Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

north-east of these last, at the distance of 600 or 800 verfts ;(three verfts are about equal to two English miles] and were called the Andreanofffky Ifles.

Somewhat before this time, however, a confiderable Archipelago had been difcovered; beginning at the distance of about 15 degrees from the laft mentioned iflands, and lying about fouth-eaft, or east-south-eaft, from them: extending between the 56th and 61ft degrees of north latitude, and from 211 degrees of longitude moft probably to the continent of America.

Notwithstanding these discoveries, it does not appear that the main land of America has been touched at by any of the veffels in the late expeditions; though poffibly, fays our German Author, the time is not far diftant when fome of the Ruffian adventurers will fall in with that coaft. More to the north perhaps, at least as high as 70 degrees latitude, the continent of America may ftretch out nearer to the coaft of the Tschutski; and form a large promontory, accompanied with islands which have no connection with any of the preceding ones. That fuch a promontory really exifts, and advances to within a very fmall distance from Tfchukotfkoi Nofs, can hardly be doubted; at least it seems to be confirmed by all the lateft accounts which have been procured from these parts. That prolongation therefore of America, which by Delifle is made to extend weftward, and is laid down juft oppofite to Kamtchatka, between 50 and bo degrees latitude, must be intirely removed; for many of the voyages related in this collection lay through that part of the ocean, where this imaginary continent was marked down.'

Treating of this fubject in his Appendix, Mr. Coxe offers fome conjectures concerning the proximity of the Fox Iflands to the continent of America. The first intelligence, he obferves, concerning the fuppofed vicinity of the coafts of Afia and America was derived from the reports of the Tschutski in their intercourse with the Ruffiahs. Vague and uncertain accounts, drawn from a barbarous people, cannot deferve implicit credit; but as they have been uniformly and invariably propagated by the inhabitants of thefe regions, from the middle of the last century to the present time, they muft merit at least the attention of every curious enquirer.

These reports were firft related in Muller's account of the Ruffian difcoveries, and have been lately thought worthy of notice by Dr. Robertfon, in his Hiftory of America. Their probability feems ftill further increased by the following circumftances.

Plenifner, Commander of Ochotfk, received express orders from the court of Ruffia to proceed to Anadirfk, and to procure all poffible intelligence concerning the north-eaftern part of Siberia, and the oppofite continent. Not content with

B 2

collecting

collecting all the information in his power, from the Koriacs, who have frequent intercourfe with the Tíchutfki; he alfo fent one Daurkin into their country. This perfon was a native Tíchutfki, who had been taken prifoner, and bred up by the Ruffians. He continued two years with his countrymen, and made feveral expeditions with them to the neighbouring iflands, which lie off the eaftern coaft of Siberia. The fum of his intelligence was as follows:

-That Tfchukotfkoi Nofs (the north-eaftern cape of Afia) is a very narrow peninfula; that the Tfchutfki carry on a trade of barter with the inhabitants of America; that they employ fix days in paffing the ftrait which feparates the two continents: they direct their courfe from ifland to ifland;, and the diftance from one to the other is fo fmall, that they are able to pafs every night afhore. More to the north he defcribes the two continents as approaching ftill nearer to each other, with only two iflands lying between them.'

This intelligence remarkably coincided with the accounts collected by Plenifner himself among the Koriacs. Plenifner returned to Petersburg in 1776, and brought with him several maps and charts of the north-eaftern parts of Siberia, which were afterwards made ufe of in the compilation of the general map of Ruffia, publifhed by the Academy in 1776. By thefe means, the country of the Tichutki has been laid down with a greater degree of accuracy than heretofore. These are probably the late accounts from thofe parts which the anonymous Author alludes to.'

