These and similar laws afford us an insight into the details of the feuds between the Germans and Russians, and of all the little battles and skirmishes continually going on about ovens, cellars, and staircases.
The populace of Riga consists mostly of Lcttes and Russians, ith which the town is continually deluged. The Russians who come to Riga, are in fact not of the best sort, being generally fugitives and runaway slaves from other places. Most of the rogues and thieves of tlic city are unemployed Russians. They have often rendered the environs of Riga unsafe. In 1840, two extensive and regular bands of robbers were discoA'ered among them. The one confined itself to the stealing of clothes, and had collected regular magazines of wearing apparel. The other gang was composed of vagrant Russian bojs and girls, who in Riga are known by the technical name of Karmantshiki^ and who gave many brilliant instances of boldness and deprg^vity.
In the streets of the town, where the ice and snow remain unmelted as long as in a thick forest, I still found sledges in use, and nmch enjoyed the extraordinary beauty and refined elegance of the Russian sledges, which I now saw for the first time. Every Riga merchant has a Russian coachman and horses ; carriages, sledges, and harness, are all Russian. The sledges are the lightest, prettiest, most convenient equipages in the world ; a German sledge compared to them, is as a river barge to a handsome yacht. And yet the decorations of a Russian are far simpler than those of a German sledge. All our ornaments, such as swan's-necks, golden angel's heads, plumes of feathers, &c., are absent. Tlie beauty of a Russian sledge is difficult to describe ; but every curve and line in it is as graceful as those of a winged bird, and as harmoniously suited to the whole construction. Then the stately coachman, who is usually a very handsome man, enveloped in his long blue caftan, which is tight at the top and falls in ample folds below — the fine and delicate sledge covers, bordered with fur — the neat glittering harness of the horses — all this produces the most beautiful effect as the vehicle flies over the wliite snow.
In such delightful and graceful equipages, the lions of Riga are very soon seen, more especially as they are all comprised within the old town. They are,
1 . The sixteen churches of the town, of which six are Lutheran, eight Greek, one Catholic, and one Reformed. The Domkirche (cathedral) is the most distinguished of the Lutheran churches, and contains the graves of the first bishops of Riga. The church of St. Peter's is distinguished by its steeple, which is the highest in the whole Russian empire.
2. The castle, the oldest building in the town, and once the residence of the grandmasters of the order. In the interior of the court is the statue of the grand-master, Walter von Tlettenberg, its builder. It is now the dwelling of the governor-general of Esthonia, Livonia, and Courland.
3. The Black Chiefs ; a knightly association of the young unmarried citizens of Riga, which was formed in the middle ages in imitation of the order. It was a brotherhood of arms, for the defence of the town and its interests, and, like most of such fraternities, in times of peace it used its power against Its fellow citizens^ and always played an important part in all internal dissensions. Brotherhoods of Black Chiefs arose in other towns of Livonia, in Wolmar, Dorpat, Reval, and Narva. They are now nothing but a name, and even the name exists only in Riga and Reval ; and even in those towns they are little more than conA^vial clubs for the rich young merchants, who are very exclusive in the reception of new members, and who quit the fraternity when they marry.
4. The citadels and arsenal. The fortifications of Rijra have often in ancient times witnessed bloodshed, and, till 1710, many valiant citizens expired on its .walls. Since then they have enjoyed a full centm-y of peace, and Livonia, which had been a continual bone of contention between the northern powers, and had been constantly the seat of war, has not once shared in the convulsions which have shaken Europe since 1710. Even the invasion of the French in 1812, and the insurrection of the Poles in 1830, did not reach Riga. The French and Prussians under Oudinot, occupied Mitau and its environs, but did not attack Riga, though under a false alarm of their approach. General Essen, who commanded at Riga, set fire to the suburbs, the whole of which fell a prey to the flames. The Poles did not even reach Mitau ; their nearest skirmish took place fout miles south of Riga. Riga is one of the most important fortresses of Russia, and its arsenal contains arms for nearly 50,000 men.