^IC FROM KAMTSCHATKA 



land, directed our course northwards along the 

 coast. We found, at fifty fathoms from shore, from 

 two and a half to three fathoms depth, on a very 

 good bottom. Ships may lie at anchor, and under- 

 take repairs as safe here as in the best harbour, 

 particularly as the depth in many places permits 

 them to lie almost close to the shore. We had 

 proceeded about fourteen miles, towards noon, 

 when I landed to take the meridian altitude. The 

 land was high and rocky ; on the summit of a 

 small mountain, which we ascended, we discovered 

 that we were on a narrow tongue of land, and that 

 the land in the north seemed to join that in the 

 east, a most disagreeable surprise to us. However, 

 we had still a spark of hope remaining, as the 

 whole junction was not visible. After having 

 taken the necessary angles and observations, for 

 planning the coast, we steered eastward to the op- 

 posite side. In the middle of the channel, it was 

 from five to six fathoms ; but it decreased so much 

 as we approached the land, that I was afraid of run- 

 ning a-ground, I turned to the north directly to 

 the land, that we had seen at noon, from the sum- 

 mit of the mountain ; and when we had approached 

 this within a hundred fathoms, we had only one fa- 

 thom water. It was already late, and my people were 

 tired ; I therefore made the long-boat cast anchor, 

 and we went on shore with the baydare * j as it, 



* A large open boat, quite flat, made of sea-lions' skins. The 

 Kamtschadales, and all the North Americans, use them on 



