the hall of their master, hardly venturing to open their lips, that to a person of any feeling, no life could be more insupportable. All over Russia, but particularly in the towns of Moscow and Petersburgh, the greatest luxury prevails. The rich nobles think nothing of destroying a field of barley, to procure a single dish of green grain, of which they are very fond. At the commencement of the season, they will sometimes give from 50 to 100 rubles for a sterlet, or small sturgeon, about the size of a cod. Oysters will fetch, when they first arrive, a ruble, or 3s. 6d. per dozen; and it is said that the Prussians might establish a powerful interest at the Court of Petersburgh, by contriving the means of supplying it earlier with that favourite article. The whole winter at Petersburgh is one continued scene of dissipation; but it becomes tiresome from its uniformity. Foreigners are well received there, and a person who has the talent of enabling them to pass their long winter of seven months, with as little ennui as possible, is in great request. They play much at cards, billiards, chess, &c., and sometimes very deep. As in other countries where gambling is fashionable, some take every advantage, when an opportunity presents itself, and borrow money without ceremony, and without any idea of repayment. The Russians seem very jealous of one another, and to take a pleasure in exposing their mutual failings to strangers. The courtiers affect a mixture of the French and English manners, but are seldom to be depended on for strict integrity. In the country, respectable characters are oftener met with than in the towns, but even these tinctured by the vices of their education. Hence, it is contended by those who are hostile to this great empire, that Russia may be compared to an ape on the back of a tiger, or to the generality of the houses at Petersburgh, which, without, are well plastered, and have a handsome enough appearance, but within, are made up of bad bricks, and other miserable materials. The common people in Russia still wear their beards and their old dress, which resembles the Asiatic. Of late, highcrowned hats have become very common; and having no pockets, they put their handkerchiefs, (which should be there called hat, and not pocket handkerchiefs), in the crown of their hats. They are not remarkable for their cleanliness. Their outer garments being made of sheep-skins, are generally offensive; and as they consume great quantities of garlic and raw onions, it is not pleasant to be near them. Having no beds, they sleep upon benches, and never change their garments even when they sleep. They are very fond of being intoxicated; but, what is remarkable, are good-humoured in their cups, and there are hardly ever any violent quarrels among them. They are very superstitious; never pass a church without making the sign of a cross, a custom which they regularly observe, even in Moscow, where there are about 1000 churches. They are rather deficient in point of invention, but will imitate any thing, and will come very near, if not fully equal the original they were ordered to copy. Many of the Russian nobles, like the old senators of Rome, employ their slaves, or peasants, in different manufactures, and sell the produce of their industry at Moscow and Petersburgh. The more ordinary practice is to share the produce of such industry between the lord and his boor or peasant. The latter, it is true, cannot claim, as a right, the fruits of his labour; but so different is the national feeling on this subject, that a lord would not dare to urge his right, by seizing the whole, to which, in strict law, he is entitled. Hence it is well known, that peasants have possessed fortunes of from 10 to 20,000 rubles, without feeling any apprehension that their masters would prefer claims to any part of it, though legally entitled to seize the whole. SECT. 2. Of the Government of Russia. Nothing can be conceived more despotic than the government of Russia. The Court interests itself in every thing; in marriages, in law-suits, in the purchase of estates, &c. The general laws of succession and inheritance are established by edicts *; but when a testator chooses to deviate from these, his dispositions are valid, if he can procure the sanction of the court. The knout has still a great influence over the people, of which the following story is a proof: In the winter of the year 1785, some very smart lines were written, ridiculing the foreign ministers at Petersburgh, to the great amusement of the Empress, and of the whole Court. This encouraged the author to write some additional verses, in which the Empress herself was not spared. The libel, as it was called, was immediately ordered to be burnt, with a knout, by the common executioner: A hint which soon put an effectual end to the pasquinades of Petersburgh. But as the nature of the Russian government can be known from so many printed volumes, it is needless to dwell upon