50 
SARYTSCHEW ? S TRAVELS* 
admonitions bv punishments. With such an anarchy it 'Would 
certainly be a subject of surprise, that this people should have 
hitherto obstinately maintained their independence against fre¬ 
quent and considerable bodies of Russians who have been sent 
against them, if we had not already seen the extraordinary 
effects which a love of liberty has in producing union among 
the members of a community. 
The principal cause of the campaigns against the Tschukschens, 
was a neighbouring people, the Koraks, who being at perpetual 
enmity with the former, and yet unable to stand against so 
powerful and valiant a foe, were compelled to put themselves 
under the protection of the Russians, and on that account to 
become tributary to the latter. With the aid of so powerful an 
ally, the Koraks sought every opportunity t)f urging their com¬ 
plaints against the Tschukschens, and often induced the Russians 
to take up arms against them upon frivolous and false pretexts. 
Whenever any reconciliation took place, the harmony which 
succeeded was but of short duration, being generally interrupted 
by some charge of the Koraks. Peace and war, therefore, 
commonly depended upon the judgment of the commander at 
the fortresses of Anadyr and Ischiga; but on the demolition of 
the fortress of Anadyr, and the introduction of a government at 
Ischiga, these differences with the Tschukschens having been 
compromised, we tried to allure them bv kind treatment, and 
found our efforts crowned with success. They now T come yearly 
to Ischiga and Mohne Kolymsk, in order to deal with the 
Russians, upon which occasion many of them also bring their 
japak or tribute. 
This commonly takes place at the close of February, or the 
commencement of March ; and when their trade is finished, 
they go off immediately to the Frozen Ocean, and spend their 
whole summer in catching fish and sea-animals, for which they 
have baidars that are not only fitted for coasting, but for more re¬ 
mote excursions. They very often pass Behring’s strait in these* 
attack the habitations of the savage Americans, and, after plunder¬ 
ing them, carry away many prisoners to their homes. 
Much as the Tschukschens excel all their neighbours in valour, 
they are much inferior to them in civilization of manners. They 
not merely kill their new-born infants for any defect, but the 
children relentlessly dispatch their parents on account of im¬ 
becility or disease; nay, it often happens that a sick person will 
solicit the favour of being killed, with the idea of dying more 
heroically than if he follows the course of nature, for they seem 
to think that a natural death is only fitted for old women. They 
are vindictive and cruel to those who offend them, without regard 
to relationship or friendship, of which they gave us an instance 
