Skip to main content

Full text of "An account of the new northern archipelago, lately discovered by the Russians in the seas of Kamtschatka and Anadir"

See other formats 


A    N 


ACCOUNT 

OF      THE 

NEW    NORTHERN 

ARCHIPELAGO, 

LATELY    DISCOVERED 

BY    THE     RUSSIANS 

IN"       THE 

SEAS    of   KAMTSCHATKA   and  ANADIR. 
By    Mr.   J.   von    S   T  M   H  L  I  N, 

Secretary  to  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Sciences  at  St.  Petersburg-, 
and  Member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London. 

Tranflated  from  the  German  Original. 


LONDON: 

Printed  for  C.  H E  YD  I N  G  E  R,  in  the  Strand. 

M.DCC.LXXI  V. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 

J_T  would  be  an  unpardonable  ingratitude  to  let  the 
following  little  treatifes  appear  in  the  world,  without 
every  proper  acknowledgment  to  thofe  resectable 
peribns,  by  whofe  kind  and  literary  affiftance  I 
was  not  only  encouraged,  but  enabled  to  complete 
the  undertaking. 

For  the  Account  of  the  New  Northern  Archipelago 
I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  Maty,  who,  befides  fu  mi  th- 
ing the  Original,  fuperintended  the  Tranflation, 
znd  corrected  the  proofs.  The  Map  annexed  to 
this  piece,  was  executed  by  Mr.  Kitchin;  and 
it  alio  underwent  the  previous  infpection  of  Dr. 
Maty. 

The  very  lingular  Narrative  refpe&ing  the  Ruffian 
^  failors,  though  it  feems  to  have  been  written  foon 
a  after  their  arrival  at  Peter/burg,  yet  it  was  not  pub- 
Is  lifhed  until  the  year  1768.  A  copy  of  the  German 
^original  was  tranfmitted  to  Joseph  Banks,  Efq, 
^.  who  communicating  the  contents  to  feveral  Mem- 
jt  bers  of  the  Royal  Society,  they  were  pleafed  to 
*  expu'fs  their  willies  that  it  might  appear  in  an 
Englifh  drefs :  thefe  wiflies  were  accompanied  with 
:nerous  fubfeription  for  a  considerable  number  of 
copies.  Mr.  Banks  having  commiiTIoned  me  with 
the   tranllation,    I    have   executed  the  talk    to  the 

a  utmoft 

43 0971 


9 


vi  A  D  V  ERTISE  M  E  N  T. 

utmofr.  of  my  abilities ;  and  iufpc&ing  my  qualifi- 
cations to  convey  with  precifion  the  ideas  of  the 
original  in  an  Englifh  idiom,  I  have  prevailed  on 
an  Englifh  friend  to  correft  the  manufcript  before 
it  was  given  to  the  Prefs  ;  and  one  of  the  learned 
fubferibers  has  moreover  been  fo  kind  as  to  revile 
the  proofs. 

If,  notwithftanding  thefe  precautions,  fomc 
errors  may  have  efcaped  me,  the  good-natured 
reader  will,  I  hope,  make  every  allowance  to  a  man, 
who,  if  he  hath  fhewn  himfelf  not  accurately  verfed 
in  the  language,  can  plead  in  excufe,  that  he  is  not 
a  native  of  this  country.  Befides,  many  pafiages  in 
the  original  were  prolix  to  an  extreme  :  the  diffi- 
culty, therefore,  was  to  avoid  the  repetitions  with- 
out deftroying  the  fenfc,  or  varying  from  the  ideas 
of  the  author.  This  I  have  attempted;  how  far 
I  have  fuccecded  the  intelligent  Public  mufl  deter- 
mine. At  any  rate  I  fhail  deem  my  labours  more 
than  amply  rewarded,  if  they  can  recommend  me  to 
the  patronage  of  thofe  for  whofe  pa  ft  favours  I  feci 
all  that  gratitude  can  infpire,  from  whole  future 
iervices  I  hope  all  that  induftry  can  exnecl. 

C,  HEYDTNGER. 


The  following  Gentlemen  have  encouraged 

the  Publication  of  this  Work  by  generou/iy 

fubfcribing  for  a  Number  of  Copies  each. 

Sir  John  Pringle,  Bart.    President  of  the 
Royal  Society. 

George  Baker,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S. 

Jofeph  Banks,  Efq.    F.  R.  S. 

Hon.  Daines  Barrington,  F.  R.  S. 

Aug.  Brande,  M.  D. 

Ovv.  Salufbury  Brereton,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 

Sir  James  Burrow,  Knt.  F.  R.  S. 

John  Campbell,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 

Hon.  Henry  Cavendifh,  F.  R.  S. 

Thorn.  Collinfon,  Efq. 

Alex.  Dalrymple,  Efq.  F..R.  S. 

John  Fothergiil,  iM.  D.     F.  R.  S. 

Ben.  Franklin,  LL.  D.     F.  R.  S. 

AT.  Garthfhore,  M.  D. 

Will.  Mann  Godfchall,  Efq.  F.  R.  3. 

Sam.  Harper,  M.  A.     F.  R.  8. 

a   2  Will. 


(     viii     ) 

Will.  Heberden,  M.  D.     F,  R.  5. 
Rd.  Buck,  M.  D.    F.  R.  S. 
Will.  Hunter,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S, 
John  Jufbmond,  M.  A. 
Rd.  Kaye,  LL.  D.     F.  R.  S. 
Nevil  Mafkelyne,  B.  D.     F.  R.  S. 
Matt.  Maty,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S. 
Hon.  Conftant.  Phipps,  F.  R.  S. 
Matthew  Raper,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 
Will.  Ruffel,  Efq. 
Dan.  Solander,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S. 
James  Stuart,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 
Philip  Van  Swinden,  D.  D.    F.  R.  S. 
Marmadukc  Tunftall,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 
Thomas  Tyrvvhitt,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 
Rodolph  Valltravers,  Efq.  F.  R.  S. 
John  Walfh,  Efq.   F.  R.  S. 
Rd.  Warren,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S. 
Will.  Watfon,  M.  D.     F.  R.  S. 


PREFACE. 


H 


AV I N  G  lately  received  from 
my  very  learned  friend  and  cor- 
refpondent  Mr.  Stjehlin,  Coun- 
fellor  of  State  to  the  Emprefs  of 
Ruflia,  Secretary  of  the  Imperial 
Academy  of  Petersburg,  and  laft 
year  elected  one  of  the  foreign  mem- 
bers of  the  Royal  Society,  a  fhort, 
and,  as  he  calls  it,  preliminary  ac- 
count, drawn  up  by  himfelf  of  the 
new  difcoveries  of  the  Ruffians,  I 
thought  a  tranflation  of  it  would 
not  be  unacceptable  to  the  cu- 
rious. 

Everv 


[  *  ] 

Every  new  fiep  towards  a  more 
perfect  inveftigation  of  our  globe, 
muft  be  interefting  to  its  principal 
inhabitant.  While  with  unbounded 
curiofity  he  traces  the  courfe,  mea- 
fures  the  diftances,  and  calculates 
the  velocities  of  the  Planets,  his 
own  habitation  is  ftill  in  great 
part  unknown  to  him,  and  from 
the  obftacles,  which  nature  on 
one  hand,  and  moral  or  politi- 
cal caufes  on  the  other,  throw  in 
his  way,  will  ever  remain  fo.  A 
compleat  map  of  Jupiter  or  Venus 
is  perhaps  more  within  his  reach, 
than  a  compleat  one  of  his  earth. 

To  divert  human  induftry  from 
what  is  really  not  attainable,  is  no 
lefs  ufeful  than  to  direct  its  purfuits 

to 


[     a     ] 

to  what  is  fo.  To  this  nation  will 
in  all  probability  be  referved  the 
glory  of  having  afcertained  the  eter- 
nal barriers  of  navigation ;  toRuffia 
that  of  having  difcovered  the  true 
connection  between  the  ancient  and 
the  new  world. 

The  accounts  hitherto  publifhed 
of  thefe  northern  exoeditions,  tend 
to  improve  our  geographical  notions 
of  the  paflage  from  one  continent 
to  the  other.  It  appears,  that  the  in- 
termediate fpace  between  Afia  and 
America,  from  the  400  to  the  70% 
is  occupied  by  clufters  of  iflands, 
within  fight  of,  or  at  ieafl  at  fmall 
diftances  from,  one  another  ;  and  it 
is  flill  uncertain,  whether  the  laft 
coaft  difcovered  by  the  Ruflians,  and 

by 


[     *ii     ] 

by  them  called  the  Great  Continent, 
or  Stachtan  Nitada,  belong  to 
the  main  land,  or  be  divided  from  it 
by  other  fir-eights.  The  fuccefs  which 
thefe  Argonauts  have  hitherto  had 
in  their  navigations,  gives  us  little 
room  to  fufpeft  that  this  will 
continue  a  problem  much  longer. 
If  in  the  Britifh  colonies  the  fame 
fpirit  of  curioiity,  and  perhaps  in- 
tereft,  fhould  animate  the  inhabit- 
ants, the  communication  of  the  two 
continents  will  foon  be  followed  by 
that  of  the  two  feas ;  and  we  may 
hope  to  fee  the  globe  nearly  en- 
circled by  two  nations. 

Naturalifts,  and  perhaps  Anti- 
quarians, will  be  no  lefs  ufeful  than 
Aftronomers  in   thefe  extenfive  re- 

fearches. 


[     xiii      ] 

fearches.  From  the  difference  in 
the  make,  drefs,  and  manners  of 
the  new  difcovered  inlanders,  we 
might  be  induced  to  fufpeft  that 
the  moil  northerly  parts  of  the  new 
world  were  peopled  by  the  moil  la- 
vage Afiatic  Tartars,  orTchuktfchi, 
while  the  inhabitants  of  the  more 
moderate  climates,  and  amon^fl 
them  the  Mexicans  and  Peruvians, 
were  indebted  for  fome  part  of  their 
induftry  and  civilization  to  theTun- 
gufi  Tartars,  or  perhaps  their  oft- 
fpring,  the  Chine fe  and  Japoncfe. 
That  thefe  nations  have  in  ancient 
times  navigated  to  North  America, 
has  long  been  fufpeftcd(tf).  This  was 
lately  afcertained  by  an  ingenious 

French 

(a)  De  Horne.     De  Origin.  Amer.  1652. 
b 


[   *lv    ] 

French  author  (a),  and,  from  the 
fituation  of  the  Jefo,  Kurili,  and 
other  iflands,  is  rendered  more  and 
more  probable.  Were  we  to  trufl 
to  fome  late  accounts,  it  is  not  im- 
poflible  but  fome  of  their  defcend- 

ants 


((7)  Mr.  De  Gtjignes,  in  a  Memoir  inferted  in 
the  twenty-eighth  volume  of  the  Academy  of 
Inscriptions  and  Belles  Lettres  for  the  year  1757, 
and  entitled  Recherches  fur  les  Navigations  des  Chi- 
nois,  du  cote  de  V  Ante  ri  que,  &  fur  quelques  Peuplcs 
fituis  a  Pextremite  Oriental:  de  fJfe.  From  the 
concurrent  teflimony  of  feveral  ancient  Chineic 
writers,  he  proves  that  their  early  navigators, 
after  having  followed  the  Afratic  coaft.  towards 
the  north  as  far  as  Kamtfckatkay  which  they  called 
Tahan,  crofTcd  the  ocean  in  an  eafterly  direction, 
and  at  the  diftance  of  20,000  lis,  or  about  2000 
miles,  arrived  nearly  under  the  lame  parallel  at 
a  country  which  they  named  Foufang  ;  being,  ac- 
cording to  them,  the  land  where  the  fun  riles.  This 
muft  have  been  the  coaft  difcovered  by  the  Ruffians 
in  1741;  and,  from  the  new  difcoverics,  it  may 
be  inferred,  that  the  Chinefe  were  directed  in 
that  Craft,  by  following  the  courfe  of  the  iilands*. 


[       XV       ] 

&nts  may  Hill  fubfiit  in  that  immenfe 
continent,  and  not  far  from  the 
fame  fpot  (a)  . 

b  2  Traces 


(.-7)  During  Mr.  Blankett's,  Lieutenant  in  his 
Majefty's  Navy,  ftay  at  New  Orleans,  (lately  the 
French  and  now  the  Spanifh  chief  fettlcment 
upon  the  MiJJtJippiy)  an  account  came  that  the 
Ilinois  had  difcovered  a  people,  whole  houfes 
made  of  red  earth,  together  with  fome  other  cir- 
cumftances,  induced  the  French  to  conclude  this 
to  be  a  fettlcment  originally  come  from  Japan. 
Mr.  Aubrey,  the  Commandant  of  the  place, 
fent  him  afterwards  the  following  account,  in  a 
letter  dated  June  18,  1765.  It  was  Mr.  Des 
Voltes,  a  French  officer  fettled  fince  a  long 
time  among  the  Ilinois,  who  gave  Mr.  Aubrey 
his  information  about  thefe  Aiiatic  figures,  as  he 
called  them.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
river  Mijfour'i,  reported,  that  towards  the  weft 
there  had  been  feen  men  quite  different  from 
the  red  and  the  white  men;  (under  thefe  de- 
nominations arc  underftood  the  Americans  and 
the  Europeans)  that  they  wore  long  robes,  and 
had  muikets  and  arm?,  which,  though  dif- 
ferent from  ours,  had  dill  the  fame  effect. ■ 

"i'1   . 


[ 


xvi 

Traces  of  fuch  a  communication 
may,  by  diligent  obfervers,  be  dis- 
covered, 


■ — The  north  and  north-eaft  parts  of  the  country 
of  the  Ilinois  confift  of  a  vaft  continent,  hi- 
therto almoft  unknown.  By  following  the  north 
courfe,  and  going  three  hundred  leagues  up  the 
Mijpfippiy  one  meets  with  the  fall  of  St.  An- 
thony; beyond  which  the  river  divides  into  fe- 
veral  branches.  A  hundred  leagues  farther  is 
found  a  lake,  and  a  marfhy  ground,  from  which 
the  river  takes  its  fource.  This  fpot  is  very  fer- 
tile, and  abounds  in  furs;  but  its  inhabitants, 
called  the  Sious,  are  reported  to  be  io  ferocious 
and  faithiefs,  as  to  deter  any  traders  fiom  ven- 
turing among  them.  .  .  It  is  towards  the  north- 
weft  that  the  Alijfouri  takes  its  run  acrofs  the 
country.  This  is  one  of  the  largeft  as  well  as 
meft  rapid  rivers.  The  French,  on  account  of 
the  difficulty  of  its  navigation,  have  not  been 
able  to  trace  its  courfe  beyond  four  hundred 
leagues,  at  a  village  called  Rlcarao.  Various  na- 
tions inhabit  its  borders;  and  a  fair  held  fcems 
to  be  opened  to  intercfting  discoveries,  as  well  as 
to  a  confiderable  trade.  Travellers  have  brought 
from  thence  elephants  teeth,  though  the  animals 
themielves  were  never  found  there;  and  this  in- 
due.,- 


[     xvii      ] 

covered,  not  only  among  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  earth,  but  alfo  in 
the  cuftoms  of  the  inhabitants.  I 
know  how  dangerous  it  is  to  rely 
too  much  upon  fuch  analogies,  un- 
lefs  they  be  fufficientlyprecife;  fmcc 
a  fimilarity  of  wants  and  fituations, 
in  feveral  people  unconnected  with 
each  other,  may  have  produced  the 
fame  effects.  I  could  not  avoid  how- 
ever being  ftruck  with  the  following 
coincidence,  which  feems  to  indicate 
fomething  more  than  mere  chance, 
or  a  famenefs  of  circumftances.  The 
firft  conquerors  of  Peru  reported  that 

the 


duced  Mr.  Aubrey  to  fuipeft  that  the  north- 
weft  part  of  America  is  cither  connected  with 
the  north-cad  part  of  Ail?.,  or  at  leafl  that  the 
ieparation  is  not  very  coniuiorabls. 


[     xviii     ] 

the  inhabitants,  infiead  of  letters* 
made  ufe  of  certain  knots  upon 
cords,  to  convey  their  ideas,  or 
fentiments;  and  the  Chilians  Hill 
preferve  the  fame  way  of  aflifi- 
ing  their  memory  and  collecting 
their  thoughts  (a)  .  It  likewife  ap- 
pears from  feveral  authorities,  that  a 

con- 


(#)  Pour  tenir  un  compte  de  leurs  troupeaux,  &; 
conferver  ia  memoire  de  lcurs  affaires  particu- 
lieres,  les  Indiens  ont  recours  a  certains  noeuds 
de  laine,  qui  pax*  la  variete  des  couleurs  &  des  re- 
plis,  leur  tiennent  lieu  de  cara&eres  &  d'ecriturc. 
La  connoiiTance  de  ces  noeuds,  qu'ils  appellcnt 
£hiipos,  eft  une  feience  &  un  fecret,  que  les  peres 
ne  revelent  a.  lcurs  enfans  que  lorfqu'ils  fe  croyent 
a  la  fin  de  lcurs  jours,  &  com  me  il  arrive  aiTcz 
fouvent  que  faute  d'efprit  ils  n'en  connoiiTent  pas 
le  myftcre,  ces  fortes  de  noeuds  leur  deviennent 
un  fujet  d'erreur  8c  de  peu  d'ufage. 

Voy.  De  Frezier,  p.  67, 


[    xlx   ] 

contrivance  not  unfimilar  to  this  was, 
in  the  earliefl  times,  ufed  in  China. 
In  a  letter  fent  from  Pekin,  in 
1764,  by  one  of  the  Miffionaries, 
in  anfwer  to  fome  queries  relative 
to  the  Ghinefe  characters,  the  author 
mentions,  from  one  of  their  ancient 
books,  that  Fo-hi,  by  introduci?ig 
the  eight  koua,  or  elementary  cha- 
racters, put  an  end  to  the  life  of 
knots  upon  cords,  for  the  purpofes 
of  government ;  which,  adds  Dr. 
Morton,  to  whom  this  letter  was 
directed,  and  who  obliged  the  Royai 
Society  with  an  abridgment  of  it  (a), 

feems 


(<7)  Pbilofophical  TranfaSllons,  vol.Hx.  p.  495.  This 
Letter  has  been  iincc  printed  in  French,  with  an 
Intmuiiftion  by  M.  Tubf.rvill  NEEDHAM, 
K.R.S.  v.x  Brufll-Is,  in  1772. 


[   xx   J 

feems  to  be  analogous  to  what  has 
been  obferzed  in  America. 

Care  has  been  taken  to  render 
the  tranflation  of  this  little  piece 
as  exacl  as  poffible;  and  the  Chart 
which  precedes  it  has  been  exe- 
cuted with  neatnefs  and  fidelity. 

Britijli  Mufeum, 
June  17,1774. 

M.  M. 


A 

BRIEF  ACCOUNT 

OF   THE 

New  Difcovered  Iflands  in 
the  Northern  Seas. 

■sf^^^T  is  remarkable,  that  at  the  very 
^  x  ^  time  when  the  Enghfh  and  French 
*  difcovered  inlands  in  the  South 
Seas,  which  till  then  were  totally  un- 
known to  all  the  reft  of  the  world,  namely, 
in  the  years  1764,  65,  66  and  67,  the  in- 
trepid Ruffians  difcovered  new  lands  in 
the  utrnoft  limits  of  the  north,  and  found 
B  a  clufter 


[  2  1 

a  clutter  of  inhabited  iflands,  unknown 
to  them  and  to  the  whole  world. 

Docs  it  not  fecm  that  at  certain  pe- 
riods a  fpirit  of  difcovery  arifes,  which 
excites  univerfal  emulation  in  different 
parts  of  the  world?  We  are  naturally  led 
into  this  train  of  thinking,  when  we  con- 
sider, that,  formerly,  when  the  new  he- 
mifphere  of  America  was  difcovered  by 
the  Spaniards,  the  Portuguefe  and  Dutch 
began,  at  the  fame  time,  to  think  of  na- 
vigating from  Europe  to  the  Eaft  Indies. 
It  is  equally  remarkable,  that  the  Art  of 
making  Gunpowder  was  difcovered  in 
Germany,  on  the  Danube,  jufl  at  the 
time  when  the  Art  of  Printing  was  found 
out  on  the  Rhine,  and  when  Literature 
and  the  Polite  Arts  were  revived  in  Italy, 
after  they  had  lain  dormant  for  fo  many 
centuries. 

