CXXXII 
DwELLINGs, 
Roavps TOKAMTS- 
CHATKAs 
Kuri IsieEse 
KA Vi ee Omar Ein Acs Dal eae As 
quite gorged ; and at the fame time heated the place, by inceflantly pouring 
water on hot ftones, till it became unfupportable. When the gueft was crammed 
up to the throat, the generous landlord, on his knees, ftuffed into his mouth a great 
flice of whale’s fat, cut off what hung out, and cried, ina furly tone, Zana, or There! 
by which he fully difcharged his duty ; and, between heat and cramming, obliged 
the poor gueft to cry for mercy, and a releafe from the heat, and the danger of being 
choaked with the noble welcome: oftentimes he was obliged to purchafe his dil- 
miffion. with moft coftly prefents ; but was fure to retaliate on the firft oppor- 
tunity *. 
From the birds they learned the art of building their balagans or fummer- 
houfes. They feem like nefts of a conic form, perched on high poles inftead 
of trees; with a hole on one fide, like that of the magpie, for the entrance. 
Their jourts, or winter refidences, are copied from the aconomic Mloufe, p. 1345 
but with lefs art, and lefs cleanlinefs. It is partly funk under ground ; the fides 
and top fupported by beams, and wattled, and the whole covered with turf. In 
this they live gregarioufly, to the number of fix families in each in a ftate in- 
tolerable to an European, by reafon of fmoke, heat, and ftench, from their ftore 
of dried or putrid fifh, and from their lazinefs, in never going out to perform 
their offerings to Cloacina +. 
Inftigated by avarice, the Ruffians made a conqueft of this favage country 5 
and found their account in it, from the great value of its furry productions. 
They have added to their dominions this extremity of 4fa, diftant at leaft four 
thoufand miles from their capital, The journey to it is ftill attended with 
great difficulties, through wild and barren regions, over dreadful mountains ; 
and poffibly impracticable, but for the multitude of Sibirian rivers, which, with 
fhort intervals of land, facilitate the paffage. Travellers ufually take their de- 
parture out of Sibiria from Fakutz, on the river Lena, in lat. 62: they go 
either by water along the river, to its conflux with the A/dun, along the Aldun 
to the Mai, and from that river up the Fudoma; and from near the head of that 
river to Qchotfk, the port from whence they embark, and crofs the fea of 
Ochotfk to Bolfchaia-reka, the port of the weftern fide of Kamrfthatka. The 
whole journey ufually takes up the fhort fummer : that over the hills to Ochot/k 
(and which is moft convenient) was performed by STELLER in thirty-four days, 
excluding feven of reft f. 
The Kuril or Kurilfei ifles, which probably once lengthened the peninfula of 
Kamtf{chatka, before they were convulfed from it, are a feries of iflands running 
® Hift, Kamt{ch, 107 to 109. 4 Elliss Nar. iis 217. } Defer. Kamtfch, 602- 
fouth 
