82 Crossing the Line 



1803, continued 



and sacred to Russians, is uttered and resounds, in the air of another hemi- 

 sphere, under the sun at zenith, casting its rays vertically upon Russians 

 rather than warming them obhquely in the ice-bound countries of the North. 

 In order to heighten the festive mood and raise the men's spirits, the captain, 

 in tlie name of the Emperor, presented each sailor with a Spanish piastre and 

 issued a double portion of vodka. 



Nor did we forget the ceremonies which since time immemorial seamen had 

 practiced at the crossing of the equator. AU the sailors bathed in the ocean 

 while the captain poured a little water on the heads of the noblemen 

 (officers?) from a bowl handed to him. Then, one wag of a sailor, oddly 

 accoutered, impersonated Neptune, wearing a long grey beard tied under his 

 chin and carrying a trident in his hand. Freedom to enjoy themselves and the 

 double portion of vodka allowed Neptune and his retinue to make merry 

 the whole day. At the dinner table, as we toasted His Imperial Majesty, the 

 author of our triumph, and the whole Imperial family, eleven gunshots were 

 fired. Then nine shots were fired to honor the Minister of Commerce as well 

 as the Company's Directors and aU those who contributed to the success of 

 the Company and of this expedition. 



(Zhumal pervavo puteshestviya rossiyan vokrug zemnovo shara, sochi- 

 nennyi . . . Fiodorom Shemelinym. Sanktpeterburg, 1816. ch. 1, v. 1, 

 p. 45-47. ( Journal of the first Russian voyage around the world . . . [by] 

 Fiodor ShemeHn. ) 



The translation was made by Dr. Avrahm Yarmolinsky. 



Adam Ivan von Krusenstem, the commander brought out his report at Saint Petersburg between 

 1809 and 1814, 3 volumes with a folio atlas of 104 maps and plates in the Russian original. Trans- 

 lations into English (London, 2 v., 1813), German (St. Petersburg, 3 v. 1810), French (Paris, 

 2 v., 1820) show the vddespread interest in the expedition and the appreciation of its meaning. 

 The commander had served in the British navy between 1793 and 1799, his crossings on voyages 

 to America, China, India qualifying him as a "trusty shellback." 



He tells of gun salutes, toast to the Emperor, the "usual ceremony" being passed over because 

 he was the only shellback, though one sailor, Pavel Kurganov, "was such an accomplished actor 

 and speaker" that he played the part of Neptune quite fittingly. 



Lisyanski tells of the church service, the first we have had for a long time. The ship was dressed, 

 crew on quarter-deck, toasts drunk, extra drinks and rations issued, the crew sang, ofiBcers passing 

 "the time in pleasant conversation." No baptizing on the Neva. Those of us fortunate enough to 

 hear Russian soldiers or sailors sing can never doubt that real volume and heartiness marked this 

 first time south of the hne. 



Shemelin is sure of the immortality the memory of Alexander I will gain by this event. Whether 

 the crossing is engraved on the Emperor's tombstone I can not say. The "Spanish piastre" 

 Shemelin tells of is the equivalent of the traditional "piece of eight," eight York shillings, our 

 dollar. He dressed ship, fired salutes, issued extra rations, poured a little water on the heads of 

 his officers, tells too that the government expenses had been shared by a company or corporation. 



Note later how von Kotzebue in 1823 justifies the celebration for its keeping up spirits on long 

 voyages. His words "Diversion is often the best medicine, and used as a preservative, seldom 

 fails of its effect," being quoted with warm approval by Fitz Roi a few years later in his report 

 on the voyage of the Beagle. 



