224 FROM KAMTSCHATKA 



those which SaritschefF found on the coast of the 

 Icy Sea. I called this mountain, Devil's Mountain. 

 Every moment being valuable to me in fine weather, 

 I had two boats equipped, and commenced my 

 voyage, with all my company, to the place w^iere 

 there appeared an opening in the sea. I was in- 

 deed too late to examine any thing to-day, but we 

 intended, after passing the night on-shore, to pro- 

 ceed at day-break j but scarcely had we got 200 

 fathoms from the ship, when we were overtaken 

 by a thick fog, which obliged us to return. We 

 observed the current, which, with a rapidity that 

 amounts to one knot and a quarter, ran seven 

 hours out of the opening, and four hours in. 



On the 12th, at four o'clock in the morning, we 

 undertook a second tour to the opening in fair 

 weather ; but as the depth greatly decreased, we 

 were obliged to take another way, which led us to 

 land in the W., six miles distant from our ship. 

 We landed near a small river, which seemed to 

 have its source from the sea : the land, though it 

 lay pretty high, was marshy. Here our company 

 separated. I, with Lieutenant Schischmareff, fol- 

 lowed the coast to the S., to penetrate, if possible, 

 into the opening ; our naturalists went into the 

 country to botanize ; and the sailors, who remained 

 behind, in the meantime prepared dinner. After 

 proceeding about four miles, we arrived at a cape, 

 where the land suddenly took its direction from S. 

 to W,, and became considerably higher j from a hill 



