UNDER PETER THE GREAT 15

cially sails and cordage, has since been carried sledge-ways to Archangel, when the Tsar built ships therein 1714. Two obstructions he then laboured under,and would again should he once more be master ofAsof and Taganrog ; one, his ships must be built upat Taveroff, near Voronezh, a great distance fromAsof; and the river Don being very rapid it is diffi-cult transporting them down : the other, at the mouthof this river for 9 or 10 leagues [there] being shoalwater, he must build his men-of-war much flatterthan usual, and yet after all apply wooden floats tolift and support them, till they reach the deep water :so that the Turks, by planting a few ships in stationthere, may easily prevent the Tsar from bringing hisfleet to sea.

IV. EARLY SERVICES OF THE NEW BALTICFLEET

The first service ever done the Tsar by his shipsbuilt at St. Petersburg was in the entrance of theyear 1710, when provisions, ammunition, and artillerywere sent to carry on the siege of Viborg. A snow,commanded by Lieutenant Smith and sent into theSwedes’ fleet with a flag of truce for exchange of someparticular prisoners, being detained by the Swedes,as construing it a design to observe their strength ;the Tsar by way of reprisal, when the town sur-rendered on the 13th of June following, made thegarrison prisoners of war contrary to the capitulation.Hitherto the Tsar having served as Captain-Com-modore, 1 now assumed the character of Rear-Admiral.

reprise des hostilites avec la Turquie. Apres la perte d’Azof elledeviendra inutilisable. On en cedera une partie aux Turcs eux-memes, et on laissera pourrir le reste’ (Waliszewski, Pierre leGrand , p. 556).

1 The derivation of ‘ Commodore ' is uncertain. We probably,like the Swedes, adopted it from the Dutch, who spelt the word