b o o k , matches in England fo frequently terminate.- Both parties
— v— > were highly interefted in favour of their refpeftive champions;
and feemed at times inclined to enter the lifts in their fupport;
hut the firft appearance o f difpute, or growing heat, was humanely
checked by the count, who a died as mediator: a
kind word, or even a nod from him, inftantly compofed all
differences. When he appeared defirous to put an end to
the combats, they humbly requefted his permiflion to honour
them with his prefence a little longer ; upon his aflent,
they bowed their heads to the ground, and feemed as pleafed
as if they had received the higheft favour. The count is
greatly beloved by his peafants, and their item countenances
would melt into the moft affectionate foftnefs at his approach.
We made one day an agreeable excurfion to Mikaulka,
the villa o f count Peter Panin, a Ruffian nobleman of the
firft diftindtion, who fignalized himfelf in the late war
againft the Turks, by the taking of Bender; and more recently
by the defeat and capture of the rebel Pugatchef.
This villa is fituated at the diftance of fix miles fromMofcow,
in the midft of a large foreft. The count originally purpofed
to have raifed a very grand ftrudture of brick, after a defign
of his late wife ; but upon her death he abandoned this pro-
jedt, and contented himfelf with a comfortable wooden
houfe at the extremity of his grounds, which he at firft
eredted only as a temporary habitation. His offices, ftables,
coach-houfes, dog-kennels, lodgings for his huntfmen and
other menial fervants, form two long rows of feparate wooden
buildings, all with uniform fronts and neatly painted. The
grounds are prettily laid out in the ftyle of our parks with
gentle flopes, fpacious lawns of the fineft verdure, fcattered
plantations,
plantations, and a large piece of water fringed with wood. CI^Ap.
We could not avoid feeling extreme fatisfadtion at obferving, >■. J - j
that the Englilh ftyle of gardening had penetrated even into
thefe diftant regions. The Englifh tafte, indeed, can
certainly difplay itfelf in this country to great advantage,
where the parks arp extenfive, and the verdure, during
their fhort fummer, uncommonly beautiful. Moft of the
Ruffian nobles have gardeners of our nation, and refign
themfelvcs implicitly to their diredtion. The count, who is
fond of country diverftons, had a pack of hounds chiefly of
the Englilh breed, confiding of an indifcriminate mixture
of harriers, flag.and fox-hounds feledted without any regard
to their fizes or forts. With this fame pack he hunted
wolves, deer, foxes, and hares. He pofleffed likewife a fine
breed of Ruffian greyhounds, in high eftimation for their
fwiftnefs : they are ihaggy and wire-haired, and fome of
them are taller than the largeft Newfoundland dog I ever
faw.
The count entertained us with a moft fumptuous dinner :
We were particularly ftruck with the quantity and quality
of the fruit which made its appearance in the defert; pines,
peaches, apricots, grapes, pears, cherries, none of which can
in this country be obtained without the affiftance of hot-
houfes, were ferved in the greateft profufion. There was a.
delicious fpecies of fmall melon, which had been fent by
land-carriage from Aftrachan to Mofcow, though at the diftance
of a thoufand miles f . One inftance of elegance which
diftinguifhed the defert, and which had the prettied effeit
imaginable, mull not be omitted : at the upper and lower
end of the table were placed tw0.china vafes containing cherry
Thefe melons fometkries coft five pounds apiece, and at other times they may be
purchaled *n markets o f Mofcow for lefs than h alf a crown apiece,
trees