276 LOSS OF THE ST. PETER. 
owner of the sloop at Jamaica ofTered me the command of 
her ; but I excused myself, choosing to wait for a better com- 
mand. 
LOSS OF THE RUSSIAN SHIP ST. PETER, 
On the coast of Beerings' Island, in the Sea of Kamtschatka, 
in 1741, and subsequent distresses of the Crew. 
The Russians, though of all the European nations the most 
interested in making discoveries in the north, were not, how- 
ever, roused to any undertaking of that nature till long after 
the attempts of the English to discover a north-west passage 
to China and India. The genius of Peter the Great, which 
in the course of a few years had effected such a mighty 
change in his empire, was not insensible of the advantages 
to be derived from exploring the seas eastward of his Asiatic 
dominions, the islands they contained, and the coasts by which 
they might be bounded. He accordingly projected an expe- 
dition for that purpose, and himself drew up the instructions 
for those who were to conduct it. 
The result of this enterprise was the discovery of the Ku- 
rile islands. Encouraged by this success, the same monarch 
formed the plan of a second expedition, but its execution was 
prevented by his death on the 8th of February, 1725. It was 
expected that this event would have completely frustrated tho 
design ; but Catharine, who made a point of executing all the 
projects of her illustrious consort, ordered it to be prosecuted 
the same year. 
The celebrated Beerings, a native of Denmark, but who had 
served ever since 1707 in the Russian navy, was appointed to 
conduct this expedition. Pie Avas an officer who to extensive 
knowledge united fortitude and great experience. His lieu- 
tenants were a German, named Martin Span berg, and Tschi- 
rikoff, a Russian. Beerings and his officers spent almost five 
years in making the necessary preparations and in the voyage 
itself. 
In 1727 they landed in Kamtschatka, surveyed the coast, 
and wintered in that country. The ensuing year they disco- 
vered the Island of St. Lawrence, and three smaller ones not 
far from the east coast of Asia. The approach of winter and 
