Essays on the frigate pallas summary. Essay “Travel Sketches of Goncharov “Frigate “Pallada”

The book “Frigate “Pallada”” by the great Russian writer Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov (1812-1891) is a unique phenomenon in its own way. None of the classics Russian literature, neither before nor after Goncharov, did not participate in such a journey. Those Russians who had the opportunity to travel this path: from Russia through Britain and South Africa to Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, China, the Philippines, were not classics of Russian literature... The journey, which began on October 7, 1852 at the roadstead of Kronstadt, became an event for Russia extraordinary. Firstly, there were still a lot of circumnavigations around the world, and Russian sailors under the command of Ivan Kruzenshtern first circumnavigated the Earth only half a century ago. Secondly, this time they went for a reason, but with a special and important mission - to “open” Japan, to establish relations with a country that had just begun to move away from the centuries-old policy of strict isolationism. Thirdly, the voyage on the frigate “Pallada” was destined to go down in the history of Russian and world literature. However, then few people knew about this... From the point of view of his position in society, Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov was completely unknown in 1852 - a modest department official foreign trade Ministry of Finance, appointed secretary-translator of the head of the expedition, Vice Admiral Evfimy Putyatin. In literary circles, his name has already been heard - in 1847, in the famous Sovremennik, founded by Pushkin, Goncharov’s first significant work, “Ordinary History,” was published. But his main novels, Oblomov and Precipice, had not yet been written. Just like “Frigate “Pallada”” is a book for Russian literature of the 19th century V. unprecedented. Somehow it happened that Ivan Goncharov is perceived as a homebody writer. Either way, Pushkin visited the Crimea and the Caucasus. And Dostoevsky and Turgenev traveled almost all over Europe. Goncharov is a classic Russian noble estate, where St. Petersburg or Moscow is the center of the Universe. These are the writer’s heroes: Aduev from “ Ordinary history", Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, Raisky from "The Cliff". All of them are smart people, but weak-willed, unwilling or unable to change anything in their lives. Many critics even tried to convince readers that Goncharov is Oblomov... But in in this case the author turned out to be the complete opposite of his characters. Britain, Madeira, Atlantic, South Africa, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, China, Philippines: even today, in the era of airplanes, such a journey is a very difficult test. And Ivan Goncharov had the opportunity to go all this way on a sailing ship. There were, of course, moments of weakness; the writer was even going to give up everything and return home from England. But he still survived and reached Japan. Then we had to return home on horseback across all of Russia. And although the trip did not go around the world, it was a feat for the good of his country. And for the benefit of the readers. “We have to travel around the whole world and tell about it in such a way that they listen to the story without boredom, without impatience,” Ivan Goncharov set himself the task. And he did it. That is why the book “Frigate “Pallada”” outlived both the ship that gave it its name and the author for a long time. Times are changing, technologies are improving, speeds are increasing, but “Frigate “Pallas”” is still being read, is being read and will continue to be read... Electronic publication of I. A. Goncharov’s book includes full text paper book and some illustrative material. But for true connoisseurs of exclusive publications, we offer a gift classic book with exceptional richness in maps and other documentary and artistic illustrations. Over 250 colored and black and white drawings, paintings, route maps, many comments and related explanations of geographical and biographical realities, excellent printing, white offset paper. This edition, like all the books in the “Great Travels” series, will adorn any, even the most sophisticated library, and will be a wonderful gift for both young readers and discerning bibliophiles.

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Goncharov decided to own initiative for a trip around the world. Arriving at any port, he sought to complement the sea trip with a trip by land, using every hour of the ship’s stay to get acquainted with the life of foreign cities and countries (the writer took part in an expedition deep into the African continent), while he compared himself with the traveling Oblomov.

Goncharov’s book of essays “Frigate “Pallada”” (1855-1858) presents the “Odyssey” of the voyage of Russian sailors around Europe, Africa and Asia. Not being an example of marine painting in the literal sense of the word, that is, not being dedicated to reproducing the specifics of the work and life of sailors and naval officers, it vividly and entertainingly talks about the life of “the ship, this small Russian world with four hundred” inhabitants.

At the same time, in his travel essays, the writer reflects on the important problems of modern public life. In his book about the voyage of the frigate “Pallada,” the maturation of the idea of ​​the novel “Oblomov” is noticeable.

This is the dialectic creative process Goncharova: to depict the “total”, hyperbolic, with all its reality, immobility of the hero, the writer had to wander for two and a half years, swim across a number of seas and oceans, cross part of Africa, Asia and Europe from the Pacific Ocean to St. Petersburg.

In order to realize and express the danger of patriarchal stagnation, he had to get acquainted with the life of countries with high development of industry and trade, think about the positive results of their historical experience and the negative phenomena that accompany it.

