156 VITUS BEEING. 



his conduct. He was convinced of the entire necessity 

 of it, he said, and thought it unsafe to remain longer in 

 this exposed anchorage. Time did not permit him to go 

 in search of the harbor found by Khitroff on the day 

 previous, and there was moreover a seaward breeze. One 

 fourth of the water-casks remained unfilled. 



Before a strong east wind, the St. Peter on that day 

 made fifty miles on a southwesterly course. During 

 the two succeeding days, he continued in this general 

 direction. It was misty, and the coast was invisible, but 

 the sounding-line continued to show a depth of from 

 forty to fifty fathoms. In a council, concerning the 

 deliberations of which Steller has a very confused and 

 incorrect account, it was decided, on July 25, to sail 

 slowly towards Petropavlovsk and, at intervals as wind 

 and weather permitted, to head for the north and west, in 

 order to explore the coast they had left. 



They continued on their southwesterly course, and on 

 the next morning, July 26, they were off the Kadiak 

 archipelago. In a latitude of 56° 30', and about sixteen 

 miles toward the north, they saw a high and projecting 

 point, which Bering called St. Hermogenes, in honor of 

 the patron saint of the day. He thought that this point 

 was a continuation of the continent they had left behind 

 them, and as such it is represented on both Miiller's and 

 Krasilnikoff^s manuscript maps in the archives of the 

 Admiralty. On his third voyage. Cook explored the 

 Kadiak group, which he too had assumed to be a part of 

 the mainland. He now found that Bering's promontory 

 was a small island east of Afognak, but out of respect for 

 Bering, he retained the original name. Krusenstern also 



