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586 COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.
turned his principal attention to the hiftory, geography, antiquities, manners, and cuf-
toms of the various people and hordes of Siberia. He compiled or corre¢ted maps of
the diftriéts which he vifited, arranged the archives of the principal towns, and copied
the moft important documents.
The unremitting afliduity with which he continued his inquiries, brought on a nervous
complaint, which prevented him from accompanying his fellow travellers; and com-
pelled him to demand his recal. Having obtained the Emprefs’s permiflion to return,
he faw his companions depart with regret; but afterwards recovering his health, was
impelled by literary zeal to continue his travels into the extreme parts of Siberia, not-
withftanding the fatigue of the journey, through an inhofpitable country, and over
almoft impaflable roads. He vifited Irkutfk, Okotik, and even penetrated to Yakutfk,
where he arrived in 1736. In examining the archives, he found the original account
of the Ruffian voyages in the Frozen Ocean, and in the fea of Kamtchatka, and difcovered
that in the laft century, Defhnef, a Ruflian navigator, had taken his departure from the
river of Kovyma, failed along the Frozen Ocean, and doubled the north-eaftern promon-
tory of Afia*; thus afcertaining a point which had long agitated the literary world, that
the continents of Afia and America were feparated by the fea. This important dif-
covery o¢cafioned various attempts to difcover the north-weftern coaft of America, and
gave rife to the expedition of Captain Cook.
After an abfence of ten years Muller returned to St. Peterfburgh in the beginning of
1743; and was received by the Emprefs Elizabeth with great marks of diftinction. In
1747 he was appointed hiftoriographer, and reCtor of the Imperial univerfity, received
other promotions at St. Peterfburgh, and at length was appointed by the prefent Em-
prefs, Councellor of State, and Keeper of the Archives at Mofcow ft.
His principal work is a Collection of Ruffian Hiftories, in nine volumes, and contains
many curious and interefting articles: an account of the Ruflian annals, drawn from
the Byzantine writers, from the ancient Sclavonian chronicles, and from Snorro Stur-
fenfis, an hiftorian of Norway ; various details of the Calmuc Tartars, and Zaporavian
Coflacs; the Commerce and Pofleffions of the Genoefe on the Coafts of the Black Sea,
and at Azof; an account of the Ruffian and Chinefe Settlements on the river Amoor ;
Hiftory and Commerce of Siberia; Hiftory of Ruffia, from the reign of Boris Godunof
to the acceflion of Michael Feodorovitch ; Remarkable Things in Afiatic Ruffia, and
in Turkey in Afia; the Ruffian Trade to China ;, Natural Hiftory of the Diftricts be-
tween the Don and Diepper ; Account of Novogorod, Dorpart, Pernau, and Riga.
The third volume of this interefting work contains an ‘* Account of the Ruffian
Voyages and Difcoveries along the Coafts of the Frozen Sea, and in the Eaftern Ocean
towards Japan and America,” from 1636 to the termination of Bering’s and Tchirikot’s
expedition in 1742: to this publication I was greatly indebted for my account of the
Ruffian difcoyeries.
To thefe works the accurate and indefatigable writer fucceflively added many other
valuable performances on fimilar fubjeéts, both in the German and Ruffian languages,
which elucidate the hiftory and topography of this vaft empire.
* See Account of the Ruffian Difcoveries between Afia and America.
+ The Emprefs purchafed his fine colle€tion of books and manufcripts for 2,cool. "This great patronefs
of letters configned alfo to him the charge of arranging and printing, at her expence, a collection of Rudjan
Treaties, in the form of Dumont’s Corps Diplomatique ; but the death of the learned hiltorian prevented the
completion, He died on the 16th of O&tober, 1783, in the feventy- eighth year of hisage; Catharine, a
{hort time before his death, honoured Mr, Muller with the order of St. Vladimir, and hastettified her refpe&
to his memory by ennobling his family,
September
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