Xjn the /aisaJ^ if g Cel^f^ wt^S. t:ele».y"

A^f£dD0tE3 b F T H E
RUSSIAN EMPIRE.
IN A
SERIES OF LETTER S^
WRITTEN, A FeW years AGOi FROM
St* PETERSBURG.

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR W. STRAHAN, AND T, CADELt
IN THE STRANDi
MDCClXJCXiy.

TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
WILLIAM SHAW LORD CATHCART,
THESE LETTERS
ARE,
WITH GREAT RESPECT,
INSCRIBED, BY
HIS LORDSHIP'S
MOST OBEDIENT AND
DEVOTED SERVANT,

W. RICHARDSON^

GlASCOW CoLtEGB,
Sept. 17, 1783.

A 3

ADVERTISEMENT.

THE Author of the following Letters,
dutiftg the fpace of four years that he
pafled in Ruflia, had opportunities of obferv
itig many circumftances that appeared to hini
i-emarkable in the manners of the Ruffians ;
andof knowing fome particulars, that feemed
to him intereftihg in the charafters of emi-*
nent perfons. He does not pretend, how
ever, to have compiled a complete Account of
the Ruffian Empire. He has only men
tioned fuch fafts as he had occafion to wit-
nefs ; or fuch as had been communicated to
him by perfons on whofe information he could
depend ; and for this reafon, as the term
Anecdote may perhaps apply to a nation irji
general, no lefs than to individuals, he has
entitled his Work Anecdotes. — Chiefly
felicitous of conveying fuch information as
might be ufeful or amufmg to his Readers,
he has kept every thing refpefting himfelf as
much out of view as poffible ; and this muft
A 4 account

viii ADVERTISEMENT.
account for abruptnefs in fome of the Letters ;
and for his prefenting others in the form of
Extrads. At the fame time, the Reader
may probably remark, that feveral of the fol
lowing Letters have little relation either to the
manners of the Ruffians, or to the characters
of eminent cptemporaries. Some of them.
contain enquiries fuggefted to the Author, or
his Correfpondents, concerning fafts or events
which he took occafion to mention. Others
have a .connexion flill more remote ; and
are fcarcely any otherwife related to his fub-
jefti than that they were written during the
time he remained in Ruffia. It is hoped,
however, that, in a Publication in which a
very clofe method is not propofed, the flight
connedion between thofe Letters, and the
.profefled defign of the Volume, will not be
eonfidered as a great defeat.

CON-

CONTENTS.

LETTER L Page i.
JOURNAL of a Voyage from England to St.
^ Peterfiiirg.
LETTER II.- p. 15.
The Emprefs of Ruffia and the Great Duke
lay, the Foundation of a magnificent Church.
LETTER m. p. 83. ,
Anecdotes .of the Emprefs of Ruffia.
LETTER IV. p. 28.
Deputies ajfembled hy the Emprefs of Ruffia
from different Parts of ker Empire, for
viaking Laivs.'^ Anecdote of the Bamoid
Deputies.

sc • CONTENTS.
l'^etter v. p. 33. '
Thankfgi'ving for the Recovery of the Emprefs
and Great Dnkefrom the Small-pox.
LETTER VL p. 37.
X)iftnbution of Prizes to Students in the Aca
demy. — Reprefent ation of a R,iiffian Tragedj.
LETTER vn. p. 45.
Cattfes ofthe Turkifh War^
LETTER VIII. p. 51.
T^he Ruffian Winter.
LETTER IX. p. 59.
Religion qf the Ruffians. — Ruffian Clergy. —
Anecdotes of a Priefi.
LETTER X. p. 66.
*The Ruffian Spring.
LETTER XI. p. 68.
The State of Agriculture in Ruffia.
L E TT E R XIL p. 72.
Progrefs ofthe JVar.

CONTENTS. 3^1
LETTER XIII. p. 78.
.Anecdotes of Count Munich.
LETTER XIV, p. 88.
Progrefs ofthe War,
LETTER XV. p. 91.
Excurfion into Car elia.— State of the Fin-^
landers.
LETTER XVL p. 97..
fables iranflatedfrpm the German o/'Lessing.
LETTER XVIL p. 10 r. V
Progrefs of the War.-rr-Retreat of the Ruffians
from Chotzim.
LETTER XVIIL p. 107.
Progrefs ofthe War.— A Ruffian Pafquinade%
LETTER XIX. p. 112.
With fome Verfes. *
LETTER XX. p. 114.
P*^ Funeral qf the Princefs Kurakin.

xii CP'N TENTS.'
LETTER XXI. p. i2(S.
Ihe Hymn chanted at the Afpafmus, or Lafi
Embrace.
LETTER XXIL p. 132.
The Library belonging to the Academy.— Re-
liques of Peter, the Great.
'¦"^ LETTER XXni. p. 135.
Tranflation of a German Poem.
LETTER XXIV. p. 147.
journal of the Weather for Fifty -five Days^
during the. Winter 1 769-70.
L E T T E R' XXV. p. 157.
Account of a Comet ivhich ivas feen in Ruffia
in the Tear 1769 — Account of fome other
Comets.
LETTER XXVI. p. 177.
An Equefirian Statue of Peter the Great. -^
The Rock intended for the. Pedefal.
L E T T E R XXVIt. " p. 183.
T.'ihlci i}n:-atcjfi\-,i the Ccr^n^ii o/Gellf.rt

CONTENTS. xiii
LETTE^R XXVIII. p. 192.
The Slavery ofthe Ruffian Peafants.
LETTER XXIX. p. 201.
Perfons, Food, Drefs^ Houfes, and Names of
the Ruffian Peafants.
LETTER XXX, p. 309.
The Salutations, parrels, and Amufements of
the Ruffian Peafants. ^
LETTER XXXL p.,218.
Homejlic Manners of Perfons of Rank in
Ruffia.
LETTER XXXIL p. 228.
Adminiftr ation ofjufiice in Ruffia.
LETTER XXXIIL p. 239.
Refie^ions on the EffeBs of Defpotifn.
LETTER XXXIV. p. 244.
National Char^Sler of the Ruff an f.
LETTER XXXV. p. 255.
With fome Verfes.

xW d O N T M N T g.
LETTER XXXVL p. 2^-91.
Account of Goods exported from St. Peterfburg
in 1769.
LETTER XXXVIL p. 263.
With an Account of the Abdication ofVi^of'
Amadeus, King of Sardinia^ in the Yeaf
1730; LETTER XXXVIIL p. 309.
The Hbfpodar of Wallachia.
LETTER XXXIX. p. 214.
Anecdotes of the Battle of Kahul — and of
, Count Romanzoiv.
LETTER XL. p. 326.
jTb a Lady, uuho had gone to London frrnn St.
Peterfiurg, requefiing her Return.
LETTER XLI. p. 323.
Prince Henry of P ruffia at St. Peterfburg— A
fpendid Mafquerade and Fire-Works.
LETTER XLII. p. 332.-
Ac count ofthe Confecr ation ofthe Water i.

CONTENTS. *v
LETTER XLin. p. 337.
Concerning the EffeSl of pompous religious
Rites on the Devotion of the Worfhipper.
LETTER XLIV. p. 340.
Obfervations on the Puni/hment of Crimes, itt
Anfwir to the Thirty-fecond Letter in this
Colle6lion, concerning the Adminiftration of
fvflice in Ruffia.
LETTER XLV. p. 364.
Concerning the Progrefs of the Feudal Syfiem
in Ruffia.
LETTER XVI. p. 380.
Concerning the Caufes that Duelling and
Single Combat have not beenfo ufual in Rufjia
as in other Countries in Europe.
L E TT E R XLVII. p. 396.
Englifh Players in Ruffia — Prologue on opett"
ing an Englifh Theatre at St. Peter^urg.
LETTER XLVIII. p. 400.
-Copy of a Letter from Count Orloffto Roujfeaiit
tvith the Anfiver.

xyi CONTENTS.
LETTER .XLIX. p. 408:
franfatio^ of an Eafier Hymn, fometimes
recited in the Chujrches of the Greek Com
munion.
LETTER L. p. 412.
The Serajkier of Bender.
LETTER LL p. 416.
AbJlraSl of a Ruffian Catechifm.
LETTER LIL p. 426.
Account of a Circqffian Princefs, the Widoiv of
Dondicc Ambo, Chan ofthe Calmuck Tartars.
LETTER LIII. p. 44.5.
A Peftlleniial Difemper in Ruffia. — The Maf-
facre ofthe Archbifhop of Mofcoiv.
LETTER LIV. p. 451.
Anfiver to an Ohjeclion concerning the Na
tional Charafler of the Ruffians.
LETTER LV. p. 454.
Remarks on ihe prefent Situaticn of the jFews.
LETTER LVI. p. 475. '
fcm-ral of a Voyage from Cronfiitdt to Co-
penhagen.
A N E C-

[ I 1

ANECDOTES OFTHE '
RUSSIAN EMPIRE.
LETTER L
journal qf a Vbydge from England te
St. Peterfburgh.
DEAR SIR, St. Peterlburgh, Aug. tt, lySt.
I HAVE the pleafure of informing you
of my arrival in Ruffia. The pafl^age
Was expeditious; but not intirely without
fome hazard : and the following Journal of
the Voyage, in which, however, I have only
marked thofe days when any thing particular
occurred, may perhaps afford you fome
amufement. Nor fliaU I harafs you with
larboard and /larboard, and fore and aft.
B We

2 ANECDOTE.S DP TflE
We are neither of us feamen ; why, there-:
fore, ffiould I trouble either you or myfeli
with the affedation of naval terms ?
Augufl: 2. I embarked, in the evening^
along with Lord C. * and his famrily, on
board the Tweed Frigate at the Nore.
Augufl, 3. Early in the morning the vef-
fel was under fail. The wind very favour
able. The Tweed carries thirty-two guns :
arid, including Torty marines, her full com
plement of men is two hundred and twenty.
Augufl. 6. Very ftormy. The weather,
hitherto, had been remarkably pleafant. TTiis
day we entered the Categale^
Augufl 7. The weather fine, and the wind
favourable. We failed along the coaft of
Zealand.^-  Nothing of the kind could be
more d"elightful than the verdure and variety.
of hill and dale, difplayed m that beautiful
ifland. In the afternoon we pafled a fmall
palace belonging to the King of Denmark.
" His LordlliLp was appointed Ambaffador Extyaordin«ry
and Plenipotetttiaiy to the Em.prefs of Raffia.

Russian EMt>iRE. 3
tt is diflant about two miles from Elfinore J
is flat-roofed ; has twelve windows in front,
and is built, as I was told, on the very place
formerly occupied by the palace bf Hamlet's
father. In an adjoining garden, the very
fpot is fhewn where that Prince was faid to
have been poifoned. — ^We came to anchor in
the evening, in the Sound, between the oppo-
fite fortreffes of Elfinore and Helfingburgh*
Augufl 8. Remained at Elfinore.
This town Hands upon a fmall bay : it con
tains about five thoufand inhabitants; com
mands the Sound ; and was formerly the place
of refidence of the Danifh Princes. The
ftreets are narrow, atid ill-pave4 : the houfes
are of brick '¦ or wood, and are covered with
tiles. The caftle Hands on -the wefl: point
of tbe bay : it i« fortified with works of
earth, on which are mounted three hun
dred and fixty-fi'Ve pieces of canaon ; and the
fubterranean apartments are faid ta be fo very
fpacious, as to be capable of containing more
than a regiment of men. In other refpe£ts,
the caflle itfelf feems to he a place of very
little defence : it is a fquare edifice, built of
B 2 free-

4 ANECDOTES OF THE
free-ftone brought from the coaft of Sweden j
and is fo adorned with fpires, as at a diftance
to referable a church. The rooms are lofty ;
and contain many coarfe hiftorical pi£lures,
relating chiefly to tbe wars of Denmark. — The
altar-piece, in tbe great church of Elfinore,
is alfo fhewn as a curiofity. It is made of
oak, very richly gilt and carved ; and tbe
figures, in different groups, reprefent the hif-
tory of our Saviour. — The Sound, at this
place, is about three miles broad; and the
toll, levied from merchant fhips, was firft
impofed to defray the expence of light-houfes
erected along the coafl by the King of Den
mark.' — The foil in Zealand, though the fea-
coaft appears very beautiful, is light, fandy,
and not very fruitful. The grain it produces
is chiefly rye ; and any cattle I {^ were re
markably fmall. The carriages, in which the
inhabitants carry turf for feWel, and other ne-
ceffaries, are drawn by horfes, go upon four
little wheels, are narrow, and have their fides
wattled. The opening of the Sound, and the fitua-
of the Tweed this evening, difplayed a very
beautiful landfltip. The view to the eaft was
bounded

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. s
bounded by "the ifle of Ween, formerly the
refidence of Tycho Brahe. This little ifland is
of a circular form : the fhore is higher than the
neighbouring coaft of Zealand; and even
higher at that particular place than the coaft of
Sweden. We were juft able to diftinguifh its
agreeable verdure, and to difcern the fpires of
Copenhagen, which feemed very near it.
The fea-coaft from Elfinore to Copenhagen,
finely diverfified with cornfields, meadows,
woods, little hills, and fummer-palaces be
longing to the King and the Nobility, was
happily contrafted by the black rocks on the
oppofite and mountainous coaft of Sweden.
The fea was quite fmooth ; and the caftles of
Elfinore and Helfingburgh, with the numer
ous veffels that lay at anchor, and all the
other circumftances of the fcene, were em-
bellifhed by a glorious fetting fun, whofe
rays were refle<Sed from a multitude of gilded
clouds. The only difagreeable circumft^nce I met
with here, was a whifpered account of the
royal family. I am afraid you will foon hear
pf " fomething rotten in the ftate of Den-
" mark," B 3 Auguft

6 ANECDOTES OF THE
Auguft g. We pafTed the ifland of Born-
holm. The coaft appeared high, without
wbod or cornfields ; but covered with verdure.
The weather fine.
Auguft IO. We failed along the coaft of
Gothland, avery beautiful ifland. Thelandrifes
gently towards the middle. The country ap"
peared fertile and woody; and, from the num
ber of fpires and houfes, and from the vaft
fwarm of fifhing-bgats which came around us
in the evening, it feemed very populous. The
number of ifiands in the Baltic, difplaying a
variety of different appearances conftantly fhift-s
ing, and fucceeding one another, renders the
navigation of that fea, in fummer or autumn,
remarkably agreeable.
Auguft II. A very ftormy day. At noon
we came in fight of DagOj an uncouth, black,
and difagreeable ifland ; the firft fpecimen of
the Ruffian dominions. At night we left the
Pakie, and entered the gulf of Finland.
Augirft 12. A fine day. The fea perfeftly
fmooth. We paffed Revel in the morning :
gnc} ag the evening was uncornmonly plea fant^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 7
lant, for the light continued with us longer
than in more fouthern latitudes, we remained
upon deck till paft eleven at night. Our
voyage, which hitherto had been fpeedy and
agreeable, was near an end ; and we retired,
in perfect fecurity, to our cabins.
Auguft- 1 3. At one o'clock in the mornr
ing an alarm was given. The fhip had ftruck
on a rock. All upon deck was tumult: all
below confternation. Expe<£ling every mo
ment that the fhip-boats would be fent off
with the pafTeng^rs, we held ourfelves in rea-
dinefs for that event. The morning was per-
fedlly calm ; and the fea fmooth as a mirror.
Thefe circumftances were peculiarly favour
able ; for the leaft gale of wind would have
dafhed the veffel in pieces. To the north-
eaft, within two or three miles of us, lay fome
little iflands; and to the north-weft was ^
beacon, to which our pilots, for vye had two
of them, had not attended. Our ffiip, in the
meantime, was fo clofely wedge^ in between
the rocks, that fhe feemed incapable of any
motion. The rocks at the fore-part were
hardly two feet under water. . ,,
B 4 The

8 ANECDOTES OF THE
The firft attention of Mr. Colingwood, tho.
Captain, was to lighten the veffel : and, ac^
cordingly, feveral of the fhip-guns, and fom^
heavy cafks, were thrown into the fea. A
large anchor was carried out by the flern ;
and an united effort wa? made by the fhip's
crew, to force back the veffel. But the an
chor having taken faft hold of a rock, and
having its flook torn off, our effort failed.
W'e now e.xpe£ted to leave the fhip, left a
fudden gale fhould put it out of our power.
. But to this meafure, feveral reafons were op-
pofed. Signals of diftrefs had been hung put,
and fix or feven guns had bpen fired; but
though in the neighbourhood of fome iflands,
no boats had come off to our affiftance: if,
therefore, thofe iflands were inhabited, it
muft be by barbarous Fins, who. Jiving on
the confines of the Ruffian ^nd Swedifh do
minions, were hardly fubjedl to either power,
and might prove no lefs formidable thgn the
gulf itfelf. If they were not inhabited, we
muft run the hazard of wanting provifions,
ias we knew by our charts, that we were
twelve leagues from the coaft of Finland.
Befides, our leaving the fhip, might have
diffipjiraged the crew^ who had hitherto ex-?
ert^d

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 9
crted themfelves with the utmoft fpirit'and
alacrity. In the meantime, the fun rofe moft fplend-
idly, without a cloud. It refembled a blaze
of fire rifing from the midft of the fea ; and the
gulf, to the diftance of many leagues, fhone
with refulgent beams. The fcene was glo--
rious ; and all of us feemed to receive new
fpirits from the view of that radiant objedl.
More guns and cafks were thrown overboard :
another anchor was carried out : another effort
was to be made ; and the attention and ex
pectation of all were excited. But the anchor
having broke, like the former, we remained
in our former pofition. Add to this, that the
increafing light, by having fhewn us the
wreck of a veffel that had been loft on thefe
very fhelves, fcattered among the rocks and
under water, heightened our fenfe of danger.
yet no unbecoming feelings appeared.
Sopa ^ifter, the appearance of fails at fome
diftance, revived our hopes. Signals* of dif
trefs were repeated : we fancied they were
fleering towards us : we expelled they w^puld
p^t us pn fhore at, Revel, pr fome ugighboiir- ing

IS ANECDOTES OF THE
ing harbour : we every inftant imagined they
were coming nearer : every one was eager to
impart the joyful intelligence : but when thofe
who were gone below deck on this good-na
tured errand returned, and expedted to fee
thofe friendly veffels at hand, they faw them
Vvith difficulty ; the fails were leffening, and
difappeared. Whofoever they were to whom
thofe veffels belonged, and I truft they were
not our countrymen, they did not choofe to
involve themfelves in our misfortune. Thus,
faftened as we were, to a folitary rock in the
gulf of Finland, we had the additional diftrefs
of feeling ourfelves abandoned,
We had now been ftruggling no lefs than
eight hours in this critical and forlorn fitua-
tion. It was nine in the morning : and the
fea, owing, very probably, to an approaching
gale, feemed to fwell, and have a tremulous
motion. Not a moment was to be loff. Our
fheet anchor was laid on a raft, and carried
out like the former : more guns and catks were
thrpwn intP the fea, and the remaining guns
were Ipaded, that by their difcharge, the con-
cuffion given to the fliip might aflift us. The-
effort was niade : our anchor broke as before :
but

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. i»
but at that interefting moment the ftiip got
off. It was now our fortitude feemed to leave
us : we had been more careful in arming our
minds againft any thing adverfe, than in
guarding againft the joy of deliverance ; and
our apprehenfions' never appeared but in our
mutual congratulations, when we thought
ourfelves fafe. Our honeft Captain, fteady
as he appeared to be during the time of our
danger, and who was juft about giving orders
for cutting down the mafts, fhewed emotions,
when he faw us out of danger, which did
tdm honour.
About half an hour after the Tweed was
in motion, we difcovered a fmall veffel, with
a fail, coming towards us : but on feeing us
clear of the rocks, it put abput, and the per-
fpns pn bpard feemed afraid pf apprpaching
us : circumftances which gave us np favpur-
able ppinipns pf their defigns, had pur fhip
been wrecked. We pbliged them tp cpme pn
b-pard. They were Fins from a diftailt ifland,
who had fet out on hearing the firft fignals of
our diftrefs. They affifted in piloting us from
among the rocks, and were very happy in
jb^jng allowed to pick up the cafks floating upon

12 ANECDOTES OF THE
upon the water. One pf the midfhipracn
gave the chief perfpn ampng them an old
laced hat, with which he ftmtted upon deck
with great confcioufnefs of fuperipr rank.
We were not above an hour under fail,
when the fky became cloudy, and the fea
very rough : and, what is very Angular, we
were in no lefs danger the fucceeding night ;
but the hazard to which we were expofed was
inftantaneous ; and we fcarcely knew of it
till it was paft. Coming wdth a brifk wind
right upon a fteep rock on the coaft of Hog-
land, the fhip was within a few minutes of
being dafhed in pieces ; and was called to by
a trading veffel, juft time enough to tack
about. The rocks we ftruck upon are about fifty-five
leagues from St. Peterfburgh, and in the fixtieth
degree of north latitude. The iflands are named
Pelting Scars ; they are fituated off the coaft
of Nyland in Finland, and almoft direQly
fouth from the city of Borgo. Between Ny
land and the Peking Scars, is Peking Sound,
a fea full of rocks and barren iflands. Aygufl

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. ,^
Auguft 14. We paffed the ifland of Hog-
land or Hochland, fignifying, in the language
of thofe parts. Highland. The Coaft is rocky,
mountainous, and covered with heath. At
night we lay at anchor at Gronftadt, in the
ifland Scutari,
In this place are the principal dock-yards
of the Ruffian Emprefs. The ifland Itfelf is
fpur miles in length, and twp in breadth,
and has fpme wppd uppn it. The tpwn pf
Cronfladt is very fmall, and ill-built. It is
diftant about eighteen miles from St. Peterf
burgh. Auguft 15. This day we left the Tweed,
and arrived at St. Peterfburgh in one of the
Emprefs's yachts. The weather was very
fine: and we had, in failing along, a full
view of the neighbouring coaft of jffiftbonia.
The palaces of Oranibaum and Peterhoff have
a magriificent appearance to the fea ; and the
face of the country is agreeably diverfified
with woods and little hills. The country
around St. Peterfburgh is very woody: fo
that in approaching.it, the fteeples and fpires,
which are covered witK tin and brafs, and
fome

,4. ANECDOTES OF THE
fome of them gilt, feemed as if they arofe
from the midft of a foreft.
I fhall write you again in a few days,
either by poft, or by the Tweed, on her re
turn to England. Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 15

LETTER IL
The Emprefs cf Ruffia, and the Great Duke,
lay the Foundation of a magnificent Church,

DEAR SIR, St. Peterfburgh, Aug.. 19, 1768.
T AM juft returned from witneffing the ce-
¦ remony of the Emprefs's laying the found-
ation-ftone of a church dedicated to St. Ifaac ;
and which is intended to be the largeft in St.
Peterfburgh. St. Ifaac is held in efteem by
the Ruffians, not fo much for any diftin-
gulfhed chara<3:er of his own, as that the day
confecrated to him was the birth-day of
Peter the Great. As the Ruffians appreheijid
that every day of the year is confecrated to
fome pa.rticular Saint, they are convinced that
every individual is under the peculiar protec
tion of that holy perfbn, pn whpfe day he
happened to have been born ; arid all of them
carry about them a fniall metal image of their
tutelary Saint, Herodotus, if I rightly recpl-
]&&, gives a fimilar accQunt of the Egyptians.
8 He

16 ANECDOTES OF THE
He tells us,., that they believed every day fsL^
ered to fome particular God ; that they were
under the peculiar protedlion of that divinity
on whofe day they were born ; and that they
rend&red him particular homage. So much
alike are all fuperftitions.
As the ceremony I fhall now defcribe to
you was reckoned of great importance, it was
perforrried with great pomp and magriificerice.
All the fpace to be occupied by the chu'rcfi
had been previoufly railed in ; and into this
place, only perfons of high rank, and thofe
who had a particular permiffion, were admit
ted. An immenfe multitude of people were
affembled without. • An arch, fupported upon:
eight pillars of the Corinthian order, and
adorned with garlands. Was raifed immedt--
ately over the place intended for' the altar.-
Beneath this arch was a table covered with
cf imfon velvet, fringed with gold ;' upon which
Was placed a fmall marble cheft, fixed to a
pully diredly above the table. On a fide-
table, fixed to one of the pillars, was a large
gold plate^ with medals and coins, to be de-*
pofited at the foundation, and a gold box to
contain them. On another fide-table was an-^
othe*'

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 17
other gold plate, containing two pieces of
marble in the form of bricks, a gold plate
¦with i:ftortar, and other two plates of the
fame metal, in which were two hammers and
two trowels of gold.
The proceffion began with the Grand Duke
and his retinue. This young Prince, the
heir apparent of the Ruffian empire, is of a
pale complexion, with dark eyes, more re
markable for their good colour, than expref-
fion ; and of a fhape more delicate than gen
teel. He feems of a cheai^l difpofition, of
affable and eafy manners. He was dreflied in
the uniform of the navy, which is white
turned up with green, and wore a blue rib
bon of the order of St. Alexander Newfky.
He was attended by Count Panin, his gover
nor, who is alfo prime minifter.
Soon after his arrival, the approach of the
Emprefs was announced by the beating of
drums, £lnd a difcharge of the cannon at the
Admiralty, which continued firing at regular
intervals during the whole time of the ce
remony; and the Grand Duke, who had
C been

i8 ANECDOTES OF THE
bepn converfing with the courtiers, returned
with his retinue to meet his ipother, and fall
in with hpr train. It was now that the
principal parts of the proceffion approached.
It was preceded by priefts of inferior orders^
in long purple or dark- coloured garments of
woollen cloth, with wide fleeves ; having
their heads uncovered, their long hair hang
ing foofe about their fhoulders ; fcattering in-
cenfe frorn fmall cenfers, which hung ia
chains ; and carrying flags, on which wer^
reprefented, in glaring colours, the deeds,
and, I believe, the martyrdom of St. Ifaac
Thefe were followed by priefts of a higher
order, with their heads uncovered like the
former ; but having their flowing robes, of
flowered filk, adorned with gold and filver j
a,nd carrying fplendid croffes, burning tapers,
and a large portrait of the Saint. Immedi
ately after thefe came a band of Choirifters,
finging hymns ; the mufic was deep-toned,
folemn, and even fijblime. After them came
the dignified Clergy, with garments of gold
and filver fluffs, adorned with precious ftones;*
and having their lofty mitres ornamented in
a fimilar manner. They had, in general, a
very

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. rg
very venerable appearance, with grey locks
and long beards : they feemed like fo many
Socratefcs and Zenos ; though, ever and
anon, you might have feen an excellent Si-
lenus, appearing rather furprifed at his be
coming a bifhop.
Some large wax tapers were carried imme
diately before her Imperial Majefty, who
came pext, attended by a great number of
ladies and gentlemen. The Emprefs of
Ruffia is taller than the middle fize. Very
comely, gracefully formed, but inclined t<?
grow corpulent; and of a fair complexion,
which, like every other female in this coun
try, fhe endeavours to improve by the addi
tion of rouge. She has a fine mouth and
teeth ; and blue eyes, expreffive of fcrutiny,
fomething not fo good as obfervation, and
not fo bad as fufpicion. Her features are
in general regular and pleafing. Indeed,
with regard to her appearance altogether, it
would be doing her injuftice to faylit was
mafculine, yet it would not be doing her
juftice to fay, it was entirely feminine. As
Milton intended to fay of Eve, that fhe was
• C 2 fairer

20 ANECDOTES OF THE
fairer than any of her daughters, fo this
great Sovereign is certainly fairer than any
of her fubjedls whom I have feen*. — She
wore a filver fluff negligee, the ground pea-
green, with purple flowers and filver trim
ming. Her hair was dreffed according to the
prefent fafhion. She alfo wore a rich dia- -
mond necklace, bracelets, and ear-rings, with
a blue ribbon of the higheft order of Knight
hood ; and the weather being very warm,
fhe carried in her hand a fmall green um
brella. Her demeanour to all around her
feemed very fmiling and courteous.
After the whole proceffion arrived at the
proper place, divine worfhip was performed
with prayers, vocal mufic, and all the pomp
ous ceremonies of the Greek church. A
crucifix, after being immerfed by a Prieft of
high rank in a filver bafon filled with water,
was carried to the Emprefs and Grand Duke.
Bowing, and croffing their breafts, in teftimony
of adoration, they kiflTed it. Holy water was
* I have feen no pifture, medallion, or print, excepting
one pifture, in which flie is paintea in men's clothes, that
does her juftice. In moft of them her features appear too
ftrong, and her air too mafculine.
I fprinkled

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. at
fprinkled on all who were preferit, and a
cenfer fmoking with incenfe was carried
round. Then, after fome fuitable paflages of
the Greek fervice had been read aloud, afccom-
panied with prayers and mufic, another dig
nified Clergyman, laying the medals on a
crimfon velvet cufhion, fringed with gold,
lifted them on his head, and carried them
round the altar-place. After they were in
this manner confecrated, and laid in the
marble cheft, the Emprefs giving her um
brella in a very eafy manner to an attendant,
and taking a hammer very gracefully in one
hand, and a piece of marble in the other,
ihe put it into the cheft. Then, with the
trowel, fhe put in fome mortar. The fame
ceremony was performed by the Grand Duke
and the dignified Clergy. Some of the No
bility, and Foreign Minifters, alfo put in
fome mortar. The marble cheft was then
(hut up, and raifed by the pulley ; at
that inftant the table, finking down through
a trap- door, was very quickly removed ; and
her Imperial Majefty letting down the pulley,
the cheft funk gently down through the plat
form into its place. When this was done,
tb? Coi^rt Chaplain, afcendiog a pulpit, which
C 3 was

22 ANECDOTES OF THE
was faftened to a pillar, delivered, witb fer
vent, and almoft declamatory, elocution, a
fhort difcourfe in the Ruffian language. I
could only judge pf his manner, which was
not difagreeable; and of the found of the
language, which was liquid and pleafant.
The whole ceremony concluded by the Em
prefs's allowing the dignified Clergy to kifs
her hand, which they did with good-will
and a loud noife ; and feemed rather happier
with fuch an opportunity, than her Imperial
Majefty herfelf, notwithftanding her fipiles.
Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 23

LETTER III.
Anecdotes of the Emprefs of Ruffia.

DEAR SIR, St. Peter/burgh, Nov. 7, 1768.
T PERCEIVE, by fome fevere expreffions,
in a letter from our friend  , that our
northern Semiramis has but little chance of
exciting his admiration. Not to him, there
fore, but to you, who have more indulgence
for the '* weaker veffel," though on the pre
fent occafion no indulgence is neceffary, I
tranfmit the following diary of the Emprefs,
as I heard it from the Countefs Romanfoff,
a very refpedable old lady of the higheft
rank in this place, and mother to Count Ro
manfoff. Her Majefty, according to this authority,
rifes at five in the morning, and is engaged
in bufinefs till near ten. She then breakfafls,
and goes to prayers : dines at two : with
draws to her own apartment foon after din-
*' C 4 ner:

84 ANECDOTES OF THE
ner : drinks tea at five : fees company, plays
at cards, or attends public places, the play,
opera, or mafquerade, till fupper : and goes
to fleep at ten. By eleven every thing about
the palace is as ftill as^midnight. Whift is
ber favourite game at cards ; fhe yfually
plays for five imperials * the rubber ; and as
fhe plays with great clearnefs and attention,
fhe is often fuccefsful : fhe fometimes plays
too at picquet and cribbage. Though fhe is
occafionally prefent at mufical entertainments,
fhe is not faid to be fond of miific. In the
morning, between prayers and dinner, fhe
frequently takes an airing, according as tbe
weather admits, in a coach or fledgy. On
thefe occafions, fhe has fometimes no guards,
and very few attendants ; and does not cbufe
to be known or falut^d as Empref§. It is
in this manner that fhe yifits any great works
that may be going on jn the city, or in the
neighbourhood. She is fond of having fma|l
parties of eight or ten perfons with her at
dinner ; and fhe frequeutly fups, goes to
balls, or mafquerades, in the houfes of her
nobility. When fhe retires to ber palaces in
• Ten guineas, the

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. as
the country, efpecially to Zarfkocelo, fhe lays
afide all ftate, and lives with her ladies on a
footing of as eafy intimacy as poffible» Any
one of them who rifes on her entering or
going out of a room^ is fined in a rouble * :
and all forfeits of this fort are given to the
poor. You will eafily perceive, that by her
regular and judicious diftribution of time, fhe
is able to tranfafl: a great deal of bufinefs;
and that the affability of her manners render
her much beloved. But I will not yet fay
?iny thing very pofitive concerning her cha-
raflier and principles of adion. For, fhe
may be very focial, and very affable, " and
iraile, and fmile, and"- you know the
reft. I may, however, yery fafely affirm, that
a great number of ber adions, fo great in
deed ^s to conftitute a diftinguifhing feature
in ber character, proceed either from the
defire of doing good, or the love of fame.
If from the laft, it muft alfo be acknowledged,
that the praife fhe is fo defirous of "obtaining,
is, in many inftances, the praife of humanity.
* Four fhUling«. SGm,c-

26 ANECDOTES OF THE
Sometimes, indeedj there is a fort of whim
or affedation of fingularity, in the manner
of conferring her favours, that looks as if
the defire of being fpoken of, fully as much
as the defire of doing good, was the foun
tain from which they flow. For example—
A young officer, who attended the court»
fell in love,' as was natural, with a young
lady. The lady, as was alfo natural, ap
peared not infenfible to his worth, nor dif-
pleafed with his affiduity. But want of for
tune on both fides, was an obftacle to their
union. The Emprefs, however, perceived
their attachment ; and fent, one day, for the
young gentleman to a private conference.
She told him, fhe had obferved that M —
and he entertained great tendernefs for one
another ; that the whole Court obferved it ;
and hinted fomething like regret, that fuch
things fhould have been remarked. The
young man was difconcerted ; but had firm-
nefs enough to avow the fincerity of his
paffion. *' Then," faid her Majefty, " you
" muft forthwith be married." This was
fudden : the young man fhewed fome hefi-
tation ; but not from any motives that were
improper : '' he had no fortune, and could
" not

RUSSIAN E M-P I R E. 27
" not maintairi the lady in a manner fuited
" to her rank and merits." The Emprefs
was peremptory. They were married as
fpeedily as the forms of the church permitted,
and fent off in a coach to St. Peterfburgh ;
for the Court was at that time at Zarfkocelo.
They knew not whither they were going,^
nor bow they were to fubfift ; nor were they
very certain of their not having incurred their
Sovereign's difpleafure. Meantime, the per
fons who conduced them, and who would
give them no information, fet them down in
the * Galerhinhoff. Here, to their ucter afto-
nifhment, they were carried into a houfe
elegantly furnifhed ; they met with a nume
rous company of their friends ; they found
a fplendid entertainment ; and the bride-
. groom was told by a meffenger from the Em-
prCfs, that her Majefty had given him that
houfe as he found it, and had appointed him
to an office " fuited to his rank and merits."
Adieu.
• One of the fineft fireets in St* Peteifburgb, inhabited
chiefly hy Engiifli merchants.

2? ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XV.
Deputies affembled by the Emprtfs of Ruffia,
from different < Parts of her Empire, for
making Laivs.

I

DEAR SIR, §t. Peterfburgh, 1768.
WAS lately prefent at a meeting of the
deputies fummoned by the Emprefs from
all the nations of her empire, and who have
been aflTembled to affift her Majefty in form
ing a fyftem of legiflation. There is fome^
thing magnificent in this idea ; and if fhe
really intends what fhe profeflTes, to give
equitable laws to all her fubjeds and de
pendents, from the Baltic to the wall of
China, and from Lapland to the Cafpian,
fhe deferves admiration. The deputies, in
their firft addrefs, ftiled her " Great, wife,
•^ and '^be Mother of her People;" titles
which, excepting the laft, fhe declined, tell
ing them at the fame time, *' None can be
V called great before death j none wife that

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 29
** are mortal j I hope I fhall ad as the Mother
** of my People."
The meeting confifts of about fix hundred
members. They meet in the palace, where
they have one large ball for the whole af-
fembly; and feveral adjoining rooms for
committees. They confift of reprefentatives
of the nobility, the peafantry, and the inha
bitants of towns or cities. Count Panin is
deputy for tbe city of Mofcow. The chief
officers in this aflTembly are a Marifchal, who
prefides ; and a Procureur General for the
Crown. Out of the affembly, fix committees,
each confifting of five perfons, are chofen by
ballot : and their bufinefs, according to their
various departments, is; to regulate the form
and order of thofe matters, concerning which
the whole aflTembled deputies are to delibe
rate. In tranfading bufinefs, the following me
thod is obferved. The Procureur lays before
the deputies fome principle or fubjeifl of law
propofed . by the Emprefs, and concerning
which they are to give an opinion. They
then adjourn; and the committee to whom that

30 ANECDOTES OF THE
that fubjed particularly belongs, prepare it
for the next general meeting. Then all the
members are permitted to deliver their opi
nions in a written fpeech, and to determine
the point before them, by the plurality of
votes. But whatever their determinations
may be, it remains with the Emprefs to ra
tify them or not, as fhe pleafes. Two of the
fubjeds lately difcuffed in this affembly were,
*' Whether any but the nobility had a right
" to buy lands .f"' and, " Whether any but
*' the nobility had a right to buy flaves ?"
I have heard that freedom of extempora
neous fpeaking was allowed in fome of the
firft meetings of this affembly ; but that be
ing likely to occafion too much diforder, it
was difcontinued. At prefent, it is expeded
that no perfon, unlefs his views be very well
known, fhall deliver a fpeech without pre
vioufly confulting the Marifchal ; and if he
difapproves of it, the orator, though he had
the powers of a Cicero, muft keep his fpeech
in his pocket. Indeed, this affembly has no
pretenfions whatever to freedom of debate,
and fcarcely any tendency towards eftablifh-
ing political liberty. The members, in ge-
t neral,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 31
neral, are chofen by the will of tbe fove-
reigii : by her the fubjeds of debate are pro
pofed : fhe keeps in her own bands the right
of ratifying every determination : and the
affembly, convoked by her fole autborityi
may be dlfmilfed at ber pleafufe. , * ,
All tbe deputies have gold medals, as
badges of their office, faftened to their breafts :
and as they come here from the rempteft
parts of the empire, the variety of their
dreffes and appearance is very whimfical and
atftufing.  •! have feveral times heard the
following anecdote of the two Samoid de
puties. I give it you as nearly as poffible,
in the very words in which I have heard it.
The Emprefs afked them to fuggeft fuch laws
as they apprehended would promote the wel
fare of their nation. One of them replied,
that they had very few laws, and did not
defire any more. " How," faid the Emprefs,
*' have you no crimes ! Are there no perfons
" among you guilty of theft, murder, or
" adultery ? If you have crimes, you muft
*' have punifhment ; and punifhment fup-
" pofes law." " We have fuch crimes,"
anfwered the deputy, " and they are duly
" punifhed.

»3 ANECDOTES OF THE
*' punifhed. If one man puts another to
** death unjuftly, he alfo muft fuffer death.'*
Here he flopped : he thought he bad faid
enough. " But what," refumed her Majefty,
*' are the punifhments of theft and adultery ?"
*' How," faid the Samoid, with a good deal
of furprife," •' is not detedion fufficient pu-
*' nifhment?"-  One would imagkie, from
this anecdote, that the Samoids are, or re-
femble, the nation of whom Tacitus fays,
*' Plufque ibi boni mores valettt, quam alibi
" honie leges :" " and virtH^|^i|j^aLanners have
•* there more efficacy thah.good laws el^-
'' whfere."

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 33

Ll&TTER V. , (Extract.)
Thankfgiving for the Recovery of the Emprefs
and Great Duke from the Small-pox. *

December 33, 1768.
*, * * * ¥~^I^1^^ ferVice was performed
¦¦-f this day in the Emprefs's
chapel, on account of her recovery, rand that
of the Great Duke, from the fmall-pox ; for
which they had undergone inoculation by Dr.
Dimfdale. The ceremony was yery folemn
and magnificent.
On each fide bf the chapel, which is a very
lofty and fpacious robm in the winter-palace,
is a row of gilt Ionic pillars. The wklls are
Covered with-glaring arid-ilUexecuted pidures"
of Ruffian faints. On the roof Over the altar*,
the Supreme Being is reprefented as an old
man in white apparel. On the infidfe of a
1-ail which extended acrofs the room, and
clofe by the pillar which was'^next the altar,
* Or rather, the place correfpooding to the altar in Eng.
liih chnrchesi
D oa

34.. ANECDOTES OF THE
on the fouth fide, flood the Emprefs and her
fon : and alfo on the infide of the rail, and on
each fide of the altar *, was a choir of mufi-
cians. ' All the reft who witneflfed, or took
part in the folemnity, excepting the priefts,
ftood on the outfide of the rail.
The ceremony began with folemn mufic ;
a^id then were pronounced the prayers and
ejaculations which conftituted the firft part of
the fervice. This having lafted fome time, two
folding-doors clofe by the altar were opened
from within, and difplayed a magnificent
view of the interior and moft holy part of
the chapel. Oppofife to us Was a large pidure
of the taking down from the crofs : on eacb"
fide, a row of gilt Ionic pillars ; in the middle
a table covered with cloth of gold ; and uporv
the table were placed, a crucifix, a candleftick
with burning tapers, and chalices with holy
water. A number of venerable priefts, with
grey hair, flowing beards, mitres, and coftly
robes, ftood jn fQlemn array on each fide o£
this magnificent fanduary. The whole fug-
gelled an idea of the Temple of Jerufalem.
• See t^e [ receding note.
from

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 35
From this place advanced a prieft, with
" flow and folemn pace," carrying a lighted
taper : he was followed in like manner by
another, reciting prayers, and carrying a cenfef
fmoking with incenfe. Advancing towards
her Majefty, he three times waved the cenfer
before her ; fhe all the while bowing, and?
very gracefully croffing her brcaft. He was
fucceeded by another prieft, who carried the
Gofpel ; out of which having read fome part,
he prefented it to the Emprefs, who kiflfed
it. The priefts then retired ; the folding-doors
were clofed ; the choirifters fung an anthem :
they were anfwered by mufical voices from
within : the mufic was deep-toned, and fub-
lime. The folding-doors were again fet open :
the ceremonies of the taper and incenfe re
peated : two priefts then advanced, and car
ried the bread and wine of the Eucharift,
veiled with cloth of gold. Having admi-
niftered thefe, they retired. The doors Were
clofed, and the folemn mufic refumed.
The doors were fet open a third time, with
the* fame ceremonies as before; and a prieft
D 2 afcending

36 ANECDOTES OF THE
afcending a pulpit fixed to the pillar oppofite
to the Emprefs, delivered a difcourfe. In
this he celebrated ber fortitude and magna
nimity; and took occafion to remark, " That
" the Ruffians had borrowed affiftance from
" Britain, that ifland of wifdom, courage, and
** virtue." After this, fome priefts came from
the infide of the chapel, and concluded the fer
vice with prayers and ejaculations. * * « *

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

37

LETTER VI.

Dijlribution of Prizes by the Great Duke to
Students in the Academy. — The Reprc
fentation of a Ruffian Tragedy by young
Ladies.

St. Peterfljurg, January 1769.
IA S S U R E you, my dear Sir, I do not find
it an eafy matter to obtain information
concerning the ftate of Ruffia. Very litde
can be reaped from mixed converfation ; for
the topics ufually difcuffed in large companies
are either very general, pr fuited, as indeed
they ought to be, to promote^prefent amufe
ment. Befides, it is an unplealEant thing to
afk queftions. The enquirer is fo much
in the power of the perfbn he addreffes, that
the fituation is difagreeable ; or he puts peo
ple fo much on their guard againft him, that
he defeats his own purpofe, and receives not
even accidental or indired information.
They entertain fufpicions of your defign ;
D 3 they

j8 ANECDOTES OT THE
they think you wiffi to be a profound politi
cian, or that you are carrying on a treafonable
correfpondence ; or, ftill more atrocious, that
your purpofe is to publifh a book ; or, laftly,
they may perchance have read Horace, and
have faid to themfelves, in the Words of that
exquifite poet,
Percontatorem fugito,.nam garrulus idem eft*.
Befides, no intelligence of a political nature,
but^fuch as the court chufes to communicate ;
no views of men and manners, and no anec
dotes of incidents in domeftic life, can be col-
leded from the news-papers. How unlike
England '. that land enlightened by the ra
diance of Chronicles, Advertifers and Gazet
teers. The half of Ruffia may be deflroyed, and
the other half knovir nothing about the matter.
I cannot imag^iie how travellers coming in
to this, or indeed any foreign country, and
who, befides other difficulties, may be igno
rant of the language, and who ftay only a few
weeks or months, are able to give an exad
cirrumftantial account of perfons, manners,
* Th' impertinent be fure to hate ;
Who loves to alk, will love to prate. Francis.
Avoid the ^uefiion- aiker, for he prates. A n o m .
govern-

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 3^
government, political inlerefts, improvements,
and all thofe particulars which draw the' at
tention of flrangers. I marvel at their abi
lities, or at their boldnefs.
I have to contend too with another diffi
culty. I perceive that the fame objeds are
feen in very difl^erent lights by different per
fons. I will give you an inftance ; and to
an Etonian, daily verfant in the works of
inftrudion, the circumftances I fhall men
tion may afford fome amufement. — I was
lately prefent at a diftribution of prizes to
ftudents educated in the Academy of Arts
and Sciences. I paffed through two large
rooms, where the boys, dreffed in white uni
forms, were drawn up in two ranks ; and
went into a third, where the Great Duke,
and other Academiciaris, were feated round a
table, on which were placed' fpecimens of
hand-writing and drawing, executed by the
fcholars. There were alfo prefent many
ladies and gentlemen of the Court. Count
Betfkoy began the ceremony, by addreffing
a fpeech to the Grand Duke, in which he
recommended the feminary to his protedion.
To this his Imperial Highnefs replied, " As
D 4 « the

4a ANECDOTES OF THE
*' the welfare of Ruffia ffiall ever be the ob-
*' jed neareft my heart ; and as the proper
" education;of youth is of fo much confe-
" quence in every well-ordered ftate, it
" claims, and ffiall ever obtain, my moft
*• conftant attention." He fpo^e flowly, and
with propriety, yet not without the diffidence
of an amiable boy. On fitting down, he
turned fmiling to Count Panim, his gover
nor, with the air of one afking, Have I ac
quitted myfelf aright ? The Count feemed to
affent, and I thought a tear rofe in his eye.
I was told that the Emprefs was prefent
among the ladies ; but though this might be
known to them, ffie did not cbufe upon that
occafion to be acknowledged as Emprefs. The
mother wifhed to obferve her fon. It was
the firft time he had fpoken in public ; and
the mother's heart muft have thrilled with
pleafure *. I almoft wept for joy.  After
this the company paffed into another room,
where the prizes were diftributed. They
were firft prefented to the ladies, and by them
to the little boys. The fcene was amufing;
and was enlivened at intervals by a band of
jji'-iflcians in an adjoining recefs.  Tell me
• Jjiiona tacitoip IV^rtentpnt gjudia peftus. Virg. now,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 41
now, would not a ftranger, on witneffing
fuch a fcene, on feeing one of the moft pow
erful Sovereigns on earth, and the prefurap-
tive heir of this mighty empire, fo attentive
to the welfare and improvement of their peo
ple, would he not feel rapture, approve, and
applaud ? Yet when I exprefs thofe fenti-
ments, there are perfons who ffiake their
heads ; who tell me, this Academy has fub-
fifted for many years, and what have they
done ? It may be mentioned, with oftenta-
tious pomp, in a news-paper, . or by Voltaire*
and nothing elfe is intended. — Such fpeeches
are mortifying ; and, notwithftanding their '
authority, I muft fay, that even admitting
the love of fame to be the fole motive, the
means ufed are far more laudable than thofe
pradifed by princes who purfue the objeds
of their ambition, by adding one inhumaa
ad to another.
The Academy mentioned above was found
ed in a former reign. But at a convent, a
few verfts from St. Peterfburgh, there is an
eftabliffiment for the education of young wo
men, by her prefent Majefty. It fomewhat
refembles that of St, Cyr, founded by M.
Maintenon ;

42 ANECDOTES OF THE
Maintenon ; and the Emprefs maintains in it
two hundred girls, from fix to eighteen years
old. They are divided into two claflTes : the
firft confifts of fhe children of officers, above
the rank of Major, inclufive : and the fecond
confifts of the children of inferior officers :
the firft are inftruded in elegant and polite ac-
compliffiments; and the fecond, together with
mufic and dancing, are taught to work in all
female emploympnts. All their expences,
comprehending even their drefs, are defrayed
by the Emprefs.
I was prefent, fome time ago, at an enter
tainment, confifting of dances of difi'erent
kinds, 'which they exhibited in prefence of
the Grand Duke, and many of the Nobility.
It began with dances by girls of the fecond
clafs, who were dreffed uniformly in brown
petticoats, blue jackets, white aprons, white
caps and handkerchiefs. They were fuc
ceeded by thofe of the firft divifion, who
were dreffed in court-drelfes, of different co
lours ; excepting that the younger part were
dreffed uniformly in white, trimmed with
t)lue.  But the moft amufing exercife I
have

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 43
have feen them exhibit wj^s the reprefenta-
tion of a Ruffian tragedy. It was reprefented
not only with propriety, but with elegance ;
and not only fo, but with great theatrical
ability^ Tbe flowing hair, tbe fparkling blue
eyes, the fine figure, and graceful motions,
of the yourig lady who performed the princi
pal charader 5 her melodious voice, and ex-
quifite but well-regulated fenfibility, charm
ed, and even tranfported, her audience.
Near where I fat was an old venerable officer :
during the firft fcenes, his folicitude and
anxiety were very apparent ; they were foon
changed into joy ; his emotions flowed out in
tears : — fhe .was his grandchild.
Yet blue eyes, fine figure, and melodious
voice have no effed on thofe who ftiake
their heads, and make fage remarks. They
chill the ardour of your applaufe by afking.
What provifion is made for thefe young ladies
after they leave the convent ? And whether
their education be fuited to their fortune or
expedations .? And whether, if thiy fhould
not foon get hufbands, they will be inclined,
after all this mufic, and dancing, and trage-
dizing, to fubmit to the rigid laws of a
punnery ?

44 ANECDOTES OF THE
nunnery ?  Qijeftiori-afking, as I obferved
at tbe beginning of this letter, is no pleafant
bufinefs; and the above queftions feemed to
me particularly difagreeable, as I was not
juft furniffied with fit replies. I ought to
have mentioned that the nuns refident in this
convent, fome of whom were prefent at the
above-mentioned entertainments, have it in
charge, to inftrud the young ladies in reli
gious knowledge. Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 45
LETTER VIL
Caufes of the Turkifh War.
DEAR SIR, January, 1769.
YOU are in the right; Ruffia is at pre
fent in very critical circumftances, and
will furnifh the Gazettes of Chriftendom with
more interefting intelligence, than any other
nation in Europe. The Emprefs has, within
thefe few . days, declared war againft the
Turks; and the preparations that are mak
ing on both fides feem tOi announce a very
violent ftruggle. The following circum
ftances, I am credibly informed, have occa-
fioned this "unfortunate rupture.
Count Poniatowfky, the prefent King of
Poland,, was, at ap early period of bis life,
appointed Envoy frqm his own cpuntry to
the Court of Ruffia. .'During his refidence
in that ernpire, he a{ta|:hed b^felf to thq
great Dijchefs, who is b^w ^prefs, and in-
finuated

46 ANECDOTES OF THE
finuated himfelf into her favour. This Prin
cefs, poflTefled of eminent talents, and ac
tuated by ari unbounded ambition, having
dethroned her hufbdnd, who fuCCeeded to the
Emprefs Elizabeth, and having invefted her
felf with the Imperial dignity, rSfolved to
eftabliffi her credit at home, and ber import
ance abroad, by governing the afi^airs of
Poland. Accordingly, conneding herfelf
with the King of Pruffia, arid in fpite of the
efforts of France, Auftria, and the Saxon
Princes, ftie advanced Poniatowfky to the
throne, hoping, perhaps, that he would co
operate implicitly in her defigns, or imagin
ing that he poffeffed greatfer abilities than be
has^ hitherto difplayed. Surely no prince has
had a finer opportunity of diftinguiffiing him-'
fetf as a warrior or politician : he was cele
brated by Voltaire, who alfo celebrated the
King of Denmark, and wbb celebrates all
princes that are free-thinkers, and that pay
him fbr his adulatidn : yet Poniatowfky, like
fome others, to whom he has offered incenfe,
bas done little credit to his .panegyric. He
has ffieWn neither fpirit nor patjriotifm, and
rs faid to be chiefly deffrous of amaSTing trea-
ftire, and of feturing to himfelf an indepen dency
9

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 47
dency in fome "foreign country, fhould he,
like another Staniflaus, be forced to abdicate
his unmerited dignity. Tbe Emprefs of
Ruffia, having fucceeded in givipg a Kiflg to
Poland, continued to ad with authority in
the affairs of that kingdom. To render her-'
fclf popular at home, and to leffen the influ-'
ence of Catholic Princes among the Poles,
fhe encouraged all thofe, who adhered to the
tenets of the Greek religion, or to the prin
ciples ofthe reformation. This party, known
iri the Gazettes of Europe by fhe appellation
of Diffidents, polfeffed at a former period
very confiderable privileges. They riot only
enjoyed the free exercife of their religion, but
had voices in the legiflation, and were invefted
with public offices. Supported by the power
of Ruffia, and the favour of the King, they
revived their pretenfions, and demanded a
reftoration of their rights. The Catholics
took the alarm. The French fomented the
quarrel, and thus concurred with the Em
prefs. Queen, who had married' ber f^ourite
daughter to one of the Saxon Princes, and
who flattered herfelf, that, by encouraging the
difaffeded party, arid by dethroning Ponia
towfky,

48 ANECDOTES OF THE
towfky, ffie might exalt her -fon-in-law ta
the throne. Mean while, the- Emprefs of,
Ruffia, depending on the greatnefs of her
power, and not fufficiently aware of confe-
quences, or mifinformed by her minifters*
aded with violence and precipitancy. One
outrage.led to another. , The Diffidents were
alarmed ; they forefaw the ruin, of their coun
try ; and willing to content themfelves witb
having the free exercife, of their, religion fe-
cured to them, withdrew their claim to fu-
perior privileges. But Ruffia having main
tained the juftice of their demands, ^ thought
her honour interefted in alferting them, and
determined by force of arms to fubdue the
obftinacy of her opponents. King Staniflaus
wavered ; he abandoned himfelf to the advices
of the Czartorinfkys,. who are his relations,
and, without conneding himfelf with the
confederates, incurred the fufpicions of the
Eriiprefsi Mean time the French were in
defatigable ; they laid out immenfe fums in
Poland, and were no lefs adive at Conftan-
tinople. They painted in the livelieft colours
the growing power of the Ruffians, and re
prefented how dangerous they would be to
the Ottoman Porte, ffiould they become ab-
folute

RU-SSIAN &MPIRli, 49
folute in Poland. The Poliffi confederates
added weight to their reprefentaticns ; they
fcpplicated the protedion of the Sultan, and
oflered to iqdemriify him with a part of their
dominions. The X^irks have been eafily per-
fuaded. Inftigated by their ambition, .and
feduced by the policy of France, they h ave
determined to interfere in the affairs of Po
land. Nor are they without expedations,
that a diverfion may be made in their favour
on the fide of Sweden. The Emprefs of
.Ruffia, on the other hand, is no lefs deter
mined to affert the rights, and maintain the
dignity, of her Imperial diadem.
As the time feems big with important
.events, I may, perhaps, from time to time,
^ive you fome information concerning then^
Adieu.
P. S. I need not inform you that the Ruf-
:fian army is reckoned inferior to none in
Europe. It is not, however, on her army
alone that thife Emprefs means to depend. At
the time that the war is to be carried on with
igreat vigour in Moldavia and the Crimea,
yfbme confiderable exertions will be made by
E l<?a.

50 ANECD^ rES OF THE
fea. The command of- the great army, to
ad on the frontiers of Poland and Moldavia,
is given to Prince Galitzen : and it is reported
that an Englifh Admiral is to have a confider
able command in the fleet intended fpr the
Mediterranean*

:RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

«?

LETTER VIII.
The Ruffian Winter.

February, 1769.
COLD ! defperately cold ! We have had
winter without the leall abatement of its
rigour fince the firft of November; and it
may continue, we are told, without the leaft
mitigation, till the beginning pr the middle
of April. The froft has been all this avhile
uninterrupted. The wind has blown almoft
conftantly from the north-eaft. It comes
howling and cold from the heights of Siberia,
and has brought with it immenfe quantities
of fnow. In the beginning of winter the
fnow fell, without interniiffion, for feveral
days. In the country, nothing appears but
a boundlefs white defart ; and the rivers are
almoft one chryftalline mafs.  1 refer you,
however, for a better account of a Ruffian
^yinter than I can pretend tp give you, to
^ 2 ' your

52 ANECDOTES OF THE
your favourite Virgil. In his third Georgic
you have the following account, which I
fhall lay before you, circumftance by circumr
ftance ; and vvhich clefcribes the objeds I have
now in view with great exadnefs.

— Neque ullae.

Aut herbae catnpo apparent, aut arbore frondes.
O'er the unfruitful fcene
Nor fields nor trees are cloth'd in lively green.
Yet the feathered appearance of the boughs
and little branches, is beautiful and romantic ;
Sed jac?t aggeribus njveis informis, et alto.
Terra gelu late, feptennque aflurgit in ulnas.
I Semper hiems, feriiper fpirantes frigora cauri.
One wafte pf fnow the joylefs landfcape lies j
Seven ells in height the ridgy drifts arife ;
There ftill the bitter blaftsof winter dwell.
The repetition of the word " feraper" in the
laft line has aft admirable effed. Virgil could
pot have expreffed himfelf more feelingly on
the banks of the Neva. There is no circum
ftance feems to m.e fo dreary as the '.' fpirantes
*' frigo'ra cauri," the cold-breathing blafts.
No tranflation can dp the palTage juflice,
I'he ^onflant ^lonotonous melancholy found of

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 53
of thofe howling blafts make me almoft Iow-<
i^irited.
Turn fol pallentes baud unquatti difcutit umbras.
Nor the fun's rays the, paly fliade difpel.
This feems to you" fufprifing.' You think,
perhaps, that we have conftant clear weather.
Far from it. We have had, fince the begin-
riing of winter, a great deal oi" hazyi mifty
weather; and the. cold, on thofe occafions,
has frequently been very intenfe.. The fky,
however, has-been much clearer fince the
middle- of January, tlian before that time.
1 have remarked a circuniftanCe here which I
never obferved in Britain : in the cbldeft and
brighteft weather you fee ah infinite multi
tude of little ffiining darts or fpiculse, flying
in all diredions through the fky. They feem
to be about a quarter of an inch in length ;
they have not more tHicknefs than the fineft
hair ; and their golden cblour, glancing as
they ffioot through the deep azure fky, has a
great deal of beauty. If the weather were
warmer, and if the climate were more ge
nial, and if we had any, belief, in ancient
mythology, we I fhpuld take theiji to, be aa
immenfe multitude of arrows, difcharged by
E 3 fome

H' AUihbbfEB bF f&t
fbflie inifchievdus Cupids. Nor Would fUch
an explanation be without evidence in the
charadet of the Ruffians.
Concrefcuht fubitas current! in flumine cruflae :
Uhdaque jam tergo ferratos fuftinet orbes,
Puppibus ilia prius patulis, nunc hofpita plaufiris.
Th* encroaching ice the loitering current feels.
And on its bofom bears tiie ftudded wheels :
Where erft the.ftattly bark was wont to ride,
tVkggons thr6' paths unknown fecurely jglide.
All this is Very juft, excepting in one parti
cular, namely, that of the wheels. What
the ancient Scythians might have done, I
kriow not '; but the modern Ruffians take the
wTieels off their carriages in the wiriteir, and,
iri their ftead, ufe fledges. When tbe fnow
has fallen iri its greateft quaritity, arid that
the roads are beat fmooth, the motion df the
fledge is very eafy arid agreeable. It is drawn
in thi« country by horfes, and the fwiftnefs
with which they go, even upon ice, is afto-
riifhing. The horfes here are fmall, but very
nimble and beautiful; and the Ruffians, in
general, are excellent horfemen. Driving in
fledges is one of the chief amufements that
^ferforis of rank can have without doors iri the
winter ; arid accordingly, they endeavour to
difplay

RtrSSlAM EMPIRE. 55
fplay their fancy in tbe form apd embelHffi-
lents of thefe whimfical carriages. They
¦e quite open, and the moft elegant I bate
en have -the appearance of ffiells, painted
itb fhowy colours ; fo that the ladies and
entlemen who drive in them referable Divi-
ities of the fea. Thofe ufed by perfqns of
ay diftindion are drawn by two horfes ; but
lofe that ply in the ftreets are drawn only
y one. They fly with aftoniffiing fwiftnefs;
)'that in the fpace of five or ten minutes
ou can be tranfported to any quarter of the
Ity.
Stiriaque impexis ifiduruit horrida barbis.
Their matted beards by the keen climate frore.
With hanging icicles are hard and boar.
The circumftance, though true, is almoft lu-
icrous ; but not inconfiftent with the free-
lom of didadic poetry. In addition to it, I
laVe beard df a circumftance ftill more ludi-
rous ; namely, that two Ruffian peafants,
aluting bne another, have, by the fuddennefs
ind intenfenefs of the froft, had thetr beards
mexpededly frozen together. I do not, how-
:ver, atteft the fad. £ 4. Interea

56 ANECDOTES OF THB
Interea toto non fecius acre ningit.
Meanwhile the fkies are dim with falling fnows.
The tranflation here does not exprefs the fad
fo fti'ongly as the original. For feveral days^
tpgether, in, the beginning of winter, as I
mentioned above, the fnow falls without the'
leaft intermiffion. •Confertoque agmine cervi

Torpent mole novff, et fuirtmis vix cornibus exffant, &c.
In growing heaps benuiiib'd, the crowding deer, '
Scarce from beneath their branching antlers rear, &c.
I cannot take upon me to confirm what the
Poet defcribes with fo much fpirit and fancy
concerning the deer ; but I have heard a
fimilar account of bear-huntrng. The bear,
when the fndw begins to fall, feeks fome
hollow, lays himfelf down, and is foon co^
vered many feet deep. The peafants difcover
him by a fmall opening through the fnow, by
which he breathes. The huntfmen immedi
ately gather around, and puffiing a long pike
.through the wreath or heap, they pierce his
body. He wakes, ruffies forth, and imme
diately the dogs aflTail him.
Ipfi in defoffis fpecubus, feciira fub alta
Otia agunt terra, congeftaque robora, totafque Adrolvere

R U S S I A N . E M P I R E. jf
Advolvere focis^ulniDs, ignique dedere :
Hie noftem ludo ducunt, et pocula Iseti
Fermento atque acidis imitantuf vitea forlDiSi
Talis hyperboreas feptem fubjeda trioni
Gens efFrsena virum Rlphseo tunditur Euro:
£c pecudum fulvis velantur corpora fetis.
Ih caverns deep, with oak up-pil'd, they iratfe^
And many a branching elm, the crackling blazeS
From cold fecure, around the flaming hearth,
Wafte the loiig dreary night in focial mirth.
Guiltlefs of wine, the goblet ftill gees round.
With Ceres' juice, and fparkling cyder crown'd.
Such is the race of favagfe fwarms that lie
Beneath the regions of the polar Iky ;
And, fore afflidted by the piercing eaft,
Their limbs with furs, and brinded flcins inveft.
Some part df this defcription is more appli
cable to the northern and more uncivilifed
parts of Ruffia, than to the neighbourhood
of Peterfburgh or Mofcow. Perhaps in Si'-
beria, and near the White Sea, fome of the
inhabitants may have their habitations, dur
ing the winter, under ground and in caverns.
The fuel here, agreeably to what the poet
fays, confifts chiefly of wood ; but it is ufually
burnt in ftoves built in the wall ; fa that in
a Ruffian houfe you never fee the flame, not
have the comfort and chearfulnefs of a blaz
ing fire. With regard to the paftime> drink and

58 ANECDOTES OF THE
and drefs of the Ruffians, the Poet is as well
informed as though he had lived at Arch
angel. You will no doubt remark, in the lines I
have quoted, an example of that beautiful
gradation and progrefs of thought, that oc
cur fo frequently in tbe works of Virgil.
His defcription confifts of three parts. He
begins witb inanimated nature ; leaflefs fo-^
refts, the froft, the fnow, and the frozen ri
vers. He then exhibits living objeds, but
irrational : " corpora magna boum :" *' con-
^' fertoque agmine cervi." In the third part
he defcribes the manners of intelligent and
rational beings.  1 am fure you will thank
me for having animated fo cold and fo dreary
a fubjed with fo much ejccellent poetry.
Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 59

LETTER IX.
Religion qf the Ruffians. — Ruffian Clergy.* —
Anecdote of a Priefi.

