168 VITUS BERING. 



Islands, situated east of Attn. These islands, which to 

 them appeared as one, were called St. Abraham Island. 

 According to the ship^s journal they were seen at ten 

 o'clock in the morning at a distance of six miles toward 

 the west, and at noon ten miles in a direction W. S. W. 

 It is evident that the St. Peter sailed north of these isl- 

 ands, but as the latitude on that day was determined as 

 52° 31', at least 45' too far south, and as the ship undoubt- 

 edly on the 29th and 30th of October passed the Blizhni 

 group (the Nearer Aleutians) it is more than probable 

 that the strait between the most westerly of the Semichi 

 Islands and Attn was seen from the ship's deck, although 

 the officers do not mention this island in the journal, but 

 simply indicate it on the chart. It is, however, referred 

 to by both Miiller and Steller. The most westerly of the 

 Semichi Islands and Attn must be the former's Deception 

 Islands. Steller applies all of his acuteness of mind to 

 show that they were the first two Kuriles. Nothing shows 

 better than this assertion how confused Steller was; 

 hence his unsparing attacks on Waxel, and his base 

 insinuations, are not of the least moment. "Betrayed 

 and sold by two unscrupulous leaders," he says, "we 

 sailed, after October 31, in a northerly direction from the 

 51st to the 56th parallel!" How unreasonable! They 

 were, already on the 30th, north of the 53d parallel. A 

 sharp southwest wind was blowing, several deaths were 

 occurring daily, the helmsmen were conducted to the 

 wheel by companions so deathly sick that they could 

 scarcely walk, the ship's rigging and sails were fast giving 

 way, the weather was raw and damp, the nights dark and 

 long, and all attempts at the determination of latitude 



