The principal nauigations, voyages, traffiques and discoueries of the English nation. [vols. 1-3] made by sea or ouer-land, to the remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth, at any time within the compasse of these 1600. yeres: deuided into three seuerall volumes, according to the positions of the regions, whereunto they were directed. The first volume containeth the worthy discoueries, &c. of the English ... The second volume comprehendeth the principall nauigations ... to the south and south-east parts of the world ... By Richard Hakluyt preacher, and sometime student of Christ-Church in Oxford.

The natiue commodities of the Countrey.

FOr kindes of fruites, they haue Apples, peares, plummes, cherries, red and blacke,* 1.1 (but the blacke wilde) a deene like a muske millian, but more sweete and pleasant, cucumbers and goords (which they call Arbouse) rasps, strawberies, and hurtilberies, with many other beries in great quantitie in euery wood and hedge. Their kindes of graine are wheat, rie, barley, oates, pease, buckway, psnytha, that in taste is somewhat like to rice. Of all these graines the Countrey yeeldeth very sufficient with an ouerplus quantitie, so that wheate is solde sometime for two al∣teens or ten pence starling the Chetfird, which maketh almost three English bushels.

Their rie is sowed before the Winter, all their other graine in the Spring time, and for the most part in May. The Permians and some other that dwell farre North, and in desert places, are serued from the parts that lye more Southward, and are forced to make bread sometimes of a kinde of roote (called Vaghnoy) and of the middle rine of the firre tree. If there be any dearth (as they accompted this last yeere Anno 1588. wheat and rie being at 13. alteens, or 5. shillings fiue pence starling the Chetfird) the fault is rather in the practise of their Nobilitie that vse to en∣grosse it, then in the Countrey it selfe.

The natiue commodities of the Countrey (wherewith they serue both their owne turnes,* 1.2 and send much abroad to the great enriching of the Emperor, and his people) are many & substantiall. First, furres of all sorts.1 1.3 Wherein the prouidence of God is to be noted, that prouideth a naturall remedie for them, to helpe the naturall inconuenience of their Countrey by the cold of the Climat. Their chiefe furres are these, Blacke fox, Sables, Lusernes, dun fox, Martrones, Gurnestalles or Armins, Lasets or Miniuer, Beuer, Wuluerins, the skin of a great water Rat that smelleth natu∣rally like muske, Calaber or gray squirrel, red squirrel, red & white fox.* 1.4 Besides the great quan∣titie spent within y^e Countrey (the people being clad al in furres the whole winter) there are trans∣ported out of the Countrey some yeeres by the merchants of Turkie, Persia, Bougharia, Geor∣gia, Armenia, and some other of Christendom, to the value of foure or fiue hundred thousand rub∣bles, as I haue heard of the merchants. The best Sable furre groweth in the countrey of Pecho∣ra, Momgosorskoy and Obdorskoy,* 1.5 the worser sort in Siberia, Perm, & other places. The blacke foxe and red come out of Siberia, white and dunne from Pechora, whence also come the white wolfe, and white Beare skin. The best Wuluerin also thence and from Perm. The best Mar∣trons are from Siberia, Cadam, Morum, Perm, and Cazan. Lyserns, Mineuer, and Armins, the best are out of Gallets, and Ouglits, many from Nouogrod and Perm. The Beauer of the best sort breedeth in Murmonskey by Cola. Other common furres, and most of these kindes grow in many, and some in all parts of the Countrey.

The second commoditie is of Waxe,2 1.6 whereof hath be••e shipped into forreigne countreys (as I haue heard it reported by those that best know it) the summe of 50000. pood yeerely, euery pood conteyneth 40. pound, but now about 10000. pood a yeere.

The third is their Honie,3 1.7 whereof besides an exceeding great quantitie spent in their ordinary drinkes (which is Mead of all sorts) and their other vses, some good quantitie is caried out of the countrey. The chiefe encrease of hony is in Mordua and Cadam neere to the Cheremissen Tar∣tar: much out of Seuerskoy, Rezan, Morum, Cazan, Dorogobose, and Vasma.

Fourthly, of Tallow they afoord a great waight for transportation:4 1.8 not onely for that their countrey hath very much good ground apt for pasturage of cattell, but also by reason of their many Lents and other fastes: and partly because their greater men vse much waxe for their lights, the poorer and meaner sort birch dried in their stoaues, and cut into long shiuers, which they call Lu∣chineos. Of tallow there hath bene shipped out of the Realme a few yeeres since about 100000. pood yerely, now not past 30000. or thereabouts. The best yeeld of tallow is in the parts and ter∣ritories of Smolensko, Yaruslaue, Ouglits, Nouogrod, and Vologda, Otfer, and Gorodetskey.

