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TRANSLATED FROM THE RUSSIAN, AND EMBELLISHED WITH ENORAVINCS. LONDON: PRINTED FOR RICHARD PHILLIPS, 6, bridoi! street, ' BLACKFRIARS, fiy J. G, Barnard, 57, Snow-hilf, ■ ■'•^l » 180f>. AUTHOR'S PREFACE. X HERE is no sea with which our age is so im- perfectly acquainted as the Frozen Ocean ; and no empire which has more powerful motives and re- sources for extending its information, in this quar- ter, than Russia. Although the government has made several efforts, at different periods, to attain this object, yet none of their expeditions, except the first two, undertaken by Captain Behring, for the purpose of discovery, have brought them nearer the desired paint ; ow^ing to the inexperience of those who planned and executed them, and who were neither of them aware of the endless difficul- ties to be combated in a boisterous element, and a corner of the globe so imperfectly known. One grand impediment to their success was the size of their vessels, Avhich were very well adapted for crossing the main on voyages of discovery, but could ill serve the purpose of passing through shallows, and making minute observations on the shores. By the removal of this evil I flatter myself that not a single bay, island, or mountain, has A 2 27845 iV PREFACE. escaped our notice, on the coasts of which we have taken a survey, and that we have, in addition to this, been enabled to rectify the mistakes of former navigators. During the eight years of our absence I had made it my daily practice to note down in my jour- nal every thing that appeared to me worthy of ob- servation, without any intention, however remote, of committing my remarks to thft press; hnf. the urgent persuasions of my friends, combined with thegracious commands of his Imperial Majesty, have at length over-ruled my disinclination to give them publicity. I now submit this my humble effort at contributing to the general good, with the fullest reliance on the indulgenoe of a candid pi^blic. A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY TO ^MAN'?*;^ SIBERIA, ,c. ^fum^j CHAP. I. * ''^^y^rmm'-^'''^ ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE EXPEDITION.— MY DEPASTUSB. — JOURNEY TO IRKUTSK AND JAKUT8K. — REMARKS Olf THE LATTER PLACE OF THE J AKUTs' UNINHABITED PLACES, AND HORSES.— INC ANTATIONS OF A JAKUTISH SHAMAN. Oi 'N the 8th of August, 1785, our late revered sovereign, Catherine the Great, whose maternal care extended to the re- motest comers of her realm, was pleased to communicate, man ukase, the plan and destination of our voyage to ' the board of admiralty. In this she gave her directions for a geographical and astronomical expedition to proceed to the north-eastern part of Russia, for the purpose of taking the latitude and longitude of the mouth of the river Kolyma, together with a map of its banks, comprehending the whole chain of Tschukotish mouu* tains, the east ern cape, and the numerous islands scattered in the eastern ocean, as far as tlie shores of America ; and, finally, of obtaining more accurate acqua'mtauce with the seas separat- ing the continent of Irkutsk from the coast of America. Commodore Joseph Billings was appointed chief of the expe- dition: the other officers were, Robert Hall, Gawrila Saryts- chew, and Christian Behring, lieutenants; Anthony Batako\r and Sergei Bramikow, steersmen; Michaila Rohbeck, first surgeon ; Mark Sauer, secretary ; Joseph Edwards, mechanic ; Luka Woronin, drawing-master ; and Wassilei Siwgow, chap- lain. Doctor Karl Mark succeeded assessor Patrin in the de- partment of natural history, whose ill health obliged him to re- sign his situation at Irkutsk. Agreeably to the arrangements of the empress. Commodore Billings was to be twice promoted during the voyage, and the inferior officers once. The whole crew, according to their re- spective rank, were to receive double pay during the voyage ; 8 SARvTscnrv s thavkls. r: i villi thn additional recom|K'nce of a year's (loul»)o pay on tlieir «l< parture aiul n uirn. licsidcs uliicli, tlie .superior otticers \v«!re to h;iv>' a j>f:)isi()ii lor life ; and those who might be disabled in lliH ser\iee, were to retire on half-pay. The v ives aiii' rhlldrcn silr-io of sufli 'IS died (luri)ig t'le expedition, uere to »(«•< ive the lialf p;i} <,f titoir husbands or fiitliers ; tiie wives until Iheir se- cond nmrriage, or death ; and the children until they came of !li;■'.^ Tiie various preparations for the expedition lasted six months; jdl the necessary astrononiical instruments bein,!>" ordered from F.H;:l;nid : while much time was occupied iu collecting the toys and tiiliiiijr prestnts fur the savage inhabitants, as well as medals of j,old, Silver, and copper, which were struck for the same purpose. i\ bout the middle of September, I was dispatched with some vioikineu from Petersburgh to Oehotsk, to forward the requisite prepiiratifsns at the iliii'erent places, "^rhe badness of the roads griaily rclurdc d my progress as fur as Tobolsk, but this impedi- iiuiit rc'iiscil wiih the setting in of the cold wetither. On the tl."jd of Otiober, 1 exduingcd my wheeled vehicles for sledges, with which I passed ov( r tiic river Irtysch. '^I'lie ice in the Ob not hi iiig set on thi; 'JSlh, we crossed it in the boats, but not •wilh«»!,l very great danger. During the rest of my journey I found ail i\u' oth» r rivers passable by the .sledges, except the Angiua, in the neighbourhood of Irkutsk, which, from the vio- lence of the stream, remains open till December, and I reached this ph'ce on the lOth of JSovember*. My bu.siness here was to examine the state of the transport vesstls and building mulerials, that whatever was wanting might be providcji by «)rdtr of the governor-general; and, in ca.se of a deliriency in tind)er, hides were to be procured for making the haidais. 'Ihe.^e are large boats of a pecnlinr construction, niade either of wood or hides. In the latter case, the sides of the boat' are covered with the skins of sea-animals insl(>!id of planks. They carry from eight to si.Nteen oars, but have no rudder. Alter having made the necessary eur|uiries, and obtained m open orrier from the governor-general, to all the provincial magis- trates, authorising them to nflord me every po-'-sible assistance, 1 lelt Irkutsk in J)ecember, and arrived in .lakutsk on the 1 0th of .January, after a journey .still more tedious than the former. The road was very good as far as the river Lena ; but our pas- sage over the rough ice of this stream to the to\\n of Alukmar, i * Irktits'; is ()016wcrst=, or O.jO German mi'cs, «ir 4'.'0:i Ensli"*'! niilos from l'>tfi>iiir<:U; acr(>rciiu47> a»d soon afterwaids the building of the town couuuenced. This old ediiite, with ibi towers, is still standing, but in some places is fidien \cvy nuicli to decay. Within the enclosure there is a public buildiu!;; of stone, and a church : there are, besides, two stone churches ; one by the convc^nt, the other in the town, and two of Mood. AM the dwelling-houses are built of wood, in the old liussian tJiste, with here and there Jakutijh huts int»Mspersed between them. The want of glass for the windows is suj)|jlicd either l>y isinglass or by bladders in the sinnnu;i-, and plates of ice in the winter, frozen into frames by snow. Tliese arc conti- nually sprinkled with water, w hich is quickly congealed by the extreme cold of the climate, to such a ilegree as to resist the strongest heat of a room. The light i)en('trates tlirough these it < -windows in a similar manner as it does tlirough glass covered with M'liite frost. The inhabitants of the town consist of civil officers, lioga- ren Kinder f, Kosaks, Jakutish merchants, and citizens. The latter are nrincipally exiles, some of whom, even among the felons, 1k!\«.- amended their lives, and allached themselves agaiu to civil society. In fact, this remark will generally hold good, that crifniiials of the lowest order, sent to Siberia for extiaor- dinary crimes, the sight of vhich impresses us with hoiror, not only have their liberty, but use it w ith the greatest modera- tion. Many of them gain the confidence of the inhubitants, and are admitted into their houses in different capacities. I'hey are, of course, particularly on their guard to prevent even the suspicion of doing amiss, fron» the apprehension of being de- livered over to perpetual labour in the mines of Nertsehink +. ♦ The word ostmt; is line translated fortress, for wliidi the Kussiiuis have likewise the word krepoi^t ; this, however, is never used in the present work, Ostrog is the peculiar iippellution lor Siberian fortresses, the sieuter parr of whicli are aptly ennuj;;!! described by the (if ceased Geor^i, when he says, " It would be dangerous to attempt stoiining tlicni, for whoever wanted to mount their [greatest and only bulwark, the wooden paling, would most probably come to the iintuiid witt. the whole struclinc about hiin." j u. t A class of inferior nobility, existing only in Siberia, and composed of meritorious Kosaks, who have been in the service of the emperor. 'I'licy owe their establishment to Peter the Great. t Considerable alterations liave probably taken place in this respect since riiat pevjod : for even iii Catherine's rcJiin, repeated ukases were issued, ti> ?t .5 I '. I 8 SARYTSCHEW'S TRAVELS. It is bejond all doubt, that many of these poor creatures are possessed of good hearts, and liavc been hurried, by some in- cidental or urgent circumstances, into ths commission of atro- cious crimes. Heedless of the remonstrances made me against travelling that road farther in the winter season, I set off from Jakutsk on horseback, attended with a retinue of Jakuts for my guide, and pack-horses to carry my baggage and provisions ; having laid in a stock for two months, and furnished myself, according to the custom of the country, with a coat of reindeer skins as a protection against the seventy of the climate. The conmiandcr had provided me with a Kosak, who could speak Jukutish and Tungushish, and who served as my inter- preter both with the guides and in the different districts through which 1 passed ; and 1 found him every where indispensible, the Russian being neither spoken nor understood in those parts. All my countrymen, without exception, settling here, make them- selves acquainted with their language for purposes of trade ; a motive which cannot influence them to learn our's. From Jakutsk to tlie river Aldan, ^50 wersts distant, the road led me through Jakutish ulusscs, or dwelling-places, over plains scattered with woods, lakes^ corn-fields, and mea- dows. The woods, every where, consisted of larch and beech- trees. An uluss comprehends a certain number of dwellings, un- der the government of a Kniisck*, or elder. We generally pass- ed our nights in the jurts of these KnUsks, and were always re- ceived with great kindness. Hospitality is, in fact, the first vii'- tue among the Jakuts in general. No sooner does a traveller arrive at a place, than they hasten towards him, helping him off his horse, and conducting him into their jurt, enlarging their fire, enforce the execution of tlie laws again'^t banished criminals ; and, under Paul, iliere were very few exceptions, in which the indulgence of staying beiiiud was granted to tlie condemned. " The horridest crimes," says the author, " are but too often tlie result of a mumentary delusioH, or vehe- ment passion, particularly nmoti^ uncultivated people." In corroboration of this sentiment, we .shall give the following anecdote, as described by a {)erson who saw the female idluded to ; — a woman who had murdered her lusband. He was a lad of 14 or 15, imposed upon her by her feudal lord, when she was at the a<;e of 23, and was ccmstantiy provoking her by blows and ill treatment, until impelled by a spirit of revenge, she seized the op- portunity of his leaning over a pail of water, to force his head in, and thus suffocate him. The person who related the anecdote to the translator met with her in a family in Siberia, where she had nursed the children from their infancy, and wws beloved by them as a mother, notwithstand- ing the mark on her foieliead. She was then advanced in years, but bad not gained peace of mind by length of time. The remorse of a wounded conscience still clouded her countenance, and frequently filled her eyes with tears. f Kmis — the diminutive of this word signifies, in Russkm, a prince. ! 1 T)RL!CACY OF HoRSE-FLESH. ires are »nie in- >f atro- a taking off his clothes, and clcaniirij them from the snow, &,o. The bed is made ready for him in the'^niost retired place, the table covered with the best their house can aftard, and his comfort consulted in every particular to the utmost of their power; ■while to all this civility they sometimes add the present of a fox's or siible's skin. 1 always strove to repay their kindness by such trirtes as 1 knew to ho most acceptable. Tobacco is a great luxury with them ; but tin y are so extravagantly fond of biandy, that when one gla.^ is given them they make no scruple of asking for a second, and even a third. The Jakuts are pro- bably descended from an ancient race of Tartars not yet con- verted to Mahometanism. Tliis appears evident from u simi- larity of their features, their mode of life, and still more their language, which approaches so nealy to the Tartar dialect, that one of my attendants, who was a Tartar, unUerstood most of what they said without any difficulty. The number of Jakuts who have embraced the Christian faith is not inconsiderable, yet the >majority are of tlie poorer class, who have submitted to be baptised perhaps in order to be freed for some years from the poll-tax. The rich are not disposed to renounce a plurality of wives, nor the use of meat, butter, milk> and above all, horse-flesh, during the fasts, as enjoined by the Catholic faith. The latter is the greatest delicacy they can pos- sibly conceive ; and they ofter tell the Russian? '.at if they were once to make a proper meal from the flesli of a horse, they would in future prefer it to the tenderest beef. They eat the fat of horses and cows mostly raw, without any addition, and drink melted butter with the greatest avidity ; which latter they regard a>« an excellent remedy for many disorders, and rub their sick with it when necessary. By way of pacifying a cross child, they put a piece of raw fat uito its hand to suck. Jii summer, when the mares foal, they make their kumj/s from the milk, after the manner of the Tartars. Their beverage, in M'inter, consists of sour milk, unchurned butter, and water, which I found indeed not unpalatable. Hence it will appeal , that almost all their food is composed of things forbidden by our (the Greek) church; but our priests keep the converted tiakuts very strict to their duty, and will not allow them tu touch a single article that is prohibited ; but as they have nei- ther corn, fruit, nor fish, it is almost impossible for them to abstain so rigidly. The cause, therefore, why so manyJakul.9 remain heathens, may be attributed to the indulgence of tlicir appetites. The Jakutish jurts are built from the ground, describing a square of more or less magnitude, according to the size of the family. They first drive three rows of poles fast into the earth, SARYTCHEW.] B .1 i i 4 10 SAnvTScnKw's travels. the middle one of which is rather liigher than the two on each side On these poks thoy lay five beams crossways and slop- ing, which are covered with roni,^:Ii pl;in!est fuiows in the winter, nor the widest marthe'j in the stirniner. 1 therefore gladly consented to Haituutii the return of (he • mcssowger, dispatched to tlie Tuu- 1 ^ |clotlie!i night's Iverdant Ire, but Wier, I jir. On limtains, lact thej rings of |reiuoiiy, >r mane, are m ^ 'f //'.)/ f // )>,' /, ■• /'/ f ///',■>/■■>"/ /'f' //v/'i' /" ff/>< ft jfi-r //////^. r" ' i"»ip' ! I*':- Hi 1^ i; \ ivrnfi ■^%% I & ■"■ '/' f ^.' ^s* FEES FOR THE DEVIL J IS I ..