282 
THE NEW BOGOSLOFF VOLCANO IN 
BERING SEA.} 
On Tebenkoff’s chart of Unalashka Island, 
and the adjacent passes from Unimak to Umnak 
Islands, there is placed in latitude 53° 51’ north, 
and longitude 167° 40’ west, an islet about half 
a mile in extent, with rocky, bold shores, and 
somewhat flattened top. It has deep water 
close around it, and no outlying dangers except 
to the north-north-west, where a small ‘ pinnacle 
rock,’ or ‘sail rock,’ lies a few hundred yards 
distant. 
The rocky islet is known as ‘ Bogosloff.’ In 
his account of his voyages,? Cook says, that 
on the 29th of October, 1778, he discovered ‘an 
elevated rock which appeared like a tower ;’ 
and he judged of its steepness below the sur- 
face of the sea by the circumstance that the 
sea (which was running very high) broke no- 
where but against its sides. 
I have plotted Cook’s position with regard 
to this discovery, made when he was only four 
leagues to the south-westward of the islet, and 
was steering a north-easterly course. From 
his language, I cannot decide whether he passed 
on its northern or southern side. | 
His footnote says, that, though this mass had 
no place on the Russian map produced by Ismy- 
loff,? it was indicated on the chart of Krenitzen 
and Levasheff. Cook placed it about seven- 
teen miles north of the northern shore of the 
island of Umnak. His longitudes are all too 
great by more than a degree, but the relation of 
the islet to the adjacent islands fixes its position. 
This reference to Cook’s position is some- 
what important; because, on an admiralty 
chart of Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean 
(1859), and on a U.S. chart corrected to 1868 
(Exploring expedition under Commander John 
Rodgers, U.S.N.), this islet is called the ‘ Bo- 
gosloff volcano ;’ and the statement is made 
that it rose in 1796,—eighteen years after 
Cook had described it. 
Tebenkoff, in 1848 (perhaps following Sari- 
cheff in 1829), calls it ‘St. John the theo- 
logian Island,’ or, rather, ‘ rock,’ and gives it 
a circumference of two miles. According to 
Saricheff, its height is about four hundred feet ; 
but the navigators of the Russian-American 
company made it six hundred and twenty feet. 
Tebenkoff says Pillar Rock lies four hundred 
yards north-north-west of Bogosloff Island. 
1 Communicated by Prof. J. E. Hilgard, superintendent U.S. 
coast and geodetic survey. See also Science, No. 51. 
2 Vol. ii. p. 526. ‘Third admiralty edition. 
3 Ismyloff was the principal trader at Unalashka, and had 
produced charts of several of the islands, etc., with which he was 
personally familiar, and showed them to Cook. 
SCIENCE. 
On the admiralty chart and on some of the 
Russian charts (including those of Saricheff), 
and even on the chart published by the U.S. 
[Vou IIL, No. 57. 
hydrographic office in 1855, a dangerous reef 
is laid down between Bogosloff and the north- — 
ern end of Umnak. The U.S. chart, corrected 
to 1868, repeats this danger; and it is even 
laid down on the U.S. circumpolar chart of | 
1882. 'Tebenkoff says this ‘dangerous reef’ 
does not exist: Veniaminoff says the natives 
deny the existence of the reef, but report great 
current or tide rips, which are dangerous to 
their bidarkas. In 1867 I had the same infor- 
mation from the Russian priest, Shayesnikeff, 
—a man of more than ordinary knowledge and 
capacity, and well acquainted with the islands, 
which he visited regularly in the course of his 
ministrations : also the Alaska commercial com- 
pany’s navigators have passed between Umnak 
and Bogosloff islands. Neither the Bogosloff, 
the reef, nor the northern part of Umnak, is on 
Kotzebue’s chart of 1817. 
The height of this volcanic island varies 
according to the authority from which the esti- 
mate has been obtained, as already indicated. 
Tebenkoff gives estimates, from two authori- 
ties, of four hundred and six hundred feet. 
On my chart I have a note stating the height 
to be eight hundred and forty-four feet, but I 
had forgotten to state the authority for that 
estimate. I suppose that I obtained it from 
one of the Russian navigators, in 1867. The 
captains employed by the Alaska commercial 
company, however, estimate the height at from 
two hundred and fifty to three hundred and 
fifty feet. 
Of this islet I collate the following facts, 
without examining many authorities : — 
1778. — Cook saw it, Oct. 29, in clear weath- 
er. He says it is on the charts of Krenitzen 
and Levasheff. 
1796. — Veniaminoff, calling it ‘St. John the 
theologian,’ states that it arose out of the sea on 
May 7 of this year ; and that, at the time, there 
were, according to Krusenstern and Langsdorff, 
earthquakes and eruptions. 
1800. — It was smoking (Kotzebue). 
1802. —It was smoking (Langsdorff). (At 
that time the volcano Makushin was throwing 
out volumes of smoke and fire.) 
1804. — It was smoking from one. crater 
(Kotzebue). 
1806. — The burning lava was flowing down 
the north side (Langsdorff) . 
1814. — The crater threw out stones (Bara- | 
noff). 
1815. —It was diminishing in height (Bara- 
noff). 
