"THE country-feats of the two brothers Narithkin, deferve here particular notice, as being frequented on Sundays by great numbers of the higher claffes. A friendly invitation, in four different languages, infcribed over the entrance to the grounds, authorizes every one of decent appearance and behaviour, to amufe himfelf there in whatever way he pleafes, without fear of moleftation. In feveral pavilions are musicians for the benefit of those who choose to dance; in others are chairs and fofas, ready for the reception of any party who wish to recreate themfelves by fedate converfation after roaming about with the great throng; fome parties take to the fwings, the bowling-green, and other diverfions; on the canals and lakes are gondolas, fome conftructed for rowing, others for failing; and, if all this be not enough, refreshments are fpread on tables in particular alcoves, or are handed about by fervants in livery. This noble hofpitality is by no means unenjoyed; the concourfe of perfons of all descriptions, from the star and 'riband to the plain well-dressed burgher, forms fuch a party-coloured collection, and sometimes groups are fo humourously contrafted, that for this reafon alone it is well worth the pains of partaking once in the amusement.

"The number of thefe fauntering places in and about the refidence is fo great, that we are not yet come near the end of our lift. Therefore, to fpare myself and the reader the trouble of repetitions, we will take our leave of this branch of public paftime, in order to entertain ourselves with another class very nearly allied to it.

"Walking has fome admirers at St. Petersburg, but driving incomparably more. A convenience which in this extenfive, dirty town, is fo much a neceffary, will naturally foon degenerate into a luxury. The neceflity of keeping horses for use is pushed to the utmost extravagance: no where

5

is driving fo much a diverfion as here.

"It has long been the cuftom to keep a general promenade on certain holidays. On the firft of May all the people of fashion affemble in the most fplendid equipages in the woods of Katharinenhof, as it fhould feem, to hail the arrival of fpring. All that the taste and expenfe of the wealthy part of the public has to exhibit in thefe particulars, is here to be seen, as numbers of new carriages have been kept fhut up in the coach-houses till this day; and this train actually determines the fashion in the fhape and colour of carriages till the next grand parade. Magnificent as the proceffion is of feveral thousand equipages, moftly in the highest style of richness and elegance, not lefs, and perhaps still more curious is the end and aim of this choice diverfion. The carriages proceed in three or four rows, clofe befide and behind each other; the pleasure confifts in fecing and being feen, and, after fome hours fpent in this manner, every one haftens home fatiffied and delighted. The populace, who on this occafion affemble in great multitudes, have here, as ufual, drawn the better lot: jovial and gay, they take their glafs of brandy, looking from under their tents at the gaudy hofts of vanity; and to them it is a real comedy. The philofopher entertains himself in contemplating the fingular contrafts of this prodigious mass of mortals, compounded of fuch heterogeneous parts; and every one thinks himself well repaid for coming. Similar carriage promenades are held at Eafter round the fwings.

"More appropriate and more general than thefe amufements, is the dri-' ving in fledges; a diverfion of which, even in Germany, nothing more than a very faint idea can be formed. Indeed it is not here the custom, as there, to have folemn proceffions in fledges; but the nature of our winter, and the fleetnefs of our horfes, confer peculiar charms on this amusement in Ruffia. The fledges here in ufe are extremely fimple, as the fhapes of fhells, gondolas, fwans, eagles, &c. are thought abfurd and taftelefs ornaments. Thofe for two perfons are drawn by a pair of horfes, one being harneffed in the fhafts, and the other by his fide with

4 A 2

out

out them to a fufpended cross bar *. The rule is to keep the former in a trot and the other in a gallop. The great intereft in this winter-fport confits in the extraordinary speed of driving: to what lengths our ifvofchtschiki and horfes have attained in this matter, I fhall forbear to mention, for fear of lofing all my credit with the reader. The fledges for a fingle person, made ufe of by our beaux for their morning recreation, are generally very elegant, and their horses excellent runners: the gentleman guides himself, and befide the horfe rides a huffar, finely dreffed, to hold the reins. On pleasant winter days public fledge-races are held on the Neva. The courfe is about three hundred fathoms long, and enclosed with railing. The lovers of the fport and the ifvofchtfchiki lay bets on the Bleetness of their horfes, or ufe the courfe merely for their own diverfion. The great concourfe of people aflembled as fpectators, for whofe accommodation likewise several scaffolds are erected, is a confiderable addition to the liveliness of the fhow. Driving for pleasure is not merely confined to one fex; the ladies are warranted by cuftom to enjoy this amufement confiftently with the rules of propriety. The principal rendezvous for it is the Peterhof road.

"The Neva and the canals by which St. Petersburg is interfected, afford the inhabitants the convenience of going, for business or pleafure, on the water, in fuch perfection as can only be enjoyed in very few towns in Europe. We may not only go on pleafant excurfions to a diftance from the city and to the islands, but even take fhort paffages to moft of the freets. On the fhores of the Neva plenty of boats are ever in readiness to take a fare, fome of them belonging to the public offices, others kept by private perfons. They are of various fizes, of two, four, fix, eight, and twelve oars; but their conftruction is in general the fame. The after part, juft before the fteerfman, is ufually covered with an awning provided with curtains, as a protection from rain. Their appearance is always elegant, but thofe belonging to the

gentry magnificent. The rowers are all failors, and dressed in uniform, hav ing caps with high plumes of feathers. Their dexterity in rowing is fuch, that even the English failors acknowledge their fuperiority. All the motions are directed with the ftricteft punctilio by the fteerfman's orders. At his firft word of command all the oars are raised in the air, at the fecond they fall at once into the water, and at the third the rowing begins, fo exactly in time, and with fuch equal exertions, as if the motion was effected by the spring of a machine. When going with the current, and the paffengers require it, the failors ftrike up a fong, which the fteerfman, with a pipe made of birch bark [rojoke] directs and accompanies. All things confidered, thefe waterparties are to be reckoned among the most engaging amusements of the place." P. 440.

