speech, characteristic of the continent, which pleased my taste, which put me at my ease on all occasions; circumstances extremely agreeable to a traveller. How much more easy, elegant, and refined, are the manners of the Russian ladies than those of Great Britain or Ireland! They dress more elegantly too, because they follow the most recent Parisian fashions; their garments are generally of sufficient extension to cover the body, while they admit of graceful motion, but few of them sport their legs, and still fewer their ancles-perhaps because, for the most part, they are clumsy. They spare no expense in decoration. Silks and satins of the most gaudy colours, plumes of feathers, splendid jewels, the most delicious perfumes, and a profusion of rouge, are all called to aid the setting-off of the few natural charms of the Russian ladies; and generally speaking, they have great need of artificial ornament, and wide flowing robes, to impart charms, which Nature has denied, and to conceal their general inclination to embonpoint or already existing rotundity. I was highly pleased with their society, as a stranger, but their notions of morality seemed too loose to accord with my stern ideas of propriety. I saw not one whom I could have married; and strange to tell, it rarely happens that an Englishman espouses a Russian, notwithstanding so many of our countrymen reside in Russia, and some of them associate a great deal in Russian society.

So much for the Russians at Petersburgh: let us now turn to our countrymen there settled; the chief part of whom are merchants, but live like noblemen. They have splendid houses, fine horses and carriages-keep good tables-have excellent wines; and withal are extremely hospitable, a circumstance which is easily explained without supposing, as has been done, that in this they only copied the Russians. Provisions and wines are, comparatively speaking, cheap as well as the expenses of an establishment. Like all other travellers 1 frequently dined at the English Club, where I passed many pleasant hours with my countrymen, and at a very trifling expense; and where I met travellers from almost all the nations of Europe, who had been introduced by their friends.

I was a regular attendant at the Exercise-House, where his Imperial Majesty Alexander examines some troops almost every morning, and was astonished at their fine appearance and excellent state of discipline. The reviews which frequently took place in the great area before the winter-palace, were to me a high source of amusement. The excellent condition of the Imperial Guards, horse and foot, as well as of the artillery, altogether surprised me. Such troops can rarely be seen any where. It is but proper to mention, however that we see the élite of the whole Russian army at Petersburgh; and they form regiments of which every nation of Europe might be vain.

I could not but remark the power of despotism in the arrangement for these reviews, and think of the different manner in which things are carried on in Britain. Suppose King George were to wish to have a review of troops once a week at Charing-cross, and were to order the communications by the Strand, by Cockspur-street, and by Parliamentstreet, to be shut up by means of ropes, and guarded by the police and gens d'armes would he be able to effect his purpose beyond a single time? The voice of the public would rise omnipotent, and prevent its repetition. But in the north things are differently arranged. The

greatest thoroughfares are shut up time after time at Petersburgh, and although all complain of such a nuisance, still the practice is continued, apparently because it pleases the Emperor, and because a review in the great place before the winter palace has something in it extremely Imperial. But no free-born individual-no Briton-can be long in the north without discovering the immense value of freedom-of civil liberty; for in Russia there is complete religious toleration.

Having seen all the curiosities of Petersburgh, and being satisfied that it was not the place to know the Russians, I determined to proceed to the ancient capital. One of my friends greatly hastened my departure, by telling me that the Russian historian, Karamzin, says, "He who has been at Moscow, knows Russia." Having taken my place in the diligence, in little more than four days I reached the great city, which was to be the termination of my travels. The carriage was clumsy, but strong; and the horses, which were furnished by the villagers, ill-looking, tawdry, and miserably harnessed, chiefly with ropes; yet they worked admirably, and we made great progress. We often proceeded at full gallop, which was frequently interrupted by the descents of the coachman to adjust the harness, and of the postillion to put to rights his saddle-this was formed of his sheep-skin pelisse, and a rope thrown across the horse in place of stirrups.

All the novelties on the line of road between Petersburgh and Moscow have been treated of by travellers, and to the greatest of them, the military colonies, Dr. Lyall has devoted a pamphlet; therefore I shall pass them over in silence.

