An account of the inhabitants of Camchatca, and of the country itself; from a work lately published by authority at Petersburgh.

THO

HOUGH the country call ed Camchatca was long known to the geographers of former times, yet fo little were they acquainted with its fituation, that they believed it to be joined to Yeffo; and this opinion was looked upon in thofe days as a very probable conjecture; but it has been fince found that between the two countries there is a large fea, interfperfed with many iflands. The Ruffians could form their maps of Camchatca only from conjecture, till it was brought under their fubjection; and then they could not immediately procure any accurate or fatisfactory knowledge of the country, for want of perfons properly qualified to make the neceffary inquiries.

Two late expeditions have greatly contributed to complete the geography of these parts; particularly the laft, in which the fea officers delineated exactly all the eastern coast of Camchatca, as far as the cape of Chukotfkoi, all the western to the Penchinfka gulph, and from Ochetskoy to the river Amur: they defcribed the islands lying between Japan and Camchatca, and alfo those which are between Camchatca and Ameri

men of the academy undertook to determine the fituation of Camchatca by aftronomical obfervations, and to remark every thing worthy of notice in the civil and natural history of the country and places adjacent.

That great peninfula, which makes the boundary of Afia to the north-eaft, and stretches itself from north to fouth about 7 deg. 30 min. is called Camchatca. The beginning of this peninfula is at the rivers Puttaia and Anapho, lying in 59 deg. 30 min. north latitude. The firft runs into the Penchinska fea, and the other to the eastward. At thefe places the ifthmus is fo narrow, that the fea may in fair weather be feen on both fides from the hills in the middle. As the country runs broader towards the north, this place may be reckoned the ifthmus that joins the peninsula to the main land. The government of Cam chatca extends no farther than to this place; and all the country north of this boundary is called Zenoffe, and is under the govern ment of Anadit.

The fouthern part of this perinfula, which is called Lopatka, lies in 51 deg. 3 min. north latitude; the difference of longitude. from Petersburgh is by the best ob fervations found to be at Ochot fkoy 112 deg. 53 min. eaft, and thence to Bolfcheretfkoi, or the Great River, 14 deg. 6 min. eaft. The figure of the peninfula

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Camchatca is plentifully furnished with rivers; however, they are fo little, that none of them are navigable by the fmalleft vef fels, except the river Camchatca, which will carry fmall veffels 200 verfts upwards from its mouth, into this river, it is reported that fome Ruffians were brought by fea long before its fubjection to Ruffia.

Upon the banks of the river Camchatca is found plenty of roots and berries, which, in fome meafure, fupply the want of corn. There is also wood fufficient not only for building houfes, but even for fhip-building; and, near the head of this river, both fummer and winter, corn would grow as well as in any other places in the fame latitude, the foil being deep and rich; for, though fnow falls in very great quantities, yet it thaws early enough, and the fpring is not fo rainy, nor have they fuch damps there as in many other places. Several trials of fummer-corn have been actually made in the neighbour hood of both the upper and lower Oftrog, or pallifadoed town of Camchatca; in which both barley and oats have fucceeded. At the monaftery of our Lord of Jakutski, they have feveral years paft fown about a barrel of the firft kind of grain, which yielded a crop, not only fufficient for groats and meal for their own ufe, but even enough to fupply their neighbours. It cannot be expected they fhould fow much

larger quantities, as, for want of horfes, they are obliged to plough their land with men.

As to garden-ftuff, the most fucculent plants produce only leaves and ftalks; cabbage and lettuce never come to perfection, and peas continue in bloffom till late in the harveft, without yielding fo much as a pod, but fucculent roots, fuch as turnips and radishes, thrive well. The grafs runs up near fix feet high, efpecially near the rivers and lakes, and, befides, grows fo faft, that it is fometimes mowed thrice in a fummer; the cattle therefore are large and fat, and give plenty of milk all the year; for the grafs continues full of juice, even to the beginning of winter, and this juice being condenfed by the cold, preyents the grafs from turning hard during that feafon, fo that the cattle find food in the fields all the winter. The places where the grafs thus grows, are never so much covered with fnow as the bogs and fwamps, and, for this reason, it is difficult to travel over them in winter. But we shall wave at prefent any further account of the foil of this country, or other parts of its natural hiftory, to proceed directly to the hiftory of the natives, and their cuftoms and manners.

