260 COOK S VOYAGE TO AUG. 



himself of that occasion of writing him a letter, in 

 which he requested that sixteen head of black cattle 

 might be sent with all possible expedition ; and 

 because the commander did not understand any lan- 

 guage except his own, the nature of our request 

 was made known, to the serjeant, who readily under- 

 took to send, along with our letter, an explanation of 

 its contents. 



We could not help remarking, that, although the 

 country was much improved in its appearance since 

 we were last here, the Russians looked, if possible, 

 worse now than they did then. It is to be owned, 

 they observed, that this was also the case with us; 

 and as neither party seemed to like to be told of 

 their bad looks, we found mutual consolation in 

 throwing the blame upon the country, whose green 

 and lively complexion, we agreed, cast a deadness 

 and sallowness upon our own. 



The irruption of the volcano, which was so violent 

 when we sailed out of the bay, we found had done no 

 damage here, notwithstanding stones had fallen at 

 the ostrog, of the size of a goose's egg. This was all 

 the news we had to inquire after, and all they had to 

 tell ; excepting that of the arrival of SoposnikofT 

 from Oonalashka, who took charge of the packet 

 Captain Cook had sent to the Admiralty, and which, 

 it gave us much satisfaction to find, had been for- 

 warded. 



In the morning of the 25th, Captain Gore made 

 out the new commissions, in consequence of Captain 

 Clerke's death ; appointing himself to the command 

 of the Resolution, and me to the command of the 

 Discovery ; and Mr. Lanyan, master's mate of the 

 Resolution, who had served in that capacity on board 

 the Adventure in the former voyage, was promoted to 

 the vacant lieutenancy. These promotions produced 

 the following farther arrangements ; Lieutenants 

 Burney and Rickman were removed from the Dis* 

 covery, to be first and second lieutenants of the 



