240 THE ASIATIC FUR-SEAL ISLANDS. 



Of apparently recent and exclusively volcanic origin, many of the islands are 

 still active, and on a fine day in the middle group it is an inspiring sight to watch the 

 steam and smoke issuing from the craters, while down near the sea hot springs send 

 forth their sulphurous white vapor. Nor are violent eruptions of rare occurrence, 

 and many a graphic tale is told of the imposing spectacle of these fiery chimneys. 



The Kuril chain separates the Okhotsk Sea from the Pacific Ocean, the only 

 direct communication between them being through the straits separating the islands. 

 They may be conveniently divided into three groups — the Northern Kurils, the Middle 

 Kurils, and the Southern Kurils. 



The term Northern Kurils embraces the islands between Kamchatka and the 

 Seventh Strait, or Forty-ninth Degree Passage, viz, Shumshu (Shimushuj, Para- 

 mushir, Alaid (Araido), Shirinki, Makanrushi, Avos, Onekotan, and Kharimkotan 

 (Harumukotan). Of these Paramushir is a large island, about CO miles long, with 

 peaks nearly 7,000 feet high, while Avos is described as a small, precipitous cliff 

 between 150 and 200 feet high, too steep to afford a landing anywhere. Between 

 Paramushir and Onekotan is the Amphitrite Strait, most commonly used for passage 

 from the Pacific Ocean into Okhotsk Sea and vice versa. 



The Middle Kurils (pi. 105). situated to the southwest of the northern group, 

 extends south to the Boussole Strait, and comprises the islands of Ohirinkotan, 

 Yekarma (Ekaruma), Shiashkotan (Sliasukotan), the Mushir Eocks, Raikoke, Matua 

 (Matsuwa), Rashua (Eashuwa), the Srednoi Rocks (Sredneva), the North and South 

 TJshishir Islands, Ketoi, and Simusir (Shimushiru). As this group is to be described 

 more in detail later on, it will suflice to say here that Simusir and Shiashkotan, the 

 southern and the northern islands, are the largest, being about 33 and 12J miles long, 

 respectively. 



The Southern Kurils, south of the Boussole Strait, consist of Broughton Island 

 (Buroton Jo), or Makanruru,' the Chirnois (Ohirihoi), comprising two large islands, 

 viz, Ohirnoi and Ohirnoi's Brother, with a couple of small rocks, TJrnp, Ituruj) 

 (Yeturufu), Kunashiri, Skotan (also called Shikotau, or Shakotan), and finally a 

 number of small islands between the latter and the Nemuro Peninsula of Yezo. 

 Prom Iturup south the islands are wooded and inhabited and do not concern us much 

 in the present connection. 



The charts of the Kuril Islands, until a couple of years ago, were in a wretched 

 condition. Nearly all the islands were out of position and their outlines bore no 

 semblance to the real shai)e of the islands. Thanks to the good work of Captain 

 Sqow, who furnished the British admiralty with some excellent sketches of each 

 island, which have been published by the latter (No. 2128),^ this evil is now to a great 

 extent removed, though some details are yet to be corrected. Thus Ketoi is evidently 

 placed too far north and west in relation to Ushishir; the western shore of Eashna is 



' Not to be confounded with Makanrushi, of the northern group. 



^ By a very unfortunate circumstance the Japanese copyist who transferred the British admiralty 

 chart No. 2128 into the Japanese hydrographic office chart No. 343 got mixed up on the names 

 Makanrurii and Makanrushi. As a consequence the latter is called Brovighton Island (or Boruton in 

 the Japanese version) while in reality this name belongs to the former. Conversely on the Japanese 

 copy of the British admiralty chart No. 2405, viz, their hydrographic office chart No. 141, the 

 altitudes of these two islands have become wrongly transposed, in as much as Makaururu is said to 

 be 3,900 feet and Makanrushi 1,782, while the facts are the reverse. The sooner these errors are 

 corrected the better. 



