PHILOSOPHICAL, POLITICAL, AND LITERARY TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, DURING THE YEARS 1788 & 1789= TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH CF C HANTREAU. WITH A MAP AND OTHER PLATES. VOLUME FIRST. PERTH: PRINTED T X. MOAISOA 1 ; JUNIOR, j?GS. R. MORISON AND SON, BOOKSELLERS, PERTH AND YEP.NOR AND HOOD, EIRCIJiN-LAKE, LOXDOX* 1704, ADVERTISEMENT. ( THE great number of important and intereftincr facts, the rich ilorc of anecdotes, but particularly the enlarged details, and judicious reflexions on the laws, policy, learning, commerce, cuftoms Sec. of the Kuilians, have induced the Editors to prefcnt thefe two Volumes of Travels to the public. By tl\c contemplative and philanthropic mind, the molt fo- lid and rational entertainment muft be derived from viewing the progreis of a mighty people, emerging from barbarifm, and rapidly advancing in the know- ledge of thofe arts, which are not only the genuine and inconteilible evidences or civilization, and hafty approaches towards refinement, but the foundation of all public and private comfort r.nd happinefs. To readers of this defcription, what nation on the globe can furnifh iuch variety, as the Ruffians., \vho from being little better than a collection of formidable barbarous hordes, fcattercd over the iiv.mcnl'j regions of Mufcovy and Siberia, have re- cently alFumcd the form of a people united and con- fblidated by common la\vs, enlightened by fcience, improved by the arts, and riimg f.iit to opu!cnr,\ by an extcnilve and lucrative commerce, of which tiie nature and lltuation cr io vale a teriltory gi\v. them the excluiive right. On the imprvtaucc and iniiucncc of this people in the balrace of the Euro- pean Scale no remarks are neceftiry. But o:\: iing'e ardent wifli may be cxpreilcd, th.it the mighty arm of -in empire fo po\vcr:ul, nv.iy be irr/iforKily gu'deJ bv li ADVERTISEMENT. Ly the maxims of juftice, moderation and found po- licy, and thus rendered fubfervient to the beft inte- refts of the hum in race, for whofe improvement and happinefs the over- ruling hand of Providence exalts one nation and humbles another. IN the traiiiiation, the grcateft attention has been paid to the genuine meaning of the original by a Gentleman on whom the Editors can rely with ab- folute confidence ; but in a talk fo nice and difficult as that of transfufing the icnfc and fpirit of one lan- guage into another, it will not be refufed, that the learmd and prying eye of the Critic may difcover icv :rai ovcrfight.s and ciefccb, for which the mo ft intelligent readers will be the iirft to make a fair and reasonable allowance. In the courfe of the Verfion, fevcral things peculiar to the Ruffians, as well as the Author's flyle, have required a little more than ordi- nary inveftigation. Tor the names of many of the .Ahatic Tribes iubjc^ to the Ruffian Empire, there is yet no fixed authority, and her.ce it is, that the fame people arc r.o\v and then mentioned under names \vi(:h terminations a little varied, but not fo much us to occafu-n any obiVurky or doubt. Upon the \vliosc, it i.; hoped, that the rich materials contained in thcfe Travels, and tlu: \\.-rygreat pain?, that have been bellowed on trmlhtbg, priming, and embel- liliing liicin, so a: 5 to roller then; acceptable, will ;m a favourable reception by every clais of s ; ar 1 that fliarc of Public favour and pa- r?, winch they will ever be iur r;n\;ou,; a T :J prouc! to enjoy. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. CHAP. I. P. i. F.ntry into Ruffia by Swcdifh Fredericfham. Wihurg, capital of Ruffian Finland. Re- marks on this province and the Finns. Journey from Wi- burg to St Peterfburg. Roads. Rufiian Inns. Sledges. Defcription of this vehicle. CHAP. II. P. 9. Arrival at St Feterfburg. Si- nation of this city. Motives that determined Peter I. to tranfport thither the feat of Empire. The iortrefs. The ifland of St Peteriburg, which gives its name to the city. Streets. Houfes. Palace. Superb banks of the Neva. CHAP. III. P. 20. Equeftrian ftatuo of Peter I. Tempe- rature of St Petersburg. Long and fhort davs. Evils oc- O O J cafioned by the cold. Means of guarding againft it. Siri- . gulr.r amufements on the Neva during Winter. Famous market held at Chriftmafs. Provifions brought thither. CHAP. IV. P. 30. Court of theEmprefs. Guards of thr apartment. Hall of audience. Retinue of the Etnprci'j when ihe goes to the chapel. Pier drei.s on Gala days. Remark on the Royal Family. Riches of the Pruirian Lords in their drefs. Their pafilon for diamonds. The different orders with which they are decorated. Hiftcri- cal remarks. Winter balls. Palace of the IjLrmitage.. Ceremony baniihed from it. Is that true or pcnlble i:r Ruiiia ? Collection of pictures in this pdace. Winter garden, like an enchanted fpot. Diftribution ^!:icii L>. ^ Empreis makes oi' her time. Court Play.'-;. CHAP. V. P. 43. The fortrcfs of St Peterfourg. The ca- thedral. Tomb of Peter I. rhi^/fspViieal remarks on tir; prince. His way of lite. I IK daily ernplovmcnts;, knowledge. Particulars of hi c . private lire. His a- O rr.:>i;r-;. Sad couiequenees thereof. H:s death. Acro;:r.t : ot the celebrated baron Leiort, his iniiru-:i;or and irie:;.!. AM anecdote. CHAT. VI. P. 6r. Tomb of Catharine T. of AL'x'a ler; t o Pe'cer I. an;l of h.is ihr.T Ann,- Pctrownn. D:icr;--. ti< v i'i ( r this prince's. Her character. Anecdote en this h-j-.i>.!. Particulars rcfpccling her. Tomb c: the E*.:ipve:s Anuc vi CONTENTS. Anne Iwancv.-na. Her beauty. On what terms The was called to the throne of Ruffia. How ilie fulfilled them,' when fhe was proclaimed. Interefting particulars of this princely of her weaknelTcSj and of hv,r favourite Erncft jean cle Bircn. CHAP. VII. P. ~2. Monument containing the afhes of the Ernprefs Elizabeth. Defcription of this princefs. Her linguiar takes. Her devotion ftill more iinguhr. She take,; no huiband. Opinion believed in Rnffia, refpe&ing a fee ret marriage contracted by this princeis. Particulars and anecdotes on this head. Summary of the revolution, that placed her on the throne. Eeftocq, fon to a French refugee, the foul of this revolution. Particulars refpect- ing this a d venturer. Refpecling SchuwalorF, another fa- vouri.e of i'.Ir/abeth's. Anecdotes of the hiftory of Rv.l- 11 a, publiilied by Voltaire. Reflexions on Elizabeth's go- vernment. CHAP. VIII. P. 8.5. Mint at St Peter/bur^. Money coin- ed there. The Czar Peter the Firlt's houfe an object of curioiity. Church and canonization of Alexander-Newfki. CHAP. IX. P. 01. Pop;:: -ion of St Pcterfburg-of ail RuHIr.. Tiu Pvufir-.ns divided into four conftitutional iloard what is underftood b this ti- '1'lie Clergy, the fecond cl-.iis. The Burceiies and the fourth chis. Unfortunate fituation of the la Ai'.niinijtration, civil and ^ mals. Who t vucate'-. Abullrs in judicial proceeding:;. The code ;>i :,.:';v: If. P-en^i kws. Puni(h;;u:i;t of the Knoi:'-. ] ' :.r. >;:on oi th^ infrrunicnt uied in tiiis pu:iilh:nenv. ler i^rt o Tur.riihment. Abolition of rou.'itrr. buperit!- li'ius prachcee. Bened;cion of waters. Abftinenccs and Ci-remcuic? of AihAVednefJay. Eailer. Pen- t,-..vjii. iM:u:ner of celebrating divine ferstce. Sin^inr- C',inmunion. Chur:h diicipline, Auecdots on thisiub- iect. CONTENTS. vii }ect. The Patriarch of Ruffia. Other fmgular forms of fuperftition. Veneration for the ringing of Bells for Bogs. What a Bog is. For the number forty. Ri/kil- ;.'//(;, a fort of heretics. Punifhment of one of them. Re- flexions on this fubject. CHAP. Xil. P. 149. Revenues of Ruffia. Of what they coniilt. Their amount. A\ r hat it was in the time of Pe- tt?r I. Their application. Bank of affignatiori. Difcre- dit of the bills of this bank. National debt. CHAP. XIII. P. 1^7. Particulars of the military forces of Ruffia. Hiftorical note on the Strelitz. Abolition of this militia. With what troops Peter replaced them. Actual conftitution of the Ruffian army. The Emprefs' houihold troops. Infantry of the army. Regular caval- ry. Irregular cavalry. i'he Coflacs. The Kalmucs. The National militia. Method, of recruiting the Ruffian armies. CHAP. XIV. P. i8> Ruffian Navy. Cronftadt its prin- cipal fcation. Description of this town and the ifle, on which it is fituated. Its dock-yards. Peter I. founder of the Ruffian Navy. Reftored by Catharine II. Number of the Ihips which compcie the maritime force of Ruffia. Obftacles that mar the progrefs of this force. CHAP. XV. P. 19-. Commerc:-.?, which the European na- tions carry on with Ruilia. What are the lx.it frequent- ed ports of that empire. Archangel. Riga. Allracan. Gurjef. Derbent. Baku. Enzelii. Navigation and commerce of the Black fca of the fe.i of AzoiF. Inland navigation of Rum.:. A plan of tiu Ruffians for carry- ing thr'ir comm-Tce into India. CHAP. XVI. P. 219. Mines hi Rufi'.;i. Thofe of Wo- ciik. O; "'erefefoka 01 koli.van or Nertfchinik. The 1'tk pit 1 , of iStrcg.inoK of the licck ;md Siberia. CHAP. XVII. P. ?. ;r. Of the cirili/.ation of the Rufll.uis .;;:. 1 wli.'t I'lO'ilcl IK: L'HU:^!.: or it. ' ! 'hc houies of tii^ \\ayc i." li;e. r .!'!\ .': cf th.e common ptoplj. Tlieir drink. Manner of ialute among the Their haughty lock. Nation.'": pride. Anec- : lluili.m ladL-s. T'.jeir Jrefs. Marriage. Sia- CHAT. iii CONTENTS. CHAP. XVIII. P. 249. Learning of the Ruffians. Wo- lodimer, the firft Chriftian Grand Duke. His fon Jaro- flaws. Both endeavour to enlighten their fubjecb. Ig- norance of their age. Neftor, the firft hiftorian that Ruffia has had. His chronicle. Other hiftorians. Theo- phanes. Sherebatoff. Poets. Lomonofoff. SumolokofF. Ruffian theatres. What they were formerly. What they are at this day. National theatre. Catharine II. patronizes the fcienccs. Mafters of the French language. An anecdote. Foreign Works tranflated. CHAP. XIX. P. 267. The Ruffian language. The Scla- * o o vonian. Oaths of the Pvuilians Academy of fciences at $t Peterfburg. Its inftitution. Learned gentlemen, who travel at the expence of the Emprcfs. Dr Gmelin. Pal- las. Georgi. Falk. Rytfchkoff. Lepenin. Gmelin the nephew. Guldenftaedt. Particulars refpccting Prince Heraclius Refpecting the Czar Solomon. CHAP. XX. P. 292. Library belonging to the academy of Sciences. Cabinet of Natural Hiftory. Anatomical col- lection belonging to this cabinet. Mufeum. Collection af Medals. The Gottorp-Globe. CHAP. XXI P. 312. Academy of arts. Society of agri- culture. By whom founded. How patronised by Catha- rine II. The corps of Cadets. Account of this inllitu- tion. Convent for daughters of nobles. Obiervations LJ oa this eftabliihment. PHILO. PHILOSOPHICAL, POLITICAL, AND LITER ART TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, DURING THE r&UtS 188 & 15. C 11 A P. I. E\rr into Ruff; a by S\vedifl} Finland. Tredericjhavi. [Yiburg, Capital of R.a//ian Finland. Remarks on this Province and the Finns. Journey from Wiburg io St Petcrjburg. Roads. Rx/jlan Inns. S .'edges. Defcription of ibis VcLicL'. r iniIE Commercial Motives, \vliich had led us in- to Sweden, determined us on a journey into ?.. Mr Wiedcr, a Cofmopnlitan Pliilofopher, \vho i)i our different excurlions had been our tra- velling companion, received with tranfport the pro pofal of making a tour through Mufiia. " \Ve will ice," faid he, " a new People.I am *' weary of meeting none but Blazed nations, of VOL, I. A " drawino- 2 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. " drawing none but worn out features, which bear ;; a general refemblancc ; and like thefe mutilated " antiques difcovcred in Greece, exhibit only vefti- 44 ges waded by time, hardly recalling the idea of 4(1 their primitive beauties. In Rufiia the features " will be better exprclled, o'r at leaf: ruder than in " any other country. We will not find them co- 4C vered by the mafk of artifice, and we will engrave *' them according to Nature. Beiidcs I am curious a to fee, if the modern Lcgifiator, Peter, has really " defervcd the name of Grext, a title fo eaiily pro- " ftituted ; and his nation that of Civilized) 2. ch-U " racier fo ftrr.ncrelv abufed." v-/ ^ WE very ibon let out on our journey, which held out to us plans cf eftablifhincr an advantageous A O O Commerce ; and to Mr Vviedcr the hopes of making obfeFvatrons nev/ and useful to the hiuory of T\lan- kind, for whofe improvement he was travelling. Ox leaving Finland, whicli is under the Swedifll dominion, you enter into Rutilan Finland. Frede- ricfnam is the fortrefs whicli 'jrotecls the trontiers. It was ceded to the Ruilinns by the peace of Abo. The town is imall, but regular. In the centre there is a fquare, v/hcre ail tiie icreets meet, which gives this place a fmguiar look. The houfes, one of brick exceptecl, are built of wood, but very neatly. The fortifications are relpecbabie, and in good repair. The garriibn and troops, which are quartered in the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 3 the neighbouring villages, amount to near fix thou- f'and men. The inhabitants carry -on a little trade with the F.nglHh and Dutch. They fell wood and tallow, and receive fait and tobacco in return. IT was at Fredericfham, that his Swcdifli Majefty had an interview with the Emprefs'of Rufila in the year 1783. The plans of this Princcfs, respecting the Crimea and the navigation of the Black Sea, re- quired, that on the Swcdifh fide me fhould fecure a monarch, whofe lea force had become powerful ; belides, fhe was afraid of a neighbour, who, guided by his ambition, and the influence of the Cabinet of Verfailles, might raife obftruclions againft her 9 by making inroads into a province, which he mud have been under the temptation of regaining by conqueil. The interview took place in the fine fea- fon. Their Majefties fpent three days at Frederic- fham, and thcfe three days were diitinguifhcd by continued fefiivals. The Err.prcfs had caufed a pa- lace be built of wood, which might have palled for a Fairy Cafrle, it was ornamented and furniflied with fo inucli tauc. French Piays were acted in it every night. The interview terminated with the nioft politivc affuraxcc; of the ftrictcil neutrality (;n the part of the King; whole Litter conduct has Ciown what the moft poiitive clearances of a King amount to. FROM Fredericiham you pals to AViburg, the ca- pital of Rufiian l r inland, and a place of itrength, ii- A r. tuatcd 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. tuated on a peninfula, which renders it:; poiltion ad- vantageous. The ft ate of the Rampart^ of the Caf- tle, and the Fort, fhow that all the importance of this poft is fufficiently underftood. \Yiburg contains a- bout nine thoufancl inliabit.int:^. Some brick hou- f'es defcrve attention ; the. left are of wood, but neat, and defended again ft the coM. It is r-.t Wi- burg that the principal trade of the province is car- ried on ; the Lnirliih have the nrent'/t iliare. They O * > come for cargoes of timber, tallow, Ditch, and tar, for which they bring wine:-, fpicerics, and fait. Of fifty or fixty vefiels, \vhich annually enter this port, four fifths are Britifh. Tins city Ivis preferred its courts of Juflice, both civil and criminal. Yet when it is necc.iL.ry to in- flict capital punifhment, the Judges are obliged to follow the Ruffian Cocle ; and in this are the Knout or baniiln.icnt into Siberi.i i.; liibiH'.uted for Death. THK bulineis in the tribunals .,[' this province is concluded in the Swedifh, Gcnnan, and Ruiiian Languages. But the Peai'.Mits fpe.ik only rhc ] <% in- laud, a l.ingu:i;-' p c which lias no ailijrity to cither the S \vc.diih or Ruffian, chough rii;land lies between Sweden am! Ruiiln. It is a dblcc! of that fpo- ken by th.e LapUruicrr-, but the Swedii'i or Gcr- ni.in is i[-.okcn in the towns. Mho religion of the country is Lutheran. The Ruffians found it in the country before them, and the toleration profeiled bv TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 5 by I heir Sovereigns has led them to think it politic to introduce no change ; a conduct fo much the wi- fer, as in Uriel truth, the Conqueror, whom the fword or other means have made mutter of a coun- try, has power only over pcrfons and properties, not over opinions. Neverthelefs the Ruffians have introduced their worlhip. The clergy of this coun- try are modeil, and eafy, in confequence of the mo- derate price of proviiions ; the higheft living is fix- ed at four thoufancl French livrcs, and the loweft at fifteen hundred. * WHAT is now called RuiTian Finland belonged to the Swedes till the beginning of this century. This country was ceded to Ruflla, one part by the trea- ty in 1721, fo advantageous to the Ruffians, and the other in 1743, by that of ^4bo^ which was not Icf) in their favour. The nobles of this province have preserved their privileges, and the miferable peafants their fetters. This part of Finland is not i > cxtenilve as SwcdiOi Finland. It is remarkable that in both countries the productions of nature are ft-uncr ripe in the parts covered with forefts, than. on the fja-coait and on ii'lands. There the people breathe a more falubrious air. In the towns on the ija. oi' iy one of iixty dies annually, while there is born OiU' of iorly three. No country is better a- dapted co Botany. There are enumerated near thirteen * About/; 1 66 and/; 64 Sterling. 6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. thirteen hundred different kinds of plants, befides a great number of herbs fit for divers ufes. They raife alib feveral kinds of grain, fuch as wheat, rye, oats, barley, but all of them, efpecially wheat, in quantities too fcanty for the fupply of the inhabi- tants. The interval between feed-time and harvefl is from ten to twelve weeks. The Finns apply prin- cipally to the culture of tobacco, which thrives un- commonly in their country. As to trees, thofe which bear fruit, fuch as Cherry and Plumb-trees, arc almofl always deftroyed by the rigours of win- ter ; the Mulberry is planted and thrives only en the iflancis ; the Oak does not grow beyond 61, and the Afh bevond 62 decrees. < o THE Finns and Laplanders appear to have had the fame origin, and to be a colony of Huns, who after having patted the Danube, fpread over the northern regions, and preferved, it is faid, their manners, and the fame language without mixture, for near two thoufand years. This emigration ac- cording to the Ruffian annals was prior to the Chri- flian ara. THE pcafants of Finland differ almoft entirely from the Ruffians in their nature and drefs. Their hair is cither white or red, which they wear fhed on the crown and waving round the moulders j and they fliave their beards ; whereas the Ruffians gene- rally have black hair, which they cut very fliort, and TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. y and wear their beards, which among them is a badge of religion, of which we mall have occafion to fpeak afterwards. The Finns, by the commerce which they have with foreigners, are alfo more civilized than thofe Ruffians, who do not refide in the capi- tal or are not their neighbours. In the fmalleft vil- O lages in Finland, articles can be eafily procured, which it is difficult to find in the larffeil cities in Ruffia. o FROM Wiburg to St Peterfburg it is a day and a half's journey, which in Ruffia is performed gene- rally in a fledge, a commodious and pleafant vehicle, partly open and partly clofe. It is of the form of a cradle. The fluff, which covers it, carried forward two feet in front, is open at the end, and furniflied with curtains, that can be drawn in bad weather. Thefe vehicles are defended on the outfide, by mats and oil-lkins. The iniides of hackney fledges arc lined with cloth ; but velvet or fbnie fluff full more coiily, even furs, are the ufual lining of private fledges, which generally fhut clofer than our carriages. They contain only one perfon, who may fit or ly in them. Every fledge is drawn by two hortes, which the narrowncfs of the roads often, oblige to voke the one before the oilier. In thefe O * carriages, you ufually go at the rate of t'cvcn or eight miles an hour ; and wir.tt is invaluable, you not only feel no jolt, but fcurcely perceive the mo- tion of the iltJ-je, becauie you almoft always trave4 on 8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, on beaten fno\v j and befides in Ruffia, efpecially on the frontier.-, and the places near the capital, the roads arc generally iaiuly and excellent during the winter, which reigns there for two thirds of the year. This is the on]}" leafon when you can travel in this country, and \vhen tlie internal trade of the errnire is in full activity. A TRAViiLLJ.K. would find himfelf very cornior!:- able in thefe fledges, which are real ambulatory chambers, if lie were not obliged to fill them with whatever lie may need on the road ; for he would in vain feck to be fupplied in the inns, which are miferabie coLtagcs, juft like what is called in Sp.nn and Portugal una i-c^ta. The Ruffian inns differ from the latter only by their Warm-Rooms or Stove;, where you pais from extreme cold to heat frill more extreme: a transition dangerous to foreisrn- , crs, but it lias, or fecms to have no effect upon the Iirr-fTiblc RuiTian. In tliefe country-inns, eggs and miik may be got, with which the fobriety of the people of the country is contented, and even enter- tained, by J'iinie method of drefnng ilicm, which the good KuHhns think excellent, but we thought det?fi::Ll-j'.'. " In coi^kery as in morality," fold Mr AVicdcr, v. -ho put up with every thing, " cuftom < rules iir,pcriufly, and works wonders." So as eafy travellers we icncwed our ftock of provifions in the principal towns we met on our road, where the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. y the inns arc very often excellent, by the care taken by the Governor to keep, or cauie them to be kept well provided. WE had been fo much intimidated by the reports of the cold, which we mull experience, that during this fir ft cxcun'ion in Rufib., which Lifted a few days, and was a kind of apprenticcfliip to us, we put * pe'.'nTe above pc!;!}':, and after the fccond jour- ney, we accoutred ourfelves like the people of the country, who know better than almoft any other neonle to fecure themfelves aerainil the moil intcnfe Ii O cold, C II A P. II. 7//'V//, at St Peterflwrg. Siliidlicn r,f f/ji s n'ry. Motives that determined Peter the 1'irjt to trar.fart thither the feat of Empire. Tbcfsrircfs. The ijhnid of St Peterjburg, e ^!jieb gi-rcs its nam-j to the city. -S/fCCfs. Ilovft's. Pdiaee. Si:p.rb ujaks ^f i/.c OT Petcrfburg, wh fonn as Peter the Great iiad conc^ierccl In- gria againfl the Swedes, a ' Lended the bounda- ries oi Ins empire as far as the coaic (T the Baltic fea, he formed the refolution of railing a fortrefs on a final! iil'.ind at the mouth of the Neva, in order to fecure his conqueils, anh open a ne\v road to cf>m- mercc. The fir it beginning \vas the efrablifhmcnt of a trilling battery ^n another id and of the Neva, \\ " ( " 12 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. now occupied by the academy of fcicnces. The officer \vho commanded there, was named Vajfili ; and as the orders he received from Peter came to him under the addrefs of V^'/Ul-na-oftrof. that is, , U -J J * Vt'jTill on the if. and ; this part of the city retained the r.arne of Vajjili-ojlrof. Ox the 1 6th of May 1705, this for trek was be- gun, and, in fpite of the obfcacks occafioned by a fwampy ground, the inexperience of the workmen, joined to the rigour of the feaion, and iiiii more to tlie wicked deiigns of fome malcontents, who fecret- ly wiflied to diicourage them, there was fccn rife, as by a kind of enchantment, a citadel fun-bunded by a very folid earthen rampart and fix billions., which were repaired fome time iv^cr. PERRY^ who has written or. Rnffiii, and was then in the country, tells us, that the workmen who built this fort, were even in want of the moil ne- cefTary tools, as mattocks, (hovels, and whc; . 1-bar- rows, and, to the aftonrfhiner.t (-\ bciu.klcrs, in the fpace of five months, a forrrcfs v/as ibtn riie from belo\v the ground, although the foil, adds he, was fo thin in this place, that the rcv/plo c;rpiv>ycd \\crc under the necefiity of carry ing it in the fkirts of their coats, or in bags m.u-e c;r n..its, the ufe of wheel- barrows being then unknown to them. SCARCI I.Y was this fortrcfs built, when Peter \viihed to hiive a fmall houfe for himfelf on the neighbouring TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 13 neighbouring ifland. From tliis houfe, and from his reading there, the ifland took the name of St Pctcrjlur^., which it afterwards gave to the capital. This houic, low and narrow, is full preferved in memory of a ioYereign, who was pleated to lodge in it. There is no doubt but this ought to be the moil auguil monument in St Peterfburg. Soon af- ter he caufed another wooden houic be built in the neighbourhood, larger and more convenient, in which Prince Mcnzikof lodged, and where he gave audience to foreign mimiicrs. At a moderate dif- tance from this, was a tavern very much frequent- ed by the couriers ; jvr Peter himJllf often went to it on Sunday after divine fervice, and it is a general rule, that courtiers follow their matters. There they not only drank at the fide of their monarch, who was very fond of parties of this kind, but they were bciides attracted thither by the exhibition of fire- works and other entertainments. ON the 3oth cf May 1706, Peter made the earth- en ramparts of the fV.-rtrd's be lifted, and founded a new one on the fame ground. In 1710, Count Gal- Ilizin built the firft brick houfc*. '1 'he year follow- ing, the Kmpcror railed a fecond on the fame plan ; and hard by it, another. His example was an or- der ror the Riu'lian lords ; Ib that thcfe buildings iucceedcd with afloniming rapidity ; and this fettlc- ir.ent, lliit announced not v. hat it v/as to be, in a few 14 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. few years became a flourifhing capital. After that can it be (aid, that kings are not magicians? But from the accounts we are going to give, fomc judgment may be formed of Peter's defpotic authority, and of his zeal to enlarge and embelliih this Capital, and make it equal to the other cities of the Courts of Europe. IN the year 1714, he ordered all the houfes on the iiland of St Pctcrfburg, and in the Admiralty- quartcr , particularly thofe on the banks of the Neva, to be built of bricks and wood, after the German falhion. Ke publifhed an order, enjoining every noble proprietor of five hundred peafants to build a certain extent of ground, and a proprietor of a thouiand peafants a double extent ; the former were obliged to build at leaft three houfcs, and the latter fix. The principal merchants were bound to have a houfe at St Feterfburg. Beficles, he ordered that every large fiiip, which entered the port, mould bring thirty {tones, every fmall one ten, and every peauint's waga-ri three ftone?, to be ufbd in the e- rcction of bridges and other public edifices; tliat the roofs of the houfes till that time covered with boards and bark, and consequently too much expo- fed to lire, mould be dene with tiles and turf. In 1716, the Lrnpcror gave his approbation to a regu- lar plan for the new city, and made it be publifhed. The principal part was to be on the iiland of Vafliii 'VaiTiii-oftrof) r.nJ it was to be intcrfecled, like the cities TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 15 tities of Holland, by canals dug in the principal ftreets, and fkirted with trees, but this plan was not executed. The engineer entrusted with the direc- tion of thcfe canals, confined them fo, that it wa> impoflible to draw any advantage from them. Thofe which are yet remaining, do not anfwer the purpofe Peter had in view, viz. the clcanncis of the ftreets : befides, in the conftruction of the houfes, the gutters are fo clumlily executed, as to pour all the rain water upon them. There was alfo another nconvenience. The Emprcfs, Ann, wiihecl to reside in the Admiralty-quarter. The nobility, who fol- low and ape their maftcrs, imitated the example of the fovereign, fo that at this day, if you except fome public ediiices, and a row of houfes on the banks of the Neva, VafTiii-oftrof is the worft quarter of the town, and alone contains more wooden houfes than all the reft together. PLTER'S fucceflbrs h.ive continued to embellifli St Peterfburo;. but none has contributed more to O J this, th'.m the Fmprcfs Catharine II. who, without: any exaggeration may be called its fccond founder, for from the year 1762, : -. have ' iuundatlon tr> that period. Yet in ipit-j oi -- p-enib works and crnbcilifhinents Diade !^y h^r, i: is cifily percei- ved tliat Di; Pctcriburg i-^ r i city yet in it,, cnJJle,, Its aipecl ho\vcvcr i-.i co'innanJino; -tnd very pic! eique 16 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. cfque, High and ipacious edifices, the majefty of the Neva, its different arms, two fuperb quays, a multitude of fteeples, ibme guilt, others filvered, form the molt varied as well as the moil agreeable perfpeclive. The ftreets are generally broad, parti- cularly thofe with canals. Among others there are three, which fet off from the admiralty and extend to the extremity of the fuburbs, and are at leaft half a league in length. The moft part are paved and the reft are covered with planks after the old Ruffian cuftom. In thefe ftreets, which are never- thelefs dirty in winter and full of duft in fummer, there are foot-ways very convenient for perfons walking. At the corner of every ftreet there is a poft painted green, on which is written the nr.me of the ftreet in German and Ruffe. IN fome quarter?, but efpecially in Vailili-oftrof, there are wooden houfes, which arc hardly any thing but cottages, at the fide of magnificent pub- lic buildings, but this odd appearance is lei's com- mon there than in Mofcow, the only city, from which one can form an idea of what a Ruffian city formerly was. THL brick houfcs are overlaid wkh a kind of ituc- co oi" a whitiili colour, \vhich has made fevcral fo- rci;:;ncrs f.iy, they were built o[ ilone. There are only two hr,uics i:i St i'ctcriburcr, built of itone. One 1-5 the Mn^nreis' palace, on the banks of t]:-j. Neva, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 17 Neva, which is culled the marble-palace from a mag- nificent colonnade of Granate ; the other is the church of St Ifaac, which merits the attention of travellers, THE hotels of the nobles arc in g-encral vaft piles O A of building, although not fo great nor magnificent as mauy of thofe to be feen at Mofcow. They are richly furnifhed and \vith as much elegance as at Pans or London, They ftand chielly on the fouth bank of the Neva, in the Admiralty- quarter, or in the fuburbs of Livonia and Mofcow, which arc the mod bcavtiful oiv.irtei>: of the city. T;LJ: b;:;il:.] of the Neva furniih a finguhr pro- fpecb. Ihe water of tliLi deep rapid and broad ri- ver is as clear r.s cryfhi;. They bonfr. of it as th^ bell in Kuropc. Yet M.dd.:^ ?. celebrated .cliymift, who liril air.uyfed it, found it contained mineral particles, which may prove hurtful to a conftitutioa not acciTiiomcci to it. It is 3.110 at nri.t very un- wholeiome to foreigners, to wliom it gives diarr- heas and hemorrhoids. To avoid thcfe ?j,( idents, it muil at firft be boiled r.nd fofecned v.ith win;; :ind m-ad. I'his is the inctlrr ; sok, :incl wo found our!clvi.s much the better for it. 'j\hc t\vj banks of this river are ornarucr^jil \virh houfcs. On the north fide arc the citadel, buildings for the accomm< in t ion cf he a of kiences and arts, T.i'.cfc: ere :.:: ir.oft VOL. I. C 1 3 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. objects. On the other bank (land the Imperial Pa- lace, the Admiralty, icveral hotels belonging to Nobles, and the houfed of the Britiih in one row, al- nioll all poileiied by mercliimts of this nation. Fa- cing tlicfc buildings and on the fouth fide, extend:; a quay, that is a league in length, and fullers no in- terruption but by the buildings uf the admiralty. Another quay as exteniive arid on the facie plan has been built at the expencc of the Eniprefr. The pa- iMpct, which is brcaft-high, is covered vith larg^ pieces of Granule, which produce the finei'l efiecl", and form a monument of the munificence of this Princcij, as beautiful as durable. ALTHOUGH the houfea in St Peterfburg are clofer to one another, th:m in other Ruilian cities, and though they are even contiguous in fever a! quar- ters, ye: this capital refembks them more in the ir- rcc.bl.;r K;.irner, in which thefe houfes are fcattered. As tlu- RvtiTiitiis \vifli to be lodged in the Englifh flile, tha- is, octToy a whole hovvfe, although the in- ilivi iu.ii fovtiire of moil: of them c:i?rr.(^t bear fo h(.;.vv a rent, the confequence is, that the rents, l';:V.;d of tiisuinifhing in pr.-porlion to the number ( i ];;/;:' . ing ever) day. on the C'.'-r.trary are uur'menicd cvu} } car, ..:ul .,: prclent a (imple in- til*. '. Juai car. . irdly i;c i;;d,..'.d ior a liundred roubles*. SOME TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. i-j SOME years ago the Government furroundeJ the city with a rampart twenty one wrefts, or about five leagues in circumference, but this inclofure was executed with fo little attention and with material fo infufiicient, that it has need of ftrorig reparation in many plates. Built on a low marihy fituation, St Peterfburg is fubjcd to innundations, which have often caufed the greatcil ravages. Thefe accidents are occahoned bv the weft winds forcincr back the * O ftreams of the Neva. THE inhabitants of this city remember with ter- ror the inundation of 1777, when in the ifles oi Vafiili-oftrof and St Peterfburg, the waters rofe ten feet and a half above their level, overfet fever al hou- fes, and threw down the greateft number of the bridges. We fhall obferve in our way that the one part of St Pcterfburg is connected with the o- ther, only by a bridge of boats, that is drawn eve- ry time that the Neva begins to bring down fho:h of ice. Thefe dragged from the lake Ladoga by a rapid current, rufh with precipitation into the :i* ver, where by their enormous f;/c they woi:\! caufe the greateft dcftruclion, and overturn every lhi:,g thev mi-, ht meet in their couric duiiriT the innun- 4 O O dation. Till the river be entirely frozen and aiibrd a fafe paflagc to even the licavieft carriages, the two parts of the city feparatcd by the river remain with- out any regular means of communication. To ob- C 2 viate 20 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, viate this inconvenience, bccaufc it is itnpoffible to build a bridge on account of the depth of the river, the Government and the Colleges, which were for- merly at Vaffili-oftrof ne;tr the Exchange, have been removed into the difiricc, where the Imperial Pa- iace funds. C II A P. III. EQUESTRIAN Jiaiv.e cf Piier 1. Temperature of &t Peierfburg. ~i-) eng.ige in battle. It lath.irine t'ao iccoiul, v.iu> ihought on remo- ih:s heavy mais irt'iii its natural iituation to rlburg ; an undertaking which coft a hundred as TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and eighty thoufand roubles, and immenfe labour- to the peafants employed in it. AN anecdote is told, highly defcriptive of Cour- tiers, but efpecially of favourites. When an attempt was made to dig up the rock entire, and put it in motion, the workmen employed for this purpofe, being either awkward or incapable, tried every me- thod, without fuccefs. Others were fent but they fucceeded no better. Then Mr Betzkoi, who was and ftill is fuperintendant of the buildings belong- ing to the Emprefs, publiflied a premium of feven hundred roubles to whoever would devife a method of tranfporting the rock to St Peterfburg. A poor Farrier, repairs to the houfe of Lafcaris, an adven- turer patronifed by Betzkoi and entrufted with this undertaking. He mentions a fimple way of lifting the rock. Lafcaris grafps at it, as well as the rou- bles it enfured A fcore was given to the Poor De- vil, the inventor, to keep him filent He was in mi- fery, he took the twenty roubles, kept filent, and at court nothing was talked for feveral days, and till the arrival of the rock, but the plan of the Engineer Laf- caris How many Lafcaris' have we fecn in other places and in all periods ! THE rock is of the mod beautiful crranate, and O 3 every day is acquiring a better polifh. Many ladies get fragments of it for ear-ring?, neck-laces and other TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 23 other ornaments, with which they choofc to deck themfelves. ON this fingular pedeftal is the following inicrip- tion, which, for its fimplicity, is worthy of Peter and of Catharine. PETRO I. CATHARINA II. POSUIT An. 1782. IT was on the lyth Auguft 1782 that the inaugu- ration of this ftatue took place, to the folemnity of which Catharine efteemed it incumbent on her to add by diftinguifhing herfelf by feveral acts of beneficence. She pardoned all the criminals, who had incurred capital punifliment, the dcfertcrs that ihould join their regiments within a limited time, and all thofe who had been condemned to public works, provided they were not guilty of murder. PEOPLE, who have {laid long in RufTia, and have obferved the temperature of the air in that country, as well as the effects of the cold felt there, obfervc, that tov/ards the month of September the weather is very variable, that the rains of Autumn are very frequent and very heavy, that of thirty days at this feafon, there are twenty four rainy. It is very cold in the evenings and mornings, and even when it has not rained, the grafs and trees are covered with hoar 24 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. hoar froft. Winter and funmicr arc not, as they arc in our climates, ieparatcd by a Spring and an au- tumn of fome length. There they Iceni to fuccccd one another alniolt immediately. Fires arc ufed till the icth or 151]! of June; at this time, which is fummcr ibiflice, the fun riics at half an hour af- ter two in the morning, and docs not fct till half af- ter nine at niiyht ; a fpace, which with the morn- cj ' -I ? ing and evening twilight gives a day of 2 1 hours, but they pay dearly for it in winter, fmcc from the loth or 1 5th December, the fun riles at half paft nine o'clock in the morning, and fets half an hour after two afternoon, fo that their day is only live hours long, and the fog fometimes intercepts the grcatcft part of ir. FROM the month of November the Neva is com- monly entirely froxen, and a ihort time alter the Gulf of Finland is covered with ice, fo that fledges go with cafe from St PC ten burg to Cronitacit. The road is marked on the furhice by poles. In the months of December and January the weather is very variable. It p. rifles often from cold the mo ft piercing to th?.\v ;he mol: unexpected., and again becomes very cold. W:; 1 ^: the col:! ;s not in all its rigour, and Fa- rcr.hcit's thermometer is not below ten decrees, one may walk about in a iinglc cloak. But when the cold is more intcnfc, hatlc mull be made to put TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 25 put on the RinTun accoutrements, the fur-cap to five the curs, the politic or fur-cloak, the fur-boots and fhcK-s for the defence of the reit of the body. One is induced to adopt this cullom with the more reaf m, th.it he has continually bjfore his eyes fright- ful dilaiiers and misfortunes without number, which the iiitcnienclj of: the cold produces in that coun- try. Nothing is more common than to meet every ftep, efpecially at the return of fpring, unfortunate people, one with a hole in his cheek, another a tat- ter of an car, &c. But it mult alfo be acknowledged, that the greatcft number of thefe accidents origin at?: HI the imprudence of thofe, who take the air after a debauch, and who in that iituation neglect the precautions they would take if they were in cool blood. To cure thefe evils the Ruflians rub the troll-bitten part wii.li ihow. This friclion perform- ed in thi-, way, or with flannel, is the ordinary re- medy, but ii they be imprudent enough to go near the lire, or !)lrnge the part sheeted, into hot \vat.er_, it immediately mortifies and decays. THE COLD mon people however, in foite of thf: il- ^our of the icaion, \vork as 11(11,1! } i;ixi dri'/ers apj>rj:ir on their {k\i;-;c.-;, \\irhout being ailecied by the Lu'J, though both their beard;: and hair be covered whh icicles, 1 hefe people, it i:-> true, ai .:. clothed in a. \vuy to defy the rigour of the cold. Their .Vu.cip.ii at- tention is paid to the der-.-r^ce ci Lh" VOL. I. D 26' TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. their bodies. legs, hand and heads. All are under fur, and this Air is a iheep-lkin, whofe wool is turned inward. This coarfe pe'ilTe is fixed round their bodies, by a large leathern girdle; but yet thefe good people have their necks bare, and their breafts co- vered only with a fir.gle fhirt. Indeed their drefs and lung beards defend th:fe parts fo, that they are never fo liable to be froit-bitten, as the extremities of iheir bodies. We obfcrved alfo, that notwith- ilanding the extreme cold, the women were warning their linen in the Neva, or in the canals. They open the ice with a hatchet, dip the linen in thefe holes with their hands bare, and while they rub it, the ice forms anew, fo that they are obliged to break it continually. There are ibmc who v/afli two hours together, when the thermometer is 60 degrees be- low the freezing point, which is a ftrong proof that our bodies may be accuilomcd to alinoft any thing, IT often happens, that drivers and fcrvants, wait- Ing on their mailers, die froft-bitten. To prevent thefe melancholy accidents as much as poflible, lar^c* fires of whole trees arc kindled in the area of the place, a:id "lie principal iquarcs. The foldiers, who c.iriTiOt. wear their beards, i ; > uieful for the defence of the t : ;!v it, commonly furround their necks with a handkerJil.-- ;.:id cover their cars wilh a larLre 1 O bit of ihhiici, THERE TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 27 THERE is not a fpeclaclc in the world like that, which the Neva exhibits in winter. Carriages, fledges, an infinite number of people on foot, are continually eroding it, and thus form a fucceflion of objects always in action. Different parties of common people, difperfed or together, bufy or amu- iing themfelvcs, every one in his own way. Here are long fpaces furrounded with barriers, in favour of thofe who go a fcating. There is an inclofure in which horfes are exercifed, as in a riding fchool, and farther off the croud is attracted by a fledge race The fpace, in which they run, is circular and about a mile in length. THE artificial mountains made of ice are alfo ano- ther amufement, for the common people. They raife on the river a kind of mount, about thirty feet high, with a platform at the top, to which they go up by a ladder. From the top of this to the bottom, ex- tends an inclined plane, all the way covered with ice, which they contrive to make by planks, on which pieces of ice are laid, and fixed by throwing beneath them water, which inftantly freezes. From the place where this phne touches the ground, they draw a road, two hundred toifes in length and four in breadth ; they take off the mow, Ikirt it, as veil as the mount, with iir boards; Then fledges, which are placed at the top of the mount, let oil" like light- ning, and are let go on the inclined plane, with D 2 fuch 28 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fuch rapidity, that t.hefe Hedges advance dill more than an hundred toifes, on the ilat road drawn on the ice. Where this road ends there is commonly another mount of ice, in every refpect like that, which they had juft run over ; come down from one, they immediately get upon another, by the fame fpring. The greateft experience is ncccfi.vry for this exercife, and fkill too to prefervc the ba- lance, particular}' when they are hurling down the inclined plane, for the (mailed folle ft':p, would oc- cafion a dangerous fall. In thcfe kinds of (ports, it is more prudent to be a fpecb.tor, than an actor. Hie young people alfo amufe themfelves, with Hid- ing from the top to the foot of the mount, com- monly on one fcate, becaufc they find it eader to preferve their balance on one leg, than on both. Thefe fmall mounts when they arc multiplied, form a profpect very agreeable, by the verdure, with which they are ornamented, and which bears a lin- gubr con t raft to the fnow, THE market which is held on the Neva, merits alfo the attention of a traveller. Ihc Ruflians bcinci; ac- cuftomed to lay in their provifions for winter, at the end of Chridmafs-Lent, (we fhall (peak afterwards of the four louts of the Ruflians) tiirrc is held >n the river rnvi hard by the iortrris, a market for this purpofe, \vhich lads three days, and is /ingular iii :its kind. On the two lic'cs of a fircct a miic in TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 29 length, there is cxpofccl to fale an immcnfe quantity of proviiions, fuilicient io iiipport all the inhabi- tants of the capital for three months. Thither are jurought many thouvhnd bullocks, iheep, hogs, pigs, gceie, fowls, ail fo full and frozen, that you would imagine the animals petrified. The Urgeft are ran- ged in circles, with the hind ICG;S fixed in the {"now, O O ' and the fore legs and the head turned towards one another : then follow feveral rows of f mailer ani- mals formed proportionally. The intervals a^c fill- ed up with fowls and game, arranged in form of jeicoons. The iiih and ecr^s, are alio in heaps. OO 7 A Game, whoie flue is free in Kufiia, is there in pro- iufion, cipecially partridges, pheaiants and the dif- ferent aquatic Lirds. While contemplating this icene r.e\v to us, we veritied this natural phenome- non, of which many people feem to doubt, namely, that the animals which live in the nor;h rrow white O in winter. AVe la\v a number of them whofe moil common colour is bl.ick, that had become white; iome of tlie iovvjs catched before their change was completely ckc^Yci, were variogued \vith white aiid black feather:?. THS proviiions cxpofLti in lliis kind of fair, of which we have juft fpokcn, conic partly from pro- vince-; very diilant. T!K: belt veal is brought from Arcliangcl, which is more than t\vo hundred and iirty k\igucs from 8t Pgtcrfburg, yet jto price is ex- trcmely 3 o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. tremely moderate. Beef is fold at about two French fous a pound, of fourteen ounces and a half; Pork at * ten dcniers ; mutton at fomething below a fol j a gooie at twelve fous ; a pig at fifteen fous ; the reft in proportion. Before tiling thefe meats, they muft be thawed in cold water. CHAP. IV. COURT cf the Emprefs. Guards of the apartment. Hall of audience. Retinue of the Emprefs whenjhe goes to the chapel. Her drefs on Gala days. Re- mark on the Royal Family. Riches of the P ruffian Lords in their drefs. "Their pajjion for diamonds. The different orders with ^hich they are decora- ted. Hijiorical remarks. Whiter balls. Palace of the Hermitage. Ceremony banifhed from it. Is that true or pojjible in RuJJla? Collection of pictures in this palace. Winter garden, like an enchanted fpot. Dijiribution^ which the Emprefs makes of her time. Court Plays. AFTER having recovered from our fatigues, and gone the rounds our bufinefs required, we fhowed ourfclvcs at court. It is more brilliant than any in the * TZ dealers in.ikc a fo!, \vhich is nearly equal to a haif-pw.iy Steiling. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 31 the north, but to fee it in all its fplendour, a Gala- day muft be chofcn, fuch as the anniverfary of the F.mprcfs or the Grand Duke. What flruck us at firfl was the two centinels, that we found at the entry of the hall of audience. We were told they were two guards of the company, called Chevalier-Guards. - Their uniform was fuperb. We fhall mention it, when we fpcak of the Emprefs' houfhold troops, as we have feen nothing, any where, fo magnificent. In the infide of the hall, and at the door of that wherein the throne is, we faw other two. They are armed with carabines, and, when on duty, arc allowed to fit down. For feeing the Emprefs, the time when me goes to, or returns from the chapel, is commonly cho- fen, which is always a little before noon. She is preceded by the Great Oincers of her houfliold, twelve Chamberlains, twelve Gentlemen of the Chamber, four Aides-de-camp-Generals, the Offi- cers of her Guards, at the head of whom, is always he, that commands the Chevalier-Guards ; it was then Piincc Potemkin. Then come the Ladies. iirii: the Young Ladies of the Court, the Ladies or Maids of Honour, the Grand Govcrncfs, and then the Grand Duke and Duchefs The Ladies walk two by two, and form a long file, pleafant to be- hold. Her Majcfty, as flic pailcs, falutes every per- Ion on her way, both on the right and left hand. S!/- $i TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, She commonly Hops a moment at the entry to the. hall of audience, and fpeaks with very great affabi- lity to the different members of the diplomatic body, who have then the honour of killing her hand. On days of ceremony, Ihe appears in the Ruffian drefs, and wears a go\vn with a very ihort train, and A kind of veil, with fleeves dole about the wrift, like a Polonefe. This veil is embroidered with gold. She wears a cap covered with diamonds, and ibme years ago applied no little rouge. -Her air is majef- tic, although {he is rather below than above middle fize ; and me has in the features of her countenance, efpccially when me fpeaks, much dignity and fvveet- nefs. WE fhall fay nothing of the external appearance of the Grand Duke and Duchcfs. They have been feen in Paris, and it is remembered, that the Grand Duchefs is one of the moft beautiful women in Eu- rope. THE Court is compofed of the Emprcfs, who is fixty tliree years of age, but appears older ; of the Grand Duke, her fern, who is near forty, and of the Duchcfs, who looks younger; of tv/o young princes, of whom the oideft is iixtecn years of age, and exceedingly promiiinGC ; and or two vounr> - t j ' i O J O pnnccffc.s, of whom Alexandra, the oldcft, is ten, and Cathuv'ma is five years of age. EVERY TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 53 EVERY funday, at noon, there is a drawing room at Court, for the ambaffadors and foreigners, who have been prefented ; and to be fo, no more is re- quillte than a decent appearance, and to be intro- duced by the ambafiador of your own nation. Such as have been introduced, are allowed to kifs the Emprcfs' hand in the audience-hall, while the Ruffian Lords kifs it witli one knee on the ground; a piece of humiliating homage, which they have not dared to demand of foreigners. No Ladies appear on thefe occalions, except thofe of her Majefty's houfhold, which makes the Court a little dull. It is alib cuftomary to go and pay compliments to the Grand Duke and Duchefsj in their lodgings, on cer- lain occafions, fuch as the birth-days of the Princefs, or of the Emprefs. ON the evening of the Court-days, there is a ball in the palace, which begins between five and fix o'clock. Then the foreign Ladies kifs the Emprefs' hand, who, on her turn, killes their forehead. Her Majefty, if not indifpofed, makes her appearance to- wards feven o'clock, and if the company is not very numerous, me makes her party at Macao, in the ball-room. The Grand Duke and Duchefs, after dancing, play a little at whilt, then they rife, ad- vance to the Emprefs, pay their compliments, and return to their game. If there be a 'croud in the VOL. I. E ball-room 34 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ball-room,, the Emprefs plays in a neighbouring room, which is open to all, who have been prcfentecL THE riches and fplendour of the Ruffian Court exceed all description. Divers articles of Afiatic magnificence, united to the ingenious inventions of European luxury, are there difplayecl. An immenfe retinue of Courtiers always precede and follow the Emprefs, whole rich and brilliant dreilcs are befides enriched with jewels in profufion, which produces an efFccl', of which the pomp of other courts can only give a feeble idea, The court-drcfs for a gen- tleir.an, is a iuit in the French faftiion ; and that of a lady, a gown and hoop-petticoat. The gown has lone: haninnq; flecves, a court train, and is of a co- o o o lour different from the petticoat. The ladies follow the fafhions which prevail in Paris, but thefe never ret to RufTia, till they have crown old in France. v> J 3 and have been handed about through all Europe. - Among the objects of luxury exhibited by the Ruf- iian Nobility, none is more apt to ftrike foreigners, than this quantity of diamonds and jewels itifl men- tioned ; and with Ib much the more juftice, that in all the other countries of Europe, diamonds feem almoft entirely refcrved for the ufe of the Ladies. In RufTia, the gentlemen and ladies iecin to vie in- loading thcmfelves moft ; and this exprdlion is not over-ftrained, for there are many noblemen, who- are almolt wholly covered with them. Their but- ton:; TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 35 tons, their buckles, the hilts of their fvvords, their epaulets are of diamonds ; often their very hats are edged with feveral rows of Jewels. This paffion for .jewels has descended even to the common people, who ape the great, but are not commoners the lefs. There are families of this clals, who have as many as the nobility. The wife of a very rich Ruffian burgcls ruins her unfortunate hufband, in order to mow herielf with a head-drefs, or with a girdle oi pearls or jewels, to the value of fome tho.uiands of crowns. ---Thus from the one end of Europe to the other, the ridiculous is every where found. It on- ly differs in its kinds of extravagance, and if near the Pole, people wear girdles of jewels, in the foutli they have large rofaries of gold, on which hang fomc hundreds of little faints of the fame metal. ON davs of great ceremony the Emprefs dines in public, and commonly wears a crown of diamonds of imrnenie value. She aifo has the St Andrews' and St George's ribbon fufpended from the fame ihoukler, and collars of the order St Alexander- Neufki, St Citharine and St Y7olocli;r,er, which e- vidently leaves very little of her to beipar.gle. The co,urtiers arc like their miilrcfs, and ic may be well alarmed, there is not a court in Europe better {peck- led, not even excepting Spain. BY the decoration of the Emprefs juil dcfcribcd, the reader mult obicrvc, there are live orders in Ruflia : nainclv 36 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. namely, that of St Andrew, St Catharine, St Alexan- der-Neulki, St George and St Wolodimer, to which muft be added that of St Ann of Holftein, of which the Emprefs is not a member. It was lately efta- blifhed by the Grand Duke, and is fubject to his difpofal. The three firft were founded by Peter the Firft. That of St Andrew in the year 1698, with a view to animate the nobility in the war againft the Turks. He made choice of this faint for the patron of this order, becauie there is a tradition in, Ruflia, that it was St Andrew, who introduced Chriftianity into that country. The Knight of this order, among whom the Kings of Sweden and Po- land are diftinguifhed, have for a decoration, the effigy of St Andrew on an enamelled crofs, formed by the Imperial Eagle. THAT of St Catharine was founded in memory of the afliftance, which Peter received from his wife In the Camp of Pruth. We mail have occafion to recall to remembrance this memorable trait of Ca- tharine's life. Writers, who have advanced, that this order is common to both fexes, are miftaken. There are none but female knights. Their number is twenty-five, and they are of the higheft quality in Germany. They wear a large white ribbon, flung round them, at which hangs a medallion fet ia TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 37 in diamonds, on which is a St Catharine with this motto : A more etfidditate.* THE order of St Alexandcr-Neufki, was con- firmed by Catharine I. in the year 1725, and comes in opinion and rank after that of St Andrew. It is conferred, fo to fpeak, on Rufiian noblemen only. The badge is a collar, at which hangs a gold-crofs with eio;ht branches, and in the middle of which is the O ' equeftrian reprefentation of St Alexander; a faint, of whom we fliall have occafion to fpeak afterwards. IT was Catharine the fecond, who infdtuted the orders of St George and St Wolodimer ; The firft created in the year 1768, is a military order, divid- ed into four dalles. It has, for a badge, a black ribbon bordered with yellow, whence hangs a me- dallion, on which is an effigy of St George, throw- ing down the dragon. The order of St Wolodimer, inftituted on the 3d of October 1782, is intended as a recompence to fuch as have diftinguifhed them- felves in the magistracy, or in the different branches of adminiftration, that have been entrufted to them. It too is divided into tour claiTes, whereof the laft is deftined for the counfellors of colleges, after thir- O ' ty five years fervice. THERE are every winter two or three mafked balls at the court of St Peterfburg, where perfons of every description are admitted. Sometimes near eight * By Love and Fidelity, 38 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. eight thoufand cards are diilributed; which may make it be iuppofed, that thefe balls turn out a rab- ble ; but twenty magnificent halls, open and illu- minated, receive this multitude, who find enough of room. In the middle of one of the halls is a fpace formed and inclofed by a Baluftrade, a lit- tle elevated, and more ornamented than any other place, which is referved for the nobility, and all the variegated tribe of the court. As this is not the country of equality, but of great diftinclion of rank and of pride, the hall of Apollo, which is very ele- gant and of a circular form, is referved for the Burgeflbs, and fuch as have not been prefented at court. In the reft, where tea and refrefhments are taken, there are gaming tables, goers and comers. Every one has liberty to wear, or take of the mafk, at his pleafure- -The nobility in general drefs in a Domino. AT thefe balls the Ruffians of inferior rank, wear the ordinary drefs of their province, only with fome additional finery. The appearance of thefe different falhions, fomc of which are very whimiical, produces LI fingular mixture, and figures more diverfiiied, than the moil capricious imagination ever invented in the mafquerades of other countries. Yet, in this country, one fees none of thefe mafquerades in a. group, as in Italy, Spain, and Conflantinoplc, when the Group- figure is, for inftance a village marriage, a national TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 39 si national hiftorical trait, or fome fcandalous ancc- dote of fome character diftin^uifliecl at court. o HER Imperial Majefty generally appears at the balls about leven, and retires at eleven at night. To form a judgment of the tafte of this Princefs, in what is entertainment, amufement and decoration, the hermitage muft be feen. This is a building fe- parated from the palace, with which it communi- cates by a covered gallery. It is fo named, becaufe the Emprefs retires thither fometimes ; for in other refpecls, it has nothing of a hermitage but the name, the rooms being very fpacious, and decora- ted with a munificence truly royal. In this favour- ite retreat, Catharine ufually paiTes an hour or two every day. On Tuefday evening, Hie gives a private ball and a fupper, to the principal members, who form her court. The foreign minifters, and all not O * of this fmall felecl number, are feldom admitted, and from this kind of Orgies, it is faid, all ceremony Js as far as poffible banilhed, without any deficiency MI that refpecl due to an auguft fovereign ; that h to fay, there is no ceremonious etiouctte, but there Is a conftraint, though it is pretended, that the ier- vants eveji arc removed from the room where the guefts are, and on this account: the fupper I.-, fervesi up on fmall t:ibles, called tablco of confidence, \vhich by an ingenious mechanifm, riie up through the iloor by a trap. What precautions the Great take to 40 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. to be free and eafv from fervants ! and how much juftice there is in the remark of that Jean Jacques, who faid, that he alone is free, who has no occajion to put another's hand to the end of his own arm. This is a proof of what has been juft laid, that conftraint is only diflembled in this abode, becaufe in the diffe- rent rooms of this palace there are directions and rules for the behaviour of every member of this chofen party. They all feem to have a tendency to encourage the guefts in baniming form, and to im~ prefs their minds with this idea, that they are at their eafe. One of thefe rules is written in French, whereof this is the purport: Sit down where you wil', and where you plsafc, without it being a thoufand times repeated ; which would mean, that to make people fit down in prefence of their mailers, the invitation rnuft be repeated a thoufand times. But in fpite of fmile and grimace, the Courtier, and nbove all, the. Ruffian, refernbles the dog, mentioned by La Fon- taine in his fable of the dog and the wolf.* THE Palace of the Hermitage contains a nume- rous collections of pictures, chiefly purchafed by her jM'jjeuy, The finefr arc thole of Crofat's Cabi- net, * F-ih. 5. F.ook. i. \Vl.'?rc tl.e wolf ir.ee* b a pretty dog, but with WOLF. What mean? that? Doc;. Nothing at all. VTor.F. YT'nt nothing. DOG. A tr;"c. V.'or.r. But tell me. Doc. Thv collar i\'ith which I am uour.J is perhaps the caufc of what you fee. Bound ! fayr the \volf, windows, is a high and fpa- cious green houfc, in which are gravel walks. Ic is ornamented with parterres, ilowers, orange trees', ihrubs, ir.ui ilored with an infinite number of bird:; from different climates, which fly from tree to tree at freedom. All this produces an cilccl, fo much the more agreeable, that it bears a fingu- lar con t raft to the gloomy feafon of the year. But are there feaions for King 1 , ? Is not nature, whom they manage as they will, compelled to ihow them a imiling countenance, while me is every where a prey to the gloomy hoar-frofts of winter. Tim-; the. Courtier, whom fecret fuilerings c.oniigr. to ibrrcnv, alleys before his prince the fmiie c;f g ; i i e i y a ! u 1 c o 1 1 1 e 1 1 1 ID e n t . ll will, it is preiume..!, be acceptable to our read- ers, to ( :;'ive an account: oi the manner, in whicli trie Emprcfi ciiilributcs the cir.ployment or lur time, VOL. i. E rl; 42 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. for the mod minute circumftances are i when they have for their object, perfons on whom the bulk of mankind have their eye. Her Majefty ufually rifes at fix o'clock, and is engaged till eight or nine, in public bulinefs with her Secretary. At ten, flic begins her toilette, and it is during this in- terval that the minifters of ilate, and the aides-de- camp in waiting, pay their compliments, and re- ceive her orders. When (he is clrefled, at eleven- o'clock or thereabout, fhe lends for her gnmdfons, Alexander and Conftaritinc, or fhe goes to vifit them in their rooms. Before dinner, ihe receives the vifit of the Grand Duke and Duchefs, and fits- ilown at table before one o'clock P. M. She has always at dinner, ten or twelve perfons, who are Generals or OiTicers on duty, a Lady or Maid of Honour, and two or three Lords of the chamber, Their Imperial Highnefles dine; with her three or four times a week, and then the table contains eight covers. The Lord of the chamber, who is in wait- ing, fits always oppofite to the K morels. Some pcrfon gives him a plate, which he prefents t'o her Miijcfly. She receives it very politely, and after- wards difpenfcs witli his attention. Hjr Majefty r,bfervc:> the gre;iielt moderation, and continues fel- iiom longer than an nour at t:ible. She retires af- icrwards into Iier chamber, and about three o'clock, !hc goes into the library in the hermitage. At five o'clock, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 45 o'clock, flic goes to the concert or the play. When there is no court, fhe plays at whift with fome lords, and the Grand Duchcfs, who is very fond of this kind of game. This party Lifts till half an hour af- ter ten o'clock, and at eleven the Emprefs is in bed. There is never any {'upper drafted. We (hall obiervc by the way, that we may not be obliged to come back, that there are at St Peterfburg, an Ita- lian opera, a Ruffian comedy, and a French comedy. The opera is above par, the Ruffian comedy is de- teilable, and the French comedy fometimes like the Ruffian, and never equal to the opera. THESE three entertainments arc at her Mejafty's expcncc, and fpectators arc admitted gratis. C II A P. V. fiiEfiitr<:fi cf St PctcrjliD-g. The Cathedral. Tomv of P'.'ltr L Pbilcfopbical remarks on ibis Prince. His r j:a\ cf life His daily employments. His know- ledge. Particulars of his private life. His amours. Sad conferences i hereof. His death. Accounts nf the celebrated Baron l.ef'jrl^ bis ivjlrutlsr and friend, An anecdote. AFTER having vicv.-cd the Emnrcfs, and the mac;- ^ * * J o ;iiftccncc of her court, we were easier to viiit the o r " fortrci* 44 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fcrtrefs of St Peterfburg, and the different public edifices of the capital of the Ruilias. The manner, in which this fortrefs was built, and which gave occafion to the founding of fc>t Peterfburg, has al- ready been narrated in a part of the defcription gi- ven of this city. The walls of this kind of citadel are of brick, and fortified by live regular baitions. They encompafs a fmali ii'le, of half a mile in cir- cumference, formed by the arms of the Neva. There are in this inclofure caferns for a fmall gar- jrifon, fome ordinary prifons, and apartments for ftatc-prifoners; for the defpot who builds, never for- gets this article. TH;;RE is in the fortrefs, an arfenal, where among other articles, are obferved, fome old cannons, that were caft in the middle of the fixtcenth century., under the reign of .Iwan Bafllowitfcli II. They arc of \ 7 ery beautiful workmanfhip, and furpriihig, con- fidering the time when they were caft. IT is recorded ii, the Rullian annals, that the art of catting cannon, was brought into Rufiia under Iwan, by Ariitotie of Boulogne, and that Iwan II, to bring it to perfection, followed the example of his Grandfather, in employing none but foreign founders, and thus fucceeded in procuring a good artillery. It is to this piece of attention, that thcfe two mo^urchs, principally owed their iucceis in war, and TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 45 and the conqucfl of various provinces, which they annexed to the empire. IN the fbrtrefs of St Peterfburg, they alfo {how a boat with four oars, which is preferved with as much veneration as care, in a building conftrucled of bricks, for the purpofe of informing pofterity, on the feeble beginnings of the Ruffian navy. Pe- ter I. called this boat, the little grand Jlre^ and made it be tranfported to Si Peterfburg, whither it was carried in pomp, with a view to excite the admira- tion of the people, by making them compare the itate, in which the Czar found the navy, and the perfection to which he brought it. THIS boat had been built under the reign of A- lexander Michaelowitfch, by a Dutchman called Brant, whom this prince had brought into Ruffia, in the year i6Si. Peter having accidentally feen this boat in a village near Mofcow, a(ked why it had a form different from thofe he had been accuf- tomed to fee, till that clay. Timmermann, a Ger- man engineer, who was inflructing the Czar in for- tification, told him that this boat had been built fo as to druggie againfl the wind. THE curiofity of this prince was greatly raifed by thi^ explanation. He abandoned himfelf to the im- pulie or his imagination, and lent for Brant, who ivas full in Rufiia Brant was fcarcely arrived, when lie put to him queftion after queftion, and the boat provided 46 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. provided with a maft and rigging, was launched on the river Yaoufa. Brant went on board, and fet fail to the great furprife of the Prince, who wimed to go on board alfo, and who conceived under the direction of Brant, an idea of working a vcflel. AFTER having often repeated thefe experiment* upon the Yaoufa and a neighbouring lake, Peter made a yacht be built on the banks of the Mofcowa, which was launched in the year 1691. He went aboard and failed as far as Columna. Encouraged by this fuccefs, he ordered Brant to conftrucr. for him, on the lake of Periilof, feveral fmall veflels to carry cannon, and it was in this little fquadron, that this prince returned to Mofcow, in the fpring of the following year. BRANT'S death, which happened fhort while af- ter, interrupted the progrefs of this little armament, but it had no influence on the genius of Peter, and did not hinder him from continuing his expeditions on the lake. This prince, who attributed to the boat we are talking of, the idea he had formed of creating a navy, made it to be tranfported to his new capital in the year 1723, and on this occation gave a grand entertainment, which he called the Confecrativn of ihe little grand fire. IN the middle of the ifland, ftands the cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, whofe architecture is of a tafte different from that of the other Greek churches. Inftead TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 47 Inftead of a cupola, it has a gilt brazen fteeple, ele- vated two hundred and forty feet above the fur- face. The internal decorations are very fimple, and more elegant, than any to be feen in any church in any Ruffian city, not even excepting Mofcow. The paintings are in the modern tafte of the Italian fchools, and not in the barren ftyle of the Greek painters. In this church are buried Peter the Great, and all his fucceffors, except Peter II, who is inter- red at Mofcow, and the unfortunate Peter III, whofe remains are depciited in the monaftery of St Alexander Neufky. THESE tombs are all of marble, of the form of a fquare coffin, and bear an infcription in the Ruffian language, which is more chronological than anything tlfe. At the fig-ht of this monument, which contains o * the human fpoils of Peter I, fwho without flattery may be called Peter the Great, in fpits of his fault 1 -, evert in fpite of his vices) a fentiment of fear and of ve~ neraticn riles in the foul ; efpecially when we recall the inflexible charatfber of this legiilator, who ipared neither ag^, nor fex, nor the clofcil ties of blood, Doubtlefs this monarch was great, bccaufb ho ^ave laws to his country, but above jJl LVT.:.IU& hj knew his own weaknefles, ai-.d ack;vv.vkJ^ ; -I ihcni \virh ft)rrovr. / ccn reform r:\ pt^p'^ i-.ud Lc often, in. confequence of fume palTion, 01 v/hkh he was not miller, but I cannot reform nyfi'f. A crc" r ned hii- torian 45 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. torian criticifed him too feverely, when he falcL Peter died leaving in the ii-orld the character of an ex- o J traordinary man, rather than tb.it cf a great man, by covering the crut'tic; of a tyrant^ ^:th the virtues of a legljlator. THIS cruelty, this ferocity even, that cannot be difguifcd, and tarnifh his memory, his education and country had given him ; but his virtues, why pafs them over in filencc ? they were his own ; His errors even were thofc of the genius, which wander- o } ed for want of a guide. We are far from exculpa- ting the atrocities with which he is reproached; we content ourfelves with removing them from our me- mory, that we may behold only a prince, who fpenf. his life in reforming and civilizing his fubjeccs, who created a navy and an army, which he himfelf dii- ciplined: a prince, who introduced into his country the arts and fciences, agriculture and commerce ; and in fnort laid the foundations of the sreatnefs, o to which Rullia has fmce rifen. But we will not ceafe to piry him, for not taking IciTons of huma- nity, while he travelled through Europe to acquire them. We regret above all that his impetuous and elevated genius, was not brought to perfection; that his favaic Jifhnfition was not iortcned, and correct- ed by ti:j. travels lie had made among kingdoms, whole mor.archs \vere not the executioners of their fubjeccs. \Vc will blame him beiidcs for having formed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 49 formed the impolitic as well as chimerical idea of introducing the arts and fciences by force, and of executing in a moment, what could only be the work of fevcral years ; cfpecially in whatever hurt the manners and opinions of his people, by requi- ring of them a ready facriiice oi the prejudices con- lecrated by many ages. Bhtrrowixr, a moment on the perfon of this cele- brated man, ;>nd the principal acts of his life, which may chanicrerizc him, \ve \vill fay that, Peter was of high ibture, tint he had a noble appearance, a fenfible cuimtenance and a Horn look; that he was fubjccc to a fort of convulfions, which fometimes changed the fc.uvres-o'r his face; that Ixe cxpref- led ilinucii with e;iie and i'poke with fire; that he wa.^ naturally eloquent., and harangued frequently , \Vhat diltinguifhes Itim particularly from tJ.cfe ino- narchs, who reflmbV: the animal- bearers of relics, of whom no Lice is take': by tl-e inimitable La loa- taine, (whom we dcliglit to cite) is, that this prir.ca difdained and dcipii:;cl the pageantry., that onlv fur- rounded his peribn, with-.)ut atlording him any re- lief. It \vas TrincG MenzikolF, l.i 1 ; favourite, \vlioin he employed to repreicr.t: him, aru.l xvLo by hi^ n.jg- Tiilkence difcharged this cumciii::',M in the uh.:: complete manner; difplaying an Aiu;ic I/.iXury, while Peter aije^ed the iimpk-lt n^/Je of life. In his houfhold he had neither cluniiberlain^ r.or nnrrs, * O 5 VOL. I. Cr nor 50 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nor lords of the bed-ehamber. Twelve Dcnfchfks or Valets iervcd him, and formed his retinue, with twelve grenadiers, who did the honours of the pa- lace inhabited, by Peter, who was as great an enemy to palaces, as to the etiquette which is generated and reigns there. On days of ceremony, he, according to cutloin, always preferred his uniform to the em- broidered clrels, with which his predeceffors had been accuftomed to cover themfelves. He fome- timcs drciTed himfelf in it in the courfc of his reign, and appeared much confined. He one day appear- ed clothed with a fuit of filvcr embroidery, but it was the day of Catharine the Tirft's coronation, and the embroidery was the Emprefs* own work. Ni'Vjiii was a man more vigourous, more labo- rious, more enterpriiing, more indefatigable, than Peter I. He had men eftahliflied to aiTift in quench- ing fires, which are well known to be very frequent in RufKa. He himfelf liad undertaken one of thefe dar.jrerous commiilions, and was feen mount lirft up- on the top of a liouf'c on lire, with a hatchet, but no \vav intimidated by the danger. He had not con- fined hirr;folf to a motive of emulation for remedy- ]r. r s ti;i: ; calamity, as terrible in Ruilia as at Con- Rar.tiiioi .\<: ] fjr i:i i'^oth countries, the houfes arc hv.ilt of wood. lie had iiiued a great number of as well undcrftood, of which the boiition of the old ftovcs, whofc- defecli'c TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. defective conflruclion occahoncd .1 thoufand calami- ties ; and he himfelf, an artift equally fagacious and improved, had fubllituted others of a much better form. Another law obliged the proprietors of hou- fcs to place on the roofs, dole by the chimnies, large calks, that were to be always full of water. Infpeclors were appointed to overlook the execution of this law, and there was a very heavy penalty K-- vied on delinquents, of which the infpeclors recei- ved a third. After all thefe laws, to which Peter's iucceilbrs more or lets lent fupport, the inhabitants of St Pcterfburg cannot, without ihuddcring, re- collect the fire, which fome years ago, in the illc of St Bali!, confumed upwards of two thoufand hou- fes in Icfs tfyan three hours ; and among thefe, the library of the celebrated Euler, which was to the correct arts and fcienccs an irreparable lofs. PF.TP.R alfo diftinguiflied himfelf from other po- tentates of Euiope, by his method of travelling, which was that of a fimple individual. He went without retinue into the heart of Alia. He very of. ten run over the diftancc between St Pctcrfbv.rg and Mofcow, -which is upward of two hundred leagues, as another prince palles from his palace to liis pleafurc.houfe. In his fricndihip, in his hatred, in his vengeance, in his plcafures, lie was extreme. He was the belt fcholar in his empire, fpakc fevcral. lincruacres. \vas thoroughly acquainted v.'ith n.athe- O O ' O < x G ?. 52 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. matics, efpecially \vith what regarded naval archi- tecture. At his death ho ieft a fhip on the Hocks, of which he alone had directed the con ('ruction, and now it is inoft carefully preferred in the aricnal. This prince had a perfect knowledge of geography and hiftory, which are, to a conquering prince, the fources, whence ambition draws pretexts for con- queft. No feience was ftrange to him. Me under- flood the principles of medicine, was iki'lcd in fur- gery, and give himfclf out for an excellent drawer of teeth ; a qualification, diiputed by thoic, whofe teeth he pulled. As to trades, a long lift, of thofe he had learned, might be made, in which he pre- tended to excel, or as it is reasonable to believe, in which he was only ordinary, turning excepted. Of this art there remain ionic maiteriy performances of his, efpecially a large lullrc, with fifty branches, carefully preierved in the cathedral o^ St Petcrifoiirg, xvlucli the KuiTians take delight in fhowing to fo- reieners. In viewing this hi lire, in v. liich there is O '- ' nothing, but what is very common, the phiiofopher is clifpoleu to make allowance tor tlr?ir cruhufiufni in f'lowinr this triiit. becauic it pro^/cs their fr rati^ <^} - O tr.de. A? there is a certain delight received from the miniittii: drcumuances refpecting great men, we hnpe it: wiii b;- acceptable to enter into fome of thofe, v;}i!ch. regriid ills private life. lie had ciiftributed hi: TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 53 Ins engagements during every hour of the day, and attended to them with a punctuality, which nothing could derange. He role in all lealons at five o'clock in the morning, read till levcn, and turned till tight, lie then drelled himlelt to read, or hear read, the reports of his different miniilers, made remarks on their memorials with his own hands, and wrote on his pocket books the ideas and plans of regulations fuggeited in theic memorials. To this t'ufmels iucceeded what he called his walk, which oniitfcd commonly in a turn to the dock-yards, to the ordinance foundery, to the manufactures he had I'.rrangcd, or was going to arrange, or to the for- irefs, where he was carrying on buildings, for \vhich he gave dircaions with his pocket book in his hand. At eleven o'clock he returned home and iat down at table. Ilaif a,i hour icrved him at dinner, and as long lor his r'?p aKer it. At noon he". went out again to vii;; thole, whole names he had in the morna.?; infcribed in his pocket book, and then YOU would ire i-im fro from the lodein^ . kJ O O of a L v encr.!i to a carpenter'* \vork-lioufc, from this to the oiliLC of a magittrate, and from the latter to tiie lioiiie of a maibn, ^.c. v\c. Tiicre were days 3M: hours ibr h'j-dir.^.; ol rcnmcil^. On the days, when tln:ie aikmblies did not lit, lie filled up the vacant time \vith vilits paid to the cib.bliihinents, ; vhkh he had ionr.cd ior the education of youth; iuch 54 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fucli as the fcliool of the Cadets, the academy of Pu- pils for the Navy, where he (laid fometimes for two whole hours. At fix o'clock at night, he amufed himfelf with the converfation of a friend, that is, a favourite courtier, for kinsrs have no other friends. o Moft frequently he went into fome aflembly, where he played at chefs, and forgot, at the fide of an e- normous round bottle, the temperance, which in people of difpofitions naturally good, is more fre- quently a habit than a virtue, and inattention to which, in a legiflator, is a phenomenon, or rather a monftrofity. Peter, in thefe focieties, ceafed to be a great man. It was the low Commodus^ or the drunken Vitellius, abandoning himfelf to intoxicar tion, and the excefles, which are its confequen- ces. Peter recovered fhuddered at the excefles of Peter intoxicated. It was in thefe moments of in- toxication that he wanted to ftab Lefort, to whom he owed fo much. We mail fay a word of this fa- mous man. Peter's repentance, on this occafion, was not that of Alexander warning the body of the unfortunate Clitus with his tears ; it was not fo bitter. Peter was fatisfied with alking pardon of his friend. As a man however great he be, is always a man, Peter, after his excefles, took the oath of drunkards, to drink no more, and like them, he broke it fome- times the fame day. THIS TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 55 Tins prince went to bed commonly at nine o'clock, and then no Ruffian was daring enough to go into the ftreet, to which the Czar's apartment looked ; for to awaken him, was a frfece of inatten- tion, which he never pardoned, but punifhed with the fevereft caning, adminiftered with his own hand. LOVE, or rather paflion for women, was one of the weaknefies of this prince, as it has been and will be in al) periods, that of ib many great men, whom love feeins to delight in putting on a level with per- ibns of ordinary rank. But Peter made love not in the lead like them, for his gallantries had no influ- ence on his political affairs ; and on the reins of go- vernment, which he held, love durft never lay a hand. If his ferious employments felt no inconve- nience, his finances felt flill lefs. Lady Crofs, whom he loved, the Countefs Hamilton, and the beautiful Cramer, to whom he was fucceilively attached, had no reafon to extol his liberality. On the contrary, Anne Iwanowa Mons, who was in the higheft degree of favour, was obliged to complain of this prince, and experienced a treatment from him, which the ihabbieil revenue officer amon dilemma, The Perfian war fticceeded, and detached the Czar from this love adventure, which he foon forgot, be- eaufe Catharine accompanied him on the expedition, and the Princefs Canliiiiir had a mifcarriage : a rt> port was fpread that MenzikofT was the eanle of it. IN general, Peter was not nice in his amours, and did not co'.!ccitl them;' at leail if we may judg'i from a picture TO be fccn at Peterholf, in \vhiJi thi^ prince is reprcientcd as a Dutch pcaiant in a gin-iiiop, fit- ting on a cafk, embracing a iv/c fervant-girl. k is faid, that \n thi.s country a garde-ncr, who furprifed him with his d;iu;.;hver, ptniued him with a rake, It was in Ilull.nid too, that an unlucky gallantry taught TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 57 taught him not to give himfclf up to the firfl object, This love- misfortune was the original caufe of an urinary retention and of the ftone, two cruel diiea- tes, that brought him to the grave. IN the year 1/23, the lirlt of theie difeafes brought on him the iharpeit pains, but was of fhort duration. In 1724, it fhowed hfelf in an alarming manner, and i j cler, wliofe activity admitted of no reft, left himielf to the management of Quacks, who pre- fcribed for him no regimen, and palliated inflead of curhv.r his complaint. "What is imrnilar, though he X O ' O v/as wirhin reach of the celebrated Boerhave, lie did not think on c\-ling him, or thought it was out of time. Afier icveral relipfes, Peter :U length funk under Ills complaint, and expired on the f^th J.i> nuary 17:^, \ v c lliall return back on the lait mo- in en t s or thif, prince, \vlicn we fpeak of the intrigues,, that let ("atlu.rine 1. on the throne, ONI-: of the principal ir.ilrumcnts of Peter's glo- fy, confidered a.; a regenerator of Iris country, \v -> ly.iron I.elort, for whom he Ir.id always a particu- lar eiteem, and to whofc coiinfeld he always p.iM s. dutiiul deference. '1 Ms Lcrort v/as :>.: C'/ii : ^ }\Ic-:it.or in his r.irly y-uth^ aiivi i'j too f.i'iioi;^ i<>i' "as t> ' p.i!~ liim over in iilcric:. FRANCIS Lcfort, bcrn at C.encva, in tl;c yc. i r i6f'i^, and s, like all oilier fubjea:s in Europe, think them- fe.v--.-s obliged to their rulers, not only for the gjod they do them, but alio for the evil they do commit. ANNE, as we have faicl abo.e, pailcd for a pretty \voii.an, though me was too jolly ; bu! this defect was hid or leiTened, by a majefiic feature, which give her a magnificent air, fupported by a com- manding look, which impreffed reipecl on all that approached her. She had likes\ ife the uncommon and confequently precious faculty ot diilinguifliing the people, who were worthy of the favours they folicited ; which fuppofes the inoft penetrating faga- city, becauie none malic themfelves v/iih ib much art, or {\v)\\ tlicmfelves more to advantage, thaii the folicitors ot favours. Anne poilcilcd alio an in- valuable quality of obliging and rewarding, in fuch a war, as to augment the value ot the favour and - ' o tlu rccompcnce, by the eafe, with which they were granted. SHI. had the rage of oflentation, and was fond of luxury, nor. in herfdf, but in her courtiers, to fnch y. degree, lliat they were looked closvn on, if they fho\vecl TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 69 ih()\vc I thcmfclvcs at court twice in the fame drefs. The Ruffian Lord, who is exccffively fond of drcfs, outdid the wiihcs of the Empreis, by joining an A- fiatic magnificence to a. variety of fuits. In the o midll of this croud of courtiers, covered with gold or jewels, Anne delighted in appearing in the fmi- pleil drefs. A filk handkerchief round her head, a fcarlet jacket and black petticoat were her ufual morning drefs ; and a long gown, of the Ruffian, fafhion, iniiead of a jacket, her drefs in the after- noon. Her greatefl pleafure was to fee affembled round her a great circle of nobles ; and her favour- ite converfation was that where epigram and ben mot prevailed, which produced Cakrnbi,:irs in Ruffia as well as at Vcrfailles. SOME who have written without indulgence to the lex, to which Anne belonged, have allowed ihemfelvcs to fay, that i'hc was car^lefs and averfe to bulincls, becaufe me was not capable of that un- remitting attention, which is not found even in men, ii they have not been accufcomed to labour from their early youth. The Ruffians were obliged to Anne for confiding, during trying conjunctures, in the ability and experience of old Count O Her- mann, whom Elizabeth condemned to die on the fcall'old, notwithstanding his capacity, and the obli- gations that IvuftLi wiib undr- to L. n. But Anne is reproached tor having given herfelf up (to fay nothing ;o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nothing more exprcfTive) to Biren, who flrangely abufed his power. This blind confidence of the Emprefs, was, it is laid, one of the blunders of love, which has caufed the commiffion of fo many. ERNEST Jean de Biren, fo celebrated in the north, for his good and bad fortune, was born of obfcure parents, in Courland. His father, however, who had made his fortune by felling the forefts of the Dukes of Courland, had employed it in giving his fon a complete education, which, joined to the judgment and favourable appearance this young man had received from nature, made him be foon diftinguimed by Anne, then duchefs of Courland j who made him firft her fecretary, and foon after Jover. The favour Biren enjoyed with this prin- cefs, when fhe came to the empire, was fuch, that flie appeared to have feated herfelf on the throne, only to marc it with her lover. Biren, abfolute mi- niiter, then governed his miftrefs, as a Sultan ma- nages his feraglio. To the arrogance of a favour- ite, he joined the ferocity of a Coflac, and his cru- elty recoiled on his fovereign, who was accufed of feverity, and of having governed the Rufiiins with the Kmiit in her hand, while me was naturally hu- mane, and continually oppofed the fanguinary mea- fures of her favourite. She often employed even prayers and tears to foften this mercilefs man, and to obtain from him the pardon of the unfortunate victims TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. /< victims, whom he facrificcd to his refentmcnt and caprice ; for to incur his difpleafure, the Ilighteft inattention was only necdlary, and the leaft effect of this diipleafure was banh'hinent into Siberia. Such was the iron fceptre with which this defpot governed, that it is averred, that during Anne's reign, more than thirty fix thoufand perfons were put to death or banifhed into Siberia. ALTHOUGH the Emprefs did not order thefe fen- tcnces of death or banifhments, fhe is not the Icfs accountable to pofterity for them, fmce me permit- ted thefe profcriptions to be made in her name. This princefs died in the year 1740, after having named Iwan her fucceffor. By this choice of an in- fant, fhe wiflied to prolong, even after her death, the reign of her lover, whom fhe declared Regent during the minority of the young Czar, which was not to end till he arrived at the age of fcventeen years ; and he was only fome months old at Anne's death. Biren having been as inflexible and arrogant in the regency as in the miniftry, raifcd againft him a croud of enemies, who hurled him from the fum~ init of greatnefs, into a cell at Bcrezowa in Siberia, on the banks of the Oby. Tin. v fay that Bircn, in this difinal dwelling, foft- cned the rigour of his fate by books, the Regent Anne laving allowed him to carry into his exile the iu- perb library, which he had collected at St Peter!'- bure:, 72 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. burg, during the time he was in favour. Books produced in him philoibphicat reflexions, and phr- lofophy re-eftabliilied calmnefs in his foul, by pro- ving to him, that the exiftcnce af courtiers is only precarious and delufive, CHAP. VII. UMEXT containing the a foes of the En:pr:J- Eliza- beth. Dcfcription of -this Princefs. Her fingular tajhs, Her devotion ftill more fmgular. She takes no hujband. Opinion believed in RuJJia, re/peeling a fccret marriage contracted by this Prlncefs. Par- ticulars and anecdotes on this head- Summary of ths revolution^ that placed her on the throne. Leftocq^ fon to a French Refugee, the foul of this revolution, Particulars rcjpccllng this adventurer. Ref peeling Schuwaloff another favourite cf Elizabeth's. Anec- dotes of the hijtory of Rit/Jia, publijhed by Voltaire. * Rcj i c:\ions on Elizabeth's government, r ' J ~ > 1. IIE i;gLt of Elizabeth's tomb recalled to our re- mcmbrancc another svcak woman. Anne was tern- p^riit'j. j-'.li/.Abcth \v-is indolent and volu-ptuous. Daughter to Pc'u r 1. and the beautiful CalkiriiK 1 . bcrn in tlie ---car 1/09. She was handfomer than her mother. She had a Roman figure, a maieftic mien. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 73 mien, and a fh'ape you could not help admiring, which (lie preferved nil her life. She dreffed in the plain eft ilyle, and this plainnefs in her ordinary drefs was ore of her taftes. To thefe gifts of nature flic joined en rapine*; manners, and an air of freedom, O ?"> O * * which inspired confidence. She had a quality rare in monarchs, gratitude for fervices done her, and flic always rewarded them in the inoft generous manner. Her ailability had made her contract the habit of faying only agreeable tilings, but in return, ihe was very tond 01 hearing them faid of herfelf. Yet \vhen her fenfibility was offended, which was nor ill to do, (he armed herfelf with a difdainful pride, no*: eafily borne, Ki.r/.\r,F "H hid a very particular turn, namely, nmuiing herfelf with cooking. It is faid, me ex- celled in it, but that would not have been the cafe, if her courtiers had not made it a rule to think the dimes exquiiite, which were feafoned by the royal hand ; and with fo much the more reafon, that in this art, fhe pretended to have great knowledge ; nnd if, when the admitted any nobles to table, a dilh (if her drefTmg, had not been always prefented, Tipon which ihe took good cire to colk-r:! opini- ons, \vhieh, as may be well imagined, were never equivocal. ANOTHLR whim of Elizabeth's v.is devotion, which me carried the longl'h of childiflmefs. She VOL. I- dragged 74 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. dragged it into great expences, and a multitude of religious inftitutions, which might have made the Ruffian nation retrograde, if a philofophical had not fucceedeci an enthtifiailic woman. It is affirmed that every year, pafling from devotion to pleafures, and from pleafures to devotion, me fcrupuloufly confeffed her errors, exprelled the fincereft repen- tance, grew weary of this fervour, and refumed her old habits. ELIZABETH had a noble paffion for immortalizing herfelf. by tlie publication of a new code. She had entruftcd the computation of it to two magiftrates, deeply verfed in the ftudy of the laws, who labour- ed inceilintly at this honourable attempt ; till re- monflranccs, arriving from all quarters, and fug- gefted by the prieits, forced Elizabeth to give up her plan. The glory, therefore, of giving a code to the nation, was referved for the illuftrious Ca- tharine. H::R beauty, her rank, and her pretenfions to the imperial throne, made Elizabeth be courted by fevrral princes, but none obtained her hand. There had been negociations for marrying her to Louii XV. but they 'had not hern feriou.s. r l"he Emprefs C^itharhiC !. v.'ifi'.eJ to unite ]\cr \vi.tli the King of Sweden's I)rolhcr 3 Ci'navlcs Augulrus dj Holflein- Gottorp ; but this prince died, while this negocia- tion \va:; pending Miilreis of hcrfclf, Elizabeth banifhed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 75 bnjnifiied every idea of marriage, and adopted her nephew Peter. AFTKR all there is an opinion generally believed, that fhe was privately married to Count Rafumow- (ki, with whom fhe lived in the greatcft intimacy, and the Counts of TarracanofF and their lifters, pal- fed for the fruit of this clandeiline union. The Ruffians, and Europe, were confirmed in this opini- on, by the adventure of the countefs of TarracanofF, who had retired into Italy, and fettled at Leghorn, where fhe lived not only as a fimple individual, but as an unfortunate woman, very near the horrors of indigence, after having fled from her native coun- try, and her life being threatened. The war in 1770, brought Count OrlofF into the feaof Tufcany, and he formed acquaintance with her, feemed to pity her misfortunes, and was anxious to procure her relief, without humbling her. This way of proceeding procured him the confidence of the un- fortunate Countefs, who although brought up at court, had doubtlefs forgotten, what a perfidious courtier is capable of. She foon experienced it. She was invited to an entertainment in Dyk's the Britim coniul, where fhe was received with affec- tion. At table the confer verfat ion turned on the Ruffian fleet, and the magnificient fliow a fliip of the line prefents. The Countefs confeffed me had never enjoyed fuch a grand fight, and the Count K 2 engaged 76 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 1 engaged to fatisfy her curiolity. During the del- fert, a fuperb floop appears on thn fhore, on board of which the Countefs is conducted, at the found of military mufic, and they (ail towards the iliip of the line. Here the fcene changes. Scarcely was the Countefs on board, when it is announced, that fhe is a prifoner, and fhe is loaded with irons. The unhappy woman with tears in vain wafiics the feet of the barbarous OrlofF. The fhip fails, arrives at St Petersburg, lodges her prey in the iortreis ; She is plunged into a dungeon, and from a dungeon in- to oblivion, for {he has never been heard of fince that event. ELIZABETH fucceeded to the empire on the 25th November 1741, by the carekfihefs of the regent Anne mother to Iwan 111. and by the intrigues of Leftocq, an adventurer, placed as a phyfician, at the fide of Elizabeth, whofe confidence he had, and who endowed with all the talents fuitable to an in- triguer, exercifed them all, for the purpofe of let- ting his miftrcfs on the throne of Ruiiia; and he law his undertaking, however rafii it might be thought, crowned with the mo ft fortunate i\:cccfs. Having been aide-de-camp to Wron^oif, and fornc noblemen, Leftocq had all prepared for accouiplifh- ing his purpoie, when an indifcretion of the regent Anne's induced him to haften the execution of his plot, EL I Z ABET Pi TRATELS IN RUSSIA. 