328 First Russian Emhassy to Japan. 



the second Kamtschatka expedition. In the year 1738 cap- 

 tain Spangenberg explored the whole Kurile Archipelago^ 

 which had been known to the Russians but imperfectly 

 since 1 71 1^, and the islands of Matmai and Niphon, on 

 which occasion both he and lieutenant Walton, who com- 

 manded the second vessel, landed in Japan. 



This attempt, the immediate and principal object of 

 which was to rectify the geographical knowledge of that 

 part of the world, was attended with no beneficial conse- 

 quences to commerce, and forty years elapsed before a 

 Russian ship appeared again on the Japanese coasts; but 

 during that period government established a school of na- 

 vigation at Irkutsk, in which young persons who were bred 

 up to the sea received instruction also in the Japanese lan- 

 guage. 



In the year 1777 some private Russian navigators made a 

 second landing on the Japanese coast : a ship fitted out at 

 Ochotsk, by SchelechorT and company, which had come 

 to anchor at the 18th Kurile Isle*, in order to winter, dis- 

 patched thirty-three men in laidarsf to Matmai, where 

 they went on shore in the neighbourhood of a village named 

 Atkis. The Russians were received with great friendship 

 by the Japanese, and an interchange of presents, consisting 

 of such articles as they had with them, took place between 

 them. 



The ship which performed this voyage, after remaining a 

 fortnight at Ochotsk, proceeded a second time to Japan, 

 under the direction of M. Schebalin, a merchant of Ir- 

 kutsk. She wintered at the. 18th Kurile Isle, and next 

 year, that is in 1799, M. Schebalin sailed with forty- five 

 men to Atkis. Here he met with an officer of the Japanese 

 government, to whom, during a formal audience, he ex- 

 pressed a wish, that in future a trade by barter might be 

 established between Russia and Japan ; but this proposal 

 the Japanese endeavoured in a civil manner to decline. 

 M. Schebalin, without accomplishing the object of his 

 voyage, then returned to the 1 8th Kurile Island, from 

 which he proposed next year to proceed again to Matmai, 

 but was prevented by an earthquake, which took place in 

 the month of January 1780. No attempt of importance 

 to cultivate an acquaintance with the Japanese was then 

 made for thirteen years; but in 1792 a. vessel was fitted out 



* This island, in the language of rhe natives, is called Uf7t/>\ but by 

 the Russians, who in a bay at the eastern side of it have formed the 

 settlement of Kuri'o Noss/>, it has been named Alexander's Island. 



f A particular kind of boats. 



at 