An other principall commoditie is their Losh and Cowhide.5 1.9 Their Losh or Buffe hide is very faire and large. Their bull and cowe hide (for oxen they make none, neither yet weather) is of a small sise. There hath bene transported by merchants strangers some yeres 100000. hides. Now it is decreased to 30000. or thereabouts. Besides great store of goates skinnes, whereof great numbers are shipped out of the countrey. The largest kinde of Losh or Buffe breedeth about Ro∣stoue, Wichida, Nouogrod, Morum, and Perm. The lesser sort within the kingdome of Cazan.

An other very great and principall commoditie is their Trane oyle,6 1.10 drawen out of the Seal

fish. Where it will not be impertinent to shewe the maner of their hunt••ng the Seal,* 1.11 which they make this oyle of: which is in this sort. Towards the ende of Sommer (before the frost beginne) they goe downe with their boates into the Bay of S. Nicholas, to a cape called Cusconesse or Fox∣nose, wh••re they leaue their boats till the next spring tide. When the Sunne waxeth warme to∣ward the spring, and yet the yce not melted within the Bay, they returne thither againe. Then drawing their boates ouer the sea yce, they vse them for houses to rest and lodge in. There are commonly about 17. or 18. fleete of them, of great large boates, which diuide themselues into di∣uers companies, fiue or sixe boats in a consort.

They that first finde the haunt, fire a beacon, which they carry with them for the nonce. Which being espied by the other companies, by such among them as are appointed of purpose, they come altogether and compasse the Seales round about in a ring, that lie sunning themselues together vpon the yce, commonly foure or fiue thousand in a shoale, and so they inuade them euery man with his club in his hand. If they hit them on the nose, they are soone killed. If on the sides or backe they beare out the blow, and many times so catch and holde downe the clubbe with their teeth by maine force, that the partie is forced to call for helpe to his fellowes.

The maner of the Seals is when they see themselues beset, to gather all close together in a throng or plumpe, to sway downe the yce, and to breake it (if they can) which so bendeth the yce that many times it taketh the sea water vpon it, and maketh the hunters to wade a soote or more deepe. After the slaughter when they haue killed what they can, they fall to sharing euery boate his part in equall portions: and so they flay them, taking from the body the skin, and the lard or fat with all that cleaueth to the skin. This they take with them, leauing the bodies behind, and so go to shore. Where they digge pits in the ground of a fadome and an halfe deepe, or thereabout, and so taking the fat or lard off from the skinne, they throw it into the pit, and cast in among it hoat bur∣ning stones to melt it withall. The vppermost and purest is sold, and vsed to oile wool for cloth, the grosser (that is of a red colour) they sell to make sope.

7 1.12Likewise of Ickary or Cauery, a great quantitie is made vpon the riuer of Volgha out of the fish called Bellougina, the Sturgeon, the Seueriga and the Sterledey. Whereof the most part is shipped by French and Netherlandish merchants for Italy and Spaine, some by English merchants.

8 1.13The next is of Flax and Hempe, whereof there hath bene shipped (as I haue heard merchants say) at the port of Narue a great part of 100. ships small and great yerely. Now, not past fiue. The reason of this abating and decrease of this & other commodities, that were wont to be transpor∣ted in a greater quantitie, is the shutting vp of the port of y^e Narue towards the Finland sea, which now is in the handes and possession of the Sweden. Likewise the stopping of the passage ouerland by the way of Smolensko, & Plotsko, by reason of their warres with the Polonian, which causeth the people to be lesse prouident in mainteining and gathering these and like commodities, for that they lacke sales. For the growth of flaxe the prouince of Vobsko, and the countrey about is the chiefe and onely place. For Hempe Smolensko, Dorogobose and Vasma.

9 1.14The countrey besides maketh great store of salt. Their best salt is made at Scararouse in very great quantitie, where they haue great store of salt wels, about 250. verst from the sea. At Astra∣can salt is made naturally by the sea water, that casteth it vp into great hils, and so it is digged downe, and caried away by the merchants and other that wil fetch it from thence. They pay to the Emperor for acknowledgement or custome 3.d. Russe vpon euery hundred weight. Besides these two, they make salt in many other places of the Realme, as in Perm, Wichida, Torma, Kenitsma, Solouetsky, Ocona, Bombasey, and Nonocks,* 1.15 all out of salt pits, saue at Solouetsky, which lieth neere to the sea.

10 1.16Likewise of Tarre they make a great quantitie out of their firre trees in the countrey of Duy∣na and Smolensko, whereof much is sent abroad. Besides these (which are all good and substan∣tiall commodities) they haue diuers other of smaller accompt, that are naturall and proper to that countrey: as the fi••h tooth (which they call Ribazuba) which is vsed both among themselues,11 1.17 and the Persians and Bougharians that fetch it from thence for beads, kniues, and sword hafts of No∣blemen and gentlemen, and for diuers other vses. Some vse the powder of it against poison, as the Vnicornes borne. The fish that weareth it is called a Morse, and is caught about Pechora. These fish teeth some of them are almost 2. foote of length, and weigh 11. or 12. pound apiece.

