m 
 
 m 
 
 fffcg 
 
 f, 
 
 ISi 
 

 University of California Berkeley 
 
 THE PETER AND ROSELL HARVEY 
 MEMORIAL FUND 
 

VOYAGE TO THE NOETH PACIFIC 
 
 AND 
 
 A JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA 
 
 MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY AGO. 
 
 BY CAPTAIN JOHN D'WOLF. 
 
 CAMBRID GE: 
 WELCH, BIGELOW, AND COMPANY, 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE UNIVERSITY. 
 1861. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 MY only object in combining the reminiscences and 
 memoranda of my first voyage as shipmaster into a 
 connected narrative, is to leave some slight record of 
 that voyage in my family. Although I am not one of 
 those who regard everything beyond the smoke of their 
 own chimneys as marvellous, I think my expedition 
 to the Northwest Coast was made a little remarkable 
 from the circumstance that I met at Norfolk Sound 
 his Excellency Baron von Resanoff, to whom I sold 
 my vessel, and then crossed the North Pacific in a 
 little craft of twenty-five tons burden, and after an 
 overland journey of fifty-five hundred miles returned 
 home by the way of St Petersburg. This was a voyage 
 and travels more than half a century ago, and I was 
 probably the first American who passed through Siberia. 
 I know that others have claimed to be the first, and 
 have published descriptions of the country ; but I had 
 gone over the same route before any of these claimants 
 
iv 
 
 were born. I have often regretted that I did not make 
 any note of what I saw, and that I had not the requisite 
 qualifications to write an extended account of it ; but 
 business called my thoughts in other directions. I 
 must now be content to give this imperfect sketch, 
 the materials of which are drawn principally from 
 memory. 
 
VOYAGE. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE SHIP JUNO. HER OUTFIT. AND VOYAGE TO THE NORTHWEST 
 
 COAST. 
 
 I COMMENCED a seafaring life at the early age 
 of thirteen, and followed it through all its 
 changes, continually rising in rank, until I 
 reached my twenty-fourth year. Then, after a 
 series of long voyages to the eastward of the 
 Cape of Good Hope as chief mate, in the sum- 
 mer of 1804 I returned to my native town, 
 resolved on a short respite of a few months 
 from a close application of eleven years. I had 
 enjoyed this leisure but a little while, however, 
 when my employers, Messrs. Charles, James, and 
 George D'Wolf, purchased a fine ship, called the 
 Juno, of about two hundred and fifty tons bur- 
 den, and projected a voyage to the Northwest 
 Coast of America to collect furs for the China 
 
market. They proposed that I should take the 
 command. I had no expectation of such an 
 offer, since I thought myself too young and 
 inexperienced to enter upon an entirely new 
 branch of trade, and entertained some misgiv- 
 ings of my qualifications for such an enterprise. 
 At the same time I could not so far doubt my 
 abilities as to neglect so advantageous an oppor- 
 tunity, and I therefore accepted the trust. 
 
 Having engaged in the undertaking, we lost 
 no time in making the necessary arrangements, 
 in procuring a cargo suitable for traffic, and in 
 preparing the vessel for the voyage. When 
 ready for sea, the Juno and her lading were 
 valued at $ 35,000. The Juno at that day was 
 considered a crack ship, and her outfit embraced 
 all that was needed for both comfort and conven- 
 ience. She mounted eight carriage guns, and was 
 otherwise armed in proportion, and when hauled 
 into the stream presented quite a formidable and 
 warlike appearance. Such an equipment was 
 essential in her time for the dangerous business 
 for which she was destined. The crew also would 
 now be considered too large for a craft of the 
 same tonnage, for it numbered twenty-six 
 men and boys, viz. : Samuel G. Newell, First 
 Mate ; John A. Thomas, Second Mate ; James 
 
Moorfield, Clerk ; Eichard Cammett, Joseph 
 Hooper, Armorers ; Thomas Hunt, Boatswain ; 
 John Jones, Carpenter; D. Bucklin, E. Bucklin, 
 W. H. Tripp, D. Tatton, J. Stokes, J. Wheeler, 
 W. Foy, J. Marshall, J. D. Cook, W. Phipps, 
 J. Wheesner, J. Powers, S. Patterson, Seamen ; 
 J. Hanson, Cook ; E. D. Parker, Musician ; K. 
 Hitchcock, Tailor ; T. Murphy, J. Mahoney, boys. 
 Thus manned and equipped, we took leave 
 of our friends, weighed anchor, and put to sea 
 011 the 13th of August, 1804. 
 
