Of the Salubrity of Warm Bathing. 599 



which he finds lying about him, to construct an edifice 

 in which he enjoys, in the most complete manner possi- 

 ble, all the delightful sensations which result from one 

 of the most rational pleasures of the most refined and 

 luxurious nations. And if security in the possession 

 of an advantage adds value to it, how much greater is 

 the security of the Russian peasant in the enjoyment 

 of his luxuries than the rich and effeminate in the pos- 

 session of theirs ! Nothing is more calculated to fill us 

 with wonder and admiration than to see how the dif- 

 ferent situations of man on this globe have been equal- 

 ized by compensations. 



The warm baths of the Russian peasants have so 

 often been described, that I dare not take up the 

 reader's time unnecessarily by giving a particular ac- 

 count of them. They are, as is well known, what are 

 called vapour baths ; and, as those who build them are 

 much too poor to afford the expense either of boilers 

 or bathing-tubs, they are heated in a manner which is 

 equally ingenious and economical. A parcel of stones 

 are heated upon a wood fire made on the ground, and, 

 when these stones are hot, water or snow is thrown on 

 them, and the steam which is produced rises up and 

 occupies the inside of the arched roof of the cave which 

 constitutes the bath. 



Those who enjoy the bath place themselves, extended 

 at full length, on a bed composed of the small twigs and 

 leaves of trees, on hurdles in the form of shelves, placed 

 round the cave under its vaulted roof, and above the 

 level of the top of the door-way. 



From this short description, it is evident that the air 

 occupying tlie top of the cave, and which is heated by 

 the steam, being rendered specifically lighter than the 



