.BAY OP AWfATSlCA. 
69 * 
p-GXimity with tire volcanic mountain of Awafska; but this was 
the first of the kind during our stay here. This mountain Was 
likewise perfectly quiet/ and emitted nothing but smoke ; while 
the Klutschewish summit, on the other hand, sent Forth, in Janu¬ 
ary, flames, stones, lava, and a quantity of black sand/ with 
which the whole circumjacent country was covered. 
Captain Billings returned from-Nisne-Kamtschatsk at the end 
of March. By the middle of April, our cutter was in a suffi¬ 
cient state- of readiness to receive its tackling and other appur¬ 
tenances. About this time, the bay of Awatska became per¬ 
fectly free from the ice which had collected near its banks during 
the winter; but the sideward bays, the Rakowoi, Targiriskoi, 
and Petropaulowsk- harbours/ continued under ice until the 1st 
of May. 
Many of our people were afflicted with the scurvy this winter, 
owing to the want of proper nutriment. On the approach of 
spring, the evil gained ground rather than otherwise; but as soon 
as they had an opportunity of getting fresh fish, they mended 
daily, so that in the beginning of May they were almost entirely 1 
recovered- The malrnas, herrings, kambalas', and keuschens* 
now came in shoals ipto the rivers, and the green of a species 
of garlic, began to make its appearance. 
Our vessel being perfectly ready for sailing on the 1st of May/ 
our. people were all assembled on board. We brought it out of 
the harbour and anchored at. its mouth, in expectation, of a fa¬ 
vourable wind for miming out. I sailed about in the mean time 
for the purpose of surveying the bay of Awatska, and the two 
side bays. Rakowoi is three leagues long, and half a league 
broad; its depth is from 6 to 13 fathoms, and its bottom is 
muddy. The other, Targinskoi, situated on the nr^th-west side 
of the Awatska bay, is live miles in length, and half a mile in 
breadth. Its north-east bank consists of a narrow mountainous 
promontory, which separates it from the Awatska bay. it lias 
13 fathom-of water infliie; middle; which diminishes as you pro¬ 
ceed downwards; Its bottom is likewise muddy. 
The. two rivers, Awatska and Paratunka, flow into the nor¬ 
thern part of Awatskish bay, after running 'down the mountains 
through several low lands. From the mouth of these rivers 
upwards, there is a dry place half a mile broad; but elsewhere, 
the whole bay is tolerably deep, and would admit of large vessels '* 
to lie at anchor* in 14 fathoms water. The bottom in the deep¬ 
est places is muddy, but in the shallower parts is sandy. 
This and the other bays would serve as good anchoring grounds 
for the most numerous fleet. It is truly laineiitable, that a har¬ 
bour so well formed by .nature, should -remain unused. In a 
short time it might become an important station, if our merchants' 
paid due attention to the advantages they ebuld derive from their 
trade with China, 1 Japan, and the East Indies. 
