THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES TRAVELS I N POLAND, RUSSIA, SWEDEN, AND DENMARK; ILLUSTRATED WITH CHARTS AND ENGRAVINGS. BY WILLIAM COXE, A. M. F. R. S. F. A. S. RECTOR OF BEMERTON. IN FIVE VOLUMES. VOL. L THE FIFTH EDITION; LONDON: PRINTED rOR T. CADELL, JUN. AND W. DAYIES, IN THE STRAND. 1802. Luke Hanfard, Printer, ?ji'jac TurnlUc, Lincoln's-Jnn Fiddjc I?9^5- C-i^t ■■■. 1 TO T-HE RIGHT HONOURABLE GEORGE EARL OF PEMBROKE AND MONTGOMERY, MY LORD, AS the advantages, which I enjoyed fi'om accompanying your Lordlhip on your travels, enabled me to colleft materials for this work, it cannot be infcribed to any other perfon, with fo much propriety, as to your Lordfliip. You, I flatter myfelf, will recollecJt with pleafure the refult of thofe inquiries to which you were particu- A 2, larly DEDICATION. larly attentive; and I am happy in this public opportunity of expreffing my grate- ful fenfe of your Lordfhip's friendftiip and patronage. I have the honour to be, My Lord, Your Lordship's Much obliged. And obedient Humble Servant, WILLIAM COXE. Bmerton, Jan, i, jg©*. \ ''SH;lc4^- [ V ] PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION OF 1784. ^TT^HESE volumes contain the refult of that intelli- ■*■ gence which I collecSted, and thofe obfervations which occurred, during my travels through the northern kingdoms of Europe; and I think it my duty to ftate my authorities. In regard to Poland, I was honoured with information from perfons of the higheft rank and authority; and fortunatel}^ obtained poffefiion of fome original letters written from Warfaw, before and during the Partition, which have enabled me to throw a confiderable light over that interefling period. I prefume, therefore, tha^ the account of Poland comprehends many particulars, which have not been hitherto prefented to the public. With refpect to Ruffia, as the Emprefs herfelf deigned to anfwer fome queries relative to the ftate of the public prifons^; this gracious condefcenfion in fo great a fo- vereign could not but facilitate my further inquiries. To this I muft add, that the late celebrated hiftorian, Mr. Muller, favoured me with various communications on fome of the moft important and intricate parts of the Ruffian annals; and pointed out to me the moft approv- ed writers on that empire. The nature of the Swedifh government rendered the fources of information eafy of accefs; and, iince my re- turn to England, feveral Swediih gentlemen, well verfed in the conltitution of their country, have fupplied much additional intelligence. * See vol. III. p. 132. A3 As VI PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. As the materials which I acquired in Denmark were lefs extenfive than thofe collected in the other parts, the account of that kingdom i& confined to thofe circum- ftances which I was able to afcertain; it being my invari- able refolution never to adopt uncertain accounts, but to adhere folel}^ to thofe h€ts which appeared to be deriv- ed from the moil unqueftionable authorities. In the hiftorical relations, I had recourfe to many Englifti and foreign authors, particularly to feveral Ger- man wTiters of unimpeached veracity, who w^ere refident for a confiderable time in fome of the Northern king- doms, and from whom I have drawn many anecdotes not known to the Englifh reader. Throughout this work, I have fcrupuloufly cited the authors whom I have confulted ; and have fubjoined a lift of the principal books employed on this occaiion, with an explanation of the references by which the}'^ are diftinguiflied. I cannot clofe this preface without expreffing my ob- ligations to Mr. Wraxall, Mr. Pennant, and Dr. Pulte- ney, for their refpe6live affiftance, acknowledged in the courfe of the work. General Floyd alfo claims my fincereft thanks for communicating his accurate Jour- nal of our Tour; to whofe obfervations and defcrip- tions, befides the extra6ls in the following pages, I gratefully confefs myfelf indebted for many intereftin^ particulars. [ vii ] ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FOURTH EDITION OF 1792, THE Author publiOied the firft edition of this work in 1784; and the favourable manner in which the pubhc received it^ induced him to give another volume, including a continuation of thofe obfervations, which a fubfequent journey into the northern kingdoms of Eu- rope, in 1784 and 1785, enabled him to make; more particularly an account of thofe countries which he did not vifit in his former tour ; namely, Jutland, Norway, Livonia, and Courland. He was likewife enabled to make conliderable additions to the account of Den- mark. In the prefent edition, thofe parts which relate to the fame fubje6t have been thrown together, and the re- maining chapters of the additional volume arranged in as connected a manner as the nature of the work would admit. A 4 [ ix ] - ' ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FIFTH EDITION, I DO not deliver the fifth edition of this work to the pubhc without the moft grateful recolledlion of its fa- vourable reception, both in this and in foreign coun- tries^ and with a confcious fatisfa6lion, that, althongh it was the firft fyftematic account of the northern king- doms, no material error has been difcovered. In pre- paring it for the prefs, I have omitted no opportunity to correal inaccuracies^ and to fupply fuch additional information as was requifite to elucidate the final divi- lion of Poland, and the other great changes which have taken place in the northern kingdoms. I have added an account of the death of Catharine the Second, and interefting anecdotes of the amiable and unfortunate Staniflaus, of Prince Orlof, Prince Potemkin, and Mar- Ihal Suwarof. I have alfo given farther obfervations on the Britifli trade with Ruffia, and, in all cafes where f could procure accurate information, have brought dowa the ftatementsof the finances and population to the pre- fent time. By the deaths of many perfons from whom I received information, I now have it in my power to difclofe many refpecilable authorities, which dehcacy prevented me from quoting in my former editions. The king of Po- land himfelf condefcended to impart much lecret in- telligence, and ordered a gentleman, verfed in the hiftory and laws of Poland, to communicate all the iii- formation which I required on that comphc ided iona X ADVERTISEMENT TO THE FIFTH EDITION; of government. Her.ce I was enabled to give a more accurate and detailed account of the hiftory and con- Hitution of Poland, tlian had ever befbre been pre- fented to the pubhc, 1 was likewife indebted to Count Stackelberg, Ruffian embaflador at Warfaw, from the time of the firfl Partition to my fecond vifit in 1785, for various anecdotes relative to that and fubfequent events. Alfo to Sir Thomas Wroughton, Briliih conful at St. Peter(burgh at the time of the Revolution, envoy at Warfaw during the Partition, and finally miniftei'at the court of Stockholm. Count Solmes, Pruffian mi* nifter at the court of Peterlburgh, read to me a narra- tive of the principal events of the life and reign of Ca- tharine the Second, which he had colIe6led during a re- lidence of twenty years, and from which I was enabled to throw great light on the Hiftory of the Revolution, and of Prince Ivan. The reader will find other authorities refpecting par- ticular anecdotes, interfperfed throughout the work, which, from motives of prudence, I could not difclofe in the former editions. Bemerton, Jan. i, igo2. [ -xi 3 IN the former editions of this work I reduced the Rulhan money to the Engliili ftandard, and eftimated a rouble at 4s. or five to a pound fterjing; which, ia 1778, was neailjr its average value. When Peter the Great reformed the coinage, he propofed making the value of a rouble equal to a rix-dollar, or about 4s. €d.f at which rate, Vvith afmall fiudtuation owing to acci- dental circumftances, it continued till the commence- ment of the Turkifli war in 1770. Since that period the alteration of the coin reduced the intrinfic value, as tried in the mint of London, to 3s. 2d, The excefs of the imports above the exports, the number of remit- tances neceffary for the payment of the troops em- ployed againft the Turks, and the great quantity of pa- per money in circulation, have ftill farther contributed to diminifli the value of the rouble in exchange with foreign countries; and it has been more than once fo low as 2s. 4id. Its prefent value is ^is. 6d, Bemcrton, Jan. i, 1802. [ xii ] CONTENTS OF VOL. L BOOK K TRAVELS IN POLAND. Ch AP. 1. Rejearches into the origin and progrejs of the Polijh go- nj eminent ^'•^Inquiry into the caufes of the gradual diminution of royal prerogative, and eftahlijhment of an eleSii've monarchy, --^ Licentious powoer and condtiSl of the nobles. — Bad effeSis of ariftocratical authority - - - - - p. i. Chap. 2. EleSiion of Stanijlaus Auguftus. — His excellent regula- tions oppofed hy the neighbouring powers, — Hifiory af the Dif^ fidents-^Their pri'vikges aholijhed by the diet of 1766. — Con- federacies in their favour fupported by the Emprefs of RuJJia. — Rejiored to their rights hy the diet of 1768. — Proceedings of that iist ."^Rife of the civil commotions - - - p. 20. Chap. 3. Attempt to afjafjinate the king of Poland. — He is at- tacked by the confpirators in theflreets of Warfavj^ vjounded, and carried off,-^His adventures and miraculous efcape^'^-'Return^-^ Pate of the principal confpirators - - - P* 3^' Chap. 4. Plan and progrefs of the partition of Poland. — Pro- jeBedby the king of Pru^a.-^ Adopted by the emperor of Ger- many ^ and finally acceded to by the emprefs of RuJJia. — The con- fent of the king and diet extorted after great oppofition. — Changes in the government introduced hy the partitioning povjers. — spirited, hut fruitlefsy refijiance of the Polijh delegates. — Fate of the dift- dents - - - p. 50. Chap. 5. Government of Poland. -^Supreme and legifiative au- thority re/ides in the diet. ■"^Executive ponuer vefied in the perma- nent council. — Origin of the diet.-^Place andtime of aj'mbling. — Ordinary and extraordinary. --^Convoked by the king.^-Confiitu- ifit parts,-^King, fenate, and nuntios.'^Proceedings.'^Liberum Veta. CONTENTS OF VOL. I. Xlll l^eto.'—Its dreadful effeSls.'-^Honu remedied.-— 'Diet of confedi- racy.— The plain of Vola 1H »j O 1^ 5 • ' ^ c^ " ^ t>. i!=5 Is .-S" t:"o « s-s *J to ?: S « a = 2 13 ^ « ■jH '5 V. .-5 rt Oh 'S'S s • d H S «- ep "^00-3 « 1~ 5^1 ill hU '^-^B lit -S N 3 — ^2i oS 1. ^ ■si 1^ bo 2 i;5 s o 5 » ^ O um " 4> t S 4 ° !^ ^ g a;;ii M VOL. T, Kings 1$ 3* O L A N D B. I- w o ... s^ G " *-o « o r3^ 4) <-» ■-o J- -e %> ..^ • to 15 S: •>a o •-3 •J Kg M -c^ o 11 .11 U r, *4-l « .:? o ei ^ p C ° o c. c E =J VO " o r- i:;^ n3 u O el cn O ^ ^ VI vo o bQ a .-, ^ - o .S o^c'^ "■ < 2 'C r^ ill )= s = s ■£ "^"o a « j- rt cj O o 6:2 ►J ? VO o e^ V- 5 u tcr. ^^ ^ ^ c< o « ^ hr (iJ KINGS fc. i. Jl I S T O R Y Ifl KINGS OF POLAND, OF DIFFERENT FAMILIES. Henrv of Va- lois duke of An- jou, afterwards king of France, king of Poland, May 1573, ab- dicated June 1574- Stephen Ba- THoRi, king of Poland. Dec. ts, 1575, upon his marriage with Annejaghellon, died ac Grodno, Dec. 12, 1586, aged 54. SlGlSMOXD III. king Auguft 1587 ; died at Waifaw April 30, 1632, aged 66. Seethe for- mer table. Mar. I. Anne daugh- ter of Ch ulcs archduke of Auftria; z.Con- flantia, filter of Anne, 4- Ladislal's IV. fon of Sigif- mond III. king Nov. 1632; died at Meretz, May 20, 1648, aged 5^ ; married i. Ceciliadaughter of the emperor Ferdinand II. 2. Louifa Maria princefs of Ne- ve rs. John II. Casi- MiR, king Nov. 20, 1648; abdi- cated Septem- ber 16, 1668: died at Ncvers in France, Dec. 16, 1672, aget 64 ; married Louifa his bro- ther's widow. 6. Michael Ko- RIBUT WiES- NovisKi, king June 19, 1668 tiiedat Leopold, Nov. 10, 167: aged 35 ; mar Eleonora daughter of the emperor Fer- dinand III. I John III. So- BiESKi, king May 21, 1674; died at Villa- now, June 17, 1696, aged 66 ; married Mane de la Grange d'Arquien. S. Augustus II. eledlor of Sax- ony, king June 1697; died 1733, aged 63 ; m. I hnftina d. of Chnftian margrave of Biaadenbuigh Kareith. Stanislaus Letzinski, c'lofcn July 12, 17C4; driven from Poland j eleded on the de.nth of Auguftus II- again obliged to retne : retained the citlcofking; died at Lune- ville, r-7''>6. C Si Augustus III. eleftor of Sa.x- ony, king Ott. 5, 1733 : i^'e^' at t)refden,Oa: 1763 ; married Maria J(jfephi na daughter of the emperor Jofeph I. St anislaus Augustus, king Septem- ber 1764, ab- licateu 1794, died 1798. «S> F O L A :^- D. B. I. C H A R -. Eii^SiDii cf Stanjiiaiis A'jguftus. — His excellent regulariora oppofed by fris neighboiirlng powers,— Hiftoiy of the DiiTidents — their priirileges afecliihed by the diet of 1766.. — Confederacies in their favonr fupported by the Empre f^ of RuiTia. — Reftored to their dghts 'by the diet ofi7.6S, — ^Proceedings of that diet,— Rife of thz cwjI commofcioiis. /^N tlie demife of Auguftus the Third, Sta- ^-^ aiilaas Augoftus^', fon of Count Ponia- toidki the friend and companion of Charles XIT. was * It is weE known that Stanislaus Auguftus owed his elevation to the teatkr partiality of Catherine the Second, which commenced dsiriiig his rsMtnce at Peterlbiifg, He was fecund furviving fon of count Staniflaus Poniatowfki, csdkrEan of Cracow, by the princefs Conftantia Zartorifki, and cdiicated with great care under the aufpices of his refpeftable fa- ther, Ak an early age he travelled through different parts of Eu- terpe 5 paffed feveral months in Eagland in 1754., where he received the moS: f»attenng reception from perfbns of znerit and diftinftion, SMd impjioved hirafeif in the knowledge of the Englifh language, coni^irratlonj and commerce. Asnong thofe wth whofe attentions he vras moil flattered, he always naentioned, m terms of peculiar, refpeft and gratitude, lord cbancellor Hardwicke, with whofe family he continued in the ^tii&L& fi-iendlhip> and maintained an uninterrupted correfpondence •with the lion. Charles Yorkc and fir Jofeph Yorke, afterwards JL^iA Dover. On fe. 2. B i S T O F. T, SI vasfupportcd irtH:^ prt-tenficms. totliex^rcR^rtt&yll:?^ Emprefs cf Ruflia and the- King: ^PndHa, y/lioie On }as renrra to Poland, ond dixrin^ Ins csETDEtimiancest Di-«i^"er% St the conrt ot" his iavereigri AugnltiK tiie-Thirdv Be ccicinesKSrci aa aeqaaintanGe is: Ah ftr Cl>eiies Hanboy WiRiams, St^n ErilaSs cm-troy at the caurt of Dref(ie», wl-udi was eeentnaHj* the: carafe csF Bis /libfeqiientf elevatioG^ One of the great parties mtt> nAich Fa- land was at that time divided (^vvbich waff fiseaded by hii? itm^^ prince ZcTrtoi-iiki> snd his fatlicT) heksg^ fevKi^trable t©i Sng&nd'^ s coiilbmt intercourfe took place between ths chiefs ^i^ the: Brii^ ininilcer> The- young- coimt v/as admitted mtO' Lhii mtsrzoidis^^ . and being acq aainted with the EngliCh laftg^>agej zmk *» endis;- liaflic admirer of Engli/h maurwr^ becasiie the QcmE&niJsk sg^nt between bis rdativee ainxi the Bntifii milirfter^ Thoogh only tTV'eiity-thi-ee years of age^ he appes^ ta ha.^^ eqiiaHy enjoyed tivi conhdenee of both parties j arid ii^r>y letter? Im the- papers of Sr CIi;tj-i?s Hanbrrry Winianrs, prefei-ved at Poetypool F^k, in Mon.- ino\ithniire, difphy the political advantage- deriTed Som Ms inter- vention. From theaccounts diffemu^tedby French -wTiters-^ one wa-ght Ba- led to fappofe tlmt the yomig- Staniflsns foEo-^ed the 'Brit^ mi- riifter to St. Peterfburgh as a needy adventiarerjf -mtfecnit connec- tions, information, or influence. But it is an midoabted feft^ that (be gieat party in Poland, of which his mv:U vsras the head^ ftrongly recommended fir Charies Hanburj- Williams to George the Second, as the fitteft perfon for the embafiy to St. Peterfbiirgh^ for his aftivity, zeal, knowledge of Polifl^ affairs^ -s^it, and aco^m- plifhments. After much relnilance, fir Charles accepted the em- ployment, in obedience to the exprefs commands of hi? fove- reign. Count Poniatowfki having rendered himfelf highly ferriceable in the affairs of Poland, and acquired the full confidence of the Britifli embalTador, accompanied him to Peteriburgh as a confiden- tial friend, but was fecretly charged with the management of Pt«,lifh affairs, under the anfpices of England » In a letter to Mi". Charles c ^ Yorke, 25 POLAND, J5. |, affiftance, ftrengthened by a party among the no- bles, and aided by his great perfonal accomphili- mentSj Yorke, dated Peterfburgh, December 17, 1756, he fpeaks of him- fblf as domiciliated in the houfe of fir Charles Hanbury Williams, and mention?, in the warmeft terms of gratitude, his confidence and friendfliip, and the political knowledge which he derived from his information. He dwells with peculiar energy on the diftrafted i):ate of Poland, the prevalence of the French party, and the le- thargy of Riiffia ; and mentions it as the principal obje6t of his ambition to refufcitate the Anglo-Ruffian party. Through the whole of this letter he evinces his attachment to England, and his fondnefs foi: Engliih literature, particularly his adoration cf Shakefpeare. At the period of his arrival at Peterfburgh, the Great Buchefs^ afterwards Catharine the Second, was in the 25th year of her np-e, elegant, acconipliilied, animated, and had fecretly commenced that career of gallantry, which flie afterwards did not affe61: to conceal. Her firlt lover, count Soltikof, had been recently difmified froni court, and the place of a new admirer was ftill vacant. She wa? fmJtten with the figure and addrefs of Poniatowflci, and he was no lefs captivated v, ith her charms. An intercourfe was eafily arrang- ed, in the court of the voluptuous Elizabeth, and the two lovers often met in difguife at the houfe of an Englifli merchant. This intrigue was of the utmoll importance to the politics of England, and fir Charles Hanbury Williams, in feveral difpatches, expatiates on the advantages derived from the influence of the Great Dnchefs. Ponlatowfki was foon afterwards appointed Polifh envoy, and remained at Peterfburgh in his new character. After the departure of fir Charles Hanbury Williams, in the fummer of 1757, and the breach of the friendfliip between England and Rufiia, he continued to be the channel of communication between the Grand Duchefs and the Britifii minifiiry. The Great Duke Peter, who had hith.erto connived at the con- nexion between his confort and Poniatowfld, became fuddenly in- flamed with jcidoufy, and at his earnefl reprefentations, Poniatowfki was commanded to quit Peterfburgh. He retired with regret into Poland, brooding over his chagrin and difappointmcnt, until the acceffion C, 2, H I S T O R T, -$5 ments, raifed him in 1764 to the throne. Five thoufand Ruffian troops ftationed near the plain of Vola, at the diet of election, fecured good order^ and over-awed the oppofite party. The practice of cantoning a body of foldiers near the plain of ele<^ion, has been adopted by different foreign powers for near a centnry ,; a mode of proceed^ ing, which, however gaUing it may appear to the licentious nobility, prevents the effufion of blood that formerly deluged thefe tumultuous alTemblies. Stanidaus was in the 3 2d year of his age when he afcended the throne, and feemed calculated by his abilities and virtues to raife Poland from its deplorable ftate, had not the defects of the con- ftitution fettered his exertions for the public good. The faireft hopes were conceived of his future reign ; but thefe flattering prefages were difappointed by the factions of a turbulent people, fomented bv the intri^a.'ues of the neia'hbourino' powers ; and the moft amiable amon^ the Poliih fovereigns was doomed to experience the dreadful effects of that exceffive liberty, which is incon- fiftent acceffickn of Catharine the Second, when his hopes revived. Though her afftaions were fixed on Orloft', yet Catharine ftill retained a high degree of efteem for her former lover, and raifed him» on the death of Auguftus the Diird, to thethicne of Poland. This account is principally drawn from the king of Poland's letters to the family of Yorke in the pciTeffion of the Earl of Kara- wicke, and from the papers of fir Charles Hanbur>' Williams, pre - ferved at C. H. Leigh's, Efq. at Pontypool Park, Monmouth fh ire. ^e Tour in Monmou'.hfhire, thap. 25 and 29. Sigifraojul C 4 S4 P O L A X D. B. 1. Jiftent with the exiftence of a well-regulated go- vernment. The firfi: acls of his reign were adapt- ed to introduce order into the interior adminiftra- tion, and refcue his country from her dependence upon foreign powers. The tendency of thefe excellent regulations to increafe the power and confequence of the nation gave umbrage to the- adjacent ilatcs, and were vigoroufly oppofed by a ftrong party within the kingdom : at this crifis too, religious dilputes blending with political ca- bals, the flame of civil difcord burft forth with ^ violence which had not hitherto raged even in Poland. The body of Polifn rchgionifts, termed DilTH dents, make a principal figure in the fiibfequent commotions ; their concerns being the real or pretended objecl of attention in every material tranfa^lion. The hiftory of tliis party is thus iketched by the Polifli hiftorians : The reformation was introduced in the reign of Sigifiiiond I. who perfecuted its followers: their number however gaining ground, his fon Sigif- mond Auguftus '^' not only indulged them in the li- beral exercife of their woriliip, but admitted them, iojxether with the Greeks, and all other fe61s then * Sigifniond Auguftus gave evident marks of favour to the pro- teitant confeffion, and was even fufpeded of an inclination to. change his religion, ^' ut etiam de ipfo rumor eflet ac fi avita facra renuntiare vellet,'" X^engnich, Jus Publ. II. p. 554. fubfifting C 2. HISTORY. OS fubfifting in Poland, to a feat in the diet, and to all the honours and privileges hitherto confined to the cathohcs. Thefe maxims of unlimited tole- ration were generally adopted by the nation, and the members of the diet, which aiiembled upon the deceafe of Sigifmond Anguftus, being of dif- ferent perfuaiions, determined on a reciprocal in- dulgence of their refpective tenets*. To avoid invi- dious diftincticns they ftylcd themselves indifcri- minateiy " dilTidents in religion/' a phrafe inti^ mating, not, according to our notions, fcparatifts from an eftabliihed churcli, but perfons holdino' different opinions in religious matters. It was at the lame time enacted, tliat this difi^erence of re- ligious fentiments iliould create no difference in civil rights;, and accordingly in the FaRa Con- ^Lcnta formed by the diet, a claufe was infeited as part of the coronation oath : '' I will keep peace among the diflidents f. " Henry, who objecled to this univerfal toleration, v/ithheld Ills confent, till one of the Polifli envoys exclaimed, " Unlefsyou « We need not be furnrized at this general fenfe of the diet, fo contrary to the general principles of the catholics, when we conii- der tha: the catholic nuntios being inferior iii number to thofe of the other perfuafions, were well Ihtisfiedto obtain an equality with the others. The proteftant party in the nation was at this period fo ftrong, that it was even taken into con fide mtion to eletl for king a Polidi nobleman, who had embraced the reformed religion. Lengnich, Jus Pub. v. II. p. 555. See alfo Lind's Letters on the Sute of Poland, p. 82. j- P&c. Con. Aug. III. p. it^. confirm go POLAND. B, r, confirm this article, you cannot be king of Po^. land;" he accordingly took an oath to obfervo this, claufe, before he was permitted to afcend the throne. Inprocefs of time, the Roman catholi-^s hav- ing acquired a coniiderable afcendency, ventured to apply the expreifion of diffidents to all thofe who diffented from the catholic religion. This leftridion was attended at lirft with no encroach- ments on the privileges of the other fects •; and the term diffidents w^as not yet regarded in an obnoxious light. The diffidents indeed ftill con^ tinned in fuch unqueftioned poffeffion of all lights civil and religious, that, when it was agreed by both catholics and proteftants to per- fecute the arians, it was thought previouily ne- ceffary to expel them fromthebody of diffidents* In confequence of this exclufion, the arians, in the reign of John Cafimir, were firft rendered incapable of being elected nuntios, afterwards deprived of their places of worihip, and finally baniihed*. This perfecution, inadvertently alTented to by the proteftants and Greeks, was a prelude to that which they fuftered ; for, as the catholic party predominated, the term diffidents, at firft confined * Lengnich, Jus Pub, II. 567. U r. 2. HISTORY. 57 to perfons profeffing the proteftant * and Greek religions, became of a lefs inofFenfive import, and conveyed an idea of non-conformity. The fedaries; accordingly, who vv^ere ftill diftin- guillied by the appellation of dilTidents, perceiv- ing the intention of the catholics to undermine their privileges, obtained a declaration that they fhould not be blended with, and be obnoxious to the penal laws enacted againfl the Arians. But thefe promifes were infenfibly eluded ; their privileges were gradually diminiflied ; in the courfe of a few years they were fubjecled to a variety of difqualifications, and at length, in 1733, formally incapacitated from fitting in the dietf. A law of Ladiflaus II. againft heretics, as well as the penalties againft the Arians, were revived, and occafionally e:Jitended to the diffi- dents. Thefe continual perfecutions greatly diminiflied their number, and rendered their remonftrances ineffectual ; the catholics, who took the lead in the diet, even declared it high treafon to feek the reftoration of their immunities by the inter- ceiTion of foreign powers, in direct contradi6tion * Namely, the Lutherans and Calvin Ifts ; all other protellant fefts, the Memnonites, anabaptifts, and quakers, being not in- cluded among the diffidents: and the perfeciiting laws enacted ftgainft the Arians are in full force againft them.Pac. Con. Aug. Ill, p. 28, 29. t Lengnich, Hill. Pol, p. 77$, to es T O L A X 1>. , U. ?, to tKe treaty of Oliya, in T^hicb it was ftipulatetl; that the rights of the diffi dents flimild be mam- tabled in their full -latitud j *. Siich >\^as the fitiiation of tke diliidents at th<5 aeceffion of Staniflaus Auguftus, who, tliough fooBgly incHned to toleration, was obliged to eoricur with the general fenfe of the diet, and con- firm the la^vs whieh had been promulgated againi^. them. The diffidents applied to the courts of London, Peteriburg, Berlm, and Copenhagen, as the mediating powers in the treaty of Oliva, who irarmly fupported their caufe, and prefented me- morials to the c^iet, demanding a reftoration of their religious eftablilhments, and of all the pri- vileges fecured to them by that treaty. The diet of 1766, however^ was not of a temper to accede to thefe propofals. The enemies of to- leration contended, that the privileges \\ ere obfo- lete, having been repeatedly aboliflied in va- rious diets, and that the diifidents had no- well- founded claim either to the reftitution of their ci^ vil immunities, or to the toleration of their wor- ihip; the biiliop of Cracow, the moft bigotted of the catholics, even propofed a law againft their catholic abettors. Violent altercations arofe in the affembly, wdien tlie Pruffian and Ruf- fian memorials were read; and an immediate tn- » For the account of the difTidents, fee Lengnidi, Pac. Con. A«g. III. 16—30. and Jus Publ. fpai-fim. mult t. ^^ H I S T O n Y, '(ii) mult being ttpm-eliended, the king retired willi- out proroguing the diet as ufuai, to the following . t. 1, their eloquence, appointed, though not without tumult, a grand committee to adjull, in conjunc- tion « Yefterdayhe had an audience of the king, which continued an hour. He addrefled his majefty with great decency and refpeft ; and, among other things, begged pardon, if, before his arreft, he had expreffed himfelf either in a manner or in terms which were dif- pleafing, alluring him at the f^.rae time of his attachment, fidelity, and zeal for the lervice of his king, and the good of his country. After the audience, he attended mafs, and prefented his majefty with the New Teflament, acquitting himfeh^ of that ceremony with propi'iety and decorum. The bilhop of Kiof, liaving feparated from the biHiop of Cra- cow on the other fide of Minfk, will not be here for fome time. The palatine of Cracow and his fon continue between Smolenfko and Kaluga, the place of their confinement, in crder to attend upon Colonel Bachmatou, their conduftor, who was taken ill upon their journey. The palatine, willing to repay, with gratitude and huma- nity the attention which he received from the colonel during his confinement, could not be prevailed upon to quit him in his illnefs . and as he has fome knowledge of pbyfic, he is in hopes of completing his cure.'" The bifhop of Cracow, who owed his releafe from confinement principally to the intercelf on of the Ruflrjn ambafiador, adled with great iridifiiretion on his return. He was confidered as a martyr to the caufe of religion and libeny ; and, on approaching Warfaw, was met on the other fide of the ViHula by feveral ladies of diflinilion, who kilTed his robe. On his arrival he inftantly waited on the Rullian ambaffador, by whom he was received politely, br.t coldl)^ He exprelTed his gra- titude for his enlargement, declared his conviction that RufTia ■was the only power inclined and able to relieve Poland, and offered his fervices to affift that party at the enfuing diet. Count Stackel- berg replied, ' I thank you for your offer, though the Emprefs has no need of your influence; you msy retire to your diocefe, if you chufe.to remain tranquil, but if you really intend to aft as a friend to RufHa, your fervices will be gladly accepted: at the fame time,' t.2. H 1 S T O R r. S3 tion with the mediating powers, the affairs of the diffidents, and then broke up. This committee expreffed the moft favourable difpofiti on towards the diffidents, and propofed to repeal all the laws enacted againft them, and reftore their ancient privileges. Their refolutions being laid before the added he, * if you deceive me, you will draw on you rfelf greater misfortunes than you have already fuffered.' The bilhop reiterated his profefTions of fmcerity, and lived with the embaflador upon terms of extreme familiarity. The bifhop gave the embaflddor a fplendid entertainment, and -while they were playing at cards four couriers brought difpatche* from feveral provinces in Poland, containing manifeftos of the bi- ihop, ftiling himfelf a martyr to religion and liberty, and exhorting the people not to chufe nuntioS for a diet, which was to meet only to divide the kingdom. Soon afterwards the bifhop retired to his chapel, and performed his devotions with great oilentation. Coming out with the pfalter in his hands, the embaflador add refled him, * My Lord, you play charmingly on the fiutc, and have a thoufand accom- plifhments j I have no doubt but you dance a Polonoife uncom- monly well.' Giving a fign to the orcheftra, the muficians played, and the bifhop taking out one of the pages, led up the dance. JDuring the exhibition, the embaflador addrefling feveral old ladies who admired the bifliop, exclaimed, 'Behold your mar- tyr.' At the conclullon of the dance, Stackelberg took the bifliop aflde, and faid, * You play well on the flute, and dance equally "•veil a Polonoife i but you iflue bad manifefl:os: here are the copies : jovL have broken your word ;' and then abruptly turned away, while the bifliop was aukwardly fliammering excufes. The next morning the bifliop having fuddenly quitted Warfaw, the embaf- fador caufed a paragraph to be inferted in the gazette, announcing that the bifliop of Cracow was infane, played upon a flute, danced a Polonoife with his page, and had fuddenly difappeared. The bifliop went to Cracow, and after ineife6lually endeavouring to efcape into Galicia, fliut himfelf up in his palace, and was foon declared infine by the permanent council, which was called by Stackelberg, giving him a Brivet defolie. VOL. I. D extraordinary 34 P O L A N a B. J. extraordinaty diet, which was convened in the beginning of 1768, were ratified ahnoft without oppolition. This unanimous acquiefcence of the diet in regulations, totally repugnant to the fen- timents of the majority, can only be attributed to the dread of the Ruffian troops quartered in War- faw, and the influence of bribes judicioufly dif- tributed by the Ruffian minifler. The fame caufes rendered the diet equally compliant in other par- ticulars, and occafioned the eftablilhment of fe- vera] * civil regulations, tending to perpetuate the defeds of the conftitution. The nation feemed at this jundure to adopt the fubmiffive fpirit of the diet, and received the new edicts with every fymptom of cordiality, Po- land appeared to enjoy for a moment an uni verfal tranquillity ; but it was that fuUen calm which precedes a tempefl, and announces the ap- proach of violent commotions. During thefe tranfa6lions, the king, v/Ithout in- fluence, and confequently without authority, was one moment hurried down the popular current, and the next forced by the mediating powers to <• Thefe regulations, which refpeft chiefly the cftahliiliment in perpetuity of the eleftive monarchy, of the Liberum Veto, and of unanimity in all matters of ftate, are all detailed in the articles of the diet of X 768, publilhed at Warfaw : the principal claufes are the fame as are mentioned in the fourth chapter of this book relative to the changes made in the conftitiition in 1775. The reader will find them amply detailed, and accompanied with judicious remarks^ in Lind's Vreient State oi Poland, Leiter III. accede C. ^. H I S T O R r. 55 accede to all fne conditions which they laid before him ; an humiliating iitiiation for a prince of fpirit and magnanimity. But more grievous fcenes yet awaited the unfortunate monarch : he was doomed to behold his country torn to pieces by the moil dreadful of all calamities, a religious war ; to be indebted for his very fubfiftence to the vo- luntary contributions of his friends ; to be almofl a ftate prifoner in his own capital ; to be nearly alTaflinated ; to fee his faireil provinces wrefted from him, and, finally, to depend, for his own fecurity and that of his fubje6ts, upon the pro- tedion of thofe very powers, who had difmem- bered his empire. The Polifh malcontents could allege plaufible caufes of diflatisfaction. The laws palfed at the laft diet bore a greater refemblance to the abfo- lute mandates of a RulTian viceroy, than to the refolutions of a free aflembly. The outrage com- mitted upon the bifhop of CraOow and his adhe- rents annihilated liberty of debate; while the au- thoritative manner, in which the mediating povrers of Berlin and Peteriburgh interfered in the af- fairs of Poland, threatened a more grievous fub- jedion. Thefe fpecious grounds of difguft, joined to a fpirit of difcontent which had gone forth throughout the nation againft the king, occa- fioned the inteftine commotions thatfoon reduced Poland to a dreadful ilate of defolation. p 2 The S6 ? O L A N t). fi. t* The diet was not long difTolved, before the in- dulgences granted to the diffidents excited gene- ral dilTatisfadion among the Roman catholics. Several confederacies near the frontiers of the Turkifh empire were formed in defence of the fa- cred catholic faith. With a view to inflame the Zeal of the populace, they carried ilandards em- blazoned with images of the Virgin Mary and the infant J efus; others with the Spread Eagle of Po- land, and the mottos " Conquefl or Death," " For religion and liberty *." Some banners bore as a device a red crofs, under which was infcribed *^* The fymbol of victory ;" and the private fol- diers, like the crufaders of old, wore a crofs inter- woven in their clothes. A party of thefe infur- gents feifed upon the fortrefs of Bar in Podolia, another obtained pofTeiTion of Cracow ; and the royal troops were eitlier routed or induced to join them. In this crifis of affairs, the fenate petitioned the Ruffian ambaffadornot to withdraw the troops, as they afforded the only fecurity againfl the confederates. The requefl was readily complied with, and Poland became a fcene of bloodilied and devaflation. In the various confli6ts between the two parties, the fuperiority of Ruffian difci- pline generally prevailed. The confederates, how- ever, fecretly encouraged by the houfe of Auflria^ affifled by the Turks, and fupplied with money • Aut Tincerc aut mori.— Pro rcligione et libertate. and €.2. HISTORY. 37 and officers by the French, protra6led hoftilities from the diflbhition of the diet in 1768, to the divifion of Poland in 1 7 72. To enter into a detail of mihtary operations, falls not within the defign of this work. From the various a6ts of cruelty ^nd revenge w^hich difgrace this part of the Po- Jiih hiflory, I ihall feled only one event too re- markable to be omitted; the attempt made by th^ confederates to affaffinate the king. t) 3 38 ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE B. t CHAP. 5. Attempt to afTafllnate the king of Poland. — He is attacked by the confpirators in the ftreets of Warfaw, wounded, and carried off. —His adventures and miraculous efcape.— Return.-«^Account and fate of the principal confpirators. T N * the midft of thefe turbulent and difaftrous -*- fcenes, the confederates (who confidered the king as unlawfully ele(51ed) executed one of the moft daring entcrprizes of which modern hiftory makes mention ; I mean the attempt to affalTmate the king. A Polifli nobleman named Pulaiki, general in the confederate army, planned the atrocious en- terprife : he hired three chiefs, named Lukawfki, Strawenlki, and Kofmfki, who folemnly fwore in his prefence at Czetfchokow, either to dehver the- king alive into his hands, or if that was im- pofiible, to put hi mi to death ; and to efte6l their purpofe, they chofe thirty-feven coadjutors. On the 2d of November they obtained admif- fion into Warfaw, by difguifing themfelves as pea- • The circumftantial account of this fingular occurrence, was principally communicated by my ingenious friend Nathaniel Wrax- all, tefq. whofe name is well known in the literary world, and who, during his refidence at Warfaw, obtained the moft authentic infor- mation upon this interefting trania6ticn. I have interwoven fomc anecdotes procured from other fources. fants, t. S. THEKINGOFPOLAND. S9 fants, and concealing their faddles, arms, and clothes, under loads of hay, which they brought in waggons as if for fale. On Sund:iy evening, the 3d of November, 1771, fome of the conf[>i- rators remained in the fl^irts of the city^ and the moft daring repaired in the dufk of the evening, to the ftreet of the capuchins, where the king was expeded to pafs. Between nine and ten, the king returned from his uncle, Prince Czartoriiki's manfion, to the pa- lace, accompanied by his aid-de-camp, in the car- riage, and fifteen attendants. About two hundred paces from the manfion, the confpirators com- manded the coachman to ftop, and fired fcveral fiiots into the carriage, one of which pafled rhrough the body of a hey due, who endeavoured to defend his mafter, Aim oft all tlie other attendants, even the aid-de^camp, fled, and tiie king opened the door of the carriage to effect his efci'pe, im- der cover of the night, which was extremely dark. He had alighted, when the aiiaflins feized him by the hair, exclaimino- vrith horrible execra- tions, *^ We have thee now ; thy hour is come ** One of them difcharged a piftoi at him fo very near, that he felt the heat of the flalh ; while ano^ ther cut him acrofs the head with his fabre, which penetrated to the bone ; then laying hold of his collar, and mounting on horfeback, they drag- ged him along the ground between their horfes i>4 ^t 40 ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE B. I* at full gallop near five hundred paces through the ftreets of Warfaw *. All was confufion and diforder at the palace, where the attendants fpread the alarm. The foot* guards ran to the fpot from where the king was feized, but found only his hat bloody, and his bag* This increafed their apprehenfions for his life. The whole city was in an uproar, and the affaffins avail* ed themfelves of the general confufion, to bear avv^ay their prize. Finding, however, that he was incapable of following them on foot, and had al- moft loft his refpiration from the violence with which they dragged him, they placed him on horfeback and redoubled their fpeed. When they came to the ditch which furrounds Warfaw, they ordered him to leap his horfe over. In the attempt the horfe fell twice, and at the fecond fall broke its leg. They then mounted the king upon another. On tiie other fide of the ditch the confpirators * It is aftonilhing, that of the number of balls which pafled through the carnage, not one wounded the king. Several went through his pelijfe^ or fur great-coat. It is no lefs wonderful, that the aflaiFuis after feizing the king, Ihould carry him through fucha pumber of ftreets without being flopped. A Ruffian centinel did chaHenge them ; but, as they anfwered in Ruffian, he allov«'ed them to pafs, imagining them to be a patrole of his nation. This happened at feme diflance from the place where they had carried off the king. The night was befides exceedingl}'- dark, and Warfaw has no lamps. All thefe circumllances contribute to account for this extraordinary ^v'tnt, began C. 3. THEKINGOPPOLAND, 41 began to rifle the king, tearing off the order * of the black eagle of Pruffia, which he wore round his neck, and the diamond crofs hanging to it. He requefted them to leave his handkerchief, to which they confented : his tablets efcaped their ra- pacity. Several of the confpirators retiring, pro^ bably with an intent to inform their refpeeiive leaders of the fuccefs of the enterprife, only fe- vcn remained, of Avhom Kofmfki was the chief. The night was exceedingly dark ; they were ig- norant of the way, and as, from the flipperinefs of the ground, the horfes were continually flounder* ing, they compelled the king to follow them on foot, with only one ihoe, the other being loft in the dirt. After paffmg the ditch they repeatedly demanded of Koflnflvi, if it was not yet time to put the king to death ; and thefe demands were reiterated in proportion to the obftacles which they encountered. They continued to wander through the open meadows, without following any certain path, until, apprehcnfive of being overtaken, they again raounted the king on horfcback ; one led his horfe by the bridle, and two holding him on each fide by the hand, pulled his head down on the horfe's neck, » Lukawfki tore off the ribbon of the Black Eagle, which Frede- rick the Second had conferred on the king when he was Count Poriatowfki. One of his motives for doing this was, by fliewing the t.rder of the Black EagJe to Pulafki and the confederates, to prove to them tlut the king was their prifoncr. In 45 ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE B. I. In this manner they proceeded towards the village ofBurakow, which the king warned them not to enter *, becaufe fome Ruffians were fta- tioned in the place. Finding himfelf, however, in- capable of fupporting the painful pofture in which they held him, and fuifering extreme agony from the effe6l of the cold air on his wounds, he fup- plicated for another horfe, a cap, and a boot f . This requeft being complied with, they continued their progrefs through almoft impaiTable lands, and at length found themfelves in the wood of Bielany, only a league diftant from Warfaw, where they were fuddenly alarmed by a Ruffian patrole. Con- fulling with each other, four iuftantly difappeared, and the three remaining confpirators compelled the king to difmount and walk. In a quarter of an hour, afecond Ruffian guard challenging them, two of the alTaflins fled, and Kofmfki alone re- mained. Exhaufted with fatigue, and overcome with pain, the king implored his conductor to gra- tify • This intimation, which the king gave to his aflaflint, may at firft fight appear extraordinary and unaccountable j but was really dictated by great addrefs and judgment. He apprehended, with Xeafon, that, on the fight of a Ruffian guard, they would inftantly p\it him to death with their fabres, and fly j whereas by informing them of the danger they incurred, he in fome meafure gained their confidence : in eifeft, this behaviour feemed to foften them, and made them believe he did not mean to efcape. - f The king in his fpeech to the diet on the trial of the confpira- tors, interceded ftrongly for Kofiniki, or John Kutfma, to whom he 3 gratefully C. 5. T H E K I N G O F P O L A N D. 43 tify him with a moment's repofe ; but Kofmflvi re- fufed, menaced him with his fabre, and faid, that beyond the wood they fhould find a carriage. On reaching the gate of the convent of Bielany, the king obferving Kofmfki loft in thought, and ex- tremely agitated, faid, ''I fee you are at a lofs which way to proceed. Let me enter tiie convent of Bielany, and do you provide for your own fafe- ty." "No," replied Kofinfld, "1 have fworn." They proceeded in filence to INIariemont, St fmall palace belonging to the houfe of Saxony, in the vicinity of Warfaw ; here Kofmflvi expreffed fatisfa6fion at recognifing the place, and the king ftill demanding a moment's repofe, he at length confented. They flit down on the ground, and the king endeavoured to foften his conducfor, and induce him to favour or permit his efcape. He reprefented the atrocity of attempting to murder his fovereign, and the invalidity of an oath for the perpetration of fo heinous a deed. Kofmflvi gratefully expreiTes himfelf indebted for thefe favours in the fol- lowing words : " As I was in the handi of the afiaffms, I heard them repeatedly afk John Kutfma, if they fhould not airaffinate me, but he always pre- vented them. He was the firft who perfuaded them to behave to rae with greater gentlenefs, and obliged them to confer upon me fome fervices which I then greatly wanted ; namely, one to give me a cap, and a fecond a boot, which at that time were no trifling pre- fents : for the cold air greatly affefted the wound in my head ; and Hiy foot, which was covered with blood, gave me inexpreflible tor- tare, whkh continued every moment increafing." lent 44 ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE B. I, lent attention to this difcouife, and betrayed lignsof remorfe. "But", he faid "if I fhould recon- du6l you to Warfaw, what will be the confequence? I ihall be taken and executed," " I give you my word," anfwered his maje%, "that you fliall fuf- fer no harm ; but if you doubt my promife, efcape while there is yet time, I can find my way to fome place of fecurity, and I will dire6l your pur- fuers to take the contrary road to that which you have chofen." Kofmflvi, aifecled with this inflance of generofity, threw himfelf atthe king's feet, implored forgivenefs, and fwore to prote6l liim againil every enemy. His majefty reiterated his aflurance of fafety. Deeming it, however, prudent to gain fome afylum, without delay, he directed his courfe to a neighbouring mill ; Kofm- fki knocked, but no anfwer being given, he broke a pane of glafs in the window, and requefted fliel- ter for a nobleman plundered by robbers. The mil-r lex fuppofmg them to be banditti, refufed, and continued more than half an hour to perfift in his denial. At length the king himfelf approached, and fpeaking through the broken pane, obferved, ** if we were robbers as you fuppofe, we covdd ealily break the whole window, and force our entrance.'' This argument prevailed, the door was opened, and the king being admitted, tore a leaf from his pocket book, and wrote a note to general Coccei, colonel of the foot guards, " Par une efface de miracle iC. S, T H E K: I N G O F P O L A ^' D. 45 tniracle je fuis fauv6 des mains des affaffins. Je fuia ici au petit moulin de Mariemont. Venez au plu- t6t me tirer d'ici. Je fuis bleir6 mais pas fort*.'* With great difficulty the king perfuaded one of the miller's fervants to carry this note to Waifaw, as they, believing the account of his being plun- dered by robbers, were afraid of meeting the troop. i\l can while the confufion and confternation in- creafed at Warfaw. The guards Avere afraid ta purfue the confpirators, left terror of being over- taken fhould prompt them to maffacre the kino* ; but feveral of the firft nobihty at length mounted on horfeback, and following the track of the af- faffins, arrived at the place where the king paffed the ditch. There they found ImpeiiJ/e bloody, and pierced with holes, made by the balls or fa- bres. This fight convinced tliem that he was no more. When the meffi^nger arrived with the note, the aftonilhmentand joy were incredible. Coccei in- ftantly rode to the mill, followed by a detachment of the guards, and being admitted by Kofmiki, who watched at the door, with his drawn fabre,, found the king afleep on the ground, covered with the miller's cloak. Coccei threw himfelf at • " By a kind of miracle I am cfcaped from the hands of aflaflins. I am now at the mill of Mariemont. Come as foon as poffible, and lake me from hence. I am wounded, but net dan^eronfly." the 46 ATTEMIPT TO ASSASSITTATE B. 1. the king's feet, calling him his fovereign, and kiffing his hand. It is not eaiy to defcribe the ailoniflmient of the miller and his family, who imitated Coccei's example, by precipitating them- felves on their knees. On awaking from his flumber Staniflaus haf- tily inquired whether any of his attendants had fuffered from the aifafiins. Being informed that a heydiic was killed, and another wounded, his mind, naturally feeling, now rendered more fufceptible by his late danger, was greatly affe6^t- ed ; and his joy at his own efcape coniiderably diminifhcd. The kins: returned to Warfaw in o-eneral Coc- cei's carriage, and reached the palace at live in the morning. The ftreets w^re illuminated with torches, and crowded by an immenfe concourfe of people, who followed him, crying out incef-. fantly " The king is alive." On entering the pa- lace, the doors were thrown open, and perfons of all ranks admitted to felicitate their fovereign on his wonderfid efcape. The fcene was affecting beyond dclciiption ; every one ftruggled to kifs his hand, or even to touch his clothes ; all were fo trirnfported with joy, that they loaded Kofm- fki with carelfes, and called him the ftiviour of their king. Staniflaus, deeply affeded with thefe liiarks of zeal and loyalty, exprelTed in the mofl feeling maimer his fenfe of their attachment, and declared C. S. THEKINGOFPOLAND. 4? declared it the happieil hour of his hfe. In this moment of rapture he forgot his dangers and fuf- ferings, and as all were eager to learn the circum* fiances of his efcape, would not fuifer his wounda to be dreifed, until he had fatisiied their impa^ tience. During the recital, a perfon unacquainted yv ith the language might have difcovered the various events of the ftory from the changes of expref- iion in the countenances of the byftanders, which difplayed the moll fudden alterations from terror to compafTion, from compaiTion to aftonifhment, and from aftonifliment to rapture ; while the uni- verfal fiience was only broken by fighs and teai's o^' joy. Having finiflied the account, the kinsr afrain repeated his alTurances of gratitude and afFedion for thefe unfeigned proofs of loyalty, adding, *' I hope that I am preferved by Divine Provi- dence, to purfue with additional zeal the good of my country, which has ever been the great objedt of my attention." Being now left alone, the furgeons examined the wound in his head. On cuttins: awav the- fkin, it appeared that the bone was hurt, but not dangeroufly . From the quantity of clotted blood, the operation of dreiTmg was extremely painful, and was borne by the king with great niagna^ nimity. The furgeons propofed to bleed him in the ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE fi. t. the foot, but laid afide this intention, finding both his feet confiderably fwoUen, and covered with bhfters and bruifes. The miller was rewarded with a penfion^ and a mill on the Viftula. The family of the heydiic, who laved the king's life by the lofs of his own, was amply provided for ; his body was buried with great pomp ; and Staniilaus erected a handfome monu- ment to his memory, with an elegant infcription expreilive of the man's fidelity and of his own gratitude. The monument is a pyramid Handing upon a farcophagus, with a Latin * and Polifli infcription. Kofinfki, whofe real name was John Kutfma, was born in the palatinate of Cracow, of mean pa- rents. He affumed the name of Kofinfki, which is that of a noble family, and was created an officer in the troops of the confederates under Pulafki. * " Hie jacet Georgiiis Henricus Butzaii, qui regem Staniflauiii Aiiguftum, nefarlis parricidarum telis impetitum, die in Nov. 1 771,' proprii pefloris clypeo defeudens, geminatis ictibus confolVus, glo- riose occubuit. Fidelis fubditi necem lugens, Rex pofuit hocce monumentum lUius in laiidem, aliis exemplo."" *' Here lies George Henry Butzau, who, on the 3d of November, 1771, oppofinghis own breaft to fhield Staniflaus Auguftus from the weapons of nefarious parricides, was pierced witii repeated wounds, and glorioufly expired. The king, lamenting the death of a faithful fubje6t, erefted this monument, as a tribute to him, and an example to others." Kofinfki t. S; T H E It I N^ G O F P O L A N D. 49 Kofiiiiki began to entertain the idea of preferving the king's life from the time in which he was abandoned by Lukawfki and Strawenfki ; yet he had great ftruggles with himfelf before he de- termined to take this ftep, on account of the folemn engagements into Vv'^hich he had entered. Even after his arrival at Warfaw, he expreffed much doubt of the propriety of his conduct, and fome remorfe for having deceived his employers. Soon after the execution of Lukawfki and Strawenfl<:i, he was permitted to retire from Po- land, and refided at Semigallia in the Papal ter- ritories, wliere he enjoyed an annual penfion from the king\ Lukawfki and Strawenfki were both taken, and feveral of the other aiTaffms. At the king's re- quefl, the diet remitted the capital punifliment of the inferior confpirators, and condemned them to work for life on the fortifications of Ka- miniec. By his interceinon alio the horrible puniflmient which the laws of Poland infli6l on regicides were mitigated, and Lukawfki and Strawenfki were only beheaded. At the conclu- fion of the troubles, Pulafki efcaped from Po- land, and repaired to America ; he diftinguiflied himfelf in the American fervice, and was killed in attempting to force the Britilh lines at the fiege of Savannah, in 1779. VOL. I. £ so F O IL A N I>. B. r CHAP.*. Haa a«d progrefs of the partition of Poland.— Projected by the long of Prufiia, — Adopted by the emperor of Germany, and finally acceded to by the emprefs of Ruflk. — The confent of the king and diet of Poland extorted after great oppofition.— . Changes m the government introduced by the partitioning powers, — Spirited, but fruitlefs, refiftance of the Polifli dele- g3,fe5£m he defign?.ted the king's uncle and principal ad- vifer J, '' had, by tonienting the internal diforders of the flate, reduced Poland to her prefent wietched fituation. The delegates, inflamed by this cha.ge almoft to madnefs, threatened to deftrcy thofe who had been th? caufe of their country's misfortunes, and repeatedly demanded their names. The prefident of the delegates even wrote to count Stackelberg a note, in which, after defcribing the indigna- tion which his memorial had excited among the members, he add* cd, " You have it in your power to wreak your vengeance on thofe who have offended your court." The embaflador replied, « I re- queft you to poftpcne your fitting till Monday (it was then Satur- day) and fend a deputation to demand the names of thofe who have caufed the misfortunes of their country/* On 00 POLAND. p. I. pofition and imprifonment, and declared that if the diet continued refradory, Warfaw fliould be pillaged. This report, induftrioufly circulated, made a deep impreffion upon the inhabitants. By thefe menaces, by corrupting the marihal of the diet, who was accompanied with a Ruffian guard; in a word, by bribes*, promifes, and threats, the deputies at length ratified the dif- memberment. In the fcnate, however, or upper houfe, there was a majority of only fix; in the lower houfe, or affembly of the nuntios, but one fmgle vote in favour of the meafuref. An a6l On the following day the Rufllan embafTador infinuated to the king, who was alarmed for his relations, that their fate depended on their future behaviour. On Monday the deputation waited on the embaffador, who anfwered, that he had not the emprefs's or- ders to denounce thofe perfons, but would communicate their re- queft to her Imperial majefty. This mealUre (to ufe the expreffion of count Stackelberg) was to hold the fword of Damocles over their heads. From that moment they became fabfervient to the views of RufTia, and urged the king to fign the a6t of difmember- ment, and to agree to the eftabliftiment of the permanent council. * The Rufllan etnbafiador arranged all the meafures relative to the new form of government j he repeatedly expatiated on the yp- nality of the Poles. Even during the fitting of the diet, when thg partition was ratified, numbers fervilely crouded round him to fo- licit honours and places. He flood in the middle of the houfe, dic- tating to the chancellor the names of thofe who were appointed to the ftaroilics and offices of the new government ; and neai* the ter- mination of the meeting, being fatigued with the numerous folicita- tlons for the title of prince, he peevifhly exclaimed, " Let the diet b'e created princefs, and then you will all be princes." t % 54-ag^Jnil 53. 'was t, 4. PARTITION. 6i Avas thenpafled to limit the feffionsto the term of a few days, and delegates were appointed, with full po^ye^s to adjuft, in concert with the embaffa- dors, the terms of the difmemberment. The commiilloners, or delegates, on the dilTolution of the diet in May, entered upon their office, and, by the month of September, finally conclud- ed the treaty of partition in conformity to the dilates of the three courts. At this jun6hire, feveral nobles boldly ilTued manifeftoes and re* monftrances in various parts of the kingdom, againft the ceffion of the provinces, and repro- bated the condu6l of the partitioning powers; but fuch remonftrances were totally difregarded, and considered only as the laft convulfions of an expiring nation. Of the difmembered countries*, the Ruffian province is the largeft, the Auftrian the moft po- pulous, and the Pruffian the moft commercial. The population of the whole amounts to near 5,000,000 of fouls ; the firft containing 1,500,000, the fecond 2,500,000, and the third 860,000. Weftern Pruffia was the greatefl lofs to Poland, as by the difmemberment of that province, the navigation of the Viftula depends upon the king • The reader, by confulting the map of Poland (prefixed to this work) will fee the fituation and extent of the three difmembered provinces. For an account of the Auftrian province, fee Book II. chap. I. J of the Ruffian, Book III. chap. I. of 6$ POLAND. B. r. of Pruffia: by the lofs confequently of this dif- tri6l, a fatal blow was given to the trade of Po- land ; for the heavy duties laid upon the mer- chandize paffing to Dantzic, have greatly dimi- niflied the commerce of that town, and tranf- ferred a confiderablc portion of it to Memmel and Koningfburgh. Although the limits were fettled by the treaty of partition, yet the Auftrians and PrufFians con- tinually extended their frontiers: the emperor feized upon Cafmiir, and even avowed an inten- tion of taking poiTeffion of Cracow and E"ami- niec ; while Frederick alleged thefe ufurpations as a juiilification for fniiilar encroachments, urg- ing, that he could not, confiftently v/ith his own fecurity, fee the emperor increafe his dominions without aimming an eciuivalent. Catharine was forced for a time to connive at thefe encroachments ; but no fooner was peace* eflabhilied • The peace between the Eraprefs and the Turks was figned on the 2ift of July 1774, in Marfhal Ronianzof 's camp near Bulgariaj and in a letter from Warlaw, dated Augvift 19, it is iaid, « The emperor and king of Pruifia continued encrcachi.ijj upon the Po- lifti territories, and enlarging their frontiers v/hichwere marked by the treaty of Peterfburgh. But upon the conclufion of Uie peace, the Auftrian and Pruffian troops retired within their refpeftive lines. Behold already the good effefts of this glorious peace I What would have become of us, if the arms of the Ottoman em- pire had profpered according to the wllhes of many ?" And in another, dated Sept. 14., 1775, " The king of PrufTia has written to the emprefs of Ruflia a letter in a moll enchanting ftyle. After much €.4. PARTITION, 63 eftablifhed with the Turks, and the rebellion of Pugatcheff crufl^ed, than flie turned her whole attention to Poland; and in confequcnce of her fpirited remonftrances, both Auftrians and Pruf- fians relinquifhed their ufuipations, and confined the^nfelves to the limits marked by the treaty o£ partition. The partitioning powers did lefs injury to the republic by difmembering its faireft provinces, than by perpetuating the principles of anarchy, and eftabiiiliing on a permanent footing, that exorbitant liberty *, which is ever the parent of fadion, and has proved the ruin of the repub- liCc Under pretence of amending the conili- tution, they confirmed all its defeci:s, and render- ed this unhappy country incapable of emerging from its prefent deplorable ftate. The delegates who ratified the treaty of parti- tion, being alfo empoAvered by the diet to con cert with the three courts any alterations in the conftitution which might appear beneficial io the kingdom, continued their fittings from May much praife, he adds, notwithftanding the juftice of liis claim upon thofe parts which he has annexed to his former acqulfitions, he fnall make no difficulty in. facrificing them, as a proof of his readinefs to oblige her Imperial majefty; provided the houfe of Auftria will alfo reftore what (he has taken." • « Our liberty," faid a Pole, « is like a two-edged fword in the hand of an infant, and for that very reafoa our neighbours are aaxiws to prefenre it entire.'