COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. ' 71 I
the churches, repaired to the Hotel de Ville, where the magiftrates and citizens hadtaken refuge, and throwing his fword upon the table, exclaimed; “ It is not ftainedwith the blood of the natives, but with that of my own foldiers, whom I killed in orderto fave your lives
Dor,pt, one hundred and feventy-four verfts, or one hundred and fixteen miles, fromNarva , bears evident marks of the dreadful devaftation which it fuffered in the warsbetween the Swedes and Ruffians in the beginning of this century ; and particularly inthe ruins of the cathedral, which form a piCturefque objeft on an adjacent hill. Inaddition to thefe devartations, the town fuffered a few years ago from a violent confla-gration ; but is now rebuilding, and will rife more beautiful from its ruins, as the Em-prefs has contributed with her ufual munificence. A wooden bridge over the Empacwas likewife burnt down, but has been fupplied by a magnificent ftone bridge, on whichI remarked this arrogant infcription :
f Sifte impetus hie flumen,
Cujus munificentia hcec molesIn publicum commodumExtruCta, Livoniaque primoLapideo ponte adornata.
1783.
In purfuing our route from Narva to Dorpt, we coafted the lake Peipus , a large butnninterefting piece of water, the banks flat, and the environs moftly fandy.
Dorpt Hands in the moll fertile part of Livonia , called, from the abundance of grain,the Granary of the North ; and this fertile diftridl continued till we came within a fewmiles of Riga , which is inverted, as Wraxall juftly obferves, “ on every fide with deepbarren fands. Its flotation in fo barren a fpot was chofen by commerce, the genius ofwhich ftill prote&s and enriches it J.”.
Riga, the capital of Livonia , contains within the fortifications nine thoufand inhabi-tants, and in the fuburbs fifteen thoufand, exclufive of a garrifon of one thoufand fol-diers §. It derives its confequence from itsfituation on the Duna. a river which, beingnavigable from the frontiers of the government of Polotfk, brings the productions ofthe north eaftern parts of Poland , and the weftern provinces of Ruffia, and is fufficientlydeep to receive clofe to its walls, fnips of burthen, which fail to and from the Baltic.
Next to St. Peterfburgh it is the moft commercial town in the Ruffian empire. Thetrade is chiefly carried on by foreign merchants, who are refident in the town. TheEnglifh faftory enjoy the greateft ftiare of the commerce, and live in a hofpitable andfplendid manner. The principal exports are corn, hemp, flax, iron, timber, marts,leather, tallow; the imports, fait, cloth, filks, wine, grocery, pot-affi, and fakedherrings.
The mart trade is peculiarly beneficial to the town: the burghers of Riga fend per-fons, who are called mart-brokers, into the Ruffian provinces, to mark the trees, which.
* L’Evefque, p. 201.
f Here, O river, flop your impetuous courfe, Catharine the fecond command's} by whole munificencethiB mound was railed, and Livonia adorned with this firft ftone bridge.
f Wraxall’s Northern Tour, p. 281.
§ According to Heym, in the town and fuburbs, fourteen thoufand two hundred and eighty malts, andthirteen thoufand five hundred and fixteen females.
are