77 ELIZABETH, who was yet hcfitating about yield- ing to the intention of her friends, at laft complied with their importunity, on the evening of the 2jth November, and went with Leftocq and Wronzoff, to the Guards quarters, who had been already biaf- fcd and iccured. She was announced as the daugh- ter of Peter I. and his legitimate heirefs, No an- Iwer was made, but the cry, " Long live the Em- preis Elizabeth/' After the oath of fidelity was udminiltercd to her in this quality, two hundred grenadiers offered to conduct her to the Imperi- al palace, and make her be acknowledged there. Thefe are taken at their word, they advance to- wards the reiidence of the Regent, funk in fleep, as well as the Emperor her fon, who is to be hurled from the throne, on which his youthful years had not permitted him to lit. THE Guards of the palace, bribed or furprized^ join, initeacl of oppollng Elizabeth's retinue, and thirty grenadiers, who get without oppofition, as far as the Regent's bed, are the fir ft, who inform her of the revolution iuft eiiccted, and of her own fall. This princely was reduced to the humiliating itate of appearing half naked before this band of iukiicrs, who ionie hours before were throwing them- iclvcs at her toct. She is allowed icarcely time to put un her clothes. She and her huiband are drag- ged priibaers into Elizabeth's old palace, and thence transported 78 TRAVELS IN RU8SIA. tranfported to Riga. Afterwards we (hall have oo cafion to fpeak of this unfortunate family. WHEN Elizabeth was peaceably feated on thethrone of Ruffia, it muft be imagined, that Leflocq had great influence on the management of affairs. Indeed he enjoyed the greateft intereft, was loaded with rich- es and honours, but he had to do with a woman eafily prepoffeffed, who, in fpite of the affurances {he had given him, of always protecting him with her fhield of royalty, facriliced him to the Cabal, who would have war with Pruilia; a meafurc, which Lcftocq firmly oppofed. He was tried on a ground- lefs pretext, that he had maintained a fecret corref- pondence with the enemies of the {late. This ac- cufation was formed on fome letters from the Pruf- fian ambaffador, who was his friend, but they had no reference to bufinefs ; yet he was ftript of all his wealth, which was immenfe. Apraxin and fome grandees of the court, who had acted as Serjeants in this affair, bafely divided his jewels, which were prefents from the Emprefs. HE was tranfported to lifting- Weliki, a poor burgh in the government of Archangel. There with his family he breathed^ fubfifting on a very moderate penfion, which the officer to whofe ma- nagement it was entrufted, adminiftered to him at; pleafure. Peter lit, reftored to him his liberty, and fome of his dignities ; but only a very fmall part of his TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 79 his fortune, which had been embezzled, was reftor- ed to him. A fingular circumftance, which is very defcriptive of Ruffian juftice, is, that of forty thou- fand roubles found in his houfe in money, only ele- ven thoufand were returned to him ; the remainder was faid to have been expended on his account. Firft, fifteen thoufand roubles for his fupport during his ex- ile. Secondly, thirteen thoufand two hundred for improvements made on his houfes j and obferve, they had been occupied by the very enemies of Le- ftocq, who had not paid the rent. Thirdly, eight hundred roubles for the paper, pens and ink, and the cxpences neceffary in arranging the annual ac- counts of the management of his property, and no account was given him of his lands. LESTocQjvvas fon to a French refugee, a native of" Champagne. Peter I. had brought him to Ruflia, and Catharine I. had fixed him at court. After his return to St Peterfburg in the year 1762, being difgufted at the life of a courtier, in which he had experienced more bitternefs than favour, he lived retired with fome friends till the year 1767, and on his death bed he confelTed, that this period of of his life had been the moft happieft. This con- fellion a thoufand courtiers have made, but it wa* always after fome great reverie, that they thus re- turned to themfelves, for few or none of them have left the fcene, without being driven from it. ELIZABETH 8s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA:, ELIZABETH had another favourite, more fortu- nate than Lcftocq, though he lefs deferved to bn fo, Count de Schuwaloff, whom Voltaire has made known in France as a man of letters. We are go- ing to fee on what grounds, and from them to con- clude what value ought to be put on the precarious? reputations, which Voltaire took it into his head to create. Schuwaloff, by means of his wife, ha- ving acquired the entire confidence of Elizabeth. had corne at fortune by gigantic ftrides, with ft> much the more juftice, that he had applied himfelf to learn the character and tafte of his miftrefs. Af- ter me had been raifed to the throne, he had made a difcovcry precious for a courtier, which was, that by founding in the ears of Elizabeth, the words //- inanity, and the Go r .d of the People, every thing was obtained from her. More than one Monarch in Europe lias been deceived by this grofs ftratagem ; ignorant or ftupid, he has lent a hand to the com- miiTion of evil, by wifhing to do good ; whence it follows, that a Lv on the throne is the creatcft of ' O O calamities, and a thoufand tinier worfe than that of being governed by a well informed Tyrant, whom men dare not deceive, becaufe he cannot be deceiv- ed with impunity. THL3 Schuwalofffilre of feducing the Emprefs, befet her in fuch a way, that in a ihort time and under the fpedous pretext of doing good, he ob- tained TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 81 tained from her the exclufive property of fevcral brunches of commerce, which rendered him one of the richeft nobles of Ruflla, but ruined an infinite num- ber of families, and even whole towns. The felling or the fureils of Narva, on which alone the unfor- tunate inhabitants of this town fubluled, is given as an eminent infhncc. He had made the Emprefs unclerftand, that the inhabitants of Narva, for want of means, did not draw from the fale of thefc foreils all they could ; and that by giving the privi- lege to a rich mar,, he with his own funds, would funport this numerous body of poor people, who could hardly procure an exiilence; that thcie for efts, to become an excellent branch of commerce, want- ed only to be viviiied by the prefence of a man, who joined opulence to the clcfire of being uieful to fullering humanity. Elizabeth, perfuaded by thcie nerfidious mfmuations, f:irned the errant and the ru- 1 7 O O in of eight hundred families. Schuwaloff insatiable, becaufe nothing can {atisfy the greedy avarice of n ; ourtier, obtained alib the cxcluiivc right of icil- :ng whale and Ulh oil. and of all the tobacco nro- cluceJ in Ruilla. The barbarous man, at that one li'i^Ie t'.nyj, ruined a whole ppi)vince. \\'c ice in iheic- monopolies the model of the iiidiicrect donations ry Louis XVI. to thcinfatiablc i\}llgiv ; ic, ('ci:dc, &-.. ScHU\\*Ai.orv, \\-}\o with profit alib \vas dci'irous of becoming iliuilriouSj %v;'Ji a view to this, propo- Voi.. I. L led S'-2 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fed to Elizabeth," to employ ibme famous hiitoriaii to compofe the hiilory of Ruilhi. He gave her to undcrftand that this plan, long meditated by Peter I. was refervcd for her, and that it alone could im- mortalize both her name and her reign. He propo- led Voltaire, \vho had already written the romance, called, the hiilory of Charles X-lIj and he was ac- cepted of. WE were allured in Rufiia, that Voltaire had re- ceived correct extracts and memorials written by Peter the Fir it's own hand, \vitli whatever was found inoft remarkable in anecdotes, in the library of the academy of faiences in St Peterfburg ; yet notwithftandirrg thefe materials, and the capacity of the writer, this hiilory cf Ruffia was very incom- plete, and unworthy cf the hero it celebrated. The Rufiian academicians, in particular, maintained, that it contained aim oft none of the materials iurnifhcd to the author, who on the contrary had therein in- lertcci many things, which had not been communi- cated to him, and wherein tijs truth of facts had been changed j but thi;: accuiaiijn is not abio]u-_c!y weH .iov.ndcd. llov/evcr it be, at Pcterfburg- people were L;encra;iy discontented, beta ~.\ ith the author and the vork. Schuv/aloii clpecially expreilcd to Voltaire i.n ilron^ Venris, his own lurpriie, that he not only had not made u!e of the interefting anecdotes am\- municatcd to him, but alib (UJcd his memoirs with abi'urd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. S v contradictions, and' mangled all the names of families and towns. Voltaire anfwcred, that he was not accuftomed to tranfcribe literally the mate- rials he was furnifhed with : that he had arranged 7 O the plan, and directed the work in his own way ; that not having introduced the private life of the X.-zar into the hiilory of Rufiia, he had not been a. ble to benefit by the anecdotes, which only concern ed this prince ; that in many places he had been o- bliged to fupply the materials tranimitted him, by -other notes he had procured, of which Staniflaus, who had been Peter's cotcmporary, had warranted the authenticity. 6 As to the reproach of having mangled the names ; a German," added he^ " fcems to bring it on me; I wifli more breath, and fewer confo- ** nants." Schuwaloff was fo much the more pro- voked, as to encourage the compiler of this hif- r.ory, which he hirnielf had projected, he liad fent beforehand a rich box of furs, and a collection of all the Rufllan medals ft ruck in gold. The furs ar- rived at Forney, but the medals having been cn- truiled to a certain Ruffian gentleman, called Pufcii- kin, addicted to \vine and women, were diflipated in parties ol pleafurc. AVits at the court of St Pe- terfburg, on hearing this news, fliid, that Pufchkin had been fhipwrcckccl wi:h the rncdals, as Voltaire bad been with the RmTmn memoirs. f ?- Nor- 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. NOTWITHSTANDING her favourites, and fomc weakneffes to be attributed to licr education, rather than to her fex, Elizabeth had great qualities, and all, who have fpoken of her, have pronounced high eulogiums on her humanity. When ihe mounted the throne, fhe made a vow to iniiicl no capital pu- nilhment during her reign. It is even added, that fhe flied tears when fhe received the news of fomc victory gained by her armies. Yet it is obforved, that though during her reign no criminal was exe- cuted publicly or formally, the rriibns were full of miferable people, fcveral ot whom perillied by the foul air they breathed ; a death undoubtedly more terrible than that inflicted by the fworcl of execu- tioners. , THE ftate inquifition, or the Secret C-mr.uitcc* who looked after perlons fufpecled of ftate- crimes, were perpetually active during Elizabeth's reign. Many people on the flight eft evidence, underwent torture within the boundaries of the prifons, where thev received the r^nouij and expired under the torments of this cruel punifhment. This juitice, executed \vithin four walls, is an atrocious vengeance, an un- profitable murder, becaufe the puniihmcnt of t'u, guilty ought to be exemplary and public. 13ut wi::i: reiiecls the greateft difhonour on ti;Is piincei"^' rci^:i is the punifhment fhe caufeci be iniiiclcd on tlie Cour.teflcs Bcjlucbcf and Lapi-cbri. By her orders each TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 8$ each received thirty ftrokes of the knout, in a pu- blic fquare ; their tongues were cut out, and they were baniflied into Siberia. One of thefe ladies, the Countefs Lapuchin, efteemed the prettied wo- man in Rufiia, was acculed of having carried on a fecret correfpondence with the French ambaflador ; but the true crime was, having fpoken with too much freedom of Elizabeth's amours ; and ladies know no forgivenefs for this injury. The bare nar- ration of this cruel vengeance makes one fhud- der. Figure a delicate woman, diflinguimed by rank, publicly mangled by the hands of an execu- tioner. Horror and pity are then the only fenti- ments which affect us, and we throw off every fort of refpect for the memory of a princefs, who was barbarous enough to commit fiich an excefs of cruelty. BUT, while lamenting thefe inhuman confequen- ces, and turning our eyes afide from the fcene we have been viewing, if we examine Elizabeth's cha- o * racier with lefs feverity, we will [be reconciled to her. We recollect all the good tint me did ; we fee that her heart, naturally inclined to kindnefs, had allowed itfelf to be corrupted by abfolute power, and hardened by fufpicion, but that it returned to the fentiments of pity and mercy, when her paffions and prejudices did not get the better of her. In fhort 3 thofe, \vhc have been near her, affirm, that it was impofiible ?6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nnpofhble to obtain from her a conient to pnnii'h the moft atrocious crimes with death, except when the lieutenant of the Police conftrued this very cle- mency of their fovereign into the hurt of the un- happy pcrfons; and when he had fecret recourfe ( to the frightful expedient of inflicting the knout upon criminals of this clafs, till they expired under the ftrokes ; a death u.nqueftionably more cruel than capital punifhment ; fince in the latter cafe, they would have been only beheaded, and in the former they were ilowly cut to pieces. Elizabeth died in the year 1761, in the fifty-third year of her age, ^ncl twenty-fecond of her reign. C II A P. VIII. Mixr iil St P'-tcrJlurg. Morsy coined there. 27?* Cr.nr PcUr the Firjl's kwfc an object of curio/ity. Cb'jrd; ;:.i!. Ii; is at ihi:-, t::r.\ funufliei abiindini: iroiiv, liuce ihere i:; io mu-:.h .illi v in it t litre is .: |',a!n of jS per r^ni. and 37 pjr ce::i. on illver. hut ir -udtur- the dii'.'ircv^tblc dfirc: v-; : TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. be made, and the greatcll difcredit thereby brought on the ftate. FROM the fcrtrcfs you go by \vater to the ifle next to St Petersburg, to do homage to an wooden cottage, famous for having ferved as an habitation to Peter the great, while he was building the for- trefs. It Ins been preferved in its original ft/ate by tneans of a brick building, that ferves it for a cover. This houfe has only one ground Hat, conftfting of three rooms, a large hall for receiving company, a. dining room and a bed chamber. Hard bv it is a O ' boat with four oars, built by Peter's own hand, which has been ibmetimes called the link Grand fir?, but improperly ; this honourable name being refer- ved for the boat already mentioned. A PINE fro ft and fome friends engaged us to pay a vifit to the iupcrb rnonaitery of S: Alexander Neuiki, which Hands at the extremity of the Mof- cow iuburbs. Its iituation, but efpecially that of the Gardens, is quite romantic. There are four cioiiters, among which are tlie cells of ilxty raouks who there renew the opulence of the old Trench Bcinar'Jine.s. Tlic-y have their jolly look> and want <;i care, t-ut tliv:y nrc more ignorant. The B;nnr- dines ai:u nioiil. ; in France \v\:re only fonJ: of goo-J eating, bi-t ti'.o'.r in Rufiia are drunken i'. t-, w!:o are lifted np every day in the public itrects. AVe \\ r ere received ny iv/o r.-l tl\cie monks, who were tlie Iiigheft TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 89 higheft in the monaftcry. The dinner they give us was at iirit a monk's rcpaft, and afterwards a gre- nadier's debauch. '1 he rnonailery of Ncufid war. founded by Peter I, who m.u 1 : the Great Duke Alexander Neulki or, the Nrviar, be canonized, lie was fo named from the vid.o:->LS he gained over the Swedes on the banks of the Neva. The Rinnan cbr^y, and the people, in imita "on of their pridV;, tell of this Great Duke (who during his life lime hid no doubts of being- one da,- enrolled in 'he legend) a multitude of mi- rack'-;, every one more a;>furd than another. Tiiey teii amor.;/ tiu roll, tii.it in the city of \Vrbdimcr ; \vhifiicr Ms body had been transferred, when the? Metropolitan approached ni:n with the ordinary pahnort, the faint'., hand o;/cncd of its own rv.coiv. and took It. They attribute to him alio the win- jdn:^ of a battlv, that Demetrius Iwanowitfcli ^^in- cd over the i\:\n c-f the Tartars. But the miracle molt pvneraiiy believed, and which it would he iin - priulert to tlifpntc \vith the Rr.:iian3, is that of the conilai^rarion of \V<;'odi;rcr. The church, >n \vhic:i Alcxaiiii'.'r w;-i buried, h:.cl "a]-.c:i fire, e Ivc.y.r.c i ! :-- prey of ;!,- j.Urr.cs, excep^ body, that appeared, they Oy, in in i::, H.i-u-:, iLll furrounclod in the fhcct, \% '>: bt-cn buried. The i I- cot a-, it;., -.- ly >,. tOUCuCd. VOL. I. 9c TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. IT was thcfe pretended prodigies, which indu- ced Peter I. to have Alexander the Nevian cano- nized, and to build, in honour of him, the fu- p^rb monaftery, which embellifhes the capital of the Ruffias, to contain the body of the Saint in a mag- nificent filver coffin, k was iirft, to accommodate matters with'his Clergy, whom his reforms had alie- nated from him ; Secondly, to honour the memory cf a warrior, who merited the gratitude of pofte- rity by his fignal victories ; and thirdly, the true motive was to introduce into his country a tafte for monuments and the arts. ELIZABETH entered into the views of her father, and cauicd a monument worthy of Italy be creeled to the memory 'of a warrior, beatified by her fa- ther. We there read a long latin infcription, breath- ing nothing of the auguftine age, which informed u, that Saint Alexander joined all the virtues of 3 ehriuian to the abilities of a foldicr; and that the au~ gult Elizabeth, who poffeffed all the virtues of her father and mother, erected this monument. This ichoUiiic amplification, which begins with thcfe words, 2 ;;/ fee. Reader, bi-i* dear the afocs cf Sainfs. ar: ; G .. ; ; proves, that if t trodu-cd into R':i"!h, th.j Ian ic arts have been in- Jary ftyle has not yet CHAP. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 9-1 CHAP. IX. N sf S/ Petersburg of all Rujfia. The Ruffians divided into four constitutional chijfcs. Tb? nobility r , the fir ft clafs, which contains fourteen other?. Boyard what is nndcrftood by ibis title. The Clergy, the fccond clap. The Burgeffcs and Fret- men, the third. The Peafant^ the fourth clnfs. Thofc^ who belong to the crown. Ihofe, who bciotig~ to individuals. Unfortunate fituaticn of the latter. oT Peterfburg contains about two hundred thou- land inhabitants, and Bufching who may be con- fulted with confidence refpefting Ruflia, rates the total population of this vaft empire at twenty mil- lions. According to Sulmifch it contains twenty four, and Monfieur Lcvcf no.. bility, and ordaining the ripdit of purri^ihrg CT fell- ing lands to be vefted in nobks aS(;ne, It is true., rhis prciog^'ivc rcg.irds only Rufua Fro])cr, for in Ukraine TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 93 Ukraine and the provinces conquered from Sweden (ingria excepted } lands may be poflencd by com- moners. (.Grandees are not obliged as in the days of Peter I. to arm, and head their vadals ; they arc only bound to fcrve in the army, and to furniih re- cruits in proportion to the extent of their pofieilions. IN Ruiii.i, as in aim oil all the caftern governments, there is almoit no diftinclion of rank among the nobles, except \vhat they derive from offices, and the degrees conferred by the:': Sc-vc reign. The old- tit ions of perior.s railed to the firir dignities have no prerogative attached to their birth. The great- iK'fs of a family, that unites immenfe riches with the moft eminent: dignities, is, as it were, annihi- lated at the death of its chLf, b:cau(e fortunes are equally divided arrv'ng the ions; ana the titles which are hereditary, without the fovereign's favour, in ;;o vv-ay contribute to render thole great, who bear 'hern. Be tlvjy Princes, Counts, or Barons, the diftinction is no'Jiing, ir i: be noL' fupported by fome. civ'l (A' military employment. In Ruilia, titles of anei'jnt nui;ili:yor iiiuitrious a:ic:jli)V6 do not prevent Lim. to whom his o:ilce ^ives only the rank of Lieu- tenant, iruin being, wliiie out t'-f military iervice, Inierior even to a Captain taken ii\,-:n llie LiLeit no- bility, (r even tro'ii the c.ii's <;r ireedmcn. IN ordc r to underiland tlii.i pire-eiVjinence well, it in nil be huov/i:, ilut in RuUi.i, people in office OUght 94 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ought to be enrolled, in order that they may haw a certain exiftence in one of the fourteen claffes, call- ed Civil C/ajfcs, which all fuppofe a military grada- tion j for in Ruilia, as in all governments, where the head is a defpot, the government is altogether military. The Ruffian Courtiers are placed in the three firft of thefe claffes, or are fuppofed to make a part of them. The firft feven are always invited to the entertainments given by the Emprefs, while there are only fome privileged members of the fe- ven laft, that are admitted to them. It will help to give an idea of the arrangement of thefe claffes, to explain what fort of individuals are enrolled in the principal clafles. In the firft THE Field-Marfhal- General ; the Admiral-Gene- ral ; the Graqd-Chancellor of the Empire. In the fecond THE Chief- Generals of the Infantry and Cavalry, the Governors of Provinces, the Grand-mafter of Artillery ; the fecond Admiral of the Fleet ; the Grand Marfhal of Court, and all the Privy Coun- fellors compofing the Directing Senate. In the third THE Grand Equery ; the Attorney-General of the Directing Senate ; all the Lieutenant-Generals ; the Knights of the order of St Andrew; the Commif- faries* General of War j and the Vice- Admirals. In TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 95 In the fourth THE Grand Chamberlain ; the Preiidents of Col- leges ; the Counfellors of State the Provincial Counfellors of Livonia and Eftonia; the Major- Ge- nerals ; the Quarter-Mailers-General ; the Lieuten- ant Colonels of the Guards (there are no Colonels) and the Rear- Admirals. In the fifth THE Herald-at-arms ; the Mafter- General of Pe- titions; the Grand Mailer of Ceremonies; the Grand Mailer of Waters and Forefls ; the Grand Mailer- General of Police; The Vice-Prefidents of Colleges; the Director- General of Poils; the Grand- Mailer of the Court Stables ; the Secretary of the Emprefo' Cabinet; the firil CommiiTaries of War ; all the Co- lonels of the army, and all the Captains of the Navy. THE other clafies, whofe enumeration would b~ tedious, defcend always in degrees and reipeclabili- ty. In iliort the fourteenth contains, firil, the Court -Pages, who in every place wifli to have a rank, which is always given them. Secondly, tlir Subaltern-agents of litigation, a kind of vermin, O O which fwarm in Ruilia, as in every place ell'c, and join greed to the iniblence of preteniions. Thirdly, the Soldiers and Sailors of the inferior gradations, who form the moil corrupted part of this cLifs, an-.l confequently defpife whatever is not connected \viti. their profellion. rn :i noble? B; FOR;, the time of Peter the Great, the only he:odi':;ry vitl-j w;is tliat of A;.'^, wliicii was inter- preted by that of Prince. The title of tiovani, \\ hich ibme traveller^ have nude rtgniiy Prhy C^:>n;\:!hr. was TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 97 was given, and is iliil given, in the Ruffian provin- ces, to the po!]eilors c,f great eftates, or hereditary fiefs, which hold of the fovercuni. In the time of o the Grand Dukes of RuiTi.i, tlie Bayards were con- voked in dier, to deliberate on tl-e important affairs of ib.te. They \vcre the Grand Barons of the coun- try. If a difference, arofe between t\vo Boyard:*, or between a lioy.ird and the Sovereign, the lioyards formed :i court, pronounced judgment, and th-.; Grand Puke was bound to iubir.it to the ientence, which tills tribunal .''..id given. In the Ruflian re- cords th;-- - e are in 4 l.mces o'f (irand Du!:cs bciiu" 1 ; ba- ,ni'l:ed ; n confequcncc or ilie judgment (>i tii?. Hoy- ards. TI-K) ;: \v!io too.k flic t:;Ie or AA;.V, \verc d'Jccnd- ?d, or pretended to be djiccndcd from ionic c-Jla- teral bra:iclics of the reig nm!-;, cr iVoni IOITK- Lithnanian princes, wlir; had fettled in Ri:i!*a In t!i f ; f'ourteciiui or (iitcer^h century, c/r from .;'^; tar lords, \\lio l>cc::i v ::c Liibjecls or the c-iipir l\van VaiTiIowitich; or in fhort from ibt:: or foreign famine.;, who h;\d felllcu i.-i V. r itli rime, tiie nuniber c,l thcil: provinces ^rrcat, lhat tlierc were Li.ree hur.dr^ . t;-,U O ^s common luidicrs in the imple regiment zikoff's dragoons. THOUGH Peicr ll;c Grc'.t, 1:1 :; ;-:\t'o;i ; flier courts cf Europe, i'-itroduc^-J. into Ki. VO. L V 9 S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, titles of Counts and Barons, and though his fuccef- ibrs have followed his example, none of thefe titles A. 7 have fuiii'jicntly nattered the favourites of the Ruf- fian fovcrcigrns. They have often delired to be crea- v^ J ted Princes of the German empire, as Mcnzikoff \v\-s on the requeft of Pet.r I. and fince him., the Princes Orlofrs and Potemkins under the reign and at the felicitation of the Emorefs Catfiiarine II. I Ac according- to the iyilcm eftabiiflied by Peter I. fbut it has been altered in proportion as it departed from its icurcc) every pcrfon takes rank only from the depree he lias in the arinv, thev make 2;reat O / 3 * o ' hade to get advancement, and yet they are on- ly regularly advanced, for it is neceiTary to have fervcd as a corporal or lerjcant, before any one can be made an officer. But favour eludes this rule. Infants at the breafl arc often made fcrjeants or cor- porals, and it i> not ahvays necefiary, to have made ; a fmglc campaign to obtain rank, fince it can be cornc at by civil employments. Although the la\v made by Peter I. obliging every gentleman, under pain of degradation, to i'erve in the army, lias been -.ibolifhed by Peter III. the cficcts of it frill iubfift. >'o gentleman belovr the rank of IMajor, however rica lie ir.ri) be, can have more tliau two horics in his carriage ; and below the rank of Brigadier, he can hive only four ; and though lie fhouiu join the higbcft fortune to the Ligheit birth, if lie has never been TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 99 been in the fervice, he can have in the capital only a carriage with one horfe, unlefs by fpecial permif- ikm ; while a fimple merchant may have a coach with two horfes. Notwithftanding all this, there are different ways of procuring military degrees, and the privileges attached to them. For initance, a chamberlain to his Majeily has the rank of Major General ; the offices of fecrctary in the different de- partment's, gives the name of Officers ; and thole, \vlio contribute a certain fum for the fupport of the foundling hofpital at Mofcow, obtain the rank of Lieutenant ; and this way of rendering the vanity lubfervicnt to the utility of the human race, proves the crenius of the Lcsrifiator, who made this law. O O 7 THE Nobles on their eftates, have an authority almoft unlimited, and difpofe of their flaves with- out any reftriclion, as will appear in the article^ wherein we treat of this unfortunate caft, called Pcaiants. The fecond order is the Clerc'v, and .1 O * ' Patriarch is their chief. Peter the Great, finding that he who occupied this dignity, had too much authority, fuppreffed the Patriarchate in the venr J72i. But being a politician too dextrc^u., to de- clare himfelf the head of the Church, in what re- garded fpiritualitics, he prudently cor:>'utted the principal direction of eccleiiaftic ai^ii'b to a commif. fion, which he named the II'''}' Sync*.!, making it en- tlrely dependent on himfcli", by adminiftering to JDO TRAVELS IN RU55IA. each of its members an oalh, that they would ac- knowledge him as their fupremc judge. Thi ( Sy- nod, which has the Kmperor for prehdent, is com- pofed of 1 vice-prelident, who is commonly the me- tropolitan arch-biOiop, and five conn felloe, who are the rjrft prelates of the empire ; iuch as the bi- ihr..p : ; oi Plcfcow, of Ripra, of Twer, and of Kachin. In our own remembrance, [ohn PaniilofF, cor.fefior to Catharine II. f : ;t among ih'jie prelates, with the inilucne.: of a pricit, that fee:, hio fuvereign at hh : , Tii?. Rnfiian clesry are compr-fed of regulars and feculars. r l'he former ure the );ionk>, the iecond., the pH'-ftS c;r curates of tiie pariihes. TiiiL f/rcu.tci.t part of tlie nehes of the Ruffian church was formerly concentrai.ed in the rno naile- ries, whofe animal revenues amounted to more than forty millions of French livrc;:, or iixteen hundred thoufand p';iincls fterling. THK m^nbs, like other poil-jilors of fief;-;, excrei- fed an abfoiute power over their peaibnts, and tins voke was not the lighted on tl:e unfortunate (lave ; but under the reign of Catharine 11. this rule chan- r-.-\ She oranicd freed. orn to the pcafants, wlio O ' > depended --.'j ir.onaTterie^, and annexed the cftatcs of tie el; r, ; ; '- to r.ie crown, bui; paid pensions to the nionk-. a;ul {-; 1 Ucs. The Ruinans, however cn- vL-j^t'.i' \ cixed not for exccmmunicatioiij nor did they TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. lor they tliink their religion in danger, becaufe their Popes no more had fiaves and thoufands of roubles. 1'he archbifhops and the bifhops have from iixtccn to eighteen thoufand livres a year, and the clergy oi interior rank in proportion. At the time of this change, feveral monailerics v/ere fupprefled. and the number of monks confiderably reduced; and in thofe prcferved, an oivicr was iilucd, proliibiting the ad- i;ii(iion of above a certain number, and the age was ];xed, at which they could take vows. Tin, R.I; were however fome murmurs, and the friends of the monks maintained, that thi:; reform would ibon produce the great eft evils in Ruiila, be- c;iu!e the monasteries were the only feminaries for thole, who \\--cre deiiincd for the clerical order, and the monks being :Ii: only people acquainted with the icicnce, that \\\;s among the Ruffian clergy, ig- jioran-je wr.s from that rime to l:e the lot of the "Greek chur-..h. The governor did i:ot amuie him- iclf \vlLi ,-.juV i -.;rir.g thcfe vain allegations. He was erfeclin the :rn:ittcrics b.e :i:id left; fpund- rent places for the i);ih uclic-n thv ivience or t lie penfioned fiirr-ileJ. that ot the chrgy before en- ;i rnay he imagined, could not be tor in R u ilia like other countries, the uV_ iiudics hiu- or roiic ut aii. THERE 102 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THERE are thirty three archbifhoprics or bifhop- rics in Ruffia, whereof the principal are j Novogorod, Mofcow, St Peteiiburg, Kafan, Aftracan, Tobolik, Mohilef, Smolenlko, Archangel, Kiow, &c. , AT this day Ruffia contains a hundred and fifty monafteries, governed by fifty eight Archimandrites or Abbes ; and ninety nine Igownens or Priors, and fixty feven convents directed by abbeffes. The number of monks is fuppofed to be upwards of fix thoufand, and of nuns more than five thoufand. The other priefls or eccleliaftics belonging to monaf- teries and cathedrals, are to the number of two thoufand. THE curates are defigned commonly by the title of Papa or pope, a Greek word fignifying father, and given indifcriminately, in the firfl ages of Chrif- tianity, to all ecclefiaftics, till Gregory VII. ordered it to be referved for the bifhop of Rome alone. The feparation, which has always exifted between the Latin and Greek church, did not allow the lat- ter to refpecT: this order, and therefore the name of Pope has remained to the Greek priefls. The vi- cars and priefls fettled in parifhes are called Proto- popes, or Firfl Popes. THESE Popes and Protopopes, who ought to be felect men, enjoying a certain refpeclability in foci- ety, are commonly the mofl contemptible part of the people in Ruffia j the greateft part not being ublc TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 105 able to read, in their own language, the gofpel they are commiflloned to preach, they accuftom them- felves to recite the fervicc by dint of memory. Their degradation and ignorance are attributed to the fmall falary attached to their functions, yet in a country, where provisions are at the lowed rate, they have about fifty crowns in the fmalleft living, and feven hundred and fifty livres in the bed. Be- iides they poflefs an wooden houfe, and a piece of ground, which they themfelves generally cultivate. The higheft dignity, at which the popes can arrive as long as they are married, for celibacy of prieils is not a precept among the Greeks, is that of firft prieft of a cathedral, whofc income is about eight hundred livres a-ycar. The archbifhops are chofeu from among the monks, who look on the popes as very far below them. The reigning Emprefs per- fuadcd, that the moft effectual means of civilizing a O iuperftitious nation under abfolute fubjection to pricfts, was to attend to the education of fuch as were deilincd for the clerical order, has founded different fcminaries, wherein the children of primus are brought up. With the fame intention ihc lias by every mean encouraged the clergy in general to to improve themfelves, and emerge from the grcfs ignorance, into which they had funk; but the popes * ti. j.Stcriir.-. ic4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, popes with difficulty and reluctance coir. ply witli their fovereign's liberal defigns. IN Ruilia monks arc not allowed to marry, while marriage is enjoined on the pricfts, as a preliminary indifpenfable for ordination, but they muit marry none but young women. If their wives die, they may enter into a rnonaftcry, and afterwards rife to the hig-hcil dignities of the church, which are grant- ed to monks alone. This is the very reverie of the Latin church, where the monks are nothing, and the fecular priells every thing. The Rufiian popes car. not engage in a fecond marriage, unlefs they become laymen, and as widowers, they cannot re- main pariih -priefts, without the fpecia4 permifilon of the bifhcps, All the children of priefts arc free and generally conk-crated to the fervice of the church. ALT, the ecclefiaftics wear long beards, and are diftinguilhcd from the laity by letting their hair grow long, and wearirig U about their fhoulders with- out being tied or curled. They believe th.it their beards and long hair bring them to a nearer rcfeni- blance of Jems Chriit, who is ahva;-> rcprcfented with a long beard and long linir. r i'he popes wear a very liigh fquare cap, and a long black or brown gown reaching to their ankles. The dignitaries of the church are diftinguifhed by richer garments. LEAVING the clergy, the third conftuutiona! clafs m Runia is that, which is between the nobility and peafants. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 105 ipeafahts. The Kmprefs Catharine II. defigns it in her new code " THIS dafs of men, \vorthy to be mentioned, , tl ; tain privileges, by me an:, of wliicli tk the order of peafan'i.-r, t:,cfe prlvik-g ous, and confined cither by t ! ic imnvenf;: mor.oDulieS cxercifed by the crov:n, ur by tke mean.-, whiJi \l^. VOL- I" O -ratid-^ io6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. grandees found out for opprefiing thefe focietres of merchants a thoufand ways. But Peter, whom no- thing efcaped, having obierved on his travels, the Utility, nay, neceiTity of a third eftate in his empire, to make commerce flounfli, with this view, publifh- cd feveral regulations, which, however excellent, did not anfwer the end the legiflator had propofed, becaufe they were not fuited to the nature of pro- perty, fuch as it is in Kufiia. One of the moil: ufefui of thefe regulations was that, by which the prince granted to force free cities certain privileges, which Elizabeth afterwards augmented ; but they were O 7 J confined to the cities of St Peterfburg, Mofcow, Aftracai), Twer, and ibme large provincial towns. In the reft, the inhabitants, the merchants not even cxcepted, remained in ccitain cafes on the fame level wilh the peafants. They were fubjeeted, for in dance, to the two principal kinds oi : dependence., Vviiich arc the indelible marks of fervitude, viz. ca- pitation, and ballot for going into the fervice of thln uncommon in- tcl'I jencfi to the o;rcarr;r ^t^riour. Tlv.Te are few of the:-;; 'A'l'O c'o not unSt Pcterfburg to learn trades there. They afterwards employ them on their cftAte:, hire them out, fell them with profit, or make them pay an yearly fum for the periniiiibn of working on their own account. When the landlords come TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 115 Come to the refolution of felling them, they expofe them in the public market place, with their wives and children, and each of them has on his forehead a ticket telling his price and his (kill. O I WITH regard to the authority that belongs to the lord over the pcafants ; according to the old laws, he could try them by his own officers, and even puniili them without bringing them to trial. Except thelvnout, he could at his pleafure make them be beaten with rods, fhut them up in cells, fend them to a corrcclion-houfe, banifh them into Sibe- ria ; in a word, condemn them for every fault, winch did not amount to a public crime. Indeed he had no power over their lives, for if a (lave had been beaten by his mailer's order, and died within three days, the m after was profecuted as guilty of murder, unlefs he could plead other cnu- fes of the death of his Have. But this was only il- Jufory juftice, for a man may unquestionably be chaftifcd in a te-rrible manner, without dying' in three days : and fuppofe a Have chaftifcd to death, who would have dared to avenge the innocent vic- tim, by bringing the murderer to juftice, if he was powerful enough to cliiregard or elude it ? }}y the: new code this enormous power has been refirict'd. nreording to the principles of humanity; and the n?;ht of puniflung lias been lodged with the people only to whom it belongs that is, with magifirates. VOL. I. P Yet ii4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, Yet there Hill exift many abufes, but theie will ifi time yield to the influence of the inftitutions of Pe= ter and his fueccflors. THE fj-aves, who labour for their mafters, are re- warded by a piece of ground, from which they draw the produce, and the moft neceffary articles ef life, a fmall number of which falls to the fhare of this unfortunate clafs. In order to drive from their minds their unhappy fituation, the RuiTian peafants fpend the little fums they have earned, on clothes- and fpiritous liquors. On the other hand, thofe, who fa,ve what they may have gained by labour or commerce, conceal as carefully as poflible, what they have acquired ; becaufe, as we have juft faid, their greedy mailers would tear from them their little Hock, if they knew of it. The wretched people of- ten bury their money, and die with the i'ecret. This cuftom of hiding- their money, is one of the caufes of the fcarcity of fpccie in Ruilia, for it is principally in filver that the peafants realize their ilivings. This practice, or rather, this dire noccffi- ty, prevails in all the eaftern countries, where pro^ pcrty is not fecured ; where the people are ftich Haves, that the fear of exactions allows them not to enjoy the wealth they have acquired. In ipire of the little enjoyment the Ru/Tun^ receive from theirs, they are neverthelefs fct on gain, and there are nc merchants tlv.it afk fo much for their goods, and arc fatisficd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 115 fatisficd with fo little ; a certain proof of continual oppreffion. THIS privation of the convcnicncics of life is n what makes the Ruillan peafants to be pitied. Cuftom eafily confoles them. But it is the clepcn- dance in which they live, that excites companion in their favour. Their wants have a tendency to make them hardy, patient, and eafily fatisfied ; but this ftate of {Livery, which they live in, makes them humble, cringing, obfiinate, negligent, and in fome degree unfeeling. A PEASANT may obtain his liberty, Firft, By the freedom frequently granted at the death of a mailer to thofe, who have been his ilril fervants. Secondly, By purchafmg his liberty. Thirdly, By ferving in the army or navy ; for a peafant is free from the moment he is enrolled, and continues to be fo, after he has obtained his dif- eharge. On every occaiion the Emprefs, who fees, not without forrow, the painful exiitence of tliis pre- cious branch of the human fpecics, has facilitated the mcai:s of obtaining liberty, by ceding to the pcafants many crown rights, which in ibme rdpects rendered this acquisition diliiciiit. ALTHOUGH the Czarina cannot aHccl the proper- ty of the nobles, by conferring on the peai'ams any important privileges, tint would attack thofe of their matters, yet fhc has not neglected their interells. P 2 ii TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. She has lightened their chains, and ibftened their lot, by different laws made in their favour. She has befides permitted them to fettle in any part of her ftates, and to enter or enrol themfelvea among the Burgeffes and Merchants according to their re- ipective funds. She has given to their liberty great- er (lability, and to their induitry powerful encou- ragement. In certain diftricls ihe has abolifhed the opprefTive laws, prohibiting peafants to marry with- out the confent of the governor of the province, or magiftrate of the city, to whom the hufbands were obliged to carry prefents. By fuppreiTmg this tax, that was an outrage to the mo ft facred rights of humanity, the Emprefs has wifely removed all the obftacles to a numerous population, and render- ed the marriages of peafants Ids difficult and more frequent. CHAP, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 117 CHAP. X. ADMINISTRATION^ civil and political. The directing frnatc'. Colleges or departments which depend on them. "Tribunals. Who prefede there. Advocates. A- hufcs in judicial proceedings. The code of Catha- rine II. Penal laws. Punifhment of the Knout. Defcription of the injlrument ujed in this punijhment. The Battoges, another fort of puniftimcnt. Abo- lition of torture. Management of prifons. 1 HE Empire of Ruffia is politically divided into forty four military governments, entrufted to ge- neral officers invefted with the higheft authority, who very often rife fuperior to the civil adminiftra- tions, and put their own will or that of the prince, in room of the law ; and this in fpite of the codes of Peter I. and Catharine II. fo much extolled ; be- caufe codes of laws arc illufory, where defpotifm reigns. THE adminiftration of the empire is entrufted to the Dircding Senate^ and to the principal depart- ments, known under the name of Colleges. The fe- uate is of new inftitution, and has iucceeded in the room ot the courts of chancery, eilablifhed by Pe- ter I. This tribunal, under whofc jurifdiclion all vhe reft are v joias to the cognizance of every thing, the n8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the direction of the cilices of war, admiralty and domains. For this purpofe it is divided into fix departments, coinpofed each of one or more fenators, who prellde each in their turn ; of four privy coun- fellors, and a principal attorney. Under each of thefe departments, there is put, for the execution of the laws, one of the colleges juft mentioned, un- der the denomination of College for foreign affairs, College of war, College of the admiralty, College of juftice, and College of commerce. There is alfo a College of medicine ; an inftitution, which would be the moft falutary in a country, where pharmacy is yet in its infancy ; where a Routine exills, which . has produced no information about the quality and quantity of drugs. The College of medicine is par- ticularly charged with furniming the Imperial labo- ratories, which again furmfii the private laborato- ries, or are the only mops of the kind in moft of the towns of the fccond rank. The direction of this college is Peruvian bark for him, who is provided with ii, in fpirc of the reftraints, which Peter I. and his fucceilbrs have laid on the abuies, which this di- rection may produce. THE College of juftice is divided into fever.il cham- bers for the trial of criminal or civil cafes, and ac- cording to the privileges of forne provinces, they have prcfervccl a particular jurifdiftion, inch as that of Livonia,. Eilonia, and Finland. The iiril of thefe TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. iig thefe chambers fits at St Peterfburg, and the fecond at Koilroma. There is one for criminal trials at Catharinoliaw, another at Riga, a third at Kiow, and a fourth at Tobollk. IF any one fuppoied, agreeably to the fine phra- fes of the hiftorians, \vho have fpoken of the Ruf- fian Code, that profound lawyers prelidc over each of thefe tribunals, he would be in a very great miftakeo The Ruffian courts of juftice are almoft as badly fram- ed, as they were at the time, when the nation was ftili iunk in the darknefs of ignorance, when the fcience of the prielts turned only on fome Latin words, and u monotonous routine of pfalmody. Peter I. made fome meritorious efforts to bring his fubjects to the itudy of the laws, diftinguifhing by every fort of preference thofe, who appeared to apply to it ; cf- pecially by a regulation enjoining the heads of Di- cajUrts, or Chanceries to provide with a judicatori- :il appointment, and all the rights of a noble, the perfon who could prove a certain lime of iludy- But after the death of the legiflitor, this very re- gulation wa> art inexhauflible iburcc of abulV-.. l-'a- vour learned the way of proving ftudics tiut Ii.id never bet' 11 [>rntrcat(.:d.. and fl.-r iilc'.i iii the room of merit, 'i'luiv is anr/'hrr abuf;: more inconceivable flill, which c:\itls oi^y in Ixuiii.i, th.it: of putti!i ; r >r the head ut tiibunui- 1 , ir^iicr.ils .unl olliccr-.. v.ho r-j- ceive ..>s a iotreat, thn ojj-.-j c"*" intcrprciin ia\\s. y ICG TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. which they neither underfland nor are careful to underftand. THE advocates are not better informed than the judges ; they equal them in greed and exceed them in effrontery. A peafant or a ilavc, whom an ill formed perfon would ieem to difqualify for oratc- rial labours, gets by heart a part of the code and laws, and becomes an advocate. One at St Pcterf- burg was pointed out to us, who having ruined his affairs by ignorance of trade, had taken to the pro- feffion of an advocate as a laft fhift, and had made in it a brilliant fortune. AFTT.II what has juft been rend, judge of the ftate of the jurifprudence in a country, where it is r.eccfiarv to have handled the fword, and grown ' O old under military armour, before you can afpire at the delicate function of pronouncing on the for- tune and life of a citizen ; where birth, and intrigue full worie, by a thoufand low means, arc in this line riv.il.-; to military merit : where the places of fccretarlcs, advocates and other fubalterns, arc the prey of the rcruib o( the nation ; in fhort, where the p:\i5ticc of r'vir.g a difhoncft interpretation of tii-,; !,>xv, : j ine- iurcit \v.iy ci making a iortuiie. 'in; u :; is not pjrh.ips a country in Europe, where litigation b! :rs :r; re paper th;in in RuflLi. In bu- iinco even the i\'.c(\ fumm'.\ry there arc papers, (.f which vou c.i'i hurulv iniaiiinc the fizc. /\il the * O Dicalleres 1 RAVELS IN RUSSIA, 121 Dicnficrcs or courts of jufticc arc full of writers, who in fpite of their great number find means of fubliilcnee. They are the rnoft intblcnt and moil unmannerly lit in all St Petcrfburg. What aug- ments the expo-aces of diligence and ths vexation of counfcllors, is, that all is written on damped pa- pv*r, \viiich varies or riles in proportion to the ac- tions. NoT\viTiisT.\>7niNG this long (erics of inconvc- mendes, which proceeds more from man in gene- ral, when abandoned to the corruption of cities, than from a linglc nation, becaufe litigation and the vermin, that live by i<-, every where pollute thf. temple of Themis, we ih ill now fee, by what Ca- tharine has done to extirpate them, how far the Rnfiian nation V.MS from this Rate of civilization, in which it was iuppofccl, when this princefs fucceed- cd to the empire. Before her time the confufion of laxv.s \VP.S added to tb.c abu'e of litigation; the tri- bunals having no rules and ftatutcs, but thofe 06 Alexis Michaelowitfch, which were utterly devoid oi order and precision : .ind 'lie Ul\i ; [s or imperial t:ccrc?.s, made by Peter I. and his fur'vlfors, whirli were too numerous, and oitcn contradictory on very important points. THEN tlic vaft emire c,f tho Rridlas, was divid- Lcntive, and Subdivided into provinces, and every VOL. 1. provii;.:;- 122 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. province into circles and diitricts. There was # governor for the general government ; a lVo;'^ode and his okicers for each province, which formed what was called a chancery ; and a Woyvode or in- ferior judge for every diitriet. FROM this diftribution arofe abufes without num- ber, and the greateft was the enormous authority of the interior judges, who, as we have feen above, were people generally of low extraction, without any knowledge of the laws, and yet could not only punim fmall olFenccs, but condemn to the knout, and banifhment into Siberia. It often happened that pcrfons fufpecled of ibme crime, continued in priibn feveral years without being tried ; that they were put to the rack for want of fuillcient evidence, and this even more than ciice. Another abufe as great was this; the inferior judge often employed the iword of j.iilicc, for little perfonal acts of vengeance, " and then this iworcl was in his hand, no more than ihe iword of an aflailin. SEVERAL Empcn>rs iince the reign of Akxi.^ an-d .in particular, Peter I. ai;d the Emprei--, Elizabeth, had formed a plan of reforming the lav/s of the em- pire, but: ?.t had alwj ,\s remained without execution. Tliis undertaking as great as diilicult, was finally reiervcd ior Catharine 11. who in the year 1767, call- ed to iuofcow, deputies fyorn ail parts of the cm. pirc, named commiflioners to draw up nc\v rcgul-u TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. .123 lions, and delivered to them the inftrucHons {he had drawn up, or caufed be drawn up ; ail dictated by the true fpirit, that ought to animate a wife kgiliator. CONFORMABLY to thefe inilructions, the firft part -of the new code appeared in the year 1775, and the fecorid in 1780. It was received, applauded and followed in the new governments eftablifhed by the divilion, which the new conftitutiqn ordered. But thofe attached to the old, conformed to it, only flowly and with murmurs, becaufe the ignorant look on the moil fenfible improvement, as a pernicious innovation, and the man of bad principles, living by the abufes, which reformation deftroys, puts hiin- felf on a level with the ignorant, and exclaims loud- .er againic it . BY the new conftitution, the empire at firft di- vided by Peter I. into nine extenfive governments, x was fubdividcd firft into thirty two, and afterwards into forty four, on account of the new province's added to the empire. Each of thcfc governments, at this day, contains from three to four hundred thouland fouls. An oliicer named Nameftnick, or Governor, is appointed to the adminiRration of one, and fometimes fcveral governments, and has under him, a Vice-governor, a council and court of iuf- tice, both civil and criminal, of whicli the court names feme members, and the red are elected by Q 2 the 124 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the nobility. Thus, by this inftitution, Catharine has in fome refpecls fet bounds to her able lute au- thority, by dimmiming the power of the tribunals, which depended folely on the crown ; by transfer- ring a part of it to' the nobility, and giving to this order feveral privileges, relative to the adminiftra- tion of juitice. Likewife by eflablilhing, in each go- vernment, fuperior tribunals to decide definitively, fhe has prevented the frequent appeals, -which \vere made to the Imperial colleges of St Peterfburg and Mofcovv, as well as the confidcrable expcnces and delays, which w :re the confluences of them. By forming diftincl departments for the finances, for the police and tlie different branches of adminilCra- tion, Hie has obviated the coiiiiion of juriiciictions, and the tribunals no more interfere with cue another, by meeting in the lame place. She has alfo facilitated the expedition of buiincfs, and of the adminiftratic i of juftice. She has augmented the falary of judges, v/hich \vas formerly too incon- iiderable, to p.rei^rve them from the aim oft irrelii- tible temptation of being bribed ; a iituation flie re- minds them of by tli : exprcluons ilie employs in the proclamation acklreilcci to them. " Formerly " your \vants might enga^;e you to be too attentive :c to your own private iiitereft, now your country c pays you for your labours, and \vliat formerly fc might receive fome fort of excufe, at preient b::- " coir.es TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 125 " comes a crime." She has conficlerably increafed the expences of the crown, without raifing the taxes, becaufe me has introduced better order into the finances. THE penal laws, in particular, have attracted the attention of Catharine. Elizabeth who firft planned this important part of legislation, and the edict, which abolilhed the punifhment of death, will make her revered for ever by the friends of humanity, who fee nothing in the fxvord of juflice, but thejrod pf an affectionate parent, with regret chaftifing his children. BEFORE Elizabeth's reign, travellers tell us only of frightful punifh merits, whofe feverity chills with horror. The Knout, a terrible inftrumenr, where- of all the defcriptions yet given, are falfe and ex- aggerated, was inflicted for the lead faults. But all OO 7 was changed by the jufr Elizabeth ; and before fpeaking of this happy period, we mail give a de- fcription of the knout, having viewed the inftru ment of this punifhment with our own eyes. IT is a ft rap of the thickncfs of a crown, three quarters of an inch broad, and made extremely hard bv a s kind of preparation. It is tied to a very thick plaited whip, hanging by an iron ferrule, at a little bit of elaftic iron, and the whole is fixed to a very ihort flick. Th; length of the ftrap is two feet, its breadth r.t the upper part is TT inch, at the lower end 126 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. end rV ; and the thicknefs A. The whip is two feet long, the handle fourteen inches, the 'length of the instrument five feet five inches, and its weight eleven ounces. Some idea may be formed of the great force, which a dexterous executioner, (that is a barbarian, paid for being' fo) can give to this m- iirument, when it is known, that if he receive par- ticular orders, he can difpatch the criminal by gi- ving him only two or three ftrokes on the ribs. We were prelent, when a 'poor wretch underwent the punifliment of the knout for murder. The exe- cutioner (in that country called the Majlcr) before ftriking retired fome fteps, at fame time drawing back the hand, in which he held the inftrument, then he advanced and applied the fiat end of the ft rap, with great force on the back of the patient. Firft he ftru.k on the right ihoulder, then upon the left, till he gave him the three hundred and thirty three ftrokes contained in the fcntence. \Ve obfer- ved, or rather we were made obfcrve, that he was dexterous enough not to give two ftrokes on the fame place. After this terrible execution: of his ien- tcncc, the unhappy man, whofe back ftreamed with blood, had his noftrils torn off with pincers, his f;icc branded with a hot iron, and was led, or ra- ther carried back to prifon, whence he was to be tranfported to Siberia, but we iufpect he did not furvive his punifliment,, IN TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 127 Itf Ruffia, the Battogcs is alfo inflicted. It is a kind of whipping performed with the branch of a tree, of the thicknefs of the little finger. The per- fon, who is to undergo this punifhraent is hid on his belly, and two men who hold him between their legs, one at the head, and another at the feet, give him alternately a ftroke on the back with the Bat-* toges and beat him till he, who directs tVc punifh- men't, deiire them to give over ; which orders are often not given, till the back of the unfortunate fulierer is mortally mangled. During the whip- ping, he is obliged to pronounce conftantly the word Wlnawat^ which means, / am guilty ; and at the end of the punimrnent, he muft go and kifs the feet of him-, who directed it, and thank him, that he did not make it more fevere. The higheft lords are xiot exempted from the Battogcs^ and take vengeance for it on their unhappy vaiials. This punifhment is particularly referved for the inferior orders, whom malversation or roguery, would any where die drive from their employments. In Ruffia it is reckoned snouq;h to bring 1 them dowr< to an inferior err-plov- O O J- ment, aftt;r the correction of the Bjttsges. Tin: peiKU ht\vs of Rullia v.-fie k>ng a of atrocitic;^., cfpeciilly uiidvi Iw.in BaiU the moft ing-'jni;;iis lorm^iuor tha." ^ver i^. Ruifian throne. The enipaiing, which brought into i?r?.clice, ^xiibd till I'^rer': f?.r 12* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. lords of the firft diftinction underwent this fright- ful punifhmeiit. We are told, but we can hardly believe it, that thefe poor men, in midft of their '.onnents, far from murmuring ngainit the Czar, put up prayers for the profperity of his reign, ' Now a days thefe horrors have no exillence, and the penal code is reduced, for pcrfons guilty of High Treafon, to beheading and perpetual irfipriibnment. Criminals, who by the huv were formerly condemn- ed to a'.rlral puni(hment, have now their noles torn off with pincers, their faces marked with a hoc iron, bcarir.g the imprcili.:n of the fprcad eagle of the empire, and receive the knout, as has been alre.idy faid, and are fent aftcrwirco to work all tlicir lives in the mines oi" Siberia. '1 his i'ort of pun'i.'iment i? tmqueitionably more cruel than the puniihment of death, and yet has not the f.nne cllicacy ; becaufo the individual culprit iees not his hit diffolution. PERSONS convicted of leiT^r cnmcs, are cither whipped, or transported i:\ro the colonies of Sibe- ria, or j'entenccJ to tlie pub-ic \vcrks for a certain time. I 5 callinrs, whom tiiulr lords can baniih af pieafure, ar-; lent to the colonies cf Siberia, by lim- ply dccb:ing the rralurc of their .',-iTencc;. ALL the crin-imils tranfported thither, are ler!: to the place of ihcir exiic in Aut-jm:i or Spring. They are carried partly In water, and partly marcli- ed over hnd, chained tv/j and two. and bound to a Ion or TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 129 a long rope. When this chain arrives at Tobolfk in Siberia, the governor diftributes thofe, who have learned trades, among the different mailers oi: the town, and fends others to work like ilaves in the country. The reft are conducted as far as Irkutft 9 and the trover nor difbofes of them in the lame way. O A ^ Thofe condemned for capital crimes are fent to the iilver mines and founderies of Nerfchinck. NOTWITHSTANDING the clemency fb much ex- tolled in the Emprefs Elizabeth, fhe had prefervcd juit as llie had found, the barbarous practice of ex- torting confeilions from perfons accufed of trcafon. It was terrible. It was a kind of Eilrapado. Their hands were tied behind their back, they were lifted very high in this poiture, afterwards ihry were? dallied on the ground with fucli v:oienc;- ; that the concufiion diilocated their {boulders, and in this horrible fituation they received the knout. Eliza- beth, the compafiionate Elizabeth, without refer ve, and for her little vengeancies, employee! this terri- ble inftrument of barbarity and defpotifm. During all her reign it was cuflomary to employ it at the pleafure of the inferior judges. It wa> only at the time that Catharine II. mounted the throne, that this torture, and every kind of torture, was pro- fcribcd in the tribunals. ALTHOUGH the fovereigns of Rufiiji nre abfoluts in the rnoft extenfive feiiie of ihe wr-rcJ, yet the cre- VOL, I. U neral ? 50 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. r.eral prejudice of the nation, in favour of torture, was io deeply rooted, that the Emprefs, who well knew, what indulgence is fometimes to be *ers, Tcs, and accompanies his anfvver \vith tome copecs. DURING the fcaft of Pcntccoft, the Ruffian pea- iants plant maize, and ffrew llowcrs in their church- es in honour of the Holy Ghoit, and alib in honour of fpring. After mafs, the pricft preaches a kind of practical fermon, in which he mixes the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with thoie of Nature, which is go- ing to be renewed ; bledes the flowers which the women and girls gather up, to crown and ornament their houfes with them. ON other festivals, and unfortunately there arc many in R.uiTia, divine fervice is performed there with much more pomp than in the Latin church, Y\ r e were fjvcral times witneHes of this in the ca- thedral of St Petersburg, \\-herc \vc faw the arch- bifhop of ?rlolcou r oiilciate, \vlio bears the name of the celebrated Plate., and is almo't as illuftrious as he. He is a man of letters, and though brought up in a cloifter, has none of its prejudices Yv r e follow* ed him to the church on the Sunday of Pentecoft, where TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 139 where he performed the duties of Pontiff in his fined robes. When he appeared in the choir, thofe who occupied the lobby, thundered a hymn in the Greek language,* which -ended not till the prelate advan- ced towards the fanctuary, where he faid a fhort prayer, and went afterwards to place himfelf on a kind of throne, erected in the middle of the church, where the priefts were waiting for him, to inveft him with his pontifical robes. lie put oil his Man- dias, or ordinary coat, and as they put on him the different parts of the drefs he was to be decked with, he kiffcd them before they were laid on. They af- terwards put on his head s. crown enriched with jewels, and on his (boulders a cloak or robe not lefs rich. We were told that this drefs was the fame with the Imperial robe, which the Greek Emperors formerly ufed, and in which they allowed the pre- lates to drefs themfcives, when they officiated, IT was in this drefs, that the archbifhop palled, into the fancluary, and began fcrvice, a part of which was read by the prieils in the Sclavonian lan- guage, and the reft by the archbifhop in the Greek; but he pronounced it, as the ritual directs, with the accent of the modern Greeks, in winch there is nothing of the profody of tiie ancients. We heard neither organ nor any ir/tifical inilrument, bccaufe S 2 the * The fervice is yr.era^y p ro\vs, a. cup, in v. hich v/a3 \vine mixed witn lukev/arm water. F.very one drunk oi" it in his turn, tlie cup paili]^g fucceiiively from the right ro\v to the ieiV, and e\'ery commu- nicant was ferved \vitii a bit oi: bread, in a fpeoiij which had been U3:\ked in u'inc. THIS ceremony, with the hymns and prayers, which preceded and followed it, lafted a complete hour, and ended with a benediction, which the archbiihop gave the people. Tie then returned to put off his pontifical robes, on the ieat, on which he had been drefied in them. THE Greek Priefts have much more reverence and meditation in their way of going through divine fcr- vicCj th:m the Latin prlcrts; and the difcipline of their church TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 141 church directs, that when once a prieft is at the altar, he muft not remove from it, during the time he ought to Hand there, whatever may happen him. For inftance we were told, that the Prelate Gabriel, at prefent metropolitan of Novogorod, and Archi- mandrite to St Alexander Neuiki, being one day engaged in faying mafs at St Peterfburg, the houfe contiguous to the church took fire, and the flames reaching the fteeple, Gabriel was warned of the dan- ger he was in, and yet he ftirred not, even although he was told a fecond time, that the bells w r ould not be long in bruiiing him to atoms. As the cries of the multitude, conjuring him to remove from cer- tain death, made no impreliion on him, one of his relations leaped towards the altar and tore him from it. Scarcely was he twenty paces from it, when the iteeple fell with a great crafh upon the fanctuary. In relating this ftorv, the Ruffians thought there O J O was much courage in this prelate's conduct, but we law in it nothing but fanatical obflinacy. RUSSIA for a long time had a patriarch, and next to the Czar, he was the nioft eminent perfon of the empire, and a! moil always equalled the Czar by his pomp and influence, when he did not furpafs him ; ror the Ruilians before being regenerate, revered the patriarch and his pricfcs like derm-gods. This pontiff in order to be legally inftalled, required to be confirmed by the patriarchs of Couftantinoplc. Alexi* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Alexis Michaelowitfch affifted the ambitious Nikon, of whom we mall have occafion to fpeak afterwards, in making off this yoke, and by that did a great fer- vice to his country, from which the patriarch of Conftantinople, like a true prieft, v, r as in the prac- tice of exacting money not his due. WE have feen that Peter I. did ftill a greater fer- vice to RulTia, by abolifhing the dignity of patriarch; declaring himfelf the head of the Rufiian church, in fplte of the remonftrances of the clergy, who accu- fed him of laying his hand on the cenfer; but Peter \vas too great a philofopher, not to tranfaiit to his fucceffors the Imperial crown, difencumbered with the facerdotal chains, fo difficult to break in former times and fo weak at this day, becaufe reafon has pointed out the way of accomplifhing the attempt. IN fpite of the civilized ftate, in which we believe the Ruffians are, it would be difficult to find a nation more fuperftitious ; not even Spain nor Portugal exceeds it. The Ruffians eat no hares nor pigeons; the former becaufe they are reputed unclean, and the latter becaufe they are afraid of eating the Holy Ghoft in the form of a dove. The ringing of bells is for them an object of veneration, and they afcribe to it much efficacy for the faving of fouls. On days of great folemnity, there are no ears able to bear the noife of the bells, which are put in motion at break of day, and are never fullered to reft till fur. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 143 fet. They reckon it devotion to go and ring them/ and on this account the cords of the moft part reach to cottages before the churches, conftrucfced exprefs- Jy for the convenience of benevolent ringers. LIKE the Spaniards and Italians, the Ruffians have fmall chapels in their houfes in honour of the faint, for whom they have a particular devotion. This faint of predilection is in RufTia known under the name of Bog, and no expence is grudged to de- corate the chapel of a BO& which is always furnim- ed with the richeft luminary, when the proprietor is in ability. This childifhnefs is not the rage of the common people alone. Noblemen, people in oface, monafteries, all have their Bogs, and at the higheft price. What will be fcarcely believed, but we can atteft, becaufe we have feen it, is that Mr Scheremetoff, a member of the Directing Se-;:i:c lias a cabinet of Bogs worth more than a million of roubles. 222,222 : 4. Sterling, GENERALLY the Saint or Bog is painted on wood, and it is the diamonds, with which it is furround- ed, that conititute its value, A Ruffian entering an apartment Llutes nobody before he has made three crofs iigns before the Boj of the houfc. The Bogs moil in falhion are St Nicholas, St John the Baptittj Sc Serglus and St Alexander Neuiki ; yet the other flints are not without veneration, more or ie^ 3 v/]?.!*:?: is always Icrt'^d by the ^r.- 1 tended vver 144 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, power attributed to them by ignorant fuperftitioru For example it is an opinion in this country that St George watches particularly over horned beafts, and that St Blaiie is with God the patron and interpre- ter of other animals. Horl'es have St Anthony, and St Jonas is for the fifties, St Aitippe is invoked for the toothach, St Klias againil thunder, and the Vir- gin for an infinite number of evils, and a very long patronage. THERE are feveral cities in Ruffia, in which there are particular markets for felling Bogs, and mer- chants when felling them avoid ufmg the word Buy,, A bargain may be always made at the price they fet on them, bccaufe it is a fin among them to afk too much, and we were alfo told, that it was one to cheapen them. The wax candles or tapers, which they burn before the Bogs, are the very reverie of our wax tapers ; they are thick at the top and di- minifh towards the bottom. The popes fay, that this form is jrivcn them, to imitate the vifual rav O ' of the faints, when they direct their eyes toward the earth. This folution, however infipid it may be thought, is not more fo than the anfwcrs often made by the catholic priefts to the indifcrect inter- rogatories o.f their devotees. AT a difcance from the capitals, the ftupid and creduloiv- arc moil ready to allow themfelves to be irnpofed on. by the fird: deceiver, that attempts it, They TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 145 They are perfuaded, for inftance, if they are huf- bandmcn or merchants, that in order to fucceed in planting or trading, fuch a Bog's favour is neceffa- ry ; that he will make their fortune, and muft be hired for a certain time, during which the borrow- ed Bog is grandly entertained and loaded will! of- ferings, which mull remain for the profit of the hirer. IN the worfiiip paid to the BogS, devotees confi- der it an abomination to take tobacco iri their pre- fence, or to turn your back to them, when you are in conversation in a room, where they have a cha- pel. There is alfo a certain time of year, when the wife mud refrain from going to church, and above all from touching the Bog ; and before the expira- tion of this critical time, me mud be bathed before flie prefent herfelf before the Bog. AMONG the Ruffians tha number Forty is facrcd, It is the term of their civil and religious ceremonies. They ftudy moft carefully to mow it in their ac- counts and converfations. Thus inftead of faying a rouble or twenty copecs, they fay, forty aitins. The tribute of Siberia in peltry is collected and put into packages of forty {kins. The Popes when reading the litany, are obliged at the concluiion tj fay forty times without Iwfing breath, God Lavs pity <*n us, Two of their lents are of forty c ays. VOL. I. T IF 146 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. IF you alk their theologians the reafon of their predilection for this numix-r, they anfwcr, that Mofes, Elias and Jefus failed forty days ; that the laft did not afccnd into heaven till forty days after his refurredion ; that in the old tcftament many things were divided by forty, and particularly the life of Mofes, in which are three remarkable periods of forty each. At the expiration of the iirii: he was obliged to ily from Egypt ; at the end of other for- ty years, he brought the children of Ifraei out of Egypt ; and they wandered lorty years in the \vil- dernefs. In fliort they obfcrve, that among the If- raelites, and till this day among the jews dclcend- ed from them, the tranfgreflbrs of the law received, and ftill receive, forty ladies with a whip. In con- formity to iuch powerful reafon s, it is ailonifhing they have not adopted the number yl-iv/;, which a- mong the Jews, was much more inyfterious than that of forty. WE faid at the beginning of this chanter, that to- O O i 7 leration was one of the principles of the Ruffian go- vernment, yet it docs not tolerate the Jews : even under the reign of Cathrirc II. when the liberty of thinking is very philoiophical. it excludes from oiiiccs the Rcfidnik:, the only Sectaries, that have taken place in JvufFia. Tliev are the S tinkers or tint l ^^ country. Thefe fecbries, who among themfelvcs arc called Stj;-;i^crzi } orthodczv or believers in the anciciit TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 147 ancient faith (bccaufe the word Rofk-olniki fignifics heretics) did not begin to make any noife in Ruf- fia, till towards the middle of the fixteenth cen- tury, and under the patriarch Nikon, who, they maintain, was Antichrift. They differ from the other Greeks, on fome obfcure points, the particu- lars of which we mail not fpeak of. We fliall no- tice limply, that they do not confider the civil go- vernment,which diitinguifh.es property, as a chriftian inftitution. They maintain that all ought to be di- vided as among brethren. They are horrified at the worfhip of images, which they confider as idolatry ; but what with juitice makes them very ridiculous, is, that in their eyes fmoking tobacco is an abomi- nable profanation. If any one is inconiiclerate e- nouoji to indulge himfelf with it in their houfes, as O moderate, can fupport the magnifi- cence of her court ; the great number of cilablifh- meiV.s (he lias formed; the numerous buildings erected at her expence, tor which fhe has afligned in time of peace an annual funi of four millions , her afcs of generofity; the encouragement ILe gives to the arts and fciences ; the purchafes fhc is con- ihi'tlv making in different parts of Europe; the rich and numerous prcicnts received from her, by pcrfons, \vlio have rendered themfelves worthy of rewards. THE revenues of Rullii may be conliderably au^ J C> men ted in die of neceiiky, as has been feen in the different wars with the Porte; but this augmentation i> eiiecled by tlie incrcafe of the capitation, and the creation TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 155 creation of new taxes, which exhauft a nation that ought to be fpared more than any other, became it is iituated in a rigorous climate,, where nature h?.s done aim oft nothing; for it. O WHAT contributed molt of ail towards enabling the government to fupport the war with the Turks was, the llmk eltablifhed under the name of djjlg.- nation-bank, at a. time, when copper money could not be coined in fufficiency for the expences, bank -bills worth fifty, fixty, and a hundred roubles, were iffued, payable at the banks of St Petersburg and Mofcow. There was a circulation of thefe to the amount of forty five millions of roubles, or ten mil- lions fierling, nearly, WHEN thefe bills began to circulate, they were not taken without fome difficulty, and in the dif- tant provinces, there was a difcount on them oi three and a half, and in forne places fix per cent. But compared with the copper money, their advan- tages rendered them of general uie. They were found fo ufeful in commerce, that they were only one per cent, under iilver, and they were a half per cent, above copper money. But the laic war with Turkey, and fome extravagant plans, which muf; be imputed to the finking, cauiecl by the years of Catharine II. hiving drained the pede of R ufiln, the bank bills fell, into great diicrediu and in the 156 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. year 1791 they loft thirty eight per cent, of their original value. AT the end of the war before the laft, the debts contracted by Ruilia with foreigners, amounted on- ly to about forty five millions of French livres, (near two millions flerling) and they were almoft all dif- charged. Since that time, however, near a hundred millions have been borrowed at two different times from the Dutch, who will not be fo foon repaid, if they will not take paper money, or charters to go and trade in the frozen countries of Ruffia, where the greedy avarice of their merchants will brave the exceffive cold, as in fcorching climates it does the exceflive heats. We mail remark, fmce we are u- pon the Dutch, who are the modern Crufitfcs of Eu- rope, that they have two debts very precarious, one in England, the other in Ruliia, without reckoning iixty millions, they have lent to ibme adventurers, who have nothing to pay them with, but a oreat name and romantic plans. CHAR TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 157 C H A P. XIII. PARTICULARS of the military forces of Rujfia. Hifto- rical note en the Strclitz. Abolition of ibis militia. -With what troops Peter replaced them. Aftual con/iitution of the Ruffian army. The Emprefs* boufhold troops, Infantry of the arm*-. Regular ca- valry. Irregular cavalry. The Co/jacs. The Kal- mucs. The National militia. Method of recruiting the Ruffian armies. r "l~^ JL HE rapid progrefs of RuiTia, her victories, the weight flie has acquired in the political balance of Europe, which flic afpires at increaiing ftill more, engaged us to call a curious eye on the means, by which me has been enabled to rife to the pitch, which {he has attained. It was affirmed to us at St Peterfburg, that thefe means were centered in the army and navy, created by Peter I. which his fuc- ceifors, but particularly Catharine II. have fo well orpmized. To appreciate this afiertion, which by letting afide a concoune of circumftances, approach- es very near the truth, we procured the following particulars refpecting the army and navy, the per- lii'.-il of which, we hope, will yield complete fatis- f action to our readers. We were fuppiied with them by one of the principal members of the college of war, WE 158 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. WE fhall not enlarge on the old Ruffian Militia or Mufcovites, of whom not a veftige remains, not even in the Odncdwortzi^ whom \ve have taken a little notice of; nor in the Strelzis, (known in Eu- rope under the name of Streliiz, a word fignifying police officers), whofe fame induces us to mention them. This militia as formidable in Ruflla, as tlie Pretorians were in Rome, or the Janiffaries in Con- ftantinople, had been created by Iwan Baiilowitfch, and ferved on foot. It was not by their exploits againft the enemies of the ftate, that they gained a name, but by their want of difcipline, and frequent infurrections againfc the fovereigns, who kept them in pay ; and that, as judiciouily remarked by Vol- taire, becaufe they were Mofcow burgeffes and not foldiers. THE ambitious and cruel Sophia, who concealed her vices with the mafk of devotion, and to her in- tereft fecurcd the priefts, who are fatislied with this difcruife, having by means of intrigue come at the O J O * O management of the reins of government, during the infancy of her brothers Iwan and Peter, had this militia at her nod, and made them inhumanly butcher the unfortunate Boyards, that fell under her difplcafure, and among vJiom were the rrreateft number oi Peter's relations j he \\l.cn r.uied to the empire took vengeance on this uiiliiii by abclifhinf* - O I; TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 159 *Ir is true the Strelitz had provoked this venge- ance. The Czar Peter, in order to inform himfelf of what was going on in foreign countries, had left Ruffia, and fome Boyards, ailiited by the greateft number of the popes, who viewed the new efta- blifhments of this prince, as fo many acls of facri- lege, had taken advantage of his abfcnce to excite commotions, and drawn from the cloiiter, the prin- cefs Sophia, whom at the time of his mounting the throne, Peter had forced to take the veil. The Strelitz, who like the priefts, were attached to na- tional prejudices, had been the agents of this infur- reclion, which would have had ferious confequences, if the genius and activity of Peter had not fupport- ed him in quafhing it. HE was then at Vienna, from which he fet out incognito and arrived at Mofcow, when he was fup- pofed to be in the farther end of Germany. His pre- fence was a thunderbolt for the confpirators, againft whom he difplayed a feverity unexampled, but ir proved his falvation. The leaders of the Strelitz, and two thoufand foldicrs of this militia, alone; with o the popes, who had brought them over to this re- volt, were delivered over to the executioners., and the whole body of the Strelitz, \vhon) none of Peter's predeceffors had even dared to dimmii'h, was ail-. peried and annihilated without refiftance. It Is true, Petei 160 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Peter for fome time before had fecretly prepared this important fuppreilion. IN the room of this militia, undifciplined as all thofe are, that to numerous privileges, join a long rciidence at court, Peter fubiUtiued ibme regi- ments regulated in the lame \vav as other trojps in O ' Europe. At iirft the army was far from numerous, being a body compofed only of different hordes of nobles, who, at the rcquihtion of the prince, turn- ed out to ierve with their valTals. The latter form- ed the infantry, and their mafters the cavalry. But Peter, who had to fight with enemies, that had other refources, in order to be able to face them, fet about replacing thefe bands of nobles, from whom he drew only a momentary fervice, by permanent armies, whom he could difpofe of according to his pleafure, and at all times. Confequently he ordered the for- mation of the Podufcbnoioklad or General rc^ijhr, in which were entered all the heads of families of the. order of burgefles and peafants. Every ten fami- lies were obliged to furniih a man, and as the re- view reported, feven hundred and fifty thouiand, four hundred and feventy nine families in the two orders, the confequence was, the Czar had an ar- my of about feventy thoufand men, who were im- mediately ordered to St Peterlburg and other pla- ces, to be instructed in the ufe of arms. The Czar's fucccfibr? followed thii mod:, adapted more or Ids to TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 16 1 to circumflances, and their own wants. But Ca- tharine II. in the year 1764, new modelled the mi- litary eftablilhment of the empire: In the 1784, it again underwent fbme other changes, and received a very considerable augmentation in the year of the commencement of the lad war with the Turks. THE Ruffian army is compofed of regular troops, and light or irregular troops ; the former aim oft all in infantry and the latter almoit all in cavalry. The regular troops form a body of more than three hundred thoufand men, which according to cir- J O cumflances, is augmented to more than four hund- red thoufand; :or in thefc three hundred thoufhnd, are not included the houfhcld troops of the Emprefs, nor the national militia, which they call the LantL* mi/itz. THESE troops, when well commanded, are capable of performing the greateft feats. Fir ft, bccaufe the Ruflian ibldiers are Beings entirely paflive, and their obedience goes the length of felf-dcnial. It is found- ed upon a fort of opinion, that would make them rather let tlierniclves be cut to pieces on the carri- age of a cannon, than abandon it. This opinion* which their prieits have taken great care to incul- cate on them, at the inftigation ol ih:ne ambitious Emperor, confifts in believing, I'vit they will go to paradite, if they die *.vith tlielr face turned to the enemy, and th.it they will b; reprobated if they VOL. L rerilh i6i TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. perifii %ing. This article of faith, that might have mn.dc the Ruffians fanatical heroes, is unluckily be- ginning to lofe its influence among them. Not- withftanding this, they will not be lefs excellent fvkuers, becaufe they are indefatigable, obedient* and completely fober, An anecdote is told of a regiment in the army commanded by General Fermor, in the feven-years war, which having mounted guard in a certain place, was forgotten by a counter-march, which the Ruffian army was obliged to make, and when the army returned to the fame ground five days after, this regiment was found in the fame place by the very officer, who had poftcd it, and who affirmed, that the poor fol- cliers forgotten by him, having only one day's pro- vilions, had lived on herbs and roots for other four* THE Emprds' houmold troops arc compofed of four regiments, properly called regiments of Guards; of" two battalions, one of Huilars, and the other of CoSacs, and of the fuperb company of Cbmatier- Guards. There is nothing more beautiful, or more magnificent, than thefe regiments of Guards, and they arc never filled up but with the flower of the ar- my, for fhturc and fixe. The fir ft is a regiment of Cavalry, called Horfe-Guards. The other three are Infantry, and bear the names of Preobafchenjkoiy Se- rnenowfkoii and I/h?nailow/koi. 1 hcle form a body of ten TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 163 ten thoufand men, whereof the firft have four thou- iand, and the other two, three thoufand c.ich. TIM. firft, Preobafchcnfkoi, were formed, and took their name from the company of fifty young people, whomPeter 1. then a young man, trained in his coun- try hou-il- . cnlled Prcobafcbcnjfoi. lie enrolled himlclf in it, and icrved in it, firft as a drummer, and then as a io'dicT, and leijcant, and afterwards received the ran!: of Lieutenant. Lefort was captain of it ; and this company, which at firft caufed no une:iiir.el : to the ambitious Sophia, bccaufe me ccnfidered it only the amufement of a young man, whom me wiiiicd to keep at diftance from buiineiL; t!ii-> company was tlie balis, on which foon afterwards the army was organized, which was bold enough to engage with that of Charles Xll. which learned of him to con- quer, and by which he was at lad overcome. THE regiment of Preobafcbenjkoi^ whole military origin we have now related, is compoied of two Grenadier companies, of fix hundred and fifty men each ; of fixteen companies of Fufilecrs, of a hun- dred and forty four each ; of one company of Bom- bardiers, of two hundred men, and one of Cadets, of the iamc number. Thcle Cadets are fens of fol- uiers, put there tor initruction. They take their o flic ITS Irnm their ov;n body, wliicii is a nurlery for excellent foldiers. The oilier two regiment-^ of foot ^uard-:, liave ca^h a companv of c r rc-n^:.i:er-, and O 1 < * 164 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. twelve fufilcers, with this difference, that the regi- ment of Ifmailowfkoi, has befides a company of Chaffeurs and one of Cadets ; whereas that of Se- inenowiki, has only a corps oi Teventy ChafTeurs and no Cadets, and has only a fchccl for the children of foldiers. THE Emprefs is Colonel of t.liefe i hree regiments, of the horie guards and chevalier guards. He, who commands next to her Mjjdty, is commonly a Ge- neral of one of the fir It families uf the empire. He has the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and the two fir it reariments have two. During our ftav in Ruf- O O f fia, it was Prince Poteiukin Marihal- General of the empire, and Prince Georcre Dolgorouiki, iirfl Gene- ral of the army, who were Lieutenant Colonels of Preobafchenfki ; and the -Lieutenant Colonels of the other regiments were nobles equally diftinguifhed. IN general the officers of thefe corps, and it is the fame in all courts, are advanced above thofe of the fame degree in the army. A Captain of Guards has the rank of Colonel, and retires Math that of Brevet-Brigadier. The Serjeants in thefe regiments have the rank of Lieutenants, &c. EVER.Y company has five officers, viz. two Cap- tains, two Lieutenants and an Enfign. It has thir- ty low or non-commiilloned officers, whereof iix are Serjeants, and twenty four are Corporals. There are always two Serjeants doing duty at the door of the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 165 the hall, called the hall of the throne. The efta- blifhmcnt of the troop of horfe guards is the fame. THE pay of thefe forces is reduced to French and F.ngHfli money exchange tod a livre. Firft Captain per ann. Second Captain Firft Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Cornet Quarter- Matter Corporal Trumpeter Trooper Firft Captain Second Captain Firft Lieutenant Second Lieutenant Enfign Serjeant Corporal Drummer Veteran Soldier Ji7iolbus4 17 11 Grenadier 11710 4 17 n Fufileer 52 10 3 17 i THIS x66 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THIS pay, as the reader may fee, is very mode- rate, and it really is fo for all the troops of Ruffia ; but befides this pay, the officer has a certain num- ber of rations, and the foldier has provifions, wood, candle, and a number of advantages, which much increafe the value of his pay, if not double it. THE Guards, both infantry and cavalry,, do du- ty only in the winter and fummer palaces and plea- lure houfes belonsdngr to the Emnrefs. In the re2:i- O O i o ment of Preobafchenfkoi, each foldier is on duty one day out of four, and in the other two, three nights out of four. The horfe guards always do duty on foot, except when the Emprefs lodges in the fummer palace. THE chevalier guards were eftablimed by Catha- rine II. to fupply the place of the Leib-company which {he reduced, and which Elizabeth had formed of the grenadiers, who helped her to mount the throne. They form only one company of fixty men, who have all the rank and pay of Lieutenants, with pre- fents for their table, and the fupport of a carnage, which in Ruflia is not an object of great expence. They rnuft all be defcended of noble families, and of high ftature ; but with the advantage of the lat- ter, and intereft, they contrive ways of eluding the former. THIS brilliant Cohort, the mod fuperbly clothed of any in Europe, and worthy of figuring on the fteps TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 167 lleps of the throne of the moil powerful monarch, has two uniforms. The uniform worn every day confills of a blue coat, with fcarlet facings, a yel- low waiftcoat and breeches, and a Soubrevefte (a kind of upper coat without fleeves) trimmed with double lace, and enriched on the two fronts before and be- hind, with the imperial eade embroidered in iilver. The parade uniform is a fcarlet coat, with a Soub- rrccjlc of blue velvet, almofl all covered with filver fcutcheons, fixed with links of the fame metal. For the officers, thefe links are ornamented with jewels. On ordinary days the chevalier-guards wear a hat bound with broad lace, and fet off with a black plume, for the white is appropriated to the General Officers. On days of ceremony they have a gilt hel- met, with a creft of large feathers. THE fervice, which the chevalier-guards perform at court, requires twelve men a day, who furnifh two fentineis, in the infide of the hall of the throne, who have liberty to lit down, but fitting or {land- ing, always reft on their arms, which are Cara- bines. Every time the Emprefs goes in or out of the hall, the chevalier-guards on duty, arc permit- ted to kifs her hand. They arc relieved every three hours. THE eitabiifhmcnt of HufTiirs and Coiilic body- guards, is alfo the work of Catharine II. Theft; two corps who are very well laced, ride excellent: horfes, 168 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. horfes, and confift of the handfomeft men of their nations; efpecially the Colfacs, who are armed with gilt lances, and clothed with the moft coftly furs. This body of cavalry, alternately form the Em- prefs' retinue when fhe goes out of the capital, that is, the Huffars a Fourthly Six battalions of Independent companies of 7-0 men 4,200 Finhlv Ki.'rlrv four irarrifon battalions of ^ O * vJ 10,15 men 87,780 Sixthly Soldiers employed in mines, and in the gardens of the Imperial lioulcs Total ^70,003 A R.I-OIMENT of infantry in Ruilia confifis of two battalions, which together form t \vclvc companies, and e.'ich company contains a hundred ar..l iirly four men in time ot war, and and :i hundred and thirty four in time oi peAce. in'r'iuivo of coir-mijiiuned and VOL 1. V none 170 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. non-comrnillioned officers, of \vhofe pay the follow- ing is a ftatement. Roubles Servants Rations A Captain has annually ioo 2 5 A Lieutenant 120 i 4 A Sub-Lieutenant 100 i 3 An Enfign 200 i A Serjeant Major 36 Two Serjeants each 15 o o A Captain of arms 12 o o A Flag Bearer 12 o o A Harbinger 1 2 o Four Corporals each 1 1 o o A Barber or Journeyman Barber 71- o o Two Drummears each 7^ o o One Fifer 7^ o A hundred and thirty fix Fufileers yt o o ACarpenteer and 2 Waggoners, each 7-1- o VAIUPING the rouble at 43 6d, the pay of a Ruf- fian foldier is but a fmall fraction above a penny fterling a day, but with this the Ruffian foldier is lodged, warmed, clothed, and almoft fed. THE Ruffian Colonels furnifh their regiments with neceflaries, and no imposition appears to them illegal. r i he Farriers, Lockfmiths and Armourers, joiiowing the regiments, are dependent on them, and receive fixty roubles of wages. All thefe artificer:: are Germans and do not wear uniforms. The TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 171 The pope appointed as Almoner to a regiment, has fixty roubles a year, like the lockfmiths arid armour. ers, and is fcarcely more reipected. THERE are twelve muiicians in each regiment, who receive from the Emprefs the pay and clothing of a foldier, but they are always better paid and ciothed by the Colonel, and Officers in proportion to their abilities. THE cavalry, which fince the days of Peter I. has undergone many changes in their uniform, number and eftablimment, confifts at prefent of regular and irregular cavalry. OF regular cavalry, there are fixty one regiments, viz. firft. Five regiments of Cuiraffiers, of iix fqua- drons each ; the fquadron conlifting of two troops s and the troop of thirty men, whereof three are Officers, four non-commiffioned Officers, and twen- ty three privates. In each regiment the liorfes are of the fame colour, all black or brown. Secondly--- Nine regiments of .Carabinicrs, arranged like the the Cuiraffiers, but having horfes of all colours. ThirdlyNine regiments of dragoons, including the Kafan regiment, which is armed in the light manner ; every regiment contains Iix fquadrons , the fquadron and the company double the ftrcngth I A tf O nf the cavalry. FourthlyTwenty regiments of Huffars, whereof contain a thounnd three hundred and fifty iix Y j 172 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. men, inciufive of Officers, and the other ten ton- tain feven hundred and fifty men. The ten fir ft have tht-ir quarters in Ukr.iir.c, and are aim oft all compofed of ilullians, Throe of thefe regiments bear the name r,f Kompancifti-Pciki, regiments of brothers. The other ten Cantoned at St Elizabeth, and in the neighbourhood, are compofed of Hun- garians, Moldavian;, and (/thu*r forr-gn -nations. Bc- iides a pay much better than what tl e reft recei\ 7 e, the Lmprcfs has made ?. rrn.nt of lands to the ofH- cers and ioidicrs. B\ -his donation the part of the frontier, which they d-fcrid, beinp; their own pro- perty, thefe men fought a^ air. ft the Turks Lift war like men, who wgre fighting on their properties, ami for their properties. Fifthly Eight regim-nt of Lancers, fix of which contain fix hundred and thirty men each, and two, five hundred and iorty. They are Coflacs rcjiment- ' O ed, to wuorn lands have bec:i riven, and they have defended them a^ainft the Tiijk^., as a Tiger cic* fends hia den. They are armed \vhh a very flicit Carabine, wkh two piiio^?, and a Ubre. iuch as the liuii^rs carry, and a lincc, \vluch li\:> a ih;;lt eight feet long. ALL thlci !;ody of cavalry ri;nour;t= to thirty fovcii thouiand, lour hundred, ar.d forty men, to whom mnft b.e ad.:!ecl, ^hat ;.n Ur>li.i;i 5^ called Irregular Cavalry. It cor-ilils ci Coffics and Kaimucs ; barba- ror. c I RAVELS IN RUSSIA. 