Cochrane' s Journey to the Frozen Sea and Kamtchalka. 6\3 



hourhood of Paulovo lias been juslly 

 termed the Birmingham of Russia. 



NISHNEY NOVGOROD. 



Nishney Novgorod, in contradistinc- 

 tion to Great Novgorod, owes ifs ex- 

 istence to tlie great Duke Vassil, who 

 thus named it vfhen he caused its inha- 

 bitants to be transplanted there from 

 the great city before named. Its inha- 

 bitants, Russians and Tartars, amount 

 to fifteen or sixteen thousand, though 

 its visitors during the fair probably 

 make its population at that time from 

 one hundred and twenty to one hundred 

 and fifty thousand. Among tliem may 

 be seen Chinese, Persians, Circassians, 

 Armenians, Tartars, Buciiarians, Jews 

 (of course), and a specimen besides of 

 almost every European nation. The 

 fair, in point of value, is considered as' 

 second to none in Europe; the business 

 done being estimated at nearly two 

 hundred millions of roubles. This com- 

 putation may probably allow a de- 

 duction of about one half, but in any 

 case the government derives from it a 

 considerable revenue. The buildings 

 on the site for the fair are in a forward 

 state, but will still require many years, 

 and several millions of money, to com- 

 plete. The situation is considered 

 highly eligible, and the plan is by Ge- 

 neral Betancourt, an eminent Spanish 

 engineer. 



I was shown over the fair by a Spanish 

 gentleman, now an ofiicer of engineers 

 of Russia, and with whose family in 

 Granada I had lately resided. He is 

 married to the daughter of General Be- 

 tancourt, chief of his department. I 

 dined with him and two other Spanish 

 colonels, as well as a young Muscovy 

 Englishman, the whole party even here, 

 in the very heart of Russia, talking only 

 the Spanish language. 



Losing sight of Nishney Novgorod, 

 we passed many islands and villages, 

 the latter always on the right bank, and 

 on the left an uninterrupted low moorish 

 heath. The strength of the current I 

 calculated at two knots and a half. 



THE VOLGA. 



The variety and singular appearance 

 of the diflercnt craft on the Volga not a 

 little surprised and amused mc, as well 

 as the innumerable different ways in 

 which they were propelled. The present 

 season of the year, that immediately 

 preceding the fair, is the best for the 

 navigation of the Volga, when barks 

 from one thousand tons to the size of a 

 canoe all promiscuously float together. 



The soil on cither side is clay and 



chalk, and the wood fir and birch. The 

 inhabitants of the villages are the inof- 

 fensive and ignorant Fins, a race of 

 people more approximating to the cha- 

 racter of the Giillegos in Lisbon than 

 any other class of people I have seen. 

 Their great content, and small pos- 

 sessions, are in both a prominent feature. 

 We reached Makarietf, after a tedious 

 and vexatious voyage, vexatious from 

 the annoyance of the horse-flies and 

 mosquitoes. I was fairly put to the al- 

 ternative, whether, during my sleep, I 

 would be suffocated or devoured. I 

 preferred the former, as smacking more 

 of humanity, wrapping myself np close 

 in a spare sail with three others of the 

 crew. 



KAZAN. 



This celebrated city, on nearing it 

 from the westward, greatly resembles 

 Badajos. The extended view, the river 

 in front, the fortress on the left, and the 

 distant elevated lands to the southward. 

 The dirty suburbs, situate on a marshy 

 swamp, the principal residence of the 

 Tartar inhabitants, is the next indication 

 of Kazan; the last was after crossing 

 the Kazanka, when the noblest part of 

 Ibis noble city fronts you in full view. 

 I passed on to the hospitable abode of 

 the learned professor Fuclis. 



The extensive province of Kazan is 

 watered by the noble Volga and beau- 

 tiful Kama. Its population is reckoned 

 at nine hundred thousand, composed of 

 Tartars, Fins, Votiaki, Tchuvosi, and 

 Russians, and a few Mordvas. Neair 

 five hundred thousand of these inhabit- 

 ants are peasants or slaves, four-fifths 

 of whom belong to the crown, and the 

 rest to the difl'erent nobility of Kazan. 



The city of Kazan is considered as 

 second only to the capital, containing 

 nearly forty thousand inhabitants, of 

 which twelve thousand are Tartars. On 

 the present state of the city it is hardly 

 fair to give an opinion, rising as it is 

 from the ashes of a fire scarcely five 

 years extinguished. It had formerly a 

 cathedral on the site of the ancient 

 mosque, as also a palace ; both were 

 destroyed by an explosion in the citadel. 



THE URAL MOUNTAINS. 



Krasnooufinsk, which I reached 

 next, is situated in a fertile valley at 

 the foot of two peaked mountains. A 

 deputation of the inhabitants waited 

 upon me, to request 1 would remain a 

 couple of days, (o be present at a 

 dinner to be given in honour of the first 

 Englishman who had visited the place. 

 I lelt the compliment, nationally, but 

 thought 