, Tp the Rev. Mr . W-. — .
REV. DEAR SIR,
ICAN offer you nothing very interefting
on thfe ai-ticle of Religion. You arc ac
quainted with the tenets of the Greek Church.
It is pretended that its principles are pure
and rational : the pradice, I'm fure, is dif
ferent. I may tell you of pdmpbus cere
monies, magriificent proceffions, rich dreffes,
fhowy pidures, fmoking eenfers, and folemn
mufic ; but I cannot tell you that the clergy
in general are exemplary, or the laity up
right. On no Confideration would a Ruffian
peafant omit his faftings, the bending of his
body, and the regularity of bis attendance on
facred rites : fcourge him if you will, yet
you cannot oblige him to crofs himfelf with
more

6o ANECDOTES. OF THE
more than three fingers ; but he bias no fcrri=
pie to fteal or commit murder. Were I noi
an eye-witnefs, I could fcarcely conceive it
poffible, that men .ffiould fo far impofe upon
their own riiinds, as to'faricy they are ren
dering acceptable fervice to Heaven by the
performance of many idle ceremonies, while
they are ading inconfiftehtly with every
moral obligation. _ Judge of their religion by
the following anecdote.  A Shdp-keeper
Came on fome bufinefs to the houfe of -an
Engliffi Merchant, on the evening before the
day confecrated to "St. Nicholas. The Mer
chant was engaged, and begged he would re
turn on the morrow. *' To-morrow," faid
the pious Ruffian, " you are doubtlefs an in-
*' fidel ! The very Tartars have more de-
*' cency : each of them will fpend his rouble
*' to-morrow ; and, iri honour of St. Nicho^
*' las, get becomingly drunk."
The Ruffians obferve four fafts in the year.
pf thefe, Lent is of the longeft duration:
and one of the moft folemn ceremonies of
their religion is. performed at Eafler, in ho
nour of the refurredion of Chrift. In fome
churches, the very ad of refurredion is dra.-
matically

RTJSSIAN EMPIRE. 6;
matically reprefented ; and all the miniftering
priefts, moving in proceffion, cry with a fo
lemn voice, " Chrift is arifen !" The cere
mony begins about two in the morning,
when all the churches are crowded with vaft
multitudes of people. The following week
is fpent in revelry and rejoicing. Hardly
any bufinefs is done; for the Ruffians of all
ranks and opinions, nobility and peafantry,
believers and unbelievers, betake themfelves
with the utmoft licentioufnefs to the pleafures
of the table. They all embrace one another,
faying, " Chrift is arifen," and prefent egg^
tP one another, painted with various figures,
and infcribed ' with different devices. Some
of thefe devices are religious ; fome amorous;
and fome both together : fo that it is no un-
ufual thing to fee St. Athanafius with a crofs,
on one fide of an egg ; and on the other, a,
lover falling at the feet of his miftrefg.
Wherever they meet, whether they are ac
quainted with one another or not, they emr
brace and give the cuftomary falutatiodf. Nor
\s it unufual to»fee twp drunken peafants
announcing the glad tidings, embracing, arid
fumbling into the kennel. In the vacarit
places pf the city, vaft crpwds affemble, and
fing
t

H ANECDOTES OF THE
fing in thejr flying chairs, and partake of
every fort of amufement. Mean time, every
perfpn who chufes, gpes into the churches,
¦rings the bells as long as he thinks fit, and
believes that he is thus glorifying God, or
making expiation for his fins. The week
before Lent is in like manner dedicated to
riotous diverfion ; with tbi§ difference, that
when they part with one another on the even
ing befbre the faft commences, they take
leave as if they were going on a far
journey. You afk me particularly about the Rufljan
clergy. They are, in general, very ignorant.
There are, no doubt, among them men of
fome learning and ingenuity ; but their num
ber is very fmall. No more learning is
ufually required of common officiating pariffi
Priefts, or Popes, as they call them, than
that they be able to read the old Rufs pr SclaT
vonian language. They feldom or never
preach : and tlieir chief duty confifts in the
knowledge of forms, and in reading prayers
and pprtions of fcripture. You may judge
of their improvement by the following f^d,
which happened indeed in the reign of a
forme|'

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 63
former fovereign, but which, without mifre-
prefenting the religious manners of Ruffia»
might have happened at prefent.-^ At the
end of Lent, as I mentioned above, all ranks
of people abandon themfelves to feafting and
noting : but this they are not permitted to
do till tbe clergyman of the place vifits their
houfes, and gives them bis benedidion. It
happened that a Prieft, having had fome dif-
pute with one of his flock, intentionally paffed
his houfe, when making his progrefs through
his pariffi, and omitted giving him the be
nedidion which he had given the reft of his
pariffiioners. The man was exceedingly af-
^ided, to be obliged to faft, and to fay
prayers, while all his neighbours were feafl-
ing and getting drunk, was not to be borne ;
it feemed ftill more infufferable to his wife.
In all emergencies of this kind, the fair fex
are good at giving good counfel, Softened
by the admonitions of his help-mate, the
hulband waited upon the Prieft; acknow
ledged his fault ; jmplored his forgivenefs,
and craved his bleffing. But the holy man
was Inexorable. His fuppliant was forced to
employ his laft refource ; it was his corps-de-
J referve 4

% ANECDOTES OF THE
referve; a goofe,' which he had concealed
under his cloak. Its eloquence was irrefift-
ible ; its interceffion was powerful ; and the
effed inftantaneous. For immediately, on
fight of it, the countenance of the holy man
was changed ; his feverity was foftened into
complacency, and, from the extreme benig-
ijity of his nature, he was difpofed to grant
rerniffion to a repenting finner, who had
given fuch evidence of his contrition. Buj:
pne difficulty remained : the Penitent's houfe
was feveral miles diftant ; the day was far
fpent ; riext day was Eafjer ; and the Clergy
man was obliged to attend in church. What
'Was to be done ? for it was effential, in giving
the ufual .benedidion, that it fhould be pro
nounced clofe by the four corners pf ,the houfe^
But the gopfe quickened his invention, and
feemed like infpiration to the man of God.
An expedient was immediately fuggefted to
him. •' Hold your cap," faid he, to the
wondering Penitent. He religioufly held
xOpen his cap. Then the Prieft, croffing him
felf, bending, and holding his mouth over it,
pronounced the benedidions and exorcifm?,
which he would have pronounced at the
pa.n's Jioufe. [t Now," faid he, " hold it
" clofe;

, RU S SI AN EMPIRE. 6;
" clofe ; get home as faft as you can, and at
*' every corner of your houfe, croffing your-
" felf, open a corner of yout cap, and my
*' prefence may be difpenfcd with." The
man obeyed ; thanked God, and got drunk*
But, with all the fuperftition and igno- ,
ranee of the Ruffian clergy, it muft be ad-
fenowledged in their favour, that they are
tolerant, and Very charitable to thole of a
faith difi^erent frcni their own. They fay,
all men may go td heaven ; biit that the Chief
place will be affigned to the Ruffians. This
tolerating fpirit feetas to me very ^wonderful :
I ffiall attend to it moj-e minutely : and if I
ffiall think myfelf able to fay any thing fatif-
fadory concerning its caufes, I v^ill very
frankly, as on former occafions., lay my opi-
riion before you. * * '* * *

66 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER X.
The Ruffian Spring.
DEAR SIR, May 12, 1769.
I EMBRACE the opportunity of a courier
going to London, to inform you of my
health. Though the winter has been very
fevere, and the climate very different from
that of England, I have had no fort of ail
ment. Our weather for fome days paft has
been very warm, yet we have fcarcely any
appearance of vegetation ; and while the
woods with you are filled with primrofes and
hyacinths, we fee not a green leaf. Indeed,
when the wind blows from the eaft, the cold
returns "with it ; and the river is filled with
large fragments of ice from the Ladago,
Till the beginning of April, the ice was as
firm on the Neva as in the middle of Ja
nuary. It broke up a few weeks ago, and
announced its departure with a dreadful noife. If

RUSSIAN EMflRE.
If climate could have any effed on nation
charaders, the proofs ought to be manifeft
Ruffia. The heats and colds are exceffivi
and the tranfition, from the one extreme to
the other, fudden. A fortnight ago the
ground was covered with fnow ; this day the
heat is almoft infufferable : at prefent fcarcely
a bud appears ; but we exped, in a few days,
to fee the fields and trees invefted with ver
dure.— —A ffiort letter this, you will fay,
and a fhort account of a Ruffian fpring. It
is fo ; — but a long defcription would be un-
fulrable, when a Ruffian fpring is the fubjed.

V 2

€8 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER t.L
State of Agriculture in Rufft*.
DEAR SIR, June 14, 1769.
I AM juft returned from an excurfion of
thirty verfts * into the country. I was at
a place called Crafnocelo, where an Engliffi-
man, who has been fome time in this coun
try, has eftabliffied a manufadure of printed
cloth. The weather was very fine, and the
province of Ingria, fouth and eaft from St.
Peterfburgh, appeared delightful. The coun
try is perfedly green ; varied with woods,
confifting chiefly of birch and fir; and inter-
fperfed with a number of rifing grounds.
I travelled a confiderable way along the
banks of a beautiful little river, bordered
with wood. In the neighbourhood of Craf
nocelo is fituated a romantic round hill, co-
* About 20 miles. vered

RUSSIAN EMPIRE,- 69
vered with birch, larix, and other trees ; and
in the middle of it, a dell, about a quarter
of a mile in length. The fides of the emi
nence that furrounds it are very fteep ; nor
is there any accefs to it but by a floping
entry to the weft, and not more than twenty
feet wide. This delightful litde fpot is the
immediate property of the crown ; it is laid
out like a garden, and has in the middle an
elegant fmall pavilion. Yet I ffiould have
liked it better unadorned, or adorned only by
the hand of nature.
The foil, in this province, feems tolerably
good;' in fome places a deep clay, and in
others fandy. It is, as you may fuppofe,
very little improved. A Ruffian plough is,
indeed, a ridiculous objed; fo light, that
you may lift it in your hand ; it is drawn by
one fmall horfe ; the plougb-ffiare is no,
bigger than a large carving knife, and ferves
no other purppfe than to loofen the fur-
face of the earth. Yet, in fome places,
you fee tolerable crops of barley, rye,
^nd buckity wheat; and, in many places,
F 3 extenfive

7© ANECDOTES OF THE
extenfive meadows, luxuriant with natural
grafs. Indeed, as agricultui^e is ftill in its infancy
in Ruffia, on account of the flavery of the'
peafants, the prefent Emprefs endeavours to
prpmote, fome knowledge of this neceffary
art, by forming colonies of ftrangefs. A
few verfts from, this city, there is a fettlement
of Germans, confifting of about a thoufand
people ; and the following, I have been in
formed,^ is the manner and terms of their
eftabliffiment:  One of the colonifts re
ceives from the Emprefs a horfe, an ox,' a
cow, four or five hundred rubles, and a por
tion of crown lands. Thefe lands he muft
Cultivate; and, lat the end of ten years, he
mult repay the crown the fum of monejr
which he has received. He is then at liberty
to leave his farm, and fettle wherever he
pleafes. If he remain, the farm, on paying
a fmall annual rent to the crowii, becomes
his property for eVer. There are feveral df
thefe colonies iri different parts of Ruffia :
they confift chiefly of German Lutherans,
and are indulged in the free exercife of their
religion, I hope

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. yr
Lhope to hear from you foon ; and am*
&c. P. S. On tbe fourth of this month, at twenty
minutes paft three in the morning, I had
the good fortune to fee the tranfit of
Venus.

F4

72 . ANECDOTE^ OF THE
LETTER XIL
*
Progrefs of the War.
JT is really impoffible for me, my dear
Sjr, to give you a circumftantial account
pf all the rencpntres, and varipus ads pf
hoftility committed, I might rather fay per
petrated, in the prefent barbarous and com
plex war. I doubt much whether it will ever
be poffible for the clejireft and moft accurate
hiftorian to deliver t^em in a regular, par
ticular, and complete detail. You will fee
the propriety of this remark, by obferving
the prefent fituation of the different com
batants and opponents, The vvhole of Po
land is in a ftate of diftradion. There are
confederacies and affociations of ar^ed men
jn every quarter ; and almoft in every quarter
there are Ruffian troops, or fuch as are in-
lifted under the royal banner. Of confequence
there aie conftant encounters : fometimes the
one party, and fometimes the other, is fuc
cefsful. Thefe conflids contribute nothing to
¦  • ¦"¦ ^ ' ¦ th?

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, ^3
the re-eftabliffiment of public affairs : they
are bloody and barbarous : all the effed they
produce is, to extend and diverfify the miferies
pf the country ; nor, in any of them that ever
I heard of, is there, even in Individuals, ariy
fuch difplay of condud, military talents, and
heroifm, as, independent of their effeds, would
render theni, interefting. It is really wonder
ful, that the prefent civil war in Poland has
called forth in that nation, no gallant fpirits
to draw ypon themfelves particular attention,
and to rife above the general mafs of furious
and fierce partizans. No fupereminent abi
lities have appeared among them. How dif
ferent have been the efi^eds produced by the
civil wars both in France and in England ! On
the frontiers of Ruffia too you have the fame
uniform and fhocking fpedacle. You fee in
pne quarter, parties of favage Tartars com
mitting cruel depredations on New-Servia ;
and parties of no lefs favage Coffacks, perpe
trating bloody outrages in Wallachia and Bef-
farabia. Fertile provinces rendered defolate,
towns and villages in flames ; numerou^herds
qf cattle rapacioufly driven away ; the inha
bitants butchered, or carried into captivity,
eonflitute the dreadful features of Ruffian and
Tartarian

J4. ANECDOTES OF. THE
Tartarian warfare. When you confider thefe
things, I perfuade myfelf you will not regret
my difinclination, and indeed inability, to lay
before you circumftantial details. Ohe event,
however, has happened on the eaftern frontier,
which may be of Angular importance in the
progrefs of the war. The Ruffians have
taken poffeffion of Afoph ; and as it may be
of great fervice in affifting; them to carry on a
naval war with their adverfaries, they have
employed a number of men in repairing the
fortifications. As far as I am able, I ffiall give you a more
particular account ofthe motions and atchieve-
ments of the great armies under Prince Gal-
litzin and the Grand Vizir. The great Ruf^
fian army, in the prefent campaign, feems to
dired its chief operations againft Moldavia*
Perhaps, as this Province is contiguous to Po
land, it may be the intention of the Emprefs
to prevent, or cut off, as early as poffible, any
intercourfe between the Turks and tbe Poles.
Accordingly, Prince Gallitzin led his army,
as foon as he was able, to the banks of the
Neifter, intending, by a fudden attack, to feize
Chotjim, the frontier town. He croflied the
river,
9

RUSSIAN EMPIRE -ji
iver, and on the thirtieth of April attacked
m army of above twenty-five thoufand Turks,
n their entrenchments under the walls. They
were defended by the artillery of the fortrefs.
Zlaraman Pacha, who commanded them, made
lis cavalry charge the right wing of the Ruf-
ians ; but notwithftanding the valour of their
ittack, and the advantages of fituation, the
rurks were totally routed and driven out pf
their camp. General Ifmaelof purfued them,
md it is faid, that the bloodffied, Ijoth in the
battle and the purfuit, was very confiderable. ,
About the fame time fome confiderable ad
vantages were gained by Prince Proforowfky
over a detachment of the enemy, at no great
diftance from Chotzim. Thefe fucceffes you
may be fure, and this happy comraencement
of the war, occafion much rejoicing in the
capital. I heard Te Deum fung before the
Emprefs in the Cafan church, on account
of them. /Indeed, the iflTue of this war may
be of great confequence, not only to the Ruf
fian empire, but to the Emprefs in particular.
Her elevation to the throne was not aufpicious;
and there are, no doubt, many perfons in the
empire not yet reconciled to her government. Many

76 ANECDOTES QF THE
Many of the nobility choofe rather to refide at
Mofcow, than with the court at St. Peterffiurg,
The Ruffians are in general fickle* and fond
of change. The Great Duke will foon be of
age, and it was underftood by many, when
the Emprefs was crowned, that when her fon
was old enough to reign, ffie was to refign.
An unfuccefsful foreign war tends; tp impair
the authority of all defpqts; and this is the
firft foreign war ffie has e^er waged. To her,
therefore, in circumftances fo particular, the
iflue of the war is p;f the greateft importance.
Accordingly ffie experts every effort ; and,
aduate^ in tl^is manner, we are not to ex-
ped a languid, flow, and protraded conteft,
but a war of fpirited and vigorous operation.
The redudion of Chotzim, it is expeded, will
be the immediate confequence of Galitzin's
vidory ; and iii the mean time a confiderable;
fleet is preparing at Gronftadt, to attempt
fome important ftroke in the Mediterranean or
Archipelago. One of the beft officers in the
Ruffian fleet, is Commodore Greig, a native of
Fifeffiire. His naval abilities are reckoned very.
great ; yet that fimplicity and modefty of de-
pqrtroent which ufually accompany, and too
oftet\

RUSSIAN EMflRE. 77
often veil, the moft diftinguiffied merit, may
with a pepple, fo fond of ffiew and glare
as the Ruffians are, and fo apt to judge of
men, according as they feem to entertain a
high opinion of themfelves, keep out of fight
for a time, and even leffen the value of his
abilities. * « *

78 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XIIL
Anecdotes of Count Munich.
liland of CaminioioSrow, July, 17691.
*' TSLAND of C^minioIoftrow,"methinks
J- I hear you repeat with terror, after ob
ferving the date of my letter, recolleding
ypurfelf, turning pver tP a map pf Ruffia,
and with an anxious eye looking towards Si
beria. No occafion, my good friend, for
your fears ; I have not been guilty of treafon,
and am neither baniffied to the frozen Sea,
nor to the borders of China. The place I
write from, is an ifland in our river, where
Lprd C. arid his family are tP pafs the weeks,
ypu will pbferve I don't fay months, of the
fummer. It is indeed a delightful recefs ; diftant no
more than three miles from St. Peterffiurgh.
It is the northmoft of a numerous clufter of

RUS, SIAN EMPIRE. yg
of iflands formed in the mouth of the Neva,
where it enters the gulph of Finland, and
is joined to Peterffiurfky ifland by a bridge
of nine boats. It is fcarcely two miles in
length, and not more than half a mile
broad. This, and all the neighbouring
iflands, and the banks of the river, are
adorned with wood, chiefly with birch, which
grows very tall and buffiy, and whofe fine
filyer bark makes a beautiful contraft with
the deep verdure of the leaves. Our little
ifle, for there are fome much larger, is finely
interfperfed with lawns and meadows ; and
its fields and ffiores are diverfified with a
number of flowers. The wild floWer, which
feems to grow here in the greateft abundance,
is the lily of the valley. The river, branch
ing out into many clear deep ftreams,' laves
the green borders of the different iflands :
and the fragrance wafted from the trees,
efpecially in an evening, heightens the plea
fure of the fcene. Nothing can be more
agreeable than to row around this and the
adjacent ffiores, in a fine morning, or in a
moon-light night. The Ruffian bargemen
ufually fing as they row ; they fing in cho-
rufes ;

ta ANECDOTES OF THE
ruft'S ; the mufic is fometimes accompanied
with a horn ; and in the ftillnefs of the night,
and, when heard at fome diftancci it has a fo
lemn effed.
In this ifland is a fmall palace belonging
to the great Duke, which Lord C. pofTeffes
during the fummer^ and adjoining to it is a
little garden, laid out with arched and gravel
Walkss It was built by Count Beftuchef,
who was, Chancellor during part ofthe reign
of the late Emprefs. While he continued in
favour, he was regarded as Prime Minifter,
and the foremoft man in the empire. His
door was daily befet with coaches ; and all
the nobility looked up to him, almofl; as to
their fovereign: his fmile conftituted their
happinefs, and his frown their mlfery. But
having fallen into difgrace, he was inftantly
ftripped of his honours, cfiices, and eflate ;
and VN'as exiled into fome remote and inho-'
fpitable corner df that empire which he for
merly governed. Oh how^ wretched
Is that poor rhan that hangs on princes' favours !
There is betwixt that fmile he would afpire to.
That fvvect afpeft of princes at^d his r lin.
More pangs and tears than war or woa.en have J And

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 8i
And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer,
Never to hope again.
Reverfes of this fort are not unufual hercj
and in other countries that are governed by
defpots. In tbe life of no great man in this
empire were they ifluftrated more remark
ably, than in that of the famous Count Mu
nich. The old age of this celebrated General
was marked by fome ftriking circumftances
which are not very generally known, and of
which the following account may afibrd you
fome amufement.
Count Munich was Prime Minifter of
Ruffia, in the reign of the Emprefs Anna
Ivanowna, and in that of her fucceffor Ivan ;
was condemned to fuffer death by the Em
prefs Elizabeth, but received a pardon on the
fcaffold ; and, inftead of being beheaded, Was
baniffied into Siberia. Count Ofterman, his
political rival, was to have fuffered death at
the fame time, and in the fame manner : he
afcended the fcaffold ; faw the axe and the
executioner ; committed his foul to heaven ;
laid his head upoti the block ; expeded the
deadly blow ; was lifted up ; had his eyes
uncovered j and was told that the Emprefs
G had

»2 ANECDOTES OF THE
had fpared his life, but that he muft go intd
baniffiment. One might afk, whether, in
this inftance, mercy wore the vizor of cruelty,
or cruelty the vizor of mercy?  The
Countefs Munich had the liberty of choofing,
either to accompany her bufband into a wild
and dreary region in the north of Afia ; or
to remain with her acquaintance and friends
in Peterffiurg. Without hefitation or reluc
tance ffie chpfe to follow her hutband.
The commanding officer of the fortrefs
where the Count was confined, was ftridly
enjoined to allow him no more than the mere
neceffaries of life; and was ordered to in
dulge him in no alleviation of his fufferings.
But, fortunately for Munich, the Officer had
ferved under him in the Turkiffi war, and
V(?as a perfon of a generous and humane difpo-
fitipnSvrMpved by veneratipn for his Gene
ral, wliom he had feen performing fo many
gallant exploits, and conceiving himfelf out
of the reach of information, by his great di
ftance from the capital, he did every thing in
his power to foften the rigour of exile ; and,
among other indulgences, permitted him the
' uie

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. §3
rife of materials for writing, and to have fome
intercourfe with the inhabitants of the coun
try. The Countefs found amufement, and
pleafure, and relief, during many folitary
years, in inftruding the children ofthe neigh
bouring peafants. For this alleviation of her
misfortune, ffie was indebted to the fame
goodnefs of heart, that carried her from the
gaiety of focial life into the midft of a lonely
defart: for had ffie been proud and felfiffi,
ffie could not have fubmitted to, or been ca
pable of, any fuch emplpyment ; and muft
cpnfequently have been deprived pf the cpm-
fprt which it afforded her. Even the dif
charge of her duty to her huffiand, and his
aflfedionate gratitude, could not otherwife
have preferved her from pining. The Count
found amufement in the exercifes of a vvell-
regulated underftanding ; he employed him
felf in writing the memoirs of his life, and
in drawing plans of fieges and fortifications.
But thefe alleviations of theiri captivity
were interrupted. A Ruffian officer paffing
through the country, and ftaying fome days
at the. fortrefs, obferved the liberty enjoyed ,
by Munich, and had the lingular inhumanity,
G 2 on

8+ ANECDOTES or TH£
on his return to St. Peterffiurg, to inform Eli
zabeth of all he had feen. The difpofitions
which led him to inform, led him alfo to exag'
gerate. He infinuated, that the Count was
plotting mifchief againft the Emprefs, or
againft the ftate : and that his plans and writ
ings were not matter of mere amufement.
Accordingly, the friend of Munich was fud-
denly recalled, diverted of his authority, and
threatened with the puniffiment of treafonable
difohedience- But the Count, in order to ex
culpate his benefador, fent all the papers he
poffeffed, thofe memoirs, and thofe plans
which were the objeds of his affedion, and his
folace for many winters of difraal folitude :
he fent them with the utmoft readinefs to St.
Peterffiurg. This effort coft him a grievous
pangk They were burnt. But they were
an oblation offered on the altar of grateful
friendffiip ; for he had the confolation of learn
ing, that they had been the means of preferv-
ing his friend from rigorous puniffiment. He
had not, however, the happinefs of feeing him
return to. Siberia.
On the acceffion of Peter the Third he was
relieved from his captivity ; and, after an exile of

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 84
of twenty-five years, was reftored to his for
mer honours. One of the firft perfons he met
with at Court, after his reftoration, was his
old enemy and rival Count Ofterman, who,
as was above mentioned, had been exiled at
the fame time witb himfelf, and was now alfo
at Court, for the firft time, fince his recal.
What, do you apprehend, were the fentiments
of thefe two remarkable men, on this extraor
dinary and unexpeded meeting ? They had
been equally ambitious ; had poffeflTed fimilar
political abilities; had been engaged in the
lame purfuits ; competitors for the fame pre
eminence, and of courfe in violent oppofitiori
to each other ; they had both been difappoini-
ed, had fuffered fimilar puniffiment, and were
pow, after a long period,^ in the fame manner,
and at the fame inftant, releafed. Would any
remains of their old animofity ftill lurk in
their bofoms, and ftill darken their hearts ? Or,
rather, cured of jthe ambition which had for
merly fet them at variance, would they not
regard one another with fome complacency;?
Would they not feel a« if they had met in hea
ven ? And, defpifing the littlenefs of their for-
|ner differifions, would not the recolledion
l^ii'ie their affedions ? Such,] perhaps, would
G 3 baye

86 ANECDOTES OF THE
have been the tendency of their feelings. If
the prefence of fo many fpedators, whd be
held them with gazing curiofity, had not im-«
preffed their minds with the dread of impro
priety, and fo feftrained their emotions. The
cir'Cumftanees were indeed difagreeable ; and
the Emperor, by whofe clemency they were
reftored, would have ffiewn a delicate, inftead
of a whimfical generofity, if he iiad prevented
a fituation fo very painfql. I am indeed per-
fuaded, by the following anecdote, that if the
heart of Munich had been allowed to flow un-
reftrained, it would have flowed in a full ftream
df complacency. — Soon after his return to St.
Peterffiurg, the perfon who had fo malicioufly
informed againft the Officer Who had ffiewn
him fo much atterition in Siberia, fought an
early opportunity of waiting upon him, threw
himfelf at his feet, and craved his forgivenefs*
" Go," faid the old man, " were my heart
" like yours, perhaps I might feek for re-
*' venge ; but as I am out of your reach you
** have no reafon to be afraid." An anecdote
of the fame kind is related pf the Emperdr
A,drian. After his elevatipn to the imperia:!
dignity, meetirig a perfon vvho had formerly
been his moft inveterate enemy : " My good
. "^ friend,"

RUSSIAN E M,P I R E. 87
friend," cried he, *' you have efcaped, for I
" am Emperor."
Munich died not long after the acceffion of
Catharine the Second : and I have heard, that
though much folicited, he would never accept
of any marks of her favour. " I am an old
*' man,"he would fome times fay : " I have al-
" ready fuffered many misfortunes ; and if I
" purchafed a few years of life by the proftitu-
^' tion of my opinions, I ffiould make but a
*' bad exchange." Hehad,at the timeof Peter's
dethronement, given him fome very fpirited
counfel : " Go fprth,'' faid he, '• put ypur-
*' felf at tbe head pf the trppps ypu have with
*' ypu, pr go forth alone ; addrefs the two
" regiments that are marching againft you :
*' Tell them you are their fovereign, the
" grandfon of Peter the Great ; afk them if
" they have been aggrieved, and aflnre them
*' of full redrefs. I will forfeit my hoary
" head, if they do not fling down their arms,
*' and fall proftrate before you." But Peter
was infatuated; would not follow his^eounfels;
and was dethroned. — The prefent Emprefs
fhews every mark of regard and attention to
th£ fon and grandfons of Munich. Adieu,
G4

j3 ANECDOTES OF THE

I^ETTER XIV. (Extract.}
Progrefs of the War,

June 1769.

*****

I INFORMED you in my Jaftpo-:
litical letter that we expeded
daily accounts of the redudion of Chotzim.
This event, however, has not taken place.
On the contrary, Galitzin has at prefent re-
linquiffied his attempt, and has repaffed the
Neifter. This occafions a good deal of fur-
prize ; for people, who know not upon how
many minute circumftances military opera
tions very often depend, are ever fanguine in'
their expedations, and, in the ardour of their
wiffies, not only defire but exped, that every
advantage ffiall be inftantly followed by fome
thing ftill more marvellous ar\d important.
J mentioned to you, that Prince Galitzin's
^pfig^i v^'as to reduce Chotzim by a fudden af-'
fault,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 89
fiiult. But he was difappointed by tbe dex
terity of Caraman Pacha, who threw fo great
a part of his army into the place, that it was
utterly impoffible for the Ruffians to proceed
againft it in the manner they intended ; nor
were they provided, it is faid, with artfllery
for profecuting a regular fiege. Add to this,
that the Ruffian army is by no means fo nu-
- merous as the news -papers report. Befides,
the diforders in Poland were rifing to fuch a
height, as perhaps made it neceffary for the
great Ruffian army to give fome attention to
<hat quarter. That the Poles ffiould be par
ticularly furious at prefent, is not merely to
be accounted for by their hope of affiftance
from the Sultan, and the removal of fome of
the Ruffian troops that were ftationed among
them, to the borders of Turkey ; but from
fome late meafures of the Ruffian court.
The Emprefs, as was already mentioned, is
aduated by many confiderations, not to pro-
trad, but to profecute the war with vigour.
This principle appears, and throws itfelf out
in a variety of operations : in confequence of
the general determination, it is applied in all
9afes ; and it is applied in fome cafes that ought to

90 'ANECDOTES QF THE
to have been excepted, and where it is not ex
pedient. It is owing to this that the Emprefs
iffued a proclamation, and which produced a
fimilar declaration from Conftantindple, al?
Ipwing none of the Poles, in the prefent con
teft, to remain neuter ; but to take part, in a
decided and active manner, with one or other
of the contending powers : and this, of itfelf
has thrown them into the greateft' ferment.— r .
From one or all of thefecaufes. Prince Galit
zin has found himfelf under the neceffity of
repaffing the Neifter. Nor is it unlikely that
his outpofts, and the detachments fent froni
his army, either for provifions, forage, or to
reconnoitre the enemy , may have fuftained con
fiderable loffes. The Turks adually contend,
that he has been compelled, by force of arms,
• to abandon the fiege : and, according to every
thing I can learn, thefuperiority of the Turkiffi
cavalry give them a decided advantage in all
Ikirmiffies, and on all occafions, where the
Ruffian infantry is not engaged. *****

LETTER

P.USSIAN EMPIRE, Jt

L E TijT E R XV.
Bxcmfiion into Carelia. — State qf the
pinlanders.

DEAR SIR, July, 1769.
I AM juft returned from a very agreeable
excurfion into the province of Carelia.
The appearance of the country at this feafon is
remarkably pleafant. It rifes in little hills,
and is a good deal covered witb birch, fir, .
aller, and other trees. In the woods there are
a number of hurtleberries, cranberries, and
wild ftrawberries. The foil is in general light
and fandy, and the country is diverfified with
little green lawns, meadows, and corn-fields.
I was furprized at the fize of the grafshoppers;
they are at leaft an inch and a half in length.
The houfes in the villages are conftruded of
wood ; and the inhabitants of this country
are chiefly Fins.
The

I* ANECDOTES OF THE
The Fins are neither fotall, nor fo handfome
as the Ruffians. Their hair is light-coloured,
^nd their complexions fair; fo that though
their children are very comely, the poornefs of
their diet, and the inclement weather to which
they are fo much expofed, give them, when
grown up to youth and manhood, even a mi-
ferable appearance. Their language is totally
different from that of the Ruffians : being
chiefly Lutherans, they are alfo of a different
religion ; and though all the fubge(9:s pf this
empire may be confidered on an equal footing
in regard to freedom, yet having been con
quered by the Ruffians, they are confidered as
their inferiors. They are accordingly treated
1/vith the utmost insult and abufe.
Nothing indeed can be more deplorable than
the condition of a people reduced by, and con-
ftituting a part of atnother nation, but differr
ing from them irj language, cuftoms and re-
jigion. Si^ch diff^erenpes will expofe them to
contempt ; the contempt they meet with will
jn time make them deferve it : treated with
no refpedl by others who have power over
them, they will lofe all fenfe of charader, and
|if ve no rcfped for themfelves : thus, not dar-
t

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 93
ing to exprefs their refentment in a refolute
and manly manner, they will harbour fenti
ments of latent malice ; they will indulge ig
nominious vices ; become mean, infidious, and
deceitful. Perhaps circumftances of this fort
may account for the charader of many mo
dern Jews ; and, fo long as thefe circumftances
continue, they will always be a feparate people.
— On the difperfion of that famous nation,
many things concurred to keep them dif-
tind from the' other nations among whom
they dwelt, and to render them even objeds
of their averfion. This was particularly the
cafe in Europe. Among the European ftates
the manners and maxims of chivalry were
about to<:ommence : men fubfifted by war and
agriculture ;• commerce and manufadures were
not held in efteem. But the Jews were neither
proprietors of land, nor retainers on great men:
they no longer made ufe of the fword ; and
fubfifted neither by agriculture nor military
depredation. Contemned anddetefted for their
origin, their religion, their hatred pf Chriftian-
ity, and their perfecutipn pf its hply Author,
they felt that they had no charader to lofe,
and betook themfelves for fubfiftence to fuch
cmplpyments as the Europeans defpifed. They
earned

94 ANECDOTES OF THE
earned a livelihood by traffic ; and by fuch oc
cupations as among the Romans, and thei
riorthern nations who rofe on the ruins of
Rome, were never pradifed but by the dregs
of the people. This therefore added to the
contempt and hatred of their condition ; and
contributed, by a corrcfponding procefs, to
render them really bafe and defpicable. Per
ceiving and feeling that they were already
hated and defpifed, they had not fufficient for*
titude to contend with, and overcome the mife-
rable influences of fituation 5 they fuffered
themfelves to deferve both contempt and aver
fion, and not only engaged in employments
which were held diffionourable, but adted dif-
honourably in fuch employments. They not
only pradifed commerce, but were guilty pf
fraud. As Europe became civilized, they found
that they were enabled, by their occupations,
both to fubfift and become wealthy. Their fitua
tion, therefore, however defpifed by the Gen
tiles, had confiderable advantages, which com-
penfated for the contempt they fuffered, and re
conciled them to their, condition. It ought
alfo to be remarked, that the opportunity which
fraud and deceit gave them of retaliating in
fome meafure the injuries they underwent, as it

RUSSIAN EMPIRE; 95
it gratified their refentment, tended to darken
their underftandings, and hindered them from
difcerning the atrocity of their condud,—
Upon the whole, of this digreffion it may not
be improper to remark, that thofe who enjoy
pre-eminence, and treat their inferiors with
contempt, merely on account of difference of
fituation, trefpafs againft the interefts of fo-
ciety, by compelling men to become worthlefs.
It may alfo be mentioned, that as fituations of
this fort are of fuch powerful, as well as of
fuch malignant influence, if there are perfons
who, in defiance of them, affert the dignity of
human nature by the inflexible (dignity of
their own condud, they, do honour to the
fpecies. In returning from my excurfion I faw fome
very beautiful landfkips. Travelling through
a thin wood of birch and aller, I had a fine
view to the fouth of the Gulph of Finland,
bounded by iEfthonia, which prefented the
palaces of Peterhoff and Oranibaum, and was
diverfified by anumber of veffels that lay at an
chor. Towards the eaft was a green and
buffiy wilderne'fs ; the numerous iflands of
the Neva adorned with wood ; tlie river flow-
5 ing

g6 ANECDOTES OF THE
ing around them in different] channels j and
the gilded or painted fpires of the city rifing,
as it were> from the midft of a foreft. , The
fun 'fetting bright in the v^eft, and pouring a
blaze of radiance on the gulph, heightened in
a remarkable manner the beauty of the land-
Ikip. I went into a barge at the mouth of
the Neva ; the courfe of the ftream was per
fedly fmooth ; the banks and borders of the
fragrant and green iflands, as I was rowed
along, were for ever changing their appear
ance ; and the bargemen ftruck their oars ac
cording to the cadences of their vocal concert.
The moon, ffiining over the whole with tempe
rate but unclouded radiance, rendered the fcene
very foft and folemn. Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

97

LETTER XVL (Extract.)
Fables traiiflatedfrom the German qf Lessing.

* * * * -V MONO thofe in St. Peterffiurg
-^ ^ who feek amufement in read
ing, I find that German literature is much in
faffiion. Indeed many German authors have
diftinguiffied themfelves of late, not only by
their learning and depth of philofophical re-
fearch, but by elegance of compofition, and
the graces of fine writing. They feem par
ticularly fond of fables : there is a fimplicity
in their language which is well fuited to that
fpecies of compofition ; and two of their fabu-
lifts, Leffing and Gellert, the one in verfe, and
the other in profe, have rifen tP very high re-
putation. With Gellert you are already ac
quainted ; and of Leffing's inventive talents^
you will perhaps agree with me, that the fol
lowing tranflations of his fifth arid fifty- fourth
fables are no unfavourable fpecimens.
H JUPITER

9? ANECDOTES OF THE-

JUPITER and the HORSE. A Fabxe.
^Tranflated from the German of Leffing. j
•' Father of men and beafts 1'''^ faid the Horfe,
approaching the throne of Jupiter, '* it is
" faid of me, that I am one of the moft beau-
•' tiful animals with which thou haft adorned
*' the world; and felf-love inclines me to be-
*' lieve. the charader juft: yet in fome par-
** ticulars, my appearance might admit of
*' improvement." *' Of what kind ? Inform me. I am v,?ill-
•' ing to receive inftrudion,'' faid the Fa-ther
of all, and failed.
" I would protably rrin tetter,'' replied the

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 99
" ftead of that with which the well-meaning
" rider confines me."
*' Have patience," refumed the God ; and
with an awful voice, pronounced his creative
word *. Life darted into the duft ; inert mat
ter became alive ; organized members were
formed ; they were joined in one confiftent
body ; and, before the throne, arofe — the hide
ous Camel ! The Horfe ffiuddered, and ffiook
with horror.
*' See," faid Jupiter, " longer and more
*• flender legs ; a neck like that of a fwan ;
*' a large cheft, and a natural faddle. Would
" you cbufe to have fuch a ffiape ?" — The
Horfe quaked with extreme averfion.
" Go," continued the God, " take counfel
«' from this event; be henceforth fatisfied with
" your condition ; and, in order to remind you
" of the warning you have now received"—
fo faying he eaft on the Camel a -f- preftrving
look, " Live," faid he, " new inhabitant of
* Sparch das wort der fchoepfung.
f Warf cinenerhaltenden blick.
H 2 « the

100 ANECDOTES OF THE
" the world ! and may the Horfe never fee thee
" but with trembling averfion !"

2T&<f SHE-GOATS. A Fable.
[Tranflated from the German of Lessing.]
The She-goats requefted Jupiter to give
them horns; for in the beginning they had
none. But the God defired them to think
better of their requeft, and to confide in the
care he had of them ; for that along with
hbrns, they might be obliged, perhaps, to re
ceive fome difagreeable appendage. They
perfifted, in their demand. They received
hbrns — and a beard; for in the beginning
they had none. What vexation they felt for
thefe filthy beards ! more vexation than joy
for theii; fooUffi horns.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. loi

LETTER XVII.
Progrefs of the War. — Retreat ofthe Ruffians
from Chotzim.

DEAR SIR,
SINCE the laft accounts I gave you of the
war in Moldavia feveral events have hap
pened, at firft favourable, but now unfavour
able, to the Ruffians.
Prince Galitzin, with his army confiderably
ftrengthened, returned to the Neifter ; croffed
that river on the 13th of July, and fell unex-
pededly on a Turkiffi army in the neighbour
hood of Chotzim. He gained a complete vic
tory ; and of confequence renewed the fiege,
or blockade, which he had formerly beqn ob
liged to relinquiffi. I need not enter into a
minute account of the circumftances of the
battle. Suffice it to fay upon the whole, that
in all general engagements, where the ftrefs of
the conflid depends on infantry and artillery^
H 3 the

102 ANECDOTES OF THE
the numbers and impetuous valour of the
Turks, their fabres and horfes, are not a match
for the fteady difcipline of European armies.
Indeed, there feems to have been great^mifcon-
dud in the Turkiffi officers, in fuffering them
felves to be furprifed ; and we are told, in cour
firmation of this, that Caraman Pacha behead
ed the Serafkier who commanded that army.
Meantime the great Turkiffi army, com-
marided by Mefauge Pacha the Grand yi?ir,
advanced from the Danube, and took poft ap
different places between that river and the
Neifter. The flownefs of this General's ope
rations has occafioned more uneafinefs at St.
Peterfburg, than if he had advanced with con
fident and impetuous ardour. He is reported
to be a man of comprehenfive and fteady un
derftanding. He is fenfible that want of
difcipline is the great defed of his army. He
therefore protrads his operations, in order that
his foldiers may be properly trained, and re^
duced to regular fubordination. He is alfo
fenfible, that more harm may be done the Ruf-
fians by haraffing them, and by attacking
the detachments, than by engaging them in
a pitched battle. By this Fabian condud, he
** has

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. loj
laas already rendered effential fervice to the
Sultan. For although fome troops were de
feated, that attempted in the beginning of
Auguft to throw fupplies into Chotzim ; yet
¦bis detachments in other quarters have been fo
fuccefsful, and the Ruffian army is fo much
weakened, and fo muchalarmed, that they have
again raifed the fiege, and repaffed the Neifter-
But this they were not able toeffeduate without
cpnfiderable lol^. Their loffes, however, have
been greatly exaggerated ; and if I am not
mifinformed, the regular troops in Prince Ga-
litzin^s army were not much more than the
numbers that, according to fome accountSj,
were faid to 'have been "flain.
Thefe things have flattened our fpirits. The
people are beginning to murmur. Rumours
of confpiracies are fecretly propagated ; feve
ral perfons, I have heard, either guilty or fuf-
peded of treafon, have difappeared : but thefe
things are not noifed abroad, they are only
mentioned in confidential whifpers. The
people are prohibited from fpeaking or writ
ing about politics. The Emprefs tells them,
jtbat as her maternal care for her dear people
H 4 keeps

J04. ANECDOTES OF THE
her fleeplefs by night, and bufy by day ;¦««
and I really believe that hpr nights are as fleep^
}efs as her days are bufy ; — they have no oc
cafion to give themfelves any further trouble
?ibout public affairs, than toad implicidy as ffie
direds ; apd, in order the more effedually to
fave her dear people from unneceffary labour,
ffie not only exhorts, but adually forbids them
to fpeak, write, or think politics. The fpies
are bufy : the fufpeded great men zr^ clofely
patched : For,
Not a T^anp of them, but in his houfe
She has a fervant fee'd.
Happy king of England ! who may go about
with as much fecurity after a defeat, as after
a vidory ; who has no occafion for a board
pf fpies "againft his pwn fubjeds ; and may
9II0W his pepple to fpeak, write, and think as
they pleafe.
Among other changes, which, it is faid,
will take place in the Ruffian armies, Prince
Galitzin is tp be recalled, and the chief cpm-
mand given to Count Romanzoff. General
Panin, brother to the Prime Minifter, is to
command an army near Bender, and the
mouths

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 105
mouths of the Danube. Both Panin and Ro
manzoff have the reputation of great military
talents ; and the firft, for I have not feen the
laft, bas indeed a very bold, blunt, military
countenance ; very different from the fmooth
fmiling afped of the Prime Minifter. Thefe
changes may be for the public good ; yet fome
corirt-intereft and intrigue may have helped
them forward. Count Romanzoff's mother is
much regarded at court ; fo alfo is his fifter,
the Countefs Bruce. You will be furprifed at
the name, Count Bruce is the defcendant of
a Scots gentleman of that name, who came in
to Ruffia after ttie 'difcomfiture of the Scots
by Oliver Cromwell ; and who, having re
commended himfelf to the good graces of the
court, married a Ruffian lady, and was ad
vanced to confiderable honours. A gentle
man, named Hamilton, who came in the fame
ffiip with Bruce, paffed into Sweden ; and,
in the laft war, his defceridant, Count Ha
milton, commanded the Swediffi army in Po-
merania. »
A fleet df feven fail of the Hne, and fome
frigates, having with them a confiderable
pumber of land-forces, and under the com
mand

4o6 ANECDOTES OF THE
mand of Admiral Elphinfton, will fet out,
very foon, on an expedition into tbe Mediter
ranean^ The Admiral is a Captain in the
Britiffi navy: and, among other important
fejrvices, conduded the Britiffi fleet through
the Straits of Bahama, when the Englifh, iu
the laft war, invaded Cuba. Admiral Spiri-
doff, with a confiderable forcje; failed fpm?
tjnie iigo.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 1S7

LETTER XVIII.
Progrefs of the War. — A Ruffian Pafquinade;

" Thofe whom the gods diftinguifli by their hjte,
,*' They firft confound, and then refign to fate." j

OiSober 17, 1763.
T Mentioned to you the prudent condud of
Meffauge Pacha, the Grand Vizir ; and
his plan of wafting the Ruffian army in fmall
conflids, rather than of hazarding a general
adion. I alfo informed you of his fuccefs ;
and that his adverfaries, in a very ffiattered
condition, had again retreated into Poland.
But his meafures did not meet with the appro
bation, nor he himfelf with the recompence,
which fuch ability merited. He was difliked
by his army ; fo little qualified are f§ldiers to
judge of the merits or demerits of a com
mander. The ftridnefs of his difcipline was
ill fuited to their licentioufnefs and irregulari
ty. Aicordingly, complaints were brought againft

toi ANECDOTES OFTHE
againft him at Conftantinople, and they were
liftened to with the greater readinefs, that
the deliberate flownefs of his operations by no
means correfponded with the fanguine expec
tations and impetuofity that reigned in the
councils of the Sultan. He was accordingly
recalled from Moldavia, and beheaded ; and
Moldovani Ali Pacha, the new Grand Vizir,
was promoted to the chief command.
The meafures of Moldovani have been vio
lent and precipitate. He has not only put to
death Caraman Pacha, but has loft all the ad
vantages gained by the prudent condud of
his predeceflbr ; and has brought fuch ruin on
the Turkiffi army under his command, as may
contribute, by its confequences, to decide the
fate of the war. — Prince Galitzin returned
again to the banks of the Neifter. The Grand
Vizir, with a prodigious army, was ported in
the neighbourhood of Chotzim. He imme
diately determined to attack his opponents ;
but the troops, which he fent to tbe other
fide of the river for that purpofe, at two dif
ferent times, and who exerted themfelves
with obftinate valour, fuffered total difcom-
fiture. He ftill perfifted in his raffi defign ; andlaid

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 109
laid one large bridge, in place of three, which
he had formerly ufed, acrofs the river. Upon
this he fent over twelve thoufand men : they
were to be followed by the reft of the army ;
but before the jundion could be made, a dread
ful tempeft arofe ; the river was fwelled to a
prodigious height ; the bridge was fWept
away ; and the Turks that had croffed t^e ri
ver fell a prey to the Ruffians. Whether or
not any terms of capitulation were offered
them, I have not heard ; if there were, they
were not accepted. The Ruffians attacked
them with unrelenting fury : and thus, in fight
of the Vizir and his army, who muft have fuf
fered on this occafion the moft excruciating
torment, as they were unable to give them
any affiftance ; and in fight, I believe, of Chot
zim, the fineft troops in the Turkiffi army
were cut in pieces. The garrifbn of Chotzim,
and the reft of the Vizir's forces, after the firft
tranfports of their rage, gave way to terror
and confternation. They deferted the fort
refs, fled from their encampment, and made
the beft of their way to the Danube. Thus-
the Ruffians are become maflers of Moldavia
and Walachia ; and have finiffied the campaigra
with honour. '' Still,

110 ANECDOTES OF THE
Still, however, the nomination of Count
Romanzoff to the command pf the grand army
continues. Prince Galitzin returns to court ;
and will be received with every mark of dif-^
tindion. Yet that his condud is not approv
ed ofi is abundantly manifeft, and the fol
lowing Pafquinade, which has been allowed
to circulate, even fince the redudion of Chot
zim, will ffiew you fufficiently how he ftands
with the public. It will alio ffiew you with
what licentioufnefs and feverity the Ruffiansy
if they were allowed, would indulge them
felves in political fatire.
" Prince Galitzin haying been obliged to
*' retreat from Chotzim, found himfelf much
*' embarraffed. * One night he was fo anxious
*' he could not fleep. He rofe, dreffed him-
" felf, and heard two perfons fpeaking at the
*' door of his tent. An old Soldier was tell-
" ing his dream to the centinel. I dreamed,
•' faid he, that I was in a battle ; that my
" head was cut off; confequently that Idied;¦
" and confequently went to heaven. I knock-
*' ed at the door. Peter came with a bun^ch
•' of keys, and made fo much noife, that he
" Wakened God, who came in great hafte, "and

RUS SIAN EMPIRE. iii
** and enquired what was the matter ? Why,
" fays Peter, there is a great war upon earth,
*' between the Ruffians and the Turks. And
*' who, faid the Supreme Being, commands
" the Ruffians ? Count Munich, replied the
*' Saint. Then, faid God, I may go and fleep.
" I wakened, faid the old Soldier ; but fell
*' afleep, and dreamed again. The circum-
*' ftances of the fecond dream were precifely
*' the fame with thofe of the firft, excepting
" that the war in which I fancied myfelf en-
" gaged, was not that of Count Munich, but
" that which we are now waging. According-
•* ly, when God afked Peter, who commanded
" the Ruffians .'' the Saint told him. It was
'' Prince Galitzin. Then, faid God, get me
" my boots, for now they need me. — In a
" ffiort time after, the Turkiffi bridge over
** the Neifter was fwept av\'ayby a flood."

114 ANECDOTtS OF THE

LETTER XIX. (Extract.}
With fome Verfes.
* * * A I iHE following lines were written
-¦¦ during my ftay in the ifland of
Caminioioftrow. The fine weather, the
agreeable fituation, and the delightful fcenery
around the banks of the Neva, provoked my
old propenfity to rhiming. I thought it was
at an end ; but you know what Horace fays
about inclinations that are either natural, or
by indulgence rendered habitual.
TO A YOUNG LADY*,
With fome Floivers.
To thee, fweet fmiling maid, I bring
The beauteous progeny of fpring :
In every breathing bloom I find
Somis pleafing emblem of thy mind*
» Now V — fs of S  1
2 The

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 113
The bluffies of that opening rofe
Thy tender modefty difclofe.
Thefe fnow-white lilies of the vale
Diffufing fragrance to the gale.
No oftentatious tints affume,
Vain of their exquifite perfume ;
Carelefs, and fweet, and mild, we fee
In them a lovely type of thee.
In yonder gay-enamel'd field.
Serene that azure bloffom fmil'd :
Not changing with the changeful fky,
Its faithlefs tints inconftant fly ;
For, unimpair'd by winds and rain,
I faw th' unalter'd hue remain.
So were thy mild affedions prov'd.
Thy heart by Fortune's frown unmov'd,
Pleas'd to adminifter relief.
In times of woe would folace grief.
Thefe flowers with genuine beauty glow;
The tints from Nature's pencil flow :
What artift could improve their bloom .''
Or fweeter make their fweet perfume ?
Fruhlefs the vain attempt. Like t^efe
Thy native truth, thine artlefs eafe.
Fair, unaffedlied maid, can never fail to
pleafe.

JI4. ANECDOTES. OF THE

L E T T E R XX.
The Funeral ofthe Princefs Kurakin,
DEAR SIR, Nov. 13, 1769.
THERE a.re, as you apprehend, fome cir
'Cumftanees of a very -extraordinary na
ture in the funeral ceremony of the Ruffians ;
and I think the beft method of felling you
what they are, is to defcribe the funeral of the
Princefs Kurakin, of which I was this day a
wii^efs. "The procefllion fet out at ten in the morn
ing from the little Millione, for the burial-
place in the.Mopaftery of St. Alexander New-
fkey, about two miles from St. Peterffiurg.
All the ftreets and the road by which it, was
to pafs, were ilre wed with green twigs, chief
ly o;f yew. It was preceded by a band of
finglng boys, who fung hymns, and chanted
portions ofthe funeral fervice ; and who were
followed

RUS SrA,N EMPIRE.- rt}
followed by about twenty inferior priefts, at-.
tendants on the dignified clergy. TheBiffidp
of St. Peterffiurg, accompanied with Archi-'
maiidrites, and other Priefts of higher orders,
walked immediately before the hearfe, They
had mitres on their heads, were arrayed iri
coftly dreffes, and carried . tapeirs in their
hands. The hearfe, which yvas not cjovered,
as in Biitain, was drawn by fix; horfes. 'The
coffin was covered with 'pi.nk-ccrioured velvet,
and adorned ;wit|^, filver jornameiits ;¦ but Jia<i
np pj^U laid ^v^r i.t-, ,The c^ief mourner^
walked behind, and other friends, and relaj
tions fpljowed, in mourning coaches. Before
they reached the Monaftery, the Biffiop left the
proceffion, which came on flovvly, and got
before ^hem into the' church. There he put
pn fuch pieces of raiment as were cuftomary
on fuch occafions; and performed fuch parts
of the fervice as were ufually performed pre
vious, to the arrival of the proceffion.
When the funeral reached the gate of the
Monaftery, the Biffiop, attended with the
Monks and Piiefls, went out to meet and
condud it to the place of interment. ^ plat
form, two fteps in height, about fix feet in
I z length.

rifl ANECDOTES OF THE
length, and four in breadth, covered with
crimfon-velvet fringed with gold, was raifed
in the outward divifion of the church. Upon
this the coffin was placed ; and on bringing
it into the church, all the fervants and female
attendants of the deceafed raifed a moft dolo
rous lamentation, wringing their hands, beat
ing their breafts, tearing their hair, and cry
ing fo as effedually to drown the voices of the
choirifters. Meantime thofe who had tapers
in their hands, lighted them : and fix large
wax-candles, which ftood in candlefticks a-
round the dead body, were alfo lighted. The
monks were arranged on one fide of the place
before the altar, and the choirifters on the
other. The Biffiop fat in a chair covered
with velvet, in the middle of the church, fur-
rounded by deacons and attendants. Others
lifted the lid from the coffin, covering the
corpfe with a pall of cloth of gold, on which
was embroidered a filver crofs ; and folding it
back, difplayed the dead body lyir^g on a bed
of white fattin. The head, with the face un
covered, and dreffed in a clofe coeffure, very
richly adorned with lace, lay on a white fattin
pillow. The features were elegant, but the
colour was gone ; the eyes and lips clofed ;
the

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 117
the fmiles and graces were flown for ever.
Tbe body was dreffed in white fattin, and the
hands, covered with white gloves, were laid
acrofs the breaft.
The Biffiop now performed mafs, with all
the ufual ceremonies of finging, praying,
fcattering incenfe, carrying about the bread
and wine, the gofpels, and the crucifix. This
lafted a confiderable time ; and the Biffiop's
feat being then removed to the head of the
coffin, he took his ftation there, while twelve
perfons, in black facerdotal habits, with light
ed tapers in their hands, arranged themfelves
around the dead body. After the burial fer
vice, which was indeed very folemn, the
Biffiop ftanding up, pronounced a few fen-
tences in a kind of deep-toned grave recita
tive. He was anfwered in the fame manner
by a Prieft on his right, and he by another on
the left; and fo on, by all thofe that ftood
around the coffin. This part ofthe ceremony
was very ftriking ; and, indeed, very noble.
When this was ended, a Prieft ^the Princefs's
confeffor, as I was told) delivered a fcroll of
paper to the Biffiop, who read it aloud, and
j-eturned it to the confeffor, who, with filent
1 3 and

i^ii ANECDOTES QFTHE
and reverential demeanour, piit it into th&
right hand lof the deceafed.' The priefts and
monks retyrn^d to their former pofition ;
and then all the friends and relations, botb
male and female, but chiefly the laft, with
Ibud "howling, vveeping, and lamentation, ga
thered around the dead body, kiffed the hands
and forehead, and with a forrow expreffed
with too much violence to produce fympathy,
took leave of their departed friend. This
part of the ceremony, including the preceding
hymn, chanted by the Priefts, is termed the
Afpafmus, or Laft Embrace.
When this was bver, which was not fud-
denly, the coffin was lifted up, the platform
removed from beneath, and a vault difcaver-
ed under it, into which the body was let
down. The Biffiop then advanced, pro
nounced a ffiort prayer, arid threw fdmeearth
into the vault. It vvas then clofed : the
mourners withdrew, and thus the ceremony
was concluded,  1 need not add, that the
parade was exceffive ; and the lamentation fb
loud, as totally to deftroy the pleafing mcr
lancholy, and the difpofition to folemn thought,
which fuch ceremonies ought to produce, j
was,

RUSSIAN EkPIRE. 119
was, however, fo much pleafed with the hymn
pronounced at the laft embrace, that I ffiall
endeavour to have it tranflated, and if fo, I
ffiall tranfmit you a copy. I am.
Yours, &c.

