The following Original Works are in the Press.
I. HISTORY of the RISE and PROGRESS of ARCHI- TECTURE, SCULPTURE, and PAINTING, An- ciENT and Modern. By J. S. Memes, LL.D. Author of " The Life of Canova," &c. 1 vol.
IL A PERSONAL NARRATIVE of a TOUR through Parts of DENMARK, SWEDEN, and NORWAY. By Derwent Conway, Esq. 1 vol.
II L HISTORY of the TURKISH or OTTOMAN EM- PIRE, from its EstabUshment in 1326 to 1828; conapri- sing a Preliminary Discourse on the Arabs, and also the Life of Mahommed, and his immediate successors in the Khalifat. By Edward Upham, Esq. in 2 vols.
JOURNEY
THROUGH
RUSSIA AND SIBERIAN TARTARY.
Sar^iftq i<
Ifeyer Sculps
M^* COCHRANE.
ii/iJ ffii/'si, Cha/icf ^-CfZoriJon..
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IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS
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UTER^TrSE, SCIENCE, 1- THE ARTS.
COCHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH RUSSIA VOL. 11.
.UJXcchranf l»'-l!
EDINBURGH:
FRINTEB FOR rOrTSTABILE & CfEIDITTBl'TRGH; 1829.
A
:>EDESTRIAN JOURNEY
THROUGH
RUS SIA
AND
SIBERIAN TARTARY,
TO
THE FRONTIERS OF CHINA, THE FROZEN SEA, AND KAMTCHATKA.
BY
CAPT. JOHN DUNDAS COCHRANE, R. N.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. XL
A NEW EDITION.
EDINBURGH :
PRINTED FOR CONSTABLE AND CO. AND HURST, CHANCE, AND CO. LONDON.
1829.
iniNBHRGH : ■pRINTFn BY BALLANTYNE AST) f-OMrAHY, PAUL'S WOBK, CANONGATE.
CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
CHAPTER I.
PAGE.
Departure from St Peter and St Paul's — Avatcha — Koraki — Nachiekin — Apatchinsk — Bolcheretzk — UtkaOstrog — Kolpakolskoi — Itchinsk — Kavarans- koi — Napanas — Tygil — Sedanka — Yelofka — Khartchina — Kamennoy Ostrog — Kamakie — Nish- ney Kamtchatsk — Cliutchie — Krestrova Ostrog — Kozerofsky — Massurah — Kirgannick — fliilkova — Verchney Kamtchatsk — Stchegatchik — Sherom — Pushchien — Ganal — Malka — Return to St Peter and St Paul's 1
CHAPTER II.
General Observations on the Peninsula of Kamtchafka 27
CHAPTER III.
Departure from Kamtchatka — Re-arrival at Okotsk —
Further Observations on that place — Bulgeine The
Udoma — Outchakan — Anchekon — Atchan and Konkui Rivers — Tchornoi Liess — Chakdalka— .
Chekinvio — The Aldan, Amgha, and Lena rivers
Ke-arrival at Yakutsk — General Observations on the ' akuti, and of their Metropolis 57
VI CONTENTS.
PA (II!.
CHAPTER IV.
Departure from Yakutsk — Tastakinskoi — Olekma — Berezova — Vittim — Kirenga — Katchouga— Bratsky Steppe — Verkholensk — Re-arrival at Irkutsk — The Angara river — The Baikhal lake — Verchney Udinsk — Selenginsk, and the Missionary station at that place 81
CHAPTER V.
Verchney Udinsk — Tchitta — Baidalofsky — Bolshoy Zavod — Nertchinsk — Tsurukhaitouyefsk, Kondou
Tchindat — Khirring — Ashenghinsky — Mogoitu
—The Ingoda— Tchitta— The Hot Baths — The Etaniza — Return to A^'erchney Udinsk — The Selen- ga — Kiakhta 104
CHAPTER VI.
Kiakhta — Cliutchie — Selenginsk — Irkutsk — The An- gara— Nishney Udinsk — Ulan — Krasnojarsk — Ye- nisseisk — The Black river — Atchinsk — Bogotova — Kemtchiega — Perecoule — Tomsk — Tashieka — Tchien — Kaiusk — Barabinsky Steppe-- Vosnesensk — Yalanka — Zavolgalka — Omsk — .... 127
CHAPTER VII.
Omsk — Tou-Kalan — Ishim — Tobolsk — Kamishloft" — Mr Major's establishment — Ekatherinebourg — Billimbay-Zavod — Bissertskaya Krepost — Koun- gour — Perm — Okhansk — Kilmess-selti — Malmish Kazan — Tcheboksari — Vassil — Nishney Novgorod — Bogotodskoye — Paulovo — Vladimir — iMoscow — Klinn — Tver — Torjock — Vishney Volotchock — Novgorod— St Petersburg 152
Appendix 213
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IV
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JOURNEY
THROUGH
RUSSIA AND SIBERIAN TARTARY.
CHAPTER I.
Departure from St Peter and St Paul's — Avatcha — Koraki
Nachiekin — Apatchinsk — Bolcheretzk — Utka Ostrog
Kolpakofskoi — I tchinsk — Kavaranskoi — Napanas —
Tygil — Sedanka — Yelofka — Khartchina — Kamennoy Ostrog — Kamakie — Nishney Kamtchatsk — Cliutchie — Krestova Ostrog — Kozerofsky — Massurah — Kirgannick — Milkova — Verchney Kamtchatsk — Stchegatchik — Sherom — Puschien — Ganal — Malak — Return to St Pe- ter and St Paul's.
All being prepared for me, I quitted the port of St Peter and St Paul's, accompanied by seven- teen nartes, driven by the officers and principal inhabitants, and for two miles by the ladies, one ot them, at parting, imprinting upon me a kiss, which was
Speaking silence, dumb confession.
Passion's birth, and infant's play, Dove-like fondness, chaste concession, Glowing dawn of brighter day ! VOL. ir. A
AVATCHA.
It was not loDg before 1 reached Avatcha, where I found all the officers awaiting me, with tea and other refreshments. The distance we had come is eight miles, along the beach, and over a few little hillocks covered with some stunted birch. At eight in the evening of the 20th November, O. S. I pro- ceeded upon my jouraey, with a Cossack and four nartes ; not that such a number was necessary to stow away my baggage, for it would not even fill the portmanteau of Sterne's Sentimental Traveller, although my pantaloons were of leather, while his were of silk, and consequently more easy to be stowed away.
From Avatcha the path lies along the river of its own name, which impeded our progress, and was otherwise unpleasant, as wetting me a good deal. The scenery was very dull, and I was so absorbed in contemplation, that I could hardly see the right side of any thing. At midnight I reach- ed the ostrog of Koraki, forty miles from the port, where ai-e a few fishing hamlets in tolerable con- dition. At one of them I fell in with an old ship- mate, who had come in the same transport from Okotsk. He had departed from the port three days before me, but a too frequent use of brandy had induced the Kamtchatdales to deny him dogs, in hopes of getting a portion of it.
The Cossack did not arrive at the halting place until eight in the morning, and then in such a state as to render him a fit companion for my old ship- mate. By noon, however, I got away, and pro- ceeded towards Nachielvin, thirty miles. The coun- try was so deep in snow, that it was midnight be- fore we ai-rived. We passed numerous half-frozen streams, the dogs suffering a good deal, and when- ever I walked to relieve them, I was sure of ha-
BOLCHERETZK.
ving my feet severely wetted. At Nachiekin I had to combat with a drunken postilion, bad do'>-s, a saucy toion, and my old friend too much annoy- ed me. Patience was my only resource for some hours, after which, on a beautiful frosty moon-light morning, I resumed the journey over a picturesque and mountainous country, well wooded and water- ed. Late at night we reached a small place called Apachinsk, forty-five miles. Ere we amved, we had to cross the river called Bolshaya in a canoe, the river not being frozen, a circumstance at this time of the year very rarely known. Thirty miles farther we reached the ancient capital of Kamt- chatka, Bolcheretzk,now a small village, containing fourteen dwellings, one hundred and sixteen in- habitants, and about thirty balagans, i. e. sheds for drying fish. The path to it was over a flat level along the river. I was myself the driver towards the abode of my now father-in-law, whose homely manners, numerous, healthy, smiling childi-en, and hearty breakfast, made ample amends for the fa- tigues of the last two days.
Bolcheretzk stands on the river of its own name, about fifteen miles from the sea of Okotsk, and has little to boast of at present but the affectionate re- membrance the inhabitants bear to the memory of Major Behm, so highly spoken of by Captain King. I heard, also, strange stories of the celebrated Ben- jofsky, who made his escape hence to Canton, ha- ving previously murdered some people and foment- ed an insurrection. I heard nothing in his favour, although an old lady, afterwards my aunt, was a companion of his. I found Bolcheretzk to be in- habited by a civil people, all Russians ; but were it otherwise, it might be expected I should speak
^ UTKA OSTROG.
highly of it, as the first place where my wife saw the light of day.
I could not fail of being a welcome guest at such a place, where neither tobacco, tea, nor spirits, had been tasted for the last three months by any indi- vidual. Of course, I left a small quantity of each article with my friends, making them, as it were, roll in luxuries, in return for which I received several sables and foxes as presents. The state of the river was such as to prevent my proceeding upon my journey in less than two days, which pe- riod I passed very happily, wandering over the ex- tensive site of this ancient place ; it is said to have formeriy contained to the number of five hundred inhabitants, which have been reduced, partly by the removal of the seat of government, and partly by disease. Ineligible as it is for a seat of govern- ment, I considered it as superior to St Peter and St Paul's ; here there is unlimited pasture and an abundance of wood ; there, neither the one nor the other. The advantage of the hai'bour of St Peter and St Paul's is, no doubt, a great thing ; but the river Bolshaya is by no means inappropriate for the small transports from Okotsk; to say nothing of the greater number and more safe voyages which could be made, compared with those actually per- formed to the present capital.
Canoes being provided, I resumed my journey in a heavy fall of snow, and crossing three branches of the river, entered upon a trackless maze of snow six and eight feet deep ; so difficult to pass, that it was three o'clock the following morning before I reached Utka ostrog, having been twenty hours in going fifteen miles. The route was along the sea- coast, having far to the right an elevated range of mountains. "^ Three miserable dwellings, in an ex-
VOROFSK.Y OSTROG. 5
posed situation, but with fine meadow lands, and plenty of game and fish, are all it can boast of. The chief was absent, hunting, and, as I could not procure fresh dogs, I remained six hours to I'est those I had brought, and then proceeded upon my journey, reaching, by midnight, Kickchick, twenty miles, a place of equal TVTetchedness with the last, and, like it, containing but fourteen or fifteen in- habitants, most of whom are disabled from work by disease. With the same dogs I reached Ko- lofsky ostrog, thirty miles along the sea-coast, up- on which a tremendous surf was roaring, with a strong north-west wind. There are in the neigh- bourhood several fine lakes, which never freeze, and produce trout and salmon peal of a fine flavour during the whole of the winter. Deer, mountain- sheep, and game of every description that is found in the peninsula, abound in the mountains and fo- rests, and fine meadow lands everywhere skirt the coast.
I remained to take tea with the old toion, whom I found to be a fiddler and a scholar, and departed for Vorofsky ostrog, forty miles. The mountains now approached nearer to the sea-coast, and pre- sented some beautiful scenery. I put up at the abode of a wealthy Russian farmer, and felt high- ly gratified in observing a small but fat herd of cattle. This is considered a rich spot, boasting, as it does, of forty head of oxen ; yet it contains only nine dwellings with about forty inhabitants, not enough to keep up the chase. The place is prettily situated on the Vorofskaya river, about four miles from the sea. There is a snug harbour at the mouth of the river, where the transports from Okotsk formerly visited, and the river is na- vigable to the village, which retains the vestises
A 2
ITCHINSK.
of a small fortress. The" meadow lands about it are at once extensive and luxuriant. The inha- bitants provided me with frozen fish, a delicacy I had so much enjoyed on the Kolyma, with ducks and rein-deer meat, as also with dogs to resume the journey, which canied me to Kolpakofskoi os- trog, thirty miles, along a dreary sea beach. The village contains six dwellings, and twenty people, who furnished me with dogs to Kroutogorova, thirty miles further, a beautiful situation near the extremity of the almost level plain reaching from hence to Bolcheretzk. The famous sopka, i. e. burning mountain, near Itchinsk, here becomes visible, and, although the country is so rich, not a head of cattle is to be met with from Vorofskaya. To Itchinsk are thirty miles of superior country, yet so deep in snow that we were obliged to take it by turns to go a-head with snow shoes ; at other times, the government of a narte was thrown upon me, which I at first made but a bungling hand of. Itchinsk has twelve dwellings ; it is, consequently, a considerable place ! — there are also two priests, brothers, whom I found drinking a decoction of dried herb instead of tea. I felt angry with the toion, who had let slip eight dogs intended for me, and declined entering his dwelling, the strongest mark of displeasure which can be shown to these simple people. The poor fellow felt the slight so severely as he saw me entering another yourte, that I could not help regretting the determination I had made. To Soposhna it is thirty-five miles, which I travelled in company with the reverend pedlars, for every body here is a merchant. I made them happy by a pound of tea, a few pounds of tobacco, nnd a bottle of spirits. The road was very fine, and the weather had much increased in cold ; so
BELAGOLOFSK OSTROG. 7
much SO, that the thermometer stood at 25°, which I had never before seen m Kamtchatka above 18°. Thence to Morososhna, thirty miles of a good road. The last-named village may be termed large, con- taining eighteen dwellings and a hundred inhabi- tants, in the enjoyment of many luxuries, yet with- out cattle. Thence the road lay along the foot of the mountains, the scenery of which gives a relief to the eye, as it is, in general, uninteresting all the way from Bolcheretzk, except at a few places- Upon the road to Belagolofsk ostrog, thirty-five miles, I got twice upset into the river, without the means of drying or changing my clothes, and suf- fered much, in consequence, in my feet. I had a fine view of the magnificent Itchinskaya sopka, or mountain, which continued visible until I reached Khariuzova, forty miles, the road to which is in general good, though there are some parts dan- gerous in the night-time. The ice, from the rapidity of the cun-ent, frequently sunk under us ; but, from our velocity of movement, no accident happened. At midnight I continued on for Kovranskoy ostrog, twenty-two miles. There is a law in Kamt- chatka obliging the toions to have a path made within twenty-four hours after every snow storm. Our chief had failed in his duty in this particular, and consequently was obliged to go before upon his snow shoes ; and such was his diligence, from fear of reprehension, that he not only arrived be- fore me, but arrived in five hours, a very short time to accomplish such a journey upon snow shoes. I found it the most miserable place I had seen for a long period, reminding me of Zashiversk in nor- thern Siberia. The brows of the hills are covered with brush-wood, with little other appearance of nature. From hence to Uskolofskoy ostrog are thirty-five miles, which I was obliged to do by
8 USKOLOFSKOY OSTROG.
walking and alternately driving a narte, and can not say which of the two is the most fatiguing The diseases prevalent in the place prevented al- most any assistance being rendered us. There are no cattle, yet fine meadow lands. Fish and game are abundant. At this place I met with an- other old shipmate, in the person of the brandy contractor, who accompanied me to the next sta- tion, Napanas, a village with six dwellings and forty people. The road leading to it is considered dangerous, owing to a large toundra, or swampy desert, which must be crossed : the distance is forty miles. We passed the desert in a slight fall of snow, which had not been sufficient to obliterate the marks of the track, else we must have been compelled to halt whenever the snow overtook us. I did not arrive until two o'clock in the morning, having been previously hurled down a snowy de- clivity of one hundred feet in depth : at the bottom of which, I, guide, dogs, and narte, all lay huddled together ; however vexed I felt inclined to be, I could not help laughing. The guide could hardly have intended a performance of the kind, which might have caused serious consequences. It is true, he was a little in liquor, but that was my fault rather than his.
The velocity and facility with which we had de- scended the declivity, was more than equalled by the difficidty we had in ascending from it. To drag me and the narte from the abyss, required all the dogs of the other vehicles, as well as the help of all the drivers, yet we succeeded at length ; when, up- on replacing the baggage, my pocket-book, con- taining passports and other papers relative to my journey, was missing ; this, though perhaps an ima- ginary evil, would have been severely felt by me. For a long time we searched in vain, turning up
NAPANAS. y
the snow, and, at last, I gave it up for lost. Such a loss never did, nor probably ever will, happen to any other person, as the papers which formed its contents are not likely to be again granted. The poor guide was the picture of despair, and vowed to do penance if.he could only recover them, which at last was effected through the exertions of the brandy chief. We arrived thence all well, and fared heartily. Napanas contains eight dwellings and an excellent toion, who induced the people under his command to show me the national dance. The poor fellows willingly obliged me, showing the improvements they have made upon the practice of bears, or rather, perhaps, on that of goats. The dance con- sists in a variety of distortions of features and limbs, all, doubtless, derived from the ridiculous and wanton customs of their ancestors. The dance of the Cossacks is equally bad, if not worse ; yet I have seen it often practised, at Yakutsk, by females who should have known better. The woman, who is the principal performer, commences the dance with a handkerchief extended by the hands, some- what like our own shawl dances ; now used to hide her face from one, then from another, but always with the object of singling out him whom she mo8t_ prefers as a partner. In a most unbecoming pos- ture she approaches the favourite from the centre of the room ; now dropping her head, with a pen- sive air, alternately upon each breast or shoulder, while her hands are employed in committing out- rages upon decorum. The man, having taken hold of the handkerchief, joins the dance ; the woman now reluctantly affecting to quit, appears again as anxious to rejoin him ; this sort of antic motion is continued, till, at length, the woman sinks, as from fatigue, upon her knees, and in the act of falling,
10 TYGIL HAVEN.
is dexterously recovered by the man ; and thus the dance closes. The agility and imitative powers of these wild Asiatics are really surprising ; and I make no doubt, that, were they to have an oppor- tunity of seeing the modern improvement in the art of dancing, as exhibited now-a-days in various public theatres, they would be found capable of imitating, not only bears and goats, but geese also. From Napanas I proceeded down the river of its own name to its junction with the Tygilsk ; having previously sent the Cossack, with the post and my baggage, straight on to the fortress. I reached the haven, where the brig Paul was laid up in the ice, with her lower rigging over the mast- head, I suppose to become frost-bitten. She be- longs to the government, and makes 07ie voyage annually to Okotsk, with bread, stores, &c. ; carry- ing back the furs which have been collected. A brig, of one hundred and twenty tons, is thus kept in commission to carry bread, for a few people, a distance of three hundred miles. Its commander, officers, and about twenty-five people, paid and fed the whole year ! I never knew a more shame- ful instance of inconsiderateness, on the part of the officers in any place, in any country. This brig, on an average, is not more than fifteen days at sea in the course of the year, and ought, if proper ex- ertions were made, and proper encouragement given, to supply Idgiga, Tygil, and Yamsk with provisions ; instead of which, each of these places keeps a similar vessel. Tolerably good barracks and store-houses have been built by the steersman, or commander, who has charge of the brig. The distance of the haven to the sea is ten miles, and below the fortress twenty ; which last place I reached in time to dine with its commandant, a lieutenant
TYGIL. 11
of the irapeiial navy, a young man, who had held the situation near five years, but who will now shortly leave it, that being the period allotted for his continuation in service.
Tygil stands on the river of its own name, at thirty miles from the sea. The country round it has somewhat of the picturesque during the sum- mer ; but its situation in winter is exposed and dreary. A range of mountains, from the N.E. to the S.E., defend it, in some degree, from the cold- est winds ; yet it is, on the whole, but a poor place. There are, at present, twenty-seven dwellings, and two hundred and fifty inhabitants, and it is deno- minated a fortress ; formerly, it may actually have been one, but, at present, will be best appreciated as to its strength, by a reference to George's Tra- vels in Siberia ; who, speaking of fortresses or os- trogs, the latter word comprehending Siberian for- tresses, says, " It would be dangerous to attempt storming them, for whoever wanted to mount the greatest and only bulwark, a wooden paling, would most probably come to the ground with the whole structure about him." Such, I am certain, is the present state of Tygil : and which, with its half dozen Cossacks, can only be held in terrorem over the neighbouring Koriaks : the Kamtchatdales are not a people numerically or physically strong enough to create a disturbance.
The inhabitants of Tygil are all Russians ; they have of late got the walls of a church as well as of an hospital erected ; when they are to be covered in I know not, though shortly, I hope, for they are much wanted. The ravages of a certain disease, at this place, are indeed dreadful, and, I should think, ought to call forth the attention of the go- vernment, so far as to induce them to export doc-
12 TYGIL.
tors to, and import priests from, Kamteliatka. I mean no disrespect to those reverend gentlemen, but just to hint, as my opinion, that, instead of the soul only, it would be better to take care of the soul and body at the same time. The average num- ber of people annually admitted to the hospital books, is three hundred and fifty, nearly twice its whole population, who are chiefly employed in fish- ing and trading with the neighbouring koriaks or Kamtchatdales. The place also serves to keep up the winter communication with Okotsk. For the Koriaks will not furnish rein-deer or dogs to cairy the post, unless they are remunerated by a present of tobacco, spirits, &c.
From what I have seen of the Koriaks, both in Tygil, and in their encampments to the southward, I have no doubt of their being of the same tribe as the Tchuktchi ; they have the same features, man- ners, and customs, and the same language — the same love of independence, and aie, in truth, less scrupulous of giving offence to the Russians than their northern neighbours, for they frequently break out in hostility with the inhabitants of Tygil, un- less a supply of spirits and tobacco is sent to them, for which, however, they barter rein-deer and furs.
The climate of Tygil is cold ; already had the thermometer passed 28° of Reaumur. The Cos- sacks, however, contrive to raise a few vegetables, as potatoes, cabbages, turnips, and radishes ; but the two former never arrive at complete maturity, the one being waxy, and the other without a head. The famous antiscorbutic, cheremsha, or wild gar- lick, abounds ; as does a small but delicious root, in flavour somewhat resembling a sweet potatoe, called, in the language of the country, kimtchiga. There is also an abundance of wild berries in the
3
SEDANKA THE RASOSHNA. 13
neighbourhood of Tygil, yet their chief support is fish and rein-deer, of both which I partook at the hospitable table of the commander of the fortress. At the expiration of four days I departed, having remained so long to recover my feet, which had been severely frost-bitten from wet.
I was accompanied by the commander of the transport lying in the haven : he was what is term- ed a good, though a droll, fellow ; and I was gra- tified with his society. Our route lay at first up the Tygil, which, from its source to near the town, runs through an interesting country. At midnight we reached Sedanka, a small village, containing six dwellings. From thence to Bolcheretzk is call- ed the Tygil coast, which, generally speaking, is low and flat, the sea-coast being from thirty to forty miles from the mountains. The villages through which I had come, were all of them upon the banks of some small streams, which, in most cases, rise in the mountains ; but sometimes they emanate from the lakes, which are numerous. The rivers I do not apprehend to be more than the melting of snow and rain which descend from the eternally snow-clad peaks. The quantity of homed cattle upon the coast is so small as not to merit notice, although the pastures are extensive, and fertile enough to feed millions.
At Sedanka we procured dogs to enable us to cross the mountains to the next station, a distance of one hundred miles. Early in the morning we passed the camp of the Koriaks, and continued our route along the Sedanka river for forty miles, when we reached the Rasoshna. We encamped for the night in the snow, placing ourselves between the dogs and the fire ; we passed, on the whole, a plea- sant night, although my feet were still in a bad
VOL. n. B
14 NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
State, owing probably to their late want of pedes- trian exercise. The following day we crossed nu- merous elevated lakes, and then over mountains and a well-wooded country. On our way we fell in with a caravan of eleven nartes, from the town of Cliutchie, bound to Tygil. We continued until we reached an elevated desert of ten miles long, which we crossed in a continual storm of wind and snow, called in this country purga ; we halted in a miserable place, having come about thirty miles. I can hardly imagine how the poor dogs found their way, or how they managed to drag us along. There are times when these purgas are so tremen- dous, that mountains of snow are levelled, immense valleys filled, whirlpools formed of snow not only stopping the farther progi'ess of the traveller, but absolutely burying him and his dogs : nothing cau exceed the devastation, or be compared to it, but the eflfects of the wind on sandy deserts or moun- tains. I have known instances of people detained for twenty and thirty days in this tremendous pass; and it is seldom that it is crossed without a gale. And yet all this difficulty and danger might be ob- viated, simply by the erection of crosses or mounts, as in the northern parts of Siberia, where I have seen in the distance of thirty or forty miles, a small mound of earth, with a white and black chequered cross, placed at every one hundred and fifty yards. The night was exceedingly cold, and the snow and wind prevented our even enjoying the luxury of a cup of tea, for no fii-e could be lighted. Cross- ing a second toundra, desert, of seven miles wide, with infinite labour to the dogs as well as our- selves, we entered upon a most magnificent coun- try. Lofty, straight, and stout firs lined the right of the valley, while the dwarfish larch, and alder,
6
YELOFKA. 15
mixed with birch, stood upon the left in all their bandied and crooked shapes. The contrast was extremely pleasing, as we glided along the milky valleys at a rapid rate. Immediately upon clear- ing the desert, the snow and wind ceased, and we hailed the return of fine cold weather. Not long after, we overtook a caravan of nartes in great distress, having been detained ten days in the mountains by the weather. The dogs had been without food for three days, and were, from fa- tigue, evidently in the last stage. In the early part of the evening we reached the Yelofka river, which unites not far hence with the Kamtchatka, running in a picturesque manner through the coun- try. At seven we reached the ostrog of Yelofka, fortunate in having crossed the mountains so safely. Yelofka is a pleasant village of eight dwellings and forty-six people ; the country round it is ele- vated and well wooded. We remained only a few hours to refresh ourselves, and then continued the journey along the river of its own name, the banks of which afford some beautiful scenery for about fifteen miles. We then came to a desert, which we crossed in a purga, fortunately not very heavy. At forty miles we reached the village of Khart- chma, of five dwellings and thirty inhabitants. I was welcomed to it by a respectable-looking old man, a priest, son to the highly eulogized priest of Paratounka. The son perfectly well remembered Captains Cook and Clerk ; he having been, at that time, a young man, living with his father at the vil- lage of Paratounka. Several uninteresting anec- dotes were related of them, as also of Perouse, in their rambles, of shooting or chasing the wild ani- mals. I had at Yakutsk been recalled to the re- membrance of Captain Cook, by a silver watch,
16 KAMENNOY OSTROG.
which now belongs to Captain Minitsky, of the Russian navy, and which, I think, is spoken of somewhere, as having been given away by that great navigatoi", to some individual merchant. He probably disposed of it, and thus at last it has fallen into the hands of the present holder, who, though I feel assured he appreciates it highly, yet would not retain it, should relations, or others more near- ly concerned, express a desire to be possessed of so valuable a memorial.
From Khartchina the route lies over a large lake, and thence over a fine open country, abounding with some of the finest fir-trees I have ever seen, reaching to the height of sixty and eighty feet. At twenty miles we reached the ostrog of Kamennoy, on the right bank of the Kamtchatka, and, chan- ging dogs, proceeded twelve miles farther to Ka- makie, over numerous lakes near the river. The country here abounds with red foxes, and is cer- tainly one of the most picturesque parts of the pe- ninsula. The beautiful view of the sopka, or peak, of Cliutchie, was hid in the clouds. I moved on towards Nishney Karatchatsk, also an ancient capi- tal in the peninsula, a far more eligible place than the present site. The weather had now become very mild, no less than 3° of heat of Reaumur. We made good about seven miles of our journey, through very deep snow, by the ensuing morning. For three hours we did not move forward more than one mile. A heavy fall of snow had taken place, and it was found impossible to proceed, ow- ing to the extraordinary heat of the weather. No track or scent offered to the dogs, otherwise I would have persisted in the prosecution of my journey. The drivers, however, with snow shoes, actually sunk eighteen inches deep in the snow, and I was
NISHNEY KAMTCHATSK. 17
therefore compelled to return. We soon regained the ostrog we had left, and there we passed the night, witnessing such a scene of riot and drunken- ness as is quite beyond my pen to describe. Had it not been for the previous knowledge of the cha- racter of the Karatchatdales which I entertained, of their inoffensive although boisterous conduct, I should have feared some unhappy result. My com- panion had parted with a few bottles of spirits un- adulterated, which, when they had operated, indu- ced him again to launch out adulterated spirits, re- ceiving, of course, a sable for each bottle. I was thoroughly convinced, from this circumstance, that Kamtchatka should not be supplied with spirits.
I was mortified at not visiting the town of Nish- ney Karatchatsk, and its port ; but may say that the former contains twenty-two dwellings and one hundred and fifty inhabitants, and the latter an accessible port, but much feared for want of be- ing frequented. Formerly, when the seat of go- vernment was held there, vessels annually went to St Peter and St Paul's for provisions ; but this is now no longer the case. Timber abounds in such quantities, and of such a quality, as should induce the government to fell and to export it to the pre- sent capital, where it is much wanted. I reached Cliutchie at midnight, having come over a few lakes and a half-frozen river. Cliutchie is a Russian peasants' village, containing one hundred and eighty inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated upon the right bank of the Kamtchatka, at the foot of the eastern termination of the lofty peak, which is not far from it. This peak is said to be the most elevated in the peninsula, being about fifteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. It has frequently emit- ted flames, lava, and dust ; but its summit was not
18 CLIUTCHIE.
visible during my stay in this respectable village of Christians. After the grand eruption which I had witnessed in the island of St Vincent's, in 1812, I could feel no regret at not being able to see one in Kamtchatka. It is true that little or no mischief arises from the volcanoes of this peninsula, and they may therefore be more innocently and placidly seen and contemplated.
The amount of tribute paid by the peasants is about ten shillings — formerly it was twenty, be- ing reduced one half at the time the Kamtchatdale yasack was reduced from two to one sable. The country is in every respect most luxuriant and beautiful ; and were there a sufficiency of inhabi- tants, as well as of horned cattle, it would no doubt make one of the most desirable abodes in the world : certainly an abode I should rejoice to have Tvithin my reach, although separated from fortune, family, friends, and luxuries, — nay, almost denied the com- forts of life : to a contemplative mind I have al- ways deemed the necessaries of life quite sufficient, and these are eminently abundant in Kamtchatka. Wood of the first growth, fish in most abundant quantity, game of the finest flavour, and of various species ; pastures inconsumable ; a chase which yields foxes, sables, river-otters, bears, wolves, &c. of the finest specimens, — are what Cliutchie has to boast. Vegetables are raised with greater faci- lity than in any other part of the peninsula. Wild berries are very abundant, and some little rye flour is produced, though not of so ripe a quality as to be of much use. Such are, in short, the claims of Cliutchie, that it should undoubtedly be made the capital of the peninsula ; and I am only astonished it is not so, considering how well its central situa- tion is adapted for that purpose. A neat church
CLIUTCHIE — KRESTOVA. 19
has lately been erected at the expense of the in- liabitaiits', who are in general disliked by the chiefs and otficers, owing to their resisthig the payment of indindual yasack, or presents. This is surely an enhancement of their character.
I quitted the village of Cliutchie, perfectly sa- tisfied with the character and conduct of its inha- bitants. They preserve a great tenaciousness of their rights, and detestation of the injustice shown to, or advantage taken of, their neighbours, the aborigines. To prove this assertion, I need but mention that, with these Cliutchie peasants, I was obliged to pay in money for the hire of the dogs which drew me ; a circumstance which had hap- pened to me nowhere else, and therefore carries the most undoubted proof of exactions, extortions, and cruelty, exercised upon the most innocent and inoffensive people in the world. INIy route lay from Cliutchie at first over some small lakes, and then along the banks of the Kamtchatka, which at this period of the year, 14th December, O.S., is but half frozen. At twenty- five miles I reached the ostroe called Krestova, having three yourtes and twenty-foiu- inhabitants, nearly all of whom are confined by disease. I continued on with the same dogs to Oushkielova, thirty miles further, having four habitations and twenty individuals, most of whom also are debilitated ; indeed, it is extraordi- nary what havoc the introduction of the small-pox, and another distemper, made at the ostrogs on the banks of the Kamtchatka. Remarkably fine and extensive meadow lands attended the traveller all the way from Cliutchie to Kozerofsky, as well as noble forests of timber; and there are seasons when cattle might maintain themselves during the whole of the wanter, the snow being then of no great
20 KOZEROFSKY— STCHAPPINAT.
depth; yet there are hut few heads of these ne- cessary animals. The scenery to the southward, along the banks of the river, is also of the man picturesque and sublime appearance. The mag- nificent peak, soaring to the clouds, has a fine ef feet when viewed from the bed of the river
Kozerofsky forty miles beyond Oushkielova, con ams five dwelhngs and thirty-six people, and IS pleasantly situated. I continued aloig the river KamtcJiatka for twelve miles, and then along that of the Tolba chmsk, to an ostrog of the same Lme for thirty miles more. The latfer part of theTou': ney was through a crowded forest, and a thick fo- which occasioned me some serious blows, as the dogs made their rapid progress, now and then start- ing at the scent of a fox or sable. Tolbatchinsk 18 a pretty little village with thirty inhabitants, and appears to be on the improvement; the establish-
ZZT \T^ ''''"' ^"'^ "^'"^^^ ^«^^"^'«^ fr^"" the woiJd. htchappinat was the next village I came
to. It IS upon the Kamtchatka, at a deep and nar- row part ot the river, which was not yet frozen enough to bear the nartes. I crossed two other small rivers by bridges for that reason. The sce- nery was very beautiful; a lofty range of moun- tarns lay to the east, with a good deal of fine tim^ ber, while the flat country is one fine uninterrupt- ed meadow, without a single cow to feed upon it, htchappinat has seven dwellings and fifty-two in- habitants and it is said, the finest fish in the pe- nmsula though but fe^v are actually procured from It. Ihey are considered so delicious, that the in- habitants send them to the seat of government as presents to the chiefs and officers. ^The ruses of their comparative scarcity are probably the depth and rapidity of the river, as wjll as the smallness
MASSURA — KIRGANNIC MILKOVA. 21
of the nets ; for unless the river be actually swarm- ing with fish, it is seldom that the inhabitants can provide themselves with a sufficient supply, so little are they instructed in those arts which alone can tend to their preservation.
To Massura are forty miles of a well- wooded country, and fine meadows upon the banks of the river. I almost flew the distance, being scarcely six hours in performing it. There are ten dwell- ings and sixty people, civil and hospitable to a pro- verb ; a considerable quantity of cattle are in the neighbourhood, feeding on a rich pasture, which runs to Kirgannick, twenty-five miles further, where I got sight of the magnificent mountain sce- nery overhanging Verchney Kamtchatsk. One sopka (peak) is especially remarkable. Milkova, a Russian peasant village, ten miles distant, con- taining fifteen houses, and one hundred and twenty inhabitants, received me next; a neat place, abound- ing in cattle, if thirty or forty of them may consti- tute an abundance. There are, however, no ani- mals of the chase. A handsome church has of late been erected under the auspices of Captain Go- lenistcheff, the second in command of the penin- sula, whom I found expecting my arrival, with every friendship and preparation of comfort which Kamtchatka may be said to boast, viz. a cup of tea, a glass of punch, and a pipe of tobacco. Ha- Ting received these, I continued for Verchney Kamtchatsk, also a peasant village ; but was ob- liged to return, owing to the inefficiency of the dogs, although distant only eight miles. I at length reached it much fatigued, having come through a pretty place called Stchegatchik, where some Cos- sacks are stationed to take care of a few heads of horned cattle, and four or five horses, which be-
22 VERCHNEY KAMTCHATSK.
long to the government. The situation is beauti- ful, on a branch of the Kamtchatka, which makes a semicircular indentation into the land, just oppo- site to VerchneyKamtchatsk, forming an island op- posite to the junction of the Gatchick and Milkova I procured fresh dogs at Verchney, a place on the declme, and proceeded towards Cherom, twenty miles, situated in one of the most romantic and enchanting valleys in the peninsula. I there met with the ispravnick and eighteen nartes, engaged for the collection of the yasacks, public and pdvate, as well as for trade. I felt gratified to meet them as I received good news of my affairs at the seat of government ; and learnt also that there was a road before me to cross the desert, lying towards Mal- ija. Ihe ispravnick had been detained fourteen days ,n a storm, and he and all the party, men and dogs, were nearly perishing of hunger, having par- taken of nothing but youkola (dried fish) for five days. Having exchanged dogs with another narte. *^«°tf"e(I on for Poustchin, twenty miles, and arrived before noon. The toion and I had a dif- ference of opinion which I shall ever regiet, as it arose from my ignorance of the proper character of the Kamtchatdales. The poor man had heard ot my coming, and had actually provided a good dinner for me, which I did not partake of, in con- sequence of Jiis not inviting me. Another poor man actually did invite me, and I entered his more humble dwelling. The toion was much surprised, and more vexed, at this slight, which tended to lower him in the opinion of his subjects. The fact proved to be, that the toion is really one of the oldest Kamtchatdales, and was only complyiu"- with the ancient custom of the country, which is not to invite a stranger into his dwelling, consider-
GANAL. 23
ingthat sucli stranger has the right not only to take it, but even to eject its owners. I left him with great regret that I could not stay another day to make him amends ; I did, nowever, all I could, with this view.
Ganal, forty-five miles from Poustchin, a ro- mantic country, we passed in high glee at the near prospect of finishing my journey. The elevated ranges of mountains which form the Ganal Valley have all flat summits. To the valley succeeds a level plain, very subject to storms and heavy falls of snow. I reached the place at nine in the even- ing. The inhabitants, amounting to thirty-two, live in four yourtes, and are all afflicted with the disease so common to the peninsula ; and the con- tagion and want of medicine have been so great, that even the children are equally afflicted, and the complaint of scrofula is become hereditary. In this part of the peninsula the chase is scaice, and the inhabitants mostly subsist upon fish ; a few mountain-sheep, and wild rein-deer, being the only meat they taste from one end of the year to the other. The situation is fine, and highly produc- tive in fish ; but at this moment there is not a suf- ficiency of people to transact the ordinary busi- ness ; a circumstance which calls aloud for the com- passion of the chief.
From Ganal to Malka are thirty miles, the first ten of which are over a sterile, mountainous coun- try, which is more than compensated by the suc- ceeding richness of a valley eighteen miles in length. I crossed several times the Bistra, a rapid stream, uniting with the Bolshaya Reka, and was again obliged to become pilot, chief, and dog-mas- ter : however, I managed very well, and arrived early, Malka is deserving of Httle notice, yet is
24 MALKA.
said to be celebrated for its baths ! The situation is magnificently grand ; the hospital stands in the bosom of a lofty chain of elevated mountains, at two miles from the village. I was welcomed by two old acquaintances, both of whom are doctors. Having refi'eshed myself, I proceeded to examine the hospitals and baths, all of which I found in a disgraceful state of filthiness and decay. There are two hospitals ; one for the Kamtchatdales, and a smaller one for the accommodation of the officers. There are also two baths, both ill contrived, and in want of every necessary and convenience which persons who have recourse to them require. The hospitals are without medicines, and the baths without flannel gowns, blankets, sheets, or towels ; nor is there even a warm passage for the patient from the bath to the hospital ; he must come from a place where the atmosphere is equal to 25° of heat, and pass through a current of air where there may be 13° or 20° of frost. There never was a place where more could and ought to be, or where so little has been done, for the benefit of so wretch- ed a people. The late chief doctor was five years in the command of this hospital, during which period he did nothing but keep his patients in- creasing in disease ; indeed, it may be considered a fortunate circumstance for the Kamtchatdales, that the governor was obliged to send him as sur- geon of Captain VassilieflF's ship, in lieu of the pro- per surgeon, who remained behind at sick quarters. Not even the most common vegetables have been raised ; and but for a few cows, the benevolent present of Captain Rikord, the chief, I hardly know what there would be of the really useful for this establishment, which certainly owes nothing either
iMALKA. 25
to the industry or humanity of the doctor before alluded to.
The state of some of those miserable creatures whom I saw in the hospital, was such as absolutely to prevent the doctor from dressing their wounds ; of course, I am incapable of describing them. They are allowed by the Emperor one pound of bread and half a pound of meat per day. They have also fish in abundance ; and wild beriies are to be found everywhere round the place. The patients, being all afflicted with one disease, are cramped up into one small space, never to go out but at their own desire, nor do any work, though they might raise an unlimited quantity of vegetables from the grounds covered with the warm vapour. In short, instead of being, as it is, a place calculated to engender and nourish disease almost to pestilence, it might be, at a trifling expense, and with proper care on the part of the head doctor, one of the most hu- mane and efficient establishments on the face of the globe.
With respect to the nature and quality of the baths, they had a strong smell of sulphur, and an unpleasant taste. The hot and cold springs are united at the baths, and it is a strange circumstance, that the one should always be boiling hot in 25° of frost, while the other, at 30° of heat, is always be- low the freezing point. These were the only re- marks my short stay, in the month of December, could enable me to make. I should, however, in justice observe, that the present head doctor, if it be Mr Gramatin, who was my shipmate in the transport from Okotsk, is a man of great talents, perseverance, and industry ; and had, previous to my leaving the peninsula, seven months after my arrival and visit to the hospital, cleared the place
VOL. II. c
26 RETURN TO ST PETER AND ST PAUL's.
of three-fourths of the patients, and sent them to their homes quite cured. He had no remedy but surgical operations, and succeeded in first putting the patient to sleep, and then cutting out all the afflicted parts. To the truth of this statement, extraordinary as it will doubtless appear in Russia, I beg leave to add the attestation of Dr Zaerzerf- skey, who was with me at the hospital at the time to which I allude. Dr Gramatin is also celebra- ted as a poet ; some of his invocations to the Muses have already found their way from Kamtchatka to St Petersburg.
My route from Malka to St Peter and St Paul's was over a highly picturesque valley, and in beau- tiful weather. I soon reached Nachikin and Ko- raki, and, changing dogs, proceeded very pleasant- ly, till midnight damped our satisfaction a little with a fall of snow. We halted to refresh the dogs, and lay down till the peep of dawn enabled us to proceed, and we reached Avatcha by noon. But no dogs were to be procured there except three, which carried my little baggage ; I therefore pro- ceeded on foot, and reached the haven at about three o'clock. My entry, alone and unperceived, was widely different from my departure : — my sensations were correspondent. In melancholy mood, leaving my betrothed for the sake of wan- dering over a long and painful journey ; returning delighted to have done so before I should be made most happy, by findmg that betrothed true, and all that I could desire, — but no more of this.
Having thus completed the tour of the Penin- sula, it will be proper in this place to enter on its description, with that of its inhabitants, their man- ners, customs, &c.
[ 27 ]
CHAPTER II.
General Observations on the Peninsula of Kamtchatka.
Kamtchatka is a large peninsula of an ellip- tical figure, extending from the latitude of 59° to 51° N. ; the breadth is inconsiderable. A magni- ficent chain of mountains, with numerous sopkas or peaks, extend from north to south, the whole length of the peninsula ; from which mountains nu- merous rivers, large and small, find theii' way into the ocean. Of these the Kamtchatka is the only- navigable one, admitting vessels of one hundred tons as far as one hundred and fifty miles up the stream. All the rivers are, however, crowded with fish of superior flavour. There are also lakes of considerable size, and so numerous, that all inter- course between the several parts of the peninsula is, during spring, summer, and autumn, effectually precluded.
The productions of the country are few, but va- luable. There is an abundance of wood, as fit for ship-building as for general use. The finest tim- ber is found on the banks of the Kamtchatka, Ye- lofka, and eastern coast ; but the climate is such as to induce me to believe that neither corn nor vegetables will ever attain to great perfection, the soil in all seasons, at the depth of twenty-four to thirty inches, being frozen. Potatoes never ripen,
28 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
cabbages never come to a head, and peas only flower; but turnips and radishes thrive amazingly. Grass of the most nutritious quality is found in the greatest abundance, as well in the numerous meadows as in the foi-ests. It grows to the height of between five and six feet, and in some places three crops are produced within the year.
Winter may be said to occupy near one lialf of the year, — spring and summer the other half. The winters are mild when compared to those of Sibe- ria; the thermometer never descending, in the southern parts of the peninsula, below 20° of Reau- mur, and seldom below 12° and 15°. Spring is the most agreeable time, just when the leaves put forth, and it is then the fishing commences. The summer is the most disagreeable portion of the year, owing to the heavy rains and heavier fogs ■which come from the eternally snow-clad moun- tains. The greatest heat is in July, when the ther- mometer is at 27° and 28° of Reaumur. The snow lying upon the ground seven and eight months, will sufficiently account for the want of cultiva- tion ; but, indeed, the remaining four can hardly be considered as equal to more than two months in other places ; for the sun at St Peter and St Paul's has no effect upon the earth during more than four hours of the day; and, from the immense height of the mountains, it is only from ten o'clock until two that any heat is felt.
This absence of heat, and these changes of cli- mate, with the veiy heavy fogs, which account for the sterility of the soil, operate also to prevent the inhabitants from layingin a sufficient store of winter provisions, which, as they consist of fish, are ex- posed to the air to dry, and in a short time become so rotten and maggoty, that but a small quantity
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 29
can be made serviceable for the consumption of the people ; the rest is retained for the dogs. Salt is at present issued, but not in sufficient quantities ; were that article more liberally distributed, the people might in some years prepare fish to last them several successive ones. From the quantity now supplied by the king of the Sandwich islands, it is to be hoped that the first productive season will be taken advantage of.
Of wild vegetables, some of which are mixed with the bark of trees for the fare of the inhabi- tants, there is an abundance in Kamtchatka, and there is no doubt that greens, turnips, and radishes, might, with a little trouble, be everywhere pro- duced. Wild berries and wild garlic abound ; the latter is exported to Okotsk and Yakutsk. This plant is one of the finest antiscorbutics known, but has a peculiarly offensive smell.
The principal riches of Kamtchatka may be said to consist in the animals of the chase, of which there is so prodigious a number, that there are not sufficient inhabitants to take them. The most valu- able are foxes of various colours, a few sea and more river otters, with an immense number of sa- bles. Bears, wolves, rein-deer,and mountain-sheep, and sometimes a few lynxes, are also to be found. The number of skins annually exported and con- sumed in the peninsula may be about thirty thou- sand, of which sables and foxes form the principal part. The sables are considered at once the warmest and the coarsest known ; the foxes, however, espe- cially the fiery red, are of the finest species. Next to these furs, the dogs of Kamtchatka may be con- sidered as forming a great part of their riches. These faithful and useful animals are employed to transport fish, supply the howse with water, the c2
30 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
cattle with hay, — in short, to do all the work that horses perform in England. They are fed as cir- cumstances may dictate, being always left to shift for themselves from June to October. They are of a coarse appearance, in shape resembling a com- mon house-dog, but endued with great sagacity ; and it is to be regretted that they are not relieved a little by the importation of horses.
