Chap. III. the R u s s i 
that of Europe. Of this a remarkable Specimen has been 
given from our own Hiftory, and that too in a moft 
extraordinary Period^ as I could very eafily fhew, if it 
was proper at this Time ; another I have exhibited 
from my own Conjefture, in Cafe thele Difcoveries to 
the North-eaft fliould be profecuted with Effect ; and a 
third fhall be taken Notice of hereafter, but in the 
mean Time, I believe it may contribute to the Amufe- 
ment and Relief of the Reader, and at the fame 
Time prove no great Interruption to the Courfe of our 
Reafoning, if we infert a very ingenious and lively 
Defcription of this Port, when in its moft flourifhing 
Condition, written upon the Spot by Sir Dudley North, 
a Man of remarkable Abilities, and no lefs diftinguifh- 
ed for his Accuracy in obferving, and his Veracity in 
relating whatever he met with worthy of Notice, in the 
many Years that he fpent Abroad. 
This Gentleman after a very pleafant and humo- 
rous Defcription of this Voyage, which not being to 
our Purpofel pafs by, proceeds thus in fetting forth the 
State in which he found the Port that is now under 
our Confideration. “We went alhore to live in 
“ Houfes built with Trees laid along one upon ano- 
“ ther, and let in at the Ends, the Streets are pa- 
“ ved with Trees, and the Houfes covered with Birch 
“ Bark. The Ground where the Englijh are appoint- 
“ ed to dwell, is paled round with great Trees fet up- 
“ right ; the like there is for the Dutch -^.n^Haraburghers. 
“ The Emperor of RuJJia fends down every Vear a 
“ Governor, and a Gort or Judge to keep the Peace, 
“ and decide all Differences. Their Law is in their 
“ Heads, and what comes out of their Mouth is with- 
“ out Controul or Appeal. So that whatever Diffe- 
“ rence arifcth between one Man and another, it is fure 
“ to’be fully decided in lefs than an Hour. After the 
“ Parties have once fpoke, he gives the decifive Stroke, 
“ and there’s an End. 
“ Now this is a fine Place to live in, Viduals of all 
“ Sorts plenty, and brave Sunfhine Weather : As we 
“ failed along the Coaft of Norway, I fancied the 
“ Clouds, though loft in the Horizon, were but a fmall 
“ Diftance from us, which this place confirms, elfe 
“ one place could not be fo very ferene, and another 
“ fo cloudy, and that almoft conftantly. For at the 
“ North Cape it is rare to fee the Sun, and here at 
“ Archangel, about two hundred L.eagues diftant, not a 
Cloud to be feen for feveral Months together ; 
“ when we were two Leagues diftant from the huge 
“ Mountains on the Coaft of Norway, we could 
“ plainly difcern the Clouds to pafs between the 
“ Mountains and us. 
“ One of the Inconveniencies that lie on thofe who 
dwell in this Country, is, that the People are fo 
“ given to Naftinefs, that nothing can be eaten out of 
“ their Hands j you fhall have perhaps four Brothers 
“ and as many Sifters, with their Father, Mother, 
“ Hufbands, and Wives, all dwell in one hot Houfe, 
“ iWiJbe) they call it. They have nothing but a little 
“ Straw ftrewed on the Ground to lie upon. They 
“ wear loofe Garments above, with Linnen Drawers, 
“ which go down to their Heels, and a fhort Shirt un- 
“ derneath like a Coat. To this in the Winter, they 
“ add a Cafftan as they call it, which is an Under- 
“ Coat, the Upper they call a Shube. And for their 
“ Boots, and huge thick Stockings, and double Mit- 
“ tens for their Hands, they never alter but continu- 
“ ally wear them. The Women I think are the 
“ moft deformed Creatures chat ever were feen, ge- 
“ nerally fiiort, and by Reafon of their lying in 
“ Wifbies and Baftoes, very fwarthy. Their Wear is 
for the labouring Women, Boots, but for them 
“ that keep Houfe, neither Shoes nor Stockings ; they 
“ wear a Linnen loofe Garment next their Skin for the 
“ moft part, without any Thing elfe, but fometimes 
“ they have another of blue Callico over the former, 
“ but that is all. ’ 
“ The Men account it a Sin to have either long Hair 
“ or a fhort Beard. They are extremely fuperftitious, 
“ every Man has his Objed of Worfhip, but fome 
“ twenty or more. They are Commodities fold in the 
VoL. II. N^ CXLIl. 