I4

120 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXI.
The Hymn,chanted at the Afpafmus, or Lafi
Fjnbrace,
DEAR S!R,
AGREEABLY to my promife I fend you
a tranflation of the Hymn recited by the
Priefts or Monks, for I don't juft recolledt
which they were, who, according to the cuf-
tom of the Greek church in the burial of the
dead, ftand around the coffin previous to the
Laft Embrace. I have been informed that it
was written originally in Greek, by tbe fa
mous Joannes Damafcenus ; and was tranflat
ed from him, for the ufe of the Ruffian church,
into the Sclavonian, the dialed ufed in this
country in ads of religious worffiip. It is
divided into ftanzas fuited to the method of
recitation. L
Come hither, brethren, let us worffiip
God, and pay our laft duty to the deceafed.
6 No

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. ui
No longer mindful of vanity, or the cares
pf the fleffi, he hath forfaken his kindred, and
approacheth the grave. Where are kindred
and friends ! We are now feparated from one
another — May the Lord grant him repofe !
II.
O brethren ! what painful feparatlon,,
what lamentation and wailing accompany this
mournful hour! Approach. — Embrace him
who was lately one of ourfelves. Delivered
uJ) to the grave ; covered with a ftone, he
muft dwell in darknefs, and be buried among
the dead. Now, friends and kindred ! we are
feparated from him I May the Lord grant
liim repofe ! III.
Every wicked connedion with life and
vanity is diffolved. The fpirit hath forfaken
her cottage. The clay is disfigured : the vef
fel broke. We carry a motionlefs, infenfible
corps to the grave, intreating the Lord to grant
Jiim eternal reft. IV.
Oh what is life ! a bloffom ! a vapour !
dr dew of the morning ! Approach there fore,

122 ANECDOTES" Of THE
fore, and with attention contemplate the grave.
Where now is the graceful form ! Where h
youth ! Where are the organs of fight ! And
where the beauty of cpmplexipn ! They
are withered like ftubble. Apprpach, arid
weeping wprffiip God. V.
What lamentatidn and wailing, and
mourning, and ftruggling, when the foul is
feparated from the body ! Hades and perdi
tion are then dlfdofed. Human life feems al
together vanity; a tranfientffiadow; the fleep
of errpr; the unavailing labpur pf imagined
exiftence. Let us therefpre fly frpm every
corruption of the world, that we may inherit
the kingdom of heaven.
' "¦ ' VI.
Looking upon the deceafed, let us medi
tate on our latter end. Like a thin vapour ri
fing from the earth, he vaniffied : like aflpwer,
he decayed ; like, grafs he was cut dpwn •
arrayed in periffiing apparel, he is laid in the
duft. Intreat Chrift tp grant reppfe untP him
tvhom ye are now leaving, and fhall no longer
behold. ' VII, Come

RUS S.IAN EMPIRE. 123
¦ i .
VII.
Come hither, O defcendants pf Adam !
and fee humbled in the ground a man refem-
bling ourfelves; divefted ^qf all comelintfs,
foon to be confumed in the g.>.ve ; to periffi in
darknefs, and crumble into duft. Intreat
Chrift to grant repofe unto him whpm ye are
npw leaving, and ffiall np Ipnger behpld.
VIIL
When' the fpirit is raviffied frpm the body
by awful angels, kindred and acquaintance are
all forgot ; the; future judgment engageth our
attention; fpr the vain purfuits and fruitlefs
labour of the fleffi are then at an end. Sup
plicating the Judge, kt us befeech him to for
give the fins of the deceafed. IX.
Come hither, brethren, let us view the
duft and affies of which ye are moulded*
Whither are we going ; and what ffiall we
become ? Who is poor ; or who is rich .'' Who
is the matter; or who is free ? Are not all
aflies ?

224 ANECDOTES OF THE
affies ? The beauty of the countenance hath
faded, for death blafts the bloffom of youth.
X.
All the pleafuBifs and dignities of life are
vain and periffiing : We are all decaying, and
ffiall die. Kings and princes, judges and po
tentates, the rich and the poor, all are mortal.
Thofe formerly numbered among the living,
lie lifelefs in their graves. To whom may
Jefus accord repofe ! XI.
All the members of the body are now
rendered motionlefs : very lately they were
adive and full of vigour : now they are ren
dered weak. The eyes are clofed ; the feet
are bound ; the hands at reft ; the fenfe of
hearing extind ; and tbe tongue locked up in
filence. All are delivered up to the grave :
/\l\ human things are vain.
XII.
Thou Mother of the Sun that never fets.
Parent of Qod, we befeech thee intercede with
thy divine offsprir^g, that he who bath depart ed

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 145
ed hence, may enjoy repofe with the fouls of
the juft. Unblemiffied Virgin, may he en
joy the eternal inheritance of heaven in the
abodes of the righteous.  Doxology.
Words fuppofed to exprefs the fenti
ments of the deceafed, fpoken by the Chief
Prieft :
"Brethren, friends, kinfmen, and iacquaint-
ance ! VieW me now, and lament. It was
but yefterday that we converfed together ; for
the fearful hour of death hath furprifed me.
Come here all who tenderly loved or efteemed
me, and with a laft embrace pronounce the
laft farewell. No longer ffiall I fojourn among
you : No longer bear a part in your difcourfe:
I go to the Judge who hath norefped of per
fons.' The mafter and the fervant, the fove
reign and the fubjed, the rich and the poor,
are here upon a level : for according tP their
deeds ffiall they be glprified pr put tP ffiame.
Therefore let me entreat and befeech you all,
intercede with Jefus whp is Gdd, that I*may
nPt receive the puniffiment due tp my guilt,
but that he may eftabliffi me in the light of
life." The

126 ANECDOTES OF THE
The folloviring 'additional Stanzas are ufed
at the burial of a Prieft ; they appear to me
nv^rt ftriking and more pathetic than the for
mer. Be ftill !" be ftill I let the departed reft
in peace,. - Meditate this awful myflery. 'Tis
an hour of terror ! be ftill ! Let the fpirit de-
.part in peace. It begins the .tremendous trial,
and with much trembling deprecates the Alt-
mighty. .[
; IL
Whether have, the fpirits of the deceafed
departed ? Or what is their lot ? How I long
to learn their condition. But 'tis a myftery
which none can reveal. Like mortals do they
remember their friends ? Are they forever un
mindful of the mpurners ? of thofe who be
wail their debarture, and celebrate their obfe-
quies with forrow r ' '
The flaves of ungoverned paffions enjoy
no repofe in the grave : formidable accufers are

RU S SI AN ^EMPIRE. 127
are there, and there the books are opened.
Where wilt thou look for fuccour, O man.
Or who will maintain thy caufe ; unlefs thy
condud in Ufe was upright, unlefs thy bounty
relieved the jjbor. IV.
Haft thou pitied the afflided, O man ? in
death thou ffialt be pitied. Haft thou confoled
the orphan ? the orphan will deliver thee.
Haft thou clothed the, naked .'' The naked will
procure thee protedion.

I could fend you tranflations of fpme other
parts of the funeral ceremony. But you will
probably be fatisfied with what you have.
I mentioned that the funeral ceremony of
the Princefs Kurakin was performed in the
Monaftery of St. Alexander Newfkey. This
Saint was formerly a Sovereign of the Ruf-
fiaSj and was canonized, not fo much for his
Chriftian virtues, as for his military atchieve-
ments; His exploits, indeed, were in defence
of his country a^ainfl. the Swedes or Finns,
and are engraved on a magnificent filver ffirine
within the monaftery. In the neighbourhood
« of

ii8 ANECDOTES OF THE
of St. Peterffiurg, at leaft, he is fo highly re
vered, as to have become a formidable rival to
St. Nicholas. Perhaps, it is becaufe his
greateft adions were performed upon the
banks of the Neva ; and that tbe church and
monaftery, confecrated to him, are very mag
nificent, and happen to be placed in a confpi-
cuous fituation. The adjoining walks, woods,
and garden, are extremely pleafant, and even
romantic. P. S. I mentioned to you, that, after recit
ing the Hymn previous to the Laft Embrace, a
Prieft put a fcroll of paper into the right hand
of tbe deceafed. This has fometimes been ludi-
croufly reprefented as a pJiffport to be deliver
ed to St. Peter. The following, however, has
been given me * as an exad tranflation of the
fcroll above mentioned, and ffiews the in
juftice of that account.
The Prayer, Hope, and Declarafionf of a
Chrifiian Soul in the Faith.
" Every God-glorifying, orthodox chrift
ian, having lived and honoured this hope, de
clares the following : and when he is dead,
• By the Reverend Dr. King, author of a learned account
Qf the Rites and Ceremonies of the Greeic Church, whoever

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. iig
whoever is willing, may pioufly put this de
claration into the hand of the deceafed when
in the coffin.
All-creative, Omnipotent God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoft, in
Three Perfons, but one Godhead, fubftance,
and effence : inceffanily praifed by all crea
tures, who, by thy holy will, foreknowledge,
immeafurable goodnefs, and inexpreffible wif
dom, didft create all things vifible in the
World ; thou didft create alfo me thy fervant,
to glorify thee, O Lord my God ! to fing thy
holy name ; (gratefully to thank thee for all
thy mercy, and to endeavour, by all virtues,
to attain thy everlafting kingdom. But, O,
Divine Trinity ! I have finned againft thee;
have offended thy holinefs ; have broken thy
commandments ; and have not preferved, as I
ought, thy image and iikenefs exifting within
me. - 1 have defiled my foul and body by all
manner of fins ; and by wicked adions have
moved thee to wrath. But though I have
been dazzled with the vanities of the *,vorld,
yet, O Lord ! I have not eaft myfelf wholly
from thee, my Creator, my life, my joy, my
fal vation, and hope. And now. my life li-
K mited

I30, ANECDOTES OF THE
mited by thy power, I willingly refign. My
foul feparates itfelf frpm my corruptible body;
goes into immortality ; and if it feem good
unto thee, ffiall with this body arife again;
which I hope for from thy goodnefs and
mercy, according to the faith of our holy re
ligion, and becaufe thou didft fuffer for our
fal vation. Yet I am terrified with fear, left
the torments of the wicked be inflided upon
me, for the fins which I have committed
againft thee. Wherefore, O Immortal King,
and my God ! with this my laft breath I pray
unto thee, that thou wouldft forgive all the
fins I have committed from my youth up
to this time ; for thou art my God and my
Creator ; I believe in thee ; I hope in thee ;
by thy righteous judgment fave me, O Lord !
and vouchfafe unto me thy kingdom. Thou
who for us men became Jefus Chrift, to deli
ver us from fin ; by thy power I was born.
and brought up in the wifdom of the only
holy Eaftern Church. And I pray thee, O
Lord ! confider not my fins ; but grant mc
abfolution in prefence of the immaculate Vir
gin Mary, the Mother of God. Free from
doubt, I come unto thee, O God ! and at the
fepa-

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 131
feparation of my foul into all fpace from the
body, receive, O Lord ! my fpirit into thy
hands, and according to thy mercy, revive me
in the evangelic beatitude, for ever and ever.
Amen !

K2

ij2 ANECDOTE.S OF THE

LETTER XXII. (Extract.)
The Library belonging to the Academy. — Re-
'liques of Peter' the Great.

« * * » rr^HE Library belonging to the
J- Academy is a large building,
containing feveral rooms and galleries. It is
'furniffied with about thirty thoufand vo
lumes. The books are in bad order ; nor are
they very valuable. The collcdion, how
ever, of Rufs tranflations of French, Eng
liffi, and German authors is confiderable. —
Among fome books in the, Engliffi language I
found feveral political trads, maintaining the
abfolute and indefeafible right of Kings.  •
They had been brought to Ruffia by Dr.
Areflcine. In one gallery is depofited a numerous col-
ledion of Chinefe dreffes, coins, and utenfils;
together with a number pf Chinefe and Tar
tarian

RUSS I AN EMPIRE. 133
tarian manufcripts. I was alfo ffiewn a
number of Kamffiatkadale curiofities ; and,
among others, two waxen figures, as large as
the life, reprefenting two Kamffiatkadale for-
cerers. They were accoutred as in the exer
cife of their profeffion ; and had hanging
around them a number of iron rings. They
had in their hands a fort of mufical inftru-
ment refembling a drum.
In another gallery are a number of reliques
of I'eter the Great ; his walking-flick, mo
dels of ffiips executed v^^ith his own hands ;
and iildeed fuch a variety of different things,
as leffen their value as reliques. What
pleafed me moft was a waxen figure of that
great man, as large as the life, and made to
referable him as much as poffible. He is re
prefented fitting, dreffed in regimentals, and
having on his head an old hat without lace.
In one of the cocks of his hat is a large hole,
faid to have been made by a bullet at the
battle of Pultowa. His countenaiv;e is
ftrangely expreffive of thoughtful, but fierce,
dignity. The remains of Peter lie in a church with
in the caftle. They are contained in a marble
K 3 cheft,

134 ANECDOTES OF THE
cheft, infcribed with his name, and covered
with green velvet embroidered with gold.
Near them are the remains of fome other fo-
vereigns ; and near them alfo are fome of the
horfetails and ftandards taken from the Turks
in the laft campaign. The caftle is fituated
in a fmall ifland, oppofite to the winter pa
lace, and furrounded by the greateft branch of
the Neva; * * *

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 135
LETTER XXIII.
Tranfidtion of a German Poem.
DEAR SIR,
Mentioned to you, I believe, irT a former
letter, that German literature was fa-
ffiionable in Ruffia. Indeefl the Germans
have of late beftowed confiderable attentiori
on thofe kinds of compofition which are
intended to amufe : and the fuccefs of their
poets, in particular, has, in many inftances,
been very confpicuous. An elegiac poem,
by a young Lufatian, was lately put into my
hands: and pleafed me fo much, that I have
endeavoured to preferve its beauties in an
Engliffi tranflation. Judge of it : yet I am fen
fible of my doing a bold thing in offering it to
your perufal. I haVe alfo prefixed the author's
prefatory note, becaufe it throws fome light both
on the defign of the poem and the mind of the
poet. It feems to me as if the firft part ofthe
performance were didlated by feeling; and
the fecond by a fenfe of duty. But concern-
K 4 ing

J36 ANECDOTES OF THE '
ing, a work with which I have taken fo much
pains, I am as little entitled, or even qualified^
to fpeak, as the author himfelf. The mea
fure in the tranflation is the fame as in the orU
p'lnsl ^ M^ ^ ^ ^ ^
A B I R A N;
OR, THE
VICTIM OF FANCIED WOE,
(N. B. That " man is born to forrow, as
the fparks fly upward," is proved by daily
obfervation, and too often by daily experience,
The refi/miferies of human life are numerous:
but as if thefe were not enough, men create:
miferies to themfelves. They fuffer their fancies
to afflid them, when fortune and outward cir
cumftances, according to the ufual eftimate of
human enjoyments, are not unfavourable. It
is ftrange they ffiould not oppofe a propen
fity fo adverfe to their happinefs, and appa
rently fp unreafonable ; yet fuch is too often
the condition of many an amiable and excel
lent charader. It may indeed happen, that
perfons incapable of enormous vice, and hav
ing never fuffered very heavy calaraiiy, may,
Jiowever, have met witb fiome afflidion, and
pay

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. J37
may not have endured it with fuitable firm-
nefs. But this is npt fufficient tP accpunt for
the appearance. Together with, pr inde*
pendent pf fuch fituation, their feelings are
occafioned chiefly by their having taftes too
refined for the objeds in which they are con-
verfant ; and in their having defires for a cer
tain elevated fpecies of happinefs, which,
though it may feem paradoxical to fay fo,
they do not fully conceive. They are even
fenfible of the agreeable circumftances in
which they may happen to be placed"; yet
wiffiing for fomething ftill finer and more
perfed, their enjoyments are incomplete.
Nay, they lofe all reliffi for the good things
in their power. They muft therefore com
plain : What elfe can they do ? or cherifh
their griefs in fecret. They can do more.
They can have recourfe to religion : in com
pliance with its didates, they may do all the
good they can in the meanwhile : they may
thus look forward to a future period, when
pleafures, more exquifite than they now feel
or imagine, ffiall be annexed to every virtu
ous exertion ; and may thus affure themfelves
of that happinefs, which, by a wonderful an-
J:icipation, in their prefent ftate not knowing, they

138 ANECDOTES OF THE
they yet defire. Though this ffiould be
termed delufiori, very barbarous is he who
would deprive the poor fufferer of its foft
confolation. The following verfes are intended as a re-
prefentation of fuch imaginary, though the
author confeffes himfelf loth to call it unreal,
fuffering : the caufe may be imaginary ; but
the fuffering is real: and as the great objed
of poetical imitation is human nature, per
haps "there may be fome readers to whom this
particular afped of the human mind may not
be uninterefting. This however depends on
the'execution of the thing defigned, no lefs than
on the defign itfelf ; and concerning neither
of thefe has the author any right or any power
to determine.)
" WHENCE this oppreffive load of woe ?
" Th' involuntary figh ^
*' And th' oozing tear about to flow
" From my dejeded eye .''
" O, Melancholy ! how thy powe.
" Againft my peace confpires !
" Still will thy leaden afped lour,
" And quench my genial fires.
« O why
3

«

<(

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 139
O why is my defponding mind
" Become thy very flave ?
And may I not — alas ! not find
" A refuge in the grave ?
The grave will give fecure repofe
" From perfecuting grief;
For there alone, from heavy woes,
" The weary have relief.
Alas ! in early life to leave
" This world fo good and fair ! *
Not fo-to me, who pine and grieve,
" The vidim of defpair.
" And yet how bright thofe ffiining fkies !
" How lovely Nature's face !
*' The groves and hills around me rife,
" Robed with celeftial grace.
" I know them beautiful ! I fee
" Hpw beautiful they are ;
" I feel their beauty ! yet, ah me !
" My bpfom pines with care.
" In vain to me the vernal gale
" Difpenfes foft perfume,
** While thro' the windings of the vale
*' He flies from bloom to bloom.

<(

Cani

140 ANECDOTES OF THE
•' Can wit or gaiety impart
" Enjoyment to my breaft ?
" I fmile, even laugh j but, in my heart,
" My griefs are ill fupprefs'd.
*' And what can tuneful numbers do ?
" Or the melodious ftring ?  ¦
" They can improve the fenfe of woe,
" And ffiarpen Sorrow's fting.
" Even when I would be gay, a figh
" Betrays my fecret care  •
" Be happy, ye who can, for I.
" Muft ftruggle with defpair.
" Nor cari I Nature blame; ffie made
" Me capable of joy :
" She gave me powers : and Fortune faid,
" Go, and thy powers employ.

And I have known Delight ; e'erwhile
Have feen her beauty ffiine :
" And blefs'd with her endearing fmile,
" Have call'd the bleffing mine.
" Bear witnefs, every foft recefs
" That heard ray vocal lay ;
" And fcenes of focial happinefs,
*' That 1 was very gay. « And

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 141
*' And bring the blifs of former days,
" O, Memory '.—ffie brings
*' The fportive images : obeys.
But in obeying ftlngs.

<(

<(

The green-hill and th' enamel'd plain,
" Where blyth I us'd to range.
How foft and lovely they remain !
" But I have fuff'red change.
*' Of early friends untiraely reft,
" They are the mould'ring clay !
" They fleep; and I, alas! am left
" More defolate than they.
*' I envy you, ye filent dead,
" And your eternal fleep :
" Ye are from care and forrow fled ;
" And I am left to weep.
" My joys are deaden'd ; clouds inveft,
** And glooms involve my ikies ;
" And more t' afflid my widow'd breaft,
" Soft images arife.
" I fee a lovely fcene with flowers,
" With groves and verdure gay :
" I haften to the blifsful bowers,
"Lur'd by the feftive lay, « Soft

142 ANECDOTES OF THE
" Soft melodies around, above,
" Breathe thro' the vocal air ;
" And the long, liquid notes of love
Soothe and fubdue defpair.

((

" And now I quaff the cup of joy !
" The phantoms fly away !
*' Stay, ye tranfporting pleafures ! — why
" Will not the vifion ftay ?
" Wild waftes appear, and gloomy fkies,
" And pealing thunders roll !
" And tempefts — O what tempefts rife
" In my diftraded foul !
" But let me fearch my fecret heart ;
" Perhaps fome latent crime
" Hath planted there a deadly dart,
" And blafts me in my prime.
" I am not guilty — gracious God I
" I fay not I am pure :
" And I would kifs thy chaft'ning rod,
" And thy rebuke endure :
" But that to guiltier men — O heaven !
" Forgive my froward will —
" To guiltier men than 1 is given
" Security from ill.— — " Poor

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 143
*' Poor toiling fpirit ! wilt thou yet
" Thus with thy griefs debate .''
" Be ftiU ! be fenfelefs ! apd fubmit
" To thy determin'd fate.
" O then, why am I what I am ?
" Why am I made to glow
*' With ardour of extatic flame,
" Yet be condemn'd to woe ?
*' Rage on, ye ftorms ! defcend, and down
" The fky with fury roll !
" And let the fiends of horror frown
" On my devoted foul."  ^
Thus flow'd Abiran's fecret woe.
As thro' a pathlefs glade,
Unfeen, with fuUen pace and flow
His wayward footftep ftray'd :
And deep into the devious wood
He urg'd his defperate way.
Where favage rocks and groves exclude
The fun's enliv'ning ray ;
And fierce in his diftemper'd breaft *
The dire fuggeftion rofe :
« The grave," he cried, " to thediftrefs'd,
*' The grave will give repofe." He

T44 ANECDOTES OF THfe ,
He paus'd ; his cheek grew wan ; his eye
With wild diftradion glar'd :
He rais'd the gleaming poniard high;
The frantic bofom bar'd.  —
Inftant, athwart th' incumbent gloom
A flood of light appear'd :
The groVe was fill'd with foft perfume :
A fudden voice was heard !
A gentle voice ! gentler than gales
That vvave their mufky wings
In Aden's aromatic vales.
Or by Daphriasan fprings.
*' Attend, thou plaintive fon of earth I
" Yield to the will of heaven : —
*' To me, appointed at thy birth,
The pious charge was given.

t(

(C

ti

((

To guard thee frpm th' infidious wilg
" And cr&ft of vitious care ;
The Syren fong that would beguile/
" The fmile that would enfnare :
Norjefs to guide thy recklefs way
" From thofe fequefter'd bowCrs,
Where melancholy would betray,
" And blaft thy growing powers.
9 '* Spirit;^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 14s
** Spirits of fineft texture, oft
" Are by her fighs deceiv'd ;
*' And by her air and accent foft,
" Of inward peace bereav'd.
" Fly then from her receffes, fly !
" The gales that gently blow.

ct

«<

In fancied fympathy reply
" Harmonious to thy woe.

C(

The turtle cooing in the dale,
" Will with thy grief accord :
And the deep umbrage pf the vale
*' Cpngenial glppms afford.
" Npr feek, with fruitlefs tpil, tP learn,
*' Why virtue fuffers pain.—
" Canft thou the lightning's path difcern I
" The lightning's fury rein ?
" In earthly frame pent and confin'd,
" How can thy foul pretend,
" The condud of th' Almighty mind
*' T' arraign or comprehend ?
" If in the Lybian defart wide,
" To flake the Lion's thirft,
" Even from the rock's reludant fide
" He bids the fountain burft :
L " Aa:l

146 ANECDOTES OF THE
" And bids, for wild-birds, lofty trees
** Their ruddyJiarveft bear;
•' The Father of mankind ! he fees,
" Nor difregards thy care.
" Nor fruitlefs are the ftorms of woe
*' To the progreffive mind :
" For they give vigour, and to glow
*' With energy refin'd.
" Obferve how winds, and beating rains,
" Drench and deform the dale ;
" And how the huffiandman complains,
" And how the ffiepherds wail.
*' But when the rains are blown away,
" Behold ! a thoufand dyes,
" And flowers and fruit, and verdure gay,
'' In every field arife.
*' You know not, if with meek regard
" You wait the will of heaven ;
*' You know not what fublime reward
" May to your grief be given."

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 147

LETTER XXIV.
yournal of the Weather for Fifty-five Days^
during the Winter 1769-70.
DEAR SIR, St. Petei-(burg, Jan. 44. 1770.
OUR weather is indeed very fevere. You
may judge pf its feverity by pur pre-
cautipns. We have recpurfe tP them, npt
pnly in Pur drefs, but in pur hpufes.
Our drefs, within doors, [is the fame as
during the winter in England. But when
we encounter the external cold, our defenfive
raiment is indeed very grotefque. The head
is defended by a large fur cap, and the body,
by a garment refembling a night-gown, ex
tending from the neck to the heel, ra^e of
whatever fluff you pleafe, but lined through
out with the thickeft fur. Fur-ffioes, or con-
guees, as they are termed, having the hair on
the outfide, are tied over the ihoes we com-
L 2 monly

148, ANECDOTES OF THE
monly wear. Our arms are fecured by the
long fleeves of the upper garment, or peliffe,
as it is called ; and our hands by large muffs,
which are alfo ufed to defend the face. On
entering any houfe, fome of the fervants im
mediately untie your fur ffipes, and diveft ypu
of yoar peliffe : npr is it unamufing tp fee
fine gentlemen, adprned with gold and filver,
and purple, and precious ftones, ftarting forth
from their rough external guife, like fo many
gaudy butterflies burfting fuddenly from their
winter incruftation.
In houfes of any diftin(^ion here, every
room is provided with a large ftove, reaching
from the floor to the cieling. It is ufually
made of brick ; and is often fp adorned with
various colours, and with ornaments of brafs,
as to exhibit a very good appearance. From
this ftove, flues and paffages, for conveying
the heat around the room, are fometimes con-
flruded within the walls. After ihe wood is
completely burnt down, to that rrot the fmall-
eft particle of flame or of fraoke reraain, the
little iron door by which the fuel was put
into its place, but which flood open while the
wood was burning, is faftened very clofe :
and,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 145
and, by another aperture in the fide of the
ftpve, pr petchka, as it is called, half way be
tween the flppr and the cieling, the paffage by
which the fmpke enters the chimney is alfa
cpvered. Thus the heat, cpnfined entirely
within the room, becomes fometimes excef
five, and almoft infufferable"; nor have I ever
felt fp much warmth in any hpufe in Lpndon,
as in the houfes of St. Peterffiurg. For in or
der ftill farther to guard againft the vifita-
tions of Siberian blafts, and the cold compa
nions they bring along with them, the win
dows are fo formed as to admit of double cafe-
ments. Of thefe the inner cafement raay be
removed at pleafure. It is ufually fixed in its
place in Odober, and remains till the begin
ning of May. The fpace between the two
may be about fix or feven inches.
In the intermediate fpace between two of
thefe cafements, in an anticharaber in my
ajpartraent, I have fufpended one of Reau
mur's thermometers; and, in order to give
you a more precife idea of our cliraate, I ffidl
fubjoin a journal of the weather for fifty-five
days, beginning, with the ift of December
laft, and continued till the date of my letter.
L3 The

150 ANECDOTES OF THE
The expofure is to the fouth ; but the obfer
vations were ufually inade at an early hour.
Obferve, therefore, that by the raark 8 m.
in the journal, is meant eight o'clock in the
morning. I need not tell you, that by b. fr.
is meant below the freezing point.
Dec, I. 8 m. 9 deg. b. fr. The fky clear.
A little wind N. W. The ground covered
with fnow. At noon the fpirit of wine fell
7 deg. The fky cloudy. A fall of fnow.
Dec. 2. 8 ra. 84 deg. b. fr. Cloudy, with
. forae mift.
Dec. 3. 8 ra. 71 deg. b. fr. Snow. A ffiarp
wind N. E,
Dec. 4. 8 m. tol. deg. b. fr. Clear,
Dec. 5. 8 m. lA deg. above fr. Cloudy.
Dec. 6. 8 m. 2 deg. b. fr. Clear.
Dec. 7. 8 m. £ deg. above/r. Clear. Wind
S.W.
Dec. 8. 8 ra. i^ deg. b. fr. Cloudy,
Dec. 9. 8 m. s4- deg. above fr. Wind S.W.
Dec, 10. 8 m- 3 deg. above fr. At half an
hour after eight the fpirit of wine fell to
three degrees b. fr.
Pec II. 8 m. 8 deg. b. fr.
Pec. i^, 8 m. 2!- deg. b. fr. Wind W. Some
fnow. Pec. 13.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 151
Dec, 13. 8 m. 24. deg, b, fr. Cloudy,
Dec. 14. 8 m. 3 deg. b. fr. Very cloudy.
A ffiarp wind E.
Dec. 15. 8 m. 3 deg. b. fr. Very cloudy.
Dec, 16, 8 m, 3 deg, b. fr. Snow.
Dec. 17. 8 m. 4 deg. b. fr. Snow. Wind
N. E.
Dec. 18. 8 m. 7 deg. b, fr. Cloudy. At
nine at night the fpirit of wine ftood at 15
deg. b. fr. Wind N. E.
Dec. 19. 8 m. 22 deg. b. fr. Clear. Wind
N. E.
Dec. 20. 8 m. 23-i deg. b. fr. Clear, Wind
N. E.
Dec. 21. 8 m, 12 deg, b. fr, Snow^
Dec. 22. 8 m, 17 deg. b. fr. Clear.
Dec, 23. 8 m. 15. deg. b. fr. Cloudy, Snow
had fallen in the night.
Dec. 24. 8 m. 14 deg. b. fr. Cloudy. Snow
had fallen in the night. Wind N. E.
Dec. 35. 8 m. II deg. b. fr. Snow had fal
len in the night. WindN. E.
Dec. 26. 8 m. 9 deg. b, fr. Snow. |Wind
N, E.
Dec, 27. 8 m. 1 1 ^eg. b, fr. Snow. Wind
N. E. L 4 Dec. 28.

IS2 ANECDOTES OF THE
Dec. 28. 8 m. 15 deg. b^ fr. Clear. Wind
N. E.
Dec. 29. 8 ra. 17 deg. b. fr. Cloudy. Wind
N.E.
Pec. 30. 8 m. 9 deg. b. fr. Cloudy. Wind
N.E.
Dec. 31. 8 m. 9. deg, b. fr. Snow, '
Jan, I, 1770. 8 ra. loi deg, b. fr. Snow.
Jan. 2. 8 m. 81 deg. b. fr. Cloudy.
Jan. 3. 8 ra. 15 deg. b. fr. Cloudy.
Jan. 4. 8 m. 12^ deg. b. fr. Snow. Wind
S.W.
Jan, 5. 8 m, 6 deg. b. fr.
Jan, 6. 8 m> 54. deg. b. fr.
'Jan, 7. 8 ra. 6. deg. b. fr.
Jan. 8. 8 m. 61 deg. b. fr.
Jan. 9. 8 m. 8J- deg. b. fr.
Jan. 10. 8 m. 6 deg, b, fr.
Jan. II. 8 m. 54- deg. b. fr.
Jan. 12. 8 m. 5 deg. b. fr.
N. E.
Jan. 13. 8 m. 5 deg, b^ fr.
N. E.
Jan. 14. 8 m. i deg. b. fr. Snow.
S.W.
Jan. 15. 8 m. 3 deg. above fr. Snow.
Jan. 16, 8 m. i deg. above fr. Snow. Jan. 17.

Cloudy.

Snow.

Snow.

)

Snow,

Snow,

Snow,
Snow.
Snow,
Wind
Snow.
Wind
Snow.
Wind
RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 153
Jan. 17. 8 m. i-i- deg. above fr. Snow,
Jan. 18, 8 m. 4 deg, b, fr. Snow. Wind
N, E.
Jan. 19. 8 m. 5 deg. b. fr. Snow. Wind
N.E.
Jan, 20. 8 m. 1 7 deg. b. fr. Mifty. ^
Jan. 21. 8 ra. 15 deg. b. fr. Snow.
Jan. 22. 8 m, 8i deg. b. fr. Cloudy.
Jan. 23. 8 m, 9 deg, b. fr. Cloudy.
Jan. 24. S m, 10 deg. b. fr. Cloudy *.
You will, no doubt, have reraarked, in this
journal, that our weather is often very dim
and cloudy. This, hpwever, is mpre the cafe
in the beginning pf winter, befpre all the
fnpws have fallen, than afterwards. In the
months of February and March, the fky is
* The coldeft weather, during my ftay in Ruffia, was ufually
after the fnow fell, in the months of February and March.
The fpirit of wine was generally, in thofe months, between
tei^^nd fifteen degrees below the freezing point. The coldeft
weather known, while I lived in St, Peterfburg, was in the
month of March 1771, On the firft, fecond, and third days
of that month, the fpirit of wine was at zo deg, b. fr. ; but»
on the fourth, a little before feven in the morning, it fell to
32 deg, b. fr. According to fome other obfervations, it ftood
at 34. deg.'b. fr. It did not remain long at 32 deg. ; but rofe
uccelEvely to 10, 8, and 5 deg. b. fr. On the i8th of March
}t ftood at 2 deg. above freezing. remarkably

154 ANECDOTES OF THE
remarkably clear; and the moon-light, in
particular, when the firmament is quite fe-
rene, and the ground covered with fnow, ap
pears much brighter than I have obferved it
in Britain. Nor in thofe months, though the
colds are more intenfe than at any Pther pe
riod, have we fp much wind as at prefent.
The " Spirantes frigpra cauri" feem tP be the
harbingers pf the fevere cold ; the dreary at
tendants of Npvember, December, and Ja
nuary. Perhaps Pur hazy and clpudy weather, in
the end pf autumn, and beginning pf winter,
is the reafpn that I have never yet feen the
Ruffian fky adprned and enlivened in an
evening with an Aurora Borealis. I fay en
livened, for though once or twice I have feen
a dull fuUen rednefs in the air, which I was
told was an Aurora Borealis ; I have never
yet feen it with fuch bright colours, ralpid
motions, and fantaftic geftures, as embelliffi
the Britiffi autumnal flsy. I have never feen
any thing like the beautiful and juft defcrip
tion given us of this otjedt by the bard of ex
ternal natuf e : Oft

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 155
Oft in this (eafon, filent from the north,
A blaze of meteors (hoots : enfweeping firft
The lower fkies, they all at once converge
High to the crown of heaven ; and ali at once
Relapfing quick, as quickly reafcend ;
And mix, and thwart, extinguifii, and renew ;
All aether courfing in amaze of light.
Though in the line, " and mix and thwart,
&c.'' the Poet employs his verbs in an un
ufual manner, the defcription is juft and
ftriking. It is more than pi£hurefque ; it is
poetic : and by exhibiting a fwift fucceffion
of diverfified motions, affords us a fine ex
ample of that fort of reprefentation which
fcorns the powers, great though they are, of
painting. On fuch fignal occafions, language
is an engine to be ufed as the poet pleafes.
The defcription is admirably heightened, by
his fuggefting the effeds of fuch appearances
on the fuperftitions minds of the vulgar : and
by his reprefenting the objed; as receiving a
ffiape and features fuited to their confterna
tion. From look to look, contagious thro' the crowd
The panic runs, and into wond'rous fhapes
Th' appearance throws : armies in meet array,
I'hrong'd with aerial fpes^rs, and fteeds of fire.
Till

156 ANECDOTES OF THE
Till the long lines of full-extended war
In bleeding fight commix, the fanguinejood
Rolls a broad flaughter o'er the plains of heaven.
As thus they fcan the vifionary fcene.
On all fides fwells the fuperftitious din
Incontinent ; and bufy frenzy talks
Of blood and battle ; cities overturn'd, &c.
The defcription is carried on, and rifes by
a fine amplification ; till
Nature's felf
Is deem'd to totter on the brink of time .'
and is then concluded, and finely contrafted,
by the following ferene refledion:
Not fo the man of philofophic eye
And infpeft fage ; the waving brightnefs he
Curious furveys ; inquifitive to know
The caufes and materials yet unfix'd
Of this appearance. Adieu.

RUS SI AN EMPIRE, 157

LETTER XXV.
Account of a Comet ivhich ivas feen in Ruffia
in the Tear iy6Q. — Account of fome other
Comets.

DEAR SIR, St, Peterfijurg, Jan. 1770.
YOUR letter, infprming me that ypu were
engaged in the ftudy pf aftrpnomy,
gave me indeed the fincereft pleafure,- I cpn-
gratulate you on the delightful improveraent
it will afford yoU, In fo far as a mere lover
of that fcience may fpeak concerning it, I will
venture to affirm, that no literary purfuit
whatever enlarges the mind fo much, or
yields fuch fubfime enjoyment, I am con
vinced too, that it influences the heart and
manners. At leaft all thofe aftronomers
whom I have ever had the happinefs of
knowing, have been diftinguiffied for their
modefty, condefcenfion, and candour. Fond
as you are of this exalting fcience, I flatter
myfelf, that the following account of the
2 comet

158 ANECDOTES OF THE
comet that appeared here in the months of
Auguft and September laft will afford you
fome amufement.
This brilliant ftranger, in its progrefs
through the planetary regions, made its ap
pearance here on the 28th of Auguft. I had
the pleafure of feeing it early in the morning
on the ift of September. Its head was then
fituated almoft due eaft, thirteen degrees above
the horizon ; and made a right-angled triangle,
whofe hypoteneus was fixteen degrees, with
the bright ftar Aldebaran, and the moft
northern ofthe Pleiades. September the ift,
2d, and 3d, it advanced with an oblique
foutherly courfe, ftraight upon the ftar Bella-
trix in the ffiouldier of Orion. It pafl'ed that
ftar within lefs than half a degree, on the
morning of the 4th. By proceeding in fuch
a trad, and with fuch accelerated rapidity,
towards the Perihelion, it feems to have de-
fcended upon us, through the breaft of Aries,
about the beginning of Auguft ; and to have
croffed the Ecliptic, when near thirty de
grees diftant from the point of the vernal
Equinox. At that time it was probably too
remote to be difcerned. From Bellatrix it
moved

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.. tS9
moved onward to the Solflitial colure ; pair
ing that circle with two or three degrees of
N. declination ; and, before the loth of Sep
tember, arrived at the Celeftial Equator, hav
ing a right afcenfion of an hundred and three
degrees. On the 13th, it arofe along with
Sirius at three in the morning, and was then
feen, for the laft time, near the tail of Mono-
ceros, diftant from the Dog-ftar, as I was in
formed, twenty-fix degrees ; and from Pro-
cyon, or the Star ofthe Little Dog, fifteen de
grees. — In the evenings, about fix weeks af
ter, it was looked for in its return in the con-
ftellation Ophiuchus ; but I have not heard
that it was difcovered.
During all the nights I bad an opportunity
of attending to the progrefs of this illuftrious
vifitant, as the atmofphere was very ferene, I
was much gratified with the fine appearance
exhibited by the long train of diverging light
which formed the tail. On the morning pf
the 2d pf September, it had increafed frpm
twelve degrees pf length to near ftiirty,
ftretching from the weftern arm of Orion,
where the bead then was, full four degrees
beyond the two kappas of the Whale. On
3 the

i6o ANECDOTES OF THE
the 8th, the difplay of its radiance Was ftill
more majeftic; for it now occupied a fpace in
the heavens of no lefs than forty-four degrees,
reaching acrofs Orion, even beyond the ftars
in Eridanus. All this time it was haftening
towards the Sun's place in the Ecliptic ; and
by fuch rapid marches, that it was foon after
wards abforbed from our view by the efful
gence ofthe morning rays.
I need fcarce pbferve, that all the abpve
mptipns and diftances afcribed tP this beau-
tepus and eccentric wanderer, are pnly appa
rent. The real track pf a body fp cpnfidera
ble, thrnugh the orbits ofthe planets, is another
confideration ; ahd leads to refledions of a
very interefting nature. On this fubjed I
have received the following information from
an ingenious friend converfant in aftronomy,
who was much occupied in obferving the
places of the comet, and has fince fpent fome
time in computing from the data thus obtain
ed. According to him, its neareft approach
to the earth was on the 9th of September,
when it pafl'ed us at about a third part of our
mean diftance from the Sun. Had it arrived
at the fame point of its traje^ftory twentyrone days

RUSSIA]^ EMPIR£. i6i
days later. We ffiould have been ftill threfe
times nearer t though even at this neareft
poffible approach, as the bulk of the comet
Was relatively very fmall, the rhutual gravi
tation would have occafioned no tendency to
diforder iri the taotidns of our planet. It far
ther appears, that it paffed the plahe of th6
orbit of Venus from the north to the fouth,
in the month of Auguft, and repaflfed it
again in Odober ; both times at fuch a dif
tance from that planet, as to produce ho fen
fible eff"eds. On the 7th of Odober it had
reached its perihelion, and was ten times
nearer the Sun than we are. Mercury wai
alfo then fo much out of the way as to efcapd
difturbance. This comet is thought to be a riew onfe I
by which is meant, that it is difi'erent from
any one marked in the catalogue given us by
Dr. Halley, or any additions that fince his
time have been made to it. According to
the fame computations of its real fituation and
diftance, it folldws, that the lucid emanation
which formed the tail was elongated from the
nucleus, to the amazing extent of thirty-fix
millions of miles. No wonder, therefore, -
M that

i6z ANECDOTES OF THE
that fuch unufual radiance, when contrafled
with a dark and ferene air, ffiould have im
parted an awful magnificence to the heavens.
Nor could I behold it, for the firft time, with
out feeling my foul ffiaken with folemn ter
ror and veneration. It feemed like the ban
ner of Omnipotence, difplayed by fpme
mighty angel, and announcing, not only to
the nations upon earth, but to tbe whole
planetary region, from utmoft Saturn to the.
Sun himfelf, the power of their great Creator.
A voice pealing through the vaft void pf the
ftarry heavens, and prpclaiming fome awful
beheft, or tremendous fummona, though it
might have appalled, would not then have
furprifed me. — ^Refledion, I allow, and found
philofophy, exciteother emotions. They in-
ipire confidence in the goodnefs of that Being,
whofe power and wifdom are manifefted in
the order and harmony fo confpicuous in the
frame of nature.
Thefe are tby glorious works, Parent of good f
You will, no dmibt, have already difcover
ed, in the courfe of your enquiries and obfer
vations, that the aftronomy of comets is to be
confidered, even in this age of fcience, as in
its

ktJSSIATSr EMt>IRfi, , J63
its infancy. Ofthe number belonging to the
fyftem, there is tio room even for forming a
conjedUre: and in regard to their periods, phi-
lofophers are only beginning to know fome
thing. The great difadvantage under which
they labour, is the want of ancient obferva*
tions. It was unfortunately the prevailing
dodrine of the Ariftotelians, that comets were ,
but tranfient meteors, compofed of combufti-
ble matter, which floated cafually in the at
mofphere; and, on this account, they regard
ed them with very little attention. It is cef*
tain, however, that fome of the ancients en
tertained jufter conceptions. Seneca, in par
ticular, reafons upon this fubjed in a manner
fo juft and philofophical, that it is aftoniffiing
the mere authority of the fchpols could have
fo long diverted the attention of enquirers,
and prevented them fo long from beginning
really to obferve. The treatife* alluded to,
is fo remarkable foi- a tfain of the moft happy
fuggeftions, that I cannot help recommending
it to your perufal ; and to juftify what 1 ad-
Vance, allow me to lay before you the follow
ing quotations :^»-" Ego noftris non affentior.
* Qo^fl:. Natur. 1. vii.
M 2 '« Non

i64 ANECDOTES OF THE
" Non enim exiftimo cometen fubetaneum
?* ignem, fed inter seterna opera naturae *. —
" Cometes habet fuam fedem: et ideo non
" cito expellitur, fed emittitur fuum fpatium :
" non extinguitur, fed excedit. Si erratica,
" inquit, ftella effet, in fignifero effet. Quis
*' unuin ftellis limitem ponit ?' Quis in an-
" guftum divina corapellit? Nerape hsec ipfa
" fidera, quas fola moveri credis, alios et alios
" circulos habent. Quare ergo non aliqua
" fint qU2e in proprium iter, et ab iftis re-
*' motum fecefTerintf ?— Multa funt quse efle
" concedimus : qualia fint, ignoramus. —
*' Quid ergo miramur, cometas, tam rarum
" fpedaculum, non dum teneri legibus certis;
" neque initia illorum, finefque notefcere
" quorum ex inge'ntibus intervallis recurfus
<< gf^ ?'>.  " With our philofophers I do not
" agree. I cannot believe that a comet is a
•' fire fuddenly kindled, but that it ought to
«' be ranked among the everlafting works of
'" nature. A comet has its proper place,
«' from which it is not quickly thrown out ;
" but goes its courfe : is not extinguiffied ;
?' but leaves us. An objedor may fay, if it
• Cap, 22. t Cap. 23, 2.^,25.
*' were

R U S S I A N E M P I R E. 165
" were a wandering ftar, it would keep in
•' the zodiac. But who can confine the ftars ?
*' or reflrain the works of God to a narrow
*' compafs ? Thpfe very ftars, believed by
" you to be the only bodies of the kind that
** have any motion, move in circles very dif-
*' ferent from one another. Why, therefore,
" may not forae ftars withdraw into paths of
" their own, and diftind from the reft .'' We
" grant that many things exift, of whofe na-
" ture we are ignorant. Why then ffiould
" we be furprifed, fince the appiearance of
" comets is fo rare, that we know nothing of
" the laws by which their motions are go-
" verned, nor of the limits within which
" they move, nor of the periods in which
" they revolve ?" To thefe wonderful anti
cipations he fubjoins the following remark
able prophecy : " Veniet tempus, quo ifla quas
" nunc latent in lucem dies extrahat, et lon-
" gioris'sevi diligentia. Ad inquifitiohem
" tantorura setas una non fufficit. Veniet
" tempus, quo pofteri noftri tam aperta nos
" nefciffe mirentur. Erit qui ^emonflret
'' aliquando, in quibus cometse partibus er-
" rent, cur tam fedudi a casteris eant, quanti
*' qualefque fint.''  " The time will come,
M 3 " when

>60 ANECPOTES OF THE
''' when thofe things which are now hid
" from us, ffiall, by 'the diligence and obfer-
" vation of after ages, be fully difclofed.
** For one age alone is not fufficient for in*
•' veftigating matters of fuch importance.
** The time will come, when pofterity will
?' wonder that we were ignorant of things fo
*' plain. One will arife, who will demon-
^' ftrate in what region of fpace the comets
** wander, why they recede fo far from the
*' other planets, hpw great, and vvhat fprt pf
¦' bodies they are."
But notwithftanding this bright emanatfoa
from a philofophy fo pure and' refined,, it was
not till about the year 1 3cp that comets were
obferved with any attention. Mention is
made, indeed, by authors before that "period of
no fewer than 415; but from their informa
tion, little elfe, excepting the knowledge that
fuch bodies made their appearance at the time
fpecified, can be derived, The particulars
narrated are too general to admit of any cer
tain comparifon with comets that have vifited
us in later times. But fince the thirteenth
pentury, or rather fince the time pf Tycho
Brahej fp m\ich has been accompliffied, that
aftroooraers
t

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 167
aftronomers have now about fifty comets fo
well afcertained, that they will have no diffi
culty of knowing, whether any which may
hereafter appear be of that number. Thfe
period of any one, being in this manner de
termined, its return in future times may be
foretold : and thus, by degrees, the number
of all thofe ftars may come to be known, and
their courfes fettled. In the year 1758,
aftronomers had juft caufe of triumph, by the
adual return of one of thofe bodies, according
to a predidion founded on the principles now
mentioned; This was the comet which had
appeared before in the year 16 i 2, and which
feems tb be the Mercury of all the reft, as it
is now certain, that it revolves about the Sun
in fo ffiort a period as feventy-fix years. Se
venty-five years was its period the time be
fore; but Dr, Halley ffiewed plainly, from
the laws pf gravitation, that the adion ofthe
planets would neceffarily protrad its return
about one year: and therefore prognpfticated,
that its return would be tpwards the end pf
1758, pr the beginning pf 1755;. Thefe con-
clufions were alfo confirmed by fome moft
elaborate computations made by the members
ofthe French academy, when the time drew
M 4 near.

i68 ANECDOTES OF THE
pear, and when the attention pf philofpphers
was again direded tP a fubjed fp interefting,
The fad, by a uioll pxad agreeraent, juftified
the principles upon which they had founded
their opinion : for, in the evening of the
25th pf Deceraber 1758, the expeded vifitant
was difpovered tending to its perihelion, and
continued vifible till the 14th pf February
^759' when it was near its conjundion.. Ori
the ift of April it again appeared in its recefs
from the Sun, in the morning; and was ob
ferved, by many aftronomers, in different
parts of Europe for a confiderable time after,
with fuch cii-cumftances as left no doubt pf its
being the identical cpmet that had appeared
in 1682, — There is anPther comet, which,
from the correfpondence of period with one
fprmerly obferved, and other ftriking circura-
ftances of agreerpent, both as to the fpecies and
fituation of the orbit, is expedted to return at
a determined time ; and that too at nb great
diftance. This is the comet which appeared
in 153-} and 1661, and which, at an equal
interval of 129 years, maybe again lopked
fpr about the year 1789.
' - ¦¦ ¦ ¦ . The

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. J69
The comet, with, whofe appearance we are
next beft acquainted is, that memorable one
which was feen;fo long in the year 1680. At
that time a concurrence of happy circura-
ftanqes contributed to the improvement of
this part of aftronomy. The comet itfelf, of
all others, from the extraordinary curvature
of its prbit, was moft fuited to difcover to us
the laws by which its motions were governed.
Its trad- in the heavens was carefully and cri
tically marked by Cafini and Flamftead, inthe
lately eftabliffied obfervatofies at Paris and
Greenwich. But, above all. Sir Isaac New
ton then floufiffied in the vigour of his ge
nius, and had unfolded the true fyftem of the
world. He demonftrated, from many obfer
vations of this great comet, that, like the pla-!.
nets, it was fubjed to the law of general gra-p
vitation ; and, like them, refpeded the Sun
in its periodical courfe. After this, upon the
principles laid down by Sir Ifaac Newton,
Dr. Halley determined, by an elaborote com
putation,! what would be the motion of a body
earried round the Sun in a certain ellipfis,
with a period of 575 years, and found it moft
perfedly to a^ree with the obferved places of
jhis very comet. Perceiving this, and re-
A marking

^76 ANECDOTES OF THE
markiug that biftbry makes mention of three
Very extraordinary comets which fucceeded
one another by the fame number of years, he
concluded, not without the higheft probabi
lity, that all of them were one and the fame
comet, whofe laft return to its perihelion was
in the year 1680. s
The firft period, according to the informa-»
tion given me by the friend to whom I am
in4ebied for the preceding account, carries us
back to the year 1 106, when Henry the Firft
was jKing of England. The comet is re
corded in the Saxon Chronicle by one who
feems to have been an eye witnefs. He tells
us, " That on Friday, February 16, a won-
" devful comet appeared ; and was feen a
*' long time afterwards every evening. The
" ftar itfelf was in the fouth-eaft ; but tbe
" ray which proceeded from it was very clear
*' and large, ffiining to the north-weft."—
Alfo, in the confulate of Lampadius and
Oreftes, in the time of the Emperor Juftinian,
another comet like this appeared ; and is
mentipned in the following manner by the
author of the Antiochean Chronicle: — " A
*' great atid fearful ftsir appeared in the weft,
*« fending

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 171
** fendiqg forth a white beam upwards,
*' which, as it appeared like the flaffies pf
" lightning, fome called it Larapadioi^. It
*' was feen for twenty days."-^Another pe
riod of 3*75 years brings us to the 44th year
before Chrift, when, foon after the death of
Julius Cagfar, a very remarkable comet ap
peared, mentioned b.y many biftorians ; and
fllfo by Pliny, who gives us the very words of
Auguftua Casfar concerning it;—*' In the
*' very days of my games, a blazing ftar was
*' feen in that part of the heavens which is
*• under the Septemtriones. It arofe about
** the eleventh hour ; and was clearly to bp
*' feen all over the world,"— From thefe ac-?
counts it appears, that this comet has been
ofaferwed thrice fince the birth of Chrift; and
once before that sera. In all four times. But
if it p&rforms its revolution regularly and
uniformly in the fpace of 575 yeab, it muft,
though unobferved, have returned frequently
before that period. If you confult Blair's
Chronological Tables upon this fubjed, you
will find, that it muft have returned in the
year 6ig, B. C. in the reign of Jofiah Jiing
of Judah, when Halyattus II. reigned in Ly
dia, or, dccordipg to Alfledius, in the reign of

172 ANECDOTES OF THE
King Hezekiah. The next period of its ap
pearance muft have been in the year ii'94,
B. C. at the beginning of the Trojan war.
Another period of 575 years carries us back
to the year 1769, B. C. ; and in the year
1764 was the deluge of Ogyges, by which
a confiderable part of Greece was rendered
defolate for 200 years. Other 575 years
brings ypu to the yeiar 2344, B. C. within
four years of the univerfal deluge, which hap
pened in the year 1348. Add sf^ years, and
you come tp the year 2919, B, C. the asra pf
Laraach and Mathufalem. And by anpther
revplution of our comet, we come at the year
3494, B. C. ; fo that if this account be well
founded, it muft have vifited us fix times be
fpre the birth of Chrift, exclufive of its ap
pearance in the age pf Auguftus. If you fup
pofe its revolutions to have gone on in the
fame order before our globe was brought
into the fyftem, you will have it travelling
through our planetary region no later than
fixty-five years before what we call the crea
tion of the world. I leave you to your own
refledions on thefe, I had almoft, called them
gpincidences. If they are not, they are yery
nearly fo : and if this be granted, might not
great

RUSSIAN EMPI RE. 173
great allowance be made for inaccuracy of
calculations ; difficulty of afcertaining ancient
dates ; and alfo for variety, produced by un
known caufes in the period in which tlie co
met itfelf may have performed its revolution ?
The known anomalies in the motions of other
comets, and even of the planets belonging to
our fyftem, occafioned by rautual gravitation,
or their adions on one another, render this
laft fuppofition by no means improbable.
But you will fay, I am launching into the fea
of conjedure.
One thing, hovvever, is certain, that this
very comet, of all others yet known, interferes
moft with the path of the planets; and more
efpecially with that of our habitation. Nor
is it poffible to read Dr, Halley's defcription
of the progrefs of a body fo vaft and formi
dable, in its laft vifit to the Sun, without
confiderable emotion, " Now this comet,"
fays he, " in that part of its orbit in which it
*' defcended towards the Sun, came fo near
" the path of all the planets, that if by
" chance it had happened to meet any one of
V them when paffing by, it muft have pro-
'' duced very fenfible effeds ; and the mo-
" tion

174 ANECDOTES OF THE
" tion of the comet itfelf would have fuffered
" the greateft difturbance, Itt fuch a cafe,
*• the plane and fpecies of its elliptic orbit, and
*' its periodic time, would have been gready
" changed ; efpecially from cpming near Ju-
" piter. In the late defcent, the true path pf
" the cpmet left the prbit of Saturn and Ju-
" piter below itfelf a little towards the fouth ;
" it approached much nearer to the paths of
*' Venus and Mercury ; a;nd much nearer
'• ftill to that of Mars, But as it was paffing
" through the plane of the ecliptic to its
" fouthern node, it came fo near to the plane
"ofthe Earth, that, had it arrived thirty
" days later than it did, it would fcarce have
" left our globe one femidiameter of the Sun
" towards the nnrth, and, without doubt, by
" its centripetal force, it would have pro-
" duced fome change upon the fituation and
*• fpecies of the Earth's orbit, and upon the
•' length of the year. But may the great
" good God avert a ffiock or 'con tad of fuch
'• great bodies, moving with fuch forces
?' (which however, is manifeftly not impof-
«* fiblej, left this beautiful order of things be
" entirely deftroyed, and reduced into its an-
*' cient chaos !" Allow

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 175
Allow me to conclude my letter with repeat
ing my congratulation on your having begun
tbe ftudy ofthe ftars ; and to give you joy on
tbe delightful improveraent it will afford you.
Permit me alfo to fay, that, in profecuting
this ftudy, perfons in your fituation have pe
culiar advantages.
Di tibi divitias dederint, artemque fruendi.
I fee you, in " my raind's eye," ffiaking off
the flumbers of that light and refreffiing fleep
which only vifits the couch of temperance .;
anticipating the dawn of morning ; afcend
ing the little eminence in the lawn adjoining
to your elegant villa ; and there converfing
with the hoft of heaven. You will never re
pent of fuch early vigils ; but will find thofe
filent times, before the buftle and cares of the
day begin, the fitteft feafon for contemplation.
Beholding, with philofophic attention, thpfe
gloripus fires that blaze thrpugh the regions
pf boundlefs fpace, and adminifter their be
nign influences to innumerable furrounding
planets ; how your thoughts will afcend ; and
your heart glpw with ferene enjoyment !
With what tranfport of foul will you refled,
that all this exuberance of creatipn was fprm- ed

176 AN E C D O T E S OF T HE
ed by the rule of isvifdom, and is gpverned hf
immutable prder .'—Ye glorious fires ! hoW
long have you kept watch in the heavens ?
Where were ye before your courfes brought
time itfelf into being ? By what originafl
fpark were ye kindled ? Who ftored with light
your never-failing urns ? Is the morning' of
your exiftence ftill remembered, when the
Almighty yet held you in the palm of his
hand .•* Know, ye ftqpendous hoft J though
your radiance prpclaims an prder pf things
raajeftically great ; yet the eye pf reafpn is
filled with rays of a far purer luftre. They
beam from beyond thq veil that furrounds
you; and with irrefiftible energy, raife our
views to that eternal, felf-exiftent Effence, the
fountain of life, the great Author of univerfal
nature,
Thefe are thy glorious works, Parent of g"0 ',
Almighty, thine this univerfal frame.
Thus wond'rous fair j thyfelf how wond'rous then!
. UnfpeakabJe ! who fitt'It above thefe heav'ns.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. ¦fn

LETTER XXtL
An Equefirian Statue' of Peter the Great. -^
The Rock intended for the Pedefial.
^D EAR SIR, St, Peterfburg, 1770.
THE moft fkilful and ingenious ftatuary
in EuropCj is employed here at prefent
in executing an Equeftrian Statue of Peter
the Great, The defign in this work is partly
allegorical. T^be pedeftal is to reprefent a
rock, and the horfe appears with great fpirit
and exertion in the ad of afcending it. This
is to indicate the difficulties furmounted by
Peter in his great' labour of reforming the
Ruffians. An ehormous fnake, by which
Envy is typefied, appears, though ftill lifting
its head, to be trampled upoii by the hind-
feet of the horfe, I confefs this feems to met
both a conceit and a common-place ornament.
Befides, as benign and complacent emotions
are intended to be the general effe<^ pro
duced by the Statue in the beholder, the cir
cumftance now mentioned conveys too much
of a different feeling. For, in works of tafte,
unity of feeling is of no frnalU importance.
N The

178 ANECDOTES OF THE
The fnake, however, ferves a more convenient
purpofe J and is very ufeful in fupporting or
in fixing the horfe's tail.
Peter is in the attitude of ftretching out
one of his arms. He is thus intended to ex
prefs parental affedion for his people : and
when we are told that this is the artift's in
tention, we are fatisfied that he ha^ done
what he purpofed. The expreffion of the
countenance is happy and charaderiftic : you
fee in it affedion and wifdom ; not, however,
without fome lineaments of that ferocity which
ferved as a foil to Peter's amazing merit. At
the fame time, I could have wiffied that the
work, which, in other refpeds, is really ex
quifite, had been lefs allegorical. The graces
and beauties of allegory fubmit not their de
licate tints and features either to the pencil or
the chifel. They are challenged by the
mufe alone, < ' The drapery in this ftatue is,
with great judgment, intended to be as fimple
as poffible. It exhibits the original drefs of
the Ruffians, The ftatue, you may be fure*
is a topic of converfation here at prefent;
and this laft circumftance has given occafion
for fome good criticifm on the Cofiume.
The

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 17^
The rock intended for the pedeftal, is it
felf a curiofity. I went lately into Carelia^
where it now lies, that I might fee it in its
natural ftate. It was then forty feet long,
twenty-two in breadth, and twenty-two in
height ; but before it be brought to St. Peterf
burg, it will probably be a good deal curtailed.
It is quite detached, lying a little way beloW
the furface of the earth, and is altogether un-
conneded with any ftratum of ftone or of
rock. In its corapofitidn it feems to contain
a great deal of granite and onyx. It admits
of an exquifite poliffi ; anddifplays fome beau
tiful mixtures of white, black, and grey. In
fome of its veins it fparkles ; and fome of its
ftreaks exhibit a fine mixture of pale red, or
bluffi colour. Ear-rings and fieeve-buttons,,cut
out of the fragments of this roCk, are at pre
fent very faffiionable. It is to be conveyed to
the fide of the Neva on a machine drawn by
men : it is there to be put on board a large
barge, and to be towed by boats to the city.
The artift who is engaged irt this im'mortal
work, has brought with him to this place a
fine marble figure, intended as an allegorical
reprefentation of Winter. A very proper or
nament, you will fay, for the metropolis of a
N 2 northern

i8o ANECDOTES OF THE
northern empirei There is, however, fome
thing very particular in the nature of the de
fign. "Winter is reprefented as a feraale, very
beautiful, and very young. She is ari-ayed in
loofe drapery ; her countenance is expreffive
ofthe moft tender affedion, as ffie appears
gracefully bending over fome winter flowers,
and in the ad of proteding them, with a fold
of her garment, frora the feverity of the wea
ther. But how, you will afk, as I took the
liberty of floing, are we to know that this is
Winter ? By the following — ffiall I venture
to fay, conceit ? — Near her, on the pedeftal, is
an earthen vafe filled with water : the fluid,
by fexpanfion occafioned by ffie froft, had
burft the edge of the veffel, and the broken
fragment is lying befide it ! But my chief
objedion is againft the general defign.
Ought not Winter, agreeably to the condud
both of poets and painters, to appear herfelf
not infenfible to the effeds of cold ? Is not
Death, w;hen perfonified, reprefented as a
flteleton ? or fuch as Milton has reprefented
him ? And is not~ Danger, exhibited by Col
lins, in adual danger ?
Danger ! whofe limbs pf giant mould.
What mortal eye can fix'd behold ?
Who

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. i8i
Who ftalks his round, an hideous form,
tiowling amid the midnight ftorm;
Or throws him on the ridgy fteep
Of fome loofe hanging rock to fleep.
Fear, by the fame Poet, appears ftarting, fly
ing, and in diforder :
Ah, Fear 1 ah, frantic Fear !
1 fee, I fee thee nearj
I know thy hurried ftep, thy haggard eye.
Like thee I ftarc, like thee diforder'd fly,
Defpair, too, according to the mafterly deli
neation of Spenfer, is reprefented as fuffering
the moft excruciating torment.
" Thefe writers," replies the artift, who
is alfo an acute critic, " have conduded
" themfelves erroneoufly, I follow a plan
"more confiftent, and inore corred. I re-
" prefent the Power who prefides over the
" feafon; who has the fole management of
" frofts and of tempefts ; and cannot there-
" fore be fuppofed to . fuffer by their incle-
" mency." The thought is ingenious; but
I cannot fubfcribe to the dodrine. The dif-
cuffion of this point, however, would involve
me in a longer letter than I have leifure to
write at prefent. Adieu,
N3

 mi

iBt ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXVIL
Fables imitated from the German of Gellert.
DEAR SIR, St, Peter/burg, 1770.
THE moft popular among the living au
thors in Germany, in fo far as I may
jjidge from what I can hear of German lite
rature in this place, is the famous Gellert.
He is 3; profeffor at Leipfig ; and is univerfally
celebrated, not only as a man pf diftinguiffi-'
ed ability, but pf great wprth. As an authpr,
he is particularly diflinguiffied fpr fmppth-
nefs pf verfification, propriety of expreffion,
and elegance, rather than ftrength of inven
tion. His works are of different kinds ^
Letters, tales, and fables. In the apologue,
he is confidered as the Phsedrus of Germany
I ffiall therefpre cpnclude the fpeciraens I have
already given ypu pf German literature, with
the fpllpwing imitations of fome of his fables.
They are imitations, rather tranflations: I

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 183
would have rendered them into verfe, if I had
felt myfelf in a mood for rhyming; or rather
if I had thought myfelf equal to the talk.
Nor can I pretend to any thing elfe in the
fubfequent outlines, than to give you fome
notion of the inventive powers of an author,
whom bis countrymen have ranked very high
among thofe that excel in elegant compofi

tion. * * * * *

The NIGHTINGALE and the LARK.
A Lesson to Poets.
WHILE a Nightingale chanted in the midft
of a foreft, the neighbouring bills and val
leys were delighted with her exquifite me
lody. Every wild bird forgot to fing, liften-
ing with fond admiration. Aurora tarried
behind the hill, attending tp her mufical ca
dences ; and Philomel, in honour of the god-
defs, warbled with unufual fweetnefs- At
length ffie paufed, and the Lark took |the op
portunity of thus addreffing her: "Your
" mufic meets with juft approbation; the
'' variety, the clearnefs, and tendernefs ofthe
N 4 " notes

|84 ANECDOTES OF THE
" notes are inimitable : nevertbelefs, in one
*' circumftance I am entitled to a preference,
*' My melody is uninterrupted ; and every
*' morning is uffiered with my gtatulations.
*' Your fong, on the contrary, is heard but
*' feldom ; and, except during a few weeks
** in the fummer, you have no claim to pe-
*' culiar attention." " You have mention-
¦' ed," replied the Nightingale, " the very
** caufe of my fuperior excellence. I attend
*' to, and obey, the didates of Nature. I ne-
?' ver fing but by her incitement, nor ever
*• yield to importuj^ate, but uninfpired inclina-
V tion," ' ' IL
The TRAVELLER,
DURING the violence of a ftorm, a Travel
ler implored relief from Jupiter, and intreat-
ed him to affuage the tempeft. But Jupiter
lent a deaf ear tb his intreaty. Struggling
with the unabating fury of the whirlwind*
tired, and far from fhelter, he grew peeviffi
and difcontented. ^* It is thus (he faid)
^' the Gcds, to whom our facrlfices are offers-
» ed 4ail7> heedlefs of our welfare, and
*' aroufed

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 185
** amufed witb our fufferings, make an ofteo-
•* tatious parade of their omnipotence." At
length, approaching the verge of a foreft
" Here," he cried, " I ffiall find that fuccour
" and protedion which Heaven, either unable
*• or unwilling, bath refufed." But as he
advanced, a robber rofe . fuddenly from a
brake ; and our Traveller, irapelled by iriftant
terror, and the profped of great danger, be-,
took himfelf. to flight, expofing himfelf to
the tempeft of vvhich he had, fo bitterly com
plained. His enemy,. mean while, fitting an
arrow to his bow, topk exad aim ; but the
bow-ftring being relaxed with the moifture,
the deadly weapon fell ffiort of its mark, and
the Traveller efcaped.titiinjured. As he con
tinued his journey, a voice iffued awful from
the clouds: " Meditate on the providence as
";well as oh the powe^ of Heaven. The
?' ftorm which you deprecated fo blafpher
" moufly, hath been the means of your pre-
*? fervation. Had not the bow-firing of your
*' enemy been rendered ufelefs by th« rain,
*' you had fallen a prey to his violence I"

III.