173 rous nations, who in war furniih rather armed hordes than regiments, but excellent for fighting the Turks and tlu> Aliatic powers, which border with Rufiia, and do not oppofe her with troops better disciplined. THK Coilacs, whofe name we lee fo often repeat- ed in gazettes and by hiftorians, who are alfo gazet- teers or their echoes; the Coflacs, who form among them feveral nations, all having nearly the fame manners, are generally of middle ilature, wear very fliort whifkers, and fhave the head, all except the crown, on which they leave a little hair. Their drcfs is a fur cloak, a long gown after the cuftom of the Afiatics, large pantaloons, boots, Ibmetimes ianje, fomeiimes fmali, without fpurs, and a whip, which they always fallen round the right wrift. Their arms are a lance about twelve feet long, a pzir of piftols, which they hang at their girdle on the left iiJe, becav.fe on their light is a fin all bag, which contains about twelve cartridges : in addition to all thij they have a f:\bre very much curved, which Ins no other hilt than a pkiin bit of iron in form of a crate. Their horfcs are in:xl1, bur ilrong and met- tleforne. Tliey ufe a kind of Huilar-faddfc, a frnall cord initci'd of a bridle, which is lied to the faddle, and fer v es for a halter. They never ride their hor- ft;s in a ftraight line ; but when gallopping, drive them in difierent direclious, which make:, their attack dangerous, efpecially when they are engaged with cavalry 174 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. cavalry of the line ; their inarch is alfo like that of the Hufiars. When they are at reft, they hold their lances refting on their foot j in light they prefent it to the enemy, holding it by the middle, and fecur- ing it below the arm. Continual exercife qualifies them for ufing it with much dexterity. In their retreat, which is to them never a flight, but a kind of battle, they reft their lance on their moulder, with the point turned towards the enemy, whofc ftroke it ferves to parry, and it fometimes becomes fatal to him, when he incautioufly purfues a man, whofe flight is a itratagem. THE averfion of the Coffees, for all kind of dif- cipline, has not allowed them to be taught how to manoeuvre in a fquadron. They do nothing but Ikirmifh, but they excel in this way of fighting. They are let loofe on the enemy, when flying, and then they become terrible by the quicknefs and manner of their affault. A corps with fuch men at their heels, is utterly incapable of rallying, however much inclined to it. THE Coilacs are excellent alfo for fcouring a coun- try, and clearing a wood, and in all kinds of patroles. Their fagacity in this refpect, the effect of long cuftom, is fomething aftonifhing. Examining the grounds, recently traverfed by the enemy's troops in the great- eft diforder, they can difcover very exactly the num- Ler of horfes, which have paffed. Some can ob- ferve TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 175 jferve the movements of a corps' at an extraordinary diflance; others by applying their ears to the ground, can diftinguifti very far off, the march of men and horfes. They are capable of refting under arms a whole day without murmuring. In ihort, as inde- fatigable in harrailing an enemy, efpecially if they have no hope of plunder, as temperate, when it is neceffary to be fo, which often occurs in war, they have learned to be fatisfied with little; and they have no. need to provide themfelves with forage for their horfes, becaufe like themfelves, they have accuf- tomed them to bear hunger and thirft. But if they have a moment's refpite, they employ it in feeding 2nd dreiTmg their horfes, and when they make ex- curfions in queft of provifions, they load themfelves with a bunch of grafs, rather than with a quarter of meat. AMONG this kind of men, on whom we (hall re- turn, when we fpeak of the nations that are barba- rous or little known, and fubjecl to the empire of Rufihj among thefe nations, the Coflacs of the Don, diilinguHh themfelves in the RufiTian armies, and form the molt confiderable body in them. Their chief bears the name of ILitthman. He enjoys an authority ib much the more cxtenfive, that it is founded only on opinion, which is one of the moft efficacious means of ruling the multitude. Jewre- wff, one of the Hdithmnn did the greateft Cervices to i/5 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, to Ruilia, and under this title, figures with glory in the annals of that nation. He joined riches to bravery. He had a revenue of a hundred roubles a year, which, it is Jf.iid, he took n plcafure in divid- ing with his companions in arms. THI: following; arc the different contingents of o u men, furnifhed by the Coluc nations in time of war. Coffacs of the Don 24,976 Tv'en of Oremburg 9>93 2 of Aftracan 4:34 of Tcbollh audits neighbourhood 9,553 Total - 48.801 WE canr.ot compute what the Kalmucs furnifh. Sometimes there arc hordes without number, that come to deluge the army, and clog lather thin ferve It : at other times there are only {mali bodies of them, which hardly Tooncr rrivc than difappear, when tiie county where they L.uft ^ght and the ene- my they have to oppoie, prefent no hopes of plunder. ALTHOUGH they cannot be much depended on, they arc of or.fidern.ble uie, wlicn they arc on ier- vice. Their vipfihnce is much luperior to that of the Cofkics, ::nti tiielr activity adiv/irs of no compa- rifon. Beficlcs they coll the Kmpreis only one co- pec per day. Tliey never fail to aftonifli the ene- my, before whom they fho\v thcmfelves for the fir ft time TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 177 time, for there is no fight more remarkable than a warrior of this nation. Suppofe a man on horfe- back, almoft or entirely naked, armed with a bow, a quiver, a lance, and a fcymitar, having on the pommel of the faddle, or rather a fhabby pack fad- die, a bit of frefti or corrupted horfe flefli. THE artillery of the Ruffian army forms a body very refpectable, and confifts of One regiment of Bombadiers of 2510 Men Two ditto of Gunners, of 2497 each 4994 Two ditto of Fufileer- Servants of ditto 4994 A corps of Miners, Pioneers, Engineers forming fix brigades of 420 men each 2520 Two brigades of Waggoners, amounting to 3 82 3 Different brigades of Artificers, cliftribu- ted through the works at St Peterf- burg, Mofcow, and the principal arfe- nals of the Empire, amounting to 9913 Total, exclufive of Officers 28,754 THE national or land Militia is divided, like the reft of the army, into infantry and cavalry, with nearly the fame conftitution, and the fame pay, but the cavalry is more numerous than the infantry. This militia is only employed during war. No regiment in Ruffia bears the name of its .Co- lonel. They generally have that of the cities, whofe VOL. I. Z arms i;5 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. arms they carry, or in which they were firft quar- tered ; and this defignation continues with them, without variation, or at leaft is not changed, but for reafons of the greateft importance. As to the uniform of the Ruffian army,, the ge- neral colour is green, particularly that of the infan- try, but many regiments of cavalry have adopted a fawn colour, efpecially for vefts, capes, and facings. All the KuiTars have green cloaks. THE uniform of the General Officers of Infantry Is green and red, and that of the Cavalry, blue and red. The Field- Marfhals and Generals, who com- mand Cavalry and Infantry at the fame time, may wear either of thefe uniforms, and the white plume, which, we have faid, is the diftinguifhing badge of General Officers. There are fome of them diftin- im'.ilied bv their lace, which on the drefs of a Field- O ' Marfhal or General-in-chief is triple, but the latter has no embroidery on the feams. The Staff-officers of the army are diftinguifhed by lace on their waiil- IN fever;.] regiments, the Colonels have introdu- ced a cheap uniform, which is a kind of Surtout, or threat coat of very coarfc cloth, and proves a great convenience to oiEccrs of fin all fortune, who can hardly attain the grand uniform. The army is clothed a- new every two years, but the Cavalry gets doaks only every four years, There is only one kind TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 179 kind of cloth for foldiers and non-commiffioned of- ficers, but the latter are obliged to procure fome fi- ner. Their colonel makes them an allowance for furnifhing this and the lace, which diftinguifhes them from the common foldiers. During fummer the whole army wears no coats, but in Ruffia the fummer is fo fhort, that the coat is in the portman- teau only a few weeks, and the ceconomy that put it there, amounts to almoft nothing. FOR the fervice and defence of the frontiers, winch are immenfe and expofed to frequent inroads, the Ruffian army is diftributed into twelve divifions, which take the names of the government in which they are Rationed. A Field- Marfhal or General-in- chief is at the head of every divifion, and thefe di- vifions differ from one another in the number of troops, of which they confift ; but all have cavalry and infantry. The Huffars and the Coffacs are (la- tioned only in the divifibns on the frontiers, fo that the firft divifion, which is that of St Peterfburg, has only one regiment of Huffars, and no Coffees; whereas the tenth and the eleventh, which are the divi lions of Ukraine and AzoiT, and of the countries newly con- quered, have each five regiments of. Huffars, and five regiments of Coffees. In all thcfe divifions, when the place where they are quartered is not a town, the S tail- officers refide in the chief-manor-hoiife, and the i So TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the reft of the troops are difperfed through the country. The peafant is ftrictly obliged to furnrfh his guefis only with ftraw to ilcep on ; but in a go- vernment, whereof the adminiftration is military, and the foldiers belong rather to the Emprefs than to the empire, they force the unfortunate peafant to give up a part of his neceffary provifions, to put it into their kettle. This reproach is due to the go- vernment rather than to the foldier, becaufe the defpot, wiihing to have a numerous army, pays the man poorly, whom he has torn from the plough to make a foldier of him. The Ruffian foldier, as already noticed, has only feven roubles and* a half, yearly, and it is added, that he is almoft boarded ; but his provifions confift of three tons of meal, weighing fifty pounds each, and of forty- four pounds of fait, which he receives from government. THE Ruffian dcfpots have given an additional proof of their (economy, in the mode they have preicribed for the recruiting of the army. The re- cruits abfolutely coft the crown nothing. When the time of furnifhing them to the army is arrived, and it returns every year at the firft of March, one man is taken for each four hundred ; but he is cho- fen only from the order of peafants, for in every quarter, and on all occafions, this unhappy clafs is obliged to bear every burden. This recruiting is made fo much the more expeditioufly, as every no- ble, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 1*1 ble, by the Review, knows what is to be his con- tingent, and no excufe can exempt him from i niftiing it. When the population of his eftateis b low four hundred, but above two hundred, he i nifhes a man every fecond time. When the popu- lation is below two hundred, feveral nobles equal in property, unite in furnifhing a man at the pence of their refpective peafants, whom they com- pel to affefs themfelves for this purpofe, and Jmn is found without difficulty. Firft, becaufe e- very lord, who is difpleafed with one of his pe; fants, makes him be entered among the recruits. Secondly, becaufe the peafant, or moil of the pea- fants, confidering the lot of a foldier better than his own, comes to offer himfelf as a volunteer ; then thofe, for whom he is to go, furnifh him with fix roubles for the expence of his march, if it be lefs than two hundred leagues, and with ten roubles, if it be above that number. CERTAIN parts of Rufiia are exempted from thefe contributions of Recruits. The peafants of Ruffia- proper and, of Finland, who fettled in Ingria are not fubjected to them. None are demanded from the Coflacs, becaufe they have enough to do with covering the frontiers and marching as an Army- corps, when need requires them. Livonia and Ef- tonia pay a quitrent equivalent to a contribution ; TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and fome diftant countries, wild or yet unfubdued, furnifh recruits only when they pleafe. ACCORDING to the regulations of Peter I. and of Catharine II. (who has made many of them, and flie has equalled this legiflator in the wifdom of fome and furpaffed him in others), the recruits muft be treated with the greateft mildnefs during the fir ft year of their admiffion into the fervice, and fpend the three firft months in complete reft. But cir- cumftances and the officers, impatient to fill up the numbers wanting, with men fit for fervice, always fhorten this term of grace. WE were aflured that the number of recruits, loft by Ruffia during the two laft wars with the Turks, was immenfe. She will not be expofed to this ca- lamity in wars with the Turks alone. She will ex- perience the fame diiadvantages in wars (he may have with any power whatever, by the long and forced marches, which muft be made by her re- cruits, who are fubjected to one great evil, namely, the fudden and repeated tranfition from the moft intenfe cold to the moft fcorching heats. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 183 CHAP. XIV. RUSSIAN Navy.CronJladt its principal Jlatiorr. D- fcription of this town, and the ijle on which it isji- tuated. Its dock-yards. Peter I. founder of the Ruf- fian Navy.ReJlored by Catharine II Number of thejhips which compofe the maritime force of Rujta. Obftacles that mar the progrefs of this force. THE ftation of the navy and admiralty was for- merly on the fouth bank of the Neva, oppofite to the fortrefs of St Peterfburg, but every thing con- nected with the Imperial navy has been tranfported to Cronftadt, which is about twenty-nine werfts (nearly twenty one Englifli miles) from St Peterf- burg, three werfts from the coafts of Ingria, and fourteen from the coails of Carelia. THE harbour of this town is in the ifle of Ritzkar, called alfo, and more commonly, the ifle of Retoiv- Zari. Peter I. chofe it as the molt fecure on this fea, and as being the moft proper, by its fitua- tion, to ferve as a bulwark to the capital he had juii founded. In fact, the only paifage, by which fluns of a certain lize can approach St Peterfburg, is M limit canal to the fouth of this ale, whereof one iide i8 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fide is commanded by Cronftadt, and the other by Kronfchlot and the citadel. KRONSCHLOT Hands on a fmall fandy ifle, and is only an wooden building of a circular form, fur- rounded by wooden fortifications, that advance into the fea A garrifon of a hundred men is kept there. The citadel is another fmall wooden fort, built u- pon a neighbouring fand bank, and may contain thirty ioldiers. EVERY fliip muft pafs between Cronftadt and thefe two fmall fortreffes, where they are expofed to the fire of the oppofite batteries. In the other pafiages, there is not more than eleven feet of water. When thefe works were conftructed, they might pafs for good fortifications, but at prefent they are weak fcare- crows, that would be infulted by any power- ful fleet, that would attempt the paffage. THE ifle of Reton-Zari is a point of land, or rather fand, in the middle of which there is a range of granate rocks. By fea it is about twenty fix werfts from St Peterfburg, fix from the coafts of Ingria, and twelve from the coafts of Carelia. It is about a league in length, and half a league in breadth. When Peter I. conquered it from the Swedes, it was quite wafte, prefenting nothing to the eye but fome old pines blacked by the weather, and now there are on it about thirty thoufand inhabitants, inclufive TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 185 inclufive of about twelve thoufand failors, and fif- teen hundred men in the garrifon. In this ifle there are pafture, vegetables, and the fruits that thrive in northern climates ; fuch as apples, pears, goofe- berries and ftrawberries. CRONSTADT is built on the eaftern extremity o the ifle. It is defended towards the fea by a ftrong mole, and towards the land by ramparts, which could not (land a ferious attack, but fortunately there is none to be feared from this fide. The town is very irregularly built, and like all in Ruilia, oc- cupies more ground than necefiary for its inhabi- tants. The houfes are chiefly of wood, only thofe facing thcr harbour arc of brick covered with plait- ter. Among the latter we diftinguiihed tiie Marine Hofpital, the Caferns, the Marine Academy, a School, wherein more than three hundred and fixty Cadets are inftrucied and fnpported at the expence of the crown. They are admitted at the age of five, and may fcay till they are feventeen years old. They are taught drawing and mathematics, principally thofe branches applicable to {hip building and navi- o-ation. Thofe far theft advanced, make a cruife every year on the Baltic ; but thefe fliort voyages are not fudlcient for making -a feaman, Alfo with- out foreigners to fill the places of pilots and officers,, the Ruffian navy would not have made fuch rapid progrcft, for Thefifes and Theory only reafon, and V OL> I. A a examinations iS6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, examinations before admirals, which are their con- iequcnceS; cannot make a failor, who with all his theory knows not what he is about, when practice is necellary. CRONSTADT lias one port for (hips of war, and another for merchantmen. Hard by the port for mordiart men, there is a canal, and feveral dry docks for rc-riirinj; men of war. This work, be- A O ' gun by IV.tcr the Great, and ncglcfted under his fuccellbrs, was not fmiihed till Elizabeth's time. But Catharine II. who was fc ruble of its utility, was earcr to cr/'ir^e aufl comolete it. Before the rei^n . > . ") i O of this prii:ccfs, fliips of a certain burden only could be repaired there, and now it ferves for building as well as careening il.ups of the line. AT the extremity of thefc docks, there is a large rcfervoir, which contains enough of water to fill them all. This v/ater is afterwards pumped out by a fire- engine, \vith a cylinder fix feet in diameter. It were to be wi(hed, that they had imitated the docks at Breil or Portfmouth, and inflead of the fire- pu!r:p, they had fublliturcd fluiees. From the head c;f the canal to the extremity of the laft, it is four tho'jfjnd two Irantlred and twenty one feet. The bridges of thcfe docks arc faced \vith ftone, and the bottom 1-jid with granate ; they arc forty feet deep, ana a hundred and five wide, and capable of re- ceiving nine ihi;:.s of war, NOTHINC- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 187 NOTHING can give a higher idea of the ability, genius and perfeverance of Peter I. than the flate, in which he found, and that in which he left the Ruffian navy. At the beginning of his reign, he had not a tingle fhip on the Baltic fea. We have feen him employed on the lake near Taoufa and there fuperintending the building of fmail vefiels. It was his genius trying its powers, and what at firfl feem- ed only the amuiement of a young man, afterwards produced the moft glorious event of this prince, for which hiftory and poilerity already begin to ac- knowledge their obligations to him. IN the year 1695 ne nac ^ ku^ fcege to AzofT, but In fpite of his own efforts, and the courage of liis troops, this enterprize was not crowned with fuc- cefs, bccaufe it was impoflible to take this town, without blocking up the harbour. Peter, wlio then had not a fingle fhip, difcovered his wants, and xvas obliged not to raife the llcgc but to fufpcnd it; for he did not give up his plan, and his courage was ra- ther excited than difcuuraged by this kind of re~ vcrfe. i'o iiuike it up, iie with ir;jrc..Ublj t;i r ;> acli conilrucled i.:vc.ral flii"s. S'jriio \verc bcjua at Go ca, then tr^riiprir^cd over I;-"id to the .Hon, but at Voronetz, and aM ouicr ports, tLe g-'-^i-o^t pan was built in leis than a \ uir. HE then renewc.i the ilege cf AzofT, and to the extreme furpriib of the Turk^, kid bcK-rc thij citv, -- t\'/O 1 83 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. two fhips of war, twenty three galleys, two galiots and four lire fhips With this fmall fquadron, which had come down the Don as far as the Black Sea, he blocked up the port, difperfed the Turkifli galleys and took the city. He iignalized this afto- nifhing event by entering Mofcow in triumph, and by caufing a medal be iVruck with an infcription in the Ruflian Language to this effect; Victorious by thunder and the uavcs. This fucceis was only the prelude to greater exploits. As the fecurity of his new conquefts on the jbiick Sea required a power- ful r.avy, he brought ikiiful mip-buiiders from eve- ry quarter, it was after he had iixed and let them to work at Voronetz, Azof]' and Taganrok, that he let out on his travels, witiiout his own dominions. On his retvrn in the year i6qq he reaped the ad- vantages of u'ie attention he had paici. He took a general review of his naval iorce on the Black Sea, and v'.;h inexpreflible plcafure counted ten frigates, the largeit of which carried fifty gun.>, and the Imallcft twenty fix ; but in three years afterwards this fame licet was tripled, and. had fhips of fixtyguns. This rapid incrcafe, which looks like fomething magical, would appear incredible, if it were not at- teited at great length by every hiftorian. To thefe ^reat exertions, thofe of the Romans on a fimilar ^j * occafion after the firil Punic war, can fcarcely be compared TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 189 PETER did not ftop there. He no fooner faw himfelf in poffeffion of Cronftadt, than he began to do things as aftonii'hing on the Baltic, as thofe which he had executed on the Black Sea, and the equipment of the fleet on that fea, is an event fq remarkable, that it forms a kind of sera in the Chro- nology of the Ruffian Nation. But at Peter's death every thing changed appearance. His genius, his activity were not transferred to his fucceffors. The navy was neglected, and was in fo bad a ftate at the time of Catharine the Second's acceilion to the throne, that it may be faid of this princets, that fhe created it a new. Like Peter, me invited to Ruffia feveral Endim (hip builders, and in particular Ad- miral Knowles, who acquired fame by his know- ledge of naval architecture. She likewife invited from Britain fr.ilors, who taught the Ruffian iai- lors, yet raw *nd awkward, the art of manoeuvring. Under her aufpu.es, Europe, with aftonimment has ieen the Ruiliaa 1'hf- displayed in Archipelago, and the Turkiih Fleet deiiroved at Tcbeftne, by a fqua- dron cooje from the north. \y a iltet confuted of hulls and rigging alone, RuiVvt might have her's more formidable than any other nation, for me has within herielf whatever i* n-xiiury for the building and equipment of mips. The principal places for building are Cronftadt arid *rrhan-el. Thofe of Cronftadt are built of oak, but 190 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. but thofe of Archangel of larch, a kind of fir that is not at all durable, efpecially in an engagement. The oak they life at Cronftadt is fcarcely of better quality. It comes from the provinces of Kafan and Ailracan, but it is tender and porous, and iocs not receive the fame preparation, that is given in the dirTcrent parts of Europe, to ihip timber, which is aliov/ed ro lie ieverai year^> in fait v.ai.er, in order to iiKike it harder and litter for building. In Rufiia it is no fooner arrived in the dock yards than it is wrought up. The confequence is, a Ruffian ihip muil be repaired in lix years, and in fifteen is to- tally unfit for fcrvice. UKRAINE and the province of Mofcow furnifh hemp, and mails are found in the extenfive forefts between Novogorod and the Gulf of Finland, or irf the provinces difmembered from Poland. Wi- burg furnifhes pitch and tar. There are manufac- tures of Sail-cloth and ropes in different pro\ iri- ces. In fhort the magazines of St Peterfburg and Archangel are always abundantly fiored wiih thele various articles. AT the end of the war 1788, the Ruffian Na- vy in the ports on the Baltic conliiled of, fony eight (hips oi" the line, eighteen frigates, t\\xlve praiRf.rj and a hundred and 'twenty p;allevs. '] ills fleet is commanded rim by the Grand-Admiral of the fleet, who Is the Grand Duiie of Rutua him- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, felf. Secondly, by the Commander-in-chief of the Galleys and an Admiral of the fleet. Thirdly by fix Vice-Admirals and eight Rear-Admirals, who do the duty of Commodores. The Prince of Naffau- Siegen was the only Vice-Admiral, and Mr Spiritow the only Rear- Admiral, that were employed during our fray in Ruffia. There are three orders of Cap- tains. Thofe of the firft have the rank of Briga- diers, thofe of the fecond of Colonels, and thofe of the third order, have the rank of Lieutenant Co- lonels. - They are all decorated with the military badge of St George, but they are knights only of the ' fourth clafs. A navy officer, that paffes into the land fervice, is advanced two fteps. In the or- ganization of this body, Peter has mown the value he affixed to it, and the preference he gave it over the army. The failors reap the advantages of this preference. They have" more proviQons than the foldiers, and almoft double pay. IN times of urgent danger Ruliia could nuke confiderable addition to her navy, but ffie. would bring on board only an awkward multitude, fpiteof all the advances this empire Las mad- in naval affairs; although (lie has in a very inert time become more powerful on fea, than any northern fhte ; it m*y well be laid, that her navy is many degrc hind thole belonging to the different dates of Europe, on a level with which ihe prcfuir.es to place it. The Ruffian 19* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, Ruffian navy would ftill be in a more incomplete ftate, but for the Britifti and Dutch, to whom it is indebted for a part of \vhat it is, with regard to building, manoeuvring and difcipling the fleet. But feveral obftacles are in the way of the fartiier pro- grcfs, of which it is fufceptible. Of thefe the chief are; a want of ports in the ocean, the limited extent of coafts belonging to Ruflia, and what fhe has, be- ing obftructed with ice the grcateft part of the year, and the fin all number of experienced feamen me could furnifh, if me wanted to man her fleet with her own fubjects only. Ruilia has no port on the ocean, but Arch, njjel, and even it can be ufeful only to commerce, bccaufe of its great diftance from the European leas, and the neceflity there is for doub- ling the north cauc, iituatcd in the fcventy fecond O * J ' degree, and only in the middle of fummer, open for a communication with the reft of the globe. IT is a fact afcertained, that a power, which pof- feiles only a fmall extent of coait, cannot have a great force at fea, without very great difficulty. Now Runia has no coaft but that from Riga and "Wiburg to the head of the Gulf of Finland, which is only a fpan for an empire fo extcoiive, and of fo much the lefs value, becaufc the Gulf being confin- ed between two lands, without tides, and inaccef- fible for at lead five months of the year, is not much fupciior to a lake, when compared with the ocean. Here TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 193 Here we do not reckon what Ruilia has acquired on the black lea, nor the coafts of the white and frozen fea, which are aim oft a defart, ncr the inha- bitable countries of Kamfchatka. IN fhort Rufila wants experienced failors, and will not have them foon, becaufe the conftitution of her Government ftar.ds in the wav. The flave, who is * i the only man in Rufiia, fit for the fatigues of the fea, is chained to the foil, on which he has been born, and the fea is the element only of freemen. During the iirft war that the Ruffians had with the Turks, chance ieemed to fcrve them in the diftance between Cronftadt and the Archipelago by the ex- perience, which the officers and failors acquired in this paff.ige. The Government, it is true, keeps eighteen thoufand iVilors in pay, but the moil part of them, have never ferved. A fnrall number in time of peace make foinc cruifes in the Baltic, or at fartheft within view of the Britifh coaft. The reft are in fummer employed in navigating feme ihips from Cronftadt to St Peterfburg, which is not an apprenticeship fuilicient to breed a number cf fill- ers, who in time of war cannot be procured from merchant {hips; for Ruffia has aim oft none, and ths principal caufe cf this deficiency is, the fevere pro- hibitions again?t leaving the country without a paiT- port : ,i the admiralty form, A merchant, who dears a veffcl, is at iirft obliged to obtain leave from VOL, T. B b 194 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the admiralty to take on board a certain number of Ruffian fubjecb, for returning whom he is obli- ged to 11 nd caution for a hundred and forty roubles for e?c:h f'.llor. Hence it follows, that without in- fringing the fundamental laws of the empire, and the brazen code of ilavery, it is not poffible to pro- cure a fufiicient number of feamen, to arm a fleet on an urgent occafion. In fhort, a ffote that has no diitarit colonies, no conliderable fifherics, no ex- tenfive coa-ls, that can accuftom its inhabitants to the dangers of the fca, cannot procure a navy capa- ble of being formidable to the maritime powers of Europe. Tun navy of RuHIa, however, with all its de- fccls :s very fufhcient for the defence of her coafts, for convoying her merchant men, for command- ing rdpccl on the Baltic, and for overawing the Turks oil the Archipelago, who have not a better, or rat';-:r have an inferior navy to that of Ruffia, bccau.'e the navies of thcie two po\vers are in an in- vcrfe r.irlo to one another. The Ruffian is growing better and better, while the Turkifli navy is grow- ing v/orfe a,.d vorfe every day. It is an efleft, and an ad-'int'ige of the good policy of the cabinet of SL Pctcrlburg, th?t it keeps up a good under- Handing \\irh tlic grjatcft maritime powers, whom RulTia iu.npii :.s \vith naval (lores, and who are there- tore latereikd in keeping fair with her and in cul- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 195 tivating her friendfhip ; but me muft not expect to rival them for a long time to come. CHAP. XV, COMMERCE, 'which the European nations carry en ivith RuJJla. What are the bcjl frequented ports cf that empire. Archangel. Riga. Ajlracan.Gurjef.- Derbent. Baku. -Enzelh. Navigation and Com- merce of the Black Sea of the Sea of Ar.cff. In- land Navigation of RuJjTia. A Plan of the Ruffians for carrying their commerce into India. JL HE commerce of RuiTia in Europe, that is, in the northern parts of this diviiion of the globe, has been for a long time in the hands of the merchants of the Hanfe Towns. But the Britlfh, who vilit every quarter, having under the reign of Iwan IV. call anchor for the firft time in the harbour of Arch- angel, were invited by this prince to erect factories in his ftates. Queen Mary upon the report of the navigators, who had been received in Ruffia, fettled a company in the year 1555, for the purpofe of tra- ding there. Iwan granted it confidcrable privi- leges, which the Britifh, according to their fyftem, found means of rendering cxcluiive, o THIS 196 TRAVKLS IN RUSSIA. Tins opening foon became to them a fourcc of advantageous (peculations ; breaufc the trade rifing out of it, was hnmer.fe and lucr.uive beyond all ex- pectation. It confided chiefly in exporting from Ruiiia to tlie diuercnt countries of Europe, furs, hides, maiis, flux, hemp, tallow, whale-oil, tar, pitch and leal her, and in importing from thcfe countries into iviifha, woollen doths, fluffs, modes, cotton, cuiiibeu < ..(1, 5:c. 'I his branch of trade in tlie h.md* of thj Brit i Hi, foon e '.'envied into the vail prov'U.' s, which hv.in IV. a.-, limuus fur hi.- c-:n- qucit as lor his cruelties, fubjected to his empire. But t h:b j^riiKC \vis nut ii~!!U:i>rt.i!, ai:d his death cl'.ar.^cd tlif- Lice of ever 1 , th'. n^. I'Ord(;r, ln\ iuc- ee:ior, i: ' i.'om proteaing tl'.e B: - itifii, fuppreiTed or redrced the : i privileges ahiVvift tonotliing. Thi; prii 1 ' j vV.is jealoin and hvftile t> every tiling not Rufuan. hi '.ii mean tiiiic, a.? ' .. av.;n-jj (,i the rner- cl.'iit 5s ai caviling, and .: ' cip: /:o oi' importunity ;v-> t!:,it of tiiL rc'urue 1 -. tlu i.^- i'\ !.y rr.can: of :\ib- mirfu n i ;:eciea in recove'-'u'^ .1 part of their pri- vileges, but Boris Goduno\v, \vl:o;ifter wards came to the throne, not only would not hear of granting privileges, but even eftabliilied a irce tracie in hi,; itates ; io that the Ilanfo towns recovered their an- cient privileges, and rivalled th j Britifli with all their advantage, oi Lr:al fituatir.n. 'i he Dutch ah r o came, iy: \vh?rcY''T the Britidi i! 17 ]iies 3 ycu loon fee il:i, Batavian TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 197 Batavian, which in the latitudes, where there are no guns to face, foon becomes the ruling flag ; becaufe the Dutch navigator equals the Britifh in avarice, but is inferior to him in courage, and ft ill more in refources. THE troubles, which dcfolatcd RufTia at the time of the appearance of the falfe Demetrius, did much hurt to the trade of thcfe different nations, cfbeci- ally to that of the Britifh, which neverthelefs re- covered itfelf under Michael Foederowitfch. It was annihilated under his fon Alexis, who banifhed the Britifh merchants, being provoked, they fay, at mcdding the blood of King Charles the Firft, with whom Alexis hod bands of friendfhip, and treaties of alliance. This allegation is. not ilriclly true, f.r tin- cx^uliion of the Britiih from Turkey, took pi. ice an year before Charles' death. The real caufe of it : l s the oilers made by the Dutch to pay a duly of lit; ;i per cent, on their goods, if the Czar would mil them in room of the Britifh. This took placc s but dl I not prevent the Czar from re- ceiving an agent trom Cromwell, fome time after at \rJijng',-!, arul allowing the Britifh to trade in th.it port 0:1 the old footing:, yet neither they, nor any other nation, could oblai:? of Alexis, liberty tu ti\ule in any other port of his empire. CHARLKS the Second tried to procure for the Britifh nation, the rc-clUblifhment of a commerce entirely 19* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. entirely free, but the Earl of Carlifle, commiiTioned to Ruifia for this very purpofe, alienated rather than conciliated the affection of the Czar, in favour of the Britifh j becaufe to the haughtinefs of the cour- tier, he joined complete ignorance of negociations ; Ib he obtained nothing from the Czar, but what he could not be refufed, namely, permifilon to trade in all parts of Ruffia, by paying, like other nations, the cuftoin houfe duties. ARCHANGEL, which had been under the Great Dukes and Czars, the only port belonging to Ruf- iia, in which there was any commerce, afterwards divided this advantage with St Pcterfburg, and the ports on the Baltic. When Peter I. came to the Empire, he even took from Archangel its privileges and ancient immunities, as being hurtful to the freedom of commerce. Elizabeth, more eafy and lefs acquainted with her true interefls, again efta- blifhed them all. At prefent this city carries on a considerable trade. It pours into the provinces of Archangel, of Lower Novogorod andKai'an, the com- modities of Europe, and exports grain, hemp, flax, coarfe ftuffs, mafts, and tallow, which come down the Dwina. It is likewife the mart for the produc- tions of a part of Siberia, fuch as peltry and iron. AT prefent, commerce is carried on with the greateit fpirit in the ports of Riga, Revel, Narva, and Wiburg. Frqm the firft a great quantity of grain, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 199 grain, brought down the Dwina from the provin- ces of Plefkow, of Smolenfko and Novogorod, is exported by the Britifh, Swedes and Dutch, and alfo a fmall number of mafls. The commodities exported from other ports are the fame with thofe brought from St Peterfburg, namely, hemp, flax, leather, wax, tallow, tar, hair, ropes, rhubarb, coarfe cloths, all forts of fkins and peltry, caviare, pot-afhes, grain, &c. ARCHANGEL, which takes its name from a con- vent fituated near the place, where the city was built, Hands on the banks of the Dwina ninety werfls from the white fea. It is five fourth's of a league long, half a league broad, and is built entirely of wood, except the Goftinoi-Dwor, or houle of com- merce, which is built of bricks. The citadel, where the governor reiides, is only an wooden inclofure with fortifications of as combuftible materials. In this city there are more than two thoufand traders, and what is uncommon in a commercial place, li- ving there is very cheap. IN the 1 6th century the Ruffians carried on a confiderable trade on the Cafpian fea. For a long * o time indeed it fuffered, becaufe the caravans were often plundered by the Coflacs, on their way to Aftracan. But Alexis Michaelowitfch, having fub- dued thefe vagabond hordes, the roads became fafe, and the commerce of Feriia revived and centered in Aftracan. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Aftracan. Merchants from Bulgaria, Crimea, Ar- menia, Perfia, even India came thither to traffic } and as the Ruffian fhips were then coarfely built,, and fubject to fhipwrcck, the prince brought fhip- buildcrs from Amftcrdam, in order to have {hips more fit for refilling the ternpefb of this ftormy fea=, THE rebellion of tlie Coffacs on the Don, and Its confequent deviations, annihilated this trade, which, after the difperiion of the rebels, was never re-eftablifhed ; notwithstanding the conqueils of Peter the firft, the factories he creeled, the compa- pany, to which he granted an exclufive privilege, and the treaties of the Emprefs Anne with the king of Perila to favour this company. It recovered new vigour only in the year 1/62, the period, when the Emprefs Catharine II. fuppreffed the exclufive pri- vilege of the com pan v, and allowed all her fubiects O l > -' tj to trade with Fcriia. Two Ruffian confuls were fettled at Baku and Enzclli. After all, this princefs has not yet fuccccdccl in putting a itop to the con- traband trade, carried on in Shamakia and other inland towns in Peril a, by the Armenian merchants j who knowing the country and the lanQ-uap-e, have O * O ^5 J a configurable ad vantage over the Rufl^ant;. A s T R A r \N , 1 1 1 e d 1 ii e r e n t n u ar t e r s of \v 1 1 i c i i are fcattered < n the hills within its circumference, i? built on an ifland, formed by the Wolga at its dif- charge into the Cafpian fea. This city, inhabited TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 201 by Ruflians, Armenians, Pcrfians, Tartars and Jews, may be; coniidered one of the moft confiderable marts of the irlobe ; becaufe by means of the Wol- o < ga, con i.iodities are eafily carried thither from the Baltic ports. It is remarkable that in this city, though (ituated in latitude 47 the cold is extremely feverc during winter, and that for two months the Wolga is frozen to fuch a degree, that the heavieft loaded fledges can be driven over it. On one of thole hills, which Aftracan encompaflcs, Hands the Imperial Garden-Counting- Hcmfe, whole principal bulintfs is, to encourage the culture of the vine and to iurnifh fruits to the table of the Emprefs or her courtiers, who make more demands than her Majcfty, and reckon as nothing the labour, which a melon of Aftracan cofts the poor gardeners, be- fore it arrive at maturity lit for their table. UPON the banks of the Wolga there are great fo- refls belonging to the province of Kafan, which fur- nifh mafts and all forts of timber, neceilary for the conftruclion of mips deftined for the navigation of the Cafpian fea, which is known to be one of the moll ftormy of the globe. Tins fea, on which the ancients and th:' moderns have formed fo many theories, is rc.iiiy a phenome- non. Its length from Gurjef to Mv .. ictizar is a- bout three hundred and eighty fix \vcrfts, and its breadth is at no part greater than a hundred and fe- VOL. I. C c vcntv Jo2 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. venty five. This fea, whofe waters are of an ochre- colour, has neither flow nor ebb, and is full of Ihal- lows, that prevent the navigation of hips, which draw more than nine or ten feet water. THE fimeries there, which are very valuable, oc- cupy and train many feamen. The Coffacs of Ural poffefs thefe fifheries on their coafts for the fpace of thirty two werfts, on both banks of the river Uralj ?.nd the inhabitants of Aftracan poflefs all the reft belonging to Rufiia. There are caught the fturgeon and beluga, whofe eggs furnidi abundance of what the Ruffians call Caviare ; a kind of difli, of which they are very fond, and we mall have occafion lo foeak. The dry and fait fim alfo form- a very important article in the diet of the Ruffians. The Cafpian fea in particular abounds with fea-dogs, whofe flelh the Coflacs are very fond of, and from which they extract oil in considerable quantities. THE coafts are divided among the Ruffians, Per- fans, and Tartars. Gurjef and KiflLir are Ruffian ports. Gurjef is at the mouth of the Jaik. It is a fortrefs, and the leaft of thofe raifed along the Jaik, but its works are the moft regular and the beft con- flructed. It has only a fingle gate, v/hich leads to- wirds the river. The houfcs are a hundred and forty in number, all of wood, except the governor's and powder magazine. The population conlifts of the garriibn, compofed of two companies of fuli- leers, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. leers, a fquadron of CofTacs, and foms Aftracau merchants, who carry on a little trade with the Kirghis-Tartars, who border on that country. KISLIAR is on the call coaft, and covers the fron- tiers towards Pcrfia. Formerly ihips could enter into the arms of the Terek, which runs fouth ; but at prefent it is fliut up by fands, and goods are un- loaded more than twenty five werfls from the for- trefs, that is on Terek, and about fevcnty werfts from its mouth. It is inhabited by the Collies, and fbme Tartars, whofe houfes are made of clay or bricks not burnt. From Aftracan this city receives European goods, befides a quantity of grain for the ufe of the colonies, which the Ruffians have on the banks of the Terek, and the inhabitants of Cauca- fus, who are not far diftant. The merchants in Kifliar carry on commerce with the ports of Periia, and befides have a contraband trade with Shamakia, Derbent, and even Tefflis in Georgia ; but this trade is liable to be annoyed, and even pillaged by the numerous hordes of robbers, that wander in thefe countries. AMONG the principal ports of the Cafpian fea be- longing to Perfia, the firft is Derbent in Shirvan, which, they maintain, was built by Alexander the Great, and called l/kdiidir. This city is fituated at the foot of a mountain, which is a continuation of the. Ui'menian mountains. It ii important, on ac* r c 2 204 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. count of the fortrefs, which defends it, and which nature and art have contributed to render impreg- nable, or at lead fufceptible of the longeft defence. The bulk of the inhabitants of this city are Arme- nians, and they alone poflefs its trade, which con- lifts of fait, filks, both raw and wrought, that ^.re brought from Shamakia, which is only about forty- four werfts from Baku, the moft commodious port en all this fea. Baku is fhuated on the north at the foot of Bifchbarmak, a mountain famous for its fprings of Naphta, a kind of bitumcnous oil, very inflammable, of which they carry on a great trade in that country. The Gaurs, known under the name of Guebers, and worfiiippers of fire, come in- to this canton to pay worfhip to God, whom they adore under the emblem of fire : From this city, (of which alfo the Armenians have the trade), filk, fait, but efpecially plenty of naphta are exported. An exteniive trade with Perfia is alfo carried on at Enzelli, or Sinfili, a city built of bulrufhes, with a grand gulph on the fouth-weft coaft. This city is only ten werfts from Rafcht, the capital of Ghilan, which ftands in the centre of this province. The Ruffians have preferved their right of having a con- ful at Rafcht, with thirty foldiers, and a church of their own. They carry thither European goods, which they fell at great advantage, and bring from ic TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 205 it filks and fluffs manufactured at Ghilan, which are elteemed the beft in Perfia. THE Bucharians, a people very much given to trade, inhabiting the fouth-weft part of Independent 1'artary, go in numerous caravans into Ruilia. 'icre are in that empire, feveral colonies of thofe rtars, that maintain a correfpondence with the rchants in their own country. The principal ..irkeis they frequent are Tomfk, Kiatka, and O- ii-mrg, of which the laft is the moft confiderable, J has its chief trade with Kafkar, Taflhent, and ii.rva. Thei'e caravans carry into Ruilia, gold and _-r, in Perfian money and Indian rupees. They :r alfo gold duft, which is found in the rivers of i uiria, jewels, lapis-lazuli, fpun and unfpun cot- U-.ii.. nitre, fal amoniac, rhubarb, larnb-fkins ; and drive thither numerous flocks of fhecp and horfes. The articles they export from Ruffia, are cloth. Ruffian leather, beads, jewels, iron ware, indigo, cochenil, &c. &c. THE Ruffians alfo trade with China, and this branch of their commerce is the moft important of all they carry on with Alia. The principal mart at prefent is Kiaika, a place fituatcd on the frontiers of the two empires. It is always provided abun- dantly with every kind of goods that can be got, which the Chineic buy up very keenly. The total value of this trade, in exports and imports, is for Ruffia |6o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Ruffia an object of about four millions of roubles ; that is upwards of feven hundred thoufand pounds fterling. PETER the Great was the firft fovereign of Ruf- fia, who attempted to open the navigation of the fea of Azoff, and of the Black Sea, and export the produce of his own ftates by this channel. This fa- vourite plan feemed to be on the point of being real- ifed by the conqueft of Azoff, and the erection of the fortrefs of Taganrok, when all thefe grand de- figns were annihilated by the unfortunate campaign in the year 1711, that ended in the peace of Pruth ; a peace bought by the ceffion of Azoff, of Taganrok and by abandoning the commerce of the Black Sea. From that time the Ruffians have been conftantly re- jected by the Turks with that haughtinefs, which is the confequence of an* invidious jealoufy of divi- ding with them the navigation of their feas ; and this prohibition has been between the Turks and Catharine II. the fource of a feries of wars, in which both fides, rather exhaufted than reconciled, laid down their arms, only to take them up again with more fury. At laft Catharine has proved victorious, and her victories have procured to the Ruffians the free navigation of all the feas of Turkey ; the right of paffing through the Dardanelles, with all the franchifes relating to commerce, granted by the Turks to the nations they favour moft j the poffef- fion TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 207 lion of AzofF, of Taganzok, of the fortrefles of Kin- burn, Kertfh, and Yenicale, and a very extenfive territory between the Bog and the Dnieper. With the command of the mouth of the Borifthenes, Ruflia has built the city Cherfon in the Crimea, with the intention of making it a free port, to pre- pare for the two empires the means of a more ex^ tenfive trade ; but thefe plans had to combat every obftacle at firft, and had not acquired any confif- tency, when war again broke out in the year 1787. Notwithstanding the frefh fucceffes of the Ruffians, it is probable that this extremity of Europe will be capable of extenfive commerce, only in proportion as the neighbouring regions mall become civilized. A communication better eftablifhed between the Black fea and the eaftern part of Europe, and be- tween that fame fea and the center of Ada, by its vicinity to the Cafpian fea, might give to the ex* changes of Europe greater eafe and refources ; buc it is only in a long fuccefllon of years that one can difcover this revolution, in which Ruflia will not engage, or will not be able to engage, till me lhall have acquired in Europe a greater degree of influ- ence, at which me will doubtlefs arrive, if the iuc- ccffors of Catharine II. rcfemble her ; for in an ar- bitrary government, the fate of the empire depends wholly on the will of the prince. One or many ge- niufcs fucceeding one another, make it fkmrifli; but if TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. if one or more weak men come after thefe, all is loft, all is deftroyed ; like a field which the arm of labour has cultivated, and that of idlenefs fuffers to be again over-run with brambles. According to the activity of Catharine, and the hopes that the Grand Duke furnifhes, many fpeculations have been made on the extent and the value of the commerce, which Ruflia will be able to carry on in the Black fea, and upon the revolution, which will be the confequence of this removal of a part of the Baltic commerce to the ports of the Mediterranean. It is looked on as a thing certain, that the fouthern provinces of Ruf- fia, will by thefe means procure an outlet for ex- porting their fuperfluous productions ; that the Ruf- fian mips will open to themfelves, a very advanta- geous trade with the Crimea, and the Auftrian pro- vinces through Kilia Nova, with the Turks at Con- flantinople, and with the Greeks of the Levant ; That the iron of Siberia, the grain, hemp and flax of Ukraine will be brought into the ports of the Black fea, and through the Dardanelles into the ports of the Mediterranean ; and that thus France and Spain will provide thernfcives with na- val (lores, much more eaflly and at a cheaper rate than from the Baltic fca, and the northern ocean. Thefe plans, which have appeared only chimerical dreams to thofe, who do not reflect on the won- ders, which a perfeverance io indefatigable as that of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 209 of the Ruffians is capable of producing ; thcfe plans are already rcalifed in a great degree, and it is pro- bable that circum fiances and Ruffian patience, which nothing difcourages, will one day accomplifh th^ni all. EQUALLY indefatigable and greedy of gain, the Ruffians carry to Conftantinople and Gallipoli, which are the principal ports on the fea of the Mar- mora, peltry, leather, fail-cloth, cordage, anchors, tar, pitch, ueel, iron, flit-Mi, caviare, butter, fea- horfe-tceth, wax, tea, muik, caftor oil, colours, pa- per, coarfe ilu'I' and corn. There they buy raw and wrought lilk, cotton ftuHs, muilins, turkey fluffs, carpets, Angora goats hair, Greek wines, oil, and all forts of fruits, tobacco, pipes, fpiceries, iaffron, opi- um, and other drugs, pearls, precious ftones, gold, filver, &LC. IT is fmcc the ccffions, that the Turks have been obliged to make to Ruffia, that this trade, and that carried on upon the fea of AzolT, has really been able to take the name of commerce. The objects granted are confiderable, and of the great eft impor- tance to Rufiia. r'irft fiie obtained the country round the lea oi Azoff. Secondly, all the Crimea; thirdly, the iortrd^ of Kinburn, and fourthly, the country ' et\veen the Dnieper and the Bog. We are going 10 give an idea of the importance of thcfe different (.eiiions. VOL. I. D d 2io TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE diilricb lltuated along the fea of Azoff, com- prehends, befides a great extent of country to the eaft and weft, the fortreffes of Azoff, of Taganrok and of Peterofik. The firft is no more of the fame importance that it was under Peter I. The branch of the Don, on which it is built, is at prefent fo gorged with fand, that the fmalleft mips have much difficulty in entering it. The goods which were formerly carried to Azoff, are now commonly landed at Taganrok and at Peterofik. Merchant veflels are built at St Demetri or Roftof, whence they come down the Don by another branch of this river. In the harbour of Taganrok there is only feven feet of water, fo that vefTcls defigned for this harbour mud draw only five or fix. Catharine, whofe eye extends every where, has made this city much more convenient by feveral magazines and other buildings, which me caufed be erecled du- ring the war before laft. Befides the failors, who frequent thefe paffages, put a particular value on the falubrity of the air, they breathe at Taganrok, PXTLROI-SK, built during the fccond war, which Ruflia has had with the Turks, (lands at the mouth of the Bro^i, ami commands the frontiers of Tur- key. The iituation of its harbour is moil advanta- geous, becaufe it has a direcl communication with o ' the ports of the Crimea, and it is deeper than that: of Taganrok. Before the Ruffians became matters of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 211 of the Crimea, thefe fortreffes had full command of the navigation of the lea of Azoff, and the coun- try fir ft ceded by the Turks was guarded by a chain of little forts, which ftill extends from Peteroflk to the Dnieper. THE forts of Kertfch and Yenicale on the eaft coaft of the Crimea, and near the north entry of the canal of Caffa, were of the grcateil importance before the lail war, becaufe they commanded the paflige of the north lea to the fen. of AzolF. KINBURN fituatcd at the mouth of the Dnieper, and oppofite to Oczakow, was the only harbour, that the Ruffians pofleffed on the black fea. I'eforc they had feized on Oczakow, it bordered with the frontiers of the territory of the Turks and made them refpecl thofe of Rufiia. It might yet hamper their navigation on the Dnieper. This place was dcftined to be the principal mart for the com- modities ient from the provinces, through which this river runs ; but the port furnifliing'no fafe an- chorage, becaufe ot the fhihing land:-, the new city of Cherion is become the real market of the trade. carried on in that latitude. Tin; no He ili on of the territory, between the Bo^ ' 7 G and the Dnieper, likewlio open--, a f.iic communica- tion between the Bhck lea and the beautiful pro- vinces, through which "he Dniopor runs. 1'liis im- portant territory, fo cffenti:il o the exiftcncc of tlii>' D d " nc.w 212 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. new trade, was principally inhabited by hordes of wandering Tartars, and by S iporovian Coflacs, who dwelt in the Dnieper, and rendered its navigation very dangerous by their piracies. THE Ruffian provinces inoft interefted in this trade, becaufe they lie on the Dnieper and the Don, are thofe of Smolenfko, Mohilof, Ukraine, New Ruflia, Bielogorod, Woronetz, Slobodfkai, and AzofT. This vaft country abounds with all forts of grain, hemp, flax, leather, mafts, logs, honey, w r ax, and tobacco. The Emprefs has already caufed fe- veral cities be built in the countries which have been ceded to her by the Turks, of which the principal are Cherfon, Catharinenflaf and Marianopoli. CHERSON ftands on the Dnieper, about twelve werfts below the mouth of the Ingul, and is built chiefly of hewn fione. It is defigned to be the prin- cipal market of thefe provinces, but if this commerce become extenfive, this market will be better placed in fome other place, below the bar of the Dnieper, that is about fifteen werfts to the fouth of Chcribn. There is in this city a Dockyard for the conftruc- tion of large fhips, and feveral men of war and fri- gates, ss well as merchant mips, have been already launched. CATHARINENSLAF, or the Glory of Catharine, is built not far from the place where the little river of Liltzin runs into the Samara, and is to be the capital TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 213 capital of the government of Azoff. Here is a co- lony of Greeks and Armenians come from the Cri- mea. Here are alfo other fettlers come from diffe- rent nations, \vho have done material fervice to Rufiia, in the different wars they have had with the Turks. MARIANOPOLI was built on the coaft of the fea of Azoff, between the rivers Mius and Calmius. Thelc three cities, as well as the numerous villages, that have been creeled in a country, which was in- habited only by vagabond hordes, are at this day full of Ruffians, Armenians, Greeks and Tartars, who have forfaken their wandering life. THI-: eye of a traveller, who in Germany and Hungary has admired the majeftic courfe of the Rhine and the Danttbe, is very differently furprifed, when he arrives and runs over the banks of the Don and Dnieper, which form the communication be- tween the provinces, which we have juft mentioned, and the feas of Turkey. Ttu; Don has its fourcc in the little lake of St John, near to Tula, in the government of Mofcow, and after having traverfed a part ot the provinces of \Yoronctz, Ukraine, Slobodfkai, and all the pro- vince of Azoff, it divides into three branches, near Tcherfkafk, which loie themfelvcs in the fea of A- soff. This river has io many windings, and is fo lull of {hallows, that it can icarcely be navigated but in TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. in fpring, .and when the fnows melt. Its mouth is alfo fo gorged with fands, that, except during this feafon, flat bottomed boats only can pafs into the fea of Azoff. The countries, through which the Don runs, are covered with vaft forefts, of which the wood is floated as far as St Demetri and Roftof, X where frigates are constructed for the fea of AzofF. THE navigation of the Don will become very ad- vantageous, if fuccefs attend the attempts to tran- fport the iron of Siberia, and the commodities of China and Perfia, by this river, into the Black fea. It was by this channel that they, as well as the pro- ductions of India, formerly arrived. SOMETIMES the iron of Siberia, and the commo- dities of China, are fent by means of different ca- nals, as far as the Wolga. The commodities of Per- fia are alfo tranfported as far as the Don acrofs the Cafpian fea, and from the Wolga to the Don there is a paffage of no more than eighteen werfts. SINCE the Ruffians acquired a part of Lithuania, and the country between the Don and the Dnieper ; and fmce the Saporovian CoiTacs have been wholly clifperfcd or kept under ; the navigation of the Dnieper has become lefs dangerous. '1 he river has been freed from various obftructions, and now it runs freely from its fource to its mouth in the pro- vinces of the Ruffian empire. ALTHOUGH TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 315 ALTHOUGH the courfe of this river be more than five hundred and thirty werfts, its navigation is in- terrupted only once by a feries of cataracts, which begin below the place, where this river receives the Samara, and extend the length of thirty werfts. They are however not fo dangerous as reprefented., and may in the fpring be palled by loaded barks, even without much danger. At other feafons, goods are unloaded at Kameufk, oppofite the mouth of the Samara. Thence they are carried over land to Kitchafk, v/liich is only ibout thirty werfts off. There they are embarked anew' to be carried down to Cheribn. without interruption. If this trade re- ceive much addition, this river by laying out fome millions of roubles, might be made navigable in all feafons of the year, in fpite of thcfc cataracts. THE eftablifliment of a trade between the ports of the Black fca and thofe of the Mediterranean., has been encouraged by the Kmprefs. She has di- minifhed the duties on exports and imports, and helped to form a company for carrying on the com- merce of the Black fca. Ai'Tr.R the peace in 178^. fcur Chips for the firft time failed for St lYVen'biirg, with a cirgo ccnnTt- ing of iron, flax, hcnip, fail chvJi, ikiri>, &c. This fquadron was fitted our at the rxpcnce of the Km- prcls, who gave up all the pr-ai^ to the new com- pany. But the jcaloufy of the Turks, ruined this entcrprizc. 2i6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. entcrprize, Under different pretences, they pre- vented the {hips from palling the Dardanelles. The cargoes were fold in the Levant, and Mediterranean, and the vcflels returned, without having gained their principal object. Frefh troubles, which rofe refpecting the Crimea prevented the formation of new adventures of this kind till the year 1779, but fince the peace, which was concluded at that period between the Ruffians and Turks, feveral Greek vefiels under the Ruffian flap, cominz from O ? O Azoff, and the BLick fea, have with freedom, paf- fed the Dardanelles. This paffage is only difputed with the Ruffians, when the Turk for^ettin^ his O O laft defeat, and his forces not engaged with thofe of Europe, wifh.es once more to try the fate of arms; and he never wiflies to do this, till he be ftirred up by the Imans, Opium, or fome foreign power, that wants to produce a diverfion, in order to draw ad- vantage from it. THIS is the way by which the Ruffians attempted to free this famous pafTige, which to them now is no more an obltacle. A fhip of tueir nation, be- longing to government, and lo.icled with f.ilt beef, in tiie ynir 1780, failed from Chc-rfon for the port, of Toulon. She was allowed to pafs as far as the Dardanelles, and was foon followed by other five, loaded with iron, which got fortunately into the ports of the Archipelago. In the month of Novem- ber TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 217 bcr 1781, a like number of {hips failed from Cher- fon for the ports of France, with cargoes of hemp and tobacco, and their voyages had the fame fuc- cefs. In fhort, in the year 1784, fome other veflels made the fame voyage, but the'laft war in- terrupted this rifing commerce, which fome writers have reprefented as capable of caufing a fpeedy revo- lution, in the general commerce of Europe, and Vet it is nothing, or almoft nothing. * O 7 O WE fhall add to the details juft now given, and for the honour of the Sovereigns of Rufiia, that there is no ftate on earth, where inland navigation is fo exteniive as that of the Ruflian Empire. In fhort, goods may be tranfported by water to the diftance of near three thoufand werfts, that is to fay, from the frontiers of China to St Peterfburg without any interruption, but that of a fpace of about forty werfts. They may alfo be tranfported, without beinsr difembarked even a fineie time, from Aftra- o o * can to St Peterfburgj an extent of nine hundred and fifty werils. THE communication by water from St Peterfburg to Aitracan, or what is the lame thing, from the Baltic to the Cafpian fc; 1 , is formed by the famous canal from Wimnei-Wolofhok, wliich is worthy of the reign of Catharine II, and in refpecl of the la- bours it. has cauied, exceeds the immortal works of the Romans,- and ecm.Js their folidity. VOL. I, Ee RUSSIA TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. RUSSIA, which is the country for plans, where- of the execution of feveral has aftonifhed Europe, formed one of the moft gigantic in the year 1783. It rs true, it was upon an extraordinary occalion. Driven from their ordinary road by the war, which Hyder Ally and the Britifh were making on one another, fome merchants to the north of Bengal, after ha- ving traverfed immenfe countries, had come with their goods to the frontiers of Siberia, where they had been received with tranfport, and they had promifed to return, The board of trade at St Pe- terfburg, being informed of this novelty, had im- mediately projected a branch of commerce with the Indians, aad to forward it, they had fitted out a fleet at Aftracan, to feize upon Aftrabad, which is the moft foutherly port of the Cafpian fea, and the ipot whither the Indians could moft conveniently come to trade. But the Kadfchares, an invincible people, who abhor flavery, and can defend them- felves againft it, difperfed the fleet, and the enter- prife had the moft miferable fuccefs. In the mean time, the court of Rufiia was not difcouraged by that, and till a. more favourable opportunity delay- ed a fecond attempt, on which ihe entered with fo much the more propriety, as the inland navigation- eftablifhed between St Peterfburg and Aftracan > muft extend the views of Rufiia to the trade of In- dia y becaufc by dlablifhing this commumcation 7 flie TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. flic removed the obftacle the moft difficult to be furmounted, by the commerce that may be carried on in this quarter. But if ever Ruflia fucceed in this attempt, the India trade will be annihilated in England, which flouriihes only by means of it, and in France, which has the moft powerful motives for re-eftablifliins: the commerce there, which (he had O ' from the time of the famous Duplex. Thefe two powers, which have long been rivals and will at laft be friends, will doubtlefs oppofe the plans of Ruf- fia, that not many years ago was in the balance of Europe only a fuperfluous weight, of little account, but either is or pretends to be, at this moment, a preponderating weight, which will foon make thofe of greater influence than herfelf vanifh in this chi- merical balance, which fortune lifts or deprefles at her pleafure. C H A P. XVI. XES in Riijpa. Tbcfe cfWoetft.OfBerefofcka. Of Koliwan.OfNerifchirft. The fait pits cf Stro- ganoff. Of the Heck and Siberia. of the moft extenflve branches cf commerce .hi Ruflia, is that, which ariies from the mines; they form an important article in the revenues of the E e ? Emprefs 220 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Emprefs. As a prerogative of the crown, {he pof- feffes all thofe mines, which yield gold and filver, that have been, or may be difcovered on all the lands of her dominions. As for the brafs and iron mines, fhe works fome on her own account, and thefe are the moft valuable. Others are^iven up to the pro- prietors of the eftates, in which they are lituated, or to the perfon who has difcovered them, on con- dition of a certain confideration being paid to the crown, and an indemnity annually, or at once, be- ing paid to the proprietors of the eilates. THE mines of Woetfk, fituated near Olonetz, be- tween the lake of Onega and the White fea, are the firfl which the Ruffians had. Gold has been dug in them, but at fo great expence, that they have been given up feveral times. Catharine II. ordered the works to be refurned in 1772, on plans lefs expen- five. But the undertaking is far from being lucra- tive, for the mines do not furnifh annually more than ninety five hundred weight of copper, and nine pounds of gold duft. THE mines difcovered in the neighbourhood of Catharineburg, between the Pifchma and the Bere- fofoka, and pofterior to thofe juft mentioned, al- though pcinpoufly named Gold-Mines by the Ruf- fians, are only copper-mines ; becaule the gold wrought in them is to copper, as one to thirty, and the annual produce of this precious metal never exceeds TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 221 exceeds two hundred and fixty fix, and is often below two hundred and thirty three pounds; which would nuc pay the expence of working, if manual labour were not at a low rate in thefe countries, and if in addition to all that, for the misfortune of humanity, the defpot did not employ the unjuit re- fource of averages, which are fo fatal to the unfor- tunate peafant, who would perifh undur the knout, if he dared to conceal the fmallefl quantity of the mineral, which is watered with his fweat. THE mines of Riulia, the moft famous and which make the beft return for the labours of the unfortu- nate people employed in them, are thofe of Koliwan, between the Oby and the Irtifch, on the frontiers of Siberia, and towards the country, which the Chinefe Kalmucs inhabit. Thefe mines were difco- vered in the year 1725, by Jakins Nikitifch Demi- doff, a merchant in Mofcow, as famous for his fin- gularities as his riches. Some Peafants in the neigh- bourhood of the Oby had loft fome cattle, and were traverfmg the country in fearch of them, when fome considerable bits or minerals \vere noticed a- mong their feet. They brou.:':i: f implex of them to Demidoff, who had foimderi.-s in their country, and told him the place whence they had taken theni. Being better informed than theie countrymen, De- midoii'knew the value of the article they had found, :ii} d ilew to Mofcow to fclicit letters pitcnt, to per- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. mit him to work the rich treafure, contained in the mountains of Koliwan. What is fingular, and proves the ignorance of the Ruffians is, that the college of mines, who faw thefe famples, granted a patent on- ly for copper mines, whilft Demidoff extracted two fifths of filver from his minerals. In filence and fe- crecy he continued this gainful work for near twen- ty years. Then rich enough, or afraid of being be- trayed, and it is aftonifhing he was not, he deliver- ed up his grant to the Emprefs, and received from her under the name of indemnity, an annuity of three thoufand roubles. The filver dug from thefe mines is mixed with the proportion of three to an hundred parts of gold, and is fent to St Peterfburg. From the accounts of the board of mines, thofe of Koliwan produced, fince they were difcovered in 1725 till 1786, about three millions five hundred and twenty thoufand pounds of filver, and forty eight thoufand pounds of gold, which yields at an average, a produce of fifty nine thoufand pounds of filver, and fixteen hundred pounds of gold per annum. THE mines and founderies of Koliwan employ near forty thoufand men, exclufive of the peafants in the neighbourhood of Tomfk and Kufnetz, who redeem their capitation tax by cutting wood, fur- rafhing charcoal, and tranfporting the mineral to the founderies. SINCE TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 223 SINCE the year 1765 the board of mines have dif- covered a way of paying the expences of working thofe of Koliwan, by coining, the copper drawn from them, which was in a manner thrown away, on account of the carriage, which was abfolutely neceifary to make it an advantageous concern. Now it is carried to Suzunfkoi, which is fome werfts from thence, where it-is coined into pieces of two copeks, with which the workmen are paid. The filver caft into ingots in the fame city, is tranfport- ed to St Peterfburg by convoy, when the feafon permits. NEXT to the mines of Koliwan, the Ruffians place thofe of Nertfchinfk, fituated on the Nertfcha, towards the frontiers of China, to the fouth eaft of Siberia ; and thofe of Argunfkoi on the banks o Argun, fituated almoft in the fame country. They are even thought more productive than thofe of Koliwan, although lefs abundant, becauie they re- quire lefs manual labour, and bcfides thofe of Koli- wan want the lead neceiTary for working them, and to remedy this deficiency, it mult be brought from England. The mines of Argun and Nertfchinfk. produced from the year 1741 till 1786, upwards of forty eight thoufand two hundred and lixty fix pounds of filver, and eight hundred pounds of gold. IT is principally in the mines of Nertfchinlk, that the criminals transported into Siberia arc employed, Never 224 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Never iefs than two thoufand of them are there, and yet they conftitute no more than a fifth of the hands employed in working thefe mines. THE other mines in Ruffia are not fo important, and Iefs valuable than thefe. The crown has given them for the working, or has ceded the property for a compenfation. Many of them belong to the houfe of Schuwalow, and to the different families of Demidoff. IN fpite of the ignorance in mineralogy, with which foine travellers have reproached the Ruffians, it has been remarked that thefe people work their mines with much more advantage than ever the Spaniards did thofe of Potofi or Peru, and that the difference in favour of the Ruffians was eighty per cent, on gold, and fifty per cent, on filver. The advantage, it is faid, depends on this ; the Spani- ards ufe quick- Hi ver inftead of lead, and the for- mer is not only more hurtful to the health of the workmen l.i^.n '.V-e latter is, but ; j .ifo caufes a great- er evaporation in the parts of the gold. IN a country where vegetation is aim oft in every qii.:rter ;:;pped by the rigour of the climate, the ri'jiies, which rv.ineo yield, arc doubtlefs an inefti- ri ibh: rciburce. But if the Sovereigns of Ruffia, iiua.uu of thinking on peopling their dominions, which have io r:uch need of population, prefcrve this warlike fpiii;, which not only dcftroys popu- lation TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 225 htion, but makes defarts of the fineft countries ; the immeiifc treafurcs that Siberia contains, and cannot be torn from the earth, but by force of arms, v/ill become an ufelefs gift, which nature feems to Lave lent them, as an indemnification for thofj me denies, in a country, where fb : appears, only bar- ren or a rurfh ftep- mother. Gmclin, Pallas, and Abbe Chapprr, who have trivciled over Siberia, un- animoufly agree 5 thr.c the. mine; of ths country are inexhaiifi'Me in t:>" ftrk'te! knJl 01 the expredion, but the greater part, < r r>crhaps the bc'ucr pait ftill want hnnjs to work Uieui. It is iherefore, a long reign of peace that the Rufihns need, in order to enjoy thefe bleffings; if g1 a circle <>f two VOL. 1. ]' i" Iiuriaied 226 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, hundred fathoms diameter, for making to the pro- prietor, an annual payment of two per cent, for the favour, and as much to the crown for every mine not producing gold nor filver, Thofe of the laft clafs, adds the law of Peter I. fliall belong to the difcoverer, wherever they be iituated, and on the iingle condition, that he fell the produce to the crown only. The bowels of the earth were not however opened, even after all theje encouragements. Either timid or defective in calculation, the Ruffians then averfe to induftry, were at firil afraid of the even- tual expence, and they remained in a date of inac- tion. But Peter, who {peculated alone, better than all the Ruffians together, undertook the mines al- ready difcovered, on his ov/n account, and made of them immenie profit. The courtiers then imita- ted their matter, and thence the mines of Schuna- low and Demidoff. FOR. the purpofe of improving this branch of ad- miniftration, the fchool of mines was militated at St Peterfburg, where the young people, who are admitted, fhidy all the parts of mineralogy. When they are inftrucled they are fcnt into Siberia, where they direct ihe principal mines. It is faiti, that this fchool has produced fome excellent fcholars, who by proceedings as fimple as ingenious, have faved,, in the mines under their direction, the fweat of the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 227 the miferable, and augmented the produce' of the works. THE fait pits would be an object of as much im- portance to the Ruffians, as the mines are, if they were wrought with fkill and fidelity, but the eye of the mafter cannot be extended to the extremities of fo vaft a horizon as that, under which the im- menfe regions of Rufiia lie. He fees only what is around himfelf, and thofe interefled in cheating him contract this horizon as much as poflible, and prefent it to him always under flattering appearances. PETER I. made in this department of govern- ment fome wife laws, which have been improved by his fucceflbrs, and by Catharine II. in particular, who has profited by the experience, which is the refult of time, a*hd by the abufes, which it difcovers. Yet, in fpite of thefe precautions, the inhabitants of that empire arc obliged to fetch fait from Spain, while magazines eftabliihed with wifdom, in dif- ferent parts of the empire, would not only provide Rufiia and the adjacent provinces, but alfo the coun- tries lying on the Baltic, and thofe lying towards the north, which are deprived of this mineral, of the firfl necefiity ; for there are falt-pits in almoft all Rufiia. One of the moil famous is in the go- vernment of Kafan, and belongs to the family of Stroganoff, who have been in pofleflion of it, fmce ever it was wrought. That fituated near Orenburg, F f 2 op 228 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. on the border? of: the Heck, is the rn -ft productive, and furnifhes the largeil field jc^r obfe; /tion 1 o the naturalift, whu runs over it. The bit of this pit is moft beautiful, and of the beft quality. It is taken from 2. iuad of reck p.bout four weriis from the river. The lei; -th of the rock is eight hand- red fathoms., and the breadth ... JOUL five hundred. It is fb fond, chat it has not yet been pofiible to found it. With a miner's wimble, however, they have penetrated to the depth of twenty feven fa- thoms ; but time, fweat, and inftruments, have not afcertained a complete knowledge of the depth of this mafs. FROM the year 1784 till 1787, more than a mil- lion of pouds* of fait, were taken from this rock, and tranfported into different parts of the empire, by the Wolga, the Biela and the Kama. The work- men in this mine, who amount to two hundred, , receive half a i.opci?. for every ;o..id of Ut. thc.y prepare for traiiiportation, and u, do tin-;, i.;cy have only to cut tiie roc -., wuich rulf::. tae pick- axe, like the moft (olid rock, but in a certain direction, it fpli'ts with the loir- of a pin. " hjy ^< fix >pcks for trar.ipnrtin;., d poud fr :;j -..he mine th-j little river of Afchkater, \\here It i; iliip >cd .)r Oren- burg, and the neighbouring i.-.u^cto. This fall: is fold * A poud ! ! a Ru.T.iri weight of forty pouucls about thirty fevca EngliOi. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 229 ibid in the country at twenty five or thirty copcks the poud, which is about a half-penny the Englifti pound. It is calculated that this pit may yet fur- nifh fait for near two centuries, fuppofmg the depth to be no greater than it is already known to be. In order that the working may be more productive, and lefs expeniive, the government has lately made an agreement with fome Coflacs, who are to dig fifty thoufand pouds a year, and tranfport them to the magazines of Orenburg. There are in the O O neighbourhood of this pit, fome very deep lakes of fait water, to which great virtue is afligric'd by the Kirghis, and in which they bathe of their own ac- cord, when afflicted with the leaft difcafe. The phyficians, who have i-nd an opportunity of judging of thcfe baths, all agrcr, that they are good for all pedicular difeafes. There is one aftonifhing circum- ftance attending thefe v aters, namely, their furface is as cold as ice, while the deeper you plunge, the warmer you become, and at die bottom, no perfon can flay more than two c;f three minutes. To the in- vcftigators of the fecrets of nature, we leave the cilice of explaining this phenomenon, which is attributed to the action of the rays of the fun on the fait par- ticles, with which thefe waters are impregnated. TIIF.RE are alfo fome confidcrable fait pits in the neighbourhood of Baclurmt, near Donetz, which is an arm of the Don. They belong to the crown, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and do not yield it more than fifty five thoufand roubles a year. This is owing to the avarice of the managers, who are too far diftant, for their con- dud: to be inquired into ; and no people have more need of being called to account than the Ruffians, when they poffefs any truft. Every nation, that like them lives under the yoke of defpotifm, re- fembles them in this point. This refemblance ought not to aftonifti us, iince it is inherent in human na- ture. The flave, who watches the moment, when bis matter turns away his eyes, to fteal fomething from him, is the image of the Ruffian, of the Turk, of almoft all the unhappy Haves of Germany, and perhaps alfo of the folemn Spaniard, who is this day as near a ftate of flavery as the Turk. NEXT to the fait pits juft defcribed, thofe of Si- beria would be the molt important, and would ex- ceed them even in produce, if they were attend- ed to, and received the working, of which they are fufceptible. But the want of hands, the dif- tance, which renders carriage very coftly, and the rigour of the climate are obllacles, which oppofe the revival of thefe fait pits, which any other where, would be a treafure, for which nature would be thankfully acknowledged. CHAP- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. CHAP. XVII. OF the civilization of the Ruffians, and whatjhould be thought of it. The houfes of the Great* Their. way of life. That of the common people. Their food*- Their drink. Manner of fa! ut e among the Ruffians. Their haughty look. National pride. Anecdote. The RuJ/ian ladies. Their drsfs. Marriage. Singular cvjloms. Funerals. Manners and citftoms. Ruffian baths. How built Ho-w and by whom adminijlcred. (CATHARINE II. who in all parts of adminiftra- tion, has fhowed herfelf the rival of Peter I. and furpafTed him in many refpecb, by having had the advantage of circumftances, and the leflbns of time; Catharine II. it is faid, applied herfelf chiefly to the means of foftening the rude manners of the Ruffi ans, whom climate, education and prejudices kept in a kind of roughnefs, which was found even in the capital, and on the fteps of the throne, in fpite of thofe pompous defcriptions c/f a total change in their manners, and cuftoms, which Voltaire and the Panegyrifts of Peter I. have attributed to "him in exaggerated ftrains, and at the expence of truth, at leaft of probability ; for even the manners of Pe- ter were not mild, and a thoufand fads atteft, that during; TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. during his whole life he was affected by the rufti- city of his lirft education. IT is true, that a nation may appear to have made great progrefs, if it be compared only to what* it was in former times, when it lived far from in- flruciion, and that intercourfe with foreigners, which procures it. But this progrefs is reduced to almoft nothing, when it is compared with other nations truly civilized. When a perfon arrives in Ruilia, he expects, after what he has read, to find the mind of the nation generally cultivated, enlight- ened and mild, and he is aftonilhed at the degree of barbarity, into which the majority of that nation is plunged. It muft be acknowledged that the firft nobility, have in their intercourfe with one ano- ther, in their marr>er of living, and the reception they give to vifhants, adopted the tone of our fouthern courts ; they have ever, carried politenefs and elegance as far as any other nar'-m, but there is a great difference between civli". '.ing a nation, and only a f;w individuals. Although n^ich may be iaid on tills pret^nued civiii/ lli ;-.op. >f :hc Great, we will nor difpi tc it with Ui.in, hut we will afk, if what are m Rania culled burbles, merchants, free- men, bear any refemblance to us in any point of ci- vilization, especially witncut the : mits of St Peter- iburg. As to the ^crtlani-, th'.y f;ill prrferve their beard, their national drd^, -'\pir old manners, and in TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 233 in their external appearance and way of life, yet refemble our anceftors. They have perhaps a iew more vices, and an infinite number of wants, that they had not formerly. THE houfes of the Lords and principal nobility are furnifhed with much elegance. They have fa- loons, boudoirs, cabinets of natural hiftory, in which nothing is contained, and libraries into which no- body enters. All thefe apartments are moft magni- ficent, divided and furnimed like thofe of France or Britain thirty or forty years ago ; for the new im- provements of thefe two countries do not reach Ruflia, till they are old fafhioned and disfigured. THE tables of the great, and of thofe who live in the fame ilyle with the great, are ferved with pro- fufion, and in the French manner, but they affect not to defpife the dimes of their own country. Common viands, and thofe of the daintieft kind, are in that country equally efleemed, and yet fafhion and pride induces them to imitate the ancient Romans, who on their tables collected the productions of the molt remote countries. So on the table of a Ruf- lim nobleman, and in the fame entertainment, the &.':".''. ' of the \Yoiga, the veal of Arch.m^cl, the mut- ton rf Ai:n;c:m, an,' the beer' of Ukraine, are fet at the li'le of t lie pneafknt of Hungary or Bohemia; and along with the wines of Bourdcaux, Burgundv, or Cli n:v?.ic:nc, it in not unufual to fee thefe of Hun- _J - VOL. L G gary 34 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. gary and Greece. It is the practice alfo in great houfes after dinner to prefent dried or pickled her- rings, neats tongues, bread, butter, cheefe, with different forts of liquors, efpecially Caviare, a diili peculiar to the Ruffians, made of the eggs of a flur- geon, pickled or dried. IN great houfes, dinner is fet on the table gene- rally at three o'clock afternoon. The French way cf fervice is obfervecl, and after dinner is over, the guefts withdraw into another room, where coffee is handed about. Falhionable houfes have generally a circle of company at night, where much politenefs and eafe prevail. They fit down to play at feven o'clock. Some play, fome converfe, and fome dance. Among other things, tea is as regularly filled out as in Britain. They fup at ten o'clock, and generally retire about eleven or twelve at night. THE common people live very pariimonioufly, A Ruffian of the lower clafs breakfafts on a piece of bread and bit of garlic, clove by clove, and he quenches the thirft which this repait muft give him, by a lar: r e draught of Spiltin^ which is a mixture of He.i and mead. In the ftrcots of St Peterfburg and M~oic')\v there are foil tin-merchants, as there are ptiftin-merchants in "Paris. They wear the fame drcfs, a:;d carry the lame kind of ciftern, and like them toe. ftrdl about, and fell at a cheap rate. Tn? TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 255 The Ruffian's dinner is not better than his break- laft. It is commonly dried or pickled Mi, on fefti- val days Caviare, and very feldom flefli. He fups as he dines. AMONG the different kinds of drink, which he ufes, and relinquifhes readily for-brandy, which he is paffionately fond of, and drinks to excefs, we re- marked J^uajs, a kind of beer made by the fermen- tation of a portion of barley, rye, and oat-meal mix- ed together, and brought the length of fermentation by the heat of an oven. This beverage when one is accuftomed to it, is agreeable, refrefliing, and, ac- cording to the proverb of the Ruffians, good for fattening. Another beverage, which he prefers to uafs, and with a propriety not to be difputcd, is a kind of mead, wherein there is a part of the juice extracted from birch-trees, when the feafon permits. The Ruffian thinks this liquor wholefome and deli- cious, and we have fccn people, who preferred it to French wines. It fparkles and frothes like Cham- pagne, but although the Ruffians wiilied to perfuade us fo, we found in this beverage, neither the colour nor taile of Champagne. AMONG the different cuftoms that are peculiar to them, and by which they continue as firmly as by their religious dogmas, their manner of falute is re- markable. The gentlemen make a low bow, and the ladies, inilcad Of a curtfcy, give a nod with ^ g 2 tin 236 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the head. Sometimes the gentlemen, as a mark of great refpect, kifs the hand of the ladies. When two people are of equal rank, or when the lady wifhes to be very polite, fhe kiifes the gentleman's cheek, while he kiffes her hand. Often when me is {looping to give this kifs, the gentleman prevents her, without any refentment being mown him. If he be a man of very high rank, while the lady is at- tempting to kifs his hand, he prevents her by giving her a kifs on the cheek. The gentlemen, and par- ticularly relations, falute one another, by killing the hand firft, and then embracing. When a Ruf- fian enters into a room, before faluting any perfon, he turns towards the Bog^ makes three figns with the crofs, fays a fliort prayer, and then falutes the company. THE Ruffians, when they addrefs one another, never join to their names any title of honour, of whatever rank they be, even of the firft diftinctkm. They call one another by their chriftian nnmes, and by a name proceeding from the family, which is formed by the addition of the particle Witfch to the chriftian name of the father ; fometimes by that of O/, or Ef. The firft form is ufed by people of rank the fecond is for thofe of all other clafTes, - Iva?i, I- wanowitfchy or Ivan, Ivanof, mcansyow of Ivan. Pe- ter Alexiowitfcb, or Peter Alexeof, means Peter fon of FOE TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 237 FOR the ladies, the particle Efna or Ofna is em- ployed ; as Sophia Alexefna, Sophia, daughter of Alexis; Maria Ivanofna, Maria, daughter of Ivan. THERE are fome great families who are diftin- guiihed by a iirname, fuch as Roma?wf, Galitzin, Schcrcmeto. THE manners, the focieties, and the amufements of the Ruffian nobility, have all the external forms of politencfs, but of that Teutonic Pditenefs, that is always ftiffand overftrained. Befides there are few people that have fo much haughtinefs in their man- ner as the grandees of that country, and fo much national pride as the Ruffians r Afk them for what reafon They think themfelves the moft warlike people on earth. It was proceeding on this opinion that a Ruffian admiral, who had got the command of a fquadron for the firft time, in the year 1788, wrote to Catherine II. that the Swedifh fleet, on his firft appearance, had run into port, becaufe it ivas fcnfible of the danger of having to do with Ruffians. And obfcrve, when this Braggart wrote fo, the Swedes, onlv a few days before, although \vith an ' ' O inferior force, had proved to the Ruffians in a way not a little ipirited, that they were not afraid of ha- ving to do with RuJJiar.s. IF the Ruffian nobleman affect to be courteous ind affable, the common people, (and we rank them after thofe, who form the body of courtiers), the common 238 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. common people, we fay, are not at all communica- tive, and apt to undervalue every thing not Ruf- fian, or not done in the Ruffian manner. As to the women, the cafe is quite different. They are infi- nitely more complaifant than their hufbands. Long black hair, an eye-brow nicely arched, a fine eye full of fire, a ftature tall and well proportioned, a neck like that of Venus de Medicis, and a complex- ion fuch as imagination would give to Flora, dif- tinguifh the Ruffian women in general. To thefe beauties they join almoft all the gentlenefs of the dove, and the open look of freedom. When edu- cation is given them, they feldom fail to improve greatly by it, without diminifhing the precious qua- lities of attentive wives, and careful mothers. THEIR drefs is very like that of the Germans, ex- cept the peliffe, which the climate and cuftom render of general ufe in Ruffia. We noticed that the head drefs of the married women is not the fame with that of the unmarried. The wives wear a cap of an oval form, and above a filk handkerchief, neatly put on, fuch as our ladies fomctimcs wear now-a- d-ays ; and it adds to their natural graces. The un- married women, inftead of a cap, have a crown of ribbons, to which they fix their beautiful hair, or- namenting it with pearls and jewels, if they have any. When we faw them, we thought we faw thofc ancient TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ancient Grecian ladies, whofe drefs has been tranf- mitted to us on medals. BEFORE the days of Peter I. marriages were pre- ceded or followed by fcveral iuperftitious and ridi- culous cuftoms and ceremonies, which this prince and his fucceffors banifhed far from the capital and principal cities of the empire. But neither St Pe- terfburg nor the chief cities conferred to abolifli the Drufchka or Bridegroom's afiiftant. There are men at St Peterfburg and other places, who follow no other profeilion, but that of Drufchka. In order to difcharge the oilice well, a man muft be of a cer* tain age, of a clumfy make, wear a long bumy beard, and poflefs gay and lively humour j for at marriages the Drufchka is to ferve as the buffoon of the cmefts. O ON the day, that the marriare is to be celebrated, the Drufchka, early in the morning, muffled in a cap of a conical ihape, preilnts himfelf at the door of the bride, and proclaims her marriage with a loud voice, inviting all within hearing of him to the nuptials. The form of the proclamation is in thefe words. 