SARYTSCHEw’s TRAVELS. 
SO 
down the river Elrak, which were afterwards transported to 
Ochotsk in larger craft. But now the water in the Elrak was 
much too shallow to admit of any navigation with the smallest 
canoes, even when empty. Nor would it ever be practicable 
at any other time than in the spring, when there is an extraor¬ 
dinary swell of the water. All the rivers in these parts issue 
from the mountains, and are in connection with springs and ri¬ 
vulets that have also the same source, by which they receive ex¬ 
traordinary supplies of water, that are with equal rapidity carried 
off through other channels. 
Keeping along the right bank of the river Elrak, we continu¬ 
ally observed poplars, birches, and every sort of shrub inter¬ 
mixed with the larches, which cover its islands and shores. 
The former serve as a haunt for the woodcocks, which feast here, 
in great numbers, on the berries in this season, which render their 
flesh very delicious. In the spring they lose their fine flavour, 
and contract both a taste and smell from the buds of the larches, 
which is their only nutriment. 
Eighty versts from the ferry-docks, we had to cross the Elrak, 
and turn off to the left over hills which brought us to the Jakut- 
ish place called Meta, on the Ochota. The remaining part of 
our journey, which was 70 versts, we went in birch canoes down 
the Ochota, with an immensely rapid stream, in six hours. 
Mr. Billings staid but ten days at Ochosk, from whence he 
returned to Jakutsk. Our luggage, which had been left at Ju- 
domskoi-krest, was brought here in nartes, drawn by dogs, and 
we spent the remainder of the winter in .ship-building. 
At the commencement of spring, I surveyed the mouths of 
the Ochota and Kuchtui, and sketched a plan of the city Ochotsk, 
the northern latitude of which i fixed at 59® 18b The easterly 
inclination of the compass w as 0° 40'. 
CHAP. VIIL 
VOYAGE FROM OCHOTSK TO THE RIVER ULKAN.—DREAD¬ 
FUL STORM.—-THE ISLAND OF NANSEKAN.-THE BAY OF 
ST. THEODOR. — PASSAGE FROM ULKAN TO ALDOMA.- 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A HAR¬ 
BOUR ON THE ALDOMA.— ON THE RIVER AMUR.— 
RETURN TO OCHOTSK BY THE ULKAN. 
On the return of spring I proceeded, agreeably to my com¬ 
mission, to survey the south-western shore of the Ochota, as far 
as the river Ulkan. My wooden baidar, which was about 25 
feet in length* was finished hi April, but the ice prevented me 