* 1773 64 P O L A Is^ D, 1. f^ 1773 to March 1775; during tliis period the convocation of the ordinary diet was poftponed until the memhcrs of the delegation had agreed to all the innovations propofed hy the embalfa- dors, and until the government was finally ar- ranged. Notwithftanding the wretched condi- tion of Poland, and the refiftlefs power of the three courts, the king and the niajority of the deleo-ates Ions: v/ithheld their confent to the alterations. An idea of their ipirit may be formed from an account of a meeting, when the propofitions relating to the change of government were firft produced in 1773. Before the appearance of the three embaffadors much ^vas faid againfl the proje<5ted innovations; many reproaches were call againfl the authors of that plan, for ^fa- crificing the public advantage to their private ambition, refentment, and interefls. At the entrance of the three embaifadors, a profound filence took place for fome minutes, until the fe« cretary of the Ruffian embaffy began to read the plan for new-modeling the conftitution ; when a general murmur fpread through the whole af- fembly, increafmg, as he proceeded, to fuch a degree as almoft to drown his voice, and he could not, Vvdthout frequent interruptions, finifli the recital. He had fcarcely concluded, when the whole body of delegates loudly demanded the C. 4. PARTITION, G5 the treaties of partition and alliance ; the em- bafladors anfwering, that many points could not be adjufted without farther inftrudions from their refpedive courts, it was replied, that in the mean time they might introduce the treaty of commerce, which they were authorifed to con- clude. At all events, it was urged, the propofal concerning the change of government is prema- ture ; a revolution of fuch extreme importance demands the mod deliberate examination, and ought not to be precipitated, as a circumftance of no concern to the nation. One of the dele- gates, who was moft violent in his oppofition, delivered his fentiments with a freedom which .aftoniilied the affembly, and when the embaffa- dors, who did not underftand the Polifh idiom, applied to a Caflellan for an explanation, he ex- cufed himfelf, under pretence of not being qua- lified for the office of interpreter. At length, a Palatine, of the embadadors' party, acquainting them with the contents of the fpeech ; the ora- tor thanked him for explaining the purport of his harangue in fo able a manner, while the praifes which, in a fine tone of irony, he affected to bellow upon the Palatine for his readinefs to oblige, as well as for his independent fpirit, oc- cafioned much mirth in the affembly. The un- difguifed approbation given by the greater part of the members to this orator, convinced the em- voL. I, F baffadors 66 POLAND. B. I, bairadors that this was no time to obtrude their refolutionsupon the delegates ; they accordingly broke up the meeting, and poftponed the bufmefs to a future period *. The next feffion, however^ was not more favourable to their wiflies ; nor did the patriotic zeal of the delegates feem to abate- Their oppofrtion indeed to this meafure continued fo violent, that more than a year clapfed before the embaffadors were able, by the influence of threats, bribery, and promifes, to obtain a majo- rity ; and before the delegates, terrified or feduced into compliance, formally acceded to the change of government. This important point being ob- tained, the delegation was diffolved on the I3th of April, 1775, and all the articles were confirmed by the general diet. A note, delivered by the three embafiadors to the delegates on the I3th of September, 1773, "will convey a genel'al idea of the changes in the conftitution. " The courts are fo interefted in the pacification of Poland, that, while the trea- ties arc preparing to be figTied and ratified, the minifters cannot lofe any of that valuable time, fo neceifary for the re-eftablifhment of order, and the tranquillity of this kingdom. We now, there- * The following pafTage in one of my MS. letters, dated fo late »s Nov. 13, 1774, will fhew the difficulty of fettling with the dele- gates. " The plan for the permanent council continues to be readi it ftill excites continual debates, and more will arife j but all will ke iinilhf d according to the will of the miniflei's.'* fore, c. 4, p A R T I T I o !.^ er fore, deliver to the delegation a part of thofe cardinal laws, to the ratification of which our courts will not fuifer any contradidion. I. " The crown of Poland fliall be for ever elec- tive, and all order of fucceffion profcribed : any perfon who fliall endeavour to break this la-w, iliall be declared an enemy to his country, and liable to be puniflied accordingly. 2. Foreign candidates to the throne, being the frequent caufe of troubles and divifion, fliall be excluded; and in future, no perfon can be chofen king of Poland, and great duke of Lithuania, excepting a native Pole, of noble origin, and poifefTing land within the kingdom. The fon, or grandfon, of a king of Poland, cannot be ele6led immediately upon the death of his father or grandfather • nor fliall be eligible, till after an interval of two reigns. 3. The Q;overnmeiit of Poland fhall be for ever free, independent, and of a republican form^ 4. The true principle of the faid government coiir filling in the flri<5i execution of its laws, and the fquilibrium of the three eftates, namely, tlie king, the fenate, and the equcftrian order, a permanent council fhall be eftabliflied, in which the execu- tive power fliall be veiled. In this council the cqueflrian order, hitherto excluded from the adminiilration of affairs in the intervals of the 4diets, fhall be admitted ; as fliall be more clearly laid down in the future arrangements." F 2 Thefe I 6B POLAND. B. I. Thefe arrangements having been carried into execution, I fliall make a few remarks upon the feveral articles. By the firft, the houfe of Sax- ony, and all foreign princes, likely to give weight to Poland by their hereditary dominions, are ren- dered incapable of filling the throne. By the fe- cond, the exclufion of a king's fon or grandfon, excepting after an interval of two reigns, re- moves the fainteft profpe6l of an hereditary fove- reignty, and entails upon the kingdom all the evils infeparable from that moft wretched form of go- vernment, an ele6tive monarchy. By the third article, the liber urn veto, and all the exorbitant privileges of the equeilrian order, are confirmed in their utmoft latitude, and by the laft, the prero- gatives of the cro\vn, are ftill farther diminiflied. Before the conclufion of this chapter, it will be proper to mention the fate of the diffidents. Their pretenfions were finally fettled between the republic and the mediating powers, at the laft meeting of the delegates. The catholic party vio- lently oppofmg the reftoration of their ancient 'privileges, by the confent of the foreign courts, they continue excluded from the diet, the fenate, and the permanent council. In return, the diffi- dents enjoy the free exercife of their religion, are permitted to have churches without bells, fchools and feminaries, are capable of fitting* m the inferior couits of jufiice, and in the tri- bunal C. 4. PARTITION, 69 bunal appointed to try appeals in matters of re- ligion, three of their communion are admitted as affelTors. In confequence of this toleration, the diffidents have conftrufted churches in different parts of the kingdom ; one built upon this occafion by the Lutherans at Waifaw, has the following in- fcription : " Has a^des Deo J. O. facras Ccctus Varfovienfis in Auguft. Confeif. ex con- fenfu Staniflai Augufti Regis et Kcipublicas ftruere coepit,. Aprilis 24, 1777." r 3 fO ? O L A N D. B. I. CHAP. 5. Government of Poland.— -Supreme and legiflative authority refides in the diet. — Executive power veiled in the permanent council* —Origin of the diet. — Place and time of aflembling. — Ordinary and extraordinary.— Convoked by the king.-^Conftituent parts* —King, fenate, and nuntios.— ^Proceedings. — Liberum Veto. — » Its drfeadful effefls. — How remedied. — Diet of confederacy.—* The plain of Vola where the kings are elected. — Diets of convo* Cation and eleftion. ^ I ^HE government of Poland is with great pro* ^ priety ftyled a republic, becauf6 the king is exceedingly limited in his prerogative, and re- fembles more the chief of a commomvealth, than the fovereign of a poAverful monarchy. The fiipreme legiflative authority refides in the three eftates of the realm, the king, fenate, and equdftrian order, affembled in a national diet*. The executive power, heretofore entrufted to the king and fenate, is, according to the new form of government, vefted in the fupreme permanent council f; The * For an account of the diet, fee the next chapter f By the eftablilhment of this council, the king was deprived of* the power of conferring the ftaroflics, and inflead of freely appoint- ing the bifliops, caftelhns, palatines, and miniilers, is reltrifted to the choice of three candidates, prefented by the permanent council. The king is merely the prefident of the permanent council, which confifts of three bifhops, nine lay-fenators, four miniflers, the mar- ftialj and eighteen counfellors of the ec^ucftrian order} all of whom 7 are C, 5. GENERAL DIET. 71 The general diet declares war, makes peace, levies foldiers, forms alliances, impofes taxes, ena6ls laws, and exercifes all the rights of abfo- lute Ibvercignty. The beft hiftorians date the earlieft diet in the reign of Cafnnir the Great ; but allow that it was not modelled into its prefent form until the reign of Cafnnir the Third. The pliice of holding the diets depended for- merly upon the will of the kings ; and Louis even fummoned two in Hungary. In thofe early times Petricau was the town where they molt frequently aifembled ; but in l 569, at the union of Poland and Lithuania, Warfaw was appointed the place of meeting ; and ii 1673, it was enacted, that of three fuccefiive diets, two fliould be held in this capital, and one at Grodno ^ in Lithuania. This regTilation has been generally followed^ until the prefent reign, when the affemblies have been uniformly fummoned to Warfaw f Diets are ordinary and extraordinary ; the for- mer are convened every two years, the latter as are chofen ever)' two years by a majority of fecret votes In the diet. To this council, which may be called a committee, under the con- troul of RufTia, for executing the regal office, all internal regula- tions are fubmitted before they are propofed to the diet, and aU foreign affairs decided by a mfljority. » Lengnich, Hift. Pol. p. 262. f See Book ir. Chap. 6. Art. Grodno. Since my laft departure from Poland in 1785, a diet has been held at prodno. F 4 9CCc^figU 72 POLAND. B. 1. occafion requires. In 1717 the ufual feafon for the ordinary diets was fixed at Michaehnas, but has fmce been occafionally changed to the month of Odober or November. The king, with the advice of the permanent council, convokes the diet, by circular letters ilfucd to the palatines in their relpective pro- vinces, at leaft fix weeks before the time appointed for the meeting ; thefe letters are accompanied with afliort flcetch of the bufmefs to be agitated in the diet. The conftituent parts of the diet are the three eflates* of the realm ; the king, the fenate, and the nobles or gentry, by their nuntios or repre- fentatives. The king, confidered in his capacity of prefident, is merely the chief of the diet : he fubfcribes the ads, and decrees, iifues all or- dinances in his own name, and that of the re- public, without enjoying the right of a negative. He has no vote, excepting upon an equality of fuifrages ; but is at liberty to deliver his fenti- ments upon all queftions. Staniilaus is efteemed one of the moft eloquent among the Polilli orators, he has an agreeable ton€ of voice, harangues with great animation, energy, and dignity, and his fpeeches always make a confiderable impreifion. When difpofed to fpeak, he rifes from his feat, advances a few ilcps, and exclaims /* I fummon theminiftcrs of ftate to the throne.'' C. 5. GENERAL DIET. 73 throne." Then the great ofiiccrs of the crown, Avho are fitting at the lower end of the fenate* houfe, ^jproach and Hand near the king ; the four great marlhals flrike the ground together with their ftaves of office, and the firft fays, '' The " king is going to fpeak ;" The fecond eftate, or the feuate, is compofed of fpiritual and temporal fenators. The bifhop or fpiritual fenaturs have the precedence over the temporal fenators. The archbifliop of Gnefna is primate of the fenate, and viceroy in cafe of an interregnum. The temporal are palatines, caftcllans, and the great officers of ftafe^. The palatines are the governors of provinces, who hold their offices for life ; and in time of war, when the army of the republic is fummoned, they levy and lead the forceW their palatinates into the field, according to the tenure of feudal fervices ; in time of peace^ they convoke the alfembiies of the palati- nates, and prefide in the county courts of juftice. The Caftellans are divided into Grand and Petty Caftcllans: their office, in time of peace, is merely nominal ; but when the military or feu- dal fervices are required, they are the lieutenants of the palatines,under whom they command the troops of the feveral diilrids. The minifters of ftate, who fit in the fenate, are Cxteen, the two great marlhals of Poland and Lithuania, 74' P O L A N P. B. I. Lithuania, the two fub-marlhals, the two great chancellors, the two vice-chancellors, the two great generals, the two little generals, the two great treafurers, and the two fub-treafurei-s. All the fcnators were formerly appointed by the king ; but by the late change of government, his choice is rcftricted to one of three candidates prefcnted by the permanent council. The fena- tors, once nominated, cannot be deprived of their charges, excepting by the diet. The third eftate is formed by tlie nuntios or reprefenta- tivcs of the equeftrian order, chofcn in the die- tines or affemblies of each palatinate, in which every nol^le or gentleman, at the age of eigh- teen, has a vote, and is capable of being elected. There is no qualification hi point of property, either for the ele61ors or ele6ted ; it is only ne- ceffary that the nuntio fliould be a noble ; that is, a perfon not engaged in trade or commerce, pofleffing land himfelf, the fon of a perfon pof- fefTmg land, or of an antient family which for- merly poffcffed land. Each nuntio muft be twenty-three years of age. When the diet aflem- bles, the king, fenate, and nuntios, iirft meet in the cathedral of WarfaM% and hear mafs and a fermon. After fervice, the members of the fenate, or upper houfe, repair to the fenate-houfe ; and the nuntios, or loMcr-houfe to their cham- ber, where they choofe, by a majority of voices, a marihal; C. 5. G E N £ R A L t) I J: T. ^3 a marflial, or fpeaker of the equertrian order : to prevent unnecefTary delays, the eleLtion is re- quired to take place v/ithin three days after their meeting*. Tv/o days after the choice of their fpeaker, the king, fenate, and nuntios, airemble in the fenate-houfe, which is called the junction of the two houfes. The nuntios then kifs the king-'s hand ; and the members of the diet take their places in the following order: The king is feated, in regal ftate, u};on a rai fed throne, under a canopy at the upper end of the apartment. At the lower end, oppofitc the throne, fit in armed chairs the miniftcrs of ftate. The bifliopst, palatines, and cafteilans, are * Formerly, It being ftipulated that the ekaion of the marshal fhould take place as foonas pofTiblej much time ufually elapfed be- fore a marfhal was chofen j and as the fitting of the national affem- bly Is confined to fix weeks, Tometimes the nuntios could never agree in the choice, and feveral diets broke up without tranfacling bufinefs. Connor, who vifted Poland in John Sobiefki's reign fays upon this head, " He that defigns to be elected marfhal, mult treat the gentry all the while, otherwife he would have no vote for him; and commonly they prolong the elcclaon, that they may live the longer at the candidate's charges." V. II. p. 92. To remedy this inconvenience, it was enafted in 1690, that the marfnal muft be chofen on the firft day of the meeting ; but in 176S, the time allowed for the eleftion was extended to three days. See Lcng. J. P. II. p. 322. a)ui Loix et Conft. de 1768, p. 52. f Including the archbifliops of Gnefna ar^^ Vilna, each at the head of his refpei5tive fuffragans. The reader will find a print, which gives a faithful reprefenta- tion of the diet, in Connor's Hi/lory of Poland, v. II. p. 82. One trifling error muft be conefted, the feats maiked 1 1 1 1 are for the minillers of ftate, wiiea net ftanding near the throne. ranged 76 POLAND. B. r. ranged in three rows of armed chairs, extending from the throne on each fide ; and behind thefe are placed the nuntios upon benches covered with 1 ed cloth. The fenators have the privilege of wearing their caps, but the nuntios are un- covered. All the members being feated, the PaEta Con^ *oenta are read ; when the fpeaker of the equef- trian order, as well as each nuntio, is empowered to interrupt the perufal by remonftrating againil the infringement of any particular article, and demanding a redrefs of grievances. The great chancellor then propofes the queilions in the king's name ; after which, his majefty nomi- nates three fenators, and the fpeaker fix nuntios, to prepare the bills. The diet, by majority of voices, choofes a committee to examine the ac- counts of the treafury, and eled the members* of the permanent council. Thefe preliminary tranfa6):ions ought to be difpatched in the fpace of three weeks; at which period the two houfes feparate ; the nun- tios retire into their own chamber, and the bills undero'o a difcuiTion in each houfe. Thofe which relate to the treafury, are approved or rejected by the fentiments of the majority. But in all flate- • The equeftrian members of the lafl permanent council are per- mitted to be prefent in this aflembly without having a vote, until the refolutions of the council are approved by the diet. The fena- tors, who have a feat in the council, are prefent of courfe. matter* C. 5, GENERAL DIET. 77 matters* of the higheft importance, norefolution is valid, unlefs ratified by the unanimous aflent of every nuntio, each of whom is able to fuf- pend all proceedings by his exertion of the Li- berum Veto, The diet mull not fit longer than fix weeks : on the firfl day, therefore, of the fixth week the fenate and nuntios reaffemble in the fenate-houfe. The ftate-bills (provided they are unanimou,ily agreed to by the nuntios, an event which feldom happens in a free diet) are pafTed into laws ; but if unanimity be wanting are reje(?ied, and the bufinefs relating to the treafury, which has been carried by a majority, is read and regiftcred. At the conclufion of the fixth week the laws are figned by the fpeaker and nuntio, and the diet is diffolved. Extraordinary diets are fubje6l to the fame re- gulations as ordinary diets, with this difference, • Matters of ftate are thus defined by the conftltution of 1768. I. Increafe or alteration of the taxes'. 2, Augmentation of the army. 3. Treaties of alliance and peace with the neighbouring powers. 4. Declaration of war. 5. Naturalization and creation of nobility. 6. Redu6Vion of the coin. 7. Augmentation or di- minution in the charges of the tribunals, or in the authority of the minifters of peace and war. 8. Creation of place?. 9, Order of holding the diets or dletines. 10. Alterations in the tribunals. II. Augmentation cf the prerogatives of the ftnatus-ccnfulta. 12. PermifTion to the king to purchafe lands for his fucceltors. 13. Arrier-ban, orfummoning the nobles to arms. In all thefe cafes unanimity is requlfite. See Loix et Conft. de la Dicte de 176s, p. 46. that 78 POLAND. B. T. tliat they cannot, by the conftitutions of 1768, continue longer than a fortnight. On the fame day in which the two houfes aiTemble in the fe* nate-houfe, the queftions are to be laid before them, and the nuntios return immediately to their own chamber. On the thirteenth day, the two houfes are again united ; and on the fifteenth, the laws being read and figned, the diet is dif- folv^d. The moil extraordinary chara6leriftic in the conftitution of Poland, which diftinguillies this government from all others, both in antient and modern times, is the Liba^um VqIo, or the power which each nuntio enjoys in a free diet* not only like the tribunes of antient Rome, of putting a negative upon any law, but even of diffolving the affembly. This privilege is not found in any period of the Polifli hiftory, antecedent to the reign of John Cafimir. In 1652, when the diet of Warfaw was debating upon tranfadions of the utmoft importance which required a fpeedy determina- tion, Sicinfki, nuntio of Upita in Lithuania, cried out, " I ftop the proceedings f-" Having uttered thefe words, he quitted the affembly, and repairing to the chancellor, proteiled, that * A free diet, in which unanimit)^ is requifite, is diftinguifhed from a diet of confederacy, in which all bunnefs is carried by the majority. f Leng. Jus Pub. v. II. p. 215. as C. 5. G E N E R A L D I E T. 79 as many a6ls had been carried contrary to the conftitution of the republic, he fhould confider it as an infringement of the laws, if the diet con- tinued to lit. The members were thunderftruck at a proteft of this nature, hitherto unknown. Warm debates took place in regard to the pro- priety of continuing or diifolving the diet; at length, the venal and difcontented*faclion, who fupported the proteft, obtained the majority, and the alfembly broke up in great confufion. This tranfaciion changed entirely the conftitu- tion of Poland, and gave an unlimited fcope to mifrule and fadion. The following caufes pro- bably induced the Poles to acquiefce in eftabliih- ing the Liberum Veto, thus cafually introduced. It was the intereft of the great officers of ftatc, particularly the great general, the great treafurcr, .and great marilial, in whole hands were veiled the adminiftration of the army, the finances, and the police, to abridge tlie fittings of the diet. Thefe great officers of ftate, being once nominated by the king, enjoyed their appoint- ments for life, independent of his authority, and liable to no controul durino; the intervals of the diets, to which alone they v/ere refponfible. This powerful body ftrongly cfpoufed the Libe- rum Veto ; confcious that they could eafdy, and at all times, fecure a nuntio to proteft, and by that means elude all enquiry into their admini- ftration. By 80 POLAND. B. I. By a fimdamental law of the republic, nobles accufed of certain capital crimes could only be brought to trial before the diet ; and as many perfons flood under that defcription, all thefe and their adherents favoured an expedient tending to diifolvethe only tribunal by which they could be convided and punilhed. Theexig^cies of the ftate, occafioned by the continual wars in ^\ Inch Poland had been engag- ed, demanded, at tliis particular crifis, an im- pofition of heavy taxes ; and as the fole power of levying pecuniary aids refided in the diet, all the nuntios who oppofed additional fubfidies, fe- conded the propofal for Ihortening the duration of the aiiembly. The influence of the great neighbouring powers, interefted to foment anarchy and confu- fion in the Poliih counfels. Before this period, if they wiilicd to form a cabal, and carry any point in the national aflembly, they were obliged to fecure a ma^jority of votes ; but under the new arrangement they were able to attain their end oh much eafier terms, and terminate ajiy diet un- friendly to their views, by the corruption of a fmo'le m mber. The bad effe6ls of tlie Liberinn Veto were foon felt by the nation to fuch an alarming degree, that all the members in the diet of 1G70 bound them- felves by oath not to exert it, and even palled a refolution that it iliould be void of cffed during the C. 5. L I B E R U M VETO. 8l the continuance of that meeting. Notwith- ftanding thefe falutary precautions, one Zabor- zifki, nuntio from the palatinate of Bratlau, in- terpofmg his negative, brought this very diet to a premature diffolution^. This Liber um Veto has been always confidered by the moil intelligent Poles as one of the princi- pal caufes which contributed to the decline of their country. From the asra of its eftabliiliment public bufmefs has continually fuffered the moft fatal interruption ; it abruptly broke up feven diets in the reign of John Cafimir, four under Michael, feven under John Sobiefki, and thirty durino; the reio-ns of the two Auo-ufti : fo that, within thefpace of lie years, 48 diets have been precipitately dilTolved by its operation ; during which period Poland has continued almoft with- out laws, without juftice, and, excepting the reign of John Sobiefki, \;i\h few fymptoms of military vigour. Yet the Poles were fo attached to this pernicious privilege, that in the act of confederacy, framed in 1696, after the dcceafe of John Sobiefki, the Liberum Veto is called the deareft and moft invaluable palladium of Poliih liberty f. But the Poles, fenfible of the diforders arifmg from the Liberum Veto, would have abolilhed it, * Zawodchi Hift. Arcana, f Unicumet fpecialilTimiim Jus Cardinals. VOL. I. G had 32 ? O L A N D. B. t. had they not been prevented by the partitioning- powers, and it ftill exifts in its full force *. It ihould be obferved, that neither the king nor the fenate, but only the nuntios, enjoy the power of interpofnig this negative upon the proceedings^ of the dictf. In order to avoid the anarchy attendant upon free diets through the operation of the Liberum Veto, the Poles have lately had rceourfe to diets by confcdcrac}^, which, though coinpofed of the lame members, and held under the fame exterior forms as free diets, differ from them in the ellcntial circumftance of determining queftions by plurality of votes. Thefe diets have * It would appear, at firil fight, that by a regulation eftablifhed in the diet of 1768, the exertion of the Liherum Feto was in fome inllances rellraiiied. *' The abfence of a nuntio, who has inter- rupted the proceedings of the diet, fliall be no hindrance to the tranfadtion of trcafury matters." Loix et Conft. de la Diete de Varlbvie, 1768, p. 56. But tliis reftriction of the Liberum FetOy in elfed", is of no validity. For among the cardinal laws ellablifhed by the fame diet, it is enafled, " that matters of (late cannot be pafTed but by a free diet and unanimous confentj'' p. 18. And again, *' that after the treafury bufinefs, matters of ftate fliall be brought forward, when the oppofitlon of a fingle nuntio fliall ilop all pro- ceedings i'"" p. 56. And in another place, it is decreed, that in free diets, the Liberum Veto lliall hold good in all matters oi ftate 5"" p. 44. When we recolleft the deiinition of ftate matters (Ch. 5.) we cannot but perceive, that the power of interpofing a negative ftill cffcchially exifts 5 yet any limitation is of fome fervice, as it tcjuis to the introdu6iion of order. Since 1 777, feveral free diets have been convened ; bitt without eff"c6l:ing any material alteration, t Lengnich fays, the fenators have the power of breaking up the diet; but he adds, they never make ufe of this privilege ^ Jus Pub. II. p, 46. which amounts to the fame as not having it. long C. 5. DIET OF ELECTION. 83 long been known to the conftitution, and ufed upon extraordinary emergencies; but within thefe ten years have been regularly held at the flated time for fummoning ordinary diets. In- deed, according to the true principles of the Poliih government, no confederacy ought to be formed, excepting in defence of the king's per- fon, upon any foreign invafion or domeftic con- fpiracy, and during an interregnum at the diets of convocation and eledion^. Yet as no other means have been found to prevent perpetual anar- chy, the nation fubmits to an infringement of the conftitiition, which operates for the general goodf. The plain of Vola, where the kings of Poland are eleded, is fituated about three miles from the capital. In the midft of the plain are two enclofures, one for the fenate, and the other for the nuntios. The former is of an oblong Hiape, furrounded by a kind of rampart, in the midft of which is ereded, at the time of election, a temporary building of wood, cdlcd fzopa, co- vered at top and open at the fides. Near it is the other enclofure for the nuntios, of a circular * It is decreed, however, by the code of 1768, that in every diet of convocation all ftate matters miift pafs unanimoully, p. 58. f But as it is enacled by the diet of 1768, that all matters of ftate mull be carried unanimoully in free diets, I prefume that the diets by confederacy only traafaft the commoii bulinefs, without making any new laws, or repealing old ftatutes, c 2 ihape, 64 P L A N I>. B. t. fl}ape, from which it derives the name of kola or circle, within is no hiiilding, the nuntios af- fembhng in the open air. When the two cham- bers are joined, they meet within the kola; the fenators chairs and the benches for the nuntios being ranged in the fame order as in the fenate- houfe at Warfaw, while the feat of the primate is placed in the center. Upon the king's demife the regal authority is vcfred in the archbifliop of Gnefna primate of Poland, as interrex or regent ; he announces the event by circular letters, convokes the dietines and diets of convocation, and performs the functions of royalty. The diet of convocation is held at Warfaw, before the diet of election, and prefided by the primate, who fits in an armed chair iiationed in the middle of the fenate-houfe. This diet iffucs ads or ordinances^ arranges or changes the form of government, fettles the Facia Cojiventa, and appoints the meeting of the diet of election. The interval between the death of the king and the nomination of liis fuccelTor is uncertain, the duration depending upon the cabals of the can- didates, or the pleafurc of thofe foreign powers, wlio give law to Poland. It is always a ftate of turbulence and licentioufnefs, the kingdom is divided into parties and fa6^l;ions, juftice is fuf- pended, and the nobles commit every diforder with impunity. Unanimity C. 5. D I E T O F E L E C T I O y. 85 Unanimity *= being requifite in ail matters of ftate, it is eafy to conceive the delays and in- trigues, the influence and corruption, employed to gain the members in the diet of convocation. All the points being adjufied, whether the ads have palled unanimoufly or otherwife, the mem- l:)ers, before their feparation, form a general con- federacy to fupport the refolutions of the diet. At the appointed day the diet of eledion is affembled, during which Warfaw and its envi- rons is a fcene of confufion, and frequently of bloodllied. The chief nobilitv have larg-e bo- dies of troops in their fervice, and repair to the diet attended by numerous vallals and a retinue of domeftics ; while each petty baron, who can afford to maintain them, parades about with hrs retainers and ilaves. On the day in which the diet of election is opened, the primate, fenate, and nobility, re** pair to the cathedral of Warfaw, to hear mafs and afermon ; from Avhencc they proceed in due order to the plain of Vola. The fcnators enter the fzopa^ and the nuntios take their places within the kola ; while the other nobles are fla- • This unanimity, in facSl, doss not exift 5 for the ftrong-eft fide forces the weaker to accede or to retire. Yet in the diet of 1768 ic was enacted, that in the diets of convocation ftate queftions «;ould only be carried unanimoufly. Several diets of convocation have been frequently affeiabled before all the affairs could be iin;:iJy arranged. o 3 tioncd 86 POLAND. B. r. tioned In the plain. The fenate and nuntios, after pafling their refpeci:ive refohitions, as in the ordinary diets, ailemblc in the kola, when the primate lays before them the objefts for confi- deration ; the Pacta Cou'venta, fettled at the diet of convocation, are confirmed, all neceifary arrangements made, and the day of ele6tion ap- pointed. The diet then gives audience to the fo- reign minifters, Avho are permitted by recom- mendation to interfere in the choice of a king, and to the advocates of the feveral candidates. All thefe affairs occupy feveral days ; and would never be terminated, if the alfembly Avas not overawed by the foreign troops, who are always quartered near the plain of cledion. On the day of election, the fenate and nuntios affemble in the kola, while the nobles are ranged in the open field in fcparate bodies, under the ftandards of their refpe^live palatinates, and led by the principal officers of each diftricl on horfe- ]>ack. The primate, after declaring the names of the candidates, kneels down and chants a hymn ; the fenators and nuntios join the gentry of their refpe6tive palatinates ; and the primate, on horfe- back, or in a carriage, goes round the plain to the different bodies of the gentry, and, having collected the votes, proclaims the fuccefsful can- didate. On the following day the fenate and nuntios C. 5. D I E T O F E L E C T I X. 87 return to the plain ; the fuccefsful candidate is again proclaimed, and a deputy difpatchcd to acquaint him of his election, as no candidate is allowed to be prefent. After the proclamation, the nobles retire ; and the diet, having appoint- ed the diet of coronation, is dilfolved. All eledions are contefted ; not indeed upon the fpot; for the terror of a neighbouring army compels the nobles to appear unanimous. But the parties who diifent, retiring from the plain, remonftrate ; and if they are fufficiently ftrong, a civil war enfucs. Indeed the confufion, difor- derj and bloodflied, which formerly attended thefe popular eledions, would ftill be renewed, if it were not for the interference of foreign troops. Thus the country draws fome advantage from an evil which the Poles confider as the difgrace of every election. ^S SS POLAND. B. I CHAP. 6. finances and taxes of Poland. — Revenue of the king. — Commerce. ' — General exports and imports. —Low ftate of trade.— Failure of the plan for opening the navigation of the Dnielter.— Navigation of the Notez. — Military eftablifhment. — Corps of Ulans.— State of the army. — Confederacies.-^RufTian troops. A N extra6l from the proceedings of the diet ^^ of 1768, will ihew the annual receipts and difburfements before the partition : " The annual revenues of the treafury of the crown % amount to 10,748,^45 florins (^.298,562). The ex- pences to 17,050,000. (£.4>73,6ll). An increafe of the revenues, therefore, is neceffary, fufficient to anfwer the excefs of the expences above the receipts, namely, 6,301, 7o5 florins (£. 175,048); but as part of the -ancient revenues mull be abo- lilhed, the new taxes fliould yield 10,236,737 florins (;^. 284,353), '' The treafury of Lithuania produces the an- nual fum of 3,646,628 (£. 101,295): the expences, amount to 6,478,142 (^C- ^ 79,948). The reve- nues therefore mufl; be augmented 2,831,514 (;^. 78,653). But as fome ancient impofts mufl * rdand, exclufive of Lithuania, 1>Q C. 6. REVENUES. 85( be aboliflicd, the new taxes fliould yield 4;250,481 (£. 118,068)=*." Poland, by the late difmemberraent, loft nearly half the annual income; namely, the reve- nues of the ftarofties now occupied by the parti- tioning powers, the duties t upon merchandize fent down the Viftula to Dantzic, and the pjofits, of the fait mines in Auftrian Poland, of which thofe of Wielitfka J alone amounted to 3,500,00Q Pohlh florins (^.97,222). To fupply this deficiency, the diet of 1775 new modelled the taxes, and made fuch augmen- tations as rendered the produce of the revenue equal to its amount before thedifmemberment. The principal articles of revenue are: Poll-tax of the Jev/s. Each Jew, both male and female, infant and adult, pays three Polilli florins, OY shout is. sd. per a^}27im. A fourth of the ftarofties, or great fiefs of the crown. By the late change of government, the produce of thefe ftarollies, after the demife of the perfons now enjo} iiig them, and of thofe who have the reverlion, ^viil be ^vholly appro- priated to the expences of government. Excife of beer, mead, and fpirituous liquors difiiUcd from corn. * Loix et Conft. de la Diete de fjGS, p. 70. f The greatcft part of thefe duties are now paid to the king of Prufna. ^ See Book II. Chapte.- 2. ^Monopoly 90 !► O L A N 1). B. I. IMonopoly of tobacco, and different duties upon importation and exportation. Formerly all tlie nobles were permitted to import and ex- port foreign merchandize free of duty, a privi- lege A\hich almoft abforbed the profits of the tax. In 177.5 this right was abolilhed, and all im- ported and exported commodities now pay duty. From the great quantity of foreign manufac- tures introduced into Poland, chiefly for the ufe of the nobilit}^, this alteration makes a confi* derable addition to the revenues. Tax upon chimnies. This tax, confined to Lithuania, before the partition, was, in 1775, rendered general, and confiderably augment- ed : it is the moil profitable of all the taxes, but lies very heavy upon the lower orders^. The peafants pay no other tax to government, and confidering their poverty, and the opprefTion of their lords, this addition is more than they cau ^^'ell fupport. Thcfe impofo amount to 11,628,461 florins, or £.323,012 fterhng. The king received before the partition a net * Each chimney is affefled in the following proportion: In pa- laces, or houfes of the chief nobility, at 16 Polilh florins per ann. = about 8/. ^\d.\ houfes of the principal merchants in W^arfaw at 1 5 =. 7 J. 7 ^/. ; ether brick houles from 10 to 14 = from 5 /. ']\d^ to 7 J. 3 \ d. } wooden houfes from 6 to 8 = from 3 s. j\.d. to 4/. 6 \ d. j bell houfes in other large towns 12 = 6;. 8t/. j in the fmall towns and villages from 6 to 8 = 3 J. 4^. to ^s,6\d.) peailiuts cottages iVom 5 to -] — 7,s. g,\d,tQ 4;. rcvcnug t, 6. REV K X U E S. 91 revenue of 7,000,000 Polifn florins (^.194,500) arifing from the royal demefncs and the profits of the fait- works. To indemnify him for the lofs of the falt-works, and the demefnes fituated in the difmemhered provinces, he draws from the pubhc treafury t2,666,666 florins (,C. 74,074) which, in addition to the remaining royal de- mefnes, and fome ftarofties granted for his ufe, make his prefent income the fame as before the difmemberment. From this income he only pays his houfhold expcnces ; the falary of the great officers of flate, and the other general expcnces being fupplied from the public fund. The whole revenue of o'ovcrnment, includinu' the roval de- mefnes and flarofties lately granted to the king, amounts to 15,061,795 florins (^.443,938) and by fubflraCting the 2,666,666 florins appropriated to the king's privy purfe, there remains for the fupport of the army, the ildaries of the great officers of ftate, and other general charges, 13/295,129 florins {£. 369,864) a fum apparently unequal to the purpoles for which it is defigned. Yet it was nearly adequate to the ordinaiy cur- rent expcnces : for the regular army is fmall, th(^ great officers of flate are amply rewarded with the royal licfs, which arc numerous and profit- able ; each p'alatinate pays its own ofiiccrs from its private treafury ; Vvliile the judges, julliccs of the peace, and other civil olhcers who enjoy territorial 02 POLAND. B, I. territorial jurifdiction, may enrich themfelves -fufficiently by extortion without a falary *. Poland contains feveial navio-able rivers, which flo\v in all dire<5lion3, and convey its exports to the havens of the Baltic. By means of the Vif- tula and the tributary rivers, the produt'^tions of the palatinates of Cracow, Lublin, and Mafovia, are fent to Thorn and Dantzic. By the Niemeu the commodities of Lithuania are tranfported to Memmel, and by the Duna thole of Eafterii Lithuania and White Ruffia to Riga. The chief exports are all ij^ecies of grain, hemp, flax, cat- tle, mails, planks, timber for lliip-building, * since this was written a material change took place in the finances, and both the receipt and expenditure were confiderably augmented. The following Itatement of the finances was given by coimt Mofynfki, grand fecretary of Lithuania, in his celebrated ipeech to the diet on the 19th of April 1790 : RECEIPTS. Ancient taxes. New taxes. Amount. Florins. Floiins. Florins. Poland - - 14)557)145 13,680,161 28,237,306 Lithuania - 5,014,682 4,325,248 * 9)339593^ Total - ig.571,827 18,005,409 37,577,236 DISBURSEMENTS. The civil lift, r-r-\ -v^ , , o • ■ , The military deducrjnffthe ex- a ur/i J c c pences'of the "^^^f^^Z^ "' ^""^'' ^council. 65,074 men. Poland - - 6,263.246 23,546,442 29,809,688 Lithuania - 2.887,914 • 9:8^5,222 12,763.136' Total - 9. 151 ; 1 60 3^,421.664 &7. 572.824 . pitcfi C. 6. CO U MERC E. 93 pitch and tar, honey, wax, tallow, pot-afli, and leather: the imports are foreign wines, cloths, Ituffs, niannfa6tured lilks and cotton, fine linen hardware, tin, copper, filver and gold, glafs ware, and furs. From the various productions and great ferti- lity of the foil, the trade might he carried to a confiderable height; but many caufes tend to fupprefs the fpirit of commerce. The nobles are degraded if they engage in tratiic. The burt^-h^rs of the large towns are not fufficientlv rich to eftabliHi manufaclories, and either throuo-h want of induftry, or dread of exceiTive extortions from the principal nobility, leave the retail- trade in the hands of foreigners and Jews. The inhabitants of the fmall towns, who are expofed to greater oppreffions, are ft ill more dif- qualified from purfuing any branch of commerce. The peafants being Haves, and the propertv of their mafter, cannot remove from the place of their nativity without his confent. John Albert, obferving that commerce could never flourifli while this reftriction fubfifled, enacled, that one peafantin a family iliouldbe permitted to quit his village, either for the purpole of trade or litera- ture ; but the claufe, by which they were en- joined to obtain the confent. of the lord, frul- rrated the puipofe of this excellent law** * Stat. Reg. Pol. p. 169. As 94 P O t A N D. B. f* A$ the poles draw from foreign countries the greater part of tlie manufactured goods neceffary for interior confumption, the fpccie which is ex- ported exceeds the imported more than 20,000, 000 Pohfli florins, or £.555,555. Poland has heen called the granary of the North ; an appellation derived rather from the for- 7ner than from tlie prefent produce. For the lands not being fufficicntly cultivated, the exportation of corn is not anfwerable to the nature of tlic foil, or the extent of its provinces, which, if properly improved, would be capable of fup- plying half Europe with grain. Several palati- nates in Poland, particularly Podolia and Kiovia, are well fuited to the produdion of grain; though many parts of thefe provinces remain un- cultivated, yet the portion in tillage yields a greater fupply than is ncccfiary for the confump- tion of the inhabitants. The only method of employing the overplus is to extra6l from it a fpirituous liquor. But an ingenious Polifh au- thor* has fliown, that the two provinces might [end their corn down the Dnieller through 'j'urkiih Moldavia, and open an intercourfe with the ports of the Black Sea, a project formerly in • M. de Wlebitfki, a Polldi gentlemnn of great learning and Ir, formation. The treatife alluded to in this and other places of this work, is written in the Polifli language, and called Patriotic Letters, addrcllcd to the Chancellor Zaaioiiki, 7. agitation. C. 6. CO M MERC E. 95 agitation. During the reign of Sigifniond Au* giiftus, Cardinal Commandon, in travelling through Podolia, lirft fiiggefted the meafure; and Sigifmond, having obtained the concurrence of the grand Signor, dlfpatelicd feme Poles to explore the ftate of the Dnicfter. But the ftir- veyors meeting with fome impediments from rocks and fand-banks, declared, without further examination, that the river was not navigable, and though Commandon reprefented to the king, that the obftacles might, without great difficul- ty, be furmounted; yet the projec^t Avas poft- poned, and never revived*. The fame judicious author f, in touching upon this fubject, laments the ignorance of his coun* trymen, and ridicules their precipitation in abandoning a plan fo favourable to the improve- ment of their commerce. lie Ihews, that the inattention of the Poles to the natural advan- tages of their country has been exemplified in a limilar indance. By means of tlie Notcz, a river of Great Poland, which falls into the Oder, the Poles might con\'ey grain into Silefja, and down the Oder into other parts of Gennany; but they never attempted the na\igation, from an ill-founded perfuafion of its not being prac- ticable. No fooner, however, had the king of Pruhia acquired poileihon of the country wa- » Vie (It Commandon. f M. de Wiebitfki. tercd 96 i» O L A IT b. B. I. tered by the Notez, than it was inflantly co- vered with veffels. The king has a corps of near 1,000 troops iii his own pay, confifting- chiefly of Ulans, of light horfe, who furnifli alternately his efcoit. Thefe Ulans are chiefly Tartars, many of thenl Mahometans, and are diftingniflied for their fidelity. The corps is compofed of gentlemen and vaffals, who all form in fquadron together, hut are differently armed ; they indifcrimi- nately carry both fabres and piftols, the gentle- in en only bear lances of about ten feet long, the others are armed with carabines. Their drefs is a high fur cap, a green and red jacket, panta- loons of the fame colour, and a petticoat of ■white cloth defcending to the knee. Their lances, which are decorated with a long fwallow- tail flag of black and red cloth, are fliorter and weaker than thofe of the Auftrian Croats ; but they carry and ufe them in the fame manner, and with no Icfs dexterity. The men, though of different fizes, fecmed well grown. Their horfcs were about fourteen hands high, of re- markable fpirit, witii great ftrength of llioulder. Poland is much cfteemed for its horfcs ; and the king of Prutlia procures his light cavalry from this coiuitry ; the breed, however, has been almoft ruined during the late civil v^-ars, and the nobility arc now chiefly fuppiied from Titrtary. Tlie C, C* ' ARM Y. 07 The armies of Poland and Lithuania are inde- pendent of each other, and feparately command- ed by the refpccli ve great generals. In time of war the king in perfon may lead the forces of the re- piiblic. Formerly the power of thefe great ge- nerals was uncontrouled, excepting by the diet, to'which alone they were amenable. Their enor- mous authority, however, underwent fom.e limi- tation in 1768, by the appointment of the com- mittee of war, of which they are perpetual prefi- dents, and was ftill further circumfcribed by the eftabliiliment of the mihtary department in the permanent council. State of the Polifli Army, in 177 8c Troops of Poland. Complement. Effeftive men. Wanting. StafF officers - =- - 27 27 — Cavalry - - - . 4997 4708 289 Infantry, including artillery 7286 6703 583 Total of Poland I2310 11438 872 Army of Lithuania. StafF officers ~ - - 25 25 -» Cavalry - - - - 2670 2497 173 infantry, including artillery 4770 4465 305 Total of Lithuania 7465 6987 478 Total of the Polifh and Lithuanian troops, 19775 18425 1350* * in 1790, when the Poles were preparing to eflablifh a new con- ftitution, and to render themfelves independent of foreign powers, their army is ftatcd by count Mofynflci to confift of 65,074 men. VOL. X, H The 98 POLAND. «, t. The ftanding army being fo inconfiderablej the defence of the country, in cafe of invaiion, is committed to the gentry, who are aifembled by regular fummons from the king, vrith the confent of the diet. Evers^ palatinate is divided into diftricls, under proper officers, and every per- fon poffeffmg free and noble tenures is bound to military fervice, either fmgly or at the head of a certain number of his retainers, according to the extent and nature of his poifeffions. The troops thus affeniblcd are obliged only to ferve for a limited time ; and are not under the necef- fity of marching beyond the limits of their coun- try. The mode of levying and maintaining this army is exa6lly fnnilar to that pra61ifed under the feudal fyftem. At prcfent, though almofl unfit for the purpofes of repelling a foreign ene- my, it is yet a powerful inftrument in the hands of domeftic fa6lion ; for the expedition with which it is raifcd under the feudal regulations^ facilitates the formation of thofe dangerous confederacies, which ilart up on the contefted ele(5iion of a fovereign, or whenever the nobles are at variance with each other. There are two forts of confederacies. The firft are thofe formed with the confent of the king, fenate, or equeftrian order, aifembled in the diet ; by which the whole nation confederates foj the good of the country. The fecond are the confederacies t. 60 ARM Y. 99 confederacies of tiie feveral palatinates, which unite for the piirpofe of reth'effUig grievances, or remonftrating againit encroachments of the fovereign power. Thefe ni^j be particular, or general, and are ufually the forerunners of a ci- vil war. The general confederacy, which is al- w^ays in oppofition to the king, is called Ptokoz, and formed by tlie union of the particular con- federacies. As every PoliHi gentleman lias a right to maintain as many troops as he chufes, each palatinate is the fcene of occafional difputes and petty contentions between the principal nobles, and fometimes even between their ref- pe6tive retainers. The Ruffian troops have been fo long quar- tered in this country, that they may almoft be tonfidered as forming part of tlie national ar- my. The whole kingdom is entirely under the prote6i:ion, or, in other words, under the power of the emprefs, who rules over it with the fame un- i3ounded authority as ever one of her own pro- vinces. The king is in effect little more than a Viceroy ; while the Ruffian embaffiidor has the real foVereignty, and regulates all the affairs of the kingdom according to the direction of hrs court. The emprefs maintains within the coun- try about 10,000 foldiers. Every garrifon is compofed of RmTian and native troops; a thou- fand of the former are ftationed at Warfavr, and H 2 each 100 POLAND. 13. 1. each gate of the town is guarded by a RuiTian and Pohfh centinel. The Ruffian troops hold the nobles in fubjedion, and for the prefent prevent internal feuds and commotions. But when Poland (if ever that event iliould happen) is again left to herfelf, the fame fury of contending parties, now fmothered, but not annihilated, will probably break out with redoubled fury, and again generate thofe djiturbances which have long convulfed this unhappy kingdom; and to what a wretched ftate is that country re- duced, which owes its tranquillity to the inter- pofition of a foreign army ! \ C, 7. INHABITANTS, 101 CHAP. 7. Wretched Hate of Poland. — Dlvllion of the inhabitants Into nobles or gentry, clergy, burghers, and peafants. — State of vaffalage.— Inftances of a few nobles who have given liberty to their pea- sants. — Advantages refulting from that praftice.— Jews. — Popu- lation of Poland. POLISH liberty may be confidered as the fource of Polilli \vretcheclnefs, and Poland a])pears to be of all countries, the mofi: diftreffed. Nor indeed do the natives themfelves attempt to palliate or deny this melancholy fact. Ex- preiTmg my furprife at one inftance of the abiife of liberty, to which I had been myfelf a wit- nefs, to a perfonage * well verfed in the laws of the country, he returned for anfwer, ^' If you kne-w the confufion and anarchy of our confti- tution, you would be furprifed at nothing : many grievances necelTarily exift even in the beft re- gulated ftates ; what then muft be the cafe in ours, which of all governments is the moil de- teftable ? Another lamenting the dreadful fitu- ation of his country, faid to me, '^ The name of Poland ftill remains, but the nation no longer exifts : univerfal corruption and venality pervade all ranks of people. Many of the firll nobility do not blufli to receive penfions from foreign * The king. H 3 courts : lOCi POLAND. B. 1, courts ; one profeffes himfelf publicly an Auftrian^^ a fecond a Ppuffian, a third a Frenchman, and a fourth a Ruffian." The prefent fituation of the Poliih nation im- prefled my mind with pathetic ideas of fallen greatnefs ; and I could not beliold, without a mixture of regret and fympathy, a people, who for- meriv o-ave law to the north, reduced to fo low a ftate of weaknefs and miferv. The nation has few manufactures, fcarcely any commerce ; a king almofl without authority ; the nobles in a flate of uncontrouled anarchy ; the peafants groaning under a yoke of feudal defpotifm worfe than the tyranny of an abfolute monarch. 1 ne- ver before obferved fuch an inequality of for- tune, fuch afudden tranfition from extrem.e riches to extreme poverty ; wherever I turned my eyes, luxury and wretchednefs ^vere conftant neighbours. The inhabitants of Poland are nobles, clergyj citizens, and peafants. We iliould be greatly deceived if we were to underftand the word noble in our fenfe of that term. By the laws of Poland, a noble is a per-- fon who poffeifes a freehold * eftate, o;- who can prove * Some citizens liave the right of pofFefiing hnds within a league of this town which they inhabit; but thefe lands are not free and noble, and are alwaj/s diftinguilhed from the freeholds of the no- fcles j *he latter are called in the ftatute law terrt^eno', or earth-born, A free C. 7. NOBLES. i03 prove his defcent from anceftors formerly pof- feiTing a freehold, following no trade or com- meree, and at liberty to chufe the place of his habitation. This defcription includes all per- fons above burghers and peafants. The mem- bers of this body below the rank of fcnators are called, in a collective ftate, the equeftrian order, and in their individual capacities, nobles, gen- tlemen, freemen, or land-holders, which appella- tions are f^^nonymous. All the nobles or gentry are, in the ftri6l letter of the law, equal by birth ; fo that honours and titles are fuppofed to add nothing to their real dignity *. By means of their reprefentatives in the diet, they have a iliare in the legifiative au- thority ; in fome cafes, as in the election of a king, they aifemble in perfon; each noble is ca- pable of being ele6led a nuntio, of bearing the office of a fenator, and of prefenting himfelf as a candidate on a vacancy of the throne. No noble can be atrefted without previous convidion, except in cafes of high treafon, murder, and rob- bery on the highway, and then mult be taken free to live where they pleafe, to diftinguirn them from perfons ne- ceflarily inhabiting towns, a true feudal diftinClion. They are alio ftyled i?idigena or natives, and concl-ves or fellow-citizens oi the re- public. Leng. Jus Pab. I. p. 297. * It is particularly ftipulated, that titles give no precedence ; which is called in the Pafta Conventa of Auguftus III. " Jiw lg(jualitatis inter cives regni," &c. K 4 in 104 POLAND. B. T. in the fa 61. The definition of a noble being thus apphed not only to perfons aolually poffef- iing land, but even to the defcendants of land- holders, comprehends fo large a body of men, that many are in a ftate of extreme indigence ; and as they lofe their nobility if they follow trade or commerce, the moft needy generally de- vote themfelves to the fervice of the richer no- bles, who, like the old feudal barons, are con- ftantly attended by numerous retainers. As all nobles, without diflindion, enjoy the right of voting, as well for the choice of nuntios, as at the ele61ion of a king, their po\'erty and their number are frequently produclive of great incon- venience. Plence the king, who has juftly con- ceived a great veneration for the Enghfli con- ftitution, ineffectually wiflied to introduce into the new code a law fimilar to ours relating to county ele<5lions, that no perfon fliould be enti- tled to a vote in the choice of a nuntio but thofe who pollefs a certain qualification in land *. Miciflaus, the firft fovereign of Poland Avho * Connor mentions a {imilar attempt of John Cafimlr, which failed of fuccefs. " King Cafimir obferving the great abufes that fpring from every little gentleman's pretended privilege to fit in the little diets, ordered that none fhould have a vote there, in elefting a deputy or nuntio, but fuch only as had at leaft two hundred crowns a yearj whereupon the palatine of Pofnania, offering to put this Jaw in execution in his province, was not only affronted, but alio narrowly efcaped with his life," Hill, of Poland, v. II. p. 104. embraced i C. 7. CLERGY. 105 embraced Chriftianity, 966, granted feveral im- munities and eftates to the clergy. His fuccefTors and the rich nobles followed his example, and the wealth of this body continued increafmg from royal and private donations, vmtil the diet, appre- henfive left in procefs of time the greater part of the eftates Ihould pafs into the hands of the cler- gy, forbad by different laws, particularly in 1669, the alienation of lands to the church, under pe- nalty of forfeiture; and feveral eftates have bceu' recently confifcated, which were beftowed upon the clergy fnice that period. From the time of the firft eftablifliment of the catholic religion by cardinal ^gidius, nuntio from pope John XII. the biiliops have been ad- mitted into the fenate as king's counfellors. They were ufually appointed by the croAvm, and confirmed by the pope ; but, fince the creation of the permanent council, are nominated by the king from three candidates prefented by the council : a biiliop is of courfe entitled to all the privileges of a fenator. The archbiihop of Gnef- na is primate, the firft fenator in rank, and vice- roy during an interregnum. The ecclefmftics are all freem.cn, and, in fome particular inftances, have three own courts of juftlce, in which the canon law is adminiftered. 1. The confiftorial, under the jurifdiciion of each bifliop in his diocefe; 2. The metropolitan, under 106 POLAND. B. I. under the primate, to whicli an appeal lies from the bilhop's court ; 3. That of the pope s nun- tio,- the fupreme ecclefirtftical judicature withiii the kingdom, to which an appeal may be made firom the decifions of the bill] op and primate. In cafes of divorce, difpenfations for marriages, and in other inftanccs, the parties, as in all ca- tholic countries, muil apply to the pope, by which means no inconiiderable fum of money is drawn out of the country by the fee of Rome*. In moft civil affairs the clergy are amenable to the ordinary courts of juftice. In criminal caufes, an ecclefiaftic is arrefted by the civil powers, then judged in the confiftory, and, if convided, remitted to the civil power for punilh- * The facility of acquiring divorces occafions great difTolutenefs of morals. " lam almoll afraid," obferves Mr. Wraxall, in his en- tertaining account of the court of Warfaw, " to relate what I fee and, know on this point, fo incredible it may appear. If infidelity to the nuptial bed was alledged and proved, it might be admitted as a legi- timate caufe for fep?.rations 5 but hardly any reafons are afligned or required, except mutual incompatibility, diflike, or wearinefs in the parties. Women of irreproachable manners and conduft, young, beautiful, and highly born, are divorced at the end of three oy four years j of a year, nay, of a few months. Should it be requifite to adduce inftances in fupport of my afieition, almoft every week offers them here in abundance." After enumerating fcveral other inflances, he adds, " In any other country pra6lic«:s fo repugnant to ever^' principle of morals, would foon be prevented. But in Poland the reftraints of law, as well as the ties of hofiour and decorum, are exceedingly weakened in their operation." Wraxall's Memoirs of the Courts of Berlin, Warfav/, fee. Vol. IL 109. no. ment. t. 7. CLERGY. 107 ment A great ecclefiaftical abufe, which has been aboliilied in moft other cathohc countries, ftill exifts in this kingdom : when the pope fends a bull into Poland, the clergy publilh and carry it into execution, without the approbation of the civil power. Before 1538 ecclefiaftics were allowed to hold civil employments ; but in that year priefts were declared incapable of filling fe- cular offices. They were alfo exempted from parang taxes ; but this exemption being wifely aboliflied, they are now rated in the fame man- ner as the laity ; yet their contributions are not called taxes, but charitable fubfidies. The next clafs of people are the burghers, in- habiting towns, whole privileges were formerly very confiderable. The hiftory of all countries, in which the feu- dal fyftem has been eftabliilied, bears teftimony to the pernicious policy * of holding the lower claffes of men in a ftate of flavifli fubjection. In procefs of time, a concurrence of caufes con- tributed gradually to foften the rigour of this fervitude, with regard to the burghers, in feveral of the feudal kingdoms. Among other circum- ftances, the moft favourable was the formation of cities into bodies politic, with the privilege of ^exercifiUg municipal jurifdiction. This inftitu- tion took its rife in Italy, the iirit country in Europe which emerged from barbaiafm, and was transferred 10^ POLAND. B. I.. transferred to France and Germany. It was firfl introduced into Poland about 1250, during the feign of Boleflaus the Chafte, Avho heing in- ftm<5ied in the Teutonic or German laws by Henry the bearded, duke of Wratiilaw, granted firfi: to Cracow, and ufterwards to feveral other towns, the privileges poffeiled by the German cities. This body of rights is called in the ftatutes of Po- land Jus Magdebnrgicinn et Teutoiiicum ; and the caiife ailigned for its introdu61ioii is, that no city could fiouriili and in creafe under the feudal laws '*. In the thirteenth and following centu- ries the kings and great barons built feveral towns, to which they granted a ciiarter of incor- poration, conceived in thefe tennsf ; " Transfci^o hanc vlllam e.vjm^e Polonico in jus Teut07ikiimJ' The beneiiciai tendency of this political regula- tion foon appeared, by a fudden increafe of po- pulation and v/ealth ; the burghers of the prin-» cipal free towns acquired fuch a degree of im- portance and confideration, as to give their af- fent to treaties, and fend deputies to the national alfembly ; a noble was not degraded by being a burgher, and a burgher was capable of holding an. office under the crown. A treaty :{: concluded by Cafimir the Great v.ith the knights of the Teutonic order, was not only figned by the king and the principal nobles, but alfo by the burghers * Leng. Jus Pub. p. 524. •]■ Cromer. X DlugOiTius, L.IX. p. io67.» of C. 7. BURGHERS. fO^ of Cracow, Pofen, Sandomir, and other towns, and under the fame monarch Wiernefk *, burgo- mafter of Cracow, was fub-marflial and treafurer of the crown. The burghers enjoyed the privileges during the Jaghellon hne, as appears from the different afts of Sigifmond and his fon. During tlie reign of Sigifmond, the nobles endeavouring to exclude the deputies of Cracow from the diet, the king not only confirmed the right of the city to fend reprefentatives, but even decreed, that the citi- zens were included within the clafs of nobles j\ When the crown became wholly ele6ti\'e, thr privileges of the burghers fuffered encroachments at every nomination of a new fovereign ; thev loft the right of poffeiTing lands, excepting vv^ith- in a fmall diftance of the tov/ns, of fcndmg de- puties to the diets, and were excluded from all ihare of the legiflative authority. As the burghers were not obliged, by the nature of their tenures. * Wierneflc was fo rich, that in 1363, when the emperor Charles IV. married at Cracow Elizabeth grand daughter of Cafimir, he gave a molt fumptuous entertainment to his fovereign, to the emperor, the kings of Hungary, Denmark, Cyprus, and other princes, who were prefent at the marriage : befide other magnificent gifts which he beftowed upon the company, he prefented Cafimir with a fum equal to the portion of the bride. Cromer, p. 324. •f Confules Cracovienfes, &c. debere et pofle omnibus confiliis, quibus alii nimtii terreitres aderunt. Sec. more folito ccnfultari, Statuta Pol. p. 8. Cracovia eft incorporata et unita nobiiitati ; ib. terrarumque civitatumque nuntii, p. 353. to ttO 1> O L A ivj- D. E. n to march againft the enemy, but only furnifhed arms and waggons for the ule of the army, they incurred the contempt of the warHke gentry^ who, in the true fpirit of feudal arrogance, con- fidered all occupations, except that of war, as be- neath a freeman, and all perfons, not bound to military fervices, as unqualified for the admini- flration of public affairs. The burghers, however, ftill enjoy a confider* able portion of freedom, and poflefs feveral im^ munities : they eled their own burgo-mafter and council, regulate their interior police, and have their own criminal courts of juftice, which de^ cide without appeal. A burgher, when plaintiff againft a noble, is obliged to carry the caufe into the courts of juftice belonging to the nobles^ where the judgment is final 3 when defendant^ he muft be cited before the magiflrates of his ovrn town, from whence an appeallies only to the kins: in the affelforial tribunal. To this ex* cmption from the jurifdi(5lion of the nobles^ though only inonefpecies of caufes, the burghers owe the degree of independence which they ftill retain ; as v/ithout this immunity they would have long been reduced to a ftate of vaifalage. The peafants in Poland, as in all feudal govern- ments, areferfs or flaves, and the value of an eftate is not eftimatcd from its extent^ but from the number of the peafants, who are transferred from one nrdlter to another like cattiCi The .C. 7. P E A S A X T S. Ill The peafants, however, are not all in an equal (late of fubjeclion : they are diftinguiflied into two forts ; i. German; 2. Natives. 