 Having now fairly embarked again on the 
 ocean, which had become a home to me, I be- 
 gan immediately to attend to those duties which 
 its dangers imposed. Our anchors and cables 
 were soon stowed away, the crew divided, the 
 watch set, and everything prepared for all winds 
 and weathers. We sailed in a southeasterly di- 
 rection, with light breezes, and for a number of 
 days nothing varied the monotony which the sea 
 wears to those who have been long accustomed 
 to it. On the 20th of September we saw at 
 a distance St. Antonio, one of the Cape de 
 Verde Islands. We then bent our" course to 
 the south, and were favored with fine leading 
 winds until we reached that region of the ocean 
 between the northeast and southeast trade-winds, 
 
which is doomed to perpetual squalls and calms, 
 thunder, lightning, and rain. This vexatious 
 weather was the source of one advantage, how- 
 ever. It afforded an opportunity for filling our 
 water-casks, which was essential in the long voy- 
 age and moderate progress we were making. 
 
 On the 9th of November we crossed the equa- 
 tor in longitude 24 W. Fifty-six days to the 
 line ! Well, this certainly seems to be a long 
 passage in comparison with those made in more 
 modern times by the straight course pointed out 
 by Lieut. Maury. Yet the difference is not so 
 very extraordinary, when we consider the im- 
 provements in the sciences of navigation and 
 naval architecture. Clippers may pursue a route 
 with impunity which was not so safe or practi- 
 cable for the square-built, seven-knot ships of 
 half a century ago. The straight course was 
 by no means unknown in those days, and it 
 was sometimes followed ; but with dull sailing 
 vessels it was necessary to be more cautious, and 
 make their " easting " while in the region of 
 variable winds. That we crossed the Atlantic, 
 in my time, thrice, as it is said, in going to 
 the Cape of Good Hope, I deny. A majority of 
 the passages made by the circuitous track would 
 compare favorably with those made now by the 
 
same class of ships, notwithstanding the superior 
 knowledge of winds and currents, and the nu- 
 merous nautical instruments of which sea-cap- 
 tains avail themselves. At all events, navigation 
 is not now carried on with more, if as much 
 safety as formerly. Inducements are held out, 
 in these go-ahead days, to make quick passages, 
 regardless of ship and cargo, and the interests 
 of the underwriters. Too implicit reliance is 
 placed on instruments and figures at the ex- 
 pense of that most essential point in navigation, 
 a vigilant lookout, and to the neglect of the 
 use of the lead. 
 
 October 10th. We fell in with a large Span- 
 ish ship from Havana for Kio Janeiro, ninety 
 days out. Being now several degrees in south 
 latitude, the weather was serene and the sea 
 smooth ; there was a fine breeze from the south- 
 east. On the 12th, we spoke a Portuguese ship 
 from Oporto, also bound to Eio Janeiro. She 
 had a large number of passengers on board, 
 many of whom were sick, as they were desti- 
 tute of all kinds of vegetables. I supplied them 
 with potatoes and onions, for which they were 
 very grateful, and presented in return a quan- 
 tity of Port wine. A continuance of the pleas- 
 ant weather enabled us to make various repairs 
 
6 
 
 in the rigging, which had been drenched and 
 buffeted by incessant tempests to the north of 
 the line. The change seemed to put new life 
 and animation into the whole crew. All hands 
 were actively employed with a good will in 
 their various departments, the armorers at the 
 forge, the carpenter fitting the boats for service 
 on the coast, the sailmakers upon the sails. Thus 
 the vessel was put in fine condition for meeting 
 the rough gales of Cape Horn. These we began 
 to encounter in lat. 40 S. 
 
 November 12th, lat. 48 S., long. 51 W., we 
 fell in with the ship Mary, of Boston, Capt. 
 Trescott, bound to the Northwest Coast of 
 America, and I agreed to keep company with 
 him until we had doubled the Cape. This ar- 
 rangement could be no impediment to our pro- 
 gress, as our vessels were nearly equal sailers. 
 November 15th, we saw the Falkland Islands 
 bearing from southeast to southwest, fifteen 
 miles distant. From our longitude we judged 
 ourselves to be nearer the western extremity, 
 but the wind inclining westward compelled us to 
 pass to the eastward of them. November 19th, 
 the wind from the westward increased to a gale, 
 with a heavy swell, which brought both ships 
 under short sail. At eight, P. M., the Mary bore 
 
upon our weather quarter, about two miles dis- 
 tant. At ten, the wind continuing the same, I 
 left the deck, charging the officer of the watch 
 to be careful that we did not approach each other 
 too near. At daylight it was perceived that she 
 had approached us considerably, though she still 
 held a position on the weather quarter at a 
 sufficient distance to be out of danger. But 
 through inattention of the officer on board the 
 Mary to the steering, she was brought under 
 our lee within hail ; of this I was not informed 
 by the mate in command on the deck. The 
 Juno was making but slow progress through 
 the water, being under short sail, with a heavy 
 sea running, and obliged to keep close to the 
 wind in order to avoid a collision. In this way, 
 the ship's headway would be so checked that 
 she would fall off two or three points, regardless 
 of the helm. While thus situated, the Mary was 
 in the act of coming to, and the Juno falling off, 
 when, before either ship had gained sufficient 
 headway to be under quick command of the 
 helm, our whole broadsides came into contact 
 with a crash that made every timber quake. I 
 immediately rushed on deck, and beheld with 
 amazement our perilous situation. In which, 
 spite of all our efforts to get clear, we remained 
 
