P ETCH OR A 245 



The principal spokesman promised to get a large Seal's 

 skeleton during the next fishery, in about a month. He 

 wanted us to accompany him to-night to his village with 

 his sledge, and he would take us on to Mezen, but we 

 think it better to leave this for another occasion. He is 

 the possessor of Reindeer, and he offered to buy two 

 hundred at 4 roubles each if we brought them back from 

 Petchora. 



April 5. 



On Monday, the 5th of April, Herr Richter, who, 

 twenty years ago, accompanied Heinke and Graf Hoff- 

 mansegg to the Petchora, gave us some little information. 

 He told us that they collected there for twelve months, 

 and were three months at Ust Zylma. They secured the 

 services of a number of boys to collect eggs at the different 

 places they stopped at, especially at Kuja, where the 

 priest, Father Gregorie, greatly assisted them, and for 

 three years got the boys to collect eggs, which were sent 

 to Heinke or Hoffmansegg at Archangel. 



Mr. Schmidt, of Solombola, who is well known to all 

 people along our proposed route, gave us a letter to a 

 person at Kuja, Gospodeen Aristarchus Ivanovitch 

 Koriapanoff, who knew Father Gregorie when he lived 

 at Kuja, and who may be able to tell us where he is 

 now, and also to introduce us to the new priest. Koria- 

 panoff is the principal man, the richest peasant, at Kuja. 

 He sends his Eeindeer to Varandai. We must, at the 

 earliest opportunity, send down this letter to him by the 

 winter road from Ust Zylma. 



When Heinke and Hoffmansegg arrived at the Petchora 

 they were taken for ' Cholera-men,' and the people will 

 remember that they were so called if we speak of them. 



They also got the men who keep the huts on the 240 

 versts of forest road south-west of Ust Zylma to collect 

 eggs. 