186 ANECDOTES OF THE
IIL
A Well-timed REBUKE.
PHILINDA, in the bloom of youth and
beauty, foon became confcious of her charms.
Like other comely maids, ffie attired herfelf
in gaudy apparel, and was conftantly confult
ing her mirror. Her brother, a grave and
formal philofopher; celebrated fpr his erudi
tion, declaimed againft the vanity of the fex.
*• Have a care," replied Philinda, with a
fmile, " left the charge be retorted. Hourly
*' I take counfel with my mirror, and hourly
" you rehearfe your own compofitions."
IV.
The TENDER WIFE.
CLARINE loved her huffiand with fincerc
affedion ; for they had been only fix weeks
married. He conftituted ber fole felicity ;
for he was exadly fuited to her raind. Their
defires and averfions were the fame. It was
Clarine's ftudy, by diligent attention, to anti
cipate her hufband's wiffies. *' Such a wife,"
(ays my male reader, who entertains thoughts of

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 187
of matrimony, *' fuch a wife would I de
fire '," And fuch a wife mayft thou enjoy. —
Clarine's huffiand fell fick. A dangerous
malady. " No hope," faid the Phyfician,
and ffiook his awful wig. Bitterly wept Cla-
rine : *' O Death, might I p.refer a petition !
•* Spare, O fpare my huffiand ! Let me be the
*' vidim in his ftead !" Death heard, appear
ed ; " and what," cried he, " is thy requeft ?''
*' There," faid Clarine, trembling and afto-
*' niffied, " there he lies ; pierced with in-
" tolerable agony, he implores tby fpeedy
" relief!" V,
The YELLOW HAMMER and
NIGHTINGALE,
A Yellow Hammer and a Nightingale were
fufpended in their cages at the outfide of Da
mon's window. The Nightingale began to
Warble, and Damon's child was fmit with ad
miration of his melody. " Which of the
" birds," faid he, " fings fo delightftlly ?"
" I will ffiew you them," anfwered the fa
ther, *' and you may guefs," The boy
|ixed his eye on the Yellow Hammer :
« This

i88 ANECDOTES OF THE
" This muft be the fongfter. How beauti-
" fully painted are his feathers ! The other,
" you may fee by his plumage, is quite un-
" mufical, and good for nothing !" " The
*• vulgar," faid Damon, "judge precifely af
ter the fame rnanner^ and form their opi-
" nion of merit merely by external appear-
*' ance." VI.
The FOX and MAGPIE.
SAlD-Renard tb a Magpie, " May I pre-
•' fume to afls the fubjed of your inceffant
•' difcourfe ? Doubtlefs you difcufs many cu-
•' rious and important inquiries." " True,"
aiifwered the Magpie, " I minifter truth and
" inftrudion to the public. From the eagle
*' even to the bat, all partake of my wifdom."
*' May I requeft a fpecimen of your know-
" ledge ?" faid the Fox, with a fubmiffive
tone. — As a quack-dodor mounts the ftage,
extols the virtue of his drugs, draws out a vo
luminous handkerchief, and coughs, and fpits,
and harangues ; fo the Magpie, fkipping
from bough to bough, whetting his beak, and
affuming an air of profound fagacity and im-
portance, addrejTed hisdifciple: " A'y chief
9 y delight

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 1S9
" delight is in communicating and diffufing
" knowledge. Attend to the following
" theory, proved by inconteftable fads, and
*' of fignal confequence to the welfare of
*' foxes :— Have you not hitherto imagined,
" that it is by four feet alone that you per-^
" form the operations of running and walk-
" ing ?" " Certainly," faid Renard, " Then
*' be affured," added the inftrudor, " that
*' you have laboured under a grofs mifappre-'
" henfion. I will evince, by irrefragable ar-
*' guments, that you run, walk, and fkip
" upon five feet. When you run, your foot
'' moves ; and when you neither walk nor
" run, ypur foot is at reft. Again, when you
" walk, your tail touches the ground. Thefe
" principles are fimple and felf-evident.
" Mark the confequence. When your foot
" moves, your tail moves ; your foot moves
" from one place to anpther; and fo does
" your tail. And, again, when you run
" full fpeed, your tail touches the ground ;
" therefore your tail is your fifth jfoot :
" Q^E. D." " Excellent," cried the Fox,
*' the lefs we know, the readier we are to in-
*' ftrud and dempnftrate." VII.

/

i^o ANECDOTES OF THE
VIL
The PAINTER.
A fkilful Painter ffiewed a pidure of
Mars tP a Connpiffeur, and afked his ppinion
cpncerning it. The Cnnupiffeur examined it
clpfely, and fpoke his fentiments without re
ferve. He told him he difliked it; alleging
many good reafons for his diflike. But the
artift was of a different mind ; and his friend
difputed with him at great length, without
being able to cpnvince him. Meantime a
Fpp entered the rppm ; and cafting a fuperfi-
cial glance at the pidure, " Gpod Heavens !"
cried he, in an extafy of admiratipn, " what
*' a mafter-piece pf art and invention ! what
" an elegant fopt ! and hpw exadly are the
*• nails prppprtioned ! Mars lives in the pic-
'* ture ! What ingenuity in that ffiield ! and
*' how much Ikill in the execution of the
" belraet !" The Painter was covered witb
utter ffiame and confufion. " Now," faid
he, " I am cpnvinced pf my miftake :" And
the mpment his applauding vifitant withdrew,
he expunged the • gndhead.'  The wprk is
bad, if a judge difapprpves ; if a fpol praifes,
craze. 6 VIIL

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 191
VIIL
The HIDDEN TREASURE.
A FATHER, on bis death-bed, thus ad,
dreffed his Son : " Providing for your welfare,
" 1 laid up a Treafure  " Death interrupted
him; fpr, without finiffiing his fpeech, he
died. " A Treafure I" faid the Son ; " but
*'^ where ?" — As foon, therefore, as the funeral
ceremonies were performed, he gathered bis
friends and neighbours, and, with fpades and
pick-axes, turned up tbe adjacent fields.
Their fearch was fruitlefs, and the young
man, in defpair, difmiffed them. But looking
accidentally into the bed where bis Father died,
he found the Treafure. " In like manner,"
fays the Moralift, " we often negled the di-
" red and immediate means of difcovering
*' tbe truth, and defpife them becaufe they
** are eafy."

«9i ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXVIIL
The Slavery of the Ruffian Peafants.

DEAR SIR,
T WILL endeavour, in fo far as my own ob-
fervation extends, and in fo far as 1 may
depend on the information I have received
from others, to fatisfy your enquiries concern
ing the political fituation, and national cha
rader, of the Ruffians, On this fubjed I
ffiall lay the fadts and obfervations before
you in the order in which they occur; and
with fuch occafional incidents or anecdotes, as
may tend to illuftrate any general remark.
Nor will I trouble you with any apology fdf
a method, if it may be terraed raethod, fo very
defultory. In truth, I want leifure, and, per
haps, many other requifites, for compofing a
formal treatife, I will therefore con fole my
felf, and endeavour to fatisfy you, by obferv
ing, that, for the purpofes of mere amufe
ment, the arrangement I have chofen is per
haps

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. igj
haps as proper as any other. I have alfo to
premife, that if any thing fevere ffiall happen
tP efcape me cpncerning the fprm pf the Ruf
fian gpvernment, it can pnly be cpncerning
Xhefornij and withput any view tP the pi*efent
adminiftratipn. I believe fincerely that nd
defppf, pr, if ypu like the term better, Uo ab
folute monarch, ever ruled vvith more prii^
dencej or ftudied the welfare of his pepple
with mpre reditude of intention j than the pre
fent Emprefs of Ruffia, Yet it is impoffible
for a native of Britain, giving an account of
this country tb sin Engliffimaui not to exprefs
fuch feelings and refledions, as a comparifon
between the Britiffi government, and that cf
other nations, muft naturally fuggeft.
The peafants in Ruffia^ that is to fay, the
greateft part of the fubjeds of this empire^
are in a ftate of abjed flavery ; and are
reckoned the property of the nobles to whom
they belong, as much as their dogs and horfes.
Indeed, the wealth of a great man in Ruffia
is not computed by the extent of land he
poffeffes, or by the quantity of grain he can
bring to market, but by the number of his
flaves. Thofe belonging to Prince Shereba-
0 toff,

194 ANECDOTES OF THE
toff, and conftituting his fortune, are faid to
be no lefs in number than a hundred and
twenty-feven thoufand.
Every flave pays about a ruble * yearly to
his owner; and if he be in the way of mak
ing money, the tribute he pays is augment*
ed. In general, every Ruffian nobleman
allots to, the peafants that belong to him, a
certain pprtion of land to be cultivated by
them, the produce of which, excepting what
fiiffices for their own maintenance, is paid to
the proprietor. Sometimes thofe flaves prac-
tife trades, or engage in traffic; and all fuch
perfons pay a much greater fum yearly to
their owners, than is done by the labourer of
the ground. In fad, a .Ruffian peafant has
no property ; every thing he poffeffes, even
the miferable raiment that ftelters him from
the cold, may be feized by his mafter as his
own.  A carpenter, being known to have
made fome money, was commanded by the
rapacious fteward of a rapacious Knaez, to
give two hundred rubles to his owner. The
man obeyed, and brpught the mpney in.cop-
• Four Slulling). f per.

RUSSIAN E M P I R fe. 1^5
ptr. " I muft have it in filver," faid the
fteward. The flave^ denying that he had fd
much, was inftantly fcourged till he promifed
'to fulfil the demand. He brpught the filverj
and the covetous fuperior retained both the
filver and copper.  You will eafily con
ceive, that men in this fituation, if they are
ever enabled to improve their fprtiines, will
cpneeal their wealth, and affume an external
appearance of indigence and mifery.
The Pwner has alfo the; power of felling big
flave, or of hiring his labour to other per
fons ; and, it happens fometimes^ that a
Knaez, or Boyard, ffiall give a flave to a
neighbouring Bdyard in exchange for a dog
or a horfe. The oWrtei: may alfo inflid oil
his -flaves whatever puniffiment he pleafes,
and fcir ariy fort of offence. It is againft lawj
indeed, to put any of them to death ; yet it
happens, fonietimes, that a poor flave dies of
the Wounds he receives from a paffioriate and
Unrelenting fuperior. I have heard, that not
long ago a lady at Mofcowj the fifter of
Marifchal S-'---'" "¦, was cdnvided of having
put to death upwards of feventy flaves, by
feourging, and by infliding upon them other
O 2 barbarous
0

196 ANECDOTES OF THE
barbarous puniffiments. It was a matter of
amufemeat with her to contrive fuch modes
of puniffiment as were whimfical and un
ufual. Such enormity, however, notwith
ftanding' her rank, and the great power which
the nobility have over their flaves, *was not to
pafs with impunity. She was tried, was
found guilty, and condemned to fland in the
market-place, with a label on her breaft de
claring her crime, and to be ffiut up in a dun
geon. But ffie, who had felt no reludance in
making her fellow-creatures fuffer the moft
inhuman torments, and had even amufed her
felf with the variety of their fufferings, had
fuch a fenfe of her rank, and fuch lively feel
ings of her own difgrace, that pride, ffiame,
and refentment deprived her of her reafon.
In truth, both the crime and the puniffiment
feem to me ftrongly marked with the charac
ters of barbarity.
As a Ruffian peafant has no property, can
enjoy none of the fruits of his own labour
more than is fufficient to preferve his exift
ence, and Can tranfmit nothing to his children
but the -inheritance of wretched bondage, he
thinks of nothing beypnd the prefent. Ypu are
4

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 197
are not, of confequence, to exped among
them much.induftry and exertion. Expofed
to corporal puniffiment, and put on the foot
ing of irrational animals, how can they poft
fefs that fpirit and elevation of fentiment
which diftinguiffi the natives of a free ftate ?
Treated with fo much inhumanity, hovv can
they be humane ? I am confident, that moft
of the defeds which appear in their national
charader, are in confequence of the defpotifm
of the Ruffian government.
I mentioned that the revenue of a Riiffian
nobleman arifes from thofe lands which are
cultivated by his flaves; and fometimes in
their being employed in other occupations
than tillage, They often come from diftant
provinces, and are either ernployed as domef
tic flaves, mechanics, or as day-labo,urers, at
Mofcow, Peterffiurg, and other cities, In
thefe cafes they muft have certificates and a
written permit, fpecifying their naraes,
owners, and the time they are allowed to be
abfent. When they come to any greatjtowp,
with a view of remaining there, and engaging
themfelves in any work, the perfon who em
ploys them muft lodge their certificates with
O 3 the

ANECDOTES OF THE
the mafter of the. police in the place wher^
they are about to refide, After remaining
their allotted time, they muft return to their
former owiiers, and muft be accountable to
them for every thing they have earned, — T^'
thefe pradices the Emprefs alludes in the fol
lowing paffages, in her inftrudions to the de
puties affembled for making laws: — " It
^' feems too, that the method of exacting
" their revenues, invented by the lords, di-
^' miniffies both the inhabitants, and the fpi-
" rit of agriculture, in Ruffia- Almpft all
" the villages are heavily taxed. The lords,
^' who feldom or never refide in their yilr
" lages, lay an impoft on every head, of one,
" two, and even five rubles, without the leaft
" regard lo the means by which their peafants
" may be able to raife this money, It is
»' highly neceffary that the law ffiould pre-?
^' fcribe a rule to the lords, for a more judi-
" cious method of raifing their revenues;
^' and oblige them to levy fuch a tax as tends
f leaft to feparate the peafant from his houfe
" and family : this would be the means by
" which agriculture would become more ex-
^' tenfive, and population more increafed in
ft the empire. Even now, fome huffiandmen
 ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ^' do.

<(

RUSSIAN. EMPIRE. 199
*' do not fee their houfes for fifteen years to
gether, and yet pay the tax annually to
their refpedive lords ; which they procure
iu' tpwns at a vaft diftance from their fami
lies, and wander over the whole empire for
that purpofe."

((

Another hardffiip to which the Ruffian pea
fants are expofed, is, that they are obliged to
marry whatfoever perfons., or at what time their
fuperiors pleafe. Every fla"ve who is a father,
pays a certain tax to his owner for each of his
children ; and the owner is therefore folicit-
oUs that a new progeny be raifed as foon as
poffible. Marriages of this fort muft produce
little happinefs ; neither huffiand nor wife are
very ftudious of conjugal fidelity: hence the
lower claffes are as profligate as can polTibly
be conceived ; and, in fuch circumftances, we
cannot exped that they will have much care
of their children. '
The condition of thofe peafants who arc
immediate flaves of the crown, is reckoned
lefs wretched than the condition of thofe who
belong to the nobility ; and they are of three
kinds : The firft are thofe who, having either
O 4 fecretly.

400 ANECDOTES OF THE
fecretly, or by the favour of a humane fupe
rior, been able to prpcure as much mpney as
may enable them to purchafe their freedom,
have alfo the good luck to live under a fu
perior who is equitable enpugh tP free them
for the fum they offer. Such perfons, and
their children, are ever after iraraediate flaves
pf the crpwn. On the farae fppting are all
priefts and their children; though the de-
pendance of the inferior upon the fuperior
clergy, is fometimes as grievous as the moft
painful bondage. Soldiers alfo, and their
children ; and this clafs includes the whole
body of the nobility, are immediate flaves of
the frown; O fortunatos nimium, fua fi bona norint,
Britannos! Adieu.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 201

LETTER XXIX.
fhe Perfons — Food — Drefs — Houfes — apd
Names of the Ruffian Peafants.

THE Ruffians are tall, robuft, and weft-
proportioned ; their teeth are remark
ably good ; their hair is in general black, and
their complexions ruddy. I have fcarcely
feen any red-haired perfons among them ;
and thofe who are fair, are not fo good-look
ing as thofe who are dartcoraplexioned.
Squinting or ftuttering are feldora met with ;
and you fee few or none who are either lame
or deformed. Perhaps, from, the little care
the poor people can have of their children,
and from the mifery of their enflaved condi
tion, moft of thofe who are feeble and ill-
formed die in their infancy. Indeed I have
heard another reafon alleged for the few lame
and deformed people that appear in Peterf
burg. The Emprefs Elizabeth, it is faid, had

202 ANECDOTES OF THE
had'fo much delicacy, that ffie could not bear
to behold fuch perfons ; and therefore prohi
bited their appearing in the places where ffie
chofe to refide. This caufe, however, now ceafes
to operate ; nor have I heard that her prefent
majefty was ever afflided with fuch averfions.
—The women of all ranks in this country,
though very fprightly and very gay, for ever
dancing, and finging, and laughing, and talk
ing, have npt the fame pretenfions that the
men have to good looks, and the graces of
external appearance. They have no delicacy
of ffiape ; and their complexions are  •
j^vhat they pleafe. For thofe even in the
Joweft condition, if they are able to afford it,
bedaub their faces with red. Red is the fa
vourite colour here, infomuch, that the word
denoting it in the Ruffian language, is fyno-
nymous with beautiful.
The Ruffian peafants eat a kind of black
bread, made of rye, barley, buck- wheat, and
pther grains of an inferior quality ; it is four,
but not unwholefome. They alfo eat a great
deal of garlic, coarfe oil, and fiffi. They
make no cheefe ; and are not much acquaint-
e^ witli the vifes'of mUk. They drink a bad
kind

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 203
kind of mead, and liquors made of wild
fruits ; but their chief potation, and of which
they partake very freely, is extraded from
the corns which their country produces. —
What Tacitus fays of the ancient Germans is,
in this circumftance, quite applicable to the
Ruffians : " Potui humor ex hordeo aut fru-
*' mentp, in quondam fimilitudinem vini cor-
^ ruptus.—Sine apparatu, fine blandimentis
^' expellunt famera : adverfus fitim, non
*' eadem temperantia,'' " Their drink is a
" liquor prepared from barley or wheat ;
*' corrupted into a certain refemblance of
" wine. — They fatisfy hunger without regard
" to the elegancies and delicacies of the table.
*' In quenching their thirft they are not
*' equally temperate *."
Though they are in general ftrong and
healthy, they are fometiraes attacked by fe
vere difeafes. Their fiffi diet in Lent brings
upon them violent fluxes. They are alfo
fubjed to fcorbutie diforders, for which, howr
pver. Nature provides an excellent antidote iq
fl^e Ijerries that grow iiative in Riiffia. Thefe;
' Ai^in; are

J?04 „ ANECDOTES OF THE

p

are the maroffiki * ; a berry in fize and ffiape
like a mulberry, but hard, of a reddiffi or
yellowiffi colour, having a fubacid tafte, witb
litde flavour, and growing on a fmall plant
about half a foot high ; the glukoi, or cran
berry; wild ftrawberries ; and hurtleberries.
Their drefs, I mean that of the Ruffian
peafants, is yery fimple, and well fuited to
their rigorous climate. It confifts of fkins,
coarfe woollen cloth, and coarfe linen, which
they ufe for fhirts or drawers. Their upper
garment is a large frock, reaching to their
knees, folding over before, and faftened about
the middle with a girdle. In the various and
glaring colours of the girdle, they fometimes
endeavour to difplay their tafte. They have
pieces of cloth wrapped in a variety of folds
about their legs, and faftened with ftrkigsj
* Cloudberry — Rubus chamcemorus folliis fimpli'cibus Iq-
batij, caule inermi unifloro.  ^The Swedes and Norvegians
efteem cloudberries to be an excellent antifcorbutic ; they pre
serve great quantities of them in the autumn, to make tarts
and otheii confections. The Laplanders bruife and eat them,
as a delicious food, in the milk of the rein-deer ; and to pre
ferve them through the winter, they bury them in fnow, aad
at the return of fpring find them as frefh and good, as when
at firft gathered. Lightfoot. 1?0^

R U S S I A N E M P I R E. 205
nor do they feem at all felicitous of exhibit
ing in this limb any qualities of ffiape or pro
portion. Their necks are naked, and expofed
to the weather, and, of confequence, they re
ferable bulls necks. They have long beards
and buffiy hair ; and have their heads cover
ed with worfted or fur caps, rifing for the
moft part in a conic form. Every Ruffian, of
what rank foever, ufually wears upon his breaft,
and hanging by a ribbon or ftring tied about
his neck, a fmall crofs ofgold, filver, or lead.
They receive thefe croffes from their God-fa
thers at their baptifra; and they never part
witb«thera as long as they live.
Their houfes are made of wood, and con
ftruded in a very particular manner. A
number of large trees are ftripped of their
bark; they are not cut into deala, but are
laid clofe and horizontally upon one another ;
they are faftened at the end with wopden
pegs ; and thus, by fixing the end of one tree
into another, they conftitute the walls.. The
roof is fometiraes of boards, and fometimes
thatched. I have heard, that houfes of this
fprt are frequently placed pn wheels, fp as tp
be moveable frpm one place to another. The
Ruffians,

ao6 ANEC|)0TES OF TriE
Ruffians, in cpnftrudirig their hpufes, vaaki
ufe pf very few inftruments. The hatchet is
almpft the pnly one in iife among them ; it
ferves them even for a faw ; and it is wonder
ful how ftraighr and regularly they can cut
with it. 7 hey make ufe neither pf the plane
nor of the chilel. I except from this account
thpfe who are profefled carpenters.
In the country, the Ruffians generally live
in fmall villages ; the ground which they are
to labour fpr their prpprietprs is in the neigh-
bpurhppd ; and in this cafe, every man is his
own taylor, carpenter, and ffioemaker, Irt
every village there are fuperihtendants, petty
tyrants !
In fb' far as I can leatti, the Ruffidn pe£t-
fants have no firnaraes. Incapable of hold
ing any property, and having npthing but
bpndage tP tranfmit tp their children, fuch
diftindipn is ufelefs,' Thofe among them
that affed firnaraes, generally take the name
of their proprietor, additionally to their
chriftian namfe. The moft common chriftian
names that I have heard among them are,*
Cufma, Gregory, Stephen ; Ivan, which they
« ' tranflate

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 207
tranflate John ; Vafili, which they tranflate
William ; Demetrius, Alexis, and pthers, ma
nifeftly derived frpm their neighbpurs in the
fputh. This circumftance will appear to you
the more furprifing, that little intercourfe
fubfifted between the Ruffians and the fubjeds
of the eaftern empire. It is owing to their
religion. According to the tenets of the
Greek church, every day in the year is facred
to fome patticular faint ; and every child is
believed to be under the protedion of the holy
perfonage who was homaged on his birth
day. Hence, too, unlefs for fome very parti
cular reafon, all Ruffian children are called by
the names of faints ; and, as many of the
faints have Greek names, the Barbarians by
the Ladago, or the While Sea, are called by
appellations familiar, in later times, in
Athens or Byzantium, It fpllpws, pf confe
quence, in a country where the worffiip of
images is pradifed, that every one has an
image of the fainted perfon who proteds him,
and who is honoured accordingly., Thi-s
image is fo placed in the corner of his room,
as to be the witnefs of all his adions, and
receive humble obeifance as he enters.
the door. Hence, in every houfe and ffiop, you

2o8 ANECDOTES OF THE
you fee an effigy of the tutelary faint ; and, iti
days of religious folemnity, a wax candle or
two are lighted before him. But though the
Ruffians have fuch facred witneffes of their
condud, they foon become fo familiar with
them, as to hazard the performance of any ad
whatfoever before them ; and I have not
heard of any but fome of the fair fex, who,
in cafes of irrefiftible temptation, have
thought of veiling with an apron the face of
the bluffiing faint. — In regard to firnaraes I
already mentioned, that the peafants, in fo far
as I could learn, have no fuch appellation. If
there are feveral of a name, they are diftin
guiffied from each other by faking the narad
of their father, corapounded with the words,
which, in their language, fignify fon or
daughter, and fo denoting that particular re
lation. Thus, Ivan Petrowits, fignifies Ivan
the fon of Peter ; and Anna Ivanowna, figni
fies Anna the daughter of Ivan, Adieu.

•RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 209
¦ i :
LETTER XXX,
The Salutations — parrels — and Amufements
of the Ruffian Pecfdnts.

DEAR SIR,
TN my laft, I gave you forae account of the
-*- perfonSj food, drefs, houfes, and names of
the Ruffians, The circumftances I ffiall now
mention, concerning their falutations, quar
rels, and amufements, may give you a more
particular view of their manners and national
charader. Two Ruffian peafants, meeting each other,
take off their caps, bow moft profoundly,
ffiake hands, wipe their beards, kifs one ano
ther, and, according to their different ages,
call one another brother or father, or by fome
appellation that expreffes affedion. Both
men and women in their falutations bow very
' low. I was much ftruck with this circum-
P ftance ;

210 ANECDOTES OF THE
ftance ; and foon found, that, in their pbei-
fance tp the great, and in the wprffiip pf their
faints, they were early trained to proftration
and pliancy of body. Indeed, tbe fervile fub-
miffipn they teftify tp their fuperiprs, can 6nly
be equalled by the haughty ufage they meet
with in return.
Twp Ruffian peafants, if they ffipuld hap
pen tp quarrel, feldpm prpceed tp blpws ; but
they deal abufe with great profufion ; and
their abufive language confifts of the bafeft
allufions, and the moft ffipcking obfi:enity.
This can fcarcely be exemplified in tbe man.
ners pf any pther natipn. If ever they come
tP blpws, the cpqflid has a mpft ludicrpus
appearance; they know npthing pf the
clenched fift pf an Bngliffiman; but lay
abpq}: thera mpft uncputnly with ppen hands
and extended arms.
I knpw np circumftance by which the na-
tipnal charader pf any pepple may rapre
eafily be dfeteded, than their amuferaents.
When men divert themfelves, they are care
lefs, iinguarded, and unreferved : then the
heart^^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 211
heart, and all its latent tendencies, difguifed
inclinatipns, and indulged habits, appear.
Npr am I acquainted with any circUmftaiice
by which national charaders are more diver
fified. The Romans were a lefs refined
people than the Greeks; their amufements
accordingly were coarfer and mpre fanguinary.
In like manner the diverfipns pf the French^
and Spaniards mark the difference pf their na-
tipnal charader. The paftirae of the Spa
niards, without doprs, is fierce and blppdy;
nor is the Toros, or bull-fight, of which
they are fo paffionately fond, the amuferaent
of men only, but has its admirers alfo among
the women. Hence Butler has faid of them,
That SpanKh heroes, with their lances,
At once wouhd bulls and ladles' fancies :
And he acquires the noblefl fpoufe
Th4t widows greateft herds of cows.
Chefs, and the other amufements to which a
Spaniard has recourfe within doors, are cer
tainly very grave and folemn. HowMifferent
from the gaiety, fprightlinefs, good humour,
and feeming levity of a Frenchman,
P2 Th&

212 ANECDOTES OF THE
The diverfions of an EngHffiman exhibit
ftrength, agility, and the love of exertion.
Thofe pf a Ruffian exhibit floth, inadivityr
and thetlove of pleafure. The Ruffians, in
their amufements, are indeed extremely fp-
dal. They affemble in crowds, fing, drink,
fwing on fee-faws, are drawn up and dpwn
and rpund about in flying chairs fixed upon
wheels, fome with a perpendic-ular, and forae
with a horizontal motion.
In the winter feafon, they are puffied>down
ice-hills and gliflades. Thofe ice-hills are
raifed upon the river, and are conftruded of
wooden frames. They are very high ; fo
that you afcend fifty or fixty fteps on the fide
behind what is properly called the gliffade.
The fummit is flat, and enciofed with a rail,
in order that thofe who indulge themfelves in
this amufement, may have room to ftand and
fuffer no inconvenience in the defcent. The
fide by which they go down is fo fteep, as to
be juft not perpendicular. Upon this fnow
having been piled, and water poured, it be
comes a precipice of the fraootheft ice. In
defcending, you fit upon a fmall wooden feat
made for the purpofe, and generally in the lap

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 213
lap pf a Ruffian, whp fits behind to dired
your courfe, having his legs extended on each
fide of ypu. In this pofture you are puffied
down the hill, and flide vvith fuch velocity,
that for fome fecond s you cannot breathe ;
and after reaching the bottom, the impulfe
you have received carries you forward fome
hundred paces. There are commonly twoof
thefe gliffades' ereded almoft, but not quite,
oppofite to each other; and at fuch a diftance,
as that you are carried along the ice from one
to another. Thus you may go down the one
bill and up the other, alternately, as often as
you pleafe, — Skating is not a common diver
fion, becaufe the ice, where it is not fwept, is
ufually covered with fnow. — The Ruffians are
alfo fond of dancing ; yet their dancing does
not difplay fo much nimblenefs, agility, and
livelinefs, as it expreffes the fame tainted ima
gination, which affumes a lefs feducing and
more boifterous form in their quarrels and
abufe, I believe I may reckon their batning rather
an amufement than a religious pradice. In
every village, efpecially in thofe by the fide
of rivers, where they are generally built,
P 3 there

214 ANECDOTES OF THE .
there is a fteam-bath, conftruded ufually of
wood, to which all the inhabitants, both male
and female, repair regularly once a week.
The place is fo infufferably hot, that a per
fon who is not accuftoraed to it, cannot remain
in it above a few minutes. But thofe to
whom it is not unufual, fit quiedy for a long
time on the heated bricks, without any co
vering whatfoever, excepting fome branches
of birch, pf which, hpwever, they hardly
make any pther ufe than tP fcrub themfelves.
After they have fat in this fituation, till they
have perfpired abundantly, they run out, and
plunge headlong into the river. They are
excellent fwimmers; but inftead of fwimming
like frogs, as we do, they imitate rather the
motion of dogs. I once faw pne pf thpfe
baths catch fire; the weather was dry; it
blazed up in a moment, and the whole bevy
it contained, ran with the utmoft confterna
tion into the water, fcreaming and plunging,
and looking back as if they thought the flames
were purfuing them.
You will perhaps imagine, that the prac
tice pf ufing the bath, as defcribed abpve,
cpRtributes to the licentioufnefs of manners, fo

R U S S I A N E M P I R E, 215
fo remarkable in the lower claffes among the
Ruffians. No doubt it does ; but fome othet
circumftances, formefly mentioned, have the
fame tendency. The power poffeffed by fu-
pidriors of compelling their flaves to marry as
they ffiall dired, if eVer exerted, muft ht
completely deftrudive of domeflic happinefs
and fidelity. The pradice fo common among
the nobles, of removing their flaves from onfe
place'to andther, and of keeping thenfi a lort^
time feparated frora their families, has alfo
the fame effed. You will readily perceive
that this muft be very much the cafe, when
they are fent from the country villages, to
earn their wages in Mofcow and St Peterf
burg. You will have remarked too, in the ac
counts I have given you, that the lower
claffes here are very focial, and much addided
to merriment. They are even infantine in their
amufements. Old, bearded boors divert them
felves with fuch paftime and gambols, as in
our grave country we ffiould think too trifling
for a child. The truth is, that, beyond the
prefent moment, they have nothing either to
think about, or care for ; and, of confequence,
,P 4 they

n6 ANECDOTES OF THE
they are perfedly, thoughilefs and carelefs.
In the country they live chiefly in villages;
when they come to the great towns, many of
them having no houfes of their own, pafs
moft of their time, when they are not em
ployed in labour, in their cabecks *, where
they drink, talk, and fing till they fall afleep ;
and on holidays they affemble together iri
vacant places in or near the city, for their
cuftqrnary exercifes and araufements. Thofe
two circumftances, therefore, namely, their
focial jfifjjofitiqns, promoted in the manner
now mentioned, and their total want of care
or poncern about the future, give them the
appe^irarice of haying great fprightlinefs and
good humour, and 'of poffeffing no inconfi-
derable ffiare of enjoyment. Perfons of high .
rank, though their fituations muft occafion
fome variety in the circumftances that in
fluence their manners, are fubjed to the fame
effeds, and exhibit a fimilar appearance. If
you caU fuch enjoyment happinefs, or fuch
focial difpofitions^ virtuous, you may: I own
I cannot agree with you. Ruffians of all
ranks are mpft ardent in their expreffions of

Public-houfes. friendfhi

?^

RU'SSIAN EMPIRE.- 217
friendffiip ; - but I fufped the conftancy of
their attachments is not equal to the fervency
pf their emptipns. They have more fenfibi
lity than firmnefs ; they poffefs a temper and
difpofitions, which, properly improved, and
with the encouragements held forth by free
dom, might render them a worthy, as, in
fome cafes, they are an amiable, and, in
many, an amufing people.
Confifteritly with this account, the Ruf
fians, though they have great quicknefs in
learning the rudiments of art or knowledge, ,
feldom make great proficiency. They foon
arrive at a certain degree of excellence ;
there they remain; they tire; become liftlefs ;
entertain difguft ; and advance no further.
In this particular, alfo, if they enjoyed the
incitements afforded by a free government,
their national charader might improve, and
they might,be rendered capable of more per-
feveranpe. After the wiffies of novelty ceafe,
men engaged in arduous purfuits, muft be
carried on by a fteady regard to their qwn in-
tereft and honour. Where their honour and
intereft are not much concerned, how can
;hey per fevere ? Adieu.

2i8 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXXL
Domefiie Manners of Perfons of Rank in
Ruffia,

D E A R S I R, St. Peterlbiirg, 1 770.
I CANNOT fay much for tbe tafte difplayed
by perfons of high rank in Ruffia^ either
in their drefs, houfes, or retinue. They are
\l pompous and tawdry. The equipage of a
Raffian nobleman deferves particular notice.
The great man loHs in a clumfy gilt coach,
drawn by fix horfes, fometimes of different
colours, and having th6 traces of hempen
J-opes inftead of leather. The coachman and
pofljlions are pften in the coarffe drefs of iht
j^afantsv while three or four gorgeous foot
men ai^e ftuck behifid. One or two petty
officers ride b^ the fide of the coach, and
thefe a*e ufually attended by a peafant, who is
alfo otk bosfebaclf 5 and thus prfnees and no
blemen

RUSS IAN E MP IRE. 119
blemen are dragged to court.  They reiid
plays and novels, and often fome French pbi^^
lofophy. They fometimes write little come
dies; and fometimes reprefent them, both in
tbe French and Ruffian languages. I Was
lately prefent at the reprefentation of '' Le
Philofope Mari," and *' Annette and Lubin,'*
by fome jioblemen and ladies of the higheft
rank. They performed in the theatre in
the Winter Palace, £ind the Emprefs feemed
much amufed with the reprefentatipn.
I mentioned to you formerly, that the infe
rior orders of men in this country are in a
ftate of abjed flavery. Nor is it inconfiftent
with this account to fay, that many perfons
of high rank in Ruffia live on a footing of
eafy familiarity with fuch of their menials as
become favourites, and arie capable of amufing
them with their humour and low wit. All
domeftic tyrants, from the days of the Greeks
and Rpmans inclufively, treat thpfe flaves
who are not favburites With the mmoft ri
gour, and thofe who are, with weak unbe
coming indulgence. Perhaps in no other
country in Europe could you obtain a jiufter idea

220 ANECDOTES OF THE
idea of-the parafitical charader, fo frequently
difplayed by the comic and fatirical poets of
antiquity. The parafites 'here are in general
Frenchmen, whofe lively loquacity feems ab-
folutely neceffary for the amufement of thofe
great men, to whofe tables they have admif-
fion. At the fame time, if the following repre
fentation, in one of the fineft fatires that any
language can boaft of, be founded on obferva
tion, the circumftance now mentioned is not
peculiar to the Ruffian Princes.
All that at home no more can beg or fteal.
Or like a gibbet better than a wheel ;
HifT'd from the ftage, or hooted from the court.
Their air, their drefs, their politics import;
Obfequious, artful, voluble, and gay.
On Britain's fond credulity they prey. —
Studious to pleafe, and ready to fubmit.
The fupple Gaul was born a parafite :
Still to his int'reft true, where'er he goes.
Wit, bravery, worth, his lavifli tongue beftoWs ; .
In every face a thoufand graces fhine.
From every tongue flows harmony divine.
The defcription is heightened in th6 next
lines by a charaderiftical and happy contraft.
Thde

RUSSI AN'EMPIRE. 221

Thefe ajrts in vain our.rugged natives try, ;
Strairi out wjth fault'ring diffidence a lie.
And gain a kick for avvkward flattery.

1

The fatirift then proceeds in a fuccefsful vein
of playful iroriy; and concludes the paffage
with a ferious, and indignant addrefs.
fiefides, with juftice this difcerning age.
Admires their wondrous talents fortheftagej
Well may they venture on the mimic's art.
Who play from morn to night a borrow'd part j
PjacSis'd' their matter's notions to embrace.
Repeat his maxims and reflefl: his face;
With ev'ry wild abfurdity comply.
And view each obje£l with another's eye;
To fliake \yith faughter, ere the jeft they hear.
To pour at will the counterfeited tear ;
And as their patron h'nts the cold or heat.
To (hake in dogdays, in December fweat ;
How, when competitors like thefe contend.
Can furJy Virtue hope to fix a friend?
Slaves that with ferious impudence beguile,.
And lie without a blufti, without a fmile. —
For arts like thefe, preferr'd, admir'd, carefs'd,
They firft invade your table, then your breaft;
Explore your fecrtts with infidious art.
Watch the weak hour, and ranfack all the heart ;
Then foon your ill-plac'd confidence repay.
Commence your lords, and govern or betray. Befides

222 ANECDOTES OF THE
Befides parafites, many Ruffians of high
rank retain dwarfs in their families, and per
fons not without ffirewdnefs, who affedl folly,
and amufe them in the charader of buffoons.
They alfo retain a vaft number of other
flaves, who are employed by thera in all man
ner of neceffary or whirafical fervices. The
Cpuntefs W' ^ has in her family feveral
Calmuck wpraen, who are taught to read
German and Rufs, who read by her bed-fide
till ffie falls afleep ; and continue reading or
talking, without intermiffion, all the time ffie
is afleep ; for, if they did not, the Countefs
would awake immediately, not much, I fup
pofe, to the fatisfadlion of the poor at
tendants. I need fcarcely tell you, that the Ruflians
are very carelefs in the education of their
children. They do not fend them to public
fchools; but have them taught at home under
private tutors. Thefe tutors are generally
French or Germans, into, whofe charader
they make but little enquiry. If their child
ren learn to dance; and if -they can read,
fpeak, and write French, and have a little
geography,

R U S S I A M E M P I R E. 423
geography, they defire no more, I have
feen pne pf thofe inftrudprs, whp has, in the
cpurfe of his life; appeared in the different
ffiapes of a comedian, valet^de-cbam^re, ani
hair-dreffer.  Indeed I do not wonder at
the condud of tbe Ruffians in this refped.
Why educate their children ? They are to
live ahd die in thraldom ; they may be ia
glgry to-day, and to morrow fent to Siberia.
Why ffiould they train their offspring fgr any
expedations beyond thofe of the prefent mo-
men| ? The citizens of free flates alone are
inexcufable, if they do not improve, their
minds to the utmoft limits of their capacity.
Why quicken the fenfibil ities, or enlarge the
mind of a flave ? You only leach him to hate
himfelf. If, however, there was any proba
bility, that, by enlightning the minds of the
Ruffians, they ffiould not only be enabled to
difcern the abafement of their condition ; but
alfo to contrive, and execute the means of
emancipation, I fliould heartily regret their
prefent blindnefs.
The military education of the Ruffiaa
youth is conduded very differently. They have

2a+ ANECDOTES OF THE
have an academy in the Wafiloftrow, wheffi
a 'very confidelrable number, but none undet
twelve years old, are admitted. Here they
live together ; and during the fumraer fleep
in an adjoining field under tents. They are
formed into a regiment ; and each of them,
of what rank foever, whether Prince, Count,
or 'Boyard, muft pafs through every condi
tion, beginning with that of a cpmmpn fpldier,
and fubrait tp every kind pf pbedience. They
perfprm their exercifes with great exadnefs,
and are inftruded in mathematics. Frpm
this feminary excellent pfficers may be ex
peded. j Like the Perfians, defcribed by
Xenophon, they learn to obey before they are
called to cpmmand.
After the accPunt I have given ypu of the
tafte and literary education of the Ruffians,
ypu will not be furprifed if I tell you, that
their religious principles are not very corred,
nor in fome of them, perhaps, very deeply
rooted. A prieft came to hear the confeffion
pf a great man. " Holy Father," fays the
Count, " have you a good raemory." " Yes."
*' Then you remember what I told you at my
" lafi

RtJS^IANEMPlkE. 22|
" laft confeffion. Since that timd I have! hiid
*' the fame temptations from without; the
*' fame weakrtefs from within ; and here is
*' the fame number of rubles." — I would
not fay, however, that the Princes of Ruffia
are much inferior, either in religious or moral
improvement, to many great men, even in
thofe ftates of Eurbpe that enjoy the means
cf fuperior knowledge. If I am not much
miftaken, there are among them a greater
number who affed indifference or difbelief
in religious matters, than who really diffie-
lieve. Perhaps, in times of ficknefs, difgrace,
and low-fpirits, they have more faith in St«
Nicholas,' than in Voltaire^
The fair fex in all Jlges have more fenfibi-"
lity, lef^ of the pride of reafon, and I had al
moft faid, more good fenfe than the men ;
and accordingly you find fewer among them
who affed irreligion. Their notions may
be erroneous ; this is owing to their inftruc-
tors: but their difpofitions are pious, and
they owe this to themfelves. Indeed^when I
fee Ruffian Princefles, as they fit down to an
entertainment, croffing themfelves, which
Q_ they

226 ANECDOTES OF THE
they dp very gracefully, in teftimpny of re
ligious gratitude, I refped both their good
fenfe and their piety. They will excufe me,
therefore, for telling the following ftory: I
do not anfwer for the fad ; but that fuch
ftories are told, and reckoned not improbable,
may give you fome notion of the religious
manners of the' Ruffians  A lad)^ of high
rank had a child fuddenly feized with a vio
lent illnefs. Full of anxiety, ffie difpatched
a meffenger to a neighbouring prieft, intreat
ing him to fend a favourite faint, who might
• effeduate the cure. But theiprieft, being a
fenfible man, and unwilling to fend the hal
lowed phyficlan, without fixing the fee, or
for fome other reafon, refufed her requeft.
The lady, in mighty wrath, haftened to the
Emprefs, then fome miles out of town, and
brought a formal complaint againft the prieft.^
The Emprefs ordered him forthwith to com
ply. Accordingly the faint was fent, but he
^ came a bootlefs errand; for a Scotch phyfi-
cian, little defirous that interlopers ffiould
interfere with his trade, bad reftored the
child to health, before the arrival ©f his^
ghoftly colleague. I write

RUS SI AN- EMPIRE. i%7
, 1
I write to you in a very defultory manner ;
tmd I am afraid I may fometiraes be guilty
of repetition. The truth is, I have not i.
great deal of leifure, and you have a great
deal of indulgence. Adieu*

0.2

228 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXXIL
Adminiflration of Juflice in Ruffia.

DEAR SIR,
AGREEABLY to your defire, and tP gra
tify my Pwn curipfity, I have made
every enquiry I cpuld cpncerning the manner
of adminiftring juftice in Ruffia, I am fprry^
hpwever, it is npt in my power to give ypu
fuch fatisfadory information on this fubjed
as I wiffied to have done. Nor can I offer
you any other account pf the courts pf juftice,
the methpd pf cpnduding a law-fuit, pr tbe
puniffiment pf crimes, than the fpllpwing.
The Judge pflpweft rank in this empire is
the Starpft ; and frpm him, in the firft in_
ftance, perfpns in the prpvinces whp have
fuffered injury may feek redrefs. From his
dedfion there lies an appeal to the Governor
of the province, and from him to the College of

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 229
of Juftice ih the capital. For the whole empire
is divided into a certain number of govern
ments ; to each of thefe a particular college of
juftice is appropriated in St. Peterffiurg ; and
to thofe colleges caufes may be appealed.
From them too there lies an appeal to the
Senate. Nor are the decifions of that court,
though of a name fo venerable, and though
faid to have both a legiflaiive and judicative
authority, confidered as ultimate ; for, as the
Sovereign is regarded as the fource of law and
juftice, there may- be an appeal to the Throne,
even from the decrees of the Senate. The So
vereign, however, not having leifure fpr attendr
ing to a multitude of private law-fuits, dele
gates this department to Commiffioners ; and
their decifions, or Ucafes, according to the term
ufually given them, are accounted final. All
the judges are named by the Sovereign, and
hold their places only during her pleafure. —
In general, the adminiftration of juftice has
been reprefentecl to me as very tedious, and
liable to corruption. I have heard, indeed,
that the Emprefs intends to alter thi J)refent
fyftem; and if fp, it will certainly receive
imprpvement. In truth, the Cpuiris of
Juftice now mentioned, bear a greater refem-
Q^ 3 tlancc

ajo ANECDOTES OF THE
-blance to a Gpurt pf Chancery * than tp any
thingelfe. Thedecifipnspf the judges arenei-r
ther fpunded pn general principles pf equity^
nor on eftabliffied laws. They are founded
chiefly on precedents and former decifions.
This, as yoti will eafily conceive, renders the
iffue of a law-fuit very doubtful; and, in
deed, it frequently happens, that precedents
and former Ucafes may- be perfedly applica-^
ble to the fame caufe ; ahd yet in dired op-
Jpofition to one another. In cafes the mofl
fimilar that can be thought of, contradidory
decrees of different fovereigns, and fometimes
pven of the fame fovereign, may be appealed
to. Thus it is obvious, that, on the prefent
footing, every thing depends on the will of
the Judge.
Thofe perfons who correfpond to counfel
pr advocate? in Britain, are very little re-?
fpeded in Ruffia. They receive no re
gular education in the fludy of law. And
how ffiould they, when there is none to
(ludy ,'' They are ufually fuch perfflns as may
^lave been Judges' fervants, pr have had Pther
pppprturiities of learning the forms of courts, and|
• Blackftonci

RUSSIAN EMPIR'E. 231
and of being acquain)ted with precedents
or Ucafes, Dexterity in the knpwledge and
applicatipu pf thefe cpnftitutes their higheft
merit. They never plead ; but give their
advice in the cpndud pf a law-fuit ; write the
neceflkry papers ; and either in public or pri
vate lay the fads before the judges. This
laft, indeed, may be confidered as a fpecies of
pleading, fince they may reprefent fads in
fuch colours, as to influence both judgment
and inclination, I have heard it furmifed,
however, by perfons, I confefs, bf acrimony,
but not without knowledge, and even expe
rience, that the beft fervice they ufually ren
der their clients, is to inform them by what '
means they may have eafieft accefs to the
good-will of the Judges. The moft eminent
counfel who pradifes here at prefent, had
been a ffibp-keeper, and had involved himfelf
ill fo many law-fuits as to become bankrupt.
But though he lofl his fortune, he gained
knowledge ; and the fame argumentative dif
pofition that had ruined him as a merchant,
advanced him at the bar. "
Befides the courts above-mentioned, a gene
ral Court pf Pplice is eftabliffied in Ruffia, pf
¦ Q_ 4 which

m ANECDOTES OF THg
which the principal department remain? at
Stf Peterffiurg. The chief pbjeds pf the
Mafter pf Pplice are, tp keep prder in the
city ; to profecute- for robbery and murder ;
tP guard againft fires ; tP keep the ftreets
clean; to prevent or difperfe riots ; to fuper-
intend the Iffivpffiicks, whp hire fledges pr
carioles in the flreets; and to keep an exad
account ofthe inhabitants. At one time a
caufe might be carried by appeal from this
court tp the Senate ; at other times, its deci
fions were determined to be final. All thefe
, changes and varieties depend op tbp will of
the Spvereigti.
You quleftjoned me in particular about the
ppniffiment of crimes in Ruffia, and feemed
to applaud the plan purfped by the late, and
continued by the prefent, Emprefs, of fubfti-
tiiting flayery, l^ard labopr, and corporal
puniffiment, in place of deatli. The aboli
tion, or fufpenf^dn pf capital punifhments, is
indeed a very plaufible topic ; it may fppthf
our fentiments pf humanity, it may pleafe in
tjieory ; but in praiftice it appears very inade
quate. Rol)beries here are frequent and barr
Ijarous, and popftantly attended with murder.
Qrim^nals,

RUSSIAN IllK^pIRfi. 22f
Criminals, I have heard» are profecuted care-
iefly ; and thofe who are puniffied with ri
gour, are treated with inhumanity. They
fuffer the knout ; that is, they fuffer dreadful
fcourgiiig and diflocation ; and thpugh they
are not formally put to death, many of them
die ofthe cruel wound^^^tiey receive. I fnw
a crowd lately afferabled in an open fpace in
the city ; I drew near ; a fcourge rofe at in-s
tervals above the heads of the people; at in
tervals were heard the repeated firokes ; antj'
every ftroke was followed by the low fup-?
preffed groan of extenuated anguiffi. After
the appointed number of laffies were given in
that place, the poor criminal had a piece of
t^e coarfeft canvafs thrown over his naked and
pounded body ^ and he was thus led to ano
ther quarter of the city, to have his torments
not orily renewed, but dreadfully encreafed by
diflocation. ,
Thofe who furvive fuch puniffiments are
jvery feldom reformed ; the difgrace and in
famy they fuffer, take away all refped for
themfelves, and regard for the opinion of
pthers. On this fubjed I agree entirely with
ypur favourite preek Tragedian.

234- ANECDOTES OF THE,
*' Xpvv J'e £iih{ Eivai rrivh toi? vxirt iianv
0(r}ts vepa irpairirfiv ruv liofAuv 6jA£»
JCTtlKEl*. TB y«f TCKVU^yoV 2X Kf r):* TTOXV."
"  Were all like thee to perifli

Who violate the laws, 'twould Iefl!en much
The guilt of taortals, and reform mankind *.".
At any rate, ihe^^^^ds at leaft of a free
ftate, ought to be much on their guard how
they fiiffer any fuch puniffiinent to be fubfti-
tuted in place of capital puniffiment, as may
reconcile the imaginations of the people to
the poffibility of their being happy, or of
their enduring life, in chains and bondage.
They ought always to believe, nor in adopt
ing fuch a creed, vyould they fuffer any delu-
fion, that flavery is a more miferable condi
tion than death. I have felt lefs horror in
feeing raalefadlprs hanging in gibbets on
Bagffiot or Houqflow- heath, than in feeing
men, beings of my own fpecies, endowed with
• The elegant tranflator of Sophocles does not appear to me
ta have tranflated this ftriking paffage with his ufual fpirit.
Perhaps the Latin verfion may convey more ftrongly the Foec't
neaning. " Deceret autem omnes illico has pcinasdare
Quicunque contra leges quidvis agereftudet
U( Dccaretur. Sic fcelera minus crebra forent." reafon

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 235
reafon ancf a fenfe of juftice, doomed to hard
labour all the days of their lives, beut dowqi
with opjt)reffioii, having their faces infcribed
with mifery, and their limbs rattling with
chains. Criraes are not to be puniffied by
the fevereft pains we are capiable of infliding:
and I hope the natives bf Britain will confider
chains and bondage, in the face of the public,
as a puniffiment no lefs barbarous to the
mind, than torture to the body. In another
view, the effeds of fuch puniffiments pn the
minds of a free people muft be pernicipus ;
and I ffipuld be afraid left their enduring
them for any , length pf tirae, were a fatal
fymptbm that their zeal for liberty was Wax
ing cold. There is much thought and pene
tration in the fpllpwing fentiment, afcribed
by Tacitus tP Galgacus, in his celebrated
fpeech before his battle with Agricola :
?' Priores pugnse, quibUs adverfus Romanos
" varia fortuna certatum eft, fpem ac fubfi-
?' dium in noftris manibus habebant; quia
** nobiliflimi totius Britannise, eoque in ipfis
" penetr'alibus fiti, nee ferventium littora
*' afpicientes, oculos quoque a contaHu domina-
¦ ' 'tionis itiifiolatis habebamus.''  « All the
l^ the jjatlles, which have yet been fought
" with

J136 ANECD.OTES, QFTHE
" with various fuceeft againft the Romans,
" had their refources of hope and aid in our
^' hands ; for we, the nobleft inhabitants of
*' Britain, and therefore ftationed in its
" deepeft receffesj.far from the view of fervile
** ffiores, have preferved even our eyes un-
*' polluted by the contad of fubjedion*."
Little provifion is made in this country for
prifoners : and a poor wretch, without friends
or money, confined in a Ruffian jail, rung
fome hazard of ftarving. I have fometimes
\(ifited thofe manfions of mifery : and if fa
mine, chains, nakednefs, and filth, are ffiock-
ing, the fcenes I beheld were ffiocking.
On reading over what I have written, it
feems to me that I miglit have given you a
more complete account of the adqiiniftration
of juftice in Ruffia, by telling you what they
have not, inftead of what they have. Suffice
it to fay then, that they have no trials by
jury, and no Habeas Corpus Ad. A perfon
accufed of crimes may be kept in prifon for
ever ; or if he is brought to a trial, he is no.t
tried by his Peers, In other refpeds, caufes
• Aitlpn. nee4

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 237
need npt be numerpus and cpmplex. The
peafants who are themfelves flaves, will pro
bably have no law-fuits. The nobility, mer
chants, and foreigners alone can have any
employment for courts of juftice. Adieu,
P. S. If the Emprefs ffiould really en
gage, as I believe ffie intends at prefent, in the
laborious work of amending the method of
adminiftring juftice in Ruffia, feveral paf
fages in her inftrudions to the commiffioners
appointed to frame a new code of laws, and
the following, in particular, promife not only
changes, but confiderable improvements :
" No man ought to be looked upon as
" guilty, before he has received his judicial
*' fentence ; nor can the laws deprive him of
•' their protedion, before it is proved that he
'• bas forfeited all right to it. What right,
" therefore, can power give to any to inflid
*' puniffiment upon a citizen, at a time when
*• it is yet dubious whether he is innocent or
*' guilty ? Whether the crime be known or
" unknown, it is not very difficult to gain a
" thorough knowledge of the affair, by duly
*' weighing all the circumftances. If the
4 " crime

238 ANECDOTES OF THE
" be known, the criminal ought not tP
" any puniffiment but what the law prtjains ;
" cpnfequently the rack is quite unneceffary*
" If the crime be nPt knpwn, the rack pught
" npt tP be applied tp the party accufed ; fpr
" this reafpn, that the innpcent Pught npt tP be
" tprtured ; and, in the eye pf the law, every
" perfon is innocent whofe crime is not yet
" proved. It is undpubtedly extremely ne-
" ceffary, that no crime, after it has been
" proved, ffipuld remain unpu,nifh,ed. The
" party accufed on the rack, whilft in the
•* agonies of torture, is not mafter enough of
** himfelf to be able to declare the,tri|th, &c.'*

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 239

LETTER XXXIIL
RefieBions on the Effeds of Defpotifm.