1. During the reign of Boleflaus the Chafte, and more particularly in that of Cafmiir the Great, many Germans fettled in Poland, y/ho were in- dulged in the nfe of the German laws *, and tlieir descendants ftill continue to enjoy feveiul privi- leges not polTeffed by the generality of Polilii peafants. The good effeds of thefe privileo-es are vifible in the general ftate of their domeftic oeconom}-; their villages are better built, and fields better cultivated, than thofe belonging to the native Poles ; they poifefs more cattle, pay their quit-rents to their lords with greater exad- iiefs, and are cleaner and neater in their peifons. 2. The flavery of the Polifli peafants is verj antient, and was always extremel}^ rigorous. Un- til the time Cafnnir tlie Great, the lord could put his peafant to death vrith impunity, and, when the latter had no children, confidered himfelf as heir, and feized all his effects. In 134 7, CafimJr prefcribed a fine for the murder of a peafant, and €na6ted, that, in cafe of his deceafe without iifu^ his next heir fliould inherit f. He alfo decreed, that a peafant Avas capable of bearing arms, and therefore ought to be confidered as a freeman. »Lubieniki, p. loS. Floras Pol, p. iiS. Cromer, 319. t Sut. Pol. I. p. 24* Bat 11^ POLAND. B. n But tliefe and other regulations, b}^ v/hich tliat amiable monarcli endevoured to alleviate the mi- feries of the vaffals, proved ineffeclual againft the power and tyranny of the nobles, and have been either abrogated or eluded. That law, which .gives the property of a peafant dying without iffue to the next of kin, was rendered nuga- tory by an old Poliili maxim, " That no flave can carry on a procefs againft his mafter ;" and even the fine for his murder was feldom le- vied, on account of the numerous difficulties at- tending the conviction of a noble. So far indeed from being inclined to foften the fervitude of their vaflals, the nobles have eftabliflied it by repeated ordinances. An able Polilh writer, in a benevolent trcatiie * addrcfTed to the chancellor -Zamoiflci, obferves^ that the ftatutes contain above an hundred laws unfavourable to the pea- fants, Avhich among other grievances, ereCl fum- mary tribunals fubjecl to no appeals, and impofe the fevereft penalties upon thofe who quit their villages without leave. From thefe numerous- and rigorous edi61s to prevent the elopement of the pcaflmts, the fame humane author juftly infers the extreme wietchednefs of this opprefled clafs of men, who cannot be detained in thc^ place of their nativity but by the terror of the fevereit puuiiliment. • Patriotic Letters* The C, 1. FEASANTS. IIS The native peafants may be divided into ^wo forts-: 1. Peafants of the crown; 2. Peafants be- longing to individuals. 1. Peafants of the crown are thofe who arc fettled in the great fiefs of the kingdom, or in the royal demefnes, and are under the jurifdic- tions of the ftarofts. If the crown-peafants are opprefTed by thefe judges, they may lodge a complaint in the royal courts of juftice ; and, ihould the ftaroft endeavour to obftru6l the pro- cefs, the king can order the chancellor to ilfue a iafe-conduct, taking the injured perfon under his protection. Although in moft cafes the cor- rupt adminiflration of juftice, and the fuperiof influence of the ftarofts, prevent a complainant from obtaining elfe6i:ual redrefs even in the king's courts ; yet, the very poiTibility of pro- curing relief is fom.e check to injuftice, and fome alleviation of diftrefs. 2. Peafants belonging to individuals are at the abfolute difpofal of their mafter, and have fcarcely any pofitive fecurity, either for their properties or their lives. Until 1768 the ftatutes of Poland exa61ed only a fine from a lord who killed his (lave ; but in that year a decree palled, by which the murder of a peafant v/as a capital crime ; yet, as the law requires fuch an accumu- lation of evidence* as can feidoni be obtained, * The murderer muft be taken in the facl, '.vhich mud be proved- by two gentlemen or four peafants, otherxvii? he cnly ^lyz a fine. 'VOL. I. I it 114 i» O L A N P. B. K it has more the appearence than the reahty of proteclion. How deplorable miiil be the flate of that coun- try, when a law of fiich a nature was thought lequifite to be enaded, yet is found incapable of being enforced ! The generafmy, indeed, of the Polilli nobles are not inclined either to efta- bHlli or give efficacy to any regulations in favour of the peafants, whom they fcarcely confider as entitled to the common rights of humanity. A few nobles, however, of benevolent hearts and enlightened underftandings, have a6led upon different principles, and given liberty to their vaffals. The event has lliowed this proje6l to be .no lefs judicious than humane ; no Icfs friendly to their OAvn interefts than to the happinefs of their peafants ; for it appears that in the diftri6ls in which the new arrangement has been intro- duced, the population of the villages is confi- derably increafed, and the incomes of the eftates augmented in a triple proportion. The firll: noble who granted freedom to his peafants was Zamoiflci, formerly great chancel- lor, who in 1760 enfranchifed fix villages in the palatinate of ]\iafovia. Thefe villages were, in 1777, vifited by the author of the Patriotic Letters, from whom I received the following in- formation: On infpe6ting the parifli-regifters of l)irlhs from 1750 to 1760, that is, during the lfen"years of flavery immediately preceding their enfranchife- t. 7^ J> E A S A N T S. 115 enfranchifement, he found the births 434 ; in the firft ten years of their freedom, from 1760 to 1770, 620; and from 1770 to the beginning of 1777, 585; By thefe extrads it appeared, that during the Firft period there were only 43 births'] t Second period - - - 62 ^ Third period - - - 77 J If we fuppofe an improvement of this fort to take place throughout the kingdom, how great would be the increafe of national population ! The revenues of the fix villages, fmce their enfranchifement, have been augmented in a much greater proportion than their population. In the ftate of valTalage Zamoilki was obliged, ac- cording to the cuftom of Poland, to build cot- tages and barns for his peafants, and to furnifli them with feed, horfes, ploughs, and every im- plement of agriculture : fmce their enfranchife- ment they are become fo eafy in their circum- ftances, as to provide themfelves with all thefc necelTaries at their own expence, and they like- wife cheerfully pay an annual rent in lieu of the manual labour formerly exacted by their maften By thefe means the receipts of this particular eftate have been nearly tripled. Oh figning the deed of enfranchifement of the {ix villages, their benevolent mafter inti- mated fome apprehenfions to the inhabitants, I 2 left, 116 POLAND. B. r. left-, encouraged by their freedom, they Ihould fidl into every fpecies of licentioufnefs, and com- mit more diforders than when they were flaves. The fimphcity and good fenfe of their anfwer is remarkable ; '*' When we had no other property/^ returned they, " than the ftick which we hold in our hands, we were deiiitute of all encourage- ment to a fight con du^, and, having nothing to iofe, a6tcd on all occafions in an inconfiderate manner ; but now that our houfes, our lands, and our cattle, arc our own, the fear of forfeit- ing them will be a coiiftant reftraint upon our a6tions." The fmcerity of this affeition was manlfefled by the event. While they were in a ftate of fervitude, Zamoifei paid occaiional fines for diforders* committed by his peafants, who, in a ftate of drunkennefs, would attack and fometimes kill paifengers : fmce their freedom he has feldom received any complaints againfc them. Zamoifki, pleafed w^th the thriving ftate of the fix villages, has enfranchifed the peafants on all his eltates. This example has been followed by Chrepto- witz, vice-chancellor of Lithuania, and the abb6 Bryzotowfki, with fimilar fuccefs. I was informed by a perfon who had vifited the abb6's eftate at Pawlowo near Vilna, tliat the happy countenance and comfortable air of thefe pea- * Called, in the Polish law, Pro incontinentia fubditorum. fants C. 7. PEASANTS. 11^ fants made them appear a different race of men from the wretched tenants of the neighbouring villages. The peafants, penetrated with a fcnft of their mafter s kindnefs, have eredcd, at their own expence, a pillar with an infcription ex« preflive of their gratitude aixi affedion. Prince Staniflau?, nephew of the king, has warmly patronized the plan of giving liberty to the peafants. His own good fenfe and natural hu- manity, improved during his rcfidence in England, by a view of tliat equal liberty which pervades every rank of men, have raifed him above the prejudices too prevalent among his countrymen : he has enfranchifed four villages not far from Warfaw, in which he has not only emancipated the peafants from their flavery, but even con- defcends to dire(5l their affairs. I had the ho- nour of holding feveral converfations with him upon this fubjed: he explained to mc, in the moft fatisfacjlory manner, that the grant of free- dom was no lefs advantageous to the lord than to the peafant, provided he is willing to fupcr- intend their conduct for a few years ; for fuch is the ignorance of the generality among the boors, arifing from their abjed flavery, and fo little have they been ufually left {o their own difcre- tion, that few at firll are equal to the proper ma- nagement of a farm. From a conviction of thefe facls, the prince, whofe knowledge and I 3 benevolence MS POLAND. B. 1. benevolence I iliall ever revere, continues his at' tention to their concerns : he vifits their cot^ tages, fuggefts improvements in agriculture, in^ ftru^ls them in the mode of rearing cattle and bees, and points out the errors into which igno- rance and incapacity occafionally betray them. The example of this prince, great by his rank, but ftill greater by his humanity, can fcarcely fail of producing its due eifed ; efpecially as he intends giving to the public a particular account of his arrangements and regulations, and will ihew how much he has increafed the value of his eftate as well as the happinefs of his peafants. Still the condition of thefe peafants is not per- manent ; for though a lord grants their freedom, yet he cannot entail it upon them, as his fuc- ceflbr may again reduce them to their original ftate of vaffalage. It is, however, in agitation to fecure the perpetuity of their liberty, when they are once rendered free ; but this meafure ia of lb delicate a nature, that it muft be intro- duced with great cautiou, and can only be the gradual work of time. In ftating the different claffes of inhabitants, the Jews muft not be omitted. This people date their introdu6tion into Poland about the time of Cafimir the Great, and as they enjoy privileges which they fcarcely pofTefs in any other country, excepting England and Holland, their numbers have c. 7. J E W S. 119 have furprizingly increafed. Lengnich iiiys of them, they "monopolize* the commerce and trade of the country, keep the inns and taverns, are ftewards to the nobihty, and feem to have fo much influence, that nothing can be bought or fold without the intervention of a Jew." Under John Sobiefki they were highly favoured, and his adminiftrationwas invidioufly called a Jewifli junto: he farmed to the Jews the royal de- mefnes ; and placed fuch confidence in them as raifed great difcontents among the nobility. After his death, an antient law of Sigifmond the Firfl was revived, and inferted in the Pacta Coivcenta of Auguftus the Second, that no Jew or perfon of low birth Ihould be capable of farm- ing the royal revenues. In fome towns, as at Cafimir, Pofen, &c. the Jews are permitted to fettle, in other places are only allowed to refide during the time of fairs, or when the dietines are aifembled ; but the laws are feldom put in force againft them. Accord- ing to the lafl capitation there were 166,871 Jews in Poland, exclufive of Lithuania, who paid the poll-tax ; but this cannot be their full complement, as it is their intereft to conceal the number of their children as much as pofTi- ble. * Pac, Con. Aug. III. p. 128. I 4 Before 120 POLAND. B. r, Before the late partition, Poland contained near 14,000,000 inhabitants*, and the pr^fent population amounts to 9,000,000. It is not unworthy of obfervation, that while the feudal laws have been gradually abolillied in other nations, and given place to a more regular ^nd juft admin iftration, yet in Poland a variety pf circumftances has concurred to preferve that mixture of liberty and oppreffion, order and anarchy, which characterized the feudal govern? inent. We niay eafdy trace in this conftitution all the ftriking features of that fyftem ; an elec- tive monarchy with a circumfcribed power; the great officers of ilate polfeiling their charges for life, and independent of the king's authority ; royal fiefs ; the great nobility albove controul ; * Bufching gives an eftimate of the population of Poland lince the partition. Hift. Mag. vpl- XVI. p. 28. Males -- - -,-----rr- 4,396,969 ■females r- 4,?98,o83 r Secular - - - 18,369-^ ' Ecclefiaftics • •< Regular - - - io,i89> - - 3I}137 ^Nuns - - - 2,5 79 ) t^,. o 5 Males - - - ^co,6i2> /;«, ^«« ^'^^ - ' • i Females - -300,867 J ' " 6°»'479 Total number of inhabitants r 9,327,668 According to a ftatement in the Hamburgh Political Journal for 1797, Poland, after the firft difmemberment, contained 7,705,972. Of her population on the final partition of the whole countiy, in 1795, the Ruffian diftrift contained 45592,544 fouls j the Pruffian, 2,075,686 i the Auftrian, 1,037,742. the C. 7. J E W S. 121 the nobles or gentry alone free and polTefling lands; feudal tenures, military fervices, and territorial jurifdiclion ; commerce degrading; oppreffed condition of the burghers ; valTalage of the peafants. In the courfe of this book I have mentioned moft of thefe evils as ftill exift- ing in Poland, and they may be confidered as the radical caufes of its decline; for they have prevented the Poles from adopting thofe ftable regulations, ^vhich tend to introduce order and good government, to augment commerce, and- increafe population. / BOOK IL CHAP. I, 5,'ntrance into Auftrian Poland.—- Limits of the dlfmembered pro-, vince. — Population and produ6tions. — Cracow. — Univerfity.— Palace. — Citadel occupied by the confederates In the late trou- bles. — Hlfl-ory of that tranfaftion. — Cathedral.— Tombs andcha- rafters of feveral Polifli fovereigns, JULY 24, 1778. We entered Poland jufl ^ beyond Bilitz, having croffed the rivulet Biala, which falls into the Viftula, and purfued our journey to Cracow through the territo- ries which the houfe of Auftria fecured in the late partition. This ceded country has, fmce the partition, changed its name, and is now incoiporated with the Auftrian dominions, under the appellation of the kingdoms of Galicia and Lodomeria, which fome antient diplomcs reprefent as fituated in Poland, and fubje6l to the kings of Hungary. But the moft convincing proof that fuch king- doms exifted, and ought by virtue of an here- ditary though dormant title, to revert to the emprefs as fovereign of Hungary, was derived from the Auftrian army ; for what people can refift an argument backed by 200^000 troops, un- lefs C. 1. POLAND. 123 lefs they can defend their fide of thp queftion by an equal number? The importance of this acquifition to the houfe of Auftria will appear from the number of inhabitants, which, in 1776% amounted to 2,580,796. The mountainous parts of Galicia and Lodomeria produce fine pafture ; the plains are moftly fandy, but abound in forefts, and are fertile in corn. The principal articles of traffic are cattle, hides, wax, and honey, and thefc countries contain mines of copper, lead, iron, and fait. We croffed only a narrow flip of Auftrian Po- land, 86 miles in length from Bilitz to Cracow, leaving on our right hand a chain of mount Cra- pak, or the antient Carpathian mountains. The country was at firft fomewhat hilly, but after- wards level, and covered with forefts. The roads were bad, the villages few and wretched, beyond defcription, the hovels, all built of wood, full of filth and mifery, and every thing wore the ap^ pearance of extreme poverty. July 0.5. At noon we arrived at the Viftula, the fouthern banks of which form the limits of the Auftrian dominions. This river being marked in the partition treaty as forming the limits between the Auftrian and Polifh territories, * Comp. Regn. Sclavoniae, Galiciae, Lodoraerias, &c. p. 66, jiote m, the 124 TRAVELS INPOLAND. E. S, the houfe of Auftria at firft conftrued the Viftula to mean the old channel of that river now dry, called the Old Viftula ; and by force of this ftraiaed interpretation included Cafimir in the difniembered province ; but foon afterwards the emprefs reftored Cafimir to the Poles, and accept- ed the Viftula as the boundary of her dominions. Having entered Cafimir by croiTmg the Viftula over a bridge, at one end of which was an Auf- trian, and at the other a Polilli centinel, we palfed the dry channel, termed the Old Viftula, by a fe- cond bridge, and arrived at Cracow. Cracow was formerly the capital of Poland, where the kings were elected and crowned, and once almoft the center of the Polilh dominions ; but is now a frontier town. Itftands in an extenftve plain, watered by the Viftula, which is broad but fliallow : the city and fubarbs occupy a large tra6lof ii'round, but fcarcelv contain 16.000* in- habitants. j\Iaiiy of the ftrcets are broad and handfome ; the great fquare is very fpacious, and has feveral weil-built houfes, once richly fur- niflied and well inhabited, but moftly now either untenanted, or in a ftate of melancholy decay. Almoft every building bears ftriking marks of ruined grandeur ; the churches alone feem to preferve their original fplendour. The • TJie city, exclufive of the fuburbs, contained in 1778 only ?S9|fouis. de\'aftation c. 1. c R A c o vr, 125 dcvaflation of this unfortunate city was begun by the Swedes at the commencement of the prd>- fent century, when it was befiegcd and taken by Charles XII. ; but the mifchiefs it fuffered from that ravager of the North, were far lefs deftruc- tive than thofe experienced during the late dread- ful commotions, when it underwent repeated fieges, and was alternately in pofTeffion of the Ruffians and Confederates. The effects of can- non, grape, and mufket-fliot, are fiill difcernible on the w^alls and houfes. In a word, Cracow exhibits the remains of a magnificent capital in ruins: from the number of fallen and fallino* houfes, it appears like a town recently facked and deferted by the enemy. The town is furrounded with high walls of brick, flrengthened by round and fquare towers, of whimfical fliapes, in the an- tient ftyle of fortification, which were built by Venceflaus^'^ king of Bohemia, during the fliort period in which he reigned over Poland. In Cracow is a lluffian garrifon of 600 men, who are ftationed at the guard-houfe in the cen- ter of the town : at all the gates a Ruffian cen- tinel {lands on one fide, and a Polifii on the other ; the citadel is wholly occupied by Ruffian troops. The univei-fity was founded and endowed hy Cafimir the Great, and improved and completed • Cracoviam muro circurndedif. lengnlch, Ili:^. Fol p. ro. I£6 TRAVELS IN P O L A I^ D. B^ ^^ by Ladiflaus Jaghellon : the number of fludents amounts to about 600 ; the Hbrary is not re- markable either for the number or rarity of the books. Among the principal obje6ts of atten- tion, the hbrarian pointed out a Turkiili book, of no intrinfic vahie ; but efteemed a curiofity becaufe found among the fpoils at the battle of Cbotzim, and prefented by John Sobiefki to the univerfity, as the memorial of a victory which faved his country from defolation, and raifed him to the throne of Poland. This univerfity was formerly, and not unjufdy, called the mo- ther of Poliih literature, as it principally fupplied the other feminaries with profeiTors and men of learning ; but its luilre has been greatly obfcured by the removal of the royal refidence to Warfaw, and ftill more by the late inteftine convulfions. In this city the art of printing was firil intro- duced into Poland by Haller ; and one of the earlieft books that iifued from his prefs, was the conftitutions and flatutes compiled by Cafmiir the Great, and augmented by his fucceffors. The charaders are Gothic, the fame as wereuni- verfally nfed at the invention of printing ; the great initial letters are wanting. The year in which this compilation was printed is not pofi- tively known ; but the publication was anterior to 1496, as it docs not contain theftatutcs palfcd by John Albert in that vear. Tlie C. I. CRACOW. 127 The moft flourifliing period of the univerfity was under Sigifmond Auguftus in the fixteenth century ; when feveral of the German reformers fled from the perfecutions of the emperor Charles the Fifth, and found an afylum in this city. They gave to the world feveral verfions of the facred writings, and other theological publica- tions, which diffufed the reformed religion over great part of Poland. The protection which Si- gifmond Auguftus afforded to men of learning of all denominations, and the uriiverfal tolera- tion which he extended to every fe6l of Chrif- tians, created a fufpicion that he was fecretly in- clined to the new church ; and it was even re- ported that he intended to renounce the catholic faith, and publicly profefs the reformed reli- gion*. Towards the fouthem part of the town, near the Viftula, the palace or citadel, furrounded with brick walls and old turrets, forms a confpi- cuous obje6l on the fummit of a rock. This pa« lace owed its origin to Ladiflaus Jaghellon ; but the greater part was demoliflied by Charles XIL in 1702, when he entered Cracow in triumph after the battle of ClilTow ; the remains confift of a few apartments, which are left in the fame flate as they exifted in the laft century. The walls of • See p. 24, one la§ TRAVEtS JN POtAND. «. 2, one apartment are decorated with paintings of tilts and tournaments ; thole of a fecond with a* reprefentation of a coronation, affirmed, by the perfon who lliewed the palace, to be that of La- dillaus the Firft, and to have been drawn in his time, but the llyie befpeaks it of more modern date ; the ciehng of a third is divided into diife- rent compartments, ornamented with grotcfque heads. All the rooms are of fine dimenfions, and exhibit remains of antient magnificence; but are totally without furniture. This palace was formerly the refidence of the Polifh fovereigns, who, from the time of Ladif- laus Loketec, were crowned at Cracow. The PoliHi and German hiftorians differ concerning the time when the title of king was firft claimed by the fovereigns of this country ; but moft pro- bably Premlilaus alTumed the regal title in 1295, and was inaugurated at Gnefna by the archbifliop of the diocefe. He was fucceeded by Ladillaus Loketec, who, offending the Poles by his capri- cious and tyrannical condu6l, was depofed be- fore his coronation; and Venceflaus king of Bohemia, who married Richfa daughter of Pre- miflaus, being elefted in his Head, was, in 1 300, confecrated at Gnefna. Ladillaus, after flying from his -country, and undergoing a ferics of ca- lamitous adventures, was at length brought to a fenfe of his mifcondu6l. Having regained the - X affedion t. '!. C H A C O W, 1'2P affection of his fubjed"3, lie was redorccl to part of I'iis dominiorxs, and recot-cred them all upon tlie demife of Vencellaus in iso.t. He p:overncd, however, for fome years without the title of kinp-; but at length, in 13<20; was crovv^ned at Cracow^, and afterwards enabled, that his fuccelTors fliould be inaugurated in the cathedral of this city ^. Since that period, the laws of Poland have ex- prefsly defignated Cracow as the place of corona- tion ; and fach was the fuperftitious attachment of the Poles to this ufage, that when John So- bielki was defirous of being crowned at Leopold, x)n account of its vicinity to the army, which he was to command againfl the Turks at the time of his election, tlie PoHlh patriots ftrongiy oppofed any innovation |; and the ceremony "svas per- formed at Cracow. Since Ladillaus, all thefuc- ceeding fovereigns have been confec rated at Cracow J, excepting the prefcnt king. Before his eleftion a deciee was iifued by the diet of con- vocation, that the coronation fliould be folem- nized at War fa w, without prejudice in future to the antient right of Cracow ; but the diadem and other regalia ufed at the coronation are ftili pre- ferved in thi^ palace. • DlugoiTius, lib. IX. p. 971. Lengnkh, HiA. Pol. p. 19—22, t Lengnich, Jus Publicum. X I do not mention Staniflaus Letzinfki, who was crowned at Warfaw, becaufe he was only a temporary iovereign, and was foon obliged to retire from Poland. yoL. 1. K The 150 TRAVELS It^ POLAND. B. 2, The apartments command an cxtenfive view of the neighbouring country, which is princi- pally a fandy plain. We noticed particularly two large barrows : one is by tradition called the burial-place of Cracus duke of Poland, who is fuppofed to have built the town in 700 ; the other is called the fepulchre of his daughter Venda, who is reported to have drowned herfelf in the Viftula to avoid a marriage with a perfon whom (lie detefted. The Avhole hiftory of Cracus and Venda is involved in impenetrable darknefs, and thefe barrows, which arc common in diiferent parts of Europe, were probably anterior to the Chriftian ^ra. The cuftora of raifmg barrows over the bodies of the deceafed was almofl uni- vcrfal in the earlier ages of the world. Homer mentions it as a common practice among the Greeks and Trojans ; Virgil alludes to it as ufual in Italy in tlie times treated of in the iEneid ; Xenophon relates that it obtained among the Perfians ; the Roman hiftorians record tliat the fame mode of interment took place among their countrymen ; and it prevailed no lefs among the antient Germans, Britons, and other nations. In general, popular tradition confers on feme favourite chara6lers in national hiftory, like Cracus and Venda, the honour of being in- terred under the moil confpicuous of thefe monu- meats. At t. 1, CRACOW. 131 At fome dirtancc from Craco^v, ^ye noticed the fortrefs of Landfkron, fituated upon a rock, ivliich the confederates poilidled during the lats troubles ; and from ^vhence they made excurfions againft the Ruffian and Pohih troops in the fer- vice of the king. By a detachment of troops from this fortrefs, the citadel of Cracow was taken by furprize ; a gallant exploit which me- rits a particular notice. The perfon Vv'ho ihewed us the palace was himfelf prefent, vvhen the Polifli troops ilTued from a fub terraneous paifage, and furprized the Rufiian garrifon, confifting of 87 men. At four in the morning a party of 76 con- federates, led by lieutenant* Bytranowfki, en- tered the palace through a common fewer, with- out being difcovered, furprifed the Ruffians, took them prifoners almoft without reliftance, • In moft of the accounts publifhed of this tranfaftion, it is faid that the confederates were led by a French officer, and that feveral Frenchmen were among them. I have related limply the account which I received from the fteward of the palace, who repeatedly affured me, that there was not one Frenchman ; and that they were led by a Polilh lieutenant, whofe name was Bytranowlki. Theltew- ard was himfelf prefent at the tranfaclion, and being no foldier, was not confined with the garrifon in the dungeon ; he had, there- fore, every opportunity of being informed of the truth : at the fame time it is poflibie, that partiality to his countr\'men might induce him to give the whole honour to the Poles. Monfieur Viof- menil is the French officer generally mentioned as leadi'ng this en* terprifmg band of confederates through the fubterraneous paflage. According to Wraxall, Chariot, a French officer, was the leader of this daring corps. Vol. U, p. 404. K 2 and 132 TRAVELS IN P O L A X D. B. ^, and made themfelvcs ir.afters of tlie citadel. One foldier having efcaped by climbing the vrali of the citadel, alarmed the Ruffians in the town, Vho, without delay, attacked the cafde, but were rcpulfed. This eveijt happened on the 2d of February l77e. The fame evening dc Choifv, in trie fervice of the confederates of Landilvi-on, acquainted with the fuccefs of the enterprize, advanced towards Cracow at the head of 800 confederates (amongft whom vvTre feveral French officers), and, after defeating a corps of kuffians, entered the citadel. But the Ruffian garrifon in the town, which before confifted of only 400 men, being reinforced, the confede- rates in the citadel fuilained a regular fiege: tliey defended themfelves three months with undaunt- ed fpirit, and capitulated upon honourable terms. Tlic fubtcrraneous paiiage through whicli the 76 confederates introduced themfelves into the pa- lace, is a drain two feet in height and one in breadth, opening without the walls near the Vif- tiila. They entered this drain, and crav/led upon their liands and knees a confiderable way, one behind another, until they emerged through a hole in the walls of the palace. Having viewed the palace, we vifitcd the ad- joining cathedral*, in whicli all the fovereigns, fi'om the time of Ladiflaus Loketec, were inter- * Lcngnich, Jus. Publ. redj C. 1. C R A C O vV. 133 red, except Louis and Ladiflaus III. ^\llofc bo- dies were depofited in Hungary ; Alexander, wlio was buried at Vilna; Henry of ValoiS; and Au- guftus the Third. The laws of Poland are as ex- prefs and minute in regulating the burial as the election and coronation of the kings, and many curious circumftances attend their inter mcnt. The body of the deceafed prince is hrft canicd to Warfaw, where it remains until the nomination of the new fovereira. It is then conduced in great ftate to Cracow, and two days before the coronation, the king elect, preceded by the great officers of ftate, with their rods of office pointing to the ground, joins the funeral procefhon, and follows the body to the church of St. Staniflaus, where the burial fervice is performed; the re- mains are then depofited in thecathedrcd adjoin- ing to the palace. It is peculiar to the laws of Poland, that the funeral of the deceafed mo- narch ffiould immediately precede tlie coro- nation of the new fovereign, and that the king, elect ffiould attend the obfequies of his prede- celTor. Hiftorlans liave fagely remarked, that this fmgular cuftom was inftituted, in order to imprefsthe new king ^viththe uncertainty of hu- man grandeur, and to remind liim of his duty, by mixing the horrois of deatli with the pomp and dignity of his nev/ ftation. But this cuftom probably took its rife from the habits of exterior K 5 homas:e.. 134 TRAVELS IN P O L A N D. B. 2, homage, which the Poles affecl to pay to their fovereign in compenfation for the fubftantial dignity they with^holcl from him. This fpirit of mock-reverence they extend beyond the grave, and while they fcarcely allow to the reigning king the fliadow of real authority, heap upon a deceafed monarch every trapping of im- perial honour. Thefepnlchresofthe kings ofPoland are not dif^ tinguiilied by peculiar magnihcence; their figures are carved in marble of no extraordinary v/ork- inanfliip, and fome are without infcriptions. I felt a ftrong fentiment of veneration on ap- proaching the aihes of Cahmir the Great, whom I confider as one of the bcft princes that ever adorned a throne. It was not, however, the mag- nificence of his reign, his warlike achievements, nor even his patronage of the arts and fciences ; but his legiflative abilities, and wonderful bene- ficence to the inferior clafs of his fubjects, that infpired reverence for his chara(51er. Cafimir was born in 1 3 lo, and in 1 333 afcended the throne of Poland, on the demife of his father Ladiflaus Loketec. The Poliili hifi:orians dwell with fingular complacency upon his reign, as the mofi: glorious and happy period of their annals ; and record with peculiar pleafure the virtues and abilities of this great and amiable monarch; nor are their praifes the echoes of flattery, for they were c. r. c R A c o w. 135 were nioftly written fubfequent to his death, when another family was feated on the throne. In pcrufmg the reign of Cafnnir, we can hardly believe that we are reading tlie hiftory of the fo- vereign of a barbarous people in the beginning of the fourteenth century : it feems as if, by the afcendency of his fuperior genius, he had anti- cipated the knowledge and improvements of fuc- ceeding and more enhghtened periods. From the moment of his acceffion his lirft care was to fecure his kingdom againft foreign ene- mies. With this view he attacked the knights of the Teutonic order, with whom Poland had been long engaged in a ftate of warfare, and compelled them to purchafe peace by the ceffion of Cuhn and Cujavia, which they had wrefted from his father. He then reduced Red RuiTia, and annexed the duchy of Mafovia to the dominions of Poland ; by which acquifitions he not only extended the frontiers of his empire, but ren- dered his dominions lefs liable to fudden in- vafion. Thefe great fucceifes did not excite in his breaft the fatal fpirit of military entcrprize ; he always confidered war as a matter of neceflity, not of choice, and the means of fafety rather than of glory*. Having fecured his frontiers, as well by victories as by treaties Avith the neigh- bouring powers, he turned his whole attention * Mitis ingenio, et quletis quam armorum appeter.tior. Florus Pol. p. 1 1 6. K 4 to 136 T R A V E L S r X POLAND. B. 2, to the interior adminiftration of his kingdom. He built feveral towns, enlarged and beautified others ; and Dlugoffius '^\ who flouriflied in the fucceeding centiny, fa3''s of him, " Poland is in- debted to Caiimir for tlie greater part of her churches, palaces, fortreffes, and towns ;" adding, in allufion to a fimilar euloQ-ium of Auo'uftus Casfar, ^' that he found Poland of w^ood, and left her of marble." He patronized letters, inftituted the academy of Craco\v, promoted induftry, and encouraged trade ; elegant in his manners, and magnificent in his court, he was oeconomical with- out meannefs, and liberal without prodigality. Cafimir was the great legillator of Poland : finding his country without written laws, he re- •\ iwed all tlie ufages and cufioms, digefied them^ Avith fome additions, into a regular code, and improved the courts of juftice. He was eafy of accels to the meaneft as M-ell as the higheft of his iubje^ls, and folicitous to relieve the peafants from the opprcifions of the nobility. Such indeed was his tendernefs to that injured clafs of men, and fo many were the privileges which he con- ferred upon them, that the nobles ufed to call him out of derifion Re.v Ritfilcorum^ (the king of the peafants;) perhaps the moil noble appellation ever bcftowed upon a fovereign, and far preferable to the titles of magnificent and great, often lavifliea father upon the perfecutors tlian the benef^6torii * Lib. IX. p. 1164. of C, 1, CRACOW. ^ 137 of mankind. Human nature is never perfect, and Cafimir was not witliout his failings; lie puflicd the i)leafures of the table to an intern pc- .Tiite excefs, and his inordinate paffion for v»o- nien led him into fomc actions, inconfiftcnt \vitli his ufual integrity. But to ufe the cxpreiTion of a Poliili hiftorian, his private failings ^\'ere redeemed by his public virtues * ; ^nd it is univcrfally allow- ed that no fovereigri more confulted the happinefs of his fubje6is, or was more beloved at home and refpecled abroad. He was throv/n from his horfeas he was hunting, and died after alliort illnefs in the 6oth year of his age, and the 40th of his reign ; car- rying to the grave the regret of his fubjects, and a claim to the veneration of pofterity. He is defcrib-* ^d as tall in his perfon, and inclined to corpulency, with a majefticafpecl, thick and curling hair, long beard, and a ftrong voice fojnewhat iifping f . Next to the j'emains of Cafnnir repofe the allies of Ladiilaus II. :j: known by the appellation of Jaghellon, the father of a race of kings called from }iim the Jaghellon hnc. He was originally * Redimens vitia virtutibus. DlugofTms. f Vir llatura elevata, corpore craflb, fronte venerabili, crine cir- eino et abimdante, barba promi'sa, voce aliquantulum bilba fed ibnora. DecefTit Cafimiriis a. 1370, fays Lengnich, cui Polonia Jeges, judicia, caltum, plurimas civitates, arces, et alia edificia, de- bet. Hift. Pol. p. 25. X He is fometimes called Ladiflau.. IV. and fometimes Ladifiaus V, i but elHmating from the time when the fovereigns of Poland affumed the regal authoritj^, he ought to be called Ladiflaus II. ** Ladiilaus inter Polonice reges illius nominis fegundus.'" Leng- jiich, Hill. Pol. p. 31. duke 138 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B.C. duke of Lithuania, and, together with his fub- jecls, a worfliipper of idols ; but having embraced Chriftianity, andefpoufed Hedwlgefecond daugh- ter of Louis, he obtained the throne of Poland. This event happened in 1386, in which year he vas publicly baptized, married, and crowned at Cracow: he died in 1434 at an advanced age, and in the 50th year of along and glorious reign. Among his pofterity, whofe bodies are depo- fited in this cathedral, the moll -memorable is Sigifmond I. a great and able monarch, the pro- tector of the arts and fciences. He is reprefented, hoAvever, as not fufficiently watchful over the royal prerogative, and yielding too eafily to the .encroachments of the nobihty, to the injury of fucceeding monarch, and detriment of the re- public. But thefe compliances admit of great palliation ; when we refle(5t, that the nobles had raifed him to the throne, and were become nearly imcontroulable by the conceffions of his imme- diate predeceflbrs. As I viewed the tomb of his fon Sigifmond Auguftus, I recolle6led, with regret and fympathy for this unhappy country, that in him terminated that hereditary influence which, during a long faccelTion of fovereigns, gave tranquillity to the diets of eleclion ; and that upon' his death all thofc troubles, which are infeparable from a crown wholly elective, burftupon the kingdom. From this period the cabals and convulfions, continu- z allv C. T. C H A C O V>\ 139 ally recurring at c^erv choice of aiiew^ fovereign, impaired the ftrength of the ftate, and the dig- nity of the throne. The Poles gradually loft their confcquence among foreign powers ; and the au- thority offucceeding kings depended more on their own perfonal abilities, and accidental cir- cumftances, than on any principle of vigour in- herent in the crown. The firft of the new fucceffion, whofe remainis are interred in this clun'ch, is Stephen Bathori^ prince of Tranfylvania, elected in 1576, upon the abdication of Henry of Valois. lie owed his ele- vation to his marriage Avith Anne daughter of Sigifmondl. ; a princefs in the 5cd year of her age, and not endowed with any winning at- tractions, had flie not brought a kingdom for her marriage portion. The epitaph upon his tomb juftly afcribes to Stephen a long catalogue of civil and military virtues. Adjoining is the fepulchre of his fiicceifors Si- gifmond III. fon of John III. king of Sweden, by Catherine daughter of Sigifmond I. ; elected king of Poland in 1 587 ; he revived, on the female fide, the Jaghellon line. He was raifed to the throne while prince royal of Sweden, and, on the death of his flither in 1 592, pofleffed both crowns; but he gradually loft all authority in Sweden, and was at length formally depofed by the ftates of that kingdom. He owed his expulfion from Sweden 1 40 TRAVELS J N P L A N D. B. '21 Sweden to his partiality for Poland, to his bi- gottcd zeal for the catliolic religion, and above all to the fuperior genius of his uncle and rival Charles IX. He expired in the 46th year of his reign, and in the 67th of his age. Near the body of Sigiimond lie thofc of his two fons ; Ladiilaus IV. elecied king of Poland upon the demife of his father, fupported the dignity of his crown with reputation and honour; and John Cafimir, a prince, whofe characier and adven- tures are too fnigular to be palTed over without particular notice. John Cafimir, fon of Sigifmond III. by Anne, fifter of the emperor Ferdinand II. was educated in his father's court ; upon wh^fe death his mo^ ther endeavoured, but Avithout effect, to procure his elc6iion in oppofition to Ladiilaus. Repulfed from the throne, he contracted a difguft to Po- limd, and undertook a journey to Spain with a view of offering his fervices to his coufm Philip IV. then at war with France. Paffmg througli Auftria and Trent into Italy, he embarked at (ienoa, in a veflel bound for Spain ; but prompted by curiofity, ventured to land incognito at Mar- feilles. Being difcovered, he Avas arrefted by order of the French court, and on account of his connexion with tlie houfe of Auftria, clofely iraprifoned for the fpace of two years *. Through * F'orus P(.lon. p, 4.3;, in- iVq, tlld C. 1. CRACOW. 141 the intcrccfllon of Ladidaus, he repaired to Iiome, and cither out of devotion or caprice, entered in- to the fociety of tlie Jeftdts; but afterwards quitted that order, and \v^as promoted to the rank of cardinal. Upon the death of Ladidaus, being abfolved from his vows by the pope, he was elected king of Poland, and, having obtained a difpenfation, married his brother's widow, Louifa ]\Iaria, daughter of the duke of Nevers, a woman of great beauty and ftill greater fpirit, who blended devotion with a Itrong propenfity to po- litical intrigues : flie was the foul of her hufoand's councils, and may be faid to have reigned over Poland, while he was onlv nominal kinc;. Such was her afcendency, that Ihe Induced him to fo- iieit the nomination of the duke of Enguien, ion of the great Conde, for his facccifor; a rneafure fo contradictory to the principles of the Poliili conftitution, as well as to his coronation oath, excited a o'cneral diicontent, and threw the kino-- dom into tlie mod violent commotions. The reign of John Cafimir was a6tive and tur- bulent, memorable for the revolt of the Coffacs of the Ukraine, for the unfiiccefsful Avars with Sweden, and for the infurrections of the nobility. Though, fo far from being deficient in military courage, that in every defperate emergency he commanded his troops in perfon ; though, to ufe his own expreffion, " he was the firft to attack, and 142 TRAVELS IN P O L A ISMJ. B. 2. and the laft to retreat*;" yet as he preferred peace to war, and \\' anted the cnterprizing fpirit of his brothe?-, he was acciifed by the Poles of indolence and pufillanimity. His political faga- city appears from his prediction, that Poland, en- feebled by anarchy and the licentioufnefs of the nobles, would be difmembered by the neighbonr- ing powers. Worn out at length witli the cares of royalty, iliocked at the diilreiTed ftate of the kingdom, difcontented with the nobility, aftli6t- cd at the death of his wife, and impelled by the verfatility of his difpofition, he abdicated the throne in the £Oth year of his reign, and in the 6Sth of his age. This extraordinary event took place on the £7th of Auguft, in the year 1668, before a general diet aflembled at Warfaw : the fcenc was affeding, the condu6l of the king manly and refolute, and his fpcech upon that event is a fine piece of pathetic eloquence f . Soon after his abdication he retired into France, and again embraced the ecclefiaftical profeflion. Louis XIV. who prided himfelf in affording an afylum to abdicated fovereigns, gave him the abbeys of St. Germain and St. JMartin, Avithout which he would have had no means of iubfiftence; as Poland foon wdth-held his penfion ; a proof * " FAim me effe, qui primus in prasliis, poftremus in difcrimine et receflu."" Zaluiki Ep. vol. I. p. 57. f See Zalufki Epiil. v. I. p. 57- that C. 1. C R A C O \\\ 14S that the tears ilied at his abdication were not fincere. Notwithftanding liis ecclefiaftical en- gagements, John Cafimir could not withftand the attractions of jMarie Mignot, a woman, who, though originally a laundrefs, had married firil a counfellor of Grenoble, and afterwards the mar- quis de L'Hofpital. John Cafimir was fufpecied of liaving fecretly efpoufed her. He is reprefented, by thofe who knew him in his retirement, as eafy and familiar in converfation, and difpleafed with receiving any honours due to his former rank *. He furvived his abdication only four years, and died at Nevers on the i6th of December, 1672. His body was brought to tliis city, and buried in the cathedral at the fame time with that of his fucceffor Michael, the day before the coro- nation of John Sobiefki. Approaching the remains of John Sobiefki, I recollected that when Charles XII. of Sweden en- tered Cracow he vifited thefe tombs, as a mark of refpe6l to the memory of that great monarch : he is reported, as he hung with reverence over his tomb, to have exclaimed, "Whatapity that fo great a man ihould ever die !" May we not alfo exclaim, what a pity that a perfon fo imprelTed with a fcnfe of Sobiefki's merits fhould adopt only the military part of his charader for the obje6l of imitation ! How infinitely inferior is the Swedifli to the Po- * vie de Sobiefki, I. p. 135. Ml 144 TRAVELS I >J !» (^ L A N D. t. ^: lidi fovereign ! Charles, dead to all the finer feel- ings of humanity, was awake only to the calls of glory; every other fentiment was loft in the ardour for niilitary honours. If Dcrfonai courao'e be fulTicient to conftitute a hero, he poffelfed that quality in an eminent degree ; but it was rather the bravery of a foldier than the courage of a general. Sobiefki, even in that view of his charader, has an equal title to fame ; for his va- lour was no lefs diftinguiihed, and in one refpeft fuperior, as it was not clouded witli raflmefs, but tempered with prudence. Though the firil ge- neral of his age, he placed not his fole ambition- in military glory ; he was great in peace as well as in wd.Y : by the union of military and political talents, he defended his country in impending- danger, raifed her from Tier falling ftate, and de- layed the cera of her decline ; while Charles de- ficient in civil virtues, plunged Svv'eden, which he found highly profperous, into ruin and defo- iation. In a word, 'Charles poffeiTed the enthu- fiafm of a knight-errant^ and SobiefKi the virtues of an hero *. Near Cracow are ihe remains of an old ftruc- ture, called the palace of Calimir the Great, which my veneration for his memory induced me to vi- fit. In the inner court are the remains of a cor- * See an account of Sobielki's death snd fiimily, Chap. IV. of ':bi:> book. ridore C. 1. C R A C O W. 145 ridore with pillars of the Doric order ; and upon a fide ^V3\\ I obferved the white-eagle of Poland carved in ftone, and around it an infcription fo much defaced that I could only make cut Ann. Dom. M. C C C LX VII, which anfwers to the a^ra of Cafimir, who died in 13 70. Several marble columns were fcattered around, which fliewed the antient magnificence of the building. The greater part of the fabric was evidently of later date than the reign of Cafimir, and probably con- ftruded by fucceedingTovereigns upon the foun- dation of the antient palace; perhaps by Stephen Bathori, from the infcription, Stephanus Dei gratia, which I traced ; and alfo by Sigifmond III. as I difcovered his cypher with the wheat-lheaf, the arms of Guftavus Vaili, from whom he was lineally defcended. This palace Vv'as the principal refidencc of Ca- fimir : in the garden is a barrow called the tomb of Efi;her the^ fair Jewefs, and favourite mifirefs of that monarch. To her influence the Jews are fuppofed to owe their numerous privileges in Po- land, which is called the Paradife of the Jews. But when the character of Cafimir is confidered, it will appear probable, that they Arere indebted for their favourable reception more to his policy than to his affection for his mifireis ; for in thole ^imes the Jews were the richeft and m.oft com- iiiercial individuals in Europe: by allowing them, VOL. I. L ^ therefore, 146 TRAVELS I ^ If^ O L A N D. S. 2, therefore, to fettle in Poland, and by granting them extraordinary imn^unities, he introduced trade and wealth into his dominions. The Jews are extremely numerous, and have engroifed al- moil the whole commerce of the country ; yet their flourilliing ftate mull not be attributed folely to the edicts of Cafimir in their favour ; but to their induftry, to the indolence of the gentry^ siud the opprefled condition of the peafants. C. 2. DRESS. 147 CHAP. 2. ^I'locle of faluting and drefs of the Poles. — Account of the fait- mines of Wielitflca. — Their extent and produce. — Journey to Warfaw. THE Poles feem a lively people, and ufe much aftion in their ordinary converfatiou. Their common mode of faluting is to incline the head, and ftrike the hreaft vrith one hand, while they ftretch the other towards the ground ; but when a common pcrfon meets a fuperior, he bows liis head almoit to the earth, waving at the fame time his hand, with which he touches the leg, near the heel, of the perfonto whom he pays his obeifance. The men of all ranks e-enerallv wear v/hiflcers, and iliave their heads, leaving only a circle of hair upon the crown. The fummcr drefs of the pcafants confifis ofafhirtand draw- ers of coarfe linen, without ihoes or ftockings, and round caps or hats. The women of the lovrer clafs wear upon their heads a v/rapper of vrhite linen, under which their hair is braided, and hangs down in two plaits. I obfervcd feveral v/ith a long piece of white linen thrown over their heads, and reaching belov/ their knees : in tills fmgular kind of veil they appear as if doing prnunce J. - The 1 4S TRAVELS I N ? O L A Iv li. ■ B, ^. The die is of the higher orders, both men and •'.romen, is extremely elegant. That of the gen- tlemen is a ^vaiftcoat with ileeves, with an upper robe of a different colour, which reaches below the knee, atid is faftened round the waift with a laili or girdle ; the fleeves are in warm weather tied behind the fhoiriders : in fummer, the robe i.^ of filk ; in winter, of cloth, velvet, or ftuffj edged with fur ; a fabre is a neceifary appendage of the drefs as a mark of nobility. They Avear fur- caps or bonnets, and buflvins of yellow leather, the heels of which are plated with iron or fteeh The dreis of the ladies is a fnnple polonaife, or long robe, edged with. fur. The Poles in their features, look, cuftoms, drefs, and general appearance, refemble Afiatics ir.ther than Europeans, and are unqueftionably dcfecnded from Tartar anceftors. A German hifloiian'*, well verfed in the antiquity of nati- ons, remarks, that the manner in which the Poles wear their hair is a ftriking token of their ori- gin. So eaily as the fifth century, fome nations, comprehended under the name of Scythians, had the fame cuftom. For Prilcus Rha^tor, who ac- conipanied Maximus in his embaffy from Theo- dofms II. to the court of Attila, defcribes a Scv- thian cliicf, whofe head was iliaved in a circular ibrin f, a mode fnnilar to the prefent fafhion in Poland. * Mafcow. f Capite in rotundum rafo. Eeiorc €.2. SALT MIXES OF V/IELITSKA. 149 Before we quitted this part of Poland, we vi- frted the celebrated falt-mines of Wielitika, ex-r cavated in a ridge of hills at the northern extie- niity of the chain which joins the Carpathian mountains : they take their appellation from the fmali village of Wielitil^a ; but are fometimes called in foreign countries the mines of Cracoy/, from their vicinity to that city. Upon our arrival at AVielitfka we repaired to the mouth of the mine *. Havino; faftened three feparate hamm.ocks round the great rope employ- ed in drawing up the fait, we feated ourfelves ia a commodious manner, and were gently let down 160 yards below the firft layer of fait. Quitting our hammocks, we paiTed a long and gradual de^ fcent, fometimes through broad paifages or gal^. Icries capable of admitting feyeral carjiagcij -abreaft ; fometimes down fteps cut in the folid fait; which had the grandeur and commodioufr nefs of the flair-cafe in a palace. V/e each car- ried a light, and feveral guides preceded u§ witii lam.ps, the refleclion of which from the glittering fides of the mine was extremely beautiful ; but did not caft that luminous fplendour, vrhich forr^e writers compare to the lufire of precious ftones. The fait is called Ziebna or Green Salt, tiiough .the colour is iron g-xty, and " wlieji pounded f There are two other openings, down one of '.Thich the ir.iners Ai'.kcwc. by fiairs, down the other by ladders. L s appears 150 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. L'. appears like our brown fait. The quality im- proves in proportion to the depth. Towards the fides and furface it is mixed with earthy or ftony particles ; lower it is faid to be pure, and to require no procefs before it is ufed. The fined of this grey fait, hovv^ever, is of a weak quality when com- pared with our common fea-falt : it is therefore undoubtedly hy no means pure, but blended with extraneous particles, though it ferves for com- mon purpofes. Being almoft as hard as ftone, the miners hew it v/ith pick-axes and hatchets, by a tedious operation, into large blocks, many of which weigh {ix or feven hundred pounds. Thefe mafies are raifed by a windlafs,; but the fmaller pieces are conveyed up by horfes along a wind- ing* gallery, which reaches to the furface of the earth. Befide the grey fpecies, the miners fome- times difcGver fmall cubes of white fait, as tranf- parent as chryftal, but not in any confiderable quantity : they find occafionally pieces of coal and petrified wood buried in the fait. The mine appears inexhauilible, as will eafily be conceived from the account of its dimenfions. The known breadth is 1115 feet, length 669 1, and depth 743 ; and the befi; judges on the fpot fup- pofe, with great probability, this folid body of fait to branch into various dire6^iions, the extent of which is unknown. Our guide pointed out to us, what he confi- dcred C. 2. SALT MINES OF WIELITSKA. 151 dered as the moft remarkable curioiity of the place, feveral fmall chapels excavated in the fait, in which mafs is faid on certain days. One ox thefe chapels is 30 feet long and 25 broad ; the altar, crucifix, ornaments of the church, and ftatues of feveral faints, are ail carved out of the fait. Many of the excavations or chambers are of an immenfe fize ; fome are propped with tim- ber, others by vaft pillars of fait : feveral of large dimenfions are without fupport in the middle. I remarked one in particular, which was SO feet in height, and fo extremely long and broad, as almofl to appear v/ithout limits, amid the fub- terraneous gloom. The roofs of thefe vaults are not arched, but flat. The immenfe fize of the chambers, with the fpacious pafiages or galle- ries, together with the chapels, and a few flieds for horfes, probably gave rife to the exaggerated accounts of fome travellers, that thefe mines con- tain feveral villages inhabited by colonies of mi- ners, who never fee the light. There is certainly room fufficient; but the miners liave no dwel- lings under ground, as they do not remain below more than eight hours at a time, \\'hen they are relieved by others. We found thefe mines without damp or moifture ; obferving only in our whole progrefs one fmall fpring of vrater, v/hich is impregnated vrith fait. Such an enormous mafs of fait exhibits a won- L 4 derful 152 T R A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B.C. derful phcenomenon in the natural liiftory of the globe. According to Guetard, who vi^ fited thefe mines, and publiilied a treatife upon the fabjeci:, the uppermofl bed of earth at the furface is fand; the fecond clay, occafionally mixed with fand and gravel, and containing pe- trifactions of marine bodies ; the third calcareous ftone ; from which circumllances he conje6lures that this fpot was formerly covered by the fea, and that the fait is a gradual depofit formed by evaporation*. Thefe mines have been worked above 600 years, for they are mentioned in the Polish an- nals fb early as 123 7, under Boleflaust the Chafte. The profits were long appropriated to the king's privy purfe, and, before the partition, yielded annually ;^\ 97,222 fterling. They are now fituated within the province which the Em- peror difmembered, but the profits are much di- miniflied ; for the Auftrian commifrioners impru- dently raifed the price of fait, conceiving that Poland could not cxift without drawing fait as ufual from Wielitfka, and would therefore be obiiged to receive it at any price. This mode of proceeding offending the Poles, the kiug of Prullia imported large quantities of fait, which * Cce Memoire fur les Mines de Sel de Wielitfka in Hift. de TAcad. des Sciences for 1^62. ■f Len£;nigh, Jus Pub. vol. I. p. 249. he C. ^, J O U R X L Y TO W A R S A \\\ l55 he procured chiefly from Spain, to Dantzic, Meinmel, and Koningfburg, from whence it was conveyed up theViftula into the interior pro- vinces. By thefe means he furnifhed great part of Poland with fait, at a cheaper rate than the inhabitants could procure it from the houfe of Auflria ; and in 1 778 the mines of Wiehtlka only fupplied the diftricls which immediately border upon Auftrian Poland, I never faw a road fo barren of interefting fcenes as that from Cracow to Warfaw ; through- out the whole tract not a fmgle object prefents itfelf which can draw the attention of the moil inquifitive traveller. The country v/as level, with little variation of furface, chiefiy over- fpread with vaft tracls. of gloomy forefi, and even wl'fere it was more open, the diftant horizon was always flvirted vrith wood. The trees vvere chiefly pines and hrs, intermixed withbeech, birch, and fmall oaks ; occafional breaks in the foreft pre- fented fome pafcure ground, with here and there a few meagre crops of corn. A forlorn ftillnefs and folitade prevailed almoft through the whole extent, with few fy mptoms of an inhabited, and ftiil lefs of a civilized country. Though -we tra- verfed the high road from Cracow to "VVarfaw, in the courfe of 25 8 miles v/e m.et only two car- riages and a dozen carts. The country vras equally thin of human habitations : a i^w wooden villages 154 TRAVELS Ii;r POLAND. B. 2* villages fuccceded one another at long intervals, whofe niiferable appearance correfponded with the wretchedneis of the furroimding country. In thefe groupes of huts, the only places of re-* ception for tr?cvellers v/ere hovels, belonging to Jews, totally deditute of furniture and every fpecies of accommodation. We could feldom procure any other room but that in which the fa- mily lived ; in the article of provifion, egg^ and milk were our greateil luxuries, and could not always be obtained ; our only bed was ftraw thrown upon the ground, and we deemed our- felves happy when we could procure it clean. Even we, v/l;o v/ere by no means delicate, and who had been long accuftomed to all kinds of inconveniences, found ourfclves diftreffed in this land of defolation. In mod other countries we fufpended our journey during night, that no fcene might efcape our obfervation ; yet here we even preferred continuing our route without in- termiilion, to the penance we endured in thefe re- ceptacles of filth and penury ; and have reafon to believe, that darknefs deprived us of notliing but the fight of indifferent crops of corn, gloomy forefts, and objc6is of human nrlfcry. The na- tives were poorer, humbler, and more miferable, than any people we had yet obferved in tlie courfe of our travels : wherever we flopped, they flocked around us in crouds, and deif^ianded chanty v»ith the moil abject gefturcs. The C. ^. JOURNEY TO WARSAW. 155 The road bore as few marks of indufiry as the country which it inteiiects. It was beft where it was fandy ; in other parts it was fcarcely paffable, and, in the mariliy grounds, was raifed with fticks and boughs of trees thrown promifcuoufly upon the furface, or formed by trunks of trees laid crofsways. After a tedious journey we at length approached Vv'arfaw ; but the roads being neither more paffable, nor the country better cultivated, and the fuburbs chiefly confiiling of the fame wooden hovels which compofe the villages, we had no fufpicion of being near the capital of Poland, until we arrived at the gates. loo TRAVELS I N P O L A N D. B. 2. CHAP. 3. Defcription of Warfaw.— Prefentation to the king of Poland.— . Palace.— Portraits of the kings.r-Literary fociety. — Entertain- ment at the ro)'al vilia, in prince Poniatonfici's garden. — Fete champetre given at Povoniki by the princefs Zartorifka. 