XII.

unusual degree of caution prevailed among CHAP. them, as to their means of defence. They provided themselves with fire-arms: these they said were now necessary; and a very sharp look-out was made, the Calmucks increasing in number as we advanced more into the interior.

:

skaia.

We arrived at Kamenskaia, a stanitza upon Kamenthe Danaetz, generally written Donetz: we crossed this river by means of a floating bridge, as the post-house was upon the opposite side. The town made a great figure, as we descended towards the valley wherein it was situate; owing to its fine church, and its numerous gardens the river itself, also, exhibiting a broad stream winding among the trees, had a noble appearance. We observed in the streets a kind of gingerbread for sale, which is common in our English fairs, and it is made into the same form. The Ataman was at his countryseat; and we were told, that all the principal Cossacks had their houses for summer residence in the country. Just before entering the town, a young Calmuck woman met us, sitting astride upon a horse laden with raw horse-flesh, which hung like carrion before her on either side. She was grinning for joy at the treasure she

CHAP. had obtained: this we afterwards found to be

XII.

really carrion. A dead horse, lying in the
ditch surrounding the town on the land side,
had attracted about thirteen dogs, which we
found greedily devouring what remained; the
Calmuck having contested the prize with them
a few minutes before, and helped herself to as
much of the mangled carcase as she could
carry away.
The post-master kept a tame
suroke, as large as a common terrier, perfectly
domesticated. This animal, he told us, only
remained with him one half of the year; that
it constantly retired, for the other six months,
to a hole in the ground, near the house, and
there buried itself. Upon the approach of
spring, it regularly returned to its patron;
resuming its former habits, sitting upright, and
begging for bread and herbs as before.
would always come to him, during the summer,
when called by the name of Wasky; but all
the bawling he could use, at the mouth of its
burrow, never drew it forth in the winter

season.

It

Iron Foun

dries of Lugan.

Higher up the Danaetz, near the spot where it receives the Lugan, are the Lugan iron-works and cannon-foundry, belonging to the Crown: these, at the time we travelled in the Cossack

territory, were under the direction of Sir Charles Gascoigne'. From thence the Emperor's artilSir lery passes by water to the Black Sea. Charles found very excellent coal at Lugan: in consequence of this discovery, and the convenience of situation for water-carriage, the foundry was there established.

CHAP.

XII.

The remarkable appellation of the river at Kamenskaia has perhaps already excited philological notice. In our maps it is written Donnez; and in those of Germany, Donetz. We paid the greatest attention to the pronunciation of the natives; particularly of those Cossack officers who, by their education, were capable of determining the mode of orthography best suited to the manner in which the word is spoken; and always found it to be Danaetz, although fre- Etymology quently pronounced, as if a T was before the D, Tanaïs. Tdanaetz, or Tanaets. But this is the name, or nearly so, that was given by the Antient

of the word

(1) The author is desirous to correct here an error of the former edition. There was nothing in the manner of Sir Charles Gascoigne's leaving his country, to warrant the notion entertained by some persons in Russia of his being exempted from the benefit of the British laws. He was formerly Director of the Carron Works in Scotland; and was solicited by the late Empress CATHERINE, through the medium of Admiral Greig, her First Lord of the Admiralty, to enter into her service to this he agreed, and left Great Britain for Russia in 1786.

CHAP. Greeks to the Don, Tanais. The reason of this

XII.

may now be explained. When the word Tanais was introduced into their language, it had reference to another river, and not to the Don. The subject is curious; but it requires a better knowledge of the geography of the country, and better documents concerning the course of the rivers, than any map yet published can afford. We shall therefore accompany our own observations by an outline, faithfully copied from the latest surveys deposited in the Chancery at Tcherkask. Had it not been for the jealousy of the Russian police, we might have published another more extensive view of the whole territory of the Don Cossacks; calculated to manifest the prevailing ignorance concerning the courses of the rivers, and the general geography of all the country bordering the Sea of Azof. It was prepared for us, in consequence of an order from the Governor of the district, by a party of officers belonging to the Cossack army: but some agents of the police, apprized of the circumstance, endeavoured to excite a suspicion that we were spies, and we were not permitted to profit by their intended liberality.

In the first place, the Reader is requested, before he examines this Map, to suppose him