One
might imagine . all the States of Europe and
Asia had sent a building, by way of represen-
tative to Moscow : and under this impressicm
the eye is presented with deputies from all
countries, holding congress : timber-huts from
regions beyond the Arctic ; plastered palaces
from Sweden and ' Denmark, not white- washed
since their arrival; painted walls from the
Tirol ; mosques from Constantinople ; Tahtar
temples from Bucharia; pagodas, pavilions,
and virandas, from China ; cabarets from Spain;
dungeons, prisons, and public offices, from
France ; architectural ruins from Rome ; ter-
races and trellisses from Naples ; and ware-
houses from Wapping.

Having heard accounts of its immense popu-
lation, you wander through deserted streets.
Passing suddenly towards the quarter where

MOSCOW.

the shops are situate, you might walk upon chap.
the heads of thousands. The daily throng is v^v-^
there so immense, that, unahle to force a passage
through it, or assign any motive that might
convene such a multitude, you ask the cause,
and are told that it is always the same. Nor is
the costume less various than the aspect of
the buildings: Greeks, Turks, Tahtars, Cos-
sacks, Chinese, Muscovites, English, French,
Italians, Poles, Germans, all parade in the ha^
bits of their respective countries.

We were in a Russian inn ; a complete epi- ^uuisai
tome of the city itself- The next room to ours ^^^^'
was filled by an ambassador, and his suite,
from Persia. In a chamber beyond the Persians y p^^i^
lodged a party of Kirgisians ; a people yet un- ^n^Bucha-
known, and any of whom miffht be exhibited rianAm-

^ J o bassadon.

in a cage, as some newly- discovered species.
They had bald heads, covered by conical em-
broidered caps, and wore sheep-skins. Beyond
the Kirgisians lodged a nidiis of Buchariansy
wild as the asses of Numidia. All these were
ambassadors from their diflferent districts, ex-
tremely jealous of each other, who had been to
Petersburgy to treat of commerce, peace, and
war. The doors of all our chambers opened
into one gloomy passage ; so that sometimes we
all encountered, and formed a curious masque-

IV.

g2 MOSCOW.

CHAP. rade. The Kirgisians and Buchanans were best
at arm's length ; but the worthy old Persian^
whose name was Orazaiy often exchanged visits
with us. He brought us presents, according to
the custom of his country; and was much
pleased with an English pocket-knife we had
given him, with which he said he should shave
his head. At his devotions, he stood silent for
an hour together, on two small carpets, bare-
footed, with his face towards Mecca; holding, as
he said, intellectual converse with Mohammed.

Orazai came from Tarkyy near Derhenty on the
western shore of the Caspian. He had with
him his nephew, and a Cossack interpreter from
Mount Caucasus. His biaard and whiskers were
long and grey, though his eye-brows and eyes
were black. On his head he wore a large cap
of fine black wool. His dress was a jacket of
silk, over which was thrown a large loose robe
of the same materials, edged with gold. His
feet were covered with yellow Morocco slip-
pers, which were without soles, and fitted like
gloves. All his suite joined in prayer, morn-
ing and evening; but the old man continued
his devotions long after he had dismissed his
attendants. Their poignards were of such ex-
cellent steel, that our English swords were
absolutely cut by them. Imitations of these

IV.

MOSCOW. 63

poignards are sold in Moscow^ but of worse ^h^^-
materials than the swords from EngUmd. When
the}' sit, which they generally do during the
whole day, they have their feet bare, Orazai
was very desirous that we should visit Persia.
Taking out a reed, and holding it in his left
hand, he began to write from right to left, put-
ting down our names, and noting the infor-
mation we gave him of England. Afterwards
he wrote his own name, in fair Persian cha-
racters, and gave it to us, as a memorial by
which to recognise us if we ever should visit
Persia.

Upon the journey, they both purchased and
sold slaves. He offered an Indian negro, who
acted as his cook, for twelve hundred roubles.
An amusing embarrassment took place whenever
a little dog belonging to us found his way into
the ambassador's room. The Persians imme-
diately drew up their feet, and hastily caught
up all their clothes, retiring as far back as
possible upon their couches. They told us,
that if a dog touch even the skirt of their
clothing, they are thereby defiled, and cannot
say their prayers without changing every thing,
and undergoing complete purification. His
daves sometimes played the balalaika^ or guitar
with two strings. The airs were very lively,

^4 ^lo^-'tiir

nn^p. paid nnr onlike otit yTrgtisii hornpipe. The
/^^ amiMMfttulnr'^ nephew obliged us by exiiibitin^
a Persian dance ; vhicn seemed tn consst of
keepinjj rhe fi^t cioae tngetfaer. hardly ever
lifdng them trnm rhe gnrand. and numn^
^Inwly, f/) quick measore^ roond die rooDDL
Tliev drink healths as we do : and eat mA
their fincrers, like the Arabs. aH oat of one £A,
which is generally of boiled rice. If they eat
meat, it is rarely any other than mntton, stewed
into <H)np. The yonng man drank of die Rnsnom
beverage called hydromeL, a kind of mead ; and
Aometimes, bat rarelv, he smoked tobacco.
The ambasflador neyer osed a pipe ; which
Mvrpr\^A us, as the custom is ahnost unirersal
rn the Ecut, Their kindness to their slaves was
that of parents to children ; the old man ap*
pearing, like another Abraham, the Gommon
father of all his attendants. The dress of their
interpreter, a Cossack of the Volgcij was very
rich. It consisted of a jacket of purple cloth
liner] with silk, and a silk waitscoat, both with-
out buttons ; a rich shawl round his waist ;
iar^e trowsers of scarlet cloth ; and a magni-
ficent sabre.

Anihassadors of other more Oriental hordes
drove into the court-yard of the inn, from
Peternlmrg. The Emperor had presented each

MOSCOW. 65

of them with a barouche. Nothing could be
more ludicrous than was their appearance.
Out of respect to the sovereign, they had main-
tained a painful struggle to preserve a sitting
posture in the carriage, 1)ut cross-legged, like
Turks. The snow having melted, they had
been jolted in this posture over the' trunks of
trees, which form a timber causeway between
Petersburg and Moscow; so that, when taken
firom their fine new carriages, they could hardly
move, and made the most pitiable grimaces
imaginable. A few days after their arrival at
Moscowj they ordered all their carriages to be
sold, for whatever sum any person would
dflfer.

It is now time to take leave of our Ori-
ental friends and fellow>lodgers, that we may
give an account of the ceremonies of Easter.
The people of Moscow celebrate the Paque with
a degree of pomp and festivity unknown to
the rest of Europe. The most splendid pa-
geants of Rome do not equal the costliness
and splendour of the Russian Church. Neither
could Veniccy in the midst of her Carnival^ ever
riyal, in debauchery and superstition, in licen-
tiousness and parade, what passes during this
season in Moscow.

VOL. I. F

66 MOSCOW.

CHAP. It should first be mendoBed, there are no

■erred at

people who observe Lent with more scrupulous
^^^. and excessive rigour than the Russians. Tra-
velling the road from Petersburg to Moscow^ if
at any time, in poor cottages, where the pea-
sants appeared starving, we offered them a
part of our dinner, they would shudder at the
sight of it, and cast it to the dogs; dashing
out of their children's hands, as an abomina-
tion, any food given to them ; and removing
every particle that might be left, entirely from
their sight In drinking tea with a Cossack, he
not only refused to have mUk in his cup, but
would not use a spoon that had been in the
tea ofiered him with milk, although wiped care-
fully in a napkin, until it had passed through
scalding water. The same privation takes
place among the higher ranks ; but, in propor-
tion as this rigour has been observed, so much
the more excessive is the degree of gluttony
and relaxation, when the important intelligence
that '* Christ is risen' has issued from the
mouth of the archbishop. During faster they
run into every kind of excess, rolling about
drunk the whole week ; as if rioting, debauch-
ery, extravagance, gambling, drinking, and
fornication, were as much a religious obser-
vance as starving had been before ; and that the

MOSCOW. 67

same saperstition which kept them fasting ^^^'
during LenU had afkerwards instigated them ^^v^^
to the most heastly excesses.

Even their religious customs are perfectly
adapted to their climate and manners. No-
thing can he contrived with more ingenious
policy to suit the hahits of the Russians. When
LtnJt listing hegins, their stock of frozen pro-
visions is either exhausted, or unfit for use;
and the interval that takes place allows suffi-
cient time for procuring, killing, and storing,
the fresh provisions of the Spring. The night
before the famous ceremony of the Mesurrectian^
an the markets and shops of Moscow are seen
filled with fleshy butter, eggs, poultry, pigs,
and every kind of food. The crowd of pur-
chasers is immense. You hardly meet a foot-
passenger who has not his hands, nay his arms,
filled with provisions ; or a single drosky that
is not ready to break down beneath their
weight.

The first ceremony which took place, pre- Paim sun-
vious to all this feasting, was that of the Pdque
fieuries, or Palm Sunday. On the eve of this
day the inhabitants of Moscow resort, in car-
riages, on horseback, or on foot, to the Kremlin^
for the purchase of palm-branches, to place

ieSsKit^jar A/ting lat ia> vAccme tke aoed

It is

dbe CooDBsatSaBD::^ aid £ nan oif vifaifitj, go

Hie

and caTiliy

order*

AfrniDg is the KrtmBm, a vase assodUr, bear-
ing artificial bsmjmOs and boaglH^ are seen
flHfving here and fhere, finii^ the novel and
itriking qgctacle of a gar and Bonug 'CotesL
Tbe boughs cond^ oi artificial floverst with
hmL Beamiful represeDtatioiis ot oranges and
lemons in wax are soUi for a few o^pedbeadi,
and offer a proof of the sorprising ingennitj
id this peofde in the arts of imitation. Upon
this occasion, ererr person who visits the
Kremlu^ and woold be thought a true Christian^
purchases one or more of the boughs called
Palm^broMckeB ; and, in returning, the streets
are crowded with drosHa^ and all kinds of
vehicles, filled with devotees, holding in their
hands one or more pabn-branckes^ according to
the degree of their piety, or the number of
Boghs in their houses.

The description often given of the splen-
dour of the equipages in Moscow but ill agrees

MOSCOW. QQ

their appearance during Lent. A stranger, chap.
who arrives with his head fiill of notions of v^-v^
Anatic pomp and Eastern magnificence, would
be surprised to find narrow streets, execrably
paved, covered with mud or dust; wretched-
looking houses on each side ; carriages drawn,
it is true, by six horses, but such cattle I blind,
lame, old, out of condition, of all sizes and all
ooloors, connected by rotten ropes and old
eords, full of knots and splices ; on the leaders,
and on the box, figures that seem to have
escaped the galleys ; behind, a lousy, ragged
lackey, or perhaps two, with countenances ex-
citing more pity than derision ; and the carriage
itself like the worst of the night coaches in
I/mdon. But this external wretchedness, as
£ur as it concerns the equipages of the nobles,
admits of some explanation. The fact is, that
a dirty tattered livery, a rotten harness, bad
horses, and a shabby vehicle, constitute one
part of the privation of the season. On Easter
Monday the most gaudy but fantastic splendour
fills every street in the city.

The second grand ceremony of this season Maundy
takes place on Thursday before Easter, at noon, ^'

vhen the archbishop is said to wash the feet
of the Apostles. This we also witnessed. The
priests appeared in their most gorgeous apparel.

Twebe monksL 'jj^gnwi to reprsseiit die lioelpe
Apoatk^, -were piaced in a mmcircle before
the arrhtiishoo- Tlie oearemoiiy was perfermed
in die '?aiiiediaL wiiich was crowded with
spec&mirs. The jrchinsiiop. performing all
and mnch more dian is rdated of oar SaTioor
in die dnrteendi enapcer of St. Jofan^ took off
his robes, giried up his loins with a towel, and
proceeded to wa^sh die &et of all the nuMikSy
imdl he came vo die representative of JPeteTf
who rose and soxid up : and the same inter-
hicnnan passed, between him and die archbishop,
which is recorded to have taken jdace between
oar SaTuxir and the aposde.

The third, and most magnifioent ceremony
of all, is celelarated two hoars after midnight,
in the morning of faster Smmday. It is called
the Ceremony of the Beswrrtctiam^ and certainly
exceeds eTery thing of the kind at Home ; not
even excepting the Papal baudictiamt during the
hdlv

At midnight, the great bell of the cathedral
tolled* Its Tibrations seemed to be the rolling
of distant thunder ; and they were instantly
accompanied by the noise of all the bells in
Moscow. Every inhabitant was stirring, and
the rattling of carriages in the streets was

H06C0W. 7 1

greater than at noon-day. The whole city was
in a blaze : lights were seen in all the windows,
and innumerable torches in the streets. The
tower of the cathedral was illuminated from its
foundation to its cross. The same ceremony
takes place in all the churches ; and, what is
truly surprising, considering their number, they
are equally crowded.

We hastened to the cathedral : it was filled
with a prodigious assembly, consisting of all
ranks of both sexes, bearing lighted wax tapers,
to be afterwards heaped as vows upon the
difierent shrines. The walls, the ceilings, and
every part of this building, are covered by the
pictores of Saints and Martyrs. In the mo-
ment of our arrival, the doors were shut : and
aa the outside appeared Plato^ the archbishop,
preceded by banners and torches, and followed
fay all his train of priests, with crucifixes and
censers, who were making three times, in pro-
cession, the tour of the cathedral, chaunting
with loud voices ; and glittering in sumptuous
vestments, bespangled with gold, silver, and
precious stones. The snow had not melted so
Tiddly within the Kremlin as in the streets of
die city : this magnificent procession was there-
fare constrained to move upon planks, over

CHAP.
IV.

IV.

72 MOSCOW.

CHAP, the deep mud which surrounded the cathedraL
After completing the third circuit, they all
halted opposite the great doors, which were
still closed ; the archhishop, with a censer,
then scattered incense against the doors, and
over the priests. Suddenly, these docHTs ¥rere
opened, and the effect was magnificent beyond
description. The immense throng of spec-
tators within, bearing innumerable tapers,
formed two lines, through which the arch-
bishop entered, advancing with his train to a
throne near the centre. The profusion of lights
in all parts of the cathedral, and, among others,
of the enormous chandelier in the centre, the
richness of the dresses, and the vastness of the
assembly, filled us with astonishment. Having
joined the suite of the archbishop, we accom-
panied the procession, and passed even to the
throne: here the police-officers permitted us
to stand, among the priests, near an embroi-
dered stool of satin placed for the archbishop.
The loud chorus, which burst forth at the en-
trance to the church, continued as the proces-
sion moved towards the throne, and after the
archbishop had taken his seat ; when my atten-
tion was for a moment called off, by seeing
one of the Russians earnestly crossing himself
with his right hand, while his left was employed

IV.

MOSCOW. yg

in picking my companion's pocket of his hand-
kerchief ^

Soon after, the archbishop descended, and
went all ronnd the cathedral ; first offering in«
cense to the priests, and then to the people as
he passed along. When he had returned to
his seat, the priests, two by two, performed
the same ceremony^ beginning with the arch-
bishop, who rose and made obeisance, with a
lighted taper in his hand. From the moment
the church doors were opened, the spectators
had continued bowing their heads and crossing
themsebres ; insomuch, that some of the people
seemed really exhausted, by the constant mo-
tion of the head and hands.

We had now leisure to examine the dresses
and figures of the priests, which were certainly
the most striking we had ever seen. Their
long dark hair, without powder, fell down, in
ringlets, or straight and thick, far over their
rich robes and shoulders. Their dark thick
beards, also, entirely covered their breasts.
Upon the heads of the archbishop and bishops
were high caps, covered with gems, and adorned

(1) Like Potemkin, '' lyune mam faisani dea $igne$ aux femmsB
fd lui pUnsmt, et de Vautre de$ tigngs de eroix." Lett, et Pens, da
de Ligne, tome ii. p. 6.

74 Mosoow.

by mimatore pamtmgs, set in jewels, of the
Cruc^ixionf the Vtrgm^ and the Samts. Their
robes of yarious-coloured satin were of the
most costly embroidery ; and even upon these
were miniature pictures set with precious
stones'. Such, according to the consecrated
record of antient days, was the appearance of
the high-priests of old ; of Aaron and of his
sons ; holy men, standing by the tabemade of
the congregation, m fine raiments, the work-
manship of ** Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son
of Hur, of the tribe of Judah/' It is said there
is a convent in Moscow where women are en-
tirely employed in working dresses for the
priests.

After two hours had been spent in various
ceremonies, the archbishop advanced, holding
forth a cross, which all the people crowded to
embrace, squeezing each other nearly to suffo-
cation. As soon, however, as their eagerness
bad been somewhat satisfied, he retired to the
sacristy, under a pretence of seeking for the
body of Christ ; where putting on a plain purple
robe, he again advanced, exclaiming three times,
in a very loud voice, "Christ is risen 1''*

(1) See the Vignette to this Chapter.

(8) The whole of thii pretended March for the body qf Chrui, and
the sabeeqnent shout of '' Chriiiot vaserets!** is a repetition of the old

xoscow. 75

The mo6t remarkable part of the solemnity
now followed. The archbishop, descending into
the body of the church, concluded the whole
ceremony by crawling round the pavement on
his hands and knees, kissing the consecrated
pictores, whether on the pillars, the walls, the
altars, or the tombs; the priests and all the
people imitating his example. Sepulchres were
opened, and the mummied bodies of incorrup-
tible saints exhibited : all of these underwent
the same general kissing.

Thus was Master proclaimed: and riot and BxceM«of

* the Popa-

debauchery instantly broke loose. The inn i«ce.
where we lodged became a Paniasmonmm.
Drinking, dancing, and singing, continued
through the night and day. But, in the midst
of all these excesses, quarrels hardly ever took
place. The wild, rude riot of a JRussian popu-
lace is full of humanity. Few disputes are
heard ; no blows are given ; no lives endan-
gered, but by drinking. No meetings take
place, of any kind, without repeating the ex-
pressions of peace and joy, Christos voscress I

Heftthen oeremony respectiBg the Rnding of Osiris. Plutarch de-
leribet the same sort of procession and ceremony ; adding, " Then all
that are present cry oat with a loud voice, Osiris is poun d V* Kal yivtrai
cpovTil r^ irap6vTtiVf «S»c fvpif/tlvov rov 'OviptioQ, PluL de Ind, ei
Odr. e, 30.

7g MOSCOW.

CHAP. Christ is risen ! — to which the answer always is
the same, Vo iSTiifET voscressI ffe is risen
indeed !

PKsenta- On Eostev Monday begins the presentation of

tfcmofthe , x^ , , f ^ .

Paaehai the Poschol eggs : loyers to their mistresses,
relatives to each other, servants to their mas-
ters, all bring ornamented eggs. Every offering
at this season is called a Paschal egg. The
meanest pauper in the street, presenting an
egg^ and repeating the words Christos voscress,
may demand a salute even of the Empress.
All business is laid aside ; the upper ranks are
engaged in visiting, balls, dinners, suppers,
masquerades; while boors fill the air with
their songs, or roll intoxicated about the streets.
Servants appear in new and tawdry liveries,
and carriages in the most sumptuous deco-
ration.

Bfdiofthe In the midst of this uproar we made our-

PesBantf.

selves as much like Russians as possible, and
went in caftans to one of the public balls of
the citizens, given in our inn. It was held in
a suite of several apartments ; and a numerous
band of music, composed of violins, wind
instruments, and kettle-drums, had been pro-
vided. The master of the inn had also taken
care to invite a company of gipsies^ to entertain

IV.

MOSCOW. 77

the company by their dancing. A single rouble ^^^*
was demanded as the price of admission. All
fears of appearing like foreigners vanished
upon our entering the principal ball-room ; for
we fomid an assembly as various in their appear-
ance as the motley members of a masquerade.
Upon some benches was squatted a groupe
of TuriSf r^arding the scene with their usual
gravity and indifference^ unmoved by shouts
of joy, or by tumultuous songs, by the noise
of the dancing, or by the thundering of a pair
of kettle-drums close to their ears. In another
room was a party of Bucharians^ with flat noses,
lugh cheek-bones, and little eyes : their heads
diaven, and having small eonical embroidered
caps on the top of their bald sculls : these men
wore red morocco boots, long trowsers of blue
doth, with a girdle and a poignard. Besides
the BucharianSj were Chinese merchants^ Cos-
sacksy and even Calmucksj all of whom appeared
as spectators. In the middle of the room, the
Russian boars, and the tradesmen of the city,
were dancing with prostitutes, while their own
wives and daughters were walking about.
A party of gipsies was performing the national
dance, called, from the air by which it is
accompanied, Barina. It resembled our Eng-
lish hamptpej and was fuU of expressions of
the most ferocious licentiousness. The male

MOSCOW.

CHAP, dancer expressed his savage joy m aqueaks,
^' contortions, and sudden convulsi^ spasms that
seemed to agitate his whole frame; stand-
ing sometimes still, then howling, whining
tenderly, or trembling in all his limbs to the
mnsicy which was very animating. This dance,
although extremely common in Hussia, they con-
fess to have derived from the gipsies ; and it may
therefore seem probable, that our hornpipe was
introduced by the same people. Other gipsisB
were telling fortunes, according to their uni-
versal practice, or beg^g for presents of
oranges and ice. This extraordinary people,
found in all parts of Europe, was originally
one of the castes of India, driven out of their
own territory : they are distinguished among
Indian tribes by a name which signifies Ttdeve^.
They have a similar appellation among the
Finlanders. They preserve every where the
same features, manners, and customs, and,
what is more remarkable, almost always the
same mode of dress. The extraordinary re-
semblance of the female gipsies to the women
of India was remarked by our officers and men
in Egyptj when General Baird arrived with his

(1) See the Commentary of Profeaaor Porthan, of Abo in FSkUmdf
upon the Chronicle of that University. His works are not anffidentiy
known. He has written.the History and Origin of the Finland IVitef ;
and a Tery erudite Dissertation conoeming the Oipdet.

MOSCOW.

anny to join Lord Hutchinson. The seapoys chap.
had many of their women with them, who were
exactly like our gipsies. In regulating their
dress, they lavish all their finery upon their
head. Their costume in JRussia is very different
from that of the natives ; they wear enormous
caps, covered with rihhons, and decorated in
front with a prodigious quantity of silver coins ;
these form a matted mail-work over their fore-
heads. They also wear the same coins as
necklaces, and a smaller kind as pendants to
their ears. The Russians hold them in great
contempt, never speaking of them without
abuse ; and feel themselves contaminated by
their touch, imless i(; be to have their fortune
told. They believe gipsies not only have the
wish, but the power, to cheat every one they
see, and therefore generally avoid them. For-
merly they were more dispersed over Russiaj
and paid no tribute ; but now they are collected,
ind all belong to one nobleman, to whom they
pay a certain tribute, and rank among the
number of his slaves. They accompany their
dances with singing, and loud clapping of the
hands ; breaking forth, at intervals, with shrieks
and short expressive cries, adapted to the sud-
den movements, gestures, and turns of the dance.
The male dancers hold in one hand a hand-
kerchief, which they wave about, and manage

gQ MOSCOW.

oflAP. with grace as well as art. The dimce, like that
^^■v^ of the Almehs in Egypt, although full of the
gn»8est lihidinous expression, and most inde-
cent posture, id in other respects graceful.
Nothing can be more so than the manner in

whi^h th^-^oActetimes wave and extend their
arms-r-it'r^ittBled tH^ attitudes of Bacchana-
Uans represented on Greek vases. But the wo-
men do not often exhibit these attitudes : they
generally maintain a sti£F upright position, keep-
ing their feet dose, and beating a tattoo with
thor high heels.

^^en the Russiana dance the barina, it ia
accompanied with the balalaika. Formerly
the nobles were great admirers of that simple
and pleasing instrument; but now, imitating

MOSCOW.

the manners of France and England, they have chap.
laid it aside. Many of them are still ahle to v^^rw
ose it ; hut as they deem such an accomplish-
ment a sort of degradation in the eyes of
foreigners, they are seldom prevailed upon to
betray their skill ; like many of the Welsh
ladies, who, scarcely able to speak English^
affect ignorance of their native tongue.

Collected in other parts of rooms opened
for this assembly, were vocal performers, in
parties of ten or twelve each, singing volunta-
ries. They preserved the most perfect bar-
immy, each taking a separate part, although
without any seeming consciousness of the skill
thus exerted. The female dancers and assist-
ants in this ball were many of them prostitutes ;
but the wives and daughters of the peasants
and lower tradesmen mingled with these
women, dressed out in their full national
costume, and were apparently not at all dis-
pleased with s.uch society.

The ball of the nobles admits of a very diffe- Bail of the
rent description. It took place every Tuesday ;
and, it may be trtdy said, that Europe exhibits
nothing like it. The laws of the society exclude
every person who is by birth a plebeian ; and
this exclusion has been extended to foreigners ;

VOL. I. G

IV.

g2 MOSCOW.

c^p. therefore we felt grateful in being allowed
admission. Prince Viazemskoy, who married an
English lady, kindly procured tickets for us ;
notwithstanding the danger at that time of
shewing kindness and attention to Englishmen \
If his Excellency be now living, he is requested
to pardon this testimony of his generous conde-
scension. The author feels sensible that a
congeniality of senthnent will render any apo-
logy superfluous for the sacrifice he has else-
where made in the cause of truth.

The coup (TceUj upon entering the grand
saloon, is inconceivable. The company con-
sisted of near two thousand persons. The
dresses were the most sumptuous that can be
imagined ; and, what is more remarkable, they
were conceived in the purest taste, and were
in a high degree becoming. The favourite
ornaments of the ladies, at this time, were
cameos, which they wore upon their arms, in
girdles round their waists, or upon their
bosoms ; a mode of adorning the fiedr that has
since found its way to our own coimtry, and

(1)1 wish to lay particular stress apon this circams'ance, as almost
all travellers hare celebrated Russian hospitality, and particularly that
of the inhabitants of Moscow, ^* L'hospitalit^ des Russes," say the
Authors of the Voyage tie Deux FranfaUf *' paroft ici dans tout son
jour."

MOSCOW.

was originaliy derived from Paris; but the chap.
women of France and England may go to v^">r^
Moscow to see their own fashions set off to
advantage. The drapery was disposed chiefly
after the Grecian costume, and the hair worn
bound up round the head. The modes of dress
in London and Paris are generally blended-
together by the ladies of Moscow^ who select
. from either that which may become them best ;
and, in justice to their charms, it must be
confessed no country in the world can boast of
superior beauty. When, in addition to their
personal attractions, it is considered, that the
most excessive extravagance is used to procure
whatever may contribute to their adornment ' ;
that a whole fortune is sometimes lavished
upon a single dress ; that they are assembled
in one of the finest rooms in the world, lighted
and decorated with matchless elegance and
splendour; it may be supposed the effect has
never been surpassed.

In such an assemblv, we had every reason capncc in
* to suppose a couple of English travellers might

(2) It it related very generally, in the higher circlea of the city,
tkii t PrinoesB of Moscow, who had purchased a wig to imitate the
cqIov of her own hair, cenfined her hair-dresser in a closet, fed him
>lvij« herself, and allowed him only to come out during her toilette,
ii order that her false tresses might not be detected.

G 2

84 MOSCOW.

pass without notice. We had, moreover, a
particular reason for hoping this would be the
case ; as, in obedience to a decree of the
Emperor Paul, we had collected our short hair
into a queue, which appeared most ridiculously
curtailed, sticking out, like any thing but that
which it was intended to represent, and most
remarkably contrasted with the long tails of the
Russians. Unfortunately, the case was other-
wise ; and a curiosity to see the two Englishmen
becoming general, to our great dismay we
found ourselves surrounded by a crowd of
persons, some of whom thought proper to ask,
who cut our hair? Such questions, it may be
conceived, did not add to the evening's amuse-
ment ; but our astonishment was completed the
next day, in receiving the thanks and blessings
of a poor ragged barber, who had powdered us
at the inn, and whose fortune he assured us we
had made ; all the young nobles having sent for
him, to cut and dress their hair in the same
ridiculous manner\

Such a trifling incident would not have been
mentioned, if it had not ultimately taken a

(1) A lerieiir <ir this work has appeared in America, profeaaedly
written by a Buss'tan ; indeed, it bean strong internal eTidenee of
wueh OH origin* Its author, speaking of this anecdote, confesses
*< that it hat all the appearance of being rigorouMfy true.** The same

•dmowledg^eDt of his faith is made with regard to the pickpocket in
tte Cathiedral, stealing during his devotions ; but he denies even the
pQHibaity of another theft, mentioned in p. 92. It is for this writer
to explain why ho should deny the least improbable story of the three ;
Cfpccially as there are many living witnesses of its truth. In stating
thetimeof oar residence in Russia, with&deffree of accuracy highly
chvacteristic of his countrymen, instead of calculating the period
from the day of our arrival, he dates it from that of our departure!

MOSCOW. 85

very serious turn ; for the police-officers inter- ^^^•
feringy the young men, who had thus docked
themselves, were apprehended in the puhUc
walks, severely reprimanded, and compelled to
wear false hair; and we were ohliged to use
the utmost circumspection, lest we should also
be apprehended, and perhaps treated with
more rigour.

The dances were called Qttadrillesj Polonese^
and English. The Waltz^ once their favourite,
had been prohibited. But whatever name they
gave to their dances, they were all dull, and
consisted merely in a sort oi promenade. Neither
the men nor the women exhibited the slightest
d^ree of animation in the exercise, but seemed
to consider it as a sort of apology for not sitting
stilL Every person wore a full dress ; the men
appearing either in uniform, or in coats of very
rich embroidery.

CHAP. V.

MOSCOW.

Surprising Talent of Imitation among the Ras-
sians — Remarkable Fraud practised by a Native
Artist— Booksellers — State of Literature —
Libraries of the Nobles — Equipages — Costume
of the Bourgeoisie — Amusements of the People
— Chapel of the Tverschaia — Miracles wrought
there — Nature of the Imposture — Artifice of
a Merchant — Assassination of an Archbishop —
Motive for the Worship of Pictures — Resem-
blance between the Russians and Neapolitans —
Wives of the Nobles — Conduct of thear Hm
bands — Children of Orhf — Princess Memicof
— Retributive Spirit exercised by the Einperor
at the Funeral of his Mother,
In whatsoever country we seek for origmal
genius, we must go to Russia for the talent of
' imitation. This is the acme of Russian intellect ;

MOSCOW. 87

the principle of all Russian attainments. The chap.
Russians have nothing of their own ; hut it is
not their &ult if they have not every thing that
others invent. Their surprising powers of imi-
tation exceed all that has been hitherto known.
The meanest Russian slave is sometimes able
to accomplish the most intricate and the most
delicate works of mechanism ; to copy, with
single hand, what has demanded the joint
labours of the best workmen in France or in
England. Although untutored, they are the
best actors in the world. A Russian gentlemen,
who had never beheld an European theatre,
assisted during the representation of a play
m one of the remote eastern provinces, and his
performance was accidentally witnessed by
persons who were capable of estimating its
merit; they pronounced it to be superior to
the acting of any of our European stage-players.
In other examples of their imitative powers,
the author has witnessed something similar.
If they were instructed in the art of painting,
they would become the finest portrait painters
in the world. To the truth of this, we saw one
striking testimony : in a miniature portrait of
Ae Emperor, executed by a poor slave, who
had only once seen him, during the visit he
made to Moscow. For the resemblance and
the minuteness of the representation, it was

88 MOSCOW.

indeed a surprising work. The effect produced
was like that of heholding the original through
a diminishing lens. The Birmingham trinket-
manufactory, where imitations of precious
stones and of the precious metals are wrought
with so much cheapness, is surpassed in
Moscow; because the workmanship is equally
good, and the things themselves are cheaper.
But the great source of wonder is in the manner
of their execution. At Birmingham^ they result
from the labour of many persons ; in Moscow^
from the hands of an individual ; yet the dif-
ference between divided and undivided labour
in this branch of trade occasions none in the
price of the articles. In Moscow, imitations of
the Maltese and Venetian gold chains were
offered for sale, capable of deceiving any person,
unless he were himself a goldsmith. This is
not the case with regard to their cutlery;
because here a multiplication of labour is more
requisite. They fail therefore in hardware ;
not owing to any inability in imitating the
works they import, but because they cannot
afford to sell them for the same price. Where
a patent, as in the instance of BramaKs locks, has
kept up the price of an article in England beyond
the level it would otherwise find, the Russians
have imitated it with the greatest perfection;
and sold the copy at a lower rate than the

MOSCOW. gg

miginal, although equally valuable. This ex- chap.
traordiDary talent for imitation has been also

in the Fine Arts. A picture by S®"!?'^'
Dietrid in the style of Polemhergj was borrowed
by one of the Russian nobility from his friend.
The owner of the picture had impressed his
seal upon the back of it, and had inscribed it
with verses and mottoes of his own composition.
Having so many marks, he deemed his picture
safe anywhere. But a copy so perfect was
finished, both as to the painting, and to all the
circumstances of colour in the canvas, and to
the seal, and to the inscriptions, that when put
into the original frame, and returned to its
owner, the fraud was not discovered. This
drcomstance was afterwards made known by
the confession of the artist employed : and there
are now residing in Petersburg and Moscow
foreign artists^ of the highest respectability
and talents who attest its truth. One of them,
Camporesij assured us, that, walking in the
suburbs of Moscow, he entered a miserable hut
belonging to a cobler; where at the farther
end of the dwelling in a place designed to hold
pans and kettles, and to dress victuals, he
observed a ragged peasant at work. It was a

(1) Omarenghi of Petersburg, and Catnporen of Moicato, Italian
employed in the senrice of the Crown.

Book-
sellere.

90 MOSCOW.

pomter in enamel, copying very beautiful pic-
tures. The same person, he added, might
have been found the next day drunk in a oellar,
or howling beneath the cudgel of his task-
master. Under the present form of government
tfi Russia it is not very probable that the Fine Arts
wiU ever flourish. A Russian is either a slave,
or he has received his freedom. In the former
instance, he works only when instigated by the
rod of his master, and is cudgelled as often as
his owner thinks proper. While employed in
the works of sculpture or painting, he is frequently
called ofi; to mend a chair or a table, to drive
nails into a wainscot, or to daub the walls of the
house. When evening falls, as certainly fells a
cudgel across his shoulders : which is not the
vray to educate artists. But, if he have received
his freedom, the action of the cudgel ceasing,
all stimulus to labour ends: he has then no
other instigation to work, than the desire of
being able to buy brandy, and to become intoxi-
cated : this he does whenever he can procure the
means, and there is soon a period put to any fur<-
ther exertion of his talents.

The booksellers' shops in Moscow are better
furnished than in Petersburg ; but they are very
rarely placed upon the ground-floor. The con-
venience of walking into a shop from the street,

MOSCOW. 91

without climbing a flight of stairs, is abuost
peculiar to England; although there be some
exceptions, as in the Palais Royal at PariSf
and in a few houses at Vienna. The catalogue
of Russian authors in some of the shops, fills
an octavo volume of two hundred pages.
French, Italian, German, and English books,
would be as numerous here as in any other
city, were it not for the ravages of the public
censors, who prohibit the sale of books, from
their own ignorant misconception of their con-
tents. Sometimes a single volume, nay, a single
page, of an author, is prohibited, and the rest
jl of the work, thus mangled, permitted to be
sold. There is hardly a single modem work
which has not been subject to their correction.
The number of prohibited books is so great,
that the trade is ruined. Contraband publi-
cations are often smuggled ; but the danger is so
imminent, that all respectable booksellers leave
the trade to persons, either more daring, or who,
from exercising other occupations, are less liable
to sospicion.

Yet there are circumstances arising from the state of

'^ literature.

rtate of public affairs in the two cities, which
give a superiority to the booksellers in Moscow.
In and near the city reside a vast number of
the Russian nobility. A foreigner might live

92 MOSCOW.

many years there, without ever hearing the
names of some of them : whereas, at Petersburg
a few only are found, who all helong to the
Court, and are therefore all known. The
nohles of Moscow have, many of them, formerly
figured m the presence of their sovereign, and
have heen ordered to reside in this city ; or
they have passed their youth in foreign travel,
and have withdrawn to their seats in its
environs. Many of them have magnificent
Uhraries : and, as the amusement of collecting,
rather than the pleasure of reading books, has
been the reason of their forming those sump-
tuous collections, the booksellers receive orders
to a very large amount\ When a Russian
noble reads, which is a very rare circum-
stance, it is commonly a novel : either some
licentious trash in the French language, or some
English romance translated into that language.
Of the latter, the * Italian^ of Mrs. Radcliffe
has been better done than any other ; because,
representing customs which are not absolutely
local, it admits of easier transition into any
other European tongue. But when any attempt

(1) These orders are sometimes given in the style related of J3uN«i|f
Kormkofy a serjeant in the Guards, who succeeded Zoritz in the
affections of Catherine the Sbcon d. This man sent for a booksdler,
and said, " Fit ine up a handsome library : little books above, and fgreai
ones below."

MOSCOW.

18 made to translate • Tom Jones^ ' * The Vicar
of Wakefieldj* or any of our inimitable original
fdctures of English manners, the effect is ridi-
culoos beyond description. Squire Western
becomes a French Philosopher, and Goldsmith's
Primrose a Fleur de Lis.

Books of real literary reputation are not to Libraries of
be obtained either in the shops of Petersburg or ^'

of Moscow. Productions of other days, which
fifom their importance in science have become
rare, are never to be found. Costly and
friTolons volumes, sumptuously bound, and
gorgeously decorated, constitute the precious
|ttt of a library, in Russian estimation. Gaudy
French editions, of Fontenelle, of MarmonteU of
Italian sonneteers, with English folios of but-
terflies, shells, and flowers ; editions by Bas-
hervUley Sensley, and Buhner ^ with hot pressed
md wire-wove paper, in short, the toys rather
tK^m the instruments of science, attract the
notioe of all the Russian amateurs. A mag-
nficent library in Russia will be found to con-
tain very little of useful literature. In vain,
imong their stately collections, smelling like
I tannery of the leather which bears their name,
Bay we seek for classic authors, historians,
lawgivers, and poets. A copy of the Encyclo-
pttdioj indeed, placed more for ostentation than

94 MOSCOW.

CHAP, for use, may perhaps, in a solitary instance or
v,^v^ two, greet the eye ; but this will be found to
be the only estimable work throughout their
gilded shelves^

Equipages. After Loudon and Constantinople^ Moscow is
doubtless the most remarkable city in Europe.
A stranger, passing rapidly through the streets,
might pronounce it to be dull, dirty, and unin-
teresting ; while another, having resided there,
would affirm, that it had rather the character
of a great commercial and wealthy metropolis.
If the grandeur and the riches of its inhabitants
be estimated by the splendour of their equi-
pages, and the number of horses attached to
esx^j^ Moscow would surpass all the cities of
the earth. There is hardly an individual above
the rank of a plebeian who would be seenf
without four horses to his carriage : the gene-
rality have six. But the manner in which this
pomp is displayed presents a perfect burlesque
upon stateliness. A couple of ragged boys are
placed as postillions, before a coachman, in
such sheep-skins as are worn by peasants in
the woods : behind the carriage are stationed

(1) The library of Coxxni Bottcrline, hereafter noticed, deserved a
different character ; but perhaps, before the author can make the ex-
ception, the vahiabic Collection of this nobleman has been dispersed.

MOSCOW. 95

a groupe of lackeys, more tawdry, but not chap.
less ludicrous, than their drivers. To give v^v^
greater effect to all this, the traces of the
harness are so long, that it requires considerable
management to preserve the horses from being
entangled, whenever they turn the comer of
a street, or when they halt. Notwithstanding
this, no stranger, however he may deride its
absurdity, will venture to visit the nobles, if
be wish for their notice, without four horses
to his chariot, a ragged coachman and postillion,
md a parade of equipage that must excite his
hnghter in proportion as it insures their coun-
tenance and approbation.

Wives of tradesmen, during the season costume,
of their festivals, are seen driving about
m drosAies^ with riches upon their persons suf-
ficient to purchase a peerage. Caps made of
Bitted work of pearls, with Turkish and Persian
diawls, and diamond ear-rings, are often exhi-
Iited ; preserving, at the same time, the national
oostame, however costly the apparel. This
CQitame is remarkably graceful when the shawl
iiwom, and as much otherwise when it is not.
The shawl covers the head, and falls in thin
Uds over the shoulders, reaching almost to the
feet The celebrated Pallas gave to us a
diiwing representing the wife of a Russian

QQ MOSCOW.

CHAP, tradesman, with an old duenna, or nurse, who
N^v^-^ is found in ahnost every family. It was
executed by his artist, Geisler. With that good
humour which always characterized him, finding
the women unwilling to have their figures deli-
neated, he caused Mrs. Pallas to assume the
dress of the young wife, and he put on his own
person the habit of the dtienna ; thus afibrding
a scenic representation, in which the persons
of the drama, although strongly caricatured, are,
the Professor and his Wife.

Anwae- The amuscmcnts of the people are those of

molts.

children ; that is to say, of English children ;
for in Paris and Naples the author has witnessed
similar amusements ; grave senators and states-
men being sometimes seen mounted upon
wooden horses, round-ahoutSy and ups-and^davmSf
with the lower order of inhabitants. It will
be said, the English are a grave people; but
a better reason may perhaps be assigned for
the want of such infantine sports at our wakes
and fairs. Certainly there is no part of our
island where men of forty and fifty years of
age would be seen riding on a wooden horse,
or chuckling in a vaulting-chair. Three Rus-
sians, at the same time, will squeeze themselves
into one of those chairs, and, as they are
whirled round, scream for joy, like infants

MOSCOW. 97

tossed in the nurse's arms. Some years ago, chap.
the present King of the Two Sicilies was accus* y^^^-y-^
tomed to join his principal courtiers in a similar
amusement.

In the Gate of the Resun^ection^ at the eastern chapei of
extremity of the Tverschaia^ one of the principal ichaia.
streets in Moscow^ there is a small open
sanctuary, before which, at all hours of the
day, people are assembled, crossing and pro-
strating themselves. We had the curiosity to
penetrate the host of devotees, and to enter
this little temple. An old man with a long
beard was there selling candles to the numerous
visitants, who, immediately after buying the
candles, placed them before a picture of the
Virgin with the Bleeding Cheek. The place was
filled with a variety of pictures of Saints and
Martyrs : but there were two of the Virgin^
larger than the rest, facing the street : one of
them is said to have been brought hither by an
angel ; which causes the extraordinary devo-
tion paid to this picture in particular ; although
there be many such paintings in other parts of
MoscoWj having the same reputation of a mira-
culous importation. The particular picture to
which reference is now made, was framed in
silver, set round with gems, true or false, of

VOL. I. H

98 MOSCOW.

CHAP, various magnitude. It has great celebrity,
from the numberiess miracles it is supposed
to have wrought, in healing the sick, restoring
sight to the blind, and showering down favours
of all kinds upon its worshippers. Now, sup-
posing only four persons to present themselves
every minute before this picture, (and some-
times fifty at the same instant may be observed
opposite its shrine,) no less a number than ten
thousand eight hundred and eighty persons will
be found to visit it in the short space of twelve
hours. It would be indeed a miracle, if, out
of this number, one or two did not occasionally
experience relief, either from sickness of body,
or from sorrow, or in consequence of any other
wished-for change : and, whenever this happens,
if only once in thirty days, (which would be to
reckon one only out of eighty-six thousand
four hundred persons, not counting the nightly
visitants,) the noise of it is circulated far and
wide, the story itself exaggerated, and the
throng of votaries thereby increased. Upon
such ground an ideot might raise as vast a
superstructure of ignorance and credulity as
any even Russia itself has witnessed. The
picture of a Saint found accidentally in the
street ; human bones dug up in a forest ; a
dream; some casual and rude representation
of a cross ; a lusus naturce (as in the colours

MOSCOW.

of a pied horse, or the veins in a piece of flint chap.
or marble) : in short, whatsoever represents^ or s^^yl^
is supposed to resemble, any thing belonging
to their prodigious catalogue of superstitious
objects, might occasion a resort of devo-
tees, give rise to a church, or to a market-
place for wax-chandlers, painters, and silver-
smiths, as profitable as the shrine of Diana at
Ephesus.

A circumstance so likely has frequently Artmceoft
happened. A merchant of Moscow^ more re-
nowned for speculation than for piety, caused
a coffin to be dug up, some years ago, with the
supposed body of a Saints in the interior of the
empire, eastward of the city. The throng to
this coffin, from all parts, became immense ;
the blind were, as usual, healed ; the lame left
their crutches suspended as trophies of mira-
culous cures ; and, in a short time, all the other
churches were deserted, in consequence of the
reputation of the newly-discovered Saint. It
was moreover said, that his saintship was very
passionate ; that he was angry at being dis-
turbed ; and insisted upon having a church
built over him, to insure his future repose. A
church was therefore erected, when, news of
the whole affair reaching the ears of the late
Empress Catherine, she ordered the building to

IQQ MOSCOW.

CHAP, be shut. The Emperor Paul, from a determi-
v^^yi^ nation to undo every thing that his mother had
done, and to do, (as much as possible) that
which she would not have done, caused it to
be again opened ; although it were well known
in Russia^ that the merchant, after the church
had been shut by the Empress's order, frequently
avowed, and laughed at, the fraud he had com-
mitted*. Much after the same manner, during
the plague, in Moscow^ about thirty years ago,
a picture was placed in one of the streets of the
city, to which the people eagerly thronged, upon
the earliest intelligence of its arrival. The
archbishop Ambrose^ finding that the danger
of spreading infection increased as the people
crowded to this picture, ordered it to be re-
Assassina- moved, and concealed in a church ; but the
Arch- doors of the church were forced open by the
°^ populace; and the venerable prelate, being
dragged from the convent of Donskoy^ was in-
humanly put to death. The late Empress, in
her correspondence with Voltaire^ gave an ac-
count of this event ; recommending it to him as
a supplement to the article Fanaticism^ in the
French Encyclopcedia^.

(1) Paul published an ultase, in the Imperial Gazette of Petertbttrgf
upon the 17th of December, 1708, canonizing the new Saint,

(2) Lettree de I'lmper. de Russie, £cc. Lett. 94.

MOSCOW. 101

All that has been said or written of Roman chap..
Catholic bigotry affords but a feeble idea of >^^rw
the superstition of the Greek Church. It is
certainly the greatest reproach to human reason,
the severest satire upon universal piety, that
has yet disgraced the history of mankind.- The
wild, untutored savage of South America^ who
prostrates himself before the Sun, and pays
his adoration to that which he believes to be
the source of life and light, exercises more
rational devotion than the Russian, who is all
day crossing himself before his Bogky and
sticking farthing candles near a picture of
St. Alexander Nevsky. But in the adoration Motive for
paid by this people to their Saints and Virgins ship of
we may discern strong traces of their national
character. The homage they offer to a court
parasite^ or to a picturey is founded upon the
same principle ; and in all their views, political
or religious, they are actuated by similar mo-
tives. A Deitijy and a despoty by the nature of
the one, and the policy of the other, are too
far removed from their view to admit of any
immediate applications. All their petitions
therefore, instead of being addressed at once
either to a spiritual or to a temporal throne, are
directed to the one or to the other by channels
falling more immediately under observation.
Thus we ^liiSi favouritism to be the leading feature

102 MOSCOW.

CHAP, of the Russian government, and the adoration
^-^'v"^ of Saints the whole of their religion. The
Sovereign is disregarded in the obeisance oflFered
to his parasites; and the Creator entirely for-
gotten in the idolatrous worship of his creatures.

HeBem- As WO lived in some desree of intimacy with

blancebe- . . 7 .

tween the moDy of the Russian nobility^ their manners and

Hussions , , ,

aDdiVtti- opinions could not escape our notice. Of all
the Europeans, they bear the greatest resem-
blance to the Neapolitans. The nobles of
Naples and Palermo are exactly like those of
Moscow; and even the peasants of the two
countries have a certain degree of resemblance.
This similitude may arise from a similarity of
government, — vicious and despotic, ignorant
and superstitious. The same character prevails
in their national dances and in their mode of
dress. The harina differs little from the taran-
tala : and the female peasants of the Carnpagna
Felice dress like the women near Moscow^ — with
the same sort of shoes ; the same kind of head-
dress ; the same embroidered suits ; in short,
the same load of finery. May not this be thus
explained : the costume of Magna Grceda came
from the Archipelago ; and the art of dress was
introduced into Russia from ConstantiTiople. It
has been before mentioned, that in their sports,
the Russians and the Neapolitans are alike. In

MOSCOW. 103

the class of the nobles^ the women are far supe- chap.
rior to the men; they are mild, affectionate,

often well-informed, beautiful, and highly ac- the NoWes.
complished : the men are destitute of every
qualification to render them, in the eyes of
their female companions, objects of love or of
esteem. It is not therefore wonderful, that
ladies of rank in Moscow have the character of
not being strict in their fidelity to their hus-
bands ; especially if the profligate example so
lately offered them in their Empress Catherine
be taken into consideration. Indeed, it is dif-
ficult to conceive how the wives of the gene-
rality of the nobles in Moscow can entertain any
respect for their husbands ^ Married, without
passion, by the policy and self-love of their
parents, frequently to men they never saw
until the time of wedlock ; subjected to tyrants
who neither afford good examples to their
children, nor any source of social enjoyment
to themselves ; who are superannuated before
the age of thirty ; diseased, dirty, and over-
whelmed with debt ; the women of Moscow
regard the matrimonial life as superior indeed
to that of imprisonment in a convent, but as
a state of slavery, from which they look towards

(1) *' Maliemm conditio miserrima est; ueque quicquam authoritatit
io sdibofl usurpant : a maritis bene verberaUs," &c. Guagnin. JDescript^
MokovUBjP, 65. X. Bat. 1630.

104 MOSCOW.

CHAP, a joyful deliverance, in the death of their hus-
bands. Every one acquainted with the real
history of the Empress Catherine, and with her
manner of bursting the connubial bonds, will
find in it a picture of the state of female
society throughout the empire. The wives of
the nobles, it is true, do not assassinate their
husbands ; but the ties of wedlock are alto-
gether disregarded. This representation, of
course, regards the general state of the commu-
nity. The Reader shall not be ofiended, nor
the feelings of individuals wounded, by any
detail of private anecdotes for public purposes ;
neither is it necessary to relate the few ex-
ceptions which may be found to the preceding
statement: whatsoever credit is given to it in
Englandy it will not be contradicted in Russia.

A Russian nohleman will sell any thing he
possesses, from his wife to his lap-dog; from
the decorations of his palace, to the ornaments
of his person ; any thing to obtain money ; any
thing for the pleasure of squandering it away.
Visiting a trading mineralogist, we were sur-
prised to see glass-cases filled with court-
dresses ; and still more so on being told that
these were dresses of the 7iobility ; sent to be
exposed for sale, as often as any of them
wanted money. Their plan is, to order goods

MOSCOW. ] 05

to any amount for which they can procure
credit ; to pay for nothing ; and to sell what
they have ordered, as soon as they receive it.
We should call such conduct, in England,
swindling. In Moscow it hears another name;
it is there called Mussian magnificence.

The children of those who murdered Peter ^^j!*^"

of Orlqf.

THE Third resided in Moscow when we were
there : one of them married the daughter of
the Governor. The Princess MenziAofy grand-
daughter of the favourite of Peter the Great,
was also there : we were often in her company ;
and too much amused by her cheerful dispo-
sition, to report the style of conversation she
lodulges everywhere. However, that which is
a proverb in Russia may at the least bear an
allusion in England, When the late Empress
died, her son, and successor, caused the body
of his father to be taken up, and laid in state,
by the coffin of his mother, in the palace at
Petersburg. It is said there was only one per-
son, an Archbishop, who knew where they had
buried him ; as he was interred without mo-
nument or inscription, in the church of the
monastery of St. Alexander Nevsky. Orlof, his
murderer, was then at Moscow. An order from Retribu-
the Emperor brought him to Petersburg ; and ofThe'^
when the bodies were removed to the church ^'^^^'

106 MOSCOW.

CHAP of St. Peter and St. Paul in the citadel > , he was
compelled to walk in the procession firom the
palace to the church, following the hody of the
person he had murdered so long before. It
was then the people of Petersburg beheld an
interesting scene of retribution. One of them,
who was an eye-witness, described the whole
of it to us. The bodies were drawn upon low
chariots, by horses. Immediately after the coffin
of Peter THE Third, and close to it, walked,
with slow and faltering steps, his assassin,
Orlof; having his eyes fixed on the ground, his
hands folded, and his face pale as death. Next
to Orlof walked the Emperor ; certainly mani-
festing, by this sublime although mysterious
sacrifice to the manes of his father, an action
worthy of a greater character. The ceremony
ended, Orlof received aji order to quit the em-
pire ; and lately was travelling in the South of
JEurope.

(I) The place where Btate-prisoners are kept

CHAf. VI.

MOSCOW.

State of Exiles in Siberia — Tobolsky — Generous
conduct of a Citizen — Prince turned Pawn-
broker— Picture Dealers — State ofMeditnne —
Manners of the People — Opinions entertained of
the English — Relative Condition of Slaves and
their Ziords — liable Behaviour of Count Golov-
Ain's Peasants — Servants of the Nobility — Tlieft
committed by a party of the Nobles — Convent
of the New Jerusalem — New Prohibitions —
Public Censors — Convent of the Tnnity —
Church of St. Basil — Ivan Basilovich — Tu-
bervil^s Letters.

In England, we hear of persons being sent to *^^^^-
Siberia, as a most severe punishment ; and wc '-^^'^

14 J^ WC-sOl'V

'-^/y ^"JUTy^ 'ji *Tdie5 in tba: ccmnur. To a jRusdan

Miy:^jffhyh the 2^ii:eDce of €iile can hardly imply
p'-iii^'niiier-t. Th^ c^?:i=-ec:ieLic-e of :Leir joomey
it -i^rv often an anieli-i^ranon of their under-

i^;ii:jiln'^ ^.zji of iheir tearti. Ther have no
par.ii-uler a:'.achicen: :o iheir c-onntrv ; none of
tLa: i/-/z.act^ c'rf ;..:i.^ wbioh sickens the soul of
<tn Enziiiliinan in banishinc'::;. Thev are hound
bv no rtronsr tie? of affeciion to iheir families ;
neiiher have they any friendihip worth pre-
T0UUk]f. sen-inff. ToboUky, from the numher and the
rauk of the exii*.^ is hecc»nie a large and popu-
lous city, full of shops, and containing theatres,
besides other places of public amusement.
Its inhabitants, above two thousand rersts from
Moscow^ have booksellers, masquerades, French
hotels, and French wines, with the porter and
lieer of England. Those who have resided
there, either as officers on duty, as travellers,
or as exiles, give the highest accotmts of its
gaiety and population. An officer of consi-
derable rank in the Russian ser\-ice told us, he
would rather have the half of his pay and live
at Tohohhijy than the whole of it in residence
at PeUrsburg. Many, who have been ordered
home, have wished and sought to return thither.
This is no subject of wonder. Tobohky is
admirably adapted to the Russian taste. Ac-
cording to Gmeliriy it is a very temple of

lOd

MOSCOW.

Bcicchus and Indolence. Provisions were so
cheap when he was there, in the middle of the
last century, that a person might maintain
himself for ten roubles a year ; not two pounds
of our money. His account of the JEaster fes-
tival' proves that there was not much difference
between the state of society in Tobolsky and in
Moscow at that time : and there is much less at
present.

A circumstance occurred during our abode oeneroui

° Conduct of

in Moscow^ attended by a trait of so much gene- » ciuxen.
rosityin a Russian, that it is a duty to relate
it. On Wednesday the seventh of May, the
Sub-Governor received an order for his exile to
Siberia. No reason whatever was assigned for
the displeasure of the Emperor ; no offence was
alleged. The whole city flocked to take leave
of him, for he was much beloved : and dan-
gerous as such a testimony of affection might

(1)" Let gens lea pins considerables se rcnduient visites, et sc don-
ooient des diverti^semcns. Quant au pcuple, il etoit comme fou; ce
D'etoit joor et nuit que promenades, oris, tunmltes, batteries. II
ftoit difficile d'aller dans les rues, tant il y avoit dliomnies, de femmes,
debates, et de traineaux." Voyage de Sibirie, traduit par KeraliOj
torn. I. p. 53.

••On passe gaiement les fdtes de Piques h. re^evoir et faire des vi-
■tes. Le people s*amusa k sa mami-re ; ce dont il 8*occupa le plug
fat le commerce des filles publiques, qui ne sont pas rares k Tobolsk-
It n^ATois TJk nulle part tant de gens sans nez que j'en tIs ici."
Ibki. p. 67.

110

MOSCOW.

then prove, the inhabitants crowded to his
house, considering him as a man sacrificed to
the caprice of a tyrant. Among others, came
an humble citizen, and demanded admission.
It was granted. " You are going to leaye us,"
said he, *^ and may not have time to settle your
afiairs. Do you not want money I I come as
your banker." " I have need of some," said
the Governor, " but it is much more than you
can furnish." " How much?" '* Twenty-five
thousand roubles?" The honest fellow with-
drew ; and speedily returning with notes to the
amount of the sum specified, placed them upon
the table, carefully counting them over ; then
made his bow, and retired.

An Italian architect, of the name of Camporesiy
turned procurcd admissiou for us at the house of

Pawn- * ^

broker. Princc Truhctzkoy, a dealer in minerals, pic-
tures, hosiery, hats, cutlery, antiquities; in
short, all the furniture of shops and of museums.
Having squandered away his fortune, this man
gained a livelihood by selling, for himself and
for others, whatsoever came in his way. His
house, like a pawnbroker's shop, exhibited one
general magazine, occupying several rooms. A
Prince presiding over this mart, and practising
all the artifices of the meanest tradesman, was
a spectacle perfectly novel. Any thing might

Prince

M03C0W. 1 1 1

be bonght of his Excellency, from a pair of ^^^j^-
bellows to a picture by Claude Lorraine. In \^^>r^/
the same room were handkerchiefe, antique
TaseSy stockings, artificial flowers, fans, Co-
logne-water, soap, pomatum, prints, paintings,
books, guns, pistols, minerals, jewellery^ har-
ness, saddles, bridles, pipes, second-hand
dothes, swords, stuffed-birds, bronzes, buckles,
buttons, snuff-boxes, wigs, watches, boots and
shoes. "My house,*' said he, as we entered,
** and all it contains, is at your service, or any
one's else, who will buy it ! I will sell you the
house for a single rouhlcy provided you will pay
me also a rouble for each article of its furniture."
While we bargained with his Excellency, Prince
L. sent a note, which he read aloud. It was to
borrow money. ** Here's a man," said Prince
Trubetzkot/y ** with a million of roubles in his
drawing-room, sends to me for forty-five, to pay
the expences of a journey to his coimtry seat !
You see how we go on in Russia.*^

The number of pictures in Moscow is really Picture
astonishing. There are four or five eminent ^*'^"'
dealers, who have large collections. The
palaces of the nobles are many of them filled,
and there is not one of their owners unwilling
to sell any picture he may possess. It seems
as if all Europe had been ransacked to supply

,\\ «"«if '."iX

y,efnfo. V*\\t rht^ l{:issi:ms rhemif-lres .ire ^

ini^rnioiiH in rlu- art of IrairAnrm, ^hiit a nobleman

of skill dui\ )\iil^/Tnr"^n:. m painrinir has been

kiiovMi to purcliast' of a dealer, copies made a

few (hiv>i iH-forf 1>; orn't ^.t hi- o^m slaves, who

writt from his tvisrl to his more usual dailv

i.(< »»prt»inii of hlcirkliiy J-hoes, and afterwards

. ,f,Ha to till' l)rjuuly-shop the wages of his

/*.»,.»i»\. A-* the iiobk'S have rarely any

,,j,. ^ .it ruiiiiiiiind, their traffic in the Fine

\,i<. .M in *»thor thinirs, is carried on bv

t 'r>>^nM o( barter is that in which

r .^ io'iisxhr. They purchase

• ^r. ,^r tiir an embroidered

^ > •> ;ay their physician

N \. . T ^' : r- --ursuit the same

" ^;; .1 •.'•i; and, like

' ' .:o,r rovs almost

; :- •^•: them. In

"' ." - "-' ■ '>J:?ed onlv

-^ ■-T'' --^'V.j Mished,

^ V r:.itr to

« Uo viork> or i -77 •'.- ie' .- --

MOSCOW. 1 1 3

Berchenij and Gerhard DouWy bear the highest ^^jf *
prices ; but if productions by any of the
Bolognese masters be shewn to them, they are
rejected. Nothing of the sombre cast, however
sablmie, has any value in their estimation.
The works of the CarcLCci, of Domenichino^ or
even of Michael Angela, would not meet with
admirers. A beautiful head by Corregio, not
many years ago possessed by an artist in
London, in the course of those adventures to
which fine pictures are liable, fell into the hands
cf a Russian priest. He kept it during a short
time, because he had been told it was a cele-
Inted work; but ultimately exchanged it for
some wretched copies, with an Italian miniature-
painter. ^'It had too much shade," he said,
'< and the lights were too pale ; it had the air
altogether of a head from the gtdllatineJ* The
method of {paying their physicians by trinkets,
before mentioned, might seem an inconvenience
to the faculty ; but it is not so. Dr. Rogerson
at Petersburg, as we were informed, regularly
received his snuff-box, and as regularly carried
it to a jeweller for sale. The jeweller sold it
again to the first nobleman who wanted a fee
fcr his physician, so that the doctor obtained
Us box again ; and at last the matter became
•0 well understood between the jeweller and
the physician, that it was considered by both

YOL. I. I

114 MOSCOW.

CHAP, parties as a sort of bank-note, and no words
N^v^ were necessary in transacting the sale of it

state of Having mentioned the name of this respectable
physician, it may be well to say something of
the state of medicine in the country. The
business of an accoucheur is always practised by
women. The Emperor ordered all the mid-
wives to undergo examination, before a board
of physicians, a few days before we left Peters
burg. In the regulation concerning apothecaries,
however well intended, the same wisdom was
not shewn: it is a reproach to the country.
If a stranger arrive, in immediate want of an
emetic^ or of any trifling drug, he cannot obtain
it without the written order of some physician.
If this take place in the night, h^ may die
before the morning ; for the physician, although
sent for, certainly would not attend. In PeterB^
burffy the fee of an eminent physician is twenty-
five roubles ; in Moscow^ only one or two.
Persons calling themselves English physicians are
found in almost every town upon the continenL
Sometimes they have served in apothecaries'
shops in London or in Edinburgh ; but generalfy

(1) A remedy almoet infallible against those dangerooB fererswhidi t
are the conBequeiicc of passing over unwholesome marshes in hot
countries, if taken within twenty-four hours.

MOSCOW.

115

ther are Scotch apothecaries, who are men of chap.
professional skill, and of acknowledged supe- v^^^^
lioritj. In some places abroad the practitioners
really natives of England: but when this
to be the case, the traveller is cau-
tiooed to shun them, however celebrated they
■ay be, as he values his existence. With few
eioeptioDs, there are no instances of men of ability
anoDg expatriated English physicians ; neither
mRild such men leave their country, to settle
foreigners, unless compelled by circum-
of misconduct at home. Those Eng-
fidimen upon the continent who bear the name of
fliysiciaiis will generally be found, upon enquiry,
to have exercised no such profession in their own
country ; but to have lived either as servaots in
die shops of apothecaries, of chemists, and of
druggists, or to have practised as veterinary
mrgeons, farriers, or itinerant empirics.

The Mussian nobility are passionately fond of Manners
travelling ; and, under the circumstances of the Pcopie.
Emperor Paul's administration, this passion
increased with the difficidty of its gratification.
Some of them entertain extravagant notions of
the wealth and happiness of Englishmen ; and
they have good reason so to do, since every
thing they possess, that is either useful or in
anv desrrce estimable comes to them fron^

I 2

IJt) MOSCOW.

CHAP. England. Books, maps, prints, furniturd^
clothing, hardware of all kinds, horses, carriages^
hats, leather, medicine, almost' every article of
convenience, comfort, or luxury, must be de-
rived from England, or it is considered as of no
value. Some of the nobles are much richer
than the richest of our English peers ; and a
vast number, as may be supposed, are very
poor. To this poverty, and to those riches,
are joined characteristics in which the Russian
peasant and the Russian prince are the same :
they are all equally barbarous. Visit a Rus-
sian, of whatsoever rank, at his country-seat,
and you will find him lounging about, with his
collar open, uncombed, unwashed, unshaven,
half-naked, eatmg raw turnips, or drinking
quass. The raw turnip is handed about in
slices, in the first houses, upon a silver salver,
with brandy, as a whet before dinner. Their
hair is universally in a state not to be described ;
and their bodies are only divested of vermin
when they frequent the bath. Upon these
occasions, their shirts and pelisses are held
over a hot stove, and the heat occasions the
vermin to fall off '. It is a fact too notorious to
admit of dispute, that from the Emperor to the

(1) Suvorof used to cleanse his shirt hi this manner, daring a cam-
paign ; stripping before the common soldiers, at the flrps kindled in
their camps.

MOSCOW, J 2 7

meanest slave, throughout the vast empire of chap.
all the Russias, mcludmg all its princes, nobles,
priests, and peasants, there exists not a single
indiyidnal in a thousand whose body is not thus
infested. The true manners of the people are
not seen in Petershurg^ nor even in Moscow^ by
entering only the houses of the nobility. Some
of this class, and generally persons to whom
letters of recommendation are obtained, have
travelled, and introduced refinements which
their friends and companions readily imitate.
But the genuine Russian rises at an early hour,
and breakfasts on a dram with black bread.
His dinner, at noon, consists of the coarsest and
most greasy food, the scorbutic effects of which
are supposed to be counteracted by pickled
cucumbers, by sour cabbage, by the juice of
his vacciniumy and by his nectar quass. Sleep,
rendering him unmindful of his abject servitude
and of his barbarous life, he particularly in-
dulges ; sleeping always after eating, and going
early to his bed. The principal articles of diet are
the same everywhere — grease and brandy. The
horrors of a Russian kitchen are inconceivable ;
and there is scarcely a bed in the whole empire
that an English traveller would venture to
approach, if he were aware of its condition.

Among the nobles, the race is not yet extinct

118 MOSCOW.

CHAP, of those servile beings who, at the pleasure of
the Tsar J were sent to be whipped like so many
dogs. The short liberty they enjoyed in the
reign of Catherine did not suffice to elevate
their minds from the depravity always incident
to a state of slavery. Under Paul, they again
experienced indignities similar to those which
had been offered to their fore&thers. Potemkinf
one of the meanest and the most profligate of
men, frequently taught them to remember what
their condition was originaUy, by inflicting
blows upon any prince or nobleman with whom
he chanced to be offended : and the Emperor
Paul ventured to chastise the nobles who were
his officers^ Under such government, if we
find them servile, oppressive, cowardly, and
tyrannical, it is no more than may be expected,
from their mode of education, and the disci-
pline they undergo. They will naturally
crouch in the dust before an Emperor, or
before one of those wretched creatures called
favourites^ and will trample their inferiors be-
neath their feet*.

(1) See Note 1. in p. 47.

(2) " Servituti gens nata, ad oinne libertatiB yestigium feroz est ;
l)lacida si prematur. Neque abnnunt Jugum. Ultro ftttentur Prlndj^
He servire ; illi in suas opes, in corpora, yitamquc jus esse. Sor^
dldloris rcvcrentia) humilitas Turcis non est in suonim Ottomanomm
sceptrum/' Barclaii Descript, Moscovue, p, 74. L. Bat, 16S0.

MOSCOW. 229

They consider the English as a mercenary chap.
people ; and generally hate them, because they >^v^ii/
fisar them ; or court them, if they stand in need Opinions

jB « • y-x t* ^ • • T 1 6ntcrtftinccl

of their support. One of their princes thought oftheJ^n^
^oper to declare in public, at his own table,
where we had been invited to dine, and were
of course under the protection enjoined by the
laws of hospitality, that ** in England there is
not an indimdual^ patriot^ or plcLceman^ who is not
mdeable to the highest bidder.^* He instanced
Wilkes^ OibboUf and Bur he, with many others ;
adding, ** English slavery is less justifiable than
Russian. One is selfishness ; the other, submission
to the laws.**

It is very true, that the system of slavery in c^^^^on
Russia, like many other evils, may be some- ^^?^'[
times 'productive of good. If the nobleman be -'^*-
benevolent, his slaves are happy; for in that
case they are fed, clothed, and lodged. In
sickness they are carefully attended, and in
old age they have an asylum. In case of acci-
dents from fire, if a whole village be burned,
the nobleman must supply wood to rebuild it.
But when, as it generally happens, the pro-
prietor is a man without feeling or principle,
their situation is indeed wretched. In such
instances, the peasants often take the law into
their own hands, and assassinate their lords,

120 MOSCOW.

CHAP. To prevent this, the latter live in cities, remote
v^^ from their own people, and altogether unmindful
of all that concerns their slaves, except the
tribute the latter are to pay. Many of the
Russian nobles dare not venture near to their
own villages, through fear of the vengeance
they have well merited by their crimes. In
this sad survey, it is soothing to point out
any worthy object, whereon the attention, wea-
ried by a uniform view of depravity, may for
a few short moments repose. Some noble
traits have presented themselves among the
slaves.

Noble Be- The father of count Golovkm was reduced to

havioar of

Count Go- the necessity of selling a portion of his peasants.
Peasants, in consequence of debts contracted in the
service of the Crown. Upon this occasion,
deputies chosen among the slaves came to
MoscoWj beseeching an audience of their lord.
One venerable man, the oldest of the number
advertised for sale, begged to know why they
were to be so dismissed. ^^ Because," said the
Count, *^I am in want of money, and must
absolutely pay the debts I have contracted.**
"How much?*' exclaimed at once all the deputies.
"About thirty thousand roubles^*' rejoined the
Count. " God help us! Do not sell us ; we will
bring the money.*'

MOSCOW. 121

Peter the Third was a greater friend to the chap.

VI.

Russian nobility ^ during three months, than all s^v/^
the soyereigns of Russia in the collected periods
of their power. While under the oppressive
and degrading discipline of Paul, they kneeled,
and kissed the rod, Peter liherated them from
slavery and from corporal punishment ; he per-
mitted them to sell their effects, and to settle
in other countries ; to serve, if they pleased,
under other sovereigns ; — in short, he gave them
all they most desired ; and they assassinated
their benefactor.

The swarm of servants in their palaces has Senranteof
been already noticed. A foreigner wonders how biuty.
this can be maintained. The fact is, if a noble-
man have fifty or five hundred servants, they
do not cost him a rouble. Their clothes, their
food, every article of their subsistence, are de-
rived from the poor oppressed peasants. Their
wages, if wages they can be called, rarely ex-
ceed in their value an English hal^enny a day^.
In the whole year, the total of their daily pit-
tance equals about five roubles^ forty-seven
copeeis and a half : this, according to the state of
exchange at the time we were there, may be
estimated at twelve shillings and ninepence.

(1) About a copeek and a half.

122 MOSCOW.

CHAP. 3u(; small as this sum is, it might have been
v^N*^ omitted ; for it is never paid. Few among the
nobles deem it any disgrace to owe their ser-
vants so trivial a debt. There is, in fact, no
degree of meanness too base for the condescen*
sion of a Russian nobleman. To enmnerate all
the instances of which we were eye-witnesses,
would only weary and disgust the reader.
It will suffice that we end with one.

j^^^*^ A hat had been stolen from our apartments.
The servants positively asserted, that some
young noblemen, who had been more lavish
of their friendship and company than we de-
sired, had gained access to the chambers in
our absence, and had carried off the hat, with
some other moveables even of less value. The
fiaust was inconceivable, and we gave no credit
to it. A few days after, being upon an excur-
sion to the Convent of the New Jerusalem^ forty-
five versts north of Moscow^ some noblemen,
to whom our intention was made known, during
the preceding evening, at the SociStS de Noblesse
overtook us on horseback. One of the party,
mounted upon an English racer, and habited
like a Newmarket jockey, rode towards the side
of our carriage ; but his horse being somewhat
unruly, he lost his seat, and a gust of wind car-
ried off his cap. The author's companion imme-

VI-

Moscow. 123

diatelj descended, and ran to recover it for its ^^^•
owner; but what was his astonishment, to per-
ceive his own name, and the name of his hatter,
on the liningl It was no other than the iden-
tical hat which had been stolen by one of them
from our lodgings, although now metamor-
phosed into a cap ; and, under its altered shape,
it might not have been recognized, but for the
accident here mentioned \

The love of mimicry, already mentioned as ConYentof
characteristic of the nation, has been carried JerutaUm.
to great excess in the Convent of the JN'ew Jeru^
stUem: this building, is not only an imitation
of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem^
bat it contains representations of all the relics

(1) The prohibHion concerning round hats had rendered this kind
of et^ Tery fiuhionable in Moscow. A translated extract from the
wrlUiigsof one whose pages confirm every characteristic of the Rtu*
juBtfgiTenin this work, will show how &ithftil a picture the state-
ment of the ftuci above mentioned offers of the whole nation; and
also to what extent the vice of ttealing is carried in that country.