'T^IiE fituation of Vv'^arfaw is not unpleafant: -^ it is built partly in a plain, and partly on a gentle afcent riling from the banks of the Viftula, which i§ about as broad as the Thames atWeftmin^ ft-ners. The whole town has a nielan- choly appearance, exhibiting that ftrong contraft of wealth and poverty, luxury and diftrefs, which pervades, every part of this unhappy country. The ftrcets are fpacious, but ill-paved, and are Icarcely lighted with a fiUgie lamp ; the churches ari,d public buildings large and magnificent ; the palaces of the pobility nunrerous and fplendid ; but tlie greater part of the houfeS; particularly in the fuburbs, are mean and ill-confirucfed wooden hoveli. Aiiguft '2, The Engliili miniftcr, Yiw Wrouglf- ton, being in the country, v. c carried our letters of iiiiiiiiiMiiEiii l),NiWl.J,i,::'r,/i/„r/.' C; 3; - WARS A W* 157 of recommendaLioii to Count Rzcwuflvi, great marflial of the crown, who received us with much civihty, and appointed Sunday morning to pre-, fcnt us at the levee. At that time we repaired to court, and were admitted into the audience- chamber, which was decorated Vvith the b nils of Elizabeth of England, Henry IV. of France, John Sobiefki, and the emrirefs of Ruffia. At length the king made his appearance, and we were prefented. Kis majefty talked to each of us a confiderable time in tlie moll obliging manner ; he paid a warm eulogium to the Engn lifli nation, mentioned his refidence in London with great fat isfa el ion, and concluded by invit- ing us to flipper in tlie evening, of vvhich ho- nour.we had previous intimation from the great marflial. Staniflaus Auguftus is handfonie in his pcrfGr., with an expreiiive countenance, a dark com- plexion, Roman no fe, and penetrating eye : he is uncommonly pleafaig in his addrds, and poffeiTcs great fweetnefs cf condefcenlion, tempered Vv'itii uio-nitv. He had on a full-dreffed fuit. which cir- CD V ■' cumfiance I mention, becaufe he is the firft king of Poland who did not wear the national habit, or I'have liis head after the Poliili cuftom. His exam- ple lias many imitators, and I was much furprized to fee fo few of the chief nolniity in the national garb. The natives hov/ever in general are fo at- tache^ 158 T R A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B. 2, tached to this drefs, that in the laft diet of convo- cation it was propofed to infert in the Pacta Con^ venta an article obiisrins: the kins; to wear the Po- lilh garment; but this motion was over-ruled, and he was permitted to confult his own tafte. At his coronation he laid afide the antient regal ha- bit of ceremony, and appeared in robes of a more modern fa^fliion, with his hair flowing upon his flioulders^. At the conclufion of the levee we vifited the apartments of the palace: it Avas built by Sigif- mond IIL and has fmce been the principal refi- dence of the Polifh m.onarchs. The palace Hands upon a rifmg ground at a fmall diftance from the Yiilula, and commands a fine view of that river and of the adjacent country. Next to the au- dience-chamber is an apartment fitted up with marble, which the king lias dedicated, by an infcription, to the memory of his predeceiTors : Regiim Memorue dicavit Staniflaus Aiigiifius * The king feems to liave a6led in this inftance v/ith great indif- cretioh, in rejetling the national drefs, to which the Poles, tena^ cious of their antien^ cuftoms, were extremely attached. Stanif- laus was not infenfible of the comelinefs of his perfon, and was un- willing to defpoil himfelf of his long and flowing hair ; he there- fore obtained a certificate from the phyficians, allerting, that the lofs of his hair would affe6l his health. The fafhion of his robes •was new-modelled, like thofe of the kings of France, made of vel- vet and ermine, and ornamented with the ficurs de lis. Thefe de- viations from the antisnt coftume rendered the king extremely un- pQpular. hvcc^ C. 3. W A R S A W, 159 hocce monumentu77iy 1771. The portraits of the fovereigns are ranged in chronological order: the feries hegins from Boicilaus, and is carried down to his prefent majefty, -vvhofe pi(5lure is not yet finiilied. Thefe heads are all painted by Bacciarelli, and well executed ; the portraits of the earlier kings are fketched from imagination ; but that of Laciifiaus 11. and moft of his fuccef- forSj are copied from originals. They altoge- ther produce a pleafing efFeCl, and may be con- fidered as an agreeable fpecies of genealogical table. In this apartment the king gives a dinner every Thurfday to the men of letters who arc moft confpicuous for learning and abilities ; his majefty himfelf prefides at table, and takes the lead in the graces of converfation as much as in rank. The perfons admitted to this fociety read occaf onally treatifes upon different topics of hif- tory, natural phiiofophy, and other mifcellaneous fubjeds ; and, as a code of laws was compiling for the purpofe of being prefented to the next- diet, parts of that code, or obfervations relative to iegiflation in general, and the conftituticn of Poland in particular, are introduced. The king zealoufly encourages all attempts to refine his native tongue, which was much negle6ted during the reigns of his two predeceiibrs, who were ignorant of the Polifh language. Poetry, of which he is extremely foud^ is much cultivated at 160 TRAVELS IN P L A N D. B. 2. at tliefe meetings. The adjoining apartment vas hung' with the portraits of the principal members of the fociety. In obedience to the kin2:'s condefcendin.o- invi- tation, we proceeded, in the evening, to a royal villa, fituated in themidft of a delightful v/ood, in the vicinity of Warfaw. It conlifts of a faloon, and four other apartments upon the firft floor, together wuth a bath, from which it takes tlie name of la Maifon de Bain: above are the fame number of rooms,, each fitted up in the moft ele^ gant manner. The king received us in the fa- loon with extreme affubiiity : his brother and two of his nephev/s were prefent, and a few nobility of both fexes, who generally compofe his private parties. There Avere two tables for whift, and thofe Avho were not engaged at cards walked about, or ftood at different fides of the room, while the king, who feldom plays, converfed occafionally with every one. At half an hour after nine, fupper being announced, we followed the king into an adjoining apartment, v>^here was a fmall round table with eight covers ; the fupper confifted of one courfe and a defert. His ma- jefty fat down, but eat nothing ; he took a con- fiderabie ihare in the converfation, without wholly engroffmg it. After fnpper we repaired to the faloon, part of the company returned to cards, v»'hile w c. out of refpctt to the king, continued ^ ftanding, C. 3. W A R S A W. 161 Handing, until his majefty propofcd fitting down, adding, " we fhall be more at our eafe chatting round a table." We accordingly feated ourfelves, and the converfation lafted, with perfe^l eafe, till midnio'ht, wlien the kins; retired. Before he withdrew, he ordered a nobleman of the party to condud us to every obje6l in Warfaw worthy of a ftranger's curiofity. This extraordinary degree of attention penetrated us with gratitude, and proved a prelude to ftill greater honours. Auguil 5. We had the honour of dining with his majefty at the fame villa, and experienced the fame eafe and affability of reception. The king had hitherto talked French, but he now did me the honour to converfe in Englifh, which he fpeaks remarkably well. He expreffcd a flattering predileclion for our nation, and furprized me by his exacl knowledge of our conftitution, laws, and hiilory ; all his remarks were pertinent, juft, and rational. He is familiarly converfant with our beft authors, and his enthufiaftic admiration of Shakcfj)eare gave me a convincing proof of his intimate acquaintance with our language, andtafte for the beauties of genuine poetry. He inquired much about the ftate of arts and fciences in Eng- land ; and fpoke ^viih raptures of the prote6lion which our fovereign gives to the arts and to every fpecies of literature. After we had taken our leave, we drove round the wood to feveral other villas, VOL. I. M in 162 T B A V E LS I N P O L A N r>. B. 2. in which the king occafionally refides. They are all conftmded in different ftyles with great tafte and elegance. His rnajefty is fond of archi- tecture, and draws the plans for the buildings, and even the defigns for the interior decorations. In the evening we had the pleafure of meeting liis rnajefty at his brother's, prince Poniatoufki, who gave us a moft elegant entertainment at a garden fituated near his villa, and richly orna- mented with buildings. The tafte of the Polifli nobility is not Gontrouled by want of materials ; for if they cannot procure them from nature, they make a reprefentation of them by art. In the prefent inftance, as there are no quarries of ftone iiear Warfaw, the prince has fubftituted a com- {)ofition fo nearly refembling ftone, that the moft minute obferver can fcarcely difcover the dif- ference. We arrived at the garden about nine: it was a delightful evening, fuccceding one of the moft fultry days we had experienced this fummer. After walking about the grounds, v/e came to a grotto of artificial rock, where a fpring of v/ater trickled down the fides, and fell into a bafon with a pleafing murmur. We were fcarcely af- fembled in this delightful fpot, when the king- made his appearance : we rofe up to meet him ; the ufual compliments being palfcd, we attended his rnajefty about the grounds, and then returned to C. 3. W A R S A W. 168 to the grotto, ranging ourfelves upon a bank co- vered with mofs. Tlie moon was now rifen, and added greatly to the beauty of the fcene. I hap- pened to be feated next to the king (for all ce- remony was banilhed) who talked with me as ufual, in Englifh, on the arts and fciences, lite- rature, and hiftory. In the courfe of the con- verfation I ventured to inquire concerning the poetry in the Polifh language. His majefty faid, " We have fome lighter pieces of poetry, by no means contemptible, and an indifferent epic poem ; but the work of chief poetical excel- lence in our tongue is a fme tranflation of the Gerufalemme Liberata of TalTo, far fuperiot to any tranflations of that admirable poem in other languages ; fome Italians of tafle and judgment have efteemed it not much inferior to the original performance." I then turned the converfation to the hiftorical productions ; when the king in- formed me, that they had no good hiftory of their countrv in Polifli, which he deemed a national refledion, though he flattered himfelf it would foon be removed, as a perfon of genius and erudition*, admirably calculated for the un- dertaking, • Narufzewicz, bifhop of Smolenflco. In 1785, he had already printed the zd, 3d, 4th, and 5th volumes. He poftponed prioting his firft volume, until he had received farther documents from Rome ; for this reafbn the work was not then publilhed. The fe- cond volume begins with Miciflaus I j and the fifth ends with the M 2 death 1 64 T R A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B. !2. dertaking, was employed in that work. Expref- fing my furprize at tliis circiimftance, wliich is almoft peculiar to Poland, his majefty obferved, " we have feverai excellent hiftorians, but they have all written in Latin, the knowledge of which language," his majefty remarked, " is ge- neral * ; the earlieft laws are drawn up in Latin until the reign of Sigifmond Auguftus, when they began to be compofed in the vernacular lan- guage ; the old Pacta Conxenta are all in Latin; thofe of Ladiflaus IV. being the firft that appear- ed in PoliHi." This interefting converfation was interrupted by the prince, who propofed a turn in the garden before fupper: he led the way, and the company followed ; pafiing through a fub- terraneous palfage, long and ^\ inding, with here and there a fingle lamp, which ilied a glimmer- ing light, we came at length to a wooden door, which fcemed the entrance of a hovel ; it opened, and difcovered a fuperb rotunda, with an elegant dome of the mofl beautiful fym^ metry, illuminated with innumerable lamps ; in death of Ladiflaus Loketec, in 1333. The fixth, which was in the prefs, contains the reign of Cafimir the Great, and the feventh will comprife the interregnum which followed the death of Cafimir, the reign of Louis, and the fubfequent interregnum, to the election of Ladiflaus Jaghellon. • I had feverai opportunities of remarking the prevalency of the Latin tongue in Poland; when Ivilited the prifons I converfed in that language with a common foldier, who ftood guard at the en- trance: he fpoke it with great fluency. the C. 3. W A R S A W. 1(]5 the circumference were four open receffes be-^ tween pillars of artificial marble^:" the recclTes contained fophas, with paintings in frefco, re- prefenting the triumphs of Bacchus, Silenus, Love, and the viftoiy of the Emprefs of Ruffia over tlie Turks. Wliile we were admiring the beauty of the rotunda, our ears were fuddenly regaled with a concert of exquifite mufic from an invifible band, and a magnificent table was fpread with fuch expedition, as to refemble the effecfs of enchantment. We fat down to fupper with the king, the prince, and a chofen com- pany. Our fpirits were elevated by the beauty of the faloon, by the hofpitality of the prince, ^nd by the affalnlity of the king ; who, fo far from being a conftraint to the fociety, greatly enlivened it by his vivacity, and feemed the foul of the party. I never palTed a more agreeable evening; the converfation was animated and ra-* tional ; while the focial cafe, which diflufed it- felf through every part of the company, realize^ this convivial picture ; La Liberie convive aimahle Met les deux coudes fur la tabk'\. * Thefe pillars are of the fame compoCtlon and colour with thofe of the Pantheon in Oxford -Street, f Voltaire. >;i 3 Even 166 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B.2. Even without the luftre of a crown, which is apt to dazzle our judgment, the king of Poland would be efteemed one of the mofi; agreeable and polite gentlemen in Europe ; he has a furprizing fund of interefting convei*fation, and I never had the honour of accefs to his company without being both informed and delighted. His ma- jeily did not retire until one o'clock, when the company feparated, and we returned to Warfav/, highly delighted with our evening's entertain- ment. I have had frequent occafion to mention the elegance and luxury of the Polifh nobility in their houfes and villas ; in their decorations and furniture they feem to have happily blended the Englifli and French modes; in their entertain- ments they are exquifitely refined, and as they fpare no expence, and have a good tafle, they generally fucceed in creating pleafure and fur- prize. We every day experienced the agreeable effe^ls of their hofpitality and politenefs ; but by none were we fo elegantly regaled as by the princefs Zartorifka in a fete cJiampetre^ of which I Hiall attempt a defcription. Povonfki, tlie villa of prince Adam Zartorifki, is three miles from Warfaw in the midft of a fo- reft ; the fituation is almoft level, with here and there a gentle flope, which produces an agree- able t, 3, W A R S A W. 167 able variety. The grounds are laid out in the Engliih tafte, with a beautiful intermixture of lawn and wood ; walks are cut through the wood, and carried along the banks of a lively ftream. The houfe, which ftands upon a gentle rife, has the appearance of a cottage, conftru6ted like thofe of the peafants, with trunks of trees piled upon each other, and thatched with ftraw : be- fide the principal building, there are feparate cot* tages for the children and attendants, each with its inclofures and a fmall garden; this group of ftru6tures bears the refeinblance of a fcattered hamlet Other buildings, fuch as fummer- houfes, pavilions, ruftic flieds, and ruins, are difperfed through the grounds ; and the fiables are conftru6ted in the form of a half-demoliflied amphitheatre. Several romantic bridges, rudely compofed of the trunks and bent branches of trees, contribute to heighten the rufticity of the fcenery. On our arrival we repaired to the principal cot- tage, where the princefs was ready to receive us. We expected the infide to be furniflied in the fim- pie ftyle of a peafant's hovel ; but were furprized to find every fpecies of elegant magnificence which riches and tafte cauld colled. All the apartments are decorated in the moft coftly man- lier j but the fplendour of the bath-room is pe- M 4 cuharly 168 TRAVELS I N P O L A N D. B. 2. culiarly ftrikiiig; the fides are covered with fmall fquare pieces of Drefden porcelain, orna- mented with an elegant fprig ; and the border and cieling are painted in beautiful feftoons. The expence of fitting up this apartment muft have been prodigious ; as each piece of china coft at Drefden three ducats*. Having fur- veyed all the apartments, we proceeded to an inclofure near the houfe, furrounded with large blocks of granite and fallen trees placed in tlie rnoft natural and pi6Uirefque manner ; here we drank tea upon the lawn. From thence we re- paired to the cottages inhabited by the chikUen, which are fitted up in different ftyles, but with equal elegance. After walking round the grounds, the company adjourned to a Turkiih tent of rich and curious workmaniliip, pitched in a retired field near the ruined amphitheatre. This tent belonged to the grand-vizier, and was taken during the late war between the Ruffians and the Turks : within was a fettee, and a carpet fpread upon the ground. Here we remained converfmg until dufk, when the princefs propofed returning; flie led us through the houfe to a fmall fpot of rifmg ground, where we were fuddenly itruck with a molt beau- tiful illumination. A rufiic bridge, of a fmgle arch, thrown over a broad piece of water, was * About il. 7 s. 6d. ftudded C. 3. W A R S A W. 169 ftudcled with feveral thoufand lamps of different colours; the reflexion was fo ftrong as to deceive the eye, and gave it the appearance of a bril- liant circle fiifpendcd in the air. While we flopped to admire this delightful fcene, a band of mufic ftruck up at a little diftance, and amufed us with an excellent concert. We were led from this enchanting fpot, acrofs the illu- minated bridge, to a thatched pavilion, open at the fides, and fupportcd by pillars ornamented withfeftoons of flowers; we found within a cold collation, and fat down to a table covered wirh all kinds of delicacies, with the moft coftly wines, and almoft every fpecies of fruit which art or nature could furnifli. The evening was delightful, the fcenery pi6turefque, the fare de- licious ; the company in good fpirits; for who could be otherwife, when every circumftance, which the tafte and ingenuity of our fair hoftefs could invent, confpired to heighten the enter- tainment? The collation being ended, we rofe from table, which I concluded to be the clofe of the enter- tainment, but was agreeably difappointed : the gardens were fuddenly illuminated ; we ranged about as fancy dilated, and were gratified with the found of wind inftruments in different paits of the grounds. AVc repaffed the bridge, and returned into the cottage, when the two eldeft daughters 170 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. «, daughters of the princefs, habited in Grecian dreffes of elegant fnnplicity, performed a Polifli and Coffac dance ; the former ferious and grace- ful, the latter comic and lively. The eldeft foti, a boy eight years of age, next performed a hornpipe with great agility, and afterwards a dance in the ftyle of the Polifh peafants with much humour. It was now pad two in the morn* inir : but as there mull be an end of all fublunary joys, we took our leave, expreffmg our thanks and gratitude in language inadequate to our feel- ings. Imagination can fcarcely form a fett champetre fo elegant, and I am perfuaded it will feldom fall to the lot of the fame perfon to par- take of fuch a pleafmg entertainment twice m his life. The day before our departure we dined with the bifhop of Plotfko, the king's brother, at his palace of Jablonifka, fituated eight miles from Warfaw, near the banks of the Viftula, con- llructed after the defign, and at the expence, of the king. One of the apartments, called the Turkifli faloon, is remarkable for its elegance and Angularity ; it is in the Oriental tafte, of an oblong ihape, very lofty, with a fountain in the middle, furrounded Avith a parterre of flowers ; between the parterre and fides of the room are ranges of Turkifli fophas. The variegated tints and rich fragrance of the flowers, joined to the ^ tranfn C. 3. WARSAW. 171 traiifparency and murmurs of the fountain, pro- duce a moft pleafmg effecl ; and, together with the coolnefs of the apartment, render it a deli-p- cious retreat from the heats of fummer. In the evening Ave accompanied prince Stanif- laus to his majefty's villa, well aifured of paffing an interefting evening ; but it was now embit- tered with the reflection that this was the laft time of our admiffion to the company of this amiable monarcli. In the following converfa- tion I had an additional proof of his humanity and condefcenfion: " You have been to the pri- fons*, and I am afraid you found them in a wretched condition." To have mentioned all their abufes, when I knew that his majefty could not correal them, would only have been an in- fult. I endeavoured therefore to palliate my an- fwer, by remarking, what is but too true, that ill feveral inftances they were not fo ill regulated as in England. " I am furprized," returned the king, " that a nation, which juftly piques itfelf for humanity, fhould be deficient in fo elfential an article of police." I then ventured, with as much delicacy as poffible, to point out a mate- rial abufe in the prifons of Warfaw, which might jprobably be in his majefty's power to alleviate at leaft, if not to remed}^ The circumftance al- luded to was, that there is no feparate room for * See the latter part of Chap. 5. thq 173 T R A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B. 2. the accommodation of fick prifoners ; at the fame time I apologized for this iiiftance of pre- fumption, v. bich nothing but compaflion for the unfortunate could extort from me. " He who pleads the caufe of the unhappy/' replied the king, " is always liftened to with pleafure ;" an expreflion I iliall never forget, and which con- vinced me, by the pathetic manner in which it was uttered, that it was the real fentimcnt of his heart. The turn of the converfation led the king to enlarge upon the code of laws preparing for the infpe6tion of the approaching diet ; when he expatiated, with peculiar fatisfa<5(ion, upon fopie beneficial regulations calculated to promote the impartial adminiftration of juftice. " Happy Engliilimen!" exclaimed the king, ''yourhoufe is raifcd, and mine is yet to build.'* After fupper, which palled no lefs agreeably than the preceding entertainments, we werepre- fentcd to take leave ; the king condefceiidcd to inquire the route Me intended to take, and to point out objefe worthy of obfervatiou. *' Your majefty," I ventured to obferve, " has omitted the manufactures which you have cftablilhcd at Cirodno*." " An Englillhnan," repHed the king, " after having feen the manufactures of his own country, will find little deferving his curiofity in any other, and particularly in this kingdom, * See Cluip. 6. article Grodno. where C. 3. \V A R S A W. 173 where there is a fettled averfion to commerce. The eftabhJlmient at Grodno is but a beo-innin^ : I confider it only as a pledge of my future in- tentions." I then mentioned the new regula- tions in theuniverfily ofVilna, andthe foundation of a phyfic-garden at Grodno. ^' You are deceiv- ed by the fnnilarity of names. An Englifh uni- verfity is as much fuperior to foreign feminaries, as your nation excels all others in the cultiva- tion of literature, and the encouragement of ge- nius and abilities. The academy at Vilna is more the image of v/hat it was, and of what it ought to be, than an obje6l of a traveller's curiofity." He then gracioufly expreffed his regret at our departing fo foon from Warfliw, and, wiiliing us a good journey, retired. I fliall not, I flatter myfelf, appear too minute in relating thefe circumftances ; the familiar in- cidents of domeftic life place the chara6ter of a foverign in a truer point of view than the fplen- did occurrences of public grandeur,* where the real difpofition is often difguifed by fonn, or fa- crificed to policy. Such were the remarks which I made at War- faw in 1779 ; a fecond vifit to the fame capital, in 17S5, furniHied me with little additional mat- ter. May 29, 178.5. About fevcnty miles from Ptonigihefg, quitting the Black Eagle of PruiTia, Ave 174 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. ^. we rccognifed the White Eagle of Poland, and, paffmg through feveral miferable villages, reach- ed, on the evening of the Sift, Warfaw, without meeting with a fmgle object Vv orthy of attention, or a fmgle adventure w^orthy of notice. Having before defcribed our prefentation at court, and reception from Stanillaus Auguftus, I fliall not again repeat fnnilar marks of conde- fcendence and benignity with which I was ho- noured by that amiable fovereign, nor the hof- pitable manner in which I was again received by the Poliih nobility. The reader will recolle6l that, in my firft vifit to Warfaw, I defcribed Poland as almoft a Ruffian province, governed by the embaffador * of Ca- tharine the Second. In * The influence of the king of Poland was fo inconfiderable, that on the vacancy of eveiy office, even in the king's houfehold, ap- plications were made to the Ruffian embaffador. In communicat- ing this information, count Stackelberg added, '* Even on the death of a page, the other day, I was teazed with applications.'* Another anecdote, communicated from the fame authority, ftill further difplays the great influence of Ruffia in Poland, and the extreme dependance of the king. Stackelberg received orders from the emprefs, to aiTift the king, in obtaining from. the diet, a fum for the payment of his debts, which amount- ed to 10,000,000 florins J but not openly, unlefs it was abfolutely neceflary. The king propofed demanding this fumj but on found- ing the inclinations of the leading members, deemed it prudent to require only 7,000,000. He met, hov/ever, with fuch oppofltion^ as induced him to inform the Ruffian erabafiador, that he relin- quiftied C. 3. WARS A \\\ 175 In the fecond tour, I found the whole king- dom in the fame ftate of fubjeclion to RuiTia as in my iiril expedition, and fatally announcing, by quifhed all hopes of fuccefs, and would not propofe it. Early the next morning, the king's friends wrote to the embaflador that his inajefty was in deep dejedion, and requefted him to promife the king his influence at the next diet 5 with which he complied, and fucceeded by a public application. On this occafion I cannot omit adding an Interefting anecdote ivhich delicacy prevented me from difclofmg during the lives of the perfons to whom it relates, as it difplays the extreme fenfibility of the king, and the reftraint under which he laboured in the pre- fence of the Ruffian embaflador. The king having condefcended to fhew us his villa, as he was conducing us through the upper fuite of apartments, in company with count Stackelberg, I noticed a book on the library table, which contained the principal documents on the partition of Po- land *. Expreffing my curiofity to examine a publication on that interefting event, and addreffing myfelf to his majefty in Englifti, the king interrupted me by placing his finger on his lips, as an in- dication of filence, and pafTed into another apartment. At the conclufion of fupper, one of his majefty's officers conduced me to the door of the library. On entering, 1 found the king alone, {land- ing by the fide of the table. *' I obferved," he faid, pointing to the book, " that you tellified great curiorlty to examine this work; The abrupt manner, in which I interrupted your inquiries, might perhaps appear rude; but I was unwilling to converfe on the fub- jed before the Ruffian emba-HTador. He then, in an affefting tone of voice, and an animated ftrain of eloquence, adverted to the me- naces of the Pruffian, Auftrian, and Ruffian courts. «' If I had time, he faid, to expatiate on the fecret hiftory of that eventful period, and could defcribe the menaces of the Ruffian em- * Recueil des declarations, notes et faits princ'paux, qui ont precede et accompagne la Diete Confederee depuis le xS Septembre i77ajuf(iu'a 14 Mai 1773, 4.to. balTador 176 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 3. hy a total dependance on a foreign power, its fad decline from its former preponderance in the North, and the wretched conftitution by w^hich it is governed. baflado", the peribnal mortifications which I endured, and the cer* tainty of mvolving my family in ruin, had I refufed my fignature^ it would perhips extenuate my apparent want of firmnefs, which has been fo much calumniated. This book contains the principal documents relative to that unfortunate tranfaftion, and is the only juftification of my condu6t. You will find therein the declarations of the minirters of the three powers, the anfwers of the Polifti mini- fters,and the four fpeeches which laddrelTed to the diet, in which you will perceive that I did not conceal my fentiments, and that I openly teftified my repugnance to the aft of difmemberment." He then re- capitulated the heads of his celebrated fpeech on the joth of May. He dwelt with peculiar emphafis on that part, where he appealed to the nation at large, if he had ever broken a fingle article of the Pa6la Conventa. " I demand of you, with the confidence of the prophet, my people, what have I done ? Behold here 1 am, witnefs againft me. Whofe ox have I taken, or whom have I defrauded j whom have I opprefled, or of whofe hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes, and I will redore it to you." " Here," he added, ** I fat down, and had I been guilty of opprefiion or fraud, doubtlefs numbers would have accufed me j for I was without fupport, and almofl: without a fingle friend to fpeak in my favour. A dead fi- lence for more than ten minutes enfued : I then rofe again, and concluded my juftification." During this fcene, th*e violence of his emotions almoft ftifled his voice, and tears llreamed down his cheeks; haftily taking up the book, he put it into my hands, adding, " this is my only apology, read it, and judge of my couduft ; and I am happy in prefenting it to an Englifhman whom I efteem." He then bowed, and I re" tirld. The imprefiion of this affefting fcene will never be erafed from my memory, and I keep this work as a relic of tills amiable and unfor- tunate monarch. Although C . 3. R E M A R K S O N POLAND. 177 Although it is foreign to niypurpofe to no- tice any changes Vv-liich took place in Poland fmce my departure, in r\Iay 17S5, yet I cannot avoid remarking,, that in 1789 and 1790, the emprefs of Ruflia loft her influence, withdrew her troops, and recalled her embiiilador; and the natives made Tome efforts to increafe and difcipline their armv, and raii^3 their confequence in the cohfi- deratian of Europe. The permanent council was aboliilied, and fe- veral alterations introduced into the form of go- vernment, tending to eihanci'pate the country from the influence of RufTia, and to rellore it to itfelf, if it is pofTihte to reftore a country, in which faction and anarchy are the charaderiftic features. But as long as the monarchy continues ele6live *, as long as the nobles and gentry alone enjoy the right of polfeiTing land, and as long as the pcafants arefiaves, all alterations in the form of government muft be merely nomiinal, and its effence muft ftill continue the fame. Tlie kino- muft alwavs be a puppet in the hands of his m^oft powerful neigh- * The reader will recoiled, that thefe remarks were made when Poland was an ele^it'e monarchy j what efFeft tiie late furprilmg revolution, in 1791, which, if permanent, has introduced an heredi- tary monarchy, may have on this hitherto convulfed kingdom, is an inqairy foreign from the prcfcnt work. yoL. I. N hour, i7S TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2 bour, and tlie nobles, in whom are vefted the fu- preme authority, turbulent, and above controul, except awed by fome foreign power. In fa6l, Poland has no nerve or vigour of its own, but receives impulfe from one of the fur- rounding powers. By the change of northern politics, the king of Pruffia, in alliance with Great Britain and Holland, has fucceeded to the influence before poffefTed by C?*:harine the Se- cond, and dire6ls the republic almoft with the fame unbounded fway. But the fate of Poland, like that of its valTal the duke of Courland, muft ultimately depend on the event of the p|-efent war between Ruffia and the Turks, and on the final tendency of the negotiations, either to en- large or to confine the preponderance of RufTia iu the fcale of the North. Addition \ C. S. R £ ?,I A R PC S O X P O L A X D. 179 Addition — Juxe i, tsoi. Since thefe reflexions were made, Poland is no more I The abolition of an elective monarchy, and the formation of a new conftitution on the bafis of hereditary fovereigntVj which gave fan- guine hopes of emancipation from foreign in-, fliience, were but of temporary duration. At this crifis, Great Britain, who had promoted th6 emancipation of ^Poland, having fufpended her hoftile pre|)arations againft Ruffia, and Auftria be- ing embarraffed in a conteil with France, Poland was left to her fate. The emprefs having di(51:at- ed peace to the Turks, lured the king of Pruilia with the offer of Dantzick and Thorn, which the Poles had refufed to cede, as the price of his guaranty of the new conftitution. Poland was accordingly inundated v» ith Ruffian and Pruffian troops, compelled to refume her ancient confti- tution, and fubmit to a new difmemberment, which took place in the beginning of 1 793, and deprived her of half her remaining population iand revenue. In this ftate of imbecility, without an army, without revenue, and without union, a fmall but defperate band of Poles, headed by Kofciufko, made a convulfive effort to regain the inde- pendence of their country. But after a ihort dawn of fucceis, which increafed their numbers without increafnig their union, this undifcipiined ^ « body 1 80 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2. body was overpowered by the Ruffian and Pruffian forcq^, the king compelled to abdicate, and the whole country incorporated in the dominions of ilufiia, PruirKi, and Auflria. The hiilor}'- of thefe tranilidions is too recent to need reGapitulation ; but the reader \\ ill pro- l^ably beinterefted in the fate of the amiable mo- narch, whofe life formed a feries of the moll ex- traordinary and calamitous events. After his abdication, Staniflaus refided at Grodno, a kind of ftate prifoner. His debts, which were very confideiable, were difcharoed, and he enjoyed an annual revenue of 200,000 du- cats. On exprefhng his averiion to refide in his former kingdom in a flale of vafTalage, the em- prefs offered him a pakice at IMofcow ; but he requefted permiflion to retire to Rome, A\here many abdicated foyereigns had found an afylum, and where his -love for the fine arts might con- tribute to foothe his regret for his loll; authority, Permiflion being granted, he was preparing for his departure, v.hen tlie invafion of Italy by the French compelled him to relinquiiJi his fa- vourite object. He then d^efired to transfer the place of his' retreat to Alittau, and the death of the emprefsinterveniug, renewed his application to Paul. The emperor returned an anfwer with his own hand, iind invited him to Peterlburgh, an invitation which the abdicated Ibvereign con- ^^^''-—- fidcred , t.' - ; C. 3. STANISLAUS AUGUSTUS. 181 fidered as a mandate, and could not venture to dilbbey *. Staniflaus arrived at Peterfl^urg early In 1797, and according to the appointment of tlie Ibve- reign, fixed his refidenc6 in the marble palace on the banks of the Neva. During the fnil winter he vras treated with refpe6l and attention by the emperor and the court. His amiable difpofition led him to iliare frequently, and with apparent fatisfadion, the fplendid aipufements which the Ruffian nobles readily prepared for fo diftinguiflied a ftranger. He vifited on familiar terms the pricipal nobility, and the attendance of two pages in the anti- chamber, alone recalled to recolledion his fallen dignity ; but from the moment he entered the room, he was only diftinguiflied as the moft ami- able man in the fociety. His fondnefs for thea- trical amufements followed him in his retreat • he feemed to derive much pleafure from the pri- vate reprefentations given by the nol^les, and even fitted up a fmall theatre in the marble pa- lace. • He might have fald, with the depofed Richard, in the words of his favourite Shakefpear : " Alack ! why am I fent for to a king, Before I have fliook off the regal thoughts Wherewith I reign'd ? I hardly yet have leam'd To infmuate, flatter, bow, and bend my knee j Give forrow leave a while to tutor me To this fubmiffion.'* N 3 His 1 82 T R A V E L S I N P O L A N D, B, 2, His tafte for the fine arts formed another fource of ainufement, and lie was permitted to afl'emble the fewfpecimens which were favedfrom the ge- neral wreck. Several of thefe were accepted by the emperoi asprefents; fome were diftributed in various paits of the palace, and two ftatues of exquifrte workmanlhip were placed in the fplen- did hail of St. George, and acknowledged as the gift of Staniflaus, while accepting the hofpita'* lity of Paul the firfl. In the morning it was his ufual cuilotn, if the weather and his health permitted, to take the exercife of riding. He mounted a fmall but fa- vourite horfe, which he had poflTefled many years, and often mentioned w^ith great aiiet'tion, as having carried him in the moft critical moments of his life. On thefe occafions, he was attended by his aide de camp, mailer of the horfe, pages, and a numerous fuite, and received from the po- pulace of St, Peterihurgh the fame honours as were paid to the Imperial family, But he fub- mitted to this ceremony rather in conformity to the willies of the emperor, than from any fatis- faClion he himfelf derived from fuch a mockery of royal retinue. During the fummer, the emperor allotted for his rcfidence the palace of Camminioilroff, which he had himfelf occafionally inhabited whilil; Grand Duke, and which was only diftant three miles Co. STAN^ISLAUS AUGUSTUS. 185 miles from the capital. From this place he paid vifits to the neighbouring nobility, attended the court at Gat china, and frequented the annual galas at the Imperial palace of Peterhoff. The king's family confifted of his fifler, widoT7 of John Zamoifki, waivode of PodoUa,her daugh* ter, and her fon-in-law M, Minilhec, who was marlhal of the court, his natural fon, IM. Chi- hotfky, who was his aide de camp, a French ec- clcfiaftic, and two chamberlains. Thefe, with perhaps two or three perfons nominally holding offices in his eftablilhm.ent, were admitted to his table. The other attendants had grown old round his perfon, and ferved with unfliaken fidelity amidft all his affliclions. Among thefe was a native Pole, who retained the national ha* bit. Although deaf and dumb, he was much employed by the king. From long experience in his royal mafter's habits of life, and from a de- gree of intelligence, not uimfual in thofe depriv- ed of the ordinary fources of knowledge, he was extremely ufeful by receiving orders which no indifferent perfon could comprehend, and thus relieved the king from the officious offers of polite- nefs, to which he would otherwife have been ex- pofed. Hiskindnefs to this dumb attendant, and the fatisfadion he expreifed in relieving his com- pany from frequent affiduities, gave a ftrong^ proof of his benevolence and politenefs. N 4 According 184 T It A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B. !J, According to tlie cuftom of the country the kino: dined at three ; he occafionally i^ave enter-^ tainments to numerous guefts, but ufualiy admit- ted to his table a few perfons whom he honoured with famihar intercourfe ; and on thefe occa- fions his fociety was truly engaging, from his tinceafmg affability and flow of converfation. The company, as ufual on the continent, re- tired immediately after dinner. The king then went to his cabinet, and remained till one of his chamberlains announced the arrival of the more formal vifitors, when he again returned to the drawing room. A circle v/as immediately formed, no one attempted to fit, the king fuc^ ceffively addreffed the company, and on this oc- cafion alone preferved fom^ remains of the Itate and etiquette of royalty. At the concluhon of this ceremory the king, if he iiad no parti- cular engagement, retired again to his cabinet, and in the evening admitted his faniiliar vi- fitors, and occafionally entertained them with concerts of mufic, of which he was extreme- ly fond. Thefe hours of relaxation were parti- cularly interefting to thofe who had the honour of enjoying his intimate fociety, as his con- verfation was more unreferved, and rendered highly impreflive by his benevolence, refined tafle, and the reflections derived from the various incidents of his chequered life. His C. 3. S T A N I S L A U S A U G U S T U S. I 85 His attachir.ent to England coritiniied undi- minillied ; he was p'lrtirularly iEquifitivc on our doiiieftic ftatc, and appeared anxious to afcertain the pra(!^ical appUcation of thole principles of our conititution, ^vhich he had collected from reading. He always mentioned M'ith great af- fe(^tiori tlie univerfity of Oxford, and exprelTed extreme fatisfadion at the honourable manner in which a degree was conferred on him. He was particularly ftruck with examining a copy of the ftatutes, which werelhewn him by an Englilh gentleman " I felt at firft furprifed, " faid he, " to find that a learned fociety, like the univer- fity of Oxford, ihould retain fuch obiblete fta- tutes as their body of laws. But it is with this as vv^ith your conftitution ; though much obfo- lete matter exifts, the practical operation is for the a'cneral o-ood. Nothino- feems to mark the difPulion of common fenfe throughout your country, more than this circuniftance, that you can conftitutionally bend to every event, and that while your laws appear to a foreigner a mafs of confufion, he fees order in effect arifing out of it." In the courfe of the converfation, he pbferved, " Your laws promife little to the eye of a foreigner, on paper ; but aftoniih him by their eile6l. I think you and I know a country where the laws are very prettily written* ; but the * Probably alluding to the codes of Fiederick the Second, and Catjierine the Second, fubject 186 T R A V L L S I N P O L A N D. B. 2; fubje6l is little benefited by them, when brought into execution." He fludioufly avoided all allufion to his regal flation, and to the incidents of his unfortu- nate reign ; and v/hen by accident the recollec-* tion of former events was forced upon his mind, he betrayed fuch ftrong emotions of fenfibility and regret, that it became a dut}^ in his vifitorak to change the fubje^, of difcourfe. He was ftill more affected Mdththe attachment of the Poles, who on entering the room, at his private entertainments, feized his hand and kifled it with enthufiaftic affe6lion. It is impoffible to conceive the painful emotions which the abdi- cated fovereign betrayed on thefe occafions. Such was the general outline of the king's pri- vate life, during his refidence at St. Peterlburgh. But his fituation was greatly embittered by the ftate of his finances, and the capricious condud of Paul. Although his annual penfion of 200, 000 ducats was punctually difcharged ; yet he fufFered much embarraffment from the repeated claims of thofe who had fupplied him with money in his diilrefs, or of thofe whofe faithful fervices and fufferings, on his account, entitled them to his affiftance, or indemnification. Almofl every pofi: brought letters from his Poliih adherents, urging de-^ mands which he was unable to gratify. The C. 5. S T A 1\^ T S L A U S A U G U S T U S. 187 The fallen fovereign experienced numerous in- ftances of humiliation from the capricious fove- reign of llullia, which greatly affected a perfon of his extreme fenlibility. At firft the emperor loaded him with marks of refpe6l and attention ; but the effci^i of his arrival had no fooner fub- fided, than the unfortunate monarch was fub- je6ted to repeated mortifications ; and although human nature recoils at the idea, forced into public for the purpofe of being infulted. He was often feen at court, where his conilant at- tendance was expected, remaining for hours un- noticed hy the fovereign, feparated by his rank from the foreign minifters, every heart bleeding for his lltuation, and no one daring to approach him. He was dragged to witnefs the humiliating fpectacle of the emperor's coronation at Mof- cow ; and compelled to hear the recital of the a6t, by which part of his kingdom was incorpo- rated with the Ruffian empire. At this ceremo- ny, opprelled by fatigue and agitation of fpirits, he ventured to lean againft his feat ; but the emperor fufpended the recital, and fent his aide de camp to order him to rife. During the laft year of his life, the difpleafure of Paul fell on all thofe who ventured to form part of ^is fociety ; he v/as accordingly deferted by the R^flians^ ^nd fcarcely any but foreigners, and 188 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2, and a few of liis own fub je(%, frequented the pa- lace. Their company feemed to revive his fpirits, and he confidered every vifit not as a mark of attention, but of aifection. •H.e appeared in public to Ijear this harfli treat- ment with magnanimity and compofure ; but in private, fuffered agonies of mind which furpafs defcription. His reft was difturbed, he was heard to groan moll bitterly, burft frequently into tears, and utter ejaculations to Heaven, which petrified Avith horror th^fe who llept in the adjoining apartments. For a few days before his death, the king re- covered his fpirits, and enteved, with apparent fatisfadion, into the relaxations and amufements of his little circle. The evening which preceded his diffolution, he Vv^as unufually compofed and cheerful, and arranged a rnufical party for the fubfequent afternoon. The next morning he rofe at his ufual hour, drank coffee, and retired to liis clofet, where he was feized with an apo- plectic fit, and lay fome time before he was dif- covered. All medical affiftance was ineffedual, he retained only a few fymptoms of animation, and uttered fome incoherent words in the French language, which were interpreted by thofe who were prefent, as an effort to call for his confeffor. The prieil being fummoned, read a few prayers, in vv'hich the king appeared to join with fervour, till C, 5. STANISLAUS AUGUST U S. 1 89 till lie relapfcd into ftiipor, and loon expired. This event, wliich terminated the feries of Polifli -fovereigns, happened on the l2th of February, 1798. The next day the body Avas enibahned, and aTter lying in ftate, was interred in the eatholic church, with royal and military liojiours. On this occafion Paul in perfon commanded the guards wlio attended the funeral ; he Avaited on horfeback at the gate of the marble palace, and on the approach of the coffin uncovered himfelf,- and faluted as it pafled. At the folemnization of the funeral, mafs was performed with, great ceremony, accompanied with a favourite piece of mufic, compofed at thv:^ king's deflre by Kof- lovfky, Yvliich had never been heard in public. The family of the l-:ii?g retired .from Peterf- turgh, and his attendants Aver.e either taken into the emperor's fervice, or received fmail penfions for the remainder of their lives. His effects were fold by public auetloU;, and even his robes were not exempted from this humiliating inftance of fallen grandeur. It ought to be recorded, to the honour of the Ptufiians, that they teftified their refpe6r, by bidding largely for tokens of his me- mory; and that his favourite little hoife was fjld for a confiderable fum. 190 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. ^* CHAP. 4. Pcfcription of the palace of Vlllanovv.— Account of John Sobieflci* Circumllances of his death. — Intrigues of his queen. — Divifiott and cabals of his family.— Fortunes of his children,— *Extinclioa cf his name. — Genealogical table of his defcendants. A UGUST 6, 1779. We pafTcd the day at *^^^ Villanow, where we dined with prince Zar- torifki, uncle to the king. He is a venerable old man, near fouricore, and lives in the true ftyle of ancient hofpitality : he is conftantly attended by his own guards, which I mention, not as be- ing peculiar to him, who enjoys the firft offices of the republic, but becaufe it leads me to re- mark, that every Polifli nobleman may have as many guards as he can afford to maintain. The prince keeps an open table, at which there are feldom lefs then twenty or thirty covers. Hi^ annual revenues amount to near^f. 100,000, and his Oyle of living correlponds to this gieat in- come. Villanow was built by John Sobiefki the con- queror of the Turks and deliverer of Vienna ; and was the favourite refidence of that great mo- narch, Avhere he moftly lived when not in arms, and where he clofed his days. The palace, being fold after liis death, came by marriage into the 2 family C. 4. J O H N S B I E S K I. 19 1 family of Zartorifki, and was lent to Augiiftus ir. who confiderably enlarged it. The outfide is or- namented with baiTo relievos, rep refen ting the principal victories of John Sobiefki, which wqyq probably added by Anguftus ; for Sobiefki was too modeft and unaffuming to ere6l monuments^ of his own glor}'-, The ^ra of John Sobieflvi, fplendid in itfelf, appears more luminous, when contrafted with the darkncfs v/hicli preceded and followed. The reigns of his predeceiTor and fuccelfor were con- vulfed with internal commotions ; but thefpirit of difcord and anarchy v/as laid by his tranfcendent genius. Under his aufpices Poland revived from the calamities which had long opprelled her, and regained her ancient fplcndour : fuch is the pow- erful afcendancy of a great and fuperior mind. His military talents require no other teflimonv than the vidlory of Chotzim. the recovery of the Ukraine, repeated defeats of the Turks and Tar- tars, and the delivery of Vienna : vvhile an exa6l infight into the laws and conftitation of his coun- tiy, a manly and perfuafive eloquence, a love and protedion of literature, an accurate know- ledge of foreign languages, and an unceafmg habit of affability, moderation, and temperance, render him no lefs an object of admiration in his civil capacity ^. But the monarch, who could allay * Biihop South, in hii account of Poland, tbus dsfcribes John Sobieflci : 19^ T RAVELS IK P L A N D. B. 'l^ allay llie ferments of public fac^lion, could not fu])prcfs the domeftic diffenfions of his own fa-' niily, and the fame great prince, ^vlio kept a turbulent people in awe, and chaftifed the moft formidable enemies, was hinifelf under the con- troul of his conforL a French lady ^', of cxquifite beauty and elegant manners, but of reftlefs in-* trigue, infatiable avarice, and inordinate ambi- tion. This unprincipled woman fomented a fpi-* rit of difunion aiul jealoufy among her children^ and loaded her eldeft fon with every fpecics of indignity. She formed and fupported an admini- ftration called, by way of derilion, the Jewi/h junto, and introduced into the royal houfliold a narrow parfimony unbecoming the dignity of a powerful fovereign : in a Mord, by a feries of SobiefKi : " Tlie king is a very well-fpoken prince, very eafy of ac- cefs, and extreme civil, having moft of the qualities requifite to form a complete gentleman. He is not only well verfed in all mi- litary affairs, but likewife, through the means of a French educa- tion, veiy opulently Itored with all polite and fcholalHcai learnings Befides his own tongue, the Sclavonian, he underftands the Latin, French, Italian, German, and Turkifli languages: Ke delir.hts much in natin-al hiftory, and in all the parts of phyfic. He is wont to reprimand the clergy for not admitting the modern philo- fophy, fuch as Le Grand's and Carttfius's, into the univerfities and fchools." South's Fofthumous Works, p. z^. * Marie de la Grange, daughte-.' of Henry de la Grange captain of the guards to Philip duke of Orleans, and of Frances de la Chartre, was maid of honour to Louifa queen' of Ladiflaus IV. She firft married Radzivil prince ofZamcflci; and within a month after his deceafe fecretly efpoiifed John Sobitflci, to whom flie brought in dower a large portion and the favour of his fovereign. ' offcnfive C. 4. JOHN S O E I E S K I. 193 offenfive and ^vIcked meafures, fhe alienated from her hulband tlieaffeclion of his fubjecls, and ren- dered the clofe of his reign as odious, as the pre- ceding part had been popular and glorious. The decline of Sobiefki's life was clouded with affliction. He felt himfelf a prey to a lingering difeafe * ; yet, inftead of deriving comfort from his neareft connections^ he experienced an ag- gravation of diftrefs from the unnatural contefts of his children, and the intriguing fpirit of his queen. The decay of his authority, and the in- decent cabals for the choice of his fuccelfor, af- fected a perfon of his extreme fenfibility, and his fubjeds, inftead of lamenting, feemed eagerly to anticipate his diifolution. Yet, in this deplo- rable ftate, the king's equanimity, founded on religion and philofophy, did not forfake him, and he retained, even upon his death-bed, that mixture of ferioufnefs and gaiety, ftrength of reafoning and quicknefs of repartee, which fo ftrongly marked his chara6ler. Zalufki, biihop of Plotfko, who was prefent when he expired, has tranfmitted to us fome ftriking incidents which preceded his death. Some alarming fymptoms in Sobiefki'sdiforder, having awakened the queen's folicitude refpe6t- ing the fucceffion to his foitune, flie earneftly * His illnefs was a complication of difordeis, gout,flone, aftbraa, dropfy. VOL. 1. o importuned 194 TRAVELS I y: p o X A y d. b. 2» importuned Zaliifki to pvefent himfelf to the king, ; and infinuate fome advice concerning the diipo- \ fition of his affairs. Tlie bilhop, finding the king ] iti an agony of excruciating pain *, endeavoured i to give him comfort and hopes of recovery. But : Sobiefki rephed, " I forefee my approaching death ; my fituation will be the fame to-morrow as it is- i "feo-day; all confolation is now too late:'' then> i with a deep figh, aiked him why he came fo fel- j dora to court, and in what manner he employed . ; himfelf at his diocefe alone?" Zaluflvi, after ex- ! patiating upon the duties of his epifcopal office, [ and the refources of literature, artfully turned j the d ifcourfe to the bufmcfs in queftion. " Lately," i he faidj " I have been employed in no very agree- able, yet neceflary duty : weighing the fiail con- \ dition of human nature, rememberhig, that as j Socrcites and Plato, fo all men muft die, and j confidering the diffentions which may arife j among my "relations after my deceafe, I have j taken an inventory of my effects, and difpofed of ■ them by will." The king, difcovering the pur- port of his difcourfe, interrupted him with aloud laugh, and exclaimed,, in a quotation from Ju- ( Yensd']', [O medicij 7nediam contundite vejiam.'']^ \ \^ \Vhat, my Lord Biiliop ! you whofe judgment ' \ * Zahifkl Eplft. vol III. p. 5—14, ' '\ ■ f Juvenal, Sat. VI. I.40. '* Open a vein." In applying this paf- j fege, the king meant to infiauate that the bifliop was niad. 1 : and ; C. 4. JOHN SOBIESKI. 195 and good fenfe I have long eftefemed, do you make your will ? "What an ufelefsiofs of time T* Not difcouraged by this fally, the bifliop per- fevered in fuggefting, " that, in juftice to his fa- mily and country, he ought without delay to re- gulate the difpofition of his effeds, and declare his final incUnations.'* ^' For God's fake," re- turned Sobiefki with a more ferious tone, " do not fuppofe that any good will arife in this age ; when vice has increafed to fuch an enormous de- gree, as almofl to exclude all hopes of forgive- nefs from the mercy of the Deity ! Do you not fee how great is the public iniquity, tumult, and violence? all ftrive who fhall blend good and evil without di{lin(5lion : the morals of my fub- jecls are overturned ; will you again reftore them ? My orders are not attended to while I am alive, can 1 expeft then to be obeyed when I am dead? That man is happy, who with his ovvn hand dif- pofes of his effe6ls, which cannot be entrufted with fecurity to his executors ; while they who bequeath them by a will ad abfuvdly, for con- figning to the care of others what is more fecure in the hands of their neareft rekitions. Have not the regulations of the kings my predeceflbrs been defpifed after their deaths ? Where corruption univerfally prevails, judgment is obtained by money : the voice of confcien.ee is not heard, and reafon and equity are no more." Then fud- o 2 denly 196 T R A V E L S I T^ POLAND. B. ^ dcnly giving a ludicrous turn to the converfa- tion, lie exclaimed, ''What can you lay to this, Mr. Will-maker- !*' On the 17th of June, the biiliop heing again iunimoned to Villanow; the king heard prayers, and was particularly fervent in his devotion. Wiiilc he was couverfmg after dinner, ^^•ith his ufual gaiety, in the prefence of Zaluiki and the abbe Poligjiac, he Mas fuddenly leized with a ilroke of .apoplexy ; but recovering, confeifed, and, having received abibkition and extreme unction', expired alnioil without a groan, in the 66th year of his age, and the 23d of his reign, on the fame day in which he was laifed to the throne. The nameof Sobielki is now extinct. My vene- ration for this great man, prompted me to incjuire into tlie fortunes of his family. Sobiefki j left by his wife Marie de la Grange, tliree fons, James, Alexander, and Conftantine, iiud a daughter, Thcrefa Cunigunda. . James Louis, eldeft fon of Sobiefki, was born at Paris in 1667. He accompanied his father ta the relief of Vienna, in the 16th year of his age, and narrowly efcaped being ilain in an action aiear Banan in Hungary. He afterwards gave fuch lignal proofs of military talents, that on his father's indifpolition in the campaign of 1687 * Quid ad hacc, Domine tefllmentarie ! f The abbe Coyer has written the Life of Sobiefki v/ith great fpirit and fidelity. aganill C, 4. J H N S B I E S K I. 197 againft the Turks, he was cntrufted vvitli the command of the army, and received from tlie foldiers all the honours ufually paid only to the kings of Poland : a lingular mark of deference in an eledive monarchy, wliich encouraged an expectation of the throne. But his hopes were fruftrated by his own,indiferetion, and the icft- Icfs intrigues of the queen, who, having conceiv- ed the ftrongeft antipathy to her eldeft fon^ and a no lefs violent predilection in favour of her fe- cond fon Alexander, facrihced the dignity of her family to a blind impulfe of parental par- tiality. Sobiefki had fcarcely expired, before tlie ca- bals, which even his authority could not fupprefs, broke out with undilTembled violence. The di- vifion of the king-s treafure caufed indecent dif- putes and altercations between liis v»'idow and children, James endeavoured to feize it by force, but was anticipated by the queen *, who, with the affiftance of the abb6 Polis-nac, fcnt it into france. She had three great objects in view : ci- ther to obtain the crown for Alexander, whom flie was fecure of governing ; to promote the election of Count Jablonoulki, great general of the crown, with an intention of efpoufmg him; or to fa\'our the pretenfions of the prin>ce of ^ The queen fent 3,000,000 French llvres«y(J. i a 5,000, into France, Lnrrey, Hilt. Louis XIV. v. II. p. 297. o 3 Conti, «^^^ 103 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2. Couti, warmly fupported by Louis XIV. At al events ilie was refolved to procure the exclufion of her eldefl- fon, and in this point ihe alone fue- ceeded. Had the family of Sobiefki been una- nimous, James would have been ele6led king ; but no fubmiffion * could foften the implacable refentment of the queen, who, even when flie found it impra6licable to fecure the eledion of Alexander, or to compafs any of her other de- figns, both in fecret and openly oppofed the pre^ tenfions of James, When the diet of convoca^ tion alfembled at Warfaw, the queen fummoned a meeting of fenators and nuntios in her apart- nient, whom ilie addreffed, in regard to her fon, with all the virulence which inveterate fury could infpire, and all the aifeded candour towards thp Poles, which the moil confummate hypocrify * Zalu(ki has given a curious inftance of the queen's implaca- bility. ^' I and other fenators accompanied prince James to the Queen's at Bieitz, but her majefty being informed of our approach, retired precipitately from the palace to avoid the interview; we overtook her about a mile from Bieitz, and ordered the driver to flop, while fhe repeatedly urged him to continue his route: at length the coachman, alarmed by our number atid threats, flopped the carriage. On our advancing to the queen, fhe received us with great marks of difpleafure, and although the prince proflrated hiin-r felf before her, ;and embraced her feet Vvith the mofl profound re- fpefl, he was not able to extort from her more than a fhort and cvafive anfwer. On his retiring, with his eyes full of tears, lufed Ibme endeavours to foften her refentment, which, however, had no other efFeft than to draw from her additional expreffions of difguft and indignation/'* Zalufki, vol. UK p. i^^, couW C. 4. S O B I E S K I F A M I L Y. 199 could fug-o-fft*. " Althous^h I am not bv birth a Pole, I am one by inclination, and am more attached to this nation than to my own family. Reflect maturely whom you will raife to the throne in the place of my much-regretted huf- band, and I fmcerely recommend to you not to decl one of my children. I too well know all their difpofitions, and particularly caution you againft the eideft prince James. His inconfi- derate railmefs will involve the kingdom in fpeedy and inevitable ruin.'" The bilho]> of Piotfko, though her creature, difgufted at thefe appearances of unnatural rancour, importuned her to defift ; but flie exclaimed with greater vio- lence: " Do not interrupt me ; I will never re- tra6i; what I have faid, as I prefer the fafcty of the republic to my own interefts and the fplen- dour of my family. I again exhort the Poles to elect any candidate in preference to one of my children.''" This virulent oppofition to the views of her eideft fon was too fuccefsful : he was re- je61:ed by a great majority, and the choice of the nation fell upon Auguftus eledor of Saxonv. After the defeat of Auguftus II. at the battle cf ClilTow, Charles XII. determined to give a new king to Poland, and his veneration for the memory of John Sobiefl^i induced him to offer that dignity to his eideft fon. In confequence of » Zalufki, vol. III. p. 102. o 4 this 200 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. C. this refolulion, Auguftus was declared by the pri- mate unworthy to reign, and a diet of ele^lion was convened at Warfaw. James was then at Bref- laM^, impatiently expelling his nomination to the throne ; but the ufual Angularity of his ill-for- tune ftiU purfued him : as he was hunting with his brother Conftantine, on the 25th February 1 704, a detachment of Saxon horfemen furprized and conveyed him to the caftle of Pleiffenburgh near Leipfic. Conftantine"^ might have efcaped ; but, from an impulfe of fraternal aife6lion, he voluntarily accompanied his brother into confine- ment, and adminiftered confolation under this grievous reverfe of fortune. In September, 1706, the two brothers were removed to the fortrcfs of Koningftein ; but in December fortunately obtained their enlarge^ ment, on the requeft of Charles XII. at the con- clufion of the treaty in which Auguftus II. was compelled to abdicate the throne. This abdica- tion, however, did not revive the pretenftons of James, the cleciion having fallen, during his confinement, iipon Staniflaus Let^infki. From this period James palfcd a retired life, and re- nounced all views upon the crown of Poland. He died in 1737 at !Zolkiew in Red Ruflia, in the 70th year of his age, and in him, as the laft male pf his family, the name of Sobiefivi became * Lengnlcb, Hift. Pol. p, 342. extincl. C, 4. S B I E S K I FAMILY. 