Independent of fish and wild animals, the Kam- tchatdales derive also a considerable benefit from the surprising quantities of geese, ducks, swans, snipes, and wild cocks. They are pi-eserved by dipping them in water, which freezing, they will be good as long as winter continues ; at other times they are salted. The ducks and snipes are most excellent : but the geese, swans, and wild sheep are considered venison, and of the most delicious kind too, by those who are termed epicures ; for myself, although I have frequently partaken of them, I never could relish their flesh. The Kam- tchatdales also derive great benefit from the whales, which are numerous, and which, being encounter- ed by the kasatka, for the sake of the tongue, as is supposed, are killed and cast ashore. Upon the whole, therefore, there are no people at whose dis- position Providence has placed more of tlie neces- saries of life, than the inhabitants of Kamtchatka. For their direct subsistence they have fish, flesh, and fowl, wild berries and roots in great variety and abundance, sufficient, doubtless, to maintain a large population ; while for clothing, they have im- mense quantities of furs of the warmest and most durable kind ; and for firing and building, wood is everjTvhere to be had in the utmost profusion.
Such being the case, it becomes a matter of speculation, what could induce the aborigines to
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 31
live in that filthy and famished condition which formerly characterised them. Was it from an over- abundant population, or the want of means to pos- sess themselves of food — such as guns, nets, and traps ? That they had means to entrap game and fish for a certain proportion of the inhabitants, there can be no doubt ; but whether sufficient for a lai'ge population, is very questionable.
Of the people in general, I can only say they are as amiable and honest as ever. They are now established in villages, all bixilt in the old Russian style, which are clean and comfortable. During the summer, or fishing season, they leave their winter residences for the balagans, or places which they use for drying their fish. Thus the summer is employed in preparing food against the winter, which latter is taken up in the chase. Beyond this, the Kamtchatdale is still the same lazy, drunken, servile animal as foi'merly. Their ancient language ie not forgotten, but is so far out of use, that there are few who do not speak Russian. Most of the aborigines are baptised, and may be said to live as the Russians do. The number of real Kamtchat- daleswho retain their ancient usages is small. They reside on the northern coasts beyond Tygil and Nishney Kamtchatsk. Hospitality is the most stri- king feature in their character ; but they are also distinguished by their strict adherence to truth, and their honesty is proverbial. Without being forward to complain of ill treatment, they will fearlessly re- count it when questioned. They are in part go- verned by their own toions or chiefs, but an an- nual visit is made to each village by the ispravnick, or chief judge, as well for the purpose of collect- ing sables, as of administering justice and deciding quarrels.
32 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
Their dress is the same as formerly, that for the winter season being made of the skins of beasts ; but in summer they wear nankeens, and at present there is hardly a Kamtchatdale who does not wear a shirt. The women have also adopted the Rus- sian head-dress, the articles for which are procured from the pedlars at a most exorbitant rate. It is surprising that this people, who have now been feeling the extreme of oppression from neglect and mal-administration for one hundred and twenty years, should not have become wiser and more eco- nomical in their habits ; on the contrary, one might suppose they were a people but yesterday disco- vered. They will part with the most valuable furs for a trifling article or a glass of spirits.
I need say nothing of their superstitions, as they are nearly at an end. They now place as much reliance upon the efforts of the priests, as they for- merly did on their shamanes, with this difference only, — that to the former they give many furs, while to the latter they only gave a hearty meal.
Of laws they have but few of their own, their motto being something like that of the Chinese, " to return evil for evil, and good for good." At present they await the arrival of the chief, of an officer, or of a commissary, with a gieat deal of ceremony, giving him the best lodging, and ac- knowledging, if 1 may so say, his supremacy. For- merly, it appears, they lived in a perfect state of equality and independence of each other, age and expertness in hunting alone being held in estima- tion or respect.
The Kamtchatdales are now supplied with cu- linary utensils, and every thing they can require, by the Russians ; and as they live exactly in the same manner, and in the same description of houses
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 33
with the latter, I need only refer my readers to an account of a Russian village ; in their outward ap- pearance there is no difference whatever. They seem a race disburdened of all care and consider- ation for the future, and entirely resigned to any fate which may await them, whether it be oppres- sion, starvation, or disease.
In my opinion, and I speak it most sincerely, the aborigines have not derived much benefit from the conquest of their country by the Russians, as even their conversion to Christianity has done little other good, than entitled them to the name of Christians. The great number of priests and dea- cons (twenty-six in number) would, I presume, suggest an expectation of more learning and piety in this part of the world than in any other semi- barbarous places ; but really I have never seen any good effects from the labours of these revei'end gentlemen. Certainly there is no population cor- responding to the number of ecclesiastics, as will appear on considering that the whole Kamtchat- dale population does not exceed, male and female, two thousand seven hundred and sixty, while their dogs amount to two thousand two hundred and eight. The number of Russians is one thousand two hundred and sixty. The inhabitants north of Tygil and Nishney Karatchatsk, are four hundred and ninety-eight, while in the Kodak villages there are one hundred souls; making a population of four thousand five hundred and seventy-four, men, wo- men, and children, Russians, Kamtchatdales, and Koriaks. Whether the original population has not decreased in a surprising degree, is a question I shall not answer, farther than by reminding my readers that, at the discovery of Kamtchatka, we are told in the Russian history, that no less than
»
34 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
one hundred and sixteen villages were on the banks of the river Kamtchatka. The small-pox, and its rival distemper, with other diseases, and above all, the spirit of persecution, which has been unremit- tingly practised towards these poor people, have been the several causes of the depopulation. Of late, however, I can with certainty say, the popu- lation has not decreased ; this may be owing to the benefits arising from vaccination, as well as some- what better medical attendants. But although po- pulation has of late kept its maximum, it may be a question whether the aborigines have not de- creased in the same ratio that the Russians and convicts have increased. At present there are se- veral Yakut as well as Russian exiles in the pe- ninsula, neither of whom can be of much benefit ; but both assisting to persecute and plunder the Kamtchatdales.
Of the history and origin of the Kamtchatdales little positive has ever been known, and that only for the last one hundred and thirty years. Kamt- chatka is supposed to have been visited by some Russians in 1649, when one of the traveller Desh- neflF's vessels was wi-ecked on its coast. Those Russians lived with them in peace for a consider- able period of time ; but, quan'elling among them- selves, were murdered. Nothing more is known of the place, until Vladimir Atlassof discovered the peninsula in his excursions from the Anadyr ; from which time a constant petty warfare continued be- tween the Russians and natives, until the general revolt and massacre in 1731. Since this period, the peninsula has not been greatly troubled with either conspiracies or massacres. Little doubt can exist that the Kamtchatdales are of Asiatic origin : of this, their features and customs, as well as their
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 35
dwarfish size, are evident tokens. I have read se- veral dissertations upon the subject, but disagree with most of them. My oivn opinion is formed from ocular demonstration alone, and not from a study of the circumstances under which they la- bour. Their having progressed from America is indeed a ridiculous idea ; and their having learnt many secrets, as causing fire by friction, &c. from the inhabitants of the opposite continent, is just as probable as the other sagacious notions, that they were the teachers. How, in either case, could they pass that formerly ferocious and warlike race the Tchuktchi? Or if they had come from the north of Siberia, from Irkutsk or Yakutsk by Okotsk and Idgiga, how did they pass the still more fierce and barbarous Koriaks ? The idea is absurd ; and the only one I can for a moment entertain is, that they are a Mongole tribe, who were driven down the Amour, and, passing along the Kurile Isles, reached Kamtchatka. A few of the same race ai-e still the inhabitants of those isles, with a dialect of the same language, originating from the Mongo- lian ; and the only difference between them and the Kamtchatdales is, that they are a more manly, and consequently a more independent, race ; for, of all the people at present existing, I believe the natives of this peninsula to be the most affable and hospi- table ; but, at the same time, the most cowardly and insensible. I never saw, in any part of the world, a people more abused, under the sanction of a proverb, now become almost a principle, " God is high, and the Emperor far off."
Their modes of fishing and hunting, and such productions of the country as I have not noticed, may be found in Cook's and other travels. I will therefore proceed to compaie the present happiness
36 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
of the people of this peninsula, with that which they formerly enjoyed. In the first place, as to
their possessions in horses and horned cattle. It
appears by the last census, that there are but one hundred and nine of the former, and nine hundred and sixty-eight of the latter, in the whole penin- sula ; two-thirds of which are in the hands of the Kussians, and but three hundred and ninety-three head of cattle in the possession of three thousand four hundred Karatchatdales and Koriaks. It is to be regretted that the flattering prospects held out by Captain King have not been realized. The introduction' of horses and horned cattle would much tend to ameliorate the condition of the peo- ple, were they once imported upon a large scale. The dogs, like the aborigines, are on the decline, and probably twenty or thirty years more will leave nothing in Kamtchatka but the Russians and ani- mals of the chase. When it is recollected that Kamtchatka has such magnificent and extensive meadows, and that the climate is not severe ; and when it is considered with what facility govern- ment might send, each year, two or three thousand heads of young cattle, by the annual transports, to Tygil, — it may be naturally supposed that the dif- ferent chiefs have been attending more to their per- sonal concerns than to those of the peninsula. That the place might be made even to flourish, there can be no reasonable doubt.
The expenses of the colony have been very great to Russia, and must continue so, as long as the present plan is persisted in. The yasack amounts to a less sum of money than the smgle maintenance of a chief. Five hundred heads of foxes, or sa- bles, worth six thousand roubles, or three hundred pouuds, is the amount ; while the expenses of the
THE PENINSULA OE KAMTCHATKA. 37
colony cannot fall short of two hundred thousand roubles, or ten thousand pounds.
The depopulated state of this peninsula is also to be attributed to other causes. Their continual wars and insurrections greatly thinned them ; and these were followed by the introduction of the small-pox, which, in the year 1768, carried off no less than six thousand persons ; and twenty thou- sand are supposed to have fallen victims to it with- in a short period. Yet at this moment there is a want of vaccinating matter ; nor is it a question- able assertion, that the quality of medicines, in the hospitals, is shamefully adulterated, and the quanti- ty small. The present worthy chief has, however, caused an inquiry to be made upon this subject, and the result has been transmitted to government. But it is not the small-pox alone that the arrival of the Russians introduced into this place ; the dis- temper before alluded to has made, and continues to make, most dreadful ravages in eveiy part of the peninsula, very few families being free from the taint, and no part of the world can show more miserable objects of its fury. The whole race, indeed, look like beings better qualified to extinguish than to propagate the human species ; nor is this surpri- sing, considering their present state, almost with- out hospitals, medicines, or attendants, save that ill-managed house at Malka.
Besides these two diseases, the inhabitants of Kamtchatka are subject to all those which make havoc in countries where the people are ordinarily ill-fed, ill- clothed, and liable to famine. The last has frequently visited this peninsula, more from a want of people than of food ; for fish is not always to be had upon both sides of the peninsula at the same time, and they have not the means of traus-
VOL. JI. D 2
38 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
porting the superabundant quantity to the opposite coast.
Another great cause of this ravage in popula- tion has arisen from the introduction of spirits : a Kamtchatdale will sell his last sable or fox for a glass of it, though he is not physically strong enough to drink any thing of the kind. When it is con- sidered that sixteen thousand bottles of this trash are consumed in the short period of three or four months, by six or seven hundred people, we may well feel pity and surprise, — pity for the poor wo- men and children, and surprise at the means of getting either the money or sables. Such a quan- tity of spirit ought to sell for fifty thousand roubles, which is one hundred per cent upon the price at Okotsk ; but it is, in reality, sold for twice that sum. When it is recollected that officers, soldiers, sailors, merchants, and priests, travel round the peninsula for the puqjose of trade, it will be less wonderful when I assert, that each bottle of spi- rits sold to the Kamtcbatdales, produces the value of ten and twelve shillings. Now, allowing half the quantity imported (eight thousand bottles) to be consumed by the aborigines, this would pro- duce from eighty to one hundred thousand roubles ; while the cost is, in Okotsk, only twenty-five thou- sand. I have seen a bottle of spirits sold for a sable, and afterwards, when the party was drunk, a bottle of adulterated liquor has fetched the same price : in short, I have seen three and even four sables given for two bottles of spirits.
Allowing seven hundred and fifty families of the Korialvs and Kamtcbatdales, which is five to each family, and that half the quantity of imported spi- rit is consumed by them, it will appear that each family consumes, at least, twelve bottles in four
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 39
months. By this plan, the poor purchaser Is drunk for days together, and for the rest of the year can get nothing to cheer him under his depression. The cost of that spirit, to the Kamtchatdales, is one hundred and fifty or two hundred roubles ; a prodigious sum for a poor family to expend upon an article so pernicious in its moral and physical effects. Such a sum of money, in Kamtchatka, would produce near six or eight hundred pounds weight of flour ; enough to support a small family during a whole year : or such a sum would enable them to purchase proper clothing, culinary utensils, nets, twine, tobacco, axes, and knives. The evil of these grog-shops is carried to so ruinous an ex- tent, that the children of the natives are left for three and four days without any food, save youkola (dried fish), doled out to them once or twice with- in that time. I have known instances of mothers and children being left without any means of sup- port, in consequence of the retailing of such trash being allowed. The youkola and the bark of trees is, in such cases, almost the only nourishment the women and children can procure for several days. If they happen to be possessed of a cow, they are considered very fortunate. It needs little philo- sophy to prove, that it is only by taking care of the rising generation that the stock itself can be pre- served, which will not long be possible, if spirit continue to be transported and retailed out as it now is. — While making these reflections in Eng- land, I am aware that the Russian government have desisted from this trade ; but this is only the worse for the Kamtchatdales, inasmuch as the pedlars take an extra quantity, and demand a most exor- bitant price for a spirit infinitely inferior: the only
40 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
effectual check is indiscriminate prohibition; a pro- hibition which ought also to extend to Okotsk.
The abuses arising from the collection of the yasack are most cruel. The yasack itself is in- considerable, but, from the arbitrary manner in which it is collected, it is rendered odious and op- pressive. The tribute is levied in kind, at any low or capricious valuation ; and it has not unfrequent- ly happened that the toion of a village, who does not properly compliment the chief, or other officer, upon the annual visit, has so small a price put up- on his furs, in payment of their tribute, that they sustain a loss of two, three, and even four hundred per cent. I have seen sables valued at half-a-crown, for which the merchants present would have given twelve shillings. Independent of the yasack, each Kamtchatdale has to pay seventy copecs, or seven pence, as a sort of capitation or poll-tax ; upon failure of which, the ispravnick may have recourse to the most arbitrary and unjust measures. Any property may be seized and sold on the moment, ' — such as axes, knives, nets, guns, kettles, or the clothing of the family ; and it has often happened that a poor family have been ruined through the cruel and oppressive conduct of these tax-gatherers, not from a deficiency of the legal dues, but of ^7- legal dues. The mode of taxation in each ostrog is also highly objectionable, and sometimes render- ed cruel. They are not taxed as a people, but a3 a place ; and it not unfrequently happens that the village which formerly contained forty or fifty able people, and was taxed as such, does not the fol- lowing year contain more than twenty or twenty- five, in consequence of illness or removals. There is, however, no remedy ; the yasack of the whole must be paid by the few. It is also not a little
THE TENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 4J
singular that each ostrog is taxed in money, and yet money cannot be received: the duplicity of this act is too apparent to be mentioned, yet it would seern that the government must be unac- quainted with a fact of the kind, for the difference, in the amount of the tribute, would not equal one hundred pounds. Instead of the sum of money at which each village is rated, the inhabitants are obliged to pay furs, at one-fourth the value. Sables of the finest' quality, and worth forty shillings a pair, are never averaged at more than ten. It would be more honest to increase the nominal tri- bute of money, or put a specific tax on furs, which would be felt less severely, because an appearance of candour would accompany it.
The next galling tax is that levied for the tax- gatherer himself; and this is a greater grievance than that levied on behalf of the Emperor, and un- der more humiliating circumstances. Each ostrog, and each toion or chief of it, is also compelled to pay the same tribute to his actual chief as to the Emperor himself ; so that the yasack is de facto paid at least five times over.
Nor is the impolitic system of collecting the tri- bute more injurious than that arising from forced or gi-atuitous services, such as the forwarding of the post, the transport of flour and salt, and the issuing of padvodies, or forced levies of horses or dogs, to officers and favourites. This is, indeed, an intolerable abuse, and calls loudly for redress. There can be no doubt but that, if the proprietors of dogs were rewarded at a proper time, and in a proper manner, they would as much court the em- ployment as they now abhor it. According to the present plan, the natives lose their time, their dogs, their health, and their provisions. Any favourite
D 2
42 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
or officer, who may wish to trade, is furaished witb^ ©ne of these free billets, which autliorizes him, upon the plea of public duty, to call out men and dogs ; while the manner of the officer or favourite seems to intimate, that he confers an obligation upon the chief of the village by his acceptance of a couple of sables as a present. Nor is this all ; not content with the present, the party travelling has the privilege of trading, and buying just as many more sables as the poor aboriginal may have caught, and which are invariably sold for just such a consideration as the officer may incline to give. If a governor or officer be compelled to travel upon public service, and if he receives from the Crown a sum of money to pay travelling expenses, it seems very strange that such money is not paid to these poor people. As little can I understand why a post should travel gratis : surely the poorest and most distant part of the Russian empire should not be oppressed in such a manner. It is true, the sum paid by the government to officers when tra- velling is small, as well as that paid to the posti- lion when in charge of the post ; but small as it is in itself, it would be acceptable to those to whom it would appear much. As to officers' travelling, for which there is no public necessity, they can at best but reap the advantages belonging to the fair trader, who is not inconsiderably taxed. I have heard an officer of high rank assert, that every voyage from Kamtchatka to Okotsk and back again, was worth ten thousand roubles, or five hundred pounds ; and I believe he spoke the truth.
With respect to the pedlars, here denominated merchants, they, in truth, ought to be taxed se- verely, as well in regard to the goods they bring as the price at which they are sold, the articles be-
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 43
ing such as are of light burden, or will retuni the greatest profit. The ignorance of the aborigines is such, and their thoughtlessness of the future so great, that they prefer present luxuries to future necessities. The quantity of articles hawked about by the merchants consists of tobacco, spirits, silks, tea, sugar, nankeen, and cotton handkerchiefs. Every Kamtchatdale keeps open house, and, upon the aiTival of a Russian, his (loor is held open, the owner standing by it uncovered, and awaiting the entry of his noble guest, who, making an obeisance to the kasaika, or landlady, passes on to the most comfortable part of the dwelling, and divesting himself of the unwieldy clothing so necessary in this part of the world, calls aloud for dinner or supper, as the time may be, orders food for his dogs, eats and drinks well, has a bed prepared for him, and takes breakfast, consisting of fine game, fish, and the like. The intermediate time is em- ployed in extorting three or four hundred per cent profit for his goods, and the only remuneration to his host is a glass of spirits, or a leaf of tobacco, in some cases not even a " thank ye," although stress of weather has, unfortunately for them, de- tained him to partake of their hospitality for a week or more.
Were the merchants compelled to take more woollens and linens, some flour or oatmeal, with a sufficient quantity of axes, knives, kettles, twine, nets, and other implements of great necessity, there would be less objection to their proceeding round the peninsula, and less inducement for officers to do so. Tobacco, it is tnie, is an article of great demand as well as of great necessity ; tea and sugar aie also in considerable demand, though, pro- bably, too much money is lavished upon both these
44 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
articles by tlie Kamtcliatdales ; as also upon silks, nankeens, and fine cottons. A great benefit would arise from the establishment of a general fair in Kamtchatka, to be held at St Peter and St Paul's, as well as from two or three provincial fairs, to be held upon a cei'tain day at certain places. Among the people who also travel round the peninsula of Kamtchatka, are doctors and parsons. They are both extremely troublesome : for while the one af- fects to prepare the soul, and the other the body, both, I believe, are more concerned in fleecing the thoughtless aboriginal, and in depriving him of the means of support.
The quantity of convicts sent amongst a people so susceptible of imposition, is also a serious griev- ance. The convicts, as Russians, have an indirect ascendency over the Kamtchatdales, which is exer- cised in a most intolerant and infamous manner. The convicts frequently desert, and commit every species of villainy and outrage, even to the foment- ing of insurrections. This was the case during my stay in the peninsula ; nor are the Kamtchatdales so dull, but that they remember Count Benjofsky with horror. If the government of Russia really feel interested in the prosperity of Kamtchatka, and I do not doubt it, they have an easy mode of effecting it, by transplanting thither two or three thousand Yakuti, with their cattle. They are an industrious, ingenious, and peaceable people ; and, being excellent herdsmen, they could not, of course, but thrive in a country of such extensive and rich pastures.
I cannot refrain from mentioning what appears to me a most desirable plan of administering a direct, and yet inexpensive, relief to these poor people : — Let the yasack be totally abolished, and
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 45
let each family of the aborigines be compelled to take from the government one pood of flom- per month, at the price, say, of a sable or fox-skin. The result would be, that government would issue an extra six thousand poods of flour, at an expense of sixty thousand roubles ; in return for which they would receive six thousand skins, worth at least ninety thousand roubles ; leaving a gross profit of four times the price of the present yaeack, and actually assisting the Kamtchatdales by the aban- donment of a direct tax of half the amount— to say nothing of the benefits which would accrue from such a measure to the females and children, who are now left for many days without tasting any other food than bad fish, or the bark of trees. 1 do not know what effect a poll-tax may have upon the animal frame, but it appears to be no incite- ment to procreation. In Kamtchatka it is the same as in Mexico ; a single man pays a heavy tax, a married man a heavier, and a father the heaviest of all. Such conduct is bad policy on the part ot government, and cames with it more the appear- ance of a wish to extinguish than to increase the population of Siberia.
I have already commented upon the evil eltects
arisin<^ ft-om forced levies and forced services ; of
the transport of flour, salt, spirits, the post, as well
as officers, from one place to another, without any
remuneration to the inhabitants. Of the conduct
of these travelling gentlemen, high and low, it will
be sufficient to give a specimen. The officer, upon
ai-riving at a village, is received by the toion, or
chief, and conducted to the warmest and cleanest
part of the yourte. His upper garments are taken
from him, cleared of the snow, and put out in the
open air for the night; it being understood that
46 GENERAI-'OBSERVATIONS ON
the colder the dress is put on in a cold country, the warmer it ultimately becomes. The landlady' or toionsha, is also engaged in scraping the boots of the travellers, to prevent the heat o"f the room from melting the snow which adheres to them. The best provisions are then got ready as fast as possible, either for dinner or supper, as the time may suit. The toion then comes in with a reluc- tant smile and a pair of handsome sables, and, bow- ing to the officer, places them upon the table for his acceptance. Dinner being at length served up, the officer may be considerate enough to give the toion a glass of spirits, as also to permit the family to partake of the tea-leavings. Haviiig finished his dinner, the officer asks the toion if the chase has been good, and how many sables he has got,— probably two, four, or six,— which he ac- cordingly takes for as many handkerchiefs, pieces of nankeen, pounds of tobacco, or a small quantity of tea and sugar. The dogs of the village are at last ordered out, and the officer departs, in perfect complacency with his conduct and condescending demeanour.
I have never been able to ascertain the exact number of animals annually caught in the penin- sula, but suppose they cannot fall short of thirty thousand, worth at least two hundred thousand roubles. One out of every forty is supposed to be paid to the Emperor upon their arrival at Okotsk; but it is very difficult to insure any payment of such a tax, except from the regular traders, and they also manage to defraud the government of the proper dues. The value of the furs varies ; a sea-otter, is worth thirty-five pounds ; a river ot- ter, two pounds ; a black fox, twenty pounds ; black and white fox, ten pounds ; brown fox, two
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 47
pounds ; a common fox, twelve shillings ; and a white or J)lue fox, as little as two shillings and six- pence ; sables vary from eight to twelve shillings. For these bread is bartered at eight shillings the pood ; tea at twelve shillings the pound ; sugar four shillings, and tobacco three shillings, the pound. In short, no aiticle is sold for less than four hun- dred per cent profit upon the actual expense of fetching it from Canton ; with the advantage, ia that case, of procuring all sorts of coarse cottons, nankeens, and handkerchiefs, besides iron utensils. The American Company might, and ought to contract with the government for supplying flour to Okotsk, Idgiga, and Kamtchatka, for which about forty thousand poods are annually required. Their abundance of unemployed vessels would also en- able them to furnish the aborigines with every thing they require, at a cheap, and yet a profitable rate. But such is the pertinacity and jealousy of those composing that body, that they will do nothing, even to benefit themselves, if it be also of benefit to others ; and thus a trade with Manilla, Canton, the South Sea islands, California, Calcutta, and Japan, as well as the establishment of a whale fishery, are sacrificed ; and the eastern frontiers of the Rus- sian empire, remain in their original baiTen, im- poverished, and savage state, instead of boasting of a flourishing trade, carried on by a civilized, or- ganized, and friendly population. The produce of the above mentioned places might be warehoused in Kamtchatka, and in the ensuing sumnier be transported to Okotsk, and thence over all Siberia. The drying and salting of fish, the felling of tim- ber for fui-niture, and the countenancing of agricul- tural pursuits, could not fail of benefiting Kamt- chatka; but the whale fishery would, above all
43 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
things, redound to the honour and interest of Tais- aia. It may not be amiss to add, that the impor- tation of foreign com would much assist the Yakuti ; its immediate effect would be to save the lives of twenty thousand horses, which are annually sa- crificed by hard work or famine. Formerly, when the horses were more numerous, from eighty to one hundred thousaml were annually employed be- tween Okotsk and Yakutsk by the merchants, the American Company, and the government ; at pre- sent, there are not more than thirty thousand. Of these at least one half are sacrificed, and the re- mainder rendered unfit for a second trip. The whole number of horses annually sacrificed in Si- beria does not, it is said, fall short of fifty thousand ; so that, ere long, they will also be extinct, and, with them, the very being of the Yakuti, who are even now going down in an equal ratio.
Much benefit has been derived to the colony from the exertions of the present chief, Captain Eikord. The rule of never allowing a cow to be killed until she is past calving, is in itself excellent ; but the stock on hand is so small that a century would elapse before what can be termed herds of cattle could be seen wandering and feasting upon the almost unbounded pastures of the peninsula. What the different chiefs have been doing for the last fifty years. Heaven alone knows ! When Cap- tains King and Clarke were here, they seem to have taken it for granted, or to have been informed, that cattle of all descriptions were in a flourishing state. From the proximity of Okotsk to Tygil, a couple oi transports might, in one summer, transport at least one thousand head of cattle, which, repeated ior ten years, woukl place the peninsula in an ab- solutely enviable situation. This act of humanity
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 49
would be attended with no expense to the govern- ment ; on the contrary, it might be made advan- tageous to the government as well as the Kamt- chatdales, who would willingly pay the value m sables, and the result would be, that no part of the vast Russian empire would be richer, or better pro- vided with food of various descriptions, than the distant province of Kamtchatka.
Upon the banks of the Kamtchatka, where the land lies distant from the salt water, and sheltered by the mountains from the east winds, as well as on those banks which have been enriched by the lava emitted by the volcanoes,— barley, oats, and rye have been produced ; but, in no mstance, with so much success as to pay the labour. The pro- ductions, it is true, have been a little more varied, and a little riper, but rarely consumable. In spite of this fact, the gazettes of St Petersburg formal- ly and officially announce this year, that a quartern of rye produced nine quarteras, and that the size or weisrht of a common potatoe was three quarters of a pound. Three quarters of an ounce would be a sufficient tax upon credulity. I have no hesita- tion in saying, that both these reports are fabulous in every sense of the word, for I have never seen a potatoe in the whole provmce either ripe, or larger than a hen's egg.
If large herds of cattle were distributed on the banks of the Kamtchatka, and other favoured places, with the benefit of manure, agricultural im- plements, and knowledge, no doubt the soil might be made to answer the purpose. I certainly can- not conceive the climate of Kamtchatka to be such as, of itself, to preclude the pursuit of agriculture in some of its minor branches, as I consider the soil
as,
VOL. IL
30 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
to be much superior to that of Connecticut, or Massachusetts, or either of our Canadas.
In the vicinity of Avatcha are to be seen, what are by some termed artificial enclosures, within which cattle were formerly maintained ; but I con- clude them to be natural enclosures, formed by the overflowing of the rivers. My reason is, that no enclosure is to be found upon the land side, but only on the borders of the rivers, and small streams, and there they are perfect ; and we are generally informed that the Kamtchatdales possessed no other domestic animals than dogs. Some indivi- dual has of late thought proper to favour the public of Russia, with an account of the happy and pros- perous state of the Kamtchatdales, previous to the invasion of their country by the Russians ; — whence he took his text I know not, but I cannot believe that a large population, with slender means of sub- sistence, and less knowledge, could ever have been maintained in happiness or prosperity.
Before entirely closing these remarks respecting Kamtchatka and its grievances, I may just advert to one or two points not hitherto dwelt on. The children of the natives receive no education, and the children of the Russians but little more. There certainly is a school existing in St Peter and St Paul's, governed by a priest and regular school- master ; but one is a great rogue, and the other a greater sot. The sum allowed for the maintenance of each child is, I believe, five pounds per annum, scarcely enough to buy clothing ; and were it not for the abundance of fish caught, and some assis- tance from their families, I really do not see how the boys could be kept alive. Of the clerical gentlemen themselves, I may observe, that they maintain a great distinction between practice and
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 51
precept. They are very numerous ; 1 know not what so many do in so poor a place, there be- ing no congregations to employ so great a num- ber. The revenue received by these reverend gentlemen is far from inconsiderable, and, although it is done under the disguise of voluntary contri- bution, still it presses heavy upon the people ; and heavier still, when it is considered that they do little work of any kind besides trade. Surely their capacities are such that they are qualified to become schoolmasters; yet never but in one in- stance have I seen moral or intellectual instruction given to the children, and, in that instance, the party was paid. I do not loiow how laborious the duty of a Russian priest may be in a large congregation, or whether it is the same as in a small one ; but this I do know, that in such a place as Kamtchatka, they do not occupy themselves for the benefit of the public three hours in twenty-four ; the remain- ing twenty-one are occupied (besides sleeping) in trading, hunting, &c. Of late the Emperor has given them an allowance of flour as well as a regular sa- lary, and it may therefore be hoped that the natives will, at least, be so far benefited as to have fewer of their visits, except on their spiritual concerns.
Whether the Russian government will pay any attention to the serious and deplorable situation of the peninsula of Kamtchatka is of no personal con- sequence to me, though I may well feel a strong interest concerning a place in which I resided for more than a year, and where I married. The cere- mony was attended with much more pomp and parade than if it had been celebrated in England. It took place on the 8th of January ; and I cer- tainly am the first Englishman that ever manied a Kamtchatdale, and my wife is undoubtedly the
52 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
first native of that peninsula that every visited liappy Britain.
The winter was passed in a constant round of hospitality and comfort, and hardly any thing re- markable occurred to call for observation. Three shocks of earthquakes were felt, two of them very severe ; one threw the sand up from the banks of the river Kamtchatka, and quite annihilated the snow ; the Cliutchefska sopka also emitted flames and lava. The snow began to disappear at St Pe- ter and St Paul's in the beginning of May. By the middle of the month one of the transports sail- ed from the port to Nishney Kamtchatsk, reaching it in five days ; and, by the latter end of May, the snow had entirely disappeared, and spring, in the course of a few days, made her welcome appear- ance; wild flowers and vegetables were every where springing up, and enlivening the dreariness of the last seven months. Even the rigging of the trans- port which was to carry me back, excited my in- terest, and reminded me of former times. The at- tention of the inhabitants was sufiiciently engaged by the accession of fish, as herrings in the inner harbour, cod in the outer haven, and seals every where. Some among them proceeded to the islands at the mouth of the haven, and brought in some thousands of eggs ; while others were out on shoot- ing parties, sending us in snipes, wild ducks, and partridges. The wild garlick made its first ap- pearance at Cape Garlick so early as the 15th of May.
Only a few individuals died in the hospital, most of them with the scurvy ; the remainder were soon restored to sound health by spring and fi-esh fish. Our evening walks were sometimes extended to the summits of the hills, where we took our tea, or
THE PENINSULA OF KAMTCHATKA. 53
r,Un :< LTow a.a U was ^i* ajfficuHy - could move about. In the month of J^^ * ^ sel arrived from Canton and Mandla, m ballast havine failed in procuring a cargo of flour. By tha vessel I received a mo.t friendly let er from Mr Urr^ston, the chief of the Bntrsh factory, to- !e herwith a file of English newspapers magazines, ic whTch employed me till the 1st of July, when
"^Sr^ranrSttul's, the chief city of the pe- Binsula of Kamtchatka, contains forty-two dwel- Ws besides fifteen edifices belongmg to the go- veSment, an old church, and the foundation ot a Tewle. Amons the public buddmgs are to be reckoned magazines for bread, for powder, for sail- ors, for eonvLs, for wine, and for arms ; a guard- house, smithy, hospital, chancery -hool and a building for the chief and his assistant All, liow- ev ' with the exception of the hospital, sailors bir acks, and school, are, at best, like the rest of 'rcity but emblems of misery and .Jtche^lne^ I have never seen, even on the banks of the i lozen Sea so contemptible a place, hardly meriting the 12: oU village, much less that of a city ; yet such is the Dlace which has been so eulogized liom one eudof^ the world to the other. The erection o hospitals, of schools, of churches, and the diffusion of happiness and knowledge, have been ex 1 ava- gantly vaunted of in magazines and reviews, in e- fiance of the most lamentable facts of a very oppo-
site description. , •
I cannot imagine what a governor has to do in suchTplace ; advilcommissary would surely have Teen enough. The only people, m my opinion,
51 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON
who can be called happy, are the Koriaks, because they are independent. The Russians complain of being sent to such a vile place, utterly destitute of society ; the Creoles of their being kept in a state of poverty ; while the Kamtchatdales bitterly la- ment the association with either the one or the other. It has been observed that St Peter and St Paul's can never be a good town, owing to its want of wood. It may be asked, why then was the seat of government removed from a more eligible place, Nishney Kamtchatsk ? or why was it not removed to the centre of agriculture and population, so far as either can be said to exist ? It has been already changed three times, and is, I believe, destined to another removal. Kamtchatka neither can nor will thrive so long as its chiefs are sent for five years only ; such a short period scarcely allows them the time of doing good, however well disposed they may be. The general mode of occupying the al- lotted term, maybe thus described : — The first year is employed in looking about and forming plans for the improvement of the country, the amelioration of the condition of the aborigines, &c. ; the second year is passed in making reports, stating opinions, &c. ; the third year brings the reply of the govern* ment, directing or authorizing the mode of admi- nistration ; the fourth is employed in preparing, or at most in acting upon such orders ; while the fifth and last year is generally employed in preparing to retm-n to Europe, and levying a parting contribu- tion ; and thus the whole five years are, more or less, taking up in trading and accumulating as much money as possible. The very shortest terra of a chief's command at Kamtchatka should be ten years ; let him then only be liberally paid, and I will venture to say, that many suitable characters
THE PENINSULA OF KABITCHATKA. 55
will be found, who will prefer to administer justice with clemencyand honour, to the degrading of their characters by a mean and derogatory traffic. It an increase of rank, double pay and provisions, an ex- tra pension, and the most unlimited powers, are not sufficient to insure a just discharge of the duties, what besides conscience ever can induce it ?
Of the Kurile Islands, though they are not now in the government of Kamtchatka, havingbeen ceded by the emperor in property to the American Com- pany, I shall make but a very few remarks, and with them, close my observations on Kamtchatka. This chain of islands is divided between the Rus- sian and Japanese empires ; of those belonging to the former empire, but few are inhabited. Ihe first, Kurile, situate at sixty-five miles from Cape Lopatka, has three yourtes, with four males and eight females, nominally paying as tribute six sea- otters and twelve roubles in money ; but, as no sea- otters are found, and the islands abound m foxes, seven of these are received in lieu of them. There is in the island a tolerable roadstead for small craft on the N.W. side. Immense quantities of water fowl, as ducks, geese, and swans, frequent the place; and from the skins and feathers the inhabitants make their parkas and all their warm clothing, which are also exceedingly comfortable and beau- tiful. The climate of the islands resembles that of St Peter and St Paul's. The soil is generally good, producing fine pastures. On the first isle there was formerly an abundance of cattle, but now only two cows remain, ,
The second island, about ninety miles from the first, has seven yourtes, with thirty-five males and forty-two females, paying tribute for itself and the fourteenth isle, nominally, thirty-five sea-otters ;
56 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS, &C.
that is, twenty-tliree foxes, and one hundred and fifty roubles. The fourteenth isle has three yourtes, fifteen males and seventeen females. Of the in- termediate islands, and those beyond the four- teenth, I could obtain but very little information ; the whole are evidently volcanic productions, and are supposed to have been separated by some vio- lent convulsion of nature from the peninsula of Kamtchatka. The islands, which are lofty and bold, are said to be without rivers, nor are there any har- bours known. It is to be remembered, however, that they have been but very imperfectly surveyed. The inhabitants are supposed to be of the same origin as those of Kamtchatka, thqugh they differ in the custom of wearing long beards, which was probably introduced among them by the Russians. Their dialect is the same with that of the inhabi- tants near Cape Lopatka ; from whence baidares are frequently sent to the first and second isle, to bring the tribute and furs. Foxes are said to be the only animals of the chase, and here they abound in all colours. Sea-otters were also formerly taken, and still, at intervals, visit some of the islands. Excepting those caught near Nishney Kamtchatsk, they are considered the most valuable of the spe-
cies.
[ 57 ]
CHAPTER III.
Departure from Kamtchatka_Re-arrival at Obotsk—Fur- ther observations on that place—Bulgeme—The Udoma —Outchakan— Ancbekon—Atchan and Konkui rivers— Tchornoi Liess—Chakdalka-Chekinvio-f he Aldan, Amaha, and Lena rivers— Re-arrival at \ akutsk— tre- neral observations on the Yakuti, and on their ISIetro- polis.
I REMAINED in Kamtchatka eleven months, en- ioyincr that hospitality and kindness which the chief, Captain Rikoid, so eminently possesses the means and manner of confen-ing. The vessel m which we prepared to return to Okotsk, was the same which brought me to Kamtchatka ; but, although she was ready in June, it was not until the 5th of July 1822, that the anchor was weighed, and^with a light northern breeze, we bade adieu to Kamt- chatka. As we steered along shore, the coast of- fered a lively verdant appearance, no snow being visible except on the elevated peaks. In five days we reached the latitude of Cape Lopatka, bearing west ten leagues. At the close of the day, when thus situated, and with a light air from the b.h. the sky assumed an unusual fiery red, while the beautiful tinge on the dark fleeting clouds, present-
5S DEPARTURE FROM KAMTCHATKA.
ed a most sublime aspect, though it evidently fore- boded something awful. Tlie constant changes in the appearance of the heavens over the high lands of Kamtchatka and the islands, reminded us of an Aurora Borealis, as this, as in the real Aurora, had its fiery meteors moving about. By midnight the wind veered to S.W. by W., and ultimately set- tled in a heavy gale from the N.W. ; the last being the scene of the most glowing part of the sky. An immense cloud of smoke had also been visible for a couple of days in the N.N.W. direction. Before our arrival at Okotsk, it had been ascertained that a great part of the immense forests north of the bay of Avatcha had been destroyed, and that a severe concussion of the earth had taken place upon the day of the gale. Fortunately for us it was an off- shore wind, or our destruction would have been inevitable. During the forty-eight hours that we were lying-to under bare poles, we were driven to the S.E. about one hundred and fifty miles, owing partly to the heavy sea which drove through the Kurile passages, and partly to a strong current which continually sets to the S.E. through the Lo- patka Straits. It is this current which renders the passage to and from Okotsk much more tedious than it otherwise would be. The first, or Lopatka Channel, is now seldom or never attempted, owing to the repeated accidents which have happened to the transports : indeed, there is now an order from the Admiralty to the contrary, throwing the onus upon the officer in charge. The channel, as far as I am able to judge, is not half so dangerous nor so narrow as that of the Needles at the Isle of Wight. The whole of this hemisphere demands a surveying expedition, as well as practical sailors to traverse
bfcPAHTURE FROM KAxMTCHATKA. 59
it; for, till then, imaginary clangers will be shunned, while real ones remain unknown.
Driven to the S.E. 4° of latitude as well as of longitude, we awaited at S.E. a gale,when we were enabled, with good management, to run withm a quarter of a mile of the breakers, though m the greatest danger of suffering shipwreck, which would, in such circumstances, have left no one alive to tell the dismal tale. The vessel was crowded with live lumber,— men, women, and children, all with honor depicted upon their countenances. The situation we were in was by no means pleasant. Our course was west ; a heavy Kunlian fog at- tended us ; we had already passed what appeared two islands, but which, in fact, were two hills on one island. Land was observable a-head, and we hauled up S.W., going eight knots, and the spray, at this time, from the breakers, within fifty yards of us. The gale veered to N.E.— observed the land aeain from S.S.W. to W.— hauled up b.b.E. land still a-head, when from a hard gale and heavy sea it fell, almost miraculously, calm, and we found ourselves in smooth water. Fourteen feet were gained by the lead, and the anchor was thrown out with success. The night proved rainy, dark, and dismal, but we held on, in perfect ignorance of our situation ; latterly, even the land was not ^sible, though the breakers were. A small rock lay N. by E., and a reef S. by E., extending to S.W. Ihe surf from the island extended to W.N.W., leaving us only a west course in the event of any accident to our cables. After a night of gi-eat anxiety and constant attention to the lead, the watches, or look- out, being equally divided between the command- er and myself, we hailed the break of the follow- ing morn with great pleasure : a cloudless sky dis-
60 DEPARTURE FROM KAMTCHATKA.
covered our situation to have been such, that no- thing but the intervention of Providence could have saved a single life on board the vessel, if the o-ale had continued. We had no alternative betwixt struggling through breakers, or being dashed to pieces against rocky precipices.
The large bay into which we had been thus driven, is no where described in any chart ; which is the more extraordinary, as it lies near the prin- cipal Kurile channel. It is to this hour unknown, for we did not survey it, although it has been pass- ed within a few miles by the annual transports for the last hundred years. Our situation proved to be on the S.E. of the third island, and S. of a laro-e bay in the centre of it. Four small rocky isles bore from N. to N.E. 1 N. about a mile distant ; a long reef had its extreme east point E.N.E. about nine miles ; the hollow in the centre of the isle bore N.N.W., and the eastern extreme of the south- ern shore S.E. J S. ; while a sunken rock and bank were, from us, S. by E. about half a mile distant ; consequently the main-land ran from N.E. to S.E. round by the W. There was plenty of water for our vessel all round us : a clear channel lay round the rock to the S. by E., and another to the west of the northern reef, distant from the main-land three miles. As we had come in, there must ne- cessarily be a passage out ; and that passage I pro- posed as the most certain by which to get safely out. The latitude at noon was 50° 26', and the proper entrance to the bay is in that latitude, be- tween the long reef, nine miles from the brig's then station, and the islands, hauling up to the south, and tlius it may be made a safe bay.
We hove short the anchor, and drove close to the breakers ; let go a second anchor under foot,
OKOTSK.
61
and, at length, by casting the right way, made sail and cut away. The S.E. current, and the tardi- ness of the crew, were still to be borne with, as we passed parallel to the reef at fifty or sixty yards. We o-ained an offing, and continued to beat about until the twentieth day from our leaving Avatcha : on that day we passed the third channel, but light easterly airs detained us till the twenty-fifth. On the thirty-third day we made the port of Okotsk, and reached the anchorage of the outer bay. On the thirty-fourth I landed in a tremendous surf, at the risk of my life. Feeling anxious to get ashore, in spite of recalls and signals I passed safely through a surf, which swallowed up six out of twelve of a boat that also subsequently attempted it ; finding the surf near me, I continued straight on, while the other boat attempted to turn, and reaped the dis- astrous consequences. The chief of Kamtchatka, with his family and my wife, landed the following day upon the outer beach ; and the brig, on the third, reached the harbour in safety.
From this relation of my voyage, I should feel greatly pleased if I could draw the attention of the Russian government to the propriety and neces- sity, not only of surveying generally the Kurile islands, but particularly those extending from Cape Lopatka to the latitude of 46°. It is within that compass that the transports, from and to Okotsk and Kamtchatka, pass the Kurile straits. I had occasion last year to notice what I considered an error in the geographical position of the third and fourth Kurile islands ; this year I repeated my ob- servations with somewhat more precision, in con- seque.Tice of the light airs and calms which attend- ed us for some time. The latitude of the fifth
VOL. II. ?
62 OKOTSK.
island is certainly wrong : at noou, on the 24ti3 July, O. S., we were in latitude 49° 33', at which time the most northern part of the island bore W. by N. at about four leagues ; at the same time that the island lying to the westward of it was one point open to the north. This could not have been the case if the charts had been correct : every allow- ance for the error in Admiral Knizensterne's chart may, however, be passed over in silence, as he did not survey this part, nor, mdeed, any so far north. The second channel is certainly the preferable one, when bound from Okotsk into the Eastern Ocean, because, although it is formed by four islands, and is generally attended by fogs, it can always be ran for, as a fail- wind is a clear wind. Going, however, from Kamtchatka to Okotsk, the thu-d channel is the better, as it is formed by two lofty, though small, islands, and has considerably less fog and current. Calms or gales, heavy fogs, strong and changeable cmxents, prevail in these seas, and render the navigation, m the hands of those generally employed, tedious and perilous ; indecision and incapacity marking every act. The government deserve credit for then- late liberality in settling the establishment of Okotsk : still, how- ever, much remains to be done. The encourage- ment held out to young officers, to induce them to serve in this part of the world, is generous ; but there is yet wanting encouragement to officers who are already initiated into the practical, as well as theoretical, pait of a seaman's duty. As the case is, none but boys from the college are sent ; who, getting the command of a vessel before they have even been afloat, are obliged to confide in the un- der officers, and all subordination ceases, except that which is enforced by hasty punishment ; for
OE.OTSK. 6^
Starting has found its way from the navy of Eng- land to that of the Eastern Ocean.