'* Next to dronkenness, the most prominent and common rice of

the Rttm<^"« is thrfi From the first Minister to the General-

r, from the lackey to the soldier, all are thieves, plunderers, and
.... It sometimes happens, that, in x apartments at Court, to
which none but persons of quality and superior officers are admitted,
pour podket'book is carried off as}f you were in a fair. The King of
Sweden f after the battie of July, 1790, invited a party of Russian
ofieen,wbohad been made prisoners, to dine with him. One of them
stole a plate: upon which the offended king ordered them all to be
distributed among the small towns, where they never again ate off
tiher.*' Memoirs of the Court of Petersburgy Land. 1801. p. 270.

Tnm

ti^tefm^cirt. The ii

H^sp^/tT *nA tie 'X^ji ziuer^sM rrwamtd rici

r^cc^'j'. be^»«n tbe origical lar^^g ia the J7b4^
Idmd^ zoA its moiel Lc^e, we a&ked :lie reasoQ
iA the altentkn. The monks replied, " Our
\mi]Ain^ u executed widi more ta&ie, becmose
H in nu/rt f/maiDeinal i aad tbere are manT

itjtt*A jndi^eii wfifj prefer (mr9 to tke oriffimal: thus
m^mi ignr/rantlv implying, that the Cfaurdi at
JtmmUffn^ so long an object of adoration, had
U^TTi v/ THthfnr rm account of its beantr, than
suij thin(^ contained in it. Bat nothing can
pr^/vc with more effect, to what an abject state
thi; human mind may be degraded, than that
th« trumi^.Ty here, not having even the empty
tJtJc Uf reverence which relics may claim,
but c^irifcHHcdly imitations, should receive the
vi'mirntum and the worship paid to their ori-
ginalH. A fat and filthy priest, pointing to some
/n^len in li pavement in the midst of Russia^ ex-
(rliiimK, *• Here stood tJie holy cross P* while boorish
(levotcMjH nhed over the sj)ot tears of piety, as

MOSCOW.

125

genuine as the drops that fall from the eyes of chap.

pilgrims in the tabernacles at Jerusalem. Within

a cell, to which they have given the name of

The prison of Jesus Christy is a wooden figure,

so ridiculously dressed, that it is impossible

to view it without laughter. This image is as

large as life ; and it is intended to represent the

Messiah in his confinement, having a veil of

black crape cast about the head, face, and

shoulders. The * Virgin vnth Three Hands * also

makes her appearance here : and an antient

picture is exhibited, which they say came from

Jerusalem; it is exactly in the taste of those

modem paintmgs now manufactured in Bussia

for the churches and household gods, and it

was probably one of the original models of the

art. The dome of the building may be esteemed

among the finest works of architecture in the

country. It is lighted in a very pleasing

manner. The expense of its completion has

been rated at thirty-eight thousand roubles^ or

we should have supposed it to have been much

greater. In the library of the Convent there

is nothing remarkable, excepting thirty pieces of

lead, shewn as the money paid to Judas Iscariot

for betraying Christ; of course, copies of a

similar pretended relic at Jerusalem. The

dresses of the priests, covered with jewels,

are also displayed. One mitre alone is valued

125 MOSCOW.

CHiip. at twenty-four thousand roubles. Some modem
Manuscript Bibles, in the Russian language^
presented by the late Empress, are shewn,
sumptuously bound in covers of gold, studded
with enamelled paintings ; these are set round
with the finest Siberian emeralds, and with other
precious stones.

The approach to this Convent is by a gentle
ascent, on a fine verdant plain. It is situate
in a pleasing country ; and the excursion to it
conducts a stranger through the most agreeable
of the environs of Moscow. It was once fortified ;
a few pieces of artillery lay neglected near the
gate, beneath some trees. We were presented
to the Superior, the most greasy monk, without
exception, we ever beheld. He spoke to us in
Latin, and gave us the history of their great
patriarch Nicon^ whose portrait we had seen in
the church, and who rose from the lowest
station to the high office he held. After his
marriage, a separation took place, out of pure
devotion, by the mutual consent of husband and
wife ; one becoming prior of a monastery, and
the other prioress of a convent.

When we returned to Moscow^ we found the
inhabitants murmuring in consequence of new
prohibitions. An ukase had appeared, forbidding

MOSCOW. 12»7

the importation of any kind of foreign lite' chap.
rature: under this head were included mapsj K^^>r^
wttuiCf and whatsoever might be considered as PabUe
a Tehicle of science. Some notion may be
fiormed of the administration of the public
censors, by a domiciliary visit the booksellers
received, during our residence in Moscow. The
shops were to undergo examination for prints,
or plans of JRiga. Every article of their pro-
perty was of course overhauled. Wherever
any thing appeared bearing the remotest refe-
rence to Siga^ for whatever purpose calculated,
it was instantly condemned. If the word * Miga '
dianced to make its appearance in any book
however valuable, though but on a single page,
the leaf was torn out. In this manner they
destroyed, m one day, works of geography,
history, the arts, atlasses, dictionaries, voyages ;
ravaging, tearing, and blemishing, wheresoever
they came.

That the Russians have talents, no one will
deny ; but they dare not display them. Since
the death of Catherine, it seemed to be the
wretched policy of their Government to throw
every obstacle in the way of intellectual im-
provement. Genius became a curse to its
possessor ; wit, a passport to Siberia. Apathy,
stupidity, and ignorance were blessings ; truth

128 MOSCOW.

CRAP, and science, qualifications for the knout. The
v^v-w author of * Mon Voyage a MoscoUj ' even during
the reign of Catherine, had atoned for the
hrilliancy of his understanding in the wilder-
nesses of Tobolsky^. The number of Paul's
prohibitions became so numerous, and many of
them were so trivial, that it was necessary to
carry about manuals of obedience, and assist
the memory by pocket-catalogues of forbidden
things. Some of these prohibitions excited
more laughter than fear. Pug-dogs^ from the
Emperor's resemblance to them, were pro-
hibited any other name than * Mops.* Ivory-
headed canes were on no account permitted^
being reserved solely for the use of the military.
These, and many other absurd regulations, ex-
posed foreigners daily to the insolence of the
police. Mr. Cripps was actually arrested for
not wearing flaps to his waistcoat : and the
author narrowly escaped punishment, for having
strings in his shoes.

^nventof rp|^^ Couvent of the Trinity^ distant forty

"*^' miles from MoscoWy is deemed particularly

worth seeing, on account of its immense riches,

(1) The unfortunate Radisehef, He was made a victim of the politi-
cal Inquisition during the reign of Catuebinb. Russian merchants
have given fi?c-and-tweuty roubles to read Radi*chef*i book for a
single hour.

129

MOSCOW.

Rather more than two miles farther is another
conyent, less known, hut more remarkahle : it
contains within its walls a Gothic church erected
over a mount which is supposed to typify The
Mountain of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. At
the foot of the mount, and within it is a small
chapel containing figures executed in wax, to
represent the resurrection of Lazarus. This
extraordinary work has heen planned hy Plato^
archbishop of MoscoWj who resides there, and
under whose inspection the whole was executed.
The place is called Bethany.

Bat the most remarkahle edifice, as it affords church of
a striking monument of national manners, is the ^^ ^'^
Church of St. Basilj near the Kremlin. It is a
complete specimen of the Tahtar taste in build-
ing ; and was erected by Ivan Basilovich the
Secondj in 1538. To add to the singularity of its
history, it was the workmanship of Italian archi-
tects. Its numerous and heavy cupolas sur-
mounted by gilded crucifixes, exhibit a striking
contrast of colour and ornament. Pious indivi-
duals bequeath legacies towards the perpetual
gilding or painting of this or that dome, according
to their various fancies ; so that it is likely to
remain a splendid piece of patch- work for many
generations. In order to account for the origin
of this building, and for the Tahtarian style exhi-

VOL. I. K

jgQ MOSCOW.

CHAP, bited in the architecture, we must look back to

VI.

the period of the Russian history when it was con-
structed. The stories we have hitherto received
of the monarch in whose piety or ostentation it
is said to have originated, are so contradictory
that the subject itself merits a little investigation.
The more we inquire into the real history of
JRtissiai and of the Russian SovereignSy the more
we shall have reason to believe, that the country
and people have undergone little variation since
the foundation of the empire. Peter the Great •
might cut off the beards of the nobles, and sub-
stitute European habits for Asiatic robes ; but the
inward man is still the same'. A Russian of the

(l)They who knew Potemkin, or who will merely attend to what
is related of hini in page 118, will find tliat a picture of the mannen
of Rusiian Nobles made' in the seventeenth century will equally repre-
sent those of their Princes in the eighteenth,

*' Pendant le r^pas les rots qui Icur sortent de la bouche avec
Todcar de reau-dc-vie, de I'ail^ de Toignon, et des raves, joints aux
Tents du has ventre, dont ils nc sont point scrupuleux, ezhalent une
corruption capable de faire cr^ver ceux qui sout aupr^s d*eiix. lis ne
portent point leurs mouchoirs dans leurs poches, mais dans leurs
bonnets ; et com me ils ont toujours la tete nue lorsqu'ils sont
h table, s'ils ont besuin de se moucher, ils se servant de leurs
doights, quMls essuyent ensuite, et leur nez, h la nappe.*' Voyage en
Moscovie, par Augustin, Baron de Mayer burg ^ LeicL 1688, p. 6S.

Glbarius, secretary to the ambassador from the Court of Denmark,
gave a similar account of their morals in the middle of the seventeenth
century The following short extracts are from the best edition of
liis works, translated from the German by Wicqwfortf and published
at Parisy A. D. 1666.

<' 11 est vray que les Moscovites ne manquent point d'esprit ; mais
ils I'tmployent si mal, qu*il n'y a pas une de leurs actions, qui ait

pour

MOSCOW. 181

nineteenth century possesses all the servile pro- ^^^^•
pensities, the barharity of manners, the cruelty
the hypocrisy and the profligacy, which cha-
racterized his ancestors in the ninth.

pov le but la vertu, et la gloire, qui en est inraparable Lear

indottrie et la snbtilit^ de leur esprit paroist principalement en leur
traiie, oh il n'y a point de finesse, ny de trompede dont ils ne se «er-
fcnty poor foarber les autreSy plustost que pour se defendre de Testre.*'
Voffoge d* OUar. torn 1. p. 145.

** Et d'aotant que la tromjierie ne s'exercc point sans fausset^, sans
■enterics et sans defiances qui en sont inseparables, ils s9aTent mer-
Tefllensement bien s'ayder de ces belles qualit^s, aussi bien que de la
ealamnie." Ibid, p. 146.

"* De cette fa^on d'agir des Moscovites, et du pen de fidelity quMls
out entr'eiiz, Ton peuijuger de ce que lea Ettrangert en peuvent eepirer
etjwt^'k quel point Von iy peuifier, lit noffrent jamais leur amitie
d n*en etmiraetentjcunaia, que pour leur interest particulier,et i dessein
€em prqfiter. La mauTaise nonrriture qu'on leur donne en leur jen-
nesse, en laquelle ils n'apprennent au plus qu'u lire et escrire, et
qnelques petites pri^res vnlgaires, fait quMls suivcnt aveuglement cc
4«e Ion appelle auz bestes Vinstinct ; de sorte que la nature cstant
en ellc mesme deprav^e et corrompu'e, leur vie ne peut estre qu'un
debordemeot ct dereglemcnt continuel. C'est pourquoy Ton n'y voit
rien qae de brutal, et des efiets de leurs passions et app^tits desor-
doott^ a qui ils laschent la bride, sans aucuoe retcnue." IbuLp, 148.

** Le naturel pervers des Moscovites, et la baAsessc en laquelle ils
•ont nonrris, joint k la servitude, pour laquelle lis scmblent cstrc n^s,
font que Ton est contraint de les traitor en bestes, plustost qu'en,
penonnea raisonnables. Et ils y sont si bien accoustum6s, qu'il est
comme impossible de les porter au travail, si Ton n'y employe le fouet
et la baston." Ibid. p. 155.

It if the more necessary to cite these remarks, be<!au8e authors of
celebrity, such, for example, as Puffejidor/, offer very erroneous no-
tions to the student in modem history. ** On se tromp<;n)it beau-
eoap," says he, **si pour connoJtre les Russes d'aiijounl'hui, oii
s'aiTfttoIt aux portraits qui ont 6t6 fuits de cette nation avaut le cnm*
mencement de ce si^cle." Introd. d VHintoire Moderney ^-c tome ly,
p.9»4,edit. Paris, 1756.

K 2

139 MOSCOW.

CHAP. John Basilovich the First has been considered
as one of the founders of the Russian Empire ;

Bofiiovic^ but his accession did not take place till the
middle of the fifteenth century. He arose, like
Buonaparte^ in a period of national dismay ; and
although described as a man of impetuous vices,
intrepid, artful, treacherous, having all the fero-
city of a savage, he has been hailed as the
deliverer of his country, and dignified by the
appellation of * The Great.' It is a title which an
oppressed intimidated people have frequently
bestowed upon tyrants. Until his time, how-
ever, Tahtars were lords of Moscow ; the Tsars
themselves being obliged to stand in the pre-
sence of Tahtar ambassadors while the latter
sat at meat ; and to endure the most humiliat-
ing ceremonies. Basilovich shook off the Tahtar
yoke ; but it was long before the RussianSy
always children of imitation, ceased to mimic
a people by whom they had been conquered.
They had neither arts nor opinions of their own :
every thing in Moscow was Tahtarian ; dress,
manners, buildings, equipages, in short, all,
excepting religion and language. Basilovich^ at
the conquest of Casan^ was solemnly crowned
* with the diadem of that kingdom : this is said
to be the same now used for the coronation of
the Russian Sovereigns. In the reign of his
successor, Moscow was again taken by the

VI.

MOSCOW. 133

Tahtars^ and its Tsar subjected to an ignomi- chap.
nious tribute. Twelve years afterwards, the
eldest son of that successor, John Basilovich the
Second^ then an infant, but afterwards a fero-
cious and implacable tyrant, came to the
throned

It is a curious fact, that, in the very opening
of his reign, three hundred artists, intended for
RumOf were arrested in the town of Lubeck.
What the great work then carrying on in Moscow
was, is now uncertain ; but it evidently proves a
disposition, on the part of the sovereign, to
superinduce the arts of Western nations over
the long-established Oriental customs of his

(1) Some writers endeavour to apologise for the conduct and cha
neter of John Basilovich the Second. The Editors of the Modem
Unit€r§al History even speak of him with eulogium. (Vol. XXXV.
p. 259.) Mr. Coxe thinks his character has been misrepresented;
(Trav. vol. I. p. 302.) and yet allows it would be " contrary to his-
torical eridence to deny many of the cruelties committed by him."
If the horrible cruelties related of this monarch by Dr. Crull (see
Aeanmi of Muscovy J vol. 1. p. 331. Lond. 1098) be untrue, what will be
Hidof the narrative of those persons wh« were eye-witnesses of many
of his enormities? Crull says his affected sanctity led Jovius into the
mistake ofcaUing him a ^oocf Christian. " But if any delight to reade
the terrible and bloudle acts of Ivan Basilovich , he might glut, if not
dnmne himselfe in bloud, in that historic which Paul Oderbome hath
written of his life, and both there and in others take view of his other
lojnst acts. I will not depose for their truth, though I cannot dis-
proTC it : adversaries perhaps make the worst. For myselfc, I list no^
torakesinkes against him, and would sy>e'dk in his defence, if I found
not an universall conspiracy of all )ii$toric and reports against him.''
Purchas his PilgrimeSj lib. iv. r. 0. sect. 1.

134 MOSCOW.

CHAP, people. In this reign was built the church to
which we have now alluded. The artists arrested
in Luheck were Germans. The architects em-
ployed for the church of St. Basil were Italians ;
probably obtained by the connection which sub-
sisted between the Tsars of Muscovy and the
Emperors of Constantinople^. From whatever
country they came, the taste displayed in the
edifice is evidently Tahtarian. How much the
manners of the people were so at this period,
may be shewn by reference to the curious and
interesting documents preserved in Hakluyfs
Collection of Voyages. It was during the
bloody administration of the tyrant who then
ruled in Russia that the first ambassadors went
from England to that country. By the accounts
they sent home, it appears the situation of
Englishmen in Russia was precisely what we
experienced two hundred and thirty years after-
wards, under the tyranny of the Emperor Paul ;
the same disgusting race around them; the
same dread of being communicative in their
letters ; the same desire to quit a scene of
barbarity and profligacy. The secretary to

(I) Some years afterwards, A. D. 1557, the TVar again made an un-
successful application to the Court of Vienna for artists ; stating, that
<' he could easily procure them from France and Italy, but that he
gate the preference to Germans ; knowing them to be an upright,
virtuous, and honest people." See the authors cited in the Mod*
Univ. Hist. vol. XXXV. p. 217.

MOSCOW. 135

Randolph^ who went as ambassador from Queen chap.
£uz A BETH, was a person of the name of George

VI.

Ttibervilei and wrote "Certaine Letters in Verse,** Tuberrfle's
to Dandey Spenser y and Parker^ " describing the
manors of the countrey and people." He ap-
pears to have been a young man of fashion at
that time. We have selected some of the most
striking passages in these Letters, for a note\
They are very little known, and worth the
Reader's attention ; not merely because they

(S) " I left my oatiye sofle, fbll like a retchlesse man.

And unacquainted of the coast, among the Riisses ran:
A people passing rade, to yices vile inclinde,

Foike fit to be of Baechui train, so quaffing is their kinde.

• • •

** Such licoor as they have, and as the countrey gives.
But chiefly two, one called Kuas, whereby the Mousike lives.
Small ware and waterlike, but somewhat tart in taste.

The rest is Mead of honie made, wherewith their lips they baste.

• • • ■

'< Their Idoles have their hearts, on Qod they never call,
Unlesse it be {Nichola Bough) that hangs against the wall.
The house that hath no God, or painted saint, within.
Is not to be resorted to, that roofe is full of sinne.^'

Hakluyt't Voyages J pp. 384—5.

He then proceeds to mention the dissolute lives of the women, and
tlidr manner of painting their cheeks : and, at the close of his Letter
tD Spentery he says,

— — — '* The people beastly bee.
I write not all I know, I touch but here and there ;

For if I should, my penne would pinch, and eke offend I feare.

• • •

** They say the lion's paw gives judgement of the beast :
And so you may deeme of the great, by reading of the least."

Ibid. p. 387.

VI.

I3(j MOSCOW.

CHAP, prove that Russia^ when they were written,
appeared as it does at this day, but also as
curious examples of early English poetry. The
work in which they are contained is extremely
rare, and bears an enormous price. Indeed
we are authorised in maintaining, that any
inquiry into the history of the people (whether
directed to writers who describe the brightest

In his Letter to Parker, the Tahtar dress and manner are thus strik-
ingly introduced :

'^ Their garments be not gay, nor handsome to the eye ;
A cap aloft their heads they have, that standeth very hie,
Which Colpaek they do terme. They weare no ruffes at all :
Tlic best have collers set with pearle, which they Rubasca call.
Their shirts in Rusne long, they worke them downe before.

And on the sleeves with coloured silks, two inches good and more.

• • •

** These are the RuM$ie robes. The richest nse to ride

From place to place, his servant runnes, and followes by his side*

The Cassacke bcares his felt, to force away the raine :

Their bridles are not very brave, their saddles arc but plaine.

« • •

** For when the Russie is pursued by cruel foe,
He rides away, and suddenly betakes him to his boe.
And bends me but about in saddle as he sits,
And thcrcwitkall amids his race his following foe he hits.
Their bowes are very short, like Turkie bowes outright,

Of sinowes made with birchin barkc, in cunning manner dight.

• • •

** Tlic manners arc so Turkie like, tlie men so Aill of guile.
The women wanton, temples stuft with idoles that defile
The seats that sacred ought to be, the customet are so quaint.
As if I would describe the whole; I fcarc my pen would iaint.
In summe, I say, I never saw a prince that so did raigne.
Nor })oople so beset with Saints, yet all but vile and vaine.
WiUle Irifh are as civill as the RtutUs in their kinde.
Hard choice which is the best of biUh, ech bloody, rude, and blinde."

Ihiti, pp. 387—380.

VI.

MOSCOW. 137

or the most gloomy annals of Russia) will prove ^^^p-
the state of society in the country to exist now
as it always has been. The leading testimony
(even of authors decidedly partial) is by no
means favourable to the character of its inhabi-
tants. So long ago as the middle of the last
century, when the Baron de Manstein wrote his
Menunrs^ concerning the interesting sera that
elapsed between the beginning of the reign of
P£T£R THE Second, and the marriage of the late
Empress Catherine with the husb^^nd whose
murder Voltaire found it impossible to methodize^,
the insecurity of property, the total want of
public faith, th*e ignorance and the rudeness of
the people, were notorious^. De Manstein stu-
diously avoided all opprobrious reflections ; attri-
buting the depreciating accounts, usually given
of the natives, to the little information strangers,
unacquainted with the language, can procure "•.
It will therefore be curious to adduce the evi-
dence, which may nevertheless be derived from
his work, to validate the description we have

(1) Memoirs of i?u«n« by the Baron de Manstein ^ a German, who
Ktred in the Russian army. He afterwards became a general-officer
ID the Prussian service. These Memoirs contain a history of Russia
from the year 1727 to the year 1744.

(2) Sec the Advertisement prefixed to this volume.
(3) " They were perfectly ignorant of all the rules of good breeding,

«« qftke laws qf nations, and of those prerogatives of foreign ministers
which are established in the other Courts of Europe." Supplement to
the Memoirs, ^c. p. 416. Second Edit. Loud, 1773.
(4) ibid.

VI.

igg MOSCOW.

CHAP, given of the Russians ; especially after the high
character given of the former hy Bavid Hume'.
It was during the reign of the Empress Ankb,
that Valinsky^ a minister of the Crown, together
with his adherents, fell victims to the displeasure
of one of her favourites. After relating their
undeserved fate, and the confiscation of their
property, De Manstein observes*: " All the
estates of these unfortunate persons were given
to others, who did not possess them long. In this
manner," says he, ^* it is, that in Russia^ not only
money, but even lands, houses, and moveables,
circulate quicker than in any other country in
Europe. I have seen lands change nuisters at
least thrice in the space of two years." The same
author, describing their barbarous finery and
want of cleanliness half a century ago, actually
delineated a portraiture of the nobles as they
appear at the present day*. **The richest coat
would be sometimes worn together with the
vilest uncombed wig ; or you might see a beau-
tiful piece of stuff spoiled by some botcher of a
tailor ; or, if there were nothing amiss in the
dress, the equipage would be deficient. A man
richly dressed would come to Court in a mise-
rable coach, drawn by the wretchedest hacks.**

(I) Hume Youchts for his having been an eye-witness to most of
the incidents he has related, and speaks of the author's candour, good
sense, and inpartiality.—See Advertiiemeni to the Metnoirs ngned
"David Hume."

(S) Memoirs of Russia, p. 256. (3) Ibid. p. S47.

MOSCOW. 139

The same want of taste reigned in the furniture crap.

0x1 appearance of their bouses. On one side

JDQ might see gold and silver in heaps ; on the

other, '' a shoeing dirtiness.'' And then he adds^

''It was enough for a dealer in the commodities

of loxuiy and fashion to remain two or three

jeara at Petersburg^ to gain a competency for

the rest of his life ; even though he should have

begun the world there with goods upon credit/'

Instanoes of this kind, during the period of our

residence in SussiOf might be cited, as having

happened both in Petersburg and in Moscow.

(4) Memoirs of Russia^ p. 248.

CHAP, VII.

MOSCOW.

Sunday market — Promenades during Easter —
Kremlin — Holy Gate — Great Bell —Great
Gun — Antient Palace of the Tsars — Imperial
Treasury — Manuscripts — Superb Model —
General appearance of the Kremlin — Pirtt
Christian Church — Festival of the Ascenmn.

J. HE market on a Sunday in Moscow is a noTel
and entertaining spectacle. From five in the
morning till eight, the Place de Galitzin, a spa-
cious area near the Kremlin, is filled with a
concourse of peasants, and people of CTery
description, coming tobuv, or to sell, white pea-
cocks, fan-tailed and other curious pigeons, dogs

VII.

MOSCOW. 141

of all sorts for the sofa or the chace, singing- chap.
Urds, poultry, guns, pistols, in short, whatso-
ever chance or custom may have rendered
saleable. The sellers, excepting in the market
of singing-birds, which is permanent and very
large, have no shops ; they remain with their
wares, exposed upon stalls, or they are seen
hawking them about in their hands. Dogs and
birds are the principal articles for sale. The
pigeon-feeders are distinguished in the midst of
the mob by long white wands, used for the
purpose of directing the pigeons in their flight.
The nobles of Moscow take great delight in
pigeons : a favourite pair will sell from five to
ten roubles in the market. We were surprised
to see the feeders, by way of exhibiting their
birds, let them fly, and then recover them again at
pleasure. The principal recommendation of these
birds consists in their rising to a great height in
the air, by a spiral curve, all flying one way, and
following each other. When a pigeon has been
lamiched, if it do not continue in the same line of
curvature which the others observe, the feeder
whistles, waving at the same time his wand,
and then its course is immediately changed.
During these exhibitions, the nobles stake their
money in wagers, betting upon the height to
which the birds will ascend, and the number
of curves they will make in so doing. Among

VIL

J 42 MOSCOW.

CHAP, the dogs for hunting, we observed a noble race,
which is common in Russia, with long fine hair,
like the Newfoundland breed, but of amazing
size and height ; this kind of dog is used in
Russia to pursue the wolves. German pug-dogs,
highly appreciated in London, here bear a low
price: we were offered a very fine one for a
sum equivalent to an English shilling. We
observed also English harriers and fox-hounds ;
but the breed most valued in Moscow is the
English terrier ; this is rare in Russia^ and a dog
of this kind will sell at so high a price as eighteen
roubles^ or even higher, according to the caprice
of the buyer and seller. Persian cats were
offered for sale, of a bluish grey or slate colour,
and much admired. Seeing several stalls
apparently covered with wheat, we approached
to examine its quality, and were amused in
finding that what had the appearance of wheat
consisted of large ants* eggSy heaped for sale.
Near the same stall were tubs full of pismires^
creeping among the eggs, and upon the clothes
of those who sold them. Both the eggs and the
ants are brought to Moscow as food for nightin-
gales, the favourite, although common, singing
birds in Russian houses ; their notes being in
every respect as wild and pleasing, when con-
fined in cages, as in their native woods. We
often heard them in the bird-shops, warbling

VII.

MOSCOW. 143

with all the fulness and variety of tone which chap.
distinguishes the nightingale in its natural state\
The price of a nightingale, in full song, is about
Sheen roubles. The Russians, by rattling beads
on one of their tables of tangible arithmetics^ can
makes these birds sing at pleasure during the
day ; but nightingales are heard throughout the
night, making the streets of the city resound the
melodies of the forest.

The promenades at this season of the year Prome-
are among the many sights in Moscow which are ingSoiter.
interesting to a stranger. The principal pro-
menade is on the first of May {Russian style))
in a forest near the city. It afibrds a very
carious spectacle, because it is frequented by the
bourgeoisie as well as by the nobles^ and the
national costume may then be observed in its
greatest splendour. The procession of car-
riages and persons on horseback is immense.
Beneath the trees, and upon the greensward,
Russian peasants are seen seated in their gayest
dresses, expressing their joy by shouting and by
tumultuous songs. The music of the balalaika^

(1) I have been since informed, that this method of keeping and
Heedmg nightingaiet is becoming prevalent in our own country.

(2) This kind of Counting- Table , uniyersally used in Ruana, and
which appears in the paintings of tlic Chinesse, iB the Abacus of the
Antlents.

VII.

144 MOSCOW.

CHAP, the shrill notes of rustic pipes, the clapping of
hands, and the wild dances of the gipsies, all
mingle in one revelry. The wives of merchants,
in droskiesj and on foot, display head-dresses of
matted pearls, and other most expensive attire.
In costliness of apparel, there is no diflference
between a Moscow princess and the wife of a
Moscow shopkeeper ; except that the first
copies the fashions of London and Parisj while
the other preserves the habits of her ancestors.
During Easter^ promenades take place every
evening, varying occasionally in the site of
cavalcade. They are made in carriages and on
horseback; the number of the former being
greater than any public festival assemblies in
other cities in Europe. The intention of such
meeting is of course the same everywhere; to
sec and to be seen. Equipages continue to
pass in a constant order, forming two lines,
which move parallel to each other. Beautiful
women, attired in expensive but becoming
dresses, fill the balconies and windows of the
houses between which all this pageantry moves
towards its destination. Hussars and police-
officers are meanwhile stationed in different
parts, to preserve order. When arrived at the
place, particularly set apart for the display of
the procession, the stranger with amazement
beholds some objects which are singularly

VII.

MOSCOW. 145

contrasted with the splendour of the cavalcade ; ^^,^*
and among these, miserable hovels, and wooden
huts, hardly discernible amidst clouds of dust.
On Friday in the Easter-week, the place of
promenade is better selected : it is then on a
plain called La ValUe^ and the sight is the most
surprising that can be conceived. Long before
reaching this plain, the throng of carriages is
so great, that it can scarcely move \ At last
the great scene opens, and the view' which
breaks all at once upon the spectator is indeed
striking. A procession, as far as the eye can
reach, is seen passing and repassing a spacious
and beautiful lawn, terminated by the spires of
a conyent. Not less than two thousand car-
riages, generally with six horses to each, but

(1) It may be well to insert here an extract from Mr. Hbbbr's
Jtmntal^ coocerniDg the popalation of thlB remarkable city ; as that
gcBtlemaii has made very particalar inquiry upon the subject, and his
mIiiiib attention to accuracy appears in every statement.

" Tbe drcuit of Moaeow we have heard variously stated ; it may,
perbaps, be about thirty-six tftrstt (twenty-six mUes), but this includes
■lay Toid fpaoes. The population is, as usual, exa^^rated. It is
deddcdly greater than that of Petertbttrg; we should think three or
Isar tioMt as much, judging from the concourse in the streets. The
cUnty in comparison with that of Petersburg, is nearly, as may be
SKO by the Plan, twelve to one; and yet, from the master of the
yolier,of all men the most likely to know, the population was rsti-
at only 350,000 fixed inhabitants. The servants and numerous
of the nobles may be perhaps estinuited at nearly 30,000,
whieh are only here in winter." Ueber'i MS. Journal.

VOU I. L

1^ MOSCOW.

CHAP, never less than four, are present npon this
occasion. So much for the general effisct The
appearance, in detail, of the equipages, lackeys,
and drivers, heggars all description. The pos-
tillions are generally old men of a woful aspect,
dressed in liveries of worsted lace, and wearing
cocked hats : these wreched bipeds hold their
whip and reins as if they had never before been
so employed. The harness, consisting of ropes
and cords, frequendy ragged, and always^dirty,
is very unlike the white traces used in [Poland^
which ha^a a pleasing, if not a magnificent ap-
pearance. The - carriages themselves, ahnost
as filthy as the night<x)aches of London^ are
ill-built, old-fetshioned, heavy, and ugly. It is
only the amazing number of equipages that
affords any ideas of wealth or grandeur.
Examined separately, every thing is little and
mean. The procession extends upon the plain
as far as the convent before mentioned ; and then
it returns back, observing the order in which it
advanced. In the line between the carriages, a
space is reserved for the cavaliers, who make
their appearance upon the most beautiful En-
glish and Turkish horses, riding, as they all
maintain, a V Angloisj but without the smallest
resemblance to the manner of Englishmen.
Their horses are taught the mankgej and con-

MOSCOW. 14,J

tinae to pace and champ the bit, without ad- chap
vandng a step ; occasionally plunging, like those
exhibited in ampitheatres ; while their riders,
in laced coats and ruffles, with cocked hats,
and saddles sumptuously embroidered, imagine
they display surprising feats of horsemanship.
Several families preserve the old Russian cos-
tume, in their servants' habits ; others clothe
their attendants like the running footmen in
Italy ; so that the variety formed by such a
motley appearance is very amusing.

The numberless bells of Moscow continue to
ring during the whole of the Easter week, tink-
ling and tolling, without any kind of harmony
or order. The large bell near the cathedral is
only used upon important occasions : when it
sounds, a deep and hollow murmur vibrates all
over Moscow^ like the fullest and lowest tones of
a vast organ, or the rolling of distant thunder.
This bell is suspended in a tower called The
Belfry of St. Ivan^ beneath others, which, al-
though of less size, are also enormous. It is
forty feet nine inches in circumference ; sixteen
inches and a half thick ; and it weighs more than
fifty-seven tons^

(1) 3551 Rusaian poudt. Voyage de Deux Fran^ait, tome III.
JI.295.

L 2

3 MOSCOW.

HAP. The Kremlin is, above aSA other places, most
VII. "^ .

•v^* worthy a traveller's notice. It was our evening

'"^"'' walk, whenever we could escape from the
engagements of society. The view of the city
from this place surpasses every other, both in sin-
gularity and splendour ; especially from St. Ivan's
Tower. It is surrounded on all sides by walls,
towers, and a rampart, and is filled with domes
and steeples. Its appearance differs in every
point of view, on account of the strange irre-
gularity in the edifices it contains. Entering this
fortress by an arched portal, painted red, which

ir<Hu. is called the ffol^ Gate, persons of every descrip-
tion are compelled to walk bare-headed, near a
hundred paces. This gate is on the south side,
&cing the quarter of the shops. The approach
to it is by a bridge, across the fosse that sur-
rounds the walls. It is a vaulted PropyUeum;
and over the entrance there is a picture*, before
lich a lamp is seen continuany burning. Sen-
lels are here placed, as at all the entrances to
Kremlin, No person ventures to pass this

^ Xon •ntet Ch< Holg Oate by a long narrow bridge over Ihe

'n UiKlillliitiiiJisa noble liew dowD to the rirer. The whole

ill nincli iTsonhlni Seringapalnm, at reprfeenlid in Kerr

hnnntiiib. In paMing under Iha Holy Oate, all hats an

---■iry... fur a anint auspoQdcd over it, who deli?ered the

xi^iirinnn, by striking a sudden panic into an anuf

"1 iKUKfslon of the toiTit, ami had ilmoat aucc(«l«1

■■ if llir KhBhmn." Htbei'i MS, Joiimat.

MOSCOW. 149

gate without taking off his hat^ The author chap.
wishing to see if this ahsurd rule was rigorously .^^.^-w
enforced, and, feigning ignorance, entered be-
neath the arch with his hat on. A sentinel
challenged him ; but without taking any notice
of the sentinel, *he walked forward. Next, a
bare-headed peasant met him, and, seeing his
head covered, summoned the sentinels and peo-
ple with very loud expressions of anger ; who,
seizing him by the arms, very soon taught him
in what manner to pass the Holy Gate for the
foture.

The Great Bell of Moscow^ known to be the oieatBdi.
lai^gest ever found, is in a deep pit in the midst
of the Kremlin. The history of its fall is a fable ;
and as writers have been induced to copy each
other, the story continues to be propagated.
The fieu^t is, the bell remains in the place where
it was originally cast. It never was suspended ;
the Russians might as well attempt to suspend
a first-rate line-of-battle ship, with all her guns

(9) la ttib deKriptkm of the Kremlin (the antient residence of the
IkAJM ot Smmla)ffrittk its Holy Gate, the classical reader will recognise
tht oU Gteeian cnstom of the AcropoUt, answering to the i&fia
titkmrwf&r of Sopboclbb (Electro, v, 10) ; and the Obraze, or Image,
Hm Sntraneey before which a Rusnan crosses himself, will
Ua of the homage rendered by Orestes to the tutelary Oods of
stationed over thecmueerated PrapyUsa ; Sffocxip 'wpoTrvXa

150

BI08C0W.

CHAP, and stores. A fire took place in the Kremlin ;

VII.

and the flames catching the building erected
over the pit where the bell yet remained, it
became hot ; when some water, thrown to extin-
guish the fire, fell upon the heated metal, and
caused the fracture that has taken place in the
lower part of it. The bell reaches from the
bottom of the pit to the roof. The entrance to
the place where it lies, is by a trap door, placed
even with the surface of the earth ; and beneath
the entrance are ladders. We found the steps
of the ladders very dangerous; some being
wanted, and others broken. In consequence of
thb the author encountered a very severe fall
down the whole extent of the first flight ; and
narrowly escaped losing his life, in not frac-
turing his scull upon the bell. After this acci-
dent, a sentinel was stationed at the trap-door, to
prevent people from becoming victims to their
curiosity. The same person, it is true, might
have been as well employed in mending the
ladders, as in waiting all day to say that they
were broken. The bell is truly a mountain of
metaL It is said to contain a very large pro-
portion of gold and silver. While it was in
fusion, the nobles and the people cast in, as
votive oflerings, their plate and their money.
We endeavoured, in vain, to assay a small part :
but the natives regarded it with superstitious

MOSCOW. 151

veneradon, and they would not allow even a chap.
^-ain to be filed off. At the same time, it maj ^
be observed, that the compound has a white
fliiiniiig appearance, unlike bell-metal in gene-
ral; and perhaps its silvery aspect strength-
ened, if not caused, the conjecture respecting
the nature and value of its chemical consti-
tuents*

On festival days, the peasants visit this bell
as they would resort to a sanctuary ; consider-
ing it as an act of devotion ; crossing themselves
all the way as they descend and ascend the
steps. We found the bottom of the pit covered
with water, mud, and large pieces of timber ;
which^ added to the darkness of the place,
render it always unpleasant and unwholesome,
independently of the danger arising from the
rotten ladders leading to the bottom. We went,
however, frequently thither, in order to ascertain
the dimensions of the bell with exactness. To
our surprise, during one of those visits, half a
doEcn Russian officers, whom we found in the
pity agreed to assist us in making the admeasure-
ment. It so nearly agreed with the account
published by Jonas Hanway^ that the difference
IS not worth notice. This is somewhat remark-
able, considering the difficulty of exactly mea-
suring what is partly buried in the earth, and

VII.

152 MOSCOW.

CHAP, the circamference of which is not entire. No
one has yet ascertained the circumference of the
hajse ; this would afifbrd still greater dimensions
than those we obtained ; but it is entirely buried.
About ten persons were present when we mea-
sured the part exposed to observation. We
applied a strong cord close to the metal, as
nearly as possible round the lower part where
it touches the ground ; taking care, at the same
time, not to stretch the cord. From the piece
of the bell broken off, it was ascertained that
we had thus measured within two feet of the lip,
or lower extremity. The circumference thus
obtained equalled sixty-seven feet and four
inches ; allowing a diameter of twenty-two feet,
five inches, and one third of an inch. We then
took the perpendicular height from the top;
and found it to correspond exactly with the
statement made by Hanway ; namely, twenty-
one feet, four inches and a half. In the stoutest
part, that in which it should have received the
blow of the hammer, its thickness equalled
twenty-three inches. We were able to ascer-
tain this, by placing our hands, under water,
where the fracture took place : this is above
seven feet high from the lip of the bell. The
weight of this enormous mass of metal has
been computed to be 443,772 lbs. ; which, if
valued at three shillings a pound, amounts to

MOSCOW. 153

£ 66,565. I6s. lying unemployed, and of no use chap.
to any one*. v-**v-^

The Great Gun, also among the wonders of QreatGun.
the Kremlin^ we measured with less facility;
being always interrupted by the sentinels, one
of whom pointed his bayonet at us and threat-
ened to stab us if we persisted in our intention :
jet, by walking its length, we found it to be
about eighteen feet and a half ; and its diameter
may be guessed, because it will admit a man of
middle stature sitting upright within its mouth.
Its lip, moreover, is ten inches thick. This gun
is kept merely for ostentation, and is never

(1) The Grbat Bbll of Moscow has long been a theme of
wondeTy and it is mentioned by abnost every traveller. The sub-
jeet it of no importance ; but it may be well to add, that the aeeounta
giren of it do not apply to the same thing. Olbarius describes that
wbieh he saw in 1636. It is the same mentioned in p. 147 of this
Volaoie. foonded by Boris Qudbnof. (See Olear, torn, J. p, 107.)
AuGUsnvB, ambassador from Germany in 1661, describes that which
here engaged our attention. Jonas Han way, and those whosucceeded
h2m,bear reference to the same. It was founded, according to Au^uttiney
in 1653, during the reign of Alexis. {See Voyage de Mosam,p. 117.
Hie Bosaians and people of Motcow maintain that it was cast during
tba reign of their Empress Anne, probably from the female
Igare represented; which may have been intended for the Virgin.
Auguiiinei't account of the weight, and his measurement of the bell, are
too near the truth to suppose any other was described by him. They
aaployed, says he, in casting it, a weight of metal equal to 440,000 Ibt,
He moreorer states its thickness equal to two feet, which is within an
iaeh of what has been here said. He also proves that it is larger than
the famous bell of JBrford, and even than that of Pekm,

Ig4 MOSCOW.

CBAf. used*. Notwithstanding the n^lect it has expe-
rienced, it remains in good order, without having
sustained any damage. It was cast in l694<.

Hard by, are placed some artillery of less caliber,
but of very extraordinary length'.

There was nothing at this time prohibited
under more severe penalty than the making of
any drawing or sketch within the Kremlin.
Owing to this circumstance, we are prevented

(I) AceonlliiK t« the Voyage de Deux Frai^iOt, torn. II. p. 396. lt«
wdgbllt MOOjMxdt; tad ftidIiiieiiBioD>, sixteen French feet in kngth,
and fbnr feet three biche* In dlimeter, dedaettog dxtecn InEhei Ibr
the thlckueH of the piece.

(S) A CDriooi notice of the bran cannon in the Kremlin occnn In
Eden'i Hittory iff 7ViiMi|/Ia, as angmented by WtUei, and printed li;
Jvigy, in the UaA Utter, at London, in lfi77. It U gathered out of
Pdtilui Jamu, and proTes that the; bad the OM of artUIery In MoieoK
■o earlj a* the reign of BaM Ivanorieh. " BosiUos dyd ftutherniore
iDstytate a bande of hargabntlen on horsebacke, and cBoaeil tnanj
great braten peeee* to be mode b; the irorkemanahjp of certa<rM
Italian* ; and the ume with tbeyr itockcs and wliedw to be plMed
in the Castle of MoM»." Edin't Hut. p. 901.

MOSCOW. 155

gifing the superb view it affords of the city. chap.
But as the objects within its walls are always v^v*w
ioterestmg to strangers, artists of merit were not
wanting for their representation. It was how-
ever with the greatest difficulty we succeeded
in obtaining a view of the interior of the fortressi
oontaininir the ancient palace of the Tsars. A Ancient

, Palace of

windofw appears in the front of this building theTsan.
(which IB an irregular Gothic edifice),, distin-
guished by two Gothic pillars. It is the same
whenoe DemetriaSj in his attempt to escape,
daring the conspiracy of Zusky^ fell, and broke
bis thigh, previous to his massacre. He low-
ered himself to a considerable distance by a rope ;
but the height was still too great for any hope of
safety. Despair must have been great indeed,
when it induced any one to make the attempt.
That window was also the place where the
sovereigns of Russia were wont to sit and to re-
ceive petitions from their subjects. The petition
was placed upon a stone in the court below ; and
if the Tsar thought proper, he sent for it. The
Imperial treasure is now in cases around the walls
of the upper apartments of this palace : the
approach to the Treasury is by a stone staircase,
memorable for massacres committed there by
the Strelitzesj during the mutiny excited by the
mter of Peter the Great. It is not a pleasing
reflection which some writers have urged, that

156 MOSCOW.

CHAP, the greatest atrocities, in times of anarchy or
despotism, have been perpetrated by women.
History, they affirm, has not recorded, nor has
the severe pen of Tacitus ever described, such
monsters as were Catherine de Medicis^ the
bloody Mary i and \\xe females of France during the
late Revolution. In the revolt of the StreUtzes^
the Princess Sophia has been accused of leading
them to the execution of the most shocking
enormities. Later writers have undertaken her
defence ; and, among others, Mr. Coxe has col-
lected many ingenious arguments to disprove the
aspersions of Voltaire. Compelled, as we often
are, to view the characters of illustrious persons
in the representation of their adversaries, made
amidst the rancour and cabal of parties, we may
suspect the justice of a reproach thus cast upon
the female sex. The unreasonableness of the
obloquy to which the character of Richard the
Third was exposed, by writers during the reign
of Henry the Seventh^ is now pretty generally
admitted : yet long-established prejudice is not
easily removed. Referring to the history of the
Crusades, we find the Saracens always branded
with the name of barbarians ; although their
Christian invaders borrowed from that people the
first dawnings of civilization. A scene more
striking, as a subject for historical painting, can
hardly be conceived, than was exhibited upon

MOSCOW. 157

this staircase, when the venerahle Patriarchy chap.
bearing in one hand an obraze^ or image of the v^v"^
Virgin Mary^ which was supposed to work mira-
desy and leading young John Narishkin by the
other, followed by his weeping sister and the
princesses, descended, calling on the infuriate
mob to spare his life. The populace had been
two days seeking him ; and had threatened to set
the palace on fire, if he were not delivered to be
pot to death* No sooner had these tigers seized
their victim, than, cutting his body in pieces,
they fixed his head, feet, and hands, on the iron
spikes of the balustrade.

We ascended by this blood-stained passage imperial

^ T • Treasuiy.

to the Imperial Treasu r y. It contams very little
worth notice. The old General who had the
care of it was obliged to attend in person, when-
ever permission for seeing it had been obtained.
He was very ill during our visit, and, being
placed in an arm-chair in one of the apartments,
sat grumbling the whole time with pain and
impatience. The various articles have been
enumerated in the anonymous Travels of Two
Frenckmen^i who complain of being hurried, as
we were. Habits of ceremony worn by the sove-

(l) Yaifage de Deux FranfcUt, a work of very considerable merit,
fraldbited at the time we were in Busiia. It has been occasionally
icfffrad to in this Volume.

158 MOSCOW.

reigns of Russia at their coraiifttioii, and other
costly embroidered robes, thicklj studded with
gems and pearls, occupied the principal cabinets,
and appeared to constitute the diief ornaments
of the Treasury. Among a number of such
dresses was a yest, twelve yards in length, worn
by Cataerine the Second. It was supported
by twelve chamberlains at her coronaticm. The
practice of exhibiting splendid attire charac-
terized the Humans in times of their earliest
potentates. From the accounts afforded by the
ambassadors of our own country, so long ago as
the reign of Phiup and Mary, we find it was
the custom at Moscow to clothe tradesmen, and
other inhabitants, elders of the city, in rich gar-
ments, and to place them in the antechamber of
the sovereign on days of audience ; but when the
ceremony ended, these costly vestments were
again replaced within the Treasury. In a Letter
written by Henry Lane to Sanderson^, describing
his introduction, with Chancellery to the Tsar*s
presence, in the year 1555 ^ this circumstance is
particularly mentioned. "They entred sundry
roomes, furnished in shew with ancient grave
personages, all in long garments of sundry co-
lours ; golde, tissue, baldekin, and violet, as our
vestments and copes have bene in England,

(1) Hackluyt, vol. 1. p. 406.

VII.

MOSCOW. J 59

ratable with caps, jewels, and chaines. These ^^^^-
iiere found to be no courtiers, but ancient Mus-
writes^ inhabitantSy and other their merchants of
tTtdUe^ as the manor is, furnished thus from the
wardrobe and treasurie, waiting and wearing
diis apparell for the time, and so to restore it"
Two years after. Captain JenHnson was sent from
England to conduct the Russian ambassador to
Marnxno. As he and his companions were pre-
paring to leave that city, they received an
mvitation to see the Emperor's treasury and
wardrobe. Having seen all his '^ goodly gownes,"
two of which are described, ** as heavie as a man
could easily carrie, all set with pearles over and
over, and the borders garnished with saphires
and other good stones abundantly," they were
particularly enjoined to procure such, or better,
in England^ J and told ^* that the Emperour would
gladly bestow his money upon such things."

The crowns of conquered kingdoms are ex-
hibited in the Treasury. We saw those of
Casanj of Siberia^ of Astracanj and of the Crimea.
The last, from its simplicity, and the circum-
stances connected with its history, excited the
most interest. It was totally destitute of orna-
ment; affording a remarkable contrast to
the lavish store of riches seen on all the

(8) Hackhiyt, toI. 1. p. 319.

]«>

f^tyffci aiMBd k, and hoBS nohhiwl'itt^ of the
wpiintf' and vimie of die people firom whom
it had been phmdoiMF. Its fiimi was Tery
antifntp and resemhled diat osoalhr giwea by
pamten to oar English Alfni. The port of
the Treamai/ qwnaining the most TafaiaUe ob-
jects is a rhamlrr where the crawiis of the
Riisflian sorereigiis are depoated. It is said,
the rabies once adoming those of the EmfHress
AsTs^ and of Peter the Secosd haTe been
changed, and stones of less Tiloe sobstitated
in their place*.

Some things were shewn to as that were
formerly considered of great Talae, bat are
now carioos only firom their antiquity ; snch,
for instance, as a long tcory comb^ with which
the Tsars combed their flowing beards. Cup-
boards, below the glass-cases covering the
walls, were filled with a profusion of goblets^
tfosesf plates^ cups of all sorts, 6a^ow, gold and
silver candlesticks^ and other articles of value,
the gift of foreign princes and tributary states.
A round box of gilded silver contains, upon
a scroll, the code of laws of the several pro-

( 1 ) The writers of the Voyage de Deux Franfais mention m rery
ancient crown of gold, which may be that here noticed. '' Une autre
couronnc, d'or, plus simple que toutes les autres, qui paratt fort ancienne,
mais dont on n'a pas pu nous dire Torigine."

(2) Voyage de Deux Franfais, tom. III. p. 291.

MOSCOW. -/J-

linoes of the empire, collected by Alexis, father chap
of Petbr the Great, one of the best and 21}l
wisest princes that ever sat upon the Russian
thnme. There are also some pieces of me-
chanism that would now be little esteemed
anywhere : a toilette entirely of amber : ser-
pentine vessels, supposed to possess the pro-
perty of disarming poison of its deadly quality :
masquerade dresses worn by their sovereigns :
t few natural curiosities ; and among these,
the horn of a NarvhaU above eight feet in
length. This kind of whale is found near the
mouths of rivers falling into the Icy Sea^ or
upon the shores of lakes in the same latitude.
The horns and tusks of animals, in a fossile
state, form a considerable article of the internal
commerce of Russia. Perhaps the ivory ma-
nu&ctured at Archangel may have been dug
up in the north of Russia. Professor Pallas
informed us, that such prodigious quantities
of elephants' teeth were discovered on an island
north of the Samoiede Landj that caravans come
annually laden with them to Petersburg. The
most remarkable circumstance is, that, instead
of being mineralized, like elephants' tusks found
in the South of Eirope^ they may be wrought
with all the facility of the most perfect ivory :
but this only happens when they are found in
a latitude where the soil is perpetually frozen ;

VOL. I. M

jgg MOSCOW.

CHAP, they have then heen preserved, like the fishes
and other articles of food brought annually to
the winter markets of Petersburg. Those dug
in the southern parts of Siberia are found either
soft and decayed, or mineralized by siliceous
infiltrations, and metalline compounds. What
a source of wondrous reflection do these dis-
coveries open ! If firost alone have preserved
them, they were frozen in the moment of th^
deposit ; and thus it appears, that an animal
peculiar to the warmest r^ons of the earth
must, at some distant period, have been ha-
bituated to a temperature which it could not
now endure for an instant. In the epistolary
mununery bartered by the late Empress Ca-
therine with Voltaire^ these animal remains
are brought forward to gratify his infidelity ' :
and it is difficult to say who appears most
abject in the eyes of posterity; Catherine,
condescending to gratify the scepticism of a
man she inwardly despised; or the arch-infidel
himself, having nearly completed his eighth
decade*, sometimes by insinuation, and often

(1) " Mais ime chose qui demootre, je peose* que le moode est m
peo plos Tienz qoe nos noornccs ne nous le dnent, c'est qa*on troofe
dens le Nord de Im Siberie, 4 ptnsieois toises soos terre* des (Msemens
d'el^phmns, qui depais fort kHig-temps nluOMfeent pins ces contrte."
Lttt. dt rimp^TQlriet k M. dt Voltairt, dau Im OSnrm de VcU.
fOM«lzTa.ji.»l. JStfit. 17S5.

(2) <* J'mani 4 Im Tcrite soixante et dix-«ep4 ans, et je n'ai pas la
d*BB Tore ; mais je ne vols pas ce qoi poarrait m'emp^elier

d«

MOSCOW.

by direct entreaty, meanly courting an invitation
to Petenburg^ which neither his driveUing gal-
lantry, nor fulsome adulation could obtain.

In a very antient part of the palace, formerly
inhabited by the Patriarchs, and adjoining to
their chapel, are kept the dresses worn by them ;
these are also exhibited in glass-cases. They
requested us particularly to notice the habits of
Nieon 9nd St. Nicholas ; the tiarasBentto the Patri-
archs firom the Emperors of Constantinople ;
the crucifixes borne in their solemn processions ;
the patriarchal staves, and relics. Several of
the last were inserted in cavities cut within a
wooden crucifix. Among other things adding to
its prodigious sanctity and miraculous powers,
a part of one of the bones of Mary Magdalene
was pointed out to us. The dresses were very
antient, but full as magnificent as those we had
seen at the ceremony of the Resurrection ; gold
md silver being the meanest ornaments lavished

ie fcnir dint 1m beaux jotin aaloer P^tofle da Nord et maudire le
frriint N6tre Madame GeoflOrin a bien fait le voyage de Vanovie;
poaiquioi n'entieprendrais-Je paa cclui de P^tenbouiig au mols
fkmiT' Lett, de Volt, h V Imperat. Ibid, p. 49.

Tb which the Empress replied, that she admired hu courage ; hot
kaovhig the delieate state of his health, she could not consent to ex-
fern kirn to the dangere qfeo long a journey, ** Moreover/' she added,
* ft may happen, if things continae as they are, that the prosperity of
m^tfmrs may demand my presence in the southern provinces qf my
u** Ibid. p. 60.

M 2

163

VII.

jg4 MOSCOW.

CHAP, upon them. Many were entirely covered with
y^^sr^ pearls, and otherwise adorned with emeralds,
ruhies, diamonds, sapphires, and precious gems
of Siberia. In smaller cabinets we saw onyx-
stones wrought in cameo work, exhibiting images
of Jesus and of the Virgin ; these were not less
than three inches and a half in length, and two
in breadth. They shewed us moreover, vessels
of massive silver, made to contain consecrated
oil : this is sent all over Russia, from Moscow,
for the service of the Greek Churches. Sixteen
of these vessels, of very considerable magnitude,
each capaple of containing from three to four
gallons, were presented by the Emperor Paul.

JJy*^ In the chapel adjoining the chambers where

the treasures are kept, is a collection of Manu-
scripts in Greek and Sclavonic ; also more of the
bones of Mary Magdalene. By much the greater
number of the manuscripts^ are in the Sclavonic
language. The priest who had the care of them
conversed with us in Latin ; affirming, that
among the Sclavonic^ or, as he termed them, the
Muthenic manuscripts^ there was a copy of the
works of Virgil^ and one of Livy. He was not,
however, able to find either of them, and we
imputed the whole story to his ignorance and
vanity. We afterwards conversed with Arch-
bishop Plato upon the same subject ; who

vni.

MOSCOW. IQS

aflBored us nothing of any importance existed ^^f^-
amoDg those manuscripts. The priest translated,
or pretended to translate, some of their titles,
from the Sclavonic language, into Latin. If the
account he gave can he relied on, the collec-
tion contains the Travels of Pilgrims to Jerusalem
in very remote periods.

In Russian characters, illuminated, and written
upon antient vellum paper, is a folio copy of the
GogpeUf most heautifully transcribed by Anne,
daughter of Michael Feodorovich. We were
also shewn, as at Petersburg^ some carving in
wood by Peter the Great. This was a small
box, containing a letter, dated 1697» sent by him,
from Sardam in Holland^ to the Patriarchs at Mas-
cow. The priest permitted us to make aifaC'Simile
of his hand- writing : for this purpose we copied
with great care the signature to his letter. It was
simply his Christian name, and thus written :

obtained the keys from the secretary's Superb
oflice, we were admitted to see the famous the Krem
Model of the Kremlin, according to the plan for
its erection under the auspices of the late Em-
press. It is one of the most curious things in
Moscow. If the work had been completed, it

166 MOSCOW.

would have been the wonder of the world. The
architect who constructed the plan was a JRttf-
Hatij and had studied in Paris ^ . This model
cost fifty thousand roubles. The expense neces-
sary for the accomplishment of the undertaking
(as the architect Camparesiy who made the esti-
mate, assured us) would have been fifty millions
of roubles. The calculation laid before the Em-
press stated the amount only twenty millions.
The work was begun ; but, it is said, the fiEdling
in of a part of the foundation determined the
Empress against its prosecution. From the
state of the roof of the building, where ihis
model is kept, it may be expected that every
trace of so magnificent an undertaking will soon
be annihilated. Symptoms of decay already
appear ; and the architect told us it might soon
be expected to fall. When he delivered his
report of the dangerous condition of the edifice,
the Russians shrugged their shoulders, and said,
" Fall in ! A nd what if it does V^

The plan was, to unite the whole KremUn^
having a circumference of two miles, into one
magnificent palace. Its triangular form, and
the number of churches it contains, offered

(1) According to the Voyage de Deux FranfoUf the model wae con-
structed by a German joiner of the name of Andrew Wettnan, after m
deiign by the architect Bt^anof, papil of VaUly, See tome III. p. 297.

M0800W. 167

some difficulties ; but the model was rendered ^^.^^-
oomplete. Its fronts are ornamented with ^^^/-w
ranges of beautiful pillars, according to different
orders of architecture. Every part of it was
finished in the most beautiful manner, even to
the fiiesco painting on the ceilings of the rooms,
and the colouring of the various marble columns
intended to decorate the interior. It encloses
a theatre, and magnificent apartments. Had the
work been completed, it would have surpassed
the Temple of Solomon, the Propykeum of Amasis,
the Villa of Adrian, or the Forum of Trajan. Our
firiend Camporesi spoke of it in terms of equal
praise ; but at the same time confessed, that
Guarenghi, his countryman, an architect well
known for his works in Petersburg, entertained
different sentiments. Guarenghi allowed it to be
grand, as it must necessarily be, from the magni-
tude of the design ; but thought it too much orna-
mented, and too heavy in many of its parts.

The architecture exhibited in different parts General

* ^ appear-

of the Kremlin, in its palaces and churches, is anccofth*
unlike any thing seen in Europe. It is difficult
to say from what country it has been principally
derived. The architects were generally Ita-
hans^; but]the style is Tartarian, Indian, Chinese,
and Gothic : — here a pagoda^ there an arcade !

(8) Solariui of Milan was principally employed.

Vll.

168 MOSCOW.

CHAP, in some parts richness, and even elegance : in
others, barbarism and decay. Taken altogether,
it is a mixed scene of magnificence and ruin :
old buildings repaired, and modem structures
not completed ; half-open vaults, and mouldering
walls, and empty caves, amidst white-washed
brick buildings, and towers, and churches, with
glittering, gilded, or painted domes. In the
midst of these crowded structures, some devo-
tees are daily seen entering a little mean sanc-
tuary, more like a stable than a church. This,
they tell you, is the first place of Christian wor-
ship erected in Moscow. It was originally con-
structed of the trunks of trees, felled upon the
spot, at the foundation of the city ; but now it
consists of brick-work which has been put to-
gether in imitation of the original wooden church.
Its antiquity cannot be great. According to ac-
counts published in our own country^ the whole
city of Moscow was burned by the Tahtars of
the Crimea^ on the 24th of May 1571 ; and the
old wooden church was probably then de-
stroyed. We entered this building during the
celebration of divine service : a priest ¥dth
true Stentorian lungs, was reading from a selec-
tion of the Gospels to the people. There is
nothing within the structure worth notice.

(1) Letter of Richard Utcombe to Henry Lane. Hakiuyt, toL I.
p. 402.

VII.

MOSCOW. 169

The view of Moscow^ from a terrace in the SS^^'
KrtmJin^ near the spot where the artillery is
j^reserved, would afford a fine subject for a
PanoramcL. The number of magnificent build-
ings, the domes, the towers, and spires, filling
all the prospect, make it, perhaps, one of the
most extraordinary sights in Europe. All the
wretched hovels, and miserable wooden build-
ings, which appear in passing through the streets,
are lost in the vast assemblage of magnificent
edifices : among these, the Foundling Hospital is
particularly conspicuous. Below the walls of
the Kremlinj the MoscvOf already become a river
of importance, is seen flowing towards the
Volga. The new promenade forming on its
banks, immediately beneath the fortress, is a
superb work, and promises to rival the famous
quay at Petersburg : it is paved with large flags ;
and is continued from the Stone Bridge^ to
another, which is called the Moscva Bridge; being
fenced with a light but strong iron palisade, and
stone pillars, executed in a very good taste.
A flight of stairs leads from this walk to the
river, where the ceremony of the Benediction of
the Water takes place at an earlier season of the
year. Another flight of wooden steps leads
through the walls of the Kremlin to an area
within the fortress.

170

fMffaloT

One da jy »ag»wnMng hj tins steircHe, we fiMmd
all die clnirdies in the KnmBm opeD, and a
prod^ioos ooncoiirse of people assemUed at
tbe Gdelnratkm of the Cfrtai FesHnl of ike
Aseemskm. It is difficalt to describe the scenes
exhibited widiin these buildiiigs daring festU
Tals. We were earned in bj a crowd whidi
lushed forward like a tonrenty and, being lifted
by it from the ground, beheld, as we entered, a
dmmg of derotees, in which diere was dai^er of
being pressed to deadi : all present were in
motion, crossing diemselves \ bowing their
heads, and struggling who should first kiss the
consecrated pictures. The bodies of Saints were,
as usual, exposed; and we were shevm, hj the
attending priests, some wood of *the true Crass.'
Women, with tears streaming from their eyes,
lifted up their infants, and taught them to
embrace the feet and hands of the images.
Observing a crowd particularly eager to kiss the
scull of an incarruptible saint j we asked a priest,
in Latin, whose body the sepulchre contained.
**Whence ure ycu^ said he, " that you know not the
Tomb of St. Demetrius r

(1) The Eonians eroM themslfes fint on ^eforehead, then on the
breoMt^ then on the riglU thomider^ then on the 1^ thouider ; thereby
completing the figure of a eros$. This ceremony is performed with the
thumb, the first, and the middle ftnger ; the three fingert signifying the
Trinity.

CHAP. VIII.

Order of the Maltese Cross — Minerals of Count
Golovkin — Pictures — A ntiguities — Shells —
Gallery of OaUtzin — Library of Botterline —
Botanic Garden — Philosophical lustruments —
Other Collectiona — Stupestdous objects of Natu-
ral History — Mnglish Horse-dealers — Public
Baths : their mode of use, and national impor-
tance— Foundling Hospital.

Master of Malta, the Order of the Cross hecame „ ^ .

Order of

one of the most fashionable in Bussia. It was theHaitcM

Cron.

17«

lO mSX ID flHIIJHHfT inQMHlX

The priw cf it, ^rnhm pmrhinwfl^ of
the Crown, vk thpae hiuidipd prawamBL !■
the chaugw hdhlfii^ Onfen, » vbD » Gunem-
jwkU, thtf vlddi hsE hippcsiBd to dis ciHB
id flocKtT is nxvihr <]f aduuiJtfJBB, Foi'imls
the oath taken vpcm ^iw^m^iM to the L«iiuii4,

VM a dadbnxioD cf pomrhf^ chmsiity, and che-
dieaoe. ^Ixal the nainre <£ the cadi nopar is,
we did not learn ; bul the cj^Kisite qnatificaticBis
in candidates for the JTofy Crass war manlirrt.
The extraraganoe of the Russian nofcdIitT has
no example. Thev talk of tiresitT and dmty
thousand r<mhles as other nadoos do of dieir
meanest coin ; but those sums are rareh- paid
in cash : the disbursement is made in fiur-
niture, horses, carriages, watches, snuff-boxes,
rings, and wearing-appareL
NiAtniit Visiting the mineralogical cabimtt of Comit

wv ^^^Ms0v

a<fh9kin. GoUwkin with a dealer in minerals, he infinined
us that the arts and sciences obtained true

(I) Af we were Informed^^Mr. Hbbbk states it at twelve hundred
roubUs,

** At presentf indeed there is a new method of acquiring rank.
Persons who hare not served either in a civil or military capacity, may,
for twelve Imudred rouble», purchase a Cro$$ of Malta ; but this is con-
ftiflered as no very prood distinction." Heber*t M8, Journal.

MOSCOW. lyg

patronage only in Moscow. ** In England j* said chap.
he, ** it does not answer to offer fine specimens
of Natural History for sale ; we get more money,
even for the minerals of Siberia^ in Moscow than
in London.^ We found a very practical illus-
tration of his remark, in the contents of one
small drawer, which was opened for us, con-
sisting only of forty-three specimens, and which
had cost the Count two thousand pounds
sterling. The suhstances were certainly rare,
but by no means adequate to such an enormous
price. . Some of them had been purchased in
London^ at the sale of Monsieur de CaUmnes
Cabinet. A fine mineral, as well as a fine
picture, will often make the tour of Europe ;
and may be seen in London^ Paris^ and Petersburg,
in the course of the same year.

Among the rarest of Count GolovkvrCs minerals,
were, a specimen of the black sulphuret of silver,
crystallized in cubes, for which alone he paid
fifteen hundred roubles ; auriferous native silver ;
the largest specimen which perhaps exists of
the red Siberian tourmaline'; galena, almost

(2) Perhaps it is the same now exhibited in the Gardens of Natural
History at Paris. Since this was written, I have seen a specimen
much larger, in Mr OrevUle*t splendid Collection. It was a present
from the King qf Ava to Captain Symes, and b nearly as big as a
maa^bead.

U^ MOSCOW.

CHAP, malleable, a substance described by Le Sage ;
beautiful specimen of native gold from Peru ;
muriate of silver ; crystals of tin oxide, as big
as walnuts ; a singular crystallization of car-
bonated lime, having assumed the shape of a
heart, and therefore called hsart spar ; very large
octahedral crystals, exhibiting the primary form
of fluat of lime ; the Siberian emerald, tra^
versing prisms of rock crystal ; Peruvian emerald
in its matrix ; Chrysoprase ; PalJms native iron ;
beautiful crystals of chromate and of phosphate
of lead ; native antimony ; a specimen of rock
crystal, so filled with water, that, when turned
in the hand, drops were seen moving in all
directions; — the stone called Venui hairs^ or
titanium oxide in rock crystal ; — and that beau-
tiful mineral the red antimonial, or ruby silver, in
fine distinct prisms, lying upon calcareous spar.

The Museum of this nobleman contained other
objects of curiosity besides cabinets of Natural
History. It was rich in valuable pictures; in
many of the most interesting relics of anti-
quity, particularly Orecian vases; and it con-
tained a library of books of the highest value.
Count Golovkin was one of the very few among
the Russian connoisseurs, who really possessed
taste. There was proof of this in every selection
he made ; whether of books, antiquities, pictures,

17»

minerals, or works of modern art : for whatever en
he had collected, was, in its kind, well chosen. '■^
The caprice, indeed, might be lamented which
induced him to change, so frequently as he did,
what he had once selected ; instead of allowing
the acquisition to remain, as a monument of
his genius, for the use and instruction of his
posterity.

Among the pictures, we noticed a very cele- picta
tRsted work of Van der Werf: this had been
Ibnnerly purchased by the author from Monsieur
He Calonne's Collection in London, for an English
nobleman. It was that highly-finished piece
which represents " the Daughters of Lot giving
wine to their Father." Other travellers may
perhaps at this time find the same picture in
Madrid. That unrivalled painting of Gerhard
Bouw, in which he has represented himself as
m artist drawing by candle-light, was also in
this collection : it cost the Coimt two thousand
fiwir hundred roubles. The rest were the pro-
ductions of Leonardo da Vinci, Sasso Ferrato,
Lanjrane, Tenters, Vandyke, and other eminent
masters.

In the cabhiet of antiquities was an antient lyro Antlqi
of bronze, complete in all its parts, and perhaps
the only one ever found. It was modelled by

IJQ MOSCOW.

CHAP. Camparesi, in wood. A vase of kizuUte was
shewn, as having heen found in Herculaneun^
which is very douhtful. It is common, in col-
lections of this nature, to attribute the antiqui-
ties of other cities of Magna OrtBCUh and even
modem alabaster vases, to Herculaneum ; al-
though every thing found in the excavations
there be rigidly reserved for the Museum of his
Sicilian Majesty. Greek vases, from sepulchres
in Italt/j are very often called Herculaneum;
but no such works in terra-cotta have yet
been found there. The rarest antiquities in
Count Golovkin's Collection were vessels of
antient glass^ at least twelve inches in diameter.
There was one of these, standing near a window,
filled with earth, in which had been planted
a Dutch tulip ; of course, it was liable to be
broken every instant. Vases, on which were
represented subjects illustrating the earliest
ages of Grecian History, were seen lying on the
floor, like the neglected toys of children. No
person had exceeded the liberality of Count
Oolovkin, in making any addition to his Collec-
tion ; but no one became sooner wearied by pos-
session. These KecfirjXla were therefore rather
objects of his caprice than of his study, and
have probably by this time found their way to
other cities of Europe. Enormous sums had
been lavished to procure the blax^k porcelain of

MOSCOW.

177

Japan; but when we arrived, many beautiful chap.
vessels, made of this porcelain, were also filled wv-*^
with earth and flowers. Several fine hustSy from
the celebrated cabinet of Count Caylus^ adorned
the apartments : also a marble vase which be-
longed to the famous Mengs, and had been
brought from Home to Moscow^ by the Grand-
chamberlain Suvalof. We do not pretend to
the smallest knowledge of concJwlogy : it might
therefore astonish us more than others, to see a
single shell, called the Great Hammer^ of no
external beauty, but shaped like the instrument
of that name, for which the late Mr. Forster of
Idmdon received of the Count one thousand
mJble^.

After a particular description of Count Goho-
koCs Museumy it is unnecessary to mention those
of less note in Moscow. We shall therefore pass
hastily over a few of the principal Collections.
The £rallerY of pictures of the Grand-Chamberlain Gaiiery of
Galitzin was the most extensive : the palace
itself being highly magnificent ; and a set of
stately apartments, terminated by a vast gallery,
was entirely filled with paintings. In so vast

(I) « He finmishcs his closet first, and fills

The crouded shelves with rarities of shells :

Adds Orient pearls, which from the conchs be drew,

And all the sparkling stones of various hue."

Drtden.
VOL. I. N

][nrg MOSCOW.

CHAP, an assemblage, there were doabtless many in-
^^v^^ different productions; but, among them some
paintings of unequalled merit, and especially one
of the finest works of Salvatar Rasa: The sub-
ject represented the martyrdom of St. Sebastian ;
and it had been executed with all his sublimity
and energy. The gallery was chiefly filled with
pictures by the Flemish Masters.

Libraiy of The library^ botanic garden^ and museum of

JBotterline*

Count Botterline, ranked among the finest sights
in Europe. That nobleman had not only col-
lected the rarest copies of all the Classic Authors ;
but of some of them« particularly of Virgil^ he
had so many editions, that they were sufficient
alone to constitute a library. His books were
not kept in one particular apartment, but they
occupied a number of different rooms. They
were all bound beneath his own roof } affording
sufficient employment for several workmen,
retained constantiy in the house for this purpose.
He had almost all the £ditiones Principes ; and
his collection of books printed during the ^teenth
century amounted to near six thousand volumes.
According to Orlandi^^ the number of works

(1) Originee ProgresH deUa Stamp(iy da Peregrin, Anton, Orlando.
BononuB, 1722. The anthor found OrlandVe band -writing, and Uie
Hignature of his name, in a curious edition of Suetoniuty in the Mottffn
Library, North Walet. See the account of it in Pennant'e History qf
Whittford and Holywell, p. 83.

