3%6 cook's voyage to oct. 



CHAP. VII. 



GENERAL ACCOUNT OF KAMTSCHATKA CONTINUED. OF THE 



INHABITANTS. ORIGIN OF THE KAMTSCHADALES. DIS- 

 COVERED BY THE RUSSIANS. ABSTRACT OF THEIR HIS- 

 TORY. NUMBERS. PRESENT STATE. OF THE RUSSIAN 



COMMERCE IN KAMTSCHATKA. OF THE KAMTSCHADALE 



HABITATIONS AND DRESS. OF THE KURILE ISLANDS. *— 



THE KOREKI. THE TSCHUTSKI. 



X he present inhabitants of Kamtschatka are of 

 three sorts. The natives, or Kamtschadales ; the 

 Russians and Cossacks > and a mixture of these two 

 by marriage. 



Mr. Steller, who resided some time in this country, 

 and seems to have taken great pains to gain inform- 

 ation on this subject, is persuaded, that the true 

 Kamtschadales are a people of great antiquity, and 

 have for many ages inhabited this peninsula ; and 

 that they are originally descended from the Munga- 

 lians, and not either from the Tongusian Tartars, as 

 some, or the Japanese, as others, have imagined. 



The principal arguments, by which he supports 

 these opinions, are; that there exists not among them 

 the trace of a tradition of their having migrated from 

 any other country ; that they believe themselves to 

 have been created and placed in this very spot by 

 their god Koutkou ; that they are the most favoured 

 of his creatures ; the most fortunate and happy of 

 beings ; and that their country is superior to all 

 others, affording means of gratification far beyond 

 what are any where else to be met with \ that they 

 have a perfect knowledge of all the plants of the 

 country, their virtues and uses, which could not be 

 acquired in a short time ; that their instruments and 