Having once more reached the contmentai part of Asia, I began to prepare for ray journey to Yak- utsk. In the mean time, every attention and kmd- ness was renewed to me by my old friend, the chief of Okotsk, and his amiable lady. Many con- siderable additions and improvements to the town and port had been made during my absence, ihe buildings belonging to the American Company had been transported from the groimd on which they were constructed, to the new town, having been framed and prepared at the old town, on account of the proximity of the workmen, as well as the difficulty and danger in crossing the mouth ot the harbour during summer. A new brig had been prepared, and was now ready to launch, iwo lar^e fiats had been built for transportmg flour across the bay. A sort of custom and warehouse had been erected, for the use of the merchants, the receipts of which are given to the support of the poor ; and two magnificent magazines, a post- house, and other buildings, together with five thou- sand large trees in the dock-yard, have been add- ed, through the activity of Captain Ushmsky. 1 may confidently say, that were the same industry and knowledge to be continued in operation tor five years longer, Okotsk would not cede m regu- larity, cleanliness, or durability of buildings, to any wooden town in Siberia, except Barnaoule.
It is a pity that a dry dock is not formed for laying up the transports during the winter, ihe means are ample, the rise and fall of the regular tide very considerable, and the ultimate advantages are incalculable. The duty at the port is heavy, owino- to a want of officers, artificers, and sailors.
^^ BULGEINE.
The correspondence with Irkutsk is enough for a government, much more for so small a place. Two vessels belonging to the American Company ar- rived during my stay in Okotsk,--one in ballast, and the other almost empty, having but two thou- sand nver-otters on board. It is incomprehensible why this body do not fit out small craft for the purpose of taking seals on and round the Isle of Ayon ; Its distance from Okotsk is about one hun- dred and fifty miles, and the interval would, no doubt, be the most thriving scene of their adven- tures. Who is the director of the concern I know not; but I am quite certain, that, by visiting the establishment once in three years, he might do much good, and prevent more robbery.
Being fully prepared for my journey to Yakutsk, distant, m a direct line, seven or eight hundred miles, we departed on the evening of the 27th of AugTist, a very late period of the year, crossing tJie Great Bay, and encamping for the night at Bulgeine, near the remains of an old hospital, then in a fine situation, but lately removed to a worse one in the town. It ought at least to be still used for those who are in a convalescent state, having the advantage of a better air, some vege- tables, and plenty of milk. The following mornino- our caravan amounted to near two hundred horses" 1 had thirteen, besides a couple of tents, one for my guides and Cossack, the other for myself Pro- visions were laid in for six weeks, as nothino- is to be procured upon the road except flesh meat. My present situation upon leaving Okotsk was too diflerent from the last to escape my observation. 1 hen, I was wandering about alone, careless of the past, unconcerned for the future, and, like the brute creation, alive only to the present hour. Now, witJi
THE OKOTA. ^5
a vouncr wife to protect through an execrable jour- ney on^horseback, and exposed to the seventy of winter, I felt, and felt deeply, that P™*lence and foresi-^ht were peculiarly necessary, bhe, who nau only seen three or four horses in her life, was con- sequently not a little terrified; but what will not perseverance overcome? The difficulties she en- countered,-, n this and the subsequent journeys, were such as would have shaken the most robust, and bore very hard upon her delicate frame ; yet it is but iustice and truth to say, that in no part of our journey did she express a murmur ; on the contraiT, the more real or apparent the difficulties to contend with, the more willing and reconciled I found her to brave them.
From Bulgeine we made ten miles, halting on the banks of the Okota. Our route thence lay over a well-wooded, but swampy, country. At thirty miles we parted from the amiable chief ot Kamtchatka, who was about to return to the peninsula, in company with his successor, agree- ably to orders from St Petersburg ; winch enact, ^' that no governor nor other officer shall quit ms post until his successor shall have aiTived. Ihis is a regulation which will have a very salutaiy ef- fect over Siberia. It is, however, to be regretted that the Siberian law, which forbids - father and son, uncles and nephews, or brothers, servmg to- gether," is in no way attended to ; at least, where high rank is concerned. The late governors of Irkutsk and Yakutsk were father and son, the lat- ter holding both Yakutsk and Okotsk ; the late governor, general of Siberia and the governor ot Tobolsk were also brothers ; and although 1 do not mean the smallest imputation against their cha- racters, still I maintain that a beneficial regulation
F 2
66
META.
is injudiciously set aside. — To return to my jour- ney : the third day Ave reached Meta on the O'kota, and I enjoyed highly the very fine scenery about It. On the fourth day, what with rising late and halting early, for the accommodation of the ladies, of whom there were six in our caravan, we made but twenty miles, and encamped upon the banks of the Urak, which I shall remember equally with the Arko ; the former for endangering the life of my wife, and the latter, of my own. My wife had a good horse, but had imprudently exchanged it to try a second, and a worse. She was thrown with such violence as to lie for twelve hom-s sense- less and speechless ; but, thanks to Providence and to two sons of iEsculapius, who were journeying witli us, she recovered in a great degree, though she has ever since been liable to a pain in the right temple. The next forenoon we resumed our jour- ney along a picturesque valley, watered by the Urak, which we forded nine times in a distance of forty miles. The country, like the numerous islands in the river, was well covered with poplars and birches, intermixed with larches. The num- ber of rivers and branches of rivers that are forded and passed upon the journey from Yakutsk to Okotsk, is quite inconceivable. Captain Minitsky told me there were not less than a thousand ; many of them requiring much presence of mind, and a spirit accustomed to danger, on the part of the traveller, to enable him to attempt what we were daily compelled to undertake, or pass our lives in Eastern Siberia — rather a hard lot, whatever I may think of the enjoyments to be had in Central or Westera Siberia.
We now got into tlie land of wild berries, espe- cially of currants ; the tracks of bears and wolves
THE UDOMA. "•
were also discernible. We passed the half-way- house to Krestova, and following a route through a forest of fine timber, pitched our tents, and re- ceived the first real salutation of winter in a heavy fall of snow ; this was on the 2d of September, O. S. Thus, in one short night, from the beauties of autumn, we were involved in the dreariness ot winter. The followins, a tremendous stormy day, we made, with great difficulty, twenty mdes, and reached a halting place half frozen, and more than half drowned,from the frequent necessity of tordmg lakes and rivers. Our halting place was near a deep swamp, which was perilously waded by the whole party. The weather next day was such, that we remained in our tents, and employed ourselves in dr>'ing our clothes, &c. after which we bade adieu to the Urak, which rises not far hence, and tails into the sea of Okotsk, not far south of the city, at the salt work establishment. We reached, in a hard frost, the river Udoma, where we were de- tained, owins to the late snows and rams having swollen the river to an unusual size. I had suc- ceeded in crossing, but my horse not bemg in a condition to take me back, I could not return, and was thus cut off from the rest of the party for the night. An axe being always suspended from my saddle, and a flint and steel being always round my waist, I made a good fire, and passed the night as well as could be expected. At the halting place, we met with a priest going to Okotsk ; he had been forty-six days upon the road, owmg to the overflowed state of the country. There are times when seventy and eighty days are necessaryto perform the journey, the rate of progress being confined to five and six mdes a-day.
With much labour, and considerable apprehcn-
68 UDOMA CROSS.
sion on the part of the women, we next day cross- ed Udoma, my wife being towed oyer the stream on horseback by two Yakut guides. Seven miles beyond, we reached Udoma Cross, where an un- der officer of the Cossacks resides, with a few Ya- kuti ; the station serves for a post-house, has also a magazine of flour, and the person in charge has the command of a great number of Yakuti. Its situation is bleak and exposed, but is advantageous on account of the fish and game, as well as from having the most beautiful pastures in its neigh- bourhood. From Udoma Cross there is a water communication to Yakutsk, by means of the Udoma which falls into the Aldan ; the latter of which ultimately enters the Lena. This aquatic com- munication IS not so much attended to as former-
o-'n^^^P ^" *^^ ^^''''^^ ^'''' Captains Behring's and liiliings expeditions were thus forwarded with suc- cess. It would seem that the Russian government are not now so forward as formerly in patronising water communications ; indeed, the only person m the Russian empire who has persisted in apply, ing the power of steam, is an Englishman at St Petersburg; and he has a ten years' exclusive privilege on all rivers, lakes, canals, &c. It is to be hoped, when Mr Baird's time shall have expi- red, the government will undertake it on the most liberal and extensive scale. The whole distance from Yakutsk to Okotsk might be accomplished by large canoes, except the passage of one chain of mountains, which confine the Arko, a large stream umtmg with the Okota. The whole distance from hence to the Aldan by the Udoma is six hundred miles, while the direct course is about one hundred and eighty ; the voyage is, hoM^ever, performed in five or six days.
THE OUTCHAKAN. 69
We procured at Udoma a supply of fresh meat and wild hemes ; and having fed the horses well, and rested them for a couple of days, we resumed the iouraey towards Alack Youna, a distance ot one hundred and thirty miles, part of which lay over half-frozen rivers and swamps, along a pictu- resque valley. The first day our party lost three horses by excess of fatigue, and from the ice giving way under them. The country was well wooded, and, as we continued, some tall firs were seen mixed with the larches and alders. We continued along the valley, making from fifteen to thirty-five miles per day. The cold had increased to 6° of Reau- mur. The fifteenth day we reached the Outchakan. Our halting-place commanded a most magnificent panorama of mountain scenery ; the river branched out into numerous shallow channels, whose ripplmg, ioined to the murmur of the wind against the trees, adds a pensive air to the sublimity of the scene. The hills rise one above another in a regular suc- cession, to a great height, and the whole appears one of the most secluded and desolate spots 1 have ever witnessed. In so cold a place I never saw so much and such fine timber, which, lying at the loot of the hills on the north side of the numerous val- leys, and gradually diminishing as they reach the more exposed places, give an air of picturesque beauty, seldom to be met with in so high a lati- tude. All was still save the murmur of the waters and of the trees ; not a voice was to be heard, nor a creature to be seen, but of our own party; no fire, not even a charity yourte— in short, nothing to greet the arrival of the weary traveller in a spot where eternal winter reigns. A cold north wind for ever sweeps through the valley, destroying al- most every species of vegetation ; and such is the
70
ALACK YOUNA.
extreme rigour of tbe climate, that solid massive ice is to be seen even in the months of July and August. When we ""crossed the centre of the val- ley and the river, the thermometer stood at 16'" of Reaumur's frost, and the ice-banks on the river were twenty and twenty-four inches thick. To the religious or philosophic mind this may be a safe retreat, the cares of the world being certainly far removed from it, as, during nine months in the year, nothing but a monthly post-Cossack comes withm some miles of it. We lost four horses from the effects of the frost, and resumed the journey as we could, along a succession of valleys, for twenty miles, when we halted at the foot of a tremendous ravine, formed by two high mountainous preci- pices. We lost five more horses, though good pasture was to be had, every thing bearing the most wintry appearance.
Henceforth our progress became tedious, uncer- tain, and very laborious, as the remaining horses were so heavily laden. We entered the next day on the valley and river of Anchekon amidst much snow, but in warmer weather. On the 13th (25th) September, we crossed an elevated chain of hills, whose precipitous or steep ascents gave us much trouble ; these hills separate the two governments of Yakutsk and Okotsk. We reached the river Atchan, which falls into the Youna, receiving also the Anchekon, and ultimately all uniting in the Aldan, Lena, and Frozen Sea'. It was late when we reached the post station, called Alack Youna, having come twenty-five miles of most execrable road.
The country now assumed a more lively and pic- turesque appearance. Lofty ranges of table lands superseded the conical or triangular mountains, a
THE KONKUI. Tl
uoble pasture plain lay before us, and abundance of timber and hav-stacks was every where to be seen. This is, indeed, an eligible place for a post- house wliich is established on the left, or south, bank of the river. We had staid two days to re- fresh man and beast, and on the 15th (27th) reach- ed, at fifteen miles, a nan-ow defile, where we as- cended and descended six steep and dangerous hills, after which we halted on the banks of the Konkui, which also unites with the Aldan. Rismg early the following morning, we made thuty miles, fifteen of which were along a narrow and deep ravine, and the other half over three steep and lofty mountain-passes, the summits of which attoi'd- ed a most extensive, but dreary, prospect, ihe thermometer, at the most elevated pomt, stood at 12° of frost. Having crossed the mountains, we reached the land of evergreens— the pine and fir— an agreeable relief to eyes which had so long dwelt on nothing but desolation. , , ,
Leaving the Konkui to the right, along the banks of which is the proper route, we crossed, at ten miles, an elevated mountain range. We had adopt- ed this route in consequence of the lateness of the season, as there are in that river forty-six places to be forded, a task which our horses, m their pre- sent state, could not perform. W'e made near thirty miles, but the baggage did not aiTive until midnight, twenty-three horses being knocked up, and six more having dropped dead on the road. 1 could not but pity the distress of the poor Yakuti, at being thus compelled to forsake their favourite cattle, which would not have been so severely felt, if they could have taken away the carcases for pro- visions ; manv of these horses were in a good state,
"72 TCHORNOl LIESS.
but became frozen in the morasses, and were dead by morning.
We met the post from Yakutsk, and, in the course of an hour more, we were overtaken by that from Okotsk ; the latter had been encountered by a bear, which had destroyed most of the letters and papers. The Journal of Captain VassilieflTs Ex- pedition, in particular, had suffered much. There was also a considerable sum of paper money in the post, but this happily escaped injury. We reached Tchornoi Liess, or Black Wood, the following daj\ The road was at first along the little river Chak- dalka, and then on the White River, both uniting with the Aldon, untU we reached Chekonoi, or the Weeping Country, so called from the Yakuti losing so many horses in its swampy and half-frozen mai'shes ; out of my thirteen, four were knocked up. The pasture is good, but the horses treading it are embayed in the deep swampy part so Ion"-, that the frost fastening on and penetrating their feet, causes their certain death. The stench from the dead carcasses is, at times, distinctly percep- tible ; and the carcasses of the numerous horses thus frozen attract many beais to the place. At Black Wood, there is a post-house, magazine for flour, and three yourtes, in an open country, fifty miles from the Aldan.
From this great loss of horses, I was obliged to forwfud my wife on in chai-ge of the Cossack, and remain to bring up the baggage, and buy or ex- change horses as could best be done, for the bene- fit of my Yakuti. I remained for thirty-six hours bargaming, and, at length, having procured three fresh horses, overtook the party before they reach- ed the Aldan. The last twenty-five miles are over a continual wooden causeway, in many parts in so
THE ALDAN. "73
wretched a condition, that it is dangerous for horses to go by it ; the country Avas a most dreary, low, swampv, and brush- wood place. A good feny the next day took us across the Aldan, at a part which is three quarters of a mile broad. Afterwards, over a well-wooded and picturesque country, we reached a most comfortable yourte, twenty-five miles bevond the river. We now began to feel the effects of fatigue and cold, and continual ex- posure to the open air. When I say we, I should except myself, for I never was better or more con- tented ; but I considered the situation of the fe- males on horseback, with 15= to 18° of frost, with- out a hut or covering to receive them, and pass- ing the night in the snow, as no ordinary circum- stances. To me a tent has less of pleasantness than the open air, as affording a sort of stoppage to the snow drift ; which circumstance, wherever there are fires, renders every thing uncomfortably damp ; therefore I preferred lying down to wmd- ward of a fire, changing sides, as one became frozen or the other roasted. The season was, however, 80 far advanced, that we apprehended the danger of being detamed on the right bank of the Lena for a month or more ; it was therefore resolved to push on.
From the Aldan the country becomes a fine and open park-scenery; many interesting prospects strike the attention of the traveller, and the quan- tity of cattle is a sensible relief. W^e reached, and were ferried over the Amgha, a large stream uni- ting with the Aldan. Passing many lakes, abound- ing" with a small but delicious carp, we reached, on the third day, a post-house, where we procu- red kibitkis. The severe frost, and heavy falls of snow, combined with the flatness of the country
VOL. II. ^
'^ ROUTE TO
over which our future track lay, rendered the iour- ney more expeditious and agreeable ; and we were enabled to reach two stations, or fony miles, over a country not unaptly termed, as far as reJd scenery the Siberian Caucasus ; for, althoughTo so elevated, the scenery is most romLtic, an^d car- ries with It many rural charms, not to be looked for m such a part of the world. The inhabita ts yho are all Yakuti, I found, at everv a of my journey, civil, obliging-, and hospitable and if we me one who was knowing, cunnino, ;, j,,,^,; Jf
tort \""1-'' ""^ ^"^^^' ^'^ ^-"^^ --li'y e-' knaves P '' '"' *^"^''' *^' ^'^'^"^^ '^ '^^
Horses had now become so scarce, that our bag- gage was drawn by oxen. For my own share, ov^t o thiiteen horses, only one was able to reach Ya- ivutsk. I mention the circumstance, that mv read- ers may be fully aware what a terrible uncSakL " IS for the traveller, and what a cruel one upon the unhappy ^akut, and still more unhappy hoL The forty miles we made the following day, p aced within our reach a flour-magazine, a gi-o^ shop, and a pedlar's stall. There are man; Yakud se ed m the neighbourhood, abundance ohionied cattle are every where to be seen, and the quantity of hay col ected for them is prodigious. We had now but eighty miles left, forty of which wei^ ac- eomplished on the 27th of Sep'tember, O. S.,;",- a low, flat swampy country ; after which, throuoh a crowdec forest, we reached the banks of the -Lena. The latter part of this day's journey re- niinded me of 01dEn<rlMTifl ■ tU^ .. J""^"*"/ '«
nn.l 1,^,1 '-'luii^ngiantl , the very regular fences
and hedges presenting an appearance of economy and thri t which I had not witnessed for a long time. Upon the 1st of October, we reache<l the
YAKUTSK. 75
city of Yakutsk, at a time when tlie river was al- most impassable fi'om the quantity of heavy float- ing ice. Good and comfortable quarters had been prepared for me through the kindness of the chief, who bad recently arrived. I discharged my Ya- kuti, well satisfied with their conduct, although two of them, and the Cossack, managed to consume, independent of four quarters of their ox-beef, and one liorse, which was killed, ten poods of beef, or near four Imndred weiglit. It may not be impro- ])8r, in this stage, to give some idea of the charac- ter of the Yalvuti, and of their numbers.
Tliey are evidently of Tartar origin, as their lan- guage is understood by the Tartars of Kazan. Their complexion is a light copper colour ; they are ge- nerally of low stature, with more regular and plea- sing features than the Tongousi ; they are more hospitable, good tempered, and orderly, but nei- ther so honest nor so independent ; they have a servility, a tameness, and a want of character, which assimilates them, in some measure, to tlie despicable Kamtchatdales. The more a Yakut is beaten, the more he will work ; touch a Tongousi, and no work will be got from him. The Yakuti are very ingenious, and excellent mechanics ; they make their own knives, guns, kettles, and various iron utensils. They ai"e patient under fatigue, and can resist great privations. They are, like the Tongousi, great gluttons, but subsist mostly upon horse-flesh ; a mare being considered by them as the greatest delicacy, but never slaughtered except in sacrifice to a shamane.
Their riches consist in large herds of horses and horned cattle, besides an abundance of the finest and most valuable furs. They also carry on a con- siderable trade among themselves, and some of
76 CHARACTER, &C.
tlieir princes are immensely rich, doing business to the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand rou- bles a-year, and yet living in the same misery as their servants, sleeping in the same apartment, which, perhaps, contains forty or fifty people. Their dress differs little from that of the neighbouring tribes, being made of rein-deer skins for the rich, and horses' hides for the poorer class. Many of them still subsist entirely on fishing and hunting. Their greatest luxuries are tea, tobacco, and spi- rits. They sit cross-legged. The greater part of them are converted to Christianity, and the cler- gymen, in many places, deliver their sermons in the Yakut dialect. Indeed, so fashionable is it, that, in the best society at Yakutsk, the Yakut dialect is used for all private conversation, or in the presence of an European officer.
Their yourtes are comfortable, and, upon the ar- rival of a guest, are made as clean as clean straw can make them ; in other respects, they are disgust- ing enough, being but too frequently filled with "vermin. The yourtes differ from all the others I have seen, consisting of one large apartment, and a cow-house adjoining. The mode of constructing their dwellings is as follows ; nine posts are driven into the ground in the form of a square, the three in the centre being higher than the others ; on these posts they lay three beams, while the four corner posts are connected by two other cross beams. Stout planks ai'e then placed sloping from the earth to the horizontal beams to which they are fasten- ed, while other planks are also laid sloping from the upper part of the roof to the side-posts, over- lapping the others. Grass, mould, and dung, are then plastered over them in lieu of caulking, and the walls are banked up with the same materials,
OF THE YAKUTI.
77
fenced in during winter. The heat in the yourte is preserved by means of the snow, which becomes hardened to such a degi-ee as to resist the fire and smoke from the chimney ; blocks of ice are placed in the sides of their abodes, instead of glass, and serve as windows ; they give a clear transparent light ; though sometimes bladders or oiled paper, as well as a particular species of fossil, called Vi- trum Ruthenicum Maria, glass, or talc, serve for the same purpose. Three sides of the interior are divided into partitions, two or three people livmg in each, according to the size of the family, and are used as bed places; they are three or four feet wide, and ten long. In the centre is the hearth and chimney, formed by upright sticks, plastered on the inside. The wood is placed in an upright direc- tion on the hearth, and the fire is kept up constant- ly day and night. The state apartment, and of course that occupied by the chief guest, is the far- thest from the door, and immediately under the image. The odour from the cow-house, although disagreeable, is considered very healthful, and far preferable to mixing with thirty or forty people, whose stench and filth are inconceivable. With only a few inmates, and additional cleanliness, I consider a Yakut dwelling to be extremely conve- nient, and peculiarly fresh and wholesome. Their kitchen utensils are not numerous ; a large iron kettle or boiler, a large tea-kettle, and a few wood- en bowls and spoons, with still fewer earthen jars, and a knife for each person, constitute the whole. Tlie richer Yakut may have a samavar, or tea-urn, and perhaps, in such case, a tea-pot also, but, m general, the tea is made in the kettle. They use no plates, but, taking a large piece of beef in their left hand, tlicv secure it with their teeth, and then
g2
*^8 CHARACTER, &C.
cut away as much with the right as will fill the mouth ; some warm melted butter finishes the re- past, when the pipe and tobacco come in as a des- sert.
The population of the government of Yakutsk, as appears by the official return, is as follows :— ' In the circle or commissariat of
Y 1 . •. Males. Females.
It -^^ 42,833 44,193
The Kolyma 2,384 2,155
S"k^'H 17,477 17419
^"'t'''"'^ 5,168 4 901
Olektninsk 4539 ^^^3
Convicts and white people, &c. in the dif-
ferent commissariats 23,230 19,905
95,651 93,016 Total . . , 188,667 Of these probably about one hundred and thirty thousand are Yakuti, the rest Tongousi, or Lamut- ki, and Russians.
Again settled in Yakutsk, I had time to walk about and see all that is worth seeing. If my for- mer opinion of it was bad, it is now worse ; the only alteration being, that some of the churches, and the monastery, have been white- washed. There are about a dozen respectable-looking houses, the inmates of which are not even on speaking terms with one another. The little charm there was in the society of the place during the reign of Captain Mmitsky, is now entirely dissipated. There is now no diflFerence between fast and feast days, and the number of the parties and opinions in the city is almost equal to that of the inhabitants. Captain Mmitsky kept a liberal table, and furnished every possible incentive to society. He was altogether
\
OF THE YAKUTI.
79
the proper chief for the city of Yakutsk. The pre- sent amiable governor is a widower ; a circum- stance which cannot fail of rendering him unpopu- lar with the fair sex, which includes a great num- ber of sprightly and handsome girls. Probably no place has better means for forming agreeable even- ino- parties than Yakutsk ; and yet it seems that the envy and jealousy entertained agamst mdivi- dual members of each other's families, are so pre- valent, that one merchant will not associate with another; all seems distrust and intrigue— each aim- ing to become the chief's favourite merchant, for, upon that circumstance, much consequence is at- tached. The number and the wealth of the pnn- cipal inhabitants are such, that a chief, by a wise, liberal, and independent policy, may amass a very considerable fortune. It is not long since that a govei-nor kept open house ; his table was at all times laid for twenty, and the evenings were pass- ed at cards and billiards. No Yakut from a distant village entered his house without receiving his day's food, a dram, a pound of tobacco, and a night's lodging. The' result was, that when his birth or saint's day arrived, the merchants and Yakut princes agreed that he had a noble heart, that he spent more money than he received, and that, there- fore, it was necessary to reimburse him ; and, in- stead of receiving twelve or fifteen thousand rou- bles' worth of skins upon the day of his feast, he received probably forty thousand ; and, by these spontaneous offerings of the inhabitants, he is said to have gone away the richest chief ever known. His name I shall not consider myself at liberty to mention, as I believe he is still living.
Nothing noticeable occurred to us here, with the exception of a few visits I made to the chief, and
80 CHARACTER, &C. OF THE YAKUTI.
also to Mrs Rikord, in whose company we"" had come from Okotsk. She resided with a Mr Paul Berezin, the most liberal and agreeable man in the city, ft-om whom I received every attention : in- deed, I was considered an acceptable guest in every part of the city ; each individual had something to tell me of scandal, and, if I visited one more than another, it was certain to get me into momentary disgrace; but I must do them the justice to say, that, by a little good and amiable policy, a fair society may in a short period be formed in Yakutsk. I have seldom seen a place where the comforts and necessaries of life were more abundant or cheaper, nor are the luxuries at all scarce.
[ 81 ]
CHAPTER IV.
Departure from Yakutsk — Tastakinskoi — Olekma — Bere- zova — Vittiin — Kirenga — Katchouga — Bratsky Steppe — Verholensk — Re-arrival at Irkutsk — The Angara river — The Baikhallake — VerchneyUdinsk — Selenginsk,and the JMissionary station at that place.
In this inert state I passed two heavy months at Yakutsk. The cold latterly became severe, the thermometer falling to 32° and 35° of Reaumur, yet never so low as to compel me to put on more than my ordinary clothing, consisting of shoes, worsted stockings, coat, waistcoat, trowsers, and hat ; while others wore caps, warm boots, cloaks, and mittens, I even went without gloves. My time was principally employed in preparing a vehicle to enable me to reach Irkutsk when the Lena should become bearable. The first sledges which left the city were those of a lieutenant of the navy, of the name of Novosiksoff. He departed en the 12th of November, and I on the loth. It was consider- ed very late, in comparison with other years, when the Lena is generally frozen so as to allow of tra- velling on the 1st of November.
The first twenty-four hours I reached Tastakin- skoi, one hundred and twenty, and Kiesick the fol-
82
KIESICK.
lowing day, one hundred miles. The road proved very bad, otherwise it is no uncommon thin^ in this part of the world, to traverse three hundred and sixty, or three hundred and eighty versts, i e more than two hundred miles a-day.' Indeed' it IS a well-known fact, that, in the winter season the present Emperor takes but forty-two or forty- three hours in travelling from St Petersburg to Moscow, a distance of about four hundred and twraty miles. During my stay in the Peninsula ot Kamtchatka, a courier airived from St Peters- burg in one hundred and five days; the distance being about thirteen thousand versts, gives the rate of one hundred and twenty-five versts a-day. The distance to Okotsk was performed in forty days at the rate of two hundred and fifty versts a-day while that to Yakutsk required but twenty-ei4t days, being three hundred and twenty versts per day. The journey fi-om Okotsk, by way of Idgiira, to Tygil, is, however, so perilous, ]aborious,\nd tedious, that it is rarelv performed in less tJian seventy or eighty days, although the distance does not exceed three thousand versts, thirty beino- the daily average. As a proof of the wonderful rapi- dity ot the Russian courier, I need but mention, as an extraordinary fact, that my mai-riage, at St Peter and St Paul's, was known in Loudon in less than five months from the time it took place •_ the distance cannot fall short of ten thousand miles. Ihere occurred upon this route some parhelia, or mock suns, but they were faint. The cause of these phenomena I do not pretend to understand, but they seem to me to be a double reflection from the effects ot the atmosphere. The weather, du- rmg such phenomena, I have remarked to be very cold, very clear, and the atmosphere fiUed witJi
OLEKMA. 83
small crystal spicule. I am not aware that par- helia are ever seen, at sea, in the high latitudes ; but if so, it cannot be from the effects of snow. jNIany parhelia have also been visible in England, at a time when there was no snow. I should conceive hence, that, from whatever cause the phenomena may spring, it must be the same which discovers to us the sun, when beneath the horizon ; and this I should term reflection, rather than refraction.
Upon the fourth day I reached Olekma, four hundred miles, and, for a trifling sum, exchanged vehicles, mine having become injured. Situated at the foot of an elevated range of hills, the town of Olekma, at the conflux of two streams, has an interesting appearance. The inhabitants are employed in fishing, hunting, and trade. The weather, thus far, had much favoured us, the ther- mometer never having exceeded 20°, while at Ya- kutsk, we had once 35°. Much snow fell the fol- lowing day, in which we reached one hundred and twenty miles, passing through the little village of Berezova, which is the most northern on the Lena producing rye-flour. We reached Jerbat the fol- lowing day, and again ascended the hill to view the cave : the fatigue necessary to ascend this short precipice was such, and the effects of the cold, from the cave, upon my perspiration so great, that I was obliged to desist from the attempt I had contem- plated, viz. to funiish myself with a fire-brand, and be lowered down into it by a rope. The road hence became very nari'ow and bad ; so much so, that the lower parts of the carriages were twice broken and exchanged. So slight, however, is the consequence of such a circumstance, that three shillings are sufiicient to procure a complete refit. The stages, upon approachingVittim, are too heavy
84 JEREAT.
and long, — the horses have to go from thhtv to forty miles ; but what must be the sufFerino- of the driver in a frost of 30° to 45°, even in a'perfect calm ? The speed of travelling is so great, that the mere act of passing through the atmosphere is insufferable : the risk of travelling is thus consider- ably increased, as the drivers cannot look before them, but ai-e obliged to tm-n their heads, and let the horses go at will. There is no difference be- tween passing, at a rapid rate, through a clear still atmosphere, and through a sharp wind at a slow one. In general, my drivers arrived frost-bitten, and, in some instances, severely so.
Upon the 22d November, O.S., I reached Vit- tim, the half-way house to Irkutsk, celebrated for producing the finest sables in the world. I have seen a pair sold for twenty pounds ; those, liow- ever, are of the first quaUty, too scarce to allow many people to have cloaks of them, even if they inclined to go to the expense. There is also an in- conceivable difficulty in selecting one hundred sa- bles of the same size and colour, as are requisite to form a handsome cloak ; probably ten thousand would be necessary. A cloak of the kind would then be worth, at least, twenty thousand roubles, or one thousand pounds. From Vittim, we en- countered very severe weather, the thermometer varying from 32° to 38° ; the roads were, how- ever, good, and our daily route was about one hundred miles. The days were passed in the most dreary and monotonous manner ; even the cele- brated Cheeks of the Lena afforded no interest at this season. These are cliffs upon each side of the Lena, between Kirenga and Vittim, which seem to have been severed from each other by some con- vulsion of nature, and present a remaikable ap-
KIRKXGA. 8o
pearance. We generally halted at eight in the morn- ing, to boil a kettle for tea, which, mth some hard bread and diied tish, constituted our breakfast. Our dinner was also of tea ; and supper only varied from breakfast, in the addition of some stewed beef ; these were the only intervals which we took for rest. I found, by experience, that my wife could bear the fatigue of the journey even better than myself, therefore, I was unwilling to lengthen the time for my own personal convenience.
Upon the 25th of November we entered the go- vernment of Irkutsk ; and, althoutrh we were now with little or no moon, we were still enabled to con- tinue the journey by night, as, at every twenty or thirty yards, small branches of trees, or bushes, are placed, whose green foliage, contrasting with the snow, serves to direct the driver. There is, moreover, but one path, on each side of which the ice lies in large masses, thrown in every direction by the force or ripphng of the current.
I reached Kirenga on the twelfth day of our de- parture ; on the last stage to which I overtook a doctor, and the clerks of the American Company, who preferred sleep to the passage of one danger- ous stage in the night. Lieutenant Novosiltsoff had written upon the walls of the post-house, that the ne plus ultra of bad roads was at hand. My friends were in great apprehension of these dan- gers, till I observed, that Lieutenant NovosiltsotF would hardly return, by such a bad road, merely to advise others ; and, therefore, unless he did so, he could not have written what bore his name. Jt was late when I arrived, but as they persisted in remaining, I thought no time was to be lost in keeping the advantage of beinsr a-head, aware, as 1 was, that Mrs Rikord was close behind us, with
VOL. II. H
86 KIRENGA.
a superior power to procure horses. The station proved no farther dangerous than that tlie ice was only about three or four inches thick. It cracked as we slid along it, but no accident happened. In tnith, the bad station alluded to, was the one we had previously passed, and which presented a few fissures in the ice, caused by the increase of the frost, which contracts, and ultimately severs the ice. At Kirenga I was detained twelve hours, owing to the chiefs of three departments having' kept up Saturday night rather merrily, so as not to be able to enter my passport in the book for that purpose, or to enable me to proceed without it. Kirenga is one of those few places thus misgoverned, although the town major is a good sort of a man, when sober. He called vipon me afterwards, and seemed incli- ned to be angry with, and to report, the secretary of the postmaster, for giving me and my wife an asylum in a warm apartment of the post-office, contrary to regulations, which prohibit any person sleeping in a public office ; but which, in fact, the secretary liad taken upon himself to do, with the most humane consideration, seeing the incapability of his chiefs to provide us either with passports, horses, or lodgings. On his coming to his senses, I made no other remonstrance with him than mere- ly saying, that he might save himself the trouble, as I should take especial care to represent the whole transaction to the e:overnor-c:eneral. Ki- renga is a dear place. INIeat twelve shillings, and bread two, for thirty-six pounds ; and fish, and animals of the chase, both scarce. It serves, how- ever, to keep up the communication with the Ya- kutsk, as well as to enable it to be said that there are two towns on tlie Lena !— wliicli runs a course of three tliousand miles.
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF KIRENGA. 87
From Kirenaa, a fine road and good horses en- abled us to extend our daily progress to one hun- dred and fifty miles. On the second day after leaving it, I was favoured, for the last time, with parhelia, in a much more beautiful and singular manner than any I had before witnessed, and shall endeavour to describe them. There were tliree mock suns, one on eacli side, and of the same al- titude as the real sun, and a very faint one just over it, at the same perpendicular distance above the real sun as that was above the horizon. The mock suns, east and west of the real one, for it was near noon, bore a fiery red appearance upon those parts nearest to the real sun, while the outer edges of them were gradually shaded to a whitish colour. A slightly curved line of light connected the par- helia, passing through their centres to the horizon, and forming the figure of a rainbow, the sun being in the centre of the arch.
E H
The reader wnll observe, that the distance from A to I, from A to C, from B to G, and from D to H, appeared to be equal ; but from A to D, and from A to B, much greater ; the latter being the cause of the rainbow's assuming an oval appearance. The strength of the rays from the real sun was very gi-eat ; and I could only regret that the subsequent part of my journey? lying along a nanow defile of mountains, obstructed the view of so interesting a phenomenon. The weather was very cold, with a
88
BRATS KY STEPPE.
cloudless sky. The wind, or rather the lieht air was from the S.S.W.
Upon the third day after leaving Kirenga, I reached Katchouga, and then, passing through the large and populous village of Verkholensk, and a beautiful country, producing some good corn and more hay, we reached the Bratsky steppe, or de- sert. Civility and hospitality on this part of the road are carried even to excess. I found the el- ders of the villages ready to show me every atten- tion, and even begging me to pass a night in their comfortable isbas, or dwellings. The country abounds in cattle of all descriptions peculiar to this northern part of the world, and the settlements may be termed very rich. At Verkholensk, I bade a perpetual adieu to the Lena ; and, although with- out a moon, traversed the Bratsky steppe, during the night, without any difficulty, mounds of earth being thrown up at every fifty or sixty yards, into which is placed a post, chequered black and white, or a black post with a white head. Both are term- ed, I think, very undeservedly, Paul's Folly ; they are very useful to travellers, and are worthy to be well spoken of. The post-houses now became far superior to any we had passed farther to the north, and more respectful attendance was shown us at every place as we approached the capital ; a fact certainly in direct contradiction to general obser- vation and experience.
Passing over the Bratsky steppe, we met im- mense herds of horses and horned cattle, who stop- ped, and even approached to gaze at us as we galloped over the theatre of their independent evolutions. Upon the morning of the seventeenth day, we reached Irkutsk, in time to breakfast with my old friend. Captain Koutigin, the chief of the
IRKUTSK. 89
navy at this port. After breakfast, I presented myself to his excellency the governor Tzedler, who not only profiered the same attentions and assist- ance as before, but also insisted upon my accepting apartments in his elegant and hospitable mansion, appropriated to the residence of the governor. I felt truly gi-ateful for this last act of kindness, as the elegant accomplishments of his lady, his sister, and his daughter, are such as not only make them models for imitation in Siberia, but will, anywhere, ensure them the respect of the first circles. I felt that my wife, young and ignorant of the world, could not fail, in their society, to acquire many of those little nameless graces so necessary to form the female character.
In company with my hospitable and excellent host, I waited upon the governor-general, Mr La- vinsky. I was received with much hospitality and friendship, and was promised every assistance in the furtherance of my views ; and, having express- ed a desire to visit Nertchinsk and Kiakhta be- fore I returned to Europe, his excellency kindly granted the permission. I did not expect so much good fortune ; I did not think that a second Spe- ranski was sent to be governor-general, but I found that Mr Lavinsky possessed great goodness of heart, and an equal degree of amiability, although, perhaps, less commanding talents ; because I be- lieve there are few to be found equal to those of Mr Speranski, whose condescending kindness to me was brought more forcibly to my recollection by his excellency's introducing me to a Mr Stran- nack, who is distantly related to him, and with whom I enjoyed many pleasant hours. His ex- cellency, ^Ir Speranski, married a niece of that nmch-respectcd gentleman, Mr Planta, of the Bii-
90 IRKUTSK.
tish Museum. Mr Strannack was about to in- spectthe post-offices in the governments of Irkutsk and Yakutsk, beginning with the circles of Nert- chinsk and Selenginsk, which latter places I was also desirous of visitmg; we therefore aereed to travel together, having previously obtained'the consent of aMr Yakobleff, the chief of this inspecting commis- sion, whom I found an agreeable and amiable com- panion, and related to the most commercial, enter- prising, and wealthy merchants of that name.
Ihe season for commencing this journey was, however, distant some weeks, as it was not yet possible to cross the Baikhal, much less the An- gara, neither of which are considered passable be- fore the 1st (or 10th) of January. We therefore continued to enjoy the comforts of Irkutsk, in the same liberal and hospitable manner as I had done upon my outward journey. The public balls had fallen off, but we were more than compensated by the private ones given at the houses of five or six individuals There was, however, a masquerade ball, which went off well, as also two or three others in the assembly rooms. The maslenitza, or carnival, was a time of much amusement, and many well-dressed characters went from house to house; I, of courso, among the merriest, if not the best dressed. Thus our time passed in a most agree- able manner, although I could not help regretting the death of my venerable and respected country- man, Mr Bentham. He died suddenly of an apo- plectic fit, with the consolation of knowing that hi* widow and child would be well provided for.
To society in general, the loss of such an eccen- tric character would not be severely felt ; and even if It had, it was more than counterbalanced by the arrival of a Persian prince, a handsome, intelligent,
8
IRKUTSK. 91
and highly honourable character. He is retained as a hostage for the good conduct of his elder bro- ther, the reigning prince of a tributary tenitory on the borders of the Black Sea, called, I believe, Trebisand. The conduct of the reigning prince has caused some disapprobation at the Court of Saint Petersburg, which, not being able to arrest him, took the present man, whose conduct has gained him the unqualified respect and friendship of every inhabitant in this city. Nor are his pe- cuniary means at all incompetent to support a good establishment, receiving, as he does, a considerable pension from the Emperor Alexander. At all pub- lic dinners, balls, he. he is considered an accept- able guest ; nor does he fail to attend them regu- larly,— they serve at least to drive away dull care, and probably to lighten the burden of being, in time of peace, a prisoner. There are two others of these border princes, one of whom is kept at Nishney Udinsk, and the other at Nertchinsk ; — their conduct does not seem to have induced the extension of the same liberal allowance as to my friend in Irkutsk. I believe they are only allowed a rouble per day. Both are charged with murder- ing their elder brothers, to gain the throne or prin- cipality ; while this one is only charged with being brother to a man inimical to the Russian sceptre. The Angara ceased to roll its waters upon the 1st (13th) of January — that is, the road was de- clared open on that day, rather earlier than is usu- al, the 10th (22d) being the time that the mer- chants commence their journey to Kiakhta. The small quantity of water in the river this year will sufficiently account for the difference. Much mis- chief is at limes occasioned by the heavy swellings of the river, previous to its being frozen. The ice
^^ IRKUTSK.
crumbles up to a great height, and threc^tens de- struction to the houses upon the beach. There is a peculiar quality attending the Angara, the water ol which in summer is so cold, that the thermo- meter m June was but one degree above the zero of Keaumur ; and in winter it is the ivarmest, as also the most rapid, of all the rivers in this part of the Tu • I J^^^^'^ter is considered as unwholesome, the inhabitants preferring that of the Ushakofskv which passes near to the Admiralty, and which water is said to be one-twentieth heavier than that ot the Angara, the rapidity of which is such that immense sheets of ice are carried under water • and although, during the last six weeks, the ther-' mometer had seldom been above 30° of Reaumur it was still impassable. '
The situation of this thriving city has already been pointed out, and the beauty of its position is evident. It is only by supposing it to stand on very elevated ground, that we can account for such severe frosts as visit it. The latitude is but little north of London, yet are the people obliged to bury themselves in smoke, both in winter and summer • m the one season, to guard against the cold, in the other against the vermin. Many improvements and additions in the buildings of the city had taken place durmg my absence, especially in brick build- mgs, the erection of which has been of late much encouraged by the government. That my readers may not be m doubt as to the respectable appear- ance of this central Siberian city, I have annexed a view of It, as taken from the left, or western, bank or tlie river Angara.*
I again visited the^liospitals and gaols, as well
* It forms the vignstte to the present volume.
IRKUTSK. 93
•as the foundling and workhouse. In all of thera, I could not help admiring the respect and gratitude evinced by both descriptions of unfortunates in fa- vour of Governor Tzedler. The public workhouse is an establishment upon a most laudable plan, and increasing its revenue and number of inmates in no small ratio. The latter circumstance may not speak much in favour of the mother country, but I believe there are few who form the wish, and few indeed who will ever return. Eight hundred men, women, and children, now partake of the be- nefits of the establishment. The public schools do well, especially that upon the Lancasterian sys- tem. The want of a seminary for the children of the middling classes is, however, severely felt ; they will not go to the Lancasterian school, and they cannot be admitted into the- college of nobles ; — on this I have before remarked.
The Foundling hospital does not meet with any success. The Russians appear to be ignorant in the mode of governing an institution of the kind, else there would certainly be a different result. The severity of the climate, the inhumanity and negligence of the mothers, and, possibly, the inca- pacity of the nurses, are all to be considered. Be the fault where it may, scarcely an instance occurs of a child being reared. The allowances to the institution are liberal, and it is visited by the first persons in the city, with a view to its ultimate success.
Of all the public offices, tliat of the Admiralty is conducted with the greatest management and propriety. By this body, provisions are forward- ed to every part of northern Siberia. Stores in abundance are collected for the use of the dock- yard of Okotsk, and the vessels building and built
94
IRKUTSK.
do credit to the government of this part of the world. But why the executive of tlie empire should permit tar, rope, canvass, iron implements, and many other such heavy articles, to be sent from Irkutsk to Okotsk, I cannot divine. A single transport from Russia would carry as much in one year as four thousand horses ; and the prices of the stores so sent by land are at least five times what they ought to be. This mode of purchasing stores for the use of Okotsk and Kamtchatka has been the means of filling the pockets of several command- ants, owing to the circumstance of their being in- dependent of every body but the governor-general. Irkutsk will, no doubt, in the course of a few years, become a place of much greater importance to the Russian empire. Its resources would be suflacient even for a capital of an independent king- dom. The population of Siberia is, at this mo- ment, large enough, and the natural means of de- fence are amply sufficient, even in the present day, to withstand an invading army. All the rivers of western and central Siberia run from south to north^ and are consequently to be crossed in the face of an enemy. The immense deserts, or steppes, can be fired at pleasure, and all means of subsistence for cavalry be thus cut off. All provisions for the support of an invading army would have to come from Europe, consequently, more horses than men would be required. The situations of many of the chief towns in Siberia are also very stiong, and could not be reduced without artillery. To sum up, — all the roads might, in a few hours, be ren- dered impassable. The Siberians have only to keep the Kemtchouga swamp, and they may defy all the powers of Europe. This is, however, far from be- ing the time for the emancipation of these colonies.
BAIKHAL LAKE. 95
The Russians are too liappy in them to wish to shake oft' the yoke ; though the aborigines would, no doubt, wish to see themselves upon some other footing. This, however, will no doubt occur too late to affect them, as, in all common probability, they will be extinct at no very distant period ; there are not, at this moment, under the Russian subjection, more than seven or eight hundred thou- sand. What their numbers were at the discovery and conquest of Siberia, it might be as difficult to determine as the popidation of the empire of Mexico, at the time Cortes invaded it. Suppo- sing, generally, that there were several millions, what has become of them ?
My stay in Irkutsk occupied me until the 7th of January, when I departed, in company with the two inspectors of the post. The day was windy, but the road was good, over an open and well- cultivated country. The banks of the Angara pre- sent some pleasing views, and numerous populous villages are scattered on either side. The eastern bank is low, while the western is prettily diversi- fied witli hills. Each cottage has its garden ; and a great spirit of industry everywhere appears. The first forty-five miles brought us to the magnificent view of the lake Baikhal ; on the road to which, we had met and overtaken thousands of carts and horses going to, and coming from, the fair of Ki- akhta.
