3 66 AVOYAGETO 



•779- length the powder-magazine taking fire, the fort was 



Oftobcr. ° * ° ° 



blown up, together with mod of thofe that were in it. Va- 

 rious rencounters fuccecded to this event, in which much 

 blood was fpilled on both fides: At length, two of the prin- 

 cipal leaders being flain, and the third (after difpatching 

 his wife and children, to prevent their falling into the 

 enemy's hand) having put an end to himfclf, peace was 

 eftablifhed. 



From that period every thing went on very peaceably, 

 till the year 1740, when a few Ruffians loft their lives in a 

 tumult, which was attended with no farther confequences; 

 and, except the infurrection at Bolcheretfk in 1770 (which 

 hath been already noticed), there has been no difturbance 

 fince. 



Though the quelling the rebellion of 1731 was attended 

 with the lofs of a great number of inhabitants, yet I was 

 informed, that the country had recovered itfelf, and was 

 become more populous than ever, when, in the year 1767, 

 the fmall-pox, brought by a foldier from Okotfk, broke out 

 among them for the firft time, marking its progrefs with 

 ravages not lefs dreadful than the plague, and feeming to 

 threaten their entire extirpation. They compute, that near 

 twenty thoufand died of this diforder in Kamtfchatka, the 

 Koreki country, and the Kurile Iflands. The inhabitants of 

 whole villages were fwept away. Of this we had fufficient 

 proofs before our eyes. There are no lefs than eight ojlrogs 

 fcattered about the bay of Awatfka, all which, we were in- 

 formed, had been fully inhabited, but are now entirely de- 

 folate, except St. Peter and St. Paul; and even that contains 

 no more than feven Kamtfchadales, who are tributary. At 

 Paratounca oftrog there are but thirty-fix native inhabitants, 

 4 men, 