8 
 
 nearly fifteen minutes, cutting and tearing up 
 our bulwarks, channels, and plank-sheer, and 
 making sad work with our rigging. Finally we 
 separated, and without apparently sustaining any 
 injury below our plank-sheer. 
 
 This may be an uninteresting matter for record 
 to many, but it is one of those casualties which 
 not unfrequently occur from a reckless neglect, 
 or a want of ordinary judgment, and yet where 
 no one is willing to acknowledge himself at fault. 
 They show that caution is to be regarded as a 
 cardinal point of practical navigation. I am 
 bold to say, that, if I had been apprised of our 
 proximity, the collision would never have taken 
 place. 
 
 When endeavoring to extricate the two ships, 
 Mr. Stetson, first mate of the Mary, while on a 
 poise upon her railing, to save himself from fall- 
 ing overboard, made a leap for the Juno, and 
 landed on her deck. In the course of the day 
 the weather became more moderate, and we put 
 him aboard his own ship and continued our 
 course without attempting to keep company with 
 her. We were favored with mild weather until 
 the 24th, which brought us into lat. 56 S. Here 
 commenced a series of very severe gales from 
 the westward, which continued with unabated 
 
9 
 
 violence for ten days. On the 5th of December 
 the wind veered to the southward, which ena- 
 bled us to make some progress, so that on the 
 10th I judged myself fairly to the north and 
 west of the Cape, and a fine southwest wind was 
 carrying us fast from it. On the 13th, as luck 
 would have it, we fell in again with our old con- 
 sort, the Mary, and sailed along with her until 
 the 29th. Being then in lat. 44 S. and long. 
 85 W., I deemed it expedient to hold a consul- 
 tation with my officers on the propriety of touch- 
 ing upon the coast of Chili, in preference to the 
 Sandwich Islands, which was our previous inten- 
 tion. This was thought advisable on account of 
 the damage sustained during our boisterous pas- 
 sage of one hundred and thirty-eight days. The 
 copper on the ship's bottom, which had been 
 worn as thin as paper during a previous long 
 voyage of three years, had now become full of 
 holes, and was torn off in many places by whole 
 sheets. This and other injuries which could not 
 be repaired at sea, in addition to the fact that 
 all our fuel was consumed except that stowed 
 under the cargo, and on this account we had for 
 some time been obliged to dispense with cook- 
 ing oftener than once a week, induced us to part 
 company again with the Mary, and shape our 
 
10 
 
 course for Concepcion. I was well aware of the 
 natural and deep-rooted jealousy of the Span- 
 iards ; but while I apprehended trouble on this 
 score, I was determined to find admittance to 
 some port, after having relinquished my original 
 scheme of visiting the Sandwich Islands. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1805, at 2 P.M., we saw 
 land bearing from southeast to northeast, fifteen 
 miles distant, and shortly after the island of St. 
 Maria. At the same time we saw a ship standing 
 out from the shore, which we spoke. She was a 
 whaler from New Bedford. The wind was blow- 
 ing so hard that we could learn nothing further. 
 At sunset it had died away, and left us still four 
 or five miles off Concepcion. As it was not 
 practicable to make the harbor in the night-time, 
 we tacked ship and stood out from the coast, 
 with a view to holding our situation to the wind- 
 ward until morning, and at midnight we tacked 
 and stood in again. At daybreak, however, we 
 found the current had set us a considerable dis- 
 tance north of our port. I accordingly resolved 
 to make sail for Valparaiso ; since that was 
 the principal port in Chili, we had reason to 
 anticipate a better reception than at any place 
 of less note, where our presence might have 
 excited unjust suspicions of unlawful trade. Our 
 
11 
 
 sole object was to repair our vessel and obtain 
 supplies for our voyage, and these by the laws 
 of humanity they could not in justice refuse us. 
 The weather continued remarkably serene and 
 pleasant, with light breezes and frequent calms ; 
 and as we coasted along within eight or ten miles 
 of the shore, we had a most splendid view of the 
 Andes, towering far above the clouds. On the 
 morning of the 8th, we entered the bay of Val- 
 paraiso. Before we reached a safe anchorage, 
 we were visited by an officer from the Governor, 
 whp requested to know who we were, whence 
 we came, and the object of our visit, all of 
 which I explained to his apparent satisfaction. 
 The boat then returned to the shore with a 
 message to the Governor, while the officer re- 
 mained on board, saying that he could not suffer 
 us to anchor until he received orders. But before 
 the boat returned, the ship had reached the 
 anchorage ground, and we came to immediately, 
 notwithstanding his remonstrances. The boat 
 brought a peremptory command to leave the 
 bay; but this was out of the question, and so 
 I as peremptorily refused. I was summoned 
 before the Governor to present my papers for 
 examination, and account for my conduct. After 
 examining my invoices and other documents, 
 
