658 coxe’s travels In Russia .
By the affilfance of our landlord we obtained the price of provifioils in thefe parts *:
s.
d.
t.
Butcher’s meat per Ruffian pound f,
-
0
to 0
Black bread per ditto,
-
-
0
oi
White common ditto,
-
0
1
.
-
0
2
Butter ditto,
-
0
4
Ten eggs from -
-
-
0
li
to 0
Pair of fowls from
-
-
1
3
to X
Fatted goofe, - - -
-
-
I
0
Couple of wild ducks,
-
-
0
6
Tame ditto,
n •
-
I
3
Brace of Partridges,
-
-
0
10
Black game, cock and hen,
-
-
I
6
Hare, ...
-
-
0
71
Quart of milk,
-
-
0
ȣ-
Bell fpirituous liquors per quart,
-
I
5!
Word fort,
-
-
0
8!
Pair of peafant’s leather ffioc
s,
-
I
3
Boots, - - -
-
-
-
4
IO
Round hat,
•
.
-
1
3
Peafant’s fhirt, no collar or wriftband, and
very
fhort,
I
3
Our coach being much Shattered by the bad roads, we left it at Novogorod, and con-tinued our journey in kibitkas , the common carriages of the country. A klbitka is afmall cart,, capable of containing two perfons abreaft, while the driver fits upon the fur-ther extremity clofe to the horfe's tails. It is about five feet in length, and the hinderhalf is covered with a femi-circular tilt, open in front like the top of a cradle, made oflaths interwoven and covered with birch or beech bark. There is not a piece of ironin the whole machine. It has no fprings, and is faftened by means of wooden pins,ropes, and (ticks, to the body of the carriage. The Ruffians, when they travel in thefekibitkas, place a feather-bed in the bottom, admirably calculated to break the intoler-able jolts and concufiions, occafioned by the uneven timber roads. With this precau-tion, a kibitka, though inferior in fplendour, equals in comfort the mod commodiousvehicle. The traveller ftretches himfelf at length upon the feather-bed, and if inclined,may dofe away the journey in perfect tranquillity. But being novices in the method ofequipping this fpecies of conveyance, we fuffered a layer of trunks and other hard bag-gage to be fubftituted in the place of feather-beds: thefe fubftances, fo much morebulky, and fo much lefs yielding than down, obliged us either to fit under the tilt in aHoping pofture, or upon the narrow edge of the carriage ; in the alternate enjoymentof which dele&able pofitions we pafled twelve hours without intermiffion, and with no-refrefhment. Thofe who have ever regaled themfelves amidft a pile of loofe trunksand boxes in the baffiet of a heavy-laden ftage coach, over the roughed pavement,would efteem that mode of conveyance luxury to what we experienced. Our impa-tience, however, to reach Peferfburg beguiled in fome meafure the bruifes we receivedfrom our kibitkas and their contents, and induced us to perfevere in our route till afterten at night $ when, being depofited in a fmall village^ I had fcarcely ftrength remain-
A Ruffian pound—14I Engtiffi ounce*.
f »77 8 -
in g