154 National Geographic Magazine. 
to be 66° 41’ and high land was visible astern. At three o’clock 
in the afternoon high mountains were observed to the southward. 
which, says Chaplin, “were probably on the continent.” 
Notes.—Under any hypothesis either the run of the vessel was under- 
estimated or the latitude was overestimated. Adding the estimated 
run to the position attained under our hypothesis for the 12th and 13th 
it will put the Gabriel at noon, August 14th, in about north latitude 
66° 24’ and longitude E. Gr. 191° 80’. Chaplin’s reckoning as given by 
Lauridsen would have put the Gabriel more than fifty miles off shore 
when the land spoken of would have been out of sight. Our hypothesis 
puts her about twenty-eight miles N.E. true from East Cape when the 
high land of either shore, under favorable circumstances, might have 
been seen even if the sky were overcast. Clouds do not interfere with 
seeing, unless attended by fog or haze. During this day the Gabriel 
had sailed between East Cape and the islands now known as the Dio- 
medes ; the shore being near by. Why then should it be noted in 
the log that ‘‘ highland was seen astern” at noon? The high land of 
Siberia they had seen and sailed along for days in full sight of it. It 
seems to us that this excludes the idea that the log refers to the Siberian 
highland and that what was seen was the loom of land not before seen, 
as of the Diomedes or even of America. It may not have been clear to 
the commander and yet have been marked enough for the subordinate 
officer to have put it in his log, with the dead reckoning and daily 
notes.* On several old charts mention is made of land seen by Spanberg 
which is supposed to have been America, after Gwosdeff had confirmed 
the existence of the American mainland in that direction and Synd had 
landed upon it. . This suggestion is not unimportant in connection with 
the subsequent conduct of Bering and will be referred to again in its 
proper connection. The further fact that all early printed versions of 
Bering’s list of positions, refer to the modern Diomedes only as the 
island of St. Demetrius and that this day was the festival of that 
obscure saint, lends further confirmation to the above suggestions. 
Aug. 15/26. The Gabriel appears to have continued to sail in 
a northeasterly direction until three o’clock in the afternoon, hav- 
ing been aided by the current to the extent of 82 miles and 
sailed 65 miles ; many whales were seen and the depth averaged 
between 23 and 36 fathoms. Since the 13th the water had 
appeared whitish or discolored. The wind was moderate and the 
weather cloudy. Between noon and three o’clock the vessel made 
seven miles against a head wind. The position of the Gadriel at 
that time was estimated to be in north latitude 67° 18’ and 30° 17’ 
east longitude from the town of Lower Kamchatka (C. corrected). © 
*Lauridsen gets over the discrepancy by putting the word “still” 
before ‘‘ seen” (Am. Ed., p. 41), but there is nothing in the original 
sources to confirm this view of the matter. 
