24'4 FROM kotzebue's sound 



is covered with eternal ice, which appears to the 

 navigator, at a small distance, to be only a narrow 

 neck of land, which stretches far into the sea ; 

 this is probably the reason that Cook has drawn it 

 in this form in his chart. But at the distance of five 

 or six miles it appears as very low land which unites 

 to the mountain, and deprives the promontory of 

 the form of a tongue of land. At the extreme 

 points of the Cape, in the low land, there is a 

 conical mountain, which rises perpendicularly out 

 of the sea, the summit of which has fallen in, and is 

 open to the sea-side. The black rocks, which are 

 confusedly fallen together, one of which quite in 

 the form of a pyramid, is particularly distinguished, 

 give to this place a frightful appearance. These 

 ruined rocks indicate the revolution which once 

 took place here ; for the situation, as well as the 

 appearance of the coast, makes it probable that 

 •America was once united to Asia, and that Gwoz- 

 def islands are the remains of the connection be- 

 tween Cape East and Cape Prince of Wales. The 

 low land to the W. forms a bend, on which we ob- 

 served a number of subterraneous dwellings in the 

 form of little round hills, about which were placed 

 a numlDer of whale-ribs. We sailed in that direc- 

 tion, and cast anchor at noon, in 18^- fathoms' water 

 on a clayey bottom : the Jurtes lay to the S.E. 4°, 

 a couple of miles distant ; the pyramidical rock 

 S.E. 64". As soon as we lay at anchor, a baydare 

 with ejeveu men approached the Rurick ; they 