D E A R S IR, St. Peteribarg, OQ. ift, 1770.
YOU fay I will have much pleafure irt
contemplating the manners and political
conftitution of a people fo different from the
natives of Britain. I cannot altogether agree
with you. No doubt there is fome pleafure
in what Lucretius fays, — " fuave mari mag-
no, &c.'* There is fome fatisfadion in recol
leding, that while other nations groan under
the yoke of bondage, the natives of our happy.
iflands erijoy more real freedom than any na
tion that does now, or ever did, exift. In
other refpeds, it is no very pleafing exercife
to witnefs the depreffion and fufferings ofthe
huiinan race ; to contemplate the raif^ies and
manners of flaves ! Poor abjed flaves ! who
are not allpwed the rights of men—hardly
thpfe pf irrational creatures I who muft toil,.
9 undergo

,240 ANfeGDdTES OF' THE
undlsr^o hardffiips, and fuffer the moft griev-*'
ous fuffering, to gratify the defires, or hu
mour the caprice of fome oppreffive niafter t-
Judge of their condition. — From the hour of
their bir'th thfey are in the power of a rapa
cious chief, who may fell, fcourge, or employ
them in any labdur he pleafes. They have'
no property— no home — nothing that their''
proud fuperior may not feize, and claim as'
his own. The hotfe and the bull may cbufe
their loves, according W their own inclina
tion ; a privilege not allowed to the Ruffians.
They no fooner arrive at the age of puberty,
than they are often compelled to marry what
foever female their proprietor chufes, in order,
by a continued progeny of flaves, to preferve
or augment his revenue. In fuch families,
no conjugal happinefs, — ^no paternal or filial
affedipn can ever exift. Where the hiifband
and wife hate each other, pr are indifferent,
there can be little fidelity ; the huffiand takes
little care pf the child ; the mother is not al
ways affedionate ; the poor guiltlefs infant is
thus negleded ; Nature defeats the purpofes
of avarice, and a great proportion of ib^it
children die in their nonage. Thofe thafi
furviv®

RUSSIAM E Ml? I re. 241
furvive become little better than favage. In
their eaily years, no tender affedion foftened
or humanized their hearts ; none can/ grow up
in an after period ; they receive no prejudices
or opinions favourable to mankind ; and they
enter into life as into a den of tygers. The
guile, the bafenefs, and rugged ferocity at
tributed to. flaves, and men overwhelmed
with oppreffion, are chiefly owing to their
pppreflbrs. Expofed to the avarice and pride
of fome haughty fuperior, who is himfelf a
flave, and who has not in his brcaft one fenti
ment of humanity, they have no other de
fence againft oppreffion but deceit ; and feel"
no other emotion Vrom the treatment they re-
ceivcj but hatred and deep revenge. It is
thus, in accuftpming the mind to vicious ha
bits, more than in merely depriving us of out
property, and the fecurity of pur perfons,
that defpotifm is the bane of fociety. Thofe
pppr unhappy men, whp are bought and fold,
who are beaten, Ipaded with fetters, ahd va
lued np higher than a dpg, treated with una
bating rigour, become inhuman ; infulted
with unremitting contetn|xt, become bafe ;
and for ever afraid of rajpacious injuftice, they
grow deceitful,. 8, V ChilI'd

242 ANECDOTES OF THE
 « ChiU'd by unkindly blights,
*' Their opening virtues languifh and decay.
" Their features lofe the liberal air of truth
" And open candour. Dark fufpicion clouds
" Their low'ring vifage ; and deceit perverts
" Their fault'ring fpeech. When pride and avarice
warp
" Th' oppreflbr's heart ; bar his relentlefs ear
*' Againft the prayer of pity ; and eraze
" The fenfe of merit from his dark'ned foul:
" What fliield can weaknefs to his rav'nous grafp
" Oppofe, btft daftard guile ? Can thofe who groan
" Beneath th' inhuman tafk, whofe rueful pangs,
" Unpitied, unreliev'd, breed lafting hate,
*' And thirft of vengeance in the foul indulge
" Tender emotions, and the glowing heart?
" O ye ! who roll the eye of fierce difdain,
" Impute not to the trembling, tbrtur'd flave,
" Condemn'd by partial fortune to endure
" The ftripes of av'rice, and the fcorn of pride,
" Impute not guile, or an unfeeling breaft;
" Ye teach him feelings ! your infatiate rage
" His hate exafperates, and inflames his heart
" With rancour and unufual wrath. 'Twas thus
*' Th' Iberian humaniz'd the guiltlefs tribes
'.' Who roam'd Peruvian forefts, and the banks
•' Of Orellane, what time, convuls'd and torn
*' With agony, the tortur'd fires bequeath'd
" Refentment to their fbns ! 'Twas then their hearts
" Throbb'd with new horror ; with unwonted ire
*' The wild eye redden'd, and the virtues fled !
" The gentle virtues ! In their ftead arofe
^* Difmay, the counfellor of daftard deeds, " Revetige

RUSSIAlSf EMPIRE, 243
Revenge ahd ruthlefs hatred. Then were heard
Wailing and weeping ; howl'd the defart caves ;
And Nature from the roaring torrent figh'd."

*' Facit indignatio verfum." Thofe lines
were fuggefted by the fcenes of oppreffion I
too often behold. I have introduced them
into a ffiort poem lately publiffied in Britain ;
and intended, in fo far as my voice could be
heard, to intereft my countrymen in behalf of
the Corficans. I fufped, hovvever, that at
prefent, not many of my countrymen feel
themfelves much concerned in fuch a caufe.
******

R2

3144 ANECDOTES OF TrfE'
LETTER XXXIV.
¦ National CharaSler of the Ruffians.
DEAR SIR,
"IN fo far as my own obfervation reaches,
every thing I fee,and every thing I hear from
fuch authority as I can truft, confirms me in
the opinion 1 formerly expreffed to you con
cerning the national charader of the Ruffians.
They have certainly raore fenfibility than
firranefs. They have lively feedings ; but
having feldom employed their reafon in forra-
ing general rules of condud for the com
merce of life, their adions, as flowing from
variable and ffiifting emotipns, are defultory,
and even inconfiftent.
I have heard, for inftance, that, in confi
dential converfation, they fometimes indulge
themfelves in fevere or indignant expreffions
againft the prefent adminiftration of public
affairs. — " That they ffiould always be go-
*' verned by women, or foreigners, or by fo-
*' reigners exalted they not how, or by per-
" fons

R U S S I A N E M P I R E. 24.J
" fons pf np priginal eminence, men pf yef-
" terday, and whp have arifen tp dignity by
•' their guilt pr bafe cpmpliances,'-' — are, qq
fuch pccafipns, the ufual tppics pf their dif-
cpntent. They wprk therafelves into wha-t
they conceive virtuous indignation, or' pa
triotic refentment. They even talk of changes
and revolutions: " Things," they will fay,
" that have happened once, may happen
*' again;" and thus the fervour of their emo
tion, exhaufted iu the expreffion, abates.
Other feelings arife, and fuggeft other con-
vidions. — " The prefent adminiftration has
" been fuccefsful ; laurels have been obtain-
" ed; public meafures are conduded witb
" fpirit and wifdom ; they themfelves enjoy
*' fecurity ; not only fo, perhaps they enjoy
^' fortune and honours ; how wrong then
" would it be in them to wiffi for change ;
" how ungrateful ! how guilty ! even of
^' treafon ! they deferve puniffiment ! per-
*' haps it may come upon them ! their affo-
*' ciates may think as they do ! may feel in-
" dignation I or fear for themfelves ! the
" danger is urgent, and muft be prevented."
Hurried by this new fet of feelings, they re
pent, confefs, and, from the deep fenfe they
R 3 have

246 > ANECDOTES OF THE
have of their trefpafs, betray their friends.
On account of this extreme fenfibility, unfub-
dued or ungoverned by reafon, it is fcarcely
probable that the Ruffians themfelves, how
much foever they may occafionally exprefs
refentment, indignation, or love of liberty, as
I have heard fome of them do with more vio
lence than any liberty-boy of Brentford, un
lefs fome dextrous, infinuating, and fteady fo
reigner take advantage of their temporary
tranfports, ffiall ever accompliffi any great re
volution. The chief rulers have penetration
enough to difcern this defed of charader;
and though they raay be often informed of
treafonable fpeeches, they are nevertbelefs
very much at their eafe. At the fame time,
this feature, in the national charader of
the Ruffians, ffiews how neceffary it is for
their Sovereigns, without incurring the blame
of improper fufpicion, to be vvatchful over their
proceedings, and well acquainted with their
fecret defigns *.
I really believe, that the inconftancy, the
". deviations from truth, and even perfidy, vvith
which the Ruffians are fometimes charged,
* See Letter XVir. are'

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 247
are not fo much the effeds of determined
vice, as of irregular feeling. They may ap
pear wicked, not becaufe they ad frora per
verted principles, but. becaufe they have iio ^
permanent principles. They never could fay
to themfelves, " Video meliora proboque, de-
" teriora fequorf becaufe whatfoever they
do, or even perpetrate, they think they arg
ading aright ; and as they feldom look back
on the paft, or anticipate the future, they de
rive little advantage in the culture of their
moral principles from experience. They are
bearded children ; the creatures of the pre
fent hour; they vvill exprefs the moft ardent
affedion in the moft ardent language ; they
will exprefs the moft furious rage in the moft
vindidive terms. But as -you need not lay
great ftrefs on the advantages to' be reaped
from their friendffiip, fo you need not be
greatly afraid of their inveterate pr latent
enmity. In rnoments of extreme good hu
mour, a Ruffian will make ample promifes j
heis quite'fincere ; his feelings at the time
intereft him in your favour ; but thdfe feel
ings fubfidej other interefts engage his
heart; he never meant to deceive ypu ; but
|iis promifes are not fulfilled. If you feem
R 4 anxipus

a48 ANECDQTES Of THE
ifexjous about any fad, and if the matter is
not ^exadly as you wiffi it to be, your Ruf
fian friend enters warmly into your wiffies ;
be would not add to your anxiety, but h?
knows that the fad is not exadly as you
conceive ; he fees in it, however, fome cir-
^umftaoces -corrcfponding to your defire |
thefe he feleds ; he is loth to tell you a harffi
truth ; an^ if he does not tell you a pleafing
fidion, he at leaft lulls your difquietude.
Rigi' virtue may call this double-dealing;
but the Ruffian neither intends deceit, nor
thinks his condud deceitful. In like man
ner you may fometimes fee perfons of th«
higheft rank, even before flrangers, engage
in violent difputes, ;particularly if they are
playing s^ c«rds or biUiards; and treat one
another at leaft with impetuofity. Their
py^n language, though they may have been^
fpeaking French or German before, becomesj
on thefe occafions, the vehicle of their prayers
pnd wiffies; and its habits of phrafeology
feem better fuited. than thofe of the weftern
languages, for fuch pure and reJp^Mfiil inter-
eourfe- In a few minutes after they are as
calm as if nothing had happened, apd feeoi
%Q Ipve one finoth^r the caore for th^ tran- fien^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 249
fient ebullitipn, Perfpns pf fuch irregular
fenfibility are pccafipnally very brave, nr very
daftardly; and fp are the Ruffians. Spme- ,
times the flighteft danger appalls them ; and
fp^etimes you would iraagine that they were
incapable of fear, or had no fenfe of danger,
This tendency is cprreded in their army by
the ftrideft difcipline. It is perfedly cpn-
fiftent with this accpunt, that flight enjpy-?
ments ffiould raife them to the fummit of
happinefs; and that flight Ipffes, Pr difap-
pointraents, ffiould eaft them down in de-^
fpair. Accordingly, their happinefs dif-
plays itfelf in appearances of infantine le
vity; and thdr defpondency often termi
nates in fuicide. The immediate view pf
puniffiment, pr the prpfped of evil ftrik
ing their fenfes, may reftrain their emo
tions ; but, removed at a diftance, or out of
fight, it is pf little ppwer. Ope of their
principal dramatic Poets, and he has indeed a
great deal of genius, befides the impetuofity
and eagernefs entailed upon him by his pro
feffion, has alfo to contend with the precipi
tancy and irregular fenfibility fo common
^mong his countrymen. The Governor of
|4pfcpw» where he ufually refidesj, ordered one

250 ANECDOTES OF THE
One of his tragedies tP be reprefented. The
Ppet was certainly honoured by this mark of
attention ; and the Governor really intended
to do him honour ; nor was there any thing
that could reafonably be objeded to the I'e-
prefentation. But the Poet had been taken
in a wayward humour. He oppofed the re
prefentation with indecent violence, and treat
ed the Governor with rude difrefped. The
Empreft, whom nothing efcapes, was inform
ed of it ; but refpeding the genius of the
Poet, while ffie rebuked the folly of the Ruf
fian, ffie wrpte him with tempered feverity,
and tpld him, " Thiat thpugh ffie was much
** pleafed with his imitations of paffion, fhe ^
" could npt bear the reality.''
Perfpns pf the charader npw mentioned,
are often fluent in fpeech, and eloquent in
expreffion. They are alfo apt to be in
fiuenced by the powers of eloquence. Full
of fenfibility, they enter eafily intP the feel
ings pf ethers. Such are the Ruffians. 
Walking one day along the Galerinhoff, at a
time when, by the removal of a bridge of
boats, the communication between that ftreet
and an oppofite ifland was interrupted, I iaw
a Ruffian

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 251
a Ruffian, rather better dreffed than a com
mon peafant, putting fome cows into a boat
intending to have them carried to the other
fide. He had juft, with much difficulty, aud
the affiftance of two or three boatmen, got
them in, when a petty officer, with fome fol
diers, arrived at the place, and feemed alfo in
great hafte to get acrofs the river. There
was no other boat; fo, with a tone of great
authority, he ordered the grazier, or cow
herd, or whatever he was, to take out his
cattle, and let him have immediate convey
ance. The Ruffian was loth ; the officer in-
fifted ; the Ruffian argued ; the officer grew
angry ; the Ruffian ftill hefitated ; and a fol-
fdier, to gratify the wrath of his fuperior,
jumped into the' boat, gave the man a blow,
and ftruck off his cap. The Ruffian in an
inftant, and you would fay by involuntary
impulfe, put himfelf into one ofthe fineft at
titudes I ever faw. He wore a long garment,
faftened about his body with a girdle; his
forehead was high and bald ; his hair oA the
hinder part of his head was ffiort and grey ;
his beard long; his features well formed;
and his afped, notwithftanding the infult he
bad met with, did not feem difcompofed; he
lifted

252 ANECDOTES OF THE
lifted up his hands; he pled with humble
fubmiffion; he then rofe in remonftrative
tones ; he then fpoke to excite compaffion ;
and, at length, poured out a torrent of irre^^
fiftible vehemence ; every change in his ad
drefs was followed by corrcfponding changes
in the countenance and air of the officer, to
whom it was addreffed. Till, at length,
quite fubdued, he turned to him who had
given the blow, and beat him in the moft fu-
rioiis manner. The orator, in the mean
time, lifted his cap, put it on with an air c^f
triumph ; and bowing once or twice to the
officer, while he was adminiftering chaftife-
ment tP the fpldier, rpwed off imraediately
with his cattle.  That Ruffians of all ranks
are fpnd pf mufic,. is np lefs cpnfiftent with
the fpregping accpunt, than their ppwers and
fufceptibility pf eloquence.
In a word, the defeds in the national cha
rader of the Ruffians, feem to me to arife
chiefly from want pf culture. Were they
taught tP refled pn the paft, and anticipate
the future, they wpuld be led tP fprm maxims
and general rules fpr the diredipn pf their
condud; *. Reafon would then be liftened to j
* See Letter LIY.
* and

l^USSfAN FMPl&E.t

253

anc. thei ¦ moral principles would recover their
authority. But they will never either refled
or articipi^c, till thev are moved to thofe exer-
ciles by fou,e prevailing intereft; nor can
they ever have any fuch intereft, till they
have erithe fecurity for their perfons and pof-
feffions. How is this to be done ? It is an
important problem ; and great and immortal
would be the glory of that fovereign who
would really defire to underftand the folution.
Imraortal would be the glory of that fove
reign who would reftore above twenty .mil-
fions of men to the rights of intelligent and
rational beings. But is this atchievement to
be performed by one perfon, and at once ? I
believe not. It muft be the work of time ; and
muft be carried on by fucceffive changes. To
give liberty at pnce tP twenty millipns of
flaves, would be to let Ipofe on mankind fo
many robbers and fpoilers. Before flaves
can receive freedom in full fpoffeffipn, they
muft be taught to know, reliffi, and ufe its
bleffings. This, however, is to be done Gra
dually ; and if it is to be done according to a
regular plan, thofe who have fuch things in
their power, muft obferve the growth of free
dom in thofe places where it arofe fponta- neous.

454 ANECDOTES OF THE
neous, and without any previous purpofe.-*^
Perhaps, if a defppt intended tp lay the found
ation of a defign fo magnificent, it would be
proper to begin with giving great privileges
tP commercial and manufaduring towns, ,It
would alfo be proper to reftore their rights to
fuch provinces as might formerly have en
joyed fome freedom ; and of which they
might ftill entertain forae fond recolledion.
I am the more inclined to exprefs thefe opi
nions, as fome of the Ruffians, and particularly
thofe in the vicinity df Archangel, who, I
have heard, enjoy greater privileges than
their brethren, are ufually reprefented as ho
neft, able and ifiduftrious. and, indeed, of a
charader very different from the reft.
But I quit fuch Utopian fpeculations ; and
will only exprefs my wiffies, that the fmall
portion of the human race who enjoy real
freedom, raay preferve and make a proper
ufe of it, Adieui

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 255

LETTER XXXV,
With fome Verfes.
DR AR SIR, oa. loth, 1770.
THE Banks of the Neva are indeed very
fine, the iflands delightful, and the
woods fragrant ; but they are filent. Not a
thruffi, linnet, or goldfinch have I feen in
Ruffia. People tell me, however, that the
fault is my own; and that if I were in the
country early enough in the feafon, I might
both fee and hear them. They even pretend
that they have nightingales. One nightin
gale indeed I faw, heard, and admired. But
it came from Aftracan. It belonged to a
lady; and, unable to endure the approach of
winter, fome weeks ago it died. " Alas!"
you will fay, " Poor Nightingale !" And
you have more reafon to regret its death ''than
you are perhaps aware of; for, inftead of get
ting a letter full of news about Turks and
Raffians, and of hearing how the Ottomaii
* empir;

456 ANECDOTES OF THE
empire is ffiaken tP the very centre^ you are
to have a poem on the death of a bird. In
blank verfe too ! It cartnot be helped ; and all
you can have, by way of compenfation, is to
amufe ytiurfelf with remarking, how whimfi-
cally We may be /affeded by the various
events and incidents that happen under the
fun. A fmall bird* hatched near the Cafpiauj
and buried iii an ifle in the Neva, ffiall almoft
difpoffe you, who are fitting in a neat parlour,
in a trim manfion on the bprder pf Windfpf
fpreft, to frown !
Verfes on the Death of a Nightingale, 'Written
in the Ifle of CaminiofiroiV).
MELODIOUS warbler ! Lucia lov'd thee^
charm'd
With thine enchanting wild note : and Iween
Her gentle manners, that in every breaft
Kindle affedion and efteem, in thee
Kindled affedion ; and the ftrong defire
To imitate, to feize, and to transfufe
Into thy fong-llke fweetnefs. And thy vpice
Obey'd thee ; tuneful in thy native groves.
Where Volga rolls his mighty flood, and laves
The realm of Aftracan ; more tuneful now, Even

RUSSIAN EMPIRE', 257
Even in a northern clime, and in the ifles
Of Ingrian Neva. Not the mournful plaint
Of that Hefperian Nightingale, that charm'd
The foul of Maro, when his raptur'd mufe
Beheld the Thracian Poet, by the ftream
Of Hebrus, wailing, with inceffant wpe,
His Ipft Eurydice': Nor even the fong.
That fiU'd with extafy th' i'mpaffion'd mind
Of Milton, when, beneath the moonlight pale,
All by the margin of his native Thames,
He held high converfe with th' infpiring
Powers
That dealt him minftrelfy divine— could e'er
Thy raelody furpafs. The gentle gales
Children of Summer, born in Tempe, heard
Thy fongs expreffive ; and, with fond delay,
Linger'd amid the northern fky, beyond
The time allow'd thera, ffiedding fragrant
flowers.
And raildnefs unpermitted. —
Boreas beheld, as on a fnowy cliff.
Shining with thoufands of refleded rays.
Azure, and green, and crimfpn, he reclin'd,
Wrap'd in a robe rough with effulgent froft, '
Viewing his vaft domain, from Zembla fouth
To the chaff'd billows of the Cafpian main.
Boreas beheld ! " And ffiall thefe wanton gales
S *' Longer

258 ANECDOTES OF THfe
" Longer infult me ? Shall a warbling note,
" Or the weak native of a fouthern clime,
" Even by my throne, with arrogant delay,
** Detain them? He ffiall periffi.'* fternly
fierce
He fpake ; and inftant feiit a rapid blaft,
Arm'd with an icy ffiaft, and in a ffiower
Of fnow envelop'd. Hpwling how he flew
Acrofs the dark'ning Ladago ! The flowers
Wither'd before him : and at evening hour^
He gain'd the border pf our ifle. O then
Thy melting voice, fweet Nightingale! was
loft : (gales
Thy Lucia mourn'd ; the mufes mourn'd ; the
Of fumraer fled reludant ; on thy grave
Sighing full fore, and fcatt'ring as they flew
Decaying blooms, fkd relics of their woe.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 2.59

LETTER XXXVI.
Account of Goods exported from St. Peterfburg
in 1769.

St. Peterfburg, Nov. 7tli, 1776.
****** rr\ H E iron in Siberia is
-¦- wrought at little expence :
tbe places where it is found are by the fides
of large rivers. Provifions are cheap : a
ffieep may be bought for thirty copies *, and
the rivers are ftored with excellent fiffi. Wood
for working the iron is found every where in
the greateft abundance. Not only fo, but the
foil in the fouthern and eaftern parts of Ruf
fia is very fertile. The Ukraine alone, with
no other labour than that of plowing, could
fupply the whole of European Ruffia with
corn. The empire, befides its vicinity X.6 the
Cafpian, Euxine, Baltic, and Northern Seas,
is interfperfed with lakes, and inter feded by
* 1 s, jd.
S 2 navigable

26o ANECDOTES OF THE
navigable rivers ; thefe might eafily, by
means of canals, be made to communicate
with one another. Nor is even land-carriage
interrupted, or rendered difficult here, as in
many other places, by fens and mountains.
The natural advantages of Ruffia, therefore,
might render it one of the richeft countries in
Europe. Accordingly, even in its prefent infant ftate
of improvement, the balance of trade has
been, of late years, more unfavourable to Bri
tain than formerly. Many fuch manufac
tures as were imported by Engliffi traders,
fome time ago, and fold here with large pro
fits, are now wrought in the country. For
merly the coarfe cloth, with which the army
is clothed, was brought from England ; it is
now wrought in Ruffia. Pewter alfo was a
profitable commodity ; but pewter diffies,
with earthern ware, and even china, may be
bad here very good, and manufadured in the
country. The filk manufadure at Mofcow is
in a thriving condition ; and Ruffian linen
and diaper are fold in Britain.
You will receive, however, a more diffind
notion of the commerce of this empire from
the following

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

261

Account of Goods exported from St. Peterfburg in 1769,

hy 326 Englijh Ships, and2^y of other Nations.

Quality of Goods.

Quantity.

Firft Cofl.

Iron — —

Pood 1,409.^87

Rubles 1.686,7:0 : 90

Clean Hemp — —

I,: 29 400

1,548,220

Outlhot D tto —

168,691

185,5(50 : 10

Half clean Di to —

9i,»5«

92.258

Hemp Codille —

113,331

45^33^ : 80

Fhx, 11 headed —

104 497

•95.931 ¦ 87

Di:to, 9 ditto — —

39894

. 62.833 i 5

Ditto, 6 ditto —

jo,ao5

11,011 J 37

Ditto Codilie — —

'4,7^5

66,44 : 25

Hide, — . _

144,612

8381749 i 60

Bridles, ili and zd fort

13,761

82,566

Ifinglafs — —

4. "4

82,798

Soap and Candle Tallow

262.64.0

630,336 , , ,

Soap _ _

iz,8oi

19.201 : 5

Hemp Oil — —

92,403

110 883 : 6q

Train Oil — —

9 3Sg

31,265 ' 60

LintfeedOil _ _

1,243

2.113 ' 10

Wax — _

8,4

8.750 ! 50

Horfe Hair — —

ixn

5.73^ ' 4°

Horfe T,il! — —

30.547

3,Oj4 : 80

Cow Hair — —

180

90a

Tallow Candles —

9.096

30.016 ; 80

Caviar — —

S.484

13710

Wax Candles —

4'

541 : 20

Cordage — —

6,688

14.703 ! 60

Hops — —

467

',214 : 20

Tobaeco — —

4.581

4,'2» ! 90

Spal Leather —

6.334

JI.670

Copper — —

4,C20

29 145

Pitch — —

8,391

10,070 : 40

Tar — —

1,658

1,989 : 60

Ro/ln — —

1,475

1,47 S

Carraway Seed —

J 62

194 : 40

Anife Seed — —

Arflieen 431,616

36,687 : 36

Bioad Diaper —

Narrow Ditro — ~~

458,070

22 903 : 50

Broad Linen — —

»6j,q77

**,353^ S

Narrow Linen —

1,69.;, 668

76.305 ! 6
9.487 : 38

Sundry forts Linen

i35.;34

Crafli — —

873.776

26,213 ; 2g

Drills — —

Pieces 6:, 58 3

'93,749

Flcms — .

ii,6oi

75,606

Raven Duck —
Sail Cloth — _

43,406
33.335

173,624
2OO,0JO

262

ANECDOTES OF THE

Account of Goods, &c. continued.

Quality of Goods.

Quantity.

Firft Coft.

Hare SJiins — --

Pieces 297,318

Rubies 47,600

Squirrel Skins —

47,500

3,562 ! 50

Bear Skins —

483

2,173 ' SO

Fox Skins — —

428

513 : 60

Lynx Skins — —

28

924

Ermine — • —

Tun 15

2ie

Feathers — —

Pood 375

1,420

Down — — —

132

1,318

Gunpowder — —

60

36S.

Rhubarb — —

I

6S

Mafts — —

Pieces 62

6,200

Deals — — —

Dozen 85,375

123,319 : 44

Matts — —

Pieces 4,600

.84

Wheat — —

Chetwerts 29, 100
Pieces 27,000

1 16,4^0

Ox Bones — —

300

Old Iron — —

Pood . 2,450

1.470

RuUes 6,964,504 : 6

V. B. 1 Bergeuitz is lo Pood.

I Pood is 40 Pound,— .rrun equal to ]5| Pound Englifh.

I Arlbeen is i% Inches Englifh.

7f Chetwerts, corn meafure, make a Tun.

JJ  •'  ~

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. *«3

LETTER. XXXVII.
With an Account of the Abdication cf ViUpr
Amadeus, King of Sardinia^ in the Tear

D E A R S I R, St. Peterfburg, 1770.
I FLATTER myfelf that the inclofed ac
count of the Abdication of Vidor Amadeus,
K-ing of Sardinia, who refigned hia fceptre in
the year 1 730, will afford you fome amufe
ment. He is not t^e only Prince recorded
in hiftory, who exchanged the pomp an4
cares of royalty for the obfcurity or the peace
of retirment. But though feveral, before the
prefent century, have prefented this curious
fpedacle to mankind, we ca-nnot boaft of
being fully acquainted with their motives or
expedations. A crown has fo many charms,
that the ftate of mind which could induce a
Sovereign Prince to refign his dignity, and
his fubfequent condud or deportment, are, to
$hofe who would obferve human nature, ob-
S 4 jeds

a64. ANECDOTES OF THE
jeds of great curiofity. The following ac
count pretends to give a full view of the mo
tives that urged his Sardinian Majefty in his:
abdication, and of his condud in his retire
ment. Nor would I have offered it to your
perufal, ifl did not believe the intelligence it
conveys authentic. It was written originally
in Italian, and as I know not of its having
been ever publifhed in Britain *, either in the
original, or in any other language, I hope the
perufal ofthe following Englifh -f- tranflation
will aff^ord you fome entertainment.
You will recoiled, that Pope Paul III.
created his natural fon, Peter Lewis Farnefe,
Duke of Parma,-!— that the fovereignty of the
Parmefan remained in the Farnefe family till
the year 1731, — that as the failure of the
the male line feemed inevitable, it had been
agreed upon that Don Carlos, fon to the
Queen of Spain, who was defcended of the
Farnefe family, fhould fucceed to that duke
dom ; but not without receiving it. from,,
Charles Emperor of Germany as a fief of the
Empire,r-that this fettlement was deterrhined
* Yet a Frei^ch tranflation df this little tra£l may be met
with !n many places on the Continent.
f By an ingenious friend.
by

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 265
by a treaty between the Courts of Vienna and
Madrid, ratified at Vienna in the year 1725,
¦ — that by the treaty of Seville, ratified in
the year 1729, Great Britain engaged to affift
the Spaniards in bringing fix thoufand Spa-
nifh troops into Tufcany and Parma, — and,
laftly, that the Emperor, jealous or appre-
henfive of the power of Spain, notwithftand
ing the treaty of Vienna, was determined to
" oppofe the entry of thofe troops into Italy.
Keeping thofe previous events in view, you
will enter eafily into the following detail.
THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY having
formed the refolution.of oppofing, by the moft
vigorous exertions, the entry of fix thoufand
Spaniards into Italy ; having, for that pur
pofe, fent a confiderable army into Tufcany
and the Parmefan ; and having engaged the
Grand Duke of Florence on his fide, was fen
fible it would be of the greateft advantage to
his affairs, alfo to engage in his interefts the
King of Sardinia. With this view he figni-
fied to that Prince, by the Governor of Mi
lan, that if he would unite with him, he
would furnifh him, in cafe of neceffity, with
^n army of 12,000 men, confifting of 8,000 foot

266 ANECPOTES OF THE
foot and 4,000 horfe, to ad in concert with
the Germans; that he would appoint him
Governor of the Milanefe for life ; and to
enable him to hold his troops in readinefs to
march on the fhorteft notice, that he would
pay down to him immediately 300,000 phi
lips. Amadeus accepted of thefe conditions •
and the Emperor ordered the money to be
paid, providing tliat he fhould refund it, if4ie
had no occafion for the 12,000 men. This
treaty was concluded and figned at Milan by
the Ambaffadors pf the Emperor and thofe of
his Sardinian Majefty, inthe month of June,
A. D. 173®.
Some time after this the Spanifh Ambaffa
dor, then at Genoa, vifited the Court of Turin
incognito ; and, in a private audience with the
King of Sardinia, ofi^ered him, on the part of
the King his mafter, the cities of Novare and
Pavia, together with feveral adjacent territo
ries beyond the Teffin, which now conftitute
a part^of the Dukedom of Milan, and belong
to the Emperor, on condition that he would
join him to expel the Imperialifts out of
Italy, unlefs they would allow Don Carlos the
unmolefled poffeflion of the Parmefan. Vie- to^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 267
tor not only regarded thefe offers of Spain as
much more advantageous than thofe of the
Imperial court, but alfo believed that England
and France had entered into a refolution to
co-operate with the Spaniards in driving the
forces of the Emperor out of Italy. He
therefore willingly accepted of them, and
promifed to affift Don Carlos with his army
againft the Germans.
Notwithftanding the great precautions
which he had ufed to conceal this new and
perfidious alliance into which he had entered,
the Emperor's emiffaries entertained fome
fufpicions of the truth ; they communicated
them to their mafter ; and he, of confequence,
gave immediate orders to the Governor of
Milan, to threaten Vidor with the heavieft
effeds of his vengeance. That Prince ex-
cufed himfelf as well as he could, by denying
the charge. But when he was afterwards in
formed, by his Ambafliidor at Vienna, that
the Aulic Council feemed difpofed to enter in*
to the meafure^s of the Allies of Seville, he
was filled with terror and confternation, from
the appr^henfion that thofe two powers would
undoubtedly tak? fuch fignal vengeance on
5 his

268 ANECDOTES OF THE
his perfidy, as would prove equally ruinous
to his interefts, and difgraceful to himfelf.
Vidor, thus agitated by a thoufand differ
ent emotions, and at a lofs how to recover the
falfe ftep he had taken, refolved at length to
diveft himfelf of the fovereignty, till his af
fairs fhould affume a more favourable afped.
He hoped that he might thus fhelter himfelf
from the ftorm which was ready to burft over
his head, and that a pretended abdication of
the Crown, by extricating him from thofe
embarraffing engagements, would tend to
filence the clamour that might be raifed
againft him. This meafure, indeed, was not
agreeable to the maxims of Machiavel, whom
this Prince had hitherto followed with fcru-
pulous exadnefs. He flattered himfelf, how
ever, with hopes of fuccefs ; and trufted to
the implicit fubmiffion of his fon, together
with the affedionate attachment of his fub
jeds. But we fhall fee, in the fequel, how
widely he was miftaken.
Previous to the excution of his fcheme, he
judged it proper, by communicating fome part
of his defigns to the Prince of Piedmont, to
prepare

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 269
prepare him for this important event. With
this view, for two months before his abdica
tion of the crown, he retired with him daily
into a private apartment, and addreffed him
in fuch terms as thefe:  " My dear Son,
** I am not yet fo much funk under the in-
" firmities incident to old age, as I am op-
*' preffed by the anxious cares that attend on
" fovereignty. I am therefore difpofed to
" retire for fome time from public affairs, in
" order to unbend my mind, and to commit
" the reins of government to your hands.
" The burthen, my Son, is indeed heavy,
" and my fears are great, left, at fuch an age,
" you fhould prove unequal to its -weight.
" Your experience in affairs of ftate is
•' fmall ; for you know that I have hitherto
" avoided to initiate you in the myfteries of
" politics, or to truft to any one the manage-
*' ment of the ftate. I have hitherto govern-
*' ed my fubjeds without the aid of any mi-
" nifter. But this is an art to be attained
*• only by long experience. It is therefore
" abfolutely neceffary, my dear Son,, that you'
" fhould, in the beginning of your reign,
" have fome fage Mentor, to dired your pro-
" ceedings, and enable you to maintain, or

" even

270 ANECDOTES OP TH£
" even increafe that authority with which I
*' am now about to inveft you. But as it is
" very dangerous for a Prince, in early life,
" to repofe unlimit_^d confidence in any indi'*
*' vidual of his fubjeds, I have refolved, un-
*' til you are qualified to govern alone, that I
*' myfelf fhall difcharge the duty of your di-
*' redor. Oti thefe terms, my Son, I have
" refolved to furrender to ypu my crown ;
** confider them, and inform me whether
'* they be fuited to your inclinations."
The Prince of Piedmont replied with the
moft profound refped, " That his Majefty
'• might do what feemed to him meet ; and
" that while he enjoyed that life which
" he derived from him, he might remain
" affured of his fubmiffion and fidelity ; that, .
•' whether his Majefty chofe to diveft him-
" felf of his royal authority or not, he would
" ever efteem it his indifpenfible duty to
" yield the moft entire obedience to his will.
*' In one word, he promifed that, whatever
*• events fhould take place, he fhould always
" ref[)ed him as his Father and his Sove-
" reign." This declaration, often repeated
by a young Prince, hitherto a ftranger to
the

RUS SI Ari EMPIRE. 271
the arts of difimulation, gave the Itioft
entire fatisfadion to the King ; and he re
folved to delay no longer the execution of
a fcheme from which he expeded, at the
fame time, to derive both tranquillity and
honour* He therefore iffued an order on the fecond
of September 1730, to the Princes of the
Blood, the Knights of the Order of the An
nunciation, the Minifters and Secretaries of
State, the Archbifhop of Turin, the Grand
Chancellor, the firft Prefidents, the Generals
of the army, and all thofe who held the chief
offices at court, to afTemble oti the morrow, at
three o'clock in the afternoon, at the Caftle
of Rivole. There, after having fummoned a
Council of State, he declared, that he made a
general abdication of his kingdom, and of all
his dominions, in favour of his fon Charles
Emmanuel, Prince of Piedmont. Then,
having ordered all thofe who had come from
Turin, in obedience to his commands, to be
admitted, the Marquis del Borgo, Secretary of
State, read the Ad of Abdication with a loud
voice, after which his Majefty addreffed the
affembly in a very pathetic difcourfe, to the
following purpofe : « The

272 ANECDOTES OF THE
" The innumerable troubles and toils
** which I have undergone, without inter-
*' miffion, during a reign of fifty years,
" without mentioning the infirmities to which
" all men are liable, and the age to which I
*' have attained, would have been more than
*' enough to render the burthen of govern-
" ment heavy and intolerable to me. Be-
" fides, as my end is now drawing nigh, and
** as I begin to regard death as the common
•' lot of fovereigns and of their fubjeds, I
*' confider myfelf as bound, by the moft fa-
" ered obligations, to interpofe fome fpace
" between the throne and the grave. Thefe
*' motives have been powerful enough to lead
" me to that meafure which I have this day
" adopted; and, efpecially, as Providence
" feems to favour my intentions, by beftow-
*' ing upon me a fon worthy of fucceeding
" me, and of governing my people ; a fon
" endowed with all thofe qualities that adorn
" a deferving Prince. I have therefore re-
«• folved, without hefitation, to transfer to
•' him, by a folemn ad, figned this day with
*' my own hand, the fupreme authority over
*' all my dominions, and am refolved to pafs
" the remainder of my days at a diftance " from

R tr S S I A N E iVI P I R E. 273
•' from affairs of ftate. I exhort you, there-
" fore, to fer\'e the King, my well-beloved
" fon,'_#ith the fame inviolable fidelity which
" fe have ever demonftrated towards my-
*• felf; affurihg you, at the fame time, that I
" have e^fneftly recomnieiided you to hitf
*' royal faviDiir."
King AhiadeuEl, upoti his abdication, had
recommended it to his foil to caufe all the
eftates of his nobility and gentry to be fur-
veyed, ahd to proportion their taxes to the'
extent of their poffeffions. Had this mea
fure beeri carried into execution, it would in
deed have aligmented the revenues of the
crown, but it would hive ruinfed the no
bility. When Charles afcended the throne,
he found it improper to adopt it. This gave
great offence to the abdicated Monarch ; he
wrote his fon on the fubjed, more in the ftyle
of a mafter than of a father ; and when he
found that his fon ftill perfifted in negleding
his remonftratices, he formed the refqluiion
of irefuming the fovereignty. *
Amadeus had referved for hhnfelf a yearly
penfion of 50,000 crowns, and retained only
T a few

J74 ANECDOTES OF THE
a few domeftics' about his perfon. He had
made choice of the caftle of Chamberry for
the place of his refidence ; to which he re
paired a few days after his abdication, being
then in the fixty-fourth year of his age, and a
widower fince the 26th of Auguft 1728. He
had left a miftrefs in Piedmont, who was
known by the title ofthe Countefs of St. Se-
baftian ; and as this lady performs a very
confpicuous part in the fequel of this ftory,
it will not be foreign to .our purpofe to men
tion, in this place, the outlines of her life and
charader. Her maiden name was Madamoifelle de
Cumiane, While yet only fifteen years of
age, fhe was a maid bf honour to the Queen-
Dowager, the mother of Amadeus. This
Prince, who was then only in his thirtieth
year, took more delight in the gay converfa*
tion ofthe ladies of his mother's court, than
in canvaffing with his minifters the difiicult
affairs of ftate ; and fuch amufement was the
more agreeable to him, that the Queen*,
* She had been educated at the Court of France, being the
daughter ofthe Dukd de Neniours, who was killed in a duel
by'theDuke de Beaufort, which was the occaiion of Lewis
XIV. ptohibiting duels on pain of death.
* who

R Ii d S 1 A ^ e! M P I R E. iJS
tvho was no lefs addided to gaiety than him
felf, admitted thofe only into her train Mo
were remarkable for their beauty. Thus the
Prince, arid the young lords of hife court, en^
joying the pleitfutes of variety, iiever expe
rienced difguft. At letigth, however, Ama
deus, fixirig his affedions dn Madamdifelle
de Cumiane, loaded her v^ith extraordinary
favours, fo that, in a fhort time, fhe befcamfe
di'ftinguifhed from all her fair companions,
by an unfeemly change in her fhape. In of-
der to remove this deformity, the Queen
Dovfrager, who was a faithful Confident to her
fori, as well as an a(fe6tioriate mother, gav6
her immediately in marriage to the Count,
de St. Sebaftian, her Premier Ecuyer, who
efteemed himfelf highly honoured iri bfeirig;
admitted into fuch an intimate contiediotl
with his Sovereign. The Countefs his wife
was made one of the Queen's Ddmes d'Hon-
neur ; and notwithftanding her mafriage, was
often honoured by the affiduities of fhe King.
Sometimes, however, when any new intrigiie
intervened, thefe attentions were interrupted.
But even when the Countefs no longer pof
feffed the King's affedions, fhe had the addrefa
fo effedually to fecure his ffieridfhip and
T 3 efteem,

276 ANECDOTES OF THE
efteem, that fhe ftill > maintained her influencje
over him; and when fhe was left a widow in
A. D. 1723, the King undertook the care of
her children, and attended to them as particu
larly as if they had been his own. . He at the
fame time appointed her an apartment in the
palace, which communicated with his ov/n,
and enabled him to vifit her as familiarly as
he defired) without obfervation. or fcandal.
He afterwards named her one of the ladies
in the train of the Princefs of Piedmont.
Such had been the fortunes of the Countefs
de St. Sebaftian, till the abdication of Ama^
deus. As foon as fhe received information
of this event, being naturally ambitious, and
well verfed in intrigue, fhe immediately went
in queft of Father Audormiglia, Abbot of a
IVIouaftery of Feuillants, and Confeffor in
Ordinary to King Amadeus, and of Dr.
Boggio, Curate of St. John's, his. Spiritual Di-
redoF, She fuggefted to them, that the
King, in order to make reparation for the in
jury which he had done her and her family,
had, fince the death of the Queen, frequently
promifed to conclude with her a private mar
riage; and that, now having abdicated the
throne,

RUSSIAN, EMPIRE. 277
throne, he ought not any longer to delay the
performance of his promife ; for, having thus
defcended to a level with private perfons, he
could, with lefs difficulty, fulfil the duty of a
Chriftian, and of a man of honour. She then
promifed thofe two ecclefiaftics, that if^ by
their means, fhe became the wife of that
Prince, fhe would employ all her intereft
with her bufband, in order to promote them
to the chief dignities of the church'. En
gaged by thefe promifes, as well as by the
pleafing and infinuating addrefs of the Coun
tefs, thofe ecclefiaftics did every thing in
their power to promote her defigns, and they
found little difficulty in rendering their en.
.deayours effedual ; for the King was very
well pleafed to have fuch a companion iri his
folitude as this lady, to whom, as to another
felf, he might confide the moft fecret fenti
ments of his heart. In fhort, he fent for her,
and married her publicly; he thereupon de
manded 100,000 crowns ofthe King his fon,
which were immediately granted him; this
fum he prefented to his wife, that fhe^might
purchafe with it an eftate for the children of
her former marriage ; and, with this view,
T3 fhe

878 ' ANECDOTES OF THE
fhe purchafed the Marquifate of Spigna, of
which fhe henceforth affumed the title.
Amadeus, during the ^rft four months, ap-
.peared to be fufficiently happy in his retire
ment ; and the Marchionefs his wife, whp
ftudied affiduoufly to fuit herfelf to his hu
mour, alfo affumed the appearance of hap
pinefs. At the fame time, obferving that the
King \yi),s diffatis/ied with his hoiife, and that
he frequently propofed to repair it, fhe exert
ed herfelf ftrenuoufly to diffiiade him from his
purpofe, by r,eprefpnting to him, that it was
not worth his while to repair an old caftle,
•vvhich was every where falling into jruin ;
that he could never render \t eithef ^gree^ble
or commodious, but by pulling it down and
ereding a new one in its ftead ; and for thi?
(he faw no neceffity, fince his Majefty had
jnany fine palaces in Piedmont, amongft
which he might chufe the place of his rpfir
idence ; to all which fhe added, that theclir
mate of that country wopld be mpre favouf*
able to his health than th^t of Savoy.
By fuch arguments as thefe, the Marchior
nefs endeavoured to give her hufband a dif-
"  ^ " guft

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 279
guft at his refidence at Chamberry, and to
perfuade him to return into Piedmont. But
they only ferved to agitate him, without per-
fuading him, as he had firmly refolved to re
main for fome time at a diflance from the
court, in order the more effedually to conceal
bis defigns. The Marchionefs indeed had
other reafons befides the health of the King,
for being fo eager to perfuade him to ex
change his prefent refidence for that of Pied
mont ; but thefe fhe took care not to difcover,
until fhe knew how they might correfpond
with the inclinations of her hufband,
In the mean time, fhe ftudied to infinuate
herfelf more and more, by flattery, and an
affeded fondnefs, into his good graces ; and
fo fuccefsful was fhe in her endeavours, that
the Kirig one day requefted of her to check
her impatience only for a little ; and that, in
a fhort time, fhe would obtain that for which
fhe moft earneftly wifhed ; for that it never
had been his intention, notwithftanding what
he had made his fon believe, on his abdica
tion of the crown, to pafs the remainder of
his days at Chamberry. T 4 After

lip ANECDOTE^ Of THE
/'Aftef this mark of confidence, the Ma^
chionefs was convinced that it woul|i be eafy
to peiietrate into the fecret motives of his ab
dication, to which fhe had hitherto remained
a firanger. From this peripd, with great art
and penetration, fhe ftudied to difcover his fe
cret fentiments. She knew, by long expe
rience, thofe foft and favourable moments of
accefs, in which a wife can obtain any booq
from ^ hufband ; fhe feized the propitious in
ftant ; an4 learned that his intention was .to
refump the>Cfown in lefs than two years.
*' Two years !'' exclaimed the Marchionefs,
in a tranfport pf joy ; '* and why will yoii
" defpr it to fo diftant a period :'¦' The_King
then communicated to her the fecret motives
of his abdication, with the /eafons which hin
dered him from refurning the crown, until the;
differences between the Emperor and the
King of Spain, with regard to the Parmefan
and.Tufcany. flip^ld be terminated either by
a peace or lA'ar ; previous to which event, he
cpuld not e:^tricate himfelf from his engage
ments, confiftently with his honour or inte
refts ; for, on the one tiand, fhould he jolri
the allies of the treaty of Seville, in the ex-
pedation of their fending a powerful army tp
' ' ' fupport

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 281
fupport him in Italy, he might be very eafily
overpowered by the Germans: — or fhould
^e, on the other hand, declare in favour of
the Emperor, the allies would not fail to take
the fevereft vengeance on him if they ever
gained the fuperiority, which in all proba
bility would happen, as the Emperor and he
would -never be able to make oppofitioa
againft four powers fo formidable as Eng
land, France, Holland, and Spain. As he
had then been fo unfortunate a? to enter into
engagements with the Emperor and the King
pf Spain at the fame time, he had been able
to find no other expedient by which he could
repair his fault, than by abdicating the throne
in favour of his fon, recommending it to
him to maintain a neutrality with regard to
the contending powers, until their difputes
fhould be brought to an iffue.
The Marchionefs approved of her huf
band's condud ; and they agreed to remain
at Chamberry, where they might watch for a
time and an opportunity favourable tp Ihcir
defigns. During their refidence in Savoy, this
jiaughty woman fuggefted to her hufband, that

282 ANECDOTES OF THE
that It would be proper to exercife, at^ times,
that fovereign authority which he ftill re
tained over his fon and his minifters, that it
might not infenfibly be loft. Amadeus en
tered readily into her views, and put her ad
vice in pradice. He ordered the King his
fon to vifit him at Chamberry, to receive his
inftrudions with regard to fome important
affairs ; and that Prince obeyed him, as if he
had been ftill his fubjed. In the fame man
ner, he ordered the minifters of ftate, and fe
veral of the chief officers. of the court, to at
tend his perfon ; and he was obeyed, as if he
had been ftill their Sovereign.
Inthe beginning of Auguft 173 1, Ama^
deus, having been informed that the Empe
ror had at length confented to permit Don
Carlos, with his 6000 Spaniards, to enter
into Italy, commuriicated the intelligence to
his wife. This gave extreme pleafure to the
Marchionefs, becaufe flie faw herfelf now in
a condition to execute the fcheme which fhe
h^d fo long meditated. For this purpofe,. fhe
withdrew with her hufband into her.clofet;
where fhe obferved to him, " That it was
•^ now time to return' into Piedmont, and to
i-'*' " »' refume

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 283
*' refume the crown, v^hilft his fon and his
*' fubjeds yet retained for him fentiments of
'* refped and obedience ; that any delay, at
*' that period, might prove fatal to him;
** efpecially fhould the Emperor and Don
" Carlos recognife his fon as King of Sar-
*' dinia ; that the young King, by being any
*' longer accuftomed to the charms of fove-
*' reignty, might begin to feel their influences
•** too powerfully, to be willing to renounce
¦'*' them, and to defcend to the rank of a fub-
" jed." Thefe infinuations of the Mar
chionefs left a deep impreffion on the mind of
Amadeus, who had now become more jealous
than ever of his authority, though he had, in
appearance, furrendered it to his fon. He
therefore refolved, without delay, to return
ipto Piedmont; and having fignified his re
folution to his fon, the caftle of Montcalier
was, by his orders, immediately prepared for
his reception. In the end of Auguft, Ama
deus left Chamberry, with his wife, and fixed
his refidence jn that place. »
The King his fon, with the principal per
fons of the court, immediately attended him,
?vith congratulations on his fafe return.
The

2^4 ANECDOTES OF THE
The Archbifhop of Turin, and the Magi-
ftrates of the city,, paid him the fame marks
pf their refped. The Queen herfelf, ac
companied by feveral ladies of her court, vi
fited the Marchionefs de Spigno; and fhewed
her the ftrongeft marks of efteem and affec
tion. In ftiort, Amadeus and his wife, fince
iheir return into Piedmont, appeared to be
the real Sovereigns of that country. In frer-
quent converfations which that Prince had
with the Minifters of State, and with tbe
Governors of Turin and of the Citadel, he
artfully endeavoured to found their inclina
tions ; and as thofe officers had always pro-
feffed great fubmiffion, and a warm attach
ment to his perfon, he was perfuaded that he
might, at that time, reafcend the throne,
without meeting with any oppofition, either
on the part of his fon, or of his miniftry. He
even relied on the attachment ofthe foldiery:
he knew that he poffeffed their efteem, and
he flattered himfelf that he alfo had their af
fedion : as the greateft part of the officers
were his creatures, he did not doiibt but that
they would pay refpedl to his inclinations;
and he even hoped, that they would readily^
concur in promoting his defigns. But the
fequel

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 285
fequal of this great event will fh^ ht)w
touch he was deceived in his expedations.
He wrote to Marechal Rebhinder in very ge
neral, though flattering and infinuating terms.
But that General, who Was Gomtriander in
Chief of the forces, was iiamediat-ely fenfible
of > how much- confequence it wais, to deftroy
every expedarion in Amadeus of ever reafcend-
ing the throne. He replied accordingly,-^That
he acknowledged himfelf his debtor in all
that he poffeffed, — his eftate, -his hononrs,
and his dignities. " Your Majefty," faid the
Marechal,, " has made me what I am. I owe
" nothing to King Charles; and all my ex-
" preffions of obligation are <ioie only to your
" Majefty. But of all the favours with
" which yon have loaded me, I have always
" held the honour of your efteem to be the
*' moft precious. Permit me then, Sire, to'
" preferve this honour inviolatedj which, I-
*' will take the liberty to fay, I have acquired^
" at the expeace of that blood which I have
" fhed in yPur fervice. But I would forfeit
" it. Sire, were I unfortunate ertough to prove
" difloyal to that King whom you have fet
'^ over me, and, to whom you have bound
* " me

486 ANECDOTES OF THE
" me to yield obedience. I will maintain thef
fame fidelity to him that I have done to your
" Majefty ; and I will lofe the laft drop of
my blood in the fupport of his throne;
'* At the fame time. Sire, I fhall be, at all
" times, ready to give your Majefty the moft
" unequivocal marks of my refpedful at-
" tachment ; fully fenfible that, you; vyill ne-
" ver impofe upon me any commands, that
" may be inconfiftent with that juflice and
" honour which, have ever accompanied alll
" my adions."
On the 28th of September, i73i,4bou't fix-
o'clock in the , afternoon, Amadeus, being;
then alone with his wife at Montcalier, dif-'
patched a meffage to tlie Marquis del Borgo,
with orders to attend him immediately. That
minifter, withoilt entertaining the flighteft
fufpicion of the bufinefs on account of which^
his prefence was required, inftaritly obeyed'
the fummons, as he had been wont to do on'
former occafions. Immediately on his enter
ing the apartment, the King faid to hitai
" Del Borgo, I have fent for you to fup with
** my wife and me, that you might endeavour,
" by your good humour, to remove a head^ach
o " witb

RUS SIAN. EMPI RE. 'ziq
« with which fhe is afflided; and after fupper
*' I will impart to you an affair which will give
" you pleafure." 'The Mafquis, with the
utmoft refped, acknowledged the honour
-which his Majefty had done him, and took
his feat at table. The King was in high
fpirits during the time of fupper, and enter
tained the Marquis with a flow of humour
and gaiety. When fupper was over, and the
domeftics retired, the King addreffed Del
Borgo in the following terms : '* It hath
'* given me great pleafure to obferve, that the
" King, my fon, has retained in his fervice
" the fame perfons whom I had employed
** myfelf; fince, without doubt, he could
" not have chofen any that were equal to you
" in fidelity, or in abilities, or in experience.
" I doiibt not, at the fame time, that you
" know fufficiently, that it was I who ex- "J
'* prefsly charged my fon to employ the fame
" tninifters, on whom I myfelf, during my
" reign, had fixed my choice; and I hope
" thar, as well out of duty as out of gratitude,
" you are ftill firmly attached to him who ^
" has been the author of your fortunes.''
The Marquis replied, " That his Majefty^
'* might always rely on his obedience, as
" well

ii^ ANEcbaTEs of the
" well as on the affediori of all the miniftei^
" and officers of the King his fori, in'the
" fame manner as if he wercjftill their Sove-
" reign ; and that, with 4:egardtp, himfelf, he
" would, pn all occafiorisj- embrace every op-
*' portunity of demoriftrating to hiih th^
" moft fincere and inviolable attachment.", ,
The King then refumiog that . haughty
and authoritative tone, in which he had been
wont to addrefs his Mimftets,. replied, '' We
" are fo fully convinced, Del Borgo, that you
" are eiitirely deyoted to our Service, that we
" have ever diftingulftied you above all our
" minifters, by our particular regard ; we
*' have always fekded you from amongft the
" reft, in order to entruft to you; our moft
" important affairs ; and we have now made
" choice of yoii to be the depofitor of our moft
" fecret refolutionsi It is now about a year
" fince vfQ have abdicated the throne in fa-
*' vour of our well-beloved fon Charles, Em.-
" manuel, from the motives which, we fet
•* forth at Rivole on the day of our abdicaj^
" tion ; to which it may be added, that we
" had alfo in our view to try how that frinee
*^ would demean himfelf in the charader of a
" Sovereign,

R U S S r A_N EMPIRE. 289
''" Sovereign, that we might, in our lifetime,
" affift him with our advice, and be able to
" leave you, after our deceafe, a Prince
" worthy of filling our Throne. And though
*' we have been entirely fatisfied with his
" adminiftration, yet the intereft of our ftate
" lays us under an indifpenfible obligation to
" refume the reins of Government imme-
" diately, as we are now upon the eve of fee-
" ing very important revolutions in Italy,
*' which might prove deftrudive to our Son,
" and to his fubjeds, were the adminiftration
" then vefted in a young Prince, yet inexpe-
" rienced in thofe wiles and myfteries of po-
" litical -art, which a Sovereign, who would
*' maintain his power, is under a neceffity of
*' employing. For thefe reafons, Marquis,
" we command you to deliver up to us the
" Ad of our Abdication ; and then to fignify
" our intentions to our Son, and to his Mi-
" nifters, in order that we may be invefted
" to-morrow, without delay, with the Sove-
" reignty ; for fuch is our will and p|»ea-
« fure."
A declaration fo unexpeded threw the Mar
quis into the utmoft confternation; and he
U was

S9e ANECDOTfeS OF THE
was at the greateft lofs how to extricate him
felf from an affair of fuch delicacy and dan
ger. For, on the one hand, had be given a
pofitive refufal to this high-fpirited and im
petuous Prince, who had never met with a
refufal in his life, he ran the rifque of throw
ing him into a tranfport of fury, to which he
himfelf might have fallen a vidim ; and, on
the other hand, had the Marquis yielded to
his demands, he would have proclaimed him
felf a rebel againft his juft and lawful Sove
reign, and have incurred the penalty of high
treafon. In this embarraffing fituation, that artful
minifter, hoping to efcape the ftorm which
threatened him by an excufe full of fubmif
fion and flattery, replied to the King, re-
quefling of bim, with the utmoft humility, to
refled, that it was not in his power to reftore
the Ad of Abdication, until he had firft ob
tained permiffion of the King of Sardinia, to
whom, as his Majefty knew, he had fworn
fealty. The King, chafed and enraged, in-
i;errapted him in thefe words : — " Del Borgo^
" do you "acknowledge any other Sovereign
** than me ? To whom did you (irft fwear
I « the

tt t( t( tc

tc

RUSSIAl^ EMPIRE. agt
the oath of fealty ,? To me, or to my Son f
Are you not a traitor, both ungrateful and
difloyal towards the perfon who hath raifed
you to that eminence which you poffefs,
and to whom you have this moment pro-
feffed perpetual obedience ? But I will
eafily find means to bring you back to your
" duty, fhould ypu fail tP pbey me inftantly.'*
The Marquis, in the utmpft trepidation,
proceeded in the following terms : — •' Sire, if
" you will do me the favour to liften to me a
" moment, you fhall be convinced that I am
" not fuch a man as you imagine me to be.
" It is true, that, by your orders, I have en-
" tered into a new allegiance to the King your
" Son ; but, notwithftanding this, I have
" ever regarded you as my juft and lawful
" Sovereign ; and in order to convince you,
" Sire, of my entire refped and obedience, I
" will bring you the Ad of Abdication to-
" morrow morning, without mentioning the
" affair to any perfon whatfoever ; and the
" only favour that I will requeft in return is,
" that you fhould juftify my proceeding to
*' the King your Son." This an-fwer paci
fied Amadeus, who, after having obliged the
U 2 Marquis

192 ANECDOTES OF THE
Marquis to promife repeatedly that he would
religioufly keep his word, left him at liberty
to r'etire.The Marquis had fcarce departed, than this
Prince, refleding on what had paffed, began
to repent of having difcovered his intentions.
He began to entertain a diftruft of all his
Son's minifters ; he was apprehenfive that
they would oppofe his defigns ; and his mind
was agitated by turns with the emotions of
ambition and of revenge. At one inftant, he
flattered himfelf with the hopes of fuccefs
from the docile and yielding difpofitions of
his Son ; at another, he was tortured by the
moft agonizing apprehenfions, left that Prince,
after having once tafted the pleafures of un
bounded liberty, and of abfolute power, fhould
refufe to fubmit again to the authority of a
Father fo ftern and rigid as himfelf, and fo
averfe to the purfuits of pleafure. Such re
fledions as ihefe funk his fpirit into the loweft
defpondency; nor did he know of any re
fource to which he cPuld apply ; but, ftripped
of his power, land abandoned by his friends,
he faw himfelf devoted to the rigour of his
fate. The Marchionefs, who had hitherto been

RUS SI AN EMPIRE. 293
been wont to enliven his folitary hours, and
to banifh his cares by her gaiety, and tender
officioufnefs, now durft not open her lips, left
Ihe might irritate his refentment, and draw
on herfelf the effeds of his difpleafure. In
this ftate of penfive melancholy, fetching
deep fighs, and at times giving way to tranf
ports of outrageous fury, which difcovered
the agitations that he inwardly underwent,
he walked about his chamber till midnight,
when addreffing himfelf to the Marchionefs
abruptly, as if juft awaking from a difmal
dream, he exclaimed, " My refolution is
" formed j — order my horfe to be got ready
" for me without delay !" She obeyed, with
much reludance, unable to guefs the motive
of fo fudden a refolution, and not daring to
make any enquiry. He mounted his horfe,
attended by one valet-de-chambre, and pre
fented himfelf at the gate of the citadel of
Turin, demanding immediate admittafice. —
One ofthe officers ofthe citadel immediately
acquainted the Baron de St. Remis with the
arrival of King Amadeus. The Baron» was
aftonifhed, and could fcarce be made to be
lieve that he could vifit him at fo unfeafon-
able ari hour : he went himfelf, wii;hout de-
U' 3 ^ lay,

894 ANECDOTES OF THE
lay to examine into the truth ; and adually
found Amadeus on the fpot, extremely impa
tient to obtain admittance. The Governor
begged to be informed What was his pleafure
with him. " Open the gate this inftant,^^
replied he, " and I will fatisfy you." The
Baron anfwered, that if he had any Orders to
give him, he might deliver them from the
place in which he ftood, or fend them to him
in wriring, for thar he could by no means
open the gate at fuqh an hour, without being
wanting fo his duty, which be was refolved
fhould never be the cafe.
T'he King, after this repulfe, returned to
Montcalier filled with confufion, with aj.-
prehenfions, and with rage. He had exped
ed that the Baron would have received him
into the citadel without fcrnple, becaufe he
owed the place which he then held to ^is
good offices; and he had flattered himfelf
with the hopes, that were he once admitted,
he might be able, by means of the Governor,
to fet himielf at the head of the troops fta
tioned in that place; and thus to compel his
Son to reftore thfe crown, if he fhould not be
difpofed to furrender it voluntarily. But
* - - now

RUSSIAN EMPIRli:. 295
now all his fchemes were fruftrated, becaufe
he found nobody inclined to affift in pro*-
moting his defigns. Overw.helmed by the
keeneft agony, he threw himfelf down on a
couch, without faying a word to the Mar
chionefs, who was ftanding by, filled with
diftrefs, at obferving the afflidion which her
hufband endured, whilft fhe was ignorant of
the immediate caufe of his fufferings.
No iboQ'er had the Marquis del 3orgo got
hack tp Turin, than he haftened to court, and*
with the ftrongeft marks of confternation,
demanded an audience of the King. Upon
this one of the Ladies of the Bedchamber jo^
ftantly arofe, and went to awake his Majefty,
informing him, with much trepidation, that
it was by the orders of the Marquis del ^or-
go, who was then expeding him in an antir
.chamber, to confer with him concerning af
fairs, of the higheft moment. The King arofe
immediately, and entered hijS clofet, ^fier
having given orders to admit nobody but th^
Marquis only. He was then informed by
that Minifter, that the King his Father inr
tended, the next day, to refume the Crown ;
^fid that he had commanded him lo reftore
y 4 int9

296 ANECDOTES OP THE
into his hands the Ad of Abdication, tand., at
the fame time, to announce his refolution to
his Majefty and his Minifters. The King
immediately replied to the Marquis, without
any eriiotion, " That fince he had afcended
thei Throne by his Father's command, and
*' with the univerfal -approbation of the peo-
" pie, he held it to be a duty which he owed
" them, to confult their fentiments before he
" refigned his fovereignty,'' And as the
•"fhortnefs of the time required decifi ve mea
fures, he immediately commanded Nthe at-
'tetidance of the Minifters of State, tli'e Arch.^
bifhOp of Turin, the two Firft Prefiden,ts, and
tlie other general Officers of theCrown, in
order to deliberate, in full council, on an af
fair of fuch ' delicacy and importance, on
which depended the happinefs and tranquM-
' lity of the realm. Thofe Minifters having
affembled with all poffible difpatch, the King
communicated to them tbe intentions of Ama
deus, informing them, at the fame time, that,
for his own part, in order to convince his. Fa
ther of his filial obedience, and of his entire re-
fignation to his will, he was ready to furren
der to him his Crown ; but that this was a
ftep which he could not refolve to take, with out

IIII

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

287

oilt .previoufly confulting their inclinations
and opinions. aiUpon this all the members of
that illuftrious affembly arofe, and after tefti-
fying their deep fenfe of the deference which
his Majefty had paid to them, by a Iqw bow,
the Archbifhop, in the name of the refti fpoke
to the following effed : " That fince his Ma-
*' jefty had.permitted them to declare their
" fentiments upon the fubjed which was the
" occafion of their meeting at that time, it
" appeared to him, that Amadeus haying,
" niore than a year ago, voluntarily furren-
" dered the Crown, in the mpft folemn man-
" ner that could be devifed, and for the rea-
*' fons, fet forth by himfelf, in his fpeech on
" on that occafion (which was inferted in the
*' Ad pf Abdication), it appeared to him, he
'* faid,, that the King could not poffibly have
*' any juft or reafonable motive at that time
" to refume the Crown; fince he muft have
" been fully fatisfied with his Majefty's ad-
*' miniftration, which had been equally agree-
¦*' able to his fubjeds, and calculated to pro-
^' mote the eafe of King Amadeus, who ?en
s' joyed the fubmiffion and refped due to a^
Jf* Sovereign, without being fubjeded to the
" troubles

«98 ANECDOTES OF THE
" troubles and cares which attend thM toalt-
** ed ftation : that for thefe reafons, thoi^h
" that Prince had fo foon retraded what
**" he had folemnly fworn to obferve in*
'* violably, he did not appear to be influenced
by juft and reafonaWe motives ; and that
he ftrongly fufpeded that he was inftigated
in this affair only by the boundlefs vanity
*' of the Marchionefs his wife, who had often,
*' fince her marriage, betrayed an eager dc-
" fire to be declared (^een : That as they
" had every reafon to believe this to be the
" cafe, his Majefty was in hojjour ^nd duty
*' bound to preferve the Crown, and to pre:?
** vent his fubjeds from falling a prey to the
" infatiable ambition of a mifchieyou? wpman:
" That he could not help admiring and ap-
" plauding that dutiful fubmiffion which his
*' Majefty prbfeffed to the will pf his Father j
*' but that, in this inftance, his obedience, in-
" ftead of meriting applaufe, wpuld become
" the fubjed of cenfure, as it woiild prove
" ruinous to his own interefts, and to thofe of
" his people : That the intereft pf the public
" fhould ever regulate the adions of a Sove-
** reign*; and that he ought to rejed, with-

t(

out

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 29,
" out a fcruple, every meafure that tended to
" iobftrud this general view.''
All the other members of the Council ua-
animoufly concurred with this Prelate in opi
nion, and approved of the dutiful remon-
ftrances which he had offered to his Majefty.
As they were deliberating cpncerning thofe
meafures which it would be proper to em
brace, in order to ward off the calamities which
threatened the ftate, they were interrupted by
a fudden knocking at the door of the hall, in
which they fat : The Marquis del Borgo, by
his Majefty's command, went to examine
what was the matter, and found that it was
an officer difpatched from the citadel by the
Baron de St. Remis, with a letter to the
King, containing an account of the late ftep
which Amadeus had taken there,, in order
to promote his defigns. The King and
all the Council were fo much alarmed
by this information, that they agreed,
with one voice, on the neceffity of imme
diately feizing the pecfons of King Amajleus,
and of the Marchionefs his wife, in order to
fecure the tranquillity of his Majefty, and that
pf the ftate, which they threatened to difturb. The

|0o ANECDOTES OF THE
The young King exclaimed repeatedly
againft this meafure: "What! make my
*' Father be feized ! No," faid he, " it is im-
" poffible that I fhould ever confent to it."
It was a long while before he could be pre
vailed upon to agree to this meafure ; and it
was only in compliance with the preffing in-
treaties of his council, that he was at length
brought to give his confent. When he fign
ed the order, his hand trembled fo violently,
that the Secretary of State was obliged to
guide his pen.
They committed the execution of this bold
enterprize to the care of twenty officers, of
the moft intrepid refolution, accompanied by
a detachment of dragoons and infantry ; and
the Count de la Peroufe, Lieutenant- General
of the forces, was charged with the office of
feizing the King, with the affiftance of a large
detachment of troops, entrufted to him for
that purpofe. Thefe troops had been drawn
out from Turin, and the places adjacent;
they fallied forth at the fame inftant from
their ftations, and, without knowing the place
of their deftination, marching in profound
filence, without beat of drum, or found of
trumpet,

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 301
trumpet, they appeared before the caftle oi
Montcalier, the ftation appointed them ; and
it was immediately furrounded by dragoons.
The Count de la Peroufe, attended by the
Chevalier de SolaVe.Lieutenant-Coldnel of the
guards, at the head of a detachrnent of grena
diers with mounted bayonets, afcended the
ftaircafe which led to the King's apartment;
and the Marquis D'Ormea, Secretary of State,
who carried the order figned by King Charles,
with another detachment of grenadiers, took
poffeffion of the back-ftairs. De la Peroufe,
finding the door of the apartment locked,
gave orders that it fhould be forced open ;
and there he feized a page, who being then in
waiting, lay in the anti-chamber. In the
fame manner he advanced forward, forcing
all the doors, till he reached the bed-chamber,
where the King lay with the Marchionefs his
wife. That Lady, hearing the noife, as it.
approached, arofe fuddenly; and having only
time to throw a night-gown around her, fhe
rufhed towards the door. On feeing fo many
armed men advancing, fhe exclaimed, " Sire,
*' we are betrayed !" They did not allow her
time to fay any more. Two officers imme
diately conduded her into an adjacent apart-
7 ment.

