19G cook's voyage to may, 



besides a number of dishes dressed in our own way, 

 prepared a great variety of others, after the Russian 

 and Kamtschadale manner. The afternoon was em- 

 ployed in taking a view of the town and the adjacent 

 country. Bolcheretsk is situated in a low swampy 

 plain, that extends to the sea of Okotsk, being about 

 forty miles long, and of a considerable breadth. It 

 lies on the north side of the Bolchoi-reka (or great 

 river), between the mouth of the Gottsof ka and the 

 Bistraia, which here empty themselves into this river; 

 and the peninsula on which it stands has been separ- 

 ated from the continent by a large canal, the work 

 of the present commander, which has not only added 

 much to its strength as a fortress, but has made it 

 much less liable than it was before to inundations. 

 Below the town the river is from six to eight feet 

 deep, and about a quarter of a mile broad. It emp- 

 ties itself into the sea of Okotsk, at the distance of 

 twenty-two miles, where, according to Krasheninicoffi 

 it is capable of admitting vessels of a considerable size. 

 There is no corn of any species cultivated in this part 

 of the country, and Major Behm informed me, that 

 his was the only garden that had yet been planted. 

 The ground was for the most part covered with 

 snow ; that which was free from it appeared full of 

 small hillocks, of a black turfy nature. I saw about 

 twenty or thirty cows, and the major had six stout 

 horses. These and their dogs are the only tame ani- 

 mals they possess ; the necessity they are under in 

 the present state of the country of keeping great 

 numbers of the latter, making it impossible to bring 

 up any cattle that are not in size and strength a 

 match for them. For during the summer season 

 their dogs are entirely let loose, and left to provide 

 for themselves, which makes them so exceedingly 

 ravenous that they will sometimes even attack the 

 bullocks. 



The houses in Bolcheretsk are all of one fashion, 

 being built of logs and thatched. That of the com- 



