THE TSCHUKTSCHI. 19 



lages on the banks of the rivers, but seldom on 

 the sea-coast. 



From Krusenstern's representation, Kamt_ 

 schatka appears very little altered in five-and- 

 twenty years. The only advance made in that 

 period, consists in the cultivation of potatoes 

 by the inhabitants of St. Peter and St. Paul, 

 and the entire water-carriage of various goods 

 and necessaries of life, which were formerly 

 needlessly enhanced in price by being brought 

 overland, through Siberia to Ochotsk. 



The northern part of the peninsula and the 

 adjoining country, even to the icy sea, is inha- 

 bited by the Tschuktschi, a warlike nomade 

 tribe, removing with celerity from place to 

 place by means of their reindeer. They were 

 not so easily conquered as the Kamtschatkans, 

 and for five- and- thirty years incessantly an- 

 noyed the Russians, to whom they now only 

 pay a small tribute in skins. Our cannon at 

 length forced a peace upon them, which had 

 not been long concluded, before there was rea- 

 son to apprehend a breach of its conditions on 

 their part, and an ambassador was sent to their 

 Tajon, or chief, to discover their intentions. 



