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voy AGE ROUND THE WORLD,
IN T H E
YEARS 1803, 1804, 1805, & 1806,
IB Y O R D E R O F
HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY ALEXANDER THE FIRST,
ON BOARD THE SHIPS NADESIID, 1 AND N E V4,
UN DER THE CO M M A N D OF
CAPTAIN A. J. VON KRU SENSTERN,
OF THE IMPERIAL NAVY.
-
*º-
--msm-
IN TIPO roLUMES... . .
—m-
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GFRMIAN
By RICHARD BELGRAVE HOPPNER, Esq.
TOL. I.
Lês Marins écrivent mal, mais avec assez de candeur.—DE BRosses.
iloni]On :
Printed by C. Roworth, Bell-yard, Temple-bar;
FOR JOHN MURRAY, BOOKSELLER TO THE ADMIRALTY AND THIE
BOARD OF LONGITUDE, 50, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
t-
1813,
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
IN offering to the public a translation of “A Voyage round
the World, by Captain Krusenstern,” the translator is not
animated by any confident feelings of the success of his labours.
When a part of the work first arrived in this country from
Berlin, where it was reprinted from the original, it was put
into his hands, rather for the purpose of his endeavouring to
find a proper person to undertake the translation, than of any
expectation that he should himself engage in the task. Failing,
however, in this endeavour, and having seen, in the mean time,
a favourable and interesting account of the work in one of
those periodical publications, which, of all others, are fest
calculated for the general diffusion of knowledge, and one
which, in its character and public estimation, ranks second
to none,” he was prevailed on to attempt it himself.
The motto which Captain Krusenstern has prefixed to his
book, “Que les marins écrivent mal, &c.” is certainly exemplified
in his own instance. The characteristic feature of the work is
that of accuracy, rather than elegance of description. An
uncouth stile, and a cold precision of expression, must ever
A- \
* Quarterly Review, No. XII. Art. II.
a 9
iv TRAN SLATOR’s PREFA CE.
preclude the author from ranking with some of our circumna-
vigators who, in their descriptions and narratives, lave displayed
a warmth of colouring, a taste and feeling, worthy of the won-
derful talents which insured the successful execution of new
and adventurous voyages. The translator felt, however, that
any improvement which might bring it nearer to other works
of a similar nature, could only be effected by a considerable
alteration in the stile, and the infusion of some little warmth
and sentiment into those descriptive parts which would ad-
mit of it without injury to the sense, or a departure from
the truth. But such a step would have been to assume a
licence which he conceived he was by no means warranted to
take ; and, as his aim was to produce a correct and not an
amended copy, he had no alternative but to follow the original,
with that precision which he conceives to be absolutely neces-
sary in translating a work of this nature, and on which, indecd,
its value so mainly depends.
In attempting this apology for the stile of the work, as far
as he is himself concerned, the translator is far from wishing
to detract from that merit which is unquestionably due to
Captain Krusenstern. The care and precision with which he
has executed his own nautical remarks and observations, and
examined and compared those of his predecessors, entitle
him to great praise. His unremitting attention to the preser-
vation of the health of the crews, composed entirely of
men unused to a tropical sun, the means which he em-
ployed for this purpose, and the success which attended
them, are not less creditable to his judgment than to his
humanity.
TRAN SLATOR’s PR EFACE. V
In the narrative of a voyage not undertaken professedly
with the view of making new discoveries, our curiosity is less
strongly excited than in one where discovery is the primary
object. Yet the voyage of Captain Krusenstern is not
deficient even in this respect. His account of Nukahiwa,
and its fine race of inhabitants, is by no means uninteresting,
and confirms, in most respects, that given of them by his
predecessors: his naming it one of the “Washington Islands,”
because first discovered by the master of an American vessel,
is, perhaps, objectionable, as Nukahiwa is just as much one
of the group long known as the Marquezas, as Corvo is one
of the Azores or Western islands. Here he met with an
English sailor of the name of Roberts, who had received the
king's sister in marriage, and who found himself so com-
fortably situated among the islanders, that Captain Krusen-
stern could not prevail on him to leave them.*
* He has however since left them, as appears by the following letter, addressºg to
Mr. Hare, and dated at Calcutta, December 11th, 18 l l :
To JAMES HARE, Esq.
SIR,
I BEG leave to state to you the outlines of my narrative; viz. –In November, 1707,
I sailed from London, bound round Cape Horn ; stopped at Spithead till early in
January, 1798, at which period and in three weeks we reached the island of St. J. go;
stopped a few days, and proceeded to Rio de Janeiro, at which place we stopped about
twelve or fourteen days; we then proceeded on our voyage towards Cape Horn, which
we doubled some time in June, 1798.-We were near six months at the Gallapagos
isles, when we took our departure along the coast of California, in company with two
ships, the Butterworth and Liberty, both of London. In the latitude of 17° N.
we experienced a very heavy gale at midnight; the Liberty was never seen after, the
Butterworth lost her main-mast. In consequence of this unlooked-for misfortune,
we made for the Marqueza isles, situated in 9° 58' S. latitude, and about 155° W.
vi TRAN SLATOR'S PRE PACE.
IHis short account of the Japanese is, as every thing must
be which relates to that curious people, highly interesting ;
and his stay on the northern part of Jesso afforded him the
means of collecting considerable information respecting the
harmless inhabitants of this secluded part of the globe. His
observations made in the Tartarian Sea, and partial survey of
the coast of Saghalin, or Tchoka, are creditable to his talents,
assiduity, and perseverance, as a navigator employed on making
longitude.—Through some occurrences, I became an inhabitant at St. Christiana;
here 1 resided near a year, when I went over to another isle, distant about three leagues;
here I passed a few months in speculation, but my slender education debarred me
from many useful points to society; at length I took my departure with a friend in
his double canoe, bound to Nukahiwa, a distance of about thirty-five leagues. At
this isle I had my different turns of fortune; my friend the king was very partial to me,
and I did every thing that was just to merit his favour. I headed his warriors for four
years. At length he gave me his own sister, Ena-o-ae-a-ta, to be my bride, as a small
token of his esteem; I have ever since thought it a great one. At length I took my
leave, in February, 1806, on board the Lucy, of London, bound to Port Jackson. In
six days we arrived at Otaheita. Here I found twelve missionaries: my wife being
pregnant with her second child, I stopped at this place, March 8th, 1806. I remained
here about eighteen months, at which time arrived Captain Dalrymple; I went on board
of him as pilot; I took his ship among the Ladrone isles, and in one month we returned
to Otaheita, got our wood, water, &c. and departed for the Pheacus isles, and from ,
thence for New Zealand, at which place we got a cargo of spars, and took our
departure for Penang, at which place we arrived in March, 1808. I staid at this place
twenty-three months; my employer being dead, I took my passage in February, 1810,
for Bengal; we arrived March 17, 1810.
This, good Sir, is the outline of my voyages and travels, if this should answer
your desire.
Sir,
I remain, yours, &c. &c.
E. ROBERTS.
TRAN SLATOR's PR EFA C E. vii
new discoveries. On the whole, the translator is of opinion
that the work of Captain Krusenstern will not be found, even
in England, undeserving of some portion of that reputation
which it seems to have gained on the continent of Europe.
It is right to observe, that it has not been thought necessary
to increase the size of the present translation, by the addition
of various papers on subjects of Natural History, &c. con-
tained in the third volume, especially as it appears that Dr.
Langsdorf, one of the naturalists, is about to publish a parti-
cular account of whatever occurred during the voyage, new or
interesting, in his department. Nor has it been deemed of
importance to wait the arrival of the plates which are meant to
embellish and illustrate Captain Krusenstern's voyage. A set
of them has indeed been seen by the translator, who can venture
to say that, from the indifferent manner in which they are
executed, and the very little information which they convey,
the book has suffered no defect from the want of them.
CONTENTS TO WOL. I.
DEDICATION º º e o tº . Page ix
INTRODUCTION g sº tº gº º º ... xi
CHAP. [.
PR EP A R AT I O N S F O R T H E VOYAGE.
Appointment of a Commander to the Expedition—Purchase of the Ships in England
—Determination on an Embassy to Japan—Arrival of the Ships at Cronstadt–
Visit of His Imperial Majesty—Anchor in the Road–List of Astronomical and
Philosophical Instruments—Names of the Officers—Choice of Provisions and
Clothing—Visit of the Ministers of Commerce and Marine—Different Arrange-
ments on board the Ships º e l
CHAP. II.
D EP A R T U R E FROM RUSSIA A N D A R R IV A L 1 N E N G L A N D.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from Cronstadt—Their Arrival in Copenhagen Roads—
Their Stay there prolonged—Danish Naval Archives—Commodore Löwenorm—
Construction of new Lighthouses on the Danish Coast—Copenhagen Admiralty—
Departure of the Nadeshda and Neva for Falmouth—Storm in the Skagerrak—
The Ships separate—The Ambassador goes on board an English Prigate to
London—Arrival of the Nadeshda at Falmouth—Joins the Neva—Stay at Fal-
mouth ge tº & e e * º º w tº. 2O
CHAP. III.
P A S S A G E TO THE CAN A R Y ISLAN D S A N D B R A Z I L.
Y] º -gr " º se * - 2
The Ships leave Falmouth—Observe an extraordinary Meteor—Arrival at Tenerific
T * tº t e * -
-Stay there—Rºarks on Santa Cruz—Inquisition—, nbounded Authority of the
Governor General of the Canary Islands—Astronomical and Nautical Observations
CONTENTS TO WOL. I.
at Santa Cruz—The Nadeshda and Neva sail to the Brazils—The Island of St.
Antonio—Remarks on the Passage to the Equator—Fruitless Search for the Island
of Ascension—Opinions on its Existence—Perceive Cape Frio—The Situation of
this l’romontory—Storm off St. Catherine's—Anchor between St. Catherine's and
the Brazils • o º º • e e e tº o º . 37
CHAP. IV.
STAY AT ST. CATHE RINE’s.
Reception at St. Catherine's and Occurrences there—The Observatory set up on the
Island of Atomery—The Masts of the Neva found to be bad—Prolonged Stay at
St. Catherine's—Remarks on the Fortifications towards the Sea, on the Town of
Nuestra Senhora del Destero, and the Troops there—Miscellaneous Observations
on the State of this Colony, its Trade and Productions—Refreshments which the
Navigator finds there, and Prices of them—English Privateer—Nautical and Astro-
nomical Observations º g • o º º tº * 68
CHAP. V.
l) EPART U R E FROM B R A ZIL AND G. NTRA N C E IN TO THE GREAT O C E A N.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from St. Catherine's—New Orders issued to Captain
Lisianskoy—Character of the Japanese on Board—Strong Current by the Rio de la
Plata—Perceive Staatenland—Weather Cape St. John—Longitude of this Cape—
Reach the Meridian of Cape Horn . p º e - * e . 82
CHAP. VI.
FR O M T H E M ER ID I A N OF C A P E HO R N U NT I L O U R A R R IV A L A T N U KAHIW A.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail round Tierra del Fuego—Uncommon low State of the
Barometer during this Time—The Ships separate in a Storm—Continue the Voyage
to the Washington Islands—Alter the Plan of our Voyage—We cross the Southern
Tropic—Series of Lunar Observations for six Days—Remarkable Error of our
Chronometers—We perceive one of the Mendoza Islands—Sail along the Coast
of Uahuga—Arrival at the Island Nukahiwa—We anchor in Port Anna Maria 97
CHAP. VII.
STAY AT N UK A H M W A.
Barter with the Inhabitants—Total want of animal Provisions—Visit to the King—
Arrival of the Neva—Misunderstanding with the Inhabitants—They take to their
CONTENTS TO VOL. i.
Arms—Second Visit to the King—Amicable Arrangement—Visit a Moray—Dis-
covery of a new Harbour, which is called Port Tschitschagoff—Description of the
Vale of Schegua—The Nadeshda and Neva sail from Port Anna Maria for the
Sandwich Islands & tº º wº e & tº * & & . J J 3
CHAP. VIII.
GEO GRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE WASH IN GT ON IS LAN DS.
First Discovery of the Washington Islands—Reasons why this Name should be pre-
served—Description of the Islands of Nukahiwa, Uapoa, Uahuga, Mottuaity, Hiau,
Fattuuhu—Little Advantage which Ships would derive from touching at the Wash-
ington or Mendoza Islands—Description of the Southern Coast of Nukahiwa, and
the Bay of Anna Maria—Directions for entering it—Weather and Climate—Winds
and Tides—Astronomical and Nautical Observations in Port Anna Maria. 136
CHAP. IX.
D ESC RIPTION OF THE IN H A BITA NTS OF N UK A HIW A.
Account of the Natives—Personal Beauty of the Men—Their strong Health—The
Women—Tatooing—Dress and Ornament of both Sexes—Houses—Associations,
Tools and Household Furniture—Their Food and Cookery—Fishing—Canoes—
Cultivation—Employment of the Men and Women—Form of Government and
Administration of Justice—Family Relationship—Art of War—Truce and cause of
it—Religion—Mourning Ceremonies—Tahbu—Charms—Roberts—Music—Popu-
lation—General Remarks upon the Inhabitants of this Group of Islands. , 151
CHAP. X.
DEPARTURE FROM THE WASH IN GT O N IS LAN D S. A R R IV A L OF THI, NA DE SH DA
I N KA MTS CIH AT K A.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from the Sandwich Islands—Fruitless Search for the
Island Owiha Potto—Arrival off the Coast of Owaihi—Remarkable Error in the
Chronometers of both Ships—Total want of Provisions—Mowna Roa—Description
of the Inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands—The Nadeshda separates from the
Meva and sails for Kamtschatka—Experiments on the Temperature of the Sea—
Fruitless endeavours to find the Land discovered by the Spaniards to the East of
Japan-Arrival off the Coast of Kamtschatka–Situation of Shipunskoy Noss—The
Nadeshda enters the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul * ($ e . 1 S.5
CONTENTS TO WOL. I.
CHAP. XI.
ST A Y AT K A MIT S CHAT K A A N D DE PART U R E FOR J A PAN.
Occupation on board the Ship in the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul—Uncertainty
with regard to the continuance of our Voyage—Arrival of the Governor from Nisch-
ney Kamtschatsk—Determine upon pursuing our Voyage—Change in the Am-
bassador's Suite—The Nadeshda quits Kamtschatka—Storm in the Parallel of the
Kuriles—The Ship springs a considerable Leak—We determine the Non-existence of
a few Groups of Islands, that are laid down in some old Charts to the East of Japan
—Captain Colnett—Straits of Van Diemen—We see the Coast of Japan—Violent
Storm followed by a great Typhon—We approach the Coast of Japan a second
time, and sail through the Straits of Van Diemen—Description of these Straits,
and of the Islands lying within them—Anchor at the Entrance of the Bay of
Nangasaky - * > e tº © J e º º * º . 210
CHAP. XII.
STAY AT J A PA. N.
Reception of the Russians at Nangasaky—Our Disappointment—Mistrustful Steps
of the Japanese Government—The Ambassador quits the Ship—Description of
Megasaky, the Ambassador's Residence—The Nadeshda is carried into the Inner
Harbour—Departure of a Chinese Fleet, and of two Dutch Ships—Some Account
of the Chinese Commerce with Japan—Observations of an Eclipse of the Moon—
Remarks on the Astronomical Knowledge of the Japanese—Unsuccessful Attempt
of one of the Japanese brought from Russia to kill himself—Probable Reasons for
this Attempt—Arrival of a Damio, or Nobleman, from Jeddo—The Ambassador's
Audience with this Commissioner—Conclusion of all Diplomatic Business—Permis-
sion to return to Kamtschatka—The Nadeshda quits Nangasaky . e . 25 1
CHAP. XIII.
DES C R.I.PTION OF T H E H A R B O U R O F N A N G AS AIKY.
First Discovery of Japan by the Europeans—Attempts made by different Nations to
form a commercial Intercourse with the Japanese—Examination of the hitherto
determined geographical Situation of Nangasaky—Difficulties of taking an exact
Plan of the Bay–Description of this, and of the Islands within it—Directions for
entering and sailing out of it—Measures of Precaution—Monthly Observation of
he Weather from October to April . * * e t * ** . 288
'I'O
H IS IM P E RIAL M A J E STY
ALEXANDER I.
MiðST GRACIOUS EMPEROR,
The first Voyage of the Russians round the globe, which,
by the command of Your Imperial Majesty, I have had the
good fortune to direct, deserves particular notice in the annals
of the Naval History of Russia. Your Majesty has been
graciously pleased to permit me to publish the account of this
successful undertaking ; and I now venture to lay my publi-
cation at the foot of your Imperial Throne. I trust, that the
simple narrative of a seaman may not be found altogether
undeserving the august name of the Gracious Monarch which
I am allowed to place at its head : a favour which affords a
new proof to me, that, from the commencement to the end of
this voyage, I have had the happiness to obtain Your Imperial
Majesty's approbation.
b
( x )
With sentiments of the highest respect, and animated by
the warmest feelings of gratitude, for the numerous proofs of
Your Imperial favour,
I remain,
Most GRACIous EMPERo R,
Your Imperial Majesty's
Most dutiful and devoted Subject,
RRUSENSTERN.
INTRODUCTION.
General Observations on the State of Russian Commerce during the last Century-
Sketch of the Russian Poyages and Discoveries in the great Northern Ocean-
Woyages of Captains Behring, Tschirikoff, Spanberg, Walton, Schelting, Synd,
Krenitzin, Lowascheff, Larmann, Billings and Sarytscheff-Origin of the Russian
Fur Trade—Short Account of it—Rise of the Russian American Company—
Its complete Establishment and Confirmation by the Government—Original Motives
for the present Woyage.
The discovery of Kamtschatka in the year 1696, and that of
the Aleutic islands in 1741, occupy no small place among the
great events which have occurred in Russia since the reign of
Peter the Great. Both are of importance, from their extensive,
although only recent influence upon the trade of Russia, and
from the turn which they have given to the commercial spirit of
her inhabitants. The possession of Kamtschatka, and of the
Aleutic islands, contributes, perhaps, to rouse Russia from that
state of slumber in which the policy of the commercial nations
of Europe has ever, and with too much success, endeavoured
to lull her; nor do they witness, without uneasiness, the first
attempts of the Russians to shake off the yoke of their masters,
and to open a field from which, although their own property,
they have hitherto derived no great advantage. The inexhaus-
tible springs and incentives to commerce which Russia pos-
Sesses, are not unknown to any one : but there are obstacles
b 2
xii I N T R O DUCTION.
which render it difficult that she should ever become a trading
nation ; obstacles which several writers have even represented
as insurmountable, although they are not of that nature to war-
rant a doubt of the possibility of removing them. Let the
monarch only express his pleasure with regard to them, and the
most difficult are already overcome.
It was certainly one of the wisest measures of the immortal
Peter, whose actions almost invariably bear the stamp of a deep
politician, and evince the keen penetrating eye of the creator
of Russia, to draw foreign merchants into that country, in order
to bring her trade into a fair line of action. The character of
the merchant in former times was very considerable, owing to
the active trade carried on by Russia;” but it had, nevertheless,
lost a great deal of its respectability at the commencement of
the preceding century. The principal merchants were then
almost entirely ignorant of the relations of foreign commerce,
which Peter was desirous of introducing into his states, together
with a marine : and they therefore stood in need of instructors,
by whose means they might acquire a knowledge of the science
of trade, to them so perfectly new, and without which any un-
dertaking of consequence could not be expected to succeed.
It was, moreover, necessary, in order that any prejudices which
* The Russian wholesale dealers (Gosti) formerly enjoyed several privileges which
they have gradually lost: they were employed on embassies, and invited to the tables of
princes; their demands were preferred to those of other creditors; they were free from
almost all imposts, were not subject to have troops billeted on them, nor required to
swear themselves, but might make oath through the means of their servants; and no
one could judge them except the Czar, or a Bojar expressly appointed for the pur-
pose, &c.
INTRODUCTION, xiii
might exist on the part of the nobility against the character of
the merchant, should be extinguished, to invite into the coun-
try, foreigners who, without being nobles themselves, might
attract the attention of the emperor, and even command his
esteem. In a word, it was requisite again to ennoble the mer-
chant in the eyes of the nation ; and Peter the Great began
this undertaking, to which his successors have all more or less
contributed. Several circumstances have delayed the complete
success of this desirable object, notwithstanding the most
anxious wish of the Russian sovereigns to extend the commerce
of their subjects; but the merchant's character has always
increased in consideration. It is reserved for the present
enlightened government to put the last hand to the improvement
of the people which Peter the Great set on foot: and it is now
time for us to throw off the yoke imposed on our commerce by
foreigners, who, having acquired wealth at the expense of our
country, quit the empire in order to spend it in their own; and
in this manner withdraw from the state that capital which it
would preserve, if the native possessed any means by which
his energy and patriotism might be animated and employed to
the advantage of his country. This energy, this patriotism,
they can only be inspired with, in a country which like Russia
depends on the will of a single person, by its ruler ; and in this
the government of our present excellent monarch, who employs
his power solely for the advantage of his subjects, and gives
daily proofs of his humanity and zeal for the welfare and repu-
tation of his country, is particularly to be distinguished.
For the last century the active trade of Russia has been in the
hands of foreigners; and a long time must have elapsed before,
xiv INTRODUCTION.
even by adopting the most efficient measures, a part of it,only
could have been recovered from them, if the possession of
Kamtschatka, and of the adjoining islands, as well as of a large
portion of the north-west coast of America, the trade with
which has been entirely in the hands of the north-eastern inha-
bitants of Russia, did not now enable those of the west to effect
this, much sooner than before appeared probable : measures
which are become by much too important for the present go-
vernment not to avail itself of them to the attainment of this
great object.
Although I cannot suppose any of my readers ignorant of
the history of the Russian voyages and discoveries in the nor-
thern ocean, nevertheless a short sketch of them may not be
here very much misplaced.
As early as the year 1716, a ship sailed from Ochotzk to
Kamtschatka by order of Peter the Great, and made the first
attempt to institute a communication by water between the
main land and this peninsula, which since that time has always
been preferred to the difficult and tedious intercourse by land.
By his orders the Kurile islands were likewise examined during
the years 1711 and 1720; and shortly before his death, which
took place in 1725, he set on foot the first Kamtschatka expe-
dition, as it was called, to the command of which Behring was
appointed. It could not escape his penetrating observation,
that these distant regions would at some period prove extremely
advantageous to his empire; and he therefore wished to obtain
an accurate account of them. The decision, too, of the then
pending question, how far America was distant from Asia,
INTRODUCTION. XV
a question the emperor had already been entreated to inquire
into during his residence in Holland in 1717, and upon which
the Parisian Academy of Sciences, of which he was a member,
had made a representation to him, occupied him constantly.
Behring, accompanied by Lieutenants Tschirikoff and Span-
berg, made two voyages: the first, in 1728, to the northward as
far as Cape Serdze Kamen, in latitude 67° 18' N. which he
incorrectly held to be the extreme point of Asia ; and the
second in the following year to the eastward in search of Ame-
rica, which however he did not find. The object of these two
voyages was therefore frustrated. The Empress Anna here-
upon ordered a similar voyage to be undertaken, and the dis-
covery of the Aleutic islands and of the coast of America ren-
dered this of importance to the future commerce of Russia ;
although much greater results might have been expected, the
preparations for it lasting nine years, and having occasioned
an enormous expense, besides that by the conveyance of the
materials for the construction of the ships to Ochotzk, many
entire villages of Siberia were completely annihilated. Behring
was again selected as chief of this expedition, and Tschirikoff
commanded the other ship. In the year 1741 these two navi-
gators commenced their voyage. Stetter accompanied Behring
as naturalist, and Delisle de la Croyere went with Tschirikoff
as astronomer to the expedition. The latter discovered the
coast of America in the 56th degree of latitude; Behring,
who was separated from his companion in a storm, saw it in
latitude 58° 28.* On his voyage back to Kamtschatka
* Müller's Collection of Russian Voyages, 3d vol. page 198.
xvi INTROD UCTION.
Behring's ship was driven on an island, which now bears his
name, and where he shortly afterwards died.*
In the years 1738 and 1739, Lieutenants Spanberg, Walton,
and Schelting sailed to the Kurile islands and to Japan.
During their second voyage in 1739, they were separated in a
gale: they touched upon different parts of the east coast of
Japan; Spanberg and Schelting in latitude 38° 41' and 38° 25';
and Walton, who fell in with the land in 38° 17', kept along it
as far as 38° 48'i'. Spanberg examined the Kuriles as far as
Jesso or Matmay, and on his return published a chart of
them containing twenty-two islands, of which, owing to the
incorrectness of the draught, few can now be recognized.
In 1741 and 1742, Spanberg and Schelting again sailed in
order to determine whether Japan and Kamtschatka are, or
not, under the same meridian ; for it was doubted whether
Spanberg and Walton had really seen the coast of Japan, and
had not confounded it with that of Corea; but nothing was
effected in this second voyage. Spanberg's ship sprung a leak,
and he immediately returned : his companion Schelting explored
the mouth of the Amur ; but afterwards, in ascertaining the
difference of longitude between Kamtschatka and Japan, which
Spanberg and Walton had laid down, it was proved, that in
their first voyage they really did reach the coast of Japan.
Since Spanberg's time, until the Japanese Kodojee was sent
* I do not here allude to the voyages, which, although they formed part of the plan
of this expedition, were not immediately connected with the voyages of discovery in
the great northern Ocean.
+ Müller's Collection of Russian Voyages. Third volume, pages 163–167.
I N T R O DUCTION. xvii
away, and conducted by the younger Laxmann, in the year
1792, to his own country, by orders of the Empress Catharine,
the Kurile islands and Jesso have been repeatedly visited by
Russian merchants, but without any positive advantage accru-
ing from their visits either in a scientific or commercial point of
VI C W.
In the years 1743 and 1744, the coast from Ochotzk to
Kamtschatka, was examined by Lieutenant Chmiteffskoy.*
In 1764, Lieutenant Synd, of the Royal Navy, was sent by
order of the Empress Catharine from Ochotzk, on a voyage of
discovery between Asia and America, and returned in 1768. In
this voyage he discovered the island called Matwey,i and the
great island of St. Laurent, called by Cook Clerke's island.
In 1768, Captain Krenitzini and Lieutenant Lowascheff
sailed from Nischney Kamtschatsk, in order to examine the
Aleutic islands, and to determine their astronomical situation.
* Introduction to Sarytcheff's voyage.
+ Cook's Cape Upright, in latitude 60° 17' and 187° 30' E., is probably in the island
of Matwey, called by Cook Gore island.
# In a chart of Synd's Voyage, in Coxe's well-known work upon the Russian Disco-
veries, there is, between the 61st and 64th degrees, well to the south of Behring's
straits, a group of islands said to have been discovered by Synd, whose course is laid
down as passing between them. Cook's and Sarytcheff's voyages prove, however, that
this group does not exist, and is of the same origin as the islands of St. Macarius,
St. Stephen, St. Theodore, and St. Abraham, which have long since been omitted
from the charts. Probably these islands are that of St. Laurent, which Synd mistook
for a group instead of being but one island.
C
xviii IN TIR, OD UCTION.
They both executed this commission very carefully in 1768
and 1769 : but Krenitzin, on his return, had the misfortune to
be drowned in Kamtschatka.
In 1785, a fresh expedition was set on foot, the command
of which was entrusted to Billings, an Englishman. Of this
voyage, which was completed in 1796, two accounts have
lately appeared in print; the first, written in English, by
Captain Billings's secretary, Sauer; the other, compiled by
the present Vice-admiral Sarytscheff, in Russian, contains all
that is important, and the nautical details of the expedition.
As these voyages are in every body's hands, I shall not express
my opinion upon their merits: but it appears to me, that the
expectations which the voyage gave rise to, have not been at
all fulfilled, and are not in the least equal to the enormous
exertions and expenses it occasioned to the government during
the ten years it lasted. Among the officers of the Russian
navy, there were many who would have conducted the expe-
dition much more creditably than the Englishman : every thing
useful that was effected by it, was done by Captain Sarytscheff,
who alone possessed any extraordinary scientific knowledge of
his profession ; and without his exertions, which were employed
principally in ascertaining the astronomical situation of the
different places, in surveying and describing the islands, coasts,
harbours, &c. Russia, in all probability, would not have had a
single chart by the leader of the expedition.
The same effect which Captain Cook's third voyage pro-
duced upon the speculative and enterprising spirit of the
English merchants, who, soon after the return of his ship, began
INTRod UCTION. xix
to visit the north-west coast of America for the valuable
seal skins, (which his stay among the Chinese at Macao had
taught them to appreciate,) had been occasioned among the
Russian merchants forty years sooner, by the discovery of the
Aleutic islands and the north-west coast of America, by
Captains Behring and Tschirikoff. Since that period, the
Russian merchants made several voyages thither, at their own
expense, in order to procure all kinds of furs, but chiefly the
seal skins, which they sold to great advantage upon the
Chinese frontier. In this manner they opened a trade, which
proved so highly advantageous, notwithstanding the little encou-
ragement afforded them, and the almost incredible diffi-
culties, calculated to deter every one from a continuance in
this commerce who had not the same enterprising spirit and
moderate expectations as the Russians, that the number of ships
employed in it increased from year to year. I do not enter
into the detail of these voyages, as an account of them is given
in Pallas's New Northern Supplement, and Coxe's Description
of the Russian Discoveries ; but shall content myself with
observing, that they have been continued without interruption
since the year 1745, and always very much to the advan-
tage of those who undertook them. Every species of fur, but
particularly the seal skin, has become an article of indispensable
necessity to the delicate Chinese. With the least change of
air, they immediately alter their dress; and even at Canton,
which is under the tropic, they wear furs in the winter. The
trade carried on by the Russian merchants might have been
attended with infinitely greater advantages, had it been sup-
ported by the government, as they might then have built better
ships, and have entrusted them to more able commanders,
C Q
XX I N T R O DUCTION.
As they were entirely deficient in the latter, they generally lost
one ship in three every season: notwithstanding which, the
number of ships sent to procure furs increased to such a degree,
that, although other nations, for instance the English, Ame-
ricans, and even Spaniards, began to take a share in this lucra-
tive commerce, there were frequently twenty ships fitted out
in the Russian ports in the course of the year. This extra-
ordinary increase was attended with many evil consequences :
and it is very probable, that had it not been for the merchant
Schelikoff, who may be considered as the founder of the present
American Company, this trade must have fallen to the ground,
owing to the bad measures pursued by those who participated
in it. Every vessel destined for it belonged to a separate
proprietor, who spared neither the natives of the Aleutic islands,
who were invariably ill-treated, nor the animals themselves
which they hunted ; in short, without any consideration for the
future, they merely hastened to collect a cargo, and to return
to Ochotzk. The valuable seals, and other wild beasts, whose
skins were so profitable to these insatiable hunters, would soon
have been completely extirpated had this general chace been con-
tinued: and the trade would have then ceased of itself, or at least
have been suspended for some years. Convinced of the extreme
necessity of putting a stop to this destructive plan of proceed-
ing, Schelikoff took considerable pains to form the different
partakers of this trade into a company, in order, afterwards, to
conduct it with prudence and precaution, upon some plan that
might prove advantageous to all parties. All his efforts to
effect this were, for a long time, in vain, until, in 1785, he
succeeded in joining company with the Golikoffs. They
advanced their capital, fitted out several ships, which the enter-
I N T R O DUCTION. xxi
prisingSchelikoffcommanded in person; formed an establishment
on the island of Kodiak, which is even now the chief factory of
the American Company, for which it is particularly well calcu-
lated, by its central situation between the Aleutic islands and
Kamtschatka to the west, and the coast of America to the east;
and during several years they continued this lucrative trade in
conjunction, by which they acquired considerable wealth.
The success of this connection induced several merchants
to unite like Schelikoff and the Golikoffs, and in this manner
was laid the ground-work of the present American Company;
a name which it had assumed even with the union of their two
firms. The trade was now conducted by the former for the
general benefit of the whole, and factories, protected by forts,
were established on almost all the Aleutic islands. The Com-
pany’s chief establishment was at Irkutsk, a town which, by
its situation, facilitates the connection of east and western
Russia: but although it had now increased to a considerable
extent, the company had not received the smallest proof either
of the attention or support of the government, and its trade
appeared to be rather tolerated than confirmed; nor did its
existence rest on any firm basis. As the irregular manner in
which it was carried on, and the unjust and often cruel conduct
of the Russian merchants to the natives of the American islands,
(a circumstance now very generally known,) had drawn great
and powerful enemies upon them; the Emperor Paul, who then
occupied the throne, determined to put a stop to the Company
and the trade at the same time: and this determination would
have infallibly been carried into effect but for the interference
of M. Von Resanoff, who was subsequently appointed ambas-
xxii INTRODUCTION.
sador to Japan. Resanoff had married Schelikoff's daughter,
and acquired with her a considerable property, which consisted
entirely in bills, whose value depended on the successful conti-
nuation of the American Company. By great activity and a
combination of measures, he succeeded in rendering the emperor
so favourable to the new-established company, that he rejected
the applications for its deposition; formally confirmed it in
1799; and gave it considerable privileges. Its residence was
removed the same year from Irkutsk to St. Petersburg, and
the trade at length assumed a flourishing appearance. Mea-
sures were adopted, the advantages of which were sufficiently
proved by the success attendant upon them : the Company
sent an Englishman to America, who was not only a shipwright
but a seaman; and began to provide its officers with the best
charts, voyages, the most necessary nautical and astronomical
instruments, and such books as are relative to navigation.
It is, however, only since the reign of the present emperor,
(who, immediately upon ascending the throne, interested him-
self very much in behalf of the Company, of which he became
a member, and by his example induced many of the nobility
to do so likewise,) that its duration, under the superintendance
of the minister Count Romazoff, has been actively and
zealously employed in giving a new form to this so long
neglected branch of commerce. They naturally began by
supplying their colonies, which being but newly established,
and, from their situation in so poor and inhospitable a country,
must soon have sunk into nothing without support, with every
necessary, as cheap and as regularly as possible. Among these
necessaries, even bread must be reckoned: for there is no corn
IN T R O DUCTION . xxiii
grown either in the Aleutic islands, or on the coast of America.
The factories were placed in a better state of defence, and
it was necessary to look to the construction of better ships,
and to provide them with good rigging, anchors, and cables,
upon which the safety of a vessel so much depends, and like-
wise to furnish them with skilful and experienced captains and
crews. This, however, could only be effected by a direct com-
munication by sea between Russia and her American colonies:
and hitherto they had always been provided with necessaries
through Takutzk and Ochotzk. The great distance, and the
extreme difficulty of conveying goods and necessaries, for which
purpose upwards of 4000 horses are annually employed,
increased the price of every article, even in Ochotzk, beyond
measure. For instance, at the cheapest times, a pud of rice,
which in the eastern provinces of European Russia generally
costs only half a ruble, was sold at eight rubles; a measure
of brandy at twenty, or even forty and fifty rubles; and other
articles in the same proportion ; and frequently these goods,
after travelling half way or more, were plundered, and only part
of them reached Ochotzk. The conveyance of anchors and
cables appeared almost impossible; and, owing to the want of
them, such measures were frequently resorted to as could not
but be attended with the worst consequences. The cables were
cut into pieces of seven or eight fathoms in length, and spliced
together in Ochotzk ; and the anchors were, in like manner, car-
ried there in pieces and afterwards joined again. Difficult and
expensive as was this mode of conveyance to Ochotzk, it was
equally so, and the risk much greater, from thence to the
islands and the coast of America. The wretched construction
of the vessels; the ignorance of most of their commanders; and,
xxiv. IN T R O DUCTION.
the navigation of the stormy eastern ocean, which throughout
the year was attended with danger to vessels of this descrip-
tion, were the causes of many of them, together with their
valuable and necessary cargoes, being lost almost every year;”
and it now appeared absolutely necessary, if this trade were
to be continued with advantage, and in future to be extended,
that ships should be sent to the east sea round Cape Horn or
the Cape of Good Hope, to the north-west coast of America:
and in 1803 the first attempt to do this was resolved upon.
To the public it must be a matter of indifference who was the
first person to propose this voyage ; nevertheless I may be
allowed to mention briefly a few circumstances which preceded
the appointment of this expedition.
For several years past the very confined state of the active
trade of Russia had occupied my thoughts; and, although it
was a very natural wish in me to be able to contribute to its
improvement, yet I could not but despair of seeing this wish
carried into execution, since neither my situation nor the know-
ledge I possessed could afford me the smallest hopes of doing it.
During the time that I was serving in the English navy in the
revolutionary war of 1793 to 1799, my attention was particularly
excited by the importance of the English trade with the East
Indies and with China. It appeared to me by no means impos-
sible for Russia to participate in the trade by sea with China
-ºr-
* Although the public has been made acquainted with many circumstances relative
to this part of the introduction, through an article of mine in Storch's Annals; I think
it, however, necessary to repeat them here, that the narrative may not be interrupted.
I N T R O DUCTION. XX W.
and the Indies. Most of the European nations which have any
commerce by sea, had more or less share in the trade with these
countries, so rich in all kinds of natural productions; and those
which have particularly cultivated it, have always arrived at a
high degree of wealth. This was first the case with the Portu-
gueze, afterwards with the Dutch, and is so now with the Eng-
lish, nor can there be any doubt that Russia would gain by an
intercourse with China and the East Indies, even although she
had no establishments in those countries: the chief obstruction
to trade, however, with these distant regions, is the want of
people capable of commanding her merchant vessels. None
but officers in the king's service could be employed for this
purpose, and even among these, with the exception of a few
Englishmen, there are not any at all acquainted with the East
Indian seas. For this reason I determined upon going myself to
India: Count Woronzow, the Russian ambassador in London,
soon procured me an opportunity of doing so; and in the early
part of 1797, I sailed to the Cape of Good Hope on board 2n
English line-of-battle ship, and from thence in a frigate to
India. I remained there a twelvemonth, and as I could not
proceed to China in a king's ship, I went there on board a
merchantman, in order to become acquainted with the dange-
rous navigation of the Chinese sea.
Hitherto my thoughts had been only bent on a trade from
European Russia to the East Indics and China; but an acci-
dent gave my view of this subject another turn, and to this I
may attribute the second voyage which I undertook. During
my stay in Canton in the years 1798 and 1799, a small vessel of
about a hundred tons, commanded by an Englishman, arrived
d
Xxvi I N T R O DUCTION.
there from the north-west coast of America: it had been fitted
out in Macao ; the whole voyage did not occupy above five
months; and the cargo, which consisted entirely of furs, was
sold for 60,000 piasters. I knew that my countrymen carry on
a considerable trade in furs with China, which they bring from
the islands in the eastern ocean, and the coast of America ; and
that they are first obliged to carry their skins to Ochotzk, from
whence they send them to Kiachta, which occasions a loss of
two years and often more; that every year several vessels
with their rich cargoes are lost during their voyage across the
eastern ocean was likewise well known to me; and it therefore
appeared to me that the advantages would be infinitely greater,
if the Russians were to bring their goods to Canton direct from
the islands or the American coast. This idea, little as it pos-
sesses of novelty, struck me as clear and convincing, not-
withstanding it had never occurred to the proprietors of the fur
trade in Russia, that I determined to make the necessary pro-
posal for carrying it into execution immediately upon my return.
During my voyage from China I drew up a memoir, with the
intention of handing it over to M. von Soimonoff, at that time
minister of commerce, whose commercial knowledge, patriotism,
and readiness to forward any undertakings which were for the
benefit of the nation, I had heard highly spoken of. In this
memoir I laid great stress on the advantages which Russia fore-
goes by leaving her active trade in the hands of foreigners; and
endeavoured to disprove the arguments generally adduced to
show that it is more profitable for Russia to attend to her internal
commerce; conveying at the same time my ideas upon the
means of removing the difficulty with regard to the officers and
men on board the merchant ships. I proposed to add to the
I N T R O DU CT I O N. xxvii
six hundred young persons who are brought up for the navy in
the corps of sea cadets, and who are all of the nobility, a
hundred commoners to be destined solely for the merchant Ser-
vice, but who should, in fact, be on the same liberal footing as
the nobles. It seemed to me that good seamen could not fail
of being produced from young people who had studied the
theory of their profession, with the experience they would na-
turally acquire during their voyages on board these merchant
ships; and I particularly recommended, that the captains of
king's ships should be very attentive to the boys on board,
and should point them out whenever they observed any rising
talent, and recommend them, that their instruction might be
completed in this corps. In this manner a most useful body
of men might be created for the service of their country; nor
would Cook, Bougainville, or Nelson, have ever been what they
proved to theirs, if attention had only been paid to their birth.
I next drew a slight picture of the Russian fur trade; repre-
sented all the obstacles to which the enterprising men who con-
duct it are exposed, although they are not to be deterred by any
dangers; and showed of how great advantage it must prove to
Russia if this trade were in any degree supported by the
government. For this purpose I proposed that two ships should
be sent from Cronstadt to the Aleutic islands and to America,
with every kind of material necessary for the construction and
outfit of vessels; and that they should be likewise provided
With skilful shipwrights, workmen of all kinds, a teacher of
navigation, as well as with charts, books, nautical and astro-
nomical instruments. In short, that these merchants should be
enabled to build good ships in their colonies, the command of
d 2
xxviii INTRODUCTION.
which they might intrust to skilful persons.” In these ships,
which were to be constructed there, they should henceforth
send their furs to Canton, but without entirely giving up
the trade with the Chinese through Kiachta ; and the money
to be obtained from the sale of furs in Canton, should be ap-
propriated to the purchase of Chinese wares, which could be
sent to Russia in ships to be fitted out in the east sea for Can-
ton for this express purpose, or even in the same ships which
conveyed the furs from the colonies to Canton, and which on
their voyage back, in case they did not procure a complete
lading, should touch either at Manilla, Batavia, or the coast
of India, and take in goods which in Russia cannot fail of find-
ing a ready and advantageous market. In this manner it would
no longer be necessary to pay every year large sums to Eng-
land, Sweden and Denmark for East Indian and Chinese
* The difficulty of constructing ships in America, i...he islands, or in Ochotzk are,
however, so great, as I have since learnt by experience, even though all the necessary
materials should be sent direct from Russia, that I think it would certainly be more
advantageous to send small vessels for the purpose of trading there from the ports of
the east sea. The freight of the cargo to be sent in these ships would more than pay
the expense of the hulls and their outfit. These expeditions would also be attended
with the great advantage of forming seamen on this long voyage, for those parts, where
they are so much wanted, instead of the ignorant Promischleniks, or fur-hunters, who
now navigate the vessels, and would tend considerably to the safety of the Company's
ships. At all events I consider an uninterrupted communication between the Euro-
pean ports of Russia and the Company's American colonies, and particularly the com-
merce with Canton, as the only means of bringing the trade of the Russian American
Company into a thriving state, if the government holds it necessary to retain its establish-
ments on the north-west coast of America, and firmly to support the system of any
active trade. These undertakings, however, on the part of the American Company,
would require an entirely new organization of their establishment,
I N T R O DUCTION . xxix
goods, and Russia would soon be in a condition to supply the
north of Germany with them at a lower rate than either of
those nations, as their preparations are much more expen-
sive than ours, and they for the most part can only carry on
this trade with specie. The Russian American Company could
not fail of becoming in time of so much importance that the
smaller East Indian Companies of Europe would not be able to
stand in competition with it. This was nearly the purport of
my memoir.
I had scarcely arrived in Russia but I wished to present it in
person to M. von Soimonoff, the president of the Board of
Trade; but I could not obtain permission to go to St. Peters-
burg. In the mean time M. von Soimonoff, the most intelli–
gent minister of commerce that Russia ever had, was dismissed,
and Prince Gagarin appointed his successor. I nevertheless
determined to give my memoir to M. von Soimonoff, convinced
that if his ideas concurred with mine, he must still have suffi-
cient influence to carry my proposal into execution; but he
quitted St. Petersburg and soon after died at Moscow. Count
Kuscheleff being at this time minister of marine, I deter-
mined to present my memoir to him, and as I could not
be personally introduced, I sent him a short abstract of
it; but the answer he returned deprived me of all hopes of
my plan being adopted. My endeavours to interest private
persons in such a speculation proved alike unsuccessful; per-
haps they might not have been so if I could have obtained
Permission to pass a short time at St. Petersburg. At length
Alexander I. ascended the throne, and Admiral Mord-
Winoff shortly after received the office of minister of marine.
XXX INTR, ODU CTION .
a change that again awakened my hopes, and I lost no time in
arranging my memoir, which I altered almost entirely: a resi-
dence of two years in Russia had opened my eyes to many things,
but the material parts remained the same. In J anuary, 1802,
I sent it to the admiral: at first I was uncertain as to its fate,
but in May I received an answer that my paper met with his
entire approbation, and he would take the earliest opportunity
of carrying the plan proposed in it into execution. He had
imparted it to Count Romanzoff, the present chancellor of
the empire, who at that time had just succeeded Prince Gaga-
Tin as minister of commerce, and who also favoured it with his
approbation; and the proposed measures for the improvement
of our American trade excited his warmest interest. Indeed
it was only by such a zeal as was evinced by Count Romanzoff
and Admiral Mordwinoff that an undertaking like this could
so soon have been carried into execution, which, merely on
account of its novelty, would naturally occasion great disappro-
bation and opposition. I hold it my particular duty to speak
here of his Excellency Count Romanzoff, as it is chiefly owing
to him, that after the proposed voyage had been determined
upon, it was really carried into execution : the interest he
took in it continued unabated to the last ; and on our return it
was the Count who proposed to his Imperial Majesty the
rewards which he conferred, in a manner peculiar to our graci-
ous monarch, on all who had any share in the expedition.* I
* All the officers on board both ships were raised a step in rank. The captains of
the Nadeshda and the Neva received the order of Waladimir of the third class, and a
pension of 3000 rubles for life. The lieutenants and the surgeons one of 1000 rubles.
That of the other officers was in proportion to their pay. The men of science attached
I N T R O DUCTION. X X X 1
may be permitted here, in my own name, as well as in that of
all the persons who served under me, to offer my public acknow-
ledgements; and I equally return thanks to his Imperial
Majesty for his commands that the account of the present
voyage should be published at the expense of the government.
After the execution of my plan was determined upon by the
two ministers, Count Romanzoff and Admiral Mordwinoff, the
account of the same was sent to his Imperial Majesty, and
his Majesty was requested to call me to St. Petersburg. This
was done in July, and immediately on my arrival, Admiral
Mordwinoff informed me that the emperor had fixed upon me
to carry my own plan into effect.* I was not a little astonished
when I heard this, for I really had almost given up all hopes of
my suggestion being acted upon, and never expected that I
should have been selected for the purpose. It was now like-
to the expedition received a pension of 300 ducats for life, and the crew, besides, a
yearly pension of from 50 to 75 rubles, were permitted, if they chose it, to quit the
service.
* In the summer of this same year, an Englishman, established at Hamburgh, of
the name of M*Master, came to St. Petersburg, to offer his service to the American
Company. He offered to conduct a ship laden with goods to the American colonies;
and required, as he was a shipwright, that the construction of the company's ships there
should be consigned to him : he likewise proposed to make an establishment in the
island of Urup, one of the Kuriles, which he bound himself to superintend for several
years, in order to prosecute the whale fishery there: a project with which the American
Company was at that time very much occupied. After a long negociation with the
Directors of the Company, he returned to Hamburgh in the autumn, without effecting
anything. There is no doubt that this Englishman might have proved very useful to
the Company; he appeared to me to be of an enterprising mind, a very skilful seaman,
and a man of good qualities.
xxxii INTRODUCTION.
wise become more difficult for me to accept the proposal: a
beloved spouse had, some months before, made me the happiest
of men, and I expected shortly to become a father; nor could
the attainment of all my other wishes have rendered me more
happy than I actually was. My circumstances were indepen-
dent, and I was on the point of quitting the service, in order
to pass the rest of my days in a peaceful and undisturbed retire-
ment; a happiness I was now to forego, and my feelings opposed
me when I was about to accept this, to me, so honourable an ap-
pointment. But the minister declared to me that it was
expected I should not refuse it; and that in case I did not
undertake to carry my own plan into execution, it would fall
entirely to the ground. I owed a sacrifice to my country, and
I made it: I determined upon the voyage, and felt the greatest
Sorrow and affliction on account of my wife. How, indeed,
could I remain insensible to the tears of a dearly beloved spouse,
which I saw her shed daily during a twelvemonth P. The con-
sciousness of being useful to my country, which was always
the object of my wishes, kept me steadfast to my resolution :
the hopes of bringing the voyage to a happy conclusion encou-
raged me, and I began to make the necessary preparations
for it.
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KRUSENSTERN'S
voy A G E R O UND THE WOR L D.
CHAPTER I.
PR EP A R AT I O N S FOR T H E V O Y A. C. E.
Appointment of a Commander to the Expedition—Purchase of the Ships in England
—Determination on an Embassy to Japan—Arrival of the Ships at Cronstadt—
Pisit of His Imperial Majesty—Anchor in the Road—List of Astronomical and
Philosophical Instruments—Names of the Officers—Choice of Provisions and
Clothing—Visit of the Ministers of Commerce and Marine—Different Arrange-
ments on board the Ships.
gº
On the 7th August, 1802, I was appointed to the command
of an expedition preparing for the N. W. coast of America.
However flattering the enthusiasm with which the nation looked
forward to this expedition, I was still not a little surprised to
find that I was expected to set sail that same year. This ap-
peared to me impossible, as the two ships were not yet pro-
vided, nor indeed were they to be procured in Russia. It was
proposed to purchase them at Hamburg, where the cargoes
were to be previously sent, so as to enable us to sail in Oc-
tober. This extraordinary hurry, in a preparation where the
© R
Q K R USENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE wo RLD.
particular attention to be paid to the purchase of vessels, as
well as the advantages to be taken of favorable seasons for the
different climates through which we had to pass, were of the
greatest importance, appeared to me by no means calculated
to secure the success of the undertaking. Upon my presenting
a memorial, pointing out the disadvantages of this haste, the
voyage was deferred until the following summer.
The selection of a captain for the second ship was left to me.
In a voyage of so long a duration, and of so various a nature
as ours, which, although conducted by officers of the navy,
and intended, in some degree, for philosophical purposes, was
principally with a view to commerce; and which, besides the
mere sense of duty, required a particular turn of mind and
great self-denial:---it was necessary that my choice should fall
upon a man, whose attachment, obedience, and disinterested-
ness might continue the same upon all occasions. This man
I expected to find in Captain Lisianskoy, who had served with
me during the American war, on board the English fleet, and
who had proved himself to be a skilful sea-officer.
As the success of the voyage depended chiefly on the good-
ness of the vessels, it was necessary to use the greatest precau-
tion in the purchase of them. I therefore dispatched Captain
Lisianskoy, accompanied by Rasumoff, a master ship-builder,
and a young man of considerable talents, to Hamburg. Not-
withstanding the general opinion that we should meet with
some vessels there, they could find none fit for the purpose;
without losing more time therefore, they proceeded to Lon-
don, the only place where we may reckon with any degree of
| PRE PARATIONS FOR THE voy. A G E. 3
certainty upon the purchase of good vessels. Even there, the
precaution not to make too hasty a bargain, occasioned some
delay; and it was not until February, 1803, I was informed
that two ships, one of 450 tons, three years old, the other of
370 tons, fifteen months old, had been purchased for 2.É17,000
sterling. In addition to this sum, their repairs had cost
2£5,000. The first of these two vessels was called NADEs HDA,
or the Hope; the other the NEvA.
In January, 1803, I left Revel, my usual place of residence,
for St. Petersburg, in order to be present at the fitting out, and
purchase of different articles. My wife accompanied me; but
the being obliged to leave my young son behind was a bitter
foretaste of a future, and still more painful, separation. I did
not remain long in the capital, as an entire new project was
added to the former plan of voyage; an embassy to Japan.
In the year 1792, under Catharine II. such an embassy had
taken place, which, contrary to expectation, had been favorably
received by the Emperor of Japan, and a written permission
brought back for a Russian ship to go annually to Nangasaky
for the purposes of trade,---but only to Nangasaky, and un-
armed, otherwise it was to be considered as a measure of hos-
tility: this imperfect result was ascribed to some faults, but
principally to the little pomp with which the embassy was
conducted. The letter to the Emperor of Japan was not from
the Empress herself, but from the governor of Siberia; which
had greatly mortified the proud monarch (of Japan.) They
had not gone to Nangasaky, although this place alone is open
to foreign ships, but into a harbour on the coast of Jesso. The
ambassador Laxman was of low rank, and too coarse in his
B 2
4. K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAGE ROUND THE WO RLD.
*
manners to make any favorable impression on a suspicious na-
tion, which, in the judgment of Europeans, looks more to out-
ward show and parade than to inward merit. Ten years had
elapsed, without any use being made of the Emperor of Japan's
permission. The extension of Russian commerce under the
reign of Alexander I. appeared to make a closer connection with
the eastern nations desirable; and it was determined to send a
new embassy, taking care to avoid the errors into which the
former had fallen. An observation, made in one of the con-
ferences held upon this subject,” that the return of the ships
would be delayed at least a year by this step, and the com-
mercial advantages of the expedition in consequence dimi-
nished, the Emperor resolved to take the ship destined for
the embassy entirely upon his own account, allowing the Ame-
rican Company, at the same time, to put as many goods on
board, as could conveniently be stowed; a favour which am-
ply compensated them for every other loss. As only one ship
could go to Nangasaky, they were to separate at the Sand-
wich islands: the Nadeshda was to convey the embassy, which
it was supposed might be done in a couple of months, to
Japan, and thence proceed to winter at Kamtschatka or Ko-
diak, and the Neva was to sail immediately to the N. W. coast
of America and to winter at the same place. In the summer
of the following year, the two ships were, according to the
original plan, to call at Canton after taking in their lading,
and from thence return to Russia.
* There were present at this meeting: Count Romanzoff, the minister of com-.
merce; Admiral Tschitschagoff, the minister of marine, who had succeeded Admiral
Mordwinoff in the ministry some months before; M. de Resanoff, and the Directors of
the American Company.
PRE PARATIONS FOR THE voy. A G E. 5
M. de Resanoff, who has been mentioned in the Introduc-
tion, was appointed ambassador extraordinary to the court of
Japan, and shortly after invested with the order of St. Ann,
and the title of privy counsellor. Valuable presents were pre-
pared to secure the favour of the monarch and his ministers,
and to effect this with the greater certainty, the Japanese who
in 1796 were captured in the Aleutic islands, such of them, at
least, as had not embraced the Christian religion, and wished
to return home, were to be conveyed back from Irkutsk, the
place of their confinement. M. de Resanoff was permitted,
in order to increase his suite, to take with him a few young
gentlemen of rank, as attached to the embassy. As a number
of young persons were to make this voyage at the expense of
the government, I wished to occupy the spare room in my
ship with such as might contribute to the improvement of sci-
ence. Our long stay in the southern hemisphere, and the
objects of general philosophy, appeared to offer useful employ-
ment, particularly, for an astronomer. Mr. Counsellor Tilesius,
a scholar, well known on account of his early writings, had
been recommended for the expedition, in the preceding au-
tumn, by the Count de Manteufel, who at that time resided
in Berlin. Two draftsmen, of the St. Petersburg Academy of
Arts, were to accompany us. We were however obliged to
leave one behind. I therefore ventured to apply for the ap-
pointment of an astronomer. Count Romanzoff, who is ani-
mated by a praiseworthy zeal for science, wrote immediately
to the celebrated director of the Seeberg Observatory, the
Baron von Zach, who shortly after proposed for this service
Dr. Horner, a Swiss by birth, and one of his scholars. The
worthy Director will allow me to return him here my warmest
6 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
thanks for selecting so excellent a man, and one whom I shall
always be proud to call my friend, to accompany me.
On the 5th June, 1803, the ships destined for the voyage
arrived at Cronstadt; I hastened to examine them and found
them excellent, as well on account of their construction as of
their internal arrangement. As the ambassador was, with his
pretty numerous suite, to sail on board my ship, I chose the
Nadeshda as being the largest of the two. Notwithstanding
the repairs which had been made in England, I found myself
under the necessity of changing for new, two of the old masts,
as well as all the rigging. This cost us considerable time and
labour, and without the friendly assistance which Admiral Mā-
Soedoff, at that time port captain, and Captain Bütschenskoy,
his assistant, afforded me, with the most unremitting attention,
we should not have been able, even in the long space of time
we were obliged to pass at Cronstadt, to have completed all our
work. It is no more than my duty to make my public ac-
knowledgment to these two persons.
On the 6th July I was enabled to give orders for the two
ships to be brought into the roadstead, in the expectation of
sailing in a few days; but we had the happiness of first seeing
His Imperial Majesty at Cronstadt. The object of his visit
was to see the two ships which were to carry the Russian flag,
for the first time, round the world: an event, which, after a
hundred years' improvement in Russia, was reserved for the
reign of Alexander. The Emperor's first step, after quitting
his barge, was to proceed on board the two ships. He noticed
every thing with the greatest attention, and expressed his
PR EP A R ATIONS FOR T H E V OY A. G. E. 7
satisfaction, as well with the ships themselves, as with the
different articles which were brought from England for the
voyage. He conversed with the commanders, and attended
for some time with pleasure to the work which was going on
on board the ship. I conceived myself particularly fortunate
in the opportunity of giving loose to my gratitude, and ex-
pressing to the Emperor the sense which I entertained of his
extraordinary munificence towards me: for he had been so gra-
cious as to assign the revenues of an estate, amounting to the
yearly sum of 1500 roubles, for twelve years, to my wife, in
order, as he kindly expressed himself, to set my mind per-
fectly at ease, during my absence, with respect to the welfare
of my family. An act of grace which surprised me, and which
I valued the higher, as it proved how much the Emperor felt
that a favour conferred upon my wife would be infinitely more
grateful to me than if it had been bestowed upon myself.
Captain Lisianskoy, who, as has been already mentioned,
had attended to the purchase of the ships, had provided them
with all the articles which are indispensable in so long a voy-
age. Among other things, he had procured a considerable
supply of the best antiscorbutic remedies; such as portable
soup, essence of malt, essence of fir, or spruce, dried yeast
and mustard; as well as the best medicines, a list of which
Dr. Espenberg, the surgeon of my ship, had sent after him
to England. I had bespoke six timepieces and a complete
assortment of astronomical and other philosophical instru-
ments. Four of the timepieces were made by Arnold and
two by Pennington. These I carried directly to St. Peters-
burg, and gave over to my worthy friend Schubert, of the aca-
S K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Roun D THE won LD.
demy, who, with the greatest kindness, undertook to attend to
them. I am the more indebted to him on this account, be-
cause of the great value of time to a man who has enriched the
world with such excellent writings upon one of the highest
branches of literature. The astronomical instruments were all
made by Troughton, and consisted of a reflecting circle, twelve
inches in diameter, with flying nonius. A ten inch sextant
and stand for each ship, two artificial horizons, a theodolite,
two azimuth compasses, a nautical barometer, an hygrometer,
a thermometer, and an artificial magnet. An achromatic tele-
scope with tripod and equatorial motions, for observing, on
shore, the eclipses of Jupiter's satellites, &c. which I had be-
spoken, was not sent, but I supplied the want of the former
in England. The instruments which Mr. Horner brought
with him from Hamburg, or bought afterwards in England,
Were-
A portable transit telescope, with an astrolabe affixed to it
giving 10 seconds.
A 10 inch sextant, by Troughton.
A stop watch.
A pendulum apparatus of M. von Zach, with silver double-
pins, and a micrometrical beam compass. &
Another apparatus, with a constant pendulum.
An astronomical quadrant, by Adams, of 1, foot radius, with
a division of 90 and 96, to be used either horizontally or verti-
cally.
A three feet transit by Troughton.
A clock, by Brockbank, the pendulum with wooden rod.
A thermometer, of the kind invented by Six, which shews
the greatest degree of heat and cold that has taken place du-
PRE PARATIONS FOR TIIB v O.Y.A. G. E. 9
ring the absence of the observer, as a supplement to an instru-
ment for ascertaining the temperature of the sea under water,
which I received from Admiral Tschitschagoff, and which was
made by Scheschurin, a Russian artist.
A portable barometer by Troughton.
An electrometer by Saussure.
An hygrometer by De Luc.
An aerometer by Troughton.
Two surveying compasses.
An excellent collection of charts, and a well chosen library,
left me nothing to wish for in that respect: but the greatest
treasure we possessed, and for which we were indebted to
the liberality of the Baron von Zach, consisted of a perfect
copy of the new lunar tables, by Bürg, which had gained
the First Consul’s double prize at the National Institute. It
was reserved for our expedition to make the first use of these
tables, which were corrected up to April of the current year.
Their surprising exactness enabled us to ascertain our longi-
tude within a few minutes, while the Ephemeris, calculated
according to Mason's lunar tables, put us out of our reckoning,
even in our best observations, nearly half a degree.
I conceive it will not be quite superfluous to say a few
words respecting the equipment of our ships, as they were the
first of this nature which had been fitted out in Russia. On
this head there is always something that deserves mentioning,
although it may not perhaps be interesting to the general
reader.
The choice of the officers and crew was left entirely to
C
1() K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAGE ROUND T11 E wo R L D.
myself, so that it was easy for me to select them according to
my own pleasure. The Chevalier Ratmanoff I chose as my
first lieutenant. He had served fourteen years in his present
rank, and mostly commanded a ship of war. IDuring the last
hostilities with France he had so much distinguished himself
by his courage and activity, that he obtained the order of St.
Ann of the second class. M. de Romberg, with whom I had
served in 1801 on board the Narva frigate, which I com-
manded, and with whose skill I was well acquainted, was my
second lieutenant. The name of my third lieutenant was
Golowatscheff. I had selected him for this voyage without
having seen him. He was universally approved, and until
the unfortunate circumstance which took place on our return,
at St. Helena, I never found any cause to repent of my choice.
A M. von Löwenstern was my fourth lieutenant; he had lately
quitted our service, after having been six years in England,
and in the Mediterranean, under the command of Admirals
Channikoff, Kartzoff, and Uschakoff. At the expiration of
the war, (the uniform duty in time of peace having no charms
for one of his active disposition,) he left Russia in order to enter
the French service. From thence he hastened back as soon
as he was informed of my voyage, and at Berlin he met with
my proposal that he should accompany me. To an amiable
and cultivated mind, he added a very extensive and well
grounded knowledge of his profession. The choice of Baron
Billingshausen, my fifth lieutenant, I made, like that of Lieu-
tenant Golowatscheff, without being personally acquainted
with him. His reputation as a skilful and well informed officer
in the different branches of navigation, which I found to be
perfectly just, induced me to propose to him to sail with me.
Dr. Espenberg I chose as physician to my ship. We had long
Pl: E PARATIONS FOR T H E V OYAG E. 11
been friends; and I may perhaps attribute to this friendship
alone, his resolution to undertake the voyage. I was ac-
quainted with his skill; and, in my endeavours to preserve the
health of the crew, I met with the most active assistance from
him. Dr. Laband I chose as physician to the other ship. He
had been recommended to me by some of my friends in St.
Petersburg as a man of great knowledge, and of a most ami-
able character; qualities of which he gave sufficient proof
during the voyage, and which made me regret that our ships
were so often separated. The Counsellor von Kotzebue was
desirous that his two sons, who had been educated in the
corps of cadets, should accompany me. His request to the
Emperor, to this effect, was immediately acceded to. Difficult
as the father must have found it to allow them to undertake so
dangerous a voyage at the early age of fourteen and fifteen
years, yet the result has fully repaid him for this sacrifice of
paternal affection. They have profited very much by the ex-
pedition, and are returned in proved and well informed young
Ill CI] .
My crew consisted of fifty-two men, of whom thirty were
sailors: all young and vigorous, who had offered themselves
at the first report of the expedition. Two of them I was
obliged to part with just before I sailed. Some symptoms of
Scurvy had appeared upon one of them, and the other, who
had been married about four months, had fallen into a state
of deep despondency at the prospect of parting with his wife.
I had indeed advanced him more than his yearly pay of 120
roubles, to provide for her, and he was besides in very good
health; however I left him behind, as I considered a contented
C 2
19 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
and cheerful disposition as far more necessary upon such a
voyage than even constant health. I wished too that no con-
straint should be uscd in this expedition.
All my sailors were well supplied with clothes and Iinen, the
greatest part of which I had ordered from England. Besides
this, I had had mattresses, pillows, sheets, and coverlids, made
for each man, and, as a necessary measure of precaution,
caused a considerable additional supply of clothes and linen
to be provided. The ships' provision was on the whole very
good. The biscuits made in St. Petersburg of wheat flour
lasted upwards of two years perfectly uninjured. The salt
meat was in part pickled in Hamburg, and part of it at St.
Petersburg; that of St. Petersburg was particularly good, and
continued without spoiling during the whole of the voyage.
As it is the first example of meat prepared with Russian salt
keeping three years, in all kinds of climates, the name of the
man, whom we have to thank for it, certainly deserves to be
remembered. He was called Oblomkoff. The quantity of
butter which I took with me was but small, as it will not
keep between the tropics, and, when in a rancid state, is pre-
judicial to health: instead of this article, I took out a consi-
derable quantity of tea and sugar, as I was anxious to accustom
my people by degrees to this healthy and antiscorbutic be-
verage. I promised myself too, great assistance, in preserving
the health of the crew, from the use of sourcrout and cran-
berry juice. With the preparations, which, in this respect,
were made for the expedition, I had every reason to be satis-
fied; but to my no small mortification, it was discovered,
upon unkyading the ships during the voyage, that sufficient at-
PR E PARATIONS FOR T H E V OY AG E. 15
tention had not been paid to the choice of casks, the conse-
quence of which was, that a good deal of the provision was
destroyed. I regretted particularly the loss of the sourcrout,
nearly two-thirds of which I was obliged to throw overboard;
and I was under the necessity of packing a great proportion
of the biscuit in sacks, as I had no room for the casks in which
it had been stowed, and it was impossible that, packed in this
manner, it could keep for any length of time.
In the fitting out of my ships, it was necessary to provide for
the different objects of the voyage, the combination of which
was attended with many inconveniences. The ship belonged
indeed to the Emperor, and was destined for the embassy; but
it was also allowed to the American Company to lade it with
their goods. Of this lading, and of the many presents destined
for Japan, I could obtain no previous information: with re-
gard to the latter, indeed, I continued in ignorance until the
last moment. I was in the road, and effects were still arriving,
which I was not a little puzzled how to stow. I was therefore
obliged to resort to measures, which, in the end, might have *
proved very injurious, and to leave behind a supply of meat
and biscuit sufficient for nine months, as well as a considerable
quantity of cordage. The ship was, notwithstanding this, so
deeply laden, that she would have suffered severely in a storm.
Had the whole of this merchandize, as well as the ship's pro-
visions, and the presents destined for Japan, been sent sooner
to Cronstadt, we might easily have calculated, upon the arrival
of the ships, how much could conveniently be stowed away;
but they were only sent by degrees from St. Petersburg, after
their arrival. The constant westerly winds occasioned like-
14 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
wise a considerable delay in their conveyance. I might indeed
have remedied the evil, by causing the ships to be again un-
loaded, for which, as it afterwards proved, there was more
than sufficient time, as I was detained three weeks in the roads;
but as the ambassador was expected daily, it appeared to me
that we should gain time by doing this at Copenhagen, where
I should at all events be obliged to stow the cargo anew, in
order to make room for 80 puncheons of brandy, which I was
to take in there.
During this time, and while we lay in the roads, we had fre-
quent visits from St. Petersburg. Many persons were asto-
nished to perceive how very heavily we were laden, and how
little prepared to undertake so long a voyage, without exposure
to the risk of losing half our crew. Nor was it likely that the
Emperor would remain long unacquainted with our condition.
The ministers of commerce and marine were directed by His
Majesty to proceed on board the ships, and consider the means
of procuring us more comfort and security. These gentlemen
arrived on the 2d of August, and gave orders that, as the ship
was so overcharged, as much of her cargo as I might think fit
should be left at Copenhagen. And on account of the want
of accommodation, (the officers amounting to more than twen-
ty-five persons,) it was farther resolved, that five of the volun-
teers attached to the ambassador's suite, should remain behind.
The enthusiasm of these gentlemen to undertake the voyage,
was however so great, that they were willing to put up with
every inconvenience, and insisted that no difference should be
made between them and the common men; and it would in-
deed have grieved me to exclude so many young persons of
PIR. EP A R ATIONS FOR THE VOYAG. E. 15
education. Notwithstanding all this, we were so crouded,
that, had not my crew been already very small, I would wil-
lingly have left some of them behind, to procure more conve-
nience for the others. After these arrangements, I looked upon
the preparations for sailing as completed, and therefore im-
parted my signals to Captain Lisianskoy, as well as my in-
structions for the voyage, and for our rendezvous, in case of
separation. I now waited only for a fair wind to put to sea.
On the 20th July, I received my timepieces on board. They
had been a month in the observatory of the Academy, where
the Privy Counsellor Schubert had compared their daily rate
of going with the culmination of the sun and different stars.
On the 18th July at noon, No. 128 (a box timekeeper by
Arnold) was slower by 2h. 9' 40" than mean time at St. Peters-
burg, and was losing daily +9° 376. No. 1856, a pocket
chronometer by Arnold, was slower by 1h. 55'42", 97 than mean
time at St. Petersburg, and gained daily — 7", 513. The third
watch, a pocket chronometer by Pennington, was faster Oh.
0 22, 63 than mean time at St. Petersburg, and lost daily
+5" 215. The Observatory stands 2h. 01' 1" east of Greenwich.
The rate of going of these watches had altered very much in
the space of two months; for upon their delivery to Captain
Lisianskoy in London, it was
No. 128 . . . . . . . +4" 88
16 K R USEN's TERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
I consider it my duty to mention the names of those who for
the first time ventured to undertake so long a voyage under the
Russian flag. In a country where similar expeditions were
altogether new, such an adventure was likely to inspire more
enthusiasm, and, in many, more alarm, than in countries where
voyages round the world, and an absence of several years
were already become common. The greatest extent of Rus-
sian navigation in the Atlantic had never yet reached the
tropics. We had now the prospect of proceeding as low as
the 60° of north latitude in one hemisphere, and up to the
same degree of south latitude in the other. The tempests of
Cape Horn, the burning heat of the equator, might well alarm
persons, who had no means of forming a correct idea of them;
yet there were so many volunteers for the voyage that it would
have been an easy matter for me to have filled several larger
ships with the best sailors of the Russian navy. I had indeed
been advised to take some foreigners among my crew: but I
knew too much of the spirit of Russian sailors, whom I prefer
to all others, even to the English, to listen to this proposition.
Except MM. Horner, Tilesius, Langsdorff and Laband, there
were no foreigners on board either of the ships.
N A D E S II D A.
Capt. Lieut. von Krusenstern, Chief of the expedition.
Mackary Ratmanoff, . . . . . 1st Lieutenant.
Fedor v. Romberg, . . . . . . 2d do.
Peter Golowatscheff, . . . . . 3d do.
Herman v. Löwenstern, . . . 4th do.
Baron Billingshausen, . . . . 5th do,
| PRE PARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE. 17
Philip Kamentschikoff, . . . 1st Pilot.
Wasiley Spolochoff, . . . . . 2d do.
T}r. Charles Espenberg, . . . 1st Physician.
John Sydham, . . . . . . . . . Surgeon.
Dr. Horner, . . . . . . . . . . Astronomer.
Dr. Tilesius, e
Dr. Langsdorff, } Naturalists.
The latter quitted the ship on the 26th June, 1805, on a jour-
ney to the N. W. coast of America.
Otto v. Kotzebue,
Moritz v. Kotzebue, } Cadets.
Alexey Raiffskoy, Serjeant of Artillery.
Ship Clerk I
Sailmaker I
Carpenters 2.
Caulkers 9.
Cooper l
Gunsmith }
Boatswain I
Quartermasters 4.
Gunners 2
Sailors 30
Ship's Cook l
Servants 2
48
**-ºs-
Jn all 64 persons.
18 KR USENSTERN's voy. A G E Roun D THE won L.D.
N E PL1,
Capt. Lieut. Lisianskoy.
Pawell Arbusoff, . . . . . . . 1st Lieutenant.
Peter Powalischin, . . . . . 2d do.
Fedor Kowcdāeff, . . . . . . 3d do.
Wasiley Berg, . . . . . . . . 4th do.
Danila Kalinin, . . . . . . . . 1st Pilot.
Dr. Laband, . . . . . . . . . . 1st Physician.
Peter Korabitzin, Clerk of the American Company.
The crew of the Neva consisted of 46 persons besides the
abovementioned officers.
In the suite of the ambassador to Japan, his Excellency the
Counsellor of State and Chamberlain Resamoff, on board the
Nadeshda, were
Herman von Friederici, Major of the General Staff.
Count Fedor Tolstoy, Lieutenant of the Guards.
Fedor Fosse, Counsellor.
Stephen Kurlandzoff, painter of the Academy.
T}r. Brinkin, Physician and Botanist.
Fedor Schemelin, Clerk of the American Company.
A Huntsman, a Cook and a servant: besides five Japanese,
and six passengers for the colonies on the N. W. coast of
America.
In all, on board the Nadeshda, 85
On board the Neva, . . . . 54
With the exception of Major Friederici, all the suite of the
PRE PARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE. 19
ambassador returned overland to St. Petersburg. They left
the ship at Kamschatka in the year 1805.
On the 4th August, N. S. (which I shall constantly use) the
wind shifted to the eastward, and I immediately made the sig-
nal to weigh; before two hours, however, had elapsed, it shifted
round to the westward, and blew very hard until the 7th, when
it allowed us to quit Cronstadt. I had now a painful task
before me, to take leave of my beloved wife. I left her in the
arms of friendship. I shall never be able to make a suffi-
cient return to the excellent family, who, during our stay
at Cronstadt, gave us the most friendly and tender reception,
for their kindness to myself and to my disconsolate wife.
D 2.
CHIAPTER II.
D EP A R T U R. E. F. R O MI R U S S I A A N D A R R L V A L IN E N G, T, A N U',
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from Cronstadt—Their Arrival in Copenhagen Roads—
Their Stay there prolonged—Danish Naval Archives—Commodore Löwenorm—
Construction of new Lighthouses on the Danish Coasts—Copenhagen Admiralty—
Departure of the Nadeshda and Neva for Falmouth—Storm in the Skagerrak—
The Ships separate—The Ambassador goes on board an English Frigate to Lon-
don—Arrival of the Nadeshda at Falmouth—Joins the Neva—Stay at Falmouth.
On the 7th August, at nine in the morning, the wind shifted
from S. W. to S. by E. and by ten we were under sail. Admi-
ral Channikoff came on board, to wish us a happy voyage, and
accompanied us to the guard-ship which lies about four miles
from Cronstadt. The day was very fine and warm, and the
chronometer stood at 17°; it seemed however to threaten bad
weather. The nautical barometer fell in a few hours 4 lines,
from 29 in. 90 to 29in. 50. At noon the lighthouse at Tolbu-
chin bore N. E. 74° some miles off; and at eight p. m. the
lighthouse on the island Seskar S. W. 20°. At ten the wind
shifted in a squall to S. W. and obliged us to tack during the
night. The next day it increased, and blew at S. W. and W.
with very bad weather, so that we were obliged to beat about
off the island of Hochland, so much decried by our sailors, as
we could not weather it. -
On the 10th August, the wind fell, and we again had some
fine weather, which was very acceptable to our young Ar-
DEPARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 2I
gonauts. At noon, our latitude was observed to be 60 03
39" N.; the longitude, according to the timekeepers, was
26° 58' 15" E. of the meridian of the observatory at Green-
wich.* At two p. m. we weathered Hochland. At eleven,
got a good lunar observation for the calculation of our lon-
gitude. According to this, reduced to mid-day, it was 26 48
00" E. By the timepieces, it was 26° 41' 12". The latitude at
noon was 59° 56' 00" N. At length the wind, to our no small
satisfaction, shifted to S. E. At nine p. m. we perceived the
lighthouse on the island of Kockschar, bearing S. W. distant
eight miles. The longitude of this lighthouse I found by the
timepieces to be 25° 27' 26" E. At twelve, according to our
reckoning, we had passed Revel, and at six the next morning,
the lighthouse at Packerort and the island Ottesholm. At ten,
we saw the lighthouse upon the isle of Dagen, which, at mid-
day, bore S. E. 14°: during the afternoon we lost sight of it.
The longitude of this lighthouse I found 22° 07' 10" E., and that
of Packerort 23° 51' 18" E. On the 13th August, in 57° 44' 30"
latitude, and 20 00' 45" longitude, we found the variation of
the needle to be, according to several observations made with
two compasses, 13° 15' 10" W. On the 14th, at five in the
morning, we perceived the island of Gothland, along the coast
of which we sailed during nearly the whole day, at the distance
of about 10 or 12 miles, and enjoyed a very beautiful prospect.
This morning, at eight, a seaman belonging to the Neva fell
overboard, and although a boat was immediately lowered,
-*—
* The longitude throughout the voyage is calculated by the meridian of the observa-
tory at Greenwich: from Cronstadt to Greenwich, east; them west, until the cirquit is,
completed; and again east, until their return to Cronstadt.—TRAN's LATo R.
22 K R Us ENSTERN's voy Aq E Rou ND THE won LD.
it was not possible to save him. He was an excellent swimmer
and of a strong constitution; and we concluded that he must
have disabled himself in his fall. At four p. m. we saw point
Hoburg, in the island of Gothland, bearing N. W. by N. dis-
tant about 12 miles. At five, the variation of the needle was
14° 45' 00" W., our latitude being at that time 57°02' 50" N.
At twelve the next day, the island of Oland was seen from the
masthead, and at four p. m. the fire beacon, which stands at the
southernmost point of this island, bore N. W. 39°, distant about
15 miles. The longitude of this point was, by our timepieces,
16. 28' 30" E. As, according to my reckoning, we should pass
the island of Bornholm at about two a. m., and the wind blew
very fresh at E. S. E. with bad weather, I considered it pru-
dent to lye by for some hours during the night. On the 16th
August, at day-break, we saw the island, the northernmost
point of which, at six o'clock, bore S. S. E., about 6 miles off.
This point, upon which there is an excellent lighthouse, built
by Commodore Löwenorn, is, by our timepieces, 14°42'20" E.
At half past three we saw the isle of Mön. The wind, which
had blown pretty fresh, now became so moderate, that we were
obliged to cast anchor about 21 miles from Copenhagen.
Early the next morning we weighed again, and about half past
five in the evening came to an anchor in 73 fathoms water, over
a clayey bottom, in the outer road of Copenhagen. The Crown
battery bore S. W. 65° of us: the round tower in the town, S.
W. 50°. !
Immediately after we had anchored, an officer from the Crown
battery came on board to congratulate us on our arrival, and to
offer us, on the part of the government, every assistance that
DEPARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 23
we might stand in need of, for the advancement of our affairs.
As we should have to unload the ship entirely, I requested per-
mission to do this in the inner road, which was granted me by
the Admiralty the next morning. I sent the powder off imme-
diately, and on the 20th August we went in with the Neva,
where, for the greater security, we moored both ships, at dou-
ble anchor. The Admiralty likewise provided us with boats to
unload, and we therefore began the task, which was attended
with more difficulty than I had imagined, without delay, and
after ten days labour had nearly completed it, when I received
a letter from our consul at Hamburg, which placed me in
the very unpleasant necessity of recommencing our labour:
for I was advised to pickle again the salt meat which had
been purchased in Hamburgh ; as it would otherwise not
keep long. This tardy advice was too innportant not to be
taken, although it obliged us to unload nearly the whole ship;
as I had been induced, at Cronstadt, to stow this meat, from
its particular goodness, quite at the bottom of the ship, with
the intention of not using it for two years. Upon resalting it,
it appeared, that within a very few months we should have
been obliged to throw nearly the whole of it overboard, as sc-
veral casks of it were already damaged. I now therefore had
the greatest part of the salt meat from Petersburg examined,
which was in every respect better than that from Hamburg:
we found however that more of the casks were bad, which we
changed for new ones. Without this precaution, and that of
again salting the meat purchased at Hamburg, I am convinced
that the half of these provisions would have been destroyed.
Our long stay at Copenhagen was very unpleasant to me,
24. K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND T H E W OR L D.
as well on account of the vexatious employment I had there, as
of the loss of time. I was however fully repaid by the society
of M. Bugge, Director of the Copenhagen Observatory, and
M. Löwenorn, Captain of the Danish fleet. The instructive
conversation of these two worthy men, rendered their acquain-
tance infinitely agreeable to me, in my present situation.
Professor Bugge, with the greatest kindness, allowed me to
leave my chronometers in the observatory, and offered to attend
to them during our stay: a task which he very punctually ex-
ecuted. M. Bugge possesses an excellent cabinet of natural
history, of which he makes constant use in his lectures, which
are attended by the principal people of Copenhagen. His li-
brary is considerable, and appears to be well chosen. His
astronomical books occupy a small room adjoining the great
library, which, at the same time, serves him as a study.*
The Copenhagen observatory, it is well known, owes every
thing to its present worthy Director, having before his time been
merely a name. Its situation upon what is called the round
tower, the height of which is 120 feet, is excellent. The pro-
spect from this tower is very fine: it overlooks the whole city,
the harbour, and the road. The opposite coast of Sweden is
very clearly to be distinguished, and, with a tolerable glass,
one may count the houses in Malmoe and Landscrona. This
tower was built in the reign of Christian IV. and converted
into an observatory in the year 1656, by Christian Longomon-
* In the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, Professor Bugge is said to have
lost the whole of his library, his cabinet of natural history, and a very valuable collec-
tion of charts.
D EP A RTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 25
tanus, a disciple of the celebrated Tycho Brahe. The chief
instruments in this observatory are a quadrant to fix in the wall,
with a radius of 6 feet, by Ahl; a zenith sector of 12 feet; a
passage instrument, and a whole circle, being the first that ever
was used; one of Herschel's 7 feet telescopes; a 10 feet achro-
meter, and one of 3 feet, by Nairne and Blunt, and some qua-
drants. Near the observatory are four comfortable rooms, in
which Syöberg and his sons, Mr. Bugge's assistants, reside.
I saw here also several chronometers made by a Copenhagen
artist of the name of Armand, which, with the exception of
one, were all very bad. Some years ago Captain Löwenorn
was sent to the West Indies to try these timepieces, and as
his report was unfavorable, they will probably never come
into use.
In Denmark, the office of head pilot is combined with that
for the construction and superintendance of the lighthouses.
M. Löwernorn, who has held this office, since the death of
Admiral Lous, is indefatigable in his endeavours to execute, in ,
the best possible manner, this (on account of the danger of the
Danish and Norwegian coasts) most important part of his labo-
rious duty. There is scarcely a lighthouse, which, since he has
had the direction of them, has not been either rebuilt, or con-
siderably improved. He has already constructed four new
ones, since the year 1797. During our stay here, he was par-
ticularly occupied in the construction of a new lighthouse
upon Christians-6e near Bornholm, which, as it will require,
On account of the vicinity of that upon the northernmost
point of Bornholm, which is lighted by a coal fire, a different
one, easily to be distinguished, he has determined to light by a
E
28 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
ship, of 84 guns, the Christian VII, one of the handsomest
that I ever saw. The master-builder, Captain Hohlenburg,
who has built several ships which have all met with approba-
tion, had just quitted the service, to go to the West Indies,
where he is to lay the foundation of a dock in the island of St.
Croix.”
On the 23d August, two Danish Chinese ships arrived at
Copenhagen. One of them, of 1400 tons, sailed two months
before the other from Canton, but had sprung a considerable
leak, by which a great part of her cargo consisting of tea,
nankeen, coffee, sago, rhubarb and china-ware had been de-
stroyed, and she had been obliged to run into an English port.
A mutiny likewise was said to have taken place among the
men. The ship had 160 seamen, 30 of whom were lascars or
East Indian sailors, and 10 Chinese, who had been taken on
board, as 40 of the crew had died at Batavia, where they
touched on their voyage out. There was a greater want of
cleanliness in this ship than I ever saw on board any other;
but this was in some measure owing to the constant pumping
and the foul evaporations in consequence.
Of the two scientific men who were engaged for our voyage,
Dr. Horner as astronomer, and Dr. Tilesius as naturalist, and
who had been appointed to meet the ships at Copenhagen, we
found the first waiting for us. The second arrived a week
after, and Dr. Langsdorff some days later. The last had just
* He died there in the year 1805.
Dr. PARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 29
returned to Göttingen from a journey to Portugal and Eng-
land, and had there first heard of our voyage. His offer to
accompany the expedition as a naturalist could not be accepted
in St. Petersburg, as Dr. Tilesius was already engaged; such
however was the enthusiasm of this philosopher, and so great
his ardour to join in the voyage, that he was not to be deterred
by this, but went to Copenhagen to make another attempt to
gain his wishes, and succeeded.
On the 4th September the lading of the ships was quite com-
pleted. A very strong wind at N. W. prevented us however
from going into the outer road; though it did not deprive
us of the pleasure of a visit from Count Bernstorf and the
Imperial Ambassador Count Kaunitz Ritberg, accompanied
by their wives.
On this day we also took our timepieces on board. Since
the 21st August they had been in the Royal Observatory, where
Professor Bugge had tried their rate of going daily by the cul-,
mination of the sun and several stars.
On the 1st September, 128 was later than mean time at Co-
penhagen 1h. 5' 11" 9, and lost at her then rate - - --8" 42.
1856 was later than mean time at Copenhagen Oh. 56' 51" 5,
and was gaining daily - - - - - - - - - – 5" 56.
Pennington's pocket chronometer was later than mean time
at Copenhagen - - - - - - - - - - - 1h. O' 8" 4.
The following is a comparison of the rate of going of these
30 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE w or L.D.
three chronometers in London, St. Petersburg and Copenhagen.
Arnold's, No. 128, in April, in London - - - - -- 4" 88
the 20th July, St. Petersburg - - - - --9" 37
the 1st September, Copenhagen - - - --8" 42
Arnold's, No. 1856, in April, in London - - - – 2" 60
20th July, St. Petersburg - - - - - -7" 51
1st September, Copenhagen — 5" 56
Pennington's watch, April, in London +0" 70
20th July, Petersburg - - - - - --5" 21
1st September, Copenhagen + 1" 83
sº
º
wº
sº
On the 7th September, the wind allowed us to get into the
outer road, where we found two Russian frigates, the one of
50, the other of 36 guns, under the command of Captain Crow,
which had arrived that morning from Archangel.
On the 8th September, at five p.m. after taking our powder on
board and hoisting in the boats, we weighed anchor and sailed
with the Neva to Helsingör, where we arrived that night about
eleven o'clock. At day-break we should have continued our voy-
age, but for a violent storm from the N. W. which kept us here
six days. On the 15th September, the weather again became
moderate, the wind at W. S. W. and consequently not very
fair; I however determined, as the season was far advanced
and every delay might be attended with unpleasant conse-
quences, to put to sea; and at six in the morning we began to
weigh. At seven we saluted the guard-ship and the fortress of
Cronenburg with seven guns, and our salute was returned by an
equal number. The wind was pretty high and the greater
part of our company seasick. At two the next morning wo
DEPARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 31
were already, by my reckoning, out of the Cattegat;” we
neither saw the Scaw light nor that at Malstrand. On the 17th,
we saw the Danish frigate Triton, which had sailed some hours
sooner than us from Helsingör; she steered more towards the
coast of Norway, probably for Christiansand. The weather
had been for some days very hazy, with rain and squalls. The
barometer fell by degrees to 29in. 20, and at one in the morn-
ing it fell even below 28in. when suddenly a violent storm
arose, the wind shifting from S. W. to N. W. The ship heeled
more than I ever witnessed before on board any other, which
obliged us to take in all the sails and set the stormsails instead.
About four p. m. we perceived the coast of Jutland, distant
about 20 miles. During the storm we had parted from the
Neva, and at day-break she was no longer in sight. The fol-
lowing night the storm abated a little, and allowed us by de-
grees to make more sail; the wind however still hung between
W. and W. N. W. with which we could not well get out of the
Scagerrak...f. On the 19th at four p. m. we perceived the south-
ernmost point of Norway, Lindenāo, which we call Derneus, .
the English Naze; owing to the wind we were however unable
to weather it. In the evening it became more moderate.
A strange phenomenon, which excited the attention of every
body, seemed in the opinion of us all to be the forerunner of
a fresh storm. From W. N. W. to N. E. about 15° above the
horizon, appeared a bright bow from which hung dark clouds
* M. von Löwenorm, in the memoire which accompanies the chart of the Cattegat,
expressly recommends that one should not venture into the Cattegat, particularly in
autumn, except with a decided south wind, even when it is to the east of south; for the
reason I mentioned above I could not follow this rule. -
+ Sleeve.
$9. K R US ENSTERN's voy. A G E R OUND THE wor L.D.
vertically like pillars; many of these aerial pillars could be dis-
tinguished by a white colour in front of the others. Until ten
o'clock this appearance of the heavens continued to bear its
first form, when it separated into two parts. The pillars rose
to the zenith, the vapours of which they were formed becom-
ing thinner, so that we could perceive through them stars of
the second magnitude. There was a brilliant Aurora Borealis
throughout the night, and perhaps the whole phenomenon may
have been a species of northern light.
On the 20th, at noon, the Naze bore N. N. W. of us, distant
eighteen miles. Towards evening the wind blew hard at
E. S. E. with heavy rain ; but was followed again in the morn-
ing by a calm. I had Hales's machine put over board, to
ascertain the temperature of the water on the surface and at a
certain depth ; but as there was only twenty-four fathoms wa-
ter, the difference was scarcely to be perceived. The barome-
ter was again very low ; it stood at 29 in. 16. The sea set in
strongly from the northward. These two forerunners of a
storm could not be mistaken, and indeed it came on about ten
p.m. as violent as on the 18th September, only that it was in
our favour. The following evening the wind abated ; and on
the 23d we had fine weather again. We this day fell in with
an English fifty gun ship, bearing the flag of Commodore
Sir Sidney Smith. He was cruizing with his squadron off
the Texel; but none of his ships were in sight. The Commo-
dore sent an officer on board to me with a very polite letter,
wishing us a successful voyage. In the afternoon we perceived
an English frigate, which probably mistook us for an enemy,
as she bore down upon us under all sail : it was not, however,
until nine that she came up with us. As I found that the
DEPARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 33
commander, Captain Beresford, was an old acquaintance, with
whom I had served nine years in America, I immediately went
on board him. One of his masts had been damaged in the last
gale, which obliged him to make for Sheerness. I mentioned
to him that our astronomer would be forced to go to London
to procure some instruments which we still wanted, and he
immediately offered to convey him on board his ship to Sheer-
ness, where he expected to arrive the next day. I very thank-
fully accepted an offer which promised to save so much time,
although it would necessarily carry us a little out of our course;
for it was too late to send off Dr. Horner that evening, and I
was obliged during the night to follow the frigate, which shaped
her course towards the English coast. Captain Beresford's
politeness went so far, that he sent me a pilot, of whom he had
two on board, with orders that he should stay with me as long
as I found it necessary. We continued our voyage together
until the next morning, when the whole English coast at Or-
fordness lay before us. Captain Beresford now came on board,
and took with him M. Resanoff, Dr. Horner, and Major Frie-
derici, when we immediately parted company. By this op-
portunity I sent my nephew, a young lad belonging to the
corps of marine cadets, to London, that he might return from
thence to Russia. The bad state of his health, which had been
uncommonly weakened by constant sea-sickness, made it im-
possible for him to continue the voyage farther with us.
As we had been obliged the preceding night to follow the
Virginia, we were now between the English coast and a very
dangerous sand-bank, called the Gallopers, upon which there
is no mark whatever. It is usual to keep outside of this bank,
F
34. K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E R O UND THE won L.D.
and without a pilot one should never venture to take the inner
passage. At night the wind became directly adverse, which
obliged us the next day to beat about between the north and
south Foreland, and, as it fell calm towards the afternoon, and
the tide which flows there out of the English channel was
against us, we brought to with a small sheet anchor. The wind
soon after shifted to the eastward, and we passed the same
night through the straits of Dover.
On the 26th September, at four p. m. we crossed the meri-
dian of Greenwich, from which I had proposed to myself to
reckon our longitude westward during the whole of the voyage,
as we were to sail around the globe from east to west. On the
27th, at nine p. m. we saw the Eddystone light ; and about
eleven o’clock, as we were but a short distance from the place
of our destination, I shortened sail, and we stood off and on
under our topsails until day break, when we saw the coast of
Cornwall at a short distance ahead of us. We soon after saw
St. Ann's, the eastern point of the entrance to Falmouth, and
Pendennis Castle, which is the westernmost. At eight o'clock
we anchored in the Carreck road, where we found the Neva,
which had arrived two days earlier. Our westward anchor we
cast in seven, and our eastward one in fifteen fathorns. The
castle on the point of St. Maw's bears S. S. E. E.
I immediately sent Lieutenant Löwenstern to the governor
of the castle to announce our arrival, and to ask him, whether
he would answer our salute with an equal number of guns f
He sent me word that he would without fail. The next morn-
ing we saluted the castle with nine guns, and an English frigate,
Dr. PARTURE FROM RUSSIA, &c. 35
which lay here, with seven ; and she, as well as the castle, re-
turned shot for shot.
My only object, in running into this port, was to provide
the ships with a quantity of Irish salt meat, as I feared that
neither the Russian, the Hamburg, nor the Danish would keep
for three years. I intended to take a supply for six months on
board both ships, as the want of room did not allow my laying
in a larger stock. I had the Nadeshda, too, caulked here, as
during the bad weather in the north sea the water had pene-
trated considerably through her sides.
As I was obliged to put into some English port, I gave the
preference to Falmouth before either Portsmouth or Plymouth,
and had reason to be satisfied with my choice, as we found here
a plentiful supply of every thing which we wanted. We have
particularly to thank Mr. Fox, a merchant of that place, for
providing us so well, and I must do him the justice to say, that
he treated us very liberally. We met, too, with great atten-
tion from General Cowell, who commanded the troops of the
district, as well as from Lord Rolle, colonel of a militia regi-
ment, which I cannot sufficiently esteem. During that time
of uneasiness, England then appearing to be threatened with
an invasion, they had fixed their residence here.
Falmouth possesses, notwithstanding its small size and the
meanness of its houses, all the properties of an English town,
which cannot fail to make a pleasing impression upon a fo-
reigner. The difference, however, between this and the towns
that I had an opportunity of seeing in the north-east part of
F 2
36 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Ro UND THE wor L.D.
England, was very striking. The comfort of the lower class o
inhabitants, which distinguishes England so much from the
other countries of Europe, appeared here in some degree to
fall off. It seems to me that the employment of the poor
people, which chiefly consists in working the mines, is the
cause of this want of comfort : the breeding of cattle is not
much followed in Cornwall, and there are few other articles of
commerce than minerals. However, as I did not go inland,
and conclude generally upon that which I saw in the town,
my opinion may perhaps not be quite correct.
Falmouth harbour is roomy and excellent. Large ships lie
in the Carreck road, about a mile from the town. The packet
boats which, as is known, sail from hence to America, the West
Indies, and Lisbon every month, lie in front of the town.
Their situation is perfectly secure, and there is no example of
a ship having ever broke from her moorings. The anchorage
ground is sand, under which is hard clay. One must, however,
be careful with the flood, which sets in from the S. S. E. to
heave out a second anchor, in order not to be driven on a steep
bank, which lies to the northward of St. Maw's, near to which
the westernmost anchor should be in seven fathoms water.
( 37 )
CHAPTER III.
PASSAGE TO THE CANARY ISLAND'S AND BRAZIL.
The Ships leave Falmouth—Observe an extraordinary Meteor—Arrival at Teneriffe
—Stay there—Remarks on Santa Cruz—Inquisition–Unbounded Authority of
the Governor General of the Canary Islands—Astronomical and Nautical Obser-
vations at Santa Cruz—The Nadeshda and Neva sail to the Brazils—The Island
of St. Antonio—Remarks on the Passage to the Equator–Fruitless Search for the
Island of Ascension—Opinions on its Existence—Perceive Cape Frio—The Situa-
tion of this Promontory—Storm off St. Catherine's—Anchor between St. Catherine's
and the Brazils.
THE wind was now favorable, and I waited with considera-
ble impatience for M. Resanoff, who, at length, arrived at Fal-
mouth early in the morning of the 5th. The same day we
sailed at high tide from Carreck road with a fresh northerly
breeze, which in a few hours veered to the eastward. At
eight p.m. the lighthouse on the Lizard bore N. W. 38', dis-"
tant from us about twelve miles. At nine we host sight of it,
and at ten I altered my course from S. S. W. to W. S. W. The
wind blew fresh without making much impression on the ship.
The night was as fine as it could possibly be, clear and not a
cloud to be seen. All the officers remained upon deck until
past twelve. This beautiful night, on our entering the ocean,
appeared to every one a good omen for our long voyage. To
whom could this thought, this wish, which did not arise from
any idea of personal danger, be so important as to me ! I fan-
cied that the eyes of the civilized part of Europe were fixed
38 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE world.
upon me. The success or failure of our undertaking was to
decide my reputation, and the latter would cast a shadow on
my name, which would in some degree be extended to my
country. Those who delight in censuring and vilifying Russia
would have triumphed over an unfortunate event, and the first
attempt, if it had failed, might for a long time have prevented
any similar undertaking. The difficulties of the task I had in
hand now struck my mind with greater force than ever, and at
last I was only able to quiet my uneasiness by reflecting on the
grounds which had induced me to engage in the voyage. It
was my duty not to withdraw myself from an undertaking
which, (I may here openly repeat it,) it had been said, would
fall entirely to the ground, unless I undertook the charge of
it; and for this reason it was my duty to obey. At the mo-
ment when I could no longer perceive the light upon Cape
Lizard, I was overwhelmed by feelings which I had not the
power to resist. I could not think of my wife, whose tender
love for me was now the source of so much uneasiness, with-
out the greatest affliction. At length these painful sensations
gave way to the hope that the voyage would certainly have a
successful issue. The idea, that I should increase the reputa-
tion of my country; the prospect, too, of that happy hour in
which I should again see the darling of my heart and my
child—these ideas restored me to firmness and composure.
The officers had been hitherto divided into three watches.
I now gave the fourth to M. v. Löwenstern, to whom I would
gladly have given one upon our departure from Cronstadt; but
the lateness of the season, and the dangerous navigation of the
east and north sea, rendered it necessary that there should be
PASS AG E TO THE CAN A R Y ISLANDS AND BIRAZIL. 39
more officers in every watch. As we were now in the open
ocean, clear of all dangerous coasts and rocks, I made this
alteration. I wished, too, to have divided the crew into three
watches; but as it consisted of only fifty-six men, of whom
eight did not keep watch, I deferred doing so until we should
fall in with the trade-wind. There were hitherto no sick on
board; for the food of my men was the very best which can be
had at sea. Since we left Cronstadt, that is, in the space of
nine weeks, they had had salt meat but eight or nine times;
during the rest of the time the crew had always had fresh, or
newly salted meat; they had besides beer every day, and while
we lay at Cronstadt and Copenhagen fresh bread, and such a
quantity of vegetables that their broth, in the opinion of all the
officers, was more palatable than that of their own table. At
Falmouth, too, I had laid in a quantity of cabbages, potatoes,
carrots, and onions, sufficient for several weeks, so that my men
now wore a much better appearance than when they came on
board. Of clothes and linen, as well for warm as cold weather,
they had an ample provision, and it gave me great pleasure to
See an inclination to cleanliness in all of them. I examined
them twice a week, took notice of their linen and clothes, and
particularly of the cleanliness of their persons. One serious
remonstrance which I made the first time to a few of them
had its effect, and from thenceforward I never perceived any
reason to find fault with them on this ground. I had there-
fore every cause to hope that I should be so fortunate as to
preserve the health of my people.
I kept rather a more westerly course than is usually taken,
to avoid Cape Finesterre, where, in all probability, we should
40 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
have fallen in with some English or French ships of war,
which would have delayed us. The wind blew very fresh at
S. E. and E. So that we seldom ran less than eight or nine
knots.
On the 8th October we were in 44° 25' latitude, and 12° 08'
longitude. The change of temperature in twenty-four hours was
four degrees, that is to say, it had risen to 14°. We observed
almost every evening the well known phenomenon, the illu-
minated sea, some spots appearing to be much brighter than
the rest, and it seemed to be a composition of nothing but
shining sparkles. On the 10th October we had a lunar obser-
vation, according to which, the longitude reduced to midday
was 13° 30' 15"; by Arnold's chronometer it was 13° 45'45";
our latitude was 38 40' 10". At eight this evening we saw a
very extraordinary meteor. A fire-ball, which was so bright
that the ship was quite lighted up by it during the space of
half a minute, rose in the S. W. and ran in an horizontal di-
rection towards the N. W. where it disappeared. The inflam-
mable matter was so strong that a broad clear line was visible
in the same direction a whole hour afterwards. TXr. Horner
measured the height of this line from the horizon, and found it
to be 15°, its width about 3”. It was near Sagittarius that Dr.
Horner first saw it rise, and it vanished near the northern
crown. These fiery meteors are, indeed, often seen ; but that
a light line should be so long visible in their course has perhaps
not been so frequently remarked. Our latitude at the time
was 37° 40', our longitude 14° 05.
The next day we lost our fine east wind, which we had hoped
Y” A S S A G E TO THE CAN A R Y ISLAN ID S A N D B R A Z I L. 41
would have held until we fell in with the trade-wind. Towards
evening it became perfectly calm. The clouds were very black
above the horizon; distant thunder and lightning announced a
storm, which came on towards one in the morning, but did not
last long. In about an hour the weather again cleared up, and
the wind sprung up fresh from the W. S. W. and continued to
blow from that quarter for some days, accompanied by a heavy
sea from the S. W. On the 13th we had another calm, and I
took this opportunity to lower the boat, in which Drs. Horner
and Langsdorff put off to try the temperature of the sea with
Hale's machine. The warmth of the air was 18°, on the surface
of the water it was 194”, and at the depth of 95 fathoms, where
the thermometer remained 18 minutes, 19°. The water at this
depth, examined with a microscope, was perfectly clear.
As the weather had been very damp for some time past, I
made the men light a fire in their birth almost daily, and hang
out their clothes and beds to dry, whenever there was any ap-
pearance of sunshine. On the fifteenth, in the night and fol:
lowing day, the ship was considerably tossed about by a heavy
sea, which set in from the N. W. although there was scarcely
any wind. We saw a number of large fish of the dolphin
species, about twelve or fifteen feet long, swimming round the
ship, some to the S. W. others in an opposite direction. At
five p.m. the wind shifted towards the N. E. and blew pretty
fresh ; but the sea still set so strong from the N. W. that we
made no more than four knots an hour ; nor did this roll of
the sea abate until the next day.
As we were now approaching the place of our destination,
G.
42 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE W O R. I. D.
I allowed the men a cask of fresh water to wash their linem.
I mention this otherwise insignificant circumstance, to shew
the great economy necessary with the fresh water on board
ship. Every man was suffered to drink as much as he pleased ;
but I never suffered a drop to be taken for any other purpose,
without my express permission.
On the 18th, at noon, we had an observation in 30° 08' 15"
latitude, and 15° 01' longitude. About five in the afternoon
the Savage islands were seen from the mast head, bearing
N. N. E. distant about twenty-two miles. At half past six the
next morning we distinctly saw the island of Teneriffe, and at
seven the Pic cleared itself of the clouds in which it had been
enveloped until then, and appeared to us in all its majestic
grandeur. As its summit was covered with snow, and was
extremely brilliant from the reflection of the sun, this contri-
buted very much to the beauty of the scene. On either side,
to the east and west, the mountains, which nature seems to
have destined to sustain this enormous mass, appeared gradu-
ally to decline. Every one of the mountains which surround
the Pic, would be considerable in itself; but their height scarcely
attracts the attention of the beholder, although they contribute
to diminish the apparent size of the Pic, which, if it stood
alone, would be much more striking. º
I now steered for the N. E. point of the island, but the wind
blew so hard at E. that I had very little hope of coming to an
anchor this day at Santa Cruz. In the afternoon we perceived
a French frigate between us and the Neva, which had an oppor-
tunity of speaking with her. There was nothing to recommend:
P A SSA G. E TO THE CAN A 1: Y ISLAN D S A N D B R A Z I L. 43
her in her outward appearance, which, on board our ship,
was the subject of severe criticism : but we learned at Santa
Cruz, where she also put in, that she was not a ship of war, but
belonged to an individual, who had fitted her out as a priva-
teer, and that she had already made several prizes, which were
to be sold there. In the evening, about five o'clock, we were
very near Punto de Nago, the eastward point of Teneriffe ;
but as great caution is necessary in anchoring at Santa Cruz, I
determined to stand off and on during the night between the
islands of Teneriffe and Canary, and the next morning, at
eleven, we sailed for the road. Don Carlos Adam, lieutenant
of the Spanish navy and captain of the port, came immediately
on board, and recommended us to keep to the eastward of the
road as the best place to anchor, where we brought to in thirty-
six fathoms water. The ground is not so rocky here as it is
in other parts of the road, nor are there so many lost anchors
on the ground, which are frequently the occasion of other ships
being obliged to leave their own.
sº
The Neva, which lay more to the S. W. lost a sheet anchor
and two cables, owing to this cause, while the Nadeshda's ca-
bles did not suffer in the least. It is, however, necessary to
take the precaution of buoying them up with casks to keep
them floating in the water : I would recommend this situation
in preference, notwithstanding the great depth of water, and
will therefore give the exact position of the ship after we had
let go our other anchor to the N. E. in twenty-four fathoms
water. Punto de Nago, the N. E. point of the road, bore
N. E. 69°; the S. W. point of the island S. W. 36°; and the
church of St. Francis, which is distinguished by a very high
!
G 3
44 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
tower, S. W. 51° 30'. There is indeed this disadvantage attending
the situation, that should a storm spring up at S. W. and a ship
not like to ride it out in the road, it would be very difficult for
her to beat out. Violent storms, however, are not common
even in winter, and if the anchor and cable can be depended
upon, it is better to remain in the road. The Spaniards indeed
moor with four anchors, two to the N. E. and two to the S. W.;
but in this they stand alone, and perhaps only do so, because
of an ancient law which obliges them to it.
As soon as the ship had let go her anchors, I sent my fourth
lieutenant, M. von Löwenstern, to the Governor, to request his
permission to complete our water, and to lay in a stock of fruit
and wine for the voyage, a request which he very politely acceded
to. As I knew several instances of English ships of war offer-
ing to salute the fort, and meeting a refusal to return the com-
pliment with an equal number of guns, and of many of them.
having, besides, received a mortifying answer, I would not ex-
pose the Russian flag, which now waved here for the first time,
to the affront of being refused that which it had a right to
demand, and therefore said nothing on the subject.
At four in the afternoon the Deputy Governor (Teniente del
Rey) came on board with one of the Governor's secretaries to
congratulate the ambassador, who had already been on shore,
and the officers of the ship, on their arrival. An hour after-
wards I went on shore with Captain Lisianskoy, and some of
the officers of my ship, to wait upon the Governor, the Marquis
de la Casa Calhiga}. He was a very polite man, and disposed
to afford us every assistance that we might stand in need of;
PAss AGE TO TIIE CANARY ISLANDS AND BRAZIL. 45
and he had the goodness to give up the house belonging to the
Grand Inquisitor, which had a belvidere, to our astronomers.
Dr. Horner immediately sent two chronometers, a sextant and
stand, and a false horizon there; but he could not avail himself
of this house, as the tower was not steady ; and he only suc-
ceeded, with difficulty, in taking a few good altitudes for the
determination of the latitude and longitude by the watches.
IIe could not, however, make any uninterrupted observations
to regulate their rate of going.
On the day that we arrived, a packet came in from Corunna,
and brought the Governor an order to give us a favorable re-
ception. He delivered to us a copy of this order of the King's,
that in case we should arrive at any of the Spanish possessions
before the similar one which had been sent to them, we might
be certain of being well received.
Although the Governor had offered to provide us with every
thing, I rather preferred applying for what we wanted to
Mr. Armstrong, a merchant of this place, to whose partner in "
Orotava, Mr. Barry, I had letters. He supplied both ships
with all that we stood in need of, and without his assistance
we should certainly have been detained a longer time here, and
even then have not been so well provided. His hospitality
equally claims our thanks. He received the ambassador into
his house ; and whoever, belonging to the ship, called there,
was kindly received, found a well provided table, and a
pretty large party; which, with the amiable manners of Mrs.
Armstrong, and some young French ladies from the Isle of
46 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
France, rendered our stay, in this otherwise dreary and melan-
choly place, very agreeable. Dancing, playing, and good hu-
mour are not very common among the serious Spaniards. Such
are the strange and imperfect notions which foreigners have of
Russia and the Russian nation, that they seemed astonished to
find that these Hyperboreans could bear a comparison, and
not a disadvantageous one, with the most cheerful inhabitants
of the South of Europe, while in education and good breeding
they were by no means behind them. The officers of both our
ships fully confirmed this opinion.
It was my intention not to have remained here more than
two or three days, but my agent gave me no hopes of getting
away under five. M. von Resanoff determined therefore to
go, with the naturalists belonging to the ship, to Laguna and
Orotava, to visit a botanical garden, which the Marquis de
Nava had formed at the latter place. Several plants from
tropical countries, but particularly from South America, have
been transplanted to this garden, to accustom them to a more
temperate climate, in order that they might afterwards be re-
moved to Spain with a better chance of growing there. This
admirable plan does great honour to the patriotic feelings of
the Marquis de Nava, who has expended upon it a part of his
very considerable property. At first it met with the King's
approbation; but the attention which it deserves is now no
longer bestowed upon it. Another object of this journey of
our naturalists was to see a large dragon-blood tree (sanguis
draconis) in the neighbourhood of Orotava, the trunk of which,
ten feet above the ground, was thirty-six feet, and near the root
forty-five feet, in circumference.
pAss A GE. To THE CANARY ISLANDS AND BRAZIL. 47
Santa Cruz is by no means a handsome city, but it is not
unpleasantly situated. The houses are large and very roomy
within; the streets narrow, but well paved. On the beach
the late Governor, the Marquis de Branciforte, made a public
walk, consisting of some rows of trees, at the expense of the
inhabitants, to which they have given the name of Alameda.
As it is, however, scarcely a hundred fathoms in length, it does
not answer the purpose very well; besides, there is a sentinel at
the entrance, who frequently turns away those who wish to
enjoy it, notwithstanding it was made at the public expence,
and is kept up in the same manner. Mr. Barry, the merchant,
although he resides in Orotava, is obliged to pay one hun-
dred piastres yearly for this purpose; as I was assured by Mr.
Armstrong. In the great square there is a well sculptured
marble pillar, erected in honour of the Virgin Mary de la Can-
delaria. It is adorned with emblematic figures, which are said
to be the work of a skilful statuary. The Guanches,” I was
told, had found, at the time of the conquest of the island, the
virgin Candelaria, with a crucifix in her hand, in one of the
caves, of which there are several in the mountains. This won-
der, which perhaps, the first conquerors found necessary, in
order to persuade the poor Guanches to adopt the Christian
religion, certainly deserved to be commemorated at the end of
a philosophical century with so much pomp and talent Oppo-
site to this pillar is the fort of St. Christopher's, where Lord
Nelson in the last war, when this too daring hero attempted the
conquest of Santa Cruz, lost his right arm, and Captain Bowen
* The Guanches were the original inhabitants of Teneriffe. The race is now
extinct.
48 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E won LD.
his life. It would have been more proper, I should conceive,
to have eternized by an obelisk the memory of that victorious
day, when the brave inhabitants of this island obliged the
courageous Nelson to retreat, than, by erecting this monument,
to endeavour to give the stamp of truth to an absurd fable.
The general misery of the people, depravity in the highest
degree of the other sex, and swarms of fat monks who stroll
about the streets as soon as it is dark; these are the character-
istics of Santa Cruz, and strike the stranger, unaccustomed to
such sights, with pity and disgust. There is no place in the
world where so many horrid objects are to be seen. Beggars
of both sexes and of all ages, clad in rags, and afflicted with
every kind of disgusting complaint, fill the streets, together with
lewd women, drunken sailors, and lean and deformed thieves.
I am almost tempted to believe, that the lower class of inha-
bitants here, have all an equal propensity to stealing. A per-
son might fancy himself transported to one of the islands of
the South Seas; for he is robbed in spite of the greatest
attention and precaution. Whenever a boat came along side
the ship, some theft was infallibly committed in the presence of
the whole crew, and I was at last obliged to prevent any body
from coming on board.
The Inquisition is introduced here as in all the possessions
of the Spaniards, and, as I was assured, in all its vigour; its chief
residence is in the island of Canary. It must be miserable
indeed for a free spirited man to live in any place where he is
cxposed to the caprice of the Inquisition, and of a governor
who has an unlimited power of life and death over every citi-
PASS A GE TO THE CAN A R Y IST AND S A N D B R A ZIL. 49
zen. Until now, the governors of Teneriffe, who are at the
same time viceroys of the Canary islands, had not this unlimited
authority; but Mr. Armstrong told me that this increase of
power was brought over to them by the packet which arrived
at the time we did. I could not learn what had induced the
government to take this step. Indeed, such unbounded power
in the hands of an enlightened and liberal minded man, as the
Marquis de Cahigal was said to be, would not be dangerous;
but who can assert that some despotic minion may not at a
future period fill this station An idea may be formed of the
liberty of the citizen here, by the circumstance that no man
dare go into the roadsted, even to pay a visit, without the per-
mission of the Governor.
The season was already considerably advanced ; but we
found here an abundance of grapes, peaches, citrons, oranges,
melons, onions, and potatoes: every thing was, however, ex-
tremely dear. Even the price of wine had risen very much
within a few years; for I paid ninety piastres the pipe for what
used to be but sixty. This wine is very good, and improves"
on a long voyage, although it is by no means equal to Madeira.
As the bad kind of wine was but fifteen piastres cheaper than
the best, I bought only the latter for the use of the men.
The brandy which is made here is very bad, and is only used
in Spanish America, as it would not be drank in Europe.
Beef was dear, and cost eight pence sterling the pound ; for a
very moderate sized sheep we paid seven piastres, and for a
fowl one. To all these prices must be added at least twenty
per cent. Commission. Every cask of water cost us likewise
one piastre.
II
48 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E won LD.
his life. It would have been more proper, I should conceive,
to have eternized by an obelisk the memory of that victorious
day, when the brave inhabitants of this island obliged the
courageous Nelson to retreat, than, by erecting this monument,
to endeavour to give the stamp of truth to an absurd fable.
The general misery of the people, depravity in the highest
degree of the other sex, and swarms of fat monks who stroll
about the streets as soon as it is dark; these are the character-
istics of Santa Cruz, and strike the stranger, unaccustomed to
such sights, with pity and disgust. There is no place in the
world where so many horrid objects are to be seen. Beggars
of both sexes and of all ages, clad in rags, and afflicted with
every kind of disgusting complaint, fill the streets, together with
lewd women, drunken sailors, and lean and deformed thieves.
I am almost tempted to believe, that the lower class of inha-
bitants here, have all an equal propensity to stealing. A per-
son might fancy himself transported to one of the islands of
the South Seas; for he is robbed in spite of the greatest
attention and precaution. Whenever a boat came along side
the ship, some theft was infallibly committed in the presence of
the whole crew, and I was at last obliged to prevent any body
from coming on board.
The Inquisition is introduced here as in all the possessions
of the Spaniards, and, as I was assured, in all its vigour; its chief
residence is in the island of Canary. It must be miserable
indeed for a free spirited man to live in any place where he is
cxposed to the caprice of the Inquisition, and of a governor
who has an unlimited power of life and death over every citi-
PASS A G E TO THE CAN A R Y IST, A N DS AND B R A ZIL. 49
zen. Until now, the governors of Teneriffe, who are at the
same time viceroys of the Canary islands, had not this unlimited
authority; but Mr. Armstrong told me that this increase of
power was brought over to them by the packet which arrived
at the time we did. I could not learn what had induced the
government to take this step. Indeed, such unbounded power
in the hands of an enlightened and liberal minded man, as the
Marquis de Cahigal was said to be, would not be dangerous;
but who can assert that some despotic minion may not at a
future period fill this station An idea may be formed of the
liberty of the citizen here, by the circumstance that no man
dare go into the roadsted, even to pay a visit, without the per-
mission of the Governor.
The season was already considerably advanced ; but we
found here an abundance of grapes, peaches, citrons, oranges,
melons, onions, and potatoes: every thing was, however, ex-
tremely dear. Even the price of wine had risen very much
within a few years; for I paid ninety piastres the pipe for what
used to be but sixty. This wine is very good, and improves"
on a long voyage, although it is by no means equal to Madeira.
As the bad kind of wine was but fifteen piastres cheaper than
the best, I bought only the latter for the use of the men.
The brandy which is made here is very bad, and is only used
in Spanish America, as it would not be drank in Europe.
Beef was dear, and cost eight pence sterling the pound ; for a
very moderate sized sheep we paid seven piastres, and for a
fowl one. To all these prices must be added at least twenty
per cent. Commission. Every cask of water cost us likewise
one piastre.
II
50 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E R O UND T11 E wo RLD.
The mean of the several observations which were taken in the
road, made the latitude of our anchorage to be 28° 27'33" N.
The longitude by Arnold's large watch, No. 128 = 16° 12' 45" W.
The true longitude, as settled by the Chevalier de Borda and
M. Varila - - - - - - - - - - - 16° 15' 50" W.
On the 27th October, No. 128 was earlier than mean time at
Santa Cruz - - - - - - - - - - - - Oh. 24' 56".
Its daily rate of going - - - - - - - - - + 114".
No. 1856 was, on the 27th October, earlier than mean time at
Santa Cruz - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oh. O' 7".
Its daily rate of going - - - - - - - - - - -7" 5.
Pennington's watch at the same time was earlier than Santa
Cruz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Oh. 07' 17".
Its daily rate of going - - - - - - - - - + 5° 3.
The mean of several results of mid-day and circum-meridian
altitudes, which Dr. Horner took on the house belonging to
the Inquisition, made the latitude of this house, which may
be considered as the center of the town - 28° 28' 20" N.
The longitude by No. 128 - - - - - 16° 13' 42" W.
The variation of the compass by the mean of several azimuths
taken with two different compasses, was - = 16° 01' 30".
In the year 1792 it was - - - - - - - 16° 32' 00".
Dr. Horner made no observations on the dip of the needle,
because as I intended to have sailed from hence some days
earlier than I afterwards found it possible, I did not send
the inclinatorium on shore. The attempts, indeed, made by
La Perouse have proved that no satisfactory result is to be ex-
pected from any observation here, which he ascribes to the
quantity of iron contained in the soil of Teneriffe. The ther-
PAss A GE TO THE CANARY ISLANDS AND BRAZIL. 51
mometer was at the highest on the day of our departure, rising
to 22°; during our stay here it had never fallen below
193°. The barometer had varied very little, seldom more than
two-tenths of a line. Its ordinary height was 29in. 90, and
29in. 92. By the observations which De Fleurieu instituted
here in 1769 upon the ebb and flood, the time of high water is
at three o'clock in new and full moon. The tide rose twelve
feet in the syzigiae, and six feet in the quadratures.*
About six in the evening of the 26th October, we received
the last supply of necessaries on board ; but as it was dark,
and the land wind had not yet sprung up, I determined not to
sail this evening, and I did so the rather as I learned that the
Governor intended to come on board the next morning. At
nine o'clock we had the pleasure of a visit from him, accom-
panied by a pretty considerable suite of civil and military per-
sons. On his quitting the ship I saluted him with nine guns,
and the fort returned this compliment with a like number.
About twelve at noon, on the 27th, we weighed with a plea.”
sant southerly breeze. A cartel for Gibraltar set sail at the
same time, as did a Spanish ship which had arrived that morning
from Malaga, and was destined to the Rio de la Plata. The
captain of the latter vessel wished to have landed his sick, but
the Governor would not permit him, and he was obliged to
proceed on his voyage in this melancholy condition.
* Voyage fait par ordre du Roi en 1768 et 1769, par M. d’Eveux de Fleurieu,
tom. I. p. 288.
II 2
52 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE wo RLD.
The farther we sailed from Santa Cruz the more the wind
got to the westward ; in the evening it shifted to the N. E.
blowing directly off the land ; but it did not hold in this quar-
ter longer than till the next morning, when it again veered to
the south. I steered the whole night S. S. W. as long as the
wind permitted. The next morning the S. W. point of Tene-
riffe bore N. W. 35°, our latitude at that time being 27° 07'.
Towards evening the wind became westerly, drawing more and
more to the northward. At six the next morning we still
saw the Pic from the deck; it bore by compass N. E. 15”
30, that is, allowing for the variation, which is here 16”
W. ; N. W. O. 30. At noon we had an observation in 26° 13'
51" latitude, and 16° 58' 25" longitude. Between six in the
morning and noon we had lessened our latitude 21'54", and
increased our longitude 19' 15". The ship was consequently at
the time we saw the Pic in 26° 35'45" latitude, and 16° 39'
10" longitude ; and as, according to Borda and Pingré, the
Pic lies in 28° 17' N. latitude, and 19° 00 W. longitude of
Paris, or 16’ 40 of Greenwich, we must have seen it at six
o'clock at the distance of 101 miles, and due north of us, in
which direction it in fact bore. In very clear weather the Pic
may be seen 25 miles farther off from the mast head; but this
is the greatest distance which it is visible even from that height,
and under the most favorable circumstances. The clevation of
the Pic has been determined by several observations. Borda's
calculation, which is founded on a geometrical admeasurement,
and is conceived to be the most correct, makes it 1905 toises,
or 11430 feet.
I steered S.W. by W. and shortly after W. S. W. as I wished
PASS A G E TO THE CAN ARY ISLAND 3 AND B R A ZIL. 53
to keep clear of the Cape de Verd islands, and not see any
of them, except the island of St. Antonio. The Spanish ship,
which had sailed with us from Santa Cruz, we lost sight of to-
wards the N. E.; the weather was cheerful and fine, the wind
at N.W. I had the cables cast off from the anchors, in order
to dry them thoroughly and stow them away; and I divided
the crew into three watches, and although fifteen men were,
considering the size of the ship, too few for active service, I
trusted to the weather and the steadiness of the trade-wind.
During the remainder of the voyage however, even with the
most unfavorable weather, the men continued in three watches:
On the 2d November, with a gentle northerly breeze, the sea
rolled so high from the N. W. that the ship was very much
tossed about by it, and we concluded that a very heavy storm
had been raging to the N. W. near the Canary islands. The
wind varied between N. N. W., N. and N. E.
On the 6th November, at day break, we perceived the island.
of St. Antonio at the distance of from 25 to 28 miles. As the
wind was moderate, I held directly to the westward, to keep
still more away from the land, as calms are very frequent in
the neighbourhood of lofty islands. At noon we had an ob-
servation in 17° 55' latitude. The S. W. point of the island
bore at that time S. E. 24°, distant about 45 miles. I now
steered W. S. W. and as the wind freshened towards the even-
ing, S. W. by W. The next day at noon the S. W. point of
the island St. Antonio bore 86°, distant about 54 miles; and I.
again held S. S. W.
54 K R USENSTERN's voy A G E Ro UND THE W or LD.
The mean of a variety of lunar observations taken this
morning, made our longitude, reduced to mid-day, 26° 17' 07".
By the watches it was 26°24' 40". I reckoned the longitude
of the S. W. point of St. Antonio by Arnold's large timepiece,
No. 128, the best of our Chronometers, 25°24' 00". The varia-
tion of the needle we found to be 15° 06' W.
The passage to the westward of the Cape de Verd islands
certainly deserves the preference over that to the eastward ; as
experience has shewn to all navigators, that to the westward
a fresh trade-wind prevails, while to the eastward there are
frequent calms. Indeed, very few examples exist of navigators
sailing between the Cape de Verd islands and the coast of
Africa. I should therefore recommend all those who, on their
passage to the equator, take the westward course, to steer in
such a direction from the Canary islands, as to cross the paral-
lcl of 17°, or the parallel of the island of St. Antonio in 265”,
even in the 27° of longitude, and then to steer S. E. by S. di-
rectly to the equator. Dy this means they will entirely avoid
these islands, which are of sufficient magnitude to alter the
direction of the trade-wind, for it frequently happens that
S. W. winds are met with here. Even if this should not be
the case, the wind is always very moderate in their vicinity,
and it cannot therefore be of much hinderance to steer 1,”
more to the west than the course lies, when it is with the cer-
tainty of keeping a steady wind. If however it be necessary
to have sight of the island St. Antonio, in order to correct the
ship's reckoning, this may be done at a distance of 30 miles.
At all events, especial care must be taken not to come within
20 or 25 miles of it, as there is otherwise a danger of being
PASS A G E TO THE CAN A R Y ISL AND S A N D B R A ZIP. 55
driven, either by storms or by calms, too near the land. As I
was going to the Indies in the year 1797, on board the English
line of battle ship the Raisonable, we experienced the danger
of sailing too near this island ; and even in this voyage we were
made aware of its vicinity, for in the night, previous to our
seeing Antonio, it suddenly became calm ; but as soon as we
withdrew from the land, the wind freshened. Although we had
lost sight of the island, and were in 27° of longitude, the wind
blew very moderately from the south and east. I waited now
with impatience for the true N. E. trade-wind, that I might
return to the eastward, which I proposed to do for about 20,
in order to keep clear of the southerly winds and strong east-
ward currents, which are found in the regions between the
N. E. and S. E. trade-winds, and I wished, too, not to cross
the line more to the westward than the 24° or 25° of longitude.
Ships have been driven, when crossing the line in a more west-
erly direction than the 25° and 26°, by strong currents and a
too southerly trade-wind, so near the coast of Brazil as not to
be able to clear Cape St. Augustin. If the wind, however,
will allow the passage of the line in the 20° or 21°, a ship must
not fail to do so, as she has then the advantage of a directly
free wind as soon as the S. E. trader sets in, and, of course, of
getting quicker to the southward. This, however, is rarely
possible.
Our naturalists made several experiments to-day to ascertain
the cause of the sparkling of the sea, the result of which
seemed to prove that it is not merely occasioned by the motion
of the water, but is in fact produced by organized beings.
They took a dish, over which they spread a fine cloth doubled,
56 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WO R. L.D.
and poured the water on it, as it was taken out of the sea. It
then appeared that several spots remained on the cloth, which
glistened as soon as it was shaken, while the water which
had passed through it did not seem in the least impregnated
with phosphorus, although mixed with sawdust, to replace
the want of the matter, which was now separated from it, and
might have been supposed to have given the sparkle to the
water when in motion. Dr. Langsdorff, who examined these
fiery bodies with a microscope, and has made drawings of seve-
ral of them, found them to be, particularly the larger ones, in
the form of crabs, and in the small ones he observed fibres,
evidently denoting organization. But as this experiment with
the microscope was not made until the next morning, it still
remained uncertain whether these animalculae were alive at
the time of emitting the light, or were already in a state of
putridity ; nor could we ascertain the exact influence of the
atmosphere on the brilliancy of these insects, as they are not
every day of an equal brightness, or whether this does not per-
haps arise from a greater or less degree of electricity in the air,
or is only produced by the friction occasioned by the motion
of the ship, and does not exist when the water remains in a
tranquil state. At the end of this work will be found an
ample treatise on this subject by M. Tilesius.
On the 10th November, in 13° 51' N. latitude, and 27° 07'
W. longitude, we fell in with the N. E. trade-wind. It was
still, however, considerably to the eastward, namely, E. by N.
and E. N. E. We held, therefore, as much as we were able to
the S. E.; and this was the more necessary as we had to work
against a strong current, which threw us back nearly 20 miles
PAss AG E To THE CANARY ISLANDS AND B R A z I L. 57
a day. On the 15th at noon, when we were in latitude 6' 58
N. and 21° 30' W. longitude, the whole sky became overcast.
About two we had some rain and a squall of wind, that con-
tinued with considerable violence during two hours. Through-
out the night it was very thick with little wind. We now
found ourselves on the borders of the trade-wind, which after
this squall we had entirely lost, and entered into the regions
where are found unsettled, and, for the most part, directly con-
trary winds, calms, or constant violent squalls, accompanied
by heavy showers and a hot damp air, as oppressive as it is in-
jurious to the health. Several days passed in which we did not
get sight of the sun, so that the men could neither dry their
clothes nor bedding. The thermometer was constantly be-
tween 21° and 23°, the air damp and sultry; yet with all the
uneasiness this occasioned me for the health of my people, I
had not a single invalid during the whole of this time. Every
possible precaution, indeed, was adopted : I had fires lighted
three or four times a week in the hold, which were kept in
during several hours, and which is undoubtedly an excellent
method of drying and purifying the air. At Teneriffe I had laidſ
in such a stock of citrons, potatoes, and pumpkins, that our
supply was not exhausted even on our arrival at St. Catherine's.
Instead of brandy I gave the men a pint of the best Teneriffe
wine, and in the morning and evening I had some weak punch
made very sweet, but at the same time with a great deal
of citron juice mixed in it. We availed ourselves of every
moment of sunshine to dry and air the clothes and bedding.
The constant rain, during which we had caught enough water
for a fortnight at least, gave our people a good opportunity to
I
58 KRU SENSTERN's Voy AG E ROUND THE wor LD.
wash their clothes; and I had a large awning spread, entirely
for their use, between the fore and main masts. It was, indeed,
not a little amusing to see fifteen or twenty men together under
this awning, which looked like a little lake, washing one ano-
ther, after they had first washed their clothes and linen. The
heat, too, did not appear to affect them so much as I expected.
The thermometer was seldom much under 23°, and yet many
of the sailors would ask, when the hot weather was to come
on 2 so much had they been told of the extraordinary heat.
Our Russians therefore seem capable of bearing either extreme,
and to think no more of 23° of heat than they do of a like
degree of cold.
This disagreeable heavy weather continued during ten days,
in which time we had only advanced about 2° to the south-
ward ; for we had to struggle against a very strong current,
that drove us back daily about 15 or 18 miles. At the end
of the ten days we had again a fresh north wind, which lasted
nearly twenty-four hours, when it veered to the S. E. and set-
tled in that quarter as the true trade-wind ; we were now in 2°
N. latitude, and 23° W. longitude. n
On the 22d November we saw a ship steering (close hauled)
to the eastward. I conceived she was going to Europe, and
wished to take this opportunity of writing to Russia. I sent
an officer with my letter on board. She had, in the mean
time, hoisted American colours, and I learned she was destined
for Batavia. Notwithstanding his voyage was to the southern
hemisphere, the captain kept my letter with a promise to for-
PAss A G E TO THE CANARY ISLANDS AND BRAZIL. 59
ward it to Europe from the Cape of Good Hope, where he
was to put in.” His longitude was very different from ours,
being more than 3° too westerly, which had induced him to
hold so much to the eastward. I sent him the longitude given
by our watches, with the assurance that he might fully depend
upon it; but he did not alter his course, and sailed all night in
company with us; the next day we, however, nearly lost sight
of him.
On the 26th November we crossed the equator at about
eleven in the morning in 24° 20' W. longitude, after a passage
of thirty days from Santa Cruz. Under a salute of eleven
guns we drank the health of the Emperor, in whose glorious
reign the Russian flag first waved in the southern hemisphere.
The usual farce with Neptune could not well be represented,
as there was nobody on board the ship, except myself, who
had crossed the equator. One of the sailors, however, who
had a talent for spouting, and was rather a wag, was adorned
with the trident to welcome the Russians on their first entrance,
into a strange boundary ; and he played his part as well as if
he had long been devoted to the sea-god.
I now directed my course towards the island of Trinidad;
the wind was, however, so much from the southward, and the
current at the same time set so strong to the west,+ that we
had crossed the meridian of Trinidad in 7° of S. latitude. The
* This letter reached its destination punctually in the month of May, 1804.
t The direction of the currents, from the equator to the eighth degree of latitude,
was S. W. by W. and W. S. W. running from 26 to 35 miles a day,
I 2
00 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E R O U ND THE WO R L D.
wind soon freshened and got more to the eastward, so that we
made a rapid advance, and I steered as much to the southward
as it would permit. The westerly current still flowed indeed ;
but it had much less force than near the equator. In 14° lati-
tude we lost the S. E. trade-wind, and had E. winds, which by
degrees veered to N. and N. W. During the whole time that
the trade-wind lasted, we were accompanied by an infinite
number of bonitos, and harpooned some of them almost daily.
They made a fresh and palatable dish for our people. We
caught but one shark, part of which was eaten, although it
was not so good as a bonito. Our Japanese, however, ate the
head, and seemed to relish it much.
La Perouse spent several days in searching for the island of
Ascension, (on the existence of which so many different opi-
nions have been entertained during the last 300 years,) between
the parallels of 20° 10' and 20° 50 S. latitude as far as 7° W.
of Trinidad, but without falling in with it. He had therefore
justly entertained some doubts upon its existence, and whether
it might not be one and the same with the island of Trinidad,
as it is said to be in the same latitude ; an opinion which had
already been maintained and combated by many. Frezier, for
example, in the account of his voyage to the South Sea, blames
the celebrated Halley for leaving the island of Ascension out
of his charts, and affirms, that he had himself landed upon it,
although it was the island of Trinidad, as Halley, in the de-
fence of his chart, very clearly demonstrates. As many opi-
mions, however, were still in favour of the existence of this
island, I resolved to sail some degrees more to the westward
than La Perouse, in order to place its reality beyond a doubt,
PASS A G E TO THE CAN A R Y ISLAND'S A N D B I. A ZIL. 61
or to increase the probability of its non-existence; and I felt
myself the more called upon to attempt this enterprize, as the
editor of La Perouse's voyage appears to throw some blame
on that navigator for not having sought longer for the island
of Ascension, and affirms, that he dropt the search at the mo-
ment when he must have been near it. Milet Mureau grounds
his assertion in the first place on this: that Daprés has deter-
mined the longitude of Ascension to be 38° W. of Paris, and
that Perouse did not sail so far; secondly, in that he had lately
met with a French naval officer, M. Lépine, who, in 1791, had
touched at both islands, and had found the latitude of Trinidad
to be 20° 22', that of Ascension 20° 38'. Lépine was not, in-
deed, provided with instruments to determine the longitude of
Ascension, but had stated its distance from the coast of Brazil
to be 120 leagues, or 360 Italian miles. This last authority
appeared to me of importance; yet it struck me as singular,
that Lépine, even though he were unprovided with astronomi-
cal instruments to determine the longitude, should not have
given the public some information concerning an island, on.
whose existence so many disputes had been maintained ; and
particularly, whether it bore any resemblance to the descrip-
tion and the charts given of it by Daprés, Dalrymple, and
several others. It would then only have been necessary to
have followed in the parallel of 20° 38' until we had met
with it.
On the 7th December, at noon, we were in 19° 47' latitude.
and 32° 24' longitude, that is to say, 23° more to the eastward
than La Perouse had gone in search of Ascension. I could
therefore sail through the night without fear of missing the
62 K R USENSTERN's voy AC E Rou ND THE world.
island, and held my course in such a direction, that, at day-
break, I must have got into the latitude given by M. Lépine,
when I intended to steer a direct westward course. At noon
We had an observation in 20° 47'; a current had driven us some
miles more to the southward than 20° 38'; but the weather was
So very clear, that we must infallibly have seen 12 or 15 miles
even from the deck. An island, lofty as that of Ascension is
said to be, must surely have been seen at double this distance
from the mast head, and it was impossible to have missed it,
had it been in this latitude. In the evening, at about seven, I
laid by; the ship's latitude then being 20° 41', her longitude
35° 30'. At day-break I continued my course under all sail
to the westward. At noon we had an observation in 20° 46
51" latitude, and 36° 19 longitude. The Neva was about three
miles more to the northward. My attention was excited to
the highest degree, and I expected to hear every moment from
the mast-head, that land was to be seen ; but in vain. In the
evening, about seven, I gave over all farther search for this
island. The ship's latitude was then 20° 42, her longitude 37°
00 from Greenwich, or 39° 20' from Paris. We had now there-
fore sailed 2° 10' more to the westward than La Perouse, and
1° 30' in the same direction more than Daprés has given, as the
longitude of Ascension. As, during this search, I had never
departed more than nine miles to the southward of the given
latitude of this island, as will be perceived by the foregoing
account, I can venture to assert, that the island Ascension is
not to be found between the parallels 21° 10' and 20° 30' to 37°
00 W. of Greenwich, and that its distance cannot be more
than 220 miles from the coast of Brazil. It appears to me
therefore very problematic, whether M. Lépine really did touch
PASS AG E TO THE CAN A R Y ISLAND'S A N D B R A ZIL. 03
at this island: and, in case he did, its latitude has certainly not
been correctly given by him. This is scarcely to be expected
from a French naval officer. Without absolutely deciding for
the omission of this island from the charts, I must be allowed
to remark, that La Perouse had much more right to doubt its
existence, than the editor of his voyage so positively to main-
tain the contrary.
I left the re-discovery of the island of Ascension to a more
fortunate navigator, and steered for Cape Frio, of which I
wished to get sight, to assure myself thoroughly of the latitude
of this promontory. After having examined the latest charts and
voyages, I found, to my no small astonishment, that the different
latitudes assigned to it vary from 23° 06' to 22° 34'. By the
work called “La Connoissance des Tems,” it has been for
many years fixed at 22°02', as well as by the “Dictionnaire
Maritime of Grandpré.” In the original account of Lord
Macartney's embassy, the latitude of this Cape is given at 32°
02'; but this is evidently a misprint for 23° 02'. This is, in-
deed, the most correct determination.* The French translator
of Lord Macartney's voyage has but ill corrected the mistake
by changing 32°02' into 22° 02", and from this translation the
fault in the “Connoissance des Tems,” and in Grandpré's work,
probably arose. No one would have ventured to give the latitude
of Cape Frio thus at random, during thirty-five years, if Cook,
* Captain Broughton makes the latitude of Cape Frio 22° 59' 41" and 41° 59' 12"
W. In Mendoza's tables, which, as well as Broughton's journal, were both published
since my departure, the latitude of Cape Frio is set down 22°54', and its longitude
42° 08' i 5".
