464 cook's voyage to oct. 



I entrusted a letter to the Lords Commissioners of 

 the Admiralty ; in which was enclosed a chart of all 

 the northern coasts I had visited. He said there 

 would be an opportunity of sending it to Kamtschat- 

 ka, or Okotsk, the ensuing spring ; and that it would 

 be at Petersburgh the following winter. He gave 

 me a letter to Major Behm, Governor of Kamtschat- 

 ka, who resides at Bolscheretsk ; and another to the 

 commanding officer at Petropaulowska. Mr. Ismy- 

 loff seemed to have abilities that might entitle him to 

 a higher station in life, than that in which we 

 found him. He was tolerably well versed in astro- 

 nomy, and in the most useful branches of the mathe- 

 matics. I made him a present of an Hadley's octant; 

 and though, probably, it was the first he had ever 

 seen, he made himself acquainted, in a very short 

 time, with most of the uses to which that instrument 

 can be applied. 



In the morning of the 22d, we made an attempt to 

 get to sea, with the wind at south-east, which mis- 

 carried. The following afternoon, we were visited 

 by one Jacob Ivanovitch Soposnicofr! a Russian, who 

 commanded a boat, or small vessel, at Oomanak. This 

 man had a great share of modesty ; and would drink 

 no strong liquor, of which the rest of his countrymen, 

 whom we had met with here, were immoderately 

 fond. He seemed to know more accurately what 

 supplies could be got at the harbour of Petropaulow- 

 ska, and the price of the different articles, than Mr. 

 Ismyloff. But, by all accounts, every thing we should 

 want at that place was very scarce, and bore a high 

 price. Flour, for instance, was from three to five rou- 

 bles the pood * ; and deer, from three to five roubles 

 each. This man told us that he was to be at Petro- 

 paulowska in May next ; and, as I understood, was to 

 have the charge of my letter. He seemed to be exceed- 

 ingly desirous of having some token from me to carry 



* 361b. 



