593 COXe’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA .

carriage, then fuddenly flopped and wheeled round to the right or left with greatrapidity.

In our 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 fortreffes ;we croffed the Mofkva twice, and entered a circular plain of luxuriant pafture, in themidft of which rifes an infulated hill, with the Count’s houfe on the top. This featcommands a beautiful view of a circular plain, watered by the Mofkva, and fkirted bygentle 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 collection was gleanedfrom 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 feldornfeen out of their native country.

The Count, after politely attending us to the ftud and about the grounds, regaled uswith a moft elegant entertainment, at which his vivacity lent charms to his fplendourand hofpitality. On our return to Mofcow, we made a circuit to a fmall village fixmiles from the capital, where a villa was erecting for the Emprefs, called Tzaricino,confifting, befides the principal building, of eight or ten detached ftruCtures in theGothic tafte, which were prettily difperfed among the plantations. The fituation isromantic, a rifing ground backed with wood, and a large piece of water embracing thefoot of the hill.

I cannot forbear to mention in this place an aCt of alrnoft 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 greatlyadmired, was fent to him, accompanied with the following note :

** My Lord,

<e I obferved that this horfe pleafed you, and therefore defire your acceptance ofhim. 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 mewhile I was in the Archipelago . I wifh he may be as ferviceable to you as he has beento me ; and I remain, with efteem, your obedient fervant,

“ Count Alexey Orlof Tchesminski.”

At the clofe of an entertainment, which the Count gave us at Mofcow, he intro-duced us to the fight of a Ruffian boxing-match, which is a favourite diversion amongthe common people. We repaired to the manege, where we found about three hun-dred peafants affembled-. They divided into two parties, each of which chofe a chief, whocalled out the combatants,and pitted them againft each other: only a fingle pairwas allow-ed to engage at thefame time. They did not ftrip, and had on thick leathern gloveswiththumb pieces, but with no reparations for the fingers. From the ftiffnefsof the leather theycould fcarcely double their fills, and many of them (truck open-handed. Their attitudeswere different from thofe ufed by boxers in England : they advanced the left foot andfide, ftretched the left arm towards the adverfary to repel his blows, and kept the rightarm fwinging at fome diftance from the other. They generally (truck in a circular di-rection at the face and head, never attacked the bread or fides, and feemed to have nonotion of aiming a blow directly forwards. When any combatant felled his antagonift

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