1 be wwr pr:-:cc cf and tbs /'-lurtg pnnaj} of irsjitc you amicably and icith 'rr.portui'itv, to cc-vie fy their /::/// iials^ and to i at th: j bread of alliance, and drink the mead, -ivhich 'he future fpoi'fcs ha-uc prepared, and they iui/1 pour :t out is y:u in tb-: cap cf frisr.dfnip. This form 240 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. which is every where and for all claffes the fame, is fo much the more laughable, as the titles of prince and princefs are never omitted, even in the mar- riages of the moft miferable flaves ; and as any per- fon that on this invitation of the Drufchka mould come to the marriage, would be hooted and not admitted, becaufe thofe wifhed to be guefts, are in- vited in another way, and are warned that they are not invited by the Drufchka, in order to perfuade them, that they are fincerely expected. WHEN the young couple fet out for the church, it is he who begins the proceffion, and till he arrives at the temple, he repeats his invitation, and fpeaks an infinite number of foolilh things, that keep the party in good humour. PETES, like wife fupprefled the formula ufed by the pope, when the bride and bridegroom were at the foot of the altar. Brother, alked he at the bridegroom, do you think yourf elf capable of becoming the hujbaxd of this young woman ? Tes Will you beat her, when rczfon requires it? Tes. I forbid you in the name of God, to leave her, wbenjhe /hall be Jick, or forfak: her, inker. Jh? fhall grciu old. This was fonrurlv a practice air.org the Kuilians. THE cuu.im, or rather the obligation of the pre- cept for a man to beat his wife lubiifts ftill in Ruf- fii, and we can atteft it, as we have been witnelfes of it, a thouiiind times every where. We will add alfo, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 241 alfo, that this cuftom is in force, not only among the populace, where the huiband fcldom fails in his du- ty, but among the firft claffes of the empire. BEFORE we were afiured by experience, we ima- gined it a "traveller's flory, \vhen we were told that a Ruffian wife, who is not beaten by her huiband, thinks herfelf defpifed by him. But it is a real truth, and we heard the young wife of a counfel- lor, enter a complaint to her mother, who miirply reproved her fon-in-law ; and he to pleafe his dear half, and her family, drubbed her heartily three or four times a month. IT was a practice in Ruilia, which might have the moft fatal consequences, and Peter I. and Ca- tharine II. have endeavoured to remedy it, namely, that of burying a peribn io foon as he had uttered the lait figh. One cannot, without fhuduering, think on the prodigious number of thofe, who may have been victims of this precipitate burial ; but a later law of Catharine's, ordained the fpace of three days between the moment of the death, and the in- terment. This cuftom among the Ruffians, aroie from the horror they have at death, and whatever can recall the remembrance of it. It I:, among them more or Ids expreficd, according as they are more or lefs ignorant ; and there are fome of them, who in liupid fuperflition, are equal to the favage hordes, that border with the frontiers of Ruilia, of \vhom VOL, I, H h thcfc 242 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. thefe very Ruffians fpeak only with difdain, al- though they are not more enlightened. WHEN a perfon in Ruilia has breathed his laft, his relations, his neighbours, though they may have been his enemies, form a circle at the foot of his bed, and make the air refound with their lamenta- ble cries. They tear their hair, rend their clothes, and exprefs all the ligns of the moft poignant grief. They add to this fcene, which is only a farce, of which nobody is the dupe, another more ridicu- lous flill ; They remind the dead, as if he were ca- pable of hearing them, of all the injuries he has done them during his life, and this is accompanied with the bittereft reproaches. After the dead has been lamented, and called to account, they fet about burying him. For this purpofe, the popes and mourners are engaged. The latter are women, who make a trade of following funeral proceffions, ut- tering cries of grief, as if they were really affected. This fort of mourners is to be found araons; a creat O O number of nations, but particularly among all thofe of Afia. THE funerals in Rufiia are conducted with all the porr.p, that the circumftances of the deceaft, or his friends can admit of; and the man, who would have denied himfelf a rouble for his moft prcfiing wants, would order twenty to be expended on his oftenta- tious funeral j fo true is the maxim, that of ail the pafHons, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 243 paffions, vanity is doubtlefs one of the moft foolifh. There is yet one remark to be made on funeral pro- ceilions in tlut country, namely, the addrels of the pricfls, who brought them into ufe, and that thcfe Kcvercnd Gentlemen, are every where equally in- genious. BESIDES the fums, which the popes receive for maiTcs, that mud be faid for the happinefs of the fouls of the dead, they are likewife invited, and ne- ver fail to attend the dinners, that are called Com* wetticraiicxs ; orgies kept up for nine days after the dcccafed relation has been committed to the duft, and at certain periods, fucli as the day of his birth, :md that of his annual feftival. Thefe entertain- ments are given at the foot of the ;, who was the objccl of the veneration of the deccafed. Mead and ilrong licjuors are not fparcd, but as they drink in prefence of the Bog, the popes get drunk with- out fhame and without remorfe, and the relations imitate them out of gratitude to the deceafed, and to lunifli the forrow, which his death has brought ' O upon them. WK li.\J a! moft forgot one thing fcrupulcufly obfvirvcd at interments in RuiTia. A pnifport from the pope is put into the hand of the corpfe, cx- preilcd in thefti terms. I fj.bfcrwln^ certify tbjt the b^a'-cr cf ikcfc prefsnis has basn covfcljed, a 'id has had tkt' facrancnt adminijlered according to t-:e ru!is H h 2 prcfcrlbcd 244 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. prefer ibed by the church", and that he has on bis death bed, fnown thcfigns of the fmccrcft repentance of the faults he way have committed while he was in life. He is therefore recommended very Jlrcngly to Saint Peter^ to whom God has entrufted the exclufroe right of grant- ing an cntrv into paradife ; whs is intreated to open il to him without any difficulty, when he Jhall prefent him- fclf, in the faith of which, :c. THE Ruffians are not the only people, whom their priefts have perfuaded that fuch paiTports are indifpenfible. In Europe no Spaniard, nor Portu- guefe is laid in the duft, till he have in his breaft a bull from the Pope. The Mahometans, in their vaft empire, never go to their prophet, without a Bon du Mel! ah; and in the greater part of the colonies of Africa, people never pafs from this life to the other, without being furnifticd with it. Whence it fol- lows, that from one extremity of the globe to the other, men are the dupes of their priefts, who dif- fer from one another, only by more or lefs impu- dence. IT was the pricus, who in Ruffia had annexed a religious opinion to the prefervation of the beard, the iupprciTion of which, Peter I. made a matter of too much importance, and infilled upon it with too much icvcrity ; for during his life time, a man was obliged to be fliavcn, or calhiercd, or at Icaft heavi- ly fined. It is reported, that he had barbers ftation- ed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 145 ed at the gates of Mofcow, who without pity fha- ved all that came in their way, or made them pay without delay, the fine prefcrihcd by the law, which was from a ccpek to a hundred roubles, according to the circumftances of him, who wifhed to fave his beard. Now a days long beards are lefs fre- quent. Knowledge, time, the example of the great, and ridicule, have driven them out of fafhion, more than the fine, which Peter had let on thofe, who were attached to them. IN the provinces diftant from the capital, there is yet a number of people, that have for their beard u. religious rcfpect, to fuch a degree, that they would rather fuller themfelves to be cut to pieces, than a hair of their beards to be touched ; for when one by chance drops, they carefully pick it up, that it may be buried along with themfelves, and prefented to St Nicolas, who will acknowledge none for a good Ruffian, or a good chriftian, who ihall not prcfent a beard untouched. IN Rufiia the fovereign and aim oft only remedy for all forts of clifeafcs is the ft earn bath. They can be got every where, and at a cheap rate. It is ge- nerally taken in a houic built ol" wood, as near a. river as pofiible. This honk: ccT.liils of a f ingle room, with a i'mail window hermetically {hut. Old women furnifh and heat: it; by :I:CA:;S of a lire t.ac-y kindle, vn>J.er .1 viuk oi' gran ate itcnc;'., ?.bout four feet TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. feet high. When thefe flones are made fufficiently hot, water is thrown upon them feveral times, which inftantly produces an abundant fleam. Then feve- ral fmall flint ftones, red hot, arc taken from the fire, . and thrown into troughs full of water, which is warmed to different degrees. Half an hour after, the perfons who are to ufe the bath, go in and remain in it, while a woman continues to throw warm wa- ter on the ftones, which operation heats the room prodigioufly. Then thofe in the baths lie down on a kind of table, and the woman lays them over with foap, and rubs them flightly with a bunch of bran- ches, covered with leaves, or with flannel j and when their bodies are covered with a bright crim- o fon froth, which is the effect of the fleam, they pafs, if they are rich people into apartments adja- cent to the bath, and gradually warmed ; if com- mon pocplc, they are at lefs ceremony, and go very deliberately and duck themfelves in the ri- ver near the houfe, or roll among the fnow, where feveral perfons have aifured us they receive the moil delightful fenfations. The women married and un- O married, go through the fame proccis, without be- ing uneafy at being lecn, in the drefs worn by our ^rcat mother before the full. NIC; n Nuvogorod we faw a bath, a little different from that we have juft mentioned. It was a houfe wider and more convenient than the laft, and we could TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 247 c:)uld continue in it for fome time. The room was furnifhed with a row of broad forms, placed like fteps above one another, almoil as high as the deling. There were in this room about twenty naked peo- ple. Some were lying on the forms, fome were fitting, and others ftanding ; Some were rubbing their bodies with foap, or with fmall branches of oak, whofe leaves were tied together like a fwitch: fome O ' were pouring warm water on their heads, and others cold water ; a fmall number exhaufted by the heat, were {landing in the open air, or plunging feveral times into the Wolkof, which was running at the foot of the bath. IT is with juflice, that the ftrength of the confti- tution of the Ruffians has been generally afcribed to this practice of palling fuddenly from exceflive heat to extreme cold, when they bathe ; but other caufes concur to produce this efted. The peaiants change their clothes, without paying any attention to the change in the temperature of the air. Du- ring the fame day they are to be fee a covered with a Jingle fliirt, and a pair of drawers, or wrapped up in the warmelt dothe-j. Beds are to them a luxury nbfilutcly unknown. They flee;; fbmetimes on the height of their ftove, ion. climes on the floor, clo- thed, or almoft naked. Their cottages are excel- lively warm, bec.iutc of the great number of people collected into a fmall fpacc, and becaufe they are continually TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. continually heating their floves, even in the middle of fummer, fo that when they go out, it is almoft like paffing from a hot bath to the open air. Their children are hardily brought up, and from their ear- 1-y years, accuftomed to oppofite extremes. They are to be feen running in the ftreets, or {landing at the doors of their houfes, without any clothing, but their fhirt, even when it rains or freezes. THE rigour of the climate has been affigned as the caufe of the little progrefs which the Ruffians have made in the arts and fciences, compared with the other nations of Europe. But if the climate produce a neceffary effect on the human mind, where muft bounds be fet to intellectual capacity. Shall we fuppofe a point, at which it is at the great- eft perfection, after which it is enfeebled in propor- tion as we remove from this point. Is this influ- ence conftant, or is it accidental ? If it is conftant, why is modern Greece no more the country of knowledge and fine arts ? Why was Iceland, which is fo near the pole, formerly the only country of letters in the north ? Why are the Swedes more en- lightened than the Ruffians ? Why are not the Ruf- fians of Aftracan, more civilized than thofe of St Peterfburg and Archangel ? SEVERAL obftacles ariiing from the nature of the government, from the religion, but chiefly from the abfolute flavery of the peaiants, have hitherto oppofed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 249 oppofed the eafy diflufion of knowledge through this empire ; and thefe caufes alone explain this fact, without any ncccflity exilting for recurring to the inlluencc of the climate, or to the harfli- Viefs of nature towards the Ruflians. A (hort fketch. or the liiilory of their learning, and of its actual Hate, is betides fufficient to refute all thcfc allcrtions founded or. a theory contradicted by lads. C H A P. Xyill. LEARNING G/lbe Ruffians. Wohdimer, lb; firft Chrif- .fijii Grand D/<'/xV. His fon 'Jarojlaivs. Both en- dca\onr to cnliglii-.'n their fubjeSis. Ignorance of their a?-:. Ncft'jr. the fir ft hi /lor tan tL\it Raffia has had. O - -' * *- ^O His chronicle. Otbcr hljlonans *I bcspbanes. Sh:r:buttf.P^;..Lomonno!ok':f. Ruffhin th^n res. What they were formerly. What the-: arc at this day. National theatre. Catharine II. paircnlz-s ihc. fewness. \LiftZrs c-f the tr.aJj Inn ru.;^. ,l,i an^J'.-te.Forci^n vorki t>:rij'\ii-jJ. 00 , O .! i v\'oiil'.l l A e tlie height o[ vviiaknci 1 -, >o prctonJ, as ioii:e wrhcrs have done, th:U ih-j Ruiu.'.v^ \\xrc in- forineJ, c\en eiiligKt-jr.eJ, v, hen t..i,y embraced chrifuanity, abc.ut r!io t^uili ceuiury, unJ:r thj reiirn c>i tlicir Grand Duke YVolodimer, v- h:;.'ii the O * VOL.!, li i:i-j:;ks 250 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. monks have called theGreat^ becaufe he affected their childiih ways, and loaded them with wealth. This was, without a doubt, the way to procure from heaven the pardon of his fins, which were nume- rous and heinous. His predominant paflion was for women, and he carried it the length of brutality, yet he was canonized, lie deferved to be fo, fay the Ruffian monks, for whom Wolodimer was a fort of divinity, becaufe, by his repentance, he made expiation for his fins, which were the errors of youth. Of what avail are repentance and expiation, reafon and philofophy anfwer, when we confider rape and adultery, two crimes whole injuries can- not be repaired ? In confequcnce of thefe crimes, and the penitence of Wolodimer, every reafonable man mult regard this pretended faint as a crowned robber, on whom deification Iras been conferred, as it was on Nero or Caligula, on Clovis or Charle- magne ; characters, that differ from one another only by the crimes wherewith they are ftained. WOI.OUIMER'.S fon, Jaroilaws, who afcended the throne in the year 1018, brought feveral priefts fnr.n Conftantinople, who were reported to him to be fcAoLirs and philofophers, but they confined their iitiiru.ftions to tranf.hiting ionic hymns and pfalms from the Greek into the Rulhan language, for the mufic cf tl:c churches. This prince alfo founded a (but of icir/inary at Novogorod, for three hundred fmdentSj TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 251 Students, and gave this city, what the Ruffians call, its firil code of laws. This is faid to have been the date of learning in Rullia, and it would have made greater progrefs perhaps, if, for three centuries, it had not been almoft extinguifhed by the Tartars, who brought the nation under the moil opprefilve yoke, and kept the little knowledge it had begun, to acqui e, ihut up in a fmall number of cloifters. ABOUT the fifteenth century, when thefe barba- rous matters had been conquered and expelled by this Iwan, who was the Alexander of his country, the RuiTians gradually emerged from that profound ignorance, in which they had been fo long funk. They were not civilized, as fome would make us believe, but they became lefs favage, and more hu- mane to the foreigners, who under the Czars, Iwan's fucceilbrs, landed in Ruflla, as in our days, Cook did on the iiland of Otaheite. Yet it may be pre- fumed, that under the made of a cloifter, fome monks cultivated letters, for while Poland, Sweden, and Denmark were yet in ignorance, the Ruffian nation had already a writer efleemed in his day, who employed himfclf in compiling the hifcory of his own country. This hiitorian was Neftor, a monk, who was born at Bielozcro, in the year 1056. lie had learned Greek at ICiow, and had formed his tafte, by reading the authors ot the Byzantian hii- tory. ills chronology, which has been fer vilely I i 2 cooifd 252 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, copied by LomonofofF and the Germans, begins in the year 860, in the reign of Rurik, regarded as the founder of the Ruffian monarchy, and ends at the death of jaroflaws, which happened in the year 1054. It is preceded by an introduction, in which Neftor ddcribes Ruiiia, and (he neighbouring coun- tries, as well as the hiftory of the emigration of the Sclavonics, their manners., their eilablifliments, &c. His ftyle favours flrongly of the age in which he wrote, and his chronological exadnefs is at once difguitiitg and valuable for its u(e in fixing the date of events. Tins work continued in obfcurity for more, than fix hundred years, and is ftill fcarcely known to the, Ruffians of modern times, the origin and exploits of wliofe anceftors he unfolds with a description ve- ry often minute. Prince Radzivil gave a manu- fcript copy of it to the library of Koninfberg, and - it remained there unknown, till Peter I on his way through that city, caufed it be tranflated and fent to St Pcterfburp*. This work was aft rwards tranila- tC'.l into German, and published by IMuller, who Ivas not improved its ilyie. Tins chronology has become a cl.iil'Cil book in RuiT;a. It has been con- tinual by three other annalifts till the year 120^5; and the tranfiator, i\lr Muller, obicrves, that Nef- tor and his three continuators, form fuch a long and ancient furies, as few nations can boaft of being- able TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 253 able to mow. What a number of books Mr Muller did not know, when he rifked this affertion ! He adds, that much fewer monkifh miracles and le- gends are to be found in this work than in the fyi- tems of chronology compofed in cloiiters during thole ages of ignorance. This is not little praife to a philofopher, who is often obliged to make re- icarches, which framers of legends render fo difguft- ing. Since the year 1203, this fucceffion of annal- ifts in Ruilia has been interrupted. It can produce none but ibtne obfolete books of chronology, con- taining the account of the principal events, that have taken place in the different principalities, into which Ruflia was then divided, Cyprian, a Ruffian me- tropolitan, was the iirft who began in the fourteenth century, to write the general hiilory of the nation. The chronology of Nikon, which may be ranked with Nefcor's, contains all the annals of Ruilia, from the date when the laft ends, and comes down to the reign of Alexis Michaelowitich, which a- bounded with events, and feemed to announce the reign of Peter, which was Hill more prolific. 1\; XT to Ncftor and Nikon, he who merits to Lc difdnguifhed in the literature of the Ruffians, is r .i hcuphaneb Procopowitfch, archbifliop of Novogo- rod, who V.MS very active in introducing into Rut- iia a nfte for literature, and encouraged the fcienccj by ],;.- example and protection. lie was bor.i at Kiow 254 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Kiow in the year 1681, commenced his ftudies in this city, and fmiftied them at Rome, where he fpent three years. At his return, he made him- fclf be noticed by Peter, who charmed with his a- bilities, knowledge, and politenefs, was at great pains to attach him to himfelf. He followed the prince into Perfia, and accompanied him in the war againft the Turks. Peter employed him ia the re- formation of the Greek church, and placed him at the head of the fynod, which this prince eftablifh- ed after the fuppreilion of the Patriarchal dignity. His favour fupported him under Catharine I. and in the year 1736 he died archbiftiop of Novogorod, and metropolitan of all Ruflia. His principal work is the life of Peter the Great, which he has not brought down farther than the battle of Pultowa, and which is better worth coniulting than that writ- ten by Voltaire. It is generally efteemed, in fpite of the partiality remarkable in it, as often as the hif- torian ipeak.i of his benefaclor. This error of his mind does honour to his heart. jMoN.7ii.UR Le Cicrc, in his hiflory of Rufiia, maintains that Theophanes had perfuaded Peter to intro-Juce the protefunt religion into his dominion, and that thl.: prince was diipofed to follow his Lid- vice. Yvheii death prevented him ; but he quotes not the authoniy on which lie founds this important af- icrtion. li this change had taken place, it would have TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 255 have proved the genius of Peter, more than any o- ther ; for to fpeak as a politician, there is no wor-. fhip more fui table to Rufiia than the proteftant form, and the legillator, in matters of religion, ought to prefer that only, which is perfectly adapted to the country, to which he gives laws. AFTER Theophanes, nobody had thought on wri- ting a hiftory of Ruilii, which had any method. Prince Kilkof, who was long ambaiTador at the court of Charles XII. was the full who planned this un- dertaking:. The Swedifh monarch in.idc him be o arrefted, in defiance of the laws of nations, and Kil- kof, in order to divert the fullering ( f eighteen O O years' captivity, wrote an abridgment of the hiflory of Ruffia, which has been publiflied by Muller, with, remarks, in which he rectifies tlic errors, into which Kilkof had been necefiarily led, by the want of books. VASSILI-TATISSICHEF, another RuChn liiftori- an, who from the year 1720 till 17-70, was enga- ged in collecting materials f T a hiitorv of his conn- O O ^ try, made a rich collection, part of which V/LIS burnt by accident, and ihe fr.i^'.r.cnt puhliilied by Mul'icr, in three voluirit.-;, 410. IVat th-.-: honour of writing a complete hiitory c-: Rui;;\ wa; [-rob biy reiervcd ior prince ShcrebatorT. it is he, who, alorg with Muller, has contril-uied niof; to clear up iheRuf- fi'.\n ai::iiL. He was atruni^-.d by the Govjnni!'j::t; 256 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and obtained free accefs to the archives of the em- pire ; an advantage, without which, no man can write the hiftory of a country. Thus Prince Shere- batoff is enabled to cite authorities fcrupuloufly, Juftice has been done to his exaclnefs and love of truth, which the general run of hiftorians feldom make walk hand in hand. WITH regard to the poetry of the Ruffians; they formerly had only a few fongs, and a collection of pfalms compofcd by a monk ; and as faid by Sche- rafkof the poet, who celebrated Peter as Boileau did Louis XIV ; the mufes waited for the reign of this celebrated man to make their appearance iii Ruffia. LomonofofT and SumorokofF were the firft that diftinguifhed themfelves. The former brought the Ruffian language to a confidcrable ftate of per- fecli '>n, and enjoyed the greater! advantage from this attention. He was born of poor parents in the year 1711. His father was a fiih merchant at llolmo^o- / o ry. Chance gave him education. His natural abi- lity, it is iid, difcovered itfelf, by reading the Song of Solomon, which, though ill-tranflated, infpired him with fuch a paflion for poetry, that he run a- way from his father, and took refuge in 3. monafte- ry, where he had an opportunity of ftudying the Greek and Latin, arid profecuting fome ftudies. The academy of fcicnces, who were witnciTes of his firft TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 257 iirft fufecefs, adopted him, if we may ufe the expref- fion, and fent him at their own cxpence to the univcrlity of Marburg, where he ftudied four years under the celebrated Wolf. While in that country he applied to a fcience, which iuits but ill with poe- try. It was chymiftry, in which he fucceeded fo well, that at his return to Ruflla in 1741, he was admitted into the academy, and made profefTor of thymiliry. The Emprefs Catharine II. honoured hiri!, in the year 1764, \villi the title of a counfel- lor of itate, which he enjoyed but a lliort time, for lie died the fame year. Lo.MoxosoiT diflinguimed himfelf in various kinds ot literature, but his poems in particular have railed him to the fir ft rank among Ruffian authors. The mod eileemed are his odes, in which he lias taken Pindar for his model. In them, if you be- lieve the Ruffians and Germans, you will find the force and fublimity of the Greek poet, and the ener- gy \vhi(.h he had not. The Count of SchuwalofF, whom Voltaire introduced into notice in France, has tranilated into French, one of the be ft pieces of \crfe, th.it Lonionofoff has compoiL-d. It is his c./u.le upon glafs. wherein there arc many very in- Ojcnicjus thoughts, vvhidi tiic Ci.unt of Schuwalofi", or i.ither Voltaire in Iii-: 11:1:110, lias rendered much more ingvnioub in hia trj.niut.5- u, VOL J. K. k ALEX- 2 5 S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ALEXANDER Sumorokof, who is the Cornerlic of the Ruffians, and the founder of their theatre, has not contributed lefs to the improvement of the poetry of his country, and in order to form a pro- per eftimate of his dramatic merit, it is proper to tell in what ftate, he found the ftage of his own na- tion, when he embarked on this enterprize, BLIORE the time of Peter the Great, a few flu- dents in the monafteries of Kiow and Mofcow, fome- times acted dramatic pieces drawn from fcripture, in which confifted the excellence of our ftage, when it was in its infancy. Demetrius Tooptalo, Arch- bifhop of Roftof, had diftinguifhed himfelf particu- larly in this kind of Drama. He was the author of, the Sinner, Eft her , and Ahafuerus, the birth of Chrijl and his refurrcfiion; and all thefe pieces were thought excellent by the Ruffians, who ftrove to load their memories with them. They were acicd with the greateft fuccefs, till the reign of Elizabeth, who had a decided taftc for thefe pious farces, efpecrally when fhe was in her fits of devotion. THE ftudents of iurgevy in the hofpital of Mofcow were ,he fn ft laymen, thai: mounted a ftage. They employed the great hofpital hall for their exhibitions, and fcrccns iiippiicd the place of decorations. Stael- hin ( iltinguiihed . JXvjt\vii';- iianding the grounds of complaint, that loine indi- viduals may have againit this princeis, the impart U ality, which we proL-ls, coniirains u_; to allow, tlia: Catharine has done all in lur power to en;i^hr-!: 264 F I RAVELS IN RUSSIA. her country ; flic has favoured the fciences, and contributed to their progrefs with fo much zeal, that if an author receive not from her fome mark of diftincHon or liberality, his work muft appear dcf- titute of merit. SHE has taken particular care to eftablifh fchools for the French lan^uap-e, which had become one of O O 7 the parts of education little regarded in that coun- try ; and after all you can hardly conceive any thing more ridiculous than the French taught by the generality of the teachers, to be found in the capital ; but yet they were worfe fome years ago. A Prufiian officer told us an anecdote on this fubject, which he had from Mcniieur Burning, the celebrated Geographer, who was for feveral years reficicnt in St Peteriburg, fuperintending fome young nobles at a boarding fchool. The Emprcfs having been informed that there was in her ftates a great master of French tutors, who not only did not undcrftand Latin, but were even ignorant of the fhnplefl elements of their own language, limed an order, that all t : ie mailers of the French language, and tutors In private families, mould preient them- iclves berore a co mrr.! f;lon, wliieh me named for the purpo.'j ( f examination. ^iTiong the thoufands of (;;;;:/-/.;;:/v,v. > th;i.t appeared before this tribunal, tlierc \\-erc two that aftoniihed the commiflioners by tlicir grufs uupidity. One of thefc two having been TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 265 been examined on the modes of the verbs, anfwer- ed that, as b: left Paris fifteen years ago, he could fay nothing about the actual modes of bis country, where they were changing from day to day. The other was a Livcnian, who had never been in France, and for two years had, inftead of French, taught the gibbe- rilh of his country, to the daughters of a nobleman, * J O * who lived in a fouthern province of Rufiia. IN confequence of a delire to communicate to her fubjects the learning diftufcd through the reft of Eu- rope, Catharine II. alib appointed a comml^ee for the purpofe of tranflating the bed bocks, ancient and modern, into tlie Ruffian language, ai\d flie ap- propriated an annual fum of four thnufind ens hundred roubles, (about nine hundred and forty pounds fterling,) to defray the expence. Tag following are the titles of the principal books that have been tranflated. The Characters of Thco- phraiius, Elian, lierodian, Diodorus Siculus, Te- rence, Cicero dc fi'iibus, C:~efar, Ovid's Metamor- phofes, Tacitus on the Germans, Montefquieu on the Grandeur of the Romans, La Cluiotais on E- Jucaiion, A Part of Bufching's Gcogt^phy, Vol- taire's Candidas, St Fvremond's Di.'.l' ;LTCS., L>llre- rent Article';, from the Encyclopedia, 'i'allo, Gulli- ver, jofeph Andre\vs, Jonathan Wild the Great, Amelia, Rollin's Treadle on Study, The French Academy's Dictionary, The lienriade, The Devil VOL, L LI on TRAVELS 1 2\ RUSSIA. on Two Slicks, Gelert's T \Vorks, Anderfon's Hifto- ry of Commerce, Robcrtfon's Hiftory of Charles V. Fillip on the Mongol Nations, An Englifh Grammar, The Iliad and OdyiTey, Luchirs Dialogues, Milton, ITftory of Sohiclki by Abbe Coyer, Spirit of Laws, Millefo Hiliory of Denmark, Hiftory of Voyages, Virgil's Eclogues and Georgies, Cicero de Natura Di'tntm, Phto, Ilcilnd, Difcovcries of the Ruffians by Co:::, MarmorUei's mcas, Blelfield's Political In- fiitutirns, Hiftory of the Koufe of Bradenburg, Sul- ky's ]\ T t't;:i)irs, Blackuone's Coininentaries, Writers of the Hidory of" Auguftus, Pope's Eiliiy on Man, T.ocko or- Ediiaiticn, Titus Livy, A Part of Ho- i ace. Travels of Anacharils tlie Younger, BufFon's '.Vork';, t ; :e. Doclor Young's Travels in Ireland have been trr.nlhited by cxprefs orders from the Kmprefr, v\-ith a view of dilFuiing the knowledge of practical agriculture through Ruilia. A GREAT number of clailic authors have been t, \aiflarcd :ii Ru:Tn, :ind thole in hig'ieit repute hive hern printed in the original at Mofcow and St iVerihurL". '1'he editors indeed arc ^enc rally fo- o / ^_igr.er? cne^urngeci by Ruf.Lin nobles, v, ho culti* ;-..; c-jiiehide this article of the literature of Ian?, v.-iui 2. word on Mr !\erail:oill, brother tc; the c ;i:nfc]ior of itate, and viee-prelident of the college cr iiiincs. This ce!':brp,t'.:d man (peaks aimed all TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. *Gj, *il the languages of Europe, and this any holds the firil rank union?- the^Ruillan poets. Ills -jcnius is O i _; for Epic poetry. He has written a poern upon the iciences, and one much better knov.'n, and more ex- tolled, upon a Journey to Telieime. This poem u- in five cantos. The hero ot this jourr.cy i.s il.itter- ed bey or. d nil bounds, even to diiguil, and Cathe- rine II. as reaibnablcj has a good iluire. 1'he Orlf.rri have publiilied a fplendid edition of Uiis poen:, und it is one or the bed. Lc Clerc has inlerted it \i\ r.is hiftory of Rniiia, v. here the re;ulcr is I'arpr'led to find it. But wliat u it tJnt Lc Clcrc hs not iuicit- ed in his iiiftorv ^ THE RK/UU: language. Tbs Sciawiifin.Qjihs '.(>}:.<:. Academy f ,f Cclcnccs at 'Si Pciirfuur^. Its inftitirtkn. Learned giKtlcm-n, w.v; travel . ! f, ; .j cxenci o the rmres.Ds&r Gr,:-:!;r t . 7\;/- 1 HE Ruilian language, v.hieh i, a dialjd of the ScUvonian, althou:":i it hai a Ci'eek ;ilph,ii;et, i.- very rich and very harmonious, ]t v/.w never cui tiv?.tc*.l 268 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. vated till the reign of P^ter the Great, and had no grammar till that of Elizabeth in the year 1754. It was Lomonofoff who digefted it, for the educa- tion of Catharine's new born fon. This book is very far fhort of the perfection, that fhouid exift in fuch works, as ought to be elementary, and within the reach of every body. But Ruilia is not the on- ly nation, where a national grammar has yet to ap- . .ir. Except Spain, we know of no nation in Eu- rope, that can boaft of poflelHng one. The Spanifli academy in a body compofed it, and in it produced a book truly claflical, which in refpect of the branch called Univcrfal Grammar, ought to be trannated in- to all languages. THE Ruffian language, or rather the Sclavonian, is one of thofe moil abundant in proverbs. A fmall work that came from the prefs of the univerfity of Mofcow, contains a collection of more than four thoufand, and the greateft number moft ftriking, both by the truth that characterifc:; them, and the epigrammatic wit, which they contain. Sancho Pan- Li in the KufTian trjnilation recently made, is as en- tertaining as he is in the Spaniih language, which is one of the rnoft proverbial in Europe. THE Greek lari'maue is taught only in a very few O >_> O < J of the Ruffian fchools. Men of the world are al- moft as ignorant ot it there as am on a; us, and to be acquainted with it is a mark of diftinction among the ecclefiaftics. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 269 ccclefiaftics. So that thole perfons in Britain, who think the Greek is the language of the Ruiiians, arc widely miftakcn, for Latin is more common among them than Greek. There are really none who ftu- dy it but the monks, among whom it becomes in- difpenfable, becaufe of their connection with the church of Conftantinople. THERE is no language, which a merchant, who intends to travel far into the north, oucrht to learn 7 O with more attention than tiie Sclavonian, becaufe with its different dialects, it is ipoken through a greater extent of territory, than any other language of the world. It is the language of Bohemia, of Moravia, Croatia, Cannthia, Carniola, Sclavonic, Bofnia, Servia, Albania, Dalmatia, the greater part of Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, and in fhort oi all the Ruftias ; io that a traveller, who has it, can make himielf IK. underftood from the frontiers ot Germany to the fca of Kamfchutka. THE kind of Sclavonian fnokc-n by tlio Ruiirnio, is not fo pleafant a--; that ipoken b-' ilu 1 Hungarians. It alfo abounds with O.,-, ion;;? of wHi'li are. im- precatory and fo ftn~HT.rly forbidden, tliat v/I'ocvei utters Miitj-j^'Qj a wo. -1 not capabjc ot being tran- Hated, is declared guilty of high trcaion, it it be ipo- ken againft the prince. THK Ruffians have alfo very frequently in their inouths, the words, Curcin-Jin, Bltdkin-Jin. \vliicii ficrnifv 2 7 o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. iignify, Son or Daughter of a W re ; and Sabats- c.bi-fin^ meaning, Son or a B ch ; Roman, a Pagan, Nemlfcbhii a German, becauie they reckon it a dii- honour to be a German ; yet it ii to the Germans that the Kuflians are indebted for what they are at this day : It is from the Germans that they have the fciences, the art?, and the induftry that are to be found in Rufiia. When a German arrives there, though the Ruiiians know his name, they take de- light in calling him faan-Ivianowitfch, John fon of John, an exprefiion that anfwcrs nearly to the French f '/can-Lai'inc, and tlie Engliih Silly-Booby* The good German bears the banter without diftrefs- ing himfclf, picks up tlie roubles of the Ruffians, who h;;ve no iiuiuiLry, then returns to his own country, teiiirL-; h'rnfclf he is not iuch a Silly-Boo- by ns tlie fools. \\\.$ have enriched him at their ex- peu'.c. A :.io :-:-'- 1 lie foundations, \vhofe objeclistheprogrefs .:T the artf] :\\\d fcience:?, our attention was drawn to the Imperial acadeniy oi fciences in St Peteriljurg, \vhicli was inidtuted ij} 1 Peter I. This prince, ha- ving obi', rvcd, durii:g ilir- courfe (;i his travels, how much learned locicties contributed to the proc:refs of knowledge, formed the dcnVn of erectinr one at o o ot {\tviiburg. He confulted the celebrated Leib- nitz, who g:ive him inft;riiiatic:n rcfpccting the ciii- ferentkarned nicn 3 whom he fhould invite to Rul- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 271 iia, and rules for the fociety lie wifiied to form.- On thefc directions Peter inflitutccl the academy of St Peterfburg, and on the tenth day of February 1724, figned the edict of its creation, and the tla- tutcs for its regulation. But death furprifed this O A prince foon after, and allowed him not to execute the plan he had ^formed. It \vas Catharine !. who had the glory of completing what Peter I. had be- gun. On the fir II of Airfoil 17:6, this princefs was prefcnt at one of the meetings, \vlien Profeilbr Buliinger, a German natural!:!; of great merit, de- livered a difcourfe on the irili^v of the loadftone and compafs in difcoverir.g longitudes. THE EmpreA anpr'e ihuli have occailon to ii;cak more at lar..;\: on this revolution, which ibrpri:-:ed Europe, and ov\vd its Aiccefs fultly to the pufilbnimity cf hiro_, t'l.u pro- voked it. VOL, I. M in THK 274 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE Frincefs Dafchkaw has advifed the Emprefs to reform a number of abufes, which had flipped in- to the academy, as they do into all inflitutions of this kind. Catharine too has cail a fevere eye on thofe men, who are academicians only for the emo- luments. She wifhed to have, and he has found laborious men, becaufe with money people may get whatever they wifh to have. She has alfo infpired then:: with a new ardour for undertaking and con- -:! ucllri % reieareiies. O O:s her recommendation, the moft intelligent :;;urs have travelled through the different pro- 5 of the Empire, and as the funds of the aca- /:rny would not have been fufficient for the expen- e> of thcfe diiT^rcrit tours, the Emprefs has made it a prefent of nine thoufand roubles, (two them- fand and twenty five pounds fterling) an act of mu- nificence, which (he has renewed as often as occafi- on required. THE objects of thefc travels have been explained in the inr,ru-:>ions delivered by the academy to the different pcrfor.s, who Ivive undertaken them. Or- t!crs \verc given to n^-'Jce enquiries into the different kinds of water and Li! ; the heft methods of culti- v?.tincj dcicrt and barren ^ro'-nds; the local difeaies or i.icn and hvu':es 5 and the belt mode of treating the;;. - th^ beft \vay of rcarin.., cattle, and particularly ihcep, bees, and fiik worms ; the fituation beft adapt- ed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 275 d to filming and hunting; minerals, commerce and other objects of induftry ; in fliort into the forma- tion of a collection of indigenous plants. It was al- ib recommended to them to rectify with care, the longitude and latitude of the principal cities ; to make agronomical, geographical, and meteorologi- cal obfervations ; to mark the courfes of rivers ; to draw exact maps ; to explore and defcribc carefully the manners and ufages of different people, their cuitoms, and dialects ; the antiquities and tradi- tions believed amon^ them : their civil and relm- o 7 O ous hiitory, with the prejudices connected or flow- ing from it : In a word, they were to inveftig;itc and remark whatever could contribute to the dif- covery of the real ftate of the empire, in all thefe points. BY means of thefe philofophical excurfions, which have been made with equal exactnefs and judgment, we may affert, without fear of being contradicted, that there is perhaps no country, which can boail of having, limultaneouily, produced fo great a num- ber of excellent works, on its internal ihite, its na- tural productions, its topography, its civil and mo- ral hiftory, and on the ufages, manners, languages and cuitoms of its different tribes. THE Gentlemen, to whom this laborious but ho- nourable talk was committed, were, firft Doctor John George Gmclin, then Meflieurs Palhi, Ge- 3M in 2 or.^ij 76 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. orgi, Falk, Rytfchkoff, Lepechin, Samuel George Gmelin, nephew to the Doctor, and Guldenftaedt, to whom we b^g leave to draw the attention of our readers for a moment, DOCTOR John George Gmelin was a German phyfician, and profeflor of Botany in the academy of Sciences of St Peterfburg, from the day of his admifTion. In the year 1733, he was commiffioned by the Emprefs Anne to travel over Siberia and, Kamfchatka. The companions on his journey were M. de Lille de la Cloyere for drawing maps, and Ivlr Muller for other particulars ; he himfelf took charge of the natural hiitory. The refult of the journey of thcfc three academicians was a volume of travels in Siberia, which, as foon as publimed, were translated into all the lano-ua^es of Europe, becaufe they contained the mod exact accounts of Siueria ; an iminenfe coun- try, of more than twelve hundred leagues in length, from eaft to weft, and live hundred in breadth from north to f'outlf. Mr Gmelin has alfo publimed his l ? k-ra Sibcrut, which amon^ BotaniiU is in erreat *--< C requett. M?v Pa'las, fo juilly celebrated for his great know- ledge in natural hiitory, is ion to Simon Pallas, who was profcfior of Anatomy at Berlin, and firft phyfi- cian to the charity liofpital of that city. He was born in the year 174.1, and went through his firft a ft* ^3 ftudies. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 277 ftudies, partly at Berlin, and partly at Gottingen. He profecuted them afterwards in Holland, and in the year 1760 paffed as Doctor in medicine at Ley- den. The value fet on his abilities by the celebrat- ed Gaubius, procured him an eftabliihment at the Hague, where he applied chiefly to his Refearches on Zoophytes ; a work, which difcovcred as much genius as method. The reputation he had acquir- ed by his different writings, induced Catharine II. to invite him into RulTia, as ProfeiTor and Infpector of the Cabinet of Natural HHtory. He arrived at St Peteriburg in the year 1767, and left it in [une 1768, to travel for the purpofe of making obferva- tions on all the provinces fubjccl to Ruflia, in com- pany with the learned gentlemen before mention- ed. He vilited Mofcow, Wolomer, Kaiimof, Mu- rom, Arfamas and K.afan, and after having travel- led a great part of the hit province, he fpent the winter at Simbirfk. In the month of March the following year, he let out again, and taking his route by Samara and Orenburg, he went as far as Gurief, a little Ruilian fortrcfs, lituated at the mouth of the river Jaik or Ural: There he examined the countries that border* on Kalmuc Tartary, and thofe, which lie on the Cafpian iea, and returning by the province of Orenburg, he palled a fa:ond winter at Ufa. After having made ievcrai cxcurfi- ons into the neighbouring countries, he left Ufa on tli? 278 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the i yth of May 1770, continued his route acrofs the mountains of Ural as far as Catharineburg, in- fpected the mines of this diftrict, from thence pro- ceeded to Tcheliabinfk, a fortrefs in the Govern- ment of Orenburg, and in December advanced as far as Tobolfk. He employed the year 1771 in croffing the Altaik mountains, and tracing the courfe of the Irtifch, as far as Omfk and Kolyvan, whofe fa- mous filver mines he vifited. He then went to Tomfk, and concluded the travels of this year at Kramoyarfk, a town fituated on the Jenifei, where he fpent the winter. There the cold was moft in- tenfe, for the town is fituated in the fixty feventh degree of north latitude. So great was its feverity, that he obferved the mercury freeze ; a very fingu- 1-ar phenomenon, of which he has given a very exact defcription. HE left Krafnoyarfk on the 7th of March 1772, and directed his courfe towards Irkutfck, croiling the lake Baikal on his road to Udinik, Seligenlkoi and Kiakta, where we have remarked the commerce between Ruflia and China is principally carried on. Having penetrated into the part of Dauria, that lies on the fouth eaft of Siberia, he advanced between the rivers of Ingoda and Argoun, as far as the neighbourhood of the river Amour, and following I he limits, which feparate the Ruffian empire from the countries inhabited by the Mongol hordes, that are TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 279 are dependent on China, he returned to Selingen- Ikoi, and fpent a fecond winter at Krafnoyarfk. DURING the fummer 1773, he villted Tara, Jailk and Aftracan, and finifhed his travels of this year at Tzaritzin, a town ftandin< T on the Wolo;a. From o thence .he fet out on new travels the following o fpring, and was on his return to Petersburg, on the 3oth of July 1774, after an abfence of iix years and one month. THE academicians cr artiils, who accompanied Mr Pallas in thefe travels, were firft Mr John Ame Georgi, a member of the natural fociety at Berlin, who had the charge of the expedition into Oren- burg, along with profeffor Faik, of whom we are going to fpeak immediately. Mr Georgi who tra- velled over Dauria, and paffed through Irkutik, Tomfk, Tara, Tobolfk, Ifetkoi, Ilina, Catharine- burg, Ufa and the country of the Barfchkires, ha* drawn very exact and valuable maps of all theft: countries. Beins; as complete an artift as an excel- O - lent phyfician, he has deligncd and executed a col- lection of prints, reprefenting the different nation? of the Ruffian empire, with t' :;r drefies, whicU are as fantaitical as various. Secondly, Mr I-'alk, born in the year 1725, in well Gothland, a pro- vince of Sweden, a Doctor in medicine in the uni- veriity of Upfal, a Botanift trained by Linn.rui, j.ncl by the recommendation of this celebrated man, placed 280 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. placed as director of the garden of plants at St Pe- terfburg. After having, in company with Mr Georgi, traverfed and explored the countries juft now mentioned, his principal attention was direct- ed to the Kirghis, and the colonies adjacent to them; but carrying about with him the feeds of a fright- ful difcafe, which affects the intellectual more than the natural faculties, Mr Falk was forced to dif- continue his obfervations and travels in order to recover his health. MR Talk's complaint was an hypocondriac affec- tion, which the folitudes of the deferts, through which he was travelling, augmented inftead of di- minifhing; and when Mr Georgi got back to Kafan, in the year 1774, he was a prey to all the violence of his difeafe. From the month of December pro- ceeding he had left his bed, and had taken no nou- rimtnent, but a little bread dried in the Swedifh way, called Knacko Breed. Fvery day at noon he took fame dices of this foaked in a little tea, in which there was no ilrength. At this time he ftill admitted a fe\v friends, but foon after refufed to lee them, and re^accd himfclf to the mo ft auilere iblitude, it we except Mr Georgi, to whom he en- iruiicd liis real and imaginary farrows. v.> J ON the 3 ift of March 1774 at five o'clock in the morning, Mr r.ilk's liuntfaum, came all trembling io awaken Mr Georgi, who run to his friend's loderinsfs, o i3 ' TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 281 lodgings, and found him lying dead at the foot of his bed. He had blown out his brains. At his fide there was a note, which marked the diforder of his mind, but nothing of the difrnal refolution he hud formed of taking away his life. His papers, which were carefully collected, contained remarks dictated by philofophy, and the love of mankind, and only ferved on this occaiion to make him be re- gretted by his friends, and thofe who knew him, for in his laft moments he was gentlenefs itfelf. He; carried his beneficence the length of prodigality, and in order to indulge it, he limited his perfonal wants to the narrowed bounds. THIRDLY, Mr Rytfchkoff, fon to Counfellor RytfchkofF, who has made himfelf fo well known by his topography of Orenburg, has given the moft circumitantial accounts of the countries, which ex- tend along the Bielaja, as far as Kama, and thence as far as Kunsrur. Mr Pallas was particularly delight- o * * o ed with the remarks this young man made on the Steppe, a defert inhabited by the Kirghiz. FOURTHLY, Mr Lepechin, a Ruiiian by birth, but educated at Siralburg ?.r.d ;uLong foreigners, kr't Lt Pcttiriburg in the y-jiir 1768. along with Mr Pallia, who had a particular eilcc;in for Iiim. Their cbiervntions were made ia company \vith one ano- ther, till their arrival at Simbirik, \vhcnce Mr Le- pech'm Vv r ent by himiclf to travel over llie province Vm. I. N a of s8* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, of Stawropol, then vifited the Steppe, which is be- tween the Wolga and the Jaik, and in 1771 afcend- ed the moft elevated fummit of the Ural. In 17723 he was employed by Mr Pallas i-n examining the coafts of the white fea, and difcharged the duties of this appointment in the moil fatisfaclory manner. In 1773 he linilhed his travels by Plefskoff, Mohiloff, the brinks of the Dwina, palled through Riga, and returned by the coail to St Peterlburg. MR Pallas has revifed all thefe travels, and narra- ted them in five volumes quarto. They are very laterelting, and have added greatly to the reputation lie had acquired by his knowledge and character, This wcrk has been tranflated into I^'reneh and met v/ith much fuccefs.. EXPEDITIONS of this kind, in wild countries, and among roving nations, more or lefs barbarous, have not been made without expofmg the adventurers to a thou&nd dangers, and if Mr Pallas has concluded IAS fortunately, it is not without having had much to fulTjr, and without having been expofed to the oTcateft dinners. " 1 return," f^id he when con- cluding his rotation, " with an enfeebled body and 4 ' ; prcv liAirj. r-lthough I am only thirty three years ' : ol" age ; yet I am much ftronger than'wlicn I was ^ in :vii)eri.i, and I am indebted to providence, for ''- rttvh :' prefcrved me from innumerable danzers." O i O TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. &* AFTER having diftinsruiflied himfelf as a natura- o o lift of the ftrft rank, Mr Pallas deferved to be placed among critics the moil judicious, by tracing the very complicated hiflory of the tribes, that wander ii; thefe vaft regions, which extend from the northern coafts to the boundaries of India. This he has done in a book publifhcd under the title of " A colleffior,. for the Political, Natural and Civil Hifiory of the Mon- gol tribes " He throws a new light on the annals of this people, whofe anceftors conquered Rudia, China, Periia and Indoftan, and at different periods founded the mod extenfive empire, that ever be- longed to a fingle people. At the end of tlic-ie tra- vels, we fhail lay a few words on this ilibjerl. in the mean time we fhall remark, that the general de- o nomination of Tartars, which hitherto the moft part of authors have given to the differ em Aiiatic horde.-, lias been only a iniftake. Mr Pallas proves that the Mongols are undoubtedly a people diltincl from the Tartars, by their figure, language, kira or go vein - ment, and that they only reiemblc them in a tjftr; for a wandering life, \\hkii is ccnr,i::on to them both. THE primitive nation of Alia, whole origin, hu- tory, and prefcnt ftatc, are the fubjecc of this intc- rciling work, is indebted for all its celebrity to its founder Gengis-Kan. "\Vlien his Vaft empire w^: diimeiiibcrcd wnder his Aicceiibr3, in the Sixteenth N n 2 r.T.turv, 284 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. century, the Tartar and the Mongol hordes, who had formed only one and the fime ftate, {pparated anew, and from that time have remained diitinct and independent of one another. Mr Pallas divides the Mongol horde into three principal tribes, Mon- gols, Oerats or Kalmucs, and Burats, and defcribes each of them with that precifion, which characteri- zes his works. The laft volume efpccially. which appeared pofterior to the other three, contains a very- particular account of the religion of thefe ftates. It is the religion of the Dalai Lama, of Thibet and of the Sovereigns Manfouck, who at prefent fit on the throne of China. So that this work communicates things as new as interesting, which, Mr Pallas af- firms, are not the refult of fome hear- fays, like moft of the accounts given of countries far diftant or little known. IN June 1777, this illuftrious fcholar read at a meeting of the academy of St Peterfburg, at which the King of Sweden was prefent, a diiiertation on the formation of mountains, and the changes, which our globe has undergone, efpecially in Ruilia. This work has been, and it well ciefervcd to be, tranfla- ted into French. What he lias written of the Tar- tars lias met with the fame favourable reception. SiN^r- Mr Pallas completed his travels, he has been occupied with publishing fome very curious memoris on different objects of natural hiftory, on the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 285 the nations of that part of Afia, through which he travelled, and other fubjects equally interefting. He has been engaged with the publication of a mag- nificent work, which the Emprefs has ordered to be printed at her own expence, containing a complete defcription of ail the vegetables, that grow in the Ruffian Empire. This work has been rendered very valuable, and at lame time very dear, by the great number of engravings pubiimed along with it, and reprefenting the rareit and moft ufeful plants. In a word, Mr Pallas has been charged with arrang- ing, and publishing the inanufcripts left by Samuel George Gmelin and Guldenftaedt, two men of O learning, who, like himfelf, have by their labours contributed to the difcovery of the different parts of the Rufiian Empire. DOCTOR Samuel- George Gmelin, nephew to the Gentleman, who travelled by the orders of the Em- prefs Anne, was at fir ft profeffor of natural hiitory at Tubingen, where he was born in the year 1715. He was afterwards brought to Rufiia, and admitted a member of the academy of St Petcrfburg. In func 1768, he left this city and viilrcd JMoicow, Woronetz, AzofF, Kafan, and Ailracan. In the years 1770 and 1771, he took a furvey of the ports on the Caipian lea. lie examined with particular attention the provinces of Perfia, that are contigu- ous to this lea, and las iriveii a minute defcription 236 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. of them, in four volumes of his travels, which have already appeared. An ardent thirft, and flattering hope of making frcih dilcoveries, induced him to attempt a like expedition in the weftern parts of Perfia, which are conftantly infeiled with numerous gangs of banditti. With this intention, in the month of April 1772, he fet out from Enzelli, a fmall town in the province of Ghilan, on the fouth coaft of the Cafpian fea, furrounded as he was with difficulties and dangers. Till December 1773, it was not in his power to reach Sallian, a town fitu- atcd at. the mouth of the Kur. Thence he penetra- ted as far as Baku and Kuba in the Shirvan, where he was gracioufly received by Aly Feth, Kan of that countrv. Having been ioined by twentv Cofiacs * O J < belonging to Ural, lie continued his route, and was only four days journey from Klfliar, when he and his companions were arrciled on the <;th of Febru- ary, by the order of TJH'mei, Kan of a very fmall territory, which he h.:a been advifod to go round, imftciul of crofling it, bcojufe this Kan's neighbours kivvv- TJihiti'o bad intentions. The Kan'j pretence for this fliLimeful pi:'cc (;f conduct was, that the KuMlans hac.1 given nn alylum to icveral families of his iulrcr!:;, \viio had dcicrtcd from his cicminioii.", ubout tiiirty years ago, and lie was confcqucntly enl'ukd lo cicLrin Gniclin and his coninanions, till vlu'le fugitives \vcrc reuored to Li in. Tims the un- fortunate TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 287 fortunate Gmelin was given up to all the horrors of the moil cruel captivity. Fatigue, uneafincfs, unwholeibme diet, arid the inclemency of the cli- mate completely ruined a confutation, already re- duced by pleafure, to which Le was exceilivcly ad- dieted, and undermined by the toils of ieveral long journeys. IN the month of July of the fame year, in which he was arrefted, he died at Achmeikent, a poor village of Caucafus. It is laid that vexation at ha- ving loft a part of his papers or his collections, which were very rare, haftencd his death. At the time he was taken priibner, f >me of his manufcripts were lent to Killiar, and it aitcrxv.ird.s proved a work of inlinitc difficulty to extort the reft from the hands of the barbarian, who kept him in con- finement. The care o: arranging them, for the purpofe of making a ioiirih volume, was at iirli; committed to Guldenfhiedt: ; but death prevented him from ever putting a h rad to the work, an.! Mr Pal 1 . as was en mi '::-.! with this precious lalk. JUIIN ANTHONY GL~ .>:;*" ; -, r. r- ; r:i at '-I'ti in the year 17-*. ?, VMS aJ:. .!.;. ! i',;j t ; .c r:e 'ie.il college at Berlin in 1703. : ;" -\- : ; '':_ .k^rers (: Doctor in the Univ-riicy ;_ /'r '.TikL-rt on the ( Vicr, in tiie year i ;&;-. Tae diif',r.:nt i^i.g-u i :;ej he know, and liis acquaintance \vu!i iii'iura.1 !n'(.o''y, m.'.ae hir.i be choien as a coadjutor in tiie ^h;i of triveilii: j J o ' poied 2S8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, pofed by the academy of fciences. He was invited to St Peterfburg, and arrived there in the year 1768. At firft he was named aiTiftant, then a mem- ber of tins academy, and profeilor of natural hifto- ry. In the year 1768, he fet out on the projected travels, and was abfent for feven years. Ev way of Mofcow, \vhere he continued till the year 1769, r.nd of Woronetz, Tzaritzin and Aftra- can, he proceeded to Kiiliar, a fortrefs fituated on the weft coaft of the Cafpian fea, near the frontiers of Perfia. In the year 1770, he vifited the country watered by the Tereck and Alfkai, to the eafteru extremity of Caucafus. The following year he pe- netrated into the diftricl of OlTet, which forms the uighcft part of this range of mountains, and travel- led over this country, protected by a guard of Of- fetians, furnifhcd by Prince Heraclius, from whom he received afilftance of all kinds. As he flaid forne time at his cafe among the Ofletians, there lie coinpo- fod Vocabularies of the language fpokcn by tliat peo- pic, made reiV-ircnes intf> their liiilory, and difcover- <\1 a:i:or.cr tl;ci:i iome rerm'ns of chriiHanity. He r.urli:cd t::e northern ridge of Caucafus, and CCJ.U ir.io Gcorg;,i, \vhere iic was admitted to 'H.uLT.cc Oi Piince Heraclius, v;!:o w:is then en- ed, abc-.ut. ten v/erfts from Tcfilis. IXCL 1-k.raeiius, or as he is C'liicd in that coun- C~:ir hdci:> who defended himiclf fo boldly again ft TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 289 againft the Turks in the war 1770, and at prcfent reigns over all Georgia, Kaket, &c. is a man of fix- ty years ard more. His fiature is ordinary, his complexion fwarthy, eyes large, vifjge long and his beard but fmall. He fpent his youth at the court , and in the armies of the famous Nadir Shach, \vhere lie formed a great attachment to the Perfian inannetb and cuftoms, which lie introduced into his own Mates. He has feven fons and fix daughters. The Kans of Ferfia rcfpccl: him, fear him, and of- ten take him for mediator in their diherences. He is looked on as a prince of oreat courage, as an able 1 O O ' general, and his Georgians are eftccmed the beffc ioluicrs in th'jfe countries. Although he has only a revenue of little more than a hundred thoufand pounds ftcrling, he keens an army of fix thoufand men. He is f'or.d of mow and exnencc. Gulden- flaedt accompanied him on an expedition along the river Kur, eighty miles into the lieart of Georgia, ancj recurned LI!C ig with him to Teflis, which is the capital of i.'us prince's don/uuors. He pafTcd the winter there, and ';i the fc'iiowing ipring he examined tlio country, followed the prince into the province of K.i'-.ot, ard advanced to thoi'e on the fouth, inhabi- ted by T^L/lar Turcomans, who are iubjccl to He- racl:u:r. 1'c was in the fuite or a Georgian noble- n;an, v\li^m i:c cured of a dangerous diieafe. VOL, I. O o IN 290 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, Lv July he tr.i veiled over ;.he country of Imret y which lies between the Cafpian and the Black fea y and is hounded by Georgia on the eaft, by the country of OiFet on the north, by Mingrelia on the weft, and -by Turkey on the fouth. THE ihvereign of Imfet, ftyled the Prince, or Czar Solomon, having prohibited, when he fucceed- ed to the regency, the fcandalous traffic which the nobles of his dominions made of their peafants, d rev/ on himfelf the refentment of th.c Turks, inte- r cited in this branch of commerce. They got him Jepoied by their intrigues, and forced him to fly to the mountains, v/herc he lived for iixtcen years, wandering and living like a favage, concealing him- felf in woods, c^vc ( ;, and the thicken: forefts, where oitcn his valour alone was not able to defend him againft the aiX-tlms, who \\-cre fearching for him. At lait in the war 1770, he was again fet on the throne by the RuHians, Tills prince generally wears a plain brown coat, and carries a mufket. On oreat occailons he appears in a robe of rich opld em- O * * O broidery, with a filver chain about his neck. He rales c-n an afs, \vhieh is perhaps the only crea- ture c! ; its ipecies in his dominions. 1'his afs, and ;i p;ir c-f boots, whi ;h are a rarity in that country, diilir.guifii lilin from his iubjects, with whom he delirrhts to be iurroundcd. He has no regular >? o troop;, nor artillery, but he can afiemble, when r.eed TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 291 need requires, .in army of about lix thousand men, by the found c-f a fort of horn. He c'"V*cs his edicts be published in the markets, which are held ,-:i Fri- day, by a man, who Climbs a tr,r>. and thence de- livers them to the tradefincr., v. ho on thcr return, communicate th^.n to their neighbours, in their re- fpective dwellings. His fu ejects profefs the Greek religion, or nuher connect it with fome fnperlHtious practices, drawn from neither Chriftianity nor Mahometanifm, but from a credulous ignorance, that kneels before eve- ry object. FULL of gratitude for Ruilia, the Czar Solomon gave a very kind reception to Guidenflaedt, and ai- fifted him to the utmoft of his power. This inqui- iltive traveller afterwards penetrated into the ridi~e J. o in the middle of Caucafus, travcrfed the interior of Georgia, the confines of Minc;rclia, the lower ar.J o J o eaitern Imrct. After having made a fortunate e- icape from the banditti, who ramble through theic wild regions, he returned to Kifliar to nafs the win- ter, and there procured a variety of information i"t> fpectin2f the neiofhbourin^ tribes of iartars on 1 O O mount Caucafus, and particularly relpectng uie Lefgees. During the fu miner following iic travel- led into the greater Cgbardia, the length of mount Befhtan, which is the lofticit fumihit of the iirlt rid^e of Caucafus. lie then viiltcd the rnincj of O Q 2 ?,Iddihar. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Madfbar, and arrived ?t Tcherfkafk on the Don, Thence he directed his way to Azoffand Tuganrok, and ended his travels of the year 1774 at Kr~nl>nt- fhuk, in the government of ]>Jew Ruffia. He was preparing for entering the Crimea the rext year, but having been recalled, he returned by Ukraine to Mofcovv and St Petersburg, where he arrived in March 1775. HE was bufily en^ag-ed with arraneinsr his manu- J O o O O fcripts, but before he was able to complete their or- der, a violent fever carried him off in March 1781. He has publifhed feveral treatifes and diilertations on fubjecls relating to medicine, natural hiftory, geography, and the commerce of Ruflia. In Gal- denftaedt the Ruffians have loft a man, whom they not be able to replace for a long time to came. CHAP. XX. LIBRARY belonging to the academy of fdcnccs. Cablnci of Natural Hijlory. Anatomical colidlicn belonging to this cabinet. Mufeum. Colkclkn of Medals. The Gottorp-Glcbs* JL HE accounts of the eftabliihment of the Academy of Sciences at St Peterfburg, and of the advantages refulting from it, will be very naturally sccompa^ nicd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 293 nied with a defcription of the library and cabinet of natural hiftory. A LEARNED gentleman, long connected with this library, has remarked very jullly, that war, which in moft countries hurts the progrefs of the fciences, has been of fervice to them in RuiTia ; becaufe this library owes its origin to two thoufand five hundred volumes, feized by Peter I. at Mittau, in the war againft the Swedes. It was afterwards augmented by the liberal donations, of this Emperor and his fucceffors, and a few years ago there was added to it the curious collection of book?, which Pnnce Radzivil had at Newit;:, and ;he Ruffians ic'zcd upon, in the year 1772, during the troubles in Po- land. It has received, and is daily receiving addi- tions from the uninterrupted donations of Catha- rine II. who is book-?!';^^ in every icnic ot the word. THE number of books in this library amount:, to about thirty fix thoufand. The moft ancient n; i- nufcripts are the lives of the faints, v/ritten in thf year 1298, and Ncftors chronicle, of which we have already fpoken. This chronicle, witli thrfe o( Novcgorod, of PlefkofT, Ukraine, Kaian, and Af- tracan, the genealogical tables of the ancient Grand Dukes, from Wolodimer to I \ran-Baffiliowiricli, compofed in the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, may make it be reasonably preiumed, that Ruilia is very rich m documents rcluing to it.-, ancicni; 294 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ancient and modern hiftory. Thefe ancient rrfanu- fcripts are all in the Sclavonian language. RUSSIA fuftained an irreparable lofs by the burn- ing of the celebrated library of Kiow, which hap- pened under the reign of Peter I. and made him flied tears, becaufe it contained the moil precious materials for hiftory, of which the manufcripts kept at St James' de Waidai, and in the cathedral of Wolodimer, have not fupplied the place. IN the library of the academy there are fixteen volumes in folio, which contain the negociations of the minifters of Peter I. from the year 1711 till 1716; and thirty volumes of Prince MenzikofPs correfpondence on public affairs, from 1703 till 1717. Thefe collections would be good documents for compofmg an authentic hiftory of Peter I ; a work, which is ftill wanted, notwithstanding thole publifhecl by Theophanes and Voltaire. A MANUSCRIPT, modern indeed, but highly va- lued on account of the augiift perfonage, who wrote it, is the fat of inflmcUons, which the Emprefs fent to the committee chofcn to compile a new code. They were drawn up and written with her own hand, and are kept in a beautiful vafe of bronze, al- ways fct on the table, at the public meetings of the academy : a compliment not more academical than philofophical, AMONG TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 295 AMONG other books in this literary repofitory, the attention of vifitants is drawn to a volume, which contains the acts and cpiftles of the apoilles, preferved not for. what it contains, but becaufe it was the firft book printed in RufTia. Mr Nichols, in his treatife on the origin of printing, tells us, that this fame book was ten years under the prefd. It bears the date of the year 1564, and was printed at Mofcow. THIS library contains perhaps a greater, number of Chinefe books than any other, that we know of, in Europe. There are about twenty eight thoufand feparate numbers. Mr Leontief, who fpent feveral years at Pekin, where is a Ruffian church, and where fome Ruffian ftudents are kept, for the pur- pofe of learning the Chinefe language, has made out. an exact catalogue of them. HITHERTO Europe lias flood indebted to the French for almoil all that is known with any cer- tainty of the inland {late of China, but the Ruffians, their neighbours, are endeavouring to avail them- O 7 O felvcs of their fituation, for procuring' the informa- tion refpecting this country, which we have not ; or does not appear authentic, akhough certiiicii by feveral authors, with the O.mc ton?, with which truth is fupported. But thole, who auirrn aro monks, and thofc monks, Jeiuits; this is a powerful reafon for confiding onlv in t'i-: RuiTunr, 296 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE bonds of friendship, which have for fome time connected the courts of St Peterfburg and Pe- kin, have facilitated the acquifition of Chinefe books and the ellablifliment of a ferninary at Pekin, and thus enabled the Ruffians to obtain a more complete and accurate knowledge of this country. In confe- cjuence of tlicfe advantages there have been lately publiihed at Peterlburg, fever^l irterefiing works upon the laws, hiftory, and geography of China, which have been extracted or translated from the original publications at Pekin. THE di.Sercnt articles, which coir.pofe the cabinet of natural hiftorv. are difcribiited with s;reat iudsre-. * " O J O ment through uiilercnt jp.irtments, and conititute -f the producl ; ons of the country, which h ;is rich is it i? curi^.-us, ar.d !:as been considerably au;rir,rntcd by tbc c^llcftion of Pallas, Gnielia, Gv\- c!eiili:iv.dr, and o^cr Icnrnfd men- \vho have travel- led tiirov.g! 1 . tin: provinces of the empire. "Wi. were dcu'ii dilT^rent f. ! rn pics of rhubarb, ga- thi red .->\ 1 J'.e provinc'. of Sc.hkl^iu, on the fron- tier; of ' liini, aii ii.rc, keel v.ith red, refernblins: broad C-) fir:' , TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 297 ftrata of good ore, that the rhubarb of bcil quality grows. It lias long ilcms, large oval leaves, and grows without any culture. The feed is broad, round and thick. The Tungufi are the people who gather it. After having pulled it from the earth, they i-t.r.g it iv on ropes made of herbs, and then fell it to the Buchanans, who dry it a fecond time an'd tranf;'-.:/- '. on their camel, into RuMia. We had alib (hewn us fraie virgin Edrcd-d, that is Edrcdon unmixed^ 'he greatcll part of which comes from Archangel, 'i'his is a fort oi very fort down, which a kind of gecle, very common in Iceland, caft in the moulting feafon. They rub themfelves in their neit?. to whicii tlieie light feathers adhere. When the moulting is over, the country people feize upon their neits, and pile them up in large iron. machines, fault above, and covered with a grate of a very few bars. They dry them at the fun, aiu! after they have been brought to a very great degree of dryncG 1 , they bca'; the fe.uhers \\\ the cage, ni! th-* de/wu bein:; feparated from the cartli, Vvith \vliich it. w.i> impregnated, itick.s to the grate, v. hence they "t, f r tl.c purpc^'c of ir.ikinp; th:::e bciis or ..:, on \vhich tlie S) b.irit.j* e:..!. .v. uurs to pro- j\ tlu l:.boriou.s man in ever} quarter of tl.c , I. Pp T:ia s$-3 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE word Edredon^ which is written alfo don^ comes from the German word Eyder-dunen, E'jdcr or Auer, is the name, which the Icelanders give to the goofe, that furniihes the Edrcdon ; and Duncn iignines feathers ; w r hence it follows that Ed- rcdon is the plumage of a gooie, not of the Eaglet, as vulgarly fuppofed. IN this cabnet, we raw the largcft piece of mag- r.ct perhaps in Europe. It weighs fix pouds, that is, about two hundred and fourteen pounds Englifh 9 arid attracts or can attract a block of iron of near live hundred and fifty pounds. It was taken from the magnet mountain, near the river Wcrchnei-Kifil y towards the upper Jaik. None are found on the top of the mountain, but within a conipafs of two or three werfts round the foot. The part of thefe ftones expofed to the ais is endued with the great- eft magnetic povver, but it is at fame time tenderer and not fo fit to be enchafed, as the part below ground, TKF anatomical collection of this cabinet is very highly valued, becaufe it was made by the celebrated Ruyicli, Anutomift at the li^guc, who fold it to Peter I. in the year 1717, for thirl y thoufand Dutch florins, or t'>.v;) thouiand icven hundred pounds lterlin rr . i3 The moft valuible part of it is, a feries of fetu(es 5 from the fu-ft formation to the birth of the child, Dill prcki^cd In {pints of wine. There are likewifc Injections TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 299 injections of the brain, and of the eye, done with much art; and in the eye efpecially, there are mem- branes, fo fine and delicate, that none but the ableit practitioners in anatomy, fuceeed in thefe injections. FROM this cabinet you pafs into the Mufeum, called by the Ruilians, the Chamber of Rarities, and well does it deferve this name. The ornaments found in the tombs in Siberia, fevcral of which arc of gjeat value, firft engage the attention of foreign- ers. Thefe curioiities confift of bracelets, fonic of them weighing a pound ; of necklaces in the lorin of ferpcnts ; of vales, crowns, bucklers, and figures of animals, all of (liver and gold; fabres with aiit> ornamented with jewels ; Tartar idols and other antiquities. This quantity of gold work would not appear credible, if we had not ieen it with our own eyes, and if ibine authentic documents did not prove it to be, as we have advanced ; and by it we are induced to believe, that the people, who buried fo many valuable articles, muft have been very rich. But what idea can be formed of a civilized ii.uion, capable of producing fudi works of art, and fettled in ancient times on the banks of the Irtiich, Tobol and [enifji ? Mr Mulier who has inveiiigaied this fubject, and during his travels in Siberia examined Several places, where iucli toir.:>> were opened, ha formed fevcral vry prujabie conjeaures on this people, The generality of v, :i:crs on this jr>int, T p ~ luivr 3co TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. have reafoned only after his plan. The following is a fpecimen of his conjecture.-,. AFTER having described the feveral foits of tombs O discovered in the fouth part of Siberia, he adds ; 44 As in many of thefe tombs, there have been found " bones of men, women, hories, and alfo lances, " bows, arrows, and other arms, it appears evident " that the i'ame fuperflitious notions, itill prevailing " in India, were in former times received in thefe " countries, and that it was believed among th^m, 44 the fouls of men continued to lead in the other " world, the fame kind of life, which please! 'hem " in this. In confequence of this opinion, tne fa- *- 4 vourite wiTe, fervants and horfss of :i man of dif- " tinction, were, at his death, burnt on his tomb, elegance. Where then could they have been made.' For the flate of the arts in the eaft, at that time, will not allovv- us to fuppofe them the work of the people reiiding in the eaft. They mult therefore be unqueftionably the work of European artiits, whom the magnificence of Gcngis and his fucccffors invit- erl to tlieir courts ; and it is a fa 61, that Rubniqws., at the court of Magnu, met with a Goldfmith from France, called Guiilaume Boucher, wiio was em- ployed bv this Kan. MR Muller however, with his ufual candour- makes an exception to this .general proportion, " that all the tombs of Siberia in luh'^h ^r/.v., and pre- cious ej/ctfs ha-vs been dif covered, hckngcd to th: Mo.n- go/s." He defcribes ibme, that appear ot a mucl? more ancient date, and com?.'.:! arms .,),! urcnfils of copper. 'I'he lat'er are :;]!'.) p^cierv -\ in die chamber of rattles. The hA;i;.;crr:, th? lances, aiul the i\vor;ib hcin.--^ conftantly ; i C-^^.T, fjrm 10 prove that the people, to v/]i'..>n:. t.Uc :c-n.i 'v. i:^/:-', knew not the ulc oi iron, and coiik'.jU' ;it.iy \vcre i^rif;r t;_: the Mongol hordes, and nach more 3ncii;r.E. I\Ir Muller, v;ho in -ill Ms rd'eard , has lifplayed won- rful 304 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. derful fagacity, fuppofes thefe people to have been the Iv'trs, or Uigurs, or Hungurs, who are believed ro have been the anccftors of the rnqdcrn Hungari- ans, and at a very remote period inhabited a part of Siberia. This is the more readily conjectured, that one of the n.rcklac-ts found in thefe tombs bears ;i per feel rc/ombl-nK-c to thole worn by the Hunga- rian ladies :\t this very day. It h alfo faid that Gengis Kan and his fubjects, the Mongols, borrow- ed Iron: thufe people the alphabet and art of printing, both of which they were utterly ignorant of. But Mr Mulicr gives this only as a conjecture, and ad- mits the diiliculty of deciding polkively, by what people thefe corpcr arms and hulruments were ufed, or at what precifc period the ton.bs were erected. WITH much pleafurc and minute attention did we iurvey a long gallery, dcilincd to collect the dif- ferent: drcf&s of the rribc-j fubjert to the Ruffian empire, of the nations of the call, and of the Chi- ;ieie in particular: and a> r o -.mother room filled with the diY.'K-:.}, ariT.^ and inilrumcnts brought from the '(iaiiJs litcly difcovercd !>c-r \rccn Asia and Ame- !ici, :'.nd iroin thi defign, that you have formed for the cn- '" couragement oi: Sericulture and Oeconomv is O O * J ? extremely agreeable to us, and your exertions ^ are a proot of your zeal and love ror your conn- " try. V, r e co.rtidfT your olari and rv;icb as worthy ' or our approbation, an-1 we allosv your focicty to " aflume the title of. Tl:: Free Occonanhal Society. ( ' i Vv r e not only confcnt tlvat you fhould life our " anns, l?.:jt to cxprc!- our good wi'/.ies in the moil ~" exj:licit manner, we allow you to take for a leal, :{ a hive in tlu middle of our Imperial jrrns, to c which bce-j are carrying honry, witii thcfe word;j fl for a motto. i\r viiiiiy. IMoreover we grant to ki yoarfocicty, fix thoui'and roubles (/," 133;: 6: 8.) " to enable y.-.u to purchau; a ho'ite, either for hold- r " ing your meetings, o 1 ' making a collecliuu of * !x ok.; on agriculture. You) 1 lab:;u.r i ; will prove c exu:em-,;y advantageous to son a- d vour lu.licii- " LV, and vill e'.iiiance our r-'-g'tici for y-,-"j In pro- v portion TO the z<:al, y(/u fha.il -ii ';: 'y."' J Ti-ii' ib-jiety is compc-.'U.-d cf a piciidenr, \vho is ,ha!y.;fd evci y tour rnoru't-s, md -^ au uiiioi.'icJ numl-ei f.*f member j. 'J lie canJi Ij:-.-^ for jJliniJi '!'. ; v 316 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. are propofed by three members, and rejected or ad- mitted by a plurality of voices. It is fupported chiefiy by the voluntary ccr.trir.utions of its mem- bers, many of whom are diflinguifhed equally by fortune and rank. In the year 1789 the total num- ber was two hundred and eiinit. O THE affembly fits once a week and hears effays fead on agriculture and the fubjects connected with it. Such as are judged worthy of being published, ^re printed at the expence of the Emprefs, and the profits of the fale revert to the focicty. But the work is fold at a very cheap rate. Twelve copies ;tre fent to the Governors of each province for dif- tribution. Thcie efiays are written in the Ruffian language, and appeared at firft under the title of Treatifes if the Oeconomical Society., in ten volumes, from the yczr 1765 till the 1775. This title has ; ince been changed into, Continuance of Treat if es, &c. nnd inflead cf being publimed three times a year, a few volumes only arc occafionally publimed. Since thefc ciiav.c^.s, the fir ft volume appeared in 17/9, ;uid the fcccnd in 1780. In 1789 there \vere ele- ven. The focictv difeributes premiums annually _ n conuilir.g of gold and Liver medals ^ or a fum of monfy roii'.c-t.iniCr> equivalent to fix hundred rouble., :.'. i;,-; : 0: S.) to thofc, who have moft ably dif- 'i:fiv\'.l t'ii r^-iVIons. \vliichth-efociety has propofed. THERE TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 317 THERE arc at St Peterfburg two foundations for the education of the nobility. One called the Corps of Cadets, the other named the Convent of Your. 2 O 1 Ladies. THE building occupied hy the Land Cadets, was in former times the palace of Prince Menzikoff. It now ftands in Vaffili-Oftrof, and is one of the mod beautiful edifices in St Pctcriburg. The number of perfons lodged there, including cadets, is at lead two thoufand. This inftitution is indebted to the Emprefs Anne and to the cour.fels of Marlhal Mu- nich, for its fir ft foundation : but it his been much improved, and its funds hive been considerably aug- mented by Catharine II. who may be coniidered as its founder. Its annual revenue is a hundred and thirty five thoufand roubles ( ' 50,030 ilerling) and has accommodation for fix hui-idi-ed, ibns of noble fa- milies, amono; whom, there arc lixtv bovs of inie- o ' rior rank, deftined to be the tutors of children of family, and here receive an education iuitable to their deftination. 1 he Ions of noblemen mull en- ter into the national icrvicc, and are ahnoic all in uniform; iome ot tiicni are Lkiigued ior a civil Sine. They are admitted at the age ci iix, teen years, and arc arranged hi i;vc claillis. are taught French, Engliili, Duich, Arhhi^^tic. Fortification, Taaics, Hi.'cory, Geography, l)ai.- Draw- JiS TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ing and Muiic. Thofe, who {how a difpofition for ftudy, learn the Latin and Tartar languages. THEY are divided into a certain number of com- panies, and arc regularly exerciicd. In fummer they are encamped tor fix weeks in the neighbour- hood of the city. Premiums are diiiributed among thofe, \vho excel, either in their cxerclfes or in their fhidies:. Theie premiums confift of books, gold and {liver medals, ribbons, fears, \'c. Whoever has v/ori a prize r.:: tinier, travels into foreign coun- tries, with LI pcnfl: -n cr fix hundred roubles. THI-.Y are broMgh': i:p in :i very hardy manner. No rur cloarliing is allowed them, even in winter., They uie ilovcs very moderately, and are accuftom- nd to all kind:; cf exerciic, efpecially running and ieav;':ig. IvJ.r Betf^oi, \vho is the director of this infdriirior,, for the cdv.cation of thefe young peo- ple hus adopted the gyrnnaftic fvitem Lud down by Roullvjau in Iris Kir.ilius ; and they are fo nimblcj that it is a pic;- (lire to ice them perform the feats, which oiu* rone-dancers \vou!d no'; do better than ' ~ 1 f which the highcf: part is at lead tix icct, ;-:;cI perorni c^n this niaciiir.c every tiling, tli'.it we have ice;.; dene by the Afhlcys in their rid- .\i:g ichnol. d'iicic excrcifes give them ihe free uie of their bocL-s, open the cheir, and make them xtrorg ana active. !u the cMcrent departments of this TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 319 this houfe great attention is paid to neatncfs, and the young people enjoy excellent health. ONCH or twice every winter the cadets me per- nutted to give r the ma- nagement of cverv minute circumfunce connected O * with farms, where a ieniiblc \vite is io indiipenuL.'', requiiite. END Of Til r.R^T VOLU.M . PHILOSOPHICAL, POLITICAL, AND LITERAP.Y TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, DURING THE YEARS 1788 & !7?<-. X ' - TRANSLATED FROM THE FKEXCTi Of CHANT R EAU WITH A MAP AND OTHER PLATL'.S. VOLUME SECOND. PL R T II: PP.1XTED EY R. MGXISOX* VfAV.':.?, JOR R. MORI5ON AKD oON, BOOKS L LI. I R S, /^A \'i.RNO>l ANLi JICL'D, BIRCIIIN-LANI, . CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. CHAP. I. Page t. Environs of St Petersburg. C/i-.rko-iV.- . jyUv.aiincnts erected, in the gardens of the p. dace in Ivi- nour of the Counts Oidoiis and Mr.rfhal RonunzotV. OraTiienlvui n, bnilt by I'.knrdkoff. Particulars rcipecd- irg thi.-, celebrated ni.:n, the companion and favourite i.f Peter I. Irnmenic influence, which he podliicd. An- ecdote?. MenzikofTs fail under the Cz.ir Peter H. CHAP. II. P. T -. Continuation or" part'.ctihirs rerpecl'ng Menzikoft". He is arreued.. Sn-ipt of die ord..rr, \vitix \vii'eh he is decorated. Snddn:ii cjian^e that is nr/idnictxl on his pe"ion. He is baniil;ed to Renneburg, and them to Yakon!];!, in the cxiremiiy of Siberia, lie. !> ihv months on tlie road. Lol'.s Ids u-ite. C'h^r.H't.'i- (.j" t'\'; Ludv. Mon;:ikolr \vith, i;is cv/ii h.mu.s ( : i:s the tjravc, iu which fix- is !-.;!:!. His arrival ;it l'o:-'':.h. Aiih?:;:.,. Huiiiiliutiun. Intereiting Ap.erdote. uh-i-dk:'! 1 - !:*"e in hii exi! '.. He lofes h!.- daughter. H<- dies. ii : s chil- dren recalli. d. "\Vii:ii becomes cd Oranienbauni aiier hij CHAP. I: f. P. 3;. PeterlhoiT. His gv.-dens. Me n;d id-, or the Dutch ikonfe. The monntnin of Hedges. Vr'-r. . Naritzkia's honie. Sch'.uilelburg. lliitoried ch:.d'-. Anecdote,. Scite of the eity. 'I hat of t]ve r^itie. !: M;ir:i, lifter to Peter I. "! h: C::.v':..; Y.'.:.l -: : >, ! '- . : CIIAr. IV. ?. j.o. Or;,;n of C.dnrh- !. Ti. ir CONTENTS. wifh to exclude her. MenzikofPs party prevails, and Ca- tharine is proclaimed. Menzikoff reigns under her name.. Death of this princefs. Her character. Anecdotes of her brother. CHAP. VI. P. 7?. Particulars refpecling Alexis Petro- teitfch, fon to Eudoxia. Education of this prince'. Cha- racter given of him by Bruce. His manners. Imprudent acts. Flight to Naples. Return to Ruffia. His trial. Condemned to death by Peter. Tragical end of his con- fidents. Punifhment of Gleboff. Particulars reflecting Princefs Sophia, wife to the Czarowitich. Her misfor- tunes, and death. A fabulous itory made on her. CHAP. VII. P. 90. Peter III. His marriage with Ca- tharine. Children born of them. .Difiike at one ano- ther. Dependarice, in which Elizabeth keeps young Pe- ter. He fixes his reildence at Oranisnbaum. Regiment O that he forms there. He prefers foreigners to Ruffians. Attempts to alienate Elizabeth's affection from him. Eli- zabeth dies. Peter afcends the throne. Exiles recalled from Siberia, liiren. Munich. Particulars and anecdotes ;f this General. Leftocq. Count de Hordt. Particulars . pitting the latter. vJHAP. VUI. P. 105. Adminiffration of Peter III. He makes peace with the king of Prufiia. His reform. Mur- murs excited by them. His imprudence. Particulars of this Czar's priv-te life. Of Catharine his wife. Of the Countefs of AVer or. 7.0 ft", Peter's miftrefj. CHAP. IX. P. 120. Peter III. forms the plan of confining Catharine. A party is formed to fave this princefs, and raife her to the throne. She contents. The revolution effected. 1 he troops and ienate d< .dare in her favour. She is proclaimed Empixls of the Ruiiias. Irrefolution and pulilkinimity c-f Peter III. He wiihe;, to enter into an. Ills propofa's are not liftened to. He O'.nluuit. He is refilled admittance, 'icates the crown, and delivers him- He is carried to ; themfelves out He rune:, a commotion among the CofTacs CONTENTS. T Coffacs of the Jaik. Why they are difiatisfieu. An a- necdote. Pugatfchew's fucceis. His hypocrify. His atro- cities. His marriage, lie is defeated by Prince Galitzin. He appears again in the country. New ravages. Death of the unfortunate Lowitz. Count Panin marches againft Pugatfchew, who is defeated. He is abandoned by his own men. He is executed at Mofcow. Catharine II. re- pairs the mifchiefs he had done. CHAP. XI. P. 162. Details refpecting the unfortunate Iwan III. He is dethroned by Elizabeth. Anecdotes. He is brought up in a fortrefs, and transferred from pri- iba to priion. At the age of fixtcen he is confined in SchlulTelburg. How he is treated. Elizabeth fees him, and converfes with him. Effect, which this interview has on this princefs. How Iwan is guarded at Schluffel- burg. Perfon of this prince. His intellectual faculties. 1 His character. Vifit paid him by Peter III. Particulars of this interview. Peter mitigates his lot. He wiihes to reftore him his liberty. The courtiers diiTuadc him from this intention. CHAP. XII. P. 175. Mirowitfch, a Ruffian officer, form* the extraordinary project of delivering Iwan III. His motives. Means of accomplishing his clefign. He briber ieveral foldiers of the prince's guard. He employs force to win at his room. The officers cntruftecl with thr charge of Iwan refolve to mailacre him, rather than de- liver him to Mirowitfch. Imnrellion, which Iwan's corpfe make upon him. He furrenders himfelf a prifoner. Is tried and executed. Accounts refpecting Ivan's iu- miiy. Character and defcription of Anne, Iw.uTs mo- ther. Fortreffes, to which this family is fu ferred. Treatment, which they cxjxrk death. That of her hufband. Catharine of their children. CHAP XIII. P. 191. Departure from St Poterfburg on our way to Molcow. Preparations f^r tins jouiney. Highways. Villages. I'eai'.uit:)' hut.-;. Accounts ui t'r.e. people in the country. Their wav ot living. Poil-houle>. Diiliculty in procuring frelh IiorlV-s. What is the craiic of it. Way of obviating this inconvenience. CHAP. XIV. P. 2cc. Arrival ^ Novogorod. Hifrorical accounts of this city, It becomes u democratic republic. vi CONTENTS. How it lofes its liberty. Defcription of this- city. Bo * nitza-Gorod. Views. Monaftery of Iwerfkoi. Viflmei Volofchok. Canal, to which this city gives its name. Twer. Defcriptions. Humane inftitution,s of Catharine II. Commodities and commerce of Twer. CHAP. XV. P. 217. Mofcow. Hiftory of this city. Its iltuation. Its population. Contrafts it prefents. Its di- vifions. The Kremlin. Khitai-Gorod. Beloi-Gorod. Zemlionoi-Gorod. The floboda or fuburbs. The Mol- cowa. The palace. Particular defcriptions. The churches. Infidc of a Greek church. Enormous bells. CHAP. XVI. P. 232. Religious houfes, fituatcd in the Kremlin. Viefnowitfhoi. St Michael the Archangel's cathedral. Burying place of the Czars. Grave of Iwan Bafilowitfch I. That of Iwan Baillowitfch II. Sove- reignty of the Romanoffs. Michael Federowitfch. Fc- clor his fon. Alexis Federowitfch, father to Peter I. Particulars of this prince. His clemency. His marrinoe; J } with the beautiful Natalia Cyrillowna. CHAP. XVII. P 247. Church of the AfTumption. Mo- rofoiF, Governor and Miriifter to Alexis. He receives a terrible lefTon from the people. Its confequences. Bu- rial of the Patriarchs. J:;b. Philarethes. Hiftory cf Nikon. CHAP. XVIII. P. 257- Commerce carried on at Mellow. Market of houfes. Foundling holpital. Account of this inftitution. Monaftery of Troitikoi. Saint Sergiiis it.; founder. Account of this Monk. Defcription of the Monaftery. Tomb of Mary, Qjucen of Livonia. That of Boris Godonow. Account of this Prince. CHAP. XIX. P. 271. Departure from Mofcovi . Forefc of V/olkonfki. Villages. Peafants- Their cottage^." Roads. Polls. Vialma. Dogorobuich. ,Smolenlko. Defcription of this town. Lady. Tolitzin. Entrv in- to Poland. CHAP. XX. P. 280. Philofoplmal accounts of the Tart:;r tribes 1 abject to Ruflia, but little known. The Barfchki- nans. 'ITie Burattians. The C/uwachians. The Kal- inucs. The CofTacs. The Mongols. The Mordwans. The Oftiaci. The Samoietlcs. The Tunpufiar.s. PHILO- PHILOSOPHICAL, POLITICAL, AND LITERART TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, C II A P. I, ixriRcxs cf Si Pcterjlurg.Czarkofelc. - Mo;;:, t vents i'rccL'J /;.' the gardens of tbe palace in bsilcui '/the Counts OH-.ffs and Murjbai Romanz^if. Ora- mciibaum^ built by M>sn~ik r .Jf. Particulars rcfpic'i- iirf this celebrated , ; /.'L7, ; ?, the companion and fj--v':;ri!e: if Peter 1. liiimcnfe influence ^ luhicb be p-:jj~!]'.\L Aiiccdoti.s.MGnziks'sall ur.der the Czar Peter IL '^E^"TT, iiavc, in tlic lornici vc'lurno, laid bofbrr v' our rea-'crs all tiic nic^l uni-orr 'i;t f.icts re hiujOcci v. ith the govcrnn^nt of iluiiLi, aii'l the diilvrv.:i)t iniatuiio:;s, \vliic :\ o\vc ih.ir exiitcncc 'to rue Cz.ir Peter 1. and to ihc ^.lebritcd l^ni- pi'Liics, \vliofuccccdcdhiin, and appeared tr. lr.\c .(at on the throne, iu!e!y lor t.l:j rurroie or cx- A TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, rcndiiig and improving the piann, which Peter had raily been allosved to fkctch; for the legislator, who hr.s rcicue.1 his country from barbarifm, and given it laws, with the vie\v or ciiluiing knowledge and civilization through ail' its parts, has been engaged in nothing hut a beautiful dream, if time and cir- cunikniiccs rcnr not a {lately and iblid edifice on the foundation he had laid. \VE arc now going to give an account of the dif- ferent excursions we made in the neighbourhood of O St Petcriburg, before we took final leave of this ca- pita!. The places we vkked. independent of what has been already narrated, would be capable of gi- ving an advantageous idea ot the Ruffian monarchs; tiicfc were Czarko-felo. Oranienbaum, Peterflioff, and SchluiTclburg, which are fo many palaces, or country-houfes, whither the Czars retire to enjoy t \ Hi tie refpite from the toils of government, or fnrow off the yoke of court etiquette, equally heavy and fatiguing; a yoke, which in inltc of ail that en clone by Peter, by Catharine I. Anne, and rine II. to banilh it, continues yet at St Pe^ irilrarg what it was at the court of the proud ( lories V. and his haughty iucccffors, who at this ii.iv iiavo even the arrog..uicc to make their donief- :::, k'.icc', w ; -.ile tiny lervc tlien:. It is not rule^- that cleftroy etiquette ; it is opinion, which is in- :''-.: n;c:k or coi:fents to be informed by reaibn. CZARKC- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. CZARKO-SCI o is an Imperial puhi.cc abr/at '. .verity werfts from ttt Peteriburg, and the fivouriie v II- dcnce of the Empreis in fummer. There ih'j lives in a more retired manner, than when at Pcterflioil ; another houfc, of which we ihall take notice in a little. This palace, built by Elizabeth, is of brie!; done over with plaifter and white ttucco. Its ion?;',!; is out of proportion, and its architecture is as hu.ivy as taftelefs. The principal pihllcrs, the front orna- ments, the IT allies, which fupport the cornice, ire of wood, as well as thofe intended to ornament ih<, roof. This is all guilt, and the iinin^nf: g',iiidin:.r jnves to the whole, not a iTrand, but dull and awk- O - * , ward appearance, \ he rooms, which ase lui'c and magnificent, arc furnifhcd in the old iafhion, ' their mapraiiccRce is equally tafrelcfs and inli^niii- cant. Thofe, which are more modern, and have been furnifhecl by the prefent r.inpnls, arc le- . fumptuous and clone \\-iih more taile ; l~u' ih -y di;- covcr the age of tlic royal proprietor, b\ i!i.