12 
 
 and listening to a candid explanation of the 
 reasons which induced me to come into port, 
 he was convinced that my destination was the 
 Northwest Coast. I was accordingly permitted 
 to remain until I received further orders from 
 the Governor-General, at St. Jago, to whom a 
 messenger was despatched. In the mean time 
 I was allowed to take on board as much wood 
 and water, and fresh provisions, as I chose. The 
 harbor was too rough and exposed to make the 
 repairs we needed, and therefore we weighed 
 anchor and sailed for Coquimbo, where we arrived 
 on the 20th, and dropped anchor in six fathoms 
 of water, on the west side of the bay, about eight 
 miles from the town. Here we remained until 
 the 28th, when, having completed our repairs as 
 far as practicable, we put to sea with a fine breeze 
 from the south. 
 
 When we reached 4 S. lat., we had series of 
 calms, with pleasant weather, and a very smooth 
 sea. In this neighborhood we saw great numbers 
 of green turtle, and by capturing several we 
 added a delicacy to our larder. February 20th, 
 between 9 and 11 A. M., I obtained several dis- 
 tances of the sun and moon, the mean of which 
 made the long. 108 W. ; at meridian, I found 
 we had crossed the equator into north latitude. 
 
13 
 
 The wind continued very light and variable until 
 the 4th of March, when it inclined to the north- 
 east. On the 16th, we crossed the Tropic of 
 Cancer. At this point the winds again became 
 variable and squally. On the 7th of April, we 
 had strong gales and threatening sky, with rain 
 at intervals. At 8 P. M. of that date I put the 
 ship under short sail, and hauled upon the wind 
 to the northward, deeming it imprudent to con- 
 tinue on our course through the night, because, 
 by my calculations, we were in the vicinity of 
 land. In the morning the weather moderated, 
 and at 5 A. M. we saw land bearing from north- 
 northeast to east, which proved to be the north- 
 ern part of Vancouver's Island. At 2 P. M. we 
 saw Scott's Island bearing north-northwest, six- 
 teen miles distant. At nightfall the clouds wore 
 an ugly look so we hauled by the wind to the 
 westward, under short sail. At midnight we 
 had a heavy blow, but it died away by light, and 
 we saw Scott's Island again ; at 9 A. M. it bore 
 south, five miles. The wind beginning again to 
 rise, I determined if possible to make a harbor 
 before night. With this intention I shaped my 
 course for Newettee. 
 
 Newettee was a small inlet in the northwestern 
 promontory of Vancouver's Island, and sheltered 
 
14 
 
 from the sea by a long island running nearly 
 east and west. Between the two was a strait, 
 through which we must enter to gain our port. 
 As we drew near the entrance, the wind became 
 very light, and at sunset we were still three miles 
 from it. Being myself entirely unacquainted 
 with the coast, I was inclined to lay off until 
 morning ; but my officers were all more or less 
 familiar with it, and so positive of their knowl- 
 edge that I concluded to proceed. At eight in 
 the evening we crossed the bar at the mouth of 
 the strait, and entered. The wind had fallen 
 now to a dead calm, and left us exposed to a 
 very strong current, which carried us toward an 
 inlet in the island to the north of us ; and at 
 the same time it was evident that we were ap- 
 proaching the shore very fast. Nothing could 
 surpass the terrific appearance of the scenery ; 
 perpendicular cliffs towered from the water's edge 
 to a lofty height, against which the sea beat with 
 great violence. The ship getting no steerage- 
 way from her sails, and being in fact entirely 
 unmanageable, we hoisted out our boats to tow. 
 The long-boat, which was of the most conse- 
 quence, sunk alongside ; the yawl and the whale- 
 boat were both got ahead, but were so light that 
 they had very little effect on the vessel. We 
 
