THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
363 
facres, revolts, and favage and fanguinary rencounters be- i 779 . 
tween fmall parties, from one end of the peninfula to the , 0ftober ' 
other. 
What led to this revolt, was the difcovery of a paffage 
from Okotzk to the Bolchoireka, which was firft made by 
Cofmo Sokoloff, in the year 1715. Hitherto the Ruffians 
had no entrance into the country, but on the fide of Ana- 
dirfk; fo that the natives had frequent opportunities of both 
plundering the tribute, as it was carried by fo long a jour¬ 
ney out of the peninfula, and haraffing the troops in their 
march into it. But by the difcovery of this communica¬ 
tion, there exifted a fafe and fpeedy means, as well of ex¬ 
porting the tribute, as of importing troops and military 
if ores into the very heart of the country ; which the natives 
eafily faw gave the Ruffians fo great an advantage, as muft 
foon confirm their dominion, and therefore determined 
them to make one grand and immediate ftruggle for their 
liberty. The moment refolved upon, for carrying their de~ 
figns into execution, was when Beering fliould havefet fail, 
who was at this time on the coaft with a fmall fquadron* 
and had difpatched all the troops that could well be fpared 
from the country, to join Powloutfki, in an expedition 
againft the Tfchutiki. The opportunity was well chofen; 
and it is altogether furprizing, that this confpiracy, which 
was fo general, that every native in the peninfula is faid to 
have had his ffiare in it, was at the fame time conduced 
with fuch fecrecy, that the R.uffians had not the fmalleft 
fufpicion that any thing hoftile to their interefhs was in 
agitation. Their other meafures were equally well taken. 
They had a ftrong body in readinefs to cut off all commu¬ 
nication with the fort Anadirfk; and the Eaftern coaft was 
likewife lined with detached parties, with a view of feizing 
3 A 2 on 