M08CX>W. lyg

printed during that period amounted to one chap.
(faonsand three hundred and three. It is there-
fin probable, that nearly all of them were
eoirtamed in Count Botterline's Collection. The
obdogae of this part of his library filled two
Mio volumes. He procured from Paris the
eelebrated work of Theodore de Bryj a collection
of Tojages, with beautiful wood-cuts : and had
been at infinite pains to obtain from all countries
t compete series of Ecclesiastical annals ; these
already amounted to forty volumes in folio.
This immense library was dirided into six
distiiict classes. His pictures were not so
mnnercras ; but they were well chosen.

The botamc garden, (botany bemg his fa- Botanic

. / . \ ^ , Garden.

voonte pursuit,) contamed a green-house, per-
haps nnequaUed in the world. At one end of
it was a small library of botanical works :
here he had the advantage of studying with the
living specimens before him. But the most
extraordinary circumstance was, that we
found the plants of the frigid zone, and of
the warmest climates, flourishing in greater
beauty than we had seen them possess in a
state of nature. They were more perfect,
because they were preserved from all external
injury, and were at the same time healthy.
We asked him how such a variety of plants,

N 2

180 MOSCOW.

CHAP, requiring such different culture, situation, and
^^^/'-w temperature, could be thus nourished beneath
the same roof. He said that the principal
fault among gardeners consisted in their mode
of watering ; that, for his part he performed
almost all the work with his own hands ;
acknowledging, that, although botanists were
much surprised by the appearance of his plants,
he was himself indebted, for all the knowledge
he had acquired to our countryman MiUer^
whose works were always near him. h» his
garden, the plants of Siberia flourished in the
open air. The Spiriea crenata^ and the Hosa
Austriacaj or Pcestan JRosCy were in full bloom on
the twenty-fifth of May. Almost all the fruit-
trees in Moscow had perished during the former
winter. The Count smiled when we spoke of
the facility with which ho might obtain the
Siberian plants. " I receive them all," said he^
** from England : nobody here will be at the
trouble to collect either seed or plants ; and I
am compelled to send to your country for things
that grow wild in my own."

PhikMo- In addition to the extraordinary collection

■trunicnto. already noticed, belonging to this nobleman,

we were shewn another set of apartments filled

with all sorts of philosophical instruments. This

collection alone appeared sufficient to have em-

MOSCOW. 131

ployed the time and fortune of a single individual, chap.
It consisted of electrical apparatus^ telescopes, the N^*y^
whole furniture of a chemical laboratory, models,
pieces of mechanism, the most curious and ex-
pensiye balances, and almost every instrument
of the useful Arts^

The collection of minerals, shells, birds, fishes, Natarai
quadrupeds, and the cabinet of medals of Paul ^'
Gregarovitz Demidof, had been considered by
travellers more worth seeing than any other
Museum in Moscouf. We did not obtain admis-
8UHL His library contained five thousand
volumesy chiefly on subjects of Natural History.
The minerals of Prince Urusof, and of Prince Paul
GaUtzin, were of the highest beauty and mag-
nificence. The former of these princes gave five
thousand roubles for a single specimen. But
among all the surprising articles in Natural His-
lory that we saw in Moscow, the most worthy of
admiration were two mineralogical specimens,
the one of Malachite, and the other of Siberian
emerald, in the audience-chamber of Prince

(1) ** To tell their costly forniture were loDg ;

The ■ammer'i day wonld end before the song ;

To purchase bat the tenth of all their store,

Would make the mighty Persian monarch poor.

Yet what I can I will.'' DarDEif.

(9) Voyage de Deoz Fran^aisy torn. III. p. 327.

182

MOSCOW.

CHAP. Alexander Oalitzin. These were placed alone,

VIII.

independent of any cabinet, upon two pedestals,
opposite to a throne, whereon the Prince and
Princess sat, on days of ceremony. His ExceL
lency condescended to exhibit them to ns.
They were for beyond all estimation ; because
the value of such things depends entirely upon
the power and wealth which might enable a
Prince or a Sovereign to obtain them. The
first, or the mass oi green carbonated capper jCom-
monly called Malachitef was not only the largest
example of that substance ever discovered, but
it was also the most beautiful. It was found in
the Siberian mines ; and in every circumstance of
farm and colour j to interest a naturalist, or to
gratify the avarice of the lapidary, it had never
been surpassed. Its delicate sur&ce, of the
most beautiful silky lustre, exhibited all those
mammillary nodes and zones which denote the
stalactite origin of the mineral. Its interior, al-
though exquisitely vari^ated, was entire and
compact ; and, for the mere purpose of cntting
into plates, would have been inestimable in the
hands of jewellers. The weight of this enormous
mass must have been at least a ton. While we
remained in the city a dealer offered six thousand
roubles for it ; but the prince refused to sell it.
The companion of this extraordinary product of
the mineral kingdom, of equal size, was not less

Hoecow. Ig3

wonderful: it was a mass of numberless Siberian chap.

VIII

emsraldsj lying in their natural repository ; this s^sri^
they trayersed in all directions ; exhibiting the
most beautiful crystallization that can be con-
ceived, and every possible diversity of size,
dbape, and colour.

Prince Viazemsko^s collection of the current
coiq of the world was too remarkable to be
passed over without notice. Prince Alexander
Scherbatof had also a magnificent cabinet of
Natural History.

The number of English horse^dealersf and EngUsh
English groomsj in Moscow^ was, at this time, j^^
fery great. They were in high favour among
the nobles. The Governor of the city was con-
sidered particularly skilful in choosing horses.
It was not imusual to hear the nobles repeat
the pedigree of their favourites, as if on an
English race-course : " This," said they, " was
the son of Eclipse ; dam by such a one ; grand-
dam by another ;"' and so on, through a list of
names taught by their gooms, but having no
more real reference to their cattle than to the
moon. English saddles and bridles also sold at
Yery advanced prices.

Passing the public streets of the city, a

] 34 MOSCOW.

CHAP, number of men and women are often seen stark

VIII.

v^v"W naked, lounging about before the public baths,
BathB? and talking together, without the smallest sense
of shame, or of the indecency of the exhibition.
In many parts of JRussia, as in Lapland^ the
males and females bathe promiscuously. It is
well known that a clergyman's daughter, with
unsuspecting simplicity, did the honours of the
bath for AcerbU at Kerm^ in the north of the
Gulph of Bothnia}. As soon as the inhabitants
of these northern nations have endured the
suffocating heat of their vapour haths^ which is
so great that Englishmen would not conceive it
possible to exist an instant in such temperature,
they stand naked, covered with profuse perspi-
ration, cooling themselves in the open air; in
summer they plunge into cold water ; during
winter they roll about in snow ; without sus-
taining any injury, or ever catching cold. When
the Russians leave a bath of this kind, they
moreover drink copious draughts of mead, as
cold as it can be procured. These practices,
which would kill men of other nations, seemed
to delight them, and to add strength to their
constitutions.

(1) See Acerbi's Travels, toI. I. p, 338. LoiuL 1803, where tliiB
scene is described. The author has often heard Signer Aeerbi relate
the same circuuutaocos, during the time they were together in Sweden,

VIIL

MOSCOW. ] g5

Being troubled with rheumatic pain, brought ^^/'
on bj a sudden change of weather, (the thermo-
meter foiling, in one day, from 84 "* of Fahrenheit,
nearly to the freezing point,) the author was
persuaded to try a Russian hath. Nothing can
be more filthy or more revolting than one of
these places, for they are commonly filled with
Tennin. He had been recommended, however,
to use the Georgian Bath, situate in the Shhoda,
or suburbs : this being described as the best in
Moscow. It required more courage to enter this
den than many of our countrymen would exert
finr a similar purpose. The building was a small
wooden hut : at one end of it there was a recess,
Uack and fearful as the entrance to Tartarm.
Two naked figures, with long beards, conducted
him to this spot; where, pointing to a plank
covered by a single sheet, with a pillow, they
told him to deposit his clothes there, and to
repose, if he thought proper; but, upon the
sheet, a number of cockroaches and crickets had
usurped the only spot where a person might
Tenture to sit down. As soon as he was un-
dressed, they led him, through a gloomy passage,
mto a chamber called the hath ; the ceremonies
of which place will now be particularly described.

Upon the left hand were cisterns of water ;
and upon the edges of those cisterns appeared

186 MOSCOW.

^Yui' * ^^^ ^^ polished brass vessels. Towards the
right was a stove ; and, in the middle of the
room, a step to a platform elevated above the
floor. The hot vapour being collected near the
roof, the more the bather ascends, the greater
is the degree of heat to which he is exposed.
A choice of temperature is therefore o£fered. to
him. On each side of the platform was a stove,
in shape exactly resembling the tombs in our
church-yards. The upper surface of each stove
was covered with a bed of reeds ; and over the
reeds was placed a sheet. The author was
directed to mount upon one of these stoves,
and to extend himself upon the sheet : having
done this, he found himself Yiearly elevated
to the roof of the bath, and the heat of the
ascending vapour threw him immediately into
a most profuse perspiration. The sensation
resembled what he had formerly experienced
in a subterraneous cavern, called the £ath of
Nero, upon the coast of Baia, near Naples. He
neglected to take a thermometer with him on
this occasion ; but the ordinary temperature of
a Russian bath is well known: it varies (ac-
cording to Storch') from 104^ to 122^ of Fahren-
heit ; and sometimes, upon the upper stages near

(I ) Talfleau de P Empire M Bustle, torn, I. p. 3d0. The degrees of
temperature arc estimated by Storeh according to the scale of Reaumur.

VIII.

MOSCOW ]g7

the roof, it is twenty degrees above fever heat*, ^ff •
Thns situate, a man began to rub his skin with
a woollen doth, until the exterior surface of it
peded off. As soon as he had finished this
operation with the woollen doth, he was desired
to descend ; and then several vessels of wann
water were poured upon his head, whence it fell
all over his body. He was next placed upon
the floor, and the assistant washed his hair,
scratching his head in all parts. Afterwards,
be again made him ascend the stove j where
once more being stretched at length, a copious
lather of soap was prepared, and his body was
again rubbed : after this he was made to des-
cend a second time, and was again soused with
▼essels of water. He was then desired to extend
himself on the stove for the third time, and
informed that the greatest degree of heat would
now be given. To prepare for this, they cau-
tioned him to Ue with his face downwards, and
not to raise his head. Birch boughs were now
In^ught, with their leaves on, and dipped in
8oap and hot water ; with these they began to
scrub him afresh ; at the same time, some hot
water being cast upon red-hot cannon-balls and
upon the principal stove, such a vapour passed
all over him, that it came like a stream of fire.

(2) Equal to 132° of Fahrenheit,

]gg MOSCOW.

CHAP. If he ventured to raise his head but for an in-

VIII.

v^'v^ stant, and draw in his breath, it seemed like
inhaling flames. It was impossible to endure
this for any length of time ; therefore, finding
himself unable to cry out, he forced his way
down from the stove, and was conducted to the
lower part of the room ; here being seated upon
the floor, and the doors being opened, he soon
recovered sufficientlv to walk out of the bath.

National Eminent physicians have endeavoured to draw

Import- ^ ■'

ance of the attention of the Enqlish Government to the

Public . ^

Baths. importance oi public baths, and of countenancing
their use by every aid of example and of encou-
ragement. While we wonder at their prevalence
among all the Edstem and Northern nations, may
we not lament that they are so little known in our
own country ? We might, perhaps, find reason
to allow, that erysipelas, surfeit, rheumatism^
colds, and many other evils, especially cutaneous
and nervous disorders, would be alleviated, if
not prevented, by a proper attention to bathing.
The inhabitants of countries where the bath is
constantly used, have recourse to it, in the full
confidence of being able to remove such com-
plaints ; and they are rarely disappointed. In
Mnglandj baths are considered only as articles of
luxury ; yet throughout the vast empire of
Russia^ through all Finland^ Lapland^ Sweden,

MOSCOW. jgg

uhI Norway f there is no cottage so poor, no hut chap.
80 destitute, but it possesses its vapour hath ;
whither all the family resort every Saturday at the
least, and every day in case of sickness. Lady
Mary Worthy Montague^ in despite of all the
prejudices then prevalent in England against
inoculationj introduced this blessing from
Turkey. And if some other patriotic individual,
of equal influence, would endeavour to establish
throughout Great Britain the use of warm and
vapour bathSf the inconveniences of our climate
might be done away. Perhaps, at a future pe-
riod, donations for public baths may become as
frequent as the voluntary subscriptions whereby
hospitals are maintained ; and a grateful people
may commemorate the service they have ren-
dered to society by annual contributions for their
support. But when we recollect that the illus-
trious Bacon in vain lamented the disuse of baths
among Europeans^ we have little reason to in-
dulge the expectation. At the same time, an
additional testimony to their salutary efiects, in
affording longevity and vigorous health to a*
people otherwise liable to mortal diseases from
their rigorous climate and unwholesome diet,
may conduce towards their introduction. Among
the Antients, baths were public edifices^ imder the
immediate inspection of the Government : they
were considered as institutions founded in abso-

CHAP.
VIIL

190 MOSCOW.

lute necesfidty, and unavoidably due to decency
and to cleanliness. Rome^ under her Emperors,
numbered nearly a thousand such buildings ; and
these, besides their utility, were regarded as
master-pieces of architectural skill and of sump-
tuous decoration. In Russia, they have only
vapour baths ; and these are, for the most part,
in wretched wooden hovels; If wood be defi-
cient, they are formed of mud, or scooped in the
banks of rivers and lakes : but in the palaces of
the nobles, however they may vary in the splen-
dour of their materials, the plan of their con-
struction is always the same.

This universal custom of the bath may be
mentioned as an example of the resemblance be-
tween the Muacatntes and more Oriental people :
but there are many other ; such, for instance, as
the ceremony of howling and tearing the hair at
the death of relatives ; the practice among the
nobles of employing slaves to rub the soles of their
feetf in order to induce sleep ; and the custom
of maintaining buffoons, whose occupation it is
to relate strange and extravagant tales for a
similar purpose.

2|2*N As a conclusion to this chapter, a few words
may be added concerning the state of the Founds
Ung Hospital ; as the Institution of that name in

MO0COW.

Petersburg excites the interest and attention of
all foreigners ; although it be but a branch of the v^
mare magnificent establishment of the same
nature in the east angle of the KJdtay Gorod at
Moscow. Both the one and the other have been
sufficiently described by preceding author8^
Of the latter, it will therefore only be necessary
to add, that, in the space of twenty years, prior to
the year 1786, it had received no less than thirty*
seven thousand six hundred and seven infants.
Of this number, one thousand and twenty had
left the asylum ; and there remained six thou-
sand and eighty at that time^. In 179^9 the
number of children in the house amounted to two
thousand; and about three thousand belonging

(1) Since the foandation of these two establiithments, similar insti-
tntioiif have taken place in other towns of Russia ; such as Tula,
Kaluga^ Jaroslaf, Casan, &c.

(9) Starch's Tableau de Russie, torn. i. p. 321. Upon the great mor-
tality which this statement allows, the author makes the following
judicioiis remarks : '' Si cette note, adopt6e d'aprcs un terivain tr^s-
T^fidiqae sor d'autres points, est ezacte, la perte qae cet ^tablissement
iy6e par la mortalite des enfaus, est sans doute tr^-consid^rable :
fUc le paroltrait beaucoup moins, si Ton examlnait le nombre de
qui sent morts au moment d*y dtre re<;a8, aussi blen qae de ceuz
q^ 7 out port6 le gcrme de lenr destruction. Pour determiner T^tat
(zaet de ki mortality de cette maison, il faudrait savoir le nombre
d*cnfiuis parfaitement sains qui y sont entr6s ; car ceux que Ton porte
i Fhdpital, ansiitdt apr^s quMls ont M baptist, nc peuvent 6trc rcganles
foe eomme det Tictimes deyou^es k la mort : il y aurait done la plus
gfinde injustice & attribuer leur perte a un ^tablissement rcropli
dlianuuiit^, qui enrichit annuellement I'etat d'un nombre toiyours plus-
eODsidfoable de citoyens sains, actifs, et industrieux."

jgg MOSCOW.

CHAP, to the establishment were at nurse in the coun-
try. Every peasant entrusted with the care of
an infant had a monthly allowance of a rouble and
a half. Every month, such of the children as
have been vaccinated are sent into the country,
where they remain until the age of five years.
Before the introduction of vaccination, the mor-
tality was much greater among them than it
is at present, although they were inoculated for
the small-pox\

(1 ) Heber's MS. JoanuJ.

CHAP. IX.

MOSCOW.

Vwt to the Archbishop of Moscow — his Conversa-
tion— Convent o/"Nk:oll na Fbhrera — Fune-
ral of Prince Galitzin — Stalls for Fruit and
Food — Sparrow -Hill — Public Morals — Ban'
queis of the Nobles — Barbarous Etiquette ob-
served at Mvssian Tables—Anecdote of two
English Gentlemen — Precautions to be used in
travelling — Dealers in Virtu — Adventurers and
Swindlers — Immense Wealth of the Nobles —
Condition of the Peasants.

A. cuRiooa contrast to the splendour in which <;iiaf.
we had hitherto heheld Plato, archbishop of ^^^
Moscow, was offered, during a visit we made to viBrttothe
him at the Convent of Nicoll na Perrera, a semi- otMoKou

VOL. 1. O

194 MOSCOW.

CHAP, nary for young priests near the city. We had
v^*v^w^ long wished for an opportunity of conversing
with this remarkable man. He was preceptor
to the Emperor Paul ; and is known to the
. world by his correspondence with Monsieur
^^t of JDutens. Upon our arrival at the convent, we
Perrera. were told he was then walking in a small gar-
den, the care of which constituted his principal
pleasure ; and the employment characterized
the simplicity and the innocence of his life. As
we entered the garden, we found him seated
upon a turf bank, beneath the windows of the
refectory, attended by a bishop, an old man his
vicar, the abb^ of the monastery, and some
other of the monks. We could scarcely believe
our eyes, when they told us it was Plato : for
although we had often seen him in his archiepis-
copal vestments, his rural dress had made such
an alteration, that we did not know him. He
was habited in a striped silk bed-gown, with a
night-cap upon his head like the silk nets com-
monly worn by Italian postillions ; having also
a pair of wooUen stockings upon his legs, the
feet of which were of coarse linen, fastened on
with twine in a most imcouth manner. He was
without shoes, but a pair of yellow slippers lay
at some distance. By his side upon the bank,
was placed his broad-brimmed straw hat, offering
a correct model of the Athenian j^t/eu^, and such

MOSCOW. 195

as the Patriarchfi of the Greek Church have
always worn : the shepherdesses of the Alps
now wear the same kind of hat. In the hat-band
he had placed a bunch of withered flowers. His
white beard, added to the mildness of his ani-
mated countenance, gave to his features a most
pleasing expression. He desired to know who
we were ; and being answered, Englishmen ;
•• What 1** said he, " all Englishmen ? I wonder
what your countrymen can find sufficiently
interesting in Mussia, to bring you so far from
home ; and in such times as these V But having
made this observation in the Frenjch language,
he looked cautiously around him, and began to
ask the monks, severally, whether they under-
stood French. Finding them perfectly ignorant
of that language, he bade us to sit by him ;
while, the rest forming a circle near him, he
entertained us with a conversation, in which
there was enough of science, of wit, and of free-
dom, to astonish any traveller, in such a country,
and at such a period. Memory has scarcely
retained even that part of it which concerned
the manners of his countrymen.

" Well," said he, "you thought me perhaps a
cariosity ; and you find me as naturally disposed
for observation as you could wish" (pointing to
his woollen stockings and his strange dress),

o 2

jog MOSCOW.

CHAP. ** an old man bending with years and infirmi*
ties/* We replied, that on the night of the
Ceremony of the Resurrection^ we had the honour
to see him in his greatest splendour, in the cathe-
dral of the Kremlin. ^^ And what did you think
of that ceremony?" said he. We answered,
that ^^ we considered it as one of the most
solemn we had ever witnessed ; not excepting
even that of the Benediction at Rome;* " — and
interesting ?" added the archbishop. We assured
him that we considered it as highly inter-
esting: at this he burst into a fit of laughter,
holding his sides, and saying, ^' We had lost a
night's rest to attend the ceremony of a religicm
we did not profess, and called it interesting y

We accompanied him round his garden,
admiring the beauty of the situation, and the
serenity of the climate. "But do you,*' said
he, " prefer our climate to your's ?" We told
him, that we had found the Russian climate
severe, but the cold weather in winter not
attended with so much humidity as in England ;
that the atmosphere was clear and dry —
" O yes," said he, " very dry indeed I and it has,
in consequence, dried up all our fruit-trees."

Afterwards, he inquired whither we were
going : and being told to Kuban Tartary and to

MOSCOW. 197

Constantinople^ — "God preserve youl" he ex- chap.
claimed, "what a journey I But nothing is
diflEicolt to Englishmen; they traverse all the
regions of the earth. My hrother," continued
he, "was a traveller, and educated in your
oonntry, at Oxford ; but I have never been any-
where, except at Petersburg and Moscow. I should
have been delighted in travelling, if I had en-
joyed the opportunity ; for books of Travels are
my fiftvourite reading. / have lately readj' and
the significant smile by which the words were
accompanied could not be misunderstood^ " ttie
Voyage of Lord Mojcartney!^ — He laughed, how-
ever, at the result of his brother's education.
" The Englishj*^ said he, " taught him to de-
daim, in their way: he used to preach his
fine flourishing sermons to us JRussians; very
fine sermons I but they were all translated
fit>m the English. Some of your divines write
beautifully, but with inconceivable freedom. It
was once discussed in an English sermon.
Whether a people had power to dethrone their
King." "Your Eminence may say more," said
one of our party; "we had once a prelate,
who, preaching before his Sovereign, felt himself

(1) The Rumant exalted very mach in the failure of Lord Macart-
ne^i embassy to China ; and I believe it is now generally known, that
onr want of success was owing to the prompt manoeuvres of the Court
^Pelenburg, with regard to that country.

IX.

J98 MOSCOW.

CHAP, at liberty to discuss his conduct to his £ace.''
" / twA," said he, " toe had mch a fellow here f
— but, aware of the interpretation which might
be put upon his words, and perhaps not daring
to end with them, he added, after a pause, '* we
would send him to enjoy the full liberty of preach-
ing in the free air of Siberia.'' He was much
amused by a reply he had once received from
an English clergyman, of the factory at Peters-
burg^ whom he had asked if it was his intention
ever to marry. *' If I be fortunate enough to
become a bishop," said the clergyman, '^ I shall
marry some rich citizen's daughter, and live
at' my ease V

He complained much of Dutens^ for having
published his correspondence, without his per-
mission ; saying, he had therein endeavoured to
prove that the Pope was Antichrist; of which he
was fully convinced : but that he much feared
the resentment of the Court of Rome. We told
him, we thought his fears might now subside,
as that Court was no longer formidable to any
one. "Oh,'* said he, "you do not know its
intrigues and artifices : its character resembles
that of the antient Romans ; patient in conceal-
ing malice j prompt to execute it, when oppor-

(1) The Prietti In the Greek Church are allowed to marry ; but not
the Buhops,

IX.

MOSCOW. 199

tanity offers ; and always obtaming its point in chap.
the end/' He then spoke of Voltaire^ and of his
correspondence with the late Empress Cathe-
rine. " There was nothing," said he, ** of which
she was so vain, as of that correspondence.
I never saw her so gay, and in such high spirits,
as when she had to tell me of having received a
letter firom VoltaireJ'

He conducted us to the apartments of the
antient Patriarch, who founded the convent and
who built the church ; these he had endeavoured
to preserve in their pristine state. They con-
sisted of several small 'vaulted Gothic chambers ;
DOW containing the library. We took this oppor-
tunity to ask, if any translation of the Classics
existed in the Sclavonic language, among the
manuscripts dispersed in different libraries of
the Russian monasteries. He answered us in
the negative, and said they had nothing worth
notice until the time of the Patriarch Nicon\
As he was well versed in the Sclavonic^ we ques-
tioned him concerning its relationship to the
Russian. He assured us the two languages
were almost the same ; that the difference was
only a distinction of dialect ; and that neither of

(i> The Patriarch Nican, ao illustrious in the Rossion History, was
of obiciire parents in 1613, and died in 1681. See Leoesque Hist*
* BMS§Uf tome IV, p, 60. 81 . Ilamb. ^* Brutuwiek, 1800.

200 MOSCOW.

9^^^* them bore the slightest resemblance to the Ian-
^*<^^"^ guage of Finland.

In this convent, one hundred and fifty students
are instructed in the Greek and Latin languages,
and in rhetoric. After a certain time, they are
sent to complete their education in other semi-
naries at Moscow. The church is lofty and
spacious : the table for the Sacrament, as in all
other Russian and Greek churches, is kept in
the Sanctuary, behind the altar, where women
are not permitted to enter. The archbishop,
who had visited our English church at Petersburg^
observed that our table was uncovered, except
when the Sacrament was administered ; a degree
of economy which he said he was unable to
explain consistently with the piety and the
liberality of the English nation. What would
have been his sentiments, if he had beheld the
condition of the Communion tables in some of our
country churches I In Russia^ the altar is always
covered with the richest cloth, and generally
with embroidered velvet.

Funeral of On the twcuty- eighth of May^ we again saw
GMtlin. Plato in great pomp, at the burial of Prince
Galitzin in Moscow. This ceremony was per-
formed in a small church near the Mareschal
Bridge, The body was laid in a superb crimson

MOSCOW. 201

coffin, richly embossed with silver, and placed ^^^
beneath the dome of the church. Upon a throne
raised at the head of the coffin, stood the arch-
bishop, who read the service. On each side were
ranged the inferior clergy, clothed, as usual, in the
most costly robes, bearing in their hands wax ta^
pers, and homing incense. This ceremoiliy began
at ten in the morning. Having obtained admis-
sion to the church, we placed ourselves among the
spectators, immediately behind his Eminence.
The chaunting had a solemn and sublime effect :
it seemed as if choristers were placed in the
upper part of the dome ; and this perhaps was
really the case. The words uttered were only
a constant repetition of ^^ Lord have mercy upon
usT or, in RussianS ^^Ghospodi pomilui T When
the archbishop turned to give his benediction to
all the people, he observed us, and added in
Latin, " Pax vobiscum /*' to the astonishment of
the Mwsians ; who not comprehending the new
words introduced into the service, muttered

(1) These Rtusian words are written, in books of goud authority,
" Ghotpodi pomUui /" See Lord WhittoortKs Account of Ru$8ia, p. 49.
Also Univeri. Hitt. vol- XXXV. p. 134. But they seem generally pro-:
noanoed Batepodi pomUa ! The supplication itself was originally de-
rived from the Heathen ritiuU, and, like other parts of our Liturgy,
retains a proof of indulgence granted to the prejudices of the Fathers :
some of whom were attached to the forms used in the Pagan Myste-
ne». Tlins the Friett, before prayer, said Ehx^^HJ^ioOa, <' Let ub pray!'*
And the ILvpu iXcifcrov, " Lord have mercy upon us !" was a pari
of the Pagan Litany. See Arrian* Epict. /. ii. c. 7

202 MOSCOW.

CHAP.

among themselyes. Incense was then ofiered
to the pictures and to the people : and, this cere-
mony ended, the archbishop read aloud a decla-
tion, purporting that the deceased had died in
the true faith ; that he had repented of his errors,
and that his sins were absolved. Then turning
to us, as the paper was placed in the coffin, he
said again in Latin. ^*This is what all you
foreigners call the Passport ; and you relate, in
your books of Travels, that we believe no soul
can go to heaven without it. Now I wish you
to understand what it really is ; and to explain to
your countrymen, upon my authority, that it is
nothing more than a declaration or certificate
concerning the death of the deceased." Then
laughing, he added, ** 1 suppose you commit all
this to paper : and some future day, perhaps, I
shall see an engraving of this ceremony, with
an old archbishop giving a dead man his pass-
port to St. Peter\"

(1) There is a passage in Mr. Heber's Journal very characteristic of
this extraordinary man. Mr. Heber, with his friend Mr, Thomtcnf
paid to him a visit in the Convent of Btfania ; and, in his descriptioii
of the monastery, I find the following account of the Archbishop.
''The space beneath the rocks is occupied by a small chapel, fur-
nished with a stove for winter devotion ; and on the right-hand is a
little narrow cell, containing two coffins ; one of which is empty, and
destined for the present Archbishop ; the other contains the bones of
the Founder of the Monastery, who is regarded as a Saint. The oak
coffin was almost bit to pieces by different persons afflicted with the

tooth-

MOSCOW.

The lid of the coffin being now removed, the
body of the Prince was exposed to view ; and
all the relatives, the servants, the slaves, and
the other attendants, began the ululationj accord-
ing to the custom of the country. Each person,
walking round the corpse, made prostration
before it, and kissed the lips of the deceased.
The venerable figure of an old slave presented
a most affecting spectacle. He threw himself
flat upon the pavement, with a desperate degree

203

tootti-acbe ; for which a rub on this board is a specific. PkUo laughed
at he told us this ; bat said, << As they doU tul bon ccbur, I would not
mrfawrftv them.*' This prelate has been long yery fiunons in RtuHoy
m a mm of ability. His piety has been questioned; but ih>m his
eooTCfsatlon we drew a very favourable idea of him. Some of Ills ex-
prgsiions would have rather surprised a very strict religionist ; but the
franknesa and openness of his manners, and the liberality of his sen-
timents, pleased us highly. His frankness on subjects of politics was
remarkable. The clergy throughout Russia are, I believe, inimical to
their Govemment ; they are more connected with the peasants than
■ost other elasses of men, and are strongly interested in their suffer-
ings and oppressions ; to many of which they themselves are likewise
exposed. Tliey marry very much among the daughters and sisters of
their own order, and form almost a Ctut. I think Buonaparte rather
popular among them. Plato seemed to contemplate bis success as
an inevitable, and not very alarming prospect. He refused to draw
op a Form of Prayer, for the success of the Russian arms. " If,** said
he, ** tkeg be rtaJUy penitent and contritef let them shut up their places
tfpMie amusement for a month, and I will then celebrate pubUc
yntgersr His expressions of dislike to the nobles and wealthy classes
were strong and sing^ular ; as also the manner in which lie described
the power of an Bmperor of Russia, the dangers which surround him,
lad the improbability of any rapid improvement. " It uxmld be much
hetter/* said he,** had we a Constitution like that of England:* Yet I
mtpeet he does not wish particularly well to us, in our war with
Pnnce.** Ueber's MS, Journal.

204 MOSCOW.

ix^ ' of violence, and being quite stunned by the
blow, remained a few seconds insensible : after*
wards, bis loud lamentations were heard; and
we saw him tearing off and scattering his white
hairs. He had, according to the custom in
Rtissia, received his liberty upon the death of
the Prince ; but choosing rather to consign him-
self for the remainder of his days to a convent,
he retired for ever from the world, saying,
" Since his dear old master was dead, there was
no one livmg who cared for him."

A plate was handed about containing boiled
rice and raisins ; a ceremony we were unable to
explain. The face of the deceased was then
covered with linen, and the archbishop poured
consecrated oil, and threw a white powder,
probably lime, several times upon it, pronounc-
ing some words in the Russian language ; these
he afterwards repeated aloud in Latin : " Dust
thou art ; and unto dust thou art returned r The
lid of the coffin was then replaced ; and, after a
requiem, " sweet as from blest voices,** a pro-
cession began from the church to a convent in
the vicinity of the city, where the body was to be
interred. There was nothing solemn in this
part of the ceremony. It began by the slaves
of the deceased on foot, all of whom were in
mourning. After the slaves, followed the priests.

MOSCOW. 206

bearing tapers ; then was borne the body, on a
covnmon drosky^ the whip of the driver being
bound with crape ; afterwards proceeded a line
of carriages, of the miserable order before de-
scribed. But, instead of the slow movement
usually characteristic of funeral processions, the
priests and the people ran as fast as they could,
and the body was jolted along in a very indeco-
rous manner. Far behind the last rumbling
vehicle were seen persons, running, quite out of
breathy and unable to keep up with their compa-

nions ^

(1) To thb account of a Runian Funeral, it may be proper to add a

teeription of a Ru$nan Chrittening, as it was communicated to the

nftor bj a gentleman long resident in Motcow. The ceremony of

BtfiUm is as follows :— As soon as a child is bom, or a few days after-

waids (unless it be too weak), the child is carried to church by the

godikthers and godmothers; where, being met at the door by the

Priest, he signs the child with the sign of the cross in the forehead,

and giTCS it the benediction, saying, *' The Lord preserve thy going

OKf, mul thy coming in ! " They then walk up together to the font,

rmmd the edge of which the priest fastens four lighted wax candles,

ddiToed to him by the sponsors, whom he incenses, and consecrates

the water by dipping the cross into it with a great deal of ceremony :

then begins a procession round the font, being followed by the sponsors

with wax candles in their hands : thus they go about the font three

tines. Tbe procession being oyct, the sponsors give the name of the

diHd to tbe priest, in writing : the priest puts the name upon an image,

wkieh be holds upon the child's breast, and asks, '' Whether the chUd

at Ood the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ? ** The sponsors having

yes, three times, they all turn their backs to the font, as a

sign of their aversion to the three next questions to be asked by the

priest, viz. « Whether the child renounce the Devil ? Whether he re-

his angels'! Whether he renounce his worhs? The sponsors

answer.

206 jfoBoow.

^^^' The stalls of fimit and food in the streets of
Mctcow prore, perhaps, beneficial to the health

Haktar

FrvHuKi of the people; especially to the children^ who
are ill-fed at home. At these plaoest for a few
capeekst which they contrive to coUect» they get

Hmetwpom thegr^tmd^in token of MatefieCaoR. (See pot IL Sect, in
db rlLp. 896. Vote 1. of tliew Tiareli, for Inrdier oUmiatioei span
tlUf tatknt Euteni mode of emr$mgJ) Tben tbey tan flieir fteei to
the font agmto : and being asked by the priett, ** Whether iht^ pn-
wdteio bring upthetMLd m the trwe GreA B^&qkm;^ the emcbm
begtoi: the priest pots his hand upon the cfaiM, and hknrs teee
times, wyfaig these words, " Get out of the ckUd^ them urndsamepba^
and make way for the Hoiy GhoU:'* he then cnts off a loek of the
ehQd's hair, wraps it ap in a piece of wax, and throws it into the font ;
after which the child is stripped quite naked, and the priert takes it
in his arms and plunges it into the water three times, praooandng the
words of the Sacrament," 7 ftc^pfize theem the mane qfthe Faiher,amd
qfthe Son, and of the HolyGhoet."

Immediately after the immersion, he signs it with the sign of the
cross, (asing for that purpose an oil consecrated by a Bishop,) upon tlie
fbrehead, upon the breast, upon tlie shoulders, upon the palms of the
liands, and upon the bade. This is another sacrament, and it is called
the Baptiemal Unction: by yirtne of this, it is supposed the child le-
oeiTes tlie Holy Ghost. Tlie priest haring then put a grain of salt in
its mouth, puts a clean shirt upon it, and says, '< Thau art a» dem onif
Of dear from original iin ae thy ihirtJ* He then hangs about its ne^
a little cross, of gold, silver, or lead, which is strictly prejerred by the
Russians, who deny Christian burial to such as haye not one of these
crosses about them when they die. Tliose who are sponsors for the
child are looked upon as so nearly related, that they are not permit-
ted to intermarry. In cases of necessity, the midwife, or any other
person except the parents, may administer baptism. Baptbm is es-
teemed the most essential point of religion, for they hold the doctrine
of original sin ; and persons, who have been notorious reprobates, are
re-admitted as members of the Church, by repeating their baptism.
There being no Confirmation in this Church, baptism, and biq/tiemal
unction (above mentioned), are administered at the same time.

MOSCOW. 207

a wholesome dinner. I saw them served at the chap.
stalls with plates of hoiled rice, over which was
poured a little honey ; and for each of these they
paid about a penny English. In the spring,
applea are exposed for sale (which the Russians
have a remarkable method of preserving through
the winter, though we could not gam informa-
tiim how this was done), baked pears, salad,
salted cucumbers (which are antiscorbutic, and
esteemed delicious by persons of every rank),
wild berries, boiled rice, qudss^ honey, and
mead* As almost every eatable receives a
formal ben^ction from the priest, before it is
oonsidered fit for use, no Russian will touch any
artide of fi)od until that cereniony has taken
place. A particular church, near the Mareschal
BridgCj is set apart for the benediction of apples ;
and this ceremony does not take place until the
first apple drops from the tree, which is brought
in great form to the priest. A Mohammedan would
sooner eat porky than a Russian would eat uncon--
secrated fruit.

Having observed a very rare Siberian plant,
the " purple-flowered Henbane " (Hyoscyamus
Physaloides)i growing wild in the garden of our
friend and banker, Mr. Doughty ^ we thought the
season sufficiently advanced to go, on the twenty-
ninth of May^ upon a botanical excursion to

rOL

206

<^B^p. Sparrom HiH an emineiice nemr the city, much
celebrated for the view it affords of Moscow and
its environs. The sight is not so pleasing as
the scene beheld firom the Kremlin; it is too
much of a binfs-eye prospect; and. although
it comprehend the whole extent of the city,
with the rivers, and all its vast suburbs, the
magnificence of the edifices is lost in the dis-
tance to which they aq[ipear removed. Upon
this hill one of the former Sovereigns began to
build a palace : the foundations of this, with
vaults and cellars of brick-work, are now in
ruins. From the eminence we perceived the
land round Moscow to be low and swampy,
abounding with pools of stagnant water, and of
course unhealthy. The climate is also danger-
ous, from sudden transitions. The rapidity of
vegetation was here very striking. The English
"Pilewort," or J?anMncu/ti5 ^caria, was already
losing its blossom. Many other later flowers,
by their forward state, gave us notice that it
was time to bid adieu to cities and the
"busy haunts of men," if we wished to behold
Nature in more southern latitudes, before she
became divested of her smiling countenance.

The manner in which the Russian peasants
clothe their legs and feet, throughout the whole
empire, seems, from its simplicity and the mate^

MOSCOW. tgQQ

rials used, to denote a very antient custom. It chap.
prevails, also, all over Laplandj and the northern >,^^v^
territories of Sweden and of Norway. The shoes
are made of the matted bark of trees ; the legs
being covered by bandages of woollen cloth,
bound with thongs of the same materials as the
nndals. These thongs, passing through the
loose texture of the sandal, and afterwards en-
twined about the leg, keep the whole apparatus
together.

We have already mentioned the filthy esta- PabUe
Wishment called an /nn, and dignified by the
tide of UHdtel de Canstantinoplej where we re-
sided'. The master of it had not less than five
hundred persons, as servants, and in other ca-
pacities, employed to assist him. In this list
were included a number of hired prostitutes,
(xmstantly kept, in open stews belonging to the
house, for the use of the numerous guests by
whom it was inhabited.

A swarm of slaves, attendants, hirelings, and Banquets
dependent sycophants, is remarkably charac- bies.
teristic of the great houses in Moscow, The
nobles consider the honour of their families as
being so materially implicated in maintaining a

(l)Doring the reign of the Emperor Paul, this was 4he only tnji
towUdi Ibreigiiers were allowed to resort

VOL. I. P

2^Q MOSCOW.

CHAP, numerous table, that should any one of the sa^
tellites usually surrounding them forsake his
post at dinner, to swell the train of any other
person, the offence is rarely forgiven ; they will
afterwards persecute the deserter, by every
means of revenge within their power. We met
with persons who were victims of their own
affability, in having accepted invitations which
decoyed them from the banquets of their lord*
Similar motives have given rise to the prodigious
hospitality described by travellers. Before the
reign of Paul, a straBger was no Boon^ arriTod
in Moscow^ than the most earnest solicitatiQiiB
were made for his regular attendance at the
table of this or that nobleman. If his visits
were indiscriminate, jealousy and quarrels were
the inevitable consequence. During the reign
of Paul, JEnglishmen were guests likely to in-
volve the host in difficulty and danger ; but,
notwithstanding the risk incurred, it is but jus-
tice to acknowledge, that the nobles felt them-
selves highly gratified by the presence of a
stranger ; and, having requested hiB attendance,
they would close their gates upon his equipage,
lest it should be discerned by the officers of the
police.

The curious spectacle exhibited at their din-
ners has not a parallel in the rest of Europe.

MOSCOW. 21 1

The dishes and the wines correspond in grada- chap.
tion with the rank and condition of the guests, ^-^^v^
Those who sit near the master of the house are mtquetu
suffered to have no connexion with the fare or at^ul^
the tenants at the lower end of the table. In '^**'^^"'
barbarous times we had something of the same
nature in England ; and perhaps the custom is
not even quite extinct in Wales^ or in English
farm-hmueSi where all the family, from the master
to the lowest menial, sit down together. The
choicest viands at a Russian table are carefully
placed at the upper end, and are handed to those
guests stationed near the owner of the mansion,
according to the order in which they sit ; after-
wardst if any thing remain, it is taken gradually
to the rest Thus a degree in precedency makes
all the difference between something and nothing
to eat ; for persons at the bottom of the table
are often compelled to rest ratisfied with an
empty dish. It is the same with regard to the
wines : the best are placed near the top of the
table ; but, in proportion as the guests are
i^moved from the post of honour, the wine
becomes of a worse quality, until at last it dege-
nerates into simple quass. Few things can offer
more repugnance to the feelings of an Englishman^
than the example of a wealthy glutton boasting
of the choice wines he has set before a foreigner
merely out of ostentation, while a number

p 2

MOSCOW.

of brave officers and de^ndents are sitting
by him, to whom he is miable to offer a single
glass. We sometimes essayed a violation of
this barbarous custom, by taking the bottles
placed before us, and filling the glasses of those
below ; but the offer was generally refused,
through fear of giving offence by acceptance;
and it was a mode of conduct which we found
could not be tolerated, even by the most liberal
host Two tureens of soup usually make their
appearance, as we often see them in England;
but if a stranger should ask for that which is at
the bottom of the table, the master of the house
regards him with dismay ; the rest all gaze at
him with wonder ; and when he tastes what he
has obtained, he finds it to be a mess of dirtv
and abominable broth, stationed for persons who
never venture to ask for soup from the upper
end of the table. The number of attendants in
waiting is prodigious. In the house of the
young Count Orlof were not less than five hun-
dred servants ; many being sumptuously clothed,
and many others in rags. It was no unusual
sight to observe behind a chair a fellow in
plumes and gold lace like a Neapolitan running-
footman, and * another by his side looking like a
beggar from the streets.

A droll accident befel two English gentlemen

MOSCOW. 21S

of oonsiderable^ property, who were travelling chap.
for amiisement in the South of Russia. They

men.

were at Nicholaef; and being invited by the Anecdote.
Chief Admiral to dinner, they were placed, as sngUih-
usoal, at the head of the table; where they
were addressed by the well-known title of
Milords Anglois. Tired of this ill-placed distinc-
tioD, they assured the Admiral that they were
not Lords. ^' Allow me then to ask^^* said their
host, ** what is the rank which you possess .^'* The
lowest Russian admitted to an AdmiraVs table
has a certain degree of rank ; all who are in the
service of the Crown being considered as nohle
bj their profession : and, as there is no middle
class of society in the country, but every mem-
ber of it is either a Nobleman or a Slavey there
is no such distinction as that of an independent
Gentleman, neither is the term understood, un-
less there be some specific title annexed to it.
The Englishmen, however, replied, that they had
no other rank than that of English Gentlemen.
" But your titles ? You must have some title r **No,
(said they) we have no title, but that of English
Gentlemen.'* A general silence, and many saga-
dons looks, followed this last declaration. On
the following day they presented themselves
again at the hour of dinner, and were taking
their station as before. To their surprise, they
found that each person present, one after the

214 MOSCOW.

CHAP, other, placed himself above them. One was a
v^v^ General; another a Lieutenant ; a third an JSnngn ;
a fourth a Police-officer ; a fifth an Army Surgeon ;
a sixth a Secretary ; and so on. All this was very
well ; they consoled themselves with the pro-
spect of a snug party at the bottom of the table,
where they would be the farther removed firom
ceremony : but, lo I when the dishes came round,
a first was empty ; a second contained the sauce
without the meat ; a third, the rejected offals of
the whole company ; and at length they were
compelled to make a scanty meal, upon the slice
of black bread before them, and a little dirty
broth from the humble tureen, behind whose
compassionate veil they were happy to hide
their confusion ; at the same time being more
amused than mortified, at an adventure into
which they now saw they had brought them-
selves by their unassuming frankness. Had
either of them said, as was really the case, that
they were in the service of his Britannic Majesty's
Militia, or Members of the Associated Volunteers
of London^ they would never have encountered
so unfavourable a reception.

But more serious difficulties frequently follow

a want of attention to these prejudices, in visit-

^'l^'^^^JJ^^'* ing the interior of Russia, When a poderosnoy^

^lu Travel- qj. order for post-horses, is made out, it will

MOSCOW. 2 1 5

often be recommended to foreigners, and parti- ^xf *
colarly to Mnglishmerij to annex some title to
die simple statement of their names. Without
this, they may be considered, during their jour-
ney, as mere slaves, and will be liable to frequent
insult, delay, and imposition. The precaution
is of such importance, that experienced travellers
have introduced the most ludicrous distinctions
upon these occasions ; and have represented
theraselves as Barons, Brigadiers, Inspectors, and
Professors ; in short, as any thing which may
enable them to pass as freedmen. For example :
^^Mondeur le Capitaine a. b. c. avec le Directeur
D. £• F. et le President 6. h. i. et leurs domestiques
K. L. m/' So necessary is a due regard to these
particulars, that an officer in very high rank in
the service assured us, previous to our leaving
Moscow, that we should find ourselves frequently
embarrassed in our route, because we would not
abttidon the pride of calling ourselves Com.
maners of Ungland ; and we had reason to
r^ret the n^lect with which we treated his
advice, during the whole of our subsequent
travels in the country.

It is at their dinners that strangers have an Deaienin
opportunity of learning what becomes of the
immense wealth of the Russian nobility. He

216 MOSCOW.

CHAP, will see it lavished among foreigners in their
service, upon their tables and equipages, their
dresses, toys, trinkets, jewels, watches, snuff-
boxes, balls, masquerades, private theatres,
dancers, singers, trading antiquaries, and tra-
veiling picture-dealers. This last office is fre-
quently filled by hair-dressers and Italian lackeys.
There is no place in the world where adventurers
reap such harvests as in Moscow. Frizeurs from
Italy or Germany^ having bought up any rubbish
they are able to procure, get some friend to
give them a letter and a name, with which they
arrive in the city. The news is soon buzzed
abroad ; the new comer is sought for; and he must
be indeed a fool if he do not make his journey
answer. We saw a man of this description, a
barber of Vienna^ as a picture-dealer in Moscow^
caressed by the nobles, and invited to^all their
tables, until his stock of pictures was gone, and
then he was no more noticed. He complained
with bitterness to us of the dishonourable chi-
canery of the nobility. Some of them had given
him Pinchbeck instead of gold watches and snuff-
boxes, and paste instead of diamond rings, in
exchange for his pictures. In fact, they had
mutually cheated each other ; the pictures being
of less value than the worst t^mmodities given
for them. Of the two parties, however, the seller

MOSCOW.

217

and the buyers, the barber had ultimately the chap.
losing part of the business. Flushed by his v^-v^
newly-acquired wealth, he set up for an amateur

himself; bought minerals, and gave dinners ;

and ended by returning to Vienna without a sous

in his pocket, to revive his old trade of frizzing

and shaving.

Moscow is, of all places in Europe, the most Adven-
advantageous rendezvous of adventurers and swindien.
swindlers ; consequently, many are found there.
The credulity, the extravagance, and the igno-
rance of the Russian nobles, offer a tempting
harvest to such men. The notorious Semple rose
to great celebrity in Russia ; sometimes in-
fluencing, if not altogether governing, PotemJdn.
He introduced an uniform for the hussars, which
is still worn ; and made alterations, truly judi-
doos in their military discipline.

The wealth of the nobles is really enormous, immenie
We have not in JEngland individuals possess- theNotUt.
ing equal property, whatsoever may be their
rank or situation. Some of the Russian nobles
have seventy and even an hundred thousand
peasants ; their fortunes being estimated by the
number of their peasants, as our West-India mer-
chants reckon their income by the number of conditioii
their hogsheads. These peasants pay them, Peammti.

218 MOSCOW.

c HA P. upon the average, ten roubles annually, in 8pecie\
^^^/^ If the peasant have heen required by his lord

(1) Mr. Hbbbr'b Jowmtd contains po mnch interesting inforniBtioB
concerning the state of the PeatarU* in Rustia, that a copious eztraet
will here be subjoined. While it accompanies the Author's Text, it may
make atonement, by greater accuracy and more fiiTOuraUe statementy
for any error in his representation^ whether statistical or moral. He
is bound, consistently with the promise he made, in the beginning of
this Work, to give his Narratiye as nearly as possible in the state in
which it was written upon the spot.

** We obsenred a striking difference between the petuants of the Crown
and those of indimduaU, The former are almost all in comparatiTely
easy drcumstances. Tlieir Abrock, or rent, is fixed at Hwe nmbUt a
year, all charges included : and as they are sure that it will nerer be
raised, they are more industrious. The peasants belonging to the
nobles hare their dbroek regulated by their means of getting money ;
at an arerage, throughout the empire, of eight or ten roiMes* It tiMn
becomes not a rent for land, but a downright tax on their industiy*
Each male peasant, is obliged, by law, to labour three days In each
week for his proprietor. This law takes effect on his arrlring at the
age of fifteen. If the proprietor chooses to employ him the other
days, he may ; as^ for example, in a manufactory ; but he then finds
him in food and clothing. Mutual advantage, however, generally re-
laxes this law ; and, excepting such as are sdected for domestic ser-
vants, or, as above, are employed in manufactories, the slave pays a
certain abrock, or rent, to be allowed to work all the week on his
own account. The master is bound to Aimish liim with a house and
a certain portion of land. The allotment of land is generally settled
by the Starosta (Elder of the Village) and a meeting of the peasants
themselves. In the same manner, when a master wants an increase of
rent, he sends to the Starosta, who convenes the peoionts; and by this
assembly it is decided what proportion each individual must pay. If
a slave exercise any trade which brings him in more money than agri-
cultural labour, he pays a higher abroch If by Journeys to Petersburg,
or other cities, he can still earn more, his master pennits his ^i^wmi^,
but his abrock is raised : the smallest earnings are subject to his op-
pression. The peasants employed as drivers, at the post-houses, pay
an abroek out of the dHnk^numey they receive, for befasg permitted to

drive;

MOSCOW.

to give him three days of labour during each
week, the annual tax is said to be proportionally

219

CHAP.
IX.

drive ; My odierwiie, the matter might employ them in other leM pro*
fifeible labour, oo his own account. The aged and infirm are provided
with Ibody and raiment, and lodging, at their owner's expense. Sach
•a prefer eaaaal charity to the miserable pittance they receive from
tibdr maater, aie frequently furnished with passports, and allowed to
feek their fortune; but they sometimes pay an abroek even for this
prrmhakm to beg. The number of beggars in Petertburg is very small ;
■■d when one is towadf he is immediately sent back to his owner. In
Moteow, and other towns, they are numerous ; though I think less so
dum ia lamdom. They beg with great modesty, in a low and humMe
tone of Toioe, frequently crossing themselves, and are much less ela-
■orona and importunate than a London beggar.

''The master has the power of correcting his slaves, by blows or
eoaftaement; but if he be guilty of any great cruelty, he is amenable
to the lawa; which are, we are told, executed iu this point with im.
partialitgr. In one of the towers of KhUmgorod^ at Mo$eow, there was
a GoanteM SMHktf ccmflned fbr many years with a most unrelenting
Mretitj, whkh she merited, for cruelty to her slaves. Instances of
baibaiUj are, however, by no means rare. At Kottroma^ the sister of
Mr. Koiehetqff the governor, gave me an instance of a nobleman who
had JTAILBD (if I understood her right) his sbbyant to a cross. The
master was sent to a monastery, and the business hushed up. Domes-
tie senranta, and tliose employed in manofactories, as they are more
exposed to cruelty, so they sometimes revenge themselves in a terrible
aManer. Hie brother of a lady of our acquaintance, who had a great
4istiller7y dlai^ipeaied suddenly, and was pretty easily guessed to have
thrown into a boiling copper by bis slaves. We heard another
tibough not from equally good authority, of a lady, now in
Mmto^f who had been poisoned three several times by her servants.

** 9o slave can quit his village, or his master's family, without a
pawpint. Any person arriying in a town or village, must produce his
to the StarotUk ; and no one can harbour a stranger without one. If
a pvioB be fiNmd dead without a pasq>ort, his body is sent to the hos-
pital for dissection ; of whieh we saw an instance. The punishment
of Bvittg rnnawajs, is imprisonment, and hard labour in the Govem-
woifca; and a master may send to the public workhouse any

peasant

MOSCOW.

^20

CHAP, diminished. But, in despite of all the pretended
regulations made in favour of the peasant, the

peasant he chooBee. The prisons of Moscow and Kostroma were chiefly
filled with such runaway slayes, who were^ for the moat part, in irons.
On the frontier, they often escape; hut in the interior it is almost
impossible : yet, during the summer, desertions are Tery eommon;
and they sometimes luik about for many months, liying miserably in
the woods. This particularly happens when thoe is a new levy of
soldiers. The soldiers are leyied, one from every certain number Of
peasants, at the same time all over the empire. But if a man be dis-
pleased with his slave, he may send him for a soldier at any time he
pleases, and take a receipt from Government ; so that be send one
man less the next levy. He also selects the recruits he sends to Go-
vernment ; with this restriction, that they are young men, free from
disease, have sound teeth, and are five feet two inches high.

*' The Starotta, of whom mention has been so frequently made, is
an officer resembling an antient bailiff of an Englbh village. He is
chosen, we are told, (at least generally,) by the peasants; sometimes
annually, and sometimes for life. He is answerable for the aJbroeks to
the 2ord; decides small disputes among ihepeasantt; gives billets for
quarters to soldiers, or to Government officers, on a Joomey, &e.
Sometimes the proprietor claims the right of appointing the Starosta,

'* A slave can on no pretence be sold out of Russia, nor in Russia ,
to any but a person bom noble, or, if not noble, having the rank of
lAeutenant'Colonel. This rank is not confined to the military ; it may
be obtained by them in civil situations. (Professor Pattas had tlie rank
oi Brigadier,) This law is, however, eluded: as roftiritfrf (plebeians)
frequently purehase slaves for hire, by making use of the name of
some privileged person ; and all nobles have the privilege of letting out
their slaves.

'^ Such is the political situation of the peasant. With regard to his
comforts, or means of supporting existence, I do not think they are
deficient. Their houses are in tolerable repair, moderately roomy, and
well adapted to the habits of the people. They have the air of being
sufficiently fed, and their clothing is warm and snbstantiaL Fbel,
food, and the materials for building, are very cheap ; but clothing Is
dear. In summer they generally wear Nantkin eqftans, one of which
costs thirteen roubles. Their laJbkas (linden-bark sandals) cost nothing,

except

IX.

MOSCOW. ggX

tax he is called upon to pay, or the lahour he <^hap.
is oompelled to hestow, depends only on the
ciqprice or the wants of his tyrant. Lahour is

anept In greftt towns. They wear a bloe Nantkin shirt, trimmed with
rady wlftieh costs two or three roubles ; linen drawers ; and linen or
Iwipiin rags wrapped round their feet and legs, over which the richer
iorl draw theb boots. The sheep-skin ichaub costs eight raublei, bat it

la longtime; as does a lamb-skin cap, which costs three rouMsi.

eommon red cap costs about the same. For a common cloth eqf'
tea, aneh'aa the peasants sometimse wear, we were asked thirty rouhUi.
TsckiUie a Bnssian peasant or a soldier, is, I apprehend, three times as
ctaigaable aa in Bngland. Their clothing, however, is strong, and,
being martn loose, "and wide, lasts longer. It is rare to see a Btuakm
qafta in rags* With regard to the idleness of the lower classes here,
of wUeh we had heard great complaints, it appears, that, where they
have an'latstest in exertion, they by no means want industry, and have
JHttiie same wish for luxuries as other people. Great proprietors,
who nefer raise their abrocka^ such as Count Sheremetof, have very rich
and pfosperoos peasants. The difference we noticed between peasantSf
bdoogliig to the Crown and those of the nobiiiiy has been already men-
tioned. The Crown peatantSy indeed, it is reasonable to suppose, are
mon haf^y; liTiug at their ease, paying a moderate quit-rent, and
choosing their own Starosta. They are, however, more exposed to vexa-
tion and oppression from the petty officers of the Crown.

'* TUs account of the condition of the peasants in Russia is an aJMgi
of the diilferent statements we procured in Moscow^ and chiefly from
Prinee Thsodore NikolaiavUt GalUzin, The levies for the army are
cootideted by the peasants as times of great terror. Baron Bode told
me, they generally keep the levy as secret as possible, till they have fixed
em. and secured a proper number of men. They are generally chained
tin fliey are sworn in : the fore part of the head is then shaved, and
they are thus easily distinguished from other peasants. After this,
desertion is very rare, and very difficult. The distress of one of their
popnlar Dramas, which we saw acted at Yareslof, in the private theatre
of tlie Governor Prince Oalitzin, consisted in a young man being pressed
fer a soldier. In the short reign of Peter II. who, it is well known,
transferred the seat of Government again to Moscow, no man was
pressed for a soldier ; the army was recruited by volunteers ; and slaves
were permitted to enter." Heber^s MS. Journal.

IX.

22:^ MOSCOW.

CHAP, not exacted from males only : women, and child-
ren from the age of ten years and upwards,
are ohliged to perform their equal share. Tithes
are, moreover, demanded of whatever may remain
in their hands; of linen, poultry, eggs, hutter,
pigs, sheep, lamhs, and every product of the
land, or of domestic manual labour. Should a
peasant, by any misfortune, be deprived of the
tribute expected by his lordj he must beg, bor-
row, or steal, to make up the deficiency. Some
of the nobles choose to converse with foreigners
upon the condition of their slaves; and, when
this is the case, not the smallest Veliance can
be placed upon the statement they may make.
The observations of one of their Princes, at his
own table, concerning the superiority of JRussian
to English liberty, will be found in a former
Chapter. The same person deemed it to be
decorous, upon another occasion, and before an
imstiense assembly, to contrast the situation of
English peasants with what might be termed the
happiness of the jRtissian slaves. " There is," said
he, addressing himself to us with an air of
triumph, " more of the reality of slavery in
England than in Russia.** When we requested his
Excellency to explain what he implied by the
" reality of slavery^** he expatiated upon the
miseries of press-gangs ; and pictured the flou-
rishing condition of his own peasants, whom he

MOSCOW. 223

described as having relief in sickness, refuge in chap.
calamityt and in their old age a comfortable s^^v^
asjlnnoL We asked the Prince, if there existed
one^ amcmgst the happiest of his slaves, who
wonld not rejoice to exchange his Russian liberty^
far what he was pleased to term English slavery.

^We had seen the peasants of this very man,

aocmrding to his own pathetic discourse, **in
dckness, in calamity, and in old age;" and it
was wdl known to every person present, that
their ^ relief and refuge " was in death, and
their ** asylum" the grave.

Another nobleman assured us, that the greatest
punJBhment he inflicted upon his slaves (for he
profeesed to have banished all corporeal chas-
tisement) was to give them .their liberty, and
then turn them from his door. Upon further
inquiry, we discovered that his slaves fled from
their fetters, even if there was a certainty of
death before their eyes, rather than remain
beneath his tyranny. Great indeed must be
the degree of oppression which a JRussian will
not endure, who from his cradle crouches to his
oppressor, and has been accustomed to receive
the rod without daring to murmur. Other
nations speak of JRussian indolence; which is
remarkable, as no people are naturally more
lively, or more disposed to employment. We

MOSCOW.

may perhaps assign a cause for their inactivity,
in necessity. Can there exist any inducement
to labour, when it is certain that a ruthless
tjrrant will deprive industry of its hard earn-
ings? The only property a Russian nobleman
allows his peasant to possess, is the food he
cannot or will not eat himself; the bark of
treesS chaff, and other refuse; guass^ water,
and fish oil. If the slave have sufficient inge-
nuity to gain money without his knowledge, it
becomes a dangerous possession; and, when
once discovered, it falls instantly into the hands
of his lord.

A peasant in the village of Celo Molody^ near
Moscow, who had been fortunate enough to
scrape together a little wealth, wished to marry
his daughter to a tradesman of the city, and
offered fifteen thousand roubles for her freedom
— a most unusual price, and a much greater
sum than persons of his class, situate as he
was, will be generally found to possess*. The

(1) '^ A few thouBands of their fellows eat wheaten bread, because
thirty millioDS of sla?es browse on herbs and gnaw birch bariL, on which
they feed, like the beavers, who surpass them in understanding."
Secret Mem* of Court qf Petersburg, p. 268.

(2) This anecdote of a peatant*t wealth, and the example mentioned
in p. 109, seem to prove an incorrectness in the description -given of
the hardships sustained by the lower order of people in Bta$ia ; unless

the

IX.

te Reader be forther informed, that the term PeoMont, as applied to
the population of RumOf does not necessarily imply that part of it who
nepoor. A peatant may be very rich. He may be found In the exer-
OM of a hicratire trade^ or engaged, as a merchant, in commerce ;
yet, as be belongs to the class of slaves, both his wealth and his person
brioog to some particular lard. Sometimes the lords content themseWes
ia neeffing a moiety of the earnings obtained by their slaves ; but Tery
fteqaently they seise all within their power, and hence arises the
■eettiity a rich peasaiU feels of concealing what he may possess. It is
fte sgricnltiiral peasant who sustains constant privation, in the midst
of ipparent wealth.

VOL. I. Q

MOSCOW. 225

tyrant took the ransom ; and then told the fa* ^f ^p-
ther, that both the girl and the money belonged
to him, and therefore she must still continue
among the number of his slaves. What a pic-
ture do these facts afford of the state of Russia !
It is thus that we behold the subjects of a vast
empire stripped of all they possess, and exist-
ing in the most abject servitude ; victims of
tyranny, and of wickedness ; exposed to a more
onprincipled dominion, and to severer priva-
tions, than the most wretched vassals of any
other system of despotism upon earth.

Traversing the provinces south of Moscow^
the land is as the garden of Eden ; a fine soil,
covered with com, and apparently smiling in
plenty : but enter into the cottage of the poor
labourer, who is surrounded by all these riches,
and you find him dying of hunger, or pining

^6 MOSCOW.

CHAP, from bad food« and in want of the common

IX.

necessaries of life. Extensive pastures, covered
with cattle, afford no milk to him. In autumn,
the harvest yields no bread for his children.
A selfish and misdoing lord claims all the pro-
duce. At the end of summer, every rood in
the southern provinces is filled with caravans,
bearing com and aU sorts of provisions, every
produce of labour and of the land, to supply
the nobles of Moscow and Petersburg with the
means of wealth, and the markets of those two
capitals, which, like whirlpools, swallow all that
approaches their vortex, with never-ending
voracity*.

(1) '< A few cities enjoy Uie pleasures of life* and exhibit palaces,
because whole proyinces lie desolate, or contain only wretched hoTels,
in which you would expect to find bears, rather than men.*' Stcrti
Mem, of the Court qf Petersburg, p. 268.

FROif MOSCOW TO WOHOSETZ.

Departure Jront Moscow — Celo Molodoy — Serjm-
chof — Insolence and Extortion — River Oka —
Gri) Zavody—Antient Games — Vast Oriental
Pima — Stale of Travelling — Tula— its Manu-
foxiures — Imperial Fabric of Arms — Present
State of Tula — Economy of Fuel — Iron Mines
• — Road from Tula to Woronetz — Dedilof —
Change of Climate — Boghoroditz — CeloNikitz-
koy — Bolshoy Platy — Effremof^Nlkolagevka
— Celo Petrovskia Palnia — Elctz — Ezvoly—
Zadonetz — Celo Chkhnoy — Sestitzeka — Celo
Staroy Ivotinskog — Woronetz.

At is DOW necessary to take leave of Moscow, chjU

tere we passed some pleasant hours, and

nj others of painful anxiety, exposed to

fult, and to oppression, from the creatures,

Q 2

928

FROM MOSCOW

CHAP, spies, and agents, of the contemptible tyrant
^^v^' who was then upon the Russian throne. Our
situation, and that of every JEnglishmania the
empire, was not better than the condition of
prisoners on their parole. We had been al-
lowed to move about, it is true, but always
under the vigilant eye of a troublesome and
capricious police. We were detained a long
time, before we could learn when we might go,
or by what route we should be allowed to
pass. An escape by the lAvanian frontier was
Bepartnre Utterly impracticable. At last, without any
cow. passport for leaving the country, but encou-
raged by the advice and exertions of our
excellent and friendly ambassador, who secretly
conveyed to us letters from the Governor of
Petersburg to the Governor of Moscow^ and to
General Michelson, Commander-in-chief in the
Crimea^ we determined to set out for that Pen-
insula, by a circuitous route, through the country
of the Don Cossacks ; and, if possible, to visit
the more distant regions of Kuban Tartary and
of Circassia. Having, by means of these letters,
procured the long wished for poderosnoy^ and
placed our carriage again upon its wheels, we
left the city on the evening of the thirty-first of
May^ visiting our banker at his country-seat
near Moscow^ and proceeding that night only
twenty-seven versts, to a place called Molodtzy^

TO WORONETZ. 2^9

the first station. The next day, June the first, ^**^^-
we arriyed at Celo Molodoy. Its inhabitants had
been once in good circumstances, but since
completely ruined by their lord. The tyrant
has a fine house, near the church, which is upon
the left hand in quitting the village. He is the
nuKreant, before mentioned, who refused to a
poor girl her liberty, after accepting the price
of her ransom, when she wished to marry in
Moscow. Between Molodtzy and Ceh Molodoy
we passed through Podolsh, pleasingly situate»
between two hills, upon the river Mockra.
The late Empress conferred upon this place the
name and distinction of a town ; but Paul (in
his determination to do every thing that she
would not have done and to undo all that she
did) made it again a village.

From Ceh Molodoy our journey was performed
with very great expedition, and over good roads,
to Grischinkaj and to Serpuckof : this last place
resembles Newmarket, in situation, appearance,
and surrounding scenery ; and that nothing
might be wanting to awaken the recollection of
our beloved country, the " Mouse-ear Scorpion
Grass*' {Myosotis Scorpioides) ^ with other British
herbs, appeared among the plants then in flower.
Exactly in the spot which, with reference to the
town, corresponds with that of the Race Course

230 ™0^ MOSCOW.

c^p. at Nevnnarketi before descending into Serpuchofj
v>vw there is a church-yard : here, among the graves
and tombs, we saw several of the women of the
country practising a custom which is purely
Oriental ; namely, that of visiting the sepulchres
of friends long buried, bowing their heads to the
ground, touching the graves with their foreheads,
weeping aloud, and uttering short prayers. In
this road the dress of the peasants changes
more frequently than in other parts of RusdoL ;
9nd it is remarkable, that, although the habits
o( the women be so various in the different pro-
vinces, those of the men are the same through-
out the empire.

serpachof. Serpuckof is a handsome little town, upon the
river Nara. It contains a citadel, inclosed by a
strong rampart ; and has a Weywode^ with his
Chancery. In the market we observed some
shops solely appropriated to the sale of Uihkas,
or Russian sandals : these were before described,
as constructed of birch or linden-b^k\ Some

(1) See p. 209. According to Mr. Heber, the Linden^ or Lime-tree,
affords the bark used for these sandals, " This practice of makiog
%hoesoflinden'bark is very destructive to the trees, as a man w3I wear
out twenty or thirty pairs of eandale in a year. The Luue^tree of
which these shoes are made, is a very valuable plant, owing to the
construction of mats from its bark, which form a very oonsidenUe
article of exportation. It is scarce in the western provinces ; but in
the eastern very plentiful ; and it flourishes as high as Archangel."

Heber'e MS. Journal.

TO WORONETZ. 231

authors have asserted that each peasant made chap.
his own. Formerly this might have been the ^•^^>'^^
case ; and perhaps in the interior it is so now.
Such shops, however, prove that the rudest and
the most antient kind of sandal in the world,
which is common to man in a state of nature,
and roaming his primeval forests, is even now
an article of Commerce*.

At every station upon the route there is an J^J*^^
officer, who is called PotcketUionef to superintend ^^'
the post, and to see that travellers are regularly
supplied with horses. Some of these men,
however, will not furnish horses without a bribe,
even when the Imperial order has been produced.
We experienced some delay at Serpuchoff from
a pOTson of this description. Our order directed,
that if horses were not found at the post-house,
the officer on duty should procure others from
the peasants. Being told there were no horses,
the author went into the office, to enforce this
order. As he entered, the Potchetilione com-
manded him to take off his hat: and having
asked for what reason he was to remain bare-
headed in that place; "What, arc you blind,"
exclaimed the snperintendant, in a tone of great
insolence, "that you do not see the Emperor's

(2) See the Vignette to this Chapter.

252 ^^^^ MOSCOW.

CHAP, portrait^ upon the wall? It is a face to make
v^v^^ Englishmen tremble.'* The author endeavoured
to answer him in his own way, saying, "The
Emperor, truly! if he knew how shamefully
you have slandered his countenance by that vile
representation, your head would come off sooner
than my hat." Finding his gasconade had not
succeeded, he caused it to be intimated, that he
wanted a rouble. We could hardly credit what
we heard; and should have been ashamed to
ofier it, if he had not afterwards told us so
himself. Horses now came quick enough, and
half-a>dozen fine speeches into the bargain.

Rim Oktu About a verst firom this town we crossed the
OAo, by a ferry. This river falls into the Volga
at Kolomna. It is a noble piece of water, almost
as broad as the Thames^ and well stocked with
fish. We had been detained so long at Serpuchofj
that evening was coming on when we arrived
upon its banks. Peasants were seated in groupes
around different fibres, singing, and boiling their
fish upon the shore. Innumerable firogs, whose
croaking may be heard to a great distance

(1> C»|4ti of tlw £]irsmom'» Kwtniu fcr vhi^ ace Uie Vl^fnettt to
IW #lm C^a|4«r« wwe MBtfbT order of PArL, to mil public offices of
UVMApirtk S««ieof ^Niiepicnuvs^wrre cheated in a most wretched
muMMT, AQ pevtoMk lM>wrr^« wrr ordeied to ctuid iHireheaded.
W^w tW«i. M if hi tlie dnfctV fwjeacew The iwambU feD pn»-
tmti «ii4 «<At«4 tlMT adMUiMi* ft» Mm tibev BOGH.

TO WOBONETZ. 23J

daring the nigbt, overpowering the melody of ^^^-
nigfatingales m Russia as well as in Denmark^

jcmiedf the loud chorus ; while the moon, full

lod splendid, rose over this line scene.

Upon the south side of the river stood a small
wooden hut : at this our driver desired to stop
finr a little qwus. Having acquired a relish for
tins Scjthian beverage, we followed him into
the hut; but were astonished to find, instead
of quoBSy five or six hogsheads full of brandy ;
and this they were retailing and drawing off, as
our tapsters draw beer. We could not learn
where they found customers for so great a con-
sumption, but supposed they might be derived
Cram the traffic upon the river : yet they assured
us that such brandy-huts were found in every
Tillage, and that all of them were equally well
stocked.

We arrived late the same night at Celo Zavody^ ^ ^^
and waited there until sun-rise. In all the
vilh^es and towns, from Moscow, to Woronetz,
as in other parts of Rtissia, are seen boys, girls,
and sometimes even old men, playing with the
small joint-bones of a sheep. This game is ^nt*«n*
called dibbs by our English peasants. It is of
very remote antiquity ; and it may be observed
beautifully represented upon the Grecian terra-

234 FROM MOSCOW.

CHAP, cotta vases ; particularly upon a fine one be-
longing to the Collection of the late Sir William
Hamiltonj where a female figure appears most
gracefully delineated, kneeling upon one knee,
with her right arm extended, the palm down-
wards, and such small bones ranged along the
back of her hand and arm. She seems in the act
of throwing them up, in order to catch them. In
this manner the Russians play the Game. But
they have another method, corresponding with
our game of marblesj and which probably afforded
the origin both of marbles and of nine-pins : it
consists in placing several larger bones, in a
row, upon the ground ; a contest ensuing, who
shall beat them all down with another bone
from a given distance, in the smallest number
of throws.

