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644 COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA:
Cuap. [X.—Journey from Mofcow to Novogored. — Production of the neighbouring
Country.—Quadrupeds.—Birds.— Fifh. — Defcription of the Sterlet.—Torfbok.—Vifb-
nei-Volofhok.—Valdai Hills and Lake.—Bronitza.—Wooden Road.—Further Account
of the Peafants.—Yam/hics, who furnifh Poft-horfes.— Songs of the Peafants.
WE quitted Mofcow on the 14th of September, traverfed a gently ring country,
partly open, and partly overfpread with forefts, pafled the might at the village of
Parfki, in a peafant’s cottage, as ufual, and changed horfes the next morning at Klin,
fituated upon the Seftra, a broad rivulet. This village had been lately burnt, and the
peafants were engaged in rebuilding their huts: near it we obferved a faw-pit, which,
in this country, was too rare an obje& not to attract our notice. Beyond Savidof we
croffed a rivulet, and foon after reached the banks of the Volga, which we coafted to
Gorodna. Thenext morning the fprings of our carriage being ready to ftart, and one
of the wheels in a crazy ftate, we left it to the care of our fervants, and hired the carts
of the country, called Aibitkas, which we filled with hay. After a confiderable degree
of jolting, we arrived at Tver, which is magnificently fituated upon the elevated banks
of the Volga.
Tver * owes its origin to Vlodimir Georgivitch, Great-duke of Vlodimer, who in
1182 raifed a fmall fortrefs at the junction of the Tvertza and Volga, to protect his
territories againft the incurfions of the inhabitants of Novogorod. Afterwards, in
1240, the Great-duke Yaroflaf II. built another citadel on the fpot now occupied by
the prefent fortrefs, and laid the foundation of a new town, which increafing in popula-
tion and wealth, became the metropolis of an independent fovereignty, called from the
town the duchy of Tver. Yaroflaf III., fon of Yaroflaf IJ., and brother of Alexander
Nevifki, received this duchy as his inheritance, and tran{mitted the fucceflion to a long
train of defcendants. The laft fovereign of this line was Michael Borifovitch, whofe
fifter Maria efpoufed the Great-duke Ivan Vaflilievitch I. Notwithftanding this alli-
ance, an open rupture enfued, and in 1486, Ivan befieged Tver with a large army,
and compelled Michael to abandon the town, and retire into Lithuania. On his re-
treat, Ivan Vaflilievitch beftowed the town and duchy as a fief on his eldeft fon Ivan,
and on his death in 1490, annexed them to his other dominions.
‘Iver is divided into the old and new town ; the former, fituated on the oppofite fide
of the Volga, confifts almoft entirely of wooden cottages; the latter was {carcely fuperior;
butin 1763,being deftroyed bya dreadful conflagration, has rifen with luftre from itsafhes.
The Emprefs ordered a regular plan of a new town to be fketched by an eminent ar-
chiteét, and enjoined that all the houfes fhould be re-conftructed in conformity to this
model. She raifed, at her own expence, the Governor’s houfe, the Bifhop’s palace,
courts of juftice, the newexchange, prifon, and other public edifices; and offered to every
perfon, who would build a brick houfe, a loan of 3ool. for twelve years without in-
tereft. The money advanced on this occafion amounted to 6o0,oool. ; and one-third
of this fum has been fince remitted. ‘The ftreets, which are broad and long, iffue in
a ftraight line from an octagon, in the centre: the houfes are of brick ftuccoed white,
and form a magnificent appearance. Part only of the new town was finifhed: when
completed, it will confift of two oftagons, with feveral ftreets leading to them, and
* Sce Hift. Geog. Befchreibung der Stadt Twer, &c. Journ Pet, for November 1780.
6 inter-
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