RUSSIAN ADVENTURERS. 185 



debted to the late Colonel Beaufoy for much 

 interesting information concerning these hardy- 

 adventurers, many of whom it appears are in- 

 duced to pass the winter upon these inclement 

 shores. It cannot fail of being interesting to the 

 reader to learn something of those establishments, 

 situated within six hundred miles of the pole of 

 the earth, and the most northern habitations of 

 our globe. 



From a number of inquiries which were made 

 by the above mentioned author, it appears that 

 a certain number of the servants of Russian mer- 

 chants are annually sent to Spitzbergen to pro- 

 cure fish, peltry, and walruses' teeth, &;c. The 

 vessel which lands them, takes on board the 

 cargo which has been provided by those who 

 have already wintered there, and returns home 

 before the commencement of the ensuing winter. 



The people who pass the winter upon the 

 island on the setting in of the cold weather 

 separate into small parties of two or three, who 

 reside in small wooden hovels, such as we met 

 with at Fair Haven. There is, however, one 

 general place of rendezvous at each of the princi- 

 pal stations, consisting of a house, about twenty- 

 five feet square, near the place where the vessel 

 anchors, and where their boats may be seen drawn 

 up. These habitations in every respect corre- 



