A VOYAGE TO 
-94 
1779. knomted , had his nofe flit, and was banifhed firfl: to Siberia 
Septe mber. an( j afterward to Kamtfchatka, where he had now lived 
thirty-one years. He was a very tall thin man, with a face 
all over furrowed with deep wrinkles ; and bore, in his 
whole figure, the firongeft marks of old age, though he had 
fcarcely reached his fifty-fourth year. 
To our very great difappointment, he had fo totally for¬ 
gotten both his German and French, as not to be able to 
fpeak a fentence, nor readily to underhand what was faid to 
him, in either of thefe languages. We found ourfelves 
thus unfortunately deprived of what we flattered ourfelves 
would have turned out a favourable opportunity of getting 
farther information relative to this country. We had alfo 
promifed ourfelves much pleafure from the hiftory of this 
extraordinary man, which he probably would have been 
induced to relate to ftrangers, who might perhaps be of 
fome little fervice to him, but who could have no induce¬ 
ment to take advantage, from any thing he might fay, to 
do him an injury. No one here knew the caufe of his ba- 
nifliment; but they took it for granted, that it muft have 
been for fomething very atrocious ; particularly, as two or 
three Commanders of Kamtfchatka have endeavoured to 
get him recalled, fince the’prefent Emprefs’s reign ; but, far 
from fucceeding in this, they have not been even able to get 
the place of his banifhment changed. He told us, that, for 
twenty years, he had not tafted bread, nor had been allowed 
fubfiftence of any kind whatfoever; but that, during this 
period, he had lived among the Kamtfchadales, on what his 
own activity and toil in the chace had furnifhed. That af¬ 
terward he had a fmall penfion granted; and that, fince 
Major Behm came to the command, Iris fituation had been 
infinitely mended. The notice that worthy man had taken 
of 
