DON COSSACKS. 
the priest came off, and remained, with the 
knife, adhering to the picture. 
There is another stone church in Tcherkask, 
which suffered more recently from fire. About 
four years ago, the inhabitants undertook its 
reparation, and erected a screen ot great mag- 
nificence, an astonishing piece of workmanship 
for this part of the world. It is built in the 
Grecian taste, and consists of fourteen Corin- 
thian columns, covered entirely with burnished 
gold. There are, besides, Corinthian pilasters; 
also paintings in a more modern style, and more 
pleasing than the stiff appearance usually exhi- 
bited by such pictures in the Russian churches. 
Almost all the other public edifices in Tcher- 
kash are of wood. They are as follow : 
i. The Chancery, where the administration 
of justice, and all other public business, is car- 
ried on. — This building contains their papers, 
records, and other documents. One room is 
appropriated to their assembly for public de- 
bates : this much resembles our House of 
Commons. It contained the Emperor's portrait; 
and it was more like him than any we had seen. 
When a general assembly is convened, it con- 
sists of a President, with all the Generals, 