In order to fully understand the origins of inactivity and disintegration of will, the harmful influence on the personality of a romantic escape from reality and to believe in the possibility of overcoming these socio-psychological phenomena, he had to join the “little Russian world”, welded together despite unfavorable conditions (stick discipline , social inequality), unity of tasks, awareness of the necessity of the work of each crew member and the expediency of the activities of all.

Visibility and clarity of tasks and goals of hard work forges people's characters, strengthens their will, and gives meaning to their lives. An expression of this attitude is the readiness of each of them at any moment for intense heroic work and even death, and a penchant for fun, ingenuity in entertainment.

Characterizing his messenger Faddeev as a typical sailor, Goncharov notes his mental independence and labor and military training. “I studied it completely in three weeks<...>he got me, I think, in three days. Sharpness and being “on his own” were not the least of his virtues, which were hidden behind the outward clumsiness of a Kostroma citizen and the subordination of a sailor.

“Help my man set things up in the cabin,” I gave him my first order. And what would have cost my servant two mornings of work, Faddeev did in three steps.”

The way Faddeev arranges things reveals the sailor’s special, specific “homeliness.” Goncharov notes that, before new person penetrates into the logic of the arrangement of objects on the ship, the “interior” of the cabins seems gloomy and uncomfortable to him, but as soon as the expediency of everything around him is revealed during the voyage, the ship begins to be perceived by him as a cozy and reliable home.

On the high seas, a ship is both a home and the embodiment of the homeland. In the routine maintenance of this house, the sailor defends his “small land” from the elements, and sometimes from military danger. The expedition in which Goncharov participated, in addition to the public and rather serious task of studying ports and colonies, had a secret diplomatic mission in the Far East.

While she was performing this task, a war broke out between Russia and Turkey, in which England and France took part on Turkey’s side. The military frigate Pallada faced the possibility of being attacked by technically incomparably better equipped English ships, and the crew was ready to fight to the end and blow up the ship.

Goncharov did not reflect concerns related to the military situation in the book, but showed that the daily work of sailors is akin to a military feat. Goncharov specifically dwells on the meaning of a common phenomenon of marine life: emergency work - collective labor that requires the exertion of everyone’s strength and is often associated with danger to life

Labor and danger are everyday and inseparable in this everyday life. “I could not marvel at his activity, abilities and strength,” the author writes about Faddeev and further notes in his messenger the courage shown by the people both in travel and in work, and fidelity to duty, typical of a man from the people: “With the same indifference He<...>he looks at a new beautiful shore, and at a tree he has never seen, at a person - in a word, everything bounces off this calmness, except for one indestructible desire for his duty - to work, to death, if necessary.”

The sailor’s indifference to exotic nature is not an expression of Oblomov’s attitude towards unusual phenomena, characterized by Goncharov in “Oblomov’s Dream.” The sailor is accustomed to the extraordinary as to the ordinary. He is not surprised by the palm tree and does not admire it, just as a peasant mowing grass does not admire flowers.

Work, service, which always requires composure, absorbs him, and his restraint when contemplating exotic wonders, as well as when mortal danger, determined by concentration, busyness or readiness to work.

At the same time, Goncharov notes in the sailors features that make them similar to Zakhar, Oblomov’s serf “man.” Sailors are not at all “ideal”, special people by nature, but their service develops in them best features character - courage, will, consciousness of his duty, hard work, honesty, while the very position of the servant, his lack of rights, the meaninglessness and humiliation of his work corrupt him.

In the same way, depicting the courage and tireless activity of officers, Goncharov emphasizes that these people were brought up by the conditions of service at sea and were tempered by them. And in brave, active sailors the writer is sometimes ready to detect “rudiments” of Oblomovism, but the tendency towards laziness or sybarism does not fetter their will, but only gives them sweet simplicity and spontaneity.

About Lieutenant Butakov, Goncharov wrote to his friends Yazykov: “He served in the Black Sea all his century, and not for nothing: he is a magnificent sailor. When inactive, he is apathetic or likes to hide somewhere in a corner and sleep; but in a storm and in general at a critical moment - all the fire<...>

He is the second person on the frigate, and you just need management, speed, whether something bursts, whether it falls out of place, whether water flows in streams into the ship - his voice is heard above everyone and everywhere, and the speed of his considerations and orders is amazing.”

Here we come across a motif that runs through the entire book of essays “Frigate Pallada”: the courage and energy of sailors - both sailors and commanders - is determined by the expediency and importance of the tasks facing them. This interpretation of the nature of true heroism fit perfectly with the anti-romantic tendency that permeates the essays.

Does the writer talk about the advantages of steam engines over sails and the archaic nature of beautiful, but technically not modern and doomed to “extinction” sailing ships, does he refutes the current ideas about the romance of sea life and the natural phenomena at the equator, whether he is making fun of his friends - the poets A. Maikov and V. Benediktov - about the aesthetic attitude to the exoticism of distant countries, the voice of Aduev Sr. is heard everywhere, pronouncing his favorite: “Close the valve!”