here. SECT. 3. Of the Political State of Russia. it The following, as well as I could learn from various authen-. tic quarters, was, in the year 1786, the real political state of the Russian empire: Its population, including its Tartarian and Polish subjects, was then little short of 25 millions; and it might have about 20 millions of effective subjects, in a military and financial view +. Very regular accounts are annually drawn up of the Russian commerce; but such is the extent of the empire, that * By those edicts a widow inherits one-fourth of all moveable property, and one-seventh of all immoveables. Every female child is entitled to half as much as falls to the mother's share, if unmarried and unportioned, viz. one-eighth and one-fourteenth. The rest of the estate goes to the sons, or nearest relations of the deceased, in equal portions, no preference being given to primogeniture in any succession whatever. After the partition of Poland in 1794, the population of the empire was estimated at 32 millions. they are often two years behind hand; and, in 1786, the latest account I could find was for the year 1783, when its foreign commerce was as follows: Rubles. Copecks. 19,815,318 11 Exports by sea, ....... ...... Exports by land to Poland, Turkey, China, ... 3,688,313 47 23,503,631 591 Imports by sea, ........ 14,809,112 38 19,251,476 54 Balance, 4,252,155 43/ Which, at six rubles to the guinea, is above L.700,000 sterling. The quantity of specie imported that year amounted to R. 2,808,131,40 c., or about L.470,000 sterling, the whole of which, with the exception of 164,408 rubles, was imported into Riga, and is a sufficient proof of the importance of that town, and of the province of Livonia, to the Russian empire *. The number of ships that arrived, or, according to our technical phrase, that entered inwards, that year, amounted to 2637, of which 587 were British. The establishment of the army in 1786 was about 450,000 men, including 100,000 Cossacks, and other irregular troops. Of that number about 30,000 were deficient. But the non effectives, in a government like Russia, are soon supplied. Each proprietor of land, in proportion to the number of his peasants, is obliged to furnish, on the shortest notice, one or more. The landlord must pitch upon the stoutest, and the fittest for service; and to prevent desertion, he immediately shaves his beard, and cuts his hair short, in the military form; after which no person will dare to harbour or protect him. * It was enacted by the tariff 1782, that all custom-house duties on goods imported into, or exported from Riga, should be paid in rix-dollars, or some other coin of equal fineness, which accounts for so large an importation of specie into Riga; but by a posterior tariff, an. 1796, permission was given to pay the duties on imports into Riga in the national paper currency, or in copper, at certain stipulated rates. The soldier's pay is very small, and is principally paid in grain, each individual receiving a certain quantity of buckwheat, sufficient for his maintenance, which he boils, and eats without further preparation. It is so very nourishing a diet, that a similar plan should be tried in our army and navy, particularly on foreign service. The troops, both horse and foot, are in very good order, particularly the common men, who are very hardy, feed very plain, can drink the puddle of a ditch, and are accustomed to sleep upon benches with their clothes on, the peasants having no beds in Russia. I should imagine, at the same time, that some disorder would be apt to break out in a Russian army, in the course of a long campaign, from the poor, and frequently unwholesome quality of the provisions on which they subsist, and from their being deprived of their hot-baths, so necessary, even when they are at home, and in their own houses, for their health. The Russian officers are much inferior to the common soldiers; but there are many German, and a few British officers, in the service; and the Empress is training up a number of young cadets, the children of the nobility, to the military profession. The artillery alone amounted to about 30,000 men, and their arsenals are full; and convinced that much depends upon artillery, in modern warfare, there are 300 cadets annually bred up to be regular engineers. One great advantage which Russia possesses in a military view, is the cheapness and abundance of saltpetre, and consequently of gunpowder. The saltpetre is principally collected in the Ukraine, and the neighbouring provinces. They burn beech-wood, spread the ashes upon old encampments, for the purpose of attracting saltpetre, which is easily separated. During the American war, they began to export gunpowder and saltpetre. The latter is reckoned by far the strongest and best of any made in Europe. Their fire-arms are very bad, and a regiment of 1000 men are never exercised without two or three muskets bursting, and killing or wounding some of them. |