New Russia : journey from Riga to the Crimea by way of Kiev

Preface

. The Volume which I now present to the Public, owes, in some measure, its existence to the favourable reception accorded to my former attempt. By the plan of that work, I scrupulously confined myself to such notices as my experience enabled me to furnish respecting the Tatars of the Crimea alone, suppressing the information which I had likewise collected on the Manners and Customs ofthe other Inhabitants of New Russia. These details, though perhaps not inferior in interest to those which I published, I was induced altogether to withhold, lest I should interfere with the intentions of a friend, who, I had reason to be lieve, had directed his thoughts to the same subject. That difficulty however has now not only been completely removed, but the kindness of the friend alluded to, has supplied me with much very im portant additional information, +hus stamping a value on the present production, which it would otherwise have been far from possessing. a2

PREFACE.

. I may now, therefore, venture to hope,, without meriting the charge of presumption, that the following pages, which I have spared no pains to render accurate and impartial, will prove an acceptable present to the Public, particularly as whatever relates to Russia, and more especially to the Southern Provinces of that Empire, bears at this moment, from the circumstances of the time, a more than ordinary interest. I have had an opportunity of obtaining a cor rected statement of the population of particular towns, from the last census, which l have subjoined : but of the correctness of the former in the aggregate, I am induced to feel increased certainty, from the opinion of a more competent judge than myself on that subject. I have also revised and enlarged my " Notes on the Manners and Customs of the Crim Tatars," in order, by adding them to the present volume, to form a more complete whole.

It is highly gratifying to my feelings to state, that the indulgence which has been extended to that little work, has not been confined to my own country, since it has recently been honoured by the condescending approbation of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Alexander.

PREFACE.

. V In committing myself once more to that liberality which I have experienced on a former occasion, I feel that I have derived from it additional confi dence in the execution of my task, and an increased desire to be found worthy of it. MARY HOLDERNESS. CRITICAL NOTICES, OF THE " NOTES RELATIVE TO THE CRIM TATARS." "Mrs. Holderness, the author of this unassuming volume, resided at the village of Karagoss, iu the Crimea, from 1816 to 1820, aud had consequently sufficient time and opportunity lo observe the characters and customs of her neighhours. What appeared remarkable to her, she noted down ; and the result is here presented, in the most modest form, to the public. She has made us familiar with many particulars with which we were previously unacquainted ; and to the praise of being an unpretending, has earned that of being a meritorious candidate for favourable reception." — Literary Gazette, July 14, 1821.

"This little work, with its modest title, contains much interesting information respecting a people of whom we have hitherto known little. The sketches, though in the form of notes, are not altogether unconnected ; and although the author claims no other merit than their fidelity, yet we may assign them, not a higher praise certainly, but an additional one — that they are written in a very pleasing and familiar manner." — Literary Chronicle, July 28, 1821. " The people, whose manners and customs form the subject of this modest little volume, are so imperfectly known, and what is known of them, is so well calculated to create a de sire for further information, that we took up Mrs. Holder derness's work with considerable curiosity, and laid it down with no little regret, at finding it so short and compendious.

The authoress appears to be a very intelligent person, and the means which she possessed of making herself acquainted with the subject, are such as seldom fall to the lot of travel lers, either male or female. She resided four years iu the Crimea, in what capacity does not appear, but obviously in Vill a situation which must have given her access to the best information: under these circumstances, that she should have produced so small and cheap a book as this before us, is both mortifying and surprising. However, we are thankful for the boon, scanty as it is, and are willing to confess, that the quantity of facts which she has collected, are in a much greater proportion than the size or number of her pages would have warranted us in expecting." — British Critic, August, 1821. " Some interesting information will be found iu Notes relak ing to the Manners and Customs of the Crim Tatars, by Mary Holderness, which are written with simplicity and spirit.

The author resided in the Crimea four years, and has collected in this little work the result of her observations, from which a competent idea may be formed of the habits of the people, and the state of the country. The volume forms altogether a pleasing and instructive publication." — Monthly Magazine, October 1, 1821. From a much longer critique, it may be sufficient to extract the following : " This volume was first intended, we are told, for the amusement of a friend in England, and is now given to the public nearly in the form in which it was originally composed. The author frankly acknowledges her deficiencies and disqua lifications, but is nevertheless of opinion, that, as a resident and a female, she possessed advantages for acquirirt" information superior to those of a passing traveller — a sort of modest assumption, or assuming modesty, which at once craves mercy and provokes criticism.