362 ANECDOTES OP THE
ment, where they ordered her to drefs ; and
they afterwards conveyed her to the caftle of
Ceve, in Piedmont.
Neither the cries of Madame de St. Sebaf*
tian, nor the noife which the officers made,
had difturbed Amadeus. who ftill continued
funk in the profoundeft fleep. The Cheva
lier de Solave took poffeflton of the King's
fword, which he obferved lying upon the
table, and M. de la Peroufe advanced and
drew the curtain. The King, upon this>
ftarting out of his fleep, demanded what was
the matter ? " I have an order from the
" King," faid Peroufe, " to feize your per-
" fon." " And who is your King," return
ed Amadeus : " I am your King and your
" mafter ; nor ought you to acknowledge
" any other as fuch." *' Your Majefty has
*' been my King," replied the Count, " but
" you are fo no longer ; and fince you have
*' thought proper to give us Charles for our
*' Sovereign, and to command us to obey
" him, I hope you will yourfelf be difpofed
" to fet us the example of loyalty."

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 303
The King was quite tranfported with rage j
he menaced the officers, and refufed to get
out of his bed. He gave the Chevalier de
Solave, who advanced tod near him, a blow
on the breaft, and angrily commanded him to
retire. As he obftinately refufed to rife, the
officers found themfelves under a neceffity of
raifing him, and dreffing him by force. He
declared that he wifhed to fill the throne
again only for two hours, that he might have
it in his power to hang the mifcreants who
had feduced his Son ; and among this num
ber he reckoned the principal perfons at
court; When he was dreffed, the officers fur
rounded him, and conduded him by the great
ftaircafe towards his chariot, which waited
for him in the court. He appeared con
founded when he faw the anti- chamber full
of armed men ; and the foldiers, who were
as yet in the dark with regard to the bufinefs
were aftonifhed when they found that it was
their old King whom they were catrying a
prifoner. '* What ! 'tis our King !" they
whifpered among themfelves :" " What has
** he done? What are we about?" The
Count

304 ANECDOTES OF tHE
Count de la Peroufe, apprehenfive of a tnii^
tiny, cried out to the foldiers, " By th6
" King's authority I command filence, on
" pain of immediate death."
The King found in the court a regiment
of dragoons which he had always diftinguifh-
ed above the reft of his troops. Their pre
fence feemed greatly to affed him, and he
Jnade an attempt to addrefs them particularly.
they did not however allow him leifure for
this, but hurried him precipitately into his
(Chariot. The Count de la Peroufe, and the
Chevalier de Solave, begged his permiffion to
take their feats by him ; but he replied, that
this was what he would by no means allow.
Mounting therefore on horfeback, they took
their ftations on each fide of the chariot,
which was at the fame time furrounded by
the troops ; and in this manner the King was
conduded to Rivole. I had omitted to ob
ferve, that when departing from Montcalier,
he demanded three things, his wife, his pa
pers, and his fnuff-box : of all thefe he obtain
ed only the laft. The garrifon of the citadel
was reinforced that night with two regiments,
and that of Turin was confiderably augmented. Early

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 305
Early in the morning the officers and dra
goons that guarded Amadeus at Rivole were
relieved by a body of 600 foot ; and ftrid or
ders were given to the commanding officer to
keep that Prince always in fight. For after
the refufal of the Baron de St. Remis to ad
mit him into the citadel, he had funk into a
kind of liftlefs infenfibility ; his fpirits haying
been exhaufted, by rtiminating on the affront
which he thought had been offered to him ou
that occafion, and on the mearis of revenging
it. But when he found himfelf feized by his
own officers, and abandoned by all thofe who
had hitherto profeffed the greateft refped and
attachment to his perfon, he became outrage
ous and ungovernable. They were therefore
tinder the neceffity of confining him in a
room, of fecuring the windows with iron
bars, and of watching his adions narrowly,
left he fhould deftroy himfelf, or commit any
other outrage. When the King obferved the
glazier bufy about the windows of his apart
ment, he demanded what he meant ? ^' I
** mean," replied he, " to furnifh yoif with
" a double cafement, left you fhould catch
cold during the winter." "What! vil-
X « lain/'

((

3o6 ANECDOTES OF THE
*' lain," faid the King, " do you iraagine
" that I fhall pafs the whole winter here i"
*' Ay, faith," replied the glazier, " this, and
" many more."
He was ferved in his confinement with all
the attention and refped due to his rank.
The Chevalier de Solare, with two Captains
of the guards, had the charge of attending
him ; and he fometimes amufed himfelf in
playing with them at billiards. They had
orders to treat him with every mark of re
fped ; but never to return any anfwer to the
complaints which he might be difpofed to ut
ter in their prefence.
The Council of State iffued orders, on the
fame day, to arreft the Confeffor of that
Prince, together with near fifty perfons of
diftindion, who had entered into the cabal
with the Marchionefs de Spigno, for the pur
pofe of dethroning" the reigning Prince. —
An exprefs was difpatched to the Governor,
to the Intendant-General of Chamberry, and
to the Count de St. George, his brother, who
was firft Prefident of ^hat city, with or
ders

kUSSIAN EMPIREi 307
ders for them to repair immediately to Til-
rin, to receive new inftrudions. The Count
de St. George, who was fufpeded to have en
gaged in the affair more deeply than the reft,
he being a near relation ofthe MarchionefSi
de Spigno, was fent to the citadel of Turin*
to be privately examined. The Coiint de
Cumiane, her brother, obtained his pardon,
by difcovering all the fecrets with which his
fifter had entrufted him. What may be
reckoned fingularly fortunate for King
Charles in this affair is, that none of his fub
jeds were found deficient in loyalty towards
him ; and that he was not laid Under a ne
ceffity of tarnifhing the glory of his reign by
ffiedding the blodd of any of his fubjeds.
Madame de St. Sebaftian funk into the loweft '
dejedion of fpirits, and took no other fuf-
tenance than broth, which ffie herfelf pre
pared. After her difgrace, her fon, then an
Enfign iri the guards, withdrew from Court.
The young King took notice of his abfencej
and very gerieroufly gave him to underftand,
that he might again appear at Coart, and
continue in his employment ; fignifying to
him, at the fame time, that however guilty
X 2 Madams

-3o8 ANECDOTES OF THE
Madame de St. Sebaftian had heen, the con
fequences would not be extended to him ;
and affuring him that he himfelf would take
the charge of his future fortune.

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 309

LETTER XXXVIII. (Extract.)
The Hofpodar of Walkchia.

St. Peteribarg, Ofl. iz, 1770,
* * « * rpHE Hofpodar, or Prince of
•^ Wallachia, arrived fome months
ago at St. Peterfburg. He is a captive. Soon
after the redudion of Chotzim he was taken
prifoner in the capital of his dominions.
Captive Princes are objeds of curiofity. They
are like ftars ffiorn of their radiance, and eaft
down from the firmament. If they condud
themfelves with fuitable dignity, we regard
them, even in their fall, with veneration:
and according to the fortitude they difcover,
along with a proper fenfe of their calamity,
are our feelings of refpedful compaffion. Be
fides, in confidering them as fallen from ex
alted power, to a ftate of humble dependence,
our fentiments are finely ffiaded by obferving
the fleeting weaknefs of human grandeur.
X 3 Even

310 ANECDOTES OF THE
Even circumftances of no very important na-?
ture give a certain energy to thofe feelings :
fo that not only a graceful deportment, but
even a good appearance, and a drefs fuited to
their charader and fituation, promote and im-r
prove them.
Some circumftances of this fort concur in
the appearance of the Prince of Wallachia.
^e is tall, robuft, aged about fifty, of a dark
complexion, and pf a grave afped. He wears
pn the crpWn of his head, which feems either
bald or very clofely ffiaved, a fmall round cap
of fcarlet cloth ; it is entirely without orna
ment ; does not cover his ears, nor reaches to.
his neck or forehead. His body is wrapped
in a wide pelife of crimfon cloth, with long
fleeves, lined with fable, and flowing down to
his feet. He wears yellow leather half-boots
hanging loofe about his ankles ; and has no
thing about him very ornamental, excepting
that on his little finger he has a fmall gold
ring, fet with a beautiful tufquoife, furrounds
ed with a row of diamonds.
^s he is pf Greek origin, his being a man
pf fome accompliffiments will not furprizq
ypu. He is fond of mufic : fpeaks Latin and,
I^aliaii,

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 311
Italian, and underftands French. 'But he
fpeaks, little. Indeed he feems conftitution-
ally grave and taciturn. He appears to have
been,. at;a]l times, a man of more pride than
vanity: and exhibits at prefent a fine pidure
offe^ grandeur.
He looks, as doth the tower, whofe nodding wall*
After the conflift of heaven's angry bolts.
Frown with a dignity unmark'd before
Even in its prime of ftrength.
Alas ! in my next fentence, fo faithful are
our feelings, at leaft, to the interefts of vir
tue ! I ffiall undo the charm ; efface eVery
pleafing impreffion I may now have given
you ; and deftroy all the prepoffeffions you
may have entertained for the Hofpodar of
Wallachia. He is faid to have proved falfe
to the Sultan, and to be inwardly pleafed
that he is a captive. Away then with his
princely ftature, his grave afped, his few
words, and his flowing robe. — Gregory Giko,
for that is his name, wears nothing about his
neck ; but if he fall into the hands of the
Muffulmen, it will probably be embraced with
d b.owftring*.
* Ifl have not been mifinformed, he was reftored to his
dominions when the peace was concluded between the Turks
9f d Ruflians, and was foon after a^Taffinatcd in his palace.
2^4 Yon

312 ANECDOTES OF THE
You will fay, perhaps, that as he was a
Greek, his wiffies were naturally hoftile to
the Turks. But you will alfo remember, that
he was proteded by, and depended upon, the
Sultan. You know that the principalities of
Moldavia and Wallachia, as well as the Cri
mea, are dependents on the Turkiffi empire ;
and that their Sovereigns, if they may be call
ed fo, are, in fome meafure, nominated at
Conftantinople, In this view therefore he is
inexcufable. You will obferve, that the great
Defpots of Europe feem defirous of having,
fmall Princes, rather than mighty Potentates,
on the frontiers of their dominions. Such
neighbours are not fo formidable : in cafe of
foreign wars they ftand in the way of inva-
fion ; and may in time become a part of the
neighbouring empire. Perhaps the Sove-
xeigns of Ruffia would not be forry to fee
Finland and Lithuania, no lefs than the pro
vinces of ancient Dacia, ereded into what
they might be pleafed to term independent
Dukedoms or Principalities. *' Why," they
will fay, in the fuperabundance of their good
nefs, " ought the Finlanders and the Lithua-
*' nians to be fubjed to the Kings of Poland
^' and Sweden?" It

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 313
It is impoffible to confider the prefent ftate
of the diftrids bordering on the north fide of
the Danube and the banks of the Neifter,
without feeling regret. No foil is more fer
tile ; no climate more delightful; and the
Euxine, together with the navigable rivers
that fall into it, afford the means of intercourfe
with the neft of the world. Yet thofe fine
provinces, which might form of themfelves a
refpedable kingdom, oppreffed and ravaged,
are almoft a defart.

314 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XXXIX.
Anecdotes of the Battle of Kahul — and qf
Count Romanzoiv.

St. Peterfbjjrg.-
T T gives me the fincereft pleafure, my dear
-¦- Sir, that our correfpondence, after a long
interruption, is now renewed : and I congra
tulate you, with all my heart, on the pleafure
you will receive in vifiting France and Italy,
Long before this reaches England, yoa
will have heard of a decifive vidory obtained
by Count Romanzow at the River Kahul,
over the Vizir and the grand Turkiffi army.
It will at leaft determine the fate of Bender,
which General Panin has for fome time paf^
been very clofely befieging.
Some amufing circumftances relating to the
battle are mentioned here. — The Sultan hav-> ing

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 315
ing confulted his aftrologers, was told, that if
the. Vizir croffed the Danube on ope day, and
theAgaoftheJaniffariesonanother,bothwhichdays were particularly fpecified, and if they
marched immediately, and began their attack
on the Ruffians, they would prove fuccefsful.
Accordingly orders were fent to the Vizir to
ad agreeably to the predidion s of the wife-
men ; and in fo far as the Ruffians permitted
them, they were pundually obeyed'. For
Romanzow, by beginning the attack, has af
forded an excufe to the aftrologers for the
failure of their prophecy ; and fo perhaps
may have faved them their heads.: — The Ruf
fians, going on the attack, had to march
through a field of wheat ; and the common
foldiers embracing this opportunity of making
an addition tp their provifions, filled their
pockets with the wheaten ears. This cirr
cumftance was a better omen to the General,
than were the predidions of aftrologers to
the Sultan : it ffiewed him that his men had
no apprehenfion either of dying, or of being
forced to returri. i
The Emprefs has rewarded Rpnianzow
^ith the rank of Field Marffial ; and has
4 given

3i6 ANECDOTES OF THE
given him a prefent of 5000 flaves, corrc
fponding to the number of flain on the field
of battle. You will know the value of this
prefent, by recolleding, that a great man's
eftate in Ruffia is not reckon.ed by the extent
of his lands, fo much as by the number of
boors he poffeffes. They labour the ground;
pay him an annual tax; and, in proportion
as their wealth increafes, their tax is aug
mented. Count Romanzow, by his condud in this
campaign, has juflified the high opinion that
was generally entertained of him as a foldier.
Perfons on whofe veracity and information I
Can depend, have given me the following ac
count of him. — He poffeffes great ftrength
of mind, and is, of confequence, very fteady
and determined. His eagernefs and adivity
in profecuting every enterprize he undertakes,
are invincible. His ambition is very great;
yet, in his temper, its-violence may be couur
teraded by attention to prefent intereft. He
is friendly, and even refpedful to his equals j
condefcending to his inferiors ; to his fupe
riors haughty and unpliant. This difpofition may

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 317
may prove inconvenient to himfelf, and hin
der him from enjoying much happinefs in
attending on a court; but it marks a high-
minded man. In particular, the perfon who
refpeds his equals, ffiews that he refpeds
himfelf. Perfons of confcious inferiority
alone exprefs a mean opinion of thofe who
are in the fame condition with themfelves.—
Count Romanzow's abilities, as a politician^
are faid to be no lefs eminent than his mili
tary talents ; and his negociations may per
haps be no lefs fuccefsful than his fword, in
putting an end to this cruel war. '"' :
The following anecdote of his youth is re
lated and believed.  His earlieft paffion
Was the love of military glory : his fuperior
underftanding foon convinced him, that im
provement in his profeffion could not, at that
time, be obtained in Ruffia ; and his eager
nefs determined him to a meafure which his
perfeverance and addrefs enabled him to exe
cute. He left his own country without the
knowledge of his friends, and enlifted as a
private foldier in the army of his Pruffian
Majefty. Here he cpntinued fpr fome time ;
' was .

3i8 ANECDOTES OF THE
was at length difcovered ; received promo*-'
tion fuited to his rank; and did not return tai
Ruffia but in obedience to the commands of
his Sovereign. This anecdote receives fome
confirmation from an expreffion in a letter
from Romanzow to the Britiffi Ambaffadorj
delivered by a Scotch officer who had beerr
Irecom mended to him by his Lordffiip, and
who ' ferved with diftinguiffied honour to
himfelf as a volunteer in the Ruffian army.
Of that letter *, written originally in French'*,
the following is an extrafd:  *' I confefs
" I have always been ambitious of having
" the good opinion of your nation. I had
" much intercourfe with the natives of your
*' country in my youth ; and I reckbii
«' among them many particular friends.
" Befides the obligations I owe to the late
" Marefchal Keith, that is to fay, all the
•' knowledge I have in niy profeffion, and
" confequently all my fortune, ffiall make
*• me, on all ocdafions, ardendy defire to
" render juftice to the merit of Engliffiraen;
*' It is a fort of retribution ; and the wor-
* Communicated to roe by the getiileman who had beeit
recommended to Count Romarzow. « thiell

15.US SIAN EMPIRE. 319
** thieft incenfe I am capable of offering
'* to the manes pf that great man."  Thd
letter is written with the fpirit pf a fpldier ;
with the pplitenefs pf a gentleman; and, I
may add, with the elegance pf a fine
writer. I am, yours, &c.

3*0 ANECDOTES OF TH^

LETTER XL.
To a Lady, ivho had gone to London ffo)fti St.
Peterfbttrg, requefiing her Return.

St. Peterfburg, Dec. 23, 1770.
A LLOW me. Madam, to tell you, that by
"^ ^ remaining in London, inftead of return
ing to Ruffiai you neither confult your own
intereft nor ours. I will give the reafon in a
comparifon.' You have probably obferved in
a frofty evening, and fuch evenings are not
fcarce in St. Peterffiurg, that there are fewer
ftars in the north-weft quarter of the fky
than in any other. You wfll alfo have ob
ferved, that any bright ftar that condefcends
to ffiine there, does more good than if it ffione
in the milky way; it feems to illuminate
thofe who would otherwife have fat in dark
nefs ; and, of confequence, as the reward of
fuch condefcenfion, it draws much more at
tention, and is much more admired. The
s application

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 321
application .is obviojis. But left profe ffiould
not prevail, and that, nothing may., be .left
unattempted, let us try alfo what verfe may
do, LESBIA, returri— I cannot fay
To flowery fields, and feafons gay :
The Mufe, defponding, cannot fing
Of the fweet garniture of fpring ;
Of funny hflls, and verdant vales,,
And groves, and ftreams, and gentle gales j
Thefe, in more hofpitable climes.
May run mellifluent in my rhymes :
For Winter, hoary and fevere,
!^ules an iriiperious defpot here.
in chains the headlong flood he bindsj
He rides iihpetuous on the winds i
Before him awful forefts bend,
And tempefts in his train contend.
But vyhat tho' wintry wiiids prevail^
And Boreas fends his rattling hail,
Siberian fnows, and mainy a blaft,
jlowling along the dreary wafte,'
Frona Sathoida to the ffiores, ^
Where black witb ftorm^ the Euxine foars j
Thy blamelefs wit, thy poUffi'd fenfe.
Can eafe and gaiety difpenfe.

322 ANECDOTES OF TH'li
Come, then, enchanting. Maid, and bring
The kindly influence of Spring,;
Come, with thy animating air,
And Nature's weary wafte repair.

HtJS SIAN EMPIRE. 31J

LETTER XLL
Prince Henry of Pruffia at St. Peterffnrg — a
fplendid Mcfquerade and Fire-Works.

DEAR SIR, St. Peterlburg, Jan. 4. 1771.
THIS city, fince the beginnipg of winter,
has exhibited a continued fcene of fef-
tivity and amufement : feafts, balls, concerts,
pkys, operas, fireworks, and mafquerades in
conftant fucceffion; and all in honour of, and
to divert his Royal Highnefs Prince Henry of
Pruffia, the famous brother of the prefent
King. Yet his Royal Highnefs does not
feem much diverted. He looks at them jls an
old cat looks at the gambols of a young kit- ;
ten ; or as one who had higher fport going
on in his own mind, than the paftime of i^d-
dling and dancing. »
He came here about the beginning of No
vember, on pretence^of a friendly vifit to the
Emprefs; to have the happinefs of waltr
Y a ing

324 ANECDOTE'S OF THt
ing on fo magnanimous a Princefs ; and to (kt
with his own eyes the progrefs of thofe jm-
menfe improvements fo highly celebrated by
Voltaire, and the French writers, who receive
gifts from her Majefty. As the Queen of
Sheba had heard of Ktng Solomon's " ada
*' and wifdom ;" and " came to fee whether ffie
*' had heard a true report of them in her own
*' land ;" fo alfo this royal Prince hath come
to vifit this mighty Princefs. It may be too,
that, like the Queen of Sheba, he is come to
prove her Majefty with " hard queftions;" if
fp,,he may depend u-pon getting anfwers to
all his queftions ; and if he has any defires
which ffie can grants ffie will " grant him his
*' heart's defire." I could, with the greateft
eafe, make out an excellent parallel, in which
the precious ftones, the camels and affes
brought by the Sheban Pptentate to Jerufa
lem, wpuld, I affure ypu, make no con-
tjmptible figure.'
¦ Bu-t do yoii ferioufly imagine, that
this creature of fkin and bone ffiould tra
vel through Sweden, whence he is come'
at piefent, and Finland, and Pbland, all
i<$x the pleafure of feeing the metropolis and
4- Emprefs

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 325
"Emprefs of Ruffia ? Other Princes may pur
fue fuch paftime; but the Princes of the
Houfe of Brandenburg fly at a nobler quarry.
Or is the King pf Pruffia, as a tame fpedator,
tP reap no advantage from the troubles of
Poland, and .the Turkiffi war ? What is the
meaning of his late conferences with the Em
peror of Germany ? Depend upon it, thefe
planetary conjundions are the forerunners of
great events. Time, and perhaps a few
months, may unfold the fecret. You will Re
coiled the figns, when you ffiall hear after
this of .changes, .ufurpatiqnsj and rjevolutions.
.Prince Henu^.qf Pruffia is one of jthe moft
celebrated Generals of the prefent age. So
^reatace his 'military talents, that his :brp-
ther, who is -npt apt. to pay compliments, fays
of him,— -tJiat in commanding an army he
was never known to commit a fault. This,
.however, isj)ut a negative kind of praife. He
referyes to himfelf the glory of fuperior ge
nius, which, though capable of brilliant at-
chievements, is yet liable to unwary miftakes ;
and allows him no other than the praife of
.corrednefs. To judge of him by his appear
ance, I.ffioiild form no high eftimate of his
Y 3 abilities.

52$ ANECDOTES O'F THg
abilities. But the Scythian ambaflkiiofSi
judged in the fame manner of Alexander the
Great. * He is under the middle fize ; very
thin; he walks firmly enough, or rather
ftruts, as if he wanted to walk firmly ; and
has little dignity in his air or gefture. He
is dark-complexioned ; and he wears' his hair,
which is remarkably thick, clubbed,- and
dreffed with a high toupee. His forehead is
high ; his eyes large, with a little fquint ;' and
when he fmiles, his upper lip is drawn up a
little in the middle. His look expreffes fa
gacity and obfervation; but nothing very
^miable^ and his manner is grave and ftiff
rather than affable. He was dreffed, when I
I firft faw him, in a light-blue frock, with fil
ver frogs ; and wore a red waiftcoat and blue
breeches. He is not very- popular among the
Kuflians ; and accordingly their wits are dif
pofed to amufe themfelves with his appear
ance, and particularly with his toupe'e. They
fay he refembles Samfon ; that all his ftrength
lies in his hair; and that, confcious of this,
and recolleding the fate of the fon of Ma-
noah, he fuffers not the high approaches of
any deceitful Dalilah. They fay he is like
the comet, which, "about fifteen mpnths agp,
appeared

RUSSIAN I^MPiRE. 3i7
appeared fo formidable in the Ruffian hemi-
fpkere;-and which, exhibiting a fmall watry
body, but a moft enormous train, difmayed
the Northern and Eaftern Potentates with
•' fear of change."
. I faw him a few nights ago at a mafque
rade in ^he Palace, f4id to be the moft magni-,
ficent thing of the kind ever feen at the Ruf
fian Court. Fourteen large rooms and gal
leries were opened for the accommodation of
the mafks ; and 1 was informed that thefe
were prefent feveral'i thoufand pebple. A
great part of the company wore dominos, or
capuchin dreffes. Though, befides thefe*
fome fanciful appearances afforded' a good
deal of amufement. A very tall Coffack ap
peared completely sirrayed in the "Hauberk's
*' twifted m^i}." He was indeed very grihi
and, riaartial,. Perfons in emblematical dreffes,
reprefenting Apollo and the Seafons, ad
dreffed the Emprefs' in fpeeches fuited to thei^
charaders. The Emprefs herfelf, at the
time I faw her Majefty, wore a Grecian h^bit;
though I was afterwards told, that ffie varied
her di?efs two or three times during the maf
querade. Prince Henry of Pruffia Wore a
Y 4 white

3»8 , ANEcpoxj=:s ..OF Ths
white domino. Several perfons appeared in
^e dreffes -of different nations,, Chinef^'

Turks, Perfians, and Arminians. The moft
humorous and fantaftical igure was a
Frenchman, who, with wonderful nimblenefs
and dexterity, reprefented an overgrown, but
very beautiful parrot. He chattered with- a
great deal of fpirit ; and his ffioulders, covered
with green feathers, performed admirably the
pirt of Tvlngs. ' He drew the attention ofthe
Emprefs; a ring was' formed ; be was quite
happy ; fluttej-ed , his plumage ; made fine
fpeeches in Rufs, French, and tolerable Eng
liffi ;¦ the ladies we|e exceedingly diverted ?
every body laughed but Prince Henry, w\}0-
ft;ood befide the Emprefs, and was fo grave
and fo folemn, that he would have performed
his part m6ftt;a'dmirably ip the ,ffiape of an
0^1. .The parrot pbferved him ; w4s deter-
-0 ¦• ried. tb ha-ve revenge; arid having faid as
many good things as he could to her Majefty,
he was hopping 'away; ' but juft as he was
going out of the circle, feeming tp recollefSb
hinifelf, he ftOpped, looked over his ffiouldei:
&t the formal Prince, and quite in the parrot
tone arid French accent, he addrelfe-^ bi, .'
jnbft emphatically with Henri! Henri!^ ffenri
'¦• . ' • ' an4

:^USSIAN EMPIRE. 320
an4 then diving into the crowd, difappeared.
His Royal Highnefs was difconcerted ; he
was forced to fmile in his own defence, And
the company were not a little amufed.
A.,t midnight a fpacious hall of a circular
form, capable, of containing a vaft number of
people, and illuminated in the m.oft magnifi
cent manner, was fuddenly opened. Twelve
table? were placed in alcoves around the fides
of the room, ' where the Emprefs, Prince
Henry, and a hundred and fifty of the chief
nobility and foreign minifters, fat down to
ffipper. The reft of the company went up
^y flairs pn the outfide of the room into the
lofty galleries, placed all around on the infide.
Such a TQW pf mafeed vifages, many of therri
with grotefqtje features and buffiy beards, nod
ding from the fide of the wall, appeared very
ludicrous to thofe below. The entertainment
yas enlivened with a concert of mufic ; and
^t different intervals pef'foris in various habits
entered the hall, and exhibited Coffack, Chi
nefe, Poliffi, Swediffi, and Tartar dances.
The whole was fo gorgeous, and at the fame
time fo fantaflic, that I could not help think
ing myfelf prefent at fome of th? magnifi-
' " ' ' ' ' ', ¦ pent

330 ANECDOTES OT THE
cent feftivals (JefcriJ)ed in the old-faffiioned
romances : ^e m^rflial'd feaft
Serv'd up in ha)l with (ewers ajid fen?fhals. , .
The reft of the company, on returning to the
rooms adjoining, found prepared- for them
alfo a fumptuous banquet. The mafquerade
began at fix in the evening, and ' continued
till five next morning'.
Befides the mafquerade, and otheif feftivi-
ties, in hpnour pf, and to divert: Prince
Henry, we had lately a moft magnificent
fliew of fireworks,,. They were exhibited in a
wi4e fpace before the Winter Palace ; and, in
truth, " beggared defcription.'' They dif
played, by a variety of emblematical figures,'
the redudion of Moldavia, Wallachia, Beffa-
r-abia, and the various conquefts arid vidories
atchieved fince the commencement of the pre
fent war. The various colours, the bright
green, and the fnowy white, exhibited in
thefe fireworks, were truly aftoniffiing. For*
the fpace of twenty minutes, a tree adorned
wiffi the Ipveliefi and moft verdant foliage,
feemejd to be waving as with a genjtle breeze.
It was entirely of fire ; and during the whole
~ t of

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 331
of this ftupendous fcene, an arch of fire, by
the continued throwing of rockets and fire*
balls in one diredion, formed as it were a
fuitable canopy.
On this occafion a prodigious multitude of
people was affembled ; and the Emprefs, it
was furmifed, feemed uneafy. Sh^ was
afraid, it was apprehended, left any accident,
like what happened at Paris at the marriage
of the Dauphin, ffiould befal her beloved
people. I hope I have amufed you j and
ever am, Yours, &c.

g^t ANECDOTES OF Tfl^

LETTER XLII.
lAcpount of the Confecr ation qf the Waterfi

.DEAR SIR, St. Peterfburg, Jan. 7. 1771.
ONE of rthe moft magnificent ceremonies
in tlie Greek church, and that which
feems chiefly to draw the attention of flran
gers is, the confecr^tipn of the waters. It is
.performed twice in the year ; but the moft
¦Cplendid difplay of this ceremony is exhibited
on tl)te 6th of January, and is performed ia
4:ommenioration of the baptifm of our Sa-
,*viour.. As I was yefterday .prefent at this
/olernnity, I ffiall -mention to you fome of
sthofe circjimftances in the ffiew, which feera-
(fid tp nie raqft remarkable,
A pavilion, fupported by eight pillars, un-
4er which the, chief part of the ceremony was
|)erformed, was ereded on the Moika, a
€ream which enters the Neva between the
Winter

RUSSIAN EMPIRE^. 33J
Winter Palace and the Admiralty. On the
top was a gilded figure of St. John : on the
fides were pidures of our Saviour, reprefent
ed in different fituations ; and within, imme
diately over the hole which was cut through
the ice into the water, was fufpended the
figure of a dove. The pavilion was fur
rounded with a temporary fence of fir-
branches ; and a broad lane from the palace
was defended on each fide in a fimilar man-^
ner. This paffage, by which the proceffion
advanced, was covered with red cloth. The
banks of the river, and the adjoining ftreets,
were lined with foldiers. The Moika, in ho
nour of the event commemorated by this fo
lemnity, is always dignified, on the 6th of
January, with the name pf the river Jprdan.
On the prefent occafion the Archbiffiop
of Novogrod prefided ; and the firft part of
the fervice was performed in the Imperial
chapel. Tbe proceffion then advanced, by the
paffage abovementioned, to the Jordan of the
day. It confifted of muficians, inferior clergy,
and dignified clergy, with all their ufual pa
rade of tapers, banners, Ipfty mitres, and
flowing i-pbes. They ranged themfelves within

33+ ANECDOTES OF THE
withinjhe pavilioUj and were foon after join*
ed by another proceffion of fuch of the Em
prefs's Court and Family as chofe to be pre
fent at this folemnity ; for the Emprefs,
owing to fome indifpoficion, was abfent. No
parade of Priefts and- Levites, even in thd
days of Solomon, and by the banks of Shiloh,
could be more magnificent. After the rite
Was performed with cuftomary prayers and
hymns, all who were prefent had the' happi
nefs of being fprinkled with the water thus
confecrated and rendered holy. The ftan
dards of the army and the artillery received
fimilar confecration ; and tbe rite was con
cluded with a triple difcharge of mufquetry.
The Ruffians conceive that the water, thus
fandified-, poffeffes the moft fingular vir
tues. Accordingly the multitude who were
affembled on the outfide of the fence, and the
guard furrounding the pavilion, when the
ceremony was over, ruffied with ungoverned,
tumult to waffi their hands and their faces in
the hallowed orifice. What puffiing and
bawling, and fcolding and fwearing— to get
rid of their fins ! the Priefls of different
churches, and many other perfons, carried home

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 335
home with them large quantities of holy
water ; and believed themfelves in poffeffion
of a moft invaluable treafure. For they ap
prehend, that it is not only bleffed with
fpifitual energy, and is efficacious in waffi'-
ing:away the difeafes of the foul, but is alfo a
fovereign antidote a'gainft the malign in--
fl'uences of evil fpirits ; and may be prefcril>-
ed with great advantage agaipft the pains and
maladies of the body.  A Lady, as the
ftory goes, had a child ill of a fever ; many
medicines were tried, but without effed : ffie
-was at length prevailed with to adminifter
holy waiter: it was many months after the
time of confecration ; the water was fpoilt ;
but ffie did not believe it was fo : for fuch
water is reckoned incapable of fpoiling. Be
that as it may, ffie adminiftered a copious
draught; and the child died. But having
been poifoned by the waters of Jordan, the
mother could not repine.
On the fame principle, all infants who
are baptized with the water of the fjfcred
orifice, are fuppofed to derive from it the
moft peculiar advantages. Parents therefore
are very ^ger, even at the hazard of their
childrens'

i'36 Al^ECDOTES O'F THE
childrens' lives, to embrace the bleffed ocg2&=
non. I have heard that a prieft, in immer-
fing a child, for baptifni is performed here by
the immerfion of the whole body, let it flip,'
through inattention, into the water. The
^hild was drowned ; but the holy man fuffer-,
ed no confternation. '* Give me another,"
faid he, with the utmoft compofure, '* for the
" Lord hath t^ken this to himfelf." The
Emprefs, however, having other ufes. for her
fubjeds, and not defiring that the Lord
ffiould have ariy more in that. way at leaft,
gave orders, that all children to be baptized
in the Jordan, ffionld henceforth be let dowii
in a bafket. Adietfl ..:.

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 33?

L E t T E R XLin. (ExfiiAcf.)

Tp the Reverend

Concerning the EffeSl of pompous religidiii
Rites on the Devotion of the Worfhipper.
****!¦ AM mpre tbari ever of your opi-s-
¦*• nion, that fimplicity ought to
reign in the forms of religious worffiip.— *¦
*' Piety, and a fenfe of the Supreme Being,'*
as I have heard you obferve, " ought not to
t* be mere holiday raiment, or a cloke to be
worn only on Sundays. The fentiments
and difpofitions produced by trrie religion
" ofight to be mingled with, and form a part
*' of our temper. We ought to entertain
" them habitually in Pur minds, and carry
" them with us even to fcenes of bufinefs and
" of amufement. They will reflder bufinefs
•' agreeable, and heighten the pleafure of the
" rural walk." Thefe are your dodrines,
Z and

<(

j3^ ANECDOtES OF triE
and they are well founded. But if we think
it effential to the exercifes of devotion, that
our minds be much elevated and tranfported;
if we muft feel violent raptures and ftrong
emotions, we deceive ourfelves. Thefe tran
fports are of little fervice. Extacy foon fub-
fides : the refolutions which it occafions are no
lefs tranfient; they vaniffi with the mood that
produced them ; they are a gaudy ftrudure,
but have no foundation. Pompous cere
monies, glaring pidures, and even raviffiing
mufic, have, no doubt, very pleafing effeds ;
but they rather tend to produce wild enthu-
fiafm, than meek religion. I had lately, a
whimfical inftance. At a very magnificent
ceremony of the Greek church, at which I
was prefent, every thing was contrived to
work on the fenfes, and inflame the imagina
tion : Solemn proceffions of mitred Priefts—
a refpedable and numerous audience— ^the
Emprefs of this great empire, and all her
Court-^every one with the geftures and face
of devotion — myfterious forms — and folemn
mufic. 1 was ftruck ! 'tis a falfe religion,
faid I to myfelf: but ftill I was amazed at
what I felt ; and almoft joined in worffiipping
the glaring Saint* — '—I was next night at
an

kUSSIAN EMPIRE. 339
ah exquifite opera : the mufic rapturous — the
fcenery like enchantment — the theatre lofty—*
,the dreffes riiagnificent — and the dancing,
Which waS intermixed, refembled the light
airy geftures of fylphs or prseter natural
beings. In one part, a Prieftefs of Diana, ac
companied with a chorus, confifting of an
hundred Priefts and Nymphs, fung hymns to
the Goddefs : it was affeding. " It is
*' ftrange, thought I; yefterday I wis ofthe
*" Greek perfuafion ; and I am this night a
" Pagan." « * * *

Zz

340 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XLIV*.
Obfervations on the Punifhment of Crimes, iti
Anfiver to the Thirty-fecond Letter in this
ColleBion, iotic'erning the Adminiflration of
fufiice in Ruffld.

DEAR SIR,
THERE are feveral circumftances in ydrir
fituation which muft afford you a great
deal pf pleafure, efpecially the opportunity
which you enjoy, and which I fee you do not
negled, of comparing the condition of man
kind in foreign countries with that which
you were acquainted with at home, and of
? The Author of this -Volume had no notion, when he
wrote the Thirty-fecond Letter, of the merit it was about tof
have with his Readers, It produced this Anfwer, which the
ingenious Writer has moft obligingly allowed him to publifh.
If the Editor could have prefented every other Letter in the
eolleflion fo well fupported as that which has occafioned this
return, the folicitude he now feels on coming before the Public,
tnijht perhaps have been lefiened. obferving

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 341
xjbfervlng the varieties which the difference
between them produces upon manners and
charader. It is flattering to our national
pride, that you have hitherto met with no
thing that tends to weaken your attachment
to the liberty and tl^e cuftoms of your coun??
trymen. i
In your enquiries, the various regulation^
of police defervedly occupy a part of your at
tention ; and, among thefe. the laws relating.
to the prevention or puniffiment of crimes
certainly occupy a very diftinguiffied, place.
Every good citizen ought earneftly to wiffi,
that the magiftrate ffiould be enabled to
watch over the interefts of all the individuals
belonging to the community, and to reftrain
any perfon whatever from violating their
rights. For the fake of abfolute fecurity
from all injuries to his perfon or property, he
might perhaps be difpofed to facrifice feveral
other valuable privileges.
There are regulations and eftablifliments
of police in other countries, which tend more
effedually to proted the inhabitants from the
fraud and violence of their fellow-citizeris,
than any provifions that have been made by
Z 3 our

34? ANECDOTES QF THE
our laws. I entirely acquiefce, howevef, iq.
your judgment, th^t fimilar plans, for pre
vention of crimes, would be attended with
great and imminent danger, if they were
adopted in Britain. It is not to be denied,
that, in this ifland, daring attacks have pfteii
been made by defperate individpals iipon the
perfons and properties of men; and, on ac
count of thefe, pur unequalled form of go
vernment has frequently fuffered reproach
among the advocates for arbitrary power in
foreign ftates. The reprefentations of this
evil that have been given are not entirely
groundlefs, though they are fonietimes grofsly
and iiukiftrioufly exaggerated. But even
granting that they are ftridly true, it will
not be found eafv to devife a remedy that will
not occafion more fatal confequences than the
difeafe. It is better to remain as we are,
though fometimes expofed to dangeV" from
the feeble attack of a timid and fkulkirig
plunderer, than to arm a protedor with irre
fiftible powers, that may afterwards bq
jopenly employed to rob us of our moft \^-
|uable rights, I have

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 343
I have heard of two fchemes that have been
ferioufly propofed, with a view to prevent
the frequency of crimes, efpecially- of robr
beries, in this country. The one of thefe is,
to ered a Board of Police in the capital, re
fembling that which is eftabliffied in France,
under the infpedion of a fit perfon, corrc
fponding to the Lieutenant of Police in Paris*
who, by means of fpies and emiffa'ries, and
by means of information regularly tranfmit-
ted to him from proper officers ftationed in
the country, may have a perfed acquaintance
with the refidence and tranfa^Stions of all
perfons whofe charadgrs are fufpicions. The
other fcheme is, to condemn all perfons,
guilty of robbery, or of other grofs crimes, to
bondage and hard labour. I am not fatisfied
that either pf thefe propof^ls, if carried into
execujion, would anfwer ffie end intended by
th^^^nd I am thoroughly convinced that
neither pf them is adapted tp the conftitution
of Britain, and the " temper of its inhabir
tants. ¦ ¦¦*
ft
The firft of thefe fchemes, by which it is
propofed to form a great eftabliffiment of
police, comprehending many inferior depart^-
^ 4 ments,

34* ANECDOTES OF THE
ments, with their proper officers, is recom
mended by the fuccefs in preventing or
fpeedily, deteding crimes, with which fitnilar
plans have been attended on the Continent,
efpecially in France. We muft not, how-
esrer, allow this confideration alone to deter*-
mine pur judgment, for there may be regu
lations v^ell a.dapted to the manners and go->
vernment of other nations, that are incon-?
fiftent with our fentiments, apd with the fpirit
pf our conftitution.
An obvious obje£tion to this plan arifes
from the great exj)ence with which the exe
cution of it muft neceffarily be attended. It
would require a vafl number of fpies of dif
ferent ranks, conneded with one another by
their fubordination to common fuperiors.— r-
We can hardly fiippofe' that thefe fpies could,
at all limes, poffefs a fufficient degre-lttK«i-
telligence for the purpofes of the eftabliffir
ment, if they were lefs numerous than the
officers of excife. As it'might be neceffary,
however, that, in appearance at leaft, they
ffipuld carry on fome ordinary bufinefs, with
a view to conceal their real employment, they
might riot entirely depend oti the public trea7 fury

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 345
fUry for fubfiftence, and might therefore be
fupported for a fmaller fum than the fame
number of excife officers. At the fame time,
when we refled, that fecret fervices muft be
liberally paid for, and that it might be requi-
fite to have fpies who could eafily obtain ad-
miffion into faffiionable circles, there is reafon
to believe that the differenceof expence upon
the whole might not be very confiderable.
Though the excife be a very produdive tax,
the nation h^s always complained of the
heavy charges paid fpr colleding it. • If a
burthen equally grievous were laid upon a
free people, without any pretence of defend
ing their country, or of annoying their ene*
miesj it would be altogether unfupportable.
The French indeed do not murmur; but the
French do t)pt tax themfelves, and they claim
n^fljil^t to enquire into the expenditure of
puWc money.
There is another objedion to this prppofal
of much more weight than that which Ihave
already mentioned, irifing from the rfature of
our civil conftitution. A free people will
never fubmit, for the fake of the mpft perfed
fecurity from the injurious attacks of indivi duals,

346 ANECDOTES OF THE
duals, to thereftraint of ading always under
the infpedion of fpies. They will not allow
their houfes to be examined by officers of po
lice, without legal warrants from the magif
trate ; nor will they bear with patience to fee
their fellow-fubjeds carried away to prifon,
unlefs they know the grounds upon which
they are fufpeded, and are alfo affured that
tliey ffiall foon be brought to a fair and open
trial. Men who love civil liberty, would ra
ther chufe that their goods and perfons
ffiould be expofed to fome fmall degree of
danger, than purchafe a complete fecurity
from fuch injuries, by fuffering thofe who
are in power to infpedt every man's bufinefs
and converfation. An eftabliffiment of po
lice, perfedly adapted to anfwe? its end, re
quires that cognizance ffiould be taken of the
fufpicions as well as of the guilty, ^|^ is
therefore inconfiftent with liberty. '
It is only in arbitrary governments that
fuch great and regular fyftems of police have
been carried into execution: and there is
reafon to believe, that they are fupported at
great expence, and with unremitting atten
tion, much more from reafons of ftate than
from

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 347
from any regard to the fecurity of the fub
jed, or the good order of the communityi,
The end which they have in view does not
appear to be fo much the puniffiment or the
prevention of crimes, as the fafety of the
Prince's perfon, and the maintenance of his
authority. A defpot is at all times jealous
and^fofptcious. He dreads every whifper, as
if it were the voice of aconfpirator; and his
throne ffiakes below him whenever there is
the fmalleft commotion among his fubjeds.
Spies are neceffary to bring him information
pf every thing that has the appearance of de
fign or of exertion, that he may be enabled to
prefeirve, through all his dominions, ¦ the ftill-
pefs of night. But he endeavours to conceal
his own fears under the plaufible pretence,
that all hi^ anxietie,8 are produced by his un-
ceafing attention to the fafety and fecurity of
his fubjeds. The Sovereign of a free ftate is
agitated by no fimilar fears, for he reigns
agreeably to the declared inclinations of his
people ; he poffeffes their confidence, and can
depend upon their affedions. As loAg as the
Sovereign of a free country is difpofed to rule
agreeably to the principles ofthe conftitution,
he will endeavour to be direded by the gene- , ral
8

348 ANECDOTES OF THE
ral wiffies of his people ; and whenever he
begins to fupprefs the open declarations of
their fears and idifgufts, and to obtain fecret
and indired information concerning their fen
timents, he certainly means to increafe his
own power, and to leffen their influence. He
diftrufls them, becaufe he knows that he him
felf deferves, not to be trufted.
A fyftem of police, for the purpofe of de
teding crimes by means of Spies, has, for a
confiderable time, been carried on in London,
under the infpedion of Sir John Fielding ;
hut it is not extenfive, nor is, it fubfervient to
any thing but the adminiftration of jufticq.
It muft be cpnduded in fome way that is very
different from its prefent form, before any
fufpicion can reafonably arife, that it may, at
¦>laft, be made ufe of to ferve purpofes of ftate.
The beft of rulers,, however, are naturally de
firous of increafing theirpower ; and men who
have privileges tp lofe, ought for.ever to be on
^heir guard. The condud of the fufpicions
muft fometimes be enquired into; but let
the nature and grounds of the fufpicion un-
^er which they lie always be made publicly
Jcnown ; and let the enquiry be open, im-
partial,!

RUSSIANEMPIRE, 349
partial, and not unneceffarily delayed. 'Not
withftanding every precaution that can be
taken, the innocent may fometimes be in-
juftly ftifpeded, and may become fufferers by
confinement before the truth can be invefti-
gated ; but let them never fuffer, unlefs
ftrong prefumptions lie againft them, and let
it be underftood, that fuffering is very differ
ent in its nature from puniffiment, for though
it may be fevere, it is not ignominious.^
The other fcheme, by which it is propofed
to condemn certain claffes of criminals to
hard labour, as well as the former, feems
liable to ftrong objedions. Puniffiments of
Various kinds may be devifed, arid many kinds
of them have been inflided in different coun
tries, fome of them with better and feme with
Worfe effeds. All thofe which are accom
panied with torture are happily laid afide in
our own ifland ; and, in the opinion of the
Wifeft men, ffiould be aboliffied every where.
Why ffiould the delicate, the fenfible, and the
compaffioriate, be wantonly fubjeded tothat
anguiffi which they muft neceffarily feel,
when they are forced to fee, or to hear of
fufferings that are ffiocking to humanity? Is h

iSb ANECDOTES OP f rfE
it even prudent to expofe atrocious guilt iri
thofe particular circumftances, in which Its
bafenefs is concealed, or palliated, by emo
tions of pity excited in favour of the cri
minal ? Such puniffiments are inconfiftent
with the natural principles of man, and with
the ends of penal fandions;
The puniffiments that are ffiocking to hil-
manity ought never to be inflided ; yet there
are crimes that juftify great feverity. Juf
tice may reafonably demand, that a man who
has been guilty ffiould fuffer in his fortune j
though, at the fame time, rigour, in this re
fped, ffiould always be avoided, when the fu
ture welfare of his family is conneded with
the forfeiture. A man may alfo deferve to be
baniffied from his country, and to be legally
divefted of all thofe privileges which he for
merly enjoyed as a citizen. He may even be
guilty of fuch atrocious ads, that the indigna
tion of mankind cannot be fatisfied, if his life
be fpared. Baniffiment and death are puniffi
ments, by which future danger from the at^
tempts of a perfon, who, by the perpetration
of grofs crimes, has difcovered an inclination
and carpauty to injure fooety in its moft ef
fential

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 351
fential interefts, may be effedually prevent
ed; and they do not feem improper under
any form of government.
Deprivation of liberty is a kind of puniffi
ment that may alfo, in forae forms of it, be
adopted in any civil community. Imprifon*
ment for a limited time, if it be regarded as a
fevere and not as a ffiameful puniffiment,
may often be very reafonable and proper.
Even perpetual imprifonment is a fort of pu
niffiment that is not inconfiftent with the
principles of free government; but in any
ftate, whether free or defpotical, to retain a
perfon who is never to, be of any fervice to
the community, and who might perhaps be
ufeful clfewhere, feems to be a meafure unne
ceffary and inexpedient. If there be a mari,
whom it is dangerous to preferve in the com
munity, the obvious didate of common fenfe
feems to be, that he ought to be thrown out
of it. Inftead of preferving an ufelefs Mfe in a
ftate of long imprifonment, it has been
thought a wife expedient in fome nations to
condemn to flavery thqfe criminals, whofe guilt

3sjt ane;cdotes of the
is not confidered as heinous enou^ to de-*
ferve death, though their vicious inclinations
are fo well known that it would be dangerous
to entruft them with liberty. It has been
imagined, that while their labour was a
puniffiment to themfelves, it might be pro
dudive of fome benefit to the ftate. This is
the mode of treating certain claffes of felons ;
.which fome are defirous of feeing eftabliffied
in Britain.
There are feveral lights in which the ten
dency of this fort of puniffiment may be exa
mined. If we look upon it as an engine of
police, merely iritended to prevent men who
are ill'-difpofed from the commiffion of
crimes, it appears to be very well contrived.
While perfons, from whom danger might be
apprehended, are kept under the immediate
infpedion of proper officers, while their taflss
are regularly demanded from them, and the
rod of corredlon is continually fufpended
over their ! heads, they can hardly find any
opportunity to injure the properties of others.
It cannot, however, be reafonably expeded,
that this mode of punifliment will produce any

ku'SSi AN EMPlRt.' 353
¦
&hy fuch good effed, unlefs the criniirial bd
cbndemned to flavery for life. There ard
fome, indeed, who are inclined to believe,'
that hard labour, coritiriUed fbr a limited'
courfe of years, may be fufficient to anfwer
the- purpofe. They found their belief upon
the perfuafion, that A happy alteration in the
manners and charadiers of the filfferers may
gradually be produced; I am rather of opi
nion, that every fucceffive year the riidrals of
perfons in fuch circumftances will become
more and more corrupt. Slavery iriuft be
followed with confequences entirely*, fimilar
to thofe which attend other puriiffiments of
an ignominious nature; all of which feem
very ill adapted to make any defy-able altera
tion in the offender. A msln who is fubjedt-
ed to public infamy immediately lofes all
fenfe of ffiame^ and becomes from that time
bolder in guilt than ever he was before*
This evil is common tb all igriPminiotis pu-*
niffimerits wheri the criminal is permitted tO
furvive them, and to continue in the fame
fociety to which he formerly belongedi* But
there are alfo other evils which are peculiar
to that mode of infamoiis puniffiment which
we are cpnfideririg. If it ffiould become
A a common

354 ANECDOTES OF THE
common to condemn felons to hard labpur, rt
will be impoffible to keep them under, proper
difcipline, unkisa number pf thein be coUed-
ed together ; and if they be permitted to live
in fociety with one another, each of thera will
become more corrupted, than he was before::
and perfons thus trained up in the fchpol of
vice, whenever their period of fervitude ex
pires, will becpme the moft daring of villains.
The contagion of bad principles that infeds
every manufadory where labourers are col-
le<^ed together, cannot fail of fpreading with
great rapidity among men who are ftigma-
tized for their villany, and legally deprived
of reputation. The lot of flavery alone is
fufficient to debafe the minds even of the irk-
genuous, and muft render thofe who are al
ready corrupted totally abandoned. If, there
fore, it be at all proper to make flavery the
puniffiment of crimes, it ought to be perpe
tual ; for in np other way can it effedually
prevent the diftui;bance to which Society
might afterwardsj be expofed from the. fame
perfons who had formerly violated its laws.
The matter may be examined in another
view. One important end of puniffiment is
2. to-

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 355
to prevent the future commiffion of crimes
fimilar to that for which the perialty is in*-
Aided. Condemnation to hard labour does
not feem to be an expedient well adapted for
anfwering this valuable purpofe. Its effedss
Indeed extend to the guilty perfons who fuf
fer ; it reftrains from injurious ads fome of
the worft members of the Society; but it does
hot fufficiently deter other perfons of abari-
doned principles from committing the fame
crimes for which they are fuffering. No pu
niffiment can be very effedual, unlefs it ftrike
the imagination of the fpedator ; and for thi?
purpofe, it is not enough that it be fevere* it
is further requifite that it ffiould rarely occur.
Slavery in itfelf is undoubtedly very fevere^
even more fevere than death ; but it feldom
appears to an indifferent fpedlator in this
light. The generality of men thoughtlefsly
eftimate the lot of a flave as not much harder
than that of the labouring poor. They
look only to his external appearance, without
entering into the diftrefsful thoughts that are
infeparable from his wretched ftation^Where
flavery is eftabliffied, the evils attending it are
frequently expofed to view, and the impref
fion which they make upon the mind, even of
A a 2 the

i\^

35^ ANECDOtES OF THE
the compaffioiiate, is fcarcely felt. A puniffi
ment that is continually exhibited cannot be
very ftriking; We ceafe to he moved with
the moft ffiocking fpedacles when we are
accuftomed to fee them every day; and a vil
lain wifl not feel much uneafinefs from the
dread of thofe fufferings which long obferva
tion has rendered familiar to bim.
It may be added, that condemnation to
hard labour is the moft unequal of all puniffi
ments that can be inflided. Death and exile
are equaUy fevere upon the generality of
men ; but the evils of flavery fill men with
different degrees of diftrefs, according to the
diverfity of their circumftances. A man
who, during the greater part of his life, has
been accuftomed to work with his hands, and
whofe expedations fcarce ever rofe beyond
provifioo for a fcanty maintenance, could not
fuffer nearly fo much from being obliged to
labour in a v/ay fimilar to his ordinary em
ployment, as the man who has been brought
up in luxury and refinement. The fpend-
thrift clerk of a grocer may be guilty ofthe
fame crime with a coal-heaver ; but it would
be moft unmerciful to condemn the fprmes to

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 357
to undergo the fame bodily labour with the
latter. One of them wants entirely thpfe
habits which the other has fpent his days in
acquiring. Cafes might eafily be fuppofed.
In which puniffiments of this fort would be
more fevere than any thing which the inge
nuity and cruelty of men have been able to
devife. A judge might indeed be allowed to
difcriminate among a number of criminals,
and allot to each of them the degree of puniffi
ment which he thought proper, and adequate
to his offence, his conftitution and his habits ;
but in a free ftate, every difcrimination of fuch
a nature is looked upon as grofsly iniqui
tous; A law, then, condemning criminals of a
certain defcription to hard labour, though it
might be [attended with feveral advantages as
a regulation of police, appears at the fame
time to be infeparable from various difadvan-
tages that are more than fufficient to counter
balance all Its falutary effeds. The incon
veniences, however, that have been men
tioned, are not the whole, nor are they the
moft alarming of thofe that might be men
tioned. It is to be iapprehended, that fuch a
A a 3 law

3's8 ANECDOTES OF THE
law, if it were executed with rigour, might
indiredly produce confequences of a public
and moft important kind, I am fully fatif-
fied that flavery, limited to a certain term
of years, will not anfwer the intention of
preveritirig .crimes. In order, therefore, tp
render a law, hy which felons are condemned
to hard lalibur, effedual in bringing about
its end, it will be neceffary to make the pe
nalty perpetual. If the condemnation of fe
lons tp aflate of bondage, which is to ter-
'ihinate only with their lives, were eftabliffied
by ftatute, arid if the law were rigoroufiy
executed through every part of the kingdom,
it is manifefl that the number of bondmen
would, foon become very great. The ex-
pence neceffary for fupporting the inflitution
would, in a ffiort time, become enormous and
intolerable to the nation ; for thfe lalbour of
flaves, employed in public wprks, and placed
under the dirediOn of an overfeer who has
rio intereft in them, wifl produce nothing by
which the charge of maintaining them may
be defrayed. The expences might indeed
be leffened, by employing them in the ordi
nary occupations of civil life ; but if this
"f^ere the cafe, the diftindion between them and

/

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 359
and other claffes of citizens would be too
flig'htly marked to render their puniffiment
examplary ; while, at the fame time, the ho
neft labourer would fuffer degradation in his
own fe^ncy ahd 4hat of others, from the re-
.fledion, that he earned his bread by manual
ads fo mean and fo fevere, that condemnatioh
to the performance of them was thought a
proper puniffiment for thofe who are the dif
grace of our fpecies. The following feems
to be the only remaining expedient for pre
venting thefe evils, if this fort of penalty be
infifted upon, to wit, That thofe who maybe
¦condemned to hardlabour ffiall be mlade the
•private property of individuals, who being
bound to maintain thera, will have an'intereft
in obliging thera to perform the tafkS' affign
ed them. But ftill this ^expedient would
bring along with it new inconvefliencies. It
is greatly for the intereft of the community.,
that ; perfons of notorioufly abaindoned cha
raders ffiould be. kept by themfelves ; buf,
accprding to this fcheme, they wou^d again
be difperfed amd mingled with_ the great body
of the people, whom they would have an op-^
portunity to corrupt. 1. Their puniffiment
might be abundantly -and even exceffivelyfe-
A a 4 vferej

360 ANECDOTES OF THE
vere ; but being endured in private, it could
not be exemplary; and there is reafon to
fear, that it would very frequently be capri,-
cioufly and iniquitoufly inflided. It muft he
added, that, from the inftant when fuch a rer
gulation took effed, domeftic flavery would
be introduced, and fupported by the authprity
of Jaw.
If domeftic flavery, in any confiderable e:^-
tent, were tolerated, and a legal method of
.acquiring flayes inftituted, the horrors of th^t
deplorable ftate would appear to the imagina
tion in colours much lefs lively than they dp
at preferit, and would foon ceafe to be ffipck-
.ing. I Cuftom and familiarity would reconcile
the minds of men to the view of mifery, and
Jn procefs of time it wpuld probably not be
thought cruel to deprive men of their liberty
for very fmaU offences. The confequences
might at laft becpme wprfe than at firft
might be fufpeded, or indeed can be eafily
conceived. In fuch circumftances, would an
ambitious ftatefman hefitate to court the far
-vour of the rich, by freeing them from the
burthen of poor's-rates, which might be eafily
j3t)ne, if the minds pf men were reconciled to
.,jv A dpnieflj?

