394 



Foreimi Notices. — Russia. 



brought from France, Zanle, Tenedos, the Rhine, Astrachan, and Kizliar ; 

 and two Frenchmen, the one a vine-dresser and the other a farmer, were 

 appointed to plant and to manage them. Ten orphan pupils, from the 

 military school of Cherson, were put under the care of these cultivators ; 

 government supplied the necessary capital for every part of the under- 

 taking; and 28,000 vines were planted, which, in the year 1826, produced 

 1500 vedros of wine of Hungar)% Bourdeaux, the Rhine, Asmalhausen, 

 Muscat, Petit-Bourgoyne, Zante, and Kakour, of the best quality. {Bid. 

 Un., Oct. 1827.) 



Astanlc'ma, the seat of Comte Scherem^tow, is situated three versts from 

 the exterior barrier of Moscow, on the Smolensk© road. The groundsare 

 low and flat, and wholly covered with natural forest, chiefly of birch, bird- 

 cherry, and black poplar; and the house and its scenery {fig. 112.) may be 



112 



described as situated on the margin of this forest. A part of the natural 

 woods and glades is enclosed, traversed by walks, and kept dressed as 

 pleasure-ground. Its ornaments are a few vases and statues, a temple, and 

 some exotic shrubs : the latter, being sheltered by the natural wood, thrive 

 much better than could be expected from the climate. Rustic buildings are 

 not considered pleasure-ground ornaments in Russia, because they approach 

 too near to the common hovels of the peasantry, which are all built of logs, 

 and some of them very curiously ornamented at the gable ends. In the 

 kitchen-garden here are peach-houses and vineries, which, when we saw 

 them on the 25d of April, 1814, were under the care of a Scotch gardener. 

 Both peaches and grapes were set, and some of the former were stoning 

 The soil of the garden is a dry sand, and, being favourable for early crops, 

 peas, beans, potatoes, and radishes were in an advanced state, but they re- 

 quired to be covered every night with spruce fir branches, on account of 

 the frost : indeed, there are no early crops in the neighbourhood of Moscow 

 that do not require a great deal of protection ; but the materials are abun- 

 dant, and labour cheap. A foreign gardener may have as many Russian 

 labourers under him as he chooses ; though these being generally slaves, 

 who work so many days in the year for their cottage and a few acres of 

 land, it requires three or more of them to do the work of a single Briton. 

 It is but doing them justice to state, however, that a little extra pay, and 

 occasional presents or indulgences, have a most sensible effect upon them ; 

 and, being docile and imitative, they sometimes make very neat workmen. 

 One circumstance in their favour it may be interesting to British gai-deners 

 to know, viz. that they are perfectly good-hearted, and retaliation in any 

 form, and much less murder or robbery, are scarcely ever heard of among 

 them, from the one end of the empire to the other. 



