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COXE’s TRAVEI..S IK RUSSIA.

for on the fpot, and removed by the purchafer; or the vender contrafts to tranfport anderect it upon the place where it is designed to ftand. It may feem incredible, that adwelling may be thus bought, removed, railed, and inhabited, within the fpace of aweek; but it will appear eafily practicable by confidering that thefe rendy-mads houfesare in general merely collections of trunks of trees, tenanted and mortaifed at eachextremity, fo that nothing more is required than the labour of tranfporting and adjuft-ing them.

But this furmnary mode of building is not always peculiar to the meaner hovels; aswooden Itructures of large dimenfions and handfome appearance are occafionally formedin Ruffia, with an expedition ahnoft inconceivable to the inhabitants of other countries.A remarkable inftance of this difpatch was difplayed during the laft vifitof the Emprefsto Mofcow. Her Majelty propofed to refide in the manfion of Prince Galitzin, whichis elfeemed the complete!/ edifice in this city ; but as it was not fufficiently fpacious forher reception, a temporary addition of wood, larger than the original houfe, and con-taining a magnificent fuit of apartments, was finiffied within the fpace of fix weeks.This meteor-like fabric was fo handfome and commodious, that the materials wereafterwards taken down and re-conftru&ed upon an eminence near the city, as an im-perial villa.

In Mofcow I obfervCd an admirable police for preventing riots, or flopping the con-courfe of people in cafe of fires, which are very frequent in thofe parts where the houfesare rnoftly of wood, and the ftreets laid with timber. At the entrance of each ftreet isa chevaux de-frize gate, one end turning upon a pivot, and the other rolling upon awheel; near it is a centry-box, in which a man is occafionally ftationed. In times ofriot or fire the centinel fhuts the gate, and all pafiage is immediately ftopped.

Chefs is fo common in Ruffia, that during our continuance at Mofcow, I fcarcelyentered into any company where parties were not engaged in that diverfion ; and, inpaffing the ftreets, I frequently obferved the tradesmen and common people playing be-fore the doors of their /hops or houfes. The Ruffians are efteemed great proficients inchefs. With them the Queen has, in addition to the other moves, that of the Knight,which, according to Phillidor, fpoils the game, but which renders it more complicated,and of courfe more interefting. The Ruffians play alfo at chefs with four perfons atthe fame time, two againft two; for which purpofe the board is longer than ufual, con-tains more men, find is provided with a greater number of fquares. I was informed,that this mode is difficult but more agreeable, than the common manner.

Among the public inftitutions, the mod remarkable is the Foundling Hofpital, en-dowed by the Emprefs in 1764, anclfopported by voluntary contributions, legacies, andother charitable gifts *. To encourage donations, Her Majefty grants to all benefac-tors feme valuable privileges, and a certain degree of rank in proportion to the extentof their liberality. The hofpital,. fituated in an airy part of the town on a gentle afeentnear the river Molkva, is a large quadrangular building, part of which only was finiffied :'it contained three thoufand foundlings, and when the whole is completed, will receiveeight thoufand.

The children are received at the porter’s lodge, and admitted without recommend-ation. The rooms are lofty and large; the dormitories, which are feparate from thework rooms, are airy, and the beds not crowded : each foundling, even each infant, has-a feparate bed; the bedfteads are of iron; the ffieets are changed once, and the linen

*■ Befidfs-thefe occafional fupplies, the inftitution is fupported by a lottery, tax upon public entertain-ments, and cards, which are ftamped by the Foundlings’ Hofpital. Richer Skizze von Molka.

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