About 


[    3     1 

About,  or  foon  after  the  time  above- 
mentioned,  the  Czar  Iwan  Wasilje- 
witsch  II.  laid  the  foundation  for  the 
difcovery  of  our  new  iflands;  which  are 
fo  many  in  number,  that  they  may  well 
deferve  the  name  of  a  New  Archipelago. 
After  he  had  made  himfelf  mailer  of  all 
Siberia,  he  wifhed  to  be  acquainted  with 
the  frontiers  of  that  country  to  the  north 
and  eaft,  and  with  the  inhabitants  of 
thofe  parts.  For  that  purpofe  he  fent  fe- 
veral  Prikaflfchicke,  or  Commiffaries,  to 
the  different  frontiers,  who,  on  their  re- 
turn, after  his  death,  during  the  reign  of 
his  fon  and  fucceflbr,  the  Czar  Feodor 
Iwanowitsch,  brought  the  firft  account 
that  Siberia  was  bounded  by  the  frozen 
fea  to  the  north,  and  by  the  ocean  to  the 
earn 

B  2  The- 


[     4     ] 

The  celebrated  Counfellor  Miller, 
in  his  Account  of  the  Difcoveries  made 
by  the  Ruffians,  has  fhewn  that,  from 
the  records  of  a  town  in  Siberia,  it  ap- 
pears, that  an  important  attempt  to  pe- 
netrate into  the  frozen  fea,  had  already 
been  made  in  the  courfe  of  this  expedition, 
which  had  failed  along  the  coaft  towards 
the  north-call: ;  and  that  one  of  the  fmalleft 
veffels  of  thefe  navigators  had  got  fafe 
round  the  farthefi  promontory  of  T/Iju- 
Aotjkoi-Kofs,  into  the  fea  of  Kamtfchatka^ 
commonly  called  the  Pacific  Sea,  and 
had  landed  in  Lower  Kamtfchaika. 

The  farther  profecution  of  this  dii- 
covery  was  prevented  by  the  troubles  in 
Rufiia,  under  the  ufurpation  of  the  pow- 
erful Czar  Boris  Godunoff,  and  the 
fucceeding  falfe  Dernetrians  :   they    even 


t    5     ] 
obliterated  the  very  memory  of  this  tran- 

fadlion,  for  many  years. 

Peter  the  Great  firfr.  refumcd  this 
important  enquiry.  He  fent  out  feveral 
fea-officers,  from  the  mouths  of  the  ri- 
vers Lena,  Indigirka  and  Kolyma.  Some 
were  ordered  to  coalt.  along  the  north- 
eaft,  and  north  of  Siberia,  and  to  try 
whether  they  could  get  round  the  pro- 
montories of  Swetoi-Nofs,  cTalatfchci-Nofs, 
or  Tfckukotjkoi-Nofs,  into  the  Pacific 
Ocean;  fome  others  to  undertake,  in  an 
oppoiite  direction  to  the  former,  the  na- 
vigation from  Kamtfchatka  towards  the 
north-well,  and  to  examine  the  fea  in 
thofe  parts,  and  obferve  what  lands  or 
iflands  they  could  difcover.  Amongit  the 
latter  was  Captain  Be  firing  ;  who,  fooa 
after  the  death  of  Piter  the  Great,  in 
the  year  1728,  got  into  the  bay  of  Ana- 


[    6    ] 

dirjk,  in  the  66th  degree  of  northern  la- 
titude, came  back  fafe  to  Kamtfchatka, 
and  returned  to  Peterfburg  in  1730,  in 
the  reign  of  the  Emprefs  Anne;  where 
he  gave  the  Court  a  circumftantial  account 
of  his  expedition. 

Scarce  a  year  before  his  return  to  Pe- 
terfburg, the  Ruffians  knew  fo  little  of 
thofe  lands  and  illands,  that,  from  an 
account  annexed  to  the  Supplement  to 
the  Peterfburg  Geographical  Almanack 
for  the  year  1729,  it  was  impofilble  to 
make  out  whether  Kamtfchatka  was  an 
ifland,  or  a  peninfula ;  or  whether  it  was 
not  the  country  called  jfedfo. 

The  Court,  after  having  received  fuch 
important  informations  from  Captain  Be  ti- 
ring, immediately  came  to  a  refolution 
to  appoint   an   expedition,   purpofely   to 

examine 


I    7    ] 

examine  farther  into  the  ftate  and  fituation 
of  Ka mtj 'chat ka,  and  the  neighbouring  fea, 
called  the  Sea  of  Kamtfchatka,  or  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean;  together  with  the  lands  and 
iflands  lying  beyond  it,  to  the  calr,  the 
fouth,  and  the  north.  This  expedition 
was  fent  out  from  Peterfburg,  in  the  fum- 
mcr  of  1734,  and  was  called  the  Kamt- 
fchatka Expedition. 

It  is  needlefs  to  treat  of  it  at  large,  as  a 
full  account  is  to  be  met  with  in  the  excel- 
lent Collection  of  Ruffian  Tranfaclions, 
publifhed  in  1758,  by  Mr.  Miller.  In 
the  third  volume,  which  treats  of  voyages, 
&c.  the  author  gives  a  circumftantial  ac- 
count of  this  expedition,  and  how  far  the 
Ruffians  had  carried  their  difcoveries  into 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  to  the  north,  the  calr, 
and  the  fouth.  He  relates,  thatBEHRiNG 
difcovered  feveral  iflands  to  the  north- 
ern" ; 


[     8    1 

eaft;  and  one  in  particular,  on  which  he 
was  fhipwrecked,  died,  and  was  buried 
by  his  fellow  travellers;  who  gave  it  the 
name  of  Behring's  J /land.  He  farther 
tells  us,  that  Captain  Tsc hi ri  koff  failed 
eaftward  to  the  American  coafls,  and 
found  a  fhorter  cut  from  Kamtfchatka  to 
America,  than  could  ever  have  been 
imagined:  and  that  Captain  Spang  en- 
berg,  who  had  been  fent  to  the  fouth- 
eafr,  difcovered  a  multitude  of  iilands, 
called  the  Kurili  IJIands ;  and  beyond 
theie,  fome  large  ones  inhabited  by  Ja- 
panefe,  which  are  in  fadl  the  outfkirts  of 
Japan. 

This  important  expedition,  in  which 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Peteiiburg 
had  engaged  a  Profefibr  of  Agronomy, 
Mr.  De  L'isle  de  la  Croyere,  with 
an  afuftant,   named  Krasilnikoff;    a. 

ProfeiTor 


[    9    ] 

ProfefTor  of  Hinory,  the  celebrated  Mr. 
Miller,  and  his  aniftant,  Mr.  Fischer, 
who  was  afterwards  ProfefTor,  for  the 
collecliino;  of  Facts  from  the  Records  of 
Siberia,  and  the  Defcription  of  Nations ; 
and  a  ProfefTor  of  Natural  Hinory  and 
Botany,  Mr.  Gmelin,  with  two  auTft- 
ants,  Krascheninni  koff  and  Stel- 
ler,  fome  dranghtfmen,  &c.  ended  foon 
after  the  acceffion  of  the  late  Emprefs 
Elizabeth  to  the  throne.  Moft.  of  the 
perfons  who  had  been  out  upon  this  ex- 
pedition, returned  one  after  another  in 
1743,  and  the  following  year;  but  the 
Maps  they  hid  drawn  up,  were  ntft  en- 
graved under  the  direction  of  the  Aca- 
demy of  Peterfburg  in  1758,  by  order  of 
the  Grand  Dutchefs,  the  prefent  Emprefs 
Catharine  II. 


Tin 


[      io     ] 

The  government  being  now  fufficiently 
informed  of  the  nature  and  fimation  of 
thofe  feas,  lands,  iflands  and  people,  the 
matter  refted  there. 

Catharine  II.  when  fhe  came  to 
the  Crown,  invited  fome  Ruffian  mer- 
chants to  extend  their  trade  to  thefe  di- 
flant  regions,  offering  them  her  pro- 
tection, and  the  afliftance  of  the  gover- 
nors and  commanders  in  the  different 
parts  of  Siberia ;  and  in  the  firft  years  of 
her  reign,  Hie  was  rewarded  for  her  zeal, 
by  the  difcovery  of  fome  new  iflands. 
oppoiite  to  the  gulph  of  Olutora  (a),  which 
afforded  choice  furs  of  black  foxes  and 
beavers. 

To 


(a)  This  gulph,  and  the  iflands  that  were  dif- 
covered  over  againft  it,  derive  their  name  from  the 
river  Olutora,  which  runs  into  this  bay  from 
the  weft. 


[  "   ] 

To  the  immortal  honour  of  Catha- 
rine II.  the  way  to  new  difcoveries  was 
now  opened  afrefh  ;  but  it  required  both 
refolution  and  perfeverancc  to  purfue  it,  to 
the  emolument  and  glory  of  RutTia ;  and 
to  extend  her  trade  in  thofe  feas,  which 
lay  at  fo  great  a  difbnee,  though  conti- 
guous to  the  Rnflian  dominions.  This 
refolution  and  perfeverance,  the  Emprefs 
found  means  to  excite  and  fupport,  by 
erecting  a  commercial  company  (a),  com- 
C  2  pofed 


(«)  At  firft  it  confiftcd  of  about  twenty  mer- 
chants, who,  till  then,  had  traded  iingly  with  Si- 
beria and  the  frontiers  of  China,  in  Ruffian  and 
other  European  commodities.  The  fund  for  this 
affociation  confiftcd  of  ill  arcs,  of  500  rubles  each; 
and  two  factories  were  erected,  one  at  Ochoifkoi, 
the  other  in  Ka?ntfcbatka.  The  former  was  under 
the  inflection  of  Mr.W.vsiLEi  Iwan'off  Schi- 
loit,  Merchant  at  Weilkhijllug;  the  latter,  of 
Mr.  Iwan  Timofejeff  Kr Asi  LN'iKoF F,  Mer- 
chant at  A*  l  ',;<",  who  had  attended  the  firft  expe- 
dition 


[  >2  J 

pofed  of  Ruffian  merchants,  to  whom  fhe 
granted  fpeclal  privileges,  for  the  carry- 
ing on  their  trade  and  navigation  in  the 
new  difcovered  parts :  (he  likewife  ho- 
noured the  twelve  firit  members  with  a 
gold  medal,  ftruck  for  that  purpofe,  which 
they  were  to  wear  hung  to  their  necks 
by  a  blue  ribband,  as  a  mark  of  her  high 
favour. 

Farther  to  promote  this  end,  the  Ad- 
miralty-Office at  OchotJkGi,  on  the  fea  of 
PenJInJk,  or  of  Ochotjkoi,  had  orders  from 
her  Majefty  to  aflift  this  trading  com- 
pany of  Kamtfchatka,  in  the  profecntion 


ditron  in  a  fhip  of  his  own,  and  afterwards  fettled 
in  Kamtfchatka,  The  other  principal  members  of 
this  trading  company  were  Feed  r  Nik:fo--rrf  Ribin- 
Jkei,  a  Merchant  of  Mofcow;  Feodor  AfamfsjelFKal- 
krj(f\  Ivoan  Lapix.  and  Feodor  Bureuin}  Merchants 
of  Wolosod. 


[     >3     ] 

of  their  undertaking;  to  provide  them 
with  convoys  ;  and  to  endeavour  to  pro- 
cure all  poflible  information  relative  to 
the  iflands  and  coafts  they  intended  to 
vifit,  to  the  north  and  north-eaft,  beyond 
Kamtjchaika.  In  the  year  1764,  they  ac- 
cordingly failed,  from  the  harbour  of 
Ochotjkoi,  with  fome  two-mailed  galliots, 
and  fingle-niafted  vefTels  of  Siberia,  called 
Dofchtfehenik,  a  kind  of  covered  barges, 
under  a  convoy  from  the  aforefaid  Ad- 
miralty-Office, commanded  by  the  Lieu- 
tenant, Mr.  Syndo.  They  pafTed  the 
fea  of  OehotJJcci;  went  round  the  for.thern 
cape  of  Kamtfchatka,  into  the  Pacific 
Ocean  ;  fleered  along;  the  eaftern  coafr, 
keeping  northward;  and  at  lad  came  to 
an  anchor  in  the  harbour  of  Peter  P<ju/, 
and  wintered  in  the  Q/iro?,  or  paliifaded 
Village,  belonging  to  it.  The  next  vear 
they  pnrfued  their  voyage  farther  north- 
ward 


t     14    ] 

ward;  and  in  that  and  the  following  years, 
1765  and  i~66,  by  degrees  difcovered  a 
whole  Archipelago  of  iflands  of  different 
iizes,  v/hich  increafed  upon  them  the  far- 
ther they  went,  between  the  56th  and 
67th  degrees  of  north  latitude;  and  they 
returned  fafe,  in  the  year  1767.  The  re- 
ports they  made  to  the  Government's 
Cnancery  at  Irkutsk,  and  from  thence 
fent  to  the  Directing;  Senate,  together 
with  the  Maps  and  Charts  thereto  an- 
nexed, make  a  considerable  alteration  in 
the  regions  of  the  fea  of  Anadir,  and  in 
the  iituation  of  the  oppofite  coafr  of 
America;  and  give  them  quite  a  different 
appearance  from  what  they  had  in  the 
above-mentioned  Map,  engraved  in  the 
year  1758.  This  difference  is  apparent, 
by  comparing  it  with  the  amended  Map 
published  la  it  year,  1773,  by  the  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences ;  and  is  frill   more  vi- 

I  1  Ul\. 


[  >5  ] 
iible  in  the  very  accurate  little  Map  of 
the  new  difcovered  Northern  Archi- 
pelago hereto  annexed,  which  is  drawn 
up  from  the  original  accounts.  In  this 
are  delineated  both  the  former  tracks  of 
Behrintg  and  Tschirikoff  ;  and  more 
particularly  the  late  voyage  of  our  trading 
company  of  Kamtfckatka,  under  Lieu- 
tenant S^ndo,  together  with  all  the  now 
iilands  he  difcovered,  arc  fet  down  ac- 
cording to  their  fuuation  and  apparent 
magnitude,  fome  with  names,  and  feme 
without. 

The  original  accounts,  that  have  hi- 
therto been  tranfmittcd  to  us,  are  not  vet 
fufficient  to  enable  me  to  give  a  minute 
defcription  of  each,  of  their  nature,  or 
of  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants;  parti- 
cularly, as  no  aftroncmer  attended  this 
expedition,  or  any   adept   in  the   know- 

!    .   Irrp 


[     '6    ] 

ledge  of  the  three  kingdoms  of  nature, 
who  might  have  given  us  an  accurate 
account  of  the  Botany,  Zoology,  and 
Mineralogy  of  thefe  new  difcovered 
iflands. 

However,  it  appears,  from  the  illiterate 
accounts  of  our  fea-faring  men,  that  there 
is  no  efTential  difference,  in  any  refpecl, 
between  thefe  feveral  iflands,  and  their 
inhabitants;  but  that  they  feem  to  be 
pretty  much  alike. 

It  is  needlefs  to  name  every  one  of 
the  iflands  which  compofe  our  new  Nor- 
thern Archipelago,  as  they  are  fet  down 
in  the  Map  hereto  annexed,  with  their 
iituation  and  fize. 

As  to  the  abfolnte  accuracy  of  the  two 
firit.  articles,  namely,   the  true  iituation, 

as 


[     >7     ] 
as  to  geographical  latitude  and  longitude, 
and  their  exact  dimenfions,  I  would  not 
be  anfwerable  for  them,  till  they  can  be 
afcertained  by  agronomical  obfervations. 

In  the  mean  time,  to  facilitate  the  de- 
fcription  of  this  new  clufler  of  iilands,  we 
fhall  reduce  them  to  three  divisions. 

The  firft  contains  the  iilands  firft  dis- 
covered by  Bering  and  Tschirikoff, 
in  the  fea  of  Kamtfchatka,  or  Pacific 
Ocean, between  the  50th  and  56th degrees 
of  north  latitude,  fuch  as  Bering's  J/Iand, 
Mednoi,  St.  Theodsr,  St.  Abraham,  St.  Ma- 
car ius,   &c. 

The  fecend  comprehends  the  iilands  of 
Olutora,  over  againfr.  the  gulph  of  that 
name,  between   the   56th   and  60th  de- 
grees; together  with  the  iilands  of  Aleuta, 
D  which 


[     '3     ] 

which  lie  farther  fouth-eafr,  difcovered  by 
the  Ruffian  trading  Company,  in  the 
conrfe  of  their  navigation. 

In  the  third  we  fhall  reckon  the  iflands 
of  Anadir;  that  is,  thofe  difcovered  in 
the  two  laft  years,  1765  and  1766,  farther 
north  and  eaft,  from  the  60th  to  the  67th 
degrees  of  north  latitude. 

Of  thefe  iflands  we  know  in  general, 
and  for  certain,  that  thofe  which  are 
iituated  from  the  50th  to  the  55th  de- 
gree, refemble  the  iilands  of  Kurili,  with 
regard  to  the  weather,  the  productions  of 
fea  and  land,  beafls,  fifh,  and  fhell-fifh ; 
as  alfo  in  the  figure,  appearance,  cloath- 
ing,  food,  way  of  life,  and  manners  of 
the  inhabitants ;  whereas  thofe  from  the 
55th  to  the  60th  degree,  which  are  the 
iilands   of  Olutora  and    Aleut  a,  are,    in 


[    '9    1 

all    thefe    particulars,    very    like    Kamt- 
fchatka  {a). 

Thofe  of  the  third  divifion  have  a  dif- 
ferent afpedl,  and  are  iituated  from  the 
6oth  to  the  67th  degree  of  north  latitude. 
The  former,  which  are  like  Kamtfchatka, 
are  full  of  mountains  and  volcanoes,  have 
no  woods,  and  but  few  plains.  The  more 
northern  iilands  abound  in  woods  and 
fields,  and  confequently  in  wild  beafts. 
As  to  the  favage  inhabitants  of  thefe  new 
difcovered  iilands,  they  are  but  one  remove 
from  brutes,  and  differ  from  the  inha- 
D  2  bitants 


(«)  Mr.  Krascheninktikoff,  who  went  as 
Affiftant  to  the  abovementioncd  Kamtfchatka  Expe- 
dition, and  to  Kamtfcbat&a  itfelf,  has  publifhed  a  very 
circumflantial  account  of  that  peninfula;  as  like- 
wife  of  the  iilands  of  Kurilt,  in  two  Volume?,  4to. 

Peterjburg,  1758. N.  B.  It  has  been  transited 

end publi 'feed  in  French  and  Englijh, 


[     20     1 

bitants  of  the  iflands  lately  difcovered  by 
the  Englifh  and  French  in  the  fouth  feas, 
as  much  in  their  perfons,  manners,  and 
way  of  life,  as  in  their  climate  ;  being  the 
very  reverfe  of  the  friendly  and  hofpitable 
people  of  Otakeite. 

To  give  a  more  diftincl:  idea  of  thefe 
new  iflands,  we  fhall  here  fubjoin  the 
above-mentioned  Extradl  of  the  original 
Accounts  delivered  to  the  Imperial  Aca- 
demy of  Sciences,  without  any  comment 
whatever,  or  any  addition,  except  a  few 
remarks  and  explanations,  with  regard  to 
the  names  of  fome  plants,  beafts,  &c. 
which  would  otherwife  be  unintelligible. 
The  extracl  contains  an  artlefs  defcription 
of  the  chief  of  the  iflands  whofe  names 
and  fituations  occur  in  our  little  Map. 
From  thefe  we  may  form  a  tolerable 
judgment  of  the  reft. 

EXTRACT 


EXTRACT 

OF    THE 

REPORT 

MADE    TO    T  II  E 

DIRECTING  SENATE, 

FRO  M     T  H  E 

Chanceries  of  the  Government  of  Ir- 
fa/zk,  Kamtfchatka  &  Bolfcherezk ; 

s  H  E WING 

What  Iflands  have  been  ciifcovered  by  the 
Promyfckkmki,  or  Commercial  Com- 
pany, on  their  Trading  Voyage  beyond 
Kamtfchatka;  what  People  inhabit  thofe 
Iflands,  and  what  Animals  and  Pro- 
ductions were  found  the:'.' 


Extraft  of  the  Report,  &c 


-\^£ 1  y  ,t*^  jV^/i  rtrr?"  i  V  ^- ",' rf  ■  gypir  "pfe  isii&ixrzttxTZtV.  *%g*J  nap  cuii  itrg  t  txzrti  *¥gp  *  i±dx 


I.  rT""\HE  ifland  of  Ajak  is  about 
X  150  werfts  (a)  in  circumference. 
It  has  very  high  rocky  mountains ;  and 
likewife  valleys,  dry  grounds,  plains,  moifr 
ground,  turf,  meadows  and  roads;  fo 
that  you  may  eaflly  go  all  over  the  ifland, 
and  along  the  fea-coaft.  There  are  no 
woods  at  all  upon  the  ifland.  The  fame 
young  high  grafs  (Z>)  grows  there,  as  is 

found 

(<?)  A  werft  is  about  two-thirds  of  an  Englifh  mile. 

