371 
THE PACIFIC OCEAN, 
laid down by preceding voyagers, immediately concluded 
it mud: be a new difcovery, and reported it as fuch on their v oaober ’ 
return ; and, fince the veifels employed in thefe expeditions 
were ufually out three or four years, and oftentimes longer, 
thefe miftakes were not in the way of being foon rectified. 
It is however now pretty certain, that the iilands already 
enumerated are all that have yet been difcovered, by 
the Ruffians, in that fea, to the Southward of 6o° of lati¬ 
tude. 
It is from thefe iilands that the fea-otter ikins, the mod: 
valuable article of the fur-trade^ are for the mod: part 
drawn ; and as they are brought completely under the Ruf¬ 
fian dominion, the merchants have fettlements upon them, 
where their factors refide, for the purpofe of bartering with 
the natives. It was with a view to the farther increafe and 
extenfion of this trade, that the Admiralty of Okotzk fitted 
out an expedition for the purpofe of making difeoveries to 
the North and North Ead: of the iilands above-mentioned, 
and gave the command of it, as I have already obferved, 
to Lieutenant Synd. This gentleman, having directed his 
courfe too far to the Northward, failed in the object of his 
voyage; for, as we never faw the fea-otter to the North¬ 
ward of Briftol Bay, it feems probable, that they ffiun thofe 
latitudes where the larger kind of amphibious fea-animals 
abound. This was the lad: expedition undertaken by the 
Ruffians for profecuting difeoveries to the Eaftward; but 
they will undoubtedly make a proper ufe of the advan¬ 
tages we have opened to them, by -the difcovery of Cook’s 
river. 
Notwithftanding the general intercourfe that, for the 
lad: forty years, hath taken place between the natives, the 
Ruffians, and Cofiacks, the former are not more diftin- 
3 B 2 guiffied 
