b o o k Kinburn, Kertlli, and Yenikale, and a l a r g e diibritft between
—y— ' the Bog and the Dnieper.
Many fpeculations have been entertained concerning the
extent and value o f the traffick which Ruffia is likely to efta-
bliih in the Black Sea, and the revolution which it may effedt
in the commerce o f Europe, by transferring part of the Bal-
tick trade to the ports o f the Mediterranean. In confequence
of this change, it is aiTerted, that the fouthern provinces of
this empire will find a vent to export their fuperfluous productions
; the Ruffian veflels will open a profitable trade
with Crim Tartary, with the Auftrian provinces at Kilia-
Nova, with the Turks at Conftantinople, with the Greeks ¡in
the Levant; the iron o f Siberia, the corn, hemp, and flax of
the Ukraine, and the contiguous provinces, will be fent from
' the havens o f the Black Sea, through the Dardanelles, to
fupply the ports o f the Mediterranean ; and thus France and
Spain will be furnifhed with naval ftores by a cheaper and
npore expeditious navigation tkan through the Baltick and
the Northern Ocean. ' y
As the completion o f this great and extenfive pfujedt can
only be the work o f time, and depends on a variety o f con-
tingences, we cannot pretend to fotm-any- abfolute detifion
upon the probability o f its failure or fuccefs.; but a confi-
derable light may be thrown on this intricate fubjedl by an
attention to the following objedts o f inquiry M
I. The traffick upon the Turkifh Seas before the peace, with
an account o f their havens and exports, II. The ports and
territory ceded toRuffia, and thenew townsfinceconftrudted by
the emprefs. HI. The productions of the Southern Ruffian
provinces, and the navigation o f the rivers Don and Dnieper.
* In this in qu iry I ha ve p rin c ip a lly fo l- am A zow fch e n Schwa r tz en and Weiden
low e d G ulden fla ed t’ s E ffa y V o n der Ha fen M eere , in J o u rn . S t . P e t . fo r 1.77.6.
I IV.
IV. The progrefs hitherto made by the Ruffians to eftabliih c h a p .
an intercourfe between the Black Sea, through the Darda-. ~ ,
nelles, with the ports o f the Mediterranean.
I. The traffick upon the,Turkifh Seas previous to the»
peace o f 1 7 7 4 , and their havens and exports. This traf-
fick was chiefly carried on by the Greeks, Armenians, and
Turks ; and as the Ruffians poffeffed no port, either upon
the Sea o f A zof or the Euxine,Tcherkafk, capital o f the Cof-
facs o f the Don, was the place where the produdtions o f this
empire and Turkey were reciprocally exchanged. The
Greek and Armenian merchants failed to Taganrock, where
they performed quarantine ; and then proceeded with their
merchandize to T cherkaik, having firft paid the duty at Te-
mernik, a fmall village upon the Don, now the fortrefs o f St.
Demitri. Tcherkaik was alfo the emporium o f an inland
commerce between the merchants o f Kuban and Crim Tartary
and the Ruffians. The imports were chiefly Greek
wines, raifins, dried figs, almonds, oil, rice, faffron, painted
linens and cottons. The exports, hides and leather, coarfe
linen, hard ware, caviare, &c. * The Greek and Ar menian
merchants, in returning to Conftantinople, fupplied
the ports o f the Sea o f A zo f and the Euxine with Ruffian and
European commodities.
In order to have a general idea o f the traffick in the T urk-
ifh feas, we muft take a curfory view o f their havens, imports
and exports.
Among the harbours o f the Black Sea reforted to by the
Greek and Armenian merchants, the moft frequented were
thofe o f CrimTartary, namely, Yenikale one o f the fortrefles
lately ceded to Ruffia, Balaklava, Koflof, and Caffa which
* See T a r i f o f the Im p o r ted and E x p o r ted ware«. B u f. H id . M a g . X L p . 3731,
merits