iQz AVOYAGETO 



driven from the other fide of the bay. On feeing them en- 

 «. — „— — . tangled, the Difcovery's launch had been fent to their af- 

 iiftancc, but foon ihared the fame fate; and, in amort time, 

 the ice had furrounded them near a quarter of a mile deep. 

 This obliged us to (lay on fhore till evening, when finding 

 no profpect of getting the boats off, iome of us went in 

 lledges to the edge of the ice, and were taken off by boats 

 lent from the fhip, and the reft ftaid on fliore all night. 



It continued to freeze hard during the night ; but, before 

 Tuefday4. morning, on the 4th, a change of wind drifted away the 

 floating ice, and fct the boats at liberty, without their hav- 

 ing fuftained the fmalleft damage. 



About ten o'clock in the forenoon, we faw feveral lledges 

 driving down the edge of the ice, and lent a boat to con- 

 duel: the perfons who were in them on board. One of thefc 

 was a Ruffian merchant from Bolchcrcn'k, named Fedo- 

 iitfch, and the other a German, called Porr, who had brought 

 a letter from Major Behm, the Commander of Kamtfchatka, 

 to Captain Clerke. When they got to the edge of the ice, and 

 law dillinctly the fizeof the (hips, which lay within about two 

 hundred yards from them, they appeared to be exceedingly 

 alarmed; and, before they would venture to embark, defired 

 two of our boat's crew might be left on fhore as hoilages 

 for their fafety. We afterward found, that Ifmyloff, in his 

 letter to the commander, had mifreprefented us, for what 

 ieal'ons we could not conceive, as two fmall trading boats, 

 and that the ferjeanr, who had only fecn the Chips at a 

 dftance, had not, in his difpatches, rectified the miitake. 



When they arrived on board, we Hill found, from their 

 cautious and timorous behaviour, that they were under 

 fomc unaccountable apprcheniions ; and an uncommon de- 

 gree 



