Review of Bering s First Expedition, 1725-30. 181 
believing in a great cape or peninsula on the northern coast of the 
Chukchi country supposed this to be the true Cape Chukotski, and to 
the eastern Cape of Bering he left the name of Serdze-Kamen, prob- 
ably knowing little about the original Cape Serdze. And as Bering, by 
the ambiguity of his journal, gave color to the idea that he had rounded 
East Cape and pursued the north coast west of it for a few hours before 
turning homeward, what more natural than that those little acquainted 
with the region should speak of his turning back from near Serdze- 
Kamen? Thus Cook, following out the same idea derived from his 
study of the map and journal in Harris, transferred the name to a 
point in the latitude at which Bering turned back, on the coast which 
he supposed him to have surveyed. There is plenty of confusion here 
but no just ground for supposing malice in it.. 
A publication which throws much light upon Bering’s voyage of 1728 
was printed by Vasili Nikolaievich Bergh (or Berkh) a well known 
writer on geographical matters in connection with Russian history. 
It is in the Russian language and the title may be translated as follows: 
First Sea Voyages of the Russians undertaken for the settle- 
ment of this geographical problem—Are Asia and America 
united ?—and performed in 1727, 28 and 29, under the command 
of fleet captain of the first rank, Vitus Bering. To which is 
added a short biographical account of Captain Bering and some 
of his officers. St. Petersburg, Academical printing office, 1823. 
8°. 8 pr. L. iv, 126 pp. 1 map. Russian text. 
This book was printed, as many private books are, at the printing 
office of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, but was not published or 
printed by the Academy. The only copies I know of are those in the 
library of the Academy and one in the British Museum library, neither 
of which I have been able personally to consult. But through the kind 
offices of Dr. S. Hertzenstein, of the Zoological Museum of the Acad- 
emy, I learn that Bergh found in the Archives of the State Admiralty 
Department the logbook of midshipman Peter Chaplin entitled, ‘‘ Mid- 
shipman Peter Chaplin’s journal of the Kamchatka expedition of 
1725-1731.” From this MSS and from the notes of G. F. Miller and 
Admiral Nagaieff, Bergh compiled his work. Chaplin’s journal is not 
reprinted verbatim but only paraphrased by Bergh who adds his own 
commentary on the subject matter, and occasionally gives extracts 
from Chaplin whose logbook seems to have been kept in a model way. 
An effort will be made to obtain a copy of the original logbook,* but 
for the present we are obliged to be content with what of authenticity 
* Simultaneously with the proofs of this paper the work of Bergh 
has been communicated to me through the liberality of the University 
of Upsala, Sweden. The results of a critical examination of it will 
form the subject of a later paper as the present publication cannot be 
delayed. 