• ■■■ -I". ^scs in tlie mountainous countries, who wandtr about witli tlieir jurts and their reindeer. In tlie mean time, 1 had an opportunity of witnessing the incantations of a Jakiitish shaman. He was invited hy a sick person to appease the evil spirit supposed to have sent the dis- order. The shninan exchanged his usual Jakutish fhtss for the habit of his office, made of reindeer leather (called Rudwuga), which readied not much above the knee, and was covered over with narrow thongs, and thin bits of iron of different shapes and fiizes. Having made his arrangements, he untied his hair that was fastened together upon his head*, smoked a pipe of tobacco, look his tambourine, seated himself in the midst of the jnrt, and beating it first at long intervals with his bohijach, or a flat etick covered with reindeer-skin, sung a shaman's song ; in which, ^»s my interpreter told me, he challenged all the seven spirits under his command. A few minutes afterwards he began to beat his tambourine again, and bawl with great vehemence, standing up and addressing himself in different positions ; aud then to jump ami hop about the sick person to tlie sound of his instrument, at the same time screaming with a horrible voice, aud distorting him- self in a hideous manner. FTis head, with the dishevelled hair, rolled backward and forward with such rapidity that it seemed to be moved by springs ; his eyes glared like those of a maniac ; and falling soon after, from tlie violent exertion, into a sort of «woon, two Jakutfs used their endeavours to support him. Re- covering in a few minutes, he called for a knife, with which he stabbed himself in the body, and commanded a Jakut to drive in the weapon to the hilt ; then going to the hearth, he took out three burning coals, and swallowing them, danced without dis- covering any symptoms of pain. At length he pulled the knife out of his botly ; and, after vomiting the coals with some diffi- culty, began to prophesy that the sick man would be better if lie offered a horse to the wicked spirit which tormented him ; at the same time defining the colour of the horse to be sacrificed. In all such cases, the lot, of course, always falls upon the fat- test and choicest. The shamans demand nothing for their trouble, but are con- tented with what is given them : they have, however, always the privilege of the first seat at the feast on the sacrifice, when they eat with a voracious appetite. For the evil spirit they-, set apart the head, legs, tail, and skin ; which, when stretched apon a pole, are hung on a birch, or larch-tree, from whence ley are never removed. • The shamans only lot thi'ir hair 'grow, the other Jakuts cutting iheir'k 9Sf after thv uunucr ut' the Ilus&iua peaaiuitry. M i !) ill iH ; I I I u 8ARYTSCHEW S TRAVELS. Tlie credit M'liich the sliatnans enjoy with all these pcopli^, prevents them iVoiii hting suspecttcl of any deception ; and the conceit of their holding an intercourse witli evil spirits, conrirnifj every one still more in the opiiuon, that whatever happens through the shaman is effected iii a supernatural way by the aid of de- vils. This prejudice of course affords them an opportunity of imposing several tales and absurdities upon the superstitious ig- norance of the multitude ; such as pretending to have the power of knowing the past, present, and future ; of comnranding the viuds and storms ; of producing line or bad weather ; of find- ing things that are lost; of healing the wick, affording good sport to the hunter, &c. and all which tluy never uejjiect to turn to their own advantage. CHAP. II. CEPARTUHE rOR OCHOTSK on REINDKERS. — THE TUN- GUSES. — THEIR JURTS AND MANNER OF LIVING. — AR- RIVAL AT OCHOTSK. — REMARKS ON THE TOWN, ITS TRADE AND INHABITANTS. — THE FISHERY, AND DIF- FERENT SORTS OF FISH. — FOWLING. — BIRDS OF DIF- FERENT KINDS. Ti HE messenger returned in twelve days, bringing with him twenty-five reindeer, a jurt, and two Tunj^nsish famili(;s, with which I pursued my journey from Oniekou on the lllh of March. Some of the reindeer were employed for carrying our provi- sions and clothing, and others were saddled for our use. It was some time before I could accustom in}:5('lf to this mode of rid- ing without real inconvenience, the saddle liaving neither girth* nor stirrups^ and its smallness scarcely allowing me a firm scat. It rested on the shoaHers of the reindeer, and wa.s only tied by a single slight thong, m that with the smallest loss of balance I must inevitably have fallen. Another little thong slung round the neck of the creature served as a bridle. The first day we went 30 versts. In the commencement the road lead us over meadows, and afterwards through a w oody Tale surrounded w ith niounlains. We took up our abode for the night on a mounlaiii, aboimdhig in moss, the fa\ourite diet of the reindeer, where the jurt was erected. Tlio Tiuiguse meu having cut the poles for the jurt, and lighted the lire, the re- mainder was done by the women, v ho unloaded the reindeer, unpacked the baggage, and fixed up the jurt. These pe'ople cariiy about vxith them all the materials for such a sl.clter ; such, U» the rowdugcn, tho pieces of baik sowed together for a co- pcoplo, ; and the coiitirms 1 through id of de- tiuiity of itious ig- he power ling the of find- ig good L!:lcct to ilK TUN- JO. — AR- A\ N, irs N J) I) 1 1'- OF DIF- >vith hitn ihcs, with i lliU of >ur provi- \ It was de of rid- ther girth* firm scat, ly tied by balunce I .ing round enicnt the a voody xle for the lie diet of iguse men c, the re- ; rcltxlcer, 2se people •Iter i such ■ for a CO- f it*- i' 1; li KRW KINU OP BLACK PUDDINOs! 1^ Terin«», the rinxs in which the poles are fastened, and the cur- tains usril ill the phice of doors. These jnrts arc comnvmly round, like those of the Cahnticks, . and c-o!iicaI (owirds thi' top, with an openin;;; to give vent to tlie ^moke ; which, hf>u(>ver, scddom asc* nils, particularly in severe weather, owinj; to the fire bein;4' made in the centre. The fol- lowiii every jnsit of »iie animal which they kill, not throwing away even (he i;ii|jmiti<\« of the bowci.^, with wliich they make a sort of b'ack ptuldiiigs, by a mixture of blood and fat! They cat no raw meat, even when dried, but they are fond of the raw marrow i'wm the bones, whieh ha\iuui tasted njyscif, I did not find olFensive. Oil the 'J,**th of March, our reindeer carried us to .Arka ; a place so railed fiuui the river of iliat na;ne running into the Oehota. Here we fcund some pedestrian Tiinguses, who go on foot ni siiunner for v.aiit of reindoi r. In tin winter they iiar- iiess dogs to their iKtilrs, and build their jurts under ground ; l)ut in other resi)ccts do not diifer from the other tribes of their nation. At tliis place, 1 exehnugt d my reindeer for the dogs and the nartes. The-e are li^ht sh dg s, about twelve ft ct long and two broai!, and a fool and haU high from the boltmn. They are of so shght a structure that tin y may be conveyed by hand. Ten or twelve dogs are harnessed to tiieni by means of small cords, willi a large rein i)e1\veen, servin'i as a pole. The foremo-;t couple are used to turn right or left at a word ; but when the driver w ishes to stop the uarte he fixes his oschtol in the snow, tlnongh the shnige. Tiie oseiilol is a thick staff tipped with iron, and having a rattle at one end, l)\ \\hi< h the pace of the dogs is quickened. Towards die s|)rin<;' t!i'-< mode of travelling bt comes excessively ineuiiiinodious, for ihi: nart« s having no indented seats, and the road being often uni;ven and steej), il is not unfreijuent for l!io traveller to be thrown over, and son: (limes pilehed on the stumps of trees, or other hard substances ; particularly when the (I'lgb iiet scent of an animal, and becoi.ie migoveruabh'. In pursuit of an otter, for example, they are not to be restiained i'rom going into llie water, and dragging their nartes after tlicm ; .so dial if tiic driver be not dexterous enough either to turnover the conveyance, or to jump out, bis life is in gr(>at dinger. Wlu never there is a great fall of snow, or it be driven into imu.'Ually large heaps, then two or three pers!)ns are obliged to go belure to mak(' a track, and mark the icnid, by the position of the trees, mountains, and rivers: the snow, thus trotlden, will be suilieieutly lirm to bear any weight nnlil the return of var«n weather. ,Ou the 'J7tli of March I arrived at 0( hotsk, sitnat* d on \ho ihore of the seu called liy its name, dusu by the mouth iwd i 'f :L r fo fTt" the bark ly carry eat up mi; away y make at! They 1(1 of tlie nvHclf, I ml * Arka ; a into the lo go on thoy liar- 1111(1 ; bat of llicir H and tiie long and n. They by hand. of small )lc. The lord ; but itul in the having a iniokcuod. 'xcos.-iiveiy s, and the nt for iho d on the ;iilv Nvlicn ub!( III ivstiuincd fti r them ; » turnover h!\'j;( r. lnv(;ii into obliged tc» ic position s trodden, leluiji of U d on th(^ iKjlltli U4ld . /./. fh'ff y//fff'. af////-// /yvvvv/./ M/y/./z-v//// >/ //f>fyj, /f.i 4/.fM ^ ft ///f rmfN/y /)/ (/mo/m , n? I ' IIUWULUIL "^T \i\ "i COMMERCE OF OCHOTSK. It conflux of the two rivers Ochota and Kiuhtni. The Ochota washes its sandy ffravelly beach every summer witlj ve- hemence, carrying away whole houses with it yearly ; so that the town has already lost three streets within a short time ; while, on the other hand, tlie beach receives an annual accession troni the stones driven to it by the storn;s The government haying, therefore, resolved on transplanting the town to a safer situa- tion, no new houses are now erected, and the old ones, which were built upon the establishment of the place, are falling to decay. Ochotsk has a wooden church, a palisadoed fortress, and some magazines. ^J'he inhabitants consist mostly of persons in military and civil capacities : the latter of whom principally belong to the lately established judicature in the stadtholdership of Irkutsk. On this establishment, Ochotsk became a capital, comprehending the peninsulas of Kamtschatka, the Aleutian and Kurilian islands, and the whole coast from Ochotsk to the Tschukatish cape, within its jurisdiction. The trade of this place is carried on chiefly by merchants from other towns, who bring provisions and other merchandizes, of European or Asiatic manufacture, for the Russians, Tun- guses, Jakuts, Kosaks, and Tschukatians ; all of whom, except the first, make their payments in skins. There are also trading com- panies, having their agents, who build smajl craft at Ochotsk or Kamstchatka, and dispatch them to the Aleutian islands, and North America, for the purpose of collecting furs. The crew are hired from all parts of Russia, and the command of the whole is entrusted to an experienced trader, entitled pere- dowschtschik, or forerunner, who has been on two or three such expeditions before. Besides this, the government pro- vides a mate and steersman to conduct the vessel. Their voyages frequently last ten years, and on their return, the produce is di- vided into certain portions, called pai. Having made the object of my mission known to the com- mander, I commenced my examination of the vessels, stores, and building materials ; but found every thing so shattered and decayed as to be totally unfit for use. In my rambles among the woods, 1 was not much more siicct;ssful, having found, within the compass of above 100 wersts, but few trees suffi- ciently large for building our vessels. Nothing could exceed the toilsomeness of this research, although it was considerably relieved by the kindness of my worthy friend, the collegiate as- sessor Koch, who accompanied me purely from the desire of aiding me v^ ith his knowledge. We set off in the beginning of April, and were obliged to go 70 wersts in snow-shoes. Of these there are two sorts ; those which are broad and covered underneath with reindeer skin, for the soft snow ; and the others, SARYTSCHEW.] C 18 SARYTSCllEw'a TRAVELS. lit i\ ■? 'I ; ■ i long, narrow, and plain, for the hard snovv. From our inet- |iei'icnce in this mode of travelling, we often sprained our ancles, got entangled in the shrubs, or fell into heaps of snow so very deep, that neither of us could have been saved without the assistance of lur attendants. After my return, my first concern Mas to procure men to fetch the wood ; but in this respect the commander was unable to af- ford me any great assistance ; the few men he gave me being so afflicted with the scurvy that they could scarcely walk, much less do any labour. The poorer classes here are very subject to tliis disorder, owing partly to the damp and cold weather, and partly to their diet, which consists of salt iish and a sour liquid, called burduck. Meat and fresh tish are scarcely to be pro- cured for money ; every other kind of provision is to be purchased only at an immoderate price, a ponnil of butter costing three shillings ; the same quantity of flower one shilling ; oatmeal nine- pence, and other things in proportion. People in any tolerable situation usually lay in their stock for the year at the summer fair, or procure it from Irkutsk ; and those who cannot afl^'ord to do this must submit to all the hardships of want and bad food. On my arrival here, I might have experienced a similar fate if I had not met with so friendly a reception from the principal per- sons of the place, who not only invited me to their tables, but exerted their utmost to lessen the ditKculties 1 had to encounter. At the close of April, the Ochota was cleared from the ice; and the water swelling to an astonishing height, occupied all the lowlands with rapidity, but returned to its boundaries again in the space of ten days, when several sorts of fish, such as malmes*, kunsches, and kambales, began to make their appear- ance ; which were succeeded by shoals of smelts and herrings, and afterwards by sturgeon and sea-calves. My people now beginning to collect strength from the return of spring and fresh iish, I sent tlieni out after timber, a great quantity of which they felled for me in the summer months. 1 * Tlie names of kcta and nialma are no where to be founc!, but the others arc described as fcillows in the dictionary of tlic Uussian Academy : — Kuuslia, Saimo C'undsha, a sort of salmon. Its usual length is two t'eet ; its tail forked ; its scales silver-coloured, with a shade of blue on the side and white at the ends. It is found in the bay of the Northern Ocean, and tlie Wliite Sea. Kumbala I'kuivncctcs. Under tliis appellation is com- prehended many sorts of scalelcss Iish, with eycj on each side their loutish round bodies. — Narka Salmo is a species of salmon about a yard loni; and the fifth of a yard broad, with a red body, sn\all head, five small re._,- dish teeth on both sides, blue tongue, yet white on the side, a bluish back, witln'.uk spots, and the tail a little arched. Its scales are larsie and r.iaiiicd our ips of snow ^t'tl without nen to fetch paUe (o af- le being so ', "luchJess subject to eather, and sour liquid, to be pro- le purcliased ting thice ittneal nino- ny tolerabla unimer fair, (ford to do bad food, lilar fate if incipal per- tables, but ' encounter. )in the ice; tcupied all riaries again *h, such as leir appear- d heijing3, eople now tf and fresh which they lit the othci>s Uiulemy ; — is two iect ; ■ "11 the sir/e Ocean, iuid "Jii is coin- 'leir loiigish I yiirii lonir c small ix\.~ bluish hiicli, and i-,*i,n(), 11'. ''■ha river At the commencement of June, the abovementioned fish disappear, and give place to other sorts, as the ktti and the iiarka, in size and appearance somewhat resembling the salmon, only that the narka has a much redder and firmer flesh ; their taste is very pleasant, and in July they are hi full season. In August and September, they come in such quantities as to change the quality of the water. The inhabitants at these times Jay in a store for the year, both for their own use and that of their dogs, of which each person has one or two team, con- sisting of 12 or 24. These dogs dificr ir. very few respects from those in Russia, except by barking less and howling more, which they frequently do, particularly towards the dawn of day ; one takes the lead anu is followed by all the rest in the town, which forms a concert of no very agreeable kind. The fish are cured in various ways. Tlie narka are stretched out and smoked in a chamber, peculiarly adapted for the pur- pose, then laid in a box and strewed with dried and powdered keta, which is said to be a good preservative. They are thus sent sometimes to Irkutsk and Jakutsk, but not in great quan- tities, on account of the difficulty or expence of the carriage. 'I'he keta are dried in the sun, the fat in the back-bone having first been taken out, in which state they are called jukol. '^Tlie inferior of both kinds are given to the dogs. They are also salted in great tubs, either whole, or the spawn alone. Salt is here extracted during the summer from the sea-water, in an of- fice belonging to the crown, situated about twelve versts from the town. At the close of autumn and commencement of Sep- tember, when the fish are at their full size, they are caught without difficulty, being taken with the hand out of the sea, and thrown into pits fitted for the purpose, where they turn sour, corrupt, and dissolve. These are intended for the dogs in ge- neral, but are sometimes eaten by human beings. The Kams- tchadales, for example, esteem it the best and most delicious of all victuals, although the smell is so strong as to extend many versts distance from a pit newly opened. At the close of September, or the commencement of the frost, the keta, and another fish which comes at that time, called lomki, are left to freeze, and thus preserved in heaps for the winter. The nets used for fishing are either smaller or larger accord- ing to the size of the fish to be caught. The larger nets are thrown out from the shore on long poles. In the fishing season they fill so rapidly that it is scarcely possible to draw them iti j sl tl ity, for du- iii search of latever theif iiig and au- ks resort to )vered with iicse pails. List there is uue, which ir time of prey to the and driving cither kill ig them by that hangs y for those k'hile eager ng them to birds by on a long males, at- e reach of s are like- ive a nie- by means tixed, by ' get out. spawn of fields, are he winter ch makes he size of lere is no tuites uu> 1 the sur- crows are i namely, ■he :}: go- he first is onstructed — X Gowo- h or sea* ACCOtJNT OF SOME WILD SHRUBS. ft unusually large ; its outstretched wings, with the feet and head, comprehending an extent of 7 fathoms ; and is so ravenous as to eat till it cannot move. Tlie grey with white spots, aie like ours in Europe, and resemble the goworuschka, except that they are nither smaller. The hitter derive their niuue from sit- ting on the water and continually seieamin;, atlbrd an agreeable prospect. t Cliarius, sabno tliynr.illiis, a species of salmon ; ils head is rather small, obtu-c, and spotted black, tliu under part and the sides haviu;j; a bluish cast; its i;ills are iurnishtil with t^^() rows of teeth, extended into iti throat. Its body is covered with a thick firm scale, its back dark preen and rather arched, its sides flattened and of agrev bluish colour. From the head to the (aila bluish stripe runs down on cverv scale, the n»iddlc of which is spotted black. The belly is white, the pectoral tins small and yellowi-li ; tho«e on thpear never to be dLiSolvcd*. Here \vc hacJ the misfortune to lose our Tungusish gf'.lde, who absconded with several of the remdeer, and broui^ljt us into the most unpleasant dilemma. We were to- tally uirdcquainted with the way forward, and had no other alter- native than to follow the stei)s of Caj)lain Billhig, whe«>ever we could trace them, which was, unfortunately, but seldom the case, the road generally leading over moss-grown places, and every Tunguse taking the direction which struck him to be the best. By the exercise of our judgment and patience, we, * This ice is probably accuin.slulcd by tin.' water ■■'i:ouling forth from tli* springs of llic river. of simi' liio hpOt* its t(«th inrl on its into tlii.?Ma* n u//t/'/ii //w , /uy/^///t^*//^/t. -^^M^f /^/vvv r/'C/j^/fi.' til from tlm , I 1 %>v ■■% Dlpr JULTIES IN TR A VF.LT.ING. m however, succeeded, after a tormenting search for CO versts, in finding a Jakutish track over meadows, tliat promist »; to bring us to an inhabited spot : but in this we were disappointed ; for after a journey of 18 versts fnrtlier we cami; to some enipty Ja- kutish jurts, from whence tlie road took five different directions. 