24 THE LIFE OF ^ 



Cherfon. Of the real Corficans, about 250, 

 who were all military, flie formed a corps, dif- 

 tinguiflied by the appellation of Royal Corii- 

 cans, which I was directed to organize. Here 

 it was the Emprefs put in pradtice the exalted 

 fcheme of building fliips of war for the expedi- 

 tion on the Black Sea. They were conftru(5l"ed 

 upon a river fcarcely navigable for a fmall floop, 

 the wood and iron for their conftrudion brought 

 from a diftance of 700 miles up the country, 

 fome of it much farther, and every gun came not 

 r^iLich Icfs than 1000 miles by land. The mode of 

 launching and navigating thefe veiTeis down to 

 the fca was curious ; the Nieper, as before ob- 

 ferved, being extrepnely fhallow, and not very 

 broad, a fort of pool vvas firft formed in the bed 

 of the river oppolite to the dock, then two large 

 lafts, which were f:allcd Camels, were placed fo 

 as to receive the veffel as flie Aid from the 

 ■flocks, from which ilie was eafed down without 

 much rapidity; being feated between the ca- 

 mels, as in a cradle, fhe was thus floated down 

 the river paft the Turkifh fortrefs of Ofchacow, 

 and into the Black Sea. Had not I been an 

 eye-witnefs to this ftupendous work, I Ihould 

 hardly have ventured to have related it ; it was 

 truly worthy the comprehenlivc mind of fuch a 

 fovereign ; it completely formed a maritime 

 {carrier againfl her troublefome neighbours the 

 ^^ Turics, 