The approach to the unfathomable Baikhal lake may be considered one of the grandest sights in the world. The river Angara fiows in the fore- ground, gradually widening as it draws nearer to the lake, till, at length, the source of the river forms a pretty inlet, where the vessels for trans- porting provisions are laid up. The sight of a
96
BAIKHAL LAKE.
number of vessels, in an apparently good condi- tion, was to me a source of great pleasure ; and I could only regret that the season would not per- mit me to embark on board one of them, instead of crossing, as at present, in a sledge. The moun- tains, everywhere round the Baikhal, are of the most elevated and romantic appearance. They are bold, rocky, much indented, and very dan- gerous for vessels in summer, as no anchorage is anywhere to be found. The winds are most vio- lent, and subject to instant changes, resemblino- hurricanes. The sea is said to run mountains high ; and, as the vessels are badly manned and worse officered, it is no wonder that numerous ac- cidents occur. July and August are considered as the worst seasons. May and June are the best ; but, whether in bad or good seasons, it not unfre- quently happens that the transports are twenty, five and thirty days in crossing a distance of fifty miles. It is here that the power of steam would best exhibit its incalculable advantages. A boat might ascend the Angara to the Baikhal, cross that lake, and, entering the Selenga, reach within twelve miles of Kiakhta, and even hold a commu- nication with Nertchinsk. All the flour and pro- visions for the north, would be thus more quickly, economically, and safely transported ; and the im- mense traffic facilitated between Irkutsk and the several cities of Kiakhta, Petersburg, and Okotsk. The inattention of government, as "well as of the opulent merchants, to this object, is truly incon- ceivable.
Having reached the Baikhal, out of which the Angara flows, and into which the Selenga runs, we coasted it for thuty miles, before we arrived at the place of crossing. The ice was so clear, trans-
BAIKHAL LAKE. ^
parent, and slippery, that I could not keep my feet ; let the horses are so accustomed to it, that hardly an instance occurs of then- falling. We crossed the lake, and reached the opposite village, which has a considerable monastery, m tune to breaktast . we had been two hours and a halt m going the distance, forty miles. Such is, however, the ra- pidity with which three horses abreast cross this lake, that the late governor of Irkutsk usual y did it in two hours,-three hours are genera ly taken A horse once fallen, on the clear ice, I doubt the possibility of getting him upon his legs again, it s dangerous to attempt stopping them, nor mdeed it, in my opinion, possible ; if however the vehicle be stopped on this sort of ice, I almost question the practicability of startmg it agam, with- out assistance from otherpeople, to torce the vehicle on from behind. On the other hand I have seen sled-^es move so much faster than the horses, as to overtake and turn them short round, and ulti- inatelv to form a complete circle.
From the monastery, we contmued, over a low flat pasture, to a large Russian vdlage of eighty dwellings. The road-side is well cultivated ; and we passed several villages before we reached Verch- nev Udinsk. Latterly, the mountains rose into peaks, and threw out some immense blufts over- hanging the Selenga : they are of bare rock, but the valleys are in fertile situations. We reached Verchney Udinsk, a large, populous, and flourishmg city, on the right bank of the Selenga, distant from Ii£tsk two hundred miles. It has many hand- some brick houses, churches, and public edifices, all runnin- at right angles. There are three chiefs fi it the°first of them is called an Okroujenoy chief; viz. inspector of the circuit, and serves as a
VOL. II.
98 VERCHNEY UDINSK.
check upon the others ; his business is, to ^o round the commissariat, to listen to, and redress, mie ranees. The second chief is the commissary he goes round all the commissariat, except the city collects the tribute, and performs all the civil du- ties. The third is the toAra-major, ivho is chief ot the city, but has no authority farther It is evident that these three personages must either disagree, or combine to fleece still more their poor dependents. The appointment of the first chief 18 a new regulation. They ai-e all subject to the vice-governor and governor of Irkutsk, who is him- self subject to the governor-general
Verchney Udinsk is the grand mart between Irkutsk and Kiakhta, and has risen upon the ruins of helenginsk. A very lucrative and considerable trade IS carried on round the neighbourhood, with the Buriats, who are very numerous and wealthy m turs and cattle. There is a strong garrison kept up. It bemg considered as a frontier place, and a daily communication, by a formal report, is held with Selengmsk. The town contains four hundred houses, and about two thousand six hundred in- habitants. The situation is considered healthy, and IS so far pleasant, that thei-e is a very a:ood' though small, circle of society. From it to Selen- gmsk are seventy miles, which I performed, along the transparent Selenga, in seven hours. The banks of the river bore the most romantic appear- ance, the hills rising above one another into the loftiest mountains, but presenting no appearance ot habitation or cultivation, except in the low val- leys. The villages are, hoM'ever, within four and hve miles of each other, along both the banks of the river. I immediately repaired to the abode of the English miesionaries, settled in this part of the
MISSIONARY STATION. 99
world, and need not say, that I was most kindly received by Messrs Stallybrass and Youille, with their wives and numerous children ; formmg, as it were, an English colony in the centre of barbarism. Mr Swan, the third missionary, was absent upon a visit to one of the chiefs near NertchinsK.
I passed a couple of days in a most agreeable nianner with these secluded and self-devoted peo- pie, who have, indeed, undertaken an arduous task. They have been established in the present place more than three years; during which time they have ei-ected two neat and homely dwelUngs, with out-houses, small gardens, &c. It is, however, to the generosity of the Emperor of Russia that these very comfortable residences are to be attributed he having generously paid all the expenses and g ven the^society a gi-ant of land, free of actual rent or public service. The situation itself is m an n- appropriate, although a romantic and secluded spot -but, as it stands upon the opposite bank of the river to that of the city, the communication i8 difficult, dangerous, and expensive ;-it is now too " ' , ^„ :. A« vpt the missionaries have
late to change it. As yet, ine ims
not attempted to raise corn, nor ^\«1 think i ad visable • the price of labour would be infinitely greater 'than L purchase of so small a quantity as fhey require. They have also much more impoit- ant wk to attend to,-I mean the perfecting of themselves in the knowledge of the Mongo ban language ; and to this pmnt they have attended with great industry, perseverance, and success. They are now almost masters of that difficult Ian- guage ; and, when it is considered what have been ?he perplexities with which they have had to con- tend, it is really surprising how they should, m lo short a time, have nearly completed dictionanes
100 MISSIONARY STATION
and grammars. While leaniing tbe Mongolian language, they have also become acquainted with the Mantshur, owing to the circumstance of there being no dictionary of the Mongolian, except with that of the Mantshur. Thus the missionaries had to learn the Russian, Mantshur, and Mongolian languages at the same time, and to form their own dictionaries and grammars, which have the advan- tage of alphabetical arrangement over those in former use, in which the words were only classed under their different subjects. They now speak, read, and write the IMongolian with facility. I saw many translations of parts of the New Testa- ment, which have been distributed about the nei"-h- bourhood.
Many journeys have been made into the interior of the country, with a view to form acquaintances with the chiefs and principal people, as also with the lamas or priests. As yet, however, it is a mat- ter of regret, that these very indefatigable minis- ters have not been the instrument of converting one single individual. Nor is it probable they will ; for it is only very lately that the Buriats brought their religious books, thirty waggon loads, from Thibet, at an expense of twelve thousand head of cattle. Their tracts have been received, but have never, save in a solitary instance, been looked in- to. Even their Buriat servants secretly laugh at the folly of their masters, and only remain with them for the sake of getting better food, with less work. It appears to me, that the relig-ion of the Buriats is of too old a date, and they^are of too obstinate a disposition, to receive any change. Nor is it much to be wondered at : their own religious books point out the course they pursue ; and when the religion of a people, who have been, from time
AT SELENGINSK. 101
immemorial, acquainted with the ait of reading and writing, is attacked, and attempted to be changed, by three strangers, it is almost preposterous to ex- pect any favomable result. For my own part, so small are my hopes of their success, that I do not expect any one Buriat will be really and truly con- verted : for the sake of profit, several may so pre- tend ; but, as long as they have their own priests and religious instruction, so long the Missionary Society will do no more good than simply trans- lating their works, and acquiring the knowledge of a language useless to England. I must, however, humbly add, — that what is impossible with man, is possible with God ! The field chosen on the banks of the Selenga, is, no doubt, the very worst ; and this is known even to the missionaries, but, I presume, it is too comfortable a birth to be given up. I have every respect for them personally, but really I cannot think justice is done to the people of England, to say nothing of the poverty and ismorance of a large portion of the people of Ireland, in squandering money in every part of the world, while there are so many poor and re- ligiously ignorant in our own empire. When we shall have all become good and steady and wealthy Christians, then will be the time to assist others ; and thus, in a few words, I bid adieu to the sub- ject.
The servants attending the missionaries are Bu- rials, deserted and detested by all their own coun- trymen, for having forsaken the religion of their fathers, merely for the sake of better food ; they are tolerably expert in cooking, washing, and at- tending table. Generally speaking, the Buriats liave such scanty fare, that I am not surprised at their becoming hypocritical. Brick tea forms their
I 2
102
MISSIONARY STATION
ordinary food five days in the week; the poor but seldom taste meat, although they have generally a httle fat mixed with their tea, the leaves of which they consume as we do greens, and which thus constitute, upon the whole, a very nourishing dish. The riches of the chiefs consist in large herds of cattle, and some quantities of furs. The number of sheep and goats, in this part of the world, is prodigious ; horned cattle and horses ai-e also very numerous. The Buriats appear a lazy, dirty, but contented, race ; and quite as unmanly, cowardly, and servile as the Kamtchatdales.
The city of Selenginsk, standing upon the right bank of the river, is, indeed, a miserably decayed place,— art and nature seeming.to do their utm'ost to bury it in oblivion. A gaiTison of one thousand men is still kept up,_to no purpose ; for the lo- cality of Verchney Udinsk must soon complete its ruin. It possesses but one respectable merchant, who has, consequently, an undisputed monopoly of what trade there is. '
Selenginsk has also suffered much, of late, from two serious fires, and is, in other parts, tumbling down from the encroachment of the river, which annually makes great inroads. It is but twenty years since the present centre of the river was the centre of the city : the inhabitants have continued to recede as far as possible. Some embankments they made, in the early part of last year, were washed away in the autumn ; and the foundations of many houses will, no doubt, be destroyed on the next breaking up of the river. There are about two hundred dwellings, and one thousand inhabit- ants, independently of the military. The vicinity is, however, very well peopled ; and there is much corn raised by some colonies of Poles, who were
AT SELENGINSK. 103
transplantpd hither, by the Empress Catherine, about 1791. They are the only people I have seen in Siberia, who apply manure to their lands, and doubtless receive it again with interest.
[ 104 ]
CHAPTER V.
Verchney Udinsk — Tchitta — Baidalofsky — Bolshoy Zavod — Nertchinsk — Tsurukhaitouyefsk, Kondou — Tchindat — Khirring — Ashenghinsky — IMogoitu — The Ingoda — Tchitta — The Hot Baths' — The Etamza — Return to Verchney Udinsk — The Selenga — Kiakhta.
Having taken our farewell of the missionaries, we retraced our steps to Verchney Udinsk, and felt again gratified with the beauty of the scenery be- tween the two cities, while the rapidity with which we glided along the transparent stream, served not a little to heicfhten the feelinsr. Immense moun- tains of porphyry form the banks of the Selenga, and I have been given to understand that gold is also to be found ; but that the natives will give no information, for fear of having a mining establish- ment placed in their vicinity. At Verchney Ud- insk the river expands considerably; and the moun- tains diverge from one another so much, as to form a very open and rural country. The pastures are especially rich, and very fine timber is to be had ; the small cedar-nut is so bountiful as to be export- ed to all parts of Northern Siberia.
At midnight, with my companions, the inspec- tors, I quitted Verchney, and by eight in the morn-
ROUTE TO NERTCHINSK. 105
ing we had reached sixty miles towards the town of Nertchinsk, forty of them on the river Uda, which flows into the Selenga, near the city of the same name. The country was picturesque until we entered upon the Buriat steppe, void of all cul- tivation, and of every thing but rich grass. The road proved very heavy for sledges, from the ab- sence of snow. Nothing of the slightest interest is to be seen but solitary post-houses, at every twenty or twenty-five miles. In this maimer we reached one hundred miles, when my companions called out to rest, as they were really jolted into a fever : I, however, persisted in continuing the route day and night. At one hundred and fifty miles, we called upon one of the chiefs of the Bu- riats, whose tribe amounts to twenty-three thou- sand, reputed to be the largest in the government of Irkutsk. This taisha, or chief, is a yoimg man of good parts, and son to the former chief: I call- ed at his chancelr)', but he was out ; yet were pass- ports afforded me, in the Mongolian dialect, by his secretary, ordering every assistance to be rendered me by all his tribe, and every respect to be shown to me.
The present taisha has two wives, who hve m perfect harmony. He is fond of the missionaries, who frequently visit and lodge with him for weeks together, and is remarkably forward in the English language, which ^Mr Swan is teaching him. It is but' very lately that he lost his father and mother, who were rich ; but he has been greatly impove- rished by his mother's bequeathing her immense property to the lamas, or priests. His possessions are about three thousand sheep, three hundred horses, and two hundred horned cattle ; whereas his mother had forty thousand sheep, ten thousand
106 NEIGHBOURHOOD
horses, and three thousand horned cattle, besides a very large property in furs. One of the sisters of the present, who was lately married to another chief, received, as a dowry, forty cases of furs of the richest kind. These are customarily worn till they actually drop off—such is the neglect and hlthy manner in which they live. The women are, on their marriage, dressed in satins and silks, bor- dered with furs ; the occasion being honoured with the same respect as their great feast in the month of February, which appears to be a sort of religious feast, m imitation of the Chinese. The chiefs and subjects live together almost indiscriminately The chancelry of the taisha contains fifteen clerks and a secretary, who carry on a most extensive cor- respondence, and it may be considered as exceed- ingly well regulated.
At sixty miles onward I breakfasted at a beau- tifully situated post-house ; but, with the excep- tion of two or three agricultural villages, and those near the post-houses, there is neither cultivation nor mhabitant along the country. We now met with some lakes, and passed a monument erected to the memory of the late governor's wife, Mrs Ireskin, of Irkutsk, who was travelling from that city to the warm baths near this place, when the horses taking fright, she was literally kicked to pieces, while, strange to say, her two attendants and gallants remained unhurt. The circumstances altogether are of so horrid a nature, that it would have been impossible not to lament the accident, if the character of the unfortunate woman had not fully justified the remark which I heard made, that her friends would have consulted their own and her interest much better, instead of raising the memo- rial, to suffer her name to be buried in total obli-
OF NERTCHINSK. 107
vion. At sixty miles farther we reached a Buriat village, where we were plentifully supplied with a small species of trout.
The road was still very bad, being a vast plain, and having but little snow upon it. The indenta- tions of the hills were, however, well wooded, and the scenery was, upon the whole, picturesque. The country thence continued low and sandy till I reached the village of Tchitta, the river near which is a considerable stream, running into the Ingoda, which unites with the Amour, and is ultimately lost in the Eastern Ocean. There is a beautiful little village, called Tchindat, upon an island in the river beyond which the scenery much improves. The drive down the river was very delightful, from the ever-changing views which were oifered to us — the bold, magnificent, and barren rocks looking at once grand and terrific ; nor was this sublime scenery less acceptable, when contrasted with the beautiful and fertile pastures everywhere around ; with here and there a straggling cornfield, and a hamlet smiling through the dark woods which lay at the foot of the mountain precipices ; or winding round and diminishing, as the valleys continued to recede from our view. At six in the evening, we reached the village of Baidalofsky, upon the left bank of the Ingoda, which here assumes a treach- erous appearance, affording but a very unsafe jour- ney over It. The stream is so rapid, that it is sel- dom frozen for any length of time. We were twice upset into the river, and lost one of the horses. In- deed, such was the state of the weather, that no greater degree of frost than 15° had been observed since I left Verchney Udinsk.
We now began to hear favourable accounts of the exertions of the new chief of Nertchinsk, who
108 NEIGHBOURHOOD
had materially ameliorated the condition of the con- victs and peasants. Again my companions began to lament their hard duty, and requested me to halt and pass the night comfortably in a post-house. I, however, persuaded them to continue seventy miles farther along a river which continually gave under us, and in no slight degree alarmed one of my friends, who was certainly bom for other scenes than travelling in Siberia, unless in the easiest and most commodious manner. We were obliged at last to walk along the banks of the river, from the impossibility of getting the horses along. The thermometer, as Ave approached Nertchinsk, fell to 28° Reaumur ; and although I had but my simple koklanka, or leathern frock, I felt nothing but anxiety to push on, aware that if I could not re- turn within a certain time, I should not be able to quit Irkutsk before the month of May.
The scenery was now very fine : elevated per- pendicular bluffs, with pretty cultivated valleys, and several pleasant villages. The river Ingoda also assumed a more considerable appearance, widening as we reached to the eastward, and, at the city of Nertchinsk, being really a formidable channel. We reached the city late in the evening ; its distance from Verchney Udinsk is about five hundred miles. Having waited upon the three chiefs, and deliver- ed our credentials, Mr Strannack and I sallied out to view the place. It is vilely built, widely scat- tered, badly situated, and worse inhabited, con- taining two hundred dwellings, and one thousand inhabitants. Three tolerable brick edifices are the only objects worthy of notice in it : and, except that it has a church, it is merely a lai-ger picture of any Russian village.
The site of the city has, within a few years, been 10
BOLSHOY ZAVOD. 109
removed hither, a ch-cumstance which may, ia some measure, excuse its miserable appearance ; but no- thino- can atone for its present bleak and exposed situation, without even fire-wood in its vicmity. The site of the old town was far superior, aliord- ino- shelter and many conveniences which are not noV to be obtained. The town of Nertchinsk stands at the junction of the Shilka and Nertcha rivers, uniting with the Amour, of which, how- ever, there is no part within the limits of the Rus- sian empire. I was hospitably received by the different officers, especially the town-major, who distinguished himself in the late French invasion. We quitted Nertchinsk for the Bolshoy Zavod, or Great Fabric, distant one hundred and eighty miles, and over a highly picturesque park-sceneiy, reminding me much of the upper banks of the Irtish, where the hills appeared as if placed upon a fertile plain, without any sort of communication with each other. The rocks are extremely bare, and, with the exception of wood in the valleys, there is little or nothing of cultivation to be seen. The thermometer now fell to 35°, and the air as- sumed a chillness I had not for some time been accustomed to. The soil is, however, so rich, that corn villages are every where to be seen all the way to Bolshoy Zavod, which shows an active en- couragement on the part of the chief, of those more immediately under his eye and command. The fact is, that, in consequence of the numerous de- sertions upon the high-road to Verchney Udinsk, it is not the wish of the government to render the country either populous or cultivated. On the contrary, every thing possible is done to make the country so impassable, that deserters may be obli- o-ed to resort to the post-houses for subsistence,
•T _, A
VOL. II. J^
i 10 NERTCHINSK.
where they arc secured, and sent to the prison of Verchney Udinsk. Should they take the route of the Tongousi, or Bratsky district, they are certain of being shot by the hunters or chiefs, unless they produce a passport from the chief of Nertchinsk. The inhabitants occupying the corn villages are all exiles of the upper sort, and yet as ill-looking a class of people as I ever beheld. I was glad to pass them in safety, although at the price of being upset in a dangerous manner. We were, however, rather frightened than hurt, and reached safely the Zavod, or Chief Fabric, late in the evening.
A sound sleep, which we had not enjoyed for many days or nights, qualified us to pay our re- spects early the next morning to the chief, whom, with his son-in-law, I remembered as serving at Barnaoule during the time I visited tliat place. A large feast had been held to honour the marriage of a doctor to a pretty plump woman, with a little money ; and I consequently found the people in silks and satins, and otherwise so daubed, that I began to augur ill of the place. It is the most miserable, yet extensive, assemblage of huts I have any where witnessed. Even the residence of the chief is but to be compared to two or three yourtes joined to one another,
I saw nothing at Nertchinsk which could inspire me with any other sentiments than those of con- tempt and indignation at the inconsiderate conduct of the persons in authority over the poor crimi- nals. It is impossible to conceive the haggard, worn-down, wretched, and half-starved appearance of these victims. Whatever may have been their crimes — and I believe them horrible enough — they never can have authoiized the present inconsiderate mode of employing them. The knout, the wliip,
^■ERTCHINSK. 111
the brand, and the fetter, are nothing, wlien com- pared with the imposition of labour, continued from sun-rise to sun-set for six months in tlie year, and during tlie other six to keep them in absolute idle- ness. The cutting- of wood, getting in of hay, or attending upo-n officers, is almost denied to the poor convict, from the fear of his deserting, Alas ! whither can he go ? — To places equally v/ild and savage ? to those where the brute creation would equally torment him with those of his own spe- cies? The man who is sentenced to drag out the remainder of his existence in the mines of Nert- chinsk, cannot live long. What have become of the many thousands of beings sentenced annually to this place ? where are their wives and families ? for here the work is carried on only by the con- stant ai'rival of fresh victims. Of Ekatlu^rinebourp: I had certainly formed a low idea, but Nertcliinsk is, in reality, the only place that I have seen where man is treated harshly, throughout the Russian empire — I except the aborigines of Siberia. I should have expected and have hoped, that the present chief of this place would have taken a les- son from the well organized establishment of Bar- naoule, and where he served for several years, of the humanity and consideration every where ap- parent in the acts of that government. Why may not the exiles and peasants of this place, like the people of Barnaoule, be allowed every alternate day to themselves ? It would be better both for the government and the exiles, if they were ba- nished from this world at once, and the expense of their transportation would then be saved.
The principal fabrick, or Bolshoy Zavod, con- tains about four hundred yourtes, and three thou- sand individuals. No one dwelling, whether of
112 NERTCHINSK.
public or private property, has even a decent ap- pearance ; they are all, in fact, huts : and such is the sterility of the soil, and such the severity of the climate, that no spar is to be had of a greater length than eight or ten feet, and even that comes from a great distance. The situation of this fa- bric corresponds with its condition ; it is in a deep hollow, surrounded by high and barren rocks, as bleak and dreary, and as inhospitable a place, as can be imagined. The allowance to the criminals is on a par with every thing else, — it is tbuty-six roubles, equal to twenty- seven shillings, a-year, to procure them food, raiment, firing, and lodging. The winters are considered as severe as in any other part of Siberia ; for this, its eastern situation will sufficiently account. The demand for warm clo- thing and firing is, by consequence, comparatively gi-eat ; and the climate is in short such, that the fabrics cannot be worked during the winter.
Nertchinsk, in all its concerns, reminds me for- cibly of those pathetic descriptions of the mines of Siberia drawn by romantic writers ; here their ideas are verified ;— yet it cannot be supposed that the government of the country is so lost to feeling, to humanity, and good policy, as to wink at con- duct of the kind. They must certainly be igno- rant of what is doing, and of what the criminals sufiFer; yet how, then, can we account for a con- tinuance of such severe treatment, after the visit of the celebrated Mr Speranski? This is, indeed, a serious question, and charge. Since my arrival at St Petersburg, however, 1 have been informed, that it is the intention of government to give up the establishment at Nertchinsk altogether, and withdraw the people: a determination which I Jjope originated ^^^th Mr Speranski. It is indeed
NERTCHINSK. U3
letter policy than the old system of oppression, and yet bad enough, for the district is highly pro- ductive and valuable.
There are six silver founderies, namely, Nert- ehinsk, Doutcharsk, Koutomarsk, Ekaterininsk, Gazimoursk, and Shilkinsk. There is also a new foundery, named Petrofsk, for the casting of iron for the use of the silver founderies. The thirteen principal mines, when worked, produced formerly about a million of poods of ore, or three hundred poods of silver, per annum ; which is neai'ly one pound weight of silver for every four thousand pounds weight of ore. The present proportion is one-third less, or from one hundred and eighty to two hundred poods of silver per annum., besides twenty-five thousand poods of lead, v/hich is of no service whatever. When the transport of tliis sil- ver to St Petersburg, by especial conductors and guards, is calculated, together with the maintenance of the establishments at Nertchinsk, and a lai'ge military and Cossack force, who must be fed from Irkutsk, I need scarcely say, that the whole is a ruinous as well as cruel concern. Wliat is half a million of roubles — what are twenty-five thousand pounds to the Emperor, the produce of forty-eight thousand and twenty-seven individuals, or ten shil- lings and five-pence per head per annum, being the value extracted from the mines of Nertchinsk? The following is the population : —
Staff Officers . 78
Unclassed Officers C99
Convicts in the mines . 2,458
Persons released from labour 1,216
Boys, who do, or do not, receive maintenance from
Government 1,6U
Total fllale Convicts 6,002 k2
114 ARRIVAL AT
Total Ulale Convicts 6,062
Female brandies of the above g oyg
Peasants attached to the founderies , . . . . ITTJS
Females, ditto 18*094
Grand Total 48,02?
Of these, there are actually but sixteen hundred and two able-bodied men in the mines, and these are guarded by five hundred and sixty-four inferior officers, to prevent their secreting gold, silver, or precious stones.
Although the chief and various officers had the politeness to invite me to some entertainments which were to be given in the com-se of the week, I declined them from a feeling of the apparent and real misery so visible every where, that a heart alive to any sense of humanity, or kind feeling, could not fail to contrast the state of the two classes in this city of huts. At most, such conduct would only stifle better and more praiseworthy thoughts. Even in the dissipation of a ball-room, I could not discai-d from my mind the abject dis- tress and misery every where prevailing, and I felt it necessary to follow the example of Mr Speranski, who also remained here but one day. I am cer- tain that the goodness of his excellency's heait must have prevented his remaining to witness such a scene. Departing for Tsurukhaitouyefsk late in the evening, I arrived eariy the following morn- ing, the road being very good, and the country, latteriy, interesting ; the distance is sixty miles. Tsui-ukhaitouyefsk is a large village, called a for- tress, on the banks of the Argoun, unlike the city and chief fabric of Nertchinsk. It did my heart good to see to what a state of comparative perfec- tion the numerous vegetable gardens are brought in
TSURUKHAITOUYEFSK. 115
this industrious place ; the order, cleanliness, hospi- tality, and happy state in which the inhabitants ap- pear to live, are too apparent to be passed over in silence. They are principally Cossacks, who have certain privileges and protections, which cannot be infringed ; they are, both officers, and privates, generally a rich and generous and noble people. In short, the inhabitants, along this line of frontier, are all that is understood in the word Cossack. The vicinity abounds in the richest metals and minerals ; but is, as I have shown, of no great value during the present system of policy. I saw a tolerably good collection of minerals, in the pos- session of an old Russian, who takes great delight in showing, and, being a poor man, is naturally de- sirous to dispose of them, but does not appeal' to know their value. He demands about two hun- dred and fifty pounds for the collection, a prodigious sum in that place, but a single specimen might be worth the money, if brought to this country. Its weight is one hundred and seventy English pounds, and it is composed of so many minerals, tliat he calls it the " Mother of Minerals." Among other specimens, were an amethyst, a noble topaz, an aquamarine, onyx, and several beautiful crystals, besides many thousands of small specimens. The whole of these precious stones are imbedded in frozen sand, and, I should think, it would require great care and difficulty to remove it entire. Of the Scotch pebbles, the large size and the beauty of the veins were really astonishing. I made him an offijr for one of the specimens, but the old gentle- man would sell no less than the whole. Being in- troduced to him by the cliief of the Cossacks, and upon hearing my name, lie remarked, that he had road it in the Gazettes ; adding, that as this world
116
KONDOU.
appeared too small for my movements, he expect- ed, ere long, to hear of my arrival in the moon.
We quitted the fortress, and resumed our jour- ney along the lines ; by midnight we had made but thirty miles, along a snowless desert pasture. The night was exceedingly cold, and I suffered from want of exercise, being in an open sledge : the thermometer stood at 36°. My companions here became alarmed at the difficulties which present- ed themselves against our piogress, as well from the want of snow, as from that of horses. They consequently determined to return by the route they had come ; but, for myself, I had long made it a settled plan never to go over the same road, while another is practicable, and, therefore, re- solved to proceed alone. I felt regret at parting company with my friends ; but it must have taken place soon, as, from their continual stoppages for rest and refreshment, I must have determined to outsail them. The quantity of their baggage, with three servants to attend them, rendered'it also im- possible for them to keep pace with me, who was alone, with a knapsack only ; and, indeed, the in- conveniences and difficulties which afterwards hap- pened to me, proved the prudeace of their decision. I reached Kondou, forty miles, by a fine road, having previously come through a small fabric, the du-ector of which presented me with a few mine- ral ogical specimens. Kondou is an ancient place, and considered to be the same with Tchindat- turukouy, the birth-place of the conqueror of China. I saw many remains of large Tartar ovens, but no- thing that excited my curiosity so much as an old lady of ninety-three years of age. She was bom in the vicinity of Nertchinsk, and was now not only m the full possession of all her faculties, but in
ROUTE FROM TCHINDAT TO KHIRRING. 117 Strong health, and capable of attending to the cares of he'r house and family. I had a most excellent dinner prepared for rae by her own hands, and left her, highly gratified, to pursue my journey over the immense pasture, passing through di'oves of tliree or four thousand horses. The country be- came more sterile, but somewhat more elevated as I reached an hospitable dwelling on the river Borgie, and then the fortress of Tchiudat, situated near the little ri^er Onous, which contains sixty dwellings, a party of Cossacks, and nothing be- sides. At four miles from it, I passed through a large village of Russian agi-iculturists, who live here free from all the cares of the world, but those of the tax-gatherers, against whose extortions I heard bittei'complaints]^ The raising of com ap- pears to be pursued with some difficulty ; but suc- cess attends the breeding of cattle. The inhabi- tants I have found civil, hospitable, and obliging, when properly applied to, but otherwise both igno- rant and obstinate.
At the next place I was attended by a Cossack, and a guard of honour was mounted, and a senti- nel placed at my door to await my orders. The reports were also made to me, and, with this in- crease of apparent importance, I continued my route until 1 reached the half-way village between the fortresses of Tchindat and Kharinsky, almost shaken to pieces, from bad roads and a worse vehicle, a common and open telega, — the total ab- Bence of snow rendering it necessary to proceed ^vith wheels. To the south, the hills began to make their appearance, and of course offer induce- ment to look about, after the late dearth of sce- nery. I here met with the first Tongousian Cos- sacks. They subsist on a salary of six roubles, or
118 TONGOUSIAN COSSACKS.
four shillings and sixpence a year, without bread or clothing ; yet is a sword held up by these half naked wretches. They are, in general, a miserable set, but more particularly so at this moment, when their occupation presents their going in search of fish, game, or furs. I found them a contented, and even a liappy people, if possessed of a couple of cows or horses. The Cossacks treat them well, and feed many of them, whom they employ as servants. Nothing will induce them, however, to pass a night in a house, so long as they liave their own miser- able yourte to go to. Indeed, I recollect one of the chiefs contrasting the wholesome, free, and fresh air, which pervaded his yourte, to the stifled heat of a house. I think he was right in his choice. In all the villages I had lately passed, along these lines, there was nothing but lamentations; a veteran battalion, which had been stationed there for twenty years, was ordered to the goveniment of Tomsk, distant about two thousand five hundred miles. The women and children could not accompany them. Their only riches consisted in a comfortable dwell- ing, a vegetable garden, and possibly a cow ; with these they lived content and liappy. Now they will be sold for a trifle to the Cossacks who re- main. The case is indeed a very hard one, but admits of no redress.
From the village of Kbirring the scenery im- proves ; the soil assumes a dark mouldy appear- ance, and a good many corn-fields are scattered about. The river Onons runs along the valley which now formed my route. In descending one of the hills the horses took fright, and got the better of the driver, who, foolishly enough, turned them down, instead of up, the hUl, and thus not only upset, but broke the vehicle to pieces ; as
ASHENGHINSKY. 119
usual, I escaped unhurt, though almost miracu- lously. We crossed the horses, Avith the baggage lashed upon them, and reached a village, all^ safe, distant ten miles from the scene of the accident. There I found an economical granary, upon a plan which might be well copied by the inhabitants of more civilized countries. Every head of a family agrees to reserve a certain proportion of his grain for the consumption of the following year, in the event of a scarcity. It has only this dilierence from the savings' banks in England, — that, in the one case, it is to prevent future famine, and, in the other, future poverty. Upon ray journey to Mo- goitou, I was again upset and nearly dashed to pieces ; the horses going down a steep hill, set off at full speed, and hauled the driver, myself, and baggage, down the descent at a woiwlerful rate. Again, however, Providence protected me, and the accident had no disastrous consequence. The horses, it seems, are aware that winter is not yet over, and they do not like to be so early put to wheeled vehicles. There has seldom been known a winter in which there was so great a want of snow, not even the hills retaining a vestige of it. The misfortunes of this day operated upon me so powerfully, it being my wife's birth-day, 24th January, O.S., that t determined no longer to defy the Fates, and accordingly tamed for the night. I had come over a hilly and well-wooded country of considerable cultivation, as also towards Ashen- ghinsky, the fortress most south-east of any on this line of the frontiers between China and Russia. The distance to Ashenghinsky is thirty miles; it is, like Tchindat and Tsurukhaitouyefsk, a fortress, containing sixty Cossacks and an officer, who is brother to the commandants of those other for-
120 THE INGODA.
tresses. The village of Ashenghlnsky is pleasant- ly situated, and no person is permitted to live be- yond it. Betwixt tbat place and Klakhta there are two or three other fortresses, but no commu- nication between them, except by the foot of the mountains which divide the two empires of China and Russia. The whole distance to Kiakhta is five hundred miles, which cannot be accomplished on horseback, with the same horses, in less than ten days. I had not so much spare time, and there- fore reluctantly retraced my steps to Mogoitou, with the design of getting upon the great route, one hundred miles from Tchitta, and thence to Kiakhta, which I calculated could be done in four or five days. The evening was past in celebra- ting my wife's birth-day, with a good supper and a glass of punch. My host, however, had taken it for granted that I was a bachelor.
Next morning I departed, and overtook about a Imndred of the veteran battalion, who had been stationed upon the southern parts of the lines. I could not help smiling at the officer in command, as he put his head, enveloped in a night-cap, out of a cart to salute me ; he was besides wrapped up in furs of various sorts and colours. I recollected that, when I served in Canada with seamen, I con- sidered it as shameful to ride while the sailors walked, for I did not consider myself as a judge of their fatigues or sufferings, without thus par- taking of them. I shall, however, offer an excuse for this officer, who had certainly passed his grand climacteric. The road was sandy and stony, and but little pasture to be seen, yet the valleys pre- sented scenes of interest. The little river Onons runs along the main valley, which is miserably in- habited by Raskolnicks or Polish schismatics. At
10
THE INGODA TCHITTA. 121
one hundred miles, I reached the Ingoda river, over a poor and sterile district, which does not even af- ford post-houses ; and being without any attendant or Cossack, I found great difficulty in getting on. The people were not only uncivil, but inhospitable ; so much so, that we frequently passed stations or villages without receiving any food ; a circumstance I the more felt, as with the real Russians, or ab- origines, I had always lived in clover. The carts hereabouts cannot go ten miles without some ac- cident, and it requires no little ingenuity to repair them upon the road, so as to enable the traveller to reach the next station. Upon regaining the river Ingoda, we were again in the vicinity of snow, which enabled me to have recourse to the sledge, the safest and most comfortable way of travelling. I thus reached Tchitta early in the morning, where 1 found all bustle and confusion, awaiting the arri- val of one of the most amiable men I know, name- ly, the governor of Irkutsk, Mr Tzedler. I almost regretted meeting his excellency, as it seemed only to part with him ; and yet I could never have quitted Siberia, without saying adieu to that man and that family, whom, in all Asia, I most loved, and to whom I am so much indebted for kindness and friendship. May health and happiness ever attend both him and his ! My route towards Ver- chney Udinsk was not marked by any thing pecu- liar. I moved along at a quick rate, till, in cross- ing the dreary and stony steppe, the vehicle was knocked to pieces, there being no snow upon the ground, and I was consequently compelled to walk the rest of the way.
I reached Vercliney Udinsk late in the evening, and waited upon the town-major ; after which, I determined to visit the hot baths, that I might bid
VOL. II. L
122 VERCHNEY UDINSK.
adieu to the female part of the governor's ftiraily. Having procured a Cossack aiid sledge, I departed at midnight, and the next evening reached tlie baths, distant one hundred and thirty miles ; but on what sort of road, or over what sort of country, I was perfectly ignorant, fatigue having quite in- capacitated me from noticing. I was most kindly received by the ladies, and induced to stay a day with them, during which I inspected the baths, hospitals, &c. which I found upon a tolerably good plan, with many conveniences. The water of the baths may be tempered from 160° downwards; they are strongly recommended for the cure of all chronic and rheumatic diseases, and are pro- verbial for the cure of that disease, which may be called the plague of the peninsula. There is little difference between those of Malka, in Kamtchatka, and these ; both are sulphureous. There are many springs, the largest of which is two feet square and one deep. A thick dense fog continually hovers over the place, which, 1 think, contributes to the facility with which the fine vegetables appear to be raised. An overseer is appointed to look after the buildings, receive the rents, and keep a journal- He has a few workmen under his directions, and, with the excellent accommodations of his own, a sort of boarding-house, he has altogether a com- fortable place. The site is highly picturesque, be- ing but three miles from the lake Baikhal, which is seen in all its magnificence from a little eminence at the back of the hospital ; the country round is thickly wooded, and provisions are not dear. It is directed by the colonial government, at little or no expense to them ; yet it is a pleasant resort du- ring the months of March and April, after the fair of Kialvhta, when all the rooms and cottages, pub-
THE HOT BATHS. 123
blic and private, are crowded with merchants and their families.
I imprudently continued in a bath for a quarter of an hour, and made mj^self very weak, yet per- sisted in immediately retracing my steps to Verch- ney Udinsk, having bid adieu to my kind and amiable friends. My route lay through a thick forest, to the borders of the Baikhal ; after which I coasted along the outer edge of the ice for eigh- teen miles, a distance easily performed in one hour and a half; thence through a thick forest of lofty pine-trees. The beauty of the route is surprising, and is the work of the late governor Treskin. I passed, at a prodigious rate, along the picturesque but well-fenced banks of a mountain ; the horses were excellent, the drivers a set of fellows equally accustomed to whip and be whipped, — i. e. a des- perate crew of convicts, sent here for this express service. After midnight, my route lay over imme- rous lakes, some of them of so poisonous a nature, that many of the convicts lost their lives, while forming the road a few years ago. Ducks, geese, and other birds, cannot live after drinking of the watei', though it appears that swans oiFer an effec- tual resistance to the poison. I saw many of them swimming upon the principal lake ; for, whether from fear or superstition, they are never disturbed by the inhabitants. The journey was rendered very unpleasant from the superior respect which my Cossack paid to his own comforts, monopoli- zing nearly the whole of the cart, and snoring in such a manner as effectually to prevent myself, as well as the driver and horses, from getting any rest whatever. The inhabitants upon this by-road are regular Russian schismatic convicts, and a more Tyburn-like set I never beheld. Woe to him,
124 RETURN TO VERCHNEY UDINSK.
either in person or pocket, who travels as I did, without prepared provisions ! — generally they are too obstinate to sell any thing, and, when they do, will charge five hundred per cent upon articles of necessity ; sooner than yield to which, I, at many villages, went sine food.
Upon the river Etaraza I made fifteen miles, when I entered upon the Selenga at its conflux with the latter river. The morning was very cold and mndy, and almost too severe to allow our pro- gress at any rate ; but my anxiety to get on, back- ed by a dram of spirits to the drivers, induced them to continue, and T, for the fourth time, reached Verchney Udinsk, the latter part of the scenery being lofty and well wooded. My reports having been delivered to the several chiefs, I dined with them, and then departed for Kiakhta, one hundred and fifty miles distant ; the first twenty-five of which were over the raoimtains, passing through a large village of one hundred peasants' dwellings. The road thence proving very indifferent, I de- scended the steep banks of the Selenga, pursuing my route along the river, and reached in good time the missionary station. The inhabitants had been expecting me for many days, not imagining that I would cross the country, or proceed beyond the Bolshoy Zavod, which to them appeared impos- sible.
I breakfasted with these devout gentlemen, and then proceeded for Kiakhta, the first station to which was twenty miles along the Selenga. The route is at present dangerous, the river having given way under the numerous loaded waggons which crossed a tender pai't of the ice, at a time when the thermometer had shown for two days 2° of heat. Along the Selenga, passing through forty
KIAKHTA. 125
miles of dreary scenery, with only a few miserable villages to be seen, I reached the point where the road turns oH' from the river ; and tliat which leads to the Chinese frontiers is continued over a more open, wooded, and, of course, interesting country. On reaching Kiakhta, the hills rise in a command- ing manner, spreading out in various dh-ections, and forming beautiful, but unproductive, valleys. Every thing, in short, denotes a frontier situation, and something seemed to say, tlmt here were the limits of two mighty empires.
[ 126 ]
CHAPTER VI.
Kiakhta— Cliutchie — Selenginsk — Irkutsk — The Angara . — Nishney Udinsk — Ulan — Krasnojarsk — Yenisseisk — The Black river — Atchinsk — Bogotova — Kemtchiega — Perecoule — Tomsk — Tashieka — Tchien — Kainsk^ Barabinsky steppe — Vosnesensk — Yalanka — Zavolgal- ka — Omsk.
The barracks and storehouses upon the banks of the little brook Kiakhta, before the entry of the fortress so called, have a pleasing appearance. This is a neat and regularly built town, with four hun- dred and fifty houses, and four thousand inhabi- tants, a larger proportion to each dwelling than is probably to be found in any other part of the Russian empire. The little brook of its own name serves as the boundary of China and Russia, upon the right bank of which the fortress stands. Kiakhta is considered healthy, although the water is not good ; but, for the more wealthy inhabitants, this essential article of subsistence is brought, at a con- siderable expense, from a distance of two miles, and tire-wood from a distance of twenty. The soil is so poor, that even common vegetables are with difficulty raised.
Tlie district of Kiakhta is governed by what is
OLD KIAKHTA. 127
called a director, who has also the administration of the custom-house depai'tment, and unites in his own person the judicial, political, military, and commercial superintendence. The two former of- fices are subject to a revision from Irkutsk, but the latter are dependent only upon the approbation of the cabinet. The situation of the director is one of areat importance and trust, as well as of con- siderable personal emolument. The present offi- cer has held it twelve or thirteen years, during which time he has doubtless had the means of amassing a most princely fortune, if his inclination lay that way ; he is, however, not yet disposed to quit his command, and appeared to me to be a most honourable, intelligent, and indefatigable ser- vant of the emperor.
Kiakhta, I have already said, is a regular, well- built town ; but beyond this it can never reach, so long as the jealousy and envious policy of the Chinese are maintained. No stone buildings are allowed to be erected, except only a church for public worship; and, though situate in a dreary sterile basin, it possesses many comforts. Beyond the fortress, and immediately opposite to Maimat- chin, is the town of commerce, now called Old Kiakhta, the residence only of the merchants, no officer or stranger being permitted to sleep in it, according to an article of the treaty of both em- pires. I visited Old Kiakhta in company with one of the most respectable merchants, agreeably to the request of the director, and found it to contain forty-five dwellings, many of which are very supe- rior edifices, and have within them very rich stores. Under the countenance of the same respectable merchant, I continued my route towards the Chi- nese fortress, for so it is called, distant about two
^28 MAIMATCHIN.
hundred fathoms from the old town of Klakhta. Of all the celebrated places I have seen, and wliich have nothing to support their celebrity, Maimat- chm IS the most eminent. It is a small, ill-built, mud town, with four narrow mud-paved streets, running at right angles ; containing, during the fair, from twelve to fifteen hundred men and boys, for the female sex are prohibited. The houses are without windows, and there is a total absence of every thing that can interest even the most igno- rant or careless. Such, then, is Maimatchin, wh ch remmded me much of the old Moorish towns in the south of Spain and Portugal, and of those si- tuate along the northern coast of Africa. The ab- sence of windows towm-ds the streets may be par- donable, as at least not mischievous ; but to the absence of the fair sex is mainly attributable that dreadful degeneracy which is said to pervade all ranks of society among them. Tlie streets, as well as tlie dwellings, are clean; the latter are approach- ed by a narrow court, on each side of which are the storehouses. In the centre of this oblong square is the actual residence where the Chinese live, eat, drink, smoke, sleep, and cany on their business ; and it is divided into two apartments. The first is appiopriated to the sale of goods, which are fan- tastically displayed; and fires, candles, brass stoves, and ovens, meet the eye at every corner, in the centre, or wherever the person may be who wishes to light his pipe. The other apartment is appro- priated to the guests for eating, drinking, &c. and difters from the first in having a raised platform, which serves for a bed or dining-place ; upon this, during the day, the blankets, pillows, and cushions, are neatly rolled up, and ornamentally arranged.
MAIMATCHIN.
129
The fixtures of both apartments, which are richly prepared, are of mahogany, brightly polished. _
1 paid my respects to half-a-dozen of the prm- cipal Chinese merchants, some of whom are well versed in the Russian language. I was every where received with affability and hospitality ; tea, li- queurs, dried fruits, cakes, punch, and cigars, were immediately placed before me ; and much mterest seemed to be excited at finding an Englishman in that distant part of their empiie. I was asked if I had been at Canton ; and on replying in the ne- gative, was recommended to go there. The Eng- lish, I was told, carried on a vast trade at that port ; and that as I had come so far to see such a vile place as Maimatchin, I could easily go and see Canton. I found these Chinese extremely cour- teous and communicative ; but they were much dis- tressed when I told them that I employed a Chinese servant at Irkutsk. They could not understand how one of their celestial descendants could think of living in the Russian empire. The fact was, that Captain Rikord had a Chinese servant, who went from Canton to Kamtchatka expressly to serve him. He had been in London some time, and was a good servant, speaking various languages, and would very gladly have followed me to England. They have lanterns placed at regular distances, and lighted at a proper time ; and cotton and silken bags, false bells, and other absurdities, hang about the exterior of their dwellings. I visited then- temple, which, notwithstanding its idolatrous pur- pose, has much of the Romish character about it. I saw no images of female saints, but num- bers of gigantic men and horses, and the whole was evidently the same sort of glittering, carved, and gilded work, as the most tawdry Romish church
130 MAIMATCHIN.
or chapel can boast. The Chinese temples, how- ever, have this diflerence, — that real valuables are not to be seen ; neither gold, silver, nor jewels, nor even the semblance of them, being placed about their images. I do not know whether this is the case in other parts of China.
