b o o k increafe, his afleflment increafes; if they diminiih, his coni
j > tribution proportionably diminiihes. With refpect to the
general interefts o f the nation, it muft be coniidered as a
mailer- piece of judgement and found policy. It excites in-
duftry by holding up to the people a principle o f honour, as
well as intereft, to be derived from the augmentation o f their
capital; and it affords an additional fecurity from arbitrary
impoiitions, by pledging the good faith o f government in the
protection o f their property. It is likewife productive o f
another very eflential publick benefit, by creating, as it were,
a third eftate *, which, as it increafes in wealth, in credit,
and in importance, muft by degrees acquire additional privi-
- leges, and gradually rife into confequence and independence.
The burghers form the fecond divifion o f this order;
the term burghers is applied to all inhabitants o f free towns,
without any reference to their peculiar trade, who declare
that they poflefs a capital lefs than £ 1 oo ; or who, having
that fum, do not chufe to aiTutiie the more honourable name
o f merchants. They poflefs many privileges fuperior to the
peafants ; but are diftinguiihed from the merchants by being
ftill fubject to the poll-tax, and to enrolment in the army
or navy.
Under this third order muft be included all the other
free fubjedts o f the empire; namely, thofe flaves who have
received their liberty from their matters, thofe who have ob-
* M en tefqu ieu o b fe rve s , th a t th ere is no w ere fom e filb je it s neithe r nobles nor flaves,
th ird ejiatc in R u flia , a r i l th a t th e natives y e t as their number was e x trem e ly lim ited ,
are e ith e r nobles o r flaves ; an aflertion and as, w h en M on te fqu ieu w ro te , they did
w h ich is contradift'ed b y M on f. L e C le r e , not enjoy thofe privileges w h ich th e y now
w h o Ihows that there is u n d ou b ted ly , and poflefs, th e y could not be faid to con ftitu te
always has b een, in R uffia, a ce rta in defer ip- a fh ir d e jla le a c co rd in g to th e fenfe o f that
tio n o f perfons neithe r nobles nor flaves. term in o th e r European countries*
H i ft. M od. p . 223. B u t Monte fqu ieu has T h e definition o f this intermediate o rd e r
ce r ta in ly exprefled h im fe lf c o r r e it ly upon o f men by the emprefs , fo late as 1 76 7 , fu f-
' an extenfive view o f the fu b je ft , as L e C le r c fieien tly proves th a t it h a d not une form e
is r igh t in the d e ta il. F o r th o u gh th e r e Jbable.
tained
tained their difrhiffion from the army and navy, the members CHAP-
o f the academy o f arts, and o f other fimilar in ftitu tio n s ,v l_ .
orphans from the foundling-hofpital, and,laftly, the children
of all thefe freemen. All thefe perfons have permiffion to
fettle and Carry on trade or commerce in any part o f the
empire, may enrol themfelves among the burghers o f any
free town ; and, i f they have a fufflcient capital, are admitted
into the order o f merchants. By all thefe wife regulations
the number o f perfons above flaves will gradually increafe;
and muft in time form a very coniklerable order o f men, as
fioon as they fhall acquire the right o f pofleffing land.
It is a circumftance not unworthy o f remark, that the
Ruffian merchants and tradefmen feldom keep any book o f
accounts, as few o f them can either read or write, and are
unacquainted with the knowledge of figures. Their manner
o f reckoning is by a kind o f machine witn feveral rows o f
wires, upon which beads are ftrung. - The beads upon the
firft row ftand for units, thofe upon the fecond for tens, upon
the third for hundreds, on the fourth for thoufands, and
in a fimilar progreffion. By means o f this machine they
fubtrait, multiply, and divide with great exa<5tnefs. An exception,
among a few others, to this general obfervation
fhould be mentioned : the moft honeft and intelligent perfons
o f this order are the inhabitants o f Archangel and its
environs: they are moftly able to write, read, and caft accounts;
and many o f them are much employed at Peterf-
burgh by the members o f the Britiih factory to fuperintenci
their warehouies; and they have the general character o f
faithful and induftrious fervants.
It may, perhaps, be difficult to account for the peculiar
circumttances which may have concurred to render the inhabitants