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COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. vit
the churches, repaired to the Hotel de Ville, where the magiftrates and 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, one hundred and feventy-four verfts, or one hundred and fixteen miles, from
Narva, bears evident marks of the dreadful devaftation which it fuffered in the wars
between the Swedes and Ruflians in the beginning of this century ; and particularly in
the ruins of the cathedral, which form a picturefque obje& on an adjacent hill. In
addition to thefe devaftations, the town fuffered a few years ago from a violent confla-
gration ; but is now rebuilding, and will rife more beautiful from its ruins, as the Em-
prefs has contributed with her ufual munificence. A wooden bridge over the Empac
was likewife burnt down, but has been fupplied by a magnificent {tone bridge, on which
i remarked this arrogant infcription :
} Sifte impetus hic flumen,
Catharina II. jubet ;
Cujus munificentia hc moles
In publicum commodum
Extruéta, Livoniaque primo
Lapideo ponte adornata.
1783.
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 moftly fandy.
Dorpt ftands in the moft fertile part of Livonia, called, from the abundance of grain,
the Granary of the North; and this fertile diftri& continued till we came within a few
miles of Riga, which is invefted, as Wraxall juftly obferves, ‘* on every fide with deep
barren fands. Its fituation in fo barren a fpot was chofen by commerce, the genius of
which ftill proteéts and enriches it ¢.”’
Riga, the capital of Livonia, contains within the fortifications nine thoufand inhabi-
tants, and in the fuburbs fifteen thoufand, exclufive of a garrifon of one thoufand fol-
diers §. It derives its confequence from its fituation on the Duna, a river which, being
navigable from the frontiers of the government of Polotfk, brings the produdtions of
the north eaftern parts of Poland, and the weftern provinces of Ruflia, and is fufficiently
deep to receive clofe to its walls, fhips of burthen, which fail to and from the Baltic.
Next to St. Peterfburgh it is the moft commercial town in the Ruffianempire. The
trade is chiefly carried on by foreign merchants, who are refident in the town, The
Englifh factory enjoy the greateft fhare of the commerce, and live in a hofpitable and
tplendid manner. ‘The principal exports are corn, hemp, flax, iron, timber, matfts,
ae tallow; the imports, falt, cloth, filks, wine, grocery, pot-afh, and falted
errings.
The maft trade is peculiarly beneficial to the town: the burghers of Riga fend per-
Sons, who are called maft-brokers, into the Ruffian provinces, to mark the trees, which
* L’Evefque, p. 201.
+ Here, O river, {top your impetuous courfe, Catharine the fecond commands; by whofe munificence
this mound was raifed, and Livonta adorned with this firft (tone bridge.
Wraxall’s Northern Tour, p 281.
According to Heym, in the town and fuburbs, fourteen thoufand two hundred and eighty males, and
thirteen thoufand five hundred and fixteen femalesy
are
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