Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 4 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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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 grounde 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 boat burning 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.
[Sidenote: 7. Ickary.] Likewise 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.
[Sidenote: 8. Hempe and Flaxe.] The 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 and other
commodities, that were wont to be transported in a greater quantitie, is
the shutting vp of the port of the 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, and 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.
[Sidenote: 9. Salt.] The countrey besides maketh great store of salt. Their
best salt is made at Stararouse in very great quantitie, where they haue
great store of salt wels, about 250. verst from the sea. At Astracan salt
is made naturally by the sea water, that casteth it vp into great hils, and
so it is digged down, 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. [Sidenote: Nonocks.] Besides
these two, they make salt in many other places of the Realme, as in Perm,
Wichida, Totma, Kenitsma, Solouetsky, Ocona, Bombasey, and Nonocks, all out
of salt pits, saue at Solouetsky, which lieth neere to the sea.
[Sidenote: 10. Tarre.] Likewise of Tarre they make a great quantitie out of
their firre trees in the conntrey of Duyna and Smolensko, whereof much is
sent abroad. [Sidenote: 11. Ribazuba.] Besides these (which are all good
and substantiall commodities) they haue diuers other of smaller accompt,
that are naturall and proper to that countrey: as the fish tooth (which
they call Ribazuba) which is vsed both among themselues, and the Persians
and Bougharians that fetch it from thence for beads, kniues, and sword
hafts of Noblemen and gentlemen, and for diuers other vses. Some vse the
powder of it against poison, as the Vnicornes horne. 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.
[Sidenote: 12. Slude.] In 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. [Sidenote: 13.
Saltpeter and brimstone.] Saltpeter in many places, as at Ouglits,
Yaruslaue, and Vstiug, they make and some smal store of brimstone vpon the
riuer Volgha, but want skil to refine it. [Sidenote: 14. Iron.] Their iron
is somewhat brittle, but a great weight of it is made in Corelia,
Cargapolia, and Vstiug Thelesna. Other mine they haue none gowing within
the realme.
[Sidenote: The strange beastes, fish, foule, &c., that breed in Russia.]
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 fox, 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 tuft
of haire, much like vnto feathers with a far broader taile than 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, and 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 cometh the Calaber.
They haue fallow deere, the roe bucke, and goats very great store. Their
horses are but smal, but very swift and hard, they trauell them vnshod both
winter and Sommer, without all regard of pace. Their sheepe are but smal
and beare course and 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 tassel, the sparhawk, &c. But the principal
hawke that breedeth in the country, is counted the gerfaulcon.
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