272 
WORONETZ. 
chap, is so shallow during summer, that we should 
; have been two months in getting thither; the 
distance being fifteen hundred versts. The best 
wine of wine of the Don is made upon the river, about 
three hundred versts before arriving at Tcherchask 
from Woronetz. Fourteen bottles sell there for 
one rouble and fifty copeehs. They are apt to 
make it before the grape ripens ; and perhaps 
this may be the case with all wine exhibiting 
effervescence'. Their white wine proves better 
than the red, when the fruit is suffered to ripen ; 
but this very rarely happens. 
change of Approaching the Southern part of the empire, 
Manners. strong characteristics of the Russian people 
are less frequently observed. Happily for the 
traveller, in proportion as his distance is in- 
creased from that which has been erroneously 
considered the civilized part of the country, he 
has less to complain of theft, of fraud, and of 
dissimulation 1 2 . In the more Northern provinces, 
he is cautioned to beware of the inhabitants of 
(1) See the Note upon Champagne wine in a former page of this 
Chapter. 
(2) “ The Russian peasant, without property, without religion, with- 
out morals, without honour, is hospitable, humane, obliging, gay, 
faithful, and brave : the farther you penetrate into the country remote 
from cities, the better you lind him ; the most savage is always the 
best.” Secret Mem. of the Court of Petersb. p. 266. 