(£)  A  kind  of  lea  grafs  {Alga)  which  tr.av  be  ufed 
tor  firing,  inftead  of  wood. 


[     -4     ] 

found  in  the  gulph  of  Kamtfchatka.  The 
berries  that  grow  on  this  ifland,  though 
very  fparingly,  are  the  common  Sc  hichfa  {a) 
and  Golubel.  On  the  contrary,  the  roots 
for  food,  namely,  the  Kutarnick  (/;),  and 
the  red  root,  grow  in  fuch  quantities,  as 
to  afford  a  plentiful  provifion  for  the  in- 
habitants. There  is  a  little  river,  that 
fiows  from  north  to  fouth,  and  difcharges 
into  the  fea.  Its  courfe,  from  the  fpring- 
head  to  the  fea,  meafures  about  feven  or 
eight  werfts ;  and  the  breadth,  from  ten 
to  fifteen,  and  twenty  fathom.  The 
depth,  at  low  water,  is  an  Arf chine  (c)  and 

a  half: 


{a)  Very  fmall  hurts,  that  grow  brown  on  the 
heaths,  but  dark  blue  in  the  woods  :  they  are 
otherwife  called  Ant-berries.  Golubel  is  the  com- 
mon Sloe. 

(£>)  We  cannot  pofitively  fay  what  root  this  is, 
for  want  of  an  accurate  defcription.    Krasciiex- 
INNIKOFF    makes  no   mention   of  it   in    his  De- 
fcription of  Kamtfchatka  i    confequently,    it  is  not 
known  there. 

(c)  A  Ruffian  yard,  about  three-fourths  of  an 
Englifh  yard  long. 


[     25     ] 

a  half;  and,  at  high  water,  two,  or  two 
and  a  half.  In  June,  this  river  affords 
red  gudgeons,  foles,  or  the  large  fort  of 
halbut;  in  Auguft,  the  Kitfchug :  but,  in 
winter,  there  is  hardly  any  fifh  to  be  got. 
The  number  of  inhabitants  on  this  ifland 
cannot  well  be  afcertained  ;  becaufe  they 
remove  from  one  iiland  to  another  with 
their  whole  families,  crofs  the  freights  in 
great  Baidars  (a)  between  the  iilands,  and 
fettle  in  fuch  as  they  find  the  pleafanteft 
and  beft  provided. 

II.  The  iiland  of  Kan  ah  a  is  diftant 
from  the  former  about  twenty  werfts,  and 
is  about  two  hundred  werfts  in  circum- 
ference. Among  the  many  high  mountains 
in  this  ifland,  is  a  remarkable  one,  called 
the  Horelaai  Sopka,  that  is,  the  Burning 
Top, where  the  inlanders  fetch  brimftone  in 

fummer. 

(a)  Baidars  arc  large  boats,  made  of  whales 
ribs,  bound  together  with  hoops,  and  covered 
over  with   the   (kins   of  fca-dogs,    fea-cows,    and 

ether  lea  animals. 

E 


[  26  ] 
fummer.  At  the  foot  of  this  mountain 
there  are  hot  fprings,  where  the  inhabi- 
tants boil  their  meat  and  their  Mi. 
There  are  no  other  rivers  on  this  iiland. 
The  low  grounds  are  much  of  the  fame 
nature  as  in  the  former.  It  contains  about 
two  hundred  inhabitants  of  both  fexes. 

III.  The  iiland  of  Tschepchina  lies 
forty  werfts  from  the  fecond,  and  is  about 
eighty  werfts  in  circumference.  Among 
many  craggy  rocks,  one  rifes  above  the 
reft,  which  is  called  The  White  Cliff.  In 
the  low  grounds  of  this  iiland  there  are 
fome  hot  fprings,  but  no  cold  ftreams  or 
rivers.  On  this  account  the  iiland  is  in- 
habited  but  by  a  few  families. 

IV.  The  iiland  of  Tahalan  is  diftant 
from  the  third  ten  werfts,  and  may  mea- 
fure  upwards  of  forty  werfts  round.  There 
are  no  considerable  mountains  on  this 
iiland  ;  nor  is  there  any  great  plenty  of 
fifh,  or  other  neceffarics  of  life.  The 
coaft  is  fo  rocky,  that  there  is  no  landing 

there 


[    27    ] 
there  in  Baidars,  much  lefs  in  other  vef- 
fels,  that  are  not  fo  flat.    There  are  alfo 
but  a  few  families  on  this  illand. 

V.  The  illand  of  Atcha  lies  forty 
werfls  from  the  fourth,  and  may  be  about 
three  hundred  werfls  in  circumference. 
Here  you  find  many  rocks,  and  many 
rivers  running  from  them  into  the  fea  » 
but  they  do  not  equally  abound  in  flfh. 
The  illand  produces  plenty  of  vegetable 
food ;  fuch  as  the  Kutarmk,  the  red  root, 
and  the  Sarana  (a).  It  affords  conve- 
nient landing-places.  The  inhabitants 
may  be  between  fixty  and  feventy  fouls ; 
men,  women  and  children. 

VI.  The  illand  of  Amlai  is  diftant 
five  werfts  from  the  fifth,  and  may  be 

E  2  fome- 


(;/)  A  kind  of  wild  tulip,  or  lilly  :  the  root 
has  no  unpleafant  tade,  and  is  of  a  very  ftimu- 
iating  quality.  This  plant  is  found  pretty  common 
in  many  parts  of  Siberia,  particularly  about 
Irkuzk.  ' 


[     *8     1 

fomewhat  more  than  three  hundred  werfts 
in  circumference.  On  this  ifland  are  a 
great  many  rocks,  and  many  brooks  that 
fall  into  the  fea;  one  of  which,  in  par- 
ticular, abounds  with  what  they  call  the 
red  mil,  wrh:ch  is  a  kind  of  falmon,  an 
arfchine  and  a  half  long.  The  high  grafs, 
as  alfo  the  Kutarnik  and  Sarana  roots, 
grow  there  in  great  plenty.  The  num- 
ber of  inhabitants,  men,  women  and 
children,  is  from  fixty  to  feventy. 

Befides  thefe  iflands,  we  faw  man)' 
more  to  the  eaftward,  at  no  great  di* 
irance  from  each  other,  but  did  not  vifit 
them. 

The  manner  of  living  in  thefe  fix  illands 
is  this.  i.  The  inhabitants  on  the  low 
lands  have  green  huts,  which  they  call 
Juris,  where  they  conftantly  live.  They 
care  little  for  warmth,  fo  never  kindle  fires 
in  their  Juris  all  the  winter. — 2.  They 
wear  no  cloaths  but  what  are  made  with 
the  Ikins  of  fea-fowls,  efpecially  a  kind 

of 


[  *9  ] 
of  black  duck,  called  Arkea  and  TV 
porka  (a)  which  they  have  the  art  of 
catching  by  the  fea-fide,  with  a  fling  made 
of  whalebone.  With  the  guts  of  the  fea- 
cows  and  fea-calves,  which  they  call  S:- 
utfcha  and  Nerpa,  they  fow  their  Kam- 
lees,  or  upper  garments.  They  ufe  no- 
thing elfe  for  their  clothing. — 3.  For  their 
common  food,  they  are  content  with  raw 
filh,  and  mofrly  with  what  they  call  Val- 
tujinci)  and  other  kinds  of  frock  fifh.  If 
they  are  hindered  from  fiming  by  con- 
trary wind,  they  live  upon  fea-kail, 
(Crambe  Littoralis  Bunias)  and  fea- 
oyfters. — 4.  In  May  and  June  they  go 
out  to  catch  Nerpas  (fea-calves)  and 
beavers. — 5.  In  the  depth  of  winter,  by 
the  fevereft  cold,  they  go  juft  as  in 
fummer,  with  their  fifh-fkin  and  bird- 
fkin  upper  and  under  garments,  without 

breeches, 

(a)  Moft  of  them  are  a  kind  of  fea-fowl,  (called 
Tubtani)  which  are  cauglit  in  great  numbers,  a 
hundred  different  ways ;  they  are  of  a  very  beautiful 
red  colour,  and  ahnoft  as  lar^c  as  a  eoofe. 


[  3°  ] 
breeches,  ftockings,  caps  or  gloves.  If 
now  and  then  it  fets  in  uncommonly  cold, 
they  kindle  a  heap  of  the  hay  of  ftrong 
fea-grafs,  and  let  the  Warmth  penetrate 
to  their  feet,  and  between  their  legs,  into 
the  under  garment,  till  they  are  in  fome 
meafure  warm. — 6.  Their  women  and 
children  wear  the  fame  cloaths  as  the 
men ;  but  fome  have  both  the  under 
garments  and  an  upper  cloak  made  of 
beaver-fkin. — 7.  They  ileep  with  their 
wives  in  their  huts,  in  a  cellar  dug  in 
the  ground,  which  they  ftrew  with  grafs, 
and  prepare  fo  as  to  make  a  foft  bed ; 
but  have  no  other  covering  than  the 
cloaths  they  wear  in  the  day-time. — 
8.  They  take  no  manner  of  thought  about 
their  foul;  much  lefs  about  their  condition 
after  death ;  for  they  have  not  the  leaf!; 
notion  of  a  future  ftate. 

VII.  Kodjak;  this  appears  to  be  a 
pretty  large  ifland,  on  which  is  feen  a 
ridge  of  mountains,  with  high  tops,  pro- 
jecting here  and  there.     In   the   middle 

par: 


t     3'     1 

part  of  the  ifland  are  vallies  and  plains, 
and  a  navigable  river,  of  a  confiderable 
breadth  and  depth.     The  mouth  of  this 
river  forms  a  bay,  fit  to  admit  fhipping. 
Another  fmaller  river  ifTues  from  a  lake 
to  the  northward,  and  flows  fouthward, 
for  the    fpace  of  about  four  werfts  into 
the  fea.     The  lake  feems  to  be  about  fix 
werfts  long,  a  werft  broad,  and  from  ten 
to   fifteen   fathom   deep.      In    this    river 
many  forts  of  fifri  come  .from  the  fea  into 
the  lake,  and  are  caught  in  great  quan- 
tities j  fuch  as  large  gudgeons,  herrings, 
five  or  fix  Werfchgcks  (a)  long,  haddocks, 
foles,  red  falmon,  and  feveral  other  fpe- 
cies,    known  only  in  thefe  waters,  and 
called  Kifchutfch,  Ckaiko,  Pejiraiki,  Pof- 
tufchina,  &c. 

This  ifland  is  inhabited  by  a  people  ab- 
folutely  unknown  hitherto,  who  call  them- 

felves 

(rf)   The  fixtcenth  part  of  an   drfcbbie,   or  one 
inch  and  an  half  Englifh  meafure. 


[    32    3 

felves  Katiagyft.  To  all  appearance  thefe 
iflandersare  numerous;  for  they  appeared 
in  great  numbers  on  the  coafi:.  They 
feem  to  be  an  obftinate  and  brutiiTi  peo- 
ple, who  will  fubmit  to  no  ruler,  and 
fhew  no  refpect  to  each  other.  The  drefs 
of  thefe  people  confifts  of  the  under  gar- 
ment above  defcribed,  made  of  dark  co- 
loured, brown  and  red  fox-ildns ;  as  alfo 
of  the  fkins  of  beavers,  fea-fowls  and 
elks,  and  the  fpeckled  field-moufe,  (Mus 
Citellus)  which  they  call  Jewrafchki  or 
Suflik :  how  and  where  they  catch  thefe 
animals,  we  could  not  learn.  In  winter 
they  wear  on  their  feet  a  kind  of  long 
fnow-fhoes,  called  Torpafes,  made  of 
raindeer-ikin,  fewred  with  Kamifch  (a). 
They  wear  no  ftockings  nor  breeches, 
but  variety  of  caps,  which  they  make  of 
many  different  fluffs,  according  to  their 
fancy.   Their  common  weapons  are  bows 

and 


(<;)  Kcmifcb  is  a  kind  of  reed,   the  fibres  of  which 
thev  draw  out  into  thread*. 


[  33  ] 
2nd  arrows,  lances  and  knives,  made  of 
raindeer's  bones,  hatchets  of  a  hard  black 
ftone,  with  which  they  likewife  make  the 
points  of  their  lances.  As  foon  as  thefe 
people  perceived  us,  they  wanted  to  fall 
upon  us,  after  their  brutim  cuflom,*-to  rob 
and  murder  us.  They  are  particularly 
fpiteful  againft  all  people  that  come  from 
the  diftricl  of  Kamtfchatka ;  and,  in  ge- 
neral, they  are  dangerous  to  all  frrangers 
who  approach  their  iiland.  They  live  in 
yurts  or  cellars  under  ground,  where 
there  does  not  appear  the  leafc  clean- 
linefs,  as  in  the  huts  of  the  Kamtfchadales. 
By  way  of  ornament,  they  bore  their 
under  lip,  where  they  hang  fine  bones  of 
hearts  and  birds,  as  other  nations  wear 
•ornaments  to  their  ears.  They  commonly 
paint  their  faces  with  red,  blue,  and  other 
colours.  The  men  bear  wooden  fhields, 
which  they  call  Kujaki.  They  go  out  to 
fea,  either  alone  or  two  or  three  together, 
in  their  Baidars,  which  arc  light,  fmall 
and  long  boats,  made  of  fea-dog's  fkin. 
They  have  likewife  large Baidars,  in  which 
1;  more 


[  34  3 
more  people  can  fit.  They  live  chiefly 
upon  the  fifh  they  call  Paltujina,  and 
flock-fifh  or  haddock,  which  they  catch 
in  the  fea  with  hooks  made  of  bone.  They 
are  very  dexterous  at  catching  the  river 
fifh  with  their  T/birtugs,  which  are  nets 
or  bags,  that  they  weave  with  firings  or 
threads.  All  thefe  fifh  they  eat  raw.  Be- 
sides thefe,  they  catch  a  good  quantity  of 
beavers,  fea-cows,  cat-fifh  (Suitfchi)  and 
dog-fifh;  but,  on  the  rivers,  otters,  brown 
and  grey  foxes,  ermines,  bears,  and  beau- 
tiful fpcckled  and  tabby  mice,  called 
Jewrafchki.  As  to  birds,  they  have  on 
this  ifland  all  forts  of  ftorks,  ducks,  ravens, 
magpies,  &c.  but  no  particular  kinds  have 
been  obferved.  The  berries  that  grow 
there  in  great  plenty  are,  hurts,  Schick- 
fas,  cranberries,  floes,  Toloknjanka  and 
Sarana.  Their  woods  are  chiefly  the  al- 
der-tree, birch,  and  feveral  forts  of 
willows. 

VIII.  The  ifland  of  Umanak,  which 
had  already  been  difcovered  in  the  for- 
mer 


[  35  ] 
mer  navigation,  is  full  three  hundred 
werfts  in  compafs.  No  woods  are  to  be 
found  there.  What  grows  there,  is  the 
fame  thick  reed,  or  fea-grafs,  as  in  Kamt- 
fchatka.  The  rivers  that  flow  from  the 
lakes  are  but  fmall.  Both  in  this  and  the 
illand  of  Unalafchka,  before  difcovered, 
as  alfo  throughout  our  new  Northern 
Archipelago,  the  inhabitants  have  no 
notion  of  any  religion;  and  in  their  dark- 
nefs,  only  believe  in  witchcraft. 

The    men    wear    upper    and    under 

garments  of  fkins  of  the  Uril  and   Ar- 

jen  (a),  &c.  the  women  wear  the  fame 

F  2  cloathing, 


(#)  The  Uril  (Corvus  Aquaticus)  is  a  kind  of 
water-raven,  not  unlike  the  crane  :  it  is  efteemed 
as  a  dainty.      See  Krascheninnikoff's  De- 

fcription  of  Kamtfchatka,  vol.  I,   p.  334. The 

Arjen^  Colymbus  Ar£iicusy  {Lumme  dicius  Wormis) 
Hoycr.  A  large  fort  of  black  and  white  duck, 
which  are  found  in  innumerable  flocks  on  the 
rocky  iflands  :  their  fkin  ferves  to  make  clothes  and 
furs.    Sec  Krascheninnikoff,  vol.  1.  p.  300. 


C    36    3 

cloathing,  only  theirs  are  moitly  made  of 
the  fkins  of  beafts;  namely,  of  the  beaver 
and  cat-frfh,  fewed  together  with  the 
finews  of  the  Sjutfcha.  A  man  has  as 
many  wives  as  he  pleafes,  or  as  he  can 
afford  to  keep ;  but  he  often  trades  with 
them  different  ways:  for  inftance,  if  one 
man  is  in  pofTeffion  of  fomething  that 
another  has  a  fancy  for,  he  lets  him  have 
it  for  a  wife  or  two.  They  do  the  fame 
with  their  children,  efpecially  with  their 
boys.  They  feed  upon  the  fiefh  of 
feveral  animals,  and  commonly  eat  it 
raw;  fometimes  they  roaft  or  broil  it. 
Their  manner  of  doing  it  is  this :  they  heap 
up  fome  flones,  which  they  bind  on  all 
iides  with  clay,  light  a  fire  underneath, 
then  lay  fome  fficks  acrofs  the  top,  on 
which  they  put  their  meat  or  fifh  to  broil 
They  catch  the  Paltujina  and  flock-fifh, 
both  in  winter  and  fummer,  with  bone 
hooks,  fattened  to  a  firing:  the  larger  fifh 
they  fhoot  with  arrows.  The  whales 
which  the  fea  cafts  on  iliore  are  a  great 
addition  to  their  provifion.     Some  years 

the 


[  37  3 
the  berries  called  Schickfa  will  grow 
there ;  and  fome  years  none  at  all.  When 
the  fea  fails  to  throw  up  the  cuftomary 
fupply,  they  live  upon  the  common  fea- 
mufTels,  &c.  Wherever  any  one  has 
fixed  his  habitation,  nobody  clfe  dares  to 
hunt  or  fifh  in  the  neighbourhood,  nor 
appropriate  to  himfelf  what  the  fea  has 
call:  up,  unlefs  he  has  previoufly  agreed 
with  him  for  a  part  of  the  produce.  If 
a  man  happens,  on  his  way  or  in  hunting, 
to  come  upon  another  man's  territory,  he 
muft  take  up  his  lodging  in  their  Baidars, 
unlefs  he  is  a  relation,  for  in  that  cafe  he 
takes  him  into  his  hut.  As  they  do  not 
conftantly  reiide  in  one  place,  their  num- 
bers cannot  be  exactly  afcertained.  The 
men,  and  women  too,  cut  their  hair  be- 
fore, and  fome  all  round,  and  tie  it  up 
in  a  bunch  behind;  but  if  they  are  in 
affliction,  or  meet  with  any  mifchance, 
they  let  it  hang  down  carelefslv.  They 
bore  the  upper  lip  of  the  young  children 
of  both  fexes,  under  the  nofhils,  where 
they  hang   feveral    forts   of  fiones,    and 

whitened 


A 

NARRATIVE 

OF   THE    SINGULAR 

ADVENTURES 

O  F 

Four  Ruffian  Sailors, 

Who  were  caft  away  on  the  defert 
IJland of  East-Spit zbergen. 

TOGETHER  \WITH 

Some  Observations  on  the  Productions 
of  that  Ifland,  &c. 

B  y    Mr.    P.     L.    L  E    ROY, 

Piofeflbr  of  Hiftory,  and  Member  of  the  Imperial 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  St.  Peterfburg. 


Tranflated  from  the  German  Original, 

At  the  defire  of  ieveral  Members  of  the 

Royal   Society. 


INTRODUCTION. 


L 


ONG  Voyages  have  frequently 
been  productive  of  fuch  incidents 
as  exceed  the  bounds  of  probability; 
fo  that  however  fond  we  may  be 
of  thofe  Authors,  who  in  this  ref- 
pect  adminifter  to  our  pleafure,  by 
relating  adventures  of  the  wonder- 
ful kind,  yet  we  are  apt  to  be  fufpi- 
eious  in  perufmg  them,  left  our  cre- 
dulity fhould  get  the  better  of  our 
judgment.  It  has  happened  never- 
thelefs  frequently,  that  thofe  very 
Writers,  whofe  works  at  firft  fight 
^  ere  fufpefted  of  exaggeration  or 
G  2  £6tiofi 


[     44     ] 

fiction,  have  afterwards,  by  fome 
unexpected  accident,  been  wholly 
cleared  from  fuch  imputations. 

