50 RUSSIAN CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO 



the American coast toKadiak; slioiild tlio coramander receive at any 

 of tliese places no special information as to foreign contrabandists from 

 the manager of the Knssian American Company's Colonies, he may pur- 

 sue his course to the westward, and having thori^ughly examined the 

 shores of the Aleutian Islands, the coast of Kamchatka, the Kurile 

 Islands, and the intervening waters, he may return for the winter to 

 the harbor of Petropavlovsk. 



The other ship, however, having examined the eastern coast of the 

 Kamchatka peninsula up to 02° of northern latitude and the west coast 

 of America from this latitude to tlie island of Unalaska, and the inter- 

 vening waters, should proceed to Kadiak and from there to Sitka for the 

 winter. The objectof the crnisiugof two of our armed vessels in the locali- 

 ties above mentioned is the protection of our Colonies and the exclusion 

 of foreign vessels engaged in traffic orindustry injurious to the interests 

 of the Eussian Company, as well as to those of the native inhabitants of 

 those regions. 



If in the following year, 1821, two similar ships are dispatched from 

 our Baltic ])orts they could in May or June of the year 1822 relieve the 

 ships sent out in 1820, and the latter could return to their home ports 

 by the middle of 1823. 



In this manner two ships of war would always be present in the Col- 

 onies, and the Company would be assured of their protection. In ad- 

 dition to the other advantages resulting from this arrangement it would 

 afford a most excellent opportunity for the officers of the Imperial navy 

 to perfect themselves by practice in the science of navigation. 



In submitting this proposition to your Excellency, I consider it un- 

 necessary to enumerate in detail the advantages resulting therefrom, 

 but you must not omit to take into consideration the expenditure in- 

 volved in such an undertaking. It therefore becomes necessary to 

 know how much the fitting out of such sliips and themaintenauceof their 

 crews w^onld cost the treasury. We should also know whether it be 

 possible for such ships to take in addition to provisions and stores for 

 their own use during a period of three years any other supplies which 

 may be needed in Kamchatka and Okhotsk, and how nuicli of their 

 tonnage could be devoted to the latter object. Tliis information would 

 be useful also for other purposes. 



The Governor-General of Siberia, in his report on the impoverished 

 condition of the Yakutsk country, points out as the principal reason 

 for this condition the burdens imposed nj)on the people through trans- 

 portation of Government and commercial cargoes overland from Yakutsk 

 to Okhotsk. If by means of the vessels of the Imperial fleet to be 

 dispatched to those shores the Yakutsk people are relieved from this 

 service, they may devote their energies to cattle-breeding, already 

 established among them them and thus better their deplorable condi- 

 tion. 



If your Excellency should find an annual dispatch of two such ves- 

 sels, as suggested above, practicable, and if the two vessels, or one, as 

 the case may be, could take in addition to their own supplies a certain 

 quantity of arms and ammunition for Okhotsk and Petropavlovsk, 

 such a measure would relieve the suffering Yakutes and at the same 

 time afford a partial reimbursement of the (lovernment's expense. A 

 force of soldiers and sailors should also be stationed at the two ports 

 mentioned above in order to iill all vacancies caused by death or other- 

 wise in the commands of the cruising vessels. 



In thus laying before you my thoughts on the subject I am permitted 

 to state that they have received the highest consideration of His Impe- 



