UNDER PETER THE GREAT 5

the present General Admiral 1 Apraxin Admiraliteits-heer, 2 so called according to the custom of Holland,and answers in some measure to the Navy Board 3 inEngland. Mr. Cruys, formerly Equipage Master 4at Amsterdam, entering into the Tsar’s service inthe character of Vice-Admiral, entertained by hisorder many sea Officers ; mostly Hollanders andDanes ; and conducted them by the route of Arch-angel to Moscow and Voronezh. The Tsar justlygiving the preference in building and equippingships to the method used in England, procuredseveral Sea-ofsicers, Master-builders, &c., of thatnation to accompany or follow him ; and having nowgained a competent skill in shipping, soon put a stopto the proceedings of the old builders hithertoemployed on the river Don ; and, abolishing thecustom of enjoining his Boyars to build him ships,appropriated particular funds to that use, fixing thefollowing persons at Taveroff and Voronezh :Messrs. Joseph Ney, Richard Cosens, and [John]Deane, 5 Master Builders ; Davenport, Hadley,

1 For an account of Apraxin, s eepost, p. 77.

2 Calisch ( Dutch-English Diet), ‘Lord of the Admiralty. 5The MS. has ‘Admiralty de’s Heer. 5

3 Meaning here Admiralty.

4 Equipage-meester, now ‘ Boatswain, 5 formerly meant an officiallike the English ‘ Master-Attendant, 5 now ‘ Staff-Captain, 5 of adockyard. Cruys was one of the most prominent foreigners in Peter’sfleet. Born at Stavanger in Norway on June 14,1657 ; died on hisseventieth birthday (June 14, 17 2 7). Went to Holland when youngand entered the merchant service. He was taken—as stated inthe text—into the Government service as Under Equipage Masterat Amsterdam dockyard. He made the acquaintance of Peterthe Great during that monarch’s visit to Holland in 1697, andwas induced to enter the Russian Navy (Bricka’s DanskBiografisk Lexikon ; vol. iv.; Copenhagen, 1890; pp. 118-9).See post , p. 61.

5 This [John] Deane was the son of the eminent Harwichmaster-shipwright, Sir Anthony Deane. He accompanied Peterthe Great to Russia. In 1699 John Deane published in LondonA Letter from Moscow to the Marquess of Carmarthen , relating to