Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 2, 1851).djvu/70

head, eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and in other respects almost entirely resembling a man, but without voice, which, like other fish, affords excellent food.

Hitherto, whatever I have related, has been literally translated by me from a Russian itinerary, which has been placed at my service; and although in my narrative some things may appear to be fabulous and scarcely credible, — such as men being dumb, dying and coming to life again, the Golden Old Woman, men of monstrous shape, and fishes having the appearance of men, — yet I myself, in spite of diligent investigation respecting them, have not been able to get certain information from any one who has seen them with his own eyes, although by universal report they are held to be true; at the same time, in order to afford others a more ample opportunity of investigating these matters, I have been reluctant to omit anything, and have therefore quoted the very names of the places just as they are called by the Russians.

Noss is the Russian name for nose; hence this name is given to headlands protruding like a nose into the sea. The mountains near the river Petchora are called Semnoi Poyas, which signifies the girdle of the world or of the earth; for poyas in Russian signifies a girdle. The lake Kithai gives its name to the great Khan of Chathaia, whom the Russians call the Czar of Kythai. Chan amongst the Tartars signifies king.

The districts of Lucomorya, which lie on the sea-coast, are covered with wood, and the inhabitants do not dwell in houses. But although the author of the itinerary described most of the nations of Lucomorya as subject to the Prince of Moscovy; yet as the kingdom of Tumen is near to it, and the prince of that country is a Tartar, and is called in their native language the Tumenski czar, which means king in Tumen, and has not very long ago done great injury to the Prince of Moscovy, it is very probable from the