64. K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND TH e wo RLD.
in the account of his first voyage, had more expressly men-
tioned it; nevertheless, by consulting the astronomical obser-
vations which Wales has published on the voyages of Byron,
Wallis, and Carteret, as well as on Cook's first voyage, it
would have been found, that, on the 12th November, 1768,
the day on which Cook perceived Cape Frio, the latitude at
noon was observed to be 23° 06'; and as Cook expressly says,
that he, on this day, sailed to Rio Janeiro along the coast, which
lies nearly east and west, the latitude of Cape Frio could not
possibly be very different from that of noon. For my own
part, I had no doubt that the latitude must be 23° 02, as Sir
Erasmus Gore had determined it to be, and as it nearly must
have been by what I have stated of Cook's first voyage. I had
hopes, however, of being able to determine it within a few mi-
nutes, if we should succeed in getting within the parallel of
this promontory, at the time the sun was in the meridian.
On the 11th December we had an observation in 22° 36' lati-
tude, and 40° 40' longitude. In the evening, about seven
o'clock, I sounded, and found 50 fathoms water over a rocky
bottom. At day-break we saw the island of Frio, which lies
near Cape Frio, and is easily distinguished by a deep valley
which divides the island into two equal parts, so that at a dis-
tance it might without difficulty be taken for two islands. At
noon the middle of the island of Frio bore due west, precisely
as I wished ; but the sky was so overcast, that the sun was not
visible, and my endeavours were of course frustrated. In the
afternoon the weather cleared up, and the ship had scarcely
any motion. Under these favorable circumstances, twelve azi-
muths of the sun were taken to determine the variation of the
P Ass AG E To T H E CANARY ISLANDS AND B R A Z I L. 65
compass, which was from 2° 21' to 3° 06; the mean is there-
fore 2° 49' E.
On the 13th December we were by observation in 23°11'45.
Cape Frio bore N. W. 53° 20, distant from 25 to 30 miles.
Assuming this as the distance, the latitude of Cape Frio would
be 22°57'30" S.; but I do not consider this as to be depended
on, being founded on such very uncertain data. The longitude
of Cape Frio, I conceive to have been better determined. By
the rate of the largest Arnold watch, No. 128, reduced from
St. Catherine back to the 13th December, the longitude of
this Cape will be 41° 32' 00" W.; by the true longitude, as
taken on this day, 41° 36' 30".
In the evening, at seven o'clock, I took my point of depar-
ture from Cape Frio, which, at that time, bore N. W. 10°, 18
or 20 miles off. I now held my course directly for St. Cathe-
rine's : the weather was delightfully clear with a fresh wind at
N. E. so that on the 16th in the evening, at about eight o'clock,
we had ground with a line of 40 fathoms. I tacked during
the night, and the next morning we saw the islands of Alvaredo
and Gal. The weather was thick and gloomy, and prevented
our seeing the island of St. Catherine's. Having no detailed
chart of this coast, nor any views of the islands lying at the
entrance to St. Catherine's, and, consequently, not being able to
determine whether what I saw was Alvaredo and Gal, I could
not venture between these rocky islands, but steered, in the
hopes that the meridian of the sun would remove my uncer-
tainty, to the northward. The observation, however, failed at
noon, and the weather continued thick, with heavy rain and a
K
Ö6 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
fresh wind. I was therefore obliged to remain in the vicinity
of the coast, in expectation of clearer weather.
On the 18th we were by observation in 26°53' 39".S. and
this induced me to steer a southerly course, near enough to the
land, to have a distinct view of the bays and rocky islands
lying along it, which must certainly afford the most beautiful
harbours, and cannot fail to be known to the Portuguese,
although I very much doubt whether any accurate survey of
the coast of Brazil has ever been made by them. The charts
we found at St. Catherine's, of the island and of the coast to
the northward, had no great claims to accuracy, although one
of them was made by the Portuguese geographer, Lopez; and
others, even in the current year, by a Portuguese engineer.
In the first, the astronomical designations were incorrect;
and in the others, though they entered into minute details,
and appeared to have been made with great attention, they
were wanting altogether. The chart No. 3. in the Atlas, gives
a correct draught of the north entrance to the anchorage, be-
tween the island of St. Catherine and the main land, as well
as of the islands which lie in front of this entrance, and of the
small portion of the coast to the north of the island, which,
during the last few days, we had an opportunity of seeing.
These charts, perhaps, will not be considered as quite super-
fluous, as I never saw any similar ones, except No. 57 in the
second volume of Bellin's collection, “Le Petit Atlas Maritime,”
which however is very incorrect.
About four in the afternoon the wind subsided entirely, and
the sudden falling of the barometer announced a storm. The
PAss AG E to THE CANARY ISLANDS AND BRAZIL. 67
nearness of the coast gave me at first some uneasiness: the
wind, however, rose from the land with a violent thunderstorm
and rain, and blew so hard as to compel us to take in all sail,
except the storm and foresail. The next day at noon the wind
again abated and enabled us again to set our topsails. I once
more steered towards the coast, which we saw at day-break of
the 20th, and found that the southerly current had driven us so
much to the northward, as to oblige us to beat up the whole
day to fetch the island of Gal. Towards evening we saw a
boat pulling off to us, and I lay by to let her come along-side.
There were some Portuguese in her, who offered to take us
between the islands of Alvaredo and Gal; a passage which,
after the warning given by La Perouse, I should not have ven-
tured, although it shortens the way very considerably. We
however found it safe, as a ship may approach both islands
without any danger. The depth of the road diminishes gra-
dually to 5 fathoms, in which soundings we anchored at five
o'clock in the evening of the 21st, on a clayey bottom. Fort
Santa Cruz on the island Atomery bore N. W. 10°, the Centºr
of the island Atomery N. E. 35°. The island of Ratones S. E.
15°, and Ponta Grossa N. E. 66°. Our distance from Santa
Cruz was one, from St. Miguel five miles. *
CHAPTER IV.
STAY AT ST. CATHER IN E’s.
Reception at St. Catherine's and Occurrences there—The Observatory set up on the
Island of Atomery–The Masts of the Neva found to be bad–Prolonged Stay at
St. Catherine's—Remarks on the Fortifications towards the Sea, on the Town of
Nuestra Senhora del Destero, and the Troops there—Miscellaneous Observations
on the State of this Colony, its Trade and Productions—Refreshments which the
Navigator finds there, and Prices of them—English Privateer—Nautical and
Astronomical Observations.
We had no sooner cast anchor than an officer came on board
from fort Santa Cruz to welcome us, and the next day we
had the pleasure of a visit from the commandant himself. As
I wished to make my stay here as short as possible, I went this
same morning to the town of Nuestra Senhora del Destero,
which lay about 93 miles south of our anchorage. As this
place is the residence of the Governor, I conceived that our
wants would be the soonest supplied there. The Governor,
Don Joseph de Carrado, colonel of the Portuguese army,
whom I waited upon with Captain Lisianskoy and some of the
officers of the ship, immediately on our arrival, received us
with great politeness. He promised, with the greatest kind-
ness, to afford us every assistance in his power; he sent a ser-
geant on board of both ships, who was placed entirely at our
disposal; had a list made out of the provisions we wanted, and
directed an officer, for the more speedy procuring them, to
STAY AT ST. CATHE RIN E’s. - 69
purchase them in the interior of the island and on the main
land. He ordered wood to be cut for us; a request which I
particularly made to him, as this employment would have been
very laborious, under the extreme heat, and might prove inju-
rious to the health of the seamen. He allowed us to erect our
observatory on the little island of Atomery ; an object of the
greatest importance, as well to enable us to determine the rate
of the watches, which in all three had varied very much since
we left Teneriffe, as to facilitate the observations which Dr.
Horner proposed to make on the southern hemisphere.
After the conclusion of this business, which, owing to the
extraordinary kindness of the Governor, was arranged so much
to my satisfaction, I returned on board. The ambassador and
his suite remained on shore, the Governor having given up half
of his house to him, and appointed a country-house which he
possessed, at a short disance from the town, in a very pleasant
situation, for the use of his suite. On my return to the ship,
I saluted fort Santa Cruz with thirteen guns, which compliment
it returned with the same number; and on the same day the
commandant with some of his officers dined on board my ship.
I sent an officer on shore to discover a suitable place to com-
plete our water and repair the casks, and there could not be a
more convenient one than that which he selected for this pur-
pose, called San Miguel, a small village, in a most picturesque
situation. From a beautiful cascade, the water, which is ex-
cellent, is conveyed by pipes to a rice-mill, which is but seldom
worked. In three days, a ship may with the greatest facility
complete her water, even though she required 100 tons; the
only inconvenience being the distance,which is five miles; but
70 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
with a large barcaca, this is not much felt. Dr. Horner esta-
blished his observatory the same day on the appointed spot.
The work on board the ships went on with the greatest diligence;
and I had a good prospect of being able to continue my voyage
in ten days, when a notice came from Captain Lisianskoy, which
deprived me of all my hopes. The main and foremast of the
Neva were found to be so bad, that Captain Lisianskoy was
obliged to remove them entirely. In a place where no trade
is carried on, and where, consequently, there are no people
to supply the wants of shipping, this appeared to present
insurmountable difficulties, and must, but for the attentive zeal
of the Governor, have detained the Neva several months. As
no masts are kept ready made here, the Governor sent into the
neighbouring woods where the finest trees for the purpose may
easily be met with. The chief difficulty in procuring them
was in the transport of these heavy bodies from the woods to
the shore; and notwithstanding every assistance on the part of
the Governor, this vexatious, as well as unexpected, affair
delayed our voyage five weeks. * , , , ” 3
Circumstances of an unpleasant nature made my stay on
board the ship almost constantly necessary, and prevented my
obtaining any accurate knowledge on the state of this colony.
It cannot, however, escape any one's notice, even though he
should not have the advantage of verbal communication with
the enlightened part of the Portuguese residing here, that the
cabinet of Lisbon, either from a policy undoubtedly erroneous,
or from an indolence which is still more unpardonable, neglects
this possession in an uncommon degree. How much Portugal
mistakes the advantages that she might derive from her colo-
sTAY AT ST. CATHE RINE’s. 71
nies in this part of the world, is a fact too well known, to need
repetition. Of the whole of Brazil, the island of St. Cathe-
rine, with that part of the main land adjoining it, has perhaps
the least attracted the attention of the Portuguese government,
much as it deserves it, on account of its situation, its healthy
climate, fruitful soil, and valuable productions.
The island, which is separated from the main land by a strait
about 200 fathoms wide, lies in a N. N. E. and S. S. W. direc-
tion; is 25 miles long, and about 8 or 9 wide, except in some
parts where it is not more than 3 or 4 miles wide. The N. N. E.
extreme lies, by our observations, in latitude 27°19' 10" S. and
longitude 47° 49' 20" W. of Greenwich. From Frezier, I be-
lieve, we have the first accounts of this island, as well as the
first chart, which is pretty correct. Lord Anson was the next
to give the public any information upon it. Lozier de Bouvet
touched here in 1738, and in 1785 the unfortunate La Perouse.
In the eighteen years which have elapsed since this last period,
In O material alteration appears to have taken place. At present,
the very extended road is protected, as it was then, by three
insignificant forts, namely, Ponta. Grossa on the western side
of St. Catherine's, Santa Cruz on the island Atomery, and a
small fort of nine guns on the island of Ratones; but of these
nine guns three only were in a serviceable state. Fort Santa
Cruz is the most important, and as our observatory was erected
here, we had an opportunity of viewing it. The faults of this
work, which Monneron* points out in some of his letters, are
perfectly grounded. I counted only twenty guns here, which,
* Engineer on board La Perouse's ship.
72 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
for the most part, appear to be in very bad condition ; the
garrison scarcely amounted to fifty men. Any nation that
should undertake to get possession of this colony, might do it
as easily as the Spaniards did in 1777, without so large an
armament: yet the impossibility of establishing a durable colony
here, without having at the same time possession of some part of
the adjoining coast, will deter any one from attempting so use-
less a conquest. The town of Nuestra Senhora del Destero is
still worse fortified: a small fort of eight guns at the landing
place, the carriages of which were nearly all rotten, constituting
its only defence. The small battery, en barbette, which Mon-
meron likewise mentions as situated at the entrance of the
strait, now no longer existed. The garrison consists of about
500 men, who, notwithstanding the quantity of valuable dia-
monds and the 20 millions of crusades which are annually sent
from the Brazils to Lisbon, have for several years received no
pay, a striking proof of the imbecility of the government. In
order, however, to secure the garrison against starvation, every
soldier receives for his daily maintenance twenty reis, or the
thirty-seventh part of a Spanish piastre.* They are, however,
very well clothed, owing probably to the care of the Governor
and the commander of the regiment; the government, to judge
from the manner in which it remits their pay, not having the
least share in it. The commandant of the garrison was a
descendant of the celebrated Vasco de Gama ; and by a pri-
vilege enjoyed by this family, one of its descendants, so long
as St. Catherine's has a military establishment, is entitled to
the command of the troops there. In the year 1785, when
* 750 reis make a Spanish piastre.
st AY AT ST. CAT II ER IN E’s. 73
La Perouse touched at this island, Don Antonio de Gama, one
of this family, was military commandant.
The town, which is very pleasantly situated, consists of about
100 ill-constructed houses, and is inhabited by 2000 or 3000
poor Portuguese and negro slaves. The Governor's house and
the barracks are the only buildings distinguished, by their ap-
pearance, above the rest. They were at this time building a
church, which in many catholic countries is thought much
more of than either hospitals or any other useful building. I
was not a little surprised at seeing one evening about ten
o'clock, as I was going on board, several negro slaves of both
sexes carrying stones for this purpose; but my astonishment
diminished in some degree, when I considered that the reward
of this religious zeal belonged less to them than to their masters.
The government of Don Joseph de Carrado stretches from
Rio Grande in latitude 39° S. and longitude 54° W. to the
settlements of St. Paul, in 23° 33' 10" S. and 46° 39' 10" W. dº
My endeavours to obtain an accurate account of the popu-
lation of this government failed ; but it must be very inconsi-
derable, as the coast only is inhabited, and the people are
exposed to the attacks of the natives, as happened even during
our stay there. These attacks are not however attended with
any bloody consequences; the natives are content to plunder,
and carry off particularly the cattle belonging to the Portu-
guese.
On the main, as well as in the island, the soil is remarkably
L
74 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG I. Rou ND T11 E won LL.
fruitful. Excellent coffee and sugar are cultivated here. The
rum is not equal to that of Jamaica; but my own experience
has convinced me that it improves by age and travelling, and
yields then in nothing to the rum of Saint Cruz. But as
foreign ships are only allowed to purchase for ready money,
and none of the inhabitants of this government are permitted
to send their produce to Europe, the prospect of selling it falls
entirely to the ground. Where the market is overstocked,
industry must naturally be checked ; and they only cultivate
therefore sufficient for their own use and to enable them to
send yearly one or two small vessels of about 70 to 80 tons to
Rio de Janeiro, to barter inland productions against European
goods; for the inhabitants of these parts receive only from Rio
de Janeiro the most indispensable articles of life. The price of
coffee and sugar at the time of our stay here was ten cops the
pound, and that of a gallon of rum was less than half a piastre.
It is easily understood that a still lower price would be paid
for these articles if purchased in large quantities and under
other conditions:- They have the finest specimens of wood
here in abundance, and I collected a set of more than eighty
different species, which, on account of their colour and strength,
would form an important article of exportation : but this is
absolutely prohibited. The Prince Regent has, indeed, in order
to bring this government into repute, declared the island a free
port, but with various restrictions, which oppress trade, and
make this pretended benefit appear in a very ridiculous light,
as the chief produce of the soil, timber, cannot be exported
on any terms, and the others only for specie. It is not likely
that any ship should come from Europe to St. Catherine's to
purchase coffee, sugar, and rum for ready money ; and I doubt
STAY AT ST. CAT II B. R L-N. E’s. 75
very much whether on the whole island, and the neighbouring
coast, sufficient would be found to load a ship of 400 tons.
Besides, as the inhabitants are forbidden to export their pro-
duce to any other place than to: Rio Janeiro, their trade re-
mains, as formerly, in the most miserable condition. The most
necessary articles, which might be manufactured here in the
greatest abundance, such as soap, tar, &c. are so scarce, that
on our arrival the inhabitants would only spare us provisions in
exchange for them. Upon landing, the sassafras tree and the
oleum ricini, the plant from which castor-oil is extracted, are
seen every where in the greatest abundance; and yet Dr.
Espenberg was unable to procute even a very small quantity
of this oil, although he had particularly reckoned upon getting
some here. My carpenter, whom I had sent out in search of
spars for planks, found trees, at a distance of only two miles
from St. Miguel, fit for masts for the largest ships. I have
already said that not a single merchant is to be found in the
town of Nuestra Senhora del Destero ; and yet if a few were
to establish themselves here under the protection of the govern-
ment, they could not fail, with a tolerable share of enterprizing
spirit, however small the capital they might set out with, not
only of securing considerable profits to themselves, but of pro-
ducing the most beneficial effects to the cultivation of the soil:
and they would soon find themselves in a condition to send seve-
ral richly laden ships to Portugal. The Prince Regent may
withdraw from St. Catherine's the privilege of being a free port,
if he will but grant to the inhabitants of these parts a little
more liberty of commerce. A free port without a free trade is
a contradiction, of which unluckily they do not seem aware.
The whale-fishery, which within these few years has again be-
L 9
76 K R USENSTERN's voy A G E ROUND THE WOR I, D.
come a monopoly of the crown, would afford another rich
branch of profit, were it only carried to the extent of which it
will admit. But so long as the Portuguese government shalf
proceed on the contracted plan which it has now adopted, it is
impossible that the revenues of these colonies should amount to
half the sum necessary for the payment of the troops and law
officers ; and on this account it is that the greatest misery pre-
Yails in them.
Ships going round Cape Horn, or destined for the whale-
fishery upon this coast, cannot desire a better harbour than St.
Catherine's to run into. It is infinitely preferable to Rio
Janeiro, where strangers, particularly if they arrive in merchant
ships, are treated with the same insulting jealousy as in Japan.
Even Cook and Banks were exposed there to insults, the very
relation of which cannot fail to excite disgust. In St. Cathe-
Fine's, in the vicinity of which there are no diamond mines, a
stranger enjoys perfect liberty: the harbour is excellent, the
water very good and easy to be procured. Fire-wood may be
felled free of expense, and for what is ready felled, and the
vender himself brings on board, a charge is made of ten piastres
the thousand ; cvery log of which is upwards of three feet
long. The climate is particularly healthy. Our people, after
a residence of scven weeks here, were all perfectly well ; during
the first days, indeed, several of them were seized with a violent
cholic, which lasted only a few hours, and then disappeared
entirely. The heat, even in January, the hottest summer month,
is quite tolerable ; the thermometer on board the ship never
rising above 22°, and the constant fresh sea-breeze diminishing
the heat still more. Provisions and fruits of all descriptions.
STAY AT ST. CATHERINE’s. 77
are here both cheap and abundant. We purchased, for ex-
ample, an ox weighing 400 lbs. for eight piastres; a hog weigh-
ing 200 lbs. for ten; and for five fowls we paid one piastre.
The season was still too early for oranges and lemons, yet we
had them by thousands for a mere trifle. Water melons and
pumpkins were in the greatest plenty. Of fish indeed we found
a great scarcity; but the season, owing to the heat, was unfa-
vorable for fishing, which is accounted a very profitable em-
ployment, except in the summer months. The only vessels
used for this purpose are canoes, hollowed out of a single tree,
of which some are more than thirty feet long, and only three
feet wide: owing to this narrowness, though they row with great
rapidity, they cannot venture to sea in rough weather.
On our arrival here we found an English privateer with two
French prizes, which had been destined for the whale-fishery.
The commanders, Americans by birth, had, in the general opi-
nion, which the Governor himself agreed in, given up the ships
of their own accord to the Enghishman, who, contrary to the law
of all civilized nations, had taken possession of them under the "
guns of fort Santa Cruz. This act of the Americans appeared
so base, that we gave little credit to the accusation, until an or-
der came from the Viceroy for their seizure, that they might be
delivered up to the French government, which convinced us of
the reality of their crime. The English privatcer had, in the
full expectation of a war between his own country and Spain,
taken a vessel belonging to the latter nation, and not only
brought his prize into St. Catherine's, where he had privately
sold the effects with which it was laden, but had fitted the vessel
out with sixteen guns, and anchored her as a guard-ship in the
ºf S. KRU's ENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
Portuguese roadsted, to examine every ship that arrived. The
commander of this Anglo-Portuguese guard-ship carried his
imprudence so far as to send his boat on board a Portuguese
ship of war which arrived there, a brig of eighteen guns, to
put the usual questions on such occasions to her captain, who
was not a little surprised at being examined under the guns of
a Portuguese fort. The brig had been sent by the Viceroy to
St. Catherine's to take possession of the whole squadron of
English privateers. The Spanish prize, thus fitted out as a
guard-ship, escaped, as well as one of the French ships, and
the privateer only, with his other prize, fell into the hands of
the Governor. -
I shall conclude the unsatisfactory account of this place
with some nautical and astronomical observations which we
made here. The entrance is as easy as possible. The islands
Gal and Alvaredo are not to be mistaken : the first, which is
the smallest, and lies most to the northward, is particularly
remarkable by its long white streaks on the steep side, as well
as by two small rocks, which lie at the N. E. extremity. At
the distance of about nine miles the depth is thirty fathoms,
and gradually decreases. Coming from the northward, it is
best to steer between the islands Gal and Alvaredo, leaving the
small rocky island San Penedo, which lies three and a half
miles W. N. W. of Alvaredo, on the right. A S. S. W. and
S. W. by S. course leads directly to fort Santa Cruz. The
anchorage is perfectly safe every where, whether to the north or
southward of this fort; yet it is better to anchor to the south-
ward of Santa Cruz, as well on account of the communication
with the town, as of the vicinity to San Miguel, where the best
st a y AT ST. CATHER INE’s. 79
water is to be procured. Coming to St. Catherine's from the
southward, you steer between the island of Alvaredo and St.
Catherine's. The passage is perfectly safe. If the wind should
be contrary, a ship may work in without danger, for close to
St. Catherine's there are four fathoms water, and the coast of
Alvaredo is equally deep.
The observations on the ebb and flood tides were made on
the island of Atomery, where the observatory was erected by
Dr. Horner. The following are the remarks which he commu-
nicated to me on this subject.
The ebb and flood are here very unsettled, and depend cn-
tirely on the wind. The flood sets in from the N. the ebb from
the S.; and as the wind is almost always from the sea, the ebb,
with a fresh northerly wind, is scarcely apparent, and seldom
hasts more than two or three hours. The time of high water
at full and new moon was, by a mean of several observations,
found to be Oh. 49. The water continued sometimes at its,
height for three or four hours together, during which no change
whatever was perceptible, either in its increase or decrease.
The lowest tide we had was, on the 27th January, one day after
the full moon, with a fresh N. wind; and the highest tide,
which rose 3 feet, was two days after the full moon, with a
very moderate N. E. wind. A southerly wind kept the water
up above an hour.
Dr. IIorner found the polar elevation of the observatory,
where he had fixed a quadrant, by a mean of several meridian
altitudes of the sun - - - - - - - - 27° 21' 58" S,
80 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor I.D.
The longitude by a mean of several lunar observations, by Dr.
Horner and myself - - - - - - - - 48° 00' 00" W.
Arnold's large watch, No. 128, by its rate of going at Teneriffe,
made the longitude of the observatory - - 47° 51' 00" W.
Arnold's small watch, No. 1856 - - - - - 48° 52'45" W.
Pennington's watch - - - - - - - - - 48° 09' 35" W.
Dy several observations which Dr. Horner made almost daily
with a transit telescope at his observatory, on the culmination
of the sun and stars, as also by the corresponding altitudes of
the sun, he found that the loss of No. 128 in its rate of going .
had increased 9", and was still increasing; that the daily acce-
leration of No. 1856 had increased 5", but that its rate of going
since these observations, had continued the same ; namely, on
the 24th January, 1804, at noon, No. 128 was too late for mean
time at fort Santa Cruz - - - - - - - 2 hrs. 25. 38' 5.
It lost daily on the 24th January - - - - - - -- 18' 00.
On the 3d February it was already - - - - - --24' 00.
On the 27th October, 1803, it was, at Teneriffe, only + 11" 40.
On the 3d September, at Copenhagen - - - - -- 8" 42.
On the 8th July, at St. Petersburg - - - - - -- 9" 37.
In April, in London - - - - - - - - - - -- 4: 88.
No. 1856 was too early for mean time at fort Santa Cruz, on
the 24th January, 1804 - - - - - - Shrs. 29 32" 5.
Its daily increase was at this time - - - - - - - 14" 94.
On the 27th October, at Teneriffe - - - - - - -7" 50.
On the 3d September, at Copenhagen - - - - - - 5" 56.
On the 8th July, at St. Petersburg - - - - - - - 7" 51.
In April, in London - - - - - - - - - - -2' 60.
sTAY AT ST. CATHE RINE’s. 81
Pennington's watch was, on the 24th January, too late for mean
time at fort Santa Cruz - - - - - - - 3hrs. 16' 26".
Daily loss - - - - - - - - - - - - - --7 11.
On the 27th October, at Teneriffe - - - - - - --5' 30.
On the 3d September, at Copenhagen - - - - - -- 1: 83.
On the 8th July, at St. Petersburg - - - - - - --5 21.
In April, in London - - - - - - - - - - --0 70.
The variation of the needle, which Frezier, in 1712, found to
be 10° E. we found, by a mean of two compasses =7° 50' E.
-
M.
CHAPTER V.
DE PAIR T U R E FR O MI BIR A Z II, A N D E N T R A N C E IN TO TIII: G R. E.A.T
... O C E A N.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from St. Catherine's—New Orders issued to Captain
Lisianskoy—Character of the Japanese on Board—Strong Current by the Rio de
!a Plata—Perceive Staatenland–Weather Cape St. John—Longitude of this
Cape—Reach the Meridian of Cape Horn.
On the 22d January the Neva received her fore-mast, and
on the 25th her main-mast. Day and night the crews of both
ships were employed in getting her ready for sea ; and on the
31st, Captain Lisianskoy notified to me that he should be pre-
pared to sail on the 2d February. On the 1st I unmoored,
conveyed the observatory to the ship, and sent my boat for
the ambassador, who, during the whole of this time, had re-
mained in the Governor's house, where he had been received
with the greatest hospitality. On the 2d February the ambas-
sador came on board, accompanied by the Governor and several
of his officers. The guns of all the three forts fired the moment
the boat hove in sight. This politeness to the ambassador, I
returned on my part, by saluting the Governor on his departure
with eleven guns.
From the long stay we had been obliged to make at St. Ca-
therine's, I feared a stormy passage to Cape Horn, owing to the
very advanced state of the season. I had intended to have
DEPARTURE FROM BRAZIL., &c. 83
doubled this promontory in the month of January, which
could not now be done earlier than March ; it was therefore
necessary to make all possible haste, and to avoid every delay,
even though we should be separated. At our departure from
Cronstadt I had settled with the Neva, to make port St. Julian
on the coast of Patagonia, and Valparaiso on the coast of Chili,
our places of rendezvous. These it was now necessary to alter,
and I wrote an order to Captain Lisianskoy to cruize, in case
of our separation, for three days off Cape St. John, the eastern
point of Staatenland, and if he should not see the Nadeshda
in this time, to continue his voyage to the harbour of Concep-
tion, where he was to wait for us fifteen days. In the event of
our being separated beyond Cape St. John, and that he, on the
12th of April, should have advanced more to the northward
than 45°, and to the westward than 85, he was then to make
for port Anna Maria, in the island of Nukahiwa, one of the
Washington islands, and there wait ten days for me. But if,
on the 12th April, the Neva should not have reached the pa-
rallel of 45°, and the meridian of 85, which supposed a long
and difficult navigation, Captain Lisianskoy was to make for’
port Conception, take in, with all convenient speed, a supply
of water and refreshments, and then steer directly for the Sand-
wich islands, but not without touching at the group called
Washington islands, and inquiring after the Nadeshda in port
Anna Maria.
I had resolved upon giving the preference to port Anna
Maria, over that of Madre de Dios in the island of Santa
Christina, because, from the report of Lieutenant Hergest, this
harbour seemed to unite every advantage: besides, as neither
M 2
84. KRU SENSTERN’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
the island, nor any part of the group lately discovered by the
Americans, had been examined, either by the discoverers, or
by any European ships which might have seen them since
Captain Ingraham, I thought it of consequence to obtain some
information about them.
A strong northerly wind prevented us from sailing on the
3d February. It blew so hard that there was apparently no
ebb at all, and I had no hopes of being able to work out of
the harbour and get to sea. The same happened during the
morning of the 4th ; but about half past three in the afternoon,
a violent thunderstorm arose with a strong southerly wind. I
immediately made the signal for sailing, and about four, both
ships were under weigh. A boat which I had sent off for wa-
ter, about an hour before the shift of the wind, still detained
us, and it was not until six in the evening that we weathered
the N. N. E. point of St. Catherine's, between which and the
island Alvaredo I had taken my course. At seven this point
bore by compass S. W. 75°, distant about six miles. From
this cape, which, by our observations, lay in latitude 27° 19
10" S. and longitude 47° 49' 20" W. I took my point of de-
parture.
Throughout the night and the next day we had very unset-
tled weather, with constant rain and a strong southerly wind,
by the help of which, and by steering in an easterly direction,
we got so far from the land, that at twelve the next night we
could not strike ground with a line of fifty fathoms. The wind
now veered round to E. S. E. I therefore instantly put the ship
about, and steered along the coast S. by E. With the shift of
DEPARTURE FROM BRAZIL., &c. 8.5
the wind the weather cleared up, and we already saw some
storm birds, though as yet only in the 28th degree of latitude.
At eight in the afternoon we sounded, and met with a clayey
bottom in sixty-five fathoms water. I therefore steered one
point more from the land, namely S. S. E. On the 7th Febru-
ary, the clearness of the weather allowed us to make several
lunar observations. Mine, reduced to noon, gave, by the Nau-
tical Almanack, 46° 34' 15"; by the Connoissance des Tems 46.
52' 30" W. The watches gave 46° 30'. The latitude at noon
was 30° 16' 40" S. The variation of the needle was this day
11° 02' E.
I began from this day forward to portion out the water to
the ship's company. The allowance for every man, without
distinction, from the captain to the sailor, was two quarts daily.
To the Japanese only, I allowed a larger quantity; yet they
alone complained of an arrangement, which, owing to the un-
certainty of the duration of our voyage to the Washington
islands, which might last four months, I considered as abso-
lutely necessary. Turing the voyage I had frequently found
cause to be very much displeased with our Japanese, and it is
scarcely possible to imagine worse people than they were.
Although I treated them with particular kindness and atten-
tion, and bore their selfish humours with a patience at which I
was myself surprised ; yet this good treatment, certainly un-
merited on their part, had not the least effect on their boisterous
character. Lazy, dirty in their persons, always ill-humoured
and passionate in the highest degree;—these were the leading
features which distinguished them. An old man of sixty years
of age formed the only exception, and he differed in every
dº
86 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E W O R L D.
respect from his countrymen, and was alone deserving of the
Emperor's favour in sending them back to their country. They
would never do any work, not even when their assistance might
have been of advantage to themselves. With the interpreter,
who however was just as bad as the rest, they lived in a con-
tinued state of warfare, and several times swore aloud to be
revenged on him, and for no other reason, than because he
was rather more noticed by the ambassador than the others.
The wind gradually veered from E. S. E. to N. N. E. and
I steered quite a southerly course. It blew very fresh, some-
times with gusts of wind and rain, and then again with fair
weather. We advanced rapidly towards the south, and on
the 9th February were already in latitude 34° 38' 16". The
longitude by our watches was 47° 30' W. At two o'clock in
the morning Lieutenant Golowatscheff, who kept the middle
watch, observed a curious ripple of the water occasioned by a
current. It formed a line stretching N. N. E. and S. S. W.
as far as the eye could reach, and was throughout lighted up
so strong, that, according to his description, it had the appear-
ance of a fiery furrow. This was the true limit of the current,
which, since our departure from St. Catherine's, had carried us
fifteen miles a-day to the S. W. This day at noon our obser-
vations shewed a difference of seventeen miles N. N. E. E.
in the dead reckoning. This alteration in the current is pro-
bably owing to the vicinity of the Rio de la Plata, from which
we were now 240 miles in an easterly direction, and the next
morning, by which time we had completely passed the mouth
of this river, the current set thirty-two miles in the same direc-
tion as the preceding day, that is to say N. E. 28° 30'. We
DE PARTURE FROM B R Az I L., &c. 87
had mostly favorable weather, and generally a fair wind.
In the 37° of latitude we saw the first albatross, and several
birds of the species of storm birds. In the 40° of latitude we
saw several large pieces of seaweed, which are generally
conceived to denote the vicinity of land, from which we
were however 600 miles off. The variation of the needle in-
creased gradually, and on the 17th January, in latitude 44° 15,
and longitude 56° 50', we found it by a mean of four sets,
each of six observations, made with two compasses, and which
varied from 15° 11, to 20°4'40" of each other, to be 17° 37'
50" E. On the same day we had several lunar observations;
a mean of four sets, each of five observations, gave me 56°
55' 25" as the longitude. By the same number of observations
Dr. Horner made it 57° 05. The timepieces at the same mo-
ment made it 56° 40'.
On the 18th and 19th February we had a violent north wind,
with heavy drizzling weather, which was followed by a great
thunderstorm and a thick fog, so that for several hours we
could not see the Neva. At nine in the evening it cleared
away, and we had a fine bright night. As I had made some
alterations in the fog-signals I lay by, and sent our boatswain
on board the Neva. During this time we hove the lead over
board, and found a bottom of grey sand with black spots, with
a line of eighty-five fathoms. Captain Lisianskoy at the same
time made known to me that he had sounding in fifty fathoms.
At twelve at night we could not strike ground with a line of
seventy fathoms. As we had no altitude of the sun at noon,
Dr. Horner determined the latitude by the culmination of
Sirius and the a of Orion to be at eight o'clock 48° 03'; our
88 KRUSENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE world.
longitude, by the observations made the day before with the
timepieces, reduced to this moment by the ship's reckoning,
was 62° 33' ; by the last lunar observation it was 62° 50'. At
ten o'clock at night Dr. Horner calculated the longitude
by some altitudes of the Aldebarans to be by our watches
62° 44'.
I cannot neglect this opportunity of mentioning Dr. Hor-
ner's unwearied diligence in determining, at all times, the lati-
tude and longitude of the ship, when the common observations
failed. If the sun did not shine in the day time, we were sure
at night that he would give us our latitude and longitude. I
have often seen him in the coldest and most unpleasant wea-
ther, particularly off Cape Horn, waiting, a sextant in his hand,
with the most unwearied patience, to catch a glimpse of the
sun between the clouds, and my requests, that he would desist
from his frequently useless exertions, were seldom attended to.
There were very few days during the whole of this voyage in
which the true longitude of the ship was not calculated by an
observation of the heavens.
I caused the lead to be hove regularly two or three times
a-day until our arrival off the coast of Staatenland, the depth
we usually found was between sixty and seventy fathoms, over
grey sand, with black and some shining spots, and we some-
times met with fine black and yellow sand.
On the 21st February, after a fresh breeze which had lasted
about six hours, the Neva made the signal of having sprung
her main-topsail yard, and that she must replace it with a new
DE PARTURE FROM B R A ZIL., &c. 89
one. I lay by while this accident was repairing, which was
completed about six o'clock, when we again made all sail. The
variation of the compass was found to-day to be 21° 40' E.
The ship's latitude at the time was 49° 43', her longitude 65°
13. The wind in the night shifted to the westward, and as we
were pretty nearly in the center between Falkland islands
and the coast of Patagonia, neither of which it was any object
to see, I steered directly S. by E. ; but the sea ran so high from
the southward, that the ship was very much retarded by it.
Nevertheless as I could not afford to lose this wind, I set all
possible sail. This heavy sea, which could not be alone ascribed
to the high wind of the day before, which was but of short dura-
tion, together with the lowness of the barometer, which stood
at 29 in. 35, seemed to portend a storm from the southward ;
the wind however was not very fresh, and yet when we got op-
posite the great bay of St. George, the sea had become very
rough. On the 23d February the weather was so fine that I
had Hales's machine put over board. The temperature of the
air was 12” Reaumur, on the surface of the water the thermo-
meter stood at 10°, and at the depth of 55 fathoms, where the
machine remained 10 minutes, 84°. The whole depth of the
water at the time was 75 fathoms. On this day we saw up-
wards of twenty whales, swimming two and three together,
and some of them came so near the ship, as obliged them to
turn that they might not be sailed over. Captain Lisianskoy
came on board, and I informed him that it was my intention,
in case it could be done without much loss of time, to come
to an anchor, for one day, at Easter island; I wished not
only to ascertain the rate of our watches, but to learn whether
M
O(3 K R USENSTERN's voy A G E ROUND T II E won 1, p.
La Perouse's beneficial intentions in leaving sheep, goats, and
hogs for the inhabitants had been fully answered,
On the 24th February, I reckoned myself, by our observa-
tions, about ninety miles from Cape San Juan, the eastward
promontory of Staatenland. Conceiving it to bear S. S. E. of
us, I steered S. E. under all sail, to see the land before sunset,
that I might choose a sure course for the night ; but the wind
fell, and our hopes were frustrated. About seven o'clock I took
in all sail and steered E. under double-reefed topsails. At five
the next morning we had sight of the whole coast of Staaten-
land, trending from S. to S. E. at a distance of from thirty-five
to forty miles. The land formed nearly a straight line, lying
E. and W. and appeared to consist entirely of pointed hills,
separated from each other by deep hollows, and cut sharp off
by the sea. To the westward we perceived a promontory,
stretching towards the N. and having the appearance of a
stumpy rock cut down vertically. This I took to be Cape St.
T)iego, the eastern extreme of Tierra del Fuego, as also of the
northern entrance of strait Le Maire. There was an astonish-
ing number of whales, which came so near as to alarm the
officer of the watch, before day-break, by the noise they made
in spouting up the water, who fancied we were near breakers.
Although the wind was very favorable for us to have passed
through strait Le Maire, I thought it better to sail round Staat-
enland, the violent currents in the strait being often very dan-
gerous to shipping, as the experience of many navigators has
shewn ; and the advantages, on the contrary, but very trifling,
since, the only wind which will carry you through it, soon
DEPARTURE FROM BRAZIL., &c. 91
brings you back the short distance to the westward, which you
lose by steering an easterly course round Cape St. John.
At eleven this promontory lay, as much as we wanted it, in
a true southward direction. As the fine weather and clear
horizon allowed us to take very accurate observations, I shall
here set down the longitude of Cape St. John, as given by our
watches, and compare it with the observations made by Cap-
tain Cook and other navigators. By the rate of the watches,
determined by Dr. Horner, from a series of observations made
during our long stay at Santa Catharina, the longitude of Cape
St. John was, according to
No. 128 - - - - - - - - - - - - 63 42' 30".
No. 1856 - - - - - - - - - - - - 63 49 45".
Captain Cook - - - - - - - - - - - 63° 47' 00".
Captain Bligh - - - - - - - - - - 63 18' 00".
- - - 63° 40' 00".
Arrowsmith, probably after Malespina
By the watches on board the Neva, per signal 63° 47' 00".
*
If we therefore reject Captain Bligh's observation as varying
nearly half a degree from that of Captain Cook, the greatest
difference in the longitude of Cape St. John, according to the
observations of Captain Cook, Malespina, and the watches on
board of both ships, was 7'45". Captain Cook's must there-
fore be admitted as the true longitude, all the others differ-
ing only a few minutes from his. Thus it will be seen that
there are few cities in Europe, the geographical longitude of
which is determined with the same degree of accuracy as that
of this barren rock, in one of the roughest and most inhospi-
N 2
92 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WO RLD.
table islands of the globe. But how infinitely important is
this accuracy to the safety of shipping !
By our latitude at noon we were thirty-three miles from Cape
St. John, which, at this distance, appeared a single high hill
with some gentle acclivities on both sides. To the eastward,
the land seemed to stretch still a few miles farther. We saw
nothing of the New Year islands, and I must add, that although
we brought to, the whole night, with a very moderate wind
and scarcely any sail, I did not perceive the slightest difference
between our observations and the dead reckoning: probably
owing to the distance we kept from the land, in which I en-
tirely followed Captain Cook's advice,—never to approach this
island nearer than twelve leagues or thirty-six miles, to secure
yourself against the strong currents, and not be obliged to put
into New Year harbour.
The day was very beautiful with a fresh N. N. E. wind,
which veered in the evening towards N. N. W. At noon
we lost Cape St. John in a fog; and about seven in the
evening it again cleared itself from the clouds. We now
saw two hills near it, which are smaller but more peaked. After
about a quarter of an hour, it disappeared altogether. At six
in the evening we sailed across a strong current, stretching
from N. E. to S. W. as far as the eye could reach, and in se-
veral places we could perceive large spots, where the water was
quite still, probably owing to the meeting of different currents.
The rippling which pointed out the north-eastern direction of
the current, must have been predominant, as we concluded,
DEPARTUR E FROM B R A z IL, &c. 93
from observations made this afternoon and the next day. At
half past eight Dr. Horner found our latitude, by the culmina-
tion of various stars, to be 54° 46, fifteen miles more to the
northward than the ship's reckoning, and the next day we
found a difference of twenty-seven miles to the northward, and
eighteen to the eastward.
After weathering Cape St. John, I steered throughout the
might with a strong northerly wind to the southward, and one
point to the west; and about eight o'clock I reckoned myself
already some minutes to the south of Cape Horn. I there-
fore steered a more westerly course ; but in about half an hour
so high a wind arose at S. S. W. and towards evening veered
round to W. that we were obliged to take in all our smaller
sails, and to double reef our topsails. All this day we saw al-
batrosses, sea swallows, and different kinds of storm birds;
and the night was very stormy, with violent gusts of wind,
accompanied by rain and hail. In the morning the storm
abated, and we were able to set more sail; but the sea rame
very high, and being directly contrary to the wind, strained
the ship to an extraordinary degree. The barometer, which
the day before had fallen from 29 in. to 28 in. rose again 2
lines; the weather, however, did mot promise very well, and was
besides so cold, that the thermometer on deck fell 3°. It
seemed as though Staatenland were the boundary between two
directly opposite regions. We had beautiful weather until our
arrival there, and, with little exception, constantly fair winds,
as our very quick run of only twenty-one days from St. Cathe-
Tine's to Staatenland sufficiently shews. But scarce had we
‘passed Staatenland, and approached the latitude of Cape Horn,
94 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G D. Rou ND THE worlD.
when south-west winds set in with cold weather, and a con-
stantly clouded sky. Our imagination had been set in motion
by our hitherto favorable passage; led us in a few days round
Cape Horn; and transported us in a few weeks into the mild
regions of the great ocean: but the west wind, which wore a
fixed appearance, soon deprived us of this pleasant prospect,
and made us fear that we were not to calculate on too much
favour.
The fine weather we had at noon was, as I apprehended, of
very short duration. About two o'clock we experienced a very
heavy squall, which took us so completely unawares, that we
succeeded with difficulty in getting in our sails: after this the
wind, though it blew very hard, was not to be compared to a
storm. About five the sky all round the horizon became over-
cast, while snow-clouds appeared some five or six degrees high,
and from their columnar form, and the black clouds bordering
on them, bore a beautiful but terrible aspect. We took in all
our sail, with the exception of a few storm-sails, and waited in
expectation of the effect of these clouds, which appeared to be
fast approaching. It commenced with a hail storm, which for
some minutes was very violent, and then changed to a more
moderate but continued storm. During the whole night it blew
very hard, with violent gusts of wind, and the waves ran moun-
tains high. As we had been warned, as well by the barometer,
which fell two lines immediately after the first squall, as by the
general appearance of the weather, we were prepared against
the worst. The wind varied between W. and S. W. abating a
little in the morning, and at noon it was pretty quiet. The
sun, too, made its appearance, and our latitude by observation
DEPARTURE FROM B R A ZIL., &c. 9.5
was 58° 23', and our longitude 64°00'. Towards evening we
had again a violent squall, and about eight another hurricane
from the S. W. much more violent than the former, and similar
to the one we experienced on the 15th September in the Sca-
gerrak, with this difference only, that the waves ran infinitely
higher. In the morning, instead of subsiding, it increased in
violence with tremendous squalls, accompanied by hail and
snow. During this storm all the birds disappeared, except a
few small ones, which, shortly before it came on, we had seen
fluttering round the ship. This was the last gale we had : in
the evening it abated ; the next day it was pretty moderate,
and on the 2d March we had a particularly beautiful day.—
The enjoyment we derived from it, those only can form any
idea of, who have been at sea in similar bad weather, of which
in fact no seaman would complain, but for the cold from
which we all suffered extremely. The quicksilver upon deck
fell within 3 of freezing point, and in my cabin, during the
space of a fortnight, it was seldom more than 8” above that
point, and once only 5’. Every one now came upon deck and,
endeavoured to warm himself in the rays of the cheerful and
cloudless sun. Clothes, bedding, and sails were all hung out
to dry, and this had become very necessary, although I never
suffered a day to pass without having a fire lighted in the men's
birth whenever the motion of the ship would allow it, and I
had particularly appointed one man in every watch, to dry the
wet clothes of those who were just relieved, before the fire.
Several other tasks, of no less importance, were performed.
Turing the storm we had discovered that the ship had a leak
forward ; and the carpenter was accordingly lowered down to
the streak, when he found one of the planks of the outer
()() K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND THE WORLD.
shcathing split; this we covered with a sheet of lead. The
cables were likewise cast off from the anchors, which, from pre-
caution, I had kept in constant readiness until we should have
weathered Staatenland, and till now there had been no oppor-
tunity of unbending. This day was equally favorable for our
observations: during the three last we made none, either for
our latitude or longitude, and now discovered that, while the
storm lasted, the ship had been driven twenty-five miles to
the N. and forty-two to the castward, so that after six days
we were not by one minute to the westward of Cape St. John.
This indeed diminished our satisfaction a little; but a gentle
N. E. wind which sprung up, and increased by degrees, again
raised our hopes. Hitherto we had not a single invalid ; but
the constant bad weather in these high latitudes, which are
seldom clear of fogs, must in the end lay the seeds of the most
dangerous diseases, in spite of the greatest care and most com-
passionate attention.
The variation of the compass was on this day 24° 32' E. the
southern inclination 73° 15'. The ship's latitude at the time
was 58° 59' S. her longitude 63° 47' W.
In the mean while the N. E. wind increased, and in the
evening we sailed due W. about nine or ten knots; and by
our reckoning, at eight the next morning we had weathered
Cape Horn, and were already in the great ocean.
( 97 )
CHAPTER VI.
F ROM T H E M E R IDIA N of C AP E HO R. N. UNTIL O U R A R RIVAL
A T N UK A HIW A.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail round Tierra del Fuego–Uncommon low State of the
Barometer during this Time—The Ships separate in a Storm—Continue the Woyage
to the Washington Islands—Alter the Plan of our Voyage—We cross the Southern
Tropic—Series of Lunar Observations for sir. Days—Remarkable Error of our
Chronometers—We perceive one of the Mendoza Islands—Sail along the Coast of
Uahuga—Arrival at the Island Nukahiwa—Pſe anchor in Port Anna Maria.
AT eight o'clock in the morning of the 3d March, four weeks
after our departure from St. Catherine's, we doubled Cape
Horn; a voyage, which, perhaps, was never made in a shorter
time. The wind, however, shifted almost in the same hour,
from N. E. to W. and continued so, though not very high, dur-
ing several days, with thick hazy weather, so that twice we lost
sight of the Neva for some hours. The sea at the same time
ran very high from the westward, striking the ship with consi-
derable violence. On the 5th March 1)r. Horner caught a
glimpse of the sun for some moments, half an hour before noon.
From its height he calculated our latitude to be 59° 58'; by the
ship's reckoning it was 60° 09, the highest latitude which the
westerly winds drove us into. The longitude, calculated by
the same observation, was = 70° 15'. On the 7th March we had
the good fortune to see the sun at noon, and our observations
again proved to us that the current carried us daily thirteen
or fourteen miles on an average due E. The 9th March the
O
98 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE won L.D.
Sea was so calm that we lowered Hales's machine. At the
depth of 100 fathoms the thermometer shewed 1,”, in 60
fathoms 25°, and on the surface 23°. The temperature of the
air at the same time was 4°. On this day the variation of the
needle, by a mean of several azimuths, was 27° 40' E. the
greatest we met with in these high southern latitudes. The
ship's latitude then was 50° 20', and her longitude by the
watches 72°45'.
On the 11th March I reckoned myself already half a degree
to the westward of Cape Victoria ; I steered notwithstanding in
the same direction, not trusting to the continuance of the
southerly wind, the first we had had since passing Cape St.
John ; and I wished to secure myself entirely against the west-
erly and prevailing winds in this sea until you reach the tropic,
that in case of necessity, I might be able, without risk, to steer
a northerly course, which I could only do by making my Fon-
gitude more W. For this reason I would not steer to the
northward till after we had reached the 80° of longitude, a
precaution which I owed to the example of Captain Bligh,
who, notwithstanding he had reached the 77°, was unable to
weather Tierra del Fuego, and was obliged to steer for the
Cape of Good Hope.
On the 14th March we were in latitude, 15° 13' S. and lon-
gitude, 82° 56' W. By our reckoning, the longitude was 86°
27. We were now eight degrees to the westward of Cape Pillar,
the westernmost promontory of Tierra del Fuego, and I had
now no doubt of clearing it, however unfavorable the weather
might prove. As soon therefore as the wind permitted, I steered
FRom CAPE Ho RN To NU KAHI w A. 99
a north-west course, in such a direction, however, as to keep
between the two lines of Captain Cook's first and second voy-
ages, expecting to find here, for the most part, southerly winds,
instead of which it was almost constantly north, and blew on
the 10th very hard. The waves ran so high, and crossed each
other in such different directions, that the ship was tossed about
more than in any storm we had hitherto experienced. The
very low stand of the barometer for several days past, and
which on the night of the 17th, was 28 in. 45, the lowest we
had seen it (except on the 1st October of the current year)
during the whole voyage; the high waves from the N. W. and
the clouds which, on the 18th, rose very fast from that
direction, led us to expect a violent storm from the N. W.
against which we made every preparation. But the wea-
ther on this day was very fine, and almost calm. The night
preceding we had observed a heavy dew, a sure sign as is gene-
rally conceived of the vicinity of land. It was not probable,
however, that any could have been near the spot where we
then were, our latitude being 55° 46, and longitude 80' 00.-
The variation of the compass, by a mean of several observa-
tions, made, whenever the weather permitted, with two com-
passes, was 19° 59' 20"; the dip of the S. end 75° 30.
At eight o'clock in the morning of the 21st March, we were,
by my reckoning, nearly opposite the straits of Magellan ; for
Cape Victoria, the westernmost head-land on the northern
shore of the strait, bore at this time E. distant about 650 miles.
We had thus weathered Staatenland and Tierra del Fuego in
twenty-four days, a much quicker passage than I had promised
myself at this late season of the year. The barometer now re-
O 2 º
100 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
sumed its usual height. During the time we were sailing round
Cape Horn, in the best, as well as in the worst weather, it had
always been six lines lower than before we reached this neigh-
bourhood, and it now again began to rise.
I continued steering a north-west course not to approach the
latitudes that have been so much crossed by Byron, Wallis,
Carteret, Bougainville, Cook, and several late navigators; al-
most all of whom, with the exception of Cook in his first
voyage, after having passed the straits of Magellan, had steered
nearly a due northerly course. During three days we had a
very fresh S. wind, with this remarkable circumstance attend-
ing it, that, although it blew hard, there was not the least swell
of the water; the sea being as calm as in a bay. The baro-
meter stood at 30 in. 3, a greater height than we had hitherto
seen it. Yet the sky was constantly clouded, and, on the 24th
March, so high a wind arose at N. N. E. veering to N. N. W.
with lofty waves and foggy weather, that we lost sight of the
Neva. The stormy thick weather continued, and our signal
guns were not answered. Our separation therefore appeared
certain, and when the weather cleared up, we were quite con-
vinced of it; nor was it probable that we should again meet
until our arrival at the island of Nukahiwa. Our latitude on
the day of our separation was 47° 09, and our longitude by the
timepieces 97° 04' W.
On the 8th April I mustered the whole crew, and caused
them to be examined, lest there should be any symptoms of
scurvy among them. It was now ten weeks since we set sail,
and during the last six we had met with very bad and damp
\
FR O M C A P E HO R N TO N U KAHIW A. 101
weather: Dr. Espenberg did not, however, find the smallest
symptom of disease amongst them ; but on the contrary, assured
me that their gums were firmer and appeared more healthy than
on their examination in Cronstadt. Several of them seemed to
consider it as an affront that their gums and feet should be ex-
amined, and said, half vexed at it, that they should never have
the scurvy. The examination of course ended quite to my sa-
tisfaction, and I had the good fortune not to have a single man
on the sick list, though I had no hopes of the ambassador's
cook, who was in a decline, being able to live through the voy-
age. At Brazil, I had endeavoured to convince him of the
necessity of his remaining behind, and offered him the means of
returning home ; but he would not consent, and I thought it
cruel to compel a man to quit the ship against his wishes.
As the weather was growing warmer, I no longer gave the
crew butter, but ordered them to double their portion of sugar
and vinegar, and gave them every day tea for their breakfast.
On the 10th April we had a very beautiful and warm day.
the first of the kind we had experienced since our departure
from St. Catherine's. As I calculated now, with some degree
of probability, that the bad weather had entirely left us, from
this day forward I had a great deal of work put in hand, which
could only be done in fine weather, and which occupied us
nearly till our arrival at Nukahiwa. The sailmakers repaired
the sails we wanted during the trade-winds, in order to preserve
the best against the bad weather in the higher latitudes. The
Smith erected his forge, not only to make several articles that
were required for the ship, but also knives and hatchets to
102 KRUS ENSTERN’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
barter with the islanders of this ocean; the carpenters repaired
the boats; the guns were again brought out of the hold, and
resumed their former station, and Count Tolstoy undertook to
practise part of the crew in exercising and firing.
On the 12th April we had a violent storm for some hours;
and about three the next morning a sudden change in the tem-
perature of the air announced a southerly wind, which followed
in a few hours. The wind blew fresh from the S. W. and by S.
and lastly S. E. which enabled us to set all our sail. I steered
N. N. W. finding myself obliged to depart from the plan I had
laid of pursuing a westerly course; the constant N. W. winds
having driven us back to the 99% of longitude; and as I could
not reckon upon a constant fair wind, until we should reach
the S. E. trade-wind, and was unwilling to lose any time, parti-
cularly as I had determined to proceed directly to Kamtschatka
to unship the goods with which the Emperor had permitted
the American Company to lade her, previously to going with
the embassy to Japan. This determination of sailing direct to
Kamtschatka, deprived me, indeed, of the hopes of making
any discoveries, with which I had long diverted my imagi-
nation, and for which I had besides already laid my plan.
The business of the embassy, the concerns of which would re-
quire a period of at least six months, could not possibly be
concluded this year, so that until May we should not have
been able to return to Kamtschatka. As we must therefore be
obliged to spend the whole winter in Japan, it was needless to
follow my instructions, to proceed there with all possible haste,
and I might have spent the months of June, July, and August,
in exploring the hitherto but little known regions of this ocean.
FROM C A PF HO R N TO N UK A HIW A. 103
Nevertheless I conceived it my duty not to do so. It was of
great consequence to the agents of the American Company in
Ramtschatka to receive the effects on board our ship, particu-
larly the iron and cordage, as early as possible ; and it was ea-
sily to be foreseen, that a great part of the cargo must be spoiled
during a stay of nine or ten months in Japan, as in the course
of the voyage we had frequently found that the casks con-
taining brandy, of which we had several on board, were of a
very bad quality. One of the important objects of this voyage
was, to procure the American Company the means of bringing
their commercial relations into credit as soon as possible, and
would therefore have failed; and it was a matter of doubt whe-
ther the embassy would meet the success that was expected
from it. Thus would a very expensive voyage have been
undertaken, and two of its chief ends not been obtained.
I now thought it necessary to convey as soon as possible to a
place of safety, the rich cargo destined by the Company for
Kamtschatka and America, which the directors, from confi-
dence in me and my officers, had not ensured ; and the ambasz
sador, as agent for the American Company, was too well convinced
of the advantages of my proposal, to make any opposition to it.
Besides this I was to touch at Easter island, distant nearly
500 miles to the westward of us, in the expectation that Cap-
tain Lisianskoy, who knew nothing of my resolution to steer
at once for Kamtschatka, would bend his course thither in the
hopes of falling in with me. The wind during two days blew
from the S. E. and E. S. E. So that we already fancied we had
caught the trade wind; but it again shifted to the N. E. and
N. N. E. I altered my course one or two points, as I found
104. KRU SENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE WOR LID.
that we approached too near the tract in which Wallis and
Bougainville had steered ; and had invariably a man during the
day at the mast head, and all night on the bowsprit, promising
the first who during the day should discover the land, a reward
of ten, and in the night time of twenty piastres. On the 17th
April we crossed the southern tropic in 104° 30' longitude.
The beautiful clear weather on the 18th and 19th allowed
us to make several lunar observations. Those of the 18th re-
duced to noon, gave 106° 51' 23". Those of the 19th 108°
04' 12". Arnold's watch, No. 128, shewed on the first day
107° 20' 52", on the latter 108°29' 15". By the mean therefore,
No. 128 was 27' 46" too much to the westward. The variation
of the compass was, on the 18th April, in latitude 22° 20'E
5° 49, and on the 21st, in latitude 20° 58', and 108° 46' longi-
tude, 5° 12' E ; and as between this and the Sandwich islands
it scarcely ever changes, and is always between 3° and 53° E.
I shall notice it but seldom.
On the 22d April, in 20° of latitude, after some violent gusts
of wind which followed each other rapidly from the N. E. and
S. E. and split some of our old sails, we fell in with the true
S. S. E. trade wind, which continued sometimes blowing fresh,
and at others more moderately, but always accompanied with
fine weather, until we arrived at the Washington islands. The
thermometer rose in my cabin, the coolest place in the whole
ship, to 22°, and on deck in the shade to 235". This continual
fine weather allowed us to make a series of lunar observations
for six days. These are so far important, since the longitude
of the Washington and Mendoza islands is founded upon them,
F1R O M C A P E H O R N TO N UK A H IWA. 10.5
and that this differs from that given by Captain Cook for the
latter, and by Marchand and Wilson for the former. Their
perfect uniformity must obtain them some credit, particularly
as for the most part they were calculated by Bürg's lunar
tables. . By a mean of these observations, the error of No. 128
was discovered to be 1° 00' 30" too much west, and this error
is corrected in all our chronometrical observations of the longi-
tude of the Mendoza and Washington islands on the 6th and
7th May.
I now held such a course as carried me right in the middle
between Fetugu island (Cook's Hood island) and Uahuga,
(Hergest's Riou island,) in which situation they are both said
to be visible. In the night of the 4th May we had a violent
thunder storm, with heavy rain and some gusts of wind. To-
wards morning the weather cleared up a little, but the sky was
very cloudy and prevented our taking any lunar observations.
On the 5th at noon our latitude was 9° 20' S. ; the longitude
by the watches, corrected after the last lunar observations, =
137° 08' W. We therefore passed the night, as the wind blew
pretty fresh, under very moderate sail. At day-break we saw
I'etugu island, bearing S. W. 50°, distant from 35 to 38 miles.
This island is lofty, but is not of a great circumference; it con-
sists of a single high, and at the summit almost flat, rock, with
a gentle inclination from north to South. On the northernmost
point is to be perceived, though not very distinctly, a division
forming two hills. In Captain Cook's chart there appears on
the southern side a number of small rocky islands, which we
could not perceive ; but instead of these we saw several on the
N. W. and W. sides, of which some are pretty lofty and quite
P.
106 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
circular, and others of a pyramidal form lying about 250 or
300 fathoms from the island. As Captain Cook did not go
more to the northward than 9° 20' when this island bore W. S.
W. of him, he could not have perceived the rocks which sur-
round the N. W. and W. sides. At half past six we saw Ohi-
waoa, which Mendaña has called Dominick. At first we took
it for Montame, (Mendana's San Pedro.) The easternmost
point bore by compass S. W. the middle of it S. W. 70° 30'.
The appearance of this island seemed to agree perfectly with
the description which Cook has given of it; but at the dis-
tance of 35 miles, we could not examine it particularly. At
nine o'clock, the eastern point bore due south. Dr. Horner and
Lieutenant Löwenstern at the same time took altitudes of the
sun, to ascertain the time ; by which, with the already men-
tioned errors of the timepieces, its longitude appeared to be
138° 21' 30". The western point of the island we could not
distinctly see. At eight o'clock I steered W. N. W. to catch
Uahuga at noon in the west, as a sure means of getting its lati-
tude correctly. At ten we perceived the island bearing W.
by N. and some minutes after the middle of the island Fetugu
bore due south. Its longitude, according to our observations,
is 138°29' 30" which differs from that of Cook (138°48) by 18
30", and we found its latitude by the combination of our angles
and triangles to be three minutes more to the northward. At
the time of the sun's culmination, a double pik on Uahuga lay
due west distant 18 miles. The meridian was observed, very
particularly, by T}r. Horner, Lieutenant Löwenstern, and my-
self, with sextants made by Troughton and Ramsden, and the
latitude found to be = 8° 55' 58", which was also the latitude
of this double pik, which seemed to me to lie nearly in the
F R O M C A P E H O ſº N T O N UK All I W A. 107
middle, rather nearer perhaps to the south than to the northern
extremity. Fetugu, which we shortly after lost sight of, bore at
noon S. E. 18". I now steered along the coast of Uahuga at a
distance of 6 or 7 miles, and though we occasionally hove the
lead we could find no bottom with a line of 100 fathoms.
This island has a very striking appearance ; from east to west
the land rises to a considerable height, and forms in the middle
a pretty lofty mountain, quite steep towards the west; at a
short distance, only more to the westward, is the double pik
already mentioned, and as the eastern end was brought to bear
N. W. by N. the double pik disappeared, and the high moun-
tain in the middle assumed the appearance of a cupola, on the
west side of which a column in a pyramidal form was very
conspicuous. On the south side there are two bights in which
probably an anchorage might be found ; but they afford too
little shelter from the wind for a ship to lie there in safety.
The western side of this island seemed to me the most fruitful,
for although it is pretty high, it is more even than the east
side, on which there are rough rocks forming a line of piks
divided by deep vallies. These piks, although the island is not."
so wild, give it a resemblance to Staatenland. At the west
end there is a rocky island about a mile and a half in circum-
ference, and between the two is a large flat low mass of stone
having the appearance of a tombstone. The western extreme of
the island falls gradually away to a steep and very prominent
but flattened rock ; behind which there is said to be a secure
harbour, but which we could not examine. We were but a very
short distance from the land, and the wind was moderate, but
not a single canoe came off to us: nor could we distinguish any
inhabitants, although we saw smoke in several places. As the
P 2
108 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T if E wo RLL.
east point of the island bore nearly due north, Dr. Horner took
Some altitudes of the sun to determine the time, by which the
longitude, according to the corrected rate of the watches was
= 139° 05. The island lies E. N. E. and W. S. W. and its
greatest length is nine miles, and so far this agrees with the
description given of it by Lieutenant Hergest and the astro-
nomer Gooch ; but the appearance of the south side is very
different from what Hergest describes, who was only in the vici-
nity of the west side. The middle of Uahuga lies, by our
observations, in latitude, 8° 54' 30" S. and longitude 139° 09
30" W. According to Hergest it is in latitude 8° 50' 30", and
longitude 139° 09.
About five in the afternoon we perceived Nukahiwa wrapt in
fog, which prevented our forming any correct judgment of its
distance. About six I took in all, except the top-sails, and as
the distance between Uahuga and Nukahiwa by Arrowsmith's
chart, which I thought more to be depended on than Hergest's,
in the second volume of Vancouver's voyage, is 27 miles, I wore,
after running half this distance, to the northward, yet we found
ourselves in about an hour so near to the land, as obliged us
immediately to put about. This proved that the distance is
laid down too great, which our survey confirmed. From the
west side of Uahuga to Cape Martin, the S. E. point of Nuka-
hiwa, is only 18 miles. Hergest makes it 20, and Wilson 24
miles. I cannot therefore conceive what has induced Arrow-
smith to reject Hergest’s account, not only of the latitude and
longitude, of the Washington islands, but also of their relative
situations, as he ought to have placed confidence in the labours
of a pupil of Cook and an astronomer. Hergest, indeed, is not
FROM C A PE II O IR N TO N UK A III W A. 109
correct throughout; his statements are nevertheless much more
so than either Marchand's or Wilson's. In his draught of the
island of Uahuga, Arrowsmith ought to have followed Hergest, *
as Marchand never had sight of it, and Wilson probably only
saw it at a distance. Of the works of the American, Ingra-
ham, who first discovered this island, or of his countrymen,
none have ever fallen in my way.
At day-break we steered for the S. E. point of Nukahiwa,
bearing N. W. distant about 15 miles. Uapoa at the same
time bore S. W. distant 24 miles, and the number of piks upon
this island gave it at a distance the appearance of an ancient
city with lofty towers. At ten o'clock we were opposite Home
bay, which Hergest has called Comptroller's bay: here, I lay
to, and lowered a couple of boats, in which I sent Lieute-
nant Golowatscheff and the boatswain of the ship. Cape
Martin and the west point of Comptroller's bay are both re-
markable, particularly the former, by their prominent and
broken appearance ; and another not less striking mark of
Comptroller's bay is, a great black rock, half a mile to the ,
west of Cape Martin : but though this bay is sheltered from
the wind, its appearance is not on the whole very promising.
We perceived some Indians running along the shore, but not a
single canoe put off although the wind was very moderate,
which gave us but a mean opinion of their skill in navigation;
an opinion that was confirmed during our stay upon the island.
At a distance of two miles from the land we were unable to
strike ground, we next found a bottom of fine sand in 50
fathoms water, and this depth decreased to 15 fathoms, when
again, close along the coast, it was 35 fathoms. As soon as I
1T () K R Us ENSTERN's v O.Y.A. G E ROUND THE WORLD.
bad got the boats ready, I steered parallel with the shore, at a
distance, at the farthest, of a mile, without being able to dis-
cover the harbour which Hergest calls Port Anna Maria.
The whole coast appears like an uninterrupted line of perpen-
dicular rocks, connected with a chain of mountains, stretching
quite inland. These craggy barren rocks have a gloomy appear-
ance, which is only enlivened by beautiful cascades, falling
near each other, from the rocks into the sea, from a height of
at least 1000 feet. On the top of one of these mountains we
distinguished a square stone building resembling a tower. It
was not very high, had no roof, and was surrounded with trees,
and I took it to be a morai or burial place; but as I never saw
any building of this class, similar to the one we visited in the
vale of Tayo Hoae, I think it not improbable that it was a
kind of fortification, although I could not upon a nearer in-
quiry obtain any farther information upon it. There were
several Indians upon the shore on the low rocks, drawn there,
perhaps, from curiosity; and many of them were busied in
fishing.
At eleven o'clock we perceived to the westward a canoe row-
ing off to us: it had an outrigger, and was paddled along by
eight Indians; and I was much struck by a white flag it had
hoisted, a token of peace that led me to expect some European
on board of it. My expectations were soon confirmed. There
was an Englishman in the boat, who at first had quite the
appearance of one of the islanders; his dress being entirely
in their fashion, consisting merely of a girdle round the waist.
He shewed me the certificates of two Americans, (to whom he
had been of assistance during their stay here, particularly by
FROM C A PE HORN TO N UK AIII W.A. 111
procuring them wood and water,) in which it was attested that
he had conducted himself well; and he offered me his service,
which I readily accepted, being glad to procure so good an
interpreter, by whose assistance I hoped to obtain some par-
ticular information upon this almost unknown island. In the
short stay I proposed making here, it would have been well
nigh impossible for us to acquire any positive knowledge of
the manners and customs of the inhabitants. Without an
acquaintance with their language, all our observations would
have been reduced to conjecture, generally proving incorrect.
This Englishman, whose name was Roberts, told us that he
had been seven years upon the island, and two years previously
in that of Santa Christina; that he had been put on shore on
the latter, out of an English merchant ship, the crew of which
had mutinied against their captain, and could not prevail upon
him to join their party; and in Nukahiwa he had lately mar-
ried a relation of the king's, by which he acquired great con-
sideration; so that it would be very easy for him to be of
assistance to us. At the same time he warned us against a
Frenchman who had deserted from an English merchant ship,”
and had likewise resided here for some years. This French-
man he described as his bitterest enemy, who omitted nothing
to blacken him in the eyes of the king and the islanders, and
had often, he added, made attempts against his life. Here,
too, the innate hatred between the French and English ap-
peared. Not content to disturb the peace of the whole civilized
world, even the inhabitants of the lately discovered islands of
this ocean must feel the influence of their odious rivalship
without so much as knowing the origin of it. How unfortunate
it is, that at such a distance, upon islands, the inhabitants of
| 13 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou N D ºr H E w or Lp.
which are as yet rough in their manners, and whose mode of
life is still horribly cruel, where alone the necessity of self-
preservation ought to have united two civilized men, though
half the globe had been interposed between their native
countries; that here, I say, two Europeans should hate, and
strive after each other's life During my stay at Nukahiwa I
made every possible exertion to reconcile them, and pointed
out the motives which ought to induce them both to live in
unity and peace. As they had been placed by fate among a
people, whom they themselves represented as false, cruel, and
faithless; by friendship and harmony alone could they avail
themselves of their superior knowledge to hold all the inha-
bitants at defiance; while, on the contrary, in the manner they
were now living, they could only expect from day to day to fall
a sacrifice to each other's hatred. They indeed promised me
to be reconciled, and even shook hands in my presence as a
proof of their reconciliation; but the Englishman told me in
the presence of the Frenchman, that he could not calculate
upon a real reconciliation, having frequently offered to live
in peace and friendship with his opponent, who would never
agree to it; and he added, with much emphasis, that it was
easier to float the rocks, to which he pointed, than to inspire
this Frenchman with friendly sentiments.
At noon we anchored in Port Anna Maria in 16 fathoms
water, over a bottom of fine sand and clay, about half a mile
from the northern, and a quarter of a mile from the eastern,
shore. The small island of Mutanoe, which forms the western
side of the entrance, bearing S. W. 30°, and Mattau, on the
east side, nearly south. The small stream from which we re-
ceived our water, bore N. W. 11”.
{ 113 )
CHAPTER VII.
STAY AT NU KAHIW A.
Barter with the Inhabitants—Total want of animal Provisions—Visit to the King—
Arrival of the Neva—Misunderstanding with the Inhabitants—They take to their
Arms—Second Wisit to the King—Amicable Arrangement—Pisit a Moray—Dis-
covery of a new Harbour, which is called Port Tschitschagoff—Description of the
Vale of Schegua—The Nadeshda and Neca sail from Port Anna Maria for the
Sandwich Islands.
We had scarcely let go our anchor, when the ship was sur-
rounded by several hundred of the inhabitants, who brought
cocoa-nuts, bread-fruit, and bananas for sale. The only things
we could give them in exchange were pieces of old iron hoops,
four or five inches long, with which I had supplied both ships
for this purpose while we lay at Cronstadt. Such a piece was
usually the price of five cocoa-nuts and three or four of the
bread-fruit; but though they seemed to set a very high value
on these, axes and hatchets were the chief objects of their
wishes. They shewed a childish joy on receiving even a small
piece of iron hoop, and usually evinced their satisfaction by a
loud laugh, displaying their newly acquired riches with an air
of triumph to their less fortunate companions, who swam round
the ship. This expression of pleasure was perhaps a proof of
the little opportunity which they have hitherto had of pro-
curing this valuable metal; and, indeed, we collected, from the
Q
i
114 KRUSENSTERN's voy AG E Ro UND THE W or LD.
account of Roberts, that only two small American merchant
ships had touched here in the space of seven years.
As I understood that very few hogs were to be had, I gave
out that these alone should be considered as payment for axes
and hatchets. In order to facilitate the purchase of provisions, I
forbade the crew, immediately upon my arrival, to barter for
any thing, but more particularly for curiosities, with the natives ;
intending, a few days before our departure, and as soon as we
should have procured a sufficient supply of provisions, to recal
the prohibition. I appointed Lieutenant Romberg and Dr.
Espenberg to manage the barter, and they alone were permitted
to purchase provisions, conceiving this to be the only means of
preserving order; but as I now found that no hogs were to be
procured, and that there never could be any scarcity of cocoa-
nuts, I removed the prohibition after a few days, and every one
was allowed to supply himself, according to his fancy, with the
curiosities of the island.
At four in the afternoon the king and his suite came on
board. His name was Tapega Kettenowee. He was a very
strong, well made man, with a thick and extremely fat neck,
from forty to forty-five years of age. His body was tatooed
with a dark colour approaching to black, so completely, that
it even extended to spots on his head from which the hair had
been cut away. He was in no wise to be distinguished from
the lowest of his subjects; being, with the exception of the
tschiabu,” entirely naked. I led him to my cabin, and gave
+- —w-r —r-—r
* Tschiabu is the girdle which the savages wear round their waist; in the Sand-
wich isles it is called maro.
STAY AT N UK A H IWA. * 115
him a knife and a piece of red cloth about twenty ells long,
which he immediately bound round his loins. To his suite, con-
sisting chiefly of his relations, I also made some presents, al-
though Roberts advised me not to be so generous, telling me
that not one of them, not even the king, would ever make me
any return for them. I did not fail to draw the king's attention
to the size of our ship and the number of our guns, assuring
him, at the same time, that I had no wish to employ them
against his subjects; but that he must recommend to them, in
the strongest terms, not to drive us to violent measures. At
this time I imagined that the king's authority here was equal
to that of the sovereigns of the Sandwich and Society islands;
but I was soon convinced of the contrary. When he returned
upon deck he was struck with the appearance of some small
Brazil parrots, at which he expressed his pleasure and astonish-
ment in no very moderate terms, sitting himself down, and con-
sidering them for some minutes. I conceived that I should
ensure his friendship by making him a present of one; and
Roberts, who blamed my liberality, appeared to have conveyed
my offer to him in improper terms, for the next day a hog
was brought to me in exchange for it.
At sunset all the men without exception went on shore; but
about 100 of the females still remained near the ship, round
which they had been swimming during five hours. In this
time they had made use of every art in their power to declare
the object of their visit, nor could they doubt that their wishes
were understood, since neither their pantomime nor their atti-
tudes could be mistaken. I would not allow the work on board
the ship to be neglected, and this was the reason why no par-
Q 2
116 K R Us ENSTERN's vo YAGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
ticular attention was paid to them ; and I had issued express
orders, that no person of either sex, with the exception of the
royal family, should be received on board without my permis-
sion. It scarcely began to grow dark when these poor creatures
begged in so pitiful a manner to be taken on board, that at last
I gave my consent. I had the less need for caution on this
head, as I had not a single venereal patient on board, and
Roberts assured me that this disease was hitherto unknown in
the island. I nevertheless set bounds to this favour, and, after
the second day, no females were admitted into the ship, during
all the time that we remained here, although every evening there
were seldom less than fifty swimming about the ship, who would
not go away until a few shots were fired over their heads.
I think myself not incorrect in stating, that this debasement
of the female sex is less occasioned by levity or ungovernable
passion in them, than by their duty to the unnatural and tyran-
nical orders of their husbands and fathers, who sent off their
wives and daughters to procure small pieces of iron and other
trifles, and in the morning were seen swimming out to meet
them and take possession of the treasures which they had ob-
tained. I have myself seen a man with a girl ten or twelve
years of age, probably his daughter, swimming round the ship
and making an offer of her. But what excited in me no less
astonishment in a physical sense, than horror in a moral point of
view, was a child not more than eight years of age, who shewed
as little moderation in granting her favours as her sisters of
eighteen or twenty. I considered this unfortunate object for
some time with a mixture of pity and disgust. In every re-
spect a perfect child, laughing and playing with the feelings
so natural to that state, she appeared not to have the least sense
of her melancholy situation.
STA Y AT N U KAHIW A. 117
At six the next morning the ship was again surrounded by
several hundred islanders with their cocoa-nuts, bananas, and
bread-fruit; and the whole royal family did not fail to come on
board by seven. I led them all into my cabin to make them
a present. A portrait in oil of my wife struck them particu-
larly, and they stood for a long time before it with every symp-
tom of pleasure and surprise, pointing out to each other the
curled hair, which they consider as a great beauty. A looking-
glass was no less an object of their astonishment. It was not
improbable that some of them had already seen such a thing,
yet they all looked behind the glass to discover the cause of
this wonderful appearance. A large mirror, in which they were
able to view their whole persons, must have been something
new to them ; and the king was so particularly delighted with
it, that, either from vanity or curiosity, upon every visit, he
immediately went into my cabin to this glass, standing before
it for whole hours to my great annoyance.
As I had determined to go on shore, as well to return the
king's visit, as to examine the water we were to take in here;
and did not chuse to have the ship filled with visitors during
my absence, I fired off some cannon, and hoisted a red flag,
when the ship was declared tahbu,” and all trade immediately
ceased. This had certainly the effect of preventing any per-
son from going on board ; but those who swam round the
ship seemed to go away but very slowly and with great reluc-
tance. At ten o'clock I went on shore, accompanied by the
* I conceive it unnecessary to explain the word tahbu, which is sufficiently known
by Captain Cook's voyages. In the next chapter the force of the tahbu upon this
island will be mentioned.
118 K R USENSTERN's v OYAGE. Rou ND THE world.
ambassador and most of the officers of the ship. Although,
from the friendly footing on which I stood with the king and
his relations, and the perfectly unsuspicious disposition of the
islanders, I had every reason to calculate upon an amicable
reception, I thought it prudent, and indeed necessary, on our
first visit, not to appear otherwise than well armed. I there-
fore took a boat with me besides my barge, of which all the
men as well as the officers were armed, the former with a brace
of pistols and a sabre, and six of them with fire-arms. The
Englishman and Frenchman conducted us as interpreters. A
vast concourse of people of both sexes were collected on the
beach where we were to land, which, owing to the heavy surf,
was not effected without difficulty. Although neither the king
nor any of his relations were among these people, they
conducted themselves with great decency and respect. After
I had examined the water and found it good, we directed
our course towards a house not far from the beach, where the
king was waiting to receive us. About five hundred paces
from this house, the king's uncle, who is at the same time his
step-father, and is here always called the king's father, came to
meet us. He was an old man of seventy-five years of age, yet
seemed to enjoy perfect health. His eye was very brilliant,
and the features of his countenance displayed the marks of an
intrepid and determined character. He was one of the greatest
warriors of his time, and was now suffering from a wound on his
eye, over which he wore a bandage. In his hand he held a
long staff, with which he endeavoured, but in vain, to keep
back the crowd that followed close upon us. He took me by
the hand, and led me to a long narrow building, in which the
king's mother, and all his relations of her sex, were seated in a
STAY AT NU R A HIW A. 119
row, and appeared to be expecting us; and we had scarcely en-
tered the precincts of this building, when the king likewise came
to meet us, and welcomed us with much familiarity and friend-
ship. The people here stood still, and separated in two bodies,
the king's dwelling being tahbu. I was forced to sit down in
the middle of the royal ladies, who all examined me with a
great deal of curiosity, holding my hand by turns clasped
within their's, and only dropping it to examine my clothes, the
embroidery of my uniform, my hat, &c. There appeared so
much frankness in all their countenances, that I was in the
highest degree prepossessed in their favour, and presented them
with some buttons, knives, scissars, and other trifles, which I
had brought with me ; but they did not appear to derive that
pleasure from them which I had expected, and they seemed
much more occupied with us than with our presents. The
king's daughter, a young woman of about twenty-four years of
age, and his daughter-in-law, who seemed a few years younger,
were both of a remarkably good appearance, which even in
Europe would not have been denied. They were wrapped in
a yellow stuff, and their heads unadorned, except by their
black hair, which was well smeared with cocoa-nut oil, and
was tied in a bunch at the top. Their bodies, which were not
entirely covered by the yellow stuff, were neither coloured nor
tatooed ; but half of the arm and hand was tatooed black
and yellow, which gave them the appearance of short gloves,
such as our ladies used formerly to wear.
After resting here, the king led us, accompanied by all his
relations, to another building about fifteen paces from the first,
12O K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE wo RLD.
and which is appropriated to their meals.” Mats were im-
mediately spread, upon which we seated ourselves, and our
hosts seemed all so rejoiced at having us with them, that they
knew not in what way to evince their satisfaction. One fetched
us cocoa-nuts, a second bananas, a third water, while several
of them sat down and fanned us. After staying about half an
hour, we took leave and returned to our boats. The king did
not accompany us; but his step-father did to the spot where he
had first met us. An incalculable number of people surrounded
us again, and many of them were very noisy, not however, as I
believe, with any bad intentions, though perhaps the six men
with their fire-arms, three of whom preceded and three followed
us, were the chief cause of their quiet behaviour. At noon we
again arrived on board, and I immediately sent off the long boat
with empty water-casks, which returned in about three hours.
The natives lent every possible assistance to our people; they
filled the casks, and swam with them back through the surf;
nor would it, without their help, have been possible for us to
have procured more than one boat load of water in a day; and
even then not without great exertions on the part of our men,
and the risk of endangering their health. With the assis-
tance of the natives we could with great facility send off the
boat three times in the day, while our people had only to at-
tend to and watch them, and during eight days, they only
succeeded in getting one iron hoop from a cask, and this con-
venient mode of obtaining water cost us each time no more
than a dozen pieces of broken iron hoop, about five inclies long.
* In the next chapter this house will be particularly described when I speak of their
places of abode.
STAY AT N UK A H I W A . 12 |
Notwithstanding all our exertions we could not succeed in
procuring hogs. In three days we had got but two, of which
one was a present made in return for a parrot, and the other
we received in exchange for a hatchet. We were therefore
obliged to live, as at Sea, upon the ship's provisions, and
cocoa-nuts being the only things that appeared to sweeten
the blood after so long a use of salt-meat, I purchased all
that were brought for sale, and delivered out as many of their
as our people chose to eat.
In the afternoon of the 10th May we received word from the
shore that a three-masted ship was visible from the hills, and as
I imagined that this ship must be the Neva, I immediately sent
a boat with an officer to bring her into the bay. But we were
too late, and the Neva remained at such a distance from the
land that the boat returned without being able to fulfil its com-
mission. The next morning I sent Lieutenant Golowatscheff
to meet the Neva, and about noon we had the pleasure to see
her enter the bay; but as it was calm, although I sent my bargº
to assist her, it was not until five in the afternoon that she came
to an anchor near us. Captain Lisianskoy informed me that he
had waited some days at Easter island in the hopes of finding
us there; that strong westerly winds had prevented him from
anchoring, but that he had sent a boat to Cook's bay to pro-
cure some bananas and potatoes from the natives. I had the
satisfaction to learn that all was well on board the Neva, and
that she had met with no accident since our separation.
On the 12th in the afternoon, just as I was going on board
to Captain Lisianskoy, I received the unpleasant intelligence
R
192 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
of the natives of Nukahiwa being in a state of confusion, and
that they had taken up arms, a report having been spread
among them that their king was arrested on board my ship.
The Neva's boat came along-side at the same moment, and the
officer reported that it was with great difficulty he had suc-
ceeded in getting away, nothing but the persuasions of Roberts
having prevented the natives from seizing him. Roberts in
the mean time was in great danger of falling a sacrifice to their
rage. This intelligence was to me the more inconceivable, as
I had but just quitted the ship, and the king had gone on shore
about half an hour before in one of our boats. He had passed
the whole morning with us, and I had never seen him in
better humour; for besides that he always received some pre-
sent when he visited us, he had been shaved and washed with
perfumed water, which seemed to make him infinitely hap-
py. I instantly returned on board to inquire whether any
one had insulted him ; but nothing of the kind appeared, and
I remained doubtful whether the king himself had not spread
the report, though this seemed almost impossible, as he could
have no cause of complaint. I now began to suspect that
the Frenchman, from some malicious reason, perhaps envy at
the Englishman's being preferred to him, had endeavoured to
create a dispute between us, expecting to derive some advan-
tage from it; and my suspicion seemed to be confirmed by
the inquiries I made into the subject. The case was this:
while I was at dinner, the officer of the watch informed me that
the king, who scarce an hour before had gone on shore, had
returned, accompanied by another person, with a hog, for which
he demanded a small parrot. In about ten minutes I went
upon deck, and found that the owner of the hog was already
STAY AT N U R A LI I W A. 12:3
gone, the parrot not having been immediately delivered to
him. This surprised me, and being very anxious to have the
hog, I requested the king would call back the impatient vender;
he appeared not to mind the king's orders, and paddled the
faster on shore. Immediately after, one of the king's atten-
dants leaped over board, and swam after the boat, to per-
suade the man, as the Frenchman assured me, to bring the hog
back; but this was not the case, for, as I afterwards learned,
he was gone on shore with the news of my having put the king
in irons. If this was not, as I believe, another invention of
the Frenchman's, it was his duty to have informed me of the
king's orders, which I might easily have foreseen would lead to
unpleasant consequences. I had considered the whole affair
as a trifle, which it really was ; had not taken it up at all seri-
ously; and still less did I appear to be angry, in which case
he might have feared some strong measures on my part. The
king remained on board another hour after this, and then went
on shore in one of the ship's boats apparently well pleased. In
the mean time the news had scarcely spread on shore of his
being in irons, when every body snatched up their arms, and it
was with difficulty that the Neva's boat had been able to get
back. The king's arrival, who assured his subjects that no injury
had been done to him, appeased them a little ; but he either sus-
pected himself that I was going to use violent measures against
him, or the Frenchman had inspired him with this fear, so that
I determined the next day to go and assure him that no vio-
lence was intended. A few days before this the king's brother
had asked me, why I did not put some one in irons, as an
American had done by one of the king's relations,” but I
*-
*Yºr * - *
* This American had been here about eight months before.
R. Q
124 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WO RLD.
answered that so long as they conducted themselves in a friendly
manner towards me, I certainly should do no one any injury,
and I trusted we should part good friends.
Captain Lisianskoy accompanied me, and we set off at eight
o'clock, having sent our long-boat at seven for water. We
landed, accompanied by twenty men under arms, and our own
party consisted of more than twenty persons all armed, while
the crews of the two long-boats, both of which were fitted
with a couple of one pounder swivel guns, consisted of eighteen
men under the command of two officers. We might therefore
have bid the whole island defiance, in case of any hostile
attempt against us, but nobody appeared on the beach at
our landing. Throughout the night we had seen fires in diffe-
rent places, and in the morning no one came on board with
cocoa-nuts as usual, from all which we concluded that the
public mind was not very quiet. We proceeded directly to
the king's house, which was situated in a valley about a mile off.
The way thither led through a copse of cocoa trees, bread-fruit,
and birch trees; the grass grew so luxuriantly that it reached
to our knees, and incommoded us very much as we walked;
at length we came to a foot-path, where were several marks
of an Otaheite custom, not very favourable to the cleanliness
of the Nukahiwa people. From thence a hollow way, filled
with rain-water up to our ankles, led us to a path, which was
kept with the greatest cleanliness. We here entered a romantic,
beautiful country, and found ourselves in a large forest, that
seemed to reach to the chain of mountains behind. The
greatest part of the trees in this forest were apparently about
seventy or eighty feet high, and chiefly cocoa and bread-fruit
STAY AT NU KAHIW A. 125
trees, as was easily to be distinguished by the fruit with which
they were all loaded. Several winding rivulets, that rushed
with considerable noise and rapidity from the mountains, and
whose beds of large broken rocks formed the most beautiful
cascades, crossed each other and watered the habitations of the
valley. In the vicinity of these habitations, a number of plan-
tations of taro-root and cloth-mulberry, laid out in great order,
and surrounded with a neat enclosure of white staves,” bore
the appearance of belonging to a people who had already car-
ried cultivation to a considerable extent; and these delightful
prospects assisted a great deal in removing the unpleasant
sensations we experienced upon reflecting, that we were amidst
the dwellings of cannibals, capable of the greatest crimes, and
who commit the most unnatural acts without hesitation, or,
indeed, without perceiving within them those calls of nature to
which even wild beasts are awake.
The king met us about one hundred paces from his dwelling,
whither, after a hearty welcome, he accompanied us. The
whole family was assembled there, and seemed very much re-"
joiced at our visit; indeed they had reason to be so, for they
received presents from every one of our party, and the queen
expressed particular satisfaction at a small looking-glass which
was given to her. I asked the king what had induced him to
spread a false report, which had well nigh destroyed the har-
mony that had hitherto existed between us, and might have
led to consequences not likely to have proved to his advantage.
* The tree from which these staves are cut, in the language of Nukahiwa, is called
fau; it is perfectly white and very light.
126 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
He assured me that he had never feared I should use him ill;
but that the Frenchman had told him, I should put him in
irons without fail unless the hog was brought on board; and
this he had believed : my suspicion therefore of the French-
man was verified. I made several handsome presents to the
king and his family, and endeavoured to convince him, that
unless I was very much provoked, I never would resort to vio-
lence against any one, and still less against him who was my
friend.
After resting, and refreshing ourselves with cocoa-milk, we
went, under the guidance of Roberts, to a morai or burial-
place ; but before we quitted the king's house, we were shewn
his grand-daughter, who, as well as all the children and grand-
children of the king's family, is looked upon as etua, a deity.
She had a house of her own, to which her mother, grand-
mother, and her nearest relations alone were allowed free admit-
tance; the house being to all others tahbu. The king's youngest
brother had this young goddess, a child about eight or ten
months old, in his arms: I inquired how long the mothers use
to suckle their children here, and was told that, with very few
exceptions, they never nurse their own children ; but as soon as
a child is born, the nearest relations, among whom a dispute
generally ensues which shall be its foster-mother, take the in-
fant from its mother and carry it home with them : the child
is not nourished with its mother's milk, but fed upon fruits and
raw fish ; and yet the men of Nukahiwa are of a colossal
Stature.
We set out on our way to the morai, passing by some mineral
STA Y AT N UK A HIW A. 127
springs, of which there are several here. The morai was situ-
ated on the top of a pretty high hill, which it cost us some
trouble to climb, as the sun was near its height; it was in a
thick wood, interwoven with bindweed, and seemed to be
nearly impassable: we saw a bier upon a stand, but of the body
upon it, nothing but the head was visible. In the outer circle
were some statues carved in wood, intended to represent the
human figure, and evidently the coarse work of some unskilful
artist; near to these statues were some pillars wrapt up in
cocoa-leaves and a white cotton stuff. We were curious to
learn what was the intention of them ; but could obtain
no answers to our inquiries, than that they were tahbu.—
Near the morai was the priest's house, whom however we did
not find there. Every family has its separate morai: the one
we visited belonged to the priests; and without Roberts, who
reckons himself one of this, as well as of the king's family, we
should perhaps not have seen any, for they are unwilling to
shew them. In general they lie a good way inland upon hills;
but this was an exception, not being far distant from the beach. .
After Dr. Tilesius had made a sketch of it, we set out on
our return to the boats: we could not however withstand the re-
quest of the friendly Roberts, to visit his house; nor did we regret
the little round we were obliged to make in order to get there. It
was built after the fashion of the island, was quite new, and stood
in the midst of a wood of cocoa trees. Upon one side flowed
a small stream, and upon the other, in the middle of a rock,
was a spring of mineral water. We all seated ourselves round
his house on the rocks which formed the banks of the rivulet,
and refreshed ourselves, in the shade of the lofty cocoa trees
198 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE W or L.D.
after our walk, which, owing to the extreme heat, had greatly
fatigued us. About twenty of the islanders were busied throw-
ing down cocoa-nuts from the trees, which others cleared of
the husks, and broke with great skilfulness. The kernel quieted
the hunger we began to feel, and we quenched our thirst
with the fine cold milk, which was extremely refreshing. Ro-
berts's wife, a pretty young woman of about eighteen years of
age, seemed in some measure to have departed from the custom
of her country, and, in our opinion, very much to her advan-
tage; for she had not rubbed her body over with cocoa-oil,
which, although it gives great lustre to the skin, produces a
very powerful smell.
About one o'clock we got back very well satisfied with our
excursion. The news of our visit to the king had, in all pro-
bability, spread itself immediately; for we found several per-
sons upon the beach as usual, and upon our arrival on board
the trade with the inhabitants had again resumed its vigour.
I had sent Lieutenant Löwenstern on the 11th May to
examine the coast of Nukahiwa to the west of the bay of
Tayo-Hoae; and in this excursion he had discovered a harbour
about five miles from the bay, of which he brought me so
favorable an account, that I determined to visit it, and went
there on the 15th accompanied by Captain Lisianskoy, Lieu-
tenant Löwenstern, Drs. Horner, Tilesius, and Langsdorff, and
some officers of the Neva, in two boats, carrying with us
several articles for trade and presents; as we hoped in this
new bay to meet with a supply of provisions. After row-
ing about an hour and a half, we arrived there at ten in the
ST A Y AT NU R A HIW A. 129
morning. At the entrance of the bay, the west side of which
was formed by lofty and perpendicular rocks of a very
wild but beautiful appearance, we found twenty fathoms water
over a bottom of fine sand and clay. As you advance, on the
east side there is another bay apparently strewed with rocks,
and quite exposed to the west, which occasions a very heavy
surf. After passing the western point of this rocky bay, you
open upon the finest bason that can be imagined: it lies in a north-
east and south-west direction, is about 200 fathoms deep and 100
wide: at the bottom of it is an even sandy beach, and be-
hind this a green flat resembling a most beautiful bowling-
green. Streams of clear water flowed in various places from
the mountains that rise beyond the beach and the green flat
behind it; and in a very picturesque and inhabited vale, lying
a good deal to the northward of the entrance, and by the natives
called Schegua, is a rivulet, which, considering the size of Nu-
kahiwa, cannot be deemed small, that empties itself into the
northern side of the bay. As this side is exposed to the wind,
the surf renders the landing here more difficult; yet I think that,
at high water a boat of inconsiderable burthen, would have no
difficulty in entering the rivulet: at all events, there can never
be any in procuring water here ; for you have only to anchor
your boats just outside the breakers, and the natives, as I have
already observed, will, for a few small pieces of iron, not only
fill your casks, but swim with them to you through the surf.
The bason is so completely land-locked, that the most violent
storm would scarcely have any effect upon the water, and a ship
in need of repairs could not wish for a finer harbour, for
such a purpose. Not quite fifty fathoms from the eastern shore,
S
130 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
the water is five fathoms deep, and at ten fathoms from the
beach, there is not more than ten or twelve feet depth ; a ship
might unload here with the utmost convenience, and even if she
did not want repairing, I should prefer this harbour to the bay in
which we anchored. Of cocoa-nuts, bananas, and breadfruit
there is here a superabundance; but the scarcity of animal
provisions is perhaps as great as in Tayo Hoae. The chief ad-
vantage which this bay possesses over the others is, that, as you
can anchor about a hundred fathoms from the land, the king's
house and all the habitations of the valley lie so completely under
the guns of the ship, as to render an attack on the part of the
natives quite impossible. This same reason makes it unnecessary
to send a covering party with any boat going on shore, as you
must do in Tayo Hoae, where the ship cannot anchor within
less than a mile and a half of the beach ; besides that in the
latter place, the shore being either swampy or covered with
large stones, renders it necessary to go inland in order to feel
the beneficial effects of a wholesome land air. It would be very
difficult, too, to find a commodious situation in the neigh-
bourhood for an hospital, and in case it were wished to erect the
observatory, it could only be done at the risk of having the
instruments destroyed, as the landing, on account of the heavy
surf, is extremely difficult; while in the new bay, on the contrary,
the observatory might be erected on the green flat close to the
beach, as well as an hospital, if it were desired; mor can any
walk be imagined more beautifiul than the one along the
rivulet in the vale of Schegua. There is likewise no danger of
any sudden attack, if such an event were meditated, in the
neighbourhood of the ship, as the path from Schegua to this
green flat, is either over rocks, which form the northern shore,
STA Y AT N UK A HIW A. - 131
or over several hills, exposing the assailants to be seen long
before they could reach the ship. The chief fault of this har-
bour is the narrow entrance to it from the sea which in one
part is only 120 fathoms wide, but though this small entrance
is of course attended with difficulties, it is by no means dange-
rous; for the depth being from 15 to 20 fathoms, it is very easy
to warp out if the wind be moderate; even from Tayo Hoae,
it is scarcely ever possible to get out without warping, as we
found by experience.
The natives had no particular name for this harbour, but they
call the vale in which the houses are situated, Schegua. I have
therefore named it Port Tschitschagoff in honor of the minister
of marine. It lies in latitude 8° 57. S. and longitude 139°
42' 15" W.
Much as I was pleased with the country near the houses of
the king of Tayo Hoae and of the Englishman Roberts, I
thought the vale of Schegua by far more beautiful. The rivulet
flowing at the foot of a chain of lofty mountains through the
valley, and which was rendered more beautiful by the abrupt
descent of its bed, added certainly very much to the ap-
pearance of this place. The inhabitants had built their houses
on the left bank of the stream, and they seemed to be more
comfortable than those of Tayo Hoae; the men also wore a
much better appearance. There were several larger plantations
of the taro root and cloth mulberry, and, what constituted their
chief wealth, a number of hogs, but of these they were
equally avaricious, and we could not purchase any. The king
s 2
| 32 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E ROUND THE won LD.
of the valley, whose name was Bauting, and whose gigantic
stature rendered him very conspicuous, was the only one who
brought a hog for sale; but he could not prevail on himself to
part with his treasure, and after having concluded his bargain
four times, and at last on very advantageous terms to himself, he
immediately repented of it and returned us our goods, though
he was highly pleased with them. Much as I was vexed at
his selfishness, or rather indecision, I did not quit him, how-
ever, without making him some presents. Our arrival seemed
to have given universal satisfaction ; every one smiled upon us,
and we did not remark any disorderly shouting or impertinent
curiosity, although we were the first Europeans who had ever
landed among them. They all brought bananas and bread-
fruit for sale, for which we gave them small pieces of old iron
hoop. The women of this valley were very different from
those of Tayo Hoae; they were invariably better dressed, and
two of them might really be reckoned very handsome ; none of
them were quite naked, but all were wrapt up in long shawls of
a yellow colour, and were particularly distinguished from their
neighbours by a piece of white stuff which they wore with
much taste as a turban, and which was very becoming to them.
They were all well rubbed over with cocoa oil, which, on ac-
count of the lustre it gives to the skin, they consider as a great
ornament: we did not remark this polish when they first came
to meet us in Port Tschitschagoff upon our landing, their
curiosity to see us having perhaps prevented them from adorning
themselves; but when after a few days we returned to Schegua
they received us with much greater splendour. Their hands
and arms and the lobes of their ears were all tatooed, they had
even upon their lips some tatooed streaks. They did not ap-
STA Y AT NU KAHIW A. 133
pear possessed of any more declicate notions of modesty
and female reserve than their neighbours of Tayo Hoae, and
took particular pains to become better acquainted with their
new guests; their pantomime being so supplicating and at the
same time so expressive, as to render it impossible to mistake
their meaning. The people who stood aróund approved in
the highest degree of their grimaces; they appeared to have
been called upon to play this part, and I must do them the
justice to say, that, in the spirit of the female sex in this quarter
of the globe, they played it remarkably well. As we passed
through the valley, we saw, about a hundred paces from the
king's house, a large even space, in front of which was a stone
construction about a foot high and near a hundred fathoms long,
displaying a degree of skill approaching to which we had seen
nothing in Tayo Hoae. The foundation-stones were laid
very even, and so closely united that no European workman
could have joined them better: Roberts told us that this plat-
form served the spectators as a seat at their great dances.
&
In the afternoon of the 4th we embarked, but the wind being
against us, we did not arrive on board until eight in the even-
ing. Drs. Tilesius and Langsdorff, who returned by land,
were not back until the next morning: they were so wearied
with their walk which led over very lofty and steep hills, as to
find themselves obliged to pass the night in a house about half
way, belonging to a friend of Roberts, who had acted as their
guide on this journey.
On the 16th May we had completed our supply of wood
and water, on the 17th at day break I unmoored, and at eight
134 KRUSENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
we weighed anchor. As the harbour is surrounded by lofty
hills which occasion an almost incessant shifting of the wind, it
is very difficult to sail out, and we found it necessary to warp,
notwithstanding the great distance and the extreme heat made
the task very laborious. At first the wind blew pretty steady
from the shore, and we had half crossed the bay, when it sud-
denly became so variable as to oblige us at every moment
to put the ship about. The current carried us more and
more to the westward, and compelled us to let go an anchor
about 120 fathoms from the western shore; close upon the beach
there were 20 fathoms of water, so that the great vicinity of the
coast was not dangerous. We immediately carried out a kedge
anchor, and began to warp into the middle of the bay, when
on a sudden a gust of wind sprang up, which was at first too
violent for our small anchor and forced us to let go another.
The Neva had also to struggle with this treacherous wind; and
perceiving the little success we had in attempting to sail out
of the bay, she let go her anchor likewise, though at a greater
distance from the land. We got out another warp anchor, and at
four in the afternoon were again in the middle of the bay; the
wind seemed disposed to be more favourable, and I ordered
all the sails to be cast loose, in the hopes of still being able to get
to sea this afternoon. But we were yet to be exposed to the
caprice of the wind, for it veered round in the same moment,
and for a third time obliged us to let go the anchor. The men
had been since four in the morning constantly at work, with a
heat of 23 degrees, and I therefore determined to pass the
night here to enable them to rest. About eight in the evening
the wind freshened, and continued so throughout the night;
at day-break the next morning we sailed out of the bay, the
STAY AT NU KAHIW A. 135
weather continuing as unfavorable as the day before. On a
sudden it came on to blow hard with violent rain; and as the
bad weather made me anxious to get clear of the land as soon
as possible, I was obliged to carry the Frenchman, Joseph Ca-
britt, who had come on board late the preceding evening, and
had kept out of sight, to sea with me. He appeared rather
to rejoice at, than to regret, this circumstance, and I firmly
believe he came on board with the intention of sailing with
us: Roberts was thus, without thinking of it, delivered from
his bitterest enemy.
But before I proceed with the history of our voyage, it will,
perhaps, not be superfluous to add such account of the situa-
tion of the Washington islands, and of the manners and
customs of the inhabitants, as, during our residence of ten days
upon the island of Nukahiwa, the largest of the group, we
were enabled to collect with the assistance of the two Europeans
whom we found there.
( 136 )
CHAPTER VIII.
GEO G R A PHIC A. L. D. ESC R. I PTION OF THE WASH IN GTO N
ISLAN ID S.
First Discovery of the IFashington Islands—Reasons why this Name should be pre-
served—Description of the Islands of Nukahiwa, Uapoa, Uahuga, Mottuaity,
IIiau, Fattuuhu—Little Advantage which Ships would derive from touching at the
IWashington or Mendoza Islands—Description of the Southern Coast of Nukahiwa,
and the Bay of Anna Maria—Directions for entering it—Weather and Climate—
Jſ inds and Tides—Astronomical and Nautical Observations in Port Anna Maria.
THE group of Washington islands was discovered in the year
1791, by Captain Ingraham, of the American merchant-ship
Hope, of Boston, in his voyage from the Mendoza islands to the
north-west coast of America. A few weeks afterwards they
were again seen by Marchand, in the French ship Le Solide,
whose voyage has been so admirably related by that learned
mariner Fleurieu. Marchand considered his as a new disco-
very, and landed upon one of the islands, which the officers of
his ship called Isle Marchand after him, taking possession of it
in the name of his government. He visited and determined
the situation of the other islands; gave names to all of them,
except to that of Uahuga, the easternmost one, which escaped
his notice; and he called the whole group Isles de la Révolu-
tion. In the course of the next year these islands were again
visited by two persons of different nations; Lieutenant Hergest
D ESC R, IPTION OF T H E W A S II ING TO N IS LA. N. D.S. 137
of the British navy and commander of the transport Daedalus,
who had been sent out with provisions and other necessaries
to enable the celebrated Vancouver to pursue his voyage. He
obtained sight of these islands in March 1792, surveyed them
with great accuracy, gave them names, discovered two bays on
the southern coast of Nukahiwa, and landed in one of them
which he distinguished as Port Anna Maria. Vancouver
called the whole group Hergest's islands, in remembrance of
his unfortunate friend,” whom he considered as the first disco-
verer. Some months after Hergest, an English merchant ship,
the Butterworth, commanded by Captain Brown, sailed through
these islands, but without giving them any new appellation,--a
favour conferred upon them four times in the space of two years.
He landed on the island of Uabuga, and cyamined its western
coast. The last discoverer of these islands was Josiah Roberts,
captain of the American ship Jefferson. Roberts had been
three months in Taowatte, from whence, in 1793, a native of
the island Uahuga conducted him to this spot; he is, perhaps,
the first who gave them the name of Washington islands, as
appears by Rochefaucault's Voyage in America, which contains
a short account of Roberts's discovery.j Ingraham had also
called Uahuga by the name of Washington island; it is
uncertain which of the two was the first to introduce the name.
* Hergest, as well as Gooch the astronomer, who was sent out to join Captain Van-
couver, was murdered in Woahoo, one of the Sandwich islands.
+ Voyage dans les Etats Unis par La Rochefaucault Liancour, tom. 3, p. 23. The names
of the islands are however very much distorted, Uabuga for example is called Omhava.
ſt Zach's Monthly Correspondence, vol. 1, p. 348. Extract of the Memoirs of the
Massachusetts Company, for the year 1795.
T
138 KR USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE won L.D.
At all events the honor of the discovery of these islands belongs
to the Americans; and whether Ingraham gave the name of
Washington to one, or Roberts to all of them, it is but just that
it should be preserved. Even Fleurieu rejects that of Isles
de la Révolution, which Marchand, their second discoverer,
assigned to them, without however adopting that of Wash-
ington; for he combines them with the group to the S. E. of
them, known by the title of the Marquis de Mendoza's islands.
It is without doubt a great advantage to geography to reduce as
much as possible the names upon charts, and to bring as many
islands as may be under one appellation ; but should not an
exception be made in favor of that of Washington, which
must prove an ornament to any chart? Is it not according to
the strictest justice, that the first discovery of the Americans
should be preserved in the annals of naval history by a name
peculiar to themselves 2 and is it allowed to strike out of the
charts, the immortal name of the founder and protector of a
great state, by which one of its grateful citizens had dedicated
a new group of islands to it ; merely to unite this group with
another that had been discovered and named 200 years before ?
I leave it however to the geographers, to admit or reject my
proposition, and in the mean time have preserved to these
islands the name of Washington upon our charts.
They lie to the N. W. of the Mendoza islands, and consist of
the following eight islands, stretching from the 9° 30' to the 7°
50 of S. latitude, and the 139° 5' 30" to the 140° 13' 00" of W.
longitude. As some charts omit the proper names altogether,
I shall mention them, with those assigned to each of them by
their different discoverers.
D Esc RIPTION OF T in E was III N GTO N IS LANDS. 130
1. Nukahiwa.”—This island is the chief of the group: its great-
est length from the south-east to the west point is about seven-
teen miles; but I cannot speak positively with regard to its cir-
cumference, as we did not examine the north side. Its direc-
tion from the south-east to the west extreme is E. N. E. and W.S.
W.; from the south point it runs in a northerly line, and pro-
bably then N. E., as from the south-east point it trends due N.
This, which Hergest called Cape Martin, is, by our observa-
tions, in latitude 8°57' and longitude 139° 32' 30". The south
extreme is 8° 58' 40" S. and 139° 44' 30" W. and the N. W.
point 8° 58' 30" S. and 139° 49' 00" W. Ingraham called this
Federal Island, Marchand Isle Beaux, Hergest Sir Henry Mar-
tin's Island, and Roberts gave it the name of Adams island.
2. Uahuga lies the most to the eastward of this group : the
west end by our observations lies in latitude 8° 58' 15" S. and
longitude 139° 18' 00" W. 87° S. E. of point Martin in the
island of Nukahiwa, from whence it is distant eighteen miles.
Its direction is E. N. E. and W. S. W. and its extreme length
nine miles. On its west side is a bay, but we did not examine it: *
Marchand was not aware of this island at all; Ingraham named
it Washington island, Hergest Rieu island, and by Roberts it was
called Massachusetts island.
3. Uapoa is the southernmost of the Washington islands. Its
−w Y
* During our stay upon the island of Nukahiwa, I took great pains not only to learn
the name of it correctly, but to ascertain, as nearly as possible, the particular properties
of their language, to enable me to write the names with accuracy. In no instance have
I met with the letter R, with which Wilson begins the names of several islands.
T 2
140 K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E R O UN D T H E wo RLD.
northern end bears directly S. of Port Anna Maria, distant about
twenty-four miles: and is by our observations in 8° 21' 30" S.
and 139°39'00" W. The officers of the Solide called this island
Isle Marchand, Ingraham named it Adams island, and Roberts
Jefferson island. As we did not sail round it we saw nothing
of the rock shaped like a sugar loaf, called by Marchand Le
Pic, and by Wilson six years later, the Church, and of which
Hergest in his description of the island * says that it resembles
a cathedral church in the Gothic taste ; neither could we see
the white rock that Marchand, on account of its shape, called
Obelisk, and which is probably the same that Wilson, in his
chart, has denominated Stack island.
4. At the distance of about a mile and a half to the S. E.
from the southern point of Uapoa, is a small flat island about
two miles in circumference, which Marchand called Isle Platte,
Ingraham Lincoln, Wilson Level, and Roberts Revolution
Island. I could not learn the proper name of this island, which,
according to Marchand's observation, lies in latitude 9°29' 30"
S. The strait between this and Uapoa must be safe, Roberts
having sailed through it.
5, 6. Mottuaity.—Two small uninhabited islands, lying E.
and W. of each other, and separated by a channel about a
mile wide. They lie N. W. by W. of the south extreme of Nu-
kahiwa, distant about thirty miles. The inhabitants of the
adjoining islands visit them on their fishing excursions; but
they never undertake this voyage but when driven to it by the
* Vancouver's Voyage, 2d vol. quarto edition,
DescripTION of T H E w As HINGTON ISLANDs. 141
greatest necessity; even this trifling navigation, owing to the
indifferent construction of their canoes, being attended with
considerable danger to them. The situation of these two islands,
which we did not perceive, is given differently by Marchand
and Hergest, though the latitude varies only a few minutes;
but as we found Hergest's longitude of Nukahiwa to agree with
ours, determined by a series of lunar observations, as mentioned
in the sixth chapter, I shall give the preference to his descrip-
tion of the Mottuaity islands, namely 8° 37' 30" S. and 140° 20'
00" W. Ingraham called them Franklin and Roberts Blake
island, probably at a distance mistaking the two islands for
one, nor, indeed, have the inhabitants of Nukahiwa but one
name for both of them.*
7, 8. Hiau, Fattuuhu. Two uninhabited islands, the first of
them eight miles long and two wide. The south point of Hiau
lies, by Hergest's and Gooch's observations, who landed upon
it and found a number of cocoa trees, in 7° 59' S. and 140° 13'
W. The middle of Fattuuhu, a much smaller island, and of a
similar form, is in 7°50'S. and 140° 06' W. They lie about sixty
miles N. N. W. of the west end of Nukahiwa ; and the inhabi-
tants of the neighbouring islands visit them for the sake of their
cocoa-nuts. Ingraham called these two islands Knox and
Hancock islands; Marchand named the first Masse, and the
other Chanal; Hergest called them Roberts's islands, and Ro-
berts gave to the first the name of Freemantle, and to the other
that of Langdon island.
* Roberts frequently asked me to land his enemy, Joseph Cabrit, the Frenchman,
upon one of these islands. g
dº
142 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
As the scarcity of animal provisions, which we felt even at
Nukahiwa, the largest and, from the account of the inhabitants,
most fruitful of the group of islands, is extreme, I feel it right
rather to warn the navigator against them, than to recommend
his touching either at the Mendoza or these islands, in his
passage across this great ocean ; the want of hogs being equally
great at the Mendozas. Cook, the first of modern navigators
who touched at these islands, obtained very few, in comparison
of what he required for his ship's company, and Marchand,
seventeen years later, still fewer in proportion. This impossi-
bility of procuring a sufficient quantity of hogs, does not pro-
ceed so much from a scarcity of these animals, (although they
are not in such plenty as the relation of different navigators
describes them to be in the Sandwich and Society islands,)
as from the unwillingness of the natives to part with them, on
account of their custom of giving feasts upon the death of their
chiefs, or priests, when hogs are considered as the most costly
as well as the most dainty food. I have already described
with what difficulty the king of Schegua prevailed on himself
to sell one of his hogs, and how, after having several times con-
cluded his bargain, he still would not part with this treasure,
although he possessed several, and we counted a considerable
number in the valley. Even of vegetable provisions the supply
is not very plentiful; for although a sufficient quantity of cocoa-
nuts for daily consumption may be procured, this is all, and there
are very few bananas and breadfruit, at least in Port Anna Ma-
ria; and in Port Tschitschagoff, though we procured more ba-
nanas, we could get no breadfruit. Ships, therefore, must not
expect, after a voyage round Cape Horn, which, if they sail
from a port in the Brazils, they have little chance of weather-
D ESC R. I PTION OF T H E W AS III N G TO N IS LAN D S. 143
ing in less than three months, to be able to refresh their crews
at these islands, sufficiently to prosecute their voyage either to
America or to Kamtschatka, as it is very doubtful whether they
can even supply them with provisions for their daily consump-
tion. Wood and water are the only two articles they may depend
upon procuring in sufficient quantity, and without the assistance
of the natives, who swim with the water casks through the heavy
surf, with a facility that surprises an European, while he is
quite unable to imitate it, even this task would be very ardu-
ous, and might also prove dangerous; for upon any sudden
disagreement the water party would be instantly cut off; and
such a disagreement may easily happen, any slight misunder-
standing giving rise to it, as we ourselves experienced. Ships
bound to Kamtschatka by the way of Cape Horn, would there-
fore do better to sail directly from the Brazils to the Society
islands, Bougainville's Isles des Navigateurs, or to the Friendly
islands, where they may supply themselves at least for six or eight
weeks with fresh provisions. The distance is likewise shorter,
and would afford an opportunity of exploring the hitherto
little known islands of these parts, such for example as the
group of Fidji, Babacos, Hapae Vavao, &c. and of discovering
others, that no doubt abound in this ocean. On the other hand,
ships destined for the north-west coast of America or the island
of Kodiak, would find it more advantageous to put into one
of the ports of Chili, where they will not only find an abundance
of provisions, but what is of the greatest importance to Kodiak
and the colonies on the coast of America, may be supplied
with Indian corn and wheat. The run from Chili to Kodiak is
not too great; those who deem it so, may touch at the Sandwich
islands, which do not lie much out of the way.
144 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
Although I have not spoken very favorably of the advan-
tages of these islands, so far as regards the supply of provisions
to be procured from them, I think it necessary to give a de-
scription of the bay of Tayo Hoae and the southern coast of
Nukahiwa, of which we were enabled to make an accurate sur-
vey. This coast consists of lofty rugged rocks, very steep
towards the sea, and from which the most beautiful cascades
of water are precipitated ; among them one at the southern-
most end of the island is particularly remarkable, nor would it
be easy to meet with any thing more beautiful. The bed of
this waterfall appeared to be several fathoms wide, and the
water was precipitated from a rock, the height of which might
be estimated at 2000 feet; this cascade, which was visited by Dr.
Tilesius and Dr. Langsdorff, forms the river that empties itself
into Port Tschitschagoff. The chain of rocks is connected with
the lofty and for the most part barren mountains that compose
the interior of the island, but to the north-westward of the south-
ern point, the coast is lower and flatter, and rises gradually
towards the centre; but we did not approach this side suffici-
ently near to distinguish any of the bays, that in my opinion
must be found there, although from Hergest's description the
west side is rocky and without a single one. The Englishman
Roberts often told us of a valley on that side of the island,
which he described as very populous and capable of raising
1200 warriors; but as he never was there himself, he could not
inform us whether in the vicinity of this valley, the name of
which is Hottyschewe, there is any harbour, where ships might
anchor with security : on the east side, near the north extreme,
is a bay, where the Neva first made acquaintance with the na-
tives of Nukahiwa.
pescript Ion of THE w Asil ING TON ISLANDs. 145
On the southern coast there are three harbours where ships
may lie in perfect safety: Home bay, which Hergest called
Comptrollers bay, Port Anna Maria, and Port Tschitsc.d.-
goff. Between Port Anna Maria and the latter, there are sc-
veral small bays or bights, that do not, however, afford an
anchorage, being too little defended from the wind, and full of
rocks. In the preceding chapter I have sufficiently described
Port Tschitschagoff, and we only sailed by Comptrollers bay
without examining it, I shall therefore confine myself here to a
description of Port Anna Maria.
As soon as you obtain sight of Nukahiwa, coming from the
eastward, you immediately perceive Port Martin : it has a very
striking appearance, and cannot possibly be mistaken for any
other inlet of this island. The land adjoining it forms the east
extreme of Comptrollers Bay; the point itself advances and
consists of steep craggy rocks, that seem to have experienced
some violent revolution; and a ship may approach within an
English mile of this headland, as well, indeed, as of the whole
southern coast, without danger, as there is a depth of from
thirty-five to fifty fathoms over a fine sandy bottom. Shortly
after, a black rock appears in sight about a quarter of a
mile from Port Martin, which you leave on your right hand,
when Comptrollers bay opens upon you lying north and south,
and a little more to the westward is another smaller one,
When Comptrollers bay is quite open, you steer parallel with
the coast, the direction of which is E. N. E. and W. S. W. for
five or six miles, until you perceive a small island called Mat-
U
146 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E R O UND THE won I.D.
tau,” not more than thirty fathoms from the last point of the
entrance. Upon opening this narrow passage you steer directly
to the island, and pass within about 100 or 150 fathoms of it,
when Port Anna Maria lies immediately before you. On the
west side of the entrance is another island of the same size as
Mattau, and like it separated from the main land by a chan-
mel about thirty fathoms wide, and only navigable for canoes.
This small island, called by the natives Mutonoe, f. may be
known by a rock that lies about ten or fifteen fathoms from it.
The islands of Mattau and Mutonoe form the entrance to Port
Anna Maria, and care is necessary, both in entering and going
Out, not to approach too near to the westward island, or indeed
to the westward shore, as an easterly wind, blowing even mode-
rately, and a pretty strong current, render it dangerous. If
there be a steady fresh breeze in the bay, the entrance is per-
fectly safe; and a vessel may near the coast on either side
within fifty fathoms, or even still closer to the eastern shore, nor
is there any thing whatever to render it in the least dangerous;
but with a moderate and unsteady wind, such as generally
prevails in the bay, owing to the lofty mountains that surround
it, no reliance must be placed on these unsettled breezes which
veer in one moment from east to west, now coming in violent
gusts, and immediately after falling perfectly calm. Under
these circumstances it is necessary to warp, which mode of get-
ting in and out of the harbour, notwithstanding it is so labo-
* The natives have given it this name because they catch fish near it: Mattau in
the language of Nukahiwa being a fishing line.
+ Mutomoe signifies a large island, and this name is given it in derision of its small
S p J ty
size.
D ESC RIPTION OF THE WASH IN G TO N H S L AND S. 147
rious, and on account of the burning heat so extremely fa-
tiguing, is the only one to be depended on. About three
quarters of a mile from the northern shore the bay stretches
itself in an east and west direction: you then approach to
about a quarter of a mile of a very prominent hill on the east
shore, where the least uncomfortable landing place will be
found, and bring up in about fifteen fathoms water, mooring
with your anchors in an east and west direction, and at the dis-
tance of about half a mile from a small rivulet on the northern
shore, where a supply of water may be procured. The east has
a decided advantage over the other side, the currents not having
the same effect upon the ship; and during our stay there of ten
days, our cables were not once fouled, while the Neva, which
lay on the west side, was obliged almost every day to clear her
anchors.
The climate of the Washington as well as of the Mendoza
islands, between which, owing to their vicinity, there cannot be
much difference, must be always very sultry. In Marchand's
voyage it is said, that at Port Madre de Dios in the island ôf
Santa Christina, the thermometer stood at 27° in June. Dur-
ing our stay at Port Anna Maria, the greatest height the ther-
mometer attained on board the ship was 25° degrees; but it
generally stood at 23° and 24°, and the heat on shore was in all
probability two degrees greater. Notwithstanding this the
climate appears to be very healthy, and the Europeans whom
we found here, assured us that it could not be more so: an as-
sertion thoroughly justified by the fresh appearance of the
natives.
148 K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E ROUND THE wo RLD.
The winter months, as is always the case between the tro-
pics, constitute the rainy season; but this is said not to con-
tinue long in these islands, ten months and more frequently
passing without a drop of rain. When this unfortunately
happens, a general famine ensues attended with the most
dreadful consequences, and inciting the inhabitants to acts of
a more horrible nature than any other people can afford an ex-
ample of. g
The reigning wind between these islands is the south-east
trade wind, which varies some degrees either to the east or
south; south west winds º are however felt here, and blow for
a pretty long continuance ; when the inhabitants of these
islands avail themselves of it to visit their neighbours to the
south-east. In Port Anna Maria the land and sea breeze
blew alternately every night and morning, but by no means
regularly, and always very faintly ; except now and then a
violent gust of wind proceeding from the mountains and cavities
between them.
I have already stated in the preceding chapter that no astro-
nomical instruments were carried on shore ; but from the ob-
servations which Dr. Horner made on the days of our entrance
into, and departure from port, he determined a new rate for
our watches.
On the 18th May, No. 128 was later than mean time at
Greenwich tºº - " - tº º gº = 7h. 51' 24."
Aſh.
* The islanders have proper names for each of these winds.
DES C R.I.PTION OF THE WASHINGTON ISLANDS. 149
Af
And lost daily - - - - = + 21' 3
No. 1856 was later than mean time at
Greenwich º- * ºn º º º = 10h. 15' 08"
And lost daily - - gº - = — 24' 50"
Pennington's small chronometer was found to be perfectly
useless as such, and Captain Lisianskoy gave me a box time-
keeper by the same maker. The daily rate of this watch,
which on the 18th May was later than mean time at Green-
wich by = 1f. 49' 09", was — 16' 40".
The latitude of the entrance of Port Anna Maria between
the islands of Mattau and Mutonoe is 8° 56' 32". S. The lati-
tude of the watering place on the north side of the bay 8°
54, 36" S.
The longitude of Port Anna Maria at the entrance, deduced
from 42 sets of lunar observations taken by Dr. Horner and
myself between the 29th April and 4th May, and from the 4th
to the 7th May at noon, by a mean of the chronometer No.
128, reduced to its new rate of going, is 139° 39'45" W.”
The longitude by No. 128 according to its rate at St. Cathe-
rine's is - e- tº - - - 140° 42' 30"
By 1856, according to its rate of going at St. Catherine's,
* This determination of the longitude of Port Anna Maria agrees within one mi-
nute of that found by Lieutenant Hergest and the astronomer Gooch, but is nearly
half a degree more to the eastward than Marchand states it to be.
150 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AG E Ro UND THE world.
which had increased two seconds at Cape Horn, it was found
to be tº tºº & gº wº - = 14.1° 29' 30"
The variation of the compass by a mean of the observations
made on the 7th and 18th May in the vicinity of the bay
was found to be = 4° 36' 30" E.
The heavy surf rendered any accurate observations on the
ebb and flood almost impossible, but it was ascertained that
they changed invariably every six hours, the flood setting from
the east. At full and new moon it is high water between four
and five o'clock; but although the height to which it rises
cannot be correctly stated, it does not exceed three feet.
( 151 )
CHAPTER IX.
IB ESC RIPT f C N OF THE IN IIA BITANTS OF N UK A HIW A.
Account of the Natives—Personal Beauty of the Men —Their strong Health—The
Women—Tatooing—Dress and Ornament of both Seres—Houses—Associations,
Tools and Household Furniture—Their Food and Cookery—Fishing—Canoes—
Cultivation—Employment of the Men and Women—Form of Government and
Administration of Justice—Family Relationship—Art of Iſar—Truce and cause
of it—Religion—Mourning Ceremonies—Tahbu—Charms—Roberts—Music–
Population—General Remarks upon the Inhabitants of this group of Islands.
Although of all the inhabitants of this vast ocean, I have
only seen those of the Sandwich and Washington islands, still
I think I may say, with some degree of certainty, that the lat-
ter are not exceeded by any of them in personal beauty; and
from the description in Cook's different voyages of the other
islands of this part of the globe, their inhabitants will be found
to bear no comparison with those of the latter group. Even the
accounts given by Cook and Foster, of those of the Mendoza
islands, leave no doubt of the fact; nor is their personal beauty,
as in all the other islands of this ocean, a distinction which
nature has giving to the erihs or nobles, but exists here almost
without an exception, perhaps, owing to the more equal divi-
sion of property. The hitherto but little enlightened Nuka-
hiwer does not acknowledge in the person of his king, a tyrant
to whom he must sacrifice his best power and abilities, without
daring to consider his own preservation, or that of his family.
The very small proportionate number of nobles, who consist
152 K R USENSTERN's Vo YAG E Rou N D TII E world.
only of the king's family, and the little authority which they
possess, leave him more liberty to work, while they ensure to
him a free possession of his land, so that, with very few restric-
tions, every one can have a share.
The Nukahiwers * are invariably of a large stature, and well
made; they are very muscular, with a long handsome neck; have
a great regularity of countenance, and an air of real goodness
which was not belied by their dealings with us; but when we
consider the cruelties of which these men are capable, the pre-
judice in their favour which the beauty of their person is very
likely to create, soon vanishes, and their countenance seems
to indicate nothing but apathy. An animated eye none
of them possess. By tatooing their bodies very much, and
rubbing them with a dark colour, they acquire a black ap-
pearance ; otherwise their natural colour is clear, at least that
of the boys and women who are not tatooed, was so ; nor do
they differ very much from the colour of Europeans, being only
rather more yellow. These islanders are besides remarkable
for having no deformed persons among them, none of us at
least saw any, and their bodies are besides very free from
biles and sores, owing to their great temperance ; for the cus-
tom of drinking kava, so common to all the islands of this
ocean, and the immoderate use of which is so prejudicial to the
health, as frequently to occasion a distortion of the body, is
* I can only speak of the inhabitants of this island whom I know : but the description
of the Nukahiwer will refer equally to the natives of all the group of Washington, as
well as Mendoza islands, anong whom there is a perfect resemblance in language, go-
zernment, manners and customs.
D Esc RIPTION OF THE INHABITANTS OF N UK A HIW A. 153
only known here to a few, and is never observed but with the
greatest temperance. The Nukahiwers are in the enviable
possession of the most constant health, and they have hitherto
been so fortunate as to escape the venereal disease: as they
are free from complaint, so they are ignorant of all medicine.
Their fear of the kaha, a species of charm supposed to produce
sickness, and of which I shall speak hereafter, increases per-
haps, by its influence on the imagination, any disposition to ill-
ness; but its remedy, the removal of the charm, sufficiently dis-
tinguishes it from common disease; and their whole medical
system consists in binding up wounds, in which the king is
said to be particularly skilful.
Among the very handsome people of this island, we observed
two in particular who excited the admiration of us all. The
one was a great warrior of Tayo Hoae, and, at the same time,
what, in the language of the country, is called Fire-lighter to
the king; * his name was Mau-ha-u, and he was perhaps one
of the handsomest men that ever existed : he was six feet two
inches high, and every part of his body perfectly beautiful.
The other was Bauting, king of the vale of Schegua, who, not-
withstanding his age, for he certainly was not less than fifty,
was still extremely handsome.
The women all looked well ; at least nothing could be
said against their countenances. A well proportioned head, a
face rather round than long, a large sparkling eye, blooming
" I shall hereafter have an opportunity of relating wherein the business of Fire-lighte
consists. ... i
X
154 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
colour, very good teeth, curled hair, which they ornamented
with a white band, in a manner very becoming to them all, and
the remarkably clear colour of their bodies, may perhaps entitle
them to a preference over the inhabitants of the Sandwich,
Society and Friendly islands;* yet an impartial eye might per-
ceive many faults in them, which the companions of Mendana
and Marchand either overlooked, or would not discover. Their
form, for instance, is any thing but beautiful ; their person
is generally short, and without carriage, and this is the
case even with girls of eighteen; their gait is likewise awk-
ward and unsteady, and their lower stomach particularly
large : their ideas of beauty must be very different from
ours, otherwise they would take more pains to conceal their
defects; a piece of stuff of middling size, wrapped care-
lessly round them, being the only covering, and that an in-
complete one, of their beauties as well as their imperfections.
Thomson's
“When unadorned adorned the most,”
cannot be well applied to the Nukahiwers. The expression of
mildness and feeling common among the females of Otaheite,
and even the countrywomen of Waini, i in whose looks it is
not to be mistaken, would be sought in vain here: instead of
*— --—
* In the vale of Schegua in particular, we saw several who looked remarkably well,
and adorned themselves with more taste than their neighbours of Tayo Hoae.
+ This was the name of a girl of the Sandwich islands, whom Mrs. Barclay, while
accompanying her husband on his voyage to the north-west coast of America, took with
her from Owaihi, with the intention of carrying her to Europe, but left her in China.
Captain Meares was to have conveyed her back to her own country, but she died on the
voyage. See the portrait of this beautiful girl in Meares's Voyage, page 27 of the original
edition.
D Esc RIPTION or THE INHABITANTS OF N UK A HIWA. 155
this, they are remarkable for a degree of lewdness, (for coquetry
would be much too mild an expression,) which utterly destroys
the charm of their few personal advantages with all but the
coarsest of mankind.
As soon as a Nukahiwer arrives at the age of puberty, his
whole body is tatooed ; an art carried to a much greater per-
fection in this island, than in any other; as they paint, in fact,
their bodies with different figures, rubbing a pleasing colour
into the skin, which is first scratched until it bleeds. Black is
the colour generally used for this purpose, which after some
time takes a bluish tinge. The king, his father, and the
high priest, were the only persons who were coloured quite
black, nor was any part of their bodies left unadorned ; the
face, eyelids and even a part of their heads, from which the
hair had been shaved, being tatooed. Neither in the Society
nor in the Friendly islands is this customary: in the latter the
king alone is not tatooed ; and it is only in New Zealand,
and the Sandwich islands, as Captain King relates, where the
face is tatooed. The New Zealander and Nukahiwer have a
similar mode of performing this operation : for instance, they
not only mark the body with single upright figures, or ani-
mals, as in the Sandwich islands; but represent upon it, in
the most perfect symmetry, connected ornaments in concentric
rings, and knots, which add greatly to the beauty of its appear-
ance. The women only tatoo their hands and arms, the ends
of their ears, and their lips. The lower classes are less tatooed,
and many of them not at all; and it is therefore not improba-
ble that this ornament serves to point out a noble, or, at any
rate, a distinguished personage. There are some among
X, 2
156 KRU SENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE world.
them, who have particularly acquired this art, one of whom
took up his residence on board the ship, where he found
sufficient employment, as almost all the sailors underwent the
operation.
The men are not circumcised, but some of them had the
foreskin cut straight down, which is said to be done with a sharp
knife ; and, like the inhabitants of St. Christina, they tie the
extremity with a knot. That this, as Fleurieu states, should
be done as a protection against vermin, or as a refinement
in sensuality, is not likely ; and the contradictory notions of
modesty, apparent among them, make it much more proba-
ble, that their whole sense of shame is founded on the wish to
conceal from the other sex what nature herself has covered.
At any rate, the modest beauties who swam round our ship,
expressed a great degree of horror, when the accidental wants
of one of the crew shocked their eyes with such a sight; and
Roberts confirmed this notion, adding, that the women of Nu-
kahiwa are quite obdurate with regard to those, who do not
observe this fashion.
The men always go naked, and in this respect even the king
was not different from the rest; for I do not consider as cloth-
ing, the small coarse piece of stuff, made of the bark of the
eloth-mulberry plant, which they wear round their loins. This
girdle, in the Friendly islands called maro, is known to the Nuka-
hiwers by two different names, according as it is made of coarse
or fine stuff. The first kind they call tschiabu, and the latter
eatu ; and even this girdle is not worn by all the Nukahiwers,
for the handsome Mau-ha-u, for instance, always affected to go
DescripTIon of THE INHABITANTS OF NU KAHIWA. 157
naked ; and, although on two occasions I presented him with
a girdle, he came on board the next time without it. Mats
are sometimes used among them, and the king's son-in-law,
though he indeed was the only person, always came to the
ship in one of a very coarse kind, and fastened under the
chin in such a manner as merely to cover the back. Neither
the nobility, nor even the king himself, have any state dress ; and
this is perhaps less owing to their republican disposition, than
to their poverty, Captain Cook having seen the king of the
island of Christina in a dress adapted to state purposes.
The people of Nukahiwa have no want of ornaments, nor do
these appear to be in any way the distinction of the upper
classes; for I never saw either the king, or any of his relations
wear them, except his son-in-law, who had a boar's tusk or
something similar to it in his beard. The ornaments are nearly
the same as those which Forster found among the inhabitants
of the Mendoza islands; boars’ teeth and red beans being the
chief articles here as well as there, and as he has given an .
exact description and drawing of most of them, I shall content
myself with merely a short mention of them. The head-dress
consists either of a large helmet of black cocks' feathers, or of a
kind of diadem or band of woven cocoa fibres, ornamented
with mother of pearl ; or else of a ring made of a soft wood,
from which a row of strings is suspended. Several wore broad
leaves stuck in their hair : they adorn their ears with large
white muscles of a circular form, filled with a hard substance
like sand, to which a perforated boar's tooth is affixed for the
purpose of fastening it to the ear; a small wooden peg that
passes through the tooth, serving as a clasp to prevent its
158 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
falling out. But their chief attention is paid to the orna-
ment for their necks; they have a kind of gorget, in the
shape of a crescent, made of the same soft wood, to which
Several rows of red beans are affixed ; and this ornament is the
particular mark of a priest. Another sort of gorget is made
entirely of boars' teeth fastened on to a band, woven with the
fibres of the cocoa nut; and they also wear single boars’ teeth,
either suspended round their neck, or to their beards, and balls
about the size of an apple, entirely studded over with red
beans. They usually shave off their beards except a little tuft
of hair upon the chin, and their head is also shorn except on
two spots, from which tufts of hair grow like horns. But this
is not the only manner of wearing the hair; many of them,
particularly the lower classes, not having it cut at all ; with
them it was woolly and coarse, but not quite so much so as with
the negroes of Africa.
The dress of the women consists of a girdle, drawn like that
of the men between their thighs, and of a piece of stuff, which,
as I have already mentioned, scarcely covers them, and hangs
down to the calf of the leg; sometimes when they swam off to
the ship, they threw away every thing, even to their tschiabu.
They anoint their body every day with the oil of cocoa, which
certainly gives it a great gloss, but is accompanied with a very
disagreeable smell. Whether this is intended as an ornament,
or to protect them from the rays of the sun, and from insects,
against which the men preserve themselves by tatooing, and a
yellow colour mixed with oil, rubbed over their bodies, I can-
not positively determine; but I believe that both these purpo-
ses are effected by it. I have never seen any of them with
D Escri PTIo N of THE INHABITANTS OF NU KAHIWA. 159
ornaments round their necks; but they all carry fans, shaped
either like a lozenge, or a half circle, platted very neatly with
grass, and coloured white with muscle-shells burnt to chalk;
their hair is black and well anointed with oil, and tied up in
a knot on the top of their heads.
The houses of Nukahiwa are generally long and narrow, built
of bamboos and the stem of a tree, in their language called
fau, interwoven with the leaves of the cocoa tree and fern :
the wall at the back part of the house is higher than in
front, and the roof, which is covered about half a foot thick
with dried leaves of the breadfruit tree, is always sloped. The
inside of the dwelling is divided into two parts, by a beam laid
along the ground from one end to the other; the front is
paved with stones, but the back part, on the contrary, is covered
with mats, upon which the whole family sleep, without any
distinction either of relationship or of sex : at one end is a
small partition where they keep their most valuable effects;
their calabashes, arms, clubs, drums, &c. are suspended from
the roof, or hung along the wall: the door is in the centre of the
house, about three feet high, and round this the whole family
usually sit. At a distance of from twenty to twenty-five fathoms
from the dwelling house, is another building of the same con-
struction as that just described, and only differing from it by
being about two feet higher; in front is a platform paved with
stones, about ten or twelve feet wide, and running the whole
length of the building. This serves them as a banqueting hall;
but only the king, his relations, the priests, and some distin-
guished warriors can afford such a building, which su pposes very
considerable property; for the possessor of one has a number
160 K R USENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE world.
of people constantly at his table, who form an association,
and whom, however great the scarcity of provisions may
be, he is always obliged to feed. The members of these clubs
are distinguished by different tatooed marks upon their bo-
dies; those of the king's club, consisting of twenty-six mem-
bers, have a square one on their breasts about six inches
long and four wide, and to this company Roberts belonged.
