A complex characteristic of the structural and functional features of the infinitive in the texts of the German journalistic and scientific discourses is presented. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that it reveals the ratio of the infinitive forms presented in these discourses (infinitives I and II in the active and passive voice). The dependence of the use of forms on the semantics of the type of infinitive is considered. Particular attention is paid to the description of the syntactic functions in which the infinitive is used, to the identification of the most demanded of them. The correlation of syntactic functions with the temporal characteristics of the infinitive is determined. The relevance of the study is due to the use of a comparative discursive approach for the analysis of the infinitive. It is noted that the functioning of the infinitive in publicistic and scientific discourse reveals both similarities and differences. The author concludes that the differences in the use of the infinitive are due to the main differential features of journalistic and scientific texts, while the similarities indicate the common features that are characteristic of the German infinitive as a whole and distinguish it from other linguistic phenomena.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the content and speech organization of the texts of accounting and reporting documents of the 18th century of the Chanceries of the Don Fund Troops of the Mikhailovsky stanitsa ataman of the State Archives of the Volgograd Region. The relevance of the research is determined by solving the problems of creating an annotated linguistic corpus of documents. Lists, catalogues, registers, inventories, statements, notes are considered from the point of view of such genre parameters as name, addressee, addressee, date and place of creation of the document. Highlighted speech markers, explicating these parameters and organizing the text. The similarities and differences of documents of different genres are revealed. It is shown that the composition of texts has a two — or three-part structure; in some documents it varies, in others it is constant; the availability of the date, the indication of the addressee also varies. Information about the enumerated objects in documents of one genre is conveyed in more or less detail, systematized or not, in text or tabular form. With the variability of texts, a tendency towards standardization of texts of one genre and differentiation of different genres was noted. The considered parameters allow to establish the genre of documents without self-naming and can be used for automated meta-tagging of texts.

A method for solving the actual problem of verification of linguocultural constructions is proposed. Attention is paid to the establishment of the correctness and effectiveness of the application of one of the types of semantic analysis in modern linguistic studies devoted to the concept of “success” and its lexical representatives. The proposed meta-research approach is aimed at identifying and searching for the causes of significant discrepancies in the results of definitional analysis when the theoretical base, scientific apparatus and research strategy coincide. This approach allows the author to consider a number of controversial cases of the use of definitional analysis associated with its object, subject and metalanguage, and to solve some important methodological issues: what kind of linguistic sources are involved in collecting material; how the definitional analysis of a polysemantic word is carried out; in what aspect the interlingual comparison of the dictionary definitions of one word is carried out; what advantages and disadvantages of different formats for describing semantic components are identified as a result of definitional analysis, etc. Critical analysis of research techniques alternates with constructive sentences for the semantic analysis of the dictionary definitions of the word success in modern Russian. General observations on the features of the application of the analytical method under consideration are proposed as conclusions.

The issues of a branched linguistic analysis of sounding texts for the presence / absence of editing signs or other changes made during the recording process or after its completion on phonograms containing these texts is discussed in the article. The relevance of the work is due to the rapid development of digital technologies for the fixation, analysis and processing of sound (primarily speech) signals and the use of these technologies for the purpose of falsifying phonograms. Particular attention in the work offered to readers is paid to highlighting those theoretical foundations that serve as the basis of the linguistic part of a comprehensive study of sound recordings in relation to their authenticity. The material for the study offered to the readers' attention was a set of sounding texts of those phonograms of Russian speech that were involved in the field of operational-search activity, investigation and legal proceedings as a source of evidence. The author dwells in detail on the issues of a branched linguistic analysis of these texts, consistently analyzes from a theoretical point of view the constituent stages of such a forensic study, shows the role of the linguistic part of the expertise in the integral complex study of sound recordings from the point of view of their integrity.