- 'a/I of the furniture, v/Iiich has been at Icaii. thirty years out of date. Yx T c were fhown a \ r er\ ha:uiiomc B'jii^ (Conquer- or at Tchcfme) as in ancient Rome tlr.it of Africa- ns was ojiven to Scipio. Tin palace of Oranicnbaum, wlii:h \ve faw after Czarko irk), is fitmued on the fca coift, ll'iiily fix: wcrfts frt)in St Peter fourfj. Ir vva-, livll ; by "Men/i- kofT, when lie ei. joyed a decree r>r grandeur, at which a lubject ICJCKUU arrives. The origin ot tiiis favourite is differcntiy reported. S^nie l.iy tint lie was an apnreir.ue to a p.iitry cc-)];. O'Jic!^ make of liim a fniall-pj e-mc: ciuu .!"., t!i it \ralkcd the itrcets of Moicow ; ar.d tlil:i i;, tl;. 1 moil probable opinion, and adopted bv YvcLcr, Maftein, aiul I^ruee. According ^ O to t}-.i;ie amhcirs, Peter having it^jit ro prattle with ycv^ing "- ci i ,zikoH', was I'D i'truck with hi, vi\ acity ar.d ;'-.. r.partees, that lie took him into hi, Icr- vicc, ;J ' .iclc him rife c'liickh to the fummit oi lio: ;_:-. (\i-crs ailirm that lie was 1'on tn a fer- va.it abouL ct^urt, and tlial: accident pl:'.ccd iilm near the pcvfcn of tli-: .i'limcror- Pint :-\\ tlv.le tak'.-; arc * TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. unworthy of credit, and it was Baron" Lefort, who placed him with Peter. This foreigner, who had to combat the hatred of the Ruffian lords, who could not forgive him for enjoying the prince's fa- vour to their exciufion, and alib charged him with the innovations he fuggefted ; this very Lefort was well pleafed to have a man near the Czar, at hi* de- votion, who giving no offence to his enemies, could ferve him as a fpy, as often as his own engagements removed him from the Emperor. Young IVknzi- koff was lo much the fitter for this character, as he poilelled an inexhauftible fund of humour, and was admitted into the higheft families of Mofcow, like :\ fort ot buffoon, amufmg companies with burlefque fongs, which the courtiers were weak eneugh to re- peat in the very antlchambcrs of the palace. Peter alfo was entertained with the humour of young Akxafc'uka % repeated his fongs, and was accuitom- cd to lee him, becaufe Lefort was continually point- ing him out. At length he took him into his ier- vice, admitted him into his moft intimate confi- dence, which he fhareu with Lefort, till the death of this officer, and poiieiled alone during the life of the prince. THE fir ft date of MenzikofPs fortune was the rai- ling of that company of fiftv vouns; Ruffians, which * J * O 5 after ' Als.n/-;kojT was cuilrd AU ;'.!?, cf \vhich the diminutive is Alex- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. f after Lefort's plan, Peter clothed, armed, and diicu plined after the German manner, and which after- wards became the regiment of guards, called Prco- bafchcnfkoi. Lefort, who was colonel of this com- pany, made Menzikoff be admitted into it, and fooij after his admiillon, made him go through his excr- cife under the prince's windows, who was charmed with him, and from that moment f \vore he would attach him to himfelf. It rnuft be remarked, that the prince, who formed this resolution, was only fifteen years of age, and cxprcilcd no wiihcs, but thofe inipircd by Lefort, who for the happinefs ot the Ruffians, was a man endowed with the rareii qualities, and worthy of modelling the prince, after whom fo many other- ought to copy. AY hat tend- ed moil to confirm Peter's attachment to Mcn/.i- koil", was the conformity of age, and the pallive de- votion of the latter for his mailer; for McnzikotV then and ever after, diitinguifhcd himfelf always in the zeal, with which he proceeded to whatever could plcafc the Czar. In his plans of reform ci pccially, he itlibrdcd him tlie grcateft ailiftar.ce, eitlic; by taking the execution upon himtelr, or removing mcli obRaclcs, as might thwart them, which thr .Covards, attached to tlicir oli prqudicc>, ton; . means to raife up; or by kindly receiving aiki e refiing, cfpccially under tiic eyes of his rn.ifi.er, :. ; i 8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. foreigners, whom this prip.cc had drawn to his court, and Menzikoff had the addrefs to fix there. FROM the moment that he had been placed by Peter, MenzikofT, by the advice of Lefort, had ap- plied himiUf to itudy his mailer's character, to bend himfelf to it \vithcut referve, and to bear without a murmur, not only the diiagreeabie {allies of Peter's violent and impetuous temper, but even patiently endure the word: of treatment. Ills obcd'ence there- fore w:i.5 always that of a devoted Have, who joins the DiOi'i ripid punctuality to the moft literal execu- tion of the orders he receive:. Even the oiiice of lian^nv.in he did not decline, when Peter ordered him to ciifcliarge it. at the time of the rebellion of the Strclitz, in the year 1608. In Peter's prefencc, JVLr.'>:ikoil cut off the heads of twenty of the prin- cipal confpirators, and reckoned it an honourable oillce. Peter quoted him, as an example worthy of imitation, to the Bayards, who refilled to afiiit at thcfe executions. MENZIKOFF by his ability as a (htcfnvm and war- ricur ; 5 l!c, won the confidence and eileem of Pe= ter. jjuniig the campaign 1695, he was always ':-.t. I-- li ;; : ".r.d ;:{Iifial the prince ^rcatiy in the con- f[u-ju oi' Axofr'. In the }'car 16^7 lie fivcd his life. >ome Rufiian 'C^rJs and hm;uic prieftj had formed a confpiricy r^.unft tiie Czar. Tvlenzikoff in dif^ ^uifc ii.'.cl ir.iroduccd hi mi elf ainon^ the ccnipira- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, u tors. He finds means of withdrawing hiinfclf with- O out beingr noticed, o'oes and calls on Peter, \vho is v 3 7 O ' at Lefort's, amufing him '.elf, informs him of the irifk he runs, ami of the place where the confpira- tors are ailembied Peter goes th'ther in force and furpriies them, caufes them be executed, and returns to his amufement. MENZII:CH-F accompanied Peter on tliefe travels, on which ib manx truths and ialiehoods have been writ- ten, and was made a prince of the Holy Empire in the year 1706: from that time he rcfe rapidly to the iirft dignities of the civil and Military orders. On ibme occallons lie was even permitted to rcprefent his Sovereign, by giving public audiences to amb.tf- iadors, whiUt Peter, di.fdaining the pageantry of royalty, appeared, in his train 3ike a plain individu- al. In fliort the afcendancy, which this iavouritc l.iad acquired over the Emperor, which Catliarine fup- ported wivh all her influence, was carried ib far., that it was believed among- the weak, credulous Ruffians, that r.lenzlkoff had tiirowii a ipeil over the mind of his nr.iil-r. IT is a Kiel th^.t this iavoiul^c incurred; thr Cbcar':^ rofentmr.nt twenty time:., and. as or en cibiiod it wiih a i).n;j;le \vord. He ie'-ir.cd ;:o I:c M in \\\^ h.inJ*: t!ie fprinu's, which mov,--l this lie''y but elevated ioul. One da Lite Czar ;h;v- h -i.:,l to ruin him. Yen ';'//, Fztt'r, v'.ut ;. '- }'--- -- : ^ - -'- te inniier VOL. II B ty io TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, to him. Ten will dcftro-j yciir own work, and thfo expreilion appeafed the Czar. Yet when Peter re turned from his campaign in Perfia, MenzikofF 7 who was riot ignorant of the juft grounds of complaint::, that had been formed againft him, fell from an exccfs of boldncfs and fecurity, into def- ipondency and delpair, and., for this once, he thought himfelf undone. He did not fhow himfelf before the Kmpercr at the time of his arrival at St Peterf- buig; He continued in his palace on the banks of the Neva, pretending bad health; and either to fup- port his excufes, or becaufe fear and unealmeis had really made him ilck, he was in- bed, when the Czar's vifit was announced to him, and this re- doubled his fears. The Prince had croiTed the Neva, had come without any attendants and without gi- ving MenzikofF any notice of his coming. He fat down on the bollljr of his bed. MenzikofF did not diflcmble that his real diftrefs was the mortal j.nruifh, into which his mafter's refentment, which o he had dcferved, was throwing him. He did not attempt to excuic Iiinii-jif, he confcficd himfelf cri- jninr.l, and appeared only to wait for the fevereil du l.ilenient. This confcllion aiTeclcd Peter, who bclitics had undoubtedly taken Lis refolution, when r.e ucicrmincd to viiit liiin, whom he might have puniiiic-l. Alexafcbka^ iaid he to him in a friendly tone, r.:ke courage, )-oti have committed a great fault, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. zi fault, you have almoft ruined my country ; but i cannot forget that you have laved it, and that 1 am indebted to you for my life and my empire. NOTWITHSTANDING all this, after the affair of Stettin, Menzikoff thought he was on the point of receiving the chaftifement. which hi* conduct on O ~ that occalion had juftly merited j but th-e danger he had then brought kimfelf into was a ground of hu- miliation for his enemies. The following is the fact. In the year 171; he was befieging Stettin, the capital of Pomeriana, and was on the eve of ta- king it, when feduced by the intrigues of Baron. Goerts, particularly by * four hundred thouf.tud livres which he received, lie confented to deliver up this place to the King of PrulTia, Frederick Wil- liam I. upon fome vain promifcs, that were never re- alifed. Stettin fmce that time, has remained in the poffeflion of PruiTia, and the country,, which it com- mands, is the moft beautiful part of Pomcriani Peter was irritated, and PvIenzikofF, who was not ignorant of this, but knew the character of" his mat- ter, formed a very lingular plan of defence, and when he came home obferved a line of con dud itiij more extraordinary. He retired to hi.; pal ice, ;md went not to court. The C/.ir made him be nike I, why he came not thither; lie anfwered proudly, that it was not the practice for perfons, who return- ed home, to make the fir it vilit. Peter more pro- B 2 voked 12 TRAVFXS IN RUSSIA. voked than ever, collected fome Ruffian Lords known to be enemies to Menzikoff, bid them follow him, telling tlrjm that they were now to fee. if he knew how to humble a guilty and infolent fubject. He goes to iMonzikofPs houfe, loads him with reproach- es, behaving with all the violence of which he was mailer, being ah n oft ready to beat him. MenzikofF intreats him to be kind enough to hear him in pri- vate; and wiih great difficulty obtains a hearing. He paffes into a in. all room, and then afFurnes a ilrmer tone. Tov. love ^lory^ fays he, and 1 thought Ivuasfcr- 'uing you. Char'ea^ yittr rival has given kingdoms ; I ii-amzd ycu to do greater thing.'; than Claries, and cm of your fubjecfs to give aicay provinces an honour, which nciitr happened to ar.y prin<:<^ but you- Is not this much more 'valuable than a poflcjfionfe d-flant from your dominion,^ uhicb you -uould hot have bc^,i able to keep? Peter, naturally ilruck v\iih whatever was great, (yet this v/as only romo.ni 'c) was very much aflonifhed at tl.is ar.fwer, and after the fir 11: impref- frm, JMenzikofl hid no difficulty in perfuading him of whatever he ciiofe. The Cznr went out, hold- ing him by tac hand, in the fight of all thofe, who were cxpeel'np- a very different fpectade. Mcnzi- k^ff. ti-iurr:p]iant, accompanied his mafter to the -% Vvhich was waiting for him on the Neva, vnt on board alone. Then Menzikoff gave _or^, thit all thofc-j who had come to be witnci- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 13 fes of his humiliation, mould attend him back to Iiisl edging; an honour they owed to tho man, who was the fir ft in the empire next to the Czar. None durft refute, bccaule they were afraid of his power, and ftill more of his vengeance, which was terrible. It was that of a courtier, who durit aitempt any- thing whatever. AT the death of Peter I. IMenzikofPs power be- came flill more unlimited. Catharine I. who owed her elevation to the throne, to the intrigues, and activity of this minillcr, out of gratitude gave up to him the reins of her empire, and was only oiten- fible fovcreign, while it was Menzikoif alone, who reigned in reality, and at his plcaiure. His authori- ty therefore continued good till the death of Catha- rine, who with a view to confirm it more, ;ave or- ' " O ders in her will that Peter II. her iucceilor, (hould marry MenzikofF's daughter. Is not this cl.iuie a complete r,roo: of the favourite's aicendant over his miflrels, art! alib of her gratitude? BUT hc;:\ j ?n ordered tb.irgs quite otherwiie. The intrigues, ckij:ori;Vn, arrogarcj, and difreipecttul conclud of IMenzikofTtowards Pctt-r II. changed the .fare ot uda-rs, and hurled tl.is la'ounie irom tn^ funimit of greatnefs into tiie molt abject humilia- tion. The clrcuinfianccs ot hia dilgrace are rc'Lited in Mar.liein's memoirs, a \\trk ot ionie character, to Vv'liic.h its accuracy and impartiality will entitle it 14 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. it. Yet we think we will do an office acceptable to our readers if we lay before them a particular ac- count of the different caufes, which operated the downfal of this celebrated man, and of the engines, which his enemies put into motion, in order to ac- complifh it. PRINCE Dolgorouki and Count Oflermann were the implacable enemies of Menzikoff. Both of them employed all the manoeuvres of intrigue for the pur- pofe of ruining him, and their fuccefs was the great- er, as Menzikoff did not at all fufpect them. Dol- gorouki, in particular, to much cunning joined a degree of diffimulation, of which Menzikoff did not think him capable; and Count Oftermann, from the time that he quarrelled with this minifter in council, affected to wifh to live retired, from pub- lic affairs. Menzikoff had taken young Peter to Pe- terfhoff, to give him a few days amufement in hunt- ing, or rather to keep him entirely in his power. Count Oftermann being informed of this excurfion, confidered it the mod favourable conjuncture, he could wifh, for the execution of the plot he had laid for overthrowing Menzikoff. He waited on all the fenators and principal officers of the Guards, difclofed to them his intentions, and found them animated with fentiments exactly correfpondent to his own. Every one of them faid, he was ready to facrifice his fortune and life to rid his country of fuch TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 15 fuch an odious tyrant, as MenzikofF. He then pre- fcribed the rule of conduct they were to obferve. He had taken care to advife Prince Dolgrouki of his meafures, and fuccefs. He had given him to underftand that if he and his fon were fuccefsful in preventing the marriage, which the Emperor was on the way of being forced to conclude, the lead recompenfe Dolgorouki might expect: was, to fee his own daughter occupy the place of Menzikoff's. Ofterman added, " that he knew it was the object of his ambition, and it only depended on himfelf, to fee it fuccefsful with fo much the more eafc, as it -~jjas the iuijl> of the nation, and as his illujlrious birth rendered his prctcnfions as legitimate as renfonable." The Dolgo- rouki are one of the firft families of the Empire, and are fprung from that Wolodimer, who invited the followers of Chrift into his country. WHETHER Count Oftermann fpokc fmcerely or not to Prince Dolgorouki, his words had the eilecr he wifhed and expected. The hitter flattered with the hopes of feeing his daughter railed to the throne of Ruflia, promifed to do every thing required cf him. The fole difficulty now coniiiled in engaging the Czar to efcape from the vigilance d Menzikoir, who did not allow him to remain i moment ei:<: of his fight. Youno; Dolcrorouki was iixcJ on o o u to make the propofai to Peter. lie was thv Czar's cnly companion in his amufement-, the 01;. !v 1 5 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ly confident of his forrows, and flept every night in the fame room with him. This intimacy gave him an opportunity of knowing the young mo- narch's difpolit;cn towards MenzikofF. Young Dolgorouki promifecl to deliver the prince into the hands of the Senate, and in the execution of this plan difplayed the prudence, which is generally the fruit only of age matured by experience. He con- certed mcafures with Oftermann, who on his part acted with fo much addrefs, that the ienate was to be ailembled, as it were by accident, at fome dif- tance from Petermoff. When the night appointed for putting the plot in execution was come, young Dolgorcuki feeing that all was quiet, came to the Emperor's bed fide, and propofcd to him to deliver hitm'<:ji, by a ioeedy flight, from the flavery, in which ivLcr.zlkGiI kept him. Peter, who was un- doubtedly already prepared to take this ftep, dreffed himf ;i; in liaile, went out at a window aloncr with J O his favourite, and fiey together eroded the garden by favour oi the daikiicU. rs Hfc In bis eulc.He lofcs his daughter- JLJ J ^ O !& dies. His children recalled. What Isumc* of OranicnbaiU'i afdr his dll^rua\ NEXT cliy, Vv'hcii the iLi'vants enU.rcd into tlic: chamber oF the piince, ui:d f.i\\- lie h.ul in.iJe !:i: 'jfcapc, they MHI to inlonn \\\c niiniilcr, v.'lio V.M-? yet bv.ricd in iLcp, P.y I 1 . is piece of i>:\v-, he (earned tlic danger, \vh:ch liire.itcncd him, anl con- tinued fometimc, a^ it \verc, ovcrpo\vcr.:d \vit!i he blow he had received. Fii; hop^s !>.o\vever li3 :-ix revived., beautie he thought !-.c ilill h ij ii;:r,c iricnds. llo\v eouniers iii)p;>:e c"n tlic.ntllvj.s ' !le roij vnd let out irnuicd.iauJ;. ior St IV . t..j i!,'i;i -7. Inia^i- !;in^ t'ic power w-; yet in his h.inJ-. lie v/.i ir..;JI- tAtin-- the moO: crud venrreur-cs j'T-iiuft tlioic. \\-lio o , '- had Buried o?F the meinerJ: ; l?ei r^cilurcs \vcrc Voi , H- C toe J 8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. too well taken, and his ruin too Cure. Wien he wiihed to go to the palace, he faw the guard was thungcd, and the gamibn \vas under arms. He continued to advance, but was repulfed with me- r.ace^. Then allured of his deftruction, he turned towards his own palace, but no more found on his \v.\y that crowd of courtiers, who had been accuf- 1'cr.ied to furrounu him. The ftorm had already difperfed them, as it difperfes timid doves ; and icarcdy had he entered his hotel, when he faw hirn- iu /rounded with grenadiers. The officer, who coin in uncled them, advanced, and ordered him to !;; -irrelted in the name of the Emperor. He ima- gined, what is cuifomary with all difcarded favour- ites, that if he faw his fovereign, he might again get into favour, and recover his authority ; but the anfv.'er he received, was an order to depart. for Renrebu/'jC- This \^ r as a confiderable cflate that b-*l'vjged to iii-nfclf. This order deprived him of all hopej, and {l\v r cc' the certainty of his ruin. He in "lie mid it of his grief, exclaimed : / havs commit- i'jd grcii crimes. _ ////.' i.<, It t'.ic Emperor's part to punijh ?rrj fir tl.'tm? TL r -fe words were remarked by all who v, .'re prefer t, :inc! conjoined the fafbicioiis he was un- der re r 'rcti ig r he de uh : f CJ'.tharlne I. Some refpecl w;is {j'ov.-n to hi;r, that day. The ofliccr who was ap/rnj eu to r' IJoould have had the \vhich the officer had received, did not re it there. lie told him, he mu ft alight from, iiis co-vch, wiih his wife and cliiidren, and r-.de in waggons \\hich he had brought for the purpofe. 7 c.m prepared for C'ccry ibingj Menzikoff again replied ; execute the or- ders ihat hai-c bien given you. c i be more you take from '>!:?, the f:i : :cr cauf>:s of uncafincfs you will leave me. I only TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 21 only pity ibofe, :;ui'rig there a philoibphical life. Although removed iroci court the diltance of a thoufand xvcr'ts, ]\>". Hill appeared to his enemies, to be too near. They apprehended every thnng from his in- tninics, Q 22 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. trigucs, and the creatures he had made. Their jea- loufy rofe fo high, that they advifed the Czar to banifh him to Yakoufka, which is in the extremity of Siberia, and more than fix hundred wentb from the capital. He was allowed to take with him only eight fervants. Before his departure, he was itnpt of his clothes, and equipped in fuch a di-efs as the Ruffian peafants wear. His wife and his children were not treated with more delicacy. They were obliged to aflume the fame drefs. Their gowns were of coarfe fluff, covered with a pcliiTe. For a head-drefs they had caps of meep-fkin. Princefs Menzikoff, born with a delicate constitution, and accuftomcd to all the conveniencies and advantages of opulence, ibon funk under trouble and fatigue. She died on the road in the neighbourhood of Ka- fan. Her hufoand had the courage and refolution to exhort her to meet death, and fhe expired in his arms. This Separation plunged him into the bitter- eft forrow. In a beloved wife, for whom he had al- ways poffeffed a friendfhip mixed with efteem, he loft his fwceteft confolation. Natalia Arfenieff (this was her name) was defcended of an illuftrious fami- ly in Ruflia. Her beauty attracted the eyes of all, and her virtue, which had prefervcd itlelf un- fullied by the corruption of courts, and from the pride, which the {plendor of her fortune might in- fpirc, procured her the efteem of all who knew her. Her TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 1*3 Her memory is revered by the Ruffians. Her filler Barbara Arfenieff, who was us arrogant as Natalia was modeft, contributed not a little to the difgrace of her brother-in-law, by offending fome of the beft families of St Peterfburg by her haughtinefs and in- folence. Far from reproving her, the imprudent Men zikofl" applauded her pride. He even anfwered Catharine I. who fometimes complained of her, that his fifter-in-law was a model of greatnefs of foul. How grofsly was he miftaken ? Let us re- turn to his unfortunate wife. MENZIKOFF himfelf was obliged to perform the lad offices to her. With his own hinds he dug the grave, in which he hid her. It was in the very phcc, where flie died. Scarcely did they give him time to fhed tears over the grave of his unfortunate wife ; they forced liim to continue his route to Tobolik, the capital of Siberia. The news of his approach had arrived before him, and the people there were wait- ing with impatience for the light of a man in chains and degradation, under whole nod all RuiTia treni- o bled but a fliort time before. On his arrival at this city, he was ftruck with the appearance ot t\vo Rul- lir.n lords, who had been baniilied thi-iv during hi> adminiftration. They had cc-me out to meet iiin., and loaded him with abuie, while he \\-as cro;:ir:c; the city on his way to the prlion. Far f:\un ex- urefiinsr anv rcfcntracnt, he i'.iid fo one or them : r o 24 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Tour reproaches are juji I have deferred them. Gra* tify yourfd'jcs, Jince you can get no other revenge on me in the flat 'e, in which I am. I facrificed you to my poli- cy, only becaufe your virtue and character 'were offen- five to me. Turning to the other, he faid to him \ I was altogether ignorant of you being in thcfe places, Do not impute to me your misfortune. Doubtlefs you have hadfomc enemies about me, who have taken me unawares, and obtained the order for your banifhment, I have often afked why I did not fee you. I received e~ vafive anfwers, and I was too much occupied with pu- blic bufincfs to think on the affairs of individuals. However if you think that names will in any degree al~ leviatc your fujfering, you may load me with them. A THIRD exile burft through the croud, and by n. refinement of vengeance, covered the faces of Menzikoff and his daughters with mud. Ah! it is at me, cried the father, overcome with forrow, // is at me you ought to throw it, not at thefc unfortunate creatures, who have done you no harm. THE Governor, by Peter's orders, lent to him in his prifon, five hundred roubles, to anfsver the de- mands of himfelf and his family. The unfortunate Menxikoff obtained leave to expend them in the purcluifc of whatever might be moil neceflary for him in the place of his banifhment, to enable h'm to iupport the frightful mifery, which was await- ing him, This precaution wns t;\ken for the com- for? TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 25 fort of his children alone. For his own part, he was entirely rcfigned to the will of the Supreme Being, who fupports in his difgracc, the man, who is capable of forgetting it, fo far as it refpeds his fortune; but he could not, without fhuddenng, look at the de- plorable hue of the unhappy victims of his faults. He bought f.i\vr, hatchets, and implements for cultiva- ting the Ground. He provided crrain of all kinds, w> ^J i. O and lilt meats, for the fubfiricnce of his family, till the habitation lie \vas going to poilcfs, mould be brought into a ik nation fit for fupplying their wants. lie alfo furniflicd himfclf with nets foe Miing, and when all thefe purchafes were made, he begged that the remainder of the money might be distributed among the poor people of that quarter, THE ipacc allowed him for ftaying at Tobolfk be- > iiiir expired, he \vas ordered to let out with his un- O * fortunate family. They were put into a waggon without a cover, which was drawn only by one horie. fornetimes by dogs. They were fix months on their way from Tobolilv to Yak^uika, and du- ring this long and paintui journey, tiuy were ex- pou-u to all the inclomci^'ics of thj external air, which is cxtr-jmely coid iu tlu'll 1 climates; yet the heahh of none of liiem relieved ar/v i;v,ury. SOME davs before he arrived at 21.v'..v/^/, he met with an occurrence which produced in him the higlieit emotion, and ivca'lcd llic bitter rcmem- VOL. 11. D brancf zC TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. br.mcc of his J.iigrace. ] le and his family had alight- ed at the cottage of a Siberian pcafant to take fome rcpofc, when lie obfcrvcd an officer of his acquain- tance come in. lie was returning from Kamfchatka, where lie had been lent under the reign of Peter I with a commiflion relative to the difcoveries, which Captain Bering had been fent to make on the fea of Amur. This officer had ferved under MenzikofF, Vvho recollected him at once, and ialuted him by his name. The officer furprifed to hear himfelf na- vued in a country fo diflant, afked how he knew him, and who he was himfelf. lam Alxandcr, re% plied he, / Tcv/.r him beyond all probability that it really was MenzikofF, whom he met in fuch a ftate of abjec- tion. It fecmed more natural to think, that it was "ome pcaihnt deprived of his reaibn. To undeceive Mii: 1 , r\lenzikofi ; took him to a kind of window, which let in 3 little: light into the cottage. The ofiicer c ondcVrcd him for ibme time with an attention rvix-.V- wit'; aftoniihment ; and at lail thinking he recoiieaed ii'nr, exclaimed quite confounded; Ah~. my D.:;;- Prince, l'i ishiit fcriis if misfortunes has ^i>r tlighnefs fallen, inlo tl:e deplorable flate^ in which I fee you* Lei us fupcrjldc ////V,r, interrupted Menzi* ,//"' 1 b.ive already told you mj name is Alexander. The TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, The officer, quite uncertain ftill, obferving in the corner a young man tying the fole of his boots with cords, faid to him in a low tone, and pointing to Mcnzikoit'j ir/.w -s that cxir.mrJifiary wi ? his A- le zander, /v/y father, replied tiie young man aloud ; Jhould you, iuhi arc under fo many oLH^ti'.ns /-, ;?<> not kno\n hj in our misfortune? Menzikofi, umv.iy to hear his fon cinfwer with ib much pride, ordered him to be ii.!cnt. Excufi) laid he, ib>: rudcn-:ft r f ibis *;oung man's humour : it is be, whom in bis infancy \^u ifjfgi:- cd to carcfs and dandle in your arms ; tbcfe are /.'/. jlflers, tbcfc arc my daughters. \Vhilc uttering tliele words he mowed the oilicer two vouucr women. * O drciled like country girls, fitting at a table, and loaking ibaie cruils of black coirib bread with milk in a wooden bowl. 7/vV one, adJ.e.l be, Jjad tin* honour t,f being bclrclbcd to Pcler II. cur Emperor. Tins conversation and Iccnc you may w*.!l be- lieve, produced great aflonimment in the oiiice: \vho heard and fiw them, but tlic name or T'^rcr i! excited in him new iurprho. Having been i',rari:- cd from Rufjf!i l;-y >n imnienie ciittanee for !our \ ear- , he was in the moil abfolute ignorar.ee c-i all the e- vents, Vvliich had clianged the face ot tl^; ei;;rhv Menzikofi vlated them .J:, begini.inp; \vith t;j; death of Peter I. and end ing with \'e.^ own ! \mlih ment. He announced to him, that he woui-.l fi;\! Dolgor.ouki and Oftcrmann it the head of the 28 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. vernment. You may tell them, added he, in what aftatc you met me. Their hatred wilt be flaitered with it. But a (Jure them^ that my foul is more free and calm ihqn their;, and than it ever was in the time of my pro* fp.erity. Perhaps he faid nothing, which was not very true, atleaft his external appearance did not contradict his fentiments. The officer could not fee nor hear him without being much affected. With his tears he watered the hands of his old General, who was not a little moved with them, but fhed none. He faw Menzikoff again mount his dull waggon, in the rnoft deliberate manner, and for a long time, follow- ed him with his eyes, uncertain whether he mould pity or admire him moft. WHEN arrived at the place of his exile, Menzi- koff occupied himfelf with the cares of providing for the wants of his children, and taking the pre- cautions neceflary to diminifh the horror of their banifliment. He began with clearing a pretty large fpace of ground, affifted by the eight fervants, who had accompanied him. He fowed fome feeds, which gradually furniilied his family with pulfe, thought on enlarging the cottage deftined for him, and fell- ed trees for building. His example encouraged his domcflics, and in a mort time he had constructed a houfe, large enough to lodge his children and atten- dants. This houfe confifted of an oratory and four rooms, of which he vook the lirft to himfelf ar;4 his TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 29 liis fon, the fecond was occupied by his daughters, the third was allotted for his fervants, and the fourth was kept as a (lore- room. His daughter who had been betrothed to Peter II. who was to have been the Czarina, and reign over all the Ruflias, undertook the charge of the kitchen; and the other O ' daughter that of in ending the clothes and warning the linen. Each of them was afiifted by two fcrvants, who did the hardeft part of the work. Soon after his arrival, there were brought him a bull, four cows big with calf, a ram, and fome ewes, top-ether with "Teat * * O O number of fowls to form a poultry yard. Menzikoff could not imagine to whom he was indebted for this favour, for during his profperity he had not had the prudence to make a friend, who could relieve him in his diftrels. His children enquired when they returned to bt Peterfburg, but in vain. They learn- ed only that this preient had come acrofs the deferts from Tobolik, EVERY morning the family repaired to the ora- tory, where Menzikoff faid prayers, lie renewed them at noon, evening and midnight. Misfortunes had made him devout, and hi.s example, more thun liis orders, attracted every body to this pious exercife. Tiie iweets of (olitudc had driven pallions from his mind, and efhblimed tranquillity there, but it wa> fomctim.cs diibrderod by remorle, and the for row of 30 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. of feeing his children involved in misfortunes, of which he was the caufe. SCARCELY fix months had elapfed fmce he came into this defert, when his oldeft daughter was at- tacked with the fmall pox. He aclcd to her as nurfe and phyfician. He had recourfe to all the re- medies he thought would prove falutary, but thefe, as w r ell as all his cares were unavailing. His daughter every day was drawing nearer and nearer her end. He then quitted the oflice of phyfician, to aflume that of priclt, and encouraged her to meet death with fortitude. She fubmitted to it with that firm- nefs, which fufferings and religion impart, and ex- pired in the arms of her father. As foon as fhe was dead, he fixed his countenance ftedfaftly on her's, and watered it with his tears ; then mowing him- felf fuperior to grief, he faid to his two remaining children; learn df your ffter bo-iv to die. Afterwards in the middle of his fervants he chanted the pray- ers, which the Greek Ritual has appointed for the dead, repeated them feveral times during the twen- ty four hours, caufcd her be buried in the oratory, which he h.id built, and marked to his children the place, where he himfelf wiflicd to be interred. It was at her fide. His fon and his furviving daugh- ter were leizcd with the fame difeafe, and at the fame time. He was multiplied, fo to fpeak, gave them the fame affiftance, he had given to her, whom he TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. he had fo recently loft, but with more fucccfs, and they both foon recovered their health. AT laft forrows, {till more than fatigue gradually undermined the health of Mcnzikoil". They were the more poignant, that he confined them all with- in himfelf, and mowed nothing but iirmncfs before his children, to prevent them from difcovering all the horror of their fituation. He funk under his fufTerings, was feizcd with a flow fever, which be- came the more dangerous, that he braved it tor fome time with a view to conceal from his fon and daughter the ftate, in which he was. His ftrength was exhaufted and he was obliged to keep in bed. Seeing himfelf near the moment, when lie was to be for ever ieparatcd from his children, he called them to his bcd-lide, and acldrelfed them in thefe words. It was his daughter, who repeated them, and adding that (lie has often had occalion to recall them to remembrance. My dc.ir c!.>ildt\r.^ I am birdcrm on n\y luj! hour. Dent thought j.ias b:cn /u/ni'ijr iu m>:,Jincc . Lad to give an nrc-:;tn! tc, t!:c 5, . thtimCivbU-bll':^ />..;.' :.;;.:-. / Hitherto, my fac. t /t rvcd frvn cij! rii'->i 32 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. return thither, only recall to mind the examples / have given you here. THE firm tone, the calm manner, with which he delivered thcfe words, made them think him yet far from his end. But to bid them his laft adieu, he had fummoned up all his llrength, which forfook him, as foon as he had done fpeaking. He ftretch- ed out his hand to give his bleding to his children, and a flight convullion carried him off. THIS unfortunate family perimed not in this hor- rible defert, which the recent lofs they had fuftain- ed, muft have rendered ilill more horrible. At the time of Anne's acceffion to the throne they were recalled to St Peterfburg. The daughter was mar- ried to Guihvus Biren, brother to the Duke of Courland, and never forgot her relidence at Ya- koufka. The fon was promoted in the army by the fame Lmprcfs, and mowed himfclf worthy of her favour. MenzikofPs grandfon is at preient a mem- ber of the Directing Senate, a Lieutenant General, a Knisht of the Order of St George, and Aide-de- camp to Catherine II. We were allured that his behaviour :,-, fiich. ;-s will i^ver compel him to end his cl;iy- .it Y.ikouik,',. ArTLR Menzikofi's difgrace Or.inienbaum was converted into ;i Mirir.s Holpit.il; but Peter III. took it ag:iin into his pofictuciu and made it his f'.ivourite rclulonce. The middle of this cdilice is the iiiine with TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 33 with that built by the favourite ; and confifls of two ftories, which contain a number of fmall apart- ments, of which' the mod remarkable is that, which to this day is called MenzikofPs chamber. It is the lame in 'which he flept. The wainfcotting is painted black, and ingeniotifly executed. It is ornamented with cyphers of his names, and emblems of die or- ders, wiih which he was decorated. Hard by it is a hall with baths after the Turkifh mode, which re- ceives no light, but through a Ibrt of garden-mat, which makes it more like a dungeon, than the baths of a ereat lord. The (love for warmincr this bathinjr o ( o o houfe is placed with as much awkwardnefs as dan- ger, ?.nd i'.as not been repaired by any ot thefe pa- ralircs, whom Cathari'.c fupports as artiils, ar.d who poffcis no other art but that of deceiving. To the. old edifice, Peter II!, added win^s which O J are long buildings of one ftory, and more fait able to a farm than a palace. Fro in this fir ft part of t tie building, you go to the fortrcf>, and en your way obfcrve, with no IViK-.ll picaiur-, \\ frnal] model of JL citadel, which Pclcr 111. cauled be made, when he wai Icived v/ith a pafiion fur mi'.iLiry itudies. I_ \\\is to illuilratc thi lclToi:s of for. iicatio he received. Tins kind of f ?rt, v/I; .-h is tle of cards, is furroundcd wit 1 ; ;i i juY, a'.id a ram- part defended by baftions. i'e^r III. made it. be coniinicled w]i:?n he was only Grand Duke. In it VOL. II - there 34 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. there Is a building, that he called the Governor^ houfe, but he pofTeffed it commonly himfelf, and received in it only his officers and favourites, while the reft of his court was in the palace. At the fide of triis houfe were the caferns for a fmall garrifon, which ferved as an amufement to the prince, and ibme wooden houfes for the principal officers, with a 'fm all Lutheran chapel, where divine fervice was performed to the foldiers of Holftein, for whom the prince had a predilection. The Governor's houfe is a brick building, with feven or eight windows in front, and contains about eight fmall rooms. It re- mains exactly in the fame Hate, in which Peter III, inhabited it. We were fliown the furniture he had collected, and the bed in which he flept the night of his deposition. It was furnifhed with a white fatin cover, and curtains of crimfon and filver bro- cade ;" the teller was ornamented with red and white feathers. Adjoining to this room is a hand- fomc clofct, hung with light brown filk, on which are dif:lrent figures embroidered by Catharine II, when {he wa-> only Grand Duchefs. FROM the for'irefs we were conducted to a larsre o p-allerv of pictures, collected by Peter III. Amone: t ' * ' O ievcral portraits of this unfortunate prince, thev fliow one, where the refcmblance is linking. He is dr?ur. in his Holftein uniform, his complexion is fair, ar.d hi 1 - hair is white, but there is no exprci- ficn TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 35 lion in his features^ and in his looks and face Co me. thing effeminate is obfervable. IN the garden there is a very elegant fquare build- Ing, erected by the Empreis' orders, when ihe was Grand Dnchefs. It contains eighteen apartments, of which each is furnifhcd in a different ftyle in the Greek, Turkim, Chinefe, &c. It Hinds in the middle of a very thick wood, and as the road to it is of a ferpentine form, ftrangers do not obferve it, till they are clofe upon it. The furprife, occa- fioned by this unexpected fight, has made the build- nir ^ct the name of Ah ! Ah ! O o C II A P. III. PETLRXHOFF. Hi* gardens. Monp'ijif.r, or tbc Dutib PLytfe. The mountain rf j/cd^cs. Prince Nnri1~,~ kin's boufe.ScMu/dbiirg.Wlhrifal detail A- needles. Scitc cf the city. Thai rchards. Although thefe gar- dens are not to the tafte of Catharine II. who pof- feffes TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. feiles a rage for Knglim gardens, me his reflected the work of i'c:cr, and Ins allowed them to remain as thc\ were origiraily planned. Bciidc.;, her Ma- jefty ufually refides in rummer at (>/a;-ko-felo, where the foil is managed in a manner more modern, and more to her tafte. IN the middle of a large bafon at Peterfhnff. the eye is attracted by two gladiators, who arc nor arm- ed in the ancient ir.yle, with a fword and buckler, but with a pair of piltols, which they are ready to difcharsce at one another. Their attitude is threat- CD ening, but it is not fire, but water, that iilues im- petuoufly from their niftols. A PART ot the garden lies between the pdace and the fea, and among other buildings there is one en the more, which merits particular attention, bec.rafe it was the favourite retreat cf Peter I. '1 his houlc and the furniture it contains, having been ferupu- loufly preferred, iuch as they were, may ferve to c^ive fomc idea of the fimplicity in which tliis rrirux* o cliofc to live. Very i'-on after his return troiii Hol- land, he caufcd this hc^ute be builr, and directed ir not only to be in tho L-utfh ih'le, but belides, thai it mould bear t'ic name (if the Durc'i houfe, al- though he fometimes gave it th.it c>t M^:^'.r':f, which lias remained with it. PETER was fubject to fever-, and had pcriurulAi liiuiielf, that the fea air fuitcd his confutation. When 38 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. When he refided in furnmer at Petermoff, the air of thefe extenfive gardens appeared to him to be too clofe, and for that reafon he wifhed to have a houfe, whofe walls the waves of the fea mould wafh. This houfe is of bricks, of only one ftorey, and has an iron roof. The windows reach from the foot to the top of the houfe, which, joined to its long and low figure, gives it the appearance of a green-houfe. The habitable part confifts of a falcon, and fix fmall rooms, neatly and limply furnimed. The chimney is ornamented \v,ith vafes of curious porcelain, which Peter valued highly, becaufe they were brought from China, at the time when the commu- nication between that empire and Ruffta was firft opened. The bed-chamber is fmall. A painted fail- cloth ferves for a carpet. A camp bed without cur- tains, has nothing to diftinguim it, but the bed- clothes. Two galleries and two rooms are ornament- ed with pictures from the Dutch and Flemiih fchools. There are feveral portraits of Peter himfelf, in the drefs of M after Peters., working in the dock yard of Sardam, and alib a portrait of his favourite miftrefs, the Pretty Dutch Girl. IN the gardens of Pe term off there is alfo another very extraordinary building, called the Mountain of Sledge 's, or the Flying Mountain. THE Flying Mountain is in the middle of an ob- long fquare, formed by an open colonnade, with a flat TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 59 flat roof, and a baluftrade defigned for fpechtors. This colonnade is at lead half a mile in circumfe- rence, and in the centre is the flying mountain, which extends almoft from one fide to the other. It is an wooden building, iupporred on pilailers, in its figure refembling an unequal furface, or a moun- tain with three tops of different heights, which, di- minifhing by degrees, form an intermediary fpace, like a valley. From the principal fummit to the foot of the mountain is a road covered with planks, on which three parallel grooves are drawn for the following purpofe. In the centre groove is fet a lit- tle fledge or carriage with a feat for one pcrfon. This carriage defcends from the fir ft fumipit to the bottom with great rapidity. f lhe velocity it ac- quires while defcending, makes it afcend the Iccond height, and in this way it continues, till it has reached the foot of the mountain, and the large fquarc, on which it runs for tome time on an even furface, and flops not till near the barrier at the ex- tremity. Then it is again let on one of the iLIe grooves, and drawn up by means or a cipihn. A pcrfon, who lias not been accuttomed to tins nv- chanical motion, thinks flu amu' T.icnt J mgcrous ; but as the groove* are m i-.le in iu-:h a V.MV as to keep the carriage in a proper direction, there i^ no danger of being overturned, On tiie top ( : tlio mountain there is HIT clc^:>t rcom "or the cc 40 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ence of the people about court. There is alib in the colonnade and on the roof, a place, that can ac- commodate feveral thoufands of fpectators. Near the Flying Mountain is a fpacious amphitheatre for exhibitions of tilting. ON the road from Peterflioff to St Peteriburg at every flcp you meet with fuperb country-houfes, among which Count Nmtzkin's makes a diftin- guifhcd appearance. It has extenfive Englifh gar- dens, and an infinite number of Chinefe pavilions of the '.ricft genuine kind. They are entrufted to o the care of federal natives of China, whom their features render it impoffible to miftake. We went throui; i theib gardens with inexprefiible pleafure. AVe m _t\vith nothing, that itirp.niied their own native beauty, but the politen^fi of the owner, who welco- me. I U-, \vithout itats, and led us into his gardens, ;is one of his lervants v/onld have done, and with- out \ve.ir) iiig u;s with "minute relations and details,, as all the proprietors of En^Hfli gardens are accuf- tomc\l to do. ScHLUi-sifi.GURG is forty werfts from St Peteri^- bvrcr. TI.-J r(\id is on the hinks of tlie Neva s -\vl.i- - ] i rui^ i^piJly in a bi\-;uj channel of a fcrpen- th'e form. Its b;ii;ks, \viiich are high and fteep, are adeemed with viliaires and vil'as. built here and there, n.t;d,, as 5.t \verc ; fufrcndcd en i)ie banks of the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, the river. Schlufielburg {lands on both, the banks, 3nd contains about three hundred wooden houfes, and two them land eight hundred inhabitants. The fortrefs is built on a final! ifbnd, farmed by the ri- ver, whr-re it iijfues from (he lake Ladoga. Its bivadrh at this phce is a'x)ut fix hundred, fathoms, ami us (.p.rr'"nt very rapid. Tin- RuK'.an liidorians give tl:e follo\ving ac- counts or th.is fortrefs. In the year i ^24, the (rreaf Piiiicc i'.r.iri Daniiowittch bri ! t a fortrei.- in ihe. middle of tin's iiland, at the time of his - \p-\li Jon a'jjfiinfl \YibnrT If; v. a^ r.dhd Or, J/v,< , f--r)ni the T form of th<; iiiand. v:h'u : > : ; like t ha f of a nut. 'i'his iort vas r.ik'.n !>y Ma.gnu-; King of ?u '. >, ard its name being tran fiatcil i T :,': ; ': 8v-:difh hn; ri u^c, was called N'n'cbiirg. Sonic ';::: ifter tlu-y iiKiolc.l the whole idand vi-i.t.h a wall and battlement?, v,*hici. ire dill remaining. Jx the ycir i 7-2, Peter havii^g appr--.i:\,.\l ths jiiad? iop.i^ imfhccci^tMi attempt-^ r : ; --. nris 1 ciit Pr;:;cc G''l;t:--in, ( J. (.luir.l a iclc' r t d " f a; li'ncnl", t'j UM.I p'.uv, 1 ',: . , '] - - r ]]-' (I ; v ; r H " ^ '' ' p >, pM " i " j^iif'ed near that (jiiarter oi. tl:-.. /'ir 'i : c r, \\ in. U prnjo.:s fjver '.h 1 . 1 b-'^k of ''', 'r. ... -. i ';, u he \ :; vcc'.-'i^ ''d by th.e Swedr--, W. h. ^ v r.:'.!i rou :.'_?;.', :i. I hi-; trf-or- were lo iev.'ivlv hand/.eil. vK.u <','.> i T Vn . IL ' kd 42 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. eluded the affault was impoflible, and fent orders tor his men to retire. Thcfe orders Galitzin re- fufcd to obey, and animating his troops by his voice and example, led them on again to the affault, icalccl the walls, and took the fortrefs. Peter was fo ilruck with this brilliant action, that when he faw Galitzin, he faid to him ; Ajk of me any thing you p/cafc, but Mo/cow and Catharine. The prince with a magnanimity, which does the greateft honour to his character, afked the pardon of Prince Rcpuin, of whom he thought he had ibme room to com- plain; but Repuin's greateft fault was rivalling him In military merit. Repuin had difpleafed Peter I. had been degraded, and from beins: Marfhal had o o become a private foldier. Galitzin obtained what he had rcquefted, and by this generous action, ac~ quired the confidence cf his fovereign, the applaufe of the public, and the friendfhip of Rcpuin. PETLR gave the fortrefs the name of Schluilel- burg, which it itill bears. It comes from Schluffcl^ a German word, which iignifies Key ; for he confi- dcred it, in confequence ot its fituation, as the key of his conquers. But iincc the frontiers of the Em- pire ha\e been confiderably enlarged, it can be no longer oi that importance, of which it was when it was ahnoil on tlie borders ot Sweden. The rain- part raifcd by the Swedes yet remains. It is built of Hones and is of an ait o nulling thicknefs. The tower. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 43 tower, which defends the principal entry h:v; A ke\ for a vane, and is called Zarkaja, or the tower ui the Czarina. There are two other gates ; one call- ed the prince's gate, became during the iicge car ried on bv Peter, it was at this gate, tint Mcn/.i. u ' kofFwas polled. The tower is called the Admiral's tower, bec, is o: an elliptical form., and luay be .il'oiit a iiundrevl .uul ieventy live farhoms in length, and l^\vnt\ eiglit at its broadcit part, '.i'lie w.-.lls wiii-jh lurround it, ir. almoft all its extent, are built of iionc. and brick. They are iifty feet higli, tiom eleven to twenty thick, and fortified in the old falhion, with l.\ittic ments and eiht rontid t.)wer:\ The p^il.i-j.j into 44 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the ifland is by a draw bridge, but ftrangers are not aliowd to enter ail) of the rooms where the pri- loners arc. They are only permitted to go into ioine corridors, that inclofe a large court. The \vii.co\vs of the prifons are \v ailed up, except at the top. where a feu* i'qirire inches are left, by which fo little light is admitted, thar tlie miferable inhabi- tants of thcfe cells, mult enjoy nothing but a kind of twilight, which ierves only to enlighten their iufferings. IN the mid ft of the court (hinds the Governor's lioufe, with an \vooden cottage, in which there is a flate priioncr confined. This court leads into the in fide of the -for ire ft, which is about a hundred and forty itx iv'cc fquiirc, and furrounded by ftono walls ot a ,>Yeuc hei o f iL A brick-houie ot a hnp;]^ ilorcy, cx'cii'Js fioiii one iiJe to the o..her, and contaii;.~> ei.vht ro.iiiu ofieyemeca feet by v\\civc. '1 iii.i l-ouu: lia^ jk.f btca ilnillie.l. !t h:\:- r. f :> c./Jing atu'l has .,L- ver been irjhL'.biled. itv. as Peier 11!.. \\ho c.ndcd it b-j reared with iv;ch precj:.ua',ion, that in ieid ihan iix weckv, it was begun and Drought to the u,;Mt( ii the \vor.k -.vas given up, The cor.iti uctio/i oi io i uge a bii.ifhng, ir. the nuclJk c-i' a rort, and in LO .lio.t time, hits ai\vav a been looked on as ibrne- thk:g nrvttcr.iou.-i ; but there i< every reaion to iun- ooi'-, tint . ; dtJ^ned it for his wile, ::o\v Catharine TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ; II. whom he \vifhed to divorce and afterward; line in this cafde. Very loon we ihall ice, how Ca- tharine prevented him, and how precarious the ii- tuation of- Kings mull be, when they have not the public opinion on their fide. AMO>;<, the itate priibners of the fir it rank, who have been confined in this fortrei^, the following: ? , O delerve particular notice. FiRvr, Mtiria., filter to Peter I. lulpcJied of cor- refponding v.itli the Czarowitch. According to fome authors, (lie underwent the Ivitto^es in pre- ience of the court, before (he was carr fell urg U i' IVter, who was fond of C'ot i 1 '. r ii; duccd, bui 3vad made plans of r' r \virh his it-, voiced her take the ve forced. If jVter in .Peter wa , afLcTted wi:li t ;"-. letter, h\:t did i.i.: r.hange 1 .ndo:.ii': ; Lite. Slk ; .::;d tc;. k :he veil under the nai^e ot ' ''i 1 ; h- 1 1 '' .y in t 46 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the convent of Sutelfki, he was accufed and con- victed of having formed a connection with General Gleboff, and of having promifed him her hand. We {hall very foon fee this unfortunate man pay dearly for Eudoxia's favours. This weak, credulous woman it is faid, returned to the world, and refumed the fecu- lar drefs, with the title of Emprcls, on the affurance of a pricft, who had predicted to her the approach- ing death of the Emperor. She was carried to Mof cow ? where her cruel hufband, after having made her be examined, ordered her to be whipped by two nuns, and again carried to her convent, where flic was treated with the utmoft rigour. At this prince's death, and under the reign of Catharine I. fhe was transferred to Schluflelburg, where Count Tolftoe, to whofe care me was cntrufted, made her experi- ence all the horrors of the moil rigorous captivity. He took away the male and female iervants, who had till then been the companions of her misfor- tunes, air.1 gave her only an old female dwarf, whom Eudoxia was obliged to ferve, inftead of be- ing ferved by her. THIS fe verity exercifcd on this princefs, which. \ve relate only from hcar-fay, has doubtlcfs been ex- aggerated by the enemies of Catharine I. who have hid them to her charge ; for mch atrocity was not in her character, EUDOXIA TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 47 EUDOXIA obtained her liberty at the uccdiiim of her grandfon Peter II. and cither abufal this liber- ty, or gave oilence to Men/ikoH', who made her be again carried back into ihc convent of IVvit/., where file died in the year 17 u. THIROLY, Ccu>;t Pipcr, the minidcr and hioi.c 1 o( Charles XII. to whom he gave none but will couniels, which the impetuous character of Charle- made him cither overlook or dhd'ur.. Piper wa- made prifoncr after the terrible battle of Pukuwa., which laded two days, and wrcfted h-orn Charle.-- )>rince impu- ted to him tlie war he had with Sweden. Piper luid a year at Schluflelburg. lie wa- i\ venty years old. His age and misfortune-; brou^hl him to the grave. A long time aitcr tills, tlic body of thi- ce- lebrated man was tranfportccl to Stockholm, v/hei' Charles XII. honoured it v. :th magnificent o!;i'e quies. l'\irR'iH[.Y, The tarn our, /../\ . , \vuorn \ve \i-\\ < leen under the reign of tbc L'mpreb Anne, mana- ging' the reins ot govcrnmen l ' i- ple-ilure, ;.n ! dcfccnding from the llironc, ('^- v. ' , \ v . e ni.iy fa lie-was let, to be hinlcd into a priii n. LASTLY, '1 he iinfortui:'ile Pi nice /;.... b /rn : . the throne, unei irt u; Li- cradL. tune, Thib o;;;': 1 : ir-:r :, / 4^ TRAVELS 1IS[ RUSSIA. ycurs that lie lived, nd dice! at SchlufTclburg in the iknvcr of lii.-s youn?., a tcr having been dragged from priih-n to prifon. AVe iliall have )et occafion to fpc.i.k oi th : s prince. 1'tii gloomy ideas, infpired by this abode of for- rov -, pui'cr new force from the dull obfcurity, which reigns in thefc places, and from the menacing .upcct of the .Satellites, polled at the doors of thefe black dungeons. A man of feeling imagines he hears the rattling of chains, and the groans of the victims, \\hom dcfpottfm calls into theie abodes of mifcry ; laughing at their fufterings, applauding it- f?if on the gratification, and meditating new forms 4 ; J O of vengeance ; he figures the atrocious calmnefe, *vith \vhich it commands the torture, and its en i'iy\r.rnt In contemplating v.hc ftrcams of blood it \\\.-- c ui^-d to run. I' 1 r ; >:-;. i..nl:i.rgincr on the difmal fate of Peter III, svho -Jiii.- LM in this place of horror, \vhere he t\\\- the .. iiivhil:;; i of the fcene, which iiurled him fVtvr, the IT-: \v.\c, \vc fh h 1 L=y before the reader fome ccs rc;ccnr, Chivharine L ('HAP. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 40 C II A P. IV. tiGix cf Catherine I. Tbc various fcenes through which- j::c p;i:] L d y before fhe became known to ihc Czar. Sbf :s //.vviV bis li'ife. J[/itc ruce on Hie other hand maintains that the marriage was never consummated., becaufe the Dragoon tlie very morning he was married. S-V43 feD.i in a detachment to Riga. One thing is . TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 51 certain, lie was not in Maricnburg, when this city lubmittcd to the Ruffians, and Catherine deftined to a more elevated fortune, never fa\v him more, and never could learn any certain account* of him. MR Richer is then wrong in having advance^, that this huiband being in the number of prifoncn taken at the battle of Pultowa, and having learned the fituation of Catharine, was anxious to let him- felf be known, in hopes of being railed to foinethir.g grand; but that far from mitigating the rigouib o! his Jot, the Czar inilantly ordered him to be lent to the deferts of Siberia, where lie died, three months be- fore the peace, which rcflorcd the Swediili pri^);j- ers. On this occafion Mr Richer obierves, that Pe- ter then had two wives, and Catharine had two huf- bands alive. There is no woman, on whom more flories have been forged, and yet fne lived in oar own times. Afrer this, can we be reproached, ii : we orive no credit to what has been written arx;ut Se- es miramis, Cleopatra, Zcnobhi, and io many orh/r women, of whom we have inch ftr.ir,g>- hiltonjs. GKNERAI. Rcnn, otiiers lay Cencrai H.rj^r ,'this is the common opinion) who li id found C.i'h.irir.e in Marienburg among the prifoners, v,\is ltru^:k \vith her youth and beaut}-, took her home wi:h him and entruftcd her with the mmagement of ];i> houie, of which he had no reaion to reper/,, lor il\c made herielf equally beloved by mafter and G 2 il-i-viiiu 52 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fervants. Soon after me went into Prince Menzi- kofF's fervice, who was captivated with her beauty, and charmed with the agreeable difpofttions of her mind. She lived with him till the year 1704, when fhe became the miftrefs of Peter I. whom ihe foon captivated fo completely, that he determined to marry her on the 29th of May 1711. The marri- age ceremony was performed fccretly at Jarawof in Poland, in prefence of General Bruce, and on the 22nd of February 1712 it was publicly celebrated at St Peterfburg. ANNE, who married the Duke of Holftein, and was mother to Peter III. of whom we have already made mention ; Natalia Petrowna, who died before her father; Paul and Peter, who died in infancy, were the fruit of this union. The Czar was particularly afflicted with the death of young Peter. His for- row was fuch, that he (hut himfelf up at Petermoff, intending to ftarvc himfelf to death, and fbrbid every perfon, of whatever defcription, under pain of death to difturb his retirement, liie fcnate af- fembles on this defpsrate refolution of the prince, and Dolgorouki undertook to drive him from it, He \vent and knocked at the door of the room, \yhere Peter had {hut himfelf up. -Whoever you be, cried the Czar with a terrible voice, Jly off", or I will open the door and knock out your brains Opoi, I fay, replied Dolgorouki in a firm tone, // is a deputy from the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 55 the Senate, conic to aft you, whom you wjh to lave na- med as Emperor in your room, fince you hai-c rcfigncd. Peter, ftnick with the courageous zeal of Dolgorouki, opened, embraced this faithful courtier, yielded to his counfels, and re fumed the reins of the empire. CATHARINE gained over the mind of Peter that afcendant, which nature gives a pretty woman, and which, from its furprifing c fleets, looks like magic to credulous minds. In order to fucceed in acquir- ing this, Catharine joined to the advantages (he had received from nature, a conflant attention to dif- covcr whatever could pleafc her huiband ; always conducting hcrfelf with that fsveetnefs and complai- fance which diftinoruifhed her character, and with o that vivacity, which in her was like the lire of Pro. metheus, and electrified Peter. This qualification in women is doubtlefs one of die greateft powers of leduction, with which nature has endowed them. Catharine's gaiety was equal to her vivacity, and (he employed it with as much art. Peter had fome- times fits of dullncfs and terror which rendered him cxceflively fuipicious, and thiew him into lo Kid a humour, tint he appeared bciide himfdt and in a itate bordering on maclneis. In tlnic dreadful mo- ments, the young Catharine was the only perfon, who durit approach him. As if flic had cxcrcikci over the temper of this prince an enchantment fu- perior to that, which deprived him of his wits, at the 54 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the found of her voice he leaped for joy, recovered his fenes, and his tranfports were calmed. It was therefore with great juftice, that he confidered her neceflary, not only to his happinefs, but even to his very exiftence, and that fhe became his infeparable companion, in all his travels and military expe- ditions. THE peace of Pruth, which faved the Ruffian ar- my from inevitable destruction, was wholly attri- buted to the ability of Catharine ; and with great juftice, not\vithftanding what has been faid arid written of this princefs by her detractors and all who have followed their fentiments. The follow- ing is a ftate of the fact. IN the campaign of the year 1711, the Czar be- ing deceived by the pompous promifes of Cantimer, and ill fupported by fome of his Generals, had fuf- fered himfelf to be furrounded by a numerous army of the Turks; and no refource was left him, if he wifh- ed to avoid the fate of his rival Charles XII. but to cut his way through the hoftile arcny during the night. After having come to this defperate refolu- tion, he had retired to his rent, with his foul a prey to the mod violent chagrin, aud had forbidden any perfon to enter it under pain of death. In this cri- tical moment, Catharine rifing fuperior to her fex, had reanimated the courage of the Generals, whom the Czar's dtipair had collected round the tent of the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ^5 the vice-chancellor Shfafirof, and there fucr^cftcd ' O O to them the propofal of terms to Baltagi Meheinet, who to pacific inclinations united the avarice of a Turk, railed to this eminent rank. She collected gold enough to dazzle him, and deputies were dif- patchcd without Peter's knowledge. As gocxl luck would have it, Baltagi Mehcmct, who had full pow- ers from his inafter to continue the war, or make peace, was really dazzled by the pre Cents, which Catharine had made be offered him, and contented to an accommodation on much better terms, than could have been expected. Then in initc of the Czar's orders, this princefs repairs to his tent, throws herfclf at his knees, bathes them with her tears, in energetic term's uefcribcs the horror of their fituation, his army more reduced by want and fatigue, than encouraged by his generous grief, then flic relates to him wh:;t itcps ihe had taker with Baltagi Mehcmet, and the fortunate lucce;- with which they had been crowi.e,'. Peter ait<<- nimcd, lifts her up, embraces her, and afuires that me has f.ivcd R\illia. IT is iid that the Grand Viiir wliile rre.itiiig wir> her, not being able to fu[ipoic 'J'.ai lo 1 . couu a woman courage cnougii u; ihare v. nh l>cr hut- band the dangers of uar, an to be of tervice to him in th which he was reduced, k-nf .1 Tonfiucnt 56 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. into the Ruffian camp, to fee this heroine, and ve- rify with his own eyes, what fame, which magni- fies every thing, had been pleafed to publifh. PETER was fo grateful for Catharine's generous aclion, that on his return into the capital, he in- fHtuted in remembrance of it, the Order of St Ca- tharine already mentioned, with which the Czarina was adorned the firil in the year 1711= He gave her an additional proof of his gratitude for this meritorious fervice, when in the year 1724, he caufed her be folemnly crowned at Mofcow. In the orders iffued for this ceremony were thefe words The Einprcfs, my dear wife, having accompanied me conftantly in my military expeditions^ of which notwith- Jh'tndlng the weaknefs of her fex, floe has jhared the dangers, and in the mojl critical circumjlances^ has ajjlftcd me by her counfeh, particularly on the banks of ihc Pruth, where the R.u/Jian army reduced to twenty two thoufand men, had to fght two hundred thoufand of the /?;;/ v, or die. It was on ibis desperate fanatic thztfoeftgnaii'zed l^cr r^al by a coitrag? above her y?'.v. ]uftice to let her on the throne oi: thij empire, who hud fivcd it. NoTwinoTANDiNG all this, Catharine's influence over the mirui of the Czar, feeiiied to be on the ck- dine for ionic tirr.o previous to his death, and if fhe had not been crowned at IMofcov/, a rupture be- tween TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 57 tween them would hive been unavoidable. Their mifunderftanding aroic from the following cir- cumftance. Catharine had a young chamberlain called Moens de la Croix, born in Ruiliaof a Flemifh family, He \vas of a very handibme figure, and * ^ _J * aided by Inn filter Madam Bilks, waiting maid to this princeis, ruled the Emprefs' houfhold, and per- haps her heart ; at leaft this \viii the idea which Pe- ter hud conceived, or had been induftriouHy fu arbour, ai:d the chat:e iriend ot Er.dcmi:-n !nd hc-r eye on tiie IGVCI ;, Peter, ni.u- VOL. 1L li rally 5 TRAVELS IN RtJSSIA. rally violent, was tranfported with rage at this light. He beat Catharine with his cane, and did not treat ]'efs feverely the page, who had attempted to flop him in his entrance. After that he retired, without faying a word to Moens or his lifter. Next day, going into Catharine's room, he broke a fuperb Ve- nice mirror placed over the chimney. -Ton fee, faid he to her, that 'with ajiroke of my hand, I have re- duced this mirror to the duft, from whence it came. "Thai is true, anfvvered Catharine with mildnefs, for ihe comprehended the allufion, that is true, but by having dcftroycd the mcfi beautiful ornament cf the pa^ lace, do you think it becomes more beautiful. Peter had too much penetration not to underftand in his turn what this ingenious anfwer fignified. It calmed him, but a few days after, he made Moens and his lifter be arrefted. Moens was carried to the winter palace, into a room, which nobody entered but the Emperor, who carried him his victuals. At fame time a report was fpread, that the brother and fifter had been imprifoned for having let themfelves be corrupted by prcfents, and for having employed their influence with the Emprefs from motives of Inter eft. MOENS having been examined by the Emperor 3 in prcfence of General Ufchakof, and threatened with torture, confeiled himfelf guilty of the pre- tended venality, of which he was accufed, and had TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 59 his head cut off. His fitter was condemned to re- ceive eleven ftrokes with the knout, but got only- five, and fome fay it was the Emperor himfelf, who gave her them. She was afterwards banifhed into Siberia. Two of his fons, who were chamberlains, were degraded, and lent as private foldiers to the army., which was on the frontiers of Peril a. The day a:tcr the execution of the fcnter.ce, the Czar had the cruelty to carry Catharine in an open car- riage near to the poft, to which they had nailed the head of Mocns. But the Empreis, without chan- ging countenance at this horrible fpcctable, exclaim- ed j What a pity there ft}&uld be fc tr.ucb corrupt:'.}! ^ mong courtiers ! THIS happened about the end of the year 1724. Peter's death happened loon after ; and as Catha- rine, at her acccilion to the throne, recalled tin lif- ter of the unfortunate jNIocns, flic has been fufpeo.- ed of having fhortcned her huiband's d.ivs bv no;- O , * \ fon. This imputation is an atrocious calumny, and in fpite of Catharine's iituation duriiv; ihe : pe- riod of the Czar's lite, the circumilanco . o: hi.i com- plaints, as we have already narrated I'u-rn, Jdi.roy all the fuipictons, which the C/arina'a cneii'ics !\r. c fought to bring her under. But every t!u;, ^ r.\.y be expected from the bl.Kk envy ot court:,.;>. They know well how to give fii.idcs of tiuth to i; t 60 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. calumnies they hatch, as they auecl its language when they teii them. CHAP. V. INTRIGUES, ivhich raife Catharine I. to the throne, af- ter the death of her hitjlmnd. Faction that v:\fh to exclude her. Menzikoff's party prevails, and Ca- iharine is proclaimed. Menzikoff reigns under her KCirr.c. Death cf this princefs. Her character, A- ti's c her brother. JL ETER was yet ftruggling with death, when dif- ferent parties were fonr.ing and caballing for difpo- fmg of the crown. In a numerous ailembly of the principal nobP.ity, at the head of whom were the Princes Galitzin, Dolgorouki, Rcpuin, Kurakin, Lapucjiin, and Soltikoit, it was fecretiy rcfolvcd to Jhave Ca'charine arrcftcd, fo foon as Peter was dead, r.nci to place Peter his grandfon on the throne. This pr.rty would have been dangerous, if the lead- ers hud been united. But feme widicd the re-efta- blifnment, and others only a modification, of the old government. Baffewitz, informed or their de- fi !;n, went to the Emprefs at tae middle of the " ;iu, and informed her of what was plotting a- Bailie her. f.fy rr:cf and confternation* fhc replied to TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 6r to him, deprive n:e of p^i'cr to aft ; fee Z-Itnzikcff, con, n't iogrtbcr ,- I have ;/. 7 v fate in yr bar.ds^ and ic/.Y ajo^t li-bah'-vcr ir^'afurcs you fojil think tnq/r pro- per. Mei./.ikoiT, funk in deep, \vas far from fuf- p< 'ting the irpriiincnt danger, whieh threatened Ca- t; irine ar.d her prry. Although at iirit furprifed r . \vhnt B;: u:\vit7 told Jiini, he loft no time in dcii- . .-rating, bat run immediately to I'LIZC on the trea- j.'ry and fo/rrtis ; fccured, l)y prcfents and pvomi- io, the commanders ot tiie regiments ot Preobaf- c! "iiikoi and Scmenofi^koi, :;s v,-;-,il as ail the ruimi- ra s of the ;'ioet. and had an intcrvic\v \v;;h the Di' ; ;e of Ljoifixui. General Btitterlin, "n\i\ the Arch- bilhop of Kovogovod, all th.voled to Catharine. Tiiia party aflcmbled in the palat c, r.rul the Cizarini appcai - Cvl before them, claiming the li'vht of fuececd- ing her liufband, as tl;c confevjuer.cr of her folemn coronation at Mofcow. She deleribed tlie d.in^^- rous confcquences of a nnnority. and allured them, that, very far from wifhing to Iiis crown, flic \voi:'d rccrive pledge to be reftored. to him. t', mom be re-united hi iie.ivca to iiie ha - ipcecii, t!ie tnr.i v.iih wiv. n ^ x > .is accornpaM^i, die rich pre;e.:r- of money arci i- -\\\1>. \vhier, r,..i . 62 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. from it. The affembly promifed to do every thing for her, and feparated. The reft of the night was fpent in making the preparations neceffary for en- furing the fuccefs of this plan. NEXT day, fo foo.n as the death of the Czar had been announced, the Senate, the Generals, the princi- pal Nobility, and Clergy hurried to the palace for the declaration of the new fovereign. The partifans of Prince Peter Alexiowitfch feemed certain of fuccefs, and prefumptuous as mofl part of courtiers are, who calculate events according to their defires, they fhumied the friends of Catharine, as people, whofe ruin was certain. In this conjuncture, the dexterous Baffewitz whifpered in the ear of one of the prin- ce's party. The Emprefs ban got poffe/fion of the trea- fury and the forirefs ; foe has fc cured the Guards, the Holy Synod, and many cf the principal Nobility. She has more friends than you think. Therefore warn your friends to make no rejijlance to her,Jince they would cx~ fofs their heads for nought, by oppoftng the public opi- nion, which concurs with Fcfer's i&ifb to raifc Catha- rine to the throne. This advice circulated rapidly. BafTewitz gave the fignal agreed on, and the two regiments of Guards, who had been won over by bribes to proclaim Catharine, had already mrround- ed the palace, and were beating the general. Whi, has been fo b-Ad, cried Prince Repuin, commander- in- chief, as give this order without my knowledge? It TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. c :, It was 7, replied General Buttcrlin, wit/jcut intend* ing to dijputc y-',iir authority, but to obey the orders :f my gracicus J^crcign, the F.nynfs. To this laconic reply, a iullen filence fuccccded, and for ibinc mo- ments, every body was in the rack of expectation and anxiety, when Mcnzikoff entered, followed by Catharine, leaning on the Duke of Holftein. She attempted to fpeak, but her lighs and tear.-, tor fome time ftifled her voice. At hit, recovering her (pi- nts, Hie delivered a pathetic fpccch, in which (he painted the true or pretended forrow, which the Czar's death caufed to her. If the Gr\u:J /J..v.% added fhe, rf//l/te my injtrncr. .- r, / /,'.;/; have far- /'..,-, during my vuidzwbcod, the : >;/;//:/. \ an Err.perci, worthy rf ilK b!c:J <.:t:u ..":.' ivhofe recent death y::-. , She was interrupted bv INIcn/i'kon', who obicrved, that in ib critical a juncture, i: \\M^ proper tli.u tl\c affembly fhould have liberty :ind time to deliberate- on this afiair, fo as not to draw upon themlelvc the reproaches either or cote;:ipo r ari rity. To tliis cbieclion agreed <-n !>etw rine and her favourite, Lhe C'/ \\-'-n\ i-:! n formed bv the allcinbU v !;;) '.'-.,. > ,,,,,! . A I ;.v / i i." r-> :: " '1:1 i r I ^ T i i '" '. \ V , i. ..: ;, , i tied that C.U /M 64 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Guards, who had been drawn up, by their orders, around the palace, found means of commanding Catharine's enemies, in fuch a way, that they durft net at firil exprds their fentiments, nor make any oppofition. Then nothing more remained, but to give the belt poliible colour to what they were a- bout to do, bv pcrfuadinor the aiiembly, that Peter 3 J i O had deflined his crown for his wife. With this view, Mcnzikoff font for the Emperor's fecretary, and afkcd him, if his m after left any writing, that could difcover his intentions. The fecretary replied * A that a fhort time before his hft journey to Mofcow, he had cancelled his will ; and that he had frequent- ly exprclicd a defire of making another, but had al- v/ays been prevented by the reflexion, that if his {ubjiich, after lie had railed them from altueof barbarity to the higheft pirch of glory, were capa- ble of ingratitude, he ought not to expofe his laft will to 'he aHiont of a refufd to coniply with it ; that if, on the contrary, his fu^ecis recollected what they owed to him. they would regulate their conduct by the intentions, \vhich he had already in:iri : .fjiie:l more folemnly, thai: lie could do by any writii.g. IT.OII tliis there arofc a difpute between the men.bcrs of the niLml^y and fome Lords, who, notwithftanding tlie preience of the foldiers, had the courage to oppofe Catharine's friend?. But Iheophancs, Arclibifliop of Pld'koff, recalled to their TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ,:- Uieir remembrance the oath they had taken in the year 1722, Th:ii tb-:y wottld acknowledge as Ssvenign, the p erf MI, ibatjlmildbc named by the Enpcrcr, andtbii prince, added be, made a forma! avowal cf his fenti- f Ke>,'!s, en the evening on which !:: ,\r;~cd C,:i;:ar:;ij bz ryiunsd. The ceremony of to-wrrow, be r./J ,vj ,?.'/, rv 1 :// be ?u,:: i.-nportant, iban people iblnk. J'.s ri'tci is ibc coronation of Catbxrhic^ for ib-: p;ife r.f ::i\-c!ti::^ '::r with /,:; j&ficvr of 7V. ; ;;: /;;;;. S/v, vh 0:1 the banks of tbj Fr-jib, il^:d t',:: l.,\r,:i,:. /.- :;.'/ c>:!:t^t io ibis hon-'iir. l^f-Ji.s I d;:i ^/v- /. .1. p-ai ^-.-''b .?// b?r power jhe T;77 niair.laln cur ufcf:ii c_/l\?bb.;!:;:i:i:i;, w.v./.a ald'ic can rcncL-r i!:: /:. ,'/:;' bj--'-\ and /..';//. ; .::': :; .?. Tin-: prcLirc ii^nccl thi:i d-.-c: ir.itiou, vhich '.!.- majoriry of the auenii-Iy c:)ni; Lreii as ;i;rj-.cj:ii-, adding however, that ti'.e Luc Miiipcror'siv:ntiuiv;:'.t5, fuch as his fecretiiryliiid juil explained rhcm, i^io 1 !!!' - cd to a fornicil drii^nation r[ Catharine. The or>- polite party denied tiiat \\\c bullr.cis V.T.S f.) cici: and conch;i?.ve as Thcr?phancs pretended and main- tained, t'rar as L'-.-ler nanird n; 1 irjce:!.):", tiie ::;V M l elc^ilr' one reverted te, i;u u.V.e. , ^ru 6-6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. iitlute Catharine with the title of Emprefs, and iirft Y?id his compliments to her by kifling her hand. The whole aHembly followed his exemplc, fo that v-heiY this princcfs fhowed herfelf at a Balcony, the Guards and populace made the air rcfound with ac- clamations oi ; Lcn-g ik-c Catharine ; and in order to . encourage them, Menzikoil" threw money among them more proiufely a lure way of commanding t heir r.ppr obation , THIS couriicr did right in being lavifh. It was tor himfclf that he was labouring, for Catharine's r*ign was his. She had neither application nor ca- pacity for managing the reins of flic empire, and fhc gave hcrfelf up w'th blind confidence to the man., v;lio had been the iirit author of her fortune in her youth, and to whom flic owed, the crown in a more 3- Vi\ till *-C CI L* U. vs 1") jr. TNG the time uie iat on tlie throne, her life v> as noi: one of tlic moft regular. During her wi- dowhood Hie liad two lovers, the Counts of Lcwen- rok'en and Sapieha. The affection Ihe had for the i'.-rmj-r w;;:; oi-ly momentary, but her love for him. changed ir.io friendship, and ilie prefervcd it ail her i;f<:. As for Sapicha I:e poffefled Catharine's ],t Ht even to. tiie kit period or her life. Menzikoil c!: ; oyc.i all her confidence, and was at the greatcir rriirh to krc;:- her at a dilbnce from bulinefs, if ever ihc willed tc h-:tcrfiTe Vi'ith it, Her life was that of 'I RAVELS IN RUSSIA. 67 of an Epicurean. Her detractors charge her v.-irh frequently exceeding in Tokay wine, \\i.\J\ al.;:^ with a career and a dropfy loon put a pori:xl to he- life. She died on the i6;h of Muy 1727, ai'ier a reign of two years and fome da\.s, when jui: ent.r- ing into the thirty ninth year of her age. CATHARINE was above middle ii/:e. In her youth fhe had had very delicate and acrrcoMe fe:iiui . * O and had been very handfomc, but as iiie advanced in years, flic became rather too jolly. Her com- plexion was fire, here eyes were bhc.L, her li.iir was fair, and ihc dyed it black. 1'L-r enen.JL:., ipread a report, that ilie could r.eH.'::.r re id uc-r write, and th.it. the prince! , Kii:-'.aX-'..h or O'unc Ollcrmann fig'ncrl fo;- her. \Ve in.uiircJ into the J r.iet and found tins report gn.i's calumny. l>ut it max be allowed, that it on one iide, tlielj ulii: were un- favourable to Cath.mne, hive i\id mucli iil ol her, on the other her p, -aegyriivs liav-j gr-j.itl) exaggera- ted her charaeli '; and abilities. TIIK following anecdotes \\1!I prove v. ;.a uh;r moderation Cat!',arine bore her elevaU.T., asi far ihc was ire, in torg,-Mi:v; Jier origin. Wurmb, who had been preceptor, \v,ii!k lirJuiriric was only a lerx'ant in C/luck the miniuer's i innly, waited on her, alter iiie h.id been marriL>a to the Czar, il\e received him with muJi a[te:.:i.vu and kindneis. /r/X;/, my &;-d ':'-,: '*:.'/, liif laid i .- to 63 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. to him, Are you fall alive ? Very well, I joali lake care of you ; and flic fettled a penfion on him. She was not lefs attentive to the family of her benefactor, who died at Mofcow. She gave his widow a pen- iion, made his fon a page, portioned his two oldeft daughters, and brought the youngeft to court, where ihe was made one of the maids of honour. If cre- dit is to be given to Weber, fhc made fever al at- tempts to difcover her former hufband. and not without fuccefs. While ihe lived with Menzikoff, Ihe was every now and then fecretly fending him farm of money, till the year 1705, when fhe learn- ed that he had loft his life in a feu file. But this was only a vague report, as we have already itated. SOME writers have advanced, and at Si Peteri- burg it 13 affirmed as a faclr, tint Catharine Iiad a brother, whom the Czar accidently diuovered, and amufed himfclf with introducing to Catharine for the fir ft time. The {lory Is told in the following way. AN envoy extraordinary from the King of Po- land at the Ruffian court, on his return to Dr^fJen y Iiacl flopped at an inn in Courland, and had witnef- fed ?, ferious quarrel between one of the liable boys and feme of his comrades, who were all drunk. One of t.l:e:n i"\vore in a high one, while lie laid thcfc \vorci3 in a io\v tone, By a jingle ivord I could mak* my adverfaries repent of their infoknce^ ftr / have re- lations powerful enough to fiunijh them. TRAVELS IN RUSSfA. 63 UPON this, the minifter furprifed at his clecifivc milliner of expr< iling liimfelf, enquired after his name and former Rate of life. The ir.iniiler was anR ered, that he was an unfortunate Pole, called Charles Shusrcii/ki, that his father was ir.pprfeel to hive been a ocm'icman in Lithuania, \\ho d.ied ear- ly, to the great lois of this unfortunate young rr.in, and a liiLer t;t his, whom he hnd loft long a^o. THIS aniwer engaged tlic attention or this tra- veller, who at 8t Petersburg had l.eard lo ma- ny itorics about Catharine, lie examined th-e figure at the lad, that was iv/earing, nnd tl.ouglit he per- ceived in his coarfe features ibi^e rcieri.l/lancj- to tiu;te of Catharine's, vvhich \veri; fo noi)!y call, 2. one of her own hifiomns had t'jid, tlut no painter could be fuccef-^iul in hitting the expreilion oi her beautiful countenance- THIS incident, ve!::c-; would have all the appear- ance of a romantic fcene, if it were not |Mo\e 7 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. his perfon, and to bring him to Riga on fome ho- nourable pretence ; and to fend him under a fuffi- cient guard, to the chamber of Police at St Peterf- burg, whom the Czar had directed to revife a fen- tence paffed againft faid prifoner. THIS order, which was incomprehenfible to the Governor, was punctually obeyed. Charles Scho- woronfki was brought to Riga, where the peace of- ficers pretended to proceed in the ordinary forms againfi him, as a dangerous quarrcller. He was then fent under a guard to St Peterfburg, with the counterfeit evidence, which proved the charge brought atrainft him. o o CHARLES uneafy at his fituation, although he thought himfelf quite innocent, was brought be- fore the Judge, who protracted the procefs, in or- der to examine the prifoner more at his eafe, for he had received orders to found him. To fucceed in this the more effectually, he had placed fpies about him, and they noted down all his expreilions. A- greeably to the information collectedfromhim, which was fo much the lefs fufpecccd, that it was given by an ingenuous man of no great preteniions, proper perfons were appointed to make inquiry in Cour- land, and the difcoveries they macie, proved evi- dently, that this lad was really brother to the Em- prefs Catharine. WHEN TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. WHEN the Czar got aflurancc of this, he made it be hinted to Skoworonfki, that the Judge not be- ing difpofed to treat him favourably, he could not do better than prefent, with his own hand, a petition to the Sovereign; and that means would be deviled not only of reaching the throne, but of fecuring pa- trons powerful enough, to fupport him ellbctually, in his application for rcdreis. THE Czar, who had ordered every thing for a fcene, with which he propofed to amuib himielf greatly, by the furpriib, he would give Catharine, made it be told the prifoner, that on a certain day, he would go, incognito, and dine with Chapelow, the fteward of his houfnola, and when dinner wa< over, he would hear Skoworonlki. THE Majefty of the monarch appeared not tr- intimidate him. He prefentcd his petition n^bl: , but it was read wkh'ieis attention, than his liguiv was examined. The C/.ar put to him a number (^\ cjueftions, which, notwithstanding his embarrail- ment, he aufwered fo diitinctly, t!:.it ;t appiu;\ evidently, that he was broth.er to (iitlnrir.c. HOWEVER to remove all i'. ; '-.i ,v!^, tl'.e ( '/'. eft him abruptly, orderii:g hhu to \"\ ci.iy at the fame hour, ar.d th'u ordci was : .iteiicj o::l\ by the promiie of a icntence, wit! Tirobablv have re:>(or. to be J Ati.Ue J 72 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE fame night while at fupper with Catharine the Czar (aid to her ; To-day I dined in Chapeloiv'*- where I icxs rn:fl agreeably entertained : I mujl takj you there fj/ne dx\. Why not to morrow? But, ad- ded he, evading the Czarina's confent, we mujl do as I did to day, ibat is to fir, 1 , furprize him, wken b? is ivfi rs/H? to t doivn /; table, and ive rui/i ^ tbilber J y faying to ;.-., /-..,, ,^ { ,,.i\ rr , -;. f/ :i > if n. ..,,, -;Kdcr/Lir.d i:ofbh:? if ;:,r L.'V'":; 1 ' ' The ]:',n>prci> who was in tlie greai- :.ft .urpriir, could hardly anfwcr for ilanirneririg, . But, aJ.J.ed the Czar brifiily, do -f w fes that this COME, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 73 COME, faid he to Charles, immediately kifs the hern of her petticoat and her hand, in quality of the Emprefs, and then falute her as your fitter. The feeling Catharine could not bear this fccne without fwooning. This affected the Czar deeply When me \vas recovered, he faid to her in a tender tone ; / did not imagine tJ.\rt this fcene i^culd hai^ wads juch a ftrong imprcjficn on -;cu. Take courage, embrace my lroibcr-in-Li^. If be be a man of Integrity and a little abi'it}'. f a-e a'/// make pji-ietJjlng of hi'-: Let us go this fccne bjs fu!i?;>.:d you. Catharine \vith tears in her eyes, embraced her brother, inireatcd the C.xar to continue his favours, both to the bro- ther and filler, and left Chapei-.nv's houfe. IT is not. exactly kno\vn, by what fingular acci- dent Skoworonfki had fufpjclcd or difcovered, that his filler had been railed to the throne, tor he did not know her, \vhen lie appeared in lier prefence- He had rot ventured to difcloio bis fufpicions to the Emperor, who r.ivc him a luva!l: T ai'd ici;!ed on him a penfion, iiVipofin^ 0:1 I::::i no ot!::r re- iiraint, than that of not nuxin^ \vilh nuich com- pany, and Of C!;j: fccrccy. I-AE has been the head o \\ ii^ur prefent amoivy rise irofi il'icd in Ku.-n. Count Sko\vc:\.'iilki, Irs ment cli.iirJ VOL, II. 74 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. order of St Wolodimer, and Plenipotentiary at Na- ples. His two lifters, Mary and Catharine, are Maids of Honour to the mprefs. WE {hall conclude this head with obferving, that the greateft honour is due to the memory of Catha- rine, for her humanity, and the companion (he PX- prefled at the fight of poor people. But all com- mendation is inferior to the noble art, which fhe poiTelled, of tranfmitting thefe fentirnents from her own heart into that of her hufband, to whom na- ture feemed to have denied them. She made it a ftudy to be a mediator between the prince and his fubjccls. She acted in this capacity always with dig- nity, and the courtier, who knew to what degree * ' ' O flie was jealous of the Czar's glory, never durft em- ploy her mediation for the purpofe of obtaining any thins- which would make her afterwards blum. O The entire confidence, which Peter repofed in her., \vas douhtlefs to him a fource of precious enjoyment; for on the throne as in private life, unbounded con- fidence in a wife affords the greateft pleafure to 2 hufband, while any degree of diflldcncc becomes the '- Tr Cti'"cfl G^ misfortunes* CHAR TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 75 C H A P. VI. PARTICULARS ref peeling Alexis Petrcvjitfcb. fan to .v- doxia. Education of this prince. Cbaracler given cf htm by Bruce. His manners. Imprudent acls. Flight to Naples. Return to Ru/Jla.His trial.- Condemned to death by Peter. Tragical end of bis confidents. Punijhment of Gleboff.^Particuian rc- fpefting Princefs Sophia, wife to the C^ro^itfb. Her misfortunes, and death. A fabulous Jlory nude on her. IN the two former chapters, \ve have traced the outlines of the hiftory of a woman, whom fortune loaded with her favours, and drew from the n:o:l obfcure fituation, to fet her on a throne, to wh;c"\ her birth could not furnifh the molt remote preien- fions. We are now to contemplate this funo f.;r'ui:e burl a prince from a throne, to \viii' h hid birth. gave him a hereditary title. ALFXIS, the only child whom IVter 1. hid by Eudoxia Federowna Lapuchini was born the K>:h c-f February 1690; and never was a prince burn under more fortunate aufpices, both in relpoct to hinu" If, and thofe attached to him by blood and iriemifhip. THE circumftances ot his exclufion Irom thr throne, and his death, which iollowed as 2. r.-jcc-ff.i- K i rv ;6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ry confequence, arc generally known, but with in- terpretations fo different, that the reader, drawn far from the road of truth, is reduced to a ftate of uncertsinty, or to give credit to facts, difguifed by hireling historians, who have found it their intereft to calumniate or flatter the memory of this unfor- 4 tunate prince. We ftiall now attempt to reftore the real ftate of facts. IT is a circumftance incontrovertible, that the e- ducation of the young Czarowitfch had been unac- countably and grofsly neglected, and that he had never received the correction neceffary for his age, till it was out of all time to infpire him with pro- per fentiments, and fix in him good habits. He had been entrufted to the care of women, and his education left to Ruffian prieits, the moft ignorant and contemptible of men. who ftudied to cram him with the abfurd prejudices of religion, rather than inftruct him in its principles and moral precepts, which constitute its chief excellence and utility to human fociety. It was thefe priefts, who ruined him, by their inceffant and perfidious declamations ngainft the Czar, whom they reprefented as a facri- le?ious innovator, becaufe he had abolimcd feveral barbarous cuftoms, the object of their fuperftitious reverence, by which they pretended to fkve their credulous flocks* AT TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 77 AT the age of eleven years, Alexis was taken from the management of this contemptible fpccics of governors, to intrufl him to Baron Van-huyfTen, counfeilor of war, who, along with great merit , poffefled the valuable talents, which are rarely found in the inftruclors of young princes, though all bo:ift of being endowed with them. It is laid, that Van-huyffen difcovercd in his pupil tlie moil happy ciiipofitions, in fpite of all that the priefts had done to choke them ; and that lie did not defpair of ridding him of the prejudices they had railed in him, when MenzikofF thought proper to remove him from the only pcrfon, who was ib cnpaHe of infpiring him with fenTiments fuitablc to his rank, and the throne, to which he was dcUined. Ihe miniftcr took upon himfelf the charge ot Alexis' e- ducation, but as McnzikofF feldom iaw him, lie was put under the direction of fuhftitnres, not only dcf- titute of every kind of capacity, but even worfc than the priefts, to whom the early year; of the Czarowitfch had been abandoned. It is prefumed, that by this conduct, Isi/!i:dkoiT's cxprds int;M!fion was to give unreitrained innuV^'nce to the vicic'iis inclinations of the prince, aisJ to allow him to aflo- ciatc with the moit depraveti companions. In real- ity, he paiTed his life in contiii'iH dnsnkiT.ncfs ar.i debauchery of every kind. Yet tins fame l\Te-n^J koiT. whc IvH Ms own views, afterwards found 78 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. means to extort from this prince, a confefiion, that it was Menzikoff only, who had concluded his edu- cation, and that he was under the greateft obliga- tions to the minifter in this refpect. In addition to all this, feveral fads prove that Peter had early con- ceived great prejudices againft his fon, and had in- fpired him with terror to fuch a degree, that to a. void being obliged to draw in the prefence of his father, the young prince difcharged a piftol at his right hand. When he was not indulging in his vi- cious exceffes, his predominant tafte was reading of myfticil books, and his favourite anmfement was theological difputes, wherein he employed, it is faid, his fifts with as much advantage, as he did his lungs. To make him attend the council, and to fpeak to him of war, the navy or finances, was to him the mod difagreeable thing in the world. The impru- dence and obftinacy, which he mowed, when oppo- fed in his humour, were not only unjuftifiable, but feemed to rife to fuch a height, that his paflions fometime? deprived him of reaion, and brought on him fits of madnefs. Bruce, who knew him well, has drawn the following character, in a letter to one of his friends in 1714. " THE Czarowitfch is come to Mofcow this win- " ter, where I have fe'en him for the firft time. He " keeps a low bred girl, a native of Finland, who f ' might be very agreeable, if a woman could be a- " greeable TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 79 tl greeable without modefly. I have often gone a- " long with the general, to pay my refpects to this " prince, and he has often come to the general's, " attended by very bad company. His drefs is ra- " ther flovenly than carelefs. He is tall, and well ** made ; his complexion is brown, his look ftcrn, " and voice ftrong. He has often clone me the ho- " nour to fpeak German to me, and he underftands " it well. He is adored by the populace, whofc ig- " norance and vices he affects. By people of a more " elevated rank, he is little refpccled, and he him- " felf refpecls nobody. He is aKvays furrounded by " a multitude of ftupid and debauched priciis, and " other individuals of no better defcription. In fo- " ciety of this kind he conftantly arraigns the ccn- " dud of his father, for having aboliihcd the ancient '" cuftoms. He declares, that as fix i as he fucc " him, he will re-eftabliili RuiTu in her original i " He even threatens to cut o:T every favourlt " of the Czar's, but particularly Menz " exprefled himicl: la this way ib often, ant " fo little circu^fpcalGn, that it could i " reach the ear of the Cz.ir, z " lieved, this young man has hkl * e his own ruin." HEATED by the continue: and exafperated by the perie !y haraflbd with, Alexis fell 8o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and then into defpair, fo that in the year 1716, he all at once renounced his right of fucceilion in fa- vour of the fon, whom Peter had by Catharine, and requefted permiffion to retire into a cloifter. Pre- ferring the advice given by his principal confidenfs, he very foon after made his efcape, left the Hates of the Czar, and took refuge at Vienna, where he put himfelf under the protection of the Emperor Charles VI. This prince, wifhing to Taye him from the re- ientment of his father, fent- him firtl to Infpruck, and afterwards, for more fecurity, to the Caftle of St Elmus at Naples, where he was betrayed by his miftrefs, to whom he was faid to be married, and who was directed to hint to him the propriety of having recourfe to his father's clemency. Being af- terwards mifled by the folemn promifes of an abfo- lute pardon, he hearkened to the advice of the" offi- cers font by Peter to Naples for the purpofe of bringing him back to Mofcow, and threw himfelf on paternal indulgence. It is true, the court of Vienna, rot wiuiing to come to "a rupture with the C/:ar, vas very iriftrumenta! in making him adopt tliis rcfoluiion, or, to cxprds it more properly, laid him under the ncce-ilitv of taking a Hep, which he rf -J X ' coi;l i.i no i avoid. AI ; TAR this rcfolution, he folernnly renounced e- \ cry tills of ib.:ccillon to the crown, and being car- ried to Moicov/, and afterwards to Si Peterfburg, - he TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ri- ans were bold enough to boa;: of teHir.