It is a pleasing sight to see the young vil-
lagers return in the evening from their labour.
They move slowly up the village, with flowers
in their hats, singing a kind of hymn. In these
carols, each person bears a separate part ; and
by the exactness of the Russians in observing
time and tune, the effect is very fine. Vege-
tation had been rapid, in the short interval of
our journey from Moscow ; but in the garlands
of the peasants, and among the plants found
near the road, we observed only the earliest

TO WORONETZ. 235

flowers, and there were none worthy of a par- chap.
ticttlar notice. The whdie territory, whether v^v^
to the south of Moscow^ or in any other direc-
tkm, is flat The CTeat Oriental plain ext^ids vastorien-

. tal Plain.

fifom that city even to TohoUky in Siberia^ and
throughout all the southern provinces ; appear-
ing generally destitute of wood, and being always
without inclosures.

In a narrative of travels through JRussia, there sute of
18 no reason to fear any account of adventures ^ ^*
9lt inns. Except in large towns, such houses
are never seen ; and even there they are abo-
minable. Better accommodation may be had
in the form-houses of Lapland peasants, than in
Russian inns. In the latter, the rooms consist
of bare walls, filthy beyond description, desti-
tute of any article of furniture. Sometimes
these houses are kept by foreigners; and, in
this case, the evil is not mended; because,
although a little old furniture be then intro-
duced, it is always dirty, and affords a recep-
tacle for every kind of vermin. A person who
wishes to traverse Russia^ must consider it as
Antient Scythia; being provided with every
thing he may require. If he can endure fatigue
with little sleep, and live constantly covered with
dust, exposed to a scorching sun ; or to severe
frost, with a couch of snow to lie upon» beneath

236 TULA.

CHAP, the canopy of heaven ; he may travel m a
'^v^^ kkabitkoj which is the hest of all means of con-
veyance. If not, he must, according to the
method recommended in the First Chapter, have
a dormetise in his carriage, which should be made
low, and with very wide axle-trees. .In this
manner his journey will not be quite so expe-
ditious as in a lighter machine ; but he will
always be able to proceed at the rate of a hun-
dred versts in a dav. If he can smoke tobacco,
the fumes of it. used moderately, may preserve
him from dangerous infection ; repel vermin ; and,
by their narcotic power, acting as a stimulant,
may promote the digestion of bad food. This
practice also, during long fasting, upon chilling
lakes and marshes, and amidst unwholesome air,
has been found both solacing and salutary.

Tula. The next day, June the thirds we passed
through Vaszany and Celo Volotia, to Tula,
capital of the government of the same name,
and the Sheffield of JRussia. Near the town we
found the Lathrcea squamaria; a plant which the
peasants boil in milk, as a remedy for disordered
bowels, and a disease called sickness of heart ;
but the specimens were difficult to preserve,
owing to their succulent nature.

Fot some time, before we reached Tula^ it

TULA. 237

exhibited a considerable appearance. A very c^p.
handsome church, with white columns, appeared ^-^^^^
above the town, which occupies an extensive
Tale, and is filled with spires and domes. The
^trance, both on its northern and southern
side, is through triumphal arches, made of
wood, painted to imitate marble. In former
times, Tula was a dangerous place to visit ; the
inhabitants frequently pillaging travellers in the
pablic streets. Now, it is the great mart of ManafiM*-

tores tL%

hardware for the whole empire ; containing a Tula.
manufactory of arms, all sorts of cutlery, and
other works in polished steel. As soon as you
arrive at the inn, a number of persons crowd
the room, each bearing a sack filled with trin-
kets, knives, inkstands, incense-pots, silk-reels,
scissars and corkscrews. Their work is showy,
but very bad, and will not bear the smallest
comparison with our English wares: it is a
sufficient proof of the superiority of English
workmanship, that they stamp all their goods
with the names of English towns and English
artificers, imitating even the marks of the
Sheffield manufacturers, and adopting all their
models. The wares hawked about are made
daring holidays and hours of leisure ; these the
workmen are permitted to sell to strangers, as
their own perquisites. They are able to fabri-
cate any thing, but they finish nothing. Some

T0LA.

of the workmen were purposely sent to England
by the late Empress, who neglected no measure
conduciye to the improvement of liie msEnu-
&ctory. We asked those who had worked in
our country, why their wares were so badly
&iished. They replied, they could finish them
better, but were not able to bestow the neces-
sary thne ; for as every article is the produce eS
the labour of a single person^ the high price
such additional labour must require would never
be obtained. The best work we saw was in a
manufactory of barometers, thermometers, and
mathematics instruments, but here the artificer
was a Grerman, who had been instructed under
EngJkh masters in Petersburg. The late Empress
bought up almost all the work which her English
workmen completed. To encourage them, she
ordered spectacles by the gross, and affcerwards
distributed them in presents. In her palaces^
thermometers were placed in every window:
and, as they were perpetually broken by the
servants, her workmen, in providing a fresh
supply, had .sufficient demands to keep them
constantly at work.

aperiai A letter to one of the principal persons in tlie

ibrie of

™«- Imperial manufactory enabled us to see the whole
of it They exhibited to us a splendid collec-
tion of guns, swords, pistols, &c. designed as

TULA.

239

presents from the inhabitants of Tula to each chap.
member of the Royal family, upon Paul's ac-
oession to the throne. These offerings were,
however, refused by the jEmperar, upon some
pretext of dissatisfaction experienced by him
fifom the people of the place. The true cause
however^ was known to be his steady determi-
nation of oppressing and insulting every indi-
ndualy or class of individuals, patronized by
his mother. Whatsoever « might cast odium
upon her memory ; whatsoever might sully the
lustre of her fame ; by interrupting the progress
of her plans for public improvement ; by dis-
missing her statesmen and her officers ; by
poisoning the sources whence she dispensed
happiness amongst her people ; by overthrowing
her establishments ; by blighting the tender but
thriving shoots of science and of the arts, which
she had planted ; by converting good to evil, and
joy to grief ; was the hourly occupation of her
unnatural son. In the few years of his frantic
tyranny (for every one saw, that of his govern-
ment there would be a speedy termination) he
proved a greater scourge to Russia than can be
counterbalanced by another long, and glorious
career, like that of Catherine, distinguished by
wisdom and power and conquest and beneficence^

(1) Soch waty at leatt, the character of her public adminlBtration.
Her prirate ? ices were those of the people oyer whom she reigned.

The

240 TULA.

ciup. Already every trace of her brilliant reign had
disappeared. The Russians^ on the acces-
sion of Pauj^ fell back into the barbarism
which characterized the empire before the age
of their First Peter. The polished nations of
Europe will be surprised to learn, that inmiortal
as the name of Catherine appears in their
annals, it was almost forgotten in Russia within
four years after her death : it remained among
the number of privations enjoined by the long
list of public proscriptions, and was heard only
in the howling of the wind that drifted the
snows of Siberia. At the same time, her
favourites were displaced ; her ministers re-
jected ; her officers dismissed ; her monuments
overthrown : even the verst-postSf which bore
some marks of her taste, were demolished ;
and near to their ruins stood a series of wooden
Harlequinades^ chequered to suit the foolish
fancy of the Imperial ideot upon the throne.

The Reader will find them strikingly ponrtrayed in the ^'Secret
Memoirs of the Court of Peterthurg,** a work attributed to the
Count De Segur, Yet, who shall relate the butcheries of the Orlqft,
the Pasneks, and BttratiruJdei, of Russia? All that Shakspeare has
fabled of the cruelties of Richabd the Third seem to have been
realized under the reign of Oath erikb; whether with or without her
connivance, has not been ascertained. The "quick conveyance ** of
her huOtandf of the HoUtein Ouards, of Prince Ivan, might be the
woric of her fawmriiee : but can we belieye that Alexius Orlqf was
alone implicated in thefiite of the innocent daughter of the Bmpress

EUEABBTB ?

TULA. 241

Tula^ in its present condition, is not likely to chap.
prove of any advantage to the empire ; because

the inhabitants are unable to raise a sufficient ^^^
quantity of water for the works. The machinery '^"'^•
is ill constructed, and it is worse preserved.
Every thing seemed to be out of order. Work-
men, with long beards, stood staring at each
other, not knowing what to do ; while their
intendants and directors were either intoxicated
or asleep. Notwithstanding all this, they boasted
of being able to send out of the manufactory,
m the common course of business, without any
particular order from Government, thirteen
hundred muskets in a week. But then the name
muiet is almost all that connects the sham
appearance with the real weapon. It is won-
derful how any troops can use them : besides
being clumsy and heavy, they miss fire five
times out of six, and are also liable to burst
whenever they are discharged.

The streets of Tula are paved ; its shops and
public places cause an appearance of activity
and of industry, in despite of the neglect shewn
to the public works. The number of merchants,
including shopkeepers, is estimated at four
thousand ; and of this number some are very rich.
Its commerce, independently of the hardware
manufactory, consists in European merchandize,

VOL. I. R

242 TULA-

CHAP, in Greek wines, and in other productions
^^pv^^ of Turkey. The Imperial manufactory of arms
employed six thousand workmen ; and the num-
ber of inhabitants was stated at thirty thousand.
The town stands in a pleasing valley, on the
borders of the river Upa. There are few woods
in the neighbourhood, yet they produce suffi-
cient fuel for the consumption of the place.

Economy This may be attributed to the very great eco-
nomy introduced by the use of stoves ; for the
heating of which, a few billets, kindled early
in the morning, suffice ; an equal warmth being
afterwards di£Pused, during the whole of the day
and following night. If they be properly con-
structed, there is no method of heating apart-
ments attended with so little expense and so
many conveniences. In England^ stoves are
generally made of cast iron ; these are not merely
unwholesome, but, in small rooms, they are
very dangerous. Why the Russian and Swedish
stoves have not become common in our country,
where every article of fuel is so amazingly
expensive, may be explained by those who
prefer more costly, and perhaps more cheerful,
hearths. The generality of houses in Tula are
of wood ; but the number of dwellings built
with stone is considerable, and it increases
daily. Many new buildings affi)rded proof of
an increasing population. We observed women

TULA. 243

employed in repairing the pavement of the chap.
streets, which is kept in good order. The dres3 v^^>rw
of the young females displays their persons to
advantage. A white shift covers the arms and
body in front, and is fastened hehind with tape.
It is drawn tight over the breast, and there
held bv a small button.

The iron mines in the neighbourhood of this ironMines.
place are very considerable: they occupy an
extent of more than ten miles, in a country
somewhat hilly, covered by thick woods. The
whole of the soil around them is impregnated
with iron, but the richest ore is found towards
the west It lies scarcely concealed by a
superincumbent surface, not more than fourteen
inches thick, consisting of sand mixed with
mould, and sometimes of sand alone. From
these mines the celebrated forges of Demidof^
distant thirty-eight miles from Tula^ derive
their ore.

As soon as we left Tula^ we quitted the main Road from
road from Moscow to Chersoriy and turned off due woronetz,
south, towards Woronetz, After ascending the
heights above Tula, we were carried into a wide
and desolate plain, covered only by a thin sod,
cm which herds of cattle were grazing. This
deviation was not made, on our part, without

244 TULA.

CHAP, apprehension. We tiad reason to fear that un-
known roads might not suit a carriage ill-con-
structed for an adventurous journey ; being lofty,
with narrow axle-trees, and more calculated for
cities than deserts. To our great satisfaction,
however, and for the comfort and assurance of
othdr travellers who may choose to follow our
route, the whole distance to Wonmetz may be
passed over like a bowling-green, and the
lightest vehicle would be exposed to no hazard oi
injury. This vast plain afforded us the finest road
in the world, not excepting even those of Sweden^
being all the way a firm hard turf, exactly re-
sembling that which covers the South Downs in
Stissexy and with the additional advantage of
being for the most part level, extending like an
ocean, in which the eye discerns no object to
interrupt the uniformity of the view. Over the
first part of the journey from TuUij small copses,
in patches, might be distinguished ; and in these
we noticed some dwarf oaks, the first seen since
we entered Russia from the Swedish frontier;
excepting a single tree in a garden at Moscow^
shewn there as a rare plant, and cut into a
barbarous form, like the yew-trees in old-
fashioned English shrubberies ^ Among those

(1) The practice of cutting erergreens so ai to resemble the shape
of animals is as old as the time of the Younger PHnif, and probably

mocb

TULA. ^ 245

copKS we found the PotentUla Anserina^ which cuaf.
we had also seen at Tula ; the Asperula odorata ;
and a species of Geum that appeared new to us.

The view of Tula from the elevated plafai
above it, over which the road passes towards
Woranetz, is very fine. There is not a more
pleasing prospect in Russia. The town itself, with
its numerous white buildings, domes, towers, and
rising spires, is a noble object. Trees appeared
Blurting the suburban downs, and spreading
here and there into the valley, while cattle were
gTazing in the surrounding pastures. At the
same time, our ears were greeted with the cheer-
ful sounds of industry issuing from difierent
manufactures ; with the ringing of bells ; the
lowing of the herds ; and a loud chorus of pea-
sants, singing their national airs, who accompanied
their voices, either with the clapping of hands,
or with the wild notes of rustic pipes, constructed
ci the same materials as the sandals on their feet*.
Numerous caravans were moreover passing from
ihe Ukraine and from the Don ; and the whole of
this lively scene exhibited so striking a contrast
to what we had long been accustomed to witness

lo one of his Letters to ApoUinaris (lib. 5. ep. 6J be
foeh ornaments of his Villa in Ttucany.
(f) See tte YigfutU to Chapter IX.

^g FROM TULA.

CHAP, in the frigid regions of the Norths that we seemed
suddenly transported to a different zone.

The rapture, however, ^was not of long duration.
It is impossible to imagine a place more mise-
rable that the town or village of Dediloft the
first place of relay, distant only twenty ^ miles
from Tula. It consisted of several timber huts,
coarsely thatched with straw. The interstices
of the trunks of trees, which, lying horizontally,
formed the walls of the huts, were filled with
mud. Dedilofstonds in a wide and open district ;
one half of it being upon the top, and the other
half near the bottom, of a hill. At first sight, it
appears like a number of dunghills, or heaps
of straw i and it is only by a very near approach
that the traveller can be convinced of its being
the residence of human beings ; much less that
it should figure in the Russian maps as a town.
It is from seeing such places that we may con-
ceive what sort of cities and towns afford the
names which we find in the Russian Atlas, so
profusely scattered over the eastern provinces
of the empire *. The wretched state of Dedilof

(l^Tliirty ver8t$,

(*2) " Several of these towns are even nothing more than so many
ttakes driven into the ground, containing their namey and delineating
their iUe; yet they figure in the map aa if they were the capitals of so
many provinces.'' Secret Mem. of the Court of Petersburg, p, S3.

TO WORONETZ.

musty perhaps, be attributed to causes which
may desolate the fairest cities of the world. It
has experienced calamities, both of fire and
water ; and has been so often reduced to ashes,
that its inhabitants dread even the sight of a
tobaoco-pipe. Seeing the author kindling his
pipe, the Starosta of the place came to him, to
request that he would not use it, especially in
the open air, as a casual spark might agam in-
Tolve the inhabitants in flames. Near to the
upper part of the village is an immense pool
filled with water, which was formerly land,
and covered with houses. Suddenly, subterra-
neoos waters, penetrating the soil, rendered it
80 loose, that the ground, with all the houses,
m one night gave way, and the place was trans-
formed into a small lake. As the whole district
is swampy, rendering the soil naturally loose
and spungy, and water is found immediately
below the surface, there is reason to apprehend,
sooner or later, that all the land about it will
experience the same alteration. This is rendered
the more probable by an event which occurred
a few years ago. At a small distance from this
pool, or lake, is another, caused by a similar
catastrophe. The inhabitants of Dedilofaxe pea-
sants, living in the greatest poverty : their sole
occupation is tillage.

247

248 PROM TULA

CHAP. We were now traversing the southern latitade

of our beloved country, and in a direct line
climSe?^ towards the south. As we drew nigh to WaranetZf
we observed many of our English indigenous
plants ; the large thistle^ the Jnlk-weed^ dandelion^
ivhite cloveVf wood-strawherry^ plantain^ and the
dock-weed. Sudden and loud thunder-storms,
with hail and rain, majestic rolling clouds, pass-
ing gusts of wind, and transitory sun-beams,
reminded us of an English spring. Such acci-
dental resemblances are by no means, however,
the necessary accompaniments of a similarity in
latitude. Naples and Constantinople are nearly
on the same parallel of latitude ; but the climate
of the latter is by many degrees the colder of the
two. The mild aspect of the Plain of Woronetz
may be attributed to the want of forests ; the
removal of which, in all countries, raises the
temperature of the climate. A well-known
passage in Horace describes the mountain
SoRACTE as being white with deep snow^j but
the climate of Italy is now so altered, that such
a sight is perhaps never observed.

Boghoro- The next day, June the Jif thy we passed through

dits.

(1} ** Videt, ut alta stet niye eandidom

SoRACTB." Horat. Lib. /. Ode 0. r. 1.

TO woaoNSTz. 249

the town of JBogharoditz. On an eminence above
this place, Bohrinsky^ son of the late Empress, by
Orlof^ has a magnificent seat, with an estate of
the finest com land in Russia^ covering an extent
of sixteen square miles, and containing, as it is
reported, seventy thousand peasants. Here,
over an extensive tract of land, nothing is seen
bat com. It is the richest country in the em-
pire. The roads are so excellent, that the
vraggons of the peasants, although laden with
stones, pass and repass upon wooden wheels
without any iron tires.

It is uncertain when the little town of Bogho-
roditz was built. The inhabitants began to hold
their archives, under the Tsar Feodor Alexo-
vrrz. The shopkeepers, the StreltzU and the a- ^ i^w.
PuscharU with about one hundred invalid sol-
diers, have composed, since that time, its inha-
bitants. The culture of the land is their sole
resource, and the fertility of the soil has rendered
it remarkably productive. It is said, that the
peasants here have even a small superfluity of
the produce for sale, which they carry to Kaluga
and to Tula. This place also afibrds plenty of
honey to those towns.

From Boghoroditz we crossed boundless plains ceio ni-
without a single inclosure, until we came to

250

FROM TULA

Celo Nikitskoy. The country around this place
has, of late years, been much cultivatecL For-
merly it resembled the rest of those deserts
which the Russians call steppes^ so frequent south
of Woronetz. The soil here, notwithstanding its
recent desolate condition, consisted of nearly
two feet of good black vegetable earth, lying
upon marl. The plants we observed in flower
on this day (June fifth) are all known in England;
the Birds-foot Trefoil^ the Purple Mountain Milk
Vetchy the Germander^ theGlobe F lower ^ and the
Wood Anemone. Nikitskoy was once in a low
and swampy spot, and exceedingly unwhole-
some; but the inhabitants moved their village
to the more elevated situation it now holds ;
and being too lazy to use the materials of the
houses they had abandoned for their new settle-
ment, it was deemed expedient to set them on
fire. The flames, communicating to the peat,
whereof there is abundance near the place,
continued burning for six months with great
vehemence, in despite of all the eflfbrts made to
extinguish them. The inhabitants now suffer
greatly, owing to a scarcity of fuel ; yet they
make no endeavour to collect the peat, and to
dry it for their hearths. We saw here a curious
funeral ceremony. The lid of the coflSn, formed
of one entire piece of wood scooped like a canoe,
was not put on till the deceased was laid in his

TO WORONETZ. 251

grave. They buried him in all his wearing chap.
apparel ; even with the labkas on his feet (which .^^v^^
were before described). Mead was carried to
the grave, to be drunk there, in a bowl with a
number of small wax bougies stuck around the
rim. The women kept up a kind of musical
ululation; howling their loud lamentations in
strains truly dolorous\ The rest of the atten-
dants, instead of joining in the dirge, or in the
other ceremonial rites, were occupied in crossing
themselves, and in prostrations towards the east,
bowing their heads until they touched with their
foreheads the other graves near to the place
of interment. The lid of the coffin was borne
firsts covered with linen cloth ; after this fol-
lowed the lower part, containing the body ; so
that it seemed as if two coffins were carried to
one grave.

We journeyed hence to BoUhoy Platy. Soon pokhoy
after passing this last village, we observed,
towards our left, the novel and pleasing appear-
ance of a fine wood : here we found that beauti-
fiil plant the Convallaria multiflora in full bloom,
near six feet in height, and flourishing luxuri-
antly. Afterwards we came to JSffremof; written Effremof.

(I) Hamer'M account of the dirges sung by xcomen at the funeral of
Hector proves the antiquity of tliis custom.

252 ^ROM TULA

CHAP, improperly leremow, in the Berlin edition of the
v^v^ great Map of Russia. It is a small insignificant
town, upon a high hill ; at the foot of which
flows a river foiling into the Don, written MeUchOf
and Meczaj but pronounced Mecha; or Miha^ to
mark the aspirate more strongly. In a country
so uniform as that we were now traversing, much
interesting information cannot be expected.
The nature of the soil, its produce, the manqjBrs
and the dresses of the people, afibrd but few
remarks, and these are unimportant. Sterne
has humorously observed, that nothing puts a
writer of Travels to so much difficulty as the
sending him over an extensive plain. To
journey many leagues, and say nothing, might
seem like inattention ; but to write observations
of no moment, is less pardonable than any
omission.

jllkfL*" We came to a place which it would be difficult

to express by any rule of orthography that
might convey an idea of the Russian mode of
pron^mciation^ Afterwards, leaving the govern-
ment of Tula^ we entered that of Orlof as we
were informed ; but in the Berlin Map it is laid

(1) It may be written Nicolcaiewha. : then, if the if be pronounced as
our y, and the to as an/, it becomes Nicolayefka, and this is perhaps
near the mark.

TO WORONETZ. 253

down as the government of Orel. The female chap.
costume here is very singular. The caps of the ,^^n^
women are triangular, having the vertex of the
triangle in front; so that the hase extends
behind, like two horns, which gives them a droll
appearance: they wear also a frock which
barely reaches to their knees. In their ears
they have large hoop rings, net unlike those
htaly worn by ladies in London and Paris.
They had also pendants of pieces of metal at-
tached to a handkerchief or cap, which covered
the back part of their head.

Proceeding: towards Ceh Petrovskia Palniaj we Ceio Pe-

. . . troTskia

were much surprised by a spectacle similar to Painia.
one that Bruce witnessed in Africa. We observed,
at a considerable distance, vertical columns
of sand, reaching, as it appeared, from the earth
to the clouds, and moving with amazing rapidity
along the horizon. Our servant, a Greek, and
a native of Constantinople^ related an instance of
I child in the Ukraine^ who was taken up by
one of such tornadoes, and, after being whirled
by it, had every limb broken in its fall. He
affirmed that he was an eye-witness of this extra-
ordinary accident. Passing this village, we
afterwards arrived at EletZj or leletzj a large Eiets.
paved town of considerable extent, situate be-
tween the river whence its name has been

254 FBOMTIILA

CBAF. derired, and the Sossna. This place was en-
tirely destroyed hj fire in 1745, and since
rebuilt. It stands upon a lofty and steep hill,
and maintains a considerable commerce in
cattle and in com. Agriculture here is in a very
flourishing state, and the environs abound
with wood. The inhabitants consist of mer-
chants, artisans, Puschari and StreltzL Its
merchandize is derivM from Moscow and from
the Ukraine ; and it carries on a great internal
trade, in the sale of honey and leather to the
people of the town and neighbourhood. The
number of persons belonging to the Crown^ pay-
ing tribute, amounts to two thousand three
hundred and twenty-three. We observed seve-
nl forges at work ; and found that the number
of smiths, and other artificers in iron alone,
equalled two hundred. JEletz is renowned for
the celebrity of its forges. Part of the iron is
derived from a mine near the village of Visnist-
denez; the whole district around which place,
for several versts in extent, exhibits sl ferruginous
soil. Peasants raise the surface with spades,
until they reach the ore ; but as the superficies
forming the roof of the viine consists of clay and
sand, the sides of the apertures they make are
very liable to fall : therefore they form the
opening so narrow, that the work is carried on
with diflficulty ; the operation being entirely in

TO WORONETZ. 255

shafts, without any level, or even inclined plane, c^ap.
There are also in the vicinity of Udginoy upon
die eastern hanks of the Don, mines of iron which
are now worked ; but as they have hitherto
neglected the analysis of their ores^ and, instead
of making any selection, mix the whole together
without the smallest attention to quality, the
metal turns out to be brittle, defective, and
altogether bad. In the forges of Tula^ where
more caution is used in this respect, the iron is
rf a very superior nature.

In the streets of Eletz we observed large
heaps of stone, for the purpose of building,
whereof the substance was porous, and per-
forated in all directions by a deposit of marine
animals. It resembled the kind of limestone
found on the banks of the Moscva^ but was more
marked by impressions of organized bodies.
Visiting the high banks of the river near the
town, we found large masses of a similar deposit,
lying in regular strata\ Hereafter we shall
take occasion to shew, that such appearances
may be observed in all the great Oriental Plain,
mdined from the Aral, the Caspian, and the Sea

(1) We fimnd here the Veronica Serpyll\folia, a Cineraria^ which we
beUercd to be the SiHrica ; and a new species of Oypsaphila, grow-
iif with Oeym Bivale and Ranunculus Auricomui.

of Azof J towards the Black Sea ; authentic monu-
ments of a vast ocean, once covering the whole
of Tahtary, whose diminished waters are still
effecting a further retreat, by the channels of
Constantinople and the Dardanelles.

A musical instrument, more common among
antient than modem nations, amused us in the
streets of JEletz : it consisted of two reeds^ put
together into the mouth. The performer was a
blacksmith's boy, who played several tunes.
The reeds were each about six inches in length,
and not thicker than a quilL Such were the tibus
used in processions, as represented upon antient
bas-relief Sy in the fresco paintings of HercuUmeum
and Pompeiij and upon terra-cotta vases found
in Grecian tombs.

From JEletz we continued our journey, through
Zadonetz. the village of JSzvolyj to Zadonetz. In all this
route we were continually met by caravans from
the Don, the Crimea, and other parts of the
South of Russia. These caravans formed a train
of waggons, thirty or forty in number, laden with
dried fishy brandy^ wooly corny &c. Sometimes they
consisted of cattle only ; cows of an ash colour,
horses J goats ^ sheep j and hogs^ all moving in the
same promiscuous herd, accompanied by Mala-
Iiu3sianSy Cossacks^ and by other inhabitants of

TO WORONETZ. 257

Malo-Rus8ia and the Ukraine. At a short ciup*

from ZadonetZs we crossed the Don hy
a ferry« This river exhibited a broad, clear,
and rapid current. The town stands upon a hill
above it, and originally formed one of a line of
forts, erected from this place to Zaritzin, to pre-
vent the incursions of the Tahtars and CossacAs.
It has now a superintendant, or Gorodnitch ; and
appears, like the other towns through which we
passed, to be in a thriving condition. In all of
them new houses were building, and the appear-
ance of activity promised improvement.

From Zadonetz, our journey conducted us
through the sweetest country imaginable, co-
vered with woods full of flowers, fruit-trees,
and a number of plants, plainly indicating an
approach to warmer climates. Apple and other
fruit trees sprouted wild, among young oaks, and
other vegetable productions not found nearer
to the North Pole. The modern name of the
Tanais wHl perhaps not meet the Reader's atten-
tion so readily, in the compound word Zadonetz^
as if written Zadonsk ; in which manner it appears
in the best maps. We have imitated the mode
of pronunciation as nearly as possible. Donetz
and Donsk are both names of the Don. Farther
to the south, and nearer to the mouths of the
river, an appellation given to a tributary stream

VOL, I. s

258 raOM TTLA

CHIP, is 9ometime8 Danaetz or DanaetB, asnd Tdimaets;
K^^r^ hence the transition to Tancas is not Tery eqni'
vocal ; nor can much dooht be entertained
concerning the origin of the appellation bestowed
by the Antients upon the river. In what a
variety of languages has this word Don, with
its roots and ramifications, been used to signify
a river, a lake, or cities near the mouths of
rivers! 2>(m, Donets^ Dun, Den^Danj DanaUy Tan,
Taney Ain^ An, En, &c. &c. Thus we have
Jordan ; Tarns j a name of Sais, on the Nile ;
Tan y bwlchy in Wales ; Z>a7mbe ; T^mes ;
Ain^ and Colerain, in the north of Ireland;
£{/en, in the same country ; Tyne ; and many
others.

^ As we advanced through Celo Chlehnoy, we

beheld, at a distance upon our right hand, the
Don, rolling in a very majestic and devious
course, while the full moon cast her light upon
its waters. We halted for the night at a place

Bejtuzevka called Bestuzevka, almost a solitary hut in the
midst of wide plains ; and we were somewhat
struck by the singular manner in which a pea-
sant cautioned us not to sleep there, but by all
means to proceed another stage. Trifling
circumstances of this kind often excite the
suspicious fear of travellers ; and in this lonely
situation wc were puzzled by conjectures.

TO woaoKETz. 269

whether an attempt were made to lead us into, chap.
or ont of, a snare : it ended, however, like many w^-v-^^/
such adventures, in nothing.

The nextmorning, June the seventh^ we travelled
very expeditiously through Celo Staroy Ivotinskoyj
to the town of Woronetz, situate upon a river Woronet*.
of the same name, near to the spot where it falls
into the Don.

s 2

FBOM WORONETZ, TO THE TERRITORY OP THE DOX
COSSACKS.

Present state of Woronetz — Climate and produc-
tions— Garden of Vet^r the Great — Inun-
dation and Product of the Rivers — Increase of
liuiUVings — Arsenal — Commerce, internal and
external — Tr(«<; of the Don — Change of Man-
nem, and of I'catures — Neylcct of Uroicned
Persons — Tumuli — Mala- Russians — Plains
{^oitth of ^yorO]^etz — Celo Usmany — Podulok
Moscomkoy — Mojochs, Ehortzy, and lestakovo
— Locova Sloboda — Paulovshoy — Plants —
Animals — Trade — Rash conduct of a young
Peasant — Kazinskoy Chutor — Nizney Momon
— Dobrinka — Metscka — Kasankaia, first Sta-
□itza of the Don Cossacks.

^-*^- In tlie reijfn of Peter the Great, when that
'%'^.' monarch came to Woronetz to build his first

WORONETZ. 261

ship of war, there were scarcely an hundred ^^^'

wooden huts in the place. It is now a very
handsome town ; and its commerce entitles it stTtu'of
to considerable distinction. By means of the **'*"'^'**'**
Dan, it possesses an easy intercourse >vith the
Black Sea. Every year, vessels go laden to
Tekerchask with com ; accomplishing their voy-
age in about two months. In winter they re-
ceive merchandize, by sledges, from the Crimea
and from Turkey. Its merchants travel into
Siberia for furs, and then carry them even to
the fairs of Francfart. The Russian IsvostchicA
IS seen at a German fair j and the same person
may be found in the remotest part of Siboia.
Sometimes they pursue their course to the coasts
opposite to England^ and buy English hardware,
cottons, Japan ware, &c. with which they travel
to all parts of Russia.

WoHONETZ, from its remarkable situation, is ciimatc
particularly qualified to become a jp-cat capital. ducUona.
It is placed so as to enjoy the advantages both
(^ warm and of cold climates, and it holds an
intercourse with all parts of the empire. Nature
is so bountiful here in the summer, that plants
found in very southern latitudes grow almost
spontaneously. The Water-Meloriy rarely in per-
fection anywhere, is as common at Woronetz
as the cucumber in England^ and it flourishes in
the open air, with spicy and aromatic herbs.

262 WORONETZ.

c^p.. Yet the inhabitants experience very great ex-
tremes of temperature ; having sometimes, ac-
cording to the thermometer of Riaumur^ thirty
degrees of cold in the winter, and twenty-eight
degrees of heat' in the summer. They use the
precaution of double casements to their win*
dows, as at Moscow and Petersburg^ and have
very large stoves in all their apartments. In
the " Journal des Savans Voj/ageursy** published
at Berne in 179^9 a commentator attempts to
explain the cause of the extraordinary difierence
observed in the productions of the climate and
soil of WoronetZf when compared with those of
other countries in the same latitude ; by saying
that the nature of the soil necessarily supplies
that which the climate would not otherwise af-
ford*. The earth is strongly impregnated with
niirat of potass in all the environs of Woronetz ;
and it is to the presence of this mineral that the
extraordinary fertility of the Ukraine has been
attributed. The whole country south of Tula
abounds with it ; insomuch that it sometimes
effloresces on the soil ; and several fabrics for ex-
tracting it have been established. The immediate
soil below the town of Woronetz is sand ; upon

(1) Equal to ninety -five of Fa^r«nAei/.

('2) See Note to p. 116. Voyages chez h» Peuples Kubnoukg ti /«•
Tartares,

WORONETZ.

a steep mound or bank of which it has been
built It lies in the fifty-fourth degree of north-
em latitude. The vineyards of Europe termi-
nate many degrees nearer to the equator, and
yet the wild vine flourishes at Woronetz. The
inhabitants neglect its cultivation ; importing
their wine, at a great expense, from the country
of the Don Cossacksy from Greece^ and from the
Crimea. It frequently happens in the province
of Champagne in France^ that the grapes do not
attain their maturity ; sugar is then used as a
substitute in the preparation of the Champagne
vtRe*. At WoronetZj where every facility for

263

CHAP.
XI.

(S) Hie Champagne wine hat been imitated in England, with succew,
\if wda% gooteberrict before they ripen, and by supplying the want uf
the nccharine acid with loaf-sug^r. If the process be properly at-
tended to, there is very little difference. Both are artificial compounds.
Ttie common Champagne wine drunk in this country is made with green
and sugar* The imitation of it vrith green gooseherriet and
% is full as salutary, and frequently as palatable. (Note to the
FIrtt Edition.) Since this Note appeared, a French translation of these
l^nds hat been published at Part«, with Additional Notes ** parte
Tradmetew,*' Alluding to these observations respecting the Cham"
pegne wtne, he says, *^ C*cst sans doute par un sentiment de patriot-
line, et poor d^iiter ses compatriotes du vin de Champagne^ que
Is Dueteur Clarke se permet de hasarder de pareilles assertions. Croit-
fl que le vin de Champagne se fasse avec du mere ct de$ rainm verte ou
des gro»eille§f et qu'nn semblable melange puisse passer, m^me en
An^eterre, pour un analogue des Tin d'Ai et d*Epemai V*

It io happens, that the author's information respecting the Chaui"
pegne Mtine does not at all depend upon any coryectures he may have
iormed : It to the result of inquiries which he made upon the spot, and
sfposltiTeeommunication, (relative to the chemical constituents " <2m

vine

XI.

2g4 WORONETZ.

CHAP, establishing extensive vineyards has been offered
by Nature, the cultivation of the vine has been
entirely neglected. Gmelin endeavoured to
make the inhabitants sensible of the importance
and advantage the town might derive from the

tim iPAi it tPJEpemai") from M^an. Motii amd Compam^t the princi-
pal persons concerned in tbeir fabrication. It was in the town of
Epemai, whither the author repaired for information upon this sub-
ject, that, in answer to some written questions proposed to Men$. Mo€itj
the fidlowii^ statement was gi?en by that gentleman touching the ad-
mission of tugar into the composition of their wine :

^ RiroKSB k la 3me question : << mr U$ Corpt Urangen, M$ fu le
iuere que peuvent entrer dans la/abrieatitm du vin ? —

''Peut-etre regarderoit-on en Champagne comme une indiscretion^
la r^ponse 1^ cette question, puisque la r^T^Iation de ee qu*on appeDe
i*E 8BCBBT DU PBOPRiiTAiBB pouiToit uulrc k U reputation deevmede
Champagne ; mais les hommes instruits et telair^ doi?ent eonnottre
les faits et les causes, parcequ'Ss savent appreder et en tiia les Justea
consequences.

*' 11 est tr^s vrai que dans les ann^ froides on plnvieuses le raisin
n'ayabt pas acquis asscz de maturity, uu ayant 6te priv^ de la chalenr
du soleil, les Tins n*ont plus cette liqueur douce et aimable qui lei
characterise: dans ce cas quclques propriMaires y ont supple par
^'introduction dans leur vins d*une liqueur trcs eclaire DONt la babB
BST KBCE88AIREMENT DU 8UCUB ; sa fabrication est uit SMT^^ ; cette
liqueur mesl^e en tr^s petits quantity am vins verts, corrige le rice de
Vannie ct leur donne absolumcnt la mdme douceur que celle que pro-
cure le soleil dans les annees chaudcs. II s'est ^levS en Champagne mhne
desfrequentes querclles cntre des connoisseurs qui pretendoient pouvdr
distinguer au godt, la liqueur artificielle de celle qui est naturelle, mats
c'est une chimtre. Lc sucre produit dans le raisin, comme dans toute
esp^c de fruit par le travail de la nature, est toujours du sucre y comme
celul que Tart pouiroit y introdulre, lorsquc Hntemperance des saisons
les en a priv6. Nous nous sommes pliks tres souvent d meitre en dffavX
Vexpirienee de ces pritendus connoisseurs, et il est si rare de les Toir
rencontrcr juste, (|uc Ton pcut croirc que c'cst le hazard plusque leur
goiit qui les a guide.**

WORONETZ. 265

growth of vines ; but hitherto no attention has chap.
been paid to his advice. The delicious wine of v^v-«^
the territory of the Don Cossacks is sold here,
but at very high prices. They serve it with a
plate of ice, a piece of which is put into each
- glass when the wine is drunk. It is light and
pleasant, effervescing like the wine of Cham-
pagne^ but havmg more the flavour of Burgundy.

Peter the Great endeavoured to establish Garden of
a Botanic Garden in the neighbourhood of Woro- (^Zt.
netZf upon a very grand scale. This we visited ;
aiid found a complete wilderness of oaks and
other forest-trees, the underwood growing so
thick under the larger trees as to render a
passage through it impracticable. This garden
was expressly formed for the growth of use-
fid plants, fruit-trees, vegetables, and what-
soever else might be found likely to answer
the purposes of culture in such a climate :
but after all the pains bestowed upon its insti-
tution, it fell into neglect ; like many other de-
signs calculated by that wise monarch for the
benefit of his people, when his power ceased of
enforcing the care of them. Gmelin relates*,
that, in his time, the Governor of Woronetz
exerted all possible means to restore this garden

(1) Journal des Savant Voyageun, p. 114.

266 WORONETZ.

^^ir* to its original order ; and the consequence was,
^•^N^^ that a variety of fruit-trees, particularly the
vine, the chesnut, and the filbert, produced abun-
dant crops. Saffron flourished in great plenty,
and many other plants peculiar to warmer cli-
mates. The cherry y the apple^ and the pear tree,
grew wild in the forests around the town ; but
their better cultivation, as at present, was en-
tirely neglected by the people. We found two
plants, very rare in England, thriving among
the weeds of the plac^ ; the " Spreading Bell-
flower'* ( Campanula patula)y which grows in South
Wales and near Marlborough; and also the **Moun-
tain Bugle" {Ajuga pyramidalis). The other
plants which we collected in the neighbourhood
^nd"p***^° of Woronetz are given in a Note^ Stagnant
duct of the waters, left by the annual inundation of the river,

Rivera. ^ J »

render the place very unwholesome during cer-
tain seasons of the year. The inhabitants, both
in spring and autumn, are subject to tertian and
quartan fevers : these become epidemic, and at-
tack hundreds at the same time. The want of
proper remedies for such disorders, and the con-
stant use of salted provisions, frequently cause
the ague to degenerate into a continual fever, a

(1) Polygonum Fagopymm — Adonis SAtiTalis— Gucubalus Behen—
A new fipecies of Euphorbia— Salvia nutauB— Verbascum Phceniciiim
— Chelidonium njiou»— Ranunculus lUyricus — Viola tricolor.

WORONETZ.

dropsy, or a consumption. Both the Woronetz
and the Dan supply the inhabitants of all this
country with an astonishing quantity of fishes .
carp being the most abundant : but they have
also tench^ sterlety breaniy bleak^ troutj lamprey^
perchf and pike. The last absolutely swarm in
their rivers, and grow to a prodigious size ; but
it is only the poorer class of people who use it
for food. When Nature is profuse in her offer-
ings, the love of novelty induces us to contemn,
and even to reject, her bounty.

The change of season, as at Moscow, does not
take place at Woronetz with that uncertainty
which characterizes our climate. Winter regu-
larly begins in December, and ends in the middle
of March. According to Gmelin, the autumn
resembles a moderate summer. Vegetation is
so rapid during spring, that upon the ninth of
June we saw a pear-tree which had put forth a
strong scion above a yard in length. We found
the climate so different from that to which we had
been lately accustomed, that we were compelled
to alter our clothing altogether*. The beams of
the sun were to us intolerable ; and a south-east

(9) It is not ncceflMiry to mention the precise hight of the mercury
it the thermometer y because the Reader will 6nd it stated in the Appen^
£x, according to the most accurate daily obser^-ation throughout the
jovney.

267

268 woBONsrz.

windy like a Sirocco^ blew frequently and even
tempestuously; causing insufferable heat, dur-
ing the time we remained. The only method
we had of cooling our apartments was, by shut-
ting the windows, and drawing curtains over
them. Perhaps the sudden transition we had
made from colder countries might have rendered
us more peculiarly sensible of the oppressive
heat of the atmosphere.

^^^^^ New buildings were rising in all parts of Wo-
ronetz ; and the suburbs appeared so extensiye,
that it was very difficult to form any correct
idea of the probable future extent of the place.
It was evident that a junction would soon take
place between the town and its suburbs; and
we were informed that a village or two would
also be included. It stands upon the very lofty,
steep, and sloping bank before mentioned, hav-
ing the appearance of a rampart ; so that, when
viewed from the river below, this bank looks
like a prodigious artificial fortification. Doubt-
less it might be rendered a place of very great
strength, as there are no eminences that could
command the works on its weakest side. Small
lanterns, dispersed about upon posts, serve to
light the town. The streets are very wide,

Arsenal, without being paved. The arsenal erected by
Peter the Great still remains, although in a

WORONETZ. 269

minous condition. We visited the little sandy ^jj^p
island below the town whereon he built his first ^.^L-^
ship of war, when he projected the conquest of
the Black Sea. It is now covered with store-
houses, cauldrons, and tubs, for the preparation
of tallow : this is a great article of trade here :
it is sent to England^ and to Americay in vast
quantities. The principal merchant, happening
to be upon the spot, asked us, to what use the
English could possibly appropriate all the grease
he sent to their country. The stench from the
bones and horns of animals, slaughtered for the
purpose of preparing the tallow, made this
|dace exceedingly offensive. It formerly exhi-
bited a more pleasing spectacle, when Peter,
acting in the double capacity of a king and a
carpenter^ superintended his works upon this
island. He built a small wooden hut, and a
church, opposite to the arsenal, on the side of
the river, immediately below the town ; and the
greatest monarch in the world, surrounded by
a few hovels, in a land of savage people ac-
customed only to their rafts and canoes, was
daily seen in the midst of his workmen, upon
a little mound of sand, building his first ship
of war.

Iron is one of the principal articles of trade Commerce
in the town, and occupies the chief commerce external.

270 WOROKBTZ.

CHAP, of the shops. They also manufacture cloth for
the army ; and have a huilding for the prepara-
tion of vitriol. Large balls of whiting are piled
up before their doors, as in Moscow^ Tula^ and
other places. The cloth factory was established
by Peter the Great, and is the most consi-
derable in Russia. Peter resided here in the
year 1705 ; and at the same time was alao
engaged in building' Pc/^^ftur^. In the pre-
paration of tallow^ they consume the cattle of
the country, and, boiling them down, make two
sorts. The first sort is exported to England;
the second used in Russia^ in making soap. Ten
pouds of the best quality sells sometimes in
Petersburg as high as sixty-three roubles. The
carriage from Woronetz to Petersburg costs about
eighty copeeks per poud. If the merchant con-
tract with English dealers in Petersburg to the
amount of one hundred thousand roubles^ they
receive from them fifty thousand in advance, to
enable them to buy cattle. This practice of
purchasing cattle to boil into tallow has, of late
years, enormously advanced the price of meat.
Fourteen years ago, a poud of beef sold in
Woronetz for twenty-six copeeks ; a, poud of mutton
for thirty : now the poud of beef costs two roubles,
and the potui of mutton sixty copeeks. In return
for the corn carried annually to Tcherchask and
to Azof they bring back raisins, figs, Greek wines.

WOBONETZ.

and the mne of the Don Cossacks. The salt
consumed in Woronetz is supplied from a re-
markable salt lake in the neighbourhood of
Saratofy so impregnated with muriate of soda^
that fine crystals of it form upon any substance
placed in the water. Sugar is very dear ; it is
brought only from Petersburg. The necessaries
of life, however, are, generally speaking, cheap.
The carriers of Woronetz go every three years
to Toholsky and Siberia^ where there is a rendez-
vous for all caravans bound to Kiatkay on the
frontier of China. From Tobolsky they form one
immense caravan to Kiatka. Afterwards, return-
ing to Tobolsky J they disperse, according to their
several routes. From Siberia they bring furs ;
from Kiatka^ Chinese merchandize of all sorts,
(ea, raw and manufactured silky porcelain^ and
precious stones. The Chinescy upon their arrival
at Kiatkuy also furnish them with the produc-
tions of KamcTuLtkay brought from St. Peter and
St Paul. Thus laden, many of the caravans set
oat for Francforty and return with musliny cambricy
nlAsf the porcelain of Saxony, and other goods
from the manufactures of England.

271

Four men, with their captain, offered to take
OS by water to Tcherchask for two hundred and
fifty rouhlesy including the necessary purchase of
boats, anchors, sails, oars, ,&c. But the river

272

CHAP.
XI.

Wine of
the Don.

WORONETZ.

is SO shallow during summer, that we should
have heen two months in getting thither ; the
distance heing fifteen hundred versts. The hest
wine of the Don is made upon the river» ahout
three hundred versts hefore arriving at TcherchasA
from Woronetz. Fourteen hottles sell there for
one rouble and fifty copeeks. They are apt to
make it before the grape ripens ; and perhaps
this may be the case with all wine exhibiting
eflFervescence^. Their white wine proves better
than the red^ when the fruit is suffered to ripen ;
but this very rarely happens.

CSuuige of
Manners.

Approaching the Southern part of the empire,
the strong characteristics of the Russian people
are less frequently observed. Happily for the
traveller, in proportion as his distance is in-
creased from that which has been erroneously
considered the civilized part of the country, he
has less to complain of theft, of fraud, and of
dissimulation*. In the more Northern provinces,
he is cautioned to beware of the inhabitants of

(1) Sec the note upon Champagne wine in a former page of Uiia
Chapter.

(^y<Thc Russian peasant, without property, without religion, with-
out morals, withont honour, is hospitable* humane, obliging, g^iij,
faithful, and brave : the farther you penetrate into the country remote
from cities, the better you find him ; the most savage is always the
best'* Secret Mem. of the Court qf Petersb. p. 266.

WORONETZ.

tbe Ukraine, and the Cossacks^ by an unprincipled
race of men, with whom the Cossack and
the Tahtar are degraded in comparison. The
chambers of our inn were immediately over the
town jail ; and it is quite unnecessary to add of
what nation its tenants were composed. The
JStfMuin finds it dangerous to travel in the Ukraine ,
and along the Dan, because he is conscious the
inhabitants of these countries know too well
vnth whom they have to deal. The Cossack^
when engaged in war, and remote from his
native land^ is a robber, because plunder is a
part of the military discipline in which he has
been educated ; but when a stranger enters the
district where he resides with his family and
ocmnections, and confides property to his care,
the inhabitant of no country is found either
more hospitable, or more honourable. Concern-
ing the inhabitants of the country called Malo-
Rusgia, a French gentleman, who had long resided
among them, assured us he used neither locks
to his doors or to his coffers ; and among the
CusacASf as in Sweden^ a trunk may be sent un-
locked, for a distance equal to five hundred
miles, without risking the loss of any part of
its contents. Mr. Rowaiiy banker oiMoscoWy was
compelled, by the breaking of his carriage, to
abandon it in the midst of the territory of the
Don Cossacks; and it was afterwards brouo:ht

273

CHAP.
XI.

VOL. I.

274

FROM WORONETZ

safe to him at Taganrog ^ with all its appurte-
nanccSy by the unsolicited and disinterested
labour of that peopled Who would venture to
leave a carriage, or even a tnpik, although en-
cased, doubly locked, and duly directed, among
the Russians?

Change of From the time we left Ttt/o, a remarkable

Features.

change was visible in the features of the people :
this we were unable to explain. The peasants
had frequently the straight yellow hair of the
inhabitants of Finland^ and the same light com-
plexion } neither resembling JRussians, Poles^ nor
Cossacks. At Woronetz the Gipsey tribe was
very prevalent ; and a mixed race, resulting
from their intermarriage with Russians.

D^Jr^'d^ The horrid practice of burying persons alive
Persons, somctimcs takcs place in Russia^ from the igno-
rance of the inhabitants. Instances of suspended
animation, occasioned by the vapour of their
stoves, or by accident in the water, are always
considered lost cases ; and the unhappy sufferer
is immediately committed to the grave, without
any attempt towards recovery. They send

(l)Of this fact we were assured by Mr. Rowan himself, to whom
we were Indebted for many instances of politeness and attention during
the time we resided in Moteow,

TO PAULOVSKOY. 2y5

only for a police-officer, to note down the cir- chap.
oumstances of the disaster; and, without the
smallest effort towards restoring respiration,
proceed in the ceremony of interment A poor
woman in bathing, during our stay at Woro-
netZf fell beyond her depth. She struggled
some time with the stream, and being carried
by it about three hundred yards, was taken out
by some peasants before she had either sunk or
lost her power of motion. When laid on the
earth, she groaned and moved ; but the water
which had been swallowed rendered her &ce
Uack, and she became apparently lifeless. She
was therefore immediately pronounced to be
really dead. No endeavour on our part, ac-
oompanied by persuasion and by offers of
money, could induce the spectators either to
touch the body, or to suffer any remedy to be
attempted towards her recovery. They seemed
afraid to approach what they considered as a
corpse. In vain we explained to them the
process by which persons, so circumstanced,
are restored to life in England. They stood at
a distance, crossing themselves, and shaking
their heads ; and in this manner the poor wo-
man was left upon the shore, until it would
have been too late to have made use of any
means for her recovery. If she were not after-
wards buried alive, her death was certainly

T 2

FROM WORONETZ

owing to a shaTneful and an obstinate neglect
of remedies, which, in her case, promised every
success. The police-officer gave in his me-
morial, and her body was committed to the
grave.

We left WoronetZj June 12th ; crossing the
river at the bottom of the town, and entering
plains as before. The swamps below Woronetz
at once explain the cause of the annual fevers
to which its inhabitants are liable : they exhale,
during warm seasons, vapours as unwhole-
some as those which arise from the fens of
Italy.

There are few finer prospects than that of
WoronetZj viewed a few versts from the town,
on the road to Paulovskoy, Throughout the
whole of this country are seen, dispersed over
immense plains, mounds of earth covered with
a fine turf; the sepulchres of the antient world,
common to almost every habitable country. If
there exist any thing of former times, which
may afford monuments of primeval manners,
it is this mode of burial. They seem to mark
the progress of mankind in the first ages after
the dispersion ; rising wherever the posterity
of Noah came. WTiether under the form of a
Mound in Scandinavia^ in Russia^ or in North

TO PAULOVSKOY. v ^jn

America^; sl Barrow in England; a Cairn in chap.

^^ jki*

Wales^ in Scotlandj or in Ireland ; or of those
heaps which the modem Cheeks and Turks call
TVpe ; or, lastly, in the more artificial shape of
a Pyramid in Egypt ; they had universally the
same origin. They present the simplest and
sublimest monument that any generation of
men could raise over the bodies of their fore-
&thers; being calculated for almost endless
duration, and speaking a language more im-
pressive than the most studied epitaph upon
Parian marble. When beheld in a distant
evening horizon, skirted by the rays of the set-
ting sun, and, as it were, touching the clouds
which hover over them, imagination represents
the spirits of departed heroes as descending to
irradiate a warrior s grave*. Some of those
mounds appeared with forms so simple, and yet
80 artificial, in a plain otherwise level, that no
doubt whatsoever could be entertained con-
cerning their origin. Others, more antient,
have at last sunk into the earth, and left a
hollow place, encircled by a kind of fosse, which

(I) See the Journal of a Tour into the Territory North-toe$t of the
AUeghany Mountains, by Thaddeus Mason Harris; Boston, 1805 ; for
a very curioas accoont of the Sepulchral Mounds m America; the
Uftory of which it lost, as the author cxpresseth it» *' in the oblivion ijf

(3) See the Vignette to this Chapter.

FROM WORONBTZ

278
CHAP, still marks their situation. Again, others, by

xi.

the passage of the plough annually upon their
surface, have been considerably diminished.
These Tumvli are the Sepulchres referred to
by IlerodotuSf in the earliest accounts which
history has recorded of this mode of burial*.
The tombs of the Scythian kings are said, by
him, to exist in the remotest parts of Scythxa^
where the Borystkenes is first known to be navi-
gable ; and they are further described as being
constructed precisely according to the appearance
they now exhibit.

^wdaiu ^^ frequently met with caravans of the
Mah-Russiansj who di£fer altogether from the
inhabitants of the res| of Mtissia. Their fea-
tures are those of the Polonese^ or Cossacks.
They are a more noble race ; stouter and
better lo<)king than the Mussiansy and superior
to them in every thing that can exalt one class
of men above another. They are cleaner, more
industrious, more honest, more generous, more
polite, more courageous, more hospitable, more
truly pious, and, of course, less superstitious.
Their language only diflfers from the Hussianf
as the dialect of the southern provinces of France
docs from the dialect spoken near Paris. They

(1) Herodot, Melpom. c. 71.

TO PAUL0V8K0Y. 2^9

have in many instances converted the desolate chap.

steppe* into fields of corn. Their caravans are
drawn by oxen, which proceed about thirty
versts in a day. Towards evening they halt in
the middle of a plain, near some pool of water ;
when their little waggons are all drawn up into
a circle, and their cattle are suffered to graze
around them; while the drivers, stretched out
upon the smooth turf, take their repose, or
enjoy their pipes, after the toil and heat of the
day. If they meet a carriage, they all take1)ff
their caps and bow. The meanest Rtissians
bow to each other, but never to a stranger.

South of WoroTietz we found the country PJ«*f»

^ south of

perfectly level, and the roads (if a fine turf woronetz.
lawn may be so denominated) the finest, at
this season, perhaps, in the whole world. The
turf upon which we travelled was smooth and
firm, without a stone or a pebble, or even the
mark of wheels, and we experienced little or no
dust. Nothing could bo more delightful than
this part of our journey. The whole of these

(2) Steppe if the name given, in the South of Bustia, to those p!ains,
iriiieb, though capable of cultivation, have never been tilled. They
are eovered with wild plants; and somctimos, ]>crhap8 improperly,
called deiertt. In Americat similar plains are called Prairies^

XI.

230 FROM WORONETZ

CHAP, immense plains were enamelled with the
greatest variety of flowers imaginable. The
list of plants we collected is much too
numerous for the text^ The earth seemed
covered with the richest and most beautiful
blossoms, fragrant, aromatic, and, in many
instances, entirely new to the eye of a British
traveller. Even during the heat of the day
refreshing breezes wafted a thousand odours,
and all the air was perfumed. The skylark
wis in full song ; various insects, with painted
wings, either filled the air, or were seen
couched within the blossoms. Advancing near
to the DoTif turtle doves, as tame as domestic
pigeons, flew around our carriage. The pools
were filled with wild fowl ; dogs, like those of
the Ahruzzo Mountains, guarded the numerous
herds and flocks passing or grazing. Melons
of difierent sorts flourished in the cultivated

(1) Androioce SeptentrionalU'^Centaurea tnyriocephala — Stipapeti"
iMrfa— Cerastium — Lithrum Virgatum — Asclepia* Vineeioxicum-^Jjuk'
•pur. Delphinium AJacis— Vicia Pannonica* Also the followiDg, well
known in England: Meadow Clary, Salvia pratentiM^Onaphalium
rfiotCMm— Wood CraneVbUl, Geranium $ylvaticum—Qeum Urbamtm^
Mouse-car Scorpion Grass, Myosotis Seorpioides-^Cueubalut Otite$
(grows on Newmarket Ueaih)— Sisymbrium [amphUdum (along the
banks of the Cam)~ Yellow Rocket, Bitter Winter Grass, Brynmum
barbaria.

TO PAULOVSKOY. 281

although unmclosed grounds near the villages, chap.
covering several acres of land.

At Celo Usmany we were employed in col- Ceio rrt-
looting plants. The Echium rubrum, falsely
called Italicum by Gmelin^ we first noticed
about this place, and it was afterwards very
common. It grows chiefly among com. The
women of the Don use it in painting their
cheeks ; the root, when fresh, yielding a beau-
tiful vermilion tint. The peasants also extract
from it a gum. It is engraven in the " Journal
des Savans Voyageurs." Gmelin recommended
its transplantation, and the application of its
colouring properties to objects of more im-
portance. We observed also the Spircea JUipen-
dulHf which is found upon the Hills near
Cambridge^ and some varieties of the Centaurea ;
also the Onosma echio'ides^ Veronica Aicstriaca^
Pedicularis tuberosa, and Salvia pratensis. It is
horn, the root of the Onosma that the Tahtar
women obtain their rouge.

Utmany is entirely inhabited by Hussians :
and whenever this is the case, towards the
south of the empire, a village resembles no-
thing more than a number of stacks of straw
or of dried weeds. The female peasants were
seated upon the turf, before their huts, spinning.

S82 FROM WOBONETZ

^xt^' Their machines are not quite so simple as those
^'^^^^r^ used in many parts of Italy. They consisted
of wooden combs, placed upon a stick driven
into the ground, to contain the flax, and not
rising higher than the knee : while the right
hand is employed in spinning, the left manages
the spindle. This manner of living affords
a striking contrast to the Government that op-
presses them ; for we observed an air of liberty
in these wild and wide plains, ill suited to the
reflections we had before made on the general
condition of the peasants. The severity of the
winter here is hardly reconcileable with the
appearance of a country abounding in plants
which are found in warm climates : yet the
snow annually aflbrds a sledge road, the whole
way from the Gulf of Finland to the Sea of
Azof

Poduiok From Celo Usviany we travelled, over similar

Moscov ^ ^

'^' plains, to Poduiok MoscovsAot/j where we passed
the night in a wretched village, the miserable
inhabitants of which were not even able to light
a candle. Nothing could be more revolting
than the sight of their hovels, open to all the
inclemencies of the weather, and destitute
of every comfort or common convenience
of life. They were said to be settlers from
Tver.

TO PAULOVSKOY. 283

The next morning {June 13th), we passed the ^"^p-
village of Mcjocksj and came to Ekortzy : here ^^--sr-'
we halted to take some re&eshment under a Mqjocks,
pent-house, upon a khabitka; the heat of the and Je«fa-
sun heing almost insupportable. The people
were kind ; and a coarse meal became, on that
account, agreeable. We perceived, as it has
been before remarked, that the farther we ad-
vanced from the ordinary hordes of the Russians^
the more politeness and hospitality we experi-
enced ; this being, however, exactly the reverse
of the information given to us by the inhabitants
o{ Moscow. The deserts^ as they were described,
mstead of proving a bare and sandy waste,
presented verdant lawns, covered with herbage,
though sometimes dry, and scorched by the
rays of a very powerful sun.

Near to Ekortzy wo added the Verbascum
Pheerncium to our herbary : and between Ekortzy
and lestakovo, upon a high, bleak, chalky soil,
we found the rarest plants which occurred
during our whole route ; Draba A Ipina^ and
Polygala Sibirica. Professor Pallas could hardly
credit the evidence of his senses, when he after-
wards saw them among our collection in the
Crimea. Near the same spot we also observed
that beautiful plant, the Cleiiiatis integrifolia^
exhibiting colours of blue and gold ; with

284

FROM WORONETZ

CHAP, others, which, being less remarkable, are given
in the subjoined Note^

Laeona
aioboda.

The first regular establishment of MaUh
MiLssians occurred after leaving lestakavo. It
was called Locova Sloboda. The houses were
all white-washed, like many of the cottages in
Wales: this operation is performed annually,
with great care. Such distinguished cleanliness
appeared yvithin the dwellings, that a traveller
might fancy himself transported, in the course
of a few miles, from Russia to Holland. Their
apartments, even the ceiUngs and the beams in
the roof, are regularly washed. Their tables
and benches shine with washing and rubbing,
and reminded us of the interior of cottages in
Norway. Their court-yard, stables, and out-
houses, with every thing belonging to them,
exhibited neatness, and proofs of industry. In
the furniture of their little kitchens, instead of the
darkness and smoky hue of the Russian houses,
we observed every where brightness and clean-
liness. Their utensils and domestic vessels
were all scoured and well-polished. They had
poultry and plenty of cattle ; and their gardens
were filled with fruit-trees.

(1) Other varieties of Verlxucum, — Alyssum vuxinum,said tmmtanum,
— SiderUU montana. Varieties of Genista, and Vida CasnUnea.

TO PAULOVSKOY.

Q85

The inhabitants, in their features, resemble chap.
CSossiicks ; and both these people bear a similitude
to the Poles ; being, doubtless, all derived from
one common stock. The dress of unmarried
women is much the same among the . Mala-
Hussians and the Don Cossacks. They both wear
a ieltf or petticoat, of one piece of cloth fastened
round the waist. Sometimes, particularly among
more aged females, this petticoat consists of two
pieces, like two aprons ; the one fastened in front,
and the other behind. The necks of the girls
are laden with large red beads, falling in several
rows over the breast. The fingers, both of men
and women, are set ofi^ with rings, containing
glass gems. A simple bandeau, or gilded cap, is
sometimes seen on female heads ; and from be-
hind hang rows of antique coins, or false pieces
sold to them for that purpose, imitating the
antient coin of their own and of other countries.
The hair of unmarried women is sufiered to fall
in a long braid down the back, terminated by a
ribbon with a knot. Their language is pleasing,
and full of diminutives. But the resemblance
of this people, in certain circumstances of dress
and manners, to the Scotch Highlanders^ is very
remarkable. The cloth petticoat, before men-
tioned, is chequered like the Scotch plaid, and
answers to the kelt which is still worn in Scotland.
They have also, among their musical instru-

S86

CHAP.
XI.

PAULOVSKOY.

mcnts, the hag-pipe^ and the Jeuf^harp: the
former, like that used in North Britain and in
Finland^ is common to the Cossacks as well as
to the Malo'Russians. Another point of resem-
blance may be fomid in the love of spirituous
liquors. The Malo-Iitissians are truly a merry
race, and much given to drinking : but this habit
prevails among all barbarous nations.

Paulov
»hoy.

Plants.

From hence we proceeded to Paulovshoyt
situate upon a high sandy bank, on the eastern
side of the Don. It is a small town, and at a
distance makes a pleasing appearance; but
consists of little more than a church and a few
scattered wooden houses. The river, broad
and rapid, here makes a noble appearance:
barges, laden with com, were moving with its
current towards the Sea of Azof. Close to its
banks we found a variety of beautiful plants.
The Stipa pennata, celebrated in Russian songs,
waved its feathery locks, as in almost all
the steppes. In the branches of the Artemisia
cainpestrisj insects had caused excrescences,
which are used by Tahtar nations in kindling
their tobacco-pipes. The Climbing Birthwort
{^Aristolochia Clenmtitis) a rare British plant,
although found at Whittlesford in Cambridge^
shire^ and at Stanton in Suffolk^ appeared among
Southernwood^ Woody Nightshade^ Water Crow-

PAULOVSKOY. ggy

fooU and Fka-bane. The rest were all chap.
strangers^ — On the eastern banks are exten-
sive low woods, hardly rising above the head:
these are so filled with nightingales, that
tfaeir songs are heard, even in the town,
during the whole night. There is, moreover,
a kind of toad, or frog, which the Empress
EuzABETH transported to the marshes near
Moscow. Its croaking is loud and deep-
toned, and may be also termed musical ; filling
the air with full hollow sounds, very like the
cry of the old English harrier. This kind of
reptile is not known in the north of Europe.
llie noise it makes is in general loud enough to
be heard for miles, joining with, and sometimes
overpowering, the sweeter melody of nightin-
gales. This circumstance gives quite a new
character to the evening and to the night
Poets in Russia cannot describe silence and
solemnity as characteristics of the midnight
hour; but rather a loud and busy clamour,
totally inconsistent with the opening of Gray's
Elegy , and the Night Thoughts of Young.

Peter the First founded Paulovskoy^ and
named it in honour of St. Paul. It was desif^rned

(1) Campanula Sibirica — Dracoccphalum Ruyichiaua — Onosma sim-
plkininiii i^nthrmi'n tlnctoria.

238 PAULOVSKOY.

CHAP, as a frontier town a^fainsrthe Tahtars and Turh.
"■ The territor, of reformer then extended f

Bachmut, on the southern side of the Donetz ;
and that of the Turks, to the place where now
stands the fortress of Dimitri, upon the Dotu
There was here a Botanic garden, as at Waronetz ;
but of this not a trace now remains. The
underwood about the place was» in Gmelv/Cs
time, a forest : it is daily diminishing, but it
Animab. coutaius many animals common in the sur-
rounding steppes ; as bears, wolves, foxes, martens,
hares, weasels, ermines, and squirrels. Among the
birds, not frequent elsewhere, may be mentioned
the pelican : vast flights arrive annually from the
Black Sea and the Sea of Azof, accompanied by
swans, cranes, storks, and geese. They alight at
the mouths of the Bon, and proceed up the
river : in autumn they return by the same
route. Pelicajis construct their nests of rushes,
lining the interior with moss, or any soft herb.
Such nests are found only upon the small islets
of the river, and in places where moss may be
procured. They lay two white eggs, about the
size of those of the swan, and employ the same
time in hatching. If disturbed while sitting,
they hide their eggs in the water ; taking them
out afterwards with their bill, when they believe
the danger removed. They live altogether upon
fish, and consume a prodigious quantity. The

PAULOVSKOY. ggg

lUman naturalists give a curious account of this chap.

XI.

bird's mode of fishing, assisted by the cormorant k^^^^
The pelican extends its wings, and troubles the
water ; while the cormorant, diving to the bottom,
drives the fish to the surface. Then the pelican^
omtinuing the motion of its wings, advances
towards the shore, where the fish are taken
among the shallows. Afterwards, the cormorant^
without further ceremony, helps himself out of
iihidpeUcan*8 beak'.

The principal trade carried on here is in Trade.

talhw taid fruit: the latter article, particularly

tibe Water-Melon^ is carried to Moscow and to

Petersburg. THey plant it in the open fields,

where it covers whole acres of land. In the

steppes near the town, we observed about thirty

women hoeing a piece of uninclosed ground, for

the culture of this delicious vegetable. That a

plant, rarely in perfection anywhere, should

thrive upon the rivers in this part of Russiaj and

in such a latitude, is very remarkable. Perhaps

its flavour does not depend upon latitude. At

NapleSj although so highly esteemed, the Water-

Melon seldom ripens. In Egypt it is even

worse. Indeed, the only place where we

have seen the Water-Melon attain its full

(1) Journal des Savans Voyagears, p. 144.
VOL. I. U

290 PAULOVSKOT.

CHAP, colour, size, and maturity, is at Jaffa^ upon
the coast of Syria.

Slrt onT" ^® found ourselves among Hussians at Pauhth
JU|JJ*P«- skoy^ and narrowly escaped with our lives.
The author, being asleep within the carriage,
was awakened by some person gently opening
the door ; and could discern, although in the
night, a man extending his arm in a menacing
manner. Making a sudden effort to seize him
by the hair, the fellow eluded the attempt, and
escaped : an alarm was immediately given, but
he coidd not then be discovered. Soon after
this, the author, putting his head out of the
carriage window, to call the servant, a large
stone, thrown with great violence, struck the
frame of it close to his head ; sounding so like
the report of a pistol, that at first he believed a
pistol had been discharged close to him. Upon
this a second search was made, and a man in
consequence detected, pretending to sleep in
one of the khahitkas, in the court-yard of the
inn. This fellow, whether guilty or not, we
compelled to mount the barouche-box, and to
sit there as sentincL Soon afterwards, all of
the party who were in the house came running
into the yard, saying that the front of the inn
was beset by some persons from without, who
had hurled stones through the windows, and

PAULO VSKOY. 291

broken every pane of glass. Determined to ^h^^*
sell our lives as dearly as possible, we drew
oar sabres, and proceeded in a body towards
the residence of the Governor, a very worthy
man, who instantly rose from his bed, and set
on foot an inquiry after the offenders, which
ccmtinued the whole of the night At the same
time, soldiers were stationed with the carriage,
and the patrole of the town was doubled.
Towards morning, they brought in a young man,
whom they stated to have detected in the act
rf making his escape from the out-houses of our
inn. During his examination, the cause of all
dug disorder was made known. He proved to
be a lover of one of the girls of the house ; and as
she had refused to come out to him when he had
sent for her, his jealousy convinced him that he
was slighted upon our account. In a fit of
desperate fury, he had therefore resolved to
wreak his vengeance upon some of the party,
if not upon all : and in this undertaking he had
been aided by certain of his comrades. The
poor fellow was more an object of pity than
resentment, and we interceded for his pardon ;
bat the Governor insisted upon making an ex-
ample of him. The police-officers led him
away, sulky, and ^ it seemed, nothing loth,
to be flogged. As he went, he still vowed
revenge ; declaring, that he was not alone in

u 2

FROM PAULOVSKOY, TO THE

the business ; for that fifteen of his confede-
rates had made an oath, to be revenged, not
only upon the girl, but upon all her family, for
her inconstancy to him.

The Governor provided us with a powerful
escort, and early in the morning we continued
our journey. The roads have been all changed,
since Gmelin^ and other travellers, visited this
part of Russia. We proceeded from Pauhvskatf
ch^^ to Kazinskoy Chutor, a village inhabited by
Malo-Hussians and Mtissians mingled together.
The distinction between the two people might
be made without the smallest inquiry, from the
striking contrast they exhibited of filth and
cleanliness. In the stable of the post-house we
found about twenty horses, kept with a degree
of order and neatness which would have done
credit to any nobleman's stud in Britain. The
house of the poor superintendant villager was
equally admirable : every thing appeared clean
and decent : there was no litter, nor was any
thing out of its place. It was quite a new
thing to us, to hesitate whether we should
clean our boots before walking into an apart*
ment, on the floor of which we would rather
have placed our dinner than upon the table of
any Russian prince.

293

COUNTRY OF THE DON COSSACKS.

This village is situate in the most wild and
open steppes. Amongst the short herbage we
noticed the lancUtortoise. Its flesh is esteemed
a great delicacy; as it is in the Archipelago^
and in all Turkish cities. Boat-loads of them
are carried from the Greek Isles to the markets
of Constantinople. After leaving Kazinskoy^ we
passed through several very large villages,
scattered over valleys, each of which appeared
to consist rather of several hamlets than of one,
and arrived at JVt2:ne^ il/omon. Nothing occurred Nizney
worth observation, except the plants we col-
leeted^ The heat was intense. The country
similar to that before described. We found
our vinegar a pleasing and salutary ingredient
in bad water, and a most delicious solace, when
exposed to the scorching rays of the sun, with
parched lips, and mouths full of dust. It was
impossible to resist the temptation of drinking
it without water ; and to the practice of doing
so may be attributed, perhaps, the weak state
of health into which the author afterwards fell.
We considered it, at this time, the most valu-
able part of our baggage ; and afterwards, in

(1) Of these, some are knowu In our country ; \\z, Qoafs-beard,
Tragopogonpratemet and Poterii ilia argentea. Others, more rare, are,
the OlofiioluM imbricaiuSf not found even m our botanic gardens ;
AttragaluM Onobrychis, Hefperia matronali^, and Campanuia SUnrica.
Wt obeerred also a new species of Lychnis,

j»:

xc-cs. ^

*J£2r im.

^fi^^Jr.

if '

lai

Vrr.t>5/3^ './^:,tri^ Tbc^p^ n-

tA x^ jr a^ h^er % , pol ice-officers.
/li;*j//tA of the c^/tmtrj. We were receired
j;*t/; //ri#j of thrfr court-vards, with a Leartr
•//<f|/ymi^5 an^J Hini\in<: countenances, very dif-
ft'n'jti from th<5 lowering brows, and contracted
ie«i»!{;irioii«( «;ycM9 to which we had been so often
iu'i'MtiiifUuul, At Bun-set, all the cows belonging
to iUt', ifihtibitantH came, in one large troop»

DON COSSACKS. gg5

lowing, into the village. No driver was neces- chap.
sary; for, as the herd entered, they separated s^vw
into parties, and retired of their own accord to
their respective owners, in order to be milked.
The ifalo-IttiSsianSf with their numerous families,
were seated upon the ground, in circles before
their neat little habitations, eating their supper ;
and being all merry together, offered a picture
of contentment and of peace not often found
within Russian territories\

About four in the afternoon of the next day, Mttxha.
Iiaving been detained for want of horses at
MeUchoj we arrived at Kasankaia, one of the Kfuan"
largest stanitzas of the Don Cossacks, and the stamtza
first within their territory. As we are now Co$tadk9.
entering upon the description of a yery interest-
ing part of our journey, we shall be particularly
Garefiil to note every observation that may
occur, relating to a country rarely visited, and,
upon that account, very little known ; where
crery thing is interesting, because every thing
presents what travellers from other countries
have not seen before. The independent mode
of life of the people; their indolence at home ;
their activity in war; their remote situation

(l)WeoliterTed here a plant which grows on the HilU near Cambridge,
the ll«i%iianim Ofip6rydUf .