The article is devoted to the analysis of scenarios as conceptual structures of a specific type that underlie the pragmatic connectivity of stimulating and reactive messages as part of a blog text in Russian and projecting unison in the current interaction. It has been proven that these scenarios are an essential parameter of the linguistic competence of representatives of virtual communities and are used by the initiator of communication and its respondents to reach agreement and find a common semantic denominator for initially conflicting points of view. The authors dwell on the fact that the implementation of scenarios in computer-mediated communication is predetermined both by the formal capabilities of the lexico-grammatical system of the Russian language (discourse markers) and by linguocultural conventions that the interlocutors adhere to at one stage or another of the joint deployment of the blog text. In this study, the architectonics of scenarios for the connectivity of stimuli and reactions in the composition of the blog text is interpreted as a consequence of the implementation of relay structures. It is emphasized that the initiator of cohesion is the respondent (including the blogger in the function of the respondent) in the course of constructing a responsive message. It is shown that the pragmatic structure of these scenarios includes a foothold in incentive communication and a bond that docks with this foothold in reactive communication.

The article deals with verb derivatives with the prefix za- on the dialectal material that is poorly studied in this aspect — the Russian dialects of the Amur region. The derivational and grammatical meanings of the derived verbs with this formant are characterized in comparison with their literary counterparts. The peculiarities of semantics are revealed and a typology of dialectisms with this prefix is proposed. It is concluded that word formation in this group of dialects is a peculiar form of manifestation of specific and general Russian word-formation tendencies. The relevance and novelty of the work is due to both the general unresolved problem of describing the meanings of Russian verb prefixes, and insufficient knowledge of the specifics of verbal word formation in dialects. In addition, the study of this group of dialects in the derivational aspect is necessary for the construction of a typology of dialects of the Far East and the preparation of a monographic description of them. Turning to the study of prefix verb dialect lexicon can contribute to the introduction of new interesting facts into scientific circulation. Turning to dialects of secondary education, which are under the strongest influence of the literary language, can help to reveal the dynamics of transformations of prefixed meanings.

Translation revision is an integral part of the overall translation process and aims to enhance the translation quality. Differentiation should be made between revision (editing) and proofreading. Special attention is paid to functions performed by a reviser, i.e. actions aiming at producing the text devoid of any defects. The research is topical because an attempt is made to develop a general approach to translation revision which so far is lacking in translation practice. The article reveals the results of an experiment in which the same text has been revised by seven professional revisers. It is concluded that a reviser can enhance the translation quality provided his / her professional competence is better than that of the translator. But still the translated text can have weaknesses missed by the reviser. Moreover, it is found that thorough revision and rewriting of the text not always make it ideal; in some cases, the quality can suffer due to the false interpretation of the text content by the reviser. The research is innovative because it identifies subjective approaches of revisers to translation revision.

The role of the attitude in the formation of the lexical-syntactic marker of the character’s linguistic personality is considered. An attempt is made to show how, due to the attitude, the same word (namely, the word ‘fact’) in different syntactic uses serves to create a lexical-syntactic marker used by word artists in order to identify and characterize different characters as linguistic personalities. The relevance of the study is to demonstrate that considering the pragmatic level of a linguistic personality makes it possible to differentiate different characters in whose speech the same lexical-syntactic marker prevails. The novelty of the research lies in the explanation of how the lexical-syntactic marking of the linguistic personality of different characters is carried out on the basis of the same verbal element. Based on the play by M. Gorky “Summer Residents” (Basov’s linguistic personality) and M. A. Sholokhov’s novel “Virgin Soil Upturned” (Davydov’s linguistic personality), it is shown that the speech individualization of different characters through the word ‘fact’ is due to the inclusion of this word in different dominant varieties of lexicon the syntactic marker is a ‘fact’, correlation with different attitudes both “from the author” and “from the character”, unequal participation in character speech cooperation.