But unlike the dude Aduev, who avoids interfering in the affairs of the young man and from responsibility for his future, the “apathetic” Goncharov “lures” the reader into the world of true heroism, calling for unostentatious serious curiosity.

It is as if he takes the young reader with him on a voyage and introduces him to the everyday life of a ship, revealing their simple but genuine significance. Enjoying the liberation from the routine of St. Petersburg life (“The days flashed by, life threatened with emptiness, twilight, eternal everyday life<...>

Each expedition is part of the history of civilization, an endless chain of human exploits in the name of understanding the universe. In the 19th century, when social progress and the development of science and technology acquired unprecedented rates, knowledge of the native planet - the Earth - entered, as Goncharov thinks, into a new phase. ““Space!” Even more painfully than before, I wanted to look at living space with living eyes”; “Hurry, hurry, get on the road! The poetry of distant travels is disappearing by leaps and bounds. We may be the last travelers, in the sense of the Argonauts: upon our return, they will look at us with sympathy and envy,” he writes, conveying the thoughts that forced him to cast aside all doubts and decide to participate in the voyage of the frigate Pallada.

Goncharov, of course, did not foresee that in a few decades the heroic worldwide epic of the conquest of the North Pole by the new Argonauts would unfold, but he expressed the sentiments that trained leaders for such achievements. That is why “Frigate “Pallada”” soon after its appearance entered the circle of favorite reading among youth.

The measured life of sailors while the ship was in calm waters reminded the writer of the life of a “steppe village,” that is, of central Russian provincial places (cf. Turgenev’s “King Lear of the Steppes”). However, for Goncharov, the whole charm of ship life was determined by the fact that behind its external calm and monotony there was tireless activity, rest was preparation for moments of tension of all forces, all abilities, which were frequent during the voyage and for which the crew members were always ready.

Goncharov observed with interest and attention the other side of the life of the sailors: the closed life of the crew, the regulated and clearly organized structure of which reflected many essential features of the existence of Russian society, constantly came into contact with world life in its various manifestations.

Already in “Ordinary History” Goncharov revealed his interest in the socio-historical problem of progress. This problem should also occupy an important place in the range of questions posed in the novel “Oblomov”.

During trip around the world Goncharov, for the first time and with exceptional clarity for a man of his time, saw that social changes that were breaking centuries-old relations in Russia were occurring against the backdrop of changes in world politics and the very nature of relationships between countries. The ocean does not separate peoples, but connects them.

It becomes a high road along which ships of large industrial countries of Europe ply, in search of raw materials and labor, spreading their trade missions, and, if necessary, ready to use military force to subjugate the peoples of Africa and Asia.

An ardent supporter of European civilization, sometimes underestimating the achievements of the culture of the East, Goncharov replaces the tone of good-natured irony, in which he mainly narrates the story, with a lyrical one, with pathos expressing his confidence that enterprise, fearlessness and technical genius modern man will ultimately bring benefit to humanity, not enslavement, that the industrial age will not destroy humanity.

Heroes-dreamers on sea ​​routes replaced by ordinary people, specialists: “I remembered that this path is no longer Magellan’s path, that people have dealt with the mysteries and fears. The not majestic image of Columbus and Vasco de Gama looks speculatively from the deck into the distance, into the unknown future: an English pilot, in a blue jacket, leather trousers, with a red face, and a Russian navigator, with the insignia of impeccable service, pointing the way to the ship with his finger.. “- the writer declares, starting his essays, and already in these introductory paragraphs an epic image of a man of modern times emerges, occupying a modest place among other specialist workers, but carrying a heroic beginning.

This image, embodied in the figures of Russian sailors and officers, objectively contrasts in the book with the images of English merchants scurrying around the world in search of profit and unceremoniously imposing their way of life.

History of Russian literature: in 4 volumes / Edited by N.I. Prutskov and others - L., 1980-1983.

In 1852-1855, the Russian writer Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov made a three-year sea voyage on board the Russian warship - the frigate "Pallada", and then, returning from distant travels, published his travel notes under the title "Frigate Pallada" (this book can be downloaded for free, link at the end of the article).

As everyone probably understands, a warship is not a cruise ship for tourists, and indeed, I.A. Goncharov sailed on the frigate “Pallada” not so much out of love for travel, but out of official necessity.

The history of the voyage on the frigate "Pallada", which led to the creation of a real masterpiece of Russian literature in the genre of travel writing, is as follows:

IN mid-19th century rivalry begins Russian Empire and the United States of America for influence in the Asia-Pacific region. By the way, at that time in Russia it was customary to call the United States not as it is now, but somewhat differently - the North American United States, abbreviated as the USA.

