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oi;t being able to fnbdue them. In 1711, the Yakiitd-:- 

 KoZLik Peter Ilin fin Popof, the promyf?iI-.nik Ye^or Vsfiilref 

 fin Toldin, and the neulv baptised Ivan Valiilicf fin TeieOi- 

 kin, made a vigorous attempt to compel thofe v.ho dwelt on 

 the other fide of the bay, and of tlie cape or nofs, to pay 

 the tribute; which- they as flrenuoufly rcfufed. They, how- 

 ever, obtained from them a great uimiber of particulars 

 concerning the fituation of the furrounduig' countries; and, 

 amonjj ithers, that oppofite, whether to the Kovyma or to 

 the Anadyrthey could not fiifficicntly co:iprehcnd, isfituate 

 a fpaciou= ifland, to wlu'ch the Tfhuktfhi give the name of 

 //}i; great land, the inhabitants whereof pierce their cheek-;, 

 and' pafs large pieces of teeth through the orifice ; not 

 having the fame language with the Tlluiktfhi, who have 

 been at war with them from time immemorial. Popcf faw 

 ten of them, who were prifoilers to the Tfhuktfhi ; and he 

 remarked that thcfe pieces were thofe of the wahufs. He 

 learnt that in fu-nmer they pafs over to this iOiiid in haidars 

 in one day, and in winter likeuife in one day in fledges on 

 the ice. 



On the promontory or land of this cape no other ani- 

 mals than wolves and foxes are feen, fuice there are no fo- 

 rells ; whereas on the other land are all lorts of animals that 

 furnilh the finer forts of furs. The inhabitants keep nume- 

 rous herds of rein-deer. The country produces cedars, firs, 

 pines, larches, and other trees. Popof fuppoftd that the 

 number of the Tlhuktfhi at the cape might amount to two 

 thoufand men, and that of the iflaiiders to tnple that fnm ; 

 that, from the Anadyr(1<oi-oftrog they goby land to the 

 nofs, along the rock Matkol, which runs out from a great 

 gulf. 



At the time of which we are fpeaking, there being yet 

 ro imijlements for navigation at Okhotik, and the ufe of the 

 compafs not being known there till the year 17 14, by the 

 e.\prtl's command of the great tzar Peter I., the governor 

 prince Gagarin fupplied both thefe defefts. Probably the 

 governor at firft imagined that the purpofes of dilcovery 

 might be efletled w-ithout thefe helps ; for the firit order 

 relating to the difcovery of a pafTage by fea to Kamtfliatka, 

 dated the 17th of February 1 713, directed to the voivode 

 Ytltfhin, contains not a word about the conilruciion of vef- 

 fels, nor of people expert in the art of navigation : accord- 

 jnglvj nothing farther appears than that the dvoranin Ivan 

 Sorokauniof, who was charged with the bufinefs at Yakutll'C, 

 after arriving with twelve kozaks at Okhottk in the autumn 

 of that year, committed a great many blunders, and was 

 brought back to Yakutik in cullody. It was now found 

 neccifar)-, that the governor (hould immediately lend fome 

 able fe:imen and (liip-carpentcrs. By thefe, who arrived at 

 Yakatfk the 2;;d of May 1714, and were fcnt off to Ok- 

 liotfk the 3d of July, under the command of a Kozak named 

 Kofmas Sokolof, with about twenty Kozaks, the long-w iihed- 

 for difcovery was made. 



One of the failors, by birth a Dutchman, a native of Hoorn, 

 (Strahlemberg calls him a Swedilh corporal, who had formerly 

 been a Ihip-carpeuter. But Bulch himfelf lays, that he had 

 ferved in various places many years as a fiiilor, and at lail in the 

 Swcdifli cavalry, and fo came to be taken prilonerat Vyborg, 

 :n the year 17CG,) named Plenry Buich, w^ts Hill hving at 

 Yakutik in 17^6, when Mr. Miiller made fome Hay there ; 