1 dispatched some of my r.eople in several directions, and ob- tained the next morning, to my no small satisfaction, a Jakut, who offered to conduct us to the jurt» of the Jakutish knask. He fuililled his promise, and carried us in nine days to the de- sired spot, where we found Captain Billings waiting for us. Here we were obliged to stop five days for fresh horses, which were to be collected from the dista\it jurts. On the Sfjtli, we pursued our journey in two distinct parties ; Captain Billings proceeding forwards with one sailor and three chasseurs. The first day we waded through the river Omekon, and passed along two other rivers, until we reached the Atschugui-taryn-urach, or little icy stream, which is so called from its being continually covered with ice of an almost incre- dible thickness. Sixty versts farther, after wading through the Ulachan-taryn-urach, or largo icy river, we had to ascend two high mountains, about a verst distant from each otiier. The former is covered with small larches, moss, and cedar shrubs, which do not rise above two fathoms in height, and yield fruit but every other year. The latter, which is higher than any in that quarter, extending from south-east to north-west, is covered only half way up with moss, the rest consisting of naked- rock. We effected our ascent and desceiit with the utmost difficulty, being obliged, from its exceeding steepness, to creep rather than walk, for fear of rolling down. The horses, though very tame and accustomed to such roads, were not all able to keep their feet. Our course then led us alternately over beautiful mea- and mountainous coun- summer to the open summits of these mountains to catch the wild sheep which fre- quent those parts, or to graze their reindeer, which are here less tormented by the insects than in the forests. Our guides being unable to conduct us farther, I was obliged to wait some few versts distance from Werchno-kolymsk, until a suitable person could arrive from the neighbouring Jakutish jurts,' called Kyssyl Balyktach, after the name of a peculiar fish, which is caught by the inhabitants in their lake. The fa- tigues of the journey were rather increased than diminished to- wards tlie close. The roads, which were either sandy or marshy, exhausted our horses to that degree, that we soinetim»;s despaired of reaching the point of destination. On our arrival we found Captain Billings and his attendants, but none ol the SAUYTSCHEW.] D dows and large rivers, or through woody ar tries. The Tunguses usually repair in t'ue 'i U k ii\ l! M 'it fi6 SAHYTSCL '!M''s TRAVELS. baggage, which had been left behind, owing to the badness of the roads. The greatest part of our horses being totally dis- abled, it was necessary to procure a fresh set for tli»'- purpose of fetching the luggage. The fortress (Ostrog) of Werchna-kolynisk, is situated on the right bank of the river Jassachna, two versts distance from its ccn- flux with the Kolyma. It consists of live peasants' huts, three jurts, and a separate court surrounded with a paling, in the middle of w hich is a black log-house (isba) and some granaries. In this narrow spot it was no easy matter to dispose of all our people. Our commander chose the best isba, vvhilst two of my companions and myself took up our lodging in a jurt. The greater part of the crt,'\v were obliged to reside in the woods until a shelter could be made for them, besides which it was necessary to build a forge and an oven for drying the biscuit. In the mean time the felling and transportation of tlie timber for our vessels was commenced with vigour, althour,* tht sage of the river was rather impeded by the frost, whl.:! >, .a on the <27th of September ; yet as soon as it was frozen sulFiciently firm to admit of any weight, we conveyed the wood over the ice by means of horses borrowed from a small body of Jakias, who had lately sittled in those parts at a distatice from the for- tre:«s. These Jakuts have but a small quantity of cattle, and subsist principally by fishin<<;. In the winter they travel only with dogs, by which they are distinguished from the rest of their uution. At the commencement of the frost, and previous to the closing of the river, the people were busy with their nets in catching a particular sort of lish called tschirai. Afterwards tli«:y made openings in the ice, in order to catch eelpouts ; the iargest of wh-.ch weighed 25 pounds. The cold at this time» in the middle of October, was 30 deg. Reaumur. In this month, Mr. Billings and the doctor went a journey . 40 versts up the river, to a little place inhabited by some far\i- iies of fh(! Jukagirens. I'his was formerly a very rich tribe, who had kept thiir neighbours in awe, and possessed dominion over a vast extent of territory, until the greater part of them being swept away by thesmall-pux, and another contagious dis- order, called here kilikinska, the Kosaks and T'unguses, their ancient eucmies, gained the upper hand, and retaliated on them by every act of oppression in tishing and hunting ; whicli gave rise to a war that externunated almost entirely the little residue of their pe'ople. The stragglers who had escaped this last ravngc nought preelection from the iiusslans, and took up their resiHi:. oc in ill*? proximity of the fortress. The close mtcrcourfro *)• \i .■iS ■ft^ ACCOUNT OF THE JUKAGIREN'S. 27 Jness of illy dis- ipose of on the I its ccn- three I Hi "■ii arising between the Jukagireus ai.d the Kosaks gradually assimi- Lited the customs and dress of the former to tliose of the latter. But previously to this, their way of living entirely resembled that of the Tunguses ; having, like them, their reindeer and their jurts, with which they strolled from place to place. At present tlioy live in hovels, and make use of dogs in lieu of reindeer, for tiieir winter excursions. Their food consists of fish and the flesh of elks, which are very abundant in the islands and rivers ; particularly of the river Korkodon, which flows into the Kolyma '200 versts distant froin the fortress. Thith / the Jukagireus usually repair in April with their dog-sledges to lumt not only elks, but also sables, foxes, reindeers, dnd every spe- cies of animals which attbrd fur. They pursue the elks in snow-shoes, and run them down, until they are so perfectly enfeebled as to fall an easy prey to the huntsman, in this pursuit the latter have every advantage; for the immensely deep snows and the nastkn*, so frequent in that sejison, which are no impediments to them or their dogs, continually stop the crea- tures in their career, and combine with their natural tnwieldi- ness to prevent their escape. They cut the flesh into long thin slices, and dry them in the air. As soon as the river is free from ice they swim on floiUs to the fortress, where a festivity and ca- rousal commences among the Kosaks, with whom they barter their spoil for the necessaries fetched from the town, but above all for tobacco, to which they are immoderately attached. This fair commonly lasts until the river, which has overflowed the country, returns to its bounds, when they separate and take various directions for the purpose of fishing. Since their connexion with the Kosaks, the Jukagirens have made a profession of Christanity, blended, indeed, with their own superstitions ; particularly the incantations of the Schamans. In this particular the Kosaks, who cannot boast of a much brighter illumination, have but too faithfully adopted their errors. They oscribe every sickness to witchcraft, and even imagine themselves sometimes to be under the influence of some evil spirit. For which reason they have a peculiar dread of one female Jakut, named Agraphenna Schiganska, a xhaman of great influence, who died thirty years ago. They fancy that she visits the people in order to torment them, and must therefore receive their homage and sacrifices. Active as the government of Jakutsk has been in their endeavours to destroy this superstition^ they * The hardened surface of tlie snow, occasioned only in spring by its thu\vii) ■ 1 1^ M up I n ij i !il- 28 SARYTSCIIEW'S TRAVELS. have hitherto been very unsuccessful. I'hey even sent an order to the town of Schigansk, for search to be made after the body of this Agraphenna, that it might be consumed ; but this wa.i equally inefficacious in its influence on the superstitious multi- tude. Their Jakutish schamans spare no pains to preserve the credit of the witch, declaring that they could never "cinture to lay any spirit without first offering a sacritice to hor . for were she in the slightest degree to be neglected, she w >uld make her appearance among them and exercise hor vengeance. In January the cold rose to 43 degrees, and was so severe as to impede respiration. The very vapour from the breath was con- verted into icicles, which, from continual attrition, were incessantly crackling. The power of the sun was then too feeble to commu- .V ite any warmth to the atmosphere, making its appearance only a short time at noon, ou the summit of the horizon, and Si-iiding forth its rays in an oblique direction. It is worthy of ob- servation at the same time, that the most perfect calm attends an extreme state of cold, which subsides instantly on the least motion of the wind. The thermometer, with quicksilver, was now rendered perfectly useless, the purest kind of quicksilver being frozen by a cold of 33 degrees; we were therefore obliged to content ourselves with spirits in its stead. Whilst the weather permitted it^ we had made some sporting excursions into the woods in pursuit of partridges and woodcocks, but now it Mas scarcely possible to pass from one dwelling to another. Our provisions, therefore, began to fall short, the season for fish being over, which had constituted our principal subsistence. Had we in this moment of plenty adopted a system of precaution and economy, we neeo .lot have aggravated the sufferings from cold by those of hunger. We had then thrown away the head of an eelpout, w hich we now gladly scratched up from the snow, and eat with avidity. In addition to this, the scurvy, the common attendant on want, began to make its appearance. During the month of November we had nearly finished one of our vessels, which was 45 feet in length, and received the name of Pallas. In the month of April we renewed our labours with a second, which was only 28 feet long, and named .Jas« sachna. The ignorance of our carpenter, combined with the total inexperience of all the rest in every thing relative to the building of a vessel, naturally retarded our progress in this bu- siness ; nor would it, perhaps, have ever been brought to bear, if the more intelligent of the party had not exercised their in- genuity in contrivance. The tar not being of a proper consist- ency which was procured at Jakutsk, we were obliged to m\K SAILING OF THE PALLAS AND JASSACIINA. 29 In order he body multi- Icivc the re to lay jere she lake her consist-' to mU sulphur with It, that was obtained from tlie larch-trees, which, when boiled together, produced a composition not inferior iu quality to thr best sort of pitch. In the night of the 13th of May, a fire broke out in the habitation of the doctor and mechanic, owing, probably, to some negligence ii extinguishing the coals on the hearth. The flames spread over the whole house in an instant, and extended to an adjacent store-house, in which the spirituous liquois be- longing to the crown were preserved. Not the slightest article in the house could be saved, but happily no lives were lost. According to several observations, we fixed the latitude of Werclme-kolymsk at (50° 21' north, and the deviation of the compass at 70°. The liver being now perfectly clear of ice, our vessels, which were in an entire state of readiness, were launched in very high water ou the 5th of May. After every necessary ar- rangement was ni-ide for our voyage, in which t!ie command of the second vessel was consigned to n>e, we weighed anchor on the 22d, and were carried down bv the stream with immense rapidity to the river Kolyma, which branches out into many smaller streams, that are lost in it again at the distance of a f(!W versts. Many of these arms are perfectly dried up at the fall of the water. About noon we passed the mouth of the river Magaseika, flowing to the left, which received its name from the circum- stance of magazines being built at its source not far from Sa- Bcliiwersk, in which the provisions were formerly kept that were afterwards conveyed by Saschiwersk to the fortress of Anadyrsk. The passage by the Kolyma not being then known, it was necessary to take the circuit of the two arms Magaseika and Oshogina. Towards evening we received a visit of curiosity from a knask, residing on the banks of a little lake, wh"» padjiing to- >vards us in his <:anoe, seennd very desirous to lake a nearer survey of our vessel. learning from him that the Pallas had not yet sailed past, we cast anchor until midnight, when it overtook us. After passing on the 27th the Cluster of Idands, as they are termed, which are seven in number, we reached the Trinity Islands, and river of the same name ; probably so called from the hunters, who were going to erect a church here in the name of the Holy Trinity ; but opinions being divided between this ttud another pluce^ it was decided by lot, which fell upon the Ti'ia H:' 1 i I ''( r ; U 30 SARYTSCIIEWS TRAVKLS. spot whore Srcdnc-kolymsk now stands. The chiinii, there- fore, and soon «ftor that the fortress, were there erected. l?v Kamenka, a cot'siderabh; river irsi;;!!": from the moun- tanis, whirii we left to the ri^'i on tlic' ■iiSUi, as well as by the Tioizka, tlie Jakuts and Tiiu;;usc.s cateh niany foxes, otters, wnicorns, and sometimes sables, which are said to have been formerly very abundant in these parts. Hoie, from the month of tlio Sranka to the fortress of Sredne-kolymsk, the Kosaks of ^^'erehnc and Sretine-kolymsk, have their summer encampments, for the purpose of providnig themselves and their dogs w-ith fish. They catch them with nets, and cure their jukol as usual by drying. 'I'he neolnm, muksun, tschira, and, towards the autumn, herrings, are the most abun- dant here. In the evening we stopped at Sredne-kolymsk, a wooden fortress, situated on the left bank of the Kolyma, hav- ing a church and some houses. It was formerly called Jarman- ka, (fair) because all the inhabitants fnnn an immense distance, as Tunguses, Jakuts, and Jukagirens, assembled liere for the purposes of trade. They bartered their skins with the Jakutish and Kosak merchants, for tobacco and other trilling articles. The qtiantity of skins, particularly from the sables, taken near the river Kolyma, was so considerable as to furnish a yearly re- venue of 4000 to the crown, being a tenth of the whole amount; from w hence this tax had the name of a tythe. The sables hav- ing all now disappeared from this quarter, the fair has, of course, been totally abandoned. On the 17th of June, we stopped .at the mouth of the Ome- lon, on the left bank of which we discovered the sinnmer en- campment of the peasants of Omelon. During this sc^ason they are engaged in fishing until autumn, when they return to their village, lying about 20 versts distance from the river. On the other side of this village there are Jakutish kagireus still remaining. Tlie river Omelon, together with the Inshiga and the Oen- sl». 'a, issues from a chain of mountains, and receives the addi- tion o.' five rather inconsiderable rivers ; three from the and two from the left ; one of which is the Magaseika above mentioned. Four hundred versts up the Omelon is an old wooden structure, erected probably on the discovery of the river by the Russian hunters, who had undertaken their excur- sion in fcotsc/ien*, from the river Lena into the Frozen Ocean, and from thence to the mouth of the Kolyma, which leads tQ tlie Omelon. * A naf-bottomed vessel very siuiilar to a bargo. ght \\i ■*«; MIGRATION or REINDEER. 