The records of Russian travelers about XIXth century Bessarabia, though subjective and relative, still offer precious information about political, economical, demographic, religious and linguistic relations, and regarding some specific particularities related to local traditions, beliefs, daily life and customs. However, we have to note from the outset that few imperial travelers have come to the periphery of the Russian Empire for the sake of a pilgrimage. Most of them - P. Sumarokov, A. Veltman, N. Nadejdin, A. Afanasev-Ciujbinski sau A.I. Zasciuk – have come in service order, as loyal observers of tsarist regime, with special missions in this regard. Our protagonist – V.L.Dedlov (1856-1908) – a well-known publicist, writer and literary critic of the second half of the XIXth century came to Bessarabia as a reporter (1880-1886) for Неделя/Nedelja (Week) journal. Travel notes taken in Bessarabia, but also in other gubernies at the periphery of Russuan Empire was collected and subsequently published in volume Вокруг России. Польша, Бессарабия, Крым, Урал, Финляндия, Нижний. Портреты и пезажы (Around Russia. Poland, Bessarabia, Crimea, Ural, Finland. Portraits and landscapes). Because of some evidently chauvinistic interpretations of the author, the mentioned work has raised debate and very tough criticism at that time. Beyond its subjective nature, the travel records of Vladimir Dedlov about Bessarabia contain precious information that historical investigations cannot ignore.