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fee was declared viflor, and the conteft ceafed. During our ftay we witneffed abouttwenty fucceffive combats. Some of the men were of vaft ftrength ; but their mode offighting prevented mifchief: nor did we perceive any of thofe contufions and fra&uresin which boxing-matches in England frequently terminate. Both parties were highlyinterefted in favour of their refpedtive champions, and feemed at times inclined to en-ter the lifts in their fupport; but the firft appearance of difpute, or growing heat, waschecked by the Count, who afted as mediator : a kind word, or even a nod from him,infiantly compofed all differences. When he appeared defirous to put an end to thecombats, they humbly requefted his permiflion to honour them with his prefence alittle longer; upon his afl'ent they bowed their heads to the ground, and feemed aspleafeu as if they had received the higheft favour. The Count is greatly beloved byhis peafants, and their ftern countenances melted into the mod affectionate foftnefs athis approach.
We made an agreeable excurfion to Mikaulka, the villa of Count Peter Panin, aRuflian nobleman of the firft diftin&ion, who fignalized himfelfin the late war againftthe Turks, by the capture of Bender, and more recently by the defeat of the rebelPugatchef. The villa is fituated at the diftance of fix miles from Mofcow, in the midft:of a large foreft. The Count originally purpofed to raife a grand edifice of brick, aftera defign of his late wife ; but on her death abandoned this project, and contented him-felf with a comfortable wooden houfe at the extremity of his grounds, which he firft:erected only as a temporary habitation. His offices, (tables, coach-houfes, dog ken-nels, lodgings for huntfmen and other menial fervants, form two long rows of detachedwooden buildings, all with uniform fronts neatly painted. The grounds are agreeablylaid out in the ftyle of Englilh parks, with gentle hopes, fpacious lawns of the fineft ver-dure, fcattered plantations, and a large piece of water fringed with wood.
We could not avoid feeling extreme fatisfa&ion at obferving that the Englilh ftyle ofgardening had penetrated even into thefe diftant regions. The Englilh tafte, indeed,can difplay itfelf in this country to great advantage, where the parks are extenfive, andthe verdure, during the Ihort fummer, uncommonly beautiful. Moll: of the Ruffiannobles have gardeners of our nation, and refign themfelves implicitly to their direction.The Count, who is fond of country diverfions, had a pack of hounds chiefly of theEng-lilh breed, confiding of an indifcriminate mixture of harriers, flag and fox-hounds, fe*lefted without regard to fize or fpecies. With this fame pack he hunted wolves, deer,foxes, and hares. He pofieffed likewife a fine breed of Ruffian greyhounds, in higheftimation for their fwiftnefs; they are lhaggy and wire-haired, and fome are taller thanthe largeft breed of Newfoundland dogs.
The Count entertained us with a molt fumptuous dinner: we were particularly ftruckwith the quantity and quality of the fruit in the defert: pines, peaches, apricots, grapes,pears, cherries, which can rarely in this country be obtained without the affiftance ofhot-houfes, were ferved in the greateft profufion *. There was a delicious fpecies offmall melon, which was fent by land carriage from Aftracan to Mofcow, though at thediftance of a thoufand miles f. One inftance of elegance which diftinguilhed the defert,and had a pleafing effett,. mull not be omitted': at the upper and lower end of the
* Since my departure from Ruffia, horticulture has been confiderably improved. According to Ritcher,in his Sketch of Mofcow, pines are reared in great abundance in the hot-houfes about Mofcow, and maybe purchafed for a rouble a piece. I am alfo informed, by an ingenious Dutch gentleman, lately arrivedfrom Ruffia, that in the country houfe of Prince Gallitzin, he faw grapes nearly ripe in the open air.
f Thefe melons fometimes coft five pounds a piece, and at Other times they may be purchafed in themarkets of Mofcow for lefs than half a crown a piece.'
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