242 VOYAGE TO THE 



driftwood occasionally, but it was not so plentiful as 

 in the preceding year. 



On the 2d of July we made the snowy mountains 

 of Kamschatka, but did not reach the Bay of Awatska 

 before the evening of the next day, when, after expe- 

 riencing the difficulties which almost always attend 

 the entry and egress of the port, we came to an an- 

 chor off" the town of Petropaulski nearly in the same 

 situation as before. 



We found lying in the inner harbour the Okotsk 

 Packet, a brig of 200 tons, commanded by a Russian 

 sub-lieutenant, on the point of sailing with the mail 

 for St. Petersburgh, and availed ourselves of the fa- 

 vourable opportunity of transmitting despatches and 

 private letters by her. I received some official letters 

 which had been too late for the ship the preceding 

 year ; but neither in them nor in the Petersburgh 

 Gazette, which finds its way occasionally to Kam- 

 schatka, was there intelligence to influence our pro- 

 ceedings, and we consequently began to refit the ship 

 for her northern cruize. While this duty was in 

 progress, we were also employed sounding and sur- 

 veying the capacious bay and the harbours of Tarein- 

 ski, Rakovya, and Petropaulski, the plans of those 

 places which had been constructed by Captain King 

 being by no means complete. 



Before the ship was at an anchor we received from 

 the governor. Captain Stanitski, a very acceptable 

 present of some new potatoes, fresh butter, curds, and 

 spring water — a mark of attention and politeness for 

 which we were very thankful. On landing I had the 

 pleasure to find all the colony in good health, but a 

 little chagrined to learn the ship was not one of the pe- 