Imagery is viewed as a hidden linguistic-stylistic category of a scientific text, the explication of which depends on the characteristics of the individual speech culture and the time of understanding the problem. The connection between scientific thinking and the figurativeness of the text is shown. It was determined that the imagery of a scientific text, in contrast to an artistic one, is not associated with the reproductive register of speech, it is formed by two linguistic and stylistic categories: the image of the subject of knowledge and, according to Yu. V. Rozhdestvensky, “the image of a scientific subject”. It is noted that scientific phraseology is formed in the same ways as poetic, but functionally different from it. The method of descriptive analysis revealed the associative and metaphorical fields of the key terms for linguistics. It has been established that scientific thinking is based on images of language-movement, language-space and language-social phenomenon. The authors believe that an appeal to related disciplines (linguistic personalology and the history of philology) makes it possible to develop fragments of a common scientific picture of the world at a certain historical stage, and to see the nature of their changes during the period of scientific paradigms change. The idea of the reproducibility of an image not as a “decoration” of speech, but a means of “figurative cohesion” (I. R. Galperin), a way of storing and transmitting information is fundamentally important in the article. The conclusion that the figurative paradigmatics influences the formation of the linguistic personality of the scientist-philologist is made.

The phenomenon of the author’s reflection on his works is considered on the basis of the introductions by I. S. Turgenev. The absence of special works on this topic allows us to speak about the novelty of the study. Its relevance is associated with raising the question of the specifics and role of the author’s understanding of the meaning of his own works and its correlation with the perception of the reader. The results of a comparative analysis of all of Turgenev’s introductions are presented in the article. The attitude of Turgenev to the opinion of the reader and criticism is shown. It is proved that Turgenev’s introductions “do not justify” their theoretical expectations, because the writer deliberately refuses to comment on the intentionality and meaning of his works in them. It is concluded that this allows the writer to express a theoretically important idea about the “non-interference” of the writer in the text he created. Particular attention is paid to the “Introduction to the Novels”, which is a kind of metatext uniting all six works of this genre, which allows Turgenev to determine the main direction and principles of his work. It is shown that these issues are considered by the writer in the context of general aesthetic problems: the specifics of artistic cognition, freedom of creativity, the conscious and unconscious in art, the relationship between the artist and the critic / reader, etc.

The central work of art by the outstanding Russian thinker of the early 18th century, philosopher, theologian and writer, associate of Peter I is examined in the article. The novelty of the study is that until now, religious discourse has not been subjected to systemic analysis. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to comprehend Christian motives and reminiscences, as well as the Gospel text as part of the play. Various plot situations are brought into consideration, giving the author the opportunity to show that in the comparison of two worldviews the opposite of their axiological systems is revealed. It is established that the opposition “Christianity / paganism”, which forms the basis of the artistic conflict, correlates in the play with the oppositions “life / death”, “truth / falsehood”, “spiritual / material”, “heavenly / earthly”, “salvation / death”. It has been proven that an important place is given to the play of Christian anthropology, as evidenced by the presentation of the biblical story of the expulsion of the first people from paradise, as well as the depiction of a difficult spiritual struggle that the protagonist experiences when deciding on a change of faith. A systematic analysis leads the author to the conclusion that the play uses the compositional principle that was used in the ancient fine arts and received in the works of Fr. Pavel Florensky called “reverse perspective”.

The experience of reception of creativity of J. Austen (1775—1817) in modern British literature is analyzed. The aim of the work was to identify the main directions and ideological and artistic functions of the deconstruction of pretext — the novel by J. Austen “Pride and Prejudice” (1813) — in the novel by Joe Baker (born in 1973) “Longbourne” (2013). It was revealed that the social, anti-colonial, anti-imperialist, anti-war, feminist components are the most significant in the deconstruction of pretext. For Baker, the main modes of rethinking the novel by J. Austen “Pride and Prejudice” become relevant in the modern social and cultural situation of revising the past and assessing the present in Britain, the problems of social contradictions, imperialism, colonialism and its consequences, the rights of women and minorities. It was concluded that in his artistic quest, Baker, although using the novel of the Regency era as a pretext, is moving closer to the neo-Victorian novel. It has been substantiated that it is advisable to clarify the definition of the “neo-Victorian novel of the younger generation” (the term by Y. S. Skorokhodko), designating works written in the pre-Victorian era, in particular, in the era of the Regency, as possible plot-forming pretexts, or to single out a new genre variety of British historiographic metanovel (L. Hutchen) — a Neo-Pre-Victorian novel.