The companions of the Frenchman, Joseph Cabritt, were
marked with a tatooed eye, &c. Roberts assured me that he
never would have entered this association, had he not been
driven to it by extreme hunger: there was an apparent want
of consistency in this dislike, as the members of these com-
panies are not only relieved from all care as to their subsis-
tence, but, even by his own account, the admittance into
them is a distinction that many seek to obtain. I am therefore
inclined to believe, that it must be attended with the loss of
some part of their natural liberty; for it cannot be supposed
that a people so little virtuous in themselves, would exercise
such a degree of hospitality and love of their fellow crea-
tures, without any prospect of return. The king gave us
several examples of his want of liberality, or rather of his
greediness; nor did he, in any instance, afford a single proof
of his gratitude or benevolence.* A person of this character
* On every visit I made the king presents, certainly of no great value in themselves,
but of some importance to a Nukahiwer; yet he did not even once bring a cocoa nut
in return ; and when, upon the misunderstanding which, as I have related in the seventh
chapter, nearly led to a dispute, he came on board and brought me a pepper plant as a
proof of reconciliation; he secumed even to regret this present, and in about half an
hour afterwards asked me, in case I should make no use of it, to return it to him.
DES C R IPTION OF THE IN HABITANTS OF N U KAII IWA. 161
cannot be expected to feed constantly a number of men
without some remuneration ; and this, people possessing no
property can only make by a sacrifice of part of their natural
liberty and independence. This is the usual consequence of
all political relations; the path to despotism is of a gradual
ascent, and in a few years the king of Nukahiwa, who is now
only the richest citizen of the republic, and does not possess
the least power over the poorest inhabitant of the valley,
excepting his associates, will in all probability become as abso-
lute as the king of Owaihi. The female sex is never allowed
any share in the meals given at these clubs, and the house is
perfectly tahbu to them : yet this does not deprive them of
the privilege of eating with the men when they are at home;
neither are they forbidden to eat pork, although it is but seldom
that they get any ;* Roberts assuring me that he was the only
one who did not deny his wife this delicacy.
From ten to fifteen paces from their houses are several holes,
paved with stones and covered over with branches of trees and
leaves. In these they keep their provisions, consisting chiefly
of baked fish and of sour pudding, a kind of dough made
of the taro root and breadfruit. Their cookery is very sim-
ple; for except hogs, and these, the Englishman told us,
they dress in the Otaheite fashion, their chief dish is this
sour pudding, which is not disagreeable and may be com-
pared to an apple tart: besides these they eat yams, taro,
bananas, and breadfruit. They bake their food upon banana
* In almost all the islands of these seas, both the one and the other are forbidden to
the female sex.
Y
162 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
leaves that serve them as well for dishes. Their manner of
eating is highly disgusting; they snatch up the sour pudding
with their fingers, and carry it with great greediness to their
mouths; at least this was the way in which the king ate at his
meals, and some idea may be formed of the rest by him ; but I
must add in his justification, that he washed his hands as soon
as his meal was finished.
Their tools are extremely simple, and consist of a pointed
stone to bore holes with, and an axe made of a flat black stone.
This latter they never use but in the total absence of all Euro-
pean tools; for the smallest piece of iron that they received
from us, they instantly fastened to a handle, after sharpening
the edge of it. I have, however, seen a stone axe made use of
in the construction of a canoe. Their household utensils con-
sist of cocoa shells, hollowed pumpkins, or as they are generally
called calabashes, large covered dishes of a thin brown wood
in the shape of muscles, fishing rods and lines, and sharks' teeth
which they use as razors. The calabashes and cocoa shells are
mostly ornamented with the finger and arm bones of their ene-
mies, whom they have devoured.
Their arms consist of clubs, spears, and slings. The clubs
are about five feet long, of casuarina wood, beautifully polish-
ed, and very massy, not weighing less than ten pounds; and at
their extremity is a carved human head. The spears are of the
same wood, ten or twelve feet long, about an inch thick in the
middle and sharp at each end. Their slings are simply a woven
band, broad and flat in the middle to admit the stone.
DescriptroN of THE INHABITANTs of NUKAHIw A. 163
The Nukahiwer has a manner of fishing quite peculiar I be-
lieve to himself.” They first bruise between stomes a species of
root that grows among the rocks; the fisherman then dives and
strews the bottom with this mashed root, which stupifies the
fish to such a degree that they immediately rise to the surface
of the water, and are taken without any trouble: they likewise
catch fish in nets, but I believe this the least usual way, as in
all the bay of Tayo Hoae there were but eight canoes. The
third mode of taking fish is with a hook, made very neatly of
mother-of-pearl. The fishing line as well as all the string they
use, either in the fitting out of their canoes or for other purpo-
ses, is made of the bark of the fau tree; but they make another
kind of string very smooth and strong of the fibres of the cocoa-
nut. Fishing is, however, an occupation despised by those who
possess a piece of land of any extent: and only the poor class of
people, who maintain themselves in this manner, give them-
selves up to it. Although they knew that we would pay them
well for fish, they only brought us twice, seven or eight bonitos;
a proof that there are but few who employ themselves in this
way, and who have not land to cultivate-
The Nukahiwa canoes are invariably fitted with outriggers;
they are built of three different kinds of wood, on which their
goodness depends. Those of the breadfruit and mayo tree are of
less value than the others, constructed of a tree called by the
Natives, tamana; these are more durable, and swifter than
the former. They are all very strongly built, and sewed together
* At Surinam I have since seen a method which has some resemblance to it.
x 2
164: KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
with threads made of the fibres of the cocoa-nut; the largest we
saw was twenty-three feet long, two and a half wide, and two
and one third feet deep.
As the Nukahiwers know but few wants, cultivation has
made very little progress among them ; and less attention is
paid to it in this island, than, according to account, in any other
of this ocean. There are plantations of cloth-mulberry, taro
root, and the pepper plant; but, comparatively speaking,
very few, as not merely the want of taro, but the very simple
and poor clothing of the inhabitants sufficiently proved. The
breadfruit tree, the cocoa, and the banana plant, require no at-
tention, and give very little trouble in transplanting, nothing
more being necessary than to dig a hole and to set a branch in
it; in a month's time the plant is in full growth, and all farther
attention unnecessary. Agriculture employs the men very little ;
fishing they neglect, perhaps because it is attended with some
trouble as well as danger. The only work of consequence is
the construction of their houses and their arms, and even this
can occupy them but seldom. Thus their whole lives must be
spent in idleness, and, according to the Englishman's account,
they really pass the greatest part of the day lolling on mats
with their wives. The women have various employments;
they make twine for several purposes, and fans for them-
selves and their husbands; but their chief employment is
making cloth, of which there are two kinds: one coarse
and of a greyish colour, made of the fibres of a tree, is
used for tschiabus or girdles, and the poorer class dye it of a
yellow colour, and wear it for clothing. The second sort, of
which the women make their headdress and clokes, is very fine,
DESCRIPTION OF THE INHABITANTS OF N UK A HIWA. 165
and of a brilliant white, and is made of the cloth-mulberry
shrub. The fine stuffs are considerably smaller than the coarse,
and not so strong and close ; at any rate I never saw a single
piece that was not weak and full of holes.
I have already had occasion to mention that the form of go-
vernment is any thing rather than monarchical ; the king is not
to be distinguished either by his dress or by his ornaments from
the lowest of his subjects: they laugh at his orders, and should
he venture to strike any one, he would infallibly meet with a
like return. Perhaps in time of war he may be considered as
chief of the warriors, and may then possess some authority, but
from their manner of fighting, it can scarcely be supposed
that he alone is their leader. The strongest and most intrepid
probably directs, by his conduct, the actions of the rest, and I
conceive on that account the authority of the king, even in
such times, to be doubtful. I am convinced too that Kette-
nowee plays a much less brilliant part in the field of battle,
than his fire-maker Mau-ha-u. The chief adyantage possessed
by the king, and the only one that can be spoken of with any
degree of certainty, consists in his greater wealth, by which he
is enabled to provide for a larger number of persons.
As the king does not possess the least power, no kind of justice
can be executed here ; stealing not only is not held a crime,
but on the contrary is considered as a particular merit in those
who evince adroitness:* adultery is only a crime in the royal
—r,
* I must, however, do the Nukahiwers the justice to say, that on board the ship they
ſº
166 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
family; murder alone is not allowed to pass unnoticed ; not
by the king and the priests, but by the relations and friends of
the slain, who seek revenge and will have blood for blood.
From the information which I collected of their family con-
nections, they do not appear to be of the happiest nature. Al-
though the Nukahiwer has so far removed himself from the
brute creation, that the generality of the women are bound by
connubial vows, still this oath is very little observed by any of
them. It is probably an agreement to live together, arising
either from a mutual inclination or interest; and is afterwards
continued from habit, or from the original motive still remain-
ing in force; and notwithstanding the shortness of our stay
here, we found sufficient to convince us, that the virtuous ideas
of the duties and relations of a married state, avowed by some
of the people of this ocean, even to an extraordinary degree,
are entirely unknown in Nukahiwa :—in a word adultery is a
crime tolerated by them all.” The shocking consequences of
this brutal mode of life are in no cases so apparent, as in the
indifference with which, during a famine, a Nukahiwer will mur-
der his wife, to satiate his hunger with her flesh; and he but-
chers his child and devours it with the same voracity. But
perhaps the Nukahiwer would never have been capable of so
monstrous an act, if he had not well grounded reasons to doubt
seldom gave us an opportunity of admiring their skill in stealing; probably the constant
watch kept with a loaded musket, and of which they had a perfect idea, deterred them
from it. 3.
* The Frenchman, who during a residence of ten years was become a perfect Nuka-
hiwer, considered it as a great proof of the refinement of his new countrymen, that the
brother and sister did not sleep together.
D Esc RIPTION of THE INHABITANTS OF N UKAHI w A. 167
whether the child really were his own ; and I imagine that Ro-
berts was urged by vanity, in attempting to rescue the honor of
the royal family, to which he belonged, when he declared that
the king and all his relations had a right to kill their wives, if
ever they found them in the arms of another. If such a case
had really occurred, other causes have in all probability given
rise to so violent an example; since from his own account, the
ladies of the royal family set but very little value upon connu-
bial fidelity ; nor could we observe more moderation in them,
than in any others of the sex.
A very important member of the royal family is the firemaker :
his duty consists partly in being always near the king's person
to execute his orders; but the business wherein his master ge-
nerally employs him, is of a nature perfectly characteristic of
the monarch of Nukahiwa. On quitting his house for any time,
his firemaker does not accompany him, but must, in every sense,
represent his person with the queen, who finds in him a second
husband during the absence of the first. He is the guardian
of her virtue, and his reward the enjoyment of that which he
has to protect. The kings of Nukahiwa probably have a notion
that it is better to share with one, what would otherwise be di-
vided among several ; but perhaps the duty of firemaker is only
a royal luxury with him. The herculean Mau-ha-u filled this
post near the queen of Tayo Hoae; but he certainly did not
merit the confidence of his sovereign, for he appeared to be a
very bad guardian of the morals of his wife.
It may easily be imagined that a people who find pleasure
in eating human flesh, will frequently wage war with their
168 K R USENSTERN's voy A G E R O UN D T II E wo RLD.
neighbours to procure some of this delicacy, although there
should be no other sufficient reason for it; and in their art of
war, there is a perfect similarity between the character of these
savages, and of wild beasts. They seldom meet in large parties
in the field ; but their usual mode of warfare is, to be con-
stantly watching for, and secretly seeking to butcher their prey,
which they devour on the spot. He who evinces the greatest
skill in these arts, who can lie the longest on his belly perfectly
motionless, who can breathe the lowest, run the swiftest, and
spring with the greatest agility from one precipice to another,
acquires no less reputation among his comrades, than the brave
and powerful Mau-ha-u. In all these attainments the French-
man particularly excelled, and he has since frequently amused
us with a relation of his exploits, and of the numbers whom he
has slain, in this mode of warfare; entering into a particular
detail of all the circumstances. But he assured us, and even
Roberts his enemy did him the justice to acknowledge, that he
had never eaten human flesh, always exchanging his victims
for hogs.
It is with the natives of the neighbouring valleys, such as
Home, Schegua, Hottyschewa, that those of Tayo Hoae wage
a continued warfare, as well as with the inhabitants of another
valley far inland. The warriors of Home, whose number is
about 1000, have a name peculiar to themselves, Tai-pihs;
which signifies warriors of the great ocean ; with these tai-pihs
the people of Tayo Hoae do not carry on war by sea, but
merely by land. The reason is singular and deserves notice,
since it proves, that although the king is held in but little
consideration, very much respect is paid upon some occa-
sions, to the persons of the royal family; a circumstance per-
D ESC R IPTION OF T II E IN II A BIT A N T S OF N U R A HIW A. 169
haps arising from some ancient superstition. The son of Ket"
tenowee is married to the daughter of the king of the Tai-pihs ;
and as she joined her husband by water, the sea which divides
these two vallies is tahbu, that is to say, must not be contami-
nated by any blood. If the young prince should quarrel with
his wife, and she should return in consequence to her parents, the
war which can now only be waged by land, would again com-
mence by sea. But if she should die in this valley, an ever-
lasting peace would ensue, because the spirit of this royal per-
sonage, who is considered as etua, a deity, would hover over
these regions, and its rest must not be disturbed. A similar
fortunate union has set the inhabitants of Tayo Hoae at peace
with those of another valley in the interior, the king of which is
called Mau-day, (signifying head of the warriors,) and who is
said in times of war to be able to raise 1200 fighting men. He
married the daughter of Kettenowee, and as no naval war can
be carried on between them, they live in a state of perfect peace.
Mau-day was almost always in Tayo Hoae, and after Mau-ha-u
and Bauting was the handsomest man we saw ; he was likewise
one of our daily guests.
The wars with the Tai-pihs are continued by land, until one
of the two kings (and they have both a right to it) shall de-
mand a truce for the purpose of celebrating their dance-feast,
the Olympic games of these savages, and which according to
their customs must not be deferred too long. In order to cele-
brate this they agree upon a term, and all parties, friends as
well as enemies, assist in the preparations; and as a proof that
these coarse bloodthirsty men have no pleasure in a continued
state of warfare, but are glad to live occasionally in peace and
ry.
A.
170 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E wo RLD.
security, they frequently prolong the time necessary to prepare
for these feasts, which last only a few days. Six months had
elapsed since the last truce was proclaimed, and eight months
longer were to pass before the feast began ; although no other
preparations were required than to make a new place upon
which the dance is to be celebrated. After the termination of
the feast, they return home, and the war recommences in all
its vigour. From the moment a truce is announced, which is
done by planting a branch of a cocoa tree on the top of the
mountain, the war instantly terminates. But there is one excep-
tion when, not only in the time of their truce, but during that of
their feast, in a word whatever may be the footing on which
they are placed, neither the genius of peace, nor the spirit of
an etua is sufficient to deter them from proceeding to hostilities.
Whenever one of the high priests of the valley dies, three hu-
man bodies must be sacrificed to him. These are never chosen
from among the people to which the priest belonged, but must
be taken from some of the neighbours, and several canoes are
immediately dispatched to procure them. If these should fall in
with a canoe too weak to defend itself, having the proper num-
ber of victims on board, all hostilities again cease, and the sea
is tahbu as before ; but if they do not succeed by sea, they
}and, lurk among the rocks, where the islanders often come in
the morning to catch fish, and it is not long before they are ena-
bled to offer up a sacrifice, to conciliate the deity with the spirit
of the high priest. These are not devoured, but hung up on a tree
until the flesh falls off the bones. If this sacrifice is not obtained
the first day, the report of it spreads abroad, the rights of reta-
liation are asserted, and the war becomes general ; but these
hostilities are seldom of long duration, as the number of vic-
Descriptro N of THE INHABITANTS OF N UKA III W.A. 171
tims necessary to be sacrificed is but small. During our stay in
Tayo Hoae, a similar scene was hourly expected, the high priest
lying at the time dangerously ill, and very little hopes being
entertained of his recovery.
As there are priests among them it is natural to suppose a
religion; but in what can the religion of a Nukahiwer consist?
This much may indeed be inferred from their moral character,
that it has never tended to ameliorate them. In all probability
in serves only as a pretext for insuring a life of safety” to some
of them, who by their absurdities, often bordering upon the
most horrid crimes, find means to make the rest consider them
as a necessary and holy class of men. A confused motion of a
higher being, whom they call Etua, does indeed exist among
them, but of these there are several kinds ; the spirit of a priest,
of a king, or of any of his relations, being an etua. They like-
wise consider all Europeans as such ; for as their ideas do not
extend beyond their own horizon, they are firmly convinced
that their ships come from the clouds; and they imagine that
thunder is occasioned by the cannonading of vessels which
float in the atmosphere, on which account they entertain a
great dread of artillery.f
The only good which they have derived from their religion
* The person of a priest is tahbu.
+ The king's brother happened to be on board when a cannon was fired; he immedi-
ately cast himself on the deck, clung round the Englishman Roberts who stood near
him; the greatest dread was painted in his countenance, and he repeated several times
with a feeble voice, Matte, Matte,
z 2.
172 K R USENSTERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND T H E w or L.D.
is the tahbu, originating undoubtedly in some superstitious
notion ; for since nobody, not even the king, dares venture to
break the slightest tahbu, it is a proof that some strange feeling
inspires them with a reverence for this word. The priests only
can impose a general tahbu, but every individual has a right to
pronounce one upon his own property : this is done by declar-
ing, if his wish be to preserve a breadfruit, or a cocoa tree, a
house or a plantation, from robbery and destruction, that the
spirit of his father or of some king, or indeed of any other per-
son, reposes in this tree, or house, which then bears the name
of the person, and nobody ventures to attack it. If any one is
so irreligious as to break through a tahbu, and should be con-
victed of it, he is called kikino ; and the kikinos are always the
first to be devoured by the enemy, at least they believe it to be
so, nor is it impossible that the priests should so arrange mat-
ters as that this really happens. The persons of the royal
family and of the priests are tahbu, and the Englishman as-
sured me that he was so likewise ; and yet he often expressed
his fear of being taken in the next war and devoured. In all
probability he was at first considered like every other Euro-
pean, as etua, and only seven years acquaintance with him
had worn away the lustre of his divinity.
Roberts was able to give me but very little insight into the
religious opinions of his new countrymen, probably because
their ideas are but confused upon this head ; although per-
haps he had not troubled himself to obtain any knowledge
of them. The following he described as the usual funeral cere-
monies, in which the spirit of their origin cannot be mistaken,
After the corpse is washed, it is laid upon a platform, both being
DESCRIPTION OF THE IN HABITANTS OF N UK A H I WA. 173
covered over with a piece of entire new stuff, and the next day
the family of the deceased gives a grand feast, inviting their
best friends and relations. To these, at which the priests must
always be present, the women are on no account allowed ad-
mittance; they produce their whole stock of hogs, (seldom
eaten but upon these occasions,) of taro root, and of breadfruit,
and as soon as the guests are assembled, they cut off the hog's
head to propitiate the gods, and obtain for the deceased a safe
and peaceable passage through the lower regions. This gift,
which the priest takes possession of, is secretly devoured by
him, and he only leaves a small piece of it under a stone. The
friends or nearest relations of the deceased, must then watch for
some months over the corpse, and rub it constantly with cocoa
oil, to prevent putrefaction. By this continued application it
becomes hard as a stone, and quite incorruptible. Twelve
months after the first feast, a second equally extravagant meal
is given to thank the gods for having permitted the deceased
to arrive safe in the other world. After this the corpse is bro-
ken into pieces, and the bones are packed in a small box made
of the wood of the breadfruit tree, and carried to the morai or
burial place, where no woman is allowed to approach under
pain of death.
An universal belief in charms, which all these islanders con-
sider as very important, I conceive to have some connexion
with their religion; the priests alone according to their account
having the power of giving effect to them. There are some,
indeed, among the people who pretend to possess the secret,
probably with a view to make themselves feared, and obtain
presents. These charms, which they call kaha, tend to kill by
17+ KR USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE won LD.
slow and imperceptible means, any person against whom they
are incensed ; twenty days is the time allotted to this purpose.
and they proceed to work in the following manner: he who
wishes to revenge himself by witchcraft, endeavours to procure
either the saliva, urine, or excrements of his enemy, and after
mixing them with a powder, and putting them into a bag woven
in a particular manner, he buries them. The important part
of the secret consists in the manner of weaving the bag, and
preparing the powder. As soon as the charm is buried, the
effects of it begin to appear upon the person against whom it is
directed ; he becomes sick, and every day weaker, till at last
he loses his strength entirely, and dies upon the twentieth day.
But should he endeavour to avert the revenge of his enemy,
and purchase his life with a hog or any other valuable present,
he may be even saved on the nineteenth day; for provided the
bag be dug up, the effects of his disease are immediately stop-
ped, he recovers by degrees, and in a few days is perfectly
restored. In these charms of the priests, Roberts, who appeared
in other respects a sensible man, placed implicit confidence; the
same was the case with the Frenchman, who had taken infinite
pains to ascertain the secret, in order to get rid of the former,
which he had no hopes of doing by any other means; for Roberts
possessed a gun, a talisman of infinitely more avail than the
kaha. To ensure himself still more against his enemy, Roberts
requested both myself and Captain Lisianskoy, in the most
pressing terms, to let him have a brace of pistols, a gun, some
balls, powder and shot, and we were sorry to be under the ne-
cessity of refusing the request of a man, who had been so very
useful to us; but we assured him that a constant state of war-
fare, in which he would live until his stock of powder and ball
D Escrº IPTION of THE INHABITANTS OF N UK A HIWA. 175
were expended, would be the inevitable consequence of our
compliance; for the possession of powder and shot could not
be a secret upon the island, and the natives would infallibly
strive to get them from him, and in all probability he would
run a much greater risk of losing his life by having them, than
acquire safety by their possession. Our reasons appeared to
convince him, and as we parted good friends, we provided him
with several articles, likely to be of much more advantage to
him than the powder and ball.
Roberts, although he appeared to me to be an enthusiast,
and of no settled character, was a man of strong understanding,
and I really believe a good man. The worst that his bitter
enemy the Frenchman could say against him, was, that he
evinced no skill in stealing, and therefore was in constant dan-
ger of dying of hunger. He had, however, by degrees acquired
that esteem from the savages, which reason must obtain from
stupidity, and he had more influence over them, than any of
their most distinguished warriors. To the king he had become
particularly necessary, and I have no doubt that he would
effect more good than the missionary Crook, who remained for
some time upon this island, was able to perform ; for the latter
had no other idea than that of converting the Nukahiwers to
Christianity, without recollecting that it was first necessary to
make them men : for this purpose Roberts appears to me more
proper, as well on account of the example he afforded, and of
his activity, as the esteem which they universally bore him, than
either Crook or any other missionary whatever. He has built a
very neat house and possesses a piece of land, which he culti-
vates with care and diligence; and he never fails, where it can
176 I R USENSTERN's voy. A G E R OUND THE wo RLD.
be done, of introducing improvements before unknown to them.
From his own account he leads a happy independent life, and
is only troubled by the thoughts of being surrounded by canni-
bals, for which reason he is particularly fearful of the next war.
I offered to convey him to the Sandwich islands, from whence
he would easily find an opportunity of getting to China; but he
could not prevail on himself to quit his wife, who during our
stay there bore him a son, and it is probable he will end his days
in Nukahiwa.
From a people sunk into the depraved state in which the
Nukahiwers are, any great feeling for music can scarcely be
expected. But as there is no nation, however unpolished,
among whom some delight in harmony has not been observed,
that of Nukahiwa is not totally indifferent to it. Their music
answers to their character; and the real object of this art,
which is to raise soft sensations, cannot be obtained among
a people devoid of feeling, nor can those men have any taste
for the soft and delicate tones of a flute, who murder their wives
and children with the greatest indifference. Such instruments
alone can procure their approbation, and continue in use, as rouse
their passions, whenever nature attempts to assume a sway :
and for this purpose their drums, which are of an enormous size
and produce a dull hollow noise, seem particularly calculated.
Another sound which they produce by pressing one arm close
to their bodies, and striking forcibly with the other on the hol-
low part, so as to make a sharp and sudden noise, appears to
afford particular pleasure to the ear of the Nukahiwer. Their
singing and dancing are no less wild; their dancing consists in
hopping for a considerable time on the same spot, frequently
D Escr IPTION OF THE INHABITANTs of NU KAII IWA. 177
raising their hands in the air, and moving their fingers with
great velocity, while they beat time with their hands, in the
manner above described. Their singing is more like howling,
than any regular concordant sound ; yet they were satisfied
with it, and I much doubt whether any Nukahiwer would be
affected by the most beautiful music.
The information I have to give with regard to the population
of the island, is drawn certainly from a very arbitrary estima-
tion. But where no positive account can be adduced, any
thing even approaching the truth becomes of value. Tayo Hoae,
according to Roberts, can send 800 warriors against its enemies;
Home 1000; Schegua 500; Mauday has 1200 under his com-
mand ; Hotty-Schewa to the south-west of Tayo Hoae, and
another valley to the north-east, have each 1200. These num-
bers Roberts mentioned at random, having no positive informa-
tion on the subject, but believing, he said, that they were rather
below than above the mark. The warriors therefore amount to
5,900; and if I take three times that number for the women,
children and old people, which I think is not too little, consi-
dering that the marriages are very unproductive, and I neither
saw in Tayo Hoae, nor in Schegua any very old people, I
make the whole amount of the population to be 17,700, or in
round numbers 18,000. Roberts's calculation, however, of the
people of Tayo Hoae, appeared to me by one-third too
great ; for in this place, where he said there were 800 warriors,
and consequently 2,400 people, I never saw altogether more
than from 800 to 1000, of whom 3 or 400 were girls. The
greatest part of the inhabitants were undoubtedly assem-
bled on the beach, at the time of our landing; for as European
A A
178 KRU SENSTERN's VOYA C E ROUND THE wor LD.
ships rarely touch here, and the eagerness after iron is so very
great, it is natural to suppose, that excepting the mothers
with their children, of which we only saw the king's grand-
daughter, very few would abstain from coming there. Taking
Roberts's calculation as one-third too great, and reducing the
whole population in that proportion, there only remains 12,000;
a number undoubtedly very small for an island upwards of
sixty miles in circumference, particularly as the climate is
healthy, the use of kava very moderate, and the venereal poison
has not yet been introduced. On the other hand the constant
wars, human sacrifices and murders, which are committed as
soon as any want of provisions ensues; the shocking depravity
of the women, who give themselves up from the age of eight
or nine, and the little regard that is paid to connubial vows,
must all tend to diminish the population. Roberts assured me
that a woman seldom had more than two children, and very
often none at all ; on an average therefore, only one child can
be calculated for every married couple, which is scarcely a
fourth part of what is supposed in Europe.
I shall conclude this account of the manners and customs of
these islanders, with some general remarks upon their character;
and I must confess that had I not met with the Englishman
and Frenchman here, I should have quitted Nukahiwa with a
most favorable opinion of them. In their intercourse with us
they always shewed the best possible disposition, and in barter-
ing an extraordinary degree of honesty: always delivering their
cocoa-nuts before they received the piece of iron that was to be
paid for them. At all times they appeared ready to assist in
cutting wood and filling water; and the help they afforded us
DESCRIPTION OF THE INHABITANTS OF N U KAHI W.A. 179
in the performance of these laborious tasks was by no means
trifling. Theft, the crime so common to all the islanders of this
ocean, we very seldom met with among them ; they always ap-
peared cheerful and happy, and the greatest good humour was
depicted in their countenances. In a word, during the ten days
we spent with them, we were not once obliged to fire a loaded
musket at them. Their peaceable behaviour might indeed be
attributed to their fear of our firearms; but what right have we
to ascribe to any bad motive that conduct which demanded
our approbation, or to expect such motives among a nation
hitherto but little acquainted with Europeans, and, therefore,
according to the doctrines of some philosophers, still perfectly
untainted P
That in spite of the prejudices I had formed in Europe in
favor of these islanders, I should not have preserved that good
opinion of the Nukahiwers, which, from appearances, I had
been led to entertain, during the first days of my stay among
them ; but on the contrary, should have represented them in
the most unfavorable light, will certainly appear just, on a due
and impartial judgment of the following account.
The two Europeans whom we found here, and who had both
resided with them for several years, agreed in their assertions,
that the natives of Nukahiwa were a cruel intractable people,
and, without even the exception of the female sex, very much
addicted to cannibalism; that the appearance of content and
good humour, with which they had so much deceived us, was
not their true character; and that nothing but the fear of punish-
ment, and the hopes of reward, deterred them from giving a
A A 2
18O KRU SENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE won L.D.
loose to their savage passions. These Europeans described, as
eye-witnesses, the barbarous scenes that are acted, particularly
in times of war; the desperate rage with which they fall
upon their victims; immediately tear off their head, and sip
their blood out of the skull,” with the most disgusting greedi-
ness, completing in this manner their horrible repast.
For a long time I would not give credit to these accounts,
considering them as exaggerated ; but they rest upon the autho-
rity of two different persons, who had not only been witnesses
for several years to these atrocities, but had also borne a share in
them ; of two persons who lived in a state of mortal enmity,
and took particular pains by their mutual recriminations to ob-
tain with us credit for themselves, but yet on this point never
contradicted each other. The very fact of Roberts doing his
enemy the justice to allow, that he never devoured his prey, but
always exchanged it for hogs, gives the circumstance a great
degree of probability; and these reports concur with several
appearances we remarked during our stay here; skulls being
brought us every day for sale. Their weapons are invariably
adorned with human hair, and human bones are used as or-
naments in almost all their household furniture:-circumstances
which leave, unfortunately, no doubt of the inhabitants of
Nukahiwa being cannibals. They devour their enemies taken
in battle, in common with the New Zealander, the people of
the Sandwich islands, in short, with all the islanders of the
south sea; but the following trait, which is horribly disgusting,
* All the skulls which we purchased of them, had a hole perforated through one
end of them for this purpose.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INHABITANTS OF N UK A III W.A. 181
and yet, from the relation of the two Europeans, is placed beyond
a doubt, distinguishes the natives of these islands from all other
cannibals, and is perhaps a singular example among the nume-
rous tribes of savages who inhabit the many islands on the
north-west coast of this great Ocean.
In times of famine the men butcher their wives and children,
and their aged parents; they bake and stew their flesh, and
devour it with the greatest satisfaction. Even the tender look-
ing female, whose eyes beam nothing but beauty, will join, if
permitted, in this horrid repast. Can such people then be de-
fended ? Can any one join with George Forster in asserting
that the islanders of the south sea are a good natured, mild,
and uncontaminated people P Fear alone prevents their mur-
dering and devouring every stranger who arrives. As a proof
of this, I need only relate, that some years ago an American
merchant-ship put into Port Anna Maria, and the captain,
who was a Quaker, suffered his people to go on shore unarmed;
but the natives no sooner perceived their defenceless condition,
than they assembled in order to attack and drag them into the
mountains. Roberts succeeded, with the greatest difficulty,
and with the assistance of the king, to whom he represented
the treachery of their conduct, and the consequences it would
infallibly bring upon the whole island, in rescuing them out of
the hands of these cannibals. Nor did we ourselves want a
proof of their being denied every feeling of justice and good-
ness; for although, during our stay, no one had ever shewn them
the least illwill, but, on the contrary, every possible kindness,
in order to inspire them with benevolence, if not with gratitude,
our conduct seemed to have quite a different effect upon them.
182 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND THE w ORLD.
A report had spread that one of our ships had struck, oc-
casioned by our being obliged, while in the act of sailing
out, to bring up close to the shore as I have related in the
seventh chapter. In less than two hours a number of the
islanders had assembled on the beach close to the ship, all
armed with clubs, axes, and spears. What then could be their
intention but to plunder and murder us? The Frenchman too,
who came on board at that moment, acquainted us with the
hostile intentions of the inhabitants, and of the whole valley's
being in an uproar. -
From this description of the Nukahiwer, which perhaps may
appear exaggerated, but really is not so, it is pretty evident that
they have neither social institutions, religion, nor humane feel-
ings in any degree whatever, in a word, that no traces of good
qualities are to be found among them ; that they undoubtedly
belong to the very worst of mankind, and at any rate that no
one can quarrel with me for calling them savages.* Notwith-
standing the favourable account in Captain Cook's voyages of
the Friendly, the Society, and, the Sandwich islands, and the
enthusiasm with which Forster undertakes their defence against
all those who should make use of any harsh expression with
regard to them ; I cannot refrain from declaring the inhabitants
of all the islands of this ocean to be savages, not only accord-
* Fleurieu gives the following definition of a savage : Voyage de Marchand, tom. v.,
page 44t, edit. en 8vo. ‘J’appelle sauvages les peuples qui ne reconnoissent aucun
gouvernement, aucune institution sociale, et satisfaits de pourvoir aux premiers besoins
de la nature, peuvent étre considérés comme le terme intermediaire entre la brute et
l'homme; on doit cependant classer au-dessous de la brute l’homme qui mange son
semblable.”
D Escº IPTION or THE INHABITANTs of N U R A H Iw A. 183
ing to Fleurieu's definition, but as ranking generally, per-
haps with a very trifling exception, with those men who are
still one degree below the brute creation. In a word, they are
all cannibals: we need only recollect the islanders who have
already been proved to belong to this class:–for instance the
New Zealander, the cruel inhabitant of the Fidji, the Navi-
gateur, the Mendoza, Washington, the Solomon, and Sand-
wich islands, the islands of Louisiade and New Caledonia. The
good name which the inhabitants of the Friendly islands had
acquired has suffered very much by the affair of Captain Bligh
and the visit of Dentrecasteaux, and it may now be maintain-
ed, with some degree of certainty, that they have in this re-
spect the same taste as their neighbours in the Fidji islands
and the Isles des Navigateurs.
Hitherto the natives of the Society islands alone, among all
those who are pretty well known, have not fallen into sus-
picion. They are in every respect the mildest, the most un-
contaminated and humane of all the inhabitants of this vast
ocean. They, in fact, excited the great enthusiasm in favour
of these children of nature ; but even there the mother mur-
ders her newly-born infant with a horrid indifference, that she
may abandon hersclf the more easily to a disorderly life; and
the numerous companies of Arreoyes, defended by Forster with
so much eloquence, do they not consist of men guilty of the
greatest debauchery, and who may all be called parricides 2
The passage to cannibalism is very easy: and perhaps nothing
but the extraordinary fruitfulness of their islands has hitherto
preserved them from sinking below the brute.*
* The elder Forster thinks that even the inhabitants of the Society islands were
once cannibals,
184 KRU SENSTER N’S v O YAGE. Rou ND THE wor L.D.
However much it is to the honour of Cook and his compa-
nions that they endeavour to shield the islanders whom they
visited, and who did not fall into suspicion, against the charge
of being cannibals, later voyages have proved how easily ap-
pearances may lead to an erroneous opinion. I will merely
adduce the following example, and undoubtedly every future
voyage and farther acquaintance with these children of nature
will afford many similar ones. Cook met with the kindest
reception from the natives of new Caledonia, and he not
only exempts them from the suspicion of being cannibals, but
has spoken in the highest terms of them. He praises them
indeed so highly as to prefer them to all the other inhabitants
of this ocean, and represents them as much milder than the
people of the Friendly islands. Forster gives an equally fa-
vourable account of them ; while on the other hand Dentre-
casteaux found among them the most indisputable proofs of
cannibalism ; and woe to the navigator whose ship is lost upon
this dangerous coast ! Perhaps it was among these barbarians
that the unfortunate La Perouse found his grave, after first de-
ploring the loss of his companions suffering by a similar fate.
( 185 )
CHAPTER X.
DE PARTURE FROM THE WASHINGTON I SLANDS.–A R RIVAL
of T H E N ADESHDA IN KAMTsch ATKA.
The Nadeshda and Neva sail from the Sandwich Islands—Fruitless Search for the
Island Owiha Polto—Arrival off the Coast of Owaihi—Remarkable Error in the
Chronometers of both Ships—Total want of Provisions—Mowna Roa—Description
of the Inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands—The Nadeshda separates from the
Neva and sails for Kamtschatka—Erperiments on the Temperature of the Sea—
Fruit/ess Endeavours to find the Land discovered by the Spaniards to the East of
Japan—Arrival off the Coast of Kamtschatka—Situation of Shipunskoy Noss—
The Nadeshda enters the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul.
On the 18th May we set sail, in very bad weather, from the
bay of Tayo Hoae. Upon this occasion we lost a kedge anchor
and cable; for, while we were warping out of the bay, a violent
gust of wind arose and obliged us to cut our cable and
make sail in order not to be driven on the rocks at the west
point of the entrance, from which we were scarcely a cable's
length. About nine the clouds broke and the weather cleared
up ; but the wind still blew strong at E. S. E., and we now
caught sight of the Neva, who had succeeded in getting to sea
the preceding evening. After hoisting in the boats, and stow-
ing away the anchors, I again pointed the ship's head to the
northward, as we had still some angles to measure, and the bad
weather during the morning had prevented us from finishing
our draught of the headlands. At noon we had an observa-
tion in 8° 59' 46"; the north-west point of Nukahiwa bearing at
B B
186 K R USENSTE R N's voy. A G E Rou ND T II E W O R. L. D.
the time nearly N. This, the longitude of which we found
to be 139° 49' 00" W. I made my point of departure.
I now steered W. S. W. with a strong easterly wind, to ascer-
tain the existence of the land seen by Marchand to the north-
Ward on his passage from these islands, and which Fleurieu
believes to have been the Ohiwa Potto of the Otaheitean
Tupaya, who accompanied Cook upon his first voyage. The
night was clear; but I determined to lie-to in order to leave no
doubt with respect to this supposed island, and did so about
nine o'clock, after having run about one degree to the west-
Ward of our point of departure. About half past five in the
morning we steered, under all sail, W. by S. and at noon W.,
till I conceived it useless to hold a W. S. W. course any longer;
for if Marchand had really seen any land in this direction, we
must have discovered it before sunset. After running to the
Westward until near six o'clock in the evening, without ob-
serving any symptoms of land, I gave up all farther search in that
direction ; nor would it have been prudent to have continued
it any longer, as the strong westerly current in this part of the
ocean, renders the passage from the Washington to the Sandwich
islands very difficult, as was experienced by Lieutenant Hergest
on board the Daedalus: and it was this current which obliged
Vancouver, in his passage from Otaheite to Owaihi, to stand so
much to the eastward, in order to fetch the latter island. About
six I altered my course N. N. W.; we were at that time in
latitude 9. 23" S., and longitude 142° 27', consequently 2° 48'
to the westward of Nukahiwa. During the first night we held
this course, I kept under very easy sail; because in this vicinity
we might have fallen in with land, a piece of good fortune wo
D E PART U R E FROM THE WASHINGTON IS LANDS. 187
did not however experience. During the first days we had a
strong wind at E. and E. S. E. with violent squalls, that split
some of our sails; the current, as I expected, setting constantly
to the westward. Vancouver observed that it sometimes set to
the northward; and I was not a little surprised to find it flow two
days following to the south, and on the 21st and 22d of this
month, between the fourth and sixth degree of latitude, forty-
nine miles in the direction of S. W. 65°. This induced me to
steer another point to the N., and even N. by W.; the southerly
current in the mean time disappeared, and until our arrival at
the Sandwich islands it was constantly N. W.
On the 22d May we were in latitude 3° 27' S. and longitude
145°OO W. The southern dip of the needle was on this day
13°, and the variation 5° 18' E.” On the 24th during a calm,
I)r. Horner lowered Six's thermometer a hundred fathoms. At
this depth the temperature was 124°, and on the surface 224°
which was also that of the air. Hales's machine, on the con-
trary, stood at the same depth at 19°, although it was twenty
minutes under water; a proof that the water in it had become
considerably warmer during the operation of hoisting it on
board.
At the time when these experiments were made we were 56
S. of the equator, and in longitude 146° 16'; the variation of
the needle was 4° 34' E. and its southern dip 8° 30'. Although,
>}{: r - w ſº º X7 - - - - * *.. sº - º w
This evening we caught a grey bird, about the size of a pigeon: for some time
it continued fluttering around the ship, and at length settled on the rigging, and was
taken by one of the men.
B B 2
} SS I, R USEN SP E R N’s voy A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
during the last two days, the wind had been very moderate and
even calm, we found the air much pleasanter; and, compared
with the hot weather we had experienced for several weeks, and
particularly during the night, it might really be considered
cool: the thermometer, however, stood only 1,” lower than
during the first days of our departure from Nukahiwa.
On Friday the 25th May, about three o'clock in the after-
noon, we crossed the equator in longitude 146° 31', according
to the watches, but by the ship's reckoning in 144° 56'. In
seven days therefore our longitude by the log had varied from
the real longitude about 1° 35'. Nearly at the moment of the
ship's crossing the equator, which we were able to determine
with sufficient correctness, our latitude, by observation at noon,
being only 4. S., the southern dip was found to be 6° 15'; but
as our dipping needle was not remarkably good, no great de-
pendence can be placed on this calculation. On the next day
in latitude 1° 12 N.” and longitude 146° 46, it was 5° 30', and
the variation of the needle, some hours later, 5° 18' E.
Hitherto we had scarcely seen any birds, but on the 27th
May, in latitude 2° 10', and longitude 146° 50', we saw a flight
of tropic birds, and others of a smaller kind: among them
there was a larger bird, whose plumage was entirely black,
which, according to the report of our wild Frenchman, are in
great plenty in the neighbourhood of Nukabiwa and the rest of
that group of islands, and are there said never to fly far from land.
* From this time our latitude will always be N. until our departure for Europe
from China.
DE PARTURE FROM THE w ASHINGTON ISLANDS. 189
This proof of the vicinity of land, and a large green bough
seen by some of our people, raised a hope that we might,
even during the night, fall in with some unknown islands;
but though the moon shone very bright our wishes were not
gratified.
On the 30th May, Johann Neuland, our cook, whose illness
I have already mentioned, died. I hoped to have been able to
keep him alive until we reached Kamtschatka; but the ex-
treme heat of the weather, while we lay at Nukahiwa, hastened
his death. He was a native of Courland, about thirty-five years
old, and a man of very good character.
We had frequent calms until we reached the cighth degree
of latitude, with very variable winds, and on one day it blew
for sixteen hours from the W. The weather was hazy with
heavy rain, which at least afforded us the advantage of being
able to fill all our empty casks. In the eighth degree the wind
yeered to N. E. and E. N. E., the true trade wind, and held
in that direction until we came off the Sandwich islands. *
Hitherto our lunar observations had given the same longitude,
within a few minutes, as our time-pieces; but on the 3d June
we found a difference in our observations of 10, and the next
day of 25, by which the watches were too much E. Although
the observations taken by Dr. Horner, Captain Lisianskoy and
myself agreed pretty nearly with one another, we were never-
theless inclined to attribute this sudden and unaccountable
change rather to our distances, than to the time-pieces, but in
this we were wrong ; for upon our arrival at Owaihi, No. 12S
was 33' 30", and No. 1856 1 1 00" too much to the eastward,
190 K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE wo R L.D.
The wind continued fresh from N. E. and N. E. by E. and
a heavy swell from the N. E. occasioned a very unpleasant
motion to the ship, which now, for the first time, appeared to
have sprung a leak ; so large a one, indeed, that we were fre-
quently obliged to work at the pump two and three times a
day. It was not, however, dangerous, and was owing to the
ship being considerably lighter than when we left Europe, and
consequently much higher out of the water. The oakum with
which the seams were caulked on the waterstreak was become
quite rotten ; and the water forced a passage in on the least
motion of the ship. This evil could not be remedied until our
arrival at Kamtschatka, and I only lamented that the extreme
heat should render the operation of pumping so very fatiguing
to our people.
At six o'clock on Thursday morning, the 7th June, I con-
ceived myself to be only a very short distance from the east
end of Owaihi, and therefore altered my course from N. N. W.
to N. W. by W. At half past eight we saw land, and imme-
diately perceived it to be Owaihi, distant about thirty-six
miles, bearing N. W.; yet we could not distinguish Mowna
Roa. At noon we were in lat. 19° 10'. The east point of
Owaihi, in lat. 19° 34', bore nearly due N. As this point
has been very correctly laid down according to the observations
of Captain Cook, and is admitted as the true longitude by his
disciple and follower Vancouver, we had a very favourable
opportunity of ascertaining the error of our watches.
The longitude of the east point was
13; No. 128 . . . . . 154° 22' 30" W.
1856 . . . . . . 15.4° 45' 00" W.
DEPARTURE FROM THE WASHINGTON IS LANDS. 191
Pennington's . . . . . 154° 20' 30" W.
Captain Cook . . . . . 154° 56' 00" W.
The observations taken by Captains Cook and Vancouver
leave no doubt with regard to the true longitude, and our lunar
observations on the 4th and on the 11th June, the day after we
quitted Owaihi, perfectly confirmed them. The first made
the error of No. 128 to be 39, and the latter 35 too much to
the east. We could now only correct the longitude of our
watches by this new discovered difference; and assume a new
rate for them in the best manner we are able at Sea. It is very
remarkable that the error in all the six watches on board both
the ships, and four of which were by Arnold, should in this
short run have happened on the same side. The cooler tem-
perature of the air could hardly have produced this alteration
in their rate, as the difference since we sailed was not two de-
grees and a half. The longitude by the ship's reckoning was
150° 54, and in the space of twenty-one days the current had
* O f
carried us 4° 2' to the westward, on an average, about eleven
miles a day.
The almost total want of animal stock on the island of Nuka-
hiwa, where we had been able to procure only seven hogs of
about 70 or 80 lbs. weight, for both ships, made it my duty to
proceed to the Sandwich islands, where I reckoned with some
degree of certainty, upon procuring a plentiful supply of pro-
visions. My people were all healthy : but in a long voyage
like this, during which, except the first weeks after our depar-
ture from Brazil, they had had no other provisions than salt
meat, I naturally expected from day to day to see some symp-
192 Klt US ENSTERN's v Oy A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
toms of scurvy break out among them, in spite of all my pre-
cautions. As we should be obliged to remain at least a month
in Kamtschatka, it was necessary to hasten our voyage thither,
in order to arrive at Nangasaky before the end of the month
of September, as a change in the monsoon very frequently
takes place off the coast of Japan about the middle of that
month. But I had the health of my people to preserve, which
with me was above all other consideration ; and I now aban-
doned my proposed plan of holding a new course from the
Washington islands to Kamtschatka, in the hopes of making
some new discovery ; and determined, in order to lose as little
time as possible, not to come to an anchor anywhere, but
merely to bring-to for a couple of days off the coast of Owaihi,
from whence, according to the account of all navigators:
who have touched at this island, the natives will come out fif-
teen or eighteen miles to sea, to barter their provisions against
European goods. For this reason we first stood in for the S. E.
coast of Owaihi, hoping, by sailing quite round the island, to
obtain a greater supply. It will soon appear how cruelly we
were deceived in our calculations.
After standing-in to about six miles from the shore, I put
the ship about, and steered along the coast under nothing but
our topsails, heaving-to as soon as we saw any canoes put off
to us. Their cargoes, however, did not in the least answer my
expectations. Some potatoes, half a dozen cocoa nuts, and a
small sucking pig, were all that I was able to procure out of six
canoes; and these we did not obtain without difficulty, and at
a very high price, as the venders would take nothing but cloth
in payment, and I had not a yard on board to dispose of
D E PART U R E FROM THE WASH IN G TO N IS LANDS. 193
Stuffs, of the manufacture of the island, they had in abundance
for sale; but as my wish was to procure provisions, I forbad any
one from buying them. An old man brought us quite a young
girl, probably his daughter, whom I conceived, perhaps incor-
rectly, from her awkward behaviour, and, at least, apparent
modesty, to be still innocent; but he had the mortification
which he so richly deserved, of offering his goods in vain.
The weather was unsteady, and accompanied by rain and
some gusts of wind, and no more canoes putting off from the
shore, I stood away from the island, steering S. S. E. with a
fresh easterly wind. The scarcity of provisions experienced
here surprised me, as the part of Owaihi where we touched
seemed to be uncommonly well cultivated. The island had a
beautiful appearance; in this respect none of the Washing-
ton islands is at all to be compared with it. The whole
shore was covered with cocoa trees; and the number of houses
and plantations, and of canoes that we distinguished very
plainly upon the beach, seemed to indicate a great population.
From the east end where the land is flat, it rises gradually to
the foot of the mountain Mowna Roa, which, according to Dr.
Horner's admeasurement, was 2254 toises high, consequently
350 toises more than the Pik of Teneriffe. It is in its form
the most extraordinary mountain in the world ; and may be
reckoned among the highest: it is properly called a Table
Mountain; for the summit, which at this time of the year is
quite free from snow, forms a perfect flat, saving an almost
imperceptible height on the east side. Upon the first day of
Qur arrival it was only clear for a few moments of the clouds
that enveloped it during the greatest part of the day; but in
C C
194 KRUSENSTERN's voy AG E Ro UND THE wor LD.
the course of the next two days we had frequent opportunities
of admiring this astonishing mass, whose summit occupies
a space of 18,000 feet. We had not once a perfect view of
the whole mountain ; nor can this happen but very seldom ;
for when the upper part of it was free from mist, the center
was surrounded by clouds that appeared never to separate,
and seemed to be suspended from the majestic summit which
rose above them. In the morning, when the air is still clear
and free from mist, you have the best view of this mountain.
From what we were able to judge by the few natives who
came on board, they are not of the handsomest, compared with
the people of Nukahiwa. They are shorter and ill-proportion-
ed, their colour is much darker, and their bodies are scarcely
tatooed at all. Among those who came off to us there was
hardly one whose skin was not scarred, either in consequence
of the venereal disease or of the use of the kava ; though
among the lower or poorer classes, these marks could not arise
from the latter cause. Decided as the advantage appeared to
be in favour of the Nukahiwer in a physical point of view, the
native of Owaihi seemed equally superior to his more southern
neighbour in mental acquirements. A constant intercourse
with Europeans, particularly Englishmen, of whom there are
several in the island, may have contributed not a little to pro-
duce this effect. Cheerfulness, activity, and a lively quick eye,
we perceived more or less in all whom we had on this day any
occasion to treat with. The construction of their canoes was
decidedly superior to that of the people of Nukahiwa, and they
manage them with a skill in which the latter, to whom the sea
does not at all appear a natural element, are very far behind
DEPARTURE FROM THE w AS II ING TON ISLANDS. 195
them. From the specimens given in Captain Cook's voyages, of
several words of the language spoken in these two groups of
islands, it should seem that the natives ought perfectly to com-
prehend each other, as many of the words bear the closest af-
finity; our wild Frenchman, however, could not make himself
understood, nor interpret the least thing for us: a few English
words, which these islanders pronounced with tolerable correct-
ness, assisted us greatly in our intercourse with them, and enabled
us in some degree to understand them. The difference in the
pronunciation of the people of Owaihi may perhaps be the rea-
son of their not comprehending the Frenchman. On the whole,
he formed so ill an opinion of the inhabitants of these islands,
that he repented of his determination to remain here, and
begged I would suffer him to continue on board. Although I
had great reason to feel offended at, and even to resent his
conduct to us at Nukahiwa, I acceded to his request; easily
foreseeing that he would play a still more pitiful part here,
than he had done in the former island.
At day-break the next morning, I steered for the southern
point of Owaihi, where, by Cook's account, there is a large
village, from which a great quantity of provisions were brought
to him ; and I hoped at this place, as well as along the whole
coast, to be able to procure an abundant supply, with tole-
rable facility. At about eleven we weathered this point, which
is rendered conspicuous by a low broken rock, and by being
surrounded with a reef about a hundred fathoms from the
shore, over which the sea broke with great violence. By Cook's
observations this point is in latitude 18° 53, and longitude
155° 45'. At noon it bore S. E. 78° distant, at the most, about
C C 9
196 KRU's ENSTERN's VO YAG E ROUND THE wo RLD.
three miles. Dr. Horner and Lieutenant Löwenstern took an
observation of the latitude, and found it 18°54'45" N. agreeing
very nearly with that of Captain Cook. With regard to the
longitude, we found the error of our watches to be one minute
less than it was the day before. As soon as we perceived the
above mentioned village we lay-by, and, as the wind was fresh,
at a distance of not more than two miles from the shore. After
waiting two hours three canoes came off to us: in the first was
a large hog that certainly did not weigh less than a hundred
pounds, and occasioned us no small satisfaction. I already
destined it for a Sunday dinner for my crew, and my mortifica-
tion was therefore the greater, at not being able to purchase
even this, the only one which was brought on board. I offered
them every thing I had to dispose of; the best hatchets, knives
and scissars, whole pieces of stuff, and a complete suit of clothes
were refused ; the possessor demanding a large cloth mantle ca-
pable of covering him from head to foot, and with which we had
not the means of supplying him. From one of the other canoes
I purchased a small sucking pig, the only article in the way of
provisions, that I procured from these three canoes. A very
immodest dressed up girl, who spoke a little English, experi-
enced the same fate, as the one who had been brought to us
the day before. This day's barter, which turned out much worse
than I could have calculated upon, convinced me that no pro-
visions were to be procured without cloth, an article which they
demanded for the least thing, even in Karakakua ; and perhaps
there less importunately than in this place, as luxury must natu-
rally be carried to a higher pitch at the residence of the well
known Tamahama, the king of Owaihi. What an astonishing
change must have taken place in the circumstances of the
pe PARTURE FRom THE was HINGTON ISLANDs. 197
natives of this island, in the short space of ten or twelve years!
Tianna,” whom Meares in 1789 carried with him to China,
never inquired during his stay at Canton, the price of any
wares otherwise than by asking, How much iron do you give for
this P So greatly was he impressed, even after a year's inter-
course with Europeans, with the value of iron. At present the
natives of Owaihi appeared almost to despise this metal, and
they scarcely deigned to look upon even the most necessary
tools. Nothing would satisfy them that did not flatter their
vanity.
As we perceived no other boats putting off to us, I steered
under very easy sail along the south-west side of the island
until six o'clock, and then south, in order to keep away from
the land during the night. Although I had but very little
hopes of procuring provisions, I resolved not to give over my
endeavours until 1 had tried upon the west coast, and in the
vicinity of Karakakua. About one o'clock, therefore, the next
morning, I put the ship about to the northward, and towards
half past four Mowna Roa bore N. N. E. and the south point
of Owaihi N. E. by E. A thick mist however covered the
whole and prevented our seeing the rest of the island, the
distance of which was certainly not ten miles. About eight
the wind veered to the northward, and was so moderate that
even had it been fair, we should have had but little prospect
of fetching Karakakua. This unfortunate circumstance, and
the uncertainty whether we should even there succeed according
to our wishes, made me determine upon losing no more time,
* A chief of the island Atuai.
108 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G F. Rou ND T H E W O R. L.D.
and on quitting the coast immediately for Kamtschatka, where
we should arrive without fail about the middle of July. How-
ever, before I made known this determination, I directed Dr.
Espenberg carefully to examine the whole crew, and he did not
find the least symptom of scurvy upon any one of them. Had
he perceived any marks of this complaint, I should infallibly
have gone to Karakakua, even if it had occasioned us the loss
of a week, a space of time which in our actual circumstances
was of the greatest importance to us; for I had bound myself,
upon changing the plan of our voyage, to get to Nangasaky
this same year; and after the north-east monsoon should set in,
I conceived I could not do this without difficulty. I acquainted
my officers with my resolution to quit Owaihi, and my motive
for so doing. Although they had all rejoiced at the prospect
of our stay at Karakakua, and were naturally anxious to obtain
fresh provisions, no other kind having come to our table dur-
ing three months, than what were cooked for the ship's com-
pany ; they appeared to be all perfectly satisfied with my
determination. Captain Lisianskoy, whose time was not of
equal consequence to him, resolved, on the other hand, to run
into Karakakua bay for a few days, and then continue his
voyage to Kodiac.
About six in the evening the southernmost point of Owaihi
bore N. E. 87°: the east side of Mowna Roa N. E. 52°. These
I made my point of departure, which by Vancouver's chart was
latitude 18° 58' and longitude 156° 20'. About half past seven
we parted from the Neva, with a fresh east wind that had
sprung up after some hours calm ; I steered south-west, as it was
my intention to sail in the parallel of 17° to the 180th degree
DEPARTURE FROM THE WASHINGTON ISLANDS. 199
of longitude, which I was induced to do for two reasons:
first, because in the parallels of 16 and 17 the trade winds
are fresher than in the 20th or 21st degree ; and secondly, be-
cause this course would lie nearly in the middle between that
pursued by Captain Clerke in 1779, and the course steered by
all merchant ships in their passage from the Sandwich islands
to China;* and this gave us a chance of making some new
discovery.
On the 11th June at noon, we were in 17° 59' 40" N. and
158°00' 30" W. By observation we found that the current had
carried us, since eight o'clock the preceding evening, fifteen
miles to the north, and eight to the westward. The two follow-
ing days, it continued to impel us at the same rate, and in the
same direction ; until we reached the latitude of 16° 50', and
longitude of 166° 16, when it ran to the north-east. Two sets
of lunar observations on the 11th, reduced to noon, gave for
our longitude 157° 58': by No. 128 it was 158°00'. Dr. Hor-
ner's observations agreed very nearly with mine, a fresh proof
that the longitude of the different points of Owaihi is very
correctly determined, and consequently that the new rate
assigned to our watches was right. But as some trifling diffe-
rence had taken place between them, we altered it a little,
assigning again to No. 128 the rate of its going at St. Ca-
therine's, namely – 24"; to No. 1856 half a second more =
+ 27" 5; and to Pennington's watch two seconds less, namely
* Captain Clerke followed the parallel of 20° to the longitude of 179° 20'. The mer-
chant ships sailing to China from the Sandwich islands, generally keep in the parallel.
of 13° until they reach the Marianas.
2OO KRU SENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE world.
– 15". Although this alteration was merely an approach to
the mark, made only upon probable grounds, still we
deemed it to be not unnecessary, since for several days, this
difference between their rates had been constant. The fine
weather and the clear atmosphere enabled us on the six fol-
lowing days, from the 12th to the 18th June, to make
daily calculations of our longitude, by means of lunar observa-
tions. The result of these, which took place under the most
favorable circumstances, was, that during the four first days
the watches had in the mean given the longitude 4 49" too
much to the east, while those of the two last days showed that
they were 6'11" too much west. The greatest difference during
these seven days’ observations, did not amount to five minutes
in those which were too much eastward, and in the westerly
ones only two minutes: Dr. Horner's observations agreed in
the same proportion. This error was too trifling to inspire mis-
trust againt the rate assumed for the watches, at the Sandwich
islands; and, indeed, the greatest difference between the three
watches, had hitherto been but two seconds of time; later ob-
servations certainly made the difference much more considera-
ble, and this could not but be expected, as the temperature of
the air experienced a greater change. The mean of all our
observations by No. 128, reduced back to the southern extre-
mity of Owaihi, made its longitude 155° 19 16" W. : its true
longitude, according to the frequent observations of Captains
Cook, King, and Vancouver, is 155° 17' 30".
On the 15th June we saw in latitude 17° and longitude
169° 30', an extraordinary number of birds, that hovered
round the ship in flocks of upwards of a hundred ; this raised
DEPARTURE FROM THE was II ING TON ISLAN Ds. 201
our hopes of meeting with land very considerably ; but although
the night was perfectly clear, and we kept a good look out,
there was none to be perceived. I cannot however but think,
that during the night we must have passed near some island,
or rock, standing above the water, that serves as a resting place
for these birds; for we again saw several the next morning, nor
did we lose sight of them until noon. La Perouse in 1786,
and an English merchantman in 1796, discovered west of the
Sandwich islands, the first in the parallel of 22° and the latter
in that of 18*, two small rocky islands both extremely dange-
rous, and it is very probable that many more of this kind might
be met with.* Although I did not consider it necessary to
offer a reward to those who should first discover land, as the
men, the officers, and myself, were all equally anxious on
this head ; nevertheless, I doubled that which had hitherto
been held out in the hopes of rendering some of them more
watchful.
On the 18th June, in latitude 17° 30' and longitude 176° 46,
I steered a rather more northerly course, and on the 20th in
latitude 19° 52' and longitude 180° 00' N. W. by N. The same
day we crossed the course followed by Captain Clerke, and
immediately left it at a distance, as it ran much more to the
westward. During the whole passage from the Sandwich
islands to Kamtschatka I endeavoured, with pretty tolerable
success, not to approach the line in which he kept nearer than
by a hundred or a hundred and twenty miles. As we got to the
* The Neva in her passage from America to China in 1805, found near this place
a very dangerous sand island in 173° 35' 45° W. and 26° 09' 48" N.
T) TX
Q09 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E world.
northward the wind became more moderate and variable. The
weather had hitherto been very fine, the trade wind constantly
blowing, with a clear sky, and with a degree of force that
carried us never less than seven knots an hour. The sea was
perfectly calm, and we met with none of those swells of which
Captain King so much complains. The temperature was par-
ticularly cool, the quicksilver in the thermometer never rising
above 21”; and, although at this time the meridian altitude of
the sun was 83° and 84°, it sometimes fell below 20°. The
variation of the needle we had observed to be gradually in-
creasing since our departure from the Sandwich islands, and
in the 20th degree of latitude, and longitude 180°, it seemed to
have attained its maximum, that is to say 13° 20' E., for it now
began to decrease in nearly a like proportion; and upon our
arrival at Kamtschatka was the same as at the Sandwich islands,
viz. 4° 46' E.
As the meridian altitude of the sun on the 22d June would
be nearly 90° when the sun is very difficult to observe, Pr.
Horner reckoned before hand the true time of noon, and the
height thus obtained we admitted as that of the meridian ; our
Jatitude, calculated in this manner, agreeing within two minutes
of that by the ship's reckoning;-a difference which, for some
days past, we had already found between the latitude by our
observations and our calculations. On this day we crossed the
northern tropic in longitude 181° 56' W.; a calm now ensued
which lasted two days, during which the sea was without
the smallest motion, and was, in the true sense of the word,
like a mirror, a state in which I have never seen it except in
the east. Dr. Horner availed himself of this calm to make some
DD PARTURE FROM THE WAS II ING TO N IS LANDS. 2O3
observations on the temperature of the water. He found that
in Six's thermometer the quicksilver fell 13° 3 at a depth of
125 fathoms; on the surface of the water it stood at 20° 5'
Reaumur, so that a difference took place of 7° 2'; Hales's
machine only shewed a difference of 25°. At fifty fathoms
Six's thermometer was at 17° 3, and at twenty-five fathoms
19° 7'; thus in these latitudes the difference in the temperature
of the water at a depth of twenty-five fathoms is one degree ; at
fifty fathoms 3° 3; and at 125 fathoms 7 2. Reaumur.
After this calm we had a pretty fresh wind at E., and a con-
tinuance of fine clear weather, until we got into 27° of latitude.
This was the boundary of the N. E. trade wind, and from this
time we had variable winds, blowing first from the S. E. and S.
On the 28th June we were in latitude 29° 3, and our longi-
tude, by several sets of lunar observations, was 185° 11" W.
No. 128 made it 186° 00, so that the westward inclination of
this watch had already increased to 49. By the next day's
*~ //
observations it was 4S' 30", by of a mean of all therefore 44'45".
In latitude 80° we had, with thick hazy weather, a very
strong westerly wind, accompanied by heavy squalls that tore
some of the old sails, which I had not had unbent, thinking
them past mending. This weather was followed by another
calm, and we availed ourselves of it, to calculate the tempe-
rature of the sea, lowering a boat that it might be done with
more accuracy.
On the 2d July we were in 34° 2'41" and 190° 7' 45" W. By
D ID 2
204 KRU SENSTERN's V O Y A G E R O U N D T H E W O R. L.D .
our observations we found that we had been carried by a current
thirty-seven miles N. E. by N. in the space of three days. On
the 29th June, the last day on which we had observed, the cur-
rent ran 15 S., a change in its direction which was as welcome
to us as it was unexpected. The next day we were in latitude
36°, and by our watches corrected by the last lunar observations
in 191° 30' W.
His Excellency Count Romanzow had given me particular
instructions, previous to my departure from Russia, to look out
for an island, that had been formerly repeatedly sought by the
Spaniards and Dutch. As to the first discovery of this land
the world is completely in the dark, and it rests upon ancient,
perhaps fabulous reports.” The Spaniards, who had heard
that an island, very rich in gold and silver, had been disco-
vered to the east of Japan, sent a ship there in 1610 or 1611
from Acapulco with orders to take possession of it. The
Dutch were equally allured by the supposed wealth of
this land, and sent two ships under the command of Captain
Matthias Kwast for the same purpose. But this undertaking
did not succeed better than that of the Spaniards. The at-
tempt made by the celebrated Captain Vries on board the
Castricom in 1643, and by La Perouse in 1787 to discover this
land, proved equally unsuccessful. Of modern navigators La
Perouse is indeed the only one who has really made this attempt,
–4. -4 -*—
* In the original Japanese charts there are two uninhabited islands surrounded by
rocks lying to the east of the bay of Jeddo: perhaps this circumstance may have given
rise to the belief of their existence.
+ Adelung's History of the Voyages and Attempts made to discover a North-west
Passage to Japan and China, (in 4to.) p. 477.
D E PART U R E FROM T H E W A SIL IN GTO N IS LAN ID S. 205
since neither Cook, in his voyage from Unalaschka to the Sand-
wich islands, nor Clerke, in proceeding from these islands to
Kamtschatka in 1779, nor indeed Dixon, Vancouver of any
others have ever renewed it. I do not know any work in which
the parallel followed by Captain Kwast in search of this island
is mentioned; but it is probably the same in which Vries was
directed to look for it, viz. that of 37° 30' which he followed
from the 142d degree of east longitude from Greenwich to the
170th. La Perouse continued in the same parallel from 165°
51' east longitude of Paris to 179° 31', one point from 13° 41'.*
I had very little hopes of being more successful than my fore-
runners in my endeavours to find this island, particularly as
owing to the bad weather we had not a very extended horizon:
I considered it nevertheless as my duty to avail myself of the
east wind which blew pretty fresh, to add something to the
knowledge of a circumstance that had so long occupied navi-
gators and geographers perhaps to no purpose. As nothing is
known of the position of this island, it must be left to every na-
vigator to chuse, in seeking it, any parallel either to the east or
west which he may think proper. I had in my own mind de-
termined upon the 36th degree of latitude, and I can only regret
that the weather was any thing but favourable to us. At noon
I steered west with a strong east wind; towards evening the
wind increased, and in the night it blew so hard as to oblige us
to strike our top gallant masts and yards, and to close reef our
topsails. About six o'clock the next morning the wind abated
* La Perouse's Voyage, English translation in 4to., vol. 2, p. 266.
2O6 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
a little but veered gradually to the south, the weather still
being very foggy. This induced me not to continue a westerly
course any longer, as no advantage could be expected from
this search, while it might prove very detrimental to us. About
eight, therefore, I steered N., after having run in twenty hours
34° W. in the parallel of 36°. A little before noon the weather
cleared up, and I already repented of having altered my course;
but my regrets were not of long continuance, for the change
of weather was also accompanied by a change of wind. Towards
noon it blew S. W. and shortly after W. S. W. and forced us to
steer a northerly course. The constant fogs which prevail in
this sea, will always render such an investigation very difficult
unless when there is no other object in view, and several months
can be spent upon it. From the 30th degree of latitude until our
arrival on the coast of Kamtschatka, we were almost constantly
in a thick fog that never cleared away but for a very short time.
The search for this land would be more likely to prove suc-
cessful, if pursued from west to east rather than in the contrary
direction, as the westerly are the prevailing winds in these la-
titudes.
On the 5th July at noon we saw a large turtle ; I immedi-
ately lowered a boat in order to catch it, but our labour was
fruitless, as it dived as soon as the boat approached it; at that
time we were in latitude 38° 32' N. and longitude 194° 30' W.
Meares in 1788 saw a turtle in nearly the same place, namely
in latitude 38° 17', and longitude 194° 50'; however, we met
none of the proofs of land which he fell in with.” The wind
* Meares's Voyage, original edition in 4to, page 99.
DEPARTURE FROM THE WAS II INGTON IS LANDS. 207
was now very variable, accompanied by thick fogs and rainy
weather: on the 7th July we saw in latitude 42° 34' and lon-
gitude 197°00', a number of seamews and a large black bird
of a species said never to fly far from land ; the sea was besides
perfectly calm, although the wind which had blown fresh from
the south-west had now shifted to the north-east. From this
striking calmness of the sea, the vicinity of land might be in-
ferred, but any discovery hereabouts must be the effect of
chance, owing to the constant fogs that prevail.
On the 10th July being in latitude 47° 20', the wind blew
so hard during several hours, that we were obliged to double
reef our topsails. The next day at noon we were in latitude
49° 17', and by the timepieces in longitude 199° 50', conse-
quently a very short distance from land, the vicinity of which
Several circumstances tended to announce; for we now saw a
quantity of birds such as sea-mews, different species of the
Greenland diver, wild ducks, a kind of larks of a grey colour
with a yellow stripe on their backs, and a large white bird not
unlike an albatross.
On the 15th July towards eight o'clock, land was descried
from the mast head. It trended away from N. N. W. to W.
N. W. ; and we conceived its distance about ninety or ninety-
five miles. By our latitude and longitude it must have been
the land near Cape Poworotnoy, called Cape Gavarea on the
English charts. It soon disappeared in the mist, and we did
not again see it until eight o'clock the same evening, when we
were in nearly the latitude of Poworotnoy, namely, 52° 21' N.
A lofty mountain bearing the same name in our chart of this
2OS K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
part of the coast of Kamtschatka, owing to its vicinity to the
cape, lay nearly due west of us.
At day-break we saw to the north a high mountainous land,
which, from its direction, must have been Shipunskoy-noss;
the position of this cape is given very differently, in the best
charts of the coast of Kamtschatka. In that of the Russian
discoveries, which was only published in St. Petersburgh in 1802,
Shipunskoy-noss is laid down in 52° 56 N. and 177° 38' E. of
Ferro, or 200° 07' W. of Greenwich : by Admiral Sarytscheff's
chart it is in 52°02' N. and 200° 15' W. : by the chart accom-
panying Captain Cook's third voyage, in 53° 10' and 192' W.
Captain King in his description of the coast of Kamtschatka,
has given the situation of Shipunskoy-noss, differently in two
different places. In the third volume of Cook's third voyage,
original edition in 4to, page 310, he states that Shipunskoy-
noss lies in 52° 21' N. and 201° 12' W. — N. E. by E. H. E. of
Cape Gavarea ninety-six miles; and page 311, that it lies in
52° 51' N. and 201° 12' W., E. N. E. : E. of the entrance of
Awatscha bay, seventy-fives miles distant. By the situation
stated in page 310, the latitude of Shipunskoy-noss must be
53° 32', and its longitude 199° 26', by the other 53° 16' N. and
199° 15' W. : in both of which statements an error has probably
crept into the press: by our observations Shipunskoy-noss lies
in 53° 06' N. and 200° 10' W. During the whole day it was
quite calm, nor was it not till the evening, that a breeze sprang
up from the south, by the help of which we approached the
land. Before sunset we saw the five mountains that so clearly
distinguish the coast of Kamtschatka, and of which Captain
King has given a drawing as correct as his description. It was
D E PART Urte FROM THE was HINGTON ISLANDS. 209
calm during the whole night; about four o'clock in the morning,
however, a fresh breeze sprang up from the westward, and as
we approached the land, it gradually veered to south south-east.
About eleven a. m. we ran into Awatscha bay, and at one an-
chored in the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, after a very
good passage of thirty-five days from Owaihi, and five months
and a half from Brazil. At this time we had but one invalid,
and in a week he became perfectly well.
( 210 )
CHAPTER XI.
ST A Y AT K A M T S C H A T K A A N D D EP A R T U R E FOR J A P A N .
Occupation on board the Ship in the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul—Uncertainly
with regard to the continuance of our Voyage—Arrival of the Governor from Nisch-
ney Kamtschatsk—Determine upon pursuing our Voyage—Change in the Am-
bassador's Suite—The Nadeshda quits Kamtschatka—Storm in the Parallel of the
Kuriles—The Ship springs a considerable Leak—We determine the Non-existence of
a few Groups of Islands, that are laid down in some old Charts to the East of Japan—
Captain Colnett—Straits of Pan Diemen—We see the Coast of Japan—Piolent
Storm followed by a great Typhon—We approach the Coast of Japan a second
time, and sail through the Straits of Pan Diemen—Description of these Straits,
and of the Islands lying within them—Anchor at the Entrance of the Bay of
Nangasaky.
We did not find the governor of Kamtschatka at the harbour
of St. Peter and St. Paul, his usual residence being at Nisch-
ney Kamtschatsk, about seven hundred wersts from thence.
As his presence was of importance to us, the ambassador imme-
diately dispatched an estafette, with a request that he would
come without delay to St. Peter and St. Paul, and bring a
company of soldiers with him ; but his arrival could not be
expected in less than a month. In the mean time, Major
Krupskoy, the commandant of Petropawlovsk, did every thing
in his power to assist and be of service to us. He gave up an
apartment in his house to the ambassador, and issued orders for
bread to be baked for our crew, and the ship to be supplied
daily with fish ; and after a voyage of five months and a half,
during which we had been obliged to forego fresh provisions, it
Y- C -
STAY AT KAMIT SCH ATKA AND DE PART U R E FOR J A PA. N. 2 11
was eaten with an eagerness, those only can form any idea of
who have been in a similar situation. The ship was immedi-
ately unrigged, and every thing sent on shore, the landing place
not being fifty fathoms distant; and after so long a voyage all
the sails and rigging required either a thorough repair, or to be
replaced with new. All the materials and effects which had
been shipped at Cronstadt for Kamtschatka were unloaded;
and nothing was left on board but 6000 pud” of iron, which
I did not send on shore, fearing it would cost us too much
time.
I had the greatest reason to hasten every thing as much as
possible, in order to arrive at Nangasaky before the north-east
monsoon should set in, and I was anxious to sail from Kamts-
chatka in a fortnight at the latest; but could I have foreseen
that our stay at St. Peter and St. Paul would have exceeded
six weeks, and that we should pass the last three of these not
only without employment, but quite uncertain about the con-
tinuance of our voyage, I should undoubtedly have unshipped
the iron, which I was afterwards obliged to cover hastily with"
ballast. Almost all the presents destined for the Emperor of
Japan, particularly the articles made of steel, were sent on
shore, as the ambassador was desirous of ascertaining himself
the condition in which they were. As we wanted craft to carry
our ballast, the commandant made over two old boats to us,
that had belonged to Billing's ship the Slawa Rossii, and had
- *** - - -
* A weight of forty pounds.
E E 2
219 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E R O UN D Tri E W O R L D.
been carelessly suffered to sink in the harbour of St. Peter and
St. Paul.
On the 12th August the Governor arrived, accompanied by
his younger brother, who acted as his adjutant, and by Captain
Feodoroff and sixty men, whom he had brought with him at
the request of M. de Resanoff,” and it was settled that we
should sail in a week after his arrival. The governor was so
good as to remain at St. Peter and St. Paul during our stay, in
order to afford us any assistance we might need, and we felt
the presence of this active and amiable man in an extraordinary
degree. A trifling change took place in the suite of our am-
bassador : Count Tolstoy, lieutenant of his Imperial Majesty's
guards, Dr. Brinkin, the physician to the embassy, and
M. Kurlandzoff, who had been engaged as draftsman to the
expedition, quitted the ship, and set out from hence to St.
Petersburgh ; and in their stead Captain Feodoroff, of the
Kamtschatka battalion, and Lieutenant Koscheleff, the go-
vernor's brother, accompanied us as part of the ambassador's
suite; and as he had not brought any guard of honour with him
from St. Petersburgh, he selected eight men here, who were to
be left again in Kamtschatka upon our return from Japan.
It was likewise settled to leave Kisseleff, a native of Japan,
* When the mode of travelling in Kamtschatka is considered, the difficulties attend-
ing the conveyance of 60 soldiers a distance of 700 wersts, in all possible haste, will
easily be imagined. The object, however, which required their presence in Petro-
pawlovsk was too important to admit of any difficulties being urged against sending for
them.
+ Dr. Brinkin died shortly after his arrival in St. Petersburgh,
STAY AT KAMT's CHATKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 213
who was to have acted as our interpreter, behind ; his conduct
during our stay here not having been proper, besides that he
was hated by the rest of his countrymen. The ambassador
conceived, too, that the Japanese would be extremely incensed
upon learning, what they could not fail to observe the first
evening of his arrival, that he had embraced the Christian
religion; and the wild Frenchman, whom we brought with us
from Nukahiwa, was also left at Kamtschatka.
I wished, and Dr. Espenberg agreed with me, to have left
the locksmith of the ship behind, his health appearing to us
in a dangerous state. He had been pretty well during
the whole voyage; but the seeds of consumption were very
apparent in him. Its symptoms had increased considerably,
owing to his intemperance ; and the heat on the passage
from Brazil had particularly weakened him. To his excesses
on his arrival in Kamtschatka he owed a most dangerous
illness that soon after seized him. At the time of our departure
for Japan he had, in some measure, recovered, but I was afraid
that upon any fresh relaxation his illness would again break
out ; nor could I be certain whether, in Japan, we should be
able to keep a watchful eye upon him. I was desirous, for
these reasons, to have sent him back to St. Petersburgh; but
he declared expressly that he had rather die on board the
ship amongst his companions than return by land. As he
swore too, most solemnly, never again to indulge in an excessive
use of spirituous liquors, I allowed myself to be persuaded to
keep him in the ship ; and during the rest of our voyage he
never once broke his word, and returned to Europe perfectly
restored in health.
214 R R USENSTERN's VOYAG E ROUND THE wo RLD.
On the 29th August, the ship was quite ready for sea; and
on the 30th we left the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and
anchored in Awatscha bay, about half a mile from the watering
place. The next day, the governor and the officers of the gar-
rison dined on board ; and I received him with every mark of
honour due to his rank : the more willingly, as this respect was
shewn to a man who had so many claims to our esteem, grati-
tude, and consideration.
Until the 6th September the weather was constantly thick
and rainy, with South, South-east, and east winds, which were
so variable, that frequently, in the course of an hour, we had
the wind from every point of the compass between south and
east. Unpleasant as was our stay here, we were in some degree
compensated for it, by the arrival of supplies from Nischney
Kamtschatsk, whither the governor had sent a serjeant and two
Cossacks with six horses, to bring us the stock of provisions
which he had laid in for the consumption of his own family during
the winter. In doing this, he deprived himself of every thing:
for of the provisions destined for us, many sorts could not be re-
placed; and the few that were to be procured, could only be met
with in small quantities, or of inferior quality. Besides this, he
sent to Werchnoy Kamtschatsk, for three oxen belonging to the
crown, and two others, his own property; a present, considering
the great scarcity of horned cattle in Kamtschatka, of very con-
siderable value. If the distance of 400 wersts from St. Peter and
St. Paul, and of 700 wersts, or 100 German miles, to Nischney
Kamtschatsk be considered, and that this space could not, with
all possible speed, be travelled in less than twenty days, I do
not know which to admire most, his noble generosity or his readi-
st Ay AT KAMTsch ATKA AND DE PARTURE FOR J A PAN. 215
ness to serve us. He spared no pains to supply us with every
thing in his power to procure, to whatever distance he might
have to send for it; nor would he even be deterred, by the
uncertainty of our awaiting its arrival, from sending for his
own stock of provisions, the conveyance of which was attended
with so many difficulties. Owing to the lateness of the season,
I wished to proceed upon our voyage to Japan as soon as pos-
sible, and we were indebted only to the contrary winds, upon
which the governor was so good as to calculate, and the extra-
ordinary haste of his serjeant, Semenoff, who arrived in seven-
teen days, for the receipt of this supply before our departure.
I doubt whether any ship ever sailed from this harbour so
well provisioned as we were ; and shall mention the chief
articles we were furnished with, in order to shew what Kamts-
chatka was competent to provide. We had seven large live
oxen ; a considerable provision of salted and dried fish of a
superior quality, such however as can only be procured at
Nischney Kamtschatsk; a great supply of vegetables from
Werchmoy ; several casks of salt fish for the crew, and three
large barrels of wild garlic, which, in Kamtschatka, is called
Tscheremscha, and is, I believe, a perfect antiscorbutic, and a
most admirable substitute for sourkraut. The water in which
this wild garlic is preserved, and which may be renewed daily,
affords a wholesome and not unpleasant beverage. Besides
these, we received several delicacies for our own table, such
as salted reindeer and game, argali or wild sheep, salted wild
geese, &c. for all which we were indebted to the governor who,
if I may be allowed the expression, employed all Kamtschatka
9 16 K R USENSTERN's VOYAGE ROUND THE won L.D.
to our advantage; for, before his arrival, we had been able
to procure nothing but fish.
On the 6th September the wind veered to north-west, and
we got under sail ; when the governor immediately came on
board to wish us a happy voyage. The ship was scarcely
under weigh, when the fort saluted us with thirteen guns, which
compliment we returned with an equal number. The wind
was so moderate, that we scarcely moved forward with the help
of the ebb and two boats towing us; and as the flood set in
about noon, we were obliged to let go our anchor in seven
fathoms water, at the entrance of the strait leading from
Awatscha bay into the sea. The wind shifted with the flood to
south-east, blowing fresh, with a thick mist and rain. In the
afternoon I sent off two officers to sound both the shores of
these straits, and found the depths marked in Captain Cook's
plan of Awatscha bay perfectly correct: indeed the whole plan
of it, as well as the three harbours adjoining, is drawn with an
accuracy that cannot be exceeded.
At seven the next morning, a moderate breeze sprang up from
the north, and as it increased, we sailed with it through the
straits, which we left behind by about nine o'clock. I first of
all steered S. E., then S. S. E., and afterwards S. by E., but a
heavy swell from the S. E. held us back a little. The wind blew
very fresh and continued, as before, foggy, with constant rain.
About eleven, the small island Staritschkoff ¥ bore N.W. 80°,
F- ----sº-sº
* This name is derived from a species of birds the Russians call Staritschki, which
have chosen this island as their residence.
STA Y AT KAMTSCII ATKA AND DE PART U R E FOR J A PAN. 217
and the eastern promontory, at the entrance of the straits,
N. W. 20°. A thick fog soon after concealed the land from us,
and about twelve we entirely lost sight of it. At six in the
evening Cape Poworotnoy appeared, bearing W. by N. but
owing to the thick mist we only saw it for a moment. Through-
out the night the wind blew pretty fresh with a heavy swell from
the east; and the next morning, though it became more mode-
rate, the waves ran higher than before. The lateness of the sea-
son, and the particular object of this voyage allowed me to think
of nothing but the means of getting as soon as possible to the
south-east coast of Japan: I steered, however, according to my
former plan, a course directly in the middle between those of
Captains Clerke and Gore. The line of the first we crossed in
latitude 36° and longitude 214°, as soon as we began to ap-
proach the coast of Japan.
The whole time we lay in the road of St. Peter and St. Paul,
we had, as I have already observed, constant drizzling rain with
a thick fog; nor did this weather leave us during the first days ,
of our departure. At length the sun, that we had not seen for
upwards of ten days, appeared, though only for a few mo–
ments, and enabled us to dry our beds and clothing, which
were completely soaked. On the morning of the 11th a strong
gale sprang up at east, and soon increased to a storm, which
attained its height about five in the afternoon. The waves ran
extremely high ; about midnight the storm abated a little, but
it did not cease until the next morning: at noon it again fell
calm, and soon after we had a gentle breeze from the north,
which increased gradually. We could not at first avail ourselves
of it, as, owing to the heavy swell from the eastward, we were
F F
218 KRU SENSTERN's Voy A.G.E. Roun D THE wor L.D.
unable to set all our sails. During the last storm the ship had
made so much water, that we were obliged to keep the pumps
constantly at work, and as she had been carefully caulked du-
ring our stay at Kamtschatka, this new leak seemed to be under
the copper, which, upon farther examination at Nangasaky,
we found to be the case. On this day we saw several whales,
and a vast number of land and sea fowls, several of which let
themselves down, quite fatigued, upon the ship, and were
caught by the men. Captain Gore saw in the parallel of 45°,
where we now were, only rather nearer the land, several land
birds, a circumstance that led him to suppose the vicinity of
the Kurile islands.
The stormy weather that prevailed almost constantly since
our departure from Kamtschatka, and particularly on the 11th,
and which had rendered an almost continued pumping neces-
sary, obliged us to kill the remaining four of our oxen, as they
had suffered so much by the motion of the ship as to leave but
little hopes of their recovery.
On the 15th at noon the sun appeared, but only for a few
hours. Our latitude by observation was 39°57'29" N. and the
longitude by our watches 201° 7' 30" W. We now began to be
aware of a great alteration in the temperature of the atmos-
phere ; the quicksilver, which had hitherto shewn only eight or
mine degrees of warmth, rising to fifteen and sixteen degrees.
On the 16th, in the evening, we had the first observations for
the variation of the compass. Two sets varying from 18 7 to
2° 30', gave as the mean 1° 48' 30" E. We were then in lati-
tude 38° 40' and longitude 209° 25'. The motion of the ship
STAY AT K A MIT SC II A T K A A N D D EP A R T U R E FOR J A PA N. 219
had always been too great to permit our observing the dip of
the needle with any degree of accuracy ; and the only observa-
tion of this kind that Dr. Horner had been able to make, was
in latitude 48° 30' and 201° 40', when he found the northern dip
to be 59° 30'.
The stormy weather again commenced, and the rain fell in-
cessantly. The wind was from the north-east with a very
heavy swell ; and although this favoured our voyage, as we
seldom ran less than eight or nine knots, it was so far hard
upon us, that with this quick run, and a perfectly favourable
wind, the water in the hold constantly increased ten or twelve
inches in an hour, while with a side wind we seldom made more
than five or six inches; from which we inferred, that the chief
leak must be in the foremost part of the ship.
In the charts accompanying La Perouse's voyage there is a
group of four islands without names, of which the northernmost
is in latitude 37° and longitude 143° 30' E. of Paris, or 214°
20 W. of Greenwich ; and with the name of Volcano, an island of
tolerable size in latitude 35° and longitude 214°, with some
smaller ones lying to the southward of it. In the chart found by
Lord Anson on board the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Ca-
badango, and published with some improvements in his voyage,
there are two groups bearing the names of Islas nuevas del Año
1716, and Islas del Año 1664, (the northernmost lies upon this
chart in latitude 35° 45', and 19° E. of S. Bernardino, or lon-
gitude 216° 30' W. of Greenwich, the other in latitude 35° 00,
under the same meridian as the first,) and another island called
Wolcano, well to the southward of these two groups, in latitude
F F 2
29O. K R USEN ST E R N’s V o YAG E Rou ND THE W or Lo.
34° 15'; and in latitude 33°, nearly two degrees more to the E.
an island bearing the name of Pena de los picos, and a rock called
Bayro. In the existence of these islands Arrowsmith appeared
to place no faith, as they are not to be found in any of
his charts; the last of those in Anson's chart, is likewise in a
new and very good one, prepared by the French geographer
Barbié de Bocage for the voyage of Admiral Dentrecasteaux,
written by the naturalist La Billardière. I did not myself
much believe in them ; for the course held by Captains Gore
and King, after quitting the coast of Japan, ran between the
northern group and the northernmost Volcano island ; and
that followed by Captain Colnett, in his passage from China to
the north-west coast of America, in the year 1789, ran between
the two southernmost, and at such a distance only, that in
clear weather both Gore and Colnett must both have seen
land. I would not, however, let this opportunity slip of
placing their non-existence beyond a doubt; and therefore held
such a course as would carry me right through the center of
them, as marked in the charts: and I can affirm, that the four
northernmost and nameless islands, the northernmost Volcano
island, the Islands of the Year 1664, and the southern Vol-
cano island, are not, at least, in the situation assigned to them in
the French chart. We sailed at a distance of seventy-five miles
from the Islands of 1776, so that I cannot decide any thing
with regard to them. On the 18th September, about half past
five in the evening, as we were in latitude 36° and longitude 213°
45, we fancied we saw land bearing due west, but were soon
convinced of its being clouds, whose forms had led us to mis-
take them for small islands. As some of the people on board
the ship still seemed to be of opinion that what we saw might be
STAY AT KAMT's CHATKA AND DE PARTURE FOR J A PAN. 221
land, I steered until seven o'clock directly towards it; and be-
fore it was dark we were all convinced of our mistake, and I
again resumed our former course to the south-west.
The clearness of the weather allowed us to take several sets of
observations of the distance of the moon from the star Atair.
Dr. Horner's observations reduced to eight o'clock, gave 214°
O3' 30" W. mine 213° 57'45". Nº. 128 at the same moment
was 213° 55'. We were very well satisfied with this agreement,
which the heavy motion of the ship Scarcely allowed us to
expect. The next evening's observations, made under more
favourable circumstances, shewed a similar agreement, and
convinced us of the correctness of our timepieces.
The change of temperature was extremely sudden, the quick-
silver was between 19° and 21°, while on our voyage from the
Sandwich islands to Kamtschatka it was only 16° and 17° in the
same parallel ; and even in 30° of latitude, though in the
height of Summer, it had never risen to 21°. This small de-
gree of heat in the months of June and July was, perhaps, owing
to our great distance from the land; or, it might be, that the
maximum of summer heat may be later here than in Europe.
Since our departure from Kamtschatka we had had, with
very few intervals, a hollow sea, running high from the N. E.;
but on the 20th September, when we were in latitude 34° 20'
and longitude 215°29'45", every body was struck with the ex-
traordinary calmness of the sea, although the wind blew fresh
from the south-east. We could not therefore quite reject the
probability of finding land to the S. E. particularly as on this
222 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E R O UN D T II E WOR LIy.
day we saw, for the first time, flying fish, a great many por-
poises and tropic birds, which seldom are seen so much to the
northward, at least at any distance from land. In the varia-
tion of the needle there was hardly any alteration; the obser-
Vations made on this day scarcely differing a degree from those
of the 18th and 19th. It appeared to decrease gradually, but
the changes were so trifling, that considering the roughness of
the sea, they might be ascribed as much to chance as to a re-
gular diminution.
I intended to have looked for the island discovered by the
Dutch in the year 1643, and called in the charts 't Zuyder
Eyland, or South Island, well to the southward of Fatsi-
Sio ; but when we got into the same parallel it blew so hard
from E. N. E. with such thick rainy weather, that I was forced
to abandon my intention. As Captain Colnett's course ran
very near this island, it is not improbable that it was seen by
him, and its situation of course accurately ascertained. It is a
real loss to geography that this able officer, a disciple of the
great Cook, should not have published his voyage in this sea in
the years 1789 and 1791. All that is hitherto known of his run
is the course of his ship, the track of which is in Arrowsmith's
chart, The South Sea Pilot ; and notwithstanding he promises,
in the preface to his voyage in the years 1793 and 1794, to pub-
lish his early voyages also, the world has hitherto been deceived
in its expectations. Sir Erasmus Gower possessed the manu-
script of his voyage in the Japanese sea in the year 1791, when
that officer was charged to convoy Lord Macartney to China,
and had to navigate the Yellow Sea. It might almost be be-
lieved that the English government had purposely cast a veil
STAY AT KAMTSCIIATKA AND DE PARTURE FOR J A PAN. 223
over the voyages of Colnett and Broughton on the coast of Ja-
pan, were it not that the liberality which they have shewn in
publishing every voyage that has been undertaken during the
last half century, a period so brilliant in the history of discove-
ries, completely controverts this suspicion. Seven years have
elapsed, and Captain Broughton's voyage, which was entirely
one of discovery, has not yet appeared in print. The compa-
nion of Vancouver could not fail to have rendered his work very
interesting to geography and navigation ; and it cannot be sup-
posed that with the loss of his ship, his journals and charts were
all destroyed; the rock Captain Broughton split upon lies, ac-
cording to Arrowsmith's chart, in latitude 25° N. and longi-
tude 145°40' E. of Greenwich.* -
The dark stormy weather continued through the night, but
as the wind was favourable I could not but avail myself of it,
though it was with great caution that I steered rather a more
southerly course. In the old charts of Japan that accompany
the works of Charlevoix, Kämpfer, and the collection of voy-
ages by La Harpe, the island Fatsisio lies in latitude 31° 40',
that is to say, 1° 35' more to the south than in Arrowsmith's
chart, who followed D'Anville, in whose “Carte Générale de la
Tartarie Chinoise dressée sur les Cartes particulières, ſaites sur
les Lieux par les RR. PP. Jésuites, et sur les Mémoires parti.
—ºr-
* Captain Broughton's voyage was published in 1804, during our absence; about
the same time, therefore, that I was expressing my fears that it never would appear in
print.
994, K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE wo RLD.
culiers du P. Gerbillon, 1732,” Fastisio is laid down in 33°
15', and ’t Zuyder Eyland in 32° 30'.”
The next morning the storm from the N. E. abated a little,
and veered round to S. S. W.; the weather still bearing a very
threatening appearance. About eight o'clock the wind shifted
again suddenly to the N. E. blowing as hard as before, with
heavy rain. In the short time that it had blown from the S. W.
when it was for a few moments tolerably calm, we saw several
butterflies and sea nymphs which clearly proved the vicinity of
land; an owl likewise came on board, and was no unacceptable
present to Dr. Tilesius, who made a drawing of it; the weather
was however so hazy that we had but a very confined horizon.
The barometer, during this stormy weather, was higher than our
former observations would have led us to expect, namely 29 in.
46. From a few altitudes which Dr. Horner was able to
catch at noon he calculated our latitude at 31° 13' and the lon-
gitude 220° 50', exactly what it was by the ship's reckoning.
We had run by the log in the last twenty-four hours 181 miles,
and were now about a quarter of a degree to the north of what
is given in the charts as the middle of the straits of Van Dic-
men, through which it was my intention to have sailed. Our
course was therefore west, but I steered during the day rather
more north in the hopes of seeing land.
I know no work where mention is made of the straits of
* Captain Broughton determines the latitude of Fatsisio to be 35° 06', only a few
minutes, therefore, different from D’Anville.
STAY AT KAMT's CHATKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 220
Diemen, the situation of which is even set down very differ-
ently in the charts. In that of Arrowsmith, for instance, these
straits lie between the island of Likeo (which is separated by a
narrow channel from the large island of Kiusiu) and one
which bears the name of Tanao-Sima, while again in the French
chart they are between Kiusiu and Likeo. The geographi-
cal latitude of the entrance agrees pretty nearly in both of
them. It will soon be seen that both the English and French
charts are very incorrect in their description of these straits. On
our arrival at Nangasaky, Captain Musquetier, the commander
of a Dutch ship lying there, informed me, that they were dis-
covered by accident in the beginning of the 17th century; a
Dutch vessel, on its passage from Nangasaky to Batavia,
having been driven in a violent storm through them, and the
captain of it giving his name to them. Captain Musquetier,
who appeared to me a very well informed man, kindly offered
to send me an old Dutch book in which I should find an ac-
count of this discovery, together with a description of the
straits, but probably the jealousy of the Japanese prevented
him from fulfilling his promise. This literary curiosity would
have been extremely interesting to me.
On the 23d September, in latitude 31° 13' and longitude 221°,
the variation of the needle was 1°02' E., the next day it was
O°02' W., and the same evening in 31°21' N., and 225° 00'W.
this westward variation had already increased to 2° 49'. If the
mean of these three observations be taken, we must have crossed
the magnetic meridian in 31° 15' latitude and 220° 20' west
longitude.
G. G.
226 K R USENSTERN's v O.Y.A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
The 24th September was the finest day we had had since
leaving Kamtschatka; Dr. Horner and myself did not neglect
to avail ourselves of the opportunity of trying our time-pieces.
Two sets of distances of the moon from Venus, which we both took
at half past five in the morning, gave, reduced to noon, F 223°
21. Seven sets of distances of the moon from the sun, between
which the greatest difference was only 6'45", gave, reduced also
to noon, E 228° 28′. Arnold's chronometer, No. 128, and that
by Pennington, which on this day did not vary a second from
each other, gave us the longitude = 223° 16, and Arnold's
small chronometer, No. 1856, = 223° 30'45", and by the mean
of twenty calculations of the moon's distance from the sun
which we observed the next day the error of No. 128 was
only 2. This near coincidence left us no doubt upon the rate
of all our watches, and I waited with impatience to see the
coast of Japan which we could now so correctly determine. A
number of butterflies, sca-nymphs, land-birds, branches of trees
and grass convinced us that we could not be far distant.
At ten o'clock in the morning of the 28th September we at
length discovered the coast of Japan to the N.W., while we were
busied taking lunar observations, which, like those of the pre-
ceding day, only differed a few minutes from No. 128. I im-
mcdiately altered my course, steering N. W. with a moderate
W. S. W. wind. Our latitude at noon, observed very carefully
with several sextants, was 32° 05' 34", the longitude by No. 128
= 226° 22' 15". A lofty promontory, in front of which there
appeared to be a small island, bore, at this moment, N. W. 28°
distant about thirty-six miles. The wind that had hitherto
st A y AT KAMTsch ATKA AND DE PARTURE FOR J A PAN. 227
been very moderate, became, about four o'clock, rather fresher
and enabled us to approach nearer to the land, and to take
several bearings; we were still, however, at sunset, upwards of
twenty miles from the nearest shore, having no soundings with
a line of 120 fathoms. The coast stretched from N. W. 20° 30'
to N. W. 41°: the above mentioned promontory lying as far
to the south-east as we could see. Although its situation was
such that we could scarcely avoid any errors in the determina-
tion of its longitude and still less of its latitude, I nevertheless
believe that, if any occurred, they did not exceed a few
minutes. By our observations it was in 32° 38' 30" latitude
and 226° 43' 15" longitude, and was probably the south point
of Sikok.f. From this cape the land took quite a northerly
direction, and seemed to form a small bay of which we could
distinguish the northern and western shore. In the vicinity of the
promontory the country appeared to be very mountainous,
sloping gradually to that part where we supposed this bay to
be; it then rose again suddenly, and in the back ground of the
bay, there was a large valley, bounded to the east by a chain
of hills of moderate elevation ; but on the west by lofty moun-
tains, among which two were particularly conspicuous by their
height and must always make this part of the coast easily
known.
My hopes of being able to continue my examinations of this
coast were fruitless. The next morning at day-break we perceived
the land bearing N. W. 10°, but I had scarcely bent my course
thither when the sky became overcast; and we not only lost
sight of the coast, but our horizon did not extend, at the far-
thest, above an English mile. The wind blew fresh from the
G G 2
298 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
N. E. with constant rain; and I considered it as not only use-
less but dangerous to approach the land now, as we could not
in the least depend upon our charts, even though of the best.
I steered, therefore, under easy sail W. and W. S. W. Towards
evening the wind increased with a constant heavy rain ; the
sky wore a most threatening aspect, and I determined to lie-
to till the next morning, and the wind increasing about mid-
night to a perfect storm we laid the ship to the eastward.
This bad weather continued throughout the next day, and we
therefore steered to the eastward under reefed courses. In the
night the wind abated, veering to the south-east; and at day-
break, the weather appearing clearer and the sun shewing
himself, I again began to approach the land; but the heavy
swell from the south-east, and the constant depression of the
barometer, seemed, notwithstanding the sun at noon was suffi-
ciently clear for us to take a tolerable observation in 31° 7' N.
and 227° 40' W. the certain forerunners of a storm from the
South-east, which, as we were on an unknown coast, was not
to be despised. We held our course, however, to the west
until 11 o'clock, when I altered it to the south, and set as much
sail as the ship could carry. About noon the weather assumed
an appearance that left us no doubt of what would soon follow.
The waves ran mountain high from the south-east; the sun
was of a dead pale colour, and was soon concealed behind
the clouds which flew with rapidity from the same quarter;
and the wind, which increased gradually, rose by one o'clock to
such a height as to prevent our taking in the topsails and
courses without the greatest difficulty and danger, the tackle,
though almost all new, mostly giving way; but our men were
STAY AT KAMT's CHA TKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 229
animated by an undaunted courage and a noble contempt of
danger, and would not yield, so that not a single seam in any one
sail was split. About three o'clock in the afternoon the storm
had increased to such a degree as to rend all our storm-sails,
the only ones we had set. Nothing could equal the violence
of the gale. Much as I had heard of the typhons on the Chi-
nese and Japanese coasts, this exceeded all my expectations.
It would fall within the province of the poet to describe it pro-
perly, and I shall content myself with relating its effect upon
our ship. It was absolutely impossible to set even a double
reefed mizen storm-stay sail, and she was left quite to the mer-
cy of the waves, which ran extremely high. I expected every
moment to see the masts go by the board ; the state of the at-
mosphere was particularly evinced by the extraordinary depres-
sion of the barometer: the quicksilver falling so suddenly that
about five o'clock it had not only quite disappeared from the
tube, but the great motion of the barometer, for which we had
before calculated at least four, and even somctimes five lines,
not even bringing it in sight. As our barometer was divided into
twenty-seven inches, six lines, if we deduct from this four lines,
the height of the quicksilver could only be twenty-seven inches,
two lines; and it might be said, without extravagance, that it
was only twenty-seven inches and indeed even less, as it was
upwards of three hours before it again made its appear-
ance. There may undoubtedly be more violent storms than
this, and the dreadful hurricanes which rage in the Antilles
every year, are most probably worse ; but I never recollect the
barometrical state of the atmosphere to have been noticed
during one of these tremendous revolutions of nature. The Abbé
230 KRU SENSTERN's VO YAG E Rou ND THE won LD.
Rochon* mentions a hurricane in the Isle of France in 1771,
when the barometer fell to twenty-five inclies French, which
was therefore three and a half lines lower than with us, if it be
admitted that ours had fallen to twenty-seven inches.
I was not afraid of the ship so long as the masts would stand ;
but we were placed in another great danger, known indeed only
to myself and to one or two persons on board: the wind that
blew from E. S. E. drove us directly towards the land, from
which we could not then be at any great distance. I fancied
indeed we might still have room to drive until twelve o'clock, but
if we had once touched the ground the ship must have gone to
pieces, and, in so violent a storm, it would have been impossi-
ble to have saved the people. Nothing but a change of wind
could remove our danger, and fortunately this took place, and
it veered from E. S. E. to W. S. W. On the sudden shift of
wind a sea struck the ship's stern, carried away the larboard
quarter gallery, and flooded the cabin three feet deep with
water, which occasioned me the loss of almost all my charts and
books. This critical moment preceded a perfect calm, which
fortunately lasted only a few minutes; we, however, availed
ourselves of it to set a reefed mizen-stay sail, that we might be
able to lay the ship in some degree to the wind. It was scarce-
ly hauled home when the storm began to rage with the same
fury as before from its new quarter. About ten o'clock it at
length appeared to abate a little, and we again, to our great
Joy, saw the quicksilver in the barometer. We considered this
—£
* Voyage à Madagascar, à Maroc, et aux Indes Orientales, par Alexis Rochon.
3 vols. in Svo. An X. de la République. 3 tom, page 418.
STAY AT K AMT'S CHAT KA AND DIE PARTUR E FOR J A PAN. 231
as a certain proof that the storm would not resume its fury :
and about midnight it was observed to abate considerably, al-
though still blowing very hard. This indeed was very fortu-
nate; for if the gale from the W. S. W. had not been altogether as
violent as that from E. S. E. the first waves would not so soon
have subsided, and our masts must have been in greater danger
than before. The leak in the ship gave us less trouble during
the tempest than I expected ; for as the ordinary increase of
water was before from scºven to twelve inches an hour, we
were not a little pleased to find that during the gale it was not,
at the utmost, more than fifteen inches; but the very heavy
roll of the ship rendered it difficult to work the pumps.
This tempestuous weather was followed by an extremely
beautiful day, which was very welcome to us, and enabled us
to get the ship again in order. She had not indeed suffered
much in her hull, but the rigging required considerable repairs.
The wind fell gradually, and now came from the west; and as
soon as the sails could be set, which was not until noon, I
steered to the northward. About six o'clock we saw land bear-
ing W. N. W. distant nearly forty-five miles. It was calm
throughout the night, but the swell had not quite subsided,
and drove us rather to the eastward. About nine the next
morning we perceived the land bearing due west; and as we only
neared it very slowly, it was still distant at noon about thirty-
six miles, stretching from N. W. 30” to N.W. 84°. Our lati-
tude was at this time by observation 31°42', and the longitude
227° 43' 30". At half past two we were nearly twenty miles
from the land, but it now fell almost calm and continued so
until ten o'clock at night, and we moved but very slowly for-
232 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
wards until rather a heavy squall brought us within a few miles
of the land. The variation of the compass was found to be
here 3° 1' W.
The country in general appeared to be very mountainous ;
and the hills, among which were some very lofty peaks, were in
double and sometimes in three and four rows. To the N. E.
the land terminated in a lofty promontory, bearing about four
o'clock N. W. 18°. This promontory, which, in honor of the
companion of Behring, I called Cape Tschirikoff, lies in 32° 14'
15" N. and 228° 18' 30" W. We saw, at the same time, to the
N. N. W. a bay, the eastern point of which is formed by a
double promontory that at first, though I was in all probability
mistaken, appeared to me to be an island. To this headland I
gave the name of Cape Cochrane, after Admiral Cochrane of
the English navy, under whose direction I spent three of the
most profitable years of my service: it may easily be known by
its form, but more particularly by a round conical hill which
lies behind it, and from whence the land suddenly falls away fo
the eastward ; but the surest mark of this part of the coast is a
high peak parallel with Cape Cochrane. From this cape lying by
observation in latitude 31° 51' 00" and longitude 228° 33' 30";
the coast of the island of Kiusiu” assumes quite a southerly
direction, which indeed it does from Cape Tschirikoff. The
land to the northward of Cape Cochrane is much higher than
to the southward : but the coast in this latter direction is dis-
tinguishable by a high hill with a flat summit, and still farther
to the south, by three hills of moderate height, and at a short
* There was no doubt that the land we saw was part of the island of Kiusiu.
STAY AT KA Altsch ATRA A ND DE PARTURE FOR J A PAN. 233
distance from each other. At sun-set we were about fifteen
miles from the land, which now afforded us a clear and beauti-
ful prospect. It trended from the N. W. 15° to S. W. 65° where
a pretty lofty promontory bounded our view. In the west we
saw a very conspicuous land, stretching for about ten miles
from north to south, and having quite the appearance of a long
narrow island ; although this was my opinion as well as that of
many persons on board, it is equally probable that it was con-
nected with the main. The northern point of this headland
was in 31°48, its southern point in latitude 31° 38' and lon-
gitude 228° 30'.
About ten o’clock a gentle breeze sprang up at E. N. E. and
we steered under easy sail to the south-east. At four the next
morning it blew fresh from N. by E. and I now directed my
course to the land. Although the ship had been driven by a
strong current far to the southward, we were, nevertheless, at
day break in such a situation that we could combine our bear-
ings with those of yesterday. The cape we had seen yesterday
evening bearing W. S. W. now bore N. W. 37", projecting very
much to the S. E. and apparently of considerable height. This
promontory I called D'Anville, after the celebrated French
geographer, to whom this science is infinitely indebted; and
whom the eloquent Gibbon calls the prince of geographers,
although none have hitherto thought of introducing his
name in their charts. From Cape D'Anville, which is by
our observations in latitude 31° 27' 30", and longitude 228°
32'45", the coast trends rather to the westward, till it reaches
another point which appeared to me to be an island, and
II H
234. K R Us ENSTERN's vo YAG E ROUND THE WORLD.
forms the north-east extreme of a great bay that we per-
ceived about seven o'clock. As this bay, as far as the eye
could reach, appeared to be perfectly clear, and as I believed
at that time in the existence of the island of Likeo, I expected
to find here the passage, which, according to Arrowsmith's
charts, leads between that island and Tenegasima.” With re-
gard to the land to the S.W. of this great bay, I had no kind
of doubt of its being the island of Likeo; and the perfect agree-
ment in respect to their latitude at that time, fully persuaded
me that I was right in my conjectures. During my stay at
Nangasaky, however, I convinced myself through the Japa-
nese, that the land that forms the north side of the straits of
Van Diemen is not Likeo, but the province of Satzuma, as it is
denominated in D'Anville's charts. I long had suspected some
mistake upon this head, and asked almost all the interpreters
of the Dutch factory about it. The well known situation of
Volcano island ; our vicinity to this coast, which had been ob-
served ; ; and the positive assurance of the Japanese, of there
being no large island near Japan called Likeo, have convinced
me of the non-existence of this island, which the English charts
describe to the north, and the French to the southward of the
straits of Van Diemen; and that this name belongs only to the
-º-
* In a later edition of Arrowsmith's large chart of the South Sea, in mine sheets,
the straits of Van Diemen, and the islands of Tenegasima and Likeo are quite omitted.
Arrowsmith has only preserved the island of Tanao-sima in 30°48' N. and 131° 08'
E. *
+ From the moment in which we were first seen, that is to say, from the 3d Octo-
ber, boats were daily sent to the governor of Nangasaky, so that the Japanese were
perfectly acquainted with our route.
i
*,
STAY AT KAMTSCII ATKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 235
group of which the largest lies in nearly 27° of latitude. Ac-
cording to these inquiries I have called the southern part of
Kiusiu, Satzuma, omitting altogether the name of Likeo. The
Japanese assert that the king of the Likeo islands, whose resi-
dence is in the large island bearing this name, and whom they
describe as very rich and powerful, is dependent on the Em-
peror of Japan ; that whenever a new emperor ascends the
throne, he is required to send an ambassador to Jeddo; and that
these islands belong to the province of the Prince of Satzuma,
whom, in case of any war, the king is expected to support with
a powerful fleet. At the same time they do not deny that the
kings of Likeo acknowledge a subjection to the emperors
of China, and pay a tribute to both of them in order to
preserve peace; for, according to the reports of the Japanese,
the Likeors are of a goodnatured and gentle disposition, and
great lovers of peace ; and in this respect were compared by
them to women. This asserted dependence of the Likeors
on the Japanese, though to me very doubtful, and the little
geographical knowledge of the latter, as well as their total
ignorance in respect to the calculation of distances,” are per-
haps the reason why the Japanese have placed the Likeo
islands in their charts much nearer to their coast than they
really are. The first Europeans who gave us charts of Japan,
eopied those of the natives with all their errors, and this has led
modern geographers to confound some of the Likeo islands with
the islands of Jacomo-sima and Tenega-sima, which lie opposite the
* I did not meet with a single interpreter who could tell me accurately the distance
from Satzuma to Likeo.
II II 2
236 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
coast of Satsuma at a distance from twenty-five to thirty miles, and
form the south shores of the straits of Van Diemen.
About eleven o’clock we had approached within fifteen miles
of this supposed passage, where we now saw some small islands,
and presently afterwards remarked that it was inclosed on all
sides by the land. I conceived that any farther search for a
passage between these islands (which we have since learnt does
not exist) would be attended with a loss of time, particularly
as the wind was not favourable to our entering the bay ; and I
feared that the well known jealousy of the Japanese, who have
forbidden the Russians, as well as other nations, from approach-
ing their coast any where else than at Nangasaky, might have
been so offended at such an inland navigation, as to endanger
the success of our embassy. I therefore gave up this attempt,
and held my course about eleven o'clock W. by S. towards the
south-east point of Satzuma. At this moment Cape D'Anville
bore N. W. 6°, and the south-west point of the bay, which I have
called Cape Nagaeff, in memory of the first Russian hydrogra-
pher, and which lies in 31° 15' 15" N. and 228° 49' W. bore
N. W. 60°. A very lofty mountain, the highest of any that we
had seen upon the coast of Japan, bore N. W. 26° of us. The
middle of this mountain, near to which were two others of
nearly the same height, lies in 31° 41' N. and 228° 48' W.; this
I have distinguished by the name of my friend Schubert, the
celebrated astronomer.
The width of the bay, the proper name of which I was un-
able to learn, from Cape Nagaeff to the north-east point, bearing
nearly N. E. and S. W. of each other, is at least ten miles, and
STAY AT KAMTSCIIATKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 237
d
its depth fifteen ; but although the water entirely changed its
colour, we had no soundings with a line of 120 fathoms.
We had scarcely shaped our course to the south-east point of
Satzuma when we saw land in the S. W. which I conceived
to be the island of Tanao-sima, marked in Arrowsmith's chart
as forming the south side of the straits of Van Diemen. The
proper name of this island, as I learnt at Nangasaky, is Jaco-
nosima, and it is very much visited by the people of that place
on account of its timber. I was assured that all the planks we
obtained there, with the exception of the camphire wood, were
brought from thence: it is very low, and resembled, as we
first caught sight of it, the island of Lavensaar in the Gulph of
Finland. The tops of the trees only appeared above water,
and it was not until we were a good way within the straits of
Van Diemen, that we could see the whole of the island. It is
entirely flat, and completely overgrown with wood, which gives
it an agreeable appearance ; is about eighteen miles long, and
lies nearly N. and S., and its greatest breadth is about one
third of its length. About the middle this width is diminished
nearly half by two bays on the east and west sides, which makes
it at a little distance look like two islands. Its northern ex-
tremity lies in latitude 30° 42' 30", and in longitude 229°00';
the south point in 30°24'00' N.
Towards noon the south-east point of Satzuma bore nearly
due W., distant about twenty miles. The latitude, which at
this moment was observed with the greatest accuracy, was 31°4'
40' N. and the longitude at the same time 228° 40'. Shortly
after noon there appeared in the S. W., behind the island of
238 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AG e Rou ND THE WORLD.
Jaconosima, and at a great distance, some very high moun-
tainous land that seemed to be of a greater circumference.
Captain Colnett, who sailed between the islands of Usasima
and Kikiay, must have seen this island,” the name of which, as
I am informed by the Japanese interpreters, is Tenegasima, the
same as it bears in our chart. The middle of this island was in
latitude 30° 23' and longitude 229° 30' 00" W.
About two o'clock we had soundings with a line of seventy-
five fathoms: grey sand, with black and yellow spots, and
broken muscle shells. The wind now died gradually away,
and we got into a ripple or partition of the water, which was
occasioned by a change of the tide. It advanced quite in a
direct line towards us, bringing a quantity of grass, pumice
stone, broken pieces of wood and planks. The ship would not
answer the helm, but drove to the northward towards the shore.
About half past four the strength of the current had abated so
much, that she again became manageable, and I shaped my
course to the south-west, parallel with the coast. A small, but
lofty island, with a broad double summit, immediately recog-
nized by us to be Volcano island, soon hove in sight, and some
small islands, as well as the south end of Satzuma, were visible
from the mast head. As the night was clear and the wind mo-
derate, I did not bring-to, but continued my course under
very easy sail. Fires were lighted upon Satzuma, and in differ-
ent places on Jaconosima, so that with very little attention our
navigation during the night was perfectly safe. The lead was
* Arrowsmith has omitted the islands Usa-sima and Kikiay, and those which Col-
Jett probably called Pinnacle islands, in his new chart.
STAY AT KAMTsch ATKA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 239
hove every half hour, and showed a depth of from fifty to sixty
fathoms, over a ground of the same description as we had found
at the entrance of the straits. The number of fires kept
burning, served probably as signals; the appearance of a large
European ship no doubt causing a great sensation among so
timid a people. At day-break we saw a small island, which I
have named Seriphos. It was merely a naked rock, about half
a mile in diameter. Well to the westward of this island, at the
distance of about twenty-four miles, is Volcano island, with
another very near it to the eastward, of almost the same height,
that obtained the name of Apollo. A fourth, fifteen miles
south of Volcano, and about six miles in circumference, I
called Julie. Farther to the westward we saw another exceed-
ing all those which I have mentioned in point of size, and to
which I gave the name of St. Claire in our chart. As I had
seen in some charts an island of this name on the south-east
coast of Japan,” I conceived it useful to distinguish the other
islands which lie in the straits of Van Diemen with names,
as notwithstanding all my endeavours in Nangasaky, I was un-
able to learn them properly in Japanese. The following is the
longitude and latitude of the five above-mentioned, determined
by astronomical observations.
Volcano island - 30° 43' 00" N. 229° 43' 20" W.
Seriphos - - - 30° 43' 30" N. 229° 15' 30" W.
Apollo - - - - 30° 43' 45" N. 229° 36' 00" W.
Julie - - - - 30° 27' 00" N. 229° 46' 30" W.
St. Claire -
- - 30° 45' 15" N. 229° 05' 45" W.
* The island of St. Claire is also omitted in Arrowsmith's new chart.
240 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE wo RLD.
At seven in the morning the south end of Satzuma bore
nearly N. This cape, which lies in latitude 80° 56'45" and
longitude 229° 23' 30", consists of a broken mass of rocks,
stretching out to the southward, near which there are two
smaller rocks, one pointed, and the other of a circular form.
This promontory I have called Cape Tschitschagoff, after the
meritorious admiral of that name, who has acquired so honour-
able a place in the annals of Russian navigation, by his voyage
to the north pole, and his victories over the Swedish fleet.
We had scarce weathered Cape Tschitschagoff, the southern
point of Satzuma, when we perceived a lofty mountain of a
conical form, the base of which was quite at the water's edge;
I called it, after our astronomer, Peak Horner, and it lies in lati-
tude 31°9' 30" and longitude 229° 32' 00". The situation of
this remarkable mountain was ascertained with the greatest
precision by Dr. Horner; and this and Volcano island form
two unerring marks of the straits of Van Diemen, In the N.
E. a large bay opened upon us, extending far to the northward
and having apparently a passage in that direction, though it
probably is bounded there. This bay, of which Cape Tschits-
chagoff forms the south-east point, and Peak Horner the north-
west, had a vory picturesque appearance, a number of small
islands lying in irregular shapes on the north-west side of it,
two of which, forming a large bow in appearance, were very
remarkable. The whole bay, excepting to the north, is sur-
rounded by high mountains, whose summits were covered with
the most beautiful verdure. Peak Horner stands on a point of
land, and seemed to rise out of the sea, adding very much to
the picturesque appearance of the country.
st a y AT KAMTscil ATKA AND DEPARTURE Fo R J A PAN. 24!
I now steered N. W. A. W. towards a point of land form-
ing, on the other side of the above rentioned peak, another
very beautiful bay, and divided into two parts by the land to
the northward projecting very far forward. The western bay,
where there was a small town, was surrounded by a charming
valley, divided into large fields and regular plantations of
large trees. A high pointed needle rock stands at a short dis-
tance from the shore, and forms the entrance to this small bay.
in which some vessels were lying at anchor. Behind the valley
and far inland, was a mountain of a regular and unbroken ap-
pearance, from the middle of which arose a lofty peak. Our
latitude at noon was by observation 31°9' 17" N. and agreed
very nearly with that of our reckoning ; a proof that the cur-
rents, which are so strong as to render the ship, when there is
but little wind, quite ungovernable, proceed from a regular
change of ebb and flood. By our observations it is high water
in the straits of Van Diemen at nine o'clock at new and full
moon, the flood setting from the south-west, the ebb from north-
east. Until seven o'clock we had alternately a perfect calm,
and a very moderate breeze, it was therefore nine o'clock before
we could weather a large promontory, after passing which, the
coast of Satzuma takes a north-west direction.
The south-east side of Satzuma from its south-east cztremitv,
takes nearly a north-east by north and south-west by south di-
rection. Behind this extremity there is a bay to the westward :
all the shore was apparently formed of craggy rocks, and I very
much doubt whether there is any anchoring place on this side ;
the land is mountainous, but not particularly distinguishable on
account of its height. On the east side of Cape Tschitschagoff
I I
24.2 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Roun D THE wor L.D.
the coast assumes a much more beautiful appearance, the
country descending gradually to the shore, where there are se-
veral small bays, and this part, that seemed to be the most fruit-
ful, is probably the best inhabited, of which the number of
fires kindled along the coast during the night, and the quantity
of boats we saw rowing and sailing about, afforded a sufficient
demonstration. The distance from Cape Nagaeff to Cape
Tschitschagoff, that is to say, from the east to the southern-
most point, is thirty-four miles: from this latter point the direc-
tion of the coast to Peak Horner is N.W. by N.; and from this
to another forming the south-west point, nearly W. : and it is
here the bay which I have mentioned is situated. This part of
Satzuma is particularly beautiful ; and as we sailed along at a
very trifling distance from the land, we had a distinct and per-
fect view of the various picturesque situations that rapidly suc-
ceed each other. The whole country consists of high pointed
hills, at one time appearing in the form of pyramids, at others
of a globular or conical form, and seeming as it were under the
protection of some neighbouring mountain, such as Peak Horner,
or another lying north by west of it, and even a third farther
inland. Liberal as nature has been in the adornment of these
parts, the industry of the Japanese seems not a little to have
contributed to their beauty; for nothing indeed can equal the
extrordinary degree of cultivation every where apparent. That
all the vallies upon this coast should be most carefully cultivated
would not so much have surprised us, as in the countries of
Europe, where agriculture is not despised, it is seldom that any
piece of land is left neglected; but we here found not only the
mountains covered to their very summits with the most beau-
tiful fields and plantations, but even the very rocks by the sea
ST A Y A T KAMTsch ATKA AND DEPARTURE Fort J A PAN. 243
side, forming a striking as well as singular contrast, by the
opposition of their dark, grey, and blue colour to that of the
most lively verdure. Another object that excited our aston-
ishment was an alley of high trees, stretching over hill and dale
along the coast, as far as the eye could reach, with arbours at
certain distances, probably for the weary traveller, for whom
these must have been constructed, to rest himself in, an atten-
tion which cannot well be exceeded. These alleys are not
uncommon in Japan, for we saw a similar one in the vicinity of
Nangasaky, and another in the island of Meac-sima.
From the south-west point the direction of the coast is N. W.
by N. ending in a large promontory, that forms the western
extremity of Satzuma. This promontory, which I have called
Cape Tschesma, in memory of the famous and total de-
struction of the Turkish by the Russian fleet, lies in 31° 24′ 00"
N. and 229° 58' 00" W. There are several projecting points of
land forming small bights, from which reefs of rocks run a
short distance into the sea, between these two promontories."
We sailed by in the night and could not therefore take any
distinct survey of Cape Tschesma, although we saw this pro-
montory sufficiently distinct the next morning to be able to
ascertain its position with tolerable accuracy. From Cape
Tschesma, the coast again runs due east, forming to the north
a large bay, that lies nearly at the back of the one we had seen
the day before on the east side. Had I not fully persuaded
myself during my stay at Nangasaky, that Satzuma formed
part of Kiusiu, I should have supposed a communication be-
tween these two bays; but there can be no doubt, though I
did not examine either of them, that all this part joins to the
T I 2
944 K R USENSTERN's Vox AG E Rou ND THE won LD.
main land. The greatest length of Satzuma, namely, from
Cape Satzuma to Cape Tschesma, which lie nearly east and
west of each other, is sixty miles, and its extreme width from
Cape Tschitschagoff to the farthest land we were able to follow
with the eye to the northward, is thirty-six miles; very nearly
the dimensions of the island of Likeo, as it is laid down in Ar-
rowsmith's chart.
A short time before sun-set on the 5th October, as we sailed
parallel with the south-west coast of Satzuma, we saw in the
north-west a high land looking like an island, which we
afterwards learnt was the island of Meac-sima. I steered
during the night towards it under easy sail, and we were at
day-break about six miles from its south-west extremity:
Cape Tschesma at the time bearing E. S. E. eighteen miles
distant. We discovered besides two small islands, one of which
was merely a rock; but the other was of a circular form,
and about three miles in circumference. These two rocky
islands, which I have called Symplegades, lie in a north-east
and south-west direction of each other, and are separated by
a channel about six miles wide. The north-easternmost, in
latitude 31° 30', and longitude 230° 18' 20", lies S. E. 20° dis-
tant about six miles from the south-west point of Meac-sima.
The one to the south-westward lies in latitude 31°26, and lon-
gitude 230° 22' 30". To the north-east we had seen a large pro-
montory that, together with Cape Tschesma formed the bay
on the west side of Satzuma, of which I have already spoken,
and which I shall call Satzuma bay. The distance between
these two promontories, which lie north and south of each
other, is eighteen miles. In this bay there appeared to be se-
sTAY AT KAMTSCII A TKA AND DE PART Ur E FOR J A PAN. 245
veral smaller ones, where there must be excellent harbours, as
even the large one is nearly enclosed by the land. Here, too,
from what I was able to learn from the Japanese interpreters,
is the chief harbour of the province, and the residence of the
Prince of Satzuma. This harbour, whose name the interpreters
could not tell me, is probably Cango-sima, where in 1542, ac-
cording to Charlevoix, the three Portugueze, Antonio Mota,
Francisco Zeimota, and Antonio Pexoti, landed, having been
driven in a gale upon the coast of Satzuma, and from which
St. Francisco Xavier sailed in 1550 to Firando.
The land that surrounds Satzuma bay is very mountainous ;
and a high land is particularly distinguishable to the north-
ward, upon which runs a line of mountains of a wavy form,
having a high peak in the center of them, the same that we
saw the day before. To the north-westward of these there is a
double peak, adjoining to a table mountain, from whence a
constant smoke ascends. This, from its description, seems to
be the Unga mountain, so remarkable during the persecution
of the Christians in Japan; for it was to this place that the
unfortunate enthusiasts, to whom the Jesuits had imparted
their religious delirium, were brought, and afterwards plunged,
if they persisted in not returning to the religion of their fore-
fathers, into the crater of the volcano. Its situation is in lati-
tude 31° 43', and longitude 229°46. The promontory which
forms the north point of Satzuma I have called Cape Kagul,
in memory of the glorious victory obtained by Field Marshal
Romanzow over a very superior Turkish army. It lies in lati-
tude 31°42'20", and longitude 229° 53. Between Cape Kagul
and the north-east side of Meac-sima there appeared a passage,
246 K R USEN STERN's Voy A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
seemingly more than ten miles wide, and I now bent my course
towards it. As we approached it, we perceived that the coast
from Cape Kagul first assumes quite a northerly direction,
but afterwards runs more to the westward ; and that from
the north-east point of Meac-sima a number of small rocky
islands extend in the same direction with the coast, viz.
N. E. and S. W. forming a reef as far as the eye can reach.
Among these rocks, which are almost all white, there was
one particularly remarkable, in the form of a tower, having
two high trees on the top of it. Our hopes of finding a pas-
sage here were considerably diminished ; but so long as the
wind, that blew pretty fresh from the south-east, should
hold, I was resolved not to give up my purpose of examining
this entrance more closely. About noon the wind fell and be-
came changeable, and at two o'clock, as we could no longer
expect to obtain before night a thorough knowledge of this
part, and must consequently be obliged to wait for the next
morning, I gave up this intention, and held my course to the
south in order to weather the south-west point of the island.
At this time our distance from its north-east extremity was
three miles, and we had soundings with a line of forty fathoms
on a bottom of clay with sand and coral. We now for the
second time sailed along the coast, and had therefore the best
possible opportunity of surveying this side of the island with
accuracy.
Meac-Sima is very incorrectly placed in all the charts, as
well with regard to its position, as the direction in which it
lies. In some it does not exist at all, in others it is represent-
ed as a small island at a distance of seventy-five miles from the
stay at KAMTsch ATRA AND DEPARTURE FOR J A PAN. 247
coast of Japan. We found it to consist of several small islands
lying so close to each other, that the different channels that
divide them can only be seen at a very short distance. These
channels must form excellent ports for small vessels, at least
if we may judge from the number of them that were sailing
from all directions towards the island, and immediately disap-
peared either in the channels themselves or behind the rocks.
This whole island is formed of rocks, but the industry of the
Japanese is apparent even here, for green fields and plantations
of trees are to be seen on all sides, and, as in Satzuma,
there is a long alley of trees that is carried over some pretty
lofty hills. The greatest length of this island in a north-east
and south-west direction is eighteen miles, without reckoning
the small ones and rocks that run out in a straight line from
the north-east point as far as the eye can reach. Its width
bears no proportion to its length. The south-west part, the wi-
dest half of the island, is not more than four miles. The south-
west point lies in latitude 31° 35' 30", and longitude 230°20',
the north-east point in 31°49' and 230°9'. Comparing the la-
titude of the center 31° 43' with that of the island of Meac-
sima as laid down in Arrowsmith's charts, no difference appears
between them, and but very little in the longitude. But its
size is there diminished by at least a quarter, and instead of
the seventy-five miles, at which distance it is placed in that
chart from the coast of Japan, there is only a narrow passage,
at the most, of five miles between the coast and the reef of
rocks that join the island. The Dutch, who every year sail by
IMeac-sima, have probably placed it more correctly in their
charts; but as these are never imparted to the world, the geo-
graphers of Europe will derive the first accurate knowledge of
348 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
the coast of Japan from a nation from whom they perhaps the
least expected it.
During the whole day we were surrounded by a number of
small Japanese vessels that sailed about us in different direc-
tions, never approaching near enough to speak with us, but on
the contrary most carefully avoiding us. We made signs to
them and hailed them by their countrymen, but all in vain.
As they are forbidden the least intercourse with strangers, and,
on this account dare not give any answer even to the most
simple question; we would not bring them into danger by calling
them any longer, although we could not help wondering at the
absolute dependence and great self-denial of these people.
A little before dark we perceived a shelf rising from a group
of black pointed rocks, which lies in latitude 31°42'20", and
longitude 230 26 30", 7 miles N. W. 39° from the S. W. point of
Meac-sima. These I called the rocks of Nadeshda. At day-
break we saw land to the northward, and recognised it to be
the Gotto islands, and two small rocky islands, one of which is
flat, but the other lying about one mile to the southward of it,
and about two miles in circumference, is pretty high and has
two hills upon it. These are probably the same that are called
Asses-ears in Arrowsmith's charts. They lie in 32° 2' 30" N.
and 231° 23' 30" W.; from Cape Gotto S. W. 9", 33 miles, and
from the south-west point of Meac-sima N. W. 65, 58 miles.
The variation of the compass we this day found to be 55 W.
About noon our latitude by observation was 32° 22'3", Cape
Gotto at that time bearing N. W. 39', and the northern extre-
mity of this chain of islands N. E. 14". At four o'clock in the
st Ay AT RAM. Tsch ATKA AND DEPARTURE Fort J A PAN. 249
afternoon we were three miles nearer to the shore, and as the
wind was moderate and the current ran strong to the north-east,
I put the ship about. We saw too little of the Gotto islands
to enable me to say any thing satisfactory with regard to them,
and, upon our departure next year from Nangasaky, the stormy
and misty weather prevented our seeing them at all : Cape
Gotto, the south-western point of these, as indeed of all the Ja-
panese islands, was however determined very correctly ; it lies
in latitude 32° 34' 50", and longitude 231° 16' 00". The Gotto
islands form, to all appearance, a large, connected, and very
mountainous country, stretching from W. S. W. to E. N. E.
and in front of which there are a number of small islands all
highly cultivated. In no place is there a spot to be seen, that
is not covered with the most beautiful verdure.* These small
islands are connected with rocks, among which, one of conside-
rable size lying in latitude 32° 34' is distinguishable, as it
appears to have been split into three parts, and I therefore
called it treble-cleft rock.
*
I now steered with a moderate north-east wind, which did not
freshen till towards the evening, under all sail E. S. E. The
wind shifted in the course of the night, allowing us to lay
N. E. : at day-break we saw that part of Kiusiu where Nanga-
saky is situated, right a-head of us. In the S. we perceived two
high promontories, the southernmost in 32° 30' N. and 280° 11
W. The northernmost one, projecting more to the west, is very
high, and formed by a double mountain, and lies in latitude
—k-
* In the Japanese charts they form a chain of islands, reaching to the island of Iky.
of which the largest lies most to the S. W.
K I
250 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE W or Lp.
32° 35' 10", and longitude 230° 17' 30". This probably is Cape
Nomo, described in some old charts as the southernmost point
of the land to which Nangasaky belongs, and forming, with
Cape Seurote, the two points of a bay in which that town is
situated ; this I have called Kiusiu bay, after the name of the
whole island. It is full of islands and rocks, and the coast of
Cape Nomo, until you get within the entrance of the bay, is
very dangerous; as we did not find the harbour so much to
the south, viz. 32° 32' N. as we expected it to be from the
general plans, we sailed parallel with the coast at a short
distance from these rocks, of which we saw several on the
northern coast. Outside of the northern point of the bay of
Kiusiu, were some islands which are probably a continua-
tion of the Gottos, and form a chain stretching away to the
N. E.; from Cape Nomo to the entrance of Nangasaky there
were several small bights behind the rocks, bordered by the
most beautiful vallies. The land in general bore decided proofs
of the most diligent cultivation, affording a beautiful prospect,
improved by the very long avenues of trees: behind the
vallies bordering on the coast, the land to the northward
formed itself into a chain of mountains. About noon we were
by observation in 32° 36' 40" N. but still to the southward of
Nangasaky. A boat now came along side, having a Japanese
officer on board, which, after putting some questions to us, im-
mediately returned ; nearly two hours after another boat come
to us, and continued with us until about half past five, when
we came to an anchor at the entrance of Nangasaky bay in
thirty-three fathoms water, over a bottom of fine grey sand, the
north-west end of the island of Iwo-sima bearing S. W. 13°,
Papenberg S. E. 74°, Cape Facunda N. E. 55, our distance
from the nearest land being about three quarters of a milc.
( 251 )
CHAPTER XII.
ST A Y AT J A PA. N.
Reception of the Russians at Nangasaky—Our Disappointment—Mistrustful Steps
of the Japanese Government—The Ambassador quits the Ship—Description of
Megasaky, the Ambassador's Residence—The Nadeshda is carried inſo the Inner
Harbour—Departure of a Chinese Fleet, and of two Dutch Ships—Some Account
of the Chinese Commerce with Japan–Observations of an Eclipse of the Moon—
Remarks on the Astronomical Knowledge of the Japanese—Unsuccessful Attempt of
one of the Japanese brought from Russia to kill himself—Probable Reasons for this
Attempt—Arrival of a Damio, or Nobleman, from Jeddo—The Ambassador's Au-
dience with this Commissioner—Conclusion of all Diplomatic Business—Permission
to return to Kamtschatka—The Nadeshda quits Nangasaky.
Every one knows the insulting jealousy which is observed
towards strangers in Japan ; we had no right to expect a more
favorable treatment than other nations; yet, as we had an am-
bassador on board, who was sent merely with assurances of,
friendship, by the monarch of a powerful empire, bordering
upon these people so suspicious in their politics, we hoped not
to be received unfavorably. We expected that many liberties
would be allowed us, which would in some degree alleviate
our stay here, and render less irksome our long inactivity, (for
we calculated upon spending at least six months here,) by the
opportunity we should have of acquiring some information
on this little known country, upon which the only Europeans
competent to impart any knowledge concerning it, have,
during the last two hundred years, made a rule not to
publish any thing. Within this period, indeed, two travellers
R K 2
252 K R USENSTERN's vo Y AG E ROUND THE wor L.D.
have published their remarks upon Japan; and although
both of them, comparatively speaking, were but a short time
in this country, their accounts are undoubtedly important,
being the only ones since the extirpation of the Christians, from
which period the accounts of the Jesuits cease. They were,
however, neither of them Dutch ; so that Europe owes nothing
to this nation, with respect to a knowledge of the Japanese em-
pire. Does this proceed from fear that such a liberty would be
severely reprehended by the government of Japan 2 or does it
originate in indolence or policy The first reason alone could
exculpate them, if it were known that this government had
disapproved of the writings of Kämpfer and Thunberg, which
are well known to the Dutch interpreters, the spies of the Ja-
panese government; and that they had expressly forbidden the
Dutch to write any thing upon this government. But this is
not the case. They have never even published a decent map of
the situation of Firando and Nangasaky, Kämpfer's copy of a
bad Japanese plan being the only one that is known ; nor have
we learnt from them the situation of the islands in the vicinity of
Nangasaky, much less of those between this place and Formosa,
parts which are yearly visited by two Dutch ships. The Japa-
nese could not possibly consider it as a crime, that they should
make known correctly the situation of these places, and I
cannot help attributing this reserve of the Dutch to a ridicu-
lous, mean, and at all events a very useless policy, contrary
to the spirit of a philosophical age, and unbecoming a re-
publican government. Has the trade of England suffered at
all by the liberality of her government, or has that of the Dutch
gained any thing by their disgusting secrecy P. The state of
English and Dutch commerce is too well known to every one to
render it necessary that I should carry the comparison farther.
S.T.A. Y. A T J A PA. N. 253
* *
The reader will pardon me this involuntary digression ; I now
return to our reception at Nangasaky.
Although we certainly expected to be allowed more liberty
than the Dutch enjoy here, we found ourselves greatly mistaken.
This trifling freedom, which can only be called so when compared
with our confined state on board the ship, and which appeared to
us at first so despicable, that we should have rejected it with scorn,
if it had been offered to us on condition that we should demand
no more ; even this little was entirely denied us, and the time of
our stay here was literally a confinement, from which the am-
bassador was no more exempted, than the meanest sailor in the
ship. It will therefore easily be seen, how impossible it was
for those who continued on board, to obtain even the slightest
information ; the Dutch interpreters, the only sources from
whence this was to be derived, not daring to approach the ship
during the ambassador's stay on shore.” The reader must not
therefore expect any satisfactory aceount of Japan from me,
although we continued above six months there, as I can only
relate, in the order in which they occurred, those circum-
stances which in some measure tended to break the monotony
of our situation. The greater part of these are indeed of no
importance ; but I do not think it right to omit them, not only
because every thing relating to a country so little known as this
is, must possess a certain degree of interest, but as some
general inferences may be drawn from a true, though dry and
unentertaining narrative of facts.
* Only some of the lowest of the class of interpreters came on board to remove the
presents, and unload the ship's provisions. *
254 K R Us ENST E R N's voy. A G E ſtou N 1) TII E WORLD.
A short account of our confinement, and of the mistrustful
conduct in general of the Japanese, without omitting such
trifling favours as were shown to our ambassador, and which
were entirely unprecedented in Japan, may therefore not be
superfluous.