For our own part, however we are disposed to wave any right to the exercise of the latter, and that not merely from gallantry, but be cause the lady seems to confine herself almost entirely to subjects of which she may be considered a competent wit ness, and because, notwithstauding such an implied con sciousness of superiority, she really every where discloses what she knows, in the most unpretending and unaffected manner."— New Edinburgh Review, January, 1822. ERRATA. Page 105, for Chap. I. read Chap. X. — 117, /or Chap. II. read Chap. XI. — 130, for Chap. III. read Chap. XII. 140, for Chap. IV. read Chap. JOURNEY FROM RIGA TO THE CRIMEA. CHAP. I. Arrival at Bolder dd, the Port of Riga — Account of Riga : its Exports and Imports, Annual Fair, and Floating Bridge. AFTER a three weeks' passage from England, we landed at Bolderaa, the Port of Riga, from which it is nine miles distant ; the bar across the river at this place, rendering it impracticable for large vessels to proceed beyond.

Getting our luggage ashore, and settling with the custom-house officers, detained us two days here. The inn is kept by a German family of the name of Kleiburg, who speak English well ; the A RUSSIAN KITCHEN. accommodation of the house is good, and it is respectably conducted. We dined at the ordi nary, at which the master and mistress of the house preside. Contrary to our English custom, the dishes are sent up singly, or in pairs, one at top, and one at bottom, and the table is filled up in the length with ornamented flower-baskets, baskets of fruit, and pickles, &c. The neatness of an English kitchen was very strongly contrasted here, and gave me no pre possessing expectation of the cleanliness of the people of this country. It resembled much more a blacksmith's shop than a kitchen in England, and I could almost have imagined myself sud denly transported to the dominions of Pluto, so black and disagreeable looked all around me.

The kitchen range was a raised hearth of brick or stone about the height of a common table, and extending the whole width of the lower part of the building, with a fire of wood blazing from one end to the other upon it : over this are placed different sized iron pots, whicb, with a large knife and spoon, were the only utensils that seemed to be necessary here. I am not sure TOWN OF RIGA. that there was a table, the stove itself serving that purpose, as I have since very often seen. From hence to Riga we went by water, and arrived there late in the evening. This town is well known, from its importance in the commercial world : it is said to have had at one time 40,000 inhabitants, though now its population does not exceed 30,000 : from hence its size may be in some measure estimated. It presented to me much of novelty, though little that is not too well known to need description here.

We walked around its ramparts, which 1 am told is a permission never granted to strangers ; however, we passed unmolested, and enjoyed the first clear frost of a Russian winter. The shops of Riga are very poor and insignificant in their appearance, few of them being so good as the best shops in our country towns. The trade, however, is considerable. Among the articles of exportation, the princi pal are, 1st, Hemp, which is chiefly brought down from Russia and Poland by means of the navigation of the Dvina. As soon as it arrives, b EXPORTS FROM RIGA. which is commonly about the middle of May, it is sorted according to its quality, by persons sworn to that office, and is then exported at dif ferent prices, and under various denominations. Polish hemp is of a softer and more tender nature than Russian hemp, and in general, that which is distinguished by a bright green colour is preferred.

There is likewise some hemp grown in Livonia, which, though inferior to the best of the other kinds, is valuable to the merchants, because, being brought by land carriage during the winter, it is ready for exportation before the arrival of the chief supplies, which are detained by the freezing of the Dvina. Ind, Flax which is grown in the government of Riga, and is brought to the town in sledges during the winter. 3rd, Corn from Russia and Poland, Lithua nia, Courland, and Livonia. The exportation is chiefly confined to wheat and rye, as the barley and oats are of an indifferent quality, and are only used for home consumption. The wheat is sent to Holland, France, and Spain ; the rye to Sweden and Holland. EXPORTS FROM RIGA. 4th, Hemp-seed from Russia and Poland, is exported to Holland for the supply of the oil mills. 5th, Linseed for sowing, from Lithuania, Courland, and Livonia.

This is sent in the autumn to the Hanse Towns, Holland, and Flanders. A small quantity is sometimes ex ported to England, and more to Ireland. As it is unfit for its purpose if stale, the sellers are called upon to make oath, that what they pro duce is the fresh seed of the year. All that is not exported before the winter, is sent to Hol land to be crushed for oil. 6th, Fir timber, including masts and spars, deals and planks. The masts are brought from forests in Polish and Russian Ukraine, on the banks of the rivers Briganskie, Desna, and Soeltz, which are branches of the Dnieper. By means of this river, and the canal which unites it with the Dvina, they are conveyed the whole distance by water-carriage, and generally arrive at Riga in the month of May, after having been no less than eighteen months on their route.