 and, in anfwcr to his inquiries, learnt of him the fallowing 

 particulars. After they were corr.e to Okhotik, the car- 

 penters built a velTel cf the fame kind with the Ruffian 

 loddies, in wh'ch they ufcd formerly to go from Archangel 

 to Mefen, Puftozevo and Nova Zcmlia. Tlieft l.-ibours oc- 

 cupied the whole of the year 1715. The vcffel was veiy 

 ftouc and fubftanliol It was eight fathom and a half iu 



6 



length, and in breadth three fathom. When l6aded, it drevr 

 three feet and a half of water. All things neccffary for the 

 voyage being ready, the firft expedition was undertaken in 

 June 1716. Thty coalled north-eaft wards, as far as thr 

 region of the river Olia. It was intended to purfue the 

 fame courfe farther ; but a contrai-y wind drove the vefiel, 

 as it were againft the will of the navigators, acrofs the fea 

 to Kamtrtuttka. What they tirll defcritd, as they after- 

 wards were infoniied, was a prom.ontory, ilarting r.oithwaids 

 from the mouth of the river Tigil. The coaft feem.ed fteep 

 and rockv, therefore thty would not venture on (hort, defti- 

 tute as they were of any pilot or guide. Proceeding, how- 

 ever, to keep the fea, a contrary' wind arofe, whieii drove 

 the veffcl back upon the Okhotflvian fhore. The wind after- 

 wards coming favourable, the navigators tacked about, and 

 came exaftly back to the Tigil, where they now call anchor. 

 Some of the people wer.t on ihorc in fearch of human beings, . 

 but found only empty huts. The Kamtfhadales had per- 

 ceivt4 the velTel approaching, and had fled for fear into the 

 torefts and inountains. Our mariners therefore again fet" 

 fail, paffed the Tigil, and in the fpace of a day reached the 

 ftream Chariufofca, having two fmall iflands lying in its vi- 

 cinity. The former, being the largeft, is at the diilance of 

 five verfts from the main laud ; the other, confifling only 

 of barren rocks, a little farther. Leaving the Chariufofca, 

 they ftood out to fea the whole night, and the next morn- 

 ing found thenifelves in with the land at the river Itfha. 

 Here they fent fome of the crew on fhore; who, finding 

 however neither people nor habitations, prefently returned. 

 Continuing to fail along the coail, they came up with the 

 river Krutogorova, into which they would have run, but 

 miffed the inlet ; luckily, however, a bay opening to ths- 

 fouth of the river being found convenient, in it they dropp-^d- 

 their anchor. A detachment of them, while exploring tlie 

 country, met with a Kamtfhadalc girl picking up edible 

 roots in the fields. She direfttd them to fome huts, where 

 juft at that time a party of Kozaks had put up for the pur- 

 pofe of collefliiig the tribute. Thefe, on being fent to, 

 came and fervtd them as guides and interpreters. The veffel 

 was brought to the mouth of the river Kom.pakova, which 

 they found a good birth to moor iu for the v. ir.te;-. Here 

 tiiey had not been many days when a whale was throwa 

 alhore by the fea : in the body of the fiih was flicking a 

 harpoon of European manufacture, marked with Roniant. 

 letters. If T could have furmifed, continues Mr. Midler, 

 that the failor who related to mt this faft, hai known of 

 the like accident that happened to the fhip-*-reckcd Dutch- 

 men on the coall of Korea, in 1653, (AVicfcn, ed. 2. p. 45. 

 Voyage au Nord, tom.ix. p. 308.) I might have been led 

 to fufpeft, that he perhaps was amiifing me with a tale that 

 had no other foundation than what he borrowed fro.ii the 

 former. This, however, was not die cafe. For he was a- 

 completely illiterate man, could xicither read nor write, and 

 fcarcely knew tlutt there was fuch a place as Korea in the 

 world ; confequently the fact is only the more confirmed by 

 two examples. The commar-der Sokolof, during the win- 

 ter, made a journey to Nifhnei KamtfliatJkoi oilrog, whence 

 he returned to the fliip in fpring, and at the beginning of 

 May 1 71 7, pot again to fea. The fea, liowever, was fo 

 full of ice, that on the fourth day from their departure they 

 Were completely jammed iu bet.veenfome fields of it, where 

 they were obligedto remain fixed upwards of iix weeks, 

 before they could proceed on the voyage. In the mcaii 

 time they were in gieat want of provifions. Hapr>ily they 

 regained the Gkhotfkian fhore, between the river Ola and 

 Tansil:-()i oilrog, where they remained at anchor a.i*w days ;. 

 ajid about tli* middle of July ii.lun.ed to OkUolflt. From 



this 