The  occurrences  which  I  am  now 
about   to  relate,    may,    in  a  great 
meafure,     be    clafTed    with    thofe 
which,    if  not    utterly    incredible, 
are  at  leafl  improbable  ;  they  feem- 
ing    to    have    been  ftudioufly  em- 
bellifhed   with    fuch   circumftances 
as    would  give  them   mofl  the  air 
of  the   marvellous.      I  mufl:    con- 
fefs,  that  I  myfelf  was,  in  the  be- 
ginning, at  a  lofs  what  opinion  to 
form,    when    Mr.   Vernezobre, 
Director    of    the     whale  -  fifhery, 
tranfmitted  to  me  the  firft  account 
of  them  from  Archangel.     But  as 
the  people  concerned    in  the   fol- 
lowing 


[     45     ] 

lowing  Narrative  were  dependents 
of  Count  Peter  Iwanowitsch 
Schuwalow,  who  at  that  time 
enjoyed  a  grant  of  the  whale- 
fifhery  under  the  Emprefs  Eli- 
zabeth, I  requefted  that  Gen- 
tleman to  fend  for  them  from  Arch- 
angel,  that  I  might  fatisfy  myfelf 
by  queftioning  them  concerning 
their  adventures.  The  Count 
complyed  with  my  requefl ;  and 
moreover  expreffed  a  defire  to  fee 
and  converfe  with  thefe  men  him- 
felf. 

In  confequence  of  his  orders, 
two  of  them  were  fent  to  Peterf- 
burg ;  the  one,  Alexis  Himkof, 
the  mate,  a  man  of  about  fifty 
years   of   age;     the  other,   I  wan 

Him- 


[     4*     J 

HixMKOF,  godfon  to  the  former,  of 
about  thirty.  They  arrived  at  this 
city  in  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1750;  and  the  rlrfl  converfation  I 
had  with  them,  was  on  the  8th  of 
January.  They  brought  with  them 
feveral  curious  pieces  of  their  wTork- 
manfhip,  and  fome  productions  of 
the  defert  Ifland  on  which  they 
had  fo  long  refided,  as  prefents  for 
Count  Schuwalow,  of  which 
things  I  {hall  give  fome  account  in 
the  fequel .  I  examined  them  with 
all  the  circumfpeclion  and  care  I 
was  mailer  of;  propofing  to  them 
fuch  queftions  as  I  thought  rie- 
ceffary  to  fatisfy  me  of  the  truth 
of  this  relation.  The  reader  there- 
fore may  fafely  believe  that,  after 
having  taken  fuch  precautions,   no 

room 


[     47     ] 
*oom  is  left  to  queftion  the  veracity 
of  the  following  Narrative. 

Another  chcumftance  tending 
alfo  to  authenticate  the  following 
account,  is,  that  as  foon  as  the 
unfortunate  faiiors  arrived  at  Arch- 
angel, Mr.  Klingstadt,  chief 
Auditor  of  the  Admiralty  of  that 
city,  fent  for  and  examined  them 
\ery  particularly  concerning  the 
events  which  had  befallen  them  ; 
minuting  down  their  anfwers  in 
writing,  with  an  intention  of  pub- 
lifhing  himfelf  an  account  of  their 
extraordinary  adventures.  This 
Gentleman,  fome  time  after,  came 
to  Peterjburg,  and  feeing  the  Nar- 
rative which  I  had  drawn  up,  he 
was  pleafed  to  fay,  that  he  pre- 
ferred 


[     48     ] 

ferred  it  to  his  own,  and  there- 
fore gave  up  all  thoughts  of  pub- 
lishing one  himfexf.  But  he  was 
fo  obliging  as  to  favour  me  with 
a  fight  of  his  manufcript,  in  order 
that  I  might  infert  (as  I  actually 
have  done)  fome  particular  inci- 
dents, which  the  failors  had  omit- 
ted to  inform  me  of,  but  had  re- 
lated to  him.  Both  the  accounts 
agreed  to  a  tittle  in  all  particulars 
where  this  Gentleman  and  I  had 
put  the  fame  queftions  to  the  fai- 
lors; a  circumftance  which  affords 
an  almoft  inconteftable  proof  of  the 
truth  of  the  whole. 


THE 


THE 

NARRATIVE,   &c. 


F^^^N  the  year  174?,  one  Jeremiah 
^  I  ^  Okladmkof,  a  Merchant  of 
k,2F  j£j&£  Mefen,  a  town  in  the  province 
of  Jugovia  and  in  the  government  of 
Archan?eL  fitted  out  a  veffel,  carrying 
fourteen  men;  fhe  was  deftined  for  Spitz- 
berrcn,  to  be  employed  in  the  whalc-or 
fcal-iiiliery  (#).  For  eight  fucceffive  days 
after  they  had  failed,  the  wind  was  fair; 
but  on  the  ninth  it  changed,  fo  that  inllead 

of 


(<v)  Seals  arc  by  the  Ruffians  called  Margin  a 
rommodity  in  which  they  carry  on  a  very  ccn- 
fivierablc  :rade. 

II 


[  5°  ] 
of  getting  to  the  weft  of  Spitzbergen,  the 
nfnal  place  of  rendevouz  for  the  Dutch 
fhips,  and  thole  of  other  nations  annually 
employed  in  the  whale-fifhery,  they  were 
driven  eaftward  of  thofe  iflands;  and,  after 
fome  days3  they  found  themfelves  at  afmall 
diftance  from  one  of  them,  called  East- 
Spit  z bergen;  by  the  Ruffians,  Maloy 
Broun-,  that  is,  Little  Broun  (Spitzber- 
gen, properly  fo  called,  being  known  to 
them  by  the  name  of  Bolfchoy  Broun,  that 
is,  Great  Broun).  Having  approached  this 
iiland  within  almoft  three  Werjis,  or  two 
Englifh  miles,  their  vefTel  was  fuddenly 
furrounded  by  ice,  and  they  found 
themfelves  in  an  extremely  dangerous 
iitiiatiom. 

In  this  alarming  ftate  a  council  was 
held;  when  the  mate,  Alexis  Himkof, 
informed  them  that  he  recollected  to  have 
heard,  that  fome  of  the  people  of  Mefen, 
fome  time  before,  having  formed  a  refo- 
lution  of  wintering  upon  this  iiland,  had 
accordingly  carried  from  that  city  timber 

proper 


[     5'     ] 
proper  for  building  a  hut,  and  had  actually 
erected  one  at  fome   diilance   from   the 
fhore. 

This  information  induced  the  whole 
company  to  refolve  on  wintering  there, 
if  the  hut,  as  they  hoped,  itill  exifted  ; 
for  they  clearly  perceived  the  imminent 
danger  they  were  in,  and  that  they  mufl 
inevitably  perifh  if  they  continued  in  the 
fliip.  They  difpatched  therefore  four  of 
their  crew,  in  fearch  of  the  hut,  or  any 
other  fuccour  they  could  meet  with. 
Thefe  were  Alexis  Himkof,  the  mate; 
Iwan  Himkof,  his  godfon ;  Stephen 
ScHARAfOF,  and  Feodor  Weregin. 

As  the  fhore  on  which  they  were  to 
land  was  uninhabited,  it  was  neceiTary 
that  they  fhould  make  fome  provision 
for  their  expedition.  They  had  almoit 
two  miles  to  travel  over  loofe  ridges  of 
ice,  which  being  railed  by  the  waves, 
and  driven  againit.  each  other  by  the 
wind,  rendered  the  way  equally  difficult 
H  2  and 


[    5*     1 

and  dangerous ;  prudence  therefore  for- 
bad their  loading  themfelves  too  much, 
left,  being  overburthened,  they  might 
fink  in  between  the  pieces  of  ice  ond 
pcrifh. 

Having  thus  maturely  confide  red  the 
nature  of  their  undertaking,  they  pro- 
vided themfelves  with  a  mufkct,  a  pow- 
der-horn containing  twelve  charges  of 
powder,  with  as  many  balls,  an  axe,  a 
fmall  kettle,  a  bag  with  about  twenty 
pounds  of  flower,  a  knife,  a  tinder-box 
and  tinder,  a  bladder  filled  with  tobacco, 
and  every  man  his  wooden  pipe.  Thus 
accoutred,  thcfe  four  failors  quickly 
arrived  on  the  ifland,  little  fiifpe6ting 
the  misfortunes  that  would  befall  them. 

They  began  with  exploring  the 
country ;  and  foon  difcovered  the  hut 
they  were  in  fearch  of,  about  an  Englifh 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  fhore.  It  was 
thirty  fix  feet  in  length,  eighteen  feet  in 
heighth,  and  as  many  in  breadth.  It  con- 
tained 


[    53    ] 

taincd  a  fmall  anti-chamber,  about  twelve 
feet  broad,  which  had  two  doors,  the  one 
to  fhut  it  up  from  the  outer  air,  the  other 
to  form  a  communication  with  the  inner 
room:  this  contributed  greatly  to  keep 
the  larger  room  warm,  when  once  heated. 
In  the  large  room  was  an  earthen  ftove, 
conftrucled  in  the  Ruffian  manner ;  that 
is  a  kind  of  oven  without  a  chimnev, 
which  ferves  occasionally  either  for  bak- 
ing, for  heating  the  room,  or,  as  is 
cuitomary  amongfr.  the  Ruffian  peafants, 
in  very  cold  weather,  for  a  place  to  ileep 
upon. 

The  reader  mull  not  be  furprifed  at 
my  mentioning  a  room  without  a  chim- 
ney; for  the  houfes  inhabited  by  the  lower 
clafs  of  people  in  Ruffia  are  feldom  built 
otherwife.  When  a  fire  is  kindled  in 
one  of  thefe  ftoves,  the  room;  as  may 
well  be  fuppofed,  is  filled  with  fmoke  ; 
to  give  vent  to  which,  the  door,  and  three 
or  four  windows  are  opened.  Thefe  win- 
dows are  each  a  foot  in  heighth,  and  about 

fix 


[    54    ] 

fix  inches  wide :  they  are  cut  out  of  the 
beams  whereof  the  houfe  is  built;  and, 
by  means  of  a  lliding-board,  they  may, 
when  occafion  requires  it,  be  fhut  very 
clofe.  When  therefore  a  fire  is  made 
in  the  ftove,  the  fmoke  defcends  no  lower 
than  the  windows,  through  which,  or 
through  the  door,  it  finds  a  vent,  accord- 
ing to  the  direction  of  the  wind;  and  per- 
fons  may  continue  in  the  room,  without 
feeling  any  great  inconveniency  from  it. 
The  reader  will  readily  conjecture  that 
the  upper  part  of  fuch  a  place,  between 
the  windows  and  the  cieling,  mult  be 
as  black  as  ebony  ;  but,  from  the 
windows  down  to  the  floor,  the  wood 
is  perfectly  clean,  and  retains  its  natural 
colour. 

They  rejoiced  gready  at  having  dis- 
covered the  hut,  which  had  however  fuf- 
fered  much  from  the  weather,  it  having 
now  been  built  a  considerable  time  :  our 
adventurers  however  contrived  to  pais 
the   night  in    it.      Early    next    morning 

thev 


[  S5  ] 
they  haflened  to  the  fhore,  impatient  to 
inform  their  comrades  of  their  fuccefs; 
and  alfo  to  procure  from  their  vefTel  fuch 
proviflons,  ammunition,  and  other  ne- 
ceflaries,  as  might  better  enable  them  to 
winter  on  the  ifland. 

I  leave  my  readers  to  figure  to  them- 
felves  the  aftonifhment  and  agony  of  mind 
thefe  poor  people  mull  have  felt,  when, 
on  reaching  the  place  of  their  landing, 
they  faw  nothing  but  an  open  fea,  free 
from  the  ice,  which,  but  a  day  before,  had 
covered  the  ocean.  A  violent  ftorm, 
which  had  arifen  during  the  night,  had 
certainly  been  the  caufe  of  this  difaftrous 
event.  But  they  could  not  tell  whether 
the  ice  which  had  before  hemmed  in  the 
vefTel,  agitated  by  the  violence  of  the 
waves,  had  been  driven  c°;ainft  her.  and 
fhattered  her  to  pieces;  or  whether  fhe 
had  been  carried  by  the  current  into 
the  main;  a  circumftance  which  fre- 
quently happens  in  thofe  feas.  Whatever 
accident  ftad  befallen  the  fhip,  they  faw 

her 


i  i^  3 

her  no  more;  and  as  no  tidings  were  ever 
afterwards  received  of  her,  it  is  molt  pro- 
bable that  fhe  funk,  and  that  all  on  board 
of  her  perifhed. 

This  melancholy  event  depriving  the 
unhappy  wretches  of  all  hope  of  ever 
being  able  to  quit  the  ifland,  they  re- 
turned to  the  hut  from  whence  they  had 
come,  full  of  horror  and  defpair. 

Their  fir  ft  attention  was  employed,  as 
may  eafily  be  imagined,  in  deviling  means 
of  providing  fubfiitence,  and  for  repair- 
ing their  hut.  The  twelve  charges  of 
powder  which  they  had  brought  with 
them,  foon  procured  them  as  many  rain- 
deer;  the  illand,  fortunately  for  them, 
abounding  in  thefe  animals. 

Raindeer  being  only  found  in  the  moft 
northern  parts  of  Europe,  fuch  as  Lapland, 
and  in  the  correfponding  parts  of  Alia, 
a  fhort  defcription  of  thefe  animals  will, 
it  is  hoped,  not  be  deemed  an  unpardon- 
able digrefiion.  The 


[  57  J 
The  raindeer  much  refemble  the 
fhg,  or  elk.  They  are  commonly  of 
an  ailv-colcur;  but  there  are  fome  of  a 
reddifh  call.  They  exceed  the  Has;  In 
fize,  and  are  alfo  more  iiefhy.  Their 
horns  are  fmooth  and  of  a  whitifh  hue, 
with  more  branches  than  thofe  of  the 
flag,  but  very  like  the  horns  of  the  elk. 
The  raindeer,  when  running,  make 
a  noife  with  the  joints  of  their  legs ; 
and  this  alfo  ferves  to  diftinguifh  them 
from  the  flag. 

The  Laplanders,  the  Samojedes,  and  a 
branch  of  the  Tongufes,  who,  from  the 
word  Okn,  which  in  the  Ruffian  language 
fignifies  Rain-deer,  are  called  O/eni-Tcn- 
gafes,  ufe  raindeer  to  draw  in  their 
iledges,  inilead  of  hcrfes ;  for,  befides 
being  of  fufficient  llrength,  their  fwiftnefs 
is  incredible.  Mofs,  which  in  all  the 
northern  countries  is  produced  in  great 
abundance,  is  the  only  food  on  which 
they  iubiiil.  This  they  procure  for  them- 
elvfes,  by  clearing  away  with  their  feet 
I  the 


[     5$     3 
the  mow  which  covers  the  mofs  ;  i'o  than 
their  owners  are  at  no  expence  for  their 
maintenance. 

An  opinion  prevails,  that  the  raindeer 
cannot    live    in    any    but    their    native 
country.     This  however  I  will  venture  to 
fay  is  falfe;  for  I  myfelf  faw  at  Mofcow, 
twelve  of  thefe  animals,  which  belonged 
to   the  High -Chancellor  Count  Golof- 
kix,   feeding  in  a  meadow  adjoining  to 
the  river  Taufe,  which  waters  that  noble- 
man's  gardens:    and    in  the  year  1752, 
Count  Peter  Iwanowitsch  Sckuwa- 
lc  r,  had  both  a  male  and  female  brought 
from  Archangel.     They  fed  on   nothing 
but    mofs,   vet    the  female    produced    a 
vonne  one,  which  throve  to  admiration, 

o  ?  J 

and  continued  in  fu]l  health  and  vigour 
till  the  year  1754.  How  long  they  lived 
afterwards  I  cannot  fay,  as  I  returned  to 
'Peter/o Hyp  in  that  year, 

I   have   before   cbferved,    that  the  hut 
which   the  failors  were  fo  font  late  as  to 

unci. 


[  59  ] 
find,  had  fuflained  fome  damage,  and  it 
was  this :  there  were  cracks  in  many 
places  between  the  boards  of  the  building, 
which  freely  admitted  the  air.  This  in- 
conveniency  was  however  eafily  reme- 
died, as  they  had  an  axe,  and  the  beams 
were  flill  found  (for  wood  in  thofe  cold 
climates  continues  through  a  length  of 
years  unimpaired  by  worms  or  decay)  fo 
it  was  eafy  for  them  to  make  the  boards 
join  again  very  tolerably ;  befides,  mofs 
growing  in  great  abundance  all  over  the 
iiland,  there  was  more  than  fufficient  to 
ftop  up  the  crevices,  which  wooden 
honfes  muft  always  be  liable  to.  Repairs 
of  this  kind  coil  the  unhappy  men  the  lefs 
rrouble,  a?  they  were  Ruffians ;  for  all 
Ruffian  peafants  are  known  to  be  good 
carpenters:  they  build  their  own  houfes, 
and  are  very  expert  in  handling  the  axe. 

The  intenfe  cold,  which  makes  thofe 
climates  habitable  to  fo  few  fpecies  of 
animals,  renders  them  equally  vnU:  for 
.    ?  production  of  vegetables.    No  fpecies 


J     2 


01 


[     6o     ] 

of  tree,  or  even  fhrub,  is  found  on  any 
of  the  illands  of  Spitzbergen  ;  a  circum- 
flance  of  the  molt  alarming  nature  to  our 
failors.  Without  fire  it  was  impolTible 
to  refill:  the  rigour  of  the  climate ;  and 
without  wood,  how  was  that  fire  to  be 
produced,  or  fupportcd?  Providence,  how- 
ever, has  fo  ordered  it,  that  in  this  par- 
ticular, the  fea  fnpplies  the  defects  of  the 
land.  In  wandering  along  the  beach, 
they  collected  plenty  of  wood,  which 
had  been  driven  afhore  by  the  waves ; 
and  which  at  firft  conlifted  of  the  wrecks 
of  fhips,  and  afterwards  of  whole  trees 
with  their  roots,  the  produce  of  fome 
more  hofpitable,  but  to  them  unknown 
climate,  which  the  overflowing  of  rivers, 
or  other  accidents,  had  fent  into  the 
ocean.  This  will  not  appear  incredible  to 
thofe  who  have  perufed  the  journals  of 
the  feveral  navigators  who  have  been 
forced   to  winter  in  Nova  Zcmla  {a\  or 

any 

(a)   I   mull  ohferve  here,  that  the  true  pronun- 
ciation of  that  word  is  not  Nova  Zsmbla  (as  men- 
tioned 


[     6r     ] 

any  other  country  in  a  ftill  more  northern 
latitude. 

Nothing  proved  of  more  efTential  fer- 
vice  to  thefe  unfortunate  men,  during  the 
fir  ft  year  of  their  exile,  than  fome  boards 
they  found  upon  the  beach,  having  a  long 
iron  hook,  fome  nails  of  about  five  or  fix 
inches  long,  and  proportionably  thick, 
and  other  bits  of  old  iron  fixed  in  them; 
the  melancholy  relicks  of  fome  vefTels  caft 
away  in  thofe  remote  parts.  Thefe  were 
thrown  afhore  by  the  waves  at  a  time 
when  the  want  of  powder  gave  our  men 
reafon  to  apprehend  that  they  muft  fall  a 
prey  to  hunger,  as  they  had  nearly  con- 
fumed  thofe  raindeer  they  had  killed. 
This   luckv   circumftance    was  attended 

\v  i '  li 

tioncd  by  fcveral  authors)  but  \o\jsiay  or  j\:i/j 
Zemin.  The  Ruffians  having  taken  poiienion  )!  this 
iiland,  gave  it  the  name  o(  Kc-joiu,  or  Nsvu  'Lcn:iu\ 
that  is,  K:vj  Earth,  or  Neiu  Lznd;  for  the  wore! 
ZemLi,  in  the  Ruffian  language,  exprefTes  both  thcis 
ideas:  and  thus  it  is  called  in  Ruffii,  on  which  it  :> 
dependent. 


L    6l    1 
with    another,    equally    fortunate;     the-. 
found,   on  the  fhore,  the   root   of  a  fir 
tree,    which    nearly    approached    to   th< 
figure  of  a  bow. 


■&■ 


As  neceffity  has  ever  been  the  mother 
of  invention,  fo  they  foon  fafhioned  this 
root  to  a  good  bow,  by  the  help  of  a 
knife ;  but  itill  they  wanted  a  firing,  and 
arrows.  Not  knowing  how  to  procure  thefe 
at  prefent,  they  refolved  upon  making  a 
couple  of  lances,  to  defend  themfelve^ 
againft  the  white  bears,  by  far  the  moft 
ferocious  of  their  kind,  whofe  attacks 
they  had  great  reafbn  to  dread. 

