This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. http://books.google.com /4s, 0 HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY or THE PEABODY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY GIFT OF R.B. Dixon Received May 7, 1936 NARRATIVE A PEDESTRIAN JOURNEY RUSSIA AND SIBERIAN TARTARY, FRONTIERS OF CHINA FROZEN SEA AND KAMTCHATKA; [•XIIVORMED DURIHG THE TEARS 1820, 1821, 1822, AND 1823. CAPT. JOHN DUNDAS COCHRANE, R.N. PHILADELPHIA .- H. C. CAREY, & I. LEA, AND A. SMALL; AND COLLINS & HANNAY, NEW-YORK. 1824. Jl 371 A S, KOL--XL (-"_>x ••* V-T TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE VISCOUNT MELVILLE, K.T. FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY, ETC. MY LORD, WHEN I determined upon committing to the press the following Narrative of my journey through Siberia and Tartary, I felt a desire that I might be permitted to dedicate the same to your Lordship. For the kind and handsome manner in which your Lordship was pleased to comply with my request, per mit me to hope that your Lordship may derive a few hours of amusement from the perusal of the work; and should this wish fortunately be accomplished, I shall not consider my time to have been uselessly employed. I have the honor to be, with all respect, YOUR OBLIGED AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, JOHN DUNDAS COCHRANE. PREFACE. IT has not been, the kind partiality of my friends, the common apology for an uninteresting or ill written book, which has induced me to launch upon the world the following narrative of my journey to the utmost north ern and eastern limits of the Russian empire; nor has it arisen from a vain idea of my being qualified for a task of the kind. No person (except the foreign noble man under whose especial countenance the principal part of the undertaking was accomplished) has recom mended such a proceeding. The publication, therefore, whether of merit or demerit, is entirely prompted by the novelty of the journey, and of the mode of accom plishing it; for, even in these days of wonderful achieve ments, it has excited some surprise that a Captain of the British Navy should undertake a journey of many thousands of miles, alone, on foot, and over a country considered as next to impassable. That the journey has only in part been performed on foot, is to be attri buted to the liberality of the Russian government, as well as to the hospitality of its people. Had the Empe ror Alexander, however, refused the assistance I solicit ed, required, and obtained, I am free to declare that it is next to impossible to traverse his Empire on foot. I VI PKEFACE. fairly made the experiment. For a long time I adopt ed that economical mode of travelling, until the press ing solicitations of every one convinced me it would be folly to decline any longer the acceptance of such offers as they were pleased, from real benevolence, to make me. I frequently walked, and as frequently rode, and was thus enabled to go over a vast extent of country in a short time; and such is the kind disposition of the Rus sian character towards a stranger, as evinced in my case, that I feel convinced that, by studying their manners and customs, partaking of their amusements, shewing respect to their religion, and otherwise conforming to their rude notions, the Empire of Russia may be tra versed by a foreigner in every direction, with much con venience, plenty of food, good lodgings, and even suita ble raiment, without molestation, and this for so incon siderable a sum, that to name it were to challenge disbelief. I shall, therefore, only state that the expenses of my journey from Moscow to Irkutsk (by the route I went six thousand miles,) certainly fell short of a guinea. Such being the case, such being the novelty of the journey, such being our ignorance of Siberia, and every thing connected with the public institutions of that dis tant part of the world, I consider it my duty, as well as my interest, to submit to the candour of an indulgent public the following pages. Effectually to disarm the critic, I need only say that I entered into the cockpit of a man of war at the very early age of ten: if that be not sufficient, let the fact of a journey of more than thirty thousand miles, performed under peculiar circumstan ces, be taken as a set-off against a want of powers bet ter fitting an author than a traveller. PREFACE. VII I cannot, however, but entertain a hope that the nar rative will be found not void of interest. It contains no alterations from the original notes, it has simply been lopped of those branches which could not interest the English reader; probably, it has not even yet been suf ficiently pruned, for I fear I have still left marks of hav ing pried into proceedings which may appear not to have come within my province. When my readers, however, consider the