The natives of Camchatca are

as wild as the country itself. Some of them have no fixed habitations but wander from place to place, with their herds of reindeer; others have fettled habitations, and refide upon the banks of the rivers, and the fhore of the Penfchinfka fea, living upon fifh and fea animals, and fuch herbs

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as grew upon the fhore: the former dwell in huts, covered with deer-fkins; the latter in places dug out of the earth; both in a very barbarous manner. Their difpofitions and tempers are rough; and they are entirely ignorant of letters or religion.

The natives are divided into three different people, namely, the Camchatcans, Koreki, and Kuriles. The Camchatcans live upon the fouth fide of the promontory of Camchatca: the Koreki inhabit the northern parts, on the coaft of the Penchinfka fea, and round the eaftern ocean, almoft to Anadir: the Kuriles inhabit the islands in that fea, reaching as far as those of Japan.

The Camchatcans have this particular cuftom, that they endeayour to give every thing a name in their language which may exprefs the property of it; but, if they do not understand the thing quite well themselves, then they take a name from fome foreign language, which perhaps has no relation to the thing itfelf; as, for example, they call a prieft Bogbog, becaufe probably they hear him ufe the word Boghog, God; bread they call Brightatin Augh, that is, Ruffian root; and thus of feveral other words to which their language is a ftranger.

It appears likely, that the Camchatcans lived formerly in Mungalia, beyond the river Amur, and made one people with the Mungals, which is farther confirmed by the following obfervations, fuch as the Camchatcans having feveral words common to the Mungal Chinefe language, as their terminations in ong, ing, oang, chin, cha, ching, kfi, kfung; it

would be ftill a greater proof, if we could fhew feveral words and fentences the fame in both languages; but, not to infift only upon the language, the Camchatcans and Mungals are both of a fmall ftature, are fwarthy, have black hair, a broad face, a fharp nofe, with the eyes falling in, eyebrows fmall and thin, a hanging belly, flender legs and arms; they are both remarkable for cowardice, boafting, and flavifhnefs to people who use them hard, and for their obftinacy and contempt of those who treat them with gentlenefs.

Although in outward appearance they resemble the other inhabitants of Siberia, yet the Camchatcans differ in this, that their faces are not fo long as the other Siberians; their cheeks ftand more out, their teeth are thick, their mouth large, their ftature middling, and their fhoulders broad, particularly those people who inhabit the fea-coaft.

Before the Ruffian conqueft, they lived in perfect freedom, having no chief, being fubject to no law, nor paying any taxes; the old men, or thofe who were remarkable for their bravery, bearing the principal authority in their villages, though none had any right to command or inflict punishment.

Their manner of living is flovenly to the laft degree; they never wash their hands nor face, nor cut their nails; they eat out of the fame dish with the dogs. which they never wash; they never comb their heads, but, both men and women plait their hair in two locks, binding the ends with fmall ropes. When any hair

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ftarts out, they few it with threads to make it lie clofe; by this means, they have fuch a quantity of lice, that they can fcrape them off by handfuls, and they are nafty enough even to eat them. Thofe that have not natural hair fufficient, wear falfe locks, fometimes as much as weigh ten pounds, which makes their heads look like a haycock.

They place their chief happinefs in idleness, and fatisfying their natural luft and appetites; which incline them to finging, dancing, and relating of love ftories; and think it more eligible to die, than to lead a difagreeable life, which opinion frequently leads them to felf-murder. This was fo common, after the conqueft, that the Ruffians had great difficulty to put a stop to it. They have no notion of riches, fame, or honour; therefore covetoufnefs, ambition, and pride are unknown among them. On the other hand, they are careless, luftful, and cruel thefe vices occafion frequent quarrels and wars among them, fometimes with their neighbours, not from a defire of increafing their power, but from fome other cafes; fuch as the carrying off their provifions, or rather their girls, which is frequently practifed as the most fummary method of procuring a wife.