I had read many accounts of Moscow, and had formed some correct ideas of it from the plates in Lyall's quarto, but the reality surpassed all my imaginations. I was no longer surprised at the enthusiasm with which this author describes it, and now was persuaded that the warmest of his descriptions fell below the reality. I could now also duly appreciate the ardent pride, the proud contemplation of the French, when they beheld this splendid city at their feet, and the immense satisfaction-however delusive-of Napoleon, when he had reached the goal of his ambition-Moscow, Mother Moscow (Mat Moskva, as the natives call it)-Moscow with gilded cupolas, the holy city, at the sight of which the peasants, and even many of the nobles, do reverence by crossing themselves and bowing many times. Regarding Moscow I have nothing to add to other ample--indeed too ample-descriptions. My remarks shall be confined to the environs of this capital, which have never been well described in English-or rather, which have never been described at all-and to the customs, and manners of the natives, with whom I purposely associated a great deal. Having been favoured by a friend with a letter of introduction to the Countess Orlof-Tchesmensky, I lost little time in calling at her palace in town, or rather at its extremity, but was mortified to learn that she had already gone to one of her estates, sixteen miles from the city, to pass the summer. I determined to proceed thither, and a carriage being hired, in three hours I was at Ostrof, and met with a very polite reception, an invitation to dinner, and a proposition in the mean time to examine a part of her Excellency's famous stud.

I shall commence my descriptions of the environs of Moscow, by an account of Ostrof.

OSTROF.

Ostrof is situated fourteen miles south-east from Moscow, and rises from the centre of a spacious circular plain into an elevated hill. This seat commands a beautiful view of the surrounding plain, which is watered by the windings of the Moskva river, and skirted by gentle hills, whose sides present a variety of wood, corn-fields, and pasture, intermixed with villages; and on the north east includes Petrovskoyé, the seat of one of the Demidofs.

Ostrof means island: a name the origin or propriety of which, a stranger on a summer or winter visit would not readily discover. In the spring, by the breaking up of the ice, a great flood of the Moskva river takes place, and the surrounding meadow is inundated. The dwelling-house, the gardens, the adjoining villages, the stables, &c. and a small spot of ground, are now completely insulated; and all communication, for two, three, or four days, is maintained by means of boats; hence the appellation Ostrof, or Island.

Ostrof and a number of the adjacent villages belong to the Countess Orlof-Tchesmensky; and it is here she generally spends the summer months; or rather, remains till the first snow falls, or the commencement of winter.

The summer-house is situated on the top of the hill. It is two stories in height : the first is built of stone, and supports a broad wooden balcony or gallery, which surrounds the base of the second story, constructed of wood. It is a very plain but commodious edifice, though small in comparison of the country-seats of most of the higher classes of nobility. Its fine flight of stairs to the north-east, its yellow painted sides and green roof, combined with its high situation, give it an agreeable aspect.

The garden is large, and skirts the sides of the insular hill to the north and east. It is laid out with great taste by a Russian gardener, a slave of the Countess's; though its boundaries are not so well concealed as they ought to be, and the long straight avenue or road to the house is in very bad taste. A white-washed stone church, dedicated to the Transfiguration, with a fine high green-topped angular tower, bearing the Cross, together with a low brick belfry on the west, embellish the view of Ostrof, and, associated with religious feeling, add a species of beauty, which Christian alone can feel.

The stables and manège occupy two squares; while a third square is allotted to the cattle, among which are many fine cows of English breed.

The stud of Count Orlof-Tchesmensky has long been celebrated. According to Coxe, about the year 1780, the greatest part of the stud was grazing on the plain; it consisted of a considerable number of the finest stallions, and above sixty brood-mares, most of whom had foals. The collection was gleaned from the most distant quarters of the globe, from Arabia, Turkey, Persia, and England. The Count obtained the Arabians during his expedition in the Archipelago; some as presents from Ali-Bey, others by purchase or by conquest from the Turks; among these he chiefly prized four horses, of the true Cochlean breed, so much esteemed in Arabia, and so seldom seen out of their native country.* The greatest part of this famous stud has always been, and still is, kept

Travels, vol. I. p. 420.

at the village of Khrenova, in the government of Voroneje, where is an estate of the Countess's with 4000 peasants, and 500 men attached to the establishment for the stud, together with their wives and families. A small but choice part of this stud is to be seen at Ostrof and at Moscow, and it attracts numerous visitors.

Since the death of Count Alexei Orlof-Tchesmensky, the character of the stud has not only been maintained, but raised still higher, and I believe at present it is esteemed the best in Russia.

To her Excellency now belongs one of the most extensive Konnii Zovodi, as they are called in Russia, or horse-manufactories, in the empire. We have been informed that it lately consisted of 3000 horse, exclusive of a number of fine stallions, some of them British. At present, I believe, the number does not exceed 2000 animals, young and old. Most beautiful riding-horses-famous trotters-fine carriagehorses-and good draught-horses,-displaying the greatest symmetry and elegance astonishing beauty, agility, and excellence of motionstrength and hardiness-docility, calmness, and patience, are to be seen here. The carriage and draught-horses exhibit an obdurate endurance of the hardships of a rigorous climate, which none but Russian horses could withstand.