The main object of Russian-American rivalry was Japan, which had been closed to foreigners since 1639 - the arrival of a foreigner on Japanese soil was punishable by death, and only for Chinese and Dutch ships since 1641 a small exception was made - they were allowed to enter the port of Nagasaki for trade , and nowhere else. Russians and Americans, if they appeared in Japan, would automatically expose their necks to the blow of a samurai sword.

However, both Russia and America really wanted to get Japan as a market for their goods, and they almost simultaneously sent their naval squadrons to Japan in order to force the Japanese to make concessions and open the country for entry by Russian and American merchant ships, respectively.

The Russian squadron was commanded by Admiral Evfimy Putyatin, and the American squadron was commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry. The Americans from San Francisco were closer to sailing than the Russians from St. Petersburg, and they managed to sail a year earlier - Commodore Perry arrived in Japan in 1854, and Admiral Putyatin only in 1855.

There is no need to be surprised at the long duration of the voyage - sailing ships depend entirely on the will of the wind, and once in a zone of calm (no wind), it was possible to stay in one place for several weeks, and then also fight the headwind, covering scanty distances per day.

Both expeditions were successful - the Japanese signed trade agreements with both Russia and the United States, but this was achieved by different means.

Commodore Perry simply intimidated the Japanese, threatening to shoot their capital, the city of Ieddo (now called Tokyo), from cannons, but Admiral Putyatin, on the contrary, did not express any direct threats, and achieved what he wanted through long negotiations.

So, Ivan Goncharov, who served as a translator in the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Finance, was appointed secretary of Admiral Putyatin, and had to describe in detail the voyage (to Japan and back) and the progress of negotiations with the Japanese.

The trip became almost around the world, since I.A. On his way to Japan on the frigate Pallada, Goncharov visited England, South Africa, Indonesia, China, on the way back from Japan he visited the Philippines, not counting many small islands and archipelagos of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, then landed on the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk , and returned by land to St. Petersburg, passing through all of Russia. The frigate "Pallada" after Goncharov's departure returned to the capital of the Russian Empire by its natural, sea route.

Ivan Goncharov’s travel notes “Frigate Pallada” are interesting, very accurate, right down to the smallest details, a description of life and everyday life of the countries where he visited.

Judging by the text of “Frigate Pallas”, I.A. Goncharov was a big fan of delicious food, as he so colorfully describes all the dishes that he had the opportunity to eat during his travels that his mouth waters as he reads. Based on the materials of “Frigate Pallas” one could write “A Book about Tasty and healthy food“Goncharov devotes so much space in his work to describing his meals, sometimes you even wonder how one person could eat so much.

It is also interesting to observe how the Russian language has changed during this time, for example, now we speak plural“domA”, but at that time we said “domy”, now we say “candy”, but then we said “candy”, etc.

However, the main feature of “Frigate Pallada” is I.A.’s undisguised contempt. Goncharov’s attitude towards foreigners, reminiscent of the master’s condescending and dismissive attitude towards the downtrodden serfs. However, although Ivan Goncharov was not a nobleman by birth, in his habits and behavior he surprisingly resembled a real Russian gentleman, and during the trip the sailor Faddeev was assigned to him in order to serve this “master” on the ship.

I.A. Goncharov, having left the frigate Pallada, always became thoroughly acquainted with the way of life of the population of each country where he found himself, but in his description it is generally very difficult to find any Nice words about foreigners, it was mostly a negative view, although sometimes he found something positive in foreigners.

For example, Goncharov notes that English servants are very conscientious, and in general the English respect the peace of others, but at the same time he compares the English with soulless mechanisms that keep themselves within the framework of certain social norms and decency, and everything is in order and as it should be , and no broad Russian soul for you.

I.A. Goncharov humorously describes the English habit of shaking hands (now, as we all know, people shake hands in Russia, but in the 19th century this fashion had not yet reached us): “two Englishmen will meet, first they will try to tear each other’s hand off”.

And what Goncharov writes about blacks would horrify modern Americans, who are obsessed with political correctness and even consider the word “black” an offensive curse.

Goncharov generally treats the black people of the Bushmen as some kind of wild animals, for example, the author asks the owner of a South African hotel: “Is it possible to catch a Bushman somewhere? I’ve been wanting to see this tribe for a long time.”. Finally, he managed to see the bushman: “Before us stood a creature that barely had the semblance of a human being.”.

I.A. Goncharov also claims that blacks emit a particularly unpleasant odor: “You can’t sit with black people: they smell: they smear the body vegetable oil, and their perspiration has a special smell... when we were surrounded by blacks, it didn’t smell very good.”.

The Chinese, according to the Russian writer, also do not have a pleasant smell: “The Chinese, for example, have a lot to endure when standing in a crowd! The smell of sandalwood alone is worth it! from breath saturated with garlic, it seems that the fly will die on the fly".

But Goncharov even praised the Japanese in this sense: “There is no smell from the Japanese”.