£QQ don COSSACKS.

with regard to the rest of Europe ; the rank they
hold in the great scale of society ; the history of
their origin ; their domestic manners, and cha-
racter ; all these require consideration.

TERBITOBY OF TOE DON COS6ACK8.

Appearance of the Cossack$ at Kasankaia — Home
of Ike Ataman — Ideal Dangeraoftfie. Country —
Voyage hywatcr — Amusements and dancesofthe
People — Departure— Steppes — River Lazovai
— Visit to a camp ofCnlmnchs — Of their brandy
dintilledfrom Mare's MiIk-~ Personal Appear-
ance of Calmucks — Arts, Armour, and Weapons
— Recreations and Condition of Life — Acenov-
skaia—Ofthe^urdkc, or Sobacoftke Steppes —
The Birokc and Suslic —iVa/ure of Villages
named in Russian Maps — Stragglers from the
Army — Distinction between Consach of the
Steppes and of the Don — Kamenskaia — Iron
Foundries of Lugan — Etymology of the word
TanaTs — Numerous Camps of Calmucks — Ap-
proach to Axay.

J. HERE is something extremely martial, and
even intimidating, in the first appearance of a

298 ^O^ COSSACKS.

CHAP. Cossack. His dignified and majestic look ; his
v^-v^ elevated brows, and dark mustachoes ; his tall
^^of the helmet of black wool, terminated by a crimson
^^^^•* sack, with its plume, laced festoon, and white
^^' cockade ; his upright posture ; the ease and
elegance of his gait ; give him an air of great
importance. We found Cossacks in considerable
number at Kasankaia^ lounging before their
houses, and conversing in such large parties, that
it seemed as if we were entering their capital.
Their dresses were much richer than any thing
we had observed in Russia, although all were
uniform. Each person's habit consisted of a
blue jacket, edged with gold and lined with silk,
fastened by hooks across the chest. Beneath
the jacket appeared a silk waistcoat, the lower
part of which was concealed by the sash. Large
and long trowsers, either of the same material
as the jacket, or of white dimity, kept remark-
ably clean, were fastened high above the waist,
and covered their boots. The sabre is not worn,
except on horseback, upon a journey, or in
war. In its stead is substituted a switch, or
cane, with an ivory head : this every Cossack
bears in his hand, as an appendage of his dress ;
being at all times prepared to mount his horse
at a moment's notice. Their cap or helmet is
the most beautifid part of the costume j because
it is becoming to every set of features. It adds

DON COSSACKS. fiQQ

considerably to the height, and gives, with chap.
the addition of whiskers, a military air to the ^/^
most insignificant figure. They wear their hair
short round the head, but not thin upon the
crown : it is generally dark, thick, and quite
straight. The cap is covered by a very soft and
shining black wool. Some of them have civil
and military distinctions of habit ; wearing in
time of peace, instead of the jacket, a long frock
without buttons. The sash is sometimes yellow,
green, or red, although generally black ; and
they wear large military gloves. There is no
nation in the world more neat with regard to
dress ; and whether young or old, it appears to
become them all. A quiet life seems quite un-
suited to their disposition : they loiter about,
having then no employment to interest them ;
and being devoted to war, seem distressed by
the indolence of peace. •

The A tamaru or Chief of the stanitza, approached House of
us with very great respect and complaisance, man.
as soon as we arrived. Notice at the same time
was given to all the inhabitants, not to quit the
town without his knowledge, until every thing
the travellers might require should be ascer-
tained and provided. He begged to conduct us
to " quarters,** as he expressed it j and brought
us, for that purpose, to his own house, which he

coss«<:«-

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DON COSSACKS.

CHAP, gave up entirely to our use. It was pleasantly
situate, above the Don, with an open covered
arcade, or wooden gallery : in this gallery we
breakfasted and dined, while we remained. His
cave of provisions was in the court-yard ; and
he made his wife and daughters Open it for our
use. We had the curiosity to descend into this
place. It was floored with ice ; upon which we
saw sterlet from the Don, game^ and other
luxuries. The house was perfectly clean and
comfortable ; so much so, that we could not
resist the pressing invitation made to us of
staying a short time, to study the manners of
the Cossacksj in a town nearly as large as their
capital.

It was amusing to observe the temporary re-
spect they paid to the Ataman. If he convened any
of the inhabitants on business, however trivial,
they made their obeisance before him, standing
bareheaded, as in the presence of a Sovereign :
but the moment the assembly was dissolved, he
passed unheeded among them, receiving no
greater mark of respect than any of the other
Cossacks. It is an office to which the election is
annual; but if an Ataman be particularly popular,
he may retain his station, by re-election, during
many years. This however does not often
happen. Our host was in his Jirst year, and his

DON COSSACKS. 301

predecessors had generaUy changed when the ^^^^'

ill*

time arrived. We soon perceived that the v^'v^^
Cossacks are characterized hy great liveliness and
animation; that they are little disposed to a
sedentary life, hut fond of amusement, and
violent when their passions are roused. In
their dances, drinking songs, and discussions,
they hetray great vehemence. They have
ahundance of excellent food, and as much brandy
as they may think proper to drink. It is there-
fore surprising that order is so well maintained
in their stanitzas.

However indisposed a traveller may be to ideal Dan-
listen to those false alarms which the inhabitants country.
of every country raise in the minds of strangers
who wish to explore any remote part of their
territory, it is not possible at all times to disre-
gard such relations, especially when they come
from persons of the highest authority, and who
pretend to accurate knowledge of the facts they
attempt to substantiate. In Hussiay there was
not an individual, of any respectability, with
whom we conversed upon the subject of our
journey, who did not endeavour to dissuade us
from the danger of traversing what was termed
" the deserts of the Don Cossacks.'* The event,
however, served to convince us of the misrepre-
sentation, and absurditv of such statements.

302 DOH C0S8ACKS.

CHAP* Among the Russians^ indeed, we were constantly
exposed to danger : either from imposition that
it was hazardous to detect, or from insult that it
was fearful to resent ; and in hoth cases the
consequences affected our security. In the
first view of the Cassacksj we heheld a hrave,
generous, and hospitable people. If we ques-
tioned them concerning the dangers of the
country, we were referred to districts tenanted
by wandering Calmucks ; yet we afterwards
found no cause of reasonable alarm, even in the
very camps of that singular race of men. At
Pauhvskorft they told us that the Experor's
courier had been stopped with the maiL We
doubted the fact in the first instance ^ but
concluded, that if' the mail had been really
stolen, the theft was committed by the Russians^
who raised the clamour, and not by the Cossacks^
to whom the robbery had been imputed. In
times of hostility the Jttissians found in the
Cossacks a desperate and dangerous enemy ;
and many a bitter remembrance of chastisement
and defeat induces them to vilify a people
whom they fear. The Cossacks are therefore
justified in acting towards them as they have
uniformly done ; that is to say, in withdrawing
as much as possible from all communion with
men whose association might corrupt, but
could never promote, the welfare of their

XII.

DON COSSACKS. 3Q3

society. After these remarks, it must neverthe- chap.
less be confessed, that we were compelled to
take an escort with us throughout the Cossack
territory, and to place a guard over our car-
riage at night ; precautions, doubtless, often
calculated to excite the ridicule of the people
among whom we travelled ; yet even the Cossacks
themselves sometimes urged the necessity of so
doing, — "on account j' they said, ^^of the CaU
nmcks.*^

One evil consequence arising from attention
paid to tales of danger, is the habit it occasions
of putting a false construction upon the most
harmless and most trivial incidents. The first
night of our residence among the Cossacks we
were full of idle fancies. The Ataman was
intoxicated, and set oflF, accompanied by his
wife, into the country ; leaving us in possession
of his house. As we had heard a violent
altercation without doors, and saw our host,
in a comer of the court, frequently whispering
to other Cossacks^ and pointing to our carriage,
the effect of the silly stories we had heard began
to operate, and we imagined some preparation
was making to rob us; for which purpose it
was necessary to get rid of the Ataman and his
wife, as they might otherwise be made respon-
sible for our safety. The apprehension of our
servants did not diminish the suspicion thus

3Q4f DON COSSACKS.

<;hap. excited ; and we considered the plot as the

XII.

s^^^^w more probable, because we knew that they had
never before seen an equipage so attended.
Since this happened, we had every reason to
believe that the good old Ataman was only
giving directions for our advantage, and, like
all intoxicated persons, was making an import-
ant concern of the most trifling business, such
as the cording and repairing our wheels, and
a few other commissions which we wished to
have executed. Travellers, so circumstanced,
often raise an alarm about nothing; make a
great stir to defend themselves against ideal
danger ; ofiend those who intended no injury ;
and finish, by congratulating themselves upon
an escape, where there was no ground even for
apprehensi on.

Voyage by We received a visit, on the evening of our
arrival, from he Ataman of one of the neigh-<
bouring stanitzas^ who chanced to be in the
place. He represented the voyage down the
Don to Tcherkask as a pleasant, but a tedious
undertaking ; saying, that it would require
at least a month for its performance. The
mosquitoes also are very troublesome upon
the water ; and the passage is liable to im-
pediments, from the frequent shallows of the
river.

DON COSSACKS. 305

Below the town, which stands upon the chap.
western hank of the Douj we heheld this river
augmented to a most magnificent piece of water,
rolling in a full and copious tide, and marking
its progress, through a country otherwise sterile,
by clumps of trees and flowers, and by an
abundant vegetation near to its sloping sides :
but all beyond is bare and desolate. We bathed
firequently, and found the current very rapid.
The fine sterlets caught here were often brought
to regale us during our stay. We preserved
one of them tolerably well ; but they have been
often engraved ; and, were this not the case,
a young sturgeon will give a very good repre-
sentation of their appearance. Another sort of
fish, of large size, is also taken in this river ;
it is like the bream in shape, but quite equal to
the sterlet in flavour. We had one served
at our table, weighing half a poud (eighteen
pounds).

The women of this place are yery beautiful.
The shops are supplied with several articles of
luxury, such as loaf-sugar, ribbands, costly silks,
and other wares of large towns. Among the
more numerous articles offered for sale were
sabres. The Cossacks call this weapon Sabla ;
the Poles and Malo-Ru^iansy Sadel. We ob-
served the hag-pipe frequently in use. A kind

VOL. I. X

306 1>0N C08SACKS.

^In** of puppets, common in Calabria^ which ore carried
w*v-w by the inhabitants of that part of Italy over all

waulnd -^^^^P^f ^^^^ much in vogue here, consisting of
^ces of two small figures suspended by a string : this
the piper fastens to his knee, or to one of his
fingers ; while the other end is held by a gimlet
screwed into a table or floor ; and, by the
motion of the knee, the figures are made to
dance to the tune. The Calabrians manage them
with great dexterity, and often collect a crowd
in the streets of London and Paris. We saw
also the Cossack dance, which much resembles
the dance of the Chpsies in Russia^ and our MngUsh
hornpipe. Like every other national dance, it
is licentious. As the female recedes or ap-
proaches, the male dancer expresses his desire
or his disappointment; yet so adapted is the
figure of this dance to the small rooms of their
houses, that the performers hardly move from
one spot. The expression is conveyed by
movements of the body, especially of the arms
and head, accompanied by short and sudden
shrieks, and by whistling. The method they
exhibited of moving the head firom one
shoulder to the other, while the hands are
held up near the ears, is common to the
dances of all the Tahtarsj Chinese^ and even to
the inhabitants of the islands in the Pac^
Ocean.

1>0N COSSACKS. 3Qy

In the evening of June IGth, we left this hospi- chap.
table stanitzOf crossing the Don upon a raft. The v-^v^
people of the house, where we had been so Departupe.
comfortably lodged, positively refused to accept
of any payment for the trouble we had given
ihem. " Cossacks,** said they, " do not sell their
hospitality \"

The view of KcLsankaia, from the southern
side of the river, is very fine. Its large church,
with numerous domes, stands in the centre :
to the right and left are numerous and neat
wooden houses. The Don flows below, ex-
hibiting in front, the busy raft, which is con-
stantly employed conveying caravans across
the ferry. In all parts of the river above
J^aumkaia, it seems to flow over a bed of
chalk; and its banks, gently swelling upwards
from the water, rise like the South Downs of
Sussex, often disclosing the chalk whereof they
consist. Farther down, and near to the water's
edge, low copses of wood almost always ac-
company its course; but these diminish as it
draws nearer to Tcherkask, the inhabitants of

(1) ** L*hoepitalit^ est en usage par toute la Petite Russie ; et un
qoljjoyRge n'a jamais besoia de faire de la d^pense pour
logemeat et sa noorriture.'' Scherer Armales de la Petite RuMeie,
I. p. 103. PoHf, 1788.

X 2

SOS Don 006SACXB.

which town deriTe all their wood
Volga.

TU.

As soon as we had left Kasankaia^ we entered
st^pet. the steppes in good earnest, with a view to
traverse them, in their whole extent, to Tscher-
kask. They are not cultivated ; hut, hleak
and desolate as their appearance during winter
may he, they have during summer the aspect
of a wild continued meadow. The herhage,
rising as high as the knee, is full of flowers,
and exhibits a very interesting collection of
plants. No one collects or cuts this herbage.
The soil, although neglected, is very fine. We
passed some oaks^ in the first part of our journey,
with the largest leaves we had ever seen. The
Cossacks composing our escort galloped^ before
us, bearing their long lances ; and were of great
use in clearing the road of caravans, and in
tracing the best track where a carriage might
expeditiously pass. We were pleased in sur-
veying our little armed band, going at full
speed ; but thought it would avail us little,
if the stories we had heard of banditti in the
steppes were really true. For ourselves, we
were destitute of any defensive weapons, ex-
cepting our sabres ; and these were under lock
and key, in the sword-case. We relied there-
fore solely on the Cossacks^ who seemed quite

DON COSSACKS. 309

delighted even with the thought of a skirmish : chap.
proud of their employment, they scoured the ^^^^
plains, armed with pistols, sabres, and lances
twelve feet in length. v

Thus escorted and accoutred'', we proceeded
to the distance of thirty vtrsts before the evening ;
and passed the night in a spot full of swamps,
stinking fens, and muddy pools. Near to these
stagnant waters, a number of caravans had
also halted. Mosquitoes were here in great
number, and very troublesome. Our Cossacks
passed the whole night upon the damp ground,
and in the open air, almost naked, around our
carriage. The atmosphere of such a country
must in summer be pestilential. It resembled
the Pontine Marshes in Italy; being full of
reeds, bulrushes, and tall flags, in which was
heard the constant clamour of frogs and toads,
whose croaking overpowered every other sound
during the night. But in the morning, the
chorus of a great variety of birds, with the
humming of innumerable insects, and the pleasing
appearance of a flowery wilderness, gave a
liveliness' to the flat and wide prospect. The
name of this place was Tichaia ; and hereabouts
the river Lazovay has its source. We followed ^^"^

•^ Lazovay.

(1) Sec the Vignette to this Chapter.

glQ CALMUCK8.

CHAP. ^^ tardy and almost stagnant waters through

s^^^ the steppes, to a place named from it, Verchnia

Lazovaia. On its banks we observed the Sinapis

nigra and Convolvulus arvensis, plants common

in England.

vwtto We afterwards saw a camp of Calmucks,

a Camp of ^ ^ ^ *

Caimuckt. in the plain towards the right of our route.
As we much wished to visit this people, it
was thought prudent to send a part of our
Cossack escort before, in order to apprize them
of our inclination, and to ask their permission.
The sight of our carriage, and of the party
approaching with it, seemed to throw them
into great confusion. We observed them run-
ning backwards and forwards from one tent
to another, and moving several of their goods.
As we drew near, on foot, about half-a-dozen
gigantic figures came towards us, stark naked,
excepting a cloth bound about the waist, with
greasy, shining, and almost black skins, and
black hair braided into a long queue behind.
They began talking very fast, in so loud a tone,
and in so uncouth a language, that we were
a little intimidated. We shook hands however
with the foremost, which seemed to pacify
them, and we were invited into a large tent
Near to its entrance hung a quantity of horse-
flesh, with the limbs of dogs, cats, marmots.

CALMUCK8.

311

rats, &c. drying in the sun, and quite black, chap^
Within the tent we found some women, although ^^'*
it were difficult to distinguish the sexes, so
horrid and inhuman was their appearance. Two
of them, covered with grease, were lousing
each other ; and it surprised us, that they did
not discontinue their work, nor even look up
as we entered. Through a grated lattice, in
the side of the tent, we saw some younger
women peeping, of more handsome features,
bat truly Cabnixkj with long black hair, hanging
in thick braids on each side of the face, and
fitttened at the end with bits of lead or tin.
In their ears they wore shells, and large pearls
of a very irregular shape, or some substance
much resembling pearl. The old women were
eating raw horse-flesh, tearing it off from large
bones which they held in their hands. Others,
iqoatted on the ground within their tents, wore
smoking tobacco, with pipes not two inches in
Imgth, much after the manner of Laplanders.
In other respects, the two people, although
both of Eastern origin, and both nomade tribes,
bear little resemblance. The manner of living
among the Calmucks is much superior to that
of the Laplanders. The tents of the former are
better constructed, stronger, more spacious,
and contain many of the luxuries of life ; such
as very warm and good beds, handsome carpets

312 CALMUCK9.

CHAP, and mats, domestic utensils, and many instra-

XII

\^^ ments of art and science, painting and writing*.
The Calmuck is a giant, the Laplander a dwarf:
both are filthy in their persons ; but the Calmuck
more so, perhaps, than the inhabitant of any
other nation. We are not otherwise authorized
in comparing together tribes so remote from
all connection with each other, than by asserting,
from our own observation, that both are Ori-
entalj and that both are characterized by some
habits and appearances in common ; deferring,
at the same time, all further illustration of the
subject until a more appropriate opportunity.
We shall have occasion to speak at large of the
Laplanders^ in another part of our Travels*.

Of Brandy Evcrv onc has heard of the Aoumiss. and

distilled 11,. .

from the the brandy, which the Calmucks are said to

Marea. distil from the milk of mares. The manner

of preparing these liquors has been differently

related, and perhaps is not always the same.

(1 ) Tliose tents are of a circular form, with a hole at the top : they
are constructed of canes, and covered with a thick felt made of
camel's hair. In the Calmuck language they are called Khdfntka;
and being placed ujwn waggons during their migrations, have glvtn
their name to the summer vehicles of i?uj<ia.

(•2) The Esquimaux Indians of A mericUj the Greenlander$,VLaA the
Lapltmdersy !*l>oak the same language, and have the same swarthy
tomplcxion. When the Moravians effected their settlement in La-
brador, the Grecnhmd langnajxe \v:i> usKtl, by their interpreter, witli
tho natives.

CALMUCKS. Q^Q

They assured us that the hrandy was merely chap.
distilled from butter-milk. The milk which
they collect overnight is churned in the
morning into butter ; and the butter-milk is
distilled over a fire made with the dung of their
cattle, particularly of the dromedary, which
makes a steady and clear fire, like peat. But
other accounts have been given, both of the
koumiss and of the brandy. It has been usual
to confound them, and to consider the koumiss
as their appellation for the brandy so obtained.
By every information we could obtain, not only
here, but in many other camps, which we after-
wards visited, they are different modifications
of the same thing, although different liquors ;
the koumiss being a kind of sour milk, like the
Yowrt of the Turks, and the beverage so much
used by the Laplanders, called Pima ; and the
brandy, an ardent spirit obtained from koumiss
by distillation. In making the koumiss, they
sometimes employ the milk of cows ; but never
if mare*s milk can be had ; as the koumiss from
the latter yields three times as much brandy as
that made from cow's milk. The manner of
preparing the koumiss is, by combining one-
sixth part of warm water with any given quan-
tity of warm mare's milk. To this they further
add, as a leaven, a little old koumiss, and agitate
the mass till fermentation ensues. To produce

314 CALMUCKS.

the vinous fermentation, artificial heat and more
agitation is sometimes necessary. This affords
what is called koumiss. A subsequent process
of distillation afterwards obtains an ardent spirit
from the koumiss. They gave us this last be-
verage in a wooden bowl, calling it vina. In
their own language it bears the very remarkable
appellation of racky and racky^ doubtless nearly
allied to the names of our EcLsUlndia spirit,
rcuJtj and arrack. We brought away a quart
bottle of it, and considered it as very weak bad
brandy, not unlike the common spirit distilled
by the Swedes and other Northern nations. Some
of their women were busied making it in an
adjoining tent. The simplicity of the operation,
and of their machinery, was very characteristic
of the antiquity of this chemical process. Their
still was constructed of mud, or of very coarse
clay ; and for the neck of the retort they em-
ployed a cane. The receiver of the still was
entirely covered by a coating of wet clay. The
brandy had already passed over. The woman
who had the management of the distillery,
wishing to give us a taste of the spirit, thrust a
stick, with a small tuft of camel's hair at its
extremity, through the external covering of
clay ; and thus collecting a small quantity of
the brandy, she drew out the stick, dropped a
portion upon the retort, and, waving the instru-

CALMUCKS.

315

XII.

ment above her head, scattered the remainiug ^^^,^*
liquor in the air. We asked the meaning of
this ceremony, and were answered, that it is a
religious custom, to give always the first drop
of the brandy from the receiver to their God,
The stick was then plunged into the receiver a
second time ; when more brandy adhering to
the camel's hair, she squeezed it into the pahn
of her dirty and greasy hand, and, haviog tasted
the liquor, presented it to our lips.

The covering of their tents consist of neat
and well-made mats, such as we see brought
from India ; and also of felt, or coarse woollen
cloths. Whenever a Calmuck marries, he must
build one of these tents, and one also for every
child he has by that marriage. If a husband
die, his widow becomes the property of his
brother, provided the latter choose to accept of
her. A distinction between married and unmar-
ried women is exhibited in the manner of dressing
their hair. A married woman wears her hair
braided, falling over her shoulders, and on each
side of her face ; but a virgin has only a single
braid hanging down the middle of her back.
Their tents were all of a circular form. Near to
these we observed a party of their children,
from the age of five to fourteen, playing at the
ancient Grecian game (before mentioned as

816

CHAP.
XII.

CALMUCKS.

common in Russia) with knuckle-bones*. We
delighted them by making a scramble with a few
copeeks. They were quite naked, and perfectly
black. Farther off, a herd of their dromedaries
were grazing.

Personal
appear-
ance of
Calmueks,

Of all the inhabitants of the Russian empire,
the Calmueks are the most distinguished by pe-
culiarity of feature and manners. In personal
appearance, they are athletic and revolting.
Their hair is coarse and black ; their language
harsh a'^d guttural. They inhabit Thibet^ Bu-
chariaj and the countries lying to the north of
Persia^ Indiaj and China ; but, from their vagrant
habits, they may be found in all the southern
parts of Russia^ even to the banks of the Dnieper.
The Cossacks alone esteem them, and intermarry
with them*. This union sometimes produces

(1) The Astragaliamus ; in which g^me we find Uie origin of diee^
chess, nine-pins, S^c,

(2) In opposition to this remark, it is stated in Mr. Heher't Jouml,
that ** Calmuck servants are greatly esteemed all over i^utfia, far
tlieir intelligence and fidelity ;'' and we recollect seeing some of them
in that capacity among English families in Petersburg. The most
remarkable instance ever known of an expatriated Calmuek^ was that
of an artist employed by the Barl qf Elgin, whom we saw (a second
AnaehartiSf from the plains of Scythia) executing most beautiful de*
signs among the ruins of Athens, Some Jtutsian family had pre-
viously sent Mm to finish his studies in Rome, where ho acquired
the highest perfection in design. He had the peculiar fiBatoraa, and
many of the manners, of the nomade Calmueks,

CAurocKB. 5^rr

women of very great beauty ; although nothing chap.
IB more hideous than a Calmuck. High, promi- ..^v^
nent, and broad cheek-bones ; very little eyes,
widely separated from each other ; a flat and
broad nose ; coarse, greasy, jet black hair ;
scarcely any eye-brows ; and enormous promi-
nent ears ; compose no very inviting counte-
nance : however, we may strive to do it justice.

Their women are uncommonly hardy ; and on
horseback outstrip their male companions in the
race. The stories related of their placing pieces
of horse-flesh under the saddle, in order to
prepare them for food, are true. They ac-
knowledged that this practice was common
among them during a journey, and that a stake
so dressed became tender and palatable. In
their Urge camps, they have cutlers, and other Art*.

31g CALMUCKS.

CHAP, artificers in copper, brass, and iron ; sometimes

Am Mm

v^'/^^ goldsmiths, who make trinkets for their women,
idols of gold and silver, and vessels for their
altars ; also persons expert at inlaid work,
enamelling, and many arts vainly bdieved pe-
culiar to nations in a state of refinement. One
very remarkable fact, confirming the observa-
tions of other travellers^ may bear repetition;
namely, that, from time immemorial, the more
Oriental tribes of Cabnucks have possessed the
art of making gunpowder. They boil the efflores*
cence of nitrate of potass in a strong lye of poplar
and birch ashes, and leave it to crystallize;
after this they pound the crystals with two
parts of sulphur, and as much charcoal ; then,
wetting the mixture, they place it in a caldron
over a charcoal fire, until the powder begins to
Annoor, & granulate. The generality of Calmucks^ when
Weapons, equipped for war, protect the head by a helmet
of steel with a gilded crest : to this is fixed a
net-work of iron rings, falling over the neck
and shoulders, and hanging as low as the eye-
brows in front. They wear upon their body,
after the Eastern manner, a tissue of similar
work, formed of iron or steel rings matted
together: this adapts itself to the shape, and
yields readily to all positions of the body ; and

(1) Joaraal des SavaoB Voyageuny p. 434.

CALKUCXB. 3JQ

oQgbt therefore rather to be called a sfnrt. than chap.
a eoatf of maiL The most beautiful of these are ^^^v^
manufactured in Persia^ and valued at the price
of fifty horses. The cheaper sort are made of
scales of tin, and sell only for six or eight
horses each ; but these are more common
among the Chinese^ and in the Mogul territory.
Their other arms are lances, bows and arrows,
poignards, and sabres. Only the richer Calmucks
carry fire-arms ; these are therefore always
r^arded as marks of distinction, and kept,
with the utmost care, in cases made of badgers'
skins. Their most valuable bows are constructed
of the wild-goat's horn, or of whalebone; the
ordinary sort, of maple, or thin slips of elm or
fir, &stened together, and bound with a covering
of linden or birch bark.

Their amusements are, hunting, wrestling, Reerea-
archery, and horse-racing. They are not conditioa
addicted to drunkenness, although they hold ^
drinking parties, continuing for half a day at a
time, without interruption. Upon such oc-
casions, every one brings his share of brandy
and koumiss ; and the whole stock is placed upon
the ground, in the open air $ the guests forming
a circle, seated around it. One of them,
squatted by the vessels containing the liquor,
performs the office of cup-bearer. The young

320 CALMUCKS.

^ xif' ^^'^^^ place themselves by the men, and b^n
songs of love or war, of £a.bulon8 adventure, or
heroic achievement. Thus the fete is kept up ;
the guests passing the cup round, and singing
the whole time, until the stock of liquor is
expended* During all this ceremony, no one is
seen to rise from the party ; nor does any one
interrupt the harmony of the assembly, by riot
or intoxication. In the long nights of winter,
the young people of both sexes amuse them-
selves with music, dancing, and singing. Their
most common musical instrument is the hala--
laika, or two-stringed lyre ; often represented
in their paintings. These paintings preserve
very curious memorials of the antient supersti-
tion of Eastern nations ; exhibiting objects of
Pagan worship which were common to the
earliest mythology of Egypt and of Greece. The
arts of Painting and Music may be supposed
to have continued little liable to alteration
among the Cahnucksj from the remotest periods
of their history. As for their dances, these
consist more in movements of the hands and
arms, than of the feet. In winter they play at
cards, draughts, backgammon, and chess. Their
love of gambling is so great, that they will
spend entire nights at play ; and lose in a single
sitting the whole of what they possess, even to
the clothes upon their body. In short, it may

GALinJCKS. 321

be mid of the Calnmekg, thai the greatest pait csap.
of their life is qpent m amusement Wretch^
and revoltiiig as they seem, they irould be
iadced miserable, if Gonpelled to change their
meda of living for that of a more civilized
pec^dai Bath OmeBn aad Pallas rislote, that
they decna a residsnce in houses 90 insupport*
able^ thai to be shut up in the confined air of
a dose afMurtment, even fer a short time, when
aader the necessity of going into towns, and
making visits of embassy or commeree, is
ooMsidered l^ tbem with a degree of horror.
Among the diseases caused by their diet
and wank of deaakiaess^ may be mentioned
tka iteb: to this they are vavy subject. M$h
lignant fevers dsre often fetal to them during dhe
heat of summer. The venereal disease causes
great nwages: it is said to prevail chiefly
in those camps where their princes reside,
and not to be often found among the lower
orders. They give to this disorder a name
very expressive of the estimation in which they
bold their mode of life, by calling it ** The house
dimam^J^ Sbaving occasion hereafter to notice
this people, we shall only now add the obser-
vations of one of the celebrated travellers before
mentioned ; who, after considering the privations

(1) Or, rather, '' derkyedjhfm thote who Hve in houses.
VOL. I. Y

XII.

SQ2 CALMUCKS.

<^HAP. to which they are exposed, places their situ-
ation in a point of view more favourahle, per-
haps, than we have done. *' For the rest,'' says
he, **to whatsoever degree of wretchedness
the poorest of the Calmucks may be reduced,
it is very rare to behold them dejected by
sorrow, and they are never subdued by
despair. The generality, notwithstanding a
mode of life apparently so adverse to health,
attain to a robust and very old age. Their
disorders are neither very frequent, nor very
dangerous. Few become grey-headed at forty
or fifty. Persons from eighty to a hundred
years of age are by no" means uncommon among
them ; and at that advanced period of life they
still sustain with great ease the fatigue of horse-
manship. A simple and uniform diet' ; the free air
they uninterruptedly respire ; inured, vigorous,
and healthy bodies ; continual exercise, without
care, without laborious employment; such are
the natural causes of these felicitous effects."

Leaving this encampment, we continued to
traverse the steppes in a south-westerly direction.

(1) It is difficult to reconcile thli ttatement with the real diet of the
CahnuehB. Can that properly be deemed nmple, which consifts of
the g^rossest animal food of all kinds, without admixture of TegetaUe
diet, without bread, or any of the fruitf of the earth ?

DOH COSSACKS. $23

and passed a very neat village belonging to a chap.
wealthy Cheeky who, to our great surprise, had
established a residence in the midst of these
desolate plains. As we advanced, we per-
oeiyed that wheresoever rivers intersect the
steppeSj there are villages, and a numerous
population. A manuscript map of Tcherkask
confirmed the truth of this observation. No
maps have been hitherto published in Europe
giving an accurate notion of the country. A
stranger crossing the Cossack territory might
suppose himself to be in a desert, although
surrounded by viUages. From the road, it is
tme^ he will not often see these settlements ;
but firequently, when we were crossing a river,
after believing ourselves to be in the midst of
an uninhabited country, we beheld villages to
the right and- left of us, that had been con-
cealed by the banks of the river ; not a single
boose nor church of which would have been
otherwise di8cemed^ We were approaching,
in an oblique direction, the Lazovai^ now aug-

(S) ** Breeted, or nther conoealed,** says Gibbon, aeciirately de-
■"i''"g tfit dweUingt of their forefitthers, " in the depth of forests, on
the banks of riTers, or the edge of morasses, we may not perhaps,
vilhovt Satteiyy compare them to the arehiteetnre of the beaver;
vkU thsj resembled in a doable issue, to the land and water, for the
maqf% of the MTige inhabitant, an animal less cleanly, less diligent,
ad lesa sodal, than that nuurellous quadruped." Hutory of the
Smfirey chap. xlii.

Y 2

3^ DON COS3AC|:8.

^xvu' ™®^ted to a considerable river. As we drew
^"^■^v^ near^ its opposite banks rose considerably bigher
"" than the ordinary appearance of the country,
with fine clusters of trees. Before we arrived
at Acenovskaia^ the country was even 1901UI-
tainous* On its western side we beheld a neat
village, called JemvchaiOi pleasmgly situate
beneath, the hills, with a new and handsooae
church. Indeed, the churches are everywhere
good, afld much superior to what we find in <W
country villages in England^ both a& to archi-
tectu;i:e and interior decoratiou^ At tibe top of
the piountainous .elevation on the western sidfd
of the river, stood one of th^ largest of those
tumuli whjuch abound over aU thia countsy.
They becon^ie more« numi^ou^ and appear ef
greater magnitude, neai:er tp the Don and the Sea
of Azof. Finding the water clear, and the cur-
rent rapid, we had the opportunity of bathings
and recommend the practice to all travellers, as.
essential to the preservation of health\

^«uw. From Acenovskaioj we continued our route
over steppes apparently destitute of any habi-
tation, dromedaries were feeding, the sole

(I) AcerH informed us, that by constant bathing he escaped the ferer
to which traTellers are liable from the bad air and heat of Titiphn4
during summer.

DOH COSBACKS. 8^

tenants of these wild pastured. Mr. Ory^s gtot ^^i^^-
upon the badL of one df them, as the animal
ums kneeling: it rose immediately, and, with
a very tnajestic pace, bore him towards the
carriage. Our horsey were so terrified at the
sights that they broke the topids, and we had
great difficulty in tranquillizing them. The
dromedairy, haying passed, made off into the
plain^ with his head erect, prepared, no doubt,
to ondertake an expedition to very distant
regions ; when, having satisfied his curiosity^
Mt. Oripps descended from his lofty back, as
from the roof of a house, ^d fell with some
fiolenoe upon the ground ; leaving the drome-
dary to j^rosecute his voluntary journey, which
he ocmtinued as &r as our eyi^ could follow
him*

Innumerable inhabitants, of a smaller race, 9'^

Sttrokef or

people these immense plains. Among the Bobae,
number of them^ is an animal which the natives steppei.
call Suroke ; the Arctomys Bohac of zoologists**
It grows here to the size of a large badger $

(8) See Shaw 9 ZoUlagy, toI. III. p. 120. PI. 144.— In the first edition
e bad described this animal as the Alpine Marmot y with which natn-
hMt9 sometimes confounded it— The holes, or receptacles, of the
are lined with the finest hay ; and it is said that the quantity
iMuid in one nest is sufficient for a night's provender for a horse. — The
IMat Is the Mut Arettfmys of Pallat.

8S6 I>ON OO06ACK8.

CBULP. 3i|(} gQ much resembles the bear in its mamser
and appearance, that, mitil we became ac-
quainted with its real history, we considered
it as a non-descript animal, and called it Ursa
minima subterranea. Such mistakes are not
uncommon in zoology. Naturalists frequently
add to the nomenclature of animals by super-
fluous appellations. A beautiful little quad-
ruped, called Jerboa in EgypU has been de-
scribed in other countries as a distinct animal,
under the various names of Mus jaculusy Sub-
terraneous Hare^ Vaulting Rat^ Leaper^ &c &c
but it is the same creature everywhere, and bears
to the kangaroo the same degree of relationship
that a lizard has to the crocodile. We shall de-
scribe it more minutely hereafter. Our present
business is with the Suroke ; this is seen in aU
parts of the steppes ; sitting erect, near to its
burrow, whistling very loud upon the slightest
alarm, and observing all around. It makes
such extensive subterraneous chambers, that
the ground is perforated in all directions, and
the land is destroved wheresoever this animal
is found. Its colour is a greyish brown : it has
five fingers upon each of its paws ; these very
much resemble human hands, and are used
after the same manner. The mouth, teeth, and
head, are like those of the squirrel ; but the ears
are shorter. Its fine eyes are round, full, dark.

DON C08SACK8. Q/^

md iHTight : the tail is short ; the belly generally c:hap.
protuberant, and very large. It devours almost
every thing it finds, with the greatest voracity ;
and remains in a state of torpor half the time
of its existence. Many of the peasants keep
mnrakeB tame in their houses. We purchased
no less than four: they lived and travelled
widi us in our carriage, thereby enabling
ua to study their habits. They were always
playing, or sleeping, beneath our feet, to the
great annoyance of our little pug-dog ^ The

(1) UaTiiif mentioned this little animal, it may be well to tay
— iiiHiliig' of the importanoe of Ite presence with as, for the adtaatage
off athar InvdQen. The preoaatien was first recommended to as by a
Polidi trafeller in Denmark. Any small dog (the more diminutiTe
tte belter^ beeanse the more portable, and generally the more petn-
1aat)wfll prore a Tahiable goardian, in countries where the trareller
is fiafale to attacks from midnight robbers, and especially from pirates
bj water, as in the Archipelago, They generally sleep during the day,
somd their shrHl alarum npon the most distant approach of
r, doling the night. The author remembers an instance of one
dwfe f^%HiA«i a party of mariners to stear clear of some shallows, by
bti%^^ at a buoy, which, in the darkness of the night, they had not
pareeived. The instances in which our little dog was useful, it is
mhiiUlos to relate. But it may gratify curiosity to be informed, that,
befog natorally afraid of water, and always aTcrse finom entering it, he
croasBdall the rivers and lakes of Lapland^ Sweden, and Norway, after
hii masters; accompanied them, during three years, in different
fiimatf, although detesting bodily exercise ; and ultimately performed
a jooroey on foot, keeping up with horses, from Athene, through all
OreeeOf Matedoma, and Thrace ; making the tour of the Archipela(/o,
le C^meiantmople ; and thence, in the same manner, through BuigQria,
and WaUaMa, to B^horeet.

S9% DOH COSSACKS.

^ml' P^^^^^ universally give them the name of
WasAy. They told ns» that in the month of
Bqdemher their tame swroka retire to some
hiding-place, and do not make thenr appearanoe
again before the beginning of April Thej
either descend into some borrow, w oonoeal
themselves ^where they may remain the least
liable to observationt and sleep daring die
whole winter. To awaken them, during the
season of their somnolency, materially injmres
their health, and sometimes kills diem. They
are most destructive animals ; for they will gnaw
every thing they find in their way; shoes,
books, wooden planks, and all kinds of roots»
fruit, or vegetables. They made havoc with tlie
lining of our carriage ; which was of morocco
leather. As soon as they have done eating,
they become so -drowsy, that they even fall
asleep in your hands, in any posture or situation,
or under any circumstances of jolting, noise, or
motion. When awake, they are very active ;
and they surpass every other animal in the
rapidity with which they burrow in the earth.
They resemble guinearpigs in making a grunting
noise ; and when surprised, or much pleased,
or in any degree firightened, they utter loud
and short squeaks, resembling the sound of a
person whistling.

DON OOSSA CK8. 999

Other . animals oommoQ in the steppes are ^^^^'
wdYes and bears ; also a quadruped called N^>rw
Biroke^ <rfa grey colour, something like a ifolf, The-Btrate.
verj feaxK^ious, and daring enough to attad:
men. The CoMsack peasants, armed with their
lances» sally fiirth on horsebadc, in pnrsoit of
this animal. It has a long full tail^ reaching to
the groond. From the accounts given oi it by
the peasants, we suspected it to be the same
animal described by Professor Pallas j as found
in the envircms of Astrachan, under the appel-
laticm Ckakalf and said to be between a wolf
aadadog; but whether it be the same kind
of Jackal which is found in Syria and in
Sgifptf or not, we did not learn.

The most numerous of all the quadrupeds of '^^leShuHe.
the steppeSf the whole way firom Woronetz to
Tdmrka^ are the Suslics : by this name they
are called throughout the country. Near the
coiirae of the Don^ they absolutely swarm, and
mssf be taken in any number. This interesting
litde animal is supposed to be the Mus Oitilbis
of Bsffan; and a description of it will now
prom whether this be really the case or not.
It makes a whistling noise, like the suroie ; but
it is much smaller, not being larger than a
small weasel. It constructs its habitation under

g^ DOK COB8ACEB.

ground with iDcrediUe quickness; exosvatingy
first of ally a small CTlindrical holo or well,
perpendicularly, to the depth of three feet ;
thence, like a correct miner, it shoots out a
level, although rather in an ascending direcdon,
to prevent being incommoded by water. At
the extremity of this little gallery it forms a
very spacious chamber; and to this, as to a
granary, it brings, every morning and evening,
all it can collect of feivourite herbage, of com
(if it can be found), of roots, and of other food.
Nothing is more amusing than to observe its
habits. If any one approach, it is seen sitting,
at the oitrance of its little dwelling, erect, xxpaa
its hinder feet, like the mroke, carefolly noticing
whatsoever is going on around it In the be-
ginning of winter, previously to retiring for the
season, it carefully closes with sand the entrance
to its subterraneous abode, to keep out the snow ;
as nothing annoys it more than water, which
is all the Calmucks and Cossacks use in taking
them ; for the instant water is poured into their
burrows, they run out, and are easily caught
The Calmucks are very fond of them as an
article of food ; but they are rarely eaten by
the Cossacks. Their greatest enemy is the
falcon: this bird makes a constant breakfast
and supper of suslics. They have from two to

DON OOSSACKS. Qgl

ten young ones at a time ; and it is supposed, chap.
firom the hoard prepared, that the susKc does v>'v^
not sleep, like the mroke^ during winter. All
the upper part of its body is of a deep yellow,
spotted with white. Its neck is beautifully
white, the breast yellowish, and the belly a
mixed colour of yellow and grey : it has,
moreoyer, a black forehead, reddish white
temples, and a white chin. The rest of its
hted is of an ash-coloured yellow ; and the ears
are remarkably small. Among the feathered
race in the steppes^ we particularly noticed,
during this part of our journey, certain birds
ealled Staritchi ; or Elders^ which appear in
flod»; they are held by the people in super-
fltitioos veneration. One of these birds is about
the size of a snipe : its colour is brown ; but
the breast is white ; and its shape is very
degant

Such are the observations which we made
daring the second day of our journey across
the steppes. We halted at a place called Nature of
SiuAomkaiay and proceeded afterwards to JRasso" ^Sau
ekmskaia, a single hut in the middle of the ^^
waste. Yet such are often the villages, not to
say towns and cities, whiqh %ure in the
Russian maps. This place consisted of a single

xu.

S9S DON C08SAt3K8.

dwelling, built of a few pieces of wood) and
thatched by weeds and sedge, carelessly
heaped. The surrounding hovels are out-
houses for the post-horses* During summer)
its Chsaack inhabitants sleep upcm the roof,
among the thatch.

As it grew dark, a tramendous thunder-storm
came on, and a very interesting spectacle was
disclosed by the vivid flashes of lightning. The
Cossack guard, as well as the people of die
placed, had collected themselves upon different
parts of the thatched covering of the hut and
adjoining hovels, to pass the night. Every
fliash of lightning served to exhibit their martial
figures, standing upright, in groups, upon die
roof of the buildings, bowing their heads, and
crossing themselves, beneath the awful canc^
the sky then presented. All around was de-
solate and silent. Perhaps no association could
serve to render a scene of devotion more
striking. It is customary among the Cassacis,
before they consign themselves to sleep, to
make the sign of the cross, focing respectively
the four quarters of the globe. A similar
superstition, respecting four cardinal points of
worship, exists among ignorant people, even
in our own country. The author, when a child.

DOIl COSSACKS. QOQ

was taught by an old woman to offer the fol- chap*
lowing singular prayer:

*' Foar corners to my bed.
Four angeli over head :
MuSibeWf Mark, Iiukey and Jdkn^
Bless the bed that i lie on."

A party of Cossacks arrived as pilgrims, stragglers
returning homeward from the war in Jta/jf^ A^y!**^
We afterwards met numhers, who had tra-
versed on fi)ot the whole of the immense terri-
tcny from the Alps to the Dan^ and who arrived
with scarcely a rag to their backs. They were
loud in complaints against their unprincipled
coQunanders. Some of them had learned a
Utde of the Italian language; and made use of
it in idling us that the Russian^ officers, having
first stripped them of every thing they had,
turned them adrift upon the. frontier of Italy^
to find their way home on foot. One of them
assured us, that he had begged during the
whole journey ; and that before he left the
Rusooa army, they had taken away his watch,
and even his clothes. We gave them a little
brandy ; and the poor poople of the hut brought
them some broth, made with fish and wild
herbs. They sat around it in a circle, eating
all out of one bowl; and haying ended their

DON COSSACKS.

CHAP, supper began to sing. — So relative is h4
happiness 1

Distioetiou We left Rossochinskaia on the eightee
Couaduot June. All the Cossack inhabitants of the steppa
^i^im fr*"" Kasankaia to Tckerkask, have light brown
' ^'^ hair, and are a different race from the genuine

Cossacks of the capital, and those dwelling in
stanitzas along the Don. Lieutenant-Col!^
Papof, a Cossack officer of the highest
and talent, of whom we shall hereafter i
told U8 that the people of the steppes
emigrants, of recent date, from Poland.

.ling in

It would be tedious to notice, upon every
occasion, the extraordinary number of tumuJi,
seen during the whole route ; but the Rei
is requested to bear in mind the curious 1
of their being everywhere in view. Cloai
the post-house at Pichovskaia, the first
where we halted this day, there wore '
mounds of a very remarkable size ; one on i
side of the road. The horses here were witfl
shoes, and the road was as excellent as it u
possible to imagine. The whole country re-
sembled one vast verdant lawn. Stories ^
danger were renewed : the lances of our Co$i
escort were twelve feet in length ; and'l

DON COSSACKS. 335

imusuid degree of caution prevaUed among chap.
them, as to their means of defence. They
provided themselves with fire-arms: these they
said were now necessary ; and a very sharp
look-out was made, the Calmucks increasing
in number as we advanced more into the
interior.

We arrived at Kamenskaia^ a statdtza upon Kamen-
the DanaetZj generally written Donetz: we
crossed this river by means of a floating bridge,
88 the post-house* was upon the opposite side.
The town made a great figure, as we descended
towards the valley wherem it was situate ;
owing to its fine church, and its numerous
gardens: the river itself also^ exhibiting a
broad stream winding among the trees, had a
noble appearance. We observed in the streets
a kind of gingerbread for sale, which is common
in our English fairs, and it is made into the
same form. The Ataman was at his country-
seat ; and we were told, that all the principal
Couacks had their houses for summer residence
in the country. Just before entering the town,
a young Calmuck woman met us, sitting astride
upon a horse laden with raw horse-flesh, which
hung like carrion before her on either side.
She was grinning for joy at the treasure she

SS8 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP. Greeks to the Don, Tandia. The reason of this

XII. , , . , TTTi 1 ^ rwy

may now be explained. When the word Teams
was introduced into their language, it had re-
ference to another river, and not to the Don.
The subject is curious ; but it requires a better
knowled£re of the geography of the country,
and better documents concerning the course of
the rivers, than any map yet published can
afford. We shall therefore accompany our own
observations by an outline, faithfully copied
from the latest surveys deposited in the Chan-
cery at Tcherkask. Had it not been for the
jealousy of the Russian police, we might have
published another more extensive view of the
whole territory of the Don Cossacks ; calculated
to manifest the prevailing ignorance concerning
the courses of the rivers, and the general
geography of all the country bordering the Sea
of Azof. It was prepared for us, in conse-
quence of an order from the Governor of the
district, by a party of officers belonging to the
Cossack army: but some agents of the police,
apprized of the circumstance, endeavoured to
excite a suspicion that we were spies, and we
were not permitted to profit by their intended
liberality.

In the first place, the Reader is requested,
before he examines this Map, to suppose him-

/i4/er or the

rUOVlNCE of RA.STOF,
ill the GoTemmeiit of
NOVOGOKOJD) SBTEIRSKY;
ShcH'in^ all the tiiffercnt Mouths of the J>^sn.;
und the Course itf that Riycr from the ^dnnerdan
Coiimy of jyaUushiytm , to the Sea of Axof . tri'th
the Course of the l)ea3. 'V>maAs\%, bcinp its
northern Jimhouchw^ , also the station of the
Fortrefses of liastof , Axof , aud. Taganrock;
Taken from the most accurate Surveys by the
Inspector of that Tlrt*yince hv the ^-iuthi^r.

• \

DON COSSACKS.

self entering the mouth of the Douj and pro- c«
ceeding up the river, to the distance of about ^-^
ninety-nine miles^ from its embouchure^ and
rather more than forty-iSix' above the town of
Teherkasi. Here he would find the DanaetZf
filling into the Dan by two mouths separated
from each other by a distance of ten or
twelve miles. But the people have, for time
immemorial, entertained a notion, that, before
the JDanaetz reaches the sea, it leaves the Don
again, and. taking a north-westerly direction,
£dl8 into the Palus Mceotisj to the north of all
the other mouths of the Don. This northern-
most mouth of the Don (represented in the
annexed Map^), owing to the river whose waters
its channel is supposed peculiarly to contain, is
cafled Danaetzj and, to express either its sluggish
current or its lapse into the sea. Dead Danaetz.
The Greeks, steering from the Crimea towards
the mouths of the Don^ and, as their custom
was, keeping close to the 8hore^ entered first
this northernmost mouth of the river. It bore
then, as it does now, the name of Danaetz^
TdanaetZf or Tanaets ; it matters not which of

(1) One hundred and forty vents,

(2) Serenty vertta,

(3) See Fig. 23. in the Map of the Mouths of the Don,

(4) It is still a mode of navigation in the Blaek Sea and the Sea
of Azof »

Z 2

340 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CTAP. these ; for it will readily be admitted, that from
v^*v^ any one of these appellations the word Tandis
would be derived^ Even in the present day,
the analogy between the words is so striking,
that, in hearing Tahtars and Cossacks name
this branch of the Don^ particularly if uttered
with quickness and volubility, it seemed as fre-
quently pronounced Tandis as Tanaetz. To
distinguish this branch of the Don from the
DanaetZf properly so called, they add to each an
epithet; the latter being called the Northern^
and the former the JDead Danaetz.

Camps of We traversed continued steppes^ from Kamen-
skaia. Camps of Calmucks were often stationed
near the road. We visited several ; but obtained
little information worth adding to the description
before given of this people. In one of those
camps, containing not more than four tents, we
found women only, busied in the distillation of
brandy from milk. The men were all absent ;
perhaps upon some predatory excursion. The
women confirmed what we had heard before,
concerning the materials used for distillation :
having made butter, they said, they were dis-
tilling the butter- milk for brandy. We could

(1) The change from D into T, and vice versa. Is one of Uie most
common modifications to which language is cxpoeed.

XII.

DON COSSACKS. 34 j

ly conceive that brandy might be so ob- ^5^^*
d ; but to prove it, they tapped the still,
on a former occasion, presenting a tuft of
I's hair soaked in brandy, that we might
and be convinced. During the latter
of this day's journey, we observed many
odaries, grazing. We halted for horses at
wskaia. Immense caravans were passing
ds the Ukraine. The very sight of their
in is sufficient to prove the importance of
ating the steppes, where Nature only re-
i solicitation, in order to pour forth her
5st treasures. We noticed trains of from
to a hundred waggons, laden entirely with
fish, to feed the inhabitants of the South of
0, who might be supplied with better food
their own land than from all the rivers of
ossacks.

proceeded to Chrwinskaia, and here passed
ght ; having travelled sixty-eight miles* this
notwithstanding the delays curiosity had
oned. In the morning of June 19th, we
to Tchestibaloshniaf meeting frequent par-

Calmucks ; and through Tuslovskaiaj to
wn of Axaiji upon the Don, a settlement

(2) One hundred and two terUi,

342 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, belonging to the Cossacks of TckerkasA. As we
drew nearer the river, the steppes were entirely
alive with swarms of the beautiful little qua-
druped before described under the name of
Suslic : some of these were white. Approaching
Axajff numerous camps of Calvmcks appeared in
every direction, over all the country around the
town. Some of their tents were pitched close
to the place. Others, more distant, covered
the lofty eminences above the Don.

CHAP. XIII.

CAPITAL OP THE DON COSSACKS.

Arrival at Xxay — Public Entry — Reception by the
Don Cossacks — Population of their Territory —
View of the Don — Celebration of a Court Festi-
val— Mode of Fasting — Analogy between the
Don and the Nile — Natural Curiosities and
Antiquities — Fislies — Extraordinary appearance
of Tcherkask — Inhabitants and Public Buildings
— Origin of the Cossacks — Causes of their In-
crease— Emigrations — Foundationof their Capi-
tal— Circassians — ComTnerce of Tcherkask —
Polished Manners of the People — Remarkable
Wager — Survey of the Town — Entire Houses
moved — Diseases of the People — Greek Impostor
— Departure from Tcherkask.

Xhe Postmaster of Tmlovskaia met us, as cn\r.
we drew near to Ixay. He had, without our >.«%^

34^4

DON COSSACKS.

CHAP, knowledge, passed us upon the road, and given

K^-Y^ ^^^ absurd notice to the inhabitants, that a

Arrival at great General from England was upon the road

Public *^ *^® town. A party of Cossack cavalry, armed

^*'^- with very long lances, came out to meet us,

and, joining our escort, took their station in the

van. The Postmaster, with his drawn sabre,

rode bare-headed by the carriage-side ; and

in this conspicuous manner we made our

entry. As the annual inundation of the Don

had laid the streets of Tcherkask under water,

its Chancery had been removed to this place,

and almost all the principal families were in

Axay. We found the inhabitants waiting our

arrival, and the Cossack officers drawn out to

witness it. The Ataman of Axay came to us

immediately ; and we took care to undeceive him

with regard to our supposed generalship. It

RwH'ption seemed to make no alteration, either in the

Couacks, respect paid to us, or the welcome they were

disposed to give. Every possible attention and

politeness were manifested. We expressed an

inclination to proceed as. far as Tcherkask the

same evening. The Ataman observed, that the

dav was far advanced ; that the current of the

DoHy swoln by the inundation, was extremely

rapid and turbulent ; and that he could not

undertake to be responsible for our safety, if

we persisted in our determination. He had

XIII.

DON COSSACKS. RV 345

already provided excellent quarters^ in a spacious chap.
and clean apartment, with numerous windows,
a balcony commanding a view of the Don^ and
every protection that an host of saints, virgins,
and bishops, whose pictures cotered the walls,
could afford. Their General was at his country-
seat, ten miles from the town' : an express
was therefore sent for him, for his instructions
concerning our future reception. In the mean
time, sentinels were stationed at our carriage ;
and an officer, with Cossack soldiers, paraed
constantly before our door. During the whole
time we remained in their country, the same
honours were paid to us ; and although we
frequently remonstrated against the confinement
thus occasioned to the young officers, we never
went out without finding the sentinels in waiting,
and the officer at his post. The Ataman came
frequently to offer his services ; and the constant
endeavour of the people seemed to be, who

(1) " Hoet of the richer Cotsacks have houses hi Tcherkaskf which
they make th&r metropolis ; but pass the greater part of their time in
their farms, on the northern hank of the river. Platof, the Ataman^
said lie Icept there two hundred brood mares. He liad, however, no
land in tillage, though he possessed a vineyard a little to the east of
Axay* Of the wine produced from these vineyards, they vaunted greatiy.
The best always struck me as mixed with Greek wine, or raisins. Tiie
ordinary wines are very poor, and tasteless. Spirits are very cheap, and
modi drank. Pto/n/* liimself took a glass of brandy, with a spoonful
of salt in it ; as if brandy was hardly strong enough."

Hebtr'i MS, Journal,

XIII.

346 ^^^ COSSACKS.

^"m?* should shew us the greatest degree of kindness.
Hearing us complain of the inaccuracy of the
Russian maps, they brought from their Chancery
(without any of those degrading suspicions which
had so often insulted us) their own accurate
surveys of the country, and allowed us free
access, at all times, to their most authentic do-
cuments. The secretaries of the Chancery were
ultimately ordered by their General to copy for
us a survey of the whole territory of the Dan
Cossacks. That we were instigated to accept
of the offer by any other motive than a desire
of adding to the public stock of geographical
knowledge, may perhaps require no proof. The
Procurator* employed by the Russian Govern-
ment, however, thought otherwise ; it being a
maxim in the policy of that country, that **to
enlighten^ is to betray.*' This liberal intention of
the hospitable Cossacks was therefore thwarted j
although no menace of the Russian police can
now prevent an acknowledgment, which would
equally have been made if we had been enabled
to communicate more interesting and valuable

(1) " The Procureur (Procurator) is a kind of comptroller, or visitor ;
appointed to watch over the execotion of the laws ; to examine the de*
dslon of the courts of justice ; to visit the prisons ; attend the executions,
&c. He is generally a native of a different province from that wherein
he is stationed. At Tc?ierka$ky he U always a Btmianf at least not a
Cossack" Hsber's Jcumal.

DON C03SACKS. 34,y

information to the geographers of Europe. It chap.
is some consolation that we were allowed to ^^^/^
delineate the different channels of the Don^
towards its embouchure : this will he found a
£uthful representation. For the rest, it may he
said, the course of the Don itself is not accu-
rately given in our hest maps ; and of the other
livers falling into it, not even the names are
noticed. Those steppes which are described as
being so desolate, and which appear like a vast
geographical blank in every atlas, are filled with
inhabitants. Stanitzas are stationed along the
numerous rivers traversing them ; although the
common route, by not following the course of
any of those rivers, affords no knowledge of the
number of the people. They contain one hun- pq>iiiation
dred stanitzas^ or settlements, and two hundred Territory.
thousand Cossack inhabitants^. Of this number,
thirty-five thousand are in arms. There are
also, in the territory of the Don Cossacks^ thirty
thousand Calmucks : five thousand bearing arms,
as persons who are always ready for actual
service. The last are not permitted to leave
the country, although it be extraordinary how
persons of their vagrant inclination and habits

(8) For a further account of their population, see the Note, extracted
Uram Mr. Heber'i MS, Journal, in a BuUeqaent page, contafaUng much
i-aloable information.

348 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, can be restrained. It was before said of

XIII.

Cossacks, tbat tbey are attached to the Ca
and even intermarry with them ; but a Ct
can never be taught to endure a domestic
If compelled to live within walls, he would
of the spleen ; and always exhibits uneasineil
there be any disposition towards confining
in a house.

View of We had never beheld an acre of Asiatic terH^

tory ; therefore the land upon the south side flf
the Don, although it consisted of flat and dretfj
marshes, afibrded to us an interesting prospeeL
From our balcony we had a commanding viMP
of the river : it appeared broad and rapid, 0&>
tending towards those marshes. At a distance^
eastward, we beheld Tcherkask, with its nu-
merous spires, rising, as it were out of the
water. Upon the European side we observed
a neighbouring stanitza of considerable magni-
tude, stationed, like Axay, upon a lofty eminence
above the water. The name Axay is a Tahtar
word, signifying white water. The Don, in this
part of its course, exhibits two colours. Near
to Axay it appears white, because it is here
shallow. A similar appearance may be observed
from the Castle of Coblentz in Germany, where
the Moselle falls into the Rhine : for some
distance after the junction, the two rivers appear

.^\

ft^i't'v

^*v*jl>V

v>*

i«^

\L3

349

A r 4

348

CHAP.
XIII.

View of
the I>(m.

XIII.

DON COSSACKS. 349

flowing parallel to each other; exhibiting a ^^^J^-
distinct and different colour which is peculiar to
the respective water of each current. In the
shallows of the Douj the Typha palustris flou-
rishes luxuriantly. We found the inhabitants
of Axajfj and afterwards those of TcherAask,
devouring this plant raw, with as much avidity
as if this article of diet had been connected
with some religious observance. The stalks
appeared in all the streets, and in every house,
bound into little fascines about three feet in
length, as our gardeners bind asparagus ; these
bundles were hawked about, or sold in the
shops. The season for eating this vegetable
had just commenced. The Cossacks , peeling off
the outer cuticle, select near the root of the
plant a tender white part of the stem ; which,
for about the length of eighteen inches, affords
a crisp, cooling, and very pleasant article of
food. We ate of it heartily, and became as fond
of it as were the Cossacks; with whom, young
or old, rich or poor, it is a most favourite
repast. The taste is somewhat insipid ; but in.
hot climates, this cool and pleasant vegetable
would be highly esteemed. The Cossack officers,
however, who had been in other countries, said
that it is only fit for food when it grows in the
marshes of the Don.

350 ^^^ COSSACKS.

xm^ ^^ morning after our arrival, the General,
who was Commander-in-chief over all the

tion o?a district, including the town of TcherAask, as the
FesUfaL metropolis, came to Axay* The day was to be
celebrated as a festival, in honour of the recovery
of one of the Emperor's children from the small-
pox inoculation. He invited us to dinner : and
in the forenoon we accompanied him, with all
the staff-officers, to a public ceremony in the
church. Entering this building, we were much
surprised by its mtemal magnificence. The
screen of the altar was painted of a green colour,
and adorned with gold : before it was suspended
a very large chandelier, filled with tapers of green
wax. This screen, and all the interior of the
church, were covered with pictures ; some of
them being tolerably well executed, and all of
them curious, owing to their singularity, and
to the extraordinary figures they served to
represent. Here were no seats, as in other
Russian churches. The General placed himself
against a wall on the right hand facing the
sacristy, standing upon a step covered with a
carpet, which was raised about four inches
from the level of the floor. We were directed
to place ourselves by his right hand. The other
Cossacksy whether in military or civil dresses,
stood promiscuously in the body of the church.

DOK COSSACKS.

351

The priest, in very rich robes, with his back chap.

XIII.

towards the people, was elevated upon a kind
of throne, placed beneath the chandelier, and
raised three steps from the platform, facing the
great doors of the sacristy, which were shut
Over these doors there was a picture of the
Virgin; and before it, suspended by a string,
were two wooden angels, joined back to back,
like the figures of Janus^ bearing candles in
their hands. Whenever the doors of the
sacristy were thrown open, the wooden angels
were lowered before the centre of the- entrance :
here they were whirled about in a most
ludicrous manner.

As soon as the ceremony commenced, the
priest, standing upon the throne, loosened a
girdle, bound across his breast and shoulders,
whereon was an embroidered representation of
the cross. This he held between his fore-
finger and thumb, repeating the service aloud,
and touching his forehead with it ; while the
people chaunted responses, and were busied
in crossing themselves. The vocal part of the
ceremony was very solemn. The clear shrill
voices of children placed amongst the choristers,
reaching to the dome of the church, and seeming
to die away in the air, had a most pleasing
effect. It is the same in all the Russian churches ;

35g ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, and perhaps there is nothing with which it
""• may be more aptly compared than the sounds
produced hy an .^k)lian harp. The words they
use are Russian ; and these are everywhere the
same, " Lord have mercy upon us /" * We did
not find them altered even among the Cossacks ;
it was still "Ghospodipomilui!^' but trilled

** In notes with many a winding boat
Of linked sweetness long drawn out."

At last there was an interval of silence : after
this, other voices, chaunting solemn airs» were
heard within the sacristy. The door was then
thrown open ; and a priest, bearing upon his
head a silver chalice, containing the conse-
crated bread, covered with a white napkin,
made his appearance. He was preceded by
others, who advanced with censers, dispersing
incense over the doors of the sacristy, the
pictures, the priest, the General, the officers,
and the people. After some other ceremonies,
bread was distributed among the congrega-
tion: then those who came out of the sacristy
having retired, its doors were again closed,
and prayers were read for all the Royal family ;

(1) It is an antient Heathen prayer. Vosnus says that K{fpu IXitivov
was a usual form of prayer among the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
SoArrian, Tdv Otbv iiriKaXovfuvog, itofitOa aifrov, Kvpu IXiiiffov.**
^* Calling upon Gad, toe pray, Lord have merty upon us/" Anion. £piet,
lib, ii. c. 7.

BON COS8ACK8. 553

their names being enumerated ' in a tone of cha?;

. XIII.

voice and maimer resembling that of a corporal ^^»v<^
or a Serjeant at a roll-call. Passages were also
read from the Psalms; but the method of
reading, in liussian churches^ cannot easily be
described. The young priests who officiate,
pride themselves upon mouthing it over with
all possible expedition, so as to be unintelli-
gible, even to the Russians ; striving to give to
a whole lesson the appearance of a single word
of numberless syllables. Some notion may be
formed of this bruiting, by hearing the crier in
mie of our courts of justice, when he administers
the oath to a jury.

The dinner ^ven by the General, after this Mode of
ceremony, served to prove, that among Cossacks^ **
as elsewhere, religious abstinence by no means
implies privation as to eating or drinking. We
were taught to expect a meagre diet ; but we
found the table covered with all sorts of fish,
with tureens of sterlet soup, with the rich wines
of the Dofiy and with copious goblets of deli-
cious hydromel or mead, flavoured by juices of
diffinrent fruits. We took this opportunity to
request the General's permission to open one
of the tumuli in the neighbourhood. It was
granted, and an order was given for thirty of
the Cossack soldiers to assist us in the under-

VOL. I. 2 a

S54

DON OOBBACKS.

CH^p. taking : but Bfterwardflf when we had assembled
our workmen, an alarm was spread, aiid
speedily increased, by the observations of an
ignorant physician, that the plague might be
thus oommunicated to the people: in conse-
quence of which we were forced to abandon
the design. Several of the CassacAif never-
theless, assured us that they had finmeriy
opened several mounds ; and affirmed that they
had found in them bones of men and of horses.
iSometimes, they said, (and this, if true, would
be indeed remarkable,) that gun-barrels were
discovered in these tombs, exhibitii^ very
antient workmanship. A CosmcA €&cer shewed
to us a very extraordinary weapon of this
nature, which he declared had been discovered
in one of the mounds in the steppes. But, not*
withstanding all that may be urged concerning
any knowledge which the Chinese and Oriental
hordes are i3upposed to have possessed of gun*
powder before its u&e in Europe, it must appear
evident that such weapons were derived from
the inhabitants of Poland^ who employed thefm
with matchlocks ; yet the officer alluded to had
no motive for deviating from truth. Otha
things, (such as vessels of terrc^cotta^ and instru*
raents of war, common to antient nations,) said
to have been found in these heaps, are more
consistent with probability.

DON cojay»AGKa. 35^

In the tveabxg of this day we embarked cr4^»
iqpoii the Dan for Tcherkasky accompanied by v#v^
Lieutenant-Colonel AUxi Gregorivitch Papof.
To this officer we were indebted for instances
of hospitality and polite attention, such as
stnuogOTs might vainly expect in more enlight*
eoed cities of Europe. His education had been
libesa]^ alihough received in the marshes of the
Den; and his accomplishmenta might hasre
graeed the most refined society, although ai^t
qnind among the natives of jTcAerAosi^

In almost all its chaKacteristics the Dan Analogy
bears Teaemblance to the Nilt. It has the same ^^7^
psgular .annual inundation, which oovers a ^j^^

(1) CoIohbI Papof has aince pablished an account of the Don
GMMKlty in a Work which was printed at Charkqfln. 1814. Mr. HAer
fti hit •btarratioaf «a Axajf, hat dinred a genoUie ti-ibate to tht
foS^tened minds of the CoMtaeh of the Don. " There is here a very
deeent Kabakf with a bilHard-table, and a room adorned with many
ChriMUi w^tvdagB ; and one Bngllsh print, that of Tlte Death of
ChifmUflrBftywrd. The Costaekt, haring never heard of the ChewUier
•flU reproeke^ eaUed it The Death of Darius. On my asking if Bourbon
was AUMmdro Maeedonsky, they uiswered, to my surprise, tliat ha
Wtp 90l pwiamt at the death of Darius, and shewed themseiTea
imU tkUUd in ki§ historiff which one would hardly ezpt ct" Heber^g
M8. Jcurnai,

^ Bdocatioa among the Couat^ la not so low aa is generally
tlmagfaty and it improves daily. All the children of OfRcers are sent
to the aeademy of Tdterkatk, and learn French, German, &e. It was
hoHday-time when wc were there ; but tbeir progress was well spoken
of.*' Ibid,

2 A 2

XIII.

356 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, great extent of territory. Over this we now
passed by water to Tcherkask. The water
retires in the month of July or August. The
same aqnatic plants are found in both rivers;
tall flags, reeds, and bnlmshes, sometimes rising
to the height of twenty feet The manner of
their entrance into the sea, by several months,
is also the same ; forming small islands, as in
the JDdtaj with fens and morasses. Both <me
and the other serve as boundaries to two prin^
cipal quarters of the globe. When the watera
retire, the astonishing variety of insects might
induce a zealous entomologist to visit the Dan^
if it were, only on their account. During the
inundation, when the waters were at the
highest, we observed about thirty different
kinds of flies, at the same instant, upon the
tables of our apartment. Many of these we
collected, but they were too much injured in
the subsequent journey to be delineated. The
whole course of the JJon is about six hundred
and sixty-six miles \ It rises near Tula^ in a
lake called Ivan Ozero^ or St. JohCs Sea. Be-
low WoronetZf it is from three hundred to six
hundred fathoms broad ; and of sufficient depth
for ships of burthen, from the middle of April to

(1) One thoasand ventt.

DON COSSACKS. 55 y

the end of June: daring the rest of the year chap.
the water is so low, that upon several of the wvw
flhaUows it is not ahove eighteen inches deep'.
In the spring floods it rises from sixteen to
eighteen feet, and the current is very rapid.
The principal rivers falling into it are, the
Danaetz^ the Waronetz^ the Chopery the Med^
tidiiZf and the Havla^i but there are others,
unnoticed hitherto by geographers, not perhaps
of equal importance, although entitled to a
place in maps of the country, owing to the
number of inhabitants found upon their shores.

About twenty miles below WoronetZs dose to Natural
the river, near a town called Kaitinskoy^ Gmelin ^AnuT
observed one of those deposits of fossil ^^^^
elephants' bones, of which there exist such
wonderful remains in Siberia^ at the mouths
of rivers falling into the Icy Sea. These bones
are described as lying in the greatest disorder ;
teeth, jaw-bones, ribs, vertebree, not mineralized,
but in their natural state, having only sustained
a partial decomposition \ The antiquities of the

(S) Lord Wkiiworth*$ Account of Russia, p. 120. Strawberry Hill
9dii. 1788.

(3) TMeaxk wJbthgh de Empire de la RuMie, par PUtck^jHef^ p. 23,.
Mmam^ 179a

(4) Jouniab dct 8a?aiii Voyageurt, p« 84.

ia ffe -,

the IMm, mmk hmStt a dif,

taoboiHlml aJeg ahawt A> t— n» rf THI^hMi,

MfignfittBft trans €■ ssdk % mny sra fluD nid
Id lie i«He. At Gcnnl OfkfM
two .SMr cf BoMe^ MiMlIf
flmccL Xw €4MMcit are too utlo juluHilBd
in ncn iMHen to nmst toko €if this kind;
and they woold do so the kss wlwre no
inqniry was iBade to ioBt^ato tiboa. The inlbr-
natioii, socii as it n^ was giVHi ii|Maitm>ioomly \
and, indeed, tiio liii aiawlaima of dieir tndU
tion are sofnewbat corroborated by reference
to antient historv. The 2THAAI or PiBars* of
Alexander were, aeoordii^ to Piokmjf^ in Asiatic
Sarmatiaj and in the yicinity of the Tanais\
The Altars BQMOI of Alexander were on the

■*■ I

( 1 ) The rcAder will pardon the aothor't TefereDee to his ftoeovnt of
the Cambridge Marbles, for a more particular detcription of the Mono*
mrntal Pillar called 8liU ; far thif wofd haTing been almost always
itnprof>erl3r translated, has g^ren rise to moch error in our notions of
antient historj.

(2) 'Rwixowri ik xai at fiiv 'AXiKdvipcv STHAAI.
no. f . p. 264. Edit. Par. 1M6.

