SAILING OF THE PALLAS AND JASSACIINA. 2$ 
sulphur with it, that was obtained from the larch-trees, which, 
when boiled together, produced a composition not interior in 
quality to the best sort of pitch. 
In the night of the 13th of May, a fire broke out in the 
habitation of the doctor and mechanic, owing, probably, to 
some negligence in extinguishing the coals on the hearth. The 
flames spread over the whole house in an instant, and extended 
to an adjacent store-house, in which the spirituous liquors be¬ 
longing to the crown were preserved. Not the slightest 
article in the house could be saved, but happily no lives were 
lost. 
According to several observations, w r e fixed the latitude of 
Werchne-kolymsk at 60° 21' north, and the deviation of the 
compass at 70°. 
The river being now perfectly clear of ice, our vessels, 
which were in an entire state of readiness, were launched in very 
high water on the 5th of May. After every necessary ar¬ 
rangement was made for our voyage, in which the command of 
the second vessel was consigned to me, we weighed anchor on 
the 22d, and were carried down by the stream with immense 
rapidity to the river Kolyma, which branches out into many 
smaller streams, that are lost in it again at the distance of a 
few versts. Many of these arms are perfectly dried up at the 
fall of the water. 
About noon we passed the mouth of the river Magaseika, 
flowing to the left, which received its name from the circum¬ 
stance of magazines being built at its source not far from Sa- 
schiwersk, in which the provisions were formerly kept that 
were afterwards conveyed by Saschiwersk to the fortress of 
Anadyrsk. The passage by the Kolyma not being then known, 
it was necessary to take the circuit of the two arms Magaseika 
and Oshogina. 
Towards evening we received a visit of curiosity from a 
knask, residing on the banks of a little lake, who paddling to¬ 
wards us in his canoe, seemed very desirous to take a nearer 
survey of our vessel. Learning from him that the Pallas had 
not yet sailed past, we cast anchor until midnight, when it 
overtook ns. 
After passing on the 27th the Cluster of Islands, as they are 
termed, which are seven in number, we reached the Trinity 
Islands, and river of the same name ; probably so called from 
the hunters, who were going to erect a church here in the name 
of the Holy Trinity; but opinions being divided between this 
and another place, it was decided by lot, which feii upon the 
