The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
[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.
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