There is no fortress or defence to Maimatchin, though from three to five hundred souls remain in the village during the spring, summer, and autumn. Trade continues during the whole of the year ; and there is no ceremony observed on either side on entering the Russian or Chinese villages. TJie best understanding exists, and each party alter- nately entertains the other. At this moment the Chinese are employed in cards, draughts, chess, drinking, dancing, and singing. In the month of February is their chief festival, being what is term- ed the White Month, or the beginning of their new year. The principal feasts last three days, that is, from the day before to the day after the full moon, and then the fair commences. The Russian chief also gives a feast to the chief mandarin, and the principal Chinese.
In reply to a question I put to one of the mer- chants, I was told that the distance from Kiakhta to Pekin is one thousand five hundred miles ; but that a courier can go in ten days, although it takes thirty days for the merchants with their goods. I was informed also that it is about one thousand miles from Kiakhta to the frontiers of China Pro- per, and that the road is across the Mongolian, a well-peopled temtory. Tlie Mongoles are only so far dependent upon the Chinese, as to permit them to pass and repass in their country unmolested, being paid for the hire of the horses, &c.
For an account of the trade of Kiakhta, and the
KIAKHTA. 131
manner of carrying it on, and which is a mere matter of exchange or baiter, as not the smallest credit, even for a moment, is given by the Chinese, although it is by the Russians, I may refer my readers to ]Mr Coxe's very valuable work. The mode of trafficking is there accurately descri- bed, the work and risk still falling upon the Rus- sians ; the latter sending their goods in the first instance, and then receiving their teas, &c. The chief articles of import into Russia are teas, cot- tons, nankeens, silks, and good satins, a consider- able quantity of rhubarb, many articles of curiosity and ingenuity, and some trinkets. The exports from Russia are, in general, furs, i. e. foxes, sables, river and sea-otters, wild cats, beavers, and mil- lions of squirrels. The lightness, warmth, dura- bility, and cheapness of the latter, have made them a favourite with the Chinese ; and it is remarkable, that the most rare and valuable furs do not fetch a good price with the Chinese, as they prefer the worst and most common. The best and most valu- able are sold at Moscow and Kishney Novgorod, for the use of the Russians, Turks, and Persians. A large quantity of woollen cloths and copper money is also exported; and such, upon the whole, is the trade between Russia and China, that it yields a clear revenue of about seven millions of roubles, or three hundred and fifty thousand pounds per annum, a sum which in Russia is equivalent to three millions in England. The exports and im- ports are averaged at thiity millions of roubles, or a million and a half sterling. Last year, three mil- lions of pounds of tea were imported into Russia; but this year the tea, as indeed every other trade, is far from brisk. There is an immense stock of furs in hand, and this surplus is caused by the war
132 KIAKHTA.
between the Greeks and Turks. Forty sables, which are commonly averaged at eight hundred roubles, will now scarcely fetch three hundred and fifty. The Chinese know this, and are actually feeding upon the war alluded to.
I returned from the Chinese town late in the evening, and enjoyed two days in the society, hos- pitality, and friendship of the accouratnoy (that is, the peculiarly correct) chief. The propriety and decorum visible in the establishment of this gentle- man, the accomplishments of his very amiable lady, and the superior education of his infant family, are of more value, and far more interesting, than any thing else I had seen in Kiakhta. Among other instances of attentive kindness on the part of the chief, I may mention my having been presented with a curious map of the Chinese Empire, with Russian notes, and which will be found, by those who ai'e desirous of seeing it, in the British Mu- seum, to which I presented it. Provisions are dear, bread, fifteen pence for forty pounds ; meat, one penny a pound, and other things in proportion. The merchants live well, and evince an air of libe- rality and good faith which I have not seen, with people of their class, in other parts of Siberia or Russia. Some of them are immensely rich, havino' settled here from Moscow, Kazan, Tobolsk, Ir- kutsk, Wologda, Kalouga, and Nishney Novgorod. One of them, a Mr Siberikoff, belonging to Irkutsk, and who has been three times elected mayor, has lately opened a new and splendid residence to his friends, the bare walls of which cost two hundred thousand roubles. The whole expenses, including its magnificent furniture from Europe, will, it is said, cost him at least twenty tliousand pounds, a prodigious sum for a mansion in Siberia.
CLIUTCHIE. 133
Haviiis: seen all that I thought interesting in and about Kiakhta, I quitted it upon the third day. My route lay along tlie right bank of the Selenga, a rich pasture level, interspersed with Buriat villages, whose inhabitants received me with every distinc- tion and obsequiousness, in consequence of my Mongolian passport. At forty miles, I crossed the little river Jackoy, and, coasting it for twenty miles, reached a large Ilussian village, Cliutchie, containing one hundred houses, and near five hun- dred inhabitants. The soil had, in general, been sandy, and there was a good deal of pine-wood on it. iieing in an open cart, I suffered much from a strong cold wind, but persisted in continuing my route, that I might not be too late for the winter road from Irkutsk. In the middle of the night I was overturned ; but to these occmrences I had, of late, become so accustomed, that I scarcely no- ticed it, beyond feeling thankful for another fortu- nate escape. The latter part of the journey was over a hilly and sterile country, yet pasturing many flocks of sheep and goats, appertaining to some Buriats, who are rich in this neighbourhood. Early in the morning, after a cold and unpleasant night, with the thermometer at 30° of frost, I reached, once more, and for the last time, the abode of the missionaries. A dram, a hearty breakfast, and a more hearty welcome, soon made amends for all my disasters.
Being Sunday, I was the sole auditor of a long and extemporary sermon, from Isa. xli. 10. " Fear thou not, for I am with thee." It was the first I had listened to for three years, and was therefore doubly acceptable. The text was remarkably ap- propriate, and the discourse directly adverted to the protection I had received from above, during
VOL. II. M
134 SELENGINSK — VERCHNEY UDINSK.
my past, and yet unfinished, pilgrimage. After divine service, I partook of a farevs^ell-dinner, and bade adieu to tliese worthy and zealous mission- aries, regretting only that a more active and more useful station had not been assigned to their pre- sent unpretending and important occupation.
I visited a small dock-yard, in which vessels are built, on an island at the junction of the Jackoy and Selenga, and which are employed to transport the merchandise from Kiakhta to Irkutsk, and down the Angara to the Tongouska, &c. From what I saw, I should term them clumsy and heavy galliots.
I heard, with surprise and regret, upon my ar- rival at the town of Selenginsk, that ray travel- ling companions, the post inspectors, l)ad passed through, on their way to Kiakhta, without staying for an adieu. They knew it was Sunday, and pro- bably feared the eflfects of a sermon. I took the summer road to Verchney Udinsk, which is dis- tant from the riglit bank of the river some miles. It is a hilly and sandy country, well-wooded with pine. On reaching Verchney early in the morn- ing, I found all bustle and anxiety to see their new governor-general. The officers appeared to me to be suspended between hope and fear, and I could not help smiling to see their guilty consciences fully depicted in their faces. Being well assm^ed that his excellency's arrival would take place the fol- lowing day, I determined to await it, to express my acknowledgments for his kindness and considera- tion.
In the mean time, I found good quarters and excellent society at the abode of the okroujenoy chief and his young bride. The governor-generla an-ived, as I had predicted, with all his numerous
IRKUTSK.
136
staff. His excellency's plain dealing and honest speaking soon put the whole city in perturbation. Very few compliments passed, and, 1 believe, his excellency will be, though more disliked, as long remembered and respected for his integiity as the late governor-general, Mr Speranski ; for the pre- sent chief, like his predecessor, has struck at the roots, as well as lopped the branches, of corruption. His excellency appears determined to put down those abuses. I fear, however, the task will prove difficult, unless the situations of the officers are made more respectable than they are at present ; for certainly, at present, they have not the means of living comfortably, or according to their rank.
I departed for Irkutsk, and re-crossed the Baik- hal, where I purchased a couple of silvery seals' skins, or Phoca Siberica, which are numerous in the lake, and consequently set aside the axiom of Pliny. I reached Irkutsk safely on the morning of the 7th of February, having been exactly one month absent. Having refreshed myself a little, I com- menced preparing for my departure towards Eu- rope, which I hoped to reach by a sledge-road. So- ciety had lost every charm in Irkutsk ; the ladies, the military, and the most respectable merchants, were either gone to the fair of Kiakhta, or to the hot baths. I took possession of my old quarters, and became, as it were, master of the house. Here I had the pleasure of receiving a long and highly complimentary letter from Sir Charles Bagot ; a pleasure indeed far too gi'eat to be described.
Upon the evening of the 10th of February, snow fell in great quantities, and I consequently depart- ed tlie next morning, with tears of regret at quit- ting a place where I had been so cordially and re- spectfully entertained. If, on my return, 1 expe-
136 FACTORY NEAR IRKUTSK.
rience similar good fortune, I shall indeed have cause to rejoice ; and, if my expenses from hence to Moscow be as small as to this plac«, I may be termed a most economical traveller ; for, from thence to Irkutsk, a distance of about three thou- sand five hundred miles, in a direct line, it cost me only thirty-tv^ro roubles, or twenty-five shil- lings ; a sum which also included the purchase of tobacco.
Late in the evening I reached the glass and cloth manufactory belonging to the Emperor, distant forty miles from Irkutsk, The cloth produced from, tills factory, is of a stout and coarse kind, and of a greyish colour, and is destined to the use of the Si- berian army. The glass is, in general, of a green- ish colour, but both manufactories are considered to be in a thriving condition. Its commandant de- pends upon the private cabinet of the Emperor, and is in no respect subservient to the governor-general of Irkutsk. I had crossed the Angara, with its fer- tile plain, and had viewed the distant hills to the right, with a melancholy to which I had not of late been accustomed ; after which, my route lay over a well-wooded country, with neat and populous villages at every ten and twelve miles, besides num- bers, inhabited by Buriats, oft" the high road, at the distance of two and three miles. The weather was cold, but the road being very fine, we were not long in reaching Nishney Udinsk, which we did on the morning of the ISth of February, in a frost of 32^. Nishney Udinsk is a large, but scattered, town, situated on the right bank of the Uda, which falls into the Yenissei. The people were mostly <lrunk, and I was consequently detained for some time. The town-major, who is the progeny of a cockney shoemaker and a butcher's daughter, amused me
NISHNEY UDINSK. 137
greatly, bysLowing me his affidavits and indentures, bearing the signature of Sir Richard CaiT Glyu, the then lord mayor. He is strongly marked with the characteristics of his cockney ancestry. It was at this place that the most unbridled tyranny and extortion were practised about three years since, by the ispravnick, who was seized and conveyed away under a strong guard, by order of Mr Speranski, and still remains in prison. He was so gi'eat a simpleton as to keep his riches in his own dwelling, and all were consequently confiscated. Indeed, such were the abuses in this commissariat, that the governor-general was a fortnight employed in hear- ing grievances. In those times no one, not even an officer or civilian, could pass through the city without a Cossack ; for, unless a toll were paid, robbery was certain afterwards to take place, a re- gular band being employed for that purpose. Nor am I aware, nor have I any reason to believe, that there is much difference betwixt its then and its present state.
From Udinsk I descended a difficult pass, at a tremendous rate. Under any other circumstances, I should certainly have prefeiTed slower travelling, but the wretched disposition of the people recon- ciled me to the danger. I reached the large vil- lage of Ulan, and the still larger village of Ingashe, where regularity, cleanliness, and propriety are more conspicuous than in any other place that I have ever seen. Many of these villages contain from one hundred and fifty to two hundred dwel- lings. No horse, cow, or dog, no cart, or dirt of any kind, is allowed to remain in the street a mo- ment. When a vehicle stops with passengers or travellers, it must remain at the back of the dwel-
M 2
138 GOVERNMENT OF IRKUTSK,
ling, and the street being thus clear, the travelling vehicles pass through the village with a wonderful rapidity, without any fear of consequences.
1 had now reached the frontier town of the government of Irkutsk, the iidiabitants of which amount to six hundred and fifty thousand, inclu- ding two hundred thousand in the governments of Yakutsk, Okotsk, and Karatchatka. The number of convicts is estimated at from ten to tv/elve thou- sand ; many of them are allowed to work for their own benefit, as is the case in most of tliese villages on the frontier line. The children of these con- victs become what may be termed crown peasants, the sins of the fathers being thus tndy visited up- on the children, unto every succeeding generation. The government of Irkutsk is most extensive, occupying a breadth, from east to west, of two thousand miles, and a difference of latitude equal to one thousand two hundred, which averages not more than one person to every four square miles. This part of the world is, however, so rapidly im- proving, that, although it is little more than two years and a half since I passed this road, I can scarcely recognise the same places. Commissariats have become governments, towns have taken the rank of cities, villages are called towns, and where there were no dwellings, there are now many ham- lets. This might hastily be attributed to the in- crease of crime, but this is not tlie cause ; it is owing to the transplanting of people to the vici- nity of the new government from the sterile wilds of Ishim, as well as to the arrival of some convicts, or in the same ratio as the aborigines may be said to decrease.
Upon entering the government of Yenisseisk, I directed my route to Kanskoi, situate on the left
ROUTE TO KANSKOI. 139
bank of the river Kan, the Styx of Siberia. My old friend the schoolmaster had changed his abode, a circumstance which I much regretted. My route thence lay over a fruitful corn and pasture country, with a good deal of fine scenery, until I reached the vicinity of Krasnojai-sk, when it became more dreary and sandy. I "reached this new capital of a new province at midnight in very cold weather, and was glad to get into comfortable quarters, as well as to escape from the rufiian set of convicts who compose the inhabitants of many of the vil- lages, all of which are in a most disgraceful, mean, and slovenly condition. No spark of emulation is discernible in the chai'acter of the people of this province. This, no doubt, arises from want of en- couragement on the part of the chiefs and visiting officers ; but indeed the state of the police, and the attention shown at the post-houses in the govern- ment of Irkutsk, make the negligence in other go- vernments much more conspicuous.
I have heard of necessary evils, and have doubt- ed such a paradox. I was, however, on this jour- ney convinced of the fact at certain places and at certain times. J had a good and active Cossack with me, whom I was very well pleased with, ex- cept on arriving at the villages in the Yenisseisk or Tomsk governments ; as, on such occasions, it was his constant practice to beat and otherwise ill-treat those whose business it was to provide horses, pulling them by the hair, ears, and nose, and this without the least apparent ' necessity or provocation. On my demanding the reason of this bmtal conduct, he told me, that if custom and in- clination did not lead him, necessity would com- pel him, so to act. The practice had the effect of enforcing the demand afterwards made for horses,
140 NEIGHBOURHOOD
which he was then certain of liaving furnished forth- with. That, hut for this severe exercise of autho- rity, there would he no possibility of his gettino- over more than sixty or eighty miles a-day, while the government, at such a season of the year, ex- pected at least one hundred and eighty or two hundred. Doubting the truth of this extraordi- nary representation, I desired that, at the next vil- lage, he would order horses in a peremptory man- ner^ but not ill-treat or abuse the people concern- ed ; he did so, tendered the passport, and desired all haste to be made ; the elder of the village re- plied the horses would anive immediately. I wait- ed half an hour, and got none. " Where is the elder of the village ?"— « At the gin-shop," said the Cossack, " helping to drink out the money which is to be paid for the next station." The elder of the village then came to me with an apo- logy, and returned to the gin-shop ; nor did I act- ually get horses for two hours, at the expiration of which time, the Cossack again had recourse to his old and effectual mode of levy. The reader will believe I never again interfered farther than to en- treat he would be more lenient ; the consequence was, I had horses always provided in ten minutes. This custom of flogging the peasants in advance is so generally carried into execution, that they become more hardened and unfeeling than they otherwise would be ; and it is custom which makes them so averse to carry the government requisi- tions into effect. It must proceed from the weak and ignorant policy of their immediate superiors ; a policy which adds gi-eatly to the natural tjTanny of the Cossacks. It was the strict and rigorous discipline kept up by the late governor of Irkutsk, Treskin, that enabled the traveller, aud still en-
OF KANSKOI. 141
ables him, to travel through that government speedi- ly and safely, with the exception of the point at Nishney Udinsk. By proper rewards and punish- ments, these people might be recalled from the state of depravity and insensibility they are now forced into, and be made, like most of the inhabit- ants of Siberia, a rational people ; whereas now, di-unkenness, negligence, and recklessness are their characteristics.
That the peasant is thus harshly treated in many parts of the Russian empire, I will not deny ; but whatever obedience he may implicitly pay to his national superiors, let it not be supposed that lie will tamely submit so to be treated by foreigners ; on the contrary, I have seen several instances of insulted pride in the peasant justly revenged. As a very recent instance, I may mention that an Eng- lish gentleman, a Mr C, travelling upon a com- mercial speculation about the central, and, conse- quently, real, Russian provinces, observed the Cos- sacks, and, in one instance, an officer, beat and other- wise ill-treat the postilions and people employed in preparing the horses. At one of the stations, Mr C. considered he was not promptly attended to, and, sans ceremonie, he proceeded also to abuse and beat one of the postilions. What was the con- sequence ? The man quietly proceeded on with his work, and then made a formal complaint to the elder of the village, a person delegated with magisterial authority, who called upon Mr C, for an explana- tion, first, for what he bad struck the man ? For inattention. — And pray, who are you ? An Eng- lishman.— Of what rank? A merchant. — Oh! oh! says the old gentleman, as he proceeded to fetch the rules and regulations for the preservation of peace and good order in every village, a copy of
142 KRANSNOJARSK.
Avhicb is liept in the post-house, as well as at the starista's. Mr C. had the offended articles point- ed out to him, with a demand of two hundred and fifty roubles, ten guineas, penalty, partly to be given to the sufferer, and partly to the poor. Mr C. demanded why the like was not acted up to with others offending ? The starista said, that of- ficers so acting could be reported to superior au- thority, but that the public service did not allow their being detained for private injuries ; but, says the starista, if you do not choose to pay the fine, or if you cannot, you may empower me to proceed in a more summary manner, namely, to have you flogged with leather thongs to the number of thir- teen lashes. I need not say Mr C. quickly paid the money, and acknowledged his error; whether from fear that the leather thongs are the same as the knout, I know not ; but I believe this same Mr C. is still in Russia, settled in a most exten- sive business, perfectly satisfied with the admini- stration of the laws, which, if acted up to, especi- ally protect the middhng and lower parts of the community.
At Krasnojarsk I visited a party of Jews, of whom there are seventy in the city, some of them very rich. I was surprised at their wearing, added to their long beard, a Tartar dress, Avhich consists of a long silk gown, sash, and black bonnet. Their features, customs, and conduct, are otherwise tlie same with the rest of their nation. The price of provisions is much greater at Krasnojarsk than it was formerly, owing to the formation of tlie new government. I called on my old friends the com- missary and police-master ; the wonderful alter- ations which an increase of rank had made in the latter of these officers, served to show me that liu-
YENISSEISK. 143
man nature is every where the same. I found the city in its old place, but much improved in new buildings, public and private ; those for the chan- celry are beautiful in their design, and liberal in their execution. The city is, in general, built of wood, but bricks are coming into more general use. The situation, both in winter and summer, is windy and exposed. On the opposite banks of the rivers Atchin and Yenissei, the country is beautiful and fertile during the spring, summer, and autumn, but not healthy. It was at this place that the Em- peror Paul wished to form a Scotch colony ; and if the project were followed up by the present Em- peror, it would doubtless succeed, upon the liberal encouragement which he is known to give to fo- reigners, generally and individually.
Having renewed my passport and got my sledge repaired, I departed with the intention of visiting the ancient town of Yenisseisk, on the right bank of the river of the same name, two hundred miles north of this ; and thence to have cut into the main road at Atchinsk, Such was, however, the state of the roads, that it was utterly impossible. I had much wished to visit the manufactories establish- ed in that place, especially those for working up sea-horse and mammoth teeth. A set of chess- men were presented me about three years ago, which go into the compass of one-third of an inch square ; consequently, so small, that it requires good eyes to distinguish the pieces from the pawns. I had also some desire to see Yenisseisk, because it is one of the most antique places in Siberia, the old Russian style of building being still kept up, in which the roofs of the houses project twelve and fifteen feet beyond the walls, and form a com- plete shelter. Tiiere is, besides, another curiosity
144 BOGATOVA.
there, which is famed all over Siberia. This is a massive silver candelabrum, suspended from tlie centre of the church ; its weight is one thousand pounds, and its value above five thousand. The advanced state of spring, and the badness of the roads, prevented my visiting it, and I continued on the straight route.
The road to the first station was so bad that we changed horses twice, nor were the following stages much better ; the first entirely without snow, and the others with too much. I reached the Black River with a broken sledge, the road so hilly and full of ruts, that, from the heavy falls we got, I ex- pected to be laid up ; the concussions were dread- ful, and I never suffered so much in my life. Some- times, while going at the rate of ten miles per hour, upon a smooth and level road, the vehicle would be pitched to a distance of six or eight, and over a perpendicular fall of two feet, nearly killing the horses with the shock. In such a state I reached Atchinsk, which, from a large village when I was here before, is now become a small town. Its lo- cal situation at the junction of the Atchin and Tongouska is valuable. On reaching the village of Bogatova, the country becomes better cultivated and more picturesque. The heavy rains which it is subject to, do great damage, fi-equently inunda- ting the country, as far as Keratchouga. The entry into the government of Tomsk is equally miserable with that of Yenisseisk, nor are the roads any bet- ter. To add to the misery of its appearance, I met two gangs of convicts, about three hundred in number, journeying to a long home. Foxes, how- ever, and good sables, with wild goats, abound in the two governments.
At Birricoule, the incivility of the landlady of
9
EIRRICOULE. 145
the house in which I was quartered, called forth the exercise of my powers. She was determined to afford me no assistance or civility, even deny- ing me her habitation, as she expected the captain ispravnick that day. Having arrived the first, and knowing that, bylaw, I was entitled to the best quarters in the village, I did not feel inclined, par- ticularly on account of my wife, to give up the point, her abode being really comfortable and clean. I therefore persisted ; telling the lady, at the same time, that I only wanted a little milk, which I would pay for. This declaration had such an ef- fect upon the poor woman, that she became as in- terested to serve, as she had before seemed incli- ned to annoy me. She told me her expected guest would require something more substantial than milk, besides a twenty-five rouble note, or a skin of that value. The poor woman also confessed that she had paid the same sum not long ago, and was again prepared for the honour done her by this commissary.
My route lay over a level country, boasting nu- merous villages, but all bear the Tomsk character — marks of much misery. There is a consider- able quantity of fine timber about the country, be- fore the city of Tomsk is approached. The pros- pect then becomes most dreary and desolate, pre- senting one boundless waste of brushwood, covered with snow. I reached the city late in the evening, quite knocked up from fatigue and want of rest, although my wife still held on. To try my pa- tience, I was kept waiting at the police-ofiice two hours before I was provided wath quarters : into the fii'st, however, I could not be received, nor into a second which were pointed out to me ; and VOL. II. N ^
146 TOMSK.
upon my arrival at the third, I found them so bad as to be hardly habitable ; perhaps I was getting too nice and delicate. At any rate, they were so bad as not to induce my staying a longer period than was necessary. I paid my respects to the act- ing governor, an excellent character, as also to Mrs Illechefsky, wife of the late governor. In Tomsk, as in many other places, the acts of the new go- vernor-general (for Siberia has now two governors- general, the eastern one commanding the govern- ments of Tobolsk and Tomsk, with the chieftain- ship of Omsk ; and the western one commanding the governments of Irkutsk and Yenisseisk, with the chieftainships of Yakutsk, Okotsk, and Kamt- chatka) have created great disgust ; among others, may be mentioned his conduct to the people work- ing the brandy distilleries. The governor- general is General Kaptzevitch of the army, a man who distinguished himself in the late campaigns. His severity and rigid principles are not likely to gain him many friends in Siberia ; as would be divined from his having actually ordered officers to receive so many blows, if the quantity of spirits extracted from com were not more than doubled. Whether the general was right or wrong in the mode of in- creasing the revenue, or of making people do their duty, is one question ;— whether the officers and people employed did not make a pecuniary sacri- fice to escape such humiliation, is another ; but, certain it is, the quantity of spirits is produced.
It is in agitation to remove the seat of govern- ment from Tomsk, to a village not far distant ; for what reason I cannot conjecture, as no seat of go- vernment is required to furnish more than the conveniences of keeping up the communicaton. Tomsk has already lost much of its population
TCHIEN. 147
within these ten years ; the district of Kolyma which contains a population of one hundred and fifteen thousand, is now independent of it ; and the new government of Yenisseisk has taken from it about sixty thousand ; so that the patronage and pecuniary concerns of the governor of this province are greatly diminished. The number of inhabi- tants in the city is, at present, near ten thousand, which will shortly be reduced, as a great number will quit. There are one thousand eight hundred houses and twelve churches in the city, situate at the junction of the rivers Tom and Ousheika, one of the most dreary and bleak situations in the world. A great number of Mahomedan Tartars reside in the city and contiguous villages, who are of the same caste as those of Kazan.
From Tomsk I departed for Tobolsk, that I might see the new governor-general ; and, as the road is one I have never been over, I shall be more particular in tracing and describing it. The first forty miles were over a fine road, the borders of which were lined with noble timber, such as birch and pine. There was some tolerable park-scenery, but the country was generally flat. At the little romantic village of Tasheka I crossed the magni- ficent river Obe, where it was a mile wide. Thence my route, day and night, was continued over a most uninteresting low flat pasture plain, with here and there a few dirty villages. At one hun- dred and fifty miles I reached the village of Tchien, where I breakfasted with an old man, who was one of the first settlers upon the Barabinsky steppe, under the auspices of Catherine. He remembered when bread was a halfpenny, and beef five pence, for thirty-six pounds ; whereas they now sell at five pence and thirty pence. Formerly also, the
148 KAINSK.
people worked better, and not being the high-road, they had not so many drawbacks.
The road, as I proceeded, was crowded with caravans loaded with tea, silks, and furs ; and I reached the town of Kainsk in good time to break- fast. The road was good, but the country and villages bear the most wretched desert appearance ; no wood of any description is to be seen on the left bank of the Obe. I had crossed the Kainka before entering Kainsk, which is a neat town,' standing in the centre of a low brushwood forest. There are six hundred houses, and two thousand five hundred people. The three chiefs who com- mand it appear to have placed it in a flourishing state. In the town are several handsome brick edifices, a well-stocked market, and clean streets ; but there was not the least bustle or noise, save that of the tolling of a solitary bell for mass.
From Kainsk I directed my steps towards Omsk, having understood that the governor-general, Kaptzevitch, had left Tobolsk for that place. The central part of the Barabinsky steppe presents a good deal of cultivation, which increased as I reached the western parts of it. Horses, goats, sheep, and cows, appeared very abundant. The soil is considered so fine, that it resists the cold in a more than ordinary degree. Bears and wolves abound in the neighbourhood, and approach the villages so close, as often to alarm the people. Hogs, fowls, ducks, and geese, are seen running about the villages, in all of which there are several farm-yards. Considering the northern situation of the Barabinsky steppe, the excessive rigour of its climate, which, forty years ago, was deemed unin- habitable, and the various obstacles which opposed agriculture, it cannot be denied that great praise is
BARABINSKY STEPPE. H9
due both to the government and the colonists. At present, probably, there is less danger in traversing it than any other part of the Russian empire ; though the inhabitants in general do not possess so much of that kindness for which the Siberians are celebrated, most of them being schismatics from the Greek church, and descendants of those sent thither for colonization by the Empress Catherine. Their villages are now so numerous and well- peopled, that sixty and seventy dwellings are met with at every five or six miles.
Having been hospitably entertained by the com- missary of Kainsk, vnth whom I had previously been acquainted in Tumen, I departed for Omsk, and before I had proceeded ten miles on my jour- ney, the Cossack left me to pass his time in a gin- shop, and I continued on without him ; but, by buckling a pair of horses to a slight sledge, he succeeded in overtaking me. Terror was depicted in his countenance, for he was conscious of having rendered himself liable to severe punishment. He turned out a worthless drunkard, but I pardoned, in preference to punishing him. The first half- dozen villages, which are very well built and clean, contain five or six hundred inhabitants each. The road being veiy fine, we were enabled to reach Voznesensk, ninety miles from Kainsk, in twelve hours. Many people are stationed on the road, and employed as contractors on account of go- vei-nment, to buy up the next year's com, which begins already to get dear, owing to the demands for the support of the garrison of Omsk and the people of Tobolsk. There were also on the road several persons bound to the new government of Yenisseisk, from the wilds of Ishim. They are principally Poles, and, on account of the govern-
N 2
150 YALANKA.
ment oflFering lands free of taxes for twenty years, are removing to more fertile places,
I turned off from the Barabinsky steppe previous to my reaching Tara, and took the direct route to Omsk • a route which I found it diiBcult to tra- verse, being so narrow, that the horses were obliged to go, as it is called in this country, " goose-fa- shion," one after another. The sledge I had was also too broad for the road, and frequently threat- ened to upset, though this could do us little in- jury, the depth of the snow being such, that half- a-dozen horses could not have removed the vehi- cle from such a situation. The point where the road branches off is also the line of demarcation between the governments of Tobolsk and Tomsk, and is formed by the large and neat village of Ya- lanka, which contains one thousand five hundred inhabitants. I felt extremely gratified at reaching the government of Tobolsk, which appeared to me, even on the frontier line, to be inhabited by a more civilized and generous race than that of its eastern neighbour. The lands were certainly in a better condition, being stoutly and neatly fenced in, at least along my route, which was on the right bank of the Om. The only picturesque spot, however, on the road to Omsk was at the village of Taval- ganka. Here I halted for some time at the abode of an old man, who maintains a couple of Kirguise, if possible, in a more miserable state than my fancy had before painted them ; for here they were in a frost of 32°, worse than half-naked, yet in that state compelled to work hard for their bread. I reached Omsk on the third day, and put up at my old quarters.
In addition to what I have before said of the Kirguise and Calmucks, the former may be desig-
TAVALGANKA. 151
nated as a half INIongolian and half Tartar breed, while the latter are pure iSIongoles ; their respect- ive characters do not so much vary, for, in their laziness, filth, and abject state, they are indeed as one people.
[ 152 1
CHAPTER VII.
Omsk — Tou-Kalan — Ishim — Tobolsk — KamishlofF — Mr Major's establishment — Ekatherinebourg — Billimbay-
Zavod Bissertskaya Krepost — Kouugour — Perm — Ok-
hansk Kilmess-selti — IMalmish — Kazan — Tcheboksari
^Vassil — Nishney Novgorod — Borgorodskoye — Paulovo — Vladimir — IMoscow — Klinn — Tver — Torjock — Vish- ney Volotchock — Novgorod — St Petersburg.
My first duty was to wait upon his excellency, the governor- general Kaptzevitch, to whom I had the pleasure of being known in Kazan. I was re- ceived as usual, and every attention and kindness were renewed to me by my old companions. My passports were also renewed, a public order was given for every legal assistance to be rendered me, and I again prepared to start. Omsk appeared, like most places in Siberia, to have undergone a considerable change ; for the streets are kept clean, the gaps are all filled up with new houses, public buildings have been erected for many of the chief ofiicers, a cloth manufactory has been established, and is already at work, and the lame, blind, deaf, and dumb, are employed in it ; the streets are no longer traversed by the begging poor, and a more military air pervades the town than formerly; more of real justice is administered along the whole line
OMSK. 153
of demarcation, and, consequently, more general satisfaction and tranquillity prevail.
I attended an examination of the young Cossacks, three hundred and fifty in number, and, consider- ing their ages, thought them very well advanced in reading, -m-iting, and arithmetic ; the senior classes have also made considerable progress in drawing, fortification, algebra, and mathematics ; and one, a distinct class, in the art of surveying, with the view of being employed to survey the whole of Siberia. They are well clothed, fed, and lodged, at the expense of the Emperor ; as are also the sons of the soldiers of Siberia, of whom there are one thousand in the Lancasterian school, which system is still laudably persevered in, and with com- plete success. Omsk has of late been erected into a vice-government, and consequently a chancery court, and trade will be established there, indepen- dently of Tobolsk.
After two days' stay, I departed from Omsk ; previous to which, I encountered some difficulty ere I could be permitted to bid an adieu to the governor-general. It would seem that the swag- gerings of jacks in ofiice, such as A. D. C.'s secre- taries, pages, and the like, have found their way from civilized Europe to barbarous Asia, as they are termed. I called upon his excellency, and was told by one of these contemptible fellows, that if I made my conge to him, it were the same thing. I told him I thought otherwise, when I was given to understand, that he could not inform the governor- general of my being in waiting, unless I told him, the servant, for it is the same thing, what I had to say to his excellency. Still I persevered, and merely remarked, that if I could not speak, at least I could write — of course I was instantly admitted,
154 TOU-KALAN.
and he repi-imanded, instead of being discharged like any other servant. I mention the circumstance as one to prove that Siberia is also, like Europe, advancing backwards in the score of humanity and civility. Quitting this subject, which occupied my thoughts for some time, I soon reached Tou-Kalan, a place which I well remembered, as being that where I lost my passports and papers ; this village has also risen to the rank of a town. Thence my route lay towards Ishim, one hundred miles from Omsk. Upon the road I again had a difference on a point of etiquette with a young officer who was going thither. The road was so narrow, and both our sledges so broad, that it was impossible to pass without one of them being upset into the snow. Presuming on his rank as an officer, he ordered my Cossack and driver to pull up out of the path and let him pass. My Cossack, though told that he was an officer, refused to obey until he knew his rank ; and finding that he was a lieutenant, and consequently only noble, desired him to make way for most noble. The young gentleman, being press- ed for time, and rather headstrong, drove on as near the edge of the road as possible, and his sledge coming in contact with mine, was most complete- ly turned off the road into the snow. His situation was truly laughable, as he was obliged either to unload it, or remain until the melting of the snow would allow his proceeding. I wished him a plea- sant journey, and resumed mine.
The road to Ishim was in a bad state, the coun- try very dreary, yet there is some fine wood to be seen. It was now Lent, and I could get little to eat but salt fish. This was a circumstance I had not calculated on, but there was no remedy nearer than Tobolsk. I supped at a regular eating-house,
ISHIM. 155
where money is demanded, being, I think, the third instance of such an occurrence in Siberia. The landlady had that day given her daughter in mar- riage to a young farmer, and had also benefited her son, by giving him a wife at the same time. It was ten o'clock when I arrived, and though the custom of Siberia is to turn out of the best room and make place for a visitor, yet I was unwilling to allow of this, and supped in the kitchen, which was deci- dedly the best part of the house ; for the principal room, where the new-married couples, their father and mother, and three younger children, in all nine people, slept, was, from the warmth and horrid smell, scarcely possible to be borne. I asked the old lady how she could think of celebrating nup- tials at such a period of the year, it being Lent ; her answer was, I do not recollect.
There is some tolerable park-scenery north of Ishim, which, in my idea, was much improved by the numerous windmills at work. They are the first I have seen in Siberia, and extend along the road from Omsk to Tobolsk. The peasants are here very industrious and economical, but the lands are sterile, and consequently produce but little bread, which is sold at ten pence the forty pounds, while meat, of which there is a great abundance, from the excellency of the pastures, is only thirty pence the forty pounds. The people are, however, so really Russian, that they cannot do without bread, cost what it will. jVIany of them are, in consequence, removing to the new government of Yenisseisk. I passed through several Tartar vil- lages, willingly partaking of their homely fare, though more for the comfort of a blazing fire, which is always burning on their hearths. I treated the wives with tea, who, however, respect the presence,
156 NEIGHBOURHOOD OF TOBOLSK.
not only of their husbands, but of any other male, too much, to partake of it without their previous consent. These Tartars are a most obliging and hospitable race, who cheerfully obey the commands of the government, and hardly ever go beyond the village which borders on their own. They are be- come excellent agriculturists, and the women em- ploy themselves in weaving a strong sort of car- peting, which they convert to counterpanes, blan- kets, and bed-carpets. Their dwellings are clean and neat, not unlike a common guard-room ; they have no chairs or stools, and live principally upon horse flesh, and are all Mohamedans of the Kazan tribe. Upon reaching the environs of Tobolsk, what with hard work and worse roads, we lost a horse, which, by law, I was obliged to pay for, as it was the shaft horse ; the sum was twenty five roubles, or one guinea. As I neared the city, I observed my Cossack constantly drunk, and it turned out that he had sold all my copper cooking utensils, the loss of which I had not discovered in time, as we could get nothing upon the road to cook. Two more gangs of convicts were passed before I enter- ed Tobolsk, which was late in the evening, when I was instantly provided with as good quarters as I could desire. The cold was so intense, that the Cossack, who had fallen asleep from liquor, was severely frost-bitten.
Tobolsk has undergone little or no change since I left it, unless it be in its governor; and a similar change has taken place within one year, in every government and province, except Okotsk. I pass- ed three pleasant days with my friend Mr Gedens- trom, the same who travelled across the Icy Sea. I also renewed acquaintances with old friends ; and, except that the society is less pleasing and
■d
TOBOLSK. 157
more reserved, I observed little difference. The present governor and governor-general are unmar- ried men, consequently have little inducement to have females at their houses. A certain air of pride and severityalso prevents so good an understanding as ought to subsist, and which, under the auspices of the late governor, did subsist, in this city.
Tobolsk is a more regular and compact built place than Irkutsk ; it contains one thousand eight hundred and seventy houses, eight thousand males, and ten thousand females, besides the military and Cossacks, and is consequently larger than Irkutsk. It boasted also the presence of a very young and pretty Englishwoman^ in the person of a Miss Nor- man, who is going to educate the children of the governor of Krasnojarsk ; her accomplishments and amiableness duly fit her for the task, but her beau- ty will much expose her where she is going ; so that she must shortly either marry well, or return to her family .
I quitted the city of Tobolsk escorted by a dozen friends, who, with bottles of champagne, accom- panied me a few miles, when I parted with them, and, following the great road^ reached Tumenthe next day, one hundred and seventy miles. It is a flourishino: and well-built town on the Toura, and carries on considerable trade by water. I quit- ted it for the last station in the government of To- bolsk, and, with a giateful heart, bade adieu to Si- beria, which commences at Tumen : Ekatherine- bourg is dependent upon the government of Perm, although actually in Siberia, if the Ural Mountains divide Europe from Asia.
The road thence was crowded with vehicles of all descriptions, and there was an air of cheerful-
VOL. II. o
158 KAMISHLOFF.
ness on the countenances of the peasants, which I had not seen for some time ; they were busy in get- ting in hay and straw. The villages are also bet- ter peopled, and occur at every three and four miles ; indeed every thing tells me I am leaving the wide-spread and desolate regions of northern Tartary, for the populous, civilized, and industrious ones of northern Europe. Yet I did not feel elated at leaving a place where I had been happier than , in any other part of the world. Travelling all night, I reached Kamishloff, a considerable town, containing four Jnuidred houses and fifteen hundred people. There are many new brick buildings, and much improvement has taken place, in consequence of the active exertions of the town-major, who had formerly treated me kindly. To Ekatherinebourg are eighty miles, the last twenty of which are bare- ly passable, from the dreadful state of the roads. Never was I more truly thankful that I was able to exercise my pedestrian powers, than on the pre- sent occasion ; but what to do with my wife was a difficult and serious question. She was, how- ever, compelled to walk, to avoid greater suffering. The roads are full of cross ruts four and five feet deep, and the fall of the vehicle in them was such, as made it impossible to remain in it ; and from the concussions I received, I felt seriously alarmed, not only at my own state, but for that of my better half. It is the approaching fair of Irbit that ren- ders the road so bad, owing to the many thousands of heavy laden vehicles passing to and fro, and which, occasionally halting, sink into the snow, and thus make the road full of ruts. By dint of labour and patience, we reached fourteen miles in twelve hours, halting at the hospitable abode of Mr Major, which we reached at midnight. A good supper
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF KAMISHLOFF. 159
and hearty welcome were in attendance, and I then got what I more wanted, a sound sleep.
I staid two days with this gentleman, who is an Englishman, brought up in the Birmingham trade ; and who, had he possessed the least economy, must have saved a large fortune, as the numerous good employments he has held under the crown, as well as under the most wealthy individuals, sufficiently prove. He has an excellent heart, with a specu- lative and inventive genius. At present he is en- gaged in the direction of the salt-works of the Countess StrogonofF. New steam-engines are to be erected by him, and he is to receive thirty thousand roubles per annum, besides a per centage upon the saving effected by the adoption of steam ; he is also employed in completing a machine, which he has invented for the more easy and better washing of the gold sands, and which his estate is said to abound with. He showed me, however, as a sam- ple, all the gold he had collected, and which is cer- tainly not worth seven shillings. His estate is sandy, yet px-oduces some extremely fine pastures and large woods ; it is of several square miles, and was given him in perpetuity by the Emperor. Mr Major has also received from the same monarch, diamond rings, orders, crosses, and pensions, too numerous to mention. The employment of steam in the working of the mines near Ekatherinebourg, is owing to the ingenuity of Mr Major, who has also established on his own premises a manufactory of knives, forks, scissors, and cutlery of all descrip- tions. Should he succeed in getting a Siberian market, and should he be able to produce articles of worth, which, however, I much question, he will no doubt realize a large fortune in his old age. I have brought a four-bladed pen-knife to England,
160 NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
which is sold at nine-pence, or seven shillings and sixpence the dozen. It lasted well to mend one pen, and since then must be ground or set, to ena- ble it to cut a second. I might have said to Mr Major and others —
So many irons in the fire you hold,
That none of them, methinks, will turn to gold.
I left his amiable and hospitable family, and proceeded on to the city of Ekatherinebourg, which I reached in the morning, I waited upon the new chief, who has been here two years ; he is well spoken of, as having the good of the service much at heart, although his manners are eccentric, and he is no friend to society. He was several times in England, and is, no doubt, a man of talents. He has increased the quantity of gold, produced from the washing of sand, from six hundred to two thousand pounds weight, which is equal to an in- crease of the revenue of Ekatherinebourg of near one million and a half of roubles. There have lately been some valuable gold mines discovered on the eastern and western ranges of the Ural Mountains ; the richest specimens are found on the east, and those in the lands of a Mr YakovlefF are the best ; and that gentleman, whose liberal and magnificent establishments I have before noti- ced, has entered into a contract to supply the mint with two thousand pounds weight of gold per an- num, at a certain price, for a certain number of years. This is indeed a serious undertaking, but I doubt not it will be made good. Government are also about to commence working some newly discovered gold mines ; and, it is said, a fresh as- sistance of six thousand workmen is to be sent from the college of mines at St Petersburg; in-
EKATHERINEBOURG. 161
deed, such are the inexhaustible riches of tljeir mountains, that hundreds of thousands of people could be employed, and yet centuries would elapse ere they procured any great proportion of the hid- den treasures, which are daily becoming more ap- parent, and which may ultimately vie with the mines of South America in the precious metals, and surpass them in the variety and beauty of their mineralogical productions.
Ekatherinebourg has considerably improved, but society has much fallen oflF, nothing but the low plodding Germans being left. It is, however, a flourishing and improving place, and will doubt- less, ere long, be a most important one. I again visited the establishment of Mr Yakovleff, and found the building increased by a handsome church, a large and well-regulated hospital, besides a school where the director's children, as well as those of all the peasants, are brought up. Priests, doctors, and schoolmasters, are severally provided for at the expense of the owner, and I have never seen a place where philanthropy and good sense were more predominant, and where more general satisfaction beamed on the countenances of people termed slaves, than among the peasants of Mr Yakovleff. Who will, after this, affirm that Siberia is only the abode of vice, misery, and ignorance ?
I quitted Ekatherinebourg at midnight, and reached, early in the morning, Billimbay Zavod, near forty miles ; the country was hilly. At break of day, I was on the highest peak of the Ural mountain pass, and could not help stopping to take a last view of Asia, the forced residence of many dear and valued friends, as also the abode of others whom I much esteem. Though it is, generally speaking, the land of the exile, it is rather the land
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which is sold at nine-pence, or seven shillings and sixpence the dozen. It lasted well to mend one pen, and since then must be ground or set, to ena- ble it to cut a second. I might have said to Mr Major and others —
So many irons in the fire you hold,
That none of them, methinks, will turn to gold.
I left his amiable and hospitable family, and proceeded on to the city of Ekatherinebourg, which I reached in the morning, I waited upon the new chief, who has been here two years ; he is well spoken of, as having the good of the service much at heart, although his manners are eccentric, and he is no friend to society. He was several times in England, and is, no doubt, a man of talents. He has increased the quantity of gold, produced from the washing of sand, from six hundred to two thousand pounds weight, which is equal to an in- crease of the revenue of Ekatherinebourg of near one million and a half of roubles. There have lately been some valuable gold mines discovered on the eastern and western ranges of the Ural Mountains ; the richest specimens are found on the east, and those in the lands of a Mr Yakovleff are the best ; and that gentleman, whose liberal and magnificent establishments I have before noti- ced, has entered into a contract to supply the mint with two thousand pounds weight of gold per an- num, at a certain price, for a certain number of years. This is indeed a serious undertaking, but I doubt not it will be made good. Government are also about to commence working some newly discovered gold mines ; and, it is said, a fresh as- sistance of six thousand workmen is to be sent from the college of mines at St Petersburg; in-
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EKATHERINEBOURG.
161
deed, such are the inexhaustible riches of their mountains, that hundreds of thousands of people could be employed, and yet centuries would elapse ere they procured any great proportion of the hid- den treasures, which are daily becoming more ap- parent, and which may ultimately vie with the mines of South America in the precious metals, and surpass them in the variety and beauty of their mineralogical productions.
Ekatherinebourg has considerably improved, but society has much fallen oflF, nothing but the low plodding Germans being left. It is, however, a flourishing and improving place, and will doubt- less, ere long, be a most important one. I again visited the establishment of Mr Yakovleff, and found the building increased by a handsome church, a large and well-regulated hospital, besides a school where the director's children, as well as those of all the peasants, are brought up. Priests, doctors, and schoolmasters, are severally provided for at the expense of the owner, and I have never seen a place where philanthropy and good sense were more predominant, and where more general satisfaction beamed on the countenances of people termed slaves, than among the peasants of Mr Yakovleff. Who will, after this, affirm that Siberia is only the abode of vice, misery, and ignorance ?