201 extin6t. By his wife HedwigeElconora*, daugh- ter of Philip AVilliam elector palatine, he left two daughters, Mary Charlotte and Clementina ]\Iary. Theeldeft, i\Iary Charlotte, manied in 1723 Frederic Maurice de la Tour duke of Bouillon, who dying within a few days after the marriage, flie efpoufed, with a difpenfation from the pope, his hrother Charles Godfrey the fame year. By him Ihe left iifue a fon, the duke of Bouillon, * Sifter of Eleonora Magdalena, wife of the emperor Leopold- James had been firft contra6led in marriage to the widow of the eieftor of Brandenburgh's brother, a rich heirefs of the houfe of Radzivil in Lithuania, but upon this occafion he firft experienced that ill fortune which afterwards attended him through life. ** An envoy was fent to Berlin to negotiate the marriage, which was agreed upon by the eieftor's and her confent, and the prince him- felf came thither in perfon, with a numerous attendance, to con- fijimmate it. At the fame time came to Berlin the e}e<51:or palatine's brother, prince Charles of Newburg, brother to the emprefs, to fee the ceremony of the marriage ; but this princefs, taking more fancy to him than to the prince of Poland, gave him encourage- ment to make his addreffes to her, which he did with that fucc^fs, that he engaged her fo far and fo unexpectedly, that he was privately married to her the night before (he was to be married to the Prince of Poland, fo that prince James was forced to return back Ihame- fully : which the king his father refented fo highly, that he was refolved to have fatisfajSlion from the eledlor of Brandenburg, for fuffering his fon to receive fo notorious an affront at his court ; but the eleftor, knowing nothing of that private intiigue, juftified himfelf, and all animofities were at laft adjufted by prince James's marr}-ing his rival's fifter the princefs of Newburg, who was fent ijito Poland, and has two daughters by him." Connor's Hiftory of Poland, v. IL p. 188, 189. married 203 TRAVELS IN 1» O L A N" B. B. 2. mariicd to a lady of the hoiife of Lorraine, and a daughter, who efpoufed the duke of Rohan- Rohan. In thefe nohle perfons and their pro- geny the female line of Sohiefki ftill exifts. Clementina Mary, youngeft daughter of prince James, married at Montefiafcone, in 1719, James Edward Stuart, commonly known by the name of the Chevalier de St. George, the pre- tender to the Britifli throne. This princefs, though a woman of great perfonal and mental endowments, could not engage the affedion of her hufband ; offended at his attachment to a favourite miftrefs, ilie withdrew from his houfe, and remained for fome time in a convent near Rome. She was afterwards reconciled to him, and died at Rome on the isth of June, 1735, aged 33 ; her death, according to the account of a writer * attached to the Stuart family, was occafioned by religious abfiinence and too fevere mortifications: her remains Avere interred with regal pomp in the church of St. Peter, where a monument was erected to her memory. She left two fons by the Chevalier: Charles, ufually^ termed count of Albany, and Henry, cardinal of York. Charles married the princefs of Stol- berg, by %vhom he had no children : a mifunder- flanding foon after their marriage taking place^ * Letters from a Painter in Italy, where her funeral and monu- ment are defcribed, v. II. p. 56. ^ ilie C. 4. S O B I E S K I FAMILY. fiOS "fhe quitted her hufljand, and took flielter in a convent in the Tufcan dominions, and, her quarrel bein-g efpoufed by the cardinal of York, {he obtained a feparation for life. We may therefore forefee the extinction of the Sobiefki line in the Stuart branch*. The ample patri- mony of James Sobiefki was divided equally be- tween his two dauo'hters. Havins; lent a confi- derable fum to the houfe of Auftria, he obtained in return a mortgage upon certain eftates in Si- lefia, which, on the divifion of the property after his deceafe, fell to the Stuart family, and were in their polfeiTion when the king of Pruffia fecur- ed Silefia in 1740. But Frederic having confif- catedthefe lands, by right of conqueft, the houfe of Auftria never made any further compenfation. Alexander, fecond fon of John Sobieflvi, born at Dantzic in 1677; after the elevation of his father to the throne, was ufually ftyled by his mother, who adored him, the fon of the king ; while fhe affected to call his brother James, the fon of the great marfhal. Excited by his mo- ther's partiality, and inflamed by ambition, he even afpired to the throne in oppofition to his elder brother ; afterwards however, more mature age having corre6led his paffions, and his mo- ther's influence ceafmo- to miflead him, he de- ♦ He died in 1788. clined, 204 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2, clined, from a principle of fraternal affcclion, the acceptance of the crown offered by Charles XIL on the imprjfonment of James ; he refufed it with this generous declaration, '^ that no in- tereft fhould tempt him to avail himfelf of his brother's misfortunes *\" Alexander paffed his days principally at Rome, with the queen his mother ; but never made his appearance at the pope's court, becaufe Cle- ment XL refufed to receive him with the marks of diftinction which he claimed as a king's fon. The honours which were w ithheld from him while alive, were granted when dead : his body lay in regal ftate, and was interred with the fame cere- monies which attended the funeral of Chriftina queen of Sweden. He expired in June 1714, having affumed upon his death-bed the habit of a capuchin, from a fuperftitious notion of enfur- ing his falvationf. Conftantine, having regained his liberty at the fame time with his brother James, married a German Jjaronefs, maid of honour to the prin- cefs of Neiiburg ; a marriage of paffion, foon followed by repentance, and from which he in vain endeavoured to procure a releafe by a di- vorce. He deceafed in 1726 without children. Thercfa Cunigunda, the daughter of John * Vottaire"'s Charles XIL p. go. t Viede Scbiefki, v. HL p. 176, Sobicflvi, C> 4. S B I E S K I FAMILY. 205 Sobiefki, married in 1696 Maximilian Emanuel elector of Bavaria, and died a widow in 1730. Her fon Charles Albert, who fucceeded to the electorate of Bavaria, Avas the unfortunate em- peror Charles VII. and her grandfon IMaximilian Jofeph expired in 1778 without iffue. Ilcr grand-daughter jMaria Antoinette married Fre- deric Chriftian elecior of Saxony, and the blood of John Sobiefki flows in the veins of tlic^r pro- geny, the prefent electoral family. Marie de la Grange palTed the iirft part of her widowhood at Rome with her father the marquis of Arquien, who was captain of the Swifs guards to the duke of Orleans, and promoted by her intereft to the dio-nitv of cardinal. She conti- nued to refide in that city until 1 7: 1 4, when Ihe retired into France, her native country. Louis XIV. aifigned the cafde of Blois for her refidence, -where ilie died in 1716 *, above 70 years of age. Iler remains were tranfported to Warfaw, and from thence conveyed, together with thofe of her hufband, in 1/34, to Cracow, and interred in the catliedralf. * V^ie de Sobiefki, v. III.- p. 177. f Lengnich, Hift, p, 390. 206 TRAVELS IN ^POLAND. B. e. S" •J^' s ! o 5"^ 2 "2; o c H^ a -= S 6 a w rt 2^ 2 " & o U c^ < '^ ja c/7 .^'^ W M _ K - s t^ a. o ^ ^ M .5 ^ ^ j= y z: * <« ft? , , (U a- o ■^ w = c n O ft. ^ = fcaU: 7^ ^-S ^-3 - 2 o o q o w Ph « U M vii ^ " " •• 5^. £ ^ - vi o ,/, c jc; - g ^ .^ ChPQ ^J3 ^a ^ .> «» w — >-• "■ CO o . S t3 t, o ^ C t- 1^ w _• -^ U - < 'T' «^ re -^ - 5 C -O < » o i- li A K W r^ c.: "^ o •2^ n 5 S-^ «r «-< fco w u 3 U E-I^i^ •5" .1 ,<^ <*- Urf C -I - ^ o ^ ° "^ c>o o c ^ . c .^ c 2 ►J ^ « ^ "^ _ f-' 1) w " .n ^ p; ;ft «i; "" c 5 g § ^ f. 5. C O I N s. €07 CHAP. 5. Coins of Poland. — Public library. — State of learning. — Literature encouraged by the king. — Wretched adminiflrati on of juftlce.— Prifons of Warfaw. — Punifhments for criminal offences. — Torture abolifhed. — Laws relating to debtors. BEFOPtE our departure from Warfaw^, we vifited fome objects of literary curioiity, ufually infpecled by foreigners. In the palace we examined fome coins and medals relative to the hiftory of Poland. The count of Mazinfki, na- tural fon of Auguftus in. purchafed the greater part of tliis colledion, and prefented it to the king. The earlieft coin is that of Boleflaus L fon of Miciflaus, the firil Poliili prince converted to Chriftianity : it was ftruck in 999, probably foon after the introduction of coining into Poland. It bears no head of the fovereign, but the Pohfli eagle on one fide, and a crown on the reverfe. The feries of coins is broken until Sigifmond L from whofe acceffion it is continued in an unin- terrupted line, Henry of Valois excepted ; dur- ing whofe fliort reign no money was ftruck in Poland. I noticed a curious piece of Albert of Brandenburgh as duke of Pruffia. The Pruffian eagle is marked with an S, to fliev/ that Albert held tOS TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. l^* held his lands as feudal and tributary to Sigif- mond. A fine medal in honour of John Sobiefki's raifmg the fiege of Vienna, has this punnkig in- fcription : Urbem fervaftis et orhan. I hkewife obferved a medal of the prefent fovereign caft in the late turbulent times ; it has a well-executed likenefs of the king on one fide, and on there- verfe an emblem of civil commotions, a fliip in a ilorm with the clafiical allufion, Nc cede malh. The public library next engaged our attention. The colledion owes its origin to the private bounty of two bifhops of the family of Zalufki ; commemorated by an infcription over the door ; *' Civium iifiii perpetuo Zaluficorum par illujlre dicavlt 1714." It has fmce received large addi- tions from various benefactors, contains 200,000 volumes, and is rich in books and manufcripts relating to the Polifh hiftory. Poland contains two univcrfities, one at Cra- cow, the other at Vilna : the former was under the diredion of priefts, called Academicians, and the latter fuperintended by the Jefuits ; but in both, thecourfe oflludies was chiefly confined to theology. Since the fuppreffion of the Jefuits, the king has eflablifJied a committee of education, compofed of members diftinguiflied either by high ftation, or enlightened underitandings, which has an abfolute power in matters of education, appoints profeffors, regulates their falary, and direds their ftudics. Although C. 5. LITERATURE* 209 Although from the nature of the governnierit learning has in no period been widely diffufed in Poland, yet men of genius and literature, have never been wanting ; and perhaps no nation can boaft a more regular fuccefiion of excellent hifto- rians, or more writers deeply converfant in the lav.^s and conftitution. Under Sigifmond I. and his fon Sigifmond Auguftus, the arts and fciences began to be diftinguiflied by royal patronage ; they were cherillied by fome of the fucceeding monarchs, particularly John Sobiefki ; but no prince has paid them more attention than Sta- niflaus Auguftus ; and his munificence has been attended with the happieft effeds. The Polifli literati have, within a few years, given to the public a much greater variety of elegant per- formances than appeared in any former period of the fame length. What is more material, a tafte for fcience prevails among the nobles, and begins to be regarded as an accompliihment. The en- largement of mind, derived from this new purfuit, has already weaned feveral of thefe Hcentious fpirits from their habits of barbarous turbulence, and greatly humanized their civil deportment. It may in time teach them thoroughly to com- prehend the true interell of their country, and the expedience of due fubordination, hitherto deemed imcompatible with liberty : thefe petty defpots wil^, perhaps, be induced to lay alide VOL. I, p their 210 T R A V E L S I N P O 1 A y D. B. 2. their impolitic contempt for thcirvallais; they will perceive that the burghers and peafants are the true fupports of their country, and that Poland wants only juftice and order to become as tlou- rilhing as the neighbouring ftates. During my continuance at "Warfaw, I inquired into the nature of of the 'various tribunals, and the diiferent modes of puniiliment foi» criminal offences : the occafion of turning my particular obfervation to thefe objects was principally owing to a calual meeting at Vienna with the benevo- lent Mi\ Howard, whofe humane attention to the outcafts of fociety has reflected fo much ho- nour on hinifelf and his country. Informing him that I v.as proceeding to the northern king- doms. I intimated an intention to examine the ftate of the prilbns and penal laws, and profeffed a readinefs to lay before him the refult of my ob- fer-vations. iMr. Howard approved my defign, fuggefted ufeful hints, and even dictated fpecitlc queftions tending to facilitate my inquiries. Atrocious crim.es are punilhed by beheading or hanging ; leifer delinquencies by whipping, liard labour, and imprilbnment : the nobles ne- ver fuiier any coi^poral puniilmient ; but are lia- ble only to imprifonment and death. Torture M as abolilhed in 1 776, by an edid of the diet, in- troduced by the influence of the king ; a regu- j lation C. 5. ADMINISTRATION- OF JUSTICE. 211 1 at ion which proves his judgment no lefs than his benevolence. The defers of the police are by no ch'cum- ftances lb ftrongly evinced, as ])y the frequent impunity of the moil atrocious crimes ; this abufe may be traced from feveral caufes. i. The greatefh criminals find Uttle difficulty in engaging the pro- tection of fome of the principal nobles, who oc- cafionallv affemble their retainers in arms, and drive the officers of juftice from their lands. This anarch}^ refembles the ftate of Europe in the 14th century, during the prevalence of the feudal laws : when the great barons poffeiTed territorial jurif- diction, and were almoft equal in authority to the king. 2. The law, efteemed by the Poliih gentry the great bulwark of their liberty, which enacls *, that no gentleman can be arrefted for mifdemeanors until he is convicted, notwithftand- ing the ftrongeft degree of prefumptive proof : the offender, therefore, if guilty, withdraws himfelf before the completion of the procefs. Robbery and murder, and a few other capital crimes, are excluded from this privilege ; but even for thefe flagrant enormities no gentleman can be taken into cuftody, unlefs actually apprehended in the commilhon of the offence. 3. The right which every town poffeiTes of having its owai criminal courts of juftice, with judges feieded folely from ' * Nemiuem captivabimus nifi jure viflum- p 2 the 212 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. %. the inhabitants. Many of thefe towns being re- duced to fuch a low ftate, as fcarcely to defcrve the name of villages; the judges are neceffarily pel fons of mean condition, and totally unquali- fied for the difcharge of their high office. Not only the pov.er of levying difcretionary fines, but the infliction of corporal puniflnnent, and even of death itfclf, is entruiled to thefe con- temptible tribunals. The chancellor Zamoiflvi has, in the new code of laws which he is prepar- ing for the infpecfion of the diet, defcribed the abufes of thefe petty courts of juftice in the mofl forcible language, and propofes, as the only ade- quate remedy of the evil, to annihilate the right of penal jurifdi^tion in all but nine of the prin- cipal towns. 4. There are no public officers whofe province it is to profecute offenders in the king's name. Hence, the moil atrocious delinquent generally efcapes, unlefs fome individual indids and brings him to trial, which feldom happens, as the procefs is attended with confiderable ex- pence. Almoftthe only exception to this flagtant defe^i of common juflice, is the jurifdidion of the great marfhal, which is in force in the place where the king refides, and to thediftance of three Polifli miles. Within that diftrict the great mar- ilial can arreft and profecute for crimes of felony without ar.y plaintiff. In cafes alio of high trea- fon, certain officers of the crown, called injliga- tores J C. 5. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE. £1$ tores, are authorized to cite fiifpicious perfons before the diet. 5. The power ^yhich plaintiffs poffefs of withdrawing their profecution, even in cafes of the greateft enormity : this cuftom fcreens all but the indigent from the hands of juftice; as perfons of moderate property are generally able to bribe the accufcr. This pra(5tice, founded on a narrow principle, that outrages againft individuals are private, not public offences, H an inftance of the groifeft barbarifm, which all civilized nations have renounced : for it re- quires a fmall degree of legiflative knov/ledge to perceive, that private wrongs, when unchaftizcd, become highly injurious to the community at large, by affording encouragement to iimilar of- fences. In vifiting the prifons I faw the bad effects of this ufage exemplified in a ftriking inftance. Two perfons, indicted for the alfaflination of a Jew, had remained in prifon upv/ards of a twelvemonth, Avithout being brought to a trial. The widov/ of the deceafcd, upon whofe accufation they were arrefled, having agreed, on the payment of a ilipulated fam, to drop the fuit and grant them a releafe, their inability to fatisfy her demand was the only reafon for detaining them in con- finement; when I faw them they had j uft raifcd the money, and were upon the point of receiv- ^ ing a final difcharge. p 3 From 214 T R AV E LS I N P O L A N D. B. 2. From this flvctch of the admhiiftration of juf- tice, the expediency of a thorough reformation is apparent. That able Icgiflator count Zamoifki, in the new code which I have frequently had oc- cafion to mention, has paid particular attention to tlie amendment of the criminal laws. But as any innovations in the courts of juftice, calcu- lated to produce eifential benefit, muft mate- rially infringe the privileges of the nobles, and countera6t the national prejudices, the moft ufe- ful code Call fcarcely expert to receive the fanc- tion of lliv. diet. The laws jelating to debtors are as follow : The creditor proceeds againfl the debtor at his own expence, and, until the conclufion of the trial, al- lows him eight grofchens, or three half-pence, a day for his maintenance. When the debt is proved, the creditor is releafed from the contribution : the debtor continues a prifoner, at the difcretion of his creditor, until tlie debt is difcharged, and, if lie has no means of fubfiftcnce, is obliged to m.aintain himfelf by cutting wood, fawing ftone, or cleaning the ftreets. If a noble contrails a debt, an artion lies again ft his lands and goods, and not againft his pcifon, unlefs he gives a note jof hand, with a double fignature, one intended as an afcertainment of the debt, the other as a re- nunciation of liis exemption from arrefts. But a noble of iiighdiftin^iion, even though hefhould bind hindelf by this engagement, can bid defi- ance to all danger of imprifonment. C. 6. DEPARTURE FROM V/ARSA'^V. 215 CHAP. 6. Departure from Warfaw. — BialH(!ock. — Entertainment at the coun- tefs of Branifki's palace. — Duchy of Lithuania. — Its union with Poland.— Defcription of Grodno. — Diets. — Phyfic garden. — General produ6Hons of Lithuania. — Account of the wild-ox.— Of the Remiz and its pendent neft. — M-^nufaiflures — Enrer-tain- ments. — Hofpitality of the Poles. — Eleclion-dinner, and ball. TOEFORE we quitted Warfaw, we received ■^-^ another inftance of the king's extreme con- defcenfion, a letter written with his own hand to the Poft mafter at Grodno, ordering that ^\ e fhould be fuppUed Vvith every accommodation which could be procured, and be permitted to vifit the manufa<5lories and every object of cu- rio fity. Wq quitted the capital on the lOth of Auguft, croffcd the Viftula, and palled through the fub- urbs of Praga. About an Enghlh mile from Warfaw a fore ft begins, and continues, with lit- tle interruption, to the diftance of eighteen miles. At Wengrow we obferved a fine corps of Ruflian troops quartered in tlie village, - Some of the places in our route, though extrc^mely wretched, enjoyed their own police and courts of juftice : they coniiiled of wooden hutS; moftly thatched, p 4 fome ^\6 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2, feme roofed with wood, g.nd a feA\^ with tiles. The country was chiefly fandy and level until we arrived at the Bog, which we croffed at Gran : the river was broad and Ihallow. We afcended from its banks a fmall rife, and found a better foil, and the country more diverfified. The road was not unpleafant, running through fields fown with different fpecies of corn, hemp, and flax ; but we never loft fight of the foreft, and always faw it flvirting the horizon. In many places I obferved the w^ood encroaching upon the fields, and young trees fliooting up in great numbers v/herever cultivation had been negleaed. I was informed that this is the cafe in moft parts of Poland ; many traces of form.er inclofures, and even the vefiiges of paved flreets, being difcernible in the centre of the forefts." The largeft place we paffed through was Bielflv, capital of the palatinate of Podalachia, where the dietine for thcdillrict is held : it is little bet- ter than a miferable village, though called, in the geographical defcriptions of Poland, a large town. Between Bielfk and Woytfzi, our wheel nearly cauo'ht fn-e, and while we flopped at a fmall vil- lao-e to have it greafed, I entered feveral cottages, which I found worfe even than thofe wretched dwellinos I had before examined in the towns v/here the inhabitants were more free ; in the lat^ xer we obferved furniture and fome conveniences, in C. 6. B I A L L I S T C K. 217 in thefe nothing but the bare walls. The coun- try we traverfed from Warfaw to Bialliiiock was in general fandy ; but all parts were fit for cul- tivation, and many fpots had the appearance of great fertility. We remarked, however, that the harveft, even in the moft fruitful trafts, was but indifferent ; a circumflance evidently owing to the defect in hulbandry. We arrived late in the evening at Bialliftock, a neat and well-built town. The ftreets are broad, and the houfes, which are in general plaiftered, ftand detached at uniform diftances. The fupe- rior neatncfs of Bialliftock is owing to the iliuf- trious family of Branifki, whofe palace is clofe to tlie tovv'n, and who have contributed to ornament their place of reTidence.. It belongs to the countefs Branifki, fifter of the prefent king, and widow of the late great general Branifki, wlio, notwithftanding this alliance, warmly pro- tefted againft the election of his brother-in-law. The morning after our arrival, the countefs, to Vvhom we had a letter from prince Staniflaus Po- niatowfki, honoured us Vvith an invitation to dinner, and fent her carriage to convey us to the palace. We were moft politely received by our noble hoftcfs, and were convinced from her ami- able manners, condefcending behaviour, and lively flow of converfation, that aftability and good fenfe are natural to the family of Poni- atov/flvic / We 218 T 11 A V E L S I N P O L A N D. B. 2i We found a large company afTembled, whom the countels had invited to partake of her hof- pitable board, which was elegantly fupplied with every delicacy. Among other topics, the con- verfation turned upon our mode of travelling through a country fo poor and wretched, and fo deficient in comfortable accommodations. " I fuppofe," faid a Poliili gentleman, '' you carry your beds with you;" to which we replied in the negative. " How do you fleep then?^' — ^' Upon ftraw, v» hen we can get it ; and, when we are not fo fortunate, upon the floor, upon a bench, or upon a table."—" You take your pro- vifions," returned the Pole.—'' Very feldom." — " liow do you live then?" — " Upfun Vvhat we can procure: one of Our fervants is fen t before, and generally contrives to obtain fome kind of provifion, which may footh, if not fatisfy, the demands of hunger ; but we have travelling ap- petites, and are not faftidious," — " You are not, however, without knives, forks, and fpoons; forfuch conveniences are not known among the peafants." — " We each carry a clafp-knife, are How and then fo fortunate as to meet with a w^oodenfpoon, and never regret the want of a fork." Here our noble hoftefs made a propofal to fupply us with knives, forks, and fpoons, to- gether with wine and provifion : on our declining this offer, Ihe pleafantly replied, " Perhaps you are C. 6. BIALLISTOCK. G19 are above accepting them ; I know the Enghili are very haughty; will you purchafe them?'' We made anfv/er, we were not afraid of laying ourfeives under any obligations to a perfon of her politenefs and generolity ; but the obJ€6l of our travels being to gratify curiofity rather than appetite, we thought ourfelves moft likely to become acquain-ted with the domeftic ceconomy of the peafants, by partaking of their accom- modations, and by relying on them for the fup- ply of our wants. Willing, however, not to ap- pear rude in a rejection of the whole offer, we accepted a few bottles of wine. The countefs condu(?ted us heifelf through the apartments of the palace, which is a large build- ing in the Italian tafte, and, on account of its mao-niticence, oTuerallv called the Verfaiiles of Poland. It was formerly only a royal hunting feat; John Cafmiir gave it, together with Bial- liftock and other eflates, to Czarnieflvi, a general highly diftinguiilied by his victories over the Sv/edes, v/hen Poland was nearly crufhed by her enemies. Among the curiofities preferved in the palace is a golden cup, which Czarniefki was ac- cuftomed to v.ear at his girdle, and an embroi- dered falli taken among the fpoils after a defeat of Charles x. which is fuppofed to have be- longed to that monarch. Czarniefki left one daughter, v/ho married BranifKi the father of tlie late ^9,0 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2. late great general, and conveyed the eftate into that family. One apartment, occupied by Au- giillus III. whenever he paffed to the diet of Grodno, is, ont of refpe6l to his memory, left in its original ftate. In another room is a fine portrait of Auguftus in his royal robes, with his head iliaved in the Polifli fafliion, as he appeared on the day of his coronation. In the afternoon we drove about the park and grounds,, which are very extenfive, and elegantly laid out in the Englifli tafte. We clofed this agreeable day witl^ afupper at the palace, and took leave, with re« gret, of its amiable and noble miftrefs. Auguft 1 3. We fat off early from Bialliftock, and after traverfmg a continued forefl, came into a country more open, and abounding with corn and pafture ; the towns and villages were long and ftraggling ; all the houfes, and even the churches, of wood ; crowds of beggars furround? ed our carriage, and Jews made their appearance in oreat numbers. At four in the afternoon we paffed through fome wretched fuburbs inhabited by Jews, and ferrying over the Niemen, which is broad, clear, and fhallow, afcended the rifmg banks, and entered G rodno, built upon au emi- nence overlooking the river. Though Vilna is the capital, yet Grodno is efteemed the principal town in Lithuania. Fonnerly Lithuania was governed by its own fovereigns C. 6. LITHUANIA. 221 fovereigiis under the title of great-d ukes. From that rivahy which ufualty fubfifts between conti- guous ftates, the two nations were engaged in a feries of perpetual wars, until 1386; when the great-duke Ladifiaus J aghellon, having efpoufed licdwio-e and embraced the Chriftian relio-ion, wasraifed to the Poliili Ifln'one, and reigned over both countries. Ladifiaus foon became a fincere convert to the iiew religion, which he at firft adopted from in- terefted views, and endeavoured to propagate its dro6trines among his idolatrous fubjeds in Li- thuania. In fubferviency to this great work, he cut down the hallowed groves, deftroyed the ora- cular ilirine, extinguiflied the facred fire, and flew the ferpents woriliippcd as gods by his fu- perftitious fubjecls. A belief univerfally prevail- ed among the people, that whoever profanely at- tempted to deltroy thefe objeds of their worfliip, would be ftruck with inftantaneous death ; the falfity of this tradition being proved by the im- punity of thofe concerned in the fuppofed facri- lege, the Lithuanians flocked in fuch crowds to be converted, that the priefts could only beflow feparate baptifm on perfons of diftiniSlion ; but diftributed the multitude in ranks, and, fjDrink- ling them with water, gave one Chriftian name to each rank without diftin6tion of fex*. La- * Cromer, p. 368, diflaus, £23 TRAVELS IN POLAND. 15.2, diOaus, having- thus introduced the Chriftian re^ ligion into Lithuania, nominated his brother Ca(imir Skiro;ello o'overnor of the duchv, and re- turned to Poland ; but a civil war beir.g excited by the ambition of Alexander, furnamed Vitol- dus, and by the difcon tents of the people, ftill attached to their Pagan rites, Lithuania was for fome time a fcene of tumult and hoftility. At length, by a compromife in 1392, Vitoldus was appointed great-duke, and Ladiflaus contented himfeif with a nominal fovereignty. In 1401 the nobles of Lithuania aifembled at Vilna, and entered into an offenfive and defen- five alliance with the king and republic of Po- land. In 1413 it was ftipulated, in a diet of Poles and Lithuanians held in the town of Hrod- lo, that, upon the demife of Vitoldus, the Li- thuanians ihould acknowledge no other great- duke but the perfonwho {liould be appointed by the k^ng, and with the agreement of the two nations ; that if LadiQaus died without iffue, the Poles fliould elc(5l no king without the con- fent of Vitoldus and the Lithuanians, and that a diet, compofed of reprefentatives from both nations, fhoukl meet at Lublin or Parzow'^. From the demife of Vitoldus, who expired in 14;59, in the Soth year of his age, the great- dukes were fometimes, in conformity to this * DlugofTius & Cromer, compad, C. 6. LITHUANIA. 223 compa6l, nominated by the kings of Poland ; at other times, in violation of it, by the Li- thuanians. At length Sigifmond I. fortunately united in his perfon the two fovereignties, and was fucceeded in both by his fon Sigifmond Au- guftus. Hitherto the connection between the two na- tions was more an alliance than an union ; but Sigifmond Auguftus having no children, and being the only furviving male heir of the Ja- ghellon family, planned the union of Poland and Lithuania, left upon hisdeceafe the two na- tions iliould be again governed by different princes. After fome difficuhies he obtained, from a general diet held at Lublin in 1569, that Poland and Lithuania fliould be confidered as one nation, that one fovereign fhould be choferx by both ; that the Lithuanians fliould fend nun- tios to the general diet, be admitted into the fenate, and have an equal fliare in the public ho- nours and employments ; that no aUiance fliould be made with foreign powers, and no embalTa- dors difpatched without the confent of both par- ties ; that the fame money iliould pafs current in both countries ; and that they iliould liavc no diftin6tion of privilege or intereft. Upon the ratification of this union, Sigifmond Auguftus renounced all hereditary right to Lithuania. From this period the fame perfon has been uni- formly 224 TRAVELS IN POLAND. h. (>, formly elected king of Poland and great-duke of Lithuania, and the tv/o nations have been in^ corporated into one republic*'. Grodno is a large and ftraggling place, but contains no more than 3,000 Chriftians, exclu- five of the perfons employed in the manufac- tures, and 1,000 Jews. It has the appearance of a town in decay; containing a mixture of wretched hovels, falling houfes, and ruined pa-^ laces, with magnificent gateways, remains of ancient fplendour. A tew habitations in good repair render the contrail more ftriking. The old palace, in which the kings ufed to re- fide during the diets. Hood upon a hill of fand rifmg abruptly from the river, and forming part of the bank: fome remains of the ancient Avails ilill exift. Oppofite to this hill is the nev/ pa- lacetj built, but never inhabited, by Auguftus IIL in which are the apartments wherein the diets are heldj or rather will be held if they are ever again fummoned to Grodno, According to the treaty of Hrodlo ; Lublin, or Parzow, or any other more commodious town, was appointed for the meeting of the Polilh and Lithuanian deputies ; but in the articles of union it was ftipulated, that AVarfaw lliould be the place where the re- * Lengnlch, Jus Pub. v. I. p. 30 to 33. •f- This palace became the temporary refidence of Staniflaus Au- guftus, after his abdication. prefentatives C. 6, G R O D X O. ^25 prefentatives of the two nations were to aiTem-i ble*. In 1673, it w^as ena6led, that every third diet ihould be held at Grodno, and in conformity to this law, the firft national alTembly was con- vened here in 1678, under John Sobiefki. But when the next turn of Grodno arrived, that mo- narch fummoned the diet to Warfav/ : the Li- thuanians ftrongly oppofed this infringement of their rights, and their deputies, inftead of pro- ceeding to Warfaw, where the king, fenate, and nuntios of Poland were met, repaired to this town, and formed a feparate diet. In order to prevent a civil war, which this divifion might occafion, a negotiation took place, and it was at length fettled, tliat the diet of 1673 iliould af- femble at Warfaw, but be called the diet of Grodno, and that the marflial Hiould be chofen. from the Lithuanian nuntios f. From that time the diets have been occafionally fummoned to Grodno J, until the reign of the prefent king*, when they have been held at Warfaw ; this in- novation has been tacitly agreed to by the Li- thuanians, as well on account of the diftance of this town from the royal reiidence, as in confi- deration of the troubles which convulfed the country §. • Lengnich, Jus Pub. v. II. p. 315, &c. •f- Vic de Sobiedci, p. ig. X Grodno is now a frontier town, in the Ruffian diviiloii o£ Poland. § In 06lober 17S4, a diet was held at Grodno, VOL. I. Q We 2CJ5 T n A V E ^ S IV P L A N D. B. a We carried a letter of recommeiKiation to Mr. Gillibert, a FrcDch naturalift of great abilities, %vho has the fnpcriutendence of the college and phyfic garden. The king of Poland has efta- bliilied a Roy^l iVcadcmy of Phyfic for Litluia- rda, in which ten iiudents are inftru^ted in phy- fic, and twenty in furgeiy. They are all lodged, boarded, and taught at the royal expencf . The phyfic garden, which did not exift in 1776, made, when I paffed through the town in 177 8, a veiy refpedable appearance, -which was o wing- to Mr. Gillibert's attention and care. It con- tained 1,500 exotics, parti culaiiy feveral deli- cate American plants fown in the open air, which thrived remarkably well in this climate. ]\jr. Gillibert told me, that he had difcovered 200 fpecies of plants in Lithuania, which were only thought indigenous in Siberia, Tartary, and Sweden, and that in the whole duchy he had oh- ferved 980 fpecies, excluii\'e of thofe common to moil countries in Europe. He has lately formed a fmall collection, chiefly confifting of the productions of Lithuania, and is employed in arrano'ins: materials for a natural hiftorv of the duchy: he propofes to begin his pubhcations on that fubjecl with a Flora Litliuanlca, which will he fucceifnely followed by an j|ccount of the mineralogy, infects, quachupeds, and birds. Confidering the infant ftate of natural kuov;- ledge iu this country, the defign will require great C. G. G R D :>■ O. 227 great length of time and perfeverance before it is completed. The animals roving in the boundlefs forefts of Lithnania, are principally the bear, wolf, elk, wild-ox, lynx, beaver, glutton, and wild-cat. At Grodno I had an oppoitmiity of feeing a female of the wild-ox, probably the fame qua- druped defcribed by Ariftotle, under the name of Boiiafus, ftyled LWus in the Commentaries of Ci^far, and called Bifon by fome naturalifts. It was not full grown, about the lize of a com- mon Englifli cov,^, Ihaped like a buffaio, but without tlie protuberance on the ihoulders ; the neck was high and thick, and covered with, a mane, which fringed down the throat and breaft, and hung almoft to the ground, fomewhat refembling that of an old lion ; the forehead was narrow, with two horns bending inwards*, and the tongue of a bluilli colour. The male is fometimes lix feet in height, and more fierce and ihaggy than the female. Linnaeus has cjalfed the Bonafus, the Urus^ * Ariftotle defciibes the hon:s of the Ecnafus as yc!.y.lx y.a; xexa.u- /y.£va wger aXXnXa, *' crooked and bending toivardj each other."'' A cir- cumftance v/hich feems to have puzzled commentators upon Arif- totle, who did not confider tliat the figure of the horns varies ex- ceedingly in the fame fpecies, in a wild or tame ftate, and cannot be admitted as forming a fpecific difference. See Arill. Hiil. Anim. L. IX. c. 45. alfo Camu3 Hift. des Animaux, cited in Maty's Re- view for April 1783, p. 313, &;c. Q 2 and C'28 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 9, and the Bifon (proba])ly the fame animal with diitereiit names) under tl^vce fpecies; Buffon re- duces them to two, the Urus and the Bifon ; but Pennant has comprifed them all under one fpecies*. His opinion has been lately adopted by Pallas, in a curious differtation publifhed in the A6ts of the Imperial Academy of Sciences of St. Peteribiugh. He informs us, that this fpecies of the wild-ox, which was formerly very common in Europe, cxifts no where on that continent, ex- cept In thefe Lithuanian forefts, in fome parts of the Carpathian mountains, and perhaps of the Caucafus. . He agrees alfo with Buiibn, in fup- pofing the bifon or wild-ox of America only a variety of the imis changed by the climate f. Lithuania is very rich in ornithology : among the birds of prey the eagle and vulture are com- mon. The RemizX or little fpecies of titmoufe, called Parus Pendulinus, is not unfrequently found in thefe parts. The head is of a pale bluifh aih-colour, the forepart of the neck and the breaft tinged with red, the belly white, wings black, back and rump of a yellowiili ruft-colour, cjuill-fcatl^crs cinereous, with the exterior fides • Syftema Nature. Buffon's Hlft. Nat. Pennant's Hift. of Quad. p. 15. t Sur le Buffle a Queue de cheval in Nov. Aft. Pet. 1771. Part IL p. 232, &c. Alfo in his Neue Nord. Beytrage, p. 2. / X I am indebted to that able naturalift, Mr. Pennant, for this defcription cf the Remiz, and for the annexed plate. white. JL3^ and yE>IAl,y, liXMIZ ; or P:n:ivjDl-I.l>^:ii 'r7T:MOr .^JE. .' ^•' /.,■/,,■,/,/. : : •/.////,//. >.l,/,'i I'.ii/t.rrn. /-r../. ,rm,/n /^//.V/ A/y/a,/*-//. m^i-. > ,'/, w./. C. 6, G R O D M" O. ' 2^9 white, the tail ruft-coloui:ccl. The male is fingii- laily diltinguillied from the female hjy^ a pair of black-pointed whilkers. The iieft is in the ill ape of a long pnrfe, which it forms with amazing art, by interweaving down, golfamer, and minute fibres, in a compact manner, and lining the infide with down, fo as to make a v/arm lodge for its young brood. The entrance is at the fide, fmall and round, with the edge more ftrongly marked than the rell of this curious fabric: the bird, attentive to the prc- fervation of its eg;gs and nefdings, fufpends it at the leiTer end to the extremity of the (lender twigs of a willow, or fome other tree, over a river. Contrary to the cuft-om of titmice, it lays only four or five eggs ; polTibly Providence hath ordained this'fcantinefs of eggs to the ii^- VI iz ; becaufe by the fingular ininnct imparted to this bird, it is enabled to fecurc its young much more effectually from deftru(5lion, than the other fpecies, wliich are very prolific. ]\Ir. Gillibert ' acquainted me that a great quantity of yellow amber is frequently dug up in the Lithuanian forefis, and that it is probably the produdion of a fmall refinous pine*. He informed - * Natiinijifts have long differed concerning the origin of amber. Son^e r.iaintain it to be an animal fubftance, others clafs it among the minerals ; fome afiert, that it is a vegetable oil united ^vith a mineral acid ; but the moit common opinion feems to be that it is a Q 3 foflil 230 T R A V E L S I N r O L A N D. B. C, informed me that the cluchy abounds in iron ochre, called by Linnasus Tophus humofo ochrea" ceus, and dcfcrlbcd by Wallerius* under the ar- ticle of jPem^wz limofum, which produces forty pounds of metal in a hundred weight ; that it yields alfo feveral fpecies of copper and iron py- rites; black agate, which alv/ays bears a refiem^ blancetothe roots of pines f; detached maffes fofHJ bitumen. A few, with Mr. Gillibert, hold it to be the refl- nous juice of a pine hardened by age: an opinion alfo maintained by the ancient Romans. Amber is nioft ufually found upon the fea coail, and though fi-equently difcovered feveral feet benpath the furface of the ground, yet has been fuppofed to have never been dug up at any confiderable diftance from the fea; a circumllance which has led feveral naturalifts to conje6lure, that it ovvcs, in a great meafure, its produftion to that elem.ent. But this h3'pothefis is confuted by the difcoveiy of thefe large pieces of amber in the heart of the Lithuanian forefts far from any fea. See Plin. Hill. Nat. L. 37. S-6t. XI. Tacitus de Mor, Germ. Macquer's Chy- miflry, v. II. p. 2c6. Bilhcp of Landaff's (Dr. Watfon) Eflays on Chym. v. III. p. 12. and particularly AVallerius Syft. Min. v. II. p. 1 15 — 1 17. where tlie reader will fsv.d a lift of the principal natura- lifts, who have written upon Amber. * Wallerius Syft. Min.f-v. II. p. 255. f Mr. Gillibert thus defcribes thefe agates in the Afis of the Imperial Academ.y of Sciences. " M. Gillibert dans une lettre a M. le ProfefTeur Pallas, parle d'une petrification tres remarquable, commune dans ce pays [Lithuania], laquelle eft agathe par fa na- ture, mais refemble parfaitement par fa forme, a des racines de fa- pins petrifl6es. Lcs racines agatifees font bandees de noir autour de leur axe, et incruftees d'une ecorfe grifc ou blanchatre. On en trouvea. demi petrifiees j et toutes donnent une odeur empyreuma- tique au feu, qui provient d\\n refte de principe . bitumeneux. D'iXil^P^i^>> toutes lcs pttrific tions d'origine marine fe trouvent/ agatifee? dans ce pays couveit d'un fable fin, dont les eaux peuvent extraire un princij-e petrifiant de cette nature." Nov. Aft. Acac'« Pet. for 1777, p. 45. of C. 6. GRODNO, 23 i of red and gray granite ; pudding liones, con- taining chr vitals of white quartz ; the echinus agatized ; a large quantity of falfe precious ilones, fuch as amethyfts, topazes, garnets, alfo chalcedonies, cornelians, milky agates, the oculus cattiy or cat's eye, jafpers, and particu- larly the red fpecies. Lithuania, he added, is €xtrcmely rich in marine petrifactions, chiefly in thofe which are common in the Baltic; of thefe the madrepores are the moft numerous, and amongfl: others the Coralllnum Gothlandi^ cum is not uncomm.on, which is defcribed in the firft volume of the Amcenitates Academica^^ ^iS extremely rare. The next morning we vifited the manufa<5io- ries eftablillied by the king in 1776. They were carrying on in wooden fheds, buiit by Auguf- tus III. for ftables, which were converted into temporary working looms, and dwelling houfcs for the accommodation of the manufadurers. It was expe6ted that the whole eftablifcmcnt would be foon removed to Loffona, a village near Grod- no, "where convenient buildings, conftructin^ at the king's expence, were nearly hniilied. The principal manufa6i:ures arc cloth and camlets, linen and cottons, iilk fluffs, embroidery, lilk ftockings, hats, lace, fire arms, needles, card.^^ *P. 211. ^ '^ bleacliing QSa TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2. bleaching wax, and carriages. The country fur- nifhes fufficient wool, flax, hemp, beavers hair, and wax, for the fupply of the manufaClories which employ thofe commodities ; but the filk^ cotton, iron, colours, gold and filver for the embroidery, and fine thread fi'om BruiTels for the lace, are imported. Thefe manufa6lories employ 3,000 perfons, in- cluding thofe difperfed in the contiguous villages, who fpin linen and worfled. Seventy foreigners dire6l the different branches ; the reft are natives belonging to the king's demefnes. The appren^ tices are the children of Poiifli peafants, who are clothed and fed, and have befides a fmall allow- ance in money. The directors complain that there is no emulation among them, and that, al- though better fed and clothed than the other peafants, yet they cannot excite them to induftry by any other means than force. Nor is this a mat^ ter of wonder ; for they ftill continue in a ftate of fervitude, and are apprehenfive, left they fliould be deprived of their profits ; it has frequently happened, that any little pittance gained by their labour, has been wrefted from them, in order to pay the quit-rents which their parents owed to their lords. One of thefe apprentices, more flirewd than the reft, faid to the director, who w^as trying to ftimulate her induftry, " What ad- vantage ill all I obtain if 1 follow your advice ? uy^ let C, 6, GRODNO. 233 let me become ever fo fkilful in my trade, I fhall always continue fubjed to my mafter : the labour will be mine, and the profits his." Mofl of them appeared with a fettled melancholy in their countenances, and they evidently work- ed from compulfion, not from inclination. As fome remedy to this evil, it has been propofed, after a certain term of years, to give liberty to thofe who particularly excel, and diftinguifli themfelves by extraordinary exertions. But this humane propofal has been rejeded, from a notion that fuch perfons, once free, would no longer continue to work ; and that by thefe means the manufadories would be deprived of the beft hands. Though this inconvenience might occa- fionally take place; yet the encouragement of fuch a regulation, by exciting alacrity and induf- try, would create a greater number of artifts than it would emancipate. Thefe manufa6tories are ftill in their infancy ; but the infiitution reflects a confiderable luflre upon the royal founder; more particularly as his attention was not withdrawn from them durino- the civil conyulfions which lately fhook his throne. On the firft evening of our arrival at Grodno, a Polifli nobleman, to whom we were introduced by Mr. Gillibert, invited us to fupper with great fiankncfs and cordiality. After an hour's con- verfation. K/ ^34 T R A V ELS IX P O L A N D. B. ^; verfation, he configned us to the care of his wife and retired ; nor did he again make hiis appear- ance the whole evening. This feeming inatten- tion, fo contrary to the poUtenefs of the invita- tion, occafioned at iirft fome furprize ; hut we afterwards found, that good manners equally di- rected his behaviour in both inftances. Having before our arrival invited fome Polifh gentlemen to flip v/ith him, who could not converfe in Trench, and who drank freely, hejuftly thought that vve fhoidd pafs a more agreeable evening with the ladies. We had a fmall party' at fup- per, which was chearful and agreeable ; for the Poles are a lively people, and the women in ge- neral amiable and well bred. We dined the following day with count Ty- feniiaufen vice-chancellor of Lithuania ; it was an ele61ion-dinner previous to the dietine, which was to affembie at Grodno, to chufe reprefenta- tives for the approaching diet. There were eighty nobles at table, all, a few excepted, in their na- tional drefs, and with their heads fliavcd in the Polifh fafliion. Before dinner they fainted the count with great refpect, fome kiifmg the hem of his garment, others ftooping down and embrac- ing his legs. In the evening the count gave a ball, conclud- ed by an elegant fup])er. The company amufed themfelvcs ^ith Poliili and Engliih country dances. C. 6. G R O D X O. 235 dances. The Polifli dances are iimple, but not deficient in grace, accompanied by a mod pleaf- ing air : the company ftand in pairs ; the iirit man leads his partner round the room in a kind of ftep not much unhke that of a minuet, he then quits her handj makes a fmall circle, joins hands again, and repeats the fame movements until the conclufion. The fecond couple began as foon as the firft had advanced a few fteps, and was quickly followed by the remainder, fo that all the par- ties glided after one another at the fame time. The Poles are very fond of this dance : although it has little variety, they continued it for half an hour without intermiilion, and frequently re- newed it durino; the courfe of the e\'enino\ The intervals Av^ere filled v/ith Englifh country dances, which they performed with equal expertnefs, and and with no iefs delight. An elegant fupper, to M'hich only a felcct party was invited, agreeably concluded the entertainment of the day. The count politely preffed us to continue fome time at Grodno, and take up our abode in his houfe; but being anxious to arrive at Peterfburgh before the commencement of the vviiiter, we declin- ed the invitation, which we lliould other wile have accepted with pleafure. Some of the company, howe\-cr, kindly endeavoured to detain us by privately dehring the coach-maker employed in mending our carriage to execute the commiiTion in 236 TRAVELS IN POLAND. :6. 2. in a dilatory manner, and althougli we accident- ally difcovered this proje6t, we did not obtain the necefiary repairs without the m oft urgent remon- flrances. To fpare our acquaintance the trouble of making, and ourfelves the pain of rejeciing, any further folicitalions, we deemed it expedient to depart in the night without apprifnig any one of our defign. It was our intention to proceed to Vilna; but as this was the time of electing nuntios, the poftmafter informed us, that for want of horfes we fliould be delayed at fome wretched village ; we therefore unwillingly altered our route, and to our great difappointment, as we much \fiilied to vifitthe capital of Lithuania. C. 7. LITHUANIA., asj CHAP. 7. Continuation of the tour through the duchy of Lithuania. — Num- ber of Jews. — Badnefsof the roads and want of accommodations.— Clofe of thedietine at Minflc.— Poverty and wretchednefs of the natives. — Comparative view of the Swifs and Polifh peafants.— Remarks on the Plica Polonica. IN our route through Lithuania we were ftruck with the fwarms of Jews, who, though very numerous in every other part of Poland, feem to have fixed their head-quarters in this duchy. If you afk for an interpreter, they bring you a Jew ; if you come to an inn, the landlord is a Jew ; if you want poft-horfes, a Jew procures them, and a Jew drives them ; if you Avifh to purchafe, a Jew is your agent : this perhaps is the only coun- try in Europe where Jews cultivate the ground ; and we frequently faw them, engaged in fowing, reaping, mowing, and other works of hufbandry. The roads in Lithuania are entirely neglected, being little better than by-paths winding through the thick foreft without the leaft degree of arti- ficial direction : they are frequently fo narrow as fcarcely to admit a carriage ; continually ob^ ftrucled by flumps and roots of trees, and in many parts fo exceedingly fandy, that eight fmall horfes could fcarcely drag us along. The poftilions were 23S T R A V E L ^^' I N ? O L A :^? D. B. 2, were frequently boys of ten or twelve 3^ears of age, hardy lads, who rode pofts of twenty and even thirt}- English miles without a faddle, and with fcarcely any covering except a ihirt and a pair of linen drawers. The bridges acrofs the rivulets were fo weakly conftructed, and fo old, that they feemed ready to crack with the Areight of the carriage, and we thought ourfelves for- tunate in paffmg them without an accident. Some travellers have remarked, that the forefts, through which our route lay, are fet on fire by lio-htnino" or othernatural caufcs, and blaze" for a confiderable time. We at iirft conceived this reprefentation to be well-founded, as we difco- vered in many parts evident traces of extenfive conflagrations. On inquiry, however, we were mformcd, that the peafants, being obliged an- nually to furnifh their landlords w^ith a certain quantity of turpentine, burn the trunks of the pines while flanding, and catch it as it oozes from the ftems. We obferved few trees without marks of fire upon them : fome were quite black, and nearly charred to cinder; fome half-burnt ; others confidcrably fcorched, but continuing to vege- tate. Augufl; 15. After twenty hours inceffant tra- velling we arrived late in the evening at Bielitza, ^diich is diflant ninety miles from Grodno, and fet out before day-break^ anxious to reach Minfk on C. 7» L I T H U A X I A. 233 Oil the morning of the lytl), wlien a dletine for tlie elecStion of nuntios was to be affembled. We flopped a ihoiltinie at Xovogrodec, which is all built of wood, except two or tliree ruinous brick- houfes, a convent that belonged to the Jefuits, and fome moulderino; ftone-walls furroundin<»* a fmall eminence, crowned with the remains of an old citadel. Xear Xovogrodec we pafied a large number of barrows, which the peafants call Swediih buryiiig-places. In this part the coun- try was lefs fandy, of a licher foil, and fom.ewhat diveriified with hill and dale: the folitary extent of the forefts was more than ufually interfperfed with villages, and dotted v\'itii fields of pailure, in which we obferved numerous herds of cattle. On our arrival at the fmall village of Mir, we found that our orio'inal intention of reachino- Minfk by the next morning was fcarcely practi- cable, even if we continued our journey during the night. The diftance was between hxty and feventy miles, the night extremely dark, the roads bad ; and ^YC ^veYQ informed, that ^ve Ihould be obliged to crofs feveral bridges not pafiable even in the day without the utmoft circumfpeotion. Our dehre therefore of being prefent at tlie elec- tion of nuntios gave way to thefe fuggcftions. and we facrificed the gratification of our curiofitv to the confiderations of perfonal fafety. The pleafures of ]Mir certainly oitered no induce- ment £40 TRAVELS t l^ V O LAV i), S. ^, ment for delay : the poverty of the inhabitants denied a fcanty fupply of the moft ordinary re- frefnments ; the higheft entertainment which the place afforded being a fufpenfion of the d.vngers of travelling, and the fum of our comforts an intermiifion of fatigue. The badnefs of our accommodations at Mir led us to confider Minfk (where we arrived on the evening of the 1 7th) as the feat of taile anfl luxury. We there experienced comforts to which we had lately been ftrangers ; a neat white-wailied room with a brick floor, no fleas or flies, plenty of clean flraw, good bread, and frefli meat. Af- ter a refrefliing night's reft, we faliied forth the next morning to the refectory of the Jefuits monaflery, where the nuntios had been chofen on the preceding day. We had fome difficulty in gaining admittance; until a perfon, who appeared to be a man of confequence, inquired, in the Ger- man language, our country and bufmefs. An- fwering that we were three Englifli gentlemen, defirous of feeing every thing worthy of obfer- vation, he expreffed much furprize at the plain- nefs of our drefs, particularly at our want of fwords. ^' In Poland," he faid, '^ every gentleman wears his fabre as a badge of his rank, never appear- ing in public without it ; and I advife you to ob- ferve this cuftom as long as you continue in this country, if you wilh to be confidered as gentle- men." C. 7. LITHUANIA. C41 men." Thanking him for his advice, we accom- panied him into the refectory, where we found the majority of the dietine ftill affembled, though not upon national bufmefs ; in plain Englifh, they v/ere engaged in drinking, a no lefs effential ap- pendage of a Polifli than a Britiih election. One perfon, whom they feemed to treat with de- ference, was conftantly employed in delivering drams to the ele6tors, who were Handing in dif- ferent parts of the room : many ceremonies pafled at every circulation of the glafs ; they touched their breafts, (looped towards the ground, and drank the nuntios' and each other's health with great folemnity. Several of the Polifli gentlemen converfed with me in Latin : they informed me, that every palatinate is divided into a certain num- ber of diftrids, and that each diftrid chufcs two nuntios. I afked whether the eleelion of the dif- tri6t of Minik had been contefted ; they told me, that three candidates had offered. I then in- quired whether the ele6led nuntios were of the king's party, and they anfwered, " We have in this inftance complied with his majefty's recom- mendation." ''You have acted," I replied, " Mith great propriety : is he not a good prince?" " A good prince !" returned the Poles, ^' yes, the mofc excellent that ever filled a throne." Minfk is a large place : tv/o churches, and the monaflery which belonged to the Jefuits, are con- YOL. 1= K ilructed iii42 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B.C. flru6i;ed of brick, and the remaining buildings, though of wood, have a neater look than the generality of dwellings in this country. Return- ing to our inn, we received an invitation to din- ner from a Polifh count : but as the weather ap- peared favourable, as our carriage was at the door, and all things prepared for our immediate departure, we determined to relinquiih an oppor- tunity of focial enjoyment for the expediency of purfuing our journey. Auguft 18. We were confiderably fatigued with our journey from Minfk to Smolewitzo, which, though fcarcely thirty miles, yet on ac- count of the badnefs of the roads and unexpeded delays, employed us near twelve hours. The weather was cold and rainy, the wind high, the roads worfe than ufual, and the evening proved extremely dark. We were almofl beginning to defpair of reaching our deftined flation ; when a; noife of folding doors thrown open, and the rat- tling of our carriage upon a wodden floor, an- nounced our arrival. The leathern blinds of the carriage being clofely faftened down, to exclude the wind and rain, we were for a few momenta held in fiifpenfe into what kind of place we were admitted. Alighting, we found ourfelves in the middle of a large barn or flied, at the fur- ther end of which ^\'c defcricd two large pines, with all their branches, in full blaze upon a hearth "^ witliQut C. 7. LITHUANIA. 243 without a cliinuiey : round it feveral figures, in full black robes, and with long beards, were era- ployed in ftirring a great cauldron fufpended over the flame. A belief in witchcraft, or a lit- tle fuperftition, might cafily have, reprefented this party ,as a group of magicians engaged in celebrating fome myilic rites ; hut, on nearer infpection, we recognifed our old friends the Jews, preparing their and our evening re- paft. We fet out the next morning before day-break, as was our ufual cuftom, having no inducement to remain any longer than was abfolutely necef- fary in thefe hovels, abounding in vermin, and in which filth and wretchednefs are united. Near Borifow wecroffed the Berezyna, which has been eiToneoufly laid down by fome modern geogra- phers, as form>ing the new boundary between Ruflia and Poland, and on the other fide of the townpaffed a camp of 2,000 Ruffian troops, who were marching to Warfavr. At Borifow the Je^rs procured us ten horfes, and placed them all in two rows, fix next the carriage, and four in front '*. It required inuc|i ino'enuitv to contrive this arranoemcnt. The twp middle hoifes in the hinder row vv:ere harnelfed as ufual to the fpiinter-bars ; the two next were * The nfual method of harneffing was by placing four a-breail, and two in the foremoft row. R ^ ' faftened 244 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. e. f ailened to the extremities of the axle-tree, whicli proje6led confidcrably on eaeh fide beyond the boxes of the fore-wlicels ; and the two outermoft in the fame manner, by means of long ropes, to the hinder axle-tree : the fonr horfes in front were harnciTcd to the pole and to the fplintcr- bars of the pole. Well allured that horfes, ranged in this primitive manner, would require more fj^ace than the narrow roads of Poland generally aiford, we endeavoured to perfuade the drivers to place them in pairs ; but fuch was their obfti- nacy or want of comprehenfion, that we could not prevail. We therefore unloofed two horfes from the hindermoft row, and for that permilTion were obliged to compound for leaving the re- maining eight in their original pofition. In this manner Ave proceeded ; but ftill found great dif- ficulty in forcing our way through the wildernefs, which was fo overgrown with thick underwood, as in many parts fcarccly to admit the breadth of an ordinary carriage. In fome places wx were 'obliged to take off two, in others four of the horfes, and not unfrequently alighted, to aihft in removing fallen trees, in direding the horfes through the winding paths, and finding a new track along thealmoil impenetrable foreft. In various parts of the foreft, we obferved circular ranges of boards fixed to feveral trees twelve feet from the ground, and projeding three from C. 7. LIT II U A N I A. 245 from the trunk. On great hunting parties, lad- ders are placed againft thefe fcafFoldings, and the hunters, if clofely ])refled by a bear, afcend the ladder, and draw it up after them : the bear, al- though an excellent climber, is flopped in his afcent by the projection of the boards. We were happy at length to reach Naitza, although we took up our ftation in one of the moft wretched of all the wretched cottages we had yet entered. The only article of furniture was a fmall table, and the only utenfil a broken earthen pot, in which our repaft was prepared, and which ferved us alfo for difhes and plates. We ate our meagre fare by the liglit of a thin lath of deal, five feet in length, which was ftuck into a crevice of the wainfcot, and hung over the table : this lath, thanks to the turpentine contained in it, ferved us inftead of a candle, of which there was not one to be found in the whole village of Naitza. It is furprizing, that the carelefs me- thod of ufmo- thefe lights is not oftner attended with dreadful effects ; for the cottagers carry them about the houfe with fuch little caution, that we frequently obferved fparks to drop upon the ftraw which was prepared for our beds : nor were we able, by the ftrongeft expreffion of fear, to awaken in them the flighteft degree of circum- fpe6tion. For fome time after entering this country, a\ e ufed to ftart up with no fmall emo- it 3 tion '246 TRAVELS IN" POLAND. B. 2. tion to extinguifh the fparks ; but, fuch is the irrefiftible influence of cuftom, we became at laft perfectly infenfible to the danger of this praclice, and caught all the indifference of the natives." I once even fo far forgot inyfelf as to hold alighted ftickover an heap of ftraw, while I was negligently fearching for fome trifile. This fupinenefs, which I eafily acquired in this inftance, convinced me (if I may compare fmall things to great), that I could live with the inhabitants at the foot of Mount Vefuvius without dread of an eruption ; or fit unconcerned with the natives of Conftan- tinople amid the devaflations of the plague. It is inconceivable how few are the wants of the Lithuanian peafants ! Their carts are put to- gether without iron ; their bridles and traces are generally plaited from the bark of trees, or com- pofed of twifted branches. They have no other tool but a hatchet, to conflru6l their huts, their furniture, and carts. Their drefs is a thick linen lliirt and drawers, a long coarfe drugget coat, or a flieepfkin cloak, a round black felt cap lined with wool, and llioes made from the bark of trees. Their huts are built with trunks of trees heaped on each other, and look like piles of wood in whaifs with penthoufe roofs, Ilow unlike the Swifs cottages, though formed with the fame ma- terials ! Nor are their houfes more diffjipilar than their manners. The ftriking difference between the C. 7. LITHUANIA. 24? the Swifs and Polifli peafants, in their very air and deportment, ftrongly marks the contrail of their refpedive governments. The Swifs are open, frank, rough, but ready to ferve you ; they nod their heads, or llightly pull off their hats as you pafs by, but expect a return of civility, they are roufed by the leaft rudenefs, and are not in- fulted with impunity. On the contrary, the Po- lifh peafants are cringing and fervile in their ex- prelTions of refpe6t : they bowed down to the ground, took off their hats or caps, holding them in their hands till we were out of fight, and Hopped their carts on the firfl glimpfe of our car- riage ; in ihort, their whole behaviour gave evi- dent fymptoms of abjecl fervitude. Yet liberty is as often the fubje6l of encomium in Poland as in Switzerland ; but how different are its opera- tions in the two countries ! In the one it is equally diffufed, and fpreads comfort and happinefs through the whole community; in the other it centers in a few,, and is in reality the worft fpe- cies of defpotifm^. In our progrefs through this country we ob- ferved feveral perfons with matted or clotted hair which arifes from a diforder called Plica Polo- nica : it receives that denomination, becaufe it is confidered as peculiar to Poland ; although it is not unfrequent in Hungary, Tartary, and feveral * Written ^vhen Switzerland was free, R 4 adjacent 248 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. 