However, in other respects, he also threw mud at the Japanese: “You can’t do business with them: they hesitate, they cheat, they deceive, and then they refuse. It's a pity to beat them", or, elsewhere: “They all stared at the wall or the floor and seemed to bet on who would make the stupidest face. Everyone, more or less, succeeded in this; many, of course, unintentionally", or: “I peered into the faces of the governor and his courtiers, sorting out the faces into smart, lively, completely stupid, or just dull from lack of mental movement... they seem to have a habit of appearing as stupid as possible in front of their elders, and that’s why there were a lot of faces here , stupid out of respect".

The inhabitants of the Lycean Islands, according to Goncharov, also "stupid faces".

It seems that Ivan Goncharov does not recognize any mental abilities of Asian peoples, because the word “stupid” is the main epithet in their description.

By the way, returning to the topic of Admiral Putyatin’s negotiations with the Japanese, it must be said that although he did not directly threaten them with shelling, the presence of the Russians did not bring any pleasure to the Japanese themselves, in addition, four warships with powerful artillery weapons were in themselves the strongest a means of psychological pressure, I.A. Goncharov writes about this directly:

“How frightened and upset they are by our sudden appearance on their shores! Four large ships, huge guns, a lot of people and a firm, unprecedented tone in sentences, independence in actions! ... Their turn has come to practically decide the question: to let the Europeans in or not, and for the Japanese it’s the same as to be or not to be. Let them in - the guests will again bring their faith, their ideas, customs, statutes, goods and vices. Don’t let them in... but now there are four of them, and perhaps ten will come, all with long guns. And theirs themselves are short, and without machines or on straw machines. There are also guns with wicks, sabers, even two in each person’s belt, and excellent ones... but what can you do with these toys?”.

The Russian writer considers it normal when such uninvited guests showed up and began to rightfully demand something from the owners “ white man", while hinting at his superiority in weapons.

It must be said that such “negotiations” with the Japanese, more like arm-twisting, which were conducted by the Russians and Americans in 1854-1855, cost both great powers dearly. The Japanese did not forget their grievance, and when they became strong enough, they took revenge on the offenders: remember the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 and the Japanese attack on the American fleet at Pearl Harbor in 1941.

They say correctly: “Today it’s you, and tomorrow it’s me.”

It is also interesting that in Goncharov’s description of China in the 19th century there are some surprising parallels with current situation in Russia, which Goncharov himself, naturally, could not foresee, and what he was surprised at in China:

“...between the government and the people lies an abyss. True, there are many laws, and even more enforcers, but this is again a joke, a comedy deliberately played out by both sides. The laws died long ago, they were so lost to life that a whole system took their place, a kind of tariff of payment for deviations from the laws. That is why the Chinese do what he wants: if he is an official, he takes bribes from the lower ones and gives them to the higher ones; if he is a soldier, he takes his salary and is lazy and runs away from the battlefield: he does not think that he serves to fight, but to support his family. A merchant knows his shop, a farmer knows his field and those to whom he sells his goods. They all act without consideration for the integrity and good of the state.”.

Surprisingly reminiscent of modern ones Russian realities and such seen by I.A. Goncharov in China is a peculiarity of the activities of law enforcement agencies and other government agencies, as an imitation of vigorous activity, so characteristic of some Russian officials and law enforcement officers.

When Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov landed on the Chinese coast from the frigate "Pallada", at that time the Taiping uprising was taking place in China, and Goncharov had to observe in what ways the supporters of the emperor ("imperialists") portrayed the fight against the rebels ("insurgents"): “The imperialists seize anyone who makes a mistake and, as a rebel, lead him to the camp, tying something red on his head as a sign of indignation. And there they chop off his head and stick him on a pike. A reward is given for every insurgent brought in.”.

The Chinese authorities were scared to death of real rebels, but they captured innocent people, presenting them as rebels in order to report to their superiors and receive a reward for it! Isn’t this reminiscent of the cases mentioned in the press when weapons and drugs are planted on innocent people in order to account for solving crimes?

Until I read The Frigate Pallas, I did not understand why the Chinese could not suppress the Taiping uprising for 14 years (!), and the English and French interventionists had to do it for them, but now everything becomes clear. It also becomes clear why crime is not being curbed in our country. If, instead of real villains, you catch innocent people who accidentally fell into your hands, do not expect victory.

Some political forces have so many times called on Russia to adopt the “Chinese experience,” and, as we see, we have indeed adopted the Chinese experience, only the experience is not modern, but from the 19th century.

But let's not be distracted by global political problems.

It’s better to read Ivan Goncharov’s book “Frigate Pallas” yourself - in the genre of travel notes in Russian literature, nothing equal to this work has yet been created, and even now, a century and a half later, the book is read with great interest.

Download the book by I.A. Goncharov "Frigate Pallada" is available for free.

