MISCELLANIES. 



679 



gotten, and we only wondered at 

 arriving with so little difficulty. 

 Curiosity was eager, to ascertain 

 what kind of a place Ochotsk was, 

 and to make out the shipping; 

 but Me could neither perceive 

 ship nor boat of any description, 

 even when near enough to ob- 

 serve the manner in which the 

 gazers on the beach were dressed. 

 On nearing the mouth of the 

 river, we had the mortification to 

 find it inaccessible without a pilot, 

 as a heavy surf broke right across 

 it, being in three fathoms sand. 

 At half-past one P. M. came to 

 anchor for the purpose of getting 

 the boat out : whilst furling sails, 

 a boat came out of the river to- 

 wards us, and we were most 

 agreeably surprised on being 

 hailed in English. She contained 

 an English captain and an Ame- 

 rican gentleman, besides the Rus- 

 sian pilot, and finding it was our 

 intention to go into the harbour, 

 we were desired to bear a hand, 

 as the tide was just about to turn, 

 and it would scarcely be practical, 

 even as it was, to get in : the wind 

 had just shifted in our favour, and 

 freshening carried us in a few 

 minutes over the bar, and we 

 moored in the Ochotsk to the 

 great joy of every one on board. 

 Our vessel drew but seven feet 

 water: had she drawn two feet 

 more the pilot would not have 

 attempted the river so late on the 

 tide, hazardous as it is to remam 

 in the road ; which for the three 

 days succeeding that of our 

 arrival, presented to the view but 

 a sheet of foam, in which I 

 imagine no vessel could long ride. 

 " Capt. Eddis passed an hour 

 or two on shore with our coun- 

 trymen, and brought on his return 



but dismal accounts regarding a 

 market, as the dark side alone 

 had been brought to view. Be- 

 fore morning we viewed things 

 more favourably than they had 

 been represented, and ventured 

 to hope that some articles of the 

 cargo might find a sale next 

 season, although there was not 

 the value of two dollars specie, 

 neither any merchandize or mer- 

 chant in the place. The last of 

 the merchants had left Ochotsk 

 about fourteen days before our 

 arrival. The Governor, Capt. 

 Menitsky, of the navy, also had 

 quitted Ochotsk about a month, 

 and left the port in charge of 

 His Highness Prince Alexander 

 Schakooskoy, a lieutenant in the 

 imperial navy, from whom we re- 

 ceived an uninterrupted series of 

 the kindest attentions, which laid 

 us under the most lasting obliga- 

 tions to this truly noble young 

 man. The importation of a 

 foreign cargo being without pre- 

 cedent ia the archives of Siberie, 

 the Prince was at first rather at a. 

 loss how to act, and felt his situa- 

 tion doubly disagreeable from 

 the circumstance of having ap- 

 plied for leave to retire from the 

 service ; but meeting with some 

 papers relative to goods import- 

 ed into Kamtschatka, in or about 

 1812, by Mr. Dobell, on board 

 of two American brigs, he found 

 it remained doubtful if the tariff, 

 with all its restrictive and pro- 

 hibitory clauses, would be op- 

 posed to this attempt at opening 

 a trade with these remote regions. 



" Mr. Dobell's adventure, like 

 our own, was chiefly owing to 

 the representation of Capt. A. 

 Von Krusenstern, the Russian 

 circumnavigator. It was of con- 



2 p 2 siderable 



