Stones laid very thick one upon another, without any 
“ Mortar. In this Oven they burn an Arm-full or two 
‘‘ of Billets-, and, during the Fire, leave the Door open 
“ for the Smoke to go out, which , elfe could not pafs 
“ for the Clofenefs of the Room. When the Fire is 
“ our, and the Stones thoroughly hot, you go into it 
“ ftark naked, and the Heat is fo extraordinary^ that 
in lefs than a Quarter of an Hour the Sweat fhall 
“ run from you like Water, and the Heat almofl; ftifie 
“ you. There are feveral Benches, which are the De- 
“ grees of Heat •, on the Ground it is tolerable, but 
a very few are able to hold up their Heads to the Top 
of the Room, or Hand upright. They heat the 
“ Room to what Degree you pleafe, by dafhing cold 
“ Water upon the Stones, which doth wonderfully 
“ augment it. Thefe Baftoes are fuch common Things, 
“ that there is fcarce an Houfe, however poor, that 
« wants one. They feldom or never lie with their 
“ Wives but in the Bafto ; the Women are always 
brought to Bed in it. It is common to fee Men 
(land at the Church Door, not daring to enter, be- 
“ catife they have not waflied fince they lay with their 
“ Wives, fo nice is their Devotion. 
“ All the Tools they work with about Wood is an 
“ Flatchet, and all of a Bignefs, fo that the largeft 
« Trees, and fmalleft Pieces of Wood are wrought 
“ upon with the fame Tool. I believe they are the belt 
“ Hatchet-men in the World, for except a Shave, they 
“ have no other Tool to do all Manner ol Work. 
“ Mold Houfes in the Country are of Wood, and have 
“ no Sort of Materials elfe about them : And fome 
again, as at the City of Mofcozv, for Prevention of 
Fire, have not a Stick of Wood about them, the 
“ very Doors and Windows are ol Iron. Mod of our 
“ Warehoufes here have Fire- houfes under them it is 
“ a perledt Houfe under Ground, built as others are, 
“ and covered with great Trees, with a Fathom of 
“ Earth laid over it. The Door is deep and laid 
“ round with Brick. When a Fire happens, the 
“ Goods are flung down at that Door, and there al- 
“ ways Band ready about a Dozen Barrels of Sand, 
“ which ferve to dam up the Door. Then the Houfe 
“• may be burnt to the Ground, and all the Goods re- 
“ main fafe.” 
This fliort and entertaining Account demonflrates to 
us fufflciently the Poffibility of rendring Archangel a 
very commodious Place, a good Port, and a well for- 
tified Town ; fo that in all thefe Refpefts it might very 
well ferve as a middle Place for the Reception of the 
Commerce of Europe and Afia \ and if the Ruffians can 
tell how to bring it thither, of all the Iflands between 
Afia and America^ and even of America itfelf. It has 
been before hinted, that another Propofition has been 
made for fettling the Trade of the Eafl: here of late 
Years, that is, in the' Reign of the Czar Peter, of a 
different Nature from either of thofe which the Reader 
ha^ yet met with ; the lormer, he mufl; remember, went 
upon this Suppofition, that the Commodities and Ma- 
nufaftures of the Indies might be brought through Per- 
fta to the Cafpian Sea, and fo by various Rivers to Arch- 
angel The other fuggeftsa Poffibility of carrying on a 
Trade from Kamfehatska to the Iflands near Japan, to 
Corea, China, &c. and carrying the Produce of this 
Trade round by Sea to Archangel 
This other Propofal goes upon the old Suppofition, 
that a North-eafl; Paffage was impraflicable •, and there- 
fore two Merchants laid a Scheme before the Senate, to 
make a Communication between feveral navigable Ri- 
vers and Lakes, by the Means of which, the Ruffiian 
Merchants might carry their Goods from Archangel to 
the Eaftern Ocean, and fo by an eafy and fhort Way 
, trade to Japan and the Eaji Indies, to the incredible 
Advantage of the Ruffiian Dominions. The Connedfion 
was to be by the Rivers Vzuina, Fafta, Irtis, Oby, Keta, 
Teniffia^ Angur, the Lake Baikal, the Rivers Schulka, 
,and Amur, the latter of which runs through Dauria into 
the Eaftern Ocean. It would perhaps be no difficult 
Thino' to fhew, that though this Scheme is not impof- 
fible or impradticabie, yet it would be much harder to 
acoomplifti, than that of opening a Communication by 
Account of Book 
Sea ; and the only Reafon I mentioned it was to fhew how 
many different Methods have been contrived fo transfer 
the EaJl India Trade, at leaft in a great Meafure to the 
Ruffians •, according to all which, Archangel has been 
the Port preferred ; fo that fome Time or other, per- 
haps, it may obtain what has been fo long fought, in 
different I'imes, by different Heads, and from fuch dif- 
ferent Ways. 