Finding  they  could  neither  make  the 
heads  of  their  lances,  nor  of  their  arrows, 
without  the  help  of  a  hammer,  they  con- 
trived to  form  the  large  iron  hook  men- 
tioned above  into,  one,  by  heating  it,  and 
widening;  a  hole  it  happened  to  have  about 
its  middle,  with  the  help  of  one  of  their 
largfeff.  nails.  This  received  the  handle-, 
and  a  round  button  at  one  end  of  the  heok 

ferved 


[    ^3     ] 
rvcJ  for  the  face  of  the  hammer.  A  laro; 


ICl'VC 

pebble  fupplied  the  place  of  an  anvil ; 
and  a  couple  of  raindecr's  horns  made  the 
tongs.  By  the  means  of  fuch  tools,  they 
made  two  heads  cf  fpears;  and  after  po- 
lilhing  and  fharpening  them  on  flone?, 
they  tied  them  as  tall  as  pofiible  with 
thongs  made  of  raindeer-fkins,  to  flicks 
about  the  thicknefs  of  a'  man's  arm, 
which  they  got  from  fome  branches  of 
trees  that  had  been  call  on  fliore. 

Tims  enuipoed  with  fpears,  thev  re- 
foived  to  attack  a  white  bear;  and  alter  a 
moft  dangerous  encounter,  thev  killed  the 
formidable  creature,  and  thereby  made  a 
new  fupply  or  provisions.  The  flefh  of 
this  animal  they  relifhed  exceedingly,  as 
ihey  thought  it  much  refembled  beef  in 
talte  and  flavour.  The  tendons  they 
iaw  with  much  plea  fur  e  could,  with 
little  or  no  trouble,  be  divided  into  fila- 
ments, of  what  fmenefs  thev  thought  fit. 
This  perhaps  was  the  moil  fortunate  dif- 

cowo 


[    64    ] 
covery  thefe  mencouldhavemcde;  for, 
befides  other  advantage?,  which  will  be 
hereafter  mentioned,  they   were  hereby 
furnifhed  with  ftrings  for  their  bow. 

The  fuccefs  of  pur  unfortunate  iflanders 
in  making  the  fpears,  and  the  ufe  thefc 
proved of,encouraged  them  to  proceed, and 
to  forge  fome  pieces  of  iron  into  heads  of 
arrows  of  the  fame  fhape,  though  fome- 
whatfmaller  in  iize  than  the  fpears  above- 
mentioned.  Having  ground  and  fhar- 
pened  thefe  like  the  former,  they  tied 
them,  with  the  finews  of  the  white  bears, 
to  pieces  of  fir,  to  which,  by  the  help  of 
fine  threads  of  the  fame,  they  fattened 
feathers  of  fea-fowl ;  and  thus  became 
pofTefTed  of  a  complete  bow  and  arrows. 
Their  ingenuity,  in  this  refpect,  was 
crowned  with  fuccefs  far  beyond  their 
expectation  ;  for,  during  the  time  of  their 
continuance  upon  the  iiland,  with  thefe 
arrows  they  killed  no  lei's  than  two 
hundred  and    fifty    raindeer,    beilJcs    a 

great 


[  65  ] 
great  number  of  blue  and  white  foxes  (a\ 
The  fleiri  of  thefe  animals  ferved  them 
alfo  for  food,  and  their  fkins  for  cloath- 
ing,  and  other  ncceflary  preservatives 
againft.  the  intenfe  coldnefs  of  a  climate 
fo  near  the  Pole. 

They  killed  however  only  ten  white 
bears  in  ail, and  that  not  without  the  utmoft 
danger;  for  thefe  animals  being  prodi- 
gionily  itrong,  defended  themfelves  with 
aftonifhing  vigour  and  fury.  The  fir  ft  our 
men  attacked  designedly  ;  the  other  nine 
they  flew  in  defending  themfelves  from 
their  arTaults:  for  fome  of  thefe  creatures 
even  ventured  to  enter  the  outer  room  of 
the  hut,  in  order  to  devour  them.  It  is 
true,  that  all  the  bears  did  not  fhew  (if  I 
may  be  allowed  the  expreflion)  eoual  in- 
trepidity ; 

(a)  The  Ruffians  call  them  Psjlziy  on  nccount 
cf  their  grep.tiy  refembling  tho'.e  ifiandic  clogs 
which  the  fnepherds  in  Germany  uf\i?.lly  emoioy 
to  watch  their  flitep. — Trie  word  Fei,  in  the 
R-jflian  language,   figmf.es  a  D-cg. 

K 


[  66  ] 
trepidity ;  either  owing  to  fume  being  lcfs 
preffed  by  hunger,  or  to  their  being  by 
nature  lefs  carnivorous  than  the  others ; 
for  fome  of  them  which  entered  the 
hut,  immediately  betook  themfelves  to 
flight  on  the  firft  attempt  of  the  failors 
to  drive  them  away.  A  repetition,  how- 
ever, of  thefe  ferocious  attacks,  threw 
the  poor  men  into  great  terror  and 
anxiety,  as  they  were  in  almoit  a  per* 
petual  danger  of  being  devoured.  The 
three  different  kinds  of  animals  above- 
mentioned,  viz.  the  raindeer,  the  blue 
and  white  foxes,  and  the  white  bears, 
were  the  only  food  thefe  wretched  ma- 
riners tafted  during  their  continuance  in 
this  dreary  abode. 

We  do  not  at  once  fee  every  re- 
fource.  It  is  generally  neccflity  which 
quickens  our  invention,  opening  by  de- 
grees our  eyes,  and  pointing  out  expe- 
dients which  otherwife  migfht  never  have 
occurred  to  our  thoughts.  The  truth  of 
this  obfervation    our    four    failors    cxpe- 

ucriced 


[  67  ] 

rienccd  in  various  inftances.  They  were 
for  fome  time  reduced  to  the  necefiity 
of  eating  their  meat  almoft  raw,  and  with- 
out either  bread  or  fait;  for  they  were 
quite  destitute  of  both.  The  intenfe- 
nefs  of  the  cold,  together  with  the  want 
of  proper  conveniences,  prevented  them 
from  cooking  their  victuals  in  a  proper 
manner.  There  was  but  oneflovein  the 
hut,  and  that  being  fet  up  agreeably  to 
the  Ruffian  taite,  was  more  like  an  oven, 
and  confequently  not  well  adapted  for 
boiling  any  thing.  Wood  alfo  was  too 
precious  a  commodity  to  be  wafted  in 
keeping  up  two  fires;  and  the  one  they 
might  have  made  out  of  their  habi- 
tation, to  drefs  their  victuals,  would  in 
no  way  have  ferved  to  warm  them.  Ano- 
ther reafon  againft  their  cooking  in  the 
open  air,  was  the  continual  danger  of  an 
attack  from  the  white  bears.  And  here 
I  muft  obferve,  that  fuppofe  they  had 
made  the  attempt,  it  would  frill  have  been 
practicable  for  only  fome  part  of  the  year; 
for  the  cold,  which  in  fuch  a  climate 
K  2  for 


[  6S  3 
for  fome  months  fcarce  ever  abates,  from 
the  long  abfence  of  the  fun,  then  enlight- 
ening the  oppofite  hemifphere;  the  incon- 
ceivable quantity  of  fnow,  which  is  con- 
tinually falling  through  the  greatefl  part 
of  the  winter;  together  with  the  almoft 
incefTant  rains  at  certain  feafons ;  all 
thefe  were  infurmountable  obftacles  to 
that  expedient. 

To  remedy  therefore,  in  fome  degree, 
the   hardfhip  of  eating    their   meat   half 
raw,  they  bethought  themfelves  of  drying 
fome  of  their  provifion,  during  the  fum- 
mer,  in  the  open  air,  and  afterwards  of 
hanging   it   up  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
hut,  which,  as  I  mentioned  before,  was 
continually  filled  with  fmoke  down  to  the 
windows:  it  was  thus  dried  thoroughly 
by  the  help  of  that  fmoke.     This  meat, 
fo   prepared,    they  ufed  for  bread,  and 
it  made  them  relifh  their  other  flefh  the 
better,  as  they  could  only  half  drefs  it. 
Finding  this  experiment  anfwer  in  every 
refpeet  their  willies,  they   continued    to 

practice 


[    69    ] 

pra&ife  it  during  the  whole  time  of  their 
confinement  upon  the  iiland,  and  always, 
kept  up  by  that  means  a  fufficient  frock 
of  provifions.  Water  they  had  in  fum- 
mer  from  fmall  rivulets  that  fell  from  the 
rocks  ;  and  in  winter,  from  the  fnow  and 
ice  thawed:  this  was  of  courfe  their  only 
beverage;  and  their  fmall  kettle  was 
the  only  vefTel  they  could  make  ufe  of 
for  this  and  other  purpofes. 

It  is  well  known,  that  fea-faring  peo- 
ple are  extremely  fubject  to  the  fcurvy ; 
and  it  has  been  obferved,  that  this  dif- 
eafe  incrcafes  in  proportion  as  we  ap- 
proach the  Poles;  which  mull:  be  attri- 
buted either  to  the  exceffive  cold,  or  to 
fome  other  caufe  yet  unknown.  How- 
ever that  may  be,  our  mariners,  feeing 
themfelves  quite  deftitute  of  every  means 
of  cure,  in  cafe  they  fhould  be  attacked 
with  fo  fatal  a  diforder,  judged  it  expe- 
dient not  to  neglect  any  regimen  gene- 
rally adopted  as  a  prefervative  againft 
this    impending    evil.     Iwan    Himkof, 

one 


[    70    1 


one  of  their  number,  who  had  feveral 
times  wintered  on  the  coaft  of  Weji- 
Spitzbergen,  advifed  his  unfortunate  com- 
panions to  fwallow  raw  and  frozen  meat, 
broken  into  fmall  bits ;  to  drink  the  blood 
of  raindeer  warm,  as  it  flowed  from 
their  veins  immediately  after  killing  them; 
to  ufe  as  much  exercife  as  pofiible;  and 
laftly,  to  eat  fcurvy-grafs  (Cochkaria) 
which  grows  on  the  iiland,  though  not 
in  great  plenty. 

I  leave  the  Faculty  to  determine  whe- 
ther raw  frozen  fieiTi,  or  warm  raindeer 
blood,  be  proper  antidotes  to  the  diitem- 
per ;  but  exercife  and  the  ufe  of  fcurvy- 
grafs  have  always  been  recommended  to 
perfons  of  a  fcorbutic  tendency,  whether 
actually  afflicted  with  the  diforder  or 
net.  Be  this  as  it  may,  experience  at 
Jeaft  feems  to  have  proved  thefe  remedies 
to  be  efTe6lual ;  for  three  of  the  failors, 
who  purfued  the  above  method,  continued 
totally  free  from  all  taint  of  the  difeafe. 
The  fourth,  Theodore  Weregin,   on 

the 


[  7'  ] 
the  contrary,  who  was  naturally  indolent, 
averfe  to  drinking  the  raindeer  blood, 
and  unwilling  to  leave  the  hnt  when  he 
could  pofTibly  avoid  it,  was,  foon  after 
their  arrival  on  the  ifland,  fcized  with 
the  fcurvy,  which  afterwards  became  fo 
bad,  that  he  pafled  almoft  fix  years  under 
the  greateft  furTbrings :  in  the  latter  part 
of  that  time,  he  became  fo  weak  that  he 
could  no  longer  fit  erect,  nor  even  raife 
his  hand  to  his  mouth ;  fo  that  his  humane 
companions  were  obliged  to  feed  and 
tend  him,  like  a  new-born  infant,  to  the 
hour  of  his  death  (a), 

I  have 


(a)  Though  I  have  intimated  my  doubts  ref- 
pe&ing  the  antiicorbutic  virtue  of  raw  frozen  Beth, 
and  the  warm  blood  of  raindeer,  vet  thefe  things  are 
not  unworthy  of  confederation;  for,  in  the  firfr. 
volume  of  Voyages  and Difccvcries  made  by  the  Ruffian: y 
along  the  Coajis  of  the  Frozen  Sea  and  Eajlern  Ocean, 
&c.  publifhed  by  Counfeilor  Miller,  I  find  the 
inhabitants  of  North  Siberia  cat  raw  frozen  fifh 
as  a  preservative  againft  the  fcurvy.  The  pa> 
fage  alluded  to  occurs  in  pages  IQ4,  195.  ct  Cur 
*'  people  wintered  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Cko- 


[    7*     1 
I   have   mentioned    above,    that   our 
failcrs    brought    a   fmall    bag    of    flour 

with 

<l  tujhtach.  Here  the  fcurvy  began  to  fpread  amongft 
Ci  them;  but  it  was  happily  cured,  by  a  decoc- 
"  tion  of  buds  of  cedar,  which  there  grows  like 
"  ftirubs;  and,  according  to  the  cuftoin  of  that 
Ci  country,  by  frozen  nih  eaten  raw.  By  thefe 
<e  means,  feconded  by  continual  motion  and  labour, 
"  the  major  part  of  the  crew  continued  healthy, 
"  and  the  lick  recovered." 

The  recovery  of  the  fick  may  perhaps  be  attri- 
buted folely  to  the  conftant  motion  in  which  they 
kept  themfelves,  and  to  the  balfam  contained  in 
the  cedar-buds,  which  properly  is  a  kind  of  tur- 
pentine, and  is  uied  as  fuch  for  purifying  the  blood. 
It  is  however  evident,  from  the  paflage  above 
quoted,  that  the  inhabitants  of  thofe  countries  eat 
raw  frozen  fifh  as  a  fpecific  remedy  for  the  fcurvy  ; 
and  this  is  what  I  meant  to  obferve. 

The  above-mentioned  Counfellor  Miller,  in 
pages  205,  206,  alio  fpeaks  of  exercife,  and  the 
warm  blood  of  raindeer,  as  beneficial  in  fcorbutic 
cafes.  **  In  this  particular,"  fays  he,  "  the 
16  Ruffians  about  Archangel  fliould  be  imitated; 
<c  fome  of  whom,  almofl  every  year,  winter  in 
fi  Nova  Zemla,  without  ever  contracting  the  fcurvy. 
"  They  follow  the  example  of  the  SamojedeSy  by 
"  frequently  drinking  the  warm  blood  of  raindeer 

"  juft 


[    73    ] 
with  them  to  the  ifland.    Of  this  they  had 
confumed  about  one  half  with  their  meat; 

the 

"  juft  killed." "  The  hunting  after  thefe  ani- 

"  ma'.s  requires  a  continual  exercife.  None  ever 
"  keeps  in  his  hut  during  the  day,  unlefs  the  ftormy 
"  weather,  or  too  great  quantities  of  fnow,  hinder 
((  them  from  making  their  ufual  excurfions." 

When  I  read  to  Mr.  S.  Batigne  the  account 
which  I  now  lay  before  the  public,  he  told  me,  he 
was  inclined  to  believe  that  the  blood  of  raindeer, 
if  drunk  quite  warm,  might  be  a  great  prcfervativc 
againft,  and  even  a  cure  for  the  fcurvy,  preventing 
anddifperfing,  by  its  refolvent  nature,  all  thofe  vif- 
cuous  concretions,  which  give  rife  to  a  diforder  that 
proceeds  chiefly  from  a  want  of  proper  circulation  in 
the  juices;  which  at  length  brings  on  putrefaction, 
and  infecls  the  whole  mafs  of  the  blood.  Among 
other  proofs,  he  grounded  his  opinion  on  what 
fome  voyagers  to  the  Weft-Indies  relate,  that  when 
the  fcurvy  rages  amongft  a  fhip's  crew,  they  dire&ly 
make  for  one  of  the  Torture,  or  Turtle  I/lands,  fo 
called  from  the  great  number  of  thofe  animals  found 
there.  The  patients  feeding  plcntifullv  on  them, 
from  the  quantity  of  their  blood,  and  its  balfamic 
quality,  find  them  remarkably  wholcfomc. — This 
is  farther  confirmed  by  a  prevailing  cuftom  in  the 

A'- 

L 


[  74  j 
the  remainder  they  employed  in  a  dif- 
ferent manner,  equally  ufefnl.  They  foon 
faw  the  necefTity  cf  keeping  up  a  con- 
tinual fire  in  fo  cold  a  climate,  and  found 
that  if  it  fhouid  unfortunately  go  out, 
they  had  no  means  of  lighting;  it  a^ain ; 
for  though  they  had  a  freel  and  flints, 
yet  they  wanted  both  match  and  tin- 
der. 

The  American  favsges  have  hit  on  an 
expedient  for  procuring  fire,  by  rubbing  a 
fquare  piece  of  hard  wood  between 
two  pieces  of  a  fofter  kind;  which  being 
prefled  clofe  by  the  knees,  are  at  length 
heated  by  the  friction,   and  focn  after 

fmoke 


Alps  and  adjacent  country,  where  thofe  afflicted 
with  a  pleurify,  or  other  diibrders  occafioned  by  an 
obftruction  in  the  circulation  of  the  fluids,  are  or- 
dered to  take  the  blood  of  Bouquetins,  cr  Wild 
Goats ;  which  though  it  be  a  dry  fubflance,  yet 
retains  fo  much  of  its  volatile  nature,  as  to  produce 
the  moft  happy  efFecls,  in  bringing  on  firft  a  gentle 
perfpi ration,   then  copious  fweats. 


r     ^5     ] 


/. 

fmoke  and  take  fire  (a).     It  is  not  to  be 
pre  fumed  that  our  unfortunate  failors  were 

L  2  ac- 


(a)  Sec  what  Lab  at     ••     on  this '>    jeft,  in  his 

New  Voyages  to  the  Am  -  ...r  Ijlands,   when  (peaking 

of  the   Cay-ribs. But   I   —  od  here  ad;!,    that 

this  is  not  the  only  in  inner  ct  procu;  ug  a  fire,  in 
ufe  amongft  the  Americans.  Some  i  f  them  have 
fallen  on  another  expedient,  which  is  a  lingular 
contrivance,  a  machine  peculiarly  adapted  to  *he 
purpofc;  and  what  is  more  remarkable,  cvr-  he 
inhabitants  of  Kamtfchatra  ufe  the  fame  inflrumenf. 
Here  I  beg  leave  to  lay  before  the  reader  what 
Counfellor  Miller  has  faici  on  this  fubicct  in 
his  Account  of  the  Difcoveries  made  by  the  Riijiaris, 
before  quoted,  page  257.  "  Mr.  Steller 
"  came  to  a  place  where  the  Americans  had  but 
il  juft  dined,  but  the  inftant  he  approached  they 
"  retired.  He  there  found  an  arrow,  and  a  wooden 
"  inftrument  for  making  fire,   exaclly  fimilar  to 

"  thofc  ufed  for  that  purpofc  in  Kamtfcbatka" 

In  a  note  fubjoincd,  he  gives  the  following  defcrm- 
tion  of  it :  "  This  is  a  piece  of  board  with  leveral 
"  holes  in  it,  and  a  ftick,  the  one  end  of  v.  hich 
"  is  thruft  into  one  of  thefe  holes,  whilft  the 
"  other  end  is  whirled  round  between  the  hands, 
"  until  the  fvvift  gyration  fets  tlie  hole  on  fire; 
"  then  the  fparks   are  caught  on   fume  fubftancc 

"  like 


[    76    ] 

acquainted  with  this  American  practice; 
they  knew,  however,  that  by  rubbing 
together  two  dry  {ticks,  the  one  hard,  the 
other  foft,  the  latter  would  take  fire  ;  for 
befides  that  this  is  the  method  praclifed 
by  the  peafants  in  fome  parts  of  Ruflia 
when  in  the  woods,  there  is  alfo  a  re- 
ligious ceremony,  firictly  obferved  in 
every  Ruffian  village  where  there  is  a 
church,  in  which  the  fire  employed  is 
called  Givoy  Agon,  that  is,  Living  Fire, 
and  which  mult  be  kindled  in  the  like 
manner  (a). 

"  like  tinder,  eafily  combuftible,  and  the  fire  is 
"  kindled  by  the  help  of  dried  grafs,  or  other  ma- 
"  terials  tit  for  the  purpofc." 

(<?)  An  account  of  this  fingular  ceremony  may 
probably  not  prove  unentertaining  to  my  readers, 
though  it  have  no  immediate  connection  with  this 
Narrative. 

