Sivut kuvina
PDF
ePub

changed. If he sends them away, they are returned without even being wiped. If he looks behind him, he will fee a fervant fpit in the plate he is to receive, and wipe it with a dirty napkin, to remove the duft."

Here follow fome particulars, which are really too dif gulling to extract; and as we cannot quite conceive them to be poflible, we do not choofe.to take the adopted refponfibility of reporting them. The author proceeds thus:

"If at table he regards his neighbour, he fees him pick. ing his teeth with his fork, and then plunging it into a plate of meat which is brought round to all. The horrors of a Ruffian kitchen are inconceivable; and there is not a bed in the whole empire, which an English traveller, aware of its condition, would venture to approach.

"In the house of young Count Orlof alone, are no less than five hundred fervants; many of them fumptuously clothed, and many others in rags. It is no unufual fight to fee behind a chair a fort of gala footman, like a Neapolitan volante, in gold and plumes, and another behind him looking like a beggar. The generation has not yet paffed away, which, at the pleasure of the Tfar, were fent to be whipped as dogs. The fort liberty they enjoyed in the reign of Catharine did not fuffice to elevate their minds from the depravity always incident to a state of flavery. Under Paul, the period came again in which they fuffered the indignities offered to their forefathers. Potemkin, one of the meaucft and most profligate of men, frequently taught them to remember what they had before been, by chastising with his own hand a prince or a nobleman with whom he chanced, to be offended and the Emperor Paul exercifed his cane upon the nobles who were his officers. Under fuch government, if we find them servile, oppreffive, cowardly, and tyrannical, it is no more than may be expected, from their mode of education, and the difcipline they undergo. They will naturally crouch with their heads in the duft before an Emperor or his favourite, and trample their inferiors beneath their feet.

They confider the English as a mercenary nation, and gene. rally hate them because they fear them, or court them if they want their fupport. One of their princes thought proper to declare in public, at his own table, where we had been invited to dine, and where of courfe under protection enjoined by the laws of hofpitality, that in England there is not an individual, patriot, or placeman, who is not faleable to the highest bidder. He inftanced Wilkes, Gibbon, and Burke, with many others; adding, English flavery is lefs juftifiable than Ruffian. One is felfishness; the other, fubmiffion to the laws.'" P. 91.

[ocr errors]
[merged small][ocr errors]

THE ARCHBISHOP OF MOSCOW.

"A curious contraft to the fplendour in which we had hitherto beheld Plato, archbishop of Mofcow, was offered, during à vifit we made to him at the Convent of Nicoll na Perrera, a feminary for young priefts near the city. I had long wished for an opportunity of converfing with this remarkable man. He was preceptor to the Emperor Paul; and is known to the world by his correfpondence with Monfieur Dutens. Upon our arrival at the e convent, we were told he was then walking in a small garden, the care of which conftituted his principal pleasure; and the employment characterized the fimplicity and innocence of his life. As we entered the garden, we found him seated on a turf bank, beneath the windows of the refectory, attended by a bishop, an old man his vicar, the abbe of the monaftery, and fome others of the monks. I could fcarcely believe my eyes, when they told me it was Plato; for though I had often feen him in his archiepifcopal veftments, his rural drets had made fuch an alteration, that I did not know him. He was habited in a striped filk bedgown, with a night-cap like the filk nets which hang down the back, as commonly feen on the heads of Italian poftillions ; and a pair of woollen ftockings, with feet of coarfe linen, faftened on with twine in an uncouth manner. He was without fhoes, but a pair of yellow flippers laid [lay ]at fome diftance. By his fide, on the bank, was placed his broad-brimmed hat, fuch as is worn by the fhepherdeffes of the Alps; and in the hat-band, to complete the refemblance, was ftuck a bunch of withered flowers. His white beard, and that mildnefs and animation of countenance which diftinguished him, gave to his features a most pleasing expreffion. He defired to know who we were; and being anfwered, Englifhmen; What! faid he; all English? I wonder what your contrymen can find fufficiently interefting in Ruffia, to bring you fo far from home; and in fuch times as thefe But having made this obfervation in French, he looked cautioufly around him, and began to ask the monks, feverally, whether they understood French. Finding them perfectly ignorant of that language, he bade me fit by him; while the reft forming a circle he entertained us with a conversation, in which there was fcience, wit, and freed‹ m, fufficient to astonish any traveller, in fuch a country, and at fuch a period. Memory has fcarcely retained even that part of it which concerned the manners of his countrymen.