15 
 
 were now within three rods of a high projecting 
 point, and the soundings showed forty-five fath- 
 oms of water. We let go the kedge-anchor to 
 keep the bow off, and it had the desired effect. 
 By great exertions in the boats, assisted in the 
 ship by the application of all the oars we had, 
 we barely succeeded in keeping clear of the rocks, 
 which could now be reached with an oar. As 
 the tide swept us along, we were threatened with 
 destruction by every sea which dashed against 
 them. At length, by the aid of a light air which 
 sprung up, we got out of the irregular current 
 near the shore, and, slipping our cable and leav- 
 ing our anchor, moved towards the harbor on 
 the south side of the straits. When about two 
 thirds of the way across, I despatched a boat with 
 an officer to find the entrance. The boat not 
 returning in due time, I discharged a musket as 
 a signal. It was answered from a vessel lying 
 within, and shortly after one of the officers came 
 aboard from her, and informed us that it was 
 the ship Pearl of Boston, Capt. Ebbets. He very 
 politely offered to pilot us in, and by his assist- 
 ance we were soon brought safely to anchor in 
 fifteen fathoms of water. This was the 10th of 
 April, 1805. 
 
II. 
 
 NEWETTEE AND THE NATIVES. KYGARNEY. NORFOLK SOUND. SELL 
 PART OP MY CARGO TO THE RUSSIANS. GOVERNOR BARANOFF. 
 CHATHAM STRAITS. NEWETTEE AGAIN. RETURN TO CHATHAM 
 STRAITS. TRADE WITH THE INDIANS. ON THE ROCKS. SAIL TO 
 NORFOLK SOUND FOR REPAIRS. ARRIVAL OF RESANOFF AND PARTY. 
 THE JUNO SOLD TO THE RUSSIANS. DEPARTURE OF MY CREW FOR 
 CANTON. 
 
 AT last I was at anchor on the Northwest Coast. 
 Newettee was one of the southernmost harbors 
 frequented by American fur-traders, being in 
 lat. 51 N., and long. 128 W. It was nothing 
 more than a nook, as I said before, in the north- 
 ern end of Vancouver's Island. We found it tol- 
 erably well sheltered from all winds except those 
 from the north and northeast; on this quarter 
 it was exposed to a reach of about three miles. 
 As the prevalent wind during our stay of ten 
 days was from the south and southwest, we lay 
 in perfect safety, notwithstanding it was one 
 continued gale, accompanied with hail and rain. 
 Everything around us, the sea, the sky, and the 
 precipitous shore, covered with a forest of heavy 
 
17 
 
 timber, wore a most gloomy aspect. The Indians 
 had no permanent residence here, but made it 
 merely a place of resort for traffic on the arri- 
 val of ships. For this purpose it was considered 
 at certain seasons one of the best harbors on 
 the coast, as there are many large villages in 
 its vicinity. We were visited daily by a great 
 number of the Indians, who generally brought 
 with them a few sea-otter skins, but not enough 
 to make trade brisk. They were exceedingly 
 sharp in all their intercourse with us, being great 
 beggars, withal. It seemed impossible to satisfy 
 them for their skins, and they were ready to 
 grasp at everything they saw. They were a very 
 stout and robust people, and in some things not 
 destitute of skill. Their boats were hewn from 
 a single log, and varied in size from sixteen feet 
 in length and three in breadth, to thirty-five in 
 length and six in breadth. Their paddles were 
 made and ornamented with a great deal of neat- 
 ness. 
 
 Deriving but little benefit from our traffic, we 
 employed ourselves in putting the ship in good 
 order for beating about the coast. By the 20th 
 we had completed our work, and weighed an- 
 chor, and put to sea in company with the Pearl, 
 directing our course to the northward for Ky- 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 garney, a harbor in lat. 54 30' N., which, from 
 its central situation, is considered the best 
 place of resort for ships on their first arrival, 
 to obtain information for establishing a rate of 
 trade. For several days we sailed in a thick fog, 
 which, lifting at intervals, showed us different 
 points of Queen Charlotte's Island. We gained 
 our port on the 27th, and found there the ships 
 Vancouver, Captain Brown, and Caroline, Cap- 
 tain Sturgis, both of Boston; the latter, having 
 obtained her cargo, about to leave the coast for 
 Canton. 
 
 During our stay here we got in a new mizen- 
 mast in place of the old one, which was sprung, 
 and furnished our vessel with such other spars 
 as we thought we should need. We were daily 
 visited by the Indians, who generally brought 
 a few skins ; but they were so extravagant in 
 their demands for them that it was impossible 
 to trade. We frequently had thirty or forty 
 lying about the decks the whole day long, en- 
 deavoring to extort unreasonable prices for their 
 furs, at the same time affecting the utmost in- 
 difference whether they sold them or not. Oc- 
 casionally they were quite insulting ; but policy 
 induced us to put up with insults, in hopes of 
 driving a bargain. 
 