2. adjacent nations, and inftances of it are occa- fionally found in other countries. According to the obfervations of Dr. Vicat, an ingenious Swifs phyfician long refident in Poland, who has publifhed a Hitisfadory treatife * on this fiibje6l ; the Plica Polonica proceeds from an acrid vifcous humour, penetrating into the hairf: it then exudes from its fides or extre- mities, and clots the whole together, either in feparate folds, or in one undiftinguiilied mafs. The fymptoms, more or lefs violent, according to the conftitution of the patient, or malignity of the difeafe, are itchings, fwellings, eruptions, ulcers, intermitting fevers, pains in the head, langour, lownefs of fpirits, rheumatifm, gout; fometimes convulfions, palfy, and madnefs. Thefe fymptoms gradually decreafe as the hair becomes affeded. If the head of the patient be iliavcd, he relapfes into all the dreadful complaints which preceded the eruption of the Plica ; and conti- nues to labour under them, until a frefli growth of hair abforbs the acrid humour. 1 his diforder is thought hereditary, and is proved to be con- tagious when in a virulent ftate. * Memoire fur U Flique Polonoife. f The dilatation of the hair is fometimes {o confiderable as to contain globules of blood ? this circumflancc, which however vfry rarely happens, has probably given rife to the notion, that by cutting oif the hair the patient bleeds to death; Many C. 7. PLICA P O L C X I C A. £49 Many phyfical caufes are fuppoicd to concur in rendering the Plica more frequent in thefe re- gions than in other parts ; but it would be endlefs to enumerate the various conjectures with whicli each perfon has fupported his favourite hypo- thefis : the moft probable are thofe affigned by Dr. Vicat. The firft caufe is the nature of the Polifh air, which is rendered infahibrious by nu- merous woods and moraifcs, and occafionally derives an uncommon keenncfS; even in the midil of fummer, from the pofition of the Carpathian mountains : for the fouthern and fouth-eafterly winds, which ufually convey warmth in other regions, are here chilled in their paflage over their fnowy fummits. The fecond is unwholcfome wa- ter: for although Poland is not deficient in good fprings, yet the common people ufually drink that which is taken indifcriminately from rivers, lakes, and even ftagnant pools. The third caufe is the grofs inattention of the natives to clean- linefs ; for experience Ihews, that thofe who are not negligent in their perfons and habitations, are lefs liable to be affiicled with the plica. Thus perfons of higher rank are lefs fubje^t to this dif- order than thofe of inferior ftations ; the inhabi- tants of large towns than thofe of fmall villages ; the free peafants than thofe in an abfolute ftate of vaifalage ; the natives of Poland Proper than thofe of Lithuania. In a word, the Plica Polonica appears «50 TRAVELS IN POLAND. B. '2. appears to be a contagious diftempcr, which, like the leprofy, ftill prevails among a people ignorant in medicine, and inattentive to check ' its progrefs ; but is rarely known in thofe coun- tries where due precautions* are taken to pre- vent its propagation. * Its contagion is probably prevented from fpreading- among the Ruiilans by the ufe of the vapour bath. i yr jliKb.'j.v j ^= BOOK III. C H A p. I. Entrance into Ruffia. — Limits and account of the province difmem- bered from Poland. — Cheapnefs of the poft. — ^Journey to Smo- lenflco. — Hiftory and Defcription of Smolenfko. — Divine fervice in the cathedral. — Vifit to the bifhop. — Dinner with a judge.— Journey to Mofcow. — Peafants. — Their drefs, cottages^ food, &c. AUGUST eo. We entered Ruffia at the fniall village of Tolitzin, which in 177*2 belongecfto Poland ; but it is nov/ comprifed in the portion of country ceded by the late parti- tion treaty. The province allotted to Ruffia com;jrifes Pohlh Livonia, that part of the pala- tinate of Polotfk whicli lies to the eaft of the Duna, the palatinates of Vitepfk, ]Mici(la\r, and two fmall portions to the north-eaft and fouth- eaft of the palatinate of Minik ; this trad of land (Polilh Livonia excepted) is fituated in White- Ruffia, and includes at leaft one third of Li- thuania. The Ruffian limits of the new province are formed by the Duna, from its mouth to above VitepfK ; from thence by a ftraight line running directly fouth to the fource of the Drug near To- litzin, by the Drug to its junction with the Dnieper, 252 TRAVELS I N R U S S I A, B. 3. Dnieper, and laftly, by the Dnieper to the point -where it receives the Sotz. This territory is now divided into the two governments of Polotfk and ]\Iohilcf ; the population amounts to 1,600,000 fouls; its productions are chiefly grain, hemp, flax, and pafture ; its forefts furnilh great abun- dance of mafts, planks, alfo oak for fliip-build- ing, pitch and tar, which are chiefly fent down the Duna to Riga. At Tolitzin we were greatly aftoniOied at the cheapneis. of the pofl-horfes, and when our fer- vant had difcharged the firft account, which amounted to only two copecs, or about a penny a verft * for each horfe, we iliould have concluded that he had cheated the poft-mafter, had we not been well convinced, from the general charader of the Ruffians, that they were not likely to be duped by ftrangers. Indeed we foon afterwards difcovered, that even half of the charge, which we thought io extremely moderate, might have been fa\'ed, had we obtained an order from the Ruffian embaffador at Warfaw, From Tolitzin, through the new government of Mohilef, the road was excellent, and of con- fjdcrable breadth, ^^ ith a double row of trees planted on each fide, and ditches to drain off the water. We paifed through feveial wretched villages, ferried at Orfa over the Dnieper, there • Three quarters of a mile. only C. 1 . JOURNEY TO S M O L E N S K 0. 553 only a fmali river, vrent through DubrofFna, and arrived in the evening at Lady. The country from ToHtzin to Lady is wavinn; and fonic\diat liilly, abounds with forelts, and produces corn, millet, hemp, and flax. In the largeft villages we obferved fchools and other buildings, con* ftru(5ting at the expence of the emprefs, alfo churches with domes, intended for the Polifli dillidents of the Greek feci, and the Ruffians who chufe to fettle in the country. Lady is fituated in the government of Smo- lenfko, and, before the late difmemberment, was a Ruffian frontier town: we took up our quarters at the poft-houfc, where we procured a comfortable apartment. Thefe pofl-houfes, which frequently occur on the high-roads of Ruffia, are moftlv conftrii^led upon the fame plan, and extremely convenient for the accommodation of travellers : they are large fquare wooden buildings, enclof- ing a fpacioLis court-yard ; in the center of the front is a range of apartments intended for the reception of travellers, with a gateway on each fide leading into the court-yard ; the remainder of the front is appropriated to the ufe of the poft-mafter and his fervants, the other three fides of the quadrangle are divided into ftables and flieds for carriages, and large barns for hay and corn. We were agreeably furprized, even in this remote place, to meet with fome Englilh ftrong beer^ $54 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3, beer, and no lefs pkafed to fee our fuppsr ferved, in diflies of Wedgev/ood's ware. The luxury of clean llraw for our beds was no fmall addition to thefe comforts. Calling for our bill in the morning, we found our charge as reafonable as the entertainment was good. The. fatisfa<5lion we exprefled at our re- ception, perhaps induced the fecretary (as the poil-mafter himfelf was abfent) to think us pro- per fubjecls of impofition. The diftance to the next ftation was about ten miles, and the fecre- tary demanded three times the fum allowed by the public regulations, under pretence of our not being provided with an order for poft-horfes. We hinted fome furprize at this charge : this in- timation, though conveyed in the mildeft terms, was anfwered with expreifions of contempt and defiance ; he ordered the horfes again into the ftable, and declared vre iliould not ftir from the place until we difcharged the full fum. Though we might eafdy have been prevailed upon by th^ flighteft apology to fubmit to the impofition, we determined to chaftife his infoience. We repair- ed to the dire6lor of the cuilom-houfe, and were immediately admitted: to our great fatisfadion he fpoke German, and after hearing our cafe, told us, thai the HufTian had demanded treble the fum he was intitled to; he affured us we fliould receive iniiant redrefs, and that the of- fender C. 1. JOURNEY TO SMOLENSK©. 2o^ fender iliould be puni-lied. Having difpatched a meffenger, to whom lie wliifpei'ed a private or- der, he defired us to wait his return, and offered us coffee. While we were drinking it, he gave us much information relative to the Ruffian poil% added feveral hints, which afterwards proved lingularly ufeful, and advifed us to procure an order for horfes from the governor of Smolen- fko. In the midft of this converfation a car- riage drove to the door, which we perceived to be our own, with all things ready for our imme- diate departure : the poft-mafter's fecretary made at the fame time his appearance in a fubmillive attitude ; we interceded with the dire^lor for his back, and obtained a promife that he fliould only be reprimanded. After making thofe acknow* ledgments to the friendly dire6lor, which were due to his politenefs, we took our leave, and pro- ceeded on our journey. We were m.uch chagrined at finding that the excellent nevv^ road terminated at Lady : it was fome fatisfadion, however, that the remaining parts from thence to SmolenflvO proved far fupe- rior to thofe we had encountered in the Lithua- nian forefts. The villages M^re an exa6l coun- terpart to thofe we had quitted, and exhibited a repetition of fcenes already detailed. The Ruf- fians differ widely in their appearance and drefs from the Polilh peafants. The mofl ftriking contraft ^56 TRaVeLS IK RUSSIA. B. §. contraft arifes from the nifthod of wearing their hair: the Ruffians, inilead of fliaving their heads, let their hair hang over the eye-brows and ears, and cut it fhort round the neck. The country was undulating and hilly, and more open than ufual until we arrived within a few miles of Smolenflvo ; when we plunged into a thick forcfl, which continued almoft to the gates of the town, without the intervention of a fmgle village, or fcarcely of a fmgle cottage. In 1403, Smolenfko, which belonged to the Ruffians, was befieged and taken by Vitoldus, and, together with the whole province, united to the duchy of Lithuania *\ During the inve- terate enmity which fubfifted between the Ruf- fians and Poles, Smolenfko was a place of great importance ; though only fortified according to the cuftom of the time, partly with ramparts of earth and ditches, and partly with pallifa- does, and a wooden citadel f ; thefe fortifications were, however, fufficiently ftrong to refift the defultory attacks of undifciplined troops, and k was at different intervals ineffeduallv bcfieo-ed, imtil the beginning of the l6th century, VaflTili Ivanovitch great duke of Mofcovy obtained pofleffion by corrupting the garrifon. It conti- nued in the hands of the Ruffians above a cen- * Dlugofllus, Lib, X. p. 104. et Ceq^, t Rerum Mofc, Au^, p. 52. Mayeibcrg Iter. Mofc. p. 74. tury, €t 1. S M O L E N S K O; S57 tury, in the fame fimple ftyle of defence. At leiigth the importance of its fituation near the frontiers of Poland, and the improvements in the art of war, induced Boris Godunof, prime minifter, and hrother-in-law of the tzar Feodor Ivanovitch, to furround it with a wall: he came in perfon to Smolenfko, and aflifted in tracing the fite of the fortifications, which he lived to fee completed in his own reign*, and which ftili fubfift. Thefe additional ramparts, how^ever, did not prevent Sigifmond III. king of Poland, from taking the town in l6ll ; and by the trace of Develina in 161 8, the poiTelTion was confirmed to Poland. In 16.54 it ^^'as again reduced by Alexey Michaelovitch ; and in 1686 finally ceded to Rufiia at the peace of Mofcowf. Smolenfko, though by ho means the moft magnificent, is by far the moft fingular town I have ever feen. It is fituated upon the river Dnieper, and occupies two hills, and the inter- vening valley. It is furrounded by walls thirty feet high and fifteen inthicknefs; the lower part of ftone, and the upper of brick: thefe walls, which follow the fhape of the hills, and enclofe a circumference of feven verfts J, have, at every angle, round or fquare towers of two or three ♦ S. R.G. vol. V. p.9^. Lengnlch, Jus Pub. v. I, p. 46. f Lengnich, vol I. p. 47. I Four miles and three (quarters. ^OL, I, s ftoiies. 258 T R A V E L S I N- R U S S I A. B. 5. lloiies, much broader at top than at bottom, and covered with circular roofs of wood. The inter- vals are lludded Avitli fmaller turrets ; on the out- iide of the Vv^aii is a broad deep ditch, regular co- vered Vv^ay with traverfes and glacis, and where the ground is highcft, are redoubts in the mo- dern fryle of fortilication. In the middle of the town is an eminence, upon which Hands the ca- thedral; from whence 1 had a moft pidurefque view of the town, interfperfed within the circuit of the walls, with gardens, groves, copfes, fields of pafiure, and corn. The buildings are moftiy wooden, of one ftory (many no better than cot- tages) excepting here and there a gentleman's houfe, which is called a palace, and feveral churches, conftru(5ied of brick and ftuccoed. One long broad fireet, Avhich is paved, interfefits the whole length of the town in a ftraight line ; the other flreets wind in circular diredions, and are floored with planks. The walls, flretching over the uneven fides of the hills till they reach the banks of the Dnieper, their antient flyie of architedure, and grotefque tOM^rs ; the fpires of churches iliooting above the trees, which are fo numerous as almofl to conceal the buildings from view ; the appearance of meado^vs and ara- ble ground ; all thefe objects blended together exhibit a fcene of the moft fmgular and con- trailed kind. On the further fide of the Dnie- per C. 1. S M O L E X S K O. ^^g per many ftraggling wooden lioufes form the fuburbs, and are joined to the town by a wooden bridge. As far as I could coUecl from vague information, Smolenilvo contains 4,000 inhabi- tants : it has no manufactures, but carries on fome commerce with the Ukraine, Dantzic, and Riga. The principal articles of trade are flax, hemp, honey, wax, hides, hogs' briftles, mafts, planks, and Siberian furs. The Dnieper rifes in the foreft of Volkonfki near the fource of the Volga, about lOO miles from Smolenll:o, paffes by Smolenil^o and iSIolii- lef, feparates the Ukraine from Poland, flows by Kiof, and falls into the Black-fea between Ot- chakof and Kinburn. By the acquifition of the province of Mohilef, the whole courfe is now included within the Rulfian territories. It be- gins to be navigable at a little diftance above Smolenlko ; but in fome feafons of the year is fo flrallow near the town, that the goods muft be tranfported on rafts and fmall flat-bottomed boats. Having occafion for a new pafTport and an order for horfes, we called upon the governor, in company with a Ruffian ftudent, who fpoke Latin, for our interpreter. The governor being at church, we repaired to the cathedral, and waited until the conclulion of divine fervice. The cathedral is a ftately building, created ou s 2 the €60 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. S. tlie fpot v/here formerly flood the palace of the antient dukes of Smolenfko. The infide walls are covered with coarfe paintings reprefenting our Saviour, the Virgin, and a variety of Saints, which abound in the Greek calendar. The fhrine, or fanftuary, into which only the priefts are admitted, is feparated from the body of the church by a fcreen with folding doors, and or- namented with twifted pillars of the Corinthian order, richly carved and gilded. The worihip feem.ed to confift of innumerable ceremonies : the people croffed themfelves Avithout ceafmg, bowed towards the llirine and to each other, and even touched the ground with their heads. The bifliop of Smolenfl^o performed the fervice ; he was a venerable figure, with white flowing hair and long beard ; he was dreffed in rich epifcopal robes, and had a crown on his head. The folding doors were occafionally opened and clofed with great pomp and folemnity whenever the bifliop retired within, or came forth to blefs the people. At the concluflon of the fervice, the doors being thrown open, the bifhop advanced with a chandelier in each hand, one containing three, and the other two lighted candles, which he repeatedly croifed over each other in different direc'^ions ; and then waving them towards the congregation, concluded with a final benedic- tion. Thefe chandeliers, as I am informed, are fvmbolical ; C. I. S M O L E N S K O. 261 fymbolical, one alludes to the Trinity, and the other to the two natures of ChrilL At the end of thefervice, we prefented ourfelves to the governor, who, to our furprize, received us with an air of coUlnefs, which made fuch an impreffion on our interpreter, that he could not utter a fingle word. At length a gentleman in the governor's train accofted us in French, and inquired our hufmefs. Informing him that we were Englifli gentlemen who dehred a palTport, and an order for horfes, he told us with a fmile, that the plainnefs of our drelfes had raifed a fuf- picioii of our being tradefmen ; but he was not io'norant that Eno-Ulh gentlemen feldom \rore lace or fwords on a journey ; an intimation which recalled to our recollection the advice of our Polilh friend at Minfk. He then whifpered the governor, v» ho inftantly affumed an appear- ance of complacency, and tefcified an intention of complying with our requeft. This matter being adjufted, the bhhop joined the company ; he had laid afide the coftly garments, in which he performed the fervice, and was drelfed in a long black robe, a round black cap, and veil. He addrelTed us in Latin, and invited us to his houfe, He led the way ; and we followed with the reft of the company to a commodious wooden building adjoining to the cathedral. On entering the apartment, the go- s 3 vernor '26^ T:^ AVE IS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. vernor and Ruffian gentlemen kifted his hand with great marks of refpett. After defning all the company to fit, he diftinguiilied us hy par- ticular attention ; obferving, with much polite- nefs, that our company gave him greater plea- fure, as he had never, fince his refidence at Smolenilsio, received a vifit from any Englifli- men, for whofe nation he had the highefl refpe6^. During this converfation afervant fpiead a cloth upon afmall table, and placed upon it a plate of bread, fome fait, and fome flowers : another fol- lowed with a falver of fmall glalTes full of a tranf- parent liquor. The bifliop bleifed the bread and the falver with great folemmity, and then took a glafs ; we thought it at firft a religious cere- monv ; but were undeceived when the fervants Offered the bread and falver to us as well as to the reft of the company. E\ery one being ferv- ed, the bilhop drank all our healths, a compli- ment vhich the com.pany returned with a bow, and inftantly emjptied their gkilTes : we follov/ed this example, and found the hquor to be a dram of cherry-water. This preliminary being fet- tled, we refumed our converfation with the bi- ihop, and afked feveral queftions relative to the antient ftate of Smolen{l<:o. He anfwered every inquiry with great readinefs ; gave us a concife accoulit of the ftate of the town under its an- tient dukes, and informed us that their palace was C. 1. SMOLENSK O. 263 Av^as fituated on the fpot now occupied by tlie cathedral, v/hich was built by Feodor Mi- chaclovitch, brother of Peter the Great, and had been lately repaired and beautified. Af- ter half an hour's agreeable converfation, we took our leave, greatly pleafed with the politenefs and affability of the prelate. Our interpreter, then condu6led us to the femi- nary, appropriated for the education of the cler- gy, in which the Latin, Greek, German, and Poliih languages are taught : the prieft who fliew- ed us the library talked Latin; he introduced us into his chamber, and, according to the hofpitable cuflom of this country, offered us fome refrefliment, which confifted of cakes and mead. In the afternoon the Ruffian gentleman, who fo obligingly relieved us from* our embarraffment be- fore the governor, kindly paid us a vifit, and in- vited us to dine Avith him on the following: day. We accepted his invitation, and waited upon him. at two, the ufual hour of dining : he was a judge, and lived in a wooden houfe provided by the court ; the rooms were fmall, but neatly furnilh- ed. The company confifted of the judge, hiu wife and lifter, all of whom talked French : the ladies were dreiTed in the French fafliion, with nuich rouge ; they did not curtfy ; but their mode of ialiite was to bow their heads very \o\\\ Be- s 4 fovQ ^54 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B, 5 fore dinner liqueurs were handed about ; each lady took a fmall glafs. and recommended the fame to us as favourable to digeftion. The table was neatly fet out, the dinner excellent, and ferved up in Englilh cream-coloured ware. Be- fides plain roaft and boiled meats, feveral RuiTian difhes were introdued ; one of thefe was a fallad compofed of muflirooms and onions, and another the grain of green corn, baked and moiftened with fweet oil. Before we rofe from table, our hofl calling for a large glafs, filled a bumper of champagne, drank it off to our health, and then handed the glafs round. *' This is an old cuftom,'' he faid, " and was meant as an expreffion of re- gard : the age is now grown delicate, and the free effufions of hofpitality mud be fupprelfed by ceremony ; but I am an old-falhioned man, and cannot eafily reUncjuiih the habits of my youth." After dinner we adjourned to another room, and played two or three rubbers of whift. Coffee and tea were brought in, and a plate of fvveet-meats was handed round to the com- pany. At fix we took leave of our friendly hofl, and returned to our inn, if Jt may be called by that honourable appellation. This inn, the only one in the town, was a wooden building, in a ruinous Hate, formerly painted on the outfide. The apartment which we occupied had once been ]iung with paper, fragments of which here and there C, 1. S M O L E N S K O. 265 there covered a fmall portion of the wainfcot, a patch work of old and new planks. The furni- ture confided of two benches and as many chairs, one without a bottom, and the other without a back; a deal box ferved the purpofe of a table. We were inclined to conjedure that there was a heavy tax upon air and light; for all the windows were clofed with planks, except one, which could not be opened, and could fcarcely be feen through, on account of c the dirt with which it was incruft- ed. In the inventory of thefe valuables I fliould not omit a couch upon which I flept : it had been fo often mended, that like Sir John Cutler's ftockings, immortalized by Martimis Scriblerus, we could not diflinguiili any part of the orio-inal materials. It may perhaps appear furprizing, that a town like Smoienfko fliould contain no tolerable inn ; but the furprize will ceafe whea we Kefled that few Grangers pafs this way ; that the Ruffians carry their provifions, and either continue their journey during the night, or are accommodated in private houfes. Auguft Q5. We quitted Smolenfko, crolfedthe Dnieper over a wooden bridge into the fuburbs, and purfued our journey through a valley of fine pafture watered by the Dnieper, fpotted withun^ derwood, and terminating on each fide in gentle eminences clothed w^ith trees. As we advanced ; the countrjr bepanie move abrupt, but no where 96G T R A V E L S I N R U S S I A. B. 5. rofe into any confiderable hill. Near Slovoda, a large ftraggling village, where we ftopped for a fevv^ hours during the darknefs of the night, we again crolTed the Dnieper on a raft formed of trunks of trees tied tx)gether ^vith cords, and fearcely large enough to receive the carriage, ^'hich funk it fonie inches underwater : this ma- chine was then puflied from the banks until it met another of the fame kind, to which the horfes ftepped with difficulty; and the diftance of the two rafts from each other was fo confiderable, that the carriage could fcarcely be prevented from flipping between them into the river. TliC f cond poft from this primitive ferry was Dogorobuih, built upon a rifmg hill, and ex- liibi ing, like Smolenfko, though on a fmaller fcale, an intermixture of churches, houfes, cot- tages, corn-fields, and meadows : fome of the houfes, lately conftruded at the emprefs's^ ex- pence, were of brick coveretl with ftucco, and had the appearance of palaces when contrafted v/ith the meannefs of the furrounding hovels. This place was formerly a ftrong fortrefs, and frequently bcfieged during the wars between Ruffia and Poland. From the ramparts of the antient citadel v/e commanded anextenlive view of the adjacent country, conhftiiig of a large plain watered by the winding Dnieper, and touncSed by diftant hills. From Dogorobufh we 4 , proceeded C. 1. JOURNEY TO MOSCOW. 9,67 proceeded 24 miles to a fmall village called Za- rateih, where we thought ourfelves fortunate in being houfed for the night in a tolerable hut, which afforded a rare inftance of accommodation in thefe parts, a room feparated from that ufed by the family. Our hoftefs was a true Aliatic figure : flie was d relied in a blue garment with- out flcevTS, which defcended to the ankles, and was tied round the waift with a red fafli ; {he Wore a white piece of linen wrapped round her head like a turban, ear-rings, and necklace of variegated beads ; lier fandals were faftened with blue firings, which were alfo tied round the an- kles, in order to keep up the coarfe linen wrap- pers that ferved for ftockings. Auguft 27. Our loute the next morning, from Zaratelh to Viafma, lay through a continued foreft, occafionally relieved by the intervention, of pafturcs and corntields. When we reflecicd that we were in the 5 5th degree of northern lati- tude, we were furprized at the forwardnefsof the harveft : the wheat and barley were already car- ried in, and the peafants employed in cutting the oats and millet. Since our departure from Smolenilco the Vv^eather proved remarkably cold, and the wind had the keennefs of a Noveml^er blaft: the peafants wTre all clothed in their iheep* (kins, or winter drellcs. At a fmall diftance from Viafma we pafled the rivukt t68 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5. rivulet of the fame name, navigable only for rafts, which defcend its ftream into the Dnieper; we then mounted a fmall eminence to the town, which makes a magnificent appearance with the domes and fpires of feveral churches rifmg above the trees. Viafma fpreads over a large extent of ground ; the buildings are moftly of wood, a few houfes of brick excepted, lately ere6led by the munificence of the emprefs. Part of the principal llreet is formed, like the RulTian roads, of trees laid crofs-ways, and part is boarded with planks like the floor of a room. It contains above twenty churches, a remarkable number for a place but thinly in- habited. The churches in thefe fmall towns a,nd villages are chiefly ornamented with a cupola and feveral domes ; the outfide walls are either white-waflied or painted red ; and the cu** polas or domes are generally green, or of a diffe- rent colour from the other parts. At fome dif- tancethe number of fpires and domes rifing above the trees, which conceal the contiguous hovels, would lead a traveller unacquainted ^^ith the country to expe6l alarge city, where he will only find a colledion of wooden huts. At Viafma was concluded, in 1634, the treaty of perpetual peace between I^adiflaus IV. king of Poland, and Michael Feodorovitch : by which treaty Michael confirmed the ceffion of Smolen- fto, C. 1. JOURNEY TO MOSCOW. tCO fko, Scveria, and Tchernichef, which had been yielded to the Poles at the truce of Develina ; while Ladiflaus renounced the title of Tzar, and acknowledged Michael as the rightful fovereign of Ruffia *\ On this occafion both monarchs re- Hnquilhed what they did not poffefs, and wifely facrificed imaginary pretenfions to the attainment of a fubftantial peace. The Ruffian pcafants appear in general a laro-e coarfe hardy race, and of great bodily ftreno-th. their drefs is a round hat or cap Math a hio-h crown a coarfe robe of drugget (or in winter of fheep- fkin, with the wool turned inwards) reachino- be- low the knee, and bound round the Vv aift by a falli, trowfers of linen almoft as thick as fack- cloth, a woollen or flannel cloth wrapped round the leg inftead of ftockings, fandals woven from fti-ips of a pliant bark, and fattened by ftrings of the fame materials, which are afterwards twin- ed round the leg, and ferve as garters to the woollen or flannel wrappers. In warm weather the peafants frequently wear only a Ihort coarfe fliirt and trowfers. The cottages are built in the fame manner as thofe of Lithuania ; but larger, and fomewhat better provided with furniture and domeftic uten- fils: they are of a fquare ihape; formed of whole trees, piled upon one another, and fecured at the * Lengnich, Hift. Pol. p. 167. four fctO 'T E A V E L S IN R U S S I A» B. 5. four corners "with mortlfcs and tenons. The iuterftices between tliefe piles are lilltd with mofs. Within, the timbers are fmoothed with the axe, fo as to form the appearance of wain- fcot; but without are left with the bai'k in their rude ilate. The roofs are in the penthoufe form, and generally compofcd of the bark of trees or iliingles, which are fometimes covered with mould or turf. The peaiants ufiially conftruct the whole houfe foicly with the affiftance of the hatchet, and cut the planks of the floor with the fame in- ftrument, in many parts being unacquainted with the life of the faw : they finhh the Ihell of the houfe and the roof, before they begin to cut the ivindows or doors. The ^^ indows are apertures of a* few inches fquare, clofed M'ith Hiding frames,, and the doors are fo low^ as not to admit a middle- fized man v/ithout ft oping. Thefe cottages fometimes, though very rarely, confift of two ilories ; in which cafe the lower apartment is a ftore-room, and the upper the habitable part of the houfe : the flair cafe is moil commonly a lad- der on the outfide. Moil of thefe huts arc, how- ever, only one- ftory, a few of them contain two rooms, the generality only one. In fome of this latter fort I was frequently av/akened by the chickens picking the grains of corn in the ftraw upon which I lay, and more than once by a lefs inoifenfive animal At Tabluka, a village, where C. 1 , J O U R N E Y T O M O S C O 1\^. ^fl where we palled the night of the 27th, a party of hogs, at four in the morning, roufed me by grunt- ing clofe to my ear. Not mueh pleafed either with the earlinefs of the vifit, or the falutation of my vifitors, I called out to my fervant, " Jofeph, drWe thefe gentry out of the room, and fliut the door." *' There is no door that will Diut," re- plied Jofeph, with great compofure; ''we have tried every expedient to faften it without fuccefs ; the hogs have more than once been excluded, but have as often returned." This converfation eifectually roufnig me, I determined to refign to my unwelcome guefts that litter which 1 could no longer enjoy, and contemplated, by tlie light of a flip of deal, the furrounding fcene. My two companions were ftretched upon the fame parcel of ftraw from which I had juft emerged ; a little beyond our fervants occupied a feparate heap ; at a fmall diftance three Rufiians, with long beards, and coarfe fackcloth fliirts and tro^vfers, lay extended upon their backs on the bare floor ; on the oppofite fide of the room three women in their clothes llumbered on a lono- bench; while the top of the ftove afforded a couch to a vromian drelTed like the others, and four fprawling children almoft naked. The furniture in thefe cottages confifls chiefly of a wooden table or dreifer, and benches ftiften- ed to the fides of the room: the utenfils are wooden •72 T R A V E L S r N- R tJ S S I A. U, S. irooden platters, bowls, and fpoons, with per- haps one large earthen pan, for cookiny^. The food of the peafants is black-rye-bread, fome- times white, eggs, falt-fiih, bacon, mullirooms; their favourite difh is a hodge-podge of fait or freih meat, groats, and rye-flour, liighly feafoned with onions and garlic, which are much ufed by the Rulfians. The peafants were greedy of money; almofl al- ways demanded previous payment for every trifle, and were in general much inclined to thieving. In Poland it was not necelfary to be always upon the watch ; and we frequently left the equipage €luring the whole night without a guard : but in Rullia, without the precaution of regularly Rationing a fervant in the carriage, every article would foon have difappeared ; yet even with this expedient, the watchfulnefs of our Argus was continually baffled by the fuperior vigilance of the natives, and the morning generally announced fome petty lofs, to which the night had given birth. The peafants at every poft were obliged to fur- i^ilh us with horfes at a fixed and reafonable rate, which had the ill effect of rendering them ex- tremely dilatory in their motions, and as our only interpreter was a Bohemian * fervant, not * The Bohemian and RufTian languages are both dialefts of th« (Slavonian tongue. perfectly €. 1. JOURNEY T O M S C O W. £7^ perfc<5lly acquainted with the Rulhan language, his difficulty in explaining, joined to their back- Avardnefs in executing our orders, occafioned delays of feveral hours for a change of horfes. The peafants afted in the capacity of coachmen and poftillions ; they ahvays hamciVed four torfes a-breaft, commonly put eight, and fometimes even ten horfes to our carriage; as the Oages were for tlie moil part twenty, and fometimes thirty miles, and the roads extremely bad. They fcldom ufed either boots or faddles, and had no fort of ftirrup, except a rope doubled and thrown acrofs the horfe's back. Each horfe was equipped with a fnaffle-bridle, wliich luowever was feldom inferted into the mouth, but gene- rally hung loofe under the jaw. The method of driving was not in a fteady pace, but by ftarts and bounds, with little attention to the nature of the ground : the peafants feldom trotted their horfes, but would fuddenly force them into a gallop through the worft roads, and fometimes as fuddenly check their fpeed upon the moft level furface. A common piece of rope ferved them for a whip, which they feldom had any occafion to ufe, as they urged their horfes forwards by hooting and whiftling like cat-calls. The inter- vals of thefe noifes were filled with finghig, which is a favourite pra(5tice among the Rullians, and has been mentioned by moft travellers v^'ho -YOL. I, T have # J ^274 TRAVELS I N R U S S I A. B. 3. have vifited this country. From the wretched hamefs, which was continually breaking, the badnefs of the roads, the length of time we were always detained at the pofts before we could procure horfes, and other impediments, we were feldom able to travel more than forty or fifty miles a day ; although we commenced our jour-n ney before fun-rife, and purfued it till it was dark. Auguft 27. Near Viafma we entered the vaft foreft of Volkonlki, through which we conti- nued for 150 miles without interruption, almoft to the gates of Mofcow. This foreft, which ftretches on all fides to an immenfe extent, gives rife to the principal rivers of European Ruffia, the Duna, the Dnieper, and the Volga. The fources of the Duna were at fome diftance from our route ; but thofe of the Dnieper arid the Volga rofe at fm.ail intervals from each other, not far from Viafma. The country in this part was more than ufual broken into hill and dale ; though it frill exhibited rather a fucceffion, of waving furface, than any confiderable eleva- tions. On the 28th we arrived at the village of Gret- keva towards the clofe bf the evening, and im- prudently proceeded on cur journey another fiage of eighteen miles ; the evening was exceedingly *dark, cold, and rainy ; the road uncommonly bad, I C. 1. JOUR N E y TO M O S C O W. C?.^ bad, and we were in continual apprclieilTions of being overturned. The greatell danger, liow- •ever, which we encountered, was unknown to us until vre reached the end of the ftation : we were then informed by our fervants, that we had croffed abroad piece of water upon a wooden bridge vrithout railing, fo infirm that it almoft cracked under the carriage, and fo narrov/ that one of tiie hind-wlieels was for an inftant fuf- pended over the precipice. Our ufual good for- tune, however, brought us fafe betv/ecn tv/clve and one to a cottage at ]\lo(haiflc, wlierc we found an excellent ragout of beef and onions prepared by the trufty fervant, who always pre- ceded us, and provided our lodging and fupper. I have little to fay of ?>Iof]iai{k, as we entered it at io late an houi', and departed the next morn- ing by day-break. We changed horfes at the village of Selo-Naro, and arrived early in the evening at j\Ialo-L\-Vialma, embofomed in the foreft, and pleafantly fituated at the edge of a fmall lake. This place was diftant only 24 miles from Mofcow, where we were impatient to ar- rive ; but \ic prudently deferred our journey until the next morning, as we did not chufe to tempt fortune by Cxpofmg ourfelvcs a feeond time to dano'crs in a dark niy-ht and in an un- known cormtry. The road fcr fgme way before we came to T 2 :Malo- 276 TRAVELS ly llUSSIA. U. 3. Malo-u-Viafma, and from thence to IMofco^r was a broad flraight avenue cut through the fo- reft. The trees, which compofed thefe vaft plantations, fet by the hand of Nature, were oaks, beech, mountain- afli, poplar, pines and firs, mingled together in the moft wanton va- riety. The different fJiades of green, and the rich tints of the autumnal colours, were inex- preffibl}^ beautiful ; while the fublime, but uni« form ^xpanfe of foreft Avas occafioually relieved by receffes of paftures a-nd corn fields. APzANoft/u- City of ! M o S C O W. 1 ..<> ^ i:^ y,.SA-fr,/„'trSu/„r/>' A.XM \^.yrrwfiiy,t, — ; _ !_ ^ i.JW„A„,;(y^^ _ Ic .n,'ZU;-/,anfr ♦ .C^/n:/iA- Sf'e^Aiytf/^ ■yri,MM./Mn^,2, lr/r/'Jin*„m!fyT.ra,M/„,af.t/,;„ ■jyk-tJ[,/M,,.'^«: ^ c. 2- >: o s c o \\\ £77 CHAP. 2. Morcow.—Hifl-ory.— Removal of the feat of empire to Peterfburgh. — Population and defcription of Mofcow. — Divifions. — Kremlin. — Khitaigorod. — Bielgorod. — Semlalnigorod. — Sloboda, or fu- burbs.— New palace-gardens. — Old Style. — Hofpltallty of the RulTian nobles. — Account of MuUer the celebrated hiftorian. — Anniverfary of St. Alexander Nevfki. — Enteitainn^ents at Count Alexey OrloPs — his ftud. — Boxing matches. — Vauxhall. AUGUST 30. The approach to Mofcow -^—^ was fiift announced at the diftance of fix miles by Ibme fpires over-topping an eminence at the extremity of the broad avenue cut through the foreft ; about two or three miles fuither we afcended a height, from whence a fuperb pro- fpe6l of the vaft city burft upon our fight. It ftretched in the form of a crefcent, to a prodi- gious extent; while innumerable churches, towers, gilded fpires and domes, white, red, and green buildings, glittering in the fun, formed a fplendid appearance, yet ftrangely contiafted by an intermixture of wooden hoveb. The neie:h- bouring country was undulating ; the foreft reached to within a mile of the ramparts, and was fucceeded by a range of open paftures. We croiTed the I'ivcr Mofkva on a long fpecies of raft floating, faftened to each bank, which the Ruf- fians call a Hving'bridge, bccaufe it bexids ulider T 3 the C7S T R A V E L ^ I N RUSSIA. B. 3. the carriage. After a ftrift examination of our palTport we drove through the fuburbs along a wooden road ; entered one of the interior circles of tiie town, called Bielgorod, and took up our quarters at an inn kept b}^ a Frenchman, at -^vhich fome of the nobility hold affemblies. Our apartments were convenient and fpacious ; we aUb found every accommodation in abun- dance, except beds and llieets; for as no one who is experienced in the cuftoms of this coun- try, travels without thofe articles, inns are fel- dbm provided v.ith them. With much trouble, however, we obtained from our landlord two bedfteads M'ith bedding, and one matrafs to place upon the floor; we could not procure more than three Iheets, one of which fell to my ihare ; but we had been fo long accuftomed to •fleep on ftraw, tliat we fancied ourfelves in a ilatc of unheard-of luxury, and bleffed our good fortune. Antiquaries differ confiderably concerning the- foundation of I\Iofcovv' ; but the following ac- count is moft probable^': Mofcow owes its foundation to George fori of Vladimir Monomaka, Vv^ho, in 1154, afcend- ed the throne of RulVia. Being infuUed by Ste- phen Kutchko, prince of Sufdal, he conf.fcated * See Sutnorokofs Kleine Chronik Von Mofcau in St. Pet, fournal tor 17761 and Scherebatofs Ruff. Gcf. p. 736. his c. 2. M s c o vr, 279 his domains, of which the lands now occupied by this city, formed a part, and laid tlie foundation, of anew town, which he called Mofkva, from the river of that name. But the town fell into fuch decay under his fucceffors, that when Daniel, fon of x\lexander Newfki, received, in the divifion of the empire, the duchy of Mofcovy as his portion, and fixed his refidence at this place, he may be Ikid to have new founded .the town. The fpot now occupied by the Kremiin, was at that time amorafs overfpread with a thick wood, containing a fmall ifland with only a fmgle hut. On this part Daniel confcructed numerous buildings, and enclofed it with wooden fortifi- cations. He firft aiTumed the title of duke of Mofcow, and was fo attached to this fituation, that on fucceeding his brother Andrew Alexan- drovitch in the great duchy of Vladimir, he con- tinued his refidence at Mofcow, which became the capital of the Ruffian dominions. His fon Ivan confiderably enlarged the new nietropolis, and in 136? his grandfon Demetrias Ivanovitch Donfivi furrounded the Kremlin with a brick wall. Thefe new fortifications, however, did not prevent Tamerlane, in 1382, from taking the town *. Being foon evacuated by that 4efultory conqueror, it again came into the poffeffion of the Ruffians; but was frequently occupied by * S. R. G. vol. II. p. 93. T 4 , the 280 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. the Tartars, who in the Ulh and 3 5th centuries over- ran RiiiTia, and even maintained a garrifoii in Mofcow, until they were finally expelled hy Ivan Vafl-licvitch I. To him Mofcow is indebt- ed for its principal fplendour, and under him it became the mod coulidcrable city of the Ruffian Empire. The Caron of Herberftein, embaifador from the emperor Maximilian to the great-duke VafTdr, fon of Ivan VafTdievitch, in the beginning of the fixteenth century, is the fhfl foreign writer who gave a defer ipt ion of Mofcow, which he accompanied with a coarfe engraving of the town in wood^. In this curious, but rude plan, may be diftinguillied the walls of the Kremlin, or citadel, in their prcfent flate, and feveral of the public buildings, which even aiow contribute to its ornament. From this period Me are able to trace its progrefs and gradual increafe, under the fuccceding fovereigns, in the accounts of feveral Ewglillit and foreign ;{: travellers. Mofcow continued the metropolis until the beginning of the prefent century: when, to the great diifatisfaftion of tlie nobility, but with • See Rer Mof. Com. in Rer. Mof. Aua. t Chiefly Chancellor, Fletcher, Smith, the authoi of Lord Car- lifle's Enibafiy, Perry, Bruce, &c. I Poflevinus, Margaret, Petftiiis, Oiearius, Mayerberg, Le Bruyi:, &:c. great C* 2« M o s c o \r. ^81 great advantage to the ftate, tlie feat of empire was transferred to Peteriljurgli. NotMithftanding the predilection which Peter conceived for Peterfburgh, in ^vhich all the fiic- ceeding fovereigns, excepting Peter II. have fix- ed their rcfidence, Ixlofcow is ftill the moft po- pulous city of the Ruffian empire. Here the chief nobles, who do not belong to tlie court of the emprefs, rciide ; they here fupport a iar£>;e number of retainers, gratify their taffe for a ruder and more expcnfive magniticence in the anticnt ftyle of feudal grandeur, and are not, as at Peterfburgh, eclipfcd by the fupcrior fplendour of the imperial efiablifliment. Mofcow is fituated in tlie longitude of r>7 de- grees 3] minutes from the firft meridiaji of Greenwich, and in 55 degrees 45 minutes 45 feconds of northern latitude. It is the laro;efc town in Europe ; the circumference within tlie rampart, which enclofes the fuburbs, being sg verfts, or eG miles* ; but it is built in fo ftrao-- gling a m.anner, that the population in no de- gree correfponds to the extent. Some Ruffian authors ilate the inhabitants at 500,ooo ; a num- ber evidently exaggerated. According to Bun- ching, who refided fome years in Ruffia, Mof- * The circumference is nearly equal to that of Pekln, which, including the fuburbs, meafures 40 verfts, or 26 mil^s and three- quarters. Journal of St. Pet. April 1775, p. 243, COV/, 4S^ T R A V E L S I N R U S S I A. B. 3. co-vv, ill 1770, contained 708 brick-houfes, and 11,840 wooden habitations* ; 86,731 males and 07^059 females, in all only 1 52,790 fouls ; a com- putation which CITS in the other extreme f. Ac- cording to an account publiilied in the Journal of St. Peterfburo-hJ, the diftria of Mofcow con- tained, in the beginning of 1780, 2, 1 7 8 hearths ; and the number of inhabitants were 137,698' males, and 134,918 females, in all 272,Gi6 fouls. , In the courfe of the fame year the deaths amount- ed to 3,702, and the births to 8,621 ; and in the end, the population of the diftricl was found to be 140,143 males, and 137,392 females, in all 277,535 fouls. This computation is more accu- rate than either of the others ; and its truth has been recently confirmed by an Engliih gentle* man lately returned from Mofcow, who made this topic the fuhjecS: of his inquiries. Accord- ino* to his account, which he received from the lieutenant of the police §, Mofcow contains within the ramparts 250,000 fouls, and in the adjacent villages, 50,000. If * According to Heym, Mofcow contained, in 1793,3439 houfes, of which 1382 were of briek. f Bufching's Ncue Erdbefchreibung, V. I. p. 841. Edit. i777« X For 1781, p. 200. ^ This computation maybe relied upon. For as a new aque- du6l near Mofcow was juft finilhed, it was neceffaiy to form as «xa6t an eltimate as pofHble of the number of inhabitants, in orde^ to jC. e. M S C O W. «83 If I was ftruck ^vith the fingularity of Smo- lenfko, I was all aftonifliment at the mimendty and variety of JMofcow, a city fo irregular, fo uncommon, fo extraordinary, and fo contrafted, never before claimed my attention. The ftl-eets are in general exceedingly long and broad : fome are paved ; others, particularly thofe in the fu- burbs, formed with trunks of trees, or boarded with planks like the floor of a room ; v/retched hovels are blended with large palaces ; cottages of one ilory ftand next to the moft ftately man- fions. Many brick ftructurcs are covered witli wooden tops; forne of the timber houfes are painted, others have iron doors and roofs. Nu- merous churches prefent themfelves in every quarter, built in the oriental ftyle of architedurc; fome with domes of copper, others of tin, gilt or painted green, and many roofed with wood. In a word, fome parts of this vaft city have the ap- pearance of a fequeftered defert, other quarters, of a populous town; fome of a contemptible village, others of a great capital. Mofcow may be confidered as a tovrn built upon the Afiatic model, but gradually becoming to regulate the necefTary fupply of water for each family. Richter obferves, " The population of Mofcow differs according to the fea- fbn of the year. In winter, when the nobility and their retainers floqk to the metropolis, the inhabitants exceed 300,000 j but in fummer, when they retire to the country, do not amount to 200,000.— Skizie von Molkau." • more S84 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5i more and more European ; exhibiting a motley mixture of difcordant archite^lure. It is diftri- buted into five divifions : ]. Kremlin; 2. Khitai- gorod ; 3. Hielgorod : 4. Semlainogorod ; 5; Slo- boda, or fuburbs. 1. The Kremlin was probkbly thus denominat- ed by the Tartars when in poifelTion of MofcoWi from the word Krem, or Krim, which fignifies a fortrefs. It flands in tlie central and higheft part of the city, near the conflux of the Mofkva and Ncglina, which wafh two of its fides, is of a triangular form, and about two miles in circum- ference. It is furrounded by high walls of ftone and brick, which were conftruded by Solario, a celebrated archited of Milan, in 1491, under the leign of Ivan Vafiilievitch I. as appears from a curious infcription over one of the gates. " Joannes Vafilii Dei Gracia Magnus Dux Volodimerioe Mofcovia^ Novogardie Tiferia^ Plefcoviee Veticie Ongarie Permiie Buolgarie et Aliar. Totius Q. Raxite Dominus Anno Tertio Imperii Sui Has Turres Condere Fet. Statuit Petfus Antonides Solarius Mediolanenfis anno Nat. Domini 1491. K. Julii." The reader will doubtlefs be as much furprized as I was to find, that the Tzars employed foreign archite6ls at fo early a period, before their coun- try was fcarcely known to the reil; of Europe. The Kremlin is not disfigured by wooden houfes, and C. 2. ^ M O S C O W*. 285 and contains the anticnt palace of the Tzars, fe- veral clmrclies, two convents, the patriarchal palace, the arfenal now in ruins, and one private houfe, which belonged to Boris Godunof before he was railed to the throne*. 2. The lecond divifion is called Khitaigorod, a term Gonje61ured by fome etymologifts to imp>yr the Chinefe town. Voltaire, in his Hiftory of Peter the Great, fupports this opinion, when he calls Khitaigorod " La partie appellee la inlle Chinoife^ oil les raretts de la Chine s'ettallaieiitr But this divifion of Mofcow bore that appellation long before any connection was opened bctv/een the Ruffians and Chinefe ; and the beft hifto- rians fuppofe the word Cathay or Khitai to have fceen introduced by the Tartars vvhcn thev had poffcffion of ^lofcowf: in proof of this conjec- ture, it is allcdged, that there is a to^\^r^ in the Ukraine called Khitaigorod, and another of the fame name in Podolia ; both which provinces, though unknown to the Chinefe, wei^e either over-run or inhabited by Tartars. The»iihitaigorod :J; is inclofed on one fide by * See the next Chapter, where fome of thofe buildings are de- fcribed. Since my vifit to Mofcow, many additional buildings Imve been conftruiled, particularly the fenate houfe, a magnificent ilrufture, built by the emprefs. t S. K. G. V. VIII. p. 538—541. J Khitaigorod is fald to be of Tartar derivation, and to mean the Middle Town, from ks htua^ion -between the Kremlin and B^lgorad- '"^ that *IQ6 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. that wall of the Kremlni which runs from the Moikva to the Neglina, and on the other by a brick wall of inferior height. It is much lanjer than the Kremlin, and contains the uni- verfity, the printing-houfe, and many other public buildings, together with all the tradef- mens ihops. The edifices are moftly ftuccoed or white-waflied ; and it has the only ftreet in Mofcow in which the houfes ftand contiguous to each other without any intervals. 3. The Bielgorod, or White Tovrn, which nearly encircles the two preceding divlfions, is fuppofed to derive its name from a white wall with which it was formerly enclofed, and of wWch fome remains ftill exift. 4. Semlainogorod, which environs the three other quarters, takes its denomination from, a circular rampart of earth with which it is en- compaffed. Thefe two divifions exhibit a gro- tefque group of churches, convents, palaces, brick and wooden houfes, and mean hovels, in no degree fuperior to peafants' cottages. 5. The Sloboda, or Suburbs, form a vaft ex- terior circle round the parts already defcribedr and are invefted with a low rampart and ditch. Thefe fuburbs contain, befides numerous build- ings of all denominations, corn-fields, much ,6pen pafture, and fome fmail lakes, which give rife to the Neglina. 6 The c. 2. M o s c o ^r. ^87 The Mofkva flows through the city in a. Avinding channel; but, excepting in fpring, is only navigable for raffes : it receives the Yaufa in the the Semlainogorod, and the Negiina at the weftern extremity of the Kremlin; both which rivulets are, infummer, almoft dry. The morning after out arrival, having ordered our Ruffian fervant to hire a carriage during our flay at Mofcow, he procured a coach with fix horfes of diflerent colours; the coachman and poftillions were drelTcd like peafants, with high cylindrical hats; the coachman with a long beard and ilieep-lkin robe, fat on tlie box ; the poftillions, in a coarfe drugget garb, were mounted upon tlie off horfesj according to the cuftom of this country. Behind the carriage was an enomious lack of hay : upon expreiiing furprize at this appendage, we were informed, that almoit every carriage at ]Mofcow is provid- ed with a viaticum of this fort, which, while the mafter is paying his vilits, or is at dinner, is occafionally given to the horfes. Some refrcfh- ments of this kind, indeed, feemed neceifary, as our horfes never faw the ftable from the morn- ing until the evening, or at midnight ; and re- mained during tliat interval, like ihofe of our hackney-coaches, in the ftreets. During our continuance in this city, we, not uncommonly, perceived about dianer-time, in the court -yards ©f ^BS TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5. of thofe houfes where we dined, many horfes without bridles, and unharncffed from thd re- ipe6live carriages, browfing upon their portable provender ftrewed on the ground; with them were intermixed different parties of coachmen and poftillions, who at the fame time gratified the calls of hunger upon a repaft ready prepared, like that of their cattle, and which too required as httle ceremony in ferving up. The frequency of thefe objects foon rendered them familiar, and we ceafed to look upQii our tvufs of hay as an excrefcence. The firfi: vifit we made in our new equipage was to our banker, who lived at the furtheft ex- tremity of one of the fuburbs, at the diftance of four miles from our inn. Our coaclnnan drove through the town with great expedition, gene- rally in a brift: trot, and frequently a full gal- lop, without any diftinclion of paved or board- ed ftreets. Having fettled our bufmcfs with the banker, who wa^ our countrynian, and oblig- ingly furnilhcd us with a large collection of Englifh news-papers, we c roiled the Yaufa over a raft bridge to a palace, conftruttcd for the re- ception of the prefent emprefs, when Ihe vifit^ Mofcow; thig palace is not, according to our ordinary acceptation of the word, a fmgle ftruc- ture; but, in the true ftyle cf Aiiatic grandeur, ;:. vc^ft afemblagc of numerous buildings dilhi- butcd c. 5. M s c o ^v. 239 butcd into feveral ftreets, and bearing the ap- pearance of a moderate town.* The bafe of each buiklino- is ftone, but of fo foft a nature, that it feemed fcarcely adequate to fupport the fuperftru^ture ; the bricks ufed for the remainder of the fabric crumbled at the touch, nor did the v/orkmanlliip exceed the materials, for the walls were in many places out of the per}>endicu- Iv^v line. The greater part of the timber, employed in the conftruclion of thefe vaft edifices was fa- iliioned with the axe. Thou^'h I often faw the the carpenters at work, I never once perceived a faw in tlicir hands : they cut the trees throuo^h Avith the axe, they he\v'ed planks witli the axe, they formed the beams, and fitted them toge- ther with the axe. With this fnnple engine they mortaifed and tenanted the fmalleft as ^rell as the largeft ^pieces of wood, and fmoothed the boards for the floor with the niceft exadnefs. Indeed, the dexterity andjuftnefs with which thev manaii-ed this inftrument was wonderful ; but the operation muft evidently occafion a pro- dio'ious wafte of labour and v>'ood. The gardens, which belonged to the old pa- lace, built by Elizabeth near the fpot where the prefent ftruclure was erecting, are itill retained : they are of confiderable extent, and contained * Paul converted this palace into barracks for 2000 raen. VOL. I. u fome ego TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 15. 3, fome of the beft gravel walks I have feen finc^ my departure from Englanch In fome parts the grounds were laid out in a pleafjng and natural manner; but in general the old ftyle of garden- ing prevailed) and ,prefented rows of clipped yew-trees, long ftraight canals, and a ptofufion of prepofterous Itatues. Hercules pr-efided at a fountain, with a retinue of gilded cupids, dol- phins, and lamias ; every little ftrudure was a pantheon ; and every grove was haunted by Apollos and Dianas ; but the principal deity in the place was a female figure holding a cornu- copia reverfed, which, inftead of diftributing, as ufual, all kinds of fruit, grain, and flowei^s^ poured out crowns, coronets, and mitres. The reign of thefe deities was, however, doomed to be ihort : under the aufpices of Catharine, all thefe inftances of grotefque tafte will be re- moved, and give place to more natural orna- ments. This palace and gardens occupy the ex- tremity of the fuburbs, within the compafs of the exterior rampart which encircles the whole town. We foon ceafed to be furprized that our car- riage was provided with fix horfes, as nothing was more common than to meet tlie equipages of the nobility with complete fets, driving merely about the ftreets of Mofcow. As the city is of fo large a compafs^ many hackney 4 carriages C. ^. M O S C O W. ^01 tarriages are ftatloned In the ftreets for convey- ing palTengers to the different quarters. Thefe vehicles are without tops, have moftly four wheels, and arc provided either with a long bench, or one, t^vo, or three feparate feats, like arm chairs, placed fide-^ways : their fares are fo reafonable, that fervants occafionally life them upon errands to diftant parts of the city. The coachman generally drives at the rate of eight or nine miles an hour. September ]. This moniing we received a card of invitation from Count Oftcrman, go- vernor of Mofcow, to dinner for the 22d of Au- guft; but, as it wa>^ the id of September, our fervant, who took the mcflage, came laughing into the room, and informed us, that we were invited to an entertainment that vvas paft : he had endeavoured, he added, to convince the melfenger of the miftake; but the man infifted that the enfuiiig day was the 22d of Auguft. It was indeed a natural miftake in our fervant, who did not know that the Ruifians ftill ad- hered to the old ftylCj and as he had paffed the 22d of Auguft in Lithuania, it is no wonder that he was fuprized at finding it again fo foon at Mofcow. Until the reign of Peter the Great the Ruf- fians began their year in September, and dated u 9, their tgO. T R A V E L S I N R U S S I A. B. 5* their a:ra from the creation of the world*, and not from the nativity of our Saviour. In 1700, Peter inftituted a grand jubilee at Mofcow, and ordained, that from that period the year ihould commence in January, and be computed from the Chriftian a^'a, according to the ftyle then in ufe iu England. As a mark of veneration to his memory, no alteration has been made in the Kuffian calendar ; and llufiia is the only Euro- pean nation which ftill retains the old ftyle. The fame morning we carried a letter of re- commendation from count Stackelberg, the RuiTian embalfador at Warfaw, to prince Vol- konfki, governor of the province, who received us with great cordiality, and invited us to din- ner, defiring us to coniider his table as ours dur- ing our continuance at Mofcow. The prince is in his 67th year, and recolle61s Peter the Great, whom he defcribed as fix feet in height, llrong and well made, with his head flouching and awry, of a dark complexion, and a countenance continually fubjeci to diftortions; adding, that he Avas generally dreffed in his green uniform, or a plain brown coat; was lemarkable for the flnenefs of his linen, wore his Ihort black hair * They reckoned alfo, according to the opinion of the Greeks? 5508 years, inftead of only 3369, from the creation to the na- tivity. without C. 2. 