I was much indebted to the Prince G for his politeness in explaining many objects of my military curiosity. Indeed the kindness that I have received from the most illustrious, residents of this hospitable capital, is beyond my thanks: but they used me after their own honour and dignity; and so generous a consciousness must speak my sense of obligation. To the governor-general I am particularly indebted for a thousand marks of friendship: and one token of his esteem I shall ever preserve as an expressive emblem of his warm and cherishing heart. I mean a valuable pelisse, with which his excellency presented me the other day. That it was his gift, makes it estimable to me: but independent of that value with which my respect for his worth would have stampt a shoub of the commonest bear, had it come from him; this pelisse is of the rarest and most costly materials, being lined with the skins of unborn lambs. It is difficult to obtain them at any price, as they are cut from the side of their heaving mother, just at the moment preceding that which would have given them birth. There is something terribly shocking to humanity in this relation; and it makes one shudder to think that nature does not groan under man's wants only, but under his luxuries too.

The wool of these little victims is beautifully soft, and in small silky curls of a silvery grey. The skins are brought from Persia, Bucharia, and the Kalmuc territory. The vegetable lamb, which is said to grow between the Volga and the Don, has had the reputation of furnishing these furs (if so tender a material may be so called?) however, the imposition was not long believed; their less blameless origin is now too well known. From description, the plant called the vegetable-lamb (if any such there be!) has a coat resembling the wool in question, and used to be prepared by the natives where it grew, into warm clothing for themselves. But even this account is now discredited; as of all the travellers into those countries, none remember having ever seen this strange plant, or of knowing any one who had.

The Tartars, who vend the skin of the real lamb, still persist in declaring it to be a produce of the earth; but so rare, that they exact the most exhorbitant prices for a pelisse. And

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 reasonable 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 po- . pular 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 téte-à-tête 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 the postillions refused to touch the reins, saying the whole of