Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1810-10-26

EN%F
sledges, and, IN the market w. sec piles OF
hares, moor.game, white pzftridges. geese,
turkies, pigs, SIC. in frozeu state. Some
times an unfortunate thaw takes place,
which becomes q sefions calamity 20 the
dealers, who are obliged, in quense
ofis, TO throw away grsa. q~aanusies of pro-
~yisions.
The prodisious c~oucoufse az carriages
and sraineaax [slsdgssl gives the city !
most animated appearance. Itis more rare
Ia Russia to see = horse going foul
than IN Span 10 see mule raalopA Tha
sxoasets<1cbit~~af
single nos sc arc to DC met wifh rvefsN where
The passenger steps into one xithaot amp
ceremony, the coachmap Jumps on kis seas,
whistles, calls out care! aud sets qlf like
ashot. You arc conveyed from ono end of
the city to the other with Inc utmost <sis-
Irity. The costume Of the coachmsn Il RS
markablc. He is covered with ! shceo,s
skin, or with some coarse stun, tied viii
q broad wooden girdle. He wears very
large skin gloves, and q stuffed yellow Gun.
dis long b ard, covered with hoar frost.
gives him the air Of winter person,hrd
thus clad, IN the most severe weather, he
waits patiently At the corner Of street: or
sleeps on the snow, while his horse, Is
hardy as himself, and whitenedby the frost,
eats his wisp of hay, or his feed Of oats.
The Russian always goes with his breass
uncovered. Provided his ex.remitics are
we'll clothed, he braves the rigour Of the
season..
The Russians have always their races
and games. The race with sr1ineau3 il ON
the Nrva and the horse that quickers his
pace into a gallop losea the race. The
games consist OF raising hills of ice, at 4
great expense on the river. and great Quan-
titles of water are thrown on them, "a red
der them more slippery. Lovers Of the
sport, then suffer themselves to descend
from top 70 bottom, with the greatest re-
pidity, clsher on skates, or il portable
4x~ainsauA~ On festival days, bsswes0
fuUenfy and thirty thousand spectators: a.
scmble, and amusc themselves with SINH,
lar exercises, more or less extraordinary.
It is to be observed, that il i not the va
ter OF the river, which Is frozen. That Is
prevented BY the fapidity of is current,
notwithstanding the severity of northern
winter The masses Office descend. req
dy formed, from the lake of Ladoga. They
float on the river, till they are rcpeIied ~
the waves of the sea or, accommodating ae
its mouth, they soon form q field Of solid
ice. "A London dame would shudder III the
idea of crossing 4 wide river, il ! carriage
with six horses, over 50 fragile 4 subseance.
But, on returning from q bzll Or supper,
wrapped up in : good pelisse, and ia j
warm carriage, We forget that we are on
the water; particularly, when tho ice i
covered with snow, and the roads are we'll
beaten. When winter sets 10, the bridges !
of boats are drawn ashore, and there re-
mains no other communication ACROSS .ae
river. The circumstance Of passing through
rows Of vessels, which appear 10 be lying
on the ice, il remarkably striking. Those
vessels serve, in general, for habisations,
and sometimes as a retreat for rogues sOd
thieves. If they attack any wandering pas-
sengers, they "trip them and throw them
into the holes in the ice made for tie waoh~
erwoman, or the wxtsr-carrisrs.
Without entering into any dctzilrespect~
ing the superb palace Office built on the Me-
va BY the empress Anne, / shall Just ob-
serve. that an Italian architect. rejecting
on the intensity Of ice in that country, con-
ceived the idea OF employing il as . foun-
dation for bnlldings. Many observations
have proved, that the thsw does not pence
trate more than six feet below the surface.
Icehouses do not require even that depth il
! Russia consequently cubes of ice would
form a so~lidfouodation q that depth, which
would be Of great advantage to Petershurgh,
as il is built on q marshy soil and the houses
stand on piles. The architect could not
s