I quitted Ekatherinebourg at midnight, and reached, early in the morning, Billimbay Zavod, near forty miles ; the country was hilly. At break of day, I was on the highest peak of the Ural mountain pass, and could not help stopping to take a last view of Asia, the forced residence of many dear and valued friends, as also the abode of others whom I much esteem. Though it is, generally speaking, the land of the exile, it is rather the land
162 URAL MOUNTAINS.
of the unfortunate than of the criminal. It is the want of education, which, begetting a looseness of morals, plunges these unfortunates into error. The thinness of population in Siberia, is a ready reason to account for the facility with which a person is exiled. Of real criminals there are not so many as is imagined, as, by the report of Nertchinsk, it appears that but two thousand five hundred cri- minals are employed in the mines. It is not every man who is sent to Botany Bay that ought to be termed a criminal ; nor every one who is exiled to Siberia. It may be safely said, that all the most hardened criminals who are banished for life are at Nertchinsk and Okotsk ; at least there are very few exceptions, and I believe their whole number does not exceed three thousand, while the number of exiles sent for a limited period annually amounts to at least one half that number. As to the edu- cation and moral habits of the natives of Siberia, they are certainly equal, if not superior, in these respects, to the European Russians. They have not the same incitement, nor the same means of committing crimes. The whole population does not exceed two millions and a half, about one half of which are aborigines, scattered over a tract of country which gives to each person three square miles. Provisions and clothing are cheap, taxes are not known, the climate is healthy — and what can man more desire ? I looked again to the east, and bade adieu, thankful for the many marks of esteem and kindness I had received from the hands of its hospitable people.
Descending the western branch of the Ural Mountains, I soon found myself again in Europe ; the land of malt, the fire-side home, again had charms for the traveller. The sensations I expe-
BISSERTSKAYA KREPOST. 163
rienced upon quitting the most favoured quarter of the globe, were nothing when compared to the present. Then I thought I was going only to the abode of misery, vice, and cruelty, while now I knew I had come from that of humanity, hospi- tality, and kindness. I looked back to the hills, which are, as it were, the barrier between virtue and vice, but felt, in spite of it, a desire to return and end my days. And so strong is still that de- sire, that I should not hesitate to bid adieu to po- litics, war, and other refined pursuits, to enjoy in central Siberia those comforts which may be had without fear of foreign or domestic disturbance.
In the evening of my entry into Europe, I reach- ed the village of Bissertskaya Krepost, situate on the Bissert stream. The road was bad, and over a hilly country ; nor was my dissatisfaction at all allayed by the conduct of the Permians. Inhospi- tality, incivility, and general distrust, everywhere prevailed, and influenced the conduct of the inha- bitants : even the last copek is insisted upon in payment for the horses, before they are permitted to commence the journey ; a circumstance which, in many cases, occasions much inconvenience and loss of time. In Siberia the traveller may pay for- wai-d or backward three or four stations, and every sort of accortamodation is given.
Immediately upon leaving Siberia, I had a most severe attack of rheumatism, or pains arising from the joltings I had formerly got ; probably, also, the change of air did not agree with me, until I had again become accustomed to it. I, however, per- severed in the journey, and, passing a gang of gip- sies with their usual eccentricities, and a larger gang of convicts, I reached Koungour. The villages upon the road are numerous and well-peopled.
164 KOUNGOUR.
Many iron and salt-works, as well as distilleries, are to be seen in all directions, and an active and industrious spirit everywhere prevails. Noble tim- ber, too, is in great abundance, enlivening the pros- pect, among which the lofty oak is the most con- spicuous. At Koungour a sort of hotel and bil- liard-rooms have been established in my absence, and appeared to be doing well.
The picturesque situation of Koungour cannot fail to please, commanding a fine view of the sur- rounding well-cultivated, and better wooded and watered, country. There are one thousand one hundred dwellings, and four thousand two hundred inhabitants in it ; half-a-dozen churches and some stone edifices, give it a respectable appearance, yet as to thrift it is but a sorry place, although the honey it produces is considered as very superior and abundant. Formerly it AA^as the capital of a province, and, previous to that period, a favourite place of the Tartars. The caves where they re- sided are still shown in the light of useful curiosi- ties, inasmuch as they are converted into ice-cel- lars and store-houses.
From Koungour to Perm are sixty miles, of at present most execrable, but during the summer, of the most beautiful road. I reached the city at mid- night, exceedingly worn out. The police, mista- king me for a horse, gave me a stable for a lodg- ing. I was, however, satisfied with any place in my weak state, and with violent rheumatic pains, Perm, with two thousand houses and nine thou- sand inhabitants, is going on in an im^jroving and handsome style of building. It is in short a flou- rishing place, and will in time become of great im- portance, and one of the most valuable govern- ments in European Russia. It stands on the right
PERM. ' 165
bank of the Kama, in a fertile and well-wooded country.
I procured from the governor a fresh passport, and was almost obliged to listen to his absurd and ill-timed questions regarding my wife — questions which evidently showed his utter ignorance of his own country. Perhaps he suspected my wife was a Tartar, a Mongole, or some other sort of Pagan. He asked me of what country she was. I said, " Of Kamtchatka." " Is she a Kamtchatdale ?" " As much as you are a Russian." " Who and what is her father ?" " He serves." " What is his rank ?" " A priest." (A laugh, for he really does serve the church.) " But is he a Russian or Kamtchatdale priest ? " " As it may please the natives of either country to attend the service." " Does he speak the Russian language?" " He does." " But is he a Russian or Kamtchatdale ?" " Both." " How can that be ?" " In the same manner that you are a Livonian and a Russian." " Is he a white man T " In appearance, but can- not answer for any few shades by which he may be removed from a Tartar or other tribe." " In what language does he read the divine service ?" <' In the Russian." " Oh, then he is of the Greek Church, and a Russian ?" " Of course." " And your wife, where was she brought up ?" " In Kamtchatka." " What has been her education ?" " To respect every body" " Well, I will give you joy," said this governor, " but, I confess, I- would rather you go to Kamtchatka for a wife than I." I told his excellency that " I thought it better to have such a wife as mine, who would go where I chose, and would consider it her greatest delight to do so, than such as his, who would neither ac- company nor remain with him, although in her
]6ij OKHANSK.
own country." I need not say the conversation was abruptly discontinued, not a word being said, but merely adieu. This is the only instance, except one, tl)at ever occurred in the Russian empire, of being personally insulted, and, to the credit of Rus- sia, I should add, this governor is a German. The other was at Kazan, and regarded only the conduct of some young ladies, who, when at a ball, asked my wife who was her father, how many peasants he had, &c. I told them that I should begin also to inteiTogate them respecting their fathers, whether they gambled ? and the consequence was, no more of those childish questions wei'e again put by the young ladies, who were probably induced by a spirit of curiosity and vanity, so congenial to young minds, to make such inquiries ; while, in the other instance, namely, that of the governor, I could only impute it to a want of delicacy, arising from igno- rance.
I had little inducement to remain longer in Perm than was necessary, but I could not, from ray weak state, depart before the noon of the se- cond day of my arrival, during the whole of which time, my wife and I continued the inhabitants of the stable — but such a fact did not in the least discompose me. I felt thankful I was so well oft', and probably enjoyed it from other motives. Ha- ving departed, I soon reached the neat little town Okhansk,on the left bank of the Kama, upon which my route had lain. It has much the appearance of a fishing place, from the number of vessels, of from fifty or sixty tons to as many pounds, with which it is crowded. Snow fell very heavily, and my postilion, whom I had procured at Tobolsk, suftered much from the melting of the snow, fol- lowed by a hard frost. I proposed an extra sledge
KAZAN. 167
for the night, to relieve him ; but such is the eti- quette, that the post-master would not give extra horses, either for love or money — so much for the government of Perm, and which I here quitted for that of Kazan, over desperate roads, with a more desperate increase of rheumatic pains. Yet I was content to persist in moving forward, in conse- quence of the attention of all classes of people to my wants. In the early part of the evening, I reached the village of Kilmess-selti, in the govern- ment of Viatka, having come through a well-peo- pled and well-cultivated country. At noon on the following day I reached Malmish, one hundred miles. The road was better, the villages more numerous, and all having a principal residence be- longing to the lords of the lands, which I consider- ed the first good visible sign of my having reached European Russia.
Malmish is a small neat town, with a growling post-master, in spite of whom, ill as I was, I con- tinued my route, and reached Kazan the next morn- ing at seven o'clock. The last two stages I was obli- ged to go upon an open sledge, as I could no longer endure the heavy falls of my own ; and so ill was I, that I considered the palpitation of my heart as a short prelude to dissolution. It was fortunate my journey by the winter road was to end at Ka- zan. I could not have gone farther, and should therefore have been compelled to have staid two or three months in a village, unprovided with ne- cessaries, much less with comforts. It was not, however, upon my immediate arrival at Kazan that my difficulties were to cease; I was kept at the police-office for two hours, awaiting the arrival of the police-master. As he had not at that time ar- rived, the officer in waiting was kind enough to
168 KAZAN.
order me to comfortable quarters, which, when I reached, I was not allowed to enter, as the police- master sent a Cossack to say he had better quar- ters for me in a more convenient part of the city. I returned to the police-office, and was then direct- ed to quarters already occupied. I again returned to the police-office, and was ultimately, as in Perm, sent to a stable. Even that was a happy situa- tion for me in the state in which I was. I mana- ged to call upon a governor, whose functions had ceased, and represented the case, which he, from prudence upon his own account, could not inter- fere in ; although he is a worthy man, and had shown me many marks of attention upon my out- ward journey.
I dined with this governor the next day, and, at his house, met Mr Yeremeoff, whose wife was the governor's niece, and had become both wife and mother in my absence. I drank tea with her, when Mrs Cochrane was taken so alarmingly ill, that she could not be removed. Mr and Mrs Yeremeoff kindly and good-heartedly insisted upon our re- moval from the stable to their elegant mansion, the resort of the first society of Kazan ; the owner be- ing a pattern of liberality and honest sentiments, his lady a woman as accomplished and elegant in her manners, as she is virtuous and humane in her heart. For twenty-three days was my wife con- fined to her room, and for more than that time I suffered a species of torturing pain in the heart and left side, which only left me from lapse of time. The names of Paul and Liuboff Yeremeoff will ever be engraven on both our hearts.
It was the inattention and disrespect of the po- lice of Kazan, now dependent only upon their own w^hims, and that of the covernor-general, which
KAZAN. 169
proctired me such a comfortable residence. The poHce, at the best periods, was very bad, owing to the difference which generally subsists between the lords, or landholders, and the governors. Thus Kazan is considered as one of the most difficult places to manage in the Russian empire ; from what other cause I know not. The nobles still retain their ancient Asiatic pride, in spite of their pover- ty ; nor did they appear to me to have profited so much in general knowledge as might have been ex- pected, considering there is a university. I was certainly quartered in the house of the most libe- ral and enlightened of them, descended from an an- cient Russian family, who had previously served in the army, had travelled, and imderstood several languages. I called also upon the officiating go- vernor-general, a senator of Moscow, and a direc- tor of the College of Mines, sent here to redress and reform, and make much ado about nothing. I saw him but once, a plodding tradesman. His pri- vate character, much less his public, I know no more of, than that he did his best to render valid Addison's remark, that man and dog are the only two animals which have not changed natures, they being equally inveterate towards their fellow-crea- tures ill distress. To say the least of his excel- lency, I think him the worst, probably the most eccentric, sample of a Russian that I have seen ; neither ambition, nor personal behaviour, nor ge- neral knowledge, marking his character ; probably his excellency's scientific studies disqualify him from the exercise of the more amiable qualities ; be this as it may, he is not the first instance I have met of a scientific man forgetting the gentleman and man of feeling.
Thus arrived at Kazan, it was necessary to re-
VOL. II. -P
170 KAZAN.
main until the Volga should become passable. Tiie ice had broken up, and was rushing, with a tre- mendous roar, towards the Caspian Sea. All around the city was, as it may be termed, an uni- versal deluge ; the southern hills and the city alone appearing above water. Boats might be seen pass- ing to and from different parts of the town : while, with others, no communication whatever could be held, from the depth of the mud in the streets, or the velocity of the two canals which run through it. The country around is picturesque at this sea- son of the year, May 1st (13th). The southern hills, in particular, have a fine effect. The Volga has now assumed a most gigantic size, and appear- ed to threaten a general inundation.
The insalubrity of Kazan has been already no- ticed; it has been, not inaptly, compared to an Italian city, healthy only in wet and dirty, and un- healthy in hot and dry weather ; but Kazan is also unhealthy during the severe frosts. My time was variously occupied, as I enjoyed the friendship and society of the best classes of the inhabitants, and never felt more at home. I was under many obli- gations to the vice-governor, nay, to most of the inhabitants of this interesting spot ; but I received not the smallest mark of condescension from the governor-general, or rather senator, whose name is Soimonoft', and who has since been employed in surveying and examining the newly discovered gold mines at Ekatherinebourg, in company with my learned and highly valued friend, Doctor and Pro- fessor Fuchs. The latter is, I believe, about to publish a history of Kazan, a task for which his long residence and knowledge of the Tartar lan- guage especially qualify him. Many pieces of his have already found their way into the literary ga-
KAZAN. 171
zettes of St Petersburg; among others, the descrip- tion of the four annual feasts of the Tartars of Ka- zan, and a delineation of their manners, customs, origin, &c. These four feasts are divided between national and ecclesiastical. The first national is called saban, the plough, and is held in the spring ; consisting of horse-racing, boxing, and wrestling. The other national feast is called gin, and is con- secrated to the period when lovers are first shown to each other. The first ecclesiastical feast is call- ed ramasah, while the other is called kurban, — the amusements of the latter three are the same as the first. The professor has also given to the w^orld many useful hints upon the coins and medals of Ka- zan, of which he himself possesses a valuable and rare collection, besides some Tartar manuscripts. His situation, as one of the professors of the uni- versity, gives him a great advantage, and it is to be hoped he will do much to solve the doubtful and intricate history of the towns of Kazan and Bul- gari.
The following concise matter is translated from a short history which that learned gentleman pub- lished in Kazan last year, and, as it throws some light upon the subject, I readily give it as I re- ceived it.
" The INIordva and Tcheremiesie lived, in an- cient times, in the deserts, situated near the cen- tral parts of the river Volga, whence, dispersing themselves along the rivers Oka and Kama, which fall into the Volga, they soon rendered themselves, by their inroads, formidable to the Sclavonians and Polovzians. Murom, in the time of Rurick, or in the ninth century, served as a fortress to check their inroads. History has, however, preserved so very little information respecting the wars canied on by
172 KAZAN.
these nations against the Sclavonians, prior to the year 1088, that I shall pass over the intermediate two centuries.
" At that period, the Tcheremiesie and Mordva, known at that time by the common appellation of Bulgarians, seized and retained possession of the fortress of Murom ; and, in 1183, they committed further depredations in its vicinity, as likewise in the tenitory of Kazan; and, in 1218, Joustong was conquered. These were the first inroads, and which the Grand Dukes of Russia were unable to repulse until the year 1219, when the Grand Duke Gre- gory Vcevolodovich marched with an army, and compelled the intimidated Bulgarians to sue for peace, which was accordingly granted under cer- tain stipulations. The peace did not last long, for, in 1218, the same grand duke was engaged in a war with the Mordva, and, in 1232, he was again successful in an expedition he undertook against them.
" The Russian chronicles mention several an- cient cities built by the Tcheremiesie and Mordva ; thus BrachimoiF (which should not be confounded with a city of the same name belonging to the Bul- garians) was already a large and celebrated city in 1 164, and stood near the upper part of the Kama, but was demolished so early as 1220. The next city of importance was Tuchtchiji, which, accord- ing to Nestor's account, was situate on the left bank of the Volga ; the other considerable places named in the Russian history were, Tchelmat, Sabakoul, Ashlie, Djomkotin, and Kerminchouk, all of which were in existence in 1396 ; while the city of Bul- garia is, for the first time, to be read of in 1367, and no farther notice of it is taken after 1396, or it reigned but twenty-nine 3'ears.
KAZAN. ITS
" The Bulgarians, like the Mordva, became sub- ject to the Mongolian conquerors, the latter so early as 1239 ; and it would seem that henceforth unin- terrupted tranquillity reigned for 120 years, caused probably by the protection which was afforded to the weak by the khans of the Golden Horde ; at least no mention is made of a war until the year 1363, when the Great Horde had become so weak- ■ eued by internal dissensions, as to hold out pros- pects of success to the piratical excursions of the Novgorodians, who made their appearance upon the banks of the Volga and Kama about that time, and, in shoit, continued to commit every devasta- tion and ravage possible upon the Bulgarian cities. In 1380, Touktamish reunited the hordes, and re- covered the lost possessions.
" In 1390, the captures of Viatka and Djouk- tan followed ; although, in succession, as also with that of Kazan, they fell into the hands of the pi- rates of Novgorod. It is this Touktamish, khan of the Golden Hordes, who first brings us acquaint- ed with Kazan ; nor ai-e there any prior legends or traditions from which any conclusions can be drawn respecting it. A few tomb-stones, dispersed here and there in Upper Kazan, bear a most ancient date ; but it is a very remarkable circumstance in the history of this part of the world, that of the many monuments found, none of them mention any thing concerning Kazan. The Tartar manu- scripts touching the history of these parts, were either consumed at the capture or burning of Ka- zan, or, which is also not improbable, they were carried away by those Tartars of distinction who fled to Bucharia. The modern Tartars have a few traditions as to the building of Kazan, as also of the ancient neighbouring nations by which it was
p2
174. KAZAN.
surrounded. But these traditions are equally ab- surd with the details given on the subject in the compositions of Leezloff and Richcoff.
" The first mention of Kazan in the Russian an- nals was in 1395, on the following occasion:— Touktamish, khan of the Golden Hordes of Tar- tar}', gave Nishney Novgorod, formerly the pro- perty of Simeon Demetiius, Prince of Souzdal, to the (irand Duke Demetrius. The former prince attempted to recover it, and indeed succeeded, through the aid of Tatiaka, or Entiak, Tzar of Ka- zan, which last was, however, ultimately pursued by the forces of Muscovy, which captured the cities Bulgari, Djouktan, and also Kazan.
" In the year 1430, Uluck Mahomed, or MaJio- nied the Great, made his appearance ; he was also Khan of the Golden Hoi'des, but about the period of their decline. For a long time he remained in- active in the vicinity of Biabeff, but, in 1444, he obtained possession of Nishney Novgorod ; in 1445, he made an unsuccessful attempt upon Murom, being repulsed by the Grand Duke Vasillevitch. In the autumn of 1445, the two sons of Mahomed plundered the neighbourhood of Souzdal, and en- tirely defeated the forces of the Grand Duke, who was taken prisoner, but liberated in October of the same year, upon the promise of a ransom ; which he was unable to pay, in consequence of falling into the hands of his kinsman, who deprived him of Jjis dukedom.
" After these successes, Uluck Mahomed march- ed towards Kazan, ^. e. in 1446, which, having freed itself from the yoke of the Golden Horde, was now governed by its own princes ; the city was captured, and Ali-bey (Le-bey), its prince, was killed. Mametak, son of Uluck, was placed
KAZAN. 175
upon tbe throne, and with him comiueuced the new dynasty. Nikon says, in his Russian Annals, * and from that time commenced the kingdom of Kazan.'
" Kazan, from its conquest by Uluck INIahomed, was goveiTied by the following khans : —
" 1st, Mametak, his son, from the year 1446. The time of his death is uncertain ; and his brother Jagoob resided as an emigrant in Russia. The Tcheremiesie, in conjunction with the Tartars, made frequent incursions upon their enemies, par- ticularly into Joustkig, which place they plun- dered.
" 2d, Kalil, son of Mametak, whose reig-n was short.
" 3d, Abraham, brother to Kalil, reigned from 1467 to 1478. Under his sovereignty, the Kazau- ners attacked Jousting, and prevented the Russian forces, which were advancing towards Kazan, from crossing the Volga. In January, 1461, the Tche- remiesie suffered severely in a battle with the Rus- sians ; while another force, assisted by the Viat- kians, in June 1468, never reached its destination ; the Viatkian force having been defeated by that of Kazan, while the Tcheremiesians were similarly treated by the Russians on the banks of the Kama. Notwithstanding these defeats, a powerful Russian army was obliged to retreat from before Kazan in 1469, whither they had proceeded in boats. In the same year, the Grand Duke Gregory, brother to John "\'assilovitch, appeared with a powerful force before Kazan, and at once burnt the suburbs of the city. The Khan Abraham was in a despe- rate situation, and promised to submit. In Sep- tember, 1478, he, however, being assured that the Grand Duke had been defeated near Novgorod,
176 KAZAN.
immediately advanced upon Viatka and Jousting for the puq)ose of plunder ; but, from the appear- ance of a Russian force before Kazan in the month of May, he was again obliged to submit : indeed the want of faith on the part of the Tartars could only be equalled by the tardiness of the Russians in punishing them. Hence, in after times, may be traced the many useless wars between these nations.
4th, Ali, the son of Abraham, 1478 to 1487, had no sooner ascended the throne, than his brother Machraadaraen fled to the Grand Duke of Russia, and instigated that prince to march against Kazan ; there he proceeded, in the month of May of the same year, and reduced it on the 9th of July, making prisoner Ali. The Grand Duke raised Machmadamen to the throne of his brother.
" 3th, Machmadamen, 1487 to 1496. In this reign, the Kazanners were first termed vassals of the Russian Grand Dukes, and were consequently bound to furnish a considerable proportion of auxi- liary troops. In like manner, also, Machmadamen obtained succour, when, in the winter of 1496, Mamouk, Khan of Siberia, waged war against him. Mamouk retreated upon the advance of the Rus- sian allies, which latter people also returned home, without even leaving a garrison of protection to the Kazanners. Mamouk, being in league with many of the inhabitants, again presented himself before the gates of the city, and compelled Mach- madamen to abandon and forsake it. The new possessor soon rendered himself disagreeable to his tributaries, by depriving them of their property, an act which was as instantly retaliated with suc- cess ; for the moment he quitted the city, the gates were shut, and he was not readmitted, but return- ed to Siberia ; while the Grand Duke placed up-
KAZAN. 177
on the throne the brother of Machmadamen, who brought a considerable suite of Russians : his name was —
" 6th Abdalla, 1497 to 1502. He was aid- ed by the Russians, in 1499, against Argalask, bro- ther to Mamouk, who had laid siege to Kazan a second time, and, although the place was success- fully defended, still the conduct of Abdalla met with the disapprobation of the Grand Duke, who caused him to be seized and conveyed to Moscow in chains.
" In his place, Machmadamen, 7th, again as- cended the throne, and continued there from 1502 to 1518. In 1505, he revolted, ordered the de- tention of all the Russians in Kazan, to the num- ber of fifteen thousand, not even excepting the am- bassadors, and deprived them of all their property. In September of the same year, he mai'ched against Nishney Novgorod, but without success. In 1506, the Russians advanced against Kazan. The Tar- tars, conscious of their strength, abandoned the camp, which immediately came into the possession of the Russians, who, not suspecting the Tartars were still in ambush, were taken by surprise, and forced to retreat with considerable loss, as well as the sacrifice of a considerable part of their artil- lery. Not long after this, Machmadamen altered his conduct ; his mother, being the wife of the Khan of the Crimea, and in alliance wiih Vassili Ivanovitch, was the means of renewing the former amicable connexions with Russia ; the captives were liberated, and allegiance was sworn to. A protracted illness carried him off at the same time that it did his brother Abdalla. To succeed him, the Kazanners, at their own desire, received, from the Grand Duke, Shakaly as theu* Khan ; he
178 KAZAN.
was the descendant of the Khan of Astrakan, and arrived in April, 1519. He was very deformed in person, and Kerberstein has compared him to an English bull-dog. This Khan was therefore not likely to please the Kazanners ; indeed, he re- fused to lead them out to pillage, and punctually obeyed the will of his protector the Grand Duke. In the spring of 1321, he was expelled from the city, and Safageray was chosen in his stead ; he was the son of the Crimean Khan.
" 9th, Safageray, 1521 to 1530. In his reign, the Russian ambassador, as well as the merchants, were not only detained, but put to death. Shakaly fled to the Grand Duke with his complaint, which, however, was not attended to, from the critical state he was himself in. In September, 1521, Shakaly privately quitted Moscow, then besieged by the Khan of the Crimea. In August, 1523, an expedition was undertaken against the Kazanners, but was productive of no evil consequences, except the building of Vassiligorod on the river Soura. In July, 1524, an army of one hundred and eighty thousand men, marched, under Shakaly, against Kazan ; this expedition, also, proved unsuccess- ful ; large quantities of succours were lost, owing to the great difficulties opposed to their convey- ance ; the military arrangements were badly plan- ned ; nor did the commanders wish, nor were they possessed of sufficient courage, to commence an attack. Safageray, in the mean time, encompassed them with his cavalry. On the 15th August, the Russians advanced to the wails of Kazan, and again as quickly retired, contenting themselves with the promises of submission made by the Kazanners.
*' Embassies were fitted out on either side ; still, however, the same faithless conduct was pursued ;
KAZAN. 179
and. in 1530, another Russian force was marched against Kazan, which produced a battle between the Khans of Nagaesk and Astrakan, and ultimate- ly led to the siege of the city. Again did the Khan acknowledge the supremacy of the Russians, and again were ambassadors appointed, by whose as- sistance the Kazanners were induced to dethrone Safageray, in whose stead, the Russians placed Enalay, brother to Shakaly.
" ExALAY, from 1531 to 1535. For some time Kazan went on tranquilly, Enalay and his subjects continuing faithful to the Grand Duke, until the Khan complained of the change in the government of Kazan, when he was confined in the Bielo Ozero. Safageray retired to the Crimea, where he be- came Khan ; and when the Kazanners had assas- sinated Enalay, they readmitted Safageray, in con- sideration of his having again been driven from the throne of the Crimea ; indeed there is hardly an instance upon record of the powers of a sovereign being granted, withdrawn, and regranted in such a variety of ways, as were endured by this Safage- ray, who, in 1525, reascended, and continued till 1546. Reckoning upon the protection of the Khan of the Crimea, he plundered the neighbourhood of Kazan ; and, though the Khan of the Crimea con- stantly strove, by his interference, to produce an amicable arrangement between the Russians and Safageray, yet never would the latter think of sub- mitting himself as tributary to the Grand Duke : he was therefore again expelled, after confening the whole of his favours on the Crimeans. Shak- aly had, in the mean time, continued in great fa- vour with the Grand Duke, and to him the Kazan- ners submitted, and promised obedience ; which, however, lasted but one month, when he was ex-
180 KAZAN.
pelled, and again replaced by the fickle and for- tunate Safageray, from 1346 to 1549, durins,' which period he was not very popular, although several of the Tartar nobles submitted to Russia, as did likewise those Tcheremiesie inhabiting the right bank of the Volga. February and March, 1548, produced a short war, during which a bat- tle was fought between the Kazanners and the Russian troops under the Tzar John Vassilovitch, unproductive of any consequence but the mutual separation of the combatants. In March, 1549, Safageray died at Kazan, and was succeeded by
Lis son, the
14th Khan, named Outamish, 1549 to lo51 ; who, not being more than two years of age, was placed under the care of guardians, who in vain sued for peace with the Tzar John Vassilovitch. Kazan w-as besieged until the approach of warm weather. In May, 1551, the foundation of the city of Sviashk was laid, and thence may be dated the determination on the part of the Russians to destroy the power of the Khans. A considerable force was left in the newly-founded city, as also in all the immediate environs of Kazan. The Tar- tars, thus pressed upon all sides, with constant losses in numerous skirmishes, hoped to extricate themselves by accepting Shakaly as their Khan. The infant Outamish and his mother were accord- ingly sent to Sviashk in August, 1551.
" 15th, Shakaly soon arrived in the city, with several Russian boyars, and five hundred archers. But Russians and Tartars soon became dissatisfied with Shakaly, more especially for his having put to death, in his own palace, seventy of the prmci- pal inhabitants. The Russians insisted on his re- turning a considerable booty which the Kazanners
KAZAN. 181
had obtained on different occasions ; nor would the Russians restore to him the right bank of the Vol- ga. Thus pressed by Tartars and Russians, the Immbled Khan, to save assassination, left the citv with his five hundred archers, in the month of March, 1532. He was succeeded by
" 16th. Edegar. To free themselves from Shakaly, the Kazanners had promised to admit a Russian governor ; they now not only refused com- pliance, but put to death all the Russians residing in the town. They also endeavoured to foment an insuiTection with the people residing in the vicini- ty of Sviashk, and chose for their Khan this Ede- gar, son to the Khan Kasay Achmadava, of Astra- kan. The Grand Duke was not long before he marched a powerful force, and immediately be- sieged Kazan. The plan was skilful ; opposite to each entry of the town, batteries were erected, and the cannonade commenced.
" On the 30th of August, 1552, Nimchin Raz- misl (a German engineer) successfully prepared some mines, and, as the city had rejected all the proposals of the Tzar, the mine was fired, and the walls of the city blown up, on the mom of the 2d of October. The Russians immediately stormed the breach, and, notwithstanding the stout resist- ance of the Tartars, they became victorious. The Khan was taken prisoner, but pardoned upon con- dition of embracing Christianity ; he was baptized, and assumed the name of Simeon.
" Thus from 1446 to 1552, a period of one hun- dred and six years, there were seventeen Khans of Kazan; two of them had been three times elevated, and as often again ejected. Such a series of petty and indecisive warfare, hardly appears in history.
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182 KAZAN.
After the final conquest of it by the Russians, the people became accnstomed to the new government-, but those who lived more distant, were constantly fomenting; insurrections. Russian forces were con- tinually sent to quell them, as also to collect the tribute which had been imposed, and which was collected in so arbitrary and unjust a manner, that the Kazanners lost all patience, and broke out into open rebellion in 1533 ; nor were the Russians, who now governed Kazan, capable of quelling it. " The rebels assembled from all parts of the Volga, as well as from Arskoy, on the river Mesh ; intrenching themselves, they continued to disturb the whole territory of Kazan, until February 1554, when a large Russian army defeated them, killed many, and made fifteen thousand of the Tartars prisoners. Those who escaped retired into the woods of Viatsk, and thence sent to request a truce, which was granted them. Fresh disturbances broke out in 1555, and continued till 1557; during which period, a succession of injury and oppression was heaped upon the Tartars, and as obstinately re- torted, as occasions offered. In 1574, the Russians sent a large force to reduce the Tcheremiesie, which latter nation was soon compelled to submit. Indeed, for thirty years, nothing but disturbances took place ; at last the Kazanners, feeling the su- periority of the Russian character, placed them- selves for a perpetuity under the banners of Feodor Ivanovitch, who had then succeeded to the sove- reignty of Russia. As the power of the Tartars declined, so that of the Russians increased, and be- came at last so great, that the first viceroy govern- ed it with uncontrolled power ; any apprehension of rebellion had been avoided, by sending as auxi- liaries to the Russian armies all the discontented
KAZAN. 183
Tartars, together with their princes and niurzas, most of whom found a grave in Livonia.
" A few days after the capture of Kazan, the foundation of a stone church was laid on the very- spot where the Russian standard was first planted. It was built in commemoration of the 2d October, which is still a fast day with the Greek church, aad termed Capriaii and Oustien. The cathedral of Blagaveshtshenskia, viz. g]nd tidings, was com- pleted in 1362. The Tartar mosques were de- stroyed, and every means resorted to for the spread- ing of the Christian religion. In February, 1535, Kazan was erected into an aixhbishopric, compre- hending the following dioceses : Kazan, Vassil-Go- rod, Viatsk, and Sviagsk ; the monastery of Sparsk for males, and that of Kazan for females ; they were both founded by John Vassilovitch.
" The possessions of the Tartar princes and khans were confiscated, and given to the clergy and children of the boyars ; the commons were distri- buted between the Russian soldiers and those Tar- tars who embraced Christianity ; while the com- mon people of Kazan were em'oUed as peasants of the crown.
" The afFaii-s relating to Kazan and its govern- ment, were conducted in a special court establish- ed at Moscow, and known, in the year 1399, by the name of the palace of Kazan. It took cogni- zance of the collection of tribute from the former Khans of Kazan and Astrakan, tried criminal and other causes, administered justice, and granted pa- tents. In the reign of Boris, Feodorovitch-Kout- chourn, the last of the Siberian Khans, was defeat- ed, expelled, and his possessions seized.
" During the rebellion which agitated the Rus- sian empire in 1612, Kazan sided with the party
184 KAZAN.
of the great patriot Posharsky, a native of this place. The troubles here experienced were, how- ever, of no gi-eat import, nor of long continuance, as they terminated with the re-capture of Moscow. Kazan was also desolated in 1774, by the traitor Pougatcheff. He headed the rebellion on the banks of the Oural in 1773, and then threw himself into Kazan. From the 12th to the 13th of July, the city was given up to plunder and murder, and last- ly to fire. The castle alone was preserved, pre- vious to the arrival of General Michaelson.
" During the reig-n of the Tzar Michael Feodo- rovitch, tranquillity reigned in the government of Kazan. His successor, Alexei Michaelovitch, com- manded towns and other fortified places to be built for the defence of the southern parts. Simbersk was built in 1648, between which time and 1654, the Simberian line between the rivers Volga and Soura was erected ; it consisted of a rampart form- ed of earth and straw (Meakov). In 1732, the line between the Kama and Volga, called Sokarask, was also laid.
" In 1688, the Mishtsharacks were transferred from the neighbourhood of Alatier and Simbirsk, to the province of Ufinisk, as were also the Tche- remiesie and Mordva from the neighbourhood of Kazan to the rivers Sok and Tchei'emshan . In 1714, a new government was formed, comprehend- ing the cities of Kazan, Sviagsk, Viatka^ Koungour, Simbirsk, and Penza : this was again changed in 1780, by Catherine the Great, when all the tbrmer territories of the Khans of Kazan wei"e divided into the following governments : —
" 1st. The country of the Viatka, having the town of its own name as the seat of government.
KAZAN. . IH^
" 2(1. The country situated near the upper part of the Kama ; Perm the capital.
" 3d. The country between the Volga and Kama ; with the city of Kazan for its capital.
" 4th. Tlie country between the Volga and Sou- ra; Simbiisk the capital.
" 5th. The country between the Matka and Sou- ra ; Penza its capital.
" 6th. The southern country between the Soura and the Volga ; Saratof the capital.
" 7th. The country of Ufa had been already se- parated/in 1734, from the territory of Kazan ; and is called the government of Oreubourg. Ufa is the capital, since 1782.
" In May, 1722, Peter the Great visited Kazan ; he established an admiralty and dock-yard for building vessels to navigate the Volga and Caspian Sea ; likewise a cloth manufactory for the supply- ing the army. The clerical seminary and the school for convicts were established in 1726. The col- lege was founded in 1758 ; the university esta- blished in 1805, opened in 1814, and endowed in 1820."
The learned professor has in his possession a va- riety of Tartar or Mahomedan manuscripts ; tliey all run in the same strain of simplicity. Among others I select the following, as giving, in a more concise manner, their own history of their coun- try :—
" In the year 707 (1300), from the time of cal- culating years, Aksak Toumier took the city of Bulgari from Abdoul Khan. Abdoul had two sons, one named Altoun Bek, the other Alem Bek ; both were khans. Upon the destruction of Bulgari, they proceeded to the banks of the river Kazanky, and
2 u
186 KAZAN.
built themselves a city. The people under his sub- jection inhabited it ninety-four years, when the place became disagreeable,' and it was abandoned. They then built another city at the mouth of the same river, and there they remained one hundred and fifty-eight years, when the race of the Mus- sulmen Khans terminated. At this time there was no Khan in Kazan ; Shiek Ali was detained in cap- tivity by the Russian believers.
" Some time after this, the Russians, acquiring strength, appeared with all their forces before Ka- zan, for the purpose of taking possession of it. At this time Ivan Kalta reigned over Russia ; for se- ven years they were imable to bring the Mussul- men to submit. Previously to the capture of Ka- zan, the Russians built a city at the mouth of the Sviag, in which they placed guns, a military chest, fire-arms, and stores of provisions. After this, Shiek Ali sided with the Russians, and, unknown to the Mussulmen, lie ordered water to be poured over the gunpowder ; and, lastly, he surrendered the city. The greater part of the people were killed or wounded. After this carnage, the Tzar obtained possession of Kazan ; an event which took place in the year 959, reckoning from the Hegira (1552). The Russians acquired possession on a Sunday, and on the second day of the constella- tion of the Scorpion, that is, on the 2d of October.
" The names of the Khans who governed Kazan are as follows : viz. the sons of Abdoul Khan, Al- toun Bek, and Alem Bek. After these followed Machmoud Khan, Matiak Khan, Khalil Khan, Abraham Khan, Moukhammadamin Khan, Ma- mouk Khan, Abdallah Khan, Sakhil-GherayKhan, Safe-Gheray Khan, Ali Khan, Outiak Khan, and Jadigar Khan. This last reigned in the year 959
DEPARTURE FROM KAZAN. 187
(1552), when there was an eclipse of the sun. After him Kazan became subject to Russia."
Arabian inscriptions found in the mai'ket-place of Kazan : —
" God, the holy, the righteous, the just, and the majestic, said : All those -nho live in the earth will fade away, but the visage of the Lord, dressed in honour and glory, will shine eternally.
" Blessings and deliverance be to Ztlahonied, who de- clared the world not to be eternal.
" Also blessings and deliverance to the Lord, who said, The world is above all kings.
" In the year 93G (1529) of the hegira of Mahomed, in the month of Zoulkaghed, the son of iMeukhammed Shak- la was killed by tlie hand of the Cliristian Moukhammed Galay."
With these few translations I shall close my re- marks regarding Kazan. Of Bulgari much less is known, although its site is but eighty miles from Kazan. It stood on a fertile and rich plain, and still boasts some interesting monuments of anti- quity.
The wall which encompassed the city is still traceable, and is four miles in circumference. At present, a small village and church occupy a part of the site, the gardens beinsj actually spread over a bed of human bones. I have seen some able drawings of the remaining monuments in the col- lection of Professor Fuchs.
The needful preparations being made for my departure, such as purchasing a new kibitka, pro- curing passports, laying in a stock of provisions, and bidding adieu to all friends, I set out ; and crossing a ferry of six miles over the Volga, against a N.W. wind, reached the first station safe. Aly baggage and horses did not arrive until near mid- night, when we crossed two more ferries, the face
188 TCHEBOK.SAUI.
of the country being scarcely visible from the flood. Next evening I reached Tcheboksari, on the right bank of the Volga, having come over a fertile and beautiful country, tolerably well peo- pled, who were as civil and obliging as could be desired. Many extensive tanneries and tallow- refining places are in the neighbourhood. Tche- boksari has eight hundred dwellings and three thousand inhabitants, besides two conspicuous mo- nasteries ; its situation is romantic, and it has a con- siderable trade, especially of a fine tallow, which is much esteemed in England ; it is, notwithstand- ing, a dirty place.
From Tcheboksari the road was very bad. I crossed a difficult ferry on the Soma, from the town of Vassil, and thence on to Nishney Novgo- rod, where I arrived at sun-set. The theatre had just closed, and I consequently met most of the wealthy people returning from it. The view of Nishney Novgorod from a distance of ten miles has a fine effect ; the country is well cultivated, and I enjoyed the beauty and richness of the land- scapes. I procured lodgings at a regular hotel, and waited upon the governor, but was again so unfortunate as not to meet his amiable English wife. The buildings for the new fair have in- creased rapidly, and have a handsome appearance ; still, however,' I feel far from convinced of their durability or safety from the encroachments of the river Volga. Many extra precautions, at a con- siderable expense, have been taken since I was last here ; and the direction of the works has been taken from General Betaucourt, and given to the Prince of Wirtembourg. Whether his highness is a better engineer I know not, but he does not bear that character, perhaps unjustly. The bank on
NISHNEY NOVGOROD. 189
whicli tJie fair stands, has, in many places, been raised twelve, and in some eighteen feet. The chm'ch, theatre, hotel, government-house, guard- house, chancery, and public offices, are handsome structures.
There are two thousand seven hundred shops, which, when let, will produce seven hundred thou- sand roubles per annum, while the expenses have already amounted to seven millions, and it is sup- posed will require at least two more. The erec- tion has most materially altered and benefited the appearance of Novgorod, which now contains thirty thousand inhabitants ; it is paved, kept clean, and well policed; at least the upper town is : the lower town is still, of course, a place for the Jews and pedlars, filth and dirt attending it and them. My old Spanish acquaintances were still at work, and, althouijh a little discontented at the fall of their patron, General Betancourt, were still doing well, and grateful to Russia.
From Nishney Novgorod I continued my route, and reached the large and handsome village of Bo- gorodskoye, belonging to the Count SheremetieflT. There are, in the neighbourhood, many villages belonging to the same young nobleman, as also several residences ready for his reception. This young count is not only the richest subject in Rus- sia, but is more than comparatively the richest in the world. He has one hundred and sixty thou- sand peasants, and a revenue not far short of three millions of roubles. The village of Bogorodskoye contains nine hundred dwellings and five thousand inhabitants ; the situation is fine, and the country well wooded ; and such is the face of the country all the way to Vladimir, where I arrived at noon, I had passed the large village of Pavlovo, contain-
190 PAVLOVO.
ins: three thousand houses and fifteen thousand in- habitants, also belonging to the Sheremetieft" fa- mily. Many iron manufactories are to be seen at work, and the country is highly cultivated. Nu- merous populous villages, all having a handsome villa, in a dilapidated state, attract the attention of the traveller. Mourom, Monacovo, and other small towns, are in the same condition ; and the only difference I observe is the increased impu- dence of the post-masters ; in some places I was exceedingly provoked with their extortion.
This conduct of post-masters is one of the great- est nuisances iu the Russian empire, and is, in some measure, imputable to the government. A tra- veller arrives at a post-house, procures horses, and is about to depart, when an officer also comes up- on service, and takes the horses from the travellei'. It often happens also that a traveller arrives with a passport and order for horses, and, although there be plenty, the post-master will not give them un- der fifty per cent inci-ease : this is the hard case in which civilians, and people not in the service of the Emperor, are placed. Government have pu- nished several offenders, but the law and custom of procuring horses are bad. Why should not in- dividuals be allowed to hire their own horses, with- out being subject to the compulsion of engaging them from the post-contractor? Speaking of the post, it may not be unamusing or useless to inform my readers, that to send a letter from one part of the Russian empire to the other, the postage must be paid in advance — a circumstance which appeals tome to keep back education more than anything else. There is a great difference, I presume, in paying to send a letter, of the contents of which a pereon is acquainted, and paying for the receipt of
FROM VLADIMIR TO MOSCOW. 191
a dozen letters coming from a parent or friend. It is said that many false letters would be sent by the ignorant and mischievous ; this indeed might at first be the case ; but let them be sent, they will thus become better educated, and, in the end, will know better how to employ their time ; to say no- thing of a considerable increase in the post revenue, which must take place as education expands.
The road from Vladimir to Moscow is a bad one, being a continual causeway. It rained hard, and my cart being leaky, the journey was exceed- ingly unpleasant. The approach to Moscow not ti little exposed the absurdity of the belief, that the approach towards civilisation is the approach to happiness. The people more surly, the articles of life dearer, no hospitality, voracious appetite for gain, innumerable beggars, roads crowded with vehicles of all descriptions — such are the sure signs of approaching a capital, and such was the case as 1 entered Moscow's crowded streets, and put up at the London Hotel : which I recommend no one else to do, from its expensiveness, and the inat- tention and want of cleanliness of its owners. My stay in Moscow occupied me three weeks, there being no spare places in the diligence, which has been lately established upon a liberal and success- ful plan. The custom or patronage it has received from the public is unbounded, and the outfit is al- ready repaid to the speculator.
I was most hospitably entertained by my old English friends, as well as by several of the no- bility. I attended the opera and theatre, and paid visits to the numerous magnificent villas in the jieighbourhood of Moscow, which are well worth the attention of the traveller, and forcibly remind- ed nie of Old England. I also visited the new
192 MOSCOW.
walks and gardens of the Kremlin, and consider them as very handsome. The experimental farm which has lately been established by the Moscow Imperial Society of Rural Economy, and which is much patronised by the nobility of Russia, has met with success ; its present president, the go- vernor-general of Moscow, Prince Wladimir Ga- litzin, is a man of gi-eat merit and spirit, and has placed it under the management of my friend, Mr Rogers. 1 also visited the public prisons, which are conducted according to a plan suggested by the lamented Howard. They are far superior to those of the new capital ; fifteen hundred prison- ers are confined in them, seventy-five of whom are criminals.
The oovernor-general's late noble residence was destroyed by fire the last winter, and has not yet been rebuilt. The anecdote respecting it will be long remembered in Moscow. It was at a grand ball, and when the tables were already laid for supper, that the fire was discovered. It had long been seen by the watchman, but he could not think of giving the alarm, or disturbing the quadrilles and waltzes. When it was known, the company had barely time to escape before the drawing-room floor fell in, carrying with it the supper-tables, al- ready covered with the usual delicacies and onia- ments.
Among the most consplcuouspersonages in Mos- cow was Lieutenant Holman, of the Royal Navy, a blind poor knight of Windsor. I passed several pleasant days with him, and considered the accom- plishment of my design of penetrating through Si- beria as nothing, when compared to his determina- tion of proceeding also. He related to me many anecdotes of his travels and secotid sight. W hat
MOSCOW. 193
object he can have, without a servant, in going to Siberia, 1 know not. He, indeed, may go there as well as any where else, for he will see just as much ; but there is so little to be seen by those who have even the use of their eyes, that I can- not divine what interest he can have to attempt it, without even a knowledge of the Russian lan- guage. If his journal, which may be made inte- resting, be composed of hearsay, as it certainly cannot be of ocular* evidence, he will indeed have enough to do to record the information he may re- ceive, and wliich can only proceed from exiles or criminals, and consequently not implicitly to be relied upon ; particularly, situated as he is, pos- sessing hardly sufficient knowledge of the Russian language to appretiate duly the value of such hear- say information. His manuscript must become voluminous, and, of course, too bulky to be sent by private hands ; it can only therefore be for- warded by the post, where, without doubt, it will be subject to the examination of those whose duty it is to inspect documents of such a natui-e as this is likely to be, and will be treated according to its merit.
In every countnt^, even in England, we find that foreigners should be careful of what they do, as well as of what they write, if they wish their pack- ets a safe arrival to their destination : they should take care that nothing oiiensive to the government be inserted ; for frequently, as in England, truth is a libel, and the greater the truth, the greater the libel. Whether iNIr Holman has already learnt this useful, and, to travellers, necessary lesson, time will develope ; if so, he may go where he will, Slid be received by every person in the empire with
VOL. 11. ' R
194 MOSCOW.
©pen ai'ms and warm hearts. I gave him letters of introduction to all my friends in Siberia, and shall feel most happy in bis return. Who will then say that Siberia is a wild, inhospitable, or impas- sable country, when even the blind can traverse it with safety !
