1030 A fuccinct Account of Book III, 
the Ruffians fhould be content to profecute one Point at or the Soil, fo incorrigible, as to take away all Hopes of 
once, they may again become Mailers of Afoph^ and of making it a tolerable Habitation. It is indeed \rue, 
that advantageous Commerce that might be carried on that Ibme Hints have been given of taking a fliorter 
from' thence. Nay, it is not at all impoffible that they Way, by fettling a Port at the Mouth of the River Le« 
may conquer Crim ’Tartary, which, with relpcdl to 
Trade and Naval Power, would be the molt important 
Acquifition they could make ; but it would require much 
Time and no fmali Application to render fuch a Con- 
quefl; as advantageous as it might be made to their Em- 
pire, and indeed to the Chriftian World in general. 
On the Cafpian alfo Peter the Firft built VelTels of 
various Sizes, and conquered fome of the molt: valuable 
Countries in Perfta he likewife formed Projedls of 
Difcovery in the moft diftant Fart of that Sea ; whercj 
for the Encouragement of his People, he gave out 
there were Gold Mines ; but all thefe Projects, partly 
by other Accidents, but chiefly by his Death, came to 
nothing. The fame great Emperor actually opened a 
Trad^ by Land to China, of which we have given a 
large Account, and of the Reafons of its Declenfion. 
Reafons that Hill fubfiit, and will always fubfilt, while 
the Government is carried on in Conformity to 
the Maxims that having prevailed there for many Ages, 
are not likely to be laid afide in hafte. It remains that 
we fhould examine the Gaufes that have hindered the 
Accomplifhment of the two laft Defigns. 
With refpedl to thefe, there is nothing clearer than 
that the vaft Diftance of Kamfchatska, the prefent Con- 
dition of that Country, and the great Difficulty of efta- 
biifhing any certain and eafy Communication between 
it and the weftern Provinces of the Empire, are Ob- 
Ilacles of fuch a Nature as muft render it very hard to 
furmount. On the other Hand, we are very well ap- 
prized of the fettled Averfion which the Japonefe have 
to any Correfpondence with the Europeans, which there 
are good Grounds to believe may rife higher with re- 
gard to the Ruffitans, whom, notwithftanding their vaft 
Dominions in Afia, they will always confider in that 
Light. 1 fay, that we have good Grounds to believe, 
that their Averfion will rife higher againft them than 
any other Nation, becaufe their Apprehenfions, in re- 
fpedl to their Power, will be greater and better 
founded. Thus we fee that there is no great Caufe to 
be furprized, that the Court of Petersbourg has not been 
able to make any great Progrefs hitherto in that Com- 
merce, of which Captain Spanherg gave them fuch 
mighty Expedlations. 
Yet great as thefe Obftacles are, they feem to be ftill 
inferior to thofe that lie in the Way of this fo much 
wifh’d-for Commerce with the Northern Continent of 
America ; for which, as we have fliewn, they are utterly 
unqualified, until fuch Time as Kamfchatska is much 
better improved than we have any Reafons to beJieve 
it is at prefent ; becaufe, as we have already ftiewm, the 
Space is much larger between the two Continents than they 
apprehend j and if it were much lefs, it is not very eafy 
to conceive either with what Commodities they would 
trade from Kamfchatska, or where they would find Men 
to undertake any thing in the Way of Conqueft. The 
Reader will obferve, that I ftate thefe only as very great 
Difficulties, which it will be hard, but not impoffible 
to overcome. The Method they are now in of furvey- 
ing thefe Countries, diligently inquiring into their Pro- 
duce, and framing from thence natural Hiftories, tra- 
cing the feveral Rivers from their Sources to their 
Mouths, bringing the barbarous Inhabitants under 
Obedience, and ufing every other Means poffiible to 
come at an exaCl Knowledge of their vaft Dominions, 
though very flow, is out of Comparifon the fureft to 
attain Succefs. 