The first great proof of their jealousy was evinced in their
taking from us all our powder and fire-arms, even to the fowling
pieces belonging to the officers, among which were some of
considerable value; and it was not until after four months' con-
stant entreaties and representations that these latter were re-
turned to them in order to be cleaned, though many of them
were entirely destroyed by the time they were restored. The
officers were indeed allowed to retain their swords, a favour
which was never shown to the Dutch, and the soldiers were
permitted to keep their musquets and bayonets. This last
the Dutch have never been in a condition to demand, since
they have always had the precaution not to show themselves
here with a similar military attendance; but what really
astonished me was, that the ambassador was not only allowed
to carry his guard on shore with him, but that these were even
permitted to retain their fire-arms. This favour was indeed
granted to him with great reluctance, and the interpreters endea-
voured, during several days, to prevail on him to yield up this
point. They represented to him that it was not only against the
laws of the country, but that it would shock the people to see
armed soldiers of another nation in their country; that such a case
had hitherto never occurred, and that it would be dangerous to
comply with the demand; but when they ſound that these
reasons could not induce the ambassador to forego his guard,
STAY AT J A PAN. 255
they strove to prevail on him to take only half the number on
shore, but in this too he would not give way. That they should
not allow the armed soldiers of a foreign nation to land in their
country was perhaps the most pardonable of their pretensions;
for even in the most enlightened countries of Europe this
practice is unknown, and no ambassador has hitherto consi-
dered it as an affront to enter a foreign country without soldiers.
The case was however too important for the governor to decide
upon; and as a whole month was spent in negotiating it before
the ambassador was allowed to land, it is most probable that a
courier was sent on this account to Jeddo or Miaco for in-
structions.
After this small triumph over the Japanese, I must return to
the insults they obliged us to submit to in the full extent of the
word. We were not only forbidden to go on shore, but not even
allowed to row about within a short distance of the ship, nor was
it until after a six weeks’ negotiation that a place was granted us,
at a trifling distance, as a walk, and this only in consideration
of the pretended illness of the ambassador. This place was
close to the shore in a confined bay and was shut in on the
land side by a high wall of bamboos; and although its whole
length did not exceed an hundred paces, and its width at the
most was forty, there were two watch-houses erected in its inn-
mediate vicinity. One single tree, but not a blade of grass,
adorned this promenade, which was entirely upon a rocky
ground. This place of course could not answer its intended
purpose, nor was it used as such; but it was of great advantage
for our astronomical observations which the Japanese did not
in any way attempt to disturb. As soon as any boat put off
2.56 l, R USEN ST E R N's voy. A G E Rou N D T H E wo RLD.
from the ship, for Kibatsch, for so this promenade was called,
a fleet of ten or fifteen vessels immediately put themselves in
motion, surrounding the boat on all sides, and in this same
manner it was conducted back again.
The acquaintance which I had formed on the first day of our
arrival with the captains of the Dutch ships, made a continua-
tion of our intercourse very desirable, but I was never allowed
to visit them, nor was any Dutchman permitted to come on
board our ship. The barbarous intolerance of the Japanese
government even went so far, as to forbid our forwarding let-
ters by the ships going to Batavia, thus depriving us of the
pleasure of sending to our families an account of our welfare.
The ambassador alone was allowed to transmit a report to the
emperor, but he was obliged to content himself with merely
giving a short account of our passage from Kamtschatka to Nan-
gasaky, and to acquaint his Majesty with the welfare of all persons
on board his ship. This letter to the emperor was to be translated
by the interpreters into Dutch, and a copy of the original left
with the governors, written with such accuracy that every line
was to terminate with the same letter as the original. This copy
was delivered to the governor, and the original, after they had
been compared together, was sent on board by two of his se-
cretaries, in whose presence it was sealed. When the Dutch
ships sailed we were ordered upon no account to send a boat off
to them : and when I wished Captains Musquetier and Belmark
a happy voyage, as they passed by me, and inquired after
their health, the only answer I received was a sign with their
speaking trumpet; for which the chief of the Dutch factory
apologized in a letter to the ambassador, saying that the cap-
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 257
tains had been most positively forbidden to utter the least
sound in answer to our questions. It is impossible to find words
capable of expressing how shameful and barbarous such a con-
duct appears; and how much it is to be regretted that an en-
lightened European nation, owing its political existence to
a love of freedom, and which has acquired celebrity by great
actions, should so far debase itself from a desire of gain as to
attend with submission and devotion to the hateful commands of
a set of slaves. It is shocking, beyond description, to see brave
men for several minutes in the most abject position before a
banjos, who frequently belongs to the lowest of the people,
and who does not return, even with a nod, the mark of respect
which is paid to him.
When the ambassador at length received permission to land,
a considerable building was appointed for his residence: but
the seven towers of Constantinople are hardly so well guarded
as our Megasaky, for this was the name of the Russian Dezi-
ma.* The house was situated upon a neck of land so near the
sea, that on the south and east sides the water at high tide came
close under the windows. When I say windows, indeed, I
make use of an improper expression ; for this word can scarcely
apply to a square space about a foot wide, provided with a
double lattice work, and which therefore admitted but very
little light into the room. A high bamboo fence surrounded
the whole building, not only towards the land, but even on the
sea-face in spite of the waves; the protection of which the
* Dezima is the name of the small island upon which the Dutch factory is
situated.
J. J.
2.5S I, R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
Japanese did not seem to consider sufficient. Besides these there
were two rows of bamboo canes carried from the door down to
the sea, as far as the tide ebbed ; in order, that when the boats
came from the ships they might only land between these canes,
a precaution which scarcely could answer any one purpose. A
large gate with double locks formed the entrance from the
water-side. An officer, whose station was near the ship, had the
keys of the outer locks, and another, who lived in Megasaky,
those of the inside ; and when any boat went on shore it was
necessary that the keeper of the outward keys should accom-
pany it to open his side, after which the inside was unlocked ;
and in like manner, when any one on shore was desirous of
going to the ship, the porter of Megasaky opened the inside,
when the vessel on board of which was the keeper of the outer
keys, had to repair to the house to perform the same duty.
Besides this precaution the gates were never left open upwards
of five minutes ; and though they sometimes knew that the per-
sons would return immediately, the porter would rather take the
trouble of locking and unlocking the gates again, than leave
them open during this length of time. The land-side was
guarded with a similar attention:—a strong locked gate being
the boundary of a very small yard attached to the ambassador's
house. As we had warehouses appropriated to us on the other
side of this gate, the watchmen found the locking and opening
too tiresome, and it was at last left entirely open ; but the se-
cond yard in front of these warehouses was surrounded by a row
of guardhouses. Twelve officers and their men relieved each
other daily in this duty, and three other entirely new buildings
were run up, to serve as the residence of other officers, whose only
employment must have been to keep a watchful look out upon
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 250
us and upon their own people. At short intervals, on the way to
the town, were gates, which were not only locked, but guarded.
During the latter part of our stay the two first were indeed
left open, but the guards never quitted them for a moment.
They counted always the number of persons who came on
shore, and the boat was never allowed to return without a simi-
lar number; and if any officer of the ship wished to pass the
night in Megasaky, one of the persons residing on shore was
obliged to go back in his stead ; and in like manner, when any
officer belonging to the ambassador's suite was desirous of sleep-
ing on board, some sailor had to fill his place on shore : for the
appointed number of persons residing there was neither to be
increased nor diminished, nor was any attention paid to their
quality in this respect, but only to their numbers.
As all the ship's boats stood in need of repairs, and I wished
to put a deck upon the long boat and to copper her bottom, I
requested to be allowed a place where we might haul them up
on shore. Such a place was certainly granted to us; but so
narrow and confined, that it was impossible to work at high
water, and it was entirely surrounded with bamboos like
Ribatsch, and two boats kept guard constantly while the car-
penters were at work. Nobody was allowed to take the least
walk, and as they refused us a place to erect our observatory,
we could not avail ourselves of the sight of the heavens, the
only object which their bamboos could not conceal from us.”
We were not allowed to pass the night in Kibatsch, so that no
instrument could be erected there, and all our observations were
* Even the mountains near Megasaky were surrounded with bamboos,
L L 2
260 KR USENSTERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND THE WO R L D.
reduced to lunar ones with corresponding altitudes, by means
of Hadley's sextants to ascertain the time.
If I here adduce a number of complaints of the mistrustful
conduct of the Japanese, I cannot deny, on the other hand,
that all my requests for such materials as were wanted for the
repairs of the ship were most punctually acceded to. Besides
this, the men were not only regularly provided with provisions,
but always with the best which could be procured in Nanga-
Saky, and in the quantity that I demanded. Before our de-
parture they furnished us with 8000 pounds of biscuit, as well
as every other kind of provision for two months, independent
of the presents from the emperor to the crew, of which I shall
speak hereafter ; but we were never allowed to purchase any
thing for money.
I now proceed to relate the circumstances which occurred
from the time of our arrival to that of our departure.
At the end of the foregoing chapter I mentioned that we
steered about four o'clock in the afternoon, in company with
a Japanese boat, towards Nangasaky, and anchored about half
past five at the entrance of the harbour. The same evening
about ten o’clock we received the visit of several magistrates,
or banjos, as they are called in Japan, from Nangasaky,
who, without waiting for an invitation, walked at once into
the cabin, and seated themselves on the carpet. Their ser-
vants placed a lanthorn in front of each of them, with a little
box containing their smoking apparatus, and a vessel with
coals to light their pipes, a very necessary article, in conse-
S'T A Y AT J A PA. N. 261
quence of the small size of the latter, which are emptied in
four or five whiffs. The attendants of these great men con-
sisted of about twenty persons, among whom were several
tolks, or Japanese interpreters of the Dutch language, who
questioned us very minutely upon the route we had taken since
leaving Cronstadt; but particularly whether we had come
through the straits of Corea, or along the east coast of Japan.
They appeared pleased to learn that we had taken the latter
course : and upon our departure from Japan we found that they
were very jealous of the passage between Corea and the Japa-
nese coast. The chief interpreter (whose name was Skiseyma)
eyinced some geographical knowledge, more at least than I ex-
pected to have met with from him. He knew that Teneriffe
belonged to the Canary islands, and St. Catharine's to Brazil;
yet I afterwards discovered, that he, as well as all the rest of
his colleagues, were extremely ignorant of the geography of
their own islands, or at all events pretended to be so. What,
however, struck them very much, and they would scarcely
give credit to, was, that our passage from Kamtschatka did not
occupy more than a month. The Opperhoofd, or director of
the Dutch factory, Myn Heer van Doeff, was also brought
along with the banjos ; but it was upwards of an hour before
he was permitted to come on board. He had scarcely entered
the cabin with his suite, consisting of his secretary, the two
captains of the Dutch ships that were here, and a Baron Pabst,
when they were all obliged to remain during several minutes in
an inclined posture, which they were called upon to do, by a
most insolent order from the interpreter: “Myn Heer Opperhoofd,
compliment voor de Opper Banjos " This submissive, and at the
same time degrading attention, was not answered even by a
mod. The compliments, as they are called, of the Dutch, are
&
262 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
Something between the bows of the Europeans and Japanese,
which last consist in throwing yourself flat on the ground,
touching the earth with your head, and crouching backwards
and forwards according as you may be spoken to by your supe-
rior. The Dutch would find great difficulty in casting them-
selves on the ground, owing to their clothes, and the pliability
of the body required in these prostrations cannot be expected
in people who are not brought up to it; but in order to imi-
tate the Japanese customs as much as possible, the Dutchman
must incline his body until it forms nearly the figure of a right
angle; and what is much more difficult, he must remain in this
position with his arms extended until he receives permission to
stand again in his natural posture, which is not until after a
lapse of some minutes. There must likewise be a difference in
the compliments which the Dutch pay in Jeddo from those
which we saw here; for we were told that previous to going there
all persons belonging to the embassies receive instructions in
bowing. The Japanese never ventured to propose this submis-
sion to us: upon their second visit, indeed, one of the inter-
preters, just after I had been addressed by the banjos, applied
his hand gently to my back ; but when this occasioned me to
look earnestly at him, he withdrew, nor did they ever renew the
attempt. About twelve o’clock they all retired, promising to
return the next day and carry the ship higher up the harbour:
about twenty vessels kept guard around her: their flags, upon *
which were painted the arms of the Prince of Fisen, shewing
that they belonged to that prince, who, as we were informed,
has an equal title with Prince Tschingodzin to the city of
Nangasaky, and the surrounding country; and it was only the
guards of these two princes, who relieved each other during
our stay. The Prince of Omura must also have a share in
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 263
the city, his officers being frequently on guard at the ambassa-
dor's ; but in the harbour, we saw neither the flag of the Prince
of Fisen, nor of Tschingodzin.
The extraordinary respect with which the interpreters spoke
to the banjos gave us at first a very high idea of the character
of these magistrates, whose rank we afterwards learnt was very
inconsiderable ; and that nothing but a commission from the
governor imparts to them a temporary elevation. Whenever
an interpreter has any thing to translate, he cast himself on his
hands and knees before the banjos; and in this attitude, with
his head hanging down, he made a hissing noise two or three
times with his mouth, as if he were inhaling the air that sur-
rounded his master.” He then reported to the banjos, in a
tone of voice scarcely audible, and mixed with repeated sigh-
ings, in short, broken sentences, the conversation which in
Dutch had lasted several minutes. If a Japanese was addressed
by a banjos he crouched to him, bowed his head to the
ground, repeating constantly the monosyllable Eh eh intend-
ed to signify, “I understand.” The banjos always conducted
themselves with great dignity ; they never laughed, but occa-
sionally shewed their satisfaction by a smile. As they seemed
to me in other respects to possess some manners, I was very
much struck by an indecent practice common to them, and in
which they never checked themselves, although they must have
been well aware of its impropriety, even if their own feelings
did not tell them so, as the Dutch interpreters have not the
Same Cut Stom.
* This hissing noise, made by drawing in the breath suddenly between the teeth, is
a general compliment among the mobility.
204 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
The clothing of the banjos, as well as of the interpreters,
consisted of a short upper garment with very wide sleeves, and
under this a complete gown reaching quite down to their feet,
and fastened round the neck, and very similar to the female
dress in Europe, except in being much narrower from the hips
downwards, so as to render it extremely difficult for them to
walk; indeed they never walk but when they are absolutely com-
pelled to do so. This is the usual dress of all the Japanese; and
the only difference between the clothes of the rich and of the
poor is, that those of the former are made of silk, while the
latter are clad in coarse woollen stuffs: the upper garment is
generally black, but there are some of different colours, and
the lower dress is mostly of mixed colours. Every one has
his family arms worked into his clothes in different places, about
the size of a half dollar, a practice usual to both sexes; and in
this manner any person may be recognized, and the family to
which he belongs easily ascertained. A young lady wears her
father's arms until after her marriage, when she assumes those
of her husband. The greatest mark of honour which a prince
or a governor can confer upon any one, is to give him a cloak
with his arms upon it, the person having such a one wearing
his own arms upon his under dress; and the ambassador was
frequently told how supreme a happiness would be conferred
upon him, if the emperor was to present him with a garment
bearing the imperial arms. The arms were generally worked
into clothes made of Japanese stuffs, but they were sewed upon
those made of Chinese stuffs. In the winter the Japanese wear
five or six dresses one over the other; but I have never seen
any of them in a cloth dress, or in any kind of furs, although
the weather is very raw in the months of January and February.
it is singular that they have no notion of clothing their feet;
STA Y A. T J A PA. N. 26.5
their stockings, which cover only half of their legs, are made of
woollen stuffs sewed together, and instead of shoes they merely
wear soles made of straw, which they fasten to the great toe by
a kind of loop ; and which, as their floors are always covered
with wadded mats, they take off the moment they enter a room.
The upper classes are scarcely sensible of the want of better
shoes, as they seldom walk, and sit throughout the day with
their feet bent under them ; but the poorer sort, who constitute
perhaps nine-tenths of the whole population, must suffer very
much from it during the winter months. The Japanese ex-
poses his head in a similar manner; although he is half shorn
he never strives to protect it by a parasol against the heat of
twenty-five degrees, and he is equally regardless of one or two
degrees of cold, and the most piercing north winds which pre-
vail during the winter; nor do they ever use an umbrella in
rainy weather. The hair is rubbed over with a very strong po-
matum, by which it obtains a great polish, and is tied together
on the top of the head, and made to terminate in a very small
knot, forming a crooked line in front quite close to the forehead.
The toilet of a Japanese must occupy a very considerable time,
as they not only anoint and comb their hair, but shave their
heads daily; this latter operation they never perform on their
beards, but pluck out the hair with small pincers, that it
may not grow again, and these and a metal looking-glass
occupy the chief place in the pocket-book of every Japanese.
They cannot be denied a great cleanliness of person, although
they make no use of linen, without which we have no notion of
such a quality; but this, as far as we saw, appears to be the
ruling passion of the Japanese of every rank.
M M
206 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
About four o'clock the next afternoon, a present, consisting
of fish, rice, and fowls, was brought on board from the governor.
The boat announced to us the visit of several principal charac-
ters, and we shortly after perceived a large vessel adorned with
flags, which, accompanied by several others, was towed towards
the ship amidst the continual sound of kettle drums. According
to the report of the interpreters, they were the principal secretary
to the governor, the treasurer, and the ottona or burgomaster of
the city. The first seated themselves on the carpet, the latter on
a chair on the right hand; but the Dutchmen who accompanied
them, were to us the most agreeable part of the company; the
conversation in particular of Captain Musquetier, who spoke
English, French, and German, and appeared a very well in-
formed officer, was extremely interesting to us, and it was with
the greatest regret that I found myself prevented from keeping
up an acquaintance with him, owing to the jealousy and suspi-
cion of the Japanese.
The object of this visit of the banjos was to carry away the
powder and arms belonging to the ship, and to remove her to
the west side of Papenberg. They refused to carry her to the
east side under the pretext, that the five Chinese junks which
lay there, occupied the whole road. At midnight we weighed
anchor, and were towed by about sixty boats to our new ancho-
rage, which was nearly two miles and a half off. We could
not but admire the order with which this was effected : the
flotilla divided itself into five lines of twelve or eighteen
boats each, which kept their places so regularly, that they
were not once broken ; and notwithstanding the foul wind we
advanced at the rate of two miles an hour. About four in the
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 267
morning we anchored in twenty-five fathoms water; and were
instantly surrounded by thirty-two guard boats, which formed a
circle round the ship, that no vessel was allowed to breakthrough;
and as the west side of Papenberg lies very much exposed,
they were frequently compelled, whenever the wind freshened,
to quit their post, which, however, they hastened to resume the
moment the weather was again a little fair: and this has been
the case two or three times a day. Some of these vessels car-
ried the imperial flag, white, blue, white; but the greater part
of them bore that of Fisino Kama-sama, or the Prince of Fisen ;
the large boats, which had a flush deck, and were covered with
blue cloth, were distinguished by two peaks, the aftermost one
being the mark of an officer. Besides these thirty-two boats,
there were three others which remained in the vicinity of the
ship, to receive our orders.
On the 12th October at four in the morning, the Chinese fleet
got under sail. The construction of these junks is well known,
and needs no description here; and we were witnesses to the
unskilfulness and difficulty with which they hoisted their sails.
The whole crew of the ship, apparently consisting of a hundred
men, were at work for upwards of two hours, hoisting, with the
most horrible noise, a single sail, an operation which they per-
formed by means of a windlass. As soon as they got out of the
bay, they set their topsails, which are of sailcloth; the three lower
sails being, as is well known, made of mats. With this misera-
ble apparatus, they can only sail during the most favorable
monsoons; the most trifling storm that springs us against them,
exposing them to the greatest danger. About noon the wind
veered from N. E. to N. N. W., and although this was still fair
M M 2
268 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
for them, they were obliged to return to their former ancho-
rage. This happened to them a second time, but the third
time the wind continued in the north-east, and they succeeded
in getting to sea. w
On the 11th, 13th, and 15th October, according to our rec-
koning, (which is one day later,) the Japanese celebrated a feast,
which the Dutch interpreters called Kermes. It certainly is
a very wise regulation of these people, not to continue their
religious and national feasts on many successive days, but to
have always a working day between them. By these means
they are not much interrupted, and no work is discontinued.
Feasts that last for several days, are equally injurious to the
health and morals of the people, and are besides attended with a
great loss of time; and a life of debauchery continued for three or
four days, requires at least as many, and perhaps more, to restore
that repose and tranquillity requisite in works that demand a
clear and unembarrassed genius. The Japanese have no Sun-
days, and only very few holidays, of which these kermes and
the feasts of the new year, are the principal ones.
On the 16th October, at about eleven o'clock, a banjos ar-
rived with nearly an hundred tow-boats, to tow the ship to the
east side of Papenberg, where we anchored at one o'clock in
eighteen fathoms water, over a ground of thin clay. A small
anchor was carried out to the south-east, that side being, ac-
cording to the Japanese, safer than the north-west. We
requested in vain to be towed into the inner harbour, in order
to repair the ship which had suffered during the typhon, and,
even before that, had sprung a leak. This was refused because
st AY AT JAPAN. 269
no permission had hitherto been received from Jeddo; and
another most absurd reason was assigned, and which really
seemed intended to ridicule us, viz. that a ship of war, having
so great a man as an ambassador on board, could not lie in
the same road with merchant-ships, such as were those of the
Dutch ; but that so soon as the latter should sail, it was
intended that we should occupy their places.
On the 21st October an interpreter informed us, on the part
of the governor, that as the two Dutch ships would proceed
the next morning to Papenberg, we should not, upon any
account, send a boat on board of them—at the same time he
warned us not to return the Dutch salute, which was in honour
of the imperial flag, not as a compliment to us. This caution
was the more absurd as the governor had before ordered all our
powder to be taken from us; and we had not an ounce on
board. Besides it would have been utterly impossible for us
to have returned the salute even if we had had the vanity to as-
sume it to ourselves; for it consisted of at least 400 shots,
and lasted, with short intervals, during six hours. The two
ships anchored about a mile to the north-east of us; and the go-
vernor now sent us word, that as soon as the Dutch ships should
put to sea he would allow us to occupy their place; but that
we could not be admitted in the inner harbour, because no
order to that effect had as yet been received from Jeddo. This
promise he kept very punctually: the Dutch ships sailed on
the 8th November, and on the 9th two banjos with their tow-
boats came to us, and about six in the evening we anchored
between the imperial batteries, which are on the south-east and
north-west side of the entrance, in thirteen fathoms water, over
270 K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
a bottom of green ooze. Our course was N. E. by E. # E., the
depth decreasing from eighteen to thirteen fathoms: a second
anchor was carried out to the S. E. Our distance from the
town was two miles.
I was extremely anxious to repair the injury the ship had
received, as soon as possible; but as permission had not yet
arrived for the ambassador to land with the presents, and the
ship consequently could not be unloaded, the governor sent
us a Chinese junk, on board of which he might remove with
the presents, until the order from Jeddo, concerning his resi-
dence on shore, should be received. As the Chinese make use
of wooden anchors we gave him one of our's for the greater
security; but the cabin of the junk was so extremely bad that
the ambassador would not consent to remove on board of her,
declaring moreover that he must remain with the presents. The
Chinese ship was therefore conveyed back to Nangasaky, and
every thing remained as at first: we had however an opportu-
nity of taking a nearer survey of this monster of naval archi-
tecture.
I now had the ship completely unrigged and sent the masts
and yards to Kibatsch, which place we had not lost, though we
had shifted our birth. -
On the 24th November the ambassador was informed that,
although the courier had not yet arrived from Jeddo, the go-
vernor was disposed to give him a house on shore at his own
risk; demanding, however, that the soldiers should be left
behind. That he did not consent to this I have already men-
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 271
tioned; the governor, at the same time, promised, that on the
arrival of the courier from Jeddo, the ambassador should, with-
out fail, have a larger building appropriated to him, although
the house in Megasaky, of which the interpreters brought a plan,
appeared to be very roomy.
It is extremely difficult to say what could induce the gover-
nors,” in whose conduct there was always an appearance of
dignity and consequence, and who latterly gave us several
proofs of their good disposition, to send us invariably false in-
formation. The promises, for instance, which they made us on
our arrival, were so many empty words; and we learnt after-
wards, what indeed we might have found in Kämpfer and
Thunberg, that an answer may be received from Jeddo in thirty
days, and that there have been examples of the journey there
and back again to Nangasaky having been performed in twenty-
one days. This the interpreters would never allow; but asserted
that even when the roads were good, three months were requi-
site to go and return; and that at this time of the year a much
longer period was necessary. They also told us that all the
governor had acceded to was at his own risk: it was not, how-
ever, very probable that he should give up a house in the
city to the ambassador, and large warehouses for the presents,
without an express order to do so; and his anxious beha-
viour when he took upon himself to offer us a place in Kibatsch
for a walk, sufficiently demonstrated his confined authority.
* Nangasaky has two governors, who relieve each other every six months. The
second arrived a few days after we had reached Nangasaky, but the other was obliged
to remain there, because we had come during the time of his authority.
~. K R USEN ST E R N's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
Our arrival at Nangasaky was too important an event in Japan,
for the court not to be informed of the most trifling circum-
stances concerning us; and I am convinced that after each
visit of the interpreters to the ship, a courier was dispatched
with an account of every word and gesture, which frequently
were of a nature to increase the suspicion and injure the pride
of this jealous and haughty people. We afterwards learned
that the Cubo, or western Emperor, could determine nothing
on this momentous occasion without consulting the Dairy;
and that he had even sent an embassy concerning us, to ascer-
tain the wishes of this important personage, whom the Ja-
panese, although he has no executive authority, hold in the
greatest veneration on account of his religious character. It
is therefore very probable that the governor of Nangasaky
received his instructions from Miaco, the residence of the Dairy,
and not from Jeddo; and I am persuaded that the disputed
point, with regard to the soldiers, could not be settled by the
governor alone. A period of twenty-one days elapsed from
the time that the question, with regard to them, was first agita-
ted, until the entrance of the ambassador into Megasaky, in
which time an answer might have been received from Jeddo,
and consequently much sooner from Miaco.
On the 17th December the ambassador was conveyed on
shore, for which purpose the Prince of Fisen sent his own boat,
a vessel exceeding in size (being 120 feet long) and magnifi-
cence everything that I had hitherto seen. The walls and ceilings
of the numerous cabins were all varnished over in the hand-
somest manner; and the stairs, which were of red wood, were
polished so highly as to have the appearance of lacker. The
ST A Y AT J A P A N . 273
decks were covered with mats and the most costly carpets ;
the curtains to the doors were of rich stuffs; and the whole
boat was hung with double rows of silks of different colours.
As the ambassador stepped on board, the Russian imperial
standard was hoisted and waved together with the flag of the
Prince of Fisen; and his guard, which accompanied him on board
the vessel, took their place on the upper deck close to the
standard. The imperial fortresses were ornamented with new
flags and curtains, and manned by a number of Japanese
troops in their best clothes: an innumerable fleet of boats
surrounding the vessel and accompanying the ambassador to
the city. So far the ceremony, attending his entrance, was
worthy the representative of a powerful monarch; but he had
no sooner landed, and entered his dwelling, than the doors
were locked on both sides, and the keys sent, at sunset, to the
governor.
The day after the ambassador's departure, two banjos came
on board with a vast number of boats to receive the presents.
Two boatswere lashed together, in order to disembark the large
mirror, having a platform of strong planks laid across them
covered with mats, upon the top of which was spread,
certainly very unnecessarily, a red cloth. I endeavoured to
persuade them, but in vain, to take this valuable covering away,
as the mirror was by no means better placed on account of it;
but the repect in which every thing that has the least connec-
tion with the Emperor, is held in Japan, was too great to admit
of any economical considerations. A guard of soldiers got
instantly into the boat, ranging themselves by the side of the
mirror. t
TN N
'274 R R USENSTE R N 's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
The following anecdotes serve to characterize this nation, or
rather the spirit of the Japanese government. I inquired of
one of the interpreters in what manner it was proposed to con-
vey this large mirror to Jeddo, who told me that it would be
carried there; upon which I replied that this did not appear
practicable, as the distance was so great, and every mirror
would require at least sixty men to relieve one another every
half mile. His answer was, that nothing was impossible to the
Emperor of Japan; and as a proof of his assertion he related to
me, that about two years before, the Emperor of China had pre-
sented the Emperor of Japan with a live elephant, which had
been carried from Nangasaky to Jeddo. The following exam-
ple, which I learnt upon another occasion from one of the
interpreters, and which he did not mention to me in proof of the
power of his sovereign, but merely as a fact which had recently
occurred, will sufficiently demonstrate with what punctuality
the emperor's orders are executed, without any consideration
to even apparently the most insuperable obstacles. A Chinese
junk was driven on shore in a gale of wind, upon the east coast
of Japan, in the bay of Owary, on which occasion she lost her
masts and rudder. As, according to an ancient regulation,
every foreign ship which may touch upon the coast of Japan,
either accidentally, or from being driven upon it in a gale, must
immediately be brought to Nangasaky, this ship also, although
in a very bad condition, was ordered to be carried round. In
Japan such a thing cannot be effected except by means of tow-
ing boats, and several hundreds of these were immediately sent
to tow the ship from the bay of Owary to that of Osacca: a
“-voyage during which it was not unlikely, that on the first high
wind, which are very frequent upon this coast, both ship and
STA Y AT J A PAN. 275
boats would go to the bottom. From the bay of Osacca the na-
vigation was indeed not so dangerous, as the passage was not in
the open sea, but between the islands of Nipon and Sikokf and
Kiusiu. This towing voyage, which lasted fourteen months,
must have been very expensive, one hundred boats, and conse-
quently six hundred men being kept in continual employment.
The natural, as well as least expensive method would have been
to have broken up the ship, or to have burnt and paid for her,
sending the cargo to the Chinese at Nangasaky ; but this was
contrary to the laws of the land.
On the 22d December the ambassador was informed that a
courier had arrived from Jeddo with the order for the Nadeshda
to be carried into the inner harbour that she might be repaired.
And about ten o'clock the next morning, although the wind
blew pretty strong from the N. E. and it rained very hard, two
banjos came with their flotilla and towed the ship to the bay,
where we brought-to about a quarter of a mile from the land
between the Dutch Dezima and Megasaky, and cast anchor in
five fathoms water, with a second anchor carried out to the
N. E. On this same day two Chinese junks arrived, and four
others some days after. A seventh had been stranded during
the gales on the Gotto islands, but the crew was all saved, and
after a few weeks arrived in Japanese boats at Nangasaky.
The following is the intelligence, though indeed very incom-
plete, which I have been able to collect with regard to the
Chinese trade.
Twelve ships are permitted to come to Nangasaky annually
N N 2
276 KRU SENSTERN's Voy A G E ROUND THE wor LD.
from Ningpo, (or, as the Japanese pronounce it, Simfo,) five of
which arrive in Juno and sail in October, the other seven in De-
cember, and return in March or April. Their cargo consists
chiefly of sugar, ivory, tin plates, lead, silk stuffs and tea.
That this last article is among the imports from China I did not
indeed learn from the interpreters; but upon our departure
they gave us the choice between Chinese and Japanese tea.
We chose Japanese, and found it much worse than the other;
and I believe that what is said of the excellence of the Japa.
mese tea is very much exaggerated. A small box full, which
the governor presented to the ambassador shortly after our
arrival, and some that the officers of the embassy drank at an
audience in the governor's house, were very inferior to the better
kinds of Chinese tea.” The Chinese exports from Japan con-
sist of copper, camphor, lacquered wares, umbrellas, but par-
ticularly the dye-fish, which is used as a medicine in China;
besides these are a kind of sea plant, and large dried muscles,
which last, known in Japan by the name of Awaby, are among
their provisions, and are considered in China as a great delicacy.
We ourselves thought them no bad food ; and they may very
well form a part of a ship's provision, as they will keep during
several years. Although from the number of Chinese junks it
should appear that their cargoes are very considerable, a junk
not yielding much in size to a ship of four hundred tons; yet I
believe that two ships of five hundred tons would be able to stow
away easily what is conveyed in all the twelve. A junk is
unloaded in the course of twelve hours; but this is done with a
total want of order, the cargo consisting of small bags and boxes
* The Japanese only drink green, the Chinese on the contrary always black tea,
STAY AT J A PA. N. 277
being thrown out of the ship without any regard either for the
goods themselves or the boats destined to receive them. The
rigging of one of these junks consists of little else than a few
shrouds, nor have they the means of lowering or hoisting into
the vessel, any articles of weight, with the necessary precau-
tion. Another cause of this uncommon negligence in unload-
ing them is, that the Chinese themselves are not present; for
on the day after their arrival the captain and the whole crew
are carried to the factory, and the Japanese take immediate
possession of the vessel; nor are they allowed to return to it
until a few days before their departure. As soon as the ship is
unloaded, they take the opportunity of the first new or full
moon, when the tides are lofty, to drag it on shore where it
remains high and dry during the ebb. Their construction is of
such a nature as to receive but little injury from this treatment,
and their unfriendly hosts would probably not give themselves
much concern about any accidents they might sustain. Be-
sides these twelve ships which arrive here annually, there are two
others left constantly in pledge; and the easy manner in which
they disposed of one of them for our use, shews how much the
Japanese consider them as their own property. We had
another proof of the little consideration shown to the Chinese; for
as the warehouses which surrounded the governor's house were
not sufficient to contain all the empty water casks belonging to
the ship, the Japanese immediately made room for us in two
warehouses belonging to the former in the neighbourhood of
Megasaky.
During the whole time of our stay here, we mever witnessed
the arrival of a single ship, either from Corea or the Likeo
278 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
islands, notwithstanding their vicinity; and all intercourse be-
tween these countries and Japan is said to have ceased for some
time past; a circumstance that was mentioned in the letters
which were delivered to the ambassador upon his departure. It
would be very advantageous to any European nation that might
be allowed to enjoy the carrying trade between Ningpo and
Nangasaky. The distance is not above ten degrees in longi-
tude; and as the latter place is well to the eastward of the
former, the voyage is practicable in either monsoon, and cannot
exceed at the most four days.
On the 25th December the ship was quite unloaded, even to
the ballast, of which we had about two hundred ship tons on
board. We now began to repair her, and the leak was found,
as I expected it, towards the head of the ship. To my great
satisfaction, however, I perceived that the remaining planks
were all in a most admirable condition. The copper through-
out was very bad, and I should have been glad to have availed
myself of the opportunity of sheathing her with Japanese cop-
per as low as it could be done without keelhauling her ; which,
owing to the muddy shore here, would be utterly impossible.
As the governor had received orders from Jeddo to furnish every
thing that was required towards the repairs of the ship, he
offered to send to Miaco for sheets of copper for me, for that
which is to be had in Nangasaky is very thin, and by no means
proper to cover a ship's bottom. Of this latter, however, we
obtained five hundred pieces for the use of our barges and long
|boat. The ambassador took upon himself to order this copper
upon his journey to Jeddo: and the Japanese who knew,
already at that time, that the embassy would not proceed there,
STA Y AT J A PA. N. 279
the arrival of a nobleman at Nangasaky having been announ-
ced, were not a little rejoiced to find themselves relieved of
this trouble.
On the 14th January, 1805, there was a total eclipse of
the moon, of which we were prevented by a dark cloud from
witnessing the commencement ; we, however, distinguished
the darkening of several spots, as well as the re-appearance of
the moon out of the shade. Dr. Horner made use of one of
T}olland's astronomical telescopes, and I had one of Ramsden's
terrestrial ones of about three feet in length. This eclipse could
not influence our determination of the geographical longitude
of Nangasaky, which had been much more correctly ascer-
tained by a number of lunar observations, and by the eclipse
of one or two stars, than it could be done with our imperfect
means of observing it. The Japanese knew that such an eclipse
would occur on this day, though the time of its commence-
ment was not stated in their Almanack. I took pains to col-
lect some accounts of the knowledge the Japanese possess of
astronomy, but they are too unsatisfactory to be mentioned
here; and it is very improbable that any great progress
should be made in a science that requires some exertion of the
mind, in a country where the best informed, which the inter-
preters undoubtedly are, have no notion of the geographical
latitude and longitude of any place. According to their
report, (and we may perhaps believe them in this instance, as it
is so much beyond their ability to have invented such a story,)
there are in the north of Japan, in a town at no great distance
from Jeddo, people who inhabit temples and are called Issis,
and who possess the art of foretelling eclipses of the sun and
28O KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE wo RLD.
moon. Interesting as it would have been to have acquired
some information concerning these Issis, the few possessors of
astronomical knowledge among so many millions of people,
this was altogether impracticable from an ignorant interpreter.
There are no written accounts of the astronomical knowledge of
the Japanese, or whether they have made even the same little
progress as their neighbours the Chinese, among whose monarchs
there have been some who possessed a taste for this science
and cultivated it. Had the ambassador obtained permission to
travel to Jeddo, Dr. Horner, whose intention it was to have
accompanied him, and to have taken an astronomical appara-
tus with him, might certainly have been able to procure some
important information upon the subject in the neighbourhood
of this temple of Urania. From Thunberg's statement, there
are among the physicians of Jeddo persons who have a taste
for scientific acquirements, and he must certainly have met
with some among them capable of giving information on this
head. The predictions of the eclipses of the sun and moon by
the Issis, are inserted in the calendars, of which there are two
kinds, one very complete, for the rich, and another, an abbre-
viation, for the poorer classes, published annually in Jeddo.
On the 16th January I was sent for in a great hurry to the
ambassador's, where I found two banjos with several interpre-
ters and assistants, on account of an attempt by one of the
Japanese whom we had brought with us from Europe, to put
an end to his existence, which, however, had been perceived
soon enough to prevent the execution of his purpose. Dr.
Langsdorff, who resided in the ambassador's house, immedi-
ately proceeded to stanch the blood, the man having cut
STAY AT J A PA. N. 281
his throat with a razor, but was prevented by the Japanese
guard, the governor not having been informed of it; and the
patient was obliged to lie bleeding until the arrival of the
banjos who were sent for. Neither Dr. Espenberg nor Dr.
Langsdorff were even then allowed to assist him ; but he was
delivered over to a Japanese surgeon and a doctor:* fortu-
nately the wound was not found dangerous.
The governor immediately upon our arrival had requested
the ambassador to give him up the four Japanese, which he
declined, intending to present them himself to the emperor.
A few weeks later this request was repeated on the part of the
governor, and met with the same reception. Some time after
the ambassador applied to the governor to take these Japanese
off his hands, but the answer he received was, that as he would
not give them up on the two applications that had been made
for them, he might now keep them himself; but he promised to
send a courier to Jeddo for instructions how to act. No answer
came from thence, and it was only on the day of our departure
that they quitted the ambassador's house. These unfortunate
wretches saw their country after a tedious voyage of fourteen
months once more, but were then obliged to pass seven
months in a state of confinement, after which it was even
doubtful whether they would be permitted to return to their
families, though this had been the only motive that in-
duced them to quit the careless independent life they passed
* In Japan a doctor is distinguished from a surgeon; the first having his head
entirely shaved, and the other entirely covered with hair. The J apanese generally have
their heads half shaved.
O O.
Q89 K R USENSTERN's vo y A G E ROUND TH E wo RLD.
in Russia. The precise reason for this poor creature's making
an attempt on his life is not easy to determine, though a Japa-
nese can never want one to wish himself well out of the world.
It might have been despair at having returned to his country
without being able to join his family; or a report might
have reached him that the fate of those, whom Laxmann in
1792 had brought back to Japan, had been eternal con-
finement, without the smallest intercourse with their families.
There was still another motive adduced, which, if it be
true, may justify the harsh opinion which I expressed of the
Japanese character in the fifth chapter. It was said that
shortly after our arrival in Nangasaky he had delivered a writ-
ten paper to the banjos, in which he not only complained of
the cruel treatment his countrymen experienced in Russia, but
described the Russians as the most bigotted of Christians, add-
ing that several of them had been forced to embrace that reli-
gion, and that the object of this voyage was chiefly to make an
attempt to introduce it into Japan. Nothing but the greatest
wickedness could have excited this man to so infamous an
action, as he could not be led to it from a spirit of revenge,
for he, as well as all his countrymen, were received in
Russia with a most exemplary kindness, obtained presents
from the emperor upon their departure, and were treated on
board the ship with every attention. This paper had, how-
ever, no effect ; and partly despair of having failed in his pur-
pose, partly a consciousness of his diabolical conduct, might
perhaps have induced him to make an attempt on his life.
After his wound had healed, he was frequently heard to say
that the Russians were very good people, but himself a very
bad man ; and that he wished his life might soon have an end.
ST A Y A T J A P.A. N. 283
On the 19th February the ambassador received an official
motice that the emperor had sent a person, attended by eight
nobles, to Nangasaky, with full powers to treat with him. The
interpreters did not exactly tell him that he would not now
have any occasion to travel to Jeddo, yet this was easily to be
inferred. The person whom the emperor had sent was of the
highest rank, and, according to the expression made use of by
the interpreters, was permitted to see the emperor's feet, though
never to exalt his looks higher; (an honour which even the
governor of Nangasaky could not boast;) and it was not to be
supposed that so great a character would be sent merely to
accompany the ambassador to Jeddo. A visit of the interpre-
ters had sufficiently apprised us of the earnest wish of the
Japanese government for our departure in the beginning of April.
On the 27th February they came on board, to inquire in the
name of the governor after our health, and from the questions
they put to me, and which I heard with great pleasure, it was
easy to perceive that their chief object was to know in how
short a time the ship would be made ready for sea. Such a
hint was not to be neglected, and I therefore began to get her
in readiness, and had no cause to complain of any delay on
the part of the Japanese in providing us immediately with all
that we stood in need of.
It was only, however, on the 12th March that Skeyseima, the
chief interpreter, acquainted the ambassador that he would not
be permitted to travel to Jeddo; and that the Japanese plenipo-
tentiary would arrive in ten or fifteen days in Nangasaky, after
which the ship must return to Kamtschatka, as soon as
she could possibly be fitted for sea. The interpreter farther
O O 2
284. KRU SENSTERN's v O YAG E ROUND THE wo RLD.
informed us, that we should not be allowed to purchase the least
thing in Japan, but that the emperor had given orders to sup-
ply the ship with all that was necessary, as well as with provi-
sions for two months, free of any charge to us.
On the 31st March, or 1st April, according to our reckoning,
a feast was celebrated in Nangasaky, called Mussume Matzury,
the chief character of which is that parents, on this occasion,
present their children with dolls. Unimportant as the object
of this holiday appeared, it must nevertheless be of great con-
sequence in Japan, two days being devoted to these childish
entertainments, and we were requested not to suffer the carpen-
ters, employed upon the boats on shore, to work during its
celebration.
On the 30th March, at about eleven in the forenoon, the
plenipotentiary arrived from Jeddo. The negociations with
respect to the ceremonies of the audience, which were con-
ducted with great warmth on both sides, commenced on the
3d April, when it was concluded that the ambassador should
pay the representative of the Japanese emperor, an European
and not a Japanese compliment. This latter, indeed, is of so
debasing a nature, that even the very lowest of Europeans
could not submit to it; but he was obliged to appear without
his sword or shoes, nor would they allow him a chair, or any
kind of European seat, but reduced him to the necessity of
sitting in front of the governor and the plenipotentiary, on the
floor, with his feet tucked under him, an attitude by no means
the most convenient. He was allowed for his own use a
STAY AT J A P A N. & 285
morimon or sedan chair, but the officers who attended him
were obliged to proceed on foot.
On the 4th April he had his first audience, to which he
was conveyed in a large boat adorned with flags and curtains.
His suit consisted of five persons, Major Frederici, Captain
Feodoroff, Lieutenant Koscheleff, Dr. Langsdorff, and Counsel-
lor Fossé, besides a serjeant who carried the standard ; and he
landed at a place to the north of Dezima, which the interpreters
called Mussel Trapp. On this occasion, merely an exchange of
compliments took place, and a few insignificant questions were
put to him. The second audience was conducted with the
same ceremonies, and here the negociation terminated ; the
necessary documents being delivered into his hands, which
contained an order that no Russian ship should again come to
Japan; and the presents, and even the letter from the Emperor
of Russia were all refused. Should any Japanese hereafter be
cast upon the coast of Russia, they were to be delivered over
to the Dutch, who would send them by the way of Batavia to
Nangasaky. Farther; we were forbidden from making any
presents,” or purchasing any thing for money, as well as from
visiting, or receiving the visit of the Dutch factor. On the
other hand it was declared, that the repairs of the ship and the
supply of provisions, were taken into the imperial account;
that she should be provided with every thing for two months,
* After many repeated intreaties and representations, the ambassador was at length
allowed to give seven different articles to seven interpreters. These were a mirror, a
piece of cloth, a glass lantern, a pair of girandoles, a pair of marble tables, and a marble
©Wer,
286 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WOR L D.
and that the emperor had sent 2000 sacks of salt, each
weighing 30 pounds, and 100 sacks of rice, each of 150 pounds
weight, besides 2000 pieces of capock or silk wadding, the
former as a present for the crew, and the latter for the officers.
The reasons assigned by the plenipotentiary for rejecting the
presents were, that the Emperor of Japan would be obliged
to make a present in return to the Emperor of Russia, and
send an ambassador for this purpose to St. Petersburgh, and
that it was contrary to the laws of the empire for any J apanese
to quit his country.
This then was the result of an embassy, which had raised such
great expectations. We gained no new advantages, but even
lost those we had possessed, namely, the written permission
which Laxmann had procured for us to visit Nangasaky. All
communication is now at an end between Japan and Russia,
unless some great change should take place in the ministry of
Jeddo, or indeed in the government itself, and this is perhaps
not to be expected, although the interpreters flattered the
ambassador with assurances that this refusal had created a great
sensation throughout Japan, but particularly in the cities of
Miaco and Nangasaky ;* but I am pretty well convinced that
the Russian trade will not suffer much in consequence of it.
On the 16th April, the ambassador had his last audience of
the plenipotentiary; immediately after which, they began to
—d
* By what Lieut. Chwostoff, who visited the northern coast of Jesso in the years
1806 and 1807, learned from the Japanese, a revolution actually did take place in
Jeddo, for which the reason assigned was the dismissal of the Russian embassy.
STAY AT JAPAN. 287
bring the cannon, anchors, cables, and provisions, on board.
The satisfaction which the prospect of soon quitting Japan
occasioned to the ship's company, was evinced in their activity,
and the working sixteen hours a-day, to get the ship in readi-
ness; but without the assistance of the Japanese and their
boats, it would have been impossible for us to have been ready
to sail by the 16th April. -
( 288 )
CHAPTER XIII.
D ESC RIPTION OF T H E H A R B O U R O F N A N G A S.A. K. Y.
First Discovery of Japan by the Europeans—Attempts made by different Nations to
form a commercial Intercourse with the Japanese—Eramination of the hitherto
determinca geographical Situation of Nangasaky—Difficulties of taking an exact
Plan of the Bay—Description of this, and of the Islands within it—Directions
for entering and sailing out of it—Measures of Precaution—Monthly Observation
of the PWeather from October to April.
I shall. preface this chapter, which I intend to devote chiefly
to a description of the harbour of Nangasaky, by a short
sketch of the earliest knowledge the Europeans had of the
Japanese islands, which perhaps may not be considered as
misplaced here.
It is now a mere matter of conjecture what may have been
the first accounts received in Europe of Japan; but we are pro-
bably indebted for the earliest knowledge of the existence of this
country to the celebrated travellers Rubruquis and Marco Polo.”
It appears certain, that the discovery of Japan happened acci-
dentally, about the middle of the sixteenth century. Fernando
Mendez Pinto, a Portugueze, who undertook a voyage on board
a Chinese junk, (commanded by the then celebrated pirate
Samipocheva,) from Macao to the Likeo islands, was wrecked
* They both undertook their long voyages about the middle of the thirteenth century.
D ESC RIPTION OF THE H A R BOU R OF NANG ASA KY. 289
.*
in 1542 upon the coast of this kingdom.* Three other Portu-
gueze, who pretend to have touched that same year, in a
Portugueze ship, upon the coast of Satzuma, dispute, indeed,
with Pinto the honour of the first discovery ; but neither the
year of the discovery, nor the nation through which it was
effected, is changed by this dispute. The Spaniards soon after
began to visit Japan, but their connections were of very short
duration; although the vicinity of the Philippines promised an
advantageous commerce between these two rich groups of islands.
Nor was the first visit of the Spaniards in Japan occasioned
by any commercial projects, but, like that of the Portugueze,
owing to a shipwreck. In the year 1609, the governor of Ma-
nilla, on his voyage from New Spain, was wrecked upon the
Japanese coast, in latitude 35° 50', and the emperor sent
him, with all his people, to Acapulco, on board of one of
the ships built by an Englishman of the name of Adams, of
whom we shall présently make farther mention. This accident
was followed by an embassy, which the Spaniards sent, with
a number of presents, to the Emperor of Japan, in the year
1611; but at the time of the extirpation of the Christians
from Japan, they, as well as the Portugueze, were prohi-
bited from ever touching at these islands; not have they
since attempted to renew an intercourse, which must have
proved equally advantageous to both parties. The Dutch,
who, by means of their free constitution and an adventurous
spirit of trade, had become rich and powerful, could not but
wish to participate in the trade with Japan, although at that time
--
* Histoire de Japon, par Charlevoix, 1754. Paris, in 12mo, 21 tom. p. 4.
+ Entick's Naval History, in folio, p. 890
P P
290 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A C E R OUND THE WO RLD.
unable to carry it on with the same advantage as the Spaniards
and Portugueze, as they then had no possessions in India.
An accident favoured their intentions: in the year 1600, a
Dutch ship, belonging to a squadron of five vessels, which
sailed in 1598 from the Texel for the East Indies, under the
command of Admirals Mahu and Simon de Cordes, was cast
away on the east coast of Japan. William Adams, an Eng-
lishman, was the chief pilot on board of this ship, and to him
the Dutch are indebted for their trade with Japan. The whole
squadron was lost in its passage through the straits of Magel-
lan, and in the South Sea, with the sole exception of the vessel
that Adams steered ; and this, on the 19th April, 1600, ran
into the harbour of Bungo, in 35° 30'. Adams had the good
fortune to please the Emperor of Japan, who loaded him with
presents, but would not permit him to return to his country.
The account he sent to the Dutch in Batavia of his residence
in Japan, and of the possibility of opening a commerce between
the two countries, induced the Dutch East India Company, in
1609, to send a ship there, and through the means of Adams, the
emperor's favourite, the trade immediately commenced; and in
1613 the Dutch were allowed to establish a factory at Firando.”
They are hitherto the only people who have succeeded in
retaining the favour of the Japanese; that is to say, they are
permitted, under very mortifying restrictions, to carry on a
* Entick's Naval History, in folio, p. 389–392. In the computation of time
Entick has made an error of about twelve years. Admiral Mahu's fleet, according to
him, sailed about the year 1586, and entered Bungo in 1588. See also, Burney's
Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea, Vol. XXI. p. 186—198,
and Harris's Collection of Voyages, Vol. I. p. 256, of the edition of 1600.
D ESCRIPTION OF THE II AR BOU R OF NANG ASA KY. 291
trade between Batavia and Japan, consisting in their sending
yearly only two small ships. In 1641, they were expelled
from Firando and confined to Dezima ; three years after the
Portugueze, not without their active co-operation, had been
compelled entirely to abandon their trade with Japan. The
English obtained, nearly at the same time as the Dutch,
namely, in the year 1613, by means of their countryman
Adams, the permission to establish a factory in the island of
Firando; but this trade was very soon after abandoned, although
they were well received in the country, and were permitted to
prosecute their intercourse on the most advantageous footing.”
The motives which induced the English to quit Japan are not
known : they were certainly not driven away, otherwise this
circumstance would undoubtedly have been published to the
world by the Dutch, who were still suffered to remain ; but
since that period, they have frequently endeavoured to resume
their commerce with the Japanese, but always without effect.
In 1637, four ships, under the command of Admiral Lord
Woddel, arrived at Nangasaky from Macao, where they had
been refused admittance, but without meeting here a better
reception. In 1675, another English ship arrived at Nanga-
saky, but was sent away under the pretext of the King of
\,
* The letter from the Emperor of Japan to King James of Fngland, and the
treaty of commerce concluded by Captain John Saris with the Japanese government,
in the name of the East India Company, are to be found in Entick's Naval History,
p. 395.
t Voyage de Hagenaar aux Indes, dans le Recueil des Voyages qui ont servi à l’Eta-
blissement et aux Progrès de la Compagnie des Iudes Oriel,tales, Tom. IX. p. 47 l.
The expedition conducted by Lord Woddel, in 1637, is not mentioned in Eutiel's
History. -
p F @
292 K R U SENSTERN's v OYAG E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
England, Charles I., having married a Portugueze princess.
In 1803, the same year as that in which we sailed from Russia,
another attempt was made, but likewise without success: a
company of English merchants in Calcutta had sent a ship,
very richly laden, under the command of Captain Torey, to
Nangasaky ; but it was ordered to quit the Japanese coast in
the space of twenty-four hours. The Americans, in the years
1801 and 1802, had failed in a similar project: the French
have never ventured to attempt it.
Thus it appears, that during two centuries and a half, Japan
has been visited by different nations of Europe, and that Nan-
gasaky has been frequented annually during two hundred years.
Notwithstanding this, no positive information has been obtained
upon the latitude and longitude, and still less, has any plan
been taken of this, which is one of the best harbours in the
world, and which, in the hands of Europeans, might be made
one of the most advantageous. Kämpfer, Charlevoix, and
Thunberg, have stated the longitude and latitude of Nangasaky,
but their determinations are all incorrect; and the plan of the
harbour given by Kämpfer is extremely faulty. In the fourth
volume of Dalrymple's admirable collection of Charts, are seve-
ral plans of the harbour of Nangasaky, after English and Dutch
manuscripts; but, with the exception of No. 27, which is a
chart of the south-west coast of Japan, in which the latitude of
Cape Nomo, the town of Nangasaky, and the entrance of the
harbour are really given with great accuracy, considering its
date, they are none of them better than that of Kämpfer.
The most correct position of Nangasaky is, however, to be found
in the General Chart of Barbié du Bocage, the geographer to
Description of THE HAR Bou R op NANG ASA KY. 293
Dentrecasteaux's voyages, published by Labillardière, the natu-
ralist to the expedition. We found but a very trifling and
almost imperceptible difference, both in the latitude and longi-
tude: but I believe that this concurrence is to be ascribed
merely to chance; for before our time no astronomical obser-
vations were ever made at Nangasaky, except an observation
of an eclipse of the moon in the year 1612. This was observed
at the same time at Nangasaky and at Macao, and gave One
hour as the meridian difference of these two cities. Now as
the longitude of Macao is 113° 37' 19",” it follows that that of
Nangasaky must be 128°37'19", which is only 13 different from
the true longitude. I am not aware of any more recent astro-
nomical observations at this place.
The observation of the moon's eclipse in 1612, is mentioned
in the Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences à Paris, tom. VII,
seconde partie, p. 96, edition in 4to, 1729, where it is related in
these words:
“ En l'année 1612 les Pères d’Aleni et Ureman observèrent
une éclipse de lune à Macao le 8 Novembre,
Le commencement à - - - - - - 8%. 30"
La fin - - - - - - - - - - 11° 45'
Le Père Charles Spinola, qui eutle bonheur d'être brulé à petit
feu dans le Japon pour la foi de Jesus Christ qu'il étoit allé y
prècher, observa a Nangasaky, capitale du Japon, le commence-
ment de cette éclipse a 9' 30.
-
* The reason why I have assumed 113° 37' 19° as the longitude of Macao, will be
seen in the 12th chapter of the next volume.
294, KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
Donc la différence entre les meridiens de Macao et de Nan-
gasaky est 1”, qui vaut 15°.
Doncla différence en longitude entre Paris et Nangasaky (la
longitude de Macao €tant 111° 26) est 126° 26'.”
Spinola's observation is incomplete, as he only gives the com-
mencement of the eclipse. The longitude of Nangasaky could
not therefore be calculated with perfect accuracy ; but it is ull-
doubtedly very wonderful that two hundred years ago, that of
Macao should have been so correctly ascertained, as to vary only
nine or ten minutes from the latest and best observations. In
the year 1612, these same jesuits, Aleni and Ureman, determined
with considerable precision the latitude of Macao at 22° 23'.
Captain Burney, who discusses the longitude of Nangasaky in
his Chronological History of the discoveries in the South Sea,
rejects the longitude deduced from Spinola's observation, and
has determined it by another method, varying but very little
from the true longitude, namely 130° 06' E. He has deduced
it from the ascertained longitude of Tsus-sima, and the distance
of this island from Nangasaky ; and it appears that he has
taken the mean of La Perouse's and Broughton's longitude of
the north end of Tsus-sima, and of Kämpfer and Valentine's, as
the ground of his meridian distance.
According to La Perouse, as quoted by Burney, the north
point of Tsus is 129° 37',”
# The north end of the island of Tsus, according to La Perouse's chart, is 127° 37',
or 129°57' E. of Greenwich. In the first chapter of the Second volume of my voyage,
it will be seen that the longitude of Tsus-sima, according to La Perouse's own state-
ment, must be = 129° 22'.
D Esc RIPTION OF THE HAR BOUR OF NANG ASA KY. 295
According to Broughton - - - 129° 30'
The mean is therefore - - - - 129° 33' 30"
The meridian distance between Nangasaky and Tsus-sima is
stated by Kämpfer to be 40,” and by Valentine 25, the mean
of which is - - - - - - - - 32' 30"
Consequently, 129° 33' 30"+32' 30"=130° 06' 00".
In the Connaissance des Tems, which generally contains
the most correct determinations of latitude and longitude, there
is an error of 13 in the latitude of Nangasaky ; and that
assigned by the above-mentioned Captain Torey, in 1803,
approaches much nearer to the truth. By his observations,
which were imparted to me at Canton by Captain M*Intosh,
to whom so much credit is due on account of his hydrography
of the East Indian and Chinese seas, the city of Nangasaky
lies in latitude 32° 45' and longitude 229° 45' W. of Green-
wich. This determination has, indeed, never been publicly
known, although, of all the authorities which I have adduced,
it is the only one that can be adopted as correct; being the
latest, and by an Englishman, who never traverses the East
Indian seas without a chronometer, and who is perfectly
acquainted with the method of lunar observations. As Captain
Torey only continued twenty-four hours in the bay of Nanga-
saky, no blame is due to him because his longitude differs
nearly half a degree from ours, while his difference of latitude
is extremely trifling.
Although Nangasaky may be closed for a long time against
* By our observation, the meridian distance between Tsus-sima and Nangasaky is 39.
296 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND T H E wo RLD.
Europeans, it would be too much in the spirit of the Dutch
merchants, were I to withhold the nautical remarks and obser-
vations which we made during our stay there. I therefore con-
sider it as my duty to publish whatever seems likely to become
useful, even though not till a remote period; and the object
of our enlightened monarch, who instituted this voyage, would
be very ill attained, if every thing of a philosophical nature that
we were able to collect during the prosecution of it were not
made public in the most circumstantial manner.
The entrance of the harbour of Nangasaky lies in latitude
32° 43'45" N. and longitude 230° 15' 00" W. in the middle of
the bay of Kiusiu, which is formed by Cape Nomo to the
south, and Cape Seurote to the north. From Cape Gotto in
32° 34' 50" and 231° 16' 00", the entrance of the harbour bears
E. by N. fifty-one miles. The distance from the easternmost
of the Gotto islands is only thirty-three miles, and perhaps still
less, from a chain of small rocky islands which stretch to the
N. E. from the Gottos and probably join to Cape Seurote,
and seem, at this point at least, to render a passage imprac-
ticable; and which, according to the report of the Japanese,
is only navigable for boats. "Having correctly ascertained the
entrance, no doubt can exist as to the course to be steered; but
should the want of an observation occasion any uncertainty,
the mountainous nature of this part of the coast renders Nan-
gasaky very remarkable. The land at Cape Nomo and Cape
Seurote is not particularly high, but Nangasaky, on the con-
trary, is surrounded by very lofty mountains, among which are
a regular chain higher than the rest at the southern extremity,
which lie rather E. by S. of the entrance. It is best to keep
D ESCRIPTION OF T II E H A R B O U R OF N A N G A SA KY. 297
as much as possible in the middle between the Gotto islands
and Kiusiu, and to steer a north-east course until the parallel of
the entrance, and then due east. In this direction the hill
behind Nangasaky soon becomes visible, and is a certain mark
even at a very considerable distance. When within about nine
or ten miles of the entrance, a large tree is seen on the island
of Iwo-sima, on the south side of it, and this tree, which
is visible even at a greater distance than ten miles, being
brought to bear S. E. 85°, is then in a line with the point of
the above-mentioned hill. With these two very particular
marks, it is impossible to miss the course to be pursued; but
if, on making the land of Kiusiu, you steer to Cape Nomo, as
we did, believing the entrance of Nangasaky to be twelve miles
more south than we found it, and then along the coast, you
are not only in danger, either in a calm or by the tides, which
at the time of the full and new moon are very strong, of being
driven too near the rocks, but might very easily mistake an
entrance in latitude 32°40' for the true one, and which, though
it really leads to Nangasaky, Inight prove dangerous, never
having been explored.
Cape Nomo, the southern point of the bay of Nangasaky,
lies in latitude 32° 35' 10" and longitude 230° 17' 30". This
promontory consists of a hill, with a split or double summit,
and at a little distance has the appearance of an island; and
when near it is very remarkable by a large rock which lies in
its front. Between Cape Nomo and the entrance into the har-
bour are a number of rocks and small rocky islands, one of
which is of considerable height, and others, like the Papenberg
in the bay of Nangasaky, are remarkable from being planted
Q Q
298 KRU SENSTER N’S v OYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
with trees from the base entirely up to the summit. Behind the
islands and the rocks is a bay, the south side of which is bounded
mostly by a flat and very well cultivated country: farther inland
it is more mountainous, the hills stretching in a north-west
direction as far as Nangasaky, in large ranges adjoining each
other, and planted with avenues and groups of trees. Behind
Cape Nomo the coast assumes a south-east direction; and here
there appears a large bay which, in the Japanese charts, is
called Arima, but which we were unable to examine. The last
point seen by us is in latitude 30° 32' and longitude 230°11'.
Cape Seurote bears N. W. 11° 50' of Cape Nomo twenty-five
miles; and from the entrance N. W. 30°, seventeen miles and a
half, and is in latitude 32° 58' 30" and longitude 230° 25'. The
cape itself is not of an extraordinary height, and may be known
by a hollow to the south-east, from which the land rises to the
north, and is, on the whole, mºre mountainous than Nomo.
Southward of Seurote are several islands of which the largest
and nearest to the cape is called Natsima, and the most to the
south Kitsima; but these, as well as the cape itself, we only
saw on the 8th October, the day of our arrival, and on quitting
our first anchorage on the 9th.
The harbour of Nangasaky may be divided into three parts;
for it contains three different roads, which are all perfectly safe.
The first without, to the westward of the island Papenberg; the
second in the middle to the eastward of that island, and the
third at the bottom of the harbour forms the inner road in front
of the city. As we lay for a considerable time in all of them,
3 ana enabled to describe them very circumstantially. The en-
D ESC RIPTION OF T II l; H A R B O U It OF N A N G A S.A. K. Y. 299
trance is formed to the southward by the north end of the island
* which two
a
*m.
Two-sima, and to the northward by Cape Facunda,”
points lie N. E. and S. W. 40 distant about two miles and one-
third from each other. In the middle between them the depth
is thirty-three fathoms, and with this water we anchored over
a bottom of fine grey sand. In the direction of E. S. E.
E. S. E. E. and E. (the course of the outer road) it gradually
decreases, till you anchor in twenty-two or twenty-five fathoms
over a bottom of thick green ooze covered with fine sand. This
outer road, to the west of Papenberg, is completely sheltered
against every wind except the north-west and west-north-west :
but as this wind blows but seldom during the north-east monsoon,
and never very strong, it is perfectly safe at this time of the year,
The anchorage is excellent, and we had considerable trouble
in weighing our anchor, after it had lain in the ground during
eight days, in which time it had not blown at all fresh, nor was
it weighed the second time without trouble, although we passed
but one night here; so that unless a vessel intends to remain
here any time, it will be found sufficient to cast out a kedge,
instead of a second sheet anchor. Ours lay to the north in a
depth of eighteen fathoms. This road is formed by the fol-
lowing islands: to the W. and S.W. is the lofty island Iwo-sima,
which lies nearly north and south, and is one mile and a half
in length : the hill which forms it is divided in the middle by a
low valley, where there are some houses, and upon the top of
the northern half of the island a large tree standing in an insu-
lated situation, and visible at a considerable distance, marks the
* The northern cape, at the entrance, I have called, for want of another name,
after the town of Faculda, which lies in an open bay not far from thence.
Q Q 2
300 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E R OUND THE wor L.D.
entrance to the harbour, and was of particular service to us in
combining the plan of the harbour with the sea marks. In an
almost north-east direction of the hill from the tree, is a valley
with a considerable village, surrounded by a very fine wood ;
and in the same direction, about a quarter of a mile from the
shore is a rock, which I believe is covered at high water.
E. S. E. of the island of Iwo-sima is another, called Taka-sima,
and these two are divided by a channel scarcely half a mile
wide, but which must be entirely free from rocks, as a Chi-
nese junk passed through it, and these vessels, being so badly
manoeuvred, require a very safe passage. Kajack-sima lies N. E.
of Taka-sima, and they are probably only separated by a cham-
nel full of rocks, or may perhaps be connected together by a
small neck of land, a circumstance we were unable to ascer-
tain. At all events there is no passage, not even for the
smallest boats, which makes it the more probable that these
two islands are connected as they are laid down in the plan.
To the north of Kajack-sima lie some rocks that bear the name
of Kanda-sima ; and farther to the north-east the small island
Amiabur, which is about a mile and a half in circumference,
and is separated from the former by a small channel scarcely a
quarter of a mile across. On the north-east point of Amiabur
stands a Japanese fort, that is to say a building hung round
with striped cloth, but containing neither cannon nor musket.
The Japanese interpreter stated that there are rocks below
water in the vicinity of this island, which frequently tear the
fisherman's nets, and hence the name of Amiabur arises, amia
signifying a fishing net, and bur to tear or break in pieces.
The islands Taka-sima, Kajack-sima, Kanda-sima and Amiabur
surround the outer road from the S. W. to the S. E. : to the
Descript Ion of TIIL II AR BOUR OF NANG ASAK Y. 301
E. at a distance of about two miles is the main land, to the
N. E. Papenberg, and the island Kamino-sima to the N. ; this
last is about two miles in circumference. From these another
chain of rocks stretches to the W., between which there does
not appear to be a passage even for the smallest craft, and Ka-
mino-sima is surrounded by several reefs, and separated from
the main, as well as from Papenberg, by a narrow channel only
navigable for boats. On the east point of Kamino-sima there
is another fort after the Japanese fashion, called Simbo. The
following are the bearings from our anchorage in twenty-five
fathoms in the outer road. The tree upon the island Iwo-sima
bore S.W. 83°–Papenberg N. E. 76° 30'. The north end of
Iwo-sima N.W. 85°. The bearings were nearly the same when
we came to an anchor here in twenty-four fathoms at the time
of our departure.
The middle road, or that to the eastward of Papenberg, is
surrounded on all sides by the land, and is equally safe with
the innermost one, to which I should prefer it, as its anchor-
age is better, though not equally good with that of the outer
road. To the W. lies Papenberg, a smali island scarcely half
a mile in circumference, the highest of all those in this harbour,
and particularly remarkable from its being planted on both
sides with a row of trees from its base to the summit. By the
Japanese it is called Takaboku-sima: the name of Papenberg
being derived from the report, that during the extirpation of
the Christians from Japan, the Catholic priests were thrown
from the top of this mountain. To the S. W. lie the islands
Amiabur, Kajack-sima and Taka-sima, and in a rather more
southerly direction, the broad channel, open to the sea, but in
S()2 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
which, during the south-west storms the waves are broken by
small islands and rocks lying as well without as within it, and on
this account it is necessary to anchor rather nearer to Papen-
berg, in order to be perfectly secured. During the typhon, on
the 1st October, in which the Dutch ships in the inner road were
driven from their anchors, the Chinese junks lay secure, al-
though their anchors are made of wood, and consequently
much worse than those of the Dutch. To the southward and
eastward is the right bank of the channel leading to the city ; to
the N. E. Nangasaky, to the N. and N. W. a part of the left
bank of the channel of Nangasaky and the island of Kamino-
sima. From the outer road to the center the depth decreases
gradually from twenty-five to seventeen fathoms. In this
passage the only thing to be observed is to keep closer to the
Papenberg than to the opposite shore, and the former may be
approached within a cable's length, as even at this distance there
is a depth of eighteen or twenty fathoms. The Dutch ships, as
they sailed out, kept nearer by half this distance.
N. E. of Papenberg lies, about three quarters of a mile dis-
tant, a small flat island entirely overgrown with wood, and
boaring the name of Nosumi-sima (Rat island); it is about the
same size as Papenberg, and a hundred and thirty fathoms far-
ther, in the same direction, is the small bay of Kibatsch, in
which there are from six to ten fathoms water. This, in all the
harbour of Nangasaky, is the best place to refit a ship, for in
the inner one the shore is every where so muddy that no ship
can approach it. It was on the left side of this little bay that
we were allowed a small space, scarcely longer than the ship
itself, surrounded with bamboos, as a walk.
D ESC RIPTION OF THE EIA R B O U R OF N A N G A SAIC Y. 303.
I would recommend to ships coming for the first time to Nan-
gasaky not to suffer themselves to be detained by any Japanese
boats which come out several miles to meet them, but to sail
straight for the outer road. They may even run at once into
the middle road, without the least danger, particularly during
the south-west monsoon. The assistance of the Japanese in this
passage is perfectly unnecessary; and by rejecting it they will
avoid the unpleasant predicament of being kept two days in the
middle of the entrance, where, if any thing of a storm were to
spring up, they would be exposed to the greatest danger. Un-
less my advice be adopted, they must hire a hundred boats to
tow them to Papenberg, when they will experience the addi-
tional mortification of losing a hundred fathoms of towing line,
which the Japanese will cut off the moment they have carried
them in.
From the middle to the inner road, or to the city of Nanga-
saky, the course lies N. E. 40”; the distance is about two miles
and one-third, and the depth decreases gradually from eighteen
to five fathoms. Nearly half way, where the channel is not
more than four hundred fathoms wide, are situated the impe-
rial batteries, or the emperor's guard. These consist of a num-
ber of buildings, but without a single cannon, similar batteries
being erected in different places along both shores; and indeed,
as the breadth of the channel is not more than five hundred, and
in some places only three hundred fathoms, it would be impos-
sible to conquer the city of Nangasaky if the Japanese knew
how to fortify it, though in its present state it is not more for-
midable than the most miserable fishing town in Europe. A
single frigate, with a few fire ships, would destroy the whole
304 K R Us ENSTERN's vo Y AG E Rou N D TIIE wo RLD.
of Nangasaky in a few hours, notwithstanding its population,
who could not possibly make any resistance. In the vicinity of
the emperor's guard, on the right bank, there is a bay which
was always full of small vessels, and where there is no doubt
plenty of water for larger ships, and on both sides of the chan-
nel there are several similar bays. This one, owing to its
romantic appearance, was very striking, and seemed to be the
largest; but we were not allowed to examine any one of them.
The anchorage near Nangasaky is not so good as either in
the middle or outer road, as the bottom is a very thin clay,
besides that, as the south-west channel is here quite open to the
sea, there is less shelter than when lying close under the Papen-
berg. The Nadeshda lay in five fathoms and a quarter, four
hundred fathoms from Dezina, which bore N. E. 40° and two
hundred and fifty from Megasaky, the residence of our ambas-
sador, adjoining to the Chinese factory, some of the magazines
of which were given up to us. Megasaky bore of the ship
S. E. SO’.
The mean of a number of sets of observations to ascertain
the latitude of Kibatsch and Megasaky reduced to the middle
of the town according to the plan of the harbour, gave
32° 44' 50" N. .
The latitude of Kibatscli . . . . . 32° 43' 15" S.
— Megasaky . . . . 32° 44' 02"
* — the flag staff at Dezima 32° 44' 18"
Nangasaky . . . . . 32°,43' 40"
The longitude is chicily ascertained by distances from the
moon, above 1000 of which were measured by Dr. Horner and
myself during the first month of our stay liere.
TD ES C R I, PTION OF THE HA R B O U R OF N A N G A SA KY. 305
The mean of 287 distances of the sun west from the moon,
measured by myself, gave for the longitude of Kibatsch, 230°
18' 1", 277 distances of the sun cast of the moon, 230° 02' 41".
The mean of these 564 distances is 230° 10' 21".
The mean of 204 distances of the Sun, west from the moon,
observed by Dr. Horner, 230°19′. 260 distances of the sun,
east from the moon, 230° 2' 10".
The mean of the 464 distances, 230° 10' 35".
The longitude of Kibatsch is therefore by a mean of 1028
distances, 230° 10' 28" W.
The center of the town of Nangasaky lies east of Kibatsch
—2' 35".
The longitude of Nangasaky is therefore 230° 7' 53", or in
round numbers 230° 8' W.
The longitude of the entrance of the harbour of Nangasaky
is 230° 13' W.
The mean of all our observations on the variation of the
compass in the outer and middle road was 1° 45' 36° W. The
southern dip of the needle could not be observed, because our
dipping needle was entirely destroyed by the violence of the
typhon.
As we were prevented during the first three months of our
stay here from quitting the ship, we were unable to make any
observations on the tides, and our remarks are therefore confined
to the months of January, February, March, and April ; but
these were made with the greatest accuracy, and without any
considerable intervening space, under my particular superin-
tendance, by the second pilot of the ship. In the last six
weeks of our stay in particular these observations were conti-
T. R.
SO6 R R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wo RLD.
nued without interruption during every hour of the day until
dark, and frequently from eight to twelve times in the hour.
As this was about the time of the equinox, those who are oc-
cupied with any theories upon this phenomenon may, perhaps,
be able to draw some inferences not altogether unimportant from
our Observations, and it is only to be lamented that we were
prevented from commencing them in the first months of our
stay here. I know of no place where better observations may
be made upon the tides than in the harbour of Nangasaky,
not only because their changes are here very regular, but be-
cause the water is always very calm, and never agitated except
by the most violent storms ; and it is particularly to be wished
that the Dutch, who have plenty of time for such occupations,
would give a continued series of them.
I have always determined the time of the highest flood and
lowest ebb by corresponding altitudes; and as I had several
observations between each change, I could invariably take the
mean of them. In the syzygies the time of the highest flood is
at 7 h. 52'41". Generally the highest flood and lowest ebb was
on the third and fourth change after these and the quadratures.
The highest tide we witnessed was on the 2d of April, two days
after the new moon, when the horizontal parallax of the moon
was 59' 48" and its declination 23° 13' N. The water rose 11 f.
5 in. the wind was moderate from the north. The lowest
tide was on the 25th March, two days after the quadrature,
three days after the apogeum, and the same period after the
equinox: the water on this day only rose 1 f. 2 in...; the wind
blew gently from the northward.
1) Escription of THE HAR Bou R of NANG ASAR Y. 307
Although this year was not remarkably favourable, yet the
weather, during the three first months in particular, could not
possibly be finer than it was here; a consequence, perhaps, of
the typhon, which had entirely cleared the atmosphere. The
following is in a few words the monthly state of the weather,
which, as it was easily referred to, I set down at the end of
every month.
OCTOBER, 1804.
The north-east trade wind, which set in with the typhon on
the 1st of October, was the reigning wind during this month :
now and them, indeed, it blew from the N. W. and twice from
the W. and S.W. but only for a few hours. On the whole the
weather was extremely fine, except on one day, the 24th,
when the sky was overcast and it rained a couple of hours.
The highest barometrical rise in clear weather with a gentle
north-east wind was F 29 in. 99. The lowest in cloudy wea-
ther and a fresh wind from the S. W. = 29 in. 62; and the
greatest degree of damp which the hygrometer* expressed under
similar circumstances was 44, O. The highest rise of the ther-
mometer in the cabin was 10; the quicksilver, where it stood
completely in the shade, rose at nine o'clock in the morning to
20 2. The lowest stand of the thermometer was on the se-
cond morning at seven o'clock during a fresh wind from N. E.
by E. when the quicksilver fell to 10° 4. Both hygrometer
and thermometer experienced great changes daily. Even in
the cabin the difference in the thermometer was frequently
—i-—
* The hygrometer's highest degree of damp was 70° according to several experi-
ments in the water. The highest degrees of dryness in the sun were 15° and 18°.
R. R. 2
3O8 R R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND THE wor L.D.
from four to five degrees, and in the shade upon deck, between
six in the morning and noon, as much as nine and ten degrees.
Until nine in the morning the bay was constantly covered with
a thick mist, probably occasioned by the great transition from
heat to cold.
NOVEMBER.
The wind was almost constantly between north and cast.
On the 4th November, three days after the new moon, we
had a very hard storm from the south, with thunder and heavy
rain. The wind shifted after noon from east to south-east and
south, and held in this direction till midnight, when it sud-
denly veered to the north, and brought fine weather with it.
A similar very violent south wind, accompanied with squalls,
happened on the 13th November, three days after the full
moon; and again on the 28th, three days after the new
moon, we had another storm, with violent gusts of wind at east
that lasted however only a few hours. The dew was as regular
as in the preceding month, and so heavy that in the morning
the deck was as wet as if it had been washed. I made an ex-
periment one night, recollecting an old saying, to discover with
a fine piece of muslin whether the dew had any colour, but did
not perceive the smallest change in the stuff. The weather was
throughout very sharp during this month, but we had often
extremely hot weather ; and the transition from heat to cold
was particularly sudden. On the 13th, for instance, the
thermometer stood at 10° of heat in the morning, 20° at noon,
and at three o'clock in the afternoon, 24” in the shade. The
next day at the same hour it was twelve degrees Hess, and the
day after only eight degrees. In the morning at six and seven
D Esc RIPTION OP THE HAR BOUR OF NANG ASA KY. 309
o'clock it was rarely higher than 6, very often only 4” and 43°.
The barometer generally stood very high ; and was for nearly
three days between 30 in. 25, and 30 in. 20; the wind at the
time being very moderate at N. and the sky free from clouds.
The lowest degree was during a strong south-east wind 29 in. 66.
It only rained in stormy weather with the wind at South.
T)FCEMBER.
With the exception of the three last days of this month the
weather was particularly fine, and it scarcely ever rained,
unless on those days when the wind blew hard at south.
The wind, except during a few hours when it blew from the
south-west, was north-east, and towards the last days of the
month the trade-wind set in, becoming more northerly, and
even due N. or N. N. W., and so fresh and cold that the
quicksilver fell to + 2* ; and on the morning of the 27th, at
eight o'clock, and during a perfect calm, even to + 13°. The
greatest height of the thermometer was on the 7th, when the
quicksilver in the shade rose to 16°, the wind blowing pretty
fresh at W. S. W. The barometer stood throughout the month
uncommonly high, being seldom below 30 in. and frequent-
ly 30 in. 20. It was at the lowest on the 29th during a
strong south-west wind, when in the course of eighteen hours
it fell four lines to 29 in. 77. A thick fog, which continued
until about mine o'clock, when it was dispersed by the sun,
was, the same as in the preceding month, a sure forerunner
of a fine day. There was never any fog with a southerly
wind, and the changes in the hygrometer depended entirely
upon them.
310 K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE W or L.D.
JANUARY, 1805.
The winter seemed to set in with the month of January, for
the weather was now much more raw than before. The quick-
silver fell on the 2d January for instance, during very clear
weather, and a moderate wind at N. by E., to one degree below
freezing point. On the 31st January, at five in the morning, it
fell once more to 1; below freezing point; but about two in
the afternoon it again rose to 133° in the shade, so that in nine
hours there was a difference of 15°. The weather was particu-
larly fine. These are the only two occasions on which the
quicksilver fell below the freezing point, at other times its mean
height, though it varied very much at different hours of the
day, was at noon between 7° and 11°, and at six in the morning
between 3° and 6°. The wind was mostly N. N. E. and N. N.
W.; a S. W. and S. E. wind always brought storms and rain,
and we had more frequently bad weather than before, not only
during a southerly wind, as in the preceding month, but even
with northerly winds. It only snowed once accompanied with
hail, which was during a strong north wind, and the moun-
tains remained for several hours covered with snow. We had
only stormy and bad weather, as before, at the time of the
new and full moon ; but the heavy dew which fell so regu-
larly in the preceding months, very seldom took place now,
though it was always a precursor of fine weather, and it was at
these times that the hygrometer marked the greatest degree of
moisture, and even some degrees more than during a heavy and
continued rain. The barometer was in general very high, and
almost always above 30 in.
DEscripTION of THE HAR Bou R OF NANGASAKY. 311
FEBRUARY.
This and January are the only two winter months, for
towards the last days of February the air began to grow warmer,
even with a northerly wind. The reigning winds were N. and
N. N. W. which blew pretty fresh, and about the new and full
moon were very violent. On the 15th, 16th, and 17th, we had
a heavy storm at N. N. W. accompanied with snow and hail.
The thermometer was half a degree below freezing point, and
it rained several times, and with every wind. Although the
northerly were the prevailing winds, gentle breezes from S. W.
and W. S. W. were not uncommon, but were seldom of any du-
ration. During the last days of the month the wind generally
blew after noon very moderately for about an hour from the
S. W. and W. : the barometer mostly stood above 30 in.
but on the 26th February, during a continued rain, which
was followed by a violent storm from the W. and S.W. it fell
to 29 in. 67, and the wind had scarcely veered to its old quarter
when the quicksilver again rose above 30 in. I have al-
ready stated what was the lowest degree of the thermometer;
the highest in the open air, in the shade, was during a moderate
south-east wind 153, and once 153, but only towards noon. The
same variations took place in the hygrometer as during the pre-
ceding months.
MARCH.
This was the most stormy month of any. The winds were
as frequent from the S.W. as from N. E. and the former gene-
rally very violent. These south-west winds always brought con-
tinued rain; yet, from the report of the Japanese, the rainy season
sets in with the south-west monsoon, which does not acquire all
3.19. K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
its force until May. The rule, that it is mostly very stormy three
days before and three days after the new and full moon, was par-
ticularly verified in this month. And two days after the equi-
nox we had a very violent gale at S. and S. W. accompanied
with squalls. The greatest storm that we witnessed at Nan-
gasaky was on the 26th, five days after the equinox, and four
after the new moon. Already in the night preceding the 26th,
the wind was very high at S.W., but in the morning of that
day it veered to S. E. and then shifted back between S. and
S. W. and during this time the squalls were extremely heavy.
Soon after mid-day this storm, which the Japanese called a
typhon, abated, and calms and a fog that continued for three
days, succeeded it. The barometer was, comparatively speak-
ing, uncommonly high, viz. 29 in. 64; and yet on the 17th
and 23d March, when the gale was more moderate, it was
somewhat lower, viz. 29 in. 61. On the 1st October, 1804, it
was nearly three inches lower. The mountains, which sur-
rounded us, and indeed the vicinity of the land, may have con-
tributed to this extraordinary height of the barometer, as in the
harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul we remarked the same thing.
The temperature of the air was very variable in this, as in the
preceding months. The north, particularly when it suc-
ceeded a southerly wind, was always very raw and cold. The
greatest height of the thermometer was on the 2d and 16th
March, when the quicksilver in the shade rose to 16”. It was
at the lowest on the 5th and 12th March, when it fell to + 2*
and 13°. On the 17th, during a heavy rain and strong wind
from the S. W. the hygrometer marked a greater degree of
moisture, viz. 55°, five higher than we had seen it until this
day,
DESCRIPTION or T H E H A R BOUR OF NANG ASA KY. 313
APRIL.
The N. E. monsoon was still at its height until the 18th
April, the day of our departure from Nangasaky. The wind
blew almost constantly from the N. and N. N. E. but mostly
very moderate. On the night preceding the 5th, four days
after the new moon, we had a violent storm from the N. N. E.
with rain; but the next day the storm abated, and the weather
again cleared up. On the last day of our stay here, the wind
was particularly moderate, and the weather constantly fine.
On the 18th April, four days after the new moon, we had a
violent storm a few hours after we sailed which lasted nearly
two days. This was followed by a calm for two more, and the
barometer, which latterly was 30 in. and 2% lines, began to fall.
During the first days of this month the low state of the baro-
meter was very striking, for it was not higher than 29 in. 40;
less than it had been during the most violent storm we had ex-
perienced at Nangasaky. The wind was, however, very mo-
derate at N. E. with a dark, clouded sky. The greatest height
of the thermometer in this month was on the 4th, with a mo-
derate breeze at N. E. and E. S. E., the quicksilver remaining
during nearly the whole day at 20°, and on the 17th in a per-
fect calm it rose to 18° and 19°, from ten o'clock in the morn-
ing until six in the afternoon. The lowest state of the thermo-
meter was on the 14th, at six in the morning, when it was not
quite 6°. Its usual state was between 8” and 12°.
314 K R USENSTERN's voy Ag E Rou ND THE world. '
OBSERVATION.
According to the remarks of the Japanese interpreters at
Nangasaky, I have called the long flat island in the straits of
Van Diemen (page 237) Jaconosima, and that to the S. W. of
it, (page 238,) Tenegasima. But, in an original Japanese chart,
in the possession of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in
two others belonging to Counsellor Klaproth, the S.W. island
is called Jaconosima, and the one to the N. E. Tenegasima.
I have no hesitation in adopting the latter as the proper way of
naming them, and have therefore done so in my chart.
E NID OF WOL. I.
--~
London: Printed by C. Roworth, Bell-yard, Temple-bar.
， ， ， ， ， ， ，
ſae/| /！/
( ·(
， ， ， ， ， ，
. . .

vOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD,
IN THE
! YEARS 1803, 1804, 1805, & 1806,
BY ORDER OF
his IMPERIAL MAJESTY ALEXANDER THE FIRST,
i. ON BOARD THE SHIPS NADESHDA AND NE VA,
Iſ N DER THE COM MAN D OF
CAPTAIN A. J. VON KRUSENSTERN,
OF THE IMPERIAL NAVY.
-ms-
IN TWO WOLUMES.
—-mºsºm-
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GERMAN
By RICHARD BELGRAVE HOPPNER, Esq.
VOL. II.
Les Marins écrivent mal, mais avec assez de candeur. —DE BRosses.
HLOnDOn :
Printed by T. Davison, Lombard-street, Fleet-street;
FOR JOHN MURRAY, BOOKSELLER TO THE ADMIRALTY AND THE
BOARD OF LONGITUDE, 50, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
1813.
A
Af
CONTENTS TO WOL. II.
CHAP. I.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, AND NAVIGATION OF THE JAPAN ESE SEA.
Page
The Nadeshda quits Nangasaky—Measures of Precaution adopted by the Ja-
panese Government with respect to our Voyage to Kamtschatka—Plan of
Operations for the Year—Stormy Passage round the Gotto Islands—De-
scription of Colnett and Tsus-sima–Observations on the Longitude of
Tsus-sima—Important Errors in the Chart of La Perouse's Voyage between
Manilla and Kamtschatka—We perceive the Coast of Japan—Suppose the
Land we see to be the Island called Oki—Remarks upon the Variation of
the Compass and State of the Barometer in the Japanese Sea—We ex-
plore the North-west Coast of Japan—Discover the Straits of Sangar—
Astronomical Situation of the two Capes in the Islands of Nipon and
Jesso, which form the Western Entrance of the Straits of Sangar—Exa-
mination of the West Coast of Jesso or Matzumay—We explore Gulf
Strogonoff, and are disappointed in our Hopes of finding here the Passage
which separates the Islands of Jesso and Karafuto–We discover that La
Perouse's Peak de Langle and Cape Guibert are not situated in Jesso, but
upon two different Islands—We sail between these and the North-west
Coast of Jesso—Find ourselves in the Straits of La Perouse—Anchor at the
Northern Point of Jesso in a Bay, which obtains the Name of the Count
Romanzoff & º tº Q * > ſº • ... 1
CHAP. II.
STAY ON THE NORTH POINT of Jesso, AND IN AN 1 wa B.AY.
Lateness of the Spring in the North of Jesso—We find here a Japanese Of.
ficer and several Merchants of that Nation—Remarks upon the Geography
V O Le II, b
CONTENTS TO WOL. II.
Page
of these Parts—Upon the Names of Jesso, Matsumay, Insu, Oku Jesso, o
and Sachalin—Description of Romanzoff Bay—Peak de Langle—We sail
to Aniwa Bay—Anchor in Salmon Bay—Japanese Factory in Aniwa Bay
—Proposal for an European Establishment in this Bay—Advantages which
such an Establishment promises to Commerce—Facility of taking Pos-
session of Aniwa-Defence of this apparently violent Measure—Descrip-
tion of the Ainos—Their physical and moral Qualities—Modesty of the
Women—Their Dress—Ornaments, Houses, and Utensils—Food—Go-
vernment—Population—Refutation of the Story of the Ainos being co-
wered with Hair . {e we tº e tº tº , 44
CHAP. III.
D EPARTURY FROM AN IWA BAY. ARRIVAL IN KAMTS CHATKA.
The Nadeshda leaves Salmon Bay—Description of Cape Aniwa–We sail
into Gulf Patience—Explore Mordwinoff Bay—Account of the Ainos who
reside there—Farther Examination of the Gulf—Spenberg and Peak Ber-
nizet—We reach the Bottom of the Gulf, and anchor there—Remarks
upon this Part of Sachalin–Difference of its Situation according to the
old Dutch Observations—The Nadeshda quits Patience Bay—We perceive
the Rocks round Robben Island–Error in its Position in the Charts—
Large Fields of Ice on the East Coast of Sachalin–We are reduced to give
up all farther Examination of this Island.—Return to Kamtschatka—Cross
the Kuriles in a new Parallel—Dangerous Situation of the Ship—Are
obliged to return to the Sea of Ochotsk—See Cape Lopatka—Arrive in
the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul—Precautions taken to prevent the
spreading of the Small-Pox, which had broke out in the Ship . . 79
CHAP. IV.
STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL.
Some Account of the Ships of the American Company—Wretched Condition
of the Seamen on board of them—Description of the Maria—Account of
the Promiischleniks, or Furtakers—Proposals for the Improvement of their
Condition—Lieutenants Chwostoff and Davidoff the first naval Officers
taken into the Service of the American Company—Advantages which the
Company have already derived from their Service—We hear that the Go-
CONTENTS TO VOL. II.
Page
vernor will shortly arrive at St. Peter and St. Paul–Departure of M.
Resanoff—The Governor's Arrival—Danger incurred by him in passing the
Awatscha River—Short Account of his Journey to Tshiginsk–Meeting
with the Chief of the Tschuktsches—Ball at St. Peter and St. Paul—The
Nadeshda quits Kamtschatka to complete the Survey of the Island of
Sachalin . º ſº 9 e º º º . 104
CHAP. V.
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC HA LIN .
The Nadeshda sails from Awatscha Bay—We see the Kuriles—Sail through
Nadeshda Channel—Storm in the Vicinity of Cape Patience—Comparison
of the Longitude by the Chronometers and lunar Observations—Greatest
Error which can be committed in these Observations—Instruments best
calculated for them at Sea—We continue the Examination of Sachalin to
the North of Cape Patience—The Tiara Mountain—Dangerous Shoal at
some Distance from Land—Constant Fog—We reach the Northern Ex-
tremity of Sachalin—Description and Situation of Capes Elizabeth and
Maria—We find a Colony of Tartars in a Bay, to which we give the Name
of the North Bay—Description of this Bay—Examination of the North-
west Coast of Sachalin–We perceive the opposite Coast of Tartary—
Reach the Channel that divides Sachalin from Tartary—Are forced to re-
turn—Violent Currents near this Channel–Probable Vicinity of the
Mouth of the Amur—We anchor on the North-west Point of Sachalin in
a Bay, which we call Nadeshda Bay e e Q e ... 1
2
2
CHAP. VI.
RETURN TO KA MTS CHAT K.A.
Stay in Nadeshda Bay—We find it inhabited by Tartars—Their mistrustful
Conduct—Short Account of their Manners and Customs—And of their
Houses—Supposed Number of Tartars settled in the North Part of Sachalin
—Geographical Situation of Nadeshda Bay—We sail for the second Time
towards the opposite Coast of Tartary, but without obtaining Sight of it—
Its probable Direction—Impossibility of exploring the Coast of Tartary
from the River Amur to the Russian Boundary—Plan I had projected for
so doing in Japan—Necessity of beginning any Examination of these Parts
CONTENTS TO VOL. II.
at Udinsk–Proofs of Sachalin not being divided by a Channel from Tar- Page
tary—Subsequent Confirmation by Captain Broughton of this Opinion—
We proceed on our Voyage from Sachalin to Kamtschatka—Isle of St.
Jonas—Laid down incorrectly—Constant Fog and stormy Weather—We
cross the Kuriles—Anchor in Awatscha Bay º tº º . 162
CHAP. VII.
LAST STAY OF THE N A DESH DA IN THE HARB O U R OF ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL.
The Nadeshda causes considerable Alarm in St. Peter and St. Paul—Arrival
of a Transport from Ochotsk—The Provisions brought by it are for the
most Part useless—Usual Method of salting Meat at Ochotsk, and of con-
veying Biscuit—Arrival of a Vessel belonging to the American Company
from Unalashka—We hear of the Neva—Lieutenant Koscheleff arrives
from Nischney-Kamtschatka with full Powers from the Governor to pro-
vide the Nadeshda with every Thing wanted—The Officers of the Nadeshda
erect a Monument to the Memory of Captain Clarke, and the Astronomer
Delisle de la Croyere—The shipwrecked Japanese escape from Kamt-
schatka—Iwasehkin—The History of his Exile—The Wereschtschagins—
The Nadeshda in leaving Awatscha Bay runs on a Sand-bank, which oc-
casions a Delay of three Days—She quits Kamtschatka–Astronomical
and nautical Observations in the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul . 194
CHAP. VIII.
O N THE ACTUAL STATE OF KAMTS CHATKA.
Introduction—Description of the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of
the Country—Fertility of the Soil in the Interior of Kamtschatka—Reason
of the great Scarcity of national Production—Short Sketch of the Manners
of the Russians in Kamtschatka—They are destitute of every Thing, even
of Bread and Salt—The Nadeshda supplies Kamtschatka with Salt for a
Twelvemonth—Necessity of sending some skilful Physicians there—Bene-
ficial Changes with respect to the Officers of Kamtschatka—Want of
building Materials in the Vicinity of St. Peter and St. Paul—Wretched-
ness of the Houses there—Little Attention paid to Cultivation—Reason
of this—Scarcity of Women, and ill Effects of it—Description of the
Kamtschadales—Their Houses—Administration of Justice—Duties of the
CONTENTS TO WOL. II.
Page
Tayon and Jessaul—Tribute exacted from them—Mode in which the
Merchants have hitherto conducted their Affairs in Kamtschatka—New
Regulations of the Governor respecting Trade for the Benefit of the In-
habitants—Necessity of enforcing them as much as possible—Indispensable
Services performed by the Kamtschadales sº o gº ſº 215
CHAP. IX.
PASS A G E FROM KA MTSC HAT KA TO M A CA O.
Plan of our intended Voyage to China—We discontinue our Search for the
Land seen by the Spaniards in 1684—Violent Storms in the thirty-first and
thirty-eighth Degrees of Latitude—Several Signs of the Vicinity of Land
—Fruitless Search for the Islands of Guadeloupe, Malabrigos and Don
Juan—We see Sulphur Island and South Island, and direct our Course to
the South Point of Formosa—Pass the Straits between Formosa and the
Bashee Islands, during a very stormy Night—Obtain Sight of the Rock
Pedro Blanco and the Coast of China—Perceive a large Fleet of Chinese
Pirates—Some Account of them—Anchor in the Road of Macao º 257
CHAP. X.
STAY IN CHIN A.
The Nadeshda sails into the Typa–Arrival of a Chinese Comprador—We
learn that the Neva had not arrived in China—This occasions us some Un-
easiness—Explanation to the Chinese Government of the Nature of our
Arrival, and Stay at Macao—Restrained Situation of the Portuguese in
Macao—The Chinese treat them with very little Moderation—Hazardous
Situation of the Governor there—The Loss of Macao, probably, at no great
Distance—Beautiful Garden belonging to Mr. Drummond—Camoens'
Grotto—Arrival of the Neva with a rich Lading of Furs—The Chinese
will not allow the Nadeshda to proceed to Whampoa-I sail in the Neva
to Canton to obtain Permission—Arrival of the Nadeshda at Whampoa—
Difficulty of opening a Trade with Canton—Through the Intercession of
an English House, the Neva's Cargo is purchased—We prepare for our
Departure from China—Sudden Orders of the Viceroy for our Detention
—Representations made in consequence—Mr. Drummond, President of the
English Factory, exerts himself in our Behalf—Final Orders to allow the
Ships to sail—The Nadeshda and Neva quit Whampoa
Q
7
8
CONTENTS TO WOL. II.
CHAP. XI.
A CCO UNT OF CH IN A.
Page
Introduction—General Remarks upon the Rebellion in the Southern and
Western Provinces—Measures of the Government against the Rebels—
Considerable Force of the latter—Several united Societies in the Interior
of China in Opposition to the present Government, and the Mantchou
Dynasty—Kia King, Emperor of China—Conspiracy against his Life—
His Manifesto on the Occasion—Fate of the Conspirators—Recent
hanges at the Court of Pekin—Late Edict of the Emperor—Indifference
of the Officers of the Chinese Government particularly apparent in case of
Fire—Introduction of Vaccination—Its Success—State of the Christian
Religion in China—Persecution of the Missionaries—Imperial Edict rela-
tive to them and their Religion—Confinement of two Russians in Canton
—A Hindostan Fakeer there—Account of him—State of European Trade—
Extensive commercial Intercourse of the Americans—Goods recommended
to be imported into Russia from China—Organisation of the Hong at
Canton—Abuses of the Hoppoo or Director of the Customs—Proposal for
extending the Russian Trade at Canton—Price of the chief Articles and
Provisions—Answers to some Questions of M. Von Würst on the Chinese
Administration ſº ſº * tº & tº g 3O2
CHAP. XII.
PASS A G E ACROSS THE CHIN ES E S E A.
The Nadeshda and Neva quit the Coast of China–Longitude of Poolo
Wawoor, of Macao, of the great Ladrone Islands, and the Island of Potoe
—Endeavours of several English Navigators to improve the Hydrography
of the Chinese Sea—We pass Poolo Sapato in the Night—The Andrada
Rock, and the Middleburgh Shoal—We see Poolo Wawoor—Regulate our
Time-pieces by its ascertained Longitude—Pass the Straits of Gaspar—
Chronometrical Determination of the Longitude of North Island—The
Nadeshda enters the Straits of Sunda by the Passage of Zutphen—Ad-
vantages of this Passage over that of Bantam—Anchor between the Island
of Crocatoa and T amarin–Longitude of Crocatoa and Prince Island—
Perilous Situation of the Ship during a Calm—Incorrectness of the Charts
of the Straits of Sunda e * tº tº * * 360
CONTENTS TO WOL. II.
CHAP. XIII.
PASSAGE FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, UNTIL THE ARRIVAL OF THE
N A DESH DA AT CR ON STADT.
The Nadeshda and Neva quit the Coast of Java—See the Christmas Islands Page
—Cross the Southern Tropic—Errors of our Chronometers proved by
lunar Observations—We part Company from the Neva—The Nadeshda
weathers the Cape of Good Hope—Arrives at St. Helena—The Neva not
there—Remarks on St. Helena—No Foreigners permitted to visit the In-
terior—Reason of this Order being lately strictly enforced—Unfortunate
Occurrence on board the Nadeshda during her Stay at St. Helena—She
puts to Sea—The Advantages of crossing the Line on the Return from the
East Indies near America rather than more to the Eastward–The Opinions
of Captain Cook and of Dapré hereupon—Variation of the Compass at
the Equator compared with former Observations—Nicholson's Rules for
crossing the Line—We get the North-east Trade Wind—Pass the Northern
Tropic, and soon after lose the Trade Wind—Course to the North of Scot-
land—Rockall—We obtain Sight of the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and
sail between them—Fulo, Fairhill, and Cape Hangcliff—Trifling Error of
our Time-pieces by Lord Mulgrave's Longitude of this Cape—We fall in
with an English Corvette and a Frigate—From the latter we learn that
the Neva had left England for Cronstadt under Convoy of an English
Cutter—Perceive the Coast of Norway—Arrive at Copenhagen—Are
visited by His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand of Denmark—Departure
from Copenhagen—Arrival at Cronstadt on the 19th August, 1806 . 381
KRUSENSTERN'S
vo y Ag E R o UND THE WO R L D.
CHAPTER I.
D EPARTURE FROM J A PAN, AND NAVIG ATION OF THE
J A P A N E S E S E A .
The Nadeshda quits Nangasaky—Measures of Precaution adopted by the Japanese
Government with respect to our Voyage to Kamtschatka—Plan of Operations for
the Year—Stormy Passage round the Gotto Islands—Description of Colnett and
Tsus-sima—Observations on the Longitude of Tsus-sima—Important Errors in
the Chart of La Perouse's Poyage between Manilla and Kamtschatka—We per-
ceive the Coast of Japan—Suppose the Land we see to be the Island called Oki—
Remarks upon the Variation of the Compass and State of the Barometer in the
Japanese Sea—We explore the North-west Coast of Japan—Discover the Straits
of Sangar—Astronomical Situation of the two Capes in the Islands of Nipon
and Jesso, which form the Western Entrance of the Straits of Sangar—Erami-
nation of the West Coast of Jesso or Matzumay—We explore Gulf Strogonoff,
and are disappointed in our Hopes of finding here the Passage which separates the
Islands of Jesso and Karafuto–We discover that La Perouse's Peak de Langle
and Cape Guibert are not situated in Jesso, but upon two different Islands—PWe
sail between these and the North-west Coast of Jesso—Find ourselves in the
Straits of La Perouse—Anchor at the Northern Point of Jesso in a Bay, which
obtains the Name of the Count Romanzoff.
On the 16th of April, 1805, at three o'clock in the afternoon,
the ambassador received the Dutch translation of the J apanese
V O I, . I [. B
2 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE wor L.D.
documents. At the same time the interpreter announced to
him that the boat which was to convey him on board had al-
ready arrived at Nangasaky, and that he would confer a great
favour upon the governor by quitting his house in Megasaky
the next morning; and he expressed in the strongest terms the
governor's wish that the ship should put to sea immediately
upon the ambassador's arrival on board. Although I did not
expect so sudden a dismissal, yet it was always our most earnest
wish to quit Nangasaky as soon as possible, being extremely
anxious lest some unpleasant and unforeseen accident should
occur to delay us. I therefore gladly promised, that as far as
depended on myself nothing should occur to prevent our sailing,
and immediately went on board, in order to get the ship ready
for sea.
At four in the morning of the 17th April we hove in our first
anchor, and about seven hoisted the long-boat on board : at
ten the ambassador arrived. The vessel in which he was con-
ducted, and which belonged to Prince Tschingodzin, was
very handsomely fitted up and hung with silk stuffs, but by
no means so beautiful as that belonging to the Prince of Fisen,
on board of which he had made his entrance into Nangasaky;
and the soldiers were now put into a separate boat. He was
accompanied by four Upper Banjos, and almost all the inter-
preters. About the same time an officer with an 100 boats
was announced, which were to tow the Nadeshda out of the
harbour. These all belonged to Prince Tschingodzin, who upon
this occasion did us the honours. Besides these, two boats
were entirely filled with clothes, and each rower, of whom there
were six or eight in every boat, received an uniform, consisting
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 3
of a blue woollen shirt with wide sleeves, on which the Prince's
arms were woven in white. About twelve we weighed, and the
100 boats divided themselves into five strings in order to tow
the ship, for which purpose they had, besides, brought their
own towing lines; a thing that seldom happens, even when
boats are hired and paid for this purpose. While the ship was
being towed out, we received our powder, the ambassador's
suite, and provisions for two days which were sent to us, on
board; and so great was the governor's attention, that he fur-
nished us with various specimens of seeds, having heard we
were desirous of carrying some with us to Kamtschatka. In
addition to these he sent 150 pounds of tobacco for the use of
the officers, and a considerable quantity of various kinds of
vegetables; offering even to provide our usual supply of food
for the next day, which we however declined. It was their in-
tention to have merely towed us to the east side of Papenberg;
but I expressed a wish to have the ship brought to the west side,
and though they appeared surprised at this, as the Dutch never
anchored there, they did it very willingly: the desire to part as
soon as possible being equally strong in all of us. At four we
let go our anchor in twenty-four fathoms, the Banjos and inter-
preters now taking a hearty leave of us. In most of them,
however, this ceremony appeared to be an acquired lesson, in
which the heart was very little concerned; for, except the honest
Saka-Saburo and two others, who had not forgotten that we
were no Dutchmen, all the rest of them wished us a happy
voyage to Batavia . We now bent our sails, for which we had
hitherto had no opportunity, hoisted the boats on board, and at
five the next morning sailed out of the bay with a moderate
breeze at E.S.E. very glad to be released from so little honour-
4. KR USENSTERN's Voy A GE Rou ND THE wor LD.
able confinement, which might have been the prelude to a
harder fate.
My intention of sailing back between Japan and Corea was
not likely to give much pleasure to the Japanese government;
for the interpreters, who may be considered as the organ of
the governor, or what is the same thing, of the Jeddoese mi-
mistry, not only tried every art to persuade us of the impossibility
of passing through the straits of Sangar, asserting that they
were interspersed with rocks, and only three Japanese or one
Dutch mile wide, and rendered dangerous by violent currents;
but a letter was even addressed to the ambassador to forbid
our approaching any where near the Japanese coast. The go-
vernor, however, made us a verbal promise, that in case we were
obliged, either by the currents or by a violent gale, to anchor
on their coast, we should not be detained; and orders were dis-
patched along the coasts of Japan to this effect, in return for
which I was required to give my word that I would not ap-
proach the shores unless absolutely obliged to do so; and they
assured me that they placed the greatest confidence in my
plighted word. I explained to them, however, with respect to
the north-west coast of Nipon, that it was absolutely necessary
for me to examine these parts with care, as I did not know, by
some degrees, the exact situation of the straits of Sangar, as
even the best European charts could not lay them down with
accuracy, and I well knew the impossibility of procuring one in
Japan, according to which I could safely direct my course. It
was therefore the more necessary for us to approach close to
the shore in searching for these straits, since by their own ac-
count they were only a Dutch mile wide, and we might easily
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 5
miss them if we passed at any distance. They could not but
admit the justice of my observation; and I therefore obtained
their tacit permission to examine this part of their coast ;
though they demanded, that upon our departure from Kamt-
schatka for Russia, I should not approach Japan, which I will-
ingly promised: notwithstanding all this, they endeavoured, by
means of the Dutch factor, Doeff, to persuade me to alter my
determination ; but the motives he urged were still less power-
ful in my mind, as he merely alleged the difficulty of the na-
vigation between Japan and Corea, a circumstance of which no
Dutchman could then speak from experience. In this voyage
we had only been preceded by La Perouse; and to his dis-
coveries I was desirous of adding our observations, which, if
only on this account, could not fail of proving interesting to
the public.
As it seemed unnecessary for the Nadeshda to reach Kamt-
schatka before the end of July, I was desirous of employing
these three months in filling up the gaps, which the celebrated
French discoverer, who was the first to throw any light upon
the geography of this sea, was compelled to leave, from a want
of time : for the whole west coast of Japan, with the exception
of cape Noto, the greater part of that of Corea, the whole west
coast of Jesso, the South, east, and north-west coast of Sachalin,
and most of the Kurile islands, were hitherto unexplored by any
European navigator, and I had my choice of all of them. The
southern part of Sachalin, as well as Aniwa bay, and gulph
Patience, had indeed been visited by the Dutch in 1643; but
even these parts required to be examined anew, as in the course
of 160 years the method of ascertaining the geographical situa-
6 K R USENSTE RN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
tion of places was wonderfully improved; and without such re-
examination our knowledge of this extraordinary country would
still have continued imperfect, as the subsequent proceedings
of our voyage will prove. To explore the north-west and
south-west coast of Japan; to ascertain the situation of the
straits of Sangar, the width of which in the best charts, Arrow-
smith's South Sea Pilot for instance, and the atlas subjoined to
La Perouse's Voyage, is laid down as 100 miles, while the Ja-
panese merely esteemed it to be a Dutch mile ; to examine
the west coast of Jesso; to find out the island of Karafuto,
which in some new charts, compiled after a Japanese one, is
placed between Jesso and Sachalin, and the existence of which
appeared to me very probable ; to explore this new strait and
take an accurate plan of the island of Sachalin, from cape
Crillon to the north-west coast, from whence, if a good harbour
were to be found there, I could send out my long-boat to exa-
mine the supposed passage which divides Tartary from Sachalin;
and, finally, to attempt a return through a new passage between
the Kuriles, north of the canal de la Boussole; all this came
into my plan, and I have had the good fortune to execute
part of it. The want of a secure harbour on the coast of
Sachalin prevented indeed my sending the long-boat on the
proposed expedition, and consequently the interesting examina-
tion, which I intended to have instituted, did not take place.
A complete plan of the west coast of Japan and of the straits
of Sangar must be left to the favourites of the Japanese, I mean
the Dutch, to whom it may perhaps not be now attributed as
a crime to navigate these coasts. With respect to that of
Corea from 36 to 42 degrees of latitude there can be no doubt
that in the present exploring age, even this will not remain
DE PARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. ,-ºs-
{
long unexamined, particularly as a trade with this hitherto un-
known people promises advantages which the Japanese are un-
able to avail themselves of. A fresh examination of the east
coast of Jesso, as well as of the southernmost Kuriles, will
probably form part of the first labours of the Russians in this
sea *.
Upon our departure from Nangasaky bay, I steered a more
westerly course than I held when running in the preceding year,
and there now appeared behind the city a lofty mountain with
a flat summit, which renders the entrance very remarkable.
At half past ten it bore N. E. 85 in a line with the tree upon
the island Iwo-Sima, which I have mentioned in my description
of Nangasaky. Our distance from the land was about twelve
miles, and the depth was hitherto from twenty-five to thirty
fathoms; the ground being clayey throughout. At noon cape
Nomo bore S. E. 70° eighteen or twenty miles off. The wind
was fresh at S. E. with thick hazy weather. Much as I had
wished to visit the parts between cape Nomo and the island of
Meac-sima, and to fill up these gaps in our charts, I was not
only prevented by the thick rainy weather, but by the certain
prospect of a storm, of which there was every appearance all
the morning, and which are here always very violent from the
south-east. Prudence, therefore, obliged me to avail myself
* In Captain Broughton's Voyage of Discovery, which was published shortly
after our departure from Russia, it will be seen that he explored almost all those
parts which I did not intend to examine; for instance, the straits of Sangar, the
coast of Corea, a part of the east side of Jesso, and the southern Kuriles. The
east coast of Jesso alone was examined by both of us.
8 K R Us ENSTE RN’s VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
of the fair wind in order to double the dangerous Gotto islands:
but my hopes of seeing the cape of that name before evening
entirely vanished, the weather being so thick, that we only once,
and then but for a moment, perceived one of the mountains on
this island. Our course lay between this cape and the two
small islands called the Asses Ears. We could not see either the
one or the other, and the wind had already increased to a storm;
but these two points had been ascertained with the greatest ac-
curacy upon our voyage to Nangasaky; and during the clear
weather, although we were at some distance, we had perceived
no danger between them; besides I could entirely depend upon
my chart, in which the distance between the two is described
as thirty-two miles, double what Arrowsmith assigns to it.
Although under other circumstances, I should not have passed
through this channel, which probably was never navigated be-
fore without extreme caution, as the Asses Ears may perhaps
be connected by a reef of rocks with the Gotto islands, we had
now no other alternative than either to sail between them or
return to Nangasaky, and nothing but the most absolute neces-
sity could have induced me to choose the latter.
About seven in the evening I calculated upon being pretty
nearly in the middle of the channel: the wind at this time was
very high, with violent squalls and constant rain. The ship
under close reefed topsails, did not run less than eight knots,
and the attention of every one was strained to discover any
danger, although from the darkness of the night there would
have been but little hopes of avoiding it, in case any had sud-
denly appeared. At eleven at night we were already twenty-
five miles to the westward of cape Gotto. This was quite
DEPARTURE FROM J A PAN, &c. Q
*
sufficient to insure the safety of the ship against any current
which might have carried her nearer the shore, and I therefore
laid her head to the S. W. The lead was hove every hour, but
we could not find ground with a line of one hundred fathoms.
At day-break we continued our course to the northward: the
wind still being very violent from the S. E. with a heavy sea,
thick weather, and constant rain. I steered first N. then N. N. E.
and N. E. by N. between the island of Tsus and the coast of
Japan. About noon the wind became more moderate, veering
round to the S.W. We expected that it would soon shift to the
W. and N. W. which is here commonly the case after a south-
easter, as in fact it did shortly after. A strong current to the
northward had considerably accelerated our run, for in the
evening it cleared up a few moments, when we perceived land
bearing N. N. E. This I at first supposed to be the coast of
Japan; for according to our reckoning we were still forty miles
from the island of Tsus, which ought besides to bear N. W.
and not N. E. of us. The current which during the two last
days had carried us nearly a mile in the hour N. E. 42 had
nevertheless brought us nearer the coast of Japan; and I was
the more astonished when, the next morning, I was convinced
that what we had seen was the island of Tsus. After this for-
tunate discovery of the land I immediately altered my course,
beating up during the night; a task which, owing to the heavy
swell, was very unpleasant, although the wind had abated much
of its violence. At eight o'clock we were distant about twelve
miles from the southern point of Tsus; and upon heaving the
lead found eighty fathoms water over a fine sandy bottom. On
the 20th at day-break we saw Tsus immediately a-head of us to
the northward, and about half-past five perceived also the
V O L. II. C
10 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. AGE RO UNID THE WORLD.
coast of Japan bearing S. E. Being at the distance of about
twenty-eight miles, we could not ascertain whether what we saw
consisted of several islands, forming, perhaps, a continuation of
the Gottos, or whether it was one continued land, and con-
sequently the coast of Japan, or some island of considerable
extent lying near to it”.
The middle of that part of the coast of Japan which we saw,
and of which a line of about fifteen miles ran before us in an
almost north and south direction, lies in 33° 52' latitude, and
230° 18' 30" longitude.
The stormy thick weather we had met with immeditely upon
our departure from Nangasaky rendered my intention of ex-
ploring the west side of the Gotto islands completely nugatory.
We had determined with considerable accuracy several points
on the east side of the coasts, and this had afforded us the
means of ascertaining with tolerable correctness the number,
size, and extent of these islands (which perhaps had never been
hitherto examined, except by Captain Colnett, whose journal
has not been published). Indeed we might have examined the
whole south-west coast of Japan, as far as that part of it which
lies opposite to Tsus-sima, without breaking the promise I had
given to the Japanese, as our course necessarily ran along this
coast; but all my hopes were frustrated by the very unfavour-
able state of the weather.
* According to some charts, Iki, which is an island not much inferior to Tsus
in size, must lie in this direction.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 11
At day-break we perceived the land, and I held my course
parallel with the island of Tsus. At 8° 37' the east end of it bore
exactly west, and a small island, laid down in Arrowsmith's
chart, and probably discovered by Captain Colnett, for which
reason I shall call it by his name, due east. Our latitude at
noon was 34° 35' 55" N. and the longitude by our three chrono-
meters, which agreed with each other on an average within
thirty seconds, was 230° 16'45". The north extremity of Tsus
at that time bore W. by N. and a high flat mountain, not far
from this point.S. W. 85°; at one the north end of the island bore
nearly west of us.
Tsus lies in an almost north and south direction, in which its
greatest length is thirty-five miles. We could form no accurate
idea of its width, but I conceive it to be not less than ten or
twelve miles, and perhaps more; for we saw high mountains at
some distance inland. From the southern end, which lies in la-
titude 34° 06' 30" and longitude 230°43'00', the island takes
an almost N. E. direction as far as a point of land that runs very
much out to the eastward, and behind this it appears to divide
into two; at least here the shore forms a deep bay, in the back-
ground of which the land probably closes again *. From this
cape, which lies in latitude 34° 18′ 45" and longitude 230° 30'
15", the island takes rather a westerly direction. This I have
called cape Fida-Buengono, after the worthy governor of Nan-
gasaky, who, during our stay there, conducted himself with a
* In the original Japanese chart Tsus-sima is actually laid down as two islands,
which are separated by a narrow channel.
19 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE W or LD.
degree of moderation towards us which we would scarcely ex-
pect to find in the despotic agent of a tyrannical master. The
north point of Tsus lies, according to Dr. Horner's observations,
in latitude 34° 40' 30" and longitude 230° 30' 30"; the above-
mentioned flat mountain not far from this point in latitude 34°
32! ()0%.
The northern and eastern parts of this island are much more
hilly than the southern; yet even here we saw some of a tolera-
ble height, with white spots upon them, which we took for
snow, though perhaps they were merely chalk cliffs; and the
whole island consists of a chain of pretty high hills divided by
deep valleys. Although we did not pass near enough to the shore
to judge of the state of cultivation, there can be no doubt of its
being well attended to, both on account of its situation, and of
the known industry of the Japanese. The number of beautiful
bays and harbours which we could clearly distinguish, must very
much facilitate the intercourse with its eastern and western
neighbours; and it is said that the Coreers, who for some time
past have broken off all communication with Japan, still visit
this island for the sake of its trade *.
We found the variation of the compass to be only a few mi-
* If one might credit the reports of the Japanese interpreters in Nangasaky, the
emperor of Japan still asserts a claim to the possession of Corea, which is governed
by the princes of Tsussima ; yet this assertion appears to me to be an idle boast,
similar to the fable which they wished to impose upon us respecting the prince
of Satzuma, from whose family the kings of the Likeo islands are still chosen, as
I have related in the eleventh chapter of the first volume.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 13
nutes west; and the depth of water, at a distance of from twelve
to fifteen miles from the east side of the island, seventy-five
fathoms over a bottom of fine sand, clay, and muscle shells.
Colnett's island is a naked rock of a circular form, six or seven
miles in circumference, and not unlike Hood island, classed by
Captain Cook among the Mendozas.--It lies in latitude 34 16
30", and longitude 230° 04' 15"; is about twenty-three miles
distant from cape Fida-Buengono, to the eastward of it, as I
have already stated *. In the chart to La Perouse's voyage,
the north end of Tsus lies in 34°42' 30' N. which coincides
within 2' with the latitude we observed: but we were not a
little surprised to discover a difference of 36' which our observa-
tions made it more to the westward than in La Perouse's chart.
It was only two days since we had quitted a port of which we had
ascertained the longitude by more than a thousand lunar observa-
tions, and where Dr. Horner had most carefully tried our chrono-
meters; and I could not therefore hesitate in giving the preference
to ours, had I not even met with another proof of the accuracy of
our calculation of the longitude. On the 26th May, 1787, at
noon, the longitude of La Perouse's ship, according to the chart,
was 117° 33', four leagues to the eastward of the north point of
Tsus. Upon this day Dagelet measured on board La Boussole
some lunar distances, which gave for the longitude reduced to
noon = 127° 12, east of Paris. Triesnecker, who has corrected
* As this island is laid down in Arrowsmith's chart well to the east of the north
end of Tsus, I am inclined to believe that Captain Colnett must have sailed by
Tsus in thick hazy weather, and only seen the east point, which he inistook for the
north. In Arrowsmith's chart, the latitude of the small island, as well as of the
north end of Tsus, is = 34° 23'.
14 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND THE world.
most of the longitudes derived from lunar observations dur-
ing this voyage, by the solar and lunar observations insti-
tuted at Greenwich at the same time, found the longitude by
this observation of Dagelet to be 230° 39' west of Greenwich,
which deducting the 4' by which the meridian point was more
to the westward than the north end of Tsus, makes the longi-
tude of this point to be 230' 35", consequently only 3' more to
the eastward than by our watches. This clearly proved an error
in the chronometer*, according to which the chart of La Pe-
rouse's voyage was constructed; and at that moment I only re-
gretted that Dagelet, who shared the unfortunate fate of his
commander, was prevented from preparing corrected tables of
the chronometers Nos. 18 and 19. However, to my great joy I
found these in the third volume of La Perouse's voyage, where
the true longitude of the ship on the 26th May is given at 127°
4' 52" east of Paris+. If, therefore, we calculate the 4' by which
the meridian longitude of La Boussole on the 26th May is laid
down in the chart, more to the westward than the north end
of Tsus, La Perouse's longitude of this island varies only one
minute from ours. This proves the accuracy of the correction
* I have often been surprised that La Perouse, who had so extensive a collection
of scientific instruments on board his two ships, should not, besides Barthoud's
watch, have been provided with an English chronometer. The two pocket chro-
nometers Nos. 25 and 29 scarcely merited the name, as they were found even at
Chili to be useless. An English East India ship has seldom less than three, and
generally several more upon trial.
+ By the correction tables for No. 18, the longitude on the 26th at noon is 127°
23' 11". It is indeed there expressed, that the amended longitudes according to
No. 18 are laid down in the chart; this is not, however, always the case, at least
not for the 26th May.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 15
table prepared for No. 19 by Dagelet on board the Boussole,
and must procure an implicit confidence in the longitudes we
assign. With respect to the Pik de Langle, cape Crillon, and
cape Aniwa, three important points, the situation of which was
observed with the greatest attention both by La Perouse and
ourselves, the difference between Dagelet's true longitude and
that which we observed is equally trifling. This discovery,
which gave great pleasure to Dr. Horner and myself, is besides
so far of importance, that in all the observations made by La
Perouse on his voyage from Manilla to Kamtschatka there
exists an error in the longitude amounting at length to a degree,
but which disappears if you examine his chart according to the
above-mentioned tables of Dagelet”.
As La Perouse makes no mention of the island of Tsus in his
journal, I think it very probable that he took the land he saw
on the evening of the 25th May after sunset bearing E. b. N. to
E. S. E. to be the coast of Japan. Yet this could only have
been the southern part of Tsus, as from seven o’clock in the
evening until five the next morning he had run twenty-seven
miles E. N. E., which is nearly the whole length of Tsus. At
five in the morning he altered his course to N. b. E. (See
No. 44 in La Perouse's Atlas.) Buache, who constructed the
charts to La Perouse's Voyage, very justly concluded that the
land he saw to the eastward on the 25th and 26th May was the
* In our chart I have adopted this correction with regard to cape Noto and the
whole west coast of Sachalin. The extent of Sachalin is thus increased from fifty
to sixty miles.
16 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
island of Tsus, and consequently adopted the latitudes of
the extreme points of this land, as the latitude of the north
and south end of Tsus. But it appears to me very likely
that La Perouse himself did not so conceive it, otherwise he
would not have neglected to mention the situation of this
island, which before him was never seen by any European navi-
gator. This too would have been a very pardonable error, for
in all the old charts Tsus is laid down much nearer the coast
of Japan than we found it to be, and La Perouse might have
just as well taken the land he saw to the eastward for the island
of Iki, or any other of those lying close to Japan, as for Tsus
or Japan itself, and Tsus is in fact a Japanese possession. La
Perouse esteems the width of the channel between Japan and
Corea to be forty-five miles ; but as that between Tsus and the
coast of Japan which we saw was likewise from twenty-eight
to thirty miles, the whole distance from Corea to Japan, even
where nearest each other, must be about seventy-five miles: a
distance which must be still farther increased, if the land seen
by us was Iki, and not the coast of Japan.
After quitting the island of Tsus we proceeded in our course
to the northward and eastward, at first with a fair wind, but
which shortly afterwards veered to the north-east. On the 22d
April at noon we again saw the coast of Japan, bearing E.S.E.,
although according to Arrowsmith's chart we should at that
time have been 150 miles distant. The thickness of the weather
certainly prevented our having any observation; but by the
ship's reckoning, which I corrected according to the current
observed on the following day, our latitude was then 35' 59,
and the longitude by the chronometers 228" O3' 30" W. We
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 17
worked up with the wind dead against us, that we might get
as near as possible to the shore; and about five in the afternoon
we were within nine or ten miles, at which distance we could
find no bottom with a line of a hundred fathoms. The northern-
most point of a promontory, of a tolerable height, and which
had a kind of dent in the centre of it, bore at that time due
east; and E. S. E. of us was a deep bight. The coast, as far
as the eye could reach, trended towards the S. W. consisting of
a tolerably high land surmounted by two hills. The highest, of
a conical form, bore S. E. 16°, the other due south of us. A
range of very high hills, lying far inland, stretched from the S.W.
towards the N. E., and must have been at least twenty miles
beyond the bight and promontory just mentioned. Our dis-
tance from the latter was not more than ten miles, and the air,
although not clear, was much more so than to the southward; yet
the north point of the promontory evidently appeared as cut
off from the rest of the land, and the chain of hills inland dis-
appeared entirely behind it. This made me believe that the
headland was an island, and probably that which bears in the
charts the name of Oki, and of which the latitude agreed pretty
well with this, although I had reason to believe that Oki had
been much larger, while the length of the one we saw could not
have been more than ten miles in a N. E. and S. W. direction.
The high round hill which I have called after the celebrated
astronomer the Baron von Zach, lies in 35° 25' 20" N. and 227°
40 W. ; the middle of the bay or bight in 35° 32'. In this
bay we saw a number of boats, which all directed their course
towards the channel that separates the island from the main,
V O L. II. D
18 KRU SENSTERN’s voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
and which, probably alarmed at the appearance of an Euro-
pean ship, hastened to give information of it to their govern-
ment. At a short distance from the south point of the promon-
tory there is, within the bay, a small island, but the coast ap-
peared clear from rocks and shelves; and had the weather
been fine, we should infallibly have removed all doubt with
respect to the nature of this promontory.
During the night we continued our course under easy sail to
the northward. At day-break we perceived the land bearing
E. N. E. and I immediately stood in towards it : the wind, how-
ever, did not permit us to lay a better course than S. E. by E.
About eight, the land that we had seen the day before, and
which I had taken for an island, appeared bearing S. E. 18 ;
but the weather was at this time so foggy and thick that I
thought it more advisable to follow the coast towards the
northward, more land appearing successively in that direction.
This coast presented a constant change of high craggy hills and
abrupt valleys. The most remarkable point was a conical hill,
lying, according to our observations, in latitude 36° 06' and
longitude 227°09'. At noon it bore due east, and the northern-
most land we could distinguish, N. E. 82°. At six o'clock we
lost sight of it entirely, the coast probably taking from the ex-
treme northern point, which lies in 36° 14' and 217° 10', and
which at six o'clock bore S. E. by E. : E., a very decided
easterly direction, and the wind not allowing us to hold a
better course than N. and N. by E. During this run the lead
had frequently been hove, but we could never strike the ground
with a line of a hundred fathoms.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 19
Future navigators with whom it may be a principal object to
examine the west coast of Japan, must decide upon the situa-
tion of Oki. I had expressed an opinion that the land seen the
preceding day to the northward of the bay might be this island,
yet the smallness of its size immediately raised doubts in my
mind; and I now believe what we saw on the 22d April between
35° 15 and 35° 45' was a part of Nipon, while the land we per-
ceived the next day between 36° 01' and 36° 14' was either Oki
or one of the small islands, by which, according to the old charts
of Japan, that of Oki is surrounded *. Whether the land we
saw was part of Nipon or the island of Oki, the astronomical
position of these points between the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth
degree of latitude will greatly facilitate the determination of the
western boundaries of this kingdom, which, though it has been
known these three hundred years, is still unexamined ; and from
the circumstance of our seeing this land, must be above a hundred
miles greater in extent than it is laid down in Arrowsmith's chart,
in which navigators justly repose the greatest confidence. The
same reason must render the Japanese sea much narrower be-
tween the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth degree of latitude.
After losing sight of the land I continued my course towards
* Those who would find fault with me for not having decided this doubtful point,
I refer to the plan I had laid down for my observations on this voyage, and par-
ticularly to the circumstances which prevented my approaching the west coast of
Japan. It was only owing to the very incorrect charts of this coast that we saw
the land between the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth degrees of latitude, believing at
the time our distance to have been a hundred and fifty miles from it, and it is
much to be lamented, that in the two days during which we remained upon this
coast, the weather was so extremely unfavourable to us,
2() K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
the N. E. but as the wind constantly blew from that quarter and
from E. N. E. our progress was very trifling. On the 26th
April in 37° 43' N. and 226° 30' W. we had very fine clear wea-
ther and a calm sea; of these we availed ourselves to make se-
veral observations with two compasses of the variation of the
needle, which was from 2° 09' 40" to 3° 41' 30"; the mean is
therefore 2° 58' west. In preparing my chart of the Japanese
sea, I have, however, made no remarks on the variation of the
compass, finding it one moment one or two degrees east, and at
another time as much west; and this was not only the case
here, but likewise along the whole coast of Jesso. La Perouse
also found the same trifling variation during his voyage in this
sea; and in latitude 29° 30' and longitude 224° 40', he, like
ourselves, found the variation only a few minutes west. This
coincidence is certainly accidental, but it proves, as do all the
observations made in these parts between thirty and fifty degrees
of latitude, that the variation of the needle must be extremely
trifling.
In the evening of the 27th of April in latitude 38° 33' and
longitude 226 12 we observed a violent breaking of the sea;
we sounded repeatedly, but were unable to find any bottom with
a line of a hundred fathoms. The ship's way, although the wind
was very fresh, and the sea perfectly calm, was, at the most,
two knots, and she frequently refused to answer the helm.
This comparatively slow advance, and the difficulty of steer-
ing, could only be ascribed to a violent current. It rained
very much, the weather was gloomy, without being threaten-
ing, though the barometer seemed to announce a storm,
having fallen to twenty-nine inches two lines. I accordingly
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 21
took the necessary steps for the night, but to no purpose, for
the next morning we had clear weather. La Perouse likewise
mentions the great depression of the barometer in these seas,
without any storm ensuing, and indeed pretty nearly in the same
longitude and latitude in which we observed this phenomenon.
It would certainly be curious to ascertain by a variety of obser-
vations, whether the barometer in these parts, as well as in the
vicinity of cape Horn, is always in this depressed state ; La
Perouse, as well as ourselves, having experienced it here in so
remarkable a manner, and we again observing it so in the sea of
Ochotzk and near the Kuriles; or whether this depression is to
be ascribed to an accidental similarity in the atmosphere. On
the day of our departure from Nangasaky, the air was thick and
foggy, with violent rain and a heavy storm, when the barometer
only fell to twenty-nine inches. This depression increased daily,
though almost imperceptibly, during a whole week, and yet we
had afterwards the finest weather.
I have already mentioned that I was not allowed to visit the
west coast of Japan; but from the thirty-ninth degree of latitude
I might have commenced my examination without incurring
the suspicion of breaking my word, the situation of the straits
of Sangar being in fact so uncertain that I might just as well
have found it a degree to the southward as I did one to the
north of what I expected. On the 30th April I had an observa-
tion in latitude 39° 22', and therefore steered due east, in order
to reach the parallel of 39"; the current for some days past hav-
ing set to the south-west. It was now, however, north-east,
and instead of finding the land in latitude 39°, to my no small
mortification, we met with it, by steering an east course, in 39°40'.
22 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Ro UND THE world.
On the 1st May we perceived it bearing E. N. E. at the distance
of about eighteen or twenty miles: it had quite the appearance
of an island, and I had no doubt of its being that of Iwo-sima,
laid down in the charts nearly in 39” between cape Sangar and
Jacata bay; but the next day we were convinced that it was no
island, but a promontory projecting very much to the west, and
distinguishable by a high mountain with a rounded summit
lying in the centre of it. This promontory is about thirty-five
miles in circumference, and in 39° 50' 00' N. and 220° 16' 00'W.;
this, at least, is the situation of the mountain, which is quite in
its centre, and of which the sides gradually slope down in all
directions. The south point lies in 39° 46; the N. E. in 40' 00.
This remarkable headland I have called the Russian's promon-
tory. Its southern side is invariably hilly, consisting of a row of
projecting points of land. The shores are steep cliffs, and a rock
of considerable size, having another near it, is particularly con-
spicuous at a small distance from the shore. The northern
side of this cape forms a large bay, and the land on its south
side falls away very much to the east, which gives it the
appearance of an island, as on the first day we conceived it to
be ; nor were we convinced of the contrary, until by sailing into
the bay we clearly distinguished its connection with the land
behind it: it may, however, be separated from it by a very
narrow channel.
The strong currents in the vicinity of this promontory rendered
an accurate determination of the latitude of its different points
almost impossible, nor could we succeed in making a correct
drawing of the coast, as we could not bring the points to agree.
If the latitude could be ascertained every hour with that precision
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 23
with which we can determine the longitude by means of a chro-
nometer, when an error of a few minutes in the former has no
great effect upon the latter, we might then bid defiance to the
strongest currents in surveying any coast; but so long as it con-
tinues a doubtful problem how to obtain the geographical lati-
tude by observation as often as is desirable, or at least as often
as can be done with respect to the longitude, we must not ex-
pect to be able to take a very accurate survey of any coast while
in the act of sailing by it.
On the 1st May, at two in the afternoon, we had approached
within five miles of the shore, at which distance we had no
soundings with a line of seventy fathoms. On the west side of
the promontory we observed a waterfall, and on the N. W. a
bight, that appeared to offer complete shelter to any ships which
might anchor in it. A vast number of craft was sailing about
in the vicinity of the land ; but in no place could we discover
any houses. Owing to the thick weather, we could not distin-
guish the continuation of the land from the Russian's promon-
tory; but from the direction of the clouds, it appeared most
probably due south. The variation of the compass in a mean of
the observations made on the morning and afternoon of this day
was found to be 0° 04' 30° W.
The clear weather on the next day very much favoured our
examination of this part of the coast of Japan; and more par-
ticularly our search for the straits of Sangar. I sailed along the
shore, keeping as close in as possible. The land behind the
northern point of the Russian's promontory, which is low, and
ends to the eastward in a long line of rocks, falls short off in
24 KRU SENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
the latter direction, and forms a large bay. Here we fancied that
we perceived an inlet; and in the hopes of its proving to be the
straits of Sangar, which we looked for almost in every creek, I
immediately steered towards it ; but we found that all the land
hung pretty well together, and in the back-ground perceived
lofty hills stretching north and south. At seven in the morning
we were at the utmost four miles from the shore, and had sound-
ings with a line of fifty-five fathoms over a bottom of clay mixed
with small stones.
In latitude 40°50' and longitude 219 54 we perceived a town,
with a port and several vessels lying at anchor; the valley in
which it was built appeared in the highest degree cultivated.
Corn-fields, meadows in which a considerable quantity of cattle
were grazing, and groups of trees, apparently more the work of
art than of nature, beautified this district. The shore was
throughout sandy, and a heavy surf seemed to render landing
very difficult here, except in a small spot which looked like the
mouth of a river, where the little flotilla lay at anchor. This
opinion was confirmed by the course of a vessel which we had
seen all the morning sailing towards this place, and which made
a considerable tour northward in order to fetch into the harbour.
At the distance of about three miles from the shore we found a
depth of twenty-five fathoms over a bottom of hard clay and
sand. In addition to this little town we perceived several
groups of houses scattered along the shore, probably the abode
of fishermen. A number of whales were sporting around the
ship. A line of very high mountains covered with snow ran
northwards from the valley, terminating in a broken point of
land, bearing about two o'clock in the afternoon due north of
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 25
us; and as no other land appeared behind this, we felt pretty
confident, although it did not prove so, of its being cape
Sangar. Towards this promontory we steered with a mo-
derate breeze; the clear weather allowing us to take some lunar
distances for the determination or rather confirmation of the
longitude given by our timepieces. Six sets gave in the mean
220' 00. W. No. 128 at the same time was 220 11'45"; the
true longitude was 220 11’ 15°; by the ship's reckoning it was
= 21.9° 52'.
About five o'clock four large boats put off from the town,
which then bore S. E. and rowed towards us in the greatest
hurry. The number of people, of whom there were twenty-five
or thirty in each boat, rendered their intention rather suspicious;
but though it was scarcely probable that they could be hostile,
considering the well-known strictness of the Japanese govern-
ment, still I thought it prudent to load the guns and put the
Soldiers under arms. By six o'clock they overtook us : we called
to them in Japanese, requesting they would come on board ; but
of this they appeared afraid. After having sailed twice round the
ship, and considered it with the greatest attention, they hauled
up their sails, and returned towards the town. The governor of
the place had in all probability sent them off to observe our ship,
his curiosity having been excited by its appearance, as it was
undoubtedly the first European vessel ever seen on this coast of
Japan, and perhaps he fancied that he could infer our inten-
tions from our manoeuvres. These boats were rowed according
to the European fashion, not by the alternate sidling movement
of the men as in Nangasaky and on the north parts of Japan;
V-O L. II. F.
26 KRU's ENSTERN's Voy AGE ROUND THE WORLD.
a circumstance which induced us to believe that their crews con-
sisted of Corean pirates”. -
Towards sun-set we had a distinct view of the whole coast,
from which we were not more than three or four miles distant.
The snowtopt mountains ending in a point of land to the
northward, and of which the most lofty appeared to belong to
a chain farther inland; the beautiful valleys in the vicinity of
the town; and the high hills to the southward, rendered the
scene truly picturesque; nor was it a little improved by the clear
atmosphere and mild air with which we worked the ship under
easy sail throughout the night. On the 3d May at day-break we
set all sail and steered along the coast. Its direction here was
N . W. the same as the chain of mountains which we had seen
on the preceding day. A headland of tolerable height advanced
considerably towards the west, and, like the Russian's promon-
tory, bore the appearance of an island; but the vicinity in which
we were to the land convinced us that it joined on to the main.
This headland, the middle of which lies in latitude 40° 37' 40",
and longitude 220 11' 30', I have called cape Gamally, after my
worthy friend the general of that name, and inspector of the
corps of marine cadets. It forms a very remarkable point on
7–
* Upon our arrival in Kamtschatka I was informed by the native of Japan whom
we had left there, that there is on the west side of Japan, not far from the straits
of Sangar, a small town inhabited by pirates. It is probable that the one we saw
was the same, and that the four boats which came off us had the intention of rob-
bing us, from which they were deterred by the size of the ship, a larger one
perhaps than they had ever seen before.