you

"Well, faid he, you thought me perhaps a curiofity; and find me as naturally disposed for obfervation as you could with (pointing to his woollen ftockings and his ftrange drefs, ) " old an man bending with years and infirmities." I replied, that had the honour to fee him in his greateft fplendour, on the night of the Ceremony of the Refurrection, in the cathedral of the Kremlin. And what did you think of that ceremony?

Clarke's Travels.

498 faid he. Infwered, that I confidered it as one of the moft folemn I had ever witnessed, not excepting even that of the Benediction at Rome; and interesting? added his Grace. Very much fo,' faid I: at which he burst into a fit of laughter, holding his fides, and faying, I had loft a night's reit to attend the ceremony of a religion I did not profefs, and called it in terefing.

We accompanied him round his garden, admiring the beauty of the fituation, and the ferenity of the climate. But do you,' faid he, prefer our climate to yours?' I told him, that I had found the Ruffian climate fevere, but the cold weather in winter 'not attended by fo much humidity as in England; that the atmofphere was clear and dry. Oh yes,' faid he, very dry indeed! and it has, in confequence, dried up all our fruit

trees.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"Afterwards, he inquired where we were going? and being told to Kuban Tartary, and to Conftantinople;- Ged proferve me!' he exclaimed, what a journey! but nothing is difficult to Englishmen; they traverfe all the regions of the earth. My brother,' continued he, was a traveller, and educated in your country, at Oxford; but I have never been anywhere, except at Petersburg and Mofcow. I fhould have been delighted in travelling, if I had enjoyed the opportunity; for books of travels are my favourite reading. I have lately read,' and the fignificant fmile by which the words were accompanied could not be mifunderstood, the Voyage of Lord Macartney.'-He laughed, however, at the refult of his brother's education. The Eng lifh,' faid he, taught him to declaim, in their way: he used to preach his fine flourishing fermons to us Ruffians; very fine fermons! but they were all tranflated from the English. Some of your divines write beautifully; but with inconceivable freedom. It was once difcuffed in an English fermon, whether a people had power to dethrone their King.' Your Grace may fay more, faid I; we had once a prelate, who, preaching before his Sovereign, felt himself at liberty to difcufs his conduct to his face.' I wish,' faid he, we had fuch a fellow here!'-but, aware of the interpretation which might be put upon his words, and perhaps not daring to end with them, he added, after a paufe, we would fend him, to enjoy the full liberty of preaching in the free air of Siberia.' He was much amufed at a reply he once received from an English clergyman, of the factory at Petersburg, when asked if he intended to marry. If I am fortunate enough to become a bishop, I fhall marry fome rich citizen's daughter, and live at my ease *.'

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

"He complained much of Dutens, for having published his cor

[ocr errors]

The Priefts in the Greek Church are allowed to marry i but not the Bishops."

Kk 3

refpondence,

[blocks in formation]

refpondence, without his permiffion. He acknowledged having therein endeavoured to prove that the Pope was Antichrift; of which he was fully convinced: but that he much feared the refentment of the Court of Rome. We told him, we thought his. fears might now fubfide, as that court was no longer formidable to any one. ́ Oh,' said he, 'you do not know its intrigues and artifices it is like the ancient Romans; patient in concealing malice; prompt to execute it, when opportunity offers; and always obtaining its point in the end.' He then spoke of Voltaire, and his correfpondence with the late Emprefs Catharine.

[ocr errors]

• There was nothing,' faid he, of which she was fo vain, as of that correfpondence. I never faw her fo gay, and in fuch high spirits, as when he had to tell me of having received a letter from Voltaire.'

