BOOK Narva and its fuburbs, according to a geographical divi-
XI.
. fion, are fituated partly in Ingria, and partly in Eilhonia, as
the river Narova divides thoie two provinces; but in the divi-
fion of governments eilablilhed by the 'prefent emprefs, it
is comprifed in Ingria, or the government of St. Peterf-
burgh. ■
Narva is near 100 miles from Peteriburgh, and Hands on the
Narova, 24 miles from the point where that river ¡flues from
the lake Peipus, and eight miles from its mouth, where it falls
into the gulf of Finland. The houfes are built of brick ftuc-
coed white, and it has more the appearance of a German than
of a Ruffian town.
In the fuburbs, called Ivangorod, or John’s Town, the colof-
fal remains of an antient fortrefs, built by Ivan Vaffilievitch the
Great, impend in a pidturefque manner over the fteep banks of
the Narova.
The principal exports from Narva are hemp, flax, timber, and
corn; the imports/fait, tobacco, wine, falted herrings, fpices, tea,
fugar, and other grocery wares.
I did not omit vifiting the two falls of the river Narova;
which have been too pompoufly defcribed by feveral travellers,
and which muft appear trifling and uninterefting to any one
who has feen the fall of the Rhine at Schaffhaufen, of the Dahl,
near Gefle, in Sweden, and the itupendous catarads of Trol-
hsetta.
The breadth of the river is about 200 feet, and the perpendicular
■cular height o f the falls fcarcely exceeds twenty feet. The fteep C H A P .
and chalky banks of the river, its rapid and turbid ftream, and a v __,
rocky iiland which feparates the two falls, form a rugged and
pidturefque fcenery, which is heightened by the foam and roaring
of the cataradt.
Near Narva is the fpot celebrated for the vidlory which
Charles the Twelfth, in the nineteenth year of his age, gained
ever the Ruffian army in 1700. Authors prone to exaggeration,
and willing to render more marvellous the exploits of the
Swediih hero, have diminiihed the Swedfth army to 3,000, and
increafed the Ruffians to 100,000. The fad feems to be, that
Charles headed, on that memorable day, at leaft 9,000 men, and
that the Ruffians did not exceed 32,000 *. And it is no wonder
that the veteran troops of Sweden, led on by their undaunted
monarch, ihould triumph over a raw undifciplined army, commanded
by generals at variance with each other. Six thouiand
Ruffians, including thofe who were drowned in attempting to pafs
the Narova, fell in this engagement; but the confequences were
ftill more fatal to the Ruffian arms, as the whole artillery was
loft, and the greateft part of the infantry furrendered to the
conqueror. The number of prifoners was fo great, that the
officers were only detained; the reft, being difarmed and dif-
mifled, were driven along like a flock of iheep to the diftance
of a league from Narva.
Peter the Great, inftead of being difpirited with this lofs, ex-
• See L ’E ve fqu e’ s Hift. de Ruffie, vol. Iv. p. 169.
V ol . III. . M m claimed,