i8 STELLER'S JOURNAL 



America, because ice is absent to the northeast of the mouth of 

 the Anadyr and very rare from the Anadyr to Olyutora,-^ while 

 on the other hand from Uka or Ukinski Bay 2 5 to Kamchatka 

 [Bay] and from there to Lopatka it is seen every year. From this, 

 I say, must necessarily follow: (i) that this ice is drift ice from 

 the American rivers; (2) that the American continent must lie 

 nearest to the region where this drift ice ordinarily is observed 

 every year; (3) that, because this ice usually drifts ashore after 

 three days of continuous east wind, the nearest land in this 

 region must necessarily be supposed to be directh* to the east- 

 ward; (4) that when 56° north latitude is passed there is no drift 

 ice and consequently no further obstacle is to be feared from it. 

 On the contrary, it was erroneously assumed ^^ that this ice 

 comes from Chukchi Promontory and consequently would 

 obstruct navigation during June and July in case it was decided 

 to turn in a northerly direction or even to conduct a survey 

 opposite the Chukchi Promontory, where everybody thought 

 America to be nearest. It was decided, therefore, at the start, 

 to assume gradually a course between east and south in order to 

 be able, after going about 20° of longitude from Avacha, to dis- 

 cover, somewhere between 45° and 46° north latitude, the 

 alleged Company Land discovered by the Dutch, 2^ from which 



-* River flowing into baj* of same name in 61° N. (see Vol. i, PI. I, 

 where bay is spelled "Olyutorski"). 



= = River and bay in 58° N. (see Vol. i, PI. I, where bay is spelled 

 "Ukinskaya")- 



-6 Steller was mistaken in regard to the ice on the coast of Kamchatka. 

 It is part of the winter ice floes of Bering Sea and not river ice from 

 Alaska. The council of officers was right in not taking a northeasterly 

 course, as the northern part of Bering Sea is usually not clear of ice until 

 July. (B) 



" This was really Urup, the third island in the Kurile chain counting 

 from the south (see Vol. i, PI. I. correlated with Fig. 3), discovered by 

 Vries in 1643 (ibid., p. 2). Lack of knowledge of all but its southwestern 

 end, which Vries had coasted, led to its exaggerated extension eastward 

 into a large land mass and, in some cases (as in Vol. i, Fig. i), the identifi- 

 cation of its hypothetical southern coast as that of Juan de Gama Land 

 (see next footnote) . (J) 



