THE COSSACKS. 
33 
made young men in the country ; and certainly, with Platoff’s 
own corps included, may be styled the chosen of the nation. 
The men of the Don are, mostly well-favoured ; being robust, 
fair, and handsome. This happy exterior is a type of their hearts; 
hospitable, brave, honourable, and scrupulously religious. Seve¬ 
ral of the higher ranks have sent their sons to Moscow, or St. 
Petersburgh for education ; but it is to be hoped, the public 
school, established by the brave and pious father of the city, 
not merely for high or low, but for all ranks, will in the course 
of time give every advantage at home, to so much excellent 
natural material. 
The Cossack women seem far inferior to the men in mental 
ability; and the comparison, in personal endowments, fails with 
the ladies also. Meet them in numbers, and the aggregate is 
certainly plain ; though it must be admitted, there are some very 
lovely exceptions. The usual female appearance is short stature, 
faces of strong Tartar feature, with eyes, however, almost inva¬ 
riably large and dark. The style of dress is decidedly fashioned 
from the east. A sort of chemisette (or small shift) of coloured 
linen, buttoned round the neck, and with sleeves to the wrist. 
A pair of trowsers, of a similar stuff, are covered by a silk caf¬ 
tan, reaching as low as the ancles. This upper garment is fast¬ 
ened, from the neck to the bottom of the waist, with buttons of 
small pearls, in form and workmanship like those in gold or 
silver from the Brazils. The waist is bound with a girdle, also 
ornamented with pearls, and frequently clasped by a diamond 
buckle. The heads of married ladies are adorned with, literally, 
a silken night-cap, which is wrapped about with a gaily coloured 
handkerchief, in the form of a fillet. The unmarried (like the 
damsels in Russia of the lower class) wear the hair in a long 
VOL. i. 
F 
