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COXE’s TRAVELS IN RUSSIA.

02

According to the Ruffian hiftorians, George Danilovitch, Great-Duke of Mofcow,during an expedition againft Wiburgh in 1324, built a fmail fortrefs in the middle otthis ifland, which was then called, from its oblong ffiape, Orekoflki Qftrof, or NutIfland ; from this appellation the fortrefs took its name of Orekovetch, which was cor-rupted into Orefhek. Being befieged and taken by Magnus King of Sweden, theSwedes tranflated the name into their own language, and called it Notcborg. It againcame into the polfeffion of the Ruffians, who retained it until 1614, when GuftavusAdolphus forced thegarrifon to capitulate. Since this period the Swedes encircled the•tvhole ifland with a wall and battlements.

In 1702 Peter advanced to the frontiers of Sweden with a confiderable army, and,.after ieveral ineffedual attempts againft Noteborg , fent Prince Galitzin, Colonel of theGuards, at the head of a felect corps, to take it by ftorm. The troops being landed bymeans of rafts, dofeto the fortifications, which advance almoft to the edge of the water,were expofed to fo dreadful a carnage, that Peter, conceiving the afiault impracticable,lent orders for the Ruffians to retire. Galitzin refufed to obey. “ Tell my fovereign,”Te added, “ that I am no longer his fubjed ; having thrown myfeif under the protec-tioo of a power far fuperior to him.” Then, turning to his troops, he animated them bvhis voice and example, and, leading them to the attack, fealed the walls, and took thefortrefs. Peter, (truck with this exploit, Paid to him, “Aik what you chafe, exceptMofcow and Catharine.” The Prince, with a magnanimity which refleds high honour' on bis charafter, requefted the pardon of his ancient rival Prince Rcpnin, who had been> degraded by Peter from the rank of Marlhal to that of a common foldier ; he obtainedhis requeft, the confidence of his fovereign, the efteem of Repnin, and the appiaufe ofthe public # .

Peter changed the name of the fortrefs into Schluffelburgh, becaufe, from the im-portance of the fituation, he confidered it as the key f of his conquefts. From this pe-riod it has continued m the poffellion of the Ruffians; but has been chiefly ufed for aftate prifon.

The ifland, which lies midway between the banks of the Neva, is of an oblong fhape,icarcely more than fix hundred yards in length, and two hundred and fixty in its greateftbreadth. The walls, which fkirt almoft the whole circumference, are built with (toneand brick, about fifty feet high, from eleven to twenty thick, and ftrengthened withbattlements and round towers. We paffed over a draw-bridge into the fortrefs, whichwe examined, but without being permitted to enter any of the wards where the prifon-ers are confined. A range of corridors enclofes a large area, and contains feveral dun-geons for the prifoners. We obferved the windows of thefe dungeons clofed withbrick, leaving towards their top a vacant fpace of a few inches fquare, which admits folittle light, that the unfortunate inhabitants have only a kind of twilight gloom. In themiddle of the area is the governor’s houfe, and a fmail wooden cottage, wherein aftate prifoner was confined- Further on we entered through a portcullis into the inte-rior fortrefs, built by George Danilovitch; it is one hundred and forty feet fquare,open at top, with ftone walls remarkably high. Within is the ffiell of a brick houfe ofone ftory, which reaches from one fide to the other, and contains eleven rooms, each fe-venteen feet by twelve. This houfe was built by order of Peter III. with fuch expedi-tion, that it was begun and brought to its prefent ftate in lefs than fix weeks ; but his

* I received this anecdote from a defeendant of Prince Galitzin, and the truth was confirmed by manyS.uffian noblemen.

-j- Schluffel in German fignifies a key } and Peter affe&e-d to give many places a German appellation.

depofition

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