DEP A RTURE FROM J A PAN, &c. 27
this coast, and assumes a different direction, first N. E. and
then E. N. E. in which I followed it for some distance, in the
momentary expectation of finding the entrance to the straits of
Sangar. Here we saw a remarkably high mountain of a cir-
cular form, entirely covered with snow. This, to which I have
assigned the name of peakTilesius,after the naturalist of our ship,
is in 40° 40' 40' N. and 219 49 W. My hopes, in consequence
of the easterly direction of the coast, of being within the en-
trance of the straits of Sangar, soon vanished; for we began to dis-
tinguish land to the northward, connected with that to the east,
and forming a large bay, whose northern point was a very far
projecting promontory, which we perceived about eleven o'clock.
Towards this I shaped my course, after we were convinced that
there was no inlet to the bay. Precisely at fifty-four minutes
after the culmination of the sun it bore east of us, at a distance
at the farthest of three or four miles: as we had a very good
observation at noon, the situation of this cape was most accu-
rately determined, and is 41' 9' 15" N. and 219 52' 00" W. It
appears like a craggy, abrupt mass of naked rocks of a yellow
colour, hanging on to a chain of lofty snowtopt mountains.
To this promontory I have given the name of Greig.
From cape Greig the coast again assumed a N. E. direction
as far as another promontory, and then due east. The appear-
ance of lofty snowtopt mountains to the N. N. W. which like-
wise followed an easterly direction, convinced us that these be-
longed to Jesso or Matzumay, and that here must be the straits
of Sangar, as we shortly afterwards found to be the case. The
cape on the point of Nipon, from whence the coast takes an
easterly direction, is cape Sangar. In Jesso, lying due north of
28 KR USENSTERN's voy AGE ROUND THE WORLD.
this, is another promontory, which I named Nadeshda after my
ship, and from whence the south coast of this island likewise as-
sumes an easterly direction. These are, therefore, the two pro-
montories that form the western entrance of the straits of Sangar,
and of which cape Sangar lies in latitude 41° 16' 30" and longi-
tude 219 46', and cape Nadeshda in 41° 25' 10" and 219° 50' 30",
so that the width of the western entrance of these celebrated
straits is only nine miles instead of a hundred and ten, as laid
down in some charts *. In front of cape Nadeshda are several
rocks, upon which the waves broke with considerable violence.
In the year 1802 there appeared in St. Petersburg a chart of
the Russian discoveries in the north-eastern parts of the Great
ocean, published under the superintendance of the learned engi-
neer General V. Suchtelen of the depot of charts. In this the
west coast of Jesso was laid down, for the first time, with con-
* La Perouse has adopted this great width of the straits of Sangar after the
Dutch captain Vries, although it is much more correctly laid down in earlier charts.
Jn Scheuchzer’s map of Japan, for instance, it is only fifteen miles, and in the French
chart of the discoveries of the Tussians, which the late minister of commerce,
H. V. Soimonoff, published at St. Petersburg in 1787, it is not more than ten.
H. W. Soimonoff probably followed the authority of Krascheninikoff, who sets down
twenty wersts as the width of the straits. And even before the voyage of captain
Broughton, to whom we owe the first probable account of the width of these straits,
Buache had already stated his disbelief of its being a hundred and ten miles in his
memoir “sur les terres decouvertes par La Perouse,” and Arrowsmith had reduced
it very considerably in his chart of Asia. Broughton has laid down the width be-
tween the capes Sangar and that I have called Nadeshda sixteen miles. I have
only made it nine, and in Broughton's chart the islands O-sima and Ko-sima are
entirely omitted.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 29
siderable accuracy; in all former charts, as it had never been
visited by any European navigator, it had been merely marked
out with a dotted line. But what particularly distinguishes this
chart is an island between Jesso and Sachalin, called Karafuto,
or Schischa. The west coast of Jesso, as well as this island, were
inserted on the authority of a Japanese chart, which the Ja-
panese Koday, whom Laxman conveyed back to his country in
1782 by order of the Empress Catharine, had brought with him
to Russia. This Karafuto, the existence of which I was parti-
cularly anxious to ascertain, induced me not to pass through
the straits of Sangar, whose western entrance alone I wished
to determine ; but rather to examine the west coast of Jesso,
and to get into the sea of Ochotzk by the strait which separates
Karafuto from Jesso. f -
The proving of the chart in this manner was very much to its
advantage ; for although it described the western entrance of
the straits of Sangar three-fourths of a degree too much to the
southward, we nevertheless discovered the two islands O-sima
and Ko-sima, which are both nearly opposite the straits of San-
gar, and are described in this chart. From this circumstance
we conceived hopes of finding, likewise, the new island of Ka-
rafuto to the north of Jesso,
At four in the afternoon we were nearly opposite the middle
of the straits of Sangar, in which, even from the mast-head, we
were unable to perceive any land; but on both sides, to the east-
ward of cape Sangar and cape Nadeshda, were several promon-
tories. In Jesso we could distinguish a promontory, bearing
N. N. W. which, in the chart of the Russian discoveries above
30 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AGF. Rou ND THE worlD.
alluded to, bears the name of Sineko”. From cape Sineko, in 41°
38' 30" N. and 226° 06' 30" W. several rocks extend into the sea,
being, probably, connected under water with a small island
which lies in the same direction as these rocks in front of the
cape. The line of coast from cape Nadeshda to cape Sineko is
N. W. the distance between the two being eighteen miles. Be-
tween these, in a large but open bay, is the town of Matzumay,
whose name the Japanese have extended to the whole island of
Jesso: it is of considerable size, and the residence of the go-
vernor; but is, we were told, the only town of any magnitude in
the whole island. Several vessels lay at anchor near the shore,
and there were others on the stocks; yet the want of a safe bay
must be a great drawback to its commerce. As the wind pre-
vented our doubling cape Sineko, we stood in till within three
miles of the town, at which distance we found a rocky bottom
with ninety fathoms water. By our observations the town of
Matzumay lies in latitude 41° 32', and longitude 219 56. To-
wards evening the wind was very moderate, and we were ex-
posed to the whole force of the current, which drove the ship
in an eastward direction towards the straits of Sangar, until
a fresher breeze from the northward enabled us to stand off the
land.
There is a striking contrast between the southern coast of
Jesso and Japan. Even in the vicinity of the former we saw
no plantations or corn fields, such as appear every where in
xºr
—v-
* I have retained this as well as all the names in that chart, and which are pro-
bably the original ones,
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 31
Japan, where even the hills are cultivated to their very summits.
Of this the northern parts alone bear any resemblance to its
rougher neighbour: the same chain of snowtopt mountains
which intersect the whole of Jesso from north to south, appears
in a similar direction in the north-west part of Japan ; and, with
the exception of the valley, and the small town we passed on
the 2d May, they bear alike the same unfruitful appearance;
even Japanese industry being apparently unable to effect any
thing here. It is probable that these two islands have been
torn asunder by some such violent revolution as is supposed to
have separated England from France, Gibraltar from Africa,
and Sicily from the main land of Italy. The narrowness of the
channel that divides Japan from Jesso; the high cliffs; the same
number of capes on both sides, as far as we could distinguish,
and whose situation appeared to me to agree in a manner that
plainly denoted such a separation; the similar direction of the
lofty chain of mountains, apparently only interrupted by the
channel, and the vicinity of the lofty peak Tilesius, which bore
all the symptoms and the figure of an extinguished, or perhaps
still burning volcano, and from whence, probably, the subterra-
neous fire first broke forth that occasioned this violent revolu-
tion ; all these circumstances seem to strengthen this opinion,
and the more so as the north of Japan is well known to be sub-
ject to frequent and terrible earthquakes. The first voyage
through these famous straits, in which the position, nature of
the soil, and productions of the two coasts may be examined,
will decide whether my ideas are well founded or incorrect.
The wind blew pretty fresh at W. N. W., and enabled us on
the 4th at day-break to continue our course to the northward.
32 K R USENSTE RN’s voy. A G E Ro UND THE wor Lp.
We sailed between the two islands O-sima and Ko-sima, and at
a distance of not more than three miles from the first or western-
most one, where we had no soundings with a line of a hundred
fathoms. Both islands are mostly black barren rocks of a vol-
canic nature. O-sima, lying in latitude 41° 31' 30’ and longi-
tude 220° 40'45", is of a circular form, and about six miles in
circumference. We could clearly perceive smoke issuing from
its summit, which bore the appearance of a crater, and the
winding course of the lava stream on the sides of the mountain
convinced Dr. Tilesius that an eruption had taken place, per-
haps only a few years before. Ko-sima, in 41° 21' 30" and 220"
14' 00", is of a longer form, and may be sixty miles in circum-
ference: to the northward of it, at some distance, lies a pretty
high rock: the direction of these two islands is N. W. and
S. E. 64, and the channel between them twenty miles wide.
It is impossible to miss the western entrance of the straits of
Sangar, even though the thickness of the weather should have
prevented any observation. Coming from the southward, the
first striking object is peak Tilesius, which stands very distinct
from the other mountains that surround it, and cannot fail to
be known by its pyramidical form, its height, and by its being
covered with eternal snow ; and cape Greig, from whence the
coast as far as cape Sangar trends N. E. by N. nine miles, is
equally remarkable for its colour and form. But approaching
from the northward, the two islands of O-sima and Ko-sima are
the best pointers; after these peak Tilesius and cape Greig. The
passage between these two islands is perfectly secure. Ko-sima
lies exactly fronting the middle of the strait; but great attention
must be paid to the current, the rapidity of which increases
DEPARTURE FRom J A PAN, &c. 33
the nearer you approach the straits. The south-west coast of
Jesso, the town of Matsumay, and cape Nadeshda, are like-
wise objects that cannot easily be mistaken.
A little before noon we perceived the island that bears the
name of Okosir” in the chart of the Russian discoveries, and
in a north-east direction from this island a high promontory
there called Oota-Nizawu. By five o’clock we were about
eight miles from Okosir. The extreme length of this island,
the middle of which is in latitude 42° 09, and longitude 220'
30, is eleven miles in a N. N. E. : E. and S. S. W. H. W. direc-
tion, and its greatest breadth about five. It appeared to be
uninhabited, for we could distinguish nothing on it but thick
woods covering the island from one extremity to the other. At
a short distance from its N. E. point, and towards the east, is a
chain of black rocks, forming, if I may use the expression, an
island of themselves, and apparently rendering the passage be-
tween Okosir and cape Oota-Nizawu, although eleven miles
wide, if not impracticable, at least dangerous-i-. On the south
point of the island there is also a high rock, of a pyramidal form,
and its west coast is, in like manner, beset with rocks.
Cape Oota-Nizawu, according to our observations, is in lati-
* This island in Scheuchzer's chart is called Kubite-sima; this is probably the
Japanese name, Okosir on the contrary the original name given to it by the
Ainos, or inhabitants of Jesso. From the termination in Shery of the names of
several islands near Jesso Rifunshery, Rioshery for instance, the more correct
name of this is probably Oko-shery.
+ Captain Broughton found the passage perfectly safe.
V O L. II. F
34 K R USENSTERN's voy Ad E Rou ND THE wor LD.
tude 42°18'10", and longitude 220° 14' 00", and forty miles N.W.
8 from cape Sineko. The wind being due west and blowing
pretty fresh, and the necessity of sailing to the southward of
Okosir, prevented our examining this part of Jesso with any
degree of accuracy; but as the weather was very clear, no point
of the land, notwithstanding the distance, escaped us, and it
appeared here to be perfectly flat, with the exception of the
snowtopt mountains I have mentioned as being very far inland,
having neither deep bays nor projecting headlands. As the
wind fell towards evening, we did not lose sight of Okosir all
night. On the 5th, at day-break, we distinguished a projecting
land bearing N. by E. of cape Oota-Nizawu, and forming
with that a very deep bay, the direction of which seemed to
be easterly. On the north side of this bay, the west point
of which is cape Luzuky, as I find by the Russian chart,
although the bay which I have called after Vice-Admiral Gole-
nischeff Kutusoff is not there, I conceive there may be a good
harbour. To the north of the abovementioned promontory
is another large bay, stretching at least twenty miles inland,
in a S. E. direction. These two bays give to the land be-
tween them the appearance of an island, or rather of a
peninsula, not unlike the Russians promontory on the north-
west coast of Nipon. This promontory is fifteen miles in
length, in a north and south direction, and in the middle of it
there is a very high hill. I have honoured it with the name of
the deceased Admiral Kutusoff, so much distinguished by the
length as well as utility of his services. It lies in 42° 38' N.
and 219 59. W. To the large bay on the north side of this
promontory I have given the name of General Suchtelen. Its
northern point is what the Japanese, or rather the native in-
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 35
habitants of Jesso, call cape Rayten ; it projects very much, and
is in 42° 57 and 219 44, about five miles from north to south,
which makes the width of Suchtelen bay between these two
outermost capes sixteen miles.
We sailed with the clearest possible weather at so trifling a
distance from this coast, one of the most remarkable from the
number of bays and promontories that is hitherto known, that
nothing could escape us. To the north of cape Rayten is
another promontory, the proper name of which is Okamuy ;
and between these two is another bay of less extent than
those dºSuchtelen and Kutusoff. From cape Okamuy the
land first takes a N. N. E. then a N. E. and lastly an east
direction, as far as another cape, which (in order to pre-
serve the proper names given in the beforementioned chart,)
must be cape Taka-sima, although we could not find out the
bay described as being between them. From the latter the
land suddenly assumes a south-east direction, and we saw at
a great distance a high mountainous country towards the
N. N. E. which likewise appeared to incline towards the east-
ward. Here was, therefore, a deep gulf running in an easterly
direction, and as no land was to be seen in very clear weather
from the mast-head, nothing was more natural than the idea
that this was the passage between the island Karafuto and Jesso.
I accordingly held an E. S. E. course towards the eastern pro-
montory, or Taka-sima : the wind was fresh at N. W., and I
hoped before evening to obtain some positive information with
respect to it; we were scarcely in this supposed strait when about
noon it fell calm, and continued so until evening. We had an
observation in 43° 30' 37" N. and 219° 36' 00" W. The nearest
land was a low headland bearing east at the distance of seven
36 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE world.
or eight miles, and we had no soundings with a line of a hundred
and sixty fathoms.
Capes Okamuy and Taka-sima, and a third which is between
them, are part of a mountainous neck of land stretching about
twenty miles into the sea, and about sixteen miles in a north and
south direction: on both sides are deep bays. This remarkable
promontory I have named cape Nowosilzoff, in honour of the pre-
sident of the Academy of Sciences. Cape Okamuy, its southern-
most point, lies in latitude 43°11' 00", and longitude 219 46' 30",
the middle cape in 43° 14′ 30' N. and 219 34' 30" W.; and
Taka-sima, which is the southern point of the great bańhat We
mistook for a strait, in 43° 21' 15", and 219 29' 00". All the
three points of this promontory are surrounded by rocks, and
that of Taka-sima is particularly distinguishable by one bearing
the exact appearance of a ship under sail.
The north-east as well as the south-west coasts of this gulf con-
sist of mountains covered with snow, and at the same time over-
grown with trees of considerable magnitude. The lofty chain
of mountains inland is probably never free from Snow: the
lower ones lying nearer the shore appeared to be very little
broken by valleys. In no place could we distinguish any traces
of cultivation, although this district is not uninhabited ; for upon
a low spot near Taka-sima, that was in like manner overgrown
with very thick woods, we could perceive smoke in several
places, and some fires were burnt during the night. Not far
from this promontory, the north point of the gulf, is a peak of
no very considerable height, at the foot of a lofty mountain,
but which, owing to its form, is a very remarkable feature in this
bay. It lies in 43°40' 00' N. and 218' 24' 00" W. Near it is
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 37
another of still less elevation. On the south side of the gulf
two points of land projected, forming small bights: between them
is an abrupt hill, which incloses a deep hollow in the nearest
chain of mountains: the first point lies in latitude 43° 09, and
longitude 219 15' 30", and the other in 43° 07' 30" N. and 218"
50'OO' W.
As the wind still continued from the south-east, we were forced
to tack in order to penetrate deeper into the bay, through which
I still hoped to be able to find a passage. The lead was kept
going, but we had no sounding with a line of a hundred and
fifty fathoms. A particularly high mountain, raising its head
considerably above those surrounding it, and whose summit is
rather flat than otherwise, now appeared bearing S. S. E. This
mountain, which has obtained the name of the astronomer Ru-
moffsky, of the Academy of Sciences, lies in 42° 50' 15", and
2.18° 48' 30", and still farther inland we distinguished on the same
side of the bay a mountain of a conical form and very striking
appearance; from another more to the northward we perceived
smoke and flames to issue, but were unable to distinguish the
crater of this burning volcano.
On the 7th May a gentle breeze sprang up at S. W. with
which we proceeded under all sail deeper into the bay. At length,
with a hundred fathoms we found a bottom, the depth gradually
diminishing. At eight o'clock in the morning, with a very bright
sky and clear horizon, we perceived, to our no small disappoint-
ment, the land closing more and more towards the S. E., so that
there now appeared but a very narrow passage. This discovery
almost entirely frustrated my hopes; I continued, however, my
*
38 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
course towards the S. E. until at length we could distinguish the
perfect junction of the very flat coast in that direction; our
depth at the same time was thirty-three fathoms over a bottom
of fine grey sand. The water here having a less brackish taste,
and its specific gravity being much less than that of the sea, it
is probable that at the extremity of the bay there may be some
large river; and this supposition was rendered still more striking
by the number of pieces of wood which floated by the ship.
After being quite convinced that we were only in a large bay,
at half past ten I put the ship about, and held my course
towards the north point of the gulf, which I have called after
the unfortunate Spanish navigator Malespina. This cape, ac-
cording to our observations, is in 45°42' 15" N. and 228° 41' 30"W.
Although I was disappointed in my hopes of finding a passage,
I could not regret the three days we had spent in exploring this
bay ; and I should have continued my examination, even after
we were convinced of its being one, quite to its extremity, had
not the wind veered to the N. W. which would have prevented
our getting into the open sea in several days. This great bay
is sixty miles deep in a N. W. and S. E. direction, and between
capes Nowosilzoff and Malespina, which lie N. E. b. E. and
S. W. b. W. opposite to each other, forty-two miles across, and
I have called it gulf Strogonoff, in honour of the president of the
Academy of Arts.
During the greater part of the day in which we sailed out of
the gulf the weather was foggy and calm; towards night a gentle
breeze sprang up, and as the current set very strong to the N. E.
side of the gulf, we were compelled to steer N. W. On the 8th
at day-break I resumed my course towards the land, and we
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 39
soon distinguished the high mountains behind cape Malespina,
and the continuation of the coast towards the north. This again
formed a great bay from cape Malespina, the north-west point
of which, in latitude 44° 25, and longitude 218" 28, I have called
cape Schischkoff, in honour of the meritorious vice-admiral of
that name. The land in the bay is much the lowest we had
hitherto seen in Jesso, which chiefly consisted of uninterrupted
chains of lofty snowtopt mountains without the slightest variety;
and the only distinguishable points in this bay were a single
mountain of tolerable height, in 44° 00 N. and 2.18° 06' W. and
a low headland. To this I have assigned the name of the cele-
brated Pallas. -
At ten o’clock we saw the two islands which bear the names
of Jeurire and Janikesseri in the chart of the Russian discoveries,
the first bearing N. E. 25°, the other N. E. 10°. They lie nearly
west of cape Schischkoff, and are both scarcely more than rocks.
The greatest length of each of them is about four miles, and its
width about half the length. The eastward one, Janikesseri, is
very low, the other rather more elevated, and has a rock at its
southern point, and a reef on the east side, upon which the sea
broke with force. Upon this latter island we could distinguish
some brushwood, but upon the other nothing at all. Their situa-
tion with respect to each other is nearly east and west. Jeurire
lies in 44° 27'45", and 2.18° 43' 15"; Janikesseri in 44° 28′ 45' N.
and 2.18° 37'45" W., ten miles distant from cape Schischkoff.
We sailed round these islands with a strong S. W. wind, after
which I again shaped my course towards the S.E., as it was pos-
sible the islands might have prevented my perceiving any inlet
40 KRU SENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
behind them. But the weather was now so thick and cloudy
that our horizon was of very little extent; I therefore ap-
proached as near as possible to the shore, and about eight in
the evening we were at the utmost only three miles from it.
The depth here was twenty-eight fathons, over a bottom of fine
sand ; the beach was low, and almost entirely sandy; farther in-
land were seen lofty mountains. The land stretched from the
north towards S. b. E., but there was no where any appearance
of a passage. Some persons on board fancied they perceived a
deep inlet towards N. E. b. E., and I directed my course thi-
ther; but this disappeared upon a nearer approach. We tacked
throughout the night, and the next day, as I was unwilling to
quit this part of the coast until I had again thoroughly exa-
mined it; however it was entirely concealed from us by a thick
fog until eleven o’clock in the forenoon. The vicinity in which
we now stood to the coast enabled us to see between the
islands and the main, and to remove every doubt entertained
the preceding day with respect to a passage ; I nevertheless
conceived it necessary to steer to the S. E. until we distinctly
saw cape Schischkoff, and the uninterrupted line of coast as far
as cape Malespina. At the same time we perceived to the
N. W. b. N. a high mountain entirely covered with snow,
which must have been upon some island, and the next day we
ascertained it to be what La Perouse has named the Pik de
Langle”. I now altered my course from S. E. to N. be-
tween the coast of Jesso and this pik.
* The Pik de Langle, as it is called by La Perouse, is probably the same as that
the Dutch call Blydeberg.
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 41
I have been, perhaps, too circumstantial in my account of this
navigation; but as by our latitude the passage between the
island of Karafuto and Jesso ought to have been nearly in this
place, I conceived it necessary to give the most accurate de-
scription of the coast, in order to convince those who might
believe in such a passage, that it could not have escaped us
had it been really here. We now sailed parallel with the
coast, the direction of which is N. b. W. at a distance of three
or four miles from the land, and soon distinguished the north
point of Jesso, bearing N. half W. The depth was almost
constantly from twenty-five to thirty fathoms, and the bottom a
fine sand. During the night we stood off and on under easy
sail; and on the 10th at day-break continued our course to the
northward along the coast, from which we were never at a
greater distance than three miles, in order that no point of it
might escape us. I had already given up all hope of finding
the strait, as I now conceived it probable that the Japanese,
of whose want of geographical knowledge I had frequent rea-
son to be convinced, should look upon Sachalin as a small
island, and lay it down as such in their charts opposite to Jesso:
and in none of their charts is there any island to the north of
Karafuto *.
The northern part of Jesso has many advantages over that to
the southward. The land is low to a considerable distance from
the sea, where the snow mountains commence, and entirely in-
* In European charts, those of Danville, Roberts, and some others, for in-
stance, Sachalin is likewise laid down as a small island,
V O L. II. G
42 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
tersect the whole island from north to south ; it is covered with
wood, and apparently not ill cultivated. The shores are, for
the most part, craggy, in some places rocky, and sandy in
others. This part has, besides, an even appearance, and
offered as little variety as the coast of snowtopt mountains of
the south of Jesso, which we rarely saw disengaged from the
clouds. But even here, the most fruitful part of Jesso, no
traces of a dwelling were to be seen, except at the northern-
most point, where we found a few fishermen's huts,
At seven in the morning the land, on which the peak de Langle
is situated, bore due west, distant about twelve miles, but only
upon one single occasion could we distinguish its base. As we
approached the north point of Jesso we perceived that a long
narrow neck of land projected from it to the N. W. with several
huts upon it, and we could see, quite at its extremity, a high
pole with a bundle of straw attached to it. This tongue of land
must be dangerous at night, being very low, and stretching out
nearly a mile into the sea. We could no longer perceive land
to the northward, and being at this time at the extremity of
Jesso, consequently at the southern end of the straits of La
Perouse, all our hopes of finding a new strait were hencefor-
ward at an end. As soon as we had doubled the long tongue of
land I steered E. S. E. along the coast in search of a convenient
anchorage, having proposed to myself to spend some days
in acquiring a little information of this hitherto unknown
part of the world, and to give our naturalists the opportunity
they had long been obliged to forego, of increasing their col-
lections. At ten we perceived a large bay entirely open to the
northward, but as it afforded a very good anchorage, I brought
DEPARTURE FROM JAPAN, &c. 43
to in a small bight to the southward in ten fathoms, over a bot-
tom of fine sand and clay, about two miles from the nearest land.
The north point of Jesso, which, as well as the whole bay, I have
named cape Romanzoff, and Romanzoff bay, in honour of Count
Nicholas Romanzoff, the minister of commerce, and chancellor
of the empire, bore N. W. 68°, and the east point of the bay,
which the natives call Laya, bore N. E. 60°. The fog pre-
vented our seeing the opposite coast of Sachalin, nor could we
as yet distinguish the island which lies to the northward of the
peak de Langle.
44
CHAPTER II.
STA Y O N THE NORTH POINT OF JESSO, AND IN AN Iw A
B.A. Y.
Lateness of the Spring in the North of Jesso—We find here a Japanese Officer and
several Merchants of that Nation—Remarks upon the Geography of these Parts
—Upon the Names of Jesso, Matsumay, Insu, Oku Jesso, and Sachalin—De-
scription of Romanzoff Bay—Peak de Langle—We sail to Aniwa Bay—Anchor
in Salmon Bay—Japanese Factory in Aniwa Bay—Proposal for an European
Establishment in this Bay—Advantages which such an Establishment promises
to Commerce—Facility of taking Possession of Aniwa–Defence of this appa-
rently violent Measure—Description of the Ainos—Their physical and moral
qualities—Modesty of the Women—Their Dress—Ornaments, Houses, and Uten-
sils—Food—Government—Population—Refutation of the Story of the Ainos
being covered with Hair.
Before we had weathered the long point of land which I
have mentioned in the preceding chapter, we perceived a boat
with four of the natives rowing off to us. They continued
about a quarter of an hour alongside the ship, but could not be
prevailed upon to come on board, and at length returned.
However, we had scarcely cast anchor when several of them
paid us a visit, who immediately came on board without the
least signs of fear. As they came on deck they fell on their
knees, laid their two hands on their heads, passing them down
their faces and their bodies, at the same time that they made a
low bow. I presented them with a few trifles, which appeared
st Ay on THE No RT II PoſNT OF J Esso, &c. 43
to cause them great satisfaction, and I ordered them some bis-
cuit and brandy; but they seemed to have no taste for the
latter, and it is probable that they are unacquainted with the
use of strong liquors. One of them brought a boat-load of
herrings, of an excellent quality, which were sufficient for the
dinner of both officers and crew. About two o'clock I went
on shore with most of my officers, and we were not a little sur-
prised to find in the middle of the month of May, and in a
country so much to the southward, scarcely any appearance of
spring: in several places the snow lay very deep, the trees were
as yet without leaves, and nothing was green except a few wild
leeks and some samphire. On our arrival in Kamtschatka about
three weeks after this we found the season much more ad-
vanced ; and even at this time of the year it would be more so
there, for Captain King states, that in the middle of May a
sufficient supply of garlic and nettles was collected daily for his
crew; and with regard to the western provinces of Russia, even
at Archangel, which is eighteen degrees more to the northward
than this part of Jesso, so raw a season would not be found in
April as here in May. Our hopes, after a six months confine-
ment, during which we had no opportunity to walk, of making
amends for it here were entirely baffled; for we could only
walk upon the beach on sand and stones, as a few steps from
the shore we got either into bogs or snow, or a deep clay,
which forced us back to the strand. We met one of the
natives, the same who had brought us fish in the morning,
with whom we were already acquainted; and we requested
him to take us to his house, which he immediately did with the
greatest good nature. Here we were received in the best pos-
sible manner, and I rewarded their kindness by distributing some
46 KRU SENSTERN's voy AGE R O U N D T H E W OR L D.
presents among the family. At seven in the evening we re-
turned on board, and the next day the officers of the ship
again made a party on shore. I remained behind, because the
day preceding, just after I had quitted the ship, several Ja-
panese had been on board, who promised to return again on
the morrow.
On the 11th, at nine in the morning, these Japanese ar-
rived with an officer at their head, in a large boat, rowed by
the natives of the island. The officer appeared extremely
alarmed at our arrival, requesting most earnestly that we would
immediately sail from hence ; because, as soon as they should
learn in Matsumay, whither he must send a report without
delay, of our being upon this coast, they would infallibly dis-
patch a large fleet against us, from which we could expect no
mercy. In order to render his threats more impressive, he
repeated several times the word bumm, bumm, puffing out his
cheeks at the same time, whereby he wished clearly to give
us to understand with what rigour the Matsumayan squadron
would proceed against us. His threats and his intimidating
pantomime were so laughable, that we could not restrain our-
selves; however, I strove to pacify him by all the means in
my power, and assured him, that as soon as the weather, which
at the time was very foggy, should clear up, we would cer-
tainly take our departure. After I had repeated this promise to
him in the most formal manner he appeared easier, and more
capable of beginning a fresh conversation, which, by means of
the ambassador, who contrived to make himself understood in
the Japanese language, passed off very well. My first question
was concerning the geography of this part: the name of Kara-
sTA y o N T H E No RT11 poi NT of JF's so, &c. 47
futo could not possibly be unknown here, as it has found a place
in the Japanese charts; and as the officer knew very accurately
the situation of both Ochotsk and Kamtschatka, I placed some
confidence in his knowledge; but I soon found that he owed
his acquaintance with these two places rather to the goodness
of his memory than to any study, Laxmann, with whom he
was personally acquainted, having given him this information.
However, from his long residence in the northern parts of Jesso,
he could not be ignorant in respect to its general geographical
situation; and was perhaps not so much afraid, at this dis-
tance from his tyrannical government, to impart to us what he
knew as they were in Nangasaky. He therefore confirmed to
us the existence of the island, of Karafuto, which we distinctly
perceived as soon as the weather began to clear up, separated
from Jesso by a channel, which, according to his estimate, was
about eighteen miles wide; and he mentioned to us another land
to the north of Karafuto, which was also separated by a narrow
passage from this island. This last he only knew by hearsay,
for neither he nor any of his countrymen knew any thing of the
northern part of Karafuto, which the natives call Sandan; but
he believed that Karafuto was about half the size of Jesso, while
on the contrary, the southern part of this island is very well known
to the Japanese, since the government reckons it among their
possessions, and maintains an officer there as a guard, just as it
does here. In further proof of this he pointed out to us in the
Japanese charts which I had on board, the harbour where their
establishmentis; remarking, that it was only on the preceding day
that a ship had sailed thither. He mentioned the names of Ku-
naschir, Ischicotan, Sturup, and Urup, as the four islands which
lie to the north-east of Jesso, and form part of the Japanese
48 K R USEN ST E R N’s Voy A G F. R or N D T H E won I, D.
empire; and it is nearly by the same names that these islands
have been known since Spangenberg's time, without having yet
been received into any foreign charts *, and he moreover told
me those of several headlands and rivers in Jesso, which I have
given in our chart of this island. Most of these names bore
a great resemblance to those in the Japanese charts, a sufficient
proof to me that I might depend upon his information. The
district in which he now resided he called Notzambu ; but I
could not ascertain whether by this he meant all the northern
part of Jesso, or only the northernmost cape, but I fancy the
former. A district more to the south he called Soya ; the island
with the lofty peak (Pik de Langle) he named Rii-schery, and that
more to the north Refuni-schery. On the names of Jesso, Oku-
Jesso, and Matsumay, I obtained the following information.
The original inhabitants of these islands, who are known to us
by the name of Kuriles, and hairy Kuriles, are called Ainos,
and now inhabit only a very small part of Matsumay, namely,
from Notzambu to Atkies; and this part alone is still called by
them Jesso; while the Japanese give the name of Matsumay to
the whole island. It is probable, that before the Japanese
settled here the whole island was inhabited by these Ainos, and
by them named Jesso; but in proportion as the possessions of
the Japanese increased, the original name gave place to that of
Matsumay, which the Japanese had assigned to their principal
settlement in this usurped territory ; for it is only preserved to
-mº
* The existence of the islands Kunaschir, Ischicotan, and Jrturup, is so fully
confirmed since the expedition of Laxmann in 1792, and of Lieutenants Chwostoff
and Davidoff in 1806 and 1807, that no doubt can longer be entertained with
regard to them.
sTAY on riſ E. No RTH POINT OF J Esso, &c. 49
that narrow space in which the Japanese have confined the
Ainos; and it is too probable, that as soon as they shall have
entirely expelled them from the island the name will be coun-
pletely dropped by the Japanese. In Nangasaky I had already
been told that Jesso and Matzumay were the same country. The
name of Oku-Jesso, or great Jesso, is also a name proper to the
Ainos; and they call the larger island of Sachalin by this name,
although the Japanese officer assured me that he understood by it
the southern Kuriles, an opinion which I remember to have read
elsewhere. Here, as well as in Aniwa bay, I enquired in vain for
the names of Chica and Ischoka, by which La Perouse heard the
islands of Sachalin and Jesso called, on the west coast of Sachalin.
Perhaps the western inhabitants of Sachalin call their island
Ischoka, as those to the south call it Karafuto; and that the
name of the northern part of Sachalin is called Sandan. Geo-
graphers should agree among themselves on a name for these
two islands” to the north of Japan, to both of which several
might with equal justice be attributed ; to the southernmost, for
instance, Jesso, Matzumay, or Matmay, and Chica +; and to the
northernmost the names of Sachalin, Ischoka, Sandan, Karafuto,
and Oku-Jesso. It appears to me that those of Sachalin and
Jesso deserve the preference over the others, as being the most
ancient and best known to the geographers; and, as far as Jesso
is concerned, it has been completely ascertained that this was
* At the time of our stay here we did not know that the northernmost land was
not an island but only a peninsula.
+ And, since Broughton, that of Insu.
V O L. I. I. J I
50 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE worl D.
the original name, and it is only the Japanese who have intro-
duced that of Matzumay, endeavouring to suppress the other.
The Japanese discipline exists even here, the farthest
boundary of their possessions, in all its force. The officer could
in no ways be persuaded to accept a trifling present which the
ambassador offered him, and even refused to take a glass of Ja-
panese sakky, their favourite beverage. The purpose of his re-
sidence here is to watch over the trade carried on by some mer-
chants of his country with the Ainos, and this appears to be
but inconsiderable ; the only articles furnished by the latter
consisting of dried fish, some coarse kinds of furs, such as fox
and wolf skins, which they exchange for pipes and tobacco,
household utensils made of lacquered wood, and rice, though
I believe the Ainos seldom make use of the latter article, but,
like the Kamtschadales, subsist chiefly on fish. As the merchants
only remain here during the summer, the officer is allowed, as
he informed us, to pass his winter in Matzumay, where his
family resides; and this appeared to me very probable, for his
house was not much better than that of one of the Ainos, in
which the cleanliness and comfort of a Japanese house is not to
be found. He told us a great deal about Laxmann, with whom
he was personally acquainted, and whom he praised highly ; and
he spoke several Russian words, which he had acquired of him.
After taking a cup of tea he turned the cup downwards, as is
done in Russia when a person will drink no more ; and as none
of us remarked his having done so, he immediately called our
attention to it, telling us this was the custom in our country.
He began an examination with the few Russian words he knew,
to ascertain whether we really came from thence, which for a
sTAY on T H E No RTH Po INT of Jesso, &c. 5I
long time he seemed to doubt, until he found that we passed our
examination perfectly. He thought we were either English or
Swedes; and what apparently rendered him so mistrustful, mak-
ing him believe we were not Russians, was, that we none of us
wore tails, Laxmann and his companions having worn their hair
in this fashion. This must indeed have been very striking to a
Japanese, in whose country, probably during the last thousand
years, the hair has been curled day after day in the same man-
ner; and so sudden a revolution as has taken place among us
in the last twelve years could not fail of exciting his utmost
astonishment. He told us of a Russian ship having arrived at
Nangasaky, to bring back to their country five Japanese who
had been wrecked on the coast of Kamtschatka, and he seemed
perfectly sensible of the merits of this action ; this being the
second time the Russians had been so generous to his country-
people ; and he was not a little astonished to hear that it was
our own ship which had conveyed his countrymen back to
Nangasaky, and still more so when told that it was only
three weeks since we had quitted that harbour; a piece of in-
telligence which rendered him rather uneasy. He quitted us at
length with a most earnest request that we would depart as soon
as possible; and he represented to us the danger of our anchor-
age, and the dreadful typhons which rage here in the spring and
summer, adducing several other equally groundless reasons, and
particularly repeating the numerous bomboms which would
arrive from Matzumay to annihilate us. As I had no intention
of remaining long here, a further stay at this time of the year
being attended with no advantage, and offering very little in-
struction to the naturalist, I assured him that I would infallibly
go the next day, provided the weather was sufficiently clear for
52 *
K R USENSTERN’s VOYAGE. Rou ND THE wor LD.
us to see the opposite coast, and we parted the best friends
possible.
Throughout the day we had frequent visits, as well from the
Japanese merchants as from the Ainos, who brought dried her-
rings to exchange for old clothes and buttons. Either these last
must be of particular value to them, or herrings of none at all,
for they exchanged from fifty to a hundred of them dried, finer
than I ever met them, for an old brass button. The Japanese
bartered pipes, lacquered dishes, and particularly books of ob-
scene pictures; their chief, and perhaps only study, for they
would scarcely have brought them all the way from Matzumay
merely to sell.
Romanzoff bay at the north end of Jesso is formed by the
northern point of this island to the west, and by cape Soya,
which two capes lie N. E. b. N } E. and S. W. b. W.; W. four-
teen miles distant of each other. On the southern side of this
bay is a bight, forming a bay of itself, of which cape Romanzoff
is the south-west, and another about four and a half miles dis-
tant the north-east point. At the entrance of this small bay the
Nadeshda anchored in ten and a half fathoms water over a
bottom of the best kind, being of thick clay and fine sand, and
it cost us some trouble to weigh our anchor. The depth of the
anchorage decreased in a S. S. E. direction, from ten and a
half to seven fathoms, which water there was about two miles
from the shore; about a mile nearer it is four and a half, and at
the distance of scarcely twenty fathoms from the land eight or
ten feet, the bottom being every where the same. The time of our
stay here was too short to ascertain any thing positive with regard
STAY on THE No RTH Pol NT of Jesso, &c. 53
to that of the highest tides and lowest ebb; but from the appear-
ance of the shore we were convinced that the floods were pretty
considerable. The constant foggy weather, during the time we
lay at anchor here, prevented us from making any observations
on the variation of the compass ; but from those made shortly
before our arrival and soon after our departure in the straits of
La Perouse, it may here be considered as null. The latitude of
ouranchorage was 45°24'45° N., and the longitude 218°20'00° W.
Cape Romanzoff lies in latitude 45° 25' 50", and longitude 218"
25' 30". Cape Soya in 45° 31' 15" N. and 2.18° 09' 00" W.
About six in the morning of the 13th May the fog divided,
and we observed the opposite shore of Sachalin; the Karafuto
of the Japanese. Although the wind continued fresh at N. E.
I got under sail and steered N. N. W.: we soon after perceived
the Pik de Langle, a name which I retain, without, however,
giving up the proper name Rio-schery “. La Perouse must have
concluded from the height of this peak, and its nearness to the
land behind it, that it belonged to Jesso, and if we had not
-- ----------
* Broughton calls this Peaked Island, but says that its proper name is Timos-
chee, and that the island to the north of it is called Teesche, according to the report
of a native of the first who went on board his ship. The Japanese officer who
visited us in Romanzoff bay, as well as several Ainos whom we questioned con-
cerning the names of these two islands, all agreed in calling them Rii-schery and
Refuni-schery. Lieutenants Chwostoff and Dawidoff became acquainted with
them by the names of Rio-schery and Refun-schery, and in the Japanese charts
they are called Riisery and Refunisery; a trifling difference, arising from the pro-
nunciation. I have given the preference to Rio-chery and Refun-schery, Lieu-
tenants Chwostoff and Dawidoff having landed on them.
54 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
sailed between the island and Jesso, we might easily at a short
distance have committed the same error *.
The peak de Langle lies in 45° 11'00' N. and 2.18° 47'45" W.
This determination rests not only on repeated astronomical ob-
servations, but on a great number of bearings and distances which
were measured during the several days on which we saw it. In La
Perouse's chart it is in 45° 23' N. and 217° 50' W. of Greenwich.
In a note the editor of this voyage states the latitude to be 45°
15, and they are both incorrect; for, according to the rhumb of
La Perouse's log-book, compared with the true corrected longi-
tude of Dagelet, the peak de Langle must be in latitude 45° 10'
48", and longitude 218° 38' 10", which varies 12" in the latitude
and nine and a half minutes in the longitude from our observa-
tions. In La Connaissance des tems there is another latitude and
longitude, viz. 45° 20' N. and 139°42' east of Paris, or 217° 58' W.
of Greenwich-i-. The incorrect position of this peak in the
* The following example from Broughton's voyage proves how easily any one
may be mistaken. He had steered west of the Pik de Langle, and consequently
did not see a small part of the coast of Jesso between 45° 00' and 45° 15', whence
he concluded that the northern part of Jesso was an island. A Japanese chart
(probably such an one as that we had) in which the island Chica, or Karafuto, is
laid down to the north of Jesso, confirmed Captain Broughton in his opinion; and
had we not sailed along this part of the coast, at a distance of only two and a half
or three miles, this would undoubtedly have been adopted as a positive fact.
+ In Broughton's chart this island lies in 44° 50' N. and 2.18° 57' W. In the
journal neither latitude nor longitude are given. As Broughton's latitude of the
N. W. point of Jesso agrees with ours, there can be no doubt of some error having
occurred in the construction of the chart, and this is confirmed by Broughton's log-
sTAY on THE No RTH POINT OF JEsso, &c. 55
charts of La Perouse's and Broughton's voyages, shews the ne-
cessity of immediately putting down the true longitude and lati-
tude of every remarkable place in the journal; for a third per-
son must infallibly commit some error when he has to calculate
the same from observations, rhumbs, and supposed distances;
besides that it generally occasions an unpleasant, and frequently
unthankful task, if the rhumbs should not be marked with ac-
curacy, or any fault either in copying or printing them should
occur; an accident which can rarely be avoided. As I have
myself frequently experienced this, I have never omitted
noting down immediately the latitude and longitude of every
point, a plan adopted by Vancouver; and it should be the duty
of every navigator to follow him, he being, in point of clearness
and correctness, a most admirable standard. He has equalled
his great masters, Cook and King. The situations described in
this journal should always be considered as the correct ones,
even though they should differ a little from the chart, which
will however very rarely happen ; and where it does the differ-
ence can be but trifling, all the charts having been made
under my own direction, and I have repeatedly compared the
manuscript ones with my journal.
About seven o'clock the north-east point of Refun-schery bore
nearly west, about twenty or twenty-five miles, the southern
point S. W. 70'. This island, which we saw through the mist
book: “On the 7th September 1797 at noon our latitude was 45° 44' 34" N., the
peak then bore S. E. 89 thirty-six miles.” This makes the latitude of the peak
45° 09' 00" N. instead of 44° 50' as it is described in the chart. See Broughton's
Voyage, original edition, 4to. page 290 and 387.
56 KR USENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE worlD.
on the 11th May, is of pretty considerable size; in the middle
the land rises to a tolerable height, gradually sloping away
on both sides: it lies N. W. b. N. of Rio-schery “. La Perouse
must have seen Refun-schery, though perhaps at a considerable
distance, and it is probably the same which he has called cape
Guibert, a name which I have retained for the N. E. point of
this island. By our observations it lies in 45° 27' 45° N. and
2.18° 56' OO" W.
We passed through the straits of La Perouse with a variable
wind at N. E. and E. S. E. the depth from our anchorage
increasing to fifty fathoms, and then again falling off to twenty-
eight. Towards the coast of Jesso the ground was of fine sand :
on that of Sachalin, on the contrary, of coral and small stones.
At half past three we perceived on the south-west point of Sa-
chalin a small round rock, which La Perouse has not mentioned,
and which is at a short distance from the land. About five
o'clock we saw to the north-west the island called by La Pe-
rouse Monneron, and north-east the rock he called La Danger-
euse, a very proper name, for it is almost even with the water.
We also saw the small rock he mentions at the extreme end of
cape Crillon. At six, as the wind was become very moderate,
I steered to the southward; it continued calm throughout the
night, with light airs of wind from the south-west. The depth
of water was from twenty-eight to thirty-five fathoms, the bottom
–
* Broughton, who went much nearer to this island than we did, says it is about
twelve miles long in a N. E. and S. W. direction; and he saw houses both on this
and on Rio-schery.
W
&
st A y o N THE No RTH Po INT of J Esso, &c. 57
rocky, with coral and small stones: the current set the ship to
the eastward, At day-break we clearly distinguished the con-
tinuation of the coast of Jesso towards the South and east; our
distance from land being at the most from eight to nine miles.
From cape Soya it runs quite in an easterly direction, as far as
to a considerable bay, when it trends away suddenly to the
southward. A cape, close to which were some lofty moun-
tains covered with snow, and among these a peak of con-
siderable size, was the boundary of that part of the north-east
coast of Jesso which we saw. It lies in 45° 21' N. and 217° 48' W.:
a determination I cannot quite answer for, as, owing to the dis-
tance and the thick weather, we could not distinctly distinguish
its outline. I have named this promontory cape Shaep, in
remembrance of the almost forgotten companion of Captain
Vries.
I now steered towards Aniwa bay; although it had been al-
ready visited, as well as that which bears the name of Patience,
by the Dutch. I wished, in order to render our examination
of Sachalin as perfect as possible, to commence at cape Crillon,
which, with cape Aniwa, are the last points in Sachalin whose
astronomical situation was determined by La Perouse. The
skill of the Dutch navigators in the seventeenth century was not
very great, and although La Perouse pays the highest, and
certainly the most merited, compliment to Captain Vries,
I conceived it would be a most decided service to geogra-
phy to examine these two large bays with accuracy; and to
determine their boundary with that precision which might be
expected from us. It will shortly appear that Captain Vries
has committed errors in both, which appears almost incredible,
V O L. II. I
58 K R USENSTERN’s Voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE W or L.D.
considering that the time spent in examining them was em-
ployed in the best possible manner.
At nine in the morning the rock La Dangereuse bore west, and
we sailed by it at the distance of about two miles and a half,
when with a line of twenty-five fathoms we found a rocky bottom
with small stones. A number of sea-horses lay upon this rock,
and made so horrible a noise that it was distinctly heard on
board the ship. By our observation La Dangereuse lies in 45°
47° 15' N. and 217' 51' 15" W., ten miles S. E., 48° from cape
Crillon, which is very little different from the position assigned
by La Perouse. At 10 h. 18' cape Crillon bore west, and
cape Aniwa, which we saw at day-break, N. E. 79°: at 11 h. 38'
this cape bore east. Our latitude at noon was 46° 03' 38", in
which there cannot be an error of ten seconds, as the weather
was very clear and the horizon distinct. The situation of cape
Aniwa I will describe when I come to mention our departure
from the bay, when we had an opportunity of observing it with
equal accuracy. Cape Crillon by our observation lies in lati-
tude 45° 54, 15" and longitude 2.18° 02' 04". In La Perouse's
voyage and chart it is in 45° 57' 00" N. and 140° 34' 00" east of
Paris; but according to Dagelet's corrected tables, for the
chronometer No. 19, which I have already mentioned on the
occasion of the peak de Langle and Tsus island, the difference
between the corrected longitude and that of the chart on the
11th August 1787, is — 46' 21" *. According to this, therefore,
* The true latitude on the 11th August 1787, according to the corrected tables
of No. 19, is 139° 38' 39". According to the chart the meridian point of the 11th
is 140° 24 : the difference is therefore 45' 21".
st Ay on THE No RTH POINT OF JEsso, &c. 59
the longitude of cape Crillon would be = 140° 34' 00" – 46.
21" – 139° 48' 39" east of Paris, or 217' 51' 21" west of Green-
wich, which is about ten minutes and a half more east than we
found it to be ; nearly the same as that of Pik de Langle.
The west side of Aniwa bay is throughout very mountainous,
and even now was covered in parts with snow. A flat and ra-
ther projecting mountain in the direction of the coast, which
here trended N. N. E. was alone distinguishable by its greater
height; and this was also entirely covered with snow. The shore
was throughout lined with steep rocks, between some of which
there appeared to be entrances, not, however, deserving the name
of bays, and the depth, at the distance of seven or eight miles,
which was what we kept from the shore, was from twenty-five
to thirty-five fathoms over a rocky bottom. We saw the whole
east side of Aniwa bay, but not distinctly, owing to our great
distance : from cape Aniwa it first runs in a northerly direc-
tion, then inclines a little to the west to a head-land, which pro-
jects also to the west, and from this as far as the end of the bay
the land lies north and south. This projecting point of land is
probably the same which the Dutch called Tamary-Aniwa, a
name which I have retained as well as that of Salm (Salmon)
bay, and Lachsforellen (Salmontrout) bay, of which Tamary-
Aniwa is the south-east point. A Japanese vessel which we
had already seen in the morning was sailing before us; and when
we had nearly overhauled it, shifted its course to the east side
of the bay; where, as we afterwards ascertained, the Japanese
have a larger establishment than in Salm bay.
At four we saw a peak to the northward, which I took to be
6O K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE WO R. L.D.
Pik Bernizet, mentioned by La Perouse. At six we already saw
the extremity of the bay, the depth decreasing from thirty-six
to seven and a half fathoms, the bottom chiefly of soft green
ooze ; and with this depth of water weanchored about eight o'clock
fronting a small village”, where we found a one-masted Japanese
vessel, Pik Bernizet at the time bearing N. E. 5", and Tamary-
Aniwa S. E. 80°, and our distance from land being about two
miles.
At ten the next morning I went with the ambassador on board
the Japanese ship, where we were very handsomely received,
and treated with sakky, rice bread, and tobacco. The Japanese
seemed very desirous of exchanging some trifles which we saw
for cloth, but they were afraid of their officers, of whom they
told us there were two on shore, who would infallibly strike off
their heads if they should hear of it. The master of the vessel
acquainted us that he came from Osaica, with a lading consist-
ing of rice and salt, and that here he should take in furs, some
kinds of which he shewed us, but particularly fish; indeed his
whole vessel was filled with dried fish, which were laid lengthways
in the hold, the same as in a cask, and afterwards strewed over
with salt.
I was very curious to hear from him what connexion this
place had with Karafuto, and my first question to him was to
that effect. He informed me that this island, which was very
large, was called by the Japanese Karafuto, but that the natives
**-
* This we afterwards found to be a Japanese establishment.
stay on T H E No RTH Po INT of J Esso, &c. 61
of the country, who, he said, were Ainos, named it Sandan : SO
that Karafuto and Sandan were one and the same country; that
he was not acquainted with the northern extremity of the island,
but had heard that it was separated from a great country by so
shallow a channel, that even his ship, which did not draw at the
most more than eight or nine feet, could not pass through it. By
this he must have meant the channel of Tartary, which La Pe-
rouse imagined was not navigable, and which we afterwards
thought we ascertained no longer to exist, although it once
did, and gave rise to this opinion in Japan. *
The officers who are maintained here, as well as on the north
point of Jesso by the Japanese government, are merely for the
purpose of superintending the trade between the Japanese and
the Ainos; a custom which certainly deserves imitation, as mer-
chants when left entirely to themselves set no bounds to their
extortions and violence. If, however, the account I received
from the master of a Japanese vessel is to be depended on, their
residence here is not for so noble a purpose. This man,
in October 1804, was stranded on the coast of Poromuschir,
one of the Kurile islands, and whom I met in Kamschatka
upon our return there in June this year, appeared to me a
very sensible person, and must have been well acquainted with
this trade, as he had entered into it of his own accord ; and it
was in a similar voyage during the preceding year that he had
been driven by a violent storm to the N. E. towards the Kuriles.
He informed me that the trade with Karafuto, which was of
the greatest importance to the northern inhabitants of Japan, as
the fish they bring from thence is a necessary article of consump-
tion, was formerly free; but that within a few years the govern-
62 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
ment had taken it entirely into their own hands, making it an im-
perial monopoly. Although, according to Japanese principles,
the subject dares not censure even the most oppressive and un-
just measures of the government, the Japanese master assured
me, that this usurped monopoly had caused the greatest dissatis-
faction to the people in the north of Japan; as the government
sold the fish, which had become an article of necessity to them,
at a very high price, and consequently the persons employed in
the sale would have their advantage likewise. We had already
imagined the establishment in Karafuto to be quite recent, as
both the habitations of the Japanese officers and the warehouses
were entirely new, some of them being even still unfinished.
We did not receive any visit from the Ainos as in Romanzoff
bay; and our expectations to obtain in this, which on account of
its abounding in salmon trout has been called by the Dutch
Salmontrout (Lachsforellen) bay, a supply of fish that would
last us several days, were entirely frustrated. At day-break
Lieutenant Ratmanoff went with Dr. Langsdorff in the direction
of Tamary-Aniwa, to examine the east side of the bay, but par-
ticularly that part into which we had seen the Japanese vessel
sail, and in the afternoon we ourselves went on shore to pay a
visit to the factory. Owing to the heavy surf, it was impossible
to land in our boats; we were therefore obliged to suffer ourselves
to be conveyed on shore, through the surf, two at a time in a
small skiff, which an Aino very good humouredly offered for that
purpose, and not without danger of getting wet. The land near
the shore consisted of reeds and grass growing upon a wet and
clayey bottom, and in the vicinity of a small river, which at its
mouth was about seven or eight fathoms wide, was a large heap
sTAY on T H E No RTH Po INT OF JEsso, &c. 63
of rotten leaves at least a foot in depth; here too no signs of
spring appeared.
The Japanese establishment was on both sides of the river,
and consisted, besides a few dwelling-houses, of eight or nine
warehouses at the most, quite new, and almost all filled with
fish, salt, and rice. The Japanese officers appeared to be in the
utmost alarm at our visit, and it was with trembling only that
they would answer a few questions which the ambassador put to
them. They had collected about twenty of their countrymen and
upwards of fifty Ainos around them, and seemed to fear some sud-
den attack; but as they soon perceived our friendly disposition to-
wards them, the crowd immediately dispersed. In the river were
ten large flat-bottomed vessels, and judging from the preparations
in the magazines, the trade of this establishment requires at least
ten or twelve yearly of that size which the Japanese generally
use for their coasting trade, viz. from one hundred to one hun-
dred and twenty tons. At Tamary-Aniwa Lieutenant Ratmanoff
found another establishment, which, according to his statement,
must have been still more considerable, and is, probably, the
chief commercial settlement of the Japanese in Aniwa bay.
They found there above one hundred houses of the Ainos, and
more than three hundred persons busied in cleaning and drying
fish : five small masted vessels, besides the large one which we
saw run in there, and a great many transport boats, lay in the
harbour, which, though small, was safer than the anchorage in
Lachsforellen (Salmontrout) bay. The houses of the Japanese
and their magazines were in a beautiful vale, through which
flowed a stream of clear water : the officers established there
were of a higher rank than those in Lachsforellen bay, who wore
64 K R Us ENSTERN's vo y AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
but one sword, while the former, on the contrary, had two, a
privilege only enjoyed by the military in Japan. They received
our officers in the handsomest manner, treating them with the
finest rice, fish, and sakky, without being in the least alarmed
or disturbed by their visit.
We found only a few huts of the Ainos near the establishment
in Lachsforellen bay. They were constructed with the bark of
trees, and in the form of a soldier's tent, pointed at the top,
and two of them were entirely covered with Japanese mats where
the women were concealed. These miserable huts can only be
for a temporary purpose, for it is impossible that, in so raw a
climate, they should serve for a winter abode ; and their dwell-
ing-houses seemed to be farther inland, in which direction there
were several foot-paths. It is probable that they only quit them
in the summer for the sake of their fishery, during which time
they run up these huts in the vicinity of the bay.
The latitude of our anchorage was 46° 41' 15" N. and 217'
28 00, W. The Japanese factory at the mouth of the small
river bore N. W. 49, 2% miles, consequently, the mouth of the
river is in 46° 43' 00" N. On the chart of the Castricom dis-
coveries * the mouth of this river lies in 47° 35', and it seems
almost incomprehensible how this error of fifty-two minutes in
the latitude can have been committed. The error in that of
Tamary-Aniwa, which, by our observations, lies in 46° 36' 20",
and 217° 08' 25", is only thirty-two minutes. The soundings are
* I am indebted to the kindness of Leclerc in Paris for a copy of this chart; and
I take this opportunity to return him my thanks.
st Ay on Til E North Por NT of J Esso, &c. 65
also very incorrectly described in the Dutch chart, where they
gradually decrease to four fathoms; the bottom every where
being strong clay mixed with fine sand; while from the depth of
twelve to four fathoms the clay is soft and quite of a green
colour. At the entrance near cape Aniwa the ground is every
where rocky, with small stones, and the depths on the east and
west side of the bay are alike. The direction of Aniwa bay is
nearly north and south : Lachsforellen bay, therefore, which is
at the further extremity of that of Aniwa, is entirely exposed to
the south, which are here said to be the prevailing winds, and
consequently the road is by no means safe. The great surf is
moreover an obstacle to landing; but when the tides are rising
I fancy it is not attended with any danger, as the Japanese flat
boats passed at all times through it. We remained here forty-
eight hours, and at night had a gentle breeze from the land,
when the shore was very accessible ; but about seven in the
morning the wind again veered to the south, and blew through-
out the day pretty fresh. It was impossible for us to ascertain
the time of the highest springs and lowest ebbs ; but I believe it
to be half past four o'clock at the time of the new and full
Ill OOI).
The harbour at Tamary-Aniwa, which was examined by Lieu-
tenant Ratmanoff, is somewhat sheltered against the south
wind, but too small for a ship of any considerable size to lie
there, and near cape Aniwa probably a better harbour might be
found. As we sailed out of the bay, we were prevented by a
high wind and foggy weather from examining the whole of
the east side, as was my intention; but if any safe harbour
exists here, this bay would be extremely well calculated for
V O L. II. K
66 K RUSEN's TERN’s voy A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
an establishment of any active European nation, and might
serve as a depôt of European goods; as it would be perfectly
easy to open a trade from hence with the Japanese, Coreers,
or Chinese. These nations would themselves come to exchange
their wares against those of Europe; but particularly for the
produce of the country, fish and furs, which articles, now ab-
solutely necessary to them, are found here in the greatest abund-
ance. Even Kamtschatka might easily be supplied from thence
with European articles; only for specie indeed; for Kamtschatka,
with the exception of a few sables, produces nothing which
could here find a market. A larger quantity of whales is, per-
haps, no where to be found than here, even the little Lachs-
forellen bay being so full of them, that the greatest caution was
necessary in going on shore; and the ship, both on entering and
quitting the bay, was entirely surrounded by them. In Patience
bay we saw, if possible, a still greater number. It is pro-
bable that the Japanese have not yet begun to occupy them-
selves with the whale-fishery here, which would become a very
profitable branch of trade to them ; particularly if the Cache-
lot (Physeter Macrocephalus, Linn.) exists here, (a circumstance
not unlikely,) which is so valuable on account of its spermaceti
and ambergrease, two articles that would find a great sale in
Japan: the spermaceti, from the great consumption of lights
there; and ambergrease, as an important article in the small
medicine box which every Japanese carries about him, for, like
the Turks, whom they even exceed in sensuality, they make use
of ambergrease as a stimulus to lust *.
* Kämpfer, in his Dissertation on Ambergrease, gives for this purpose a receipt
which he had from a very considerable Japanese physician. Kämpfer's Account of
Japan, vol. ii. p. 471.
st Ay on the No RTH Po INT OF J Esso, &c. 67
At the back of Lachsforellen bay is a large valley through
which the river winds, on whose banks, as we have already men-
tioned, the Japanese factory is established. This valley might
easily be cultivated: the woods on both sides of the bay contain
the finest pine-trees, which furnish admirable timber for build-
ing, as we were convinced by the Japanese houses; and this tim-
ber must likewise be applicable to the purposes of ship-building,
the Japanese flat-bottomed lighters being evidently built on
the spot. The shores are covered with crabs and oysters; the
game has never hitherto been disturbed ; for neither the Ainos,
nor their masters the Japanese, appeared to be in possession of
a single gun, which they would otherwise have undoubtedly
produced to inspire us with respect, as they did their pikes.
As to fish, it is hardly necessary to repeat here in what plenty
they must be found, as the Japanese employ in the two establish-
ments upwards of four hundred Ainos, who have no other
nourishment than fish, merely to clean and dry them for ex-
portation to Japan. The manner likewise in which they are
caught is a sufficient demonstration of their abundance; as they
do not even employ a net for this purpose, but dip for them
with a pail during the ebb. This article is so important, and is
become so necessary to the poor people in the north of Japan,
that the most absolute orders of their government could not pre-
vent them from coming to Aniwa bay to procure them, let the
possessors of Aniwa be who they would, and in all probability
they might obtain them at a much more reasonable rate from
Europeans than from their avaricious Banjos.
With regard to taking possession of Aniwa, this could be
done without the smallest danger, as the Japanese, owing to
68 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE wor LD.
their total want of weapons of every description, would scarcely
think of resistance. And still less would their government
endeavour to recover this place if it should be taken; for as they
could not calculate upon a favourable issue, they would never
venture to risk, in an unsuccessful enterprize, their reputation
of power and infallibility with the people: the loss of which
would prove of much more serious consequence to them than
even that of all Jesso. But if the Japanese government
should try every possible method to recover the possession
of this place, which they would not have occupied had their
capture of it been attended with any difficulty, they are entirely
destitute of the means. Without armed ships or artillery they
could not have gained an inch of ground even from the Ainos,
if these had been disposed to resist them. Two cutters of six-
teen guns and sixty men would be quite sufficient, with a mo-
derate air of wind, to sink the whole Japanese fleet, had it even
ten thousand men on board. The capture of Aniwa is therefore
no perilous undertaking; and I am convinced that this conquest
would not cost a single drop of blood, and that to keep posses-
sion of the establishment would be equally unattended with
danger. The Japanese maintain no troops in the north, and
probably but very few in the south of Jesso. As a great part of
this island is uncultivated, a chain of lofty mountains running
through it, it may easily be imagined how extremely difficult the
march of an army from the city of Matzumay to the northern ex-
tremity of it would be ; though this obstacle is not insurmount-
able, as it only depends on the will of the monarch to cause such
an undertaking : but it is in the conveyance of an army from
Jesso to Aniwa that the pride of the Japanese would sink, for
the smallest European vessel is sufficient to annihilate their most
sTAY ON THE NORTH Po I NT OF J Esso, &c. 69
tremendous armada; and upon land, a battery of twelve guns
with a hundred artillery-men, would check any troops they might
be able to land there. It is true that so forcible an usurpation
appears in a very unjust light; but are the titles of the Japanese
to Sachalin better founded than those of any European nation ?
The most essential objection would be, that such a capture was
made without the approbation of the true possessors of Sachalin,
the Ainos; and I honestly confess my doubts whether they would
gain by such a change; for they appeared to me to be treated with
great humanity by the Japanese. But this would be the affair
of the government, which might adopt such measures as should
secure their liberty, and give them no cause to lament the change
of masters: this humanity as well as policy would require.
As such an event as a European establishment in the island of
Sachalin (perhaps the only means of partaking in the Japanese
trade) is probably at no great distance, I have merely men-
tioned in a few words the possibility of such an undertaking.
To the English from the East Indies, or the Spaniards from
the Philippines, it would be extremely easy, but particularly
so to the Russians from Kamtschatka or the northern parts of
Siberia: yet there are essential obstacles to this at present; the
want, for instance, of a constant communication by water be-
tween Europe and the Russian possessions in the north of Asia,
but principally the scarcity of men, which is nowhere more ap-
parent than in Siberia and Kamtschatka *.
* Upon our return to Europe I found that the Chamberlain Resanoff, during
our stay at Kodiak, had set on foot a military expedition against the northern pos-
70 K R Us EN ste RN’s voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
Before I quit Aniwa bay I shall subjoin a few remarks, al-
though they are but unsatisfactory, upon the original inhabitants
of Jesso, and the southern part of Sachalin; as this people, so
little known to the Europeans, deserve that a few of those traits
which chiefly characterize them, and which place every inhabitant
in a favourable point of view, should be more generally known.
I have already mentioned that Aino is the proper name of the
native of Jesso; and thus also the people of the south of Sachalin
are called : their figure, dress, appearance, and their language
prove that they are the same people; and the captain of the
Castricom, when he missed the straits of La Perouse, might ima-
gine, as well in Aniwa as in Alkys, that he was but in one island.
What I shall therefore relate of the Ainos refers as much to the
natives of Jesso, as to those of the south of Sachalin, who must
be the same people that since Spanberg's time have been called
Kuriles, or hairy Kuriles.
The Ainos are rather below the middle stature, being at the
most five feet two or four inches high, of a dark, nearly black
complexion, with a thick bushy beard, black rough hair, hanging
straight down; and excepting in the beard they have the ap-
pearance of the Kamtschadales, only that their countenance is
much more regular. The women are sufficiently ugly : their
colour which is equally dark, their coal black hair combed over
their faces, blue painted lips, and tattooed hands, added
sessions of Japan; but this expedition had no permanent object, being merely in-
tended to destroy the Japanese establishments in Aniwa bay and on the north side
of Jesso.
st A y o N THE No RTH Por NT of J Esso, &c. 71
to no remarkable cleanliness in their clothing, do not give
them any great pretensions to loveliness; this at least was the
case with those we had an opportunity of seeing on the north
side of Jesso. We perceived indeed in Aniwa bay some who
were younger, whose eyes had not lost their brightness, and who
on this account were not quite so ugly; but I confess that the
impression even these made upon me was equally unfavourable.
However, I must do them the justice to say, that they are modest
in the highest degree, and in this point form the completest
contrast with the women of Nukahiwa and of Otaheite. Their
modesty even amounted to bashfulness, occasioned, perhaps, by
the jealousy of their husbands, and the watchfulness of their
parents: they never quitted for a moment, while we were on
shore, the huts in which they had assembled, and were extremely
distressed when Dr. Tilesius made drawings of them.
The characteristic quality of an Aino is goodness of heart,
which is expressed in the strongest manner in his countenance;
and so far as we were enabled to observe their actions, they fully
answered this expression. These, as well as their looks, evinced
something simple but noble. Avarice, or rather rapacity, the
Common fault of all the wild inhabitants of the southern islands
in the eastern ocean, they are entirely strangers to: in Romanzoff
bay they brought fish on board which they immediately left to
us, without demanding the least thing in return ; and much as
they were delighted with the presents made to them, they would
not admit them as their property, until they had been frequently
assured by signs of their being intended for them. We had no
opportunity of witnessing the same virtues in the inhabitants of
72 K R USENSTE R N’s vo Y AG E ROUND THE WORLD.
Salm (Salmon) bay, as they did not come on board, probably
because the Japanese prevented them.
The dress of the Ainos consists chiefly of the skins of tame
dogs and seals; but I have seen some in a very different attire,
which resembled the Parkis of the Kamtschadales, and is,
properly speaking, a white shirt worn over their other clothes.
In Aniwa bay they were all clad in furs; their boots were made
of seal-skins, and in these likewise the women were invariably
clothed. In Romanzoff bay, on the contrary, we saw only two fur
dresses, one of which was a bear's-skin, the other made of dog's-
skins; and the rest of the people were dressed in a coarse yellow
stuff, made of the bark of a tree, (as we ascertained in their
houses), which a few wore bordered with blue cloth. Under
this dress they had another of a fine cotton stuff that they pro-
bably purchase of the Japanese. Here we saw no boots, such as
were worn by every one in Aniwa bay, but instead of them they
used Japanese straw-slippers: a few of them covered their legs
with a kind of half stockings stitched together of the same
coarse stuff as their upper garments. This difference in the
dress of the Ainos of Jesso and Sachalin seems to prove a much
greater degree of wealth in the latter island, and the men here ap-
peared to wear a more cheerful aspect, but whether this is owing
to their superior wealth in fish and furs, which find a certain mar-
ket with the Japanese, or to their little dependence on these lat-
ter, I cannot pretend to decide, though I am inclined to believe
the former. The greatest part of them went with their heads un-
covered, others wore a straw hat pointed in the middle. I fancy
it is not the custom of the country to shave the hair, though I
st Ay on THE Nor T.H PoſNT of J Esso, &c. 73
saw several of them with their heads half shorn ; probably only
in imitation of the Japanese. The women, even the youngest,
use no ornaments on their heads ; but, as I have already men-
tioned, they invariably paint their lips blue; a practice which
to an European, accustomed to the rose colour, appears ex-
tremely ugly. On the contrary, many of the male sex wore ear-
rings, which were commonly merely a brass ring. I purchased
a pair of a young man made of silver, with large false pearls sus-
pended from them *. The possessor seemed to set great value
on these ornaments, being very unwilling to part with them; and
twice he repented of his bargain, took them back again, and de-
manded a higher price. An old coat, two cotton cloths, and a
piece of flat white metal, were the treasures for which he at last
exchanged them. Buttons and old clothes were the articles the
Ainos most sought after, and for which they gave their pipes
and other trifles, of no value certainly, but as having belonged
to an inhabitant of Jesso.
The huts we saw in Aniwa bay were, as I have already said,
probably newly built, and served only for their summer residence.
In Romanzoff bay they appeared to be their constant abode
both in winter and summer. The two we visited, and near to
which were Balagans for drying fish, consisted of a single large
room, which with a small division at one end, occupied the whole
interior of the house. Their construction did not seem to me to
be very solid, and unless the houses are entirely covered with
º —º-
* La Perouse saw one of the inhabitants of the bay de Langle with a similar
pair.
V O L. I. J . T.
74 K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND T II E W ORLD.
snow, as in Kamtschatka, I cannot conceive how they are
able to bear the cold, which must be intense here in the win-
ter: since even in the month of May the thermometer only
shewed three degrees of warmth. In the middle of the room was
a large hearth, around which the whole family, consisting of eight
or ten persons, was seated : the furniture consisted of a large
bed, over which a Japanese mat was spread, and several boxes
and barrels. All their utensils were of Japanese manufacture,
and mostly lacquered: it appeared from the interior of the house
that the inhabitants possessed a degree of affluence, such as is
not found among the Kamtschadales, still less among the Aleuti
and the unfortunate inhabitants of Kodiack. The great provi-
sion of dried fish bore indeed rather a disgusting appearance,
but no objection can be taken to this when we reflect that their
existence depends upon them; fish being probably their only
nourishment, and their houses on this account being chiefly scat-
tered along the shore. We perceived no symptoms of cultiva-
tion, not even any plantations of vegetables; nor did we see any
tame fowls or domestic animals, except dogs, which they had in
great abundance; and Lieutenant Golowatscheff found in
Mordwinoff bay, on the west coast of Patience bay, above fifty
in one place. In all probability they use them for their journeys
in the winter; for we saw in Aniwa bay a sledge which bore a
perfect resemblance to a Kamtschadale narte: dog skins also are
here an important article of dress. We were struck on perceiv-
ing that snow water was the common beverage of the people on
the north side of Jesso, although that of the river which flowed
into the bay was extremely good ; perhaps the fear of cold in the
winter, as they would have to fetch their water from the river,
which is not very near to their houses, has so accustomed them
sTAY O N T IIE NORTH Poſ NT of Jesso, &c. 7.)
to snow water that they prefer it to that of the river so long as
they are able to procure it. It seemed also the custom here, at
least it was so in all the houses which either I or any of my
officers visited, to bring up a young bear in the house, to which
a place was assigned in one of the corners of the room, and which
was decidedly the most restless of any of its inhabitants. One
of our officers was desirous of purchasing one of these bears, and
offered his great coat in exchange for it; but he could not per-
suade the proprietor, although cloth is of great value in the
eyes of the Ainos, as the Japanese are unable to supply them
with it, to part with his young eleve.
It would be presuming too much to enter into any detail upon
the form of government and the religion of the Ainos, as our stay
here was much too circumscribed for us to have instituted any.
enquiries into these subjects; but with their limited population
it is not easy to imagine any other than a patriarchal constitu-
tion. During our visit to one of their houses in Romanzoff bay,
we observed in the family, which consisted of ten persons, the
happiest state of harmony, or rather a perfect equality. We con-
tinued there some hours, and were scarcely able to distinguish
the head of the family, so little assuming were even the oldest,
Stowards its youngest members. Accordingly, in dividing a few
presents annong them I preserved a most perfect equality, which
they all appeared pleased with, no one, not even the oldest, re-
marking that I had given him too little in proportion to the
others. On the contrary, they called my attention to a little
girl about eight years old, whom I had overlooked, and who
now obtained her share. This unanimity, and the silence which
reigns among them, awake the most favourable feelings towards
76 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE worlD.
them. Here was no loud talking, no immoderate laughter, and
still less any disputing: the satisfaction that appeared in all their
countenances as they spread the mats round the hearth for
us; their readiness when we were going away, to launch their
canoes and carry us across the shallows to our boat, when they
perceived that our boatmen were stripping themselves for this
purpose ; but still more than all this, their modesty never to de-
mand any thing, and even to accept with hesitation whatever
was offered to them, wherein they differ very much from the in-
habitants of the west of Sachalin, whose diffidence La Perouse
could not speak of with praise; all these uncommon qualities,
for which they are not indebted to any polished education, but
which are merely the marks of their natural character, make me.
consider the Ainos as the best of all the people that I have
hitherto been acquainted with.
I have already mentioned their inconsiderable numbers, par-
ticularly in Jesso. On the north of this island we counted only
eight dwelling-houses, and if we admit ten as the number of
each family, this makes that of the inhabitants of this district only
eighty. Farther inland they probably have no establishments;
for as their whole nourishment consists of fish, they only settle
on the sea shores. In Salmon bay, and Tamary Aniwa, the Ainos.
probably amount to three hundred ; but we were there at the
time of the fishery, and it is chiefly from hence that the Japanese
procure this article, for which they are obliged to have recourse to
the inhabitants of the neighbouring bays, who settle here at such
times, in order to prepare so large a quantity. Not only the
recently built houses of the Ainos in the vicinity of the Ja-
panese factory is a proof of this, but also the number of houses
st Ay on THE NORTH PoſNT OF Jesso, &c. 77
provided with furniture but destitute of inhabitants in Mord-
winoff bay, where Lieutenant Golowatscheff, who visited that
part, found but a few persons, and these not merely to guard
the property, for they seemed to consider it as their own.
According to the most ancient accounts we have of this
island, its inhabitants are said to be covered with hair. The
Chinese (who probably were the first people acquainted with
Jesso), describe it as a large country full of wild people, whose
whole body is covered with hair, and with such enormous beards
that they are forced to raise them up in order to drink. The
Dutch in the well-known expedition in 1643, under the com-
mand of Captain Vries, and the Russians under Spanberg in
1739, confirmed this description. Although so many concurring
accounts seem to testify the fact of the natives of Jesso being
overgrown with hair, nevertheless I am disposed from our ex-
perience to declare this report to be fabulous. The Jesuit Hierony-
mus de Angelis, the first European who, in 1620, visited Jesso,
merely mentions their bushy beards, but says not a word of their
hairy bodies; and as he resided for some time amongst them,
he certainly had a better opportunity of examining their personal
qualities than could be found in the short visits of the Dutch, the
Russians, or the Chinese, and he would not have failed to make
known so striking a circumstance. On the north of Jesso we
examined some people, but found that, except their bushy beard
and the hair on their faces, there was not the least thing to give
even probability to such a story. In Aniwa I got several of them
to uncover their breasts, arms, and legs, and we were here con-
vinced to a certainty that the greater part of the Ainos have no
more hair upon their bodies than is to be found upon those of
78 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Ro UND THE worr, D.
many Europeans. Lieutenant Golowatscheff found indeed in
Mordwinoff bay a child of eight years old whose body was en-
tirely covered with hair, but he immediately examined its parents
and several other grown up persons, and found them all in that
respect like Europeans. I will not flatly contradict the report
of older and modern navigators, whose credibility I do not argue
against; but I believe that they have exaggerated this story re-
specting the Ainos, or, what is the same thing, the natives of the
southern Kuriles: at least it is not equally true with regard to all.
Perhaps the impression which the Dutch received from their bushy
beard, hairy face, and lank locks, added to the uncleanliness
of their persons, left an idea that their bodies must be as much
covered as their faces; and as they did not wait to examine
whether this were really the case, this gave rise to a story which
has been ever since repeated as a fact.
79
CHAPTER III.
DEPARTURE FROM AN IWA BAY. A R R IV A L IN KAMT-
S C H A T K A.
The Nadeshda leaves Salmon Bay—Description of Cape Anica–We sail into Gulf
Patience—Explore Mordwinoff Bay—Account of the Ainos who reside there—
Farther Eramination of the Gulf—Spenberg and Peak Bernizet—he reach the
bottom of the Gulf, and anchor there—Remarks upon this Part of Sachalin–
Difference of its Situation according to the old Dutch Observations—The Nadeshda
quits Patience Bay–We perceive the Rocks round Robben Island–Error in its
Position in the Charts—Large Fields of Ice on the East Coast of Sachalin–We
are reduced to give up all farther Examination of this Island—Return to Kamt-
schatka—Cross the Kuriles in a new Paralleſ-Dangerous Situation of the Ship
—Are obliged to return to the Sea of Ochotsk—See Cape Lopatka—Arrive in
the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul—Precautions taken to prevent the spread-
ing of the Small-Por, which had broke out in the Ship.
ON Thursday the 16th May, at six in the morning, we sailed
with a fresh breeze at S. S. E. from Salmon bay; the ebb fa-
vouring our endeavours to work out. At nine the wind got
round to the south-west, and, towards noon, was so high as to
compel us to reef our top-sails. About four in the afternoon it
became more moderate ; but the weather was so thick, that al-
though we were only at a short distance from the east coast of
Aniwa bay, we could scarcely distinguish any land except the
mountains in the neighbourhood of the cape of that name, and
entirely missed the rock which, in the charts, is called the
80 K R USENSTERN's Voy Ag E Rou ND THIE world.
Pyramid. By eight in the evening we had weathered cape
Aniwa, and I therefore laid-to throughout the night. At
day-break we perceived cape Aniwa bearing N. E. by N. and
we had scarcely shaped our course towards it when a thick fog
arose, and obliged us again to lie to. This, however, did not
last above an hour and a half, and I again proceeded under all
sail in the direction of the land.
Cape Aniwa, which lies in latitude 46° 2' 20", and longitude
216°29' 40" *, is in every respect a very remarkable promontory,
the more so from a chain of high mountains near it, stretching
away to the northward, between which and the cape is a hol-
low that gives to it the appearance of a saddle. The headland
itself is a steep abrupt mass of rocks perfectly barren, and hav-
ing a deep inlet at its point, and we weathered it at the distance
of from five to eight miles, without remarking the least appear-
ance of danger; the depth, when the cape bore north and
N. N. E. being seventy-five fathoms over a clayey bottom.
We determined its latitude on two different days, on the 14th
Nſay, when it bore, shortly after the culmination of the sun,
east; and on the 17th, when nearly west of us. The longitude
was in like manner observed, and calculated with the greatest
accuracy; and the correctness of our time-pieces leaves us no-
thing to desire with respect to it.
We were scarcely arrived within the parallel of cape Aniwa,
* In La Perouse's chart this cape lies in 46' 3", and 215° 36'; but by construing
the chart according to Dagelet's corrected tables, the longitude is then 2.16° 31' 15",
only one minute and a half different from our determination.
DEPARTURE FROM A N I w A BAY, &c. 81
when we lost our favourable wind, and fell in with calms that
lasted, with alternate gentle breezes from the northward, for
twenty-four hours. At noon cape Aniwa bore S. W. 81°, and
another headland, which I at first erroneously took for cape
Tonyn, N. W. 3". This I have called Löwenorn, after my de-
serving friend the commodore of that name in the Danish ser-
vice. The west side of Patience bay follows a N. N. E. di-
rection as far as this cape, and consists of lofty wooded moun-
tains, the shore being steep and rocky, without any appearance
of an inlet, with the exception of a small open bay similar to
that called de Langle in the channel of Tartary, and another
more to the northward, of which cape T.ówenorn, lying in 46’
23' 10" N., ten miles to the eastward of cape Aniwa, that is to
say, in 216° 20' 00" west, forms the southern point: it is a steep
projecting rock, easily to be distinguished from the rest of this
coast by its yellow colour. From this point the land assumes
rather a westward direction, and, like the northern coast, consists
of a chain of large, lofty mountains, covered partly, even at
this season of the year, with snow. A number of whales and
seals, whose repose had, perhaps, never before been disturbed,
sported around the ship. About seven in the evening we per-
ceived a large boat, in which were six persons, rowing off to us
from the shore; but after coming about half-way, and stopping
a short time, probably to consider whether it would be prudent
to venture so far to sea at night, they returned. The ship at
this time was seven miles from the shore; the depth was sixty-
five fathoms; the bottom a thin clay; the variation of the
needle, which, at the entrance of Aniwa bay, was 1' 11' east,
was at that of gulf Patience 1' 43 east, and here, although we
were only one degree more to the northward, it was found to be
V O L. II. M.
S2 K R Us ENSTERN’s voy A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
1° 01' west; an unsteadiness which might possibly be owing to
our compasses, for their variation from Nangasaky as far as to
the east of cape Patience was at one time one or two degrees
east, and at another as much to the westward.
On the 18th May at noon we had a breeze from the S. W.,
by favour of which we shaped our course N. W. by N., towards
a point of land projecting very far to the eastward, and forming
the utmost limits of the coast to the N. W. Behind this point
was a round-topt mountain, adjoining to which was another
chain of lofty mountains covered with snow; and between these
there appeared, on our nearer approach, a deep bay, which I
was the next morning bent upon examining. Accordingly I
lay-to during the night, and at four the next day we steered for
its south point, which was of moderate height, and entirely
overgrown with firs. A flat land, having altogether the appear-
ance of an island, was visible at the entrance of the bay, and
formed its northern boundary: at seven we had approached
within half a mile of the above-mentioned point, which is un-
doubtedly the cape Tonym of the Dutch. The depth gradually
diminished from fifty to eighteen fathoms; but the bottom was
invariably rocky ; and we now perceived a chain of rocks
stretching to the northward from cape Tonyn. From all these
circumstances we had little hopes of finding any anchorage in
the bay; but as it was not impossible that the ground might
improve further in to the southward, I lay-to after standing off
about a mile and a half from cape Tonyn, and sent Lieutenant
Golowatscheff in an armed boat to examine the bay closer,
while we tacked about at its entrance. Southward of cape
Tonym the bottom was rocky, with small stones; but to the
DEPARTURE FROM AN Iw A BAY, &c. 8
3
northward, on the contrary, it was entirely of clay. In about an
hour Lieutenant Golowatscheff returned, and informed me that
as far as he had sounded he invariably met with a rocky bot-
tom; but there can be no doubt of there being a good anchorage
to the northward; an opinion which is rendered the more pro-
bable by the nature of the ground where we sounded outside
the bay. There was plenty of fresh water in many places, and
abundance of fire-wood, as well on the south side as in the
valley to the northward; and Lieutenant Golowatscheff found
several dwelling-houses on the shores of the bay, most of
which were empty; and, with the exception of a few women
and children, he saw only six or seven people, who evinced
neither fear nor backwardness. As he entered the house into
which he was invited immediately upon stepping on shore, one
of the party, whom he took to be the master, threw himself at
his feet, and held a discourse with a considerable air of dignity,
which lasted about ten minutes; after which he spread out a
mat, and requested he would sit down. They were entirely
clothed in seal-skins, under which they wore another dress of fine
cotton, which, in every instance, appeared very clean. The
Ainos of this bay appeared to him not only better clad than
those on the north point of Jesso, but even than their com-
patriots in Aniwa bay; and he fancied he perceived a less re-
strained and more happy appearance in them, denoting inde-
pendence, and a sufficiency of every thing. The women were
likewise better looking, and the colour of their countenances
much clearer, the consequence, probably, of cleaner houses and
less laborious occupation. In other respects, their figure, play-
siognomy, and language were perfectly the same as those of the
inhabitants of Aniwa and Romanzoff bay: and some words that
84 K R USENSTERN's Voy Ad E Rou ND THE won I. D.
he wrote down, and which were compared with those M. Von
Resanoff collected in Aniwa bay, proved the similarity of
the language of the inhabitants of these two districts. Their
chief employment, besides fishing, seemed to be the pursuit of
seals and sea lions, the remains of which were strewed around
their houses. Train oil and furs are the chief articles of their
commerce with the Japanese, whom they probably visit over-
land in Aniwa bay; the distance from hence to the Japanese
factory at Tamary-Aniwa being only twenty, and from that in
Salmon bay about thirty-five miles. The furniture and utensils,
which Lieutenant Golowatscheff found in their houses in con-
siderable quantity, were all of Japanese manufacture; and even
the vessels in which they kept their water to drink were lac-
quered. This bay, which I have named Mordwinoff bay, in
honour of the admiral of that name, lies in 46° 48' 00" N., and
216° 46' 00" west; and cape Tonyn in 46° 50' 00" and 216°
27' 00".
At two o'clock in the afternoon, after hoisting in the boat,
I set all sail, and steered parallel with the coast, which here runs
in a N. by W. direction, and, with the exception of the northern
part of Mordwinoff bay, where, as I have already mentioned,
the land is low, consisted of lofty mountains, still covered with
snow, bounded by a high point of land, which I have called
after Admiral Simiavin, and which lies in latitude 47° 16' 30",
and longitude 217°00' 30". From this cape the coast is again
low, and falls suddenly off to the westward. A chain of lofty
mountains, stretching from S. W. to N. E., the direction of
the northern coast, rendered it probable that there was a
passage here; and as I was desirous of obtaining certain in-
DEPARTURE FROM ANIWA BAY, &c. 85
formation on this point, I steered towards the land. It was
very foggy ; but when we had approached to about five miles
from the shore we could distinctly perceive that there was no
break, but only a roomy, though not very deep, bay. One spot,
from its narrowness and the situation of the low land and di-
rection of the mountains, appeared like the mouth of a large
river. As the weather still continued thick, and the wind blew
fresh from the S. E. we put the ship about at half past seven
with her head pointing E. N. E. At this time the depth was
forty fathoms over a clayey bottom ; but, instead of increasing
as we stood off from the land, it at first diminished, nor was it
until the next morning, when we were fifteen miles from the
shore, that it amounted to fifty-seven fathoms. The south-west
extremity of the chain of mountains mentioned above, and
which runs through the whole valley from S. W. to N. E., I
take to be the Spenberg of the Dutch. It is a lofty rounded
mountain lying in latitude 47° 33', and longitude 217° 40' ; and
the north-west end of this chain is in 47° 43'; Spenberg, in the
chart of the Dutch discoveries, being in 47° 40'. As Sachalin, in
the latitude of 47%", is not more than thirty-six miles wide, it is
very probable that the highest point of this chain of mountains,
Spenberg itself, is the same as the Pik Bernizet mentioned by
La Perouse, which, in his chart, amended according to Dagelet's
correction tables, lies in 47° 25' N. and 217° 38' 40% west of
Greenwich.
On the next morning, the 20th May, as the wind was become
more moderate and the weather clearer, I again steered to-
wards the land: at six o'clock we distinguished the Spenberg
bearing S. W., and a projecting point of land N. W. by N., of
86 KR USENSTERN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
which by eight o'clock we had approached within five miles,
when it still lay in the same direction. This point, which I
have called cape Muloffsky “, lies in 47°57' 45° N. and 217° 16
00" west. From hence the coast follows a N. by E. direction,
consisting of lofty mountains, divided by deep valleys, the shore
being steep and rocky. Our course was N. by E. parallel with
it, and our distance, at the utmost, five miles; the depth of
water being from thirty to forty-five fathoms over a ground of
stiff clay. In several places we observed inlets between the
rocks, where, in all probability, a safe anchorage might be
found ; and had the wind not blown pretty fresh directly upon
the land, I should not have failed examining one of these inlets,
situated in latitude 48° 10', the width of which appeared rather
considerable. The whole country afforded us a much more
agreeable prospect than those more to the southward, which,
since our departure from Japan, had fallen beneath our ob-
servation. The white steep coast, with its inlets and hills in the
back ground of moderate height, various in form, and covered
with the most beautiful verdure, with alternate valleys richly
wooded, gave us a very favourable idea of this part of Sachalin,
and it had, undoubtedly, a most decided advantage over the
middle and northern Sachalin, which we afterwards visited.
We now distinguished farther inland several chains of moun-
* In honour of my first commander in the navy, the brave Captain Muloffsky,
who, eighteen years before, was chosen as the chief of a great and important
voyage of discovery, which a hateful war, in which he himself gloriously perished,
prevented from taking place. He died on the 17th July, 1789, in the battle near
Bornholm, at the early age of twenty-seven, it being my sad lot to witness his last
In Oments.
DEPARTURE FROM AN Iw A BAY, &c. 87
tains running in a north and south direction: the last, probably
the centre chain of mountains of the southern Sachalin, was of
considerable elevation; quite covered with snow; and its highest
summits concealed among the clouds. At eleven, as we were
unable to weather the northernmost point of land we saw, I
put the ship about: this point is formed by a high mountain
lying close upon the beach in a north and south direction ; and
is the more easily known from being altogether isolated, except
that to the northward, about twelve or fifteen miles from it,
there is another group very unlike this, and apparently consist-
ing of four separate mountains. The coast between these, with
the exception of a peak of moderate height, is quite low. This
cape, which lies in 48° 21'00' N. and 217° 10' 00° W., I have
named after the celebrated English hydrographer Alexander
T)alrymple: at the time we wore the ship it bore N. by E. of
us, when, bearing N. N. W. was a mountain of no great
height, but of a form which rendered it easily to be distin-
guished: its summit being quite flat, and both sides appearing
to have been cut down, as it were, to its base. This mountain
lies in 48° 15' 00' N.
We spent the remainder of the day and the night in tacking,
but found the next morning, the 21st May, that we had made
but very little progress. The wind that was constantly at
E. N. E. now died away so completely that the ship was
scarcely manageable; and the weather thickened, and the at-
mosphere became loaded with snow clouds. Towards evening
we had a fall of snow ; the quicksilver in the thermometer sink-
ing to the freezing point.
88 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
At four in the afternoon cape Dalrymple bore due west:
from thence the coast assumes a northerly direction ; the same
course we steered until the evening, and I lay-to throughout
the night: the depth, at a distance of ten miles from the shore,
being thirty fathoms. We could not yet distinguish the bottom
of the bay, although, by the Dutch charts, we had already
reached the parallel of that of gulf Patience, and at four in the
morning we set all sail, and steered towards the coast, over
which a thick fog was suspended. A high promontory pro-
jecting very much to the eastward, and which the day before we
had taken for an island, bore N. N. W. This promontory, from
whence the coast runs, as before, to the northward and a little to
the west, lies in 48° 52' 30' N. and 216° 58' 30" W., and I have
called it cape Soimonoff, in memory of a worthy naval officer of
the time of Peter the Great. At length, about ten o'clock, we
perceived land to the N. E. consisting of high mountains
covered with snow, and we seemed to be now approaching the
bottom of the bay, the depth of water decreasing gradually. At
noon we had an observation in 48° 59' 21" N. and 216° 51" W.;
the depth, over a green clay, being then eighteen fathoms.
There was still no land visible in the back ground, and I did not
relinquish my hopes of finding a passage here, feeling convinced
that Captain Vries did not examine the whole of the bay, as was
sufficiently proved by the error in the latitude, as well as by the
soundings laid down in his chart, in no place less than thirty-
two fathoms. My hopes notwithstanding soon fell to the ground;
for at two o'clock we perceived a low land to the northward,
and a flat beach overgrown with wood, stretching from N. N. W.
to E. N. E.; and far inland we distinguished lofty snowtopt
DEPARTURE FROM ANIWA BAY, &c. 89
mountains, except in one spot, where an even country stretched
away to the northward as far as the eye could reach. Without
altering our course, which was N. N. W., I stood in till within
five miles of the land, where the depth was eight fathoms, over a
bottom of clay: a number of branches of trees, and the fresh-
ness of the water, which Dr. Horner found to be two grains lighter
than that in Aniwa bay, pointing out the vicinity of a great river.
As I wished to obtain sight of its mouth, I sailed round the bay,
altering my course gradually from N. N. W. to E. by S. and in a
N. E. direction we discovered two, the northernmost and largest
of which, at three o'clock, bore N. W. 72°. The entrance of
this river, which I named the Neva, is upwards of half a mile
wide, and lies in 49° 14' 40' N. and 216° 58' W. I continued my
course E. by S. along the northern shore of the bay, wishing to
reach the eastern limit, and then from this coast to run back to
the southward, unless we should meet with any secure anchorage
at its N. E. point. The depth was from seven and a half to
nine fathoms. At seven in the evening we perceived the eastern
limit of the bay, from whence it appeared to take a southward
direction; but the wind was now so calm that at eight we let
go the anchor in eleven fathoms, over a clayey bottom. At
four the next morning we had a gentle breeze at south, and I
immediately weighed, directing my course to the southward;
but by seven o'clock another calm obliged us again to anchor,
scarcely three miles distant from the spot we had just quitted.
The depth in this run was from eleven to eight fathoms and a
half, the ground alternately rocky, and of a clayey nature. We
saw that the north coast of the bay, farther to the eastward, was
again mountainous, and the beach no longer flat, but craggy.
We were about four miles from the nearest land, and no where
VOL. II, N
90 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE Roun D THE world.
perceived any symptoms of this part of Sachalin being inhabited.
As the calm to all appearance was likely to continue throughout
the day, Lieutenant Ratmanoff went in the boat to examine the
east part of the bay, and the nature of the country in that di-
rection; and returned at five in the afternoon, just as we had got
under sail with a north-east wind. He had met with the mouth
of a river, only fifteen fathoms wide, and seven feet deep, and
which he described, having proceeded up it about five miles,
as abounding in fish, and the wood in the vicinity of its banks
as well stocked with game. He had seen no houses; but in
several places near the river the marks of fires, and three
Ainos in their seal-skin dresses, to whom he made signs to ap-
proach, but they went off the moment they perceived him. He
found the land covered in parts with mud five or six feet deep,
and in others with a rich black earth. The trees for the most
part were of the thorn kind; stunted in their growth, and
very few of them with any foliage; the snow was still lying in
several places. The depth of water in the bay from the ship
directly north, in which line Lieutenant Ratmanoff first pro-
ceeded, gradually diminished from nine to four fathoms, and
he found this depth at a distance of scarcely half a mile from the
shore. To the east he could meet with no bay where a ship
might lie with any degree of safety, and the Dutch seem to have
been unable to find any anchorage here, except that between
Robben island and the east side of Patience bay; where
even, according to their charts, the depth exceeded thirty
fathoms. The latitude of our second anchorage was 49° 18'53",
the longitude 216 11' 30" west: the variation of the needle by
a mean of several observations 0° 38' east.
DEPARTURE FROM ANIWA BAY, &c. 91
As the weather was very thick, the barometer having fallen
since the morning, and the wind favoured our sailing out of the
bay, I gave up my purpose of proceeding with the ship farther
to the eastward, for the purpose of examining the whole east side
of the bay as far as Robben island. If the situation of the rocks
round Robben island and cape Patience be determined, no pre-
judice can ensue either to geography or navigation by not
examining the channel which divides the island from the cape,
as it will scarcely be ever thought necessary to navigate it; be-
sides, as the ship Castricom anchored here for some time, this
must be better known, at least as to the relative situation of these
two points, than almost any other part of the bay: I therefore
bent my course southward.
By our observations the outermost and northern boundary of
gulf Patience lies in 49° 19. In the Dutch chart the latitude
is 49°00'. They have also laid down another bay in 49 25 to
the north-east of this; but I am quite convinced that it does not
exist, for we could clearly distinguish the direction of the north
coast of the bay, first east, then E. by S., and finally due south.
During the three days we continued in this bay our observa-
tions coincided perfectly with the calculated latitude.
As I was persuaded that the situation of Robben island, and
of the surrounding reef of rocks, was incorrectly described in
the chart, and the night was dark and stormy, I steered under
reefed topsails S. S. W. The depth, which from nine o'clock had
gradually increased from nine to twenty-seven fathoms, now
began to decrease, and this circumstance led me to imagine, that
notwithstanding our westward course we were still to the east
92 KRU's ENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
of Robben island. I therefore altered my course about mid-
night to the S. W. until day-break, and then steered S. E.
by E. in the hopes of seeing the rocks, the position of which it
was of so much importance to ascertain. The wind was now
more moderate, and the weather much clearer. On the 24th
May, a little before noon the sun broke through the clouds: our
latitude by observation was 48° 23' 50"; but this might not be
correct within a minute or two, the horizon not being at all
clear. At half past twelve we perceived the dangerous reef of
rocks that surrounded Robben island, distant about three or
four miles, stretching from N. N. W. half W. to N. by E., and
the waves breaking violently over them. To the northward
there appeared, as far as the eye could reach, a large field of
ice, under which the reef, in all probability, continued, and
perhaps prevented it from driving farther in this direction; and
we could see to the eastward partial breakers, to a very con-
siderable distance. The depth was thirty-nine fathoms, over a
clayey bottom; and after sufficiently ascertaining the situation
and extent of this reef I stood to the southward: the weather
being so thick, occasioned by a drizzling rain, that we soon lost
sight of it, and our soundings gradually decreasing to such a
degree, that after running about six miles S. S. E. we found,
upon heaving the lead, only thirty-five fathoms. As we had
seen, on the 10th July, the north and east sides of this reef, and
now saw the southern and western sides of it, its length and
position are accurately determined. The north-east point lies
by our observations in latitude 48° 36', and longitude 215° 27',
and that part of it which may be considered as the south-west
extremity in 48°28', and 215° 50', so that its whole circumfer-
ence is about thirty-five miles. In the Dutch charts the south-
DEPARTURE FROM AN Iw A BAY, &c. - 93
west end is in 48° 24; but in Arrowsmith's, and the charts on
La Perouse's atlas, 48° 05, and 213° 54 longitude; the latitude
is, consequently, half a degree too much to the south, and two
degrees too much to the westward.
Pursuing a S. E. course, the depth gradually increased to
seventy fathoms. On the 25th at day-break we steered under
reefed topsails east, the wind at the time blowing fresh from
N. N. E. with a heavy swell from the east, and dark foggy
weather. Towards noon it cleared up, and we obtained an ob-
servation as well of the latitude as of the longitude, namely 47°
39' 04° N. and 215° 15'52" W. : the same as results from the
tables I corrected in Kamtschatka. The wind was now so much
abated that we not only took the reefs out of our topsails, but
were able to carry our top-gallant-sails, and by the close of the
day it had completely died away. After a calm of short dura-
tion we had a light air in the night from the westward, by
favour of which I steered to the northward, in order to reach
cape Patience: we had no soundings with one hundred and
fifty fathoms. At seven in the morning of the 26th we saw
some ice, which to the west and north-westward was in one solid
and continued mass; but to the N. E. and E. S. E. in small
detached pieces, and decreasing in size the farther they lay to
the southward. This compelled me to shift my course to E. by S.
and after weathering all the fields of ice we could perceive, I
again steered to the northward. About noon we saw some
fresh fields of ice, which once more compelled us to hold an
eastward course; and as throughout the night we could hear the
breaking of the sea upon them, we passed them under very easy
sail. The next day we perceived so great a quantity of ice to
O4 KRUSEN's TERN’s voy AGE. Rou ND THE world.
the N. W. that we were reduced to steer S. E. in order to keep
clear of it. I concluded that more was to be met with to the
northward, as already in 48 degrees the navigation is attended
with danger; and therefore determined, as the farther examina-
tion of Sachalin could not now be effected, to return immediately
to Kamtschatka, whither likewise M. Resanoff wished to pro-
ceed, and then come back to cape Patience with as little delay
as possible. After weathering all the ice I steered towards the
Kuriles, which I wished to pass in the parallel of 43 degrees, in
the hopes of ascertaining, by this opportunity, the position of
some of the islands in the middle of that chain. Of these only
the four first—that which is called the eleventh, or the island of
Raukoke, and which, judging by his chart, Captain Saryts-
cheff must have seen, and those which form the straits of La
Boussole—are hitherto correctly placed, and it was necessary to
fill up these important gaps, if any opportunity occurred for
so doing; for I could not devote any time expressly to their
examination.
On the 28th we had a high wind from W. N. W. which in-
creased towards evening to a storm, and conceiving myself to
be only a short distance from the Kuriles, I lay to under a
reefed topsail and stormsails, the sea running high and irregular;
at midnight the wind fell a little and veered to the N. W. At
daybreak we distinguished land bearing S.E. and E. N. E.;
but owing to the thick weather we immediately lost sight of it
again. The wind had now become so moderate that we were
enabled to carry all sail, and at eight o'clock we perceived,
bearing E. N. E. and at a short distance from us, a high peak,
and I therefore steered between this island and the land we had
DEPARTURE FROM ANIWA BAY, &c. 95
seen in the morning in the S. E. which must have been the
twelfth island, or that called Matua. The strait between these
two, from the description of the Kuriles in Pallas's new northern
additions, is thirty miles wide, and perfectly safe; but in Saryts-
cheff's chart it is only twenty. Our latitude by observation at
noon was 48° 02' 00", our longitude 207 07 24"; the peak at
that time bearing N. E. 71°, distant from ten to twelve miles.
This, which is one of the most remarkable points in all the chain of
islands, I have called Sarytscheff, in honour of the admiral of that
name. After a calm of some hours, during which a strong current
running between the islands carried the ship bodily to the west-,
ward, we had a gentle breeze at south, which forced us to leave
peak Sarytscheff to the S. W. Between this island also, and the
next to the northward, the strait in Sarytscheff's chart is thirty-
five miles wide, and in Pallas's description it is even stated at
seventy; but we soon found the width of these straits very in-
correctly laid down, and the greatest precaution necessary in
the vicinity of these dangerous islands. At twelve at night the
wind, which had hitherto been nearly calm, began to freshen;
and I brought to, the night being dark, and peak Sarytscheff
alone visible, bearing at that time S. E. about fifteen miles off.
At eight in the evening, when we were the nearest to the island
called Raukoke, I had sounded several times, but without find-
ing ground with a line of one hundred and fifty fathoms. On
the 30th May, at three in the morning, as the day began to break,
I made all sail, and steered E. N. E.; the wind was S. S. E.
coming in heavy squalls with snow and rain. In half an hour's
time we perceived on a sudden land right a-head of us: it was
a lofty island of small circumference, and a flat surface, having
on its south-west point an insulated hill lying close down to the
49
06 KRU SENSTERN's voy AGE Rou ND THE world.
beach; and on the north-west end an abrupt precipice, terminat-
ing in a low point. We sailed round this island at a distance of
two miles at the most: the waves broke with violence against its
rocky shore, upon which no landing appeared practicable, and
an innumerable quantity of birds, probably its only inhabitants,
hovered around it. This, which must be the tenth of the Kuriles,
and therefore by Pallas's description the one called Mussir, lies
in 48° 16'20", and 206 45' 00"; eight miles due north of the island
of Raukoke. I now concluded that we should pass no more
islands, our course lying E. by N., E. N. E., and N. E. by E.,
and the ship's run with a fresh S. E. wind being nearly five
knots; but to our no small astonishment we perceived at eleven
o'clock four small rocks, one of them scarcely above the surface
of the water, by which we sailed at the distance of about two
miles, and at noon we had them well to the westward. The
wind was now due east and high, with thick dirty weather. As
our course with this wind lay directly towards the land, the
vicinity of which, after seeing the four rocks, I had some occasion
to dread, I put the ship about to S. S. E.; but the current set so
strong to the N. W. that it carried us rapidly towards the rocks.
However, as the sea was quite smooth, notwithstanding the high
wind, and the ship made eight knots upon a wind, I did not
abandon all hopes of being able to weather them; but after
six hours attempt we were convinced of the impossibility of doing
it. To the N. E. there appeared a high island in the fog, which
we were very near, and the breaking of the sea, occasioned by
the violent current, often led us to believe the vicinity of some
reef, although we never could get ground with one hundred and
fifty fathoms. Nothing farther remained for us therefore, par-
ticularly as there was every appearance of an approaching storm,
DE PARTURE FROM A NIWA BAY, &c. 97
(the barometer having suddenly fallen to twenty-eight inches
seven lines) than to endeavour to find a passage into the sea of
Ochotsk. Accordingly I shortened all sail, and about half past
six steered under close reefed topsails S. W., W. S. W., W. and
W. by N.; and we had reason to consider ourselves as extremely
fortunate, that, in running eight or nine knots in so violent a
storm, and during such thick weather as prevented our seeing
fifty fathoms around us, we did not strike upon some island or
rock, which in such a night would have been inevitably attended
with the loss of the ship and the whole erew. So little depend-
ence could we place on the charts of this chain of islands,
hitherto published, that I was obliged to steer quite at a hazard
for the sea of Ochotsk; and I ran until one in the morning W. and
W. by N., and then lay to the wind. At three in the morning of
the 31st May it blew violently from N. N. E. with a heavy drift-
ing snow; the quicksilver in the thermometer falling to one and a
half degrees below the freezing point. At ten the storm abated,
the weather cleared up, and we even obtained an observation for
the latitude and longitude, from which it appeared that there
was only a trifling current to the N. W.; a proof that the
currents, violent as they are between the Kuriles, are not always
in the same direction, and consequently depend on a regular
change of ebb and flood. I have named the group of rocks
discovered by us (die Falle) the Trap. It lies between the islands
Ikarma and Mussir, and about fifteen miles S. E. by E. of that
called Ischerinkotan. Although the thick weather would not
allow us to make any observation so as accurately to determine
the position of these dangerous rocks, I nevertheless think that
48° 36' N. and 206' 16 W. cannot be far from their real situation.
V O L. II. O
98 R R USENSTERN's voy AGE ROUND THE wor LD.
As the weather appeared to mend, and the wind had got round
to the north-westward, we made all sail, and I held my course to
the N. E. The next day, the 1st June, we had a thick fog,
which prevented our seeing the high peak on the island of On-
nekotan; nor was it until just before noon that we saw land to
the north, which deprived us of all hope, the wind being now
northerly and very moderate, of passing the Kuriles between
Poromuschir and that island, as I had intended. We were about
two miles distant from the shore when it fell perfectly calm, and
the ship drove so much to the S. W. that I was obliged to lower
a couple of boats in order to tow her off the land. The depth
was thirty fathoms, and the bottom a fine sand. At half past
four we had a fresh breeze at N. N. W. ; and I therefore deter-
mined to leave Onnekotan to the northward, and steer be-
tween that and the island called Charamukatan. According to
Pallas's description of the Kuriles, the strait which divides these
islands is six werst, or three miles and a half wide. Monkan-
ruschi at the time bore N. by W., the south end of Onnekotan
S. E. 18", and the north end of this island N. E. 33°, enveloped
in mist. At six o'clock we perceived Charamukatan to the
southward, and soon after Schiaschkotan S. W. 42°: there are
lofty peaks upon both of these islands, which render them visible
at a great distance. At eight o'clock we had entered the chan-
nel, and, owing to the freshness of the wind, by ten had com-
pletely passed it, upon which I steered to the eastward : these
straits are eight miles wide; the shores on either side are safe;
but as the current is very strong, I think it would prove rather
dangerous to pass them with a moderate breeze. However, as
a ship may pass between most of the islands in perfect safety,
1) EP A RT U R E FROMI A NIWA B A Y, &c. 99
and choose, according to the direction of the wind, which channel
to run through, this one may easily be avoided.
The next morning I steered N. E. : at seven we distinguished
the south end of Poromuschir, a very high land, entirely covered
with snow. At noon our latitude, by observation, was 49' 19 ;
but as the sun appeared but very faintly through the mist, this
may not be correct within a minute or two. The peak in the
island Charamukatan is in 49° 08' N., and 205° 20' 50" W., bore
then S. W. 87°. The south point of Onnekotan N. W. 85, its
northern end N. W. 62, and the south extremity of Poromuschir
N. W. 50°. The variation of the needle was this morning found
to be 5° 01' east: Captains King and Sarytscheff, in like manner,
found its variation to be, a little to the northward of this spot,
four or five degrees; our observations the preceding day made
it only 1° 27' east; and the variation during the whole voyage
was never more than two degrees west.
Throughout the night the wind was high, gradually veering
from W. to N. W. : the next day being hazy we could not
distinguish the coast of Kamtschatka. At noon our latitude was
50° 38', and the longitude 202° 2'50", thirteen minutes more to
the southward, and likewise to the westward, than the ship's
reckoning. At two in the afternoon we discovered the coast of
Kamtschatka, stretching by the compass from N. W. 43° to
N. W. 60°. At four o'clock we perceived, through the mist,
bearing N. W. 46°, a high peak, of which there are several on
this coast: and this, which is the southernmost, as well as the
loftiest, bears in our charts the improper name of “ the moun-
tain ascertained by bearings.” I have given it another name,
HOO K R U SENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
Koscheleff, that of the then worthy governor of Kamtschatka.
It lies in 51° 21' 10" N. and 203° 01' 39" W. At six o'clock we
perceived, though not distinctly, the island Sumschu, the lofty
island Alaid, and cape Lopatka: at the same time we had
a lunar observation, according to which the longitude was 202°
09' 30". Peak Koscheleff then bore N. W. 61”: the meridian
altitude of the moon, at nine o'clock, made the latitude 50° 57.
At eight in the evening cape Lopatka bore S.W. 86° 30; peak
Alaid S. W. 83° 30'. During the night we continued our course
N. by E. along the coast, without ever losing sight of it.
At eight the next morning, the 4th June, cape Topatka
bearing S. W. 60° 30', and peak Awatscha in a line with cape
Poworotnoy N. E. 11° 30', we had soundings in one hundred and
thirty fathoms over a bottom of fine sand; our distance from the
nearest land being, at the time, seven miles. There are a number
of small bays along this coast, particularly to the south of cape
Poworotnoy, some of which are pretty roomy, and would afford
a good anchorage were they not exposed to the east wind. At
noon we observed in 51° 58' 20", and 201° 24′ 30", at which time
we were six miles from the nearest land : cape Poworotnoy
then bore N. E. 5° 50'; peak Awatscha N. E. 8° 30'. The other
peaks to the north and south we could distinguish very clearly, as
well as the whole coast from cape Poworotnoy to the entrance of
Shipunskoy Noss to the N. E. Captain King calls the cape
which we name Poworotnoy, Gavarea; and I have enquired
after this name in Kamtschatka, but it is not known there. In
Russia this cape is called Poworotnoy, because the coast of
Kamtschatka, which had run in a N. E. direction from Lopatka
to this cape, here takes a turn, and runs due north until the en-
DE PARTURE FROM ANIWA BAY, &c. 101
trance of Awatscha bay. It is formed, properly speaking, by
three projecting points of land, of which the true cape Powo-
rotnoy is distinguishable by a conical rock lying a short distance
from the land. By our observation it is in 52° 23'25" N. and
201° 11' 50" W.; a high hill, which has likewise obtained the
name of Poworotnoy, lies to the westward, and a little to the
north of the cape.
Throughout the night, and the next morning, we had alter-
nately a gentle southerly wind and a thick fog, which cleared
away towards noon, when the entrance bore N. N. W., scarcely
six miles distant. The wind continued moderate from the S. E.,
and it was not until six in the evening that we cast anchor in
the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, forty-eight days after
leaving Nangasaky. Here I set on shore the embassy, together
with the guard of honour we had carried from hence; I also
landed, and put into the crown magazine the salt and part of the
rice which was given to my ship's crew in Japan; completed
my stock of wood and water; and on the 16th of June was
again in Awatscha bay, intending to put to sea with the first fair
wind, and continue the interrupted examination of the island
of Sachalin. Unforeseen circumstances, however, detained us
longer than it was my intention to have staid, as will be seen in
the next chapter.
I must also mention an event which occurred on board the
ship on this voyage, and gave me great uneasiness. Soon after
our departure from Nangasaky the small-pox broke out upon
one of the soldiers who had lived on shore with the ambassador:
he was a native of Kamtschatka, where few of the inhabitants
iO2 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
and none of the children have hitherto had that disorder, and I
was fearful lest there might be several persons on board who
had never been inoculated. This disorder is not only very
difficult to manage on board ship, but might also have eluded
every effort to prevent its spreading upon our arrival in Kamt-
Schatka: fortunately, it was discovered upon a strict examina-
tion, that all our people had had the small-pox, and there
were only two sailors of whom we were doubtful. As the
matter of the patient was of the best kind, we took the pre-
caution to inoculate them both, but they were found to have
had the disorder, the inoculation not taking effect. Although
the matter had dried up in the soldier several weeks previous to
our arrival, and Dr. Espenberg was no longer apprehensive of
contagion, nevertheless the greatest precaution was necessary,
both with regard to the patient and the other persons who were
to remain in Kamtschatka : and some days previous to our ar-
rival I ordered the clothes, linen, hammocks, bedding, in short,
every thing belonging to the soldier who had been ill, to be hove
overboard, and all the things belonging to the persons who were
to remain in Kamtschatka to be fumigated after Smyth's
method. The hammocks of all the crew were well washed in
boiling water and soap, and their beds and clothes aired daily.
In all the time of our stay not the least intercourse was per-
mitted with the people of the town; and the soldiers who were
disembarked were compelled to perform quarantine for three
weeks. The smallness of the population in Kamtschatka, and
the unfortunate example of 1767, in which year the small-pox
was conveyed from Ochotsk to Kamtschatka, and carried off
thousands, rendered these measures of precaution, which may
seem to have been carried too far, very necessary. As Kamt-
DEPARTURE FROM ANIw A BAY, &c. 103
schatka is liable to receive this horrible complaint from any ship
that may arrive, humanity requires that inoculation should as
soon as possible be introduced there; and this I think might be
better done by way of China or Manilla than through Ochotsk;
but, at all events, there should be no delay in making the at-
tempt even from Ochotsk.
104
CHAPTER IV.
STA Y AT ST. PET E R A N D S T. PA U L.
Some Account of the Ships of the American Company—Wretched Condition of the
Seamen on board of them—Description of the Maria—Account of the Promisch-
leniks, or Furtakers—Proposals for the Improvement of their Condition—Lieu-
tenants Chwostoff and Davidoff the first naval Officers taken into the Service of the
American Company—Advantages which the Company have already derived from
their Service—We hear that the Governor will shortly arrive at St. Peter and
St. Paul–Departure of M. Resanoff—The Governor's Arrival—Danger incurred
by him in passing the Awatscha River—Short Account of his Journey to Tshiginsk
—Meeting with the Chief of the Tschuktsches—Ball at St. Peter and St. Paul—
The Nadashda quits Kamtschatka to complete the Survey of the Island of Sachalin.
We found in the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul the im-
perial transport “Theodosia,” commanded by Astafieff,
and the Maria, a ship belonging to the American company.
The Theodosia had arrived in the month of October of the pre-
ceding year from Ochotsk with provisions for the Kamtschatka
battalion, and the Russian inhabitants of the establishment:
she was quite a new ship, and the first vessel in these seas that
was rigged as a brig; no others having hitherto been employed
than galiots. The Maria, likewise a new ship, and also fitted
out as a brig, was very inferior to the Theodosia, not only in her
rigging but in her construction: she had sprung so large a leak
immediately after leaving Ochotsk, that it was thought dan-
§ T A Y AT ST. PET E R A N D S T. P. A U L. i03
gerous to continue the voyage to Kodiak, where she was bound,
and she had been forced to run into Kamtschatka in September,
some days after our arrival in Japan. She was commanded by
Lieutenant Maschin of the navy, whom the American company
had recently taken into their service, with three other naval
officers, Lieutenants Seckin, Karpinskoy, and Borissoff. The
latter of these had sailed for Kodiak from Ochotsk on board of
the company’s ship the Elizabeth some months before Maschin;
were equally unable to reach the place of their destination;
they were forced to run into Unalaschka, and to pass the
winter there. From a total want of wholesome provisions and
comfortable lodging; deprived of every thing that might, in any
way, alleviate the misery of passing a long winter in Unalaschka;
the scurvy unavoidably broke out among the crew, and eight of
their best people fell a prey to it. This dreadful disorder is unfor-
tunately so common, and has spread so much on board the ships
belonging to the American company, that a number of people
die of it on every voyage; nor do they suffer less on shore. By
Comparing the number of those who quit Ochotsk for Kodiak
annually, with that of the persons who return, it will easily be
perceived how very great must be the proportion of those who
die in America and in the islands.
Dazzled by fabulous reports of the state of affluence easily
attained, the Promiischleniks sail to America: and it is their
invariable destiny to pass a life of wretchedness *. Few only
-*—
* Every one who carries on a trade is called Promischlenik. But as the sole
occupation of these people is the chase of wild beasts, which are valuable on ac-
count of their furs, the Russian word may be translated by fur collector.
V O L. II. P
106 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE won LD.
have the good fortune again to touch Russian ground, and very
few indeed attain the object of their wishes to return to Europe.
None but able handicraftsmen, and people towards whom the
agents of the company think it to their advantage to diminish a
little of their unbounded authority, spend a tolerable life in Ame-
rica and in the islands: but these, being themselves under the
control of the agents of the company, easily become tyrants in
their turn over the crouching Kodiakers and people of the
Aleuti.
It is true, I have neither been in Kodiak, Unalaschka,
nor Sitka ; but if I may judge from what I witnessed on.
board the Maria, and what I heard from respectable authority
of the company's establishments in Kodiak, nothing more
wretched can be conceived than a residence in their pos-
sessions *. Every one would fly from even the most beautiful
* My expressions, apparently too harsh against the conduct of the company's
agents, may, perhaps, be censured by many; but any one who has witnessed the scenes
which I here describe will do me the justice to acknowledge that the colours I make
use of are any thing but glaring: nor would they have been so had I printed my ob-
servations as Imoted them down at the time and on the spot. These accounts must.
first be made public before the people described can meet with commiseration; and
I have therefore chosen to expose myself to the anger of a number of persons for
whom, in other respects, I entertain the highest regard, rather than pass over in si-
lence all that I have seen and heard. Besides, any one who judges with impartiality.
will readily perceive that my blame only attaches to a few subordinate agents, and
not, in any way, to the directors of the American company: my remarks are merely
intended to prove how much people, of the class from which the company ge-
nerally selects its agents, abuse the authority intrusted to them. The great distance
from the chief establishment renders it easy for them to conceal their scandalous
conduct entirely from the directors, or, at any rate, so to gloss it over as to make it
ŠTAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. 1. A U L. 107
and the best-gifted country if he knew that he should be exposed
in it to the boundless will of a single person, often of a most im-
moral and cruel character, and that he must not expect to find
even a shadow of justice. A civilized man would hardly fix
upon Nukahiwa or Tongatabu, where the climate is fine, and
provisions in abundance, as his residence; yet, what are Sitka,
Kodiak, and Unalaschka, compared with these islands? Train oil
and the flesh of the sea-lion are here among the choicest of the
provisions: every one must obey the iron rule of the agent
of the American company; nor can there be either personal
property or individual security where there are no laws “. The
chief agent of the American company is the boundless despot
over an extent of country which, comprising the Aleutic islands,
stretches from fifty-seven to sixty-one degrees of latitude, and
from one hundred and thirty to one hundred and ninety degrees
of east longitude. The population of the islanders annually
decreasing, and the wretched condition of the Russians living
there, sufficiently proves that, from their first migration to these
islands and to the American coast up to the present moment,
the company’s possessions have been entrusted to people who
were, indeed, zealous for its own advantage, but frequently
more so for that of a few subordinate agents.
.*-*-*. -*-*.
appear in a favourable light. Perhaps it is impossible to check this evil, already so
deeply rooted, otherwise than by the most careful choice of the agents to be em-
ployed in the distant settlements, and the vicinity of a severe and watchful super-
intendance. The various measures recently adopted by the directors, who are too
enlightened not to watch over the advantages of their possessions and good of
their subjects, to keep their agents within bounds, confirm the truth of what I have
said on the subject.
* There are no courts of justice in Kodiak, nor any of the company's possessions.
108 KRU SENSTERN’s VOYAGE ROUND THE wo RLD.
Lieutenant Davidoff, during his stay in Kodiak and the
Aleutic islands, and in America, collected some very important
notices upon these possessions of the company, a fragment of
which, upon the relative situation of the islanders and their con-
querors, he imparted to me. As M. Davidoff proposes on his
return to St. Petersburg to publish his observations; the manner
in which the agents of the American company treat the inhabit-
ants of the islands who are subject to them will appear by his
work”. But in order to prove how much selfishness has ex-
tinguished all feelings in these distant countries, and with what
indifference even Russians are treated by their countrymen, I will
here shortly describe the fate of seventy of them on board the
brig Maria.
A vessel of about one hundred and fifty tons, like the Maria,
is too small for a crew of seventy men, independent of the
captain, the officers, the company’s agents, and other passengers,
even if it has no particular cargo: but this ship was completely
laden. There was scarcely sufficient room for the sick, the
number of whom amounted to twenty, if they were to enjoy any
comfort; and consequently there was not an inch left between
decks for upwards of fifty persons. These were therefore obliged
either to sleep upon deck, which on a voyage from Acapulco
to Manilla is not impracticable, but in the raw climate of
Kamtschatka and Kodiak must be extremely pernicious to the
* It is well known that this distinguished officer had the misfortune to be
drowned in the Neva, together with his friend and companion Lieutenant Chwostoff,
in the autumn of 1809. The manuscript of his voyage is in the hands of Admiral
Schischkoff, and will be printed by the admiralty.
S.T.A.Y AT ST. PIE TER A N D S T. PA U L. 109
health, or they must literally have lain one upon the other. Ham-
mocks they had none: every one lay down where he could,
in his clothes, and of these there was the greatest want: filthi-
ness and laziness were their general characteristics; some few
wore shirts, but most, in spite of the heat of June, were wrapped
up in greasy furs; they almost all had long beards, and never
attempted to wash their hands and faces.
We went to visit the sick, and it is impossible for me to
describe the shocking, the disgusting state in which we found
them; nearly all appeared to labour under incurable scorbutic
and venereal sores, although they had been ten months on shore,
and had enjoyed the assistance of the surgeon of St. Peter and
St. Paul. Even of this they were now about to be deprived, and
on the point of being removed, by a long and tedious navigation,
to places where they must either forego all surgical attendance,
or obtain it from people totally unskilled in the practice. I was
curious to learn on what food the sick were kept, and was shewn
two casks of salt meat destined for them. I requested to see a
piece of it; but on opening the cask. So disgusting and pesti-
lential a smell took possession of the hold as compelled me
instantly to quit it. Two tons of this stinking salt meat, and
some sacks of mouldy black biscuit, were the only nourishing
provisions on board for twenty invalids, for to this number they
actually amounted before the Maria left St. Peter and St. Paul;
and with such provision for the sick it may be a matter of
curiosity to learn what was the food of the remainder. The
chief article was train oil, and dried sea-lion flesh, the best to be
had in Jukula, or dried fish; but of this there was but a very
small quantity. Instead of biscuit they receive, but not daily,
i 10 R R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE W or Lp,
a mixture of rye-meal and water, which, in the language of the
Promiischleniks, is called Burduk : brandy, so wholesome a
beverage in this cold, foggy sea, is never given to them.
Although mone but vagabonds and adventurers ever enter into
the company's service as Promiischleniks, it is nevertheless but
just that attention should be paid to their lives and health :
they are men who have indeed bartered their strength against a
certain degree of profit; but they have not offered themselves a
sacrifice to hunger, and the most loathsome diseases to which
they are, however, exposed. The Promiischleniks are not of the
class of criminals; if they have been guilty of any crimes they
have met with the punishment assigned by the laws, and of these
there are none that inflict a double chastisement, and the second
even more cruel and barbarous than the first. But let us sup-
pose every Promiischlenik to be a rogue, and that it would
be a blessing to Russia to be freed from such men; it is then
the more cruel to suffer the innocent Americans, who have al-
ready lost every thing, to be oppressed and ill-treated by them—
and every Russian, although the lowest and most dependent
slave of an agent of the company, is allowed to tyrannize, with
impunity, over the natives of the country. If, in fact, none but
vagabonds and criminals enter the company's service as Pro-
müschleniks, would it not be equally advantageous to Siberia, a
country of so poor a population, and beneficial to the inha-
bitants of the islands and continent of America, and even to
the company itself, to prohibit the conveyance of them from
Ochotsk to America? If the intercourse between the ports of
the Baltic, the islands of the Eastern Ocean, and the coasts of
America, the advantages of which this our first trial will suf-
STAY AT ST, PIE T E R A NID ST. P. A U L. 1 II
ficiently prove, is to be continued, the company should be
allowed to send people from the Baltic to America to procure
their furs. On the voyage they would become skilful seamen:
the greatest attention should be paid to the choice of these
people, and if their conduct during the voyage has been bad,
the captains of the ships should be directed to bring them
back, that the poor inhabitants of those countries might be
relieved, as much as possible, from a set of worthless, immoral
characters, who so easily become tyrants. If this should not have
the desired effect, still the orders calculated for the benefit of
these neglected people, and the humane intentions of the govern-
ment, would certainly not remain unknown to them, and would
undoubtedly produce a greater confidence in their government,
and attachment to their conquerors, and prove a much safer
guarantee of these possessions, than power or force. The Pro-
müschleniks who wish to visit their country, should, besides, be
allowed to return to Russia on board of the homeward-bound
ships, with whatever property they may have collected: while
at present obstacles are frequently thrown in the way of their
return, and even if they are conveyed to Ochotsk they generally
lose there the greatest part of what they have acquired. As they
are not permitted to quit Ochotsk until their accounts with the
agents are closed, and their stay is, by this means, frequently
protracted, idleness, and sufficient credit to procure what-
ever, they want, leads them into a debauched course of life,
the consequence of which is, that they not only obtain nothing
of their demands, but frequently incur new debts with the agents
of the company. 'Phus it happens that very often these poor
people, who, after an absence of several years from the place of
their nativity, think of returning with the little property they
1 || 2 K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAGE ROUND THE wor L.D.
have been enabled, by dint of infinite pains and trouble, to
amass, and of spending the remainder of their lives comfortably
with their relations, are obliged, after a short time passed in de-
bauchery in Ochotsk, to return again to Kodiak : while if they
had the means of getting by sea direct to St. Petersburg, they
would then be certain of joining their relations; and whatever
just demands they might make on the company would not be
rejected and withheld from them there. Such a proceeding
would animate others to follow their example; and there would
be no occasion for adventurers to send to America.
Seamen in the service of the American company, or as they
are called, “ fur collectors,” lead, as I have already remarked, a.
most wretched life. They are destitute of clothes, linen, of
every kind of refreshment, and even of provisions. It cannot
then be a matter of surprise, if, under such circumstances, and
in a cold, foggy climate, the strongest man should fall a victim.
Even of water there is frequently the greatest scarcity: for the
casks having merely wooden hoops cannot long remain tight,
but soon become leaky, and the crew, during the latter part
of the voyage, is often exposed to the greatest distress. A
small vessel belonging to the company arrived from Unalaschka
during our stay at St. Peter and St. Paul: it had been five
weeks on the voyage, and in the last eight days had been almost
without water; the whole remaining stock, at the time of its
arrival, being about ten or twelve pints.
The Promiischlenik leads a miserable life, not only on board
ship, but his situation is equally deplorable on shore. The sea-
men belonging to the Maria, who had passed the winter in
STAY AT ST, PET E R A N D ST. PA U L. 113
Kamtschatka, lived, for want of houses, in caverns under ground;
and on land too, as well as at Sea, they are destitute of whole-
some provisions. Even of salt, so necessary to season his food,
he is deprived: sometimes he has bread, but, owing to the dif-
ficulty of conveying meal, seldom in sufficient quantity to satisfy
him. Brandy is the only article of which there is no want; but,
unfortunately, the excesses into which this leads, so long as the
men continue on shore, contributes as much to the destruction
of their health, as the total privation of it while they are at sea.
Every means are used to seduce and stimulate them to drink
brandy while on shore; they are liberally supplied with it on
credit, when they involve themselves so much in debt that they
have infinite difficulty in recovering from the incumbrances thus
imposed upon them. I cannot understand why it is not allowed
to sell brandy at sea: if the master of the vessel were to deter-
mine the supply which every man might purchase daily, it is
evident that both parties would be gainers by the traffic. The
immoderate quantity drank by these people during the eight or
nine winter months which they spend on land, their idle life,
the inconceivable wretchedness of their habitations, and the
unwholesomeness of their provisions, evidently produce scurvy,
and undermine the strongest constitutions. On our return from
Japan we found the five Promiischleniks whom we had brought
with us from Cronstadt to Kamtschatka and left there, and
who, notwithstanding the long ten months voyage, had all
arrived perfectly safe, after a residence of the same length of
time in Kamtschatka, to a man in the highest degree scorbutic,
while my crew were in the most perfect health; and yet these
people were all well-behaved and sober. They repented their
determination of coming to these parts, and would gladly have
V O L. II. Q
114 KRU SENSTER N’s Voy AGE. Rou ND THE wort L.D.
returned with us to Russia: and if in Kamtschatka the winter
is attended with such hardships, how much more lamentable
must be the fate of these men in Unalaschka, Kodiak, or
Sitka, where neither the climate, provisions, nor houses are
better than here.
Lieutenants Chwostoff and Davidoff sailed to Kodiak on
board the Maria company's ship, in order to assume the com-
mand of two vessels building there. These skilful officers of
our navy were the first whom the American company, in 1802,
took into their service; they made the voyage from Ochotsk to
Kodiak in one summer without putting in any where; and ar-
rived in Kodiak, on the 14th November, having only left Ochotsk
towards the latter end of August. Before this time it was a thing
quite unheard of to execute the voyage in so short a space of
time, as it had usually occupied two or three years. In the
following year they returned to Ochotsk likewise at once, a
thing never before done, and brought with them a cargo valued
at two millions of rubles: they then proceeded directly to St.
Petersburg, where their arrival occasioned no small sensation
of joy; several ships, which had been entrusted to ignorant per-
sons, having been lost. After remaining two months in St.
Petersburg they again returned to Ochotsk, and thence to
Rodiak. It was on this voyage they were compelled to put
into Kamtschatka and winter there; and at the time I am
speaking of they were preparing to continue the voyage to the
place of their destination. M. de Resanoff embarked with
them on board the Maria to go to Kodiak, and Dr. Langsdorff,
who accompanied him there, quitted the Nadeshda at the same
time as that gentleman.
ST A Y AT ST. PETE R A N D S T. PA U L. 1 iS
\
On the 16th June we went into Awatscha bay to complete
our provision of wood and water, which are nearer at hand there
than in the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul. On the 21st we
were ready for sea, but a trifling accident occurred to prevent
our departure for a few days. I did not much lament the
delay occasioned by this accident, as several circumstances oc-
curred to make me desirous of waiting for the arrival of the go-
vernor, who was shortly expected from Nischney-Kamtschatka.
On the 23d of June the courier, whom we had sent to him, re-
turned with the intelligence that he would certainly arrive on the
following day, and I therefore determined to wait; the Maria,
however, sailed with M. de Resanoff on the night of the 24th.
The wind was favourable, and at six o'clock on the morning of
the 25th she was already out of the bay.
On the 30th of June, at three o'clock in the morning, as the
wind was become fair, I weighed anchor in order to put to sea.
I was now doubtful whether the governor would come or not,
as he had stayed five days beyond the term fixed upon for his
arrival. This made me unwilling to let slip the present favour-
able season for exploring the coast of Sachalin; but at five
o'clock the wind shifted, and we were forced again to let go the
anchor opposite to Rakow.yna bay.
On the 1st July, at ten o’clock in the morning, the wind,
which until this day had been constantly from the southward,
veered to north, and I again made immediate preparations to
put to sea ; but we had hardly cast loose the sails when it
shifted once more to the southward. Unpleasant as this new
delay was, it afforded us the satisfaction of hearing, as we did
116 K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE worr, D.
about three o'clock in the afternoon, of the governor's arrival.
I immediately hastened to the town. His journey had been
retarded beyond all expectation by the great melting of the
snows, which had overflown all the rivers, converting them into
perfect torrents, so that he had given up all hopes of meet-
ing us; besides that, it had rendered his journey from Nischney-
Kamtschatka extremely troublesome, and frequently danger-
ous. Nischney-Kamtschatka is nearly seven hundred wersts
from Petropawłosk, and more than half of the way to the town
of Werchnoy it was necessary to navigate the Kamtschatka
river in a most miserable boat, so that ten days at least were
spent mounting the stream in this vessel. All this time the
traveller lies extended in the boat, which is pushed forward,
day and night, by Kamtschadales with long poles from the
shore, who relieve each other at every Ostrog”. If this
journey could be made in a comfortable covered boat, having,
besides the convenience of a roomy cabin, sufficient space for
all kinds of provisions, and a kitchen, as in China, Japan,
Surinam, and in most of the European countries, this would, in
some degree, compensate for the tediousness of a voyage of
eight or ten days, where no other objects present themselves to
the view than such as occasion the most melancholy impressions.
In the painful position, in which the traveller is obliged to lie
for so long a time, he is exposed at every instant, but more par-
ticularly during the night, to the danger of being drowned, as
the boat may easily be overset either by a sudden squall, or by
running upon the trunk of a tree, of which there are a great
many in the river; such an accident had actually befallen
* Village.
STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PA U L. 117
the governor on his return to Nischney, and nothing but the
attachment of one of his guides, who, at the imminent risk of his
own life, dragged him on shore by the hair, preserved him from
destruction.
It requires the activity and indefatigable zeal of a Koscheleff
to make these journeys repeatedly. He had just returned from
Ishiginsk, a town within his government, at the distance of
fifteen hundred wersts from Nischney-Kamtschatka. He had
performed this journey with dogs, quicker, it is true, but with
the same difficulty and danger as the other by water: having
visited this distant part of his province in order to quell the
disturbances that had broken out among the Tschuktschers, who
had reason to be dissatisfied with the Russians. This is the only
nation of Northern Siberia that has not hitherto submitted, un-
conditionally, to the Russians, whose sway they however ac-
knowledge, and to whom they pay tribute. They had requested
the governor to be allowed to lay their complaints before him
in person, and as he had promised to accede to their request
during the winter, several of them had come to meet him at
Kamemnoi”, through which place he was to pass. The account
of his meeting with the heads of this warlike nation, as the
respectable Koscheleff related it, without assuming any thing
to himself, made a deep impression on my mind, and cannot
fail of producing the most pleasing sensation in the bosom of
every humane person, particularly if we consider the country
where this meeting took place.
* A small village near Ishiginsk, where the Russians, Tschuktschers, and
Koriakers, meet annually for purposes of trade.
l 18 K R USENSTERN's voy AGE Rou ND THE wor L.D.
Tschetschro–Tuma, the head of the whole Tschuktschan na-
tion, was waiting for the governor in Kamennoi with about
twenty chiefs under his control, and a considerable suite: he
acted himself as speaker in all their conversations; and after a
short preliminary speech, delivered with great dignity and an air
of much importance, he represented to the governor all the
hardships under which the Tschuktschan people laboured, and
which had reduced him to have recourse to complaint. He
then entreated him, in the most earnest manner, not to deny
them his protection, upon which all their hopes of the con-
tinuance of friendship between them and the Russians de-
pended : this alone had induced them to come to Kamennoi to
ask him personally to be their protector. “We have heard,”
said he, “ of your severity, but likewise of your love of justice.
It is your reputation which has brought us to you ;—we have
awaited you with great impatience during the last two years,
and at length you are come amongst us;–we behold you, and
are already persuaded that you will see that justice is done us.”
The complaints of the Tschuktschers were chiefly directed
against some fur collectors of the American company, who had
irritated them by all the means in their power, and particularly
in their barter dealings had been guilty of every species of
fraud; and they likewise complained against some of the ma-
gistrates of the district of Ishiga. “It would be no difficult
matter for us,” continued the ancient Tuma in this discourse,
“ to have slain all these Russians in a night; but we wish not
to make enemies of them, and have rather chosen to refer our
complaints to your justice, of which so much has been told us.”
After the governor had examined into the complaints of the
Tschuktschers, and, upon finding them well grounded, had done
STAY AT ST. PET E R A N D S T. PA U L. 119
them all due justice, the heads of the nation, with Tschetschro-
Tuma at their head, again returned to thank him, and request
he would accept some very valuable presents of furs : but great
as was the pleasure with which he listened to their acknow-
ledgments, he refused, with the most constant firmness, to accept
their presents, with the exception of a few trifles, which he was
forced to take, in order not to give offence to the venerable
Tuma. In return, he divided amongst them some brandy, to-
bacco, knives, linen cloth, and other necessaries, part of which
he procured on the spot, and the rest he had purposely brought
with him : but, natural as this trait was in the character of
Koscheleff, it nevertheless surprised the Tschuktschers extremely.
“Every Russian,” said the brave Tuma, with astonishment,
“ and particularly such as have even the smallest authority,
fancies himself justified in demanding presents from us, and,
in case of the least hesitation on our part, he insults and
plunders us. But you, the greatest commander in the whole
country, not only take nothing yourself, although we most
heartily wish you to accept something, but even make us
valuable presents. Such an action as this we have never
witnessed nor hitherto heard of.” Hereupon he drew forth a
dagger, with a broken point; “Behold, great general,” continued
he, “I promised my uncle, whom I succeeded as chief of
this nation, never to sharpen the point of this dagger against
the Russians, and I now solemnly renew my promise: never
shall this broken point be sharpened against your countrymen.
This you may state to your emperor.”
