RUS 



R U S 



iwmber how in circulation is fuppofed to be greatly beyond 

 this limitation. 



The " Loan-bank for the nobility and towns" was 

 eftablifhed in 1786, for the purpofe of advancing money to 

 the nobility on landed property or on male peafants, and to 

 the cities or towns on the fecurity of ftone and brick, houfes. 

 The annual intereft charged is 5 per cent. ; befides which, 

 3 per cent, muft be paid annually, towards diminifhing the 

 capital, or redeeming part of the mortgage, till the whole 

 be repaid. The loans are made in afTignation-notes. This 

 bank is alfo empowered to infure houfes, buildings, and 

 other property, on which it has advanced money, at the 

 annual premium of \\ per cent. It is alfo allowed to coin 

 money of gold, filver, and copper, according to the mint 

 regulations ; and it has the liberty of difcounting bills at 

 \ per cent, per month. 



The " Aid-bank" was eftablifhed in 1797, for affording 

 relief to noblemen, whofe eftates are mortgaged, or bur- 

 dened with debts ; and alfo for advancing money to thofe 

 who wifh to improve their eftates, to eftablifh works or ma- 

 nufaftures, &c. The property is valued according to the 

 number of male peafants on the eftates, who, in different 

 provinces, are valued at 40, 50, 65, and 75 rubles per man. 

 The money is advanced in tickets fecured on the eftates, 

 which are transferrable, and are to be taken as legal money 

 in all the departments of government. Thefe tickets may 

 remain in circulation for 25 years, reckoning from the time 

 of opening the bank. The annual intereft is 6 per cent, for 

 the firft five years, and 5 per cent, for the following years ; 

 and a part of the debt is to be difcharged annually, till the 

 whole be repaid, which muft be done within 25 years from 

 the opening of the bank. If the intereft is not regularly 

 paid, a fine is impofed, which increafes at the rate of 1 per 

 cent, per month, till the third month ; and if the intereft is 

 not then paid, together with part of the capital, the ma- 

 nagement of the eftate is taken from the owner, and given 

 to noblemep who live nearefl to it, and they are to receive 

 the produce, and remit it to the bank, till the debt is en- 

 tirely paid. The payment muft be made in copper money, 

 or notes of the Affignation-bank. 



The "Difcount-office" was eftablifhed in 1797, for ad- 

 vancing money on bills and on goods of Ruffian produce, 

 and alfo for infuring the goods on which fuch advances have 

 been made. The holder of the bills or owner of the goods 

 muft be a Ruffian fubjeft ; but money is advanced to fo- 

 reigners, and all forts of people, on gold and filver. 



The Ruffian weights are as follow : the berquet or ber- 

 kowitz = 10 poods ; the pood == 40 lb. ; the lb. = 32 

 loths or lotes ; and the loth = 3 folotniks. The Ruffian 

 lb. = 28 loths, Cologne weight, or 6314 troy grains; fo 

 that 500 lb. Ruffian =451 lb. avoirdupois. Among mer- 

 chants, the ordinary computation is, that 36 lb. avoirdupois 

 = the Ruffian pood, and that 63 poods = I ton avoirdu- 

 pois. Hemp, flax, and cotton, are fold by the berquet ; 

 copper, iron, cordage, horfe-hair and tails, linfeed and 

 hempfeed oil, ifinglafs, morocco leather, potafh, wax, 

 briftles, and tobacco, are fold by the pood. 



The meafures of Ruffia are, for corn, the chetwert or 

 cool = 2 ofmins = 4 pajacks — 8 chetwericks = 64 gar- 

 nitzy. A cool of flour = 9 poods, and a fack = 5 pood6. 

