330 cook's voyage to oct. 



tives by all peaceable means, but on no pretence to 

 have recourse to force and compulsion ; but, instead 

 of attending to his orders, he not only, by repeated 

 acts of cruelty and injustice, made the natives ex- 

 ceedingly hostile and averse to their new governors, 

 but likewise so far alienated the affections of his own 

 people, that it ended in a mutiny of the Cossacks, 

 and their demand of another commander. The Cos- 

 sacks having carried their point in displacing Atlas- 

 soff, seized upon his effects ; and after once tasting 

 the sweets of plunder, and of living without discipline 

 or control, in vain did his successors attempt to 

 reduce them to military discipline and subjection. 

 Three successive commanders were assassinated in 

 their turn; and the Cossacks, being thus in open 

 rebellion to the Russian government, and with arms 

 in their hands, were let loose upon the natives. The 

 history of this country from that period, till the grand 

 revolt of the Kamtschadales in 1731, presents one 

 unvaried detail of massacres, revolts, and savage and 

 sanguinary rencounters between small parties, from 

 one end of the peninsula to the other. 



What led to this revolt, was the discovery of a 

 passage from Okotsk to the Bolchoireka, which was 

 first made by Cosmo SokolofF, in the year 1715. 

 Hitherto the Russians had no entrance into the 

 country, but on the side of Anadirsk ; so that the 

 natives had frequent opportunities of both plundering 

 the tribute, as it was carried by so long a journey out 

 of the peninsula, and harassing the troops in their 

 march into it. But, by the discovery of this commu- 

 nication, there existed a safe and speedy means, as 

 well of exporting the tribute, as of importing troops 

 and military stores into the very heart of the country ; 

 which the natives easily saw gave the Russians so 

 great an advantage, as must soon confirm their domi- 

 nion, and therefore determined them to make one 

 grand and immediate struggle for their liberty. The 

 moment resolved upon for carrying their designs into 



