14 INTRODUCTION. 



to the shore, and can therefore examme, and more 

 accurately determine many things than it is pos- 

 sible to do on board a large vessel. Thus, for ex- 

 ample, in the present voyage, the Coral islands were 

 more accurately and closely examined than was 

 ever done before ; and the discovery of the great 

 bav on the coast of America, to the north of Beer- 

 ing*s Straits, which escaped Captains Cook and 

 Gierke, would not have been made with a larger 

 vessel than the Rurick. 



As conductor of this expedition, I proposed 

 Lieutenant Kotzebue, of the navy, son of the cele- 

 brated writer : he had accompanied me when very 

 young, that is, as cadet on board the Nadeshda in 

 my voyage, and had laid a good foundation for the 

 service to which he had resolved to dedicate him- 

 self; I had especially remarked that he used to 

 exercise himself in astronomical observ^ations, and 

 in drawing charts, and never failed to take part in 

 the trigonometrical operations, which was of great 

 advantage to him, because he could have no op- 

 portunity after the voyage was ended of improving 

 himself in this part of the naval duties ; whereas 

 he could annually improve in practical seamanship, 

 as far as may be done by the navigation of the Baltic : 

 he had also the good fortune, when he sailed, in 

 1812, under the command of Admiral Crown and 

 Captain Hamilton, from Archangel to the Baltic, 

 to gain, in a high degree, the approbation of both 

 those officers. He had long cherished a wish to 



