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Souls.

Which, at a medium of five Perfons] 6,540,000

to a House, make

I have seen another, by which the Empire was divided into eighty-four Parts, for raifing the Czar's Fleet in 1697:

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Thefe Calculations comprehend all the Mufcovites and their feveral Colonies, from Chioff to China and the Ice Sea.

As the Ground lies in moft Parts untilled, and the Improvement of every Gentleman's Revenue is the Number of his Peasants, or Subjects; it has been the old Maxim of the Muscovite Officers in all their fuccefsful Wars to carry off as many of the People as they could, and plant them on their own Estates

Several

Several Towns on the Wolga, are the Fruits of their former Expeditions in Poland and Lithuania; and they have at prefent drained above one third of the Inhabitants from Ingria and Livonia, and fettled whole Villages of them in the Southern Parts towards Veronitz, who, finding their new Slavery easier than their old, the Earth more fruitful, and the Climate more gentle, would, I believe, never return back, though left at Liberty; an irreparable Lofs to the King of Sweden, if ever thofe Provinces should return to their former Mafter. -Ingria has in fome Measures been re-peopled by Colonies of Muscovites: Most of the great Families now in being are of foreign Extraction; as the ·Galliczyns, Apraxins, Narefkins, &c. from Poland; the Circafkys from Tartary; and the Czar prides himself in a Prussian Original,

They are divided into three Ranks, the Nobility, called KNEAS; the Gentry, called DUORDegrees NINS, and the PEASANTS.

The KNEAS, or Dukes, were anciently Heads, of the little Governments into which this Country was divided, but were all fub- Nobility. dued in Time by the Princes of Volodomir, who traflated their Refidence to Mofco, and took upon them the Title of WELIKI KNEAS, or Great Duke: The Races of thefe Families ftill retain their ancient Title, and feveral Poles tranfplanted thither, as they became confiderable, affumed the fame Mark of Diftinction, on Pretence of being defcended

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fcended from their WAYWODES, or Palatines. This Title is differently respected, according to the Revenue or Employment of the Person; for those Dukes who submitted on Condition, and received Eftates in Exchange for their petty Sovereignties, ftill continue in fome Splendor; others have raised themselves again by their civil or military Service, while the reft are reduced to the lowest Poverty and Contempt: And two Years ago, there were near three hundred Knears common Soldiers in Prince Menzicoff's Regiment of Dragoons. To remedy the Confufion of this Title, the Czar has begun. fince his Progress to make fome Alterations: His late firft Minifter Golowin, and General Gordon, were made Counts by the Emperor; Alexander Menzicoff his Favourite, was made Prince of the Empire, four Years ago: But the Czar's Ambition increasing with his Succefs, he thought of bestowing his own Honours, and foon after created Prince Menzicoff, Duke of Ingria. When Monfieur Colofkin, his present first Minister and Great Chancellor, was made a Count by the Emperor, he received foon after the fame Title from the Czar, who has fince made his High Admiral Apraxin, and Lord Privy-feal Sotoff, both Counts, without any Recourse to the Imperial Court, and defigns by Degrees to introduce the Title of Barons and Knights; he has already instituted an Order of Knighthood in Honour of St. Andrew, who wear a blue Ribband and Star in Imitation of the Garter.

The

The DUORNINS are Country Gentlemen, moft whereof hold their Lands by Knights Service, to appear in War on Horse-back; Gentry. formerly it was fufficient to fend a Man well armed and mounted, but the prefent Czar makes them or their Sons ferve in Perfon, if they cannot buy Interest enough with his Minifters to be excufed: When they appear in the Field, they are not allowed a Servant, though they may be Mafters of fome hundred Peasants, and are obliged to do all the Duties of common Soldiers; but their greatest Mortification is, that such of their Peasants as will but lift Volunteers, are immediately declared Freemen, and in equal confideration with their Mafters, though the point of Honour has not yet prevailed so far, as to give many Inftances of this Nature. Such of the Duornins as live on their Eftates, and are far from Mofco, are at much Eafe, and give themselves great Airs, though they are again as humble and fubmiffive to the chief Nobility and Officers; for this Country is the perfe& Model of Bayes's Granddance, where every one has his Share of Slavery and Worship; except

The PEASANTS, who are perfect Slaves, fubject to the arbitrary Power of their Lords, and tranferred with Goods and Chattles; they Peasants. can call nothing their own, which makes them very lazy, and when their Master's Tafk is done, and a little Bread and Firing provided for the Year, the

great

great Business of their Life is over, the rest of their Time being idled or flept away; and yet they live content, a couple of earthen Pots, a wooden Platter, wooden Spoon, and Knife, are all their Houfhold Goods; their Drink is Water; their Food Oatmeal, Bread, Salt, Mushrooms, and Roots, on great Days a little Fish, or Milk, if it is not a Faft; but Flesh very rarely: thus mere Cuftom in them fhames the pretended Aufterities of Philofophy and falfe Devotion, and fits them admirably for the Fatigues of War, which, if once familiar by Use and Discipline, will certainly advance far in a People, who go as unconcerned to Death or Torments, and have as much paffive Valour, as any Nation in the World.

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Their Religion is the Eaftern or Greek Church, ftill more corrupted by Ignorance and SuReligion. perftition; they think to fatisfy the fecond Commandment by allowing no carved Images, but their Churches are filled with miferable Paintings without Shade or Perspective, and yet fome of thefe Dawbings, as well as the finer Strokes of the Italian Pencils, are faid to be the Work of Angels; particularly a celebrated Piece of the Virgin Mary with three Hands, which is preserved in the Monaftery of Jerufalem, about thirty Miles from Mofco: The Refpect paid to these Pic

tures is the groffeft Kind of Idolatry, and Worship. makes up a principal Part of their Devotion; to these they bow and crofs themfelves; every Child has its own Patron Saint allotted him at Baptism,

and

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