It is much to be queftioned, however, i f the earl o f Car-
i liile had adted a lefs impolitick part, whether the Ruffian
court would have renewed the charter o f the company in its,
full extent, and particularly the exemption from duties of
export and import; fince the Dutch, who at that time carried
on a very confiderable traffick to Archangel, readily paid
the cuftoms. The only point which the earl o f Carlifle could
accompliih, was a permiffion that the Engliih fhould trade
freely into the Ruffian dominions, but remain fubjedl to the
duties of export and import. From that period the Britiih
commerce has fuffered no interruption.
Archangel continued the foie port for the exports and
imports of Ruffia until, upon the building o f Peterfburgh,
Peter the Great aboliihed its immunities; and removed
the commerce of the White Sea to the havens o f the
Baltick*. The Britiih merchants, who were highly fau
th e t z a r ’ s co u n c il, deputed as ma ile r o f
“ the ce remony to his e x ce llen c e. A n d , on
“ this occafion, w e had another ridiculous
“ e x ample o f th e pride and rufticity o f the
“ M o fcov ites, w h o w ere fo quick and pre-
“ cife in an tic ipa tin g th e p rero g a tiv e o f
“ embafladors. P ro n ch iflo f b eing arrived
“ w ith in fome fmall diilance o f th e emba f-
“ fador’s fled ge, gave him to underftand,
“ th a t he was fent to re c e iv e him from the
“ g rand -d uk e his lo rd , and that h e expected
“ th e embaflador ihould f ir il come , o u t o f
“ his f led g e. Bu t his e x ce llen c e iignified
“ to him, that he reprefented the perfon o f
“ the k in g his matter; and th a t, in th a t ca fe,
“ all fuch 'kind o f r e fp e& w a s due to him-
“ fe lf. P ro n ch iflo f,h ow e ve r , continued im-
“ moveable in his fledge as the matter o f
“ th e ceremonies, and fent back to the em-
“ baflador, th a t he alfo was fent from the
“ t z a r his matter to reprefent his perforh
“ T h is anfwer, how abfurd foever it was,
“ caufed feveral fmart rep lie s ; b o th on one
“ fide and th e o th e r ; t ill a t laft, the em*
“ baflador, to preven t any fu r th e r delay in
“ his entrance, condefcended to th is , that
“ b o th o f them ihould come o u t o f their
“ fledges tog e th e r . B u t in this Prqnchilfof
“ too k occafion to deceive his excellence,
“ and fa lliiy his w o rd, han g in g in th e air
“ b e tw ixt the arras o f his. fervants , and but
“ tou ch in g th e ea rth w ith his tip to e s , while
“ th e embaflador came ou-t f re e ly .” Car-
liile ’s EmbaHies', p . 13 1 .
* In 175 3 E liz ab e th again, reflored the
an tien t immunities o f A r c h a n g e l; , and its
prefent trade is not inconfiderable.
T h e p o r t o f A r ch an g e l fupplies the governmen
t o f A r ch an g e l, pa rt o f thofe of
N iflin e i-N o v o g o rod and C a fan w ith European
com m o d it ie s ; an d draws in exchange
from thofe pa rts co rn , f la x , hemp, coarfe
linen,, co rd ag e, fa ils , mails , tallow,, which
are moftly conveyed b y th e Dvina i t forms
alfo it princ ipa l communication with the
north ern and weftern pa rts o f S ib e r ia , from
wheijce the merchants p ro cu re furs', lkins,
and iron.
voured
v o u i e u u y m a i u i u i u u c n , ill Lilt I1CW IIIIVLlV/pV/ilLlJ I I I
which fuddenly became the principal mart for the Ruffian'
trade. The privileges o f the Britiih fa&ory eftablifhed in
Ruffia are confirmed by a folemn treaty o f commerce and
navigation, concluded in 1 7 3 4 between George II. and the
emprefs Anne ; and renewed in 176 6 between his prefent
majefty'and Catharine II.*
Goods exported in 382 Britiih ihips in 1 7 7 7 .
V a lu e .
Q u an t ity .
1 ,2 8 3 ,2 7 9 Poods f o f Iron
£ •
365>3»4 12
T>104>299 C le a n hemp 353.375 12
92,950 O u tih o t d itto 27,885 O
32>735 H a l f clean d itto ■9,165 l6
84,008 C o d illa d itto
t 13 .4 4 1 X
209,902 12 head fla x 100,753 O
2 5,470 9 head flax 10 ,6 97 8
4 . 396 6 head fla x 1 ,5 8 2 8
36,627 C o d illa ditto 4,395 4
*>373 I iin g la fs 8,238 0
I 3>SI4 Briftles
* 4>325 4
8,774 Hid e s 10,5 2 8 16
2 ,546 W a x 6 , i i o 8
271>a73 T a l lo w 1 19 ,3 6 0 0
' '2 I , 5a S O ld iron 1 ,7 2 2 0
VÌVS7 F e a th e r s 925 12
70,838 T a r | 7,083 16
2,683 P it c h 402 8
»>473 R o fin 441 16
2,987 . C o rd a g e 1 ,1 9 4 16
359' Horfehair
M-3 12
42 32 lb . R h u b a rb 846 8
* T h e read er w ill find th e f ir il t re a ty o f
*734 in R ou fle t’ s Su pplemen t to D um on t ’s
Corps D ip lom atiq u e , vo j. III. p . 495 ; and
the laft, o f 1766, in a C o lle a io n o f T re a tie s
between G re a t B r ita in and oth e r Powers,
vol. II. p. 309— 3 27.
t A pood ~ 36 E n g liih pounds,
t Be fore ou r un h appy difputes w ith o u r
C o lo n ie s , w e u fed to p ro cu re ou r p itch and
ta r from Am e r ica .' In 17 76 w e firil: im .
p o r ted thefe commodities from Ruffia. T h e y
were fold at firft fo r o n ly is . the pood ; b u t
in 1 7 7 7 , tar fold fo r 2s. and p itch a t v .
th e pood,