THIRD VOYAGE 423 



safely be trusted to a person who had given such striking 

 proofs both of his public and private virtues, and consider- 

 ing that we had a very hazardous part of the voyage still to 

 undertake, determined to send by him the whole of the 

 journal of our late commander, with that part of his own 

 which completed the period from Captain Cook's death till 

 our arrival at Kamtschatka, together with a chart of all our 

 discoveries, to be delivered to our ambassador at the 

 Russian court. 



" During the three following days the major was enter- 

 tained alternately in the two ships in the best manner we 

 were able. On the 25th he took his leave, and was saluted 

 with thirteen guns ; and the sailors, at their own desire, 

 gave him three cheers. 



" Short as our acquaintance had been with Major Behm, 

 his noble and disinterested conduct had inspired us with 

 the highest respect and esteem for him. The intrinsic 

 value of the private presents we received from him, ex- 

 clusive of the stores, must have amounted to upwards of 

 two hundred pounds. But this generosity was far exceeded! 

 by the delicacy with which all his favours were conferred. 

 ' The service in which you are employed,' he would often 

 say, ' is for the general advantage of mankind, and therefore 

 gives you a right, not merely to the offices of humanity, 

 but to the privileges of citizens, in whatever country you 

 may be thrown. I am sure I am acting agreeably to the 

 wishes of my mistress in affording you all the relief in our 

 power, and I cannot forget either her character, or my own 

 honour, so much as to barter for the performance of a duty.' 



" During the time that the ships lay in the harbour of 

 St. Peter and St. Paul, Captain Clerke's health continued 

 daily to decline, notwithstanding the salutary change of 

 diet which the country of Kamtschatka afforded him. 



" On the 1st of June we got on board nine thousand 

 pounds weight of rye flour, and which we were supplied 

 from the stores of St. Peter and St. Paul, and the Discovery 

 had a proportional quantity. The men were immediately 

 put on full allowance of bread, which they had not been 

 indulged in since our leaving the Cape of Good Hope. 



" June 4th we had fresh breezes and hard rain, which dis- 

 appointed us in our design of dressing the ships, and obliged 

 us to content ourselves with firing twenty-one guns in 

 honour of the day, and celebrating it in other respects in 

 the best manner we were able. 



" On the 6th, twenty head of cattle, of a moderate size, 

 were sent us by the commander's orders, from the Verchnei 

 ostrog, which is near a hundred miles from this place 

 in a direct line. They arrived in good condition. The 



