KAMTSCI-IATKA. 



and Kamtfchatka, would grow as well as in the generality 

 of countries (kuated in the fame latitude. The fertility of 

 this part of the country may probably be owing to its being 

 the widell interval of the peninfula, and confeqwently moll 

 remote, on each fide, from the fea : whereas the chilling 

 fogs and dri/./.ling weather, which prevail almoft perpetually 

 along the coa!l, miift neccffarjly render the parts adjacent 

 very unfit for all llie purpofes of agriculture. Thefcvcrity 

 of the climate, we may naturally conclude, mud correfpond 

 to the ilerility of the foil, of which it is probably thecaufe. 

 The lirft time, fays Capt. King, we faw this country, was in 

 the beginning of May 1779, when the whoie face of it was 

 covered with fnow, from llx to eight feet deep. On the 8th 

 of May, at noon, the thermometer Hood at 32 ; and the fnow 

 lay fo deep on the ground, that all attempts to cut wood 

 were fruitlefs. On tlie 12th the thaw began to advance 

 gradually ; and in the beginning of June, the fnow was ge- 

 nerally melted from the lowlands. On the fifteenth of this 

 month, the thermometer had never rilen higher than 5S ', 

 nor the barometer than 30 4'. The S. E. wind was 

 tii,e moll prevalent On the 24th cf Augull, the foliage 

 of the trees and all forts of vegetation ftcmcd to be in 

 tlie higheil Hate of perfeftion. During this month and 

 September, the weather vi-as very changeable, but in no re- 

 fpedl fi-T.-re. The winds veered towards the well. The 

 greaieft height of the thermometer was 6j^, the loweft 40 . 

 The baroH'.eter's greateil height 30" ; i's lowed 29 3'. So 

 that, upon the whole, during this month, an equal and mo- 

 derate degree of temperature prevailed. But at the be- 

 ginning of October, the tops of the hills were again covered 

 witli new-falkn fnow, the wind contiiming weflerly. In 

 computing the feafons, the fpring fhould not betaken into 

 the account. The interval from the middle of June to the 

 middle of September may properly be faid to conflitute the 

 fummer. Oclober may be conlldered as an autumnal month; 

 and from thence, to the middle of June, it is perfecl winter. 

 It is faid that the climate, in the country adjoining to tlie 

 river Kamtfchatka, is not lefs fereiie and temperate than in 

 many parts of Siberia that are under the fa.me latitude. 

 This variation, fays Capt. King, is probably owing to the 

 fame caufes, to which the fupcrior fertility of the foil in 

 tliofe parts has been attributed. 



The ingenious Mr. Kirwan, in his " Eftimate of the Tem- 

 perature of different Latitudes," Hates the dillance of Kamt- 

 fchatka from the Atlantic to be fuch, that its temperature is 

 not in any refpecl influenced by it, but rather by that of the 

 North Pacific, to which it adjoins. Accordingly the northern 

 parts of this peninfula enjoy the molt moderate weather, be- 

 ing chiefly influenced by the North lea, the temperature of 

 which, even in winter, is milder than that of the fea belo»r 

 the ilraits that feparate Afia from» America. Speaking of 

 the temperature of the North Pacific ocean, the fame judi- 

 cious author obfervcs, that this part of it is contracted in 

 latitude 66 to the narrow fpace of 40 miles ; and in lati- 

 tude 52% it occupies the fpace of only 30'' in breadth from 

 eall to we.1, that is, about 1300 miles: whereas the At- 

 lantic in latitude 52' is about 1700 miles in breadth, and is 

 no where contracted to a lefs fpace than joo miles. To 

 which we may add, that the coalls of Afia on one fide, and 

 th.fe of America on the other, are bordered with high 

 mountains, covered with fnow for a great pait of the year; 

