1779* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. SS5 



wholly centres. Formerly this commerce was alto- 

 gether carried on in the way of barter ; but of late years 

 every article is bought and sold for ready money 

 only ; and we were surprized at the quantity of specie 

 in circulation in so poor a country. The furs sell at 

 a high price, and the situation and habits of life of 

 the natives call for few articles in return. Our 

 sailors brought a great number of furs with them 

 from the coast of America, and were not less as- 

 tonished than delighted with the quantity of silver 

 the merchants paid down for them ; but on finding 

 neither gin-shops to resort to, nor tobacco, or any 

 thing else that they cared for, to be had for money, 

 the roubles soon became troublesome companions, 

 and I often observed them kicking them about the 

 deck. The merchant I have already had occasion to 

 mention, gave our men at first thirty roubles for a 

 sea-otter's skin, and for others in proportion ; but 

 finding that they had considerable quantities to dis- 

 pose of, and that he had men to deal with who did 

 not know how to keep up the market, he afterward 

 bought them for much less. 



The articles of importation are principally Euro- 

 pean, but not confined to Russian manufactures ; 

 many are English and Dutch; several likewise come 

 from Siberia, Bucharia, the Calmucs, and China. 

 They consist of coarse woollen and linen cloths, 

 yarn stockings, bonnets, and gloves; thin Persian 

 silks, cottons, and pieces of nankeen, silk and cotton 

 handkerchiefs ; brass coppers and pans, iron stoves, 

 files, guns, powder and shot ; hardware, such as 

 hatchets, bills, knives, scissars, needles, looking- 

 glasses, flour, sugar, tanned hides, boots, &c. 



We had an opportunity of seeing a great many of 

 these articles in the hands of a merchant, who came 

 in the empress's galliot from Okotsk ; and I shall 

 only observe generally, that they sold for treble the 

 price they might have been purchased for in England. 

 And though the merchants have so large a profit 