1\I O S C O W. 293 without powder, and whifkers. The prince a- mufed us with relating feveral anecdotes of that great monarch, and amongft others, one which he receivehy, antiquities, manners,, and cufioms of the various people and hordes of Siberia. He compiled or correfted maps of the diftricls which he vifrled, arranged the ar- chives of the principal towns, and copied the molt important documents. The unremitting affiduity Avith which he con- tinued his inquiries, brought on a nervous com- plaint, which prevented him from accompany- ing his fellow travellers ; and compelled him to demand -his recal. Having obtained the em- prefs'^ C. C. IM O S C O Y/. C97 prefs's permiffion to return, he fiiw his compa- nions depart with regret ; hut aftewards, reco- vering his health, was impelled hy literary zeal to continue his travels into the extreme parts of Siberia, notwithftanding the fatigue of thejoar- ney, through an inhofpitable country, and over almoft impaffabie roads. He vifited Irkutfk, Okotfk, and even penetrated to Yakut/k, where he arrived in 1736. In examining the archives, he found the original account of the Ruffian voyages in the Frozen Ocean, and in the fea of Kamtchatka, and difcovered that, in the laft cen- tury, Dellmef, a Ruffian navigator, had taken his departure from the river Kovyma, failed along the Frozen Ocean, and doubled the north-eaft- ern promontory of Alia* ; thus afcertaining a point which had long agitated the literary Avorld, that the continents of Afia and Ameri-ca were feparated by the fea. This important dif- covery occafioned various attempts to explore the north-weftern coaft of America, and o-ave rife to the expedition of captain Cook. After an abfence of ten years Muller returned to St. Peterfburgh in the beginning of 1743; and was received by the emprels Elizabeth with o-reat marks of diftinction. In 1747 he Avas appointed hiftoriographer, and rector of the Imperial uni. verfity, received other promotions at St. Peterf- * See Account of the RufTan Difcoveries between Afia and, America. burgh, t9^ TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. :bL S. "burgh, and at length was appointed, hy thepre- fent emprefs, confeilor of itate, and keeper of tlie archives at Mofcow *. His principal vvork is a Collection of Ruffian Eiftories, in nine volumes, and contains 'many Giirious and interefting articles : an account of? tlie Ruffian annals, drawn from the Byzantine writers, from the antient Sclavonian chronicles, and from Snorro Sturlenfis, an hiftorian of Nor- way ; various details of the Calmuc Tartars, and Zapora^'i^n Cofiacs; the Commerce and Foffefiions of the Genoefe on the Coafts of the Black Sea, and at Azof ; an account of the Ruffian and Chinefe Settlements on the River Amoor; Hiftory and Commerce of Siberia; Hif- tory of Ruffia, from the Reign of Boris Godu- npf to the AcceiTion of Michael Feodorovitch. liemarkable Things in Afiatic Ruffia, and in Turkey in Alia; the Ruffian Trade to China; Natural Hiftory of the Diftricts between tl>e Don and Diepper; Account of Novogorod, Dorpart, Pcrnau, and Riga. » The emprefs piirchafed his fine colledion of books and ma- nulcripts for £.2,qoo. This great patronefs of letters configned alfo to hir^i the charge of arranging and printing, at her expence*. a Coiledion of Riiffiaii Treaties, in the form of Dumont's Corps Diplomatique; but the death of the learned hiftorian prevented the completion. He did on the i6th of Oftober 1783, in the 78th year of his. age i Catharine, a fhort time before his death, honored Mr. MuUer with the order of St. Vladimir, and has teftified her xefpe^t to his memory by enobiing his fuinily. , Tbe C, 2. M O S C O W. ©Og The third vokime of this interefting work contains an " Account of the Ruffian Voyages ^i)d Difcoveries alon^* the Coafts of the Frozen Sea, and in the Eaftern Ocean towards Japan and America," from 16.S6 to the termination of Bering's and TchirikoFs expedition in 1742: to this puhlication 1 was greatly indebted for my account of the Ruffian difcoveries. To thefe works the accurate aiid indefatigable writer fucceffively added many other valuable performances on fnn ilar fubjedls, both in the German and Ruffian languages, which eluci- date the hiftory and topography of this vail empire. September 10. This day being facred to Alexander Xevfki, a faint highly revered by the Ptufiians, and in whofe honour an order of knighthood was inftituted by Peter the Great, was kept with great folemnity. Service was performed in the principal churches of Mofcow with all the pageantry peculiar to the Greek re- ligion, and the go vendor of the province gave a fplendid entertainment, to which the princi- pal nobihty and clergy were invited. Alexander Nevfki, a name more refpe6lable than moft of the faints who fill the Ruffian ca- lendar, was fon of the great duke Yaroflaf, and flpuriilied in the beginning of the 1 3th century, a^ a period when his country was reduced to the SOO T 11 A V E L S IX R IT S S I A. B. 5, the utmoft extremity by a combination of for- midable enemies. He repulfed an army of Swedes and Teutonic knights, and wounded the king of Sweden with his own hand on the bank of the Neva, from whence he obtained the ap- pellation of Nevfivi. He defeated tlie Tartars in feveral engagements, and delivered his coun- try from a difgraceful tribute impofed by the fucceifors of Zinghis Khan. His life feems to have been almoft one continued fcene of aclion; and he performed fuch almoft incredible acis of valour, as induced an ignorant and fuperftitious people to confider him as a fuperior being, and confecrate his memory. He died about the year ie62, at Gorodetz, near Nilhnei Novogo- rod. The great fuperiority of his character was evinced, as well by vi(5lories which diftinguiflied the Ruffian arms during h'm life, as by the nu- Dierous defeats which immediately took place on his deceafe. The morning of this anniverfary was ufliered m by the ringing of bells uncommonly loud; in ceilant peals re founded in every quarter of the city, but more particularly in the Kremlin,' whkh contains the principal churches and the largeft bells. At eleven we paid our refpecls to prince Volkonfki, who, as governor of the pro- vince of Mofcow, had a levee : h.e wore the red ribband of the order of St. Alexander, and re- ceived c. 2. M o s c o ^v, soi c^ivccl the compliments of the principal nobi- lity and gentry. From the levee we repaired to the cathedral of St. Michael, and were prefent atvhigh rnafs, performed by the archbifliop of Roftof. The cliurch being filled with an im- menfe concourfe of people, w^e could not, w^itii- out the utmoft difficulty, penetrate to the bot- tom of the fteps leading to the flirine, froni which the biiliop occafionally came forth to ad- drefs the congregation. The confufion arinng from the croud, and the rapid fuccefiion of va- rious ceremonies, difcracted our attention, and rendered us incapa^ble of difcriminating the dif- • ferent parts of the fcrvice. We could only ob- ferve in general a great difplay of pomp and fplendour, and many ceremonies fimilar to thofe defcribcd on a former occahon, with the addi- tion of others appropriated to the greater fefti- vals of the Ruflian church. At the concluiion of the fervice, which lafted two hours, we returned to prince Voikoniki's; wdiere ninety perfons w^ere alfembled at an en- tertainment given in honour of the day : w hen the archbifhop of Roftof entered the room, the prince met him at the door, and kilTed his hand after the prelate had made the fign of the crofs; he paid the fame mark of refpe6t to two other bi^iops, and the greater part of the company fucc^ffively 804 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5-* fucceffively followed the prince's example. Ee- ing prcfented to the archbilhop, I held a long converfation with him in the Latin toni^ue, which he fpoke with great fluency. He ap- peared to be fcnfiblc, well-informed, and verfed in various branches of literature : he had peru fed the works of fc veral of our belt divines, either originally written, or tranflated into Latin, and mentioned their compofitions with much appro- bation. I troubled him with feveral queilions relative to the fervice of the Ilulfian church, which he anfwered with great readinefs and con- defcenfion. The bible, he faid, is tranflated into Sclavonian, the liturgy is written in that lan^'uage, which is the mother-tongue of the Rulfian, and therefore the flyle of the facred writings, though fomewhat obfolete, is under- ftood without much difficulty even by the com- mon people. The clergy, he informed me, are divided into fecular and regular priefis ; the latter, from whom are chofen the dignitaries of the church, arc not permitted to marry; the feculars are the pariih-priefts, and from a literal obfervation of St. Paul's precept, " the huiband of one *' wife," arc required, as a qualification for or- de]s, to marry; and, in the fpirit of the fjinie tenet, arc after the death of their wives deemed unlit €. «. M o s c o w. ^ot Unfit for the facred function. The difquahfica* tion arifing from widowhood may, indeed, be healed by the biiliop's difpenfation* ; but a fe* coikI marriage irrecoverably divorces from the altan The archbifliop was pohtely continuing; to acquaint me with many other circumftances pecuHar to the ecclefiaftical eftabliihmcnt, when the converfation was interrupted by a fumnions to dinner. A fmall table in the corner of the witli-drawing room, according to the cuftom m this country, was previoufly covered with plateSi of caviare, red-herring, bread, butter, and cheefe, and different forts of liqueurs, to which the com- pany helped themfelves before they adjourned to dinner. About ninety perfons fat down to a fplendid entertainment. During the fecond courfe, a large glafs with a cover being brought to prince Volkoniki, he ftood up, delivered the. cover to the archbilliop, who fat next him, filled the glafs with champagne, and drank the emprefs's health, which was accompanied with a difcharge of can-^ non. The archljilhop followed his example, and the glafs was in like manner circulated round the table. The healths of the great-duke, of the great-duchefs, and of their fon prince Alexan- der, were then fucceffively toafted with the fame « In genera.1 the fecular prieft, when a widower, Is received iato a monafteiy, ceremonies ,* S04 TRAVELS IN R U S S I A. B. H- -ccremonies ; after which count Pan in arofe, and drinking a return of thanks to the mailer of tlie feaft, was joined by the whole company. When each toaft ^vas named by the prince, all the per- fons at table role out of refpect, and ^remained fianding while he drank. During our itay at Mofcow Ave frequently ex-* pericnced the hofpitality of count Alexey Orlof^ who, in the laft war v/ith the Porte, commanded the Ruffian fleet in the Archipelago, and burnt the Turk iih armament in the bay of Tchefme, for which action he was honoured v/ith the title of Tchefminflvi. The cuftom of conferring an additional name for the performance of fignat fervices to the country, was, in imitation of the Ptomans, ufually practifed by Conftantine and his fucceflbrs the Greek emperors, who reigned at Conftantinople. From that quarter it proba- bly pafTed to the Ruffians, v/ho in the earlier times of their hiftory gave fimilar appellations to fome of their illuftrious leaders. Thus the great- duke Alexander was called Nevilvi for his vi6lory over the Swedes near the Neva, and Demetrius Ivanovitch was denominated Donfki, for his conqiieft of the Tartars upon the banks of the Don. This cuftom, which long difcontinued, was revived by the prefent emprefs. JMariljal' Romanzof received the denomination of Zadu- naiild, for his victories fouth of the Danube; prince C. ^. M O S C O AV. S05 prince Dolgorucki that of Crimfki for Ills fiic- cciles in the Crimea ; and count Orlof this of Tchefminfki, for the naval victory in the bay of Tchefnic. The houfe of count Orlof is fxtuated at the extremity of one of the fuburbs, upon an ele- vated ftot, commanding a fine view of the vail city of IMofcov/ and the neighbouring country ; many feparate buildings occupy a large tract of ground. The offices, ftables, manege, and other detached ftructures, are of brick ; the founda- tion and lower ftory of the dwelling-houfe arc built with the fame material ; but th.e upper part is of wood*, neatly painted of a green co- lour. We carried a letter of recommendation from prince Stanillaus Poniatowflii, the king of Poland's nephew, to the count, v/lio received us with great franknefs, and detained us at din- ner : he delired us to lay afidc all form ; adding, that he was a plain nian, liad a high eftccm for the Englilh nation, and fnould be happy to ren- der us every fervice in his power during our ftay at ]Mofcow. We had the pleafure of dining fe- veral times with him, and always met with the molt polite reception. The count feemed to live * Vroodeii houfes are by many perlbns in this country fuppoled to be waraier and more whoiefome than thole of brick and Hone, Avhich-is the reafon why feveral of the Ruffian nobility ehnle that part of the houfe, which they inhabit thtmfelves, to be conlhucSted with weed. VOL. I. X in 306 TRAVELS IN R U S • I A. B. 3. ill the true ftyle of old Ruflian hofpitality, and kept an open table, abounding with a great va- riety of Greek wines, which he brought from the Archipelago. One difli, ferved on his plen- tiful board, was extremely delicious, and only inferior to our beft venilbn ; it was a quarter of an Aftracan ilieep, remarkable for the quantity and flavour of the fat^% There was mufic during dinner, which gene- rally made a part of the entertainment at the tables of the nobility. We obferved alfo ano- ther ufual inftance of parade; numerous' re- tainers and dependents ^\'ere intermixed with tlie fervants, but feldom affiftcd in any menial oftice: they occafionally flood round their lord's chair, and feemed greatly pleafed whenever tliey^ were diftinguiflied by a nod or a fmile. In this train was an Armenian, recently arrived from ]Mount Caucafus, who, agreeably to the cuftom of his country, inhabited a tent pitched in the f,»;ardcn, and covered with felt. His drefs con- fifted of a long loofe robe tied with aiafij; large * In, the court-yard I obferved feveral fheep of this fpecies rang- ing about the ftables. To perfectly tame that they fufiered us to ftroke them. They are ahnoll as large as fallow deer, but with much Hiorter legs : they have no horns, long tiowing ears, and, in- ftead of tails, a large bunch of fat, fometimes weighing thirty pounds. Mr. Penniint has given an engraving of thefe fheep in his Hiiloiy of Quadrupeds, whiclihc has accompanied with an ac- « urate defcription. breeches, C. 2. M O S C O \s\ 307 breeclies, and boots: bis bair ^vas cut, In the manner of the Tartars, in a circular form ; bis arms were a poignard, and a bow of buffalo's horn ftrung witb tbe fmews of tlie fame animal. He was extremely attacbed to bis mafter ; and when firft prefentcd, voluntarily took an oath of fealty, and fwore, in the true language of Eaftem hyperbole, to attack all tbe count's ene- mies ; offering, as a proof of fmcerity, to cut off bis own ears ; be alfo wilbed that all tbe fick- nefs, which at any time threatened his mafter, rnio-bt be transferred to bimfelf. He examined our clothes, and feemed delighted with pointing outthe fuperiority of his own drefs in tbe article of convenience; be threw bimfelf into different attitudes with uncommon agility, and defied us to follow his example ; be danced a Calmuc dance, which confifted in ftraining every muf- cle, and vrrlthing tbe body into vailous contor- tions without ftirring from the fpot: be beckon- ed us into the garden, took great pleafure in lliowing us his tent and his arms ; and fliot feve- ral arrows to an extraordinary height. We were ftruck with tbe unartificial character of this Ar- menian, who feemed like a wild-man juft begin- ning to be civilized. Count Orlof, who is fond of the manege, is cfteemed to poffefs, though not tbe largeff, yet the lincft ftud in Iluffia, and be vras fo obliging as X e to 508 TRAVELS IX RUSSIA. B. 5. to gratify our cnriofity by conveyinp; us to his country-lioufe, at the diftance of fifteen miles from jMofcow. He conveyed us in his own car- riage 'drav.n by fix horfes, harneiTed with ropes, and placed two in front, and four a-hreaft in the hinder row; an empty coach, with fix horfes, ranged two by two, folio^^^cd for parade. lie was attended by four hulfars, and, the Armenian accoutred with his bow and quiver, who conti- nually lliouted and waved his hand with the fi:rongeft exprefiions of tranfpoit ; he occa- lioiially galloped his horfe clofe to the carriage, then fuddenly ftopped and wheeled round to the right or left with great rapidity. In our route wc palfed fcvTral large convents, furrounded, like many of the monaftcries'iu this country, with walls of brick, bearing the ap- pearance of fmall fortreifcs ; wc crotTed the Moikva twice, and entered a circular plain of luxuriant pafture, in the midft of which rifes an infulated liill, with the count's lioufe on the top. This feat commands a beautiful view of a circular plain, watered by the ]^,Iofkva, anrl (kirted by gentle hills, vwiofe fKk\s prcfcnt a ricli \ ariety of wood, corn, and pafture. The greater part of the Ikid was g-razing in the plain: it confiited of iiue Ihdlions, and above fixty brood-mares, moft of which liad foals, 'ilic collection v/as gleaned from the moil diftant quarters C. 2. M O S C O ^V. 309 quarters of the globe ; from Arabia^ Turkey, Tartary, Perfia, and Engluiid. Tlie count ob- tained the Arabians during his expedition in the Archipelago, fome as prefents from Ali-Bey, others by purcliafe or conqueft from the Turks : amongft thefe he chiefly prized four horfes (two of whicli we liad noticed in the manege at ]Mof- cow) of the true Cochlcan breed, fo much efteemed in Ambia, and feldom feen out of their native country. The count, after politely attending us to the And and about the o'rounds, re^'aled us with a moft elegant entertainment, at which his viva- city lent charms to his fplendour and hofpitality. On our return to ^lofcow, we made a circuit to a fmall village fix miles from the capital, where a villa was erecting for the emprcfs, called Tza- ricino, confifting, befides the principal building, of eight or ten detached ftructures in the Gotliic tafte, which were prettily difperfed among tlie plantations. The fituation is romantic, a rifmg ground backed with wood, and a large piece of water embracing the foot of the hill. I cannot forbear to mention in this place an act of almoft Kaftern magnificence, which this vifit afterwards occafioned. One morning in the cnfuing ^^•inte]•, at reterfl^urgh, one of the fmell among tlie Arabian liorfcs, which Lord X 3 Herbert 3lO TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. Herbert had greatly admired, was fent to him, accompanied v/ith the following note. " My Lord, I obferved that this horfe pleafed you, and therefore defire your acceptance of him. I received him as a prefentfrom Ali-Bey. He is a true Arabian of the Cochlean race, and in the jate war was brought by the Ruffian fliips from Arabia to me vrhile I was in the Archipelago. I wilh he may be as ferviceable to you as he has been to me ; and I remain, with efieem, your obedient fervant, '' Count Alexey Orlof TcHESMiySKI." At the clofe of an entertainment, which the count gave us at Mofcow, he introduced us to the fight of a Ruffian boxing-match, which is a favourite diverf on among the common people. We repaired to the manege, _ where v»^c found about three hundred peafants aflembled. They divided into two parties, each of which chofe a chief, who called out the combatants, and pitted them againfl each other;- only a fmgle pair was allowed to engage at the fame time. They did not drip, and had on thick leathern gloves with thumb pieces, but with no feparations for the iingers. From the ftiflhefs of the leather they could fcarcely double their fifts, and many of "them ftruck open-handed. Their attitudes were different from thofe ufcd by boxers in England: 6 they c. 2. M o s c o vr. 31 1 they advanced the left foot and fide, ftretched the left arm towards tlie adverfary to repel his blows, and kept tlie rii>'ht arm fwinging at fome diftance from the other. Tliey generally ftruck in a circular dh'edion at the face and head never attacked thehreaft or fides, and feemed to have 110 nolion of aiming a blow directly forwards. When any combatant felled ids antagonifi he -was declared vic'tor, and the conteft ceafed. During our fray v.'C ^vitneiicd about tvrcnty fac- ccflive combats. Some of the men \rere of vaft ftrength ; but their mode of lighting prevented mifchief; nor did ^vc perceive any of thofc con- tufions and fjaciures in \\ hich boxing-matches in England frequently terminate. Both parties- were highly interelted in favour of their refpec- tive champions, arkd feemed at times inclined to enter the lifts in their fupport; but the fnft ap- pearance of difpute, or growing heat, was check- ed by the count, Vvho acted as mediator: a kind word, or even a nod from him, inftantly com- pofed all differences. "Wlien he appeared defnous to put an end to the combats, they humbly re- queftcd his permiifion to honour them with his prefence a little longer ; upon Ids alTent, they bowed their heads to the ground, and feemed as pleafcd as if they had received the highcfl fa- vour. The coujit is greatly beloved by his pea- X 4 Hints, 312 T R A V t L S I N RUSSIA. B. S. '^ fants, and their ftern coun ten an CCS nurltcd into the moft affectionate fofificfs at his approach. We made an agreeable excurfion to Mikaulka, the villa of cour.t Peter Panin, a Rufiian nohle- nian o^ the firft difiinction, Avho fignalized him- felf in the late Avar againfl the Turks, b}- tlie cap- ture of Bender, and more recently by the defeat of the rebel Pugatchef. The villa is fituated at the diftance of fix mdlcs from Mofcow, in the midft of a large foreii. The count originally pui'pofed to raife a grand edifice of brick, after a dcfign of his late wife ; but on her death aban- doned this project, and contented himfelf with a comfortable wooden houfe at the extremity of his grounds, vrhich he fnTt creeled only as a teni- porary habitation. His offices, ftables, coach- houfes, dog-kennels, lodgings for huntfmen and other menial fervants, form two long rows of detached wooden buildings, all Y/ilh uniform fronts neatly painted. The grounds are agree- ably laid out in the ftyle of Englifli parks, with gentle fiopes, fpacious lawns of the fineft ver« dure, fcattered plantations, and a large piece of water fringed with MOod. We could not avoid feeling extreme fatisfac- tion at obferving that the En gliili ftyle of gar- dening had penetrated even into thefe diftant re- gions. The Englilh taftc, indeed, can difplay jtfcif C. 2. M O S C O W, 315 itfclf in this countiy to great advantage, wlicrc the parks arc extenlivc, and tlie verdure, during the Hiort funimer, uncommonly beautiful. j\Ioft of the Ruffian nobles have gardeners of our na- tion, and refign^ themfelves implicitly to their di- rection. The count, who is fond of country di- verfions, had a pack of hounds clficfly of the Englifli breed, confifting of an indifcriminat^ mixture of harriers, ftag and fox-hounds, fele6l- ed Avithout regard to fize or fpecies. With this fame pack he hunted wolves, deer, foxes, and hares. He pollciled likewife a line breed of Ruf- fjan greyhounds, in high cftimation for their fwiftnefs: they are fliaggy and w4re-haired, and fome are taller than the largeft breed of New- foundland dogs. The count entertained us A\ith a moft fump- tuous dinner: we were particidarly ftruck with the quantity and quality of the fruit in the de- fert: pines, peaches, apricots, grapes, pears, cher- ries, which can rarely in this country be obtain- ed w^ithout the affiftance of hot-houfes, were ferved in the greateft profufion *. Tliere was a * since my departure from RufTin, horticulture has been confi- derably improved. " According to Richter, in his Sketch of Mof- cow, pines are reared in great abundance in the hot-houfes about J^Iofcow, and m^.y be purchafed for a ruble apiece. I am alfo in- formed, by an ingenious Dutch gentleman, lately arrived from RuITia, that in the country houfc of Pi'ince Qallitzin, he faw grapes nearly ripe in the open air, delicious^ 314 TRAVELS IX RUSSIA. B. 3. delicious fpecies of fmall melon, MJiich vras fent by land carriage from Aftracan to IMofcow, though at the diftancc of a thoufand niilc:>*. One inftancc of elco-ance which diftin^'uifhcd the defcrt, and had a plcafnig ef^G^^y muft not be omitted : at the upper and lower end of the table ^rere placed tvro china vafes containing cherry ^i- trees in full leaf, and fruit hanging on the boughs, which Vv'as gathered by the company. IV^e ohferved alfo in the defert a curious fpecies of apple, which is not uncommon in tlie neigli- bourhood of Mofcow : it is fomewliat larger than '4 golden-pippen, of tlic colour and tranfparency of pale amber, and has an exquifite flavQur ; the Ptuffsans call it Navlnkh. The tree tlnives in the open air without particular attention to culture, but degenerates in other countries; the flips and feed, planted in a foreign foil, have hi- therto produced only a common fort of apple, but never the tranfparent fpecies. In returning from ^likaulka we pjilled clofe to the villa of count Kazomoufki Iletman of the Ukraine, which had moie the refemblance of a little town than a country houfe. It coniifted of ■ . i/ forty or fifty buildings of different {\zcs ; fome of brick, others of wpod ; fome painted, and * Tljefc melons fometimes coll five pounds apiece, antl at other times they may be purchaled in the uiarjcets of Mofcow for lefs than Xalf a crown apiece. Others C. 2. M O S C O \r. .315 others plain. The count maintains his guard, a numerous train of retainei-s, and a large band of muficians. The. Ruffian nobles difplay a great degree of grandeur and magnificence in their houfes, domeftics, and \yay of livins:. Their palaces at and near Mofcow are ftupendous piles of building, and I am informed that their man-^ fions, at a diftance from Mofco^v^ and Peterf- burgh, are upon a ftill grander fcale ; where they refide as independent princes, like the feudal ba- rons in early times, have their feparate courts of jultice, and govern their vafTals with almoft un- limited fway. I did not expe6l to find in this northern cli^ mate a kind of Vauxhall. It is fituated at the furtheft extremity of the fuburbs in a fequef- tered fpot, which has more the appearance of the country than of a town. We entered by a co- vered way into the gardens, which were fplen^ didly illuminated. There was an elegant rotunda for a promenade, either in cold or rainy weather, and feveral apartments for tea or fupper. Tlie entrance money was four fliillings. The pro- prietor is an Englilliman, whofe name is Mat- tocks. The encouragement he met with from tlie natives on this occafion enabled him to engage in conftructing, at a great expence, a brick theatre, and, as an indemnification, he ob^ taincd from the emprels an exclufive patent for all 5 1 6 T R A V E L S r N R U S S I A. B. 3. all plays and pu])lic mafquerades, during ten years from the time of its completion. The iineft view of IMofcow is from an emi- nence about four or five miles from the town, of M'hichI have forgotten the Ruffian name, but its figniification in Engliih, is SpaiTow-hill: upon this eminence were the ruins of a large palace built by Alexey Micjiaeiovitcli. ITpon our re- turn we ftopped at Vafiiioflki, the villa of prince Dolgorucki, which ftands upon the brow of the fime hill. Beneath the IMoflvva, vhich is here broader than ufual, expands into a femicircle, at fome diftancc; and the vaft city of Mofcow makes afuperb and magnificent appearance : the houfe is a large wooden building, to wliich we afcended by tliree terralTcs. The prefcnt pof- felfor is prince Dolgorucki Crimflvi, vho dif- tino'uiilied himfelf bv his viciories over the Turks in the Crimea, and by the conqueft of that peninfula. The models of feveral fort relics which he beficgcd and took, are placed in the gardens, among which I particularly remarked thofe of Ycnikalc, Kerfch, and Precop. In traverfing the apartments, the various re- yerfes of fortune which befell the family of Dol- gorucki, occurred forcibly to my recollection; cfpecially when I furvcyed the portrait of the princcfs Catharine Dolgorucki, whofe adven- tures, fo pathetically defcribcd by ^Irs, Yi- C. 2. M O S C O W. ' SI7 gor*, afford one of the moft affecting ftories in the annals of hiftory. That unfortunate prin- cefs, torn from the perfon. ilie loved, vas be- trothed againft her inclination to the emperor Peter II. On his deceafe.ilie became xT momen- tary fovercign ; but was almoft as inftantly hur- ried from the pala*ce'to„ ardiingeon, where Ihe languilhed duriug the whole reign of the emjjrefs Anne. Being ^ releafed u}3on the acrellion of Elizabeth, ihe married count Bruce, and died ^vithout iniie. * Letters from Ruilia by a Lad/. SIB tHAVELS IK RUSSIA, 13.3. CHAP. 3. Number of churches in Mofcowv.— Their outward ftruaure.— In- terior divlfions. — Worfliip of painted images. — Defcription of an enormous bell. — Principal buildings in the Kremlin. — An- tient palace. — Convent of Tfchudof. — Nunneryof Viefnovitfkol. — Cathedral of St. Michael. — Tombs and charaftersof the Tzars. —Genealogical tables of the Jluffian fovereigns. npHE places of divine worfliip at Mofcow -*• are exceedingly numerous, and exclufive of chapels, there are 484*' public churches, of which 199 are of brick, and the others of wood ; the former are commonly ftuccoed or ^vhite- wafhed, the latter painted of a red colour. The inoil antient churches are generally fquare buildings, with a cupola and four fmall domes |, fome of copper or iron gilt, others of iron tin- ned, cither plain or painted green. Thefe cupo-^ las and domes are for the mofl part ornamented with croffes entwined with thin chains or wires : * According toHeym, in 1793, Mofcow contained 22 convents, g cathedrals, and 326 churches. f The church of the Holy Trinity, fometimes called the Church of Jerufalera, which ftands in the Khitaigorod, clofe to the gate leading into the Kremlin, has a kind of high fteeple and nine or ten domes : it was built in the reign of Ivan Vaffilievitch II. An engraving of that, as well as fome of the more antient churches, may be feen inOlcarius and Le Brun's Travels* each c. 5. H O S C O T*% SJD each crofs has two tranfverfe bars^v ^^^'^^ upper horizontal, the lower incihiing, which, accord- ing to the opinion of many RulVians, is fuppofcd to be the form of the real crofs, and that our Saviour was nailed to it with his arms in a hori- zontal pofitioii, and one of the legs higher than the other. I frequently obferved a crefcent under the lower bar, the meaning of ^\ Inch no one could explain I- The infide of the cluirch is moftly compofed of three parts ; that called by the GiccVs^^oi^xcg, by the Ruffians Trapeza ; tlie body ; and the fanc- tuary or fhrine. In the body of the church are frequently four fquare and maflivc piers, which fupport the cu- pola : thefe piers, as well as the walls and ciel- ings, are painted with numerous rep refen tat ions of our Saviour, the Virgin Mary, and dift^'erent faints. Many of the fli^ure^ are cnormouflv * I am here defcrlbing the moft antient churches \ the modera croiTes over thofe of St. Peterfburgh are moftly fmgle. t Dr. King ing-enloufly accounts for the crefcent. ** Some churches have a crekent under the crofs ; for when the Tartars, to whom Mufcovy was fubjedled two hundred years, converted any of the churches into raofques for the ufe of their own religion, tht/ fixed the crefcent, the badge of M:\hometanifm, upon them -. a:id when the grand-duke Ivan Bafdovitch had delivered his countrr from the Tartar yoke, and reftored thofe edinces to the Chriftiaa worship, he left the crefcent remaining, and planted a crofs upon it as a mark of its vi<5^ory over its enemy." Rites and Ceremcnies of tke Cr^ck Church, p. 23. large. 5S0 TRAVELS IN" RUSSIA. B. 5. large, and executed in the rudeit manner ; fome are daubed upon the bare walls; others upon large mafiiv^ plates of filvcr or brafs, or enclofed in frames of thofe metals.. The head of each fi2:ure is im-ariablv decked with a 2:10 rv, which is a maify femicircle, refembling an horfe-ilioe, of brafs, filver, or gold, and fometimes compofed almoll entirely of pearls and precious flones. Some of the favourite iliints are adorned with fdken drapery faftened to the v/alls, and ftudded with jev/cls : fome are painted upon a gold ground, and otliers are wholly gilded but the face and hands. Towards the extremity of the body of the church is a flight of fteps leading to the ihrine; and betv/een thefe fteps and the ilirine is iifually a platform, upon which the officiating niinifter frauds and performs part of the fervice. The ilirine or fanctuary is cHvidcd from the body of the church by the Incoiw^llas, orikreen, generally the part the moft richly ornamented, and on -which the moft holy pidures are painted or hung*. In its centre are the folding, called the holy, royal, or beautiful doors, v.hicli lead to * *' On the north fide of the royal doors the picture of the Virgin is always placed, and that of Jefuson the fouthj next? to which is that of the faint to whom the church is dedicated j the fituation o( the rell is indifferent. Candles or lamps are ufualiy fulpended be- fore the images of Jefus and the Virgin, and feveral others, and fometimes kept perpetually burning.''' Dr. King on the Greek chuLchj p. 29 i to which book I would refer the reader. the C. 3. MOSCOW. 321 the flirine, within which is the holy tahlc, as Dr. Kingj well defcribes it, " with four fmall co- " lumns to iupport a canopy over it : from *' which 2i per'tfterion, or dove, is ftifpcnded, as ** a fymbol of the Holy Ghoft; upon the holy " table the crofs is always laid, and the Gofpel, *' and the pyxis, or box, in which a part of the " confecrated elements is preferved, for vifiting* " the fick or other purpofes*." It is contrary to the tenets of the Greek reli- gion to admit a carved image witliin the churches, in conformity to the prohibition in Scripture, ^' Thou fhalt not make to thyfelf a " graven image,' &c. By not confidering, the prohibition as extending to reprefentations by painting, the Greek canonifts, while they fol- low the letter, depart from the fpirit of the commandment, which pofitively forbids us to worlhip the likenefs of any thing under whatever form, or in whatever manner it .may be deli- neated. Over the door of each church is the portrait of the patron faint, to which the common peo- ple pay homage as tliey pafs, by taking off their hats, croffing themfelves, and occafionaily touch- ing the ground with their heads; a ceremony A\'hich I often law them repeat nine or ten times in fuccelfion. * King on the .Greek church, p. 26. VOL. I. Y Before S^^ T R AV E L S I N RU S S r A. B, 3. Before I clofe the general defcriptlon of the Ruffian churches, I muft not forget their bells, ■which form, I may almoft fay, no inconfidera- ble part of divine worihip; as the length or fliortnefs of their appeals afcertains the greater or lefier fan61ity of the day. They are hung in belfreys detached fi'om the church, and do not fwing like our bells, but are fixed immoveably to the beams ; are rung by a rope tied to the clapper, and pulled fide ways. Some of thefe bells are of a ftupendous fize : one in the belfrey of St. Ivan's church weighs 3551 Ruffian poods, or 127,836 Englifh pounds. It has always been efteemed a meritorious a6l of religion to prefent a church with bells, and the piety of the donor has been meafured by their magnitude. Ac- cording to this mode of eftimation, Boris Go- dunof, Avho gave a bell of 288,000 pounds' to the cathedral of Mofcow, was the moft pious fovercign of Ruffia, until he w^as furpalfed by the emprefs Anne, at Avhofe expence a bell was caft, weighing 432,000 pounds, which exceeds in bignefs every bell in the known world. The fize is fo enormous, that I could fcarcely have credited the account of its magnitude had I not mvfelf afcertaincd the dimenfions. The heio-ht is nineteen feet, circumference at the bottom iixty-three feet eleven inches^ grcateft thicknefs twenty t C. 3. M O S C W. 323 twenty-three inches*. The beam to which this vaft machine was faftened, being accidentally burnt, the bell fell down, and a fragment A\'as broken off towards the bottom, which left an aperture large enough to admit two perfons a- breail without ftooping. Our inn being cloie to the walls of Kremlin, I had frequent opportunities of examining the principal buildings. The palace, inhabited by the antient tzars, ftands at the extremity of the Kremlin. Part of this palace is old, and continues in the fame flate in which it was built under Ivan Vaffilie- vitch I. The remainder has been fucceffiv^ely added at different intervals without any plan, and in various ftyles of architedure, which has produced a motley pile of building, remarkable for its incongruity. The top is thickly let with numerous little gilded fpires and globes ; and a large portion of the front is decorated with the arms of all the provinces which compofe the Ruffian empire. Tlie apartments are in general exceedingly fmall, excepting one (ingle room, called the council-chamber, in which the an- tient tzars ufed to give audience to foreign em- baffadors, and which has been repeatedly de- fcribed by feveral Engliili travellers, who vifited ?»Iofcow before the Imperial relidence was tranf-^ * Mr. Hainvay, in his Travels, has given an acairate defcrip- tion and engraving of this bell. y -^ ferrcc} S24 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3^ ferred to Peterfburgh. The room is large and vaulted, and has in the centre an enormous pillar of ftone, which fupports the cieling*. This palace, in which the tzars form.erly held their courts in all the fplendour of Eaftern pomp, was once efteemed by the natives an edifice of unparalleled magnificence: fmce the modern im- provernents in architedure, it is far fui palfed by the ordinary marifions of the nobility, and by no means calculated even for the temporary refi- dence of the fovereignf. In this palace Peter the Great was born in 1672; an event here mentioned, not only be- caufe it is remarkable in the annals of this coun- try ; but becaufe the Paiffians themfeh^s were, till lately, unacquainted with the birth-place of their favourite hero. That honour was ufually afcribcd to Columna, which, on that fuppofi- tion, has been profanely ftyled the Bethlehem of Ruilia ; but the judicious Muller has unquef- tionably proved, that the Imperial palace of iSIofcov/ was the place of Peter's nativity J. I was greatly difappointed that we could not view * '« The roof of the audience-chamber was arched and fup- poited by a great pillar in the middle." Lord Carlifle's Embafly, p. 149. In the fealt which A'exey Michaelovitch gave to the Earl of CarliOe, this great pillar was adorned with a wonderful variety of gold and filverveffels, p. 292. f The emperor Paul ordered this venerable feat of tlie Ruflian monarchs to be rellored and fitted up as a manHon for himfelf and his family. ^ t See Journ. St. Pet. * that €.3. M O S C O \V. '^ 325 that part of the palace called the treafiiry. The keeper being lately dead, the door was fealed up, and could not be opened until a fuccefibr was appointed. Befide the crov/n, jewels, and royal robes, ufed at the coronation of the fovereign, this repofitory contains feveral curiofjties which relate to and illuftrate the hiflory of this countr}^ There are two convents in the Kremlin; one a nunnery, and the other a monaftery for men, called Tchudof. It is well known in the Ruffian hiftory as the place in which the tzar Vaffili Shuifki was confined (l6lo) after his depofition^ and from whence he was conveyed into Poland ; where he only exchanged one prifon for another ^ftill more difmal, and fell a victim to his own difappointment and chagrin, as well as to the ill-treatment of the Poles. We are naturally led to compaffionate the fate of a depofed monarch, who dragged on a miferable exiftence am id ft the horrors of perpetual imprifonment ; but the black ingratitude of Vaffili Shuifki towards De- metrius, his fovereign and beneiacior, almoft extinguifnes our fenfe of his calamities. For even if the perfon ^\ho alfumed the name of Demetrius was an impoftor, Shuifki, when con- demned for high-treafon to an ignominious death, v/as indebted to him for his pardon ; an act of clemency ill requited by the depofition and murder of hisbenefa6lor*. • See Chap. 7. Y 3 The 526 f R A V E L S IN RUSSIA. 15 . 3, The nunnery, called Viefnovitfkoi, was found- ed in 1393 by Eudoxia, wife of the great-duke Dmitri Ivanovitch Donfki, who was canonifed and interred under the altar. The abbefs po- litely accompanied us over the convent, and pointed out every object worthy of attention. She firtl condu6led us to the principal chapel, which contains the tombs of feveral tzarinas and princelTes of the Imperial family. The tombs refemble ftone-coffins laid on the floor, and rang- ed in rows* fome were inclofed with brafs, and others with iron balluflrades, but the greater number had no difli nation of this fort. Each fepulchre was covered with a pall of crimfon or black velvet, ornamented with an embroidered crofs, and ed^-ed with a border of "'old and filver lace ; over thefe, on great feftivals, are laid other coverings of gold andTilver tilfue, richly ftudded with pearls and precious Hones. The abbefs obligingly prefented me with a MS. RulTian ac- count of the princeffes interred in the church. Having examined thefe repofitorics of the dead, and furveyed the rich veilments of the priefts, and the figures of various faints painted on the walls, the abbefs invited us to her apartment. She led the way, and at the top of the ftairs, as we entered the anti-chamber, ftruck the floor two or three blows with her ivory-handled cane; when a chorus of twenty nuns received us witli c. 3. M o s e w. 3^7 with hymns, which they continued finging as long as we itaid ; the melody was not unpleafmg. In an adjoining room tea was ferved to the com- pany, and a table was plentifully fpread with pickled herrings, dices of fait fiili, cheefe, bread, butter, and cakes ; champagne and liqueurs were prefented by the abbefs herfelf. After par- taking of thefe refreihments, we attended the ab- tefs through the apartments of the nuns, many of whom were employed in embroidering facer- dotal habits for the archbiHiop of Mofcow, and then took our leave. The nuns ^\ore a long robe of black ftuif, black veils, black forehead-cloth, and black wrappers under the chin; the abbefs was dif- tinguiflied by a robe ofl3lack filk. Meat is pro- hibited, and the nuns live chiefly upon fifh, eggs, and vegetables. In other refpecls the order isf not rigid, and they are allowed to pay occafional vifits in the town. I have already had occafion to mention tlie great number of churches contained in this city. The Kremlin is not without its ihare ; in a fmall compafs I counted eight almoft contiguous to each other. Two of thefe churches, St. ]\Ii- chael's, and the AfTumption of the Virgin Mary, are remarkable ; the one being the place where the fovereigns were formerly interred, and the other where they are crowned, Thefe edi- Y 4 fices 328 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. S. iices are both in the fame Oyle of archite^lure ; and were probably conftru6led by Solario of Milan, Avho built the walls of the Kremlin^ Though the archite6l was obliged to conform his plan to the ftyle of ecclefiaftical buildings which prevailed in RulTia; yet their exterior form is not inelegant, although it is an oblong fquare, and too high in proportion to the breadth. In the cathedral of St. IMichael I viewed the tombs of the Ruffian fovereigns. The bodies are not, as with us, depofited in vaults, or be- neath the pavement, but are entombed in raifed fepulchres, moftly of brick, in the fliape of a cotlin, and about two feet in height. When I vifited the cathedral, the moft antient were co- vered with palls of red cloth, others of red velvet, and that of Peter II. with gold tiffue*, bordered with fdver fringe and ermine. Each tomb has at its lower extremity a fmall fdver plate, bearing the name of the deceafed fovereign, with the asra of his death. From the time that Mofcow became the Im- perial refidence to the clofe of the fixteenth cen- tury, all the tzars have been interred in this ca- thedral; excepting Boris Godunof, whofe re- mains are depolited in the convent of the Holy Trinity f ; the tzar, under the name of Deme- • On great feftivals all the fepulchres are covered with rich palls of goldorfilver brocade, ftuddcd with pearls and jewels. t See Chap. 6, trius, C. 3. M O S C O V, \ 29d trius*, who was deftroyed in a tumult, and Yaf- iili Shuiiki, who died in captivity at Warfaw. The tomb of Ivan Vaflilievitch I. juftly efteem- ed the founder of Ruffian greatnefs, claimed my principal attention. At his acceffion to the throne, in 1462, Ruffia formed a collection of petty principalities engaged in perpetual wars with each other, fome nominally fubjecl to the great-duke of IMofcow, and all, with that mo- narch himfeif, tributary to the Tartars |. Ivan in the courfe of a long and profperous reign, gave a new afpe^t to the Ruffian afiairs : he annexed to his dominions the duchies of Tver and other neighbouring principalities, fubdued Novogo- rod, and, v» hat was ftill more glorious and be- neficial, he refcued this country from the Tartar yoke, and refufed the payment of the ignomi- nious tribute exacted from his predeceffi3rs. He had no fooner delivered Ruflia from this depen- dence, than his alliance was courted b}^ many » See Chap. 7. f The fervitude of the great-duke will appear from a paflage in Cromer, the PoUfti hiftorian. " Whenever the Tartar embafiadors were fent to Mcfcow in order to collect the accuilomed tribute, the great-duke ufed to meet them, and offer, as a mark of his refpefr a cup of mare's milk j and if a drop chanced to fall upon the mane of the horfe on which the Taitar embafiador was fitting, he would himfeif lick it up. When they reached the hall of audience, ti.e embaiikdors read the khan's letter, feated upon a carpet of the choiceft furs, while the great-duke with his nobles knelt, and iif- tened in refpeflful filence." Cromer, L. 29. p. 647. European 330 T R A V E L S i N R U S S I A. B. 3. European fovereigns ; and during his reign Mof- cow faw, for the firft time, embalTadors from the emperor of Germany, the pope, the grand-fignor, the kings of Poland and Denmark, and the re- pubhc of Venice. The talents of this able monarch were not con- fined to miHtary atchievements : Ruffia was in- debted to him for the improvement of her com- merce, and for opening a more ready communi- cation with the European nations. Under his aufpices, the knowledge of gunpowder and the art of cafling cannon were firft brought into Ruf- fia by Ariftotle of Bologna*. He employed the fame artift f? as well as other foreigners, to recoin the Ruffian money, hitherto disfigured by Tartar infcriptions ; he engaged, at a vaft expence, Italian artifts to enclofe the Kremlins of MofcoAV and Novogorod with walls of brick, and to ere6l feveral churches and other public ftruclures with the fame materials J. For his various civil and military fervices he defervedly acquired the name of Great, Ivan is defcribed as a perfon of gigantic flature, and ferocious afpe6l. His man- ners and deportment, ftrongly infected with the barbarifm of his age and country, were fome- * Bachmeifter^s EiTai fur la Bib. de Peterf. p. 28. -}- Poirevinus. X A vaft effort in thofe barbarous times, and which deferves to be mentioned, becaufe at his acceflion to the throne almoft all the buildings of Mofcow were of wood, what C. 5. M O S C O W, 331 what foftened and poliflied by the example of his iccond wiii»EL FtoDoRov.TcK, tltcflcd Tdf iSiJi Oied i6!!. iSjZ! dieJ i7!j: mimtj, i. E,« I I T c H, 10. PE T ER III, born 1718 ; Emperor 1761 ; 1727; tiepofcd .inJ died ijtx; mamcd tt. GATHAinNE II. pfinccfc of Anhalt- Zcrbjt the prefeiit E-nyprefs, bom 8. Ivan, born and Erfiperc T J ievnaj Emperor 1801. 3 40 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. CHAP. 4. Cathedral of the AfTumption of the Virgin Mary in the Kremlirt. — Tombs of the Ruflian patriarchs. —Origin ami abolition of the patriarchal dignity. — Account of the patriarch Philaretes, father of the houfe of Romanof. — Biographical anecdotes of -the pa- triarch Nicon. THE cathedral of the AfTumption of the Virgin Mary, appropriated to the corona- tion of the Rnffian fovereigns, alfo fituatcd in the Kremhn, is the moil magnificent temple in Mofcow. The fkreen is in many parts cover- ed Avith plates of folid filver and gold richly worked. From the centre of the roof hangs an enormous chandelier of maffy filver, v/eighing 2940 pounds: it was made in England, and pre- fented by Morofof, prime-minifter of Alex^y Michaelovitch*. The facred velTels and epifco- pal veftments are extremely rich ; but the work- manfhip is in general rude, and by no means equal to the materials. Many of the painted figures wliich cover the nifide walls are of a coiolfal fize, and were exe- cuted fo early as the clofe of the fifteenth cen- tury. This church alfo contains a head of the * According to Storfch it was a prefent from the Venetians to Boris Godunof, and weighs z8oo pounds. Virgin, C. 4. M O S C O W. 341 Virgin, fuppofed to have been painted by St. Luke, and greatly celebrated in tliis country for the pov/er of working miracles. The face is almoft black ; the liead is ornamented with a glory of precious ftones, and the hands and body are ''gilded, which gives it a grotefque appear- ance. It is placed in the fkreen, and enclofed within a filver cafe, which is never removed but on great feftivals, or to gratify the curiofity of ftrangers. This Madonna, according to the tradition of the church, was brought from Greece to Kiof, transferred from thence to Volodimir, and aftervvards to Mofcow. It feems to have been a Grecian painting, and was probably anterior to the revival of the art in Italy =^, In • I faw feveral reprefentatlons of the Virgin in the north of Italy fimilar to this painting : fome were called the productions of St. Luke, others of Cimabue, or his fcholars. The complexion in thefe was likewife of a du(ky hue. Probably the Grecian paint- ers reprefented the Virgin of a dark complexion, which was co- pied by Cimabue and the earliell Italian artifts, who received the art from the Greeks. Le Bruyn, fpeaking of this Madonna at Mofcow, fays, *' It is very gloomy and almoft black ; but whe- ther this proceeds from the efte6ls of time, or the fmoke of ta- pers, or the fancy of the painter ; certain it is, there is no great matter in it," &c. Travels, vol. I, p. 70. An ingenious author, in a late publication, mentions in the monaftery of Monte Virgine, a Coloflal portrait of the Virgin Mary, which pafies for the work of fit. Luke the Evangelifl-, and adds, *' There are in Italy and elfe- where fome dozens of black, ugly Madonnas, which all pafs for tjifi y''Ofk of his hands, and as fuch are revered," To which paf- Z 3 rage 342 TRAVELS I >r R U 5 S I A. E. 8, In this cathedral are depofited the remains of the Ruffian patriarchs. The firft was Job, before v/hofe time the pri- mate of the Ruffian church was fuffragan to the patriarch of Conftantinople. Job, being me- tropolitan archbiiliop of Mofcow, was, in 1588, Inftalled in this cathedral patriarch of Ruffia, by Jereniias, patriarch of Conftantinople. The ce- remony of tranflating the fee from the capital of Turkey to this city is thus defcribed by an au- thoFj who was himfeif prefent*. " On fage he fubjoins the following note, but without citing his autho- rity: " The origin of this fable, or rather miftake, appears to be, that ^.boiit the time that paintings of holy fubje<5ls came into fafhion, there lived at Conftantinople a painter called Luke, who^ by many, reprefentatlons of the Virgin, acquired a very tranfcen- der^t reputation. He was a man of exemplary life, and on account of his piety, and the edifying ufe he made of his talents, was ge- nerally known by the name of the Holy Luke. In procefs of time, when thp epochaand circurnftancesof his life were forgotten by the yulgar, and his performances had acquired by age a fmoky, dtilky fait, fufiicient to perplex the fhort-fighted eonnoiffeurs of thofe days, devotees afcribed his pi6lures to the Evangelift, who v/as pro- jiounced a painter, becaufe they knew of no other faint of the name, and becaufe, if he had been a painter, no one could have had fuch opportunities of examining arid delineating the features of the holy model.-' S\vinburne''s Travels in the Tv/o Sicilies, p. 123, For proof of the introduftion of painting into Kufha and Italy by the Greeks, fep the Defcription of the Cathedral of St. Sophia at Noyogorod. * Fletcher's Ruflia, Chap. 21. This duthor adds, that Jeremias, whom he calls Hieronimo, had been either baniflied from Conftan- tinople by the Turks, or depofed by the Greek clergy j that he €am§ jC. 4. M S C O W. S4S '' On the 25th of January, 1588, the Greek patriarch, accompanied with the Rulie cleargie, went to the great church of Prechefte, or our Ladie, within the Einperour's caftle, where he made an oration, and dehvered his refignation in an inflrument of writing, and fo laid down his patriarchal ftaffe ; which was prefently received by the metropolite of Mofko, and divers other jceremonies ufed about the inauguration of the new patriarch." The moft venerable of Job's fucceffors m the patriarchal fee was Philaretes, v/ho, though no fovereign himfelf, is celebrated as the founder of that line of Ruffian monarchs, diftinguilhed by the name of the Houfe of Romanof *. His fecular name was Feodor, and he drew his lineage from Andrew, a Pruflian prince, who came into Ruffia about the middle of the fourteenth cen- came toMofcow without any invitation from the Ruirians, to ob- tain money from Feodor Ivanovitch, and with this view propof- cd the tranflation of the patriarchal fee from Conftantinople to Ivlofcow. Others deny that he was either depofed or banifhed, and relate, that the tzar having formally demanded the confent of the •four patriarchs of Alexandria, Antioch, Conftantinople, and Je- -tufalem, to the eftablifhment of a new patriarch in Ruffia, they ac- ceded to the requeft, and folemnly deputed Jeremias to Mcfcow, who invefted the metropolitan Job with the new dignity. King ca fhe Greek Church, p. 496. * In confecjuence of a cuftom prevalent among the Ruffians tp adopt the appellation of the grandfather for a family name, the new royal line was called Romanof, in honour of Roman, Feodor's grandfathep, 9 4 tury, ^44 travj;ls in r tr s s i a b. 5. tury, and whofe immediate defcendants enjoyed the bigheft offices under the fovereigns of this country. Feodor was fon of Nikita Romano- vitchj great grandfon of Andrew, and brother of Anaftafia, firft wife of Ivan Vaffibevitch II. When Boris Godunof was elevated to the throne, the high birth, great abilities, and popularity of Feodor Romanof rendered him fo obnoxious to the new monarch, that he Avas compelled to affume the priefthood, and confined in a monaf- tery ; on which occafion he, according to the Ruffian cuilom, changed his name to Philaretes. On the acccffion of the fovereign whom the Ruffians call the Falfe Demetrius, Philaretes was releafed from confinement, and appointed to the archbiffiopric of Rofi^of Soon after the depofition of Vaffili Shuifki, a flrong party among the nobles having agreed to ele6l Ladi- flaus, fon of Sigifmond III. king of Poland, tzar of Ruffia ; Philaretes was difpatched, at the head of an embaffiy, to fettle the conditions of his fon's elc6lion. He found the Polifh mo- narch engaged in the fiege of Smolenfko ; and when the king demanded the immediate cef- fion of that town, Philaretes replied, " When your fon has afcended our throne, he will poffefs not only Smolenfko, but all Ruffia, and it ill be- comes you to difm ember his territories." Sigif- mond, exafperated at this fpirited reply^ and ftill farther C. 4. M O S C O \V, 34 farther inflamed by the remonftraiices of the em- baffadors againft his condu6l towards Ruffia, ar- reted and threw them into prifon. Philaretes lan- guiihed nine ^^ears in the caftle of Marienburgh% in Frur^a, under a rigorous confinement. His abfence, however, did not diminifli the veneration which the RufTians entertained for his character: the whole nation unanimoufly conferred the crown on his fon Michael, a youth only in the feventeenth year of his age ; in hopes that a peace with Poland would reftore Philaretes to his country, and render him the direcS:or of that power with which they inveft- ed his fon. This expeiSfation was gratified at the truce of Devehna, concluded in 1619, be- tween Ruffia and Poland, which gave Phila- retes to the wiflies of the people. On his ar- rival at Mofcow he was confecrated patriarch, and became the real, though not the oftenfible fovereign of this country, as his fon held the reins of government under his diredion. He was invefted with the adminiflration of affairs ^ his name was frequently affociated in the public a6ls with that of the tzar ; he gave audience to embaffadors, and on many public occafions was permitted to take precedence of his fonf . His • Bufching. Hill, Mag. v. II, p. 403, t Schmid. Ruff". Gef. v. II. p. 13*— Bafching. Hill. Mag. Vt VII. p. 329.— Olearius, experience. S46 T R A V I L « IN RUSSIA. B. 3. experience, moderation, and abilities, rendered liim worthy of thefe high honours and unbound- ed authority ; and the profperity of ]\Iichaers leign proclaimed the wifdom of his fage monitor. Philaretes died in 1633, in an advanced age, re- gretted by his fon and the whole kingdom. The laft of thefe patriarchs was Adrian, at whofe demife, in 1699, Peter the Great refufed to nominate afucceiibr; and in 1721 the patriar- chal dignity was formally aboliflied. In a former chapter I pbferved, that there ar^ no feats in the Ruffian churches, the ceremonial of the Greek woriliip requiring all perfons to ftand during the performance of divine fervice. In this cathedral I obferved two elevated places near the fkreen, enclofed with rails without feats: one is appropriated to the fovereign ; the other was formerly deftined for the patriarch, whofe flate and grandeur were not inferior to thofe of the tzar himfelf. Upon fome public occafion the archbiftiop of Novogorod, w^ho afpired to have the patriarchal dignity revived in his per* fon, pointing to the place formerly occupied by the patriarch, remarked to Peter, " Sire, that ftru(5ture is nowufelefs; will not your majefty order it to be removed?" Peter was fdent ; but the archbifliop repeating the queftion, replied, " That place fliali not be removed, i^qr iliall you fill it^." 9 From prince Volkonfki, The f. 4, H O S C O W. S47 The Ruffians reckon eleven patriarchs from the firft eftabhfliment of the dignity in the per- fon of Job, to its final abolition after the death of Adrian. Of thefe the greateft and nioft con- spicuous was the celebrated Nicon ; whom, as he is the only patriarch not interred in this cathe- jdral, 1 could not mention on contemplating their 'tombs« It is hoped that no apology is necef- fary for the account of a prelate, whom fome Huffians dill abhor as Antichrift, and others adore as a faint; and whofe extraordinary eharacler has never been faithfully reprefented to the Eng- Jig reader. Nicon w^as born in l6l3, in a village of the government of Niftn^i Novogorod, of obfcure parents. He received, at the baptifmal font, the nameof Nikita, which, when he became monk^ -he changed to Nicon. He was educated in the convent of St. Macarius, under the care of a monk. From the courfe of his fludies, which were almoft folely dire6ted to the Holy Scrip- tures, and the exhortations of his preceptor, he imbibed, at a very early period, the flrongeft at- tachment to a monaftic life, and was only pre- vented from following his inclination by the au- thority of his father. In conformity, however, to the wilhes of his family, he entered into ma- trimony ; and as that ftate precluded him from being 548 TRAVELS XN" RUSSIA, B. 3. beine admitted into a convent, he was ordained a fecular prieft. With his wife he palTed ten years ; firft as a parifli-prieft in fome country village, and after- wards at Mofco w in the fame capacity ; but lofmg three children, whom he tenderly loved, his dif- guft for the world and his propeniity to folitude returned with redoubled violence ; and, having perfuaded his wife to take the veil, he entered into the monaftic order. He chofe for his own re- treat a fmall iiland of the White-Sea, inhabited only by a few perfons, Avho formed a kind of ecclefiaflical eftablifliment, as remarkable for the aufterity of the rules as for the folitude of the fituation : twelve monks occupied feparate cells, equally diftant from each other* and from the church which flood in the centre of the ifland. Thefe lonely anchorites aflembled regu- larly on Saturday evening in the church, where they affifted in the performance of divine fervice durino' the whole night, and the next day until noon, and then retired to their refpedive ha- bitations. This pradice was repeated on cer- tain feilivals ; at other times each reclufe occu- pied his cell imdifturbed by mutual intercourfe. Their fo^d was bread, and fifli which they caught thcmfelves, or procured from the con- • Two verfts, or a mile and a half, tiguous C. 4. MOSCOW* 349 tiguous continent. Such was the fituation to which Nicon retired, as congenial to the gloomy flate of his own mind ; where, brooding in foli- tude upon the uncertainty of human hfe, he was unhappily led to confider the mod debafmg auf- terities as acceptable to the Supreme Being, and contracted that cloiftered pride, which gave an alloy to his virtues, and proved the greateft de- fed in his chara6ler, when raifed to an exalted ftation. After a fliort refidence in this ifland, Nicon accompanied the chief of the ecclefiaftical efta- blifliment to IVIofcow, to raife a collection for building a new church. He was fcarcely return- ed from this expedition, when, at the inftigation of the chief, whom he had offended during the journey, he was compelled by the other monks to retire from the ifland. He embarked in an open boat, with only a fmgle perfon, in a high fea: being overtaken by a violent florm, he was toffed about in continual danger of perifliing ; but was at length driven upon an ifland near the mouth of the Onega. From this ifland he repaired to a monaftery of the contiguous continent ; and was admitted into the fociety ; but inftead of inhabiting an apart- ment in the convent, he conftru(5led a feparate cell on anadjacent ifland ; where helived upon the fiih S56 t R A V E L S r N R U S S I A» B. S, iifh which he caught with his own hands, aiid ne- ter vifited the monailery but during the time of divine fefvice. In confequence of this reclufe and rio'id wav of hfe he was held in hi<2;h efteem hy the brethren, and on the death of the fupe- rior was uiianimoufly raifed to the vacant dig- nity. He continued in this capacity three years, when, being drawn by foine family aifairs to Mofcow, he was cafually prefented to the tzar Alex^y Michaelovitch, who, captivated with his various talents and extenfive learning, detained him at Mofcow, under his immediate prote6lion. Within lefs than five years he was fuceeffively created archimandrite or abbot of the Novof- patfkoi convent, archbilhop of Novogorod, and patriarch of Ruflia. He deferved thefe rapid promotions by a rare affemblage of extraordinary qualities, which even his enemies allowed him to^ poiTefs ; undaunted courage, irreproachable mo- rals, exalted charity, comprehenfive learnings and commanding eloquence. While archbiihop of Novogorod, to which dignity he was raifed in i649, he gave a memor- able inflance of firmnefs and difcretion. During a- tumult, the Imperial governor, prince Feodor Kilkof, took refuge in the archiepifcOpal palace againft the fury of the infurgents, who, burfl- ing open the gates, threatened inilant pillage if the governor was not delivered to them without delay ^. €. 4o M O S C O W, 55} delay. Nicon, inftead of acceding to their de- mand, boldly advanced into the midft of them, and exhorted them to peace. The populace, in- flamed to madnefs by the prelate's appearance, transferred their rage from the governor to him ; they affaultcd him with ftones, dragged him by the hair, and offered every fpecies of violence and indignity to his perfon. Being conveyed to the palace in a ftate of infenfibility, he was recovered by immediate aiTiflance ; but, regard- lefs of the imminent danger from which he had juft efcaped, he perfifted in his refolution, either to appeafe the tumult, or perifh in the attempt With this defign, as if devoting himfelf to cer- tain death, he confefled and received the facra- ment, and repaired to the town-houfe, where the infurgents were alfembled. He confounded them by his prefence, foftened them into re- pentance by a firm, but pathetic addrefs, and perfuading them to difperfe, tranquillity was in- ftantly reftored. This calm, however, was of no long duration : the fedition, allayed by the fpi^ rit and eloquence of Xicon, was again fomented by the ringleaders of the tumult, and broke into open rebellion; many of the inhabitants re- nounced their allegiance to the tzar, and pro- pofed to deliver the town into the hands of the king of Poland. The prelate, however, un- daunted by this change in their fentiments, con- tinued S5S: TR AV E LS I N RU SS I A. B. 3. tinned his efforts to bring them back to their duty : his remonftrances and exhortations gra- dually prcviiiled ; many flocked to his palace, de- fn'ing his interceffion with their enraged fove- xeign ; and though the remainder of the infur- gents blocked up the avenues to the town, yet he contrived, at the peril of his life, to fend in- formation to the tzar. Being armed, by a com- milfioa from Mofcow, with full powers, he, by a vigorous exertion of authority, but without the effufion of blood, finally quelled the rebel- lion. To him was committed the trial of the rebels, and the difpofal of life and death ; an office which he executed with as much judgment as lenity. The leader of the fedition was alone punillied with death ; ten of his moil mutinous adherents were knooted and baniflied, and a few were condemned to a fliort imprifonment. Nicon nobly forgave the outrage committed ao'ainft his own perfon ; and in chaftizing the public offence tempered the fe verity of juftice with the feelings of humanity. He gained the refpe6l of the inhabitants by the unwearied alTiduity with which he performed thq fundlons of his archicpifcopal office, and con- ciliated their affedion by acts of unbounded charity. He built and endowed alms-houfes for widows, old men, and orphans, was the great patron of the iudigent, the zealous protedor of the C. 4i MOSCOW. 