THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



7^1 

 3/ 1 



The duties arifing from the exports and imports, of «779- 



O Sober. 



which I could not learn the amount, are paid at Okotfk : 

 but the tribute is collected at Bolcheretfk ; and, I was in- 

 formed by Major Behm, amounted in value to ten thoufand 

 roubles annually. 



There are fix vefTels (of forty to fifty tons burthen) em- 

 ployed by the Emprefs between Okotfk and Bolcheretfk ; 

 five of which are appropriated to the tranfporting of flores 

 and provifions from Okotfk to Bolcheretfk ; except that once 

 in two or three years, fome of them go round to Awatfka, 

 and the Kamtfchatka River ; the fixth is only ufed as a 

 packet boat, and always kept in readinefs, and properly 

 equipped for conveying difpatches. Befides thefe, there 

 are about fourteen vefTels employed by the merchants in the 

 fur trade, amongft the iflands to the Eaflward. One of 

 thefe we found frozen up in the harbour of St. Peter and 

 St. Paul, which was to fail on a trading voyage to Oona- 

 lafhka, as foon as the fcafon would permit. 



It is here to be obferved, that the mod confiderable and 

 valuable part of the fur-trade is carried on with the iflands 

 that lie between Kamtfchatka and America. Thefe were 

 firft difcovered by Beering, in 1741, and being found to 

 abound with fea-otters, the Ruffian merchants became ex- 

 ceedingly eager in fearching for the other iflands feen by 

 that navigator, to the South Eafl of Kamtfchatka, called, in 

 Muller's Map, the Iflands of Seduction, St. Abraham, &c. 

 In thefe expeditions they fell in with three groups of 

 iflands. The firft about fifteen degrees to the Eafl of Kamt- 

 fchatka, in 53 North latitude ; the fecond about twelve de- 

 grees to the Elaftward of the former; and the third, Oona- 

 lafhka, and the iflands in its neighbourhood. Thefe trad- 



3 B 2 ing 



