172 FROM RADACK TO 



neither harbour nor anchoring-place, the agent 

 had come to us to make the necessary arrange- 

 ments, and he now went on shore directly to com- 

 ply with our wishes. At seven o'clock in the 

 evening, when we had reached the southern part 

 of the island, and were five miles from the Com- 

 pany's settlement, a thick fog spread over the 

 land ; notwithstanding this, we were visited by 

 several Aleutians in their baydares, whom we re- 

 joiced very much by giving them some brandy and 

 tobacco. The thermometer during the whole day 

 was at only 4° heat. 



Tlie 3d of July. A gvm-shot, at five o'clock in 

 the morning, announced to the settlement that we 

 were near ; and soon after a baydare appeared 

 with twenty rowers, containing the things we re- 

 quired. As our stock of sugar was almost ended, 

 the agent had the goodness to let us have some of 

 his. He likewise repeated what I had already 

 heard in Oonalashka from M. Kriukof, that, from 

 an eminence in this island, in clear weather, land 

 had been seen in the S.W. Though this supposed 

 land might perhaps be only a cloud, I however 

 thought it my duty to go on shore to obtain an 

 accurate statement of the direction. I took with 

 me my azimuth compass, was conducted to the 

 eminence, and soon observed that the compass 

 turned all round ; this motion must have been 

 caused by the quantity of iron which this spot 

 contains j for when I changed my place it was still. 



