MOSCOW. 
61 
the shops are situate, you might walk upon chap. 
the heads of thousands. The daily throng is v. — , — ' 
there so immense, that, unable to force a passage 
through it, or assign any motive that might 
convene such a multitude, you ask the cause, 
and are told that it is always the same. Nor is 
the costume less various than the aspect of 
the buildings : Greeks, Turks, Tahtars, Cos- 
sacks, Chinese, Muscovites, English, French, 
Italians, Poles, Germans, all parade in the 
habits of their respective countries. 
We were in a Russian inn: a complete epi- Russian 
r 1 Hotel. 
tome of the city itself. The next room to ours 
was filled by an ambassador, and his suite, 
from Persia. In a chamber beyond the Persians, Persian, 
J Kirgisian, 
lodged a party of Kirgisians ; a people yet un- andi3uch{v 
known, and any of whom might be exhibited bossadors. 
in a cage, as some newly-discovered species. 
They had bald heads, covered by conical em- 
broidered caps, and wore sheep-skins. Beyond 
the Kirgisians lodged a nidus of Bucharians, 
wild as the asses of Numidia. All these were 
ambassadors from their different districts, ex- 
tremely jealous of each other, who had been to 
Petersburg, to treat of commerce, peace, and 
war. The doors of all our chambers opened 
into one gloomy passage ; so that sometimes we 
all encountered, and formed a curious masque- 
