pound occurs as the termination of a word, it is best expressed by our f; as Orlof, for Orlow; which exactly answers the mode of pronunciation in Russia. Some writers use the letter doubled, by adding f: this is however, superfluous. The plan pursued by the author, but to which, perhaps, he has not regularly adhered, was to substitute a V for the Russian VV, whenever it occurs at the beginning or in the middle of a word; and an f, whenever it is found as a termination.

There is yet another letter of the Russian alphabet which from its frequent recurrence as an initial, requires a perfect reconciliation to some settled law of English orthography; viz. the Tchèrve: this has the power of our ch, in cheese, and child, and occurs in the name of the Cossacks of the Black Sea, Tchernomorski. The author had written this word Tshernomorski, in the beginning of the first chapter of this volume, when he became acquainted with Karjavie's Remarks on the Russian alphabet,* which enabled him to adopt a more accurate mode of writing. With regard to words terminating in ai and oi, as Valdai, Paulovskoi, perhaps it would be well to substitute ay and oy, as Valday, Paulovskoy, or y only, as Valdy, Paulovsko; which last offers a close imitation of the vulgar mode of pronunciation in general: but the variety caused by different dialect in different parts of the empire, will, after every attention is paid to a settled rule of writing, occasion frequent perplexity and embarrassment. In the orthography of the names of places immediately south of Moscow, frequent attention was paid to the map of Reymann, published by Schmit, at Berlin, in 1802. But even in that map, the territory of the Don Cossacks, Kuban Tartary, and the Crimea, appear only as a forlorn blank. Many years may expire before Russia, like Sweden, will possess a HERMELIN, to illustrate the geography of the remote provinces of her empire; especially as it is a maxim in her policy to maintain the ignorance which prevails in Europe concerning those parts of her dominions. On this account, the indecision, which must appear in the perusal of this volume, to characterize the description of the country between Biroslaf and Odessa, admits of explanation. The geography of all that district is little known. The courses of the Dniester, the Bog, and the Dniper, as well as the latitude and soundings of the coast, near the embouchures have never been adequately surveyed. The only tolerable charts are preserved by the Russain government; but sedulously secreted from the eyes of Europe. It has, however, fallen to the author's lot to interfere in some degree, with this part of its political system, by depositing within a British admiralty certain documents, which were a subsequent acquisition made during his residence in Odessa. These he conveyed from that country at the hazard of his life. They are too voluminous for insertion in the work, but may serve to facilitate the navigation of the Russian coasts of the Black sea, if ever the welfare of Great Britain should demand the presence of her fleets in that part of the world. In making this addition to our stock of knowledge, for the use of our navy, no ties of confidence, or honour, were broken with a people, who have violated every engagement with this country. Those documents were intrusted to the author by persons fully authorized to concede the information, and their injunctions have been sacredly obeyed.

* Remarques sur la Langue Russienne, par Pheodore Karjavine Petersb. 1791.

TABLES

OF

RUSSIAN MEASURE, WEIGHT, AND MONEY.

MEASURE.

N. B. The Archine, or Russian yard, equals 28 English inches.
The Sajen, or Russian fathom, equals 7 English feet.

Three Versts equal 2 English miles.

The Russian foot is exactly that of England.

The Vershock equals 1 English inch and 34.

104 Versts equal 1 Degree.

500 Sajens, equal 1 Verst.
3 Archines, equal 1 Sajen.
16 Vershocks, equal 1 Archine.

WEIGHT.

The smallest weight of Russia is the Solotnick, which equals six grains 3 Solotnicks, equal 1 Lot. 32 Lots, equal 1 Pound. 40 Pounds, equal 1 Poud.

MONEY.

N. B. The first silver money of Russia was coined at Novogorod, in 1420, in small pieces, which were called Copeeks. The present value of the copeek may be estimated as equal to an English halfpenny. Almost all calculations of the country are made according to the number of Copeeks.

In 1654, roubles were introduced at Moscow in the form of bars, with deep notches in them [roubli] which enabled the possessor to detach as much of the bar as his payment might require.* Henee the origin of the word rouble. Almost all the copper money of Russia is coined in Siberia, and principally at Catherinebourg, near the Ural mines. Sixteen roubles of pure copper weigh a poud.

At present the specie of the country has nearly disappeared, and paper is its only representative. The copeek no longer exists as current coin.

Georgi. Descript de St. Peters. p. 187. Edit. Franc. Peters. 1793.

viii

WEIGHT AND MONEY.

The following statement of the names and value of Russian money is chiefly extracted from Georgia.*

1 Rouble

*

SILVER MONEY.

