Coxe, William. Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark, interspersed with historical relations and political inquiries. Volume 1 (590p) & 2 (630p). London, Printed by J. Nichols, 1784.

Sonia Lunacek

Scand 344, July 22, 2005

The Eighteenth century Englishman William Coxe was respected as a scholar, but with the birth of his traveling accounts he became an even more respected historian. In 1778 he embarked on a Grand Tour of Eastern and Northern Europe, recording his events in a travelogue. In 1784 he would publish these events, coupled with historical relations, in his 2-volume Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden and Denmark. Spending the majority of his time in Russia and traveling by horse and carriage, Coxe passed through both city and country, developing a thorough view of Russian life. Due to his remarkably objective tone and supplemental historical facts, Coxe created a unique account of the dynamics of early Imperial Russia, ultimately comparing it to Britain and creating a bridge of understanding between the two empires.

Coxe’s purpose of this trip was to serve as a traveling tutor to a young English nobleman of high social standing, Lord Herbert, the son of an Earl with royal ties. As a result, Coxe focused solely on the education of his student and himself, with ample funds and without a political, economic or military agenda, as many of the influential travelers had before him. His two volumes went into six English printings and were later translated into French (Wikipedia). As traveling for education and leisure began widely in the 1800’s, Coxe’s account was one of the first significant publishing’s of this new era. Before Coxe’s time there were few travelers’ accounts that included an Appendix- let alone 65 sources- so this serves as a strong testimony to Coxe’s interest in credibility and historical grounding.

Descending into Moscow from the Lithuanian countryside, Coxe’s historical explanations become more consistent and his focus for the rest of his trip in Russia is two-fold: record the experiences at hand and assess what historical events could have shaped them. Coxe would argue that an account without references was incomplete, and in Moscow when he was invited to the National Archives by curator Gerard Muller, he was fascinated with the detailed notes of Tsar Peter the Great (Peter I). "…these papers sufficiently show the indefatigable pains with which that great monarch noted down the minutest circumstances that might prove useful in his extensive plans for the civilization and aggrandizement of his country" (Volume I, 338). Coxe’s admiration for Peter’s tenacity is reflected in his long trip to St. Petersburg through the lands of the farmers and their serfs. As he leaves Moscow and enters this complex area of peasant slavery he describes, in detail, their lifestyle and demeanor- attempting to deconstruct their complicated lives.

Coxe is eager to write of the dynamic Russia he witnesses. While observing rows of houses in Moscow, where stately mansions were neighbors to single-level cottages, he writes that he has never seen anything so uncommon or contrasted. In Moscow the roads in the center of town were paved, but just outside the center the streets were made of tree trunks!  Despite these irregularities, Coxe is quick to mention the excellent hospitality of the Russians, mentioning that his party could not pay a visit to any nobleman without being invited for dinner. Later on, in the countryside, Coxe describes the backwardness of the Russian peasants- whose small huts reek of animal feces and where women sleep head-to-toe on precious beds or on stoves, and men sleep on the dirty ground. Although the Russian countryside is very oppressed and deprived of education, Coxe happily accounts that the "…peasants are remarkably polite to eachother" (Volume I, 435). Coxe’s objectivity creates a neutral tone of writing, where someone who has never visited the country can develop their own ideas, instead of basing them on an author’s biases. Indeed, Coxe stands alone among his fellow travelers publishing accounts of Russia in the 18^th century.

In 1952 a book entitled Seven Britons in Imperial Russia was published at Princeton University, and it praises Coxe for compiling the one of the most valuable literary records of Imperial Russia due to his secondary source additions and experiences in the country, as well as his stubbornly optimistic tone: "With a calm objectivity that distinguished him from his predecessors, he assessed the achievements of enlightened despotism" (Putnam, 247). Two of the other most influential travelers’ accounts referenced in this publication are from Jonas Hanway and Sir James Harris. Jonas Hanway was a merchant of the Russia Company, and in 1754 he wrote of his 8 years traveling as a merchant on the Caspian Sea. While his account was both personal and historical, the nature of his writings reflects more the early days of the British commercial and industrial empire, than delving into the workings of the Russian empire. Sir James Harris, on the other hand, served as a diplomat to Russia, and although he was traveling during the same time as Coxe, his accounts describe the political tensions between Britain and Russia and serve as an important reference to British foreign policy, rather than Russian social workings. Although Coxe’s writing is criticized for being dry at times, with too much attention given to historical detail, it is evident that his role as a tutor and scholar aided him to document Russia in an entirely unique way compared to that of his predecessors.

Out of the framework of Coxe’s desire to present a wholesome view of the Russian empire emerged subtle comparisons to Britain, which were aids in creating a bridge of understanding between the two empires. As Coxe reaches St. Petersburg, the grand city of Peter the Great, he breathes a sigh of relief as the timber road turns into a "…spacious causeway equal to the finest turnpikes of England…" (Volume I, 458).² These are strong words that immediately paint a portrait for the Englishman at home in Britain. Out of the sights and sounds of St. Petersburg, Coxe is the most enthralled with the river Neva, taking walks along it nearly every morning of his 4 month stay. "Neva River is in most places broader than the Thames at London: it is also deep, rapid and as transparent as crystal" (Volume I, 466).² With this statement Coxe is providing an image of a mighty river, but also hinting at the power of the Russian empire, as the river systems of the Baltic’s and Russia were pivotal to trade with the West. Coxe is insinuating that although Russia is in a developmental stage, the West should not dismiss its might.

The tone of fairness and delicate optimism that permeate this account by William Coxe, combined with ample historical descriptions, create a unique view of a dynamic Russian empire. Upon leaving St. Petersburg, Coxe concludes that the Russians are not deficient of genius, but rather they do not yet have the zeal or motives to encourage industrial growth or heightened civilization (150, Volume II). Coxe left Russia with a respect for its diversity and endowed the West with a complete account of its shortcomings and potentials.

Works Cited

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Coxe (18 July 2005).

Putnam, Peter. Seven Britons in Imperial Russia, 1698-1812. New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 1952.

Works Cited/ Endnotes