324 



APPENDIX I. 



the chart of this expedition. ShalaurofF got out of the 

 Southern mouth of the Lena in July, but was fo much 

 embarraffed by the ice, that he ran the veffel into the 

 mouth of the Yana, where he was detained by the ice 

 until the 29th of Auguft, when he again fet fail. Being 

 prevented by the ice from keeping the open fea, he 

 coafted the fliore ; and, having doubled Svatoi-Nofs on 

 the 6th of September, difcovered at a fmall diftance, out 

 at fea, to the North, a mountainous land, which is pro- 

 bably fome unknown ifland in the Frozen Sea. He was 

 employed from the 7th to the i sth in getting through 

 the ftrait between Diomed's ifland and the coaft of 

 Siberia; which he effecSled, not without great difficulty. 

 From the 1 6th he had a free fea and a fair S. W. wind, 

 which carried them in 24 hours beyond the mouth of the 

 Indigirka. The favourable breeze continuing, he paffed 

 on the 1 8th the Alafca. Soon afterwards, the veffel 

 approaching too near the fhore was entangled amongft 

 vaft floating maffes of ice, between fome iflands •■'• and 



the 



* Thefe iflands are Medviedkie Oftrova, or the Bear Iflands ; they 

 are alio called Kreffftoffflcie Oftrova, becaufe they lie oppofite the mouth 

 of the fmall river Kreftova. For a long time vague reports were pro- 

 pao-ated that the continent of America was ftretched along the Frozen 

 Ocean, very near the coafts of Siberia ; and fome perfons pretended to 

 have difcovered its fliore not far from the rivers Kovyma and Kreftova. 

 But the falfity of thefe reports was proved by an expedition made in 

 1764, by fome Ruflian officers fent by Denys Ivanovitch Tfchitcherin, 



governor 