19 
 
 The numerous inlets in the vicinity abounded 
 with salmon, and every other variety of fish, and 
 wild game was very plenty. But on the whole 
 the harbor was poor and unsafe. The land here, 
 as at Newettee, was exceedingly elevated, rising 
 abruptly from the shore, and covered with heavy 
 timber, chiefly of the fir kind. The water is very 
 deep, which compelled a vessel to anchor so near 
 the land as to be exposed to any hostile dem- 
 onstration on the part of the savages. Attacks 
 were not rare when only one ship was in port. 
 From long intercourse with American traders, 
 the natives had become extremely expert in the 
 use of the musket, in the choice of which they 
 showed great judgment and sagacity, and inva- 
 riably selected a king's arm in preference to the 
 most finished fowling-piece. On account of the 
 many instances of bloodshed by them, they were 
 not allowed to come on board armed, but it was 
 necessary to show them every indulgence within 
 the bounds of prudence. 
 
 Not being likely to receive much benefit from 
 a longer stay here, I resolved to proceed at once 
 to the settlement of the Russians on Norfolk 
 Sound, since a great part of my cargo consisted 
 of articles adapted to their use. We had rum, 
 tobacco, molasses, sugar, rice, wooden ware, duf- 
 
20 
 
 fels, &c., which the Indians will take only as pres- 
 ents, as well as those commodities intended for 
 trade with them, viz. blankets, muskets, powder, 
 and balls. 
 
 On the 7th of May we put to sea, with pleas- 
 ant weather and a moderate breeze from the 
 west, and directed our course to the northward. 
 On the 8th, the wind increased to a gale, and 
 veered to the south, which brought thick fog 
 and rain. On the 9th it became clear, and we 
 obtained a good view of the land, and discovered 
 that we were near the entrance of the sound, 
 about mid-channel, with Mount Edgecombe bear- 
 ing northwest, ten miles distant. We stood in 
 under a press of sail, and at about eleven came 
 to anchor in Magee's Harbor, as it was called, on 
 the west side of the sound. We found erected 
 on the shore a guide-post, pointing out the di- 
 rection of the village, and the date of its estab- 
 lishment. We were soon visited by several bai- 
 darkas* with Kodiak Indians, from whom we 
 endeavored to obtain information. The only 
 word they used, which we could understand, was 
 
 * Leather canoes. They consist of a skeleton of wood, over 
 which is stretched a covering made of the skins of sea-lions. They 
 are long and narrow, and hold from one to three persons. Each 
 person sits in a round hole just fitted to the size of the body. 
 
21 
 
 Baranoff, which we knew to be the name of the 
 governor or superintendent of the settlement. 
 As soon as the news of our arrival in the sound 
 reached there, a pilot was despatched to our as- 
 sistance, and, the wind being favorable, he brought 
 us round to the village, and we anchored on the 
 10th of May abreast of the fort. 
 
 Mr. Abraham Jones, an American in the Kus- 
 sian service, immediately came on board, with the 
 Governor's compliments, and kind offers of pro- 
 tection, and any aid we might need which it 
 was in his power to give. Accompanied by Mr. 
 Moorfield, I accepted an invitation to go on shore 
 and have an interview with him. Mr. Jones offi- 
 ciated as interpreter. I was introduced by him 
 to his Excellency, and received with every mark 
 of friendship and hospitality. After exchanging 
 the usual compliments, we were ushered into an 
 apartment where we found a table spread with 
 all the luxuries the place afforded. While we 
 regaled ourselves with the sumptuous fare, the 
 conversation turned to the subject of my cargo. 
 The Governor appeared willing and desirous to 
 exchange furs on fair terms for such articles 
 as they needed. We returned on board in the 
 evening, well pleased with our reception, I might 
 say agreeably disappointed, as I had been led to 
 
22 
 
 believe from various reports that we should find 
 the Eussians little advanced from the savage 
 state. 
 
 As the success of my voyage depended on the 
 utmost possible despatch, no time was lost in 
 establishing a rate of exchange with our new 
 friends ; which being adjusted to our mutual 
 advantage, I was enabled to disencumber the 
 vessel of a large portion of the bulkiest part 
 of my cargo, such as has been mentioned on 
 a preceding page. 
 
 From the kind treatment received from the 
 Governor, I was induced to form a very favorable 
 opinion of him. He was sixty-five years of age, 
 and had spent the last eighteen years of his life 
 at different stations on the coast, in the capacity 
 of agent and officer of the Eussian American 
 Company, excluded, as it were, from all civ- 
 ilized society, except that of a few of his fellow- 
 adventurers. He possessed a strong mind, easy 
 manners and deportment, and was apparently 
 well fitted for the place he filled. He com- 
 manded the greatest respect from the Indians, 
 who regarded him with mingled feelings of love 
 and fear. 
 
