24 THE LIFE OF ^ 



CheiTon. Of the real Corficans, about 25Q, 

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

 tinguifhed by the appellation of Royal Corfi- 

 cans, which I was directed to organize. Here 

 it was the Emprefs put in practice the exalted 

 fcheme of building iliips of war for the expedi- 

 tion on the Black Sea. They were conftrucfled 

 upon a river fcarcely navigable for a fmall floop, 

 the wood and iron for their conftru(!:l:ion brought 

 from a diftance of 70Q rniles up the country, 

 fome of it much farther, and every gun came not 

 I77,uch Icfs than 1000 miles by land. The mode of 

 launching and navigating thefe veffeis down to 

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

 fervcd, being extremely (hallow, and not very 

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

 of the river oppolite to the dock, then two large 

 lafts, which were palled Came/s, 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, ihe was thus floated down 

 the river paft the Turkifh fortrefs of Ofchacow, 

 and into the Black Sea. Had not I been an 

 jCye-witnefs to this ftupendous work, I fhould 

 hardly have ventured to have related it ; it was 

 truly worthy the comprehenlive mind of fuch a 

 fovereign ; it completely formed a maritime 

 |)arrier againll her troublefome neighbours the 



Turks, 



