B O K claimed, “ I expedted that the Swedes would beat my troops ; but
i_— ,— j in time they will teach us to conquer them.” Nor was this prediction
long before it was verified. In lefs than five years from
the defeat at Narva, he revenged the diihonour of his arms on
that unfortunate day, by taking that town by aflault; and gave
the following Angular proof of his humanity.
The Ruffian foldiers were beginning to pillage, and to commit
all the diforders ufual when a town is taken by itorm,
Peter traverfed the ftreets on horfeback,, with his drawn fword in
his hand, retrained his troops from pillage,, killed two who refilled
to defift, placed guards at the doors of the principal
houfes and before the churches, and repaired to the Hotel de
Ville, where the magiftrates and principal citizens had taken refuge,
and throwing his fword upon the table, exclaimed, “ It is
not ftained with the blood of the natives, but with that of my
own foldiers, whom I killed in order to fave your lives
Dorpt, 174 verfts, or 116 miles, from Narva, Hill bears evident
marks of the dreadful devaftation which it fullered in the wars
between the Swedes and Ruffians in the beginning of this century
; and particularly in the ruins of its cathedral, which form
a piCturefque objeit on an adjacent hill. In addition to thefo de-
vaftations, the town liiffered a few years ago from a violent conflagration
; but it is now rebuilding, and will rife more beautiful
from its ruins, as the emprefs has contributed with her ufual
munificence. A wooden bridge over the Empack was likewife
* L ’Eve fque, p. 201,
burnt
burnt down, but has been fupplied by a magnificent itone bridge,
on which I remarked, and noted down, the following arrogant
infcription:
* Sifte impetus hie flumen,
Catharina II. jubet;
Cujus munificentia hsec moles
In publicum commodum
Extrufta, Livoniaque primo
Lapideo ponte adomata.
«7 83-
In purfuing our route from Narva to Dorpt, we coafted the
lake Peipus, a large but uninterefting piece of water, the banks
flat, and the environs moilly fandy.
Dorpt Hands in the midft of the moft fertile part of Livonia,
which has been called, from the abundance of grain it produces,
the Granary of the Northj and this fertile diftrift continued till
we came within a few miles of Riga, which is inverted, as Mr.
Wraxall juftly obferves, “ on every fide with deep barren lands.
Its fituation in fo barren a fpot was chofen by commerce, the
genius of which ftill protedts and enriches it -j-.”
Riga, the capital of Livonia, contains within the fortifications
9,000 inhabitants, and in the fuburbs 15,000, exclufive of a
garrifon of 1,000 foldiers. It derives its confequence from its
* Here, O river, ftop your impetuous railed, and Livonia adorned with this hr it
courfe, Catharine the Second commands; itone bridge.
by whofe munificence this mound was f Wraxall’s Northern Tour, p. 281.
M m 2 fituation