“ Market, and they will not fell any to a Stranger, dr 
“ fuffer him fo much as to touch them. Thefe are 
“ Pidures of the Saints, and that of our Saviour. 
“ The great Men burn Lamps before them Day and 
Night, and adorn them richly with Gold and Pearb 
“ but when thefe are worn out, and they cannot fee 
“ any Thing of them, they hold it not lawful to burn 
“ them, but in a folemn Manner carry them to the 
“ Sea, and there fet them a-drift to fhift for them* 
“ felves. 
“ Thefe People are generally Thieves from the firft 
“ to the laft, and fteal not only from Strangers, but 
“ Neighbours i and PofTeftion is all the Law they have 
“ among themfelves. Drinking is their only Paftime, 
“ and he that is not drunk on a Holiday, or Sabbath- 
“ day, is not either a Friend to their God, or Emperor. 
“ They are all left to get their Livings the beft Way 
“ they can. He that is a Carpenter To-day, is a La- 
“ bourer To-morrow. Every Man breeds up his own 
“ Sons, and it is a Shame to be wifer than their 
“ Forefathers. 
“ This Town of Archangel ftands on a Bog, and if 
“ you offer to walk out of Town, (except one Way, 
“ which is by the Water-Side, leading to a fmall 
“ Grove of Trees, that are of a competent Height, 
“ and moftly Pine, Fir, and Birch) if the Way be not 
“ paved with Planks, as ordinarily is done, to make 
“ a Paflage from the Town to fome Windmill, you 
are prefently over Shoes and Boots. Amoni the 
“ reft of the Hands, fome are very good Gro'unds, 
“ and bear Corn of all Sorts, which after it is turned 
“ Colour, as it will in five Weeks after it is put in the 
“ Ground, they cut down and lay in the Sun to ripen 
or harden, and thus they often have two Crops in 
“ a Year. ^ 
“ You fiiall not fee in all this Country, one hundred 
Acres of good Ground without a Monaftery or two 
or three in Sight of it j who will may fhave him- 
“ felf a Ftyar, but it is feldom done unlefs in Sicknefs, 
“ for they think, whoever dies without the laft Undion 
“ cannot be faved, and he that recovers, and lives af- 
“ ter he hath received that Sacrament is a Friar all thp 
“ reft of his Life. 
“ In this Country the Hufband is the foie Com- 
“ mander of the Wife, who difiers very little from 
his Servant. Many will marry their Sons very 
“ Young to lufty Baggages, on Purpofe to gain able 
“ Servants. 
I fhall add (though not very material) the Pro- 
“ cefs of making Tar, the Produd of this Place. They 
dig a Hole in the Ground of a competent Size 
fome two or three Fathom deep, and a little lower 
“ than the middle they make a Platform of Wood 
“ and thereon heap Earth about a Foot deep, except 
“ in the Middle, where an Hole is left in the Form of 
“ a Tunnel. Then they fill the Pit with Fir Billets 
“ piled up from the Platform, and rifing about a 
“ Fathom or more above Ground, which° part they 
“ wall about with Turf and Clay to keep in the Fire 
“ They command the Fire by quenching, for which 
“ Ufe they make a Lixivium of the Afhes of Fir 
When all is ready they fet Fire a-top, and keen 
“ the Wood burning, but very leifurely, till it comes 
“ within a Foot or two of the Partition, and then they 
“ heave out the Fire as faft as it is poffible, for if ic 
“ once lay hold of the Tar, which is fettled down in- 
“ to the lower Pit it blows all up forthwith. Thefe 
Tar- Pits occafion a great deal of Trouble, and require 
“ many Men to tend them during the Time of their 
“ Burning, that the Fire may defeend even and ki 
» fiirely, whereby the Tar may have Time to foak out 
or the Wood, and fettle down into the Pit As ic 
“ comes from the Wood it is pure Tar, but in the 
“ It mixeth with Water, which iffues from the 
“ Wood alfo, therefore it muft be clarified from it 
“ once or twice. 
The M^anner of their Baftoes or Baths is worth 
Notice. They are made as a fquare Room, in 
“ one Corner pf which is built a Sort of Oven, the 
“ Top of which is coverec^with ^reat round Pebble- 
Stones, 
