K 4. Semlainogorod, which environs all the three other
-> quarters, takes its denomination from a circular rampart of
earth with which it is encompaffed. Thefe two laft mentioned
diviiions exhibit a grotefque group of churches, convents,
palaces, brick and wooden houfes, and mean hovels,
in no degree fuperior to peafants cottages.
5. The Sloboda, or Suburbs, from a vaft exterior circle
round all the parts already defcribed, and are invefted with
a low rampart and ditch. Thefe fuburbs contain, befide
buildings of all kinds and denominations, corn-fields, much
open pafture, and ibme fmall lakes, which give riie to the
Neglina.
The Molkva, from which the city takes its name, flows
through it in a winding channel; but, excepting in Spring,
is only navigable for rafts. It receives the Yaufa in the
Semlainogorod and the Neglina at the weftern extremity of
the Kremlin ; the heds of both thefe laft-mentioned rivulets
are, in fummer, little better than dry channels.
The morning after our arrival we ordered our Ruffian
fervant to hire a carriage for our uie during our flay at
¿Mofcow .: the equipage he procured was a chariot and four
horfes of different colours 5 the coachman and poftilion
were dreffed like the peafants, with high cylindrical hats;
the former, with a long beard and fineepdkin robe, fat upon
the box ; the latter, in a coarfe drugget garb, w;as mounted
upon the off horfe, according to the cuftom of this country.
Behind the carriage was on .enormoius ,£a,ck of hay : upon
expreffing fpme fui'prize at this appendage, yve wore informed,
that almpff ev,ery .carriage at fdofcaw is provided with 1
viaticum of this fort, which, while the mafter is paying his
vifits, or is at dinner, is Occafionally given to the horfes.
3 . ' - ‘ 11 Some
Some refreihments of this kind, indeed, feemed abfdlutely chap.
neeeflary, as our horfes never faw the liable from the time - >
of leaving it in the morning, until they returned to it in the
evening* or at midnight; and were kept during that interval,
like thofe of our hackney-coaches, in the ftreets. During
our continuance in this city we, not uncommonly, perceived
about dinner-time, in the Court-yards of thofe houfes where
we dined, many horfes without bridles, and unharneifed.
from the refpeftive carriages, hrowling upon their portable
provender ftrewed upon the ground; with them were intermixed
different parties of coachmen and poftilions, who at
the fame time gratified the calls of hunger upon a repaft
ready prepared, like that o f their cattle, and which too required
as little ceremony in ferving up. The frequency o f
thefe objeits loon rendered them familiar to u s ; and we
ceafed to look upon our trufe of hay as an excrefcence.
The firft vMIt we made of our new equipage was to convey
us to our banker, who lived at the furtheft extremity
of one of the fuburbs,, about the diftance o f four miles from
our inn. Our coachman drove us through the town with
great expedition, generally in a brilk trot, and frequently a
full gallop* without any diftindtion of paved or boarded:
ftreets. Having fettled our bufinefs with the banker, who
was our countryman, and who obligingly furniihed us with a
large collection of Engliih news-papers, we crofted the Yaufa.
over a raft-bridge to a palace, which Was conftruCted for the
accommodation of the prefent emprefs-, whenever fhe may
chufe to vifit Moicow : this palace was not, according to our
ordinary acceptation of the word, a fingle ftruCture, but, in
the true ftyle of Afiatic grandeur, a vaft affemblage of numerous
buildings diftributed into feveral ftreets, and bearing
the appearance of a moderate town- The bafe of all thefe
buildingQs'-