A pedestrian journey through Russia and Siberian Tartary, to the frontiers of China, the Frozen Sea, and Kamtchatka

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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comwxms.'zs'mscBMJiJ^

IN THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS

OF • —

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

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

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.

VOL. II. Q G

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.

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