b o o k habitants of the, town and environs o f Archangel more in~
i— telligent than the other Ruffians, unlefs the following caufe
ihould be thought fufficient. Archangel, from the time o f
its fir ft difcovery by the Engliih in 15 54, was, during a con-
iiderable period, the great emjxirium o f Ruffia ; many o f
the inhabitants, therefore, being connected with foreign
merchants whorequired great exadtnefs in all their dealings,
were gradually trained to buiinefs. By a kind of local en-
thufiafm and traditional inftrudtion, they have continued to
diftinguiih themfelves among their ignorant and lefs honeft
countrymen, by applying themfelves to underftand the common
rudiments o f arithmetick, and by a diligent and regular
■.difcharge o f their trait.
IV. The fourth order of fubjedts comprehendsthe peafa nts.
T h e peafants o f Ruffia, excepting thofe o f Finland and
jCarelia, the Ukraine, and a few others *, are all ferfs or
flaves.
* I am n o t aBle to ascertain th e number
an d privilege s o f thofe péa fants w h o are
fre e . M on f. L e C le r c thus enumerates them.
1 . “ I l y a une c la fle de fujets n atu re l,
“ qui ne font ni nobles n i ferfs ; on les ap-
' “ p elle odnovàrtji. C e font des pay fans li-
“ bres , qui pofledent des terres.-en p rop re,
44 qui les cu ltiv en t eu x-même s ou les font
44 cu ltiv e r p a r les au tre s .”
B u fch in g favs o f thefe people : 44 T h e
44 odnovontjV* (wh ich ap pella tion fignifies' a
perfon who poffeifes-only one hoirie1) , “ arc
44 a kind o f intermediate fu b je d s ” ( fo r th e y
can ha rdly be called pea fan ts ), “ b etween
44 the nobles and fla ve s. T h e y are inde-
44 pendent o f the n o b ility , and have thém-
44 -felves no dependents ; but deverdl have,
44 by lit t le and lit t le , purchafed peafants,
•“ .not in their own name, b u t under thofe
“ -g f fome nobles. In the reign o f Anne
4‘ a grea t ¡number .o f thefe perfon s were
transplanted towards the boundaries o f
44th e U k ra in e , and Sakamiki, and fupplied
44 a-national militia for the defence o f the
44 lim its . Some dw e ll u pon th e banks o f
“ the O c c a in th e government o f M o fc ow j
44'b u t th e g rea teft p a r t are fe ttled in' the
44 governments o f Biel go m d and V o ro n e tz .”
B u f. E rd . Be f. V o l, I . P . I . p . 635.
2. L e C le r c adds, 44 II eft encore d ’au-
44 très p a y fâ n s qui n e . fou rniflent p o in t à
* 4 l’entretien de la L an d e M ilic e ou des
44 trou pes qui. gard ent des fron tiè res , e t qui
“ pa yent à la Cou ronne, p o u r redevances
44 annuelles e t p a r 'tê te , d e u x roubles fo ix - '
“ ante d ix copecs. Ils font au nombre de
“ 2 4 ,9 9 1 . Ou tre c e u x -c i, il y en a 532,
■“ 948, éga lement lib re s , qui pa yent une
“ redevance d ’ un rouble- fôixan te d ix
44 kop ecs , et qui fou rniiïent à l ’entretien
“ -des trou p es .” H ift . M od . de Ruffie, p .
223.
In an o th er place he fa y s , 44 Les paÿfans
44 e p i 'i ia b i te n t a u x environs L ’A rk an g e l,
“ ont des terres en p rop re, q u ’ils peuvent
44 h yp oth équ er, vendre e t lé g u e r .” p . 222.
T h e
P E A S A N T S .
Saves. They may be divided into, i . peafants o f the crown ; c h a p ;
.3. peafants belonging to individuals. <— y— i
1. The former inhabit the imperial demefnes, and probably
comprehend, including'thofe belonging to the church
lands which are now annexed to the crown, about the fixth
part o f the Ruffian peafants. They are immediately under
the jurifdidfion of the imperial officers or bailiffs. Although
liable to great exaétions by the tenure o f their fubjedlion
from thefe petty tyrants, yet they are much more fecure o f
their property ; and being under the protection o f the fo-
vereign, any flagrant inftances o f oppreffion are more eaiily
made known and redreflcd. Many o f thefe vaflals in particular
diftricts have been franchifed, and permitted to enrol
themfelves among the merchants and burghers ; the whole
body will gradually receive more and more privileges', as the
fpirit o f humanity and policy penetrates further into thefé
regions-; and as the emprefs can venture to realize the generous
fyftem o f diffufing a more equal freedom among the
fubjeits o f her vaft'empire;
1. Peafants belonging to individùals are the private property
o f the landholders, as much as implements o f agriculture,
or herds, o f cattle ; and the value o f an eftate is efti-
mated, as in Poland,, by the number of boors, and not by thè
number of. acres. No regulations have, perhaps, tended
more to rivet the ihackles. o f flavèry in this empire than the
two laws of PetertheGreat ; one which renders the landholder
accountable to the crown for the poll-tax of’ his vaflals ; and
the other which obliges him to furniih a certain number of
T h e yamilii&ks, o r perfons who fu rn ifli T o thefe may be added the peafants o f
po'ft-horfes, may be reckon ed am on g the the-provin ces conquered from Sweden, In-
freer kind o f p eafants, as th e y are e x em p ted ’ g r ia e x cep ted , and the co ila c peafants o f
from the p o ll- ta x , and from b ein g en lifled , th e Ukra ine and Sibe ria.
See V o l. I . o f this w o rk , p . 242, See.
recruits ;