Tiie  eighteenth  of  Auguft,  old  ftile,  is  by  the 
Ruffians  called  Frol  i  Lavoir,  from  two  martyrs, 
who,  in  the  Roman  calendar,  are  known  by  the 
names  of  Florus  and  Laurus.  According  to  the  Ro- 
man chronology,  this  day  falls  on  the  twenty-ninth 
of  Auguft,  the  fame  day  on  which  the  church  com- 
memorates 


[    77    1 

The  Knowledge  however  of  this  could 
be  of  little  ufe  to  them,  for  they  were  at 
a  Iofs  for  the  materials  necefTary  to  per- 
form the  experiment.  They  had  no  other 
wood  but  fir,  which,  as  it  was  brought 
them  by   the   waves,  was  much  too  wet 

for 

memorates  the  dccolation  of  St.  Jch:-i.  On  this 
day  the  Ruffian  pcafants  lead  their  horfes  to  the 
church  of  the  village,  rear  to  the  fide  of  which 
they  have  the  evening  before  dug  a  cavity  under 
ground,  with  two  openings,  one  for  entering,  the 
other  (or  going  out.  Each  horie  having  a  bridle  made 
of  the  rind  of  lime-tree,  is  made  to  enter  this 
cavity  in  proccffional  order;  at  the  outlet  Hands 
a  prieft,  with  a  brufh  in  his  hand,  to  fprinkle  the 
creatures  with  holy  water;  and  as  they  fucceffively 
come  out,  the  bridle  of  each  is  taken  off,  and  the 
horfes  arc  then  made  to  walk  between  two  fires, 
kindled,  by  what  the  Ruffians  call  Givey  Agont 
that  is  Living  Fire:  into  one  of  thefe  fires  the 
peafants  throw  their  bridles,  where  they  are  con- 
fumed.  The  manner  of  kindling  this  Givoy  Agr,n3 
is  as  follows.  Tlicv  take  a  branch  of  the  mapie- 
tree,  which  is  prcvioully  dried,  and  about  fix  feet 
Ion-;,;  tins  they  rub  hard  on  a  piece  of  birch,  which 
is  alio  thoroughly  dried;  but  being  fofter  than  the 
former,  it  is  toon  let  on  [ire  bv  the  trichwn,  and 
ici'ves  for  makiii*!  the  two  f::  :s.  beioi  .  v.  :ntioiKcl. 


[  /5  J 
for  the  pnrpofe.  The  difficulty  therefore 
was,  by  what  means  to  fecure  themfelves 
againft.  fo  difmal  a  calamity  as  the  want 
of  fire?  After  revolving  this  hard  pro- 
blem in  their  minds,  they  had  recourfe 
to  the  following  contrivance.  In  their  ex- 
enrfions  through  the  ifland,  they  had 
met  with  a  flimy  loam,  or  a  kind  of  clay, 
nearly  in  the  middle  of  it.  Out  of  this 
they  found  means  to  form  a  utenfil  which 
might  ferve  for  a  lamp ;  and  they  pro- 
pofed  to  keep  it  conlhntly  burning,  with 
the  fat  of  the  animals  they  fhould  kill. 
This  was  certainly  the  moil  rational  fcheme 
they  could  have  thought  of;  for  to  be 
without  a  light,  in  a  climate  where,  dur- 
ing winter,  darknefs  reigns  for  feveral 
months  together,  would  have  added  much 
to  their  other  calamities.  Having  there- 
fore fafhioned  a  kind  of  lamp,  they  filled 
it  with  raindeer's  fat,  and  ftuck  in  it 
fome  twifted  linen,  lhaped  into  a  wick. 
But  they  had  the  mortification  to  find, 
that  as  foon  as  the  fat  melted,  it  not 
only   foaked   into    the   clay,    but   fairly 

run 


t    79    ] 

run  through  it  on  all  fides.  The  thing 
therefore  was  to  devife  fome  means 
for  preventing  this  inconveniency,  not 
arifing  from  cracks,  but  from  the  fub- 
fiance  of  which  the  lamp  was  made  be- 
ing too  porous.  They  made  therefore 
a  new  one,  dried  it  thoroughly  in  the 
air,  then  heated  it  red  hot,  and  after- 
wards quenched  it  in  their  kettle, 
wherein  they  had  boiled  a  quantity  of 
flour  down  to  the  confidence  of  thin 
ftarch.  The  lamp  being  thus  dried  and 
filled  with  melted  fat,  they  now  found, 
to  their  great  joy,  it  did  not  leak. 
But  for  greater  fecurity,  they  dipped 
linen  rags  in  their  pafte,  and  with  them 
covered  all  its  outiide.  Succeeding  in 
this  attempt,  they  immediately  made  ano- 
ther lamp,  for  fear  of  an  accident,  that 
in  all  events  they  might  not  be  defli- 
tute  of  light;  and  when  they  had  done 
fo  much,  they  thought  proper  to  fave 
the  remainder  of  their  flour  for  fimilar 
pnrpofes. 


[  So  1 
As  they  had  carefully  collected  what- 
ever happened  to  be  caft  en  fhore,  to 
fnpply  them  with  fuel,  they  had  found 
amongfr.  the  wrecks  of  veffels  fome  cor- 
dage, and  a  fmall  quantity  of  oakum 
(a  kind  of  hemp  irfed  for  calking  fhips) 
which  ferved  them  to  make  wicks  for  their 
lamp.  When  thefe  ftores  began  to  fail, 
their  fhirts,  and  their  drawers  (which 
are  worn  by  almoft  all  Ruffian  peafants) 
were  employed  to  make  good  the  defi- 
ciency. By  thefe  means  they  kept  their 
lamp  burning  without  intermiiTion,  from 
the  day  they  firft  made  it  (a  work  they 
fet  about  foon  after  their  arrival  on  the 
ifland)  until  that  of  their  embarkation 
for  their  native  country. 

The  nccefiitv  of  converting  the  mofr. 
effential  parts  of  their  cloathing,  fuch  as 
their  fhirts  and  drawers,  to  the  ufe 
above  fpecified,  expofed  them  the  more 
to  the  rigour  of  the  climate.  r«  hey  alio 
found  themfelves  in  want  of  fboes,  boots, 
and  other  articles  of  drefs;  and  as  winter 

was 


[    s.    ] 

was  approaching,  they  were  again  ob- 
liged to  have  reco'urfe  to  that  in- 
genuity  which  neceiTity  fuggeils,  and 
which  feldom  fails  in  the  trying  hour 
of  diflsrefs. 


They  had  fkins  of  raindeer  and  foxes 
in  plenty  that  had  hitherto  ferved  them 
tor  bedding,  and  which  they  now  thought 
of  employing  in  fome  more  efTential  fer- 
vice  ;  but  the  queftion  was  how  to  tan 
theim  After  deliberating  on  this  fub- 
jecl,  they  took  to  the  following  method. 
They  foaked  the  ikins  for  feveral  davs 
in  frefH  water,  till  they  could  pull  off 
the  hair  pretty  eafily ;  they  then  rubbed 
the  wet  leather  with  their  hands  till  it 
was  nearly  dry,  when  they  fpread  fome 
melted  raindeer  fat  over  it,  and  again 
rubbed  it  well.  By  this  procefs  the  lea- 
ther became  foft,  pliant  and  fupplc,  pro- 
per for  anfwering  every'  purpofe  they 
wanted  it  for.  Thofe  fkins  which  they 
deiigncd  for  furs,  they  only  foaked  for 
one  dav,  to  urcoare  them  for  being: 
\I  wrought, 


[      82       ] 

wrought,  and  then  proceeded  in  the  man- 
ner before  mentioned,  except  only  that 
they  did  not  remove  the  hair.  Thus  they 
foon  provided  themfelves  with  the  necef- 
fary  materials  for  all  the  parts  of  drefs 
they  wanted. 

But  here  another  difficulty  occurred. — 
They  had  neither  awls  for  making 
fhoes  or  boots,  nor  needles  for  fewing 
their  garments.  This  want  however  they 
foon  fupplied  by  means  of  the  bits  of 
iron  they  had  occaiionally  collected.  Out 
of  thefe  they  made  both;  and  by  their 
tnduitry  even  brought  them  to  a  certain 
degree  of  perfection.  The  making  eyes  to 
their  needles  gave  them  indeed  no  little 
trouble ;  but  this  they  alfo  performed  with 
the  affiftance  of  their  knife;  for  having 
ground  it  to  a  very  fharp  point,  and 
heated  red  hot  a  kind  of  wire  forged  for 
that  purpofe,  they  pierced  a  hole  through 
one  end,  and  by  whetting  and  fmooth- 
ing  it  on  itones,  brought  the  other  to 
a  point,  and  thus  gave  the  whole  needle 

a  very 


[     83     ] 

a  very  tolerable  form.  I  myfelf  examined 
fome  of  thefe  needles,  and  could  find 
fault  with  nothing  except  the  eye,  which 
being  made  in  the  manner  abovemen- 
tioned,  was  fo  rough  that  it  often  cut  the 
thread  drawn  through  it ;  an  imper- 
fection they  could  not  poffibly  remedy, 
for  want  of  better  tools. 

Sciflars,  to  cut  out  the  flans,  were 
what  they  next  had  occafion  for ;  but 
having  none,  their  place  they  fupplied 
with  their  knife  :  and  though  there  was 
neither  taylor  nor  fhoemaker  amongft 
them,  yet  they  contrived  to  cut  out  their 
leather  and  furs  well  enough  for  their 
purpofe.  The  finews  of  the  bears  and 
the  raindeer,  which,  as  I  mentioned  be- 
fore, they  had  found  means  to  fplit,  ferved 
them  for  thread;  and  thus  provided  with 
the  necefTary  implements,  they  proceeded 
to  make  their  new  cloaths. 

Their  fummer  drefs  coniiAed  of  a  kind 

of  jacket  and   trowfers,    made  of  fkins 

M  2  pre- 


[  Si  ] 
prepared  as  I  have  mentioned  above  , 
and  in  winter  they  wore  Ion?*  fur-^owns. 
like  the  Samojedes,  or  Laplanders,  fur- 
nifhed  with  a  hood,  which  coveted  their 
head  and  neck,  leaving  only  an  opening 
for  the  face.  Thefe  gowns  were  fewed 
clofe  round,  fo  that  to  put  them  on, 
they   were  obliged   to   bring  them  ove: 

•  CO 

their  heads  like  a  fhirt, 

Excepting  the  uneafinefs  which  gene- 
rally accompanies  an  involuntary  foli- 
tude,  thefe  people,  having  thus  by  their 
ingenuity  fo  far  overcome  their  wants, 
might  have  had  reafon  to  be  contented 
with  what  Providence  had  done  for 
them  in  their  diftrefsful  fituation.  But 
that  melancholy  reflection,  to  which  each 
of  thefe  forlorn  pcrfons  could  not  help 
giving  way,  that  perhaps  he  might  fur- 
vive  his  companions,  and  then  perifli  for 
want  of  fubfiitence,  or  become  a  prey 
to  the  wild  beafts,  inceiiantly  diftnrbed 
their  minds.  The  mate,  Ale x i s  Hi  m kof, 
more  particularly  futfered,   who   having 


[  *5  ') 
left  a  wife  and  three  children  behind, 
forely  repined  at  his  being  feparated 
from  them :  they  were,  as  he  told  me, 
constantly  in  his  mind,  and  the  thought 
of  never  more   feeing   them   made    him 

very  unhappy. But  I  will   now  give 

lome   account   of  the    iiland,  and  relate 
what  the  failors  told  me  about  it. 

In  the  fea-chart  of  the  northern  parts 
of  Europe,  drawn  by  Gerhard  van 
Keulen,  and  corrected  by  John  Pe- 
tersen Stuurman,  this  iiland  of  Eafl- 
Spitzbergen,  the  Maloy  Brown  of  the 
Ruffians,  is  placed  between  770.  25'.  and 
78°.  45'.  of  north  latitude,  and  confe- 
quently  between  the  end  of  the  third,  and 
the  beginning  of  the  fourth  climate ; 
iiQncc  the  longeil:  duration  of  day-li^ht 
there,  mud  be  four  months  in  the  year. 
According  to  the  above  Map,  this  iiland 
forms  a  kind  of  pentagone  :  its  length, 
from  eaft  to  wrefr,  is  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  and  its  breadth,  from  north 
to  fouth,  about  one  hundred  and  fifteen 

Endifli 


[    86    ] 

Bngliiri  miles.  As  I  had  forgotten  to 
queftion  our  failors  concerning  the  lize 
of  the  ifland,  fo  for  fome  information  I 
was  obliged  to  confult  the  Map  which  had 
been  laid  before  them  on  their  return 
home,  and  which  has  been  fince  fent  me 
from  Archangel.  In  this  they  had  pointed 
out  the  place  of  their  exile,  fhewed  the 
very  fpot  where  they  conceived  their  hut 
to  fland,  and  had  marked  it  with  the 
itroke  of  a  pen. 

As  a  proof  that  our  mariners  had  not- 
been  mistaken  in  the  fituation  of  this 
ifland,  I  fhall  lay  before  my  readers  what 
Mr.  Vernezobre  communicated  to  me 
in  one  of  his  letters. 

"  The  captain  of  a  galliot,  called  the 
**  Nicholas  and  Andrew,  belonging  to 
"  Count  Peter  Iwanowitsch  Schu- 
iC  walow,  Wintered  in  Malay  Brown,  in 
Kl  the  year  1749.  As  he  arrived  there 
"  foon  after  the  departure  of  our  failors, 
"  he  found  the  hut  in  which  they  had 

"'lived 


[     87    ] 

'  lived,  knowing  it  to  be  the  fame  by  a 
c  wooden  crofs,  which  the  mate  Alexis 
'  Himkof  had  ere&ed  before  the  door, 
c  as  a  memorial  of  his  having  taken  pof- 
c  feflion  of  the  country,  which,  from  his 
6  own  name,  he  called  Akxeyewjkoy 
Oftrow,  that  is,  Alexis'  I/land." — He 
further  fays,  in  the  fame  letter — cc  Some 
'  Samojedes,  having  heard  of  the  adven- 
'  tures  of  thefe  failors,  and  queftioned 
c  them  very  circumstantially  concerning 
:  the  country,  lately  font  me  a  mef- 
£  fage,  expreffing  their  defire  to  make  a 
:  fettlement  upon  this  iiland,  provided 
£  a  free  paffage  were  granted  to  them, 
*  their  wives,  children,  and  their  rain- 
<  deer." 

Before  I  enter  on  a  circumstantial  ac- 
count of  the  nature  of  this  iiland,  it  may 
not  be  improper  to  introduce  it  with  the 
following;  obfervation.  Some  authors  main- 
tain,  that  the  country  known  by  the  name 
of  Nova  Zemla,  is  n:j  iiland,  nor,  as  others 
affirm,  a  part  of  our  continent;  but  only 

an 


[    55    ] 

an  afTemblage  of  ice,  which  had  gradu- 
ally accumulated.  They  fupport  their  opi- 
nion, by  faying,  that  you  will  meet  with 
ice  on  digging  to  the  depth  of  one  or  two 
feet  into  the  fuperficial  earth.,  which  they 
pretend  has  been  carried  thither  by  the 
wind  from  the  coafl:  of  Ana,  and  depo- 
fited  on  this  ice. 

I  fhall  not  undertake  to  decide  this 
quefrion,  as  I  have  not  perufed  all  the 
authors  who  efpoufe  or  controvert  this 
opinion j  nor  is  it  to  my  prefent  purpofc 
But  thus  much  I  will  venture  to  affirm, 
that  the  iiland  of  Eaji-Spitzbcrgen  has  not 
been  formed  by  the  ice,  but  that  it  is 
certainly  real  land  ;  and  the  account 
given  me  of  it  by  thefe  failor?,  puts  this 
matter  beyond  all  doubt. 

According  to  their  relation,  the  iiland 
of  Eaji-Spitzberptn  has  many  mountains 
and  fteep  rocks  of  a  fmpendous  height,. 
which  are  conftantly  covered  with  fnow 
and    ice.      Not    a    tree,    nor    even    the 

pooreft 


[  «9  1 
pooreft  fhrub  is  to  be  met  with;  and  of 
plants,  fcurvy-grafs  is  the  only  one  which 
grows  there,  and  that  but  in  fmall  quan- 
tities ;  it  produces  no  grafs,  but  plenty  of 
mofs  in  every  part.  About  the  middle 
of  the  ifland  they  found,  as  I  have  men- 
tioned before,  a  fattifh  loam  or  clay  ; 
whence  we  may  reafonably  infer,  that 
iron  ores  have  exifted,  or  will  be  formed 
there :  perhaps  a  careful  fearch  would 
difcover  fome  even  now.  It  has  no  river, 
but  a  great  number  of  fmall  rivulets, 
which  rife  amongft  the  rocks  and  moun- 
tains, and  afford  plenty  of  water.  Be- 
sides pebbles,  which  are  met  with  in 
abundance,  this  ifland  produces  another 
kind  of  llone  that  will  burn  to  lime,  and 
which  is  found  on  the  furface  of  the 
earth.  In  RufTra  it  is  called  Plit,  and 
is  taken  from  quarries,  and  ufed  for 
making  quick  lime,  to  cement  the  foun- 
dation of  houfes.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  kind  of  free-Aone,  but  when 
long  expofed  to  the  air,  it  fcales  and 
falls  to  pieces  like  flates.  The  fhores  of 
N  the 


L    9° 
the   iiland    are    covered   with    fand  and 
gravel,  of  which  laft  a  little  is  alfo  found 
towards  its  center. 

I  further  questioned  our  failors  concern- 
ing the  appearance  and  abfence  of  the 
fun,  the  temperature  of  the  climate,  the 
feveral  viciflTitudes  to  which  the  air  was 
expofed,  and  in  fhort  all  the  phenomena 
they  might  have  obferved  during  their 
fby  on  the  iiland. 

The  anfwers  they  gave  me  relating 
to  the  firft  appearance  of  the  Cun,  its 
courfe  round  the  horizon,  and  its  total  dis- 
appearance, were  as  follows.  The  fun, 
they  faid,  firft  appeared  in  the  begin- 
ning of  Lent;  but  as  this  varies  much, 
according  as  Eafter  happens  to  fall,  and  as 
thefe  illiterate  failors  were  quite  unac- 
quainted with  the  manner  of  calculating 
Eafter,  or  had  perhaps  never  obferved 
that  this  feftival  falls  fometimes  later  than 
others,  fo  I  could  not  from  this  anfwer 
determine  the  time  of  the  fun's  firft  ap- 
pearance 


[  9'  ] 
pearance  above  the  horizon,  with  any 
degree  of  certainty.  The  time  of  their 
obferving  the  fun  to  begin  his  courfe  round 
the  horizon  was  more  exadl ;  this,  they 
faid,  was  on  the  feaft  of  St.  Athanafius, 
which  is  the  fecond  day  of  May,  old 
ftyle;  from  that  day  they  had  fcen  it 
perform  the  circuit  during  ten  or  eleven 
weeks,  which  (fuppoiing  the  latter  to  be 
the  true  time,  as  is  moil:  probable  from  the 
fituation  of  the  ifland)  would  be  to  the 
fifteenth  of  July.  They  added,  that  the  fun 
then  rofe  and  fet  every  four  and  twenty 
hours,  till  the  feflival  of  St.  Demetrius- 
that  is,  till  the  twenty-fixth  of  October, 
old  ftyle,  when  it  totally  difappeared. 

This  account  however  of  our  failors  is, 
I  fufpc6t,  not  exa6l ;  for  if  we  fuppofe  the 
iiland  on  which  they  were,  to  be  in  lati- 
tude feventy-feven  and  a  half  decrees, 
as  laid  down  in  the  map  above-mentioned, 
the  fun  mufl  make  its  firft  appearance  on 
the  horizon  on  the  fourth  of  February;  it 
ought  to  be  fecn  performing  its  circuit 
N   2  from 


[    92    J 
from  the  eleventh  of  April  till  the  eighth 
of  Auguft,  and  mud  difappear  on  the  fixr 
teenth  of  Oftober. 

But  though  thefe  good  people  might 
err  as  to  the  rifmg  and  fetting  of  the  fun, 
and  the  time  of  its  circuit  round  the  he- 
mifphere,  by  taking  the  church-kalendar 
for  their  guide,  yet  it  is  not  to  be  in- 
ferred from  thence  that  they  fell  into 
any  considerable  miftake  about  the  time 
of  their  abode  in  that  place;  for  the  verTel 
which  brought  them  home,  arrived  off  the 
ifland  on  the  fifteenth  of  Augufr,  which 
is  the  day  of  the  Afcenfion  of  the  Virgin 
Alary ;  but  our  failors,  who  had  always 
obferved  the  great  church  holidays,  as 
well  as  they  could  remember  them,  ima- 
gined it  to  be  the  thirteenth  of  Auguit, 
and  had  not  yet  celebrated  that  fcait.  So 
that  there  was  a  difference  of  two  days 
only,  which  is  ealily  pardonable,  when  we 
confider  that  in  fummcr  they  faw  the  dm 
moving  round  the  horizon  for  four  months 
together,  and  in  winter  were  as  long  in 

total 


[    93    ] 

total  darknefs ;  that  the  thick  and  cloudy 
weather,  the  great  quantities  of  fnow,  and 
almofr  inceffant  rains  at  certain  feafons, 
frequently  interrupted  the  fight  of  the 
liars. 