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 3^1
domeftic flavery, by adopting the plan fpr
maintaining the poor, which was propofed
and recommended, about the beginning of
this century, by Mr- Fletcher of Saltoun ?
Would he think it hard, to make thpfe whp
could not fuppprt themfelves and their fami
lies, together with their wives and children,
the legal property of their rich and powerful
neighbour, who might be willing to fupply
with food the feeble and the infant, from the
profped of acquiring a fufficient recompence
- by their future labour .? As one ftep naturally
and infenfibly leads to another, we might
reafonably exped, that a fcheme of this na
ture would be embraced, as foon as the minds
of men could be brought to bear it. The
ancient Romans allowed the perfon of a man
who could not pay his debts to be fold. If
we were accuftomed, as they were, to the de
privation of liberty, domeftic flavery would
fpon become univerfal .
A ftate in v/hich donieftic flavery prevails
may be great and vigorous, and may enjoy
yery extenfive political liberty ; but its free
dom muft be the freedom of an ariftocracy,
Upcjer which inaufpicious form of govern ment,

362 ANECDOTES OFTHE
ment, whatever bleffings may be enjpyedhy
a few, the great bpdy pf the people miift be
in a condition of bondage and ignorance,
very little fuperior to the condition of beafts
of burthen.
I have given you my fentiments with re-
fped to thefe two expedients for prevent
ing and puniffiing crimes. Both of them
muft, in my opinion, be inadequate, as long
as they are managed confiftently with 'the
principles of free government. I think it
would be highly dangerous to this country to
carry them into execution in any degree what
ever ; becaufe it is not improbable, that, at
fome future period, a minifter inclined, as
minifters often are, to increafe the power of
the crown, might avail himfelf of them to
promote purpofes that were not intended by
thofe who at firft propofed them. A free
country can never be enflaved till the cuftoms
and the feelings of men be altered ; but this is
a fort of change that may,by flow and infen
fible degrees, be at laft effedcd. In a ftate
where the condud of none of the citizens has
ever been Watched over by fpits, the minifter
who employs fuch emiffaries, for his own

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 363
ends, will be univerfally detefted. But if an
eftabliffiment of this jealous nature be already
founded in one department, and the minds of
men reconciled to it, fomething of the fame
kind may, with lefs difficulty, be introduced
into another. Free men abhor flavery ; but if
they can be induced by motives of conve-
niency to tolerate it in one inftance, they may
gradually be brought to bear it with patience
in more. If they can behold a felon reduced
to flavery, v»rithout any emotions of indigna
tion, they may be brought, by degrees, to
behold thofe whom they defpife, or in whofe
welfare they have no intereft, reduced to" the
fame condition, without feeling much for
their mifery. It is the duty of a free people
to watch over their liberties with a jealous
eye, and to look even upon fmall circum-
, ftances, by which they are infringed or en-
^stngered, as matters of great importance.

364 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XLV.
Confeming the Progrefs of the Feudal Syfiem
in Ruffia,
DEAR SIR,
FROM all the enquiries I have been able tf>
make, I do not find that the Feudal Syf-
tem was ever fo fully eftabliffied in Ruffia as
in the other countries of Europe.
The Sovereigns of this country, for near a
thoufand years, feem to have reigned with
unlimited power. Nor have I ever found,
notwithftanding the fond affertion§ of fome
patriotic Ruffians, that in all that period they
ever beheld a fingle glimpfe of freedom.
You will readily obferve, from the fituation
pf this country, that it was, in early times,
much expofed to the invafions and ravages of
the neighbouring nations. It had been the
thorough-fare, in fome meafure, by which
the Eaftern tribes had entered into, and taken
poffeffion

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 365
poffeffion of Europe. After that period, the
nations that remained in it were governed
by various independent leaders, or Knezes.
Thefe neceffarily quarrelled, and waged war
againft one another. At length they were
all fubdued by the anceftors of the Ruffian
Emperors, whofe territory being in early
times limited, they refided firft at Wolodo-
mir, but afterwards transferred the feat of
their dominion to Mofcow.
Not Only were the Ruffians expofed to the
Inroads of furrounding barbarians, but the
whole country may be confidered as one ex
tenfive plain. It is not defended by fuch
faftneffes of rocks, and chains of mountains,
as have fometimes ferved as a barrier to other
nations. In order therefore to be ever ready
to repel violence, and proted his fubjeds
from the predatory aflaults of their rapacious
neighbours, the Sovereign, or Velike Knez,
was provided with a body of armed troops.
He gave them regular pay ; he kept them in
readinefs to obey his commands ; and. never
difmiffed them from his fervice. In this
manner he afforded fuch ample protedion to
his fubjeds of every denomination from the
incurfions

366 AKECb'OTES OF TH£
incurfions of foreign enemies, that they be
came carelefs of their own defence. Every
thing was entrufted to the Velike KneZj
known, after the redudion of Cafan, by the
name of Czar, and of late by the more fa
ffiionable name of Emperor. His valour and
adivity, aided by his army, though fome-»
times feverely tried by his furrounding ad
verfaries, preferved them, upon the whole,
not only from depredation, but infult.
Another confequence flowing from the
fame caufe was, that perfons of great pro
perty did not fix their conftant refidence on
their eftates in the country, nor lived fepa-?
rate'ly from one another, furrounded by their
dependants, and in a ftate of rural magnifi
cence. They left the care of their eftate* to
fuperintendants, and reforted to the great
towns, and particularly to Mofcow. Here
they not only enjoyed fome fecurity from the
ravages of the Tartarian and northern tribes,
but ffiared in the intercourfe of focial life.
This intercourfe, however, though it might
be favourable to projeds and confpiracies
againft the power of the Sovereign, never
produced any combination fo fuccefsful as td
overthrow,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 367
overthrow, or even ffiake his authority.
Were they ever fo much inclined to revolt
againft, or abridge his power, tbcy were def-
titute of. the means. They were removed to
a diftance from their dependants; their de
pendants themfelves had no other connedion
with them than to render them obedience, or
the fruit of their labour * ; and were not pre
fent to partake of the glory, or adopt the re
fentment of their fuperiors. Add to this*
that the armed force in the hands ofthe Czar
would immediately cruffi the beginning of 3
rebellion. The fame feems to have been the fituatiors
in the eaftern monarchies, and particularly in
Perfia and Affyria. The great men lived to
gether in fenced and walled cities : they were'
at a diftance from their vaffals, and under the
immediate view of the Sovereign. , Hence
thofe cities of enormous magnitude, that dif
tinguiffied in early times the more improved
parts of Afia. Hence too the name of the
capital fometimes became the name 'of the
country or of the people. The Sovereigns of
" Stuan's View of Society in Europe, p, 2, ch. 1,
Chaldeai

^6^ ANECDOTES OF fkt
Chaldea were often ftyled Kings of Babylori*
In like manner the city of Mofcow had al
moft impofeci the name of Mufcovy on Ruf^
fia, and of Miifcovites on the Ruffians. It
required a confiderable effort in the rulers of
Ruffia to recover and preferve their original
name. In corifequeftce of the armed force and fuc
cefs of the Velike Knez in defending his fub
jeds, he entertained ambitious views, and
meditated conqueft. Accordingly he fub
dued the kingdoms of Cafan and Aftracad,
and extended his dominions towards the Bal
tic. Thefe conquefts contributed in a variety
of different views to confirm his abfolute powef
at home. He rofe, accordingly, to the ftate
of an Oriental Defpot. So totally were all
notions of real rights and privileges extin
guiffied in the breafts of the nobility, that
when the line of Ruric, which had reigned
700 years, was extind, and when a new
Sovereign, or Dynafty of Sovereigns, was to
be appointed, the Ruffians never thought of
binding their race of rulers by any fuch co
venant or regulations as would even tend to
emancipation. Even of late, when the Em
prefs

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 369
prefs Anna Ivanowna was exalted td the
throne, and was in fuch critical circumftances
as would have induced her to grant .iny pri
vileged td her fubjeds, thofe which were de
manded had little refped to the general free
dom of the people, or even of the nobility ;
and, therefore, that ffie was not compeUed to
grant them, need not be regretted. Such ab
folute and undifputed authority has the So-
vereigri of tbi^ empire fcontinually maintain
ed ; and fo little oppofitiori has he ever
encountered from his great lords or chief
tains, that I have riot learried of his ever
having found it expedient, in order io eri-
cumber their ambition, to interpofe iri behalf
of their vaffals, or countenance ari[iong therii
any pretenfions tb irideperidence. In the
fame view it Is amrifing to remark the natureC
of the fufpicions entertained by the Ruffians
againft Demetrius, a pretender to the Ruffian
throne, and the charges that were brought
againfi him; " His lajring afide the haughty
*' ftate of the former Czars, by appearing In
" public more than they had ufed to do;
** and his fuffering people to fpeak to him
** without being commanded, a treatment the
** Ruffians had not been ufed to, were deeni-
Bb " ed

J70 ANECDOTES OF THE
< * ed derogatory from his dignity, and cori-
" ftrued into proofs bf his not being the
" perfon he pretended." — The manner too,
in which fome of the Ruffian Emperors chofe
their wives, refembles that of the Artaxerxes^s
and Ahiafuerus's, and other Sovereigns of an-
tient Afia. " The fineft maidens inthe em-
" pirewere fent for tocouit; the monarch or
*' faw them either urider a borrowed "hame,
*' withoutdifguife; the wedding day wasfixed;.
*' and the briclegrdbm declared his choice, by
" prefenting a wedding garment fo the'b'ride,
*' It was thus the Czar Michael "Romanzow
" married Eudoxia,thcdaughter6f Streffineu,
" who was tilling his groiind with his, own
*' fervants, when a mefferiger brought* hirii
" prefents from the Emperor, and informed
*' him that his daughter was on the thrphe.*'
ATtbbugh, therefore, ¦ yt)u may have re
marked forri'e circumftances in the accoiints I
have given you that referable feiidal manners,
yet I cannot think they have their origin in
the feudal inftitutioris'. No doubt, in fo far
as feudaf principles are co'mtaon to all men,
in a certain flare of fociety, and may be traced
among the Greeks and Romans, no lefs than
^ '^ among

RU5 SI AN EMPIRE. 371
among the anceftors of the modern European
nations, the Ruffians alfo may have exhibited
fome correfponding appearances. But the
chief particulars in their manners, that dif
play any fuch pretenfion, arife froriri the fu
preme authority ofthe Emperor over the no
bility, and of the nobflity over their flaves.
The peafantry were obliged to obey theit
fuperiors, either in labouring the ground, or in
going out to war; but it does not appear.,
that the^terms on which they were allowed
to derive fubfiftence to themfelves from til
lage were, that they ffiould, on demand, per
form: military fervice. If they tranfgreffed
againft the will bf their owner, they might
no doubt be driven out of his eftates. But
the mafter was unwilling to inflid this kind
of puniffiment; it was like depriving him
felf of a dog pv a horfe. The moll com
mon -puniffiment v/ould be the feizure bf
their effeds, br corporal fuffering. In this
we fee nothing like the incident of.efcheat*.
In like manner the incident of marriage is
not to be looked for in the power ofthe
* Mrilar's elegant and ingenious Account ofthe Origin of
the- Diftindion of Ranks. • •'^••
"vr Bba mjifler

37Z ANECDOTES OF TH^
mafter to make his flave efpoufe whom, 6t
at what time, be appointed. He did fome
thing fismilar for the propagation of his herds
and flocks. Confidered as having no pro
perty but what depended on the good-will of
their owners, we need not fearch among them
for wardfbips, non-entries, or aids. Nor does
any relation of a feudal nature feem to have
fubfifted between the Sovereign and his no
bility. He was as abfolute over them, as they
were over the labourers of the ground. If
he wanted to recruit or augment his? army, he
told the rulers of certain diftrids fhe number
of men he wanted, and they were bound to
fupply them. In cafes of great emergency,
no doubt, they muftered all' their vaffals, and
this force has been termed a militia : it is- ma^
irlfeft, however, that it could only be employ
ed for defence, and that other forces were ne
ceffary for the wars waged at a- diftance, and
the extenfive conquefts atchieved by the
Czars. As we have nothing, therefore, iri
the early accounts of this country, corrc
fponding to the military fervice in the weft
of Europe, the Ruffian hiftory, if I miftkkfe
not, furniffies few inftances of the judicial-
combat, nor of the manners and cuftbnis
flowing:

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 373
flpwing frpm fuch pradice or ioftitution.
Neither have I found any thing in the early
ftate of this country that has the appearance
of an affembly pf chieftains, met tpgether fpr
the purpofes of enading laws, adminiftering
juftice, or of deciding concerning the expe^-
diency of peace and war. The Senate as it
is termed, feems to me to have been originally
no other than a certain number of leading
men, nominated by the Sovereign, to affift
him in his deliberations. But what clearly
ffiews that feudal cuftoms v^ere never very
much known in RuflGa, is the manner in
which a man's family fucceeded to his eftate.
The right of primogeniture, till of late, was
never much recognized or regarded. The
wife generally fucceeded to one-fpqrth part
pf a moveable fubjed, and one-feventh, or
one-eighth,' pf immoveables. The huffiand. In
like manner, fucceeded to the fortune of his
wife; and if fhe had no children, the remain
der 6f her effeds y?as divide4 amon^ her re
lations. In thefe particulars, however, I fuf
ped there is fome inaccuracy. I fufped the
interefts of the wife. In fuch a divifiori, would
be little attended to. But, as Herodotus fays,
with regard to circumftances in his narrative,
B b 2 whieh

^74 ANECDOTES OF THE
which feemed to himfelf rather ftrange, I tell
you what I was told. Each of the daugh
ters in a family fucceeded to a portion, eq,ual
to half what the widow received. ; and all the
reft was divided equally among the fons. If
this was the cafe in early times, you will ob
ferve that it tended diredly to deftroy an he
reditary nobility ; and fo contributed in the
moft obvious manner to increafe the power
of the Sovereign.
There is fo great a difference, according to
the views now fuggefted, between the man
ners, cuftoms, and political conftitutions of
the Ruffians, and other nations of Chriften
dom, that I mention them with the utmoft
diffidence. I believe I am founded in the
account I have given you ; I have no theory
to ferve by the things now mentipned ; yet
you may fet them down, if you pleafe, under
the head of conjedure. Two particulars,
however, 1 muft fubjoin ; the one in favour"
of what I have fuggefted, and the other ra
ther inimical.
J. I am apt to think, that the full completion
of the feudal fyftem, as it arofe in the wefl
• ¦  of

R U S S I A N ]^ M P I R E. J75
of Europe, is a fingularity in tl?e hiftory, of
mankind.; and particularly in the hiftory of
thofe nations that have any pretenfions to im-
provei^ent. The great empires. of Affyria^?^
Chaldea, and Perfia, if we make due allow
ances for difference of climate, prefent nearly.
the fame appearance with the fovereignty of
the Czar, or Velike Knez- Their Emperorf
commanded great armies, which enabled
them not only to make extenfive conquefts,
but to extend their authority at home; and
their nobility refided either in the metropolis,
in Nineveh, Babylon, or Sufa ; or in the
fenced cities of the provinces. The govern
ment of the provinces was altogether military*
I am inclined therefore to view the Ruffian
ftate as a great oriental empire: and ifl may
truft certain fymptoms in the charader ofthe
nation and its mlers, notwithftanding the ef
forts ma^e by Peter the Great and the prefent
Emprefs, to give it fome refemblance to other
European ftates,, for they are the only Poten
tates who have really made the attempt, it
will again return, I will not fay relapfe, into
its fprnier oriental condition.
B b 4 2. The

jy5 ANECDOTES OF THE
2. The Other circumftance to be mentipned
is, that feudal cuftoms are afferted by grav?
i^j^uthorlty to prevail not oijly in tlie neighbour
hood of Ruffia, but §ven in fonje diftrids that
are now provinces ofthe Ruffian empire. An
ingenious French Writer, the author of an
Effay on Public Happinefs, expreffes himfelf
in the following manner:'——" We have
" ftill In the Ukraine a ftriking example pf
*' the feudal government in all its purity,
*' and fuch as it miift have been in the be-
*' ginning. The Czars gave this province
*^ to the Cpffacks, pn cpnditlon that they
** ffiould improve it, and be ready to
>' render them what fervices they ffiould re-
** quire.. Military forms and regulations
*' were in place of every pther rule or infti-
*' tution. Yhe province Is divided Into feve-
" ral- regiments, which form fo m^ny dif-
^' trids. One company makes a village,
<* fubjed to a Captain, who is under the Co-
** lonel, who refides in the city. The Het-
" man refides in a fort of capital, which is
?* no other than a camp, where he always
" keeps in his pay a certain number of iri-
«* fantry and of cavalry. The reft labour
? • ^n^ ^u^tiyate the ground, on no other con-
i " dition

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 37^
f dition than that, whenever there is any
?' need for them, they ffiall appear in arms.''
According to this account, no ^oubt, there
is in the Ukraine an appearance of feudal
inftitutions. But, as was hintc^ above, the;
principles, fo to fay, of feudality may b?
found In all nations ; among the Romans, in
the relation of Patrons and Clients ; among
the Qreeks, at the fifege of Troy ; in Mexico,
when that country was fubdued by Cortes;
in Otaheite, and the South Sea Iflands. Nor
has the above quoted Author afferted that the
particular incidents of the feudal fyftem, and
which give it Its peculiar charader, are to be
met with among the Coffacks. I confefs,
though the outlines of the fyftem may be
traced among them, I dpubt much whether
^hey ever had it in its full completion.
At prefent the Ulsfraine may be confidered
as In all refpeds a Ruffian province. It has
no pretenfions to independence. Tl^e title
pf Hetman is in fome meafure aboliffied.
Count Rofamoufky, the prefent Hitman, is
more commonly known by the title of
Marifchal than of Hetman. He was raifed to

378 ANECDOTES OF THE
to his office by the Sovereign of Ruffia, and
may be removed at the Emprefs's pleafure.
He refides In a fplendid palace at St. Peterf
burg^, and exhibits all tbe indolent tnagnifir
cence and gorgeous luxury of a Mag,abazus,
or Artabazus, or any other Perfian Satrap in
the reigns of Darius or Artaxerxes. I have
been informed that the peafants in the Uk
raine, who were not, as in Ruffia, attached to
the lands they laboured, the fole property of
their mafters, and to be bought and fold at
their pleafure, but might hire their fervices
on any eftate, or to whom they chofe, have
lately undergone a deplorable change, and
have been reduced, by an edid of the pre
fent Emprefs, to the condition of her other
Ruffian fubjeds.
You wfll perhaps infer from the foregoing
account, that Ruffia was, in early times, in
a more improved ftate than the Tartar and
other nations in its vicinity. You will be apt
too, to afk the reafon. I am afraid, however, I
can give you no farther fatisfadion on this
fubjed, than to fay, that the difference muft
have arifen from difference of foil and climate.,
The foutherri and eaftern parts of Ruffia,
^- efpecially

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 37.9.
efpecially about the banks and mouths of
the many great rivers by which this
empire is fo abundantly watered, are ex
ceedingly fertile, and capable of the higheft
improvement. This, therefore, along with
fpme other circumftances, determined the in
habitants of this cpuntry to fpw- corn
and build towns, while their Scythian, Lap-
ponian, and Tartarean neighbours led a,
wandering and fugitive life. In like man
ner, thofe who lived in former ages by the
banks of the Tigris and Euphrates, cultivated
the ground, and were expofed to the depre
dations of thofe favages who iffued from the
wilds of Arabia, the faftneffes of Mount
Taurus, or the deferts of Caucafus.

ANECDOTES OF TH^

LETTER XLVI.
Concerning the Caufes that Duelling and Singly
Combat have not been fq ufual in Ruffia
as in other Countries in Europe.

DEAR SIIR,
nr^HE Ruffians are not addided to duelling,
¦*• Perfons of faffiion, in fo far as I can
learn, do not appeal to the fword, either tp
revenge an affront, or to vindicate their hoT
nour. In this refped alfo, the manners of the
Ruffians differ from thofe of other nations in
Chriftendom. The circumftance is indeed fp
fingular, that you will be inclined to alk hpvf
it happens. It occurs immediately, in confidering this
fubjed, that we hear of no duels among the
Romans, Greeks, Jews, Perfians, or ?iny
p^ple of antiquity; nor even among the mo
derns, if we except the Europeans and their
defcendants. That contefts between two per.?
fonsu

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. ^i
fons, even bloody contefts, and terminating
in death, have not exifted In all times and
places fince the days of Cain and Abel, is not
afferted. I only affert, that we have no evi
dence that the judicial combat ever e:tifted, or
gave rife to the rrwDdern duel* but among Eu
ropean nations. By no other people, in fo far
as I have heard, was ever perfonal valour
made the teft of truth ; or a matter of fad
proved by the fword ; or the will of heaven
fuppofed to be revealed by the death or vic
tory of a combatant in fingle conabat. BiK
among our eaftern and northern progenitors*
even in very early times, conflids, having fuch
fingular importance annexfed to them,- were
not unufual. Frothon, a very ancient Scan
dinavian Prince, declared by edid, " that it
*' was better to terminate differences by arms
** than by argument ; and by blows than by
" words.'* This dodrine was very readily
and very generally embraced. Rotharis,
King of the Lombards, who was the fi^ft in
bis nation that formed a regular fyftem, or
code of law:s, and who borrowed npthing, as
we are told, frpm ftrangers, but pnly eoUeded
and renewed the unwritten laws of his fa
thers, enaded, *' that if a man, poffeffing *' lands^

3gi ANECDOTES OF THE
" lands, or any kind of property, W§re ac-
" cufed of holding them unjuftly, he might
" affert his right by fingle combat.*' Such
edids might be expeded from the defcend
ants of, thofe who, according to. the accounts
boffi of Csefar and Paterculus, determined tbe
moft facred rights, and .fucceffion to the moft
important offices, by. the fword. ' About
thirty years :'after Rotharis, Grimoald, his
fucceffor, boafted of having reformed his
fyftem. '¦! A King ofthe Bufgtindians alfo,^at
-ja very early period, enaded, that the 'fiogle
combat might be ufed as lawful, evidence.
The Goths, and Other nations, who -fettled ^in
lands that had been - much occupied by the
.Roriians, hecame, in this refped, i milder th«fn
their brethren of the north. Hence Kitig
Theodoric, according to Gaffiodomis^ pro-
¦ppfed them as a pattern to be followed by his
•fubjeds in Hungary, and in the regions alon^
the Danube. " Why," fays he; 'f have re-
" courfe tp fingle cbmbat, fince the judges in
" my dominions are incapable bf being verial.
*' Meddle'' not with arriis but againft yoiir
"foes; and in this refp^ ^follow the
*' Goths." — " Univerfis barbaris, &c. per
" -Pannoniam conftitutis. Res parva lion vos
" di^cat

RUSSIAN EM'P'ikE. 383
** ducat ad extrema difcrimina. Acquiefcite
•' juftitia qua mundus laetatur. Cur ad Mo-
'• nomachiam recurritis qui venalem judicem
*' non habetis. Depbfite ferrum qui non
'• habetis inimicUm, &c. Quid opus eft
'* homini lingua fi caufam manus agat ar-
" mata? Aut unde pax effe creditur, fi fub
" civilitate pugnetur ? Imitamini cert^
" Gothos hoftros qui foris prselia, intus no-
*' runt exercere modeftiam."
In explaining the reafons of 3 difference
fo remarkable between the manners of the
Romaris, to whom I ffiall chiefly appeal on
the preferit occafiori, and the anceftors of
fome modern European ftates, you will pro
bably be able alfo to difcern the reafon of
the fimilar difference between them and the
Ruffians. Whence then has it arifen? — In
attending to the fubjed, you will perhaps
agree with me, that three circumftances re
fpeding the drefs, government, and fuperfli-
tioh of the nations, concerning whom we are
treating, have, by th'eir joint operation, pro
duced this curious effed. DIfunited, no one
-of them apart from the reft Icould have done
itj but by combining their poWefs, and by
exerting

^H ANECDOTES OF THE
exerting them In the fame diredion, they
have giveri rife to this fingular difference. I
\vill endisavour, in this view, to illuftrate
thofe three particulars ; and if in this difcuf-
fioh I offend your patience, let me craVe the
indiilgehce of a friend.
I; We have the teliimotiy of feveral ari-
tierit authors, biftorians aS well as poets and
drators, that neither the Romans noi: the
Greeks, nor indeed any nation of antiquity^
unlefs In very rude times, ufed offenfive:
^fms sis a part of their drefs ; nOr indeed
iipon any other occafion than that of adual
engageirient with an enemy. Our informa
tion concerning the Roriians, Is apprehended
to be no lefs appofite than decifive^ iSJo Ro-
nxan who was not a foldier was allowed to
carry ariris. Even thole who were enrolled
in the legion, were riot entrufted with offen
five Weapons, biit in fhe time or inftant ex-
pedation of battle. The arms of the arrriy,-
when they were encamped, were carefully
depofited near tbe Prsetorium, and were not
to be ufed, nor put into the hands of the fol
diery, but by the exprefs order or leave of the
Commander In Chief. " Accedunt infuper
" hoftet

Russian empire. . si^s
" hoftes ferocius multo, ut ftatuiffe, non pug-
" nare confules cognitum eft. Quippe im-
" pune infultaturos. Non credi militi ar-
*' ma'^.'* When Turnus Herdonius wai
charged by Tarquin, in a gerieral meeting of
the Latins, with a defign againft his life, the
proof was, that he was poffeffed of arms. A
fearch was inftantly made : arms were found
in his cuftody ; they had been conveyed pri
vately to his lodging by the partizans of Tar
quin ; and he was of confequence accounted
guilty. " Non dubitare fi vera deferantur
" quin prima luce, ubi ventum in concilio fit,
'' inftrudus cum conjuratorum manu, arma-^
** tufque venturus fit. Eunt, inclinatis qui-
•' dem ad credendum animis, tamen nifi gla-
•• diisdeprehenfis,caeteravanaexiftimatura-}-.'''
In times of peace, or during any ceffation of
hoftilities, the arms, even of thofe foldiers
who had been recently engaged, or were
about to engage in warfare, were taken' from
them, and depofited in the armory j;. Add
to this, that no perfon was allowed to fabri
cate arms, either in the city or in the pro-
• Liv. 1. ii. ca. 4;. f Liv. 1. i. c, 51.
%. Petifcus. Servius

Cc

vinces.

S86 ANECDOTES OF THfe
vinces, without the permiffion or authority of^
the ftate*. Virginius, who came diredly
from the army to fave his daughter from diffio-
nour, does not appear to have been armed
even with a fword ; but put her to death
with a butcher's knife. ''Ah lanio cultro
" arr-epto^ hoc te uno quo poffum, ait, modo,
"' filia in libertatem vindico. I'edus deinde
" Puellse transfigitf.''  The Senators of
Great Britain, like their German anceftors,
when they meet in their legrflative affembly,
appear in arms; but the Roman Senators,
who put Caefar to death, armed themfelves
fecretly for that particular purpofe ; nor had
Csjfar any weapon to defend himfelf with,
but an iron pen ieized fuddenly from the
hand of a clerk J. It was certainly owing to
the regulations, which hindered the Romans
in the city from wearing arms, that for many
centuries before the time of the Gracchi,
notwithftanding the tumults and violent con
tefts between the Patricians and Plebeians,
excepting in two or three inftances, there was
little bloodffied, and no life ever loft.
• Petifcuj. t Liv. 1, 3. c. 48. t Suetonius.
* But

k U S S I A N EMPIRE. 387
But in this. refped, the pradice of the Ger
mans, according to the accounts given us by
Tacitus, was very different. Armour confti
tuted a part of their drefs. In all public
meetings, and in all deliberative affemblieSj
even in times bf the prbfoundeft peace, they
never met but in arms. The confequence
was, that in all difputes and diffentions they
appealed to the fword, as to a prompt and de
cifive umpire. Impatient of cbntradidion,
paffionate arid furious, as men in art early
ftate of fociety; high-minded, couragious^
and expert in arriis, as the progenitors of
the French arid Engliffi, they proceeded to
inftant conflid. *' Tum ad negotia nee
'* minus fsepe ad convivia procedunt ar-
" rriati crebrse risas, rairo conviciis, foepius
'' csede et vulneribus transfiguntur.'^ — Not
only was this pradifed by the Germans
in the times of Tacitus, Paterculus, and
Ckhr, but was continued long after The
poilerity of the German^, when they be-
tame a mighty people, arid were divided
into various ftatfes, went iri arriiour, not
only to their parliaments and public couni=
tik; but to their vifits and private meet-
C c « ings*

I.,

388 ANECDOTES OF THE
»ngs *. . Indeed, no race of men, fo far ad
vanced in improveraent, continued this prac
tice fo long as the anceftors of the nations in
the weft and north of Europe. Yet the cuf
tom is fo peculiar, and muft neceffarily have
been of fo much influence in the common in
tercourfe of life, that we need not be furprifed,
if it ffiould diftinguiffi the people, among whom
it prevailed, with the moft peculiar ufages
and inftitutions. Indeed the wonder would
be, fuppofing fuch a difference to fubfift, be
tween twp nations, the Romans, for example,
and the defcendants of the antient Germans,
if, its confequences, in a variety of remark
able circumftances, did not diverfify their
manners, and render them diffimilar. Hence
not only the duel and judicial combat, but the
joufts and tournaments, that make fo great a
figure in the hiftory of modern Europe.
II. It is obvious, that fuch exceffes as thofe
mentioned in the paffage from Tacitus, -ten
ded to injure, and even ruin fuch fmall com
munities as German tribes ; and called upon
• A View of Society in Europe, by Dr. Gilbert Stuart: a
work to be ftudied by a!l who would really underftand Taci-
tm'i Treatife of Ancient Germany. the

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 389
the rulers to interpofe every means of pre
vention. The lofs which the State fuftained
by the death of intrepid leaders ; the tumults
occafioned by fuch outrageous diffention ; and
the lafting enmity between different families,
diffeminated by fudden ads of violence, were
In the number of thofe calamities that arofe
from furious and irregular ftrife. The ru
lers, therefore, were much interefted in hav
ing them foftened, or entirely prevented. But
how was this to be done ? Not furely by pofi
tive and exprefs prohibition. The powers of
government were then fo weak, that fuch
prohibition, oppofed to the furious paffions of
valiant men, were of little effed. " Nee re-»
*' gibus infinita, aut libera poteftas : et duces
*' exemplo potius, quam imperio, Sec prae-
" funt *." " Their Kings have not an abfo-
" lute or unlimited power ; and their Gene-
" rals commarid lefs through force bf autho-
*' rity than of example."
In order, therefore, to prevent misfortunes
ofthe kind above-mentioned, the julers of
States betook themfelves to other means than
dired prohibition. They faid to the angry
^ Tacitiis.
C c 3 perfons.

39® ANECDOTES OF THE
perfons, who would terminate their diffen
tions by violence, " Do as you pleafe ; fight
" if you will J but have refped for the meet-
*' ing : let not the bufinefs of a public deli-
*' beration be eaft into diforder by your difa-
^' greement: nay, do juftice to yourfelves :
*' let no one take advantage of another : go
^' forth tp an open place: ufe proper wea-
*' pons: and let each of you carry along with
^' him an equal number of friends, to affift
*' you in fo far as may be confiftent with ho^
*' nour, and be the faithful witneffes of your
*' VJilour." — In all this there was nothing
that oppofed their paffions : nay, their felf-
importance was in lome degree flattered.
Meantime delay was obtained : by the good
offices bf friends their anger might be ap-
ipeafed : at any rate, the mifchiefs arifing
from outrageous difcord were leffened ; and as
the perfon who fell wo^ld feem to have met
with fufficient juftice, the refentment of his
pdher.epts would be affwaged.
The djfpofitlon of rulers. In early times, tq
prevent violence by indire61: means, and even
by a feeming compliance with the angry paf
fions of thofe they governed, when their real
Refign

¦RUSSIAN EMPIRE. " 391
defign was to countei ad and oppofe them, is
•well illuftrated by the methods pradifed by
fome Indian nations in puniffiing murder.
They are mentioned particularly byLafitau ;
and their chief objed feems to have been, to
appeafe the refentment of thofe who would
feel themielves incited to avenge the death of
a friend. The criminal was obliged to .give
fixty prefents; nine of thefe were given to
the friends of the deceafed, and the reft were
fufpended over the dead body. Some of
•tliem were faid to be given to make the
tomahawk fall from the hand of vengeance ;
ibme to wipe the wounds of the dead ; and
riOthers^to confole his friends and relations.
III. Another circumftance, which, alpng
with the preceding, tended to produce the
judicial combat, and particularly the formali-
,ties of that cuftom among a rude people, fo
fituated as the ancient Germans and their de-
.fcendants, was their proaenefs tp fuperftition*
Their gods, as they believed, were interefted
in their fortunes ; and, of confequfence, were
interefted in nothing fo much concerning
'them, as what related to their life or death.
Hence they regarded the fingle combat as an
C c 4 appeal

,J92 ANECDOTES OF THE
appeal to the juftice of the Beings they wor=
fhipped ; or an infaflible method to prevail
with ihctn to reveal their will to mankind.
Thus every fuch conflid implied a fort of
tacit convention with the prasternatural ob
jeds, of divine adoration ; and the appeal to
heaven conftituted a ftriking feature pf this
fingular cuftom. The difpofition to believe
that the Qods announced promifes of protec
tion, and confequently their opinion con-!-
cerning the juftice of any caufe, by the fuc
cefs of a combatant in fingle combat, appear
ed fo early as among the nations defcribed
by Tacitus. " Ejus gentis cum qua bellum eft
" captivura quoquo modo interceptum, eum
*' eledo popularium fuorum, patriis quemque
" armis committunt : vidoria hujus vel il-
" lius pro prasjudlcio accipitur." '- They ob-
" lige a prifoner, taken by any means what-
*' foever from the nation with whom they are
** at variance, to fight with a picked man of
•?' their own, each with his country arms ;
»' and according as the vidory falls, they
^' prefage fuccefs to one or the other party."
As the fingle combat was thus confidered
^s a demand on heaven to interpofe in be
half

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 353
half of truth or innocence, it was con
duded with religious folemnity. Moreover,
as the Gods could not be fuppofed to favour
falfebood or injuftice, a perfon's pronenefs in
calling the fword to witnefs, was held a
fymptom of his integrity : his fuccefs was re
garded as inconteftible evidence in his fa
vour : and thus perfonal valour, fuppPrted
by Ikill in arms, became, in fome meafure,
the teft of truth. The propagation of
Chriftianity, by a ftrange perverfion, contri
buted to give the cuftom ftability. By the
dodrines of that benign religion, the Deity
was reprefented as incUned to interpofe, in a
very par:icular manner, in behalf of integrity,
and as regarding deviations from truth with
peculiar difpleafure. From the mifapplica-
tion of thofe opinions, by the groffeft and
moft arrogant fuperftition, the Supreme Being
had a method prefcribed to him for the dif
play of his authority ; and was required to
manifeft his juftice within the liiis of the
fingle combat. The manners of men became
gradually more improved ; government ac
quired vigour : offences were reftrained, or
puniffied by pofitive laws ; the judicial com-
{j^t, like the fiery ordeal, was no longer ap
pealed
3

394

ANECDOTES OF THE

pealed to ; and fo went Into difufe. But a
connedion had been formed between valour
and truth : it was cheriffied by the ardent
fpirits of impetuous men : they wore arms to
defend their honour : it was natural they
ffiould feel refentment againft thofe who im
peached their veracity: and girt with a
fword, it was no kfs natural that the fword
ffiould exprefs their refentment. Thus,
though the judicial combat was difcontinued,
it left us its reprefentative, the modern duel.
I am aware of the diftindion between the
fingle combat, confidered as an infti tution of
honour, and an InftitAition of civil polity *;
nor does it feem inconfiftent with the forCi-
going obfervations.
Upon the whole, the northern nations
wore arms on all occafions, and in periods of
confiderable improvement ; the Romans fel
dom : the powers of government among the
northern nations were weak ; among the
Romans ftrong £ and thefe circumftances,
along with fuperftition, a quality of which
all men, as well Romans as Huns and Lom
bards, have always poffeffed quantity enough
• Dr. Stuart's View of Society. for

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 395
for producing fuch valuable inftitutions as
judicial combats and fiery ordeals, explains the
difference above ftated ; and apply, with pro
priety enough to the fingularity in the man
ners of the Ruffians, which has impofed the
taffi upon you of reading this tedious Letter.
If am not mifinformed, the Ruffians, except
ing ihe guard of the Velike Knez, and the
ftanding army, were not accuftomed to ap-?
pear in arms No abufes, therefore, arifing
from the promjfcuous ufe of military ac
coutrements, called either for the dired or
indired inrerpofition of government. The
judicial combat, and confequently the dijel of
honour, never exifted among them. But as the
faffiions of Europe, and particularly thofe of
France, are making progrefs among the na
tives of this country, fome perfpns among them
who affed patriotifm, exprefs their expeda
tions, that they will foon have the credit of
blowing out one another's brains in the eafieft ,
gind ppliteft manner. Adieii,

396 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XLVIL
Englifh Players in Ruffia — Prologue on open
ing an Englifh Theatre at St. Peterfburg.

DEAR SIR, St. Peterlburg, Feb. IZ. 1771.
YOU will be furprifed to hear, that we
have got at St. Peterffiurg an Engliffi
Playhoufe. A Company of Players arrived
here in the end of autumn. They were ad-
vifed, you may be fure, to return home with
out lofs of time ; they chufe, however, to
make their home, at leaft for one winter. In
Ruffia, and truft to the well known humanity
of their countrymen in the Gallerinhoff.
Accordingly, with great diligence, and much
tinfel, they furbiflied up an old barn into the
Iikenefs of a theatre j and that every thing
might be as?complete as poffible, they had in
it, not only a feat for the Britiffi Ambaffador
but boxes for the Great Duke and her Impe
rial Majefty of all the Ruffias. So, on the
firft

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 397
firft night that the theatre was opened,-* all
their countrymen came to them, to give
them charity, and to laugh, as might have
been expeded, at the Tragedy of Douglas.
But inftead of laughing, they cried. The
part of Douglas was performed by a female
player with inimitable^ pathos. The audi
ence were furprifed into the warmeft ap-
plaufes. The fame of this excellent per
formance was fpread through the city ; and
for two or three fucceffive evenings the
theatre was crowded with Ruffians and Ger
mans as well as Englifli. On the fourth
night of the reprefentatatlon, juft as the play ¦
began, the door of the Emprefs's box was.
unexpededly opened ; and. her Majefty,
without having given any previous warning,
took poffeffion of her fear. You may eafily
imagine how much we were pleafed and flat
tered with this mark of her Majefty's confi
dence and condefcenfion. This was ftill
more the jcafe, when, in anfwer to fome apo
logy that had been conveyed to her, about
the badnefs of the accommodation, flie re
plied, " that, among the Engliffi, ffie was
" quite at, eafe." In order, however, to re
medy the real inconveniences of the fituation, and

398 ANEdDOTES OF THE
and tb teftify ftill farther her prefent parti^liiy
to our nation, ffie ordered a better theatre td
be prepared ; and on occafion of opening it^
the player who had drawn fo much attention^
delivered the following Prologue :
WITHOUT the aid of ornament or art.
To fpeak the language of a gratctul heart,
I come refpediul. Littie known to tame.
Thro' ftormy Teas to diftant fhores we camcj
And to us, Britons, in a foreign land,
Britons extended the protedting hand :
Friendlels we came •, but every Britilb heart
In all our interefts took a triendiy part.
Fair fame attend you ! O may due iuccefs
Reward your merit and your fabours blcfs !
Kind as ye are, and generous, may ye Itill
Enjoy the power, as ye poifcls the will !
The Rulers of this land beheld, with joy.
How Britifli hearts on Britiih hearts rely :
How Albion's fons, incapable of change,
Thro' no variety of fricndihips range :
Kind without intereft, with affedion true,
Gcn'fOLis and conftant where their faith is due.-
The Rulers of this land, whofe hofts defied
The rage of Infidels, and quell'd their pride ;
Made Kabul's ftreams with ftaughter'd foes ruri
red -, (dead y
Heap'd Bender's walls with thoufands of the
Undaunted

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 399
Undiiunted in the gallant ftrife of arms,
Even to Byzantium carried dire alarms ;
Ting'd the iEgaean wave with Ottoman gore.
And ffiook with terror Afia's diftant ffiore ;
They faw your goodnefs, felt it, and were mov'd
To emulate the worth their fouls appros'd :
This gen'rous fympathy their favour drew ;
Us they applauded, but ,they honouf'd — You.
With unexampled goodnefs from the Throne
The radiance of th' Imperial bounty ftipne,
Beam'd glory round us, rais'd us from the ground.
And bade us bloom, and bade our fruits abound.
Far thro' the nations may that radiance blaze.
The good to cheriffi, and the meek to raife-,
To fofter merit, from the haunts of men
To baniffi Difcord, and her ghaftly train :
Envy ffiall pine and ficken at the fight j
And Turkifti crefcents mingle with the night.

400 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER XLVIIL
Copy of a Letter from Count Orloffto RouffeaU,
ivith the Anjiver.

DEAR SIR,
SEND you inclofed what I am perfuaded
you will confider as a literary curiofity:
a letter fent by Count Orloff to the famous
Roufleau; and another from that ftrange
citizen of the world in return.
Copie d'une Lettre de Monf. le Comte D^ Orloff
en Ruffle, d Monf J. J. Rouffeau en Angle-
terre. Monsieur, Dec. 1766.
VOUS ne ferez point etonne que je vous
ecrive, car vous favez que les hommes font
inclins aux fingularite's. Vous avez les vo-
tres ; j'ai les miennes : cela eft dans I'ordre :
le motif de cette lettre ne I'eft pas moins. Je

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 401
.j'e vous vois depuis long-tems afler, d'un en-
droit a. I'autre. J'en fais les raifofis par les
voles publiques; et peut-etre, ieS fai je rti'al:
parcequ'elles pouvent 6tre fauffes. Je vous;
crois en Angleterre chez le Due de Rich
mond, et je fuppofe que vous y etes bien : ce*
pendant il m'a pris fantafie de vous dire,
que j'ai uhe terre elbigne'e de fbixah'te ¦^erfte^
de St. Peterffiurg, ce qui fait de dix lieux
d'AIlemagne, ou I'air eft fain, I'eati ^dmirable^
les coteaux qui eritourrent differents lacis, fer
ment de promenades agreables tr^s propreS
a reVer ; les habitans n'entendent ni I'Ang-
lois ni la Francoife ; encore mois la Grec et
la Latine. Le cqre ne fait point difputer ni
precher ; et les ovailles, en faifant le figne de
la croix, croient bonnement que tout eft dit.
He bien, Monfieur, fi jamais ce lieu la eft a
•^otre gout, vous pouvez y venir de dfemeurer.
Vousauriezla neceffaire, fi Vous la voulez. St
non, vous auriez de la chaffe, et de la peche.
Si vous voulez avoir a qui parler pour vous
defengager, vous le pourrez: mais ell tout, et
fur tout, vous n'effuyerez aucune gene fur
rien ; ni n'aurlez aucune obligation a per-
fonne. De plus, toute publicite fur fe fejour,
fl vous fauhaitez, pburroit etre evitee; e*t
D d dans

4oi ANECDOTES OF TH'E
dans ce dernier cas, vous ferez bien, felori
mbi, fi vous pouyez fupporter la mer, de faire
le trfijet par eau.', Auffi bien les curieux
vpus importnnerent moins fur ce chemin, que
fur la route de terre,
_ Voila,. Monfieur, ce que je me fuis, crfi
endroit de' mander, d'apres la reconnoif-
fance que je vous ai, pour les inftruc-
|ions que j'ai prife dans vos livres, quoi-
que ila ne fuffent pas ecrits pour moi. 'Je
fuis, Monfieur, avec beaucoup de refped,
V. S. &G. LA REPONSE.
• ' ¦< ^
Le ijme de Fevrier, a Hattoti.
' VOUS vous donnez, Monfieur le Comte,
pour avoir des fingularite's. En effet, ce'n eft
prefque une d'etre bienfaifant fans interet:
et e'en eft une bjen plus grande, de I'etre de
fl loin, pour quelqu'un qu'on ne connoit,
' pas. Vos oblige'antes offres, le ton dont
vous me les avez fait, et la defcription de
i'habitatibn que vous me deftinez, feroient af-
furement tres capable de m'y attirer ; fi j'e'tois moins

RUSSIAN EMPIRE;.- ". 403
moins infirme, plus allant, plus jeune, et que
Vous fuffiez.plua pres du foleil. Je craindrois
d'aiHeurs, qu'en voyant celui que vous ho-
horez d'une invitation, tous n'y euffiez quel- .
que regret : vous attendriez a une maniere
d'homme de lettres, Un beau difeiir, qui de-
Vroit payer en frais d'efprit ex de paroles
votre genereufe hofpitalite ; et vous n'auriei
qu'un bon homme bien fimple, que fon goiic
et fes malheurs ont rendu fort folitaire, et
que pour tout amuffcmeiit herberiffant toute la
jburnee, troiive ce commerce avec les plahtes,
cette paix fi douce a fon cdeur, que lui ont re
fuse les humains. Je n*irai done pas, Mon
fieur, habiter votre maifbti ; mais je fouvien-
drai toujours avec recbnnoiffance que vous
me I'.avez offerte ; et je regretterai quelque
foix de n'y etre pas pouf cultiver les bontes^
et I'amitie du maitre.
Agreez, Monfieur le Comte, je vous fup-
piie, mes remerciments tres finceres, et mes
tres humbles falutations. '

D d a Tranflatkn

404 ANECDOTES OF THE
Trarflatlon of the above Letiers,
I.
YOU will not be furprifed at my writing:
you ; for you know men are apt to have
fingularities : You have yours, and I have,
liiine : thefe are things of courfe. My mo
tive for writing you is not lefs fo : I have ob
ferved' you for fome time going from place to
place. 1 kiiow the reafons- of this by public
rumour; and perhaps I am mifinformed, as
public rumour ia not always true. I believe
you are now in England with the Duke of
Pv.Ichmond;- and 1 fuppofe tha't there you are-
happily fituated. NeyerthelefSj I have taken;
it into my head to tell you-, that I have an
eftate: diftarit fixty verfts, that is, about ten
German miles = from St; Peterfburg, where
the air is healthy, the water admirable, and^
the little hills furrounding. the lakes form:
walks very well fuited for contemplation.
The inhabitants are ignorant both of Engliffi
and French ; and ftill more fo of Greek and
Latin. The curate can neither argue nor
preach ; and his ffieep,. in making the fign of
the:

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 405
the crofs, are fatisfied in good earneft that
they have done all that is needful. Now,
Sir, if ever this place fuit your tafte, you may
come here and live. You ffiall have your
wants fupplicd, if you chufe. If not, you
ihall have hunting and fiffiing. If you tire
of folitude, and chufe converfation, it is in
your power. But in all, and above all, you
ffiall fuffer reftraint in nothing, and have ob
ligations to none. Befides, your retreat may
be: as fecret as you incline : and, in that view,
I would advife you, if you can bear the
voyage, to come by fea. By taking that route,
you will be lefs teized by inquifitive perfons
than If you came by land.
All this. Sir, I thought my duty to tell
you, out of gratitude for the inftrudion
which your books, though they were not
written on my account, have afforded me:
;and am, Sir, with much refped, &c.

Hatton, Feb. 23.
YOU would pafs. Sir, for a perfon who
shas fingularities. In truth, it is a fingularity
D d 3 to

4o'6 ANECDOTES OF TftE
to be beneficent without felf-intereft. It Is
much more fo to be beneficent from fo ereat a
diftance, and towards a perfon with whom
you are not acquainted. Your obliging of
fers, the manner. in which they are made,
and the defcription ofthe dwelling you in
tend for me, would be fully fufficient to draw
me thither, were I lefs infirm, better able to
travel, and younger than I am, and if you
were fittiated nearer the fun. Befides, I
would be afraid, left, in feeing him whorn
you honour with an invitation, you ffiould
feel forae regret.'' You exped a fort' of learned
man', a rare talker, who ought to repay your
hofpitality with wit and fine fpeeches ;' and
inftead of .this you would have but a very
plain and fimple man, whofe tafte and mif-
fortunes have rendered very folitary ; and
who has no other amuferaent than to pafs
the day in herbalizing ; but who finds, in
converfing with plants, that peace, fo pleafing
to his heart, which men have refufed him.
I will not, therefore, go to live in the houfe
you mention ; but. Sir, I will always, with
gratitude, remember the offer yeu have made
me; and I ffiall fometioies regret that I an^
5 . not

...RUSSIAN .E.M,PIR£.. 407
not there to enjoy the goodnefs and friend
ffiip of its owner.
I intreat you, Sir, to accept of my fincereft
thanks.

Dd 4

«498 ANCEDOTES OF TI^E,

LETTER XLIX.
Tranfiation of an Eafier Hymn, fometimes
recited in the Churches of the Greek
Communion.
To the Reverend Dr. L . — d.
REV. DEAR S,IR,
You know that, at Eafler, in churches of
the Greek communion, Priefts, appoint?
ed for the purpofe, reprefent the Refurredion
of our jSaviour. On that occafion, I have
been informed, that the following Hymn,
written originally in Greek by a Biffiop of
Thefl'alonica, is fometimes fung. You will
eafily obferve, that it is intended to be recited
In the interval between the burial and the re-r
furredion. O WHAT an awful, awful hour.
Beheld our Saviour die I
The Sun, in dire eclipfe, withdrew
His radiance from the fky. The

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 4n
The waters of the troubled deep
To their abyffes fled :
The mountains, and the folid earth,
Shook with ea:ceffive dread.
Amazement was In heav'n ! But who
The folemn myft'ry faw.
That ftruck, ev'n in theheav'n of heavens.
Angelic hofts with awe ?
At that tremendous, awful hour.
The gates of heav'n were clos'd;
The fabric of the rolling fpheres
With confternation paus'd.
Meantime what deeds were done on earth I
Deeds of atrocious ftrife !
The powers of pejjth and Darknefs ftrove
Againft the Lord of Life !
And conquer'd-r-as they vainly dfeefa'd !
Nor, in their frenzy, knew,
That they ffipuld, by tha^t heinpus ad.
Their own rebellion rue.
The dathnefs flies away ! the gates
Of heaven are open'd wide ¦'
And fudden, from the fapphire throne,
Burfts an effulgent tide. . Emerging

^1,0 A N-EXJ DO T ES . O F THE
Emerging from the cloud of light.
With beaming harps, behold!
In bright attire, tbe Serapbin
Their radiant forms unfold.
On higl) their loud hpfannas flow :
Meffiah's praife they fing :
The nether orbs refume their fpeed.
And with hofa,nnaa ring.

*• Meffiah triumphs," they proclaim, — -
" Tho' in the grave he lies,
*' Soon will he burft the bonds of Death,
" Ahd reafcend the fkies.
" Ten thoufand thoufand angels then
^' Shall join the vocal lay;
^^ Apd hail, triumphant, his return
" To everlafting day !
" To Him a crown of majefty
*¦ Amid the hofts of heaven,
" Shall by Jehova be with power
?' And wide dominion given.
" Far thro' the ftarry realms of fpace
" Blazing with beams of gold,
" His banner, at thegate of heaven,
<" Ail angel ffiall unfold. '" Theti,

•.RUSSIAN J^KPIRE.. ... 411
** Then pealing with tremendous voice
The Seraph of the Sun,
" Shall, as his flames expires, proclaim
" Meffiah's reign begun.- ,
f' Rous'd by that voice, in white array,
«' His Eled to the fl^y
'* Shall foar, and reign with glory crown'd
*' in realms of blefs on high.
" Glory to God, and to the Son,
*' And to the Spirit pure I
*i Their juftice, goodnefs, and their power,
*¦ Forever ffiall endure."

4n ANECDOTES OF THE
- a;
LETTER L.
The Seraffder qf Bender.

D EAR SIR, July loth, 1771.
TT is faid here, that, except Conftantinople,
no eity in Europe contains a greater va
riety , of ftrangers than St. Peterffiurg. In
London and Paris you have Europeans of all
nations ;^but you have not, additionafly to
thefe, different races of Tartars, Circaffians,
and Armenians. — -^The moft beautiful Cir-
cajfian I have feen here is the wife of an Ar
menian merchant ; and her beauty feems of a
kind fomewhat fingular. She is moft grace
fully formed ; but has not the leaft tint of
complexion : nor does flie Imitate the Ruf
fian ladies, in fummoning art to the affiftance
of nature. lier fkin is as white as the dr-Iven
fnow; it Is fo tranfparent, as to ffiew the
purple veins underneath ; her features dif
play the beauties of Helen ; her eyes are
deep

RUSSIAN EMPIRl 4*3
deep blue ; her eye-brows exquifite ; and her
hair, fiowing over her ivory neck, is as black
as the wing of a raven. This fpecies of
beauty, however, does not diftinguiffi all the
Circaffians I have feen ; fome of them have
black eyes, and a ruddy complexion.
In confequence of the number of ftrangers
in -t. Peterffiurg, many perfons fpeak a va
riety of different languages: nor would even'
the ladies think you were calling them bad
names, if you were to fay they were Poly
glots. The Engliffi ladies here fpeak French,
German, and Rufs, and fome of them Italian.
Their other graces and accompliffiments are
proportioned to their gift of tpngues.
The variety pf ftraTigers here is diverfified
at prefent, by the addition of a great" many
Turkiffi prifoners. They are remarkably
well ufed'; and go aboi.it the city with a great
deal of freedom. The moft diftinguiffied
perfonage among them is irhe Seraflltier, whd
behaved fo gaflantly in the defence of Bender.
He is an Emir; that is, a defcendant of Ma
homet; and, aS' a mark of his high lineage,
the coloux of his robe is greefi. The faffiion of

4*4 Al^E'CbOTES- O'F t'HE
6f his drefs, excepting that be wears a ti
ban, is the fame as that of the Hofpodar
Wallachia. But he is a different perfon frc
the Hofpodar. Gregorio Giko is rather ta
and of a dignified appearance : the Serafki
is little, meagre, marked with the fmall-pc
and of a mean appearance. But he is. as v
liant as the edge of his fabre, fleady to 1
truft, adive in the difcharge of his duty, ai
determined in his tenor of condud. Thouj
conquered, and a captive, he is not fubduec
bu,t exhibits an unyielding, and even coi
temptuous fternnefs, that furprifes his coi
qaerors. He infifted on having a numeroi
aitteridance of Turks, Including a part of h
feraglio, ' and a perfon of fmall ftature, wl
dilplays the antic geftures of a buffoon : his r
quifition was immediately granted. A Ruffia
nobleman afked him to his houfe : " I ai
" your prifoner," hereplied J "you may c
*' with me what yPU pleafe ; you may cut o
^' my head, if ypu wifl : but if I am free i
*' go to your houfe, or not ; I will not go."-
One of his baffiaws gave a blow with his fi
to a Ruffian officer. The officer complaine
to his General ; and the General afked tl
Seraflder, " what would have been done to

RUSSIANEMPIRE.' 4"i5
" Ruffian at Conflantinople, who ffiould have
*' behaved in that manner to a Turk?"
'• They would have flrangled him," he re
plied. But the Turk was not ftrangled.— —
The Serafkier, however, paid a vifit, at his
houfe in the country, to the Britiffi Ambaf
fador. He came ori horfe-back, with his
green flowing garment, and his horfe moft
fumptuoufly caparlfoned. He fpoke little ;
for, foon after his fitting down, one of his
attendants brought him a very long tobacco-
pipe, and he contin.ued fmoking all the time
of his vifit. His buffoon appears very often
in parti-coloured garnients in the ftreets of
the city ; and endeavours, by his drolleries,
to amufe the paffengers. The Turks them
felves appear fo grave and folemn, that ir is
really amufing to fee a Turkiffi buffoon. 
Adieu.

4t6 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER LI.
AhfiraSl of a RufftaH Catechifriii
To the Reverend — ¦•  .

