246 COMMERCE BETWEEN 



Marym, where they enter the Ket, which they afcend 

 to Makoffflvoi Oftrog. At that place the merchandize is 

 carried about ninety verfts by land to the Yenifei. The 

 merchants then afcend that river, the Tungufka, and 

 Angara, to Irkutfk, crofs the lake Baikal, and go up 

 the river Selenga almoft to Kiachta. 



It is a work of fuch difficulty to afcend the ftreams 

 of fo many rapid rivers, that this navigation Eaftwards 

 can hardly be finiflied in one fummer * ; for which 

 reafon the merchants commonly prefer the way by land. 

 Their seneral rendezvous is the fair of Irbit near To- 

 bolfk ; from thence they go in fledges during winter to 

 Kiachta where they arrive about February, the feafon 

 in which the chief commerce is carried on with the 

 Chinele. They buy in their route all the furs they find 

 in the fmall towns, where they are brought from the 

 adjacent countries. When the merchants return in 

 fpring with the Chinefe goods, which are of greater bulk 

 and weight than the Ruffian commodities, they proceed 

 by water ; they then defcend the ftreams of moll: of 

 the rivers, namely, the Selenga, Angara, Tungulka, Ket, 

 and Oby to its jundion with the Irtiffi ; they afcend 

 that river to Tobolfk, and continue by land to Mofcow 

 and Peterfburg. 



* Some of thele rivers are onh' navigable in Ipring when tiie fnow 

 water is melting ; in winter tiic rivers are in general frozen. 



Before 



