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576 COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
eminence to the town, which makes a magnificent appearance with the domes and fpires
of feveral churches rifing above the trees. Viafma fpreads over a large extent of
ground; the buildings are moftly of wood, a few houfes of brick excepted, lately
erected by the munificence of the Emprefs. Part of the principal ftreet is formed, like
the Ruffian roads, of trees laid crofs-ways, and part is boarded with planks like the
floor of aroom. It contains above twenty churches, a remarkable number for a
place byt thinly inhabited. ‘The churches in the {mall towns and villages are chiefly
ornamented with a cupela and feveral domes ; the outfide walls are either white-wafhed
or painted red, and the cupolas or domes are generally green, or of a different co-_
lour from the other parts. At fome diftance the number of fpires and domes rifing
above the trees, which conceal the contiguous hovels, would lead a traveller unacquaint-
ed with the country tc expecta large city, where he will only find a colleGion of
wooden huts.
At Viafma was concluded, in 1634, the treaty of perpetual peace between Ladif-
laus IV. King of Poland, and Michael Feodorovitch: by which treaty Michael con-
firmed the ceffion of Smolenfko, Severia, and Tchernichef, which had been yielded to
the Poles at the truce of Develina; while Ladiflaus renounced the title of Tzar, and
acknowledged Michael as the rightful fovereign of Ruffia*. On this occafion both
monarchs relinquifhed what they did not poilefs, and wifely facrificed imaginary pre-
tenfions to the attainment of a fubftantial peace.
The Ruffian pealants appear in general a large coarfe hardy race, and of great bo-
dily ftrength ; their drefs is a round hat or cap with a high crown, a coarfe robe of
drugget (or in winter of fheep-fkin, with the wool turned inwards,) reaching below
the knee, and bound round the waift by a fafh, trowfers of linen almoft as thick as
fackcloth, a woollen or flannel cloth wrapped round the leg inftead of ftockings, fan-
dals woven from ftrips of a pliant bark, and faftened by ftrings of the fame materials,
whick are afterwards twined round the leg, and ferve as garters to the woollen or
flannel wrappers. In warm weather the peafants frequently wear only a fhort coarfe
fhirt and trowfers. f
The cottages are built in the fame manner as thofe of Lithuania, but larger, and
fomewhat better provided with furniture and domeftic utenfils: they are of a fquare
fhape, formed of whole trees, piled upon one another, and fecured at the four corners
with mortifes and tenons. The interftices between thefe piles are filled with mofs.
Within the timbers are fmoothed with the axe, fo as to form the appearance of wain-
{cot ; but without are left with the bark in their rude ftate. The roofs are in the
penthoufe form, and generally compofed of the bark of trees or fhingles, which are
fometimes covered with mould or turf. The peafants ufually conftruc& the whole
houfe folely with the afliftance of the hatchet, and cut the planks of the floor with the
fame inftrument, in many parts being unacquainted with the ufe of the faw: they
finifh the fhell of the houfe and roof before they begin to cut the windows or doors.
The windows are apertures of a few inches fquare, clofed with fliding frames, and the
doors are fo low as not to admit a middle-fized man without ftooping. Thefe cottages
fometimes, though very rarely, confift of two ftories; in which cafe the lower apart-
nent is a ftore-room, and the upper the habitable part of the houfe: the ftair-cafe is
moft commonly a ladder on the outfide. Mott of thefe huts are, however, only one
{tory, and few of them contain two rooms, the generality only one. In’ fome of this
latter fort I was frequently awakened by the chickens picking the grains of corn in
* Lengnich, Hift, Pol. p. 167. h ,
the
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