General Koscheleff, during his stay in Kamemnoi, invited
Tschetschro–Tuma to a dinner, and this invitation was a source
190 K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
of no less astonishment: but notwithstanding the appearance
of haughty self-sufficiency which Tuma had evinced in speaking,
he nevertheless did not accept it immediately.—He said, “ the
honour was too great: that the general was not only too great
a man compared with himself, but that he was no Christian,
and his nation was despised by the Russians because it did not
bear the cross, the token of the true Christian.” To this the
general replied, “that it gave him real pleasure to eat at the
same table with the chief of so brave a nation as the Tschukt-
schan ; and in regard to religion, he was of opinion, that a good
heathen was more to be esteemed than a bad Christian.” This
declaration of the governor's gave him boundless and inde-
scribable pleasure: he related to all his companions, severally,
what he had heard; and they listened to his story with the most
evident marks of pleasure and astonishment. Upon his de-
parture, they intreated the governor to renew his visit the en-
suing winter; and when he represented to them the impossibility
of his complying with their request, they urged him to send
his brother in his place ; as he must undoubtedly be equally
good with himself. In this the Tschuktschers were perfectly
right: this young man, who, as I have before mentioned, sailed
with us to Japan, possesses all the admirable qualities which
render his brother the object of universal love and esteem in the
province over which he presides *.
* This journey to the Tschuktschers young Koscheleff did, in fact, execute the
next winter. He acquainted me with this circumstance, after his return, in a letter
dated Nischney-Kamtschatka, in June 1806, accompanied by a collection of
Tschuktschan curiosities, and a dictionary of the language of that country. It is
with grief I have to add that this amiable young man died in Kamtschatka in
1807.
STAY AT ST. PETER, AND ST. PA U. L. I 21
The governor was so good as to give himself up to us entirely
during the short time we were enabled to pass with him. On
the day of his arrival he came off to us during the morning, and
remained on board the ship until the afternoon of the next
day: we then accompanied him on shore, to partake of a little
ball which had been arranged. At one the next morning we
returned on board the ship, and found that the wind had just
veered round to the northward; as soon, therefore, as the
boats could be hoisted in I weighed anchor, and at four in the
morning of the 5th July we were already out of the bay.
VOL. II, r
12:
CHAPTER V.
E X AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SAC H A LIN.
The Wadeshda sails from Awatscha Bay—We see the Kuriles—Sail through.
Nadeshda Channel—Storm in the Vicinity of Cape Patience—Comparison of the
Longitude by the Chronometers and lunar Observations—Greatest Error which
can be committed in these Observations—Instruments best calculated for them at
Sea—We continue the Earamination of Sachalin to the North of Cape Patience—
The Tiara Mountain—Dangerous Shoal at some Distance from Land—Constant
Fog—We reach the Northern Eartremity of Sachalin—Description and Situation
of Capes Elizabeth and Maria—We find a Colony of Tartars in a Bay, to which
we give the Name of the North Bay—Description of this Bay—Eramination of
the North-west Coast of Sachalin—We perceive the opposite Coast of Tartary—
Reach the Channel that divides Sachalin from Tartary—Are forced to return
—Violent Currents near this Channel—Probable Vicinity of the Mouth of the
Amur—We anchor on the North-west Point of Sachalin in a Bay, which we
call Nadeshda Bay.
AS the situation of the Trap (that is to say, of the group of
rocks which we discovered upon our last voyage among the
Ruriles) could not then be accurately determined, owing to
the extreme badness of the weather, I was anxious to ascertain
it by this opportunity: I therefore held such a course as would
lead us through the Kuriles in latitude 48° 50', and kept as near
as possible to the land, until we came into the parallel of these
islands, in order to complete, by fresh observations, the chart
which we had begun of the coast of Kamtschatka; and I be-
E X AM.IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SAC H A LIN. 123
lieve that this chart will be found correct from cape Lopatka
to Shipunskoy Noss, with the exception, perhaps, of a small
part near cape Lopatka, which we saw but for a few minutes,
owing to the fog.
After a fog of four days duration, which only cleared away
for a few hours towards noon, we perceived upon the 9th July,
at nine in the morning, the south peak on the island of On-
nekotan, and that of the island Charamukatan; the first bear-
ing N. W. 26", the second N. W. 30°, distant about seventy
miles. A thick fog bank stretched away from N. W. to S. W.,
and had I not been quite convinced that no land existed in this
quarter of the compass, I should have infallibly been taken in
by it, so much did it bear the appearance of land. At noon we
were in latitude 48° 10' N., and longitude 204° 34' 30" W., an
observation by which it appeared that, in the last twenty-four
hours, we had been carried by a current S. W. # S., at the rate
of about a mile in the hour, and which frustrated my intention
of looking after the group of rocks about twenty miles more to
the north. A short time after noon we perceived peak Saryt-
scheff bearing S. W. 85': at three o'clock it bore due west,
which made its latitude 48° 05' 30”; while in our last voyage we
had made it out to be 48° 06' 30". The mean of these two being
48° 06' 00". This latter may be assumed as its real latitude, and
its longitude is 206° 47' 30" W. The islands of Charamukatan,
Schiaskotan, Ikarma, and Tschirinkotan, bore at the same time
N. W. 15°, N. W. 24°, N. W. 43', and N. W. 53°. We could
not now perceive the small island of Mussir, which we so un-
expectedly fell in with on our last voyage, although it is but at
1924, I, R USENSTERN's v O YAG E ROUND THE WORLD.
a very short distance from Raukoke, as it is both too small and
too low to be visible at the distance at which we were from the
chain of islands. At six in the evening came on a thick
fog, which continued throughout the night and the whole of the
next day; the wind at the same time was blowing fresh at
E. S. E. and E., and rendered our situation very unpleasant,
owing to the vicinity of these dangerous islands, among which
the currents set with so much violence; and had they been only
towards the north, they must inevitably have driven us very
near the Trap. We frequently heard a noise like the rolling of
waves, but were unable to determine whether it proceeded from
breakers, or the meeting of two currents. Another night was
passed under the same unpleasant circumstances: the haze
being so thick that our horizon did not extend, at the most,
ten fathoms. We stood off and on under very short sail, and
continually sounding; a precaution, however, almost useless in
the vicinity of these islands, as frequently at fifty fathoms from
the land no soundings are to be met with a line of one hundred
and fifty fathoms. At length, on the 11th July, at four in the
morning, the fog cleared away, and we perceived the islands
Ikarma, Tschirinkotan, Mussir, and Raukoke ; but of the latter
only the base and part of its summit: peak Sarytscheff being
entirely concealed from the sight. The variation of the needle
was 3' 11" E. As the wind was fair, I determined upon sailing
between Raukoke and the next island to the South of it, called
Mataua, and I hoped by this opportunity, the weather, since
the dispersion of the fog, being uncommonly clear, to be able to
see more of the southern Kuriles. In fact, besides Mataua, we
saw the islands of Raschaua, and a part of Ketoy, or the four-
Ex AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SACH A LIN. 125
teenth and fifteenth of the group ; the latter of which is that
called by the English and French geographers the isle of
Maukan.
By eight o'clock we had passed the channel which divides
Raukoke from Mataua, and now held our course to the west:
these, which I have called the straits of Nadeshda, are among
the widest in this chain of islands, being at least sixteen miles
across, and perfectly free from all danger. We found the cur-
rent, the direction of which in the channel is westerly, very
strong; the waves breaking with a noise similar to that of
a heavy surf; and a number of birds were seen swimming on
the water. t
Although in the first days after our departure from Kamt-
schatka our reckoning by the log varied one degree and a half
from the true longitude, the error on the 11th July was only of
six minutes. A navigator might, therefore, have determined
the longitude of the Kuriles in the parallel in which we passed
through them by the ship's reckoning, in general so little to be
depended on, and almost without any error. A circumstance
so fortunate can, however, but seldom occur; and if, even allow-
ing for the force of the current, there should sometimes appear a
wonderful coincidence between the longitude by the log, and
the true longitude after a long voyage, thus affording an apparent
triumph to the unskilful, this ought never to serve as an argu-
ment against the new method, the only proper one for ascer-
taining the longitude. Of this truth the naval officer is so well
convinced, that he will not neglect it even on the shortest
Voyage.
136 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE world.
The fog that had only dispersed for a few hours to allow us,
as it were, a safe passage through the Kuriles, set in again about
ten o’clock, and continued without intermission for twenty-four
hours. The wind was fresh at east, then veered to S. W., and
finally on the 13th July to N. W., when it dispelled the fog and
brought clear weather. By observation at noon this day we
were in 48° 21' 28° N. and 212° 32' 48" W. : our course was in
a direct line for cape Patience, where our survey of Sachalin
had ceased, and where we again intended to resume it. As we
approached this promontory I kept the lead constantly going,
but never with effect; and it was not until Monday the 15th
July, at ten in the morning, when in latitude 48° 27', and lon-
gitude 214° 53, that we met with the ground in seventy-seven
fathoms, of coarse sand, and three miles more to the north in
seventy-two fathoms of a rocky nature; our distance, as well
from cape Patience as from Robben island, being at this time
twenty-three miles. The ship since the morning had been sur-
rounded by a number of sharks and by swarms of birds; and
we should undoubtedly have seen the land, but that the weather,
although there was no fog, was so thick that our horizon did not
extend above ten or twelve miles. I calculated upon being
well to the south of cape Patience, and therefore steered north;
but another thick fog that arose about three in the afternoon
obliged us at five o'clock to lie by. We were then in latitude
48° 50', and we had soundings in one hundred fathoms over a
rocky bottom. The next morning the fog dispersed, and I re-
solved to avail myself of this moment of clear weather to make
the land before the storm, which the falling of the barometer
announced, should burst upon us. We were not, however, to
escape without another trial of our patience: the sky became
Ex AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF 3 ACH A LIN. 127
overcast; the rain fell in torrents, and the wind was so high as
to oblige us to reef our top-sails, and at noon increased to
a storm. About five in the afternoon it was at its height: it
split our top-sails, nor could we set any thing but our mizen
and the storm-sails. This gale, which came on from the N. E.,
and gradually, veered to N., and then to the N. W., drove us
fifty miles from the coast. The barometer, which had fallen as
low as twenty-eight inches nine lines, began to rise again about
midnight: the storm abated; and the next day we had most
beautiful weather. After a calm of some hours the wind veered
to the south, and I then steered under all sail towards the land,
which we saw at eight in the evening, about sun-set, although
at first very indistinctly, being entirely enveloped in mist. It
stretched from S. W. to W. S. W.; in which quarter, though
not of itself much elevated, it appeared high and flat, being sur-
rounded on all sides to the north and south by a very low land.
Our soundings were sixty-five fathoms over a clayey bottom,
and our distance about ten miles from the land: as we had not
seen the extreme southern point of cape Patience, we beat up
in that direction during the night, increasing our depth of
water to one hundred fathoms, the ground still being of
clay.
On the 18th July, at day-break, we saw the flat and high
land, which we had distinguished the day before, bearing west,
and cape Patience S. W. 17°. The wind was fresh from the
south, and gave me hopes of being able even in the course of
the day of examining this part of the coast, which I had ap-
proached for the purpose within about three miles. A thick
fog and a high wind veering gradually round to the east, com-
128 KRU SENSTERN's voy A.G.E ROUND THE world.
pelled us, however, to quit the land again, and wait for a more
favourable opportunity. The depth increased in a small pro-
portion, and was, about six miles to the east of the above-men-
tioned flat height, sixty fathoms, and two miles more to the
eastward seventy-five, over a rocky bottom. The fog continued,
with intervals of thick rainy weather, until ten o'clock the next
morning, the 19th July, when it became clearer, and we again
approached the land with a gentle westerly wind; and at eleven
o'clock perceived the coast of Sachalin for the second time. At
noon we were by observation in 49° 00 and 214° 42%; and at
three in the afternoon we distinguished cape Patience bearing
W. S. W. and Robben island S. W. # S.
The former, which, according to our observations, lies in lati-
tude 48° 52' north, and longitude 215° 13'45" west, is a very low
promontory, and is formed by a double hill, terminating abruptly.
From this a flat tongue of land projects pretty far to the south;
and on the north side of the cape the land is likewise very low,
the flat hill before-mentioned being the first high land in that
direction. By this hill, cape Patience, which, owing to its little
elevation, is not easily perceived, may soon be recognized. The
middle of Robben island, of which on our last voyage we had
seen the western reef (the boundary, owing to the ice, of our ob-
servations at that time), lies in 48° 32' 15", and 215° 37' 00"; and
in the third chapter of this volume I have already laid down
the north-east and south-west extreme of the reef that sur-
rounds this island. -
Having determined these two most important points of
the south-east coast of Sachalin, I steered to the north along
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC II A LIN. 129
the land, the direction of which from the flat hill was rather
more westerly; there we found a deep opening, in which, even
from the mast-head, no land could be descried; and I therefore
altered my course to W. N. W. until we were convinced of its
continuation in this direction. The bay, which lies in latitude
49° 05', and is surrounded on all sides by a country very low,
I have called Flat bay; and I think it very probable that this
was the mouth of some large river. From its northern ex-
treme the land gradually rises in the same direction, but is still
of only a very moderate height, nor could we discover any
where a point of sufficient elevation to assist us in making our
survey.
The 20th July appeared to promise us a rich harvest: during
the night the wind veered to S. S. W., and I therefore steered
directly for the land, from which we were about ten miles
distant: our soundings were seventy-five and eighty fathoms
over a rocky bottom. At four in the morning I steered N. W.
with most beautiful weather, which was what we had long
wanted ; and while the wind remained in this quarter we hoped
to continue free from the fogs, which had generally set in with
a south-east or east wind. The coast, the direction of which
from the northern point of Flat bay as far as latitude 49° 30',
had been N. W. 19, was of the same regular appearance as the
preceding day, except that farther, inland we could distinguish
several chains of lofty mountains. The shore was very abrupt,
and entirely white. Between two hills that projected con-
siderably, and of which the southernmost appeared insulated,
there was probably a good harbour, and, judging from the situa-
tion of the land, a small river. I would gladly have explored
V O L. II. S
130 K R USENSTERN’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
this part of the coast; but a thick fog lay between the two
headlands, and prevented our seeing the intermediate land,
although we were at a very short distance from it; and as this
was the first clear day we had had since our approach to this
misty coast, and we had no reason to expect many like it, I
could not prevail on myself to employ this fine, and to us
precious, opportunity in exploring a part where our prospect
of success was so very uncertain. In order, however, that
future navigators might easily find this point again, I carefully
observed its position, which is 49° 29 N. and 215° 38' W., seven
miles S. S. W. of a cape which I have named Billinghausen,
after my fifth lieutenant, and which lies in 49° 35' N. and 215"
34/ 15% W.
Before I proceed with the account of our examination of the
east coast of Sachalin, which we were the first European navi-
gators to explore, it may not, perhaps, be superfluous to say
something of the astronomical determinations which we made
the basis of our chart of this part of the coast. Our two
chronometers, No. 128, by Arnold, and the one by Pennington
(Arnold’s pocket time-piece, No. 1856, having stopped during
our last stay in St. Peter and St. Paul) had only varied three
seconds of time from each other since our departure from Kamt-
schatka : we therefore looked with impatience for fair weather, in
order to convince ourselves that the cause of this agreement of
the two time-pieces was not, in their being equally wrong, as was
the case in our run from the Washington to the Sandwich islands.
On the 17th July we took six sets of distances of the moon from
the sun : the mean of those, I observed, made the error of the
watches 21' 307; that of the observations by Dr. Horner, 27'
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC IH A LIN. 131
45° west. As so great an error appeared to us impossible, we
imagined it might lie in the lunar tables for the day, and Dr.
Horner calculated the lunar longitude in Bürg's tables, and
found their error to be fifty-seven seconds, making a difference
of 28 45" in the geographical longitude. The error of the time-
pieces by my observation was thus reduced to - 7' 15", and by
that of Dr. Horner to 1'00" too much east. On the 19th July
we again took ten sets of observations under the most favoura-
ble circumstances, each of them of five or six lunar distances: but
we once more found a difference of twenty minutes in the watches,
which proved that the error in the lunar tables was again very
considerable; and upon Dr. Horner's calculating them from
Bürg's tables, he found the error of the moon's longitude in the
Connoissance des Tems forty seconds, making an error of nine-
teen minutes in the longitude. The error of the chronometer
was thus reduced, according to his observation, to fifteen se-
conds on the average, and according to mine to 3' 12" too much
east. On the 20th July we each of us again measured five sets
of distances of the moon, and upon this occasion I found the
error of the watches 9' 49", and Dr. Horner 15' 30" too easterly.
The observation of the 21st July made the error only a few
seconds; but as the observations of the 19th July were the
best, and likewise in greater number, and the longitude of the
moon was reckoned on that day by Bürg's tables, I have
adopted one minute and a half on an average as the real error
of the time-pieces, in the mean of Dr. Horner's and my ob-
servations, an error so trifling, that it can hardly be considered
as of any consequence.
The observations made during three days always proved the
139 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
error of the time-pieces to be a few minutes east, but it might
have been just as well to the west, as such observations at sea
are generally liable to great inaccuracy: at all events, I think,
so long as the difference between the chronometer and the lunar
distance does not exceed a quarter of a degree (provided the
former be well regulated, and a constant rate of going can be
deduced from it), that the longitude by the chronometer gene-
rally deserves the preference, unless by any great deviation from
its usual rate it should become at all suspicious. A heaviness
of the atmosphere, the uneasy motion of the ship, the shaking
of the instrument by any gust of wind, an uncomfortable as
well as an insecure position of the body, added to the want of
common sextants, frequently occasion an error of twenty seconds
in the distances measured; and if, besides these, any mistake
should occur in casting up, or there should be any in that of
the moon's longitude, which, as we have experienced, is some-
times the case in the best ephemerides, even to a minute on an
average; an error of three quarters of a degree may easily be
made in observations by no means bad : the possibility of
which is not only proved by our own journals, but by those of
our celebrated forerunners Cook and La Perouse. On the
other hand, lunar observations, if made at various periods, and
under different circumstances, they still give the same result,
deserve a decided preference over the chronometer, particularly
if made with the best instruments, and that the moon's longitude
can at the same time be calculated by Bürg's tables. In such
cases the supposed uncertainty of 15 might, perhaps, be re-
duced to the half, or even to 5'; and it is then justifiable, even
in the open sea, to adopt a new rate of going for a chronometer,
the deviation of which has been considerable.
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SACH A LIN. 133
Among the instruments with which such observations are
made at sea I consider good sextants as the best and most
convenient: they are preferable to the complete circle, which,
however, have this great advantage, that in them mistakes of
division, occasioned by the repeated duplication, generally
vanish, and the determination of the error of collimation falls
entirely to the ground. Dr. Horner, who, as well as myself, was at
first very much prepossessed in favour of this latter instrument,
and with whom I had frequent conversations upon its merits and
disadvantages, found a good sextant to be much more useful at
sea, and we neither of us latterly made any use of the complete
circle. On shore, where the accuracy must be carried to half
seconds, the circle may be preferable; but cven then it must
be of a more convenient construction than the one I purchased
of Troughton, in 1803, with the flying nonius.
We sailed to the northward, with the most delightful weather,
along the coast, keeping at the distance of from six to ten miles
from it. The depth was between seventy and eighty fathoms
over a clayey ground. Sachalin now afforded much finer pros-
pects than any we had witnessed during a couple of months.
In our last voyage along the coast we had seen nothing either
in Patience bay or in Jesso but mountains covered with snow,
and the prospect of the burnt up Kuriles, which we had just
left, was not much more agreeable. Even the unvaried green
with which the mountains along the shore were covered to a
moderate height, drew from us the most lively testimony of the
beauty of Sachalin. The trees, as far as we were able to ob-
serve, were none of them lofty, and by the sea-side there were
only some shrubs. We perceived in various places small inlets,
I34. KRU SENSTERN's voy. AG E Rou ND THE world.
into which rivulets appeared to empty themselves, affording a
convenient spot for settlements; but nowhere was the smallest
trace of any human habitation visible. The interior of the
country was extremely uniform; and it was only here and there
we saw any spot which assisted our trigonometrical labours.
Among these was a tolerably high flat hill, remarkable from
having three points on its summit, on which account we called
it mount Tiara. It is situated in 50° 03' N., and 2.16° 23' W.,
and the coast from cape Billingshausen to the parallel of the
hill takes the direction of N. W. 30°.
On the 20th July at noon we were in 49° 57' N. and 215° 44'
W. A headland projecting to the northward in 50° 11' 30" N.
and 215° 57' 00" W., bore N. W. 30°: our distance from shore
was about seven miles, and we were in seventy fathoms water.
The wind that in the morning was so fair now veered to the
N. W. blowing fresh, and in pretty heavy squalls. This obliged
us to tack, and we sometimes approached within two and a half
and three miles of the coast, when our soundings were forty
fathoms. A heavy sea from the north, which set in about six
o'clock with only a moderate wind, appeared to forebode a
storm from that quarter of the compass; and the barometer,
which had hitherto been very low, fell from 29 inches 35, to 29
inches 15: at length, at eight o'clock, it blew violently from the
north, but about eleven the wind again became more moderate.
This short gale was succeeded by a thick fog, although the wind
still hung from the north. At day-break I again steered to-
wards the land, which, as the wind still continued in the same
quarter, we could only approach very slowly. On the 21st July
(,
EX A MINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC II A LIN . 135
at noon cape Rimnik bore N. W. 46°, and mount Tiara N. W.
75°: to the westward lay the mouth of a small river or bay, and
we were about nine miles from the shore; our latitude by Ob-
servation being 49° 56' 35", and the longitude 215° 42. A
constant and pretty strong north-eastern current, which we had
perceived during these latter days, led me to think, though in-
correctly, that the northern part of Sachalin was divided about
the fifty-first or fifty-second degree by a channel, the direction
of which was N. W. or S. E.
After standing in within five or six miles of cape Rimnik I
lay-to: at day-break it bore N. W. by W., and instead of find-
ing behind this cape either a deep bay, or any remarkable
change in the direction of the coast, we perceived it to continue
from this point in the same line as before, and so flat and low
that it could only be seen at a short distance. This flat district
stretches deep inland, and is the more remarkable, as the country
both to the north and south of it is much more mountainous.
Here we distinguished the finest valleys in the most luxurious
verdure, and the hills surrounding them entirely covered with
wood; yet fruitful as these parts appeared to us, we could not
any where perceive the slightest traces of cultivation. Near the
shore we saw whales, sharks, and seals in various directions,
and the ship was surrounded by swarms of birds. At noon
cape Rimnik bore W. N. W.; a high flat hill N. W. 48°; and
in this situation we observed in 50° 09' 04" N., and 215° 52' 40"
W. At one in the afternoon we were not more than two miles
from the shore, and our soundings were twenty-two fathoms.
Shortly after putting the ship about it fell calm, and continued
so until three the next morning, when we had a gentle breeze
136 K R USENSTERN's voy AGE Rou ND THE wor LD.
from S. S. E. with which I steered along the coast N. N. W.,
keeping about four or five miles from the land, so that not a
point could escape us. On the shore there was every where a
very heavy surf, and we could distinctly hear the breakers on
board the ship, and distinguish, being so near the beach, that
there was nowhere any inlet. At noon we observed in 50° 22'
24" N., and 215° 58' W., a high, very even, and rather project-
ing headland bore N. W. 18° 30'. We were three miles and a
half from the shore in twenty-seven fathoms over a fine bottom
of clay. The cape to the northward of us I have named Rat-
manoff, after one of the lieutenants of my ship: it lies in 50° 48'
OO" N., and 216° 06' 45% W. *
We proceeded on our course with a gentle easterly wind to
the northward: fresh chains of mountains appeared as we sailed
along, but none of them were conspicuous either from their
height or form. The coast hereabouts was invariably craggy,
and of a yellow colour. At five in the afternoon we were at the
distance of eight miles from the land, and our soundings were
twenty-six fathoms over a rocky bottom. This inconsiderable
depth, and the nature of the ground, led me to suspect that a
reef of rocks ran out into the sea from the cape which confined
our view to the northward, similar to that at cape Patience; and
this suspicion, joined to the haziness of the weather and the
easterly wind, induced me, towards night, to stand out to sea.
At six in the evening the weather cleared up, and we saw cape
Ratmanoff distant about fourteen miles bearing N. W. 33°, and
at the same time we distinguished to the westward a small bay,
where, from the general shape of the land, there probably was a
good harbour. In the middle of the entrance, which was about
EX AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SAC II A LIN. 137
a mile wide, there is a large rock that renders this bay very re-
markable: it is in 50° 36' 30° N., and 216° 08' 00" W. At seven
o'clock we saw the whole form of cape Ratmanoff, terminating
in a flat neck of land, which stretched a considerable distance
into the sea: we could now clearly distinguish the continuance
of the coast to the N. W.; but much more to the west than the
direction of it from cape Rimnik to cape Ratmanoff, which was
N.W.8°, while from the latter it was N. W. 30°. The most distant
land visible about eight o'clock bore N. W. 34", cape Ratmanoff
at that time bearing N. W. 43°: our nearest land was from nine
to ten miles, and the depth fifty-seven fathoms.
As the current for several days past had been southerly, and
in the average about a mile an hour, we continued our course
during the night under easy sail to the north. At one the next
morning I conceived myself opposite cape Ratmanoff, and
therefore lay by, and at daybreak of the 24th July steered
directly west, although, from the haziness of the weather, the
land was not to be perceived. At seven we were enveloped
in a thick fog; and as the depth had decreased to thirty-
five fathoms, I lay by ; the wind at the time blowing fresh from
the S. E. At ten o'clock the fog began to disperse, but did
not yet quit the coast. I steered due west, under very easy sail,
in the hopes of again shortly seeing the land, our distance from
which, judging by the depth of water, which was forty-eight
fathoms, must have been about six or seven miles; and unwill-
ing to lose a single moment of the clear weather, which I now
expected incessantly. At eleven we distinguished the sandy
shores of the coast, and shortly afterwards could plainly perceive
the surf from the deck; the coast itself, however, as well as the
VOL. II. T
138 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND TIf E world.
lofty mountains lying inland, were still concealed under the
thick covering which so often put our patience to the greatest
proof. We were scarcely three miles from the shore, and our
depth of water was twenty-five fathoms over a bottom of sand and
muscles, and I put about with the ship's head to the eastward,
hoping the midday sun would dissolve the spell. Nothing was
to be seen except the two promontories, cape Ratmanoff and the
other we had perceived the day before, and the tops of the moun-
tains lying far inland between these two capes. We had an ob-
servation in 51° 5' 57° N., and 216° 06' 30" W.; cape Ratmanoff
at the time bearing due south, and the other S. W. 55°. This
latter cape, which lies in latitude 51°00' 30", and longitude 216?
17' 00", I have called Delisle de la Croyère, after the astronomer
of that name, who accompanied Captain Tschirikoff to America
in 1741, and died upon the voyage. The fog still hung upon
the land; but about three in the afternoon it began to rise a
little, and I immediately steered for the shore, till within about
three miles of it. We could now, indeed, perceive the two
capes Ratmanoff and Delisle, which were connected by a flat,
sandy beach, and the mountains in the back ground between
them; but were unable to make out distinctly the form of the
coast, and we were again obliged to shorten sail and lie by,
although we still flattered ourselves with the feeble hope of
obtaining at sunset a clear prospect of the coast. Instead of
this the fog grew thicker, the wind increased, and a heavy
swell from the eastward announced a storm from that quarter of
the compass: nor did it long delay its appearance. In this
vicinity to the land, such a storm setting in directly upon the coast
might have been attended with imminent danger; and I there-
fore ordered the topsails to be double reefed, and steered under
them and our courses as near as possible E. by N. and E. N. F.
E X A M I N AT ION OF THE COAST OF SAC IH A LIN. 139
The stormy, and at the same time foggy, weather continued
from the 24th to the 29th : during which we very seldom
saw the land, and then only for a few minutes. The lead was
our only guide, and very little was the confidence with which
this could inspire us, upon a coast entirely unknown to all on
board; but we should have been spared much uneasiness had
we known sooner of its being entirely clear from shoals, rocks,
or small islands, such as usually exist at a short distance
from land. On the 28th the weather again allowed us to ap-
proach the shore, from which we had been driven the day before
about thirty-five miles by a violent N. W. wind, and shortly be-
fore sunset we saw cape Delisle, with the high mountains in its
vicinity. This forms the boundary of the mountainous part of
Sachalin; for to the north of this cape, with the exception of
two hills of moderate size which lie at a short distance in the
same direction, there is neither high land nor single mountain
to be seen, but the whole coast is flat and covered with wood,
and the shore every where sandy. La Perouse remarked also,
while surveying the west coast of Sachalin, that in the parallel of
fifty-one degrees there was nothing but sandy downs; and as Sa-
chalin hereabouts is not more than fifty miles from east to west,
it is evident that between the fifty-first and fifty-second degree it
must consist entirely of sand downs.
On the 29th of July the weather again became favourable: after
a calm, which lasted some hours, we had a gentle breeze at S.S.W.,
and sailed along at a short distance from the land. At noon we
took an observation in 51° 14'44' N., and 216° 07' W.; at three
o'clock we had got within about seven miles of the land, and
found, upon sounding, a depth of thirty fathoms over a bottom
140 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
of clay. We pursued our run, the land opening more and more
to the northward, parallel with the coast, at first N. N. W. then
N. by W., N. and finally N. by E. as near as possible to the land,
from which we frequently were not more than three miles distant.
As I could not shake off the idea that the northern Sachalin, the
extremity of which was supposed to be in the fifty-fourth degree,
and the southern part of it, along which we were now sailing,
were not two different islands, I constantly cherished the hope,
which, however, was soon disappointed, that every point of land
I saw would prove the last of the southern island.
At four in the afternoon we distinguished a high land to the
N. W. rising like an island in the midst of this plain of sand:
further inland the ground was covered with impenetrable woods;
and I thought it not improbable that the high land to the N. W.
was the same as that which La Perouse calls cape Boutin. At
eight o'clock in the evening we perceived a point which appeared
to be the boundary of the sand coast: it bore N. W. 40°, and
was rendered remarkable by a round hill. This point, which lies
in 51° 58' 00" N., and 216° 46' 30" W., I have called the Downs
point: it does not form the boundary of the sand coast; for this
continues to the northward perfectly of the same cast as that to
the southward, only that behind this point there is a bay of con-
siderable depth. At daybreak of the 30th July the Downs point
bore S. W. by S. distant about twenty miles, and being desirous
of examining the depth behind it, in the hope of perhaps finding
here a separation of the two lands, I put the ship about to the
S. W. The wind, however, soon veering to that quarter com-
pelled me to steer W. N. W. In the mean time we were so
much nearer that we could distinguish the flat land within the
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC H A LIN. 141
bay, and about eight o'clock we saw, bearing N. W., a con-
siderable district of an entirely similar appearance. Our distance
from the nearest land was about ten miles, and our soundings
seventeen fathoms, and I immediately steered towards it: in
about an hour we could plainly perceive the inflection of the
land from the mast head, and shortly after from the deck.
At noon we had to the N. W. a chain of five hills of a billowy
form, bearing the appearance of islands in this extended plain.
The whole coast here, like that to the southward, is scarcely
raised above the water's edge; it is entirely of sand, and a little
way inland is covered with a seemingly impenetrable thicket of
low shrubs. N. W. by N. there was also a sand-hill, remarkable
as being rather larger and of a flat form: at noon we had an ob-
servation in 52° 17'29" N. and 216° 41' W.; we were about five
miles and a half from land in fifteen fathoms water. The va-
riation of the needle, which since we came on this coast never
exceeded a degree, sometimes to the east, then again to the
west, was on a mean of the observations made in the morning
and evening O’ 57' W.
The depth since noon had been gradually decreasing, which
obliged us to stand rather off shore, from whence about five
o'clock in the afternoon we were nine miles, and at this distance
we had not more than ten fathoms water. The lead was hove
without intermission on both sides of the ship, and on a sudden
the water decreased from ten to eight fathoms, shortly after to
five, and almost immediately the man in the chains called out
four and a half. I had the ship instantly put about to E. S. E.;
and we continued for some minutes still in four and a half
142 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND T IIE world.
fathoms, but soon after the depth again increased. This shoal, the
only one we met with along this flat coast, might have proved
very dangerous had less attention been paid in sounding, the
depth having suddenly fallen from eight to five fathoms. It lies
in 52° 30' N., and 2.16° 31'00'W., and stretches, probably, for
some miles north and south at a distance of ten miles from the
shore. Five sets of lunar distances which we calculated on this
day shortly before we fell in with it, under the most favourable
circumstances, made our longitude reduced to noon 216° 39' 10"
W.; nearly the same as by the timepieces. The coast, the di-
rection of which from Downs point is due north, projected to
the eastward nearly in the parallel of the shoal we discovered ;
after that its direction is invariably north, and it is equally flat
with that already described, and, like it, is covered with low
brushwood. The shore is also sandy, and near it are a few
sand-hills. This projection, which is so remarkable on ac,
count of its vicinity to the dangerous shoal, I have called Shoal
point: it lies in 52° 32' 30" N., and 216° 45' 30" W., and may be
easily known by a hill of tolerable height, which on this flat
coast almost merits the name of a mountain, and forms a very
remarkable object.
This sandy coast, which, from its dangerous uniformity, was be-
come disgusting to us, continued to follow a northerly direction,
and I now gave up all hopes of finding the division of Sachalin
which I had so confidently looked for. At sunset the northern-
most of two considerable hills bore nearly west of us: their lati-
tude I conceived to be 52°42' 30", but further to the northward
there was no remarkable object whatever visible; the coast, as far
as the eye could stretch, appearing to consist of a flat sand. At
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SACH A LIN. 143
nine I lay by: during the 29th and 30th July we had examined
most carefully about eighty miles in extent of this inhospitable
coast, and it was only in such extraordinary fine weather that it
was possible to approach so near to it, as frequently, at a distance
of only six or seven miles, it was entirely imperceptible. After
a two days continuance of clear weather we naturally began to
look forward to a change, and our fears were soon verified: it
had been calm, accompanied by a thick fog that entirely con-
cealed the land from us, and lasted all the day of the 31st July,
when a high easterly wind arose in the night preceding the 1st
August. Our soundings were twenty-six fathoms, and we could
not have been at any great distance from the land; we were
therefore obliged to carry all the sail the masts could bear, in
order to get clear of this dangerous coast. By noon, the wind
still increasing in violence, we had succeeded in deepening our
water to fifty fathoms, and by the evening to eighty. During
the night the wind fell, and in the morning of the 2d August
veered round to the northward. With this I steered again due
west towards the coast, in sight of which we came by two in the
afternoon. It was here only of a moderate height, but much
more so indeed than that we had seen to the southward. To
the northward, however, as far as the eye could reach, nothing
was visible but a flat sandy plain, with a small conical hill, which
bounded our view to the north, and at two o'clock, just as we got
sight of the land, bore N. W. 60°: we were nine miles from shore,
in thirty-eight fathoms water. At noon we had an observation
in 53°28' 04' N., and 2.16° 18' W., and were consequently forty-
five miles more to the northward than the hill we last saw on
the 30th July in 52°42' 30' N. To this we were obliged to re-
turn in order to connect our angles, and on this account I have
144 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE won L.D.
named it Connecting hill. But before I held my course thi-
ther I was forced to stand to the westward towards a pretty
prominent point, between which and the high land behind it ap-
peared rather an extensive bay. As I was very anxious to find a
good harbour at the northern extremity of Sachalin, where I might
anchor, I did not choose to remain in doubt with regard to the
quality of this bay; and about four o'clock we found that a long
flat sand bank, over which the surf broke with violence, entirely
blocked up its supposed entrance. I now, therefore, steered to
the S. W.: the land trended to S. by W., and was altogether flat
and low: we saw, indeed, several projecting points, having be-
tween them deep inflections, which at some distance gave to
them the appearance of bays, but our vicinity to the land, from
which we were frequently not more than three miles, convinced
us they were not so. The surf all along the coast was very
heavy, and in several places there were narrow necks of land
projecting into the sea, near to which the depth immediately
decreased, and compelled us to alter our course gradually from
S. W. to S. E. by S., and to stand off to about six or seven miles
from the shore. We advanced so quickly with the assistance of
a moderate north wind, and a southerly current, that I hoped be-
fore sunset to see the Southernmost hills, or the one which we had
named Connecting hill. At five in the afternoon we perceived, a
long way inland, several considerably high lands; about seven,
others in a still more southerly direction, and at the same time a
point of land from which the coast takes a westerly direction.
This point, which lies in 52°57' 30" N., and 216 42' 30" W., I
have called Würst, after my excellent friend the counsellor of
state of that name. At eight we distinctly saw the Connecting
hill, which had become very interesting to us, as I already feared
E X AM IN ATION OF T II E COAST OF SA C H A L J N . 145
that some parts of the coast must have been left incomplete in
our chart; but we now had a complete draft of the whole. We
were, indeed, still nineteen miles distant from the parallel of
Connecting-hill, but by dividing these, and reckoning that on
the evening of the 30th July, when we had this hill well to the
westward, we could plainly see nine and a half to the north-
ward *, and that on the 2d August we could see the same
distance to the south, it is not probable that any thing of im-
portance can have escaped us.
Throughout the night and the whole of the next day, the 3d
August, we had a perfect calm, with a thick fog. At noon it
cleared up for a few moments, which enabled us to take the sun's
altitude: our observations gave 52° 56' 05" N., and 215° 45' W.
with a current setting twenty-one miles direct to the southward.
Towards night a gentle breeze sprang up at south: as we had
already examined the coast as far as latitude 53° 30' we were at
liberty to run back to the northward, notwithstanding the fog,
which continued without intermission ; and I therefore steered
N. N. W. and N. W. by N. under easy sail. It was not until
the 4th August, shortly before noon, that the weather cleared up,
and enabled us to take altitudes both for our latitude and longi-
tude. Our observations, 53° 44'25" N., and 2.16°12' W., shewed
a current of ten miles to the N. E. by N., by which we had run
farther than I expected from the point we had last seen to the
*—
* This distance may even be calculated at two miles less, as we continued our
course half an hour to the northward after the hill was brought to bear west
of us.
V Q L. II. [ſ
146 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE won L.D.
northward, and I steered S. W. in order to get back to it. At
two o'clock we saw the land, and at four we were in thirty-seven
fathoms water, and within seven miles of the coast. We recog-
nized all the different objects which we had seen on the 2d
August: the small conical hill, at that time out northernmost
boundary, now bore W. S. W., and the projecting point of land,
behind which I had expected to find a bay, S. W. To the north
of the conical hill the coast still retained the same appearance.
It consists of a flattish land, gradually increasing in height, the
shores being perfectly flat and sandy. There appeared several
points of land, which were all connected one with the other.
although at a short distance there seemed to have been inlets of
various extent. It was only on one spot behind a very prominent
point of land, where the coast retired to a considerable distance,
that no connection of the land was perceptible. This seemed to be
the mouth of a river: the point which renders this spot re-
markable lies in 53° 40', and 2.16° 53, and is called after my
friend General Klokatschef.
At four o'clock I altered my course to N. W. and N. W. by
N., and we still kept opening upon more low land. At five we
were compelled, by a very thick fog, to lie-by, and soon after to
stand off from the coast. The wind blew fresh at S. S. W. with
dark hazy weather; and this was followed by a brisk E. S. E.
wind, with a dense fog, that continued four days without inter-
mission. During this time we stood off and on, but never to
any considerable distance from the coast; the depth of seventy-
two fathoms being our utmost limit, and this might be between
eighteen and twenty miles from land. On the 8th August, at
four o'clock in the morning, the fog began to disperse, and at
£ X AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF S A C H A LIN. 147
five we saw the land stretching S. W. and N. W.; we found
ourselves removed to quite a new region. Instead of the flat
sandy tract which we had been coasting for upwards of a fort-
night we now saw a high mountainous land, with very short
and narrow spaces between the hills: the shore was every where
steep, and in several places consisted of rocks of a chalk-like ap-
pearance. To the N. W. there was a large promontory, from
which the coast took a more westerly direction. I called it cape
Löwenstern, after my third lieutenant. It lies in 54° 3' 15" N.,
and 2.16° 47' 30" W., and in front of it there is a rock of con-
siderable size.
As there was still an hiatus between this part of the coast and
that which we had explored previous to the fog, we were forced to
return to the southward to find the last point we had seen, from
which we were not, however, more than twenty miles distant.
The wind was fresh from the S. E. with thick foggy weather:
and this latter circumstance compelled us to run back eighteen
miles to the S. W. before we could recognize the land seen
on the 3d August. At eight o'clock we saw it, and I now
again steered to the north, at a distance of barely three miles
from the coast, in twenty-five fathoms. From cape Löwenstern
we could now perceive four other promontories, each of which
I expected to find the north cape of Sachalin: and to the south
of it there was close to the shore a beautiful valley almost en-
tirely surrounded by mountains; near to which, it is probable,
that some rivulet empties itself into the sea. In this valley we
saw two habitations; the first we had perceived on the east
coast of Sachalin; and not far from thence an inlet between two
projecting points of land; but these also were connected by a
148 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND TH E worr, D.
low neck of land, and we lost all hopes of finding any harbour
here. Northward of cape Löwenstern, as far as the extreme
point of this island, the appearance of the land became more
and more dreary : no traces of vegetation were apparent: the
whole coast, which, in the language of English sailors, would be
called an iron-bound coast, consists entirely of one mass of granite
rock, of a black colour, with here and there a white spot; and
the depth, at the distance of about three miles from land, was
thirty fathoms over a rocky bottom. At this distance we sailed
parallel with the shore, the direction of which, from cape Löw-
enstern to the north cape of Sachalin, was N. W. 35°: at length
we saw the long wished for cape at ten o'clock in the morning,
about twenty-five miles off; but on this day we were unable to
ascertain its latitude. An hour before noon the sky became
overcast; and as it began to rain violently we entirely lost sight
of the land, although we were not more than three miles distant
from it. We now observed a remarkable change in the colour of
the water, which assumed a dirty yellow appearance; and Dr.
Horner found it lighter by eight grains than what he had weighed
the day before: a circumstance which could only have been oc-
casioned by the water of the Amur, the mouth of which was
about one degree and a half more to the south. At one in the
afternoon the weather cleared up, and we perceived the north
cape of Sachalin bearing due west; and cape Löwenstern at the
same time S. E. 5°: the depth was fifty-five fathoms over a
rocky bottom. With a fresh breeze at S. E., and in very thick
foggy weather, we weathered the northern point of Sachalin,
which at half past three in the afternoon bore south of us: and
we now distinguished high land stretching S. W. as far as the eye
could reach. Owing to the thickness of the weather we could
EX A MINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC II A LIN . 149
not discover the northern extremity, which, with the north point
of Sachalin, seemed to form a considerable bay: the land to the
S. W. was also high, but not so mountainous as the rest. As it
now came on to blow a gale from E. S. E. I lay-by under reefed
top-sails; but observing that the current drove us towards the
shore, and that our depth of water was gradually diminishing, I
conceived it advisable to stand off from the land throughout the
night.
On the 9th August at day-break, the weather being thick,
with a moderate east wind, I set all sail, steering S. W., in which
direction I expected to fall in with the north cape of Sachalin.
But it was not until nine that we discovered the land, which
proved to be that part of the coast we had seen the day before
enveloped in mist, lying to the S. W. of the north point of
Sachalin. At ten o’clock we perceived this point to the S. E.
52°; at the same time we had the north-west cape of Sachalin in
S. W. 5': we were at an equal distance, about eighteen miles
from both of them, and our depth of water was thirty-five
fathoms over a sandy bottom.
These two promontories, which form the north coast of Sa-
chalin, I have named Elizabeth and Maria : two names that must
be dear to every Russian ; and I would gladly have adorned
more agreeable spots with them. Cape Elizabeth in 54° 24′ 30° N.,
and 217° 13' 30" W., is a high mass of rock, and forms the ex-
tremity of an uninterrupted chain of mountains. It is very re-
markable from a number of pointed hills, or rather naked rocks,
upon which neither tree nor verdure of any kind is perceptible:
it descends gradually towards the sea, and at the brink of the
15() KR USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE won I.D.
precipice is a pinnacle, or small peak, at the bottom of which is
a rock of considerable height, surrounded by several smaller
ones. Viewed from the west, this cape bears an extraordinary
resemblance to the south coast of Kamtschatka, or cape Lo-
patka, except that the former is loftier. On the west side of
the cape a point projects, and between these there is a small
bay, or rather, an open bight. Cape Maria, which lies in 54°
17, 30' N. and 217°42' 15" W., is lower than cape Elizabeth:
it consists of a chain of hills all of nearly the same elevation,
and, consequently, resembling a level plain ; this cape slopes
very gently down to the sea, and at length terminates in a steep
precipice, from whence a dangerous reef runs to the N. E. A
great surf in this direction proves that the rocks stretch out for
a considerable distance into the sea, and as the currents in the
vicinity of this cape are very violent, and can only be overcome
by a fresh wind, it is dangerous to approach too near to it. A
sudden shift of wind to the N. W. might easily render the situa-
tion of a ship precarious, and particularly as the reef, in all
probability, stretches out much farther than we had any oppor-
tunity of observing.
Between capes Elizabeth and Maria there is a large bay of
considerable depth, in which the land, for the most part, was of
a moderate height, and in some places so low, that we looked
with such a degree of certainty to the prospect of finding a
good harbour here that I steered towards it in search of one.
However, as we approached we found our expectations de-
ceived : it was every where connected by low land ; but in the
vicinity of the south-west shore, at the foot of a mountain, there
was a valley in a most delightful situation, where we distin-
EX AM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SAC HAL IN . 151
guished a large village, consisting of twenty-seven houses.
Thirty-five persons were seated in a row along the shore; and
these were the first inhabitants of Sachalin whom we had seen
since quitting Patience bay. I sent Lieutenant Löwenstern on
shore, to acquire some information concerning them and their
country; but as I imagined that some Tartars from the opposite
coast might have fixed their residence here, I ordered him in this
case not to go to any distance from the beach, and to return to
his boat upon the least suspicious appearance. He was accom-
panied by Drs. Horner and Tilesius, and set out about two
o'clock; the ship in the mean while was hove-to about one mile
and a half from shore. The depth had gradually decreased to
seven fathoms: till within eleven, the bottom had been inva-
riably rocky, but after that it was of a fine sand. After rowing
about half an hour the boat landed opposite the village; and our
vicinity to the shore enabled us distinctly to perceive all the
motions of either party: the reception our officers experienced
appeared to us, if not hostile, at any rate by no means friendly;
and at four the boat returned with the following account:——
Three persons, who, from the superiority of their clothing over
that of the rest, must have been chiefs, advanced to meet them
as the boat approached the shore: each of them had a fox's
brush in his hand, which they whisked about, crying out, at the
same time, so loud, that it was distinctly heard on board the ship.
Our party, however, stepped on shore, and were received with a
very hearty embrace; but their advance seemed, in some mea-
sure, to be resisted : at the same moment all the inhabitants of
the village came towards them, and as each was armed with a
dagger, and the chiefs with sabres, this reception appeared to
them rather too suspicious. M. Von Löwenstern, therefore, re-
1.59 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T II E won I.D.
embarked, in obedience to my injunctions: he, however, landed
again in another part of the bay, rather to the north of his first
landing-place, and examined a lake not far behind a height, and
which appeared to extend a considerable way inland. M. Von
Löwenstern only saw the inhabitants of this bay for a few
minutes, but he, nevertheless, justly concluded from their ap-
pearance that they belonged to a very different species of men
from the Ainos who inhabit the southern part of Sachalin. Most
of them, like the latter, were clad in parkys : the three chiefs
wore coloured silk dresses, and many of the others had an upper
dress of silk of various colours. It appeared to us certain that
these people were Tartars; and of this we were afterwards con-
vinced, upon our nearer acquaintance with them, which I shall
presently have to mention.
Should it ever be the intention of Russia to plant a colony in
the north of Sachalin, this bay is the only spot calculated for
such an undertaking: it lies very open, yet it appears to me to
possess a decided superiority over those in Teneriffe and Madeira,
where, at certain seasons of the year, very considerable fleets
anchor in perfect safety. The depth, which, as I have already
mentioned, was at one mile and a half from shore, nine fathoms
over a bottom of fine sand, decreases gradually, and at half a
cable's length from the shore there is a depth of three fathoms
over an excellent anchoring ground. In the summer, when the
north winds are rare, this bay must therefore be perfectly safe;
and that they are very much so in that season I conclude, from
not having perceived the least surf throughout the bay, which is
entirely open to the N. E. and N. W.; and our boat landed
with a facility only experienced in such as are closed in. During
ExAM IN ATION OF THE COAST OF SAC HA LIN. 153
the whole time, moreover, that we were examining the coast of
Sachalin, almost until our return, we never witnessed a con-
tinued north wind, except on the 2d August: the reigning winds
being from the S. E. and S. W.; and in case of an approaching
storm from the N. E. or N. it would not be difficult, as the bay
is so very roomy, to work out of it. The valley where the vil-
lage was situated is particularly calculated for a settlement:—
the neighbourhood is remarkably delightful; every where we
perceived the finest grass, of a luxuriant growth, and the sur-
rounding heights and mountains were covered with magnificent
forests of fir-trees. A large lake, into which several small rivulets
empty themselves, is close at hand; nor can there be the
least difficulty in procuring an ample supply of wood and water.
The distance from the small bay on the opposite coast of
Sachalin is not more than five miles by land ; and there was
another small village nearer to cape Maria, inhabited also, in
all probability, by Tartars, who must be considered merely as
strangers who have driven away the natives, the Ainos, and, per-
haps, entirely extirpated them. Between the two villages we
distinguished several rein-deer feeding near the shore, and there
can be no doubt but that husbandry might be pursued here with
considerable effect.
This, which I shall call the north bay, is formed by cape Eli-
zabeth to the east, and cape Maria to the west, lying eigh-
teen miles N. E., and S. W. 65°, from each other. The valley
where the larger colony of Tartars is established is quite in the
bottom of the bay, in latitude 54° 15'45" N., and longitude 217"
28' 00" W., about nine miles to the southward of cape Elizabeth.
At some distance, and before the houses appear in sight, this
WOL. II, X
154 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE wor LD.
spot is remarkable from having altogether the appearance of two
islands, between which any one would expect to find a secure
anchorage. From the observations we made in the vicinity of
cape Maria, it is high water here at two o'clock at new and
full moon, and the tide, as I imagine, does not rise to any con-
siderable height.
I should infallibly have come to an anchor in this bay, in
order to examine into it nearer, (which it appeared so much to
deserve) and the rather as Lieutenant Löwenstern had been
obliged to shorten his visit; but that, after a considerable length
of time, we had at last a clear day, and as I hoped that the fine
weather might continue for some time, I was desirous of em-
ploying this valuable opportunity in the examination of the
north-west part of Sachalin; of so much the more importance
as I still could not persuade myself that we should not find
there a secure harbour, where I proposed to stay for some
time.
After Lieutenant Löwenstern's return on board, and that the
boat was hoisted in, I made all sail to weather cape Maria. As
we cleared the bay the depth of water increased from eight to
sixteen fathoms, and upon our nearer approach to the cape, and
when we were from six to seven miles from shore, it suddenly
fell to forty-eight. At eight in the evening the helm became
unserviceable, although the wind was pretty fresh and fair,
owing to a strong current, the direction of which we found to be
W. S. W.; but at two o'clock in the morning it altered to
E. S. E., the wind still continuing very fresh. The ship re-
mained altogether unmanageable, and we were left entirely to
EXAMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC IH A LIN. 155
the current; and in order to ascertain its rate I lowered a boat
which was anchored alongside the ship, when we found it to be
two miles and a half in the hour; a calculation which, by an-
other experiment, we proved to be perfectly correct; although
during the night its force had been more considerable. About
noon I brought the ship up with a kedge anchor in thirty-
five fathoms, over a bottom of fine sand ; cape Elizabeth at the
time bearing by compass S. E. 79, cape Maria S. E. 31', and a
new point on the N. W. side, which I named cape Horner,
S. E. 28°. In this situation we observed in 54° 30' 02" N., and
our corrected longitude by the time-pieces was – 217° 55' W.
At two o'clock we had a fresh breeze at N. E., and I instantly
got under weigh, and steered for cape Maria, which, at eight in
the evening, bore W. , N. In the night the wind shifted to
S. E., and continued in this direction the whole of the next day,
blowing very fresh, and with incessant rain, nor did we see the
sun for a single instant. This unfavourable weather compelled
us to beat about in the canal that separates Sachalin from the
coast of Tartary, which, however, we were unable to see: the
depth of water was from twenty-two to twenty-seven fathoms,
and the current constantly very rapid. During the night the
wind fell, and the ship instantly refused her helm, and we were
left entirely to the current until ten o'clock in the morning of
the 12th August, when, although we had a fresh breeze from the
north-west, we found it impossible to stem the current, and were
consequently obliged to steer S. E. by S. instead of E. N. E.,
nor could we succeed in laying the latter course until five in the
afternoon. From the direction and form of the land I judged
there was a secure harbour behind cape Horner; and in order
to ascertain this I stood in to about one mile and a half from
156 KR USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
the shore; but though we found it sheltered in some measure,
it was not by any means so deep as I had at first imagined. In
this bay I anchored on the 14th August, as we could find no
other harbour.
At noon our observations were 54° 04' 10" N., and 217' 51' 30"
W., thirty-two miles more to the north than by the log. Farther
to the eastward of us was a high peak, situated entirely in the
centre of the country ; and to the southward of this another
pretty lofty mountain, divided at the summit. Cape Maria, at
the same time, bore N. E. 28°, and the southernmost land we
could see E. S. E. The peak, which I have called after Dr.
Espenberg, the physician of our ship, lies in 54° 04' 10" N., and
217° 10' 00" W,
Dr. Horner, who, during our navigation of the canal, had
made several experiments to ascertain the specific gravity of the
water, found it now but seventy-eight grains in weight; twelve
lighter than the sea water in medium latitudes, and only four-
teen grains heavier than river water, which convinced us of our
vicinity to the mouth of the Amur. We now sailed parallel
with the coast, never more than a mile and a half or two miles
from it, that not even the most trifling circumstance might es-
cape us: our depth of water was from fourteen to sixteen
fathoms.
The north-west coast of Sachalin is infinitely preferable to
the south-west: between the mountains, which are entirely
overgrown, even to their summits, with the thickest forests, there
are valleys that, judging from the luxuriant growth of the grass
ExAMINATION of THE CoAst of SACHA LIN. 157
with which they are covered, must be very capable of cultiva-
tion. The shores were broken, and almost every where of a
yellow colour, which gave to the coast the appearance of being
hemmed in by an artificial wall. In some places were flat
hollows, where we generally saw houses, or else some objects,
such as boats, racks to dry fish upon, and other similar things,
that proved their vicinity. The southernmost settlement on
this coast was farther inland ; it was a large village, consist-
ing of very well built habitations; and we saw also a cul-
tivated field, the tillage of which denoted a nation much more
civilized than the Ainos. The confines of the high and low
lands were in precisely the same parallel as on the north-east
side, and were here distinguished by some mountains that we
had seen on the opposite side, and now recognized. The high
land terminated at this place, and we saw nothing before us, as
far as the eye could reach, but the low sandy shore stretching
S. S. W., and on which there were only here and there a few
insulated sand-hills, perfectly resembling those we had remarked
on the east side. These sand-hills, however, notwithstanding the
bad, materials of which they consist, had a picturesque appear-
ance; and their irregular insulated situation, and diversity of
form and height, gave them entirely the appearance of a large
and ancient city. As we approached this sandy shore the depth
also, decreased, and was not more than eight and a half or
eight fathoms. Towards evening the wind blew fresh from.
N. N. W. directly into the channel, and as the flat sandy beach
still stretched more and more to the westward, and we must
have steered S. W. to have kept parallel with the coast, I
judged it prudent to haul our wind and stand to the westward,
across the channel. On the extreme point of the land we per-
158 KRU's EN stERN's voy AGE. Roun D THE world.
ceived just before dark a high hill, which, in the midst of this
ocean of sand, bore a very remarkable appearance, and at no
great distance from this was a large rock in form like a pyramid.
At day-break of the 13th August I made all sail, and steered
at first S. E. to reconnoitre accurately the land that we saw in
this direction: at eight o'clock I altered my course to S. by W.:
we now perceived, at some distance, the same sandy coast upon
which we had been the preceding evening, and shortly after
could distinguish the continuation of it still more to the west-
ward. At eleven we saw a high mountainous land stretching
from S. W. by W. to west, that had hitherto been concealed
from us by the thick mist in which it was enveloped : this must
have been the coast of Tartary ; and between its extreme point,
behind which, farther inland, were two other chains of moun-
tains of considerable height, and the coast of Sachalin, there
was an opening of not more than five miles. This then seemed
to be the channel leading to the mouth of the Amur, and to this
I now bent my course: we were at the most five miles from its
centre, and our soundings had diminished to six fathoms; and
not thinking it safe to venture farther with the ship, I sent
Lieutenant Romberg with orders first to row towards the point
of Sachalin, until he came into three fathoms water, and then
directly to the cape of Tartary, sounding across the whole width
of the channel. At six in the evening he returned upon my
firing signal guns, as we had entirely lost sight of him for two
hours. He informed me that the rapidity of the current from
the southward had rendered the advance very laborious, and he
therefore could not have proceeded till within three fathoms, and
have had still time left to sound in the channel. He had gone,how-
E X ATMINATION OF THE COAST OF SAC H A LIN . 1.59
ever, in a direct line towards the point of Sachalin, until he got
into four fathoms water, where he calculated upon being about
midway between the ship and the land, and two miles and a
half from both. He then rowed over towards the coast of Tar-
tary, finding the soundings at first the same, but gradually de-
creasing to three fathoms and a half. At this moment the signal
was made, and he returned : he brought with him a pailful of
water, which he had dipped exactly in the middle of the chan-
nel, at the farthest point to which he had proceeded. It was
perfectly sweet, and only one grain heavier than what we had
shipped at the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and precisely
of the same specific gravity as the fresh water from Nangasaky;
the water which was drawn up alongside the ship being of
the same weight, and perfectly fit to drink. During our stay at
the mouth of this channel the current ran with great rapidity
from the south and S. S. E., and I had every reason to believe
we were very near the mouth of the Amur, which was probably
at no great distance from the promontory on the coast of
Tartary.
The two points that form the entrance of this channel I have
named after the second and third lieutenants of my ship: the
westernmost on the coast of Tartary lying in 53° 26'30' N., and
218° 15' 15" W. Cape Romberg, and the easternmost on the
coast of Sachalin, in 53° 30' 15" N., and 2.18° 05' 00" W. cape
Golowatscheff.
As soon as the boat was hoisted in I steered for the coast of
Tartary, and by sun-set we were within six miles of it: the depth
was here nine and ten fathoms: a little to the northward of cape
160 k R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE WORLD.
Romberg were two islands, and from these a low headland
stretched to the N. W. precisely in the direction of the coast.
In some places the land sunk in such a manner as to make it
doubtful whether this headland was not a chain of small islands,
or else one single island of considerable magnitude, separated
by a narrow channel from the land behind it.
At eight o'clock I lay by in nine and a half fathoms: cape
Golowatscheff bearing S. W. 55°, cape Romberg S. W. 5°, and
the northern point of the coast of Tartary N. W. 53°. This
promontory lying in 53° 38' 00" N., and 2.18° 34' 00" W., I have
named cape Chavaroff, in honour of the enterprising and learned
Russian, who, in the year 1649, at his own expence, and with
very little assistance, attempted the dangerous undertaking, to
complete the discovery, then recently made, of the Amur, and
to add this important acquisition to his country.
In the night the wind veered to S. E., and at day-break I
made all sail along the coast of Tartary, in order to get out of
the channel. The stream, however, drove us so fast to the
southward, that, notwithstanding the wind was very fresh, and
we had every rag of sail set, we were unable to lay the ship a
N. W., and much less a W. S. W. course, the one I wanted to
steer. We continued our attempt without success for two
hours, although the ship ought to have run at least seven knots,
to judge from the impulse of the wind and the quantity of sail
we carried. At length, at six o'clock, as we were unable to
stem the rapidity of the current and advance to the westward,
I steered N. E. by E. to the north-west point of Sachalin, where
it was my intention to come to an anchor in the bay, in which,
ExAM INATION OF THE COAST OF SACH A LIN. 161
§
as we sailed by it, we had seen a considerable village, that I
might have the opportunity of forming a nearer acquaintance
with the Tartars who have taken possession of the northern part
of Sachalin: at six in the evening we anchored in nine fathoms
water, over a rocky bottom, one mile from the nearest land.
VOL. II. Y
162
CHAPTER VI.
R.E.T U R N TO KA MTS C H A T K A.
Stay in Nadeshda Bay—We find it inhabited by Tartars—Their mistrustful Con-
duct—Short Account of their Manners and Customs—And of their Houses—
Supposed Number of Tartars settled in the North Part of Sachalin—Geogra-
phical Situation of Nadeshda Bay—We sail for the second Time towards the op-
posite Coast of Tartary, but without obtaining Sight of it—Its probable Direction
—Impossibility of exploring the Coast of Tartary from the River Amur to the
Russian Boundary—Plan I had projected for so doing in Japan—Necessity of be-
ginning any Eramination of these Parts at Udinsk–Proofs of Sachalin not being
divided by a Channel from Tartary—Subsequent Confirmation by Captain
Broughton of this Opinion—We proceed on our Voyage from Sachalin to Kamt-
schatka—Isle of St. Jonas—Laid down incorrectly—Constant Fog and stormy
Weather—We cross the Kuriles—Anchor in Awatscha Bay.
We arrived too late to go on shore the same evening, and
I therefore sent out a boat to fish, which, in two hours time, re-
turned with an ample supply, sufficient to last the whole crew
for three days. The fish were almost all of the salinon kind,
and perfectly similar to those which are taken in such quan-
tities in Kamtschatka, and are there called Tschewitscha. In
the night a fresh breeze, accompanied by a heavy shower of rain,
arose from the E. S. E., and owing to the badness of the bot-
tom throughout the bay, which I had sounded in all directions,
in the hopes of finding a spot of better anchoring ground, the
R. ET U R N TO KA MIT'S CHI A T K A. w 163
ship drove a few fathoms; the wind, however, abated towards
midnight considerably.
The next morning I sent off two boats immediately, the one
to fish, and the other to collect some wood which lay scattered
near the shore, as our stock was almost exhausted; and about
eight o'clock I went on shore myself with almost all my officers:
every one of us being desirous of a walk on shore, a pleasure
we had not enjoyed for a long time, we would not land near
the village, but about a mile off, opposite the ship, at a spot
near the mouth of a small rivulet. However we were disap-
pointed in our hopes of a pleasant walk: for the sea-shore was
bordered by an impassable fence of wood, so closely interwoven
with briars and reeds, as to render it altogether impossible for us
to penetrate through it, and we were forced to wade through the
sand to the village.
Before we landed we were met not far from the shore by a
large boat with ten people in it, who, as soon as we got near to
them, all stood up, bowed to us, and made signs that we should
go on shore: their mode of invitation was precisely the same as
that of the people on the north side of Sachalin. They had fox-
tails in their hands, which they flourished in the air, and then
pointed towards the shore, bowing at the same time very low.
Having performed this ceremony, and observing that it was, at
all events, our intention to land, they rowed as quick as possible
to the shore, where they arrived a few minutes before us, and
immediately hauled up their boat. Our reception was the most
friendly that can be imagined: we embraced each other heartily,
nor could our pantomimical cypressions of friendship be mis-
164 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Ro UND T 11E wor L.D.
understood, although the intention was much more pure on Our
part than on theirs; for we soon observed that they were in great
distress at our visit. I was surprised not to find a single Aino
here (certainly the original inhabitants of Sachalin), especially as
we had seen so many of them at the southern extremity of the
island, but instead of them to find a race of men perfectly re-
sembling the Tartars. Their boat was the first thing that at-
tracted our attention; and by the time we had examined this
we were perfectly convinced that they considered us in any light
rather than as friends, and that their pretended joy at our arrival
was merely a precautionary measure on their part, intended to
conceal their evil purposes under the mask of friendship. The
boat was full of spears, swords, and arrows; but not a single
firearm; a proof of their being unacquainted with the use of
these weapons; as they would not otherwise have omitted to
provide themselves with them, their only intention in rowing off
to meet us being to defend their colony against any attack on
our part. The boat itself was of considerable size, but without
either mast or sail. We now advanced towards the village, not-
withstanding they endeavoured by all the means in their power
to prevent us; but as soon as they perceived that we were bent
upon going thither they all ran to their boat, which they
instantly launched, and rowed away as fast as possible.
On our arrival at the village we found about twenty per-
sons collected at nearly two hundred paces from their houses,
among whom we recognised the men who came in the boat to
meet us: one of them was now dressed in a fine silk gown
worked with flowers, and made after the Chinese fashion; but
the rest of his appearance by no means equalled this splendid
R. ET U R N TO KA M T S C H A T R A. 165
gown. He was undoubtedly the head of the colony, and in order
to insinuate myself into his good graces I presented him with a
piece of cloth of an orange colour, with which he appeared
highly delighted; and divided some trifles among his com-
panions, such as knives, needles, pieces of cloth, and the like.
I now fancied I had convinced them that we were only come
amongst them as friends, and that all motives for suspicion
were removed; and we therefore indicated our intention of pro-
ceeding to their houses. This, however, immediately altered
the scene: they placed themselves between us, and shewed in
every way they were able their objection to our proceeding
thither; at first we appeared to take no notice of their behaviour,
and continued our walk at a slow pace in a body, upon which
they all ran together, giving evident tokens of their fear and
terror, but at the same time without following us. As I was un-
willing to give this suspicious people any groundless cause for
uneasiness at our visit, I immediately turned back; and taking
the chief by the hand, endeavoured to convince him that we had
not the least hostile intention towards them, and as a proof of
my friendly disposition, and in the hopes of removing their fears,
I took off my sword. I likewise gave him to understand that
We would not enter their houses, but content ourselves merely
with approaching them, and I endeavoured to persuade him, as
well as his companions, to accompany us. A consultation now
took place amongst them, after which they seemed to determine
no longer to deny us their permission, and to accompany us.
Their first intention of staying behind, when we shewed our
resolution of proceeding to the village, notwithstanding their
objections, appeared to me an open contradiction to the signs of
fear they evinced; nor can I in any way explain it to myself,
except by supposing it was their idea to have destroyed our boat,
166 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE. Roun D THE world.
towards which they frequently directed their looks, and then
have revenged themselves upon us. The boat was only guarded
by two persons, and, owing to the heavy surf, had been hauled
up high and dry, so that they might easily have put this in
execution. Their party did not now even remain with us,
but some of them ran on in advance, in order to reach the
village before us, taking a shorter cut through the wood, which
we were unable to follow. At length we reached their houses,
the first of which belonged to the chief, who now ranged him-
self with all his friends in front of it, making signs that it was
his ; and besides this precaution there were two lusty fellows
standing immediately in the entrance, who gave us to under-
stand by their pantomime that they should dispute our passage.
As I had promised not to go in, we all appeared very indifferent
upon this point, notwithstanding we were in the highest degree
curious to see the interior of their dwellings, their style of living,
and their families. After again distributing some presents among
them we proceeded into the village as far as its other extremity,
and in order to quiet the fears of the remaining inhabitants I
prevailed on the chief to accompany us; to which he seemed at
length to have made up his mind, and we walked on hand in
hand. This circumstance, although it appeared to indicate the
greatest friendship between us, was done with evident ill will on
his part; for at every other step he stopped short, and by the
most pitiful looks gave me to understand his wish that we
should return; and it was only by a fresh present of a piece of
cloth that I could keep him at all in good humour, or convince
him, as I imagined I did, that our purpose was by no means
inimical towards him; and his fear now probably arose from the
doubt whether we might not carry our curiosity too far.
RETURN TO KAMT's CHATKA. 167
After a walk of nearly three hundred fathoms in length, and
by a footpath almost concealed by the high grass, we reached
the end of the village, where nothing struck us except a few
houses at some little distance, apparently better built than the
rest, and provided with chimneys. To these we now bent our
way; and we found the first of them empty, so that they could
not deny us the entrance to it: it appeared to have been only
lately forsaken, for we found in it several family arrangements,
for instance, a stone hearth, over which was a large iron hook,
probably for the purpose of suspending their kettle, in each of
the two corners of the hall. I did not allow myself to go any
farther, and we now returned towards the chief's house, where a
number of people were assembled, who bartered a few trifles of
no intrinsic value, but curious to us. Even the chief humbled
himself so far as to exchange his fine silk gown for a piece of
cloth of moderate length; but in order not to appear less brilliant
in our eyes, and to give us a high idea of his consequence, and
perhaps of his wealth, he instantly retired into the interior
of his house, and in the course of a quarter of an hour re-
appeared in a fine red silk dress worked with flowers of gold,
which in all probability he would have sold, as he did the other,
if any customer had offered. Covetousness seemed to form a
principal trait in his character, and of this he gave us a very re-
markable proof; for although he had received from me several
presents, which must have been considerable to him, he would
not let us have a little dried fish, which we thought nicely pre-
pared, and were desirous of tasting, until we had purchased
it, and even then he insisted upon first receiving the price
of it: cloth and tobacco, particularly the latter, for which they
168 K R USENSTERN's v O YAG E ROUND THE WORLD.
appeared willing to give every thing they had, were what they
set the most value upon; and they often refused to accept things
which might have been of the greatest value to them, when in-
stead of them they could obtain a few leaves: unfortunately we
were not provided with any, and the boat's crew, therefore, who
had brought tobacco with them to barter for things on their own
account, made the most advantageous bargains, and one of our
party who had given a silk handkerchief, worth at least two
rubles, for a Sachalin hat, of no other value than as a curiosity,
saw it immediately afterwards exchanged for a leaf or two of
tobacco.
As the wind was rising, I was obliged to return on board by
half-past ten: our curiosity was in some measure gratified, and
our total ignorance of their language left us but little interest-
ing to expect from a nearer acquaintance with these people,
particularly as the entrance to their houses was entirely denied
to us.
Thus it appears that the north of Sachalin is not inhabited by
natives of the island: their mild and amiable character is pro-
bably the cause of their being oppressed by their neighbours,
who are undoubtedly Tartars from the vicinity of the Amur,
who have found their way along the neck of land that unites
Sachalin to Tartary, probably since a very late period, into the
country of the Ainos. A similar revolution awaits the southern
possessors of Sachalin, where the Japanese have settled, who
already consider the country as their own, and the natives as
their subjects; but while the colonies in Aniwa bay are under
R.E.T U R N TO KA MT'S CHAT K A. & 169
the orders and immediate superintendence of the Japanese
government, the court of Pekin is in all probability entirely
ignorant of the emigration of its subjects from Tartary. In this
manner all traces of a people are lost who, two centuries ago,
were in possession of the large islands of Sachalin, Jesso, and
the greater part of the Kurile islands, after a gradual invasion
of their country by their more warlike and powerful neighbours.
They have almost entirely disappeared from the north of the
island, for in Nadeshda bay I saw but one single person who
appeared to me to be an Aino.
The race of its present inhabitants is too well known, ap-
parently to require any particular description in this place;
but as we were the first Europeans who landed here, and
as a change of place may have produced some change in their
mode of life, I think it right to mention the few things which
struck us on our short intercourse with them, altogether of not
more than two hours duration.
Their dress consisted of a parka of dogs-skin, or else a kind
of gown made of fish-gut, such as in Kodiak and the Aleutic
islands is called kamleyka. Their boots were invariably made
of seal-skins, and on their heads they wore a flat straw hat very
similar to those of the common people in China: their hair was
long and plaited as it is worn there by the lower orders, and
reached down as low as their hips; their shirts were made
of blue cotton, and fastened with two brass buttons, and they
wore long white stockings made of a coarse linen. The chief,
with the exception of his silk gown, was as simply and dirtily
dressed as the rest, from whom he was not to be distinguished
WOL. IIs Z
17O K R Us E N STERN's Voy A G E Ro UND THE WORLD.
either by the fineness of his linen, or the superiority of his
clothes in general: nor was any particular respect paid to him,
but, on the contrary, he was treated by them with great familiarity.
In fact, the only thing that rendered him at all remarkable was
his beard, the rest being all shaved: nor did he, or any of the
other people, wear the least ornament of any kind.
Their food must have consisted entirely of fish, for we could
no where distinguish the smallest traces of husbandry, although
there were several meadows in the vicinity of their village, ap-
parently well calculated for cultivation, but merely covered with
high grass; nor did we perceive any implements proper for the
cultivation of garden stuff, of which the Tartars, as well as the
Chinese, make so much use in all their dishes. They have there-
fore no vegetable, nor indeed any animal food; for, with the
exception of a few dogs, I saw no kind of domestic animal, nor
any sort of poultry, but, on the other hand, before every house
was a large rack for the purpose of drying fish, which they do
particularly well, and apparently in great plenty. Both in
cleaning and preparing their fish they seem infinitely more
expert than the Kamtschadales, at least those of the south;
but, what I have never seen in Kamtschatka, there were im-
mense heaps of worms near their racks, with which the ground
was covered nearly an inch thick, a circumstance of by no
means a pleasing appearance. Dogs they in all probability
keep as well for their clothing as for their winter journeys, which
was evident from their number, and from their sledges re-
sembling in every respect the Kamtschadale Nartas, except in
being larger. Their houses are of considerable size, and with
the exception of those seen at the extremity of the village,
R. ET U R N TO KA MTS C H A T K A. 171
and of which we had examined the empty one, were all built
upon piles about four or five feet above the ground, the space
between which and the house itself was occupied by the dogs.
A staircase of seven or eight steps led to a gallery about
ten feet in width, in the middle of which is the door of the
entrance hall, that occupies nearly half the width of the house;
the gallery was not carried round it, but merely in front;
and the hall was unprovided with furniture, at least in the
chief's house, so that we may safely infer that there was a
similar want of it in the rest. The chief's was likewise the only
house of which the door was not blocked up, but this was
guarded by two men, who, however, could not prevent our
looking into it. We observed nothing but bare walls, and a
door directly facing that of the entrance, which probably led to
the apartment of their women, whom they kept most carefully
concealed ; nor could we procure sight of a single one, nor of
any children, except a little one of between three and four years
old, which was carried about before us. Their anxious fear lest
we should approach too close to the women was in all proba-
bility the reason of their dislike to our visit; and nothing but
this circumstance could have induced them to block up their
doors and windows; which had evidently been done in a hurry,
as appeared by the employment of single boards, merely fast-
ened together by a rope. Round the houses were small aper-
tures or windows which were all shut in with boards.
This village, which consisted of sixteen or eighteen houses,
contained, probably, not more than sixty or seventy persons,
for we only saw about twenty or twenty-five grown people; and
it may easily be imagined that as many as possible were col-
179 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
lected, partly to defend their property, and partly from cu-
riosity: that the other bay, more to the north, was far more
populous, appeared not only by the greater number of houses,
but likewise by the greater quantity of finely dressed people.
who came down to the beach to meet Lieutenant Löwen-
stern; and as these in all probability were chiefs, it is evi-
dent there must have been more people subject to them.
Calculating, therefore, their number at double that of the
north-western bay, namely, one hundred and forty; that of the
inhabitants of another small village in the north bay at fifty;
of a village on the north-west side, which we saw at some little
distance, at one hundred ; and reckoning besides these the
number of the inhabitants of the scattered houses at another
fifty, the whole number of Tartars who have come into Sa-
chalin amounts to about four hundred persons; a calculation
which I consider as rather below than above the real number.
This bay, which I have named Nadeshda after our ship, is
rather open, and consequently not safe as an anchorage, par-
ticularly as the ground is every where rocky. It lies in latitude
54° 10' 15" north, and longitude 217° 32' 36 west. A plentiful
supply of wood and water may easily be procured here, and
there is besides an abundance of fish; but the situation is such.
as will preclude it from ever being much visited by navigators.
At one o'clock in the afternoon we arrived on board, and im-
mediately got under sail. In the preceding chapter I stated
that the rapidity of the current to the southward rendered it
impossible for us to examine the opposite coast of Tartary;
however I considered it of importance to obtain some farther
R. ET U R N TO KA MTS C H A T K A. I73
information upon the direction of this coast, and particularly
whether it continues in the same line from cape Chabaroff, the
farthest land seen by us to the northward, or whether from this
point it takes a westward course, as I believed to be the case,
and it, in fact, is laid down in the chart: concluding that the
low head-land we saw to the northward of cape Romberg
was an island, and the same which in the charts takes the
direction of the coast in the form of a crescent.
Accordingly I steered S. W. by W. with a strong S. S. E.
wind, and as we ran at the rate of not less than six and a half
or seven knots, by seven o'clock we had gone a distance of thirty
miles by the log. The horizon, both to the south and north-
west, was perfectly clear, and any land of a considerable height
could not have escaped us even at the distance of from twenty-
five to thirty miles; but there was not the least appearance of
any thing, even from the mast-head, although cape Chabaroff
was certainly not more than twelve miles, by our calculation, to
the south-west of us: this convinced us that there must be a
strong current to the north, which was confirmed by our obser-
vations the next day; for by our reckoning we ought to have
been thirty-five miles more northward, and this current must
undoubtedly have acted upon us within the channel with much
greater force than when we were again in the open sea; so that
cape Chabaroff instead of being only twelve miles off, was, per-
haps, double that distance, and more. This circumstance, and
a little fog which covered the high land, were in all probability
the reason of our not seeing the cape: but had the coast still
followed a north-west direction from that point, and nine or
ten miles farther, we must have approached so near to it, not-
174 KRU SENSTERN's voy A G E Roun D THE wor L.D.
withstanding the current, that it could not possibly have been
concealed from us; and I consider this as a manifest proof that
the coast of Tartary assumes a westward, perhaps even a W. S. W.
direction from cape Chabaroff. We had only another half-
hour's daylight, and therefore gave up all hopes of seeing the
land; but before quitting the channel entirely, I was determined
to employ an hour in steering directly to the westward, in
order to judge, if possible, from the increase or diminution of
the water, whether we were approaching the land or not. At
seven o’clock our soundings were twenty-eight fathoms, and at
eight, seven miles more to the westward, they had increased to
thirty-five over a sandy bottom: judging from this we appeared
to be receding from instead of approaching the land, and I
looked upon this as a fresh proof that the coast of Tartary could
not continue in the same direction from cape Chabaroff as
before. A little before dark I made the men look out carefully
for land in every direction, but nothing was visible; to the
south-west, indeed, the man at the mast-head fancied it rather
thickened, but he could not at all affirm that what he saw was
land, and I now repented heartily that I had not employed the
half hour of light which remained in continuing my S. W. by W.
course: a direction in which the land, as well as the form of the
coast, might probably have been seen more distinctly, although
we could not in the time have stood in nearer than three miles
and a half.
Gladly as I would have continued our discovery in the
channel, and along the whole coast of Tartary, even from the
river Amur to the Russian frontiers, by which means the geo-
graphy of this part of Asia would have been greatly benefited,
R. E. TU R N TO KA M T S C FIAT K A. 175
I did not dare to undertake it. Upon our last departure from
Kamtschatka I had been most particularly warned by no means to
approach that part of the coast of Tartary which belongs to the
Chinese, that I might not occasion any suspicion in the minds
of this jealous and timid government, and thereby lead to a
rupture that would be immediately followed by the suspension
of the trade with Kiachta, so extremely advantageous to the
Russians”. The opportunity we then had of prosecuting these
discoveries was the most favourable I could have wished for :
between the small islands in the vicinity of cape Romberg there
is no doubt but that I might have found a secure anchorage;
and there was most probably a good harbour in the channel
that separates the island, in the form of a crescent, from the
main, if, indeed, this channel exists, which I think pretty
certain. From that place I might have prepared an expedition
towards the mouth of the Amur, and the coast of Tartary ; but
these islands are not uninhabited, as we convinced ourselves+,
and it would not have been possible for us to conceal, during a
stay there of some days, to what nation we belonged. It is
well known that the Chinese keep a guard of armed boats at the
mouth of the Amur, of the possession of which they are par-
ticularly jealous; and although their discipline is perhaps not
so strict as that of the Japanese, it was easy to foresee that a
circumstantial account of our appearance would have been im-
* I knew nothing of the embassy of Count Goloffkin at that time on its way
from St. Petersburg to Pekin; nor did I receive any information on this subject
until our return from Sachalin, when notice was sent me of it from Petersburg.
+ During the night that we passed in the vicinity of this island we saw fires
in two different places.
176 KRU SENSTERN's voy A G E ROUND THE W or LD.
mediately forwarded to Pekin. I could not, therefore, have ven-
tured to anchor here; and this was the only place where it was
possible for me to remain with the ship for any time in safety. I
mention these reasons, which detained me from pursuing my
discoveries farther to the southward, lest I should be accused of
negligence on this head; for there are geographers who seldom
do justice to navigators, not even those who, with the most
enthusiastic zeal for the furtherance of this science, have exposed
themselves to the most imminent danger. With La Perouse,
for instance, they have expressed dissatisfaction for not attempt-
ing to explore the channel between Sachalin and Tartary, not
recollecting that, although he had a good harbour from whence
he might have sent out his boats, he expressly states that his
long-boat was not decked, and that such an expedition would
have been attended with risk in an open boat; besides that the
season was already so much advanced, and the south winds so
constant, that had he not been carried out of this narrow sea by
a fortunate gale of two days duration, it is very problematical
whether he could possibly have reached Kamtschatka that same
year. Since then La Perouse, who has effected so much for the
science of geography in these foggy Seas, has been blamed for
not having done more, how much greater reason had we to ex-
pect that a similar complaint would be lodged against us!
As some doubts may arise from his journal concerning the
existence of a channel between Sachalin and Tartary, it formed
part of a favourite plan I had conceived to obtain every pos-
sible certainty upon this interesting point: this was not to be
done with a ship drawing sixteen feet and a half water, and it
became necessary to employ the long-boat for the purpose, I
R ET U R N TO KA MTS C H A T K A. 177
therefore availed myself of the time we had to spare at Nan-
gasaky, as well as of the accommodating disposition of the
Japanese government to supply us with every thing that was
required for the use of the ship, to fit this boat, which was per-
fectly well built, in such a manner that it might safely have
ventured into the stormy sea of Ochotsk, and have reached
Kamtschatka, if, by any accident, we should have been se-
parated. For this purpose I had her decked in, coppered her
bottom, and supplied her with new tackle, sails, and every
thing requisite for so long a voyage ; and had appointed Lieu-
tenant Ratmanoff to this expedition, who, as I communicated
my plan to him in Japan, willingly undertook its execution,
and employed himself with great zeal in carrying into effect the
several improvements in the boat which I suggested. I in-
tended that he should be accompanied by lieutenant the Baron
Billingshausen, a very skilful and well informed officer, who was
to be provided with a chronometer, a sextant, and a complete
apparatus to survey and lay down according to astronomical
rules, not only the whole north-west coast of Sachalin from the
harbour from whence I proposed sending this expedition, but
likewise the opposite coast of Tartary as far as the mouth of the
Amur. In case a passage should really have been found, I had
pointed out the bay of Castries as a place proper for them to
complete their water, and to refresh themselves for a couple of
days. This was my plan, in the execution of which I calculated,
with some degree of certainty, upon finding a harbour on the
north-west coast of Sachalin, where the ship might have re-
mained in security for a fortnight, until the return of the long-
boat. In this, however, I was disappointed, as is related in my
account of our navigation along the coast of Sachalin: but even
vol. II. A. A
178 K R USEN STE RN’s Voy A G E Rou N D THE won I. D.
if we had found a harbour I could then only have carried the
Smallest part of my plan into execution, owing to the written
notice received upon our departure from Kamtschatka for the
purpose of continuing the examination of Sachalin, not on any
account to approach the coast of Tartary. sº
Although since the termination of our survey of Sachalin
I am quite convinced that no passage exists to the south of the
Amur between the coast of Tartary and this island ; conse-
quently, that the ascertainment of this point is only so far of
importance as tending to confirm my opinion of the connec-
tion of the two, an opinion in which every person on board the
ship, competent to judge, coincided with myself; it never-
theless appears to me that such an undertaking would be
by no means useless, as a line of coast, at least eighty or one
hundred miles in length, comprising the mouth of the Amur,
still remains unexplored ; and although the doubtful situation
of this river is now reduced to a narrower space, it still cannot
be said to be positively known. This undertaking, which is of
political importance to Russia, and, in a scientific point of view,
of consequence to geography, might be easily set on foot from
the port of Udinsk, with a certainty of success, and unattended
by any risk, provided some enterprising, and, at the same time,
prudent and skilful officers, well acquainted with nautical
astronomy, were to be selected for that purpose.
As I have frequently, with considerable confidence, stated
my idea that there is no passage between Sachalin and Tartary,
and as this question may long continue doubtful, I will here
adduce, in a few words, my reasons for asserting such an opi-
RETURN to KAMTsc HATK A. 179
nion: they are entirely founded upon the observations made by
La Perouse to the south of this strait, and by ourselves to the
north of it. La Perouse expected to find a channel in this
place through which he might have passed into the sea of
Ochotsk: a discovery that would have been of extreme import-
ance, as the knowledge of these coasts, which he had the good
fortune to be the first to navigate, rested merely upon con-
jecture, and it would have shortened his way to Kamtschatka
considerably. He therefore penetrated as much to the northward
as the size of his vessel permitted : but the farther he advanced,
the more he found that the two coasts, both of which he at
length saw at the same time, approached each other considera-
bly ; and that the depth of water decreased at the rate of a
fathom to each mile. What particularly strengthened his
opinion that he was in a gulf, and not near any strait, was, that
there was no current; and there is no doubt that some would
have been perceptible, if any channel, however narrow, had
connected the sea of Ochotsk with the gulf of Tartary. La
Perouse at length came to an anchor in nine fathoms water,
and he would certainly have carried his ship farther, but
that the southerly wind, which blows incessantly throughout
the summer months in these parts, was so violent, and the
waves at the same time so high, that he dared not venture,
in so shallow a sea. He therefore only sent two of his boats to
sound : one of which advanced three miles farther to the north-
ward, where there were six fathoms, water, and then returned
to the ship. It is much to be regretted that the observations
upon the specific gravity of the water, which the scientific
persons on board both ships must undoubtedly have insti-
tuted, have not becn made public; for had there been none,
180 K R Us ENSTERN's vox AG E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
or merely a trifling difference between the weight of this and
the sea-water, it would have been an incontrovertible proof, in
addition to the constantly pacific state of the water, of there
being no passage. The information which La Perouse collected
during his stay in the bay de Castries, notwithstanding his
ignorance of the language, more than confirms this opinion ;
for when he had pointed out to the inhabitants the island of
Sachalin and the opposite coast of Tartary in a drawing which he
made for that purpose, leaving a channel between the two, they
imumediately took the pencil out of his hand, drew a line be-
tween them, and gave him to understand that a sand-bank,
entirely overgrown with sea-weed, connected them, and that
they had dragged their canoes across it. From this relation,
and from the constant diminution of the depth, and the settled
state of the water, La Perouse very rightly concluded that either
Sachalin was connected with Tartary, or that the channel which
separates these two countries must be very narrow, and at the
utmost only a few feet in depth. He does not, indeed, positively
state it; but this must be ascribed to his modesty: he was,
apparently, unwilling to affirm what he could not substantiate,
although he must have been convinced of the fact. The prac-
tice therefore of representing Sachalin as an island, and of
calling the sea that divides it from Tartary the channel of
Tartary, was continued, although if the connection of the two
could be proved, Sachalin becomes a peninsula, and the
channel must be a bay. Our observations, which were carried
one hundred miles more to the north, leave no doubt upon the
subject; for scarcely had we approached the northern point of
Sachalin than we already found a considerable difference in the
weight of the water; and as I kept as near as possible to the
RETURN To K AMT's CHATKA. 18]
north-west side of Sachalin, in the hopes of finding a harbour
there, it is not possible for any river to have escaped us: it
cannot therefore be said that this difference proceeded from any
one flowing from thence into the sea hereabouts; the vicinity
of the Amur must have been the true cause, as the water too
assumed a dirty, yellow colour. After weathering the north
point of Sachalin, as we sailed along the north-west coast, the
water was found, upon every experiment, lighter; and finally,
when close to the channel that separates Sachalin to the north-
ward of the Amur from Tartary, the water drawn up the
ship's side was perfectly sweet, and of the same weight as that
we had on board, as I observed in the preceding chapter. If
there existed the smallest passage to the southward of the Amur,
the south winds, which, as La Perouse ascertained, blow invari-
ably throughout the summer, must have carried such a quantity
of sea-water into the basin where the Amur empties itself, that,
after flowing to the northward through the channel which we
discovered, it is impossible, even if it were to mix with the
waters of the Amur there, that it should lose all its saline parti-
cles. However, as we found not the least salt in it, this tends to
prove that there cannot be any passage to the southward of the
Amur between Sachalin and Tartary; and to this may be added
the violent currents from the southward, of which, in the pre-
ceding chapter, I have made particular mention, and which
must have been much less rapid if the waters of the Amur could
have found any other outlet.
These remarks I made at the time and on the spot, and as
'such entered them in my journal. On my arrival in China I
182 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE W or L.D.
was not a little rejoiced to find Captain Broughton's voyage,
which had appeared in print since my departure; and as this
is in every one's hands, it will be seen that my ideas upon the
junction of Sachalin with Tartary were perfectly well founded.
Captain Broughton advanced in a small vessel drawing not
more than nine feet, eight miles farther north than La Perouse,
came into two fathoms water, and at length discoved a bay
three or four miles in depth ; this he sent a boat to examine,
and found it closed in on all sides, by low sand-hills, nor was
there any where the smallest trace of a passage. Here then
was the extremity of the great gulf of Tartary : and if there
still had existed any small channel which escaped the pene-
trating eye of Captain Broughton, and of Mr. Chapman, the
master of his ship, who examined the bay, it must certainly
have occasioned some current. He, however, mentions the par-
ticular stillness of the water; a convincing proof to his mind of
his being land-locked, and at the bottom of a large bay. Any
physical experiments upon the specific gravity of the water
were here unnecessary; but it is now sufficiently proved that
Sachalin is connected with Tartary by a flat neck of land,
and is consequently only a peninsula, although it is possible,
and even probable, that formerly, and perhaps at no great
distance of time, it was an island, as it is laid down in the
Chinese charts; and has only been gradually joined to Tartary
by the collecting of the sands from the Amur. What, therefore,
since La Perouse, has been called a channel, must now take a
new name, and be known as the gulf of Tartary.
On the 15th August, at eight in the evening, I altered my
# ET U R N TO KA MTS C II AT K A. 183
course from west to N. N. E. On my departure from St.
Petersburg I had been particularly directed to examine the
Schantar islands, which lie in the fifty-fifth degree of latitude,
about sixty miles to the eastward of the port of Udinsk, and
of the number and relative situation of which there was no
accurate account, notwithstanding their vicinity to a known
settlement. I left Kamtschatka with the express intention of
examining these islands after concluding our survey of Sachalin;
and I might now have done so previous to the stormy season,
had I not been compelled to be at Canton in the early part of
November, as well to terminate the business we had to transact
there before the conclusion of the north-east monsoon, as that
the Neva, which was to arrive about that time with a cargo
of furs, might not have to wait for us. This circumstance in-
duced me to give up the examination of the Schantar islands,
and to hasten back to Kamtschatka, where I wished to arrive
before the expiration of the present month; for I could easily
foresee that our stay there would be of at least four or five weeks
duration. However, in order that our voyage there might not
be entirely devoid of geographical interest, I resolved upon as-
certaining some points upon its western coast, between the fifty-
sixth degree of latitude and Bolscheretzk, as I believe that
no astronomical observations have ever been made to the
northward of that point: I now therefore directed my course
thither.
At ten o'clock the wind which had been pretty fresh at S. S. E.
during the whole day, increased to a storm, and continued so
throughout the night and the next day, the 16th August. About
noon the Sun made his appearance, and we had an observation
184 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
in latitude 55° 24, by which it appeared that in the twenty-two
hours since we quitted our anchorage we had been carried
thirty-three miles by the current. Towards evening the wind
fell a little, but still blew very strong throughout the night. On
the 17th August, at about two o'clock in the morning, we sud-
denly made the land to the northward, which, from its little ex-
tent, must have been an island : I therefore lay by immediately;
but finding that we were not very near to it, we beat up under
easy sail, to examine closer into what I then considered as a
new discovery ; for the nearest land to us, the island of Jonas,
ought, by Admiral Sarytscheff's chart, to have been three de-
grees to the east. The man, therefore, who first discovered this
island immediately obtained the premium awarded to him who
should perceive any land where I had not expected it. At day-
break we discovered it to be a large rock, similar to what Jonas
island is described to be, and that it was only necessary for us
to determine its situation accurately, since, in a stormy night,
or during a fog, no where more frequent than in the sea of
Ochotsk, it might prove dangerous to the navigator. The day
was thick, and I already despaired of obtaining an observation;
but fortunately the sun appeared about ten o'clock, and at noon
we caught sight of it through the clouds. Dr. Horner likewise
got some altitudes after its culmination, from which he likewise
calculated the latitude, and found it to agree within half a minute
of that deduced from the meridian altitude. At noon the island
bore N. W. 32°, distant about seven or eight miles, and the
breakers on the rocks which surrounded it were clearly to be di-
stinguished. I held on to the N. E. until two o'clock, when it bore
due west, and quitted it after being unfortunately convinced that
it was no new discovery, but Billing's Jonas island, although, as
R. ET U R N TO KA M T S C H A T K A. 185
we ascertained an error of nearly three degrees in its longitude,
we certainly deserve the title of the second discoverers of this
rock, a knowledge of which can only be of consequence, from
its dangerous situation in this sea. With regard to the cor-
rectness of the longitude assigned to this island, I trust that
no doubts can arise; as after an absence of two months from
St. Peter and St. Paul’s, Arnold's large time-piece was only
thirteen minutes on an average, and Pennington's twenty-six
minutes too much to the west. The true situation of this
island is 56° 25' 30" N., and 2.16° 44' 15" W. : in Admiral Sa-
rytscheff's chart it lies in 56° 32' N. (in the journal, probably
owing to some error of the press, 56° 55), and 146 12' east, or
213° 48' west of Greenwich. In the latitude, therefore, there is
a difference of 64, and in the longitude of 2° 56' from what re-
sulted from our observations. As Jonas island lies to the south
of Ochotsk in Admiral Sarytscheff's chart, I expected likewise
to find an error in the longitude of this town ; for the island was
discovered on the third day after he quitted Ochotsk, and it
was not possible that, in three days, there could be a mistake of
as many degrees in the ship's reckoning; and this error, upon a
nearer observation, was really found to exist; Ochotsk being
laid down in the above-mentioned chart in 145° 10' east of
Greenwich. In the year 1741, Mr. Krasilnikoff, of the academy,
made the longitude of Ochotsk 143° 12' 30"; and as his lon-
gitude of St. Peter and St. Paul varies only a few seconds from
that stated by Captains King and Wales, it may be safely con-
cluded that Krasilnikoff's longitude is the correct one, and that
the difference of two degrees between his determination and
Billing's can only be considered as an error on the part of the
latter astronomer. If, however, Billing's longitude of Ochotsk
V O L. II. B B
186 KRUSENSTERN's Voy A.G.E ROUND THE world.
is more correct than that adopted by the academy, and is really
founded upon astronomical observations, our island may, per-
haps, prove after all to be a new discovery.
Jonas island is merely a bare rock, about two miles in cir-
cumference, the height of which is calculated at two hundred
toises: it is surrounded on all sides, except to the west, by single
detached rocks, against which the sea breaks with violence, and
which probably extend to some distance under the water. At
the time this island lay to the northward of us, at the distance
of about twelve miles we had fifteen fathoms water ; but when
we had brought it to the west, and were about ten miles from it,
we could not obtain soundings with a line of one hundred and
twenty fathoms: the depth to the northward in the vicinity of
the island must have been still less, for Admiral Sarytscheff
mentions in his voyage, that, at a distance of fifteen miles
bearing S. by W., there was not more than twenty-seven
fathoms.
The wind for some days had blown from the east, E. N. E.
and N. E., during which there had been a constant fog; and
when this cleared away for a few minutes it was instantly
succeeded by dark hazy weather and heavy rain. These con-
stant east winds compelled me to take a southerly course, and
I was therefore deprived of all hope of making the west coast of
Kamtschatka in the parallel of the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth
degrees. On the 20th of August, about noon, the clouds broke
a little, and after a lapse of several days we at length got an
observation in latitude 53° 20', and longitude 211° 20, nine
miles to the southward, and forty minutes to the east of the
RETURN to KAMTsch ATK A. 187
ship's reckoning. The wind now veered to the north-west, but
only for a few minutes; for it soon shifted again to the south-
east, and brought with it the weather which almost always ac-
companies it from this quarter; a thick fog and heavy rain al-
ternately: we had now also this kind of weather with the west
wind, but not so regularly. On the 22d and 23d August we were
becalmed, and Dr. Horner employed the time in making ex-
periments upon the temperature of the water; the first in all
probability that have ever been made in this sea.
At length we obtained a gentle breeze from W. N. W., which
gradually freshened ; we were, however, still enveloped in the
most impenetrable fog. The barometer had fallen to twenty-
eight inches nine lines, which seemed to announce a storm ; but
we had made frequent experience that, in this horrible sea, the
barometer not only sinks considerably, but also without any sub-
sequent stormy weather: an experience which was now again
confirmed. I intended passing through the Kuriles, between
the islands of Charamukotan and Schiaschkotan, which would
give me, as I hoped, an opportunity of seeing Tschirinkotan,
concerning the latitude of which, as well as of the four rocks dis-
covered by us, and named the Trap, there was still an uncertainty
of some minutes. For this purpose we steered in that direction:
the sun did not make his appearance even for a minute, we were
enveloped in a thick mist, and awaited with great impatience
until a clear day should enable us to ascertain where we were, as,
owing to the rapid currents which reign in the vicinity of the
Kuriles, we could not expect to find ourselves in the precise
spot where we should be by our reckoning.
188 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE won L.D.
On the 26th August, after passing the last twenty-four hours
in the greatest uneasiness, from my uncertainty how near we
might be to the islands, or in what course to continue, the fog
at length cleared away towards moon. We were much to the
northward of our reckoning by the log, and instead of being near
Charamukotan we now saw the islands of Schirinky, Monkan-
ruschy, and Alaid. I must frankly acknowledge, that we were
all so completely weary of cruizing about in the constant fog
that I could not persuade myself to run back to the southward,
for the purpose, as was my original intention, of passing between
the sixth and seventh island, but availed myself of the clear wea-
ther we now had, and of the fair wind, to pass this dangerous
chain of islands before we should again be enveloped in mist.
I accordingly steered between the third and fourth, and then
between Poromuschir and Onnekotan, or the second and fifth ;
a passage which, of all those among this chain, is by far the
widest and safest, and therefore the only one navigated by the
Russian merchant ships. At noon we were by observation in
latitude 50° 04' 32", and longitude 204' 57' 21". Monkanruschy
bore S. W. 49 ; Alaid N. E. 25"; and a point on the south coast
of Poromuschir, which we at first, but incorrectly, took for the
southernmost Cape of this island, which is in latitude 50° 03' 50"
south-east. The southernmost point of Poromuschir we found,
by observation, to be in 50 00' 30" N., and 204° 35' 46' W., and
I have named it Wasilieff, in honour of the count of that name:
the land in the vicinity of this cape is very mountainous, as is
indeed almost all the northern part of Poromuschir; and after
gradually decreasing in height, it terminates near the cape in a
long, flat, sandy shore, which stretches very far to the southward.
This extremity, owing to its being so low, was not seen by
IR ET U R N TO KA MTS C H A Tº ſº.A. 189
Captain King, for, according to him, the southern point is in
49° 58. At twenty minutes past one it bore due east nine miles,
and three hours 30 due north at the distance of three miles, so
that we had a very good opportunity of ascertaining its longi-
tude. The south-west side of Poromuschir is not so mountainous
as the south, and its appearance is diversified by alternate hills
and valleys. The shore was of craggy rocks, on which the snow
lay in many places; but this, probably, had only recently fallen.
The south-west side may be easily distinguished by its two
peaks, the southernmost of which is of tolerable height; but the
other, which lies on the south-west point, where the land of it-
self is very high, is exceedingly lofty. I have named it peak
Fuss, a name which obtains an honourable consideration in the
scientific annals of Russia : it lies in 50° 15' 10" N. and 204°
49' 30" W. From the south-west point, looking westward as far
as its northern point, we saw nothing; but we had a more par-
ticular view of the south-east side as we sailed along within a
short distance of it. After weathering cape Wasilieff, I altered
my course parallel with the coast; and we fell in with some
pretty violent squalls, that made me aware of the bad condition
of my rigging, which had suffered more during our navigation of
the sea of Ochotsk than in thrice the same space of time in a
more favourable climate. From cape Wasilieff the direction of
the coast is nearly N. E. by N. as far as a point of land nine-
teen miles from it: it is of tolerable height, although at the ex-
tremity it terminates in a flat neck of land. The coast is at first
flat, as at the south point, and then gradually increases in height,
and forms a chain of tolerably lofty mountains, which are, in
many parts, covered with snow, that probably never disappears
throughout the year, July and August being the only summer
190 K R Us ENSTERN's voy a GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
months in this raw climate. Although the general appearance
of the southern coast of the island is mountainous, yet it is
diversified with valleys, which appeared to me very fit for cul-
tivation, notwithstanding there was nowhere the least appear-
ance of any, nor indeed of this part of the island being in-
habited.
The south-east point of the island, and another situated in 50
19' 10" N., and 204° 14' W., form a considerable bay, apparently
more than five miles in depth, and between the crags on the
shore there was a large inlet, where there is probably a good
harbour. The direction of the coast from the north point of
this bay is N. E. 48°, as far as the east point of the island. It
lies in latitude 50°28'00', and longitude 203° 51' 00", and is re-
markable from having a high mountain near it. Another, if any
thing rather higher, lies in the same direction, only somewhat to
the northward of the first: the whole of this coast is mountain-
ous, and the shores steep and rocky; the direction from the east
to the north point of the island is N. N. E.; but this we could
not clearly distinguish, as the island of Sumschu intervenes, be-
tween which and the north-east side of Poromuschir there is a
channel, at the most a mile and a half wide. The next day,
however, we saw the north point of Poromuschir over the flat
island of Sumschu: at eight in the evening we were not above
five miles from land, and our soundings at this distance were
thirty-five fathoms over a rocky bottom. Monkanruschy at that
time bore S. W. 76°, and the east point of Poromuschir N. E.
30°. After a calm of some hours duration, during which we
were rapidly driven towards the land, a fresh north-west breeze
arose, with which I stood off the coast during the night. At
R. ET U R N TO KA MTS C H A T K A. 19 |
four in the morning I again steered to the northward: at day-
break on the 27th August we saw to the northward the high
peak on the southern point of Kamtschatka, which I have named
Koscheleff, and at eight o'clock over the island of Sumschu,
Alaid, and the north point of Poromuschir, in a line bore N. W.
66". Peak Koscheleff at the time bearing N. E. 2° 30'.
Sumschu is altogether level: its southern point terminates in
a flat neck of land, and so does the north end, with the exception
of a few inconsiderable hills, the only ones on the whole island.
A little before noon we saw cape Lopatka; like Sumschu, to
which island it was probably once connected, it is very flat, and
the channel between them is said to be full of shoals, notwith-
standing which it has been navigated by small vessels, owing to
the vicinity of the coast; a great object with the early fre-
quenters of this sea. The frequent shipwrecks produced, how-
ever, an order, as I learned at Kamtschatka, prohibiting ships
from sailing through this channel.
At noon the east point of Poromuschir bore N. W. 80°; Alaid
N. W. 78°; the south end of Sumschu N. W. 89°; its north-
west point N. W. 62°, and in this situation we observed in lati-
tude 50° 38', and longitude 203° 00'42". Our distance from the
nearest land, namely Sumschu, was twenty-two miles: the east-
ward variation of the needle, by our observations to-day, was 5’
06' 30"; the mean between this and the observation of the pre-
ceding day 5°29'45".
On our voyage from Kamtschatka to Sachalin we ascertained
cape Lopatka to be in latitude 51° 03' ; but we could not see
its extremity very distinctly, and therefore concluded there must
102 K R Us ENSTERN’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
have been some error in this observation, Captain King laying
it down in 51° 00, and Admiral Sarytcheff in 50° 56. I ac-
cordingly resolved to stand in as near as possible to it, the
wind, which blew fresh from the westward, enabling us to steer
north, the course we wanted to lay for this purpose. But shortly
after noon the sky became clouded, and the land was enveloped
in a thick mist. At three in the afternoon I reckoned that we
were in 51° 00', and as I found my hopes of distinctly seeing
cape Lopatka entirely frustrated, I now steered N. N. E., and
at four o'clock, being too near the land which runs in a north-
east direction, I steered N. E.: peak Koscheleff then bore N. W.
35°. The wind throughout the night blew very fresh from the
westward, with a perfectly clear, serene sky: such delightful
weather we had not experienced since our departure from
Kamtschatka. At day-break on the 28th August we saw cape
Poworotnoy bearing N. W. 7”, at a distance of from twenty-two
to twenty-four miles: the volcano bore N. E. 1° 30', Shipunskoy
Noss N. E. 50°; at eleven o'clock it fell calm, and continued so
until eight in the evening, to our great annoyance, as we expected
several letters and packets to be waiting for us at St. Peter and
St. Paul. We not only looked forward to the letters by the
ordinary post, but likewise answers to those which we had sent
the preceding year, previous to our departure for Japan, and
which I expected to be brought by the courier who was to
be dispatched a few months earlier than the present time.
For some days past the subject of our conversation had been
the interesting news we should receive there, particularly with
regard to the political events in Europe, which, during the two
last years, we calculated upon finding very curious and interest-
ing; every delay, therefore, particularly when we were so near the
RETURN TO KAMT'S CHI A TKA. 193
place, was extremely unpleasant to us. It was not until the
29th August, at eight in the evening, that we ran into Awatscha
bay, and the next afternoon at three o'clock we anchored in the
harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, eight weeks precisely since
we sailed from Kamtschatka. Puring this time seldom a day
passed in which we had not been wet through, either by the rain
or mist; and yet in all the voyage we had not a single invalid,
notwithstanding our total want of fresh provisions, and that our
antiscorbutic remedies were entirely exhausted.
Y O L. I. Y., C C
J 04
CHAPTER VII.
I. AST STAY OF THE NA DES IIDA IN T H E II AR BOU R OF ST.
P E T E R A N D ST, PA UIL. *
The Nadeshda causes considerable Alarm in St. Peter and St. Paul–Arrival of a
Transport from Ochotsk—The Provisions brought by it are for the most Part
useless—Usual Mcthod of salting Meat at Ochotsk, and of conveying Biscuit—
Arrival of a ſessel belonging to the American Company from Unalashka—JWe
hear of the Neva—Lieutenant Koscheleſſ arrives from Nischney-Kamtschatka
with full Powers from the Governor to provide the Nadeshda with every Thing wanted
—The Officers of the Vadeshda erect a Monument to the Memory of Captain
Clarke, and the Astronomer Delisle de la Croyere—The shipwrecked Japanese
escape from Kamtschatka—Iwasehkin—The History of his Eartle—The Werescht-
schagins—The Nadeshda in leaving Awatscha Bay runs on a Sand-bank, which
occasions a Delay of three Days—She quits Kamtschatka—Astronomical and
nautical Observations in the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul.
OUR arrival in St. Peter and St. Paul occasioned no little
alarm: the period of our intended absence, at the expiration of
which we were to be looked for again at this place, was fixed at
two months; the officers, however, and most of the inhabitants
of the town thought it very improbable that we should be
punctual to our time; nobody on the appearance of the Na-
deshda would believe it was bef, and no other ship of the size
being expected, they immédiately concluded it must be an
enemy, and some families already began to fly with their goods
and effects to the neighbouring mountains. Their fears were so
1, AST ST A Y AT ST. I*ETER A NID ST, P A U L. f().5
great that they allowed themselves no time to reflect: it seem-
ed more natural to the inhabitants of St. Peter and St. Paul
that some hostile power should have thought fit to send a
vessel half round the globe in order to conquer a spot, the whole
wealth of which consisted in a few dried fish, and where her
crew would scarcely have found provisions for a couple of
months, than that this ship could be the Nadeshda, whose arrival
they ought to have expected. By the latest intelligence, not
above half a year old, Russia was in a state of perfect peace
with every power; and yet they could not be pacified until the
soldier, who was posted on the hill near the entrance of the
harbour, went into the town, and assured the people that the
ship could be no other than the Nadeshda, as he was not only
well acquainted with her form, but was convinced of its being
this ship, which was very remarkable from her top-gallant-masts
being extremely short in proportion. Having been an old com-
panion of Billings, he had obtained the reputation of great know-
ledge in these matters, and they very gladly believed his report,
There was not a single ship in the harbour: neither the packet-
boat from Ochotsk nor the transport which was to bring me
provisions were yet arrived, although they had been hourly ex-
pected during the last six weeks; we were therefore disappointed
in our hopes of finding letters, and particularly uneasy at the
non-arrival of the packet. As the passage across the sea of
Ochotsk, and especially the navigation through the Kuriles, is
very dangerous, and the voyage to St. Peter and St. Paul is
seldom executed in less than four weeks, the packet-boat had
been directed to run into the Worofskaja, a river on the western
coast of Kamtschatka in latitude 50° 15'. This river is well
106 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T H E won Lp.
!
suited for small vessels to put into, as there is a depth of seven
or eight feet water, and it is not more than one hundred and ten
wersts from Werchnoy-Kamtschatka, the future seat of govern-
ment. The passage from Ochotsk is so short, that with any
thing of a fair wind it may be run in four days; and we were
almost convinced that the packet had been lost, with the letters
upon which we had calculated so much—an imaginary loss that
proved the source of great trouble to us all. But our grief was of
short duration; for early on the morning of the 2d September word
was brought me that a two-masted ship had come to an anchor
in the bay, and I immediately sent an officer, who in a couple
of hours returned with Lieutenant Steinheil, the commander of
the imperial transport Ochotsk. From him we received the so
anxiously expected letters, which came down to the date of the
1st March of the current year. A messenger whom Count
Romanzoff had afterwards sent from St. Petersburg, and who
had performed the journey to Ochotsk in sixty-two days, brought
me letters down to the 31st April, the contents of which were
the source of great consolation and pleasure to me. They con-
tained the answer to what I had sent the preceding year, pre-
vious to our departure for Japan, and I found in them the most
ample recompence for all the disagreeable circumstances that
had befallen me in so many shapes during our voyage. Besides
very flattering letters from the ministers of marine and commerce,
there were two letters addressed to me by his imperial majesty
himself, in one of which the emperor was pleased, in the most
gracious terms, to express his satisfaction with me; in the other
the same flattering expressions were accompanied by a reward
which very much exceeded my expectations. This testimony
of the satisfaction of my too gracious monarch, with the suc-
T, AST STAY AT ST. PETI, R A N D ST. PA U L. 197
cessful issue of the first part of my voyage, affected me deeply ,
and the conviction that the second, the most important and
useful, though at the same time fatiguing and dangerous part of
the expedition, had been terminated in a manner that could not
fail of giving him satisfaction, made me perfectly happy. With
regard to the latter part I felt no kind of uneasiness: for should
any misfortune befall us on our return to Russia, it would
be in seas which are every year navigated by ships of all
nations, and we had already secured the honour due to our
undertaking. In order, however, to secure the fruits of our
voyage against any accident on our return, I determined upon
sending a short account of our discoveries, with all the charts
we had prepared, by an estafette over land to St. Petersburg,
and Mr. Tilesius prepared a considerable number of drawings of
objects of natural history, to be sent by the same opportunity to
the academy. But these valuable articles very nearly shared the
fate against which I was so anxious to secure them, Lieutenant
Steinheil appeared to me a clever officer, and the vessel he com-
manded being very well constructed, I sent them by him to
Ochotsk: he quitted Awatscha bay on the 20th September, but
could not reach the place of his destination, and was forced to
return to Kamtschatka, where his ship got upon a bank near
Bolscheretzk, but was fortunately saved. The only unpleasant
circumstance attending this accident was, that our dispatches,
instead of reaching St. Petersburg in the beginning of December,
arrived six months later, as they could now only be forwarded
from Kamtschatka by the winter post, and were therefore obliged
to be sent round the long way by Ishiga.
All our rigging had suffered so much during our navigation on
198 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE wort L.D.
the foggy coast of Sachalin, that it required a thorough repair,
The ship was therefore immediately unrigged, all hands set
to work, and the various tasks performed with the greatest
zeal and alacrity. The moment was now come when we were
to commence our voyage back to Russia; every instant of time
gained promised a more speedy arrival in our country; and no
greater stimulus than this could be required. I had the ship
entirely unloaded, even to the ballast, as well in order to repair
the water-casks, as to take in about six thousand pud more of
ballast, in lieu of the iron which we now intended to leave here.
For the purpose of avoiding a disagreeable and laborious work,
I bespoke seventy fathoms of wood here upon our return from
Japan; for it was necessary to provide ourselves in Kamtschatka
with this article for the whole voyage, which is expensive in
China, and still more so in St. Helena, and at the Cape of
Good Hope; and we could now receive the wood on board
perfectly dry. As the conveyance over land of any article to
Kamtschatka is extremely difficult and expensive, I determined
to keep merely just sufficient to last out our voyage to Cronstadt;
every thing else I left here, and among other things a ship's
anchor, with an entire new cable.
I took only a very small part of the provisions brought for us
from Ochotsk, finding them all so bad that I would gladly
have dispensed with them altogether; but as it was uncertain
whether we should be able to procure a sufficient supply for the
whole voyage at Canton, I provided myself with a sufficient
stock of salt-meat for three months, and of biscuit for four, be-
sides a few puds of butter. I left behind me two-thirds of the
provisions destined for me, well foreseeing that even the small
LAST STAY AT ST, PIE T E R A N ID ST. PA U L. 199
quantity I took would spoil before it could be consumed. The
salt-meat was preserved with difficulty for six weeks, and what
remained on our arrival at Canton we were forced to heave.
overboard. Not only were the casks, in which the meat was to
be kept, bad, but too little care had been taken in salting it; and
I was informed that at Ochotsk, in order to save salt in preserving
their meat, they make use of sea-water, which if true, although
I rather doubt it, perfectly explains the reason of its being so
soon spoiled. The biscuit also soon became mouldy, and on
our return from China it was rejected even by a species of ani-
mal which is otherwise accustomed to eat any thing. I carried
several casks of it to Cronstadt, as a specimen of the biscuit
baked in Ochotsk, after being a little time in use. The manner.
of conveying it to Ochotsk will perhaps account for its becoming
so soon useless, being crammed into leathern bags, an operation
by which it is entirely crumbled to dust. The biscuits that
touch the bag soon decay, the leather, in order to render them
the more capacious, and for the easier sewing them together,
being moistened, by which they become perfectly unwholesome.
This is likewise the case with the grits, which are conveyed, in
the same manner; for as the dampness of the bag easily per-
vades its contents, they become musty and useless: and the few
bags of this article which I took with me, in order to give my
crew a little change, as they were almost tired of the Japanese
rice, were completely spoiled when we came to use them. I.
cannot at all comprehend why the biscuits and grits are packed.
in these leather bags in Ochotsk; a practice that could only then
be excusable if their conveyance became less expensive by it,
which is not the case, the cost of such a bag being three roubles
and a half in Ochotsk; nor can it be used more than once, as it.
200 KRU SENSTERN’s voy. Gr. Rou ND THE won L.D.
is of no farther service the moment it is cut open, unless the
seam is very carefully divided, and even then suffers mate-
rially. The crown, at least, never uses these bags a second
time, and no care is expected to be taken of them, the merchant
being always paid their full value. On the other hand, a new
cask made of deal costs only five roubles, and these, if they were
used for the conveyance of biscuits, for which purpose they need
not be so strong as a meat cask, would last several years without
injury. It takes three bags to fill one cask; so that if the cask
were even employed but once for this purpose there would be a
saving of three roubles and a half in every ton, without calculat-
ing that of one half the biscuit, which is now lost by the present
mode of packing it. Leather bags may be very proper for the
purpose of conveying provisions to Ochotsk, there being no
earriage road from Irkutsk to Ochotsk, so that goods can only be
conveyed on the backs of horses, or of reindeers; but it is very
strange that this method should be extended to the conveyance
by sea from Ochotsk to Kamtschatka. The butter was so bad,
that although I had it thoroughly washed, salted, and packed
in small barrels, we could not eat it, and I was compelled to
use it on board the ship instead of grease: but when the mode
of preparing and conveying it is known, no wonder can be
felt at its being perfectly unserviceable, for it was brought from
Irkutsk in baskets quite fresh and unsalted, and could not,
therefore, fail of becoming rancid and sour; and it would have
been better, and more economical, if merely a quarter of the
quantity demanded had been sent us, properly prepared, in such
small jars as in this country are used for the conveyance of
provisions. This short account of our provisions is sufficient
to shew with how little care and precaution even more im-
LA 5T STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PAU P. 201
portant and extensive commissions are executed in this country.
A sum of fifteen thousand roubles was thus expended, without
the least advantage being derived from it.
On the 21st of September the Constantine, a small vessel be-
longing to the American company, arrived in the harbour of St.
Peter and St. Paul: she was commanded by M. Potopof, a
master in the royal navy, was on her voyage from Unalaschka
to Ochotsk, and had put in here for a supply of water. After a
week's stay she sailed again out of the bay; but, as we have
since learned, was compelled by violent gales to put back to St.
Peter and St. Paul, and winter there; and it was owing to her
short supply of water that the vessel did not reach the place of
her destination until nine months afterwards.
From M. Potopof we learned that the Neva had had a bloody
action with the natives of Sitka, in which some of her people had
been killed, and several wounded; and we could not but con-
sider ourselves fortunate, that instead of carrying on warlike ex-
peditions against savages, we had undertaken a less dangerous,
but at the same time it is to be hoped, a much more profitable
Olle.
On our arrival at St. Peter and St. Paul I immediately sent
an estafette to Nischney Kamtschatka to apprize the governor
of it. I had not indeed any hopes of seeing him again, his
occupations scarcely admitting of his undertaking so long and
dangerous a voyage a second time in the course of the same
year; nor could I have wished such a thing, as I learnt that, on
his return, he had nearly lost his life on the river Kamtschatka,
V O L. II. D D
2O2 KRU SENSTERN's Voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE wor LD.
having escaped with the greatest difficulty. I, however, expected
his brother, who had accompanied us on our voyage to Japan:
and after a lapse of a month he arrived to our no small joy, ac-
companied by Major Fredirici, who, during our last expedition,
had made the journey to Nischney with the governor. Lieu-
tenant Koscheleff had full power from his brother to assist us
with every thing we might stand in need of; but the most ex-
tended authority would not have been of the least advantage,
unless accompanied by the warmest and most anxious wish
of being serviceable to us. Every possible step was taken to
procure for us such articles as Kamtschatka produces. Six large
oxen had been previously forwarded from Werchnoy, that they
might arrive in time to recover from the fatigues of the journey
in the rich meadows that surround St. Peter and St. Paul; a
quantity of fish was dried and salted, and several tons of wild
garlic procured, and biscuits were baked, which proved of in-
finite service to us, as those sent from Ochotsk could only be
used in cases of the utmost necessity. We were provided with
a great abundance of potatoes, and with some other kinds of
vegetables, though not in equal proportion, as they required to be
brought from a distance of three hundred wersts. In a word, we
had only to express our wishes, and the utmost exertions were
immediately made to comply with them. I shall never forget
the zealous endeavours of this amiable young man, in whose
praise I have already spoken, but can never say enough, to
provide every thing for our ship.
As it was evident, upon our arrival, that the many things
necessary to be done on board would occupy a space of not less
than four or five weeks, the officers of the ship had formed a
LAST STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PA U L. 2O3
plan of renewing the monument which had been erected to
Captain Clarke. From Cook's and La Perouse's voyage it is
well known that Clarke was buried in the town of St. Peter and
St. Paul under a large tree, to which a board with an inscription
was affixed, mentioning his death, his age and rank, and the ob-
ject of the expedition in which he lost his life. We found the
escutcheon painted by Webber, the draughtsman of the Reso-
lution, and suspended by Captain King in the church at Pa-
ratunka, in the portico of Major Krupskoy's house, nor did any
one appear to know what connection it had with this painted
board; and as there has been no church for many years either in
Paratunka or St. Peter and St. Paul”, it was very fortunate that
the escutcheon was not entirely lost. La Perouse finding the
board on the tree rotting very fast had the inscription copied on
a plate of copper, adding, that it had been restored by him ; and
as this inscription is not given in Cook's voyage, and every
thing relative to him and his companions must be interesting
to all, I cannot avoid transcribing it here from La Perouse's
copy.
AT THE ROOT OF THIS THEE LIES THE BODY OF
CAPTAIN CHARLES CLARKE,
WHO SUCCEEDED TO THE COMMAND OF HIS BRITANNIC
MAJESTY'S SHIPS, THE RESOLUTION AND
DISCOVERY, ON THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN JAMES COOK, WHO
WAS UNFORTUNATELY RILLED BY THE NATIVES
AT AN ISLAND IN THE SOUTH SEA,
ON THE 14TH OF FEBRUARY IN THE YEAR 1779,
AND DIED AT SEA OF A LINGERING CONSUMPTION THE
22ND AUGUST IN THE SAME YEAR, AGED 38.
* A church is now building, but does not proceed very rapidly.
204 krº USEN STERN’s voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
Copié sur Pinscription Angloise par ordre de M' le C* de la
Perouse, Chef d’Escadre, en 1787.
This plate La Perouse caused to be nailed on the wooden
monument. We found it there, although it had more than once
been removed : the monument itself, however, appeared to
promise but short duration, for the tree, which was more than half
decayed, could not stand above a few years longer, and it was
become necessary to raise a more durable one to Cook's com-
panion. We also found the coffin containing the remains of de
Lisle de la Croyere as we were digging up the ground a few
paces from Clarke's tomb, after having long sought for it in vain *.
The memento of these two persons, equally skilled in the science
of navigation, and who had both lost their lives in one of the
most inhospitable quarters of the globe, could now be united in
one monument; and for this purpose a durable pedestal of
wood was erected as near as possible to the old tree, in order
still to preserve the locality ; and over this a pyramid, on one
side of which the plate which La Perouse had engraved was
fastened ; and on the opposite side a copy of Captain Clarke's
escutcheon, made for the occasion by M. Tilesius f. On the
other two sides were the following inscriptions in Russian:—
* From La Perouse's voyage we learn that he had likewise erected a monument
to de Lisle de la Croyère; and upon a copper-plate had engraved an inscription
containing a few of the particulars of his life. Of this there was not the least ves-
tige remaining, though no longer space than eighteen years had since elapsed.
+ The original, painted by Webber, was given up to the commander of St. Peter
and St. Paul, in order, as at first intended, that it might be placed in the new
church that was building.
LAST STAY AT ST. PETE IR, AN ID ST. PA U. L. 205
“In the first voyage round the world, undertaken by the
Russians under the command of Captain Krusenstern, the of.
ficers of the ship Nadeshda erected this monument to the
memory of the English Captain Clarke on the 15th September,
1805.”
Add on the side facing the south, “Here rest the ashes
of de Lisle de la Croyère, the astronomer attached to the
expedition commanded by Commodore Behring in the year
1741.”
This monument was constructed under the direction of Lieu-
tenant Ratmanoff, and his anxiety to complete it previous to
our departure made him overcome every difficulty in the way of
such an undertaking in Kamtschatka. It would have been an
injustice in me not to have supported and contributed by all the
means in my power to its completion ; and as I gave them not
only workmen, but also such materials as we had on board the
ship, we had the satisfaction of seeing it entirely completed pre-
vious to our departure. A deep ditch surrounded the whole,
and, in order to secure it against any accidental injury, it was
inclosed in a high paling, the door of which was to be kept con-
stantly locked, and the key to remain in the hands of the go-
vernor of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The Japanese, who, in the preceding autumn, had been
wrecked on one of the Kurile islands, and who were conducted
by a priest named Werechtschagin, who is since dead, to St.
Peter and St. Paul, were no longer here. They all went away
privately in their own boat which they had saved from the wreck,
2O6 K R Us ENSTE RN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
and although an armed Baidar was immediately sent after them,
it could not overtake them. This daring enterprize, which, how-
ever, it is to be hoped proved successful to them, is not only re-
markable on account of the extraordinary courage requisite to
such an undertaking in a leaky, open boat, without any supply
of water or other provisions than a little rice; but for the
extreme cunning employed to remove every suspicion of
their intended escape, and thereby prevent any particular at-
tention being paid to them. They had frequently requested
M. Von Resamoff to allow them to return to their country in their
own boat, which they proposed to repair themselves for that pur-
pose; but he had always rejected their request, on the ground
that he could not accede to it without the emperor's permission.
During their stay in Kamtschatka they gave so many proofs of
their skill, activity, and industry, that M. Von Resanoff intended
at first to have sent them to Kodiack, where they might have
been very useful ; but it was afterwards determined to establish
them in Werchnoy Kamtschatsk, a resolution which was notified
to them, when they appeared not only perfectly resigned to
their fate, but even pleased with the prospect that was held out
to them. They each received the quantity of clothes sufficient
to last them their journey, and a portion of rice; and the
governor provided them with tea, and gave them some money.
The day of their departure was fixed, and some of them re-
quested permission to be baptized, saying, that since it was their
lot to live in Russia without any chance of ever returning to
their own country, it was much better for them to embrace the
Christian religion. This permission was joyfully granted, and
a day appointed for the ceremony of their baptism : so that no
one could possibly entertain the least suspicion of their intended
LAST STAY AT ST. PETE IR A N D ST. PA UIL. 2O7
evasion, or if even they had given rise to such a suspicion, the
undertaking would have been deemed perfectly impracticable.
They ventured it however: the evening before their departure
they were out fishing, and returned at sun-set as usual; they
hauled their boat aground and retired to rest, but the next
morning they were missed, and it appeared to every one perfectly
inconceivable that seven persons should venture to sea without
any supply of water; and probably they did not know that in
almost all the Kurile islands, except in Poromuschir and Onne-
kotan, there is none to be met with : nor had they taken any
small cask or other kind of vessel with them capable of con-
taining sufficient water even for a few days. Let us, however,
hope that they reached their country in safety, for their cou-
rage in venturing upon such an expedition certainly merits the
most successful issue *.
Iwashkin is a name too well known from Cook’s and La
Perouse's voyage to let me fear being irksome to the reader by
devoting a few words to this unfortunate man, who has reach-
ed a considerable age in Kamtschatka. He is now (1805)
eighty-six years old. It was not until the present emperor as-
cended the throne that he obtained his liberty, of which, in the
first moments of his joy, he was about to avail himself and
return to his country. The emperor, at the same time, assigned
a sum of money to cover his travelling expences ; but he was
soon unable to make up his mind to the journey. At one time he
* Lieutenant Chwostoff, on his expedition to Aniwa bay, heard of their safe
arrival.
208 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE world.
expressed a lively wish to return with us to St. Petersburg, but
almost immediately altered his resolution ; and, indeed, it is not
likely that he would survive so long a journey either by sea or
by land. He now lives in the vicinity of Werchnoy Kamt-
schatsk, where the emperor's humanity, and the kindness of the
governor, enable him to pass the remainder of his life in a state
of indolent repose.
His banishment was occasioned by a report of his being con-
cerned in a conspiracy against the life of the empress Elizabeth:
he was deprived of his rank and nobility, put in chains and sent
to Siberia. Iwasehkin does not deny having been a rough
violent man ; but even now, he most solemnly maintains that
he never had the smallest share in the pretended conspiracy.
He has since been blamed for having in some measure op-
pressed the Jakutes, whom he was directed to superintend, and
for which he was sent to Kamtschatka : and he is likewise ac-
cused of having murdered a man in the heat of his passion,
which is said to be the reason why the Empress Catharine would
not grant him his pardon, notwithstanding that the terms in
which he is mentioned in Cook's voyage are such as would not
fail to meet with attention in Russia.
I cannot omit giving also some little account of the family of
Werestschagin, whom the reader will remember to have been
spoken of in Cook's and La Perouse's voyage. Although of
Kamtschadale origin, both brothers have been a great honour to
their profession. The eldest of these worthy priests, who ob-
tained the esteem of the English in so extraordinary a degree,
and of whom Captain King speaks repeatedly in terms of the
LAST STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PA U L. 209
warmest praise, died soon after the departure of the Resolution
and Discovery. His brother followed in his situation, which he
occupied for a space of twenty years, to the satisfaction of every
one. On our first arrival in Kamtschatka he was gone on a
voyage of conversion to the Kuriles, and he died immediately
after his return; so that I had no opportunity of becoming
acquainted with him, but I visited his widow, who perfectly
remembered the English and French ships. Her son, who
was sexton in St. Peter and St. Paul, had the misfortune to
be drowned in the river Awatscha during our absence: and
there is still one of the family living, who fills the same office of
sexton in Werchnoy Kamtschatsk. The village of Paratunka,
where the family of Werechtschagin resided, and which has be-
come, in some measure, celebrated by the mention made of it
in Cook's voyage, is now inhabited only by bears. In the year
1779 there were still thirty-six persons resident there; but
during the last epidemic complaint, in the years 1800 and 1801,
they all died. In 1760 the village contained three hundred and
sixty inhabitants.
On Friday the 4th October we had got every thing on board,
and the ship was in perfect readiness for sea. At four in the
morning I warped her into the bay, the wind being fair for us
to sail, and I resolved upon taking my departure that same
evening. Our worthy hosts dined with us on the last day of
our stay here, and our separation from these good people, who
had heaped every sort of kindness upon us, could not but be
very affecting to us all. It was particularly painful to take
leave of young Koscheleff; and we all lamented both him and
his excellent brother. We were forced to leave behind us
W O L. II. E. E.
210 KRU SEN's TERN’s voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
men of the finest feelings and strictest honour, in a country
where they neither estimate the one nor the other; far from
their friends and relations; surrounded by people wholly un-
worthy of them, and whose only study was to embitter their
days, to injure their reputation, and render them an object of
suspicion to the world. I would gladly have taken the youngest
brother with us, for, as he was beloved by every one on board,
we all wished him to return with us, to Kronstadt, but the
governor could not altogether venture to grant him permission
to accompany us; and this separation would have been too
painful to him, his brother being almost his only companion,
and in whom he would have lost an useful assistant in his official
capacity." y
At two in the afternoon we weighed anchor. The sky had
become cloudy since noon, and it began to snow; but as every
object in the bay was perfectly visible, and I was anxious not
to lose the fair wind, I wished to get to sea before the weather
should be worse; scarcely, however, had we secured the anchor
and set our top-sails, when the snow fell so thick that we could not
distinguish the surrounding objects. The only point absolutely
necessary for us to see in order not to get too near the reef that
lies opposite to Rakoweina bay, now at no great distance from
us, was still discernible through the mist; but even this soon
disappeared. Conceiving, however, that I had passed the reef,
I continued my course, under top-sails, towards the entrance of
the bay, when the ship suddenly struck, and I was made sensible,
though rather late, that it was venturing too much to endeavour
to sail out of the bay under such unfavourable circumstances.
This accident was attended with no other consequences than to
, LAST STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PA U L. 211
prolong our stay here for a few days: the next afternoon, after
unrigging the ship, carrying out our anchor, and starting about
fifty tons of water, we got the ship off without her having sus-
tained the slightest injury; for the bay was perfectly unruffled,
notwithstanding the wind blew pretty fresh. Young Koscheleff
was just on the point of quitting St. Peter and St. Paul when he
learned the accident that had befallen us; and although it was
not a little dangerous to delay his journey to Nischney-Kamt-
schatsk on account of the lateness of the season, (for the winter
had already commenced), yet this consideration did not deter
him one moment from putting off his return, and coming im-
mediately on board. He sent some Baidars with fifty soldiers
to our assistance, who were of great service to us in getting
the ship off; and he took the most effectual measure in St.
Peter and St. Paul for our assistance, in refilling the water-casks,
and in two days we again got the ship in readiness for sea. On
the 9th October, at six in the morning, we sailed with a fresh
N. N. W. breeze and clear weather out of Awatscha bay: pre-
cisely on the same day, on which, twenty-six years before, the
Resolution and Discovery sailed from hence on a similar de-
stination, namely Macao.
Immediately on our arrival at St. Peter and St. Paul I sent
the chronometers on shore to the governor's house, behind which
is an open space where Dr. Horner could every day take the
necessary altitudes to ascertain their rate, without any fear of
disturbance. On our departure on the 4th October the rate
of the four watches was,
No. 128 lost daily o © • . – 21" 62
Pennington's watch gained daily . ... + 24" 50
212 KRUSENSTERN's voy. AGE. Round THE world.
But by comparing them we found so evident an alteration in
their rate that we determined to give them a new one, and they
were both set at + 21" and — 21"". This change was made on
the 12th October, while we were still in sight of land, on which
day No. 128 was too fast for mean time at Greenwich by five
hours 9' 33"; Pennington's watch too slow by one hour 20
11° 5. Our frequent observations at sea, and the trifling error
of the two time-pieces on our arrival at Macao, convinced
us of the new rate at which we had set them being tolerably
COTreCt.
From a number of meridian and circum-meridian altitudes
taken by Dr. Horner during our triple stay in the harbour of
St. Peter and St. Paul, the northern latitude of the Koschka,
that is to say, of the neck of land which forms the north side
of the harbour is * * , ſº . . . = 53° 00' 10"
The west longitude, according to several lunar
distances measured by Dr. Horner and myself, is 201° 12, 15"
The true longitude, as calculated by Captain
King and the astronomer Bailey, is . º 201° 16' 29' 5
The variation of the needle in the harbour of St. Peter and
St. Paul was ascertained by five compasses, pointed towards
three different objects, to be in the mean 5° 20' east, and the
* The small watch by Arnold, No. 1856, stopped suddenly during our stay at
St. Peter and St. Paul,
LAST, STAY AT ST. PETER AND ST. PA U L. 213
azimuth of each of those three objects was determined by their
distance from the sun. t
In Awatscha bay the variation of the needle was found by
observations on board the ship, by means of azimuths and am-
plitudes of the sun to be in the mean = 5° 39' 00" east.
As the dipping-needle had suffered so much during the
typhon on the 4th October, 1804, as to become perfectly unser-
viceable, as I have already mentioned, we made no calculations
of the dip of the needle, except during our first stay in Kamt-
schatka. In order to secure the dip against the influence
which the unequal weight of the two extremities of the needle
must necessarily have upon it, the four small balance-balls were
taken from the axis of the needle, and its dip repeatedly tried.
The mean of our observations was,
The part turned to the east 46° ...} 54° 16
The part turned to the west 62° 13'
After this the pole of the needle was turned round by means-
of a powerful magnet—the dips were,
The part turned to the east 66° ..}º 49
The part turned to the west 79° 10'
By combining the results of these two calculations, the true
northern dip of the needle will be found to be
72° 49' + 54° 16 = 63° 32'.
2
Afterwards the moments of the needle were so adjusted that,
214 KRUSENSTERN's voy AGE Roun D THE world.
in every situation, it gave this same dip. Captain King found
the northern inclination 63° 5' 00".
The mean of our observations in St. Peter and St. Paul gave
us the time of high-water at full and new moon four hours
20. The greatest difference in the rise of the water was six feet.
The winds have a varying influence over the time of the ebb and
flood, as well as on the rise of the water; a southerly wind driving
the water into the bay, while the north winds prevent its rising.
215
* *
CHAPTER VIII.
O N T H E A CTUAL STATE OF KAMT'S CHAT K.A.
Introduction—Description of the Harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and of the
Country—Fertility of the Soil in the Interior of Kamtschatka—Reason of the
great Scarcity of national Production—Short Sketch of the Manners of the Rus-
sians in Kamtschatka—They are destitute of every Thing, even of Bread and Salt
—The Nadeshda supplies Kamtschatka with Salt for a Twelvemonth—Necessity
of sending some skilful Physicians there—Beneficial Changes with respect to the
Officers of Kamtschatka—Want of building Materials in the Vicinity of St. Peter
and St. Paul—Wretchedness of the Houses there—Little Attention paid to Cul-
tivation—Reason of this—Scarcity of Women, and ill Effects of it—Description of
the Kamtschadales—Their Houses—Administration of Justice—Duties of the
Tayon and Jessaul—Tribute eracted from them—Mode in which the Merchants
have hitherto conducted their Affairs in Kamtschatka—New Regulations of the
Governor respecting Trade for the Benefit of the Inhabitants—Necessity of en-
forcing them as much as possible—Indispensable Services performed by the Kamt-
schadales.
As I visited Kamtschatka three times in the course of the
years 1804 and 1805, and remained there on the whole up-
wards of three months, some description of this country will
very naturally be expected from me. I shall, however, confine
myself to a representation of the actual state of Kamtschatka,
as the country has been so frequently and so particularly de-
scribed. The works of Krascheninikoff and Stetter are suf-
ficiently known, and translated into nearly every language; and
in Cook's voyage are two chapters by Captain King, which
216 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE world.
render any farther account unnecessary. It is my intention,
therefore, most carefully to avoid every repetition, referring
myself entirely to those who have gone before me; and with
the exception of some general remarks upon what Kamtschatka
now is, and what it might be made, merely to mention the most
important changes that have taken place during the last thirty
years. I can assure those who may accuse me of too great a
partiality for this country, so much and so unjustly decried,
that I advance nothing, nor state a single fact, of which I was
not either an eye-witness, or that I have not drawn from a
most authentic source; and those who find my account too
dilated, and consider a great deal of what I say as too unim-
portant, must content themselves with the excuse, that my re-
marks are concerning an object which had long engaged my
attention before I undertook this voyage; an object of the
greatest importance to Russia and to humanity in general, and
certainly deserving to be considered with all the attention, and,
if necessary, with all the freedom which under the reign of
Alexander is so much the privilege of every one. This con-
sideration renders it my duty to express openly my opinion
upon all that I have seen; but particularly on the condition of
the Kamtschadales, and the treatment they experience, as well
as on the measures which the government had, with the best
possible consequences, already adopted for the improvement of
Kamtschatka, or that still seemed wanting to that improvement.
