THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 295 



having received his education partly in France, and partly I 779- 



° r J J f J September. 



in Germany, had been page to the Emprefs Elizabeth, and 

 an Enfign in her guards. At the age of fixteen he was 

 knowted, had his nofe flit, and was banifhcd firft to Siberia 

 and afterward to Kamtfchatka, where he had now lived 

 thirty-one years. He was a very tall thin man, with a face 

 ""all over furrowed with deep wrinkles; and bore, in his 

 whole figure, the mongeft marks of old age, though he had 

 fcarcely reached his fifty-fourth year. 



To our very great difappointment, he had fo totally for- 

 gotten both his German and French, as not to be able to 

 fpeak a fentence, nor readily to underftand what was faid 

 to him, in either of thefe languages. We found ourfelves 

 thus unfortunately deprived of what we flattered ourfelves 

 would have turned out a favourable opportunity of getting 

 farther information relative to this country. We had alfo 

 promifed ourfelves much pleafure from the hiftory of this 

 extraordinary man, which he probably would have been 

 induced to relate to (hangers, who might perhaps be 

 of fome little fervice to him, but who could have no in- 

 ducement to take advantage, from any thing he might fay, 

 to do him an injury. No one here knew the caufe of his 

 banifhment ; but they took it for granted, that it mufl have 

 been for fomething very atrocious ; particularly, as two or 

 three Commanders of Kamtfchatka have endeavoured to 

 get him recalle ;, fmce the prefent Emprefs 's reign j but far 

 from fucceedv-g in this, they have not been even able to get 

 the place of nis banifhment changed. He told us, that, for 

 twenty years, he had not tailed bread, nor had been allowed 

 fubfiftence of any kind whatfoevcr; but that, during this 

 period, he had lived among the Kafntfehadaies, on what his 

 own activity and toil in the chace had f urniihed. That af- 

 terward 



