PETER THE GREAT'S ORDERS 



Orders of Peter the Great for the Selection of Officers for the 



First Expedition^ 



Peter's Orders 



I. To find geodesists who have 

 been in Siberia and have returned. 



2. To find among the deserving 

 naval Heutenants or sub-heuten- 

 ants such as could be sent to Si- 

 beria and Kamchatka. 



3. To find among the appren- 

 tices or assistant master builders 

 one who could build there a deck 

 ship along the lines of the big ships 

 here. For that purpose there 

 should be sent with him young 

 ship carpenters, such instruments 

 as may be needed, one quarter- 

 master, and eight sailors. 



Reports 



The Senate learns that the fol- 

 lowing named geodesists have been 

 in Siberia: Ivan Zakharov, Peter 

 Chichagov, Ivan Evreinov, who 

 died,* Fedor Luzhin, Peter Sko- 

 beltsyn, Ivan Svistunov, Dmitri 

 Baskakov, Vasili Shetilov, Grigori 

 Putilov. 



Admiral Sievers and Rear Ad- 

 miral Senyavin recommend among 

 the naval lieutenants Stanberg.^ 

 Zverev, or Posenkov; among the 

 sub-lieutenants Chirikov or Lap- 

 tev. It would be advisable to 

 have over them as commander 

 Captain Bering or Fonverd. Ber- 

 ing has been in the East Indies and 

 knows conditions, and Fonverd 

 has had experience as navigator. 



The student of shipbuilding, 

 Fedor Koslov, is able to build 

 either decked or open ships if he is 

 furnished with a plan. 



It is very necessary to have as 

 navigator or assistant navigator one 

 who has been in North America. 



Rigging is being sent. 

 ^Two sets. 



The rest is all right. 



4. Likewise to forward from 

 here one and a half* sets of sails; 

 blocks, cables, and such like; four 

 falconets with the necessary am- 

 munition; and one or two sail- 

 makers. 



^Archives of the Ministry of Marine: Papers of the Admiralty Council, 1724, 

 No. 29, pp. 129-130. In the left-hand column are Peter's instructions, in the right 

 is the report of the Senate or the Admiralty Council. The lines in italics are com- 

 ments on the report by Peter made in his own handwriting (see Fig. 2). 



4 In 1720 or 1 72 1 Evreinov and Luzhin, as stated above, went to the Kurile 

 Islands at the order of Peter. Soon after their return Evreinov died. 



* I.e. Spanberg. 