The Riga timber is considered superior to that MART OF RIGA. exported from Memel, and bears a much higher price. Besides these articles, there is a small ex portation of iron, soap, and tallow, which how ever being cheaper at St. Petersburgh, are sent in far greater quantities from thence. The trade in pot-ash, which was formerly considerable, is now in a declining state. The bringing together the produce of such an extent of country at the mart of Riga is well worthy of attention, and though I did not witness it, I had the opportunity of learning many particulars about it. The produce of Poland, from Kiev northward, around the shores of the Dvina, are sent to this place. After the opera tion of threshing the different grain is performed, and the frost set in, so that the ice on the rivers will bear, the peasantry are then engaged in constructing the raft which is to float these cargoes to their destined port.

These vessels are formed with much ingenuity and little ex pence, being put together without the use of a nail, and merely pegged with wooden pegs, and stuffed with tow to make them impervious to the INTERNAL NAVIGATION. water. They carry from 200 to 500 tons burthen, and are from 200 to 400 feet in length, formed of large trees split into rough boards. The rudder is a single fir tree, at which twelve or twenty men preside, according to the strength required. The most valuable part of the cargo, which is wheat, hemp-seed, &c. is stowed in the centre of the vessel, a space being left around the sides for the package of those goods which a little wet will not materially injure, such as hemp, cordage, &c. This being completed, the vessel is ready to take advantage of the earliest part of the navigable season.

As soon as the ice is broken up and clear, the vessel floats with the strong current which succeeds to the removal ofthe ice, and thirty or forty ofthe peasants, sometimes with their wives and families, take their passage upon it. The owner or his steward meet the cargo at Riga, where it is either sold to the merchants, or warehoused, according: to circumstances. The vessel then is knocked to pieces, and sold for firing, or frequently for paling for the merchant's yard, and often fetches no more than from 100 to 200 rubles. FLOATING OF TIMBER. The manner in which timber is floated down, equally deserves notice. A number of squared trees, perhaps 50, 60, or upwards, are lashed together alongside each other by strong cordage, upon the ice : on this foundation other timber is laid, and then immense quantities of fire-wood, which is cut by the peasantry during the winter months, when other business is suspended ; this wood is piled up to the height of 12 or 14 feet, and upon this the peasants who are des tined to conduct it, often with their families are seen passing up the river.

These arriving at Riga nearly about the same time, the middle of May, form a scene highly curious and interesting to the observer, who, if he be a stranger, has his attention doubly excited by the novel mode of transporting these goods, and by seeing at one view, so large a share of the produce of Poland, as the navigation of the Dvina brings to this market. Of the imports into Riga, or any of the ports of the Russian empire, it is difficult to give any satisfactory account, as they are constantly varying with the varying policy ofthe government. FLOATING BRIDGE AT RIGA. Colonial produce, and manufactured goods, are the articles most in request, and are imported in greater or less quantities, as the trade is per mitted or forbidden. In this year (1815) the importation of the latter was strictly prohibited ; but as they were generally, not to say univer sally, in use, the contraband trade must have been enormous, and was said to be carried on with the collusion of the custom-house.

Salt and herrings are imported in great quantities, and sold to the Polish peasantry. The floating bridge at Riga is one ofthe ob jects that most attracts the notice ofthe stranger; it is 2600 feet in length, and 40 feet in breadth : it is laid down as soon as the river is clear from ice, and taken up when the frost sets in. The procuring carriages, and making other necessary preparations, detained us at Riga ten days, and we then left it, in the most disadvan tageous state ofthe roads, to prosecute a journey of more than 1300 English miles. CHAP. ir. Departure from Riga — Mode of Travelling, and Travelling Equipages — Accotint of the Regulation of Post-Horses — Kreitzburg — Russian Stoves — Russian Costume — Distillation of Brandy — Beer — Kvass. We set out from Riga in the evening of Saturday, November 18, N.S. 1815, our equi pages consisting of a Polish britchka, and three kibitkas; our party in number were eleven, in cluding two English, and a Russian servant.