31 nil, thcre- i-.tod. the mouu- I as by tlie ,cs, Ott«MS, have been fortress of le-koiyinsk, f providing n with nets, a, nuiksun, most abun- ■kolymsk, a )lyma, hav- ed .larnian- se distance, ere for the he Jakutish ng artieJes. , taken near n yearly re- olc amount ; ; sables hav- air has, of f the Ome- suninier en- this s(!ason y retinn to river. On agireus still d the Oen- s the addi- m the right ika above- is an old very of the lieir excur- )zen Ocean, :h leads tQ ■^ In a sutnmer residence on this river, we found Captain la- sliiginsk Sehmalew Sutuik Kobolew, and the Tochukotish in- terpreter, Dauikin, waiting for us agreeable to appointment. They were to act as our interpreters with the savage j>eople, called Tschuksclieiis, whom we might chance to meet in tlje IVozen Ocean. Mr. Sehmalew, who was destined for my vessel, was a man well qiialiHed for this situation, having been some years commander of Inshiga, where, by his suavity and presents, he had gained the confidence and good will of the Tschukscheus, vho yearly resort thither for purposes of trade. After lying at anchor but three hours, we folloxed the course of the river laid reached Nisma-kolyinsk, situated on the left bank of the Kolyma, in 24 hours. The fortress includes within its wooden barricade, one church and 33 houses ; together with .*;.'] Kosak inhabitants. Opposite to this fortress, tlie two large nvirs, the Gnitt jliini and the Dry Anui, run, at an inconsider- able distance, into the Kolyma. The former of these extends 80y, and the latter ,')U0 versts. The banks of both are inha- bited by Jukagiiens. The swiiiiuiiiig of the reindeer across the Omelon and the two Anuis affords an «'xtraordinary .spectacle twice a year ; viz. at the close of May, w hen the wild rehideer abandon the woods iu great lur-ls, probaljly with a view of seeking shelter from the guats wiiliin the neighbourhood of the sea, and afterwards in autumn, on their return ; in both which cases they are obliged to pas'^ these rivers. The Kosak and Jukagiren inhabitants of these parts, who know the favourite haunts of these creatures, repair then in their canoes to the spot, and pierce them in the water with tl.>e greatest facility, sometimes to the number of 60 in a day. They do not swim over all together in a body, but one after another ; and as soon as their leader has reached the opposite shore, tin y are not to be diverted from following him by any prospect of danger : if he, however, be interrupted in his course, he instantly returns, and the whole herd after him. The tlesh of reindeer forms a principal article of diet for the people of this country . They cut it into thin slices, and dry it after the manner of their lish. The marrow and tongue are esteemed as delicacies. Another luxury which they have, is red bilberries mashed v\ith dried tish, and the fat of fish, with \vhich they make their most costly entertainments in the summer. In the winter tliey eat frozen and raw tish in its stead, particu- larly tschirens, which tht;, mince very small, and then give the name of strogaiaioi. it is reputed to be very salutary against the scurvy, for w hich reason we adopted it as a regular remedy during our winter stay at Werchue-kolymsk. 52 SARYTSCIIEWS TRAVELS. f Ji :1 f i m We were detained four davs at Nishne4;olynrisk for the repairs of oifT vessels ; the smaller one in particular, which, for \va«it of ballast, was frequently in danger of being overset. We took in likewise SO puds of dried rehideer's tlesh, and 150 puds salted ; which the Jukagirens cured for us with the salt we ^ave them, for this is a scarce article with them, and is obtained from Ja- kntsk at an exorbitant price. Whilst lying at an«.^ior, mc had clear warm weather and scarcely any wind, but were tormented wiUi gnats to so immoderate a degree, that we wer3 obligeu to protect our faces and hands from them by a constant covering. On the 19th, the Pallas weighed anchor and proceeded down the r'n cr. My ship r.ut being ready, I could not sail until the third day after its departure. We had not proceeded CO versts before we discovered three lofty mountains on the right bank of the Kolyma ; one of which is called Pomtelegews, the other Sorowsberg, and the third Belaga Jopka. The Kosaks from Nishned-kolymsk have their summer encampment at the foo tof the first, by the river Anibonicha. Sixty versts from this for- tress, the river Kolyma divides and falls by two branches into the flea. The course we took, which bore to the east, is called the Stony Way, probably from its right bank being occupied by stony precipices and stupendous crags. In the afternoon of the next day we passed the winter resi- dence of the merchant Schalaurow, situated on the right bank. He undertook a voyage in the Frozen Ocean, but finding too many obstacles to oppose his progress, passed the winter season here. The next year he made another trial, that proved fatal to the vessel and himself with his whole crew. The former being dashed to i)ieces by the ice, was thrown on the shore, and the latter perished by hunger, according to the account of the Tschukschens. We descried likewise, at a distance of five versts, in a straight line before us, the lighthouse which Lieutenant Laptgew built in 17S5, as he was surveying the shore of the Frozen Ocean. Not very far to the left of this lighthouse we observed an island not n)arked in Laptgew 's map, ".\ hich he most probably over- looked from its low situation, unless we are to suppose that it has made its appearance since that period. It is, however, at least fair to conclude, that the water has undergone some change within these late years, for otherwise he could not have gone on land to budd the sheds for his people, which are still remain- ing. At present its depth in full tide is not sufficient to admit the smallest craft, and at ebb it leaves the bottom of the river dry for the space of three versts. .J LATITUDE OF THE PnoZEN OCEAN. S3 the repairs for want of We took in mds salted ; <;ave them, d from Ja- or, wc had ; tormented obliges to it covering. ceded down ail until the ed CO versts sht bank of the other [osaks from t the foo tof om this for- iranciies into ast, is called occupied by winter resi- right bank, finding too vintcr season •oved fatal to former beinjj lore, and the :ount of the in a straight >aptgew built Ocean. Not ed an island obably over- se that it has iver, at least !ome change have gone on still remain- ieht to admit of the river .Misty and stormy weather prevented us from making any great progress for three days. On the fourth wc descried the ocean, covered with immense sheets of ico, that, at a distance, ap- peared to be one compact mass ; but were, as we discovered on ii nearer view, driven together towards the shore by a north-east wind and the tide. We eiuKavourcd to penetrate betwixt the ice and the shore, but were compelled, towards evening, to give up the attempt, and seek a shelter under the projecting rocks of a little river flowing from the mountains. Ihe shore extended by an ascent of four fathoms above the sinfuce of the water to the rock of Baranow. it was covered with moss and sea-weeds, having here and there a scattered flower, willow, or shrub, that was almost too small to be distinguishable. The summits of the mountams, and even the declivities of the rocks below, were incrusted with congealed snow. During the three days spent here, we discovered four bears and a whole herd of reindeer. The wind changing on the fourth day, and driving the ice more directly towards us, we were compelled to weigh anchor, and, with infinite difficulty as well as danger, to force our way close by the pendant rock. We succeeded very soon in finding a retreat near the opening of a mountain, from which issued a spring of pure water. Here we caught a vast quantity of herrings in nets, and saw some sea-calves. From difierent observations we fixed the latitude of this place at (J9° G9', although all maps have hitherto assigned to the shoro ot the Frozen Ocean a position two degrees more northerly, CHAP. V. i FRUITLESS ATTEMPTS TO FIND A PASSAGE TO THR NORTH AND EAST. ANCHORAGE OFF THE ISLAND OF BARANOW REINDEER — WILD GEESli CHACE — THEIR PRESERVATION. — THE INHABITANTS OF THIS PART — REMARKS ON THE FROZEN OCEAN. — RETURN TO SREDNE-KOLYMSK. KJN the first of July we weighed anchor, and made two trials to proceed, first in a northerly, and afterwards in an easterly, direction; but the mist and the ice were each time unfavourable to our designs. My little bark was frequently in danger of being shattered to pieces by the masses of ice which were driving around us with impetuosity, and at length our safety obliged us to retreat towards the shore of the rock of Baranow'. During our stay heie we sent our steersman up the rock to take a survey of the ocean. He brought us the intelligence, that he had observed, from tli? snmmit of the loftiest mouutainj SARYTSCHEW.1 E S4 SARYTSCHEWS TRAVELS. "I IM but one sheet of ice, wliich extrndrd as far as liis eve ronltl rcuth to the east. Wo were sutislicd, by this inforinatK^n, ot tlie iin- possibility of takina; an easterly diroctinn, but dcsiious of oii- taiiiinj^ ocular demonstration, the comm;iny this means, human bodies are kept in a higher state i;f preservation than by the method of embalming; for not only the conipon>Mit parts of the frame, but the very clothing will thus remain un- impaired. From the summit of the rock we also beluld tlie whole sea to the east covered with nothing but ice. I'iie shore wliieli bounds this glassy surface is not much elevated, but its ex- tremity appeared to be a mountainous head of land, about nO versts distance, which 1 take to be what is designated on Scha- laurow's map by the appellation of Kesclitschennoi (sandy), that terminates at the bay, where he looked for the river Tsehaun. It is possible for this to be the dwelling-place of the w( 11-kiiouu Tschukotian, prince Kopai, from whom the Kosak W iligin re- ceived the first jassak in the year 17'23*. On my return from the rock, I found an old ^^oodon cros> lying on the ground, with its underside perfectly decayed. 'J'he inscription, if there ever \ id been one, was now entirely effaced. From its apparent age, 1 should date the erection of it as fin- back as the year U)40, vvl jn this place was visited in cotschen (barges). 1 sav/ another old cross by the summer encampment on the Omelon, on which the date of the year 17 18 was still visible. Tiie inhabitants of that part directed my attention to some lK)Ies supposed to have been pierced by the arrows of the Tschuk- .scheus, who sometimes used to attack the Russian establish- ments. On the 17th we made another effort to put to sea, but had * This jassak is an impost in kimi, consisting mostly of furs, which is every year dt'iiianded of llic tributaiy nations in Siberia. ronld rciu h l>ii, of tlif! im- J.si:«us of oli- [I'tof, Iliul iiiy- cr the smaller itJ'iT from tlie iiitor or suiii- |(; tracks wrro f thesd pttrts grty colour, joultiiiji;, lli( V liks hero cutcli Hooks to tlio '■y knock tlieni r tlic purposo. litest change : Iocs not thaw ard. I>y lliis f preservation he conipon.Mit IS remain un- 1(1 t!ie whol,. le shore which but its ex- and, about .50 lated on Scha- )i (sandy), that iver 'rschaiiu. be well-know u ik W iligiu r', - wooden ci-os> lerayed. 'J he ilirely cflTacecl. .» not proceeded .^O vcrsts before an indescribably thick mist im- peded our advance, and the ice perpelnally accumulating, so an to heighten our danger every moment, we came to the unani- mous resolution of returnin;j: to the Kolyma, and directed our course round the roek of Baranow. This rock is formed by many coutijinous mountains projectin;^ with a cape into the sea, which describes a semicircle. On its sununit there are many stone pillars, some resembling the rubbish of u ruiueil fortress, others beariuL? the appearam-e of remains of buildings falling to decay, and of the images of men. \\ liile lying at anchor, we could distinguish on one of the lower mountains a pillar of this de- scription, which seemed to represent two women in conversa- tion, and holding a child between them. These pillars are in fact nothing but solid stone, from which the external incrustation of marl has fallen off. IJesides a number of sturgeon and sea- calves, we saw a whale here, an incontrovertible proof, that the Frozen Ocean has some connection with another sea to the north or the east. In t\w. afternoon of the GCd we waited at anchor for the Pallas, in a little nook of the shore on the nordi side of the rock, where two projecting clitl's sheltered us against the winds and floating masses of ice. I1)c shore in the middle of this nook, which is steep and sandy, is enclosed on both sides by lofty mountains, from which issue many springs of pure water. Although this little vale afforded nothing more remarkable than a weed, with sonjc unusually beautiful blossoms, yet the prospect of vegetable nature, even in her humblest attire, was truly gratifying to us, after having witnessed nothing but dreary objects for such a length of time. At the brink of one spring, L discovered, at no great distance from each other, two subterraneous jurts in a ruinous .state. On turning over the earth, they appeared to be roimd, and about three yards in circumference. In the interior we found the bones of reindeer and sea-calves, as also several earthen potsherds, and two stone knives with three edges, one of which was crooked and sharp, the other two straight and blunt. One of these knives I gave to the captain, and the other to the doctor. The Kosaks of Kolymsk informed us, diat the former inhabitants of this place, who must have been unquestionably Tschukschians, called themselves Schalags, and on tl-.e settlement of the Rus- sians here, moved farther to the we it, and took up their resi- dence near the northern cape, from tnat time denominated Scha- lagian. Of the wood, which is driven in great quantities to this shore, we raised a cross, and specified on it the day and year of its ♦iccaon. During the time of our lying at anchor here, the io SG SAIIYTSCIIEWS TRAVELS. I ih ■1 ! , 3' i prrpftuMlIy (lri'"tffl towarils t'n" «;ast. The tide along tlii' shore ( Ii:ing(Hl «'v«'ry A:\\, or • i^y ■ t'ner day, and the waU^r soinotinus paint'.d the h(i:::;ht <^>f t i »ot, btit nevor oxceedod it, and exen that occurred within! '.ny n>c;'i!iirity; whicli ciroinnstance lias };iven riso to the supcostion, that tlus jiea rannot he of great ex- tent, being bounded at no great distnnee by land to the north, and connected l)y a straight to the Northern Oceiui. It is other- wise not easy to account for this deviation frrjui the uuiversai hiw of nature with regard to great seas. The opinion that the continent lay in a northerly direction, was confirmed by a high south wind, on the 'i'iil of June, which continued with the greatest violen<"e for 48 hom-s. Had there then been no liinderance, the ice nuist have been necessarily driven very far towards the north : instead of which, we found the sea next uiorning quite covered. Captain Schnialew also informed me, tli:it the I'schukschians had spoken to him of u continent towards that point, not very distant from the Sclia- lagian promontory, which was inhabited ; and at the same time they observed, that tlx; Schlagiau Tschukschians used in winter to cross over to that [>lace in a day. The wind becommg favourable on the S6th of July, we ^veiglied anchor, and bore away, with a gentl' *eeze, to the mouth of the Kolyma, and from thence to e-Kolymsk, where we landed in safety; and thus terminateu wm excursion in the Frozen Ocean, which was no less fatiguing than dangerous. I'rom the forrgoMiff it is manifest, that any farther trial to cros» the Frozen Oci an would have been fruitless. Mr. Billings therefore assembled the officers to con? It on the easiest and least dangerous method of encompassing, either by land or sea, the Ichalagian aiitl Tscluikotian promontory. The way by the mouth of the Kolyma had already been proved by experience to be blocked up by the immense masses of ice. For although the sea has been found by prorrding navigators to be scmietimcs clear, yt?t none of these enterprising mariners have succeeded in opening the passage to the Eastern Ocean, except Deslmew, a single Kosak, who made the experiment in 16-18, in a barge. Great doubts, huwever, arc entertained of his veracity, and it IS strongly susperted, that Deslmew collected most of his in- formation respecting those shores from the l^schukschians, and supplied the rest by his own invention. But granting the truth of Ueshnew's narrations, it only evinces that Nature may once in a hundred years deviate from her esta- blished ride. I'lic Kosaks here assured us, that such quantities «f ice are always in the sea as to prevent any one from going even out of the river, and tliey considered this summer as having been unusually favourable for such an enterprise. Bvitif we judge from the the ves it f to dir of roi as SU| SlNOL*l,An ACniAT, IJATTLt. o7 f)iig tlic shore er soiiiotinu's it, and even iiiiistuiice lias ! of great ex- to tlie north. It is other- the universal rly direction, June, which Had there n necessarily' h, we found hnialew also 1 to him of a m the Scha- le same time ised in winter of July, we "ceze, to the