MISCELLANIES. 



537 



so that when the inundation is over, 

 there is a space under each where 

 cattle are frequently kept. In most 

 of the streets are lofty wooden 

 bridges which run along the mid- 

 dle of them, and to which a smaller 

 bridge leads from the door of eacii 

 hou.se. Where this is not the case 

 the inhabitants are obliged, during 

 the time of the inundation, to step 

 immediately out of their houses 

 into a boat, when going about their 

 ordinary business. Hence it is 

 evident that this town is by no 

 means adapted to riding either in 

 a carriage or on horseback. 



On the Don itself, where the 

 ground is rather higher and where 

 uothing IS to be feared from the 

 water, are situated the Gymnasium, 

 some other buildings btlonging to 

 the government, and the principal 

 church. The shops are very spa- 

 cious and well arranged, aud fur- 

 nished with all sorts of domestic 

 commodities, as also with most of 

 the foreign productions that are 

 subservient to the convenience of 

 life. In consequence of the proxi- 

 mity of Taganrog and the Krym 

 the place is in particular abun- 

 dantly supplied with articles of 

 Greek and Turkish merchandise, 

 which are sold at very moderate 

 prices. I remarked many shops 

 with iron and brass wares, woollen 

 cloth of home and foreign manu- 

 facture, tea, sugar, coffee, wines 

 and other strong liquors. 



To a stranger visiting Tscher- 

 kassk for the first time, it is a 

 striking spectacle to find a city peo- 

 pled by Cossacks alone, and where 

 all the male inhabitants wear the 

 same costume, which consists of a 

 blue Cossack coat turned up with 

 red. Even great part of the fo- 

 reigjiers resident here adopt this 



dress, which looks very neat. Be- 

 sides the Cossacks, properly so 

 called, the Tartars, who are upon 

 the same footing as the Cossacks, 

 occupy a whole suburb, and have 

 likewise a well-fitted-up wooden 

 messdshet. 



The inundations, which leave 

 behind in the streets a great quan- 

 tity of mud, and in many places 

 large standing pools, whence issue 

 pernicious exhalations, render the 

 situation of the town extremely un- 

 healthy ; for which reason New 

 Tscherkassk has been begun on a 

 branch of the Don, a German mile 

 from the present town, and is said 

 to be at this time ready for the re- 

 ception of inhabitants. Those of 

 the old town, who will be in some 

 measure indemnified for the ex- 

 pense thus occasioned, are all to 

 remove to New Tscherkassk ; so 

 that in half a century, perhaps, no 

 vestiges of the present place will 

 remain. 



Tscherkassk was founded in 

 1570 by the Cossacks, the year 

 after the Turks had undertaken 

 their fruitlessexpeditiou from Asow 

 against Astrachan, and the former 

 town had been almost entirely de-^ 

 stroyed by the explosion of a pow- 

 der-magazine set on fire by light- 

 ning. The origin of the Cossacks 

 themselves is pii historical problem 

 which has hitherto been by no 

 means satisfactorily solved. This 

 name first occurs in Constantine 

 Porpliy rogenneta (about A.D. 948) , 

 who places the province of Kasa- 

 chia among the countries lying 

 beyond the Ckuban, as appears 

 from the following passage : — " On 

 the eastern side of the Palus Maeo- 

 tis several rivers empty themselves 

 into it, as the Tanais, which comes 

 from Ssarkel ; the Chorakul, in 