DON C068ACK8. ^gg

JSurapean side of the river' : of these we shall <inAP.
have occasion to speak hereafter. We heard*
moreover, of coins of Alexander ; but none were
to be seen. Perhaps, among the numerous
Cheeks who reside in Tcherkask^ both spurious
and genuine coins of Alexander may have been
found, and thus have given foundation to the
report. Of the marble St^Usj however, the
history is unequivocal ; because General Orlaf
himself who possessed them, and who issued
orders for their removal from Zimlanshaia^ gave
to us the intelligence. The boats upon the
J}€n exhibit the most antient form of vessel
used' for navigation: that of a canoe, scooped
from a single tree, consisting of one piece of
timber : in this they move about with a single
paddle. Sometimes, as in the South Seas^ they
join two of those canoes by transverse planks
laid across, and so form a kind of deck, capable
of conveying considerable burthens ^ The
breadth of the river at Ixay, at this season of
the year, appeared to be at least half a mile.
The current is rapid, and even turbulent. The
fishes caught in it are much too numerous to be
mentioned, as perhaps there is no river in the

(3) Ptdlemei Geogr. ibid. p. 142.

(4) 8t8 tbe Fif^Mftt to thia Chapter, from a drawing by Mr. £r06rr.

xin.

3gQ DOH CXie&ACKS.

CHAP, world affordiiig a greater variety, or m greater
perfection. Among the principal are, the belugiz^
the axnmon sturgeon^ the sterlet^ Sftdak^ traut^
Prussian carp^ tcHch^ pHe^ penA^ waier-^tartaiseSf
and crawfM, of an enormous size. Some of the
lasty equal in size to oar lobsters^ are caught in
great abundance, by sinking small cylindrical
nets, about six inches in diameter, haited with
pieces of salted fish. They sold at the rate of
two* pence (English) per hundred ; and in certain
seasons of the year the same number may be
had for half that sum. The beluga is the largest
eatable fish known* In the kidneys of very
old belugas are sometimes found culaUif as large
as a man's fist Professor Pallas gave us a
concretion of this nature, which Doctor Tenrumt
has since analyzed: it consists almost wholly
oiphosphat of lime. The lower sort of people
keep these calculi as talismans, for the cure of
certain disorders. Strahlenberg relates that he
saw a beluga fifty-six feet long, and near eighteen
feet thick. In the Don they seldom exceed
twelve feet in length. This fish, in its shape
resembles the sturgeon. One of the oldest fisher-
men upon the Don possessed a secret, enabling
him to ensnare the largest belugas ; but he would
not communicate to any one his valuable dis-
covery. We saw him fishing at a considerable
distance from our boat, and could distinctlv

DON COSSACKS. $61

perceive that ho plunged a hollow cylinder ^^^fF'
vertically into the river, causing a noise under s^v^w
water» like the bursting of an air-bubble : this
might be heiurd firom the shore, on either side.

The appearance of Tcherkask^ viewed from Extraordi-
the river, affords a most novel spectacle, pearanceof

f Teherkfuk.

Although not so grand as VeTiice^ yet it some-
what resembles that city. The entrance to it
is by broad canals, intersecting it in all parts.
On eadi side, wooden houses, built on piles,
appear to float upon the water : to these the
inhabitants pass in boats, or by narrow bridges
only two planks wide, with posts and rails,
forming a cause-way to every quarter of the
town. As we sailed into this city, we beheld
the younger part of its inhabitants upon the in^abi-
house-tops, sitting upon the ridges of the
sloping roofs, while their dogs were actually
running about and barking in that extraordinary^
situation. During our approach, children leaped
from the windows and doors, like so many frogs
into the water, and in an instant were seen
swimming about our boat. Every thing seemed
to announce an amphibious race : not a square
inch of dry land could be seen : in the midst
of a very populous metropolis, at least one half
of its citizens were in the water, and the other
half in the air. Colonel Papof conducted us to

S62 DOH COfl6ACKa.

CHAP.
XIII.

the house of a General, the principnl officer and
Ataman of Tckerkask^. This perscm was a
merchant, and very rich. His house like all
those we saw afterwards, was extrondy neat,
and elegantly furnished. Upon the walls of the
apartments wwe French and English prints:
among others, we noticed one, a yeryxfine en-
graying, taken from a picture of more than
common interest. It represented Housseau, in
his last moments, desiring his housekeeper to
open the window, that he might once more
behold the face of Nature. The General, haying
requested that we would accept of his seryices
while we remained in the city, appointed an
officer to attend us, to proyide us with sen-
tinels, and whatsoeyer else might he deemed
necessary.

The town of Tcherkask is diyided into
eleyen stanitzaSj and contains fifteen thousand
inhabitants. The number of houses amounts to
three thousand ; allowing, upon the ayerage,
five persons to each. This, from all we could
Icam, is the true state of the population. Here

(1) « The interna] goverximent of Tcherkask is exercised, under tht
Ataman, by a Master of Police, and a Chancery of four persons. The
Police master, and, on some solemn occasions, the Ataman^ is distin-
guished by a large staff, with a silver fiUigree head resembling that of
a dnim-m^jor.*' Heber*9 MS. Journal,

DON COSSACKS. 3g3

am seven churches : four huilt of stone, and chap.
three of wood. One of the latter description v^-vO
is for Tahtar worship, the Taktars having a Buildings.
^anitza in Tcherieisk peculiar to their own
people. Their religipn is Mahomedan; and their
dtturch perfectly unadorned, heing huilt with
tiie utmost simplicity, and contaming only a
litde recess, with a pulpit for the priest, and
a gallery for hoys and young men. The elders
only enter the lower part of the huilding ; this
is covered with carpets : and, as in Turkey , no
one is permitted to enter wearing hoots or
shoes. Nevertheless, upon this sacred floor
they transact their commerce ; for we found
a Tahtar squatted, casting up his accounts,
and writing, with all his commercial papers
around him.

The first church erected in Tcherkask was
founded hy Peter the Great, as an inscription
placed in the wall implies ; hut it has suffered
frequently from fire, as indeed have all the
other churches. It is now of stone ; and con-
tains a handsome screen, painted a bright
green colour, and richly gilded, as at Ixay.
They hum, moreover, green wax candles. In
this church are kept what they call their
regalia ; applying this term to republican^ rather Regalia.
than to regalf ensigns of distinction. These

364p ^^^ COSSACKS.

^ziiL ^^'^ exhibited for our inspectioi^ and consisted
cliiefly of presents from different sovereigns,
standards, and embroidered flags beairing the
imperial arms; politic donations, serving as
memorials, lest the Cossacks might forget to
what empire they belonged. Here we saw
lances fashioned after the Asiatic manner, with
tofts of fine camel's hair hanging frt>m the point
Perhaps the origin of such an appendage may
be referred to those barbarous periods when
Oriental nations drank the blood of their ene^
mies. An instrument of the same form has
been already described ; it is used by the
CalmuciSf for drinking brandy; they thrust a
small lance with a tuft of camel's hair into the
stills containing the spirit they procure from
mare's milk, and squeeze the tuft into the palm
of the hand, in order to drink what it has
thus absorbed^ With these lances were also
preserved silver-headed staves of their Atainans ;
illuminated and beautiful manuscripts, chiefly
certificates of the brave conduct of their people
in war, sent as testimonials by various sove-
reigns whom they had served ; and a map of
their territory, by the hand of the late Empress
Catherine. The standards she presented to

(l)Seep. SUofthitVoloDM.

XIII.

DON COSSACKS. QQl

them are extremely costly. Great part of their cktap.
regaUa was burned in one of the terrible confla-
grations to which their town has been exposed ;
and among the things then lost, were some
presents from Peter the Great. There still
remaned one of his gifts, very characteristic of
that extraordinary man. Among the rich staves
of ebony, silver-headed, and magnificently
adorned, which difierent sovereigns have sent
to be borne by the Ataman, there appeared
one which was destitute of any other ornament
than what Nature had bestowed. Of this they
were more proud than of all the rest. It was
like the club we see usually represented with
the Figure of Hercules ; that is to say, of plain
unadorned wood, although covered with sturdy
knots, and calculated for the hands of a giant.
In the same church was also suspended the
singular picture of " The Virgin with the Bleeding
Cheek,** but with a remarkable addition to the
usual representation. Below the figure of the
Virgin, a hand appeared painted of the nafural
size, as if it had been cut off and fastened to
the picture : a knife also was placed by the hand.
They related that a priest having struck a
picture of the Virgin, wounded her in the cheek,
which ever afterwards continued to bleed ; but
immediately the blow was made, the hand of

566 DOHCOflSACKS.

CHAP, ibe prioBt caaM eS, and rmaiaedy with the
knifed adhHing to the picture.

There is another stone church in Teherhtui
which suffered nunre recently from fire. About
four years ago, the inhabitants undertook its
reporatioB, and CTected a screen of greai magr
nificenoe, an astouishii^ piece <tf workmanship
fiHT this part of the world. It is haUt in the
Grecian taste, and consists of fourteen Cbrm-
tkian columns, oofered entirely with bmrnisbed
gold. There are, besides, CmnihiaM pilasters ;
also paintings in a more modern styles and more
pleasing than the stiff appearance usuaUy exhi-
Inted by such pictures in the Russian diurches.

Almost all the other public edifices in Tcher-
hash are of wood. They are as follows :

I. The Chancery, where the administration
of justice, and all other public business, is car-
ried on. — This building contains their papers,
records, and other documents. One room is
appropriated to their assembly for public de-
bates: this much resembles our House of
Commons. It contained the Emperor's portrait;
and it was more like him than any we had seen.
When a general assembly is convened, it con-
sits of a President, with all the Generals,

DON COSSACKS. 367

Colonels, and Staff-officers. Their Comuals cb^^-
rdate not only to military affairs, but to all
business which concerns the public welfare.

II. Another Court of Justice, called Sclates-
KB8UT, signifying ^* Justice by Ward.'* — The as-
aemblies here answer to our quarter-sessions.
Parties who have any disagreement come with
their witnesses, and state their grievances.
Each receives a hearing, and afterwards justice
18 decided.

lu. The PuBUC Academy : here their youth
reoave instruction in geometry, mechanics,
physics, geography, history, arithmetic, &c. &c.

lY. The -Apothecaribs' Haij..

V. The Town Hall of the eleven stanitzas
into which the town is divided.

n. Six Piusons : four of these are for males
and two for females. — The prisoners are suffered
to go about in their chains, for the purpose of
begging.

The Shops are very numerous ; they are
k^t chiefly by Oreeks^ and contain the produce
of Turkey ; as pearls, cloth, shawls, tobacco,
fruit, &c. There are also two Public Baths ;
and each stanxtza has its respective tavern,
for liquors, brandy, wine, &c. ; likewise its
traiteuT^ or cook's shop, for victuals. Every
Saturday evening a ceremony takes place in all

368 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, the churches, called " The benediction of bread ^
^^'v^^ upon these occasions, five white loaves are
placed in the middle of each church ; symbols
of those with which Christ fed the multitude.
The people then pray, that, ** as with five loaves
he fed five thousand, he would vouchsafe a
sufficiency of com in the country for the bread
of its inhabitants^ and bless it for their use/*

Origin of It is uncertain whence a notion originated,

the Cat' . • •

Mckt. that the Cossacks are of Polish origin ; but, as
it has become prevalent, a seasonable oppor-
tunity now offers to prove that it i^ founded in
error. The Cossacks have been acknowledged^
as a distinct people, nearly nine hundred years.
According to Constantine Porphyrogenetes^ they
were called Casachs in the age of that writer.
This name is foimd in the appellation of a tribe
residing near Caucasus. " And beyond the Pa*
pagian country," says he\ " is the country
called Casachia; but beyond the Casachs are
the summits of Caucasus.** Our countryman,
Jonas Hanway^ calls the Don Cossacks " a spe-
cies of Tahtars*." Starchy who has written

(1) Kal dviMtOiv rijg TlaTrayiag x^P^C i<fTiv 17 x^^P^ ^ Xiyofuyii
KA2AXIA dvu)9€v Sk rrjg KA£AXIA2 5pi| rd JLavKdvia thw. Con-
stantmus de Administrand. Imper. in fin. cap. xlii. p. 133. Lugd. Bai.
IGII.

(2) Hanway*t Trayels, toI. I. p. 97.

XIII.

DON COSSACKS. gQg

fSoUy and learnedly on the subject, although he chap.
admits the resemblance they bear to Tahtarsj in
their mo^e of life, constitution, and features,
insists that' they are of Russian origin *. Scheref^
who has appropriated a woj*k entirely to the
investigation of their history, and continually
inculcates the notion of their Polish origin,
neyertheless opens his work with an extract of
a different nature ; but it has all the air of a
feble \ It is taken from Nestor^s Russian Annals.
A Russian Prince, and Cossack Chief, at the
head of their respective armies, agree to deter-
mine their differences by a wrestling-match,
which ends in the assassination of the Cossack
by the Russian. This event is followed by the
subjugation of the Cossack territory ^. To have
seen the Cossacks^ and to have resided among
them, is sufficient to establish a conviction that
they have nothing in common with the Russians of
the present day, except the language they use.
Let us pay some attention at least to what they

(3) Tableau Historique et Statistique de TEinpire de Rnssie, par
StordL Bdit Franfoise, torn. I. p. 55. See particularly p. 24 of the
Notet of that Yoliime.

(S) Tliey are often described as a branch of the Pole$, who'migrated
in modem times to the marshes of the Don, The observation ofSeherer,
eoneeniing their language also, streng^ens the notion of their PoUmH
origin : '*' La langue de» Cosaquei est un dialecte de la Polonaisef coikme
edle^ Vest de VEteUwan." Annales de la Petite Russie, par Scherer,
torn. 1. p. 17. PariMy 1788.

(4) Seherer, Tableau de la Petite Russie, tom. I. p. 9.

VOL, I.- 2 B

jfJQ DON COSSACKS.

C0AP. say of themselves. The Cossacks of the Don
relate, that a party of their countrymen heing
engaged in their usual occupation of hunting,
near the range of Mount Catxasus, met a numher
of people, with whom they were unacquainted,
going towards the East; and having inquired
who they were, the strangers answered, that
they were emigrants from Poland^ who had fled
from the oppression of their nobles, and were
proceeding to Persia^ to join the troops of that
country against the Turks. The Cossacks told
them, they mijght spare themselves the trouble
of so long a march in order to exercise hostili-
ties against the Turks : and persuaded the Poles
to return with them to the town of Tcherkaskj
where they would find an asylum, and whence,
in concert with their own forces, they might
attack the fortress of Azof. Assisted by these
auxiliaries, and with only four pieces of camion,
all the artillery they possessed at that time,
they laid siege to Azof which fell into the hands
of the allied army. From the circumstances of
this alliance, first enabling the Cossacks to make
a figure among the nations at war with Turkey^
may have been derived the erroneous notion of
their having migrated from Poland. The Cossacks
of the Don, according to the account the best
instructed give of their own people, (and they are
much better qualified to write their own history

DON COSSACRa ^|

than any of the Russian Academicians, ) are a mix- chap.
tnre of various nations, principally of Circassians^
MalthMussianSy and MtissianSj but also of Tahtarsy
Poles, Greeks^ Turks, Calmucks, and Armenians^
In the town of Tcherkask alone, and in the same
street, may he seen all these different people at
ihe same time, each in the habit peculiar to his
own nation. A considerable proportion of the
inhabitants have ever been refugees from Turkey,
dreece, or from other countries. Concerning the
coriginal establishment of Tcherkask^ they relate,
ihat it was founded by refugees from Greece,
to whom the people of Azof denied admission,
and who, in consequence, proceeding farther up
the river, came to this island, where they made
a settlement, giving to the place a name derived
from the people upon whose frontier it was
situate, and with whom they afterwards were
intermingled. The name of the town, although
pnmounced Tcherkask y, is written Tcher^
KASK, implying " The small village of the
Tcherkas,*' pronounced generally Tcherkass, or
as we write it, Circassians. Thus, fr^m a small
settlement of rovers, augmented principally by
intercourse with the neighbouring Grcassians,
has since accumulated, like a va^t avalanche, the
immense horde of the Cossacks. Before the
middle of the tenth century, they had already
reached the fit)ntier of Poland^ and had com-

2b2

ZIII.

372 DON C088ACK8.

▼f^/*' menced an intercourse with the people of that
country : this was often attended with an aug-
mentation of their 'horde by the settlement of
jPo/isAemigrants among them. Thoir first notable
armament is said to have been in the year 948 \
when the Greek Emperor employed them as
mercenaries in his war against the Turks. From
their address in archery, their neighbours had
given them the name of Chozars and Chazars^
under this latter appellation they are frequently
mentioned by Constantine Porpkyrogenetes, and
their country called Chazaria^. The Greek
Emperor, for the services they rendered, s^it
them, with assurances of protection, and recom-
mendatory letters, to the Polish Sovereign,
requesting that, in future, their appellation
might be Cossacks^ and not Chozars '. As to the
origin of that name, some will have it to be
derived from a Tahtar word signifying An armed
man * ; others, from the sort of sabre they use ;
others, from a word which signifies a jRorer; others
again pretend, that the Poles called them Cossacks
from a word in the Polish language implying
a Goaty because they formerly wore the skins
of that animaP. Scherer^ objecting to this last

(1) Scherer, Tableau de la Petite Russie, torn. 1 . p. 67.

(2) Pee Const Porphyrogcnctes, cap. 10, 12, 13, 39, &c.
(3)5fA^^. ibid. p. 71.

(4) Storchf Tableau de la Russie, torn. 1. p. 55.
(6) Sec " A DiBCoursc of the Original of the Cosgacks,'* by Edtcard
Brown, p. 1. Land, 1G72.

DON COSSACKS. 3yS

derivation, substitutes anotber still more frivo- chap.

XIII.

Ions, and maintains it to have been taken from
KossGy a small promontory ^ In this wild pur-
suit of etymology, we might also affirm, that
Ckuacaj in Spanish^ signifies precisely the sort
of coat they wear, answering to our English
word Cassock' i did not Peyssonnel much more
rationally, and perhaps incontestably, explain
the origin of their appellation. ** The land of
the ChazackSi'" says he^ ^^ formed a part of that
country now denominated Circassian properly so
caHed. In this district of Chazakiay according
to my opinion, we ought to seek the origin of
the Cossacks of the present day/' This obser-
vation is actually confirmed by facts already
related, and by the extract from Constantine
cited in a former page : although so general
became the migrations of this people, that their
colonies now extend from the banks of the
Dnieper to the remotest confines of Siberia.
According to their different emigrations and
settlements, they are at present distinguished
by the various.names of Malo-Mnssian Cossacks,
Dan Cossacks, Cossacks of the Black Sea^ of the

(6) Sehenr, Tableau de la RoMie, torn. 1. p. 67.

(7) See Ijetten eonttrmng the Spanish NtUion^ by the Rev. JB. Clarke
(tbe anthor's fiUber), p. 338.

(8) Obaenrations Uistoriques, &e. sur lea Peuples Barbares, par
(, p. 12& Paris, 1765.

9^4 ^^^ CO0SACK8.

CHAP. VolgOf of Gi'ehenskoj/j of Orenburg^ of the Ural
AlpSy and of Siberia ; where they have received
yet other appellations, and reach even to the
mountains of Chinc^ and to the Eastern Oceaau
It is necessary to confine our attention to the
principal hive, whence, with little exceptioB,
all those swarms have migrated.

iL|ti:-''i

tiSr^-' Nothing has contributed more to
^!^^^' the nation of the Don Cossacks^ than the freedom
they enjoy. Surrounded by systems of slavery,
they offer the singular spectacle of an increas^g
republic } like a nucleus, puttuig forth its roots
and ramifications to all parts of an immense
despotic empire, which considers it a wise
policy to promote their increase, and to gua-
rantee their privileges. As they detest the
Mtissians^ a day may come, when, conscious of
their own importance, they will make their
masters more ftiUy sensible of their power'.
A sage regulation in their military constitutioD,
from a very early period, induced them to grant
all the privileges they enjoy to all prisoners
of war who were willing to settle among them.

(1) After slightly notlcmg their most iin])ortant reyolts nnder

and Boulftvin, towards the end of the scventeentli, and in the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century, Storch observes, "L'historie dt tm
rebellions est assez interessante pour occuper un de fws kUtoriems m§
denies."— See p. 26 of the Notes to Storch'i Tableau de la Rtutk,
torn. I.

DON COgSACKS. 3^5

Thus, firom the success attending their incur- chap.
sionSy their numbers have rapidly increased.
In the year 1579* they made their appearance,
for the first time, in the Mtissian armies*. In
l634h their earliest colonies were established
upon the Volga. About the same time, another
colony marched towards the Terek^ and settled
there. Towards the middle of the last century,
a detachment fixed their residence along the
banks of the Samara^ the Uiy and the Uralf as
four as the Kirgisian frontier. But by much the
moBt powerful detachment from the original
hive is established upon the shores of the
Oaspumf at the mouth of the Ural river : it left
the Dan in the beginning of the fifteenth cen-
tury, and has since been augmented by sub-
sequent emigrations from the parent stock.
This branch of the Dan Cossacks joined in the
xefaellion under Pugatchef. In order to annihi-
late the memory of their revolt, the Russian
Government prudently changed their name,
(which had hitherto been, Cossacks of the Jaiky)
together with the name of their capital^ and of
tlie rwer upon which they resided *.

The most remarkable branch of the Don
Cossacks has been established in Siberia. It

{^) Storch, iom. I. p. 68.
(3) Ibid. p. 73.

XIII.

376 ^^^ COSSACKS.

c^AP. began its march towards the East in the six-
teenth century. A troop of between six and
seven thousand, under the conduct of their
Ataman, Jermak^ penetrated into Permia^ and
made the discovery of the country to which
we commonly apply the appellation of Stberia.
Their adventures, and those of their Chie^
might lay the foundation of a very interesting
romance ; but we may despair of seeing it con-
stitute a portion of history. They had gained
the heights of the Ural Alps, when the appear-
ance of vast deserts, tenanted by an unknown
and savage people, somewhat intimidated the
enterprising rovers. Jermak^ fiill of zeal, ha-
rangues his little army. They descend the
mountains; defeat and drive before them a
host of Tahtars ; pursue their conquests even
to the Toboly the Irtysch^ and the Ob ; and termi-
nate their surprising march by the subjugation
of all the tribes dwelling between the Ural and
Altaic Chain. Unable, from the losses they had
sustained, and the obstacles they had yet to
surmount, to maintain possession of such exten-
sive territory, they were compelled to humble
themselves before the Russians. In 1581, Jermak
made the cession of his conquests, by formal
capitulation, to the Tsar Joauy who, in consi-
deration of the important services he had
rendered to the empire, not only pardoned him.

DON COSSACKS. gm

but even recompensed his extraordinary talents chap.
and courage ^ Thus was Siberia added to the v^^v^
extensive possessions of Russia^ by a Cossack of
the Don; whose achievements were only less
illustrious than the boasted victories of an
Alexander^ because no historian was found to
record them.

We have carried the history of the Don
Cossacks back to the period when they first
formed an establishment upon the Don. The Foimdatton

* of their

foundation of Tcherkaskj from their own ac- OapitaL
count, is attributed to the settling of some
rovers probably exiles from Greece. The shores
of the Sea of Azof ^ and of the Black Sea^ were,
in very early ages, what America, and more
recently New Holland^ has been to Great Britain.
The Greeks sent thither many of their exiles ;
and the custom was continued among the BjomanSj
as appears by the banishment of Omd. The
opinion, therefore, of the Cossacks, concerning
the foundation of Tcherkask, is not without
support even in antient history. With regard
to their own origin, as a nation, there is every
reason to consider it, for the most part, Circas-
man ; and, as such, the analogy with Poles or
Russians, instead of leading us to deduce the

{I) starch, torn A. p. 10.

9jh

aod die Tammr. The ^fOe «f Cfrnmrnt \m

been oelebmed in aH wcs» ^^Bnap *^ ^7
jrtiBigp throTi^ tbst odiervige iiy U JJf
bvner. It lure die ippcfiaiMB of ^ Ptlx
Sa&maticje, fran die Sabmax^ vbo fint
p^Boed tfaroaorli it : Sak bemsr, aceunliug' to
BocAart, the ElastefB mark of desoeiit ; as Sar-
MADAi, Sa&-matx ; that is to ssy^ * Chiij>rev
of tfi^ Meoes^/ ^DitjdonLs Sicuku^*' observes
the revered author cited below, ^ who knew

(Ij Iltfrod/A. Lb. :-. c- il7.

fiy TLkVyiXlW, ^AVPOMATAI. MAHTTAI, v«re the aunc people
See Boehart ; tsd the c':tfcnmtioE.5 of ue anthor'f Paternal Ancetlory in
hij valtja^jlc DlaAert^on on the ^ Coiiim»oii ^ tkt RommM, Saxom,
and linglish CoinM-T p. 47. It is very grateful to make this tribote to
the ackoowled?e«l learning of an ancestor, to whole Work the Reader
if n^ittrwk^f not only for some of the anthorities hen Dotioed, bat also
fr/r tlife Uin%t im{iortant informatkin collected by any writer, respecting
the or'n;itud iuliabitants of the coantrie» bordering on the JBladk SfOy
itn'l r/f tlieir intercourse with the pe«>ple otAntiaU

DON C08BACKS. g/jg

nothing of the etymology, asserts the fact s S^^'
speaking t>f the several clans of the 8cytMan$^ >-^pv"w
he says, that one came out of Medioj settled
upon the hanks of the TanaiSf and were called

The Grcassiam of the present day are a ^^
horde of handitti, mhabiting the region whence
the Cossacks originally descended* Continually
repelled from their antient boundary, the Tcarum
and Lake MiBOtiSf and idtimately driven bey(H:id
the Kuban and the Terek^ they hang^ ts it were,
upon the northern sides of CatuxistiSf or carry
on predatory incursions from the swampy plams
at its feet, above two hundred miles from
TcheriasL These mountaineers, as well as the
Tahtars of Kuhcm^ are ever at war with the
Cossacks. 'They pretended to make peace with
them at the end of the last Turkish war ; but
whenever occasion offers, they seize the persons
of the Cossacksy or any strangers who may be
found among them, and sell them for slaves to
the Persians. Their manner of fightmg, as de-
scribed by the Don Cossacks^ is this ; they hide
themselves in the long reeds, or grass, of
marshes, lying even in the water, until they
reconnoitre the strength of their adversary. If

(3) Diod. 8ie. Ub. U. p. 165. Ed. WettUm.

IgQ DOV OOBBACKfi.

CHAP, fire or six armed CbfiK»ct» uipoir, l3bm remin

XIII- , , ^ -^

^w^ in ambush : if cmlr two or l3irM» liiev attacx
th^ie by surprise ; but even then ^ticy will ran
away if the Cossacks have time to fire. If dis-
covered in their concealment, and interrogated
who they are, they assume an humble aspect,
and declare themselves fiiends. Some ci the
Circassians were prisoners at Axay^ wnen we
were there. The Cossacks^ and all the inhaU-
tants of the Amatic coasts ^ the Black Sea, call
the Circassians Tckerkess, and Tcheriessi, a fur-
ther confirmation of remarks before made con-
corning the etjrmology of the word TcherkasL
If it were necessary to make any addition to
what has been already written, with r^^ard to
the relation they bear to the Cossacks and to the
other inhabitants of the Ukraine^ many curious
circumstances might be aUeged ; such, for ex-
ample, as the mode of accounting money, which
is the same among the Malo-Russians and C!r-
cassians. There are now Malo-Russians living in
the Caucasian mountains. The Circassiansy more-
ovcr, left their name in the appellation of a town
built upon the Dnieper.

ommercc Xho Commerce of the Cossacks, and other in-

wA. habitants of Tcherkask, is very various. The

principal articles of their exports are, Jish^ irony

nviarCf and a little ivine ; although, generally,

DON COSSACKS. gg^

they consume all their wine. This wine resembles chap.
the wines of Burgundy and Champagne^ in ex-
hibitilig effervescence. When it has acquired
a certain age, it sells in TcherAask at a price
equivalent to three shillings and sixpence the
bottle. The Don wine is both red and white.
If the Cossacks would allow their grapes to
ripen, and were made acquainted with the
French mode of preparing this beverage, it
would certainly surpass all the wines of the
world ; so rich and generous is the firuit affording
it\ The Cossacks seldom use tobacco, and they
live to very advanced age. The merchants, in
iheir turn, go to war with the rest, and have
their rank in the armf. In fact, there are few

(1) " The Don wine is sometimes very pleasant ; but it is, I suspect,
a fthiicatkm, I tasted some that was warranted genuine, which 1 could
easfly beliere to ^ so : it was, indeed,

' As wicked dew as Sycorax could brush
With rayen's feather from unwholesome fen.'"

Heber'i MS. Journal.

(2) ** The government of the armies of the Don differs, in many
respects, from the antient Malo-Rnssian, and has lately suffered repeated
eoeroachroents. Their territory, which b almost entirely pasture land,
is divided into stanitzas, or cantons ; for many stanitzas now contain more
than a single village. To each of these, a certain portion of land and
fishery is allotted by Government, and an annual allowance of com from
Voronetz, and northwards, according to the returned number of Cossacks.
Tbey are free from all taxes ; even from those of salt and distilleries. The
distribution of the land to the individuals in eachstanitza is settled by the
inhabitants and their Ataman. This Ataman was chosen by the people,

and

38S I>01^ C0SSACK8.

^xnt S^™^'^ ^^ colonels, in the army of the Dan
CosMckSf who are not merchants. In TcherkasA

—•"^-■•^ ■■ ■ — - - - ■-■- . - ,,

and was both ciWI and military commander of the place. Paul had laid
some restrictions on this right, which I coald not understand. He had
also ennobled the children of all who had the military rank of Colonely
which was complained of, as intrododng an ttneonstitntional aritloeraey.
From these Atamans, an appeal lies to the Chancery at Tcheriraslr
They used to elect their Ataman there, and to appeal to him only ;
assembling occasionally, as a check on his conduct; bot h/B if now
appointed hy the Crowns and greatly dvmmtihed in power. The allol-
ment of land and fishery which each Cossack possesses may be let oot
by him to farm, and often is so ; and it is a fineqaent abuse to insert the
natnea of children in the return of Coiaacks, to entitle them to their
seniority in becoming officers. I met with a child thus &TO«red. TUi
has taken place since the Cossacks, when called out, haTC been formed
Into regular regiments, which has depressed entirely the power of the
Tillage Ataman, by the ioftroduction of colons, captains, in, Formoiy,
the Ataman himself marched at the head of his stanitza. Now he merely
sends the required contingent, which is put under officers named by the
Crown.

^ The Coseacky in consequence of his allowance, may be called on
to senre for any term, not exceeding three years, in any part of the
world, mounted, armed, and clothed at his own expense, and making
gfood any deficiencies which may occur. Food, pay, and camp equi-
page, are furnished by Gtovemment. Those who have served three
years are not liable, or at least not usually called upon, to serve
abroad, except on . particular emergencies. They senre, however, in
the cordon along the Caucagus^ and in the duties of the post and po-
lice. After twenty years, they become free from all service, except
the home duties of police, and assisting in the passage of the com
barks over the shallows in the Don. After twenty-five yean' service
they are free entirely.

" The Procurator declared the whole number of CoseaeAs, liable to
be called on for one or more of these services, amounted to dOO/XX).
He acknowledged, that as they would allow no examination into their
numbers, he spoke only from conjecture, and from the difierent al-
lowances of corn, Sic, occasionally made. The whole number of male
population he reckoned at half a million. The situation of a Coeeaek

DON COSSACKS. ggQ

they live an amicable and pleasant life. Some- ' chap.
times they have public amusements, such as
balls, and other assemblies of the same nature.
Once they had a theatre, but it wai^ prohibited.
In some of their apartments we observed maho-
gany bookcases, with glass doors; each con-
taining a small library* They are in every
respect entitled to praise for cleanliness, whether
with reference to their persons or to^ their
houses. There is no nation more cleanly m its
apparel than that" of the Cossacks. The dress of

b eonsidered as comfortable; and their obligations to service arc
dMmed well repaid by their privileges and their freedom, 'Frbb as
▲ GoftsAOK/ Is a proverb we have often'beard in Ruuia. The number
of Couaek guards, who are all Donsky, amounts to three regiments,
of lOOOeach. The number employed in Persia and Cauaisus I could
tfoi tank In the year 1806, a corps of seventy-two regiments^ of
600 men ea^, marched under Pkttqf, tbe Ataman of Tcheriask; but
reedved counter orders, as it did not arrive in time for the battle of
AutierUiz* At AusterliiZf only Hx hundred CiMacItstoere present. The
pMBinta mat Atuterlitz spoke of them as objects of considerable ap-
pudienaion to the French cavalry ; particularly the cuirassiers, whose
horses were more unwieldy. These Cossacks, Platof said, had suffered
dreadftiny, as they were tb¥ some tinle the only cavalry with the JZtc#-
simm anny, and, before the Bmperor joined Kotuzqf, had lost almost
all their horses with fatigue. During the quarrel of PatU with JSnff*
Umd, he assembled 46,000 Cossacks, as it was believed at Teherkasik^
U maardi to India. I saw the plan was not at all unpopular with PUd^
and his officers. Platof s predecessor was the last Ataman who was
fai poasession of all his antient privileges. He had often, by his own
intfaority, bound men hand and foot, and thrown them into the Don.
He was imeipectedly seized and carried off by the orders of the Em-
press (Catherine), and succeeded, as General of the Armies of the
Don, by McffH Ivanomteh Platqf, a fine civil old soldier, with thegratt
eotdon of SSf. Amne." Heber's MS. Journal.

384 ^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, the women is singular : it differs from all the
costumes of Russia ; and its magnificence is
displayed in the ornaments of a cap, some-
what resembling the mitre of a Greek bishop.
The hair of married women is concealed under
the cap, which is covered with pearls and gold,
or it is adorned with flowers. The dress
of a Cossack girl is elegant ; a silk tunic, with
trowsers fastened by a girdle of solid silver,
yellow boots, and an Indian handkerchief worn
as a turban upon the head. A proof of Cossack
wealth was afforded in the instance of the
mistress of the house where we lodged. This
woman walked about the apartments without
shoes or stockings ; but being asked for some
needles to secure the insects we had collected,
she opened a box, wherein she shewed us pearls
valued at ten thousand roubles* Her cupboard
was, at the same time, filled with plate and
costly porcelain. The common dress of men in
Tcherkask is a blue jacket, with a waistcoat and
trowsers of white dimity; the latter so white
and spotless, that they seem always new. The
tattered state of a traveller's wardrobe but ill
fitted us to do credit to our country in this
respect. We never saw a Cossack in a dirty
suit of clothes. Their hands, moreover, are
always clean, their hair free from vermin, their
teeth white, and their skin has a healthy and

DON COSSACKS . 385

deanly appearance. Polished in their manners, chap.
instructed in their minds, hospitable, generous, s^^^^
disinterested, humane and tender to the poor, v^nmof
good husbands, good fathers, good wives, good "*® People.
mothers, virtuous daughters, valiant and dutiful
scms ; such are the natives of Tcherkask. In
conversation, the Cossack is a gentleman ; for he
is well informed, free from prejudice, open,
sincere, and honourable. Place him by the side
of a Mussianj — what a contrast !' Yet the author
would not be understood, in the eulogy he has
bestowed upon the one, or the censure he has
perhaps too indiscriminately lavished upon the
other, as having used observations without ex-
ception on either side. The Russian women are
entirely excepted ; and it is very remarkable.

(I)*' The manners of the people struck us, ^rom their superiority
U tke Buiriani, in honetiy and dignity, A Lientenant at Petersburpy
wlw once begged alms from as, bowed himself to the ground, and
taM?i»lt*<i his head on the floor. A Lieutenant here {Teherkask),
wlw was imprisoned, and also begged, made the request in a manly
and dignified manner, and thanked us as if we had been his comrades.

** Both men and women are handsome, and taller than the Museo-
viCcf. This name they hold in great contempt, as we had several op-
portunities of observing. The Procurator, the Physician, the Apo-
thecaiy, and the Master of the Academy, being distinguished by their
drew and nation from the Coitackt, seemed to have formed a coterie of
tiidr own, and to dislike, and to be disliked, by the whole town. The
Postmaster said they were much improved since he came there ; tliat
tlien they woald have pelted any stranger. We saw nothing of this
kind, except that, when we first landed, mietaJdng us for Russians,
tome boya cried out, ^ Moseoffsky Canaille!* — Canaille has become a
■atnralixed word in Russia." Heber^s MS. JourruU,

VOL. I. 2c

S86 ^^^ COSSACKS.

S^f P- that little of the lamentable characteristics of
the Hussian people^ can be applied to them. It
is only in proportion as they recede from their
natural effeminacy, that any traits have appeared
to liken them to the men of their country ; an
instance or two of this kind may have been
mentioned ; but, speaking generally of them,
they have this only fault, if it be not rather a
misfortune, that of servility to the most abject
slaves.

(1) At the time of making this extract from my journal, our JS^
lith papers are filled with the atrocities committed, not merely by their
common soldiers, but by their general-officers in Fhdand, An ac-
count of them is pablished by the Lord-Ueutenant of the county of
Vasa, to which his respectable name is affixed. Posterity may there
be informed what Hussions were in the beginning of the present om-
tury, when a Major-general, Demidnf, gave up the tofwn of Vmssi^
during five days, to plunder, merely because he could not retain its
possession ; and, assisted by another monster in a human form, the
Governor Smine, galloped through the streets, to give vigour and ac-
tivity to a scene of murder, horrible cruelty, and devastation ; crying
out to his troops, Dobra! Dcbra! (Bravo! Bravo!) as they were
bayonetting the weeping and kneeling inliabitants, mothers with their
infants, aged and venerable men, ladies of distinction, children, and
persons of whatever sex, age, or situation. '' It instructs the world,'*
observes the Lord-lieutenant, *' to describe their conduct ; inasmuch
as it determines their natioDal ciiaracter ; and determines, with his-
toric truth, that with barbarian slaves the character remains un-
changed, notwithstanding the varnish put on by a sort of external
humanizing, produced by intercourse with civilized nations.'' In the
parish of Nerpis, Major-general Orlof Denesqf caused three of the
peasants to be bound together : and tliis being done, to prolong the
pain and agony of the poor sufierers, the Rtusians pierced their
thighs, arms, bellies, and other parts, with bayonets, before they killed
them.

DON COSSACKS. 387

Perhaps an anecdote, which may now be • chap
related, will render the contrast between Cassocks v— n-^^
and Russians more striking. The truth of it,
owing to its notoriety, will not be disputed by
either party. When a quarrel among the Cossacks
causes them to combat each other, they %ht,
as in England^ with their fists, and never with
kniv^. daggers, or any similar weapon. This
practice is so established a characteristic of the
people, that it gave rise to a very remarkable
wager. Ttplof and Getagiuy two of the late i^marit-
Empress Catherine's privy-counsellors, chanced wager.
to be in her presence, when it was told her
that a Cossack priest, then a monk in the Convent
of 8t Alexander Nevsky^ had been arrested for
catting the throat of a young woman, whom he
had made pregnant, and with whom he had
quarrelled : upon this Teplof ofiered to wager
with Gelagin that the monk was not a Cossack.
The bet was made, and won by Teplof; the
monk proving to be a Mussian. Being questioned
how he could possibly divine the probable
success of his wager ; ** Because," said he, *' no
Cossack would strike a woman : if he did, he
would use his cane ; not his knife."

It was during one Sunday evening that Lieu- survey of

_,- ,^ /» , , , the Town.

tenant-Colonel Papof conducted us over the
whole of Tcherkask, We walked a distance

2c2

XIII.

388 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, equal to four miles without once being off a
bridge. The people were all in their best attire;
and the sight on that account was the more
interesting. From the high and narrow bridges,
single planks frequently lead off, as the only
mode of approaching the houses of the inha-
bitants : these have covered galleries, around
them. In those galleries, where the deal, of
which they are constructed, was as white as
water and the sun's rays could make it, sat the
old and respectable Cossacks; almost all of
whom, as we passed, pressed us to walk into
their houses and to regale ourselves. The water
flows beneath many of the buildings ; and all of
Ihem are upon piles, in the midst of the flood'.
The prodigious quantity of timber consumed in

(I)*' Tcherhuk stands on some marshy islands in the river. Tbe
houses are all raised on wooden pillars, and connected by foot bridges.
The foot-paths run like galleries before the houses. When we saw it
every part was flooded, except the principal street, the great church
and the market-place. The antic wooden cabins, mixed with the
domes of churches, tops of trees, and Calmuck tents, had an interest-
ing effect, just rising from the water. The 8udak still continued to
poison the air ; but the houses, notwithstanding the people are all
fishers, are neat. The Cossacks are much cleaner than the RuMsians.
There is a spacious and anticnt cathedral, nearly on the same plan as
the Casan Church in Mof>cow. Detached from the rest of the building is a
large tower which, at a distance, gives a faint recollection of St. Man^s
spire at Oxford. There arc many other churches, full of very costly
ornaments. I never faw so many pearls at once, as on the head of a
Madonna in the cathedral. These treasures are the spoils of Turkey and
Poland." Meter's JUS, Journal,

TCHERKASK. 339

the town, for houses, causeways, and hridges, chap.
is brought from the Volgay the Dan being inade-
quate to such a supply. Formerly they had
walls to their watery settlement, but the inun-
dations of the river have swept these entirely
away. The principal part of the inhabitants are
exceedingly desirous to remove their capital to
Axatf ; this would increase its commerce, and
thereby add to its importance : the rest, who,
from attachment to the place of their nativity,
are still anxious to preserve the original situ-
ation, propose to surround it again with walls,
and to form channels, after a plan which would
make its resemblance to Venice greater than it
is at present; but the level of the water not
remaining constant, as in the Adriatic^ and some-
times varying full fifteen feet, prevents the
adoption of this plan. They neglect, however,
no opportunity to improve the town, forming it
as much as possible into streets when fires have
taken place and destroyed the old buildings,
and insulating the houses where they were too
closely situate. If any attempt should be
made to remove the town, little difficulty would
occur in transplanting the houses almost entire.
They are chiefly of wood, and, being placed
upon rafts, might be floated to the place of
their destination^.

(S) ITie capital has since been remoTCd ; and now occupies a situa-
tion upon the European side of the Don, higher up the river.

390 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP. They speak of moving a bouse in this part of
^-^'-^ the world as a very trifling undertaking. When
moved en- gij. Charles Gascoigne went from Petersburg f to
preside over the foundry at Lvgan^ he paid a
visit to a gentleman about twenty-seven miles
distant from the establishment. Finding bim
excellently lodged, in a well-furnished, hand-
some, and very convenient house, " I wish,"
said he, ^' I could have such a building erected
for me at Lugan.^' His host replied, '^ If you
admire my house, it is at your service, exactly
as you see it ; and I engage to place it for you
at Lugan in the course of the week/' A bargain
was concluded between them ; the house was
moved ; and Sir Charles, who informed us of
the fact, resided in it when we were in that
country.

The inhabitants of Tcherkask complain much
of want of room. Not a single house has a
court yard ; the inhabitants are all huddled to-
gether, as if they had dropped from the clouds
during a shower into the river, and only waited
the retiring of the waters to make their escape.
They are much troubled with mosquitoes, which
abound in all the neighbourhood of the Don},

(I) Edtoard Brmon, who publiBhfd, in the seventeenth century,
*' A Discourse upcni the Cossachs" mentions the swarms of flies and
locusts infesting their country ; which is the only faithful acooont of
their history coutaiued in his work. Seep. 22. Lond. 1672.

TCHBRKASK. 39I

When stung by these insects, they observe great chap.
caution m not scratching the wound ; but are ..^^v^
careful to bathe it, as soon as possible, with
alcohoL We found Goulard^ s lotion to be the best
remedy ; and, wanting that, salt mixed with an
equal portion of vinegar. There is not a single
spot in the whole town free from the annual
inundation. We found one dry place, near the
principal church ; but this was traversed by
wooden causeways, proving that the usual pre-
caution had been also there required, although
the spot were not actually then covered by
water. The street where most of the shops
are situate is floored with planks; and must
necessarily be very unwholesome, as all the
dirt, falling through, remains when the waters
retire. They are often troubled with fevers; J^^,^^^[
although, when we inquired for a list of their
diseases, they said they seldom had any. The
greatest ravage is made by the small-pox.
Inoculation for that disorder had not yet been
introduced. The complaint they seem to dread
more than any other is called the disorder of
HAIRS. Gmelin mentions this malady^. Hair
is said to be generated in w^ounds of the bodies
of those whom it afflicts. We expressed our

(2) This is not the Plica Polonica, or Goschett, mentioned by Broum
(p. 34. Idmd. 1672.) Gmelin sayei it is known in Rusria and tbc
Ukmme, under the name Volosez ; and he attended a case of abscess in
Paulovik which aiibnle«l him proof of the existence of such a disorder.
See Jommai deM Saoant Voydgeura, p. 146.

3q<2 DON COSSACKS.

CHAP, incredulity to the wife of Lieutenant-colonel

XIII- -^ • 1^ 1

v^^y^^/ Papof; but she persisted in asserting that she
had taken them from her own finger, in the
presence of many witnesses. To cure this
malady, they apply the leaves of a plant some-
what like plantain : this they say extracts the
hairs. We saw those leaves dried, and sus-
pended, as a remedy for this complaint ; but,
in their desiccated state, we could not exactly
determine what they were. Biliary obstruction
is a common disorder among the Cossacks. As
a cure for the jaundice, they drink an infusion
of the yellow flowers of a GnaphaUumj found
in all the steppes. Situate as they are, either
in mud yielding unwholesome exhalation, or in
water full of frogs, filth, and substances putre-
fying as the flood retires, nothing could preserve
them from pestilence, were it not for their great
attention to cleanliness. The water of the Don
is unwholesome, and it particularly disagrees
with strangers ; causing flatulency, with violent
pain of the bowels, and dysentery. Many of
the Russian rivers have the same quality ; espe-
cially the Neva at Petersburg.

Greek im- A Greek brought to us some coins of the
Emperor Constantinc^ procured in Turkey. He
kept them, he said, for the cure of diseases of
all kinds ; and, in proof of their miraculous
power, swore, by all his Saints, that if any one

TCHBRKA8K. 393

of them were placed in a sieve, not a drop of chap.
water would pass through it. As we laughed ^^^
at his folly, he was very desirous to make the
experiment ; but we thought it too ridiculous
to merit so much attention. He seemed to
be the very Prince of impostors, and probably
sold his trash at high prices. He shewed to us
a piece of the tme Cross : this he said he had
brought from Jerusalem; and, having worn it
upon his breast, had thereby saved his life in
battle, as a bullet striking the pretended relic
had fallen harmless to the ground.

Having now satisfied our curiosity in the Departure
survey of this extraordinary place, we took Tcher-
leave of its inhabitants, and again embarked, *^-
accompanied by the officer who had so politely
attended us, and whose hospitality we had
often experienced, during the visit we had paid
to the Cossack capital. We left Tcherkask on
Monday the twenty-third of JunCf in the after-
noon, and sailed down the DoUf to Axay. About
four miles^ from Tcherkask is an island called
Nunnery Isle^ or The Island of the Convent^
whence, as they relate, the Turks in former
times, derived women for the seraglio of the
Grand Signior.

(1) Seven versts.

CHAP. XIV.

VOYAGE DOWN THE DON, TO AZOF AND TAOAKBOO.

Visit to the General-in-chief of the Cossack Armg
— Embarkation for the Sea of Azof — General
View of tlie South of litissia — De Rubruquis
— Tahtars — Arvicnian Colony of Nakhtshivan
— Fortress of St. Demetry Rastof — Diction
of the Don — Tumuli — Fortress and Village of
Azof — CitijofTandis — its ■probable Situation
—Condition of the Garrison of Azof— Opinion
entertained of -the Cossacks — Departure from
Azof— Mjeotis — Remarkable Phenomenon —
Arrival at Taganrog.

Ihe morning after our return to Axay, we
roecivotl a message from General Vassihj Petro-
rich OrUf t'ummander-m-chicf of the Cossack

DON COSSACKS. QQQ

army, statmg, that he expected us to dine with 9S4^*
him at his country-seat upon the Don. We set

out, accompanied by our friend Colonel Papofj oeneni-
and by a Greek officer in the Cossack service, tbeCoitadk
whose name was Mamonof. The General had ""^*
sent his carriage, with six fine Cossack horses,
and several Cossacks^ mounted, with lances, to
escort us. We passed along the steppes ; and
occasionally through vineyards, planted with
cucumbers, cabbages, Indian wheat, apple, pear,
peach, plum trees, and melons, for about ten
miles, till we arrived at his house, standing
upon the European side of the river, opposite
to the town of Tcherkask^ and distant from it
about five miles. Here we found some elegant
and accomplished women amusing themselves
with a piano-forte ; and afterwards we all sat
down to as magnificent a dinner as any English
gentleman could have afforded ; the whole being
served upon plate. The company consisted of
about twenty persons. The General presented
us with mead thirty years old, tasting like
Madeira wine. He wished very much for English
beer, having often drunk it in Poland. A num-
ber of very expensive wines were brought round,
many of them foreign ; but the best wine of
the Don seemed superior to any other. As we
sat banquettiug in this sumptuous manner, we
called to mind the erroneous notions we had once

396 ^^^ COSSACKS.

CHAP, entertained of the inhabitants of this country;
notions still propagated by the Russians con-
cerning the Cossdck people. Perhaps few in
EngUmdy casting their eyes upon a map of this
remote comer of Europe^ have pictured in their
imagination a wealthy and enlightened society,
enjoying not only the refinements, but even the
luxuries of the most civilized nations. Their
conversation had that polished and agreeable
cast which characterizes well-educated military
men. Some peculiarities, common to our an-
cestors, and still retained in the ceremonial
feasts of antient corporate bodies, might be
observed. Among these, the practice of drink-
ing toasts, and of rising to pledge the security
of the cup-bearer, may be adduced as remarkable
instances. Another very antient custom, still
more prevalent, is that of bowing to and con-
gratulating any person who happens to sneeze.
The Cossacks of the Don always do this. When
we took leave of the General, he said, if we
prefeiTcd returning by water, for the sake of
variety, we might use his barge, already pre-
pared, and waiting to convey us. Being con-
ducted to it, we found it manned by ten rowers,
and decorated in a most costly manner. It was
covered with fine scarlet cloth ; and Persian
carpets were spread beneath a canopy of silk.
The current being in our favour, we embarked.

ran.

VOYAGE DOWN THB DON. P^,^

and were speedily reconducted to our quarters chap.
in Axay. ^^"^^

The next morning we bade farewell to the Embarka-

_^ , , tion for the

Don Cossacks ; and, having placed our carriage Sea of
on board & barge, sailed delightfully down the
river (often looking back at the fine view of the
town of Axaj/ and TcherAask)^ to Nakhtshivarij an
Armenian colony, established about twenty years Armeman
before our arrival : this had attained a very flou- ^<^<^-
rishing state, even in that short period\ Its

(1) ** A Tent (by land) from the fort of Rostof, is a large Armeniaii
towoy called NakUehivan, after the aDtient town of that name. We
wftni the eveniiig in looking over it. They affirmed that it contains
1500 fiunHles. It has four churches, and two very large bazars, which
are very much crowded, and have great appearance of indostTy. We
had a letter to one of the principal inhabitants, who had the rank of
Cdooely and whose son was one of Mr. Andre's pupils (of Rostof ), and
our interpreter. His name was Abraamof. I found that Armenians
Qsaany expressed their names in this manner, from the Christian names
of tbeir parents, yet with the termination in of, which is a mark of
gentility. This man had two sons in the Russian navy ; and possessed
the repntation of great wealth. He knew Lazarof, who sold Orlof the
great diamond ; and described in strong terms the misery and anxiety
the Armenian had felt while it remained in his possession. His hoose
was well fhmished, and had a billiard-table, and many other European
Inziiries : all, however, sat cross-legged, except the master, whose dress
alto was something after the European mode. He had several cnrioas
labreSy and poignards richly ornamented, which he exhibited with much
pride. He said, himself and the greater part of his fellow towsismen
had emigrated from the Crimea during the disturbances there ; that
tiMy had this situation given them, and a charter, by which they had
fba Hune privileges as their countrymen at Astrachan. The principal
trade of the town is in leather. The women are almost all veiled, but

those

XIV.

398 VOYAGE DOWN THE DOK,

9?,^P- inhabitants were derived from the Crimea. They
had about four hundred shops : these were all
placed in one great covered building, after the
manner observed in Moscow. The towns near
the mouths of the Don present the traveller
with a novel and varied picture of society. He
encounters half-a-dozen different nations and
languages in the same number of minutes ; and
each nation in its peculiar dress. As we ap-
proached the Armenian settlement, we beheld

tiiose we caught a glimpse of were extremely beautiful. Their TeOt
were very careleMly disposed, and they betrayed no timidity. Hie men
are also handsome ; but they have a Jewish expression in their eoun-
enance. The Russians declare they ha?e all a natural unpleasant
odour, like that we attribute to the Jews. They dislike than greatly;
and hare a proverb, * Two Jews equal one Armenian ; two Armenians
one Greek ; two Greeks, one Devil.' The Armenians, it is well known,
are a very favoured sect by the Russian Government ; and many of the
noblest families have a mixture of their blood. Of these are Dolgorucky
and Bagration. Joan the First gave the title of Krues to great numbers
of Armenians, and permitted to all a free trade and settliement, with full
liberty of worship, and even of making their processions openly. They
have a magnificent church in Petersburg, and many in Astrachan and
Ciisan. Tlieir enterprise and activity are well known. Mr. Anderson
of Petersburg told me he knew one who had been twice to Bassora, and
once to Sormacand and Tibet. I asked Abraamof if such journeys were
common ; and if tliey could take an European with them, as their f«r-
vant, or in any other disguise. lie answered both these questions in the
affirmative. He himself had l)ecu in Georgia, and many parts of Turkey^
but never further. Wo observed several Maliometans, at least persons in
green turbans, which no Armeniun would wear." Heber^s MS. Journal,
As the green turban is a mark of high distinction in Turkey^ and the
Anncniatit of Nakhtshivan are under no fear of offending Mohammedans,
perhaps they are worn merely in consequence of the freedom they here
enjoy.

TO AZOF AND TAOANROO. 399

Tahtars^ Turksj Greeks^ Cossacks^IittssianSfltalianSy 9?,^""
CalmuckSf and Armenians ; these, together with s^-^^
onr ^English party, formed a representation of
the costume of nine different nations within the
compass of a quarter of an English mile. The
Tahtars were fishing in the river, or driving
cattle towards the town ; the Turks were smoking
in their coffee-houses; the Greeks^ a hustling
race, were walking ahout, telling lies, and barter-
ing merchandize ; the Cossacks were scampering
in all directions on horseback ; the Russians^ as
police-officers, were scratching their heads ; the
Italians appeared as Venetian and Neapolitan
sailors ; the Cahnucks jabbering with each other ;
the Armenians^ both men and women, airing in
droskies; and the English staring at them all.
Towards the Don, and especially towards its
embouchure, lahtars are found in great num-
bers ; and this race of men appears in journeying
hence, westward, the whole way towards the
Dnieper^ in all the towns by the Sea of Azof
and in the Crimea^ and throughout the dreary
plains lying to the north of that Peninsula.

All the South of Russia^ from the Dnieper to oenenu

View of the

the Volga, and even to the territories of the south of
Kirgissian and Thibet Tahtars, with all the North "'^'
of the Crimea, is one flat uncultivated desolate
waste, forming, as it were, a series of those

400 VOYAGE DOWX THE DOX,

^xv^' deserts bearing the name of Steppes. The
ven* earliest adventurers (rom the civilized

parts of Europe to these remote and barbarous
regions, found the country exactly as it now
appears. A futhful description of its features
occurs in the narrative of W. de Hubruquis, who
was employed as a missionary about the middle
of the thirteenth century'. " We journeyed,"
says he» '* towards the East, with no other
objects in view than earth and sky, and occa-
sionally the sea upon our right (which is called
the Sea of Tandis)^ and moreover the sepulchres
of the Comam ; these seemed about two leagues
distant, constructed according to the mode of
burial which characterized their ancestors."

What the land of the Comani was, is clearlv
ascertained by the Voyage of the Ambassador
from Pope Innocent the Fourth to Tahtary^ in the
year 1246, as taken out of the thirty-second
book of the Speculum Historiale of Vincentius
Beluacejisis^ . " We journeyed through the

(1) " If>aniug ergo versus orientein, nihil vidcntes nisi ccehun et
terrain, ct aliqiiando mare ad dextram, quod dieitur Mare Tanais, et
etiam sepulturas Comanoruin, qus apparebant nobis a doabus leucis,
secundum quod solebant parentelae eorum sepeliri simul.** Itinera-
rium W. de Ruhruquia, anno l!2o3. See Hakluyt, vol. I. p. 80.

(2) ** ibumus autem per terram Coinanomm, quae tola est plana,
et flumina quatuor habet magna. Primuni appellatur Neper (Borys-
thcnes) ; seiMindum appellatur Don (Tanais) ; textium dieitur Volga
(lUia); quartum nominatur Jaee (Rhymnu$i)/' lb. p. 47.

TO AZOF AND TAQANROO. 401

ODuntry of the Camani ; this is all flat, and has chap.
four great nvers. The first is called Neper, v^^^^
(^Borysthenes); the second is called Don (Tanais) ;
the third is named Volga (Rha) ; the fourth is
denominated Jaec (Rhymnus)." Thus it appears
that the Comaniy the ancestors of the Cossacks^
had established themselves as far to the west-
ward as the Dnieper^ before the middle of the
ihirteenth century ; and considerable light is
thrown upon a very obscure part of antient geo-
graphy by the documents thus afibrded. W. de J>€Rubrw
Rubruquis himself, in another passage of his
Itinerary 9 extends their limits as far westward as
die Danube ; and says, that the whole country,
firom this river to the Tanais^ was inhabited by
them. The western part was called Casariay
the country of the Cazars^ CassarSy or Cossacks,
as they are now called. Nothing can be more
fidthful than the account he has left of these vast
solitudes, where there is neither wood, nor
mountain, nor stone*.

(9) ^ T^Ddebaoms rect^ In orientem ex quo exivimus pnBdictam
pfOfiiieiam Ca»ari4B, habentee mare ad meridiem, et vattam ioUhuiir
ntm ad aqniloiiem : qos dorat per viginti dietas alicuU in latitadine :
in goa nulla ut iylva, nuUtu mons, tuUhu lapit. Herba est optima.
In hae aolebant pascere Cofnam,qvLL dicnntor CopeAo^. A Teutonida
fd^ dicnntnr Vakad, et provincia Valania, Ab Tsidoro vero dicitor a
ivmine Tual ntqae ad paludes Meotidis et Danabiom AkmitL Et
dotat lata terra In longitndine a Danubio usqne Tanaim— qaiB tota
inhabHabatmr a Camams." Haklufft, fol. I. p. 80.

VOL. I. 2d

403

vcffjusE Doinr the dos.

Tabtm.

CHAP. The Tahtars near to the Sea of A zof^jn a small
race of men, bat not so nglj as to aifewer to the
descriptions given of them. Ther disfigure them*
selves very much bv pressing their ears forward
with the lower rim of their cap6» firom their
tenderest infancy : in consequence of tins prac-
tice, their ears protrude from the sides of their
heads, and front the spectator. Some of those
who passed us at NakhUhican looked fearfully
wild, appearing in the rude and perhaps primeval
dress of the first shepherds of the earth*
Their bodies were almost naked: over their
shoulders were loosely suspended the undressed
fleeces of their sheep, fastened with a single loop
in front. Upon their heads, and about their loins,
they had a covering of the same nature ; and
upon their feet they wore those sandals of linden-
bark, of which a representation has been given
as a Vignette to the Tenth Chapter of this
Volume. A similar costume is sometimes repre-
sented upon the Grecian terra-cottas^ and it is
also exhibited by the sculpture of Antient
Greece\

Armenian Nakhtskivan oflFers an example of that enter-
^f^NMt' prising commercial spirit which is characteristic

(1) Among the earthen vases described and publtehed %t Napiei^
there is tiCOttutM of this kind, upon a male figure, who is delineated
checking two furious horses.

TO ^ZOF AND TAQANROO. 4()3

of Armenian merchants. They are not naturally chap.
a lively race of men. The Armenians are almost
as grave as the Turksy and they have all the
boorishness of DtUchmen : insomuch, that this is
a common saying with European merchants in
Constantinople ; ^^ A sportive Armenian is as awk-
ward as a dancing hear." Yet, instigated by
commercial speculations, these men traverse all
countries, and overcome surprising obstacles ;
frequently making journeys to India^ and to the
most distant regions of the earth. Their com-
modities and their manufactures, as &r as we
were enabled to judge of them, appeared to be
TurJashj and of a nature to find a ready sale in
Axay and in Tcherkask. They supply all the
fairs of the neighbouring provinces ; and these
Ssdrs afford the most extraordinary sights in
Europe^ because they are attended by persons
from almost every nation. There is scarcely a
nation, civilized or barbarous, which has not its
representative at the fairs which are held along
the Sea of Azof ^ and upon the Don ; but parti-
cularly at the great fair of Nakhtshivan. The
Hamaxobii of Herodotus then make their appeal^
ance, as in the days of the historian ; travelling
in vehicles, the coverings of which are their tents
by nighty and tilts for their cars by day \ Such

(8) See the Vignette to this Chapter.

2d 2

404 VOTAQB DOWN THB DON.

CHAP, moveable dwellings may be noticed in all the

XIV.

territories of the Tahtars.

We entered the quarter where the shops are
stationed. It is a very lofty covered street, or
cloister, surrounding a square, after the manner
of the Palais Royal at Paris. Every trade has
its peculiar station assigned, as in the bcusars of
Constantinople; and, according to the rule ob-
served in Oriental bazars^ the floor of each shop
is made level with the counter ; the dealers
sitting at their work, as in Turkey, with their
legs crossed beneath their bodies. The shops
were all well stored, and a rapid sale was going
on. Their owners, in many instances, were really
Mohammedans^ who manufactured slippers, san-
dals, and boots, in coloured leather. Among otiier
tradesmen, we observed tobacconists, pipe-
makers, clothiers, linen-drapers, grocers, butch-
ers, bakers, blacksmiths, silk-mercers, dealers
in Indian shawls, &c. Their bakers make bread
of a very superior quality. According to a salu-
tary Asiatic custom, it is publicly made, and
publicly baked; so that the whole process of
preparing the most important article of food
is open to the inspection of every one.
The crowd passing before their shops re-
sembled a masquerade, where the costly
embroidered vestments of rich Armenian mer-

TO AZOF AND TAGAVROG. 405

chants^ were contrasted with the coarse ^5^^*

XIV.

hides covering wild Tahtar.% the long fiirred
pelisses of the Turks^ the military, but simple,
garb of the Cossacks^ the uncouth uniform of
the Russian police, and the greasy trappings
of the Cahnucks.

We visited a Turkish coffee-house, the most
fitvourite rendezvous of the inhabitants. On
the right hand as we entered, and upon a raised
floor like the counters used by English tai-
lors, were squatted a number of merchants,
reclining upon cushions, with long pipes in
their hands, smoking, and drinking coffee. As
we joined the party, we were presented, ac-
cording to the usual custom, with kindled pipes
(having tubes made of the wood of the cherry-
tree, tipped with amber), a small cup of coffee,
and a bit of wood of aloes; this, being put
into the bowl of each pipe, exhaled a refreshing
and pleasing fragrance. In a comer of the

(1) The costume of the Armenian women of Attraehan is the richest
in Bu$tkL It is surprising that tliey sustain the weight of their dress.
The tirsty or inner robe, is of silk and gold; the second of black
vdrety heavily laden with gold and pearls. The third, or outer vest,
is almost of massive gold, in ponderous embroidery, with large gold
knobs, gold buttons, gold tassels, gold fringe, kc. &c. The turban
is white, bangs over the left shoulder, and conceals the face, except
the nose and eyes. The only hair disclosed is often false ; two Uiick
kcks, one on each side, being brought in front before the ears.

406 VOYAQB DOWN THB DOM,

CHAP, apartment stood a vase, containing blossoms of
the large /m, called, in JEngland, Flower de luce.
It served as a kind of sign to the box whereon
it was placed, in the lid of which was a small
hole to receive the contributions of those who
had received refreshments in the house. Some
Turks who were present, seemed really to be
breathing fiimes of tobacca . They inhaled
large quantities of smoke upon their lungSt
and, after retaining it there until their features
became distended with suppressed respiration,
yielded back curling volumes, as from a chim-
ney, through their nostrils, their mouth» and
their ears\

According to Palla^j the origin of the Arme-
nian establishment at Nakhtshivan was the emi-
gration of the inhabitants of the Crimea^ when
Suvorof withdrew with the Russian troops, and
peace was concluded with the Tahtars. At
that time the most opulent Arvfienian mechanics
and merchants, together with the major part of
the Christian inhabitants, upon whom the whole
of the productive industry and commerce of
the Peninsula depended, left the Crimea late in

(!) The Chinese and other Oriental nations, perforate the drum of
their ears for this purpose. It is not however common for Turki to
undergo that operation.

(2) Travels through the Southern Provinces, &C Vol. I. p. 476.

XIV.

TO AZOF AND TAGANROG. 407

the autumnal season. The Empress ordered SAi^'
proper buildings and accommodations to be
prepared for their reception upon the Dan ; but
the Mtissian commissaries took especial care to
convey into their own pockets the money
allowed to complete the work according to the
intentions of their sovereign. When the Arme-
man colony arrived, they found a parcel of
miserable huts, constructed in the most expe-
ditious and most wretched manner. These
have since been converted into neat and
comfortable dwellings : many of them are of
limestone, and they are covered with tiles : in
the manufacture of these tiles, as well as of
earthenware in general, the inhabitants are very
skilfiiL Other Armenian settlements, belong-
ing to the same district of Rastofj are in the
neighbourhood, and all of them in a flourishing
state. The Armenians a^e much respected in
the country; their industry, their sobriety,
and their general moral conduct, render them a
most important acquisition to the Russian em-
pire. Their whole population, however, in-
cluding persons of both sexes, and all the
Armenian settlements in the district, does not
amount to eight thousand\

(3) PaUoi estimates it at 7000. Ibid. p. 4dO.

408 VOYAGE DOWN THE DOHt

9^^* Again embarking upon the DaH, we pro-
ceeded from Nakhtshwan to the fortress of SU

St. Deme^ DetHetn/ RcMof^ about a mile lower down the
t9yBa9iqf. j^^^j,!^ jj. ^^ ^ placo of great importance

when the Turkish frontier was nearer. The
Dan is here much broader and deeper : in con-
sequence of this, the vessels from Waranetz^
unfit to encounter the sea, are broken up, and
their cargoes, the product of Russia^ shipped
on board lighters and small vessels, and sent
to Taganrog^ to load the vessels lying in the

(1) Mr. Heber perfonned a Journey ftxnn Tagimrog to MoMtqfbj
land. His obfervations concerning the latter place arc therefore pe-
enllarly appropriate, and serre to rapply the defldeney of our own.
'*Here it it that the barks from Voronetx are broken op, and the
goods embarked from Taganrog. We saw about sixty lighters lying
in the river, many large enoogh to perform the voyage to Arabat.
Some of these, which we pointed out, they told us had made voyages
all the way to Caffa. There is a large brewery, producing v^y detest-
able beer and porter. The distilleries are numerous, and, if we un-
derstood right, pay no duties, unless sent inland. The banks of the
Don are covered above by vineyards, and below by stinking Sudak, a
large white fish, drying in the sun. Fish are caught in great abun-
dance and variety. The principal kinds are. Beluga, Sturgeon, Ster-
let, and Sudak. There are also myriads of Prusdan Carp, which, with
all the refuse fish, are heaped up in great dunghills among the black
circular tents of the Calmucks. The Cossacks pay no duty on salt,
if it be for their own consumption. The fortress is just above the
town ; it is extensive, but ill-situated. In it is a small garrison, and
a school kept by an old Frenchman of the name of Andr6. He had
about twenty pupils, who were taught French, German, writing, and
geography. They were all very little boys. We had a letter to the
Master, and found an old man in a sheepskin, which would have
turned the stomach of a Muskick, sitting down to dinner with his
flock." Heber' s MS. Journal,

XIV.

TO AZOF AND TAGANBOO. 409

roads, off that place. The Governor, both of chap.
Azof and of Taganrog^ resides at Rastof; al-
though those places have each their superior
resident officers, who is called Commandant.
Rastof is garrisoned by Bussian troops. We
found it in a deplorable state of neglect The
Cossacks of the Dan claim the territory upon
which the fort is built, as well as of the land
where the Armenian settlements in its vicinity
are founded. We could learn no other reason
for this, than that these Cossacks have the care
of conducting the mail. Indeed, the generality
of them seemed to consider their land as limited
by a boundary between Ixay and Nakhtshivan.
In an empire, so little settled as that of
JRussiOf whose southern frontier is continually
«ivancing by encroachments daily made upon
the territories of other nations, the limits of
any particular province are not likely to con-
tinue long the same. Other travellers may pos-
sibly arrive, and find the whole race of Don
Cossacks moved, and planted upon the sides of
Caucasus : and those of the Black SeOj the
Tchemomorskij so lately carried from the Dnieper
to the banks of the Kuban^ may then be found
repelling the incursions of the Persians and
the Afghans^ upon the southern shores of the
Caspian.

410 VOYAGE Down THE DOE,

CH^P- Pursuing our delightful voyage with very
favourable weather, we advanced towards Azof ;
and as we continued sailing, with Europe on
our right hand, and Asia on our left', reflections
were excited which contrasted the refinement,
the science, the commerce, the power and the
influence of the one, with the sloth, the super-
stition, the efieminacy, the barbarism, and the
ignorance of the other. One fiEtct, at least,
may be derived from a general survey of JEu-
rape ; namely, that there exists in no part of it
a savage people, as fixed inhabitants. Eveiy
part of Europe is civilized. If the Nagay Tahtar^
the wandering Calmuck^ or the namade Lap^
lander^ be considered as belonging to a savage
race, which is nevertheless humane, it should
be observed, that these tribes are peculiar to
no particular territory, but that they lead, like
the more ferocious gipsy, a vagrant life. It is
common to hear nations, which are situate
remote from our observation, branded with an
imputation of barbarism : yet it ought to be
confessed, that \}ci& peasant o{ Ireland, the smuggler
of England, or the poissarde of France^ is alto-
gether as unenlightened, more inhuman, and
possesses more of savage ferocity, than either

(1 ) ^' Quique Uuas terras Asiam Cadmique sororem
Scparat, et cursus iuter utramque facit*'

TO AZOF AND TAOANROO. 411

the LapUmder^ the Tahtar^ or the Calmuck. As ^xiy"'
for the agricultural Laplander ^ the mountaineer ^-^"v^*
of Noi'way^ and the inhabitants of the north of
Sweden, there does not exist a better disposed,
or a more benevolent people.

Several villages are scattered along the banks
of thb river; but they consist chiefly of
wretched hovels, constructed of reeds and
flags growing in the shallows of the Don :
having these objects only in view, the traveller
is presented with scenery which answers to the
description given of the wigwams and the
waters of America. Soon alter we had passed the
fortress of Hastofj we saw, as we looked back
towards the JEast, the whole of the settlements
upon the northern side of the river, including
those of Hastofj of Nakhtshivan, and of Ixay.
Here the Don is divided by the channel bearing Dirinon of
the nqme of The Dead Dana^tz ; and the high ^* ^^'
lands, upon which those towns are stationed,
continue to form the northern bank of that
branch of the river. We sailed along the main
current, which flows, after this separation,
through a very flat and marshy country. The TnmuiL
only objects interrupting the uniformity of the
landscape are those antient sepulchres alluded
to in the passage cited from Ruhruqui^. We

(2) See p. 400.

419 VOTAOB DOWV THB DON,

CHAP, endeavoured to delineate a remarkaUe gronpe
of them, consisting of five tombs, much larger
than any of the others near the river ; these
have always borne the appellation of 7^ Fwe
Brothers. They are upon the JSkarapean side.
If Ptolenit/'s position of the Jlexion of the Tanais
can be reconciled with the site of that remark-
able deviation of the river which is called the
** Dead Danaetz/* these tombs might be con-
sidered as the actual monuments alluded to by
him\ under the name of the Altars of Alex-
ander. The i3a)/xol» or Altars of the Greeks
were called Altaria by the RomanSj ab aliUudine,
from their being raised high above the ground\
In low flat countries, where there were nei-
ther mountains nor hills, they raised artificial
ascents for their altars. But sacrifices were
offered upon the sepulchres of the dead as upon
altars ; and, consistently with this practice,
Alexander paid his vows, and performed rites,
upon the tombs of Achilles and of Ajaa^, when
he invaded Asia, and landed upon the Plain oj
Troy ; anointing with perfumes the SrijAcu
placed upon them, according to the custom of
the age. The same geographer places the

(1) 'Yiro ^k Tfiv 'EPI3:TP0*HN tov TavaiSoQ leorafiov Itpvvraioi
rt *AXiKdvdpov 6QM0I. Ptolew. Oeogr. lib, ill. c. 5.

