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Jaroslav is a fortified city on the bank of the Volga, twelve miles from Rostov, on the direct road from Moscow. The country is tolerably fertile, especially in the parts near the Volga. Like Rostov, it belonged to the second sons of the princes, but was forcibly taken by the same monarch; and although there still remain dukes of the province called knesi, yet the prince usurps the title to himself, the country being granted to the knesi as to subjects. The country is held by three knesi, however, descended from the secondborn princes, whom the Russians call Jaroslavski. The first

is Vasiley, who conducted me to and fro from my dwelling to the prince. The second is Simeon Federovitz, named Kurbski, from Kurba, his inheritance. He is an old man, and very reduced in body, from the remarkable abstinence and severity of life which he has adopted since the time that old age began to come upon him. For many years he has abstained from eating meat. He only eats fish on Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday; but on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at fast time, he abstains from these. The grandduke used sometimes to send him with an army through Permia into Jugaria to the great emperor, to subdue distant nations; and he has accomplished a great part of the journey on foot on account of the quantity of snow; and when the snow was melted, after crossing the mountain of Petchora, performed the remainder in boats. The last is Ivan, surnamed Possetzen, who, in the name of his prince, went as ambassador to the Emperor Charles in Spain, and returned with us. He was so poor, that (as we know for a certainty) he borrowed clothes and a kolpack (which is a head-dress) of somebody else to travel in. He must have been greatly mistaken, therefore, who wrote to the effect, that this man could in any necessity send thirty thousand horse soldiers to his prince out of his own territory or inheritance.'

1 In the Russian chronicles, where allusion is made to this prince, he appears to have been described under the name of Ivan Ivanovich,

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The province, city, and fortress of Vologda, in which the bishops of Permia hold their see, though without jurisdiction, took their name from a river of the same name. city stands north-west of Moscow in a line from Jaroslav. It is fifty German miles from Jaroslav, and nearly forty from Bieloiesero. The whole country is marshy and woody, so that travellers can take no exact account of the road, on account of the numerous marshes and windings of the rivers. The further you go, the more marshes, rivers, and woods, you encounter. The river Vologda flows northward by the city, and eight miles below the city is joined by the river Suchana, which rises from a lake named Koinski. It then takes the name of Suchana, and flows north-west. The province of Vologda was formerly under the jurisdiction of Great Novogorod, where they say the prince used to lay up a great part of his treasure, as from the nature of the place it was a strong fortification. In the year in which we were at Moscow, there was so great a scarcity of provision, that one bushel of the corn, which they use, was sold for fourteen dengs, which otherwise used to be sold in Moscow for four, five, or six, dengs.

The Vaga is a river well stocked with fish. It rises between Bieloiesero and Vologda, amidst marshes and the densest forests, and flows into the river Dwina. The people who live by the river exist by hunting, for they have scarcely bread. Black and ash-coloured foxes are caught there. It is, moreover, but a short journey thence to the province and river of Dwina.

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more properly Feodorovich Jaroslavski Sassekin, or Zassekin. The surname, Possetzen, stands in the original for the word Posadnik, which means the governor of a district. The writer here alluded to is Johann Fabri, to whose book reference is made at page 120 of the introduction to the present work, as being recommended to Herberstein and his companions as an indispensable guide in making the observations required of them in their journey. The prince Zassekin was one of the ambassadors alluded to on the same page as being joined by Herberstein on their return to Moscow by way of Vienna.

The province of Ustyug took its name from a fortified city situated on the river Suchana. It is a hundred miles from Vologda, and a hundred and forty from Bieloiesero. It was formerly situated on the mouth of the river Jug. which flows from south to north. Afterwards, on account of the convenience of the locality, it was removed nearly a mile above the river's mouth, but still retains its old name. For in Russian Usteie is a mouth; whence Ustyug is the mouth of the Jug. This province used to be subject to Great Novogorod. Little or no bread is used there; their food consisting of fish or game. They have salt from the Dwina. They have their own dialect, but more frequently speak Russian. There are not many sable skins there, nor are they very excellent. They abound, however, in the skins of other beasts, especially black foxes.