Ostrof, with the surrounding villages, is one of the most valuable estates in the vicinity of Moscow. Few spots are so well adapted by Nature for forming a beautiful, extensive, and productive farm and dairy.

The meadow is irrigated in the spring by the overflowing of the Moskva river, and without trouble annually produces enormous crops of hay formed of natural grasses. Were part of the estate properly cleared, drained, tilled, and manured, and the natural grasses intermixed with or superseded by better and more productive kinds, here might be produced abundant crops of corn, hay, potatoes, carrots, turnips, &c. all of excellent quality, especially in such a climate as that of Moscow, where, after the commencement of vegetation, the fruits of the earth are so rapidly matured. The pastures would then produce good and rich milk, from which, in the hands of a proper person, could be made excellent butter and cheese. Indeed, that the dairy might be carried to perfection here is proved by the fact, that, in the hands of a Russian woman, good though not very rich butter is already made at Ostrof.

We returned to the house and partook of an elegant dinner, which was well served up. The crowd of servants in attendance quite astonished me. Eight individuals sat at table, and I believe about twenty lacqueys were employed to wait upon them. Among the dishes, sourcabbage soup, called stchee, small meat pies which are eaten with it or with any soup, and salted cucumbers which are served up with the roast, were the national dishes of which I shared; but what most pleased me was a pot full of delicious stewed mushrooms, of which the Russians consume enormous quantities. In former days, a band of forty musicians daily played while stationed before the house in fine weather, during dinner; but the Countess has of late become extremely serious, and has given most of them their liberty-for they were all her slaves. But her noble style of living is described by Dr. Lyall in his History of Moscow, and also in the appendix to his travels, which contains an account of the Orlof family.

With the mention of a circumstance which alludes to a national custom, I shall conclude what I have to say of Ostrof.

The Countess very frequently rides into the woods, accompanied by her female companion and a number of servants, for the purpose of collecting mushrooms; and it was part of the fruits of one of these excursions I partook. Mushrooms form such a very dainty dish, that we may well be surprised that no more attention is paid to them in our island. In Russia, every child, every peasant, every individual, is familiar with the edible and the poisonous species, because they are taught to collect them in their earliest days. Dr. Lyall has given a catalogue of about forty edible species, or at least those found to be so in Russia, in the appendix to his history of Moscow; and he has alluded to the various modes of preserving them and of cooking them. They are either dried, pickled, or salted, and are cooked in different ways-stewed, roasted, and mixed with sauces. In all these ways I found them delicious. The quantity and variety of mushrooms which are exposed early in the morning in the great market of Moscow, called the Ochotnoi Riad, astonish the stranger. Not only baskets-full but cart-loads are remarked, and they are often procured at a very low price.

In going to Ostrof I had taken the road by the Spass na Novo monastery; but it was proposed to return by a different road, to see two of the most distinguished places in the neighbourhood of Moscow.

After a charming ride of a few miles I reached Tsaritsino Selo, commonly called Tsaritsin, an imperial villa, which well merits the name, and which occupies one of the finest situations near the metropolis. It stands near the rivulet Gorodenka, nine or ten versts from Moscow; and was bought by the Empress Catherine the Second, from Prince Kantemir, who became one of Russia's sweetest poets. The palace and other buildings were erected, and the gardens formed, between the years 1780-90, for her Imperial Majesty; who is said, when on a visit, to have been with great cause so disgusted with the former, that immediately the work ceased from being carried on, and the palace never has been finished.

This palace is large, and two stories high, with clumsy pavilions at regular intervals along its front. It is built of brick, quite in the Turkish taste, and is heavy and encumbered. A number of smaller detached brick structures in the same style, besides a church in front, surround the principal edifice, and are dispersed among the plantations.

The situation of Tsaritsin is elevated and romantic: a large sheet of water divided by sluices into numerous lakes, at various heights, which are abundant in fish, surround it on the west and north. These lakes are fringed with wood, behind which are gentle elevations skirted with plantations, through which perspectives, or avenues, have been ingeniously introduced so as to diversify the scenery and extend the view. On the east and south, Tsaritsin is backed by extensive and dense forests.

The gardens of Tsaritsin are in capital repair. Fine gravel walks wind to immense distances among the plantations and woods, and over fine slopes, and by the banks of numerous small lakes. Temples, hermitages, grottoes, bridges, and islands, all contribute their share to the beauties of Nature.

In summer, especially on Sundays, numbers of visitors are attracted to this fine villa, who often carry their provisions with them, and spend the day by walking in the gardens, amusing themselves in the woods,