 Owing to frequent storms of rain, which un- 
 avoidably retarded the progress of our business, 
 
23 
 
 my stay at this place was prolonged until the 
 27th of May. With pleasant weather and a 
 moderate breeze we then weighed anchor, and 
 sailed from Norfolk Sound. We proceeded up 
 Chatham Straits as high as Lynn Canal, in lat. 
 59 N., thence southward to Newettee in lat. 51 
 N., touching at as many of the intermediate har- 
 bors as we found it practicable, and making some 
 trade. We arrived at Newettee on the 28th of 
 June, at the same time with the brig Lydia and 
 the ships Vancouver and Athawalpa. The latter 
 had been attacked by the Indians, who killed 
 Capt. Porter and all the officers, and wounded 
 many of the sailors. She had fallen in with the 
 other ship and brig, belonging to the same own- 
 ers, and had proceeded to this place for assistance. 
 Here we found the Pearl and the Mary. 
 
 I shall not attempt a detail of the occurrences, 
 or give a description of the harbors and inlets 
 we visited in our voyage from Norfolk Sound. 
 While here we rendered all the assistance in our 
 power in manning and equipping the Athawalpa 
 for Canton, and then, on the llth of July, again 
 left Newettee and sailed northward for Chatham 
 Straits. Touching at a number of places on our 
 passage, on the 27th we entered the mouth of 
 the straits, and proceeded up as far as Point Ee- 
 
treat in lat. 58 N. Here the Indians were very 
 numerous, and appeared to have a great number 
 of skins for sale, but declined trading, unless we 
 brought the ship to anchor, which was unneces- 
 sary, as the wind was light and the sea smooth. 
 There was nothing to interrupt a traffic if they 
 really felt willing to open one ; but, in order to 
 comply with their wishes as far as possible, I 
 made several attempts to get an anchorage, and 
 was only prevented by the depth of the water. 
 Still the Indians kept round us in great numbers, 
 there being at least thirty or forty canoes of 
 them. At the same time we perceived that they 
 were all armed, and this, with their obstinacy, 
 gave us strong suspicions that they were bent on 
 mischief more than commerce. As it was nearly 
 sunset, and there was no prospect of bringing 
 them to terms, I concluded to make the best of 
 my way down the straits. The wind was light, 
 and the tide against us. The Indians, seeing 
 plainly that we could make but little progress 
 in the course of the night, went on shore, and 
 returned at daylight. They came with the ap- 
 parent determination to board us ; but in their 
 absence we had made ample preparations to 
 meet in a hostile as well as a friendly manner. 
 Seeing the impossibility of obtaining access to 
 
25 
 
 the ship by force, they changed their tactics, and 
 were inclined to trade with us in a peaceable 
 way. We therefore admitted one of the chiefs 
 at the gangway, and through him commenced 
 a brisk traffic, which continued until we had 
 bought their whole stock of furs. They then 
 left us to continue our course down the straits 
 without molestation. 
 
 On the 5th of August we came to anchor in 
 an extensive harbor, situated near the entrance 
 of Chatham Straits, between Points Sullivan and 
 Ellis. Here we were detained several days by 
 calms and light westerly winds, which blew di- 
 rectly into the harbor, while the entrance was 
 so narrow that we found it impossible to beat 
 out. On the 10th we got under weigh, with 
 the boats ahead to tow; but the ebb tide began 
 to run very strong, and drift the ship towards 
 a small island lying midway in the channel. 
 Notwithstanding our utmost efforts to avoid it 
 by the use of oars and letting go an anchor, 
 in the darkness which had come on we had 
 approached nearer the shore than we supposed, 
 and finally the keel struck upon the rocks. 
 The stream anchor was carried out with all 
 possible despatch in order to heave the vessel 
 off, but in vain. The falling tide had left her 
 
26 
 
 too fast. The only alternative left was to secure 
 her in the best manner possible before she be- 
 gan to keel over, and to prepare ourselves for 
 defence in case of an attack from the savages. 
 Having furled all the sails, sent down the top- 
 gallant yards and masts, and lashed our heavy 
 guns amidship, we equipped our three boats 
 with arms, ammunition, and provision, lest the 
 ship should bilge, which we had great reason 
 to apprehend, as we had still on board about 
 two thirds of our cargo. But as the tide left 
 her we found that she did not lie so much on 
 her beam-ends as we had anticipated, but was 
 supported by three sharp rocks, one about mid- 
 ships, and the other two abreast the fore and 
 mizzen chains ; her keel had also taken the rocks 
 in several places. 
 
