58 
M O S C O W. 
fions than thole we obtained; but it is entirely buried 
in the earth. About ten perfons were prefent when I 
measured the part which remains expofed to obfervation. 
We applied a ftrong cord dole to the metal in all parts 
of its periphery, ai^ round the lower part where it 
touched the ground, taking care at the fame time not to 
Itretch the cord. From the piece of bell broken off, it 
was afcertained that we had thus meafured within two 
feet of its lower extremity. The circumference obtained 
was 67 feet 4 inches; which allows a diameter of 22 feet 
inches. We then took the perpendicular height from 
the top of the bell, and found it correfpond exaftly with 
the llatement made by Hanway, namely, 21 feet inches. 
In the llouteft part, that in which it Ihould have received 
the blow of the hammer, its thicknefs equalled 23 inches. 
We were able to afcertain this by placing our hands un¬ 
der water where the frafture had taken place, which is 
above 7 feet high from the lip pf the bell. The weight 
of this enormous rnafs of metal has been computed to be 
443,772lbs. which, if valued at three (hillings a-pound, 
amounts to 66,565k 163. lying unemployed, and of no ufe 
to any one.” 
The palace, inhabited by the ancient czars, (lands at 
the extremity of the Kremlin. Part of this palace is old, 
and remains in the fame (late in which it was built under 
Ivan Vaffilievitch I. The remainder lias been fucceffively 
added at different intervals, without any plan, and in va¬ 
rious ftyles of architecture, which has produced a motley 
pile of building, remarkable for nothing but the incon¬ 
gruity of the feveral ftru&ures. The top is thickly fet 
with numerous little gilded fpires and globes; and a large 
portion of the front is decorated with the arms of all the 
provinces which compofe the Ruffian empire. The apart¬ 
ments are in general exceedingly fmall, excepting one 
fmgle room called the council-chamber, in which the an¬ 
cient czars ufed to give audience to foreign ambaffadors, 
and which has been repeatedly defcribed by feveral Eng- 
lifh travellers who vifited Mofcow before the imperial re- 
fidence was transferred to Peterfburgli. The room is large 
and vaulted, and has in the centre an enormous pillar of 
ftone which fupports the ceiling. In this palace Peter 
the Great came into the world, in the year 1672. In 
that part called the treafury, are depofited the crown, 
jewels, and royal robes, ufed at the coronation of the 
fovereign, befides feveral curiofities relative to the hiflory 
of the country. 
Of the great number of churches contained in this city, 
two in particular, namely, that of St. Michael and that 
of the Affumption of the Virgin Mary, are remarkable ; 
the one for being the place where the lovereigns of Ruffia 
were formerly interred, and the other where they are 
crowned. Thefe edifices, which are fituated in the Krem¬ 
lin, are both in the fame flyle of architecture; and their 
exterior form, though modelled according to the ancient 
flyle of the country, is not abfolutely inelegant. In the 
cathedral of St. Michael, which contains the tombs of the 
Ruffian lovereigns, the bodies are not, as with us, depo¬ 
fited in vaults, or beneath the pavement, but are en¬ 
tombed in raifed fepulchres, moflly of brick, in the fhape 
of a coffin, and about two feet in height. When Mr. 