~ not.h-r.^ but truth, and Pnilofophers laughed at rlvir pre- tended veracity. However matters ii.ind, no:hir~ can furnifli greater room ior cor.i- rlure, than tins itrange trial, in which a notori^u-, diTerence ex-n:^ between 4-he confefions n^iade hv Alexis on his ilrfr. examination at ?.Ioic;)w, v.'hi/hi wi" in fome de- gree public, and the exammrui >n he underv/ent at St I > el;erlJ)U r!.'', vl;icli ha^oeneJ to 1% ': ino.i iV;":;:e!'.t- ly in private, iKiore th,e (.'//. ir and ir.s rno ; i:.ti;;;a: and confidential iriends. Tiiei, c'u'cuniliance-* rein- ed t(; prove that he v^/as put to torture. RpspKOTixo the circuiniTance:: << li'^ death, there ?.re two opinions, v.hicb have been :uhip;ed :M preference to the re.'r. O:;e oi t|-e:.'i, by tiic Char's ov,?i pi\: p'jrfuade, that Aiey.i.s : ;t1 Dlexy, and cli-d h; co 1'he other wor-ld ?r.c credible. IHJ VOL. 15 3?. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, and the apology of his panegyrifts. Bufching ha? given it as the moft probable and authentic, poli- tively averting that Alexis was beheaded by the Czar's orders, and that Marfbal Weyde did the office of executioner This is a fact, which he fays, he had from the woman, who was employed to ftitch the prince's head to his body, before it could be ex- pofed on the ftate bed. ALL, who had advifed the Czarowitfch, who had been the companions of his flight, or afllfted him in it ; all in fhort, who had any lhare in his confi- dence, or in the plots imputed to him, were tortu- red to death. The execution of GlebofF, who was alfo accufed of a criminal" connexion with Kudoxia, and a confpiracy ajrainft the Czar, was atrocious I y O * -and highly diihonourable to Peter, The unfortu- nate Gleboffwas not only empaled alive, but Peter, before delivering him up to this cruel punimment, took a pleafure in torturing him for the fpace of x weeks, all with a view to extort from him a con- feflion of the commerce he was accufed of having; o had -with Eudoxh. GlebotT, during this tedious r.v-irtyrdnm, was a model to lovers, and conftantly affirn.cu that Eudoxia luid granted him no favours, and that ihc v.\;s more iaithful as a wife, than Peter as a hufbur.c!. It 13 reported that Peter advanced to this unfortunate man, when ready to expire under ihc empaling, and advifed him in the name of reli- gion TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ^ gion to make a confefiion of Eudoxia's crimes. Barbarian ! faid GlebofF to him with a feeble voice, What is your folly ? For fever al day* yw ba-i-t. ;; i.z:>: removed me from one cruel punijbrr tut to c.n'jthtr jini more cruel, and you think that at this wi/.Y;?;/, iji.-.n death is juji going to end my torments, I x:.iy bij,: :'.-. innocence and honour of a uife, u'ho hjs cMhtnitt^l nt other fault, but that of having loved you tw it-til. A- ivay with you and let me die in pcac:. \Viii!e fii.iiii- ing thefe words, fays the hiftorian, from v.ln;;-i we have borrowed thcfe particulars, Glcboff c( llcacd the little ftrength that remained in him, lltied u;, his head, fpit in Peter's face and expired. ALEXANDER KIKIN, Commiilioncr oi tiie .-\dn^- ralty, Alexis' favourite, and companion in his lli^ht ; Abraham Lepuchin Eudoxia's brot.hcr, KT h.ivir.g advifed him to it ; the Bilhop of Noitott, who v.-.i Gleboff's brother, and PouUionoi the monk, aa uxd of having mitigated him to conlpire asrai:;:: Czar, and his regulations, were all bn ken un t!.e wheel, around the (pot where Gleboii v. a Count Romanzoff and Toiitoe v.xix ly rewarded for having brought : from Naples, and for aiiaa;^ in dr.iv.-r.g up t charge. Romanzoffgot the rank ^ ^ and the pay of Lieutenant-general Kikiu's property, v/hkh wua conblcj L ; *U 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. who was already a fenator, received new honours, and Gleborr's property, which was immenfe. CATHARINE I. was fufpecled of having, along with MenzikorT, irritated the father againit the fon, and of having caufed the death of this unfortunate O young man, who was rather imprudent than crimi- nal. This fufpicion arofe from thcfe circumitances, becaufe Peter, Catharine's fon was declared fuccef- for to the Czar, and bccaui'e Toliloe, one ol the principal comrmflioners on Alexis' trial, to whom the particular examination of this prince was en- trufted, was known to be the creature of Ivlenzi- korF, whofe interefts and thofe of the Emprefs, were the fame. But Peter himfelf has jufiified Catharine, by declaring publicly, that fne had interceded in or- der to Live the life of his fon, and requeued, that inftead of putting him to death, lie ihouki be fhut up in a monaftery. Is this decuration a piece of condefccnlion of Peter's in favour or I. is beloved wife? This we know not, but fume hiilomns have given us to under Hand fo. Ox the 2 fth of October 1711, at Fonrau in Sax- ony, Alexis the Czarowitfch had rnarriea Charlotte Chriitina Sop-hia, daughter to Rodolphus of Brun- fwick-Blakenburg, filter to Elizabeth Chriilina, wire to Charle.3 VI. She was born on liie 2oth of Auguic 1694, and made her public entry into St Peterfburg, in comar with h^r huil;and in ul 112. TRAVELS TN RU5:YL\. 5; union, which was the cairfe of puMlc rejoici :::, in the capital for more than a week, ha. I or,'- a irw 'happy days ; for although Sophia was a ver; 1 tiiul woman, and had In!! more virtue than he u;ry; although fne itemed to have been the choke or" Alexis, who had ft en IHT ru !'< r Li'Iiei'i court : treated her always with the ^rtiteft contempt, lived with that Finlandcr, called Kur-hroiyne, wh. in we have already mentioned. This \vi"',:i.r.i \\.'s born in obfcuriiy, as ail proftitutcs are, :ir.J. !:.d thcii* qualtfications, which proved more iuit:iVse to A:exib' manner of ii'. i:v;-, ihan : r.i 1 ier.' .r.rr.r ; i !> .-. . r the iHV)deil Sophi*. Ir rnuU n( ; ho-.u k -er . ed, that this pritiec treated Iv.r v.lih i.i n u-Ji in inanity as feme hiitorians have g,i\ci n "i ; , t (N : fiance, tint he he-it her frequcnil) : tor thoup.M !;- might ha\e had feroe!':y enouc.h to hav; ted fuch an ouirj^e, he vv-;.>uld by his dread of the Cz:ir, who, as wi-ll a. ( .: cxpreiled always the crr^atj.a co.r.c happy fituaUon ol tite Prince..- H-.pii;a. ir wards reined unckr t as attcr tiir- birth oi S6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. > of the forrow, which had been for a long time preying on her fpirits. She was only in her twenty- firft year, and her death, with which every other perfon was deeply affected, was a matter of indifference only to herfelf and her unfeeling huf- band. THE evening before her death, fhe fent a long petition to the Czar, which drew tears from his eyes, and in which fhe recommended to his atten- tion her children and domeftics, but did not once name Alexis, which proves the mifunderftanding, that prevailed between them, and how much the unhappy creature's heart was wounded. The moft fervent wifh that Sophia expreffed, was to fee the Emperor before fhe died, and it was gratified. Pe- ter, who was at Schluffelburg at the time of her de- livery, let out as foon as he received the news. When he got to the capital, he found himfelf very m>ch indifpofed, and was obliged to go to bed, without feeing the princefs ; but when he read the affectionate and dutiful expreffions of his daughter- in-law, he ordered hhnfelf to be carried into her bed-chamber. Their interview was moft affecting. She bid him a forrowful and laft adieu in language moft moving, and again recommended her chil- dren to his care, and her domeftics to his protection. She received from him every confolation, which her fituation could admit of, and the ftrongeft af- furance, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 87 furance, that every requeft of hcr's fhould be com- plied with. After having killed the Coir's hind, ihe made a fign for her children to approach, and ha- ving bathed them with her tears, Ihe delivered them into the hands of her hufband, without (peaking to him a word. He had come to the toot ot the bed of his dying wife, becaufc the C/:.ir had intimated to him this order. He appeared indifferent and conftrained. When Peter went out, he retired, and the unfortunate Sophia expired about midnight, after having differed all the pangs of the molt cruel agony. SHE had been educated and me died in the Lfl- theran religion, to which Ihe was attac! cd In m considerations of philofophy. Tins Alexis du excufe, becaufe by the infliction of the popes. had in vain folicited her to embrace the Ore. of worfhip. Notwithftanding this difference opinion, which was no wife regarded ^ by Sophia was buried by his orders, the murmurs cf the Popes, in .1 in the cathedral cf St Peter an her corpie was carrie 1, on t 1714, with all the honours WE have entered into th, the death of this prir.c fs, not muft affect all fenfible fouls a work entitled Intcnflii-z 88 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. there appeared an account, which, if true, is widely different from what has been juft now related. ACCORDING to this account, the Emperor vyas abfent from St. Petersburg at the time of Princefs Sophia's delivery, and loon after (he perfuadccl forne people, who were attached to her, to fpread a re- port of her death, llcr hufband, who had paid no attention to her during her illnef;, ordered her to be interred without any kind of pomp, and inftead of her corpie, they buried a bit of wood in the ca- thedral. She afterwards fled into France, it is add- ed in the fune work, and fearing to be difcovered, ihe thence embarked for Louifiana. There (lie mar- ried a military man, who was only a ferjeant. He war, a Frenchman, and had been formerly at St Pe- ter{b:ir^. He had one daughter by her in the year i/'v'. She afterwards returned to Paris with her huiband, and one diy as ihc was walking in the Tlmillenes, 3 he was difcovered by Marfhal. Saxe s who pronnfrd her fecrccy, and gave employment to her imiband on the iilc o(- i'io'urb-on, \vliither Sophia ar/.-.omparik-d him ; and foon after their arrival, (lie !i;J the misfortune to loic not only hiinfetf, but the d.vL'.r^htcr ilic liad bo;- to iiini. After this double loK Sr-phia returned ro ^ninco in the year 17^4, iicconipanii'd by one negro-giri, and without any tlung to iupport her, but iou\e bills on die India- company TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 83 company, drawn in the name of her huflnnd, and not paid her, bccaufe (he could not prove hcrfelf to be his wife. A gentleman, who had been acquaint- ed with her in the illc of Bourbon, offered her his ierviccs, \vhidifhc accepted of, after having lon^ rc _ fufed tlie:;i, and at fame time acknowledged who fhe was. It is from him thac-thc author of thefe in- terefting memoirs, or rather fables, prctcndi to have learned them ; and he add;, that (}\c dilarpcarcd fbon after, and there is room to fupnoie, that fhe retired to the court of BruhKvkk, In thU marvel- lous account it is aiib faid, tiiat the J-v'ing h;.l iocrct- !y difcovered her, and had ouier.\! ih<: governor of the iile of Bourbon to pay l:cr the honour-; i!'j-.- !>> her birth : that in a letter wi i.ten by iiis own 1: :nJ, this prince communicated the difeovery to tlie l.:a- prefs Queen of Hungary, and wrote immediately to the princefs, as to her aunt, adviim;.;- her to leave her hufbaiKl and her ;bn, wiior.i the Kinr or Fr.iiicc )iad proiiiifcd to take care oi, :I:K! piviar.; ];.;r to come to Vienna. THE editor of this extraordinary r.arraJ: djr to give nyore weight lo !ii. from the papers of ti-.e de ry to the Fivncii aeademy, France. I'.u: \ve will . .^ there, or the trutli of :ii- taJ:, an, VOL. II, -'i 90 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, act information, that the Princefs Sophia's death, with ail its circurn (lances, was unqueftionable, and agreeable to what has been now related. A Ruffian nobleman, of the firft diftinction, has befides allu- red us, that his mother attended the Princefs du- ring her Hinds, was witnefs of her lafl moments. and law her body on the Hate-bed, when, according to ciiiiom, people of quality were admitted to kifs her ha-nd. After this, can we believe the compilers of anecdotes, who tell us barefacedly, that they have rnnfacked the moft. iccret records, and the moil au- thentic memoirs ? C H A P. VII. 'Eri-.a 111. his wftrrlaj ^iih Catharine. Children in \vhich Elizabeth keeps yo:i"g Peter. He fixes hh rcj]Jcncc at Oranienbair/ii, Regiment that he forms ihcrc. lie prefers forcig/^rs to Ruffians. Attempt* in alienee Elizabeth^ s affection from him. Elizabeth ilics. Peter ajccxds the thrwc* Exiles recalled id. Biro:. Ivlunlch. Particulars and l\ ]:y '.h:: r.avvtion or the circumftances, that con- r-.lut--u to tV.c- elevation of Catharine I. and to the misfortunes TRAVELS IN RRSSlA. j. misfortunes of Alexis, we h.ivc been abl: to eMg.'^e the attention, and excite the iyinpathy oi our re.ul- ers, we think they \vili not be lei's aliened \\itli the famous revolution, which let Catharine 11. on the throne of the Rufiias, which ihc occupies in A way, that mufl attract the notice of pollcrky. \\'e Live leen, that the f-rlt revolution in 1-41 had ::;'\en ;'.. fceptre to lT:'ibc:h, daughter to ?. icr tiuMi;. and Catharine I. The year i : ollo\u:.;;-, ini ,\'.\ for her fuceeilor, fixed on her ncp:u\v ( '.!:../!.- \\- ter-Ulric, iou to Charles-Frederick Duke or liol- flein-Gottorp, and to Ai-r.e, d;;uglu,r to i'.ur 1. This younc 1 " prince, tuen tourteen years c*'. .1 -e. i:>- r O 1 braced the Greek religion, which he de;phcJ in In heart, and had the in^prudence to ridicule il\ cr.il times. In cor.i'equence of this ch.ir,:.;: ironi one re- ligion to another, which the pr;eit> i.ill .ib|Ui uu :., tliouofh its true name ou::ht to he .IJV-U.UA, t!i- o young Peter wns procl.iimed C'.raiul IV, with all the cuiloimn forjnalitie , and to. tie of Peter Vc^Lr,- :,''-. h ^ }^ ' out any previous aap..iin!J Sophia- AuguftJ. Prince Again baptised according to t. church, and received the name ot t:.ii!:.u-ii,c Ale efria. She was born on the 2, ih of April 17 was fixtecn years of age at die lime OJ her mau: : Two cJulcircn only \\;;re tiu- cor.leijuei 92 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nion; the Grand Duke Paul, born in the year 1754; and Anne Petrowna, who was born in the year 1757, and died in 1759. FOPV feveral years, the moft perfect undcrltanding fubfifted between this royal pair, at leaft in appear- ance ; but as they were of an oppofite character, their affections w T ere foon mutually alienated, and the difguft and averfion, which they had conceived for one another, mowed itfelf openly. Peter, whofe education had not been that of a prince ; Peter, who had been induftrioufly kept at z diitance from affairs, and by Elizabeth always in a childiih dependancc, had conceived a fondnefs for an indolent life, and for a long fpace of time, had been incapable of re- liming rational amufements, and of occupying hirn- felf with ftucly. He fought only to divert his mind with ufdefL fubjccts or difgraceful pleafurco. lie \vas conftantly furrounded with fpies, \vho made to the Ei;iprcfo the moft unfavourable reports on his conduce; and me being but too much difpofcd to fufpect his intentions, was always afraid of fome re- volutionary plot, fuch as that, which had let hcrfelf on the throne. WHEN Peter was at St Pctcrfourg, he lodged in the palace, and lived there rather as a ftate prifcnsr than as the heir of the empire. "When the Emprefs went to PetcrfhorT, he w:.s permitted to rcfide at his favourite TRAVI I.S IN T RV.V-IA. favourite retreat at Oranicnb.-uim, \\lurc ]: tViLw- ed out liis taltc tor military excuiks, \\hi.!i u,- ; - his fole amufement during the la ft yeirs it 1 Ir.'.>- beth's reign. He began with formm;.; a c.-n.j\iny pf his domeftics, whom he exricikd ami ui-th.-d in the Pruflian mode, and re^ulirly attended the cx- erciic every day iiimlelt. '1'he Kmpri-l> apprn\\-ii -it" this innocent amufement, wliich inij;i>t dei.uh iur nephew from intrigues in jH)liiii>, love, < r t. me- thing ftill worfe. Slie therefore c^.\!ered .1 Cvrrain number of foldiers to be dratted tnun k\\r.il !>,".- ments, and added to the eomp.iny a: < >r.ir:ic!>bra:n. and garrifoncd in tin's palace, company or regiment was m..t c v.p, \ mans, but principally ot l'ruiii.ii:>. an oliic-jr in it, who wa^ i Ruili.in. bra^e to the Ruiiian nobility, v>'.o. did not wiili to be admitted int, jealous of tlic prince's predilection !->r |., and this predilection prove* THE Grand Duke er.g.iged k. employment. In ins i;::ru;n i iniall ieale. Ir was feve i'ui to his ftudie.; in tl:e art ot vitli tills firft attempt, flructcd near the p.,1 ice > hrplan. Of this ' 94 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. like appearance in this court, which made the Grand Duke happy, the Emprefs laugh, and the Ruffians murmur. In the morning, at night, and at the hour of parade, the guns were drawn out. The fentinels* were numerous, and the rounds as fre- quent, as in a city with an enemy at its gates. In this houfe in particular Peter gave entertainments, and got drunk, it is faid, with his Germans, when he was not employed in exercifing or iffuing orders to what he called his army. NOTWITHSTANDING this kind of liberty, which the Czarina appeared to give him, he was not the lefs fenfible of the conftraint, in which her fufpicion al- ways kept him, and often even in public he broke out agr.inft her into violent invectives, w r hich fome were buiy enough to repeat to Elizabeth, not without xnuch malicious exaggeration. His enemies, and they were not few, reprefented him, to the Emprefs, as ungrateful for her kindnefs, complaining that he was invited into Ruflia only to be confined as a ftate prifoner, exprefling the greateft delire to return to Holftein, and reiling all his hope and confolation on the death of his benefactor. Elizabeth, credu- lous like all women, liflened to thefe reports, which were almoil always malevolently interpreted, and they made fuch a deep impreffion on her, that her jealoufy growing with her age, he was once on the point of following the advice of Chancellor Bef- tucheff, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. .5 tuchefif, who was really of opinion, that (lie fliouLt exclude Peter from the right of fucccfiion to the throne, and name her grand nephew Prir.cc Paul in his room, and Catharine as Regent in c:\fj of .1 minority. Such was the it.it c of ail'iirs, when I'.li- zabcth died on the 25th of December 1761. ON the 5th of January 1767, the ('/.ir P: the favourite and prime minitler rr (}\c ;.;npi\; Anne, whofc arrogance and misfortune., \ve hi\ t; defcribed, was the firfl, \vhom Peter releafcd. reflored to him the Duchy of Courlar.d, and Hire: at Mittau remembered tlie at Berezowa. At Mittau lu: had received leilbns troni ad- by them. His death was ;h the grief it occafioncrl to tli. is affectionate ions exper father. MARSHAL Munir.h wv, ti recalled, and whole return Chriltopher Burclnra, kiv ^Munich, w^5 ion to 211 oi 1 9 6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. King of Denmark. After receiving a good educ&> tion he at the age of feventeen entered into the fer- vice of the Landgrave of Heffe Darmftadt. He had fpent the early part of his life under Marlborough and Eugene, and had fecured their efteem. After- wards he had gone into the fervice of the King of Poland, and at laft into the Ruffian ; where after having ferved with equal honour and fuccefs, he had arrived-at the rank of Field Marlhal. In the different enterprizes in which he was employed, and v/hich he executed with a degree of judgment, on- ly to be equalled by that minute punctuality, which i.s to be found in Germans alone, Munich had made himfelf be feared rather than loved, becaufe he was irafcible beyond all defcription, and ftill more im- placable, when he thought himfelf offended, which lie ofren imagined himfelf to be on the flighted grounds. In his family he was particularly fubjecl: to fits of pafiion, f'o that it was only the neceffity of gaining a livelihood, or the hope of riling to fome good appointment, that kept fervants with him ; for it \vii$ necedary to watch him continually, to gviefs liis wifhes, to be a perpetual Have to his whims ?JK! oddities, and to bo more than literally exact in the cxccinion of his orders. He has often been known to change colour, to gnafh his teeth, ancl to drive A kcKLu-y from his cabinet, becaufe he had not TRAVF.LS IN RUS-JiA. Bot folded a letter to his n.ind, or 1>. cr:lc in < ing it he had omitted a comma. }\ut h: nutcs after, Munich \v>s aihamed o! his pafiuv called the frcrctary, and u -/T! a kind ' ration. This was the moment u> c>ht.iin a t from him; and. k-rvinu, who arc cap.'h!;. 1 IM v >/ ;. insr and difcoverinsr the \vc>knc^ ^1 tlni; o o uev 7 C2' let iV.cu an oppcrturiify el<*ip . Mu'iu 1 ) ?v rnoit zealous patron to his, and in. 1 of them all. Hu\v man v mailer; iii; Mui'i J ' 1: -\v many ierv:n)fs lik: lus ! And hov/ m ,- Ur;i;:. do we find made like theirs ' MUNICH poiTelVed tli- coid'dciir, o! I ;: ^ Anne, and employed it tor rcndcnr.. 1 , vices to Ruilia, \viio v/iil never : indebted to him for the inflitution of th- Cadets, and for the canal. to the "YV'oIpu , a \voi-k, * traniportaticn of provifu-io t: fcrvcs the capital iY->;:; !'-ir.-!ry it \v;'s cxooi -'-' t ( N " r : 9* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. lovers, gave him up to commiilioners appointed iQ examine the ftate-prifoners. As thefe commiffioners were fuch, as all defpots take care to choofe, when they have any perfonal refemtment to gratify, Mu- nich YV as of courfe found guilty. IN the firft examination, which he underwent, it is reported that Prince Trubetzkoi, who was pre- lident of the ccmmiilion, alked him if he was able to exculpate hirnfelf for the untimely deftruction, of fo many men in the Dantzic affair? Munich re- plied , that the papers depoiited in the war office would juftify him, but that he had fomething great- er to reproach himfelf with, for which he would never forgive himfelf What is that afked Trubet- o ikoi ? It is, replied Munich, that I did not make you be hanged, when you was accufed, and con- victed of having pillaged the military cheft, during the war with Turkey. Trubetlkoi remained for fome time confounded at this rebuke, which he did not in the leaft expect, and put an end to the exa- mination the fconer, becauie he knew the Emprefs was attending concealed behind a fcreen. THE next day at a feccnd examination, Munich xvearicd out with the captious queftions, that were put to him, and convinced of the plot formed to find him guiity, rofe up in a pailion, and faid to the commiilioners. Vibai is the ufe of fo many artful Jhifts? I know y cur intention ; Let us Jhorten this fede- runt* TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. - /} Timt. Diftate the anfwcrs you -ivijh m: to .r ; , ir. / / 'willjtgn them. They took him at his word, wrote a long ferious of confeffiom of crimes, which Mu- nich iigned, and thus thcfe flrange proc^dir.;;s wci- concluded. He was immediately convicted, and without any other formality condemned to \:c I in pieces by horfes ; a dreadful punifhment, which he heard pronounced without the leait emotion. HE fhowed no lefs courage on the cl ;y they were. carrying him out for execution. lie walk,, I be- tween two rows of ibldiers, with a fie.idy iii p, a rnodeft countenance, and a ferene look, wlii/ii e-x- prefTed the tranquillity of his loul arid hi-> - innocence. On his way he took notice 01 everv . dy, and if he recogniied any ofiicer, lie Lilutu afFeclionately. When he arrived at the place ecution, he fiiid to the olllcer, who was at the ! of the corps, Sir, command with that iirmnet, which you have teen me in battle. / ,j favour only. Gkv asfeon us {//;> delivering me from a life, <:ct I would have tj/t mart /;r:< entreated him to accept or hi. je\vc!>, \ of very great value ; 'L '/Mi )"^> fortunate Munich, laid he to him, N them into his hand. INDEPENDENTLY of an cto Oiat energy which was natural to him, ioo TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, \vas alib fupported in the part he had to act, by that immoderate vanity, which marked every moment of his life, and by that pafiion for fame, which made him view future generations publifhing the memorable actions of a life, crowned bv a tragical ' O death, and \vorthy of their commiferation. BUT this tragedy did not end as he expected. Scarcely had one of the Judges read the fentence, xvhen the place refounded with cries of Pardon. Elizabeth, who was not fanguinary, had fhuddered \vith horror, when me finned a fentence, which O J condemned one of her fubjecb to be torn in pieces ^ and a mbied, whom in her heart me knew ro be innocent, or guilty only oi" having difpleafed her. Hemorfe prevailed in thL awakened foul, and death was changed into banilhment ro Siberia. At this O news, inftead of being tranfported with joy, Munich feemed to lofe courage. His radiant brow was over- caft with clouds, and fome people, who were prcfent, have affureci us, that they beheld him returning to the fortrefs, ihedding a torrent of tears. DURING the reign of Elizabeth, that is, more than twenty years, he continued an exile at Pelim in Siberia, in a kind of fort, which, according to Jvlaniiein, he himfelf had caufed be built, for Biren, \vl-.oiTi he v. lined to deftroy. It \\-as a fquare ipace, of -about a h.nidrecl and feveniy fccr a fide, incloicd try high pCi'ifades, wherein there was a woodei:. houfe, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. houfe, In which he lodged \\ith hi:, wire u..! loi fervants, and a little garden, which he cu with his own hands. He was allowed a luin ^ to fix-pence fterling a day, for the luppori ot ! felf, his wife and fervants. But i.e inrrLiiol : poor allowance by keeping cow>, of \vlu)i ir.'nk fold a part, and by giving f mc young people er. , . i . HE was always tupp; ru ter III. would let lum '.- the Uirci-.c ; but io 1- evenc, being iil^'d in the litration, in v. :. that his cxp- 1 ccl feveral \vt cl-:i u; ' twcen tear Athftonthe nth of I , peaedncwsaimc. AYhenthe 102 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. His wife made figns not to interrupt him. When he heared the news of his recall he fainted, and when recovered he fell on his knees, and thanked God with the greateft fervour. ON the i pth he fet out from Pelim, and arrived at St Peterfburg on the 24th of March, clothed in the fheep-fkin he Ir.d worn in his prifon. All his relations had advanced to meet him. He watered them with the tears, which joy drew from his eyes, and with thefe were mingled the tears of the offi- cers and foldiers, whom he had in former times led on to victory, and who on this occalion fen ed as a retinue to him, while he walked in proceiTion to his houfe. From the character now given of Munich, we may well judge, that this was the moil delightful day of his life. ON the 31(1 of fame month he was introduced to the Emperor, who after having inverted him with the badges of the Order of St Andrew, and re-efta- blifhed him in his former rank, faid to him, " I HOPE your advanced age will not prevent you " from ferving me Hill." " Since your Majefty, " replied the Count, has made me pafs from dark- *' neis to light, and recalled me from the wilds of " Siberia to admit me to the foot of your throne, 64 you fhall find me always ready to rifk my life in cc your fcrvke. Neither my long banifiiment, nor " the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. i v , head to in ik> a fea port of Rocherwick; apian, which he onb did not think abfurd, and Catharine II. was g K enough not to oppofe, from motives of indulge to thelaft moments of this worthy old man, !mi fo foon as his eyes w-ere doled, the rort w.is n more thought of. THE unfortunate Leftocq r zabeth in mounting the thr v facrificcd to a cabal, covetous adventurer, wa^ not forgottei another place we have obierv ilored him to liberty, bur that from him for ever, lh.^ io.f TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, leanif d to live on little in the deferts of Siberia ; and this art is much more conducive to happinefs, than immenie riches, which glitter but do not fatisfy. AMONG thefe reflored to liberty by Peter III. one of the molt considerable was the Count de Hordt. a Swedifh nobleman cf the mod illuilrious birth, who had left his country, in confequence of being concerned in a plot, formed by Count de Brahe, in favour of the court, to iupprefs the Diet, and render the King':; authority again fupreme. Count de Herat, of h'gh reputation with the moil celebra- ted Generals in Furopc, entered the Pruffian fer> vice, after his cfcape from Sweden, and after ha- ving rifcn to the rank of Lieutenant-general, and gained the eucem of Frederick the Great, was made priforu-T by the Ruffians feme clays after the battle of Cuilrin: where Frederick was completely beaten. INSTEAD of being treated with the rctpecl: due to hi.-! rank and reputation, Count de Hordt un- cl-:r\\ en;: the rl. r ours cf die Ir.'rdeiL captivity for near ihree yen's. This captivity did not terminate tii. tiic i:-.:--i of ] r .li;:abcthj who oil this prisoner. took vei::i;'ja!ice for a ibrt <>t i;ut;',ige, whicli flic itii. ;...v. ilic haii rcc-ivcd iron; ii:e r,-iiiL: oi" Fruilia. O becau! he had broken on the \vlieei a Ruiiian Licu- tenaiu 3 con\lacd ol: !ia\:ng ioraicd a plot to afialli TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Jiate the garrifon, to which he and hi, companion had been committed, PETER III. who adopted a good fyftem ot policy direclly oppofitc to Elizabeth's, lott'no time in mi king reparation for the injuries done to Count vie Hordt, not only by fetting him at liberty, I JU c ! '-vife by giving him the kindcii reception, ;md adrr.i^ ting him into his confidence, C H A P. VIIL rxisruAriON '/Peter III II: .<.;/.,- ,- .:., the King cf Prujfia.Hh r-.f.rn.M^--:,- cited bv tb:m. His imprudcr. :. l\in: - * / Czar's private life.Of Cathjnr-c bh :.: .. Counter's cflVci;nz.>\ Peter's ::.['! i\f:. j\ T .1 r .1 -r /' i jTll tne tmyj or tn^ Liprti: i.iirabcth \s <:_ Ruilia was at v.-ar with the Kii:^ of IVu'ii L, i-. ^ cert v.-ith the courts of Vtriiiil3e:i ar.;i \ : .;: . had reiibn to look for th.. molt g!orL>,- !L.\ Frederick's reiources were ilmoit 'us vJirorous arjd r.Kxd -J'.ii i'.,'iit:'.'c. .:::: i , :i ; verge cf being overcome bv J nu::.L\ T7 r i ,, ,. ,. ( , ; , , i j . t ,. ..,',,.;, adn'iirer of Frederick., h;' minittei moil improbable fufpicion, the nioic a;;iurd tion, was fufiicient tor this tribunal t.i of every rank and lex, ai:d to nn.- the moil cruel torture: "i" 1 fuch tribunals ahvay- and in fome (nlicr counl of liberty is the rallying CommiUo.es; and the Dcipn not the only monarch, wl the unforttiiiale man, that his rileafure. i. ic8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. BUT Peter III. who has been often calumniated, was perfectly fenuble of the abfolute neceflity of ju- dicial forms for the condemnation and punifhment of criminals, and that any other procedure was a cowardly aiTaffination. In this fpirit he abolifhed the tribunal which we juft mentioned, as well as fe- verai privileges, which the nobility gloried in, for the opprefiion of the poor flaves, that belonged to them. But, while he deprived the nobility of fuch rights as were an outrage to nature, he exempted them from the indifpenfible necefiity, under which they were, of ferving in the army, and granted them liberty to travel out of the empire, which they could not do in former times, without exprefs per- rnifiion from the fovereign. It was alfo a part of his plan to reform the numerous abufes, which had crept into the administration of juftice, and to efta- blifli a more regular and ieis vitiated fyftern of ju- rifprucknce. Waiting for this reform, he kept a watchful eye on the tribunals, went in perfon to the fenate, which he found almoft abandoned, and in a ftrong but noble manner, mowed the fenators, how feniibie he was of their negligence. This ha- rangue againft prevailing ahufc?, had its effect, but in laded only for a day. The fenators of St Peterf- burg are courtiers, and it is well known, what is to be expected from this clafs of men., DURING TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. i j DURING the nrft days of his reign, wli'iai fiinr.c in brightnefs, like thofe of the tyrants, whole names have appeared on the page of hiftory, for no purpofc vat to ftain it, Peter III. propofed io many uierul Nations, and accompanied them with lo many judicious reflections, that fevcral people conieiuJ. :!:.' mfelves wrong in having defpifed him. They i /en imagined, that during Elizabeth's reign, he had affected to appear a weak man or.ly from pditi- cal motives ; but his fubfequent behaviour lout un- deceived them. It mowed them that this prince: had always acted in character, and was ,i ; weik r, Jfnprudent ; that if he had enough ot ienie to a> ; t the plans, which others fu^gdted t him, he not enough to execute them at a proper time ; ili.it he was mad :n wiihing to rctorm every tliin ;, v ;;,:- out having any {hare or thai genii neceflary to a reformer. In Ihort, the r-e: juft menrionui were accompanied with id qually ridieuiou - even ruinous ; ana felves were uierui ar. which could with ':.'- nc or a rcv.,i rcp\:~nant to tiie uvan; fians. For initance, \vho are nev r er irritate izing the property of the me. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. to the monks, penfions, inferior to the revcnnes he had feized on, but fuflicient to make them live in eafe and comfort. He alfo prohibited any novices from being received into monafteries, before the age ot thirty years. He added greatly to the grie- vances charged to his account, by cauiing be remo- ved from the churches, a number of images of * O faints, which were really objects of idolatry to the Ruffians. But the enthufiafts raifed the loucieft cries again ft him, becaufe he banifhed the archbifhop of Novogorod, for having refilled to fu'.-fcribe what the prelate termed facrilegious innovations ; and in- deed they were imprudent, becaufe the Ruffians were not yet enlightened enough to adopt regula- tions, which almoft all the governments of Europe, not groaning under the rod of fanaticifm, have made hafte to efnblim. In Ihort, a general difcon- tent broke out among thefe fuperftitious people, and Peter was obliged to recall the archbifhop of Novo- gorod. This prince's enemies, that is, the clergy, gave out ; that, being brought up in the Lutheran principles, he had embraced the Greek religion, on- ly to raife himfelf to the throne, and when he found himfelf, as he imagined, properly and fecurely feated, he pcrfuaded himfelf that diflimulation was unneceffary. This appeared plain from the con- tempt he publicly difcovered for the rites and cere- monies, TRAVELS IX Rl monies, which were tlu: ob; ui the n found reverence among his fubjecK HE could not be forgiven for luving built .1 I.r.. theran chapel in the fortrefs of ()ranienbau:n, ' having been prefent at its dedication, :uui I ving diftributcd books of lpiritu.il (bugs im : his German foldiers, who followed t! i their fathers. It cannot be denial tin; lYkr I!!. violated the rules of propriety too openly, \ i notice would have been taken ot fiich mi: . parts of his conduct, if he had not abfjnted hi:-::, !: from the confecration of a Ru: : Mn cliurcli a fame time and place. The eye of an er.i'rj:! feldom impofed on. Not'.ir:i; ci;:;\- !:ini, . what would be to any other pcrf r. difference, is to him an unpardoiM'- 1 ^ IT will hardly be credited, that i: \ to him as a criminal ad", that of two (hips were launched in hi.s rei^n, Prince George, and the oth-.r, J'r. uncle, and tlic King of Prui:;i. that he had inilihcj the Uir.r^ of men to thefe fhip. 7 . nough to clrav/ do\vn t;. Ruilian navy ; ;in-J corii..-;.. Catharine H. thar fa v.v-'J ! new. Being a better pohr; or cnthufiaft, tli/m uer i a> na TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, their intreaties. The {hips were chriilened anew, received the names of St Nicholas and St Alexander, and were the only mips taken by the Turks during the war 1768. ONE of Peter's moil heinous crimes, which brought on him the heavieft load of prejudice, and gave great offence to the arrr^y, was the preference he gave in public to the Holftein- guards, by the in- troduction of the Pruffian difcipline, and the new uniforms, which he gave ieveral regiments. The Guards accuftomed to remain in the capital, openly expreffed their murmurs, when this prince fent a part cf them into Pomeriana, where the army was collecting, which was deilined to act againft Den- mark. He difaftected the nobility, by appointing. his uncle, Prince Holftein, generaliffimo of his ar- mies, and by repofmg his principal confidence in fo- reigners. He raifed a general hatred againft him- felf, by publicly expreiling his contempt for the Ruffian nation, bv his manners and religion. In * f O ihort, his admiration, or rather enthufiaim for Fre- derick the Great, with whom the Ruiiians had been io recently at war, wa? a n^.w grievance itated a- i^ainfi lilni, \\itli the heavier aggravations, that na= tioniil nr-de and fanaticifm, when ofrended, take a pleaiurc in irritating thei'c grievances. IT was repeated with a iort of malignity, that during EiizLibdh's lite tiriic, lie had one day ex- p relied TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. preffed his forrow to a foreign m'miftcr, th.it ever the Empreis had invited him to Rullu. tf continued Duke of Holftein, he had added, I " would have at prefent been commanding a regi- " ment in the fervice of the King of Pruni.i, and " have had the honour of krviug under the Hand. " of that monarchy an honour, \vhiJi 1 value ir.uc.: '" more highly than that of being Grand Di After having aicended the throne, nued to call the King of Prufiia im ni: clay converfing on this fubjcct with vourites, You know," he laid to I have always been a faithful fervanl and you ought to remember, th. e ' informed him of the iecrd The per^n to whom he addreile, pearing iurpriicd, and hei 64 are vou afraid of,"' -ie " lend you to Sibcrirs. IT is well known, tlv.it Prufiian army, i>nd frt^.faction, when he had h vice. Immediately on r- Litutenant-ffencral, ;> i 1 VT ' - r\ '' "' ' V> led hirnteii m A - di'oiir^e oi '-'-^c a^ tlil '- H4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. did entertainment, and drank to the health of hs's mailer, till he got completely intoxicated. DURING the fliort period of his reign, he kept up a confbnt correfpondence with this prince, from whom, he ah\ays received the beft counfels. Fre- derick like an able politician at firft difluaded him from the war with Denmark, but finding him ob- ftinafely determined on it, he advifed him firft to get himfelf crowned at Mofcow with the ufual fo- kmnitics, and when he fhould fet out for Holflein, i.o take with him the foreign minrfters, and the Ruflians whofe friendly difpofitions towards him he had reafon to fufpect. The fame prince, who was any thing lefs than an enthufiaft, but knew priefts, whofe art cannot impofe on philofophers ; he ex- horted Peter to take good care not to alienate the church lands, and not ta interfere with any thing connected with the drefs of the clergy, and to pay every kind of attention to his wife. This monarch, iiccompHihed in the fcience of government, already' forefaw the difagreeable confequences, to which the F.mperor would expofe himfelf by his imprudent conduct. He alib ordered his ambaffador at St Pe- ^cii'bur^, to {hew the Emprefs every mark of re- fpect. NOTHING can better exhibit the character of Pe- ter III. than his foolifli behaviour to Catharine. At his acceilion to the throne, he very frequently ex- preficd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 115 prefled the deference, which he owed to her fupe- rior genius, and at fame' time he let the public ice, that he had for her the moft deep rooted averfion. By an imprudence, that admits of no explanation, he even ordered her to be dreffed in prefcncc of all the court, with all the external badges of fovereign power, while he himfelf in the character of a limp!^ colonel, prefented to her the oilkers of his regiment. At the Benediction of Waters, he made the Kmj rel. take charge of the whole exhibition, while he mounted guard like a colonel, and ialuted her %u r .h the pike. On thefe occaiions Catharine's di.;n::;c air (truck all the fpcctators, and it w.is i:r,;>o for them not to commit it \vith the ur.prh'.ceiy Ap- pearance of her hufband. In this \\ay did Pcrcr in- form every body, that his wife was better qu.ihi.c ! than himielf, for governing the empire. Even a the very moment, that lie had iirmly reiolve, divorce and confine her, he fecured to her eftecm of the whole nation, by announcing puliiid) that flic had ruined his own. It is laid, th.it lie ot- ten behaved to her in the moft brutal manner, and that once, when he was giving an entertainment in honour of the King of Pruflia, he inliilted her to iuch a degree, that {he burit into tears, and ctp the table. ShVERAL hiftorians have controverted this fact, which others affirm to be very authentic, but there n6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. is one well known and difputed by nobody ; that Peter more than once difcovered his delign of arreft- ing Catharine, and her Ion the Grand Duke, of ex- cluding them from the throne, and of marrying his rniftrcfs, Elizabeth Countefs of \VoronzolF. He had hardly formed this plan, when Catharine was in- formed of it, by the imprudence of the Countefs herfelf. There is one thing certain, that by this channel, by her agents, but efpecially by Peter's own indifcretion, die .always got timeous intelli- gence of every mcafure taken againft her. This enabled her to choofe the fitteft moments for action, and to provide for her own fafety, by preventing her hufband's plots. THE following particulars refpeding this Coun- tefs of WoronzofF, and the internal order of Peter Ill's palace, are furnifhed from Count de IJordt's memoirs, which cannot be read without feeling. " THE Emperor," writes the Count, " had bid '' me return to fup with him, in his little room. " There I found a company very different from 6C that at dinner, where the Emprefs was. The " Countefs of Woronzofr was one, whom he had " made choice of for a miftrcfs. She was neither tc beautiful, nor pretty ; {he had neither wit, nor Ci knowledge of the world. But in thi.-;, as in all ic other things of the kind, tafte muft not be dilpu- c - ted. and. every one has his own. This lady pleafed " me TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 117 me the lefs, as there were fcvcral great beauties " of the party. Some courtiers were at this lup- " per, but there were no foreigners, but the lifh Envoy, and I. The fuppcr was very chce ful } and lafted moft of the night, for the ror, was fond of fuch parties j but they du prevent him from employing all the morning " butinefs. " THE Emprefs alib had her focicty ( <> ing. 1 went regularly to pay my court She received every body with as mud. jr; "affability. Yet in fpite of all her eti cheerful, it was ly to ducovcr u, 1, preffion of farrow. She is better aaju. any other perfon with the impetuo. character of her huiband, and pcrlui then prefeging, what .-a, foortly going to l^ u place. EVERY night there wis an affein - lace, and flic never miffed ..perfons, who attended, to iupwii "ten of the number ottlid . .. i:,, ...... {hare ot uiulerlt.uitiu*.,, ^ ceis has an c and has always bad a ta c tor r > " blethat the was adm- nour of approaching her. PrinrC ? one of her party, Prince .-i jiS TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. e Ufher, and the Emperor's favourite, came in and " whifpered in my ear, that they had been fearch- - l ing for me through all the city, to come and fup " with his Majefty in the Countefs's lodgings. Wo- cl ronzoff was no otherwife defigned, but fome- " times the courtiers called her Pompadour, a nick- " name given her by the Emprefs Elizabeth. I in- " treated Naritfkin to ad fo, as I might be over,. " looked that evening, for it was not in my power " to difpenfe with fupping with the Emprefs. At " firft he knew not how to manage matters, but as " he was a polite well bred man, and my own " friend, I told him ingenuoufly and without re- " referve. That is your affair. It is impoffible for " me to tell the Emprefs what we are talking of, and " IJlay where I am. It is your bu/inefs to get out of " this dif agreeable f crape, and to extricate me the beft " way you can. He retired and I entertained no " doubts of him fulfilling my wifhes; but all at once " we heard a noife, the two leaves of the door open- " ed, the Emperor came in, and after having very " politely faluted the Emprefs and all her circle, he " called me with a fmiling and graceful look, which " he always had, took me by the arm, and faid to " the Emprefs. Madam, excufe me if I fo night car- :t ry off' one of your gue/ls* It is this PruJJian, whom c ' / have made be fought for through all the city. The " Emprefs TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. no fi Emprefs fmiled, I made a low bow, and vent " out with my conductor." " AT the Countefs of WoronzoiPs we found, as " ufual, all the ladies, who compofed the focicty, s< or if you pleafe, the court of this favourite. " NEXT day I returned to the Emprefs' palace, " who without fpeaking to me of what had parted * 6 the preceding evening, faid to me v, ith a fmile, " Come always tofup with me, when there is no objiacie " in your way 1 availed myfelf of this liberty. " NEXT day there was a public entertainment, and " I dined at court. At table I was fct oppofite to " the Emperor, who fpoke of nothing but his friend " the King of Pruffia. He was acquainted with the " minuteft particulars of his campaigns. He was i formed of all his military arrangements, and knc the uniform and ftrength of all Ins regiments " In a word his enthufiafm was iuch, that he Jc { clared aloud, that he would very foon put all troops on the fame footing, and really did mort time after. All the old uniroi n "changed, and the Emperor hi'.mll ** changing In^' 1 120 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA; CHAP. IX. PETER III. form.'; the plan of confining Catharine. A party is formed tofave this princefs, and raife her to the throne. She confents. The revolution effected. The troops and fenate declare in her favour. She is proclaimed Emprefe of the Ruffians. Irrefolution and pufiil annuity of Peter III. lie ivijhes to enter in- fo an accommodation. His propofdls are not liftenedto. He ivifncs to fly to Cronftadt. He is refufed ad- mittance. His defpair. He abdicates the crown^ and delivers himfelf up into the hands of Catharine. > He is carried to Robfcha where he dies. ry 1 HE danger, which threatened Catharine, was dai- ly growing more imminent. H'er friends, as well as thofe, who formed Peter's court, were all perfuad- cd, that this princefs was on the verge of lofing her liberty. The houfe building at SchluiTelburg by the Emperor'^ orders, for a perfon of the firft rank., \vas rifmg fo rapidly, that it was fuppofed, it would be finifhed in the fpace of fix weeks. Peter had pr/.-.c i.-. pcrfini to examine it, and no great pene- ir;nio;; v;\us ncccliarv to ciiicov'cr, that it was de~ ii^ncu for ;hc Ernprcfs. In tliis critical moment thoic of f liis prh'iCcfo' party alfemblcd at St Peteriburg, to watch over her fifety. Except the princefs Dafch- kovv and her piuticular fnend^. there %vas a very fmall TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ., Imal! number of the iirft nobility on ihe V;,, fide. v Her prnielpal partix.ins xvcn Pri: konfki, Count IVini-n, the Gr.md Huh/ Count Razomoufki, Ilctmnn of L'kninc, ;ui ! ; Counts Orlcfo, Alexis and Gregory, ! :' ',;;: upon the throne, and S>r -..: r y:':;; * : . ; execution it \vaj decree',! th.it ;h . \ time , and ievcral or the principal nobi;i'\. Scrvi. performed by the arciibiili.;-:) of Novo.- .;\ ,!. 1;. :o:. whom the Kitiprer; took the uii;;U o. = : ;i ,,: ; r\ :: inviolate the privileges ar-d reii^ior. -; ;'..' ill. ".: Immediately -.he peop: <_.; to !:er, .:: turn took the ca'Ji ( When this ccre;v;oay \va.i conelud? d, i,.i:... kl i;.v to the Senate, the ;ers oi \vhivh ack;i.-.\\! her for rheir Ki: prcis a;id only ib\ .rJ.;:i. \ r ;- T: had been fprs:u! 7 ili.il Teter, ti.e evening be!. ; been killed Uy a fai! from hU horle, and ;!. been not a little ui.-.^il to tlie 1::.. tion. r l\\c Kmprc !:>' reiir.ue inuv.t!; ment. r \'vo regiment ; til Cit; i:\! ly leit St PeU-rinui-;.-; tu j.iin :! -in.-,; ; ' .V. '. I i ' were infta::th recalled; irritated agan.lt the ; i : . p. leave the capit iL t!-,-. dismiclvcs vrid.er the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. SUCH was the hatred, that Peter III. had brought on himfelf, that fo foon as intelligence was received of his depofhion, and Catharine's elevation to the throne, the manifefto, whichfhe publifhedin juftifi- cation of her conducl, was read with univerfal joy. ALL the Emperor's partifans were arrefled, and among others Prince George of Holftein, who had come to St Peterfburg on the 26th inft. under pre- tence of the preparations neceffary for the Empe- ror's departure, but in fact to watch the movements of the cppoiite party. It was he, who had put the officer of the Guards under arreft, and thus fpread the alarm among the Emprefs' adherents, and, con- trary to his intention, haftened the revolution, which dethroned his nephew. Catharine met with oppolition in no quarter, and though the ftreets of St Peterfburg were filled with foldiers, who in thefe terrible convuliions, ufually give a loofe to every fort of excefs with impunity, the greateft order and ilricteft difcipline were always maintained, and no perfon received the leaft infult. AT fix o'clock in the evening, the Emprefs mounted on a beautiful horfe, in a man's drefs, the uniform of the Guards, a branch of oak on her head and a drawn fword in her hand, repaired to Peter- ihoff, accompanied by the Princefles Dafchkow, Ra- zoumowfki, Orloff, her principal partifans, and fol- lowed by ten thoufand of the troops. Scarcely was Ihe TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fhe gone four wcrfts from the capital, when Prince Gallitzin, vice-chancellor, met her \vith a letter from the Emperor, but he was prevailed on to join the Emprefs' iirite, and took the oath ot allegiance at Crafnoe-Kapak, a fmall village only twelve mile from St Peterlburg. Count WoronzoiT, prime nu- nifter, alfo prefented himfelf before the Kmprds. come, faid he, in name of the Emt>:r;r, my .-;;.;/.vr, / , know what your intentions arc. Some perion oble ved to him, that Catharine had taken poilelliou <-f the throne, and that he was addrelling himiel: t his fovereign. He offered to take the oath ot alk giance, but having generoutty refuted to abind his matter, they took his iword iroin hi fent him prifoner to St Pcterfburg. AT Crafnoe-Kapak there \vas a luiier.ib! into which the Emprefs went, and continued th; fome time employing lierfclf with burning a - number of papers. She there appeared, i overwhelmed with grief, and flicJ i ilo yet me ilept fomc hours upon i be. tendants had formed with their of day, having recovered her eo countenance, fhc again niou went to the monastery of halted a fecond time. neral Ifmailoff delivered Emperor, whoib Utuation wa nm ,1., !- *2S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. more critical. But before we proceed fartker, let us fee with whan this prince occupied himfelf. WHILE the revolution was coming to maturity at St Peterfburg, he had remained at Oranienbaum in an unaccountable fecurity. Even the night pre- ceding the day fo fatal to him, he had fpent in com- pany with fome of his favourites in sxcefs and riot, and had retired at a very late hour aim oft intoxica- ted. In the morning, after having vifited the ca- O ' O ferns, he had fet out, drciled in his uniform of the Ruffian fafliion, to go to Petermoff, where lie had agreed with the Emprefs to give a pompous anni- verfary entertainment in honour of his birch day, it is affirmed, that he intended to have Catharine arreftcd in the mid ft of this entertainment. He had not pone half the road, when a gentleman, devoted to his intcrcft, who had made his efcape from St Petcnnurcr, afked to ipeak with him in private. Peter i'aid to him in a bantering way; ]Yhat ha-jf. yoifjl urgent ? I fc-f none but pcrfcns, ivbo have mat- ners cf importance 'o ccm/n^nlcaic /',' K:C. ]YLcn you re- turn h P-.t::rfh- f .'^-\ you i:;l!l have irnie enough to [peak t* r-ic. I>ut il-iC gentleman earnef'.iy repeating his ib- iic.i'idlions, the Err-pcrr-r at hil alighted from liis coach ^.lici Icarnfd what h?.d palled at St Feterfburg. 1 ;':..-; ;>n-[u: -11 the circumilances, he TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 1:9 )k did not feem to awake from the lethargy, into v, hich his immoderate fecurity had thrown him. Av. hit he gave way to indignation and terror. He was at firft damped and confounded, but recover- ing from this fit of defpair, he lent an aid-de-camp to Oranienbaum with orders to the garriton to imrch immediately to PeterfhoiT. When he arrived at the palace he found the Emprefs had left it, but c-mld learn no more. Marfhal Munich advilVd him to put himfelf at the head of his lloliiein troops and to march immediately for St Peteriburg. / before you, faid the brave warrior to him, ,; body Jball reach your Uajejt^ till, body. If this advice had been followed, would have been as infallible as glorious ; t thouo-h the lloliiein troops fcarccly amount thoufand men, they were firmly attach- Sovereign, and Munich commanded the; doubled their number. Befides Peter 1 friends in St Peteriburg, and the guards policed of no rcfolution, would l-.av, over by his prefcncc, to rank un lours But Peter was defective in c very moment, when courage was to Jc of the contending parties. ^ THE perplexity, in whicl fidcrable addition from the had accompanied him from Ora .^ VOL. II. 150 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. him at Pctcrfhoff. Nothing was to be heard, but tac lamentations of women, who furrounded him, venting the bitfcreft ibrro\v at the apprehensions of their approaching fate. All \vcre crying, all wifli- ed to give advice, and fcvcral of the ErnpreiVs par- rinnj, \vlio were prefenr, were wilfully augmenting the confufion. EVERY moment added to the Prince's danger and cleipair. He had fucceffive intelligence, that the Kmrrefs had received the oath of allegiance from i O ..'. great number oi' people of ail ranks, that fhe had i^ot polTeiiion of the capital, and was advancing at: the head of ten thoufand men. Then difcouraged i~y news fo alHicling, he difpatched courier alter ourier to propole an accommodation, but none re- rrirne.'l with an anhver. In this extremity he re- iolved to take refuge in Cronftadt : a courfe he '-.ught to h:;ve purfued more early, and it would iiave undoubtedly and effectually baulked his wife':; atteir.pts. Munich, who was feniible of the impor- tance cf this itep, had adviled him to it, on the iirit runurar of the revolution. He difcovered his mil- take, and io ioon as he arrived at PeterilioiT, he ciipatclied (-enerai l.ievcrs, and Prince Baratiniki to take poiuhion (^f this place, witli orders to ex- arr.me its it ate. General Lievers with ibme diHi- cuhv f;;imd admifiion info Cronftadt, and Prince li.iiMthillii returned to Pctcrfh-fl", to ailure the Czar.. TRAVELS r; RUSSIA. that no intelligence of the revolution h, 1 Ni- l-cached that place ; that the General was i:uki:j every preparation for receiving his ML;. would there find a fafe afylum, which I troops could not enter, and whence h- imperious necefiity required, go bv iea : llcin dominions; but that ihe qrcitcll d. : neceflary to prevent anticipation. On t!ii> ivn< the Emperor ordered the liolftein troops, wh.o v. already on their inarch to Pctcrfh^u to reUn;i Oranienbaum ; but by an incoinpreheniiin .- fat.-.: thetr march was delayed till midnight. \Vh :; prcfentcd liirnfelf a 1 : the harbour, the i : ::' fed entrance to tlie Yaclit, in which !:e v/.i-, t;:: pretence, tliat it \vas too late. 1 !i- aftoniihinen: v inexprciliblc. It was vaitly aupjmentt name was fent in, and anlwer \> as i\ tm name was a;< additional iva!on for reining mittance into ihe harbour ; anei as he watchmen tlireatened to lire t! 1 ., yacht, if lie did not immediately dcpar Tni' following wa.i tlie eauiv. of tin- very diiTcreiH f;om what he had 'xp..\ ral Lievers on his arrival a! (,'nniha the command of the. fort, bi;i perceivi oarrifon hid no knowledg: of the r i..* did not \viili to give tl:-. al.inn b) ' nev.o, and a^ he \va:-> cveiy moir. 132 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fee the Emperor, he had thought it moft proper"to \vait for his arrival to fecure the attachment of the garrifon, and give orders hoftile to the Emprefs* party. In the mean time Admiral Talyfm arrived at Cronftadt. He had been difpatched thither by the Emprefs, who in the confufion and dif- order of the firft movements, had forgotten to fe- cure this important fortrefs. He was received without hcfitation, and confidering the Rate of af- fairs, he thought it proper to arreft General Liev'ers without lofs of time. He was quickly obeyed, for failors more willingly execute the orders of an Ad- miral, than of a General. After having fecured the perfon of the latter, he informed the garrifon of the revolution, which had taken place at St Peterf- burg. He told them, that the Emperor was depo- fed, that the army and the fenate had declared for Catharine, that all oppofition was ufelefs, nay dan- gerous. Thefe arguments accompanied by an abun- dant diflribution of brandy and roubles, among thofc, who required more than brandy, produced the ckiircd effect. Catharine was proclaimed fole Emprefs, and Talyfm without oppofition fiw him- ielf mafter of a fortified place, the poficflion of which, would have rendered the fuccefs of the re- volution at kail doubtful if not prevented it. THE heart of Peter III. was wounded with for- row, when he iaw hirnfelf driven from the har- bour I RAVELS 1N T RUSSIA. i hour of Cronftadt. '1 he only rcfource'kft to MM in this woeful conjuncture, was to f.iil imn.r iirvly and feek an afylum in Sweden, whence he ly join his army in Pomcru::a, or pil". over i:: 1 . ', llolftein Dominions. But it wa . the fare i.vi!i.i- tion might be effected between liiin uv.l the !'.;r.- prefs ; and this notion joined to the te.'.r- .i::;l : portunity of the women, wlio were :i :;.- ceding day, he wore the Pruffnn uniform. < '--. !. > o * 7 return he was drciled in 'die Rv.ili.in uniionn, he ought never to have quitted. much he had erred in hurting th< judiccs of his fubjccl-. Ihek merit attention, bcciui: great events, and ierve to ch.irac actors of the Drama. AT Orar.icnbaum, whci with diiordcr and fear, lie ii him. At ten iiein guard, no former ilxed their mailer, th.m tiiev r.m in 1 54 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. him. Then a mod affecting fcene took place. Some endeavoured to kifs his hand, others raifed them- felves up to fee him, fume fell on their knees, or proftrated themfelves before him j all med tears of afieclion, and conjured him with affurances of the iirmeft attachment to lead them againft the army of the Emprefs, promifing not to abandon him, whatever mould happen, and to facrifice their lives for the defence of his. Thefe affectionate expreilions of zeal and fidelity inflamed him fo, that he appear- ed for a moment animated with their fpirit, and cried To Arms ; But this ftart was, if we may ufe the expreflion, only the laft figh of the fmall fharc of couracre, with which his heart was warmed. The O 7 reflexion that refinance would be ufelefs, and his own irrefolution, ag.iin induced him to think of fub- miflion. In this criiis there was need of a firm foul, and Peter had it not. lie was therefore ruined be- vond recovery. This happened to a prince in our own times, who was brought into a fimilar fituation, whence magnanimity alone could extricate him, but this lie poflcfled not. The confequences are too well known. WE have left Catharine in the monaflery of St Scrgius, where General Ifmailoff had delivered her a ir.eflage from her hufband. The weak and daftardly Czar offered to reiign the crown into her hand>, on condition that (lie would allow him to retire into Hol- flein TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ilein with the Countcfs of Woroir/.otl, arid Goud. witch, who was attached t-> him. Hut t'.ulurinc intereft on this occafion being to icvurc the C /.i; perfon without effufion of blood, endeavoured to amufe the prince, in order to prevent him trotn .my defperale Rep. She knew \vcil that lie might put himfelf at the head of his Ilolikin troops fend his life to the laft extremity, lie might efcape, and plunge the empire into all th, of a civil war. The ability, with \vl dueled an undertaking as diiiicult as dan 3 monitratcd that ihe had alio the addrcis ne enfure its fuccefs. WITH much calmneis and mdm prcfented to Iimailoff, how foolifli it oppofe her, Imce live was put in iull ri vercign authority by the content bodies, and different chffcsoftheft.it him the troops enc imped around the efforts of Peter would I.T; draw upon himfelf and hi- p.i irritated army. ^\-< fnoukl ofhib own accr.r 1 the terms oi his abdic flic cffcclually convinced iubmimon was lett him- ting eloquence, and cr.g and above all by t 137 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Ifmailoff took upon him to perfuade his matter to prevent the efTuiion of blood, by giving way to circumftances. ON his return to Oranienbaum, he found the Emperor, with Munich, the Countefs of Woronzoff, Goudowitch, and feme courtiers, who were waiting for him with the greateft anxiety. The Emperor and he went into another room, and the refult of their conference was ; that Peter III. the Countefs, Goudowitch, and IfmailofFgot into the fame coach, which had brought the latter back, and went to Peterfhoff without attendants or guards. They ar- rived there at half 'in hour after noon, and the Em- peror was immediately feparated from thofe, who had accompanied him. The Emprefs declined feeing him, but (lie fent Count Panin, who was received by himfelf. The public is ignorant, and doubtlefs will be for ever ignorant of what palled in this con- ference, between this nobleman and his dethroned Emperor ; but the wcaknefs and pufillanimity of the latter cannot be expreffed in a. more ftrikino- * O manner, than he himfelf exhibited them in the aft of his abdication, by winch the interview ter- minated. Hi: was carried to Robfcha the fume day, where he wa;, nude a prifontr. Ihis is a finall imperial pa- lace, about twenty werfts from Peterlhoif. The Emprefb too returned the fame day to St Peterfour^, and 1 :h , .!,:. TRAVELS IN IIUSMA. and entered the capital amid;! the .ictl.in applaufes of the people, She rode on !. The flrects were filled with ;i n rtn ;i_,; ()ll . muN-udi, who croudcd about Jicr on her \v.iv, ..::J. !;i.i- .1 her hand, which {he held out to every pcribn th.u .; proached. A great nun.lKr of prieits h.ul asiVm- bled around the avenues of the pai.ice. \Vhcn ih* came to the place where they were, (he uY-pprd r-i kifs the molt dignified amoiv^ them on t!;e eli.-'k, while they kiffed her liand ; a manner of filut iti-tn, . which, as we have obferved, i- : cmpl<.\\\l in I\-: to exprefa the higheft degree of r< ipe't. As foon as men's niincl.-j, which -ir^ al-v.iy- \.\\- i- ted at the beginning of a revoluti"r. .': . i ; a little calmneft, and as li.-on -s tii. thought they had got vengeance intrigue, and rear their head-, feen to repent of Laving a!>andaive. The populace, always re.\J\- tj i . treme to another, took pity narch. He was no mr.rc an u . a bad governor, ar. undervalue!' i ; o moil acceptable to tl;.~ nation. nate prince, wlio, in fpUe oi capacity, had qualities prop.: beloved by the pcopl-N ^ i:! r - Vl ' ; ' himfelf to all around him. 138 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. WHILE the Emprefs was on her way to Peterfhoff with her army, fever al foldicrs had given ftrong proofs of difcontent ; and it has been fince known, that if, at the fir ft news of the revolution, Peter III. had appeared in perfon, a part of the troops would have come over to his fioe. His friends had percei- ved tliis difcontent, and fecretly fomented it. But thefe murmurs caufed only a very Alight fermenta- tion, and the accidental death of Peter reftored peace to the Empire, and delivered it from the horrors of a civil v/ar, which were threatening it. On the * O feventh day of his confinement at Robfcha, this prince died on the 6th of July, old ftyle, and in the thirty fourth year of his age. His body was tran- Iported to St Alexander Newfki, and expofcd on a ftate bed, where, according to the cuiiom of the RufTuns, people of all ranks were admitted to kifs his hand. It was afterwards interred in the church of this rncnaftery, without monument or infcription to recall his name to the remembrance of pofterity, who now fcarcely recollect him. Such is the fate of thefe infignificant characters, whom their birth r.iifcs to thrones, from which their incapacity hurls them, if, under their reign, the weakeft exertion is nvide to (hake clT the yoke. PETER'S death was followed by none of thofe tra- C'.ical events, with which revolutions had till then been ft aiiicd. Nobody \v*s even font into Siberia; there TRAVELS' IN RUSSIA. there was neither pubhc nor private rxccut,,,n. | |, Empms pardoned even her perf.,ml enerni . Mi, . fhal Munich, who had given, ;n we have fcon! the keft advice to the Emperor, and haj oiTercd f' dj fend him at the hazard of his own hrr, wi , si> ! ,,-. garded with an evil eye. On the contrai \ , th F.ir- prefs was charmed with the attachment, which no m rc ur -. ' Count \Voron-/ ; oiT, who !nd heen at liberty, nnd he v, ;s aft^r'.'.-.ir^- ::ipl- niiriftratioii. A> ior f 'i'j Counfef?, ih" ..\,\ ^either jcaloufy nor rclentiiunt frm C'i f :: Her perfon was rcfpcc';. -1, nnd i'i- u.is j\ i ,ii;; ( enjoy, without any reihiclion, all th.it lii' v ceived from Peter's libcrili f y. Cathirinr* i;ui. J by a (entiment of magn.ininnrv p-culiir ^ 140 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. rafter, forgot the arrogance of this favourite, and the unealinefs me had brought upon her. But what completed this greatnefs of foul was, me alfo forgot the plot hatched by this ambitious woman, to ftrip her of the Imperial dignity, that me might inveft herfelf with it. She was allowed to marry a private fubjecl, and me was ftill vegetating at St Peterfburg during our reiidence there. Goudowitch, who had been the Emperor's counfellor and favourite, and had given particular offence to the Emprefs, recei- ved pcrmiflion to retire into his own country, and the Emprefs had the greatnefs of mind to forget the offence of the father, for the good of the fon. Youno' Goudowitfch was recalled into Ruilia, where o he is now a Lieutenant General, Governor of the province of Rjazan, and a Knight of the Order of St Alexander Ncwfk-i. The Holftein Guards, who had offered to the Emperor to march againft Catha- rine, and even prefTed him to give them orders to this effect ; they received not the lead mark of re- fentment. Such, as chofe, were incorporated with other regiments, and the reft were left at full liber- ty to withdraw from RuiTia. Prince George of Holftein, uncle to the Emperor, who was privy to the prince's defign of confining the Emprefs, was put under arreft, in his own palace, during the re- volution ; but as foon as it was terminated, me rai- fed him to the rank of Field Marfhal, and named TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. I4 r him Governor of Holftein, during the Grind Duke'; minority. THE Fmprcfs was thirty four years cf age, wh-n fhe pfcended the throne, .ind the fucrets of thr re- volution was not lefs indebted to her courage and ability, than to the zeal of her party, and. the favour of the people, who law their intereit in the c.iuie, which fhe maintained. WE mail conclude this narntive \\ith an anec- dote, which was told us at bt Petcrllmr^, .in { i, very defcriptive of courtiers Some years after t!i- revolution, Prince Potcmkin, who has been always in the oreateft favour with Catharine II. \vent ur.- O day to the palace, to pay his court to this pir.r.-s. In the middle of the (lair-cafe he met Prince ( \ ilit /,in , who had been Peter's intimate friend, and th t f h might not appear out ot countenance, he tint iddr; ed him. Vl'bat f:c:c.; at f . None, Galitzin anfwered you are going i join the Ruffian army ; he aflembled them in a poll- houfe in the middle of a defart, between the Don an ! the Wolga, and there he aflured them he \v.ij Peer I ! ! This band, compofed of wild andcrcdulor.s people, u .. eafily perfuaded. He wus proclaimed Emperor, .niJ every one of the CoiTacs haftened to t.-.kc t\c ot:h of alleLfiance to him. He nominated otliccrs .u i o minifters of ftatc ; but his reign was as liio:-t- > that of the other two. Two regiment, . : Cuir.i; ers CRITIC un, ind their ccmir/.ii.'.cr :r. .1 j; 144 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ceived Coffacs fenfible, how widely they were mil- taken. They were fo much ftruck with the impoi- ture,.that they not only made no oppofition to this officer, when he fcized the pretended Peter III. but they even affifted in carrying him to prifon at Cza- ritzin. There, during his trial, the inhabitants of the fort, furred up by the falfe reports of this pre- tended fovereign's partifans, made an infurrection for delivering him, and Colonel Zipletof, command- er of the cjarrifon, found no fmall difficulty in dif- O ' ' periing them. The impoftor was then carried to an ifle of the Wolga, where he received the knout, and died of the effects of this punifhment. Some time after a malefactor, who had been tranfported to Ir- kutfk, made a like attempt. He had already gained an officer, who enjoyed a peniion from the court, and had engaged him to get himfelf acknowledged, But this protection did not fave his fifth majefly from the gibbet. AT laft appeared Jtmelka Pugatfchew, whofe im- poilure had the moft ferious confequences, and gave the court of St Peterfburg the greateft uneafmefs, Thofe impoflures, which we have juft now men- tioned, were only ridiculous, but this proved not only ridiculous, but terrible. Pugatfchew, born a- mong the Coffacs of the Don at Simoveilk, a fmal! village on the banks of this river, had made his firft ciTay in arms in the war 1756, and had ferved in that. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 14, that, which the Ruffians waged with the Turk-, in 1769. After the f-ege of Bender, he had ibliched his difcharge, and not being able to obtain it, he had taken refuge in Poland, where he had. been wel- comed by ibme hermits of th^ Greek religion, v.\io kept hiir coivcealcdj but as he could not put up wiili their \\ ay of living, he left them. Aher thi> !. went into Little R.fTa, a;. d fettled for ibme time among the Roikohuk', who are there very nume- rous, and very ho!;:itab!c -, but, afraid of being dif- covered, he reared into the prindpil fettlement, which the Coffacs have on the banks of the IV.I, which was called Jaik before the rebellion. II : o-ao-ed feveral of thcie Coilacs to iollow him into Cuban, where he made them believe a bettei waited them. He had not then affumed amt.i;/ them the name of Peter III. In the mean time th ieditious fpeechcs had made h.im be arrrerie birlk, whence he was lent to Kalan t i ! The indolence of the governor, his vering him up to juilice, furnifned time and means of efieciing his el ipe prieft, who had provided him with ir.< the guards drunk, lie again joinc nions in arms, and with them went d *r a went up the river Irghis : fert, where be declared himfelr J himfelfattheheadofacj VOL, II. i.- r C TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. This country was inhabited by thefe fame Rofkol- riiki, whoa: Peter I had perfecuted, and as may be well expected from fanaticifm, the fpirit had palled iroin the fathers to the fons. Thus Pugatfchew had tiie uddreft to draw together a great party by means of 1'idr discontents and their religious prejudices, which he profeffed to adopt and protect. Tjir< rebellion of a numerous body of Coffacs was alfo one of the caufes, which operated powerfully in favour of this adventurer. They inhabited one <;f the banks of the Jaik, were descended of the CofTacs on the Don, and formed a race of men, va- liant and full of enthufiafm, for their ancient faith and cuftoiTis. They valued their beards as highly as their lives. During the war with the Turks they had been alked for a certain number of recruits to form a body of huflars ; they had furnifhed them without hefitation, but as the hufTars wore no beards, their officers wanted to compel thcfe recruits to fhave. As they and their relations opnofcd this attemptj which tliey laid, was aimed at their liberty and ruitoins, Gcr.cral Traubcnbcrg, a Livonian, who li.ici been fent with a frnal! detachment to Jaik to raife ilicie recruits, had the imprudence to quell tills kind of tumult, by making them be maven in public, ond cvrn in the middle of the fortrefs. The other Coiij.es their relations, were fo provoked at *his infuh , t'^t they flew to uruis, wounded feveral of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. of the officers, maflacred the General, hi, and the chief of the Coi'lacs, who had cu:ii this outrage, which they called facrilr-;: ; a was at firft only a riot, became a :;.:;: J.M! i; tion through the whole coun'rv. 'i 'hi-; cv^ni, \vhhh may ferve as a leilon to ihoie mconjidenUe n who know not with what precaution p'vulai pi . i :- dices ihould be oppofed, happened tovvards th: 1 < t; ,1 of the year 1771. THE fpring following General Trey man tv>ok pr,i- feffion of [aik, made ieveral r-ngLaders anuiiig th- mutineers prifoners, and. put a part of hi-, In garrifon in the to\vn. Several of the ini however efcaped, and retired into the dcl'.v cularly into the mari'hes in the neigh! )ou: !. the Lake of Kamyfh-Samara, \vhere tl:ey li iiiliing, hunting, and. forne provilions, v. iii brethren convened to them fecrctly untl 1 r Notwithllandirg thcfe fuccours, they 1 d ble life, and were reduced to the gre. when Pugatfchew cam- 1 , ainoii:-; ' calily fuppcfed ho\v he wa-, re-", ir-: by '. cially when he told them that lie w.ia tlu-ir 1 Peter 111. ; tlrat ho had efeapetl from p:i, ; the report of his d:alh was .MI iir.poiiure i.r by the ufurpcr Catharir.e , and th; himiclt in their hands, to imp! >ro their pr and by the r-HUVna: he c\\^ 148 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nihihte thofe abfurd innovations, which h?d been fubftituted in the room of the ancient and rdpecla- ble cuftoms, they had received from their ancestors* He was welcomed with enthufiafm. The Coifacs might have been undeceived, for there was not the leaft refemblance between Pugatfchew and Peter III. but he refted his impofture on the great diftancc from the capital, on the ignorance of this people, and above all, on the fanatic zeal of thofe, whom he addrefTed. In fhort, there was no need of many ar- guments to bring over to his intereft this horde, al- ready openly in a ftate of infurrection. They there- fore made the air refound with fhouts of Long live Peter III. Long I he cur Empcrcr. AFTER this kind of proclamation, the leaders of ihefe Coffacs, in name of the reft, fwore allegiance to him, and promifed to facrifice their lives in his defence. With this body, and many other perfons, whom he found equally difpofed to fide with him, Pugatfchew at fir ft proceeded to attack the new Po- lifh fettlements, which the Emprefs had formed on the banks of the Irghis. For this once he contented himfelf with carrying off their horfes and arms, with- out giving a loofe to that ferocity, of which he foon after exhibited fo many inftances. He then fhcwed himfeif before Jaik, the governor of which he in vain {ummoned tofurrender in the name of Peter III. He ordered an affault, but he was repulfed by the intrepid TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 149 intrepid courage of the garrifon, and, feeing he would gain nothing by a nc\v attempt, he Mocked up the place in hopes of reducing it by famine. This plan had no better fucccfs. The resolution of the garrifon was equal to its courage ; it n fmed to capitulate, although reduced to live on bork-ilcili and boiled leather. This \\-oi Jeifi.l n tip vice pro- traded the liege of Jaik, till it was relieved by i body of Ruffians. PUGATSCHEW was more fortur.ntc in other entcr- prifes. He marched towards the Coil'ics of llct/, and without rruch difliculty took by aiV.uiit the for- treiles of Rafypnais and Oicrnay;!. lie atncked that of Katifchewa, which \va> better defended ; but the fortifications being only oi wood, he I:" lire to them, and made hirnicli' liiafirr of it. A detach- ment fent againft him i^om ( 'renbur:;, under the command of Colonel Bu'of, f,:-il into hi. hand;, for want of prudence and rcfol'it'or,. Ar.other corps, commanded by General Zchcrnichcf, arrived t^o late to join the firft ; fo ill were opciMtiinis lonccrt- ed. Di-rr: TVFD by parties from the ar:nv chew, tJ.cy J'.i'i cnijasjcd ir. j-l-jiiu uncrrpcG:;. Hy attacked, tliat tb?; t uld v. :k,- r.o re- iiO-ancc. In all the engagement;-., ri;c c flic r,, \vh fell into the hands oi Pug.itfchcw, v.vre niailacrcd, .13 \vcil as the iuldicrs, who rcfuicd to enrcl them- 150 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. felves in his army. Augmented by thefe recruits, and feveral bodies of Coflacs, which had arrived, his army became formidable, and enabled him to undertake the liege of Orenburg, which, having no force fufficient to oppofe him, would have been o- bliged to furrender, if the garrifon of Krafcoyarfk had not thrown itfelf into it, by cutting their way through the allailants. So foon as the news of Pugatlchew's fuccefles were fpread, numerous bodies of Barfchkires, a barbarous people, who hate the Ruffians, and obey them only with reluctance, flocked to the ftandard of this re- bel. Their example was followed by feveral Ruffian colonies, efpecially by the peafants, that work in the mines and founderies on the mountains of Ural. He employed a part of his forces in the liege of Orenburg, the reft in carrying off the filver found in the mines, and in cafting brafs cannon and bullets, which he ufed in battering the walls of Orenburg. He fpent n. part of the winter before this city, and with equal madnefs gave way to all the exceiTes of the moft dif- gufting debauchery, and the moil atrocious cruelty. Hi'- army was now become fo ftrong, that all the af- iiftance received from Kafan was fcarcely fufficient for the defence of the paiTaee of the mountains between I this city and Orenburg. The fame winter he recei- ved a powerful reinforcement of about ten thoufand Kalmucs, who came from the neighbourhood of Stauropol, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 151 Stauropol, and had revolted, after killing their com- mander. With all thefe united forces, he overnr the mountains of the province of Orenburg, dcfoh- ting them with (ire and fword. The fimll town of Ufa alone refifted, and he did not force it. He made a circuitous march, and was already advancing towards Catharineburg, where he would have found copper money to the extent of more than nine hun- dred thoufand roubles, (202,500) when on the re- port of the approach of a Ruffian army, liipcrior to his own, he flackened his march, and fo allowed time for the forces, which were on the frontiers ot Siberia to advance, and cover this fort. IN the beginning of the rebellion, Pug.it icliew had affected irreproachable manners, and great tie votion. He dreffed like a bifhop, g-ive hi, tion to the people, and renounced all ambiuoi views for himfelf. He allured them hi* only aim was to place his fon, the Grand Duke, on throne, and then retire into a monailcry he had found an alylum, when ped from prifun. Then uniting coung: tivity, he was ready to fciz. 1 oppo fignalizing his arms, and profiting ges, which the country, where 1 war, and the iituadon of his end but his good fortune dazzled him. his rnpid iucceis ta became < 152 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. tuous. Leaving chance to operate, where he ought to have overruled it, he loft the precious moments, which fortune prefents in war, and which are never to be found again, when they are not laid hold of, and improved. It was attended with the greateft injury to his caufe among his friends, and thofe, who thought on becoming his friends, that at the very moment, when fome had arrived, he perfuaded him- felf it was no more neceffary to diffemble ; and con- fequently he mowed himfelf fuch as he really was, refumed his ferocious and depraved difpofition, and abandoned himfelf to the excefles, which it prompt ed him to. ONE of the moft palpable miftakes, for which he has been reproached, was having delayed marching to Moicow, when the fpirit of rebellion, which had already reached that city, might have delivered it into his hands. This opportunity was fo much the more favourable, as it was then defended by only fix hundred regular troops ; and as the war with Turkey did not allow Marfhal Romanzow to fend great affiftance from the army, then on the banks of the Danube, where the Ruffians were car- rying on a hard, and almoft a defenfive war. In- ilead of purfuing thefe advantages with vigour, Pu- gatfchew loft the greateft part of the winter before the cities of Jaik and Orenburg. During the liege of the latter, he made the officers and nobles, who were TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 153 were brought to him, be mafiacred with the moft fliocking barbarity. On this occafion he gave oul> that his deiign was to exterminate the Ruilian no- bility ; and to reconcile his actions with his words, he fparcd neither fex nor age among the nobles > who were conducted to his quarters, or whom the fortune 1 of battle brought into his power. In his army there was no perfon of rank or importance ; but to over-awe his fubjects, he had made thofe of his partizans, of whom he was bell allured, take the names of the principal Ruffian Lords, and inveft themfelvcs with the badges of the different ordeis of Knighthood. It is reported, that he at once, and. on a fignal given, ma'de all the German officers, who were brought to him, be mafTacred, for fear it mould be bbferved, that lie was ignorant of a lan- guage, which Peter III. muft have known. His conduct was not lefs imprudent than barba- rous. Although he was already married to Sophia, daughter to a Coilac, by whom he Lad three chiL dren, he manied another wife publicly at jaik, and fuipenued his military operations, to celebrate this marriage, with the pomp due to fo auguir a cere- mony. But he brought it under public ciiiLonour, / or by indulging in every fpecies of cleUiuchcry. In the midtl of tills entertainment, when he wa:: bealilv ir- toxicated, he received l?ie accjiniis of GCH;.T:I ! i^ ; biko::' bei::g on hi.-; -.vay with :i ccniidcriib! 2 body c f VOL. H, U loirr. i 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. iorojs to give him battle ; and thefe accounts onljT reached him,- when the enemy was almoil clofe u- j'on him. BibikofT had already detached Prince Ga- lit/Jn, major-general in his army, who furprifed Pu- gMtfchew's advanced pofts, and cut them in pieces rear the fortrefs of Katifchewa. But BibikofF, lefs iortisiiate than Prince Gaiitzin, fell into an ambuf- cade fome days after, ar.d was mafTacred by Pugatf- ciiew's Cofil^cs. Being again attacked and beaten bv Prince Gulhzin, whom Bibikoff's misfortunes n.id not tlifcouragsd, Pugatfchew was forcer to fly io far as Kargula, \vhere-fce was overtaken by Prince Gaiitzin, who defeated him totally a third time, and difperied his army ; which it was indeed caiy to dif- peri'e, for it was rather a multitude in ar...s, than :vn army. This day Pugatfchew efcaped with great difficulty. He however reached the mountains of: Ural \v : uh a imall ivamber of his faithful partizans, :md, in fpiLC of this defeat, he iiiil collected enough of iroops to appear again with a refpeclable force on the e:\ii: of thefs mr.uatains. He made himfelf m af- ter of fcver.il fbrtreii-js, and burnt Troitfk ; but be- Inf?' attacked anev/ by General Colin, he was worft- rj-d, and fc;rced to retire again into the mountains. j id-come furious by rcj-cated defeats, and bent on jio-i .iii^in.n" his 2nns by icmc brilliant exploit, Pu- '.citkiiCw at or.ce dirjci-jd his march upon Kafan, - .iiMmit! .in?; in every qiurtcr the ravages of a rob- ber, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 155 ber, who feems to make war only for deftruction- He burnt the fuburbs of Kafan, and laid fiege to the citadel, where Major-General Paul Fotemkin, go- vernor of the province, had taken refuge with all his force ; but, according to the opinion of the mi- litary men of this nation, he mould have kept the plain, and might have kept it with glory. It is faid that this conduct did no honour to the General, who avoided the Emprefs' difplealure, only becaufe his uncle was in the greateft favour with her. THE arrival of Michelforn at the gates of Kafan, changed the face of affair* Pugatfchew railed the fiege with precipitation, nnd unrft rot try his flrength with Michelfon, who wao an oificcr or tl-.c firft abilities. After refti^g his army two day.-, the General went in purfuit of the rebel, rime up wiih him before he reached the mountains, and d^f'ated him utterly, after feveral obftinate battles, which lailed near three cbys. On this occallon, Fug;i!f- chew's route was fo general and complete, that he him felf was forced to fvvim acrofs the Wolga, and fled with three hundred Coffacs belonging to Jaik, who were the moft completely ai med, and the mo ft obftinate of the rebels, in whom he repofed the greateft confidence. Notwithstanding this defeat^ which might be fuppofed to have difcouraged thofe, who had declared for him, there came to his ailif- tince feveral large bodies of Barfchkires, Coflkcs, and U 2 peafants., 156 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. peafants, badly armed, who had fled from the mines or the moft remote countries, and were flocking to him as to their deliverer ; as to one, who was to make them pafs from flavery to freedom. This at leaft was the hope held out to them by this im- poftor, who feemed to derive n * difcretion. After having made a ddjperate aefencc, Pugatfchew efcaped with a body of the principal accomplices. They croflcd the Wo 7 .ga, fwimming, and afterwards traverfed the dcferts Between this ri- ver and the Talk, where the rebellion had begun, and TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and his royalty, or rather robbery, had an end. There he was fucceffively abandoned by almoit the whole of the Coffacs, overpowered by fatigue, and exhaufted by hunger, and he was at laft betrayed by thofe in whom he had the greateft confidence. A Coffac of Iletz, called Twogoroff, and two belong- ing to Jaik, Tfchumakoff and Tedulef, his mofl faithful friends, were induced to commit this act of treachery, by the promife made them of obtain- ing a pardon. Twogoroff was the firft, who repre. fented to him, that furrounded as he was by his e- nemies, and unable to efcape from them, the bed courfe that remained for him, was to fubmit of hb own accord to advantageous terms. Enraged at this proportion, Pugatfchew drew his poignard, and was going to ftab him, who gave him fo cowardly an advice, when the three Coffacs fell upon him, difarmed him, bound him, and carried him to a bo_ dy of Ruffians encamped on the banks of the Jaik, commanded by General SamarofF, who made him be transported to Simbirfk, whence he was lent by Count Panin's orders to Moicow, alor.Lj with hh principal accomplices. Pugatfchew arrived there, confined in an iron cage, like that iiiVJ for tranl' porting tigers. This wretch, who had all tlie fero- city of this animal, well deferved to make l-!s entry into Moicow in this plight. Commiflioners, U, whom the fenate was added; trud hirc. and prcpi- 160 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. rations were making for extortinsr from him the O O confe/Tion of his crimes, by making him under- go the mod painful tortures ; when Catharine IL countermanded this barbarous defisrn. Not wifli- o ing her reign fhould be ftained by any atrocity 3 fiie gave orders that Pugatfchew mould ,be on- ly beheaded, inftead of being torn to pieces by horfes, which was the punifhment to which the Coinmirlioners had fentenced him, agreeably to the law againft High Treafon. He was executed on the 23d of January 1775. His body was quartered, and expofed in different parts of the city. Five of his accomplices, who had proclaimed him Emperor, under the name of Peter III. alfo fuffered death. Thofe who had circulated his manifeftoes, received the knout, and were banifhcd. In this way this fa- mous rebellion ended. It had not the moil remote tendency to deprive Catharine f the crown, and furely never could have let Pugatfchew on the throne. His part in the political drama was abfurcl, and fome ambitious man had taken the advantage of it. IT would be difficult to calculate the lofTes of e- very kind brought on RufTia by the rebellion of Pu- gatfchcw ; cities reduced to afhes ; more than two hundred villages deftroycd without a veftige left be- hind j thousands of prifoners maflacred in cold blood, and among them fome of the firft rank j a great number TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, i6r number of mines pillaged and deftroyed ; fuch wers he traces which Pugatfchew left on his way. Ca- tharine II. with a view to enife from the annals of her reign, the remembrance of thefe atrocities, iffued an order for fuppreilmg the name of the river Jaik? which has its fource in the mountains of Ural, and gave it the name of Uralfcaja-Reka, River of Ural^ It was alfo her plcafure, that the town of Jaik ihould in future be called Vraljk^ and that the Cof- lacs of the Jaik iliould take the name of Uralfkin-i Co/fcics. Catharine did not confine herfelf to thefe topographical changes. She flu died alfo how to wipe the tears from the checks of the unfortunate people, whom the ravages of Pugatfchew had redu- ced to the inoft dreadful inifery. They have been relieved, and have recovered fpirit, while they have bleffed the hand, which fent them thefe fuccours. VOL. I], X CHAP, i62 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. CHAP. XL DETAILS refueling the unfortunate Iwan III. He is de- throned by Elizabeth. Anecdotes. He is brought up in afortrefs, and transferred from prlfon to prifon. At the age of fifteen be is confined in SchluJJclburg. How be is treated. Elizabeth fees him, and con- I'erfcs with him. Effect , ^hich this interview has on ibis princcfs. Ph-iv hcan is guarded at Schlufftlburg* P erf GII of this prince. His intellectual faculties. His character. Vifit paid hir/i by Peter III. Parti- culars of this interview. Peter mitigates his lot. - He ii'ij7jcs to re/tore him his liberty. The courtiers dijfiiade him fr cm this intention, r jp .1 HERE is yet one unfortunate victim of ambi- tion, whofe misfortunes are, in the Ruffian annals, an article, from which injured humanity would wifli to turn away the eyes of poflerity. We mean Iwan III. This prince, by his mother, was defcend- ed from uvan Alexiowitfch, one of the brothers of Peter I. He was born on the 4th of Augufl 1740, His parents were Anthony Ulric, prince of Brunf- wick, and Anne of Mecklenburg, daughter to Ca- tharine Alexiowna. He was created Grand Duke, .by his aunt, Emprefs Anne, whom he loft almoft as Toon as he was born, and fucceeded on the 28th TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 163 of October, fame year, though only an infant of two months. He did not occupy the throne, or rather it was not occupied for him, longer than the 6th of December 1741, when he was depofed by theEmprefs Elizabeth. In the firft volume, the accounts of this revolution were given ; now fome anecdotes mail only be added. THE foldiers, fent to apprehend the young Empe- ror, had received orders to enter his apartment without the leaft noife, and not to awake him if he was afleep. Having found him ileeping at the fide of his nurfe, they flood around his cradle in refpect- ful filence, for an hour at leall, till he opened his eyes. Then they fell a difputing who mould carry liim off. The infant was frightened, and began to cry. The foldiers had pity on him, and allow- ed the nurfe to approach him ; and me, covering him with her cloak, carried him to Elizabeth's pa- 'lace. This Emprefs took the child, and killed him. While he was in her arms, fome foldiers, who were in the antichambers, having made the air reibund with the cry of Hura Elizabeth, (long live Elizabeth) the child, who was pleafed with theib acclamations, ftretched out his little hands, and, finning, anpea 1 '- ed to imitate the foldiers. Elizabeth, affected wiih this innocent gefture, could not forbear prefiing him to her bread j Unfortunate < rcatnrc^ me cried, nhis ! you perceive not that thefejhouts burl you from ibi throne* X -v IT 164 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. IT is no eafy t:ifk to follow Iwan from the time of his depofition, till he was transferred to Schluf- felburg, but. we are going to relate what is moft probable and interefting in the fate of this prince, who knew only the misfortunes of life. It is noto- rious, that he and his parents were firft con^cT^d to the fortrefs of Riga, where this family continued prifoners for eighteen months. Thence tL>3y were removed to Dunamunde, and afterwards to Orarien* burg, a fmall town in the province oi Woror.ef z, built by Mcnzikoff, when he was in favour. It is not exact- ly known, how long this family redded there, and if the young prince Iwan was removed along wii.Ii his parents to Kolmogorod, where they ended their days, as (hall be related afterwards. Bufching, w.hom we lhall follov.' in theic accounts, relates, that when the Regent Anne and her hufband were transferred to Kolmogorod, I\van, then eight years of age, was left at Oranienburg, and tint, fome time after, a ir.onk found means to IT feu e him from his nrifon, ;;r.d carried him to Smolenlko, where the monk and tlie prince were arreited ; that, to prevent a like at- tempt fcr the future, it was refolved to confine him in a place of d'illcult accefs and that, for this pur- pofe, die monailery of Waldai was fixed on, which ftands on an iile of the fame name, at no great dif- tance from the highway between St Peterfburg and Mofcov.% TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 165 Mofcow. How long he continued and lived in this monaftery, is not faid : till the time that he was transferred to Schluflelburg, nothing is known a bout him. It is not aftonifhing that this unfortu nate prince cannot be exactly traced, lie was a pri- ioner from his earliell years, and always fiddly guarded. It is certain, that during the laft eight ye^rs of his life, he was confined in the fortrefs of SchJnffelburg, whither he had been efcorted for the firft time in the year 1756. He was then fixteen years old. It was at this period that Elizabeth had the curioiity to fee him. For this purpofe me was carried to St Pe^eriburg in a very clofe coach. The interview took place in the houfe of Count Pe- ter Iwanowitfch SchuwalofF, coufin to the Emprefs' favourite. Elizabeth queftioned him, and converfed with him for a long time, without making herfelf known. It is faid, fhe could not bear the fight of this young man without melting into tears, efpecially when the prince, who had the fofteft organs, afkecl her, why me wept. Elizabeth was io much moved with this fcene, that me again never faw him, all whofc misfortunes fhe knew. But ambition fpokc, and rerunrfc w.is iilcnt. Tut day after this interview, the 'unfortunate I wan was carried back to lib priJon, which Eliza- beth intended to render more comfortable, but yet her fears ceufed not to vender it rigorous. The room, 1 66 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. room, which this prince occupied, was lituated at the end of a corridor. It was about twenty five feet fquare, and arched. The walls were of ftone, the iloor was paved with bricks, and the windows were not built up, like the neighbouring rooms, as ibrne writers have advanced. There were windows but the glafs was done over with a kind of gum, which allowed the light to enter, without it being pcffible to perceive any thing through it. The whole furniture confifted of a bed with callers, a table, and fome chairs. Two officers were continually confi- ned with him ; there was a centinel on the outfide, and a guird of ten foldiers at the end of the corri- dor. The officers and foldiers were forbidden to anfwer his queftions, or to put any to him ; and un- der the reign of Elizabeth, none of his guards durft tranfgrefs this command. Yet fhe give orders that lie fliould be made take the air, but that this mould be done with great precaution. In confequence of this order, he was allowed to go into the inner court of the fortrefs for fome moments, during which he could at leaft difcover the firmament ; which feemed not to have been created for him ; but the fears of the Ruffian foldicr, who thinks he is always deficient in his duty, when he overfteps it not, fhortened this enjoyment, which, on the day it was granted, proved to Iwan a fort of feaft. PORTRAITS TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 167 PORTRAITS of this prince have been drawn, which referable one another fo little, that they cannot an- fwer to the fame individual. People, who have had occafion to fee him often, affert, that his look was moft engaging, his ftature tall and well proportion- ed, his Ikin of the pureft whitenefs, his eyes large, and his hair moft beautiful. As for his intellectual powers, fome have maintained they were very li- mited, and nothing is more probable from the man- ner of life, to which he was configned. Others have gone further, and affirmed, that he bordered on weaknefs, and fomeiimes mowed figns of folly. It was certain he could neither read nor write, and it is not to be doubted, that he had no opportuni- ties of learning to do either. He fpoke the Ruffian. and fome words of the German language, which he had learned from his father and mother during his childhood; but he articulated ill, and, when he was any way agitated, he ftammered much. He was not ignorant of his origin, and knew he had been Emperor for fome months. Full of hopes of enjoy- ing liberty once more, and of afcending the throne fome day or other, he fpoke often of the conduct he- would then cbferve ; and when he was provoked, he threatened to punifli, when he was reftorec!, all thofe who offended him during his captivity. Tic was very irafcible, and carried his refcntment th-~- lenth of imdnd's, efpecially \vhcn. in a -fb.te o 168 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. toxicatfon, which, during a certain period happen- ed only too often, becaufe every thing he afked for hij table, was granted j but after he grofsly abufed this indulgence, lib allowance of wine and liquors was retrenched, in order to prevent fuch frequent cxceffes. Yet ninety roubles, (.20. 5.) per month, were allowed him for his fupport ; a fum moderate enough, but fufficient in a country, where provi- fions arc to be had at the cheapeft rate. SOME writers have aflerted, that his whole ward- robe confided of a very coarfe long woollen gown for fummer, and a peliffe cf fheepfkin for winter ; but this afTertion is far wide of the truth. Several perfons, who have had an opportunity of convin- cing themfelves of the contrary, have told us, that this prince had always at his command a great num- ber of fuits, which were to him a conftant fource of amufement. He often changed them twenty times a-day, and walked about in his room, admiring himfelf, like a child, with the look of the greateft fatisfacUon. They added, that Elizabeth, who knew this paffion for drefs, took a pleafure in gratifying it. As to his religions opinions, it was difficult to appreciate them, lie had fome notion of the Greek religion, prayed often to God with much fervour, but he. preferred and obfcrved the worfhip and com- niunion of his father and mother, who were both brought TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 169 brought up in the proteRant religion. It is report- ed, but we cannot affirm it as a truth, that this prince was vifionary, and boafted of having had converfations with the angel Gabriel. There is no- thing in his life to prove this aflertion. His parents had told him that Elizabeth filled the throne, from which he had been thruft, but it does not appear, that he was inflrucled of the date of this princefs' death, and ilill lefs of the events, which followed it. Yet Peter III, had fcarccly mounted the throne, when he propofcd to pay a vi* fit to the unfortunate Iwan, and to make him for- get the fufferings of his youth. He executed his dei'ign, and in this vifit took for his companions, Alexander Naritfkin, his Grand Uflier, his Aid- de-camp- General, Baron d'Ungern Stcrnberg, and Baron de Korf, who was then mailer of the police of St Peterfburg. As he wifiied this vifit fhould be made with the greateft fecrecy, he had provided himielf with his own orders, which bore ; that the commandant mould be bound to open all the gitii of the fortrefs to thofe, who were the bearers of them ; that he mould put no quciiion to thchi, and ihould fufier them to go through the whole boun- daries of the fortrefs, without even excepting the room occupied by Prince Iwan; tkit they Ihoulu have liberty to couverfc wit!: him, in ;ibicn-c of the commandant, and the ofliccr ci the guaril, \vlio VOL, 11. Y ihoulJ i;o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fhould be obliged to retire, fo foon as thofe gentle^ men, who \vcrc the bearers of the orders, fhould be introduced into the prince's chamber. PETE* III. chatted a long time with Iwan, with- out making hi:iifelf known. Hr even drunk a lit- tle coffee \vitli him. The following is the fubilance of th-jir converfation, as taken from the notes ot B.u\>r de Korf. PETER. TELL me, Prince, do you remember the fuffer- in~s that aflriled your earlieft years ? IWAN. I HAVE only a faint idea of them. But fo foon as I be^an to feel my misfortunes, I mingled my tir.rs \vith thole of my father and mother, who were uvmcippy or.ly on my account ; and I was deeply af- ilictcd only \vldi the harm treatment, which they ;uJ to be r :.r, \vhcn they were transferred from one frrirci'h to iirorh^r. PETER. V.'IJEKCE proceeded this harfh treatment? IWAN. FROM the emcers, to whom we were entruited. ar;cl who almulc all . >ined inhumanity to the rigo- . ons orders, which they rad received. PLTER. Do you r?r; I'cfr their names r I WAN", TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 171 I WAN. No, and we even avoided learning them. We contented ourfelves with thanking heaven, when it fent us any, who were lefs cruel. PETER. WHAT, did you never find any humane ? IWAN. ONE deferved to be diftinguifhed from this flock of tigers, and he carried with him our efteem and regret. How much he alleviated our mifcry by his attention, which was equally affiduous and generous ! PETER. Do you remember the name of this worthy man : IWAN. * AH ! do I remember it ? I will never forget it. It was Baron cle Korf. IT has been jufl now noticed, that Baron de Korf. was in the Emperor's fuite. He could not hear thefe accounts without being fenfibly affected. Pe- ter III. who was as much moved as he, took him by the arm, and faid to him in a low tone ; Baron, you fee a favour is never loft. While the Czar and the Baron were recovering from this fccne, Urgern Stcrnberg, who had remained alone with Iwan, afk- cd him, if he had loft the hope of afcending the throne. " This hope," anfwered Iwan, " fupports '-' me in this difmal abode." " But if thefe hopes << were realized, how would you acl towards the reign- " imr 172 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. " ing Emperor, and his wife r" " I would make 44 them be executed," faid Iwan, " as two ufurpers." Peter III. who returned with Korf, heard this anfvver, and was at firfl offended at it. But confidering the Hate of the prince's mind, and his lituation, he not only pardoned him, but alfo made himfelf known, and allured him, he would ufe every mean in his power to mitigate his lot, and procure him every fort of confolation. In the mean time, he enjoined the commandant to mow the greateft refpect to his prifoner, and above all to allow him liberty to breathe the air, and walk round all the fortrefs. AFTER Peter left Iwan's apartment, he vilited the iniide of Schluffelburg, and flopped at a fpot of ground, which appeared to him a proper fituation for creeling a houfe, in which the unfortunate Iwan might be more commodiouily lodged than he was. " I will," fdid the prince, " have it a fquare build- " ing, with nine windows on the fame floor for the " prifoner, and the reft of the ground made into a " garden, where he may take the air, and beguile " the wearinefs of the folitude, wherein the misfor- * tune of the times oblige him to live." WE were allured, that next day there were work- men on this piece of ground to execute this plan of Peter's, which would have been carried into effect, if his TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 173 his death had not prevented. This building is not yet finimed. WHEN Peter had returned from Schluffelburg, his uncle, Louis Auguftus, Duke of Holftein, advi- fed him to lend Iwan into Germany, with his fa- ther, Anthony Ulric, Duke of Brunfwick, and his children, and to afiign them a pen (ion fuitable to their birth. Peter, they fay, was not averfe to this advice ; but his miniftcrs, whom he confulted, were of a contrary opinion, and facrificing humanity to policy, the fyftem of minifters in all courts and in all periods, they pointed out the dangers of every kind, that would attend the difmifiion of this prince. Prevailed upon by their arguments, the Czar confi- ned hirnfelf to the promife, which he had made to Iwan, of rendering his prifon as comfortable as pof- fible. He even granted permiflion, with a view to give him fome amufement, that he mould be car- ried by water to Kexholm, a fortrefs built on a lit- tle ifland of the Lake Ladoga, and much nearer the court than Schluflelburg. FOR this purpofe he was put in a fmall covered boat, in which lie was to be carried to a finall gal- liot, that was waiting him ; but, on the paffage, the wind became fo violent, and the waves fo ftrong, that Iwan was dreadfully frightened. Some mo- ments after, he recovered his ordinary tranquillity, although the florin increafed to fuch a degree, that the i;4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the failors, notwithftanding ail their efforts, could not prevent the boat from being overfet near the fliore, and the prince was faved with the greateil difficulty. Misfortune feemed to purfue him every where, of which the following is an additional proof. BEIN-G carried back from the fortrefs of Kexholm to that cf Schluffelburg, by order of the Emprefs Catharine, who had but juft mounted the throne, Iwan again was in the greateft danger. Some werfts from Schluffelburg, the horfes yoked to the coach, in which he was, took fright, and run off. The carriage could not be ftopped, till the fore-wheels broke. There was a village to go through before they arrived at Schluffelburg, and to conceal the prince from the eyes of the curious, he was wrap- ped in a cloak, till he got into the room, which he formerly occupied. This flruck him fo forcibly, that when he entered the fortrefs, he faid to Un- gern, who accompanied him, " Baron, embrace the " unfortunate Iwan, for you will never fee him 4 more." He faid true ; and we are now going to fee him terminate his career by a frightful death. CHAP. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, CHAP. XII. MiROWirscH, a Ruffian officer, forms the extraordinary projcft of delivering Iwan III. His motives. Means of accompli/king his dcfign* He bribes federal foldiers of the princess guard. He employs force to win at his room. The officers entrufted with the charge of Iwan refohe to maffacre him, rather than deliver him to Mirowitfch. Imprejfion, which Iwan 's corpfe make upon him. He furrenders himfclf a prifoner. Is tried and executed-. Accounts ref peeling Iwan^s fa- mily. Character and defcription of Anne, Iwan*s mother. FortreJJes, to which this family is fucceffi-ve- /y transferred. Treatment, which they experience. - Anne's death. That of her hufband. Catharine IL takes care of their children. 1 WO officers, one called Ulafief, a captain, the o- ther Tchekin, a lieutenant, had been appointed to guard Iwan, and confequently it behoved them to be in his apartment. A company of about a hundred men were in the fortrefs. Six foldiers were detached to guard the corridor, which led to the door of the prince's room, and the pailages, which met there. The reft were in the main body of the guard, at the gate, and in different other parts or" the fortrcfs un- der the command of the governor. It was tli'.-n the rea&neut 176 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. regiment of Smolenfko, quartered in the village of SchlufTelburg, who furnilhed this guard, which was relieved every week. Such was the ftate of matters when a fub-lieutenant, called Vaffili-Mirovuitfch, formed the wild plan of delivering Iwan, expecting to make his fortune, if this prince mould be refto- red to the throne. This ibldier was grandfon to the rebel of the fame name, who had taken the lide of Mazeppa, Hatman of the Coffacs, who revolted a- gainft Peter the Great, and joined Charles XII. in the war, which thefe princes waged againft each o- ther in Ukraine. Mirowitfch had petitioned for the reftitution of his grandfather's fortune, which had been conlifcated after the battle of Pul- towa ; and becaufe the Emprefs had refufed his re- peated folicitations, he formed the plan, which we have juft now mentioned. To this he was inftiga- ted both by ambition and vengeance ; two pailions, which may well give courage to hatch plots, but cannot furniih the means of putting them in execu- tion. Therefore thofe of Mirowitfch, a man with- out fortune and fupport, werfe not in any fhape pro- portioned to the boldncfs of his enterprife. SOME months before he put it in execution, be- ing at Kafan, he imparted it to a lieutenant in the regiment: of Veliki- lacki, whofe name was Apollo Ufchakoflf. Thefe two confpirators went to the church of the Virgin, there took an oath on the al far TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 577 tar to be fecret and faithful to one another, and joining fanaticifrii to treafon, they indicated the Almighty to protect their deigns. They alfo pre- pared a manifefto, which they propofed to publiih fo foon as Iwan mould be fet at liberty. But in this plot, it was not the manifefto, that was moil diflL. cult to compofe and circulate; it was the execution, which was the height of madnefs, while the manifefto was nothing but childifh fluff. The execution was delayed till the fine feafon, becaufe it was imagined the Emprefs v/ould then make an excurfion to Li- vonia. Very icon after Mirowitfch joined his re- giment at Schluilclburg, but his confident Ufchakoff was drowned by accident on the aoth of March as he was going to Srcolenfko. DEPRIVED of his aiTiftance, Mirowitfch, could find no body, as is fuppoied, in whom he could place the lame confidence, He however founded a court domeftic, called Tiknn Cafatkin, and ui'c.d no fin all artifice to infpire him gradually \vith the notions^ with which his own head V.MS crainrned. He want- ed to employ him 3 if need rc-quircu, as a tool ull> ful for forwarding iiis pli!is. He ?.lio difclofcd* him- felf to Semen TchevaritSef, a Lieutenant cf Artil- lery. He communicated to the latter, in anibip-u- j ' \-> ous and indirect terms, his plan ci delivering Iwarj 7 and committing to him the charge of tiic regimer.rs in garrifon at 3t Pctcrfburg, but he ipokc of it on- VOL, !, Z 1y i;S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. Iy as a plan, the execution of which was deferred till an indeterminate period, and without difcovering Himfelf as the author. IT was with fo much attention and precaution in cafe of bad fuccefs, that Mirowitfch prepared to exe- cute this perilous enterprise. He did duty in the fortrcfs for a week without finding a lingle oppor- tunity favourable to his views. He obftrved how- ever, and made a mark on the Prince's room door, that he might know it again. He ihowed it to his friend Semen Tchevaridef, who had come from St Petersburg to pay him a viilt. At the end of the week his duty in the fortrefs was to end, according to the- eftablifhed rule, but he folicited, and obtained under fome fair pretext, permiiilon to continue there, and thought he had found the moment of action on the evening of the 4th or cth of Tuly old ft vie. He O > * / had imagined that the fokiiers on ^uard with him o o that day, would be more eafily feduced, than thofe, who had been relieved; but it did not appear, that he was Cure of any of them, ezcept Jacob Pilkoff. It was only at ten o'clock at night he made the firft com- munication of his defign to three corporals, and two iblcliers, who at firf: refufed abfolutely to join him. However being aided by Pifkoff, he was by his infmuations at laft fuccefsful in perfuading them to favour his fcheme. They engaged to fecond him, but he could not get them to act with that refolu- tion TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 179 tion and courage, which the circumfiances requi- red. On the contrary they continued a long time irrefolute, and the fear of danger affected them fo ftrongly, that they propofed to delay it till a more favourable moment. Mirowitfch appeared at firft to yield to their arguments, and carefully concealed what he thought of their fears; but about two o'clock- next morning, he renewed his importunity, and by arguments and money, which he distributed among them, and which acts more efficacioufly than reafoning ; by promifes of the greateft rewards, and of a coniiderablc promotion ; and in fhort by the authority, which his rank of commanding officer gave him over them, he fo effectually wrought upon them, that they recovered courage, and determi- ned irifiantly to fupport him with all their might. WITH the aillftance of thefe fix men, and with- out loling a moment, he ordered about forty fol- diers, who were on guard in this part of the for- trefs, fome on watch, others half alleep, to load their fufees and follow him. He met with the more ready obedience, that he faid he had received orders from the Emprefs, and before they could dive into his dcfign 9 he conducted them to Iwan's apart- ment. He approached the paiTage, which com- municates with it, when he met with Berednikoff, commandant of the fort, who was going to bed, but upon receiving advice from a foldier, in whom Z 2 li C i8o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. he had confidence, he had quickly drefled himfelf and come to oppoie Mirowitfch. He fummoned him to declare the caufe of the difturbance he ob- ierved. Mirowitfch anfwered him only by a blow on the bead with a fufee, which ftunned him. He gave him in charge to two ftrong trufty men, and conti- nued his way with the reft of his party. He then ap- peared in the pailage, that led to the room, where the prince w.as fleeping, ordered the two fentinels, whom ];e round there to mire, and on their refufal com- rnandvjd hh followers to fire upon them. The fen- tmels hemp: fupported by fix of their companions made a {mart ret.uin to Mirowitfch's party, who were executing nis orders. Tlien the action was p-oiiiF to take place in this corridor, when the fol- o o * ciiers, led on by Mirowitfch, aftoniihed at this re- iifUnce, which they did not expect, perceived they were deceived, and retired with precipitation, in fpit.e of the erforts of tne.ir leader, whom they told they would not. obey, uniefs he produced the order, which, he faid, he had received irom the Ernpreis. Mirowitfch then read them a paper prepared by himfelf, at the foot of which was a. counterfeit fig- juiture of the Emprefs', and as it was not JiiTicuk to deceive men fo ignorant, the greatcfi: part of whom could not read, he again got them perfuaded by means cf prayers, promifes, and threats to a fc- c-ond attempt immediately. During this fliort in- tcrval TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. i8f terval, they brought to him a cannon from the bat* tion, which he himfelf pointed againft the paflage> which led to the prince's chamber. At the fight of this the door was inftantly opened, and all his men entered without oppofition. ULASIEF and Tchekin, the two officers, who as Already mentioned, were guarding the prince in the infide of his apartment, had repulfed the firft attack of the affailants, by making the fentinels fire upon them ; but when the confpirators returned to the charge with cannon, they knew that rcfiftance was impoilible, and therefore adopted the cruel refolu- tion of maflacring the unfortunate prince, whom Mirowitfch wifhed to take from them. There are ibme writers, who have maintained, that thefe of- ficers had only followed their initruclions Alas! If it was fo, it muft be acknowledged that ambition is \ny cruel. THE unhappy Iwan had awaked at the noife of the cries, a.-id reports of the fufees. Me had ftarted out o f bed. and although naked and without any arms, but dcfpair nnd a vigorous confritution, he had opnoied his guards with great refohition. Se- vtird iiacs lie parried the ilrokes aimed .it him, and with his own Irj.nd, though wounded, had broken one of their f words, with which lie had defended himfdi", till overpowered by numbers, and covered with wounds, he was at laii: killed by a wound or; the 1 82 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the back. Then the two officers opening the door with violence, and fliowing the prince's bloody bo- dy to Mirowitfch's party, exclaimed, There is your Emperor. AT this fpedacle Mirowitfch drew back with hor- ror and furprife, but very foon recovering his fpi- rits, he attempted no new effort for his defence, but returned with the moft perfect tranquillity to the Governor, whom he had given in charge to his adherents, and delivering up his fword to him, he faid coolly j / am now your prifoner. THE following day, the body of Iwan, covered only with a Ihirt and a pair of drawers, was expo- fed to the view of the garrifon. An immenfe con- A^? courfe of people went thither from all parts. It was impofliblfc to defcribe the indignation and forrow, which appeared in the geflures, countenances and language of thofe, whofe eyes beheld this unfortu- nate prince, who after having fat on a throne, from which his misfortune, not his fault had pulled him down, had fpent his miferable days in a gloomy prifon, from which he got out, only to conclude them by a death as tragical as premature. As the the croud was increafing, and might occafion fome difturbance, it was wifely judged to put an end to this horrible fight. Iwan's corpfe was wrapped in a fheep-fkin, laid in a coffin, and buried in an old chapel. "which was deftroyed fome years ago. COUNT TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 183. COUNT Panin, who commanded at St Peterfburg, In abfence of the Emprefs then in Livonia, dif- patched a meflenger to inform her of this event, and at fame time fent her a copy of the foolifh ma- nifefto, which Mirowitfch propofed to circulate af- ter the fuccefs of his enterprife, and which they found upon him. It reprefented Catharine as a twofold ufurper, and Iwan as the only lawful fove- reign, which the Ruffians ought to choofe for them- felves. Catharine difdained to look at this libel, but fhe gave orders for punifhing Mirowitfch's wicked attempt according to the rigour of the laws, and Weymar, Lieutenant-general, was named to go to Schluffelburg to examine the traitor and his accom- plices, and to procure fuch information, as might help to difcover the circumftances of this plot. Du- ring the precognition, which was not long, Miro~ witfch behaved with fo much audacity, that he at- toniflied the Judges. He was condemned to be be- headed and his body to be burned along with the fcaffold, on which he was to die. This fentence was executed at St Peterfburg on the 26th day of September. An immenfe multitude attended at the death of this man, who was rather mad than wicked, and to the place of execution preferved an undaunt- ed countenance, and the courage of a man, who died in a good caufe ; and indeed he continued to repeat that he was a martyr, When he arrived at the 1 84 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the place of punifhment, he furveyed the apparatus with coolneis, caft at the executioner a difdainful look, crolfcd himfelf, without uttering a linglc word, prcfented his neck to the axe, and received the deadly blow. He was the only one among the confpirators, who fuffered death. His accomplices were condemned to different punifhments accord- ing to the degree of their guilt. Pifkoff who was the moft criminal, run twelve times under the rods of a line of a thoufand foldiers, and five of the moft guilty after him, run ten times along the fame line. They were afterwards fent to the public works ; n fentcnce fcarcely lefs cruel than death itfelf. We lhall obferve without entering more minutely into thefe executions, that more than fifty perfons were implicated in Mirowitfch's plot ; that Carafldn and Tchevaridef were found guilty of having had crimi- nal converfations with him, and Nikita Lebedef was punifhed for not having undeceived the foldiers by making them underftand the falfity of the Impe- rial orders forged by Mirowitfch. WE confider It our duty not to conclude the hii- tory of Prince I wan, without faying a word of hij family. Anthony Ulric of Brunfwick, his father v/au the (on of Ferdinand Albert, and of Antoniettc liller U> the unfortunate Charlotte Chriftina, who had married the Czarowitfch Alexis. lie was bro- ther to the: 1 iil Duke Charles of Brunfwick, and to the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 185 the celebrated General Prince Ferdinand. Anthony Ulric was born in the year 1714. On his arrival at St Petcrfburg in 1738 he was allowed to marry Anne, Princcls of Meek! en burgh, prefumptive heir- efs of the Empire, and in 1739 this marriage was celebrated with great pomp, Who would have ima- gined, fays Manflein, that this union would one day bring upon them the greateft inifery, and that this prince, whom they invited to fill the throne of Ruflia, would find on it nothing but exile and cap- tivity for himfelf and his wife. THIS princefs, boni in the year 171?, and invit- ed to RUHKI in 1731, by her aunt, the Emprefs Anne, had embraced the Creek religion, and ha- ving been a rain baptized, me had changed her name O o i ' O from Klizabelh Chriilina, into that of Anne, under which llie is known in hlilory. In 1739, ihe mar- ried, as h.ao been juR row fiid, prince Anthony Ul- ric of Briinfwick, from which marriage prince hvan. fprung. Vv r e have lern the nature, of the revo- lution, which took from her, along with liberty, the adminift ration of afiairs during the rnmority of her ibn. It is laid, fhe was not fbrry at {being the reins of empire taken from her, and would not have regretted it, if me had been fcnt back into her own native country; lor flic had been often heard to fay, that flie longed only for die nirjority of her ion, to VOL. I-, A a throw 1 86 TRAVELS IIT RUSSIA. throw off a burden, which had been laid on her Ihoulders, without her own con fen t. INDEED nobody could be worfe calculated for bu- finefs than this princefs. Buiineft was to her a pu- Fiimment, and me hated even the very name of it. She therefore never appeared in council, and gave lierfelf up wholly to her miniflers. It was General Munich who had over her the greateft afcendancy, Rurfed her in this criminal indolence, by telling her, that as (lie was the greateil princefs in Europe, file had only to give orders, and her minifters would rid her of every uneafmefs. This language, in the mouths of all ambitious minifters, has delivered more than one prince ever to a fecurlty, equally fa- tal to his own glory, and to the happinefs of his fubjecls. THE prince, her hufband, who was impatient un- der his misfortune, perpetually reproached her with it, and never could forgive her for having vo- luntarily accelerated the ruin of her family, by con- cealing from him the alarming accounts me was from time to time receiving arrived the third day after our departure from the capital, is the firft on the road from St Peterfburg to MoTco\v. It is a hundred and eighty fix werfts diirant from the former, and five hundred and forty eight fiom the latter. As you go in, you are ftr^ck with the fad fpectacle of tne ruii;:> or its ancient grandeur. It is one of the mo ft ancient cities in RuiTia. In former limes it \va< called Great Novosjorod, to diftins;uiih O * -O it from all towns or the fame name. According to Neftor. bi:th it and Ki,;\v were built in the middle of the fifth ce:i'ury, by a horde of Sclavonians, who, if credit be due to Procope, came from the b^nks of tl:r \v~clga. A pailage in Jornandes, who wrote the h-rtcry of the Goths, leaves no doubt about the antr ju'.'y of Novogorod. lie fpeaks of it under the iKune of the New- City, wluch is of the fame mean- ing with Novofforod. No more mention is made O tJ of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. of it till the ninth century, the cera when Rurick the Firft, Grand Duke of Ruflia, made a conqueft of it, and chofe it for the capital of his extenfive dominions. He died in the year 879. The year following his fon Igor, or rather Oleg, who was this princes' tutor, took poflefilon of Kiow, and made it the capital of the dominions belonging to the Grand Dukes of Ruflia. From that period No- vogorod was governed, fir ft by officers fent by the Grand Dukes, then by the younger princes of their houfe, who granted it fo great privileges, that it became aim oft a free, and independent city. It even, obtained the right of electing its own fovereigns, who no more depended on the Grand Dukes of Ruflia. THE controul, which the inhabitants of Novogo- rod aimmed over their princes, was fuch, that the latter enjoyed only the femblance of fovereignty, and the government degenerated into a pure democra- cy ; a kind of government, which cannot make a people happy, but when the laws command the multitude, and not the multitude the laws. NovoGoiuH) had the happinefs of good laws, and and of refpecting them. Then it enjoyed liberty, and its ineftimable advantages. It extended its commerce, became the mart of whatever fupplies the Aiiatic cities got from Ruilla. Its opulence, its population, its conqucfb, or rather its colonies, VOL. II. C c made 202 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. made it Co powerful and formidable, that it became a pnr crb ; Who i\:.n oppo/l ibe Gods, and Great No- vogM'od? I'l-Jis ilate of profperity, which may be always e \petlca by a free people, who behave fuitably to t.xir fituation. Novogorod preferved till the Great L.V.L ; 3 oi' Rvdlia, (who had come to rcfide at JMof- r -v. whole anceftors had poiTefied Novogorod and c.-in it the title of Grand-Dukes) fummoned Ixens to acknowledge them anew for their fc- . ;;. n k rds. After a lor, 3 rriUtarce. fuch as might be c:: peered from n,^r., \vlio knew the vaiue of li- ber: v, tlie inhabiuii.ts cf Novogorod were forced to fubriiii. to th-: l;rv of rhe firongelt. I wan, who had iuhducd ilic T^rtari antl feveral neighbouring itates, ac-vRr.ccd toward;; Novogorod with a formidable ar- o :nv 5 v,-]n v ]i cninp:^tJy defeated that of the repub- lic, v/hidi \\-:.r> bokl eronc'-h to contcrd with the O tyrii t j .-, not-V.-itl-ftrmding the grc.it difprcportion in tl>:ir nurnbers. The courage this litile arn;y dif- rla\ed v,-;:s {\;ch, as iecnred the cilecm of Iwan, jii;d an lior;oi;rab-e c^pitulalion. Tic give it a go- he rrcufcr part of its laws > or at rivii franc hllc:^, that of nominating iu< ( v-Ti Uinc^itra*"^; art! th^ Ruilirin Governor takes no concern in pui:iic ai;,urj 3 except the cognizance A tj 'be iuir-r.ittcd to hi:n, Bur I RAVELS IN RUSSIA. 4103 BUT I\van, who had been generous only from en- thufiafm, when returned to himfelf, foon repented, and little fatisfied with a government fo limited, as that, to which he had reftricled himfelf, watched a favourable opportunity for renewing his attacks, and making himfelf abfolute mailer of Novogorod. Like an able tyrant, he .found means to provoke it by the diflenfions, \vhich he ftirred up among the citizens, whofe interefts, the mixt government, new- ly eftablimed, had divided, by making them Czariils and Republicans. It is well known how favourable internal dinenfions are to tyrants, and with what uddrefs they foment them. 1 hole among the inha- bitants of Novogorod came to a height. Then Iwan lent them word, that fince they could not agree, and only proftituted their liberty to the vile purpofe of traring one another to pieces, he took upon him the tafk of reftoring peace among then;. Confor- mably to this declaration, he again entered their ci- ty in the year 14/7, wirh a formidable army, level- led its g-ates, made the oath of al'ejfi.uice be f-.vcni *.) ' <- to him as to a fovcreign, and robbed it of iLs liber- ty and privileges. Wifiiing to Icive no veiu'gc of . ?t, lie c:infed be feized and earned to Mofcow, an enormous bell, which the inhabitants called Vctrhc- wi'KcLjkoli ihc Bell of Voter*, \vhich they revered as the Palladium of their liberty. It ".as fulpended in fiie market .place, and fo ibon as it rung, the people C c 2 ro^' 204 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. rofe and ran to arms en all fides. Iwan, who, accor- ding to the language of tyrants, called this Bell the iocjin of /edition, thought he was firengthening bis authority by deftroying it, and the inhabitants of Novogorod imagined they faw their liberty faU with it. FROM that period the Grand Duke became abfo- lute matter of their city. He left only the phantom of their ancient government, and in order to enfure their obedience, he gave orders for the immediate removal of a thoufand of the principal citizens to Mcfcow, and to furround the Kremlin, or citadel with a very ftrong wall of brick. Novogorod, ne- verthelefs, continued for a long time the greateft and chief commercial city. But, in the year 1508, an epidemical difeafe carried off more than fifteen thoufand people, winch is more than double the number of its prefent inhabitants. It is (aid, that in its greateft profperity, it contained four hundred thoufand inhabitants ; at prefent it does not exceed feven thoufand. The moft fatal blow was given to it by Iwan II. In 1570, he difcovered that Pi^ien archbifhcp of Novogorod, and the leading men of the city were carrying on a treacherous correfpon- dence with Sigifmund Auguflus, king of Poland. ~n Iwan went in perfon to Novogorod, in the < when they leafl expected him, and in or- -al his march, it is reported, he caufed the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 205 the unfortunate travellers, who came in his way, be maffacred. When arrived at Novogorod, this prince of cruel character, made blood run in {breams, and facrificed to bis vengeance, twenty five thoufand victims, according to fome, and thirty thoufand, according to others. Thefe accounts are doubtlefs exaggerated ; but, to believe none but the hiftorians favourable to this Czar, it will always remain a truth, that on this occaiion he fliowed himfelf a fan- guinary prince, whofe ferocity exceeds even that, which Chriftiern exercifed in Sweden almoft at the fame time. IF this maflacre had haftened the ruin of this un- fortunate city, the foundation of St Peterfburg gave it the finiihing blow ; for Peter I. tranfported into this favourite city all the commerce of the Baltic lea, which was formerly carried on at Novogorod. THE city is ftiil furrouncled with an earthen ram- part, and a fet of old towers at equal diilances. The ground on which the city fhnds, is not above two werfts long, and is not all occupied with habitable houfes. It is faid, that, in its fplendor, it contain- ed feveral ether divifions, which were all of a circu- lar form, and that then it had fuburbs, which ex- tended to the diftance of eiorht wcrfts, including: rno- o o outcries, churches, the palaces of the ancient Dukes and other public buildings, whereof there are yet ionic old remains, THE TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE city ftands on the two banks of the Wolga s where it iiTues from the Lake llmen. This fiver is beautiful, deep, rapid, and much broader than the Thames is at London. The divifion ftariuing -n the right bank of the river is inhabited by mercii-tnts, and that on the left is called the iic.'e of 6 ii< i -So- phia, after the name of the cathedra*, which, as well as the archbifhop's palace, has be.m converted into a Krc7iilln or Caftle. Theie divniuns of the town are joined by a bridge, of which the arches are of vood, p.nd the reft of brick. The merchant's quarter, if you except the Governor's houfe, is nothing but a a Jigly mafs of wood houfes, which would be very like an ordinary village, if it were not for 3 rcat number of churches and monafteries buiit of bi'ck, v/hich are flill (landing, like fo rr.anv racl-in-jholy O ' - t monuments of its ancient greatncfs. Y-t. :;j iJiis quarter, there are upwards of three t-Loafu.no irops, but they are fo ill provided, that tli-.y '^^^ (,'.-i] iC e the prefent mifery of the cify. AL o^.c -,f tic ex- tremities of this quarter, the Ernpreis has made jfome brick buildings be creeled, in which fhe has eftabliflied a factory for ropes and fail-cloth. Thcfe buildings, which are very beautiful, bear a fmgular contrail to the cottages, which furround them. THE Kremlin, of which we have fpoken, and where the cathedral once was, has been built to con- tain the inhabitants, and to prr/eiir the frequent in- furrecticn; TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 207 furreclions, to which the regret of having loft their liberty inclined them. This fortrefs is of an ova! form, is irregular, and furrounded by a brick wall, on which there are fome round and fquare towers, It was buiit in the year 1490, under the direction of the architect Solarius of Milan, by order of Iwan after the conoueft of Novo^orod. J. O W* thought it not worth our while to vifit the archbifhop's refidence, which is divided into the old and new palace. The cathedral deferves attention only, becauie it is one of the moil ancient churches in RuiTia. It was begun in the year 1044 ky Wolodi- mcr, Duke of Novogorod, and fimfhed in 1051, This was the period when the chriftian reli^icm be- i O gan to be propagated in Rufiia, by the diligence of the Greeks, who gave to this church the name of Saint- Sophia, after that of Conftantinople. It is a building railed in form of a fquare with a gilt cupola, and four domes covered with pewter The entry into this venerable mafs of ftones, is by gates of bronze, or- namented with different figures in relievo, repre- fsnting the paiTion, and other fcenes of the hittory of Chriil. SEVERAL princes of the family of the Czars are buried in this church. The firft is Wolodimer, who founded it, and died in the year 1051, alrnoft as foon as he had nnifhed the building of it The snoft ancient of thcfe tombs are of wood, gilt, or fdverccL 208 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fiivcredj and furrounded with an iron gate. Some are built of bricks, the walls of the fancluary in the infide are covered with a curious Mofaic ; the work is coarie, b.ut it appears ancient. As you leave Novogorod, you come to a plain, where there is a vaft extent of pafture ground. Af- terwards you pafs into the arms of the Wolchowia, and fome werfts diftant ffom Bonitza-Gorod, where you crofs the Mfta on a fort of float, fcarcejy large enough for a carriage and two horfes. Hard by Bonitza-Gorod there are two fprings, which form a very romantic iituation to which the people of the country, without any good grounds attribute a number of medicinal virtues. '1 he popes, who have caufed a chapel to be creeled there, in which there is a famous Saint Nicolas, maintain that an offering to their Saint cures thofe difeafes, which the waters do not cure. Yet it is remarkable that the inhabi- tants of that neighbourhood, though they have two inch in r allible receipts, are fubject to the itch, of which tiiey are not eaiiiy cured. THIC country is a little wild, but becomes more pl^rliuu, when you arrive at Waldai, a fma.ll city, which gives its name to the Lke and hills in its neighbourhood. It is iitiuced on the fide of an agreeable hill, whence it lias a mofc beautiful prof- peel. It has the entire command of the lake, whofe appearance is pictureique. The hills of Waldai, though TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 209 though of no great elevation, are the higheft in this country, and fcparatc the waters, which run into the Cafpian lea, from thole which arc dilchargcd into the Baltic. As far as Zemagor, which is on the fide of the lake of Walchi, the country, through which the road runs, is mod agreeably variegated. It is interfperfed with a number of charming liitle hills, and differ- ent arms of the lake, froiii the uoiom of which fe- veral ifles rife, niantlM with wood. In the back- ground is a mixture of iorefls, fields and meads, which would be to a painter of laadlcapes an object of inexhauftible ftudy. The lake may be about twenty eight or thirty werits in circumference. In the centre is an ifle, from which the monaftery of iwerkoi rifes to vLv.\ It v/as founded by the ce- lebrated Nikon, and dedicated to the Virgin. Out: ' O of the capital the Czrrs Lave not a more beau- tiful palace. The edifice is rnn.puic, Jir.d the nu- inerous fteeples, winch rife in the middle of thick: "rove^, and overt on the hi- eil tree , iix ths eve ol ; O ' 1- .' J the traveller, and nake hiru iihagine thit a a opulent: city, which is only the rciiJenru or IHUM* <-lirr;t;;licu:; monks, who have rcore t\i:\\\ iiileeii t.'ajuiai'iu peu- fants for their iLives. FROM Zenv:.gor, you go to K:,:;!]]:)^ a fmsll vil- lage, which \va:> reduced to afhe.^ ibnie years ago, Fires in t!\L- coui>iry \vi;l not appear fiirprii;i:g to VOL. j'l. D ci any 2 TO TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ?.ny pcrfon, who reflects, _ that the houfes of the peafants are all of wood, and that inftead of can- dles they ufe long fplinters of fir wood, which they light, and carry through all the houfe, and often into the hay -loft, without the leaft precaution. You onno: reach Viftmei-Volofchok fituated on the banks of the Mfta, till after having travelled over a rt) ; id covered with beams, through very ex- ten five morailes, where there arc a great many bridges, \vkhout railings, and the moft part of them in very bad (late. But the eye is at once pleated and diverted by the windings formed by the j.u!i fades, with which every village, garden and iield is furrounded. As thefe intrenchments gene- rally confnt of growing hedges, or trees extremely clofe, vou imagine you ice in every peafants' houfe ' / O * and villages in this \vriy. 'i^eir deiign doubt- cfs was to defend them againil the fly ing excurfions of the Tartars, beic;re they had lire arms to oppofe rher.i. Ai':uou"a tl.:s practice be ufelefs now a days, it l;->n:s (liU :i^H)ng a people, whole attachment to their old cuftnriis, is yuc of the Icuft equivocal parts TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 211 VisHNEi-VoLOSCHOK, where we halted, is one of the largeft villages in Ruflla. It is one of thofe, which depend on the crown, and have been freed by the Emprefs, with the grant of feveral confide- rable privileges. It has already reaped the advan- tage of this. The inhabitants palling from the ft ate of flaves to that of freemen, teem to have loft their old indolence. A new fpirit of emulation and in- duftry is diffufed among them. They have applied to commerce, and have underftood all the advanta- ges, to be derived from the fituation of the place, which they inhabit. Several cities of the Empire, which are puffed up with the vain title of metropo- lis, have not fuch a lively afpecl as this village, which lias regular ftreets, a long row of mops, and ware-houfes, which ikirt the two fides of the fa- mous canal, which begins fomc werfts above the village, to which it has gfivcn its name. It was be- O ' O gun and finifhed under the reign of Peter I. with the defign of joining the Mfta to the Tvvertza, and by this eftablilh. a communication between the Ca{- pun and Baltic feas, which was no fooner ac- coinplifhed, than a great number of veficls from Aftracan, SaratofF and Czaritzin, were f'ecn come down to St Peterfburg. But the frequent tolls they were obliged lo pay, and the inconveniencies brought on this navigation by the cataracts of the Mfta, \vould have undoubtedly reduced it to alrnoft no- D d 3 thins:. era TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. thing, if Catharine II. h:id not made it her ftudy to apply a remedy. She diminiilicd the tolls, and erected three iluiccs to obviate the inconvcnicncies of the cataracts. This inRance, among many others, proves, that what Peter I. had done, \vould have been entirely loft, if his fucceiibrs had not adopted liis plans. Among thofe, who guide the reins of sn empire, they who invent and inltitute do a great deal, but do not they, who complete thefb inven- tions, do more r ON the road from Vifhriei-Volofchok to Twer nothing remarkable is to be found, but the iirfl 1^1 iluice on the Twcrtza, and the remains of the ob- iiacles, that were to be furmounted in conflrucling the canal The view from Twer i.s magnificent Hill. It ftands on the hhrh banks of the T \Volo;a, O O ' and for its origin is indebted to the Grand Dukes of Ruffia. At iiru; it was only a (mail fcrtrcis con- ftrucled in the }e:ir 1 182 by UK: orders of the Grand 13uke Wolodimer, for the purpofe of checking the incurlions of t:ie inhabitants or Novogorod. In 1*720 the Grand Duke ] \roiiaf II. made be built in the fame place another citadel, and a city, which increase! to iuch a degree-, that it loon became the capital of an independent fovcreignty, known under the principality of Twer. For a long time it be- longed to the voimgcr prinTC? in th:~ f.nniiies of the O ^ - ' - O r 3, ii d I) u k c r 5 ?. J 7 ;' '- ' TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 213 MICHAEL Borifawitfcb was the laft prince of Twer. I wan I. although his brother, in -law attacked him., and obliged him to take refuse in Lithuania, where *--* O lie died in the greatcft mifery. Ambition laughs at the ties of blood. A fhort time alter, this princi- pality was annexed to the empire, and never again ieparated from it. TWER is divided into an old and new town. The firft, fituatcd on the riglit bank of the Wolga, con- iifts of poor wooden houfes. The iccond, which was hardly any better built, about twenty years a- go became a pivy to the flames; and this misfortune opcraved in Lwours ol this city, ior out of its allies it roi'e vvii.li ipiciulor, by the kindneL, of Catha- 'rinc IL who made it be ivbuilt on a more modern plan, hi CGiiiequeiKc of this, we law elegant ftreets interfeciing one anotlier at right angles : the houfes are chiefly of ftcne, at Icall of brick. Surh as are of wood arc done off in the oulfide with fo much art. that they exceed the ilone honfes in beauty., Carharinc II. at her own expence, built the Gover- nor's lioufe, the Bifliop's palace, the hall where juf- t.k is adminiflered, the exclian^c, the prifons, and ;llc edifices. To all, who were willino: to * C5 l:v.\ld a h'-'U'd- of l>ilck, fiie oFcrcri to lend the j\uu ;i> St.) i(;t 5welv<" -fmtercfr. i'Jv: fu.us, \\'h:c!i ijic , ! v,!n- three hun- dred TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. dred thoufand roubles (67,50) and flie afterwards withdrew a third of this Aim. At prefent the new town confifts of two octagonal areas, where the fine ftreets juil mentioned, terminate. The houies of thefe t\vo areas, and of the principal ftrcets, are built of brick, and overlaid with Vv'lnte iiucco, which gives them a magnificent appearance ; and new Twer may be confidered as one of the fineft ci- ties in the world, even among nations the longcit civilized and moft opulent. There is a feminary under the infpection of the Bifhop, which admits fix hundred ftudents. IN the year 1776, the Emprefs founded there a -fchool for 1,he inftrucrion of two hundred burgefics* children, who are taught to read, write, and cypher^ and iiich as {how a turn, are bred to mechanical profefiions. IN June 1779, an academy alfo was opened in this city, for the education of the young nobiiity. This eftablifiiment is alfo indebted to the munificence of her Majefty. It was intended for a hundred and twenty young gentlemen, who are taught foreign languages, arithmetic, geography, fortification, ta&ics, natural philofophy, muiic, riding, and dan- cing. Ais extenfive trade is carried on at Twer by means of the Wolga and the Twertza, which are continu- ally covered with boats. Thefe two rivers, by join- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 215 Ing near the city, give it great advantages in tranf- porting by water, the productions of Siberia, and of the fouthern provinces to St Peterfburg. We mull remark, that the Wolga is the greateft river in Eu- rope. It has its fource in the foreft of Wolkon- Iki, about a hundred and ten werfts from Twer. It begins to be navigable at a little diftance above this city, and it is there much broader than the Thames in any part of its courfe, but it is very mal- low. Very foon after, it is augmented confiderably by the Twertza, which is broader, deeper, and mo-re rapid. It is by means of this lafl river, that the fa- mous communication has been eftablimed between the Wolga and the Neva, or in other words, be- tween the Cafpian and Baltic feas, which we have mentioned. THE neighbourhood of Twer produces abundance of wheat, rye, barley, oats, buck wheat, hemp, flax,, and all kinds of vegetables. In the forefts are to be found oaks, birches, alders, poplars, ames, pines/ &c. At fome diftance there are elks, bears, wolvc^., foxes, wild goats, martens, ermines, fquirrels, and rmrrnots. There is alfo plenty of eagles, hawks ? cranes, herons, fwans, and all kinds of fmall game^ The Wolga at this place contains numbers of excel- lent limes, fuch as falmon, iieiiet, tench, pike, &c. The Sterlet in particular is fought after by people of nice taftes, as an excel 'ait difli, It is an un, eommoif 216 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. common kind of fifh, and probably found only in northern countries. It is fomething of the nature of the fturgeon, from which it differs in colour, It is alfo much fmaller, its length being feldom more than three feet. As the Luatllufcs of St Petersburg with their tables to be ^amimcd with them, there o ure to be feen at all times on the banks of the Wol- ga, numbers of chcfts with holes in tiiem, in which the flerlct and fillies of equal quality, are carried a- livc to St Peterfburg, and by the Okka as far as Mofcow. Thcfe chcfts float on the furface of the water, and are fattened, to the boats, which conducl them. FROM Twer to Mofcow, the road runs acrofs a country interfpcrfed with agreeable hills, fometimes * A O n iked, and foinctimcs covered with wood, and on the banks of the Wolga, i\s far as Goroduj-i. Sawi- dowo and Kiin, wliich you. find on the road, are two miferablc vilLues. In the Utter there is a SiT^c- O Mill ; a thing too rare in this country not to attracl the attention of travellers. In fnort, after having pailed Ariki, you defcry Mcfcow and its numerous fteeples. CHAP. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, C H A P. XV, Moscow. Hiftory cf ibis city. Its fituation. Its pi* pulatiGii, Contra/is it prcfents, Its d'rjifions* The Kremlin. Khitai- Gorod. Reloi-Gorod. Zc'm- lianoi-Gorod. The Jloboda or fuburbs.Tbe Mof- co-iva. The palace. Particular defer iptlons. - < Tjjc chitrciics. - -Infidc of a Greek church, Encr* wo us bells. MOSCOW, called by the Ruflians Mofiua, is not ib ancient ar> Novogorod, Kiow, Wolodimer, or Twer, where t).ic fovereiirns of Ruflia rcfided before * O this city cxiiccd, about the origin and foundation of which, the learned of this country are not agreed, To throw light upon it, they have in vain dived in- to tin; ob.fcunty of t::nc, whither pride goes for its fables and titles. Sul-joined is what the chronicles have advanced as moil probable reflecting this city,, Kiov had, as we have fa Id, become the capital of KulTia, and the Grand JDu'-es never thought on charging thoir reiuicnce, rill George inn of \VoIo- dimer MononiAka, \v!io rcl^aed in t;:e year 1/47=, being iniulted by a rich noble called Etiennc Kutfch- ka, took vcnireiincc by pultiii^ him to death, and CorJifcidnp; li'hi cihxtes, of whicl: the iite of Mofcow ana its environs are a part. The t\vo rivers, Tvlof. VOL, II. L G k 2-r3 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, kowa and Neglina, uniting at this place, rende? the fituation pichirefque. It pleafed Wolodimer, who built a city there, which he named Mofkua, af- ter the name of the principal river. At George's death, his fon Andrew did not neglect Mofcow, but under his fuccefibrs this city fell into fuch decay, that in the yrar 1205, when the empire was divi- ded, and Daniel received as his fhare, the Duchy of Mofcow; the city which Wolodimer had raifed, was obliged to be founded a fecond time. Daniel not O only reared it again, but fixed his refidence in it. THE ground occupied by the Kremlin, was no- thing but wood and morafs, in the middle of which there was one imall wooden cottage. In the mid- dle of this wild ipot, Daniel fir ft creeled churches and monafteries, for churches and monafteries then prece- ded every oilier thing. He added fome other build- ings, which he iurrounded with palifades. He was alia the fir ft, who took the title of the Duke of Mofcow or Mofcovy. Ue V.MS fo much attached to this refi- dence, that when he lliccceded in the year 1300 to the Duchy of Wc! r .tHjr.'?r bv tlui death of his brother, he did not go to ieitle at :T;'/;c:V;/Vo-r, which was the canir.il, V.-ut rt?;n,ii:,cd nt A! ko\ju, which in this way became the <...r:-;:al of all Rufiia. His fucceflbrs fol- In---c(l l;i^ cxaii'pie, av,d his fon hvnn enlarged this city coniidcraV;y, \\\ tlu- year i ^67 his great-grand- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 19 ion Demetrius, firnamed Donfki, inclofed the Krem- lin with a brick wall, whic- was not fufficient to flop Tamerlane from taking poffeffion of it in the year 1382, after a very fhort fiege. But this conqueror, who was continually in queft of new victories, very foon abandoned it. This fortrefs was retaken by the Ruffians, and afterwards again retaken by the Tartars, who in the fourteenth and fifteenth centu- ries fubdued the greateft part of Ruffia, and were iinally expelled from Mofcow only under the reign, of Ivvan Baiilowitfch. To this conqueror it is in- debted for all its fplendor, and under his govern- ment, it was the moft corifiderable city of all the Ruffian empire, NOTWITHSTANDING the predilection , which Peter [. had for St Feterfburg, and that all his fucceffors, except Peter II. have almoft continually refided there, Mofcow is ftill the molt populous city in Ruf- iia. There the great people, who are not by offices ronnected with court, have fixed their refldence. rhere they fupport a rank, and expend confidcrable "urns. Their pride and tafte incline them to this A.Gatic magnificence, which recalls to their ininds the indent grandeur of the nobility ; and befidcs they ire not edipfed there as at St Petersburg, by the plcndor of the court, Moscow is lituated in 50 degrees, 45 minutes, 30 eccndsj of North Latitude, and 55 degrees, 6 mi- E c 2 degrees, 220 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. nutes, of Eaft Longitude, reckoning from the meri- dian of Ferro. It is certainly the moft extenfive city in Europe. Its circumference within the ramparts, svhich furround the fuburbs, is thirty werfts, (near thirty Engliih miles,) but it is built in a manner fo irregular, and there arc fo many vacancies, that the population does not arifwcr to its extent. Some Ruffian authors have railed it to the number of five hundred thouiand fouls, but this is certainly exagge- rated. Bufching) who refidcd long in Ruflia, fays, that in the year 1770 Mofcow contained feven hun- dred and eight houfes of brick, eleven thoufand, eiofht hundred and fortv of wood, eighty five thou- O ^ ' O J land, feven hundred and thirty one male's, fix- ty feven thoufand and fifty nine females, in ail a hundred and fifty two thoufand, fcvcn hundred and ninety fouls, a calculation, which fejms to err on the other extreme. The police oilicer appointed by the Emprefs in the year 1780 to take the numbers of Mofcow, made a return, by which the inhabi- tants within the boundaries of this city amounted to two hundred and fihy thoufand fouls, and in the adjacent villages to lifty thouund. A later account- taken in the year 1 789 gives out the total number to be, two hundred and forty thouiand fuL>. 'iliis iafc is moil deferring of credit, oceanic it has been taken \vitli the greateft precaution. Ir TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 221 IF the traveller on his arrival at Mofcow is flruck vith the immenfe extent of this city, he is not lefs urprtfed vvirh the variety, which prevails there; for here is not a city in Europe fo irregular, fo extra- >rdinary, and which prefents fo many contrails, rhere are fonie quarters which have the appearance >f a wild delert, and others that of a populous and iourifhing city. Here, you fee a miferable village, ,nd at a greater diftance you are entertained with he profpect of a Great Capital. The ilrcets arc in general long and broad. The greateft part of them ire paved, iome arc laid with trunks of trees, and Blanks like the highways, which we travelled over o m our road. Thefe fmifhed in the latter manner ire more common in the fuburbs. Within thcfe evv years the ftrcets have all been lighted. There a one light, to which the eye of a ftranger is not iccuitorncd, namely that: of niifci.ihle huts, at the ide of large p.il.iccs. Brick honks covered with Boards, and wooden houils painted with a great: .leal of art, but their coat would prove very dange- rous in cafe of fire. We rail) noti:cd foinc houils vvirh doors and roofs of iron. A great number of rhurches, built with firiguhr tulle, L. It is fituated in the centre and highetl part of Mofcow, at the confluence of the Mofkowa^ and the Neglina 9 which waflies its two fides. Its form is triangular, and the circumference about three werfts. It is furrounded as we have faid with high brick walls, and is not disfigured like the other quarters, by- wooden houfes becaufe none are allowed to be built there. It contains the old palace of the Cznrs, (which is called Krafnoie-Kribzo, or the Red Bal- cony, becaufe this is what is moft remarkable on the outfide) and the palace of granate built by Boris Godonow. There we alfo noticed feveral churches, two monafteries, the Patriarch's palace, and the ar- fenal at prefent in ruins. We fliall mention thefe buildings feparately. THE fecond divifion is the Kbit a! -gored, a word which feveral authors have tranllated bv the Chinefe city, but which we believe to be of Tartar origin, and with fo much the more propriety, that in U- kraine TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 223 kraine and Podolia, there are two cities of the fame name, which have been known by the Tartars, and have never had any connexion with China. Be- fides, Khitai is a Tartar word, which fignifies Mid- dle, and has been applied to this part of Mofcow, becaufe it ftands between the Kremlin and Beloi- gorod. THIS quarter larger than the Kremlin contains the Royal Printing Office, and feveral other public edifices, among which, twenty churches, and five mo- nafteries are confpicuous. It was from one of thefe churches that formerly the proceffion went on Palm- f Sunday, to recall to the remembrance of believers, the entry, which according to Scripture, Jems Chrift made into Jeruialem on the fame day. The Patriarch of the Ruffias, like the' Saviour of the world advanced in proceffion featec! upon an :ifs, mag- nificently decorated, of which the Czar on foot held the reins. The ilreets were hung, and ftrewed with branches of trees, and fhouts of Hofanna filled the air. Peter I. fupprelTed this puerile ceremony, which was humiliating for the fovereign, and ilattering to the pride of the pried, who on this cccaiion enjoy- ed a kind of triumph. Tiii-: family of Romanoff, now In poficilion of the throne of Rufiia, inhabited the Khitai in ancient times. The mint is built on the ground, where their palace flood. In this quarter ilill remain the college of 224 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. of mines.; and the Goitenoi D\vor, which confifts of fix thoufand {hops built of brick with vaults. This erection, which has been executed in the moil lolid ftylc, is indebted to the munificence of Catha- rine II. The Khitai is iurrounded by walls defend- ed by twelve large fquare towers raifed by hvan Ba- iilowhich II. THE Beloi-gorod, or the white city, furrounds the two quarters juft now mentioned, and takes its name fioin the white walls, which encompafs it, and terminate in the t\vo fides on the Mofcowa. They were raifed by Fedor Iwanowitfch in the year 1587. The Neglina runs through this quarter from fouth to north, and on its way receives three Hone bridges which are narrow, and of Gothic ft rue- O 7 ture. In the Beloi-gorod there are feventy three churches, and eleven monafteries, the arfen.il built by Jacob Sch;>umaker, the Ordinance FounSery, the Imperial Laboratory, and ihe University founded by Elizabeth in the year 1755; at the Solicitation of her favourite Schu\\v.]o;T. who wa> its firft curator, It ha* t\vo fchools, one for tiu nol.:i-iiy, iiie oihcr for inch r,s are not or r:,blj biood ; calls, wliich pride never joins toge'.hcr. In both Schools arc taught tlie ancient and iv.o.lern languages, mathe- matics, wh.;t in rcllcg^ is called philoiophy, medi- cine, and law. rhe univcriity contains a foundery for types ot the Rulilai) and rureign characters, a prindng TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 225 printing office, a library, a hall for natural philofo- phy, a cabinet of natural hiftory, an amphitheatre for fur.gery and anatomy, a chymical laboratory. From this univeriity profeffors are felecled for the academy at Kafan. in which there are often more profeffors than ftudents. THE Zemlianoi-Gorod, or city of earth, furrounds other three, from which it is feparated by an earth- en rampart, which Fedor Iwanowitfch caufcd be call up in the year 1591. Formerly it had thirty wooden gates, which are all deilroyed, and now it has only two of {lone, namely, the gates of Ser- poulkoff and of Kalouga. This city contains two rnonafleries, and a hundred and three churches. A police cilice, a tribunal for criminal affairs, a great number of manufactures, the Imperial ftables, caferns for the cannoneers, a magazine for provi- lions and ammunition. Clofe by the old gate of Varvafki, is the celebrated Foundling hofpital, of which we mail make a feparate article, THE Sloboda, that is the fuburbs, form the laft and extenfive circle round all the quarters already mentioned. They amount to upwards of thirty, of which the moil considerable h that called Nemcrz- kaia-Sloboda, or the German iuburbs. They (land upon the jaoufa, and beiidcs iixty Greek churches, and ten monaileries, contain one Calviniilic, one Roman, and two Lutheran churches, and the houfe VOL. II, F f occupied 226 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. occupied by the Directing Senate, when the court is at Mofcow. In thefe fuburbs too ftands the houfe built by Lefort, in which Peter II. lodged and died, and the Hofpital General, founded by Peter I. who joined to it fchools for medicine, furgery and bo- tany ; fciences in which the Ruffians had the great- eft need to be inftructed. BESIDES this hofpital, another was built in the year 1762, about two werfts from Mofcow, where the patients of every nation are admitted, and taken care of at the expence of the Grand Duke Paul Pe- trowitfch, who from the age of twelve years has conilantly dedicated a part of the money, deftined for his pleafures, to this eftablifhment, which does honour to humanity, and to him, who founded it. THE Mofcowa, which has lent its name to Mof- cow, takes feveral turns on its way through this ci- ty. It is navigable only for rafts, except in the fpring, \vhen for a few days the melting of the fnows gives it the look and deepnefs of a river. As for the Neglina and Jaoufa, which run into it, they are nothing but two ft ream 3, that are almoft dry in fummer. % THE palace, in which the Emprefs lodges, when it is her plcafurc to go to ?,Ioicow, is not a fingle building, but conformably to the ideas of Afiatic grandeur, h a large mafc of feveral buildings, form- in^ TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ing different ftreets, and refembling a city of mid-, ling fize. THE gardens have been preferved, which belong- ed to the old palace built by Elizabeth, near the place where the new palace has been erected. They are very extenfive, and abound with long gravel walks. In fome places the ground is laid out in a way both natural and agreeable ; yet it muft be owned^ the ancient tafte has been too much followed, in drawing long rows of yews, dreffed with flieers, and long canals very ftrait, and all of the fame form- Some years ago, the walks, groves and bafons were ridiculoufly encumbered with flatues of the poorefl tafte ; but Catharine II. who is a lover and patro- nefs of jthe arts, has removed this crowd of man- m'kins, whofe places fhe has filled up with equal tafte and judgment, by pieces, which do honour to iier choice. This palace and the gardens connected with it, are at the extremity of the fuburbs, but within the compafs of the rampart, which furrounds the city. THE Ruffians are uncommonly fond of greens, and walks in the field during the fine feafon. Eve- ry body rides in a carriage at Mofcow, where you meet with coaches drawn by fix horfes, which the nobility ufe without even going out of the city. There are alfo a great number of hackney coaches, r.vhich have commonly four wheels, but are open F f 2 above. 228 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. above, and have a long bench, or feveral feats on the fides. They are to be got at fo cheap a rate s that fervants often ufe them when going about their matter's bufinefs. Thefe carriages generally go at the rate of two leagues and a half in the hour. There O are other carriages, which hold a mean between the citizen's and the hackney coach juft now mention- ed. Thefe have four horfes, often of different co- lours. The coachman and poftilion are dreffed like peafants. An enormous ha:- of a cylindric form, a long beard, and a pelifle of meep-lkin make up their uniform. Behind the carriage is an enormous bag of hay ; a precaution, which becomes extremely neceflary, for the horfes return not to the ftabie till night or midnight, like thofe belonging to our hack- ney coaches. WHEN a perfon vifits the public buildings of Mof- cow, he is led firft through the churches and cha- pels, which are extremely numerous. Only a hun- dred and ninety nine are of brick, the reft are built of wood. The former are generally ornamented with plafter or ftucco, and painted black; the latter- are painted red. THE oldeft churches of Mofcow are generally fquare buildings, with a cupola and four fmalldomes. That of the Holy Trinity, called fomeumes the church of Jerufalem, which funds in Khitai-Gorod 5 Jias the length of ten, lliefe domes are of. copper or TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 229 or gilt iron, and fome are of pewter, either retain- ing its original colour, or painted green. The greateft part of them are ornamented with crofles, wrapped roun :'. with metal chains or wire. Each crofs has two traverfe bars, which is, if we are to believe fome Ruffians, the form of the true crofs^ On many of thefe crofles we obferved a crefcent be- low the inferior bar. Doctor King very ingeniouf- ly explains the origin of thefe crefcents, about which it is idle to queftion the people of the country. * 6 When the Tartars," fays the Englifh doctor, '* who were matters of Ruffia for two centuries, 66 changed the chriflian churches into mofques, they " fixed on them the crefcent, which is the fymbol " of Mahometifm. The Grand Duke Iwan Balilo- " witfch, having on his turn expelled the Tartars, " reftored the churches to the Chriftians, and pla- " ced a crofs above the crefcent as a trophy of his " victory." THE infide of a church is moft frequently made up of three parts. The firft is what the Greeks call Pronaos, and the Ruffians Trape-za ; the fecond is the nave or body of the church, and the third is the fanctuary. In the nave there are ufually four hea- vy pillars for the purpofe of fupporting the cupola. Thefe pillars, as well as the walls and arch or ceiling of the church, are painted with an infinite number of images of the Saviour, the Virgin, and different faints. 230 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. faints, efpecially St Nicholas, and St Alexander Newiki. Many of thefe images are of an enormous iize, very coarfely painted, and moft frequently daubed quite fimply on the wall ; others upon large ma fly plates of filver or copper, and framed with the fame metal. The head of each fio-ure is invaria- O bly ornamented with a crown, which coniifts of a mafTy femicircle of copper, filver, or gold, in form of a horfe moe, and fometimes it is almoft wholly made up of pearls and precious ftones. Almoft all the images of St Nicholas, and thofe, which are moft worshipped, are ornamented with iiik drapery, fixed to the wall with jewels. Some are painted on a gold ground, others are gilt from head to foot, except the face and hands. The extremity of the mve is a baluftrade, which leads to the fanctuary, and at the top of this baluftrade is a platform, on which the prieft ftands, when he performs a part of the fervice. THE fanctuary is feparated from the nave by what is called the Iconaftus^ a fort of large fcreen, which is generally the part of the church moft richly orna- mented, on which the moft revered images are painted or fufpended. In the centre is a folding doer, called the holy and royal door, by which they enter into the fanctuary. IN moft part of the churches our attention was drawn to the enormous fizs and number of the bells, but TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 231 but this fight did not furprife us, becaufe we knew that ringing of bells is an effential part of worfhip among the Ruffians ; more childiih flill in their manner of addreffing the Divinity, than the fuper- ititious Spaniards, who are in the higheft degree of comparifon in point of fuperfuVlon. To the accounts refpecling bells already given in the former volume we fhall add here, that they are not maken to and fro as among us ; on the contrary the bell is always immoveable, and it is never founded but by a knock- er, fixed at its fide, which is put in action by means of a cord tied to it. As in tlicfe countries it has been always regarded as a meritorious action to give bells to a church, and as the piety of the donor 1m been valued in proportion to the iize of the bell gi- ven, Boris Godonoiv, the ufurper of a throne, to which he had paved the way only by a fucceillon of crimes, doubtlefs believed he would expiate them all by giving to the cathedral of Mofcow a bell of 312,48 pounds weight. The Emprefs Anne, who had no crimes to expiate, but wiihed in point oi piety to excel all the fovereigns of Rufila, made this bell be recaft, and ordered two thoufand pouJs of metal to be added to the original, fo that this beii, which now weighs 400,200 Ib. averdupois, is the Iar2;eft in the world. Its fize is fo enormous, thar o it is hardly pofiible to be perfuaded, that the dimen- fions are not exaggerated, But it is in confequence oi : having TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. having taken tfyem ourfelves, that we affirm it to be nineteen feet high, and that its circumference is thirty feven fathoms and fome feet. It is twenty one inches and a half thick. The tower where it was hung, was reduced to ames, the bell fell, and being much encumbered with the ground, it has not been lifted up again. In this fall a bit was bro- ken out of it towards the lower part, which has left an opening large enough to admit two perfons with- out ftooping. CHAP. XVI. RELIGIOUS houfes^fituated in the Kremlin. Viefnowif- fool. St Michael the Archangel* s cathedral. Bu- rying place of the Czars. Grave of Iwan Bafilo- ivitfch I. That of fa an Bafikwitfch II. Sovereign- ty of the Romanoffs. Michael Feder&witfch. Fe- dor his fan. Alexis Federowitfch, father to Peter L Particulars of this prince. His clemency. Ills carriage with the beautiful Natalia Cyrilloivna. IN the Kremlin there are two religious houfes, one for nuns, and another for monks. The latter me- rits no particular defcription. The Nunnery called VielfiKJUjliJk-ji was founded in the year 1393 by Eu- doxia, wife to the Grand Duke Demetrius Donlki, and TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 233 and contains the principal chapel, in which are the tombs of many Czarinas and Princeffes of the Im- perial family. They are of ftone, and ranged in two lines vcrv near one another. Some are fur- 4 rounded by a baluftracle of copper or iron, but thefe arc not moft numerous. On every tomb there is a pail of crimiim or biack velvet, ornamented with an embroidered crofs, and edged with gold or fllver lace, fet ofF with pearls and precious ftones. The foundrefs of the convent is a faint, as almoft all the foundrcilflj of religious houfes are. She is buried O under the altar. i'u.;: young women in this convent are generally einp'.GYcd in embroidering the facerdotal robes of the archbiihop of Mofcow. They are drcfled wholly in black, which makes them generally look pale and ugly. They are allowed to eat no Hem, but they live on excellent ilih. The order is not rigid. They are allowed 1 to pay vifits, which they do frequently, TiiMiK arc eight churches in the Kremlip, and within io narrow bounds that they really touch, or ahv.oit touch one another, a proof of the ignorance and credulous devotion oi: the Ruffians. In thele eight churches vhcre are three cathedra!;;, dedicated to St Michael the Arch.iiigd, the Ailumption, and the Virgin. The HiCrly tlu: burying iia Hie ibcoud iv^r bji; 1 ^ the church, where they Vo-. I!. O were 2 3 4 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, were crowned and married ; and the third is re^ imarkable for its flrucbure and the riches it con- tains. The architecture of theie churches is com- pletely ridiculous. It is of the vvorft Gothic kind, and probably the work of that Solarius of Milan, who built the walls of the Kremlin, and was only a rough mafon, IN the cathedral of St Michael the Archangel, you fee the graves of the Sovereigns, who. are depofited there, not as among us in fubterraneous vaults, but in tombs built, generally of brick in form of a coffin 5 and about two feet high. The moil ancient are co- vered whh palls of red cloth, and fome with velvet. That wherein Peter II. is laid, is covered svith gold {lull' trimmed with fringes and ermine. At the time of the grand fellivals, they are all covered with rich rrciu and (liver ituiTs, ornamented with pearls and jewels. At the foot of each torr:b there is a plate of iiivcr, bearing the name of the Sovereign and the year of his death. So long as Mofcow was the Imperial re(idence 3 und till the end of the hul century, all the Czars were buried in this cathedral, except Boris Gcdc- now, whole body lies in the Trinity monaftery, and the Czar, who bore the name of Demetrius and loft Lis life in a ri-jt, and Bailie Shuifk.', who died in pnfon at V;ir ! bvh. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 235 THE tomb of Iwan Bafilowitfch I. principally attracts attention, becaufe this prince is celebra- ted in the Ruffian annals. At his acceffion to the throne in the year 1462, RufHa was divid- ed into feveral fmall principalities, which were perpetually at war with, or yielding an imperfect fubmiffion, to the Grand Duke of Mofcow; and all of them, even the Grand Duke himfclf, were tri- butary to the Tartars. Iwan changed the face of this Empire. Pie united thcfe different principali- ties to his ftate, (hook off the yoke of the Tartars, formed connections with feveral European nations, and opened a communication with them. lie fa- voured commerce, encouraged the moft necenary arts, and in feveral rcfpects, merited the name of Great, which was given him notwithftanding his manners, which were of a piece with his age, and which his wife, a Grecian Pnncefs of diftinguimed merit, could not altogether {'often. IWAN Bafilowitfch II. his fen and fucceffor, lies in a fmall chapel adjoining. This prince has been re- prefented by feveral writers, as the moft cruel ty- rant, that ever afflicted or difgraced the human race. This character given him by the monks is doubtleis exaggerated. We fhall acknowledge he had the ferocity of his age, and of the climate, in which he was born, and which, as yet produced none but ferocious men. We mall confefs he had G sr 2 vice;;. 236 'TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. vices, but will fay he did great things/ and yet would have been nothing but a celebrated robber, O if he had confined himfelf to arming and difciplin- ing the Ruffians, and conquering the kingdoms of Kafan and Aftracan. But he gave his fubjecls a code of written laws, he brought feveral artiils to Mofcow, where he eftabliihed printing, encouraged commerce, fixed certain regulations reflecting the cuftom-houfe duties, allowed the Britifii merchants to trade in his dominions, and granted them the free exerciie of their religion, lie died in the year 1584, of grief for the death of his eldcft fon, whom he killed by accident. He was lucceeded by Fedor, a weak (hallow prince, and only a crowned rnanni- kin. With him ended the male line of the houfe of Ruric, who had reicrned more than fevcn hundred J O years in Ruflia. To this race of princes facceeded that of the Ro- manoff's, of whom Michael Federowitfch was the lirft Czar. Brought up in a cloiftcr he was called to the throne by the choice of the Boyards on the c i ft of February 1613. For tins advancement he was indebted to his iiluftrious birth, and ft ill more, to the feductive arts of Fedor Nikitiz, liis father, better known under the name of Pliilarethes, of \vhom we mail aftewards m;:kc parncular mention. Arfenia, mother of the young Fedorowitfch, who liad lived at court and ot'le \>.\ the throne, far from TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 237 rejoicing at the elevation of her fon, reprefented, it is faid, to the deputies, who came to announce to him the choice, which had been made of him, that a young man brought up in a cioifter, without experience of men and things, was ill calculated to manage the empire in its very difficult circumftances. The mo- deit Fedorovvitfch was of his mother's opinion. Charmed with their moderation, the deputies en- couraged them, and the wifdom of Philarethes made up for the inexperience of his fon. THIS prince occupied the throne with glory du- ring a reign of thirty two years, which the Ruffians thought too ihort, and reckoned among their hap- pieft clays. ALEXIS, MichaeloiL'itfch, his fon, who is interred at his fide, is known to foreigners for almoil no o- ther reafon, than that he was the father of Peter I. Yet RuiTn ilands indebted to this prince for ufeful eftablifhments. Tie reformed the laws, difciplined the army, caufed fome liender barks be built on the Cafpian fea, which the Ruffian hiitorians called mips. lie conquered Smoleniko, and a great part of U- krjluo from the Poles. In fhort, he drew the firit oiit'iines of the plan, which Teter I. enlarged and completed. AI.I., who hr.vc mentioned this prince, have a- crrecd in praifnig him, and t.;y, he was a good huf- hand, a rr cud htlicr, ar.d a c'ood lovereif;n. It is J ,j ~^ O true. 238 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. true, he was exceffively hot, bu^ his natural mild, nefs very foon calmed his impatience. When i cr .i^n- ed to himfelf, he was afhamed of his paffioi), and made amends for it by favours, which exceeded the injuries he imagined he had done thole, whom his impetuolity might have offended. He was a friend to memorials, like Louis XIV. his cotemponiry, a- bout whom he was fond of converfing. His heart was humane and compafiionate, fo that he never put his name to the foot of a fentencc of death, with- out watering it with his tears. / am not a Czar to dsftroy ?ny fubjefls, (aid he one day to Naritlkin, who wafc his prime minifter, and enjoyed his confidence, t,n the contrary ', it h my duty to preferve them, and to grant pardcn to all thofe, who are not convicted cf ha- ving dyed their hands in the blood of their brethren. At this very moment, the minifter prefented to him a fentence of death to fign againft a defcrter, but he wrote below, I grant par don ^ and fubfcribed his name. Notwithftanding this clemency, equal to that of Ti- tus, who is quoted as a model to all princes, Alexis was the Czar, who eftablifhed the Inquidtion of/ State, known in Ruflia under the name of the 5V- r.rct Com-iiihice^ of which we have hid occalion to fpeak feveral times. Has the erection of this tribu- nal been a flain on his reign and the nation : This is the problem propofed by Leclcrc in his hiilory of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 2517 Ruflia. In this quefuon there is nothing (mgular, except that it is thought the fubject admits of a queftion. THE circumftances of Alexis' marriage with Na- talia Cyrillowna, mother to Peter I. are too defcrip- dve of this prince, and the manners of his times, not to be laid before the reader. ARTEMIN Matwejeff, who was grandfather tc* Count RoinanzofF Zadounaifki, now marmal-gene- al, and lieutenant-colonel of the Emprefs' 1 Horfe Guards, was mmifter of foreign affairs under Alex- s' reign, and particularly honoured with the friend- hip of this prince, who, fetting all etiquette afide, ;ame often to eat with his miniiler, and talk of bu- inefs in an eafy way. Coming in one night very ate, and without being expected, he found the co- /er laid. " This table feems to invite me," laid her, 4 to Matwejeff, and I will let myfelf down at it, ii : 1 I conflrain nobody." The miniiler auurcs hin:., :hat he cannot confer on him an higher honour, and )rdcrs flipper immediately. Bis wife enters, accom- panied by his fon and a young lady, They iup, and luring the repail Alexis had often, fixed his eye en iu: young fair gucft fitting dircdly oppoiite to him ? ,vhoib beauty war, equalled or.ly by her ir-odefty, 1 I always thought," faid the Czar to his minifter.. '- thut you had only a ion, and it is only to ciay ' that ! learn you have a daughter; ! am not a lit- ^ tic 2 4 o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. " tie difpleafed with you for having kept this a fl> " cret from me." " Your Majefty is wrong inbla- " ming me for this," anfwered MatwejefF. " I have " really an only fon, and the young lady, whom " you take for my daughter, is the daughter of one " of my friends, Cyrilie Naritlkin, who lives re- " tired in the country, on a moderate fortune, <: which his oeconomy alone renders fuflicient for his " wants, and thofe of his family. My wife has taken " this young lady to bring her up, and procure her, " if poiliblc, a fettlement. We owe thefe cares to " fricndmip, and will make it our duty to attend " to them." " I am perfuaded of it," fays his Ma- jefty. " I know your heart." The cloth was drawn, the minifler's wife, his fon, and the young lady re- tired, bccaufj they kne\v, when fupper was over, lib Majefty liked to converfe alone with Matwejeff. My friend," fays the prince to him, c ' this young Natalia appears to me poildTed of an excellent mind, the is full of charms, me is of an age fui ti- ed to make a hufb.ind happy. We mull look out for one to her, and think ilrriouily of this buii- jiei : -,-" " Your Mujdly is very good, and 1 thank you in Natalia's name, for the attention you dci-rn LO pay her, but the unfortunate voum* ladv V.J 1 ' . O h.is only her beauty and virtues for her fortune, and 1:1. v; hulbands of the chy willi to have fome- ' { thing TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. a 4* kC You are prejudiced/' interrupted the Czar, Ci and i5 I undertake to find one out that will not calcu- "" ; late in the lenil." Some days after this inter- vic\v, the Czar returned to JMaUvejeLPs, converfed at fir it about the alTiirs of the Empire, and after, wards invited hhivfelf to dinner. lie ia\v the beauti- ful NjtAlia, paid her fome attention, but with the c::'eitelt reierve. When the entertainment was over., and the prince and MatwejefF engaged in familiar coriverution. ^ llav? yoi'. thought," faid the Czar to him, " on providing Natalia? Have you cait: ct your eye on any perion ? " cc No, Sire, it is nor * c <;hat I do not ciciire it m^fh e;.rii'_it!y, bu: an:oi:^; fc " tue crrcut r.uiiiDer of \c\~.r.~ pcopie. wl/o rrcnucnt. \~j * LJ i ' -'- *" our home, none lus is vet appeared to have the kC lead iiffeclion for her," Very well," fays the Czar, '" I am farther forward than you, i have ^ found out ahuiband capabl.; oi nukuu' her Iv.;ppy 9 " and rich enough not to ennulre il":er her fortune, ' She is ac^a.un'cd \vl : :h -ilin, but lie has been able * to keep ah iciitia;::its aproiv/uuJ fxi'v:", anJ with- VOL, II, II h out s.|2 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ft out having the pride of lovers, he is bold to prs- '' imr.c that, when lie (hall declare himfelf, he \vili : '' noi be rtjtfhd." cc Ah! Sire, I did not expect ; kfs fr^ni your good:, els, you crown my willies '' under what obligations iny friend Cyrille will l ' be under to you. Might I be bold to afk your " >\:<...j *'S .y t lic name of the young man f Un doubt - cc cdiy, I know him too, and I could give your Ma- " jeiiy infgrmation . . . " :" I do r^t alk any, I " kno\v him \veli enough to need none ; only learn cc if Natalia has no averlion for marriao-e." " When O ^ ever \ve hsve fpuken to her of a feulement, fl"ie Ci has ahvays anfvvercd \vith equal grace and rnodef- ct ty, that ilie would fcudy to make the hufband ' happy, u'hom we would clioofe for her. She will u be quite otherwiie iLittcrcu, when flie knows that >!: ir !> frr.rn your IvI ijefty, tliftt ii.e will receive this Ci hiubind." " A!) ; my dear IMatwejcff," inter- rnrtecl the Czur v.ith eager r.cfs, " yes, go tell hei ' ; that it i:; I, who iiave choien this hufband, and , i 11 r .-;/'> * i- nut lie is sii'ixii uimietj. jM-VTTvi'jF.i-T iliiecl \vith iiuonifliment at a declara- tion fo 1-ncMpeclcJ, fa'lb at tiic Czar's feet, and con- ii:ies Iiiiii to ^ivc u;> thl- 1 rcfblution, or at icait to- forbeur imparting it to Ivualia. " I am already en- " vied," Lidtk-d M:u\vt.je!'f, ' Ljcauie lam lionourecl ^ with your favcur, bvt to v/i-at height will this en. ' l vy r:^b, when ii: ilirl be Iccn, thril }our Majefty f< difdaiiu- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 243 *' difdains the daughters of the principal Boyards, " to unite yourfelf with a young unfortunate girl, c brought up in my houfe. It will be thought that c motives of ambition have induced me to advife ( your Majefty to this fkp." " Your fears are ima- ;c ginary," replied the Czar, ci difrnifs them, and " think only on obeying me. My refolution is form- " ed, and Natalia is neceflary to the exiftence of your " maRer." " There is one way, by which your " Majefty can reconcile all./' faid the minifler. '* Give orders for brinrrino: to court theyoun^dauo;n~ \^r O * O *. * ' ters of all the Boyards, from among whom the ct cuftoin of the country authorilcs you to choofe a " wife. Natalia Cyriliowna's beauty and birth en- " title her to be of the number of thefe young la- Ci dies, and your Majefty by choofmg her, will ap- 64 pear to adjudge the prize to beauty only, and thus put envy to iilence." ALFXIS approved of this expedient, and ufcd the greateft precaution not to expofe the minifter. Na- talia was informed of her happy deftiny, and proved 2.S difcreet as her lover. Some days after, the Czar collected the heads of the clergy, communicated to them his intention of marrying again (Mary Ilinitf- cliora Moloflawiky, was his former wife) and he or- dered them to publifh it in his dominions. After this publication the principj! Boyards of the Empire v:~re obliged to fend their marriageable daughter.-; 11 ! :. to 244 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. to court, where, when they appeared in prefence of the Czar, he prefented a crown of rofes to her, whom he chofe for a bride. Till the time of Peter .(. the moft of the Czars had not been married other- wife. There was even a law, which forbid them to take a wife from the houfe of a foreigner, and which the prince durft not infringe, when he was not pof- leiTed of intereft or force enough to enable him to oppofe the public opinion. THE proclamation juft now mentioned, being made jn all the provinces of the Empire, more than fixty young ladies arrived at the Kremlin of Mofcow, on the firft day of September 1670. Cuftom bore that they mould all wear the fame drefs and veil, which they dropped not, till the prince appeared to make his choice. This was made at noon in one of the principal halls of the palace. The company of youiir; virgins arranged themfelves in two rows, the amo- rous Czar appeared, the veils dropped, and every perfon's eyes were dazzled with the appearance of io much beauty. Modefty Lit on the brows of taoie youno- ladies, and anxiety was working in their JO ' -J hearts; but never did beauties difplay their attractions jnore idly, nor ever conceive vainer hopes. They lit- tle knew the trick love had played them, and tlut the choice was already made. The diicreet Alexis, inlreaci of going all at once to throw Imnfelf at the feet of Na- C?J1* 3 pretended to appear fur ibnie time cmb:;rr:ii- r- leci TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 245 fed about .making a choice, and when he thought Ije had deceived the fpectators, he advanced to his be- loved, who modeftly waited her triumph without appearing to doubt it ; Beautiful Natalia, faid he to her, fetting oa her head the crown of rofes, which declared her to be his wife, Beautiful Natalia, receive ibis crown from your bitfband, and may the throne of the Rufflas be proud to fee you fit on it. The humble Natalia fell at the feet of the Czar, who haflened to lift her up, and lead her to the temple. PETER I. and a princefs named after her mother were the fruit of this marriage. Natalia's fortune inade her father Naritfkin's, who deferved it. He became Alexis' prime minifter, and made his reign illuftrious. They were Peter's harbingers. The young Czarina did not live with her hnfband with- out meeting with fome unea'iinefs. Alexis was in- ecnftant, but he knew what he owed to his wife. He had a miftrefs, who dared to behave difrefpecl- fully to her Emprefs, and Alexis punillied her. She difappeared at court. This prince died in the year 16:6, regretted by all his fubjects and fidly lament- ed by thofc, who had the happinefs to be near him. FKDOR, the oldcll of his ions, \vhoin he defigned for l:ls fucceilbr, was equally feeble in body and Hund.; and incapable of governing, but he had the prurience to leave the adi^lniflnition of affairs to 3^p-r.:i Ins filler j whole avn.bil'on \\'Q have -already defcribccL 4 6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. defcribed. In the name of Fedor {he did fome glo- rious and ufeful things. We muft own, it was Ga- litzin, her prime .minifter, and according to fome hiftorians, her lover, who adviied her to them, in the year 1682, Fedor died and left the throne to his brother Iwan, who was not more capable than himfelf to fill it, but yet he thought hi nil elf very deferving of the auguft honour. Igno- rance is prefumptuous, efpecially in princes, to whom the flattering courtier afcribes fictitious ta- lents, which the defpot, whether crowned, or ex. peeling to be crowned, at lead imagines he really pofieifes. As frequent fits of the epilepfy, which feized Hrn almoft daily, deprived Iwan of the ufc of his fenles, he was advifed to give a Lhare of the government to his brother Peter, who was only ten years of a^e, but all his intellectual powers were as vigorous and forward, as thofe of his brother were feeble and backward. For the happinefs of his fubjecls, and in fpite of Sophia and Galitzin, before many years elapfed Peter alone got the reins of government, arid became Peter the Great. This Prince and his fucceflbrs, all exept Peter I!, were buried at St Pe- terfburg. CHAP, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 47 C II A P. XVII. CHURCH of the Affumption. Mora/of, Governor and M-ini/ier to Alexis. Pie receives a terrible teflon from the people. Its conferences. Burial of the Patriarchs. Job.-*-Phi!arethes. Hi/lory of Nikon. 