Chap. III. the R u s s i 
the Sea, dwell the Tun^ufes, for the Conveniency of 
Fifhing. Thefe People are as barbarous and as much 
Idolaters as the Jakuts. 
In the Beginning of the Month of February^ the Cap- 
tain difpatched a Lieutenant and 90 Men, with fome 
Dogs, to fetch off the Baggage that had been abandon- 
ed in the Manner before* mentioned ; he returned with a 
part of it in April ; and another Detachment being or- 
der’d on the fame Service, they brought the reft back in 
May. In this Country the Snow falls in fuch prodigi- 
ous Quantities, that it commonly lies about two Yards 
thick, and fometimes more, upon the Ground, which 
obliges People, for three or four Months, to travel on 
Foot, and to drag their Baggage on little Sledges, which 
will carry 6 or 700 Weight. In this Manner the 
Lieutenant marched that came to Ochotski^ and during 
his whole Paflage, the poor People had no other Relief 
in the Night-time, or when the cutting icy Winds 
blew, than to cover themfelves as deep as they could in 
the Snow. This is pra6tifed on the Coafts of HudfotPs- 
Bay^ and in other cold Countries as well as here ; and if 
Credit may be given to feveral Narrations written by 
thofe who have vifited thefe frozen Climates, it is a very 
convenient and effectual Screen from the extreme Fury 
of the Weather, which will be the lefs wonder’d at, if 
we confider, that both Gardiners and Husbandmen ac- 
knowledge very difcernable Heat in Snow, by which 
Corn, Fruit and Flowers, are defended from the Rage 
of Winter, in the Earth, and are enabled by this kind- 
ly Covering to pufti out and difcover that they are a- 
live in the Spring. 
On the 30th of "June the Captain ordered Lieutenant 
Spanberg to crofs the Gulph to the Mouth of the Bal- 
thaia rerca^ or Great River *, he was to perform this 
Voyage in a new ftout Veftel built by their own Work- 
men, and had Orders to carry over with him the fe- 
cond Architefl, and a fufficient Number of Men to cut 
down Timber, and to build a new Veffel there, which 
when they had performed, they were inftrufted to give 
the Captain Notice of it at Ochotski. While they were 
thus employed, the ocher Lieutenant Crezihoff returned, 
bringing with him 2300 Poud of Meal, that is about 
Soo Weight, which was immediately embarked on 
board the new Veffel that was returnd from Kamfchatska. 
The Captain then ordered all the heavy Baggage and 
Provifions to be embarked v/ithout Delay, and on the 
2ift of Auguft he went on board himfelf for the Port 
before- mentioned. He left behind him a Pilot, and a 
fmall Number of Perfons, with Inftru6tions as to the 
recovering and fecuring the Provifions that had been 
left behind, which they were to bring with them if they 
could, but if not, they were to deliver them to the Go- 
vernment of Jakutskyy and to take a Difcharge for 
them j after which, the Pilot, and thofe under his Com- 
mand, were to join the Captain, and bring with them 
a fmall Supply of Provifions, Iron, and Tar. How- 
ever, he faw nothing of them till the Year 1728. 
The Captain being come to the Mouth of Bolchaya rerkay 
tranfported his Provifions and other Neceffaries to Bol- 
chay reeski odrogy or the Habitation of the great River. 
The heavy Baggage was from hence conveyed in fmall 
Boats, that were drawn againft the Stream for 120 
Werfts, to the higher Settlement in Kamfchatska. This 
Journey they performed themfelves by Land, making 
ufe of the little Sleds before-mentioned, that were 
drawn by Dogs, for the Carriage of what was neceffary 
for them during the Journey. On this Occafion, they 
had thorough Experience of the extreme Rigour of the 
Climate, being obliged to have Recourfe to the Me- 
thod. before-mentioned, that is to fay, towards Night, 
or when-ever they had a Mind to reft, they ran a very 
deep Trench or Ditch through the Snow •, at the En- 
trance of this Trench they hung up Deer Skins, and 
then lay down under the Snow, either to deep or to 
take Repofe. The Intent of hanging up the Skins, is 
to prevent thofe fudden Storms which are common 
in thefe Parts, and to which they give the Name of 
Burgiy from being fatal to them, as they often are 
to lefs cautious Paffengers, by bringing with them fuch 
prodigious Quantities of Snow as bury thefe unfortu- 
y 0 L. II, N® 140, 
A N Difcover ies. 
