220 FROM KAMTSCHATKA 



melts away, and a good deal of water flows into 

 the sea. An indisputable proof that what we saw 

 was real ice, is the quantity of mammoths' teeth 

 and bones, which were exposed to view by the 

 melting, and among which I myself found a very 

 fine tooth. We could not assign any reason, for a 

 strong smell, like that of burnt horn, which we per- 

 ceived in this place. The covering of these moun- 

 tains, on which the most luxuriant grass grows to 

 a certain height, is only half a foot thick, and con- 

 sists of a mixture of clay, sand, and earth ; below 

 which the ice gradually melts away, the green cover 

 sinks with it, and continues to grow ; and thus it 

 may be foreseen, that in a long series of years, the 

 movmtain will vanish, and a green valley be formed 

 in its stead. By a good observation, we found the 

 latitude of the tongue of land (56° 15' 3&\ north. 

 Here, too, we obtained for the variation of the 

 magnetic needle a false result, 13° west. 



August 9th. We left this place at six o'clock 

 in the morning, with beautiful weather ; and I 

 learnt on my arrival on board, that during our ab- 

 sence two baydares had approached the Rurick, 

 but were frightened away by a gun-shot, as I had 

 given orders to let no Americans come near, be- 

 cause so few people had remained on board. I 

 called the bay after our physician, Eschscholtz, as 

 it was he that made the remarkable discovery there. 

 It seemed to be uninhabited, and only visited at a 

 certain time of the year, on account of the hunt- 



