that they make it rare, by very seldom applying the Cesarean operation to the innocent victims of their avarice, is a happy circumstance. By the story they invented to conceal their cruelty, human nature has the comfort of seeing that they are ashamed of it. Perhaps it is politic too; for certainly, in wearing the skins, it would be more pleasant to think that they were plucked from an herb, than from the panting side of a poor sacrificed animal.

Besides these rarities from Persia, the most valuable furs of a more redundant growth come from Siberia and the adjoining provinces. The black fox and sables are in the highest esteem; but all are extremely expensive, being used in every winter dress of the rich. There are other fine furs from the Kalmuc country. But for the bear, racoon, &c. which are brought in such quantities from America to England, you have them infinitely better in quality, and cheaper in price, than we can find those of their hairy brethern in Russia. It is a very mistaken idea that these defences from the cold are as reason-、 able in this country as they are necessary. A man may expend a very decent fortune upon the wardrobe of his wife and daughters, before he sees them properly be-furred for the winter.

This is rather a mal-apropos subject in the month of June! And for fear the doctrine of sympathies should be so strong with you as to throw your blood into a boil at the contemplation of such suffocating habiliments, I shall very wisely withdraw, before you consign me and my furs to a still hotter region! Adieu! Adieu!

LETTER XXV.

Mosco, June, 1806.

IT is now deep midsummer! Mosco, deserted by its most amiable inhabitants, has no charms for me. All are gone to their country seats, there to court the breezes until the season of frost and gaiety recals them to this social scene. What then have I to do in this place! You know I never was fond of the sentimental amusement of haunting places deserted by former joys. To me it is distracting; memory is too busy, regret too poignant, to allow your friend to sigh romantically over the walks of Mosco. I must off. For to me it is now a tomb; nay emptier than a tomb, for both the soul and body of what I best love, have left it. But, if Heaven grants me life, next winter hither shall I return; and then my indulgent correspondent, you shall have a few more records of the happy, thrice happy days, I pass in this ever dear city. When I entered it, little was I aware of the sentiments with which I quit it: sentiments, which give me a joy in all around; and an interest in every thing which belongs to the country that gave the object of them birth.

To-morrow I shall set out for St. Petersburgh, and in the course of a few days be so much the nearer you. That at least is some comfort in passing from the region which contains one dear friend, that I am approaching the confines of another. But only approaching! Many a sun and moon must roll over my head before I shake hands with you in England. Yet while writing thus, I almost feel myself close to you: and in our usual manner of recounting the events of the day to each other, shall draw in my chair, and tell you how admirably my sagacity has blessed me with a companion for to-morrow's travel, or travail! which you like; for, I am sure I shall have pains enough before I am delivered of my burthen.

Mr. B and I had settled to keep the road together; he in his carriage and I in mine. That he is not the object of my present lamentations you can easily believe. But my evil stars brought an addition to our party, who I am now going to in

troduce to you, merely by character; for I would sooner condemn myself to trudge with him from here to Jericho, than do such an injury to my friend as to present him in propria persona.

The Marquis de is the gentleman. And the lesson I have learnt from the method in which this personage authorized himself to become one of our party will, during my continental tour and for ever after, teach me to be careful of suddenly saying YES; and of believing that all noblemen, are noble; and that smooth manners do not often conceal a very rugged heart. In short, my noviceship was most egregiously taken in by the titled Italian; and I fear from what I have seen, and more that I have heard, that I shall have no trifling reasons to increase my repentance for my over hasty yea. My Marquis, heaven knows! may be honest; but I am too feelingly convinced that he is poor. And yet that is no crime, as I can bear witness, who am myself, perhaps not many whits more worthy in that respect; and assuredly much poorer in the knowledge of making my way through the world. However the old adage experientia &c. will profit me a little.