10? 9 
nate Viftims under it, paft all Poffibility of extricating 
themfelves or efcaping. 
As we have now conducted the Reader into that 
Country which is the proper*Subje6t of this Seftion, and 
which, for any thing that is yet known, feems to be 
the very Extremity of the Continent, on this Side, tho* 
there is a very wide Country behind it, extending di- 
reftly North for above 15^ of Latitude. I fay, as we have 
followed him hither, the next thing is to fee what Ac- 
count he gives us of this ftrange Place, which lies fo 
far out of the Reach of the reft of Mankind, and which 
could never have been vifited, much lefs planted and 
poffeffed by any but the RuJfianSy and even thefe had 
not been long fixed there at this Time. 
The Ruffians have three Settlements, or to fpeak with 
greater Propriety, have occupied three Pofts in this 
Country, In the Fortrefs which is in the upper Kam^ 
fchatskay there are feventeen, in the lower Fortrefs there 
are about fifty Ruffian Houfes, exclufive of thofe that 
are about the Church, which may be about fifteen in 
Number. At the Mouth of the River before-mention- 
ed, there were at this Time fourteen Houfes. In thefe 
three Pofts there were about 1 50 Soldiers in Garrifon, 
and the principal Point aimed at by fixing them here, 
was to colle6l the Tribute from the neighbouring Na- 
tions, The Captain, to reward thofe that had aflifted 
him in tranfporting his heavy Baggage, his Stores and 
Ammunition, and who had likewife furnifhed him with. 
Carriages, gave them about an hundred Weight of Train 
Oil, which he extraded from a Whale the Sea left up- 
on the Coaft at the warm Seafon of the Year ; and with 
this and a little Chinefe Tobacco, they were better con- 
tented than if he had given them Money. To the 
South of this Country inhabit the Nation of the Kuriles^ 
and to the Northward dwell the Kamtfchadalesy the 
Languages fpoke by thefe Nations are fo different, that 
they hardly underhand each other \ fome of them are 
addicted to Idolatry ; amonft others there are no ap- 
parent Signs of any Religion ; and to fay the Truth, 
hardly any convincing Tokens of Humanity, 
The Ruffians that are fettled in Kamtfchatskay as well 
as the Natives or original Inhabitants, are deftitute 
both of Cattle and Corn 5 inftead of the former they 
make ufe of Dogs, which are very large and ftrong 5 
and by 'the way, this is likewife the Cuftom in Groen^ 
landy and in the Countries bordering upon Hudfon^^- 
Bay. As to Provifions, they live chiefly upon Fifh, 
Roots, and Pears •, they have likewife Carrots and Beans, 
and in fome Seafons of the Year tolerable plenty of 
Wild-fowl. As to their Cloaths, they are made of 
Dogs-skin ; It is however worth obferving, that in the 
Country about the Convent of Pakujfiska, which is not 
far from the Church, they have a little Barley, as alfo 
fome Hemp and Radifhes, and in the Plantations about 
the Ruffian Houfes, they have Turnips of a prodigious 
Size, that is to fay, of five or fix Pounds Weight a- 
piece. The Captain, while he was there, caufed fome 
Rye and Oats to be fowed, but he did not -ftay long 
enough to fee whether they came up. The Froft fets in 
here very early, and the People, who are tributary to the 
RuffianSy pay their Taxes in feveral Sorts of Furs. 
The Cuftoms of thefe People are barbarous in the 
higheft Degree, of which a very few Inftances may be 
fufficient to convince the Reader. If a Woman hap- 
pens to have two Children at a Birth, one of them is 
deftroyed as foon as it is born, and it would be efteem- 
ed a Crime to preferve it. Nor are they cruel only to 
Children, for if the Father and Mother of a Family hap- 
pens to fall fick, tho* the Difeafe does not appear to be 
mortal, yet they drag them away prefently to a Wood, 
let the Weather be what it will, and there they leave 
them, not indeed without Provifions, for they com- 
monly carry them as much as willferve them for a few 
Days, but they very feldom hear any more of them. 
When People die fo fuddenly that they cannot be thus 
removed, they drag the Body into the Woods, and 
leave it there to be devoured by the Dogs. There 
feems to be a good deal of Superflition in this, for 
fome of them will quit the Place of their Refidence, if 
a Man happens to breathe his laft in it. The Nation 
i z C «f 
