610 ARRIVAL AT TOBOLSKI.

certainly the eastern boundary of the ancient Siberia, which now
makes up a province only of the vast Muscovite empire, but is itself
equal in bigness to the whole empire of Germany.

And yet here I observed ignorance and paganism still prevailed,
except in the Muscovite garrisons. All the country between the
river Oby and the river Janezay is as entirely pagan, and the
people as barbarous, as the remotest of the Tattars; nay, as any
nation, for aught I know, in Asia or America. I also found,
which I observed to the Muscovite governots whom I had oppor-
tunity to converse with, that the poor pagans are not much the
wiser or the nearer Christianity for being undet the Muscovite
government ; which they acknowledged was true enough ; but, as
they said, was none of their business. That if the czar expected
to convert his Siberian, or Tonguese, or Tartar subjects, it should
be done by sending clergymen among them, not soldiers; and they
added, with more sincerity than I expected, that they found it was
not so much the concern of their monarch to make the people
Christians, as it was to make them subjects.

From this river to the great river Oby, we crossed a wild and
uncultivated country. I,cannot say it is a barren soil; it is
only barren of people and good management; otherwise it is in
itself a most pleasant, fruitful, and agreeable country. What
inhabitants we found in it are all pagans, except such as are sent
among them from Russia; for this is the country, I mean on both
sides the river Oby, whither the Muscovite criminals, that are not
put to death, are banished, and from whence it is next to impos<
sible they should ever come away.

I have nothing material to say of my eats affairs, till I
came to Tobolski, the capital city of Siberia, where I continued
some time on the following occasion :—

We had been now almost seven months on our journey, and
winter began to come on apace; whereupon my partner and I
called a council about our particular affairs, in which wé found it
proper, considering that we were bound for England, and not for
Moscow, to consider how to dispose of ourselves. They told us of
sledges and reindeer to carry us over the snow in the winter time;
and, indeed, they have such things that it would be incredible to