New-York daily tribune., 1858-10-20
Rayard Taylor in nNortbsrnE Europe
No. Xxx.
MOSCOW, INDOORS AND OUT.


.A.,.h .f Moscow life. Here, especai!' sued
So. ,so,;rc form and color, and their accom-
-. In M. and are therefore only I" be-
:,,,nc;b-, by the pen after the pencil has
80. hesore. But there are few, II any, genre
sicsures in Russia. The most distinguished artist
~ country has yet produced-Brnloh-Pinte
,oddesses, uymphs, saints and the destruction "f
p.mpe. The streets Of Moscow are tuil cf sub
teets, many Of which are peculiarly Interesting ~
thry Illustrate FEATURES Of Russian life which must
sosn change disappear The istyo-tchiks, with
neir squat black bats, splendid boards and blue
saftsns; the double-waisted peasant women at The
street sllrines; the bare-hcaded scrf, bowng and
crossing himself, with his eyes 6xed on distant
church; the shabby merchants M the second. hand
.srkets. with their tables vi Heterogeneous wares;
,ae ,sulted avenues of the Gostinnoi Dvor and the
surous stalls in the Kitai Gorod; the vegetable
srkets. the sellers of qr0ss, the woo'-boatneD on
she Noskva aud the Tsrtars ST their mosqae all
hrnish studies to the stranger, whether he be
sainter or author 1t would require a long resi-
aence to exhaust the interest of the city, 10 TINS
ssspect.
Ts one who has seen the bszoars ID Constant
sOpe, the Gosinboi DyoT preseDts no new features
h n low, srched above ard paved under Loot, and
s>sh avenue or part Of an avenue Is devoted 10
,artirular Kind of merchandise. The made Is
us,Iect labyrinth, and no little tune Is nccessaryln
order ~ learn tue geographical arrangement "f the
sbOp<. HyOu want oails, ycu may wander through
the ssrious departments devoted I" linen, woaIen,
Aln and Gotten goods, jewels, wax candirs, Tar AMI
b.l. t,i intfn
enc direction and tape III another; sugar behind
yvs, and spoons far ahead. As you walk down the
6anly Lighted passages, you hailed with invita-
Sens to buy, on all sdes the merchants hang with
expectation the turning Of your head, and
receive with ecstasy the accidental glance 81 your
eye. This desire to nave yoa for customer does
sOt prevent them from asking much more than they
sspect to receive, and If you have the least incline,
ton to buy, no ono is so stOny-hearted as toilet
gOs " away empty handed.
The shops of the jewellers are interesting, from
the variety Of precious stones, chiefly from the
mosntains of Siberia, which are to he found 10
tAem. The jewels most fashionable in Moscow ut
present are diamonds, eDeralds, pearls and tar
qooises. Opas also bring large price, but stones
u secondary order such as topaz, garnet, ane
Ayst, onyx and aqua-nlarlne, plentiful and
cheap. Siberia produces superb einersls, and the
knest amethysts, aqua-marines and topazcr ever
saw. The Siberian diamond, which is found IN
abundance in the Ural Mountains appears To be
neither more nor less than white topaz. neck
Noe OF seventy five of these stones the size of
cherry, costs little less than go. | noticed Ii
few tine sapphires, but suspect that they tound
tAeir Why hither from lndia, through Persia. One
teweler showed me jacinth, rather rare stone
With splendid scarlet fire, for which he demanded
kity ubles. There were also some glorious opals,
aartng their lambent rays OF pink green, blue and
Pcsrl-white, but their value was equal to their
bsauty. Malachite and lapiz-lazuli, common Ia
Russian palaces and Churches are dear, and good
specimens are not ess! to be had.
In this bazaar you struck by the smooth,
saIow faces OF the ney-chsngers aud certain
aauture of weakness and cunning ID their ex-
precision. You are therefore no, surprised when
SOu learn that they are all eunachs. have en-
asavorcd, but in vain to discover the of this
sirgular fact. The money changers say the
YxoPe, have for centuries past constituted u pc
culiar class, or guild. They are very rich natur-
ally clannish account of their mutllation. and
Nscept no new member into their body VINO has
sot undergone like preparation. As voluntary
converts to such u sect must be very scarce. they
would In time become extinct II they hid not
purchase, at II heavy cost the sons OF poor par
cots, who are qualified at all age when they can
neither understand resist their late. The Gov-
eminent has prohibited this practice under very
severe penalties, and the vile brotherhood Will
probably soon cease To exist
The Risdi, ali open bazaar IN the kitai Gsrod,
deserves 70 be next visited. Ii IL less osentatlous
n its character, but exhibits even greater diver
sity Of shops aud wares aud thronged from sun
rise until sunset With purchasers and traders. Here
S0a fnd everything winch the common Russian IT.
sares for his domestic life, his religion hs berth,
marriage and death. For lew copeks you may
ArfA ladle OF grass, eat BASIN oi the national
satshes cabbage soup) or botrinia Gan iced soup
tail Of raw cucumbers and various other indigesti.
biesl and finish with a glass of the fiery rodki.
The latter, however. generally COMES first, as in
Sweden. Wax candies of all sizes are nere dis
played, and the collection Of patron saints is truly
Astonishing. Brown Virgins predominate, but st.
K,ehoas, in a scarlet mantle, and ~. George say-
ing the Dragon, are also great fayorites A. IN
Russia no house is built and no room occupied
without the presence Of a saint. tue trade in the
Byzantine Lares and Pcnatcs is very great. No
Russian, OF whatever rank, enters u house, how
ever humble, without uncovering his head. Ii is
IN act of religion rather than If courtesy
The fondness VI the common peo ,le for pictures
b remarkable. To say n,thlug of the ss,uts and