Volume 1

A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore].

  • John Hamilton Moore
Date:
[1785?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A new and complete collection of voyages and travels / [John Hamilton Moore]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    664/684 page 580
    pires of China and Ruffia, for the city of Arguin is the laft frontier of the province of Dauria, fubje<ft to the jurifdidion of the Ruffians. As the Mongul 7 artars are always roving abroad for booty, the ambaffadors caravan was obliged to keep a watchful eye wherever they went, but as thole rartars are for the mod part, pufillanimous cowards, they were not much afraid of them. The ambaflador difpatched twenty of his CofTacks to the town of Naun, on the frontiers of China, in order to know in what manner he was to be received, but they could not proceed in lefs than four days, becaufe the rivers were fo much fwelled, that they had over- uOV^Vh2r ^an^s» and rendered it dangerous for thofe CofTacks to attempt pafling them, although they are leldom afraid of the moft threatening dan¬ gers. ° About ten days afterwards the CofTacks, with the meflengers that had been fent to the city of Naun, returned and brought advice to the ambafTador, that there was a perfon of rank come from Peking, to meet him and receive him with the honours due to his rank. While they were waiting for the return ofthefe meffengers, a Ruffian convoy came up, con- fifhng of 300 camels. They were returning from China, where they had been to purchafe goods, and to diipofe of the commodities of their own Country. hey fpent t<vo days together, entertaining one another in the moft friendly manner, for few things can be more pleafing, than for the natives of a coun¬ try to meet each other in a foreign land. Thefe friendshaving parted, the ambafTadorwith his retinue proceeded on his journey two days longer through many fruitful plains, and encamped near the fource of the river Gull, which is another of the boundaries, between Afiatic Ruffia, and China. For leveral days after they travelled through the moft de¬ lightful wood the branches of the trees covering heir heads. Here were likewife many filbert trees* and although not fo high as thofe in Europe, yet they were fo loaded with fruit, that they afforded an agreeable entertainment to thofe people in the ca¬ ravan, while the camels and horfes were refrefhed by the fweet grafs, that grew along the Tides of the paths. At laft they were received by the Chinefe mefTengers from the emperor; but of this we muft treat afterwards, in our account of the different travels into that extenfive empire. Thofe other parts of Afiatic Ruffia, which we have not yet defcribed, are fuch as lay near the bor- ders of Perfia, along the banks of the Wolga. The iirit place deferving our notice, is the ifle ofDol- iS ar]1 fan('y and barren’ producing ^ Khin&if°rcth^ ^PP0/11 of human life, except what f3 brought forth by the fevereft induftry of the in¬ habitants, in their gardens, and in fome final] fpots of ground. The continent on the right hand is no lefs barren, but on the left, towards the river Jaika, are fome very good paftures. On this fide the olga is a very long heath, extending feventy German leagues to the Euxine fea, and another ex- tend.ng eightv leagues to the Cafpian fea, the laft of which generally takes up two weeks to travel over ; *fjhec0ni? ‘b/HS thefe barren heaths produce, is fait, of which there are many valuable pits, and in theirUdfar amC S- Kf C.°mmerce’ the Ruffians in the r dealings wnh the eaftern Tartars, who qUant,t,es of k for the prefervation the winter ’ UP° WhKh ,hey ,ivC Sre« °f leaves'it by th.e heat of tho r“n. which leaves it to fwim upon the furface of the water of crvT, /n“VCh;hick’ much i»«he form af rock 'he va|ue of'a half P'°digiouS quantities, that for take uo of it aho Pf y’ °ne may be Permitted to take up of it about forty pounds weight, one cruft ThS Mr ,‘ak? °ff’ ibut another comes up. 1 his fait is much efteemed, but we do not find that anyof ,t,s (cm into Europe, hecaufe it anfwfrs he endoi the merchants to a better purpofe to fend jt [1768. among the Tartars* who pay them for it in the com¬ modities of their own countries. The Wolga between Aftracan and the Cafpian fea abounds fo much with fifh, that the gentlemen in the retinue of the ambafTadors ftom the duke of Hol- ftien, bought twelve large carp for two-pence, and 200 young fturgeons for half a crown ; lobfters are here in infinite numbers, becaufe the Mufcovites and Tar¬ tars do not eat of them. The numerous ifles in the river afford a great variety of wild-fowl,. efpeciallv wild geefe, and wild ducks, which the Tartars hunt with falcons and hawks ; and in the breedino- of thefe birds, theTartars are very ingenious. TlTefe Tar tars are very much addicted to the hunting the wild boar, and becaufe their religion does not permit them to eat it, they fell it to the Mufcovites. The fruits here are much inferior to thofe which grovy in Perfia, but fome of them are much eaten, particularly a fort of melons, called Arpus by the I artars, becaufe they are of a cooling nature. The feeds from which they grow were firft brought from the Ind'es, and the fruit is pleafant both to the fight, and the tafte : the rind being of a lively green colour, the meat of a pale carnation, and the feed black, and yet for all that, they are fold as cheap as the wo ft of our apples. r * Grapes were but lately introduced here by means of Tome Perfian merchants who brought the fik fancies of them to Aftracan, and being fold to an old monk, who happened to be there on a vifit, he carried them home to his.convent, and planted them in his garden. Peter the Great, having tafted fome of thefe f rapes ordered the monk to propagate them with unremitting induftry, which he did fo effectually, that fome years ago when the Holftien ambafTadors vifited the place, no houfe was without its walks or arbours of vines This Ihzt tLfhmdlClV0 ^ adIanta^e of the inhabitants, that the andlord where the ambafTadors lodged, told uT’ ulaf y6ar before’ the vines about his houfe had yielded him one hundred crowns, and that fome of the vines in fmall gardens had yielded no lefs than Tixty pipes of excellent wine. Wh°fe namq wiI1 ever be treated with refpedf in the country, was born in Auftria, in Ger- many5 and being taken pnfoner by the Tartars was fold to thofe Mufcovite Tartars, and by them to the Mufcovites. Having embraced the religion of the Greeks, he turned monk, and became the fuperior of a convent. He lived to a great age, and was murh efteemed and refpeaed by all who knew him. And with alMharff efS CSme “ V1,5t he treated fbem w ith all that his convent could afford, and with fuch pleafure as none but the virtuous feel. fnrlhei Tartars Nagalia, near the Wolga, were formerly governed by their own princes, till they wereeon^ered by the Mufcovites, about the year them’ tha^T ?fC f° ™ny Mufcovites among them, that they begin to live on amicable term* many of the Tartars having embraced the relio-ion of the Greek church. The&fe Tartars are S more refined in their manners, and lefs ferocious than hole we have mentioned inhabiting near the borders of China; but they ftill retain many of their antieni- cuftoms, fuch as eating the flefh of horfes and drinking the blood of thofe ainmals wbfen they are taken fick. When they go out to war, they are all mounted on horfe-back, and when they c me to deep river that cannot be forded, they difmount in an inftant, and plunging themfelves into the water with their horles bridles in their hands, fwim acrofs with as much eafe as if they were marching cn In all that part of Tartary which lays fouth of Aftracan along the banks of the Wolga, the neo-nl^ in winter affemble in troops together, f nd lodgPe a proper diftance from each other, that they maf be in a condition to affift each other againft thl CaLucs who in that feafon generally pay them a vifit to rob them of every thing they can carry away. for th;. realon the Ruffians furniffi them with arms and ammunition-
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