Retrofpedt of F. rench Literature—Voyages and Travels. 633 
the amufement and inftruction of girls, 
to whom M. Campe addrefles himfelf 
ip an appropriate preface. 
‘© Voyage fait par Ordre ede PImpéra- 
trice de Ruffie, Cather d: ins le 
Nord de la Ruffie Adistique, dans la 
Mer Glaciale, dans la Mer d’Anadyr, 
et fur les Cétes de Amérique, depuis 
1785, jufqu’en 1794, parle Commodore 
BILLINGS ; rédigé par M. Saugr, Se- 
crétaire-interpréte de Expedition.” —_ 
A Voyage, undertaken by ‘Order of 
~ Catharine II. Emprefs of Ruifia, to the 
North of Afiatic Ruffia, &c. 
The difcoveries of Captain Cook in 
the weftern parts of America of courfe 
attracted the attention of Ruffia, in 
confequence of the vicinity of fome of 
the dominions of that immenfe empire. 
The Emprefs Catharine, defirous to reap 
every poflible advantage from this event, 
determined to ft out fome veflels forthe 
purpoie of exploring thofe regions, and 
appointed Captain Lieut. J. . Billings 
to the command. ‘This officer does not 
appear, however, to have altogether ful- 
filled the purport of his miflion, for he 
paid but little attention to the coalts of 
America, and feems to have contented 
himfelf with vifiting the Aléutian 
iflands, and procuring intelligence re- 
Jative to the interior of. the country, 
fituated in the north-ealt -of Afia, 
which is inhabited by the Tchouttfkis. 
It is evident, from this work, that 
the exclufive monopoly, granted by her 
Imperial Majefy to acompany, has en- 
tirely annihilated the trade in tkins; 
for juch has been the avidity of the ad- 
venturers, that fome of the {pecies of 
animals producing furs have been en- 
tirely exurpated, and the whole thinned 
‘to fuch.a degree as to be nearly anni- 
hilated. The natives of the adjacent 
iflands too, by having the misfortune to 
be recognifed as the fubjeéts of Ruffia, 
are plundered by tax-gatherers, while 
thofe appointed to govern them are re- 
duced to mifery, in confequence of the 
{mallnefs of their allowance. The in- 
habitants of Oonalafcha profefs a reli- 
gion which abounds with extravagan- 
cies, and the priefts, to increafe “and 
perpetuate the delufion, pretend toa 
knowledge of magic. The govern- 
ment, on the other hand, is dehrous to 
convert them to Chriitianity, by means 
of Ruffian Popes, who break their 
idols, baptize. by force, and tell them 
to refpect the Trinity, invoke St. Ni- 
cholas, and adore the crofs, which they 
fulpend to their necks. It appears that 
shi Ade 
thetorture of the knout is already in- 
troduced there, and that. it is jultified 
by vote re 2 that the victims are only 
Heathens 
“i topaue en Iflande, fait par Ordre 
de S. M. Danoife, contenant des Ob- 
fegvations fur les Moeurs etsJes Ufages 
desHabitans ; uneDeicription desLacs, 
Riviéres, Glaciéres, Sources Chaudes,: 
et Volcans; des diverfes. Efpéces de 
Terres, Pierres, Fofliles, et Pétrifica- 
tions ; des Animuaux, Poiffons, et In- 
fedtes, &c. &c. avec un Atlas; traduit 
du Danois par GAUTIER DE LA PEY- 
RONIE, Tradutteur des Voyages de 
Pallas, Paris, 5 vols. in 8vo. Prix q2 
fr.”—-Voyage to Iceland, undertaken 
by Order of his Majetty, the King of 
Denmark, &c. | / 
We learn from this work a num- 
ber of curious particulars relative to 
Iceland ; but, itis not a little remark- 
able, that the precife date of the voy- 
age is not once mentioned throughout 
the whole work. 
Iceland is divided into four diftrigts, 
and we are told: 
1. That in the fouthern pofition, or 
the diftriét of Kiofar, the foil produces 
fufiicient herbage to enable every pea- 
fant to keep from four to eight cows, 
and from forty to fifty iheep, during 
the winter. \ 
2. The weftern part is: flat and 
marfhy ; it produces nothing but 
birches and buthes, and in winter alone 
is it poffible to vifit it. 
3. [In the northern region, the moun- 
tains are very extenfive, and exhibit 
undoubted proofs of having been over- 
turned by means of fubterraneous fire. 
The inhabited part,we are affured, ** is 
beautitui and rich in paftures.” 
4. The eaftern fide, we are taught to 
elieve, produces fucculent herbs, and 
fubftantial plants; and we are alfo 
informed, that there are fome fertile 
fpots, ‘* but they are fo completely fur- 
_ rounded by eternal froft, that even the 
fheep of that country are unequal to 
the tafk of reaching them, although 
they often become wild.” 
who inhabit this quarter participate 
in the nature of the country. 
Mount Hecla, or Hekla, fo celebrated 
among the volcanoes of the terreftrial 
globe, i is fituated in the fouthern por® 
tion of the iland. ‘The Icelanders, 
who are at once ignorant and credu- 
lous, believe that the fouls of the 
damned are confined tbere, and that it 
is guarded by numerous birds of a 
dingy 
The people ~ 