The semantic complex of travel in the work of Andrey Bitov is analyzed. It has been proven that the range of the writer’s travelers is very wide; they correlate with each other. The authors state that, in a broad sense, A. Bitov’s literary travels add up to an extensive travel catalogue, which presents all kinds of embodiment of artistic space and time. In addition, the writer’s work is viewed as the embodiment of the vector of movement in the “space of freedom”, as the space of “longing for culture.” Particular attention is paid to a cycle of stories about the Soviet republics, where important tools for the writer to create the image of the Empire — the reflective and questioning author (Socratic dialogue) were found. The question about the popsition of exclusion (M. Bakhtin) and defamiliarisation (V. Shklovsky) is raised. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that travel stories have become at the same time a defamiliarized narrative about Russia. The conclusion is made that the semantic complex of travel in the work of A. Bitov connects the geographical (physical) and spiritual (metaphysical) spaces, that is, the external objective world and the internal spiritual and intellectual space.

The results of the motivational analysis of Wu Cheng-en’s novel “A Journey to the West” are presented, the mythological meanings of individual object-material images are studied, a set of ritual actions related to hair is considered: pulling out wool, casting a spell, turning around. The idea of a variety of ritual functions of hair, endowed with mystical properties in many mythological systems, is taken as a starting point; they are included in thanatal, carnival and other contexts. It has been proven that all rituals related to hair in the novel combine the archetypal meanings of being chosen, initiation, carnival buffoonery and spiritual formation. A typology of ritual functions of hair and associated miracles is proposed. The first of the selected types of metamorphosis is carried out through manipulations that Sun Wukong masters in training with the sages: this is the creation of a copy of an object or creature with the help of which the hero avoids danger. The second object of the typology is a gift from the Bodhisattva Guanyin, which requires a certain inner work from the hero — choice, bargaining, creating a new object without a ready-made sample. The question is raised about the divine leadership of the process of becoming a hero.

The issues on the multifaceted images of officials in the Russian literature of the 1830- 1840s are considered. The results of a comparative analysis of the works of N. V. Gogol and V. F. Odoevsky are presented. Particular attention is paid to Poprishchin from the “Diary of a Madman” and the order Sevastyanich from “The Tale of a Dead Body Who Belongs to No One”. The author draws attention to the fact that the heroes go beyond the behavioral model, as if attributed to them by their social role. It is shown that poetry does not disappear from their existence; officials are capable of creativity and creation of their own works. The irreducibility of the images of officials is proved only to illustrate social reality, the striving for their individualization, drawing a rich inner world is emphasized. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that unexpected facets of the images of officials in Gogol and Odoevsky are revealed in their relationship. The commonality of the writers’ worldviews and the similarity of their poetics are shown, which is manifested, in particular, in the fact that science fiction occupies an important place in the artistic world of works about officials.

The article is devoted to the discussion of the problem of periodization and the study of the features of the late stage of the work of the outstanding American prose writer Francis Bret Hart (1836—1902). The relevance of the article is due to the need to build a coherent and consistent history of the development of American literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, an important part of which is the writer’s prose heritage. The authors comprehend Western (J. Stewart, G. Scharnhorst, A. Nissen and others) and domestic (A. V. Vaschenko, L. P. Grossman, P. E. Schegolev, A. I. Startsev, V. A. Libman, E. Yu. Rogonova, A. B. Tanaseichuk) studies on biography and various aspects of the prose writer. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time in American studies a gap in the reception of F. Bret Hart's work was filled (the absence of clear criteria for periodization); the tradition of a disdainful attitude to the European period of his work, established in American literary criticism, is refuted, in particular, it is proved that in the stories and novels of the 1880s and 1890s Bret Hart boldly goes beyond the usual themes and images: the “Californian theme”, traditional for his early prose, takes on a new dimension — in the aspect of understanding national and gender psychology (“Maruga”); amorous and melodramatic collisions are combined with an appeal to science fiction (“The Secret of the Hacienda”).