533 the lower clafs of men againft the oppreflions of the great, and during a dreadful famine, appro- priated the revenues of his fee to the general reHef of the poor. Nicon was no leis confpicuous in the vigilant difcharge of his patriarchal office, to which he was appointed in i6j2, only in the 39th year of his age. He inftituted feminarics for the inftruc-. tion of priefts in the Greek and Latin languages, and enriched tlie patriarchal library with rare 'ccclefiaftical an^ I clallfjcal manufcripts, drawn from a convent at Mount Athos. By a diligent revi- falof the Holy Scriptures, and a collation of the various editions of the Old and Xcw Teftament, perceiving many errors in the printed copies of the Bible and Liturgy ufed for divine fervice, he prevailed upon the tzar to fummon a general council of the Greek church at Mofcow, in which he prefided. By his arguments, autho- rity, and influence, it ^^'as determir.ed that the moft antient Sclavonian verfion of the Bible was e^cad, and that tlie errors with which the later copies abounded fjiould be corrected. He iu- fpected and fuperintended the printing of a n^w edition of the Sclavonian Bible, which was be- come extremely rare. He removed from the churches the pictures of deceafed peribns, to which many of tlie Ruffians offered a blind ado- ration ; he aboliiljed a fewceremcuics which had VOL. r, A A been 354 T R A V E L S I N RUSSIA. B. 3> been carried to a iuperitiiious excefs: in a word, his labours tended more to the reformation of tlie church, than the united efforts of all his pre- decelVors in the patriarchal chair. Nor was he folcly diftinguiilied in his pro- feffianal charader ; but proved himfelf no lef* qualified in a civil capacity. Although his ftudies were liithcrto confined to ecclefiaftical fubjeds, and the reclufcnefs of his former life fecmeu to impede the attainment of politi- cal knowledge ; yet he was no fooner called to a public ftation, than his abilities expanded in proportion as the objects which they embraced became more numicrous and important: his fa- gacity, fliarpened by continual application, foon Tendered him mafter of the moft intricate affairs^ taught him to difcriminate the moft oppofite in- terefts, and to adopt that decifive line of con- duct which marks the great and enlightened ftatefman. Being confulted by the tzar on all pccafions, he foon became the foul of his coun- cils*, and gained the afcendancy in the cabinet • The influence which Nicon, from the fuperiority of his ge- nius, obtained in the tzar's councils, perhaps induced Voltaire, ia his erroneous account of this patriarch, to declare, that he " vou- lut; elever fa chaire au-deffus du trcrne ; non feulement il ufurpait le droit de s'afTeoir dans le fenat a cote du czar, niais il pretendait* qu'on ne pouvait faire ni la guerre ni la paix fans fon confentement," ^'C. Hifl. de Pierre le Grand, p. 74. From Voltaire, the com- piler of the article of Ruflia, in the Univerfal Hillory, has adoptei this idle alfertion. V. 38. p. 140. C. 4. M O S C W, 355 by the vaft fupcfiority of his genius, ever fertile in expedients, and zealous to recommend the nioft fpirited meafures. Having thus attained the highefl fummit of Iiiinian grandeur to which a fubje6t can arrive, he fell a victim to popular difcontents, and to tlie cabals of a court. His fall, no icfs fudden than his rife, may be traced from the follovv^ng caufcs: The removal o^' the painted images from the churches difgufted a laige party among the Ruffians fcperftitiouily addi6ted to the adoration of their ancedors ; the correction of the errors in the Liturgy and Bible, the abolition of fornc ceremonies, and the admiffion of a few others (introduced, perhaps, with too much haft e, and without due deference to the prejudices of his countrymen), occafioncd a fchifm in the church; many perfons averfe to all innovations, and ad- hering to the old tenets and ceremonies, formed a confidcrable feet under the appellation of Qld Believers, and, rifing in feveral parts, created much difturbance to tlie ftate, circumltances na- turally imputed to Nicon by his enemies. He tx cited the hatred of an ignorant and indolent clergy by the appointment of Greek and Lati^ feminaries ; he raifed the envy and jealoufy of the prime-minifter and courtiers by his predomi- nance in the cabinet, and by the Iiaughtinefs of A A 2 his 5S6 TRAVEL S IN RUSSIA. B. f, his deportment, offended the tzarina and her fa- ther, who were implacahle in their relcntment. All thefc parties uniting in one great comhi-* nation, Nicon haitened his fall hy a fupcrcilious demeanoiir, which occafionally hordered upon arrogance; by trufting folely for his fupport to the reel itiuk of his condiicl and the favour of his fovereign, and by difdaining to guard againft what he confidercd as the petty intrigues of a- court. . The only circumftance which feemed M'antlng to complete his dilgrace was the lofs of Alex^y's protection ; and this was at length effected by the gradual, but fecret infnuiations of the tza- rina and her party, who finally availed tlicmfelves of an unfiiccefsful war witli Poland, of which tlie patriarch is faid to have been the principal advifer. Nicon, finding himfelf excluded from the prefence of a fovereign accuftomed to con-- fult him on every emergency, and difdaining to hold the highclt office in the kingdom, when h$ had loft the confidence of his mailer, ailoniiiied the public by a voluntary abdication of his patri- archal dignity. This m.eafure, cenfured by many as haity and imprudent, and highly expreifive of that pride which ftrongly marked his chara(^ter^ muft yet be efteemed manly and refolute, which even, thofewho condemn ciuu^ot but admire. It may C, 4. . M O S C O W. 357 may alfo admit of great palliation, if ^ve con- ficler that the popular odium was rlfing againft liim; that a powerful party had fccretly effected liis difgrace, and that, as he forefaw liis fall, he preferred a voluntary abdication of liis dignity to a forcible depofition ; chufmg to refign with fpirit what he could not retain without niean- nefs *. This abdication took ipiaee on the loth of July, O. S. 1658, and *he .r]u5ttcd his exalted Ration with the fame grcatn'ith v, hich he had afcended it. He was permitted to retain- the title of patriarch, while the functions of liis office were performed by the archbifliop of No- vogorod. He chofe for the place of his refi- , >i o s c o w. 36i CHAP. 5. RuiTian archives.— Englilh ftate-papers. — Commencement of the conneftion between the courts of London and Mofcew. — Cor- refpondence between queen Elizabeth and the tzar Ivan Vaflilie- vitch 11. — His demand of the lady Anne Haftings in marriage. — Account of that negotiation. — Other difpatches, — Rife of the title of tzar. — Negotiation between Peter the Great and the Eu- ropean courts relative to the title of emperor. — Univerfity. — Syllabus of the leftures. — Matthsei's Catalogue of the Greek manufcripts in the library of the Holy Synod. — Hymn to Ceres attributed to Homer. ^/TR. ]Miiller obligingly accompanied us to -^^-^ the place in the Khitaigorod, where the public archives are dcpofited : it is a Itrong brick building, contaming feveral vaulted apart mentJv with iron floors. Thcfe archives, confifiing of Tiumejous ftate-papcrs, were crowded into boxes, -and tin-own afide like common lumber ; until the prefcnt cmprefs ordered them to be reviled and arranged. In conformity to this mandate, Mr. MuUer lias diipofedthemin chronological order, and any hngle document may be inipcctcd v.ith little trouble. They are cnclofed in feparate ca* binets with glafs doors: thofe relative to Rufiia are clalTed according to the feveral provinces to which tlu^y relate ; and over each cabinet is in- fcribed tlie n:ime of the j)rovince. Xn the fame Hiunutx^ S62 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5. manner the manufcripts relative to foreign king- doms are placed in fcparate divifions under the refpedive titles of Poland, Sweden, England, France, Germany, &c. The papers which con- cerned my native country princi^^ally engaged my attention. The earlieft correfpondence be- tween the fovereigns of England and Ruflia commencedin the middle of the Ujth century, i^3on after the difcovery of Archangel, and chiefly relates to the permiffion of trade granted exclu-. fivcly to the Englilli company of merchants fet- tled in lluffia. The iirfl record is an orio-inal let- ter of Philip and ]\iary to Ivan Vaflilievitch II. acknowledging the receipt of a difpatch tranf- niittcd to Eno'land bv his erabalTador Ofef Ni- phea, and returning thanks for the liberty of opening a free trade throughout the Ruffian do-p minions. The charter of privileges granted by the tzar to the Engli/li merchants, together with the numerous letters which lie received from Elizabeth, are preferved in this colledion, and are mofdy publiilied in llackluyt's Voyages: one, however, not found in that vrork, is dated the 18th of May, 15 70, in which Elizabeth, among other exprelTions of friendfliip, offers to Ivan Vaflilievitch, if compelled by an infurrec- tionto cpiii his country, an afylum in England, This letter was figned by Elizabeth in tlie pre- fence of her fecret council: amongft the figna- tures c, 5, M o s c o ^Y. SG3 tures I noticed the names of Bacon, Leycefler, and Cecil. Some hiftorians having alTerted, that Ivan VafTillcvitch II. carried his perfonal refpe^t for queen Elizabeth fo far as to be one of her fuitorS; while Camden only relates, that he propofed to marry lady Anne Haftings, daughter of the earl of Huntingdon, my curiofity led me to make inquiries into this tranfat^ion. With refpect to any treaty of marriage between the tzar and Elizabeth, the archives are filent ; but furnillied fome curious particulars in regard to theintend- led eipoufal of lady Anne Haftings. Tiie iirft hint of this match was fuggeftcd by Dr. Robert Jacob, a phyfician, whom Elizabeth, jat the tzar's requeft, fent to Molcov\'. Jacoh, acquainted with the ficklenefs of Ivan in his amours, apd his defn-e of contracting an alliance Y/ith a foreign princcfs, extolled the beauty, ac- complilhments, and rank of lady Anne Haftings, v/hom he reprcfented as niece of the queen, and daughter of an independent prince, and infpired the tzar with a ftrong inclination to efpoufe her, although he had jufl married his hfth wife Ma- ria Feoderofna. The tzar, fncd by his defcrip- tion, difpatched Gregory Plrfemfkoi, a Rufiian nobleman of the firft dilHnclion, to England, to make a formal demand of the lady for his wife. By \ih inftru6iions/he was ordered, after a con- ference 5t34 TRAVELS IN !t U S S I A. B. ?>, fbrence ^vith tlic queen, to procure an interview witli the lady, obtain her portrait, and inform himiclf of the rank and frtuation of her family; he was then to rcqueft tliat an Englifli embaffa- dor might return v.ith him to Mofcov^', v ith full powers to adjuft the conditions of the marriage. If an objedion ihould be raifed, that Ivan svrs already married, he was directed to anfv/er, that 4he tzar, having cfpoufed a fu])jeei, was at li^ berty to divorce her ; and if it was aiked, what pi'ovifioii iliould be made for the cbjldrcn by lady Anne Ilaflings, he v;as inftrucled to reply, that 3''eodor, the eldeft prince, was lieir to the throne; l:nt that lier children fliould be amply endowed. In confcquence of thefe orders, Pirfemfkoi repaired to London, had an audience of Eliza- beth, fiiw lady Ilafrings, who had juft recovered from the fmall-pox, procured her portrait, and returnevell by his freedom of fpcech, as l^ecaufe he was ;-iot commifiioned to give a final aifent to the marriage, but only to receive a more explicit oiler, and tranfmii it to the queen. The tzar, unacciiftonicd to brook delay, declared, '' that ] o obftacjc liiould prevent Idm ivom marrying fome kinfwoman of her niajeit.y's ; that heilrould fend p. -5, :xr o s c o w. ,S(>,> fend again into England to have fome one of thcni to wife ; adding, that if her majefty would not, upon his next emhaiiy, fend him fucli an. one as he defired, himfelf would then go inta England, and cany his trea^fure with him, and marry one of them there." Sir Jerome Bowe.^, prohably in conformity to his inflrudions, threw obftaclcs in the way of the marri'age: inftead of fpcaking favourably of lady Ilaftings, he men- tioned her perfou with indifference, and denied that die was any relation to the queen ; adding, wi ill fome marks of contempt, that his miftrefs liad many fuch nieces. By tliefe means the af- f lir was fufpended ; and the negotiation linally terminated by the death of tlie tzar in the be- 2:innin«r of the foliowino- vear. It appears from, thefe archives, that the cor- refpondence between tlic Ruliian and Engliik fovercigns, which began with Ivan, did not ceafe upon his dcmife. The amity, indeed, be- tween the two courts was i^o firmly eftabiiflied, that Charles I. fent a corps of troops, unckrr colonel Sanderluii, to the afiiftance of ]Michael Feodoro\'ltcii, againft Ladiilaus king of Po- land : and xVlexev IVlichaelovitcli cccafionally furnillied Charles, in the period of his greateil diftrefs, with money and corn; The lalt letter from our unfortanate fovereign to Alex^y is dated lile of Wight, June i, 1648, ami was writteu ^66 Travels in r f s s i a^ b. :?, "written during his confinement in Carlfbfook- Caflle. I obferved one from Charles II. to the tzar, announcing the execution of his father : it is dated September the l6th, l649, and was brought to Mofcow by Lord Culpepper. During the ufurpation of Cromwell, Alexey maintaine4 a conilant correfponrlence with the exiled Charles. He w^as accuftomed to declare^ that all monarchs ought to eftecm the caufc of Charles I. as their own, and fhould not, by countenancing an ufiirper, encourage fubjeds to rebel againft their king. In conformity to thefe fentiments he refufed, for fome time^', to hold any intercourfe with the protestor ; and thefe archives contain no letters between Cromwell and the tzar. The reftoration of Charles ll. renewed the harmony between the two courts ; and as from this interval the difpatches received from Eng- land were fo numerous as to require feveral days to examine them with attention, I was compelled to retire without fatisfying my cu- riofity. Thefe papers containing a complete hiflorical fciies of the alliances, connection, cor- * I fay for fome time ; for although, if I rightly remensber, thefs archives contain no difpatches between the tzar and Cromwell, yet it is certain, that afterwards Alexey maintained a correfpondencc with the proteftor, and had once ccnfented to receive his embanh- dors at Mofcow. See the Chapter on the Rife and Progrefs of the Eiiglifh Trade to Ruffia, in the next volume. 8 refpondence. C. o. ir o s c o \v, sd7 rei pond dice, and commerce, between RuiTia and England, would form an interefting publication, if printed in chronological order, and interrpcrf- ed with hiftorical obfervations. I had fcarcely time to glance over the nume* fous ilate-papers which relate to the other Eu- ropean powers ; but the keeper of the archives did not omit pointing out to me one document of great importance in the hiftory ofRuffia: I allude to the famous letter, written in the Ger- man tongue*, from Maximilian I. emperor of Germany, to Vafiili Ivanovitch, confirming a treaty of alliance againft Sigifmond king of Po- land. This difpatch, dated Auguft the 4th, 15 14, and ratified v.ith the feal of the golden- bull, is remarkable becaufe Maximilian addrelies Vaffili by calling him Kayfcr und Hcrrfchcr allcr Rulicn ; Emperor and ruler of all tiie Ruflias. This deed, difcovered by baron Shavirof in the archives in the beginning of this century, firft fuggefted to Peter the idea of affuming the title of emperor. The claim gave rife to va- rious negotiations, and occafioned a curious controverfv amons; the learned, concerning: the rife and progrcfs of the titles by which the monarchs of this country have been dif- tinguifhed. The early fovercigns of Ptuffia were * The reader w 111 find a copy of the original German in Vv''eber's Verandcrtes Riifsland, v. I. P-357> and a faitliful tranfiation in J*erry's State of RufTia, p. 258. called 503 TRAVELS IN R t^ 5 S I A. B. 3^ called gTeat-diikes ; and VafTill Ivanovitch*" was probably tlie firft who ftyled himfclf tzar, an expreffion which, in the Sclavonian language, fignifies king ; his fuc ceffb rs continued to bear within tlieirown dominions that title as the moil honourable appellation, until Peter the Grca^ firft took that of Pbvelitel, or emperor. It h neverthelefs as certain, that tlie foreign courts t,- in their intercourfe Avith that of Mofcow, ftyled the fovercign indifcriminately great-duke, tzar, and emperor];. With refpecl to England, in Chancellor's Account of Ruffian Ivan Valhlie- vitch II. was called lord and einpcror of all Ruf- fia ; and in the Englifli difpatches, from the reign of Elizabeth to that of Anne, the fovereign was^ generally addreiied under the fame appellation. AV^e may at the fame time remark, that wh<5n the European powers ftyled the tzar emperor of lsl\\{- covv, they by no mean?; intended to give him a * The apptllatlon of tzar was not taken, as Torae aijthors fup- pofe, from the Tartars, when Ivan conquered Cafan, for the prince of Cafan was called IChan. f This is aiferted upon the pofitive teilimony cf Herberilein j and his authority is unqueHionable, becaufe, as be was twice em- baflador to Mofcow, the firft time to Vaffili Ivanovitch, and after- v.-ards to Ivan Vaflilievitch II. he muft have beeh acquainted with the titles borne by thefe two fovereigns. Other authors fuppofe" that his fon Ivan was the firft who affumed the title of tzar. X According to Mayerbcrg, the title of Alcxcy Ixlichaeiovitch prefixed to his Code of Laws, was "Tzar, et Magnus Dux totiui RuiTia? Autrocator." Iter in Mof. p. 113. title c, 5. M o s c o -w. 3G9 title fimilar to that which was pecuhar to the emperor of Germany; but beftowed upon him that appellation as upon an Afiatic fovereign, in the fame manner as we now fay the emperors of China and Japan. When Peter, therefore, determined to affume the title of emperor, he found no difficulty in proving that it was con- ferred upon his predeceifors by moft of the Eu- ropean powers ; yet, when he was defirous of affixing to the term the European fcnfe, it was <:onfidered as an innovation, and was productive -of more negotiations than would have been re- -quifite for the termination of the moft impor- tant ftate-affair. After many delays and objec- tions, the principal courts of Europe confented, about the year l7Ci2, to addrefs the fovereign of Ruflia with the title of emperor, without preju- dice, nevcrthelefs, to the other crowned heads of Europe*, The * Many aiitliors have erroneoufly advanced, that the Englifk embafTador, Lord Whitworth, foon after the battle of Pultava, ^ave, by order of queen Anne, the title of emperor in its European fenfe to I^eter the Great. But the following extracts from a difpatch of Lord Carteret to Sir LukeSchaub, the Engiifli minifter at Paris, which fell under my obfervation fmce I finiflied the account in the text, will fully contradift thefe affertions, and are here inferted,be- caule they will help to throw further light upon this fubjeft. The United Provinces and the king of Pruffia liad, in 171 1, acknow- ledged Peter's right to the title of emperor j but the courts of 'London and Paris withhdd their confent. During the negotiation VOL. i, c B feveral ^70 . T R A VE L S I y R U S S I A. B. S. The archives contain alfo thirteen vohinies of letters, journals, notes, and other manufcripts, of feveral difpatches pafied between lord Carteret, fecretary of ftate, cardinal Dubois, and Sir Luke Schaub, Englilb minifters at Paris. " Le cardinal," writes lord Carteret, in one of his difpatches to Sir Luke, dated Jan. 172 1-2, " croit qu'on pourroit accorder le titre de rempereur au t'/ar, de maniere que ies couronnes n'en fuf- fent point prejudicies." .*' Le Roy [George L] a trouve la reponfe tres fage, que le cardi- nal a faite ^ux miniftres du czar touchant la demande du titre ctem- pereur. Nous agirons de concert, av^c Ton eminence dans cette af- faire. Et pour 1 uy donner Ies eclairciffements qa'elle fouhaite, toil- chant ce qui s'eft pafle entre la Grande Bretagne et le czar a Tegard du titre, je vous envoye un extrait, qui a ete tire des reglftres de nos archives, pour luy etre communique. Les miniilres Mofc'o- vites ne font nullement fondez en ce qu'ils alleguent que ce titre a ete accorde au czar comme une partie de la iatisfaftion dans Taffaire de Matueof. II ell conltantque Ton neritalors aucun cliangement a cettC' occafion la. « En examinant le ftile, dont les roys de la Grande Bretagne fe font fervis, en ecrivant aux czars de Mofcovie, on tft remonte juf- qu'^au terns de la reine Elizabeth. On trouve qu^on leur a toujours t-crit en Anglois, et que cette princefTe, An. 1559. Sc lervolt du lUle Wempereur et de highnefs. 1616. Le roy Jaques L de celuy cfempereur et de majefy. 1633. Le roy Charles I. 1666. Le roy Charles XL 1687. Jaques II. et Guillaume TIT. de CQluy d'empercur et 16-?-?-. it imperial majejiy. 1707. La reine Anne s'eftfervie du ftile J.^ embercur tt d^i?r.penal, f)mjefy,lvi\'(\\\'^ Tan 1707, et alors on commen9a a ecrire comtnandey. Sec. et czaric majefy. 1708. En 1708," le 19 Juillct et le 19 Septembre, commander t\ impencdmajejly \ et le 9 Novembre de la meme annee 'cniperour et imperial rnajefy. En 1709, 17 10, 1711* ' emperourtiimpenial'nipjpfy. Ea. c. 5. M o s c o w. 371 of Peter the .Great, written with his own hand ; tiicfe papers fufficiently fliow the indefatigable pains, En 17 1 2, 1713, 17145 e;nperour et czarean, czarijhj et imperial majcjly^ tantot Tun, tantot Pautre, et fouvent czarijh et imperial majejry, dans une meme lettre. En 1714, le 27 Septerabre, le ftile de lalettrede notifi- cation de ravcnement du rcy a. la Couronne, eft, empe* tour etjycttr naje0y,et cans plulicurs autres lettres depuis ce temps la CT^arifb^ ou imperial tnajejiy^ et quelnuefois your majejiy implement, Voicy le titre entier. To the moll high, moft potent, and moft illuftrious, our moll dear bi'other, the great lord czar, and great-uuke, Peter Alexejewitz, of all the Greater, Lefler, and White Ruffia, Self-Upholder of Miifcovia, Kiovla, Ulodomlria, Novogardia, czar of Cazan, czar of Aftrachan, czar of Siberia, lord of Plexoe, and great-duke of Smolcnfko, Tueria, Ugoria, Permia, Viatkya, Bolgaria, and others, lord and great-duke of Novogardia, and of the Lower Countries of Czernegorfky, Refanfk}', Roftovefky, Yeroflave, Beloorzerfky, Udorflcy, Obdorfki, Condinfki, and emperour of all the Northern Coafts, lord of the Lands of Iverflcy, Cartilinflcy, and Gruzenfky, czar of the Lands of Caberdinfky, Czereafky, and duke of the Mountains, and of many other Dominions ai d Countries, Eaft, Weft, and North, from Father, and from Grandfather, Heir, Lord and Conqueror. Lord Carteret, in a letter to the cardinal Dubois, writes: Leroi concoura fans difficult^ avec fa majefte tres Chretienne a faire ce que V. Eminence jugera convenable, par rapport au nowveau titre que le czar demande, et un parfait concert a faire efperer a ce prince une telle complaifance pour fervir a Ic gagner, et a nous faire tirer fruits de fon ambition. Jan. 30, 1721-2. And in a difpatch to Sir Luke Schaub, he thus expreftes him- felf : La coutume icy a toujours ete d'ecrire aux czars de Mofcovie fur du velin enlumine peint etdore, comme on fait aux empereurs de Marcc et Fez, et a plufieurs autres princes non-Europeens lef- 2 B 2 quels *i7*il TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. ^. pains with wliicli that great nioiiarcli noted doAvn the minuteft circumflances, that might prove ufef 111 in his extenfive plans for the civili- zation and aggrandifement of his country. Muller has lately given to the puhlic feveral let- ters and other pieces of this kind, which throw a confiderable light upon the tranfadions of Pe- ter's reign, and afford ftr iking inftances of his perfevcring genius. From the arcliives ^ve repaired to the univerfity, alfo fituated in the Ehitaigorod: it was founded at the inftance of count Shuvalof, by the em- prefs Elizabetli, for fix hundred ftudents^ who are clothed, boarded, and inllruclcd at the expence of the crown. We ^vere received, with great ci*- quels felon cette coutume ferolent egalement fondez d'infifter fur le litre d'empereur. On n'a jamais voulu changer Tufage etably, quoique les Mofcovites Tayent fort foliche durant rambaffade de my lord Whitworth a Ivfofcow. Ce miniftre s'excufa toujours d'en faire la propofition. II leurdit, qu'il leur donneroit le titre, fans difficulte, tel qu'il le trouvoit etabli ; mais qu'il ne leur confeilloit pas de remuer cette matiere, ni de s'eclaircir trop foigneufement fur quel pied on leur donnoit ce titre. Les Mofcovites crurent fon avis bon pour lors. Quand ray lord Whitworth et Mr. Tamiral Norris furent chargez d'unc commiffion auprez du czar a Amiterdam, ils n'eurent que des lettres de cachet, dont le ftile etoit fvotre majejle\ les miniftres Ruffiens en firent d'abord quelque fcrupule, mais n'y infifterent pas. Thefe extra6ls are drawn from Sir Luke Schaub's State Papers, in the rare and ample colleclion of the earl of Hardwicke, a noble- man as dilllnguilhed for the extent, as the libenil communication of his knovvled^'.e. vilitv. r,faci Pagi 373, W. [ his Specimen of the Ruffian print was pre- fc±^^^a-rssa fented to the Right honourable LORD HERBERT on his Travels thro' Ruffia, accompany'd by Captain Floyd 2Sidi Mr. Coxe\ on their honouring the Imperial Univerfity of Mofco with a friendly vifit this * I Day of September 1778. ¥ m ie inHCHeme neganiH Poccihckqu no4He- ^^^^^^^ ceHo BHCoKano^mreHHimneMy ^0P4y lEPBEPTy Bi. ero iiynreniecniBOBaHiH ^eas Poc- ciro ci KannmanoMb Aon^OM.h h rocno4HHOMi KoKCOMb BOBpeMS, K0r4a OHH y^OCniOHJH CBOHMB 6viarociwiomn>rMi. noctigeHieMB HMnepaniopcKiH Mo- CKOBCKift yHHBepcimieiin, CeHnLa6pji i son. 1778 ro^a. Vox.. I. C. 5. M O S C O W. S73 vility, by the director of the iiniverfity and pro- feiTors, who conducted us firll: to their printing- office. One of the prelfes being at work, feveral ilieets M'CYt ftruck oft' and prcfcnted to us as fpc- cimens of the Iluilian typography ; on examin- ing them we found a comphmentary addrefs to ourfelves in the Enghlh and Ruffian languages, of which the annexed engraving is a fac-fimik. We next proceeded to the univerfity hbrary, Avhich contains a fmall collection of books, and a moderate apparatus of experimental philofo- phy. On taking leave of the director, he oblig- ingly prefented me with a Grammar of the Tar- tar language, which is taught in this fociety, a Syllabus of a year's lectures, and a Catalogue of the Greek Manufcripts in the library of the Holy Synod. An extract from the Syllabus* will dif- play to the reader the general Itudies, and the principal books ufe Hefiod, Paufanias, Plutarch, and a moft beauti- ful Strabo, which he has collated for the neM^ edition of that author, preparing for the Claren- don prefs by Mr. Falkener of Oxford*. In tliis library of the Holy Synod Matthael difcovered anantlent hynin to Ceres in a manu- fcript of Homer, written about the conciufion of the fourteenth century, but .which he fuppofes a tranfcript from an antient and valuable copy; this manufcript, befide a fragment of the Iliad, contained the fixteen hymns ufually attributed to Homer, in the fame order as they are generally printed. At the end of the fixteenth he found twelve verfes of a hymn to Bacchus, and a hymn to Ceres, v/hich, excepting the laft part, was en- tire. iSIattha^i, well acquainted with the delays which would attend tiic publication at ^lofcov*', fent a copy of the hymn to the celebrated Run- kenius, of the univerfity of Leyden, who gave it to the public in 1780 ; and twenty lines being omitted by miftake, he put forth a fecond edi- tion the following yearf. * It was a confiderable dlfappolntment to me, that Mr. Matthcei was abfent from Mofcow during my continuance in that city, as I ftiould have derived great information from his acquaintance. I have like wife to regret, that, on account of his abfence, I could not obtain a fight of thefe manufcripts. f Homeri Hymnus in Cererem nunc primum editus a Davidc Runkenio, The 380 T R A V E t S I N' II US S T A. B. Si The learned editor has prefixed a critical dif- quiiition, in which he ailtrts that the hymn is iindouhtedly of great antiquity, and written, if not hy Homer himfeif, yet certainly hy a very- diligent imitator of his ftyle and phrafeology. Though the ftyle and plan of this hymn appears to me (as well as to the celebrated editor) infe- tior to Homer, and in fome places unworth}^ of him; yet this argument, depending on the tafte and feelings of the reader, vrill not operate on all with equal force ; nor ^vill even they who allow its inferiority to the other productions of the divine poet, be inclined to grant the con- clufion, that it is not liis work ; becaufe Homer might in one particular compofition fall belov/ his ufual ftandard of excellence. A flronger proof againft its originality may be drawn from the words, phrafes, and inflexions occurring in this poem, which are either of a later date than the age of Homer, or not found in his unfuf- peeled works. Some of thefe are enumerated by the editor*. * Theclafllcul reader, who is defirous of furtKer infc.-matlon re- lative to the genuinenefs of this antient poem, is referred to the bfl edition of the hynm by Runkenius, and to the preface of Mr, Hole's Tranflation. G. 3, 31 O S C W. 581 CHAP. 6. Retail trade in the Khitaigorod. — Market for the fale of houfes.— Excellence of the police in cafes of riot or fire. — Chefs common jn Ruffia. — Account of the Foundling Hofpital. — Excurfion to the Mooaftery of the Holy Trinity. — Delays of the poft. — De- fcription of the monaftei^. — Tomb and hillory of Maria titular queen of Livonia.—- Tomb and charailer of Boris Godunof, IV/T ^ ^ cow is the centre of the inland com- ■*-^-^ merce of Rufiia, and connects the trade between Europe and Siberia. The navigation to this city is formed folely by the Mofkva, Avliich, faUing into the Occa near Colomna, communicates by means of that river with the Volga *^. But, as the IMofkva is only navigable in fpring, on the melting of the fnow, the principal merchandize is conveyed on Hedges in winter, Almofi the whole retail commerce of the city is carried on in the Khitaigorod, where, accord- ins: to a cullom common in Ruffia, as well as in nioft kingdoms of the Eaft, the fhops and ware- houfes are collected in one fpot. The place is like a kind of f^iir, confifting of many rows of low brick buildings ; the interval between them refembling alleys. Thefe fliops or booths occupy • For the communication of the Volga with the Baltic, fee the chapter on the Inland Navigation of Kufiia, in the next volume. a confidcrable §8^ T R A V E L S 1 N- It U S S I A. K. 5. a confiderable fyace, and do not, as with us, make uart of the lioufcs inhabited by the tradef- inen, ic iifually detached from their dwel- lings, v/iiich are moftly at feme diftance in ano- itei '^'nartel* of the town* The tradefman comes fdibis rtiop in the morning, and returns to his fa- jaily in tlie afternoon. Every trade has its fepa- rate de}>artment ; and they who fell the fame goods have booths adjoining to each other. Jurs and fkins form the moft confiderable article of commerce in Mofcow, and the Hiops vending* thofe commodities occupy feveral ftreets*. Among the curioiities of Mofcow, I muft not omit the market for the fale of houfes. It is held in a large open fpace, in one of the fuburbs, and exhibits ready-made houfes, ftrewed on the ground. The purchafer who wants a dwelling, repairs to this fpot, mentions the number of rooms he requires, examines the different tim- bers, which are regularly numbered, and bar- gains for that V. hich fuits his purpofe. The houfe is fometimes paid for upon the fpot, and removed by tlie purchafer; or the vender contracts to tranfport and erect it upon the place where it is defigned to ftand. It may feem incredible, that a dwelling may be thus bouglit, removed, raifed, ^and inhabited, within the fpace of a week ; but • According to Storfch,the number of fliops and Wvirehoiifes in 'Mofcow i^mount to 6,000, of which flie Khitai^orod contains 4,075. - it C. 6. MOSCOW. 585 it will appear eafily ])ra6ticable by confidering that thefe ready-made houfts are in general merely collections of trunks of trees, tenanted and mortaifcd at each extremity, fo that nothing more is required than the labour of tranfporting and adjufting them. But this fummary mode of building is not al- Va3^s peculiar to the meaner hovels ; as wooden ftrudures of large dimenfions and handfome ap- pearance are occafionally formed in RufTia, with an expedition almoft inconceivable to the inha* bit ants of other countries. A remarkable in* ftance of this difpatch was difplayed during the laft vifit of the emprefs to Mofcow. Her majefty propofed to rcfide in the manfion of prince Ga- litzin, vrhich is efteemed the completed edifice in this city; but as it was not fufficiently fpa- cious for her reception, a temporary addition of wood, larger than the original houfe, and con- taining a magnificent fuite of apartments, was finiflied within the fpace of {v^ weeks. This me- teor-like fabrick was fo handfome and commo- •dious, that the materials were afterwards taken down and re-conftru(^ed, upon an eminence near the city^ as an imperial villa. In Mofcow I obferved an admirable police for preventing riots, or ftopping the concourfe of people in cafe of fires, M'hich are very frequent in thole parts where the houfes are moftly of wood, ^^ ""^ and 5S4 TRAVELS I NT R U S ^^^ t A. B. Cu and the Itreets laid with timber. At -the en- trance of each ftreet is a chevaiLv-de-frize gate, one end turning upon a pivot, and the other roUing upon a ^^ heel ; near it is a centry-box, iu which a man is occafionally ftationed. In times of riot or fire the centinel Ihuts the gatCj and all paiTage is immediately ftoppcd. Chefs isfo common in Ruffia, that during ouf continuance at Mofcow, I fcarcely entered into any company where parties were not engaged in that diverfion ; and, in paffing the ftreets, I fre^ quently obferved the tradefmen and common people playing before the doors of their iliops or houfes. The Rufiians are efteemed great pro- ficients in chefs. With them the queen has, in addition to the other moves, that of the knight, which, according to Phillidor, fpoils the game, but which renders , it more complicutcd, and of courfe more interefting. The Ruffians play alfo at chefs with four perfons at the fame time, two againft two ; for which purpofe the board is longer than ufual, contains more men, and is provided with a greater number of fquares. I was informed, that tbis mode is more difficult, but more agreeable, than the common manner. Among the public inftitutions, the moll re- markable is the Foundhng Hofpital, endowed by the emprefs in 1764^ and fupported by voluntary contributions, legacies; and other charitable gifts. C. 6s MOSCOW. 585 gifts*. To encourage donations, her tnajefty grants to all benefadors fome valuable privileges, and a certain degree of rank in proportion to the extent of their liberality. The hofpital, fituated in an airy part of the town on a gentle afcent near the river MofkVa, is a large quadran- gular building, part of wliich only was finilhed ; it contained 3000 foundlings, and^ when the "vvhole is completed, will receive 8000. The children are received at the porter's lodge, and admitted without recommendation. The rooms are lofty and large ; the dormitories, vhich are feparate from the work rooms, are: airy, and the beds not crowded: each found-* ling, even each infant, has a feparate bed ; the bedfteads are of iron ; the flieets are changed oncCj and the linen three times a week. I was particularly ftruck with the neatnefs of the rooms; even the nuiferies were uncommonly clean, and without unwholefome fmells. No cradles are allowed, and rocking is forbidden. The infants are not fwaddled according to the cuftom of the country, but loofcly drelfed. The director obligingly favoured us with his company, and Ihewed us the foundlings at their refpe6tive works. On his ^pearance the chil* • Bcfides thefe occafional fupplies, the inftitution is fupported. by alotteiy, tax upon public entertainments, and cards, which are ftamped by the Foundlings' Horpital.— Richer Skizzevon Mcfka, VOL, r, c c dven 586 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA; B. 3,. dren crowded round him ; foiiie took hold of hi& arm ; fome held by his coat ; others kiffed his hand, and all expreffed the highefl fatisfa^ion, Thcfe natural aud unfeigned marks of regard were convincing proofs of his mildnefs and good-nature ; for children, when ill ufed, natu- jally crouch before thofe avIio have the manage- incnt of them. I could be no judge whether the children were well inlb'u6led, and tlic regula- tions well obierved ; but I wa8 perfectly con- vinced, from their behaviour, that they were m general happy and contented, and peiceived from their looks that they were remarkably heal- thy ; a circumftance owing to the uncommoii eare which is paid to cleanlinefs both in their perfons and rooms. The foundlings are divided into feparate claflcs, according to their refped;ive ages. The; children remain in the nurfery two years, at the end of which term they are admitted into the lowell clafs ; the boys and girls continue together until they are feven years of age, at which period they are feparated. Both fexes are inftrud;cd in read- inr;-, writing, and calling accounts. The boys are taught to knit, card hemp, flax, and wool, and to work in the different manufactories. The girls, learn to knit, net, and perf- rm all kinds of needle- work ; they fpin and weave lace, and are em- ployed in cookery, baking, and houfe-work. At the age of fourteen the foundhngs enter into e. 6. M o s c o \v, S87 into the firft clafs, and have the Hberty of chuf- ing any particular branch of trade: for which purpofe different fpecies of manufaclures are efta- bhfhcd in the hofpital ; the principal are em- broidery, filk ftockings, ribbands, lace, gloves, buttons, and cabinet-work. A feparate room is appropriated to each trade. Some are in- truded in the French and German lano-uasfes, and a few of the boys in the Latin tongue ; others learn mufic, drawing, and dancing. About the age of twenty, the foundlings receive a fum of money, and fcveral other advantages, which enable them to follow their trade in any part of the empire: a confiderable privilege in lluflia, where the peafants are flaves, and cannot leave their village wiihoutthe perniiiilon of their mafter. In another vifit which I paid to this hofpital, I faw the foundlings at dinner: the o-irls and boys dine feparately. The dining rooms, v/hich are upon the ground-floor, are large and vaulted, and fcjjarated from their work rooms. The iirft clafs fit at table, the reft ftand ; the little chil- dren are attended by fer\ants ; but lliofc of the firft and fecond clafs alternately wait upon ea( li other. Tlie dinner confifted of beef and mutton boiied in broth, with rice; I tafted both, which were remarkably good : the bread was vtsry fwcet, and baked in the houfc, chiefly by the c c 2 foundling^. 3S8 T R A V E I. S IN RUSSIA. B. S^ foundlings. Each foundling has a napkin, pew- ter-plate, knife, fork, and fpoon: the napkin and table-cloth are clean three times in the week. They rife at fix, dine at eleven, and fup at fix. The little children have bread at feven, and at four. When employed in their necelfary occu- pations, the utmoft freedom is allowed, and they are encouraged to be as much in the air as polTi- ble. The whole was a lovely fight ; and the countenances of the children expreffed the utmoft content and happinefs. In the hofpital is a theatre, of which the de*' coratJons are the work of the foundlings : they conflruded the ftage, painted the fcenes, and made the drclTes. I was prefent at the reprefen- tation of the Honntte Crhnind^ and the comic opera, Le Dccin du Village, both tranflated into the Ruffian tongue. Not underftanding the hmguage, I could be no judge whether they fpoke with propriety ; but was furprizcd at the, eafe with which they trod the ftage, and pleafed with the ^-racefulnefs of their adion. There were fome agreeable voices in the opera. The or- cheftra was filled with a band by no means con- temptible, whicli confifted entirely of foundlings,, excepting the firft violin, who was their mufic- mai^cr. On this occafion the play was not, a^s- ufual, concluded with a ballet, becaufe the prin- cipal performer was indifpofcd, which was nov ^ fmall t£, 6. M O S C O W. 389 fmall difappointmentj as they dance ballets with great tafte and elegance. The emprefs, I am told, is induced to countenance theatrical re- prefentations, which appear improper in a fcmi- nary of this kind, from a defne of diffufmg among her fubjeds a tafte for that fpecies of en- tertainment, which {l^e conliders a means of ci- vilization, and of enriching the Ruffian theatres with a conftant fupply of performers. Many and great are the advantages of this ex- cellent charity. It diifufes a knowledge of the arts among the people, increafes the number of free fubjeds, and above all has confiderably di- minifhed the horrid pradice of infanticide, fo prevalent before the inllitution of this hofpital. We were unwilling to quit this part of the country without vifiting Troitikoi Kiofter, or the monaflery of the Holy Trinity, which is diftin- guifhed in the annals of this country as the afy- lum for the RuiTian fovereigns in cafes of infur- re6lion ; and is more particularly known to fo- reigners for the refuge it aiforded to Peter the Great, when he put an end to the adminiftration of his filler Sophia*, The diftance from ]Mofcow to the monaftcry being forty miles, we ordered poft-horfes to be yeady at five in the morning, with an intention • S«e Chap. VIII. t C 3 of 390 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5- of viewinp: the convent and returning by night. We hoped to complete this excurfionin the time propofed ; but obftacles continually occur in fo- re'- 9:n countries, imforefcen by thofe who are not fuihciently acquainted with the manners of the natives ; and an ignorance oi the rnofl tiivial circumftances, which better information might eafjl}' have obviated, produces confiderable em- barraflment. Son:ie petty diftreffes of this nature lengthened our expedition from one to three days. We rofe at five in the morning, but were de- tained by want of poft-horfes, which we found great dhlficulty in procuring, although the order was figned both by the governor of the province and of the city, and we importuned the poft-miafter with repeated meifages. The cafe is, that the price for the hire of horfes being inconfiderable, the owners can employ them in Other fervices to greater advantage ; and on this account a ftningcr, unlefs accompanied with a Ruffian foldicr to <|uicken the expedition of thofe who furinfli the poft, nuift meet with infinite de- lays. V/c wtTC, indeed, flrongly advifed by fonio of our acquaintince to ufe lliis precaution, but im!)rudentiy emitted it, to cur great inconve- nience, as we foon experienced. After waiting nine hours, wc at length thought eurfelves fortunate in feeing the poft-horfes make o ' their c. 6. M o s c o w, 391 their appearance about two in the afternoon; and let off with an expectation of proceeding vrithout interruption to Bretofihina, where a re- lay was waiting for us. But the drivers flopping at a village only four miles from Mofcow, pe- remptorily refuled to carry us any farther. In vain we produced the order for horfes ; they contended that it authorized us only to take them from village to village, and on the ftrcngth of that conftru«5tion returned without further cere- mony to ]\iofcow. Two hours m.ore M'cre em- ployed, and much broken Ruffian fpoken by our Boliemian interpreter, before we were able to prevail on the inhabitants to fupply us with liorfes, and were again depofitcd in a vil- lage about the diftance of three m.iies ; where all the old procefs of altercation, threats, and piomifes, was renewed. In this manner Are continued wrangling and proceeding from village to village, which wTre thickly fcattered in this part of the country, until near midnight, when wx found ouifelves at Khiina, only feventeen miles from Mofcow, and took up our lodging in a peafant's cottage. Our Boliemian fervant hav- ing fortunately devoted great pai't of the night in rambling to ditferent houfes, and adjuUing tlie difficult negotiation for frefli horfes, v/c were able to depart almoft b}^ day-brt^k, and had the lull farther fatisfadion to pafs over the imnienfi G c 4 fpaco- 39*2 TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 3. fpace of feven miles without either halt or delay; fo that by eight in the morning we reached Bre^ tofiliina, half-way between Mofcow and the con- vent. Here w-e found a Ruffian ferjeant, whom prince Volkonfki had obligingly fent forwards to procure horfes, and accompany us during the. remainder of our journey: the experience of the preceding day taught us the value of thij jnilitar}^ attendant. At Bretofiliina we viewed a palace built by Alexey Michaelovitch, in which he frequently refided: it is a long wooden building, painted yellow, only one flory in height, containing a fuite of fmall and lo\y rooms. This palace (if it deferves that name) has long been uninhabited. The amprefs, pleafed with the beauty of the fituation, and refpe61ing the favourite refidencc of Peter the Great's father, purpofed to build a large brick palace near the fite of the old man* fion, and part of the materials were already coU lecfced for that pur pofe. On our return to the village wc ordered the horfes, and were pleafed to find our order obeyed almoftas foon as iffued: we had, indeed, a fuccefsful agent in our friend the ferjeant ; for the peafants, who were begin- ning to wrangle, and make their ufual alterca- tions, were jnllantly difperfed by his eudgel^ whofe eloquence w^as more perfuafive than the irnoil pij^thetic yenionftrauces. The boors were C, 6, M S C O W, 595 certainly accuftomed to this fpecies of rhetoric ; for they bore it patiently, and with perfect good- humour ; and^ the moment they were feated on the box, began whiftling and fmging their na- tional fongs as ufual. We no\v continued our route, and arrived at the convent, though dif- tant from Bretoflhina twenty miles, without once flopping to change hq^-fes. Troitfkoi Sergief Klofter, or the monaftery of the Holy Trinity, at a little diftance bears the appearance of a fmall town ; and, like many ( convents in this country, is furrounded with high brick walls, ftrengthened with battlements and towers. The parapet is roofed ^^ ith wood, and the walls and towers are provided with em- brafures for mufkets and cannon : the whole is furrounded by a deep ditch. This place with- flood feveral fieges ; and particularly baffled all the efforts of Ladiflaus prince of Poland, who attacked it at the head of a large army. Befide the convent or habitation for the monks, the walls enclofe an imperial palace, and nine large churches conftrufted by different fove- reigns. The convent is a range of building encircling a court, and far too fpacious for the prefent inhabitants: it formerly contained 300 monks, together with a proportionate number of (Indents, and was the richefl ecclefiaftical efta- blilhment in RuiTia. Their eftates, as well as all the 5!74 T R A V F. L S I TC RUSSIA. B. 5. the other chiircli-lancls, being' annexed to the crov/n, the members reecive peniions. With the revenues the number of monks is greatly dimi- niihed, and they do not amount to lOO. The liabit is black, v/ith a veil of the fame colour ; they eat no meat, and the difcipHne of the order is very ftri«^t V\' ithin the convent is a feminary for the education of pcrfons intended for the church, v/hich contained about 200 ftudents. Tlie imperial palace, which was much fre- quented v.'hen the fov^ereign refided at iMofcow, is fmall ; one of the apcirtmciits is ornamented with rcprefcntations in ftucco of the principal actions of Peter tlie Great. The nine churches are fplendid, and extremely rich in gold and fi\- vcr ornamerits, and coftly veftments. The princi- pal church has a cupola of copper gilt, and four domes, of tin or iron painted green. We afcended a new belfry, built by the emprefs Elizabeth, which is not an inelegant piece of architedure; it commands a fine view of the adjacent country, which is gently v/aving, richly cultivated, pro- ducing nuich grain, and thickly ftrcwed with villages. The archimandrite or abbot of the mo^ nailery being abf^nt, \\e could not obtain pcr- miiVion to fee the library,- ^\hich occafioned iome regret, becaufe, according to Bufching, it con- tains a curious collection of books*. » Baiching's Ei-d-befchreibung, v. I. p, 85a. c. d. M s c o ^v, 395 In the principal church a few tombs drew my attention. The firft was that of Maria queen of Livonia, probably the only perfon who ever bore that title, an empty honour, which ilie may truly be faid to have purchafed at a dear rate. Maria, lineally defcended from Ivan Vaffdievitch I. was a relation of Ivan II*. She efpoufed in 1573, ^lagnus duke of Holfteinf, and titular king of * Ivan Vassilievitch I. I I VaSSILI TVANOVITCH. ANDREW IVANOTITCII of Staritza, died 1537. I Ivan Vassilievitch II. I Vladimir Andrevitch, died 1570. Maria, married to Magirus. ' I Eudckia. f Magnus v/as fon of Chrlflian III. king of Denmark, and is known in hiftory by feveral different appellations. He ia feme- times fcyled king of Livonia, from his mock-fovereignty in that couatry j fometimes duke of Holftein, from his inheriting a portion of that duchy on the deceafe of his father; and bilhop of -ffifel, from his exchanging his part of Hohlein for the bishopries of /Efel and Courlaud, which he fecuiarized. Holberg, tlie Danifii hifco-' rian, mentions a bond for 1^00 marks, which was thus figned : " We Magnus, by the grace of God, Lord of -^fel and Wick^ Bifliop of Courland, Adminiftrator of the bifhoprick of Reval, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schlefwick, Holftein, Stornivir, and Ditmarfli, Count of Oldenburgh and Dehnenhurrr." Titles, as the hiflorians remark, which could not procure him even a fm.ill fum of money :^ithout his bond. Holberg. v. II. p. 488. J^ivonia^ 396 TRAVELS IN RtrsSiA, B. S. Livonia, who was raifed to that dignity by Ivan Vaffihevitch II. in an extraordinary manner. Livonia, bordering upon Ruffia, Sweden, and Poland, and reciprocally claimed and poffelTed by thofe three powers, was, in the middle of the fixteenth century, partly free, partly fubje6t to Poland, and partly to the Swedes, when the tzar made an irruption, and conquered a fmall por- tion. Well acquainted, however, with the aver- fion of the natives to the R uffian fceptre, he de- clared, that he entered their country with no in- terefted views ; had no other ambition than to refcue them from the Swedifli yoke ; and, re- nouncing all right of conqvieft, would only ilyle himfelf their protedor : he exhorted them to elecl for their fovereign Magnus, brother of Fre^ deric II. king of Denmark, who, in the capacity of bifliop of Pilten, had fome pretenfions to Li^ vonia. This propofal being cheerfully agreed to by a great party among the natives, the tzar difpatchcd an embaify to Magnus, who ac^ cepted the proffered crown, and repairing with- out delay to MofcoAv, was formally inftalled in his new dignity, upon condition of efpoufmg Maria, and paying an annual tribute to the tzar. Magnus, however, being oppofed by the Swedes, who maintained a large army in Livo- nia, and not unanimoufly acknowledged even by C. 6. MOSCOW. 397 by the natives, was ftill only a titular fovereign, and after a fruitlefs attempt to take pofleiTion of his crown, continued to difplay his mock dig- nity at Mofcow. At length, in 1577, being efcorted to Livonia by the tzar, at the head of ^50,000 troops, lie obtained the town and terri- tory of Wenden, the remainder of the province being referved to Ruffia. Magnus was fcarcely admitted into Wenden, where he was received with great demonftrations of joy, than, defpifnig a precarious fovercignty, he was prevailed upon by his new fubjecls to form. a. fecret alliance with the king of Poland, and counteract the tzar's progrefs in Livonia. Ivan, apprized of this negotiation, laid immediate fiege to Wenden with a numerous army,and compelled the inhabitants to capitulate. Magnus himfelf carried the terms of capitulation, and, advanc- ing to fupplicate the incenfed monarch, threw himfelf at his feet, and interceded for the town. The tzar, fpurning at him with his foot*, and ftrikiug • Henning, author of the Li v^onian Chronicle, relates this tranf- a(5lion mor^ito the honour of Ivan. He is thus quoted by the au- thors of the Univerfal Hiftory, vol. XXXV. p. 242. " The tzar ]aid fiege to the place, till, at the earneft requeft of the citizens, Magnus, v/ith only a few attendants, vvenfe into the tzar's camp, and, falling on his knees, begged pardon for himlelf and the city, Bafilowitz no fooner (aw the king of Livonia thus prolbate befox-e him, than he difmoiTnted from his horfe, and defired hi^n to rife, returned him his fword, and, after reproaching him with the ingra- titude S9S TRAVELS IN HUSSlA. B. 3. ftriking him in the face, loaded him with re- proaches for his ingratitude, and ordered him to prifon, and entering the town, his troops com- mitted every fpecies of horror and devaftation. Many of the principal inhabitants, retiring into the citadel, determined to defend it to the lafl extremity ; but perceiving all refiftance fruitlefs, and expelling no quarter, they calmly aflem- bled, received the facrament, and deftroyed themfclves by blowing up the citadel. Thus ended the kingdom of Livonia, four years after it was ere61ed into a fovereignty. Magnus ob- tained his enlargement by paying a confiderable fum of money, and repaired, with his confort Maria, to Pilten in Courland, where he died in 15 83, in extreme diftrefs*. After the death of licr huiband, Maria was enticed into Ruffia, titude of his late ccnduft, freely pardoned him and the city, and sfTured them of his'proteftion. At this inftant a cannon-ball from the caltle narrov/ly mified kiHingthe tzarj which fo incenfed him, tivat he moanted his horfe and rode awa}'- direftly, fwearing by St. Nicholas, that, for this frcfli inflance of perfidy, every perfon in Wendcn lliould furTer death. Magnus was then put under an ar- reft in a farm-houfe, and obliged to fign an obligation, by which he engaged to pay the tzar 4O5OCO Hungarian florins by the next Chriitmas, as a f:iLisf:L6^ion for the money taken from Polubenfkij and in cafe of failure of payment at that time, to forfeit double the fum, and remain a prifcner at Mofcow till the whole fhould be dif- tharged." I have followed the principal hiftorians of Sweden and Denmark, alfo Heidenftein, and Oderborg, who feem to havegivea the mcft probable account of this event, • Hclbci-g, vol. II. p. .;§8. and C. 6. . HI o s c o ^^% 5m and tlirov/n into a nunnery with lier only dauo'hter Eudokia'^. She was never releafed from her confinement, and the time of her deceafe i.^ uncertain. The remains, both of the queen and her daughter, Avere depofited in the convent of the Holy Trinity. In the fame church repofe the aflies of Boris Feodorovitch Godunof, who, upon the dcmife of Feodor Ivanovitch in 1597, was raifed from a private ftat ion to the throne of Ruffia. It is a circumftance extremely favourable to a virtuous conduct, that a fovercign cannot commit one flagrant offence without fuffering the imputatioii of many others ; and that luppofititious cruel- ties are always added to a(5ls of real tyraiinv. This was the fate of Boris Godunof, who, havins: defervedly acquired the deteftation of pofterity by the perpetration of one crime, has hcen un- juftly branded Vv ith infamy, even for thofe ac~ tions which merit the higheft applaufe. Boris Godunof was dcfcended from a Tariac anceftor, who cam.e into Ruffia in 1329, and, hav- ing embraced Chriftianity, aiTumed the name of Zachary. From Simon Godun, one of his de- fcendants, the family was known by tlic lurname of Godunof, and was greatly difiinguiilied by the elevation of the perfonage now under conii- deration, * Fletcher's State of RufTin, Chap, V. Boii^. 400 TRAViLS i:5r RUSSIA. ]B. 5i Boris, fon of Feodor Ivanovitch, a nobleman of the Ruffian court, was born in 1522, and in the 20th year of his age appointed, by Ivan Vaffilievitch ll. to attend his fon prince Ivan : being fucceffively promoted to higher offices^ and obtaining additional influence by the mar-* riage of his fifter Irene with Feodor Ivanovitch, he was, upon that monarch's fucceffion to the throne, created privy counfellor, mafter of the liorfe, and invelled with the fole direction of affairs. Feodor dying without iffue, the ele6lion fell unanimoufly upon Boris Godunof, who owed his elevation to the high opinion which all par- ties entertained of his capacity and wifdom ; to the influence of his fifter Irene, and to the art- ful manner with which he affected to decline, while he was mofl ambitious to polTefs, the crown. He deferved his elevation by his con- fummate abilities and popular manners; and, for his political and civil deportment, he is juftly ranked among the greateft ftatefmen of his age. Happy would it have been for himfelf and country, had he united moderation and huma- nity to thefe fplendid qualities. His perfecution of feveral noble families, who flood in the way of his ambitious defigns, and ftill more the airaiTinatioii C. 6. M O S C O W. 401 affafli nation * of Demetrius, brands his charac- ter with indelible infamy. But Avliile we admit and deteft in this inftance the full extent of his guilt, let not our horror at this crime induce us to mifreprefent his moft laudable anions. Let us not affert, w^ith his enemies, that to turn the attention of the people from the cataftrophe of the prince, and to ingratiate himfelf in their fa- vour by an act of public munificence, he pur- pofely fet fire to feveral parts of Mofcow, that he might rebuild them at his own expence! Nor let us, with equal abfurdity and injuftice, ac- cufe him of privately inviting the khan of the Tartars to invade Ruffia, that he might occupy the public with a foreign wd.v, and acquire freili glory by repelling the enemy ! We may add to the lift of his fuppofltiiious crimes, that he poifoned Feodor; for the tzar had lonff laboured under a declinino* ftate of health ■\ ; and, the year before his death, re- queftcd a phyfician from England J . Even his paternal attention and unbounded generofity towards his fubjeds during a famine, which • This is not the proper place to inquire whether Demetrius was really aflaffinated, or whether he efcaped ? for the crime of Boris was the fame, whether his orders were carried into execution, or eluded. See the next chapter. f Fletcher fays of Feodor, that he was inclining to a dropfy. I As appears from a letter in the R^uffian archives. Vol. L do foon 402 ' TRAVELS I N RUSSIA. B. 5. faon after his elevation to the throne, delolated ]\iofco\v, was turned into an accufation againft him; for it was infniuated, that from an abfurd dehcacy, he would not permit foreigners to fup- ply the Ruffians with corn, and that he joined fe- veral banditti in plundering the houfes of the rich*; calumnies ably and nnanfwerably re- futed by MuUer. But the brighteft fplendouF of abilities, and even the moft upright vife of power, will hot atone for the ill means of ac- quiring it; and the time arnved, when Boris paid the price for the alTaffmation of Demetrius. The death and character of Boris Godunof are thus delineated by an impartial hiftorian f. The party of the pretended Demetrius in- creafed daily, and the Ruffians flocked to him froii) all quarters. This circumftance, joined to the in activity of the Ruffian army, had fuch an cfie6t upon Boris, that, driven to defpair, he fwallowed poifon j^ . He felt the firft effeds of the poifon at dinner, and the fymptoms were fo violent, that he had fcarcely time to enter into * This report, Mr. Mailer conjeftures, arofe from his compel- ling the bifnops and nobles, who had a fuperfluity of eorn^ to dif- pofe of it to the poor at an under price, S. R. G. V. t Muller, S. R. G. V p. 247. X Captain Margaret fays, that he died of an apoplexy. Etat de laRuffie^p. 118. 4 the €.6. M s e W. 4Q5 the monaftic order before he expired. Accord,7 ing to the Ruffian cuftom, he changed his name- from Boris to Bogolep. PI is tleceafe happened on the 13th of April, or the 24th, according to the new ftyle, 1 605^ after a reign of eight years and two months. *^ It mud be allowed that his death was a great lofs to Ruffia ; for if we except the un- juftifiable means by which he raifed himfelf to thjjsfthrone, and tlie cruelty with which he per- fecuted feveral ilhiftrious families, particularly the houfe of Romanof, he muft be efteemed an excellent fovereign. Ambition and revenge were his principal vices: on the contrary, pene- tration and fagacity, affability and munificence, political knowledge, dih^ence in the adminif- tration of affairs, affiduity in introducing into Ruffia the improvements of foreign nations, in a word, unwearied attention to promote the ad- vantage of his country, and the welfare of his fubjects, were confpicuous parts of his charac- ter. We are apt to overlook the vices of a fovereign in confideration of his princely vir- tues, and in this refpcct Boris is entitled to our efteem. When A\^e add to thefe confiderations the long chain of calamities which fucceeded his death, his lofs could not but be fenfibly felt." His 464 fRAVELS IN RUSSIA. B. 5. His remains were at firft depofited in the Imperial fepulchre at Mofcow; but were after- wards removed to the convent of the Holy Trinity *. • For the Hiftory of Boris Godunof, fee MuHcr, S. R. G. Vol. V. ^ 27 to 249- KND OP THE FIRST TOLUMX. Luke Hanfard, Pnnter, Great Turnftile, Lincoln's-Inn Fi^dSo <50i iTMPDK."nlS^f JJy °' California AoiHuJ^r^T REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 405 Htlgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 Return this material to the library trom which it was borrowed. OL JAN 2 1 1993 APr!¥l9$3 MARO: ft J QLJAN AC MAY 1 200JI pccnin-YRL FEOG2 2000 {^C HOMO 1?«P THELroRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNL' IX)S ANGELES ■r sc ijTMERr; REG'C;--: -="A=v r.:-' -< III II i 1 A 000 188 128 3 D965 C83t 1802 v.l