undertaken ly Russia. 323 



viator, M. Chuvastof, whom they sent along with a mid- v 

 shipman, named Davidof, toOchotzk, to assume at that place 

 the command of one of their best ships. The company, 

 however, would not have entirely accomplished the object in 

 view, had they not, in order to supersede the necessity of 

 the difficult and dangerous land carriage, resolved to dis- 

 patch ships direct from Cronstadt to the north-west coast 

 of Amer'Kja, which, after delivering their lading, were to 

 take on board a part of the. furs which are collected ia 

 larger quantities in the islands and on the coast, than can 

 be disposed of at Kiachta, and to convey them to Canton, 

 to be exchanged for Chinese articles, which not only find a 

 ready sale in Russia, but can be sold at a very great profit- 

 Under the reign of the Tate emperor, captain-lieutenant 

 Von Krusenstern, a meritorious officer, who served several 

 years in the British navy, and had ifiade a voyage to 

 India and China, transmitted to count Kuschelef, then mi- 

 nister of the marine, a detailed plan for a voyage of this 

 kind ; but, in consequence of some causes' which are not 

 known, it was never carried into execution. Since the ac- 

 cession of the present emperor, this plan, and the represen- 

 tations made on the same subject from other quarters, were 

 thought worthy of a more minute examination. Admiral 

 Mordvinof, who succeeded count Kuschelef in the naval de- 

 partment, was desirous that the first voyage might be un- 

 dertaken by government : and this would have been the 

 case, had not the American company offered to fit out two 

 ships at their own expenses ; an offer which the government 

 immediately accepted, and at the same time advanced to 

 the company for this undertaking the sum of 250,000 rubles, 

 at five per cent, interest, for eight years. 



As there were no ships in Russia fit for the purpose, it 

 was resolved that two should be purchased in England, 

 Captain-lieutenant Lisianski, destined to command one of 

 the vessels belonging to the expedition, was for this pur- 

 pose sent with M. Rasumof, an eminent ship-builder, to 

 this country, where they bought for 50001. sterling the 

 Leander of 170 tons, three years old; and for 17,0001. the 

 Thames of 430 tons, built twenty months. The sheath- 

 ing with copper and the repairing of these ships cost about 

 50001. more. * The name of the former was changed to the 

 Nad bs ha f a. (the Hope), and the other to that of the Neva, 

 and both were to proceed to Cronstadt as soon as the sea- 

 son would permit. The names of the officers appointed to 

 the Nadeshda were as follows : 



Krusenstern 



