"Les Princes que la Providence a rendu à nos "vœux protegeront fon exiftence, et faciliteront fes "entreprifes. Ou pourroient ils trouver une admi"nftration plus capable de remplir leur vues? "Tout eft gratuit chez nous; notre zele n'a d'autre but, d'autre aliment, que la charité; et nous nous "concertons avec ceux qui dans les villes les plus eloignées, font occupés des memes objets, et "dirigés par les memes motifs."

66

The Society of Paris has, in fact, extended its efforts to every object of charity; to the distribution of aid to the diftreffed, to the establishment of Dif penfaries and of Schools, on the plan of Pestalozzi. "Appelée par le gouvernement à feconder les "mefures qu'il vouloit prendre contre la difette, "produite par une mauvaife recolte, et par les mal"heurs de la guerre, elle etablit, avec une incroyable "célérité, et fans aucuns frais d' administration, 42 "fourneaux de foupes qui, dans le courant de l'

hiver de 1812 à 1813, diftribuerent aux indigens 4,342,600 rations, les unes contre les cartes, les "autres vendues a un prix fort au-deffous de ce qu'elles coutoient; elle fut fecouru par les hom mes qui occupoient les places les plus eminentes, et fe livra à l'efperance d'augmenter le nombre des Difpenfaires, de revenir fur les ecoles; d'etablir, ' dans les divers quartiers, des maifons où les femmes "chargées d'enfans en bas age pourroient les depo"fer pendant qu'elles iroient vaquer à leurs travaux.

ઃઃ

(Il en exifte une de ce genre etablie, depuis plufieurs

"depuis 1780, jufqù, à 1789; qu'elle etoit compofée dé 821 mem"bres, au nombre desquels on voyoit avec reconnoiffance Monfieur, "aujourdhui notre Roi; que fes reçettes avoient plufieurs fois "excédé la fomme de 120,000 francs, et que pendant dix années de "fon exiftence les fecours qu'elle avoit diftribués dans la ville de Paris s'étoient elevés a plus de 1,200,000 francs.”

"années, par Madame la Comteffe Paftoret, au faubourg St. Honore ;) et d'autres où l'on preteroit "aux ouvriers connus, des outils dont ils paieroient peu a peu le prix fur leur falaire.”

Poverty and Charity in Russia.*

"In each government" (fays Mr. Tooke, View of the Ruffian Empire, during the Reign of Catherine II. &c. vol. ii. p. 181, &c.)" there is a college of general provifion, which, befides feveral other duties, is "entrufted with the erection and infpection of the "hospitals and infirmaries. These are instituted for ❝a determinate number of patients, (about twenty or thirty,) and may not admit any more. They are intended for the poor and neceffitous, who are "cured and attended free of all expenfe. Befides "these infirmaries, the College of General Provision "maintains particular houses for incurable patients, "who have no fupport, and receptacles for lunatics. "The defign of the former is, that the unhappy ob"jects for whom they are deftined may not deprive "the poor, who may be afflicted with curable difeafes, "of a place in the hofpitals, and yet not be them"felves entirely without relief. The College of "General Provifion is bound to provide them lodging, board, nurses, and attendance, that at least

86

they may have fome mitigation of their fufferings. "For the erection and regulation of these and other "inftitutions for the relief of fuffering humanity, "within the province of the College of General Provifion, each of them receives, at its opening, "from the imperial coffers, the fum of 15,000 rubles,

"Ruffia is divided into 41 governments, exclufive of Cofacks "of the Don and the Euxine, and nine vice-royalties, acquifitions "fince 1783, comprehending 36 millions of perfons."

