The Steel Flea

An amusing short story, a tale of English craftsmanship, which impresses the Russian Czar with their very small, mechanical dancing steel flea(!). Russian craftsmen are called on to ‘improve' the flea, which is then returned to England. A good little story with detail.
What I am not enamoured with are the repetitive mistranslations - I can't figure out if they are purposeful of not??? Eg grasp port (= passport), thirst mate (= first mate), nitroscope (= microscope),fariations (= variations), etc.