It is not at all improbabl©^ that in Procefs of Time 
they may find either Mines or Drugs, or fome other 
Commodities of Value, that may make the Plantation 
and Improvement of thefe Places, at leaft bear the Ex- 
penccs, and fo by Degrees extend their Seqtlements and 
Fortreffes in a regular Manner from Tohoiski to Ochotski ; 
and then, no doubt, the peopling and improving KamJ- 
cat&ka will be found far eafier than, is generally imaging ; 
for, as. I hinted before, there feetns to be good Reafon 
Ip believe,, that there is nothing, either in the Climate 
na, and opening the Navigation to Kamfchatska by Veifels 
of confiderable Burthen. I might object to this, what 
Tsbrant Ides tell us of the Northern Seas being choaked 
with Ice for feveral Years together, fo as to render fuch 
a Paffage abfolutely impradlicable j but as I am ftrongly 
inclined to doubt the Truth of this, I cannot think it 
fair to alledge any fuch Thing. But fuppofing the 
Paffage to be always prafticable in the Summer, which 
is the utmoft that can be contended for,, yet the tho- 
rough fettling of Kamfchatka will remain a Thing abfo- 
lutely requifite before any Difcoverjes of Importance 
can be undertaken with any tolerable Advantage on 
that Side, fince after fo long a Voyage as that round 
the North-eaft Cape, it cannot well be imagined that 
Veffels fhould be in a Condition to proceed,, without 
putting into fome Port for Refrefhment, 
If therefore this could be done at Kamfchatska, and 
proper Magazines of Provifions and Naval Stores were 
ereded there, no Doubt need be made, that in the 
CoLirfe of a few Years, Things in this Part of the 
World would change their Face, and a Commerce of 
very great Confequence might be foon fettled. Wheat, 
ever this ffiall be effeded, and fuch a Navigation fronj 
Pradice and a perfed Knowledge of the proper Sea^ 
fons made common, if not convenient, I cannot help 
hazarding a Conjedure, that the Court will call to 
Mind a Projed formerly fet on Foot for reviving and 
reftoring the Trade of Archangel. It may be faid, thaC 
to fuppofe the Poffibility of an eafy Pafiage to the 
North-weft of Nova Zembla, which muft be the Gourfe 
from any Port eftabliffied at the Mouth of the River 
Lena, is abfurd aud romantiek, but this is eafier faid than 
proved; the Dutch Ships thatnvere Tent in 1670 for 
the Difcovery of the North-eaft Paffage, aduaily paffed 
Kovmd Nova Ze?nbla xhtoih-QC NfdLy, and therefore it 
very plain the Thing is not at all impoffible ; and to 
People who inhabit the Country that borders upon the 
Sea, have an Opportunity of making Choice of the 
fitteft Seafon, and may have fuch Affiftances from the 
Nature of their Government, as cannot be expeded iqi 
Places, where not only the Climate, but the Laws are 
milder ; this may, in Procefs of Time, and that no 
very long Time either ; be render’d very pradicable, 
and Archangel become once more the Centre of the 
Ruffian Trade, as in former Times. The Reafon that 
the Czar Peter the Great, who delighted fo much in 
Improvements, made it in fome Meafure a Point to 
rain Archangel, withdrawing the Trade from it, may 
be very eaffiy learned. In the firft Place, it had been 
infulted by the Swedes, which, made him apprehend, 
that the richer this Port grew, the more likely it would 
be to tempt his Neighbours to make it fuch Vifits. Be- 
fides this, he was very intent upon whatever might 
contribute to the eftabliffiing, enlarging, or enriching 
of the new City of St. Petersbourg, which he was build-, 
ing, and which he was equally defirous of rendering 
the Centre of Commerce, and the Capital of his Em- 
pire. 
Both thefe Reafons are, in a great Meafure, taken 
away ; for with Regard to the Power of the Swedes, 
and the Safety of Archangel, there are no longer any 
Apprehenfions, or indeed the leaft Grounds for thern j; 
and with refpeft to Petersbourg, it will always remain 
the Center of the Baltiek Trade, as well as the Weft.- 
ern Capital of the Ruffian Empire ; fo that inftead of 
fuffering, it would in reality receive great Advantage^ 
by the Revival of the Commerce at Archangel ; and ftfU 
greater, if fuch a Communication j:ould be opened, a§ 
that which I have defcribed. We were heretofore very- 
well acquainted with that Port, as having a regular 
as well as conftant Navigation thither ; but of late we 
[peak lefs of it, and confequently are fo much the worfe 
Judges of its Confequences, which is in reality very 
great, fince there is no Place in the whole Dominions 
of Ruffiia that lies fo conveniently for uniting the Com.- 
merce of the moft diftant Countries in the Eaft with 
that 
