Cochrane' s Journey to the Frozen Sea and Kamtchatka. 627 



jiKlpjin^, I will, for the present, abstain 

 1 remained in 



was formerly sifiialecl on a low sandy 

 LchcIj close to the sea-side. Its ex- 

 posure and inconvenience were never 

 pointed out till by the late chief, now 

 commanding at Yakutsk, who was in 

 consequence ordered to transfer the town 

 from the old to the new site, which is on 

 the left bank of the Okota, as the old 

 one was on the right. The order for the 

 removal has been issued several years, 

 yet little was done till lately : even at 

 present the new site contains but the 

 government buildings, and those be- 

 longing to a few of the Cossacks and 

 sailors. The more considerable jiart, 

 which arc erecting by the American 

 Company, will, it is said, be transferred 

 hither in the ensuing winter. The plan 

 upon which the town is building is 

 good, and, when finished, will be, after 

 Barnaoule, the neatest place in Siberia, 

 although upon a small scale, for there 

 are not more than fifteen or sixteen 

 hundred people in it. The country 

 round Okotsk is highly productive in 

 fine timber, in consequence of which a 

 dock-yard has been made, and some 

 fine vessels have been built, to enable 

 the government to transport provisions 

 to Idgiga and Kamtchatka. 



Of the state of society little can be 

 said, no merchants residing in if, and 

 the chief being the only married man 

 belonging to the navy, and but three or 

 four, who have wives, that belong to the 

 civil service; in short, there is very 

 little society, and less education, al- 

 though a school has been established by 

 the present chief, which may hereafter 

 do well, if the existing discipline be 

 kept up. There are seventy-six boys in 

 it, who cost nothing either to the empire 

 or their families, being supported on the, 

 SI) called, economy money, i. e. the money 

 savetl from the sums allowed by govern- 

 ment for the maintenance of the equi- 

 page, which savings the present gover- 

 nor, much to his honor and credit, em- 

 ploys for the education and other benefit 

 of the children. 



During the latter part of my slay at 

 Okolsk, two vessels arrived there Irom 

 America, one of which was very valu- 

 able, worth seventy thousand pounds, 

 the other about thirty thousand. 'I'liey 

 were brigs, and loaded with sea-otters, 

 beavers, sea-cats, martins, river-otters, 

 and various other less valuable skins. 

 The vessels appeared well manned, and 

 tolerably managed, which is more than 

 I can believe is the case with the govern- 

 ment trunxports; but as I am going in 

 one, aud ^>hall have u lair opiiortunily of 



from further remark. 

 Okutsk a considerable time, about three 

 months, and felt highly gratified with 

 the attentions shown to me by the chief, 

 his amiable lady, and the officers. Every 

 tiling that could tend to my comfort 

 was done for me. 



The prices of provisions and labour 

 will conclude these remarks upon 

 Okotsk. Bread is twelve roubles a 

 pood, ancl meat from four to five roubles 

 the same quantity, that is, bread is sold 

 by government at nine shillings for 

 thirty-six pounds, while meat is four 

 shillings and sixpence for the same 

 quantity. Fish, from its abundance, 

 is not vended. Tobacco, cottons, and 

 earthenware, cutlery, and such articles 

 as a poor people can want, are not ex- 

 orbitant, while a common working man 

 can earn four, five, and six shillings a 

 day, which is, however, sure to be spent 

 at the kabak, or grog shop. Wine of 

 an infamous quality, the worst of spirits, 

 and a sort of provincial maleefka, and 

 fructovka (a spirit of the flavour of 

 cherry- brandy), are most exorbitantly 

 dear. Those who have industry, 

 strength, or talent, cannot fail of making 

 their situations comfortable in Okotsk, 

 if they be so disposed. The place is ge- 

 nerally considered healthy, yet for in- 

 valids there is a good hospital^ with 

 plenty of attendants. The gardens pro- 

 duce some vegetables, but of an inferior 

 growth ; mushrooms are most abundant, 

 and very fine. In other respects the 

 government of Okotsk can only be 

 termed an immense dreary waste, ex- 

 tending from the river Uda to Idgiga 

 and Anadyr, and the whole population 

 is less than four thousand souls. In 

 spite of the .attentions and hospitality 

 heaped upon me by the inhabitants of 

 Okotsk, I could not regret my de- 

 parture. It has such a sameness — so 

 liUle to be seen — so little to interest; 

 and what was worse than all, so much 

 scandal circulating there, that every 

 thing done in Irkutsk and St. Peters- 

 burgh was sure to be known in Okotsk. 



IIUSSIAN DlSCOVEllY. 



In St. Peter and St. Paul'.s, I found 

 the Russian expedition under the 

 orders of Captain VassiliefT, who 

 had returned from a fruitless attempt to 

 get round the America Continent. 

 They rounded I(;y Cape about thirty 

 miles beyond Capt. Cook, although 

 Ihcy fell short of him on the Asiatic 

 side by two <legr<es. Lilllc increase 

 of knowledge will be gained to the 



world 



