276 cook's voyage to sept. 



him (which was all he wished for) a corporal upon 

 the spot ; and ordered him to thank the English offi- 

 cers for his great promotion. It may not here be 

 improper to observe, that, in the Russian army, the 

 inferior class of officers enjoy a degree of pre-emi- 

 nence above the private men, with which we, in our 

 service, are in a great measure unacquainted. It was 

 no small astonishment to us, to see a serjeant keep 

 up all the state, and exact all the respect, from all 

 beneath him, belonging to a field-officer. It may be 

 farther remarked, that there are many more grada- 

 tions of rank amongst them, than are to be met with 

 in other countries. Between a serjeant and a private 

 man, there are not less than four intermediate steps; 

 and I have no doubt, but that the advantages arising 

 from this system are found to be very considerable. 

 The salutary effects of little subordinate ranks in 

 our sea-service, cannot be questioned. It gives rise 

 to great emulation, and the superior officers are 

 enabled to bestow, on almost every possible degree 

 of merit, a reward proportioned to it. 



Having been incidentally led into this subject, I 

 shall beg leave to add but one observation more, 

 namely, that the discipline of the Russian army, 

 though at this distance from the seat of government, 

 is of the strictest and severest kind ; from which even 

 the commissioned officers are not exempt. The 

 punishment of the latter for small offences is imprison- 

 ment, and a bread-and-water diet. An ensign, a 

 good friend of ours at this place, told us, that for 

 having been concerned in a drunken riot, he was 

 confined in the black-hole for three months, and fed 

 upon bread and water, which, lie said, so shattered 

 his nerves, that he had never since had spirits for a 

 common convivial meeting. 



I accompanied Captain Shmaleff to the entrance 

 of Awatska river, and, having bid him farewell, took 

 this opportunity of paying a visit to the priest of Pa- 

 ratounca. On Sunday the 2tfth, I attended him to 



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