Chap. IIL from Muscovy to Chin a. 9ZI 
rlght or wrong. The Habits of Men and Women, as 
well as theirs Ind their Childrens Shape, are expreffed 
by the annexed Cut, which lliews they are neither ex- 
travagant nor ridiculous. 
Their Dwellings are quadrangular wooden Rooms, 
like thofe of the Ruffian Peafants ; only inftead of Ovens 
they ufe Hearths, on which they burn Wood, and drefs 
their Viffuals. The Smoak-hole which is in the Roof, 
is covered with Ice ; as foon as the Wood is burnt to a 
Coal, which keeps the Warmth in the Room, and the 
Light ftrikes through the clear Ice. They have no 
Chairs, but inftead of them a broad Bench round the 
Room, about an Ell high, and two Ells broad, on 
which they fit, like the Perfians, with their Legs acrofs 
under them, and fleep on them at Night. They live 
upon what their Bow and Arrows furniflies them. Their 
chiefeft Game are E/L, whole Herds of which are found 
here ; thefe they cut in Pieces, and hang in the Air 
round their Houfes to dry ; if it happens to rain upon 
them, and they begin to ftink abominably, they dry 
them again, and eat them as a Delicacy. They do not 
eat either Cocks, Hens, or Hogs. They have a plea- 
fant Way of catching wild Beafts, for they place a Sort 
of great Bows in the Woods, faftning a String to them, 
to which they fix fome Corn, or other Bait, leaving 
only a Place for the Game to enter, lo that the Elk^ or 
any other Beaft that comes in there, cannot pafs by 
without touching this Snare •, and when the Bow lets 
.fly, the Arrows enter the fore-part of the Body, and he 
prefently falls down. They alfo dig great Pits in the 
Woods, which they cover with Reeds and Grafs, fo that 
if any Beaft; comes thither, he falls in and is taken. 
Thefe Tartars live in their Villages all along the River 
juzawaia to the Caftle of Utka, and are under the Pro- 
tedlion of his Qzarijh Majefty, to whom they pay Tri- 
bute, and live in Security and Peace. The Extent of 
Land, which they inhabit, reaches about 8oo German 
Miles in the North part of Siberia^ and even to the 
North Samojedes. 
6 . After leaving thefe Heathens, we arrived at the 
Caftle of Utka on the firft of June. This Place is a 
Prontier Fortification againft the Baskirian and Uffimif- 
€hian Tartars, When I was there, an Uffimifchian Tar- 
tarian Gentleman, an Inhabitant in his Czarijh Maje- 
fly’s Dominions,, came thither in Search of his Wife, 
to whom he had been long married, and who had elo- 
ped without any Provocation. But when he could not 
find her amongft the Peafants, he comforted himfelf, 
faying, that he was the feventh Husband fhe had left, 
who were all alive ; by which it feems that the Lady 
was Lucky enough to meet often with new Lovers. 
On the 20th of the fame Month, fetting forwards 
from Utka in Waggons drawn by Horfes, we pafted the 
Caftle of Ajada^ and crofted the River Neuia,, which 
runs round it. After which we proceeded by the River 
Reefch to the Caftle of Arfamas^ and from thence to 
the Caftle of Neuianskoi^ on the abovementioned River 
Neuia. This Journey by Land to Neuianskoi^ proved 
one of the pleafanteft in the World, fince I met therein 
with moll charming Fields, Woods, Brooks, and Hand- 
ing Waters, as alfo extraordinary fertile and well tilled 
Grounds, perfedlly well inhabited every where by RuJ- 
Jtans^ and furnifhed with all Neceffaries at a very cheap 
Rate. At Neuianskoi I again took Water, and we 
drove with the Tide, betwixt two populous Shores, a- 
dorned with well built Villages and Caftles, inhabited 
by Ruffian Chriftians, down to the Kiver Tura^ which 
terminates Weftward in fhe River Tobol. 
On the 25th of the fame Month we reached the City 
of Tumeen^ which confidering its Situation is ftrong and 
populous, moftly inhabited by Ruffians 5 and the Re- 
mainder being about one fourth Part, with Mahometan 
Tartars,, who drive a confiderable Trade to the Kalmick 
Countries, Bucharia, kAc. Great Numbers of thefe live 
difperft all round in the Country, fubfifting on Agri- 
culture and Fifiiing. This and the neigbouring Places 
do not afford any Quantity of other Skins, than thofe 
of red Foxes, Wolves and Bears ; but a few Miles di- 
ftant is a Wood called Heetkoy-kVollok, which abounds 
with the very fineft Grey Squirrels, that keep their Co- 
Vo l. II. N» 132. 
lour both Summer and Winter y they ace as large as the 
common Squirrels^ befides which the Leather prepa- 
red from them is very ftrong, and they are not to be^ ' 
found any where in the whole Mufeovite Empire befides* 
It is forbidden under a great Fine, to fell diem to Mer- 
chants •, for they are ordered to be preferved for the 
Ufe of the Czar. Thefe Beafts are laid to have the 
ftrange Quality of killing and eating all other Species 
of Grey Squirrels, that come into their Wood. 