Coxe vifited the cathedral, the mod ancient were covered 
with palls of red cloth, others of red velvet, and that of 
Peter II. with gold tiffue, bordered with lilver fringe and 
ermine. Each tomb has at its lower extremity a fmall fil- 
ver plate, upon which is engraved the name of the deceafed 
fovereign, and the era of his death. The cathedral of the 
Affumption of the Virgin Mary, which has long been 
appropriated to the coronation of the Ruffian f'overeigns, 
is the moll fplendid and magnificent in Mofcow. The 
fcreen is in many parts covered with plates of folid filver 
and gold richly worked. From the centre of the roof 
hangs (or did hang) an enormous chandelier of maffy fil- 
ver, weighing 294olbs. it was made in England, and was 
a prefent from Morofof, prime minifler and favourite of 
Alexey Michaelovitch. The facred utenfils and epilcopal 
veflments are extraordinarily rich, but the tafte of the 
workmanfhip is in general rude. Many of the paintings 
which cover the infide walls are of a coloffal fize: fome 
are very ancient, and were executed fo early as in the lat¬ 
ter end of the fifteenth century. It contains among the 
reft the head of the Virgin, fuppofed to have been deli¬ 
neated by St. Luke, and greatly celebrated in this coun¬ 
try for its power of working miracles. According to the 
tradition of the church, it was brought from Greece to 
Kiof, transferred from thence to Volodimir, and after¬ 
wards to Mofcow. It teems to have been a Grecian paint¬ 
ing, and was probably anterior to the revival of the art 
in Italy. In this cathedral are depofited the remains of 
the Ruffian patriarchs, the firfl of whom was Job, before 
whole time the primate of the Ruffian church was fuffra- 
gan to the patriarch of Conflantinople. Job, being me¬ 
tropolitan archbifhop of Mofcow, was in 1588 inflalled in 
this cathedral patriarch of Ruffia, by Jeremias patriarch 
of Conflantinople. Philaretes and Nicon were diftin- 
guifhed patriarchs, and died much regretted at an ad¬ 
vanced age in 1633. The lafl of thefe patriarchs, who 
are reckoned to have been eleven, was Adrian, at whofe 
demife, in 1699, Peter the Great refufed to nominate a 
fucceffior; and in 1721 the patriarchal dignity was for¬ 
mally aboliffied. 
In connexion with this account of the churches at 
Mofcow, we flia.ll here introduce a brief defcription of 
fome of the moll prominent ceremonies performed in this 
city at the time of Eafler. Dr. Clarke, who prelented to 
the public a pidlure of the Ruffian manners approaching 1 
to caricature, and who has incurred the charge of exagge¬ 
ration in fome of his details, furnifhes us with feveral 
inftances of the groffcfl fuperftition, fill prevalent in 
Ruffia. “ All that has been faid or written of the Roman- 
catholic bigotry,” fays this writer, “ affords but a feeble 
idea of the fuperftition of the Greek church. It is the 
greateft libel upon human reafon, the feverefl fcandal 
upon univerfal piety, that has yet difgraced the annals 
of mankind. There are no people who obferve Lent with 
more fcrupulous and religious rigour than the Ruffians. 
Travelling the road from Peterfburgh to Mofcow, if at 
any time, in poor cottages, where the peafants appeared 
flarving, I offered them a part of our dinner, they would 
fhudder at the fight of it, and calt it to the dogs; dafh- 
ing out of the children’s hands, as an abomination, any 
food given to them; and removing every particle that 
might be left entirely from their fight. The fame priva¬ 
tion takes place among the higher ranks; but, in propor¬ 
tion as this rigour has been obferved, fo much the mors 
exceffive is the degree of gluttony and relaxation, when 
the important intelligence that ChriJ't is rifen has iffued 
from the mouth of the archbifhop. During Eafler they 
run into every kind of excefs, rolling about drunk the 
whole week. When Eafler was proclaimed, the inn where 
we lodged became a Pandiemonium. Drinking, dancing, 
and finging, continued through the night And the day. 
Rut, in the" midft of all thefe exceffes, quarrels hardly ever 
took place. The wild rude riot of a Ruffian populace 
is full of humanity. Few difputes are heard; no blows 
are given; no lives endangered, but by drinking. J\ T o 
meetings take place of any kind, without repeating the 
expreffions of peace and joy, Chrijios vojcrejs! “ Chrift is 
rifen!” to which the anlwer is always the fame, Vo ijlineij 
vofcrejs! “ He is rifen indeed!” On Eafler Monday be¬ 
gins the prefentation of the pafchal eggs ; lovers to their 
miftreffes, relatives to each other, fervants to their mailers, 
all bring ornamented eggs. Every offering at this feafon 
is called a pafchal egg. The meanell pauper in the ftreet, 
preparing an egg, and repeating the words Chrijios voj¬ 
crejs, may demand a falute even of the emprefs. All bu- 
linefis is laid afide : the upper ranks are engaged in vifit- 
ing, balls, dinners, flippers, mafquerades; while the boors 
fill the air with their longs, or roll drunk about the llreets. 
Servants appear in new and tawdry liveries; and carriages 
in the moft fumptuous parade.” 
