The ostrog of Charom, at which we had the good fortune to arrive, is situated upon the Kamtschatka: it furnished me with no remarks. We passed part of the night there, and left it before day. In seven hours we reached Vercknei-Kamtschatka, which is thirty-five wersts from Charom. Vercknei is a very considerable place, compared with the ostrogs I had hitherto seen. I counted more than a hundred houses. Its situation is commodious, and the prospect round it tolerably various, Besides bordering upon the river[67], it has the farther advantage of being near to woods and fields, the soil of which is good, and begins to be cultivated by the inhabitants. The church is built of wood; its architecture is not disagreeable, and it is only to be wished that the inside corresponded with the external appearance. The inhabitants differ in no respect from those of the other villages. For the first time I saw at this place a species of buildings, about the height of a balagan, that serve no other purpose than to dry fish. A serjeant had the command at Vercknei, who lives in a house belonging to the crown. This village is also the place of residence of the unfortunate Ivaschin, whose history I related upon my leaving Saint Peter and Saint Pauls[68]; he was of our party, and had only quitted us in order to arrive sooner at Vercknei, where his first care had been to kill one of his oxen, which he entreated us to accept for our journey, as a testimony of his gratitude. This proceeding justified the concern I felt for him, whose aspect alone made me more than once shudder at the idea of his misfortunes. I cannot easily conceive how he was able to support them, and reconcile himself to his fate: it must have been the consciousness of his innocence alone, that could have given him such strength of mind. We paid him a visit upon our arrival. He was drinking merrily with some of his neighbours. His joy was sincere, and gave us no intimation of a man sensible of his past sufferings, or weary of his present situation.