182 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
small party of Cossacks under the command of Andreas 
SCHTINNIKOV. He at first accepted several presents from the 
shipwrecked men, but afterwards withdrew from the place where 
the wreck took place. When the Japanese on this account 
rowed on in their boats along the coast, Schtinnikov gave orders 
to follow them in a baydar and kill them all but two. The cruel 
deed was carried into execution, on which the malefactors took 
possession of the goods, and broke in pieces the boats in order to 
obtain the iron with which the boards were fastened together. 
The two Japanese who were saved were carried to Nischni 
Kamchatskoj Ostrog. Here Schtinnikov was imprisoned and 
hanged for his crime. The Japanese were sent to St. Petersburg, 
where they learned the Russian language and were converted to 
Christianity, while some Russians in their turn learned Japanese. 
The Japanese died between 1736 and 1739. Both were from 
Satsuma; the elder, SosA, had been a merchant, and the younger. 
Cons A, was a pilot’s son. Their vessel had been bound for 
Osaka, but having been carried out of its course by a storm, had 
drifted about at sea for six months, stranding at last with so 
unfortunate a result for the greater part of the crew. 
This sad occurrence further reminds us that much still 
remained unaccomplished with respect to the geography of 
north-eastern Asia. Behring’s Kamchatka expedition had 
besides yielded no information regarding the position of the 
northern extremity of Asia, or of the part of America lying 
opposite to Kamchatka. A number of grave doubts appear 
besides to have been started as to the correctness of the 
observations during Behring’s first voyage. All this induced 
him to make proposals for a continuation of his explorations, 
offering, along with his former companions, Spangberg and 
Chirikov, to take the command of the maritime expedition 
which was to start from. Kamchatka to solve the questions 
proposed, both eastwards to ascertain the position of the east 
coast of Asia in relation to the west coast of America, and 
