MOSCOW, a city of European Russia, the capital of the circle and of the government of that name, and one of the two capitals of the vast Russian empire. It was long the only capital, and is still the place where the splendid ceremony of the coronation of each emperor is performed. It was first founded by Prince George I. in 1147, and vastly extended by Prince Daniel in 1300. It continued to increase till the year 1383, when it was captured by the Tartars, and nearly destroyed. It was, however, again rebuilt, and had attained some degree of prosperity, when, in 1571, it was again taken and destroyed by the same people. It soon arose from this disaster with more than its former splendour, when, in 1611, it was seized by the Poles, and almost wholly burned down; the houses being then, as at the former period, almost exclusively built of wood. It recovered from this disaster, and again became a city of vast extent, population, and wealth, all of which had made great progress under the reign of the Empress Catharine. In 1812, when Bonaparte invaded Russia, at the head of an army composed of men of nearly all the European nations, Moscow, in a circle of twenty-four miles, contained five divisions, viz. 1st, the Kremlin, containing the citadel, the imperial palace, and many other public and private buildings; 2d, Kitaigorod; 3d, Belego-rod; 4th, Semlanoigorod; and 5th, the thirty Slobodes or suburbs. The whole contained 288 churches, and 10,000 houses, besides booths of wood, with a population of 350,000 persons. After the French had defeated the Russians at Borodino, it appeared necessary to the latter to offer up their capital in order to save that empire, of which it formed but an inconsiderable part. Whether the fires which broke out after the French had entered the city were kindled by that people or by the Russians themselves, has been a subject of animated contest. The fact is notorious that the Russian governor had, two days before the entrance of the enemy, removed all the fire engines, and withdrawn the firemen; and it is no less certain that a whole street, filled with magazines of carriages of all kinds, was fired by the owners of them the night after all the carriages had been put in requisition by the commissaries of the French army. On the other hand, there is the testimony of many eye-witnesses that numerous houses and wooden booths were, set on fire by the French troops, from the love of plunder, from revenge, from negligence, or from not knowing how to cook their food in the intricacy of the stoves and flues of the Russian houses, which induce many fires even amongst those accustomed to their constant use. But from whichever cause it arose, more than 500 fires were kindled, and burning at the same time. The burning continued from the evening of the 15th till the 20th of September, during which time 7932 houses were laid in ashes. The Kremlin was designed to have been blown up [7:15:569]by the French on their evacuation of Moscow; but the plan adopted succeeded only partially. The loss of property occasioned by this catastrophe was estimated, by commissioners appointed to value it, at the sum of L. 14,500,000 sterling, although many of those whose losses had been the greatest preferred no claims for indemnification.

The rapidity with which Moscow has recovered from its calamity is almost as surprising as the extent of the losses it sustained. It has been again rebuilt, and within ten years there were 11,000 houses and 25,000 inhabitants. It has continued to advance since that time, and the population in 1831 was calculated to exceed by 50,000 persons that of the year 1812, when it was .destroyed. In 1826, most of the public buildings had been re-constructed. There were then in the city six cathedrals, twenty-one monasteries, 270 Greek churches, and eight for other religious sects. The Kremlin has been repaired and beautified, at an expense of 500,000 roubles; and it is improved in its appearance by the greater regularity it now presents. The university has been re-established, and the collections, especially of natural history and of anatomy, have been rendered more select and are much better arranged than formerly. The foundling hospital has been again built, and filled with several thousand children. A new and extraordinary building has been erected, and ornaments the city; it is used as a house of exercise for troops in the very severe weather. It exhibits a front of 580 feet, is forty-five feet in height, and 170 feet in breadth, and is sufficiently capacious for 2000 foot and 1000 horse soldiers to be reviewed. The foundation of a new church was laid in 1817, on the anniversary of the retreat of the French, to be dedicated to the Saviour, and which, when finished, will be the largest place of worship in Europe.

The new city being built on a regular plan, has wider and straighter streets than before; and the private buildings of stone bear a greater proportion to the whole, and exhibit more correct taste. Moscow is in winter the residence of all the great and rich noble families, and whatever splendour they may display is exhibited there. Their palaces are large, surrounded with gardens, in some cases with parks, and have now received more an Asiatic than an European appearance. Abundant amusements are to be found for the higher classes, in theatres, balls, concerts, clubs, casinos, freemasons’ lodges, icebergs, sledge races, and, though last not least, at various gambling tables. There are 163 taverns, and 120 other public houses, for the reception of travellers; and no less than 607 public baths.

There are manufactures of silk, linen, woollen, and cotton, and of all the various articles of luxury which are required by the higher classes, when so rich as many are in Russia, and when but one place in a vast extent of country can supply them. There is a considerable trade carried on, first with the towns on the Baltic Sea; secondly, there is the intercourse by land with Germany; thirdly, the exchange of commodities with Persia; fourthly, the trade with Turkey; fifthly, the commerce with China by land, carried on along the frontiers of that empire; and, sixthly, the trade with Central Asia. These branches, when brought to a focus in Moscow, create great mercantile operations, and may account in some measure for the rapidity with which the re-establishment of this capital of Russia has been accomplished. It is in long. 37. 27. 40. E. and lat. 55. 45. 45. N.

Moscow, or Moskwa, a government in European Russia. It is so called from the river of that name, which is the most considerable stream in the province. It extends from longitude 35. 9. to 38. 35. east, and from latitude 54. 40. to 56. 30. north, and occupies 10,436 square miles. About two fifths of the surface is wood-land, nearly the same proportion is ploughed land, and the remainder consists of morasses, meadows, gardens, and the sites of the cities, towns, and villages. According to the best Russian accounts, there are within the government 15 cities, 3450 parishes, some of which may be denominated towns, 3058 villages, and 1324 noblemen’s mansions and estates. The inhabitants were, in the year 1816, 1,289,823; since that period there has been a rapid increase of population, and, on a fair calculation, it amounted in 1832 to 2,600,000 individuals. These persons are almost all adherents of the Greek church, though some exceptions may be made in the capital, where there are Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Jews, who are all tolerated, and have their several religious temples. The whole of the province may be denominated a plain, though it is occasionally interspersed with gentle elevations, or with groups of hills, few of which exceed 200 feet in height. It contains abundance of lakes; according to Storch there are no less than 190, but none of these is of any considerable extent. The principal river, the Moskwa, is navigable for barges and boats. It is usually frozen from the middle of November till the end of March. The greater part of the rivulets, whether issuing from springs or from the lakes, contribute to form the stream of that river. The Volga passes through a small part of the north of the province, and the Oka through a portion of the south. Although the soil is of moderate fertility, yet as the population, thin as it is, is more dense than in any of the other provinces, it does not produce corn sufficient for the consumption, but must every year draw a supply from the adjoining districts. The same is the case with animal food, which is brought to the capital in the winter in a frozen state in great quantities. There are no .mines worked in the province. The chief natural productions exported are wood and potash, but the manufactured goods are considerable. These are almost exclusively furnished by the capital, and are noticed under that head. The climate is severely cold in winter, which extends through nearly half the year. It is, however, not unhealthy. The government is divided into thirteen circles.