The main trends in the development of the English-language poetry of Kenya at the turn of the XX—XXI centuries are considered. The main material is a collection of poems by Kenyan poets, first published in the early 2000s. Particular attention is paid to the ideological and artistic transformation in the work of the young generation of Kenyan poets of the key directions in the development of Kenyan English-language poetry, which developed in the first half of the XX century. The novelty of the research lies in the conclusion about the continuity of the experience of the older generation poets by the English-speaking Kenyan poets, which is expressed in the development of two key directions of the development of Kenyan English-language poetry: socio-political and philosophical-lyric. At the same time, a fundamental change in the artistic method and style transformation is noted in the work of the new generation of Kenyan authors: unlike their predecessors, young Kenyan poets are increasingly gravitating towards the use of rhyme, expressed allegory and imagery, and also adopting previously untested techniques, for example, the use of elements of youth subculture. New material has been brought in, many names are first introduced into the everyday life of domestic and world African studies.

The article is devoted to the consideration of the Russian pre-revolutionary legislation regulating the control over industrial pollution of the environment. The early Russian sanitary legislation and features of its development in the XIX — early XX centuries are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the positions of various social groups on the issues of state and public control over the sanitary state of industrial enterprises. It is shown that the first norms prohibiting water and air pollution appeared already at the beginning of the 19th century. The author notes that although they did not contain clear criteria and measures for eliminating pollution, this was typical of many European countries during the study period. As the range of studied sources and literature shows, active work on the development of comprehensive measures against industrial pollution began in the 1890s and continued until the revolution: it did not bring practical results in the legal field, but contributed to a significant deepening of scientific understanding of the environment. The author concludes that, despite the revolutionary events of 1917, the pre-revolutionary experience in combating environmental pollution had a significant impact on the development of Soviet environmental policy.

The article is devoted to the study of the role of clergy and clergymen of the Voronezh diocese in the fight against the spread of the cholera epidemic of 1892-1893. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the contribution of the clergy of the Orthodox Russian Church to countering the spread of infectious diseases has practically not been studied. It is noted that in the Russian Empire, Orthodox clerics were not only ministers of the altar, but also performed a number of socially significant functions. Based on a wide range of historical sources, the author analyzes the attitude of the population of the Voronezh province to cholera disease. The educational activity of clerics, the participation of clergy in organizing aid to parishioners are considered. It is emphasized that the clergy were closely associated with the peasant population of the empire, daily contact with them during the divine service. The study showed that the state tried to use the experience and knowledge of the clergy and clergymen, considering them as the social support of the autocratic system. The author concludes that the parish clergy and clergymen played an important role in the fight against infectious disease, not only participating in educational activities and spiritually supporting the population, but also providing those in need with initial medical assistance.

New biographical data about the Russian scientist-geologist, specialist in the field of petrography B. V. Zalessky are identified and specified. The links in the history of the Zalessky (Zalesky) family, which belonged to the hereditary nobility of the Kazan province, who had estates in the Vyatka, Kazan and Kostroma provinces, are being restored. Verified information about the closest relatives of B. V. Zalessky is provided: his great-grandfather — the honorary caretaker of the Yaransky district school P.A. Zalessky; grandfather — a member of the city council of Kazan, comrade of the mayor and acting mayor N. P. Zalessky; father — the prosecutor of the Vyatka, then the Kazan district court, later the assistant to the chief prosecutor of the Criminal Cassation Department of the Government Senate V. N. Zalessky (erroneously presented in the works of a number of researchers as “Zalsky”), etc. The characteristic of the personality, scientific activity and social circle of B. V. Zalessky is given. His relations with famous figures of Russian science and culture — M. M. Bakhtin, the Florensky family are considered. Scattered information contained in various sources — unpublished (archival) and published (scientific articles and monographs, memoirs and epistolary sources, documentary prose, reference and encyclopedic literature and Internet publications) is collected and generalized.

