HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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lised, untutored people, to traverse such dangerous coasts, became, in greatmeasure, covered with numerous and praedatory armaments, mutually intendedby the inhabitants of one territory, or district, for the destruction and pillageof those their destined, and hoped for victims, who dwelt in one not far dis-tant. As the voyages were short, and prudence naturally suggested a choice offavourable weather, they were, far as the obscure history of those ages, parti-cularly in respect to countries with which the rest of Europe held so slight anacquaintance, neither marked with sufficient variety either of victory, discom-fiture, or other misfortune, to render it in any degree necessary to enter intothe particulars of them, even were they more distinctly known. Their canoes,or whatever other appellation the vessels of that country may be thought en-titled to, were on a par with those which could be opposed to them ; andthough history has been silent on that point, it is not unfair to conclude, sucha share of dexterity might, on many occasions, be displayed, as entitled thedifferent commanders to as high a portion of fame and applause, (short livedthough it proved) as would be reaped in modern times by the most scientificmanoeuvre of a powerful fleet, and the consequent destruction of a muchdreaded foe. Ingenuity also might have been, and, without doubt, deservedly,as much applauded in the invention or improvement of a paddle, as it wouldnow in the most useful contrivance suggested by a marine architect of thepresent day.

The first introduction of the Rossi, or Roxolani, now called Russians, to thenotice and acquaintance of the more civilised and luxurious inhabitants of thesouth, as well as their early subsequent history, is certainly too.interesting tobe passed over without notice. They became first publicly known in the ninthcentury, in consequence of an embassy sent by Theophilus, emperor of theeast, to Lewis, the son of Charlemagne, who was then emperor of the Franks,or west. The ambassadors from Constantinople were accompanied by personsinvested with the same character from the Great Duke, or to use the nativeterm which was bestowed on him, the Chagan or Czar of the Russians. Intheir route over land to Constantinople, they had been under the necessity ofpassing through the territories of people equally barbarous with themselves,and from whom escape became extremely difficult. Wishing to avoid theperils of return, they became attendants in the train of the embassy to Lewis,for the purpose of soliciting a conveyance by sea to the country which gavethem birth. The suspicion of the Franks caused a minute enquiry as to the

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