The chief trade of Moldavia consists in the export of timber, grain, yellow berries, live stock, wool, wine, wax, and honey; and in the import of cotree, sugar, pepper, rum, fruit, foreign wines, furs, cotton and woollen cloths, glass and earthen ware, Timber for ship-building and staves is floated down the smaller rivers into the Danube ; wheat is contraband, but Turkish vessels come to carry away about 1,500,000 bushels from this and the neighbouring principality, by the authority of government. Wax is carried to Ve nice, and honey to Constantinople : and the other arti cles, most of them loaded with improvident restric tions, are exported elsewhere. About 1120 tons of coffee, and 1260 of sugar, arc imported at Galatz year ly ; and manufactures of different kinds from Germany, which arc offered as English, meet a ready sale. The fur and leather trade is mostly conducted by Russians, the silk and woollen by Greeks, the morocco-leather, spiceries, and aromatics, by Turks, and jewellery by Jews.
The total population of Moldavia was computed in 1794 at 420 500 souls, of whom 20.000 were supposed to be ecclesiastics. At present the population is cal culated at 500,000. The greater part is dispersed in the country, inhabiting miserable villages, where the huts are fashioned of wood, daubed with clay, having doors that scarcely close, paper windows, and the roof open to the winds. In winter their tenants descend to subterraneous cells, which are easily heated, where both sexes and all ages mingle promiscuously together, sleeping on a coarse rug, which serves them equally for bed and coverlet. They suhsist for the most part on a kind of thick porridge or dough, called mamalinga, made of the flour of Indian corn. During a famine in 1795, they were compelled to live on acorns and the bark of the elm, ground and mixed with meal ; yet many, deprived of even this wretched fare, died of want.
There are few towns of considerable size or import ance. The capital, Jassy or Yassi, is situated on the lake and river Baklui, running into the Pruth, and oc cupies a vast extent of wound, from the houses being detached, and surrounded by yards and gardens. The cathedral, churches, and convents, the palaces of the boyars, or nobles, and that of the prince, form the most conspicuous features. The last is very spacious, fitted up partly in the European style, and is capable of accom modating 1000 persons. In general the houses consist 01' only one storey, built of brick, and whitewashed both without and within, and are roofed with wood ; but there are many of a different construction, and after the best style of European architecture. Yassi con
tains seventy churches, public hospitals and schools for about 200 pupils, who are instructed in the national language, ancient and modern Greek, writing, and arithmetic. Education nevcrthelesc is very much ne glected throughout the principality. Many coachma kers are established here, from the custom among the better classes of never going out on foot. The streets, instead of being causcwayed, arc floored with thick beams of the finest oak, which must be renewed every five or six years. In rainy seasons they are covered with deep liquid mud, and in dry weather with thick black dust, which, added to the stagnation and accu mulation of putrescent substances below, are produc tive of numerous diseases. Hence Yassi is esteemed an unhealthy residence, and the inhabitants are constantly afflicted with intermittent, bilious, and putrid fevers. Its population is computed at 40,000. Galatz, the sea• port and chief emporium of the province, is situated on the Danube, 65 miles from Yassi, where that river is navigable by vessels of 300 tons burden. Here there are public granaries for wheat, and many large ware houses belonging to private merchants. A number of vessels frequent the harbour, among which are some from the Ionian islands, of late under British colours. The stationary population of this town amounts to 7000, but there is a great resort of strangers engaged in commer falai pursuits.
Moldavia is part of the ancient Dacia, whose inha hitants resisted the progress of the Roman arms. The King of the Visigoths, being compelled to retreat hither in the fourth century, erected a wall between the Pruth and the Danube, where various antiquities of a remote era, as described by Count Marsili and other authors, are still to be recognised. In the thirteenth century it was occupied by a new tribe, under their leader Bogdan, who assumed the Sclavonic title, way vel or voivode, equivalent to reigning prince, and from him the country received the name, Bogdiana. It be came tributary to Turkey in 1536, and since, having been the theatre of sanguinary wars between that em pire, Russia, and Austria, each has alternately held the sovereignty. At length the growing power of Russia obtained the cession of the best portion of the province, between the Pruth and Meister, in the year 1812, which may perhaps be anticipated the precursor of the rest, on the commencement of the first hostilities between the empires.