12 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS 



CHAP. III. 



Furs and fk'ins procured from Kafntchatka and the New 



Difcovered I/lands. 



brougiu'L'r nr^ H E principal furs and fid ns, procured from the 



Kamtchatka B , t f" " « , • , y ' • r» ^ ' ". 



ami the New ^ Peninfula or Kamtchatlia and the New Difcovered. 



Difcovered 



ifiands. Iflands are fca-otters, foxes, fables, ermines, wolves, bears. 

 Sec. — Thefe furs are tranfported to Ochotfk by fea, and 

 from thence carried tb *iCiachta upon' the frontiers of 

 Siberia ; where the greateft part of them are fold to- 

 the Chinefe at a very confiderable profit,. 



Sea-otters. Of all thcfe furs the iliins of the fea-otters are the 

 richeft and moll valuable. Thofe animals refort in great, 

 numbers to the Aleutian and Fox Ifiands : they are 

 called by the Ruffians Bobry Morfti or fea-beavers, and 

 fometimes Kamtchadal beavers, on account of the re- 

 femblance of their fur to that of the common beaver. 

 From thefe circumftances feveral authors have been led 

 into a miftake, and have fuppofed that this animal is 

 of the beaver fpecies ; whereas it is the true fea-otter I. 



* See Part II. Chap. III. 

 f S.R.G. III. p. 530. 



The 