 The chetwerick is 131 Englifh inches in diameter, and 114 

 in depth ; fo that it meafures 1555.92 cubic inches, and 

 contains 5^- Winchefter gallons nearly. In bufinefs the 

 computation is, that 100 chetwerts = 72 quarters, and 

 1 chetwert = 54 bufhels, Winchefter meafure. For wine, 

 the cafk, farokowoi, or pipe, contains 40 vedros ; the 

 vudro = 8 ofmuchki or krufhkas, and the krufhka = 11 



tfcharkays or cups. In Peterfburg the vedro contains 

 621 French, or 752 Englifh cubic inches: hence 1 vedro 

 = 3 T Englifh wine gallons ; and 3 krufhkas = 1 Englifh 

 ale gallon. The long meafures are an arfheen or arfhine, 

 which is divided into 16 werfchocks or verfhoks = 28 

 Englifh inches ; fo that 9 arfheens = 7 Englifh yards, and 

 4 werfchocks = 7 Englifh inches ; a faze, fafhe, fajene, 

 or fathom = 3 arfheens, or 7 Englifh feet ; a werft, verit, 

 or Ruffian mile = 500 fajenes = 1500 arfheens = 3500 

 Englifh feet : 20 werfts = 3 German miles, and 264 werfts 

 = 175 Englifh miles; fo that a werft is nearly two-thirds 

 of an Englifh mile ; and a degree of the meridian is reckoned 

 to be about 104 werfts. The Ruffian foot is 155 French 

 lines = 134 Eaglifli inches ; and the Mofcow foot = 1484 

 French lines = 13^ Englifh inches; but the Englifh foot, 

 as well as the Rhineland foot, is generally ufed in Peterf- 

 burg. The fuperficial meafure, called deffetina or defxt- 

 tine, contains 2400 Ruffian fquare fathoms, or 21,600 

 fquare arfheens = 13,066° Englifh fquare yards, or 2 acres 

 2 roods 32 perches : hence 10 deffetinas correfpond to 27 

 Englifh acres nearly. 



In Ruffia the Julian calendar, or old ftyle, is ftill re- 

 tained, which (fince the year i£oo) is 12 days later than 

 the new ftyle ; fo that a Ruffian bill, dated the firft day of 

 any month, muft be reckoned from the 1 3th day of the fame 

 month in England, and in every other place where the Gre- 

 gorian calendar, or new ftyle, is ufed. 



Having availed ourfelves of the materials which are fur- 

 nifhed by Mr. Coxe, in his " Travels" and " Ruffian Dif- 

 coveries," and by Mr. Tooke in his comprehenfive and very 

 interefting "View of the Ruffian Empire," in the compila- 

 tion of this article, we fhall clofe it with obferving, that the 

 immenfe territory of the Ruffian empire naturally forms itfelf 

 into two great divifions, by the vaft Ural chain of moun- 

 tains, that interfedt it from north to fouth ; but thefe di- 

 vifions are very unequal and diffimilar, both as te dimenfion 

 and quality. That on the weltward is Proper or European 

 Ruffia ; and that lying to the eaft fide, Afiatic Ruffia, or 

 Siberia. 



European Ruffia extends, by the final partition of Poland, 

 from the river Dneiiler to the Uralian mountains, the grand 

 chain which, as we have jufl faid, divides Europe from 

 Afia ; in length about 1 600 miles, and in breadth above 

 1000 Englifh miles. The extent is computed at about 

 1,200,000 fquare miles. For a further account of Afiatic 

 Ruffia, fee Sibskia. 



Russia Company. See Company. 



RUSSIAN Music, in the Church. See Greek Church. 



Russian Secular Mufic. The only inftruments known 

 in Ruffia till the time of Peter the Great, were fuch as the 

 peafants ftill ufe in the provinces, which are defcribed in the 

 Gotha Almanac, and in Guthrie's DifTertations, with draw- 

 ings. Peter had at firft only fuch military inftruments as he 

 had feen in Germany. But the firft good mufic that was 

 heard in Ruffia, was brought thither by duke Charles Fre- 

 deric of Holftein-Gottorp, at Peterfburg. This prince, def- 

 tined to marry the princefs Anne Petrowna, daughter of 

 Peter, had a complete band, or chapel, as the Germans call 

 it, in his fuite, compofed of twelve good German muficians : 

 the concerts by this band were new and acceptable to all 

 the great Ruffian nobility, who had never heard any other 

 mufic than that of the natives, which was coarfe and bar- 

 barous. The emperor himfelf ufed to frequent thefe con- 

 certs, and eftablifhed two regular performances in his palace 

 each week, employing the German muficians to teach the 

 boys about the court, and in the army. 



All 