We fhould add, that Mr. Coxe has, in his Appendix, given us fome further intelligence on this fubject; which, how imperfect foever, is all that he has yet been enabled to procure, and is accompanied with an authentic chart. It relates to a voyage of difcovery, begun by Lieutenant Synd, in 1764, and finished in 1768. He fteered a courfe more to the north-eaft than any of his predeceffors; and confequently, as appears from the preceding relations, had a much better chance of falling in with the continent of America; which undoubtedly approaches nearest to that of Afia to the northward.

This navigator fell in with a cluster of iflands (moft probably those above-mentioned, to which the Tfchutfki refort) ftretching between 61 and 62 degrees of latitude, and 1950 and 2020 longitude. Thefe iflands lie fouth-eaft and east of the coaft of the Tfchutfki; and feveral of them are fituated very near the fhore. Befides thefe fmall iflands, he difcovered alfo a mountainous coaft lying within one degree of the coaft of the Tfchutski, between 64 and 66 degrees north latitude; its moft western extremity was fituated in longitude 199° 1. This coaft is laid down in his chart as part of the continent of America; but it

cannot

[ocr errors]

cannot be known on what proofs he grounds this determination, until a more circumftantial account of his voyage is communicated to the public.

For a recital of the various adventures of our Ruffian navigators and difcoverers, or rather fox-hunters-(for fuch was their principal object and occupation) who have explored the fea between Kamtchatka and America, fince the time of Beering, we must refer the Reader to the work itself. He will there meet with a series of difafters, particularly arifing from repeated infurrections of the natives of the new difcovered iflands; which might indeed naturally be expected by a set of strangers fucceffively invading the territories of others, and not only establishing themfelves upon them, and killing their game, but in a short time exacting tribute from them, for the use of a certain unknown potentate. This laft claim must appear the more extraordinary to thefe iflanders; who do not pay any tribute, and fcarce any respect, to their own nominal chiefs. It appears à difficult task, and not to be accomplished without blows, to perfuade fuch people to contribute to the revenue of a diftant Emprefs; and yet, in fome of the iflands, fuch a revenue has been eftablished.

From the account of the laft expedition to the Fox Iflands in 1769, undertaken by order of the Emprefs, we fhall felect a few particulars relative to the inhabitants, and the proceedings of their new vifitants.

These islanders are of a middle ftature, a tawny brown colour, and have black hair. Their fummer drefs is a kind of shirt made of birds fkins; over which, in bad weather, and in their boats, they throw cloaks made of thin whale guts. To ornament their countenances, they thruft a pin four inches long, made of bone, through the partition of the nottrils; from the ends of which, in fine weather, and on high feftivals, they fufpend rows of beads, one below the other. To render themfelves ftill more charming, they perforate their under-lips, and thruft into the holes either beads, or bits of pebble, cut in the fhape of teeth. According to the account of a preceding voyager, they make three incifions in the under-lip; placing in the middle one a flat bone, or a small coloured ftone, and, in each of the two other perforations, a long pointed piece of bone, that bends and reaches almoft to the ears. Men and women indifcriminately, adorn them felves with thefe nofe and lip pins; nor do the dreffes of the fexes materially vary in other particulars.

[ocr errors]

They are very fond of Ruffian oil, or butter, but not of bread. They could not be prevailed upon to taste any fugar, until the Commander fhewed the example; and then finding it fweet, they put it up to carry it home to their wives; of whom

it

it is common for them,' fays the Author of the account, to have two, three or four, and fome have alfo an object of

tural affection, who is dreffed like the women.' The Author alludes to, but without clearing up, this last obfcure circumftance; when he afterwards obferves, that though their boats are like those of the Americans, their customs and way of life seem to indicate that they are of Kamchatdal origin. Their huts,' he adds, their manner of kindling fire, and their objects of unnatural affection, lead to this conjecture.'—On being afked concerning their origin, they faid that they had always inhabited these islands, and knew nothing of any other country beyond them.

[ocr errors]

In each village there is a kind of Chief called Tookoo, wha is not diftinguished by any very particular authority, or marks ́ of rank; nor is his office hereditary. He decides their differences; and the only mark of his dignity is, that when he goes out to fea, he is exempted from working, and has a fervant for the purpose of working the canoe. At all other times he works like the reft.