e-Kolymsk, excursion in I dangerous, trial to crosii Mr. Billings ! easiest and f land or sea, e way by the y experience i^or although >e sometimes succeeded in Deslinew, a , in a barge, acity, and it )st of his in- schians, and only evinces 3nj her esta- ch quantities n going even having been ii judge from lite tritlinc; warmth of this summer, and the faint influence of liie sun'f, rays through the inip«'noiral)le mists, we may fairly coMcludf, that not half the ice is tliawed in summer, which is fonninl in winter; not to mtntion, that the sea is the conunon r» servoir for the ice of the surrounding rivers. From whence it follows, tliat the diflerence in the quantity of ice is not so much to be ascribed to any variations of the summer heat, as to tlie (lirection of llie winds for impetiiug or assisting its passage out of llio ocean. One measure we !iad still in reserve, namely, that of going round the abovementioned cape in sledges; but this was rejected as impracticable, from the circumstance of not being alile to supply the dogs with piovisions for above 200 versts. At length ^e came to the resolution of giving up all farther thoughts oii the ntattcr until after our intended examination of the Easteju Ocean. For which purpose, Solnik Kobelew, and the interpret- er Damkin, were ordered to go to Inshiginsk, and from thence to ar.com[)any the Tschukschians, who frequent that place every year for the purposes of trade, to Tsukotskoi-nos, in order to apprise the various inhabitants of our arrival, and wait for us ill Ufhring's straights. The cold in this ciimato now commenc- ing, we found it prudent to lose no time in making arrangements for our departure to Sredne-Kolymsk by water. Our vessels being accordingly unrigged, aud consigned to the care of tlm governor, Martianow, the commander, with part of the crew, took boats and were rowed up the river, leaving me with the re- mainder behind to store the Jassachna with provisions for four months. The day after the captain's departure, a barge arrived at Nishnc-Kolymsk with the necessary stores: this vessel I judg- ed would be better for towing along the shoals of the coast than the large vessel ; and packing therefore all my bag:'age in it, divid- ed the crew into two parties, which were altern^toly to relieve each other. Thus disposed, we reached Srediie-Kolymsk in twenty days. The only circumstance worthy of note which occurred in this interval, was un aerial combat betwixt an eagle an«l two hawks, whicli was both an extraordinary aud interesting spectacle. The two hawks first took a sweep in the air above the eagle; one of them then darted down with the intent of commencing the attack, but intimidated by the display of tlui eagle's talons, turned off, and shot past him. The other in tluj mean time seized the moment in which the eagle was off hix guard to give him a blow so violent that we distinctly heard the sound of It ; which was repeated liy the first hawk, befoi e the eagle could place himself in a state of defence. Feeling his in- i'eriority against twu such powerful enemies, the eagle retired nil Wn fill 1'^ f: .M m 33 SARYTSCHEW'S TKA^-'F.I.S. from tlie contest, and descciding in haste, m'us closely pursued by the two hawks iir.til !ic had alighted. The roads to .Iakiitr>k beincj impassable on our arrival at Srednc- Kolyni.sk, we were obliged to vvait for the frost, which sets in in Snpteniber. On the 18th the Kolyma was covered with ice, aii'l the inhabitanis were engaged in their usual occupation of catching fish at the different openings they had made. CHAP. VI. JOUPtNKY FHOM SKE1NE-KOLYM5K TO JAKUTS'-'. — A mammoth's Bf'>r 'OlIND ON THE SHORE OF THE FROZEN' OCIiAN. LUDICROUS INCIDENT WITH THE DOCTOR. ARRIVAL AT JAKUTSK, AND DFV-RTURE FROM THENCE FOR THE MAIA BREAKING tP OF THE ICE IN THE RIVER ALDAN. — FLOATIN(J ISLAND AND T:X1RA0RDINARY FLOOD. — RETURN TO JAKUTSK. o N the (24tli a part of the expedition was dispatched under the direction of Mr. liakow, the master, whom I followed on hor: eback four dr.ys after, in company with the doctor, ti-at BU' ^eon, and m'X'hanic. For the first <}0 versts to Alasei.«kj on the river Aleseja, we had to pass through wmdy marshy coun- tries, and a number of lakes, three of which were not less than twenty versts in extent. Alasoisk consists of a chapel and two isbens, inhabited by a merchaiit and a citizen, with their families. The neatness of their little dwellings, and the hospitable reception we experienced from thcn> both, wcie iiiattcr of surprise and gratilication for us. We had not been prcpiired for meeting happint^ss, content, and good humour in this ruggeil and barren clime. But nature has amplv supplied their want of corn, by ilsh, game, and cattle. The kikes abound witii geese, ducks, and other .'ipecies of wild fowl hi summer, and in winter their habitations are encompassed by immense Hocks of woodcocks. The fish of this part are reckoned of superior ([uahty, and tlie tchirens from llie lake, are sent to all fortres:-ies on the Ivolynia, on aecoimt of their sjuaiity for keeping. The river Alaseja Hows very close by this hamlet, and faIN immediately inio iho Frozen Ocean. The in!iabitants informed tis, that about a hundred versts disttmce fiom hence, the river had washed against its sandy biiiik the skeleton of a great ani- mal, of which only one half was visible, ft was apparcnlh about the height of an elephant, in an upright direction, a!>.i in an entire state, still retaining its skin, and in some plaree, ib hair. JNIr. Merk had a strong dt .sire to .sec this creature, but ^ BONF.S OF MAMMOTHS. 39 )sely pursued val at Sreclnc- t, which sots •overed with al occupation iiade. HUTS'-'. — A RE OF THU WITH THE DFr •- RTIJRE :ING tr OF I NO ISLAND rO JAKUTSK. |)atched under I followed on le doctor, ii'st to Alasciiikj on maishy coun- re not less than inhabited by a he neatness of we experienced ;ratilication for jin*»ss, content, But nature lias nie, and cattle. ;pecies of wild re encompassed f this part are from tlie lake, count of their unh^l, and fall^ lit lints infornieii once, tiie river jf a great ani- was apparent;) (liiectioii, a!>.i ionic placcti, it^ s creature, but was prcvent»^d from gratiJying his wish by a heavy fall of snow that had jii'^t taken place, combined with the inunense circuit ■ it woidd have occasioned in our journey. The circiunsttmce of a whole anim;d having been found on tlie coast of the l^ozeii (Jccan, was a tireat curiosity, as we hud hitherto never heard of any thiii'^ more than single bones and tusks, which are Ire- f[uently collected, and form a branch of commerce for a com- pany of Russian nu'rchants, who call them by the name of mammons knoeken (mannnoth bones). They are found in the greatest quantities un tlie fiaeclierishi islands in the Frozen Ocean, opposite to the mouth of the river J ana. A natural question iicre arises, which is entitled to consideration. How could these anii;ia!s have inhabited a dreary climate, so ill suited to them, where the cold is intense ? — Some are of oj)init>n, that they are not natives of this place, having been brought hither from v.arnier countries in early ages for military purpost^s; others conjecture, ihat they wese transported hither in the uni- versal deluge : but both suppositions appear to me untenable. Such marshy, unfruitful, and mountainous countries as thesi^ are, could never have been witness to any warfare in which eleplianls or the like unwieldy animals were used ; since the hojses here, which are inured to every species of fatigue, ar« ficquently im- equal to the task of travelling in these uneven and slippery tracks. JS'or is it more probable, that any deluge (particularly at the very remote period of tlif universal deluge), could have carried ani- mals with it to the distance of /jOOO versts, which now separate this country from a warmer climate. For my own part, I am rather inclined to attribute this phenomenon to some extraordi- luiry change in !ic globe, and suppose, that the elements in this quarter of the world were once more congenial to those animalii than at present; and widi this suggestion I shall leave the matter to the decision of the naturalist. The road as far as Saschiwersk led us through a succession of woods, marshes, and lakes; two of which latter were nearly thirty versts in circumference. These lakes are in general all connected together by brooks and rivulets which run into the Alaseja. On the 10th of October, the cold became severe in the ex- treme, insomuch, that an old man in our oompany of above sixty, master of our baidars, who had not our youth and vigour of constitution, to shield him from the inclemency of the weather, sunk into des|)air, and resolved on meeting his fate in the woods. With the utmost difficulty 1 persuaded him to go on a little way farthei , promising to leave him behind at the next habitation we came to V\ c very fortuuately reached two isbens the next day, i •I ! H lil r I i *. !:'( Uljt iil!' 40 SAnvTSCllEU S TBATKr.S. at tlic mouth of the river Ujamllna, iuhal)it('(l hy ♦ the same time no less ■ inronvonient; for they stiffened and ifed us very seriously. OUr breath was likewise instantly turned ! ' ice, from the con- finement. In this half ludicrous and half terrible a rarity in nature which we bad not enjoyed since our departure from jakutsk ; for neither of these tieels is to be found from the V ercho-Janish chain of mountains to an immense extent northward, and from Jakutsk to Ochotsk eastward. On the 19lh of November We reached the river iVldan^ and the first .Tnkutish jurts. On our entrance, a ludicrous scene «n- sued, Sivhich \vas not so perfectly agreeable to the poor doctor, who folt himself violently assailed in the face, without being able to discover through his mask the quarter from whence he received the assault. From the shrieks, he doubtless conjec- tured it to be a female, as it in reality was, who, in a specie^ of frenzy, had flown at the doctor to tear off his mask. After wi had forcibly released him from her rude embrace, .«l'.'j conti» nued screaming until slie fell exhausted and senseless to the ground. The Jakuts regard such tits as a species of disorder altributablo to terror, to which their women, particularly those in years, are very much subject. The patients in this case^ have the name of miratschkens. Miserable as our jurt was we en- joyed a night of sweet repose; under other circumstances^ the stench alone from the cattle would have rendered this place in- .sttpportable, but now a warm shelter compensated for the want of every other convenience. The distance from hence to Jakutsk was J 00 vcrsts; a cotn* toaratively agreeable journey for us, with a constant change of horses, and succession of villages. \Ve accordingly reached our point of destination on tlie 24lh, and experienced that heartfelt .satisfaction at the termination of our toilsome and painful jour- ney, which is conceivable by none uho have not endured siniibr fatigues. Mr. Billln;j,s had arrived there some days earlier, and Mr, JJehring had Ijet n occupied, during the smnmer, with dispatch- iiig the matciials for Ochocsk. They had prepared us warm rooms, which were altogether commodious, though without any elegante. I'he reception we met with from the inhabitants, and the commander Marklowski, contributed no less to render our stay ui Uiis city perfectly agreeable. Thci'c was at this time in Jakutsk, an English traveller of the tiau' J of Ledyard, whose eccentric conduct excited considera- ble attention. He was k'luwn to Mr. Billings, from h«ving Ind obliged lot take an I mountains, arches. A diversified which we I for neither Ih chain of pni Jakutsk Aldan, and lis scene «n- [oor doctor, ihout being whence he less conjec- a species of After \\"i fh-j conti- ;less to the of disorder ularly those is case, have was we en* istanccs, the lis place in- for the want 5ts; a cofti- t change of reached our bat heartfelt )ainful jour- lured siniihtr r, and Mr. ith dispatch- id us warm without any bitants, and render our feWet of the I considera- roni h«viu|f ECCENTRIC ENGLISH TRAVELLER. 4S been with hinj in the capacity of a corporal in Captain Cook's last voyage ; after which he is said to have been a colonel in the army of the United States during the war. He had formed tlio design of going round the world in the literal sense of the word, and for that purpose went to Petersburg, in order to begin with Russia ; and on reaching the eastern boundaries of Asia, to wait for some vessel in which he might pass over to the English set- tlements. The absurdity of this enterprize is sufficiently mani- fest, from the circumstance of his intending to travel through a civilized country, without money or letters of recommendation; and afterwards to cross those boundless tracks on foot, thinly olad in winter, through which we had laboured with infinite dif- iiculty on horseback, and in the warmest clothing. Where would he have found an opportunity of being conveyed over the water to tht? place of his destination ? and supposing that he could have ingratiated himself with the savages, yet what end- less mountains and deserts lie between Russia and the single inhabited coast in those regions ! He was relieved ft u' a the ne« cessity of walking as far as Jakutsk, by the civility of the Russian travellers, whom he met on the road, who carried hiu;> from place to place without any recompeneo. Here ho mot with still greater kindness, being admitted to the house and table of the commander, and receiving as a present from him a warm dress, more fitted for the cold season, which had commenced : and yet, the only return which Mr. Ledyard made for this ex- traordinary hospitality, was to calumniate and abuse every one; and finally challenge his benefactor for remonstrating with hin^ on the impropriety of his behaviour. The arrival of Mr. Bil- lings, at this moment, prevented any farther serious conseque^ices fVom this affair, by his taking this man with him to Irkutsk on his departure for that place. The commander wrote a letter of accusation against him to the governor-general, in conseauenoe of which he was taken into custody on bis arrival at Irkutsk, and sent from thence to St. Petersburg, on the charge of dis- orderly conduct. Tn Mr, Billings's absence I was commissioned to set off to the mouth of the river Maia, for the purpose of building there 50 canoes. X tlierefore first dispatched the steersman with some of the people, and followed him as soon as I had collected the building materials. After crossing the Lena, we passed through woods, meadows, and lakes, in the course of which we occa- sionally met with scattered juris: these were, however, quickly succeeded by bare mountainous countries. On the fourth day of our journey, about l6'J vt^iaii settlers As winter grain does not thrive here, the peasants only sow summer corn, which answers very well. A tschetwerick, or .360 pounds of barley, formerly cost only eight kopecks; but the neglected state of agriculttn-e at present, has more than trebled this price. The peasants, allured l>y the easy lives of the Jakuts, attend to the breeding of cattle, in preferi:nce to the culture of corn; and attach dien.selvcs daily more and more to their barbarous neigh- bours, whose manners and even language they have adopted. Four versts from this slobode, is a village of 15 jurts, inhabited by Russian peasants, who have laid aside their native language entirely. Five versts from the slobode, we crossed the Ainga, flowing from the mountains on the right side, which it had washed away, and converted into huge precipices. On the left, were spacious fields, interspersed with little woods, or almost imperceptible ascents. From the Amga, the road led by a little brook uj)wards, be- twixt the mountains, on the plains of which we proceeded 15 versts to the river Notora, which, winding through a suciession of fields, groves, marshes, and lakes, is linally lost in the Al- dan. Descending by this river, to the distance of 28 versts, we turned off to the right, and proceeded by an ip.sigiiitic"int chain of mountains, up to the source of the river ^Miilvua, which falls through a number of lakes and marshes into the AUIan. We pursued the course of this river downwards, which ran betwixt mountains that gradually diminished as they approached the, Al- dan, until they terminated in simple rising ground. The inoim- tains were all covered with larches. On the 28Ui 1 reached the haven of Eissmaia, where magazines and two barracks had been erected in the former expedition of commodore liehring. They stimd on the Jeft bank of the Aldan, opposite to the niQuth of the river Maia, that flows into the former pn the other side. The distance from Jakutsk to here, is reckoned to be 3f)0 verstSi The northern latitude of this place, according to ijiy observatioji) is 60° 17', and the declination of the ct/mpass, *2,^ westward. Agreeably to my instructions, 1 begun immediately to collect wood for our canoes, and found a suflicient quantity of gopd materials on the banks of the Aldan. J preferred, however, the iirs to the larches, on every grounc'. The water commenced to rise ou the 1st of May, and was 1 1 feet on the 9th, when the ice on the river Maiu broke, and pccasioned also a fracture in that of the Aldan, towards the lower part. Tljeswyll increasing on the liith to twelve feet, the ^^hoIc of SINGULAR FLOATING ISLAND. 