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590 COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
carriage, then fuddenly ftopped and wheeled round to the right or left with great
rapidity. ;
i ae route we paffed feveral large convents, furrounded, like many of the mo-
nafteries in this country, with walls of brick, bearing the appearance of fmall fortrefles ;
we crofled the Mofkva twice, and entered a circular plain of luxuriant pafture, in the
mid{t of which rifes an infulated hill, with the Count’s houfe on the top. ‘This feat
commands a beautiful view of a circular plain, watered by the Mofkva, and fkirted by
gentle hills, whofe fides prefent a rich variety of wood, corn, and pafture.
The greater part of the ftud was grazing in the plain; it confifted of fine ftallions,
and above fixty brood-mares, moft of which had foals. The colleétion was gleaned
from the moft diftant quarters of the globe; from Arabia, Turkey, Tartary, Perfia,
and England. ‘The Count obtained the Arabians during his expedition in the Archi-
pelago, fome as prefents from Ali-Bey, others by purchafe or conqueft from the ‘Turks:
amongft thefe he chiefly prized four horfes (two of which we had noticed in the ma-
nege at Mofcow), of the true Cochlean breed, fo much efteemed in Arabia, and feldom
feen out of their native country. .
The Count, after politely attending us to the ftud and about the grounds, regaled us
with a moft elegant entertainment, at which his vivacity lent charms to his {plendour
and hofpitality. On our return to Mofcow, we made a circuit to a fimall village fix
miles from the capital, where a villa was erecting for the Emprefs, called Tzaricino,
confifting, befides the principal building, of eight or ten detached ftruQures in the
Gothic tafte, which were prettily difperfed among the plantations. The fituation is
romantic, a rifing ground backed with wood, and a large piece of water embracing the
foot of the hill.
I cannot forbear to mention in this place an act of almoft Eaftern magnificence,’ -
which this vifit afterwards occafioned. One morning in the enfuing winter, at Peterf-
burgh, one of the fineft among the Arabian horfes, which Lord Herbert had greatly
admired, was fent to him, accompanied with the following note :
«¢ My Lorn,
« T obferved that this horfe pleafed you, and therefore defire your acceptance of
him. I received him as a prefent from Ali-Bey. He is a true Arabian of the Coch-
lean race, and in the late war was brought by the Ruffian fhips from Arabia to me
while I wasin the Archipelago. I wifh he may be as ferviceable to you as he has been
to me; and I remain, with efteem, your obedient fervant,
** Count ALExEY Ortor TcHESMINSKI.”
At the clofe of an entertainment, which the Count gave us at Mofcow, he intro-
duced us to the fight of a Ruflian boxing-match, which is a favourite diverfion among
the common people. We repaired to the manege, where we found about three hun-
dred peafants aflembled. They divided into two parties, each of which chofea chief, who
cailed out the combatants, and pitted them againi{t each other: only a fingle pair was allow-
ed to engage at thefame time. They did not ftrip, and had on thick leathern gloveswith
thumb pieces, but with no feparations for the fingers. From the {tiffnefsof the leather they
could fearcely double their fifts, and many of them {truck open-handed. Their attitudes
were different from thofe ufed by boxers in England: they advanced the left foot and
fide, ftretched the left arm towards the adverfary to repel his blows, and kept the right
arm {winging at fome diftance from the other. ‘They generally {truck in a circular di-
rection at the face and head, never attacked the breaft or fides, and feemed to have no
notion of aiming a blow directly forwards, When any combatant felled his antagonift
he
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