12 
NICOLAIEFF, 
the Bong, their united waters discharge themselves into the ly- 
man of the Dnieper. 
NicolaiefF, together with Cherson, (or, as it is pronounced, 
Kherson,) Sebastapol, &c. &c., was founded by the celebrated 
Prince Potemkin. The track of conquerors is usually traced by 
towns depopulated, and once-fruitful fields made barren wastes; 
but this victor left flourishing cities, where he found none; and 
colonized coasts, where, before, there was hardly a fisher’s hut. 
This is indeed drawing the sword, to turn it into a plough-share; 
and who will deny such a conqueror present admiration, and the 
reverence of posterity ? 
A dock-yard has been established on the eastern shore of the 
Ingul, for building ships of war. One seventy-four, and one 
frigate, were on the stocks when I visited it. Indeed, an arsenal 
of this kind, and to be constantly at work too, is necessary to 
maintain a navy on these shores ; for the Black Sea possesses a 
peculiarity more hostile to its fleets, than the guns of the most 
formidable enemy, — nothing more than a worm! But the pro¬ 
gress of that worm is as certain and as swift as the running 
grains of an hour-glass. It preys on the ship’s bottom, and 
when once it has established itself, nothing that has yet been 
discovered can stop its ravages. Even coppered vessels are ul¬ 
timately rendered useless, when any small opening admits the 
perforation of this subtle little creature. 
Several disadvantages attend the situation of the dock-yard 
at NicolaiefF. Amongst the most material, is the obstruction of 
the river by a bar, which makes it necessary to apply the camel 
to large vessels, when they are required to pass over it. A 
similar inconvenience exists at St. Petersburg. It is to be la¬ 
mented that Peter the Great did not live to complete his designs 