45 ide cO'iHist of 1 settlers As S50W summer • ,060 pounds the neglected :d this price, ts, attend to )f corn; and larous ncigh- xvo adopted. ts, inhabited ive language the Aniga, I'hicli it had On the left, i, or almost ipwards, be- roceeded 15 a succession in the Al- IB versts, we iticant chain , which fulls \klan. We ran betwixt led the, AI- riie inoua- re magazines \pedilion of the Aldan, ws into the to be 360 ding to lyiy cm pass, ^i^ immediately cnt quantity i preferred, ly, and was broke, and towards tlje he whole of the Aldan was released from its confinement. The ice drifted with extraordinary impetuosity, and in innnense quiuuilirs, for three dii\s; and in this universal agitation of ice aiirl water, we perceived a floating island, about 70 fathoms in circnmtVrence, bearing with it a, quantity of little birch shrubs, larch imder- wooH, and cut wood; a considerable number of litlle birdi, hopping from tree to tree, increased the shigului ity of the s<:ene. As this°island passed very near our shore, we could distinguish very clearly that it consisted of tmf, and probably of a fen torn away l)y the water, wliich, in its present congealed state, had uo effect in dissolving it. The rise of the water continued till the 17th, and concealed every thing for an immense distance from the eye, that was not above .38 feet in height. For seventy veists up the Aldan, by the way to Udskoi, the inundation was dreadful in the ex- treme, as we learned from a man who had been to I 'dskoi, for Captain Tomin. He assured us, that some places, (JO feet high, were buried under water. TheJakuts, and all in that road, were material suflerers by this deluge ; more than three hundred pack-horses, with a num- ber of other things, being lost in the water. Cai)tu'ai l-'omin, of the navy, w-"> was just come from Petersburg with a special commission, experienced the loss of all his provisions. On the fall of the water, we caught pike and sturgeon of dif- ferent kinds with nets; perch and plotwen {Cijpnnm idns) with the rod. The latter is a very scaly fish, weighing a pound at the utmost. Its head and fins are very large; its cirri close by its eyes, which have a broad rim round tlieni ; its whole body is - covered with thick scales; its back round and dark green, but tlie sides and belly silver-coloured. Its pectoral, dorsal, and anal fins are dark; its lateral ones purple. It has an extraordi- nary quantity of spine, is found in pure sweet waters, and is very prolific and cheap. On the 28th of May, the canoes being finished, Mr. Fomin proceeded up the Mala vxith two of them. A week after, Captain iJehring tame with his people to me, and taking the rest of the ciuioes, went up the river, in order to convey to Ju-« domskoi-Krest the baggage which had been left the preceding, 'year on the bank of the Judoma. Having consigned the crew," hitherto under my orders, to Mr. Behring, I returned to Ja- kutsk, in order to observe the state of the roads. J found them totally ruined by the rain and floods; and all the bridges which had be(>n erected over the smaller rivers carried away. 1 arrived on the l<2th of June at Jakutsk, three days later '> than our commander. I informed him of the state of the roads, iiiul pointed out to him the re^xiirs which I coaeeived necessary. ill. *■ 'ir' Ul II.,,::: i .;f! i! I ■: iS ;!ii, ii- 46 SARYTSCHEW'S TKAVELS, As onr bnggagc was already at Jakutsk, we hastened to send the order of the magistmte to the Jakutish Kuusks ou the Amga, to have the roads mended without delay. CHAP. VII. TRANSPORT OF THE BAGGAGE TO JUDOMEKOI-KREST.— DIFFICULTIES ON THE PASSAGE. — RI VEB-TUNGUSI ANS. — GLUTTONY OF THE JAKUTS. — ARRIVAL AT OCHQTSK. HE conveyance of the baggage to Judoraskoi-krest being confideo to me, I proceeded on the 14th of July to Usmaiash Pyistan, where I found a vast quantity of stores, which had been transported upon telegas, or lour-wheeled carriages^ drawn by oxen. The next day I disposed all the luggage in 17 canoes, and attended them myself down the river. J*)ach ranoe held 70 poods, and the whole burthen, of which our ordnance and an« chors formed the principal part, amounted to IdOO poodi}. Each canoe drew three feet of water, and the whole was dragged alcng by 120 men, who were principally Jakuts, hijred for the purpose. We set off at midnight from the above-mentioned place, and crossing the Aldan, came to the mouth of the M aia, which i» SOO fathoms broad, and nine feet deep in the middle. But we soon found places where the river hi its whole breadth is not above five feet deep. The water was then likewise two foot higher than ordinary. At first the stream was so gentle as to admit of our rowing, but the tide gradually gained strength as we went on farther. Both sides were covered with vmall larch-trees, and occasionally with shrubs of different kinds. I'he right bank is so low, as to be continually overflowed ; but the left bank is in some parts ^, in others 60 and 80 toises high. It is also very rocky in many places. Farther on, the mountains of the left bank gradually de- cline so low as to leaVe the shore ;;;'Ji,r v.'ater; while on the other hand, the right side begins to rise, and is continued by a rocky declivity for some distance. Here we found some River-Tungusians, so called from theii having no reindeer, and paddling incessantly about the river in their birch canoes, which serve at the same time for their habi- tations. These canoes are very small, and much in use among tlie Jakuts, in lakes and rivers. They are composed of twigs, plaited round long poles, which answer the purpose of ribs, and are altogether covered with the bark of tlie birch tree. The ca- vities are filled up with a sort of cement, which the Jakuts ex- tract from boiled cream. These people, who live ei^tirelj on i;;'i:i \NCCDOTE8 OF «LCTTONY. 47 i to send the he AingUj to 31-KREST. — UN0U8IANS. T OCHQTSK. ►i-krest being to Usmaiash lich had been ;es, drawn by in 17 canoes, •anoe held 70 lance and an* pood». Bach >vas dragged hired for tho led place, and laia, which i» idle. But we !)readth in not wise two foot f our rowing, ;nt on farther, nd occasionally so loM', as to be ne parts 90, in rocky in many ik gradually de- , while on tlie :ontinued by a lied from theii ut the river in for their habi- in use among )0sed of twigs, 93e of ribs, and tree. The ca- the Jakuts ex- ive eptirel^ on fish, are din )rainated Timgusians, but are in reality of Jakullsh extraction, and very rar»-ly sprak Tungusian. 1 took one of thrni as my guide, to tell me the names of every river, clift', or island we might pass. After we had gone SC vcrsts, on our way to the Judomn, the left shore began again to be mountainous, and we found by the river Ihchikit, a rocky declivity called Elslank, about 60 toise* in height; where we discovered for the iirst time lofty firs among the larch trees. On the 9th day of our journey, we turned to the left from the river Maia up the Judonia, the breadth of which was 150 fa- thoms at the mouth. At a short distance from hence, it is only three feet deep) and has a very gravelly bottom. The stream is at the same time so strong, that thirty men could not tow a single canoe along, without the greatest difficulty. Such places in rivers have the nauic of Schewera. We were obliged to stop about a vcrst and a half from the mouth- of the river, to repair a canoe which had struck upon a stone. We kept close to the right shore, which was very long, nnd covered with all sorts of bushes, among which we found the currant and white vine; the latter beautiful shrub ha^ ths name of dikuschac in Siberia. The opposite shore had a ' irge reck in one place, culled Sourdschag. Twenty-four versts farther, we had to drag up a schewer'. with still greater difficulty. The tow to one of the canoes b.eaking, and unfortunately just above the place where the girdle < >f a Ja« kut was tied, he was thrown by a jerk into the water out of the reach of all assistance. We experienced the inconvenience of shallow water for some time after, and as soon as this evil was removed, it was suc- ceeded by one equally serious, namely, the sickness of our men. The greater part of our labourers had such bad feet, that 1 al- most despaired of reaching Judomskoi-krest this summer. Their disorder consisted in a swelling of the toes and heels, and a chapping of the hands. A regular application of tar and grease was found to be of immediate efficacy. The principal cause of tills evil, was the sharpness of the water in the Judoma, in which the men were obliged to be continually wading. I observed, however, that the Kosaks were not so seriously affected in this way, as the Jakuts, and particularly those who had consumed, their portion of fat and butter, and were now confined to their burduck. This failure in the stock of their pt«yisions originated with the intemperance of the Jakuts, who seized every opportunity that offered for devouring their allowance as long as it lasted. We qp soouer stopped to rest, or spend the night, than they had 48 SARYTSrntW S TRAVELS. \ ' ! I , / I; t rh . > lit -hi; !i. •( •■ ' tlicir kotllo on the firo, and diA not Iravc it until we ptirsnrd otir journey. 'JIu v .'ornt the iutervjils of rest in eating; and prac- tis«'d |Htty tlitfts on each other, whi'n their own stock was v\- iiausttd. '] lius they passtd (he whole night without sleep, and were tlrowsy throughout the next day. It might naturally be expo<:ted, for such extraordinan' vorarity to be attended with ill consequences; and yet this was by no means the ease. \Miat they made a practice of devouring at out' meal, would have killed almost any other person; but on tilt m it had no visible eflect. Their stomachs seeme8 pouiuls. |> }ot lie sat azement, con- 'I'lie extension inary fnllness, Som of ■ uve been j)r( 1 advised irance in fn- he time ap- 'If any more -r> ate it in l>e partly so lonntainous, ow country. ^ and there 250 versts mountain:^. On the to brought a from this avninf high as ♦xlr;ior(lin;iry swell, that tlicre must liavi; heen very heavy raliis •t the somcf of the river. We \vple, particularly die .lakuts, grew im- pAlient and rebellious, obstinately refusing to labour any more. I'iiitling that neither threats nor intreaties were of any avail, I was obliged to try the power of example. I waded therefore inysell* for 'J.> versts through the water, and thus succeeded in bringing us out of diis diliiciilly. All these arms are again united at the distance of sev( u versts from Judomskoi-krest. Hero my steersman had the misforluiio of oversetting one of the canoes in towing round the point of an island, by which a part of the lading was lost. On the 27tli we arrived safe at our journey's end, and unload- ing our stores immediately into the magazines, 1 dismisss. d the labouring Jakuts, that they n.ight return home in the emj)ty ca- noes. The latitude of this place, according to my observation, ^\■ds ,59° o3'. As diere were no horses here for conveying our goods, I was obliged to leave them in tlie care of a Kosak, and proceed, with the few horses we could get, towartls Ocholsk. On the 31st of October, wc passed tv.o isbens, and maga- zines, called the faehrbaute (feriy-dock) of Elrak, which were rre(;ted on the former expedition of liehring ; for here the fer- ries and canoes were built that served fjr currying the proviaiuus SAKVrSCllEW.] o so SAnVTRCllEWS TRAVELS. hi ( ' flown tho river EIrttk, which were afterwards transported t« Ochotsk in larger craft. But now the water in the Ehak was much too shallow to admit of any navigation with the smallest canoes, even when empty. Nor would it ever be practicabU at any other time than in the spring, when there is an extraor- dinary swell of the water. i\ll the rivers in these parts issuv from the mountains, and are in connection with springs and ri- vulets that have also the same source, by which they receive ex- traordinary supplies of water, that arc w ith equal rapidity carried off through other channels. Keeping along the right bank of the river Klrak, we continu- ally observed poplars, birches, and every sort of shrub inter- mixed with the larches, which cover its islands and shores. The former serve as a haunt for the woodcocks, which feast here, in great numbers, on the berries in this season, which render t'lcir flesh very delicious. In the spring they lose their fine flavour, and contract both a taste and smell from the buds of the larches, which is their only nutriment. Eighty versts from the ferry-docks, we had to cross the Elrak, and turn off to the left over hills which brought us to the Jakut- ish place called Mela, on the Ochota. The remaining part of our journey, which was 70 versts, we went in birch canoes down the Ochota, with an immensely rapid stream, in six hours. Mr. Billings staid but ten days at Ochosk, from whence lie returned to J akutsk. Our luggage, which had been left .!•' .'i." domskoi-krest, was brought here in nartes, drawn by dogs, and we spent the remainder of the winter in ship-building. At the commencement of spring, I surveyed the mouths of the Ochota and Kuchtni, and sketched a plan of the city Ocliotsk, the northern latitude of which 1 fixed at 59* 18'. The custcrl/ inclination of the compass w as 0° 40'. CHAP. VIII. »0\'AGE FTIOM OCIIOTSK TO THE RIVER ULKAN. — DREAD- ILL sroUJ!. — THE ISLAND OF NANSEKAN. — THE BAY OF ST. THbOnOR. — PASSAGE FROM ULKAN TO ALDOMA. — OBSERVATIONS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HAR- BOUR ON THE ALDOMA. — ON THE RIVER AMUR.— > RETURN TO OCIIOTSK BY THE ULKAN. V/N the return of spring I proceeded, agreeably to my com- mission, to survey the south-western shore of the Ochota, as far as the river Ulkan. My wooden baidar, which was about 25 feet in lengthy was finishgd in Ap"l, but the ice prevented rae from of te ■ V Jowii on a> ^()t tudi •ea. at II ins the VICINITV OP OCHOISK. 51 aiispnrfcd t« e Kliak was tlie smallest '' pratticabU :«" rxtiaor- ^] r>"it3 Lss(i« 'i'i and ri- :> receive cx- IJicJity carried "e continu- sliiub inter- aiul sliorcs. icli feast here, 'i reiufei tlicir fine riavour, f the iarclies, >ss the Hlrak, to tlic Jakut- ; part of canoes down v hours. M'hciicc he 1 left ,'.' .',.. >y dogs, and "S- e mouths of ^ity Ocliotsk, TJjc custcrJ/ r DREAD- HE BAY OF ^LDOMA. — >F A HAR- AMUR.— my com- hota^i as far about 25 vented rae from setting:; out before the 31st of May. The crc\* cuiisi^ted of ten mt n, and two subalterns. .. The first da) we had both whid and tid<; ap;ainst us. The fol- lowing day we passed the river L'Irak, which we could not eater on account of the boisterous weather, and rapidity of the stream, ^'ot far beyond the L'hak, two rivers of no reniiulable m;iy;ni- tude, namely, the Tsciiitscliikonka and the ChouKjt, fall into the «ea. They both take their source froi'i tlie Lrakish mountains, at the distance of JO versts. We were prevented by the storm for two days, from approach- ing die shore. On the third we were carried wil!j tiie stre.im, to J be entrance of the united brooks Mariakanku and Aiidytscha, ihich flow about 40 versts from the adjactnit mountains. Ue- jtween the Maiiakanka and the Chomot, is a hike ten ver^ti: long and one and a lialf broad, running in a parallel lino wllh the sea. Notwithstanding the violence of the stream with which we had to contend, we managed to enter the river IJIga the next morning, which is about 7-5 fathoms liroad. VN'e observed no sand-banks at its entrance, and no shoals where the water was not two feet in depth. On the right side of the river is a bay, which extends from thence seven versts close by the sea, and is about half a verst broad. The lefi bank runs near the brook • Elgan, which occupies nearly 150 versls in extent of country, and flows also for seven versts close by the sea. It receives the addition of several other smaller brooks. The river UIga springs from the same mountain as separates the Ulkan from the Maia. Two hundred versts from its mouth, it has a cataract of such an extraordinary height and steepness, as to prevent any canoe from passing by it. According to the assertion of the Tungusians, this river affords a great quantity of timber, at a considerable distance higher up. V»'e were detained here a whole day by bad weather, in which we had a succession of rain and snow. The surrounding muun- , tains were entirely covered with the latter. '" The shore, from Ochotsk to this place, is remarkably low ; hut rises at the distance of 15 versts by a chain of mountains, that gradually approach the river as you proceed farther, and form several rocky declivities. In this country we found three jints of Reindeer Tungusians, who were settled here, for the ; purpose of catching bears, which are allured by the sea-weed diat is Unown up, to frequent this shore in vast lierds. Tiicy are very quiet, and even afraid of men, who kill Uiem without any difliculty. The next day we passed the river Ciunlsel.i, which is eleven . fathoms broad at its nioudi, and has its souice in the south- western chain of mountains. The two rivers, Nandalviiu uni G 2 ¥ !i f i\ ■ Ir posing tide, anil threaten( d e\cry moment to swallow up our little bark ; but the wind being favourable, the buidar sailed with such imiiiv;nse rapidity, as to escape every overwhelming billow, and brought us in a short time to a less dangerous spot: but on approaching the shore, betv«i\t the rucky precipices, our baidar received a violent shock, by which it w:;s Ihiown on its side, anil many of us compelled to wade through thf. wat'jr to the shoie for our lAvn safety. While we were drying our clothes and provision^, the storm bsided, J»nd enabled us to pursue our course, which led us ast the steep mountain Enkan, that projiets into the sea. Ai , s extremity there was a stone pillar, about seven fathoms dis- ■"^ant, which was nearly the height of the mountain itself, and had ho appearance of a tower. Seven versts beyond this mountain .'le brook Kekra fails into the sea, alter hu\iug received two other rivulets. Shortly after wc discovered on a small island, opposite to the cliff Odshan, four jurts of Reindeer i'ungusians, who are set- tled here for the purpose of lumtiiig bears on the sea-shore, and wild sheep on the mountains. In the sitmmer they collect vast quantities of eggs from the sea-birds that Irequcnt this coast, suid nest in the hollows of the rock. The next tlay we leached the i iver Ulkan, which was appoint- ed by Captain Hillings as our place of rendezviius. The breadth of this river at its mouth is nine fathoms, and its depth at low water, three feet; but farther on, only a f(»ot and a half. The hititude of this plac(> is .07° (>', tlie elevation of the tide, sis or seven feet, and at the new moon, nine or ten feet. I w as induced, hom the short distance of the river Aldomn, and from what J had heard of it, to end^racc this nuiment of leisure to pay it a visit, and accordingly set off on the l.