Cochrant's Journey to the Frozen Sea and Kainlchatka. 



GlS 



of tlic rapidity of tlic frcsli. 'J'he view 

 of tlie city, and ancient fortress, on 

 sirriving from the westward, is very 



.<ine, 'standii)g on a considcraLle emi- 

 nence, wliicli overhangs the river and 

 lower city. 



Upon my arrival I searclicd out the 

 abode of Mr. Rosing, son-in-law to liie 

 Governor, and brotiier-in-law to my late 

 kind liost Mr. Berg, of Perm. Tlic 

 family were all at the Governor's, but 

 receiving a note from me, they kindly 

 invited me to dinner ; my situation, 

 however, rendered this impossii>le, as I 

 was all but naked. My second apology 

 brought the host himself, who ordered 

 me every accommodation I needed. 

 I gave myself up to the enjoyment of this 

 deligliiful company, and of my pipe and 

 a glass of puncii, and could have 

 fancied myself any wiicre, rather than 

 at Tobolsk, 



Tobolsk is a large and ancient citj', 



. at the junction of the Tobol and Irtislj, 

 two noble streams, which falling into 

 the Ob, assume its name, and are, 

 with them, ultimately lost in the Frozen 

 Ocean. The inhabitants arc estimated 

 at twenty thousand, composed of Rus- 

 sians, Tartars, and BuchariaoN-. A 

 considerable trade is still carried an 

 with China, and Tobolsk may be said 

 to supply all central and western Siberia. 

 " Tobolsk is the see of an archbishop, 

 wlio has jurisdiction over all Siberia. 

 It has many handsome churches, but 

 (fortunately) no convents; the streets 

 are paved with wood, and in general 



.'(he i)uildings are of the same material. 

 The markets and bazaars are well regu- 

 lated, and the town in general is very 

 clean. The residences of the archbishop, 

 governor-general, and principal officers, 

 as well ;i« the barracks, arsenal, and all 

 public offices, are in the upper part of 

 ilie city. The position is a most com- 



,tnandiug one, a matter of no slight con- 

 sideration in those times, when convicts 

 were kept in the lower town. Nume- 

 rous large flocks of cattle are seen in the 



neighbourhood of Tobolsk: provisions 

 are cheap and abundant — bread thirty- 



«ix pounds for a shilling, and the same 

 quantity of meat for three ; and hospi- 



'tality eminently proverbial. But what 



,18 perhaps more remarkable, very good 

 kociety is to be enjoyed here, and tl»e 

 strongest features of content arc dis- 

 played in this hitherto supposed metro- 

 polls of barbarism and crnclty. 



T'le truth is, that Tobolsk is not a 

 place where convicts or malefactors are 

 allowed to remain, but people who are 

 Monthly Mao. No. 393. 



exiled from |)olilicaI causes only; the 

 principal part of whom are officers, who 

 have still the privilege of appearing in 

 public, without the loss of either rank, 

 fortune, or even character. The go- 

 vernor has it in his power to befriend 

 any individual, himself becoming re- 

 sponsible for his appearance when ne- 

 cessary : and as no government tran- 

 sports or banishes/bo/i, Tobolsk may 

 very well be, from this circumstance, a 

 highly civilized and eligible place of 

 residence. — Malefactors and bad sub- 

 jects are sent to Tomsk and Ncrtchinsk. 

 I attended an examination at the 

 public military and the ])rovinciaI 

 schools on the Lancasterian system. 

 The children seemed to have made con- 

 siderable proficiency ituthe first rudi- 

 ments ; the schools, ho\vever, are yet in 

 tlieirinfancy, though nearly one thousand 

 boys attend. It was, indeed, gratifying 

 to a [latriotic heart to see the institu- 

 tions of old Eiiglfuid adopted in the 

 heart of Siberia — an adoption equally 

 honourable to us, and creditable to 

 Alexander. 



being 



dull 



Tobolsk is far from 

 jjlace; yet, even in summer, the situ- 

 ation is very cold and bleak, being in 

 the latitude of near 59°, and the ther- 

 mometer, during winter, at times falling 

 as low as 40° and 42° of Reaumur; 

 while, on the other hand, it is not always 

 free from the opposite unpleasantness of 

 extreme heat. 



The embroidery of muslins is brought 

 to considerable perfection at Tobolsk, 

 introduced originally by the daughters 

 of exiled officers, who had felt the de- 

 privation of their former means of sub- 

 sistence ; and it is now the prevailing 

 fashion among the ladies. 



TARTARS. 



I descended the mountain by a steep 

 and dangerous road, then ferried over 

 the Irtish, |)assing through a large 

 Tartar village situated in a fine pasture, 

 with some rye corn, and reached the 

 .second station on the lofty banks of the 

 Irtish. I found the cottages neat and 

 clean, and the inhabitants comfortable, 

 hospitable, and contented, without hope 

 or expectation of reward for their hos- 

 pitality to me. Thence to Berczofska 

 the country aj)pcars more cultivated 

 and pleasing, with a good deal of fine 

 wood in the valleys. Thence to the 

 Tartar village of Ingeary, on the banks 

 of the Vagay, when I entered a consi- 

 derable track of their lantls, near seventy 

 miles in extent, but without a single 

 Russian inhabitant. These 'i'artars 

 4 K ar« 