 and numerous high i.lands lie fcattered between botli con- 

 tinents. From thele circumllanccs we have fufficient reafon 

 for concluding a priori, that this fea (houlJ be much colder 

 than that portion of the Atlantic contained between the fame 

 parallels: for, during tlie winter, the mountains that line 

 -Jr- r-oafls are 'jool-.d to a much greater degree than the flat 



coads of the Atlantic ; and the fea, where it is narrow, is 

 entirely frozen : in fummer, heaps cf ice, being long fhel- 

 tcred from the fun by the iflands, are carried dt>wn into 

 lower latitudes, and the fnow remains long unmelt> d on t!ie 

 mountains ; fo that Mr. Kirwan is inclined to think, that 

 the annual tempeiaturcof it is at lead 4 degrees below that 

 of the llandard in correfponding I uitudes. But firthfi- 

 obfei vations are necclfary for determining with prccific-, th,- 

 mean temperature of any of thcfo parts. But it is !iOt 11; 

 the dciility of the ground al-)ne that the Kamtfcliadales feel 

 the unfavourable temperature of their climate ; the nncer- 

 tainty of the fummer fealon fometimes prevents their layii^g 

 up a fullicicnt dock of dried filh for their winter's proviiioj;, 

 and tlie moidure of the air caufes worms to breed in then , 

 whicli not unfrequently dedroy the greatef: part. The in- 

 habitaiits of this country are very ieldom troubled witii 

 dorms of thunder and lightning ; and never but in a fligli'. 

 d-greo. The general feverily of the winter, as well as tlio ' 

 dieadhil hurricanes of wind and Inow which that feafo;- 

 brings aloiig with it, cannot fee qiiei'ioiied, from the fub- 

 terraiioous habitations to which the natives are under a necef- 

 fity of reforting for warmth and fecurity. Mpjor Behm 

 informed captain King and his companions, that the coid 

 and inclemency of the winter of 1779 were fuch, that, for 

 feveral weeks, all intercourfe between the inhabitants was 

 entirely obdruitcd, every one being afraid to dir even from 

 one houfe to another, for fear of being frolt-bitten. This 

 extraordinary rigour of climate in fo low a latitf.de naay bs 

 accounted for, from its being tituated to the call of an in:- 

 menfe uncultivated traft of country, and from the prevalence 

 of the weP.eily winds, blowing o\cr fo e.steniive and cold a 

 continent. The extraordinary violence and i:r.petuofity of 

 the ttiiids are attributed to tiie fubterraneous fires, the ful- 

 phureous cihalations, and t!.e general volcai.ic difpolition 

 of the country. This peninfula abounds in volcanos, of 

 which only three have been, for for.-.e time pad, fubjeft to 

 eruptions. One of thefe is fitnated in the neighbourhood of 

 A watlka. The volcano of Tolbatchick is fitii.ited on a neck 

 of land between the river of Kaintfchatka and Tolbatchick. 

 The mountain, from the fumniit of which the eruptions pro- 

 ceed, is of a conJiderable height, and terminates in pointed 

 rocks. The third vo'cano is on the top oi the mountain of 

 Kamtfchatka, which is mentioned as the highei: in the penin- 

 fula. A thick fmoke never ceales to afcend from its furc- 

 ir.it, and it has frequent eruptions of the mod violent and 

 dreadful kind ; iome of which were much talked of when 

 captain King vilited the idand, ard fecmed to be fredi m 

 the memories of the Kaintfchadales. This country contain.; 

 minierous fprings of hot water, and extraordinary pits or 

 wells, at the bottom of which the water feems to boil as in 

 a cauldron with prodigious impctuofity, accompankrd with^ 

 dreadful noife, and dilcharging a thick vapour. 



Near the village Milkova a merchant ot Irkutfli, ia 176P, 

 difcovered iron ore, and erected fmelting houfes on the fpot. 

 Silver ore, though not very rich, is alio faid to have been 

 found in Kamtfchatka. Of the trees which fell under the 

 notice of captain King and his adociatcs, the principal were 

 the birch, the poplar, the alder, (witli the bark of which 

 they dain their leather,) many fpocies of the v.-iUoM-, and 

 two forts of dwarfidi pines or cedars, of one of whieli they 

 made their eifcnce for beer, and it was found excelleiit for 

 the purpofe. The birch tree was t!ie moll common ; ai;d 

 of this there were three forts, two of which are fit for tim- 

 ber, and the third, which is of a dwarfifli kind, js applied 

 to a variety of ufes. The liquor, yielded by it upon being 

 tapped, is drank witliout any previous preparation; the 

 bark i»"convcrted into veflVlsfor doT.edlt: i-iarofei; r.nd cf 

 4 II 3 tbe 