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Their trade is almost entirely confined to procuring the immediate neceffaries and conveniencies of life. They fell the Koreki fables, fox, and white dog fkins, dried mushrooms, and the like, in exchange for cloths made of deer Ikins, and other hides. Their domeftic trade confifts in dogs, boats, difhes, troughs, nets,

hemp, yarn, and provifions, and this kind of barter is carried on under a great fhew of friendship; for, when one wants any thing that another has, he goes freely to vifit him, and without any ceremony makes known his wants, although perhaps he never had any acquaintance with him before: the hoft is obliged to behave according to the custom of the country, and give his guest what he has occafion for but he may afterwards return the vifit, and must be received in the fame manner.

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They fill almost every place in heaven and earth with different fpirits, and offer them facrifices upon every occafion. Some carry little idols about them, or have them placed in their dwellings ; but, with regard to God, they not only neglect to worship him, but, in cafe of troubles and miffortunes, they curfe and blafpheme him.

It is very diverting to fee them attempt to reckon above ten; for, having reckoned the fingers of both hands, they clasp them together, which fignifies ten; then they begin with their toes, and count to twenty; after which they are quite confounded, and cry, Metcha? that is, where fhall I take more? They reckon ten months in the year, fome of which are longer and fome fhorter; for they do not divide them by the changes of the moon, but by the order of particular occurrences that happen in those regions; they commonly divide our year into two, fo that winter is one year, and fummer another: the fummer beyear gins in May, and the winter in November.

They do not diftinguish the days by

by any particular appellation, nor form them into weeks or months, nor yet know how many days are in the month or year. They mark their epochs by fome remarkable thing or other, fuch as the arrival of the Ruffians, the great rebellion, or the first expedition to Camchatca.

They are ignorant of the causes of eclipfes, but when they happen, they carry fire out of their huts, and pray the luminary eclipfed to fhine as formerly. They know only three conftellations the Great Bear, the Pleiades, and the three ftars in Orion; and give names only to the principal winds.

If any one kills another, he is to be killed by the relations of the perfon flain. They burn the hands of people who have been frequently caught in theft; but, for the firft offence, the thief muft reftore what he hath ftolen, and live alone in folitude, without expecting any afiftance of others. They never have any difputes about their land, or their huts, every one having land and water more than fufficient for his

wants.

They think themselves the happieft people in the world, and look upon the Ruffians who are fettled among them with contempt. However, this notion begins to change; for the old people, who are confirmed in their cuftoms, drop off, and the young ones, being converted to the Chriftian religion, adopt the cuftoms of the Ruffians, and defpife the barbarity and fuperftition of their ancestors.

In every Oftrog, or large village, by order of her imperial ma

jefty is appointed a chief, who is fole judge in all caufes, except thofe of life and death; and not only thefe chiefs, but even the common people have their chapels for worship. Schools are alfo erected in almoft every village, to which the Camchatcans fend their children with great pleafure: by this means it is to be hoped, that barbarity will be in a fhort time rooted out from amongst them.

of the Ostrogs, or habitations of the Camchatcans.

Under the name of Oftrog, is underflood every habitation confifting of one or more huts, all furrounded by an earthen wall or palifado.

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The huts are built in the following manner: they dig a hole in the earth about five feet deep, the breadth and length proportioned to the number of people defigned to live in it. In the middle of this hole they plant four thick wooden pillars; over thefe they lay balks, upon which they form the roof or cieling, leaving in the middle a fquare opening, which ferves them for a window chimney this they cover with grafs and earth, fo that the outward appearance is like a round hillock; but within they are an oblong fquare, with the fire-place in one of the long fides of the fquare: between the pillars, round the walls of their huts, they make benches, upon which each family lies feparately, but on that fide oppofite to the fire, there are no benches, it being defigned for their kitchen furniture, in which they drefs their victuals for themselves and dogs. In thefe huts where B 3

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