Should I be accused of too much enthusiasm in my expectations
from Kamtschatka, this is at least a pardonable error: should
my description produce the effect of rendering the future life of
the inhabitants more comfortable, and contribute to lighten the
stay of those whom duty obliges to reside there, I shall submit
O N T H E A CTU AL STATE OF KA MTS C H A TIKA. 217
patiently to any criticism. The only thing for which I request
indulgence is the apparent want of order in my remarks; and
on so fertile a subject it was extremely difficult to preserve any.
The first prospect of St. Peter and St. Paul might raise in
the mind of a person newly arrived, and ignorant of the history
of this Russian establishment, the idea of its being a colony
founded a few years before, but recently abandoned. Nothing
is visible here that could at all persuade any one of its being in-
habited by civilized people: not only Awatscha bay, but the
three adjoining ones are entirely forlorn and uninhabited ; nor
is the beautiful harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul enlivened by
a single boat. Instead of this the shores are strewed with stink-
ing fish, among which a number of half starved dogs are seen wal-
lowing and contending for possession. Two baidars belong-
ing to the port, and hauled on shore at a low sandy point of
land, would be an additional proof of the infancy of this colony;
if, at the same time, you did not perceive the wreck of a three-
masted ship, bearing evident marks of having been in its pre-
sent condition for some years”. This immediately brings to
mind the celebrated Behring, who, seventy years before, com-
menced his voyage of discovery from this port: but not only
* The Slawa Rossii, the ship which Captain Billing, and, after him, the present
Vice Admiral Sarytscheff, commanded. On the completion of the voyage the
officers were allowed to return by land, and the greater part of the crew were re-
moved to Ochotsk. The Slawa Rossii soon afterwards foundered in the harbour
of St. Peter and St. Paul, from want of care. She was on her arrival in admirable
condition, and perfectly in a state to have undertaken the voyage to Cronstadt.
The cutter, which accompanied Billing on his expedition, was used whilst we were
there as a packet between Kamtschatka and Ochotsk,
V OT, ... I [e F F
218 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE won L.D.
the two baidars, but the sinking of the ship itself, are too clear
a proof that the nautical concerns of this colony are still in a
state of infancy. t
It is perfectly in vain that you look about, upon landing, for
even one well built house: in vain does the eye seek a road, or
even a well beaten path, along which a person may walk in
safety to the town: no garden, no meadow, no plantation or
inclosure of any kind indicative of the least cultivation; the
only things to be perceived are a few huts, mostly in a decayed
state, Balagans and Jurten. Instead of bridges over the few
small brooks that flow from the neighbouring mountains into
the valley where the town stands, are merely planks laid across
them, and these only passable with the greatest attention. Five
or six cows feeding in the vicinity of the houses, and innumer-
able dogs lying about in holes which they dig as resting-places,
and as a shelter against the flies, rendering it, if not impossible,
at least extremely dangerous, to walk after dark, are the only
objects at St. Peter and St. Paul. As the greater part of the
inhabitants are from Sachalin, and are absent during the whole
day, you may remain here several hours without meeting a single
person; and in the pale, emaciated countenances of those you
do at length perceive, it is not easy to recognize the descendants
of the heroic Von Rimnik, and of Trebbia.
This, then, is the present miserable condition of the celebrated
St. Peter and St. Paul, undoubtedly the most important place
in all Kamtschatka; and yet it is upwards of a hundred years
since Russia first obtained possession of this province, which
might become of infinite importance, if all the advantages it is
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS CHAT IK A. 219
capable of affording were derived from it, and which have
hitherto been looked upon with contempt. It is merely the
great distance of Kamtschatka from the capital of the em-
pire, as well as from any civilized country, and its apparent
poverty, that have brought it into such disrepute: even its
name is hardly pronounced without a mixture of horror and dis-
gust; it is looked upon as a country in which hunger, cold,
poverty, in short every species of misery is concentrated, and
condemned to be for ever deprived of all that, in a moral and
physical sense, can be gratifying to the human species. The
different descriptions of Kamtschatka almost lead to this conclu-
sion ; and the verbal accounts of those whom fate has conducted
thither, and who returning home after a few years spent there
in perfect misery, look back with bitterness upon this devoted
country, contribute to strengthen the miserable notions we form
upon it. Nor can this be said to be merely prejudice; it is by
no means without reason that people consider it as a particularly
hard lot to be compelled to pass several years at Kamtschatka
in its present condition. There are many wants which a man,
no matter how hardened to difficulties, cannot at all satisfy at
Ramtschatka, independent of those likely to be experienced by
every person of feeling and education: this will clearly appear
from the present description.
The great distance ought not, however, to be adduced as an
excuse for leaving Kamtschatka in this miserable condition: it
is at all events no insurmountable obstacle. Port Jackson, which
requires a voyage of at least five months from England, has,
notwithstanding its great distance from the mother country, risen
in the space of twenty years from nothing to a most flourishing
220 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
colony. It is true that the climate of Kamtschatka will bear
no comparison with that of New South Wales; but there are
many provinces in European Russia that have no advantage in
this respect over Kamtschatka, and are, nevertheless, cultivated
and inhabited; and it is only in the vicinity of St. Peter
and St. Paul where the climate is so particularly unfavourable,
the neighbourhood of the sea being the occasion of frequent
damp fogs and misty rain; nor is it improbable that corn would
not thrive there, as has been maintained, although the attempt
has never been made to cultivate it. Those, however, who have
resided several years in the interior of the country, concur in
the opinion of the climate of the north, but especially of the
middle provinces of Kamtschatka, being infinitely superior to
the southern parts, particularly near Werchnoy, and on the
banks of the Kamtschatka river, where the soil is invariably
very fruitful. The length of the winter is no obstacle to culti-
vation: it reigns equally long in the northern provinces of
Russia, and in Siberia, where the vegetation is so extremely
rapid, that notwithstanding the shortness of the summer, several
species of corn are brought to perfection. In the interior of
ISamtschatka many kinds of vegetables are cultivated, and
every sort of corn; but I shall shew hereafter the reason why
there is not a sufficiency for the use of the inhabitants, and of
the military. As to the climate of Kamtschatka, it is not so
bad as it is represented: that the frequent fogs prevent any
vegetables from coming to perfection is merely an excuse made
by the inhabitants in order not to work, their indolence know-
ing no bounds, the immoderate use of spirits rendering them
incapable of every exertion; for the officers who are garrisoned
there, and who have laid out gardens for themselves, produce
on THE ACTUAL STATE of KAMTsch ATK A. 221
(with the exception of peas and beans) almost every kind of
vegetable necessary for the table, and, indeed, in such quantity,
that they were enabled to supply us with a considerable stock.
If, therefore, the cultivation of these plants succeeds in two or
three gardens, it is very evident that every inhabitant, every
soldier, might obtain a supply of cabbages, carrots, and, at any
rate, of potatoes for his own use, sufficient in some degree to
secure him against the scurvy, so common here in the winter
months from the total want of vegetable and animal food. The
reason, I conceive, why this is not done is, that they do not be-
gin to cultivate their gardens until the early part of July, so that
the seeds do not come to any thing before the end of that month.
If the possessor of a garden, or, to speak more correctly, any
industrious person, for it is open to every one to cultivate as
much land as he pleases, were to begin to till his ground in May,
I have no doubt but that he might furnish his table throughout
the summer, not only with salads, radishes, cucumbers, &c. but
also with cabbage, which they obstinately refuse to plant, and
peas and beans in perfection. At an ostrog or small village in
Awatscha, near the mouth of the river of that name, I saw in the
month of June a small garden in blossom, at the very same
time that they were maintaining at St. Peter and St. Paul that
it was still too early to plant; because they have never been in
the habit of doing so before the month of July. This proof
demonstrates the incorrectness of the system. I passed all the
summer months in Kamtschatka during the two years of my
absence; that is to say, the whole of June, a part of July, and
the whole of August and September, and can affirm with con-
fidence, that in these four months there are just as many
pleasant, cheerful days, as in any other place under the same
220 K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE wort L.D.
latitude. We were certainly not always free from fog, but there
are few northern countries that are so. The month of June was
as beautiful as it can possibly be in the most favoured climate;
and yet they consider this month as too early to till the land,
although the snow has at that time quite disappeared from
the mountains, and the earth is thoroughly thawed. Nothing,
in short, but a most rooted prejudice, from which I cannot even
exempt the officers of the garrison, although they deserve the
praise of having set a most admirable example in the arrange-
ment of their gardens, can prevent the people from working in
their gardens in this month. In the middle of May, says
Captain King in Cook's third voyage”, a quantity of wild gar-
lic, cellery, and nettles, were gathered for the crew: and if in
the middle of May so much is already produced without any
cultivation at all, I think I do not assert too much in saying
they ought to begin to lay out their gardens in this month. It
may be difficult to overcome indolence and prejudices that have
taken such deep root, but it is certainly not impossible ; and
people may live just as well in Kamtschatka as any where else,
and even better and cheaper than in many of the provinces of
Russia, provided the government adopt very different measures
from those which have been hitherto in force. Nor will this
even be sufficient; the most important consequences depend
upon the punctual and conscientious execution of the plans
which it may devise for the improvement of Kamtschatka. To
effect this is certainly no easy matter, considering the great
distance, and ought only to be confided to very trusty persons,
* The Resolution and Discovery arrived at Kamtschatka on the 28th April,
new style. * .
O N T H E A CTU. A. L STATE OF KA MT'S CHAT IX A. 223
less attentive to their own interest than to the good they may
produce to the public.
Some years ago, when I only knew Kamtschatka partly
from printed, but chiefly from verbal accounts, often more to
be depended upon than the former, I gave in writing my opinion
upon this country. I have now seen it myself, and acknow-
ledge, without being at all biassed by any partiality for my
former opinion, that I find it perfectly correct. Unfortu-
mately too, a part of what I predicted, even at that time, the
decrease of the inhabitants, has really taken place: almost all
of them having died during the years 1800 and 1801 of an
epidemic disorder,
Before I speak of the Kamtschatdales, I think it may not be
superfluous to say something on the mode of living of the
Russians in Kamtschatka, which will account for the great
mortality that reigns there. There is scarcely any difference
between the life of the officer, the merchant, the priest, or the
soldier: the one may, indeed, possess more money than the
other; but as money is not held here in any estimation, this
naturally produces a great equality in their rank, at least in
their mode of living. Nor does this prejudice the discipline of
the troops: the soldier feels less than any one the distress that
reigns in Kamtschatka, not only because the Russian soldier is
accustomed from his infancy to forego the comforts of life; and
he only then feels the hardship of his lot when he does not meet
with that indulgence which is due from the officer to him,
or experiences any injustice in the service; but because the
soldiery there have an opportunity of enriching themselves
294, K R UseNSTERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
which is not open to the officers, and there are at this time
many who possess several houses. In the winter, for instance,
when they are not upon duty, they are allowed to go sable-
hunting, and a soldier will very frequently earn from three to
five hundred roubles in the course of the season; but as most of
them are unmarried, and can purchase nothing but spirits for
their money, their earnings are as speedily squandered. There
can be no doubt that the married men, at least, would make a
better use of their money if any opportunity were afforded
them ; for a great change was very soon observable in the dress
of the people of St. Peter and St. Paul, especially of the women,
after the arrival of the Nadeshda. How easy would it be to sup-
ply Kamtschatka with every necessary, by sending a ship there
annually direct from any Russian European port? the prices of
every article would not only fall several hundreds per cent., in
the same manner as spirits fell shortly after our arrival from
twenty to six roubles the stof, and sugar from seven roubles to
one and a half the pound; but even the north-eastern part of
Siberia might be supplied at a much lower price with a va-
riety of foreign goods, from St. Peter and St. Paul itself, than
it can by an overland carriage across the whole of Russia and
Siberia. It may serve as a proof of what has been here asserted,
that several articles put on board the Nadeshda by the Ameri-
can company were sent from thence to Ochotsk for sale. The
difficulty of conveyance from the European provinces of Russia
to Ochotsk, and from thence to Kamtschatka, has hitherto been
assigned as the reason why the inhabitants of this province are
not only suffered to want all the comforts of life, but even many
of the necessaries. Gin is the only article which the merchants
never suffer to be wanted. The propensity to strong liquors is
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MT'S CHAT K.A. 29.5
greater there than at other places, and is besides more pardon-
able, as the merchants endeavour by every means to keep it
up; and a bout of drinking with some of their companions
(which seldom is done at less expence than fifty roubles) is the
only means which they have of disposing of their troublesome,
but hard-earned, winnings. This is the case with all people
devoid of education; but particularly with the soldiery. The
seamen on board of the Revolution and Discovery evinced a
similar disposition, but without being allowed to follow their
inclination, as appears from the following extract from Captain
King's journal, in the third volume of Cook's Voyages, page 368
of the original edition: “Our sailors brought a great number of
furs with them from the coast of America, and were not less
astonished than delighted at the quantity of silver the merchants
paid down for them ; but on finding neither gin-shops to resort
to, nor tobacco, nor any thing else that they cared for to be had
for money, the roubles soon became troublesome companions,
and I often observed them kicking them about the deck.”
Bread and salt are two articles invariably possessed by the
poorest beggar in Europe; but in Kamtschatka, where, owing
to the increased number of the military, the consumption of
bread is very considerable, and the conveyance is so very dif-
ficult and expensive, the soldier obtains only half his ration in
flour, and the other half in money, yet never to an amount suf-
ficient to enable him to purchase it: for the merchant of
Kamtschatka will not import flour, because it is frequently
injured during the journey, by which means the cost is sacrificed,
whilst, on the contrary, gin is always sure to produce a clear and
immediate profit; and flour has no established price at Kamts-
V O L. II. G. G.
996 K R USEN's TE R N’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE won L.D.
chatka, although it is generally estimated at ten roubles the
pud. The soldier's pay is never sufficient to purchase it at this
rate, and it would be infinitely better for him if he received his
flour in kind : nor can I imagine that there would ever be a
superfluity of this article in Kamtschatka, not only because the
soldier does not actually receive his customary schtschy and
meat, but also because the flour is very much injured by the
length of the overland conveyance in leathern skins, and the
full delivery can never be baked. This is likewise the case
with grits. Fish they never experience the want of, and during
the summer season it affords them a wholesome and agree-
able nourishment; but in winter they are reduced to eat it in
a dried state (in which condition it is called jukula in Kamt-
schatka), and without any thing to relish it: and such diet,
when long continued, cannot but be extremely injurious to
health.
The scarcity of salt is still greater than that of bread; on our
arrival a few pounds of salt were considered as a valuable pre-
sent, and great as was their partiality for spirits, those who
brought us fish, berries, or game, were infinitely more thankful
for a little of the former, than when we rewarded their labours
with gin, which I scarcely ever gave to them. If there were no
want of salt, and it were sold at a just and reasonable price, the
inhabitants would not be compelled to eat their fish in a dried
state: salt fish would at any rate prove an agreeable change;
and how many other occasions are there for this most necessary
article? Every soldier receives a pound of salt monthly, but
the Kamtschadale gets none. In the vicinity of St. Peter and
St. Paul there were two salt pans, which once produced a
ON THE ACTUAL STATE OF KAMT'S CHAT K.A. 227
sufficiency for the consumption of the whole of Kamtschatka,
but they have both been suffered to go to ruin for some years
past: probably because the conveyance of the kettles, and other
necessary articles, by land, was considered as too difficult.
In this respect the arrival of the Nadeshda at Kamtschatka
proved a real benefit. It may be remembered that in an
earlier part of my journal I mentioned, that upon our de-
parture from Japan the government there presented the crew
of my ship with fifty thousand pounds of salt, and this, with
the exception of about five thousand pounds which I kept for
the consumption on board, was left at Kamtschatka, and divided
in different lots by the governor, in such a manner as that every
inhabitant was amply provided for three years.
I cannot omit this opportunity of giving that praise to my
crew, which is due to them for their great disinterestedness and
real feeling for the fate of their brothers in Kamtschatka.
When I announced to them, on our arrival there, that all the
salt which we had taken on board at Japan was a present to
them alone, in which the officers had no share ; and told them,
at the same time, that I expected, notwithstanding the high
price it bore in Kamtschatka afforded a most advantageous
opportunity of selling it, that they would not complain if I
made over the whole quantity to the governor, the only person
competent to make an equal distribution of it among the in-
habitants of Kamtschatka, who, as they were perfectly aware,
were in absolute want of this most necessary article of con-
sumption; and that they must leave it entirely to the govern-
ment to indemnify them for it, not one of them made the
Q98 K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
slightest objection. They almost all remarked that salt was
nowhere more wanting than in Kamtschatka, where they would
long have cause to remember the Nadeshda, if it were only on
account of this present; and that it was quite indifferent to
them whether the every obtained any thing for it, not having
reckoned upon receiving it themselves. Besides this salt, I left
about three thousand pounds of rice in Kamtschatka.
As there is so great a scarcity of salt and bread in this country,
it is natural to conclude that the deficiency of articles of less
immediate necessity must be still greater; but they never are
in want of spirits, as I have already observed, and very seldom
of tea and sugar. I will just mention here the price of those
goods which are imported into Kamtschatka from Ochotsk,
although, even at this enormous expence, they are not always
to be obtained. On our arrival a pailful of very bad gin cost
one hundred and sixty roubles, and a stof twenty. This price
was established by the actual governor: for previous to his time
the merchants, whose avarice is unbounded, and who were well
assured that the propensity to gin-drinking would not be di-
minished by any exorbitance of price, had already increased it
to more than three hundred roubles the pailful*. The price
of sugar is usually from four to five roubles the pound, but
often rises to seven ; tobacco five roubles; butter and salt one
* At my suggestion a thousand pailsful of strong and pure spirit were pur-
chased at Revel, and shipped for Kamtschatka and Kodiak. This, if mixed half
and half with water, was sufficiently strong to drink. At Revel the price of the
gin was four roubles the pailful, and it was sold at Kamtschatka for forty-eight:
yet this price was found so extremely low, that the whole quantity was bought
up in a very short time.
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS C H A T K A. 229
and one and a half roubles the pound. Soap, candles, &c. are
seldom to be had under two roubles the pound. Many other
necessary articles of housekeeping are in a like proportion; but it
is seldom that even the greatest necessaries are to be procured.
Rum, brandy, wine, coffee, spices, vinegar, mustard, oil, rice,
flour, butter, and other similar articles, which are to be met with
in the poorest villages of Russia, are never imported for sale;
neither are any of those necessary for clothing, with the ex-
ception of some very coarse linen, silk handkerchiefs, and blue
nankeen. The officers procure from Irkutsk the cloth and
other things requisite for their uniforms, but always at a very
expensive rate. Black bread, and fish dressed without sauce
or spice, without salt, vinegar, or pepper, are the only pro-
visions which the officers, as well as the men, are able, for a
constancy, to set upon their tables. There is nothing a hardy
soldier will not endure so long as he is in good health; but if
he falls sick, to what a wretched, miserable, helpless condition
is he reduced No physician, no medicine, no reviving draught,
nor strengthening diet, are to be procured at St. Peter and St.
Paul; he cannot even struggle against death, which seizes him
in this most pitiful condition. Mention is made in Cook's third
voyage of the state of the garrison and hospital of St. Peter and
St. Paul. “On our first arrival,” says Captain King, “we
found the Russian hospital, which is near the town of St. Peter
and St. Paul, in a condition truly deplorable. All the soldiers
were more or less affected by, the scurvy, and a great many in
the last stage of that disorder. The rest of the Russian inhabit-
ants were also in the same condition; and we particularly re-
marked that our friend, the serjeant, by making too free with
the spirits we gave him, had brought on himself, in a few days,
230 K R Us ENSTERN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE world.
some of the most alarming symptoms of that malady. In this
lamentable state Captain Clarke put them all under the care of
our surgeons, and ordered a supply of sour-crout and malt, for
wort, to be furnished for their use. It was astonishing to observe
the alteration in the figures of almost every person we met on our
return from Bolckeretsk; and I was informed by Our Surgeons,
that they attributed their speedy recovery principally to the
effects of the sweet wort.” Cook's third Voyage, page 231,
vol. 3. Original edition in quarto.
It is not, indeed, quite so bad at present. The pains and
paternal care of General Koscheleff have reduced the number
of sick from what it usually is. We found only three men in
the hospital, one of whom had a wen on his eye, another was
wounded in the foot: the third man's illness was of little
consequence, yet most of the inhabitants suffer from scurvy
throughout the winter. Of five people whom I had brought
with me as passengers to Kamtschatka, and who had been in
perfect health during the whole voyage, I found, on my return
from Japan, only one in good health, the rest having suffered
very much during the winter from this disorder. At present,
indeed, a considerable quantity of medicine is sent to Kamt-
schatka ; and although I have said that there are neither phy-
sician nor medicine there, my meaning is, that it is only in
cases of absolute necessity that even the wealthy inhabitants
can have recourse to medical assistance. What then is left
for the poor people? They will long remember Dr. Espen-
berg, who, during our residence, had, on three different occa-
sions, an opportunity of being of infinite service. He likewise
supplied the under surgeon of St. Peter and St. Paul with
O N THE ACTUAL STATE OF KA MTSC HAT K A. 231
some necessary medicines from the ship, which the latter, how-
ever, was unable to make use of, probably from being unac-
quainted with their properties. The battalion in garrison here
had a skilful surgeon attached to it; but as his residence was
at the town of Nishney, he could only be of use there. In the
other towns of Kamtschatka there are no head surgeons: the
one resident at St. Peter and St. Paul was a very indifferent per-
son, as well in regard to his professional skill as to his general
character; but this cannot be wondered at, nor can it be ex-
pected that any skilful surgeon will exchange a comfortable
situation for one that is truly miserable. All officers and persons
in employ who are sent to Kamtschatka have to perform a
journey of fifteen thousand wersts, the greater part of which is
extremely difficult, and that from Irkutsk to Ochotsk not only
so but very dangerous. As those goods which are the easiest
of conveyance rise one hundred per cent merely on account
of the difficulties of transport, it is clear, that to every one
who wishes to bring any thing with him to Kamtschatka, they
become infinitely dearer than their real value. A poor officer
who goes there for the first time, takes only such things as
are absolutely necessary, and if he remains even but a few
years, there must necessarily be a considerable deficit in his
baggage. In short, no person will willingly go to Kamtschatka;
and every one who has any means whatever of avoiding it will
employ all his interest for this purpose: thus it happens that
none but officers whose conduct is deserving of punishment
are sent there ; a plan that has, indeed, been recently laid
aside, as Kamtschatka is by no means a place where any officer
of bad conduct is likely to amend. He there usually becomes
worse, and frequently proves a tyrant, and oppressor of the poor
232 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
inhabitants. In order to attract good officers to Kamtschatka,
where they are perhaps more necessary that at any other place,
because they must contribute by their exertions to effect the good
intentions of the government, which can never be carried into
execution without their active assistance, the emperor now, at
the suggestion of the governor, offers double pay to every one
who is sent to Kamtschatka during the whole time of his
residence there, and, after five years unimpeachable service, an
advance more than he would otherwise be entitled to, provided
he still chooses to remain, or if he wishes to be removed, he is
permitted to choose the regiment to which he will be appointed.
This salutary measure will prove of the greatest advantage to
Kamtschatka: a worthless officer who was sent for an indefinite
term thither, and who saw no probability of ever quitting the
country, soon lost the little remains of honourable feeling which
actuated him; and the only regular checks upon his conduct were
so many marks of disgrace inflicted upon him, which involved his
chief in constant trouble, while they cast an unmerited stigma on
the character of his country.
Nearly the same thing may be said of the medical men, al-
though not to the same extent. One physician, however, is
undoubtedly insufficient for Kamtschatka, and it is therefore
necessary, independent of the under surgeons, to place two or
three skilful men in the different districts of Kamtschatka, who,
besides their medical knowledge, should possess an acquaintance
with the different branches of natural history, and particularly
with those which are more nearly allied to their own profession.
Without being exactly a skilful botanist, mineralogist, or che-
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS C II A T K A. 233
*
mist, any active and enquiring mind might, with the least
degree of knowledge in his favourite study, easily make many
discoveries which would not fail to prove useful both in a
political and a scientific point of view : and the important re-
sult would be, that the Kamtschadales as well as the Russians
would be certain of assistance, if the physicians constantly
travelled up and down the country. I acknowledge that such
as are compelled to live at least four or five years in Kamt-
schatka are deserving of a better remuneration than those phy-
sicians who reside in the European provinces of the empire; but
when the preservation of health and the advancement of know-
ledge become the objects of their exertions, a few thousand
roubles ought not to be taken into consideration. These medical
men should proceed thither by water, not only because they
would then be easily enabled to provide themselves with clothes,
books, furniture, scientific instruments, and other more or less
necessary articles, which, indeed, might elsewhere be considered
as luxuries, but in Kamtschatka are necessary to the preserva-
tion of health, for the whole time of their stay there, which in
a land journey they could not do ; but also because the voyage
by sea, either round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope,
during which they would touch at many countries highly inte-
resting to a naturalist, would, of itself, possess infinite charms to
any active and enquiring spirit, and would render it more easy
to find persons willing to undertake it. I have elsewhere re-
marked, that, at the suggestion of the governor, some thousand
roubles were collected for the purpose of constructing a hospital
at Malki, a small village two hundred wersts from St. Peter and
St. Paul, where there are some mineral springs. Unless, how-
ever, some skilful medical man be placed at the head of such an
W O L. II. II IH
234 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. AGE ROUND THE won LD.
establishment, and provided with the necessary means of as-
sistance, which are hitherto not to be found there, it is impos-
sible for this charitable institution to obtain its end.
After this digression I again return to the manners of the
|Russians resident in Kamtschatka. I have already shewn that
the inhabitants of Kamtschatka experience a want of the most
necessary articles; that their table is most wretchedly provided;
and that in the interior of their houses their poverty, or rather
misery, is not less apparent. In St. Peter and St. Paul there
were only two houses at all better than the rest, one of which
was inhabited by Major Krupskoi, the commandant of the fort,
and the other by two artillery officers. Both of these houses,
one of them of considerable size, consisted of very habitable
rooms, kitchens, store-rooms, &c. and both, particularly that of
the major, might, with very little alteration and decent furniture,
be rendered very tolerable dwellings. Although, even in the
condition in which we saw them, they were the very ornament
of Kamtschatka, the furniture of the anti-room consisted merely
of a wooden stool, a table, and two or three broken chairs.
There was neither earthenware nor porcelain table-service :
no glasses, decanters, nor any thing of a similar nature: two
or three tea-cups, one glass, a few broken knives and forks,
and some pewter spoons, constituted the wealth of these good
people, who were both married. But what most of all distressed
me was the condition of their windows: they had not double
sashes, which, in a cold climate, are as necessary to health as
to comfort; but such even as they had were in a very wretched
condition. The panes were of glass, but notwithstanding their
extreme smallness they were all of them broken, and made of
pieces fitted together. They afforded no protection against the
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS CHAT K.A. 235
snow and frost; and I could not, without feelings of com-
miseration, behold the children, who in no part of the world
are brought up so wretchedly as here. Milk, when the parents
are sufficiently rich to keep a cow (and few are in this condition)
is the only thing with which they are nourished. Jukula and
coarse black bread is hard food for a child from twelve to eigh-
teen months old, and must, in case of any obstruction, Con-
tribute to terminate their existence.
The houses of the other inhabitants are invariably ill built,
and all of so little elevation that, during the winter, they are
entirely covered with snow. From the door a path-way is cut
through the snow, and this, as it forms a thick wall round the
house, may indeed contribute to the warmth, but must neces-
sarily occasion a very unhealthy atmosphere within them, as
it rises considerably above the house, and prevents the pos-
sibility of introducing any ventilator. They have therefore no
fresh air throughout the winter in any of the rooms; and it is to
this, and to the badness of their provisions, that I, in a great
measure, ascribe the pallid hue of all the inhabitants, even of the
youngest females.
The construction of a house at St. Peter and St. Paul is very
expensive, no timber fit for the purpose growing in the neigh-
bourhood of the town, and the people being obliged to bring
it from the interior. When any public building is to be erected,
thirty or forty soldiers are dispatched under the command of
an officer, and are employed for several weeks, and at im-
minent risk, in floating the felled timber down the rapid rivers.
In this manner the whole garrison of Kamtschatka had been oc-
236 K R USENSTERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
cupied during two years in building some barracks for ten or
twelve men, nor were they yet completed; and the church
on which they have been several years employed is in the same
predicament, and, in all probability, they will give up every
thought of finishing it with timber, and have recourse to brick,
the only proper material for such an edifice. If the vicinity of
St. Peter and St. Paul produced any abundance of timber, it
would certainly be wrong to make use of stone for their
buildings; but since, as I have already observed, it can only be
obtained with great difficulty and danger, and is never preserved
a sufficient time to become perfectly seasoned, the natural con-
sequence is, that such a house, notwithstanding the vast expence
of building it, generally falls to pieces in a few years. The
agent of the American company at St. Peter and St. Paul had
constructed a small house for the reception of the goods which
he expected by our ship, containing only a few rooms, and
altogether not much above forty feet long, which cost him up-
wards of ten thousand roubles. I therefore think it would be
much better to build houses of bricks, as Tareina abounds with
an excellent clay, which is used at St. Peter and St. Paul for the
construction of ovens. But as the poor inhabitants have no
other vessels than baidars, which are of a very small burden,
and with any thing of a stiff breeze are not able, even in the
bay, to keep the sea, the conveyance of the little clay necessary
for the construction merely of an oven is attended with great
difficulty and loss of time. A good decked boat of fifteen or
twenty tons, requiring only three or four men to navigate it,
would in two days convey a greater lading than three baidars,
each manned with ten soldiers, are able to procure in three
months: besides this, the baidars meet with frequent accidents.
O N T H E A CTU AL STATE OF KA MIT'S CHAT K A. 237
It would be much better also to make the bricks in the bay of
Tareina, where there is plenty of wood close down to the sea-
side, than to convey, as they do at present, the clay to St.
Peter and St. Paul, in order to be made into bricks there, as the
wood necessary to burn them must all be dragged from the
mountains with considerable trouble. The timber requisite for
the construction of a stone house might very easily be brought
from America, where, as is well known, the finest trees are in
the most profuse abundance, as well on board of the company’s
return ships, which, with the exception of a few furs, occupying
but very little space, generally come back in ballast; or, if
this plan be not adopted, by sending a few ships expressly
from St. Peter and St. Paul to America. It might likewise be
brought from Nishney-Kamtschatka; and it is not improbable,
that timber would be found in one or other of the many
bays on the west coast of Kamtschatka hitherto unexplored.
The plan of building houses of bricks is not an idea of mine
alone, but was that likewise of several persons with whom I con-
versed on the subject. It is ridiculous to speak of it as dan-
gerous on account of the earthquakes; for, in the first place,
there never has been any earthquake known in the vicinity
of St. Peter and St. Paul of sufficient power to have threat-
ened the destruction of any stone house; and secondly, it is
not proposed to build palaces of several stories, but merely
small houses of one. A comfortable and healthy dwelling-
house, a moderately well supplied table, and many other things
which elsewhere, perhaps, might be considered as luxuries, are,
much as the hardy soldier pretends to despise them, so many
articles of absolute necessity at Kamtschatka: and the per-
238 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A G E Roun D THE world.
son who determines to pass his whole life, or even several
years of it, in this distant and cold climate, where he must still
experience a deficiency of many things, is certainly entitled to
expect some remuneration. Humanity demands that all should
be done that can in any way contribute to the preservation of
health ; and it is the total absence of every thing either necessary
or agreeable that deters people from going to Kamtschatka.
Although every meal at St. Peter and St. Paul proves the
poverty of the place, with a little assistance it would not be im-
possible to procure a very good table. Kamtschatka even pos-
sesses an abundance of delicacies, such as are not easily to be
procured at several other places. Beef is particularly good
there, as Captain King has already observed. The oxen which,
through the kindness of the governor, we obtained both on our
departure for Japan and China, were, although some of them
were very old, more white and tender than younger cattle are
generally found to be. Nor is this to be wondered at, the
meadows which, even in the vicinity of St. Peter and St. Paul, are
covered with the richest pasture, being still better farther inland.
It is calculated that, in the whole of Kamtschatka, there are about
six hundred head of cattle, which number they ought to endeavour
to increase, to enable the military to have a pound of fresh meat
at least per week, (with the exception of the four summer
months). This would undoubtedly produce the most salutary
consequences on the health of the soldiers, and would act as a
powerful preventive against the scurvy, under which they almost
all labour throughout the winter. If, added to this, all the in-
habitants took care to provide themselves with a winter stock of
O N THE ACTUAL STATE OF KA MTS CHAT K A • 239
potatoes, carrots, and sour-crout, (at Werschnoy the cabbage
grows full as large as with us, and sour-crout is not only an ac-
knowledged anti-scorbutic, but a national dish of the Rus-
sians); if, besides, they curtailed the excessive use of spirits,
and the people lived in healthy habitations, I am convinced
that the scurvy might be entirely checked. It was consi-
dered as impossible to prevent this malady at sea, and a vast
number of words have been applied, as the reader of Lord
Anson's voyage can well testify, to prove that the greatest cau-
tion was insufficient to prevent it, as it originated in the sea air;
nevertheless, this dreadful disease is almost extirpated from the
Ocean, or, at least, merely attended with very trifling con-
sequences, means having been discovered of preventing it even
on the longest voyages.
At St. Peter and St. Paul the number of horned cattle
amounted to ten cows, and, perhaps, as many young heifers ;
there was, consequently, no butter, and very little milk. It would
be extremcly easy to support some hundred head there, as not
only close to St. Peter and St. Paul, but on the banks of the
Awatscha river, there is plenty of the finest grass, if there were
a sufficiency of men to collect a quantity of hay equal to the
support of so large a flock during a long winter, independent of
the military, who, indeed, constitute the greater part of the in-
habitants, and are so much employed in other works. The
breeding of hogs is difficult, owing to the scarcity of corn;
but it would be easier to have sheep, goats, and poultry, the
former requiring nothing but good hay. Although in the vicinity
of St. Peter and St. Paul we met with no short delicate grass,
there can be no doubt that this species exists in these parts.
240 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE wor LD.
Hitherto no one has attempted to breed poultry, because the
dogs, which in the summer are allowed to run about and
procure their own support, are too dangerous to them : but
these should be sent during this season, when they are of no use,
to a distant district, and never allowed to come near the village,
where they only commit mischief, and frequently tear the young
cattle to pieces *. While the present state of poverty lasts, the
feeding of poultry would be too expensive, as the inhabitants,
who themselves experience a want of corn, would hardly spare
any, in however small a proportion, for the support of their
fowls. It is true, that in the want of them the people ex-
perience one of a nourishing and wholesome food. We brought
some fowls from Japan, which I divided amongst the wealthiest
of the inhabitants, upon condition that they would allow them
to increase as much as possible, and take the greatest care of
them.
During our stay at St. Peter and St. Paul we were daily pro-
vided, through the kind measures adopted by the governor, with
rein-deer, argalis, wild ducks, and geese, a proof that various
kinds of food may be had ; and hares are said to abound during
the winter. The flesh of the rein-deer is excellent, and in no
wise inferior to beef; nay, I even preferred it to some of a
very good quality, although at first I had a great antipathy
to it. My dislike to this I soon overcame, but never could
entirely conquer my aversion to that of the seal, which is by
–-
* At Ischiginsk they employ dogs during the summer in dragging boats up the
river against the stream; in all probability they might be used for a similar useful
purpose in the southern parts of Kamtschatka.
O N T H E A C T U A. L STATE OF KA MTS C H A T R A. 24, 1
no means despised at Kamtschatka, and although not a very
tasty, is not an unwholesome food. This is likewise the
case with bear's flesh *. But the flesh of the argali, or wild
sheep, is far superior in flavour to any game known in Europe.
There is no scarcity of wild ducks and geese, both excellent in
their way. In the months of July and August you may procure
an hundred of the former in the course of an hour: at this sea-
son of the year they shed their feathers, and as they cannot fly,
they are easily brought down from the rocks by a long pole with
a hook at the end of it. The few Kamtschadales who dwell in
the neighbourhood of St. Peter and St. Paul would, on obtaining
a just remuneration for their trouble, amply supply the inhabit-
ants with the above-mentioned articles, if they were only pro-
vided with powder and ball. I say nothing of fish, as it is well
known that there is always the greatest abundance here, and
that there is scarcely any month in the year, from May to Oc-
tober, in which some new species does not make its appearance.
Trout and herrings are particularly good, and there are great
quantities of crabs and cray-fish.
* In Cook’s third voyage there are several anecdotes related by Captain King
of the cunning of these bears. Their method of catching fish, the chief, if not the
only nourishment of these animals as well as the dogs, shews as much artifice as
that with which they strive to master the wild sheep. Of all the species of fish
they meet with in Kamtschatka, they are particularly fond of one called there
“kachly.” As soon as the bear perceives shoals of it going up the river, he places
himself in the water at a short distance from the bank, and standing with his legs
together, leaves merely a small space for the fish, who always swims straight forward,
to pass between them. A good many of them get in this manner between his legs,
which the bear perceiving, makes but one spring on shore with his prey, and de-
vours it at his leisure.
WOL. II. I I
242 KRU's ENSTERN's voy AGF. Rou ND THE wor LD.
In summer there are different kinds of vegetables which grow
wild, and if the value of them is not known to the inhabitants,
it proceeds either from ignorance or prejudice. Besides the
wild garlic which is eaten by every one, and the sarana, there
are likewise wild peas, celery, angelica, and purslane, which
I collected every day for the crew and for our own table, using
them as well for broth as salad. The Officers of the garrison
found them excellent, although they had never collected them
for their own use, not believing them fit to eat. Towards the
end of the summer there is a great plenty of raspberries, straw-
berries, huckleberries, and several other species, (one of which,
called the shimolost, is particularly good), and which boiled to
a jam, keep very well throughout the winter. Besides, although
it may be true that cabbage, peas, and beans do not attain the
same perfection here as in Europe, there can be no doubt that
lettuces, kale, parsley, and other garden-stuff would thrive very
well. Potatoes and radishes grow as well here as any where
else: in 1782, for instance, fifty potatoes produced sixteen hun-
dred at Bolscheretzk, where the climate is not more favourable
than at St. Peter and St. Paul. Corn indeed will not grow in the
southern parts of Kamtschatka, owing to the constant fogs; but
this is no reason why people should not live as well there as in
countries where it succeeds. In the island of St. Helena they
cultivate none at all, and depend for the bread which they con-
sume entirely upon England ; yet they live there in the greatest
abundance. With an uninterrupted communication by water,
it would be very easy to have always such a supply of corn or
flour at Kamtschatka as would ensure the place against any
want of this necessary article.
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTSC II AT K.A. 243
It is owing to the deficiency of gunpowder that the inhabit-
ants of Kamtschatka so seldom provide their table with argalis,
reindeer, hares, and ducks and geese. The conveyance of this
article from the European provinces of Russia is not only dif-
ficult, but exposed to various accidents, as very often all the
goods in the caravan are completely wet through ; it is also
dangerous, because it can only be conveyed to Ochotsk in
leathern skins; and instances have occurred of whole villages
having been destroyed by it on its passage. It is now never
brought for private sale, and is, indeed, actually forbidden,
although the Kamtschadales depend so much upon it for their
safety, nothing but a loaded gun being sufficient to drive the
bears, who often attack them, from their houses: they therefore
purchase powder secretly, and at a very high price, wherever
they can get it, paying often five and six roubles a pound for
it, and three roubles for a pound of shot. The Kamtschadale
thus becomes very careful of what he only obtains at so heavy
an expence, preserving it either for his defence, or for some
animal whose skin will repay the cost. We shot several birds
in the bay, which, with a little sauce, afforded a very ex-
cellent dish, but which the inhabitants of Kamtschatka, who
have no sauces at all, did not think worth the expenditure of
their powder; but when we gave them powder and shot, they
brought us as many of them as we could make use of. A short
time before our arrival, a quantity of powder had been divided
amongst the Kamtschadales, with a promise, that the next year
they should have more : this second supply, however, had not
yet reached them, and the Kamtschadales, as well as the
Russians resident there, were entirely unprovided. As, in many
244 K RU SENSTERN's Voy AG E ROUND THE WORLD.
+ -
respects, it is an article of indispensable necessity; and, on the
other hand, the land conveyance is difficult, expensive, and
dangerous, this is another proof of the propriety of supplying
Kamtschatka annually with powder, as well as many other
commodities from Cronstadt.
I have hitherto only spoken of the country immediately
around St. Peter and St. Paul. Farther inland there is a great
plenty of every natural production. At Werchmoy, and on the
borders of the Kamtschatka river, where rye, barley, buckwheat,
and oats are cultivated with success, almost every species of
garden-stuff is also found to thrive. We received from thence,
through the kindness of the governor, not only potatoes and
carrots, but cucumbers, lettuces, and very excellent cabbages.
It has long since been proposed to introduce the different
species of Siberian corn, which shoots up quick and soon
ripens, and is, consequently, well calculated for this country,
where the summers are short; such, for instance, as the Tar-
tarian corn, (triticum polonicum), the Siberian buckwheat (poly-
gonum Tartarium); as also, instead of the European, the Sibe-
rian hemp (urtica cannabina). It is much to be wished that
these plans were carried into execution, as they can scarcely
fail of producing the most advantageous results. The reason,
however, why so little is cultivated there, although the soil is
So productive that rye, without the least attention, returns
eightfold, and barley twelvefold, is not only to be sought in the
smallness of the population, but in the little value of corn com-
pared with other articles. The husbandmen who were conveyed
from the banks of the Lena to Kamtschatka only grow as much
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF I. A M T S C H A T K A. 245
as is sufficient for their own use, devoting the rest of their time
to the catching of sables, and other business, where they are
certain of a greater profit. Agriculture should be encouraged by
the offer of a considerable premium, and what is raised by the
inhabitant should be, at all events, purchased of him without
regard to price; in short, such measures should be adopted
as to render the cultivation of the soil more profitable than
any other employment; for it cannot be expected that people
shall follow any pursuit productive of but little profit, when
they have the opportunity of turning their time to more ad-
vantage.
The prospect of any increase of the inhabitants of Kamt-
schatka was very much diminished, not only by the smallness
of the number of the remaining Russians and Kamtschatóales,
but by that of the women bearing no kind of proportion to the
men. At St. Peter and St. Paul, where the number of inhabit-
ants, including the military, amounts to one hundred and fifty
or one hundred and eighty persons, there are not five and twenty
females. It frequently happens that the company’s ships and
transports winter here, and the number of men is often increased
to five hundred, while, on the other hand, that of the women
remains always the same. The consequences of this pernicious
disproportion are unproductive marriages, and a total decline
of all morals; I do not remember to have seen more than five or
six children at Kamtschatka, and these partly belonged to the
officers, and partly to such of the inhabitants as had distinguish-
ed themselves by their exemplary conduct. All the marriages,
with the exception of three or four, were entirely unproductive :
246 KRUSENSTERN's voy AGE. Rou ND THE Wor LD.
an evil which every possible pains should be taken to obviate.
Ishiga is the only place in Kamtschatka where the number of
women exceeds that of the men, and the reason assigned for this
is, that most of the families are related to one another, and ac-
cording to the laws of the Greek church, the most distant rela-
tives are not allowed to marry. General Koscheleff is therefore
very anxious to induce his soldiers to go on pilgrimages to
Ishiga, which generally lead to marriages that turn out well: the
women being famed for their activity and love of order, virtues
which are the best companions a soldier can possess in Kamt-
schatka. There are striking examples of the comfort in which
some, and of the wretched condition in which others live, ac-
cording as they were diligent and active, or of a contrary dispo-
sition. I am of opinion that it would occasion no great expence,
and might prove of considerable advantage, if the government
offered a premium to such soldiers and Cossacks as should marry:
nor need this premium be paid in money. Assist them in pro-
curing a room to themselves, that several persons may not, as is
actually the case, be compelled to live in one: an assemblage
which not only ruins the morals, but disturbs the economical
regulations of the whole, while it occasions strife and quarrelling;
and must have a bad effect upon the health. The young couples
should also be assisted with the means of cultivating a little
garden, and procuring themselves a few vegetables; and supplied
with the necessary instruments and utensils for a small establish-
ment, which, owing to the scarcity of iron, are exceedingly
dear. Let them have a few cows, that they may be able to
supply their children with milk; and, if they do not choose to
increase their stock, that they may have now and then a little
O N T H E A CTU. A L STATE OF KA MTS C H A T K A. 247
fresh meat. It is frequently only the extreme poverty of these
people, and the impossibility of procuring a dwelling to them-
selves, which prevents them from marrying. Particular care
should be taken in rewarding such as distinguish themselves by
a meritorious conduct, and this would be the only means of
checking the inclination to many excesses common to both sexes;
for it would be difficult to effect any improvement in this respect
by the adoption of measures of severity.
As Kamtschatka is in such a state of infancy, I should
perhaps be carrying my desire of improvement too far, par-
ticularly as the population is so greatly diminished, if I wished
to put a stop to the uncomfortable and dangerous mode of
travelling in summer. The active Koscheleff has been frequently
in danger of drowning; for the whole voyage from Nischney to
Werchnoy is made by the Kamtschatka river in a small vessel,
infinitely more resembling a trough than a boat, being nothing
more than the hollow trunk of a tree, in the language of the
country called a bat. The voyage in so frail a vessel is very
dangerous, particularly at the commencement of summer, when
the current is extremely rapid ; and these small boats are
frequently upset, as well by the rapidity of the stream, as by
running, during the night, upon the trunk of some tree that is
floating down it. Nevertheless, I believe that it would be very
easy to construct commodious flat-bottomed boats, which would
afford more security to the traveller, at least upon this river,
the largest, and by its situation the most frequently navigated,
and upon the Awatscha river: for scarcely a year passes in
which several people are not drowned in both of them. The
248 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE ROUND THE world.
preservation of a man's life is every where an object worthy of
some attention, but, in Kamtschatka, it is of the greatest import-
ance in a political point of view, that an attempt should be
made to preserve the lives of the inhabitants, at least against this
species of danger.
I have already had an opportunity of mentioning the wretched
and miserable state of the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul. It
would be necessary to have a couple of small decked vessels
there, and some European built boats, as well for the unlading
of ships, as for the conveyance of wood, coals, hay, salt, when-
ever the salt-works are established, as for the different excur-
sions, as well in Awatscha bay itself, as to other places some
miles off, to which the baidars are frequently sent. Besides,
there should constantly be a naval officer, having five and twenty
or thirty men under his command, as well as some carpenters,
smiths, locksmiths, sailmakers, caulkers, and other necessary
workmen; in short, there should be a small naval arsenal at
Kamtschatka, no matter to how trifling an extent the establish-
ment were carried. Captain Billing's ship, the Slawa Rossii, on
the construction of which more pains and money were expended
than perhaps on any other ship in the world, would never have
sunk in the manner it did if proper attention had been paid to
it; nor do I think it superfluous, but indeed even necessary, as
St. Peter and St. Paul bears the title of an imperial port, to
keep there constantly a small ship of war of eighteen or twenty
guns, and which might be released every third or fourth year, to
be employed under the governor's direction for the advantage of
the colony.
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS C H ATK A. 249
Although'at present there are very few Kamtschadales remain-
ing, and these before many years have elapsed may perhaps en-
tirely disappear, still I cannot avoid saying a few words for the
benefit of these good people, who, for kindness of heart, fidelity,
obedience, hospitality, perseverance, and attachment to their
superiors, are not easily to be surpassed. Notwithstanding the
smallness of their numbers, their total disappearance would be a
great loss to Kamtschatka, as they are useful in many respects,
and, in some cases, it is impossible for the Russians to do with-
out them.
The Kamtschadales never inhabit the towns built by the
Russians, but live scattered about the interior of the country in
small villages called ostrogs, of different dimensions. Since the
last epidemic disorder, in the years 1800 and 1801, during which
five thousand Kamtschadales perished, it is very rare to meet
more than fifteen or twenty persons in an Ostrog; in many
there are scarcely the half of this number, although there may
be others where the population is more extensive. Such an
ostrog is under the immediate command of a tayon or chief, who
is chosen from amongst the inhabitants, and whose character is
similar to that of a starost or elder in the Russian villages.
Under him he has an officer who bears the title of jessaul, and
who, properly speaking, holds the executive authority of the
ostrog, as the tayon does no more than deliver his orders to
him. In the absence of the tayon the jessaul assumes his place,
and the eldest Kamtschadale in the ostrog takes upon him that
of the jessaul. The tayon’s power is considerable, since it even
extends to the inflicting of corporal punishments, though these
must never exceed twenty lashes. They generally select as
V O L. II. K K
250 KRU SENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE wort L.D.
tayon an active Kamtschadale, who has distinguished himself by
his good conduct. His duty consists, besides the discharge of
the internal regulations of his ostrog, in collecting the best sables,
which each Kamtschadale pays annually as a tribute, and
carrying them, sealed up, to the town, where they are examined
in the presence of certain magistrates, and taxed by a person
authorised by the crown. The amount of the duties to be paid
by the ostrog is then deducted from the value of the sables, and
whatever there is exceeding it is paid in money to the tayon,
who divides it proportionally among the inhabitants of his ostrog.
The annual taxes of the Kamtschadales amount, exclusive of
the capitation tax, to about three roubles, which, however,
are not paid in money but in Sables, in the manner above
described. It may be imagined that the sables of the Kamt-
schadales, of which the best are selected, are not taxed very
high , but although ten or twenty roubles is the price of a good
sable in Kamtschatka, the Kamtschadales have hitherto never
received more than three roubles and a half for those that have
been selected. At present, indeed, this sum is doubled, and when
the sables are of a superior quality they are paid even ten roubles
a piece; in all probability the Kamtschadale will soon be per-
mitted to pay his duties in money, and not be compelled to give
to the crown, at a low price, that which he only obtains with
considerable expence, labour, and danger. When it is considered
that the Kamtschadale purchases his powder and shot at the
rate of five or six roubles the pound, besides the value of his
time, as every traveller can dispose of him, this change will not
be considered as unjust. They have likewise been recently
exonerated from another burthen, which it is Surprising they
could have endured for a single hour. It is well known that
O'N TIII, ACTUAL STATE OF. KA MTS CHAT K A. 251
throughout all Russia the capitation tax is levied according to
the last revision or census, which is generally taken every twenty
years. As the population in Russia increases every year, this
method, as it removes the trouble of an annual census, is an ad-
vantage, because, although in this time it may have doubled, it
is only taxed according to the last revision, while in Kamt-
schatka, on the contrary, where, since possession was taken of
the province, the number of people has annually decreased, it
operates in a contrary proportion, particularly since the un-
fortunate years during which the epidemic disease carried them
off by thousands. The last census took place in 1795; up-
wards of five thousand people died in the years 1800 and 1801,
nevertheless they continued to levy the tribute upon the re-
mainder according to that census, which made it fall particularly
hard upon them, as in many ostrogs, where the number of in-
habitants had been from thirty to forty, it was now reduced to
eight or ten. Fortunately this did not last long.
I must mention here another favour which the government has
shewn to the Kamtschadales, and which will contribute very
much to the preservation of these useful people. The agents
of the American company, and the other merchants in Kamt.
schatka, were in the habit of treating the Kamtschadales in a
manner that must have proved extremely injurious to them.
With no other wares than a large quantity of very bad gin, the
merchants travelled about the country to procure furs. As soon
as one of them arrived in an ostroghe treated his host with a glass
of spirits. The Kamtschadales are all so unfortunately attached
to strong liquors, that it is absolutely impossible for them to
252 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE ROUND THE wor L.D.
resist the pleasure of getting intoxicated. As soon as he has
drank a glass of gin which he receives for nothing, he instantly
begs for another, for which, however, he must pay: then a
second, a third, and so on. Still, however, he has had his
spirits unadulterated; but the moment he begins to be in-
toxicated, instead of pure spirit they give it him mixed with
water; and in order that the deception may be carried on with
the more security, the merchants have the vessels destined
for their spirits, called fliága, divided into two parts, in the
smaller one of which they carry their unmixed spirits, and in
the other the mixed. The merchant now continues to ply the
Kamtschadale with the weaker liquor until he becomes perfectly
senseless, and then takes possession of his whole stock of sables
and other furs, alleging that they are to pay for the quantity of
spirits which he has drank. Thus, in an unfortunate moment, the
Kamtschadale loses the reward of many months labour and
cost, and instead of providing himself with powder and shot,
flour, and other necessary and indispensable articles, such as
would have contributed to his own and to his family’s comfort, he
has exchanged all his wealth for one debauch, which only
weakens him, and renders him more helpless and destitute for
the future. This wretchedness is accompanied by a depression
of spirits, which must have a pernicious influence on his body,
already weakened by disease, and which, at length, from the
total want of substantial food, and of medical assistance, be-
comes unable to resist such frequent attacks upon it. This
appears to me the cause of their annual decrease, assisted
by epidemical disorders, which sweep them off in great num-
bers.
O N T H E A CTU A L STATE OF KA MTS CHAT K.A. 253
These desolating journeys have always been tolerated. It had,
indeed, been observed, that during the periods in which the
travelling merchants made this attack on the property of the
Kamtschadales, they were exposed to lose what they had col-
lected to pay the tribute to the crown, and it had therefore been
established that the merchants should not commence their an-
nual journey until this was discharged. But General Koscheleff
considered this regulation as insufficient, and endeavoured to
extirpate the evil altogether. He has not, indeed, forbidden
the merchants from travelling in order to trade with the Kamt-
schadales; but he has entirely prohibited the sale of spirits in
their ostrogs, which rendered these expeditions so profitable to
them, and so destructive to the inhabitants.
The necessity of the Kamtschadales in Kamtschatka is suf-
ficiently proved, by their being every where the guides through
the country, and by their conveying the mail, which they do
likewise, free of expence. In the winter they are obliged to
conduct travellers and estafettes from one ostrog to another:
they supply the dogs of those who travel with jukula ; they also
lodge the travellers; this, however, they are not obliged to do.
This hospitable people has, of its own accord, engaged to lodge
every traveller, and to feed his dogs without demanding any
remuneration. In every ostrog there is a supply of fish set
apart for this purpose. In general the governor and all officers
keep dogs, so that in this respect they are not burthensome to
the Kamtschadales; but a story is still told of a magistrate high
in office, having been here a short time since, who never travelled
but in a sledge like a small house, drawn by an hundred dogs.
254, KRU SENSTERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE won LD.
Besides this, he is said to have journeyed with such rapidity, that
at every station several of these animals belonging to the Kamt-
Schadales expired, which he never paid for. In the summer
the Kamtschadale is obliged to be always ready with his boat to
conduct the traveller either up or down the rivers; nor can the
soldier be sent any where without having one of these people for
his guide. Thus it frequently happens that they are absent a
fortnight or more from their ostrog, and lose the best oppor-
tunity of providing themselves with fish for the winter, as, be-
sides the mere act of taking the fish, it requires several days
of fine summer weather to dry them. If the wet should set in
during this operation, the fish instantly becomes maggoty, and
the whole stock is rendered useless. From the great number
of soldiers, (as, besides the Cossacks, there is a battalion of five
hundred men, and about twenty officers quartered in Kamt-
schatka), and the small number of Kamtschadales, it must be
sufficiently evident that the latter are frequently taken from
their work, and, it may be added, almost without remuneration;
for the post-money allowed by the crown, which amounts to one
kopeck the werst, considering the high price of every article,
is, surely, not only an inconsiderable, but an insulting, reward
for the service performed. The present governor has shewn
himself their benefactor even in this *, having laid down a
plan for the better regulation of the posts, according to which
every Kamtschadale will receive an ample remuneration for any
service he may perform to the crown. These people, in spite of
* General Koscheleff quitted the government of Kamtschatka in the year 1808,
O N THE ACTUAL STATE OF KAMTSC II A TKA. 255
their extreme poverty, are an example of honesty: in this respect
it is altogether impossible to exceed them, and it is as rare to
find a cheat among the Kamtschadales, as a man of property.
Travellers on their arrival in any ostrog usually give their
money, papers, and valuables, and even their stock of brandy,
tea, sugar, tobacco, &c. into the hands of the tayon, and there
is no instance of any one having been robbed to the smallest
extent. Lieutenant Koscheleff told me that he had once been
sent by his brother, the governor, with thirteen thousand roubles
to distribute among the different towns; that every evening he
made over his box with the money to the tayon of the ostrog
where he slept, and felt much easier, having so disposed of it,
than he would perhaps have done in any inn in St. Petersburg.
The only fault of the Kamtschadales is their propensity to
drinking spirits; but this is chiefly to be ascribed to the interest
which the merchants have in nourishing it. A moderate use of
strong liquor is necessary in this raw climate, and it would be
easy to supply the people now and then with a small quantity
at a reasonable price, instead of obliging them to forego the use
of it for several months, and, the instant they can procure it,
permitting them to deprive themselves of all they possess in
order to get intoxicated.
The Kamtschadales have adopted the Christian religion.
The Greek priesthood in Kamtschatka is another object to
which some attention ought to be paid, as it is absolutely neces-
sary to improve their condition. I had, indeed, only an oppor-
tunity of seeing two priests, the one of St. Peter and St. Paul,
and the other from Bolscheretzk, who, shortly after our arrival,
256 KRU SENSTERN’s voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
came there with a large quantity of very valuable furs, but
returned as soon as he had terminated his affairs. I can there-
fore say nothing with regard to his conduct. The priest of St.
Peter and St. Paul was a scandal to his profession: in the in-
terior, they are said to be no better, and to be particularly ob-
noxious to the Kamtschadales. g
2
5
7
*g.
\ CHAPTER IX.
PASS A G E FR O M K AM TSC PIAT K A TO M A CA O.
Plan of our intended Voyage to China—We discontinue our Search for the Land
seen by the Spaniards in 1634–Violent Storms in the thirty-first and thirty-eighth
Degrees of Latitude—Several Signs of the Vicinity of Land—Fruitless Search
for the Islands of Guadeloupe, Malabrigos and Don Juan—We see Sulphur
Island and South Island, and direct our Course to the South Point of Formosa—
Pass the Straits between Formosa and the Bashee Islands, during a very stormy
Night—Obtain Sight of the Rock Pedro Blanco and the Coast of China—Perceive
a large Fleet of Chinese Pirates—Some Account of them—Anchor in the Road
of Macao.
Although the season was already far advanced, I neverthe-
less wished, if it could be effected without much loss of time,
and the winds did not prove unfavourable, to examine, during
our passage to China, several objects in this ocean, where, ac-
cording to ancient accounts, many islands are supposed to exist.
But this, in fact, is doubtful, and the chance of finding them
where they are laid down in the charts, their situation varying
in almost all of them, is, at all events, very problematical; nor
is it possible for the compilers to agree exactly in the draught
of these imaginary islands, nothing being positively known,
either with respect to their discovery or situation; and they pro-
bably owe their existence in later ones to Lord Anson's having
found, in his celebrated prize, in the year 1742, a Spanish chart,
by which the galleons were accustomed to direct their course
VO L. I. I. L. L.
258 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE wor LD.
from Acapulco to the Philippines. This chart, of which an
amended copy is in Anson's voyage, is filled up with a number
of islands, which have all been carefully copied, although the
frequent voyages in this sea have proved that the greater
part of them are not, at least, where they are laid down. A
number of names of doubtful islands and rocks only confound,
and can never be of any use to navigators, unless those which
really exist, and whose situation is accurately determined, be
distinguished from the imaginary ones by something calcu-
lated immediately to strike the eye. These observations
have induced me, in my chart of the north-western part of
this ocean, to lay down only such islands as have been seen
and described by modern navigators, and to mark at the same
time the year of their discovery. In order, however, that I
may not be accused of having inspired the navigator, who may
make use of this, with a false security, by the Omission of islands
and rocks whose existence is very possible, I have subjoined to
my atlas a copy of the western part of Anson's chart, without
any other alteration than assigning to it its true boundaries;
for instance, a part of the Philippines, the Likeo, and the Japan
islands. I am besides convinced, that this chart can contribute
but little to the safety of the navigator, and that the discovery
of islands and rocks in this ocean may well be left to chance.
As a proof of this assertion, I may adduce the islands that have
been discovered in latter times, such as Gore's Sulphur island,
Meares's Lot's Wife, and the Grampus islands; Douglas's rocks,
called by him Guy's rocks, the reef to which he gave his own
name, and Wakes's rocks. All these and several others were
found, without any intention of making discoveries in this part,
although it is not impossible that they may have been seen
PASS A G E FROM K AMT'S CHAT IX A TO M A CAO. 259
formerly by the Spaniards. The navigator should, however, lay it
down as a rule, to avoid as much as may be the routes of those
who have gone before him, and to examine as closely as pos-
sible the spots where more credible, that is to say, more modern
navigators, have seen undoubted marks of land. This rule,
which I laid down for myself, I have always endeavoured, as
much as my duty would allow, to pursue. No stress should
be laid upon reports, even when upheld by the opinion of the
most learned geographers, such, for instance, as that of Buache
on the possibility of the existence of the land seen by the Spa-
niards in 1634, nor any search made for them in consequence,
except when it can be done without loss of time, or the pos-
sibility of missing a more important object. It was, however,
probable, that a fortunate accident might have favoured us in
making some discovery, if not entirely new, at least tending to
confirm some that had already been made ; and for this reason
I determined to shape my course to China, so as to enable me
to examine those parts where, in Arrowsmith's chart, the islands
Rio de la Plata, the Guadeloupes, the Malabrigos, the islands
St. Sebastian de Lobos, and St. Juan, as well as others lying to
the south are laid down, and then to pursue a tract to the island
Botol Tobago Xima, near the south point of Formosa, between
which and the Bashee islands is the usual route to Macao “.
* During our absence, an Englishman, Captain Burney, published an important
work on the early discoveries in this ocean. A Chronological History of the Dis-
coveries in the South Sea, or Pacific Ocean, by James Burney, 2 vols. 4to. Lon-
don, 1803–1806. I shall have an opportunity of mentioning some things in this
work, which was unknown to me at the time of our voyage.
W
200 K R USENSTERN’s voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
The north wind which, since the middle of September, had
blown almost constantly in Awatscha bay, left us when we had
scarcely more than ten minutes quitted the land. After some
hours calm a southerly wind arose, which gradually veered to
the S. W., blowing pretty fresh throughout the night. The
weather was very cold : during the last four days of our stay in
Awatscha bay, we generally experienced in the morning one, or
one and a half degrees of cold; and with the brightest Sunshine,
the quicksilver never rose at noon above four degrees. On shore
the cold was still more sensible: a courier whom the governor
had dispatched to St. Peter and St. Paul, and who arrived five
days previous to our departure, found a deep snow with ex-
treme cold in the neighbourhood of Werchnoy.
The southerly wind, at this time of the year a very unusual
one, appeared obstinate, and continued throughout the 9th, 10th,
and 11th October. On the morning of the last day it shifted to
the N. W., blowing strong, and accompanied by rain and fog :
the sea ran very high from the S. E. During the night the wind
shifted to N. N. E., and blew fresh throughout the next day at
E. S. E. and east, the fog continuing very thick. My course,
if the wind had allowed it, was S. by E., but I was often com-
pelled to steer to the westward of south. On the 13th October
the sun made its appearance for a few minutes, and we had
an observation in 47° 50' 20" N., and 197°00'W.
On the 15th October the ship was surrounded by sea-swal-
lows and mews; we likewise saw a cormorant, a species of bird
that never flies far from land. On the same day, in latitude
PASSAGE FROM K AMT SCHAT KA TO MACA O. 261
45° 31', and longitude 197° 30, we crossed the course we had
pursued on the 9th of July, in the preceding year, from the
Sandwich islands to Kamtschatka, on which day we had seen a
number of divers and whales. Towards evening it blew vio-
lently at east with a heavy rain, and we were obliged to take in
all sail, except a reefed fore and main-top-sail. On the 16th of
October the wind shifted from N. to N. E., but the sea ran so
high at E. and E. N. E., that we were compelled to vary our
course to W. S. W. and S.W. by W., in order to ease the masts a
little. In the afternoon the storm abated : from the 13th to the
15th we had no observation, but I conceived myself to be in
41° 54 N., and 198° 32' W., and was therefore induced to give
up all farther search of the land seen by the Spaniards in 1634.
It was my intention to have passed the meridian of 195° 30' in
latitude 86° 15', and then to have sailed six or seven degrees
direct to the westward, because, in the former year, we had
sailed in this parallel as far as 194° 20', and Captain Clarke had
crossed the 36° 15' of latitude in 195°. On both sides of his
course, to an extent of thirty miles, if there had been any land,
he would certainly have seen it, and this induced me to steer
always, rather an easterly course after I had left the coast of
Kamtschatka till I came to 197", when I was often obliged to
pursue a more westerly one. It had therefore become alto-
gether impossible for me to reach the point I aimed at without
considerable loss of time, for I was really afraid of arriving too
late in China, concluding the Neva to be already waiting for
us there ; she did not, however, arrive until a fortnight after
us, and I have now to regret not having employed the time spent
idly at Macao in the pursuit of the above objects. But, besides
262 K R USENSTERN's voy. AGE Rou ND THE wor L.D.
the foregoing reasons, it is very difficult for a vessel sailing to
the westward to make any search for this land, as in the
parallels of the thirty-fifth degree, and of the thirty-seventh
and a half, which is nearly the place of their supposed existence,
the west are the prevailing winds. If, too, an easterly wind.
should spring up, as was the case when we passed these parts the
preceding year, it is always accompanied by such gloomy wea-
ther as renders the horizon extremely circumscribed, and the
thickest and most impenetrable fog often continues, except at
short intervals, for several days, as we have too frequently ex-
perienced. A space of many months is necessary in order to ex-
amine twelve or fifteen degrees of this foggy sea, provided you
only follow any particular parallel during the fine weather.
In the night of the 19th of October we again fell in with a
very heavy gale at S. E., accompanied by thick, dirty weather.
At noon we were unable to carry any sail except a storm stay-
sail and reefed fore and main-top-sails. At two o'clock the
storm was at its height, and split our fore-top and stay-sail: the
ship's motion being uncommonly heavy. Towards evening it
abated a little, and veered to the south-west; but at midnight
it again increased, and became very furious, accompanied with
violent squalls. At six o'clock the storm subsided, after raging
twenty-six hours: the high sea, however, continued, and we
were at length obliged to lay the ship's head directly against it,
in order to ease the violence of the motion.
On the 21st October we had a moderate observation for the
latitude, but could obtain none to ascertain the time. It rained
P A S S A G E FIR O M I A MIT'S CHAT ICA TO M A CA O. 263
continually, with a fresh wind at S. and S. S. W. The air was
now become hot, and the thermometer had risen to 18°. The
next day, the 22d October, we had an observation in 36° 36
N., and 201° 58' W. Shortly after noon it fell perfectly calm,
with a continued and very heavy rain : the sea ran uncommonly
high from the north ; I never saw any ship so tossed about as
ours during this calm, which lasted until eight in the evening,
and often made us tremble for our masts. In fact, some of
the ship's bolts were actually started by the violence of the
motion. At length we perceived a gentle breeze coming up
from the eastward, and the next day we saw tropic birds and
cormorants, and fancied we descried land to the southward. I
directed my course towards it, but it soon appeared that what
we had imagined to be land was merely clouds. At noon we
had an observation in 35° 18' N., and 201’ 54" W., the variation
of the needle was 7° 36' E. The wind which, during several
hours, had been at N. W., now veered to N. E., bringing with
it thick, gloomy weather, which generally accompanies the N. E.
and east winds. My course now lay S. W. by W. in the direc-
tion of the Guadeloupe islands.
On the 26th October we had some good observations, by
means of which we found ourselves to be in 31° 5' 25" N ., and
208° 33' 30° W.: during the whole day the wind blew from the
southward; but towards evening we experienced alternate calms
and squalls from all points of the compass. This weather, with
continued flashes of lightning, continued throughout the night.
The sky was thick, and concealed by dark black clouds, pour-
ing down a heavy rain: every symptom of an approaching
storm appeared, and we prepared ourselves against it: the ba-
264 R R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
rometer, at the same time, fell to twenty-nine inches two and a
half lines. At four in the morning of the 27th October the storm
commenced by a violent squall, which split both our top-sails;
at eight it raged violently, and at eleven was at its height: the
waves ran so high, that an ill constructed ship, unprovided
with good rigging, could not possibly have resisted them. We
could only compare it to the typhon which, the preceding
year, we had experienced in the same parallel, although its vio-
lence was not of so long a duration, and except this, it was by
far the most violent gale we experienced in our whole voyage:
coming on like the typhon from E. S. E., and veering, though
not so suddenly, to N. E. At four in the afternoon the wind
fell a little, and by eight we were enabled to disencumber our-
selves of our torn sails, and to bend others. A great many
sharks surrounded the ship, while the storm was at its height,
and between two and four o'clock we caught six of them
with a line, and secured them on board *. At six o'clock
we set reefed topsails, and directed our course to the southward,
being compelled to take this direction by the high sea from the
S. E., hoping it would enable us to ease, in some degree, the
ship's motion. The constant violent agitation of the ship, which
had continued above a fortnight, and the great heat, had so
slackened the shrouds, that I was obliged to pursue this course for
the safety of our masts. In the evening we caught two boobies,
and another land-bird; these, as well as a number of tropic
birds and dolphins that surrounded the ship, seemed to prove
* One of these sharks, nearly nine feet long, broke from the hook after we had
haled him up the ship's side. Although it had torn its under jaw, it returned to
the bait with fresh fury, and was taken a second time.
PASS A G E FIROM KA MTS CHAT KA TO MACA O. 265
that we were at no great distance from land; but the only
coast we were near, and that was about one hundred miles from
us, was the Water island discovered by the celebrated adventurer
Benioffsky “. The untruths by which this adventurer has de-
stroyed all interest in his extraordinary fate, have very properly
deterred geographers from adopting the discoveries laid down in
his chart. I firmly believe, however, that we could not be at
any great distance from land; the night was clear, and we
sailed under easy canvas towards the south; I gave express
orders to keep a watchful look out for land, but we were not
able to see any.
At length, on the 29th October we had a fine day, but the
air was so damp that the hygrometer, of which the highest
* Benioffsky's Water island lies, according to him, in 32° 47' N., and 355° 8' east
of Bolscheretzk, or, what is the same thing, 208° 12' west of Greenwich. The next
day he saw another island, and three days after found himself on the coast of Japan,
which, according to our observations in Benioffsky's parallel, is in the two hun-
dred and twenty-seventh degree of longitude. This shews that the longitude of
the island he discovered is laid down very incorrectly by him, the difference of
longitude between Water island and the coast of Japan amounting to nearly
twenty degrees. If what he says of his stay in Japan is not altogether a fiction,
which I scarcely believe to be the case, although he would not fail to adorn this
part of his voyage with a number of untruths, as he has the account of his escape
from Kamtschatka, it appears to me clear from his account, that his Water island
belongs to that chain which lies to the south of the bay of Jeddo; for the next day
he saw islands, nor did he lose sight of them until he came to an anchor in the bay
which he calls Usilpatschar. This agrees with the above-mentioned chain of
islands, one of which, Fatsisio, lies nearly in the latitude he mentions. It would,
however, be a very thankless task to endeavour to trace Benioffsky's course in this
voyage. *
VOL. II. M M
266 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND Thi E W OR L D.
degree of damp was only 70’, constantly stood at 65". After
I had caused a fire to be lighted in my cabin in order to dry it,
and the heat, which in the open air was 21", had increased in it
to 25°, the hygrometer still sunk only to 54". By our observa-
tion at noon we were in latitude 39° 31' 47", and in 210° 20' 00"
longitude. The variation of the magnetic needle, by a mean of
several forenoon observations of the azimuth and of the ampli-
tude of the sun, and which varied from 3° 30' 30" to 5°9' 40",
was 4” 42' 50" east. By the observation in the afternoon it was
5° 45' 09", making the mean of the fore and afternoon observa-
tions 5° 13' 55". We were now enabled, for the first time since
our departure from Kamtschatka, to take some distances of the
moon, but the ship's motion was so great that Dr. Horner and
myself only succeeded in obtaining two sets. Mine reduced to
noon, gave 210° 38' 35"; Dr. Horner's 210° 22' 37". The chro-
nometer, No. 128, gave, at the same time, 210° 19 45". -
The fine weather we had enjoyed to-day only lasted till mid-
night: the sky became cloudy, and it began to blow hard with
violent squalls, one of which carried away our main-top-sail.
As I had saved my new sails for the Chinese sea, where, par-
ticularly in the channel between Formosa and the Bashee islands,
violent storms prevail in all seasons, and the loss of any prin-
cipal sail is attended with danger, I only used our second and
third set of sails; but as these split and tore in every gale, I was
at last obliged to have recourse to the best, keeping, however,
the sail-maker constantly at work, in spite of the continued
rains, which proved a great hindrance to him.
On the 31st October, at six in the morning, I esteemed myself
P A S S A G E FROM K AMT'S CHAT KA TO M A CA O. 267
in latitude 28° 22', and longitude 211° 50'. As it was my in-
tention to steer by that part in which the group, called the
Guadeloupe islands, is laid down, I now held W. S. W. The
northernmost of these, according to Arrowsmith, lies in 28° 30,
the southernmost in 27°58', and the whole group between the
two hundred and thirteenth and two hundred and fourteenth de-
grees of longitude. Thus with a W. S. W. course I expected to
cut through the middle of them ; but we had scarcely run a
degree to the westward, when a violent thunder-storm, accom-
panied by heavy rain, arose; this was soon followed by clear wea-
ther, but it fell calm, and continued so till night, when the wind
again sprung up at due west. At this time we were only fif-
teen miles from the easternmost of the Guadeloupe islands; and
yet with the finest weather, and a very clear horizon, no land
could be descried from the mast-head ; one land-bird was the
only, and, indeed, very uncertain token of the vicinity of land;
I lay to until day-break of the 1st November, and then con-
tinued our course on a wind, S. S. W. At noon we had an ob-
servation in 27° 46' N., and 212° 56' W.; we were now nearly in
what is described as the parallel, and only forty miles to the
east of the northernmost of the Malabrigos, which must lie much
more to the eastward ; for had they been more to the west,
Captain Gore, whose course lay within sixty miles of them,
must undoubtedly have seen them.
In the parallel of the northernmost of the Malabrigos, that is
in 27° 32', is also the island of San Juan, of which Captain
King says, that he must have seen it had it been in existence.
The weather was particularly fine, and the horizon very clear;
and at a distance of sixty miles no land could have escaped us,
268 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T III, won L.D.
especially as the greater part of the islands scattered about in
this ocean are of considerable height, and, owing to their vol-
canic origin, are distinguished, like Gore's Sulphur island, by
being mostly in the form of a peak. In the ancient charts
a number of them are laid down by the name of volcanos.
Being very anxious to ascertain the existence of any land in
these parts, I lay to at sun-set, and the next morning, the 2d
November, continued my course to the southward. At noon
we had an observation in 27° 12' 20" N., and 213° 20' 50" W.,
we were, therefore, only six miles to the northward, and by the
time-pieces forty miles to the east of Margaret island, dis-
covered, according to Arrowsmith, by a Captain Magee in 1773.
If the longitude of the island is correct, it must be very small,
both in extent and height, otherwise we must have seen it. But
it is probable that it lies much more to the eastward ; for, if it
lay to the westward, it could not have escaped either Captains
King or Gore.
On the 3d of October we were, by observation, in 26° 26' N.,
and 213° 55° W. In this situation we must have been only
fifteen miles from a group of these islands, to which no names
have been assigned ; but we could perceive nothing. The
4th November we had an observation in 26° 12' 16", and
214° 51' 30"; and on the 5th in 25°42' 39", and 215° 32' 30", I
steered S. W. in a course right between those of Gore and
Meares. At one in the morning we crossed Meares's course in
the twenty-fifth degree of latitude, and as that now ran N. E.
and S. W., I steered S. S. W. to keep away from it. On the
6th November we had an observation in 24° 26' 48" N., and
P A S S A G E E R O M TO A M T S C II A T 1: A TO M A CA O. 269
217° 14' 30" W. : constant southerly winds had, in the last
twenty-four hours, driven the ship seventeen miles to the north-
ward, and, contrary to my intention, brought us very near Gore's
south island. The next morning at nine o'clock it bore due west
of us. At noon S. W. 75°, distant sixteen miles: by our Ob-
servation we were in 24° 18' 20" N., and 2.18° 20' 30" west.
South island is of a round form, a mile and a half in diameter,
and five hundred and twenty toises high. It is a bare rock, having
a peak in the centre, and very much resembles Jonas island in the
sea of Ochotsk.; it appeared to be free from any surrounding
rocks. At four in the afternoon we distinguished Sulphur island
to the N. W. Throughout the night the wind blew fresh from
the S. W. and W.; and the next morning, the 8th November, at
N. N. W. with thick weather and constant rain. At noon the
wind shifted to N. N. E. : this at last was the true trade wind,
and brought with it fine clear weather. Gore and King both fell
in with it near these islands. We had an observation in 23° 50'
N., and 2.18° 15' 30" W. South island then bore by compass
N. E. 40°. At four o'clock it lay due north of us; and by an
altitude of the sun taken at this same moment we calculated its
longitude to be 218° 38'. The latitude we found to be 24° 14'
40", that is to say, 7' 20" to the south of what Captain King
makes it; but as he enly saw the island at some distance, and
we passed two days close to it, I think our observation likely to
be the most correct. The latitude of Sulphur island we found
to be very nearly what Captain King makes it, 24” 48 ; and its
longitude only one minute more to the east, namely 218°47'.
The relative situation of these islands is so similar to that of a
270 4-2
K R Us ENSTERN's voy A.G.E ROUND THE WORLD.
group in Anson's chart, that no doubt can exist of this being
one and the same. The centre one is there called Farellon, the
northernmost St. Alexander, but the southernmost has no name;.
in Arrowsmith it is called St. Augustin : the difference of lati-
tude is considerable, that of the longitude, on the contrary, pro-
portionably trifling. The centre one in Anson's chart lies 50
to the north, and a degree and a half to the west of Gore's
Sulphur island *.
I now steered W. by S. and W., wishing to remain some
time between the twenty-third and twenty-sixth degrees of lati-
tude; but as we perceived by our observation the next day that:
a current set us to the southward, I altered my course to W. #
N. and W. by N. On the 12th November we had an ob-
servation in 23°28' N., and 227° 47' W.; the weather was clear
and warm, and the air drier than we had yet found it. On the
13th November we had no observation: on the 14th in 25° 00'
N., and 231°00'W., we must have had the rock called by the
* It appears from Burney's Chronological History of the Discoveries in the
South Sea, that in the year 1543, Bernardo de la Torre, on board the ship San
Juan, discovered on a voyage from Mindañao to New, Spain three islands in the
twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth degrees of latitude, five hundred leagues from the
island of Tandaya, which were called the Volcanos. Burney concludes from the ac-
count of this voyage, published by Gaetan, the pilot of the San Juan, that the
Volcanos must be Gore's Sulphur island, with the north and south islands. This
supposition is very probable, and, except in the names, which are incorrect, they
are the same as those laid down in Anson's chart; Farellon in Anson being pio-
bably the island of Forfana discovered by Bernardo de la Torre in this same,
voyage, and which, according to Gaetan's account of La Torre's voyage, in which
Burney places the greatest confidence, must lie in the 25° 34' of north latitude,
and 143°02' east longitude. º
PASS A G E FROM RAMTSC IIAT K A To MAC Ao. 271
Spaniards Abreojos (open your eyes), about a degree to the
southward of us. It is not improbable that the reef discovered
by Captain Douglas in 1789 in latitude 20° 37', and longitude
223° 50', is the same as the Abreojos, although in Anson's
chart the latter lies more to the northward and westward, and
is more extended than Captain Douglas makes it *.
The numerous observations we made twice a day to ascertain
the variation of the needle, the results of which were at one time
some minutes to the east, at another to the west, seemed to
prove that nearly in latitude 23° 00, and longitude 230°, the
variation of the magnetic needle might be considered as null.
It is extremely trifling throughout the Chinese sea; and on the
eastern coast of Japan, of Jesso, and in the Japanese sea, was
almost null, as before mentioned, nor can it be subject to any
great changes in these regions, as Commodore Byron found no
variation here in the year 1765.
On the 17th November we had an observation in 22° 3' 18"
N., and 237° 20' 40". The wind during the last two days had
blown from the S. E.—S. and S. S. W., quite in a contrary di-
* According to Gaetan (Burney's History, vol. i. p. 289), the Abreojos dis-
covered by Bernardo de la Torre lies in 16°; Herrera places it in the 26° of lati-
tude. The error of the press is no doubt in Herrera; but in all probability the
Spaniards have given this name to some other reef. In Anson's voyage it lies in
latitude 22° and 7° to the eastward of Farellon and St. Alexander, or, what comes
to the same thing, 148° 20' east of Greenwich. Burney calculates the longitude
of the Abreojos, discovered by La Torre, from the known situation of the Vol-
cano islands, seen shortly after, to be 132° 00 east. f
37.2 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE W or LD.
rection to that of the monsoon, and the weather was hot and
close, the thermometer standing at 22°. According to our ob-
servation at noon, the island Botol Tobago Xima ought to have
been to the eastward of us, at a distance of fifty-three miles;
we could not, however, perceive any thing of it. At two o'clock
in the afternoon we had a fresh breeze at north, after some
hours calm, with thick weather and a high sea from the S. W.,
and I was now obliged to obtain sight of the island of Botol
Tobago Xima before sun-set, that we might know our situa-
tion, and steer a safe course through the night. Towards even-
ing the wind increased to a violent storm. As we had taken
very good observations, and I could depend on the correctness
of our time-pieces, as well as on the accuracy with which the
dangerous passages of the channel of Formosa, and especially
the rock Vele Rete, are described, I determined, notwithstand-
ing the storm, to run through the channel in the night. Daring
as this appears to be, I could not have laid by outside the chan-
nel, exposed to the rapid and uncertain currents, without con-
siderable danger. I steered S. W. by W. until ten o’clock, when
I calculated that I was about ten or fifteen miles to the south-
ward of Vele Rete : from ten till two. I steered W. S. W., and
from two till day-break west. At midnight the storm was the
most violent, the wind at that time veering to N. E. I placed
people throughout the night on the bowsprit and on both sides
of the ship, to give warning of any danger, in case the current
should carry us nearer the land than. I calculated upon. It
proved, however, that we kept pretty fairly in the centre of the
channel. At eight the next morning, the 18th November, the
storm abated, and the clouds dispersed, and we now saw, al-
though not very distinctly, the south point of Formosa bearing
PASS A G E FROM K AMT'S CHAT K A TO M A CA O. 273
N. W. 40'. I altered my course to the N. W. by N., to gain
the north end of it, which we had lost by steering too much to
the southward during the night. In passing this channel in the
day-time it is necessary to steer a more northerly course than
I could venture upon at night, since it is very difficult, as the
Resolution and Discovery experienced, to weather the Pratas,
especially if the trade wind blows from the northward. In the
channel itself there is no danger, except of the Vele Rete,
which is surrounded by a reef of rocks, two miles in circum-
ference. The rock itself, in clear weather, may be seen at the
distance of eight miles *.
* Several navigators have taken the trouble to ascertain the precise situation of
this dangerous rock; but having made their observations as they sailed by it, their
accounts are naturally very different. I will mention here such as are entitled to
the greatest degree of credit.
According to Dalrymple's chart of the Chinese sea, printed in 1771, Vele Rete
lies 3° 58' 40" east of peak Banguay. This peak, by Dalrymple's notes on his
chart, lies 117° 17' 30" east of Greenwich. Wele Rete would therefore lie in 238°
49' 30" west. But I believe the longitude of the great Ladrone islands is much
better ascertained than that of peak Banguay. By a mean of several observations of
the longitude of the great Ladrone islands I find it 113°48'50" east of Greenwich:
now, as Vele Rete in Dalrymple's chart is 70° 11' east of the great Ladrone
islands, its situation will be, according to
Dalrymple 21° 48' 30" N. and 289° 00' 10" W.
Robertson 21° 45' 00" . 238° 52' 15"
La Perouse 21° 49' 00" . 238° 48' OO"
Marchand 21° 45' 00" . 239° Ol' OO"
Broughton 21° 48' 24” . 289° 15' 00"
according to Gadd, a Swedish China captain, and an accurate observer, it lies in
21° 40' 00" N., and 239° 02' 00" west.
Captain Broughton's observations appear to me, at least with respect to the lati-
tude, to merit the preference, as he passed in very favourable weather between
WOLs. II a N .N .
274 K R USENSTERN's Voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE WORLD.
We had a calm, throughout the day; and at eight in the
evening a very fresh breeze with a high sea from the northward;
but the next morning, the 19th November, it veered to N. N. E.
I steered N. W. by W. and W. N. W., because, with the strong
northerly wind I had to dread a considerable current from the
south, and was desirous of keeping as far off as possible from
the dangerous Pratas. Our observation at noon, 22' 6 and
242° 08, agreed pretty exactly in point of latitude with that of
the ship's reckoning, but the longitude was forty miles more to
the westward. At six in the evening I steered W. by N. ; I
then conceived myself in latitude 23° 18', that is to say, 2 south
of the rock Pedro Blanco. We had thirty fathoms water over
a clayey ground ; and I now steered due west, with a very
strong wind. About one o'clock we found ourselves sur-
rounded by a number of Chinese fishing-boats, which com-
pelled us to shorten sail during the rest of the night, in
order not to run over some of them. In the night we had
constantly twenty-eight and thirty fathoms water. As the day
began to dawn on the 20th November, I was not a little asto-
nished to see Pedro Blanco bearing N. E. 75°, distant about
ten miles. Admitting a current of two miles the hour, I could
scarcely have thought of having the rock to the northward of
us; but we must have passed about three miles to the south of it
without seeing it. We shortly aſter distinguished the whole
coast of China, which I approached within a few miles, and
Formosa and Wele Rete, the only example I recollect of any one having sailed.
between them. It is to be regretted that he has not given the soundings of this
channel. He makes Vele Rete to lie fifteen miles S. W. 12° from the S. E. point
of Formosa.
PASSAGE FROM KAMT'S CHAT KA To MACAO. 275
then steered west for the island of Ling-ting, between Gros-
Lema and Potoy. w
Coming from the eastward, the passage between Lema island
to Macao is far preferable to the outer one. It shortens the
way considerably, and the more so, as it enables you to keep
before the wind. By steering southward of the Asses Ears, and
the great Ladrone islands, a vessel is frequently obliged to beat
up for some days, in order to fetch the road of Macao, neither
the wind nor the currents being favourable to such a navigation.
The chart of the passage between Lema, in the new East Indian
atlas, published in 1803, is, like most of those in this voluminous
collection, a very bad one : the relative situation of Pedro
Blanco, of Singsoy, and Tonnang islands, certainly appear cor-
rect, but they require to be very much compressed. Dal-
rymple's chart of Lema island is infinitely more correct”. It is
the more surprising that the compiler of the East Indian atlas
should have neglected the good materials of which he might
have availed himself, and merely followed such as are really
bad. This is unfortunately the case in almost every sheet of
this atlas not copied from some known chart.
We saw no boat, and were therefore obliged to venture the
passage without a pilot, which, if I had at that time been pos-
sessed of Dalrymple's chart, would have caused me but little
uneasiness; but we had scarcely passed the Gros-Lema and
* The latitude of Pedro Blanco, in Dalrymple, is only 8, and that of Macao
rather less than 7" too much to the north.
276 ICR USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
Potoy when one came on board. The wind blew fresh, and
we steered under all sail between the islands lying in our route,
the whole of which, without exception, are incorrectly designed
in the East Indian atlas. At five in the evening we saw a
large fleet of boats, apparently consisting of about three hundred
sail, lying at anchor under shelter of the island of Lantoo. We
took them for fishing-boats, and sailed quietly by them; but we
learnt afterwards at Macao that this was a fleet of Chinese
pirates, who, during the last three years, have committed their
depredations on the southern coast of China, attacking every
vessel that is not upon its guard, and does not appear to them
too strongly armed. In this manner they had lately taken an
American ship and two Portuguese vessels, the one between
the Lema islands, and the other, which was proceeding from
Cochin-China, off the coast of China, at a very short distance
from the land. Nothing was known as to the fate of the
American ; but they had learnt at Macao that all the Por-
tuguese who refused to enter their service were murdered.
Some of the crew of the Portuguese vessels agreed to do so,
and succeeded, after a time, in making their escape. They
burnt the vessels after plundering them. These pirates have
vessels of two hundred tons in their fleet, manned with one
hundred and fifty or two hundred seamen, and mounting from
ten to twenty guns; and the smallest of their boats carry thirty
or forty men. If they can succeed in boarding a vessel, they
are certain of their prey from the superiority of their numbers;
they would be infinitely more dangerous, if they possessed more
courage, and skill in their manoeuvres, and knew how to use
their artillery. In the road of Macao, and even in the Typa,
Vessels were not secure against their attacks; and the passage
PASS A G E E R O M JKA MTS C H A TKA TG M A CA O. 277
from Macao to Canton was particularly dangerous. The mem-
bers of the English factory, whenever they had occasion to go
from one of these places to the other, were accompanied by the
armed boats of two English frigates lying in the Bocca Tigris, hav-
ing once narrowly escaped falling into the hands of these pirates.
The English brig, Harrier, of eighteen guns, Captain Radsey,
had been cruising here for the last ten weeks, as well as two Por-
tuguese armed vessels; one of which had lately had an engage-
ment with eighty of these pirates, and had been so successful as
to cut her way through them. Nothing but the violence of the
storm could have deterred them from attacking us, and they
might have been the more certain of their prey, as we had not
the slightest suspicion of them, taking their vessels for fishing-
boats, which, it is well known, sail in these parts in large fleets*.
At seven o'clock in the evening of the 20th November we cast
anchor in the road of Macao in seven fathoms water, after sail-
ing above an hour in the dark in a violent storm of wind and
rain. At day-break we found that Macao bore N. W. 86°,
about five miles off. The little island of Potoy S. W. 6°.
*-
—º-
* The account of these Chinese pirates had shortly before reached Europe; and
I received, whilst at Kamtschatka, a letter from my friend, Counsellor Würst,
warning me to be on my guard against them. I fancied, however, that he meant
the Malays, who also infest, and render the Chinese seas very dangerous, frequently
attacking European ships with the greatest success: of real Chinese pirates I had
not the slightest suspicion. The Malays chiefly infest the coast of Palawan,
Borneo, and the entrance of the straits of Malacca.
278.
CHAPTER X.
STAY IN C H IN A.
The Nadeshda sails into the Typa–Arrival of a Chinese Comprador—JWe learn that
the Neva had not arrived in China—This occasions us some Uneasiness—Er-
$ planation to the Chinese Government of the Nature of our Arrival, and Stay at
Macao—Restrained Situation of the Portuguese in Macao—The Chinese treat them
with cery little Moderation—Hazardous Situation of the Governor there—The
Loss of Macao, probably, at no great Distance—Beautiful Garden belonging to
Mr. Drummond–Camoens' Grotto—Arrival of the Neva with a rich Lading of
Furs—The Chinese will not allow the Nadeshda to proceed to Whampoa-I sail
in the Neva to Canton to obtain Permission—Arrival of the Nadeshda at Whampoa
—Difficulty of opening a Trade with Canton–Through the Intercession of an
English House, the Neva's Cargo is purchased—We prepare for our Departure
from China—Sudden Orders of the Viceroy for our Detention—Representations
made in consequence—Mr. Drummond, President of the English Factory, everts
himself in our Behalf—Final Orders to allow the Ships to sail—The Nadeshda
and Neva quit Whampoa. -
At eight in the morning of the 21st November we perceived a
boat coming off to us, which succeeded in fetching the ship,
although the wind still blew very fresh, and our distance from
land could not be less than five miles: it brought a Chinese
comprador”, who offered his services. Our first question was
* In China they call those people compradors who supply vessels with necessaries
during their stay at Macao and Whampoa. Although these compradors are
obliged to pay large sums to the Mandarines for each ship, their profit is, never-
STA Y IN C H IN A. 279
for the Neva, which, to our astonishment, we learnt had not yet
arrived. In conformity with our arrangements, the Neva ought
to have been here some time in October, with a cargo of furs from
Kodiak; and the value of this cargo was to be laden in Chinese
goods on board of both vessels: I was therefore in no small
dilemma, and found myself compelled to await her arrival at
Macao, although the preciseness of the Chinese rendered this
difficult for any length of time. The comprador was accom-
panied on board by a pilot, who offered to carry us into the
Typa (a safe anchorage two miles to the south of Macao), as
it was imprudent to remain in the outer road, both on account
of the pirates, and of the lateness of the season. About
an hour, therefore, after I had sent Lieutenant Löwenstern to
announce to the governor our arrival, and my intention of going
into the Typa, I again set our topmasts and yards, and weighed
anchor; and at two in the afternoon we moored in the Typa.
An English brig of eighteen guns sailed in at the same time with
us, from which, as well as from a small Portuguese vessel of war
of twelve guns, we received a visit shortly after we had taken in
our sails. The English officer acquainted us that the vessel to
which he belonged had been a few weeks before at Whampoa,
where he had been sent by the commodore of the squadron on
this station*, to demand payment of the viceroy of the province
theless, very considerable, as they charge a high price for every thing, and their
demands must be satisfied. It is only by means of one of them that a vessel can
get supplied with provisions and other necessaries. They have several agents, some
of whom reside in Macao, to look out for any ships that may arrive, and imme-
diately enter into connection with them.
* This squadron, under the command of Captain Wood, consisted of the Phaeton
and Cornwallis frigates of forty guns, and of the Harrier brig of eighteen guns.
280 K R Us ENSTERN’s voy. AGE. Rou ND THE world.
of eighty thousand pounds, as an indemnification for a Spanish
prize captured in the vicinity of Manilla, and which, in a heavy
gale, had stranded on the coast of China, and been plundered by
the Chinese. It is well known that by the laws of China no
ship of war may pass the Bocca Tigris (the mouth of the Tigris),
and this was the first example of its being infringed”. The brig
had found her way to Whampoa without a pilot, and the captain,
with a guard of twelve men, proceeded to Canton to demand
the payment of the sum. This daring conduct threw the viceroy
into astonishment, and, perhaps, occasioned him some terror;
for nothing but the excessive cowardice of the Chinese could
have deterred him from noticing the affront. They, indeed,
shewed a disposition, after the captain had quitted Canton, of
avenging themselves, but this altogether in their customary man-
ner; and I was assured that the viceroy, as an indemnification.
for this insult of the English captain, had imposed a heavy fine
upon the Kohong+, although the members of this body could
have no concern in the transaction. Such a step of the Ghinese
government, at least in Canton, is, I am told, not unusual; but
probably these boundless exactions may soon be attended with
fatal consequences to the government; for the robbers who infest
* In the Bocca Tigris, protected by two batteries, which, however, have no
guns, two mandarines generally come on board to examine the ship's cargo. Two
others then accompany the vessel to Whampoa; and on board of this English ship
of war the two mandarines had appeared as usual. Upon inquiring what was the
ship's cargo the captain shewed them a cannon ball, when they instantly quitted
her.
+ Kohong, or hong, is a company of eight or ten merchants possessing the
privilege of the whole European trade: see more on this subject in the eleventh
chapter,
STAY IN C H IN A. 281
and alarm the southern provinces of China, particularly Canton
and Macao, are no other than subjects of the southern provinces
of this empire, who, driven to despair by the oppression of the
despotic mandarines, have had recourse to this final means of
improving their situation.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Löwenstern re-
turned from the (Portuguese) governor, who received him very
well, but gave him to understand, that, as he was not on the best
terms with the Chinese government, our arrival occasioned him
some uneasiness, and he therefore wished to speak with me as
soon as possible. The Chinese desired particularly to know if
the Nadeshda was a ship of war, in which case alone she could
be suffered to remain in the Typa: if she was a merchant ship
intending to proceed to Whampoa, our stay in the Typa could
not be permitted, this being a favour only allowed by the Chinese
to Portuguese merchant vessels. I went, therefore, the next morn-
ing, the 22d November, to the governor, and explained to him
that the Nadeshda was certainly a Russian ship of war; but that I
was ordered, for the advantage of the American company, to take
on board a part of the produce of the Neva's cargo, for which
she would hardly have sufficient stowage, and that I should have
proceeded direct to Whampoa if that ship had arrived, but must
now wait for her here *. The uncertainty of our movements
*. § #. -º-
* It certainly does not appear correct to allow a ship of war to go to Canton
for the purpose of taking in a cargo of mercantile goods; though, in fact, this is
not very unusual. All nations which do not, like the English, possess such
enormous fleets of merchant vessels, constantly make use, in time of peace, of their
ships of war for the conveyance of goods to Europe from America, and the East
W. O. L. II. O Q
282 K R Us EN stERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE wort.I.D.
was as embarrassing to the governor as to myself, and I was
obliged to answer the questions which were now put to me in
person, on the part of the Chinese, with respect to my destina-
tion, by telling them that I should not go to Whampoa, but
should remain in the Typa to take on board a supply of pro-
visions and water for our homeward voyage to Europe. This
answer I gave the more readily, as both the governor and Mr.
Bachmann, a member of the Dutch factory, who behaved with
great friendship towards us, assured us that as soon as the Neva
should arrive, there would be no difficulty in obtaining per-
mission to proceed to Whampoa: the profits on all trading ships
going to Canton being much too considerable to the government,
and to the merchants, for them to throw any difficulties in the
way of our affairs. The governor was relieved from much anxiety
by the answer which I had given to the Chinese, as he would
otherwise have been himself reduced to order me to quit the
Typa in a few days, and I should have been compelled, until
that time, to have received a number of Chinese custom-house
officers on board, who might easily have given rise to some very
unpleasant circumstances.
The situation of the Portuguese in Macao is particularly re-
and West Indies; not unfrequently under their own flag. One of the chief objects
of our voyage was to secure for the future a certain market for the produce of our
American colonies at Canton, and to make the first attempt ourselves. This object
could not be attained if the Nadeshda did not proceed to Canton. In the Chinese
seas we could only shew ourselves as merchant ships; and, therefore, whilst at
Macao I did not carry the imperial but the merchant's flag, although the Chinese
are too ignorant to distinguish the one from the other, and have not sufficient
penetration to see the motive of such a distinction; nor was this ever an object of
their inquiries.
STAY IN CHINA. 283
strained, and that of their governor extremely unpleasant to
him. Although the latter invariably conducts himself with
the greatest circumspection, cases still arise in which he can-
not give way without entirely sacrificing the honour of his
country, already greatly diminished in the eyes of the Chinese.
A few months only before our arrival a circumstance happened
fully illustrative of this; an account of which may tend to prove
that if the Portuguese possessed greater power at Macao, the
cowardly Chinese would not dare to treat them with so little
consideration, or, to speak more correctly, with so much con-
tempt. If Macao were in the hands of the English, or even of
the Spaniards, the shameful dependence of this possession on
the Chinese would soon fall to the ground; and, with the assist-
ance of their important possessions in the vicinity of China, either
of these nations established in Macao might bid defiance to the
whole empire.
A Portuguese resident at Macao stabbed a Chinese, but being
rich, he offered the family of the deceased a sum of money
to suffer the affair to drop. This was agreed to, and he paid
four thousand piasters; scarcely, however, had he given the
money, when the affair was represented to the Chinese magi-
stracy, who exacted from the governor that the criminal should
be instantly given up. The latter refused, alleging, that as the
deed was committed in Macao he was liable to the Portuguese
law, according to which he would be punished if they found him
guilty. The Chinese, who wished to inflict punishment on the
Portuguese, immediately on the receipt of this answer shut up
all their booths, and forbad the importation of provisions into
Macao; but the governor, who had two years stock of provisions
284 K R Us ENSTERN's VOYAG E ROUND THE WORLD.
for his garrison, troubled himself very little with this threat,
and still refused to give up the criminal: in the mean time
his trial went on ; he was found guilty of the murder, and im-
mediately hanged. The Chinese assembled with the intention
of endeavouring to seize the perpetrator of the murder whilst on
his way to the scaffold: the governor collected his troops, loaded
the artillery on the batteries, and awaited the attack; and alarmed
at his decisive measures the Chinese withdrew, under the pretence
of being perfectly satisfied with the execution of the murderer,
and order was immediately restored.
Although the English East India fleet had not yet arrived, the
members of their factory had quitted Macao for Canton some
weeks before, and were awaiting it there. I was therefore com-
pelled to forego the pleasure of seeing Mr. Drummond their
president, with whom I had formed an acquaintance during my
first residence in Canton in 1796, but I did not fail to acquaint
him immediately with our arrival; and as soon as he learnt that it
was my intention to remain some weeks at Macao he very kindly
offered me his house, distinguished above all others there for
the beauty of its situation, and the elegance of its furniture *;
an offer made in such terms, that I should have been guilty of a
great injustice to him if I had not accepted it. Mr. Drum-
mond carried his politeness so far, as to cause another build-
ing belonging to the East India company to be cleared for
* Mr. Drummond has a large garden adjoining his house, kept up at consider-
able expence. In this garden is the grotto in which the Homer of Portugal is said
to have composed his flusiad, and which on this account still bears the name of
Camoens' grotto.
8'1' A Y IN C II IN A . 285
the use of those officers of the ship who might wish to reside on
shore; and Dr. Horner, Mr. Tilesius, and Major Friderici re-
mained there during our stay at Macao. Of the members of the
English factory, Mr. Metcalfe, who was married, alone remained
here until the actual arrival of the fleet: his wife was the
only European female in Macao, and to so well informed a
lady, the residence there, particularly during her husband's,
absence, from whom she is mostly separated all the winter
months, must be extremely disagreeable. Nevertheless she ap-
peared perfectly reconciled to her situation, although she knew.
that she should continue in this lonesome place for twelve or
fifteen years longer. Besides the qualities naturally expected in
a well educated woman, she possessed a fund of scientific know-
ledge, the more striking as it is not frequently met with in
ladies, and appearing with the more brilliancy in Mrs. Metcalfe,
from being accompanied by an uncommon modesty of preten-
sion. She possessed a very beautiful collection of shells, which
she had arranged herself, and, according to Dr. Tilesius, with
great correctness. Mr. Metcalfe's house was open to all the
officers of the Nadeshda, and did not fail of being my constant
and most agreeable residence. I regretted very much that the
governor, Don Caetano de Souza, spoke no other than the Por-
tuguese language, especially as we both belonged to the same
profession: he was captain of the fleet, and had been two years
governor of Macao, and had hopes, after the expiration of an-
other year (three years being the term that the government is
held) of being removed to Goa, as goverhor of that settlement.
The most important post under the governor of Macao is that
of desembargador, or chief justice, of whom the governor himself
is not entirely independent. As chief of the Senate he has an
286 K R Us R N STERN's VOYAGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
important influence over all the concerns of this little state: nor
are the relations between these two heads of the military and
civil establishments always on the best footing; a disposition
which probably was intended at their institution. During the time
of our stay at Macao the office of desembargador was filled by
Don Miguel Arriaga Bruno de Silveira, a young man of good
education, and possessed of considerable knowledge.
Macao is a perfect sample of fallen greatness. Many fine
buildings are ranged in large squares, surrounded by court-
yards and gardens; but most of them uninhabited, the number
of Portuguese resident there having greatly decreased. The
chief private houses belong to the members of the Dutch, and
English factories; who, as their stay here generally continues
fifteen or eighteen years, employ all their endeavours not only
to procure the best houses, but to fit them up with the greatest
taste. The large incomes enjoyed by the English resident here
enable them to indulge their inclination to a pleasant and com-
fortable life, in which they chiefly distinguish themselves from
the wealthy Portuguese inhabitants.
Twelve or fifteen thousand is said to be the number of the
inhabitants of Macao, most of whom, however, are Chinese,
who have so completely taken possession of the town, that it
is rare to meet any European in the streets, with the excep-
tion of priests and nuns. One of the inhabitants said to me,
“We have more priests here than soldiers;” a piece of raillery
that was literally true: the number of soldiers amounting only
to one hundred and fifty, not one of whom is an European, the
whole being mulattos of Macao and Goa. Even the officers
-# T A Y IN C H IN A. 287
are not all Europeans. With so small a garrison it is difficult
to defend four large fortresses; and the natural insolence of the
Chinese finds a sufficient motive in this weakness of the military,
to heap insult upon insult. It is much to be wished, the exist-
ence of Portugal as an independent state being now very pre-
carious, that some European power would take possession of
Macao before the Portuguese themselves abandon it to the
Chinese; an event which can scarcely fail of taking place, as
Portugal is not able to maintain her possessions in the East
Indies, and Macao is entirely supported by Goa. This latter
place was once in the possession of the English, who would like-
wise have obtained the other, but for the peace concluded by them
with France in the year 1802; the troops destined for the pur-
pose having arrived in the road were, with the governor's con-
sent, to have been landed the same day, when a Spanish frigate
arrived from Manilla with an account of the signature of peace*.
The Nadeshda was almost in a state of preparation for our
return to Europe, when, on the 3d December, the Neva arrived
at Macao. Her crew was in the best possible condition, and
she had not lost a single man by sickness either during her long
stay on the coast of America, where no refreshments whatever
* An attempt lately made by the English to take possession of Macao with
British troops has thrown the Chinese into great consternation, and rendered the
government extremely jealous of them. They have endeavoured by chicanery and
delay, which have multiplied very much since the English trade was first established
here, to revenge themselves for this insult, although it is perfectly certain that
nothing but the generous assistance of the English has preserved Macao, and even
Canton, from being long since conquered by the pirates, so that the cession of
the former to the English would have tended to their own safety.
288 K R USEN stERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE wor Lt.
were to be procured, or on her voyage to China. None even of
those had died who had been wounded in an engagement with
the savages, a proof not only of the extreme attention paid
on board the ship to the health of the crew, but of the skill
and unwearied activity of her very meritorious surgeon Dr.
Laband. Captain Lisianskoy informed me that he had a very
rich cargo of furs on board from Kodiak and Sitka, sufficient,
as he conceived, in value, to purchase a lading of Chinese goods
for both ships. This determined me to proceed in the Nadeshda
to Whampoa, and I applied for the necessary passport, and a
pilot; which, as I might have expected, were refused me by the
mandarin resident at Macao, on the ground of my having
declared on my arrival that I was not going to Whampoa. In
order to terminate this misunderstanding as speedily as possible,
I resolved upon proceeding myself to Canton, without loss of
time; and, entrusting the command of the ship to my first lieu-
tenant, I went on board the Neva. I arrived at Whampoa on
the 8th December ; and proceeded instantly to Canton. Some
difficulties were made with regard to my ship; but as I agreed
to pay the customs and other duties usual with merchant vessels,
I received, after a delay of some days, permission for the Nadeshda
to proceed to Whampoa. Some persons were, however, sent
from Canton to Macao to take a nearer view of her, and to
examine whether her force and crew were not greater than I had
represented them ; after which a pilot was immediately sent on
board, and on the 25th December the Nadeshda anchored at
Whampoa.
I applied to the English house Beal, Shank, and Magniak,
having known Messrs. Beal and Shank during my former stay
STA Y IN CH IN A. 289
at Canton, to secure the sale of our cargo, and the purchase of
another, which was impossible for us to effect, as we have
no factory established there, without the intervention of some
established merchant. On my part, I had more reason to
be satisfied with the choice made of their house, than Messrs.
Beal and Co. had, that it had fallen on them; the care of
our affairs, owing to many different causes, being attended
with more unpleasant circumstances than is the case with other
ships. Although no obstacle was thrown in the way of the
disposal of our goods at Canton, it was still no easy matter to
find a merchant in the hong who would take our cargo upon
himself, and be answerable for our ships. The oldest among
them were shy of entering into any dealing with us, know-
ing that Russia stood in some communication with China, both
as a mercantile, and as a neighbouring and adjoining power.
They were too well acquainted with the spirit of their govern-
ment not to fear that, as this was our first appearance, we
should be exposed to many unpleasant circumstances. The
‘endeavours of Messrs. Beal, therefore, to procure us such a
security-merchant were long fruitless; for they were very anxi-
ous that one of the senior members of the hong should have
undertaken it, but these invariably refused. At length a young
merchant named Lucqua, the junior of the hong, supported by
their credit, ventured to become security for both ships. The
cargo of the Neva was sold to him for one hundred and seventy
eight thousand, and that of the Nadeshda” for twelve thousand
* At the time of our departure from Kamtschatka there was in the magazines
of the company a supply of four hundred sea-otter and seal-skins, which I took
on board. t
W O L. II. P P
200 x R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE WORLD.
piasters. But the most valuable sea-otter skins were reshipped,
each of them being worth two and three hundred roubles a
piece at Moscow, while the highest price of them here was
only twenty piasters. Of the hundred and ninety thousand
piasters, one hundred thousand were paid in specie, and the
other ninety thousand the merchant made up to us in tea:
they began immediately to convey the furs from the ship to
Canton, and in a few days to relade the tea and other effects.
By the middle of January we had almost got our cargo on
board, and I had already fixed upon the 25th of the same
month for our departure from Canton, intending to sail from
Whampoa on the 27th or 28th, when a sudden report was
circulated that the Chinese government would not allow our
ships to sail until special orders were received with regard to
us from Pekin. In order to ascertain the truth of this report, I
immediately made a demand for a boat to convey the last of
our goods on board: this was refused, and I learnt at the same
time that a guard had been sent to our ships. The guard did
not, indeed, venture on board, but their boat hovered about
the ships, preventing all Chinese from going to them, and even
the comprador from bringing off our daily stock of provisions.
This intelligence quite astonished me; I could only consider
these as hostile measures, the origin of which must have been in
Pekin. I expressed my suspicion to Mr. Drummond, who set
my mind in some degree at ease by informing me that such
absolute orders were not unfrequent on the part of the govern-
ment of Canton; but we sent, notwithstanding, our merchant
immediately to the hoppoo, or director of the customs, to com-
plain of this treatment, which betrayed an evidently hostile
disposition. We demanded that the guard-boat appointed to
STAY IN C H IN A. 291
the ship should be instantly withdrawn, it being impossible to
prevent accidents from happening while it remained there, which
would be attended with evil consequences to both parties; a
representation which produced the desired effect, an order
being given on the following day for the removal of the guard,
and a perfectly free communication being restored.
Anxious as I was to know the cause of the detention of our
ships, still I was unable to acquire any positive information
about it. The merchants of the hong assured us that the order
to detain us some time was merely a precautionary measure of
the viceroy's, whose removal was expected about this time; and
that as soon as his successor should enter upon his office the
vessels would be immediately allowed to sail. This assurance
was given me every where, and I felt no more doubts on the
subject; but as soon as I learnt that the new viceroy had assumed
the functions of his office, I demanded the next day a pass
for the conveyance of the last of our goods on board, which
was again refused; and it appeared that the present viceroy,
as well as his predecessor, did not dare to permit our depar-
ture without an order to that effect from Pekin. In the mean
time I addressed a letter in English to him, setting forth the
injustice of his proceedings, and what might be the probable
consequence of it; and as I imagined our ambassador Count
Goloffkin would long before this have arrived at Pekin, I laid
great stress upon this circumstance in my letter, adding my
conviction that he would never allow so insulting a proceeding
to pass unnoticed. With this letter I went to Mr. Drummond,
who I conceived would not hesitate in taking up our very doubt-
ful affairs with some degree of earnestness. His influence as
292 K R USENSTE RN’s voy A G E ROUND THE WOR L D.
president of the English factory, of so much importance to the
trade of Canton, is very great; but his personal character adds
still more to this influence, by securing him the respect and
esteem of the Chinese. With great goodness of heart he
possesses infinite uprightness, resolution, and prudence: he is
the oracle not only of the English, but of all the Europeans
resident at Canton, who, even though their nations should be
involved in wars at home, live here in the strictest bonds of
friendship. The English have never played so distinguished a
part in China as since he has been president of the factory; for
in the nineteen years that he has resided at Canton he has ac-
quired not only a perfect knowledge of the character of the
Chinese merchants, but of the spirit of their government in this
town; and he never failed, even under the most trying and sus-
picious circumstances, of asserting the rights and dignity of his
nation, and at the same time without injury to her interests”.
-ms-
* The following circumstance, which occurred a few years before, shews with
what resolution Mr. Drummond carried himself towards the Chinese, and the
knowledge he must have had of their character. It is quite in vain to expect that
a request will obtain any attention from them. Never, in the first instance, to ask,
but to act, and afterwards excuse yourself, is, as Mr. Drummond once assured me,
the only mode of proceeding with the Chinese; and, I believe, that in important
political matters this system is still more necessary than in affairs of less conse-
quence. One of the merchants of the hong becoming bankrupt, remained a
debtor to the company of half a million of piasters. The government being
answerable for the debts of the hong, Mr. Drummond demanded of it the pay-
ment of this sum: his representationts were made through the merchants of the
hong; and it was very natural that they, neither interested in the business, nor
caring whether the company ever received their money or not, should not have
pressed it with any degree of earnestness. Mr. Drummond, therefore, weary of
the fruitless representations of the hong, resolved to go himself into the town,
STA Y IN C H IN A. 293
f
His expected departure for England, which would have taken
place this year, but that the company had not appointed his
successor, which compelled him to remain another twelvemonth,
was looked forward to with universal regret.
Mr. Drummond took up our affairs with the greatest earnest-
ness. The chief difficulty consisted in remitting our letter
to the viceroy, as none can ever be forwarded to him direct,
and an audience is only to be obtained upon very particular
occasions. The letter was therefore to be delivered, through
the medium of the merchants of the hong, by the hoppoo
to him ; and it was no trifling undertaking to get it trans-
lated into Chinese, which must be done by natives, from whom
a correct translation can scarcely be expected. Mr. Drum-
mond assembled all the merchants of the hong at his house,
and in order to render the transaction more solemn, con-
vened the select committee of the English factory, consisting of
Sir George Staunton, and Messrs. Roberts and Pattle. The
which, as is well known, no European ever enters without danger of being insulted
by the people. The merchants, acquainted with Mr. Drummond's intention, hired
a party of the mob to detain, and if possible, compel him to return, but he being
informed of this proceeding, entered the town at the head of almost all the English
resident at Canton, by one of the gates where he was not at all expected. When
the people began to collect about him he held up his memorial, demanding, in the
Chinese language, to be conducted to the viceroy, and the mob, astonished at the
boldness of this proceeding, and at the number of the English, which probably did
not exceed twelve people, treated him with the greatest politeness, conducting him
to a temple where a magistrate received his memorial, in order to give it to the
viceroy. He returned with his suite unmolested; and shortly after the debt was
paid, which, but for this resolute proceeding, would have been entirely evaded.
s
294 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou Nid T H E wo RLD.
presence of Panquiqua, the chief merchant of the hong, was
indispensably necessary, he being the organ of the mercantile
interest. Enjoying a property amounting to six millions of
piasters, he possesses considerable influence with his chief, the
director of the customs; but in other respects his character was
a compound of stupidity, vanity, and hatred to the Europeans.
Mr. Drummond was greatly afraid that he would not take up this
affair; but as it was of importance to have him in our favour, he
went previously to him to request that he would be at his house
with the rest at three in the afternoon. The honour of a per-
sonal visit from Mr. Drummond was what the haughty Pan-
quiqua had never obtained since the former had been at the
head of the English factory; but flattered as he must have
been by it, his vanity yielded nothing in this instance to his
principles. The mean-spirited Chinese was not even ashamed
of reproaching Mr. Drummond with interesting himself so
earnestly in a case that did not concern, and could only be pro-
ductive of unpleasant consequences to him; but he experienced
the mortification of hearing the worthy Englishman reply, that
he had taken up this affair, not only because England and
Russia were friends and allies, which made, in a manner, the
affairs of the one common to the other; but because he esteem-
ed it his duty to assist us as much as lay in his power, as we
had never been here before, and could not but be ignorant of
the mode of trade of the Chinese, so different from that of
European powers: he added, that he now considered ours as
an affair of the English East India company, and should there-
fore do every thing in his power to terminate this unpleasant
business, which could have happened to us no where but in
China, as much as possible to our satisfaction. Panquiqua
STAY IN C FHINA’. 295
answered these expressions, which could not, however, have
produced much sensation in him, merely by a shake of the
head, promising that he would be at Mr. Drummond's with the
rest: a promise which he did not keep, but sent some paltry
€X CUISC.
After Mr. Drummond had explained to those present the
nature of our letter, he gave it to Mowgua, the second merchant
of the hong, that he might deliver it to the Hoppoo. Mowgua,
rather uneasy at the absence of Panquiqua, was very loth to
take the letter, and brought it back the next morning, alleging,
that it contained expressions such as no Chinese governor was
in the habit of hearing; and instead of it he had brought an-
other full of the most servile expressions, demanding that Cap-
tain Lisianskoy and myself should sign it. This we of course
refused ; at the same time Mr. Drummond advised me to write
merely a short letter, setting forth the pernicious consequences
that might arise to us from such a delay, and requesting, on this
account, a speedy dismissal. It proved, however, that an altera-
tion was still necessary in the letter, at the suggestion, we were
told, of the Hoppoo himself, but of no kind of consequence,
although characteristic of the mode of thinking, and degree of
knowledge of the Chinese. Mr. Drummond had promised the
merchants to receive any letters that might come to me from
Pekin, and to forward then to Russia. They now required that
it should be said in the letter that England and Russia traded
together, for otherwise how could Mr. Drummond send letters
to the latter? and above all, could it be supposed that he would
take such a business upon himsehſ if the two nations were not
connected by commercial relations? It was of no consequence
296 K R Us FNSTERN's Voy A G E Ro UND T H E won L.D.
that I assured them that in Europe more liberal ideas were en-
tertained than was the case in China, and that even if Russia
had been engaged in war with England Mr. Drummond would
still forward my letters there; nor was it necessary that the two
countries should have any commercial relations merely to secure
the conveyance of a letter. This addition was declared abso-
lutely necessary, notwithstanding all my representations, and
we were assured that, upon drawing up our letter in these terms,
permission would be granted for our departure: it was likewise
necessary to mention the very high or northern situation of
Russia, that the viceroy might be enabled to understand that
the navigation of the Baltic was stopped in the winter, owing
to the ice: an important reason why we should speedily quit
China, in order to arrive in Russia before the winter should set
in. I did not hesitate to draw up the letter according to their
wishes *. After a lapse of six days, during which we received
no answer, I requested Mr. Drummond again to assemble
the merchants of the hong, and to demand, through them,
an answer from the viceroy. He was so good as to carry
my wish into execution ; and all the merchants, not ex-
* The letter so altered ran as follows:—“After having terminated all our affairs,
and being ready to sail, we learn, through the medium of our merchant, that your
excellency will not allow our ships to depart. We have the honour to acquaint
you that, as Russia lies very high to the north, the consequence of the smallest
delay here will be, that we shall not reach the place of our destination this year,
upon which account we request you to grant us our passport as soon as possible.
If any letters should arrive here for us from Pekin, Mr. Drummond, the president
of the English factory, will receive them; England and Russia being upon terms of
commercial intercourse, and will forward them to Russia.
“We have the honour,” &c.
STA Y IN C H IN A. 297
cepting Panquiqua, appeared at the appointed hour, the mem-
bers of the secret committee being present as upon the former
occasion. After Mr. Drummond had again represented to them
the injustice of the proceedings towards us, he demanded, in a
very determined manner, that the whole hong should go to the
Hoppoo, and remonstrate in strong terms with him upon our
situation, it being impossible to assign any plausible reason why
permission should not be granted for our departure. Panquiqua
observed, that the business must not be hurried. “It is usual,”
said he, “for the Hoppoo, as well as the governor, to detain
every business for three days before they come to any deter-
mination upon it, and it will be better to wait.” Notwithstand-
ing this, it was at length resolved that the merchants of the
hong, with Panquiqua at their head, should go the next day to
the Hoppoo, and obtain permission for our departure; but in
case he should excuse himself under pretext of having received
no answer from the viceroy, they should then proceed to the
latter, represent to him the necessity of coming to some speedy
determination, and, if he also gave an indecisive answer, im-
mediately demand an audience for me. This resolute conduct
produced the best possible effect: the Hoppoo had scarcely
heard the representations of the hong when he instantly gave
orders for the boat to convey the last of our goods on board, as-
suring us that we should soon receive our permission to sail.
He even came himself a few days after on board the Nadeshda,
and enquired for me; and, as I was not in the ship, Captain
Lisianskoy visited him in his boat. In his conversation with the
Hoppoo, the latter appeared to wish that we should sail shortly,
and positively promised him our passports in a couple of days, in
which he, in fact, kept his word.
V O L. II, Q Q.
298 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE won LD.
Thus this affair, which might have proved of the worst con-
sequences to us, terminated better, and in less time, than I could
have expected. The bold and confident terms of our demand,
as well as the interest shewn by the English factory in our favour,
contributed, no doubt, a great deal to induce the new viceroy to
withdraw his order for our detention. There certainly was none
sent to detain us from Pekin; for had it been so, all our repre-
sentations against the injustice of it would have proved of no
avail; the first, as I have already mentioned, proceeded from
the former viceroy, who was actually upon a journey through
his province when he learnt the arrival of his successor at Can-
ton: and it was precisely at this time that he sent to delay our
departure until further orders. It is therefore not impossible
that the viceroy, hearing about this time of our ambassador's
approach to Pekin, and afraid, lest the permission which he
had too hastily given us to trade upon our arrival might prove
displeasing to his master, determined, in order to obviate the
evil, to prevent, in the first instance, our ships from sailing *.
What had drawn upon the viceroy the ill-will of his court was
not known at Canton : but, according to one of the first in-
structions brought by his successor, his trial was to take place
there, and several persons high in the law were expected for
* Shortly after my arrival at St. Petersburg I received a letter from Canton, ac-
quainting me that twenty-four hours after I had left Whampoa a very positive order
arrived from Pekin to detain our ships. Had this come previous to our departure,
we should never, in all probability, have reached Russia; for although this may not
have been the intention of the government at Pekin, the order to put us under ar-
rest could not have been carried into execution without producing scenes that might
have led to acts of open violence.
STAY IN CHIN A. 299
that purpose; the day before our departure, the viceroy re-
ceived an order to send his predecessor within three days to
Pekin.
I have entered into more detail in the relation of this circum-
stance than the interest it possesses may, perhaps, have ap-
peared to the reader to deserve: but I conceived it to be
my duty to state the fact thus particularly, partly for my own
exculpation, as it may have been imagined that something in my
conduct might have given rise to this misunderstanding, but
chiefly to shew how easy it would have been for the English, had
they been at all jealous of our trade with China, to have availed
themselves of this opportunity to set us for ever at variance
with that country. The least violence on their part would have
produced this effect; but that they pursued a very different line
of conduct will appear by the above account of their proceed-
ings, nor can I sufficiently rejoice at the zeal and eagerness
manifested by them in this business. Had we been detained
only twenty-four hours longer we must have fallen into the ab-
solute power of these savages, who have been emboldened by
an useless moderation not only to call the polite nations of
Europe barbarians, but also to treat them as such.
Dr. Horner found the latitude of Macao in Mr. Drummond's
garden by the mean of several observations . 22° 11'46" N.
The longitude by the mean of several lunar
observations e C º * º . = 24.6° 22'44" W.
On the 4th of December, Arnold's large time-piece, No. 128,
according to the rate assigned it at our departure from Kamt-
300 KRU SENSTERN's Voy AGE. Rou ND THE world.
schatka on the 4th of October, gave for the longitude of Macao
3.
246° 27' 00".
Pennington's time-piece on the same day = 246° 44' 15".
The true longitude of Macao is . . . = 246'22'40".
At Canton Dr. Horner made his observations in the house of
the Dutch factory. From corresponding altitudes of the sun,
observed almost daily from the 19th December to the 6th Fe-
bruary, he found the daily loss of No. 128 to be on the 6th
February, 1806, + 19' 75, on which day it was later than mean
time at Greenwich 5” 48' 35".
On the 4th October the daily loss of No. 128 at St. Peter and
St. Paul was . . º 4, g e © e + 21" 62
On the 14th October it was . tº tº e + 21"
On the 27th June, 1805 e º º © + 18" 50
On the 18th April, 1805, at Nangasaky de + 19 50
On the 7th Sept. 1804, at St. Peter and St. Paul + 22" OO
Pennington's time-piece on the 6th February was earlier than
mean time at Greenwich o cº e . 2” O8' 52"
Its daily advance º * º — 25" 73
On the 4th Oct. 1805, at St. Peter and St. Paul — 24" 50
On the 14th Oct. 1805, at St. Peter and St. Paul — 21" OO
On the 27th June at St. Peter and St. Paul . — 24" 50
On the 18th April at Nangasaky . . . — 22" OO
On the 7th Sept. 1804, at St. Peter and St. Paul — 21" OO
Arnold's small time-piece, No. 1856, suddenly stopped in the
month of June, the preceding year, in the harbour of St. Peter
S'I' A Y IN CHIN A. 301
and St. Paul. At Canton we found a skilful watchmaker, an
Englishman, who undertook to restore its rate of going, in which
he perfectly succeeded. On the 6th February No. 1856 was
later than mean time at Greenwich º & 4” 25' 55"
Its daily advance was gº º © wº 12' 13"
On the 18th April at Nangasaky • & 29' 00"
On the 7th September at St. Peter and St. Paul 27' 64"
Dr. Horner found the latitude of Canton . 23° 6' 15"N.
Its longitude by the mean of several lunar ob-
servations . iº * > G e 246° 35' 30" W
The true longitude of Canton is, taking the me-
ridian distance between Macao and Canton
at 17' 20" *
246° 22' 40" + 17' 20 = 246° 40' 00" west.
302
CHAPTER XI.
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A.
Introduction—General Remarks upon the Rebellion in the Southern and Western
Provinces—Measures of the Government against the Rebels—Considerable Force
of the latter—Several united Societies in the Interior of China in Opposition to the
present Government, and the Mantchou Dynasty—Kia King, Emperor of China
—Conspiracy against his Life—His Manifesto on the Occasion—Fate of the Com-
spirators—Recent Changes at the Court of Pekin—Late Edict of the Emperor—
Indifference of the Officers of the Chinese Government particularly apparent in case
of Fire—Introduction of Vaccination—Its Success—State of the Christian Religion
Žn China—Persecution of the Missionaries—Imperial Edict relative to them and
their Religion—Confinement of two Russians in Canton—A Hindostan Fakeer
there—Account of him—State of European Trade—Ertensive commercial Inter-
course of the Americans—Goods recommended to be imported into Russia from
China—Organisation of the Hong at Canton—Abuses of the Hoppoo or Director
of the Customs—Proposal for extending the Russian Trade at Canton—Price of
the chief Articles and Provisions—Answers to some 2uestions of M. Von Würst
on the Chinese Administration.
So much has been written upon China, that it is extremely
difficult to say any thing new upon this country; nor have I
the presumption to imagine that the little information contained
in this chapter, the sum of what I was able to collect during my
stay at Canton, will add to what is already known of this em-
pire. Neither is Canton the place from which any important
inferences can be drawn as to the rest of the country; al-
though the national character (a little refined by constant inter-
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 30S
course with Europeans,) and the spirit of government, are sub-
stantially the same there as elsewhere. The accounts, how-
ever, which I am enabled to give from authentic sources of
the rebels in the south of China, of the conspiracies against the
emperor, and of the late persecution of the Christians, may not
be found altogether uninteresting: nor do I conceive it super-
fluous to add a short relation of the European trade at Canton,
together with my opinion how far Russia might participate in
this profitable commerce with advantage.
China has experienced, I think, very undeservedly, the good
fortune of being every where spoken of in terms of delight and
admiration: the wisdom and extreme policy of the government;
the great morality of the people; their industry ; even their
knowledge of the sciences having been mentioned with vast
approbation by the Jesuits. There may be many things in
China deserving of admiration; but the wisdom of the govern-
ment, and the morals of the people, however favourably the
world may be disposed to judge of them, are far from praise-
worthy. The government, it is well known, is purely tyrannical,
and on this account cannot be always wise; and the spirit of
despotism descends gradually from the throne to its lowest
officer. The people sigh under the oppression of these inferior
tyrants: self-preservation compels many to dissemble their feel-
ings, and this alone can, in any degree, exculpate the Chinese
character*. Barrow justly observes, that the natural character
*The best specimen of a well-concerted deception, affording, at the same time, a
Proof of the faulty organization of the government, and of its extreme debility, even
304 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Roun D THE world.
of the Chinese must have been greatly altered by their despotic
government, and that its maxims have rendered this people,
naturally of a good disposition, both deceitful and unfeeling.
Some of the hateful traits of the Chinese, such as the murder of
their children, which is universally allowed ; the scandalous in-
tercourse between parents and their daughters, after having
brought them up merely for purposes of prostitution, are suf-
ficiently known, and are not denied, although they have been
excused by the great admirers of this people; and in a late work
upon China, undoubtedly the best that has been written upon
this country, (for Barrow has described the Chinese as he found
them, without prejudice or partiality), many passages will be found
confirming the works of a very celebrated author, who has been
blamed for too harsh an opinion of the Chinese. Barrow's de-
scription sufficiently proves how corrupt, cruel, and ignorant
a nation they are ; and even the little which I have to say
upon this subject, and I advance mere facts, is by no means
in favour of the boasted purity of their moral character.
It is evident that the government, although some brilliant
points in their laws and maxims of state may give an
advantageous appearance to the whole, has not attained to
that degree of perfection which they would willingly per-
suade us; and how, indeed, can a government be considered
as perfect, that patiently submits to continued rebellions
in the country, which are frequently the mere effects of
at the time of the powerful Kien Long, is in Barrow's voyage from Cochin China,
p. 251—254, of the original edition in quarto, on the occasion of an expedition of
the viceroy of Canton, Foo-chang-tong, in the year 1779, against Tonkin.
ACCOUNT OF CH IN A. 305
hunger. These insurrections are alone a sufficient proof of the
imbecility of the Chinese government, even under the Tartarian
dynasty, although the latter have distinguished themselves, in
the various periods in which they have governed China, by more
strength and activity than the original weak and timid Chinese
monarchs. After trying innumerable cruelties, they have as yet
neither discovered nor adopted any sufficient means to check
this evil. It certainly is no easy matter for a government to rule
over so large and populous a country, so as to dispense content
and prosperity throughout the whole of it; but it is precisely
this circumstance that the world so much wonders at, and which
has brought us acquainted with the Chinese. A nation of up-
wards of three hundred millions of people, governed by the
same laws, and united under one sceptre, in a constant state of
tranquillity, must certainly excite the most lively ideas of the
wise political maxims of the government, and of the good and
submissive disposition of the people; but it was owing to a
variety of fortunate circumstances that so many millions were
subjected to one crown, nor is this any proof of the wisdom
of the government. The happiness and tranquillity of China
are only imaginary, and we are entirely deceived by appear-
ances: the very circumstance of the country being so extremely
large and populous renders it difficult to produce a general
revolution, for which, every one agrees, the popular feeling is
perfectly prepared ; and a man will long be wanting in a situa-
tion to place himself at the head of a party, and conduct the
undertaking. No where perhaps is it less probable to meet with
men possessing those extraordinary and distinguished talents
and powers of mind necessary to direct and produce a change
in the existing government than in China. Their moral and
V O L. II. R R
306 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
physical education, their mode of life, their very form of govern-
ment, render the appearance of such men extremely problema-
tical, if not altogether impossible *.
It is, however, generally known that the seeds of discontent
have been scattered throughout China. When I was in this
country in 1798, three provinces were in a state of insurrection,
although the wise Kien Long at that time filled the throne: there
are now many more so ; and almost all the south of China is
under arms. Discontent prevails every where ; and in the in-
terior of the empire, even in the vicinity of the palace, disturb-
ances frequently occur; the only measures which government
adopts to terminate them being such as openly conduce to make
the evil greater; for they prove too evidently its weakness and
want of power, notwithstanding the overbearing and ridiculous
tone which it employs in its edicts, and leave no doubt of the
approaching dissolution of a monarchy to which even the most
enlightened Chinese now begin to look forward. After some
fruitless military operations, they have had recourse to bribery:
those of the rebels who deliver themselves up receive a re-
ward of ten taels, and are obliged to enter the emperor's
service: if they are of any rank they obtain some honourable
mark of distinction, consisting, as is well known, in the knot of
their caps i. The consequence of such a proceeding is, that
* Chu, who in the year 1355 drove the Tartars out of China, and began in
1368 the twenty-third, or the Ming dynasty, was a Chinese by birth, and of low
origin.
+ One of these leaders who delivered himself up was, for a long time, bargain-
ing with the government. He demanded a knot of higher distinction than they
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. - 307
the poorest, in order to obtain the reward of ten taels, deliver
themselves up, and after receiving their money avail themselves
of the first opportunity of returning to the rebels. This reward,
too, induces many to serve first with the rebels, and then to go
over to the Chinese, being certain of forgiveness and of the
stipulated remuneration. Those only who are taken with arms in
their hands are hanged, and their heads set out to view on houses
constructed for the purpose *. But so weak are the measures
adopted against them, that this very rarely happens.
This unnatural war, now become so universal as to render
it impossible for the government to terminate it with any
advantage to itself, might, as I learnt at Canton, have been
stopped in the first instance, under the most favourable circum-
stances, but for some intrigues of the court which prevented it.
The former admiral, Van-ta-gin, a man of considerable experience,
was suddenly deprived of the command of the fleet, although by
his undaunted courage and activity, and by constantly keeping
the sea, he had become extremely formidable to the rebels, over
whom he had obtained several decisive victories. His good
fortune and rare qualities excited the jealousy of the ministry,
and the command was transferred to one of their favourites:
but as Van-ta-gin's services were considered necessary, he was
not permitted to resign altogether, and was obliged to remain as
second in command in the fleet, which immediately put to sea
were disposed to give him; but at length, as he persisted in his demand, the go-
vernment was compelled to grant it.
* Some of these houses we saw at the entrance of the port of Macao.
3O8 K R UseNSTEIt N’s Voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE WORLD.
under the orders of the new admiral. The rebel Squadron was
discovered in a bay, and hemmed in by the imperialists. Their
admiral, who foresaw nothing but the total overthrow of his
whole fleet, seized the only possible means of averting the threat-
ened danger: he demanded peace, and offered to pass over with
his whole force to the imperialists, and to deliver all his ships,
upon the arrival of both squadrons at Canton, to the Tay-tock,
the imperial admiral. Van-ta-gin finding his admiral disposed
to accept the terms of peace proposed by the rebels, tried every
means in his power to deter him from it: he represented to him
that their offer ought upon no account to be accepted, nothing
being more certain than that their fleet, the moment it was re-
leased from its precarious situation, and was again in the open
sea, would instantly separate from them, when it would be alto-
gether impossible to compel them to go to Canton. This was
the most favourable opportunity of attacking them, for their
total overthrow was inevitable ; and the surrender of the fleet,
the chief force of the rebels, must infallibly produce that of all
the other scattered parties, and thus terminate so destructive a
war. The admiral, however, paid no attention to Wan-ta-gin's
representations, but concluded a peace with the rebels: both
fleets sailed together out of the bay; and during the very first
night the latter parted company, as Van-ta-gin had foretold,
and prosecuted the war with redoubled fury. Van-ta-gin is
said to have died, unable to endure the mortification of the
failure of this campaign, and Tay-tock fell into disgrace. Since
this unfortunate expedition, which took place in May, 1805, the
government has not ventured to send another fleet against the
rebels, who are now become much more powerful, nor has it
any thing that can be called a naval force, except occasionally a
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 309
small squadron of from eight to twelve ships that cruise about
in the Tigris, under the command of a Mandarine of inferior
rank.
The rebel fleet consists, I have been assured, of four thousand
vessels: the larger class are of two hundred tons, with a crew of
from two to three hundred men, and carrying between twelve
and twenty guns, six, twelve, and eighteen pounders: their
smallest vessels are of thirty tons, and carry from thirty to fifty
men. If they knew how to avail themselves of this force with
skill there can be no doubt that they would already have ob-
tained possession of Macao, which, on account of its situation,
would prove of infinite importance to them. Indeed, they
would already possess it if the Portuguese did not: and the
most advantageous offers have been made to the governor on
the part of the rebels to induce him to afford them his support.
These, of course, have been declined, and the Portuguese, on
the contrary, do all that their moderate force will admit to keep
the rebels at a distance from Macao and Canton, maintaining,
for this purpose, continually two armed vessels cruising against
them, a service the Chinese scarcely repay with thanks. One
of these vessels succeeded in capturing and bringing into Macao
a large pirate vessel, having one of their principal chiefs on
board, after a doubtful contest, in which the whole of the
crew, except forty men, were slain. The prisoners were im-
mediately executed : the viceroy, upon this occasion, publish-
ed an edict, declaring the prize to have been taken by the
Chinese, and making no mention of the Portuguese, although
the former had no share in the engagement, and the whole
31O KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE wor LD.
honour of the capture belonged exclusively to the latter. The
Chinese government are indebted to the European ships lying
in the vicinity of Canton that no attempt has hitherto been
made upon that town. A few weeks before our arrival the
rebels had landed near Whampoa, and plundered and burnt a
small town there: nor are any safe against their incursions, ex-
cept such as pay them a tribute, the amount of which they col-
lect every six months. The proprietors of Chinese merchant
ships pay a yearly sum of money, for which they obtain pass-
ports that are every where most scrupulously respected by the
different bands of pirates; and I was informed by an English-
man who remained five months in their hands, that the captain
of one of their vessels was obliged to pay five hundred piasters
for having detained a ship provided with one of these passes.