-lh of June. \\ e arri\ed towards noon at the Aldomish bay, wliiih lakes its name fioni the above river, with which it cond>iiU's t<»- wards the west. I'hc greater part of this bay is dry at low wa- ter, aiul the r( '^t is n t above b^ fathoms, REMARKS ON KlVrJ?S. 53 le otJicr from Ind nioiig fiiis J;tt tlio Imtiht [itteiitioii from stones undrr for birds of or Pelacduiis ■ ^llca artUa, •k. I violent storm, lioltnt conlcn- \y moment to ivouruhJe, tlie t'scjipe every time to a Jess V. i\t llie rocky vi'ieh it \v:;s \\JKle througli ns tlio storm vhicli Jed US the sea. A{ fathoms dis- itself, mid had tliis mountain received two pposite to the who are set- he sea-shore, lljcy eoifeet wi this coast, AVas appoint- 'I'lie l»readtJi '■pth at low i« half. 'VUc tide, six or k-or Aldoma, moment of the J.-th oC l>aj, M hi( h unhiiics to- ' at low w.'i- Thc Aldoma lias two sources, namely on the Jahlonish monn- tains, aii'l on those from whence the lllkan springs. At iXi moutli w;^ found thrci! juits of Tnn;^iisians, who subsist nlone on /isli, which are similar to those at Ochotsk. The Reindeer TiMigusians come also here to Hsh at the close of .Iir.ie. AUhoujih they assured me tlint the banks of the AUhmja pro- duced no timber, yet I observed nmonj^ the floatiui:^- wood some pieces four vards in thickness, and twelve or fourteen in length. During my stay in the Uldoma, I had the imoxpeeted pleasure of mooting with Mr. Foniin, who was just cowc from the Uda. ^Vl'ucver lias experienced the agreeable surprise of m eetiuc; a friend or acfpiaiutance in a savage and desert quarter of the glob(>, will fully enter into our feelings on this occasion. jNlr. Fomiii was conmiissioiied to plan a harbour on the Uda, but its entrance being two shallow, and otherwise in- commodious for the rece|)tioii of vessels, lie had surv«'yed the whole of the Uda as far as the Chinese I'roe.tki.s to the east, and the Aldoma to the n )rth-east, but found nothin-:; worthy of his attention, except a bay in the latter river, \\\\\f\i was per- fectly sheltered on all sides, except towards the south. Besides the5e two rivers, there is only the fam6ns Amur, wliich alter passing through 400 versls of the Chinese territory, falls into this sea. Hiis river formerly belonged to Russia, and lietwem the years ]firi4. and HiHf), attracted the Kosaks and hunt'jrs from the dift'crent nr.tioiis in the Hussian donunions, to its borders. Ci- ties, fortresses, and villages, were Iniilt, and agrieiilti;'-e inr'O- dnccd. The land is fmitnil, and the water ab uuds in fish; the inhabitants therefore lived in ojnilcnce, and \\ ould in time have converted this traet of country into die most tiourishing pari of Russia, if the envy and Jealousy of the Chinese had not been roused against these new settlers, to impede iheir farther esta- blishnu nt. They sent a considerable force for the purpose of destroying their cities, and aUhongh they met with ii stout re- iiist.anoe, yet by a treaty concluded between them and \\w Rus- sians, the latter retained only the upper part of the Anun-, under the name of the rivers Sehilka and Arguk;i, the conllueiwe of which forms the new frontier. All beyttnd this point was ceded to the Chinese, and the Russian city Alb.isin, together with the Argunskon the southern side of the Arguna, and adjacent plaofs, Were destroyed. The city of Nertochinsk only wns saveil, jiiij and afterwards another fortress of tie same ntnne was built, on the north side of liie Arguna. 'I'he Chiii. sc have not derived the smallest advantage from this possession of tlie river, w hich, by reniaiiiing in the lumds of the M SARYTSCIIEW'S TRAVELS. i '. ''Ill ill! Russians, would liave made them masters of the Eastern Ocean, and secured to them an extensive trade in those seas. Having sent our people forward with the baidar, I staid two days longer with Mr. Fomin, in order lo accompany him on rein- deer to the Ulkan, where he arrived after a journey of 30 versts in six hours, and found a tent erected for our reception. Mr. Fomin did me the kindness of. stopping with me two days, at the end of which he set off again for the Aldunia. The interval of waiting for our commander, was employed by the men in the pursuit of sea-lions near the promontory of Enkan, two of which they succeeded in shooting, after two days chace. They are commonly shot as they lie extended on the rock, and at so short a distance, that they may be hit on the crown or tem- ples, the only two parts in which they are to be mortally wound- ed. On receiving a wound in any other place, they spring into the water, and s; k to the bottom the instant they die. The flesh of these two animals, which weighed nearly 80 poods, was a sufficient load for my \\ hole bT'dar ; the men ate of it with much avidity, and esteemed it a great luxury, although I did not find it e{{ually delicious. The paws, marrow, and kidnies, in- deed, were free from any offcns ve smell, and had a tolerable flavour. In consequence of a counter order from Captain Billings, not to wait for him here, but to return to Ochotsk, [ set off from this place on the 27lh of June. In my way thither T passed the mouth of the river Ulga, and entered the Urak. The breadth of this river is 70 fathoms at its mouth ; its depth, at the fall of the water, five or six feet, and higher up, two feet, or a foot and a half. Three years ago the Urak fell into the sea farther towards the west ; but the small neck of land, which separated it from the sea, being washed away by a tiood, it forsook its forrfter mouth, and took this new course. The bank of the Urak is inhabited by some Jakuts, who have removed from Jakutsk. The merchant Icliclechow has also erected some barracks here, and a dock-yard, in which he built three vessels. On the 7 th of July, we arrived at the mouth of the Ochota, where we were received by almost all the inhabitants of the city. Our conitiiander, and the rest of the expedition, were at Ochotsk. I presented him with my juurnal and map of my late cxcujslon, and received the command of the ship Slawa Kossii (the Fame i" Russia) v\hich was already lauitclied and equipped. The length of its deck was 8() feet G inches ; its depth, 9 fe»t 6 inches ; and its breadth, twenty feet eight inches. The second vessel, which was 51 feet smaller than the former, and received the nam.'! of tbe Dobroe Nainercaic, was launched the next NAUTICAL DIFFICULTIES. *i> tern Ocean, I staid two him on rein- jf 30 versts >tion. Mr. days, at the ?m ployed by ry of Enkan, days chace. e rock, and own or tem- tally wound- spring into f die. The ) poods, was ; of it with igh I did not kidiiit's, in- l a tolerable Billings, not set off from T passed the The breadth at the fall of it, or a foot ; sea farther ch separated t forsook its ts, who have low has also rhich he built ' the Ochota, ts of the city. on, were at jp of my late Sluwa Kossii md equipped. leplh, 9 feet The second and received [icd tlie next day. Both vessels were laid at anchor in Ochota, opposite the town, and the utmost exertions possible used to fit them out complete for sailing ; but this w as attended with infinite difli- t culty for want of proper hands to execute th" business. The Kosaks, who had been sent us instead of sailors from all parts of Siberia, were not only total strangers to the sea, but to every thing belonging to a vessel ; and were not very expert in learn- ing this new calling. Nor did we derive much greater assist- ance from the sailors in the haven of Ochota, who were alto- gether unused to the equipment of vessels like ours. I CHAP. IX. THE TWO VESSELS GO INTO THE BOADS. — DESTUUCTION OF TUK DOBROE NAMEREME. SAILING OUT OF THE OCHOTSK ROAI). DISCOVERY OF THE ISLAND JONAS. — NAVIGATION BETWIXT THK KURILIAN ISLANDS. ARRIVAL AT THE BAY OF AWATSKA. — ENTRANCE INTW THE HARBOUR OF PETROPAU LOWSK. A HE ship Slawa Rossli was, notwithstanding every impedi- ment, completely equipped in x\ugust ; but we could not load her deeper than Sh feet, as there are many sand-banks at the mouth of the Ochota, which are not above nine feet deep. These sand-banks, which we were obliged to pass, extended a verst and a half, and although we could have easily effected this in half an hour with a good wind and full sails, yet we were obliged to tow the ship along the shore for some days, and to •top twice a day, about eleven o'clock, by the shallow places. JNot to mention that our towing was sometimes of no avail, ivhen tilt bottom was extremely uneven, and the tide very •trong. - After we had succeeded in getting the vessel over the sands, we turned otl" from the shore of the rive r Knchtin, to the other •ide of the two united rivers, w here we found it a suitable depth. . We threw out all our anchors for the sake of security, and thus, for two days, remained quiet ; but on the third, as the tide fell, the strtani was so violent as to tear the vessel from its fmchors, although it was fastened by a cable to the shore. We \vere accordingly obliged to remain IC hours lying on a shoal, from whith we were released by the return of the tiJe on the follow mg day, and cast anchor against the side of llie liver. t On the '27 di of Augu'5sible to af- ford any assistance. The inhabitauls of the town, who had flocked to the shoie, were obliged to stand as idle spectators. raiding of the waves equally prevented any one from rowing up to the vessel, as it did the crew from getting on land. The one now belieUv the drtadiul spectacle with heartlelt compas- sion, and the other awaited their inevitable fate in despair. With ev( ry wave that follow ed in rapid succession, the ship w as heaved backward or iorward widi such violmee, as to shake the men from the cable on which they 'ung. Some were even hurled into the water, while others were threatened with being dashed to |)ieces by the broken masts. In this dreadful and pi- tiable condition they were obliged to spuid Jour hours, until the return of the ebb, which ajipeased the t'ury of the waters. We immediately cleared the ship of the cargo and provisions, luul made every endeavour to drag it to the shore, but were twice prevented by the tide setting in more impetuously than before. iMuding therefore, on exanihiation, that the vessel was too nnich dauiugi d to admit of repair, Mr. liillitigs, and tlie ofticers, unanimously re'jolved on having it burnt, in order, at any rale, to preserse the iron. On tl'e evening of the ; )n land. The irtlelt compas- ato in despair. 1, the ship was as to shake the nie were even ncd with being treadrul and pi- lours, until the e waters. We |)rovisions, »nul mt were twite ily than before. I was too much 1 th.e oliicers, •r, at any rate, tlieierorobror Niiine- y"i and money, days, piutitu- beut witli sucli n\r getting on ave succeeded mltuous : but, •• gLl dajs, fruw whence we naturally concluded, that the storm had remained at i a distance. During the whole of this time we received ail aorts ;' of utensils and materials from the wreck. On the Ifith the sea was again very boisterous, and our ves- sel dragged her anchor very much. The captain, Mr. Hali, and myself, who were on land, passed a very uneasy night, as we knew the river to have a bad bottom, consisting of pebbleo and apprehended that our vessel iniirbt experience a similar fate with many transports which had been driven aground. In the year 1787, we were witness to a cas^^ of this kind here, with a ship arrived from Inshiga, which was unable to enter the ; river at low water, and anchored off the reef. The wind rising, and the sea becoming rough, the ship was driven into a shoal, and struck on the shore. We happily escaped this danger, and embraced the first fa- vourable wind o;i the 20th to put to sea, in order to sail to Kamtsi:hatka by the way of the Kurilian islands, and spend the winter in the harbour of the Petropaulowsk. The favourable w ind lasted but twenty-four hours, and was succeeded by a squall, which disturbed the sea so much that we were obliged to hawl in all tlie sails, except the mizeti-saii, and leave the tthip to the mercy of the waves. The greater part of the people who were with us had never been to sea, and were of course continually sick from the ex- tiaordinary rocking of the vessel, which was not a little increased by the force of their imaginations ; for they fancied, that every wave, which towered mountains high towards our vessel, would assuredly swallow them. Some ©f the sailors from Ochotsk, who had been at sea before, whispered to the others, thai the storm arose from the eagle which Cnpiaiu Billings had caught alive and taken with him. They accordingly entreated that it might iiave its liberty, and although this request was not con plied with, yet the wind dropped in t" i) days, and we steered m itii a favourable gale and full sails S. E. directy towards the second Ku* rilian island. Although we had no idea of a new discovery in this well known sea, through which many vessels pass from Ochotsk to Kanitschatka, yet vve sent a person to the top-mast to take a sur- vey of the country around, who called to us at ten o'clock in tlie morning, that he discovered land. We assured ourselves of the reality by means of our telescopes, and in order to remove every possible doubt, directed our course that way. After an hour's sailing, we stood in near enough to distinguish a little island, about half a mile in extent, and elevated nior-., l!;;'u a hundred fathoms above the water. It appeared to be encompassed on SAjtVTSCHF.V •] H nn i T-' ii l a w^ SB b\yi\ .SCHEWS TRAVELS. i«. , 4: ,h^ ,f all sides with lofty pcrpondiciilar rocks and cllfts, conceakii under the water, and resembled a haystack at a distance. This island, hitherto unknown, must have been very danger- ous at night and in misty weather for the navigators of tliii ocean; and, if I conjecure rightly, the vessel which went in the September of the preceding year from Ochotsk lo Kaml- schatka, and was never heard of after, was lost on this shore; for a boisterous wind and a thick mist arose on the third day from the south-cast, which drove the ship perhaps this way, and dashed it on the rock. Such an accident might indeed have hap- pened on the shores of the continent or the Kurilian islands, but in that case it must liave been discovered. We gave this land the name of Jonas, in honour of the saint whose feast was com- memorated on this day. l"lu; latitude of this place, by my ob- servation, was j69 58' ; th«> dopth :;7 fathoms, and the bottom gravelly. The island was then lifteen miles towards the south- west of our course. A\'liile lying in the roads T observed that the sea-birds, and particularly tlie mews, llew every evening from the shore to the -soa southward, and returned every morning early. From whence it is fair to conelnde, that they staid for the night on the island of .fonas, or some other rocky islets lying still ik ..er, where they find a secure retirement, free from every molestation. The wind continuing fair, we came in sight of the Alaid, the first of the Kurilian islands, on the twenty-seventh, lying ralhei sidewards, and, on that accoinit, not properly belonging to the cluster. It consists of a single mountain, whose hoary head, eternally covered with snow, is concealed in the clouds. To us it had ilic appearance of a sugar-loaf, but from a south-east di- rection it seemed to extend itself more into a flat surface. It is said to smoke occasionally. Beyond the Alaid, the second Kurilian island breaks forth from its cloud of mist. Unacquainted as we were with this sea, we found it prudent to remove towards night from land islands, and on the dawn of day, approached the third Kurilian island, Schirinki, the left shore of which we passed towards noon. It is about two miles in extent, and encompassed with steep rocks, consisting of tall cliffs, covered with moss. From these \\0. were visited by a number of nrilas. They nil flew alternately, one after the other, very close round our ship, not less than tlnoe times, as if they would eye us with proper attention ; after which they re- turned to their nests. I'his curious bird is said to be a certain indication in a