I  could  not  conceive  how  thefe  men, 
who  had  neither  clocks  nor  watches,  nor 
fun-dial,  nor  nocturnal,  had  been  able  to 
determine  the  length  of  a  natural  day,  at 
the  time  when  the  fun  was  conftantly 
moving  round  them,  and  efpecially  when 
they  had  no  longer  any  fight  of  him.  On 
this  head  I  was  very  particular  in  my  quef- 
tions;  fo  that  the  mate  Alexis  Himkof, 
furprized  at  them,  anfvvered  me  withfome 
warmth.  "  What  a  fine  pilot,  Sir,  would 
u  you  think  me  to  be,  if  I  knew  not  how 
"  to  take  the  altitude  of  the  fun  when  he 
"  is  before  my  eyes,  or  not  to  regulate 
"  myfclf  by  the  courfe  of  the  ftars  on  the 
fe  fun's  not  appearing,  and  by  that  means 
*::  to  determine  the  period  of  twenty-four 
iC  hours?  I  had  for  this  purpofe  made  a 
-f  ftafT,  like  that  which  I  had  left  behind 

"  in 


t  94  1 
*•  in  our  vefTel,  which  I  employed  for 
tC  making  my  obfervations."  From  hence 
I  conceived  this  inftrament  to  have  been 
what  we  call  a  Jacob's  ft  a jf3  or  fome  thing 
like  it. 

When  I  queftioned  them  concerning 
the  appearance  of  the  moon,  they  told 
me,  that  fhe  fhone  in  winter  for  almoft 
two  months  continually,  and  that  fhe  rofe 
higher  above  the  horizon  in  proportion 
as  the  days  grew  fhorter.  I  am  not 
Aftronomer  enough  to  determine  whe- 
ther they  told  me  the  truth  in  this  par- 
ticular; but  I  find  that  the  Dutch,  who 
wintered  in  the  year  1576  in  Neva  Zemta, 
in  the  feventy-fixth  degree  of  north  la- 
titude, give  a  fimilar  account  of  the 
moon's  courfe  above  the  horizon  during 
the  fun's  abfence,  which  I  will  here  lay 
before  the  reader. 

"  On  the  firft  of  November,  in  the 
:;  evening,  we  faw  the  moon  rife  in  the 
''  eafr,  and  the  fun  was  fuiriciently  raifed 

11  above 


[  95  ] 
"  above  the  horizon  to  be  wholly  viiible. 
"  — On  the  fecond,  the  fun  rofe  in  the 
"  fouth-fouth-eait,  and  fet  in  the  fouth- 
"  fouth- weft;  but  moved  on  the  horizon, 
"  fo  that  the  whole  difk  was  never  viiible. 
<£  — On  the  third,  the  fun  rofe  between 
cc  the  fouth  and  the  fouth-fouth-eaft,  but 
<c  fomething  more  towards  the  fouth,  and 
"  fet  between  the  fouth  and  fouth- fouth- 
"  well,  but  alfo  nearer  the  fouth,  and  we 
"  could  only  fee  the  upper  part  of  his  body, 
<c  though  the  place  from  whence  we  made 
"  our  obfervations  was  as  high  as  the 
"  main-mail:  of  the  fhip,  which  lay  clofe 
"  by. — On  the  fourth,  the  fun  was  no 
"  longer  to  be  feen,  though  the  weather 
"  was  fair. — When  the  fun  had  left  the  ho- 
"  rizon,  the  moon  took  his  place,  and 
"  continued  to  fhine  day  and  night  with- 
"  out  fetting,  when  in  her  greateft  nor- 
"  thern  declination  (#)." — This   account 


pe 


fectiv 


(o)  See  Recucil  des  Voyages  qui  ont  fervi  5 
retabliiTement  6c  aux  progrcs  de  la  eompagnie  des 
Indes  Orientales,   fomiee  dan;  les  Pro\:inccs-Unies 


I    96    ) 
perfectly  agrees  with  that  of  our  iailorS; 
as  to  the  moon's  fhining  day  and  night, 
though  it  does  not  mention  how  long  fhe 
continued  fo* 

They  further  told  me,  that  the  aurora 
borealis  was  pretty  frequent  in  winter, 
and  greatly  contributed  to  lelTen  the 
gloominefs  of  fo  long  a  night. 

One  would  imagine,  that  in  a  country 
fo  near  the  Pole,  where  the  heat  in  fum- 
mer  is  very  moderate,  though  the  fun 
fhines  for  fome  months  without  inter- 
ruption, the  cold  mull:  be  very  intenfe 
during  the  whole  winter;  but  the  facl  is 
otherwife;  for  from  about  the  middle  of 
November  to  the  beginning  of  January, 
a- period  about  which  thefe  good  people 
fatisfied  me,  by  defining  it,  in  their  ufual 
manner,  by  two  holidays;    namely,   the 

beginning 


des  Pays-Bas.  Troifieme  Voyage  des  Hollandoi*  pat 
le  Nord,  p.  66,  67, 


f    97    ] 

Beginning  of  St.  Philip'?,  Fafr,  which  falls 
on  the  fifteenth  of  November;  and  the 
day  for  confecrating  the  holy  water,  which 
among  us  is  the  Twelfth-Day,  or  iixth  of 
January.  During  thefe  feven  weeks  they 
faid    it    generally   rains  hard  and    con- 
tinually On  the  ifla'nd,   and  all  that  time 
the  cold  is  very  moderate;  but  after  this 
rainy  feafon  it   becomes  intolerably  fe- 
vere,  efpecially  when  the  wind  is  fouth. 
This  will  appear  extraordinary,  as  in  moll 
countries    this    is   a   warm  wind,    whilfl 
its  oppofite  the  north  wind  is   cold;  but 
here  it  rauft  be  confidered,  that  the  fouth 
winds  came  to  our  iflanders  over  Europe, 
and  particularly  the  northern  parts  of  it^ 
which  in  winter  are  generally  covered  with 
fnow  and  ice,  whence  it  contracts  this  cx- 
ceffive   coldnefs.     The   north   wind,    on 
the   contrary,    came   to    them    from   the 
ocean,  and  inilead  of  increafing  the  cold, 
carried  along  with  it  the  vapours  from  the 
lea,     which    are    always    lefs    frigorific 
than  thofe  from  fnow.    It  is  indeed  a  fact 
well  known  on   the   fea-coafts,  that  the 
O  land- 


[    9?     J 

land-winds  are  ufually  colder  than  fuch 
as  blow  from  the  fea :  and  what  confirms 
this  account  is,  that  ail  who  have  been  on 
the  Riphaan  mountains,  or  that  chain 
called  Poias  Semnoy  (which  divides  Eu- 
ropean Ruilia  from  Siberia)  agree  with 
our  failors  in  faying,  that  the  coldnefs  of 
the  fouth  winds  there  far  exceeds  that  of 
the  north  winds. 

The  fnow  fell  on  this  ifland  in  fuch 
great  quantities  during  the  winter,  that 
it  wholly  covered  their  hut,  and  left 
them  no  way  of  getting  out  of  it,  but 
through  a  hole  they  had  made  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  roof  of  their  anti- 
chamber. 

On  my  afking  thefe  people  about  me- 
teors, tempefts,  &c.  they  told  me,  that 
during  the  whole  time  of  their  abode  on 
the  ifland,  they  had  not  heard  it  thunder 
more  than  once. 

Excepting 


C    99     ] 

Excepting  the  white  bears,  the  foxes, 
and  the  raindeer,  with  which,  as  I  have 
already  obferved,  the  iiland  abounds, 
it  is  as  void  of  every  other  kind  of  ani- 
mals as  of  the  human  fpecies.  A  few 
birds  are  indeed  feen  in  fummer;  but 
thefe  are  only  geefe,  ducks,  and  other 
water-fowl.  Nor  is  the  fea  that  furrounds 
it  better  flocked ;  fo  that  under  fuch  a 
dearth  of  fifh,  our  failors,  who  otherwife 
very  flriclly  attended  to  the  ceremonies 
prefcribed  by  their  religion,  could  neither 
obferve  their  Lent,  nor  other  fingle  faft- 
days.  But  had  the  fea  even  abounded 
with  fifh,  they  would  have  been  of  little 
fervice  to  them,  unprovided  as  they  were 
with  every  kind  of  falling-tackle ;  unlefs 
neceiTity  had  likcwife  taught  them  to 
make  hooks,  lines  or  nets. 

The  whales  feldom  approach  the 
fhore  ;  but  iea-dogs  and  feals  are  there  in 
great  abundance  :  and  hence  we  need  not 
wonder  at  the  Ruffians  having  formerly 
provided  necefTaries  and  wintered  there; 
O  2  for 


[       100       J 

for  they  carry  on  a  very  considerable 
trade  with  the  fkins,  the  teeth,  and  the 
blubber  of  thofe  animals,  efpecially  of 
the  latter.  So  that  we  have  reafon  to  be 
furprized,  that  not  a  iingle  verlel  with  that 
view  touched  at  the  ifland  during  the 
whole  time  which  thefe  men  pafTed  upon 
it :  and  from  this  circumstance  I  am  led  to 
think,  that  the  fiHierv  turns  out  far  more 
profitable  on  JVeJi-Spitzbergen,  whither  b 
feems  they  generally  direct  their  courfe. 

Our  men  told  me,  that  they  had  fre- 
quently found  on  the  beach  fome  teeth, 
and  even  whole  jaws  of  the  feals,  bm 
Ttever  an  entire' fkeleton  of  them.-'  This  is 
not'tb  be  wondered  at,  for  when  any  of 
•thefe  animals  die  upon  the  fhore,  the  white 
bears  immediately  eat  the  carcafe,  and 
the  foxes  perhaps  come  in  for  a  fharc. 

But  the  common  food- of  the  white  bears 
5f>  me"  dead  whales,  which  are  frequently 
JdSff* -floating  about,-  and  fometimes  arc 
•■wlft- onshore  in' thefe  polar  regions.  When 

thip 


[  ioi  ] 
this  provision  fails,  they  fall  npon  and  de- 
vour the  feals,  or  other  fea-animals,  when 
Sleeping  on  the  beach.  The  raindeer  livre 
entirely  on  rriofs,  of  which  thefe  defert 
countries  produce  an  incredible  plenty.  But 
what  provifion  there  is  for  the  foxes  we  do 
not  know.  Thefe  creatures  are  known  to 
be  carnivorous,  and  on  the  continent  they 
fubfift  by  catching  poultry  and  hares;  but 
as  nothing  of  this  kind  is  to  be  met  with  on 
that  iiland,  it  is  probable  that  they  feed 
upon  the  remains  of  the  animals  killed, 
and  partly  confumed  by  the  white  bears  ; 
as  they  are  not  fufficiently  frrong  to  cater 
for  themfelves,  and  to  mafter  fuch  crea- 
tures as  are  as  little  able  to  withfland  the 
bears. 

Before  I  come  to  the  no  lefs  fortunate 
than  unexpected  deliverance  of  our  failors 
from  their  forlorn  abode,  at  a  time  when 
they  thought  of  nothing  butmiferably  end- 
ing their  days  there,  I  muft  mention  a  cir- 
eumftance  which  had  almoft  efcaped  me, 
andyet  fecms  net  unworthy  of  notice.  It  is 

remark- 


[       102       } 

remarkable,  that  thefe  men  w-ere  neither 
troubled  with  fleas  nor  lice,  during  the 
whole  time  they  remained  on  the  ifland, 
though  on  their  return  home  they  were 
again  vifited  by  them.  It  is  a  pretty 
general  observation,  that  failors,  who 
otherwife  are  very  fubject.  to  vermin, 
and  who,  it  is  faid,  for  that  reafon  wear 
flhirts  of  blue  linen,  get  quite  free  from 
them  on  palling  the  equator ;  but  no 
fooner  do  they  repafs  the  line  on  their 
return,  than  thofe  vermin  fwarm  among 
them  as  before.  Now  thefe  two  cir- 
cumflances,  namely,  the  crofTing  the  equi- 
noctial line,  and  getting  beyond  the  po- 
lar circle,  being  attended  with  the  fame 
effects,  one  would  naturally  imagine, 
that  there  mnft  be  fomething  in  common 
between  them ;  and  it  were  to  be  wifhed 
that  naturalifls  would  make  that  a  fubject 
of  their  inquiry. 

When  our  four  mariners  had  pafTed 
nearlv  fix  years  in  this  difmal  place, 
Fe  odor  We  r  e  g  i  n,  whofe  illnefs  we 

had 


[  i°3  ] 
had  occafion  to  mention  above,  and  who 
all  along  had  been  in  a  languid  con- 
dition, died,  after  having  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  fuffered  moll:  excruciating 
pains.  Though  they  were  thus  freed 
from  the  trouble  of  attending  him,  and 
the  grief  of  being  witnefTes  to  his  mi- 
fery,  without  being  able  to  afford  him 
any  relief,  yet  his  death  affected  them  not 
a  little.  They  faw  their  number  lefTened, 
and  every  one  wifhed  to  be  the  firfl:  that 
fhould  follow  him.  As  he  died  in  winter. 
they  dug  a  grave  in  the  fnow  as  deep  as 
they  could,  in  which  they  laid  the  corpfe, 
and  then  covered  it  to  the  beft  of  theii 
power,  that  the  white  bears  might  not 
get  at  it. 

Now,  at  the  time  when  the  melan- 
choly reflections  occafloned  by  the  death 
of  their  comrade  were  freih  in  their 
minds,  and  when  each  expected  to  pay 
this  laft  duty  to  the  remaining  companions 
of  his  misfortunes,  or  to  receive  it  from 
them,  they   unexpectedly  got  light  of  a 

ivuii.ai> 


[     '04     J 
Ruffian  fhlp :    this  happened  on  the  fif-» 
teenth  of  Anguft,  1749. 

The  veiTcl  belonged  to  a  trader,  of 
the  feci  called  by  its  adherents  Stara 
Fieva,  that  is,  The  Old  Faith  (a),  who  had 

come 

(<?)  Thefe  are  looked  upon  as  a  fet  of  heretics  by 
the  Ruffians,  who  give  them  the  name  of  Rafkol- 
chiki)  or  Ra/kohiikiy  which  fignifies  BackfAders,  of 
Apojlates, 

Though  the  particular  religion  of  the  mailer  of 
the  veflei  be  a  circumftance  indifferent  in  itfelf,  and 
in  no  ways  connected  with  the  fubject  of  my  nar- 
rative, yet  I  hope  fome  account  of  it  will  not  be 
unacceptable  to  thofe  who  delight  in  fearching  into 
the  hiflory  of  nations,  and  more  particularly  into 
the  Ruffian  hiftory,  and  every  thing  relating  to 
it.  Another  reafon  for  my  mentioning  it,  is,  that 
I  find  thefe  people  rnifreprefented  by  ieveral  au- 
thors. Some  have  defcribed  them  as  a  diftinct 
nation,  and  others  have  taken  them  to  be  a  fet  of 
hermits,  or  monks ;  but  they  are  neither  one  nor 
the  other;  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  northern  coafU 
of  Rulha,  who  bear  the  name  of  RuJJians,  arc 
as  fuch  eftcemed  profcfTors  of  the  pure  Greek  reli- 
gion; whereas  thefe  fe&aries  arc,  in  oppofition  to 
them,    diftinguiihed,   as   I    faid,    by  a  nick-name 

of 


[     "°5     J 
tbme   with   it  to  Archav.rel,   propofing   it 
fhould   winter   in  Nova  Zemla-,  but   for- 

tunatcl)' 


of  ridicule  and  reproach.  The  appellation  they  give 
ihemfelves  is  Starrs  Vievi,  that  is,  Prcfcjfovsoftbe 
Old  Faith, 

Thefe  heretics,  in  order  to  make  thcmfelves 
fcnown,  are  obliged  to  wear  a  large  yellow  collar, 
bordered  with  red,  which  hangs  a  great  way  down 
the  back,  and  ends  ahnoft  in  a  point.  Upon  con- 
dition of  wearing  this  difunguifhing  badge,  what- 
ever their  other  drels  be,  and  under  the  promife  of 
not  attempting  to  fpread  their  doctrine,  or  raifing 
disturbances  in  the  empire,  Peter  the  Great  gave 
orders  that  tlicy  lhould  be  tolerated,  and  live  un- 
rholefted,  after  having  been  cruelly  perfecuted  for 
Some  time  before: 

This  feci  originated  about  the  vear  1 6 6 6 ,  upon 
the  following  occafion.  The  patriarch  Nicov, 
who  may  well  be  called  the  Hildebrand,  or  the  Gre- 
gory VII.  of  the  Ruffian  church,  as  he  plainly  ap- 
pears to  have  bad  the  genius  of  that  Pope,  [<:c:u  his 
ilifjmtes  with  the  Emperor  Alexey  Michael- 
owitz  (who  at  laft  had  him  iolcmnh  depefed  from 
his  dignity  by  the  patriarch-:,  bilhops,  metropo- 
litans and  other  Rufiian  prelates  affembled  tor  that 
purpofeat  Mofcon  )  this  Nico.v,  I  lay,  had  obicrved 
that  manv  obsolete  avoids  occurred  in  th.e  Sclavonian 


Lit 


tur 


[     io6     ] 

tunately   for  our  poor  exiles,  Mr.  Ver- 
nezobre  propofed  to  the   merchant   to 

let 


Liturgy  ufed  in  the  Ruffian  churches,  which  were 
neither  underftood  by  the  priefts,  nor  by  the  people; 
thefe  he  changed  for  others  of  the  fame  fignification, 
but  more  modern  and  intelligible. 

A  great  number  of  priefts,  efpecially  about 
Archangel  and  in  Siberia,  with  one  Jacob  at  their 
head,  protefted  againft  this  alteration  of  the  ex- 
preflions,  which  they  confidered  as  the  grcateft  crime 
againft  religion.  They  obftinately  perfifted  in  re- 
taining the  old  words,  which  according  to  them  had 
been  fanctified  by  a  long  feries  of  ages,  and  could 
not  be  changed  without  great  impiety.  They  there- 
fore diffented  in  certain  articles  from  the  Ruffian 
church,  and  afferted,  that  they  alone  maintained 
the  old  and  pure  religion.  However,  many  of  the 
moft  learned  and  fenfible Ruffians  have  affured  me,' 
that  thefc  articles  only  relate  to  matters  of  little 
confequence.  Thus,  as  an  outward  mark  of  their 
profeffion,  they  make  the  fignof  the  crofs,  by  join- 
ing the  thumb  and  the  two  laft  fingers  of  the  right 
hand,  holding  up  the  index  and  middle  linger.  The 
Ruffians,  on  the  contrary,  ioin  the  thumb  with 
the  index  and  the  middle  linger,  and  pvc!«  the 
two  laft  fingers  down  into  t'.e  palms  of  their 
hand:;. 

I  hem 


[     !°7     1 
let  his  velTel  winter  at  IVcfl-Spkzbergen, 
which  he  at  lair,  after  many  objections, 


agreed  to. 


The  contrary  winds  they  met  with  on 

their  paflage,  made  it  impoflible  for  them 

to   reach   the   place  of  their   destination. 

The    vefTcl    was    driven   towards    Eafl- 

P  2  Spitsbergen, 


From  the  beginning  of  this  fchil'm,  to  the  time 
when  Petek.  the  Great  abolifhed  the  patriarchal 
dignity  in  Ruffia,  during  the  fpace  of  about  fifty 
years,  the  Rajkolniki  were  inhumanly  ufed,  and 
hence  many  of  them  lied  to  the  woods  ror  fafctv; 
but  they  never  were  a  fct  of  hermits,  as  affertedby 
the  author  of  the  Nouveau  Diftiomialre  imivcrffl 
■pour  f  Intelligence  Acs  Affaires  (VEtat,  ties  N~ouz'e:lc> 
Jiubliqucs,  he.  under  the  article  Raskolnikes. 
Many  of  them  are  merchants  and  people  of  great 
property,  and  are  thought  to  be  more  honeft  in 
their  dealings  than  the  other  Ruffians.  There  are 
hermits  in  Ruffia,  known  bv  the  name  of  Pcu(l:n::iki: 
thelc  arc  commonly  trades-people,  who,  being  tired 
of  the  world,  ailbciate  and  retire  in  fmall  companies 
into  the  wood:,,  where  they  build  huts  and  a  church, 
live  upon  alms,  and  pais  their  days  in  penance  and 
prayer;  but  they  nmfi  have  leave  of  their  ibve- 
reiffn  for  this  uurnofe. 


[  io8  ] 
Spitzbergcn,  directly  oppcfitc  to  the  re- 
iidence  of  our  mariners,  who,  as  foon 
as  they  perceived  her,  haftened  to  light 
fires  upon  the  hills  ncarefr.  their  habi- 
tation, and  then  ran  to  the  beach,  wav- 
ing a  flag  made  of  a  raindeer's  hide 
fattened  to  a  pole.  The  people  on  board 
feeing  thefe  fignals,  concluded  that  there 
were  men  on  the  ifland  who  implored 
their  afilflance,  and  therefore  came  to  a;i 
anchor  near  the  fhore. 

