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42 VOYAGES OF SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY AND OTHERS,
there is no difference between that and the meafure of Danfk, which is half an Eng-
lifh ell.
Concerning the tolls and cuftoms of Ruffia, it was reported to me in Mofcovia, that
the Turks and Armenians pay the tenth penny cuftom of all the wares they bring into
the Emperor’s land, and above that they pay for all fuch goods as they weigh at the Em-
peror’s beam, two-pence of the rubble, which the buyer or feller muft make report
of to the mafter of the beam: they alfo pay a certain horfe toll, which is in divers
laces of his realm four pence of a horfe.
The Dutch nation are free of this: notwithftanding for certain offences, they had
loft their privileges, which they have recovered this {ummer, to their great charge. It
was reported to me by a juftice of that country, that they paid for it thirty thoufand
rubbles, and alfo that Rye, Dorpte, and Revel have yielded themfelves under the go-
vernment of the Emperor of Ruflia: whether this was.a bragg of the Ruffes or not, I
know not, but thus he faid, and indeed while we were there, there came a great am-
bafladcr out of Liefland, for the affurance of their privileges.
To {peak fomewhat of the commodities of this country, itis to be underftood, that
there is a certain place four fcore miles from the fea called Colmogro: to which place
there refort all the forts of wares that are in the north parts, as oils, falt, ftockfifh,
falmon, feathers, and furs: their falt they make of falt water by the fea fide: their
oils they make of feals, whereof they have great {tore which is brou ht out of the bay
where our fhips came in: they make it in the {pring of the year, and bring it to Col-
mogro to fell, and the merchants there carry it to Novogrode, and fo fell it to the
Dutch nation. Their ftockfifh and falmon cometh from a place called Mallums, not
far from Wardhou’e: their falmon and their falt they carry to Mofco, and their dry
fifh they carry to Novogrode, and fell it there to the Lieflanders.
The furs and feathers which come to Colmogro, as fables, beavers, minks, armine,
lettis, graies, woolverings, and white foxes, with deer fkins, they are brought thither,
by the men of Penning, Lampas, and Powltezer, which fetch them from the Samoedes
that are counted favage people : and the merchants that bring thefe furs do ufe to
truck with the merchants of Colmogro for cloth, tin, batrie, and fuch other like, and
the merchants of Colmogro carry them to Novogrode, Vologda, or Mofco, and fell
them there. The feathers which come from Penning they do little efteem.
If our merchants do defire to know the meeteft place of Ruffia for the ftanding houfe,
in mine opinion I take it to be Vologda, which is a great town ftanding in the heart of
Ruffia, with many great and good towns about it. There is great plenty of corn,
yituals, and ofall fuch wares as are raifed in Rufland, but {pecially, flax, hemp, tallow,
and bacon: there is alfo great {tore of wax, but it cometh from the Mofko.
The town of Vologda is meeteft for our merchants, becaufe it lieth amongft all the
beft towns of Ruffia, and there is no town in Ruffia but trades with it: alfo the water
is a great commodity to it. If they plant themfelves in Mofco or Novogrode, their
charge will be great and wonderful, but not fo in Vologda: for all things will there
be had better cheap by the one half And for their vent I know no place fo meet. It
is likely that fome will think the Mofko to be the meeteft by the reafon of the court,
but by that reafon I take it to be worle: for the charge there would be fo great by
cravers and expences, that the moicty of the profit would be wholly confumed, which
in the other place will be faved. And yet notwith{tanding our merchants may be there
in the winter to ferve the Emperor and his court. ‘The Emperor is a great merchant
himfelf
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