TO OOXALASHKA. Q55 



and the general joy was much increased by tlie 

 importance of these presents. The ball now com- 

 menced with a solo dance : an old dirty, frightful, 

 ugly woman stept forward, making the most 

 curious, and certainly most fatiguing, motions 

 with the whole body, without sth'ring from 

 her position ; she distorted her eyes, and made 

 such strange grimaces as excited general laughter. 

 The music consisted of a tambourine, and a 

 chorus of many voices, but had few charms for 

 an European ear. After this followed several men 

 and women, who exhibited themselves separately ; 

 but none could equal the skill of the old woman. 

 The conclusion of the ball was distinguished by a 

 very particular dance ; twelve women placed them- 

 selves close to each other in a half circle, turning 

 their backs upon each other ; the whole group 

 sang, and tried to express the contents of their 

 song by motions of the hands and body. After 

 the conclusion of this dance we returned to our 

 ship. 



August 22d. We left the Rurick at eight o'clock 

 in the morning, with clear weather, and a moderate 

 S. E. wind, in the long-boat and the bay dare, and 

 towards noon, having proceeded twelve miles and a 

 half, we reached the promontory on the south 

 coast of St. Lawrence Island, where M. Saritscheff *s 

 survey ends. I resolved to stop here to take the 

 meridian altitude and some angles. 



We found the latitude ^5° 43' 11''. The varia- 

 tion of the magnetic needle '2f^ east. 