The province and river of Dwina took their name from the confluence of the rivers Jug and Suchana; for Dwina signifies two or double in Russian. After a course of a hundred miles, this river falls into the Northern Ocean, where it washes Sweden and Norway, and divides them from the unknown country of Engroneland. This province lies in the very north, and was formerly under the jurisdiction of the people of Novogorod. It is reckoned to be three hundred miles from Moscow to the mouth of the Dwina; although, as I have before said, in the countries beyond the Volga, no calculation can be made of the roads, on account of the numerous marshes, rivers, and vast woods. We are inclined, however, to reckon it, from conjecture, as scarcely two hundred miles; since from Moscow to Vologda, and from Vologda to Ustyug, one goes somewhat in an easterly direction; but from Ustyug by the Dwina due north. There are no towns or forts in this province, except the fort of Colmogor and the city of Dwina, which stands nearly midway between the source and the mouth of the river, and the fort of Pienega, which stands at the very mouth of the Dwina. It is said to contain many villages, however, which

lie wide apart, on account of the barrenness of the soil. The people earn their livelihood by fish, game, and the skins of beasts, which are abundant of all kinds. In the maritime parts of this country they say that white bears are found, and those for the most part living in the sea; their skins are often brought to Moscow. I brought back two with me from my first embassy to Moscow. This country abounds in salt.

Journey to Petchora Jugaria, as far as the
River Obi.

The territory of the Prince of Muscovy extends far to the east, and somewhat to the north, as far as the following places. A paper written in Russian upon this subject, containing the plan of this journey, was presented to me, which I have translated, and have here purposely subjoined; although those who go thither from Moscow would take a more frequented and a shorter road, by Ustyug and the Dwina, through Permia. The distance from Moscow to Vologda is reckoned at five hundred versts; from Vologda to Ustyug, along the right bank of the river, descending the Suchana, which joins it, is five hundred versts, which rivers are joined by the river Jug near the town of Streltze, two versts below Ustyug; this river comes from the south, and is computed to be more than five hundred versts in length from its source to its mouth. These two rivers, the Suchana and Jug, below their junction lose their former names, and take that of the Dwina; five hundred versts along the Dwina, bring us to Colmogor, at six days' journey below which the Dwina falls into the ocean by six mouths. The greatest part of this journey is made by water, for the land route from Vologda to Colmogor, crossing the Vaga, is equal to a thou

sand versts. Not far from Colmogor, the river Pienega, which flows from the east on one's right hand, falls into the Dwina, after a course of seven hundred versts. At a distance of two hundred versts from the Dwina, in travelling along the river Pienega, we come to a place called Nicolai, whence by a sail of half a verst, vessels are brought into the river Kulvio. This river takes its rise from a lake of the same name in the north, and is six days' journey in length from its source to its mouth, where it falls into the ocean. In sailing then along the right bank of the sea, we pass the following territories, namely, Stanwische, Calunczscho, and Apnu. Having sailed round the promontories of Chorogoskinosz, Stanwische, Gamenckh, and Tolstickh, we at length reach the river Mezen, along which, in six days' journey, we come to a village of the same name, situated at the mouth of the river Piesza, ascending which towards the south-east, after three weeks' journey, we arrive at the river Piescoya. After the ships have then traversed five versts through two lakes, two courses lie open to us; one of which, to the left, leads by the river Rubicho into the river Czircho; some take the other course, which is shorter, and runs direct from the lake into the Czircho, by which course in favourable weather a passage may be made in three weeks to the river and mouths of the Czilme, the great river of Petchora, which at that place is two versts in breadth. Sailing downwards thence, we come in six days' journey to the town and fortress of Pustoosero, near which the Petchora falls by six mouths into the ocean. The inhabitants of this place, who are very simple-minded, did not receive baptism till the year of our Lord 1518. From the mouths of the Czilme through Petchora, to the mouths of the river Ussa, is one month's journey. The Ussa takes its rise in the mountain of Poyas Semnoi, which lies on the left in the direction of the southcast: the river flows out of a huge rock of that mountain called Kamen Bolschoi. The distance from the sources of the

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