Hitherto they have not ventured to establish themselves on the
continent of China, though it is well known that they have
many advocates amongst the people, who supply them with
provisions and ammunition: and that they might effect it with
facility if they were conducted by any active and intelligent
leader, who knew how to avail himself of their forces. They
have possession, however, of the large island of Hayman, of a
great part of the south-west coast of Formosa (a severe loss to
the empire, Formosa being the corn magazine of Fokin), and of
a part of Cochin-China. They had established themselves in
Tonkin ; but when the king of Cochin-China took possession of
that country he succeeded in expelling them thence, and the
coasts of China have been since particularly exposed to their
depredations. They are now, as I have heard, returning to
Tonkin, the inhabitants of the conquered province being dis-
A C CO U NT OF CH IN A. 3.11
satisfied with their government. These rebels, although so
alarming to the empire, have as yet no leader; but the chiefs
of the different parties all act in concert one with the other *.
I was assured that throughout China, and especially in the
Southern and western provinces, there is a sect, or, to speak more
correctly, an association, consisting of all classes of malcontents.
The members of this very numerous company call themselves
Tien-tie-koe, heaven and earth. Every person upon paying a
trifle is admitted into it, and they have private signals, by means
of which they know their members. The rebels are said to be
very much supported by the members of this association, and
to receive every intelligence necessary to their preservation. The
Tay-tock himself is supposed to belong to this sect, and to have
acted according to the principles of it in allowing the rebel
fleet that was in his power to slip through his hands. A similar
sect, called Pelui Kiao, “enemies of the strange religion,” is
said to exist in the north of China. One of the chief motives of
their assembling is discontent with the present government, to
which is added an hatred of the origin of the imperial family,
who, it is well known, are not Chinese.
The present emperor, Kia King, the fifteenth son of Kien
Long, is far from possessing his father's spirit. Without talents
-wº-
* According to the latest accounts from China, this rebellion is spreading every
where. In a letter I have received, dated the 14th February, 1810, I find the in-
telligence that, towards the latter end of 1809, a considerable fleet of pirates sailed
up the Tigris as high as the first bar, and blockaded the river, until the English,
at the request of the Chinese government, drove them away.
312 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE wor L.D.
or energy; without any love for the arts and sciences, he is said
to be of a cruel disposition; and this he has frequent oppor-
tunities of indulging in a country which he rules with so
despotic a sway. He is also accused of being much addicted to
drunkenness, and to another very unnatural vice. These qua-
lities, whose influence upon the affairs of government is very
visible, have likewise excited the jealousy of his elder brothers,
Some of whom are alive, and conceive themselves to have a
nearer right to the throne, and make his reign very insecure.
Some years ago an attempt was made against his life, and in
1803 a similar conspiracy was discovered, when the emperor
narrowly escaped. The latter conspiracy was particularly
distressing to him, it being found upon examination that the
chief people of his court, and even some of his family, were
concerned in it. He therefore thought it prudent to put a stop
to all farther enquiries into it; and the manifesto published
on the occasion is, indeed, remarkable, not only on account of
the style, but of the prudence with which he endeavours, in a
meat and clear manner, to get over so bad an affair. It was
judged proper not to bring the suspected persons to trial, on
account of their rank and importance; but it was well known
that several of the principal characters in the empire were
accused of having a share in the conspiracy. It would have
been a clear proof of his weakness to have declared them in-
nocent, and a Chinese emperor dares not allow his subjects to
form such a judgment of him. The emperor therefore stated in
his manifesto, “that the deposition of the assassin must be false,
because it was quite impossible that those whom he considered
as the most faithful servants of his throne could have rendered
themselves guilty of participating in so shocking a crime.
A CCOUNT OF CHINA. 313
That an assassin must be considered like a mad dog who
makes his attack upon those he meets, but without drawing
others to join with him in such a purpose. There is even,” says
the manifesto, “a bird that eats its own parent without being
driven to it: and what accomplices could he find in so unnatural
an act?” In the manifesto four of his courtiers are mentioned
by name, in terms of particular gratitude, as having seized the
assassin, and saved the emperor's life at the imminent risk of
their own: and the other officers who were present are specially,
reprimanded for having stood quiet spectators during the at-
tack; the emperor expressing his surprise that, among the hun-
dred people who surrounded him at the time, only six should
have felt any anxiety for his life. “Can any thing,” he says,
“ be expected from them in ordinary cases when they appear
so indifferent in one of such consequence P It is this indifference
and not the dagger of the assassin that distresses me.” The
emperor concludes with the melancholy observation: “ that
notwithstanding his constant attention to the welfare of the
state, his government may still be culpable, and promises to
improve the administration, and to endeavour to give no fresh
cause for such dissatisfaction.” The criminal, whose name was
Chin-te, a man of very mean birth, was sentenced to die by a
long and painful death *. His sons, Lon-ear and Fon-ear, were
strangled in consideration of their tender years; (the eldest
being but ten, the youngest nine years old,) and all the other
conspirators were acquitted by the publication of this mani-
festo. The Pekin Gazette gave an account of the execution of
* The sentence upon Chin-te was, that he should be flayed alive, and then cut
into little pieces. º
VOL. II. S S
314 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AC E Rou ND THE wor LD.
Chin-te and his sons, but said nothing of the execution of one
of the princes of the imperial family for having been at the
head of this conspiracy. This prince was the son of Hotchung-
tang *, prime minister to the deceased emperor Kien-long, whom
the present emperor, shortly after the death of his father, had
himself accused and sentenced to death for crimes alleged
against him, but, in reality, in order to obtain possession of
his boundless property. His son, who, according to the wise
laws of the Chinese government, ought to have shared his fa-
ther's fate, was at that time spared, only because he was mar-
ried to the sister of the present emperor. His fate, however, was
now unavoidable. -
The emperor cannot have been serious in the promises he
held out in his manifesto of improvement, for during our stay at
Canton we learnt, that one of his favourites who had for many
years experienced his kindness, a favourite in the most shameful
sense of the word, had fallen into disgrace. He had obtained
so much authority over the feeble monarch, that the most im-
portant concerns were left to his management, and the chief
offices of state and marks of honour were, without compunction,
sold to the highest bidder. The occasion of his disgrace was not
known ; but it saved the life of the late Fouyon, or civil go-
vernor of Canton, a very honourable man, against whom a most
scandalous intrigue was carried on under the protection of the
* In Barrow's works is a list of the crimes on which Hotchung-tang was ac-
cused personally by the emperor. One of them was, that he had built himself a
house of cedar, a species of wood only to be used in the construction of the im-
perial palaces. His other crimes are not of more importance.
A CCO U N T OF CHI LN A. 315
favourite; and a merchant recently arrived from Pekin, whom I
frequently saw at Mr. Beal's, said, that the emperor since this
disgrace had firmly resolved upon introducing more order, and
particularly a more strict administration of justice into his em-
pire; for which purpose he had issued an edict, allowing every
one of his subjects to address himself direct to him, and lay his
complaints before him. As there is no post in China except
that which runs between Pekin and Canton, it was not very
likely that many memorials would reach the throne from the
distant provinces; but the edict was probably dictated in an
hour of repentance, when the emperor was desirous of shewing
his subjects the parental care he takes of them: many of them,
however, know that his will in this respect cannot be carried
into execution. The situation of the people would be much
improved if the viceroys and inferior officers of government
could be brought to protect them, and not allow them to ex-
perience so much ill treatment. Barrow mentions several in-
stances of the cruelty and barbarous usage to which the people
are exposed from their superiors.
Of their carelessness and indifference for the lives of the
poorer class of people we had a sufficient proof on the occasion
of an accidental fire. On the 13th December a fire broke out
in Canton, on the western bank of the Tigris, directly facing
the European factory, which raged with great violence from six
o'clock until midnight; and if Mr. Drummond had not instantly
sent fire engines, the whole row of buildings on that bank of the
river would, in all probability, have fallen a prey to the flames.
Although fires are very common in Canton, there are no means
of precaution adopted to extinguish them. The Chinese never
316 K R USENSTERN's Voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE world.
make use of engines; but when any fire breaks out some thou-
sand men assemble and set up a horrible yelling, without afford-
ing any real assistance, or any being, in fact, expected from
them. There is only one class of men supported by the govern-
ment to assist in such cases, who are called servants of the
mandarins, and their duty is to prevent the streets from being
blocked up by the concourse of people. Neither the viceroy
nor any of the chief magistrates of the town are even present:
only a mandarin of inferior rank is bound to be there, and his
presence is of but little moment; nor can he, according to the
maxims of this despotic government, have any interest in even
insisting or obtaining the little respect due to him; the loss of
thousands being only so far interesting to a mandarin, that it
leaves fewer subjects from whom they can extort money. The
government adopts no means whatever to preserve the people
against the effect of the typhons that rage continually on the
coast of China; and some weeks previous to our arrival at
Macao several thousands (the number was said to amount to
ten thousand) perished during one of these hurricanes in the
Tigris; yet it was scarcely spoken of, although not a month had
elapsed since this shocking accident had happened ; or when
mentioned, it was only as a common occurrence perfectly in the
order of things.
How thankful ought these unfeeling people to be to the
English, if they were capable of any sentiment of gratitude, for
the introduction, since the year 1805, of vaccination among
them, and for their attempts to spread it throughout the empire!
Dr. Pierson, the second physician of the English factory, has
rendered himself by this act deserving of infinite praise; for in
Account of CHINA. 317
no parts of the world did the small pox commit such ravages as
in China. But I doubt very much whether this humane pro-
ceeding will ever obtain their acknowledgments; and am con-
vinced, on the contrary, that if Dr. Pierson should have the mis-
fortune, by any accident, to lose one of his Chinese patients,
although he has already been the means of rescuing thousands,
and the lives of millions may in future be saved by him, he
would nevertheless, by their well-known barbarous laws, be
severely punished if they could only get him into their hands,
On the days appointed for the operation there are always a
number of women with their children waiting to receive the
benefit of it in the halls of the English factory. On these oc-
casions he seldom vaccinates less than two hundred children, and,
it need scarcely be mentioned, entirely free of all charges. In or-
der to remove any probable prejudice which the Chinese might
harbour against the operation, Dr. Pierson has written a small
book on the history and advantages of vaccination, wherein, at
the same time, the necessary treatment during the disorder is
pointed out. Several thousand copies of this work, translated
by Sir George Staunton into Chinese, have been distributed
amongst the people”: and as it could not be printed without
the name of some native Chinese, it bears that of Nunqua, one
of the merchants of the kohong. The vain Panquiqua, of whom
frequent mention is made in the preceding chapter, sought to
obtain this honour; but Mr. Drummond selected Nungua, he
having been the first to propose himself. The Chinese physicians
are very much against the operation, and take infinite pains to
-smººr
* Dr. Pierson was so kind as to favour me with a copy of this literary curiosity.
31.8 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AG E Rou ND THE Wo R L.D.
suppress this useful discovery, or, at any rate, to prevent its pro-
pagation as much as possible; but at the time I am speaking
of, it had obtained so firm a footing, that these ignorant people
will scarcely be able to effect their purpose. The government,
although it tolerates vaccination, takes no step whatever to pro-
mote it: but their very sufferance of an innovation is a proof of
their perceiving its advantages. Dr. Pierson, immediately on the
introduction of vaccination, instructed four Chinese in the mode
of performing it, and these were as actively employed in pro-
,pagating it in the surrounding country, and in the town of
Canton, as he had been in the suburbs, and at Macao ; and he
recently received letters from Nankin acquainting him with
their having discovered the same species of disorder in the cows
of that place.
There can be no doubt that the honour of having intreduced
the cowpox among the Chinese belongs exclusively to Dr.
Pierson. A few months later, and he would have been rob-
bed of it by Dr. Balmis, a Spanish physician, who came ex-
pressly for the purpose from Manilla to Macao in the month
of September of 1805, not knowing that the English were
beforehand with him. Dr. Balmis was sent in 1803 by the
Spanish government to introduce the cowpox into South
America, and the Philippines: from thence he proceeded to
China”; and although the good intention of the Spanish phy-
sician loses nothing by his having been preceded by Dr. Pierson,
--mº.
* Dr. Balmis quitted China to return to Europe about a fortnight before our
arrival at Macao, in the ship Le Bon Tems, bound to Lisbon.
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 319.
yet I am convinced that the introduction of vaccination into
China was more likely to succeed with the latter, the favourable
situation of the English naturally removing many of the dif-
ficulties which he would have had to encounter.
The European missionaries have been striving for centuries
to spread the Christian religion in China; but it seems likely to
experience very shortly the same fate in that empire as it already
has in Japan, being latterly exposed to fresh persecutions on the
part of the government; nor is this so much to be wondered at,
as the spirit of conversion among the missionaries, whom the
experience of several centuries (the first missionaries having
reached China in the year 1577) might at length have convinced
that their labours, even at the most favourable periods, were
never attended with success. The number of converted is so ex-
tremely small as to stand in no kind of proportion with the enor-
mous population of this extensive country: and there are probably
not so many Christians in China as there are children murdered
daily in the empire”. Notwithstanding this, the catholic priest-
hood continue to send almost every year their missionaries to
China, although they cannot but know that the fondness for
literature which has actuated some of the emperors, but more
particularly the ignorance of the people, is the only reason of
their being tolerated.
The emperor had long been dissatisfied with the exertions of
* In Pekin alone, according to Barrow's calculation, nine thousand children are
murdered annually.
320 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE won LD.
the missionaries to convert his Tartarian subjects, as the mani-
festo published on the occasion sufficiently evinces: but the pre-
sent persecution of the Christians was owing to the following cir-
cumstance. An Italian missionary, named Adjudati, sent to one of:
his friends in Canton a plan which he had designed of a certain
district of China, where he had resided for some time. On the
confines of Pekin all travellers are very strictly examined; and
this messenger was searched, who, besides the chart, had several
letters from different European missionaries to their friends in,
Macao. In all probability he had been instructed to take more
than ordinary care of these papers, as he at first asserted that he,
came from another province; but no sooner was the falsehood of,
his story discovered, than he fell into suspicion, and being arrested
with his letters and the chart, was sent back to Pekin, where he
was put to the torture to make him confess who were his em-
ployers. The messenger pronounced the name of Adjudati,
who was instantly thrown into confinement; and his house, as
well as all those of the other missionaries, underwent the strictest.
examination. Suspicion being now entertained of all the mission-
aries, Adjudati's letters were sent to the Russian bishop, who,
however, avoided the disagreeable office attempted to be im-
posed upon him, by declaring that he was not possessed of suf-
ficient knowledge of the different languages in which the letters
were written to be able to give any correct account of their
contents. This declaration of the Russian bishop was the means
of saving many, and they have gratefully acknowledged it.
The religious books translated by the missionaries into the
Chinese and Tartar languages were not only confiscated and
burnt, but their zeal in conversion was held up as a crime. I am
in possession of a translation made by Sir George Staunton of the
A C CO U N T OF CH IN A. 321
imperial edict, enforcing these measures against the mission-
aries*, which is drawn up with some cleverness. Several of the
religious doctrines contained in the book translated by the
missionaries are turned into ridicule, and declared to be in the
highest degree absurd. They are accused of striving to convert
the Tartars to the Christian religion, which the emperor says in
his edict “must be, to judge of it by the religious books of the
* Sir George Staunton, who accompanied his father in Lord Macartney’s em-
bassy to Pekin, and who is now a member of the English factory at Canton,
possesses, perhaps, a more extensive knowledge than any European of the Chinese
language. In his first voyage to China, and during his short residence there,
he laid the foundation of his knowledge of the language, in which, even at
that time, although he was but twelve years old, he made considerable progress.
His constant residence since that period in China; his diligence, perseverance,
and natural talents, lead to the expectation that he will acquire an accurate know-
ledge of this most diſficult language. He has a considerable Chinese library,
which he is constantly increasing, having a most favourable opportunity of doing
it, and sparing no expence. Trom the Pekin Gazette, which appears every other
day, and which he contrives to procure regularly, although, according to the strict
laws of the Chinese, the sale of Chinese books and newspapers to foreigners is
forbidden, he translates all the important articles, such, for instance, as the imperial
edicts, and the accounts of any events that have happened in the empire. The
publication of a collection of original facts and documents, with notes, by such a
man as Sir George Staunton, would throw great light upon the present state of
China. Sir George is now employed upon the translation of another work, which
must excite considerable interest, and contains notes on an embassy to Tartary and
China in the year 1713. The work likewise contains a description of Russia,
and is accompanied by a chart. In the account of this journey, which was pub-
lished by order of the government, are the instructions given by the emperor to
his ambassador. But the most important work the learned world has to expect
from Sir George Staunton is a translation of the whole Chinese code of laws, upon
which he has been employed for some years. His knowledge of the Chinese
language renders him a particularly useful member of the English factory.
Y O J.. I [. T T
322 K R USEN STERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE wort L.D.
missionaries, as ridiculous as even those of Foe and Taosse”.”
The story circulated by them among the Tartars of one Pei-
tsee, a Tartar prince, is made particularly laughable. This
prince, partly owing to his bad conduct, but chiefly for paying
no attention to the pious exhortations of his spouse Fo-tsien, a
Tartar princess, is seized and conducted to hell by a legion of
devils, where he is left to swim in a sea of eternal fire. “The
names of Pei-tsee and Fo-tsien could only have become known to
the Christian missionaries in their constant intercourse with the
Tartars, and the absurdity of Pei-tsee's fate is too palpable.”
The emperor renders equally ridiculous the story spread by the
missionaries of St. Ursula, whose father punished her disobedi-
ence with death, at which Tien-chee (the lord of heaven and
earth) was so much offended, that he deprived him of life by a
thunder-bolt. “This history,” says the manifesto, “should
serve as a warning to all parents not to oppose the intentions
and purposes of their children, which is in direct contradiction
to reason and social order, and is as dangerous as the blind fury
of a mad dog.” The emperor concludes his manifesto by warm-
ing the Tartars against the missionaries, and recommending
them to continue faithful to their own religion, laws, and cus-
toms. To prevent, however, the evil as much as possible, he ap-
pointed a commissary, to keep a watchful eye upon the mission-
aries. Adjudati was sentenced to be banished to Tartary; and
another Italian missionary named Choisin Salvatti, who travelled
about the country without the permission of the government, and
* The religion of Foe has the most followers in China: it came originally from
India; the sect called Taosse was introduced shortly after the time of Confucius:
its followers call themselves “Sons of the immortals.”
A CCOUNT OF CH IN A . . 323
who was taken not far from Canton, is now said to be in confine-
ment there. I was told also of a Pole who was seized on the con-
fines of the empire, and suffered a most dreadful martyrdom.
This edict was immediately followed by a strict search after the
Christians; and those who are found guilty of the crime of having
adopted this religion are compelled to abjure it, and in case of re-
fusal instantly executed. Two principal mandarins, relations
of the emperor, are the only persons who have escaped death on
refusing to abjure the Christian religion, and they were banished
to Eleutic Tartary. The Abbé Mainguet, a French missionary,
who remained in Canton during our stay there as agent to those
residing in China, declared that the persecution of the Christians
was not now so severe, although the missionaries who were
allowed to remain in Pekin were constantly watched with the
strictest attention, and the entrance of any others into the in-
terior of China positively refused. In the early part of January
of this year, two French missionaries arrived at Canton on
their way to Macao, where they had resided five years in ex-
pectation of permission to proceed to Pekin. This they at
length obtained, and set out on their journey; but they had
scarcely reached the vicinity of Pekin when they received orders
to return, in consequence of the disgrace into which the mission-
aries had fallen. During their two days stay at Canton they
were not allowed to land, none but their friends and acquaint-
ance being permitted to visit them ; and on their vessel was
written in large characters, that they were sent back to their own
country by order of the emperor. In other respects they were
satisfied with the treatment which they experienced from the
Chinese, who, as they said, had not kept a very rigorous guard
upon them during their journey, which they performed entirely
3.
$24, K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
at the emperor's expence, and which would have really been
very pleasant to them if their object had not been entirely
frustrated. In all probability they will return to Europe, as it
is now become impossible to attain it.
Canton is particularly interesting to strangers as a great com.
mercial mart, on account of the people assembled here from all
parts of the globe. Besides Europeans of all nations, there are
people of all the trading countries of Asia; Americans, Ma-
homedans, Hindostanees, Bengalese, Parsees, &c. * Most of
these come by sea from India to Canton, and return in the same
manner. Many have their agents at Canton, who remain con-
stantly there, and do not, like the Europeans, pass the
summer at Macao. The Mahomedan merchants resident at
Canton, although equally strangers to the Chinese with the
Europeans, are allowed to go into the town, and I was told
by one of them, a sensible man who spoke very good English,
and whose account was confirmed to me by several other per-
sons, that there are two Russians there, whose residence is of
a compulsory nature. They have been at Canton these five
and twenty years, and will in all probability terminate their
existence there. The Mahomedan knew them both very well:
and according to his description, one of them is a handsome,
tall man, whose behaviour evinces a good education. On
his once asking him by what accident he came to Canton, his
*====
* Descendants of the ancient Persians, who at the time of the introduction of
Mahomedanism into Persia quitted their country, and established themselves at
Bombay. They follow the doctrine of Zoroaster. They have also settled in the
Mozambique, where almost all the trade is carried on by them.
A CCO UNT OF C III N A. 3.25.
only reply was a flood of tears; an answer which sufficiently
proves that he does not belong to any inferior class of people.
They are neither of them kept in confinement, but allowed to
walk freely about the Tartar town, taking care, however, not to
proceed beyond its boundaries. One of them, about four years.
ago, was compelled by the viceroy to marry; they were both
apprised of our being so near by the Mahomedan; but much as:
the idea was impressed upon my mind, I thought it too daring
an attempt to endeavour to speak to them, or to release them.
from their confinement.
The Mahomedan, with whom I had formed an acquaintance,
procured me several interesting anecdotes of a singular, and, in
his way, extraordinary man, who, during our stay here, affect-
ed to practise in Canton the virtues of a saint. He was a
Hindostanee by birth, a native of Delhi, and of that class of
people whom the Indians call fakeers. They wander about the
country, exciting first the attention and admiration of the people,
and at last their devotion, by their seeming piety and contempt
of all earthly things. This fakeer had been ten years travelling
about the eastern parts of Asia ; in Pegu, Siam, Cochin-China,
and Tonkin. From the latter place he had come the preceding
September to Macao; and upon his arrival, refusing obstinately
to give any answer to the questions that were put to him, he
was thrown into confinement. After bearing every indignity
which they could inflict upon him for the space of five days,
with the greatest indifference, he was at length liberated, and
proceeded to Canton. I saw him pacing slowly up and down
the streets, or standing for hours together at the corner of
a house, surrounded by a crowd of spectators, and exposed to
326 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AC E Rou ND THE wort L.D.
the constant insults of a number of unruly boys, who scratched,
pinched, and twitched him, and threw orange-peel at him, with-
out exciting the least anger in him: on the contrary, he gave
them fruit and money. The Mahomedans resident in Canton,
who considered him as a real saint, and treated him with the
greatest respect, supported him with money. According to my
friend's accounts, which may very well be exaggerated, he possesses
no moderate share of talent, speaking the Persian and Arabic
languages with fluency, and being particularly skilled in the
court dialect of Delhi. He only visited the Mahomedans resident
here, and if any one asked him to sit down he instantly quitted
the house, and never returned: for six years he had lived entirely
upon leaves and roots; but at present he ate any thing, but
always most sparingly. His principle was perfect independence,
and all his endeavours, as he said, tended solely to the com-
mand of his passions. To lose his patience and appear angry
he considered as the greatest misfortune that could befall him ;
and yet he sought every opportunity of putting it to the proof,
bearing with the most heroic stoicism every hardship to which
he was more than commonly exposed. Wherever he stood he
appeared like a perfect statue, never stirring any part of his
body, or in the least altering his countenance, however he might
be provoked and annoyed: only casting his eyes to the ground
if the people looked too steadily at him. He bore both heat and
cold in a most exemplary manner: in the months of December
and January the latter is very severe at Canton, the thermometer
often falling below the freezing point”, and yet he went about
* On the 22d December it froze so hard at Canton that ice was sold about the
streets. The Chinese purchase ice with eagerness, believing, that when dissolved it
A CCO U N T OF C III N A • 327
the streets without the least covering. In appearance he was a
well made man, rather above the common stature, with a brilliant
eye and regular countenance. The colour of his body was a dark
brown, like that of the northern Hindostanees, and his black hair
curled very strongly. He went entirely naked, with the ex-
ception of a coarse piece of linen that hung from his waist to the
middle of his legs. According to my friend the Mahomedan's
account, there was nothing he avoided so much as the attention
of the people, and he therefore never remained long in the same
place, but travelled constantly from one to another; and yet his
daily appearance in the streets was a sufficient proof that this
fakeer's chief object, like that of all other charlatans and religious
buffoons, was to excite attention. His great forbearance and
self-denial of all physical enjoyments is made up to him by plea-
sures of another nature, of which, indeed, those only can judge
whose inclinations are sufficiently perverted, but which must
possess infinite charms to such a giddy-brained fellow as this.
I was not a little astonished when, a short time after my Ma-
homedan friend had entertained me with the account of this ex-
traordinary man, he proposed to me to convey the saint with
me to Russia. The crpences of his voyage there he would defray
in common with the other members of his religion at Canton,
and he appeared to entertain no doubt that the fakeer would
play a brilliant part in that country; nor was he a little mortified
when I positively refused to accede to his request.
The European trade in China has experienced many changes
—i-- —º-
is a sure remedy against the fever so common in summer. They therefore preserve
it carefully in bottles, and use it when sick as a medicine.
328 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy A.G.E. Roun D THE Wor L.D.
during the last twenty years. Before the French revolutionary
war, every European nation, with the exception of Russia and
Germany, had a share in the very profitable commerce with
Canton; yet the exportation from China to England, since the
commutation tax in 1784, was much more extensive than that
to all the other countries of Europe. At that time the Ameri-
cans, recently become an independent people, commenced a
trade with Canton; in 1789 they sent fifteen ships there, and
their commerce has gradually increased in the same proportion
as that of other nations, with the exception of the English, has
declined. The English trade cannot, however, as was at first
feared, receive any injury by this apparently dangerous concur-
rence of the Amercians, all the Chinese goods shipped on board
of English vessels being consumed either in England, where
the demand for tea is well known to be enormous, or in their
extensive colonies in the East and West Indies, in America,
and New Holland.
With respect to the commerce of the other European powers
with China, the Dutch, next to the English, formerly sent the most
ships to Canton; though seldom more than five ships annually
arrive there, much as the vicinity to so rich a colony as Java
(to say nothing of their other possessions in Malacca, Banca,
Sumatra, and Borneo, which produce tin, pepper, birdsnests,
and other articles for the Chinese market), might have given
consideration to their trade with China. Since 1795 they have
sent no ships to Canton: the factory is, however, still kept up, in
expectation of better times, and its members, six in number,
are annually paid. Although they carry on no business what-
ever, they go, according to ancient custom, to Canton in October,
and return in February to Macao.
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 329
The French never carried on their trade to Canton with any
spirit, and the little they had has quite ceased since the revo-
lution.
The Spanish trade to China ought to have been very con-
siderable, owing to the vicinity of the Philippines; but they
seldom send more than one or two ships annually there, and
frequently none at all. Since their war with England their
commerce has stopped altogether, though from Manilla they
send a few small vessels to Emouy, and the south-east coast of
China.
Considering the great advantages the Portuguese enjoy by the
possession of Macao, by which they avoid the chicanery of the
Chinese custom-house, and other government officers, and the
expensive duties paid by the ships of all nations at Whampoa,
their trade ought to be very flourishing. Nevertheless it is con-
fined to the sending of two or three ships annually to Europe,
and of five or six to Bengal. The cargo of the latter is, besides,
not their own property, but is shipped by the English in Bengal,
and merely conveyed under the Portuguese flag to Macao.
The trade of Sweden with China has been in a very tottering
state since the commutation act in England, and the war with
Russia in 1788, during which the king exacted large sums from
the Gothenburg company. They never sent at any time more
than three ships to Canton, and since this act only two, and in
some years one, or none at all. In the present year none arrived
from Sweden, and I am now told that the Gothenburg com-
pany has ceased altogether.
V O L. II. U [J
330 K R Us E N STERN's Voy A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
The Danish trade is very regular, and carried on with great
exactness and economy. They never sent, however, above two
ships to Canton in the course of the year.
The fate of the Austrian imperial East India company at
Ostend is well known. Since that time ships have indeed been
seen at Canton under Austrian colours, as well as under the
Ragusan, Genoese, Tuscan, Hamburg, and Bremen flags. But
they are always on account of English merchants, who, as
this trade is a monopoly of the English East India company,
are not allowed any share in it.
This short sketch will shew that the commerce of the English
and Americans alone is of any consequence, that of the Americans
in particular having greatly increased”. The vessels which they
-ºr- —r-
* According to accounts received this year (1810) from Canton, several cir-
cumstances have occurred which may prove very injurious to the commerce of the
English at Canton. Since the sale of English manufacture on the continent has
become so difficult, the English East India company have begun to send an in-
creased quantity, especially of cloth, to Canton; and in the hopes of the balance
being paid in their favour in specie, they have not increased their export of tea in
proportion to the importation of their manufactures. But as the Chinese do not
pay the surplus of English goods in specie (probably because, since the general war
against England, many ships which brought specie from Europe no longer arrive
in China), and the East India company continue to send them more goods than
they take in tea, the debt of the Chinese to the company is annually increasing.
It is already said to amount to three million tael, or four and a half millions of
Spanish dollars: a sum which the hong is the less able to pay, as the English
manufactures can only be sold at a great loss for specie. So long as the Chinese
purchased these goods for tea, they were sure of disposing of them to advantage,
whilst nothing is more difficult than to sell any thing in China for money. It was
this circumstance that rendered our business so difficult at Canton, for our super-
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 3.31.
employ in this commerce are much smaller, it is true, than those
of the other nations trading to Canton ; but they generally send
from forty to fifty every year. They are confined to no season,
and there is scarcely any month in which their ships do not
arrive at or depart from Canton. Most of these are from the
north-west coast of America, and bring cargoes of furs: an
article which, in fact, has fallen lately considerably in its value
(though it is probable that the price of a sea-otter skin will
never be less than eighteen or twenty piasters), but which finds
as certain a market with the Chinese as cotton, tin, and opium.
Several of these American ships come direct from America and
Europe; when their cargoes consist either in specie, or European,
American, and East Indian produce; brandy, rum, wine, and
naval stores, such as tar, masts, iron, cordage, &c. Some run
into Batavia and the Cape of Good Hope, and bring whole
-cargoes of wine and arrac from thence for the use of the Eu-
ropean ships lying at Canton, in return for which they export
nankeen, porcelain, silk, but particularly tea. There is never
any difficulty of procuring a cargo of this latter article at Canton.
The magazines of the Chinese merchants being overstocked
with it, they not only sell it at a just and reasonable price, but
cargo would not take tea, or any thing but specie for the cargo of the Neva.
The English East India company will therefore be compelled, if they continue to
import their manufactures in the same proportion, either to increase the export of
tea, or to risk the loss of the sums due by the Chinese: for although the govern-
ment is bound to pay the debts of the hong, this, in its present insecure state,
probably at no great distance from its downfall, can hardly be expected from it.
besides that it is disgusted with the English, on account of their attempt to
obtain possession of Macao without its consent, and of which it will not fail to
make them sensible by all the means in its power.
539. K R USENSTE RN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE WOR L p.
take the goods of the purchaser at a high rate in return. Nan-
keen and silk are not looked upon as goods at Canton, but as
real specie, and the merchant seldom purchases willingly for
specie. If there is no particular cause of mistrust, the Chinese
merchant readily advances a cargo of tea on credit, in order
to get rid of it: and this induces the Americans to give the pre-
ference to this article, since it affords them the advantage of
making a better bargain with the goods they import, and of
being the sooner despatched; an object of considerable import-
ance at Canton, the stay there being attended with much ex-
pence, while the health of the crew is a good deal at stake. The
partiality for tea is as general in America as in England, the
Americans having inherited the taste for it from the English:
for this reason the consumption is considerable; the merchants,
are sure to find a market for it, and what they have no hopes of
selling there they carry to France, Holland, and the northern.
ports of Germany.
The spirit of commerce is, perhaps, no where greater than in
America. Being skilful seamen, they man their ships with a
smaller crew, in which respect it appears altogether impossible.
to excel them. Their vessels are, besides, so admirably con-
structed, that they sail better than many ships of war, and I
have known the captains of some of them at Canton who have
made the voyage from thence to America and back again in
ten months. While we were there the ship Fanny arrived to-
wards the latter end of December, which, in the short space of
twelve months, had sailed from Canton to Philadelphia, from
Philadelphia to Lisbon, and from thence again to Canton; so
that she must have unloaded and taken fresh cargoes on board.
A CCOUNT OF CH IN A. 333
with an extraordinary rapidity. Besides, the return to Canton,
owing to the contrary monsoon, could only be effected by the
eastern passage, that is to say, by the northern parts of the
great ocean round the Pelew islands. When we left Canton.
she was again perfectly ready for sea, on her intended return to.
Philadelphia, the whole term of her stay there not having ex-
ceeded five weeks. The Americans avail themselves quickly of
every advantage that is offered to them in trade; and we wit-
nessed the arrival of one of their ships at Canton with a valuable
cargo of sandal-wood, which the captain had brought from the
Fidgees, a group of islands, known as well for their dangerous,
situation as the cruelty of their inhabitants. Not one among them.
affords a safe anchorage; and in the month of December, 1804,
an English ship was stranded on one of them, and the whole.
crew perished. The American, of which we are speaking, had
run considerable risk of falling a prey to the cruelty of the in-
habitants. Some persons accompanied them from Tongataboo.
to the Fidgee islands, who were all murdered the moment they
landed, with the exception of one man and woman, whom the
Americans brought to China. Sandal-wood is so much and so
highly esteemed in China, that the captain, whose cargo cost
him nothing but the trouble of felling it, disposed of it to very
great advantage.
Of all the different species of teas, the Americans, as well as
the English, take only a very small quantity of the best. Of
the green teas the Americans take a particular kind of hyson,
called by the merchants of Canton young hyson, and which
costs there from thirty-six to forty taels the picul; but the
greater part of the tea which the English and Americans carry
334 KR USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
from Canton is congo and bohea. The last is, indeed, the very
worst that grows, but is drunk very plentifully by the poor
people in England, to whom tea is now become a necessary
article of consumption ; and the tea inspector at Canton assured
me that in England the congo and bohea are mixed and sold in
great quantities. The price of bohea at Canton is very low ;
only eleven or twelve taels the picul. If the trade from Russia
to Canton were pursued, which I believe to be a desirable ob-
ject, the importation of this common sort of tea into Russia
might prove a real benefit to the poorer class of inhabitants, who,
when they had once accustomed themselves to this wholesome
beverage, would, in all probability, give up, in a great degree,
the use of distilled liquors; a circumstance well deserving the
attention of the government, as it would obviate the very in-
jurious consequences attending the inordinate use of spirits. In
almost every province of Russia there is a superfluity of honey,
which would very well supply the place of sugar. Of the fa-
cility with which they would take to this beverage, and the
fondness they would acquire for it, I had experience on board
my ships: for, with very few exceptions, all my people would
willingly have given up their portion of spirits, which they re-
ceived either in brandy or arrac, in order not to lose their tea,
which, if there was no particular reason for sparing the water, I
gave them twice a day. At those times when it was only de-
livered out once a day, I have frequently seen them pouring
rain-water on it, notwithstanding the rain Collected on board
ship generally tastes very strong of tar. It is therefore not
at all improbable that the use of tea might gain ground in
Russia, and supersede that of spirits. Vanity too would con-
tribute, in some measure, to make it general; for I really be-
A-63 CO U N T OF C III N A • 3.35.
lieve that the labourer, if not completely depraved, would
rather drink a cup of tea at home, especially when he could
treat a friend, than go to a gin-shop for liquor. In the navy,
and in hospitals, this beverage should be particularly recom-
mended, being one of the best antiscorbutics, and extremely
wholesome. To an invalid it is so great a comfort, that nothing
more grateful can be given to him ; and the cheapest kinds of tea,
such as bohea and congo, would suffice for this purpose. The
importation of bohea, in the event of a direct communication.
between Russia and Canton, would become necessary and im-
portant on another account. Tea, it is well known, is a pe-
rishable commodity, requiring great attention in lading: and
if only the best species were taken, great quantities must
be spoiled when stowed immediately upon the ballast, as it
necessarily must be. For this reason the English always lay.
their ground tier of bohea the whole length of the ship ; and
if a few chests are damaged, as is invariably the case, the loss
is no great matter, the better kinds by this means being secured
from injury.
There are many qualitics of tea between the finest and the
coarsest, which, probably, would meet with a very ready market
in Russia; and although those merchants who are the most in-
terested in the importation of this article, and who may have
well weighed this circumstance, assert that none but the finest.
kinds will sell in that country, the peasant and the tradesman
scarcely drinking any, while the merchant and the nobleman only
use the best sort; yet I think that souchong and congo, which
at Canton may be purchased at a very moderate price, would
be sure of finding a market in the provinces lying on the east
336 K R USENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE Wo RLD.
sea. In these luxury has not arrived at that pitch that they
will drink nothing but pakoo and gunpowder tea; and it strikes
me that the consumption of tea there is, comparatively speaking,
greater than in the interior of the empire, which, since the ac-
quisition of the whole of Finland, must be still more the case.
But should even the use of the more common species of tea not
become sufficient to ensure the sale of the quantity imported
from China into Russia, these goods would, at all times, obtain
a ready market in the ports of the north of Germany, and even
in Sweden, whose commerce with China is not likely to be
soon restored. The only rivals we should meet in this trade
would be the Danes and Americans; but there is no doubt
that we can carry on a commerce with China with a greater
certainty of advantage than the Danes, even if we proceeded
upon the same methodical plan, and established ourselves on the
same footing as that nation. To the Danish East India com-
pany the merit is at least due of being an effective institution,
and its flourishing state is a proof that it deserves the praise
here bestowed upon it. Until 1807, the dividends on the bonds
of this company rose for several years to thirty and forty per
Cent.
Besides tea, nankeen and silk goods are certain of finding a
ready and profitable market in Russia; this is not the case with
porcelain, the coarse kinds of which are too bad, and the fine
too expensive *. The English earthenware has, besides, a de-
* The Americans are the only people who take any quantity of the coarse
kinds of porcelain ; as there is very little difference in the expence of carrying
Account of CH INA. $37
cided advantage over the coarser kind of Chinese porcelain,
not only in point of real goodness, but in neatness of work-
manship. Apothecaries drugs, lackered goods, dolls, sweet-
meats, and such petty commodities, are of no importance com-
pared with the chief articles of the cargo, nor should the super-
cargo waste a moment's time upon them. This species of ware
may succeed very well in the stall of the retail dealer, but never
can answer in the warehouses of a large mercantile company.
The English East India company exports nothing but tea and
silk, and leaves the trade in such-like trifles to the officers and
crews of their ships.
If, therefore, it were proved that the importation of severał
ship-loads of fine and coarse tea, of nankeen and silk, would be
certain of finding a mart in the European provinces of Russia,
in this respect alone the trade to Canton would become im-
portant ; and it would be more so by the necessary connection
with the Asiatic and American provinces, the produce of which
cannot all be disposed of at Kiachta, and ought, on this ac,
count, not to be given up without sufficient reasons of state.
I will mention in a few words the manner of carrying on the
European trade at Canton. It is in the hands of a company
called kohong, or, more commonly, hong. The moment a ship
arrives at Whampoa, it becomes the first care of the captain or
supercargo to find a merchant in this company who, according
to the laws of the country, will be bound to the government for
earthenware from England, and porcelain from China to America. The porcelain
likewise serves them for ballast.
V O L. II. X X
338 K R USENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE Wo RLD.
the ship. As soon as any one has thus bound himself, he
must answer for every thing done on board: the government
only looking to this man, who is called the security-merchant.
During my first residence at Canton in the year 1798, the se-
curity-merchant of an English ship lying there, and which had
come from India, was obliged to pay a heavy fine, because a
chest of opium was accidentally sent on shore and opened at
the custom-house *; the captain of the ship escaping altogether.
To this security-merchant the cargo is generally sold, although
you are not bound in such a manner that no other merchant
can be employed if the former offers too little for it. This,
in fact, is rarely done; being almost a standing rule of the
hong, and never infringed but by some Americans, who de-
rived no advantage from it: at all events, it is attended with
great loss of time for any captain to apply for the sale and pur-
chase of a cargo to any other than to his security-merchant, and
the Americans now only transact their business through him.
As the hoppoo exacts a sum of money for every ship that ar-
rives, from the security-merchant, in the supposition that he
derives great advantage from the purchase and sale of the goods,
no ship is allowed to proceed to Canton that has not some goods
on board. Specie alone is not sufficient to obtain the permission;
and if there had not been four hundred sea-Otter skins on board
the Nadeshda, I might have applied in vain for leave to go to
~gºr —r—
* It could only have been by accident that the smuggling of a chest of opium
was discovered; for the Chinese custom-house officers never betray such a thing,
their profits upon it being very great. Notwithstanding the severe penalties laid
by the government on the importation of opium, this article, become one of ne-
cessity to the principal Chinese, is imported with impunity in almost every ship.
A CCO UNT OF CH IN A, 339
Whampoa. Every ship coming from the north-west coast of
America with furs pays five thousand piasters, a lass which the
seller must always experience; the Chinese merchant declaring,
as he concludes the bargain, that a similar sum must be paid to
the hoppoo. If this is refused, he offers less for the cargo, and
you have gained nothing by your refusal. Should the merchant
decline paying the sum demanded, he is obliged to submit to
the hoppoo's selecting the best furs in his cargo ; a selection
which is made with so little delicacy, that it is better to pay
the sum required than to be exposed to it. The Neva was
forced to pay seven thousand piasters, the hoppoo having
learnt that her sea-otter skins were better than those brought
in the American ships, and that there were some black foxes on
board. The cargo cannot be landed until the security-merchant
has settled with the hoppoo. If you are dissatisfied with the
price that is offered, and cannot find any one who will give
more, you are at liberty to re-ship your goods; but the duty
must be paid a second time, as was the case with some furs on
board the Neva. Forster is wrong when he affirms (vol. ii. p.
100,) that goods once landed can never be re-shipped under
any pretext whatever; and he is equally incorrect when, speak-
ing of the merchants of the hong, he compares them to the other
Chinese merchants; adding, that you are left entirely at their
mercy, and are obliged to sell your cargo to the security-
merchant.
It was the father of the present chief of the hong, Panquiqua,
who gave the government the plan of this company, as injurious
to the interests of the Europeans as it is advantageous to its
own members, besides being the source of an income of several
340 KRUSENSTERN's Voy AGE. Rou ND THE WORLD.
millions to the hoppoo. It was he too who abolished the law
so dangerous to him on account of his extensive property, by
which the members were generally bound for each other, and
which always secured the capital of the English merchant. Ap-
plication may, however, be made to the government, if any
member of the hong either cannot or will not pay; and this
constitutes the only difference between the members of this
company and the other merchants of Canton, as you cannot
complain of the latter, however you may be cheated by them.
The hong does not consist of any particular number of members:
during my first stay at Canton, there were eight, and there are
now eleven belonging to it. The number always depends on the
hoppoo, to whom the nomination of the members is a rich
source of emolument, as they pay from thirty thousand to sixty
thousand taels to be admitted into the hong. Lucqua, our
security-merchant, who was only lately become a member, had
paid thirty thousand taels; and besides this enormous sum,
they are exposed to the constant exactions of the hoppoos, who
incessantly strive, as they are removed every year, and on this
account are compelled to make the best of their time, not only
to increase their own property, but to collect large sums of
money as presents for the minister at Pekin. The merchants
of the hong therefore are, in fact, not to blame for endeavouring
to clear themselves by means of the European trader; and this
they do in pursuance of ancient laws and maxims, by which
nobody is allowed to say that they are not as honourable and as
conscientious in transacting their affairs as those in Europe can
possibly be. In speaking therefore of the knavery of the
Chinese merchants, this does not apply to the members of the
hong; nor could they possibly maintain themselves in their
A CCO U N T O P C H IN A. 341
situation unless by a fair and honourable conduct, as the enor-
mous quantity of goods which are shipped for Europe in a
very short space of time cannot be examined piece by piece;
and those imported from Europe, such, for instance, as bales
of cloth and camlet, sewed together in England, are sent un-
opened into the interior of the empire. In no part of the world
can trade be carried on with a more reciprocal confidence than
at Canton; and this contributes to the extreme celerity with
which a fleet composed of twenty ships and more, each of twelve
or fourteen hundred tons, is unloaded, and receives a fresh cargo
on board in the space of eight weeks”.
It may appear that the first Russian ships that ever touched
at Canton were not received in the most friendly manner, but
this was merely the consequence of a misunderstanding, and
had nothing to do with their stay at Canton. In my opinion
the trade of the American company cannot exist without that of
Canton ; and as no official permission was ever granted for
Russian ships to go there, no time should be lost in obtaining
this permission as soon as possible, in order that, whenever a
general peace shall take place, the company's ships may imme-
diately run with a cargo of furs to Canton, and not be compelled
to sail half the world over with a lading of stones. Nor can
there be any doubt but that the Russians would obtain the per-
mission to trade with Canton as easily as any other nation. The
political importance and vicinity of Russia are arguments too
* They were very much surprised, and not a little angry, that our supercargo
examined every chest of tea and bale of nankeen. This may be very necessary at
Kiachta, but is not at all so at Canton. -
34? K R Us P N St F. R N'S VOYAGE. Rou ND T11 E won L.D.
powerful in the eyes of the cowardly Chinese for them to per-
sist, with any obstimacy, in the selfish determination to throw
difficulties in the way of a naval commerce with her. Their
character, as is very correctly observed by Lord Macartney and
Barrow, who had both an opportunity of examining them
closely, and who judged of them with impartiality, is a strange
mixture of pride and meanness, of affected seriousness and
childish frivolity, of refined politeness and striking indecency.
These traits, which are characteristic of the whole nation, are all
to be found in the members of the two councils, and of the six
departments entrusted with the conduct of the government;
and it is from them that the permission to trade with China by
another course than through Kiachta is to be obtained. As
soon as they are once convinced that force will be met with
force, they will not hesitate to act with more justice. What is
to be expected from the Chinese by treating them with respect
and submission, the Dutch embassy of 1798 has more than suf-
ficiently shewn.
I shall conclude these remarks upon the Chinese trade with
an account of the price of the different kinds of tea, and of
some other goods which would find a ready market in Russia,
such as they were in 1806 and 1809. For the account of the
prices of 1809 I am indebted to Mr. Dobbel, an American mer-
chant, established at Canton. A tael contains ten mace, a mace
ten candarines. The course of a Spanish dollar, the only specie
passable at Canton, is generally seven mace, two candarines.
A picul contains one hundred catty, one hundred and forty-seven
and a half Russian, or one hundred and thirty-three one-third
English pounds weight.
A CCOUNT OF CH IN A. 343
13 L A C K TE A.
1. Pakoo or pecko, likewise called bloom tea, costs from 60
to 80 tael the picul. The finer kinds of Souchong are still dearer.
and cost 1 or 14 piasters the catty.
2. Padre souchong, common sort, 60 tael the picul.
3. Bohea souchong, first class, from 38 to 48 tael the picul.
4. Bohea Souchong, second class, from 28 to 34 tael.
5. Company souchong, a species of tea the English chiefly
export, costs 24 tael the picul.
6. Bohea campoi, from 27 to 30 tael.
7. Bohea congo, from 26 to 29 tael.
There is another kind of black tea called ankoy : the finer
kinds cost from 35 to 40 tael the picul, but this is not con-
sidered an article of trade.
8. Common ankoy costs from 20 to 21 tael the picul,
9. Ankoy souchong, from 15 to 24 tael.
10. Ankoy pecko, 19 tael.
11. Ankoy congo, from 10 to 18 tael.
12. Ankoy campoy, from 18 to 19 tael.
G R E E N T E A.
1. Imperial tea, by the English called gunpowder, and by the
Russians pearl tea, costs from 60 to 80 tael the picul.
2. Hyson, first class, from 48 to 60 tael.
3. Ditto, second class, from 48 to 56 tael.
344 R R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND T11 E won LD
4. Hyson, third class, from 42 to 44, tael.
5, Young hyson, from 36 to 48 tael.
6. Hyson skin, from 28 to 29 tael,
7. Singlo hyson, from 27 to 28 tael.
8. Singlo skin, from 24 to 26 tael.
The hyson cheelan is the finest green tea, but this is only sold
in small lackered boxes containing from nine to fifteen pounds, at
the price, generally, of a Spanish dollar the pound.
In 1806 and 1809 a bale of one hundred pieces of wide, or, as
it is called, company's yellow nankeen, cost one hundred piasters
for one hundred pieces; the white from eighty-eight to ninety-
two piasters. Of the second class, the yellow cost from fifty-
six to sixty piasters; the white from forty-eight to fifty-two
piasters the bale. •
Nankeen raw silk costs from three hundred and eighty to four
hundred piasters the picul. Of the raw silk of Canton, the first
class cost two hundred and ten piasters, the second two hundred,
the third one hundred and seventy, and the inferior kind one
hundred and fifty piasters the picul. Flock silk, and the finest
sewing silk, cost five piasters the catty; the coarse four. Silk
stuffs are sold in pieces of fifty cubits, or twenty-eight three
quarters arschins. A piece of nankeen satin, above one and one
quarter arschin wide, cost twenty-eight piasters. The Canton
satin is half an arschin narrow, and costs eighteen piasters.
The price of campllor is fifty piasters the picul, vermilion
sixty, and white-lead fourteen piasters the picul, Moschus costs
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. 345
fifty-six piasters the catty: the best sugarcandy (at Canton,
called chinchoo) seventeen piasters, and the best powder sugar
eight piasters the picul.
The following is the price of some of the provisions paid to the
comprador, who, perhaps, does not gain less than one hundred
and fifty or two hundred per cent. on the purchase money.
The Pound. Mace. Cand.
Pork • º º º 1 O
Beef º & º º O 6
Capons . º l 5
Fowls, ducks, geese . & I 2
Smoked ham . sº * 2 4.
Butter s 2 5
Mutton . O º ſº 2 4.
Wheat bread , . º, O 7
Rice * ſe ſº O 3
Fruit and vegetables O 4.
Coffee 1 9
Fish O 6
Green peas O 8
Lamp oil O 6
Wood, ten pounds O 3
Ten eggs . º e & O 8
A short time previous to my departure from Kamtschatka for
China I received from Counsellor Würst some questions on the
political state and commerce of the southern provinces of China,
accompanied by a wish on his part that, during my stay at
WOL. II. Y Y
546 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E ROUND THE W or L.D.
Canton, I would endeavour to obtain information upon them, and
send him the answers. Notwithstanding I took every possible pains,
there were some of the questions upon which I could not acquire
any satisfactory intelligence: if I applied to a native Chinese, I
found his knowledge of the English language so trifling, that I
had the greatest difficulty both in understanding him, and in
being understood; and it was seldom he possessed the informa-
tion necessary to enable him to give a satisfactory answer to my
enquiries. I am therefore indebted to the communications of
the Europeans resident at Canton for the reply to some of these
questions. As M. Würst's intention in putting them to me was
to confirm, or, at least, to obtain such remarks as might enable
him to amend or reject the information concerning the Chinese
government, contained in various books already published, his.
object will be attained by my introducing in this place the
questions to which I have been able to obtain any kind of
answer, although the subject of some of them is already known,
from earlier works upon China. -
1. What is the usual rate of interest on money in China, and,
the difference of credit on mortgage and personal security ?
At Canton they pay at the rate of twelve or eighteen per-
cent. according to the degree of credit and of connection between
the borrower and lender ; but I am assured that thirty-six per
cent. is the lawful interest in China, and that this is paid in the
northern provinces.
2. Is there any slavery, or are any services due from the
tenant to his landlord 2
A CCO U NT OF CH IN A. $47
There is no personal slavery in China: the Chinese are born
free; and the rich and people of quality are obliged to pay for
the services of those they stand in need of. It is, however, not
unusual for parents to sell their children, although not so fre-
quently the males as the females. Even in this case they are
only bound until they become of age, when they return into the
class of their fellow citizens; thus they cannot be exchanged,
given away, or resold by their masters. With regard to the
female sex, which in China, as in all other eastern nations, does
not enjoy the consideration that is paid to it among the polished
people of Europe, the police is not so strict; and the females
sold into bondage generally continue slaves all their lives.
3. What does the property of the richest individuals amount
to P are these generally the possessors of landed estates, or mer-
chants whose wealth consists in their goods?
The wealthy inhabitants of China are chiefly merchants, and
are of that class particularly who farm the monopoly of salt.
The duties on this article form a principal part of the revenues
of the Chinese government; and in every province there is a
company of merchants who have purchased the monopoly of it.
These, together with the mandarins, are the most important
members of the state, they alone having the privilege of going
armed, and their messengers always travel so. They have a
right to make a forcible entry into any house, and institute an
enquiry, if they suspect the proprietor of having salt not pur-
chased of the company. Next to these monopolizers the mem-
bers of the kohong are probably the richest. The property
of Panquiqua (the chief merchant of the kohong) was esti-
348 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E ROUND THE WORLD.
mated at four million tael, or six million piasters. Generally
speaking, there are no possessors of large landed estates in China.
4. Are bills of exchange or assignations common in the
Chinese commercial world 2 What are the laws relative to bills
of exchange?
They have no bills of exchange as in Europe, consequently,
no laws relative to their payment. Indeed, it very seldom hap-
pens that any Chinese lends another money. In a country
where the possession of wealth may easily be the means of ren-
dering a man suspected, no one is disposed to publish the state of
his income : even Panquiqua, in spite of his vanity, does not
speak very willingly of his great property. However, as money
transactions are unavoidable among the mercantile classes in
China, there are necessarily written agreements; but these con-
sist, in reality, of nothing more than an acknowledgment of the
receipt of the money, with the promise to repay the debt in a
given time. Should the debt happen not to be paid, and the
debtor be brought, in consequence, before the mandarin, this
magistrate compels him to refund, after being convinced of the
justice of the demand, either by the bamboo, or by seizing his
property, out of which he satisfies the creditor. But it is very
seldom that a Chinese will bring his complaint before a magi-
strate, gladly waiting a long time in the hopes of being satisfied
in some way or other. The reason of this is, that the mandarin,
when he is made acquainted with the true circumstances of the
complainant, generally demands half the sum in litigation for
his trouble; and in case of a refusal, declines having any thing
to do with the matter.
A CCO U NT OF CHI, NA. 349
5. Are companies and corporations usual? Upon what foot-
ing are they established P
All trades are united in companies, and have their presidents.
At Canton the different bodies reside in distinct streets, some,
for instance, being inhabited merely by tailors, others by gla-
ziers, shoemakers, apothecaries, &c. They have their proper
feasts, at which players are usually hired; and it is made known
that on such a day a particular association will give a play, to:
which every one has free admission.
6. What are the great commercial towns, annual fairs, and
settled marts for goods? From what ports is the trade with
Japan, the Philippines, the Sunda islands, and the coast of India
carried on ?
The most important ports in China for foreign commerce are,
Canton on the south coast; Emouy in the province of Foki, on
the south-east coast; and on the east coast, the port of Ningpo
in the province of Chekiang, not far from the Chusan islands “.
The Chinese ships or junks sail from Canton for Malacca, Ba-
tavia, Siam, and the other countries bordering on the Chinese
sea; from Emouy, for the Philippines, and the Likeo islands ;
and from Ningpo, only for Japan and Corea. The coasting
trade is carried on from almost all the ports in the empire; and
* At the commencement of the last century the English had agents both at
Ningpo and Chusan.
$50 K R Us ENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE wor L.D.
every large town is a staple mart for the inland trade of the
various produce and manufacture of the province; this is par-
ticularly the case with those which lie on the great rivers and
canals.
7. What are their post regulations? Are there regular
posts throughout China, and can every one avail himself of
them 2
There is only one regular post between Pekin and Canton, of
which every one may avail himself, but the letters are broken
open and read. With the exception of this, there are no posts
in all China, nor any means of sending any thing except by
an express, or by availing yourself of the opportunity of some
traveller.
8. Is there any hereditary nobility, or is the rank they hold
only for life?
There is no hereditary mobility in China. The rank of man-
darin, as well as all the public offices, is distributed according to
the emperor's or the minister's pleasure. The descendants of
Confucius, however, possess a certain rank; and the emperor, as
aunlimited monarch, may confer hereditary rank.
9. Are there any large public manufactures, or are these
in the hands of companies consisting of private individuals?
What is the relation between masters, workmen, and appren-
tices?
A C CO UNT OF CH IN A. 351.
There are considerable manufactures in China, such, for in-
stance, as the large porcelain manufactory in the neighbourhood
of Canton; but I believe that almost all the silk, cotton, and
other goods exported from China are made by individuals. I
doubt whether the government supports any manufactories, as is
the case in several European countries.
10. Are the weights and measures the same in all parts of
China, or, if any difference, in what does it consist?
The weights, according to the information of the merchants
whom I have consulted, are the same in all China, with the ex-
ception of Pekin. A picul contains one hundred catty, and a
catty is equal to 1,473 pound Russian. At Pekin the picul con-
tains only ninety-seven catty. The measure too is shorter at
Pekin : a cubit, for instance, (the common measure in all China)
is, at Pekin, only eight and a half puntos, but, in the southern
parts, it is ten. \
11. Are there any commercial companies? where do they
reside? what laws and regulations exist respecting them?
I have only heard two such companies mentioned, namely,
the kohong at Canton, and that of the salt-dealers, of which
latter there are many in China, as those interested in this trade
derive the greatest advantages from it. The chief regulation
of these companies is, that their members shall be mutually and
separately bound to the government: and this is of the greatest
importance, as it secures the latter against any loss by them.
352 K R Us ENSTERN's voy Ag E Rou ND THE wor T.D.
It is only the head merchant of the kohong who is answerable
to the government.
12. What steps are taken with bankrupts? what laws are
there against debtors?
The manner of proceeding, in cases of non-payment of
debts, has been mentioned in a preceding answer to a similar
question. There is, however, a custom very general in China,
but, perhaps, only in collecting smaller debts, although I have
been assured that even the merchants of the kohong are liable
to it. The new year's-eve is appointed for the payment of all
debts. He who does not pay before this time may be ill-treated
by his creditor, without the power of preventing it, or of de-
fending himself; and the latter has even a right to destroy the
household utensils of his debtor, and to commit other mischief.
At midnight all this ceases: they then instantly renew their re-
lations of friendship, and drink together to the new year. The
following is the mode of proceeding in trials at law : the plaintiff
as well as the defendant both choose a person as security, who is
answerable for the merits of his client's case. He who has a
doubtful or an unjust case to defend must pay his security a
larger sum of money; for as soon as this is decided by the man-
darin the latter is punished with the bamboo, for having made
himself responsible for a bad cause. Now, as the callao, or prime
minister of the emperor, is not secure against this castigation,
corporal punishment has nothing disgraceful in the eyes of the
Chinese; but the profit in money is certain, and all corporal
punishments may be bought off. Besides their security, the
clients have likewise their advocates, whose fate depends entirely
A CCO U N T OF CH IN A. 353
on the fouyon or civil governor, who in the trial of any cause
looks only to the pleaders, and punishes them severely if they
have defended one that is unjust.
13. Is the trade more a barter of goods for goods, or is there
a settled value in money for every article as with us?
As there is very little specie in circulation, and no coin with
the exception of the small copper one called Zee, the taxes
being paid to the government in kind, although trade is very
much extended, it seems most probable that the barter of
goods for goods exists throughout the empire. Canton is pro-
bably the only exception.
14. Is there any book-keeping in their wholesale dealings :
Are there are any assistants in commercial affairs: such as
stock-jobbers, brokers, weighers, meters, &c. 2
The Chinese merchants of Canton appear very skilful in
book-keeping, their extensive concerns requiring the greatest
punctuality. There are no brokers and jobbers appointed by
the government. Every merchant of the kohong has his own
assistants, who examine the goods to be taken or rejected,
weigh, count, and measure them.
15. Are many goods transported by carriers over land 2 Are
there regular carriers or ships?
All goods are conveyed by the canals and rivers: I be-
VOL. II. z z
354 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E Ro UND T II E WO R L.D.
lieve there is no conveyance by land. I doubt very much too
whether any vessels sail at appointed times.
16. Is the condition of the husbandman as much superior to
that of the handicraftsman in China, as the reverse is the casc
with us? Does every Chinese exert himself to obtain the im-
mediate property of a piece of land, or does he hire it? And
are estates let on reasonable terms, with sufficient security to
the proprietor?
The answer to this question I must borrow from Barrow’s
Travels in China, pages 397, 398, of the original edition in 4to.
The farmer is the next in rank to the men of learning and officers
of the crown. The merchant, the artist, and the handicraftsman
are far beneath him. The soldiers cultivate the land in China,
and so do the priests when there is any attached to their convents.
The emperor is looked upon as the only proprietor of land. The
lessee is, however, never ejected from that which he hires, while he
regularly pays the rent. If there be more than he and his family
are able to till, he makes over the remainder to another person,
upon condition of receiving half the produce, although he re-
fuses paying the duty on it to the government. Many of the
poor countrymen in China work upon these terms. Estates are
seldom so large as to occupy any considerable district; there
are therefore no monopolists or corn-factors among the holders
of them. Every one may dispose of his produce freely, and
where he likes. Fisheries are never hired. Every subject has
a ſight to fish undisturbed in the open sea, on the coasts, lakes,
and rivers. There are no proprietors of estates with particular
privileges. -
A CCO U N T OF CII IN A. 355
17. Do the chief revenues of the ruler of China arise from a
duty on landed property? What is the amount of this duty 2
How is it collected, in money or in kind P
The chief revenue of the emperor of China arises from the tax
on landed property, which amounts to a tenth of all the pro-
duce, and is paid in kind. According to a sketch that Lord Ma-
cartney obtained from the mandarin Chon-ta-gin, sixty millions
sterling is the amount of the taxes and duties collected through-
out all the provinces of the empire.
18. To whom is the repair and maintenance of the public
roads and canals intrusted, and at whose expence is this effected P
All boats with merchandize pay a regular toll in the rivers
and canals, which is destined solely to the repair of the bridges
and locks. I believe there are no public roads in China.
19. Do the Chinese imitate European works of art? Do
they understand making watches?
The Chinese imitate most European works, not, indeed, to
any perfection; they make beautiful things themselves in ivory,
tortoise-shell, and mother-of-pearl; and their filagree work in
gold and silver is very neat. They make clocks, but not watches,
nor have they been ever able to manufacture cloth.
20. A common workman is said to have great difficulty in
supporting his family; a handicraftsman still more so. They
are reported to run about the streets with their instruments and
356 K R Us ENSTERN's voy A GE Rou ND THE won L.D.
tools to obtain work. The refining of sugar, it is said, is done
by workmen who wander about in this manner, and that many
people live constantly in boats on the rivers, whilst others
devour dead dogs and cats?
Owing to the immense population, the common people may
certainly suffer from want, and a general famine throughout the
empire is therefore no unusual thing. At Canton, however, the
labourer and handicraftsman did not appear in any want of
employment, although even here there was no scarcity of beggars,
whose disgusting appearance renders it very unpleasant to walk
the streets. Of their eating dead dogs, cats, and even rats, I
had frequent opportunities of assuring myself: and some casks
of putrid salt meat that I threw overboard, and the smell of
which was so strong as to be perceived for several hours at
Whampoa, they fished up with the greatest eagerness, and
carried off in triumph. On the Tigris, near Canton, several
people have taken up their residence in boats, and this is the
case on all the other rivers, canals, and lakes in the empire, and
in many places the number of such inhabitants equals that of
those on land. It is, however, very probable that in the interior
of China, where there are not the same advantages for trade
which these rivers and canals afford, the country is not so po-
pulous, or so carefully cultivated.
21. Marriages are said to be promoted by the permission to
kill their children. It is reported that there are people who
make a trade of murdering children?
That the murder of children is universally permitted in China
A CCO UNT OF CH IN A. 357
is a fact that, unfortunately, can no longer be doubted. The
Chinese, whose moral character is so much commended, sees
as little crime in the murder of his children, as the child of
nature of the islands of the Great Ocean, who is so highly
esteemed by many, conceives to be in cannibalism. At Wham-
poa many dead children were seen floating down the river.
22. Notwithstanding this, the population of China does not
decrease. The towns are spoken of as full of inhabitants, and
lands that have once been cultivated are never forsaken P
There are various accounts relative to the population of China.
The extremes run from seventy to three hundred and thirty-
three millions. The first number is given by Sonnerat, the
second by Sir George Staunton, after a table which Lord Ma-
cartney obtained at Pekin of the population in the year previ-
ous to his arrival. The Jesuit Amiot takes about the mean be-
tween these two; calculating one hundred and ninety-eight
millions. It probably will never be correctly ascertained
whether the population of the Chinese empire is as numerous
as the mandarin Chou-ta-gin represented it to the English am-
bassador. Barrow has no doubt of the correctness of these
tables. He proves, that in proportion to the whole surface of
the country, the population of China is as two to one compared
with that of England; and that this is more especially the case
between the number of inhabitants of the large towns, such as
Canton, Nankin, Pekin, which can be more correctly ascertained,
and that of the large towns in England. Whoever has seen
Canton, and judges of the population of China by that of this
city and its suburbs, will not consider the tables of the mandarin
358 K R Us ENSTERN’s voy. A GE Rou ND THE WORLD.
as imaginary. What struck me very much, however, was, that, ac-
cording to these tables, there are six hundred and forty-four souls
to a square mile in the province of Petscheli ; while in that of
Kiang-nan on the contrary, which, on account of its fruitful
soil and situation as the centre of all the inland trade, must na-
turally be very populous, there should be three hundred and
forty-four souls less to the square mile; when, by the state-
ment of those who have travelled across the province of
Petscheli (Barrow himself expressly states this), the land is un-
productive and ill cultivated, the appearance of the peasantry
poor and sickly, their houses wretched, and the population very
thin. Besides, they have no fisheries, which add considerably to
the population of a country, many thousands on that account liv-
ingon the water; and the climate of this unfruitful province, owing
to the burning heat in the summer, and the severe cold of the win-
ter, carrying off thousands annually *. Even the province of
Chekiang, every part of which, Barrow says, is cultivated in the
most luxuriant manner, with an immense population, contains
one hundred and eight souls less on the square mile than
Petscheli; nor does the population of the province of Quantung,
so striking to every new comer, bear any proportion to it, con-
taining only one hundred and sixty-four to the square mile,
consequently, not half of the population of Petscheli. These
comparisons induce me to doubt the accuracy of the tables,
and to suppose some mistake in the statement of the po-
pulation of that province. Even in the most cultivated
districts, six hundred and forty-four souls to an English square
*-
* Allerstein makes the population of Petscheli amount to fifteen millions, that
of Kiang-nan to nearly forty-six millions. A. Geog, Eph, 1809, February.
A C C O U N T OF CHI IN A. 359
mile appears an almost impossible population; for in England
they only calculate in the proportion of one hundred and twenty,
and in Holland of one hundred and ninety-eight souls.
23. In what parts do they live upon other food than rice, and
where do they eat meat 2 What is the proportion between a
pound of beef and a pound of rice?
Rice and fish are the chief articles of consumption throughout
all China; but wheat is cultivated in the northern provinces.
Of beef and mutton they eat very little, but considerable quan-
tities of pork are consumed, particularly in the southern pro-
VIIl CeS.
360
CHAPTER XII.
PASS A G E A C R O S S T H E C III N E S E S E As
The Nadeshda and Neva quit the Coast of China–Longitude of Poolo Wawoor, of
Macao, of the great Ladrome Islands, and the Island of Potoe—Endeavours of se-
veral English Navigators to improve the Hydrography of the Chinese Sea.—We
pass Poolo Sapato in the Night—The Andrada Rock, and the Middleburgh Shoal
—We see Poolo Wawoor—Regulate our Time-pieces by its ascertained Longitude
—Pass the Straits of Gaspar—Chronometrical Determination of the Longitude
of North Island—The Nadeshda enters the Straits of Sunda by the Passage of
2utphen—Advantages of this Passage over that of Bantam—Anchor between the
Island of Crocatoa and Tamarin—Longitude of Crocatoa and Prince-Island—
Perilous Situation of the Ship during a Calm—Incorrectness of the Charts of the
Straits of Sunda.
ON the ninth of February, 1806, at ten o'clock in the morn-
ing, the Nadeshda and Neva sailed from Whampoa. In case
of our separation from the Neva, I appointed St. Helena as the
place of rendezvous; telling Captain Lisiankoy, that the political
changes in Europe which we should certainly hear of there, or
probably sooner, by some ship from Europe, might render it
necessary for our mutual safety that the two ships should re-
main together; and that, on this account, we ought to endeavour
not to outstrip each other *.
* The reader will find that the Neva, notwithstanding this admonition, did not
put into St. Helena, but made direct for England.
IPASS A G E A C R.OSS THE CH IN E S E S E A. 361
On the 10th of February we passed the Bocca Tigris, and
anchored in what is called Anson's Bay. We found here the
English men of war, the Blenheim of seventy-four guns, and a
forty gun frigate, which were appointed to convoy the English
China fleet, consisting of seventeen ships, of from twelve to
fourteen hundred tons, at this time at Whampoa, across the
Chinese sea, as far as Poolo Pinang. We sailed on the morning
of the 11th from Anson's Bay, with a light breeze at N. N. W.
and anchored in the evening not far from the island of Zinting.
The next morning early we set sail with a fresh east wind : about
nine o'clock we passed Macao, and at ten the small island of
Potoe bore due south of us. This island, which lies, according
to my calculation, in latitude 22°02' 36" north, and longitude
246° 15°, I made my point of departure.
* To prove this calculation I must refer to the longitude of Macao, of the great
Ladrone islands, and of Poolo Wawoor. These are, according to various data, as
follows:
Macao, according to the observations of the astronomer
Bayley, lies in . o g Q tº tº * I 13° 38' 15" east L.
Dagelet, in . * tº e tº tº * sº 1 13 39 3O
Of Captain Huddart, in sº & * º * 1 : 3 36 45
Lestock Wilson, in tº te g sº tº 1 15 34 45
According to our observation by a mean of I 15 lunar
observations at Macao and Canton, allowing a meri-
dian distance of 17' 15" . . ... • ſº 113 37 16
The mean of all these results gives for the longitude
of Macao . * P gº s 113 37 19 east,
Or 246'22'41" west of Greenwich.
Poolo Wawoor, according to the observations of Cap-
tain King, lies in . . . . . . 104° 37' 00" east
WOL. II. 3 A
362 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A GE Rou ND THE wor LD.
At ten o'clock, the island of Potoe then bearing due east,
I shaped my course south and south-east half east. This
Of Captain Lestock Wilson, in . * & © 104° 36' 00"
Dunlop, in . {º * º © e sº º 104 S3 00
The mean of Captain Mac Intosh's many observations 104 36 40
According to the chronometrical calculations of six
different persons between Malacca and Poolo Wa-
woor (the longitude of Malacca taken after Hors-
burgh at 102° 15') : º • * e º 104 37 30
The mean of these observations would give for the true longitude of Poolo
Wawoor 104° 35' 22" east, or 255° 24′ 38" west of Greenwich : a longitude which
must be correct within a minute or two, and which may safely be assumed as the
true one, until it is ascertained within half a minute by observations of the hea-
vens made on shore there. A correct knowledge of the longitude of Poolo
Wawoor is particularly important, this island being looked forward to as a first
meridian in the Chinese sea: all ships, whether from the straits of Malacca,
Banka Gaspar, or Billiton, being obliged to make it.
The great Ladrone island, by the mean of several chronometrical observations
of Captains Mac Intosh, Horsburgh and Shepherd, lies 9° 10' 53" east of Poolo
Wawoor, consequently the longitude of the great Ladrone island is = 104° 35'
22" + 9° 10' 53" = 1 13° 46' 15" east, or 246° 13'45" west of Greenwich.
Trom all these observations, the longitude of the small island of Potoe, called
also Passage Island, results as follows:
1. This, island lies seven miles east of Macao; and as
the longitude of Macao is 246° 22'41", that of Potoe
must be •, . . . e e g º 240° 15' 40" west.
2. According to Captain Mac Intosh's observations,
Potoe lies 110 32' 00" east of Malacca, and Malacca
lying in longitude 120° 15', that of Potoe should be 246 1 4 00
3. According to a chronometrical observation, Potoe
TPA SSAGE ACTROSS THE CH IN ESE SEA. 363
would bring us on the Macklesfield bank, where I wished to
sound. At noon we observed in 21° 53'. The wind blew fresh
at E. by N. and the next day at E. S. E.
On the 15th of February, at nine o'clock in the evening, being
in latitude 16°02', and longitude 245° 26', we had soundings in
fifty-five fathoms, over a bottom of fine sand; and at four
o'clock in the morning in 15° 40', and 245° 55' in sixty-five
fathoms, a bottom of sand and muscles: this I thought the
western extremity of the Macklesfield bank, as I conceive 245°
20' to be its eastern extreme *. But the true. form and extent
lies 9° 9' 30" east of Poolo Wawoor. And this
latter place being in longitude 254° 24′ 38", that
makes the longitude of Potoe º * ſº . 246° 15' 08"
The mean of these three observations makes the longi- -
tude of Potoe 246° 14' 56", or in round numbers . 246 15 00
consequently, only one minute to the westward of the
great Ladrone island.
Observation.—I had already compared the longitude of these points with the
data imparted to me by Captain Mac Intosh at Canton before I saw Captain.
Horsburgh's new chart of the Chinese sea. The difference of the longitudes is,
however, extremely trifling: for instance, the great Ladrone island lies in his chart
two minutes, and Poolo Wawoor not quite two west of what the above observa-
tions make them. In the longitude of Macao there is, however, a difference of
7", which must occasion a similar difference in that of Canton. The meridian dif-
ference of Macao and Canton is by a mean of the chronometrical observations of
Captains Mac Intosh and Wilson, and Mr. Brown, 17' 15". This makes the lon-
gitude of Canton 246° 22'41" + 17, 15" = 24.6° 39' 55", or in round numbers
246'40. In Horsburgh's chart Canton lies 30 west of the meridian of this chart
113° 44', consequently 246° 46' west of Greenwich.
* According to Captain Horsburgh's new chart of the Chinese sea, the extre-
364 K R USENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE won L.D.
of this bank has never been accurately ascertained, and it is very
much to be wished that some European naval power would
cause a correct survey of the Chinese sea; for although several
skilful English captains, who navigate it at all seasons of the
year, are constantly adding to the knowledge already obtained
of this dangerous ocean, there are still many points very imper-
fectly laid down, and many islands and rocks undiscovered, par-
ticularly in the vicinity of the Paracel. The boundary of this
dangerous rock is, indeed, very much reduced, and the passage
between it and Cochin-China not unusual *, but there is no
part of the ocean, the accurate examination of which would
be attended with more difficulty, as, except in the months of Fe-
bruary, March and April, the most violent storms prevail, the
danger of which is greatly increased by the rapid currents and
the number of rocks and islands. From May until November
dreadful typhons constantly prevail, and few vessels are able to
stand against these tremendous hurricanes. About two years ago.
the governor of Bombay sent two ships to explore the Chinese
sea; but nothing farther has been heard of them, neither is it
known in what manner they have been lost.
mities of the Macklesfield bank are 16° 18' and 15° 18' N. and 245° 08' and 246?
157 W.
* In 1799, as I was returning home from China to Europe in an English fleet of
upwards of twenty ships, and it was deemed too daring to steer the regular course
for the straits of Malacca, a Spanish and French squadron under Admiral Sercey
being on the look-out after it, it was determined to run between the Paracels and
the coast of Cochin-China: a passage that had hitherto only been attempted by
single ships. The commodore of the English squadron, under whose convoy they
sailed, appointed the most skilful and experienced captain to lead the fleet, who
was the above-mentioned Captain Mac Intosh, commander of the ship Sarah,
PAss AGE AC Ross THE CHINESE SEA. 365,
Great pains have been lately taken by Captains, Lestock
Wilson, Mac Intosh, and Horsburgh, to improve the charts of
the Chinese and East Indian seas ; an undertaking for which
their zeal, their accuracy, and astronomical knowledge, ren-
dered them particularly proper. The chart published by Cap-
tain Horsburgh in 1806 of the Chinese sea and the straits of
Malacca, and which may be considered as the result of his long
experience and observation, is undoubtedly the most correct
one of these parts. Great improvements may likewise be ex-
pected from Captain Mac Intosh of the charts of these seas;
but as his duty still detains him in India, he very willingly com-
municates his observations to those whom he imagines will de-
rive any advantage from them. I have myself received a very
important collection of astronomical points in the Indian and
Chinese seas from him, principally resting on his own observa-
tions, although several of them were made by other English na-
vigators, who are distinguished for their accuracy. In the note
from page 361 to page 363, I have availed myself of these points
in determining the longitude of Potoe. Nor did the captain he-
sitate to communicate to me all his improvements of the charts of
the Chinese sea, of the coast of Cochin-China and Cambodia,
as well as a copy of his Journal of a Voyage to China in the year
1805, by an unusual route, and various other interesting in-
formation relative to the navigation of these seas, of which I
have availed myself in my chart of the Chinese seas, and for
which he will allow me in this place to express my grateful ac-
knowledgment. Too much praise cannot be bestowed on the
liberality of English navigators; and which I have frequently
experienced during my long intercourse with the naval officers of
this nation. The conduct of Captain Mac Intosh, who with the
360 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G F. Rouſ ND THE wor LI).
greatest frankness imparted his observations, and really valuable
remarks, to an officer of a foreign power, forms a striking coff-
trast with that of a Dutch captain at Nangasaky, who answered
me, upon my expressing a wish to see the chart by which the
Dutch navigate between Batavia and Japan, “We certainly
have very good charts, but are very loath to shew them ;” and
who upon my asking him the longitude of Nangasaky, gave it
me with an error of six degrees, although at first sight of the
port we knew its true longitude within a quarter of a degree.
On the 16th February our observations at noon, in 15° 23' N.
and 246°24' 50", shewed a current of fourteen miles due north,
although this was directly contrary to the rule of the north-east
monsoon. Possibly the currents on the Macklesfield bank
always take an opposite direction; though the next day, with
a fresh breeze at N. E., we met with a current of three miles to
-the northward, and of twelve to the westward.
On the 18th February, at six o'clock in the evening, I altered
my course from S. S. W. to S. by W. # W., in order to pass
between Poolo Sapata and the Andrada rock, which latter, in
Dalrymple's chart of the Chinese sea, lies sixty miles to the
eastward of Poolo Sapata”. The wind blew very fresh, and as
* In Captain MacIntosh's above-mentioned remarks on the latitudes and longi-
tudes of the Chinese sea, I find this rock laid down in latitude 10° 07' N., and
longitude 110° 14' east. The authority for this is not mentioned, but is merely to
be considered as calculated from Poolo Sapata, so that it still remains uncertain
whether the rock was really seen and laid down. Captain Horsburgh has great
doubts of the existence of this rock; and his new chart contains the following re-
Rark upon it: “In the year 1801, the American ship the Lovely Lass saw this
P A S S A G E A C R O S S T II E CH IN E SIE S H. A. 367 *
the situation of the Andrada has not been determined by any
late observations, I took in all sail at night: a precaution which I
conceived the more necessary, because in case of so strong a
southerly and westerly current from S. S. W. forty-two miles, as
Captain King found in these parts, we might before daybreak
have got on the Middleburg bank, which, in Dalrymple's chart,
lies sixty miles southward of Poolo Sapata; a situation that
accords with Captain Baldwin’s observations in 1786, namely,
9° 04' N., and 109° 05' east”. At five in the morning I steered
S. W. by W. At noon we found the current S. W. eighteen
miles. Although, we had not seen Poolo Sapata, in which case
-r W- T -*
rock, and ascertained by observations at noon for the latitude, and lunar observa-
tions for the longitude, that it lies in 9° 47' N. and 110° 18' east.” Captain Hors-
burgh, however, believes that it was not a rock, but only a wreck that the American
saw. In 1771 Captain Skottowe, of the English ship Bridgewater, had soundings
in these parts, in 10° 26' N., and 110° 26' east, in sixty-five, fifty-five, and ninety .
fathoms, but without perceiving the rock. The Portuguese adopt 10° 13' as the
latitude of the Andrada. By its name this rock was probably discovered as early as
the sixteenth century, Fernand Perez de Andrada being that of the Portuguese
commander who first touched at Canton in the year 1517.
* Dalrymple calls the Middleburg bank Lapaix, after the name of the French
ship commanded by M. de la Placeliere, who first discovered it in the year 1753.
He passed this reef at about a cable's length, and calculated its extent to be about
one and a half cable's length. See Dalrymple’s “Memoirs of a Chart of the China
Sea,” in the sixth vol. of his Collection, page 11. In Captain Horsburgh's chart
this bank lies in 8° 56' N., and 111° 06' east. The difference of two degrees in the
longitude of the authorites just adduced must arise from Horsburgh's having mis-, .
taken the Middleburg bank for that which is laid down in the charts as Gossard’s
reef. According to Dalrymple, the reef discovered by Gossard in the year 1741
lies in 8° 58' N., and 9° 32' west of Luban, or 110°42' cast of Greenwich, very
distinct, therefore, from the bank La Paix, or what is the same thing, the Middle- .
burg bank.
368 I, R USENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE W or L.D.
it is held adviseable to see Poolo Condore, I did not conceive
this necessary, and steered direct for Poolo Timoan. At six in
the evening we sounded in thirty-five fathons, the bottom of
fine grey sand. At this time our latitude was 8°42', and we
calculated our longitude, by altitudes taken at five o'clock, to
be 25.2° 02. On the 23d of February we perceived Poolo
Timoan at daybreak, bearing S.W. by S. The top of the island
was not, however, visible. At nine we likewise saw Pambelang”
and Wawoor bearing S. half W. At noon the middle of the island
of Timoan bore S. W. 51°. Pambelang S. W. 22°, and Poolo
Wawoor (by some called Poolo Aor) due south. We were then
in latitude 30' 6' 30", and longitude 255° 16' 00": by these obser-
vations we discovered a current, during the last twenty-four
hours, of eleven miles south, and seven miles westward. The
depth was thirty-nine fathoms. Our distance from Poolo Wa-
woor thirty-seven miles and a half. This island lies in latitude
2° 29 N., and our timepieces gave for its longitude, by No. 128
= 255° 16' 00", by No. 1856 = 255° 20', and by Pennington's
watch 255° 17' 30". The true longitude of the island, which I
have discussed in the note to page 361, is 255° 24′ 38". This
makes the error of our watches + 8' 38", + 4 38", and + 7' 08".
At four in the afternoon the north extreme of Timoan bore
due west. The ship's way since noon, allowing for a southerly
current of half a mile an hour, made the latitude of this end of
the island 2° 56' 30" north. At fifteen minutes past three the
* This island is also called Pissang, but the name of Pambelang should be pre-
ferred, as there is another island in the straits of Malacca called Pissang.
PASS A G E A C R OSS T II E CH IN E S E S E A . 360
south point of Timoan bore west, and allowing for the same
direction and rapidity of current, I calculated its latitude to
be = 2° 45' 30". At eight in the evening I conceived myself
sufficiently far from Poolo Wawoor, and shaped my course
S. S. E. for Poolo Totty. At daybreak, we again perceived four
ships, which we had seen the preceding day, and which appeared
to be making for the straits of Malacca. Our observation at
noon in 1° 25' 13" N., and 254°42' W., shewed a current of
rather more than a mile an hour due south. At three in the
afternoon we took several sets of lunar observations, which re-
duced to noon gave = 254° 38' 45", 2' 35" to the westward of
Nº. 128. At eight in the evening I altered my course to S. E.,
in order to pass the Dogger bank at a greater distance in the
night. At two the next morning I reckoned myself in the parallel
of this shoal, which lies, according to the observations made on
board the English ship Ganges, in latitude 0° 37' north, and
longitude 254° 30' west; but by our observations at noon, the
Current had driven us a mile and a half an hour to the south-
ward, and a little to the eastward, and I now steered S. by E.
and S. On the 24th of February we crossed the line at six
o'clock in the morning, in longitude 253° 50'. A little before
noon we saw Poolo Totty to the S. W., and about two o'clock
Poolo Doran. At ten minutes after three Poolo Totty bore
west, and if I admit a current of one mile and a half an hour to
the southward, this island will lie in O' 57 of south latitude.
Poolo Doran then bore S. W. 79°, but at four o'clock due west,
and Totty 79°, which makes the latitude of Doran 1° 01' south.
From noon until three o'clock our course was S. W. by S., but I
now steered S. by W. to gain sight of the north extreme of
Banka before dark, and, in fact, we saw it at five o'clock to the
V O L. II. 3 B
370 KR USENSTERN's voy. A GE ROUND THE WORLD.
southward. We had eighteen fathoms, and seventeen and a half,
over a bottom of fine blue sand and small shells ; and I
altered my course to the S. E.; the wind being very moderate.
In many places the water assumed a yellow colour; and in
others it was clear, with long straight lines of fish spawn: pre-
cisely such as was before observed here by Captain Lestock
Wilson, but we did not notice much alteration in the depth of
the water. Finding, by calculation, a strong stream to the
southward, I steered S. E. during the night under easy sail,
but was surprised to perceive in the morning that it had not
carried us at all to the southward, probably owing to some
change of the tide. At five in the morning a projecting point in
the island of Banka bore west, and another at the same time
S. W. 20°; the latter I conceived at first to be the eastern point
of Banka, but was soon aware of my mistake, finding it what
Wilson calls Bluff point, which is entirely omitted in Fleurieu's
chart of the straits of Malacca. To the southward of this point
is cape Breakers, and between them, as I imagined, a deep bay,
for we could not distinguish any land. The coast on both sides
became gradually flat, and in front of the southern cape there
was what appeared to be an island, though it very possibly may
join the main land. This part of Banka is very incorrectly
drawn in all the charts: the only draught of the coast that bears
any resemblance to ours being the copy of an old chart, No.
7, in the sixth volume of Dalrymple's collection of nautical
charts, where Banka is called China-Bata, a name which is also
given to the strait of Gaspar. At noon we were in 2° 03' 30"
south, and conceiving myself at a sufficient distance from the
rock seen by the French ships Le Mascarin in 1773, and Le
Solide in 1792, I now steered for the east point of Banka,
PASS A G E ACROSS THE CH IN E S E SIX A. 37 I
until I brought the island of Gaspar to bear due east. By this
means the dangers existing to the N. and N. W. of Gaspar are
avoided, and a ship may steer between the east point of the
island of Banka, and the rocky island called Tree island in the
English charts, on account of some trees that are very apparent
upon it”. At nine in the evening we had brought the east point of
Banka to the west. I now steered south, and at eight o'clock
we came to an anchor in eighteen fathoms water on a bottom of
fine sand. As long as we steered S. E. # E. between Banka
and the Rock island we could get no ground to adhere to the
lead, all of it being washed clean off; but we had scarcely altered
our course to the southward, when it shewed at first a coarse,
and afterwards a fine sand. This, I imagine, arises from the
strong current running here S. S. E. and S. E. from one and
three quarters to three miles the hour; which being stronger at
the bottom, by its rapidity washes off the sand on the lead,
unless it is that the current has cleansed the rocky bottom,
leaving no sand nor small pieces of rock to adhere to it. On
the 27th at daybreak we again weighed anchor, and passed
the straits of Gaspar, between the south-east point of Banka
and the Middle or Passage island. A reef of rocks runs for three
miles and a half from the south-east point, but we were unable
* Fleurieu rejects the name of Tree island, because the few trees from which it
is derived might easily disappear, and render it improper. He prefers that of
Rocher Navire (Rock Ship), from a resemblance that it does, and always will,
bear to a ship under sail. Marchand Voyage autour du Monde, 2 tome, page 189,
in 4to. Fleurieu is not wrong in rejecting this name: once before the name of
Tree altop was given to an island on the north coast of China, on the passage to
Chusan, but the tree no longer exists, and the navigator would seek in vain for
what is to direct his course.
372 KR USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE world.
to perceive any thing of it; the flood-tide having probably
covered it. I kept at the distance of a mile and a half or two
miles from the Passage island, our soundings shewing a depth
of from twenty-seven to thirty-five fathoms, which is greater
than what I have found marked in any chart. In case of a
moderate wind I do not think it advisable to approach too
near to Passage island, a strong current setting in that direction;
though there is no danger of nearing it with a fresh breeze. At
noon we were quite out of the straits, the weather was thick,
with alternate gusts of wind and calms. Throughout the day we
obtained no observations. At four o'clock a fresh breeze sprang
up at N.W., and we now steered a south-westerly course to fetch
the coast of Sumatra, as I suspected a strong current to the S. E.
At night a thunder-storm overtook us, with heavy rain. At
daybreak we again saw four ships; probably the same that we
had seen near Poolo Wawoor, and which must have passed the
straits of Banka.
I chose the straits of Gaspar, which appeared to me to
possess many advantages over those of Banka, although not so
frequently navigated. The passage of them is altogether as safe
as that of the latter, by observing the instructions given in Captain
Lestock Wilson's chart, No. 8, in the sixth volume of Dal-
rymple's collection of plans and charts. The most complete
draught, however, of these straits is that of Fleurieu in the
atlas to Marchand's voyage published by him; the value of
which is increased by the very instructive analysis given of it
in the second volume of the text, page 107, 210, and the
more so, as Dalrymple's Nautical Memoirs, from whence
Fleurieu derived the chief materials for the construction of this
PASSAGE ACROSS THE CHINESE SEA. 373
chart, are become extremely scarce. The navigation of the
straits of Gaspar is attended with much less difficulty than that
of Banka; and it is seldom necessary to anchor more than
once, as was the case with us (nor is this at all times unavoid-
able), while the straits of Banka cannot be passed in less than
three or four days, and a ship must cast and weigh anchor at
every change of the tide: a labour, in this hot climate, ex-
tremely prejudicial to the health of the crew. Large ships,
too, not unfrequently take the ground on the two banks at the
northern and southern extremities of the island of Lucipara:
besides, the currents in the straits of Banka are rapid and
irregular, the climate, owing to the low and swampy shores of
the coast of Sumatra, being very unhealthy, the passage through
them generally laying the foundation of those diseases which so
frequently prove fatal in the straits of Sunda. On our departure
from China we had sixteen sick; a third of the whole crew: but
we experienced the good fortune to see them all gradually re-
cover during the voyage across the Chinese sea, and the last of
them disappeared from the sick list on the very day of our
anchoring at the entrance of the straits of Sunda; a piece of
good fortune which, I doubt, would not have attended us if we
had preferred the straits of Gaspar to those of Banka.
At ten o'clock we perceived the flat coast of Sumatra from
N. W. 60° to S. W. 86°. I steered a S. S. W. course in a depth
of ten or twelve fathoms, until this suddenly decreased to six
fathoms, which made us uneasy lest we should have got upon
some unknown bank, but by following a more easterly course
we soon got into deeper water. In about another hour we again
had seven fathoms, and six and three quarters, which compelled us
PASSAGE ACROSS THE CHINES E S E A. 375
Thwart the Way. At noon we were in 5° 38' 34" of south lati-
tude. Cape St. Nicolai, in the island of Java, bore S.E. 20.
North island S. W. 64", and Button island S. E. 11". At one in
the afternoon the wind fell, and the tide, which had hitherto run
to the southward, turned about the same time, and put us
fast to the northward, obliging us to come to an anchor about
two o'clock in twenty-four fathoms; North island at the time
bore N. W., 17°, distant about three miles, Button island S. E.
26°.
The meridian distance between Poolo Wawoor and North
island we found by No. 128 = 1° 13' 40"; by Pennington 1° 15'
45", the mean therefore 1° 14' 41". Captain Lestock Wilson
found it 1° 14′ 45*, a difference of only three seconds in the
average. It was, therefore, only necessary to ascertain, as cor-
rectly as possible, the longitude of Poolo Wawoor. At page 361
I have taken it at 255° 24′ 38"; this would make the longitude
of North island 255° 24′ 38" — 1° 14'42" = 254°09' 54", or in
round numbers 254° 10' west. By Captain Wilson's observations
and our own the island lies in latitude 5° 41' 00" south.
The next day the wind was southerly and moderate; and the
weather uncommonly hot, which induced us to continue the
whole day at anchor. On Monday the 3d of March we had a
fresh breeze early in the morning at N. W., and I immediately
* Remarks on a passage from Poolo Wawoor to the straits of Sunda by the
Macklesfield strait on the east of Banka, with the journal of the Carnatic Captain
Lestock Wilson, in the 5th volume of Dalrymple's Nautical Memoirs, pages 53
and 54. -
374, KRU SENSTERN's Voy AGE Rou ND THE world.
a second time to take a due east course. This seems to prove,
that when the coast of Sumatra is seen even on the clearest
weather from the mast-head, the course to the passage between
the Two Brothers” and the coast of Sumatra should never be to
the westward of south. I suspected here a strong current to the
eastward, which made me follow a too westerly course during
the night; but our observations at noon proved a current of
twenty-eight miles in the twenty-four hours in a due southerly
direction. At one o'clock we perceived from the mast-head the
Two Brothers bearing S. S. W. : at six, when just in the middle
of the narrow passage between them and the Shabunder reef on
the coast of Sumatra, the sky became suddenly overcast, and we
had a heavy thunder-storm with rain. At seven the Brothers
were to the eastward of us, at the distance of a mile and a half;
just at this moment there was a pretty violent squall, which
being followed by a calm that bore the appearance of lasting,
I made signal to bring to, and at half after nine we dropped
anchor in eighteen fathoms over a ground of clay: the Brothers
at the time bearing N. E. by N. ; E.
The next morning, the 1st of March, we got under sail at day-
break with a fresh breeze at W. N. W. and dirty weather. I
steered S. S. W., and S. W. by S. to keep as near as possible
to the coast of Sumatra, determining to make for the passage
between Zutphen island and Stream island, which appeared to
me preferable to that between the coast of Java and the island
* These two islands are called by the English the Brothers, and by the French
the Sisters. --
376 K R Us EN stERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WOR L D.
gave the signal to weigh; but both ships were scarcely under
sail when the wind veered to the southward, blowing very
faintly, sometimes from the S. E., sometimes the S. W. How-
ever, as the current ran strong to the southward I conceived it
not impossible to work the ship out, nor could I, in fact, easily
prevail on myself to cast anchor in a depth of nearly thirty
fathoms, as the Neva had already been compelled to do. About
ten o'clock the wind freshened at S. W., and with the assistance
of this fresh breeze, and the strong southerly tide, we worked
between Zutphen island and Stream island, which lies nearly in
the middle of the passage between Sumatra and Thwart the Way.
The tide soon carried us through, and a little after midday we
had brought Stream island to the northward of us. This passage
appears to me to possess many advantages over that along the
coast of Java, where, besides the dangerous shoal called Brewer's
sand, are several reefs and sand banks between Button island
(called by the French Grand Toque), and Thwart the Way island,
which are indeed mentioned in the notes on the navigation of
the straits of Sunda, although they are not described in any
chart, notwithstanding there can be no doubt of their real exist-
ence”. By passing the Zutphen channel you have the farther
advantage of getting so much more to the westward; which in
navigating the straits of Sunda is of some consequence, as the
wind instead of being N. W., as it regularly ought to be from
the month of November until April, is frequently S. W. and
* The dangers which are not marked in the charts are a rock of fourteen feet
under water, a mile to the S. W. of Button island, and a reef of seventeen feet N.W.
by N. two miles from the same island. See the Oriental Navigator, or Directions for
sailing to and from the East Indies, China, &c. a second edition 1801, page 414.
P A S S A G E A CI& OSS THE CH IN ESE S E A. 377
even south. This channel has already been recommended by some
captains of the English East India company whenever the wind
should prove favourable; but I look upon it as infinitely pre-
ferable to that of Bantam even with a foul wind, provided
the tide, is fair, because the only danger to be avoided, the
Stream-rock, appears always above water, while in the Bantam
channel a ship cannot be worked without considerable danger,
owing to reefs, the position of which is not sufficiently known.
She would certainly be in an unpleasant situation, if it should
fall calm when in the middle of the channel; but it would be
equally bad in the passage on the Java side, where the depth
of water is fifty fathoms over a rocky bottom *. This channel
is far preferable for ships coming from the north; but coming
from the southward during the S. E. monsoon, the other may
have the preference, although even in this case I should myself
choose the Zutphen channel.
The south-west tide continued until about four o'clock, and
then changed to the N. E. Conceiving it my duty to wait for the
Neva, I was compelled to seek an anchorage for the night, and
at half past seven brought to in thirty-two fathoms, on a sandy
ground between the islands of Cracatoa and Tamarin, which bore
S. W. 60°, and N. W. 63% of us. During the night we found the
tide ran N. N. E., N. E., and E. N. E. half and three quarters
of a knot the hour. At ten o'clock the next morning a light air
sprang up at N. W., when I immediately got under weigh, in
* The Richmond, an English ship, anchored during a calm in the Zutphen
channel near Zutphen island, where she found forty-eight fathoms water, over a
slimy bottom.
V O L. II. 3 c
378 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE we R L D.
the full assurance that the Neva would take advantage of this
breeze; but she had probably a different wind, and I was obliged,
on her not appearing, to anchor again at night. At seven o'clock,
therefore, we dropped anchor, in twenty-one fathoms, on the
east side of Cracatoa, over a bottom of fine clay. Peak Tamarin
bearing N. W. 20", and the peak of Cracatoa S. W. 48°. At
might we found the tide run very slack to the N. N. E. at the
rate of scarcely half a mile the hour. On the 4th of March, at
four o'clock in the morning, the wind blew fresh from N. N. W.;
at half past five we got under sail, and, as it appeared likely to
last, I resolved upon sailing between Cracatoa and Prince island,
a passage which, with a fresh north wind, is very much superior
to that between Java and Prince island. At day-break we
saw the Neva to the S. E. a considerable way to leeward : and as
it was impossible for her to follow the Nadeshda, I gave up my
intention, to avoid a separation of the two ships, and took my
course between Prince island and the coast of Java. At three
in the afternoon the wind fell, and at five it was a dead calm.
Our situation was very precarious ; we were at the time exactly
between the rocks at the southern extremity of Prince island, and
one on the coast of Java called the Friar, from whence a num-
ber of others of considerable size extend to the southward, in the
vicinity of which there is no anchorage; and towards these rocks
the tide was hurrying us. I lowered a couple of boats to keep
the ship as much as possible from them, their distance at this
time scarcely exceeding a mile; but towards nine in the evening
was evidently driving on the rocks, and I began to entertain
considerable alarm for her safety. Fortunately, at about half
past ten, a gentle breeze arose from the north that snatched us
PAss A GE ACROSS THE CHINESE SEA. 379
from the impending danger, and by midnight Java head lay to
the eastward of us.
We found the meridian distance between the peak on Cracatoa
island and Poolo Wawoor to be, by our timepieces, = 1° 2' 10";
and as that between Poolo Wawoor and North island is precisely
the same, as Captain Wilson found by a number of chrono-
metrical observations, I think I may conclude that the meridian
difference, which our watches made two days before between
Poolo Wawoor and the peak of Cracatoa, must be correct. This
would make the situation of the latter 255° 24′ 38' — 1° 2' 10"
= 254° 22'28" west. The peak on Prince's island lies by our
watches 11’ 10” more to the west of the latter: which would
make the longitude of Prince's island 254° 22'28" + 11’ 10” =
254° 33' 38° west. Captains Cook and King laid down the
longitude of their anchorage at the south-east extremity of this
island as 254 42' 30", and the meridian difference of the two
islands of Cracatoa and Prince island 18' 30", which appears to
me too much, although I do not willingly differ from such
authority; but our numerous observations for the longitude by
our timepieces, and their exact agreement with the rhombs and
angles, prove that the distance cannot exceed what we have
made it”. Other navigators have likewise found the meridian
* Captain King, in the third volume of Cook's Third Voyage, page 471, of the
original edition in 4to. lays down the peak of Cracatoa in 6° 06' south, and 105°
15' east; at page 472, however, he makes the longitude of his anchorage 105° 86'.
The first of these must evidently be a misprint, the whole island being only nine
miles in circumference. Wales, the astronomer, in his “Astronomical Observations
made in the Voyages,” &c. page 143, published in 1738, makes the longitude of
this island 254°24'.
380 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E Rou ND THE won L.D.
difference of the two peaks to be less: in the observations, for
instance, imparted to me by Captain Mac Intosh, I find that
Captain Horsburg makes it 14'; the longitude of Cracatoa being,
according to him, 105° 37', and that of Prince island 105° 23'
eaSt.
Nothing ever excited my astonishment more than the pi-
tiful charts of this celebrated strait in the East India Pilot;
a voluminous, but irregular collection, published in 1803, of
charts of the Chinese and East Indian seas, in which a few
very good new ones are lost among a number of old and in-
correct copies. In one of these, for instance, the north end of
Prince island lies in 6° 18', at least twelve minutes too much to
the north ; while, on the other hand, the south end is placed in
6° 33', although Captain King mentions the latitude of his
anchorage, which was several miles to the northward of the
south point, as 6° 36' 15". A mere comparison of one with the
other is not likely to inspire much confidence, and no one will,
therefore, make use of them without the greatest precaution.
The best chart of the straits of Sunda, and even this has its
errors, is the one copied from Dapré's, in the same collection,
according to which, the meridian difference between Cracatoa
and Prince island is twelve miles. I know of no other charts of
these straits except the sketches by Captains Wilson and Bamp-
ton, in the sixth volume of Dalrymple's Collection of Nautical
Plans, which are drawn with the greatest accuracy; but these
only introduce the northern entrance of the straits.
381
CHAPTER XIII.
PASSAGE FROM THE STR A IT'S OF SUN DA, UNTIL T H E A R R IV A L
O F T H E N A DES II D A A T C R O N STADT.
The Nadeshda and Neva quit the Coast of Java–See the Christmas Islands—Cross
the Southern Tropic—Errors of our Chronometers proved by lunar Observations
—We part Company from the Neva—The Nadeshda weathers the Cape of Good
FIope—Arrives at St. Helena—The Neva not there—Remarks on St. Helena—
No Foreigners permitted to visit the Interior—Reason of this Order being lately
strictly enforced—Unfortunate Occurrence on board the Nadeshda during her
Stay at St. Helena—She puts to Sea—The Advantages of crossing the Line on the
Return from the East Indies near America rather than more to the Eastward—
The Opinions of Captain Cook and of Dapré hereupon—Wariation of the Compass
at the Equator compared with former Observations—Nicholson's Rules for cross-
ing the Line–We get the North-east Trade JVind—Pass the Northern Tropic,
and soon after lose the Trade IWind—Course to the North of Scotland—Rockall— .
We obtain Sight of the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and sail between them—
Fulo, Fairhill, and Cape Hangcliff–Trifling Error of our Timepieces by Lord
Mulgrave's Longitude of this Cape—JWe fall in with an English Corvette and a
Frigate—From the latter we learn that the Neva had left England for Cronstadt
under Convoy of an English Cutter—Perceive the Coast of Norway—Arrive at
Copenhagen—Are visited by His Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand of Denmark
—Departure from Copenhagen—Arrival at Cronstadt on the 19th August, 1806.
At daybreak we joined the Neva, which had the good for-
tune to get entirely out of the straits before the calm com-
menced. At noon we were in latitude 7° 14', and longitude
254° 43' 56"; the peak on Prince's island at that time bearing
N. F. 15”, and Java head N. E. 50°. It was the southern and
3S2 K R USENSTER N’s voy A.G.E ROUND THE WORLD.
easternmost land that we could see of Java, that I took for Java
head; from the first point of which, called the Friar, from a
large insulated rock that distinguishes it, there are three other
promontories in a S. E. direction. We passed along the coast
at night, and therefore saw nothing except these three head-
lands, of which, I believe, it is not accurately determined whe-
ther cape Java is the southern or the northernmost, but I.
imagine it to be the former. Bayley, the astronomer, makes
the meridian difference between cape Java and Prince's island
eight minutes, which appears to me too little.
The peak on Prince's island served as our point of departure;
it lies, by our observation, in 254°33'38" of west longitude, and
I conceive its latitude to be 6° 34', or 2' 15" north of Captain
King's anchorage; a calculation which made the ship's distance
at noon from our point of departure forty-one miles. Towards
evening we lost sight of the coast of Java, and I steered as
much to the southward as the wind would permit, it blowing
fresh from the westward, and W. S. W. with heavy rain. During
the night of the 7th March we met with violent squalls, rapidly
succeeding each other, with constant rain : I hoped that this
stormy night would be followed by a change of the western
monsoon for the south-east trade wind, but the wind veered
suddenly to W. S. W. On the same day at four in the after-
noon the Neva made signal for land, bearing S. E. by S. just as
we ourselves saw it S. E. by E. It was Christmas island, and
appeared about thirty or thirty-five miles off. According to
the latest observations of Lieutenant Davidson, of the brig
Waller, in 1803, this island lies in 10° 32' S., and 105° 33' E.,
precisely the situation assigned it in Robertson's chart. Dal-
PASSAGE FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 383
rymple has adopted the mean of Captains Cooper and Cum-
ming's observations as the longitude of this island; the first of
whom places it ten miles east of cape Java; the latter exactly
in the same meridian. By adopting Captain Bayley's longitude
of cape Java, 105° 05' E., that of this island would be 105° 14'
30”; but our timepieces would make it nearly forty miles to
the eastward of this, if Lieutenant Davidson's latitude, 10° 32',
is correct. Being desirous of obtaining a nearer sight of the
island, I altered my course to S. by E. ; but about six o'clock
we lost sight of it until midnight, when we saw it by the clear
light of the moon bearing due east, and at day-break N. E. 45°.
It was now too far from us to determine any thing with ac-
curacy as to its situation ; both its height and size appear con-
siderable. At noon we had no observation.
On the 11th, 12th, and 13th March we had frequent calms,
with very hot, sultry weather. We availed ourselves of the clear
tranquil weather to take lunar observations on each of these
three days. Those of the 11th, as well as of the 12th, made the
error of No. 128, and of Pennington's watch which, on the
12th March, agreed to a second, one minute east; and on the
13th, on the contrary, they made it 6' 30" W., the same as Dr.
Horner found within 2' 30". The observations of these two
days seem to prove the error of the timepieces to have been
very trifling, and, consequently, that the longitude of Cracatoa.
and Prince island is pretty accurately determined, although this
might have been concluded from the longitude deduced from
Poolo Wawoor. The calms continued until the 15th March,
with occasional gentle breezes from the south-west; the weather.
was very hot, the air sultry and oppressive. The sea, during
38.4 K R USENSTERN's voy A G E Rou ND THE wor LD.
the last two days, set so strong from the south-east to the north-
west, that I calculated its impulse at ten or twelve miles a day.
At last, on the morning of the 15th we got a fresh breeze from
the S. E. : at noon we were in latitude 12° 26' 48" S., and lon-
gitude 258° 34' 40" W.; and in the evening we met with heavy
squalls and rain. After this change of weather we found that
we had the true trade wind, nor did it quit us, but blew so
fresh as frequently to oblige us to double reef our top-sails. My
course was S. W. by W., W. S. W., and W. by S. On the 27th
March, at two in the afternoon, we crossed the southern tropic,
in longitude 296° 55'. On the 30th, in latitude 25° 52', and lon-
gitude 304° 04, we expected to lose the trade wind, which
veered gradually to N. E. and N. W., blowing fresh, with thick
rainy weather; but this north-wester only lasted a few days; and
on the 3d of April shifted again to the south and east, when it
continued to blow from the eastward with fine clear weather.
On the 15th April it blew strong at E. S. E. with rainy
weather. The ship, under close reefed top-sails, ran nine
knots and nine and a half, but notwithstanding this fair wind,
we parted from the Neva. At ten in the morning we distin-
guished her under top-sails at a short distance astern, but
owing to the thick weather we soon lost sight of her; and at
four in the afternoon, when it cleared up, she was nowhere
to be seen, even from the mast-head. Although our ship sailed
much worse than the Neva, it was hardly probable that with less
sail than we carried she should have run us quite out of sight
in the short space of six hours, and our separation could there-
fore be only attributed to the very different course the Nadeshda
had steered since ten o’clock, namely, W. by N. This I pur-
PAss AG E FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. $8.5
sued until seven in the evening, firing several signal guns, and
burning a blue light every three hours during the night, but we
got no answer; and our separation, at least until we should
reach St. Helena, where we were to rendezvous, appeared cer-
tain. On the day of our separation at noon we were in lati-
tude 34° 55', and longitude 331° 28, and we crossed the three
hundred and sixtieth degree of the St. Petersburgh meridian ;
which completed our circuit round the globe.
On the 17th April, at eight in the morning, we perceived a
change in the colour of the water. On sounding, we found eighty
fathoms over a bottom of fine grey sand, which proved that we
had had a strong current to the westward, as was confirmed by
our observation at noon in latitude 36° 00, and longitude 338°
20', when we found it had been seventeen miles in the last
twenty-four hours to the southward, and 1’ 20 W. Rennel is,
I believe, the only one who advises that ships should not be
kept too near the coast, but in the course of the stream, the
direction of which he points out in his chart, in conformity with
which I kept from the meridian of the two hundred and thirty-
second degree to that of the three hundred and fortieth, in the
parallel of 35° and 36°, and found his opinion just; the strength
of the current to the westward being equal to three miles and a
quarter the hour. At six o'clock we hove the lead in seventy-
five fathoms on a fine grey sand ; at midnight in ninety fathoms,
and at four in the morning in one hundred and five fathoms,
the bottom of fine clay. This latter depth shewed that we had
passed the meridian of cape Lagullas. }
On the 19th April, at nine o'clock in the morning, we saw
Cº.
VOL. II. J D
380 K R USENSTERN's voy A.G.E. Rou ND THE won Lp.
land bearing N. N. E. by compass. It had the appearance of
an island; and soon after we perceived high mountains in the
direction of N. E. by E. At noon we were by observation in
35' 05, and 340° 41' 24". The land to the westward, which was
the Cape of Good Hope, bore N. E. 7°, and the easternmost,
cape Falso, N. E. 85': we could not strike ground with a line of
two hundred fathoms. Being exactly in the meridian of the
cape which, by the best observations, lies in 18° 29 east, or
341° 31' of west longitude, we were now convinced that our
time-pieces were about a degree to the eastward, a correction
which we adopted until our arrival at St. Helena. We here
spoke with an American from the Isle of France, but he could
give us no information of Admiral Linois' squadron, which had
been cruising for some time in this latitude. We saw another
ship which likewise hoisted American colours. At six in the
evening the Cape of Good Hope bore N. E. 35°, distant about
thirty-six miles; cape Falso N. E. 48", and Table mountain
N. E. 23°. The wind blew fresh at S. S. E.; I steered N. W.
until four o’clock, when I altered my course to N. N. W. in the
direction of the island of St. Helena. In the twenty-ninth de-
gree of latitude we were struck with the coolness of the air: the
quicksilver in the thermometer not rising even in the day-time
above 12"; and in latitude 27" it only rose to 14", a degree of
warmth which was exceeded even in the thirty-sixth degree of
latitude. In 26° 30' the wind veered to W. and W. S. W., and
continued so for two days; but we had scarcely crossed the
southern tropic when we met with the true trade wind S. S. E.
and S. E. On the 26th of April we distinguished two ships,
one bearing N. W., the other N. E. of us; the first of which
appeared to be the Neva, at least on board our ship we had no
PAss AG E FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 387
doubt that it was, but owing to her superior sailing we soon lost
sight of her *.
On the 29th April we had made three hundred and sixty de-
grees of the Greenwich meridian from east to west. I therefore
altered my reckoning; and as we had lost a day, called the
next the 1st of May. On the evening of the 3d, at about six
o'clock, we perceived St. Helena bearing W. N. W., distant
about forty miles: we lay-to during the night, and the next
morning at day-break were about twenty miles from land. At
nine o'clock I sent Lieutenant Löwenstern on shore to the go-
vernor to inform him of our arrival. We stood off and on under
easy sail until eleven o'clock, when I followed with the ship,
and at half past twelve cast anchor in the bay of St. Helena,
after a run of fifty-six days from the straits of Sunda, and of
seventy-nine from Macao. The depth of water was thirteen
fathoms, and we dropped our second anchor to the N. W.
We did not find the Neva here, and there was only one En-
glish merchant ship in the bay, which is seldom as deserted as
it now appeared. We learnt that only twenty-four hours pre-
vious to our arrival Sir Home Popham had sailed with a con-
siderable fleet to the conquest of Puenos Ayres, an expedition
much condemned by the people of this island; we likewise
heard of the recent renewal of hostilities between France and
Russia.
* Several officers on board the Neva recognized the Nadeshda, and wished, in
vain, that we might join, as I learnt upon our arrival at Cronstadt.
388 KRU's ENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE won L.D.
I found the governor, Colonel Patton, a very polite, obliging
man, who received us with the utmost attention, and offered,
with the greatest kindness, every thing he had to give. He di-
rected the crew of the Nadeshda to be provided every day with
fresh meat, and tendered a supply of flour, an article we stood
very much in need of Our stock of biscuit had greatly de-
creased, that from Ochotsk being now so bad that I could no
longer give it to my crew ; but the scarcity of flour was so
great in the island that none was allowed to be sold even to the
inhabitants, the late capture of the Cape, and the expedition to
the Rio de la Plata, having, entirely exhausted the magazines.
I was obliged to take this circumstance into consideration, and
I hoped with a speedy passage and some economy to make our
own stock last until we reached Copenhagen.
I know of no better place to get supplies after a long voyage
than St. Helena. The road is perfectly safe, and, at all times,
more convenient than Table bay or Simon's bay at the Cape.
The entranee, with the precaution of first getting near the land,
is perfectly easy; and on quitting the island nothing more is
necessary than to weigh anchor and stand out to sea. Every
kind of provision may be obtained here, particularly the best
kinds of garden-stuffs, and in two or three days a ship may be
richly provided with every thing. Porter and wine, especially
Madeira, were in great abundance, as well as all sorts of ship
provisions, such as Salt meat, peas, butter, and even naval stores.
Nothing can exceed the convenience for watering; in twenty-
four hours a ship is supplied with the greatest facility with a
complete stock, and in eight and forty may again proceed on
her voyage. St. Helena is, in every respect, preferable for ships
PAssAGE FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 389
returning to Europe to the Cape of Good Hope, as purchases
there are not so certain, and are attended with considerable
delay. The price of necessaries is, in truth, high at the former,
and dearer, perhaps, considering all things, than at any other
place whatever. We paid, for instance, three guineas for a
sheep weighing from eighteen to twenty pounds, one guinea for
a sack of potatoes of one hunded pounds weight; fowls and
ducks cost half-a-guinea a piece; a dozen eggs one dollar, and
other things in the same proportion. King's ships, and those of
the East-India company, pay nothing for water upon anchoring
here. English merchant ships pay at the rate of five guineas,
and foreigners * the double. Foreigners are not allowed to go
beyond the town, and as this consists of only one street, the walk
for strangers is very confined; the regulation, however, generally
speaking, is not very strictly adhered to, many exceptions being
made in their favour, particularly with naturalists. A circum-
stance had, however, recently occurred, which seemed to prove
the necessity of its exact observation. A foreigner, who gave him-
self out as a botanist, but who, in reality, was an engineer, re-
mained some time in the island. Under various pretexts he pro-
longed his stay for several months, during which he succeeded in
obtaining the friendship of the governor and his family, and at
length was allowed to visit the interior, where, instead of making
botanical collections, he drew plans of all the batteries and forts.
The ship on board of which he returned to Europe was taken
by the English, and his scandalous deceit discovered ; since
* I was assured that even foreign ships of war are obliged to pay these duties,
the island not belonging to the government, but to the East-India company;
mothing, however, was allowed to be demanded of us.
300 KRU SENSTERN's voy. AGE. Rou ND THE world.
which time the governor has found himself compelled to be
more strict in regard to the orders of the East India
company than his inclination would otherwise have made
him : at all events, he appeared to regret that he could not
allow Dr. Tilesius to make a botanical excursion in the island.
An exception had, indeed, been made a few weeks before in
favour of a Dr. Lichtenstein, who happened to be at the Cape
at the time of its capture by the English ; but he had brought
particular recommendations from Sir David Baird, the governor
of the Cape, which procured him the permission to visit the
whole island.
The daily observations on board the ship by Dr. Horner,
made the latitude of our anchorage . e 15° 54' 48" S.
Our time-pieces, with the new rate assigned
to them at the Cape of Good Hope, made the
longitude of our anchorage, according to No.
128 e e o -> º e º . 5° 28' 30" W.
By Pennington's watch º & º . 5 34 40
No. 1856 . º © • re & . 5 31 15
The true longitude, as adopted by Dr. Mas-
kelyne from the meridian difference of the Cape,
cakeulated by Mason and TXixon, is & . 5 49 00
Dr. Horner determined the rate of our time-pieces at Canton,
when No. 128 was = 4° 26' 20", and No. 1856 = 3° 47' 15".
The error of No. 128, therefore, in a space of three months,
during which we had frequently changed the temperature of the
PAss AG E FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 391
climate, was - 1° 22' 40". Between the Cape and St. Helena,
a passage of fourteen days, an error had crept into the ship's
reckoning of three and a half degrees west, which arose from
the constant current to the S. E. The total of all the errors to
the southward amounted to 1° 31'. The variation of the mag-
netic needle, which was ascertained by several sets of azimuths
taken every evening, varying from 10° 57' 40" to 17°28' 00" was,
in the mean, 17° 18' 10" W.
We remained four days at St. Helena, and our stay here, in
every other respect extremely pleasant, was attended by an ac-
cident as melancholy as it was unexpected : our second lieute-
nant, Golowatscheff, a fine, elegant young man, only twenty-
six years of age, and an admirable officer, having put a violent
end to his existence. About an hour before the perpetration of
the act I left him on board the ship, apparently composed, but
I had scarcely reached the shore when word was brought me
that he had shot himself. Since our departure from Kamt-
schatka I had observed an alteration in his manner, originally
occasioned by some misunderstandings and unpleasant explana.
tions, the account of which cannot, however, be interesting to
any one. All my endeavours to divert him from his increasing
melancholy proved fruitless ; but no one in the ship imagined
that this would have led to an act of self-murder, and, par-
ticularly, so shortly before the termination of our voyage. I
had hoped that on his return to his parents, relations, and
friends, he would soon have recovered from a disease arising
from a heated imagination. On board the ship there was no
chance of such recovery ; for neither could I, although I in-
variably treated him with the greatest kindness and attention,
392 K R Us ENSTERN's Voy AG E Rou ND THE WORLD.
nor any of his comrades obtain his confidence ; all attempts
to relieve him from his erroneous opinions being of no avail.
The governor directed him to be buried with the military
honours due to his rank; and Mr. Wilkinson, the clergyman of
the place, performed the funeral ceremonies without the least
hesitation.
Having received positive information here of the declaration
of war between Russia and France, I regretted very much that
Captain Lisianskoy, in neglect of my positive orders, should
have passed without touching at St. Helena. Our mutual
safety required that we should not separate. I had no doubt
that the passports given us by the French government would
have protected us, even in case of hostilities, from any hostile
attack on the part of their ships of war; but the same con-
sideration cannot always be expected from privateers, even
when the orders of their government are placed before their
eyes. I had left some of my guns in Kamtschatka, and it was a
mere matter of precaution to replace them if possible; I there-
fore requested the governor's assistance to enable me to do so.
He offered most willingly to provide me, and examined himself
his magazines; and when I fancied I had found some of the
proper calibre, he made them over to me with all their appa-
ratus, but it proved, upon trial, that we could turn them
to no account, and we were obliged to sail with only twelve
guns. Being alone, I thought it best not to run through the
English channel, in which direction most of the French priva-
teers cruise; and after passing the Azores, I steered for the
northern point of Scotland, intending to gain the North sea
by the passage between the Shetland and the Orkney islands.
Pass AG E FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 303
This necessarily rendered our voyage somewhat longer; but in
the present circumstances it appeared to me to afford a greater
prospect of safety.
On the 8th of May, in the morning, I weighed anchor, but
did not sail until the evening, as I.could not refuse the invita-
tion given to myself and my officers by the governor to dine
that day with him. At midnight we left St. Helena with a
fresh S. S. E. wind; but as it soon died away, we were still in
sight of the island the next morning, until shortly after we lost
it in the haze. Nothing of any consequence occurred on our
passage to the equator.
On the 19th May, at about half past five in the evening, we saw
in latitude 2° 43' S., and longitude 20° 35' W., in the direction of
N. N. W., and at the distance of about twelve or fifteen miles,
a singular phenomenon, but which, owing to the lateness of the
day, we were unfortunately unable to examine sufficiently close
to ascertain the nature of it. A cloud of smoke rose to about
the height of a ship's mast; disappeared suddenly; then rose
again, and vanished entirely. It could not be a water-spout,
nor a ship on fire, as some persons on board conceived, for the
smoke rose much too high ; and Dr. Horner was of opinion that,
if the whole was not an ocular deception occasioned by a
refraction of the rays of light, it had all the appearance of a
wolcanic eruption, and was possibly the forerunner of some
island.
On the 21st May we celebrated the festival of St. Nicholas,
the protector of our fleet; and on the same day, at three in the
W () I., I T. 3 E
304 K R USENSTERN's voy. A G E Rou ND THE W or LD.
afternoon, crossed the line in longitude 22° 18' 30" W. The
passage of the line in this longitude, or even more to the west-
ward, on the homeward voyage to Europe, is not attended with
any loss of time; for even by running so much to the westward
a few degrees in so long a voyage, particularly in the higher
latitudes, cannot make any difference, and experience has shewn
that the winds in this direction are fresher; while more to the
eastward there are frequent calms, and it is of itself a sufficient
advantage to remain as short a time as possible in the unwhole-
some regions about the equator. I have, indeed, the authority
of Dapré, of so much weight with every navigator, against me;
but, in all probability, he thought more of a direct course than
of the health of his crew. The current to the eastward which,
it is well known, prevails on the coast of Africa, would certainly
favour the passage to Europe; but so great a vicinity to the
coast of Africa, where there are constant variations from tor-
nados to calms, must evidently be pernicious to the health of the
crew ; and I know not whether this castward current stretches as
far to the west as the present usual course from St. Helena to
the equator”, as I have only one example of it, besides my own
experience. I believe, however, that, although of no considera-
ble force, it exists, at least, between the Cape and the fifteenth
degree of west longitude. Captain Cook says CN pressly in his
third voyage, that when a ship crosses the line fifteen or twenty
degrees to the eastward of St. Jago, that is to say, in the third or
eighth degree of west longitude, the current will be found as
strong to the eastward as it would be westward in the meridian
* Cook's third Voyage, vol. i. p. 48, orig, edit, in 4to,
PAss AGE FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 39.5
of St. Jago, or even more to the west; for the nearer you ap-
proach the coast of Africa the stronger does the current set to
the eastward. Ships passing the line on the boundaries of the
east and westward currents, viz. in the eighth and twelfth degrees
of west longitude, will not, therefore, find any remarkable error
in their reckoning before they reach the parallel of the tenth de-
gree of south latitude, as the eastward and westward currents will
hitherto have been equal. This he had already experienced in
his second voyage.
We found the variation of the compass on the day of our
crossing the line, by several sets of good azimuths, in the morn-
ing 12° 845", and in the evening 12° 7' 15" west. In the year
1795, Vancouver found it on the line in the meridian of 21”
35 = 9° 20' west, which proves an addition of two degrees and
three quarters in a space of eleven years. On my return from
China in the year 1799, the variation here was found to be 11°
33 ; and in 1764, Nicholson found it on the line, in the longitude
of 20° 40 = 7° 56', so that the variation of the magnetic needle
in these seasis evidently increasing. This seems also to be proved
by every known observation; and there is no part of the world
where they can be made at sea with more accuracy than in the
regions of the south-east trade winds, between the Cape of Good
Hope and the equator, the sea being constantly calm, and the
weather mild and beautiful. At St. Helena we found the varia-
tion of the compass 17° 18' 10"; and in 1764, it was observed by
Nicholson to be 11° 38', an observation, the correctness of which
cannot be doubted, his system being to deduce the longitude
from such variation. It is, therefore, apparent from the ob-
servations made at St. Helena, and on the line, in the years 1764
396. K R USENSTERN's Voy A G E Rou ND THE worlp.
and 1806, that in the space of forty-two years the variation of
the compass has increased 4° 12' and 5° 40', amounting in the
mean to nearly five degrees: notwithstanding which, in a work
intended as a guide to the navigation to and from the East
Indies (Oriental Navigator, or East-India Directions, last edi-
tion of 1801), the variation at the equator is expressly stated to
be only half a degree more to the westward than in Nicholson's
time; viz. eight degrees and a half. As the longitude at sea is
no longer deduced from the variation of the compass, as recom-
mended by Nicholson, this incorrectness cannot be attended with
any evil consequences; but it is a matter of just surprise that, in
England, where both in theory and practice navigation has been
brought to such a high pitch of perfection, Nicholson's hypo-
thesis should have been reprinted so lately as 1801, and that too
incorrectly. (See the Oriental Navigator, pages 646–657.) His
instructions for crossing the line on the voyage to India, with
6° 30' and 7°00' west variation, but in returning to Europe, with
eight degrees, might have been of use forty years ago, when the
method of finding the longitude at sea by distances of the sun
and moon was known to very few navigators, and, for a time,
no great error was committed by pursuing them ; but at present
a variation of seven degrees would hardly be found on the coast
of Africa.
On the 22d May, in the fifth degree of north latitude, and 23°
of longitude, the sea, with a fresh breeze from the southward,
was very strongly illuminated during the whole night; more, in-
deed, than we had seen it in all the course of our voyage. The
waves communicated their brightness to the sails, and the whole
ocean appeared wrapped in flame. In the year 1792 the same
PASSAGE FROM THE STRAIT's or su NDA, &c. 397
thing was observed precisely in this part by Captain Garnault of
the Ganges.
We did not fall in with the north-east trade wind until the
20th of May, when we reached latitude 6° 37'. Hitherto we
had experienced the same unpleasant weather as usually prevails
in the regions between the equator and the north-east and
south-east trade winds. Our rigging was grown so bad as to
stand in need of almost daily repairs, and even the shrouds of
the lower as well as the upper masts were frequently breaking
asunder. If the season of the year had not been so favourable,
the critical situation of the ship might have occasioned us some
uneasiness; for our main-yard, which had already undergone
considerable repairs at Kamtschatka, was again found to be out
of order. By the assistance and skill of our carpenter we were
enabled, in some degree, to remedy the evil; but it was still
only with the greatest precaution that we could venture to carry
sail on our main-mast. In all other respects our voyage was
perfectly uniform. The trade wind blew constantly from the
east, north-east, and east by north : our course was in the di-
rection of north by west, and north by west half west. On the
9th of June we crossed the northern tropic in longitude 63".
The sky was overcast, and the air tolerably cool, the quicksilver
in the thermometer seldom rising to 20 ; and although we had
the sun nearly in the zenith, we could not complain of being
oppressed by the heat.
On the 10th of June, in latitude 25° 30', and longitude 37° 26,
we lost the north-east trade wind ; nor did we, without con-
siderable difficulty, get into the regions of the variable winds.
398 K R Us ENSTE RN’s voy AG E Rou ND THE world.
During ten days we had alternate calms and light breezes from
every point of the compass, with a heavy swell from the north-
ward : at length, about eleven o’clock at night of the 20th
June we got a gentle wind from the south-west, after a calm of
three days duration, during which, in the literal sense of the
word, not a breath of air was perceptible. In these three days,
to our great mortification, not a cloud obscured the heavens; the
barometer, without the smallest variation, stood constantly at
thirty inches fifteen ; and the hygrometer, at thirty-five and
thirty-six, shewed an unusual degree of dryness. In all this
time we made daily experiments, both in the morning and
evening, on the variation of the compass : six sets of azimuth ob-
servations, which varied from 12° 21' 40" to 14° 04' 10", and four
sets of amplitudes, varying from 12" 07 to 13° 53, gave, in the
mean, for 30° 30' of north latitude, and 41° of west longitude, a
variation of 13° 00' 15" west.
On the 1st of July in latitude 46° 35', and longitude 29° 46,
we perceived, at day-break, a three-masted ship right a-head of
us. For three hours successively she continued to manoeuvre,
first steering east, then to the westward, then bringing-to, till
about ten o'clock, perceiving that we continued our course
under all sail, she held her wind, and by two o'clock was out
of sight. She was, in all probability, some privateer, which,
doubtful for what to take us, at last thought it adviseable not
to approach too near to us.
Kerguelen, in his voyage to the Northern ocean, gives, as the
latitude of the island of Rockall, 57° 50' N., and 16° 00 as its
longitude west of Paris: he does not, however, mention any
PAss AGE PROM THE STRAITs of sun DA, &c. 399
authority for this determination; nor did he himself see it in
either of his two voyages in the years 1767 and 1768. In
Verdun and Pingré's chart of the Atlantic ocean this island lies
in 57° 30', and 16° 30' from Paris. These statements led me to
believe an incorrectness in the situation assigned it, and I was
desirous of obtaining sight of it *, but the wind, which had so
frequently proved unfavourable to us in the course of this
voyage, continued so upon this occasion. We could only have
reached .it with considerable loss of time; and as it was un-
certain when we should get to the North sca, I could not ven-
ture to prolong our voyage, considering the scantiness of our
Supply of biscuit.
On the 12th July in latitude 59' 40, and 9° 21' west longitude,
we spoke an English privateer, nine days from London. The
captain, who came on board my ship, acquainted me with the
recent hostilities between England and Prussia, which was the
occasion of his present cruise.
On the 16th July we fell in with the English frigate Blanche,
Captain Lavie. From him we learnt that three French frigates
had been cruising for some weeks in this latitude, and had al-
ready captured several English Greenlanders; and that as one
º
* I have since found (p. 539 of the first volume of Collins's account of South
Wales, orig, edit. in 4to.), that the island of Rockall was seen on the 16th June,
1798, by his Britannic majesty's ship, Britannia, Captain Raven, on her return
from Botany Bay to England. Captain Raven determined its situation in 57° 59'
N., and 15° 50' W. Kerguelen's calculation varies, therefore, nine minutes in the
latitude, and only ten minutes in the longitude from the later observations.
400 K R Us ENSTERN's voy. A G E ROUND THE WORLD.
of these frigates cruized more particularly in the vicinity of the
Orkneys, the Blanche had been sent out in quest of her”.
On the 17th July, early in the morning, we discovered the
Orkneys. At noon Mould head, on the island of Papa Vestra,
bore S. E. 43°, and Noup head in the island of Vestra S. E. 14°.
On the 18th, at two o'clock in the morning, we saw the island of
Fulo N. E. 68°, and at four o'clock Fairhill, bearing by compass
S. E.60°. On this day we found the variation 27° 3' 30" west.
The wind was moderate, flying between south-west and south
south-west, which determined me to take the channel between
Fairhill and the Shetland islands. The middle of this island
bore due east, and we had the most favourable opportunity we
could have wished of determining its latitude in an accurate
manner. The day was clear, the horizon unincumbered, and
the sun's altitudes could therefore be most correctly measured.
These gave for the latitude of the island 59° 32'46". Kerguelen
places it in 59° 27' 00" (Relation d'un Voyage dans la Mer du
Nord par M. Kerguelen Tremarée, Paris, 1771, page 150).
The latitude of Fulo, which bore at the same time N. W. 6°,
was found to be 60° 06' 00", and its longitude 2° 10' 55" W.:
Kerguelen gives 60° 03' as the latitude of this island.
A little after twelve o’clock it fell calm, and continued so the
whole day. The people of Fairhill availed themselves of this
circumstance to come on board in several boats, bringing fowls,
sheep, fish and eggs for sale. They live, appearntly, in the
* —A-
* On the day after our falling in with the Blanche she met the French frigate,
and captured her after an obstinate engagement.
PASSAGE FROM THE STRAITS OF SUNDA, &c. 401
greatest poverty, at least their ragged, tattered clothes appeared
to indicate such a condition. Fairhill is a lofty island with cragg
shores, and may be approached within half a cable's length.
I learnt, to my utter astonishment, that this small, rocky, and
apparently inhospitable island, contained two hundred and fifty
inhabitants, whose appearance was fresh and healthy; and
although they betrayed outward signs of poverty, the supply
they brought us sufficiently proved that they were in no want
of wholesome provisions.
In most charts ten o'clock is set down as the time of high
water at the island of Fairhill at the full and new moon, but we
found it later, and, in fact, that it could not be earlier than
twelve o'clock in the channel between Fairhill and the Shetland
islands. The fishermen told us it was at a quarter past eleven.
The tide sets from the north-west; and the ebb, besides con-
tinuing an hour longer, appears stronger than the flood. It
is of importance to know the exact time of their change
in this channel, for if great attention is not paid to the en-
suing change, and it should happen to fall calm, a ship might
easily be driven on shore. The channel is not above twenty
miles wide, and the tides at the time of the full and new moon
run at the rate of from six to seven knots an hour. It continued
calm all night and during the whole of the next day, on which
account we remained in sight of Fairhill and the Shetland
islands. On the 19th July at noon our latitude was 59° 46'56"
N., and 0° 39' 41" W. Scantness, the southern extreme of the
Shetland islands, bearing at the time north-west 74°; Hangcliff,
their easternmost point, N. W. 7"; and Fairhill S. W. 56°.
Hangcliff at eleven o'clock bore due north, and its meridian
V O L. II. 3 F
402 KRU SENSTERN's voy AG E ROUND THE wor L.D.
difference from Fulo, which twenty-four hours before was to the
northward of us, was by our watches 1°11' 30". The longitude
of the island of Fulo, by the corrected rate of No. 128, was
2° 15' 55", that of cape Hangcliff therefore 0° 55' 25"; accord-
ing to Lord Mulgrave's observations, it is 0° 56' 30". (Voyage
au Pole Boreale par le Capitaine Phipps, page 22.) The
meridian difference between Hangcliff and Fulo was, at all
events, determined with the greatest accuracy, and is 74' greater
than in Löwenörn’s chart of the Shetland islands. Scantness we
found to be in 59° 50' 45° north.
On the 22d of July, at seven o’clock in the evening, we spoke
the English sloop of war the Lynx, Captain Marshall, and on
the 23d the Quebec frigate, Capain Lord Falkland. His lord-
ship sent an officer on board, offering, in the politest terms, any
assistance of which we mightstand in need, after so long a voyage.
From this frigate we obtained the first information of the Neva,
which about a week before had sailed under convoy of an
English cutter from Portsmouth for Cronstadt. At six o'clock
in the evening we discovered the coast of Norway at the distance
of eighteen miles. All night, and the next morning, the 25th,
we lay becalmed; at noon the Naze bore N. W. 17°, and the
island of Malo, distinguished by its white tower, N. E. 28°.
Our latitude was 57°42' 40" N., the nearest land was about nine
miles off. The next day, at eleven o'clock, the Naze bore
N. W. 14'; and as its longitude is accurately determined, this
gave us the means of ascertaining the error of our timepieces,
which in No. 128 was 10 east. At Hangcliff, by Lord Mul-
grave's determination of this cape, we found it 15 east.
PAss AGE PROM THE STRAITs of SUNDA, &c. 403
Contrary winds and calms during our voyage through the
Sleeve and the Cattegat exhausted our patience, which, with
the hourly increasing anxiety to touch some European land in
the vicinity of our own country, appeared incapable of any
fresh trial. The fair wind failed us every where ; nor was it
until ten o’clock in the morning of the 2d of August that the
Nadeshda came to an anchor in Copenhagen road. The ship
was detained for two days off Helsingoer by a contrary wind,
where I left her, and proceeded to Copenhagen to attend to
the necessary business there, in order that our departure for
Cronstadt might be facilitated as much as possible. We were
five months and twenty-four days in our passage from China to
Copenhagen, during which we spent only four days at anchor
at St. Helena, when a very small part of the crew were enabled
to go on shore. Notwithstanding this my people were perfectly
healthy, and at the time of our arrival at Copenhagen we had
not one man on the sick list.
During our stay in Copenhagen road we had the happiness
to receive his Royal Highness Prince Ferdinand Frederic, who
came on board, during a very stiff breeze, in an open boat,
accompanied by his governor Lieutenant Bardenfeldt of the
navy, and M. Von Bülow. I received the prince with every
mark of honour due to his exalted rank, and was as much de-
lighted with his amiable disposition as with the frankness with
which his governor is allowed to treat him. The prince devotes
himself to the navy, and for this reason Lieutenant Bardenfeldt,
a very skilful navigator, has been appointed his governor, who
will not fail to make an excellent seaman of him.
404 K R USENSTERN's voy AGE. Rou ND THE world.
On the 6th of August, at seven in the morning, we left Copen-
hagen, and after an unusually long passage of thirteen days we
reached Cronstadt on the 19th, having been absent three years
and twelve days.
During this time the Nadeshda did not lose a single man of
her crew”; a very remarkable instance, certainly, in a voyage of
this nature and of so long a duration. The preservation of the
health of my people was, indeed, an object to which I paid the
greatest and most unwearied attention ; and my satisfaction in
having attained it could only be exceeded by that of having
safely brought back to Cronstadt the Nadeshda and those per-
sons who had entrusted themselves to my care, during so long and
dangerous a voyage. It is deserving likewise of particular notice,
and I mention it with the greatest satisfaction, and the most
sincere gratitude, as it proves the skill and attention of the of.
ficers of my ship, that the Nadeshda in the whole of the voyage
did not lose a mast or yard, nor even an anchor or a cable, not-
withstanding we were frequently in a situation that would have
warranted their loss, with the exception of a kedge anchor and
two cables at Nukahiwa. Two boats were stove-in on the deck
during the typhons; and these, with a main-top-gallant-yard,
and some parts of the rigging which, from long use, were not
to be depended upon, were the only things we had to replace.
-
* The ambassador's cook alone died at the commencement of the voyage. This
man's death might easily have been foreseen, as he was in a deep decline; and it
was extremely wrong, considering the state of his health, to bring him upon such
a Voyage.
T H E E N D.
T. DAVISON, Lombard-street,
Whitefriars, London.
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