238 HISTORY OF KAMSGHATKA. [chap. 



peninsula, and as they had been much increased in strength by 

 reinforcements sent from Yakutsk, the tribute levied on the natives 

 became more valuable. But the lawless nature of the Cossacks 

 effectually prevented a peaceful settlement of the country. Atlasov, 

 who was probably no worse a character than his subordinates, 

 openly appropriated the Government tribute, and was guilty of 

 such gross cruelties to the natives and his own Cossacks that the 

 latter seized and imprisoned him in 1707. Intelligence of the 

 rebelhon having reached the Yakutsk authorities, Peter Tcherekov 

 was at once despatched to restore order, but the difficulties of 

 travel and other causes combined to delay him, and it was not 

 until two years later that he reached Kamschatka. Shortly 

 afterwards he was joined by Joseph Mieronov, who had been 

 sent to supersede him; and thus, in 1711, there were no less 

 than three governors in the country at the same time. This 

 embarras of rulers did not trouble the mutineers long. Tcherekov 

 and Mieronov were murdered by their Cossack guard, and Atlasov 

 met his fate at the hands of his own men — a punishment which, it 

 must be confessed, he only too richly deserved. 



The mutiny was indirectly the cause of further discoveries in 

 the peninsula. The Cossacks became so afraid of the consequences 

 of their crimes that they resolved, if possible, to expiate them in the 

 eyes of the authorities by marching against the natives in the 

 south-west, who had hitherto refused to pay tribute. At the same 

 time they sent a letter to Yakutsk, accusing the murdered men of 

 having systematically embezzled the tribute. Their expedition w^as 

 completely successful. They descended the Bolchaia-reka, destroyed 

 several of the fortified villages, killed great numbers of the natives, 

 and finally built a fort upon the present site of the settlement of 

 Bolcheresk. The natives were thus completely reduced, and the 

 mutineers added further to the knowledge of the country by visiting 

 the most northern of the Kurile Islands — on which no Eussian had 

 ever previously landed — and compelling the inhabitants to pay 

 tribute. 



