T h is towrv contains two hundred houfes and about
twelve hundred inhabitants. . It has two principal ftreets
of- about eight yards broad, croffing. each- other in the
middle at right angles, with two by-ftreets running from
North to South. They are not payed, but are laid with
gravel, and kept remarkably clean.
iioufts. The houfes are fpacious, uniformly built of wood, of
only one ftory, not more than fourteen feet high, plaif-
tered and white-walhed ; they are conftrudted round a
courtyard of about feventy feet fquare, which is ftrewed
with gravel, and has an appearance of neatnefs. Each
houfe confifts of a fitting room, fome warchoufcs
and a kitchen. In the houfes of the wealthier fort
the roof is made of plank ; but in meaner habitations
of lath covered over with’ turf. Towards the
ftreets mod of the houfes have arcades of wood projecting
forwards from -the roof like a penthoufe, and
fupported by ftrong pillars. The windows are large
after the European manner, but on account of the dear-
nefs of glafs and Ruffian talk are generally of paper,
excepting a few panes of glafs in the fitting room.
The fitting room looks feldom towards the ftreets .
it is a kind of Ihop, where the feveral patterns of
merchandize are placed in receffes, fitted up with ffielves,
and
R U S S I A A N D CHI N A.
and fecured with paper doors for the purpofe of keeping
Out the dull. The windows are generally ornamented
with little paintings, and the walls are hung with
Chinefe paper. Half the floor is of hard beaten
clay; the other half is covered with boards, and rifes-
about two feet in height. Here the family fit
in the day-time and fleep at night. By the fide of this
railed part, and nearly upon the fame level, there is a
fquare brick ftove, with a ftreight perpendicular cylindrical
excavation, which is heated with fmall pieces of
wood. From the bottom of this ftoye a tube defcends,
and is carried zigzag under the boarded floor above-
mentioned, and from thence to a chimney which opens
into the llreet. By this contrivance, although the ftove
is always open and the flame vifible, yet the room is
never troubled in the leaft degree with fmoke. There is
fearcely any furniture in the room, excepting one large
dining, table in the lower part, and two fmall lackered
ones upon the railed floor: one of thefe tables
is always provided with a chaffing dilh, which ferves
to light their pipes when the ftove is not heated.
217
In this room there are feveral fmall niches covered
with filken curtains, before which are placed lamps
that are lighted upon feftivals; thefe niches contain
painted paper idols, a ftone or metal veflel, wherein
the allies of incenfe are colle&ed, feveral fmall orna-
F f ments
fc. I '