528 Geography. 



peans. Under his auspices, some enterprising 

 navigators, in 1713, discovered the chain of islands 

 called the Kiiriles, on the coast of Kamtschatca. 

 Under the direction of the same monarch, also. 

 Captains Behring and Tschirikow discovered 

 a number of other islands in the adjacent seas, 

 and estabhshed a profitable trade with the natives. 

 The former, a native of Denmark, in 1728, first 

 entered the strait which divides Asia from the 

 American continent, and which was after- 

 wards called by his name/ This spirit of dis- 

 covery continued to animate the government, but 

 more particularly the subjects of Russia, for many 

 years after the demise of .the Czar. About this 

 time some private adventurers in that country be- 

 came fired w^ith the ambition of discovering a 

 north-east passage to India Between the years 

 1730 and 1740, many daring voyagers successively 

 engaged in the prosecution of this plan. Among 

 these, MoROviEF, Malgyn, Skurahoff, Menin, 

 and Laptief, deserve particular notice.' The la- 

 bours they underwent, and the dangers they en- 

 countered, w^ere incredible; but all their exertions 

 and discoveries served only to furnish increasing 

 evidence, that if such a passage exist, it is next 

 to impracticable, and always dangerous. 



In 1740 Behring undertook another voyage, 

 in the course of which, with wonderful fortitude 

 and perseverance, he traversed the ocean, from 



d Though Behring sailed into this strait, yet, probably owing to the 

 fog, he did not discern land on the eastern side. The strait was more fully 

 explored, a few years afterwards, by Capt. Cook, who gave it Behring's 

 name. He discovered that the two continents, at this place, approach 

 within forty miles of each other. It has been since ascertained, by the 

 voyages of Meares, Dixon, Vancouver, La Perouse, and others, 

 that to the north of this strait the Asiatic shore tends rapidly to the west- 

 ward, while the American stretches nearly in a northern direction, till, ar 

 the distance of about four or five degrees, the continents are joined by 

 solid and impenetrable bonds of ice. 



f Mavor'*- abridged Account of Russian Discovcrhs, 