1 Polten, or 1-2 rouble

equals 100 Copeeks.

1 Polupolten, or 1-4 rouble

1 Dvagriven

1 Paetalten

1 Griven

1 Paetach

50

Do.

N. B. This last coin represents in front, the figure of St. George on horseback, piercing a dragon with his spear. "From this spear," says Georgi, called Copaa in Rusaian, the word Copeek has been derived. 1 Denga, or Denushka . 1-2 a Copeek,

1 Polushka, the smallest coin of Russia= 1-4 Do. N. B. The Polushka takes its name from a hare skin, Ushka (which before the use of money was one of the lowest articles of exchange) Pol signifying half; and Polushka half a hare's skin. The gold coinage of Russia is scarcely ever seen. It consists principally of ducats, the first of which were struck by Peter the Great, worth two roubles and twenty five copeeks each.

When the author was in Petersburgh, a coinage was going on at the mint, day and night, for the private use of the emperour Paul, of seventy three poud of gold; the whole of which was made into ducats. The mint was worked by steam engines.

*Idid. p. 187. sect. 8. chap. 3.

Georgi. Descript. de St. Peters. p. 191. Sect. 8. Chap, 3.

CHAPTER I.

PETERSBURGH.

Insolence of the Po

Preliminary Observations-State of Publick AffairsStrange Conduct of the Emperour lice-Extraordinary Phenomenon.

I'

an eye

T has probably happened to others, as to myself, to cast of wishful curiosity towards the eastern boundaries of Europe. Above two thousand years ago they were the same they now are. The Tanaïs, watering the plains of Sarmatia, separated the Roxolani and the Jazyges from the Hamaxobii and the Alani. In modern geography, the same river, altered in its appellation, divides the tribe of Don Cossacks from that of the Tshernomorski, whose territory extends from the Sea of Azof to the Kuban. The Greeks, by their commerce in the Euxine, derived a slight knowledge of the people who lived on the Palus Mæotis. The wars of Russia and Turkey directed our attention sometimes to the inhabitants of the same country; but the knowledge of them, both among the ancients and moderns, has scarcely exceeded the names of their tribes and their character in war. With their domestick habits, the productions of their country, the nature of its scenery, the remains of antiquity they possess, we are very little acquainted. By referring to ancient history, we find that the same want of information prevailed formerly as at present. This may be accounted for from the wandering disposition of the people, who were seldom settled for any length of time upon the same spot: and with regard to their successors, since the migration of the Poles to the marshes of the Don, and the expulsion of the Kuban Tartars by the Cossacks of the Black Sea, their country has been submitted to very little examination. It was among these people that the political differences of England and Russia drove me a willing exile from the cities of Petersburgh and Moscow, in the last year of the eighteenth century. Necessity and

B

inclination were coupled together; and I had the double satisfaction of escaping from the persecution of the enemies of my country, and of exploring regions which, in the warmest sallies of hope, I had never thought it would be my destiny to visit.

In the course of this journey, through extensive plains which have been improperly called deserts, and among a secluded people who, with as little reason, have been deemed savages, I had certainly neither the luxuries and dissipation of polished cities, nor the opportunities of indolence, to interrupt my attention to my journal. If, therefore, it fails to interest the publick, I have no excuse to offer. I present it to them as similar as possible to the state in which notes taken on the spot were made; containing whatever my feeble abilities were qualified to procure for their information and amusement; and adhering, as far as I am conscious, in every representation, strictly to the truth.

After suffering a number of indignities, in common with others of my countrymen, during our residence in Petersburgh, about the middle of March, 1800, matters grew to such extremities, that our excellent ambassadour, sir Charles [now Lord] Whitworth, found it nesessary to advise us to go to Moscow. A passport had been denied to his courier to proceed with despatches to England. In answer to the demand made by our minister for an explanation, it was stated to be the emperour's pleasure. In consequence of which, sir Charles enclosed the note containing his demand, and the emperour's answer, in a letter to the English government, which he committed to the postoffice with very great doubts of its safety.

In the mean time, every day brought with it some new example of the sovereign's absurdities and tyranny, which seemed to originate in absolute insanity. The sledge of count Razumoffski was, by the emperour's order, broken into small pieces, while he stood by and directed the work. The horses had been found with it in the streets, without their driver. It happened to be of a blue colour; and the count's servants wore red liveries; upon which a ukase was immediately published, prohibiting, throughout the empire of all the Russias, the use of blue colour in ornamenting sledges, and red liveries. In consequence of this wise decree, our ambassadour, and many others, were compelled to alter their equipage.