The Ruffians frequent these islands on account of furs, of which they have impofed a tax on the inhabitants. The traffick is thus conducted. They go in autumn to Beering's and Copper Ifland, and there winter; employing themselves in catching what are here called the fea cat and fea-lion. The flesh of the latter is reprefented as very delicate food. They carry the fkins of these animals to the Eastern or Fox Iflands, where they are used in conftructing the boats of the iflanders. These islands they vifit the next fummer, and there lay up their fhips for the winter. They then endeavour to procure, either by perfuafion or force, the children of the inhabitants, particularly of the Tookoos, as hoftages. This being accomplished, they deliver to the inhabitants fox-traps, and fkins, for which they oblige them to bring furs and provifions during the winter. After obtaining from them a certain quantity of furs, by way of tax, for which they give them quittances; the Ruffians pay for the reft in beads, falfe pearls, goat's wool, copper kettles, hatchets, &c. In the fpring they get back their traps, and deliver up their hostages.'

6 They dare not hunt alone, nor in fmall numbers, on account of the hatred of the natives. Thefe people could not, for fome time, comprehend for what purpose the Ruffians impofed a tribute of fkins, which were not to be their own property, but belonged to an abfent perfon; for their Tookoos have no revenue. Nor could they be made to believe, that there were any more Ruffians than those who came among them: for in their own country, all the men of an ifland go out together. At prefent they comprehend fomething of Kamtchatka, by

means

means of the Kamtchadals and Koriacs who come along with the Ruffians; and on their arrival love to affociate with people whose manner of life resembles their own.'

As all the furs that are brought from the new difcovered iflands, and which are of confiderable value, are fold to the Chinese, Mr. Coxe was naturally led to make inquiries concerning the commerce between Ruffia and China. The conqueft of Siberia opened a communication with this laft mentioned country; and paved the way to the discoveries related in the present work, The fecond part of the prefent performance is appropriated to this fubject. It contains a fhort account of the conqueft of Siberia by the Ruffians, and the hiftory of the tranfactions between Ruffia and China, together with the prefent state of the commerce between the two countries. The materials of which it is formed have been chiefly compiled from the works of Mr. Muller, and Mr. Pallas; augmented by additional circumtances, relative to the Ruffian commerce with China, which the present Author collected during his refidence at Petersburg. In this narrative are contained accounts of the tranfactions relative to the firft irruption of the Ruffians into Siberia, in the fixteenth century; and of the final conqueft and colonization of that country, towards the middle of the feventeenth, when their progrefs was checked by the Chinese, with whom the difputes concerning the limits of the two empires were finally terminated by the treaty of Kiachta, in 1728; by which it was ftipulated, that the commerce between the two countries fhould be tranfacted at the Ruffian and Chinese frontier towns of Kiachta and Maimatfchin, nearly adjoining to each other.

A view of the latter, or of the Chinese frontier town, is here given; together with a particular account of its buildings, pagodas, &c. Though it contains about 1200 inhabitants, it is a very remarkable circumftance, and is perhaps the only inftance of its kind in the world, that there is not a fingle woman among them. This circumftance, we are told, is occafioned by the policy of the Chinese government; which totally prohibits the women from having the flighteft intercourfe with foreigners.

To give the Reader fome idea of the immense tract of coun try, through which the merchandize is tranfported by land carriage, in the trade carried on between Ruffia and China; the Author gives a lift of diftances between various places fituated in this tract. From this it appears, that the distance from Petersburg to Kiachta, by the way of Mofcow, Tobolsk, and Irkutsk, is no less than 6508 verfts; and from Kiachta to Pekin, 1532 verfts: fo that the whole of the route from Peters, burg to Pekin amounts to more than 5300 English miles.

B 4

One

« AnteriorContinua »