For Cloathing the Czar's Army, every Man is allowed eight Arfhines of Cloth, from Cloatbing fixty to feventy Copeeks the Arbine † ; the firft Coft of the Cloth in England is about 35. and 2d. the Yard. Cloaks for the Dragoons, each fix Yards. Hats delivered into the 60 Copeeks a Piece. Boots, 80 Copeeks a Pair. A Soldier's Mufquet, bad, 80 Copeeks. A Sword, A Pair of Pistols, 25 Copeeks, 83 Rubles. N. B. Only the Guards have Piftols; they have alf better Arms from Utrecht, or Saxony. The Army is cloathed once in two Years; towards the Cloathing, a Copeek a Day is deducted from the Soldiers; the Czar finds the Arms and Horfes. The Nobility are obliged to furnifh the Horfes for Horfes the Dragoons, at feven Rubles a Horse, paid out of the Czar's Treasury, though the Horfes often coft them ten or twelve Rubles a Piece. Some of the Regiments have been mounted on the Swedish Horfes which were furrendered at Perevolotfch; the reft very ill mounted: Moft of the Dragoons are Gentry, obliged to appear by the Tenure of their Lands. The Name of a Russ Measure, near a Quarter less than an English Yard, The The Artillery is very well ferved; the great Guns are most of Metal, generally from three to Artillery. thirty-fix Pounders, new caft fince the prefent War, either from old Pieces, which had been heaped up by the Czar's Ancestors, without any juft Regard to the Calibre, or from the Bells which every Church or Cloifter were obliged to furnish to the Foundery about ten Years ago, according to their Largenefs and Income. In 1708, there were a thousand Pieces of Cannon in the Town of Mofco alone; from one to fixty Pounders; the Arfenals of Plefcow, Smolensko and Chioff were filled in Proportion; befides the Field Artillery, every Battalion having two long three Pounders of Metal; the Mortars are of Brafs, or Siberia Iron, of all Bores. The Czar is perfonally very curious in his Fireworks, is Captain of his Bombardiers, and has moft foreign Officers, which he engaged in England or Holland after the laft Peace. The Powder is made in Mofco ftrong and good, except the Delivery is connived at by the Officers for their own Profits; the Magazines are not filled with Stores as they ought to be, but sufficient Quantities may be prepared in a little Time, there being several Mills ready, and always Plenty of good Salt-petre from the Ukraine. Account of the Progrefs made by the Czar in his Shipping. The first Ship was built for the Czar's Pleafure when very young, on the Bielo Ozero, or Shipping White-Sea, a large Lake about three hundred Miles from Mofc. In the Winter of 1695, several half Gallies and Brigantines were prepared at Mofco, and carried by Sled-way to Veronitz where they were put together, and fent down the Don to be used at the Siege of Afoph. In 1696, a confiderable Number of Ship-Carpenters coming from Holland, with two Italians and a Greek Mafter from Venice, a Fleet was raised at Stupena and Veronitz, for which End the whole Empire was divided into eighty-four Parts, and each Divifion to furnish a Ship, or an equivalent Number of Gallies, Brigantines, and fmall Craft. The chief Nobility, appointed to oversee this Work in the Czar's Abfence, contracted for the Ships with Foreigners, who, for want of Experience, dry Timber, and fufficient Time, as well as for their private Gains, run up the Veffels very flightly with green and bad Stuff, so that they decayed before they were finifhed; which the Czar perceiving at his Return from Great Britain, he came by Degrees entirely to dislike the Dutch Building and Mafters, and difcharged them as he could procure English. The laft Ships built by the Dutch, were eleven Frigates at Stupena in 1703. The Places where in the Ships are The Fleet being built on large Rivers far up the Land, it may be of Ufe to give fome fhor: Description of the Places where the Yards either are, or have been fettled. built. Stupena is a fmall Town on the River Veronne, about twenty English Miles aboye Vero nitz. Stupena. Veronitz. Veronitz is another fmall Town, lying in 50 Degrees 20 Minutes of Northern Latitude, and in 63 Degrees Longitude, on the Veronne, eight English Miles above the Mouth of that River, where it falls into the Don. In 1696, the Czar began a Stone Arfenal there, to preserve all Manner of Stores. The Ships here, and at Stupena, were built on the Land on Launches, but could not be got a-float without great Difficulty, nor otherwise than in the Spring; to remove which Inconvenience a Sluice and Work was made at the Mouth of the River in 1702, for raifing and letting off the Water at any Time required; and by this Means fifteen Ships were laid dry on the Land to be refitted in 1703: But proper Care not being taken to keep the Sluices open in the Spring, when the Floods came down, and brought vaft Quantities of Sand wafhed off the neigbouring Mountains, the Channel began to choak up, scarce fix Feet of Water remaining were feventeen were formerly. This Difappointment, with the bad Air, the Ground being Marfhy, and the People fubject to Agues in the Spring, which has carried feveral of them off, obliged the Czar to think of removing his Yards; and the River being vifited in 1705, for a proper Place to make fome Docks, Tavereff a little Village fix Miles lower was pitched on by the High-Admiral Apraxin, contrary to the Opinion of all the Ship-Carpenters and Sluice-makers, who reprefented that is was impoffible to lay any Foundation there, which could fecure them against the Force of the Floods, the Banks being a loose Sand; but the Admiral continuing obftinate, for fome private Intereft, eight Docks were begun under the Direction of a Polander, Annifeé Miekowick, in 1706. The Gates and Foundations were accordingly blown up in 1707, and notwithstanding all poffible Care and Reparations, met the fame Fate in 1708 In the fame Year, however, pofitive Orders being given to set up four eighty Gun Ships, three of forty-eight, and one of twenty-four in that Place, the Carpenters refolved to open the Gates in the Floods and let in the Water, rather than have the Foundation of the Dock tore up, and the Carcaffes of the Ships fpoiled at the fame Time, as happened to one the Year before: This occafions a great Delay of near fix Weeks in the Spring, during which all the Men lie idle. ་ ས། The Czar, being convinced of these Inconveniencies in 1709, when he was there in the Spring, ordered the Ships to be run up with Plank, until they could |