The travelogues “Frigate “Pallada”” are very informative and artistic value. The originality of the style of the essays was very correctly defined by N. A. Nekrasov, noting “the beauty of the presentation, the freshness of the content and that artistic moderation of colors that constitutes the peculiarity of the description of Mr. Goncharov, without exposing anything too harshly, but in general conveying the subject with all fidelity, gentleness and variety of tones."

In the essays one can sense the contradictory nature of Goncharov’s worldview, but they are valuable to us for their truthful depiction of facts.

Passing on day after day his observations and impressions in a new and unusual environment for him, imperceptibly involving the reader in the interests of this environment, in the lives of the people around him, Goncharov does not forget his native country. Bright pictures The lives of the bourgeois West and the mysterious East cannot obscure from the artist the pictures of his native, sleepy kingdom of serf Russia. It stands before him wherever he is: among the hustle and bustle of London, on the sandy shore of Africa or under the tropical sky of Ceylon.

“The frigate Pallada was a great success among readers. During Goncharov's lifetime, the book was published five times. D.I. Pisarev noted that “The frigate “Pallada” was greeted by the Russian reader “with such joy as literary works are rarely found in Rus'.” Goncharov himself wrote: “The history of the voyage of the ship itself, this small Russian world with four hundred inhabitants, rushing across the oceans for two years, the peculiar life of the swimmers, the features of maritime life - all this in itself is also capable of attracting and retaining the sympathies of readers.”

The first country where the frigate had a long stay was England. From the serfdom empire of Nicholas I, Goncharov came to the “classical” country of capitalism, and saw with his own eyes the bourgeois world in its most complete development. In England and other countries, in the colonies, Goncharov saw how patriarchal forms of life were dying out under the influence of capitalist relations. Therefore, it is natural that the central theme of the essays of Goncharov, a sober and insightful writer, was the theme of capitalism.

Goncharov understands the historical inevitability of the victory of a new, more progressive way of life, and approves of “material progress.” And at the same time, in his essays, Goncharov condemns bourgeois society and its vices. An attentive and subtle observer, he sees the hypocrisy of the bourgeoisie, the cruel treatment of the population of the colonies, the robbery of foreign countries.

Wherever Goncharov was, he was always interested in the life of the people.

In London, he, unlike other travelers, did not visit British museum- a world-famous collection of achievements of human culture. He was interested in streets, houses, people: “Rather than looking at sphinxes and obelisks, I prefer to stand a whole hour at the crossroads and watch how two Englishmen meet, first try to tear each other’s hand off, then inquire about each other’s health and wish each other every well-being... I watch with curiosity how two cooks collide, with Corwins on their shoulders, how the endless double, triple a chain of carriages, like a river, as one carriage turns out of it with inimitable dexterity and merges with another thread; or how this whole chain will instantly go numb as soon as the policeman from the sidewalk raises his hand. In taverns, in theaters - everywhere I closely watch how and what they do, how they have fun, eat, drink ... "

Goncharov drew attention to the “vanity and movement.” People invent “machines, springs, tables” and do not notice that they themselves become “ the latest cars" Goncharov was outraged by the hypocrisy and hypocrisy of English bourgeois society: “All English trade is strong, credit is unshakable, and yet the buyer in every shop must take a receipt for the receipt of money. The laws against thieves are many and strict, and London is considered, by the way, to be an exemplary school of fraud, and there are several tens of thousands of thieves there; even “the continent is supplied with them, like goods, and the art of locking locks competes with the art of unlocking them... philanthropy has been elevated to the level of a public duty, and not only individuals, families, but entire countries under English rule are dying from poverty. Meanwhile this moral people eats on Sundays stale bread, does not allow you to play the piano in your room or whistle in the street. You’ll think about the reputation of an intelligent, businesslike, religious, moral and free people!”

What gives rise to this soulless activity of people whose only goal is to get rich? There is only one answer: the capitalist way of life.

True, Goncharov did not always understand what disasters English capital was bringing to the peoples of the colonies and dependent countries, and therefore in his essays there are incorrect, biased assessments of the results of England’s management in its colonies.

Goncharov, with his characteristic skill as a painter, draws bright, memorable baskets of African life: “Here is a slender, handsome black man Fingo, or Mozambique, drags a bundle on his shoulders, this is a “coolie”, an indentured servant, a porter who runs errands; here is another from the Zulu tribe, and more often Hottentots, on a box, deftly controlling a pair of horses...” Sympathizing with the peoples of Africa, oppressed by the British and other colonialists, Goncharov shows the conditions in which these peoples lived, and these pictures are far from what Goncharov would like to see , who believed in the beneficial influence of " powerful of the world this” - English entrepreneurs - on the disadvantaged peoples of Africa.

Goncharov writes about the “not entirely selfless actions” of the Christian missionaries who settled among the Kaffirs, that the Kaffirs were expelled from vast lands at a time “when bread was still standing and the tribe was left without food.” These pictures speak for themselves. They expose the predatory nature of capitalism. Goncharov devotes a lot of space to showing the “civilizing” activities of the British in China.