17 T ROM the church of Mcfcow we pafs into that of the Afiumption, which has long been the place, where the Czars have been crowned. It is the moll- magnificent in all Mofcow. The fanchiary is part- ly covered with plates of gold and iilver, works of great value. From the centre of the vault hangs an enormous mafTy chandelier, which weighs near three thoufand two hundred pounds averdupois, It was made in England and was given in a prefenl; to the church by Morofoff, who was at firft gover- nor to Alexis Michaelowitfch, and then made him - ielf his prime minifter, as it were, in fpite of him, Alexis, yet a young man, being conftantly befet, allowed himfelf to be wen, and Morofofr commen- ced a ir.iniiter equally arrogant and ripacious, and in the end became as affable as jufr, A ftrange me- tamorphofis, whereof in hiii.ory he alone furnimes an infi.ar.cc. The Ruffian memoirs report that he Cvved it to a terrible leffcn given him by the pec- pie 9 \vho were cpprcued by his inquitous condncl. 4 S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE facred vefiels in the church of the AfTump- tian, the ornaments of the altars, the pontifical robes, even the garments' worn by the fimple popes, are overloaded with gold with rich embroidery, and jewels. Bat in general the tafte is coarfe, and cor- refponds not with the richnefs of the materials. The greateft part of the paintings on the walls in the Iniide, have coloifean proportions. Some are very ancient, and were drawn about the end of the fif- teenth cpntury. Among others there is a head of the Virgin, believed to have been painted by St Luke ; an opinion, which gives it much celebrity, as well as the gift of working miracles. The face is aim oil black, and the head is ornamented with a crown of jewels. The hands and body are gilt, which pro- duces one of the moft extraordinary effects. This painting is feen within the boundaries of the fanclu- ary, and is kept locked up in a large filver prcfs, which is opened only on grand feiiivab, or to ia- tisfy t-u curioiity of religious ftrangers. Amateurs pafs without afking a light of this refpecl.ible -Higy, and yet it is the moft ancient image to be fecn hi that country. According to tradition, it was brought from Greece to Kiow, when the foverei^n "> O O of Rufiia rciided there. Thence it was tranfported to Wolodimcr and afterwards to Mofcow. It is evi- dently a work of the Greeks, and more undent than TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 249 the revival of the arts in Italy, which it is not diili- cult to believe. IN this very ci.-urcii the bodies of the patriarchs of RuiTia are d.-poHteJ. The iirft is Job, before whom there \vas in xufTu only a primate fuifragan of the patriarch of Conilantinople. He was iinlali- nd in the \ car 158;), in 'nn;ity of Patriarch of Ruf- fia, by the patriarch of Conllantinople, with all the reqiiifite folernnities. He \rc.i tl:e patriarchal fbafF into his hand, \vith a deed ceni r yin;^ the farrenc'er 1 lie made him of his r'^uts over hi..v., and his church. '1 he accounts are net the lame reflecting tlic i::o- iiver", which induced hlui to ii"ia]:e this facrifice to the RiiUian church. Son-c lild(^ri.ins even call in quellion the iurrendcr ju-t r.ovvr mentioned, and with fome juilice, for tr.e iaccrdotal fnirit is not on- ly averfe to part with any of its prerogatives, but h rlfo inclined to in . :ide thofj, which it has not. THE moil refpe-fcable of job's iuecciiors was Phi- L-ircibcs, whole name b \> b:^:n mentioned already, It is iroin idm that the princes or f.iu ia:7:ily or Ko- rnanoff are dvdcendr.'d. r \\' ; - A> the n.i;:.e ol- :ii.> grandfather, and the praclicc in Rn.d.i bcinq-, tliat the fandiy : yjukl adopt tlic n_in;e of his grand- father, i .: added it io his CAVII, \v]iicii \va-s 1 dor j^kiliz. .- : \v:is c'ed: nd \>:u Andircw, who v.\vj born of iy, wuich c:ni- gra:cd frou; Prufli i:u\: e;:!;:i [\van - T T T t I r* ' \ OL. II. j- i Lvaiiov. r. ii. 2 5 s TRAVELS TN RUSSIA. Iwanowitfch, and their defendants rofe to the Crfi dignities of the empire. Fedor Nikitiz himfelf wan one of the principal Boyards at court, under the reign of Fedor Iwar.owitfch, v/ith whom he ferved in the campaign againft the Swedes, which procu- red to RulIU the cities of Koporie, Jamborg, and Iwangorod. In the war 1596, he commanded the army fent again it- the Tartars. In 1589, he accom- panied Boris Godonow to Serpukoif, to guard the frontiers aop.inft an approaching invalion. But Bo- ris Godonow, who was an adventurer, and owed the throne, which he took poffeffion of, folely to his audacity and crime?, took umbrage at the birth and military abilities of Fedor Nikitiz, and compelled him to turn monk in the monaftery of Sitzkoi, un- der the name of Philarethcs. He was drawn from the cloifter by Demetrius the impoilor, who had been a monk himfelf, and wi&ing to make a tool of Philarethcs, he named him metropolitan of Roftofl *nd jnroflaw. In the year 1610, he was fent on ar. rrnbaffy to Sigifmund, who was befieging Smolen- ;ko. This prince was ofi^nded at the tone of firm- aelis widi wlii:.h Philarethes had addreffed him, and violated tii -2 l.:\vi> of nations by cafting him into pri- ; ; ./n. In i6\ v, h- recovered his liberty, at the foli- citation cf his fon, wJio, during his own capitivity had b-'jen clccued Czar. Ills abilities, and the wifh- '.- of the ;:-j'ipie. mads }\ur> be elected patriarch of: Mofcow, TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 251 Mofcow, the very year of his return. In this capa- city he edified the Ruffians by his virtues, and made them happy by governing them with wifdom under the name of his fon. IN another place we have obferved, that Peter I. had fuppreffed the dignity of Patriarch, and \ve then mentioned the motives, that induced him to do fo. Adrian was the laft of thcfe prelates. The Ruf- fians enumerate eleven between Job arid Adrian, a- mong whom was the famous Nikon, the only patri- arch buried in the church of the Afiumption. THE Ruflians are divided in opinion with regard I O to him. Some confider Nikon as Antichrift, and abhor him, while others revere him as a faint. This extraordinary man was born of obfcure parents in the year 1*613. His firft name was Nikita, and ftudy was his earlkft turn. He applied to theology, efpecially to the holy fcripture. lie ftudied among; the monks, who infpired him with a liking for the cloiiter, and he was going to bury him / there, when his father, who wifked to make his fon ufeful to the world and his family, tore him from it, and made him acquainted with a charming woman, wlio be- c;m:c his wife, and made him the father of three: chiich-cn, who all died in infancy. The grief ecca- fioned by the lofs of them, the iirit affections which {.peak ftrongly to the foul, induced Nikita to pro- r;ofe to his \viit: to ieparate in order to enter both I i intc 252 . TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. into a monaftery. The feparation took place, and Nikita entered into that of Angerlkoi, which is fi- xated on an ifland of the white fea, where twelve monks lead a folitary life, fee and fpeak to one ano- ther only once in the week. At his entry he took the name of Nikon. AFTER a fhort flay in this modern Thebais, Ni- kon, who was of a crofs temper 1 , which foliiude had not fweetencd, took a journey to lucfcow, with tlie fuperior of the monaftery, for the purpofe of ma- king a collection for building u. church, and on this journey quarrelled with this fuperior, who on his return to the monaftery, put Nil-con into a frail ca- noe, managed by a flngle man, which the barbarous monk, glutting a perfonal vengeance, knew could not re lift the ftorm. In fhort, at the mouth of the Onega thcfe unhappy men were a5!ii!cd by n violent tenypeft, and by a kind ot niiracic only i:.nir.age. He abolilhed fupei fdtir.us ccremonie.-;. h; a v/c^ra, he a!c;ne cc-r.trlhutcrl :r.^rc th-in ?}\ I ' :; . '.hrcC'". .vs together, to L!I: ixfcriiralion of ki.; church. 254 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. church, and to render its form of worfhip lefs ridi- culous. He diftinguiflied himfelf no lefs in the ma- nagement of public affairs. The Czar confulted him on all occafions. He became the foul of his counfels, from which there iffued nothing but what was wife, fo long as he influenced them. BUT, after having rifen to the higheft pinnacle of greatnefs, to which a fubjecl can attain, Nikon faw himfelf hurled from his lofty feat by a vile cabal. He had offended the priefts by his reforms, and the courtiers by his aufterity of manners. Priefts and courtiers are not offended with impunity, and Ni- kon was facrificed. They defcribed him to the peo- ple as a dangerous, irreligious man. In fhort, the people fuperftitioufly attached to thefe facred abfur- dities adopted by their anceftors, which Nikon had juft done away, were extremely vexed to fee the i- mages taken from the churches, the changes made in the liturgy, and the veriion of the bible, and the final fuppreilion of forne ceremonies. Ignorance im- puted thefe different grievances to Nikon as a crime, imd pardoned him not. It ftirred up againft this ce- lebrated man both the capital and the provinces, and the afcendant he had gained over the Czar, which ought to have defended him againft fo many attacks, only ferved to -haften his fall, by exciting the jealoufy of minifters, efpecially of Natalia and 2icr father, who wifhed to reign alone over the mind TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 255 mind of Alexis. In fhort, Nikon's haughtinefs and inflexibility completely deprived him of the fupport which his virtue and good intentions ought to have preferved to him. His enemies fucceeded in aliena- ting the Czar from this great man, and removing him from his perfon. Nikon, incapable of bending, refolved to prevent his difgrace by voluntarily re- iigning the patriarchal dignity in the year 1658, af- ter having enjoyed it fix years. He retired into the monaftery of Jerusalem, which he himfelf had built and endowed, at the diftance of forty werfts from Mofcow. Some writers have advanced, that this retreat of Nikon's was forced, and that it was the Emperor himfelf, who confined him in the monaf- tery of jerufalem. We are not backward to em- brace this opinion, which is Voltaire's, who did not write hiftory like many, who feem to have underta- ken the tafk, only to disfigure it. NIKON, who had been a hermit at court, when returned to the cloifter, of which he had never loft the fpirit, gave himfelf up to childifh practices, to aufterities, and cruel mortifications, which are an ufelefs outrage to nature, and haiien its diflblution. It is reported, that he ihut himfelf up in a narrow cell, where he had no otL..r bed, but a flone on which he llept, covered with a. rufli mat. He wore on his bread a broad iron plate., on which \va:j an enor- mous copper-crois, to which was fixed a chain of Si ore 256 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. more tl-nn twenty pounds weight. For more than twenty years he dragged this frightful badge in ho- nour of the divinity, who gave not man life for i'uch absurdities. Yet thefc devotional practices, - which in Nikon, discovered a debafement of the in- tciiechral powers, did not prevent him from makir.g the compbte collection of the annals of Ruflla, which we have mentioned in the former volume. But even in them you may difcover the ftate, in which his mind was, for in the fir ft lines of his book, he is extravagant enough to pronounce an a- nathcma agai^ft thofe, who mould dare to change u fing'c cxprcSiiGJi in Ids \vork. ALLXIJ, but efpecially Naritzkin, who did not wifii to make Nikon's Lift years unhappy, had lei't him the n .'.in title of Patriarch to Soothe his retire- ment. I'ut the Ruffian clersrv, wlio had their ver.~ O ' geanccs to gratify, importuned the Czar and Na- ritzkin i;i Such ii way, that they really made hirr, be depoled and degraded in one of tlioie adcmblii:^, which cv.irchmen call Council. It was licld at ivlci-- cow in. the year i6wo, and condemned Nikon fo abSolute f-TiuGon irom the \\~orld. He was tlicrc- iorc c Account of ibis Prince. /\LL the retail trade cf Mofcovv is carried on in the Kbilai-Gtrcd) v/hcre is, as we have fiid, the Goftin'/i-Dwor,, or exchange, which bears an exacl re- iemblance to what the A hades call a I'a-ar. Tiie lliops, of which it is made v.p, occupy a conlidc-rable ipace. The merchants have no loilginpfs there; but dwell in another qunrtcr at a confiderablc diflance, They come to tlielc ih.ops in t!c n.'.OHiing, continue there till the afternoon, \vhen they return to their families. Every braucu of trade has its particular quarter, and thofc, wlio ill! the iaiiiv? anidcs, iiavd VOL, II, K. k fliopi 1 258 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, ihops at the fide of one another. This retail trade agrees perfectly with thofe markets of the Levant, of which Tavernier and Pietro della Valle have gi- ven us defcriptions. The Ruffians referable the Afi> :itics in many other cuftoms. This obfervation is valuable to the philofopher and hiftorian. The prin- cipal articles of commerce at Mofcovv are peltry and furs. Thefe two alone occupy feveral ftreets. AMONG the number of curiofities in this city the market of houfes deferves to be ranked. It is held, in a large; fquare in one of the fuburbs, and prefcnts to file a great number of houfes, laid in pieces on the ground, and dole by one another. Whoever is in need of one goes to this place, tells Iiow many rooms he wants, examines the planks, which are all carefully numbered, and cheapens the houfe, which fiiits him, as with us one would a(k the price of a iingle piece of furniture. Sometimes the houfe is inilantly paid for, and the purchafer carries it with him ; at other times he makes his bargain on con- dition that it (hall be carried, and creeled on the fpot, on which he wifhcs to have it. It is a fact that a houfe is often bought, tranfported, erected and inhabited in the fpace of a week. The reafon of this uncommon circumftance is, that they are for moft part formed only of trunks of trees, with, tcnurcr- and incrtifcs at the ends, fo that there TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 259 is nothing more to do, but colled and arrange them when need requires. THIS expeditious manner of building is not, as may be fuppofed, practlfed only in the conftruclion of cottages or fmall houfes. 1 here are fome of a large lize and handfome appearance, which are reared with a degree of difpatch, that looks like enchant" ment. There was a remarkable inftance of this at the time of the famous journey of Catharine II. to Mofcow. Her Majefty propofed to take pofleffion of Prince Galitzin's hotel, which is looked on as the largeft in this city ; but this not being fuiftcient, k was refolved to make a temporary addition of wood- en buildings ; and thefe buildings larger than the hotel itfelf, containing a great number of magnifi- cent apartments, were begu" and finiihed i^.the fpace of fix weeks. They were thought ib beauti- ful and convenient, that when they were taken down at the Emprefs' departure, they were built anew to make a pleafure houfe on a hill adjacent tc- the city. AT Mofcow an admirable police is eftablifhed ir, cafe of mobs or fires. The laft in particular are fiv- cuent and dangerous, efpecial'y in quarters, in which there are none but wooden houics, and where the. ftreets are covered with planks inftead of pavement, At the entry to every ftreet there is a gate, at which - fentmel is poftcd, when circumftances require. K k 2 Th-n TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, Then the gate is Ihut, and is conftrucled in fuch a way, as Lot to be eafily forced. THE moft remarkable of public eftablifhments at Mofcow, deferving of honourable mention, is that of the Foundling Hofpital. It was endowed by the reigning Emprefs in tii.? year 1764, and is fupport- ed by voluntary contributions, by legacies and other charities. To encourage the Ruffians in thefe acts of generolity, her Majefty grants all the benefactors certain privileges, and a rank proportioned to the value of their contributions. One of the Demidoffs is among the contributors. He is a famous merchant, who to great riches, which he received in inheri- tance from his anceflors, has added immenfe fums, gained by fpeculations, which have been crowned with the moll fortunate fuccefs. But if he be one of the fpecuktors of Ruffia, he is a lib one of the moft zealous philanthropies. To the eftablimment juil now mentioned, lie has given more than four hundred and fifvy tiiouiand roubles ( 101,250) and beitowed a degree of attention of as much value as this fum. The houfe for foundlings (hinds in a fpa- cious place, and in the beft air, on a fiecp bank of Mofcowa. The builcing is exteufive and of a for* are form. At firii it contained three thoufand foun ti- lings, but was afterwards enlarged for the reception of eight thoufand. The ciiildren are carried to the Farter's lodge, where they are received without any rccom- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 2.61 recommendation, or any queftions being afked at thofe who bring them. The rooms are large and lofty. The fleeping rooms, feparated from the work houfes, have large windows, by which is produced a current of falubrious air, which is to children one of the iirft elements of their cxiftcnce. The beds are not too dole. Every child has his own mounted with iron rods, initead of wood. Their clothes are changed every eight days, and their linen three times a week. Going through the rooms, you are ftruck with the ne ."'."iid.}, that prevails in, them, not even excepting thoie o' die nurics, which for neatncfs and cleannels arc rw,i ink'nYr to any other apartments. Humani- ty tukei r-i picture in admiring the care beftowed on * o theie yoiu; objects (b worthy of it. In this hofpital no craclicL- art i-.if-d. Indeed the ufe of them is ex- prcisly iorl-i-jcien. They arc not fwaddied, but left quite i)'-::e in their clothes, and in every thing the fyirem of nature is adopted. The children in this hofpiraL are JlvkkJ into dalles diftinsruifhed in * O pix^p.r.-iioi - L ,j ilicir age. They continue two years un^Lr r.ui;> -, then they arc admitted into the lo\v- cil cliifs. . iic boys and girls arc kept together till the a;:;c r:f icvcn years, and tlica arc icparated. J'hcv arc all tauglit to read, write, cypher, and to knit iioc!,.i:;\ y '. '1 his hilt art even the boys learn, a^j ;vdl 'i-j th:;t of cardinp; hemp, II ix, and wool, ^ v c. 262 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE girls are taught fpinning and all kinds of needle work. They work lace, and are employed in cooking, baking and all forts of houmold duties. AT fourteen the children enter into the firft clafs. Then they have liberty to choofe a profeflion to their mind, and for this purpofe they have feveral manufactures eilablifhed in the hofpital itfelf, where they embroider, work lace, and filk (lockings, make gloves, buttons, and cabinet work. There are fe- parate work houfes for every trade, and the fpectacle they furnifh is not the leaft interefting about this houfe. You are delighted to fee young children in ruddy health giving fuch application, and eager to reduce their little induilry to practice. Content- ment and cheerfulnefs are painted in their counte- nances, and the way, in which they run in a croud to carefs the director, when he appears, mows, that they are happy and well treated ; that he behaves rather as a father than a mailer, for children trem- ble at the fight of a mailer, but fmile at the fight of a father. SOME boys and girls learn French and German. Of the firil a fmalj number are alfo taught Latin, rnuiic, drawing and dancing. AT the age of twenty or thereabout, they receive a fum of money, and arc entitled to fome advanta- ges, by which they can fettle in any part of the em- pire they choofe ; a privilege valuable in Ruilia, where TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 263 where the peafants are flaves, and cannot quit their village without the permiffion of their matters. Nobody fliould leave this houfe without feeing the refectories, and being prefent at the dinner of the children. The boys and girls dine fepa- rately. The halls in which they eat, are on the ground floor, large, vaulted, and diftinct from thofe in which they work. The firil clafs fit at ta- ble, the reft ftand, and the little children have peo- ple to ferve them. Thofe of the firft and fecond clafs ferve one another alternately. Beef, or boiled mutton with rice is their dinner. This difh looks well, and invites you to take a {hare. The bread which is all baked in the houfe, appears excellent. Every child has his own napkin, his own pewter plate, knife, fork, and fpoon. Napkins, tablecloths, and towels are all in the greateft order. The chil- dren rife at fix o'clock, dine at eleven, and fup at fix. The youngeft are allowed a bit of bread at ie- ven o'clock in the morning, and four in the after- noon. When they arc not employed with their talks, they are allowed the greateft freedom, and they are encouraged to be in the open air as much as pollible. This throng of gamefome youth, run, leap about, and form a fpectacle, with which huma- nity is fo affected, and fo pleafed, that words cannot fxprefs the fweet fenfations, THE p. s 264 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THIRE is a theatre in this hofpital, of which al[ the decorations are the work of the foundlings. They built the theatre, painted it, made the dreifes, acted with as much juftnefs as grace, feveral of our plays, and, among the reft, the charming opera of the Dc-vi?i (hi Village, (the village fortune-teller) Vv'hich has been tranflated into the Ruffian, and al- moft all the languages of Europe. The foreigner, who attends thefe plays, though he underftand not the language, cannot with-hold his approbation of the precifion, cafe, and elegance, with which thefe little innocents act. THE Emprefs encourages theatrical exhibitions in this houfe, as a means ot difiuiino- a tafte among: her * O O fubjecls ; a tafte, which fhe juftly thinks calculated to civilize them more and more, and by this efta- bliflnnent, the Ruffian theatres may eafily be provi- ded with good actors. The beft they have in this country come from this fchool. THE advantages refulting from the Foundling Hofpital are great and numerous. Firft, An infti- tutinn fo excellent cannot fail to propagate the knowledge of the arts, and of trades among the people, and increafe the number of free iubjccts. 'ieconcly, Its chief and humane tendency is to di- riihnfh child murder, a horrible crime, formerly too ncqucut in lluilia, where it was fometimes the at- tcir.pt of defpair. whereas it is among us only the crime TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 265 crime of opinion, and the imprudence of the Iegifu ture. Yv r r; v. i(h not to leave iVTofcov/, without mention- in;:; the moiuuuTy of Tr^i-J^.-i^ or the Holy Trinity, fiunous in the :inna!s of Railia, for the afylum it luis often furnifiied to its fbvcrc'iijns m times of rebel. v^ lion r.r.d. d:in~cr ; and lull better known to foreign- crs, bc::^;;fc Pct-.T I. tooli refuge there, when he re- covered ironi his filler SopL.i:i, the iidrniniftrationi of his do:':iiiions. This moiTJiftery is fixty \verfls :fro:"Ji ?.I:>feo\v. On the v/;ry to it, you pan througli 33rctofihir.il, \\'' ! vrc 'kjiids ;i r/.iLice built by Aie'iis "Micli:te!o\v;tich, to \vh;ch this prince often retired- Not lr::g iigo, it \V:L; a hir^c buildin-T, pointed ycl- o\v, \vith only :i Ih^^'e ilorey, containing fonve low ihuill rooms. l r or a. lonp; thiiC, nobody inlnbi f :ed ^i.i!> p.il:v::-, :f in defcrvcs tliis n;imc ; bu': the I:r.i- ;7reis, charn-ca \v'.':u the delightful lituation, ,ind refp,'C~Hn^ l-ic residence, v/hich Peter I. prefcrre;! to Jl otJicrs, buik ;i pahice or b?:k;i3, cu' vrliich the ii- lu.ition !.; tile ciiicr beauty. TIIF ir.onaLtery ot TroitiV.roi, c^.l-cd i;Iio the mo- founder, v : ;) \viis culled ,: ;;.'. ;, ?.:: 1 vis pnt i;> the nv.ivibcr r-i the f.unts, nt t.l:. li i: the monks tion. TIv:y c:- tlii.i n;;!it uili in the Grcek chu'vh, but t^ i.uake A *. ? :nt, ; : coriicnt or tlie r:o VOL. II, LI iy i66 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ly iynod, and perhaps that of the Czar, is neccfiary, Sergius, who was at the court of Demetrius Don- iki, when K.iint Bernard was at the court of Louis the Young, having advifed him to make war on the Turks, fent him two monks, to affitl him with their counfels ; Slid the Ruffian chronicles, like all iiifiories written by monks, affirm, that thefe two triars contributed to the victories, which Donlki gained. We are not avcrfe to believe i'o, not be- caufe thcfe monks had military talents, but bccaufe they ipoke to th^ foldiers, in the language of fuper- itition. and becaufe fanatics are capable of any thing In an engagement. O O THE extent of the monaftery of Troitzkoi is very J * great. You would imagine you were entering a ci- ty. It is furrounded with confiderable fortifications in the old ftyle, that is, with a brick wall, battle- ments, and towers. The parapet is covered with a timber roof. The walls and towers have embrafures for mufkets and cannon, and all the works are be- fides furrounded with a deep foll'e or ditch. This monaftery, or fortref?, has ftood more than one liege. Among the reft, it defied all the efforts of Ladiilas, a Poilia prince, who befieged it with a nu- merous army. BI^IDI:^ the habitation of the monks, there is within this wall an Imperial palace, and nine large churches built by different fovereigr.s. The nionai- tery. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 267 tery, properly called fo, is formed of a fet ot : buildings, very fpacious, and furrounding a court* They are by much too large for the number of thole., \vho at prcfent inhabit them. Formerly there were three hundred monks, and ftudents in proportion. It was the beft endowed religious houfe in Ruflia : O It poffeffcd lands fo extenfive, that at lead a hundred thoufand peatlmts reiided on them. Thcfe having been united to the crown, like all thofe lands, wliich be- jonged to the church, the monks now receive only a fmall penfion, and confequently their number has diminifhed along with their revenues. To IciTeu their number, the true plan is to reduce them to a peniion, but when they are thus reduced, the pen- flon mull be paid them for a man, who has been a monk for a certain time, becomes really a paraihe plant, that muft be nouriflied with tnc juice of others. There are at this clay only a hundred monks ?.i moll In Troitzkoi, who wear black clothes, and a hood oi the fame colour. They eat no meat, anci are fub- jed: to itrict regulations. In thi^ monailery there i-: alio a feminary, in which there are about two hun- dred iludents deftincd for the church. Thefe learn nothing but what is neceilary to qualify them for being priells, and it is well knov/n how little is nc- ccilar to be learned as .t qualification fur thij ofiice LI 258 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, As to the palace, of which we have fpoken, -it is very fmall, and bears a flngular contrail to the 3arc*'e buildings allotted for the monks. When the o fovereigns relided in Muicow, they frequently lod- ged in it. In one of thefe apartments there arc iluc- co \vorks, rcprefenting the principal actions of Pe- ter 1. The churches, like a:i thole in RuHia, are fu- perbjy and fplendidly ornamented with gold and lil- ver work. The moft elegant drcrii's worn" by the prieits are there difphyed to view, Vat their chief excellence confifts in the inetul, lor the workrran- fhip is coarfe.> The principal church has a cupoh, and four domes. That on the front is of gilt cop. per, that on the back part is of pewter, or iron painted green. The fleenle, wlrich is r.e\v, wu~ built by order of the Krnprefb I'/lizabeth. It is a piece of architecture agreeable enough. The trou- ble c.f afcending it receives a liitisi-dctory recompenle in the profpccL of a country deliglitfully varied, \\ ell cultivated, extremely fertile in grain, and covered \vith a vaft number of villages. SOME of the tombs to be ieen i:i the principal Ci-.Lirch, attract attention. The fin: is tint cf :\kry viueen of Livonia, the only perioa, \vl;o ever be. re this title, which ihe purchaicd dear, IK! never deri- ved any adv.uunge from. S!:L- was ck-fcendcci i?ro!Ti L\van Bafilov/itfcli II. and rnaniird Magnus, feu to r.i'.nfdcrn lib kin?; of j.^crria'-k, in iV:vuiir of whom TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 269 ivvan II. wifhed to make a kingdom of Livonia. He did fo, bur this new power hilled only four years. Magnus, for whofe advantage this kingdom * O O tJ had been formed, wanted to ihake off the depen- dence, in \vhich the Ruffians kept him. He tried the rate of arms, was vanqurflied and taken prifoncr by hvan, who never ferioully \\iilicd the happinefs of Magnus. After having recovered his liberty, tlris prince could never retrieve his fortune. In the year i ^83, he ended his unhappy days in Oourland, where he had taken refuge, iii; wire Mary was confined in a convent with Euuioxi.-u the only fruit of this marriage, She was buried .it fclic fide of her mother. THE tornb of Bcris Go/donow is in the fame church, who, from bclna; an individual flibiect, be- ? -* O J J came Czar of Ruilia, in the year i s'9/ 3 on the death of Fe."lor Iwanowitfch. tie \\'as of a noble family, and of Tartar origin. lie was born in the year 1522, and at the age of iwonty, Ivvan placed him wit!-. his ion Iwanowitfch. By degrees !;.:; arriv?".! at tbr highi-il: dignities, and a.;(|iiircd i;-ve.!t jiiirreir l>y hi.; iiiler Irene's marri;)\^c v/i-Ji r Iwano- \vltich, unc'er who>n he veiy fi-on j: 'juired a po\\'- ur :o un'ii^.ited. that nothing remained tor him to de-ire, but tlie title of fovcreign. i/ven during tr-; C:'ir- lifetime, he had taken i": upon him to af:j\ v-.-c wjs enough ;o TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. enough, or weak enough to fuffer him to act fo dif- refpectfully. THIS oftenfible fovereign, Fedor, dying without children, and all parties having the higheft opinion of the ability of Boris, they fet the crown on his head. At firft he ihowed himfelf worthy of fove- reign power ; he was fo prudent, his manners were fo popular, and his integrity was fo great. But the fear of lofmg what he had thus unexpectedly arrived at, made him commit atrocious crimes. He cruelly perfccutcd fevenil powerful families, whole intereft he karcu, and cauiccl prince Demetrius be afTaflina- ted. An attempt, which did not continue long un- punifhed. All Ruiiia role at once to avenge him, JL o y and the tyrant in defpair at feeing himfelf abandon- ed, even by thofe, whom he had lifted from the dull, to make his accomplices, or the perpetrators of his crimes, took poifon, that he might not pafs directly from the throne to the fcaffbld, and expir- ed in the moft horrible convulfions. His death, which happened in the year 1605, after a reign of eight years, has been coniidcred by fome Ruilians, :as a misfortune to their country. It muft be own- ed, that if the crimes of Boris could be banifhed from the mind, he might be regarded as one of the greatcll princes, that ever governed Ru/Iia. The fame thing has happened to him, that happens to all tyrants. Crimes have been imputed to him, of which TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 272 which he never was guilty, and by experience he found it to be the fate of princes, that they cannot commit one crime, without being charged with many others. It would feem that heaven, who is the protector of the weak, intended thereby to im- pofe a check on the powerful, who are a fraidof this kind of difgrace. Thus Boris, who had brought on himfelf the hatred and dctcftation of poflerity by one crime, has been alfo condemned with the utmoft feverity, even for actions, dderving of the higheft commendation. C II A P. XIX. DEPARTURE from Mcfcsiv. Tcrcjl of Wolkonfki, Vi:- /ages. Pcafants. Their cottages. RoaJ.s. Pofts, Vhifna. Ds^orobufch. Swlcvfio. De/'cripfhr of this twn.Lady. Tc!it-~hi. Entry int; Poland, W K left iMofcow with the defign of going into i'o- l.md by Smolenfko. As we g'ot out ci' this city, we rr oiled the Mofco\va, upon a fort or rale, or boar. fixed to the two banks. The RulT-.ins call thef:- rafts, A/6i7//r bridges, bccauie they bend and move * O O - ' under the weight of a Carriage. Such bridges would rot be mi.ir.Ii to the talic of our b.dk;. ;< ROY?- 27i TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, FKO.M MofecAV to Malo Aviafma, the road is a broad avenue, cut in a ftraight line acrois a forcft, which you enter, almofl as foon as you leave Mof- ccnr. It takes the name of Wolkonfki (foreft,) is of immenic extent and contains the fcurcss of the principal rivers of Rufiia in Europe, the D\vina, Dnieper and \Yolg.i. The fource of the Dvvina is at a great diTtance from tlie high way, but thole of the Dnieper, and Vv'oiga are not. The ground in this country is very frequently interrupted by hills and valley?, but they are of little elevation and de- prcillon. The trees, which fkirt the roads, have bee;; planted by the hands of nature. They arc oak--, birches, allies, poplars, and pines, which, form a mixture of the greatefc variety. The majeitic :.md uniform extent of tlie forc-fl, is occaiion.illy re- i'evcd by fields and rce.idows, \vlncli by varying the profpeci:, aniufe the traveller, whom the folituJ<: '..f the r^ad i: : -."nires \v;th a g:^o:r,y inelanchc-,] y. As in tlii.s forcii there ;re often long fpaccs of the road very g*'Od, w..: uad recourle to our books, Y,r:J) iavcd u.' la.ir.y wearilbine m.inient r . S: ; i O:\ARO a.n.i Gr;"i;:va, \vhien are in \]\c lYr,- :;!,, are poor viL;'.ges. \ laiiTia, \viicii you ccni^. io.i- \r,\i g-et cut oi ;:hc \rooa, ftands on an cir.incncc?. ard, \-.'it:i its dv^nies and ItvCples, 1:1. ikes a rcipccllul np- pearanee thrjugh tiie trees. 'lh;s city, irregularly buih on a great e:\iu:t cf ground., conlilts chicliy of TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 273 of wooden houfes. The fmall number of brick hou- ies, you notice there, is indebted to the munificence of the Emprcfs. The principal ftrect, like the Ruf- iian highways, is covered with planks. This city contains more than twenty churches, an aflonifliing number for a place fo thinly peopled. Perhaps it: would have been a flourishing city, if manufactures had been creeled inftead of there churches. But in- dufcry is none of ilic qualities of devotees. To the literal virtues they prefer a childilh abnegation, \vhic.i i:ic divinity reprobates. THE peaiants of the countries we travelled through, appeared to be race of tall men, very ftrong and inured to fatigue. Their drefo conlifb of a round hat, or very high cap, a coat of coarfe cloth, or in winter, a flieep-lkin, \vhich comes down be- low their knee, and is fixed to the veil by a girdle, a pair of breeches of cloth as itrong, as that of which our licks arc made, a piece of cloth or fhn- nel rolled round their leers inlcead. of ftockincrs, fan- o O ' dais of plaited burl:, tied with points of the fame ftuii'. \vhicli riung upon the Lg, fcrve for garter:;, In fummer a ilnrt and pair oi ciotn orcccncs are of- ten all their drcil;. THE form of their hculhi or rather cottages is f.juarc. They are built of u-liolc logs Iieapcd on as formerly deicribed ?twccn the 2/4 . TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. logs are filled with mofs. In the infide they rc fuieothcd with a lutchct, and refemble, an wooden partition. On the outudc the bark is not covered. The roof has two fules, and connlh of the bark of frees, or of flnnglcs overlaid with potter's day or rurf. For executing all this the peaiknt ufes only the lutchct, which he handles with the greateft dex- terity. Y\ T ith this iingle inftrument he cuts the -.vood and does every thing elie, becauie the moft Dart of the llulllan peaiants, are yet unacquainted v.'itli the ia\v. THE windows r.r^ openings of fome inches fquare, Tvhich they fhut with a board, which Hides in a groove, and the doors are fo low, that a man of or- dinary future is obliged to ftoop before he can get jn. THL^E cottages felclom iiave t\vo uoreys. If they * i have, the loweil one is kept as a (lore houfe for provifions, and in the higheit tlie family lodges, The ftair-cafe is a kind of ladder fet on the outfide, but molt frccueiidy the cottages have only the Around floor and one roorn. o Ti-ir furniture oi: tlieielmall rural dwellings COIN fifus of an wooden tabb, and benches fixed round the room. The I'teniils ..re a few plates, bafonr, and fpcor.s, all made of \vccd, and fomctimcs an earthen pot,- uied ior cooking the coarie meats, of thcib fiinoie rcop^ 3 vvho generally live on rye bread. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. c;; : cggs, fait frill, bacon, and mufhroorns. Their moft efteemed dim is a ragout, made up of frefli or fait meat, oat meal feafoned with onions and garlic, for the Ruffian peaiants put garlic in every thing. The inhabitants of thefe provinces are very greedy ol money. They afk payment in advance, every time you cheapen or buy the lead article. ( They alfo ap- pear inclined' to theft, and it is one of the principal employments of a traveller to keep them at a dil- tance from his baggage. THE peafants are obliged to furnifh horfes at eve- ry poft, and at a fixed and moderate rate, which makes them very flow in bringing them out. Who- ever furnifhes them,, acts as podilion. They always put four horfes a bread, and commonly eight or ten are yoked in a carriage, that does not require half of the number. But the poib are like thofe of Mufcov/ and St Peterfburg, and the roads dctcf. table when the froft has not covered them with icn> At the time of a thaw, which often comes on fuci- denly, the method of yoking the horfe becomes an hindrance to the carnage, inftcad of forwarding its progrefs, for being yoked a bread, they embamdi rather than help one another. The drivers fcarcdy ever uic boots or fiddles. They have no dirrups, Lut a double cord laid over the; back oi the horic. Inftcad of a bridle they ufe a bit; of fmall cord for jrmnp; the horfcs, whicli have no re^i'.ir ilep, M m 2 The 276 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. The drivers, either inexpert or carelefs, often make them gallop in the worft of the road, and let them go ilbwly where it is firm and level. The end of a cord ferves them for a whip, but they ufe it fel- dom. Their practice is to route their horfes by cry- ing and whittling, and when thefe good people arc net engaged in one of thefc exercifes, they make the air refound with their i'ongs, like the Jamfhics In the neighbourhood of Moicow. ON the road from Viaf'ma to Smolenfko, the woods and villages are fuch as we have been de- fcribing, except Dogorubufh, \vhich the people of the country call a city. This city then, lince they will have it fo, is built on a hill, and exhibits a group of churches, houfes, cottages, fields, and meadows. Several houfes have been built very lately at the Emprefs' expence. They are of brick, and covered with a fort of fiucco, and when compared with the cottages around them, look like palaces. Dcgwubufo was formerly a place of ftrength, and uoocl fevcral iieges in the war between Poland and Rirfiia. The remains of an old citadel are yet to be ieen, from which there is an exteniive proipccb of a champaign country, waihccl by rr.canders of the Dnieper, and bounded by ciiilant little hiilj. IF S'nolenfko is not the moll beautiful, it is cer- tainly the moil iingular city in Uuflia. It Hands on the banks of the Dnieper, in a valley between two TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. -277 h'lls. Its wal's are thirty feet high, and fifteen hr.oad. The lower part ci : them is of (lone, and the unpcr of brick, and they follovv the windings of the hilh;. At every corner there is a round or : InLv; 1 tower, of two or three floreys, much broad- ' p man at bottom, and covered with an wood- :'"< _ a round form. The intervals between Avers are taken up with turrets, and on the i :de tiie wall is defended by a deep foffe, a co- way, a glacis, &c. Where the ground is L r there are al(o earthen redoubts conftruded lie niodern way. The cathedral is built on an e, .aience In the middle of the city. From the grcond, on which it ftands, the view is molt pictu- mcjuc. The city appears at a little diftance, and almoft un'ier the iame horizon, you fee all that the proipect contains, houies, Ueeples, gardens, groves, fields, and meadows. It is one oi thofe fcenes, which are feldoin to be met witn. The in oft part of the houies are built oi wood, anil oi one llorcy. 1'iiey are hardly any thing but cottages' There i;; however a finall nuniber or Iioiiil.,, which U^ok neat- er, at leaft not ib poor, whicli the inli.ibit.ants of that country ieriouily call palacv.s. Scunc of the churches are built or brick and ornamented with ilucco. A long and broad pi\ed iireet cur^ the city In a ilra-glit line. The re II are in general irregular, and covered with planks, ihc \VL::: of the cliy ex- tends 2>j% TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, tends to the banks of the Dnieper. Beyond the ri- ver is a kind of fuburbs, confiding of draggling huts, which being joined to the city by an wooden bridge, alfo forms a landfcape worthy of the artids* pencil. It is faid that Smolenfko contains about four thoufand inhabitants. It has no manufaclures 5 but it carries on fome trade with Ukraine, Dantzic, and Riga. It fells linen, hemp, honey, wax, lea- ther, hogs bridles, mads, planks, and Siberian furs. In the courfe of the continual wars between the Ruffians and Poles, Smoleniko was confidered as a very important place. Although its fortifications were, according to the fafhion of the times, only earthen works, foiTes, palifades, and a citadel built of wood, they were fufficient to fecure this city a- gaind the incurfions of an undifciplined force ; for the length of a regular fiege, would have foon dif- couraged troops, equally unacquainted with the art of forming and fupporting it. It was not till the fixteenth century, that the Czar Bafile Iwano- witfch made himfelf mafter of it by bribing the gar- rifon. The Ruffians kept it for about a century in the fame date, in which they took it. Afterwards its importance induced them to iurround it with a wall, which is dill lading. In the year 1611, the Poles retook it, but about the end of the century it fell again into the hands of the Ruffians, and has remained there, LADV. TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 279 LADY, which you come to after palling Smolen- iko, was a frontier town before the difmemberment of Poland. From this town, which defervcs not the name, as far as Tolitzin, which is the laft vil- lage in KufTia, the country is unequal, and inter- fperfed with hills, and numerous forefts. It pro- duces wheat, millet, hemp, and flax. There are fome larger villages, in which there are fchools and other buildings, creeled at the Emprefs' expence, who extends her beneficent eye to the frontiers of the ftates, and is not like thofe Purblind monarchs, v/ho fee all their kingdom in their capital, and by the appearance cf it, judge of the provinces, which moil frequently have a very different afpscl. At Tolitzin too there are churches with domes, appro- priated to the Poliih. diffenters from the Greek form of wormip, and to the Ruffians, who wiih to fet- tle in this country, which is a part of the govern- ment of Mohilef. THE lines, which fepa-rate Ruilia from Poland, are drawn from the mouth of the Dwina to above Witeplk. Thence a line ftraight fouth to the head of the Drue:, near Tolitzin, thence alon^ -the Dni<~- C5 ' J CD to its junction with the Dnieper., and thence along the Dr.ieper till the point where it receives the Sotz, THIS vail territory is at prcfcnt divided into two Governments, I hole of Polotf:: und .'Mohilef. Its po- ^^itiou Is ;ib rui ' '?, iniUicn f. v - hundred thcuilmd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. fouls. It produces abundance of grain, hemp, flait, and grafs. Its forefts furnifh a great number of mafts, planks, oak for the fliip building, pitch, tar, whereof the greateft part isfentto Riga by theDwina, CHAP. XX. PHILOSOPHICAL accounts of the Tartar tribes fubjccl to Rrtflja, but link known. The Barfchkiriam. The Bur a til a ns. The Cz uwachiam . The Kalui itcs. TheCofacs.The Morals. The Mtrdvans. T 1; JJ o Oftiacs* The Samoiedes. The Tungicfians* IN Italy and the countries once held by the ancient Greeks, where the philoibpher treads on the ruins of ancient cities, which arc now no more, but remind him of the haughty nations, who poffciled them, he fees nothing in nature, but decay and decripitude- But, if tranfported to the northern extremities of .Europe, lie travel over the imir.enfe frontiers of Rnflia. he finds nature in a ilate of infancy ; he ob- Jcrvcs nci.c but riling cities and nations, which have the manners of the men, who lived in the ilrft ages of the world, and like them have no wants but thole of tlic fir ft nccc/ilry, and know not the nvcet con- venicnc.ie-:- of luxury ; w]>o, like ihefe ancients, have no p^Gons but fucli ;is 2 rife from confutation, and know TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 281 know not even the names of fuch as criminate in de- o praved and impure manners. OUR bufinefs and curiofity gave us frequent op- portunities of having communication with thefe people, and we have collected fome obfervations, u- pon their manners and cuftoms, which our readers will not per ufe without being interefted. In the catalogue of thefc nations, we have followed alphabe- tical order, tluU cur details may be more conciie and better arranged. THF. Bx.tf :!:/: res, more generally called Bxrftbkin- ,f?//j , differ from wandering tribes in this , during win'- ter they iiv.? in hoiitcs, or huJ's, built in the Ruffian iai'hion. The principal parr, which the family com- monly poffeiles, i> furnillied with large benches, \vhich ferve for beds. The chimney, of a conical form, and of the height of an ordinary man, is in. the middle of this diviuon, and ib ill conftructedp dia'c they are very liable to fmoke ; consequently the Barfchkirians are very iubjecl: to various complaints of the eyes. THE principal furniture of their hut is ?. bottle of :-:i oblong ih.ipe, fufpenJcd nc^r the chisr.i'cy, and v iiited -every hour of the day, bec^uic it contains their favouiite drink, a mixture of f v >ur milk and mead, which they call Jrjan. S;) long as it Lifl^ they live merrily, ;ind there is nutting they will not do to procure it. A ilr:uinvr fmJs iorne diiEculty VOL, II, N n in s3^ TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. m accuftominsj himfeli ; to this beverac^e. Yet wer o o have fecn Ruftlari fbldiers drink it as readily as the Barfchkirians. A little nicer than the foldiers, who ? provided they got one drink, were fathfied, we could net tafre it without reluctance, efpccially when v/o came near the bottle, which, never or very fel- don: being cleaned, emits a fmell difficult to be de- fcribed. TN furnmer this people inhabit what the Ruffians c.ill juries. They are tents or cottages of felt, which, like the huts, have feveral diviiions, and a chimney in the centre. In the choice of a lituation. for a winter village, they pay more regard to fliel- tcr, and ncarncfs of forage for their cattle, than to water, becaufe they are accuftomed to the ufe of fnow water. A whiter village contains from ten to fifty huts, but the iuinmer encampment never ex- ceeds twenty Juries ; fo that the large winter villa- res are divided into fevcraJ mia!l lurnrner carnirs. \y A BOTH icxes xvear fhlrts of clotix made of nettles^ which have the fame il^^c. They alfb wear, with- cviit any diilinclion, v/idc drivers, vv'liich deicend to the ancle-bone, mid a lore of liinpers like people in t'ic c,ur. Both men and women wear a long gown. The men's go\vn is much larger, and generally of red cloth bordered with tur. They bind it round their middle with a girdle, or with the belt, to which TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 283 they fix their fcymitar. The poor have a winter pelilfe of fheepfkin, and the rich wear a horfelkin, ordered in fuch a way, that the mane co- vers their back, and ^-aves in the wind. The cap is of cloth, like the fruilrum-of a cone, and ten inch- es high. By ihe rich it h ufually ornamented with valuable furs. The gown of the wives is of line clotli or filk. It is buttoned before, as fir up as tho neck, and fattened by a broad girdle, which the richer claiies have made of !h:el. Their neck and throats are covered with a iort of ihav^, on which arc fever;.} rows of coins, or a firing of (hells. Their cap is a kind of monk's hoed, which would disfigure them, if they were not gainers by hiding themfelvcs. Their clrefs confiils in concealment, for which we thought curielres obliged to them. They all wear a bandeau on their forehead, to diftinguiHi them from girls and widows, TII;- Bartchkirianb are the molt negligent and Ho- venly of the Tartars, hi commerce tiiey are the leift intelligent ; bat. In return, ih:y are the moil hoipilable, the molt lively, and the moil brave, The\.' are allo the menidi, c(j>eci.;!ly if the) have no Uiic.ifmcfi about providing for to-moirow, and ie\v of theai calculate beyond thi.: term. 7vien and wo- liicn are paffionately tond (.1 horfes, tl;e \\-omen ci- ;:cuulv. Tl.e moil acceptable p-\..L : nt th.;! can be 384 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, made them, is a fine horfe-cloth. We have feer; forne of very valuable fur. TIIKIP, diverfions at any religious feftival, or at a marriage, confift in numerous libations of four milk, imging, dancing, wreftling, and horfe racing, in which they excel. In their fongs they enumerate the achievements of their anccftors, or their own, and fometimes their amorous torments. Thefe fongs are ahvays accompanied with geftures, which make them very theatrical. Among them, old age meets with the oreateft refpcct. In their entertain- O 4 mcnts it occupies the place of honour, and the ftranger to whom compliments are paid, is always fet among the old men. ALTHOUGH the Barfchkirians, like moil; of the Tartars, are Mahometans ; though they have their , mofqucs, their molahs, and their fchoois ; they are not the Infr addicted to foine fupcrfutious practice^ originating in paganifm, or at Icafl in the ignorance of the time.T, when paganifm prevailed. 'Ihey have the:: forcevers, whole knavery can be equalled only by the (cupidity of thoie, who are t'ii.-ir dupes. They ci^tlknge the devil, aiid prc'cnd to light dt.-f- peratdy with iiim. If a crc-dulc/us Eaii^hkiri'in hns by dilcLifCj or the feverity or lh^ fc-.ifo!K loft one or two mares, he goes to confult the corrjuror, \\-ho perfaades him, that the devil h,is killed his mare-:, ^.nd that next night he \viii go fight: liiin, and drive TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 285 ,iim from Ins lioufc. Next morning at break of day, the forcerer appears with fweat on his brow^ and all the external marks of a man, who has been fighting. He -affures him, for whom he has been lighting, that the enemy is conquered. The weak Tartar chips him round the neck, thanks and en- tertains him, pays him, and returns to bed, calm and fure of having no more enemies. How many Barfchkirians like him are to be found from pole to pole. TUP: Barfchkirians have had no Kan or kincr, iince O * dicy became fubject to the Ruffians. Their nobility alfo, which was numerous formerly, has been almoit entirely deftroyed by inteftinc broils, and the wars hey have had with Rufiia. At prcfent, every tribe, M* /////!?, elects for chiefs \vithin itfdf, two or more old men, whom they call Sfarfchini from Starfch:ne t \viiich fignmes department., or dill rich The nation of the Barfchkirians is made up of thirty fixWoloftes, f which the total population is twenty eight thou- fmd families, or houfe.s. Their lanruaije is a Tar- *-J O t.ir dialect, which is very different iic/m that Ipokcu at !v-:il;ii. Tiic iniiitary lv.r\icc, which tiiev are h-ouivl to nr'rfnrn> ; ;\nd the only puint. in wliich the Huff; A:': yoi-:c ^a!!s them, cojifiih in furnifhing in w;ir times, three thouland cavalry, which form thir- ty troops (;{ a \hundred li.cu (.a:h, ufuully anr.rd ^iih n bow, arrov/:-,, a l^niT. a coat of mai!, r.::u ;<, hHmet. 286 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. helmet. The greater part of them now have fabres. ? iufees, or piftols. There are even fome who are provided with thefe different arms at the fame time. They are well mounted, are excellent horfemen, and ftill better archers. A military corps belonging to this nation has a very fingular appearance. Eve- ry horfeman clrenes himfelf as he pleafes, and as he can. He has a led horfe, which he fpares for battle, and which carries his provilions, confifting of four milk, and dried corn, which is ground into meal, with hand-mills, always following the army. With this UKY.1 they make a ball, or bowl, which they fXvaltaw, arid which fcrves them for bread. Every troop of a hundred horfemen has a flandard of feve- nd colours, and thefe ftandards in the fame regi- ir.cnt, t:iiT:T as much from one another, as the arms oi the horfemen, who, on marches and battles, <= * know neither ranks nor files, and yet light not the v/orfr lor all this. TIIK Bur nil i ^ us ^ c;iik:d among thcmfelvcs Largo. Rurall^ but by the Rufiians Erai/hl^ poflefs the fouth j;art of the mountains of Irkuzk, from Jenifei to the frontiers of China, ;ind the banks of the Angara, of the Tunguika, of the Lena, the fouth bank of tlic Baikal, and of the Sclengi and Argun, rivers in Dauria. THKY arc ilividcd into a grcnl number of tribes, c:illed K r /.l-LP.da^ \\ - hich are fubdivided into calls, or Aimed- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 287 i.niaks) and each Aimak is compofed of a certain number of CboUcns, or villages, containing ten or twenty families. The olddl of the Chottons go- verns it, and fix of thefe Chottons arc liibject to :i Sc'/.'U/enga, or Judge, whom they choofe from among their chiefs; but he is confirmed in his oflice, along with all the chiefs of the higher order, by the go- vernor of the province. Twenty four Schulengas form a tribe, or KrAlonda, which is commanded by a common chief, chofen from among the families of their ancient princes. Ke \v, itches over the obier- vation cf the laws, decides and determines diiputes, diminiflies and augments the tribes, affcmbles and commands the proportion of recruits, which th^ nation mull furnilh in cale of war, till the time, that they are united to the i::a\n body oi the army, To give more fupport to thn chief, Catharine 11, has given order 5, that he fiiould \vear a girdle en; i- mented with filver, on which is infcribed the n.in:e of the call he commands, and the DuraLt h.^ be- come proud of this decoration, wLic!. is oni)' a mark of his Haver}". Ac* ORDINO to the accounts taken r.i the year ^7*2, tins nation ionns ilxiy live eaiis, coiitaiiun!'; thirty three thouiancl b.nvs, or l^eads ot i:i:iiilles, and as they i'pcak the Mongol language, prcuis t':e eligioii of tlie Kalmucs, Ladi t'le unve life, and m; 288 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. kirians, we refer our readers to the heads, Kalmuc: .Mongols, and Barfchkirians, in order to avoid repe- tition. We fhall only mention ibine cuftoms pecu- liar to them. TiiEYjmay marry as many wives, as they are a- ble to pay for. Many have four or five, a number have only two, and the greatcft part, whether from poverty, affection, or conveniency, are contented with one. Thefe wives, be they one or many in one family, are in a more comfortable fituadon, than wives are among any other people in Siberia. The price of a bride is paid in cattle of different, kinds. A young girl, according to her beauty and character, may, among the rich, receive a hundred horfes, twenty camels, fifty horned cattle, two hun- dred fheep, and thirty goats. This proportion is not always the fame, but varies according to the Liws, and ibmetlmes according to circumftances. The nuptials are celebrated on the fame day that the cattle are delivered. For this purpofe they erecl a Jurt;: of felt, entirely new, of a white colour, and remarkably neat. The three firfl days are fpent in leading, finging, and dancing. The mufical inftru- ineni: uied at thefc rural balls is a guitar with t\vo ilringj, like that which the Ruffians call balalaika. The old, who are not amorous, and the rigid, who keep by iulc, find great fault, if the young couple V.ivc not wailed, till thefe three days of riot be ex- pired TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 289 pircJ, for the confummation of the marriage. This h\v is not tmrfgr-iled, if the marriage be only a matter ot. convenience, I vat if the parties be fond of one another, and love his formed the union, they difol.-iige ihc oh! ;md tiie rigid the fir PC night. W:n x a hufband dies and leaves feveral wives, flie, \\ ho has born him children, or if they all have had children, the ohkil becomes iiiiiirds of the Jur- te. in the former cafe, thofe who have had no chil- dren., return-to their relation.} on line hones, and car:"'" with f eein the cioihes, and prefects, which th: y received from the hulband. In cafe they liave no j-Jacc to retire to, they continue in the jiuTe, fula:rv!i!iate u> the vilfe-niother, and are entitled to the ienth of the eat;] 1 'bind. by ti:e name 01 unj.n roulation uiuoun: K us. ' r.vitiier o v the ' - o chier '.'ace . ; it :.:: teir, te an re- ;;0 te'' ' -h; ; , ai;vl '' -J ^ll-..'J Ci oivtS 29^ TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ':hat Tor receives their homage, and facrifices, which' ion rift of black lambs, which in the lamb-feafon they daughter in r,s Great numbers, as their *fumah O * *J or high pricft has ordered. The Tumajki^ priefb fubordinate to the yiir.iah enjoy the greateft autho- rity among the T Irian Tartars. In difeafes, they are the only phyficians to whom they apply. In their disputes they are their only judges, and in their affairs they are their only counfellors. It is a Tu;iLi&: 9 who carries to the foreft the offering, v.liich liia viljr.crs iends to the Grand Jumak,.and the latter,, according to every appearance, divides after the facri-ice with the Yurnafki. Like the reft of the Tartars they abihin from hog's flefh, and re- frain from v/orkirig on the Friday, as the chriftian^ do on Sunday,, livery vcar th.cy celebrate a kind cFI'ailcr. of \v>;ich botfi the day and place of cele- bration ::.rc dern-ined only by 'the Grand Jumak. Kvcrv f:ur;iiv ro: airs thither in. the in oft profound medllav'on, carrying tb/ir laii'b, \vhich is lulled in the name of r V\ and after t;^: I'lrrifice it is cateri by thofe. v. !io l^r.TJ'.iht it. "i ]-ey all life nearly the iamc: oo:! and have the man- te .iri Kiumr.r:-:, v i o nre :\ brancli of the !\Iongols, are f-r.cii'Jly c-f mld(!ii:ig ftai nd Jiftingr.iilied from ,;; G V: : -.. 'ilicir c':::rac- nbcvd TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 591 ; placed obliquely and defcending on the nofe, is a lit- tle open and full of flem ; black thin eyebrows, forming a very low arch ; a form of nofe quite par- ticular, generally flat towards the brow, high cheek bones, a very round head and face. Their eye- balls are generally of a dark brown, their lips thick and ilefhy, their chin is (hort, their teeth are very white, and continue beautiful and freih even till old age. In {hort their tars'are enormoufly large, and deta ched from their heads. By thefe accounts the reader may fee, that the figure of the KrJmcus bears a complete refemblance to that, which we have got detcribcd of the Chinefe, Naturalifts, who have examined the Kalmucs and the Mongols, hive ob- ferveu, tint the mixture of Ruffian and Tartar blood v ith lhat of th;- Kalmucs and Mongols, which very frequently takes place in the extenlive country .fituated ibuth GI the Baikal, generally produce 3 children of the moll agreeable looks, whiift thof;! c) 7 of Kalmuc or Mongol origin, are, as their figure '{hows, of a moil difgntting dcfoi'iiiiry. NATU-RE has bellowed on the Kalrnucs cue gifr, which they enjoy in common with many favage and jnfuliitCLi people, who live iblciy by hunting. Thev :uivc :-iu incredible acu tends c;i' jincll, which is of rre.u lcr\icc to thorn, by enabling them to perceive the fmoke of lire or of an enem}'s camp at a confi- dcrablc diitance, Their hearing too is very nice., O t ' (_) o i o.ri' 7 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. and their fight extremely quick. By the fir ft of thefe two fcnfes, they c>n diftinguifh, at a great diftance, the noife of an enemy's horfc on march, and the place, \vhere they can find their ft ray- ed cattle. For this purpole they need only to ly down and apply their ears cloie to the ground. But the quicknefs of their fight farpaflcs even their hearing. At an amazing diilance thev perceive the fmalkft objects, and ciitinguifh the (or;: and number of troops., that niav be cornin^ ap-ainft I ' v_) O them. THE Kalmucs are aflable to all, and the mod hof- pitable of ail the wandering tribes, ib that a man ot this nation, provided with a horfe, clotlies, and amis, may *ro about amon^ them for tiiree \vl\o:c * * o *~J snonths, without carry i-ng witli him eiilier money or provifions. Wherever he goes, he is furc of find- ing fV'*-nds, with whom lie is connected by the boi.d-) of hofpitality, who c^iv ception, and entertain him \vit If, by accident, he find no i r,'herc he ftcpn, he goes arc! lodges ii: the ilrlt hut i;e meets v/itli on his read, ar.ii he has IiarJIy en- lered, wlien all his wants arc luppliod. Tlie itran- ::ci-, too, who travels umorg L:ieie pcop:e, is as \vcll treated as if he had been l\-;rn among rliein ; but, :n order tc receive ( :h^ \vf;!'.:Qr.;c, he muit pur him- TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 293 felf under the protection of a Kalmuc, and this can be procured- by fomc, I'm all prefents. Tin:; nation, fo hofpitable at home, becomes a nation oV rubbers, when they pa Is. into the territory of another ; but to the pillage they commit, they are more frequently ir.fi igaled by motives of nation- al hatred than of greed, and in the execution they ciripicy ftratagem rather than open force.' THE men's dreis among the ivalmncs confifts in cm upper gov.-n, which dciccnds as i.ir a:, the h?m of the leg. it has long ilcevcs but very well fitted at the writes. Thele gowns are of cloth, or cotton, or coar.er HUM', according to the fortune of the in- dividual;-. The rich wear very fhort Hurts, but the poor put their pelhles next their (kin, and wear them winter and lumber. This drcfc is very difa- nrceable to the eye. BF.LECI-IES made in the form of pantaloons rire common, to both ir.cn and v:. ;uan. The dreis of the latter diders from that ot UK: former, only by the faihion of the gov/n at the neck, and it is but- Coned before, irom top to borion" 1 .. ['he women al- i'b nut above their ::n\vn, partieularlv when tiicy gr> sbro^fl, a ;-:-vt of chvak, w/.i^h :> r.-v, eys of liner Huff ihan ihe p\.un. \Vhen they travel, iv.cn and wo- ir; en wear this cloak above thj v.v/n and ndiile, erdbindi tb.e veliole with a girdle. The young wo- 294 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. for which the drefs is a mixture of ribbands, and curls of hair, agreeably enough arranged. The men all fhave, and leave only a fmall tuft of hair on the crown. This cuftoin they have in common with the Chinefe and Tungufians. The young Kalmucs<> from infancy till the age of eighteen, go naked as far clown as the middle, but the girls are clothed as foon as they are ten ye^rs of age. THE caps of the Kalmucs have different forms, and there are fome, which are worn indifcriminately -by both fexes, and others, v/hich are appropriated cnly to one. Whatever the cap be, it is always c: yellow cloth, and ornamented on the front by feve- ral loops of red illk, which the young Kalmuc laffee place with much tafte. Thofe who cannot procure .loops of ink, ivpply their place with a bit of red cloth, or other ftuiT; but always of this colour, be- -cciufe it is the iign, by which thofe, who profefs the religion of La?r.a y are diftinguifhed, and this is thf -only religion in repute among thic people, and thr Mongols. O THE rnoveable .dwellings of the Kalmucs are the me with thofe huts of feir, which the Barfchki- rians ufe. as already mentioned. Tlie Kalmuc huts however appeared to us, to bs larger, and made \vith greater care. ALL the riches and means of fubiiiter.ee, whicl: the Ki'lniucs have, condfc in their fiucks, whicl man 1 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. many among them count by thoufands. Among 'hem a man is confidered able to live on his income, he has ten cows and a bull, with eight mares and a flailion. Thefe two kinds cf animals conftitute the principal part of their flocks. As for camels, none but the wealthy, and the prieits, (who too are wealthy, or live as if they were io,) arc poiTeiTed of them. Their horfes are too wild, too i'avall, and too weak for drawing, but not to be ecuallcd in o 7 . fsviftnefs, and they are as hardy as fwift. Their hoofs are fb firm and hard, that the Kahnucs ride them without being obliged to ihoc them. THEY r.fualiy gold the colts, and when they pro- ceed to this operation, they Hit their noftrils, in or- der that they may breathe the more freely when they run. In no feafon of the yea* do they remove the ftallions from the milch- mares. Vor every ten, or at Icaic fifteen niarei-, tlicy keep a ftallion. TliclV. fl.illion-i are the leaders cf the herd, which th.y walk at the head of, and defend with undaunted courage ag.iinft wolves, and cv,: : aiuin.il thai: dares attack it. THE kalmuc faecp refembie rhoic nf Great Tar- iiry in rhc length and thickiicis of thj i.ai;. The" v-ield ta'lov,* cqi::\l to butter ir. iu;J HI iv.)iuui::. Ilie^e f;i2C',i ar^ inuch 296 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE camels, as we have laid, are a mark of rich- es among the Kalmucs. 'Ihis animal is fo much the more valued, that bo fides irs utility, it multiplies flowly, and is fubjecf. to an infinite number of dii- tempers, under which it finks founer or later, bc- eaufe it is exti.-mely delicate. In winter, dpeci .'.by., the carnd hands in need of care, ami requires 10 b^ icrecned from hoar-froits, which prove mort-il to him. 1'Vu" ibis purpoie tbev cover him with j:b::c5 of old feu, Lincl defi.nd him with thick F'at-. In lammer., while in ihe helds, he requires the protec- tion of 1m keepers., to dc-'^nd him train the attacks of wolves, bi-c.-iuh: in fpite ol his c:.;;r;r;ous fizc, be is t.:mi:i as tlu: dove, and weak as the lamb. The p-o- paga-'on of tliis creature, too, demands particular care. \VIi-:n in feaibn the f:male mu r t be forced to THE Kalmucs p;:t a value c.r. caniel-j v. id; two bunches, and think them more ufcfui, and more tracla'.dc, than the rcit. Tbis is prejudice in the jxalmucs. Both kinds are nicP. tra^able, and tr> d:r - a camel, notlnbig jnore ii necefbiry, thu't to pc-t r. cor..! round h's noie, \vhicl: wb/:i his ^uide V i by !ov,-crmg hi-; band, tbe camel kneebr L;> re- c\ ' ;c J-; 1 urdcn, and v.'hcn he vu\\> it upwards, tl: : came": rbes. 'Vavellers hive remarked one TRAVELS Itf RUSSIA. 207 obferve fo minutely, namely, the camels with two. bunches have a much harder trot than the camels with one. THE Kaknucs liib the milk and wool of the camel. The rniik is thick, creamy and of a fait taftc, winch It lofcs by being boiled. It is excellent when mixed with coffee and tea. In cur exeurfions it was a treat, which we were very fond of. CAMEL'S hair is ufcd for the purpofe of making mattrclTes. excellent felt, and cloth of unequalled fmenefs. At Kafan \ve faw fome, which had the glois of fiik, and the rich pile of Satin. VV T H?-:N a horde or Kalmuc U/iff; change their rc~ fidence, \vhich in fumrner tliey do once a month, proper perform arc difp'Kchccl to choofe a fpot of -n-oii-ul. Thcie arc dlreclecl to relerve three of the bell (ItUAtions one for the K:r: or prince, another for the Lyra a or pru-ft, and a third for the huts, m which the idols are to be i:t, Tlie reft ot the ground is then divided among ihe lior.^e, according; to the anriq'-iity of t!-eir fTi.',l ! :c5. In this iort of tncampmcnts every articii :r,ufn ! : mel.s or ouiiocks. Inc hurdles wnlca iorm t!:c par- titions, and uH the app-vrjAUi oi Lac h>;t, can b: put into a hnaii package, and iruke up the load or one, fcklcm of two car-icbs.. '1 he !'d:s c( valuible furni- ture are covered wiih caparifor.s ot i>; f ; of dillereriC :o!r,ur?, and curloullly embroidered. 1'he ?.niin-.l Tf P P v. P : .-;-J 2 9 3 TRAVELS TN RUSSIA. tvhich carrier them, gees ?t the head of the convoy of c-ich indlvzdu.ii, ;ind Ins his neck ornamented 'v";;'i a rnKi;ber of bcfih, \vbich render the march a Ihik noify. 1. he CCLITA;.? in ic-vens. are tied to one another's rails, v iih a G,i:kie iit their head. As for the !-u' ! --c.ks of burd.n, the Kalmucs drive them be- fere them. 1:: thefe imrches, the vromcn, particularly the yo-jrg and i:iv::.in ied, drefs thei^felves in their b-:.t c, ; ..ii!;c i >, e- fjlves carefully, ^nn charm vv ;--..- i.hc-v '; -.r r, r rh- f- ? ito of a vino;-/: acid, 1 RAVELS L\ T RUSSIA. 299 til it aifo, and from it make a kind of brandy, the life of which we \vili not prud^e them. ALL of them, men and women, are exceftlvely for.J of ic?. and finoLln^ tobacco. The lea molt in nic among them, is brought by the Kuilun^ from (Tiina, r under the name of T:;c-Tca. Of it the/ :-ik moil heartily, along; with camel's m:;k. !;i~ ( .d of tea, \vhieh { very de:ir, becaufe or tiic e::- iii\ 7 2 carriage, the ccininoii pec^pls u'e a wild :nt, of nearly the fair.c cokjur and taile \\iui tea. I'riE Kahnucs are lc,ok...d on as c::cdi:/it iiorfe- j.i, ar.d nvacli loore expert tli.in tne Tartars. :*c v, :.;:.;-..n are equal to the men in dcxrcriry, and ; ruhnir-g i;re bold enough t-> Jh;:ate viiii 11^1:1 -t - prir-jn cr ;>ghifVo Their arm;:. v>hieh are or tne kind, eo::nir or lances, L.ov/s a:id arrov/S) ;-:..rs, a little bent, and \viih :or;^ hiiis. Ihe \ ; -y vife the kurore^ii arms, a; -.veil as thoie of o-.vn country, and in hunting \vith as ii~.t:..ii ci. jrr / as any L i j;-o^e:>n. The hunting or \ : . j.'ith t r , ,^re fondeii:, and v/irli \vh:Ji rhey are much bet- 1-^r acquainted than the r/urope.ir..-, i-- laiv. ki^r. in xvliichj they ule iiavv'1:.^ ot the of-, and (.inner kh:;!. Tiih moil ufuai ruelJiod c;i huu'Jri^ ih^ \vo!f ic v 1::^ ib called, bunting ki;u do\i-i?, A cer;;-mi r.tvTt- ;-jr of iv.en, riiounted. on p;ood lorils, pin-j j t'.e v,\;!f they have itarted, v/ith ikoi t", thi-.k \v!ji t v-, nd kill him v.ith tiie handle?, v. hen lie luj gi\er. Pp 2 " ;.:;, 5.00 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. tip. The Barfchkirians have no other way of def- raying this animal fo formidable to their flocks. T HL Kalmucs fpend the moil of their time in dl- verfions, and however poor their manner of living may appear to us, k is to them the height of hap- ping, bccaufe they confider themfeives as happy, :.s^r e j confider them miferalle. They look on our houfes, and the palaces of the Great among us, as fo n;ar,y beaudful prifons, for which they entertain r. kind of horror, and in which they would not re- i:do longwitliout contracting the greateft melancholy. \Vn obferved vhat this people, \\hich ix^me tra- velers have defcrlbed as very phlegmatic, are very much inclined to love and *. cry prolific. The Bat- ch el or among rhe Kalmucs i.; only an imaginary be- ing, and the hut vyhich contains a barren wife, is a kind of phenomenon. A young girl I:, hardly mar- riageable, when iiie L provided with a liufband. and a }'oun^ widow" feared y finds time to lament her forrner hufband berore Hie h.is the oiier of ano- ther. Thus providence ord.im;; a propcniuy to n;ar- ri.ige i:i a nation, which the hardihips arid fuffer- ir.gs attached to human life would loon iinnilji'atCj if one generation did nor come af-er another in ra- , I c <~- pid and numerous iucceiuori, A AMONG the Kalsiiv.cs, as nrr.nr.g ire TJongoIs, he %V;K> h tlic r.i'J.cft of a caft, and like :\ ffsvcreir^i rules over -5. c^rt.'ar, munbcr of prc^plc, \vli-i(Ji thcv TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 301 call an Uktfs, bears the title of Taidfoi, and that of Najonn is given to his brethren and relations in the cnlhteral line. At his death the TaiJflx tranfmits his Uiuj's to his oldeft fon, and affigns a certain ter- ritory to his other fons, who become his vaffals, and the Najonn of the fir ft order exercifes an autho- rity like that of their father over the eftates, which have fallen to their {hare. In the whole Ulufs he is their prince, and they are his barons, but it fome- times happens that thefe barons banilli their princes 2nd rule in their ftead. EVERY Tahi/hi^ or Nuionn, exercifes over his re- fpective fubjecls an unlimited power. He can, at his pkafure, fell them, give them away, difpofe oi them in his will, iniiicl on them corporal punilh- rnent, and even maim them. But the Najonn can- not put them to death, without the authority of the Tai-dihi, and the principal Lamas of the Uluts. FOP. the adminiftration of jaftice and internal po- iicc, evcrv I'dui;, is divided into Aiir.aks, each ot ilv contains fifty or ilxty families, 'er-r.ed Sa'yariSi ( illccrs named by the ef-.' S-; \iIiiKj cietermine di {Terences, and ril ut'ions clue to the pvince. It is they iicin, a;yj iiuir impohtion is alvvayi; jcaufe they h:ive a clrasv h:ick on the , w'iich is allowed them in nurr.e of lys in rropor'.ion to the principal. 502 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. THE Kalmucs have in their code fever.il laws bear- ing the ftamp of originality. Every man, furp riled in illicit commerce with the concubine of a prkft, is let off with a reprimand, and pays a goat or a kid, as a line, if he has been guilty of the fame of/en ce with the wife of a Najonn ; becaufe the law fuppo- fes, that a man of Common Ration would not rrj- furne to addrcfs a woman of rank, if ihe were not the fir ft to make advances. In cafe of ordinary a- dukery, the offender gives ,a horfe of foiir years old to the offended, and the unfaithful wife gives me or three years old to the judge. Whoever finds a Granger in bed with hi;-, flave, is allowed to itnp him, and fet him oat of his hut frark niked. Whoever fteals a horfe muft make refthution, but in a x iffe- rent proportion for uallions, mare-, and geldings. If the thief be not able to pay, he is ii>!d as a Have. The religious opinions of the Kalmucs are the Lmc with thoic of the Mongols, to which our rcad_rs are referred. OF the Ccfuics there arc feveral nations, wlio dif- fer little from one another, but the mo ft confidera- ble is that of the D ;?!. 'I'he ColTacs of this nation p-ivc out their anceilors for tiic firft, who peopled o j&uilla. Their cour.tenaiices arc" no \v,\y di.Tcj'ent from thole of the Rulllan3, wru-fe l.DV;uage they fpeak, in all its purity. Among them the common. people wear a Icn^ bcird, far *.vhidi they have a o:rcat TRAVELS IN RUSSIA, 303 great veneration ; lr.it the people of diftincHon cut it, and leave noiiiing but the whiskers. The fer- vants imitate people of rar.k ; but this ra^e prevails riot among the Collies alor.c. The pcrfons and drei-5 ui: tr>e C'^aes arc fiich as we have defcribed t.hcin in our firli vo/ume. Their women wear pan- taloons, eipec ; aiiy thoie of ordinary Nation. Their head cirefs is ridiculous, and di^iigure^ them. The youn:; v.-otr.cn go bareheaded, and look fo much, the be,:.er. On reltival days they i'urround the head wuli a broad bandeau, which they load v/kh toys,, nnti as t!-,e I'Yench macaronis formerly made them- fclvcs be announced at a difhmce bv the rso'.fe of their tr::.kjts, the Coiiac younp" vv;.>:iicri cLii^ht iu * i^j O in feruiir.rj before them the :und of the 3:x;;:ab 5 . with \vliich rheir heads are decked. THI'. Colfacs have no religion but th^ Greek. At marriage - :u\-.l funerals only they have fomc. particu- lar cuf::-tr.s, ^.vhieh their ru^ie lire and prejudices >i3ve rcrid:red facred. In nuirriacre, f-.T inilance, the bride^roo'.n cfoes to the liouie or hi.i iviendeJ O v/ifc, rk'ir.g on *:. fine horie, all covered v/iih fiiv.ill. noun co to t!\c bride tr.e approach or hl:n. to whon.i '.''.[; to he uriired, ar.d raiie in her ibu>, t-i- ther tree f\vee" emotion, \vl-ich the arrival of her bc- Cjvc'J "vxi'ices, ci' tuit CGIC p.incTj v/ii.'.c.'.i l.icr i'e-irL 504 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. rnuft feel, if he, \vlio is to have her, is not the ob- ject of her choice. After the marriage, thofe bells are carefully kept by the wife, who decks the nup- tial bed with them on feilival davs. Amon^ the o Coffics, wives not only bring with them no portion, but the hufband is even obliged to furnifli them o with a bundle of linen, of whirh the principal piece mint he made into a head-drefs for the marriage ce- remony. THE confutation -of the Corlacs is altogether mi- litary, and their difpolition very warlike. In the iiril volume, their arms and warlike equipment have been described. We mall only obferve here, that all of them being born and trained to be fol- diers, the Colfics of the Don alone can fend out a hundred thouland infantry, and mufler, not an armed multitude, but a formidable body capable o linking terror into the bcft difciplined army by their way of righting. THE Coiiacs of the Don call their habitations Six- '/ut-Ziis. Thcfe were firft built by refugees from o- ther par's ct Ruilla, \vlio flying from an cpprefiive yoke, came to fettle on the banks of the Don. A- long tliis river there are upwards of an hundred of thefb Stanitzas, which arc large villages, whereof forne are fortified. T';e mo ft conliderable amor.cr them is Kafanka. Ea::h Stanitza forms a parifli, r ihe cliurch is always in the centre, and the place, \vherc c TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 305 \vhere it is fituated, is that where the inhabitants of the parim aifemble to take up arms, or celebrate any tcftival. The houfes, which are all built of wood, are exceedingly neat, arid the Bog's apartment is al- ways! he beil iinifhed, and kept in the belt repair. EACH Stanitza is governed by an Ailzman, who is elected annually. It is an indifpenfable requifitc to have been born in the Stanitza, which he com- mands. Over the CoiLics of his diftricl he exercifes the function of Colonel and Judge, both in civil and criminal affairs. No merchants arc to be found even in the molt confiderable Stanitzas, becauic the Cofucs like valiant knights defpife commerce, and pride themiclves in the grofTeft ignorance. r \ heir priefts take good care to keep this prejudice in all its. vigour, becaufe they find it to be their intereft. They have as ftrong an averfion to agriculture as to commerce, fo that the lands thcv inhabit, thoucrh * O excellent, oitcn preient to view, wades to the ex- tent of more than fix hundred wcrus, where ab- folute ncceiTity alone has cleared lorne fields. And beiidcs, it is not the handi of the Collies, which have taken this trouble. It is the Maloroliaiif,, a cafe cf laborious people, who live among ihc Collies, and by their indolence. TSCHERKASK 15 the capital of ihe C'.jlLc.: of the Don, and ii:ualcd 10 as to be an important city, if it had citizens ii;ilc;id of ibldiers. The Colilics of VOL, II. C^q the 5o5 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. the Jaik, no\v called the CoiTacs of Ural, have near- ly the fame mariners \vith thofe of the Don. They arc more civilized and much more induilrious, They r.rc besides a mixture of Kaimucs and Mongol Tartars, among whom the manners of thefe people ::re more or lefs Ihaded, according to the cafts and P 'ocal circum fiances. MONGOLS Under this denomination is compre- hended a very ancient race of people in Afia, who, :ibout the end of the twelfth century laid the foun- dation of one cf the mofi powerful monarchies, that ever cxiitcd. They extended their conquefls over the creatcft part cf the ofiobe, i^ave kin^s to Perlia <./ i O ~ o O and Lmpcrors to China. The Mongols; who muft not be confounded with the Tartars, whom they rcfembb only in their paftoral life, were Tfchingis's companion:! in ?,rms, who ij knoxvn to Europeans under the name of Gc;-:?^- Kan. After the divilion o or ddlruciion of the empire formed by Tfchingis, the I'Jonp;o!s were ilifperfed among different 1'artar c-iHo, and formed fo.'iic new calls, whence fpruncr tlie I 5 :u'fchl;i:-i;inj, Buratt: .ins, Kaimucs, and Tun- ^or.ii-: hordes of Mongols, yet unmixed, ftili inha- l)!t the frontiers of China. They have the feature^ (f the ilalmucs, tl~e lame food, and ahncft ail their rufioir.s. T!:ey too profcfs the rciir.yion of Lanu. In -lie ?:'!or.^-;I !.;-,igwar;e, Lama iigr.i.'ica Prieft, and TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 307 the head of their religion, who is faid to be alfo tl e object of their worfhip, is called the Dalai- Lama ; a name iignifying univerial prieft, or pricft of unlimi- ted authority. According to this definition the * o Roman Catholics are alfo of the religion of the Grear Lama. Their pope is a Dalai- Lama, an uni- verJ'il, (-rtf/jo/it prieft, whole authority has no bounds. On the top of a mountain, the Dalai-Lama of the Mongols inhabits a kind of temple, which, it is laid no \vcnian approaches, and of which the guard is cntruftcd to twenty thoufand fubikcrn Lamas j another refemblance of the Lama ot Rome. But there is one great difference between the Aliatic and European Lama. The former and his fubai- terns intcrdi iheinfelvcs only in ipiritual affairs, and it is an unpardonable crime for them to interfere in temporal matters, whereas the latter Lama and his inferiors, wifli to have to do with nothing but the temporalities. If what is faid of tlie fuperftition o; the I\I-r.gr/,.s be true, they yet exceed the Catholics, which cne would think not eafily dene. Among them, that part of the Dalai- Lama, which, nature directs to be ufed only lor the melioration of the loll, is carefully collected, dried, and put into bcxcs of gold, or other precious material:-, and worn round the neck;? of the fimple Mongol, .o a pralrvaiive a^ainft -the natural and moral evils, which niui! inu O manity. The Dalai-Lama, never dies, tint is, i-i* O n : pi ice 3 c8 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. place Is filled up by fome pious fraud. The Roman Lama dies, and his place too is filled up by a pious fraud, but it is notorious. YELLOW is the favourite colour of the Lamas, They {have the head and beard. Continence and chaftity are virtues, which their rules recommend, but are obferved as among; the Roman Lamas. They O are obliged to be always praying, and they pray as mechanically our parifh clerks. " To fear God, offend nobody, and give every " one what belongs to him," are the three great precepts which the form the bafis of the doctrines of the Lamas. If they have no other dogmas, the boxes of iecretion fhould be toiled out at the win- dow, the Grand Lama fliould be laughed at for his pretended immortality, and then embraced as a brother for the foundnefs of his principles. Every honeft man ought to be of this religion. MORDWANS or MordiL-his Theie are a remnant of the Mongols, who dwell on the banks of the Pjana, and are diftinguilhed into two tribes, with whofe barbarous names we fhall not trouble our readers. Their manners are a little different from thofe of the generality of the Ruffians, and their drefs is like that worn by the Barfchkirians and o- ther Tartar tribes. The women in their drefs are cxceflivelv fond of finall bells, medals, branches of i coral, and whatever can make a noife when they TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 309 are on a march. The bands of their caps are trim- med with them ; their ftomachers are overloaded with them, and their girdles are made up of them. So that the preparations of a woman of this country for a feftival day, in its weight and the pieces of me- tal, which compofe it, are liker the harnefs of horfe, than the drefs of a woman. THE Morel wans are induftrious, they cultivate the ground, and are fonder of vegetables than of flefli or fifli. They arc Chriftians, at leaft fo the Ruffians affirm them to be. Thole, who are not, or ftill keep by the religious practices of their anceftors have no carved idols, nor intermediate divinities be- tween the Supreme Being and themfelves. Yet fuch a creed prevails among almofl all the nations of the world, in ipite of reafon and philofophy. Wifer far the Mordwans of ancient faith, who have neither Academy nor Lyceum, they acknowledge only the Being of Beings, and to IMIII alone addrefs their prayers. If this venerable religion really exifts in this nation, which we can fcarcely believe, it were to be wifhed they would fend miifionaries to the lefs enlightened quarters of the world. o j. OsriAcs Of this people and the Samoiedes "ve {hall lay little, as they have been fo fully cLfcribed by other travellers, particularly La Ilarpe. We (hull only obierve hero, that the Ghijcs poflcis the banks cf the Icnifci and Oby, and are cue of the urit Si- berian 310 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. berian nations which the Ruffians fubdued. They are of middle ftature, and of a {lender make. Their complexion is livid, and their features inexpreffive They are dirty as hogs, cowardly as the timid dove, and fimple beyond what words can exprefs. They are much addicted to fuperftition, in which they are encouraged by their priefts, who give themfeives out for forcerers, capable of controlling the ele- ments, of diving into futurity, and of abfolving, by certain magic fpells, a man overwhelmed by iniqui- ties and crimes. Thefe Oftiacs, to whom nature ap- pears to have given only the form- of men, poflefs an ungrateful foil, are industrious, hofpitable, faithful to their engagements, and have a horror at theft. A- mong them the cares of the family devolve on the women, as does the labour of fifhing, from which they draw their only fupport. The drefs of both fexes is a kind of bag of the fkin of fiili or rein-deer prepared as our tanners prepare their hides. The women veil themfeives, and are right in doing fo. The Oftiacs live folely on filh, with which nature has ftocked their rivers in abundance, and of which they catch more than fufficient to f up ply their wants, Their utenfils, anr.s, and oils are made of the bones, fmews, and fat of filh. They are all pagans, and their worfhip correfponds with their intellectual fa- culties. The bear is for them the mod terrible e- nemv; hut his fkin is an object of adoration. Like the TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 311 the K ilmucs they have Juries, winter villages, and iu miner carnns. i S.-Lwo!Ei)s They arc neighbours to the Oftiac.3, from whom they differ very little in manners, cui- toms and drefs, but much in their perfons. Their faces are round, and fometirnes agreeable. They are of a robuft conftitution, but they are lefs civi- lized than the Oftiacs, and are impatient under the yoke of the Ruffians, v/hich hangs very lightly u- pon them. Their women do not nib the veil, have no fhirts, but wear drawers both day and night, They are far from being beautiful, and in our opi- nion would he not a little improved by the nfe of the veil. The Samoiedcs arc as dirty ns the Oftiacs, and dill lefs nice in what they cat. Even an ani- mal in a fcate of putrefaction does not offend them, A Samoicde treats his wife woife than an Oftiar. does. The latter makes her labour, but condefcenus to make her a companion, whereas 'lie Samoiedc confidcrs her only a fervaru. Yet it ofrcn iuppcnF, that this wife his brought a portion, which is the only riches of her hulbind. It is laid, that ne\v married wives fomctirnes continue virgins iur a whole month, though lying every nig 1 :!: at the ildc muit be very coed, or the wives mud: pos ew tractions. Like the Oirhics they have forcerers, end tc he very kr.o'.ving. Th:le ibr;ereni ufe 312 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ufe a tabor or an inftrument very like it, either to make his conjurations, or to affift him in the fongs, by which he fucceeds in turning; the heads of his O credulous countrymen. The Samoiedes too have their Bog. Ihere is not a furte, where one may not be found, and not a feafon of the year, when a rein-deer is not facrificed to this fuppofed divinity. THE Tunvufi or Tungu/ians are another tribe of O */ o J Siberians, whom the arms of Ruflia have fubjuga- ted. The dtjfcrts or Si?ppss which they inhabit, ex- tend from well: to e:-\ft along the Jenifei, as far as the Lena and the river Amour. They are divided into the Hunting Tungufians, and the Fiihing Tungufi- ans. They are of Moncrol extraction, their language / O *U O Is the fame- with that fpoken by the Burattians, and their features very iilre thofe of the Samoiedes. Their \vonjen pafs for the prcttieft in Siberia, where the fex is nor. ir.uch favoured by nature. Yet foms travellers li.-.ve ieen young Tungufian women, who might hnj pail'jd tor beauties in any quarter ot the world. But they mult be taksn at twenty vcirs of age, for the rofe fades not fooncr than the women of rills country. Toil, mifery and fmoke .r;e the. caufcs of them falling off fo early. Both men and women have the fvnies of hearing and fee- ing hi much greater perfection than the ?valinuc^, The Tungufians are fa'u.l to be free and open, to ab- hor lying, and to defplfj the oath, which the ira- poftor TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 313 poilor loves to make his fliield. They are fatisfied with the pooreft fare, and the want of food for fe- veral days cannot difpirit them. But they are fel- dom reduced to this extremity, becaufe to them every thing is good, as to the Oftiac, and they are never difgufted. Befides, along with the refources of fifhing, they have that of hunting, which is the furer to them, that the country abounds with game, and they are efteemed the beft archers of Siberia. It is faid that their courage is not inferior to their addrefs. Water is their only drink, and a Tungufi- an intoxicated is a phenomenon, in fpite of the ftrong liquors, for which the Ruflians have endea- voured to give him a tafte, They are ftill a dirtier fet of people than the Oiliacs and Samoiedes. They are fo much fo, that no idea can be attempted to be given of them without turning the heart of the man, the lead fufceptible of difguft. They are fubjecr. to epidemical attacks of the f in all pox, whole ravages are equal to thofc of .the plague. So foon as any perfon is attacked by this loathfome difeafe, they quickly fly from him, after having provided him with what food is necelfary. Left to nature, this poor man often recovers better and fooncr than if a hundred inoculators had attended him. The Tun- sjufians marry very young. Among them it is no- thing uncommon to fee hufbands of fifteen, and widows of twelve ye.irs of ago, Poligamy is allow- VOL, IL R r ed 314 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ed and practifed among them, efpecially by the rich ; fcr as a wife muft be bought, or procured by means of prefents, which comes to the fame thing, the poor man is contented with one wife, and lives not the ,lefs happy. When the parents and relations have agreed with regard to the reciprocal prefents, and conditions, the young couple are bedded toge- ther, without their union being preceded by any feaft or ceremony. Neither of thefe are ever mind- ed, except at taking poffeflion of the new Jurte. The Tungufians have a practice, which prevails in America, in Africa, and among many nations, of marking their faces with the figures of animals, and even trees and flowers. The operation is painful, but what will people not do to look beautiful ? THESE people wear no ihirts, their clothes are like thofe of the Samoiedes, but made with more proportion, and much more ornamented. The maoe is fometlung like ours. Men and women wear breeches ; or, to fpeak more properly, the women clrefs like the men, from whom they are diftinguifh- ed only by their neck- laces and the ornaments, with which they overload themfelves. THEIR religious opinions are as grofs as their manners. Their priefts, whom they call Cbamxnes, and who boaft of being infpired, act as intercefibrs with their divinities, of whom the number is confi- derable ; but they are all fubject to one, whom they adore TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 515 adore under the name of Boa. They have the fol- lowing idea of Boa. He is the God of gods, dwells above the clouds, diftributes the various depart- ments in the adminiftration of the world among the fubaltern divinities, and watches over them. He knows every thing, but is very little taken up about individuals. He puniflies none, but does good to all. He is invifible, and confequently can be repre- fented by no image. We muft confefs this is a Boa, to whom a great number of Boas ought to bear re- fembhnce. They would then ceafe to be cruel, and the human race would become more happy. FINIS. CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OT THE CZARS AND CZARINAS OF THE HOUSE OF ROMANOFF. MICHAEL Fedorowitfch,_elecled Czar, ai February, i6ij,-di M 12 July, 1645. Alexis Michaelowitfch, his fan,-crowned, 13 July, i6 45 ,-di, 8 Fe- bruary, 1676. Fedor Alexiowitfch, fecond fan to Alexis,-made emperor in 1676,- dies without iffiie in 1682. Ivvan and Peter Alexiowitfch, his brothers.-reign jointly till 9 Janu- ary, 1689, the date of Iwan's death. Peter I. nrnamed the Gr e at,-fucceeds,-dies, ^ January, i 7 z 5 . Catharine Alexiefna I. frcond wife to Peter I, fucceeds him, 29 J a - nuary, 1725, dies, 16 May, 1727. Peter II. fon to the unfortunate C.zarowitfch Alexis and Charlotte Chriftina Sophia of Brunfwick, fucceeds Catharine, 18 May, i 7 z 7 , dies of the fmall-pox, 31 January, 17^0. Anne Jwanowna, daughter to Iwan, brother to Peter I elefted i February, 1730, dies, 27 OAober, i 74O . Iwan III. nephew to the Emprefs Anne, grandfon to Catharine Iwan-' owna, by her daughter Anne of Mecklenburgh and Anthony Ulric of Brunfwick, fucceeds his aunt, 28 Oclober, 174, dethroned, 6 December, 1741, murdered, 15 July, 1764. Elizabeth Petrowna, fecond daughter to Peter I. proclaimed Emprefs, 7 December, 1741, dies, 5 January, 1762. Peter III. fon to Anne Petrowna, oldeft daughter to Peter I. married to Charles Frederick, Duke of Holftein-Gottorp,^.facceeds his aunt Elizabeth, 5 January, 1762, is depofed', dies, 15 July, fame year, Catharine Alexiefna II. fucceeds her hufband Peter III. whom (he caufes be dethroned, 9 July, 1762. She now fills the throne of the Ruffias. She is daughter to Chriftian Auguftus, Prince of Anhalt- Zerbft, and Jean Elizabeth of Holftein Eutin, filler to the late kirn* f Sweden. N. B. All the abote dates are in the Old Styb, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles I his book is DUE on the last date stamped below. JAN 7 iocs A 001452749