had hardly any paffage left. The foldiers fed luxuriously at the fisheries for nothing more than thanks. The weather was calm, and the current moderate, in many places the banks are high, and in others there is a flat fhore, the breadth being from a mile to a quarter of a mile.

On the 17th, our Author ftopped at Chernoyare. This is the first town from Zaritzen, from which it is diftant 200 werfts, and is efteemed half way to Aftrachan. It is defended by a ditch with fome cannon, and chevaux de frize. The inhabitants trade with the Khalmucks, Coobans, and other Tartars, in a quarter diftinct from the town. The next day, though he was obliged to lie by in the night, he advanced 90 werfts, but not without danger of being drowned; for the boat had no keel, nor any running tackle, and the watermen being extremely unskilful and not able to let the fail fly, it was a fingular providence that they were not overfet. As he proceeded farther feveral wrecks appeared on the banks of the river. Great flights of geefe and fwans were now on the wing, retiring from the approaching severities of this climate, to the warmer regions of Perfia.

On the 19th he observed on the shore a house made under ground, the walls were wickerwork, and the light came in from the top. Here was provided a bagnio for bathing, which the Ruffians ufe almoft as much as the MahomeThe place was inhabited by fome Nagay, and Circaffian Tartars, who ply on the river with open boats; and here were also fome

tans.

fettle

fettlements of the Khalmucks. From Zaritzen to Aftrachan very little wood appeared on the banks of the Volga. In fome parts of the wef. tern fide the country is hilly, and the foil is in feveral places rich.

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CHAP.

IV.

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A Defcription of Aftrachan, of its Fisheries and Trade. An Account of the neighbouring Tartars, and of the Flights of Locufts with which this Country is infefted. The Author continues his Voyage down the Volga to the Cafpian Sea. A fhort Account of the Khalmuck Settlements, and of the River Volga; with the Method of curing Caviare.

MR

R. Hanway being arrived at Aftrachan, was obliged to wait for Captain Woodroofe, in whofe fhip he intended to embark for Perfia, and took this opportunity of obtaining a more full information of the city of Aftrachan and its neighbourhood.

This city is the metropolis of a kingdom of the fame name, fituated in 47° north latitude, within the limits of Afia, in an island called Dolgoi, 60 English miles from the Cafpian Sea. It was taken from the Tartars, and contains about 70,000 inhabitants, among whom are many Armenians and Tartars of various denominations, with a few Perfians and Indians. The manners and customs of all these different peo

0 3

ple

ple exhibit an epitome of Afia. The city is about two miles and a half round, but including the fuburbs, five miles. It is furrounded by an old ruinous brick wall, and defended by a garrifon of fix regiments of the best Ruffian troops; alfo in the adjacent plain are erected many small batteries. The houses are of wood, and most of them very mean; the higher parts command a profpect of the Volga, which is here near three miles broad; but the melting of the fnow which creates floods, and the rifing of the water in autumn, are observed to affect the air and cause diseases. The city is furrounded by gardens and vineyards, which lie about two miles from it, and produce all the roots, plants, and trees known in England, except potatoes, collyflowers, and artichokes, and their orchards furnish them with plenty of apples, pears, cherries, and water-melons, which in tafte and colour refemble thofe in Portugal. Our Author met with no fruit which he thought extraordinary, but these melons, though the court are fo fond of the grapes, as to procure them at the expence of the land carriage, as already mentioned. The wine of Aftrachan is alfo very indifferent. As their fummers are generally dry, they are obliged to water their gardens; this is done by large wheels, fome of which are moved by horfes, and others by the wind. These wheels are so high as to throw the water to the most elevated part of the garden, whence it runs in trenches to the root of every tree and plant: in this manner the gardens and vine-yards are generally

rally watered from the middle of May to the middle of September. The chief game in the neighbouring country is partridges and hares; here are alfo water and wild fowl of all forts in great abundance, and in fummer plenty of quails.

About ten miles below Aftrachan is Bofmakoff, a fmall island remarkable for it large ftorehoufes of falt made about twelve miles to the eastward of it, and brought thither by boats, whence it is conveyed in large flat-bottomed veffels up the Volga. With this falt all the country is fupplied as far as Mofcow and Twere: in this place are likewife large fisheries, to which the neighbourhood of the falt-works is of great advantage. Thefe extend even to the Cafpian Sea, reaching fouth-eastward as far as Yaeik, and also a hundred miles above Zarit

Zen.

From these fisheries all the country is fupplied as far as Petersburg; the veffels are in the spring loaded with falt fish, but in winter, when fish will keep as long as it is frozen, it is carried by land as far as Mofcow and Petersburg. The principal forts are fturgeon, starlett, a large white fish called beluga, and affotra, which resembles fturgeon.

Captain Woodroofe, who had been for fome time at Aftrachan, affured our Author, that from the latter end of July to the beginning of October, the country about that city is frequently infefted with locufts, which fly in fuch prodigious numbers that they darken the air, and appear at a distance like a heavy cloud. The inhabitants fay, that they are generally seen as the cold weather comes on in their fight from

the

northward to the fouthward: wherever they fall they eat up every thing that is green; all gardeners therefore look out for them, and upon their first appearance endeavour to keep them off by making as much smoke and as great a noife as poffible; but these destructive infects, after flying as long as they are able, fometimes fall in their gardens, on the tops of houses, and even into the fires. Their bodies, compared with the fmallness of their wings, are very large and generally from two inches to two and a half long, and about three quarters of an inch in diameter; their shape nearly refembles the largest fort of green grafs-hoppers. Mr. Woodroofe obferves in his journal, that as he was once failing up the Volga to Aftrachan, he faw a prodigious cloud coming from the west-north-weft, which is across the river. The winds at that time blew very fresh, and nearly from the fame point, when the locufts falling down, the water was covered with fuch vaft fwarms of them, that in fome places they greatly obftructed the motion of the boat, for ten or twelve fathoms together. He also says, they live for fome time under water, for as they mounted on each others backs they formed a cluster of near three feet diameter which rolled along by the force of the wind, and the rapidity of the current. In this manner they were driven afhore. Their wings being dried, they got upon the pasture and very few were drowned. For three days they lay fo thick upon the plain upwards of three miles round, that it was impoffible to walk without treading

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