He writes with anger and contempt about the baseness of the colonialists, who at the expense of the Chinese “get rich, poison them1, and even despise their victims.”

In "civilization" Far East English businessmen were the main ones, but not the only ones. Goncharov writes about the arrival of the “new” colonialists: “The people of the United States North America have already come here with paper and woolen fabrics, guns, cannons and other tools of the latest civilization.”

The new “civilizers” send missionaries to spread Christianity and gradually take over the wealth of the “blessed islands.” And the islands are indeed rich: sugar plantations, many forests, fertile soil and climate. How can “civilizers” pass by such riches!

Two essays are dedicated to Japan - main goal travel around the world, a country, according to Marx, with a “purely feudal organization of land ownership”, with remnants of the Middle Ages.

These essays introduced the Russian reader to a country about which very little was known at that time. Goncharov meets with progressive-minded people who sought to change outdated orders. In these people Goncharov sees the future of Japan.

The writer is referring to the importation of opium into China. As always, he writes with great warmth about common people: “How much life they have hidden... how much fun, playfulness. A lot of abilities, talents - all this is visible in small things, in empty conversation, but it is also clear that there is not only content, that everything own strength lives have boiled over, burned out and require new, refreshing beginnings.”

In his essays about his stay in Japan, Goncharov also talks about the negotiations that were conducted by Admiral Putyatin with the Japanese government. As secretary to the admiral, he was present at these negotiations and described them in detail.

Putyatin's mission in St. Petersburg was given great importance. Its goal was to establish trade and diplomatic relations with Japan.

The Russian mission persistently negotiated with Japanese representatives. Quite unexpectedly, serious complications arose: Crimean War. Even before the declaration of war, the Russian sailors decided: when meeting with superior enemy forces, they would fight to the end and, if necessary, blow up the frigate.

Admiral Putyatin, Goncharov wrote in September 1854, “everyone expected that the war with England would not take place or would end suddenly and that he would be able to complete his assignments in Japan and China in the same amount and without haste as he began, and he will also need a secretary.

Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov

But he different sides They declare that the public demand for it does not stop and that, moreover, youth educators and school libraries demand it. This means that these travelers make friends in younger generations.

He attributes the constant attention of the public to his essays, first of all, to their very subject. Descriptions of distant countries, their inhabitants, the luxury of the local nature, the peculiarities and accidents of travel and everything that is noticed and conveyed by travelers - by whatever pen - all this never loses its entertainment for readers of all ages.

In addition, the history of the voyage of the ship itself, this small Russian world with four hundred inhabitants, which rushed across the oceans for two years, the peculiar life of the sailors, the features of sea life - all this in itself is also capable of attracting and retaining the sympathies of readers.

Thus, the author, from this side as well, considers himself indebted not to his pen, but to this public sympathy for the sea and sailors for the lasting success of his travel essays. He himself was placed by his position, one might say, in the need to touch the sea and sailors. Bound by the strict conditions of the voyages of a military vessel, he left the ship for a short time - and he often had to concentrate on what was happening around him, in his floating home, and interfere with the observations of foreign nature and people acquired, under the influence of fleeting impressions, with the phenomena of everyday life in his own home. "at home", that is, on the ship.

From this, of course, neither any special, scholarly description could come out (for which the author could not even claim), nor even any systematic description of the journey with a strictly defined content.

What came out was what I could give

Now reviewing this diary of his memories again, the author feels himself, and willingly blames himself, for the fact that he often talks about himself, being everywhere, so to speak, the inseparable companion of the reader.

They say that the presence of a living personality brings a lot of life into the description of travel: this may be true, but the author, in the present case, cannot take credit for this purpose or this merit. He, without intention and also out of necessity, introduces himself into descriptions, and it is difficult for him to avoid this. The epistolary form was not adopted by him as the most convenient for travel essays: letters were actually written and sent from different points to one or another friend, as was agreed upon by them and him. And friends were interested not only in the journey, but also in the fate of the traveler himself and his position in his new life. This is the reason for his constant presence in descriptions.

Upon his return to Russia, the letters, on the advice of his friends, were collected and put in order - and these two volumes were compiled from them, appearing to the public for the third time under the name “Frigate “Pallada””.

If this frigate, again revised, if possible corrected and supplemented by the final chapter, published in the literary collection “Skladchina” in 1874, serves (as this happens with real sea vessels after the so-called “timbering,” that is, major corrections) for another period , by the way, even among young people, the author will consider himself rewarded beyond all expectations.

In the hope of this, he willingly ceded his right to publish “The Frigate “Pallada”” to I. I. Glazunov, a representative of the oldest bookselling house in Russia, which has been devoting its activities for almost a century primarily to the publication and distribution of books for young people.

