The Fortrefs.
Suburb.
nutes longitude from the ifle of Fero, and 35 degrees
N. latitude, at the diftance of 55x4 verfts from Mofcow,
and 1532 from Pekin.
■ It confifts of a fortrefs and a fmall fuburb. The
fortrefs, which is built upon a gentle rife, is a-fquare
encLofed with palifadoesr and ftrengthened with wooden
baftions at the feveral angles» There are three gates,
at which guards are conftantly Rationed : one of the
eates faces O the ,North, a. fecond the South towards the
■ Chinefe frontiers, and a third the Eaft clofe to the brook
Kiachta. The principal public buildings in. the fortrefs
are a wooden church, the governor’s houfe, the cuftom
houfe, the magazine for provilions, and the guard-houfe.
It contains alfo a range of fhops and warehoufes,. bar*
racks for the garrifon, and feveral houfes belonging to
the crown ; the latter are generally inhabited by the
principal merchants» Thefe buildings are moftly of
wood»
The fuburb, which is furrounded with a wooden wall
covered at the top with chevaux de frize, contains no.
more than an hundred and twenty houfes very irregularly
built; it has the fame number of gates as the
fortrefs, which are alfo guarded. Without this fuburb,
upon the high road leading to Selenginfk, ftand a few
houfes, and the magazine for rhubarb.
This
This fettlement is but indifferently provided with
water both in quality and quantity ; for although the
brook Kiachta is dammed up as it flows by the fortrefs,
yet it is fo fix allow in fummer, that, unlefs after heavy
rains, it is fcarcely fufficient to fupply the inhabitants.
Its ftream is troubled and unwholefome, and the fprings
which rife in the neighbourhood are either foul or
brackifh: from thefe circumftances, the principal inhabitants
are obliged to fend for water from a fpring in
the Chinefe diftricft, . The foil of the adjacent country
is moftly fand or rock, and extremely barren.. If the
frontiers of Ruffia were extended about nine verfts more
South to the rivulet of Bura; the inhabitants of Kiachta
would then enjoy good water, a fruitful foil, and plenty
of fllh, all which advantages are at prefent confined to
the Chinefe.
The garrifon of Kiachta confifts of a company of
regular, foldiers, and. a certain number of Coffees.; the
former are occafionally changed, but the latter are fixed
inhabitants of the place. It is the province of the
commander to infpedt the frontiers, and, in conjunction,
with the prefident of the Chinefe merchants, to fettle
all affairs of an inferior nature ; but in matters of importance
recourfe muft be had to the chancery of Selen-
ginfk, and to the governor of Irkutik. The Ruffian
4 . merchants,,