THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
217 
profufion of bounty, which I was really anxious to re (train, i 779 . 
being convinced, that they were giving away, not a fhare, , Ma ^' , 
but almoft the whole ftock of the garrifon. The conftant 
anfwer the Major returned us, on thofe occasions, was, that 
we had fuffered a great deal, and that we mult needs be in 
diftrefs. Indeed, the length of time we had been out, fince 
we touched at any known port, appeared to them fo very 
incredible, that it required the teftimony of our maps, 
and other corroborating circumftances, to gain their belief. 
Amongft the latter was a very curious faCt which Major 
Behm related to us this morning, and which, he faid, but 
for our arrival, he fhould have been totally at a lofs to ac¬ 
count for. 
It is well known, that the Tfchutlki are the only people, 
of the North of Alia, who have maintained their indepen¬ 
dence, and refilled all the attempts that have been made by 
the Ruffians to reduce them. The laft expedition againft 
them was undertaken in the year 1750, and terminated, 
after various fuccefs, in the retreat of the Ruffian forces, 
and the lofs of the commanding officer. Since that time, 
the Ruffians had removed their frontier fortrefs from the 
Anadir to the Ingiga, a river that empties itfelf into the 
Northern extremity of the fea of Okotfk, and gives its name 
to a gulf, fituated to the Weft of that of Penfhinfk. From 
this fort, Major Behm had received difpatches the day of our 
arrival at Bolcheretfk, containing intelligence, that a tribe, 
or party, of the Tfchutlki, had arrived at that place with 
propofitions of friendfhip, and a voluntary offer of tribute; 
that on inquiring into the caufe of this unexpected altera¬ 
tion in their fentiments, they had informed his people, that 
toward the latter end of the laft fummer they had been vi- 
iited by two very large Ruffian boats ; that they had been 
Vol. HI. F f treated 
