Cochrant's Journey to the Frozen Sea and Kamtchaika. 



proper io view tlietn in their greatest 

 splendour. Tiiose wliicli appeared 

 duriiij^ my slay, were generally from flic 

 Borth, ami consisted of columns of fire 

 moving in an Iiorizoiital direction, and 

 firencrally disappearing in the south- 

 west; the height of the columns heing 

 from 50° to G0°. At times an immense 

 illuminating space, from north to east, 

 would advance very near to us, and, 

 throwing np rays or rockets of tire, and 

 forming into concave arches, approached 

 us so near as apparently to endanger 

 our situation, exliibiting at the same 

 time every colour of the rainbow. The 

 most beautiiul aurora which I saw was 

 at midnight of the first of March ; the 

 wind was from the north-norlh-wcst, 

 and the glass at 36° of cold. The 

 aurora occupied the whole circle of the 

 heavens, at an elevation of 28° or 30°, 

 and gradually rising, disappeared in the 

 zenith.- The figure was an illuminated 

 tent, with festoons, or fringes, at the 

 lower part, and which had an appear- 

 ance as if constantly receiving acces- 

 sions of fire, which were equally distri- 

 buted to it from every part of the foun- 

 dation of the tent. The illuminated 

 part gradually diminished in splendor 

 SI.! it approached the zenith. It lasted 

 about two hours, and did a little affect 

 the electrometer. The view of it was 

 rendered exceedingly line and interest- 

 ing from the fwct of our xitu:iti(in being 

 as it were in the inside of llic tent. 



■ THE TCHUKTCIII. 



Having settled oursnlvcs in a small 

 Yulcagir yonrtc, Mr. rtlatinshkiu and I 

 received a visit from one of tlie'J'ciiukt- 

 chi. a most enipty connlcnaneed and 

 wild looking savage. He cufered the 

 room where we were, tumbled himself 

 down upon a stool, smoked his pi|)e, 

 and then quitted tl c room, without 

 •Mice looking at, or taking the least 

 notice eitiier of us, or any tiling about 

 us. 'I'he commissary having made his 

 appearance, it was deiei miuf'il to com- 

 mence the fair, by first installing two 

 of the chiefs v. ith medals aiicj swords, 

 baptizing them, and receiving a nominal 

 trii.'ulc'. The morning was ushered in 

 by the arrival of these persons in state, 

 dressed in their ga)(!st apparel, and 

 seated in a beauliliil narle, drawn by 

 two rein-deer, the wlmlu forming a ca- 

 valcade of twetdy-live or thirty pairs. 

 'Having reached a large stor<;-lionsc, to 

 which the altar an<l images wore carried, 

 the priest proceeded to baptize tin; (wo 

 men, their wives, and three childien ; 

 but, instead of being men.-ly sprinkled 

 Monthly Mag. No. 3y8. 



623 



with water, they, men and women, were 

 obliged cue and all to strip, and to be 

 three times plunged in a large iron 

 cauldron of ice-water, with the thermo- 

 meter on the spot at 35° of Ixeaiimur, 

 with no part of the dress on except their 

 trowsers ; and were afterwards directed 

 to bathe their feet in the same cold 

 water. I could not help pitying the 

 women an<l children, the former of 

 whom, having long hair, became, as it 

 were, enveloped in icicles. A small 

 cross susi)ended round the neck com- 

 pleted the ceremony. A quantity of to- 

 bacco was then given as a present to 

 each of the new converts, by way of in- 

 ducing others to follow the example. 

 Instances having, however, ocenrj-ed of 

 late of Tchuktchi being twice baptized, 

 and even of presenting themselves a 

 third time, for the jirivilege of tiie pre- 

 sents, the good ()eop!c of Irkutsk begin 

 to be fired of sending cither their mis- 

 sionaries or tobacco to such a people. 



The ceremony finished, the same ca- 

 valcade, joined by the other chiefs, o^ 

 Toions of the Tchuktchi, j)rocepded to 

 the abode of the commis'sary, whither 

 Mr. Matiu.vhkin and 1 followed. The 

 comsnissary (hen made tlie usual decla- 

 ration, that the fair could not begin 

 until he had received a tribute for the 

 Emperor Alexander, on whi<:h the prin- 

 cipal traders advanced and laid each a 

 red fox skin at the feet of the commis- 

 sary. The names of the donors, and 

 the value of ilio skins, were then regu- 

 larly entered in the official records, and 

 the commissary proceeded to invest two 

 of the clu'efs with a medal and small 

 sabre, reading to them publicly a letter, 

 which he is supposed to receive from 

 the chief of Yakutsk, declaring it to bo 

 the emperor's order so to invest the 

 cliief, or Toion ; the clergyman then 

 advanced to give his benediction to 

 thi;m, and the poor ignorants became 

 quite happy, <piile proud, and uitiaiatcly 

 quite rlrnnk. 



The next topic started was that of 

 my desire to accompany the Tolinktchi 

 through their country, and this seemed 

 to require more generalship than all the 

 others. The commissary, through an 

 in(erprf:tor, comnienced by inlorming 

 the Tchuktchi people, that " the eni- 

 |)eror understanding two strang(? ships 

 liad appeared upon their coast, was 

 willing to know who th(!y were, and 

 had accordingly sent with them, agree- 

 able to their leipiesf, two interprolers, 

 one of whom- niitUrs'.ood their own 

 language as well a.i the Russian, whiltj 

 4 L ihu 



