MILDNESS OF THE CLIMATE. 33 



previously unknown to each other, — how much 

 then must their interest increase, when long 

 ago cemented in the native land ! My inter- 

 course with this gentleman, equally distin- 

 guished for his noble character and cultivated 

 mind, conduced much to the comfort of a te- 

 dious residence in this desert. 



To my enquiry, whether my vessel must now 

 remain stationary at the colony, he replied, that 

 until the first of March of the following year 

 (1825), my time was at my own disposal, but 

 that after that period my presence could not be 

 dispensed with. I therefore proceeded to visit 

 California and the Sandwich Islands, and re- 

 turned to New Archangel on the 23rd of Fe- 

 bruary 1825. 



The nearer we drew to the land the milder 

 the weather became, and we were astonished, 

 in so northern a country, to see the mountains 

 at this season of the year entirely free from 

 snow to a considerable height. Throughout 

 this winter, however, which had been parti- 

 cularly mild, the snow in many of the vallies 

 had never lain above a few hours together. 

 Here, under fifty- seven degrees north latitude, 

 c5 



