When  I  came  myself  along  this  road,  on  which  I  was
detained  ninety-five  days,  I  saw  no  more  than  eighty
horses,  with  which  we  were  supplied,  and  all  these,
except  seventeen,  died  on  the  road.  It  is  impossible
for  government  to  remedy  this  inconvenience,  which,
in  process  of  time,  must  cut  off  all  communication  by
land  with  Ochoczk.  The  prospect  of  this  event  has
engaged  the  Russian  government  to  make  preparations
for  securing  the  navigation  of  the  river  Amour,  which
falls  into  the  sea  to  the  southward  of  the  island
Sachalin,  and  runs  through  the  southern  parts  of
Siberia.
242


CHAPTER  XXXI

The  town  of  Uda  is  situated  on  the  banks  of  a  river
of  the  same  name  in  55  deg.  24  min.  N.  lat.  and  341
deg.  30  min.  long,  from  Kamchatka.  This  small  town
is  inhabited  by  one  hundred  families  of  exiles,  who  have
thrown  off  their  subjection  to  the  Russian  government,
and  established  regulations  among  themselves.  The
inhabitants  of  this  town  have  opened  a  trade  with
Korea,  and  can  live  without  the  assistance  of  Russia.
Instead  of  oxen  and  cows,  this  new  colony  maintains  a
flock  of  elks,  the  flesh  of  which  is  good ;  the  females
aftbrd  a  considerable  quantity  of  milk,  which  they  make
into  butter  and  cheese.  I  have  eaten  of  both  at
Jakut/k.  This  province  affords  the  most  beautiful
sables,  and  rivals  the  commerce  of  Russia,  to  the  no
small  prejudice  of  the  latter.
In  the  year  1770,  the  government  of  Ochoczk
detached  a  serjeant,  named  I^ohner,  with  twenty-four
soldiers  and  eighty  Cossacks,  to  reduce  the  town  of
Uda ;  but  this  troop,  instead  of  executing  the  orders
intrusted  to  them,  deserted,  and  fixed  their  abode  in
Korea.