It  would  be  in  vain  to  attempt  deferr- 
ing the  joy  of  thefe  pcor  people,  at  fee- 
ing the  moment  of  their  deliverance  fo 
near.  They  foon  agreed  with  the  mailer 
of  the  fhip  to  work  for  him  on  the  voy- 
age, and  to  pay  him  eighty  rubels  on  their 
arrival,  for  taking  them  on  board,  with  all 
their  riches  ;  which  confifted  in  fifty  pud, 
or  two  thoufand  pound  weight  of  rain- 
deer  fat;  in  many  hides  of  thefe  animals, 
and  ikins  of  the  blue  and  white  foxes, 
together  with  thefe  of  the  ten  white  bears 
'hey  had  killed.    They  took  care  not  to 

forget 


[  109  3 
forget  their  bow  and  arrow?,  their  fpears, 
their  knife  and  axe,  which  were  almoft 
worn  out,  their  awls,  and  their  needles 
which  they  kept  carefully  in  a  bone-box, 
very  ingenioully  made  with  their  knife 
only ;  and,  in  fhert,  every  thing  they 
were  porTefTed  of. 

Some  of  thefe  tilings  they  brought  with 
them  to  Peterjburg;  others  they  after- 
wards font  by  Mr.  Vernezobre  from 
Archangel,  as  prefents  for  Count  Schu- 
walow,  who  was  pleafed  to  commit 
them  to  my  care.  This  gave  me  an  op- 
portunity of  examining  them  at  lcifure, 
and  to  lay  them  before  many  curious  and 
ingenious  per  Tons,  who  could  not  fufli- 
ciently  admire  them. 

One  day,  when  I  fhewed  the  bone 
needle -cafe  above-mentioned  to  fome 
of  thofe  gentlemen,  and  told  them  the 
jailors  had,  according  to  their  account, 
made  it  with  their  knife,  they  anfwered 
me  that  it  could  not  be;  that  it  was  im- 
port! blc 


[      no     ] 

poiTible  they  could  have  given  it  fo  re- 
gular a  form  with  a  knife,  that  the  box 
had  undoubtedly  been  turned  in  a  lathe, 
and  that  the  men  had  deceived  me  in 
pretending  it  to  be  their  work  :  hence 
they  directly  inferred,  that  thefe  men, 
affirming  a  falfity  in  this  point,  might 
have  done  it  in  others ;  fo  that  the 
whole  account  of  their  adventures  on  the 
defert  iiland  was  not  to  be  credited.  I  de- 
fended them,  and  during  our  difpute 
Mr.  Homann,  a  very  fkiiful  ivory-turner, 
cafually  entered  the  room.  We  prefently 
agreed  to  abide  by  his  decitfon;  and 
turning  to  him,  I  gave  to  the  queftion  a 
quite  different  turn,  that  Mr.  Homann 
might  not  be  thought  to  have  decided  in 
my  favour  only  out  of  civility.  "  Be  fo 
"  kind,"  (aid  I,  "  to  determine  a  fmall 
"  difference  between  thefe  srentlcmcn 
"  and  me  :  I  fay  that  this  box  is  turned, 
"  and  they  maintain  the  contrary."  Mr. 
Homann  having  carefully  examined  it, 
anfwered,  "  The  Gentlemen  are  in  the 
cc  right;  this  box  was  never  made   by  a 

■:    turner; 


"I  ] 

"  turner;  it  is  a  bone  which  has  been 
cc  (craped  to  this  form." — The  anfwer 
fiienccd  my  opponents,  and  gave  me  a 
right  to  conclude,  that  as  the  failors  had 
not  deviated  from  truth  in  this  particular, 
fo  they  deferved  credit  for  their  narrative 
in  general. 


b 


I  mnft  indeed  confefs,  that  I  mvfclf 
have  often  been  tempted  to  doubt  the 
truth  of  feveral  circumfrances,  and  have 
therefore  carefully  and  impartially  con- 
sidered every  thino;  thefc  men  related  to 
me.  But  though  I  put  the  fame  quefHons 
to  them  at  different  times,  and  on  dif- 
ferent occasions,  often  obi  eel:  ed  to  their 
anfvvcrs,  and  by  crofs  examination  en- 
deavoured to  find  them  in  contradiction?; 
yet  their  anfwers  were  always  perfectly 
confident  with  one  another,  and  thereby 
removed  the  fufpicions  I  had  before  en- 
tertained about  their  veracity. 

As  a  further  proof  of  my  having  taken 
ever}'  neceffury  lie;:  t,  fati?fv myfelf  about 

the 


[       "2       ] 

the  truth  of  their  relation.;  I  fibril  her?. 
lay  before  the  reader  a  letter  of  Dr. 
Kratzenstein,  Profeffor  and  Member 
of  the  Imperial  Academy  at  St.  Peterjburg; 
whom  I  consulted  about  the  account  given 
by  our  inlanders,  concerning  the  riling  and 
fetting  of  the  fun,  and  every  thing  they 
had  mentioned  to  me  relating  to  that 
luminary.  Now,  though  the  remarks  con- 
tained in  this  letter  feem  in  fome  meafure 
to  invalidate  fome  part  of  what  was  told 
me  by  the  failors,  yet  they  are  not  a  hi- 
ficient  proof  againit  the  veracity  of  the' 
reft;  for  their  miftake  in  a  few  particulars 
might  arife  from  the  very  natural  caufes. 


which     we    afligned     before. Here 

is  the  letter: 

"  I  beg  your  pardon  for  having  fu  long 
"  delayed  returning  the  written  queftions 
"  which  }'ou  fent  me,  and  to  which  I 
"  have  added  my  remarks ;  the  multitude 
"  of  affairs,  and  the  long  continuance 
"  of  the  rainy  weather,  have  hindered 
"  me  from  doing  it  iooner." 

li  I"i'ivini-r 


[     "3     ] 

*'  Having   carefully  examined   all  cir- 

(i  cumfiances,  I  found  that  what  ProfefTbr 

£C  Gr isc how   accounts   a   proof  of  the 

"  juitncfs  of  the  calculation  of  thefe  fhip- 

"  wrecked    failors,    namely,    that    they 

"  computed    two   days   later  than   thofe 

"  who   took  them  off  Lhat  defert  ifland, 

"  was  certainly  the  very  reverfe;  for,  if  a 

"  perfon  in  leap-year  reckons  the  twenty- 

"  ninth    of   February,    he    who    knows 

"  nothing  of  the  leap-year  reckons  the 

"  firil  of  March,  and  after  two  fuch  years 

<c  reckons  the  fecond  of  March ;    confe- 

"  quently,  fuppoflng  the  failors  to  have 

iC  omitted  taking  notice  of  the  leap-years 

"  1744  and  1748,   they  would  of  courfe 

"  have  reckoned  in  1749  the  feventeenth 

"  of  AuguiT,    whereas   with  their   dcli- 

"  vercrs  it  was  only  the   fifteenth.    Thus 

IC  it  is  clear,  that  if  they  were  acquainted 

"  with   the    leap-years,   they   have    been 

cc  miitaken  by    two   days;  and    if  they 

iC  were  not  acquainted  with  them,   they 

"  have    been    mistaken    by    four    days ; 

(i  which  indeed  might   caiiiy   happen  in 


[     "4     1 

"  fo  long  a  night,  or  dark  and  cloudy 
"  weather,  efpecially  being  without  any 
"  help  to  calculate  the  length  of  a  re- 
"  gular  day. 

"  Farther,  in  the  years  when  they 
"  placed  the  total  difappearance  of  the 
"  fun  on  the  tvventy-lixth  of  October, 
c:  their  calculation  muft  have  been  ten 
"  days  too  early;  or  they  rauft  have  lived 
"  in  latitude  740  41 '.  which  cannot  be,. 
c£  unlefs  we  fuppofe  them  to  have  re- 
"  fided  on  Bear-I/Ianci,  which  lies  in 
"  that  latitude. 

"  If  we  fix  the  place  of  their  abode, 
Ci  according  to  the  Map,  in  latitude  fe- 
ct  ventv-feven  and  a  half  decrees,  the 
"  fun  there  would  appear  on  the  horizon 
cc  for  the  fir  ft  rime  on  the  fourth  of  Fe- 
"  brnary,  would  friine  continually  from 
"  the  eleventh  of  April  to  the  eighth  of 
"  Auguft,  and  totally  difappear  on  the 
4*  lixteenth  of  October. 


If 


[     "5     1 

<c  If  they  lived  on  Bear-IJIand,  they 
"  muft  have  (con  the  fun  for  the  fir  ft 
xc  time  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  January; 
"  as  he  there  performs  his  circuit  above 
"  the  horizon  from  the  twentieth  ot 
"  April  to  the  thirty-firft  of  July,  and 
"  difappears  on  the  twenty -third  of 
£:  Ocloher. 

c-  Now,  from  the  obfervations  of  thefe 
<£  failors,  it  would  appear  more  probable 
tc  that  they  were  on  the  laft  mentioned 
"  iiland  ;  but  the  darknefs  of  the  horizon, 
<e  a  circumftance  very  ufual  in  thefe  nor- 
"  thern  countries,  may  have  occailoned 
"  their  mifhke  in  obferving  the  fun  ten 
*'  days  later  than  they  would  have  done 
"  with  fair  weather  and  a  clear  fky ;  and 
"  from  the  fame  caufe  they  may  have 
"  loft  light  of  him  ten  days  before  the 
"   period  of  his  difappearance. 

Ci  If  we  date  the  beginning  of  this  Iumi- 

"  nary's  courfe  round  the  horizon  on  the 

"  fecond  of  May,  its  end  mull  have  been 

QjJ  "  on 


[    n6    ] 

"  on  the  nineteenth  of  July ;  and  this 
£C  would  pre-fuppofe  them  to  have  been 
"  in  latitude  feventy-one  and  a  half  de- 
"  grees,  which  from  other  circumftances 
"  in  their  relation  feems  impofiible. 

"  I   could  have  wifhed  that  you  had 

iC  examined   the   account   of  the   adven- 

"  tures    of    thefe   failors    drawn    up   by 

"  Mr.  Kl ingstadt,   who    examined 

"  them  foon  after  their    arrival,   as  this 

"  might  have   made  up  what  is  wanting 

"  in  your's.     I  have  no  doubt  but  that, 

cc  on  making  application  to  him,  he  would 

ic  with  pleafure  have  gratified  your  de- 

"  fire*.  "He  difcharges  with  honour  the 

"  poft  of  Chief  Auditor  of  the  Admiralty 

"  at  Archangel,   and  lives   in  Air.  Ver- 

"  nezobre's  houfe. 

"  I  am,  &c." 


This  was  accordingly  done,  to  the  fntisfadlion  of 
that  gentleman;  as  I  have  informec!  the  reae'e. 
in  page  47. 


[     1 1-7    ] 
Our  adventurers  arrived   fafe  at  Arch- 
angel on  the  twenty-eighth  of  September, 
1749,   having  fpent  fix  years  and   three 
months  in  their  rueful  folhude. 

The  moment  of  their  landing  was  nearly 
proving  fatal  to  the  loving  and  beloved 
wife  of  Alexis  Himkof,  who,  being 
prefent  when  the  vefTel  came  into  port, 
immediately  knew  her  hufband,  and 
ran  with  fo  much  eagernefs  to  his  em- 
braces, that  fhe  flipped  into  the  water, 
a nd  very  narrowly  cicaped being  drowned. 


All  three  on  their  arrival  were  ilrong 
and  healthy ;  but  having  lived  fo  long 
without  bread,  they  could  not  reconcile 
themfelves  to  the  ufe  of  it,  and  complained 
that  it  filled  them  with  wind.  Nor  could 
they  bear  any  fpirituous  liquors,  and  there- 
fore drank  nothing  but  water. 

Before  I  conclude,  I  cannot  help  fub- 
joining  a  reneclion  of  A^r.  Verne- 
zobrf,  with  which  he  concludes  one  or 

his 


[    J'S    3 

his  letters. "  I  make  no  doubt,  bnt 

fome  of  your  readers  will  confider 
the  adventures  of  thefe  failors  In  the 
fame  light  as  they  do  the  Englifh  hi- 
ftory  of  Roblnfon  Crufoe.  But  however 
ingenious  that  composition  is,  a  compa- 
rifon  with  this  Narrative  will  prove 
much  in  your  favour ;  as  the  former  is 
all  fiction,  whereas  your  fiibjecl.  confifls 
of  fa  els  fufficiently  authenticated.  And 
Crufoe  is  reprefented  as  having  almoft 
loft  what  knowledge  he  had  of  Chris- 
tianity; but  our  failors  carefully  retained 
their  religious  principles,  and,  as  they 
affured  me,  never  wholly  departed  from 
their  confidence  in  the  g;ooc!nefs  of  God, 
to  be  exerted  in  their  behalf,  even  in 
this  world." 


FINIS. 


BOOKS    printed   for  C.  He y  d  i  n  g  e  r  , 

Bookfeller,  oppofite  EjJcx-S/reet,   Stra?:d. 

UTHENTICITY  (77;e).of  the  firft  and  fecond  Charters 
..   of  St.   Matthew's  Gofpcl,  vindicated.    8vo.  177 1,    6d. 
fewed. 

Examination  (a  critical)  of  the  Notes  of  Dr.  Sykes  upon 
the  Epiitle  to  the  Hebrews,  by  Alethoi'hilus,  4m.  is.  6d. 

Hittory  (The)  of  Agatkon.  By  Mr.  C.  M.  Wieland, 
translated  from  the  German  Original,  with  a  Preface  by  the 
Tranflator,  giving  a  critical  account  cf  the  beft  German 
Authors.  Neatly  printed  and  embellifhed  with  an  elegant 
Frontifpiece,  in  4  Volumes,  izmo.  1773,  12s.  bound. 

Mauclerc's  {Dr.  John  Henry)  Nomenclatura  critica  Mr- 
borum  Ocularium  :  Or  a  critical  Index  to  the  Diiiempers  of 
the  Eves,   Bvo.   6d;  fevued. 

Obfervations  on  various  Snljects. — I.  On  the  Seven  Times 
Seventy  Years  of  Daniel,  Ch.  IX.  24 — 27. — 11.  On  tic 
Canon  of  the  Old  Teftament. —  Hi.  On  the  true  Reading 
of  the  PafTage,  1  Tim.  iii,  16.  Ey  John  Caspar  Vel- 
T-husEN,  One  cf  His  Majefly  1  German  Che  plains,  Svo. 
1773,   is.  6d.  feivud. 

Reafon  triumphant  over  Fancy  ;  exemplified  in  the  lingular 
Adventures  of  lH^n  Svlvio  tie  Rosai.va.  A  Hiftory  »n 
which  every  marvclb  :s  E  cut  occms  natiu.dly.  Translated 
from  the  German  ol  Mr.  \V  1  eland.  3  Vols.  i2mo.  1 7 7 3., 
7s.  6d.  fewed,   or  9C.  bound. 

A  Treafure  of  eaf/  Medicines,  briefly  comprehending  ap- 
proved  and  fpeciiic  Remedies  tor  atmoft  all  Diforders  of 
t:"e  Human  Hod  v.  Licenfed  and  recommended  by  the 
Royal  Co!l   ge  of  phnficiam,  i.'ino,  177  I.  3s.  bound. 

E30  N  G,  an  Oriental  lliftorv,  bv  E  on  Alb.  von  I  i  A  Li.i  li  , 
Pnj'iddil  (f  the  K.cyal  S:  a.'y  at  G  tHingc/i,  &c.  'I  randa-.ed 
from  the  German  Original,  indicated  to  l.er  ALytfy, 
and  •;mb:llijl  '  with  an  el-varA  I' rail  if  piece,  izmo.  17 '-•, 
:r.f,     (,  or5s.(  ;.  b.ur.d':  '  '" 

Zi  :■:  :•:  l  k  :•:  a  n's  (Dr.  '/.  G.)  1  uay  on  National  Pride, 
Tranllated  from  the  Germ  m  O  iginal.  To  which  aie  aide.!, 
fevtrdl  ciuicii:  -••.  i  ufetr.l   K.-.r.a;  ks,  colledt-rd  from  variou- 

Aulhor.-, 


u        Books  Printed  for  C.  Heyding£r,  ore. 

Authors,  for  the  better  illuftration  of  this  valuable  Work. 

JLmbelliJlted   with   an   elegant    Front ij piece,     12  mo.    1771, 

3s.  laved,  or  3s.  6J.  bound. 
Forstkr  dfch.  Rein.)  Novse  fpecies  Infeclorum,  Centuri,? 

l.avo.maj.  1 77 1,  2s.  6d. J ewed. 
Hallkri  (Jib.  de.J  Publioihcca  Medicinse  &  Hiftorije  na- 

turalis,  Se'.tio  I.   continens  BibliothecamrBotanicum,  qua 

Scripta  ad  rem  Herbariam  f  acientia  a  rerum  J n  1  tils  rccc-r>- 

fentur,  II  Tom.  4to.  1771 — 72,   il.  14s.  in  boards. 
Scopoli  (Jean.  Ant.)  Annas  I. — V. — Hiftorico-Nituralis  ; 

5  Partes,  c.  jig.  8vo.  1769 — 70,  7s.  6d.  in  beards. 
VklthUsen,  (yean.  Cafp.)  Exercitationes  critics  in  Jobi 

XIX.  v.  23 — 29.     Accedit   fcriptior  expofuio  reliqu  trum 

ejufdum  Libri  fententiarum,    quibus    Religiones   antiquif- 

Itmaj  vcfligia  produntur, '  8vo.  1772,   is.  fewed. 
Alt.kgro  (/')  &  le  Penfierofo  de  Milton,  traduits  en  Vers 

Francois  avec  l'Anglois  a  cote,  Par  Mr.    Rikouvule, 

4to,   is.  6d.  jewed. 
Ex  amen  de  I3   Doctrine  toucbant  le   Salut  des  Payens,   ou 

Nouvelle    Apologie    pour  Socrate.     Par   Mr.    Jkan- 

AugustE      Eberhard  ;       Traduit     de     l'Allcmand^ 

4  Parties,  gr.   8vo.    1773,    $s.  in  boards. 
1'Honnete  Criminel,  Drame  en  cinq  Actes  &:  en  Vers,  par 

Mr.  Fenouillot  de  Falbaire,  8vo.  is.  M. fewed. 
1'Impie  demafque  ;   ou  Remontrance  aux   Ecrivains  lncre- 

dules,  gr.  i2ino.   1773,    is.  6d.   fewed. 
Journal  Hiftorique  ou  Avantures  de  Mr.  de  T.  E.  ecrites  par 

lui-meme,   i2mo.  is.  6d.  fewed. 
Lettres  fur  l'Etat  prefent  du  e  hriftianifme,    Sc  la   Conduite 

des  Inc'redules,  par   Mr.   A.  J.  Roust  an,    2    Volumes, 

12 mo.    4s.  6d.  fewed,  or  6s.  neatly  bound. 
Memoire  inftructif  fur  l'lnoculation  des  petites  Veroles,  dans 

lequel  fe  trouvent  reunis  les  Preuves  les  plus  propies  a  con- 

itater  FElTicaoite  &;  la  Legitimite  de  cctte  Pratique,  d'apres 

la  meilleure  methode  Angloife.     Par  Mr.  La  pe  y RE ,  410, 

177  1,    is.  fewed. 
Voejie  (Le)  di  G10K.GIO  BAFEO,   Patrizio  J'eneto  8vo.  1 77  1 , 

3s.  fewed,  or  4s.  bound. 
Vnggi  (delli)  di  Enrico   Wanton    alle  Terre  Auftrali, 

IV  Tom.  8vo.  1772,    16s.  fewed,  or  il.   bound. 
Reponfe   aux   Diiricultes  d'un  Theitte,    ou   Supplement   aux 

Lettres  fur  I'Ktat  prefent  du  Chrii'tianifmc   &:  la  Conduite 

des  Incredules,  par   Mr    A.  J.   Roust  a: \,    i:mo.  1 7  7- , 

zi.  Fewed. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA.  LOS  ANGELES 
THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 


This  book  is  HTTP™  ♦ 


vissss.il  ESSE?  f"aS^« 


University  ot  ^'""■■""  _.£. 
SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  "BRARY  pAC^ 

305  ^ANO^S^cfL^ 


T 


vjf 


«%-, 


«u 


,-i- 


UNIYERSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 
AT 
LOS  ANGEJ 
LIBRARY 


6?  mil 


3  1158  00091  5909 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000  112  360    3