Upon my outward journey through this city, I had but little time to pay any attention to its situa- tion, or indeed to any thing concerning it ; nor did I think it necessary, considering as I did, that every one was acquainted with the celebrated and ancient capital of the Russian empire. Upon my return, I had as little time as inclination to enter upon the subject, from other circumstances which it is here needless to mention. Suffice it to say, i now venture to give the translation of a some- what curious and interesting document, which shows the state of this city in the year 1812, pre- vious to the conflagration, and in the year 1818 ; only six years subsequent to what may be termed the total destruction of the most magnificent and extraordinary city in the universe. When this statement is attentively considered, it cannot, I pre- sume, fail to strike the reader as affording a won- derful example of the exertions of the Muscovites in a cause so calamitous.
Moscow, standing upon more ground than any other city in Europe, Asia, or Africa, that we know of, to be reduced to ashes ; and, in the short space of six years, to boast an increase of two thou- sand one hundred and forty-one private dwellings, one thousand and eighty-one of which are of stone, and one thousand and sixty of wood, is a circum- stance reflecting every honour upon the Russian empire. If, therefore, from its ashes, it could in
a
MOSCOW. 195
so short a time assume a grandeur superior to that formerly entertained of it, what must be its state at this moment, six years subsequent to the time I am now speaking of ? Surely such a circumstance shows a spirit of emulation never before surjiassed, if equalled, in any part of the world. Nor is it ^vith this city, under similar circumstances, that I will stop ; Kazan Orenbourg, Saratof, indeed seve- ral other considerable cities of the Russian em- pire, have each frequently shared the fate of Mos- cow ; and yet they are no sooner burnt than re- built. A subscription is set on foot, under the im- mediate sanction of the Emperor, and the taxes are for a time rescinded with eyery class of so un- fortunate a people. The cities of Russia, from being generally built of wood, are more than ordi- narily exposed to the fiery element ; in spite of the fact, that no country in the world has provided the same means of alarm, or a more expeditious mode of bringing the engines into play, than the police of St Petersburg. In illustration of this fact, I need but say, that in every quarter or divi- sion of the different cities, there is an elevated tower, with a look-out day and night, to give a general alarm, and telegraphic information, in case of fire. The general of the police is obliged to at- tend, and the engines, being attached to these alarm towers, of course are enabled to proceed direct to their destination. The general encouragement, nay, almost compulsive measures, adopted by the go- vernment to build with brick, will, it is presumed, prevent so many devastating conflagrations as some of the most wealthy cities have been subject to.
In the summer of 1812, the inhabitants of Mos- cow were computed at 312,000, composed of the following classes, &c.
196 MOSCOW.
Clergy 4,779
^'obility 10,732
IVIilitary • 21,978
Merchants 11,885
Mechanics and artizans of all denominations . . 19,03G Servants of the nobility, who remain in Moscow du- ring the summer, to guard the palaces, &c. . 38,404
Foreigners 1,410
Common population and peasantry .... 203,776
Grand Total . . . 312,000
This number certainly fell very short of the win- ter population, when all the Muscovite and other - retired noblemen, senators, generals, and governors, return to the city to spend the Christmas and other holidays^ as well as the Cai-nlval. It is also not unworthy of remark, that at the period this census was taken, all foreigners had been ordered away ; their numbers were not inconsiderable. French, German, Italian, Swiss, Dutch, kc. all, even the Prussians, were ordered away ; all those nations having been in league against this mighty empire. The personal dependents upon a Russian nobleman are generally as numerous, and upon the same footing, as they are in Spain ; they are a spe- cies of Ijeir-loom of chai'ity, they are never turned away, they are considered an expensive but neces- sary appendage, for without them much murmur would ensue. Thus these united considerations induce me to lay down the winter population at 400,000, or 420,000 souls.
That this population, in common with every other capital, will increase, I doubt not ; especially if it continues to receive the support it now does, and more especially, if the Emperor Alexander makes good the hopes and expectations of the Muscovites, by making it the imperial residence
MOSCO'AV 197
for a period of three or four years, while the winter palace at St Petersburg undergoes a proposed com- plete repair, if it be not entirely rebuilt.
That Moscow is a more advantageous spot for the capital of the Russian empire, than St Peters- bm"g, there can be little or no doubt. It is a sort of central spot between the Caspian and Baltic, as well as the White, Seas, besides other internal parts of the ancient empire, or dukedom ; not forgetting the most remote parts of Siberia, to which there is a noble water-carriage by steam, if properly car- ried into effect. The two rivers Moskva and Yaouza, with four canals, not a little strengthen my assertion ; they run into, through and round the city, and might be made of the most wonderful con- sequence, they being all that can tend to the neces- sity or comfort, as well as to the luxurious appetites, of the inhabitants.
Over these rivers and canals there are eight stone bridges ; there are now also ninety-eight bridges constructed of wood, while, in 1812, there were but seventy-two. Surely an increase of twenty-six bridges upon a destroyed city is an evident mark of improvement, and of facilitating the intercourse from one part of the city to the other. Nor is this the only proof of the desire which is entertained by the inhabitants, as well as by the government, to facilitate the means of communication ; the al- leys, lanes, and narrow thoroughfares have increas- ed from four hundred and one to five hundred and thirty-nine, while the principal, or first-rate streets have decreased from one hundred and eighty-three, to one hundred and sixty four. The widening of these principal streets, and the greater extensicm of cross thoroughfares, have also tended to reduce the number of irardcns attached to the houses of the no-
r2
198 MOSCOW.
bility from one thousand three hundred and ninety- three, to one thousand and twenty-one ; and al- though this falling off in the ornamental as well as useful part of Moscow has taken place, still has the latter increased proportionately upon other equally necessary works. Formerly there were but three thousand six hundred and seventy wells for water, while there are now three thousand seven himdred and ninety-three, being an increase of one hundred and twenty-three in six years. The ornamental sheets of water, as well as fish-ponds, have also given way to the increase of building, in a propor- tion of from two hundred and ninety seven to two hundred and fifty-three.
The public entrances to the city, as well as the number of parishes into which Moscow is divided ai'e the same ; the former sixteen, the latter twenty. The number of public squares is also still twenty- five ; some of them are highly magnificent. Of other public establishments and buildings which have undergone no comparative change in condi- tion or number, I will enumerate the following : —
1st. University, 1 ; 2d. Public colleges, 2 ; 3d. Public schools, 2; 4th. Charitable hospitals, 2 ; 5th. Imperial Palaces, 4 ; 6th. Cathedrals, 7 ; 7th. Bu- rial-grounds, 14 ; 8th. Military arsenal, 1 ; 9th. Public charitable institution, 1 ; 10th. Edifice for the instruction of military orphans, 1 ; 1 1th. Mi- litary barracks, 9; 12th. Foundling, 1; 13th. Thea- tre, 1 ; 14th. Cannon-foundery, 1 ; 15th. Workhouse, 1 ; 16th. For poor widows, 1 ; 17th. Madhouse, 1 ; 18th. State prison, 1 ; 19th. Public club-houses, 2; 20th. Markets, 29 ; 21st. Infirmaries, 9; 22d. Slaughter-houses, 19; 23d. Signal-towers, 20; 24th. Watch-towers, 360.
Of religious edifices, the forty forties are now no
MOSCOW. 199
more ; superstitious bigotry is now sunk into the most tolerant of all religions ; for whether Catho- lic, Protestant, Jew, jNIahomedan, or Pagan, they are all alike countenanced in Russia. The Court of St Petersburg- appears to keep in mind the ne- cessity of some religion ; thus we see its govern- ment countenancing those opinions which are most favourable to actual, though not to nominal, tole- ration.
In 1812 there were 296, now there are only 289 churches ; of convents for friars, there were fifteen, now fourteen ; while for nuns there were nine, now but seven — fourteen of one, and seven of another sort too many ! The private chapels still remain at thirty.
There are fifty-five public workhouses, as well as the same number of storehouses or granaries, five cavalry stables, though formerly but two ; twelve printing-houses, though formerly but eight ; manu- factories now 376, formerly 442 ; public baths, formerly41,now33 — thirty-three too many! — private baths 600, formerly 1050, a diminution which, in the year 1818, can only be attributed to the fact, that the noblemen and principal gentlemen of Moscow, from the wars, or corps d observation, had not at that time returned to Moscovy to su- perintend the erection of their baths ; a statement I am borne out in by the knowledge that each no- bleman's and gentleman's house in Russia, is no- thing without a bath ; they have all, at least of the rank of nobility, a steam-bath, besides a more com- mon one for the use of the domestics.
The shops in the public bazar, and which are under the immediate nightly control of government, were, in 1812, six thousand seven hundred and se- venty-six, now only six thousand one hundred and
200 -Rioscow.
thirty-six ; private shops, in private houses, one thou- sand seven hundred and seventy-two, now but one thousand two hundred and twenty-six ; private se- minaries, chiefly kept by foreigners, there were se- venteen, now twenty-two ; and private academies now seventeen, formerly twenty-one. Although the gross number of these useful and scientific institu- tions will appear to be diminished, still it cannot but be allowed that the period has been so short as hardly to admit of a more extensive, or a more pre- mature recovery from former ills. Of the reduc- tion of schools in particular, I may be permitted to observe, that the \'ery general adoption of the Lan- casterian system of education through the whole empire, will alone be sufficient to convince the im- partial, that so far from a retrogradation having taken place, a most wonderful advance has been made. These Lancasterian schools boast as many hundreds of scholars, as there were in the private schools tens.
There were, in 1812, one hundred and eleven, but now only one hundred and seven, hot-houses ; kitchen-gardens there were two hundred and forty- eight, now two hundred and thirty-three ; smitheries three hundred and sixteen, now two hundred and thirty-seven ; inns and taverns six liundred and nine, now four hundred and six ; restaurateurs two hun- dred and fifty, now one hundred and eighty seven ; common eating-houses one hundred and eighty- two, now fifty seven ; kabaks, or gin-shops, two hundred, now one hundred and thirty-two ; beer- houses ninety-nine, now fifty-seven ; wine-vaults one hundred and seventy, now one hundred and sixty-one ; public baking-houses one hundred and fifty-nine, now one hundred and ten ; bun-houses two hundred and seventy-four, now but one hun-
MOSCOW. 201
dred and forty. In this last account, it cannot fail to be seen, that there is a diminution of various sorts of edifices and establishments, which more pe- culiai'ly denote the apparent grandeur, importance, or population of a city. The diminution of the number of taverns, gin-shops, wine-vaults, 8cc. is from one thousand five hundred to one thousand, or one-third. To what can this be attributed ? It is as fair to impute it to an increase of private moral- ity, and a more domestic conduct of all classes of the Muscovites, as to a falling of public spirit. Pro- bably the temporary conflagration of Moscow has done thus much permanent good ; for a moment it so straitened the circumstances of the Moscovites, as to prevent that gross gratification of their appe- tites at coifee-houses, &c. in which they were wont to indulge ; and that denial has now taught them the more solid enjoyments of home. With Rus- sian noblemen and gentlemen, I can bear testimony to their abstinence at table in the use of wine or spi- rits; they dine early, and, as soon as dinner is finish- ed, they quit the table for coflPee.
When the last census in 1818 took place, it can hardly be supposed that Moscow was what it is ; if the city rose from its ashes in 1813, and was, what we are given to understand as a fact in 1818, it will require little matter or manner to induce us to believe, that Moscow is what it never was, and that the absence of the court alone prevents it from being what no other capital is.
The reduction of the number of apothecaries' shops, from twenty-nine to twenty-five, carries with it an air of apparent mystery, not so in fact. So far from being an inconsiderate or inattentive act, it implies the more unequivocal proof of the good dis- position of the government. No person can now
202 DEPAUTUUE FllOM
sell medicines who has not passed a public exami- nation ; no medicines can be sold, except at a stated price ; any adulteration or surcharge is at the risk of the apothecary ; and all medicines must emanate from the imperial laboratory, which is most gene- rally supplied from the magazines of England.
The lighting of the city I can also say is very good, although the actual number of lamps has de- creased from seven thousand two hundred and nine- ty-two, to four thousand three hundred and forty- one. This fact is, however, but a proof that the introduction of better lamps acting upon wider sti'eets, has had a good eflFect. During a very great part both of summer and winter, there is hardly any occasion for a lamp ; in the one season, they have light from an eternal sun, moon, or stars ; and in the other, from the constant reflection of the snow, aided bythe periodical appearance of moon or stars, as well as the generally clear atmosphere of Mos- cow, at so cold a season.
This comparative expose will speak for itself; I should not have introduced it, but for the defect appertaining to publications relating to Moscow, Of the numerous public and private edifices which that city contains, of their antiquity or origin, I shall not enter upon ; enough by other writers has been said ; I will, therefore, close the comparative account of this city to resume my journey.
Having seen Mr Holman safe upon his road, un- der charge of the Cossack who had accompanied me from Tobolsk, I took my place in the diligence for St Petersburg, in company with a Mrs Brad- ford, widow of an English purser of the navy, and a Lieutenant Read, of the Koyal Marines, besides a young man under my charge from Kazan, in ill health. I regretted quitting the hospitable and
MOSCOW. 203
friendly society of Moscow, which, in ray opinion, is superior and more refined than that of its sister capital, and which, probably, arises from the cir- cumstance of its being almost exclusively inhabit- ed by Russians, many of whom, after having filled with credit and honour the first offices of the em- pire, retire to Moscow, there to pass the remainder of their days in peace, tranquillity, and good socie- ty ; as that capital is much more free, independent, and unshackled by the police than St Petersburg. In Moscow, observations ai-e openly made on any unpopular act of the government ; its senators have a very superior voice, and great attention is paid by the ministers to their representations. The no- bility of Russia possess very extensive privileges and power, and if the government must be called a military despotism, it is a well regulated one ; and happy are the people when it is governed, as now, by a prince as unambitious as he is humane. It is true, that its immense standing army, near a mil- lion of men, in the hands of a prince differently in- clined, would be a terrible engine of destruction, as well against the lives as the liberties of Europe. The power of Russia is still more formidable, wlien it is considered that the army is composed of hardy, bold, enterprising, and needy men ; who, go where they will, must he better off, either as to climate or productions, than at home. The present mili- tary expenses amount, I understand, to two hun- dred and fifty millions of roubles per annum ; a sum almost equal to two-thirds of the revenue, for an army far surpassing what may be deemed truly ne- cessary in times of profound peace ; the expense of which will be considerably diminished, if what I have lieard be correct, viz. that three hundred thou- sand men are to be reduced.
204 KLINN.
Leaving this matter for more able politicians, I resume my jom-ney in the diligence, in which I reached the handsome town of Klinn, and remem- bered the portal in the chmch where I had slept upon my outward journey. We reached Tver the next day, averaging about five miles and a half per liour. Having purchased of the people at Torjock some few articles of leather, such as embroidered boots, shoes, and gloves, we continued an uninte- resting route ; staid at Vishney Volotchok to dine, and then entered upon the high road, which is M'Adamizing, and will, when finished, be a most beautiful one ; three more years will be required tp complete it. Passing through Valdai, 1 again en- joyed the beauty of the scenery, the lake, and the insulated Iverskoy monastery. I reached Novgo- rod, crossed the river, and passed close to the new military colonies, of which the city of Novgorod, as T was told, is to become the head-quarters. The experiment of this new system will be only extend- ed to the peasants belonging to the crown, and the chief objects expected to arise from it are, first, the cheap maintenance of a large militia force in times of peace ; second, the replenishing of the regular armies, when war shall demand it, bya people al- ready accustomed to military manoeuvres and the use of arms ; and, lastly, the doing away of the old feudal custom, which hitherto has been pursued, of recruiting the armies from the peasants of the no- bility. The two last considerations will enable the Emperor of Russia to equip a better and a more numerous army, and in less time than could for- merly have been done ; yet, notwithstanding these favourable considerations, especially to the posses- sors of peasantry, and the advantages, in a pecu- niary point of view, to the empire, much appre-
NOVGOROD. 205
hensioii has been expressed of the dangers likely to arise from putting arms into the hands of the com- mon people, and thus giving them an opportunity of forming intimate connexion with soldiers. The compulsory manner in which these peasants were forced into this new militia service, met, at first, with considerable objection, and, in some cases, with resistance ; but I believe the disobedience did not continue long, at least I have heard nothing to the contrary. The unpopularity of the measure, perhaps, is not singular, and arises from the fact, that most new systems begin by being equally unfortunate ; Count Araktcheef, according to Dr Lyall, is the author of it. His excellency is cer- tainly one of the most confidential advisers of his Imperial Majesty, as well as powerful noblemen of the present day ; but whether in this case, his excellency's advice will ultimately prove beneficial or injurious to the Russian empire, time only can develope ; certain, however, is it, that still the mea- sure is badly received. Novgorod has, no doubt, benefited by the proximity of the colonists, as also have the numerous villages in its vicinity.
We reached the environs of the capital about sun-set, and safely aixived at the ill-attended, dirtv, and extravagant hotel of Mrs Rea. I thought, however, that a few days of uncomfortable lodgings was no hard case to me, whatever it might be to others, and therefore I would not remove. Mr Page's is, beyond all question, the best, most re- spectable, and, in the end, the cheapest hotel in St Petersburg, from which I had been absent exact- ly three years and three weeks, and to which I had returned in infinitely better health than when 1 left it. > I waa soon engaged at all .sorts of dinners and
VOL. n. s
206 ST PETERSBURG.
eutertaininents, but was too anxious to get a pas- sage by ship to the land of malt, to allow my ac- cepting them. I engaged the cabin of the Peter Proctor, the master of which ship had, on that day three months, dined with my father in Dominique, and left him in health and happiness ; this news Avas a gratification I did not expect to experience so soon. The vessel being to depart with the first fair wind, I had but time to pay my respects to the Count Kotchoubey, my friend and protector. I tendered to his excellency my journal, offering to leave it in Russia, should' his excellency desire it. The Count said, " No, take it to England, publish the truth, and you will do more good than fabricating or inventing things which do not exist. Tell the people of England how you have been treated iu Russia, but, at the same time,'let us know what you have ■ seen." I left his excellency, who was on a Mck-bed, penetrated with the highest sentiments for his virtues and affability, and paying my respects also to Sir Charles Bagot and Sir Daniel Bailey, I completed my official reports at the court of St Petersburg — with the exception of one to the go- vernor-general. Count Miloradovitch, respecting my passport, which was granted immediately, upon my own terms. It seems that a late sinuggling transaction, carried on at Cronstadt, has involved several English merchants, as also Russian officers, who are by birth English. Many people who got ])assports to depart, have gone, leaving very large debts unpaid ; consequently, the governor-general made a rule, that any Englishman about to quit the ompii-e, shovdd give information three times in the gazette, and also lodge securities for any debts. I represented my anxiety to depart, and that the sliij) would sail iu a few days, or the first fair wind, I
ST PETERSBURG. 207
was provided with a passport on the spot, and thus received the last act of kindness which it was pos- sible to bestow.
Sir Charles Bagot did me the honour to mention many kind inquiries on the part of his Imperial Majesty, in my absence, respecting me, which do honour to his heart, and to human nature, and at the same time, increase the many obligations I am under to his Majesty, who has my heartfelt grati- tude. Such is the reward, to me invaluable, for all the troubles and difficulties I may have endured upon my long journey. The Emperor had fre- quently in my absence inquired into my pecuniary situation, and as often made a tender, through Sir C. Bagot, of any assistance I stood in need of, which I was bound to decline, in consequence of my being everywhere received in such a manner as almost to render money unnecessary. His Imi)e~ rial Majesty also frequently expressed a fear that I should not be able to surmount the difficulties in- cident to a voyage of the kind ; in short, that I should not again reach Europe safely.
r 208 ]
CONCLUSION.
I WAS not a little flattered to learn from Sir Charles Bagot, personally as well as by letter, that no part of my conduct had met with the smallest disapprobation from the Russian government. My object had been to avoid the rocks and shoals which travellers usually split upon ; and while with the natives, I studied to accommodate myself to their manners. I uniformly ate, drank, and slept with them ; dressed in the same way ; bore a part of their fatigues, and participated in their recreations ; and, I hope, made myself an acceptable, instead of a disagreeable guest.
If I have morally erred in my wanderings, I am sorry for it ; I am unconscious of any harm done to any one, and if, in these pages, I have said more than was prudent or necessary, it has proceeded from a desire to tell the truth ; if, in telling that truth (which ought not always to be told), and in drawing comparisons, I have incautiously hurt any individual, I shall deeply regret it. There is, how- ever, so little of interest in Siberia, so little to be
CONCLUSION. 209
seen, that it Is hardly possible to form an interest- ing work on that topic, unless the traveller be a bo- tanist or naturalist, or otherwise versed in the mys- teries of science. Siberia is. in fact, one immense wilderness, whose inhabitants are so scattered, that five or six hundred miles are passed by travellers without seeing an individual, much less any cultiva- tion, or any works of man at n\\ worthy of descrip- tion. The manners, customs, and dress of most of the inhabitants are the same. The severity of the climate is in most places co-equal, and, in general, productive of the same results. The matter of inte- rest is to be compressed in a small space ; and all that I may be said to have done, may consist in the fact of showing others, that man may go where he chooses, as long as his conduct corresponds with his movements, and that he may, fearlessly and alone, as safely trust himself in the hands of sa- vages, as with his own friends. I do not say the same thing for a party of travellers : I adhere to my idea stated at the commencement, and I think I should often have not only been without food, but have run the chance of being starved, had I been accompanied by only two or three attendants more than I had.
If this narrative of my journey shall have the least beneficial effect in any way — if it prove of the least service in guiding the future traveller, and bet- ter preparing him for the evils incident to a journey of the kind, I shall be gratified, and consider my time as not thrown away. Experience has taught me many things I knew not, and which at first view may appear frivolous ; but I am not one of those who insist on the necessity of using great foresight — that foresight has a tendency to beget timidity or distrust. In my apprehension, he is the wisest
210 CONCLUSION.
and most successful traveller, wlio goes at once into his joiuney, dependent only upon the reception which the ignorant and brutal will give him ; and not the traveller who relies upon a well-lined purse. I feel convinced that compassion is the leading cha- racteristic of those who ai'e termed barbarians; and that man, in a state of nature, will freely give to the distressed that bread which he would not sell for money. I am confident that man is really humane, and that he gives more from the dictates of a good heart, than from ostentation. I have received food from a family who were almost in a starving state ; and am therefore justified by grateful experience in affirming, that those people who are the most ignorant and uncivilized, are the most liospitable and friendly to their fellows.
APPENDIX.
APPENDIX,
REVF.KRF.D TO AT PAGE 227 OV VOL. I.
Setting aside tlie literary demerit of tfie fol- lowing letter, written from the shores of the Frozen Sea, during the winter of 1820-21, and addressed to the Secretin^/ and President of the Royal So- ciety, instead of to the President and Secretary of the same learned body, I may be permitted to ob- serve, that I do not think I erred in so addressing my letter, although such fact appears to have been, and still is, the principal reason why so little no- tice has been taken of it, as not even to entitle me to the forms of office, or even to that which is due from one gentleman to another, viz. the acknow- ledgment of its receipt, until extracted by applica- tion.
When I wrote the letter, the late venerable Pre- sident, Sir Joseph Banks, was numbered with the dead. The fact of the chair being vacant, and I abroad, without the possibility of knowing what was doins; in England regardino- a successor to so great a man, will, I am certain, convince the public, if not the scientific Sir Humphrey Davy, that I could never have intended any disrespect to pre- sident or secretary, much less to any other indivi-
214 APPENDIX.
dual member of the Royal Society, with not one of whom I was personally acquainted. It was not only impossible for me to have divined upon whom so honourable an office would have devolved, but it appears that the learned body in general seem to have had some doubt as to the most proper per- son to succeed Sir Joseph Banks : to remedy such a loss was not only difficult, but impossible ; else, why was the chair so long vacant ? In short, I addressed my letter as giving an opinion or infor- mation to the learned body in general ; and neither studied compliments nor disrespect to president or secretary.
It was my intention to have taken no notice of the silence of the executive of the Royal Society, or of their ignorance of the forms of good breed- ing ; I was unwilling to think of a body, as I do think of the executive of that body, conscious that not three of the Fellows were aware of the treat- ment I had received. One of them, however, with whom I had become acquainted very recently, re- commended my writing to Sir H. Davy, demand- ing particulars as to the receipt of my letter, &c. ; and, in the event of my not being satisfied, to lay it before the public. That friend's advice I fol- lowed, and accordingly addressed to the president the following letter : —
f« Sir, — From Nishney Kolymsk I had the ho- nom- of addressing a letter to the Secretary and President of the Royal Society ; the letter bear- ing date January, 1821. Not having been made ofiicially acquainted whether such letter lias been received or not, I beg to make inquiry of you, as the President of the Royal Society ; and I fur- ther beg to know, in the event of its having been
APPENDIX. 215
received, what Las become of it, and what recep- tion it lias met with.
" The letter having been written in reply to a book or paper from the pen of the late Captam BuiTiey, which was read before the Royal Society, will, I am certaui, have induced that learned body to grant the same indulgence to my letter as to that of the late Captain ; if only in consideration of the interesting subject to which it referred, viz. the solution of the problem as regarded a junction of the continents of Asia and America.
" You will further oblige me by stating the ]ieriod at which my letter appears to have reached the Hoyal Society.
" I have the honour to be, &c. &c." " To Sir H. Davy, President R. S."
To the above I received the following reply from Mr Lee, the Assistant Secretary.
" Sir, — I am directed by the President of the Royal Society to acknowledge the receipt of vour letter, and to inform you that the paper to which you allude, dated 10th Januarj^ 1821, and addres- sed to the Secretary and President of the Royal Society, has also been received, and will be return- ed to you, on your applying for the same, or to any person producing an order signed by you for that purpose. 1 have the iionour to be, &c.
•' S. Lee, Ass. Sec."
The above produced the following from me to iNIr Lee.
" Sir directions of
I liave received your letter, xvritten by f the President of the Royal Society.
210 APPENDIX.
You will deliver to the bearer my letter from the Kolyma, bearing date January, 1821, as also my letter touching the fair of the Tchuktchi. You will at the same time acquaint Sir H. Davy, that my request to be informed at what period my letters were received by the Royal Society has not been attended to, and that the nature of his reply does not seem to infer that I shall be made acquainted with such circumstances ; if not, tlien I can only say, I shall have cause to think even worse of their conduct towards, sir,
<' Your obedient servant,
" John Dundas Cochrane."
Thus ends my correspondence, which only pro- duced my letter from the Kolyma; the other, touching the fair of the Tchuktchi, has been with- held ; but what astonishes me is the determination of the President, to keep me unacquainted with the precise period at which my letters readied the Royal Society. What can account for so appa- rently immaterial a circumstance ? To those who are unacquainted with the formula or routine of business by which the aflfeirs of the Royal Society are governed, this will indeed appear a trivial cir- cumstance, a neglect, or an oversight on the part of the President or the Secretary, (the former of whom, I hope, is satisfied with the precedence I gave him in this letter,) or probably no register is kept of the receipt of documents of the kind ; be it so ; I excuse it, simply remarking that, if true, it is a slovenly way of doing business. To enable them, however, to refresh their memories, I will tell tliem ivhcn they did receive such letters ; more than that, I will try and divine what is the reason for their refusing to answer nty question.
APPENDIX. 217
May not information be given to a learned body in a language intelligible, yet not complimentary or polished ? May I not have started some topics in this letter which the learned body thought were not irrelevant to the subject ? And may not my ideas have been pirated, and made use of by some Fellow or Fellows of the same learned body ; and been introduced into reviews or magazines as the productions of their own brains ? Or did my ideas too intimately coincide with some other person's, to allow me to meddle with such a subject as north- west discoveries ? Is there a freedom in my lan- guage which ill suits the dignity of that learned body? Have I been too severe or too familiar with one of that body ? and was it respect for him that caused theii' opposition to me ? Or is it, that a foolish book and memoir may be printed by a Fellow of the Royal Society, and listened to by them in general, but can only be replied to by one of their own Fellows, and no other person be al- lowed to criticise so foolish a subject ? If so, then I congratulate myself upon not being an F.R.S.
Time will show why they refuse to answer my question ; the President, I am certain, was dis- pleased at my having displaced him, yet such is only the ostensible reason. My letters arrived in time to be made use of by others, and neither Se- cretary nor President (I beg the latter's pardon) can say that they only have seen those letters ; therefore the return of them does not arise from an informality of address ; there is a something more galling, a discovery which they fear I shall make, and which will show how illiberally they have acted.
I long ago knew my letter had been officially
VOL. H, T 7
218 APPENDIX.
received and privately canvassed ; it was this which displeased me, and which induced me to inquire iche7i it had been received, and what fate it had met with. These questions have been simply an- swered, that I may have the papers back again. In the mean time, it is not impossible that they may have been made use of; for they were received by the Royal Society in 1821. Had my letter been returned as informal, 1 should have bowed to their decision ; had it been rejected as unworthy the at- tention of so learned a body, I would have been silent ; or had the subject been one without the proceedings of the Royal Society, I should have been content ; this last cannot be, unless their own members only are to be allowed to address them, for the subject is one that materially engaged their attention for a considerable time. At least two of their members took a most active part in the in- vestigation of so interesting a subject ; therefore it cannot but appear, that whatever credit I may be entitled to, I am not to have it. To deny this, let either President or Secretary aver tliat none have seen my letters but them.
These are some of the reasons why I am mdu- ced to bring the subject before the public ; it is not the want of courtesy— it is not my vanity which is piqued — it is not an undue value which I put up- on the letter in any of its bearings ; — it is the in- teresting subject, and the importance of it in a ijeographical "point of view, which prompt me to cope with such a host. I am aware of the difficul- ties I have to contend with ; I am aware that I shall raise the spirit of a part of the literati ; yet still I leel justified, as, in addition to these reasons, I am certain that the inferences I drew, and the conclu-
APPENDIX. 219
sions I arrived at, have proved, and will prove, sa- tisfactory.
That the literary demerit of my letter may have sunk far below the horizon of any other document attempted to be laid down for the consideration of the learned world, is a charge I may plead guilty to; but I insist on the unanswerable arguments contained in it, which I wished to have introduced into the first edition of the Narrative of my Jour- ney through Siberia and Tartary — having, as it had and has, a direct reference to the object I had in view, when I, alone and on foot, undertook the ai-duous task of traversing Em-ope and Asia to their most north-eastern limits ; there to ascertain, by ocular demonstration, whether Asia and America did or did not join. This was the object and sub- ject of my letter ; and, malgre the opinion enter- tained by those who have uncommon sense, I now give it to those who have a little common sense ; let the latter form their opinion, and decide whether any one can now doubt of the separation of the two continents.
At this moment, when public opinion is so much interested in the pending expeditions under Cap- tains PaiTy, Franklin, and Lyon, I feel confident the following letter will not be void of interest ; as little will the remarks and ideas which I suggested in the New Monthly Magazine for May and June, 1824, to prove the imprac^tmJ«Y% of a north-west, and the probability of a north-east passage round the continent of America; as also my ideas upon the inefficient means about to be adopted by the land expeditions. Requesting the reader's indul- gence to the letter, and to the ideas which follow- ed that letter, assisted by tlie little map, I will be- gin it.
220 APPENDIX.
** TO THE SECRETARY AND PRESIDENT OP THE ROYAL SOCIETY.
" Nishney Kolyraa, lat. 68-33 N. Jan. 10—22 1821. Long. 166-30 E.
" Gentlemen,
" The universally lamented death of the late venerable and patriotic President of the Royal So- ciety, Sir Joseph Banks, whom I had sometimes taken the liberty of addressing, will account for my now troubling you ; and although I am con- scious that my limited education exposes me to numerous errors and disqualifications, possibhj to ridicule, * yet am I willing to brave them, in con- sideration of the interesting subject to which I think it my duty to call your attention ; and in the execution of which I hope it will appear that I am guided by a wish to serve the public, and neither to court applause nor draw forth censure.
" It is not often that I am favoured with the sight of any literary publication ; my wandering life precludes the probability of such a treat ; but here, in one of the most remote comers of the Russian empire, and of the universe, where nature defies the power of art, where no verdure quickens, and where all is frozenly cold, save benevolence and humanity ; here, in such a place, I have found one, a recent one, purporting to come from the pen of Captain Burney of the Royal Navy, (a gentle- man for whose literary talents I have the greatest respect, however much I think he has misapplied them in this instance,) entitled a ' Chronological History of North-Eastern Discoveries, and of the
• This remark is truly verified.
APPENDIX. 221
early Eastern Navigation of the Russians ;' too modest a title for such a complicated production, where war, history, and politics alike engage the attention ; where virtue and vice are alternately seen predominant, and where many subjects are treated of in a copious manner ; indeed, where no- thing appears to have been neglected, except that to which the title-page gives birth. It would be a matter of speculation to decide upon what sub- ject the Captain has most descanted ; among others, I would fain know whether he has really bad in view the proving that no expedition or navigation has been performed round the north-east of Asia, and the consequent possibility of there being a junction between the old and new continents ; or whether he will not appear to have been desirous of giving the world a fresh account of the lives, deaths, and characters of Captains Cook and Clerke, with a history of the Russian and Chinese wars, and a continued and inelevaut abuse of the former nation, not omitting his dissertation upon the Ja- panese empire, nor his remarks upon American vassalage, independent of his astronomical, philo- sophical, and critical observations. All have al- ternately, and at renewed intervals, engaged the attention of his fluctuating pen ; and, I think, have contributed to hold him forward as the most par- tial and unjust reasoner that ever ventured to ap- peal- before the public. I shall endeavour, in the following pages, not only to make good this asser- tion, and prove that not only a navigation has been performed round the north-east of Asia, but I will also draw forth a conclusion as to the most pro- bable situation of the, so called, Shelatshoi Pro- montory.
" In replying to Captain Burney s book, it will
T :i
222 APPENDIX.
be impossible for me to follow him through the three hundred pages of his heterogeneous matter ; it is unnecessary, and my time will not admit of it, nor am I so disposed ; I will be content with following and combating those arguments which relate to the geogi-aphical question, and leave to others those which refer to a more abstruse and logical definition.
" It appears to me very extraordinary that Cap- tain Bumey should, in the second page of his book, admit, that there can he no douht, but that, in the time of the elder Pliny, distinct information had been received by the Romans concerning the north coasts of Europe and Asia. Pliny remarks, < Asia is beaten upon by the main ocean in three jmrtSy north, east, and south.' If such be the case, to what purpose has tlie Captain written his book ? certainly not to prove a negative, for he admits the affirmative, as evidently will appear by his extract- ing that part which relates to the Scythian and Tabin Promontories. Had Captain Bumey con- fined his remarks to the probability of land exist- ing north of Behring's Straits, I should have join- ed in the same opinion ; but I think any attempt to prove the probability of a junction of the old and new continents, ought to be deprecated as wild and visionary, and certainly in direct opposition to the opinion of his gi-eat master, Cook.
"In refuting the arguments brought forth by Captain Bumey, I shall confine myself to the voy- ages of Deshnew, Pavlutzki, Stadukin, Shalauroff, Cook, and Billings, with such remarks as may arise therefrom. I select these as the most famed, and likely to answer the end proposed ; it is tme, they are the most material in my favour, but I would really select others to invalidate them, could I find
APPENDIX. 223
any. So extraordinary is it, however, and so de- serving is it of attention, that, of all the voyagea and travels related in his book, and which have been presented to the public to prove the probabi- lity of a junction (vide page 293) between Asia and America, not one of them holds out a hope of the kind, or expresses a doubt of their separation : on the contrary, they all bear in mind the exist- ence of a north-east promontory, and their object has been to sail round, or, technically speaking, to double it.
" In the year 1648, Simon Deshnew sailed, for the second time, upon his remarkable expedition, consisting of seven vessels ; four were never after- wards heard of. What became of the other three vessels ? Deshnew simply says, ' that after great danger, misfortune, aud the loss of part of his ship- ping, he reached Tchukotskoi Noss, which extends very far into the sea, and is situated between the north-east and north, and over against which are two islands, whose inhabitants wear artificial teeth ; and that the coast from that promontory turns, ia a circular direction, towards the Anadyr.' Now, if this simple statement be not a clear and a de- scriptive one, I know not what can be so termed ; especially if we refer to the period of time when it was wi-itten, to the person who wi-ote it, and to the circumstances which called forth that writing. It was on that great Tchukotskoi promontory that Ankudinoff 's vessel was wi-ecked ; and it appears, by Deshnew's papers, that ' it was the first GREAT PROMONTORY he reached after leaving the Kolyma ; nor, in his subsequent quarrel with So- liverstoff, does he appear to me to prevaricate or contradict the first assertion ; for although he says, ' there ia anotlier promontory, called Svatoi Noss,'
324 APPENDIX,
he does not, like Captain Biirney, term it a great one : on the contrary, he treats it with indiffer- ence ; for, when speaking of the great promon- tory, he says, ' Tchuhotskoi Noss is not the first promontory, but another far more considerable, and very well known to him,' &c.
" I have been thus particular, because a material difference may ai'ise from making use of the word GREAT without authority.
" It appears to me from Deshnew's narratives, his reasonings and comparisons, that iw great promon- tory, and which we term Shelatskoi Noss, does exist, (neither is there ;) and that, as there was nothing extraordinary in the appearance of the land from the river Kolyma to Tchukotskoi Noss, he, of course, could not describe any. But even if there be any remarkable or intermediate promon- tory or lands, a variety of circumstances might have contributed to keep them from his view,— the dis- tance at which he kept from the shore, the preva- lence of fogs, &c. ; at farthest, in short, Deshnew s conduct could only be termed careless or inatten- tive. Deshnew was not a seafaring man, quite a sufficient reason ; nay, I am of opinion that he would not have described East Cape, Tchukotskoi Noss, or the other many particulai's, had it not been in defence of a discovery of a korga, or sand-bank, at the mouth of the Anadyr, and of which he was about to be unjustly deprived. As to the appella- tion of Soa-toi Noss, Sacred Promontory, it im- plies nothing, although from the time of Deshnew, it appears to have lost it, and to have gained that of Shelatskoi Noss.
" Having stated thus much in behalf of Desh- new, and having accounted for his silence or negli- gence, I will leave him, and draw your attention
APPENDIX. 225
to the ingenious and novel, but untenable, argu ment of Captain Buniey, as relates to shitiki and their use. Had he known more of this subject, he would not have so boldly asserted what was not, what is not, and what cannot, be the case; he would never have said that, ' oji account of tlie frequemy of being mclosed in the Icy Sea, it was customary so to construct vessels, that they might tvith ease be taken to pieces, carried to the outer edge of the ice, and be there put together again* This is indeed an extraordinary, unauthorized, and ridiculous assertion of Captain Bumey's; it is a ridiculous mistake, fit for him to tell the soldiers. Such was not the reason for so constructing shitiki ; for they were built also at Okotsk and Kamtchatka; they were so built from tinavoidable necessity, if the want of proper materials or of sufficient funds can be so termed. No iron ivas to be had, or the cost of it was too great for Icy or Eastern Sea spe- culators.
" Allowing, however, to Captain Burney the full benefit of his ingenious assertion and argument, as relates to the intention for so constructino- shitiki I then deny the possibility of ' so employing them, and of so easily taking them to pieces,' &c. The twisted osiers which Captain Burney speaks of, were made from the soft green bark and branches of trees, applied in a green state ; to unlay which, after being once settled in their places, were to destroy them. Had this facility of navigating the Icy Sea really existed, where no risk was apparent or contemplated, we should not have had to de- plore the loss of so many adventurers ; we should have had transmitted to us the result of many voyages, and the description of many lands of which we are still ignorant ; we should have seen this in-
226 APPENDIX.
genious facility of navigating the Icy Sea not only continued, but improved upon, whereas now it is forgotten. *
" I will go farther still, and allow Captain Bumey the full measure of his ingenious assertion, of the intention, as well as the facility, for so employing shitiki ; yet, in the case of Deshnew, it will appear most improbable, if not impossible ; especially if it be considered how short is the period allotted for a task of the kind. That, in those days, eighty or ninety Cossacks (in whose praises the Captain is otherwise wonderfully sparing) should unload, un- rig, and unbuild three vessels, carry them and their contents over an isthmus, or round a promontory, then re-build, re-rig, and re-load them, (annoyed and endangered, as they would have been, by a bold and active enemy, in the Shelages, who. Captain Burney says, lived there during the campaign of Pavlutzki,) and resume their voyage in so short a period, must appear impossible. The provisions for some months which they carried, their arms and ammunition, the masts, sails, and cordage, as well as the vessels ; to transport these in so rigid a cli- mate, independent of other obstacles, must have prevented a task of the kind being completed ere winter had commenced, and prevented a retreat. The nature of the climate in the Icy Sea is such, as to render impossible a thing of the kind in a ge- neral way, and highly improbable, even by way of experiment. So much for shitiki and their use, as
« How comes it that Captain Bumey should have per- mitted four of Deshnew's vessels to be no more heard of, when the rest of his squadron had such a facility of escaping dangers ? These are, however, such speculative and in- Tenting times, that an hermaphrodite vessel is to be sent to the North Pole, to go upon land, ice, or water.
APPENDIX. 227
well as tbeir uselessness, for they are no longer used : some additional reason for supposing that the intention for so constructing thera was not such as described by Captain Burney.
" There was another class of vessels, called kotches, veiy frequently used in the Icy Sea, and which were built upon the river Lena. I wish to inform Captain Burney, that the word kotche is not derived from any peculiarity in the construction or in the rigging of the vessel. The Avord is derived fi-ora kochevat, to wander, and is rather a Siberian appellation, as they were employed in transporting new settling or wandering families, and hence gain- ed the appellation oi kotches. What their construc- tion or mode of rigging then was, 1 am not aware ; but they were secured with iron, sent down the Lena to Yakutsk. That Deshnew's vessels were kotches, there can be little or no doubt ; for the vessels in which he sailed from the Kolyma, he had previously brought from the Lena and Indigirka, as is related in one of his memorials ; besides, the Kolyma could hardly have produced seven vessels m so short a period, whether in the shape of kotches or shitiki; the establishment had only existed three years, viz. from 1644 to 1647, in the latter of which years, Deshnewmade his first, but unsuccessful, at- tempt.
" MuUer has translated them kotcJies, while Pal- las has said they were vessels. I believe they were both correct, for I need not say that a kotche is a vessel, and a vessel may be a kotche; whereas both would have been wrong, had they translated shiti- ki. I will conclude with saving that, if ever Desh- new did reach Tchukotskoi Noss with the vessels in which he sailed ftom the Kolyma, (and which, strange to say, has not been doubted,) that he could
228 APPENDIX.
only have so done by sailing round the north-east of Asia; and thus there can be no reason for doubt- ing the testimony of Deshnew.
" To strengthen the opinion that Deshnew did double the celebrated Tchukotskoi promontory, I will, out of chronological order, quote the voyage of Captain Cook, a voyage which Captain Burney bore a part in, and I think will serve to destroy the hypothesis of the latter gentleman, of the probable junction of the two continents, vide page 300. Upon referring to the situation of the Discovery, when off Icy and North Capes, it appears, the for- mer bore south -south- east true, and no land visible north or east of it ; the latter bore west-half-north by compass, no land being visible north of it, al- though the horizon in that quarter was pretty clear,
a circumstance which induced Captain Cook to
say, that from Cape North, ' he thought the land would be found to take a very westerly du-ection ; and so it will, in the event of no great* promontory existing. Such I take to be the case, after an im- partial review of the voyages under consideration. I think the land from Cape North will be found to take a very westerly direction, to a promontory not far distant ; which promontory and the island of Sabedei are the extremes of a spacious bay, which Shalauroff visited,! but which Deshnew might have passed without noticing or even seeing. Although Captain Cook was of opinion there is land north of Behring's Straits, he did not suppose such land to be a continuation of Asia or America ; on the contrary, from judgmg by his remarks, he evident-
• By looking at the actual survey of the north-east of
Asia, no great promontory will be apparent.
-f- This is literally true. ' 10
APPENDIX. 229
lythought Icy and North Capes the north-west and north-east boundaries of their respective continents. " The next voyage which I will select for your attention, was performed by one Taras Stadiikin, a great favourite of Captain Buraey's, as support- ing an hypothesis he declares not to have formed ; but to prove the prohahility of which, he present- ed a memoir to the Boyal Society, and wrote a book. It is necessary to inform you, that the ac- count is not derived from Stadukin, but from one Nikiphor Malgir, of notorious memory, as will here- after appear. Malgir affirmed, that a merchant, named Taras Stadukin, did, many years before, relate to him, ' that he sailed in a kotche, with nine- ty men, from the Kolyma, to make a discovery concerning the Great Cajje of the TcJmktchi ; * but that not being able to double it, they had cross- ed over on foot, where they built other vessels' Captain Bumey says, this deposition ' is the most deserving of attention ;' and yet, ere he can make it of service in support of the new hypothesis, he is obliged to convert a hotche into a shitiki, take that shitiki to pieces, carry it and contents over an isthmus, put it together again, proceed vjion his voy- age, and not alloio him to build other vessels, as this favourite deposition affirms. Captain Bumey first tears the deposition to pieces in its most ma- terial parts, imitates another, like a true sea voy- ager, vide page 110, and then terms it a circum- stantially described voyage of Stadukin s, as re- lated by Malgir. What does it discover ? What does it describe ? What, at most, does it amount to? Merely that one Malgir affirmed, that one Stadukin had told him, many years before, that he
• i. e- Tchukotskoi Noss. VOL, II. L
230 APPENDIX.
had sailed in a kotche, from the Kolyma to a cer- tain place, where he left her, took a walk across a neck of land, built another vessel, and resumed his voyage. This is the sum of this favourite deposi- tion in behalf of a name fruitful in enterprise. And yet Captain Burney changes the most material parts of it, that he may the more consistently take the same liberty with the memorials and docu- ments of Deshnew ; in short. Captain Burney has made two voyages upon paper^ which were never performed upon %vater. .
" It is indeed a novel and extraordinary mode of reasoning, that because one man does relate an intermediate circumstance, which might have hap- pened upon his voyage of discovery, he alone is to be believed, to the prejudice of another man, be- cause that other man does not relate an interme- diate circumstance, which might not have happen- ed to him on his voyage of discovery ; this is m- deed absurd reasoning and weak argument for a junction of Asia and America.
