1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 249 



rivers were broken up. But how many reasons may 

 be given against such a supposition? Our experience 

 at Saint Peter and Saint Paul enabled us to judge 

 what might be expected farther north ; and upon 

 that ground we had reason to doubt, whether the 

 continents might not in winter be even joined by the 

 ice ; and this agreed with the stories we heard in 

 Kamtschatka, that on the Siberian coast they go out 

 from the shore in winter, upon the ice, to greater 

 distances than the breadth of the sea is, in some 

 parts, from one continent to the other. 



In the depositions referred to above, the following 

 remarkable circumstance is related. Speaking of the 

 land seen from the Tschukotskoi Noss, it is said, 

 " that in summer time they sail in one day to the 

 land in baidares, a sort of vessel constructed of whale- 

 bone, and covered with seal-skins ; and in winter 

 time, going swift with rein-deer, the journey may 

 likewise be made in a day." A sufficient proof that 

 the two countries were usually joined together by 

 the ice. 



The account given by Mr. Muller of one of the 

 expeditions undertaken to discover a supposed island 

 in the Frozen Sea, is still more remarkable. " In the 

 year 1714, a new expedition was prepared from 

 Jakutzk for the same place, under the command of 

 Alexei Mark off, who was to sail from the mouth of 

 the Jana ; and if the Schitiki were not fit for sea- 

 voyages, he was to construct, at a proper place, vessels 

 fit for prosecuting the discoveries without danger. 



"On his arrival at Ust-janskoe Simovie, the port at 

 which he was to embark, he sent an account dated 

 February 2. 1715, to the chancery of Jakutzk, men- 

 tioning that it was impossible to navigate the sea, as 

 it was continually frozen both in summer and winter; 

 and that consequently the intended expedition was 

 no otherwise to be carried on but with sledges drawn 

 by dogs. In this manner he accordingly set out with 

 nine persons on the 10th of March the same year. 



