1829. J Politics and Prospects of Russia. 595 



" In point of fact, has not the practicability of this on the largest 

 scale been already proved, by the erection on the Black Sea of a military 

 marine, comprising ships of one hundred and ten guns, which when 

 brought to their lightest draught of watei', will swim deeper than the 

 heaviest merchantmen ? 



" Those ships of war, though brought down on camels (wooden floats) 

 from Cherson, Nicholief, &c., as low as Kilbourin, have at the latter 

 place been always fitted for sea ; so that it is absurd to talk, as is now 

 commonly done, of those shoals forming an insuperable objection to the 

 Liman being applied to the purposes of commerce. For, on the con- 

 trary, the Liman presents ten times the advantages to Russia, that the 

 Jjagunes of Venice ever did to that commercial and haughty republic. 

 In short, without going into detail, were the commercial properties of 

 the Liman and its rivers properly understood, I cannot see where the 

 mercantile prosperity and enterprise of Russia need stop. 



" Not only might she enjoy a most profitable trade on the Black Sea, on 

 that of Azof, and the Mediterranean ; but extend her commerce to evcr^ 

 part of' Ike globe ! Instead of the sands at the mouth of the Dnieper, 

 and the reported dangerous navigation of the Black Sea, proving obsta- 

 cles, they would form the best possible school for making hardy and 

 experienced seamen, similar to our North-country sailors, who are 

 acknowledged to be the best in the world, because most of the ports are 

 rendered difficult to approach on account of bars and shoals, and the 

 whole navigation to London is one of the most dangerous and difficult 

 in existence, and consequently calls forth all the energy and enterprise 

 of which man is capable. 



" So that, in time, a numerous and hardy race of seamen would be 

 formed, merely by the trade on the Black Sea and that of Azof Those 

 two seas present an amazing extent of coast, when it is considered that 

 the former is 600 miles in length, and 330 broad in the widest part, and 

 142 in the narrowest, while the latter is 186 miles in length, and 90 in 

 breadth. 



" Both possess that which renders them an invaluable nursery for good 

 seamen, namely, every description of coast, depth of water, and variety 

 of currents. It has been well observed, that the country which possesses 

 the greatest line of coast must ever prove superior in point of seamen. 

 Now, including the 786 miles, the length of the Black Sea and that of 

 Azof, it must be remembered that the extent of coast, without regarding 

 sinuosities, is, at least, 1,600 miles. 



" No other nation would ever be able to compete nnlh them, on account 

 of the easy rate at wliich the Russians could build, fit, and sail, their ves- 

 sels ; the empire producing, within itself, every necessai-y article for both 

 building and equipping, at an extraordinarily low price, and in the greatest 

 abundance, while the natives are accustomed to live on the hardest fare. 

 But should they become refined, still all ordinary provisions are ex- 

 tremely reasonable ; and there is little doubt that Russian sliips could be 

 built and navigated at riearly half ike expense of any other nation, 

 particularly in the Black Sea. 



" Indeed, when I survey the maritime resources of this great empire, I 

 cannot persuade myself that Russia is not destined to become a great 

 naval and commercial power. However, from the existing prtyudiccs on 

 the part of the natives to any thing connected witli the sea, there cannot 

 be a doubt that much time will elapse before such a material change can 



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