VISITS TO BEHRING S STRAITS. 11 



who is the first person recorded to have attempted 

 the navigation of the Polar Ocean, sailed from 

 Kolymsk, east of Kolyma, in 1646 ; bnt only reached 

 Tchaun Bay. He obtained some walrus teeth by 

 barter with the Tchutski dwelling there, and described 

 them as a warlike people. His accounts induced the 

 Eedot Alexiew, agent to a Moscow merchant, to make 

 an expedition in June, 1647, from the Kolyma, 

 designing to reach the Anadyr. Attached to his 

 mission was the Cossack Simeon Deshnew, or Deshnef, 

 as government representative. Difficulties obliged 

 them to return; and in 1648 a second expedition was 

 commenced, consisting of seven vessels, of which four 

 were probably lost, as further accounts have reached 

 us of only three. Deshnew seems to have had a 

 favourable season; and, passing Chelagskoi Noss, made 

 his way eastward and to the south, until he reached 

 the Gulf of Anadyr. He does not appear, however, 

 to have had any knowledge of the proximity of the 

 coast of America. With these few remarks let us 

 now resume our own voyage. 



We steered north-west for the island of St. 

 Lawrence, which lies in the fair way to the entrance 

 of Behring's Straits ; and struck soundings on the 

 5th of October in 150 fathoms; on the same date 

 we first experienced snow. A large number of 