peculiar situation in which I was placed for more than three years, I hope they will give me credit for the impartiality of my opinions, and the truth of my statements. Respecting the character of the Russians, I do not feel myself competent to give what may be termed a proper description. I might be charged with a want of impartiality, and therefore prefer that my readers should form their own estimate, after a due consideration of the facts stated in my Narrative. The variety of conflicting testimonies has rendered the task still more difficult: some who have written upon the subject have grossly exaggerated, while others have advanced assertions totally unfounded. Thus much, however, I will take upon myself to say, that no people have made more rapid strides towards civilization, mo ral and intellectual improvements, than all classes of the Russians, and further I say, that their catalogue of fail ings, for they do not merit the appellation of crimes, by no means exceeds those of other countries. There is another ground on which I would fain per suade myself that these pages may be productive of some good; may they not prove the means of stirring up the enterprising spirit of those who have better means and greater talents than I pretend to? Should a travel ler who has the pecuniary means, the requisite talents, VttI PREFACE. and the spirit and perseverance indispensable, enter upon the vast fields of Tartary, he will find ample scope for the exercise of his genius, whether he be a philoso pher, a botanist, a naturalist, or an historian. For my self, I profess only to have acted in the capacity of a rough pioneer, and having cleared the way, leave the road open for the scientific, to pursue his journey when it best suits him. To the impatient mind these pages may also afford a salutary lesson. Should such a character peruse this narrative, and trace me through a long, laborious, and highly perilous journey, contrasting the frequent misera ble situations in which I have been placed, with his com paratively happy one, he will, I trust, learn " to be con tent:" he will also learn that there are few difficulties which patience and spirit may not overcome, and cr- >f man may fearlessly go where he will, so long as his con duct answers to his movements. I may be allowed to add, that after such a journey, I might be supposed cured of the spirit of travelling, at least in so eccentric a way; yet the supposition is far from the fact, for as I am conscious that / was never so Imppy as in the tcilds of Tartary, so have I never been so anxi ous to enter on a similar field as at this moment. THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Pig* Motives for undertaking the Journey — Dieppe — Rouen — Paris — La Ferte — Chalons — St. Dizicr — Nancy — Metz— Sarrebruck — Land- shut — Kaisers Lautcrn — Frankfort — Schlucten — Fuld — Erfurth — Leipsic— Duebcn— Potsdam— Berlin 1 CHAPTER II. Angermumle — Stettin — Corben— Coshen— Romini— Zanow — Schlaws — Lauenburg — Nfeustadt — Dantzic — Konigsherg---Curisch Haff-— i£temel--Prolangen — Mittau — Riga — Dorpat — Narva — Yamburg — Kipene— St. Petershurg 20 CHAPTER III. St. Petershurg — Tzarsko Selo — Tosna — Novgorod — Zaitzova — Yedro- va — Vishncy-Volotshchok — Torjock — Tver — Davidova — Moscow — VlaiVimir--Dratchevo~ Pogost— Paulovo— Nishney Novgorod . 40 CHAPTER IV. The Volga— Makarieff— Kusmodemiansk— Tchebacksar — Vutchi— Ka zan — Perm— -Koungoor— Souksoum, Demidoff's Zavod— Achits- kaya Krepost—Krasnooufinsk Belimbaiefsky Zazod— Ekatherine- bourg.-Berczofsky— Kamishloff— Tumen— Tobolsk 64 CHAPTER V. Brief History of Western Siberia, and of its Conqueror Yermak — Imalak — Ingeary— Kaminski — Kamisart— Ishim— Tusnabolova— B * \ CONTENTS. P«ge Tukatinsk— Omsk-— The Kirguise — Cuhnucks — Jelicz'mskaya— - Yamishefsk — Poyanoyarsk — Uh'msk — Uvarova — Alcxnnilrofsk — Bouktourma — Krasnojarsk— Maloi Narymsk — Chinese Frontier — The Irtish — Ustkamenegorsk— Ismayelova—Neighbourhood of the Kolyvan — Kalmanka — Barnaoule — Tomsk — KiofF — Krasnochinsky — Bagota— -Atchinsk — Krasnojarsk — Kansko— Ingasbe — Nishney Udinsk— Irkutsk 89 CHAPTER VI. Irkutsk— Vercholensk— Kircnga— Vittim— Jerbat — The Tongousians— Otekminsk— Bistack—Yakutsk— The Lena— Aldan— The Tookos- tar— Baralass— The Sartar— The Bouroulak— Tabalak— The Tos- tak and Dogdoa— Kabbrcgah, &c. rivers— The Rasoka~The Beekhall and Btudenayab — The Chouboukalah, Galanimah, and Indigirka — Zashiversk — Brusnicka — Sordak — The Alazea — Mid dle Kolyma — Malone — Nishney Kolymsk 132 CHAPTER VII. Nishney Kolymsk-— Ostrovnaya Fortress — Description of the Fair held there, with the Tchuktchi tribe—Observations on that people, and on Baron Wrangel's Expedition 175 CHAPTER VIII. Departure from the Kolyma — Lapteff— Sredne Kolymsk— Kosatchey Ostrog—Verchne Kolymsk — The Zyzanka Hokusolbetee and Bo.