Whiift I was in this City, its Inhabitants and all their 
Neighbours were in great Fear of the Kalmakian and 
Kofack- Or da Tartars, who had joined and made an Ir- 
ruption into Siberia, laid feveral Villages wafte^ cut the 
Inhabitants in Pieces, and alfo rhreatned this City, from 
which they were not above fifteen Miles diftant. But 
the Governor very expeditioufly raifed a confiderabls 
Force out of Tobolska and other Cities, and fent them 
againft thefe roving Tartars, whom they foon drove back 
with great Lofs. 
For this Reafon, I was not willing to ftay any longer 
here, but as foon as I had obtained frefti Rowers, and 
Soldiers for Convoy, I left that Place on the 26th of 
the fame Month, and went farther down the River To-, 
hoi, the Shoars of which on each Side are low and moift: 
Ground, which in the Spring is under -Water, fo that 
it is fcarce, if at all inhabited ; though for feveral Miles 
farther in Land on each Side it is abundantly peo^ 
pled, partly by Mahometan Tartars, and partly by 
Ruffians y ’ 2^0^ the River produces all Sorts of excel- 
lent Fifti. 
7. Oh the firft of July, I arrived fafe at Toholesk ; 
Which City is furrounded with a large Stone Cloyfter, 
with high Watch-Towers, which may pafs for a Forti- 
fication. This Place is fituated on a high Hill of a vaft 
Circuit about, the Bottom of which, along by the Ri- 
ver Rhitifch, is inhabited by the Mahometan Tartars and 
Buchars, who drive a great Trade up the Rhitifch or 
Irtis, into the Kalmakian Territories, and carry their 
Goods to China y fo that if it were fafe to travel the 
Kalmakian Country, the moft expeditious Way to China 
would be to pafs the Jamufchowa Ofera, or Jamufchian 
Lake. 
Toholejk, Toboljka, or Toboljlm, is the chief City of 
Siberia, whofe Jurifdidion extends Southward beyond 
Bar aba, from Werchaturia to the River Oby y Eaftward 
to Samojedia, Northward to OJliaJki, and Weftward to 
Uffa and the Kwtt Zuzawaj a. This Province is every 
where very well peopled, as well by Ruffians who de- 
pend on Husbandry, as by all Sorts of Nations, parti- 
cularly Tartars and Heathens, which pay Tribute to 
his Czariflo Majefty. Corn is fo very cheap there, that 
100 German Pounds of Rye Flower may be bought for 
fixteen Cops y and as for Flefh, the Price of an Ox is 
commonly from two Rixdollars, to two and a half, about: 
eleven Shillings Englijh Money ; and that of an indif- 
ferent large Hog is from thirty to thirty five Styvers, 
Befides, the River Irtis produces fuch a prodigious 
Quantity of Fifli, that a Sturgeoh, weighing, lorty 
Pounds, may be there bought for five or fix Styvers y and 
thefe Fifii are fo far from being lean, that when they are 
boiled, their Fat appears of the Thicknefs of a Finger. 
Here are great Plenty of ail Sorts of wild Beafts, as, 
Elcks, Stags, Deer, Hares, fie. and of wild Fowl, 
viz. Pheafants, Partridges, Swans, wild Geefe, Ducks, 
and Storks ; all which are cheaper than Beef. This 
City is defended by a ftrong Garnfon, which upon Or- 
der from the Czars, can bring 9000 Men into the 
Field *, befides which are feveral Thoufands of Tartars.. 
who ferve all on Horfeback on Occafion. 
Incurfions into the Weft Frontiers, are very fre- 
quently made by the Kalmucks, the Kofack Orda, and 
the Subjedls of the Tefiicham or Governor of the Buch'a- 
rian Tartars : Befides which the Uffimur and Bakirim 
Tartars commit fuch like Infolencies fometimes ; but 
thefe are immediately oppofed and repulfed by the To- 
boleskians. This City is alfo the Place of Refidence of 
the Metropolitan or chief Ecclefiaftick, who is fent from. 
Mofcozv hither, and exercifes fpiritual Jurifdidion over 
all Siberia and Dauria. ■ 
II B About 