If our thoughts had not been occupied by a crowd of more serious ideas at the outset of this our long and adventurous journey, the sight of these novel carriages, and our own appearance, huddled up in different sorts of fur shubes, so heavy and so cumbrous that we could scarcely walk beneath their weight, would all have afforded subject for laughter and burlesque ; though it was only the preparation for the out set, and the packing into the carriages, that ex- TRAVELLING CARRIAGES. cited risibility; for the moment they began to move over the rough-paved streets of Riga, the jolting was so intolerable, that it threatened to dislocate our joints ; and the first half hour of our drive made me look forward with dread, and almost despair, to its termination. A britchkais in form just like a small English waggon, and upon wheels about the height and size of the little cole-seed waggons : it is made with a calash (or head) like our barouches, which can be thrown back occasionally, and an apron of leather fastening up to within a foot of the top of the hood ; within side two curtains of leather draw, and shut one up completely from the cold ; to make which more secure, a mat is then put over the head of the carriage, and tied on, so as to admit of its being fastened down over the apron at night, and thrown back in the day.

I always objected to this, which seemed to threaten suffocation, and never submitted to it, but when the extreme cold made it indispen sible. At the bottom of the carriage is packed as much luggage as it will conveniently hold, and over that is laid a bed, or mattrass, with PASSPORTS. pillows, blankets, &c. The ascending and settling into this machine, is really of itself a great undertaking ; but I must acknowledge, that a better acquaintance with its merits than the first hour afforded me, has made me certain, that in none of our English carriages could I have passed so long a journey with so little fatigue. A kibitka is very similar in form, but not so large within, or so good looking without, as the carriage I have just described : they are both without springs. Before we left Riga, our passports given by the Russain ambassador in England, were ex changed for what is in Russian called a podo roshna, in which billet is expressed the name of the person to whom it is given ; the place from whence he starts ; that to which he is going ; and the number of horses for which he has paid a share of the progone, or post-money : on giving this pacsport, we paid for 1898 versts, (a verst being three-quarters of an English mile) at two kopeeks per verst, for each horse, in all 456 rubles ; the ruble was then in value about lO£d, but unlike our English money, it varies REGULATIONS FOR POST-HORSES. 13 according to the credit of paper money, which is now extremely low.

The letting of post-horses, is a place of con siderable emolument under government. The passport being sent to the post station, they are then obliged to furnish horses, as soon as they have the number required at home, and ready : should there not be at home so many as are needed, ( which a Russian can easily ascertain from the books, or a stranser from a visit to the stables), the travellers must then unavoidably wait till one hour after the return of the horses, that time being given to rest and feed them : in the books kept at all these stations, are registered the passport of the traveller, and the date of his arrival there ; they are always open for inspec tion, and a complaint of any kind entered in those books, must unavoidably be sent with them to Petersburgh, where they are sent at stated times to be inspected.

The occupiers of these stations (in Russian, stantsie) are generally officers of about the rank of lieutenant, and sometimes higher, in the Russian service : they are stationed at from twelve, to twenty, or some- INCONVENIENCES IN TRAVELLINGtimes thirty versts asunder; and under their in spection and care, a certain number of horses are kept by government, proportioned to the com mon demand for them on that part ofthe road. The large number of horses we required together, was one of the principal causes of detention to us on the road : we were always obliged to have more than twelve, as the roads were extremely bad when we left Riga, and our carriages all very heavily laden. For the first two days the novelty of the journey had nothing to recompense us for its inconveniences, and the jolting, which though less violent than at first, could not be inconsiderable over bad roads in a carriage without springs.

There are few English ladies who would chuse to undertake a journey around England in a covered waggon ; and yet that would be far preferable, since the distance is much less, and the accommodation every where such as to make amends for the fatigues ofthe road. From Riga we travelled three stages without delay, except to change horses : we then stopped to breakfast ; this (though we made as quick a WANT OF ACCOMMODATION. meal as possible), unavoidably took up much time, because so much was necessarily spent in packing and unpacking. Our canteens, tea-kettle, and provisions which we 1 ad purchased at Riga, were regularly unpacked twice a-day. No accommodation of this kind can be had at the houses on the road ; at the post stations they find you quarters, that is to say, allow you to be in their room (which during the latter part of our journey, we shared, in the style of an Irish cabin, with pigs, calves, and poultry), but no other accommodation is to be expected from them ; we have I believe always found a table of some kind, but not always seats, and chairs scarcely ever.

After breakfasting, and repacking our stores, we started, and continued travelling until even ing, when we again stopped, to dine and drink tea, of which we made one meal. Here we wished much to have staid all night, but the want of accommodation (for we could not at first put up with that which afterwards became familiar to us), obliged us to proceed. At the next stage we were not more fortunate ; and my ARRIVAL AT KREITZBURG. feelings of fatigue were much increased, by the apparent impossibility of finding a place to rest at. We journeyed on till we reached Kreitzburg, a Polish town, where I was most thankful to get into a house that afforded me a neat and com fortable room to myself. To this enjoyment, however, there was one drawback ; the op pressive heat from the stove, to which I had not been used ; for at Riga, though our rooms were heated in the same manner, they were so large that they were never extremely hot.