The mode in which I became encumbered with this gentleman was, I must do him the justice to say, as much owing to my own folly as to his wisdom. As soon as he delivered his silver tongued wish; had I taken a moment's thought, he might as easily have been civilly answered in the negative, as most stupidly greeted with an assent. But, as I said before, my evil star ruled: and having been hailed by an angel on my arrival at Mosco, it was decreed as a small service to the city, that I should take a devil out of it. This said demon, who was fated to become my familiar, I had met at dinner at the Prince V-'s. He there learnt that I was shortly going to St. Petersburgh, and had a vacant place in my carriage. Presuming on the popular notion that every Englishman who is seen in a foreign country, must be rich and a lord, he surprised me next morning with a visit; and with many polite speeches conferred on me that honourable title. I soon undeceived him with regard to my right to the coronet, but with the utmost of my eloquence, I could not persuade him that my purse was not as full as he

seemed determined to think it. He had travelled, appeared intelligent, spoke several languages, possessed an excellent address, and in so easy a manner requested the favour of being allowed to be my companion to St. Petersburgh, that I instantly consented. In the first place, I was pleased with his conversation, as far as it went; it was agreeable to me to do a civility to any gentleman; and as he was a nobleman, and talked carelessly of expenses, I could not doubt that he had sufficient to pay his own.

But I was very green, my friend! and have to thank him for bringing my experience to so rapid a ripening. A few visits from my Marquis, added to some inquiries I made, soon told me how precipitate I had been: however information came too late; to retract was impossible; I must take him. In vain, I now see that his fund of intelligence is of similar extent with that of the Sharper in the Vicar of Wakefield, whose cosmogony of the world talked Moses Primrose out of his father's horse. My Marquis has talked me out of horses, and carriage, and patience into the bargain; and to-morrow, I must set him and all his estates, viz. his uniform and decorations! by my side for a long tête-à-téte of five or six days! I confess the blockhead part I acted in the affair deserves the punishment: and so being resigned to suffer for my folly, I shall bid you good night; promising to finish my letter at the first halting place.

Voskresensky, June 19th. Thursday night.

Well! Our disasters with my amiable companion are begun: but how they will end, I cannot guess. Perhaps conduct us back to the same prison we so lately explored, in a different style from our last visit. Indeed, my poor friend B and I have no contemptible chance, by the vagaries of our third, of being marched retrogradely, to make a happy triumvirate with the captive Pole. But you shall know all in order.

Having arranged every thing this morning for our journey, and made an agreement with the Istvostchicks for horses to Voskresensky, we were preparing to enter our carriages, when postillions refused to touch the reins, saying the whole of

the

their fare had not been paid. Knowing to the contrary, we insisted on their mounting; they were obstinate: and turning to the marquis who could speak Russ, we requested him to express our remonstrances more plainly to the men than we had done. But applying at once to my ci-devant servant's argument, he started forward, and made such active use of a huge stick upon the backs of the poor devils, that he soon compelled them to seek refuge on their boxes.

Having brought them to their duty, we were just going to proceed, when a detention arose from his side. Though victor, he had not escaped quite clear; his shoulder knot and coat flap were nearly torn off in the scuffle, and hung dangling in a most pitiable plight. Undoubtedly his raiment was none of the newest; and in repairing the present fractures we perceived that they had not been the first: our Hector had been in civil wars before. Some way or other our servants got the gaping apertures stiched up; and at a little distance, I defy the best eyes to discover that his clothes look any thing the worse. He treated the accident with his usual nonchalance; "it was a trifle, an old coat!" True, for it was a uniform of the emperor Paul's; and consequently could not be very juvenile. However, all mishaps being remedied, we set forwards at about three o'clock.

We travelled very quietly for twenty-five versts, which brought us into the centre of a village, where the drivers stopped, we supposed merely to refresh the horses. But our heroes of the whip had been all this time chewing the cud of their flagellation; and seizing the moment for revenge, they began to take off the horses, declaring that they would not stir a step further. We stopped this manœuvre, holding the animals in the harness. This produced a violent altercation; ourselves, and the vociferous marquis, all talking at once; the drivers bawling their accusations, resolution, and even threats; our servants defending our cause with part of the villagers who, incensed by the representations of the drivers, poured on us the most abusive language; others, standing aghast, with their hatchets in their hands, as undecided how to act. In short, the disturbance was so great as to menace every thing tremen