(2)'' AUaria ab altitudine dicta sunt, qa6d Antiqui diis superb in
&B<liacii8 ^ term exaltatis sacra faciebant." Sext, Pomp. Fttt, di
Verb, supiijicdtione.

( 3) Diodor. Sic. lib. xvu. See also Chandler's Ilium, p. 70.

TO AZOF AND TAGANROG. 413

Altars of Caesar yet nearer to the position of chap.
these tombs. To one or other of them they will v^-y^
probably hereafter be referred. In the mean
time, until we have better knowledge of the
country, and of its antiquities, we must leave
their real history undecided.

Among the yarious tribes dwelling near the
months of the Don and in the neighbourhood
of lUutofy the Tahtars are the most numerous.
Many absurd reports were in circulation concern-
nig the danger of venturing among them. At
JRastof, in particular, we heard some fearful tales
of robbers, and of the banditti of the steppes ; but
had every reason to believe that all such stories
were without foundation.

The long-expected view of Azof at last pre- Fortress
sented itself before our eyes, making a conspi- ^a^^^
cuous and considerable appearance, and some-
what correspondmg with the false ideas we had
entertamed of its importance. Its imaginary
oonsequence, however, as a fortress, vanished
the moment we arrived; for nothing can be
more wretched or insignificant. The figure it
has made in the wars between Russia and
Turkey has given it a place in our maps and
gazetteers; although the meanest hamlet of
Kamchatka might dispute with it a title to

4X4 VOTAOB OOWH THE DOIT,

^xiv^' notice. A handful of troops, aided only by their
^'^^'^ bayonets, might take possession of it at any
time. The garrison consists of a few worn-out
Russian invalids. The works, if such they may
be called, are abandoned to decay, and they
are situate below the village ; so that, in the
event of an attack, there are several heights
which would command them. The village itself
stands upon a high ridge, and upon its lower
extremity is situate the fortress. From the
heights we had a view of the entrance of the
Don into the Sea of Azof and plainly discerned
the town of Taganrog^ across the water. The
mines of the fortress have been described as
very extensive, and considerable excavations
might be observed under the whole of the ram-
parts ; but no use is now made of them, and
indeed the officers of the garrison were ignorant
for what purpose many of them were originally
designed. All that remains of the Turhsh for-
tification is a part of a wall, now a mere ruin.
The inhabitants shewed to us an old rampart
raised by Peter the Great, upon the opposite
side of the river, as it was used by him when
he besieged the place.

City of It has been generally supposed that the

takais. g^jjcjgjj^t ^jty Qf Tandis existed either upon the site

of Azof or in its immediate vicinity : we were

TO AZOF AND TAGANROG. 4X5

particular in our iuquiries concerning the site of cua^v.
it, both among the officers of the garrison and
the other inhabitants. We also .made such
research as the time allowed us would permit ;
but not a trace of any former city could be dis-
covered, neither had there ever been observed
as a vestige, any of those remains which infal-
libly indicate the cities of the Grreeks. Of these,
broken pottery, as the most usual, owing to its
incorruptible nature, almost always serves to
point out the locality of Grecian cities, even
when medals and other marks of their topogra-
phy have not been found. It is natural to con-
dude, that if the Greeks ever built a city upon
this branch of the Douj it must have stood near
to its banks, and not at any distance from the
water. But the site of Azof is the only spot
near the river where it has been possible to
build. The rest is all a swamp, even the reeds
of which are annually inundated. To the east,
the south, and the south-east, the interior of the
country exhibits a parched and barren desert :
the rest is all one vast morass, consisting of
deep fens and water. If, then, upon the more
elevated soil, which affords a foundation to the
fortress, and to the present village of Azof
such a city as Tana'is once stood, the immense
excavations carried on by the modems, from
time to time, in the formation, and the reparation,

416 VOYAGB DOWN THB BOIT,

CHAP, and the destruction of the citadeL must have

XIV. . .

v^*v^ brought to light some relic of antiquity;
either medals, or weapons, or vases, or sepul-
chres : yet, in no instance, has there ever been
observed a single vestige or remnant of any
former settlement, except the citadel originally
founded by the Turks. Some of the senior offi-
cers, who were well informed concerning every
thing that had happened here since the time of
Peter the Great, and among others the Cbm-
mandantj declared that nothing had ever been
found of this description ; and maintained, that
in all the country about the place there was no
mark of the existence of any former city.
About fifteen years ago, some coins were dis-
covered upon the shore of the Sea of Azof fur-
ther westward ; but the characters upon these
coins were described to us as Indian^ or Chinese :
probably they were Tahtarian, or Turkish. If

Probable there ever did exist such a city as Tanais. we

Situation ^ .

of the City miffht cxpect to find the traces of it at the
extremity of that northern embouchxu^e of the
Don which was before mentioned, as bearing
the very name the Greeks gave to the city, in
the appellation Tdanaets^ Danaetz. This channel
we had no opportunity of exploring. Perhaps
some future traveller will meet with more
success in the inquiry ; and to further it, we
have afibrded him a clue, ^ in our Map of the

TO ikZOF AND TAQANROO. 41?

Mouths of the River. The place to which we ^xnr*'
would particularly direct his attention is now "^^^^^^^
called Sinovka ; but he will in vain look for
SinavkOf or even for this branch of the river,
in any of the maps which were before pub-
lished.

The inhabitants of Azof amount to a small Sf'Si^^
number, including the garrison. There are not ^^^^^^
more than fifty houses in the whole settlement
The officers quartered there complained, and
with reason, of their solitary and secluded
state of life. Exiled from all intercourse with
the rest of mankind, because avoided even by
the tribes around them, and without a single
comfort to render human existence support-
able, the joy our arrival difiused may be easily
imagined. ** JEnglishmen,'' said the old Com-
numdantt as he approached the shore, to wel-
come our arrival, ** are the only travellers who
would come to Azof, if it could be avoided^
Nothing could be more insupportable, however,
than the manner of their hospitality. No other
amusement was devised, but that of drinking,
shouting, and dancing. Some symptoms, at the
same time, of using compulsory measures to
prevent our departure, were manifested. Half
a century might pass, during all which period

VOL. I. 2 E

XIV.

41g VOYAGE DOWN THE DOK,

CHAP, the inhabitants of Azof woald see no froea
except those of their own garrison ; conse-
quently, the most trivial novelties were regarded
with transport, and the coming of strangers
was considered as an event of more than osual
importance. We found them lost in indolence
and wretchedness, badly supplied with provi-
sions, and destitute even of wholesome water.
The suspicious inquiries, and the insidious arti-
fices, commonly practised by Russians in their
reception of foreigners, were for once laid
aside : but in their place were substituted bois-
terous greetings, and the most troublesome
importunities. Our appearance at this time
was certainly rather calculated to excite ca-
riosity. We had not less than four large hoboes^
living constantly in the carriage, whose ravages
were visibly displayed in aQ parts of its lining :
for there is hardly any thing these animals
will not endeavour to devour. Our interpre-
ter, a Greeky the sallowest of his race, wore
a strange dress, in which the various habits of
jRussianSj of Cossacks^ of TahtarSj and of the
people of his own country, were singularly
blended. Oilr wardrobe, scarcely less remark-
able, betrayed evident marks of the casualties

(1) See pp. 326<-d28.

TO AZOF AND TAGANROG. 419

and the disasters incident to a long journey, ^jy *
We had, besides, several large books filled with
plants for our herbary, some minerals, a few
staffed birds and quadrupeds, boxes of insects,
thermometers, pots, kettles, half a cheese, and
a vinc^r cask. The soldiers of the garrison
seemed to be more astonished and amused by
the appearance of the bohacs than by any thing
else; and the bobacsj participating equal sur«
{oise upon seeing them, sounded their loud and
shrill whistle whenever they approached. A
concert and supper were prepared for us in the
evening ; and a veteran officer. General Peking
seventy-three years of age, was brought in a
chair to see the two Englishmen. He had been
celebrated both in the Prussian and the Hussian
service, and now lived upon a pension at Azof.
This venerable soldier expressed himself so
vmidi rejoiced at seeing us, that, in spite of his
years and infirmities, making one of the officers
stand up with him, he insisted upon exhibiting
the Russian national dance.

The contrast, before made% between a Cossack
and a Russian appeared very striking in this
voyage down the river from Axay to Azof. In

(2) See p. 385.
2 E 2

/ygQ VOYAGE DOWN THB DON.

CHAP, the course of a single day, we had break-
s^>^ fasted with one people, and were compelled to
sup with another ; — compelled^ because the con-
sequences of refusing such invitations are very
serious in this country, especially if these in-
vitations are made by petty officers of the
Russian army ; who have always the power,
and generally had the inclination, when we
visited Russia^ to embarrass and impede an
JSnglish traveller. The distance between the
two places does not exceed forty-five nersts.
We had left the Cossacks with sorrow, and full
of gratitude for the politeness and the liberal
hospitality we had experienced: the very sight
of a Russian, under such impressions, it may
be conceived, was doubly revolting us. Let
Opinion the Reader then imagine what our feelings were,
Ti^^c^' when, as we landed at Azof, an impertinent
^^' young Russian officer, belonging to the garrison,
demanded the motive which could have induced
us to venture among a people so ferocious as
the Cossacks. Instead of gratifying his curiosity,
we ventured to question him ; and asked him,
whether he had ever visited them. " Never I**
said he : ^^ we consider them as so many wild
beasts. It is true, they are rich ; but God
alone knows what they do with their money, or
how they obtain it : we never see any of it.**
We could only refrain from replying with some

421

TO AZOF AND TAQANROO.

CHAP.

indignatioii : " You shall hear how they obtain ^^
it; and what they do with it; and why you
neyer see any of it. They are industrious mer-
chants, and derive wealth by commerce: they
are good husbands and fathers, providing for
their families, and educating their children :
and you never see all this, because, as you con-
fess, you never visit them."

Departure

We succeeded, with great difficulty, in ob- ^™^*^-
taining leave to quit the place the following day.
General Pekin lent us his assistance ; and it was
owing chiefly to his interest that twenty soldiers
were ordered to attend by day-break, and to
assist in towing the boat against the current;
as it was . necessary to re-ascend a part of the
river, and to proceed towards the sea by one of
the mouths through which the Don disembogues
itself, nearer to Taganrog than that branch of it
upon which Azof is situate. We took leave of
our boisterous entertainers soon after midnight,
most of whom were by this time more than
•^ half seas over ;" and, in order to secure our
retreat, we determined to pass the night in the
boat. It was still dark, and dreadfully tem-
pestuous. A thunder-storm came on, and the
wind blew with the fury of a hurricane. As
we passed the sentinels, to go towards the
river, vivid flashes of lightning disclosed to us,

^^ VOYAGB DOWN THE DON,

CHAP, at intervals, our carriage tossed about in the
boat, as if in a gale at sea. We su<

VV.VV,%\'w^.t

however, in getting on board; and presently
such a deluge of rain ensued, that we were glad
to seek shelter with the hohacsj whose natural
somnolency was not proof against such violent
concussions, and who were thrusting their noses
between the blinds of the windows. We never
experienced such a tempest. During all the
rest of the night, the water seemed to descend
as from a cataract, beating through the very
roof of the carriage, and entering by every
crevice. As the day dawned, the rain ceased
to fall : but the wind continued as before. Our
servant arrived from the fortress, having suc-
ceeded in mustering the soldiers. We encou-
raged them by liberal offers, and soon after-
wards we had the satisfaction to find, that,
although our boat's motion was hardly progres-
sive against the united force of wind and tide,
we were actually leaving Azof.

After a long and very obstinate struggle,
during which our boatmen were nearly ex-
hausted, we at last reached that branch of the
river along which we were to steer with the
tide towards the sea. It is called the Kalancha.
Here we rewarded and dismissed our assistants
from the garrison, hoisted our canvas, and.

TO AZOF AND TAOAHBOG.

falling very rapidly clown the current, sailed chap.
into the pALua M-eotis. The mouths of the »**-v^
Don are thirteen in number. In other respects,
this river, by its shallows and islets, its perio-
dical inimdatione, its rapidity and rolling eddies,
perturbed by slime and mud, its vegetable and
animal productions, bears, as was before re-
marked, a most striking resemblance to the
Nile. The inhabitants of all this part of the Sea of
^2^ maintain that its waters annually diminish.
A remarkable phenomenon occurs during vio- f
fciapt east winds : the sea retires in so singular a
nner, that the people of Taganrog are able to
t a passage upon dry land to the opposite
ist, a distance of twenty veraU^ : but when
wind changes, and this it sometimes does
suddenly, the waters return with such
apidity to their wonted bed, that many lives
' are lost*. In this manner, also, small vessels

(I) Batlier Icu ttian fourteen nilea.

(3) Similar ctiangcs are effected by wind* Uwurcb the norUiern pvti

of llic Red Sea : and the author, being aware of thia cireamibtnee, had

rntaRed tiinuelfor the &cl, ia the flnt edition, to aplaln the pawwgc

gf tbf ItratlUu In their eacape from Egypt. The Bl1u«iaD excited ■

'ruble degree of clamour : aome stupid bigot* inaintained IbM

reeoneilUtlaD of thli erent to natural eanao* amounted to a denial

Oe truUi of mcrcd hUton; ; as if tbe miTaeulaiu intcrpoBilion of the

AbnlgtitTln behalf of bia ehoaen peoiilc, and in the OTerthrow of Iheir

nanner* were not aa awfully manifcated In "dimdlmg the wrden," by

"tttt wiw* m«rf tht tlormfuifilling hit iiwrf," ns by any other Dieant of

(■pcrnatural cover. To hokl an argument, however, with mch blgnta,

would bo to as little purpoM ns to n.-a«un with IVrti la matlen cif

rellgloii:

^4 VOYAGB DOWN THB DOff,

CHAP, are stranded^ We saw the wrecks of two^

XIV.

which had cast anchor in good soundings near
the coast, hut were unexpectedly swamped
upon the sands. The east wind often sets in
with great vehemence, and continues for several
weeks. They have also frequent gales from the
west ; hut very rarely a wind due north ; and
hardly ever an instance occurs of its hlowing
from the south. This last circumstance has
heen attrihuted to the mountainous ridge of Om-
casus^ intercepting the winds from that quarts.
The sea is so shallow near Taganrog^ that ships
performing quarantine lie off at a distance of

rdigion : the Note was therefore withdrawn ; althoo^ the plain text
of £codia fully states (chap. ziv. 21.) thaf'THB Lord causbd thb

8BA TO OO BACK BT A STROHG BAST- WIND, AND KADB THB 8BA DBT
LAND, AND THB WATBBS WBRB DIYIDBD : AND THB CHIU>RBN OF IB*
RABL WENT INTO THB MIDST OP THB8BA UPON THB DRY GROUND."

(1) "The merchandize brought from Voronetz comes down to
Rastoff in barks which will not bear the sea, bat are broken np there.
Their cai^goes are again embarked in lighters, which convey them to
Taganrog, and to the ships in the road. As the wind changes to the
east, and the water grows shallower, they get farther and fiEirther out
to sea, and are often obliged to sail without having completed their
cargo. This singular kind of monsoon takes place almost every year,
after Midsummer. The Governor said, it seldom failed. Storms are
not uncommon: and the navigation is considered as very unsafe, by
reason of the numerous shoals, and tlie want of shelter."

Heber*i MS. JoumaL

Mr. Heber'i orthography, in the names of pUoes, has been followed,
whenever an extract is given from his Journal ; the author not deeming
it lawful to subject so accurate a writer to any rules which he may
have laid down for himself, and to which, perhaps, be has not always
adhered.

TO AZOF AND TAGANBOG. 4^

fifteen versU^ ; and vessels, drawing from eight SH^*
to ten feet of water, cannot approach nearer to v^v^
the town to take in their freightage.

The elevated situation on which Taganrog is atHtiI at

Tagotmg*

bnilt rendered it visible to us from the moment
we entered the Sea of Azof. The wind, how-
ever, began to fail ; and it was night before we
reached the shore. Several of the inhabitants
came down upon our arrival ; and being after-
wards provided with a tolerable set of apart-
ments, we resolved to remain here for a few
days, that we might prepare our journey through
Kuban Tahtary.

(2) Ten miles.

A Draught of the Intended Com-
monication to be made between the
BuxiiTB and the Caspiah Skas.

tPanehin

LafflaR,
Ptuture Ground

CHAP. XV.

CHAP.
XV.

EUROPSAN AND ASIATIC SHORES OF THE SEA

OF AZOF.

Taganrog — Commerce^ external and mtemal —
Canal of Communication between the Caspian
and Black Sea — Marriage Ceremony of the
Calmucks — Consecrated Ensigns of the CaU
muck Law — Difference between their Sacred
and Vulgar Writings — Sarmacand — Various
Inhabitants of Taganrog — Antiquities — Fby-
age across the Sea of Azof — Chumburskaia —
Margaritovskaia.

X AGANROG is situate upon the cliff of a very
Tag^mrog. lofty promontory, commanding an extensive

TAG AN BOG.

prospect of the Sea of Azof and all tiie Euro-
pean coast, to the mouths of the Don. Azof
itself is Aisible, in fair weather, from the heightis
of the citadel. At present, the number of in-
habitants does not exceed fiye thousand. The
water, as in the Z>on, is very unwholesome
when the winds carry off the salt water ; but
when a current sets in from the sea, it is more
salutary. The foundation of a town, intended
for the metropolis of the empire, in a place liable
to insuperable disadvantages, was not one of the
wisest plans of Peter the Great. The water
here is so shallow, that no haven could possi-
bly have been constructed, unless by formmg
canals at an expense beyond all calculation.
The ships now performing quarantine lie off at
the distance of ten miles ; and all vessels,
drawing from eight to ten feet water, cannot
approach nearer to the town than fifteen versts.
Taganrog formerly contained seventy thousand
inhabitants; but in consequence of a capitula-
tion made with the Turks, the original city was
eotolyr^ed. lU re*al »a, Trefe^L to
the establishment of the Armenian colony at
Nahhtshivan. At present, all the best houses are
in its suburbs. The citadel contains a misera-
ble village, full of ruins ; exhibiting, at the same
time, traces of considerable works, now aban-
doned. The inhabitants entertain hopes that

427

428

TAOAHBOO.

CHAP

XV. ' the Emperor will visit and inspect the place.

ezternal
•ndioter-

and that it will then become a town of the first
importance in the empire. There is not any
situation in the South of Russia more fiivoorable
for commerce, were it not for the want of
water. Ships from the Black Sea find here, in
>>^ readiness for embarkation, all the produce of

Siberia^ with the caviare^ and other commodities
o{ Astrachan ; whereas at Cherson and Odessa
they have to wait for lading after their arrival
But it is only during three months in the year
that commerce can be carried on at Taganrog.
In winter, the sea is frozen, so that the sledges
pass upon the ice to Azof. During the short
season of their commerce, the rent of a single
warehouse upon the shore is estimated at four
hundred roubles. As soon as the first ships
make their appearance from the Black Sea, the
waggons from the interior begin to arrive*. The

(1) '' From November to March the sea is frozen, and naTigmtion
seldom safe earlier than April. As soon as the ice is supposed to have
passed, a small vessel is sent from Taganrog to Kertcb (in the Cri-
mea), and vice vert&. After this signal, the navigation commences.
From April to Midsummer a soath-west wind prevails very steadily,
which greatly increases the depth of water, and favours the anivml
of vessels. About MidRummer, the water is generally deepest, abd the
sea crowded with small vessels. The harbour admits but few. Vessela
may then lie tolerably near the shore ; at other times, ships of two
hundred tons are compelled to lie in the open sea, fifteen versts (tea
miles) from the shore. In autumn, the Sea of Azof is often no more
than fourteen feet at its greatest depth. From Taganrog to Asof is a

shoal.

XV.

TAGANROG. 429

vessels undergo a quarantine : during all which ^^4^-
time the caravans continue to increase ; and
before the end of the quarantine, not less than
six thousand waggons occupy all the plains
below the town. Of this number, three thousand
arrive annually from the Ukraine.

Taganrog has three fairs in the year : the
first upon the first of May ; the second, and the
principal fair, upon the tenth of August; and
the third upon the eighteenth of Noveniher.
The quantity of fishes taken in the Sea of Azof
is truly astonishing ; they are sent, in a dried

■hottl, or coDtinuatioii of shoaU, with hardly sereii feet water, and in
tome places only fi^e. The nomber of vessels is generally from six to
feren hundred. Of these, about one hundred and fifty, or two hun*
died, are small craft, fh>m Trebizond and Sinope, which bring nardek^
a marmalade of g^pes, and beckmiu, a sirup made firom yarious
fruits by boiling them with honey. Raisins of the sun are also brought
in great quantities. All these are used in the distilleries. Since the
destruction of the vineyards, by the late hard winters, the beekmUi
Ims become more necessary. The spirit thus produced is sold all oyer
the Bmpire as French brandy. The Greeks of the Archipelago bring
chiefly wine of a yery poor sort, which is also used in the distilleries.
Of tliese Greeks, about one-third carry the Russian flag; but, as oar

friend D said, (a merchant who resided here,) ' Mauvaia Attfse,

Mokvaii PaolUon' They are of yery bad character, and yery poor.
Any Greek who would purchase a house and land, became at once a
Bnfrf*" subject, and enjoyed their protection. The real Russian
traders are yery few. The European traders were, Italian, Ragusan,
Austrian, and Dalmatian ; and in 1806, a few French, but under English
eoloiirt, and with Maltese crews. These bring French wines, and
German and English cloth. They carry back fish and iron."

HOer'B MS. Journal.

490 TAOAKBOG.

CHAP, state, over all the S(mtk of RumaK Fruit is
brought from Turkey ; such as figs, raisins, and
oranges : also Greek wine from the Archipelago,
with incense, cofiee, silk, shawls, tobacco, and
precious stones. Copper comes to them fit>m
Trebisond, but of a very inferior quality : it is
all sent to Moscow. Among the principal ex-
ports, are, caviare, butter, leather, tallow, com,
fur, canvas, riggings linen, wool, hemp^ and
iron : of this last article above a million poudt^
were exported during the year of our visit to
the place. Their canvas is very bad. The
copper of Siberia is not brought to Taganrog,
as Moscow receives the whole produce of the
Siberian mines. Yet the greatest advantage the
town enjoys, is, in being the depository of
Siberian productions. From Orenburg they re-
ceive tallow, fur, and iron : these, with the
caviare of Astrachan, have only the short pas-
sage by land intervening between Zariizin on the
Volgaj and the Don ; a distance of forty English

( 1) " In winter the greatest fishery is carried on. Holes are made
in the ice, at small distances ; and the net passed under from each of
these to the next in succession, by means of a pole, until a large tnet
Is inclosed. Christmas is consequently as busy a time as Midsumnieri
and a mild winter is ruinous." Heber't MS. Journal.

(2) A poud equals thirty-six pounds of English weight ; but some
writer^, among others the translator of Paliat*8 Travels thrcmgk the
South of RuuiCf &c, state it as equal to forty.

TAOANROO. ^\

miles*, where Petbr the Great projected the c^ap.
canal which it was Paul's intention to have com-

pleted. A draught of the intended communi- ^^^.
cation hetween the Euxine and the Caspian Sea^ ^^^
hy means of this canal, was first published by ^^^^^^
Perry the English engineer, who was employed •^^*
1^ Peter for the undertaking^. A part of Perry^s
Narratiye, concerning the conduct of the HussioM
€k>vemment towards himself is very interest-
ingf because it betrays the fedse glare around
the greatest soyereign that Russia ever knew.
FkTER THE Great shuffling with his engineer, to
evade the payment of a few nmbUsy is a faiths
fbl archetype of all the Tsars^ Tsarvujts^ Princes^
and Nobles of the empire ; many of whom would
not scruple to defraud tiieir own xmUI de
chambre ; having the meanness of their heroine
DashAofj who, after losing thirty roubles to Segur
at cards, sent him thirty of the Royal Academy's

(5) Tbe canal of commimicatioii between the Volga and the Don,
aeendhig to Perry, (p. 3.) would hava been 140 tfentSy becaiue It would
In? 6 followed the coone of two other small riven ; the Lavla, which
fdli into the Don^ and the Camiahmka^ which fi&Us into the Volga}
but the section for the canal would not much exceed two miles.
** Upon IfteM imall rieen/* says Peny, ** sluicet were to be placed, to
iMJhr ikemtuwigable; and a canal qf near four Rtuiian miUi (equal to
^ miks SngUeh) to be cut through the dry land, where the eoAd rxeere
emme neareet together.** A work like this would not k>ng be in agita-
HoBfai JSa^toui.

(4) See the Vignette to this Chapter; also Perry*$ Staie qf Bueria,
LmkL 1716.

4SS TAOANBOO.

^xv/** almanacs^ by way of payment. The RtMiim
people cannot be duly appreciated, excepting
by those who have not only actually resided
among them, but who have seen them when
they are removed from intercourse with civi-
lized nations, and when they appear divested
of that external varnish which is so forcibly
alluded to by the Lord-lieutenant of the county
of Vasdj in the Extract annexed to a former
page of this volume*. Perry^ hardly expected
to meet with credit, when he gave his humble
representation of the hardship he sustained,
inasmuch as it affected the integrity of so lofty
an individual ; but further acquaintance with
the country has long reconciled his simple nar-
rative to all our notions of the people*. An
Englishman will probably pause before he con-
tracts for employment with any future Potentate

(1) See Memoir$ of the Court of Petenbwrg, hy Segur, toI. II. p. 130.
It was Seffur himself to whom this happened.

(2) Page 386.

(3) " In the mean time, his Lerdship (ilpreurm, the Lord-'Ckamber'
lain,) upon his return to Moscow, informed me that he had orders
from the Czar to pay me my arrean, and he gave diieetiona to Us
deputy to bring in the account of what was due to me; so that /
thought myuHfruno sure of my money : but the next time I waited upon
his lordship, in discourse he told me, that his Majesty was so taken up
with the affairs of the army in Poland, that it would perhaps be a long
time before he would come again to Moscow, and hare leisore to go
and ricw the place, and to gire his orders, kc, and pleaeantiy €uked mc,
what I would do toUh myse{f in the mean time.*' Perry'e State of
Russia, p. 19. Lond. 1716.

CALMUCKS. 43S

of RusML. The canal has never heen accom- ^^4^-
plished, neither is it likely to be so, without v^n-w
the aid of foreign engineers ; and these the
Ru$9ian Goyemment may find difficulty in pro-
curing.

The Calmucks form large settlements in the
neighbourhood of Taganrog. Their camps were
numerous at the time of our visit : both Calmuck
men and women were seen galloping their
horses through the streets of the town,
or lounging in the public places. Calmuck
wmnen ride better than the men. A male
Calmuck on horseback looks as if he was intoxi-
cated, and Ukely to fidl off every instant,
although he never loses his seat : but the women
sit with more ease, and ride with extraordinary
skilL The ceremony of marriage among the Marriage

Ceremony

Calmucks is performed on horseback. A girl is ofthecJ-
first mounted, who rides off at full speed. Her
lover pursues : if he overtake her, she becomes
his wife, and the marriage is consummated
upon the spot : after this she returns with him
to his tent But it sometimes happens that the
woman does not wish to marry the person by
whom she is pursued : in this case she will not
gufier him to overtake her. We were assured
that no instance occurs of a Calmuck girl being
thus caught, unless she have a partiality for her

VOL. I. 2 F

434

CALMUCKS.

CHAP, pursuer. If she dislike him, she rides» to use
«^^v««w the language of English sportsmen, **nedk or
mothinffy'* until she has completely effected her
escape, or until die pursuer's horse hecoraes
exhausted, leaving her at liberty to return, and
to be afterwards chased by some more-£BiYoured
admirer.

We visited one of Uieir largest camps, near
the town. The earth all around their t^its was
covered with the mutilated carcases of dead
rats, cats, dogs, suslics^ and bobacs : the limbs of
horses were placed upon upr^t stakes, dryn^
in the sun. Their dogs are fierce and nume-
rous. A dreadful storm had happened during
the preceding night: we fooi^ the Cabmicks
in considerable distress, owing to the havoc the
tempest had made among their tents : some of
these it had unroofed, and overthrown others.
Their High Priesty in a yellow dirty robe, was
walking about to maintain order. To each tent
cretedTEn- ^"^^ affixed a small flag-staff, with an ensign of
c^m^T^ scarlet linen, containing, in sacred characters,
Law. the written law of the Calmucks. By means of
an interpreter, who accompanied us upon this
occasion, we were told that su<^ banners were
always erected in times of general calamity, as
preventions of theft;, and of intrusion upon each
other's property. Many of the banners which

CALMUCKS. ^^

we examined were torn ; and others were ao ^bap.
much eflhced by use, that we could only discern
some of the written characters ; yet all of them
were sufficiently entire to ccmvince us that
iliey were manuscripts, beautifully written upop
coioored linen. It was therefore highly desir-
able to procure one of these interesting docu.-
m^its; and we ultimately succeeded: but ihe
acquisition was made with considerable diffi*
telty. At first they would not suffer u$ even
to toudi them : being tol^ however, that we
were strangers in the land, that we came from
very distant western countries, oad that w»
werei not aub|ect8 of BusMiy diey entwed into
coBaaltatioin with each other : the result of this
was an assurance on Iheir part» that if we woidd
pay the Priest for the trouble of transcribing,
a fBuvsimile of one of the banners then used in
the eamp should be brought to our lodgings in
Ttganrog. This manuscript, fairly written ^pon
scarlet linen, was accordingly Wougbt, in a
?9ry solCTQin embassy, and with many curious
forms of presentatiaQ, by a party of the ddar
Cabaucksj headed by their Priest^ the who)e
party being in their best dresses. We had beeiji
absent ; and^ upon our return, we found these
strange-looking people sitting upon the bare
earth, in the court-yard of the house where we
lodged. As we drew near, the Priest^ in a kind

2f2

496 CALMOCKS.

<^BAF. of yeUbv fim^ made a long speedb. Thesiib-
^^.^ tanoe of this was to infiNrm as, that their law,
esteemed sacred, had never heen hefinre suf-
fered to pass from their hands ; but as they
had been assured that we were great princes,
who travelled to see the worid, and gather
instmction for our own people^ thej had yen-
tored to consign the consecrated code to our
use. They moreover desired us to obserye»
that the character, m which it was written, was
also Mtered : on this account thej had also
brought a spedmen of the edE^or character in
^^^ daily use among them. Their soared characters,
^^Fu- li]^ those of Europeans, read from left to

mtf Wfi. right, and are of the highest antiquity : these
are used in all writings concerning the GMbmei
law. The mlgar characters, such as they use
in their correspondence and in the ordinary
concerns of life, are read fitmi the top to Uie
bottom, and they are placed in columns. We
have used every endeavour, but in vain, since
our return to England, to get this curious
manuscript translated : neither has it been yet
satisfactorily decided in what language it is
written \ A gentleman of Tagcanrogj Mr. Kava-
lensky, from whom we experienced many other

(1) The i^nthor bat been infinrmed, rince the publication of the Snt
Edition, that it ia StmeHi, The origfaial is now deposited in the
BodieUm UbrarynX Otfird.

CALKUCK8. 437

acts of kindness, was our interpreter upon this ^^4^-
occasion. He spoke the Cahmick language with v^v^^
great fluency, and said it was by no means diffi-
cult to acquire. It is frequently used in Astra-
chafij and throughout all the territory of Bochdrd^
whose inhabitants are principally Calmucks^ We
had an opportunity of seeing some who had
traversed those remote and almost impene-
trable regions. When we questioned them with
regard to Sarmacand, its once celebrated Sarma-
capital, they described it as possessing the
remains of former magnificence. Perhaps it also
contains many curious manuscripts; as the
Cabnucks are so well versed in the art of writing,
and hold certain of their manuscripts even
in religious veneration. Like aU other Oriental
nations, they preserve many traditions re-
specting Alexander. These remarks, in addition
to former observations, contain all the informa-
tion we are able to afford concerning this re-
markable people, the Hippophagi of Pliny and
of the more antient historians. Their number
in the Russian empire has diminished since the
establishment of provincial governments and
the division of lands, owing to their being more
confined to limited situations*. Frequent at-
tempts have been made, and are daily making,
to induce them to form a regular settlement ;

(2) 8«6 PalM$ Travels in Ruma, toI. I. p. 115.

^gf^ EUB0PBA9 MKD AH JffiC SBOUB

CHAP, bsiy like aD wanderii^ tribo^ ptftiGolAlfy Zifi-
AiiMfers sad GqMMi^ A^ «re
to an oMoiitroDed md mgiwaat life^ tihut nou
ddi^ bfttt extresie iiidi|(mce can Mmpd tfaeni
to GnhiTBte Ittad^ and to node in alqf fixed
habitatifln*

The eoantfy near Tagmung is a oonfinaalian
<if thoee MUppeB wUeh hafe been to oAen da*
aeribed, and wbich affiard paatare to seteral
thousand eatde. It abmnda with awarlai of
the little qnadrapeds befiore mentionedt mder
the name of muMe. Near to the town am amall
fiantatkniB of treea, and partieolaify aome fine
oaks : these the late (humumdtmt planted, and
thej flomish with other large trees, near the
shore. We also observed crab-trees, and the
plant firom which the Spanish Liquorice' is
obtained, in full bloom : the root of this was fall
of juice, and had a Tery high flavour. The
inhabitants of Taganrog avoid {^anting trees
close to their dwellings, on account of the
swarms of mosquitoes which would thereby
be harboured.

The diversity of nations observable in the
various inhabitants of Taganrog is altogether
without example. Every street resemUes a

(1) OHyqfrrkha giatra.

OP THE 8BA OF AZOF. 439

masquerade. We counted, at one time, the in- chap.
dividaals of fifteen different countries assembled ws^^w
together; and they were not more remarkable inhaM-
in the exhibition of their various costume, than Taganrog.
for the harmony and friendship which prevailed
among them. No one seemed to regard the
other as a stranger. In their association and
intermarriages, each individual preserves his
mode of dress, and exercises his rule of worship,
without making the smallest sacrifice to eti-
quette (by any alteration in his national habits),
or ^ving the slightest offence to the parties with
whom he is connected. Even the common dis-
putes and petty quarrels, which are so frequent
in the markets of large commercial towns, ap-
peared to be unknown among the motley tribes
wbich peopled this place ; yet Babel itself could
hardly have witnessed a greater variety of lan-
guages. The fifteen nations, whose representa-
tives we observed simultaneously assembled, may
be thus enumerated :

1. Rufldaiu, 9. Preneli,

2. Gieeks, 10. English,

3. Armenians, 11* Turks,

4. Nagay TahtarsS (HamocoMt), 12. Italians,

5. C^hnwkB {Hippojkhagi), 18. Malo-Bos^ns,
a Cossacks, 14. Prossians,

7. G«rmaos, 15. Unngarians.

a. Pitoy

(S) '* Tbe STagay Tartars begin to the west of Ifariaspol : they
colthrate a good deal of com, yet they dislike bread as an article of

food.

tim

j^^ BUROPBAN AND ASIATIC BHORES

CHAP. If the commerce of Taganrog ehould experience
any considerable increaae» we may reascmaUy
condnde, from the present view of its inhabi-
tants, that almost every nation upon earth will
have its agent there.

The shores of the Sea of Azoff from the com-
merce carried on by the Antient Greeks in the
Euzine and in the Palvs MtBotis^ bring the tra-
Antiqui- veUer so near to what may be deemed dassic
land, that an inquiry after antiquities ought not
to be neglected. We did not hear, however,
of any thing worthy of notice. Tumuli abound
in all the steppes ; and in . working the difb for
the establishment of a magarine or store*house,
where one of those tumuli had been raised, in a
loose sandy soil, they had found an arched
vault, shaped like an oven, constructed of yery
large square bricks, and paved, in a style of
most exquisite workmanship, with the same
materials. If any thing were discovered by the
workmen who made this excavation, it was
concealed ; for they pretended that its contents
were unobserved or disregarded. In all proba-

fbod. They extend from Marinopol to Peroeop, akng the ooatt of tiie
Sea of Zabasche. Their tents difibr from those of the Oalmneks, as,
behig more clumsy and ne? er taken to pieces, they are eanied aboot
on cars. This usage they seem to have borrowed from the primitlTa
Scythian population. The Nagay tribes train their camds to Hnt
yoke, for which they are ill qualified, and which praetioe la onknown
among all the Mogul tribes in Asia/' Htbtr** M8» JounmL

OF THE 8BA OF AZOF. 441

bility, something of value was removed from the
sepulchre ; as will appear by the description
hereafter given of a similar tomb, opened upon
the Asiatic side of the Cimmerian Bosporus. Such
vaulted sepulchres seem to render trivial the
notions recently entertained and published re-
specting the antiquity of arches. The tumuli in
which such appearances have been discovered
cannot be considered as of later date than the
age of Alexander ; and perhaps they are much
more antient

News arrived before we left Taganrog^ that
the Cossacks of the Black Sea^ or, as they are
called, TcHERNOMORSKi, inhabiting Kuban Tah-
tary^ had crossed the river Kuban with a consi-
derable reinforcement under General BraskovitZj
a Sclavonian officer in the Russian service, and
had made war with the Circassians^ in order to
be revenged for the injuries they had sustained
in consequence of the continual incursions of
that people in their territory. We had long
been desirous to traverse the Deserts of the
Kiibanj with a view to reach the districts at the
fix>t of Caucasus, and, if possible, to gratify
our curiosity by a sight of the Circassians in
their own country. A favourable opportunity
seemed now to present itself; but even the
Dan Cossacks had cautioned us against their

442 BUROPBAK AND ASIATIC SUOBBS

brethren of the Kuban^ whom they described as
a lawless set of banditti ; and our fnends in
Taganrog considered the undertaking to be
hazardous m the extreme. Yet the experience
which had so often taught us that rumoored
perils vanish when they are approached, and,
above all, the desire of expkmng an unknown
tract of land, encouraged us to make the un-
voy^ dertaking. Li the evenii^ of the third of Jicfyf
tey having placed our carriage on board a wretched
flat-bottomed vessel, more shaped like a saucer
than a boat, we ventured anumg the waves and
the shallows of the Sea of Azof. The first part
of our vqysge was as j^easant and as tranquil
as we could wish it to be ; but having sailed
through an the I\arUsk fleet of merchant ships
in quarantine, as night came on, a gale com-
menced with considerable violence. Our little
boat, heavilv laden, with an enormous sail
which was very ill managed, seemed to be all
at once at the mercy of the sea. The direction
given to us had been, to steer south-east by
east. The only person on board with the
slightest knowledge of navigatimi, was a JFrench
refugee at the helm, who pretended that he had
been a sailor : this man held the guidance of
our vessseL By mere accident we noticed the
IVdar Star ; and its bearii^ fMnoved that we were
out of our course. Upon this our helmsman

OP THB SEA OF AZOF. 44S

WM asked, if he had not a compasg. '* Oh yet, chap.
a very good one }'' he replied : but instead of
using it^ he had kept it safe locked in the chest
upon whidi he sat The compass being pto^
duced^ it appeared that we were going due
south ; and to pi'ove the ignorance of mariners
in these waters, who are all of them coasters,
it may only be mentioned, that our pilot,
alarmed by his mistake, continued to turn the
box containing the compass, in the hop^ of
making the needle c(nTespond with his wishes.
Finding that all was wrong, an instantaneous
atld fearful confusion ensued. We let go the
mainsail, and made an endeavour to lower it;
but the rigging became hampered, and the gale,
bst increasing, bore the gunnel down ; at the
same time, the carriage rolling nearly over the
lee side, we shipped as much water as we could
barely sustain without sinking. Our first efforts
were to secure the carriage from another roll.
With all our force exerted, we held the wheels,
while our terrified boatmen, half out of their
senses, were running over and against each
other. Veteran officers in the British navy have
often declared, that they encounter more real
danger in what is called boatingj than in doubling
the Cape of Good Hope during the heaviest
gales of wind : perhaps not one of them in such
a situation would have deemed it possible to

444 BUROPBAN AND A8UT1C 8HOSB8

^^^' saye our lives. We at last, howeyer, suooeeded
s^-v^/ in getting out a couple of anchors ; and haying
lowered and lashed the carriage, so as to secure
it from any yiolent motion, passed the night in
a state of extreme anxie^ and terror. As the
morning hroke^ we discerned the Amaiie coast
towards the south ; but the gale continuing, we
could not raise our anchors befinre noon ; when,
again getting under weighs we sailed with more
moderate weather to tiie promontory of CkHm-
burskaiOf in Asia, where we landed our carriage.

S^^ The yillage of Chumbursiaia consists of a few
miserable sheds, whose tenants were busied
hauling their nets, when we arriyed. So prodi-
gious was the draught of fishes made at every
haul, that the waggons stationed with oxen to
carry off the produce of the fishery were inade-
quate to its removal. A single haul was some-
times sufficient to fill two or three of those wag-
gons. The fishes thus taken were conveyed to
a place for preparing them, belonging to the
owners of the land : here, being first salted,
they were exposed for drying in the sun. The
variety caught was very great. We saw them
draw out Prussian carp, pike, sturgeon, ster-
let, a sort of large bream, fish resembling
perch, but of very considerable size, and those
immense crawfish before mentioned. The shore

XV.

OF THE SEA OF AZOF. 445

at this place was covered with fine gravel, com- ^J^^-
posed of shells and sand. Swarms of toads
and small serpents were crawlmg or running
towards the sea ; the water, although unwhole-
some, heing so little impregnated with salt,
that these animals live in it, and the inhahitants
use it for drinking as well as for culinary pur-
poses*

Proceeding towards the interior, the view is
bounded by steppes^ as upon the European side,
covered with tall luxuriant plants. '^ No lan-
guage,** says IIumboldt\ '^ can express the emo- .
tion which a naturalist feels, when he touches
for the first time a land that is not European.
The attention is fixed on so great a number of
objects, that he can scarcely define the impres-
sion he receives. At every step he thinks
he discovers some new production ; and in
this tumultuous state of mind he does not
recollect those which are most common in our
collections of Natural History." These re-
marks are so strictly applicable to our first feel-
ings and observations upon landing in Asia^
that we cannot avoid this insertion. A variety
of new objects seemed immediately to present
themselves to our notice ; beetles of a gigantic

(1) <* HumboUU*$ Penooal NarratiTe," Vol. I. p. 88. Lond. 1814.

^^g 8H0RW OF THB 8EA OP AZOF.

CHAP, sice, locusts, ▼arious-colourad insects, and
«riPv%i Isr^ green Ujsards, som^ of whidb wei^ twelve
inebes in hng^, Haviisig brofighi a letter to a
Or^ geotlemiPfc whose gwnmerci^l specq]»r
tiws, partiiMilMply in the fishery, had induced
him to ^ hk r^idenoe m this opiiiitiy» we
HargaH' foond him at J^argantav$k4m» Wothffr small
village, four miles from Chumlnirskaia ; and
caused our carriage to be conveyed to his
house. He was settled in a saiall eoloD^ of his
own conntrym^u tba neatness of wbose pot-
tages plainly distinguished ih<ni from all the
other inhabiimts of the country. , << I have
reiSnd to iSlm place,^ said he, ^to be soogewhat
Demoted from the shore; as the natives along
the coast ane not to be trusted." He gave us
a supper of rice, milk, and pancakes, according
to the custom of his nation; and we should
have felt comSwrtable in his little dwelling, had
it not been for the revoltiug appearance of toads
crawling upon the floor. Reptiles, verminf bad
air, bad water, and bad people, are among the
plagues of Oriental territories; but the amall
district we traversed in this part fA Asia^ from
the Mouths of the Don to tibose of the Kubam^
may vie in natural horrors with any other we
have since seen. The roads at this season of
the year (July) were however excellent, and
the post was very well supplied.

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

Paob 11, line 16. ^^ A most interesting and remarkable
fkmnomenon**^ — ^The same appearance has been since ob-
served near Cambridge^ as numerous witnesses can testify,
and precisely under similar meteorological circumstances.
The stars were, if possible, even more perfect in their forms
tiban at Peterdmrg. This happened Jan. 16, at half-past
ten A.M. daring the year of the publication of this Volume.
An account of it appeared in the Cambridge Chronicle.

P. 20, 1. 8, 9. Brought with them the 'pictures of the
8ainU.**'\ — JBronunrntSy in his account of the city ofCnersO'
neeuSf has afforded- historical evidence of the fact. ^^ £!x
fOo monasierio dmas portas oris Corinthii, . . . .et Imagines
insignioree . . • Kioviam deportamsse.** Martini Broniovii
Tartaria. L. Bat. 1630. The words Imagines insianiores
eaii only apply to pictures: the Oreeh Church admitted
idok of no other form.

P. 61. << KiRGissiANS ; a people yet unknown**^ — ^The
anthor has mentioned the circumstance of his having resided
beneath the same roof with a party of Kirgissians, in an
inn at Moscow $ and he has also stated, that very little is
known of this people. They call themselves ^* Sara
Kaisakif** or " Vossacks of the Desert" Their ancient
histoTT is BO obscure, that even their name, and the existence
of their race, were unheard in EHurope before the cession of
Siberia to the Russians by Jermak (or, as it is pronounced,
Yermah), the Cossack hero, in 1581.'*' The Kirgissians fell
under the Russian yoke in 1606, and from that period they
have rendered themselves conspicuous by their frequent
revolts .f In 1643) they were vanquished by the Calmuchs.
From immemorial time, they have been divided into three

* See Chap. XIII. p. 376, of this Tolmiie. Also Ston^*$ TabUau de
la BuiaU» torn. I. p. 76. BaaU, 1800. See also MiUler'i DiseripiUm de
tmSm km Naiioni^ Ace. Peterslmrgy 1776, p. 188.

t Mmer, p. 130.

448 ADDITIONAL NOTES.

separate hordes^ or Clans; and these leadine branches admit
also of subdivisions. Their Chiefs^ or Noble^ are distin-
guished into three classes ; bearing the several titles of
Ohodscha, Bu, and Saltan. The iir$t consists of families
renowned for their antiquity onnr ; the second^ of those
families which, as princesi have nad 8akan$^ or famous
warriors, for their ancestors. For the rest, their histoijy
owing to the military spirit of the people, and to that con-
tempt of labour which characterizes even the lowest of their
commoners, much resembles the history of the Seottid^
Highlanders. The Kirgissians may be considered as Hi^hr
landers on horseback, Nearly the same threefold division
into orders distinguished the highland Clans; and the
same remarkable superstitions still exist among these widely-
separated nations. The author saw a Kirgissians in Moseom,
when about to depart into his own country, busied in dtvi-
nation^ by examining the marks upon the blade-hone of a
sheepf which had been blackened in the fire : and he re-
membered, at the time, that such a mode of divination
existed in some countrv that he had visited ; but not recol-
lecting where he had observed it, he omitted to mention the
fact; deeminff it to be too trivial a circumstance to be
noticed of itself. Having however recently read an account
of this mode of divination as practised in the Highlands of
Scotland* (where he now remembers^ihaving seen it), and
also in the country of the AfghaunSy he has thought it right
to introduce this additional note,

P. 153. Note (1). *• It was founded, according to Au-
gustine, in 1653, during tJie reign of ALBXX8."]--The dis-
cordant accounts which have been published of the age of
this bell are owing to a circumstance I neglected to notice:
it has been more than once founded. The first cast was
made in the reign of Boris Ghudenofy and injured by a fire.
The Empress Anns, in 1737, caused it to be re-founded,
with considerable au^:mentation of metal, when it was again
damaged by fire. This explains the cause of the different

* See the interesting Article on the '' Culloden Papers,** as inserted
in No. XXVIII. of the Quarterly Review, published in May 1816.
** The AfghaufCt most ordinary mode of divination,'' observes the writer
of that article, '' is by examining the marks in the blade-bone of a sheep,
held up to the light : and even so the Rev. Mr. Robert Kirk assaics us,
that in his time, the end of the sixteenth century, the Seers prosnuosticate
many future events (only for a month's space) iVom the shomder-bone
of a sheep, on which a knife never came.*'

ADDITIONAL NOTES.

Statements made, concerning its weight and age, by different
authors ; and accounts for the figure of the Empress Annb
IvANOVNA upon its exterior surface.

P. 199, last line of text : « A distinction of dialect:*]—
According to the classification of the Sclayes by ScJdoezer^
preserved in the Notes to Starch's Tableau de la RtissCf
torn. I. p. 15, that people admit of a seven-fold division ;
they were either liussians, Poles, Bohemians^ Vendians,
JByrianSf Hungarians^ or Turks, Perhaps I may some
da^ be permitted to discuss the interesting subject of the
on^D of these and other nations, where its introduction
will be less extraneous. The three great progenitors, the
Tahtar, the Arab, and the Oath,"* have transmitted to their
progeny the clearest and most decisive marks of the sources
whence they were derived. It is sineular, that, from their
opposite and devious track, the descendants of those families
have all found their way to Europe. The Oetm, established
by right of lon^ possession, were found concentered as a
micleas, when tne Sclavi and the Moors, by the most
remote and unconnected operations, possessed themselves of
the borders.

P. 399, 1. 22. '^ It bore then, as it does now, the name
of Danaetz."] — Observations of a similar nature may have
Men su^ested to the compilers of the account of Muscovy,
published in Holland, at the Elzevir Press, in 1630; as
appears by the following passage : '^ Est et alter Tanais
Mmor, qui in Siberiensi Ducatu oriens (unde Dunecz
Severski vocatur)supraAzophinl^ajiB,im Magnum descendit.**
Descript. Muscovia, p. 8. jL. Bat. ex Off. Elzev. 1630.

P. 848. 1. 21. " Tlie name Axay is a Tahtar word:*]—
The initial of this word is properlv a diphthong, common in
Sneden, consisting of A, with O placed above it. Mr. Heber
therefore writes it with the A simply. (See Note to p. 345.)
Its etymology may be found in the Exopolis, or Axopolis,
c£ Ptolemy.

449

* By Oatkif I would not be understood to mean the Barbarians who

iiiYaded the Soman Empire from the East ; but the more antient de-

leendaats of the Oetm, who, crossing the Dardanelles, peopled Thraee,

and were the origin, not only of the Teutank tribes, but of the Oreeke:

^ In panels remanent OroUs vestigia linffum:

HcBc qnoque jam Oetieo barbara ftcta sono."

Ovid, Triit, lib. v. EUg. YII.

VOL. I. 2 G

450 ADDITIONAL NOTES.

P.386, Note(l). '^ At the time of making this ex-
tract" &c.] — In the Morning Post of the 6th of March
1810, the following extract was given of a private letter from

AbOf the capital of Finland^ respecting the atrocities com-
mitted there hj the Russians; bearing date Feb. 6th, of the
same year. ^

Extract of a Private Letter from Abo, the Capital of

Finland^ Qth tt/^tmo.
<* It is with the deepest regret that I communicate to you
an account of the perpetration of atrocities, scarcely ex-
ceeded by the memorable massacre on St. Bartkolofnen)*s
day at Parisj by the Russian troops^ on the inhabitants of
this ill-fated country. In violation of an express stipulation
in the treaty for the transfer of Finland to Ruaia, a certain
proportion of the inhabitants were ordered to be drafted,
or rather impressed, into the Emperor's service. The des-
potic mandate was in eeneral obeyed; and considerable
levies were procured, before their destination was known to
be the shores of the Euxine^ to fight against the IWAs.
In the province of Savolax the alarm be(»me general ; and
the people conceiving that they were exempt m>m service
for a limited time, ventured to remonstrate against what
they considered as an infraction of the treaty. Count
Totesky, the Governor o{ Finland^ to whom the appeal was
made in the most respectful and submissive terms^ invited
the inhabitants, by proclamation, to repair on Sunday last
to their respective churches, in order to obtain a redress of
grievances. This artifice liad the desired effect. The inha-
bitants, who are widely scattered, and difficult to be got at
in detail, were collected in a focus ; and while in anxious
expectation for the proffered act of grace, and unconscious
of the impending danger, they were suddenly surrounded
by bands of soldiers, who, regardless of the sanctity of the
place, and deaf to the voice of humanity, dragged the flower
of the young men from the altars of their God, from the
bosoms of their parents, and the enjoyment of all that was
most dear to them in life ; and moreover butchered, with-
out any distinction of age, sex, or condition, those that
attempted, by intercession or force, to soften the hearts or
avert the deadly weapons of their remorseless assassins.
In the parishes where these atrocities were perpetrated, no
less than 700 unoffending and defenceless individuate have
fallen victims to the relentless fury of monsters in a human
fonn."

APPENDIX.

No. I.

JLhb following doctunent is inserted to prove
the remarkable fact, that daring a period when
England was not at war with Ruma^ two EngUsh
Gentlemen, accredited by their Government,
and bearing with them recommendatory letters
from the English, Secretary of State, were
detained prisoners in that country, contrary to
the laws observed between civilized nations.

It is an a^wer, from the Governor of Mo^cow^
to their petition for a passport to return to
England ; after every application to the Emperor,
by means of their Minister at Petersburg, had
fiiiled of effect ; given verbaDy and literally.

•* Le Comte Soltijcof est mortifie qui'l ne pent
pas contenter Messieurs Cripps et Clarke^ en
lenrs procurant la permission de sortir hors des
frontieres, par la raison que 9a ne depend que
de Sa Majeste l'Empereur meme. Ce qui con-
ceme I'envoi de la lettre au Ministre d*Angleterre

2g2

452 APPENDIX, No. I.

k Petershourgy ces Messieurs la peuvent faire
remettre par la poste, et elle sera rendue en
toute sourete."

TRANSLATION.

<* Count Soltijcof is concerned that he cannot
gratify Messrs. Cripps and Clarke in obtaining
permission for them to pass the firontiers, since
that depends solely on his Majesty the Emperor.
As to the conveyance of the letter addressed to
the English Minister at Petersburg^ those Gren-
tlemen may send it by the post, and it will be
delivered in perfect safety."

As a comment upon this curious communica-
tion, it may be necessary to add, concerning the
pretended security of letters entrusted to the
post in Russia^ that few of them ever reached
their destination : they were all opened and
read by the police ; and often destroyed, or sent
back to their authors. We had, at that time,
no other means of intercourse with our Minister,
than by sending a messenger the whole way
from Moscow to Petersburg ; a distance nearly
equal to five hundred miles ; and it was in this
manner we obtained his instructions for attempt-
ing an escape by the southern frontier.

APPENDIX, No. n. 453

No. 11.

TRANSLATION

OF THB

BBPOBT mads £y a BOARD qfRUSSIAN ENQINE£R8<

OH THB STATB OV THB

INTERNAL NAVIGATION OF RUSSIA.

1 HE present water communication between the The canais
Volga and the Baltic^ having the Canals of vohthok.
Vyskney Voloshok for its point of separation and
reservoir, dates its origin from the year I7II.
One part of the reservoirs, sluices, &c. at this
place, serves to improve the navigation of the
Tveret ; and the other, to render the passage of
the craft, over the Boromtsky Falls (in the Mstd)^
less dangerous. This part of Inland Navigation
is brought to all the state of perfection it is
capable of ; except finishing the Cut from Viliev-
$hff for an extraordinary supply of water, in vvut$ky
time of drought, out of the Lake Velia. This
Canal was begun in 1 7799 but soon abandoned.
In 17979 ^^ work was again resumed. In
1798, an extraordinary drought prevailed, and ex-
hausted the reservoirs of Vyshney Voloshok to that
degree, that the vessels bound to St. Petersburg

^^^ APPENDIX, No. II.

were in danger of being totally stopped*;
which circumstance was a convincing proof of
the absolute necessity to complete this Cut
from the Lake Fefic^. But, as the sole object
of this undertaking was the mere supply of
water to Vyshney Vobskoky after leaving of which
the barks were exposed to new danger, in pass-
ing the Cataracts of JSdrwtfo^) and innayigatmg
the Lake Ibnen (which not only subjects them to
loss of time in watching for fiBKVouraUe weather,
but to imminent risk of the total loss of capital*
and many fives, from the natural turbujfiiurf of
thia water), the merchante fioquepting this traick
voluntarily proposed paying a toll of ten rmbUfs
for each vessel, to make a passjBige prttctiqiAle
round the limen leading from the Msta^^rect to
the Volchof. The plan was adopted, on exami-
nation, in 1775 ; but the work not begun till
Naooffo- 17979 under the denomination of the Nwago-
canlu. rodsky Canal\ In 1800, the spring caravan,
taking advantage of the high watw, usually
prevalent at that season, effected a passage
through this canal with ease^ though not yet

(1) To extricate ih* caninuif, eoet 90,000 ronMet,

(2) For this pnrpoie, 18,000 raMt9 were appropriated.

(8) S50,000 roMea were anigned for this work. The toll eoHected,
prodaced 50/XK) roMm; and the whole fam of d0O/X)O tvuMe i»
already expended.

APPENDIX, No. il. 455

perfectly finished. Its completion was to be in
180^4

The Canals of Vyshney Vohshok (forming, as
before mentioned, the chief point of separation,
on whicli d^ends the whole communication)
being Ae mere work of art, are liable to acci-
d^it, from many natural causes. The destruction
of a dam, sluice, or other work of like conse-
quencei notwithstanding all human foresight or
preoantion, may put an entire stop, at least for
a time, both to the conveyance of the necessaries
of li& and articles of trade to the capital. Inde-
pendent of this circumstance, this track of
navigation requires annually an unmeasurable
quantityof wood, for the construction of vessels,
which can never return home for future use (the
B^amUky Cataracts rendering it an absolute
impossibility); consequently the forests will be
exhausted, and, in a certain space of time, this
communication will decline of itself, and, finally,
be totally abandoned, for want of building mate-
rials. These inconveniences were observed by
Petbbthb GftBAT : at the very beginning, he took
measures to find other means of communication ;
and, after a survey, had resolved on the junction
of the Rivers Kofgia and Vetegra. His demise
put a stop to the execution of this project at
that time : it was however resumed in 1785,
and, on a further survey, adopted on the same

4fS6 APPENDIX, No. II.

principles. The excessive drooght in 1799
convinced Count Sivers^ then chief of this
department, of the utility of this work* the
reservoirs of Vyshney Voloshok being totally
drained ; he procured an order from the Sove-
reign for the purpose; and the canal, now
MarUniky Called the ManenskUf was b^un to be dug
between the Kqfgia and Vitegra. The first,
excepting a few places which require being
cleared a little, is at all seasons pretty navigable^
and a canal of about six versts is to unite it with
the Vitegra. This canal is to be supplied with
water from the Malco Lake (Malcasero)^ through
which it takes its course ; and the reservoir is
to have an additional supply by a Cut from the
great Kofgia Lake. This canal is to be frur-
nished with twelve sluices, seven of which are
to serve for the convoy of vessels from the
Kolgioj up to the point of separation in the Malco
Lake : the other five, to conduct them doion to the
Vitegra. This river requires infinitely more
labour than the Kofgia^ to be made navigable ;
considerable falls require nineteen sluices, to
make a safe passage practicable; and in some
places, the digging of circuitous passages, to
shun the Falls, is absolutely necessary ; extend-
ing in all to about eight hundred fathoms (of
seven feet English). The whole space requiring
labour, the canal included, comprehends seven-

APPBNDIX, No IT. 457

teen versts. Hitherto it has been successfully
carried on : the canal is finished ; ten versts on
the Vitegra cleared, and thirteen sluices com-
pleted.

In 1801 1 the canal was supplied with ease,
and the greatest part of the communication
rendered navigable. The entire completion
of the whole, including the time necessary
for clearing the cataracts in the Vitegra^ and
improving the Kofgiuy it is computed, will be
in 1805 ^

. Independent of the benefits expected from
this canal in avoiding the inconveniences of
that of Vyshney Voloshokj it is expected to open
another track, and procure a new, and not a
very circuitous passage, to the vessels going
from the Sheksna to the Volga. The caravan
from the Lower Volga will also be freed from
detention in waiting for high water at Vj/shney
Voloshok and in the Msta River, by which the
passage through the former will be rendered
easioTf and trade have a greater scope for
exertion and increase ; as Vyshney Vohshokj in
its most perfect state, cannot admit a passage
for more than 4000 barks annually, and thereby

(1) SyOOO/XX) roubUi were assigned for this work; and in 1790
and 1800, 500,000 roubUs were expended. 400/X)0 were computed
for ISOl.

4^g APPENDIX, No. U

impedes ccnounerce. Still greater benefks
wonld accrue from the Mariensky Caxial, if the
favourite plan of Peter the First were put into
execution; viz. that of establishing a commu-
nication by water between the ports of Su
ftobifh^' Peter^ii^rjr and Archangel^ or the Baltic and the
inga com- White Scos. lu 1800, by order of the Emperor,

manication '' ^

by water i^g practicability was examined into, and found

D€ I w eeii0» • ^^

Petertburg feasiUo, by moaus of the River SheksnOf and

and Arch' ____

angel the Lake Kuhenskotf. The proper arrangements
were made, and the Department of Water
Communication has it in view to put it into
execution in due time. Giving this advantage
to these two principal ports of the Empire
would be of the greatest utility, not only with
regard to trade, but the easy means of supplying
the Admiralty of SU Petersburg with timber for
the navy, from the abundant forests of the
North of Russia. There are other inconveni-
ences attending the navigation through Vyshney

The cata- Voloskok ; viz, the Cataracts of the Volchof. and

racts of the -^ '

River Foi- the Outlct firom the Ladoga Canal into the

ehof, and "^

towing- Neoa^ where vessels are at times detained for
a fortnight by contrary winds*. Measures
were taken to lessen the danger of the Falls ;
and proper roads or tracks for towing vessels

(1) For clearing the cataracts, 118,000 roii&/tf# were allowed ; and
for the towing road, C0,000 roubles ', ninety ver$tt of which are done.

APPENDIX, No. IJ. 459

against the stream, for the return of them, were
ordered to be made in 1799* To facilitate the
passage out of the Ladoga Canal into the Nevc^
against wind and weather, a new outlet was
b^un to he made, at ScJdusselhurg, the same
year*. In 1798, a new passage was also
effected at Ladoga. In general^ the Canal of
Ladoga^ through length of time^ requires an-
.pual an|l imp^rt$at repait's. This canal is now The^Moy
cqntuiued from the VolckofU^ the Sasy River,
apd tbwce called the Sd$koy. This work was
lant^red upon in 1769> and three ver^ thereof
^nish^; and then ahandooed; and again re-
^i^QiOd in 1799^, Great as the importance of
^e Ladoga Canal to the export trade of St.
Peter^rgt that of the Sd$koy is no less so^ in
ccmsideration c^ the facility of conveying the
foreign goo^ imported at St. Petersburg^ and
.distributing them in the interior of the country,
^^e CjM^f direct of these canals is, to avoid the
J^e of Xfodoga. From the River Sa$yj mer-
ohandijKe is conveyed, through the River
TifeHkOf t^ the city of the same name ; a land-
^^fynriage of ninety verstn brings it to the wharf

(t) Hie new Oatlets oat of the Canal of Ladoga are, one at Sehhu-
fdburg, and aaotheir at the toim of Ladoga,

(3) Thfi Outlet at Sehht$§elbwrg wai estimated to coet 117^000
nmbie$ ; that at Ladoga,14fl00 rmMe$.

(4) S40/NK) rotiMet are assigned fbr this canaL

45o APFEima, s«u n.

irf Sommia; and firom tlienee^ b^ the liwen
Tzagodatchia and Mologa, it is ooo^i^Fed to Uie
VolffOf wUch sanies all the adjacrart ooontiy.
From the wharf cf Scmimkag^ aboot 2»OOQ,000
roubles in Talne, of foieign good^ is annnaDy
carried into the interior. The deepraung of
some of the rivers beknging to this inland
navigation has increased this hrandi of trade ;
bat the considerable land-carriage betireen the
Sonma and Tifin greatty impede its &rth^
progress. The junction ctf these two last
wharfs, l^ water, engaged the attention of
Peter the Fiest ; and prc^r measures fer the
discovery of the most eligible means were taken
l^ Generals Dedenefj Resanof^ and others, in
1765. In 1800, the examination was resumed,
and the junction of the two wharfe found prac*
ticable, by a canal on the English plan, adapted
to the navigation of such vessels as are now in
use on the rivers Tifenha^ Sasy^ and Samma. The
sluices to be constructed on this canal are to
have no more than ten and twelve feet of
breadth, when opened. If the plan of those of
Vyshney Voloahok were to be followed, they
being thirty-two feet wide, a sufficiency of
water could never be collected ; nor does the
situation of the place admit of this mode of
construction. By an Imperial ukase^ the work
was to begin in 1802| and conclude in 1804.

APPENDIX, No. II: 461

When the Mariensky Canal was begun, in ^^^^^^'
179dt the practicability of a circuitous inland Canais

■• •' round the

navigation, round the Onega and Ladoga Lakes, i^e xa-

, doga and

was also examined into, to avoid passing any Onega.
part of them : the first by means of the rivers
8vir and Vitegra^ the latter through the Sasy to
the Svir. This last was ordered to be carried
into execution in 1802, and its chief object is
to facilitate the return of barks homeward.
The canal from the Sasy to the Svir was or-
dered in 1802'.

To make a communication by water, between '^^^^
the Catpian and White SeaSy or the Volga and ^^^
the Northern Dmna rivers, was in agitation in
the reign of Peter the Great ; but the first
survey was only made in 1785 ; and, as hardly
any natural obstacle was found to oppose the
execution of the plan, it was adopted, and a
canaP begun to be dug, named the Northern
Katherinshoyj which was to unite two small
rivulets, having a morass of an immense ex-
tent for their common source, situate on the
frontier of Permia and Onstnhk. One of these
rivulets has a communication, by means of
the Kama^ with the Volga; and the other
with the Northern Dmna^ through the river

(1) It if however not begun.

(S) eoOfiOO rwbUi were assigned, and 100/)00 expended ; but the
put a stop to the work.

1. f" ■ ' ^B

4g2 APPBHDIX, ITo. II.

Vitch^dd, But the canal remains nnfiiiiilMl; '
and the only adyantage that reanlted frmn thtf
attempt was, the opening of a new track, me
road, hy land, through a country then totafly
waste and nninliafaited. This canal oonld hsMi
supplied Arokamgely at a triflii^ expense^ wMi
merchandize, not only from the proTimSB il
Viatkoi but throogh the river BelajfOf friAa dli
Government of Oufim$h and Tznsiaoaya tnM
that of Perwia^ in the course of one ounuawi
The importance of this canal is enhanoedf • >l^
the fiusilily it aflbrds of conveying timber Iv.,
thip-building to Ardiangek from the mahetkA
fbreite in its vicinity, idiiounding, particda^j[
in the LUttaimtzna wood, at Tchardina.
Thejonc- xhe junction of the Volga and the D(miM .

tion of the •' ^ ^

Foi^ with ever an object in view with Pbter ths f^salri

theDoDyby i . i. . .

means of and he hunself discovered two practical tradttf

the 8hata> *

one from the Lower Volga^ by the \xmxm or tin
rivulet Kamishi/nka with that called Hafla^ Ijf
a canal of four versU: the other was* If
uniting the source of the Don^ twenty-ift
versts from the town Ghepi$a% with the "^
vulet ShatOf which fiedls into the Oupay one (I
the chief branches of the Okoj which empdk
itself into the Volga. Of the latter, a cotti-
derable part was carried into executioiii
twenty-four sluices of limestone were built;
and the canal dug the extent of the Vale rf

APPENDIX, No. II. 463

Bobriky^j answerable to the depth of the bed
of the Don. Why a work thus far advanced
was abandoned, is not known ; some supposed
it was for want of water; but the situation
of the Vale of JBobriky confutes this statement,
as being capable of becoming an immense
receptacle of water, and quite sufficient for
this navigation* The hydrography of this
place will, however, not admit the navigation
of vessels of greater length than ninety &et,
fourteen feet of breadth, and drawing three
feet of water, with a full lading. The other
plan proposed, of joining the Don and the
Volga by means of the Kamishmka and the
BafUh proved abortive: though actually begun,
aa insufficiency of water was apparent. The
reservoir was intended to be placed at the
sources of the Kamishmka; but they wwe
found hardly sufficient >to supply tho: common
atiream of the river. The Hafla being fi% fioet
higher than the level of the Volga, could futnish
a reservoir of water (point of separation in the
original): yet, even with this advantage, the
navigation must Jb^ carried on in caravans,
or in large collective bodies of barks; other-
wise the passage will not be effidoted, for want
of water.

(1) Better ezpreMcd by the iMune of tlitHoll«wto:

464 APPENDIX, No n.

Division of the Black Sea, Inland Navigation.

-The Dnieper is most certainly the chief
river of all the provinces adjacent to the
JSuxine. This river is the younger sister of
Volga ; and has its source near the same place
with the ahove, and the Southern Dvina. It
may be called navigable from Smolensky if not
from Dorogobush. Two very great obstacles
render the navigation of this river inconvenient.
First, flats, or rather nfoving sands, a cir-
cumstance common also to the rivers of the
North of Russia: fr^m above Kiof down to
KrementckAky they greatly incommode the
navigation, during the middle of the summer.
Near the shore, on both sides, are passages
or channels, of considerable depth ; but they
are uncertain, as they frequently shift during
the high waters. It is confessed that there
are no other means whatever to remedy this
inconvenience, (the considerable quantity of
moving sand contained by the Dnieper being
taken into consideration,) unless a body of
pilots be established,, divided into districts,
to sound, and put beacons or directions in
the proper channels, for vessels to go by,
after the high water subsides; as is done in
the North, particularly on the Svir ; and which

APPENDIX, No. 11. 465

regulation has not, as yet, taken place on the
Dnieper. The second fatal obstacle to the
safe navigation of this river is, the Cataracts,
which limit the passage to the time of high
water during the spring ; and even then at-
tended with some difficulty, and only of a
fortnight or three weeks' duration. Nothing
but the enaction of a code of commercial laws
can ever render the Black Sea useful to the
empire. Since Russia has acquired the domi-
nion thereof, the inconvenience and obstacles
which trade has suffered are manifest, and
severely felt. During Prince Potemkins go-
vernment of these provinces, a vain attempt
was made to clear the Cataracts : the war in
1787 put a stop to the work. The Board
of Inland Water Communication have begun
the following works: First, The deepening a
passage between the Cataracts, by means of
temporary dikes, through which vessels may
pass in the very middle of summer, both up
and down the river. Secondly, The great
Nenasitez Cataract, having baffled all attempts
"made to render a safe passage practicable,
particularly for vessels going up the river, it
was resolved to dig a circuitous canal round
it, provided with sluices, through a rocky
shore; which is now in hand. Three other

VOL. I. 2 H

46g APPENDIX, No. n.

cataracts^ are perfectly cleared; about eight
remain to be worked on; and it is expected,
that, from the year 1805, the river will be
navigable ; which will confer inestimable
advantages on the country, particularly in
furnishing the interior of Russia with salt,
which will render the importation of it by
the Baltic unnecessary, and save great sums
of money to the Russia'Polish prpvinces,
which they pay, in coin, for this commodity
in foreign dominions. Below the Cataracts, *
the Drdeper has a resemblance to the Volga;
though it is intersected by many islands and
flats^ which, however, do not much impede
the navigation. The current in general there
is not strong ; and admits, not only of the
use of oars for vessels going up, but of sails
with very little wind. Its morassy shores,
in some districts, preventing the use of the
towing-line, it is necessary to establish paths
for this purpose : as most certainly it will
accelerate the return of barks with salt, silk,
cotton, and other products of the LevanU

(1) " The work goes on slowly, and was not half finished at the
end of the summer of 1805. A float or transport of timber, which
arrived while I Was at OdessOy had been two years In coming down,
from the impediments of the cataracts and above descent."

Note by Mr. R. Comer.

