820 
have profpered ; and the difriéts contigu- 
ous to the place are rich, well cultivated, 
and covered with country-houfes. Not- 
withRanding the rivalfhip of Odefla, an- 
other impertant commercia! town on the 
fame fea, Cherfon is indifputably the firit, 
in poiat of the bufinefs tranfacted there, 
and the quantity of merchandize exported 
and imported. 
Et feems to be particularly adapted for 
the central point of commercial opera- — 
tions between Poland and the Black Sea; 
as its proximity to the places of the pro- 
dufétions themfelves, prevents the neceffity 
of commodities from the Polifh proviness: 
travelling a diftance of five or fix miles, 
and even more, to the Black Sea. Ar- 
t cles which are imported and exported by 
the Baltic, likewife compofe a part of the 
commerce of Cheffan, 
The French, Engiifh and Germans, 
fend to this place wines, fugars, coffee, . 
filks, oil, fruits, fale provifions, jewellery, 
furniture,, fulphur; and export in return 
hemp, tallow, rye, mafis, timber, fail- 
cloth, wax, wool, flax, furs, hare-fkins, 
pot-afh, leather raw and manvfactured, 
wheat, &c. 
Mott of thefe goods are accumulated in 
the towns fituated fome on the banks, the 
others at a fhort diftance from the Nieper 
and thenavigable flreams which difcharge 
themfelves into that river: they are trant- 
ported in barks or on rafts to Cherfon. 
‘Ahis port is much nearer the fertile pro- 
vinces of Ruflia than Riga or Peterfburg. 
No part. of the commodities deftined for 
Cherfon is removed till the breaking of 
the ice in the Nieper, which is commonly 
frozen from December till March ; the 
countries which produce them being at a 
fhort diftance from the rivers, they are 
conveyed by land at a trifling expence, 
which cannot be the cafe with the uorth- 
ern ports; an eflential and confiderable 
difference in a commerce of this kind, 
which confifts of objects of great weight 
and buik. 
Having remarked at Cherfon every 
thing that could contribute toward the ob- 
jet of his journey, the euthor continued 
fis route, confiaxtly keeping an attentive 
eye on fuch ‘places as prefented him with 
interefting objects for examination. 
Chicherfk, fituated en the river Soz, and 
furrounded with forefts, appeared to de- 
jerve particular attention. Mafts are cut 
in its’ vicinity ; but few pieces of large 
timber are found there. The trees are 
b:autiful. pines, ftraight, and full of vi- 
gour. The mafts of Chicherfk, deftined 
ter the Bahic, defcend the Soz in floats, 
On the Commerce and Navigation of the Black Sea. [May l, 
to the confluence of that river and the Ni- 
eper ; whence they are.conveyed, partly _— 
on fledges, and partly by means of the rie. 
vers, to the banks of the Dwina, on which 
the following fpring they drop down to 
Riga. The time occupied in this paflage 
is eighteen months, and fometimes, more. 
The fame difficulties and delays like- 
wife take place in the conveyance to the 
Baltic of the mafts and timber felled in 
the Ukraine and in Lithuania ; but thofe 
inconveniencies are not minded, becaufe 
the quality of the materials caufes them 
to be held ,in requeft, and the prices 
which they fetch in the arfenals of Europe, 
compenfates the expence of fuch along 
carriage. To juftify a fact confirmed by 
many others, namely the importance and 
advantage of the direétion of the com- 
merce of Ruflia by way of the Black Sea, _ 
the author informs us: that he exported 
mafts for the firt time, yet with faccefs,. 
from Ruffia, by 
that of ‘Toulon. 
Taganrock is another maritime place on 
the fea of Azof, which being much nearer 
to Mofcow, appears to’ be the natural 
mart of the maritime commerce of that 
ancient capital of Roffia, fituated ina fer- 
tile territory, and in the centre of one of 
the greateft empires in the world. 
Taganrock affords nearly the fame com= 
the port of Cherfon, for 
‘modities for importation and exportation. 
If the Wolga and Don-could be united, 
couformably to the proje€t of Peter the 
Great, it would be poffible to eftablifha 
commerce with the mafts of the Govern- 
ment of Cafan, fo much the more advan- | 
tageous, as this article of the firft neceflity 
for the. navy is increafing in price from 
day to day. - 
- The port of Taganrock~is capable of 
maintaining, 2s it aétually does, com- 
mercial relations with Perfia, to which 
country it fends, by way of Mofcow, co- 
chineal, indigo, cloth, feel, lead, &e. But . 
this place can never be ferviceable ta the 
dire&t commerce of India with Roffia 
The reute acrofs the ocean, end through 
the Sireights of Gibia'tar, is indifpu- 
tably fafer, fhorter, and lefs expenfive ; 
and the author juftly confiders the other as 
proper ét moft for tle commerce of Con- 
fiantinople with the weftero provinces cf 
Afia. iW > 
Iris well known that this commerce 
has been Jong carried on by the Armeni- 
ans, though with very great difficulties, 
by the way of Baflora, from which place 
goods are conveyed with infinite labour to 
Aleppo, and thence to Conftantinople. - If 
thefe commodities were to be fent cee 
= = zc) 
6 
4 