PRINCE POTEMKIN'S GRAND ENTER

TAINMENT.

"I SHALL conclude this chapter with a fhort account of the memo rable feftivity given by Prince Pote.nkin the Taurian, during his laft return to the refidence, in honour of the fovereign of the Ruffian Empire, in his Pantheon. Crowned with laurels, and weary with conquests, the commander haftened back to the refidence, to enjoy his triumphs in the funfline of majefty; and, in the round of rejoi cings that awaited his arrival, to forget for a moment the horrors of the enfan guined plain. Some dark forebodings feemed to whisper in his ear that there would be the laft hours he should ever pafs on the brilliant theatre of his greatnefs; and to enjoy them was now his grand object. He formed the plan of an entertainment, which fhould afford him an opportunity of teftifying his gratitude to the exalted authorefs of his profperity, in his own house, in prefence of the affembled court. It was grand and extraordinary, like all his other plans. A whole month elapfed in preparations; artifts of all denominations were conftantly employed; whole fhops and warehouses were

emptied

emptied of their goods for furnishing what was wanted; fome hundreds of perfons affembled daily to work in preparing for the banquet; and each of thefe days was a brilliant holiday. At length the moment arrived which had kept the whole town on the stretch of expectation from the preparatives they had feen. The provife of the Emprefs and the Imperial family to grace this day by their preïence, was given; the court, the foreign minifters, the nobility, and a great number of refpectable perfons of both fexes were invited. About fix in the evening the company affembled in masquerade habits. A fignal being given as the Emprefs ftepped into her carriage, the treat prepared for the populace, in the fquare before the palace, was uncovered to the greedy multitude, who were affembled on the occafion in prodigious numbers. Great heaps of all the feveral articles of clothes, lofty pyramids of eatables, two oxen roafted whole, and an ample store of liquors, befides a couple of fountains pouting wine, were here delivered as a prey to the rapacious mob.

"The inftant the Emprefs fet her foot in the veftibule, a folemn fymphony began, the fwelling notes refounding from the lofty gallery through the grand faloon. The orchestra confifted of three hundred performers, vocal and inftrumental, in enchanting viciffitudes. In a few minutes the Emprefs advanced into the grand hall, followed by the whole company. Here, having taken her feat on an elevated platform, decorated with transparent paintings, the company difperfed among the colonades and into the boxes; on which began the fecond act of this extraordinary fpectacle. Four-and-twenty couple of beautiful young ladies and handfome youths of noble families, among whom were the Grand Dukes Alexander and Conftantine, opened the dances. All were dreffed in white, and only diftinguished by the colour of their girdles and fcarves. The value of their ornaments was estimated at ten millions of rubles. The mufic to which they danced was accompanied with finging; and the famous artist Le Picq concluded the fcene with a folo.

"The company now proceeded to another apartment hung with coftly

tapestry. Here ftood an artificial ele phant, his caparisons being ornamented with emeralds, rubies, and other precious ftones. The Perfian who attend ed him ftruck on a bell; and this was the fignal for another change.

"A curtain sprung up, and a stage magnificently decorated appeared. Two ballets and a dramatical reprefentation here charmed the furprifed audience in a moft extraordinary manner. Full and harmonious mufic, interrupted by choirs of fingers, moft delightful dancing, an exceffive profufion of pomp, and a difplay of all the various national dreffes of the empire, in their most agreeable coftume, here fafcinated all the fenfes at once. The play being ended, the company feparated, and drew off into all the apartments of the palace. A brilliant illumination now truck the amazed eye wherever it turned. The walls and columns feemed to be all on fire; large mirrors fixed in various parts, or placed as pyramids and grottos, multiplied the effect of this unufual fight, and even the whole park feemed to be ftrewn with fparkling ftones.

"A table fpread in a manner corre fponding with the fplendour of the feftivity now awaited the company. Six hundred perfons fat down to it, and the rest were ferved at the fides and among the pillars of the hall. No other vellels or implements were used but of gold or filver: in lieu of the ufual tapers, the table was lighted by coloured vafes having lamps within. Á prodigious number of fervants in fumptuous liveries, with the domeftic officers, were employed in waiting, and in all parts whatever was wanted was had at a nod. Any thing in the whole province of epicurifm might be asked for without danger of disappointment.

"The Emprefs, on that day, made an exception, certainly the first for many years, to her ordinary mode of living; by remaining till midnight, that the might not difturb the fatisfaction of her hoft and his company. On her entering again the veftibule, a choir of human voices began a hymn, the fubject of which was Catharine's glory. The Emprefs, furprifed and affected, was turning to the Prince, when he, fuddenly overpowered with his feelings, fell on his knee, feized her hand, and moiftened it with his tears. A gloom