APPENDIX, No. II. ^gy

without which the fabrics and manu&ctories
in the interior cannot exist. All these im-
provements, or rather new regulations, are
carrying into execution very slowly. To the
foreign, or export trade of this river, most
certainly the Leman^ or its estuary, opposes
great difficulties. Its influx into the JSuxine
being through several branches, and its cur-
rent extremely slow, it is natural that sand
banks should be formed. In summer it has
hardly six feet water, and merchant vessels
are obliged to load beyond its mouth (thirty-
five ver8ts)t at the Gubokaya prxstaUi or deep
wharf; which, notwithstanding its denomination,
is very unfit for the purpose ; the road being
at times unnavigable from November to May :
and when the dock-yard was at ChersoUj the .
men-of-war were obliged to be transported,
on camels, over the sand flats, with which
the Leman abounds. These two inconveniences
forced Government to look for a more eligible
situation ; and Nicholaef, by its favourable situa-
tion on the Bog and the InguU was chosen for
the seat of the admiralty, and the yard for build-
ing men-of-war ; which place, however, is not
convenient for trade, as having too distant a
communication with the Dnieper. Trading
vessels lost so much time in going up the Bog,
even with a favourable wind, that more time

2 H 2

46g APPENDIX, No. II.

was often spent in effecting a passage to
Nicholaef^ than was necessary to make a voyage
from the leman of the Dnieper to Constantinople.
Not having obtained the desired point at this
place, it was resolved to find a port for mer-
chant vessels at another, that offered less
difficulties in the estscblishment ; and also to
which the carriage of merchandize could be
more easily effected by transports. The Bay

•

of Hadgiby was pitched upon as fit for con-
structing the Port of Odessa; whose vicinity
to Poland^ Podoliaj and Volhynia, made the
choice more eligible and favourable, not only
to trade, but also answering some naval pur-
poses. The navigation is uninterrupted the
whole year (not true) at this place. Magazines
and store-houses are erecting for the goods
brought from the Dnieper by water, not only
here, but along the Dniester^ for the products
of Galida and Podolia.

Not above 300 vessels and boats go down the
the Dnieper to Nicholaef and Cherson ; but vast
floats of timber descend for the Admiralty.
This, however, is comparatively little, to what
this commerce will amount to, when the Ca-
taracts are cleared \ From Krementchuk^ about

(1) " It will be obsened, that the Cataracts of the Dni4!per, und
Shoals in the Dnietter, are the great obstacles to the interior com-
iDunlcattuii from the Black Sta : it is therefore most astonishing, that

a nation.

APPENDIX, No. II. 469

sixty barks, with salt, go already up the river
to Smolensky as well as up some of the branches
of the Dnieper ; yiz. the Pripitf Desna, Beresang^
to the wharfs of Novogorod^ Severskoyy Pinsk^
and Borovitz. The salt is conveyed above
700 versts by land, to Krementck&k^ from the
Crimea^ by a great number of oxen. When
the Cataracts are cleared, the land-carriage
will be reduced 120 verstSy from the Crimea
to the Bereslasskoy Wharf on the Dnieper ; and
the salt may be conveyed straight by water
front the Salines of Kinbum.

Branches off or Rivers falling into, the Dnieper.

A river of the Dnieper^s magnitude has na-
turally many smaller streams falling into it;
which are the more worthy of attention, as
their banks and circumjacent country abound
with vast forests of oak, &c. out of which
hardly any timber has yet been drawn. Most
of these rivers, particularly those falling into
the Upper Dnieper^ are already navigable, or
capable of being made so, unless in such
seasons of great drought when even the Dnieper
itself is hardly passable.

anttlOD, wi^ the command of men that Bu»sia has, does not snnnonnt
the difficulty. Greater exertions have been made by Companies of
itOMdau^isi England.'' Note by Mr. B. Comer.

47Q APPBNDIX, No. II.

The DruzAi small and not nayigable, joins the
Dnieper at Rogatchef.

Beresina, pretty considerable. 700 versts
along this river, masts are carried down to
the town of Borisof, and even to the wharf
of Pedoserskoy. In this passage, a land
carriage of thirty versts was unavoidable,
from the wharf to the town of Kransnie
Laki ; whence they were floated down by
JEssa, to the Oulla, at Lepela. Measures
were, in consequence, taken to effect a
junction between the Beresen and the Mtsa.
In 1801, the work was already done, except
some sluices, and other improvements ne-
cessary to be made. The Beresen was to
be joined to the Rivulet SergutZj and the
Lake PlaviOy and Beresta; and thence, with
the Skogy and Menezso^ with the Essa and
Oulla. This will be of immense advantage
to the trade of the Dnieper with the ports
on the Baltic. On the Beresen three wharfe
are already established ; at Bohrusha, Borisof ^
and Pedoser: the last is onlv for timber.
To the two first, about twenty barks are
annually towed up, with salt, for the pro-
vince of Minsk. Among the great number
of rivulets falling into the Beresen, the most
considerable is the Smrtotz, which is navi-
gable as far as Minsk, from the Spring

APPENDIX, No. II. ^ji

to July. It is particularly convenient for
floating down of timber ; whicli may be
procured, in any quantity, from the immense
forests that are in its course, and which
hitherto have remained untouched.

The SpSHA is considerable ; and only few
improvements are necessary to enable ves-
sels to ascend to the town of Mstistof: it
has its course near Smolensk. It is now
navigable, until the month of July, the
extent of 4 to 500 versts. Kiof is supplied
with timber by this river.

The Pripit is the principal branch of the
Dnieper : it takes its course from west to
east, and separates lAthuania from Volhynia.
Almost all the timber to Cherson goes from
this river. Barks, carrying each from 8 to
10,000 pouds of salt, are easily towed up,
above 600 versts^ to Pinsk.

The following Rivers fall into the Pripit :

The PiNA, became partly navigable through the
King^s Canal ; but sluices are necessary to be
built, for vessels to frequent it during summer.

The Strumen, or the Suchona^ must be cleared
of some stones, and then vessels - may go as
far as KoveL

Yatzolda is the estuary of the Oginsky
Canal, and only wants clearing of weeds, &c.

472 APPENDIX, No. IL

It has a very weak current, which runs, in

general, through marshy ground.
GoRONA and Slutza could he made navigable

for the extent of 4 or 500 versts ; and through

these a communication with all Volhynia might

be opened by means of sluices in their upper

parts, to be built at the dams of the many

mills there existing.
Stira could easily be made navigable to Zte-

tenzOi and even as far as DuhnOj if twelve

sluices were built.
Zna and Lan. During high water, some timber

is brought down these rivers from Lithuania.
OuDOBRE, a small river from Volhynia: this

might be improved for some hundred versts.
Ptisha, a pretty considerable river from Li-

thuania : on this a great quantity of timber

is floated down.
OusHA wants improvement, to be made navi-

gable to Obronsk.

Contintiationof the Mivers falling into theDiiiEPEK.

TTie Tetereva, now of little use, but capable of
being made navigable, even to Grtomis.

Desna, equally with the Pripity is of the highest
consequence to the trade of the country in
general ; and even of more, in some respects,
than the latter, as it takes its whole course
through the most fruitful provinces and well-

APPENDIX, No. II. 4

wooded districts. It is navigable the extent
of 800 versts past Tchermgof^ Novogorodj and
Seoerskoy^ to Bransk. Provisions, timber,
and other goods, are carried by it from
Bransk to Cherson^ and even sometimes to
Smolensky by means of the Dnieper. From
one to three hundred barks depart out of it
annually ; and more than this number return
to it from Krementch&k with salt. It was
proposed to join the Desna with the Oka^ by
means of the Volva and the Ziskdra ; a pro-
ject of the highest importance to the inland
communication of Russia. By this junction,
the conveyance of home-products from the
Ukraine^ Little Russia^ &c. and of those of the
Levant^ through the Black Seoj would be
greatly facilitated. No doubt the Board
will, in due time, take these advantages into
consideration.
RossA, though small, is yet abundant in water

during spring.
The SouLA might become of great importance,
being navigable from Luhen^ were the Cata-
racts of the Dnieper cleared, and opportunity
given for exporting the products of the coun-
try it waters.
PicoL. This river, flowing through a steppe^
is hardly worth improving ; it is navigable
only during the spring, and is dry in summer.

^4f APPENDIX, No. II.

Krilopka, an inconsiderable river of the
steppe or desert. It was once intended to
join the springs of this stream with the Ingulj
which falls into the Bog. The junction of
the rivers of the steppe will ever he a most
difficult task ; as they are, properly speaking,
only torrents, and mostly dry in summer.
To effect the object in view, it was found
necessary to dig 100 feet in depth, which was
impracticable ; but could the project be exe-
cuted, the passage over the Cataracts of the
Dnieper would have been avoided, and the Port
of Nicholaef^ gained inestimable advantages.

VoRSKLA, considerable, but possesses traffic :
passing near PutiavOy it could be made
navigable to the town Aktiar of the Ukraine.

Orel, only a torrent.

Samara could be improved, and no doubt will
be considered in future : it is considerable ;
and though a stream of the desert, its water
never fails. Until this time it has never been
frequented ; but the discovery of some coal
mines, in the neighbourhood of Paflograd^ will
inevitably render the navigation of this river
^f the greatest consequence for the conveyance
of coals to the Dnieper ; particularly so, as
the country is bare of wood for fiiel.

(1) See Mr. Cam€r'9 Note in p. 468.

APPRNDIX, No. II. 475

Laura, Tamalkalka, Basavlouk, Konskaya.
— Merely torrents of the steppe^ and hardly
capable of being improved.

Inguletz, a considerable river of the steppe :
it has not been frequented hitherto, for want
of hands, the country being uninhabited. In
process of time, it may serve for the convey-
ance of stone, and even coal, in proportion as
the population . increases. Grazing sheep
and oxen near it, for which it is particularly
adapted, will open a new trade, in wool,
skins, cheese, tallow, salt beef, &c.

BuGG, or Bog, the Hypanis of StrabOf £aJls into
the leman of the Dnieper^ not far from the
mouths of this river, thirty versts above
Oczakof. It is one of the principal rivers
of the country, and vessels of war may go
up 150 versts : beyond this, it becomes a tor-
rent for 3 or 400 verstSy full of cataracts, and
can only be made navigable at an expense
and labour that would never produce equi-
valent advantages. Were there any practi-
cable or reasonable means of improving this
rivcjr, Nicholaef would be greatly benefited
by the conveyance of naval stores from
Podolia and Volhynia.

Rivers falling into the Boo.
The Ingul, an extensive river. A junction

APPENDIX, No. II.

with the Dnieper was thought <^, but found
totally impracticable, from the height of its
shore, as well as its shallows. At Elizabeth^
it has a sufficiency of water ; and by the means
of twenty sluices, on the English plan, might
be made navigable as far as Nicholaef^ where
the docks, magazines, &c. for the navy, are
situate ; which port would be of the greatest
importance, could a proper communication
with the interior, by water, be established ;
but the difficulties, both on the Bog and
Ingulj put an absolute bar to the project,
and the Dnieper is its only resource* The
passage from this river, through the Lemon
to the Bog J is extremely dangerous for vessels
of the construction in use on the Dnieper^ and
perfectly impracticable for floats of timber.
Another great inconvenience attends this
port, its distance from the entrance of the
Bogj an hundred verstSy where almost every
wind of the compass is necessary, and the
least gale exposes the ships to great deten-
tion. The river being extremely broad, and
the channel, or chief passage, nearly in the
middle, with little water on either shore,
towing becomes impossible for vessels draw-
ing more than two feet and a half water.
Ships are towed up by boats, with such a
waste of time, that two voyages may be

APPEN DIX, No 11. 477

sometimes made to DonstJ^. during the
period employed in going up the Lower
Bog to Nicholaef.
Tedorovskaya, Titaku, Merlvayavoda, the
two Tartaly, Korabelnaya — insignificant
streams of the steppe.
The SiNucHA, a small marshy stagnated rivulet.
It was thought practicahle here, by means of
a Canal of five or six verstSy to unite the
Dniester with the Bog^ between the Kodma
and the Yaourlina. But a hill, and the
necessity of a great number of sluices on the
YtwurlincLy which, notwithstanding, abounds
in water, made the enterprise very difficult.
Were the country more peopled, and afforded
more products, this plan might have been
executed : at present it is impossible. The
Upper Bog has many other branches, which
have more water, in general, than the streams
of the steppe ; their sources being in the hills
of Podolia and Volhynia^ which form a part of
the chain of the mountains of Karahat. Till
the Bog be made navigable, it is needless to
think of improving these rivers, although
they water the most fi*uitful provinces of
the whole empire.

From the Dnieper to the Dniester y the boun-
dary of the empire on that side, are many rivers,
or rather lemans and bays, which join the JEuxine^

^yg APPENDIX, Mo II.

and go up the country a considerable way ; but,
in general, tbeir estuaries arc nearly choked with
sand ; this, in a manner, separates some entirely
from the sea ; and those that have visible commu-
nication, possess, for some versts^ not above two
or three feet of water at their mouths. The
moving sands prevent improvement, or any
attempt to effect a practicable passage into
those bays, which, but for that circumstance,
would become safe and convenient ports or
havens. In some of them salt may be procured.
Among the rivulets, bays, or lemans, on the
coast of the Black Sea^ is the Gulph or Leman
of Beremnskoyy with the rivulet of the desert of
the same name. This stream is of no other use
but to water cattle, and requires more than
numan art to be made navigable. The leman
extends itself about forty versts into the country :
it is of considerable depth, and about two versts
broad near Oczakof: it might have supplied this
place with a port, were not its entrance choked,
for a considerable space, with quicksand. It
produces fish, and also salt.
Yatchikrak the Little, a torrent falling into

the Beresan.
Telegul, equal to the Lake or Leman Beresan
in extent, is divided, in general, from the sea
by a sand-bank of three or four verstSj ex-
cepting only one stream of communication.

APPENDIX, No II. ^yg

three or four feet deep : this however changes
its course three or four times a year, during
stormy weather. This leman is not so deep
as the Beresauj not having ahove twenty feet
water in the middle. Its shore is marshy, and
hardly passable, which, it is supposed, infects
the air of the neighbourhood. It is very
rich in fish. Many small streams fall into it,
but it is dry in summer. The source of
this lake, or river, Teleffulj has a very long
course, beginning at Kodzma, near the Bog ;
from this it is only separated by a hill. Though
it is a stream of the steppe^ it has a constant
current, being seldom dry in all parts ; this, it
is supposed, tends to the salubrity of the air.

The Bays of Adgihey are smaller than that of
TeleguU though very like in all other respects :
three small rivulets fall into them, of the same
name ; but these are dry in summer.

The Bays Konyalnitzkie^ or rather Lakes, fifty
or sixty versts m extent, having no commu-
nication whatever with the sea, are about five
or six feet higher. They are of considerable
depth; but the shore being partly marshy^
the air around them is unhealthy. The river
of this name is much of the same length as
the Teleguly but becomes dry in summer.

The Rivulets Balnik and Parahoij are common
torrents, perfectly dry in summer : they fall

480 APPENDIX* Ho IL

into lakes separated fix>m the sea by quick-
sands.
The Dniester divides the Hussion and Ottoman
dominions. It is of considerable magnitude,
and navigable for vessels of a middling size.
Without much expense or trouble, it could be
made navigable in a course of above 1500
versts. A trade might be carried thereon,
from the foot of the Krapatian chain of hills,
through all GalictCLfBukavinajPodoUa^Southern
Moldavia, and Bessarabia, to the Black Sea.
But certain circumstances, however, have
always opposed and rendered abortive all
mercantile speculations or attempts to profit
by the course of this river, not only made by
the Poles, but even the Genoese, who were in
possession of this country, and had founded
Akerman and Khotim as principal staple towns ;
because its estuary was in possession of the
Tahtars, and the upper part was under the
dominion of the Turks ; people little fitted to
inspire confidence in traders. The peace of
1791 did away all difficulties, and this river
consequently became an object of attention to
Government. In general, it is deep : vessels,
even in seasons of drought, not drawing above
two feet water, may navigate it. Its upper
part, however, has many shallows ; these in
summer have not above two feet and a half

APPENDIX, No II. 4QJ

water. But as the trade is carried on in
spring, during the high water, this inconve-
nience is not so much felt; and the like in
autumn, when the harks return with cargoes of
less weight, assisted hy the rains then pre-
vailing. At Yampoley on the upper part of
the Dniester, is, as formerly, a kind of cataract,
over a granite ridge ; this is now cleared,
and the passage made free for navigation up
and down the river. The chief obstacle to
trade on this river was the want of towing-
paths, the establishment whereof is now under
consideration.
The Dniester, like the Dnieper, forms, at its
estuary, a leman or gulph, three versts in
length, and from four to six broad, which
joins the sea by two different branches or
outlets. This gulph is shallow, and will not
admit of vessels drawing more than five feet
water. However, some go hence to the
Crimea and Constantinople. Last war, the
Russian flotilla went through it, to the very
walls of Bender. Some brigantines were built
here by order of Prince Potetnkin, which went
to Cherson and Nicholaef. The shallowness
of the leman, however, does not hinder a
considerable trade being carried on to Aker-
man from Otidiople, situate thirty-eight
versts from Odessa ; which, properly con-

VOL. I. 2 I

]^2 APPENDIX, No II.

sidered, is the only port of these parts.
Goods are sometimes carried from the Dniester
to Odessa by land, sometimes by water. On
the upper part of the Dniester are four
principal wharfs or staples ; viz. in the Austrian
dominions, Stria and Salezic ; in Podolia,
Svanetz and Douhozar^ through which is the
great road from JRtissia to Moldavia and Con-
stantinople, and where quarantine is also per-
formed. The leman of the Dniester abounds
in fish| particularly in sterlet and sturgeon.

Rivers falling into the Dniester.

The Knzurgan, a torrent, dry in summer, feJls
into a fresh- water lake of the same name, and
joining the Dniester.

BoTNA has its source in Bessarabia, small and
marshy, and can only be of use when culti-
vation is more practised in its vicinity.

Kqmorofka, a torrent of the steppe.

Bi-uKA and Refla, from Moldavia, of no use
whatever, but moistening the country in their
course.

Yashlic, Chemaya, and Tamashik, torrents
dry in summer.

Yarlica, has plenty of water, flows quick over
a stony bottom, and approaches so near the
Bog (Kodima), that it was once intended to
unite the last with the Dniester ; but a hill, ex-
tending two versts, rendered the plan abortive.

APPENDIX, No II. ^33

At the Upper Dniester are many small rivulets,
or torrents, the Roshkovaf Roukava^ Svantzika^
Sprutza, &c. all having their springs in Podolia^
but of no use for navigation. The Dniester
divides into two branches: one retains the

original name, the other takes that of Strie^

• • *

and at last falls into the Black Sea. The first
branch is navigable as £sir as the town of
Sambor^ and the other to Strie. At Samhor^
the Pehfkat a small stream, falls into the
Dniester^ by means whereof the Austrians
intend to join this river with the Vistula.
No other river of consequence is to be found
on the northern coast of the Black Sea^ parti-
cularly in the Crimea^ where no one stream
can connect it with the interior of Btissia.
The only great tracts of water communication
are the • Dnieper and the Don : the first has
Odessa, the last Taganrog, for its principal
port. The establishment of trade in the ports
of the Crimea will therefore prove a mere
chimera ; as all goods must be carried thither
at vast expense, through waterless steppes.

Streams in the Crimea.
The Katzanka, Babshanka, Kashtza Alma
Belbeka, Inkermena ; mere torrents from
the mountains.

(1) A few words are wanted here in llip original.

2 I ^

484 APPENDIX, Ifo II.

The Sea of Azof extends from the Crimea to the
town of Azof^ and joins the Euxine at the
Strait antiently called Bosporus.

Hivers falling into the Sea of Azof.

The Don has its source frx>m the Ivanofskoy Lake,
not far from Tula ; it waters a considerahle
extent of country, and divides into three
branches at the town of Tcherhask. At its
mouth, at Azof it is so very shallow, that
only flat-bottomed vessels can pass into the
sea. Two attempts were made to join this river
with the Volga : First, by means of the River
Shata ; and Secondly, that of Uajla : but both
miscarried, as before mentioned.

The following Rivers fall into the Don.

The Danaetz has its source a little above the
town of Belogorodj and is generally navigable,
particularly in spring. On this river are
some iron-manufactories and coal-pits. The
Eyedory Koren^ and Orkole^ small and little-
frequented rivers, fall into it.

VoRONEGE, only navigable in spring, when pro-
visions and other goods are conveyed to
Tcherka^k.

BoLUTZAR, insignificant.

Derkul, only remarkable for three annual fiadrs
at the town of this name.

APPENDIX, No. II. 4g5

Kalitva has some little traffic.

SosNA, generally navigable : into it falls the
Ostrogoshaf which, though small, is frequented
in spring.

Choper has its source out of a morass in the
province of Penza^ a little beyond the northern
frontier of Saratof; has a course of 360 versts;
and watei*s a most fruitful country, abound-
ing in com, pasturage, and wood. This river,
during its course through the district of
Choperskoi/f is navigable, especially in spring,
when joined by the Vorona. Higher up,
shallows, and trunks of trees, put a stop to
the traffic.

Into the Choper yatt

The Vorona, Kolitley, Gamala, Milkaret,
Arkadak, Karay, and Serdoba ; all water-
ing a considerable extent of fruitful country,
particular the Serdohay for a space of eighty
versts.

Ilafla, mention of which was made before.

Medvitza, originating from some insignificant
springs in Saratof ^ and takes 'its course, 283
verstSt through a steppe. Its banks are
tolerably inhabited ; and in spring navigable,
particularly after being joined by the Yettary.
Some small vessels were built upon this river
for the port of Taganrog ; these were carried
thither during the prevalence of the high

4g6 AVPUV DIX, No. II.

water. Into the Medvitza fall the Yeskara^
Kolishleyj KaramisK BaUmdOj Tersa^ and
Burluckj haying a course from thirty to a
hundred versts ; and might be useful, but for
the indolence of the inhabitants.

Communication by Water between the Baltic and

the EuxiNE Seas.
At the- conquest of Poland, a plan was dis-
covered, in the Archives, by a Polish engineer,
for joining the Dnieper with the Southern JOvinOj
by means of the rivers Oulla and Beresen. On
verifying the project, it was found the most
eligible of any yet proposed, and accordingly
"^.E^^ ordered to be begun, under the name of the Bere-
CanaL senskoy Canal *, in 1799 ; and is to be finished in
1805. By this new communication, the com-
merce not only of the White and Little Mussidj
but that of some other Southern Provinces,
would be facilitated and encouraged. Sixteen
years ago, it was in agitation to join the Dniqf^er
and Bvinaj by a canal between the city of Orstra
and Babinovichy^ and this was found practicable ;
but the expense would be much too great, and
the advantages resulting therefrom not equal to
those of the foregoing plan.

O) The Polish estimate amounted to 329^7 roubles, bat wai found
deficient. 500,000 were added to the sum; whereof, in 1801,dd6;293
roubUi were expended.

APPENDIX, No. II. 487

The commerce of the fruitful provinces of Th«^^-

. • **y Canal,

Xiithtianiay Podoltaf Mvnsk^ &c. even in the time
of the republic, engaged the attention of the
Polish government. The Hetman Oginshy began
a canal, by which, and the rivers Shara and
Ghatzolda^ a communication can be opened
between the Dnieper and the river Niemen^ con-
sequently between the Baltic and the JEuxine
Seas; but the work was abandoned. Count
Sievers proposed a continuation; this was re-
sumed in 1798, and it is supposed it will be
finished in 1803\ By means of this canal the
commerce of these provinces wUl be greatly
&cilitated, as also the transporting of warlike
stores less difficult from the interior of Hussiay
for the use of Government. This communication
would produce still greater advantages, were
the Niemen and the Dvina joined : a plan and
estimate are already made by General De Witt^
and the junction is to be effected by means of Project for

^ " "^ uniting Uie

the rivers Nevesha and Lavenna. A cursory ^ufmen,

^ with the

view of the map will soon convince every one ihnna.
of the benefits that would accrue therefrom, Qot
only to the adjacent country, but to Livonia and
Lithuania ; as also Courlandf and even the country
beyond the Oginsky Canal. The products of
these rich provinces would be then naturally

(9) The estimate amounts to 250,000 rwhU$.

488 A1»P£KDIX, No. li.

carried to Rigaj Kofna, &c. instead of
whose ports of Konigsbergj Memely Pilauj &c.
are enriched hy this trade. The native merchant
would then profit hy the advantage which
naturally proceeds from a direct sale of his
goods in the ports of his own country, instead
of having recourse to the agency of the suhjects
of a foreign power,
nwts^me I^ order to improve the Southern Inland
-'^'**^P^' Navigation, the clearing of the Cataracts of
the Dnieper is sedulously continued with suc-
cess In places of insurmountable difficulty,
such as the Fall called Nenasetezy recourse will
be had to a circuitous passage, through canals
with sluices, locks, &c. ; and there are well-
founded expectations, that in the course of a
few years, navigating vessels up the river, or
against the stream, will be practicable\ The
event is the more devoutly to be wished for, as
the Russian Polish provinces sufier greatly from
the scarcity of salt, for which an exorbitant
price is exacted. When the navigation up the
river is rendered practicable, these countries
will be commodiously supplied from the salt
lakes of Kinburn and of the Crimea^. It is

(1) 200,000 roiibUs are appropriated for this work.

(2) The salt lakes of the Crimea were farmed by Paul thb Fikst,

•

to one PereiZy a Jew, for less than 300,000 roubles. The contract is
now ended, and Government hare kept the salines in their own
direction. The mode adopted will, it is firmly expected, prodace

two

APPENDIX, No. II. 489

much to be wished, that the mode of construct-
ing vessels now in use on the Dnieper were to
be changed, and a better adopted: as the
Dnieper ' haidad are as weak and incommodious
as the barks of Vyshney VolosfioL

On the Dniester^ the only difficult passage is Dmetter.
the Fall of Yampolskj which is dangerous, even
at high and middle water : proper measures
are adopted to clear away the stones, and a
track, or towing path, is making for the returning
barks. The nobility have made, this summer,
an attempt to tow up vessels, which will be
productive of vast advantages, not only bringing
down the products of Podolia to the ports of the
BlcLck Seuj but affording an easy conveyance of
Crimean salt by the returning vessels. The
inhabitants of this province suffer greatly for
want of this necessary article, which they
chiefly procure from Moldavia and Galida^y at an
extravagant price ; and, what is more grievous,
they cannot purchase it but for silver roubles^
of the old coinage^, no other being current

two millionB annually; and 17,000,000 inhabitants (besides the mili-
tary and ciril establishment, the families of the clergy and merchants)
be supplied at low price. Jews have retailed salt in Podolia^ &c. at
more than a rouble a pcmd, or 86 lbs. English.

(3) Moldavia and G€dicia have only rock-salt: when brought to
Odessa, it sells for 00 copeeks the poud,

(4) Prom the reign of Pbtek the First, to the Prussian war, under
Elioabbth.

400 APPEHDIX, Ba IL

Division the First.

Rivers flowing from^ or f ailing into the Volga,

on the track to St. Petersburg. The

Vyshney Voloshok Dwision of Water Com-
munication.

The Volga is the principal of the whole navi-
gation of this division.

Vazuza, navigated by ISO to 150 barks,

GzAT, famishes also, amiuallj, 600 barks.

Tvertza is the principal track to Vyshney
Voloshoky conveying annually about 6000
barks and vessels of different sorts.

MediKka, a small branch, on which a number
of barks are built for sale at Rihna.

Mologa, a collateral track of inland navigation,
from the Volga to St. Petersburg^ by means of
the rivers Tzagodocha^ Goruna^ and Somina^
with a land-carriage of ninety versts to Tifin :
from 200 to 260 vessels frequent it. This
year a canal will be begun, to join the wharfs
of Tifin and Somina ; in consequence of which,
trade is expected to increase.

The Sheksna affords another collateral branch
of inland navigation, from the Volga to St.
Petersburg^ by means of Belo OserOj or the
White Lake; and the river Kofgia, to the
wharf of Badoshka ; from thence, by land, to

APPENDIX, No. It 4QI

the River Vitegra^ the Lake of Onega^ the
River Svivj the Lake of Ladoga^ into the
Neva. This track will become the chief
means of supply to St. Petersburg^ on the
completion of the Mariemky Canal.

Small Streams appertaining to this part of the

Volga, are

The Sestra, Sosha, Katorosla, Kostroma,
OuNSHA, and Velluga. These are of small
importance to trade, except on account of
building vessels, of which from 2 to 3000
are constructed annually on their banks.

The following Rivers take their course into the

Lower Volga.

The Oka. It conveys to Nishney Novogorodj
or to Novogorod the Less (or Lower), 2000
loaded vessels of different kinds, from six-
teen to twenty-seven fathoms in length ;
three, four, and six fathoms in breadth ;
carrying each from 25 to 45,000 pouds of
goods ; and fit for service from four to eight
years. ' It is supposed a junction of the
superior Oka with the Desna^ falling into the
Dnieper^ is practicable. This circumstance
is the more to be wished for, ^ a great
quantity of meal, &c. could be furnished

492 APPENDIX, No. II.

thereby, from the fruitful provmoe of Littk
Russia, for Moscow and St Petersburg.

Rivers falling into the Oka.

OuPA and Shata, in the government of Tver.
In the time of Peter the First, it was
proposed to join the Shata with the Don, in
order to open a communication between the
Seas of Azof and the Euxine, and some of the
streams belonging to the division of the Volga.

Moskva, in the Moscow government.

MocsHA, in the Pezna government, through
the Tzna^y in the province of Tamhof.
From the city of Morshanskj 600,000 cools,
or ichetvertSj of grain, and many other pro-
ducts of consequence, as tallow, &c. are
annually sent. In consequence of an Im-
perial order, canals were begun, to pass
round some dangerous place in the river
last mentioned, the Tzna.

Klasma, in the Vladimir Government.

The following Rivers belong to the same Division,
but are of less importance than the foregoing.

The Nara, Protva, Osetre, Prona, Ougra,

VOSA, GiSHDRA, NUGRA, SoUSHA, RoMA-

NovKA, and Tish.

(1) The Tzna falls into the Moaha.

APPENDIX, No. n. 493

Namgahle Rivers falling into the Lower

Volga.

SouRA. A great quantity of the products of
the provinces of Penza^ Saratof and Simbirskj
is conveyed through this river to Nishney
Novogorod (or Lower Novogorod).
Kama. The products of the . governments of
Viatka and Permia are transported by this
river, and ahnost all those of Siberia by its
branches, viz. Tzusova, Otisa^ Belaia^ and
Viatha.

In the year I786, it was proposed to join

the Northern JDvina with the Volga^ by

means of the Kama^ and a Canal, which

was accordingly begun, but not continued.

Samara, is navigated by vessels, mostly with

salt, from Orenburg to Nishney Novogorod.
Kamishinka, a small stream, which became
noted only as it engaged the attention of
Peter the Great, as supposed capable of
furnishing the means to unite the Lower
Volga with the Don. A Cut was begun
between this stream and the Hafia^ which
falls into the jDon, but not finished.

The chief navigation, from the Volga to jS^^
Petersburg J as before observed, is by means
of the Tverety leading to the point of sepa-
ration at Vyshney Voloshok; through which

494 APPENDIX, Ho. n.

the vessels pass into the MstOj shoot the
Boramtzky Cataracts, and so enter the Lake
Iltnen.
MsTA. The cataracts in this riyer, known by
the name of Borovitzky^ not only impede the
regular course of this trade, but occasion
great loss of property, and wiU ever be an
insurmountable bar to the return of vessels
homeward, or to the wharfe they belong to.

Rivers falling into the Msta.

Valdaica and Cholova are only navigable
in spring, and even then very little.

OuvER. On this river are the principal reser-
voirs of water for supplying the Msta.

Beresaika andJ[KEMKA have sluices, or dams,
for the same purpose.

Velia, Soroda, Leda, Koloda. Some wood
is floated down these rivers, during the spring,
at the highest water.

The Lake Ilmen. Besides the Msta, the
folhrnng Rivers fall into it.

LovAT and Tola ; and the Yavan falling into
the latter river. Through these rivers 300
barks pass annually, which must cross the
lake to get into the Volchof River.

A project has been long in agitation, to
unite the River Pola with the lake SeligheTf

APPENDIX, No. II. 495

and thereby effect a safe passage from the
Volga to St. Petersburg^ by avoiding the Boro-
mtzky Falls. The report of Captain Peiry^
who examined the situation in I7II9 was
unfavourable with regard to the execution.
General VUlebois asserted having discovered
a proper track ; but, on an investigation, the
Senate rejected his plan, and adopted another
of General DedeneJ\ by which the track of
Vyshney Voloshok was avoided. The intended
new passage was to be through the rivers Kolpa
and Sheksnoj which are to be imited by a canal of
seventy-six verstSj provided with thirteen sluices.
. To avoid the dangers attending the passage
through the Lake Ilmen to the River Volchof^
a canal, called the Novogarodskyy was dug ;
through which vessels now pass, direct from
the Msta to the Volchof.

The River Volchof presents also some diffi-
culties, having considerable cataracts : to do
away the dangers of these, a passage was
begun to be dug in the very bed of the river,
in a direct line ; and of such a depth, that vessels
ipay pass with ease at the lowest water. The
work was entered upon in 1798.

JRiversfalling into the VolcHop.

The VoLCHovETz, Shoba, Choresta, Pisob-
SHA, and TiooDA. Some half barks come

496 APPBITDIX, No. II.

from these rivers ; and also some wood, for
fuel, is floated from the Volchof. The vessels
enter the canal of Ladoga.
The Canal of Ladoga. This well-known
canal was hegun in ]718> finished in VJS%
and is 104i versts in extent. If any thing
could be proposed for its improvement, it
were only to make its bed five or six feet
lower than the surface of the water in the
l^dSsj^oi Ladoga.

The many reservoirs now inevitably neces-
sary to supply it with water, would, in that
case, be useless ; and the great annual
expense absolutely required for the conser-
vation of the dams built across the rivulets
falling into it (which originally cost much),
for the same purpose of collecting water,
would then be saved. The canal in general,
through length of time, requires considerable
sums annually, for necessary repairs : these
sums were diverted to other purposes during
the reign of the Empress Catherine,
and the canal nearly filled up. Paul
caused it to be cleared, and it is now in
good order.

The least wind from the Lake of Ladoga
formerly hindered vessels leaving the canal
from entering the Neva. In 1800, therefore,
a new outlet was begun at Schlusselburg ; and

APPENDIX. No. If.

Tessels under the cover of the island have a
convenient egress, with every wind.

The River Neva. — Along the banks of
this river, a towing-path, up the stream, is
established. The Cataracts at Pella were
cleared in 1798'.

N^.B. The navigation of the Lake Ladoga
la e::ttremely dangerous; and impracticable for

apy vessels but what are fitted for sea.

■* . . • •

. »

. "Hie folhwmg ]^^ into the Lake of

Ladoga:

497

•. t . • V

• • • •

Tbe VoLCHOF^ as before mentioned.

Sas^is the means of communication between

/Ae Volga 9iid St. Petersburg, by the help of

. (the ri'^rs 3foZa^a, Sominoj and Tifinka.

• •/This river has some Falls, on which work

is bow carried on. From the Sdsh, vessels

are obliged to navigate the Lake of Ladoga,

to make the estuary of the Vohhof, and

sometimes the^ Neva. When the canal

between the Sdsh and the Volchof is finished

(the SAshkoy), which is a prolongation of the

great Ladoga Canal, the dangers of the lake

will be avoided; and, consequently, this

inland navigation will increase.

(1) SS,894 nmbUi expended thereon.
VOL. I. S K

^g APPENDIX, No. II.

The Pasha and Oyait. Through these rivers,
some tunber is brought down ; and on their
banks a great number of vessels are built;
particularly those for the transporting of
goods from St. Petersburg to Cronstcidt, and
even sometimes to Reval. In the course of
1802, the digging of a circuitous canal about
the Ladoga Lake was to begin between the
rivers Sash and the Svir. On the completicm
of this work, the quantity, now commonly
conveyed by the present track, of timber,
wood for fuel, charcoal, &c. will be trebled,
from the above rivers and the adjacent coun-
try in not being exposed to the dangers of
the lake.

The SviR, a navigable river, by which many
valuable goods are brought from the environs
of the Lake of Ortega^ whence it derives its
source. Also by this river merchandize is
transported from the Volga^ through the
Sheksna^ to Vitegra. It will form the chief
branch of the new projected water commu-
nication, between the rivers Kofgia and
Vitegra^ by means of the Mariensky Canal.
The cataracts in it, though not of conse-
quence, still render the return of barks
difficult ; they are now clearing with success ;
but, at all events, the making a towing-path
will be necessary. Till now, these vessels

APPENDIX, No. 11. 4,gg

were worked up, at a great expense, by human
labour. The return of a simple galliot, from
the Ladoga to the Onega Lake, costs two
hundred roubles. On this river are some
private dock-yards, for building ships, some
of which have even reached the Indies.

A considerable number of ships sail through

the Lake of Ladoga^ to St. Petersburg^ from the

towns of OlonetZy Serdopol^ and Kexholm.

Besides the above-mentioned rivers, the
following take their course to the Ladoga
Lake.

The Ianesh, a smaU stream.

RuscoLA, and Voxsa, larger than the Ianesh^
but are equally incompetent to give room
for the extension of inland navigation. The
extreme rapidity of their currents in general,
and particularly a cataract called the Imatra^
in the Voxsa, one of the most terrible known,
render navigation totally impracticable.

Inland Navigation from the Volga, by means of
the Mivers Mologa, Tighvinka, and Sash.

The Rivers forming this Division of Inland

Navigation, are.

The Mologa, which becomes navigable at the
estuary of the Tzagodotza, which falls into it.
TzAGODOTZA ; the upper part called Lida.

2k 2

500 APPENDIX, No. II.

It is navigable for vessels not drawing more
than two feet of water, when fully laden : into
it falls the Sominaj which is even shallow at
the wharf of the same name : at its upper
part 200 boats are built, called tifenkt/t
some of which serve as transports in this
navigation ; others are sent for sale to the
Volga.
The GouiN has some cataracts, but vessels go

up and down this river,
TiGHviNKA, from the town of T^hvinj to where
it joins the Sdsh : it is sufficiently deep for
the kind of vessels employed ; but from the
town, to its source out of the Lake Oserskoe^
it has either stony or gravelly bottom, and is
more like a torrent than a riven
Sash. During a whole century, a track was
sought for, to unite the wharfs of^ Tighmn
and Soininsk. Peter the First proposed
doing it, by joining the upper part of the
Tighvinka^ through some lakes, with the
Somina: no other proofe remain of any
attempt to carry this plan into execution,
but what are gathered from tradition, and
the ruin of a house built by his order on the
spot intended for the reservoir. Another
plan, proposed by General Mesanof, fixed the
point of separation at the little Lake KrupinOf
the upper part of the Tighvinka serving as- a

APPENDIX, No. II. 501

canal, by building thereon seventeen sluices.
It was proved, on examination, that the
reservoir could not furnish a suflSciency of
water for the canal intended to serve instead of
that of Vyshney Vobshok ; and, consequently,
the chief view to avoid the Borovitzky Falls
was frustrated. But on transferring the
point of separation to the little River Volt-
sharij it was found practicable to establish
there a sufficient reservoir, not for barks,
but only for such kind of vessels as are
employed on the Tighmnka and Sominc^
because the Gorum and Somina are too defi-
cient in water to admit vessels of the size
of the barks. This circumstance prompted
Greneral Dedenef to propose the junction of
the Tighmnka with the Ijidat which was to
form the point of separation by a canal of
seventy-six versts^ furnished with thirteen
sluices, with iron chains, and of four or five
gates, with a fall of water of no less than eight '

feet. From the JLida^ another canal of seven
versts was to unite the whole with the Kolpoj
which falls into the Sheksna. But, on due
investigation, it proved that the indicated
places would furnish still less water than
those pointed out by General Mesanof.
Besides, the line of direction proposed by
General Dedenef led, in some places, through

502 APPBNDIX, No. II.

eminences that required digging eight fathoms
(fifty-six feet) in depth ; in others, through
low grounds, where dykes and dams were
to be erected, and even stone aqueducts
built, to convey the water of the canal over
rivulets which crossed its course. Half a
century would hardly have sufficed for the
execution of such a stupendous enterprise.
This work, had it even been executed, would
not have answered, for want of water ; as the
Lida, the proposed point of separation, has
hardly a sufficiency to supply its eight
sluices. The difficulties attending the plans
of Generals Dedenef and ResaTiof being
evident, a new track was sought for, and
discovered in 1800—1801 ; and, in 1802,
another canal was begun.

Inland Navigation from the Volga, hy means of
the Rivers Sheksna and Vitegra.

The Rivers belonging to this Division are.

The Sheksna, the largest of those falling
into the Volga. Vessels go from Rihinska
to Belosersk; from thence, by the Beloe Lake,
or BeloozerOy to the River Kofgia, and by it
as far as the wharf of Badoshka. The trade
of Kargopole is carried to the Sheksna, through
the Lake Voge, whence the goods are trans-
ported by land, forty versts, to the River

APPENDIX, No. II. 503

Proma, which fells into the Sheksna. The

vessels from the Volga to the wharf of

Badoshka are there unloaded, and their

cargoes carried fifty-five verstSy by land, to

the city of Vttegraj then reloaded into

galliots, and by the river Svir conveyed to

St. Petersburg.

The rivers Kofgia and Vitegra are to be

joined by a canal of five versts and a hal^

having thirteen stone sluices, with a descent,

or fall, of six or seven feet. The plan requires

only to be executed, to make this navigation

completely safe, Peter the First had it

already in view, but his demise put a stop to

the work. The public-spirited representations

(or rather patronage) of the present Empress

Dowager Maria Fedorovna, to the Emperor

Paul, procured an order, in 1799> for a canal

to be dug, and thence called the Manensky^ as

a monument of her patriotism.

Thefollowmg Rivers fall into the Sheksna :

The LouDA. The lower part is pretty navigable ;
and a number of barks are constructed on it.

OuLOMA and Slavenka furnish also conveni-
ences for building of barks. The respective
heads of these rivers approximate the Lake
KoubenskoCf out of which issues one of the
principal sources of the Northern JDvina.

504 APPENDIX, Ko. II.

SoucHONA, perfectly navigable ; and a number
of vessels go from Vologda to Archangel.

It was supposed that it was possible to
effect a junction between the Oulama and the
Slavenka ; and, in consequence of a survey in
1800, some tracks were found that promised
success. The object of this plan was, first,
to open a water communication between
St. Petersburg and the city of Vologda ; and,
secondly, to establish a like communication
between Archangel and St. Petersburg. One of
these tracks led through a canal of five versts
(to be made), with a fall (or descent of water
of twenty-five in that space) through the Lake
Blagovefzenskoye (out of which^ issues the
River Parosovitza, and falls into the Lake
Koubeiiskoe)^ Kemsiy Vaserinskoe^ Oulamofskoej
and SeversAocj and thence to the River Slavenka.
The other track was nearly through the same
lakes, but turned to the River Ouloma^ which
river must be first made navigable.

The Yagretza ; not navigable, and simply a
small rivulet. Some barks are built on it.

PiOMA, This river formerly formed part of
the navigation from Novogorod to Archangel.
From the River Sheksnaj the vessels were
towed up the Pioma^ twenty versts ; thence
the goods were carried by land, forty-five
verstsy to the Lake Voge ; there re-loaded

APPSNDIX, Vo. II. 505

into other vessels, which went through the
little River Lourda^ as far as the Lake LatzS^
out of which issues the River Onega^ on which
the navigation continued to the village Mar-
camousa, where the great Cataracts begin:
the goods were then again unshipped, and
carried by land nine or ten versts^ to the little
River Yamsschaf through which, and the
Scheleksoj entered then the Zhina.
The Lake Beloozero is not deep or dan-
gerous ; the vessels employed on it (belozerky^)y
are much better constructed than those that
frequent the track or Vyshney Vohshok^ and last
from eight to ten years.

Rw€T8 falling into the Lake Beloozero or

White Lake.

The OucHTOMA, not navigable ; having its source
in the neighbourhood of the Lake Vogcj from
which it is divided by mountains.

Kema. No vessels frequent it ; but timber is
floated down.

The KoFGiA. By this river, vessels went only
as far as the wharf of Badoshka. Whi&Ti the
Mariensky Canal is finished, they will be able
to proceed to its head, that is, fifteen versts
further than Badoshk.

(1) A species of small craft thus called.

gOQ APPENDIX, No II.

When the plan of making the Mariensky
Canal was adopted, it was resolved to make the
River Vitegra more navigahle, hy digging canals
romid the dangerous place, and erecting nine-
teen sluices; which work is already in hand.
The river is navigable firom the head of the
canal to the Lake of Onega^ a space of fifty-five
verstSf and into which it empties itself. Only
about the extent of fifteen vents is necessary to
be worked on now.

The following Streams fall into the MwerYiTEQRA.

The Kall, Tautza, Yand, Bol, Tighisma.
These inconsiderable streams are of no other
use but to form an extraordinary reservoir of
water for supplying the Mariensky Canal, in
case of need.

From the River Vitegra the vessels enter
the OnegOy which they navigate sixty versts, to
the source of the Svir. Although the navigation
of the Lake of Onega is not so dangerous as that
of the Ladoga^ the passage of barks or floats of
timber is not practicable. In consequence of a
proper survey, a track was discovered, which
admitted of a canal being dug through or across
the rivulets Megra and Oshta^ from the estuary
of the Vitegra to the source of the Svir^ by
which the navigation of the Onega will be
avoided, and the return of barks facilitated to

APPENDIX, No. II. Q(yj

their respective wharfs. The canal is to be dug
seven feet lower than the level of the water in
the lake, which makes all sluices, &c. un-
necessary.

Rivers falling into the Lake Onega.

The OsHTA, Metra, inconsiderable rivulets,
and not navigated, but some galliots are built
on them.
Vitegra, described before. At present, this
river is navigated only by 130 to 160 vessels.
The Mariensky Canal, when finished, will
open a passage to many thousands.
Andoma, not navigated, but galliots built on it.
VoDLA, the most considerable of all the rivers
falling into the Lake Onega : it may be called
the source of the Svir and Neva. It had an
immense quantity of water, but its dreadful
cataracts render navigation absolutely im-
possible : unless just at its estuary, it is rather
a mighty torrent than a river*

These difficulties did not however dis-
courage Peter the First, who was sensible of
the vast advantages that would accrue to the
empire from a water communication between
St. Petersburg and Archangel The survey being
made, it appeared that the easiest track was
through the very Vodla^ supposing that, by
proper works, &c. a passage could be effected

508 APPENDIX, No. II.

over the Cataracts ; from this river the vessels
were to go up the rivulet Scheretna^ by help of
sluices, to the village Vohkoj whence a canal of
five versts was to be made to the Lake Voloshkoej
which was to form the point of separation.
From this lake issues the River Volodika^
emptying itself into the Kent Lake, which gives
birth to a considerable river of the same name,
falling into the Onega River, down which the
navigation was to proceed, to the antient wharf
of the Novogorodians^ at the village Marcamousa ;
thence by a canal of five or six versts^ to the
River Yamtsoj through which, by the help of
sluices, to pass into the Northern Dtnna. On a
new survey, in 1800, it appeared that not only
enormous sums were requisite to make the
Cataracts of the Vodla passable, but doubts
were entertained, whether the proposed point
of separation at the Lake Votoshkoe^ could
furnish the necessary water ; but the chief
obstacle was found to be from the respective si-
tuations of the rivers Yamtsa and Onega^ the latter
having an elevation above the former, of 1 17 in
the extent of 100 fathoms (700 feet Eng.), where
it is impossible to dig, or make use of a canal
by any known means. The Yamtsa could never
frimish a sufficiency of water, even were a canal
dug, of three or four versts long, and thirty
feet deep, at a great expense, through some

APPBNDIX, No. II. 509

eminenoes, which of themselves produce no

springs. The project was therefore laid by, as

impracticable.

The Talabitza, Philipi, and Sisla ; insigni-
ficant rivulets, and of no use whatever.

The PovENTZA, with an immense body of water,
is a continued cataract, from its source, at
the Lake Volgaf to its estuary, at that of
Onega.

In Peter the First's reign, a junction of
the Lake Onega with the White Sea was pro-
jected by means of the river (the Poventza\
conjointly with either the Vigh or the Saumma.
At the persuasion of some merchants, a survey
was actually made in 1800. It appeared
that there was a possibility of conducting the
water of the Lake Vodla^ whence issues the
PaventzOf to the Lake Matco^ or to the River
TeUkina^ whose source it forms, by means of
a morass, at the foot of the mountain Ma-
celga ; and from thence by a circuitous canal
of seven versts, to be dug round the Falls of
the Poventza and the Vigh^ to join the River
Onega with the above-mentioned Macelga
mountain. The Vodla Lake, being twenty-
nine feet higher than that of Matco^ forms a
most copious reservoir of water, (being the
highest receptacle of this element belonging
to the Division of the White Sea Navigation).

510 APPENDIX, No. II.

But the line cf direction of this canal heing
through a stony ground, though covered by a
morassy surface ; 15,000 cubic fathoms in
extent in all its parts, with seventy sluices;
the question is, whether the supposed advan-
tages accruing from this project would ever
repay the enormous expense attending its
execution ?
The MouMBAscuA and Koum approximate the
Lake Vigh, so near, that a junction was at-
tempted ; but high mountains made it imprac-
ticable.
The TzoBiNA and Limsha ; insignificant rivulets
of water.

Rivers falling inio^ w flowing towards j the

White Sea.
The Kema, full of cataracts and torrents, unfit
for navigation, but admitting different branches
of industry.
ViGH, issues from a small lake, situate not far
from that of Vodla : from begining to end, it
is a torrent : it takes its course through a lake
of the same .name, and empties itself into the
White Seay by a multiplicity of dreadful cata-
racts, at the wharf of Snoka. Between the
Falls, the river is very deep, and sometimes
for some versts^ it does not appear to have
any current : from these seeming pools issue
the most tremendous shoots of water. The

APPENDIX, Ifo. II. 51 1

estuary is insufficiently deep to admit ships
drawing ten feet at the lowest ebb. One
branch thereof forms a pretty safe harbour,
for at least a hundred vessels, of that de-
scription. It is to be observed that the Lake
Vigh, through which this river takes its course,
is the great receptacle of water in these parts,
from different rivers, issuing from small lakes
in its neighbourhood, and is interspersed with
a number of islands. The principal river
falling into the Vigh, is.

The SiGHisHA, issuing from the Lake Sigf»
considerable of itself, and less intersected by
cataracts than any in its vicinity.

The SouMA, very inconsiderable, full of falls,
and not navigable : at its estuary is the wharf
of Sowmsky which frequently serves as a depot
for the tools and other necessaries for the
Admiralty of Archangel, brought thither from
St. Petersburg during the summer, by the
Lake of OnegOj as far as Potentzay and thence
by the winter road to Soumsk^ to be shipped
the next summer for Archangel : so that no
less than two years are spent in this con-
veyance. This place does not deserve the
name of a port, as, at low water, vessels of
the smallest burden are obliged to lie in an
open road, four versts off, which extent is
perfectly dry at low water.

512 APPENDIX, No. II.

Twelve versts from the estuary of the Sauma
are the Salines of Yabmtzky : near these is a
small, but a safe cove. The Admiralty caused
a quay to be constructed; where vessels may
ride in thirteen feet water, at the lowest ebb.
This spot is more eligible than the Soumay for a
depot of stores for Archangel.

The tides on the coast of the White Sea are
from five to seven feet

Small Rivers falling into theWum Sea.

The Kaleshinka, Koughta, Ouneshma,
SosNOFELA, Shounka, and the Nimenka,
are not navigated ; their estuaries have con-
siderable fisheries, serving as marine stations
for the port ; the adjacent country being
impassable, in summer, for a considerable
distance from the coast, morasses and rocky
precipices intersecting it in every direction.

The River Onega forms a separate division of
inland navigation : its source is from the Lake
V6d. In the great map of Russia this lake is
called the Voly and in its course to the Lake
iMtzi it is called Sved, and on crossing this
lake receives the appellation of Onega. It is
navigable to a small place, twenty versts below
Kargopol ; when, at this spot, torrents and
cataracts, near Marcomousay can only be passed
in spring, during the high water then prevailing.

APPENDIX, Ko. II. ^]^3

During that season, some floats of timber^
and a number of vessels, called karbasy^ with
about twenty or thirty barks, pass on to the
town of Onega. This navigation is decreasing
from year to year, and is, for the greatest
part, on account of Government

In the River OsBGAfall the follomng Springs.

The VoLOKSA (the Upper), A great quantity of
timber could be floated down this rivel* ; and
even during the high water in spring, vessels
could pass, though it is full of rapids and
stones : notwithstanding, thirty or forty vessels
pass it, of SOO to 400 pouds burden, with
dried fish. These vessels come from different
lakes, and go down by the Upper Vodla to
the Rivulet Tzerevia, up which they proceed
to the landing-place, from whence the vessels
and cargoes are carried by land five versts to
the Voloshkoe Lake ; through which they pro-
ceed to the Lake JSTen, and by the river of the
same name to the Onega.

MosHA, the principal river of those falling into
the Onega: it is capable of being navigated,
did the climate permit the country to be cul-
tivated, or furnish the inhabitants with the
means of subsistence by any branch of in-
dustry. Down this river a vast quantity of
Listvenishno timber is floated, the adjacent

VOL. I. 2 L

gY4f APPENDIX, No. 11.

country abounding with this wood : it is
conveyed by water to Markamausa, and from
thence carried, by land, to the SheUskd^ by
which it goes down the Dvina to Archangel.
The iKSAy SiNTUGA, KosHA» MiTUGA, and
CoD£NA» are small rivulets, full of rapids
and stones.

Division of Inland Communication belonging to

the Northern Dvina.

The Dvina, one of the largest rivers in Europe^
with its different branches, is deserving of
particular attention. It is navigable, and a
great traffic is carried thereon, and the
streams that fall into it, to Archangel^ the
only port in possession of Russia till the
eighteenth century. It empties itself into
the White Sea^ by five different channels :
two of these only are navigable.

Rivers falling into the Dvina.

The PiNEGA : timber is floated down this river.

Vitzegda : into this river falls the Northern
Keltnuiy which it was intended to unite with
a southern river of the same name, that joins
the Kama. {Vide " The Section concerning
the Navigation of the Volga.'*) A Canal,

APPENDIX, No. II. ^25

proposed by General Souchtelen^ was begun ;
but the war put a stop to the work. At a
small expense, a new branch of navigation
would have been opened between the pro-
vinces of Permiay Viatka^ &c, and Archangel ;
not only for the purposes of trade, but the
conveyance of timber for the Admiralty.

Vaga. Its source being from a morass, is
consequently little fit for navigation, but
some timber is floated on this river.

Uga, and Lower Souchona^ two of the principal
branches of the Dvina ; the latter is deserving
of principal consideration, as great quantities
of grain and other merchandize are trans-
ported by it to Archangel, from Vologda and
its neighbourhood. Its source is from the
Lake Koubensha, by means of which it is
intended to open a communication between
the Souchona and River Seleksa.

Division the Second.

Finland Waters.

The Neva. The advantages of this river have
already been described, as it opens a commu-
nication between the Volga and the port of
St. Petersburg and Cronstadt.

2 L 2

glQ APPENDIX, Ko. II.

Between St. Petersburg and Schlusselburg,
the following Streams fall into the Neva.

The losNA, and Ishor : though iDconsiderable,
small barks frequent them ; also timber, and
wood for fuel, floated.

OcHTA, not navigable.

MoiKA, and Iontalka, are canals dug through
the city of St. Petersburg, for the reception of
some barks from Vyshney Voloshok.

»
Rivers on the Coast of Finland.

The KuMEN is the outlet of the water from
numberless lakes in Finland ; it is not navi-
gable but at its estuary, where is now the
station of the galley fleet, or port of Rotsen-
zalme.

At the building of different fortifications on
the frontier, it was thought necessary to
make a communication by water between
the respective fortresses, to avoid passing the
line of demarcation by land, which they were
formerly obliged to do : for this purpose canals
were dug ; through these, and some lakes,
a passage by water may be effected, round
the Swedish frontier, even as far as Nenschlot.

The KOUTVALENTAISKOY, KoUTVELENTRIPOL-

sKOY, Kafkinskoy, Koukotaipolskoy, and
Teletaipolskoy, flow in various directions,

APPENDIX, No. Jl.

and through different places, from Wilman'
strand to Nenschlot.

Rivers on the Coast of Ingermanland.

The LuGA ; small, but in spring, during the high
water, vessels and floats of wood pass, from
the neighbourhood of the town of Luga^ to
Narva.

Narova, is only navigable from the town of
Narva to its falling into the Gulph of Finland.
In the course of this river, from its source
at the extensive Lake of Peypus^ to the town
of Narva^ are such cataracts (one of which
is fourteen feet perpendicular) as will ever
render the navigation of this river absolutely
impracticable. From the Plusa^ barks and
timber are conveyed to the Narovch for the
port of Narva. This river is remarkable for
its great annua] inundations in spring. The
Lake Pskof which is only a continuation of
the Lake Peyptis, TzudskoS^ being one body
of water, is more remarkable for its fisheries
than the navigation carried thereon: some
barks, however, pass through it, from the
Cataracts of the Narova and the JSmbach, to
Pskof. Several rivers fall into it : the Velikaia
is the chief, as some barks pass through it
from the neighbourhood of Opotska^ during
its high water in spring. Its bottom is full

51g APP&XDIX, ffo. U.

of stones, and has many rapids and whirl-
pools.

The Vo flows from the Lake Vagaula near VerrOj
and falls into the PeypuSf or Psiof Lake. It
is projected to unite the Lake Vagoula with
the Schwartzbachj by a branch of the River
Aa (Gavia)j falling into the Baltic neu Riga^
which would be of considerable advantage to
the trade of that port.

The Embach falls also into Peypus. Many
vessels pass through it, from the vicinity of
the city of Domat to Peman : this river
joins the Lake Urief. Means are sought to
unite this river, by a canal, with Navat, a
principal branch of the Phinert, towards
Peman.

Rivers on the Coast of Estonia and Livonia.

From the mouth of the Narova^ to the port of
Pernauy only small rivulets are to be found,
full of water-falls. The Brihitma^ near ReoaU
Yasovala^ Fena^ Vighterbachj &c. are the prin-
cipal, but only serve as watering-places for
the fleet, in time of war.

It was supposed practicable, in 1793, to join
the Finnere with the Embach by means of a
canal, and thereby open a communication
between the Lakes Virtz and the River

APPENDIX, No. 11. 519

Navasi; and, consequently, with the Lake
Peypus^ and the adjacent country, to DorpaU
During the high water in spring, a considerable
number of vessels pass the Finnere^ to the last-
mentioned port.

Were the projected plan of General De Witt
put into execution, to enable vessels to pass by
the Aa (Gavia)^ which empties itself into the
Baltic^ not far from the estuary of the Southern
Dvma or Clunaj an uninterrupted communication
between Riga and the Peypus would be esta-
blished. The canal necessary to be dug, is to
be of small extent, but the river itself requires
much labour to be made perfectly navigable.
The Rivulet Schwartzbackj having a firm bottom,
may be converted into a canal, with only one
sluice to join the Lake Vagoula : the River Fb,
necessary for this communication, requires
also to be cleared, and three or four sluices
built. This plan was proposed for execution
at private expense, but has not commenced.
Nor is it of immediate consequence, as already
great traffic may be carried on from the PeypuSy
by the government of Pskof^ through the Narova*
The advantage of a passage through the Schwartz-
bach would be great indeed, were it to lead to
an inland water communication between the
ports of St. Petersburg and Riga^ to avoid going
by sea, particularly in time of war.

520 APPENDIX, No. II.

The Southern Dvinaj or Dunoj being the chief
outlet into the Baltic^ after the Neva^ from all
the interior provinces as far south as Kiof^ for
the exportation of their products, forms a sepa-
rate division of inland navigation. This river is
navigable to the town of Sourask. About one
thousand barks, with goods, frequent it annually,
besides a great number of rafts for timber and
mast wood. This traffic is likely to continue,
notwithstanding the great difficulty and ex-
penses attending the navigation of the river,
which, from the very town of Drisno^ is filled
with stones, some under water, some projecting
above it. All possible means were adopted to
deepen and widen the channel, which, at the
estuary, is also subject to be choked up, by
moving bodies of sand. It was supposed, that
by increasing the natural current or stream of
the river (or increasing the rapidity), by nar-
rowing it with dykes or dams, these bars to
navigation would have been removed ; but the
execution of this plan proved not only abortive,
but very pernicious, as it caused an inundation
which threatened with destruction the low
country about JRiga : this was only saved by
the undermining or washing away of the dykes,
and the stream making itself a new channel, or
outlet, at a hollow road called the Duna^avin.
After the stream had taken this new course, it

APPENDIX, No« II. 521

was supposed, that, as only one sand-bank,
of 150 feet in extent, with seven feet water,
remained, and obstructed the passage of ships
drawing six feet, it might be deepened, par-
ticularly during the winter, by working on the
ice, with certain machines in use at Plymouth
(drogues). This work could not, at any rate,
be executed in less than ten years ; and from
the constant accumulation of sand, must ever
be continued, as at the River Charante in France.
There is a road for ships, five versts from the
estuary of the Dvina, at JDunamund^ with four-
teen feet water, and fit for ships drawing thirteen
feet ; but its situation^ will not admit of any
amelioration, whatever safe artificial haven or
port might be constructed on the left shore,
both for men-of-war and merchant ships; but
an enterprise so stupendous has hardly ever
been attempted ; and it would require such
immense sums, that the '^ Board has resolved
not to enter upon it,^! nor attempt deepening
the passage at the Damba.

The following Rivers fall into the Southern

DviNA or DUNA.

The BuLDEUA, which joins it at the fortress
of Dunamund. Vessels navigate this river,
passing Milan as far as Bansk^ near which it
divides itself into two branches; the one

j^g APPENDIX, No. II.

called Monsha, the other Lavenna. Both
branches have falls and rapids, but are
capable of unproyement, particularly the
Lavenna^ and might be easily made navi-
gable : the last is to be joined with the River
Niemeuy by means of a canal of ten versts^
and the River Nevegia. By this new water
conveyance, articles of trade, and necessaries
of life, may be directly carried to Miga from
the fruitful provinces of Poland, instead of
being, as now is the case, transported to
Memel and K'&nigsburg, and there sold at low
prices : of which more hereafter, when the
River Niemen is treated of. The navigation
of the Bludera deserves even now some atten*
tion, in consideration of the timber floated
down to Riga for exportation.
The Yavghel, two branches of the same name,
unite with the lake so called, which empties
itself, by a large natural canal, {Stin-sea, or
lake), near the estuary of the Dvina. Another
small river joins the S tin-sea with the Verga-
setty which could be united with the River Aa
by a canal of some few versts : by this a new
water conveyance would be opened with the
Lake Peypus, and the government of Pskof.
Some articles, such as provisions, charcoal,
wood for fuel, . &c, are carried to Migay by
this river.

APPENDIX, No. II. 52S

The Oghera, full of stones, is not capable of any
improvement.

The Perza, equally stony with the foregoing, and
not to be made navigable without great expense.

Yefcet is a considerable river, and might be,
navigated during high and middle water,
were some stones removed, and cataracts
improved : this plan is now in contemplation.

Driza. During high water, in spring, some
wood, for fuel, is floated down this river.

Drizna has its source in some morasses in
Lwonioj is full of stones, and of no use
whatsoever.

Polatska is totally unnavigable; and, even if
improved at great expense, could never
.benefit trade.

Oulla has for a long time been frequented;
thirty large barks go down from the town of
Leppelaz; timber and mast-wood is floated
down, which were towed up the River
Beresen (belonging to the Dnieper Division)
as far as the Lake Peto, frt)m whence they
were transported by land to the Yessa: this
falls into the Lake Belo^ below the LeppeU
whence the Oulla has its source. Upon exa- '
mination, after taking possession of Lithuania^
near the spot where the land-carriage was
made, it appeared practicable to efiect a
communication by water between the Lake

524 APHBNDIX, No. II.

Plavioj the source of the Rivulet Cergontza
which falls into the Beresen^ and the Lake
BereshtOj the source of another rivulet of the
same name, which falls into the river YesM^
ten versts above LeppeL For this purpose it
was necessary to dig a canal of eight versts^
with four sluices, and to make circuitous
cuts in some parts of the Rivers Cerguza and
BereshUy the first of seven versts^ and three
sluices ; and on the BereshtSf two versts^ and
two sluices. On the Oulla itself it is neces-
sary to build four sluices, and clean the bed
of the river : all this is begun ; and in 1805,
it is supposed, it will be completed. By this
track, a water communication will be opened
between the Black Sea and the Baltic ; and
the conveyance of the products, not only of
. the province of Mirisky but of White and Little
Mussiay and the Polish Ukraine^ to Riga^ will
be facilitated. Another plan was proposed,
to unite the above-mentioned seas, by means
of the Upper Bvina (Duna)y in the neighbour-
hood of the town Babinovitzey^ with the Upper
Dnieper; but independent of the extraor-
dinary labour, it appeared that there was
an insufficiency of water.
The Obole. Some wood and provisions are
conveyed down this river in spring, during
high water.

APPBNDIX, Ifo. II. S95

The OusHSTKA. This stream was, hy a former
plan, intended to form the means of commu-
nication between the Dvina and the Lovata^
falling into the Lake Ilmen^ as a new track
by water from White Russia. On the execu-
tion of the plan projected to unite the Dmna
and the Southern Dnieper about Babinomtzeyj
the conveyance by water may be extended
even to St. Petersburg^ from Little Russia^ &c.;
and the same track may open a water com.
munication between the last mentioned city
and Riga : for this purpose it was intended
to dig a canal along the Oushstka (which is too
shallow), from its source at the Lake Oushstka ;
this was to serve as the principal point
of separation, or common reservoir to the
River Pola^ at the village Vlaskovaj and
thence to Veliky Lughy ; but it is not decided
whether the above lake is sufficiently stored
with water for so extensive a communication :
at all events, the advantages that are to be
expected from this project are such as deserve
the greatest attention and examination, as to
the practicability of execution, at any expense
whatsoever.

Rivers in Courland.
Most rivers in this province are insignificant ;

5^ APPENDIX, No. II.

hardly navigable ; full of Falls ; and at times

quite dry.

The Irba, quite useless, has its source from a
considerable lake, called Lestmeaha.

The ViNDAy more considerable, has its source
in Lithuania^ but is only navigable to the
town of Goldingen, where great waterfalls bar
all passage. During the reign of the native
Dukes, a junction of this river with the
Niemen was meditated, but these cataracts
were found to be insuperable obstacles.
The port of Vindaf is at its estuary ; the
trade there is considerable, and has much
increased since the entrance thereof has been
made more convenient.

LiBA, an insignificant rivulet, falls into the
Bobchoe Lake, adjoining the Baltic^ on which
is situate the port of Liban^ of considerable
trade.
Herliohen, Aa ; unnoticed, and serves only
as the boundary between Russia and Prussia.

Division of Communication hy the Niemen.

The Niemen (the Memel of the Germans)^ one
of the most interesting rivers of European
Russia. By means of this river the most
lucrative trade is carried on, in the products

APPBNDIXy No. II. ^27

of all Lithuama^ and part of Volhynia : on
finishing the Oginsky Canal, it will become
the chief track of conveyance for those of
the Ukrainey and all the qther provinces near
ths Euxiney to the Baltic. Unfortunately, the
trade thereon takes its course to foreign
ports, greatly to the disadvantage of the
native merchants. To MemeU situate at its
estuary, a quantity of timber, mostly for
ship^building, to the amount of some millions,
is annually floated down ; as well as some
hundred of barks, with grain, hemp, flax,
wax, potash, &c. A trade of equal amount
is carried on with Konigsburg, by the way of
Frederksgraben. By opening water commu-
nication, by means of a canal, between the
River Nevegia, falling into the Niemeuj and
the Lavennay which flows into the Dvina,
this lucrative commerce would revert to
JRiga, and the traders be exonerated from
the impositions they suffer from dealing with
foreign merchants, who fix the prices at their
sole will and pleasure ; and, consequently,
advantages might accrue even from dealing,
with the same foreign commissioners, in a
port belonging to their own country. Besides
the timber floated down the Niemen^ from
five to six hundred large barks frequent it
annually, most of which^ return home with

528 APPENDIX, No. II.

foreign merchandize. This river will admit
of the navigation of galliots^ and other masted
vessels, to the Falls of Kofno.

Although the Niemen has been frequented
for some centuries, it does not appear that
any effectual measures were ever taken to
improve its navigation. At the upper part it
has sandy shallows; in the middle are Falls.
In the reign of the last King of Poland^ the
cataracts were attempted to be cleared; but
the work was carried on so unscientifically, as
to produce no effect. In general the Niemen
is capable of improvement, at a small expense.
The establishing of towing-paths is now the
chief object for the return of vessels, inde-
pendent of Kofno. There are three other
great wharfs on this river, viz. Ghrodno^ Mosty^
and Stolbtzy.

Rivers belonging to the Niemen Dioision of

Inland Navigation.

The Nova. Only a little wood is floated down
this river.

DuBiTZA. Some barks frequent it, though it
is not much larger than the Nova. It was
intended to join it with FiWa/'; but cataracts
at Goldingen^ and other obstacles in digging
the canal, frustrated the project.

APPENDIX, No. IL 5^9

Nbveoia. As before mentioned, this river is
to be the new track, or the means of joining
the NieToen and the port of Riga. Its lower
part is already so navigable as to admit of
ships and galliots frequenting the sea, but
only as far as the town of Koydany: from
this place it becomes so rapid, that sluices
must be had recourse to, if the projected junc-
tion of the Dvina and Niemen is to take place.
Of this new track, mention was akeady made,
under the article of the river Buldera.

The ViLiA, another great branch of the Niemen :
about a hundred barks frequent it annually,
principally with provisions. The rivulets
Svitonsha and Simiana fall into it; through
these, in spring, some vessels and floats of
timber are conveyed*

Meretzinka, the Lebedinka, and Beresinka,
totally unfit for navigation ; and even if ren-
4ered in some degree so, would never repay
the expense.

Sharra is, of all the branches of the Niemen^
the most favourable for extending the navi-
gation. By means of the Oginsky Canal, a
communication will be opened through it, with
the rivers Yatzoldj Pripit^ and the Dnieper ;
and, consequently, a new track of water
communication established with the Baltic^
from the Ukraine^ Little Russia^ VolhytdOf and

VOL. I. 2 m

530 APPBNDIX, No. II.

Podolia. This work is of the highest import-
ance in its consequences, as it will enable the
inhabitants of these fruitful provinces to dis-
.pose of their products, which till now they
have not had the means to do; and which
circumstance has plunged them into that
inertness of character, for which they are
remarkable. The junction of these rivers
will greatly facilitate the 'supply necessary
' for the Government depo^ of warlike stores
on the frontier, from the Baltic to the very
Dniester. The Sharra is already, in some
places, tolerably navigable ; to wit, from the
town of Stonima to its estuary in the Niemen.
From Stonima upward, to the Canal of Oginsky^
improvement is necessary : above the canal,
the river is absorbed in the vast morasses of
that country.

To the Division of the Baltic Inland Navi-
gation belongs the Western Bugg^ or Bog^ as
the chief branch of the Upper Vistula. Middle-
sized barks, conducted by Podolians^ and by the
inhabitants of the Southern Galicia, go through
the Bog to the Vistula^ and thence to Bantzic,
where they sell their merchandize at a little
profit, and provide themselves with foreign
necessaries, viz. salt^ some oil, sugar, &c. for
their return home. Inconvenient and circuitous
as this track is, the amount of the trade is no

APPENDIX, No. II. 531

less than four millions annually ; this is carried
on from the wharfe situate in Russia; viz.
Ustilooky KritnitZf Kladnef, Bengugh^ Litho^Bresl^
and Opalin. The customs are collected at Brest.
Without doubt this traffic may be improved;
but the question is. Whether it is advantageous
to the Russian Crown and to its subjects ? It is
difficult to prove that it is, as all the profits
remain with the Elbing and Dantzic merchants.
The only advantage accruing to the native seller
is, that he has the opportunity of procuring
foreign returns in kind, for his own products ;
but he never goes back with money. The mer-
chandize thus procured, he cannot otherwise
dispose of at home, but by barter for domestic
products, with which he is again forced to go to
Dantzicy to be disposed of there in the same
manner as before.

Rivers falUng into the Bugg, or Bog, from the

Russian side.

The MucHAviTZA falls into the Bog at lAthan
Bresty and is the only one worth notice, inas-
much as this river serves for a part of the
canal proposed to be dug by the late King
Stanislaus Augustus^ to join the Ptna^ one of
the chief branches of the Pripit (belonging
to the Dnieper division), with the Bog;
whereby a new track of water commu-

e- J

APPENDIX, No. IL 533

other use, as it contains water only in the
spring; therefore the harks that profited hy
this season, to go up the Pripit, could never
return the same track : in July the canal is
perfectly dry. To make this canal of use.
the erection of nine or ten sluices is abso-
lutely necessary : particularly to answer certain
miUtary frontier purposes.

BND OF THE FIBST VOLUME.

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