APPROACHING BERING ISLAND 131 



posed Isopa, which was, however, the extreme point of the first 

 island, 299 and already were in the arm of the sea between the 

 first and the second island, 3°" though before the channel [between 

 them] could be seen or their nature as islands ascertained, it 

 happened that the noon sun permitted an observation to be 

 taken, according to which we were between the 55th and 56th 

 degrees of north latitude, and we consequently began to doubt, 

 quite naturally, that this was the region about Avacha. We 

 attempted to get back around the first island's end, which lay to 

 the southeast 3°°^ and had been taken for Isopa, but in vain, though 



299 Copper Island. 



300 Bering Island. 



sooa A careful study of the movements of the St, Peter as related by 

 Steller possibly affords a surer clue to the track of the vessel on approach- 

 ing Bering Island than the log book alone. For this rea on the following 

 analysis is here ofTered as affording possibly a more satisfactory recon- 

 struction of her track in these waters than shown on PI. I in Vol. i. 

 In the otherwise admirable plotting of the track by the late Captain 

 Bertholf on that map he used Steller's journal as well as the log book 

 (see Vol. I, p. 330, footnote i). But in the translation of the journal 

 available to him at that time the words at this point, " das nach Siidosten 

 gelegne Ende der ersten Insul" were rendered by "the southeastern end 

 of the first island" instead of "the first island's end, which lay to the 

 southeast." The log book is not explicit enough alone to counteract the 

 resulting misconception; but its details, when applied to the interpreta- 

 tion here given, will, it is thought, be found to fit well. This interpreta- 

 tion, which is illustrated on Fig. 15, is as follows: 



During the night of November 4 (astronomical; we accept the chron- 

 ology of the log book in preference to that of Steller; the St. Peter was 

 approaching the Commander Islands on a WSW course. On the follow- 

 ing morning towards nine o'clock (Steller; log book) land was sighted 

 SW by S, 4 German miles away (log book, Yushin's version). This 

 bearing, which need not be taken too literally, however, would indicate 

 the higher parts of south-central Copper Island. As more land gradually 

 came into view the northwestern cape of Copper Island covered the 

 southern end of Bering Island to such an extent that the two islands 

 appeared as one continuous land with a deep embayment beyond the 

 northwestern cape of Copper Island. This was the situation which led to 

 identification with the Avacha Bay region. The northwestern cape ot 

 Copper Island was taken for Isopa Cape (the modern Povorotni; see 

 Vol. I. PI. I), some headland on the eastern shore of Bering Island for 



