diiperfed people cannot be the work o f a moment, and can
/only be effedled by a gradual and almoft infenfible progrefs.
If we defcend from thefe vague and general reflections to
a more diitindt confide ration o f the different claffes o f fub-
jeits in the Ruffian empire, we fhall -be more eafily enabled
to form fome probable judgement concerning the prefent
ftate o f its civilization.
The inhabitants in general may be divided into four orders
; I. that o f the -nobles and gentry ; II. that o f the
clergy; III . that o f merchants, burghers, and other freemen ;
IV. that o f the peafants. The three firft include almoft all
the free fubjects o f the empire, and the latter all the vaffals
or ilaves.
■I. The firft order comprehends the nobles and gentry, the
foie * perfons who, in the true fpirit o f feudal defpotifm,
Rave a right to poffefs land ; but inftead -of appearing according
to the tenure o f that fyftem, themfelves at the head
-of their retainers, are now only expeffed to ferve in the
arany, and are obliged to furniffi recruits in proportion to
the extent o f their poffeffions.
-In Ruffia, as in the Oriental governments, there is fcarcely
any diftinftion of ranks among the nobility, excepting what
is derived from the fervice o f the fovereign. Even the eldeft
fons o f thofe perfons, who have been raifed to the moft con-
iiderable honours and the higheft employments, excepting
the advantages which they undoubtedly retain o f facilitating
their promotion by a ready accefs to court, do not derive any
folid benefits from their birth like thofe which the peers o f
* C a th a r in e , in confirming th e immtini- R u ffia , f t r if lly fpealting, for in the U kra in e
ties o f tlie nobles, de creed, “ Q u e le droit and in the provinces conquered from Swe-
“ d ’a ch e te r ou de vendre des terres fe - den, In g ria e x cepted, and in a few o th er
** roit -pr-opre ou p a rttcu lie r au x fenls h o - p la c e s , the 'lower orders are proprie tors o f
“ b le s .” L e C le r c , p . 473. ' T h a t is in lands,
England,
England, the grandees o f Spain, or the dukes, who are peers CEErAP-
o f France, enjoy from their hereditary defcent. The impor- *— .— '
tance o f a noble family o f immenfe property and official honours
is almoft annihilated'upon the death o f the ch ie f;
becaufe his property is equally divided among his fons ; and
becaufe titles, though allowed to be hereditary, do not, independent
o f the fovereign’s favour *, contribute much to
aggrandize the pofleffors ; that o f a prince, a count, or a
baron, conveying in themfelves little perfonaf diftinclion,
vtnlefs accompanied with a civil or military employment.
Before the sera.of Peter the Great, the only title in Ruffia,
excepting that o f boyar which lignified privy-counfellor and
was not hereditary, and other iimilar appellations annexed
to civil employments, was that of knaes, which was efteemed
fynonymous to prince. Perfons who affumed this title were
defcended, or pretended to be fo, either from the different
collateral branches o f the reigning family ; or from fome L ithuanian
princes who eftabliihed themfelves in Ruffia in the
1 4th and 1 5 th centuries ; or from the numerous Tartar nobles
who bécame fubjedls o f the Ruffian empire under Ivan Vaffi-
* 44 A prefent-e a Ru ffie, indépendamment 44 a ajou té q u a tre au tre s , u E lle a ordonne
“ des avantages qu e p ro cu ren t p a rto u t la 4< a u x colonels des. rég imen s, dans une in -
44 for tun e ou la fa c ilité de s>ap p ro ch er de 44 itrué tion particulière.,, d e p ré fé re r , dans
44 la cou r , un n ob le n’ eft diftingué d ’ un au~ 44 tous les c a s , les nobles a c e u x q u i ne le
<l t re qu e p a r l’emp loi q u ’ il o c cu p e , e t qui 4-4 fon t p a s , dans la promo tion des grades
44 lu i marqu e ion ran g . L e s t it r e s , P an c i- 44 milita ire s. 2 . E lle a ftatuè que les enfans
44 enn eté de 'la noblelfe, P iilu îtra tion de fes 44 des nob les, ainiï que c e u x des officiers de
* 4 peres, n’emp êch en t p a s c e lu i- à q u i fon,' 44 l’ e tat-major, feroient re çu s p r é fé r a b le -
“ emp loi ne donne que le ran g de lieu ten an t 44 men t à tous au tre s de fes fu je ts , dans les
44 d’ ê tre , même hors du fervice m ilita ire , 44 établiiTemens d ’éducation nation a le . 3 .
inférieur à un capitain e t iré de la plus 44 Q u e le dro it d ’ach eter o u de vend re des
'44 nouvelle nob lefle, ou m êm e de la claiTe 44 terres ..feroient p ro p re e t p a r t icu lie r a u x
44 des affranchis.” L ’Evefque , v . I V . p . 479. 44 feuls nob les. 4 . Q u e les nobles de fon
W i th refpeél to the ad vantages poflefled ** emp ire jou ira ien t du p r iv ilèg e e x c lu f if
"b y the ch ildren o f th é n o b ility , M on iteu r Le* 44 d ’étab lir des fabriqu es p o u r la diftillation
‘■Clerc i-nforms u s, 44 C a th a r in e I I . en c o n - 1 “ de l’eau-de-vie des g rain s, e t de la vend re
' 4‘ Armant les droits e t p rivilèg e s que P ie r re 44 à :1a C o u ro n n e .’ ’ P . 472 .
“ I I I . a ac cord ées à la noblefle R u fle , y en
• Vol, II. o lievitch