The proposals of the authorities on the development of the Far East at the beginning of the 20th century are considered. The relevance of studying the past experience in the development of this region is due to the increased attention of the authorities to the introduction of large-scale programs to strengthen the eastern borders of the state. The authors note the increased scientific interest in the study of the history of the Far East development at the beginning of the 20th century. An analysis of government actions in the Amur region during this period allowed the authors to determine their relationship with the foreign policy position of the empire in the Far East. It was determined that the formation of the Committee for the Settlement of the Far East was aimed at consolidating the actions of the central and provincial authorities. The authors note that at the stage of preliminary coordination of the directions of the Committee’s activities, the members of the government did not have a holistic idea of the regional development strategy. A comparative analysis revealed that the proposals of the central and regional authorities did not have any fundamental differences. The pragmatism of the proposals of local governors was noted. The authors come to the conclusion that the creation of the Committee for the Settlement of the Far East and the organization of the Amur expedition were undertaken under the influence of an external threat and aimed at strengthening the military-industrial potential of the region. The authors note that the administrative and economic development of the region was not a priority for the central authorities.

A quantitative and qualitative analysis of food consumption in the families of collective farmers in the Molotov and Sverdlovsk regions is provided in the article. The author used materials from the funds of two archives: the Russian State Archive of Economics (RSAE) and the State Archives of the Sverdlovsk Region (SASR), some of which have never been published. The source base for writing this article was the materials of budget surveys of the population, which have a long history in our country. It is argued that the need for high-quality and properly structured nutrition is one of the basic needs of human existence. It is stated that the level of consumption of food products by the population of the Soviet Union in 1946—1950 was determined by the harsh post-war conditions. Attention is focused on the fact that a powerful decrease in the livestock component of the collective farm backyard, combined with a decrease in income from work on the collective farm, could not but affect the level of income and consumption of collective farm families, including nutrition. It is proved that in the studied period — the first post-war five years — the level of nutrition of collective farm families should be assessed as unsatisfactory.

A classification of theoretical approaches in military-historical anthropology is proposed. The authors note that social constructivism prevails in English-language historiography as a whole, while in Russian studies an existential approach does. It is shown that the socio-cultural direction and the phenomenology of the front-line experience have recently begun to play an increasing role. It is concluded that a theoretical analysis of the differences between these approaches allows not only to identify their strengths and problematic sides, but also to outline the prospects for interaction between them. The authors note that the most promising today is the setting for the participation of representatives of the academic community in joint cultural practices of representing the front-line experience with combatants, which makes it possible to make the dialogue between the phenomenology of front-line experience and the socio-cultural approach the most productive. It is argued that within the framework of such a dialogue, the question of the relationship between normative social structures and local practices should not be reduced to a previously known answer. It is emphasized that it makes sense not to level out or radically absolutize the theoretical tension between the indicated approaches, but to work it out — to look for points of practical interaction and modification of existing strategies for comprehending the past.

The article is devoted to the study of the content of extra-textual records — marginals — in the margins of handwritten Qurans, recorded by Dagestan oriental scholars at different times while working with written monuments in private and mosque book collections of highland Dagestan. It was established that most of the discovered marginals were made in Arabic, however, since the beginning of the 18th century, such records were often kept in local languages using Arabic script. It is shown that the Quran, due to its sacred functions, became a repository of the most important documents of various nature. It is reported that extra-textual recordings are extremely diverse in their content, they affect many aspects of the socio-political, spiritual, economic and cultural life of the region. The experience of studying marginals over the past several decades is summarized. The author of the article draws attention to the newest findings of the Qurans made by archaeographic expeditions in 2017—2019 in private book collections in the Shamil region of the Republic of Dagestan. It is emphasized that an analysis of their thematic composition and a scientific description of the manuscripts stored in them will give an idea of some aspects of the social, cultural and religious life of the peoples of Dagestan.