The publisher wished to attach a portrait of the author to the book: having no reason to resist this desire, the author granted this right to his discretion, all the more willingly because the execution of this work was undertaken by a famous Russian artist, whose chisel presented the public with beautiful examples of art, among other things, recently a portrait of the late poet Nekrasova.

January, 1879

From Kronstadt to Cape Lizard

Packing, farewell and departure to Kronstadt. - Frigate "Pallada". - The sea and sailors. - Wardroom. - The Gulf of Finland. - Fresh breeze. - Seasickness. - Gotland. - Cholera on the frigate. - Fall of a man into the sea. - Sound. - Kattegat and Skagerrak. - German Sea. - Dogger Bank and Galloper Lighthouse. - Abandoned ship. - Fishermen. - British Channel and Spitged Road. - London. - Wellington's funeral. - Notes about Englishmen and Englishwomen. - Return to Portsmouth. - Living at Camperdown. - Walk around Portsmouth, Southsea, Portsea and Gosport. - Waiting for a fair wind on the Spitged roadstead. - The evening before Christmas. - Silhouette of an Englishman and a Russian. - Departure.

It surprises me how you could not have received my first letter from England, dated November 2/14, 1852, and the second from Hong Kong, precisely from places where the fate of a letter is cared for as the fate of a newborn baby. In England and its colonies, a letter is a treasured object that passes through thousands of hands, along railroads and other roads, across oceans, from hemisphere to hemisphere, and inevitably finds the one to whom it was sent, if only he is alive, and just as inevitably returns, where it was sent from, if he died or returned there himself. Were the letters lost on the mainland, in Danish or Prussian possessions? But now it’s too late to investigate such trifles: it’s better to write again, if only necessary...

Are you asking for details of my acquaintance with the sea, with sailors, with the shores of Denmark and Sweden, with England? You want to know how I suddenly moved from my quiet room, which I left only in cases of extreme need and always with regret, to the unstable bosom of the seas, how, the most spoiled of all of you with city life, the usual bustle of the day and the peaceful tranquility of the night, I suddenly, in one day, in one hour, was he to overthrow this order and rush into the disorder of a sailor's life? It used to be that you wouldn’t be able to sleep if a large fly burst into the room and rushed around with a violent buzz, pushing against the ceiling and windows, or if a mouse scratched in the corner; you run away from the window if it blows, you scold the road when there are potholes in it, you refuse to go to the end of town for the evening under the pretext of “it’s a long drive,” you’re afraid to miss your appointed time to go to bed; you complain if the soup smells of smoke, or the roast is burnt, or the water doesn’t shine like crystal... And suddenly - at sea! “How will you walk there - is it rocking?” - asked people who find that if you order a carriage from someone other than such and such a carriage maker, it will rock. “How will you go to bed, what will you eat? How do you get along with new people? - questions poured in, and they looked at me with morbid curiosity, as if I were a victim doomed to torture. From this it is clear that everyone who had not been to the sea still had in their memory Cooper’s old novels or Mariette’s stories about the sea and sailors, about captains who almost put passengers on chains, could burn and hang subordinates, about shipwrecks, earthquakes . “There the captain will put you on the very top,” my friends and acquaintances told me (partly you too, remember?), “He won’t tell you to give me anything to eat, he’ll drop you off on an empty shore.” - "For what?" - I asked. “You sit the wrong way, walk the wrong way, light a cigar where you’re not told to.” “I will do everything as they do there,” I answered meekly. “You’re used to sitting at night, and then, as the sun goes down, all the lights go out,” others said, “and there’s a noise, a clattering sound, a smell, a scream!” - “You’ll get drunk there all around!” - some people frightened, “fresh water is rare there, they drink more and more rum.” “With ladles, I saw it myself, I was on a ship,” someone added. One old woman kept shaking her head sadly, looking at me, and begged me to go “better by the dry route around the world.” Another lady, smart and sweet, began to cry when I came to say goodbye to her. I was amazed: I saw her only three times a year and could not have seen her for three years, exactly as long as it took to circumnavigate the world, she would not have noticed. “What are you crying about?” - I asked. “I feel sorry for you,” she said, wiping away tears. “It’s a pity because an extra person is still entertainment?” - I noticed. “Have you done much to entertain me?” - she said. I was stumped: what was she crying about? “I’m just sorry you’re going to God knows where.” Evil has taken over me. This is how we look at the enviable fate of the traveler! “I would understand your tears if they were tears of envy,” I said, “if you were sorry that it falls to my lot, and not yours, to be where almost none of us go, to see miracles, oh which it’s hard to even dream of here, that everything is revealed to me great book, from which hardly anyone manages to read the first page...” I told her in a good style. “Come on,” she said sadly, “I know everything; but at what cost will you get to read this book? Think about what awaits you, what you will suffer, how many chances you have not to return!.. I feel sorry for you, for your fate, that’s why I’m crying. However, you don’t believe in tears,” she added, “but I’m not crying for you: I’m just crying.”