The temperature of this latter room had been raised to West Indian heat, and such effectual pains taken to exclude every particle of fresh air, that it was very long before I could be sufficiently freed from the fear of suffocation, to attempt to sleep ; and as my room opened into the one where the gentlemen slept, I was not willing to disturb them by any complaint, and my egress from that room (had I passed through), must have been into an out-house or stable, where yemtcheks, (drivers), horses, and other live stock were lodged for the night. In the essential comfort of a warm house these WARMING A HOUSE. people very far exceed us, and are able to bid defiance to a degree of cold, from which in Eng land many poor creatures would perish. The best constructed stoves are built with bricks cast in a mould in the form of an ear; these fit together, and are held by wires which pass in counter directions through them.

Thus the chimney is formed, which passing to a certain height, has a top or cover of iron, made to fit close, and shut up its funnel. A small door in the exterior of the stove is lest for the removing and replacing this. Every room that is in habited is regularly heated once, and in very cold weather, twice a-day ; one stove will heat two, and sometimes three rooms ; and it is in conceivable with how small a quantity of firing the houses in this country are kept warm through out. A man with his arms full of wood, comes and lights the fire ; this is permitted to burn until it is all become perfectly clear embers ; the chimney is then closed, and the heat by that means thrown into the room. This being repeated in an evening, they have the comfort of a regular heat, which an English house never knows. c HARE-HUNTING.

The shutting down of the chimney too soon, while any flame remains, is attended with the most dangerous consequence, producing lethargy and death. In order to exclude perfectly the open air, they have double windows, and the internal one has every crevice in its frame filled up with tow, over which is pasted a strong paper ; the space at the bottom between the two windows is filled up with fine sand, so that it is not possible any air should enter. At Kreitzburg there is a country-house be longing to General Korfe, Baron Stendal. The gentlemen understanding there was much game, sent to ask permission to take a few hours' diversion, which was granted, and the General sent a servant with dogs, to attend them. They hunt the hares here with greyhounds, taking out from ten or twelve to twenty dogs, which are all let loose at once, so that poor puss has of course small chance of escape.

Indeed there was cause to suppose they had by this means extirpated the breed, or else the game-keeper did not think it requisite to show where the game was ; for the gentlemen soon returned, BAD ROADS. seeing no chance of finding what they sought. At a few stations farther on, they told us there had been no hares seen for two years ; but pre vious to that time they were in great profusion. We staid at Kreitzburg until Wednesday morning, not having been able to procure horses the preceding day: there was nothing to be seen in this place worthy a remark, except the house which I have already mentioned : our delay however served to refresh us, and we started better prepared to continue our journey. From Kreitzburg, we proceeded with little interruption (though very slowly, on account of bad roads), to the next station ; the following stage was still more tedious ; having very bad horses, one of the carriages was continually stuck fast, and all obliged to assist in getting it out of the mud again.

The horses here are extremely small, about the size of our ponies, and the largest not bigger than those we call galloways, excepting some few of a superior description kept by private gentlemen, in the large towns. They have universally long manes and tails, which are kept on to protect them from the flies, c COSTUME OF A RUSSIAN PEASANT. which in the hot summer of these climates, are more particularly troublesome. The har ness, as it belongs to the owners of the horses, and not to the carriage, is never very splendid. The traces are usually of rope ; and a single rein of the same material serves the driver to guide the horses ; which are driven four a-breast, and by a short rein fastened to each other. To heavy carriages five or six horses are required, and the two additional ones, having a postilion upon one of them, are affixed by extremely long traces, and go before : the drivers are called yemtcheks.

The costume of the Russian peasant is very different to the English, and consequently very striking to English eyes. Whatever it may want in appearance it is substantially good, and well adapted to the severity of the climate. The man's dress consists of a shirt of very coarse linen, made with only a binding, or very narrow collar, round the top ; large full breeches of the same material ; a large pair of boots, or some times very coarse stockings, with shoes of the bark of the linden-tree ; a sheep skin with the EXCESSIVE USE OF SPIRITS. wool inside, in the form of a loose coat, andover this, when the weather is very cold, another coat of extremely coarse woollen cloth, often made with a hood : a cap of coarse cloth with a broad fur of some common kind, or more frequently sheep, or lamb skin, of about a hand's breadth in depth, around it.