12 1.18In the prouince of Corelia, and about the riuer Duyna towards the North sea, there groweth a soft rocke which they call Slude. This they cut into pieces, and so teare it into thin flakes, which naturally it is apt for, and so vse it for glasse-lanthorns and such like. It giueth both inwards and outwards a clearer light then glasse, and for this respect is better then either glasse or horne: for that it neither breaketh like glasse, nor yet will burne like the lanthorne.13 1.19 Saltpeter they make in many places, as at Ouglits, Yaruslaue & Vstiug, and some smal store of brimstome vpon the riuer

Volgha, but wāt skil to refine it. Their iron is somewhat brittle,14 1.20 but a great weight of it is made in Corelia, Cargapolia, & Vstiug Thelesna. Other mine they haue none growing within y^e realme.

Their beasts of strange kinds are the Losh, the Ollen, the wild horse, the beare, the woluering, or wood dog, the Lyserne, the Beauer, the Sable, the Martron, the black and dunne for,* 1.21 the white Beare towards the sea coast of Pechora, the Gurnstale, the Laset or Mineuer. They haue a kinde of Squirrell that hath growing on the pinion of the shoulder bone a long ••uft of haire, much like vnto feathers with a far broader taile then haue any other squirrels, which they moue and shake as they leape from tree to tree, much like vnto a wing. They skise a large space, & seeme for to flie withal, and therefore they cal them Letach Vechshe, that is, the flying squirrels. Their hares and squirrels in Sommer are of the same colour with ours, in Winter the hare changeth her coate into milke white, the squirrel into gray, whereof commeth the Calaber.

They haue fallow deere, the roe bucke, & goats very great store. Their horses are but smal, but very swift & hard, they trauell them vnshod both winter and Sommer, without all regard of pace. Their sheepe are but smal & beare course & harsh wool. Of foule they haue diuers of the principal kinds: First, great store of hawks, the eagle, the gerfaulcon, the slightfaulcon, the goshawk, the tas∣sel, the sparhawk, &c. But the principal hawke y^t breedeth in the country, is counted y^e gerfaulcon. Of other foules their principal kinds are the swan tame & wilde, (whereof they haue great store) the storke, the crane, the tedder of the colour of a feasant, but far bigger & liueth in the firre woods. Of feasant and partridge they haue very great plentie. An owle there is of a very great bignesse, more vgly to behold then y^e owles of this country, with a broad face, & eares much like vnto a man.

For fresh water fish, besides the cōmon sorts (as carpe, pikes, pearch, tench, roach, &c.) they haue diuers kinds very good and delicate: as the Bellouga or Bellougina of 4. or 5. elnes long, the Osi∣trina or Sturgion, the Seueriga and Sterledy somewhat in fashion and taste like to the Sturgion, but not so thicke nor long. These 4. kinds of fish breed in the Volgha, and are catched in great plenty, and serued thence into the whole Realme for a great food. Of the Roes of these foure kinds they make very great store of Icary or Caueary as was said before.

They haue besides these that breed in the Volgha a fish called the Riba bela, or white salmon, which they accompt more delicate then they do the red salmon, whereof also they haue exceeding great plentie in the Riuers Northward, as in Duyna, the riuer of Cola, &c. In the Ozera or lake neere a towne called Perislaue, not far frō the Mosco, they haue a smal fish which they cal the fresh herring, of the fashion, and somewhat of the taste of a sea-herring. Their chiefe townes for fish are, Ya••••slaue, Bealozera, Nouogrod, Astracan, and Cazan: which all yeeld a large custome to the Emperour euery yeere for their trades of fishing, which they practise in Sommer, but sende it frozen in the Winter time into all parts of the Realme.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The fruits and graine of Russia.
• * 1.2

  The chiefe commodities of the Coun∣trey.
• 1 1.3

  Furres.
• * 1.4

  These Rats are in Canada.
• * 1.5

  Momgosorskoy perhaps Mol∣gomzai••.
• 2 1.6

  Waxe:
• 3 1.7

  Hony.
• 4 1.8

  Tallow.
• 5 1.9

  Hide.
• 6 1.10

  Trane oyle.
• * 1.11

  The maner of hunting the Seale fish.
• 7 1.12

  Ickary.
• 8 1.13

  Hempe and Flaxe.
• 9 1.14

  Salt.
• * 1.15

  Nonocks.
• 10 1.16

  Tarre.
• 11 1.17

  Ribazuba.
• 12 1.18

  Slude.
• 13 1.19

  Saltpeter and brimstone.
• 14 1.20

  Iron.
• * 1.21

  The strange beas••es, fish, foule, &c. that breed in Russia.