REV. DEAR SIR* v Auguft 1771.
I MENTIONED to you, that the Ruffiati
Clergy were, for the moft part, very ig.^
noranf. I alfo fuggefted, that this general
cenfure was not to be received without limi
tation ; and that among them were fome
perfons of learning, and of great moderai:ron.
Some attempts have been made of a very
laudable nature, to diffeminate among the
people corred and enlarged fentiments of re
ligion. Of this kind is a Catechifm, which,
in many paffages, not only breathes a liberal
and pious fpirit ; but is compofed with much
fimplicity, both of language and manner.
You are fo much a friend to any thing good,
on fubjeds of fuch importance, that I per-"
fuade

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. :4iy
fuade myfelf, you will receive with pleafure
the following abftrad of this performance.
Befidesi in fome of the explanations, you
will, perhaps, find fome allufions' to the man
ners of the country, that will make you
fmile. The Ruffian Catechifm is divided into
Three Parts. The Firft treats of Natural Re
ligion; the Second, of Revealed; and the
Third, of the X)ivine Laws.
PART 1.
In the I^irft Part are confidered the being
and nature of God ; the creation of the world,
and its preferyation; and the duty which
man owes to God as his creator and governor.
The proofs of tbe exiftence of God, are urged
from the contemplation of the world ; from
the general confent of all mankind ; from the
teftimony of confcience ; and frorri the in
nate defire pf the fpul after perfedion. Af
fuming the, neceffary exiftence of <3od as a
principle, from it are deduced his unity, eter
nity, Immateriality, immprtality, fpirituality,
and confequently his wifdpm, truth, juftice,
E e goodnefs,

418 ANECDOTES OT if HE
goodnefsf and all his other moral qualitiesi
The creation of the world i« then briefly
treated of ; and the following account given
us of the origin of evil :¦  Every thing is
faid to be created by God's wifdom; never
tbelefs the beft things may be abufed; a
fword may be ufed to flay the innocent, and
the human underftanding may be employed? '
in' guile; Man Is faid to have been made af
ter the image of God, with a-naturaf propen*
fity to good, arid averfion t© evil. The pro
vidence of God is alfo afferted ; and that the'
utility refulting to mankind, from the know
ledge, of God and of ourfelvesi confifts in be
getting in us confidence in GoiJ, and refigna-^'
tion to his will; in ftrengthenirig our moral
principles, and in difpofing us to worffiip=
God. The worffiip of God is faid to be two
fold ; interior, confifting in Ibve,. fear, vene
ration, and gratitude to God ; and', exterior^
confifting in the external forms- of devotion.-
Confcience, however, is faid to inform us^
that our utmoft efforts to fulfil the will of
God are imperfed ; and that our only hope
Is in his mercy. No mention pf priginal fin*
PART

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 419
P A R T IL
Treating of Revealed Religion, It is
obferved, that the light of nature is not alone
fufficient for our falvation; that falvation is
only had by the gofpel, which contains the
joyful tidings of our redemption; that reli
gion is the receiving the gofpel in our hearts ;
that the great truths of the gofpel are con
tained in the Old and New Teftament, and
are fummarily contained in the Apoftles
Creed ; that by it we are inftruded in all the
great dodrines of Chriftianity ; that Cod Is
one in effence, but confifts of three perfons,
the Father eternal, the Son, begot by the Fa
ther before allages, and the Holy Ghoft,
proceeding from the Father ; all three to be
equally adored : that faith In Chrift Is of in
finite ufe, by calming the terrors of con
fcience, and reprefenting God as merciful as
well as juft ; that it muft be an acJlIve faith,
turning us to repentance and the true wpr
ffiip of God ; that all thofe who truly believe,
conftitute the church ; that thofe who belong
to the church, are initiated by baptifm ; a
myfterious rite, by which the foul Is waffied
from ,fin j that the Eucharift Is another rite,
E e a by

420 ANECDOTES OF THE
by which we teftify our faith, and by eating
bread and wine, myfterioufly converted Into
the body and blood of Chrift, receive great
fpiritual advantages, and oblige ourfelves to
live in union with the church ; and that the
care of imparting the Eucharift is committed
to the clergy ; that the church poffeffes other
facraments, undion at baptifm, and extreme
undion J that it hath other inftitutions for
the fake of good order; and, finally, that all
who ad accprding to the gofpel, and believe,
ffiall rife to immortal life ; and that all who
ad in a contrary manner, ffiall be eternally
puniffied. PART IIL
Concerning 'the fubjeds of the laws
of God, it is afferted, that faith, without
works, is ineffedual ; that we muft not only
believe, but ad agreeably to the law of God ;
that the will of God is contained in the De
calogue ; that thofe who fin againft tbe firft
commandment, are atheifts ; Epicureans, re-
jeding Providence; polytheifts; forcerers, who
divine by dreams, who obferve omens, and
afcribe fandity to certain dreffes and ton-
^ fures ;

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 42t
fures; heretics and fchifmatics: and thofe
who depend for all their welfare on their
wealth or on human aid : that the invocation
of faints is not forbid by this commandment,
becaufe they are invoked as interceffors with
God and Chrift. God is faid to be the maf
ter, and they are his principal fervants ; but
that it is finful to honour them in their fefti
vals equally with God. That the fecond
commandment is tranfgreffed by thofe who
worffiip graven images ; by ufurers and pro
fligates ; by hypocrites, who think they wor
ffiip God by penances and feftivity; by fu
perftitions people, who pretend to h^ve inter
courfe with ghofts ; and, briefly, by all thofe
\vho hope to gain God's love otherwife than
by faith and good works. That it is not fin
ful to have pidures of Chrift and of the
faints, for the pidures are not themfelves
worffilpped, they only aid the memory and
imagination ; but this pradice is liable to be
perverted to idolatry. That the third com
mandment is tranfgreffed by blafphemers,
perjured perfons, habitual fwearers, *falfe pro
phets, and by thofe who make' indecent re-
quefts to God. That the fourth command
ment enjoins the obfervance of the Sabbath,
Ees and

422 ANECDOTES OF THE
and of feftivals on religious occafions ; par
ticularly it enjoins reft from labpur, and the
gpingtp church to pray; it enjoins the giv
ing charity, the giving for the fupport of the
church and Its minifters, for hofpitals, fchools,
and for the care of ftrangers and prifoners ;
that all thofe who ad otherwife, whether
laity or ecclefiaftics, either through impiety
or negligence, or wantonnefs, or profligacy, or
avarice, tranfgrefs the commandment. That
the fifth commandmerit enjoins reverence and
obedience to parents, rulers, clergy, teachers,
benefadors, and old men ; that the duty of
parents is to educate and inftrud their chil
dren ; the duty of children is to fupport their
parents ; and to ad in like manner in all the
other relations above-mentioned ; that the
duty of fovereigns is to procure peace and
happinefs to their fubjeds, to maintain juftice,
to puniffi the guUty, and reward the deferv
ing, to fupport the clergy, and be as fathers
to their people; that the duty of fubjeds is
to love their fovereigns. next to God, — to
obey them without complaint.'to pay tribute,
and, in cafe of need, to give their lives for
their fafety ; that tbe duty of paftors is to in-
ftrnd mildly by precept and example; the
duty

R •tJ S S I A N EMPIRE. .423
rduty of the flock to follpw the ffiepherd witH
all due refped,; -that the duty pf maflers is to
inftrud their fervants, -^not to overburtheti
them, nor to puniffi thera too ^rlgoroufly ;
that tbe duty of fervants is tp fear their maf
lers with filial fear, to obey without floth or
.murihuring, to put up with their ill-buniottrs,
arfd defend their honour ; that the duty of
,the hi^and is t9(»love bis wife, to eorred her'
faults ^f«//j'^^he duty of-the wife to love
and revere her huffiand ; that fidelity is the
,duty of both ; that the rich are bound not to
be proud nor cpvetpus, but liberal, and that
the poor are bound to be honeft and induftri-
ous ; that, ,in general, we ought to love and
confult -the intereft of all nien . Againft the
iixth commandment thofe tranfgrefs who
-take away life from themfelves or others, or
who are acceffory to fuch crimes, by aiding'
,or coricealing t^e guilty j alfo unjuft judges;
thofe who let the poor die of cold or hunger;
thofe who puniffi and opprefe their fervants,
fo as to kill them% and all who encpurage
hatred, anger, malice, envy, inhumanity, thp
rdif|)ofi tions of mind tending to the deftruc-
tion of mankind. Againft the feventh com-
xnandnient all thofe tranfgrefs who ^e im^
E e 4 |)ure

424 ANECDOTES OF THE
pure in any manner in thought, word, or
deed ; and afl who indulge in wanton dif
courfe, dainty living, and debauchery, tend
ing to encourage impurity. Againft the
eighth commandment all thofe tranfgrefs who
rob, or fteal'; all fuperiors who enflave the free ;
force thofe to fell who do not chufe it ; who
exad more labour pf workmen than they en
gaged for ; who feize their neighbours gppds,
lands, &c. at their pleafure; whp retain the
labourers' hire ; alfo all thofe who take ad
vantage of a dearth to raife the price of pro
vifion : who ex^d unconfcientious fervice of
the poor in return for aiding them ; all ufu
rers ; all thofe who, in felling, impofe on the
buyers, hy vending damaged goods ; all who
rob or cheat the government or the church ;
all who having found what had been loft,
keep it without feel^ing the owner ; all who
prsjdife fimony ; who forge wifls or ac
counts ; who, being rich, pretend they are
poor, that they may get charity ; all hypo
crites, who get money by pretending zeal ;
aU flatterers, who get money by impofing on
the weaknefs of others, &c. Againft the
ninth commandment all liars and diffemblers
tranfgrefs. And the tenth commandment I^
a fummary

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 425
a fummary of the preceding ones, and prohi
bits us even from thinking finfully. It is
alfo afferted, that we cannot perform every
thing required of us in thefe laws of our-
fislves, without the grace of God, which is
obtained by prayer; and that our prayers
ought to be formed on the model of the Lord's
Prayer.

4-26 ANECDOTES OF THE

LETTER LII.
Account of a Circafflan Prindefs, the Widoiv
of Donduc Ambo, Chan of the Calmuck
Tdrfars.
DEAR SIR,
A GREEABLY to your defire, Ihave per--
*• ^ ufed Dr. Cook's Travels * ; and as you
wiffi to have my opinion concerning them, I
can affure you that, in fo far as my know
ledge of the fads he relates, or of the man
ners he defcribes, extends, he is a writer of
ftrid veracity. I agree with you in thinking
his account of the Clrcaffian Princefs very in
terefting ; and alfo in regretting that he has
not fo united the different circumftances, as
that the whole might be read as a continued
ilory. I have endeavoured to fupply this de
fed ; and from fuch Information as I bavp
jColled^d here, together with his anecdotes, I .
Jiave formed the following uriinterrupted
• Travels and Voyjiges through the Ruffian Empire, &c.
py J. Cook, M. D. Narrative.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 427
Narrative. In an evening, during the bad
weather, and your prefent folitude in the
country, it may perhaps amufe you.

THE CALMUCK TARTARS inhabit,
or rather frequent, that country which lies
between the Cafpian and Euxine Seas;
bounded on the fouth by Circaffia, on the.
north by the dominions of Ruffia, on the
eaft by the Cafpian Sea and the Volga, and
on the weft by the river Don and the Sea of
Afoph. They have no fixed habitation, but
live chiefly in tents ; and fubfift by depreda*
tion, or by the pafturage of cattle. They
pretend they are an independent nation; yet^
If they are not abfolutely governed, their
counfels are much Influenced by the autho
rity of the Ruffians.
In the reign of the Emprefs Anna Ivanowna,
the Court of Ruffia, by endeavouring to pre
vail with the Calmucks to betake themfelves
tc| agriculture, and live in fixed habitations,
wanted to reduce them to ftill greater fubjec-
tion. In this attempt, Donduc Ambo, the
Chan of the Tartars, gave them great oppofi--
6 tion.

42S " ANE'CDOT.ES OF THE
tion. The Ruffian miniftry, therefore, re
folved to deprive him of his fovereignty, and
fubftitute Donduc Daffiee, who, they con
ceived, would give them lefs oppofition. In
his place. But the wifdom and valour of the
reigning prince rendered their plan abortive.
He was, nevertbelefs, fo fenfible of his dan
ger, and fo juftly apprehenfive of the future
machinations of the Ruffian Court, that he
prevailed with his nation to leave the regions
they had formerly occupied, and migrate into
Cuban-Tartary. This country Is fituated on
' the fouth fide of the Palus Moeotis or Sea of
Afoph, is feparated from^ Crimea by the
Straits of Taman, and its inhabitants, the
Cuban Tartars, are dependants on the Otto
man Porte.
The reception, however, which Donduc
Ambo met with from the Turks, aitd the
Tartars of Cuban, not having anfwered his
expedations, he determiried to embrace the
firft oppprtunity of re-uniting himfelf, on
honourable terms, with Ruffia, and of return
ing to the banks of the Volga. This oppor
tunity foon occurred. For a war having
ariferi between the Turl?s and the Ruffians, he

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 429
he knew that the affiftance of his nation
would be of great importance on either fide ;
and offered his friendffiip to the Emprefs of
Ruffia. An agreenient took place between
them : it was ftipulated, that the Calmucks
ffiould return to the neighbourhood of Aftra
can ; that Donduc Ambo ffiould be their ac
knowledged fovereign ; apd that he ffiould
affift the Ruffians with forty or fifty thoufand
men. The Emprefs ratified the league by
prefents fent to the Calmuck : Chan *. —
Among thefe were two beautiful brafs can
non, of two or three pounders, and a fcyme-
ter with a hilt of gold, ftudded with precious
ftones. He feized an early opportunity of
putting his fcymeter to the proof; for the
Cuban Tartars, who had treated him with
little friendffiip, during his fojourn among
them, having purfued him with hoftile inten
tions at his departure, he fell upon them
with great fury, arid cut off the flower of their
army. Not long after, about the time peace was
concluded between the Turks and the Ruf
fians, Donduc Ambo died. On his deceafe,
• Dr. Cook.
• ' the

430 ANECDOTES OF THE
the Ruffian Miniftry refumed their favourite
defign of abridging the independence of thd
Calmuclc nation; For this purpofe, they
again attempted to inveft Donduc Daffiee,
whom Anna Ivanowna had maintained in a
princely manner in the city of Cafan, with
the fovereign authority. But they met with
unexpeded refiftance in the widow of Don
duc Ambo, the former Chan.
This Princefs was a Clrcaffian of illuftrloira
lineage ; and not more diftinguiffied for her
beauty, which was eminent even in Circaffia^
than for her virtues. She was the mother
of five children ; and though they were yet
ia their infancy, ffie determined to affeirt
their right to the fovereignty enjoyed by
their father. Therefore, finding herfelf in
danger from the ambition of Donduc Daffiee,
and the contrivances of the Ruffians, ffie
fummoned the Calmuck chiefs to her tent^
She reprefented to them the attempt made on
their independence ; the unworthy condud
of Donduc Daffiee, who would facrifice the
intereft of his people to his ambition ; the
magnanimous virtues of their former Chan 5
his attachment to the dignity of the Calmuck nation ;

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 43»
nation J the helplefs ftate of his family ; aiul
the confidence ffie repofed in the care they
would have of her children. Her beauty,
heightened by her diftrefs, added force to her
eloquence. The Tartar leaders entered
warmly into her interefts ; asd declared, that
none but the progeny of Donduc Amb»
ffiould be their Sovereigns. Thus the Prin
cefs, finding herfelf at the head of at leaft forty
thoufand men, who had fought the battles of
her huffiand, and were now devoted to her
family, having encamped for fome time nigh
the banks of the Volga, retired, during the:
winter, to the borders of Circaflia,
Meantime the Ruffians In the fouthern
provinces became apprehenfive of a vifit from
Kouli-clian, the tyrant of Perfia, no lefs fa
mous for his conquefts, than abhorred for his
cruelty. Confcious too, , of their having ir
ritated the Calmuck Princefs, they were
afraid, that, in cafe of an iqyafion, the Tar
tars would co-operate with the Perfians. It
was determined, ffierefore, that every engine
ffiould be employed to deprive lier of her au
thority ; and Donduc Daffiee, with thofe
Tartars who adhered to him, entertained the
moft

432 ANECDOTES OP THE
moft fanguine expedations of cohipa^ing
their defigns, For though the Emprefs Anna
was now dead, her fucceffor, Elizabeth, enter
ed in this particular into her views. But the
vigilant Circaffian was aware of her danger.
She was apprehenfive left the Coffacks on
the river Don, uniting with fome Circaffians
who had been brought over to the interefts
of her opponents, would either betray her into
the hands ofthe Rufl^ans, or oblige her to
relinquiffi her authority. She therefore
withdrew, very early, in the fpring, to the
eaftern fide of the Volga. Here ffie was in lefs
danger of being furrounded by her adverfa
ries ; aqd in cafe of their perfifting In their
oppreffion, ffie could betake herfelf for pro
tedion to the great nation of Black Cal
mucks, who frequent the vaft continent be
tween the Cafpian Sea and the Wall of China.
She flattered herfelf with meeting with a
more friendly r&ception from them, as they
were probably of the fame origin with the
Weftern Calmucks, and of fimilar manners,
particularly as to religious opinions, than
her hilffiand had experienced among the Tar
tars of Cuban.

In

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. ¦ 433
In the mean time Donduc Daffiee having
received many affurances that the Calmuck
Princefs was afraid of him, and would, on
the firft appearance of force, give up the
conteft, left Cafan with art array of five thou
fand men, and purfued her into the defart.
Having overtaken her'in her march, he was
advancing boldly to the Tartar cartip. Here
he was met by fome Calmuck chiefs, who in
formed him, that the Princefs infifted on biji
advancing no farther ; but that ffie was will
ing to converfe with any Commiffioner whom
he ffiould appoint to treat of the interefts of
tbe Calmuck nation. He accordingly fent
one of his friends, acquainting- her, that tbe
Emprefs expeded ffi.e would refign her an--
thority to him; and that ffie and her children
might depend on having (uch provi-fion made
for them, as fuited their high rant and con
dition. The Princefs, who was only defirous
of gaining time, and obtaining information
concerning the force he had brovight againft
her, anfwered, that it was then late, and thiit
next morning " they ffiould adjuft their dif
ferences *." In the night ffie confulted with her
* If the Calnvock Princefs be thought to incur blame in
this part of her condud, and if it can be removed or leflened
F f by

434 ANECDOTES OF THE
her chieftains ; -ffie found them refolute ; and
next morning, by fun-rife, ffie appeared on
horfeback at the head of her army. She feU
upon Donduc Daffiee. His five thoufand
men made a gallarit defence; but, over
powered by numbers, the greateft part of
them were put to the fword. Intelligence of
this fatal conflid was brought to Aftracan
by a Tartar attached to Donduc Daffiee- He
was a perfon of fome diftincftion : had with
him neither bow nor fcymeter, nor any other
weapon than a battle-axe *. He ffied a tor
rent of tears ; and faid, his iriends and the
Calmuck Prince were certainly flain.
Vafilee Nikitits Tatiffioff was at that time
Governor of Aflracan. ^ He was a confum-
mate politician ; and had diftinguiffied him
felf at the acceffion ofthe Emprefs Anna, by
bafiling the defigns of the Ruffian noblemen,
who wanted to impofe forae terms on their
Sovereign, and reftrld her power. He was
indeed well fuited to promote the views of an
abfolute Prince. Totally unprincipled, he
laughed at every facred tie ; and being ad*
by authority, an apologift may fay for her, that the ftratagem '
ihe praflifed was fimilar to one praAifed againft the Cartha
ginians by Scipio Africanu^. • Dr. Cook. dided

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 43$
dided to ftudy, he could fupport his imnioral
or Irreligious maxims, by the reafonings of
thofe writers .who gave countenance to his
opinions *. He poffeffed, at the fame time,
all the penetration, craft, and dexterity ne
ceffary for the fervices to which he was
cafled. After the difcomfiture of Donduc Daffiee,
the Calmuck Princefs returned to the country
ufually frequented by her nation, between the
Don and the Volga ; and there was reafon to
believe, that ffie intended, in cafe of any fu
ture affault, to put herfelf and her children
under the protedion of tbe Perfian Monarch.
It was neceffary, therefore, that Tatiffioff
ffiould lofe no time in executing the defigns
of his Sovereign.* He was fully fatisfiedy
fince the defeat of Donduc Daffiee, that open
violence was not to be attempted ; and had
recourfe to fuch meafures as were better fuit
ed to his charader. Trufting to his addrefs
in difcerning, and adapting himfelf to the
weaknefs of the female conftitution, he fent,,
her magnificent prefents ; he faid they were
from the Ruffian Emprefs ; he affeded to
difapprove of her rival ; and, finally, he af-
* Dr. Cook.
F f 2 fured

436 ANECDOTES OF THE
fiired her, that his Sovereign, from the high
opinion ffie entertained of her merits, had,
appointed her governor of Aftracan. He in
formed her, that he v/as ready to obey her.
commands ; and that her power in that
countiy would be inferior only to that of
Elizabeth Petrowna. In order ftill farther to
impofe on her credulity, he forged letters as
from the Emprefs ; and fent. fome officers of
diftindion to affure her, that the great pa
lace ib the citadel,^ and the palace built in the
neigbbourhood of the eity by Peter the Great,
were ready for her reception. He told her,
th^t all refped ffiould be ffiown her as if ffie
were Sovereign of the country ; and that her
new fubjeds were impatient to fee her Inveft
ed with the badges of her authority.
The Princefs, in evil hour, was feduced.
She quitted her retreat, and arrived in the
neighbourhood of Aftracan. Tatiffioff wait
ed npon her in her tent. He threw himfelf
on his knees before her, and feemed to ratify,
by the ardour of his proteftations,the fincerity
of his profeffions. Accordingly a day was
fixed for her;public entry into the city. Four
thoufand men were drawn up in the ftreet,
forming

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 437
forming a lane from the gate to the citadel.
Cannons were fired, drums beat, bells rung,
and the whole city feemed to be filled with
joy and congratulation *. The Princefs
walked on foot, attended by forty Calmucks,
the chief men of her nation. Tatiffioff and
his officers appeared in her retinue. The
dignity of her perfon, and the'beauty of her
countenance, excited the admiration of the
affembled multitude. The confcioufnefs of
her own intep;rity, and the belief that her
fpirited exertionj, in behalf pf her family,
had procured her this diftindion as the re
ward of her virtues, gave additional dignity
to her appearance. She little knew that ffi.§
had fallen into a treacherous fnare.
A magnificent entertainment was provide4
for her in the great hall iu the caftle. She
was feated at the head of the table ; an4
while Tatiffioff fat at the foot, her forty Cal- '
mucks took their places, on each fide of her.
Every thing, was conduded wit,h the utmoft
fplendour. Tatiffioff was overjoyed ; and
the upfufpeding Princefs was too foon. iq-
* Dr. Cook.
F f 3 formed,*

438;, ANECDOTES OF THE
formed, that his joy arofe from a very dif
ferent, caufe than what ffie apprehended.
For, after dinner, on pretence of fome bufi
nefs, he requefted her to go afide with him
into an adjoining gallery. She went along
with him unattended. The gallery had three
doors ; pne at each end, and pne from the
hall. She had no fooner entered than the
doprs were ffiut : two grenadiers, with fcrew-
ed, bayonets, had been placed by every one of
them on the Infide : and ffie was Informed,
in their prefence, of Tatiffioff 's perfidious
purpofe. He told her not to be alarmed, for
that no harm was intended againft her life, or
that of her children; but that fhe muft be
prevailed with to refign her authority to
Donduc Daffiee ; and that if her attending
Calmucks made any refiftance, it would prove
fatal both to her and to them. The aftoniffi-
ment, the relentment, and the anguiffi of the
Princefs, were no doubt exceffive. Yet thefe
emotions did not deprive her ' of recolledion,
nor of the fenfe of her own dignity. Her
condud in this critical fituation was fuch, as
did not alter the circumftances of her fate,
but very" much leffened. If It did not en
tirely deftroy, the triumph of her betrayer.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.. 435
She upbraided him with his treachery ; but
abfolved the Emprefs from any ffiare in his
guilt : ffie reafqned concerning the propriety
of his political condud; ffie reprefented to
him that her children were not adually in
his power; that ffie had given general in
ftrudions to the Calmucks, whP had them in
charge, never, even at her requeft, in whatfo
ever circumftance flie might be, to give them
out of their hands ; and that any violence
done to them would for ever alienate the
Cqlmuck nation from the interefts of Ruffia.
She told him moreover, that ffie acquiefced
in her fate; ffie faw it was in vain to con
tend ; but that if ffie were allowed to confer
with her army, ffie would be able to difpofe
them to fuch an accommodation as was
equally confiftent with their honour, and the
interefts of tbe Ruffian empire. She added
more prevailing enticements— her tears flow
ed in abundance, and with effedual power.
A fympathetic emotion feized the heart of
Tatiffioff; he was unprincipled — but not in
fenfible : and in that fufeeptible moment he
yielded to her entreaty. The Princefs's at
tendants received no information concerning
this unexpeded bufinefs till they returned
F f 4 Vvith

440 ANECDOTES OF THE
with her to the Calmuck camp.— Tatiffioff^,
in the mean time, was not fo entirely over-r
come by his feelings, as not to attend to fome
prudential confiderations ; and he fent along
with the Princefs a guard of above five hun
dred men. They were commanded by his
fon ; and armed in the completeft' manner.
It would appear, that the Tartar forces, on
this occafion, were not very numerous, elfe
they would have refcued the Princefs from
the hands of the Ruffians. But this, upon
the prefent occafion, they were unable to
txecute. The Princefs, on returning to her encamp
ment, loft no time in accompliffiing the flight
bf her children : ffie herfelf was taking mea
fures for her own efcape; was mounting her
horfe at midnight ; was difcovered ; and kept
afterwards in clofer confinement. In this
fituation, however, exulting inwardly in the
fuppofed fafety pf her children, ffie appeared
rather with the dignified filence of faileft
majefty, than with the plaintive iorrow of
afflided weaknefs. By the dignity of her
deportment ffie awed the lorwardnefs of
young Tatiffioff, who was fiifpeded of hav-

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 441
Ing offered her infult ; and compelled him,
by her indignant referve, to behave with hu"'
millating diflance.
Meantime the GG^vernor of Aftracan re
pented him of his fenfibility. The gehe-
rality of mankind who fuffer felf condemna
tion, are afflided on account of their errors ;
but Tatiffioff fuUci ed felf- condemnation for
having given indulgence to fomewhat of a
igenerous emotion. He argued, he intreated,
-he folicited his captive (for, though in the
Tartar camp, ffie was ftill his captive), to
learn from her what ffie had done with her
children. He fent troops in purfuit of them ;
he fcoured the defart with his Coffacks ; but
in vain. She fmiled at his diftrefs : ffie told
him he might do with her what he- pleafed ;
but the children of Donduc Ambo were no
longer in his power. His chagrin preyed on"
his conftitution ; his fleep and his appetite
left him ; he durft not, for fear of making
the whole Calmuck nation revolt, ufe the
Princefs with inhumanity ; yet he v>as deeply
mortified, and covered with ffiame for his
difappointment. Never thelsfs

44* ANECDOTES .OF THE
Nevertbelefs he was too foon relieved from
this merited afflidion. The young Princes
were indeed, under the protedion of a nume
rous body of Calmucks, who were determin
ed to defend them. But they were no
longer defended by the wifdom, the vigilance,
and affediori of their mother. They fell
at length into the hands of their enemy ; and
were fent, along with the Princefs, under a
ftrong guard, to Mofcow. They were treat
ed there with the utmoft refped. The Em
prefs gave themample poffeffions,; ffie vifit
ed the Princefs ; and did every thing in her
power to render her fituation agreeable.
Virtuous, amiable, and refpeded, the Cal-
luuck Princefs enjoyed as much felicity as
was confiftent with the remembrance of her
forfner condition. Some circumftances of
her ftory referable that of Zenobia, the fa
mous Queen of Palmyra ; and thofe particu
lars, in which there is any difference, do ho
nour to the fair Circaffian.
It does not appear that Donduc Daffiee
was able, or perhaps entirely willing, to ac-
complifli the change fo much defired by the
Ruffians, in the manners of the Calmuck na
tion.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 443
tion. Nor is it probable, that Tatiffioff had
much reafon to rejoice in his impious ma
xims. Succefsful in one perfidious enterprize,
he attempted others : and while he fupport
ed, as he apprehended, the interefts of the
empire, he was not inattentive to his own
private emoluments. He became folicitous.
of amaffing wealth. Selfiffi and unprinci
pled, he proceeded from Injuftice to violence
and Inhumanity. Among other enormities,
he plundered and put to death an Armenian
merchant. The affair was reprefented at St.
Peterffiurgh. Enquiry was made; and his
guilt appeared fo manifeft, that he was di
vefted of his command, and confined to a vil
lage in the neighbourhood of Mofcow. He
endeavoured to get an audience of his Sove
reign ; and did not doubt but that his infi-
nuation and addrefs would procure him for
givenefs. But thofe who were interefted in
his fall oppofed the means of his reftoration.
Once, in the difguife of a foldier, he had al
moft reached the palace ; but was deteded,
dragged away, and fent back to his (ilace of
confinement. He did not die a violent
death ; but, poffeffed of keen fenfibility, he
fpffered pangs more es;cruciating than the
pain

444 ANECDOTES' OF THE
pain perhaps of fuch a death. Devqured
with chagrin, he blafphemecj heaven, fpoke
treafon againft his Sovereign, calumniated all ,
men, pined iri 4ifccmtent, and died of ve^iav
tipn.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE.

4i-i

t t ( \

LETTER LIII."
A Pefiilential Diflernper in Ruffia. — The Maf-
Jacre of the Archbifhop of Mofcoiv.

DEAR Slfi, St.. Peterfburg, Dec. 3. 1771.
A PESTILENTIAL difteroper has, for
feveral months, been raging at Mof
cow, and in the neighbourhood. It had beea
communicated from the army; arid broke
out in the rainy feafon. ,Its, ravages have
been chiefly confined to the lower ranks ; nor
ha,s it eyer appeared very fpiimidable where
people have ,ufed the .proper .precautions of
cleanlinefs and good air< to prevent it. I have
not heard any good account of the fymptoms,
or .nature of this dreadful siiforder, other
than that the unrfortunate perfons who are
feized with it, are firft aff;e ded .with ftar tings
and tremors in the fkin ; they are then af
flided with ^'violent fever ; exhibit ^ed fpots
in different parts of the body, which feldam
I fupp urate;

445 ANtCDOTES Of THE
fuppurate ; and are tormented with exci-ucia-
ting pain in the bowels. They ufually die
in three or four days : and fo furious was
this diftemper for above two months in the
antient metropolis of this empire, that a thou
fand perfons are faid to have periffied daily.
Its progrefs was encouraged by the Impro
per treatment of the difeafed. Hundreds of
fick perfons were unmercifully crowded into
peft-houfes, and there left to themfelves.
Whenever any perfon was fufpeded of hav
ing the plague, he was torn from his family,
ffiut up with a multitude of loathfome-
wretches, and, thus abandoned by the world,
he was given up to defpair. Of confequence,
few that were confined ever recovered ; and
as no one, at the beginning of the diforder,
thought of burning the clothes of thofe who
died, the contagion fpread very faft.
Perforts of diftindion, and even fome per
fons in authority, fled to the country. Num-
berlefs riots enfued ; and inhuman robberies
are faid, to have been committed. One ffiocking
fpecies of oppreffion is reported to have been
pradifed by fome Inferior officers. If they bore
ill-will

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 447
lU-will againft anyone, or wanted a bribe, they
threatened to accufehim of having the plague.
The plague itfelf was not more formidable to
the poor people, than the inhumanity with
which the fick were treated ; and rather than
fubmit to it, they gave all they had to fatisfy
the avarice of their rapacious tyrants. The
confequence of this was, that many perfons
adually difeafed went about at large; and
many in good health fuffered dreadful con
finement. Meantime the peftilence became more and
more violent, fo that the people were driven
to diftradion ; and receiving little affiftance
from their rulers, they had recourfe to fuper
ftition. A certain image of the Virgin Mary
was reported, by fome mercenary priefts, to
poffefs fingular efficacy in curing and pre
venting the diftemper. Crowds both of
healthy and difeafed perfons flocked to this
hallowed phyficlan; nor were they niggardly
in their gifts and oblations. So that fome of
the inferior clergy, no lefs than the inferior
officers, derived inhuman gains from the mi
feries of their fellow- citizens.
5 Ambrofius,

4^8 ANECDOTES OF THE
Ambrofius, Archbiffiop of Mofcow, amaii
of great worth and liberality of fentiment;
dreading the^confoquences, and ffiocked at thd
inhumanity of this infamous condud, endea
voured, by removing the pidure, to prevent
it. This, however, produced an effed very
different from what he expeded. The people
were enraged; their rage was exafperated
by the inffigation of the priefts ; they ex
claimed that the archbiffiop was a Jew and a
heretic; and that he was engaged in a hefliffi
corifpiracy with the phyficians and furgeons,
againft whom their wrath was alfo kindled,
to deftroy thera. In this furious ftate pf
mind, about ten thoufand of them, with tu
mult and outcry, furrounded a church where
the gopd archbiffipp was performing mafs,
and putting up prayers for their welfare.
They infifted that he ffiould come out, and
reftore to them their favourite idol. The
venerable man appeared : be was arrayed in
the folemn garb of his office ; his grey hair
was crowned with a mitre ; he bore on his
arm a crofs ; he ftood on fome fteps on the
outfide of the church ; and was about to ad
drefs them. They fell upon him, and tore
him

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 449
him in pieces. Rendered frantic by this
bloody deed, they were proceeding to fet
open all the peft-houfes, — to let out the dif
eafed, — and maffacre all obnoxious perfons.
Mean tiriie a Ruffian officer, named Yrep
kin, with great refolution and prefence of
'mind, colleded about feventy foldiers : thefp
Were all he could mufter : he alfo got two
pieces of cannon ; and with thefe he pofted
hirafelf at the entry into one of the principal
ftreets. The mob advanced ; he ordered his
men to fire; they did fo ; fome ofthe rioters
were killed : his men looked difcontented ;
they were inclined to mutiny : " is it pro-
•* per," faid one of them, a,ffumingtan arrogant
tone, " that we ffiould embrue our hands in
" the blood of our miferable: countrymen ?''
Yrepkin made no other reply than to plunge
his fword iri his bofom. The reft were con
founded ; they obeyed the orders of their
fpirited leader, and difpelled the tumult :
not,- however, without the bloodffied of
many hundreds. *
When the tidings came to St. Peterffiurg,
the confternation was univerfal ; the Emprefs
G g " cried

450 ANECDOTES OF THE
cried bitterly ; and Count Orloff was imme
diately appointed, with full powers, to do
every thing for the reftoration of health, and
the re-eftabliffiment of the public tranquil
lity. He accepted of the office with the ut
moft alacrity ; and I hear his labours are
likely to prove effedual. He employs all
the poor people in public works, without the,
city; and by keeping them cleanly, and in
freffi air, the violence of the diforder is much
abated. It is expeded too, that much advan
tage will be derived from the feverity of the
winter. There is no appearance of any peftflentlal
diftemper In this city. Every precaution,
however, is ufed againft it : the communica
tion with Mofcow, and all fufpeded places, is
interrupted ; vinegar is burnt In great quanti
ties in every houfe; and the utmoft attention
is paid to the health of the lower ranks. Yet
it is not very pleafant to be within two or^
three days journey 'of fo dreadful a neigh
bour. Adieu.

.RUSSIAN EMPIRE. /^^t

LETTER LIV. (Extract.)
Anfwer to an ObjeSlion concerning the Na
tional CharaSler of the Ruffians.

* * * TNDEED, Sir, I muft ftill retain my
-*- opinion, that the Ruffians, in ge
neral, ffiew a great deal of ill-regulated fenfi
bility. This is a charader which you may
often fee exemplified In individuals : But I
fuppofe Ruffia is the only country where it is
fo general as to become a leading feature in
the national c}az.x?iQier. It appears, I think, In
the volatility of the Ruffians, in their fickle-
nefs, and fudden tranfitions from Pne affec
tion, or one ftate of mind, to another. They
have been branded with perfidy ; yet I am
apt to believe, that the appearance^, in favour
of fuch a charge, may often be triced to the
changes and caprices of irregular feeling:
Nor is it an objedion, that. In many in
ftances, they difcover ftrong fymptoms of in-
G g 2 humanity.

4S2 ANECDOTES OF THE
humanity. You will agree with me, If yon
recoiled, that feeling and fenfibility may lead
men to refentment and indignation; thefe
emotions may appear quite proper; and if
fo In minds uriaccuftomed to refledion, their
violent Exceffes will fuffer little reftraint;
this is ftiU more the cafe, when the manners
of men are rude and undifciplined. Perfons
of great fenfibility, or, in other words, perfons
very apt to be moved, even in periods of re
finement, unlefs their paffions be under due
-management, -are more in danger of being
tranfported by virulent and inhuman vehe
mence, than perfons of a colder and lefs affec
tionate temper. The Greeks were a people of
fiiore fenfibility than the Romans ; yet a fa-
ig^cious obferver, and excellent judge of hu
man nature, and withal an admirer of the
Greeks, reprefents them as more fenguinary
and inhuman. " Hoc egit civis Romanus
*• <mte te nemo. Externi ifli funt mores.
" Uf que Md fanguinem inciter i folet odium aut
'* Uvium Gracorum, aut immanium barbara.

*' rum.*"

The terms and phrafes . of endearment
among the Ruffians are as extravagant, as
• Cicero pro Ligario. they

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 453
they are grpfs and viplent In their abufe.
The fpftnefc and cppioufnefs of their lan
guage too, are in favour of my opinion.—
In a word, give them fteadinefs, give them
firmnefs of mind, either by moral confi
derations, or by a regard to their own inte.-
reft ; teach them to ad from fixed principles,*
and as they are an animated, you would foon
fee them a refpedable, people. * * *

<igS

45* ANECDOTES OF THE

'•• LETTER LV.
Remarks on the prefent Situation of the Jeivs.
DEAR SIR,
T FLATTER mj^fclf I ffiall very foon have
•¦¦ the pleafure of feeing yoii in England.
* * * *
Mean time, as you are a lover of hiftorical
enquiries, I fend you Inclofed fome Remarks
on the prefent Situation of the feivs. They
were given me by a fenfible and ingenious
friend, In confequence of fome ffiort obferva
tions of mine on the fame fubjed f.
The Fate of the Jews, fince their
conqueft by the Romans, is one of the moft
fingular events we meet with in the hiftory
of the world. A conquered people have ge
nerally been either extirpated by their con
querors, or have been left by them to enjoy
certain laws and prlvfleges, or, mixing with
+ See Letter XV,

¦RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 455
their conquerors, have united and beenbleud-
ed together. The Saxons, wlien they con
quered England, extirpated the natives, and
they ceafed to be a people. The Normans
fpared the lives of the Saxons, and the two
people uniting, the diftindion between thern
was quickly loft. But the Jews, after they
were .conquered by the Romans, being dif
perfed into the m^A diftant countries, with
out any affociation together, or without any
common bond of union to attach them to one
country, or to, one form of government, have
remained diftind, .feparate, and divided from
the reft of world ; and no where do they
feem to have been blended with the nations
in whpfe country they have had their refi
dence. In vain would we account for this
from the prophetic defcriptipns of their iitya-
tion contained in the Sacred Scriptures. The
bare prophecies could never produce the
event. It is enough, if thofe prophecies have
foretold an event, which it feems to have
been beyond the utmoft power of human wit
to forefee. To account for this event from
any fupernatural caufe, muft be equally un-
fatisfadory. It is not probable that God,
^though he may, for wife purpofes, have in^
G g 4 tended

45® ANECDOTES OP'THE
tended that the Jews ffiould femain in this
fituation, would' chufe to effeduate this by
means different from his other operations iii
the world : and this is an account which no
one, defirous of a. folution, can reft upon with
any tolerable degree of fatisfadion. ^
But the circumftance of the Jews haying
remained a feparate people, difunited frona
every nation in whofe country they lived, is
not the only thing that is fingular in their
hiftory. Another yery particular circum
ftance in their hiftory is, their haviiig beer^
almoft every yphere of the fame profeffion.
The Jews, wherever fituated, and in what-^
ever country difperfed, have conftantly been
merchants ; and if you fpeak of a Jew, the
idea of a merchant is immediately called up
along with it.
A third circumftance very particular in the
fituation of the Jews is their number. It is
obferved by Mr. Addifon, in a paper in the
Spedator Upon the fubjed, that the Jews are
at prefent as numerous as they were formerly
in the land of Canaan ; and that this is very
wonderful, when we confider the dreadful
'flaughter

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 457
flaughter made of them under fome of the
Roman Emperors, their difperfion, and the
inumerable maffacres and perfeeutions they
havefince undergoqe.
A fourth circumftance, which may be con-
iidered particular with regard to the Jews in
their charader. The Jews, vvherever they
have gone, have ever held one uniform cha
rader. They have conftantly, without ex
ception, been confidered as a deceitful and f
yile people.
Tp endeavour to give fome account pf
thofe peculiarities in the fituation ofthe Jews,
is propofed in the following remarks ; which
ffiall be chiefly confined to the fituation of
thofe Jews whp have fixed their refidence in
]Europe. Firft, with regard to their having remain
ed a feparate and diftind pepple, never
mingling or blending with thofe nations
among whom they lived. One principal
caufe of this appears to have arifen €rom the
pecpliar nature of their religion. The reli
gion of the Jews was fuch, that they could not

ANECDOTES OF THE
not poffibly retain It, unlefs they remained
feparate and diftind. The moment they in
termingled, or intermarried with any other
nation, it behoved them to abandon and
forfake It. The religion of the Jews was
peculiar to themfelves ; it was peculiar to the
twelve tribes of Ifrael ; it was direded folely
to the children of Abraham ; and was a reli
gion which could fcarcely be adopted by any
other people. Befides, the government of
the Jews was founded on their religion ; nay,
made a part of|^t ; and, unlefs they retained
that government, as inftituted at firft by Mofes,
they could not retain their religious princi
ples. The theocracy, the priefthood, vefted
in the Tribe of Levi ; nay, every article of
their private law, was an article of religion,
and believed to be delivered by God to Mofes
from the Mount. Hence the neceffity this
people lay under of remaining a diftind
people, fo long as they retained their religion.
This is a circumftance vvhich diftinguiffies the
Jewiffi from almoft every other religion. A
Proteftant may remain a Proteftant wherever
he lives, whether he intermingle or unite
with the people where he lives, or not. But
a Jew, the moment he does this, gives up his
religion^

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 45^
religion, and forfeits all the bleffings which
are promifed to his nation, or which belong
to his particular tribe. God's chofen and
well-beloved people reckon therafelves the
only people on earth worthy his protedion
and defence. Uppn this foundation they
defpife the Gentiles, they value themfelves as
being the fons of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob ;
and, in order to obtain the bleffings promifed
to each particular fed, they remain feparate
and diftind, and every Jew can number up
his anceftors, in a dired line from himfelf to
Abraham. Particular bleffings were pro
mifed to them and them alone ; and the long
expeded Meffiah was prophefied to the
Jewiffi nation only ; and when he came, he
was to be of the Tribe of Judah.
Another circumftance which accounts for
the Jews having never united or intermixed
V?ith the nations among whom they lived is,
the averfion which, from the particularity of
their fituation, they muft have entertained to
all the nations among whom they inhabited,
and which thofe nations muft. In their turn,
have had to them. This mutual averfion
myft have feparated them more and more ;
and

V/

4^.0 ANECDOTES OF THE
and muft have tended ftill further to keep the
Jews a feparate and diftind people. After
the eftabliffiment of Chriftianity, it 'Is by no
means wonderful, that the Jews ffiould have
been the objeds of hatred and antipathy to
the people among whom they lived. The
Jewiffi religion being allowed by all Chriftians
to he of divine origin, though the only one,
except their own, which could claim this pri
vilege,, they were naturally led to confider the
Jews as the moft formidable antagonifts to
Chriftianity. Both boafting of a religion of a
divine o.rigin, the addition of a new and later
revelation, being the only circumftance by
which tbe Chriftians could fuppprt their de
viation from the principles and religion of
the Jews, they were naturally apt to confider
thofe as their greateft enemies, who, coming
fo near themfelves, and allowing part of the
religion which they poffeffed to be divine, re
fufed to acknowledge thefe later articles which
ijiey deemed the moft important. Befides, being
ofthe fame country with the Author of Chrift
ianity, having had opportunity of becoming acr
quainted wjth the miracles which he perform
ed, and the other proofs which he gave ofthe
divinity of his miffion, it was natural that the
Chriftians

RUSSIAN EMPIRE, 4&1
Chriftians ffiould entertain an averfion to a
people, who were not only of a religion dif
ferent from their own, but who, favoured
with all ihefe circuftances, continued 10 deny
thofe mighty works which had been wrought
among them. But, above all, it was the
people of this nation who had brought to the
moft crusl and infamous death the Son df
God, and the founder of the Chriftian fyftem.
The people concerned in this trarifadion were
now, indeed, long fince buried in theirgravee;
but their children ftill remained a living ex
ample of their wretchednefs ; nay, they ftill
perfifted in approving ofthe deed, and conti
nued to glory in what had been done. We
may add to this, that the fury which formerly
feized the Chriftians, of making crufades to
the Holy Land, tended to keep up their anti
pathy to the Jews; and, at every newexpedi-
tion, the Jews w^ere fure to feel the effeds of
their religious zeal. The Englifli hiftory
alone is a fufficient proof of the oppreffions
which the Jews fuffered ; and thefe were alj
laid to the charge of their difference tin reli
gion. It is no wonder then that the Jews
ffiould entertain an averfion to the religion
and:pa)ple with whom they lived ; and that,

ill.

462 ANECDOTES OF TUt
in thefe circumftances, they ffiould be mofe
rivetted in their own religious principles and
cuftoms. Befides, that ftubbornnefs fo na
tural to mankind in certain circumftances,
which makes them refolved not to give up
their opinions to fuperior force, they would
be apt to confider thofe oppreffions as the ef
feds ofthe greateft depravity and blindnefs ;
and they would efteem themfelves as fuffering
in the caufe of God and religion. Had the
Jews " been treated like other people, — had
they been allowed to enjoy the fame privi
leges and immunities with the other inhabit
ants of the countries in which they lived, it
is not probable that they would have remain
ed fo long a feparate and diftind people.
Their own ancient manners would naturally
have begun to have had lefs influence upon
their minds ; and they would have been gra
dually Interchanged for the manners of their
neighbours : but the bad treatment they met
with, inftead of afflmilating them to the
people among whom they lived, ferved to
preferve that difguft and thofe prejudices
which it was natural for them at firft to en
tertain againft them, and to confirm them in
their obftinacy in maintaining their ancient
i errors.

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 463
errors. The Jews, feparated and difperfed
from one another, had no head, no regular
fociety or jundion, to fu'pport or confirm one
another in their notions ; but, the bad treat
ment they met with ferved the fame end, and
united more clofely thofe who inhabited the
fame country.
I now proceed to confider thofe circum
ftances which may account for_ the Jews being
all of one profeffion; and this appears to
have arifen from the fituation in which Eu
rope was about the time, and for a, confidera
ble time after, the firft fettlements of the Jews.
Europe, the greateft part of it at leaft, was for'
a long time rude and barbarous. War was
the only profeffion which was looked upon as
honourable or reputable. Commerce, and
every art conneded with, or fubfervient to it,
was confidered as mean and unworthy. No
circumftance tends to diftinguiffi an early
from an improved age, more than that fupe
rior honour which is paid to thofe who follow
the art of war, and the difgrace * which Is
thrown upon every other. Men in early ages,,
accuftomed to military atchievements, and
filled with high ideas of heroifm and honour,
6 are

464 ANECDOTES OF THE
are naturafly apt to confider In a mean and
defpicable light the more peaceable and fafe
employments of the mechanic, the manufac
turer, or the merchant ; and the whole affair
of commerce Is confidered as a profeffion
founded on injuftice and oppreffion, and by
which men live by taking advantage of the
wants and neceffities of others.
Thus, among the Greeks and Romans, it
wasa;eckoned a difgrace for a free man to he
employed in a mechanical art. In the fame
manner, among all the nations in Europe,
mechanics were held in contempt, and mer
chandize was in the greateft difrepute. The
borrowing money upon intereft, a thing
without which trade cannot be carried on,
was looked upon as the groffeft injuftice. In
early ages, before the introdudion of com
merce, men never borrowed but when in need
of money to fupply their neceffities, or the
common expences of life. To take advan
tage of thefe neceffities, by refufing to lend
without a premium, was confidered as an In-
juftiee by which men took advantage of the
neceffities of others. After commerce is In
troduced, wheri men begin tP bprrow mpney, nPt

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 465
not to fupply their neceffities, but with a
view to profit and to increafe their fortune,
the lending money may then be defended
upon all the principles of juftice; yet men's
prejudice againft this fpecies of traffic, from
the influence of cuftom, ftill remains ; and
the taking of Intereft branded with the
odious name of ufmy, is ftill prohibited
and accounted injuftice. Th® fevereft laws
were made in Eiarope againft it; the ca
non law, from the influence of the caufcs
above-mentioned, which were increafed by
the authority of Ariftotle's philofophy, per
mitted no Chriftian to receive intereft ;
and the municipal feconded the prohibition
ofthe canon l^w.
From thefe caufes, the lending of money
upon Intereft, the carrying on of every mo^
ney tranfaxdioa, and a'Jimoft every branch of
bufinefs, was taken out of the hands of the
Chriftians, and was engroffed by the Jews.
Hated already, and defpifed by the people
amongwhom they lived, making light of any
additional hatred or contempt which the pro
feffion of a merchant could bring upon them,
and taught by their religion that it was no
H h crime

466 ANECDOTES OF/ THE
crime to take ufury from a ftranger, they en
gaged in thofe branches of bufinefs which no
other perfon in the country, who valued his
reputation or charader, would engage in.
Devoid of the military fpirit, becaufe they
had nothing to roufe it, and the more clofely
attached to their- own intereft, that they were
fecluded from the fociety of tbe people among
whom they lived, they were almoft the only
perfons, for a long time, who followed the
profeffion of a merchant ; and by means
thereof they, generally amaffed prodigious
eftates. Joined to their being the only per
fons who enjoyed the advantage of this pro--
feffion, the high intereft of money, which
fometimes even amounted to ^o per cent, con
tributed greatly to the vaft fortunes which
they were enabled to acquire.
Tbe circumftances which have been now
mentioned, as they account for the Jews hav
ing been merchants, will likewife help to give
fome additional reafops for the other peculia
rity in their fituation, viz. their having fo
long remained a feparate and diftind people.
It has been ffiewn, that the Jews were the na
tural objeds of odium to the people among whom

ktJSSlAN 'EMPIRE. 4«^
Whom they lived ; that this circumftance, while
it drew upon them many hardffiips and perfe
eutions, fo it rendered them more and more
averfe to unite and conned themfelves With
thofe people by whom they fuffered thefe
perfeeutions. But this mal-treatment of the
Jews will not of itfelf fufficiently account for
their perfeverance in their religieo, and their
attachriierit to each other. Had their perfe^
verance only expofed them to evils and cala
mities, it is not to be believed that it would
have continued. Meri may for a while per-
fift in their oppofition to the crueleft perfeeu
tions ; and inftead of putting an end to their
zeal, it may increafe it; but the mor6 cool
views of intereft will, in procefs of time, get
the better of the more violent, and, of corife-
quence, lefs permanent principle of zeal*
The fathers may retain their ancient opi-»
nions, but the children will be apt to forfake
them. We have now feeri, that evils and ca
lamities were not the only th?hgs which
attended the Jews, on accourit of their reli
gion ; but from their perfeverance therein,
iand in the dodrines of their fathers, they
H h 2 reaped

4S8 ANECDOTES OF THE
reaped many and fignal advantages. Bf a
fortuitbus coihciderice of circumftances, the
perfecUtion and ill-ufage which they met
with, and the advantages which they reaped
from their religion and country, would both
have the fame effed, a?nd would tend to make
theiri continue attached to their religion arrd
people, and: averfe to mingle and unite with
other nations. Wheri they were haraffed
and oppreffed by the Chriftians, they would
eorifidefc thsemfelves as fuffering in the, caufe
of God, and the confideration of this would
Attach them ftrongly to their religion ; when,
from the circumftance of their being of that
religion, they amaffed great fortunes, they
vvould confider thefe as the reward of their
perfeverance ; and ready to fink under '
the ill-ufege they met with, ,they would
cbmfdft themfelves under the view of more
profperousctrc^na ftances, and of amaffing ftill
greater fortunes ; not to mention that the
Jews, having no other objed to attrad their
attention or engage their thoughts, vvould
naturally- becoErie interefted, and put a high
value on their riches. The perfeciitioris they
met with, were likeWife chielfly of that kind
which

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 469
which made them put the greater valije on
the advantages they received from their reli
gion, fhe averfion ofthe Chriftians to the
Jews, while it led the Chriftians to opprefs
them, ferved at the fame time to gratify ano
ther ftrong principle in the human raind, their
avarice. The ill-will of the Chriftians was
chiefly exerted in robbing and plundering the
Jews of their great eftates. This circumftance
muft have hftd a confiderable influence in at-p
taching them to their religion. It was the
poverty or neceffity of the Chriftians which
led thera to attack the fortune* of the Jews ;
it was the riches of the Jews which expofed
them to thefe attacks. The continual compa
rifon of'thofe different fituations would make
the Jews always give the preference to their
own. It was to their religion they owed
being fo much richer than the people about ¦
them ; and the worft that could befal them,
was to be ftripped of thofe poffeffions, and to
be reduced to fortunes fimilar to thofe of their
neighbours. By becoming converts to
Chriftianity, they loft at once all ^he advan
tages of procuring large fortunes, whereas,
by remaining in their antient perfiaafion, they
H h 3 ha(J

47<» ANECDOTES OF THE
had ftill a chance of freeing themfelves from
the plunder of their enemies. Attached to'
po one country more than another, if ever the
perfecutiop raifed againft them became fo hot
as to deftroy all the advantages of their re
maining in the country where they refided,
they quickly left it ; and finding means, by
the invention of bills of exchange, to remove
their effeds, they fettled in fome other coun
try where they could live with greater fafety.
Thi& happened in England during the reign
of one of the Edwards ; and fince that time,
Mr. Hume obferves, very few of that nation
have ever lived in England.
Thefe remarks may give fome account of
the caufes of the particular fituation of the
Jews. Their having fo long remained a fe
parate and diftind people, and attached fo
clofely to their religion, feems to have arifen,
firft, from the nature of thcjt religipn, the
very exiftence pf which depended on its vo
taries continuing a feparate people. 2dly. It
feems to have arifen from the averfion which
took place between them and the people
^mong whom they lived, and the hardffiips and
perfecutioiis they met vvhh, .which increafe^ tha;

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 471
that hatred and diflike. 3dly, It appears, that
it maybe alfo in part accounted for, from cer
tain advantages which they reaped from con
tinuing attached to their religion and peo
ple. The fecond peculiarity mentioned in the
fituation of the Jews, has alfo been accounted
for, viz. their having been merchants, from
the particular fituation of the countries in
which they lived, v/hieh preven'^ed other men
from being merchants, or laid them under
great difadvantages if they followed that pro
feffion. With regard to the third circumftance,
mentioned as fingular in the fituation ofthe
Jews, viz. their great number, perhaps it
may be afcribed to their being merchants,
and the wealth and opulence which the exer
cife of that profeffion produced. It is an ob
fervation, the truth of which will not be dif
puted, and which has been lately well illuf
trated by fome eminent writers, that the po-
puloufnefs of a people depends on its means
of fubfiftence ; and that, in ffiort, wherever
H h 4 people

47.a ANECDOTES Of THE
people have enough to maintain i family,
they win get a family ; and that where this
is the cafe, the nation muft increafe In hs
numbers. Now, the Jews becoming rich
and wealthy, had fubfiftence fufficient. Tbey
had more ; they were richer than their neigh
bours around them ; arid, as they increafed
their connexions became, of courfe, more
and more numerous.
The fourth circumftance, which was men
tioned as particular with 'regard to the Jews,
was the unfavourable charader uniforaily
given of them. The remarks which have
been made, will help to give fome account of
this. To which may be added the juft obfer
vation, that, ro treat men with infamy, is the
fure way to make them deferve it.
Upon the whole, thefe caufes, if they ea*j-
ndt account for the events, may, al leaft, give
room fbr enquiry upon the fubje^ft. It mail
be confe'ffed, however, that the influence of
'thefe cauf&s feems noiv 'to be near an end. The
pYirreiples of toleration that have now takeh
place, have, in fome meftftfre, tB©ierated, at
I place,

RUSSIAN EMPIRE* 473
leaft, men's averfion to the Jews; and t'be im
provements of a more enlighteaed age have
made men fbrfia b&tter and more worthy no^
tions of all the tranfadions of commert^.
Thefe Remarks have chiefly been confinecl
to the fituation of the Jews who have fettled
in Europe. With regard to the Jews whb
have fettled In other countries, it ffiall only be
obferved in general, that the fame caufes which
account for the fingular fituation of the Jews
in Europe, will account for it likewife elfe-
where. The Jewiffi religion "is oppofite to
the Mahometan and Pagan, as well as to the
Chriftian ; and there feems indeed to have been
fomething, both in the religious and political
inftitutions and cuftomsof the Jews, peculiar to
themfelves, which ferved to detach them, and
to reader them odious to every other people
in the world. The fame caufes wfll likewife
account for their being merchants : befides,
it ought to be obferved, that Alexandria was
the place to which moft of the Jews, who did
nPt inhabit Eurppe, , refprted ; buttthe fitua
tion of Alexandria was fuch as peculiarly
fitted it for merchandize, and for infpiring
Into the minds of a people, who had no other
objed

474 ANECDOTES OF THE
objed to attach them, a fondnefs for this oci
cupation. Alexandria, fituated on the coaft
of the Levant, not far from the Red Sea, and
near one of tbe mouths of the Nfle, lay moft
conveniently for carrying on the merchandize
pf India and of all the Eaft.

RUSSIAN EMPIRE. 47$-
LETTER LVI. (Extract.)
journal of a Voyage from Cronfiadt to
Copenhagen.
******
Auguft 16th, \1C7^ ^^^ ^^'' ^" ^^^ after-
1772. ' ' noon for England*.
An agreeable evening; a briflc wind; the
moonlight glancing upon the waves ; gentle
lightning darting at intervals from the
bofom of a white cloud : the woody coaft" of
Efthonia calm and filent.
Why did my heart throb, and my tears
ftart, when I found myfelf in an Engliffi man
of war ."* A thoufand images of friends and
couritry ruffied on my mind. O, Nature \
with what exquifite cords doft thou bind our
hearts, and makeft them thrill with ineffable
raptiire ! I leaned over the fide of the ffiip,
and thought of Britain,
• In the Flora, commanded by Mt. now Sir, George Col
lier, who diftinguifhed himfelf in the laft war by his fervice*
ia America, and by che capture of the Leocadia.
? Aug.

476 ANECDOTES OF THE
Aug. 17th. We ' pafled Hogland : a
mountainous and heath-clad ifland.
Aug. 1 8th— 29th. Crofs winds aU the
way from the Gulf of Finland : wc run zig
zag from Abo to Dantzig, and from Dantzig
to the Gulf of Bothnia. We pafs Gothland ;
its ffiores are involved in a ftorm. Mean^
time the failors are drowning cats and goats ;
performing facrifice, half In jeft and half in
earneft, to the devil. There is more pply-
theJfm in the' world than Is coaimoaly
thought. ^
Aug. 30th. A thoufand bleffings on thy
green hills and rocky ffiores, and on all thy
fons and daughters, fair and pleafant Born-
holm ! Though ti»u canft not boaft of
groves and trees, yet thy verdure is lovely ;
and ftill, to the weary mariner, may it feem
fo I Still, as to us, mtay thy g«otle gales
come in place of Impetuous tempefts !
Sept. I ft. We paffed the Ifle of Ween ;
and alfo a long neck of land t^iat forms the
Bay of Copenhagen. We left to the leeward
^fty-two fail of m,erchantmen. The fcene
deUghtful :

RUSSIANEMPIRE. 477
delightful : it exhibits Copenhagfen lying at
the bottom of the Bay, ornamented with fe
ven confiderable fteeples, and a number of lefler
fpires ; behind it, a beautiful green eminence;
the ffiore on each fide flat, adorned with ver
dure, corn fields, houfes, and vUlages; a
multitude of veflels, including eight ffiips of
war, belonging to difi^erent nations, lying at
anchor. Sept. 2d. The city of Copenhagen is ir
regularly and too clofely built. The ftreets
are narrow and ill paved; the houfes are of
brick, and are covered with tiles. The pa
lace is a heavy inelegant building : and the
gardens of Rofenburg exhibit nothing but
narrow lanes between high hedges, and dull
canals. I do affure you, and the fad may be
of fervice to thofe who gaze on the outfide
of a palace with admiration, that in a room in
the manfion of the Daniffi Princes, where
we were told, the King and his Minifters
held councils of ftate, we beheld — the Royal
Game of the Goofe, *
The Mufeum contains a valuable collec
tion of .natural curiofities, and fome good
pidures. Here we were alfo ffiewn lome
ivory

4^- ANECDOTES, ^c.
ivory trinkets executed ^y a Daniffi King'
the workmanffiip was indeed fine : but as wd
were looking at one piece that -confifted of
diff^erent parts linked together by little ivorj^
rings, the perfon who ffiewed it accidently
dropt it on the floor : It was ffiivered into a
thoufand fragments. We were filled with
confternation: a monument of royaf inge
nuity ! a palladium perhaps of the Daniffi
ftate! — " Never mind it," faid our good-
natured guidej " I ffi.all have another in its
*' place to- morrow.''
The other curiofities which are ffiewn to
ftrangers, are the dock-yard, which is indeed
very noble ; and the heads of Struenfee and
Brandt, which are very ffiocking. * * * *
Adieu. Crtis ingens iterabimuS aquot.

THE END-

errata;
;c 25. line 10. for render read renders.
311. — — 6. for fallen read faWen.
370,  8. dele or.
10. y«r without difguife, r^^or withouO
difguife.
411. ¦ 3. y«rJlames read flame.

3 9002