To conclude this Subjedf, and to fhew how great a 
Sacrifice was made in the eftablifhing of Petershourg, I 
fhall prefent the Reader with a Memorial, fhewing the 
Inconveniencies that would arife by transferring thither 
the Trade from Archangel It was drawn up by a Com- 
mittee of Merchants, who were the beft acquainted with 
the Interefts of Ruffia, and of the reft of the Nations in 
Europe trading thither, and though it had no Effeft, 
yet the Fads contained therein are very curious ; they 
were briefly thefe : 
I, That at IVohgda only, a Town fituate between 
Mofeow and Archangel, there are three German Mer- 
chants, who at their own Charge maintain 25000 Per- 
fons and upwards in dreffing and preparing Hemp 
to be fent to Archangel, and from thence into fo- 
reign Countries : But fhould they be obliged to 
keep fuch a Number of People at Petershourg, where 
every Thing is five Times as dear as at Wologda, that 
Trade not only would turn to no Account at all, bur 
they would even be Lofers by it. 2. That the greater 
Part of the Exportation of Archangel is of the Growth 
of the neighbouring Country of Wologda, from whence 
thofe Commodities are with a great deal of Eafe carried 
by Water to Archangel ; whereas were they to be tranf- 
ported to Petershourg, it muft be done a great Way- 
over Land, and with far greater Expences to the Mer- 
chants. 3. That the Soil zt Petershourg is fuch, that 
ihe Hemp cannot be kept there a tew Months without 
growing damp. 
It is hoped, that from thefe Remarks and Reflexions, 
the Reader will be led to a perfed Acquaintance with 
the Conftquences of the Ruffiian Difeoveries, the Nature 
of the feveral Projeds that have been formed for impro- 
ving and extending the Commerce of that Empire, and 
the Effeds that thefe muft neceffarily pruduce upon the 
Trade of Europe in general, in cafe they thouid ever 
be brought to any tolerable Degree of Perfedion, than 
which it would be hard to find a Subjed more ufeful o^ 
more entertaining to fuch as are defirous of acquainting 
themfelves with the real and fubftantial Knowledge that 
is, the Refult of Enquiries into the paft and prelent State 
of diftant Countries, and of learning from the Compa- 
rifon of the Situation and Produds of the feveral Parts 
of the Globe, how they may be beft conneded and made 
ufeful to each other. 
But it may poffibly be objeded, that all thefe Things 
are at a very great Diftance, in as much as hitherto the 
Ruffians have fcarce entered into any Kind of Commerce 
with other Nations, or at leaft with other Nations who 
inhabit Countries lying at a Diftance from them *, fo 
that to confider them in the Light of a naval and com- 
mercial Power, feems a little premature •, and confider- 
ing alfo the Viciffitude of human Affairs fomewhat chi- 
mericak But to this it is very eafy to give a full and 
fatisfadory Anfwer. It is fcarce half a Century fince 
this Nation became thoroughly known to the reft of 
Europe, that is to fay, known as an independent and 
great Pow.er, capable not only of holding the Balance 
of the North, or rather of preferibing to the Powers 
there, but alfo of having a confiderable Influence upon 
the general Syftem. Yet within this fhort Space, and 
notwithftanding feveral Revolutions in their Govern- 
ment, they have acquired, and that very juftly, a very 
high Degree of Reputation, as well by a fuccefsful War 
againft the Turks, as by their important Conquetts from 
the Crown of Sweden j and exclufive of this, have twice 
within the laft twenty Years, given Check to the Power 
of the Houfe of Bourhon, and Peace to Europe, by 
marching their Troops into Germany, exadly in the 
fame Manner, as when the over-grown Power of the 
Houfe of Auflria engaged the Swedes in an Enterprize 
of the like Nature, and with the like Succefs. If there- 
