1779* THE PACIFIC OCEAK. 175 i 



deep. This obliged us to stay on shore till evening, 

 when rinding no prospect of getting the boats off, 

 some of us went in sledges to the edge of the ice, 

 and were taken off by boats sent from the ship, and 

 the rest staid on shore all night, 



It continued to freeze hard during the night, but 

 before morning on the 4th a change of wind drifted 

 away the floating ice, and set the boats at liberty, 

 without their having sustained the smallest damage. 



About ten o'clock in the forenoon, we saw several 

 sledges driving down the edge of the ice, and sent a 

 boat to conduct the persons who were in them on 

 board. One of these was a Russian merchant from 

 Bolcheretsk named Fedositsch, and the other a Ger- 

 man called Port, who had brought a letter from 

 Major Behm, the commander of Kamtschatka, to 

 Captain Clerke. When they got to the edge of the 

 ice, and saw distinctly the size of the ships which 

 lay within about two hundred yards from them, they 

 appeared to be exceedingly alarmed, and before they 

 would venture to embark, desired two of our boat's 

 crew might be left on shore as hostages for their 

 safety. We afterward found that Ismyloff, in his 

 letter to the commander, had misrepresented us, for 

 what reasons we could not conceive, as two small 

 trading boats ; and that the serjeant, who had only 

 seen the ships at a distance, had not in his dispatches 

 rectified the mistake. 



When they arrived on board, we still found, from 

 their cautious and timorous behaviour, that they were 

 under some unaccountable apprehensions ; and an 

 uncommon degree of satisfaction was visible in their 

 countenances, on the German's finding a person 

 amongst us, with whom he could converse. This was 

 Mr. Webber, who spoke that language perfectly well ; 

 and at last, though with some difficulty, convinced 

 them, that we were Englishmen, and friends. M. 

 Port being introduced to Captain Clerke, delivered 