"which in moft of the governments is confiderably augmented by the charitable contributions of the "public. In the capital, and in the generality of populous towns, these institutions are now not only ་ upon a much larger fcale than the general precept "at first promifed, but they are multiplied in various ways by the co-operation of the community at large. The town hofpital of St. Petersburg was "founded in the year 1784. In one of the skirts of "the city, by the fide of the beautiful and broad "Fontanka Canal, is a large brick infulated building, "of handsome but fimple architecture. It receives "all neceffitous patients, (venereal excepted,) and "attends their cure without fee or reward: handi"craftsmen and gentlemen's fervants pay four rubles

per month. All patients, on admiffion, are imme"" diately bathed, and have their heads fhaven. The "number of beds amounts ufually to 300, but in "cafes of emergency is increased to 400. In the

year 1790, fix contiguous buildings of timber, on "brick foundations, were erected behind the main "edifice, by the College of General Provifion, and "furnished with 250 beds. Here the patients, in "fummer, enjoy the fresh air; and during the interval "thus procured, the principal building is thoroughly "cleanfed. In the four years, from 1785 to 1789, "it had altogether taken in 9427 patients; and the "number is found annually to increase. Of these, "7417 were fent out cured, 1773 died, and 237 "remained at the conclufion of the latter year.

"The city hofpital of St. Petersburg, for poor and "incurable patients, was opened in 1781. The ༦ indulgence which qualifies for admiffion to it is "diftinguished into degrees which form two claffes, "one whereof comprifes the completely impotent, "who have a full claim to the benefit of the house:

"to the fecond clafs belong thofe who are capable "of doing fome kind of work. These are employed "in any adequate occupation about the houfe. The

σε

expenditure amounts annually (according to the " establishment) to 15,417 rubles. The City Hos"pital at Moscow, which was endowed in 1775, "admitted at that time 150 patients, and is comદર "pletely on the fame footing with that of St. Peters"burg. Several inftitutions, on a smaller scale, are "proportionably upon as good a footing; and the "benefit thus accruing from Catherine's philanthropic "regulations for the prefervation of her people, and "for the alleviation of poverty and affliction among "them, merits the highest applaufe. There are many fimilar inftitutions, partly endowed by the "Crown, and partly by rich and humane individuals. "In a hospital founded at Moscow 1763, by the "Grand Duke and heir apparent Paul Petrovitch,

46

fifty persons were maintained and attended gratis. "The philanthropic Howard, who visited this hofpital, " fays, that it would be difficult to find a better fitua❝tion in the vicinity of the city. He tafted the "bread and beer, and found both good; and adds, "on the whole, I must confefs that this little hofpital "would do honour to any country.'—" Military hof"pitals for land forces. Befides the two general land "hofpitals at St. Petersburg and Mofcow, there are 14

66

large field hofpitals at Aftrakhan, &c. and battalion "lazarets are every where in great numbers. There "are, moreover, eleven fea hofpitals, befides one for "marines. The fea hofpital at Cronstadt, during "the war with Sweden, was annually obliged to "admit near 25,000 patients. A new hospital was "therefore founded at Oranienbaum." Howard cenfures the Ruffian field hofpitals, particularly for want of cleanliness, which Mr. Tooke inclines to

vindicate, by fuggefting that Ruffian and English habits and ideas are different in that refpect: and on Howard's cenfure of the bad nourishment, Mr. Tooke obferves, "here alfo we should have regard "to custom." He enumerates and defcribes several other grand establishments for the poor and infirm, houses for lying in women, foundling hofpitals, fmall-pox hofpitals, and pest houses. The foundling hofpitals are denominated education houses. "The rooms," fays Mr. Coxe, "are lofty and large; "the dormitories, which are feparate from the work

66

66

rooms, are very airy, and the beds are not crowded; "each foundling, even each infant, has a feparate "bed; the bedsteads are of iron; the fheets are "changed every week, and the linen three times "a week. In going over the rooms, I was par"ticularly ftruck with their neatnefs; even the "nurseries were uncommonly clean, and without 66 any unwholefome fmells. I was convinced "from the behaviour of the children, that they were in general happy and contented, and could "perceive from their looks that they were remarkably healthy." A great proportion of thofe brought thither is, however, found to be in a miferable fickly ftate, and the proportion of deaths to the total number reared exceedingly high. It appears from Mr. Tooke's numbers, that hardly more than one in fix is reared. In the Empress Catherine's inftructions for framing a code of laws, it is faid, "the boors have, generally fpeaking, from twelve "to twenty children by one marriage, but it rarely "happens that the fourth part of them reach ma66 turity.' All who are below the degree of gentry, and who do not refide in towns, appear to be of the generic clafs of boors; of which, however, there are several divifions: as, 1. Free Peasants. 2. Od