*94 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779- Ruffian failors, fufficient to navigate her: that he had put 
on ihore a part of the crew at the Kourile Iflands; and, 
among the reft, Ifmyloff, who, as the reader will recoiled:, 
had puzzled us exceedingly, at Oonalalhka, with the hiftory 
of this tranfadion; though, for want of underftanding his 
language, we could not then make out all the circumftances 
attending it: that he pafled in light of Japan; made Luco- 
nia ; and was there direded how to fteer to Canton : that, 
arriving there, he had applied to the French, and had got a 
paflage in one of their India fhips to France : and that moft 
of the Ruffians had likewife returned to Europe in French 
fhips; and had afterward found their way to Peterfburg. 
We met with three of Beniowiki’s crew in the harbour of 
Saint Peter and Saint Paul; and from them we learnt the 
circumftances of the above ftory. 
On our arrival at Canton, w r e received a farther corro¬ 
boration of the fads, from the gentlemen of the Englilh 
fadory, w T ho told us, that a perfon had arrived there in a 
Ruffian galliot, who faid he came from Kamtfchatka; and 
that he had been furnilhed by the French fadory with a 
paflage to Europe *. 
We could not help being much diverted with the fears 
and apprehenlions of thefe good people, and particularly 
with the account Mr. Port gave us of the Serjeant’s wary 
proceedings the day before. On feeing me come on Ihore, 
in company with fome other gentlemen, he had made him 
and the merchant, who arrived in the fledges we had feen 
come in the morning, hide themfelves in his kitchen, and 
liften to our converfation with one another, in hopes, that 
* It hath fmce appeared, from the account of Kerguelen’s Voyage, that this extraor¬ 
dinary perfon, who had entered into the French fervice, was commander of a new fettle- 
ment at Madagafcar, when Kerguelen touched there in 1774. 
by 