« I am so far from doubting the testimony of Deshnew, that I am involuntarily compelled to en- tirely discredit the affidavit of Malgir; but for a better reason than that assigned by Captain Bur- ney for doubting Deshnew and Busch. Malgir affirmed, that Taras Stadukin did, many years be- fore, relate to him so and so. Now this favourite deposition was made in 1710, only two years after ike voyage was performed ; for the Kurile Isles be- came known from it, and they were discovered in 1708 ; independent of the time necessary for Sta- dukin to have returned to the river Lena, to have related his adventures, and the time necessary for Malgir to have gone to Yakutsk to make his affi- davit. Many is a strong word; and supposing
19
APPENDIX. 231
that Stadukin had, after his voyage, down to the liver Lena, and thatMalgir, after hearing the news, had imitated him, and taken his airy flight to Ya- kutsk, still this hearsay testimony could only have been deUvered to him the year before, viz. in 1709, at which period Taras Stadukin was no doubt alive,* that is, if he performed the voyage the yeai" before. " It is related that Stadukin crossed a narrow isthmus, but where that narrow isthmus is, it is difficult to say ; yet will I endeavour to explain the riddle. Here, at Nishney Kolymsk, is a tradition, and I agree with Captain Bumey, that traditions ought not to be disregarded, of a Stadukin having sailed in a kotche from the Kolyma up the Great Aniuy river ; in that river there is an isthmus, or shallow sand-bank, over which the kotche could not sail; she was cut into two parts, floated over, and put together again ; he continued his voyage until he reached the Anadyr mountains, which he cross- ed on foot, built another vessel at Anadyrsk, and then sailed upon his voyage to the Tchukotskoi Cape. Whether this tradition, which is still fresh here, refers to Taras Stadukin, I know not ; I be- lieve not. I think it refers to the voyage of Mi- chael Stadukin, who had in vain attempted to go by sea during the life of Deshnew, and was there- fore compelled to venture over the chain of moun- tains then unknown, and for the particulars of which voyage I refer to a page 379 of a note in Coxe.f These circumstances coincide in general. Malgir asserting that a Stadukin related the tale many years before, confirms me in the opinion that
* I mention this, to ask why Stadukin was not sum- moned instead of Malgir ?
f Indeed the like voyage is noticed at page 75 of Cap- tain Burney's book.
232 APPENDIX.
he alluded to Michael, and not to Taras, and that his mistake arose from the concomitant circum- stance of Taras Stadukin having, one or two years before, discovered the Kurile Isles. _ ^
« It may be said that this argument of mme is improbable, as Deshnew's expedition took place in 1648, and that the affidavit was made in 1710; but I reply, no ; for I have incontestable proof that Malgir, at that time, must have been a very old man ; for, in page 38 of Captain Buraey's book, I find he favours us with a deposition of some time between the years 1667 and 1675, abas thirty-five or forty-three years before the period in which he made this favourite deposition— he had seen so and so in sailing from the Lena. Nor is this all, for Malgir, fond of relating the adventures of others, gives us another hearsay testimony of Jacob Wiat- kas. Besides, it does not follow, that to recount the'exploits of Michael Stadukin, in his trip across an isthmus, and which took place in 1649, accord- ing to Deshnew— I say it does not follow that Mal- gir was alive, although no doubt he was. Malgir says, Stadukin related to him the circumstance many years before, and which was, no doubt, many years after the fact had taken place ; for, m 1654, there is a record of Stadukin being still ahve at Anadyrsk. It cannot then but appear that Mal- gir meant Michael, and not Taras, Stadukin. Who- ever it was, his memory must have deceived him. Thus, then, the case stands : the very doubtful, hearsay, and contradictory affidavit of Malgir, of voyages he never bore a part in, is to be put m competition with the original documents and me- morials of Deshnew, relating to a voyage, which he decidedly did perform in some way or other :^ weali argument for a continental junction.
APPENDIX. 233
• " It also appears, by this favourite deposition? that Tai-as Stadukin had Tchuhotskoi Noss for his object, and not SMatskoi Noss ; the shortest and safest way to which was by the Aniuy and Ana- dyr rivers. As to the insinuation of Captain Bui-- ney, that Taras Stadukin performed his feat over Shelatskoi Noss, from a knoivledge that Deshnew had made his way into the Eastern Ocean in the same manner, it is only deserving of so much at- tention, as to remind Captain Buraey, that Desh- new sailed in 1648, and his friend Taras in 1708, or sixty years after ; independent of the assertion of Captain Burney, in another part of his book, that ' no knowledge was entertained of Deshnew s ex- pedition and success, there or elsewhere ;' and yet Taras Stadukin acted from i. prior knoivledge. This Irish requires some explanation. It would have been neaier the truth had Captain Buiney omitted the name of Deshnew, and said that, no doubt, Taras Stadukin adopted this mode of proceeding, from a knowledge that his kinsman had already succeed- ed in the same manner, although I deny that such proceeding was over Shelatskoi Noss Isthmus (if such there be,) but to have been over the Great Aniuy Isthmus.
" I will now quit these gentlemen, and draw your attention toa joumeyperformed round and through the country of the Tchuktchi, by Major Pavlutski ; it is circumstantially described, and deserving of much attention. I will select those parts of it only which refer to geography •: I will divide his journey into seven parts, and to each part there shall be a separate description ; and I will draw a probable conclusion of the journey he did actually perform.
" On the 12th of March he left Anadyrsk ; his route lay to the north-east and east, to the source
u2
234 APPENDIX.
of the river Tcherraa ; he reached that source on the 23d of March (as will appear by a back calcu- lation) ; from thence he marched due north sixty days, and reached the Icy Sea near a considerable river ; that was on the 23d of May. He after- wards marched along the ley Sea-coast for fifteen days ; at times so far fiom the land, that the mouths of the rivers were barely distinguishable ; done, no doubt, to shorten his journey, instead of going round the bays. From the 7th of June, when he arrived, until the 15th, he halted, when he again resumed his journey along the Icy Sea-coast for fifteen days more, and halted on the 30th of June (near the easternmost of two rivers, which he had passed within one day's journey of each other) until the 3d of July, when he attempted to cross the promontory ; but it was not until the 14th of July that he was enabled to march from the western to the eastern coast, (having high mountains to climb, it was ten days before he reached the latter, the country of the Shelages being on his left,— viz. on the 24th of July,) when Pavlutzki embarked part of his people in baidares, and, with the rest, continued his march along the sea-coast, in a south-east di- rection ; when, in seven days, on the 1st of Au- gust, he came to the mouth of a river; and, in twelve days more, the 13th of August, to the mouth of another, beyond which, at the distance of ten versts (six miles) there ran into the sea, far toivards the east, a head of land which, at the 'beginning, was mountainous ; but, gradually di- minishing, ended in a plane, the extent of which could not be seen. Here Pavlutzki ceased to fol- low the sea-coast, and turned inlaml towards the Anadyr, reaching the fortress in seventy days, or on the 21st of October.
APPENDIX. 235
"This is the amount of the information derived fi-om Pavlutzki's journal ; and, before I state the courses and distances I think he actually perform- ed, it may be necessary to inform you, that he was provided with rein-deer in considerable quantities, which answered the purposes of carrying his arms, ammunition, and baggage, as well as his provisions, and ultimately also served for food. The Tchuktchi people, when they travel with laden rein-deer, do not go more than eight or ten versts a-day, equal to four and a half, or six miles. They are three and four months upon their journey hither from the Bay of Saint Lawrence, although the distance does not exceed eight or nine hundred versts (four hun- dred and sixty, or five hundred and twenty miles.) Billings was six months. Pavlutzki tells us, that upon his first journey, he did not go more than ten versts, or six miles a-day, halting at times. I shall therefore venture to admit his having gone eight versts a-day, or four miles and a half, in a direct line, when in a mountainous country; and ten versts, or six miles a-day, when on the Icy and Eastern Sea-coast, where he would be much assist- ed. Upon his return to Anadyr, I shall allow him also eight versts a-day, more than which he can hardly be expected to have gone ; uncertain of the proper or direct route, weai'ied and worn out as his people must have been, after a long, laborious, and perilous campaign, and exposed to the heavy falls of snow which the months of September and October must have produced in such a latitude.
♦' Pavlutzki's^r*^ route lay between north-east and east — say east-north-east, twelve days, or fifty- four miles ; his second route lay due north, sixty days, or two hundred and seventy miles ; his third xoute east, thirty days, or one hundred and seventy
236 APPENDIX.
miles ; his fourth route east-south-east, ten days, or forty-five miles ; his /Ji^A route south-east, seven days, or forty-two miles ; his sixth route south- east, twelve days, or seventy-two miles ; and his. seventh route a direct line to the Anadyr fortress, whence he had departed, a distance which should not exceed seven hundred versts, or four hundred miles, to be made in seventy days.
" Having thus given an idea of the courses and distances of Pavlutzki's march, I will draw your attention to the places he arrived and halted at, and which are, in a manner, noticed in his journal.
<' His first route carried him to the source of the Tcherma, a river well known; his second route to the Icy Sea, near to a considerable river, known here by the name of the Bolchoi Reka, and situ- ated a little to the east of Cape Baranov Kamen ; his third route carried him beyond the eastern- most of two rivers, which I suppose are the rivu- lets seen by Shalauroff, in Tchaon Bay, (for rivu- lets they would only appear in August and Sep- tember to Shalauroft", although in June and the be- ginning of July, they might otherwise appear to Pavlutzki,*) and the Kvata and Packla of Billings. Pavlutzki's fourth journey carried him to a place where he procured baidai-es, consequently to a place where there were inhabitants. That place I take to have been the Cape North of Cook,f and the Karpa or Ekakta of Billings. It is there that the last of the Eastern-Sea Tchuktchi are said to re- side, and where there is a fishing-place, according to Captain Billings ; it is there also that Cook saw
" This I presume is natural ; people in vessels may deem a body of water a rivulet, which to an army would appear as a river.
t Or more properly Cape Kuzmm of Baron Wrangel.
APPENDIX. 237
a body of water, and which may serve as a shelter- ing place for fishermen and their boats. Pavlutzki's fiftli route carried him to a river, which I take to have been the Amgooyan of Billings ; and his sixth route carried him to another river, which I take to have been the Vouchervaren of the same person. The head of land beyond it, I consider is the cape which induced Behring to turn back, and the Bay of Klashenie of Billings, or neai* Burney's Isle of Cook. These particulars strikingly confirm each other, as to an island off Cape North ;* there is said to be one upon which the Tchuktchi preserved the rein-deer dmuDg the season of hostilities.
" I will now describe the route laid down in the map prefixed to Captain Burney's book. I know not who is or was the author of it ; but of the map itself, I will prove that absurdity and incorrectness are its prominent features, and as such, undeser- ving of any other attention than to expose it.
" It has been already said, that Pavlutzki, du- ring the_/7-5^ twelve days, marched between north- east and east, and, in the following sixty days, due north, and yet this sapient map gives Pavlutzki to have gone nearly the same distance during the twelve as during the sixty days, hence no difficulty in accounting for a north-north-west, instead of a north course. Upon the Icy Sea-coast, Pavlutzki is represented as having gone, in thirty days, only about one hundred and twenty-five miles, ov four and a-half a-d&y ; while in the following ten days, and when he had high mountains to climb, he is enabled to have gone about one hundred and forty- three miles, ov fourteen miles a-day. If Pavlutzki
" Even Captain Cook supposed there was an island off Cape North. See page 247 of Captain Burney's book.
238 APPENDIX.
crossed the country of the Tchuktchi in ten days, in defiance of an active enemy and a mountainous country, whence arises the justness, or propriety, or even necessity, of Captain Burney's assertion, that ' Pavlutzki did not cross at a narroiv part of the Tchukotski country ?' Surely fifty or sixty miles cannot be termed a ivide part, and more he could not have gone in ten days. The author of that map had done better to have allowed four and a quarter miles a-day when traversing the high mountains, and fourteen miles a-day when on the Icy Sea- coast ; this at least would have been more reason- able, and still in great error ; such, however, would have left a narrow isthmus ; a junction with Ame- rica was the object, and Captain Burney's map suited best. Wide or narrow, Pavlutzki crossed, leaving the country of the Shelages upon his left, (mentioned, no doubt, to insinuate a large tract of country being there,) and he reached a place where he procured baidares ; that place we agi'ee in sup- posing to have been the Cape North of Cook.* From thence this map represents his going south- east one hundred andffty miles in seven days, or twenty-one miles per day ; and yet, during the fol- lowing ticelve days, and with the same assistance, he can only go one hundred and thirty, or eleven miles a-day. Why this difference, I would ask ?
• When this letter was written to the Royal Society, I did suppose Pavlutzki to have crossed to Cape North of Cook ; now-a-days, and with the chart of the survey of north-east Asia, I think otherwise. 1 think Pavlutzki must have crossed to Cape Kuzmin, the southern point of which is distant from Cape North ninety miles, to be divided be- tween the two following journeys, which occupied nineteen days' time ; no great increase, when it is considered they were supplied with baidares, and consequently might have been able to go four or five miles a- day extra.
APPENDIX. 239
Lastly, to enable Pavlutzki to reach Anadyrsk by the 21st of October, he went, without halting, five hundred and seventy miles in seventy days, or more than eight miles per day ; an impossibility, with an array such as I have described, in such a desolate country.*
" I would ask the author of that map what an European army can do, in a fine country, and in possession of every thing that is requisite to nourish them ? I am no soldier, but I should think twelve or fifteen miles in continuation for seventy days to be a regular march, while twenty or twenty-five would constitute a forced march, especially if con- tinued for the same period. In this country, a different calculation must be resorted to ; the na- ture of the climate, the depth of the snow, the lofty and baixen mountains, the weight of their arms, clothing, &c. are alone obstacles to prevent the possibility of a thing of the kind, as passing with an army more than five or six miles per day direct, in a long succession of months. I also re- mark in the map, which is a disgrace to such a book as that coming from the pen of Captain Bur- ney, that Pavlutzki is represented as having reach- ed Tchukotskoi Noss; had such been the case, Pavlutzki would never have seen land running far into the sea towards tJie east, as his journal ex-
■ It may not be amiss for the reader to measure the dis- tance between Cape North and the point whence Pavlutzki turned inland towards the Anadyr, and the south-east march of two hundred and eiffliti) miles along the coast, according to Captain Burney, which two hundred and eighty, added to the distance between Capes North and Kuzmin, where Pavlutzki must have crossed, will make three hundred and seventy miles, or twenty mUes a-day ; which could not have been accomplished, as part of his army marched along the beach.
240 APPENDIX.
presses ; but he would have seen it turning to the Bouth-west and west-south-west towards the Ana- dyr ; had Pavlutzki reached Tchukotskoi Noss, he would never have turned inland towards the Ana- dyr, but he would have continued his voyage along the sea-coast, provided as he was with baidares.
« It is apparent that Pavlutzki saio the land which induced Behring to turn back ; a land which he did not reach, for he could not see its extent to the east, while Behring could not see its extent to the west. I think there can be no doubt that such place is the Bay of Klashenie of Billings, in about the latitude of 67° 18" N., or about twelve or fifteen miles south of the point where Pavlutzki anived at, which, in that case, would have been to the latitude 67° 33" N., eighty-three miles south of Cape North, or one hundred and seventeen miles south-east of it ; a distance which Pavlutzki might with facility have reached in nineteen days, when travelling with baidares, being only six miles a-day : he might have gone more, but he could never have reached Tchtikotskoi Noss, (independent of the rea- sons I have before given, as the seeing of land to the east,) which is one hundred and seventy-one south, and two hundred and forty-two distant from Cape North, or thirteen miles per day.
" Here it may not be improper to ask Captain Bumey, why he has accused Captain Billings of placing an island off the Bay of Klashenie to cor- respond with the Cape North of Cook ? There is a difference of about eighty miles in the latitude of the two places, vide page 194. Does Captain Bumey forget the island bearing his own name, in lat. 67° 45" N. ? or does he forget that the land to the southward of it forms like an island, as assert- ed by Captain Cook, in his journal of September
APBENDIX. 241
2d, 1778 ? Whether the Bay of Klashenie is near Buraey's Isle, or nearer to the apparent isle to the southward, is to me ditEcult to decide. When Billings, in a baidare, visited the Bay of Klashenie, the land might have formed like an island ; but he never could have supposed that bay to have been Cape North ; for he has expressly placed the latter near to the river Ekakta. This attack of the Cap- tain's, as are several upon deceased individuals, was unnecessary, and more than the simple title of his book justified. Captain Burney should re- collect that comparisons are odious, — that drawn by him between Captain Billings and Ledyard very much so.* Had Captain Burney known the real characters of these two men, he would have re- mained silent, and not have unjustly censured the one, nor unmeritedly have extolled the other. It will do no good to discuss upon their merits or de- merits ; both were unfortunate, and there I leave them, to draw your attention to the voyages of the enterprising Shalauroflf, who, in my opinion, cer- tainly reached Shelatskoi Noss, and confirms the practicability of a passage, although attended with difficulty and danger, vide page 390 of Coxes Dis- coveries.
" Shalauroflf stood to the north-east to double Shelatskoi Noss, but before he reached the islands ■near it, he was retarded by contrary winds, and, on account of the advanced season, obliged to seek for a wintering place ; he accordingly saUed south into a large open bay, which, his journal says, is on the west side of the Noss, and formed by it and
• Captain Bumey's practice and precept are widely dif- ferent, vide page 280, when speaking of subordination in the case of this same Ledjjvrd.
VOL. II. X
242 APPENDIX.
the island of Sabedei. In that bay he coahl not •winter, no fish nor wood being to be procured, al- though he discovered two rivulets. Shalauroff got out of the bay, and round the island of Sabedei, when he fastened his vessel to a body of ice, and was carried by a current west-south-west five versts, or near three miles per hour ; hence I infer the run of the coast from the Kolyma to Sabedei to be east-north-east and west-south-west. On the second day after leaving the island of Sabedei, be saw far to the north-east by north* a mountain ; in other words, he saw the land he had left, viz. She- latskoi Noss. Upon the fourth day, he regained the Kolyma, determined to again make the at- tempt ; which, alas ! he did, never to return.
" I agree with the learaed Mr Coxe in doubting whether Shelatskoi Noss extends so far to the north as placed in Shalauroft"'s chart, for the able reasons given by that gentleman ; but I am of opinion that the general outline and form of the coast will be foimd perfectly correct. The accounts of Pavlutz- ki and Shalauroff correspond. The river whence the former crossed to the Eastern Sea must neces- sarily be in nearly the same latitude as the place to which he came out at, and which we suppose was Cape North ; that river must therefore have been in Tchaon bay, which is the name given to Sba- lauroff's bay, and that river, according to Billings and Shalauroff, cannot be far distant from Shelat- skoi Noss. The accounts of the two latter gentle- men also correspond, and prove the existence of a promontory from which Billings could not have been /ar distant. It appears by Billings' map that tlie Karpa and Ekakta rivers run into the ocean
• This is by compass, or N. E. I £• true.
APPENDIX, 243
east of the Noss, while the Packla and Kvata enter the Icy Sea icest of the Noss. It also appears that when Billings was on the Karpa, he was fifty-one miles from the Eastern Sea ; and only seventy- four miles from the Icy Sea when on the Kvata. It may, therefore, he admitted, that the promon- tory lies between those two rivers, and would not be far to the west of north from him ; for, when Bilhngs was on the Kvata, he was in his most northern situation; as his route changed from north- west to west and south-west, being a right angle to his former general route, and demonstrating that it was there the adverse ridges or chains of moun- tains had united, and that, not far distant from their junction, they must terminate in a due north direc~ tion, that being the central point between north- west and north-east, the courses of the adverse ridges.
" I should calculate the Noss, when Billings was on the Kvata, and, at the junction of the ridges, to have been as far distant as it was to the Eastern or Icy Seas ; fifty-one miles added to seventy-four will give one hundred and twenty-five miles, the half of which is sixty-two miles and a half, the dis- tance I take the Noss to have been from him due north, which is also about the same distance which he journeyed along the valleys of the Eastern Sea coast. That the run of the mountains on the east- ern coast is north-west and south-east, we have the testimonies of Cook, Pavlutzki, Billings, and Beh- rmg.
" Admitting the longitude of Cape North to be, as stated by Cook, 181° east, I should infer that of Shelatskoi Noss to be about 175° or 176° E., and in latitude about 70° 20', or 70° 30' N. To sup- port this idea of mine respecting the latitude and
244 APPENDIX,
longitude of Sbelatskoi Noss, (as derived from the voyages of Billings and Shalauroflf, and supported by circumstantial evidence,) let us resort to ano- ther mode of arguing, equally corroborative, ihe longitude of Cape North is 181° east, that of Cape Baranov Kamen is 169° east ; the difference is U , or about 240 miles of longitude, while there are only 37 miles difference of latitude ; the mference, then is, that there cannot be any venjnort/iern laiut between them, especially supported as this argument is when the distance from the island of Sabedei to B'aranov Kamen is deducted as havmg been tra- versed by Shalauroff.
« Let us, however, have recourse to another mode of calculating the latitude and longitude of Shelatskoi Noss ; let us refer to the well-known direction of the land from Baranov Kamen to the east, and the equally well-known course of the mountains, and direction of the coast on the eastern shore; the former is east-north-east and west-south- west by compass, the latter north-west and south- east ; although, beyond Cape North Captain Cook was of opinion that the land would be found to take a veni westerly direction. Let a line be drawn from Baranov Kamen, latitude 69° 33' longitude 169°east, to the east-north-east, and let another line be drawn from Cape North, latitude 68 56, longitude 181° east, to the north-west by west, and, at the point of intersection, place Shelatskoi JSoss; it cannot far err ; it will be in a middle ongitude of 175° or 176° east— as it will, also, if placed due north of the mountain junction on the Kvata— as it will, if Shalauroff's chart be correct— and as it will, also, in the event of Deshnew having sailed round ; because, in the last case, it will not form any remarkable appearance, or promontory, suffl-
APPENDIX. 245
cieiit to draw forth the descriptive powers of au unlettered, but enterprising, Cossack. As to its fonuation, we have nothing to judge by, except the undoubted existence of a large bay to the west of it, and the run of the land due north from the east- ern shore of that bay for a considerable distance, according to Shalauroff 's chart, and as asserted by Pavlutzki ; and this will be true if the south-east part of the bay is in near the same latitude as Cape North. Pavlutzki could not have seen eighty or ninety miles, and he therefore crossed the promon- tory, uncertain how far the land might go to the north ; or he knew it was a promontory, and there- fore unnecessary to be travelled round at a great loss of time, when he could and did cross it in tea days.
" Should the situation of Shelatskoi Noss be found as I have ventured to predict, I will then maintain that Deshnew was not bound to notice it as a remarkable promontory ; for, allowing him a common course of sailing, and for him to have kept a common offing from the shore, he could only have changed his conv&e four points, and impossible to have changed \ijive points. Let a chait be form* ed, and Shelatskoi Noss be placed as 1 have repre- sented, and no promontory will be apparent, at least not such a one as to strike the attention of a trading Cossack; but to double the Tchuhotskoi Noss the case is very different ; the course must be changed from south-east to south, south-west, west, and even to north-west, to enable a vessel to keep sight of the kiyid. Here is indeed too re- markable a difference to be passed in silence, even by the most illiterate, from a south-east to a north- west, half the compass ; this will account for the remarkable, or, as it is termed, tlie ' simple,' de-
x2
246 APPENDIX.
scription of Tchukotskoi Cape by Deshnew, who says, ' it turns in a circular direction towards the Anadyr,'* independent of the necessity for descri- bing it in defence of the discovery of the korga, or sand-bank, at the mouth of the Anadyr.
" The currents will next occupy a little of your attention ; and although they do not argue much, yet what little they do argue, is in favour of a clear, open, and extensive sea to the north-east of the Kolyma, and a near termination of the continent of Asia, in that direction, from the isle of Sabedei. Although a current of two or three miles an hour be experienced in the narrow straits of Behring, it does not follow that such current would be felt in the wide expanse to the north, at a distance of four hundred miles of latitude. It also appears that the cunents are periodical ; but were such not the case, the period had gone by, the ice and snow had done melting, the sun had withdrawn its power, and the waters" of the south were not necessaiy to fill up the voids which are caused in the north, by exha- lations or otherwise. I am, however, of opinion, that the currents are generally produced by the action of the wind upon shallow waters ; in other words, that whatever way the wind blows, that way the current goes. Cook had always light airs when he tried for a current, and found none, and it is not a little extraordinary, that when the north-west gale set in, the current was never tried for.f
" In the following season a current was found,
• Surely such a change of courses can only be termed cir- cular.
+ I am aware of the difference in trying for a current in a calm and during a strong breeze ; and I mention the cir- cumstance to prove that there is always a current in that part of ihc world when tlurc is a breeze.
APPENDIX. 247
at one time setting north-west, at another time east- nortb-east, but in both cases with the tviiid, Such was also the case with Billings and Shalauroff in the sea of Kolyma, where, however sudden the change of wind has been, that of the current has been equally sudden, and in a relative proportion to the strength of wind. Captain Burney remarks, that the currents experienced by Shalauroif were almost unifoi-mly from the east. I reply, the wind was almost uniformly from the same qtiarter. Upon the 23d of August, however, there was a north- west wind ; Shalauroff steered to the north-east, but the current carried him east and south-east among floating ice ; he again stood to the north" east, to double Shelatskoi Noss, but a contrary wind set in, and a ivest-south-west current imme- diately followed. It is remarked in the journal of Shalauroff, and I cannot clearly comprehend it, that from the 28th of July to the 10th of August, he had a foul wind or a calm ; and that when a fa- vourable breeze did spring up, he met a strong cur- rent going west, of half -a-mile per hom\ rather too slight a current to merit the appellation of strong. I suppose it was the dying remnant of a cuirent, which a continuanceof north-east winds had caused, andwhichthe subsequent calm had notquite abated. " With respect to the currents encountered by Billings, they differ in nothing, except in strength, from those experienced by Shalauroff, attending, as they did, always upon the wind. July the 1st, they had a fresh breeze from the north-east, and a current which carried them two points to the icest. July 20th, they had a fresh breeze from the north- west, and an east current of three miles per hour, which current continued until midnight of the 25th, when there was; but little wind, still from the north-
248 APPENDIX.
west, and but one mile of current, still going to the east. After midnight the wind veered to the north- east, and the current instantly cmwfrom the east. Hence I cannot but infer from these examples, that the wind, acting upon the large expanse of shallow waters in the sea of Kolyma, as well as in that north of Behring's Straits, 'is alone the cause of the currents ; if so, then they prove the existence of an open and extensive sea to the north-east, else where would Billings' three miles per hour have gone to, or Shalauroff's three miles per hour have come from ?
" It may be said that a north-west wind would drive water into a bay, (if one there be, according to Captain Burney's idea,) and that the surplus must have an outlet somewhere, and the nearest and most open would be to the south-west or west- south-west. Tnie, I admit such a possibility as a north-west wind producing a westerly current; but the argument will not hold good with a north-east wind. Did the continent of Asia join that of Ame- rica, or run very far north and form a large bay, a north-east wind could not only not produce a north- west or south-west current, but it could produce no current at all ; on the contrary, there would be still and smooth water, because such would, be an off-shore icind, and therefore it was, when Shalau- roff had, upon his return, doubled, or got round, the island of Sabedei, and then received a current of three miles per hour from the east-north-east, that then the north-east termination of Asia could not have been far distant, nor have borne north of north-east by compass, which is about east-north- east. Where could the water have come from ? A north-east wind would not force water into, but rather out of, the bay, and such a quantity would
APPENDIX. 249
soon have left the bay dry ; at least, such, I pre- sume, will appear to an impartial person.
" From the currents I will make a few observa- tions upon a Mr Busch and a hai-poon ; previous to which it may not be improper to ask Captain Bumey, not how he can write Irish, for any man of talent can do the like, but how he could expect such bulls to be passed in silence, vide page 110. It appears that, in 1716, was completed at Okotsk the J^V*^ vessel capable of navigating the open sea ; she sailed, and put into a port on the western coast of Kamtchatka, where a whale had been cast on shore, having in its back ' a harpoon, marked with Roman characters^ Captain Burney says, to en- title this story to any credit, it ought to be stated, ' what the characters were,' and yet he admits, upon the authority of Muller, that Busch could neither read nor write, and was otherwise so igno- rant a man, that Muller could not suppose him capable of imitating a like story, which had hap- pened on the coast of Corea sixty yeai's before. Captain Burney says, Muller was too partial to both these reports, because they were in exact coiTespondence with his own hypothesis ; a very natural reason, to be sure. I suppose, also, the Captain is inclined to doubt them, only because they happen to be in exact opposition to an hypo- thesis which he disclaims, but to prove the possi- bility of which, he has written three hundred pages of a book. Mankind are naturally fond of their own opinions, especially philosophers, of which class Muller is denominated by Captain Bumey, when treating upon a fai- different subject than north- east discoveries ; but I think it can be easily prov- ed, that Muller has rejected more really doubtful and improbable evidence than Captain Burney, whx>
250 APPENDIX.
appears, throughout his work, like a drowning man with a straw, clinging to every trivial circumstance which would in the least support or favour a con- tinental junction.
" Bisit Captain Burney proceeds much farther, for he says, ' admitting tJie fact as relates to Busch and the harpoon, it would fall far short of proving that whales travel from tJie European to the Tar- tarian Seas ; as the Russians must he supposed, LONG BEFORE the time of Busch, to have there introduced, the use of European harping irons;' and yet Busch sailed in the first vessel. Let Captain Burney tell us what place he alludes to by the word there, and to whom the Russians had in- troduced the use of European harping irons so LONG BEFORE. Does the Captain know that Kamt- chatka had only been discovered eighteen years, and conquered hxxt Jive years? The Captain may say, it is natural to suppose that vessels had gone from the Anadyr; but that would have been a mistake, for the fruitful Stadukin was i\\e first, (he sailed in 1708,) for the Kurile Isles were discover- ed in consequence. Such is, however, not the case ; the Russians never were, nor do I think ever will be, whalers in this part of the world ; they have better fish to fry, than to seek for whales without a market to carry their oil to. In short, I can see no reason for doubting the testimony of Busch or Deshnew — ignorance does not beget false- hood. It is a pity that Captain Burney did not also admit the fact of the whale and harpoon story, which occurred upon the coast of Corea, sixty years before, when neither Okotsk, Kamtchatka, nor the Anadyr, had been discovered, much less settled ; to whom, in such a case, would Captain Buniey have had the Russians introducxj the use of European
APMINDIX. 251
liarping irons, and where then would he have had the whale come from? In this case, therefore. Captain Burney has been at least prudent.
" It is in speaking of Mr Busch that Captain Burney has paid such a sweeping and inimitable compliment to sea voyagers; we ought to thank him much ; I do,* although I confess, I do not think / merit it. Captain Burney sailed under the celebrated Cook in his voyages of discovery ; he no doubt made many voyages before, as well as since that period; and, as I give him the credit of being a good Christian, and that he judges as he would be judged by, then Captain Buraey must be a great imitator indeed. I do not know of what his South Sea Voyages are made, but if they are of the same materials as his Nor- thern Voyages, then certainly he merits his own compliment. Captain Burney's discrediting of sea voyagers, will naturally account for his partiality to land voyagers, such as Stadukin, Pavlutzki, Led- yard, and Andreef— But I beg pardon for this rail- lery; his age and his wisdom command more re- spect.
" Writing Andreef s name will also bring him into notice for a iew words. In page 276 of Bur- ney, there is a passage thus : — ' that when the depth of water was found to decrease, there can be but little doubt they had approached the land seen by Andreef.' It is a most extraordinary ciicurastance that people will persist Andreef saw new land ; he saio only the Bear Islands at the mouth of the Kolyma, but no land, nor indication of land, to the north of them ; whatever he may have heard, his
■ Captain Burney says no men have been greater imtia- tors than sea voyagers.
252 APPENDIX.
iouinal, which is now before me, mentions nothing Tthe kind. Since Andreef, a Mr Gedenstrom and with whom I was acquainted in Irkutsk, has travelled across the Frozen Sea in the same direc- tion as that over which Billings sailed. Geden- strom saw nothing ; and had there been any other land than the Bear Islands, he must have gone over it, as he went beyond one hundred and twenty X north-north-eastfrom tbe Kolyma ;* (as has also Baron Wrangel, since I addressed this letter ^o theKoyal Society) When Gedenstrom was halfway on his journey, he saw indications of high SVthe east, which I doubt not was the same land seen by Shalauroft" on the second day of his leaving the isle of Sabedei. It is to be regretted that Mr G. did not change his route, mstead of his continuing a due north course I feel surpnsed at the error respecting Andreef, because the Rus- sian government have crept into the same, as naust evidently appear, when reading the instructions given to Billings.
« With respect to a short voyage made by Amossow, it serves only to confirm the account of Shalauroflf, as well as to prove that a t"be of peo- ple certainly did dwell between Shelatskoi Noss and the Kolyma, and which may have been the Shelages tribe ; their habitations were observed in the same narrow channel, both by bhalauroff and Amossow ; but I am in doubt whether the island
. Besides, it may be a matter of speculation, whether dogs or baidares could, consistently wUh f ^^ ^^J^^^^ts veiled over the ice or sea so far as Andreef's ideal land is placed. By the word ideal, I do not mean to infer that rw S land exists ; I mean only, that it is a traditional re- nort- else how came Andreef to know the name of the land, Lw;il as of its inhabitants, which words have no connexion with one another ?
APPENDIX. 253
of Sabedei is now in existence,* for such is the rapid increase of the continent towards the north, that near Svatoi Noss, to the westward of tliis, there was, only sixty years ago, a wide channel between the isle of Diomed and the main land, yet has this island been united to the continent now fifteen years. Such an extraordinary fact may throw some light upon the cause of the very shallow water all along the Asiatic Icy Sea coast.
" It is hardly worth arguing whether the waters of the sea decrease, or whether the sea recedes, (al- though I think both are facts,) such a difference may be amicably settled, by admitting that the land increases, of which there are annual proofs at Baranov Kamen, and Shalauroff's Huts, at the mouth of the Kolyma. The numerous large rivers which enter the Asiatic Icy Sea must carry with them immense quantities of loose earth, trees, and even of large rocks, which must serve to shallow the water to a great distance from the land. The annual evaporation must also be very great, and much greater than even the numerous large rivers can in three months refund; hence the waters must decrease ; and if that be the case, they must also recede. The like circumstance may also take place in the American Icy Sea, although we have lost the knowledge of so many or such large rivers as there are in Asia, all of which, except the Okota Anadyr, and Amour, enter the Icy Sea.
" The immense quantities of loose earth, wood, and rocks, which are annually washed into the Icy
* This doubt is, however, removed, as will appear by the result of the expedition under Baron Wrangel. The dwell, ings seen in the narrow channel by Amossow, between Sa- bedei and the main land, are even still in existence, for Baron Wrangel saw them.
254 APPENDIX.
Sea have continued to increase for ages, and will continue to increase ; consequently, the difficulty and danger of navigating the Icy Sea have con- tinued, and will also continue to increase, m a re- lative proportion. The facility which, compara- tively speaking, existed two and three hundred years ago, of navigating the seas in high latitudes, no longer exists. When our improvements m naval architecture, in geography, and in astronomy, as well as our improvements in seamanship, are taken into consideration, we may well be surprised at the successful voyages performed by our ances- tors in cockle-boats, and manned by lubbers, com- pared to those of the present day. Look back to those three American voyagers, Baffin, Hudson, and Davis ; they did not experience the awful dan- gers encountered by Ross :* consequently, the dif- ficulties and dangers must have increased in a oreater proportion than our improvements m gene- ral knowledge, f The causes may be easily sta- ted • there is more land, more ice, and less water, —I'mean in a fluid state ; the overfloodmgs of the rivers produce the former, and the increase of cold the two latter; independent of the circumstance that the already formed mountains of ice, and which have for ages existed under the Pole, have con- tinued, and will continue to increase, even though the seasons did not change.J I have often ob-
• Much less those borne by Pairy and his companions.
+ It may be asserted, without fear of contradiction, that ships or vessels now-a-days cannot go where they did two or three hundred years ago. _ ,u „ o
+ I say this, to explain that ice begets ice, as the more it Contracts and leaves fissures of water, the more exposed is that water to the atmosphere, and consequently the more likely to freeze.
I
APPENDIX. 255
served a great attractive power in cold ice, — that is, ill ice exposed to 35° and 40° of Reaumur.
" I am, however, wandering, and will therefore draw ray letter to a conclusion, trusting that I have proved, if ever Deshnew did reach the Anadyr tvith the vessels in which he sailed from the Koly- ma, that he must have sailed round the north- east of Asia, and, consequently, that no junction with America can exist. I trast I have proved a perfect coincidence in the narrations of Deshnew, Pavlutzki, Shalauroff, Cook, and Billings ; and that there is every reason to conclude that the north- east termination of Asia, or Shelatskoi Noss, must be near the latitude of 70° 20', or 70° 30', north, and in the longitude of 175° or 176° east. I think it will appear, by what I have said respecting the currents, that they argue for a free passage, — that is, unobstructed by la?id. I trust also, these argu- ments are supported a good deal by the directions and junction of the two chains of mountains which meet on the Kvata ; the course and distance to the sea from the rivers Karpa and Kvata, which enter the ocean on different sides of the promontory, or Shelatskoi Noss, aided by the nairative of Busch, and the circumstantial proof arising from the well- known course of the land east of Baranov Kamen, and the equally well-known course of the land on the eastern shore ; together with Shalauroff's voy- age and map, Pavlutzki's march and journal, and Billings's journal and map, — all of which are such corroborating testimonies, that I doubt not I am justified in ridiculing the idea of a continental junc- tion, or even of a great promontory.
" As to Cook's expedition not experiencing hollow waves from the north, they had light airs ; besides, the quantity of ice in that direction, and
256 APPENDIX.
the shallowness of the water, might account for it- I am, however, of opinion with Captain Buniey, tliat there is land to the north of Behring's Straits ; but when I look to the situation of the Discovery, when oft' Icy and North Capes, no land being visible north or east of the former, nor north or west of the latter, I cannot but call them circumstantial proofs of their being the north-west and north-east extremes of their respective continents.
" Should you be of opinion that these my argu- ments are just, reasonable, and impartial, I am sa- tisfied, although at the expense of an able gentle- man, as his book and arguments will then appear partial, untenable, and inconclusive. In justice, however, to Captain Burney, I must admit that the multiplicity of subjects which seem to have engaged his attention, and to have called forth his wandering pen, when only professing to write " A Chronological History of North-east Discoveries," plead much in his behalf; he deserved better suc- cess ; but I cannot see any probability of his hy- pothesis being verified in his or my life-time, un- less the original longevity of man be restored, and that we are enabled to reach the age of nine hun- dred or a thousand years ; in that case there will be a hope, at least, if the two continents continue to make such rapid advances towaids the north ; in that case, a junction will take place at the Pole. « I will now take my leave both of Captain Burney, and you, gentlemen, and trust that all three of you will excuse the length of this letter, as well as its contents. Should you think it de- serving the attention of the Royal Society, I shall be obliged by your causing it to be read ; should they approve of it, I shall feel honoured. Neither they nor Captain Burney will long entertain a doubt
APPENDIX. 257
on this interesting question ; an expedition will leave this in March, to traverse round the Shelats- koi Noss vvitli dogs ; and, about the same time, I shall attempt penetrating through the country of the Tchuktchi ; one or both may succeed. Be the residt what it may, I shall have the honour of ad- dressing you for the information of the Royal So- ciety, and the transfusion of knowledge in gene- ral ;* I will also forward any other useful or in- teresting information which I may gather during my rambles.
" It remains for me only to hope you will excuse the style-\ of this letter, and it is with great sin- cerity I make a request, that if, in your opinion, it is undeserving the attention of the Royal Society, by committing it to the jiames, its memory will perish, and my credit will be saved \\ the interest of the subject has alone induced me to take it up, and will plead my excuse, especially as I am so unaccustomed to address any learned body. Be the result what it may, I shall remain, gentlemen, with every respect,
" Your obedient servant,
" John Dundas Cochrane."
" To the Secretary and President of the Royal Society, London."
Such is the copy of the letter which I addressed
" Surely this passage alone ought to have exonerated me from an intention of treating with disrespect the President, or elevating the Secretary. I did not write to the one or to the other, but to the body of the Royal Society.
■\ It is the style which appears to have offended the dig- nity probably of the Council.
X Why was not my request complied with ? This is un- merited, and derogatory to the character of learned gentle^ men.
258 APPliNDIX.
from the tivbt Kolyma to the Royal Society. My readers are aware of the reception it has met with, not from the learned body composing the Royal Society, but from Sir Humphrey Davy and the Council ! Now, whatever may be his or their opi- nions as to its merits, not he nor they can by any means convince me, that the arguments contained in it are not weighty, probably more weighty than he, or they, or some other people, wished ; and that, as the subject regarding the north-east of Asia was really of interest, any merit as to the solution of the question, ought to be retained by an F.R.S. ; and that, therefore, I was not to be heard or at- tended to. This is a lesson I had to learn ; nor shall it be lost upon me. I always, however, un- derstood, that when a question was once submitted to and received favourably by the Royal Society, that then the subject was open to the opinions, arguments, and statements of others ; but, as it seems that a monopoly of arguing such subjects is to be retained by the Royal Society, I suppose I must bow, and content myself with submitting the matter to an equally enlightened, but less vain part of the community ; if they approve of it, 1 shall feel much more gratified than if my letter had been put upon some old dusty shelf, to be devoured by time or vermin, the general attendant upon the works even of the most chemical, scientific, or en- lightened. „ A reference to a map of the north-east part ot Asia, will convince the reader that I have at least contributed to bring to a completion the know- ledge of the boundaries of that continent. Ihe distance between Baranov Kamen and Cape Kuz- min, was surveyed in 1821, by Baron Wrangel ;
APPENDIX. 259
a copy of that survey I procured in 1823, two years after I had written my letter to the Royal Society. This being understood^ let the latitude and longitude of Shelatskoi Noss, as ascertained by observations, be compared with that I ventured to predict ; let the march of Pavlutzki and of Bil- lings, the run or course of the mountains — in short, let all my arguments be ever so often considered and examined, — it cannot fail to be seen that I ar- gued successfully.
The geography and circumnavigation of Asia being thus completed, with the exception of the Taimura Cape, which has only been traversed round by dogs, with a Lieutenant Laptieff, in 1731, is a circumstance I have the satisfaction of fiist stating to the public. The distance of ninety miles between Cape Kuzmin and Cape North, and which Baron Wrangel was prevented from want of pro- visions from surveying, has since been accomplish- ed by the same intrepid and enlightened young of- ficer, in as miraculous and dangerous a manner as the annals of discovery can bear testimony of. The account of it is stated in the Siberian Herald, which notices five expeditions over the ice, undertaken in a period of three years ; two of them were direct- ed to ascertain the precise situation of the north- east Cape of Asia, or Shelatskoi Noss, while three of them were to cross the Frozen Sea, in searcli of real or supposed lauds. The last tliree were un- successful, although some of the Tchuktchi report- ed to the baron the existence of land only fifty miles north-east of Shelatskoi Noss ; they even as- serted that it was visible, in clear weather, from the continent. Determined to ascertain the fact, the baron proceeded to Shelatskoi Noss, and thence
11
260 APPENDIX.
directed his course north-east ; he had not, how- ever, proceeded more than thirty miles, when a vio- lent storm came on, and lasting several days, not only broke up the fields of ice, but actually insu- lated him upon a flow, which drove to the south- ward, and rendered it very doubtful whether he and his companions would again be enabled to reach land. Besides being exposed for several days upon this piece of floating ice, the baron was destitute of firing and provisions, cut off, as he was, from the supplies he had buried ; this good, however, at- tended his dangerous situation — it enabled him to survey all the line from Shelatskoi Noss to the Bay of Klashenie and Serdze Kamen. What can de- note more undaunted perseverance in the discharge of a public duty, surrounded by dangers, exposed to privations and fatigues, as well as to hunger, than this Russian conduct ?
The boundaries of Asia being thus unquestion- ably known, render those of America, if not more important, at least more interesting. The reader may probably perceive a difference of three de- grees of longitude, or a distance of sixty miles, in the situation of Shelatskoi Noss, between that re- presented in the little, and that in either of the larger maps.* The reason is this : — Baranov Cape is in 166° 40' of east longitude, according to all charts, ancient and modern ; I have, therefore, in my narrative followed the custom of such charts ; but, in this probably more scientific addition to the first edition, I have felt it right to point out the en-or, which is, that it is 166° 40" east of Paris, and not of London^ which will bring the actual
• These maps are omitted in this edition.
APPENDIX. 261
longitude to 169° east from London. Baranov Kamen became known from Captain Billings's ex- pedition : as an Englishman, unacquainted with fo- reign languages, he, of course, worked astronomi- cal observations with English books ; while the se- cond in command, the present Admiral Saretcheff, a Russian, understood nothing of the English lan- guage, and as the Russians had not at that time any but French translations, of course the longi- tude was calculated by him from the meridian of Paris. It is extraordinary that the same error should exist of the longitudes of Nishney Kolymsk and Okotsk, as also of the small island of Eon in the Okotsk Sea. Captain Burney has properly stated the longitude of Baranov Kamen, which merely compresses the land south-east of Shelats- koi Noss, towards Cape North, into sixty miles of less extent than pointed out in all other maps ex- cept this little one ; and, in fact, proves that my idea of the local situation of Shelatskoi Noss was correct. The only error I made was in bringing out Pavlutzki at Cape North, instead of Cape Kuz- niin, I have ventured, therefore, to make that much of alteration, for the better illustration of the sub- ject.
It is not unworthy of remark, that the sacred •promontory which has given rise to so many discus- sions, to identify which was considered an easy thing, from having two islands opposite to it, whose inhabitants wear artificial teeth, cannot be identi- fied from that fact. Such is Deshnew's descrip- tion ; but Shelatskoi Noss has two islands oppo- site to it, which are inhabited ; Tchukotskoi Noss has two islands opposite to it, which are also inhabited, and so has Anadyi-skoi Noss. That the second was
262 APPENDIX.
the one intended, I cannot doubt, as from it to Anadyr is a circular course, which river can be reached in three days ; circumstances which do not combine with Shelatskoi or Anadyrskoi Nosses. With these observations I leave tlie subject and the letter to the candour of the public.
THE END.
4
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