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quest. [It was one folio sheet and one quarto.] At
present therefore what remains is that I account
to you for my appearance at this place.
At Bucharest I met, as my letter from Yassi
informs you, Mr Willis, an English Merchant who
from Constantinople went to settle in the Crimea:
In his journey from thence he had passed thro
Olviopol: for through that place every traveller
from the Crimea or from Cherson to Moldavia
and so on to Constantinople is obliged to pass. This
you will observe is a great detour: the political
causes above hinted at concurs with the
want of bridges and other physical causes, (but
I know not as yet in what proportion) in
rendering a nearer approach to the same impracticable.
From Yassi to Olviopol there are
two routes;- one through the Turkish territories,
the other higher up, through the Polish. The former
is the most ordinary route, it is that which
the Couriers pursue. The other would seasonally
be adopted but for the sake of avoiding
the quarantine to which travellers through the
Turkish territory are subjected, as often as whenever the
plague is known to exist in Constantinople.
At Constantinople and the environs that calamity
prevailed at the time of my departure
(so my passport from the Russian Envoy
testified) to a considerable degree: but it was
then understood that in he Polish territory near
to Olviopol itself it was still more prevalent.
This advice account was confirmed by Mr
Willis: it was his opinion therefore as well
as the Russian Consul's that I should be
obliged to take the route of Bessasabia (which
is the main of the Turkish province) subject
however to any counter advice which the Russian
Vice-Consul at Jassi from maturer information
might think fit to give me. At
Jassi the Vice-Consul informed me that the
quarantine with regard to Poland was already taken off:
and that by pursuing that route I should obtain
three advantages: 1st a shorter cut, 2. the saving
the expence of a Janissary ( which is necessary
for every Frank who travels any where in Turkey)
and 3. the escaping of the quarantine. Between
that part of Moldavia and the Polish territory
the only communication is through Soroka,
which
which is separated by the river Dniester from
Chekanofka on the Polish side. For Soroka
or for Chekanofka, though the least of those two
paltry villages is equal to ten Konietzpols you
would search in vain: but you will find two
points marked Zampol and Clerince: Soroka
and Chekanofka may be conceived as lying between
those two points. From Yassi to Soroka
there are post-horses stationed all the way: at
Soroka or at Checkanofka which like Strood
and Rochester may be considered as one and the
same town, I should meet he said with Carriers who
would take me on to Olviopol, the Vice Consul he
supposed for about 5 or 6 Roubles. From Yassi
to Soroka they compute 12 Polish miles: whereof
each is reckoned equivalent to 10 Russian Versts.
This would make 120 Versts; and from Soroka
to Olviopol he conjectured there might be about
200 more: total 320. Ten Versts should make
a trifle more than six English miles, but by
comparis observation of the time compared with
the rate of travelling, I am clear that one of
these Polish miles can not make so little as
eight English. Between Yassi and Soroka
there are 5 posts; including that at Yassi: the
third post is at a place called Belch: the only
station which can be dignified with the appellation
of a village. If the name offends you, cut
"it" out, and please to remember I am not
its Godfather.
On Monday Jan: 9th my Waggon being at
length mounted on a sledge I bade adieu to
Jaffa after dusk: the snow being deep and
the track not as yet harden'd by use, we dragged
on heavily, seldom more than a foot
pace, with frequent interruptions. At the rate
of 4 miles an hour, we might to have reached
the first post by about 10 or 11: I had all the way 6
horses, understand, paying but for 4, whether
altogether according to custom, or partly through
favour, I did not clearly comprehend. After
toiling some hours, how many I know not, (for
except when I have gone to bed I have scarce ever
thought to wind up my watch) at length we stuck
outright: luckily we were within 4 miles of the
port. After struggling and hour or two to no purpose,
and breaking a reasonable quantity of
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1786-01-16 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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