The question of providing financial assistance to women of clerical rank in the Tobolsk diocese in the 1820—1830s is considered. The results of a comparative analysis of the stages and terms of office work on this issue before and after the opening of the Tobolsk guardianship of the poor are presented. Particular attention is paid to the examination of the petition documents that were compiled in the Tobolsk spiritual consistory from the words of women of clerical rank who applied for financial assistance to the Tobolsk archbishop during this period. The novelty of the research is seen in the fact that the issue under consideration is being studied for the first time on the basis of documents of the Tobolsk spiritual consistory. The documents stored in the State Archives in the city of Tobolsk testify to the existence of a certain algorithm for recording a request, two different established procedures for conducting cases on the charity of female clergymen before and after 1823. The criteria, by which the selection of requests was carried out among the many requests for assistance, were identified. Criteria have been established for choosing between two types of salary — a guardianship allowance and a ten-ruble poorhouse salary. The reasons for the complete denial of support are also named.

The issues of fishing among the West Siberian Tatars living on the territory of the Omsk region in the forest-steppe zone on the left bank of the Irtysh River are considered. The authors dwell on the characteristics of the traditional aquatic areas of the XIX — early XXI century, fishing objects, tools and methods of fishing. It is proved that the fishing of the Tatars in these settlements was an auxiliary branch of the economy in the past and present. It was shown that they fished almost all year round, mainly on lakes, where the main object of fishing was crucian carp. It is concluded that fishing was more developed among residents of settlements in the area of the village of Yalankul. It is shown that the Tatars of the villages in the area of the Ulenkul village are now less engaged in it because of the drying up of water bodies, as well as because of the withdrawal of lakes from nature management for transfer to the hunting farm and the reserve. The novelty of the research is seen in filling the gaps in the study of this topic. The authors note that material was collected about the fishing of the population, which previously consisted mainly of Siberian Bukharians and was actually assimilated by the Tatars.

A little-known source — the manuscript “Historical information on the fragility of the political situation of Hulunbuir”, stored in the State Archives of the Irkutsk region is considered. Description of the manuscript, clarification of its dating, determination of the probable source base was performed by the author of the article. A comparative analysis of the historical facts presented in the manuscript was carried out. It was found that in the first two sentences the anonymous author outlined the essence of the uncertain situation that developed with the annexation of Hulun Buir to Outer Mongolia in 1912. Other components of the text are characterized: little-known information about the trip to Urga of the Bargut lama Lobsanchjamba and then about the visit of the delegation of Hulun-Buir; data on the meeting of the delegates with the Russian consul V. F. Lyuba and a description of his reaction to the fact of the annexation of Hulun-Buir to Outer Mongolia; finally, it is said about the disappointment of the ruler of Hulun-Buir — Shenfu, who realized the dependence of Hulun-Buir on the dependent, in turn, Outer Mongolia, etc. An analysis of the contents of the last page of the manuscript allows us to conclude that part of the Hulunbuir officials, close to the Manchus, expressed open dissatisfaction with the situation. The author of the article suggests that some of the Daurian officials, unlike the Barguts, who sincerely believed in the creation of a unified Mongolian state, tended to restore the Manchu dynasty and were unhappy with the unclear future of Hulun Buir.

The article examines the features of the country’s economic and political development in the second third of the XIV century through the prism of analyzing the activities of famous representatives of the commercial and financial stratum of England. The results of the study of documentary, narrative sources, as well as modern scientific literature are presented. It is noted that the process of capital accumulation by English merchants accelerated in the conditions of the Hundred Years War. The features of the development of trade, credit, customs service are indicated. The relationship of the royal financiers with the parliament and the broad commercial stratum is analyzed. The participation of influential merchants in the financing of military campaigns conducted by Edward III in continental Europe is considered. Particular attention is paid to W. de la Paul and J. Poutney, who were the leaders of the merchant class. The reasons for the bankruptcy of taxation companies in the second half of the 1340s are investigated. The lawsuits against W. de la Paul, J. Poutney, W. Chiriton and T. Swenland are touched upon. It is shown that the bankruptcies and arrests of royal usurers were caused by the complexity of the implementation of government tasks. It is concluded that the economic and political successes of England were achieved largely thanks to the wealthy merchants.