coke’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

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The learned editor has prefixed a critical difquifition, in which he afferts that thehymn is undoubtedly of great antiquity, and written, if not by Homer himfelf, yet cer-tainly by a very diligent imitator of his ftyle and phrafeology. Though the ftyle andplan of this hymn appears to me (as well as to the celebrated editor) inferior to Homer,and in fome places unworthy of him ; yet this argument, depending on the tafte andfeelings of the reader, will not operate on all with equal force ; nor will even they whoallow its inferiority to the other productions of the divine poet, be inclined to grant theconclufion, that it is not his work ; becaufe Homer might in one particular compofitionfall below his ufual ftandard of excellence. A ftronger proof againlt its originality maybe drawn from the words, phrafes, and inflexions occurring in this poem, which areeither of a later date than the age of Homer, or not found in his unfufpeCted works.Some of thefe are enumerated by the editor *.

Chap. VI. —Retail Trade in the Khitaigorod.—Market for the Sale of Houfes. — Excel-lence of the Police in Cafes of Riot or Fire.—Chefs common in Ruff a.—Account of theFoundling Hofpital.—Excurfton to the Monajlery of the Floly Trinity.—Delays of thePoft.—Defcription of the Monajlery.—Tomb and Hi/lory of Maria Titular Queen ofLivonia.—Tomb and Character of Boris Godunof.

MOSCOW is the centre of the inland commerce of Ruffia, and connects the tradebetween Europe and Siberia .

The navigation to this city is formed folely by the Molkva, which falling into theOcca near Colomna, communicates by means of that river with the Volga t- But asthe Molkva is only navigable in the fpring, on the melting of the fnow, the principalmerchandize is conveyed on fledges in winter.

Almoft the whole retail commerce of the city is carried on in the Khitaigorod, where,according to a cuftom common in Ruffia, as well as in molt kingdoms of the Eaft, thefliops and warehoufes are collected in one fpot. The place is like a kind of fair, con-fifting of many rows of low brick buildings; the interval between them refemblingalleys. Thefe fliops or booths occupy a confiderable fpace, and do not, as with us,make part of the houfes inhabited by the tradefmen, but are ufually detached from theirdwellings, which are mofily at fome diftance in another quarter of the town. Thetradefman comes to his fliop in the morning, and returns to his family in the afternoon.Every trade has its feparate department ; and they who fell the fame goods have booths, adjoining to each other. Furs and Ikins form the moft confiderable article of com-merce in Mofcow, and the fliops vending thofe commodities occupy feveral ftreets J.

Amono- the curiofities of Mofcow, I muft not omit the market for the fale of houfes.It is held in a large open fpace, in one of the fuburbs, and exhibits ready-made houfes ,ftrewed on the ground. The purchafer who wants a dwelling, repairs to this fpot, men-tions the number of rooms he requires, examines the different timbers, which are regu-larly numbered, and bargains for that which fuits his purpofe. The houfeis fome times paid

* The claffical reader, who is defirous of further information relative to the genuinenefs of this antieptpoem, is referied to the laft edition cf the hymn by llunkenius, and to the preface of Mr. Hole'* Tranf-

f For the communication of the Volga with the Baltic, fee the chapter on the Inland Navigation of

Rllfliel

According to Storfch, the number of drops and warehoufes in Mofcow amount to fix thoufand, ofwhich the Khitaigorod contains four thoufand and feventy five.

VOL. VI. 4 K for