"He fhewed us the apartments of the ancient Patriarch who founded the convent and built the church, which he endeavoured to preferve in their pristine state. They confifted of feveral small vaulted Gothic chambers, which now contain the library. I took this opportunity to ask if any tranflation of the Claffics exifted in the Sclavonian language, among the manufcripts difperfed in the different libraries of the Ruffian monafteries. He answered me in the negative; and said they had nothing worth notice until the time of the Patriarch Nicon. As he was well verfed in Sclavonic, I queftioned him concerning its affinity to the Ruffian. He affured me the two languages were almoft the fame; that the difference was only a diftinction of dialect; and that neither of them had the smallest resemblance to the language of Finland." P. 150.

We are aware that the above paffage relating to the Archhifhop of Mofcow is one of thofe which has drawn fome degree of cenfure on the author, for a prefumed violation of confidence; and that, it is alledged that if this venerable. perfonage was incenfed against Mr. Dutens he will be still more indignant with Dr. Clarke. It is further infinuated, that this unreferved communication may implicate the Archbifhop in fome perfonal rifk. It does not fo prefent itself to our minds, though perhaps fome parts of it might have been omitted. In the first place, there was nothing at all confidential in the communication, and none but the most fubtle as well as vindictive and tyrannical difpofition could fo diftort what was expreffed on either fide, as to make it a pre ence for perfecution or refentment.

We now accompany our accomplished traveller from Mofcow on his way to Woronetz, and from thence to the territory of the Don Coffacks. This portion of the work occupies four chapters, and will be found peculiarly interefting. This latter part more particularly is in a great measure new, at least we do not know where we can elfewhere find fo

curious

curious and fo circumftantial a detail of the appearance, manners, cufloms of this fingular country. With a brief extract from the twelfth chapter we fhall conclude our analyfis of this volume for the prefent month.

"Of all the inhabitants of the Ruffian empire, the Calmucksare the moft diftinguished by peculiarity of feature and manners. In their perfonal appearance, they are athletic, and very forbid. ding. Their hair is coarfe and black; their language harsh and guttural. They inhabit Thibet, Eucharia, and the countries lying to the north of Perfia, India, and China; but, from their vagrant habits, they may be found in all the fouthern parts of Ruffia, even to the banks of the Dnieper. The Coffacks alone efteem them, and intermarry with them. This union fome. times produces women of very great beauty; although nothing is more hideous than a Calmuck. High, prominent, and broad cheek-bones; very little eyes widely feparated from each other; a flat and broad nofe; coarfe, greafy, jet black hair; fcarcely any eye-brows; and enormous prominent ears; compofe no very inviting portrait; however, we may ftrive to do it juftice.

"Their women are uncommonly hardy; and on horseback outstrip their male companions in the race. The stories related of their placing pieces of horfe-flefh under the faddle, in order to prepare them for food, are perfectly true. They acknow.. ledged that it was a common practice among them on a journey, and that a steak fo dreffed became tender and palatable. In their large camps, they have always cutlers, and other artificers in copper, brafs, and iron; fometimes goldfmiths, who make trink lets for their women, idols of gold and filver, and veffels of their altars; alfo perfons expert at inlaid work, enamelling, and many arts which we vainly imagine peculiar to nations in a state of re finement. One very remarkable fact, and which I should hesitate in afferting if I had not found it confirmed by the obfervations of other travellers †, is, that, from time immemorial, the Oriental

"In oppofition to this remark, I find it ftared in Mr. Heber's Journal, that Calmuck fervants are greatly esteemed all over Ruffia, for their intelligence and fidelity;' and I recollect feeing fome of them in that capacity among English families in Peterburg. The most remarkable instance ever known of an expatriated Calmuck, was that of an artift employed by the Earl of Elgin, whom I faw (a fecond Anacharfis, from the plains of Scythia) executing moft beautiful defigns among the ruins of Athens. Some Ruffian family had previously fent him to finish his ftudies in Rome, where he acquired the highest perfection in defign. He had the peculiar features, and many of the manners, of the nomade Calmucks."

6 ↑ Journal des favans Voyageurs, p. 434."

[blocks in formation]
« EdellinenJatka »