COXe’s TRAVELS in' RUSSIA.

6 75

ranged on each fide according to their refpedfive ranks. The Emprels helped the foup,and during tiie whole repalt, which lafted an hour, paid great attention to her gueils.

On a fubfequentoccafionweattended an entertainment given to the Knightsof the orderof St. Andrew . The Emprefs wore a robeof green velvet, lined and faced with.ehnine, anda diamond collar of the order. The drefs of the knights is fplendid, but gaudy and inele-gant: they are habited in a green velvet robe, lined with filver brocade, a coat of filver bro-cade, waiftcoat and breechesof gold fluff, red ]dk dockings, a hat ala Ilcnry IV. ornamentedwith a plume of feathers, and interfperfed with diamonds. This order * being the mofthonourable in Ruflia, is confined to a few perfons of the firft rank and confequence ;and only twelve fat down at the imperial tables: Prince Potemkin, Prince Orlof , Mar-fhal Galitzin, Counts Alexey Orlof, Panin, Razomoflki, Tchernichef, Voronzof, Alex-ander and Leon Narifidn^ Manic, and Betfkoi. Before dinner, the Emprefs prefentedeach knight with a glafs of wine; at table {he was diftinguifhed by a chair ornamentedwith the arms of Ruflia, and prefided with her ufual dignity and condefcenfion. The

* The order of St. Andrew ', or the Blue Ribband, the firft ever known in this country, was inftitutedby Peter I. in the year 1698, loon tffter his return from his fir ft -expedition into foreign countries. Weber’sVer. Ruff, part iii. p. 38. 161. _ '

That of St. Alexander Nev/ki, or the Red Ribband, was founded by the fame Sovereign, but never con-ferred until the reign of Catharine I. in 17 2 5*

The order of St. 'Anne of Holftein, was inftituted in 1735, by Charles Frederick Dyke of Holftein, inmemory of his wife Anne, daughter of Peter the Great , and introduced into Ruflia by her fon Peter Ilf.It is in the difpofal of the Great Duke as Sovereign of Holftein. The knights wear a red ribband borderedwith yellow.

The military order of St. George, called alio the order of Merit, and which has the precedence over thatof St. Anne, was created by the prefent Emprefs in 1769. It is appropriated to perfons ferving by land orby fea, and excepting the fmall crofs of the fourth clafs, never bellowed in time of peace. The knights weara ribband with black 3nd orange ftripes. .

This order is divided 'into four claffes. The knights of the fivft clafs, called the Great Crofs, .wear theribband over the right fhoulder, and the fiar upon the left fide. Each receives an annual falary of 700 rou-bles == 140I. The knights of the fecond clafs wear the liar upon their left breaft, the ribband with thecrofs pendent round their neck. Each receives 400 roubles == Sol. per aim. The knights of the third clafswear the fmall crofs pendent round their neck. Each receives 200 roubles, or 40 h per ana. This clafsadmits fifty. The knights of the.fourth clafs wear the fmall crofs fattened by a ribband to their button-hole like the French Croix de St. Louis. Each receives 100 roubles, or 2d .per aim. The fund of thisorder, afligned by the Emprefs for the payment of their falaries and other expences, is 40,000 roubles= 8,ocol per aim. Of this 1,680 is deilmed for the firft clafs, and 2,000 for each of the remaining three.The number of knights is unlimited. In 1778 the clafs, which is confined to commanders in chief,contained only four ; namely, Marfhal Romanzof, far his victories over the Turks ; Count Alexey Orlof,for burning the Turkifh fleet at Tchefme ; Count Panin, for the taking of Bender ; and Prince Dolgo-rucki, for his conquefts in the Crimea . The fecond clafs comprized only eight knights; the third forty-eight ; and the fourth two hundred and thirty feven. No perfon can obtain this order without havingperformed fome gallant exploit, or having fervet} with credit in the rank of officer twenty-five years by land,or eighteeirby fea. See Ukafe ueber die Stiftung de St. Georg’s-Ordens, in Schmidts Beytrage.

The order of St. Catharine, appropriated to the ladies was inftituted in 17x4 by Peter , in honour of hiswife Catharine. The motto of “ Love and fidelity” was intended to commemorate the difplay of thofevirtues in her behaviour on the banks of the Pruth . ^ This order is extremely honourable, as befides theEmprefs, the Great Duchefs, and a few foreign princeffes, only five Ruffian ladies were decoratedWith it. • ■

The firft and moft dillinguiflied of thefe feveral orders is the order of St. Andrew , which, befide thefovereign princes ar.d foreigners, comprized, in 1778’) twenty -fix Ruffians; that of St. Alexander Nevfki,one hundred and nine ; and that of. St. Anne two hundred and eight. The Emprefs may alio be faid tohave the difpofal of the Polifh orders of the White Eagle and of St. Staniflaus.

Catharine founded, on the 4th of Ofiober, 1782, a new order, called St. Vlodimir, in favour of thofe whoferve in civil employments; and it is nearly on the fame footing as that of St. George with refpefi to thefalaries annexed to the different claffcS. There are to be ten great erodes, twenty of the fecond clafs, thirtyof the third, and fixty'of the fourth, befide a fifth for th»fe who have ferved thirty-five years, which givesthem a right to wear it.

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