storm, that land is not I'ar off, because it never goes any distance from the shor*;. From the third island we steered In the fourth, the Mamrish, which is mountainous and rock \ . into tlu straijiht between the At lifts, concealed listancc. on very dangor- ivigators of tliii which went in ;hot:>k Id Kanil- on this shore : m the lliird day ps this way, and ndeed have hap- ian islands, but gave tliis land c feast was com- ace, by my ob- and the bottom ,'ards the soutli- e sea-birds, and the shore to the From whence y some beds of i< in this peniuMda, we discovered green jasper marl, on which wer(! the representations of shrubs or trees; we also found, in the crevices of the rocks, some layers of amaranth, not very large, :inil remarkably thin. I'or some time after our arrival, there was no frc^h fish to b(j had. In the begiimn)g of ISOvcndur, we began to catch wach- iias in abundance, and occasionally herrings. The waclma, ( (iti- (Iks /c^h'sinua), is a sort of st(uk-tish, about half a yard in length, with a roundish body, aii!l three dorsal tins. When taken out of the wafer, it is perfectly of a copper colour, but soon turns ♦juite pale. Its flesh is white, but soft, and not pleasant to tlu; taste. The roe is, however, of a fine texture, and has the best flavour. It is an inhabitant of the European Ocean, but most frequently fomid in Kamtschalka. \Vc were now enabled to provide ourselves with fresh ami healthy food, but on the failure of this resource, we should have been compelled to live on salt provisions alone, if we had not persuaded a Kosak to sell us a cow for 0,5 rubles : the animal was not very large, and yielded but an inconsiderable quantity of meat, yet we contrived to eke it Out as long as possibh;. V\u- whole haven of Petropaulowsk, could not produce more than this cow and seven oxen, beloug- itig to the crown, which had been driven hither from the fortress of Werclmc'-Kamtschatk for the expedition that was to have gone out, und(?r the command of Captain Molowsky. J3ut it was prevented by the breaking out of the Swedish war, in which this estimiibh; officer fell, and if I mistake not, in the first en- gagement under Admiral Oreig, in 17SB; otherwise the Jlns- hiun tlag would probably have waved 14 or 15 years earlier under i * I DtX.S isnn IN DRAWING SLEItC r.s. «3 leave* ; g ill the y agree- up our livity to- to^vards llg-pliU'l'. t running cli oilier , nipanied ik»', who lake just iiious pe- iiud the s path is 1, except ■(, (Aiin'i rofl i]!;reen jhruhs or lie layers lish to be t( h wach- uia, ((iti- a van! in leii taken soun turns int to the IS the best but most uablcd to Lhe failure ve on salt sell us a id yielded ed to eke paulowsk, , !)elt)ug- he fortress* s to have But it in whicli ; first en- the Kus- rlicr under the equator. At the period of the fust Kamtsehatki!ih ex|H>- ditiiai, about 60 years a;4o, some horned cattle were transported hither, uhieh we in;,!it .snpfmsc woiild ha\<' consideralily luulti- plied with proper care. It is impossible to find u place rnoit: iltted tor breeding cattle than KanUsehatka. It has a number of eiielosures, particularly in the vicinity of Pciropaulowsk, by the livers Awatska and Paratimka, which yield an excellent pasture of tall and nutritious grass, well calculated tt> '^"g the llesh a delicious Ilavour. On the approacli of winter, the inhabitants are busied with putting their sledges in order, and tying nj) their dogs, to lit them for drawing, as they are in line weallicr allowed to run loose. Sledges and dogs are in general use here, both for tra- velling and conveyance. Mr. Hall, and I also, furnished our- selves with one, taking at iiist only small journies with three dogs; but growing bolder afterwards, as our skill increased, we ventured with five dogs over the mountains, to the dwelling- place of Paratunka, Q'y veists distant from Pctruj)aulowsk. The sledges here dilfer very considerably from those of Ochotsk, being shorter, smaller, lighter, and nnicli higher. They will scarcely hold two, and are very unsteady on account of their monstrous height. In descendhig any hill, the utmost care and dexterity is requisite, to kiej) the feet and the osclitoi in the proper direction; for the smallest oversight of tl..s kmd may cost a person his life, as has been the case with even experienced drivers, who have I)een dashed to pieces against the trees lying in the way. lire management of the dogs is no less difficult and danger- ous here than at Ochotsk ; for they are equally apt to become ungovernable on the scent of any animal. In order to stop them, they i fit SARYTSCJIEWS TRAVELS. I ' lil It... do2!s, and be obHp:od to wade tliroiipf^ flip snow on foot ; not t*^ mention that the dojis very often entangle them.< drive They The sablfs of this pl;i(«' :uv not estvciiitd tin- Ik '•1, but th» Kniutscli:i(li»!e ifd foxt-s :irr suptiior t> any o\' tin "n kind, :ind are sold at n markaldy hi;:li prirvs >vlitii they tin- ot a fitry nU colour. From tliis paiticulu tlit\v have rucivtd tli«' n:im«; of Ofjneiikcii.- IJ» sides iht se auinud<, tlirrc arr, ;is \\v. itatn liuJii thu KaiiitschiiduU 's, wiUl .shicp, n indftr, Ixais, and \soIves, in the mountains. Hie last art; the nio^^t dinutrou-", and tVu- qucntly make lierce altacks ou travilhrs in tlio uiiittr. Hiil the bears are so peuin ahli , as even t<» be aiVuid ot luunan beings, and rnnnway at the sight of them. After travelling three and lliirty versls, wn tooL up our niiht's Iod<;ing at die little fortress of Korateliiii, mi e;i(le«l from itb having been tirst founded and inhabilt-d by the Koraks. This d\felling-place was separated by .'50 versls of monntaiiious coun- try fron» the fortress of Natschinsk or Nalelie.ekeo. Two Vi^rsts distant from here is a hot spriuji', called Natsehi- liinskish. We turned a little out of the voail to \i^it this water, which, notwithstanding the severity of the told, was still remark- ably tepid, having a sulphureous smell and « bitter taste. W e threw in some pieces of money, which, in a few luturs, rwreived the light grey cohun* of tin. The Kanitschiidales make vtsry frequent use of this spring for a liath; («n which account it was puled in, in two difteretit places, out; ahovcj at its source, for the winter, and tlw other below, for tlu' iununer. \\\' wished to see the rise of this spring, but were prevented by the swam- piness of the ground from approaching suthciently near. We set oft" from hence before day-lireak, in order to reach the little fortress of Apatschiusk, yj versts distant, i»i one day. Our way Jed over lofty mountains that stretch in a continued chaia from the interior of Kamtschatkn to the shore ; where they are lost in rocky declivities. Apatschinsk lies on the river liol- schaja, as you descend from these moinitaitis. Frtmi here to the iVntress of Uolschcre/sk were only -[0 versts, which we went bv a direct and even road in less than four hours. The fortress of Jio!schere/sk, sitiiattd on the bunks of the Dolschaja, has a church and thirty habitations. Its inhabitants consist principally of Kosaks, with a few jiierchants and citizea^. Before the advancement of the fortress Nishne-Kamtschatxsk to the rank of a town, the tirst magistrate of Kamtschatku made this his place of residence ; but now a Serjeant is commander of the fortress. The Kosaks here are nuicli more opulent than those of Petropaulowsk, aluKV't all of them having their cattle and a good domestic economy. Their gardens are slocked with excellent turnips and potatoes. For the introduction of the latter vegetable they are indebted to counsellor Keineke, the former connnander of Kan>tsi:halka. All the inhabitants here ate usually dves^sed like llie Kunit- S Alt VTS CHEW.] J \ ' : i mm \(SS SARYTSCHE\T S TRAVELS. i ,l;:t schadales, in narkas and kamhgm. The former are the skins of reindeer, cut into shirts; and the latter are skins of any kind, stripped of their hair, and made quite pliant. On holidays, the vromen wear a sort of silk gown of •'n old Russian shape, which v>ts fashionable GO years ago. They have also a speckled silk hai dkerchief about their heads. In the first days (rf the new year, the inhabitants assembled every evening for the purpose of dancing. The women under- stood Russian dances very well, and what was still more surpris- ing, could dance in the Polish fashion, and very passably even k la Grecque. The music consisted of three fiddles, played by Kosaks. I did not see the Kamtschadale dance here, but among the Kosaks of Petropaulowsk, who give it the preference, it is so indecent, that every modest woman would blush to be a spec- tator, much more a partner in it. A woman makes the com- mencement by stepping forward into the middle of the Isba, ^.nd holding a cloth spread out before her in a transverse direction. She shifts her feet slowly, making a variety of motions with her hands, head, and body. Her head sinks alternately on one shoulder or the other, on her back or on her breast. She then at length advances to a man, and renews this gesticulation close be- fore him, which implies as much as soliciting his hand to the dance. He accordingly takes hold of the cloth in the same manner, and rising from his seat, they both commence the distor- tion of all their limbs together. The woman turns every now and then away from the man, but returns to him instantly again, sinking gradually upon her knees, and then bending herself back- ward with a similar gesticulation ; the man also in the mean time falling down aiKl reclining himself over htr, the dance is con- cluded with the most obscene gestures. While it lasts, both d»o :\i"s and spectators all sing to one song, consisting of the wo»'d'i an-kelle, un-kaget, incessantly repeated : but they have a ▼a« • 'y of such monotonous ditties, adapted to the same species of dancing. In some f>f their dances, they imitate birds and bi'uN; the man for example reprrsontuig the male, and the wo- maii the female -bear; and somclirnes there is a company ^i these imitators, wiio atnus-e themselves together, either in running like partridges, gabbling like gee^e, or in aping some other animal. After a foitnight's stay at Bv-lscherezsk, Mr. Hillings and Mr. Hall went to Nishne-Katntschatsk, while Mr. Ikhring and I re-* turned to Petropaulowsk, which we reached in live days. On our journey thither and buck, we experienced the most friendly treatment from the Kamtschadales, who not only enter- tained us with the utmost corilialily, but made us liberal presents of partridges, fresh fish, fro/on keta, jii'.ol, berries, and roots, v?hi CHAnACTER OF THE KAMTSCIIADALES. C7 v?liicli are collected in great quantities from the mouse-holes, and form one of their principal aliments. In autumn, they go into the fields in search of these roots, and as soon as they tind hollow ground, by stamping, they dig down, and lay open the store-rooms of these animals. They do not, however, empty them entirely, but leave the mice a third at least of their provision, probably with a view of not driving away such useful creatures. They terrify each other, indeed, with the saying, that the mouse which is deprived of all its sustenance, will hang itself in despair on the next tree: a tale which may perhaps have originated in the circumstance of a mou?e having been entangled by accident in the branches of a tree, and having hung there till it die J. On comparing the present conditio!' of the Kamtschadalcs, and their way of living, with Krascbeuinikow's d«'scription of them, we tind them to have undergone a remarkable change. They have now almost entirely renounced ihoii former super- stitious customs, arul submitted lo ba|)tjsin. Jiuls, or subterra- nodUH dwellings, are now vanished, and their place is every wli<:'re supplied by Russian isbas. The female Kamtschadales have a dress for holidays very similar to thoiie of the female Kosak--. for they vvear stomachers and petticoats, and bind u lutndkerchiet round their heads. The iibiuidauce of Irsh, and the facility with which they prosure a subsistence, now growu pleasant by habit, are probably the causes why they make no exei tions in agrit'ultnre,. or the breedhig of cattle. It is much more remarkable, that their long and close intercourse with the Russians should not have given them alitt^'o more worldly wisdom; for they continue to this moment to barter their sables and foxes skins for the merest trilles. With this deficiency in cultivation, they retain, however, their good qualities, and are just as good-hearted, sin- cere, peaceable, obliging, and hospiiable as before. Their pro- minent faults are uncleanliness and idleness. Tiiieving is very rare, and murder still more larc Some travelli rs charge tliem with the vice of drunkenness, but I cannot eontirm this with my testimony; whatever bad exceptions there may be, they cannot serve as a general rule. Notwithstanding the Kamtschadales have renounced most of their former superstitions, they still retain a firm belief in the supernatural powers of the schamans. A Kosak o.ice profited by this credulity to regain his stolen property in a vi r. ingenious manner. While on a journey with several Kamtscliadales, he had some of his tobacco stolen from him, and, after questioning every 4iklividual separately, he was unable to discover who was the thief. He accordingly took some sticks, and making them of equal lengths, gave each of theni oiK', with the assurance, that tlie stick of the thief would infallibly grow lonj^r by the 1 'i 611 SAllYTSCJtEW S TRAVELS. li ' power of srlmmanaiy. Tins inipk;is:uit inttlligenre had such an i'tT( ct on tlir iiiui'iinafioii of (ho tliief, that ho actually cou- c«>if«Ml t!);it iiis slick (lit! incroiisc in h-ii'^th, aiul thou;j;ht to rcli«'ve hiuisrh" iVoin (his (lilniinr.i In luiakiiiL!; a piece off. The next ihonisDi, cvcvv Kaiutschadalo can\iii'jr hack Ins stick, the thief Mas iicifantly ilivC'vcMi'd. He \\u:s now oliiigt'd to confess the thefj, and inak<' iv slonition. His apology was, that all liis own to!)arro l)einj>' s""*% he had no money to buy tnore, and could •lot di' in(hi!gence of their jvassion for this intoxicating lierb. Its njdinjry j)ri\\, and take snuff. 'I'lie Ihnats, ,)akuts, Koraks, Jakngirens, and 'I'schukschens, like the st«oivg Tscherkapian tobacco, and are not 'bud of that which ;irows in the country of Irkutsk, '^riiey smoke it u ith a mixture of half saw -dust ; but the KanUschadales aiul yMuiilians only cliew tobacco and take snuff. 'J1IAI>. XI. WIN TV, I? 0(» IMWTinN (N nOAJSD THE SHIP. — ri{l,.>r- BFIN'Cn o) J IU; CVRllI, AM) Ki!l.»»T10X Ol' TWE K« 'jT- KCIli;ulSH CliAnOU. SCUIIVY AMONG IlIK MEN. EOIUI'MKNT OI' THE Vr.SSICL. n ESC Kl 1' r I O N OF Till': MAY AV. \ISKA. HINTS ON THE lACIl.lTY OE ESTA- «MSIIIN<; A TRADE I'ROM KAMTSCUATKA TO Tilt EA'^T IN DIEtJ. Tm IE winter afforded us a good opportunity for completing what had remained iiulinished at Ochotsk. Wo built another cutter with six oars of alder-wood, fetched from the banks of the Paratuuka, at thirty ver4s distatice. We had, indeed, birch- vood in rlie vicinity <)f thv harbour, which served for many tiseful purposes, bul was not close e:iough lor vessels of any magnitude. For shallops and other small <'raft, however, this wood is in general use here, and always found to aiiswer. The double- built shallop of Kinnr-eiialkish liirch, which was used on the lirst expedilion, nol only lasted the lime re(juired, but was altet- xvards em))lo\ed as a victualling barge from Ochotsk to Kamt- sehalKa. .kulging frou\ the richness of the soil, J should be ineliiiril to think, that oaks mignt be introduced here by acorns, and w' nid thrive remarkably well. " ' * < 'li ihe 'J.'>t!i of I'cbniaiy. we observed an evident agiratlon of the euilli, "W inch is^ery In ^ueul and s.roJig, owUij^ to iti II BAr OF AWATSKA. C9 \ such II pToxim'ity with the volcaui" mountain of Awatska ; but this was thr, tivai of the kind tluriiijj; our stay here. This mountain was iikcMise peri'ictly (|uict, vnd ( inittrd nothin;^ hut siuokn ; while tlie Klutsclio'wish .sumniii, on tho otiicr hand, sent fortii, inJanu- ary, flames, stones, hiva, mA a quantity of Idiuk sand, witk wliich tlic vhok; circumjacent country \v; covered. Cai)lain IJillings returned from Nisne- \a" iscbatsk at the end y had an opportunity of ticitint;' fresh fish, they memled errinus, kamhahis, and keuschens, now came in shoals in(.) the rivers, and the gieen of a species of f^ariic, bt ".ran to make its appeannice. Our vessel beinu; perfectly ready for sailiu'i; on the Ist of Mav, our people were all assembled on boaid. We brought it out of the harljour and an<:horetl at itsinoulii, in e.Npeilalion of a fa- vourable wind for ruiinai;:; out. 1 sailed ai)i)ul in the me; time for the purpcs" of surveying the bay of Awatska, and tli.; two side bays. Ifakowoi is three leagues long, and half a league broad; its depth is from (i to 13 fathoms, and its b(jttoni is nuiddy. The other, TarginsAoi, siluateil on the north-west side of the Awatska bay, is live miles in lenptli, and half a mile in breadth. Its nordi-tiist bank eouslsls of a nairow mouiUainons promontory, which si-ptuiites il liom the Awatska bay. It ha9 [,> fathom of water in the niiddl*', which dinunishcs as you pro- ceed ilownwanis. lu^ bottom is likewise muddy. The two risers, jVwatska and I'aratunka. tlow into the nor- thern j)art of Awatsklsli bay, al'ler rimuing dow n lli(^ mountains through several low lands. From the niouth of these rivers i.pwards, there is a