56 STELLER'S JOURNAL 



on, no tree is to be met with for 300 or 400 versts inland. I 

 therefore hold that continuous land must extend northwards 

 from Cape St. Elias to about 70° or farther,^^^ which by furnish- 

 ing shelter against the north wind promotes the fertility of the 

 coast, which moreover, towards the east, is protected by the 

 mountains.112 On the other hand the Kamchatkan shores, par- 

 ticularly on the Sea of Penzhina, are directly exposed to the 

 north winds; while the eastern side is somewhat better provided 

 with trees, because of the protection of the Chukchi Promon- 

 tory."3 — Owing to the milder temperature it also comes about 

 that in America the fishes go up from the sea"* earlier than in 

 Kamchatka. On July 20 we found there the fish supply already 

 stored, while in Kamchatka this, the day of St. Elias, indicates 

 the time only for the beginning of good fishing. That plants 

 which only start to bloom in Kamchatka at this time already 

 have mature seed here in America is only a partial argument, 

 because in the northern regions the usually longer days and the 

 sudden great heat and dryness contribute greatly to this result, 

 as I had already observed in Yakutsk in 1740. 



Whoever stops to consider how much one man, without assis- 

 tance, can accomplish in ten"^ hours on a small island will 



1" It is of interest to note the remarkable accuracy of this deduction of 

 Steller's. 



"2 In the MS the words following "farther" read as follows: "which, 

 because of its protection as well as its being sheltered from the west, 

 causes this luxuriant growth of forest." 



113 The climate of Kamchatka is somewhat colder than that of Alaska 

 lying between the same parallels of latitude. Steller's theory that the 

 geologic constitution of the mountains directly controls the distribution 

 of vegetation is without merit. Kamchatka lies within the region of 

 permanent ground frost, which is not true of the Pacific littoral of 

 Alaska. This to some extent influences the distribution of springs. The 

 comparisons between the soil and vegetation of Kamchatka and the part 

 of Alaska which he knew best are in general correct. The differences are 

 largely due to differences of climate. (B) 



11* The MS has in addition "into the rivers." 



115 The MS here also reads "10 hours" although it reads "20 hours" 

 above (see footnote 103). 