 At sunrise the Indians began to assemble about 
 us. At first they kept aloof, and seemed to en- 
 tertain some suspicions as to our movements; 
 but after going round the ship and examining 
 her situation very carefully, we prevailed upon 
 some of them to come alongside. We gave 
 them to understand that we had hauled on 
 shore to mend the copper ; and to convince them, 
 I employed a gang of hands under the ship's 
 bottom for that purpose. At 9 A. M. we had 
 
27 
 
 low water, and as the perpendicular rise and 
 fall of the tide was about fifteen feet, we could 
 now walk all round the vessel, and under the 
 keel in some places. In the mean time some 
 of the officers were employed in trading with 
 the Indians for their furs ; and to make our- 
 selves secure in case they had any hostile in- 
 tentions, we succeeded in enticing one of the 
 chiefs on board, whom we detained as a host- 
 age. Thus relieved in a measure from any ap- 
 prehension of an attack from the natives, and 
 haying done everything in our power to ease 
 the ship, we lost no time in caulking and stop- 
 ping in the best possible manner such places 
 as had been strained open by her ponderous 
 weight upon the rocks. The two seams below 
 the plank-sheer were nearly an inch wide, as 
 likewise every butt from the fore to the mizzen- 
 mast. To clear the bilge of the ship we rigged one 
 of our pumps in the main hatchway, and drew 
 out a considerable quantity of molasses and 
 water. After some brisk work, we had the 
 satisfaction of finding that the vessel righted 
 with the flowing tide, and at high water, to our 
 great joy, she floated. When we hauled into 
 the stream again, we were happy to find that 
 she did not leak so badly as we had reason to 
 
28 
 
 anticipate. The only perceptible injury was on 
 the side which laid on the rocks, and that was 
 bent or hogged up, as the phrase is, about half 
 a foot. We now liberated our hostage, after 
 making him a very liberal present for his de- 
 tention. 
 
 While we were aground, we had a favorable 
 opportunity to examine the copper on the ship's 
 bottom, which proved to be in a very shattered 
 condition ; and as we had reason to apprehend 
 more damage than was visible, I deemed it ad- 
 visable to proceed at once to the Russian settle- 
 ment at Norfolk Sound, where, under protection 
 from the Indians, we might discharge our cargo, 
 and make repairs in peace. Accordingly, on the 
 12th of August we put to sea, and made the best 
 of our way for that place. On our route we fell in 
 again with the Mary, and, in company with her, 
 arrived on the 14th, and anchored abreast the vil- 
 lage. I was again received by Governor Bara- 
 noff with that kind and obliging hospitality which 
 made him loved and respected by every visitor. 
 
 No time was lost in preparing to lay the Juno 
 on shore, in order to ascertain the extent of the 
 damage. In this I was greatly facilitated by the 
 Governor, who allowed me to occupy an old hulk, 
 into which I shifted my cargo, with the exception 
 
29 
 
 of the furs. We had collected about a thousand 
 sea-otter skins, and these I sent to Canton by the 
 Mary, which sailed on the 20th. Notwithstanding 
 our utmost exertions, our preparations were not 
 completed until the 1st of September, and then, 
 to my great surprise and regret, I found twenty 
 of the floor timbers broken, and the copper in a 
 very ragged condition. I was, however, gratified 
 to find the planks all sound and good except in 
 one place, where the carpenter cut out a large 
 fragment of the rock, which had penetrated the 
 bottom, and adhered so closely as to prevent the 
 admission of water. By the 6th of September 
 we had completed such repairs as were practica- 
 ble and hauled into the stream, knowing no other 
 alternative than to make the best of our crippled 
 ship, and endeavor to prosecute the remainder of 
 our voyage with more caution. 
 
 Having again adjusted the rigging, replenished 
 our stores of wood and water, and put everything 
 in the best possible trim for sea, I submitted to 
 Governor Baranoff a project of an expedition to 
 the southern coast of New Albion and California, 
 which he readily accepted. My idea was to take 
 on board fifty or sixty Kodiak Indians, with their 
 canoes, for the purpose of catching sea-otter, 
 those animals being very numerous on that coast. 
 
30 
 
 Everything in this new plan being agreed upon 
 and settled, we were to wait until the 1st of 
 October for the Indians, who were out on a hunt- 
 ing expedition, under the protection of two small 
 vessels, and expected to return by the last of the 
 month. 
 
 While we were waiting, the Russian brig Maria 
 arrived at the settlement. She was under the 
 command of Andrew W. Maschin, a lieutenant in 
 the navy, and had on board as passenger Nicholas 
 Resanoff, a nobleman, who, after an unsuccessful 
 embassy to Japan, returned to Kamtchatka en 
 route to the posts on the Northwest Coast be- 
 longing to the Russian American Company, in 
 which he was himself a large proprietor. With 
 him came also two other lieutenants in the Rus- 
 sian navy, Nicholas Schwostoff and John Davidoff, 
 Doctor Geo. Langsdorff, and two ship-carpenters, 
 Messrs. Koriikin and Popoff, who were to build 
 a ship at this place. To all these new-comers I 
 was formally introduced by my friend the Gov- 
 ernor, and received the assurances of his Ex- 
 cellency, Baron von Resanoff, that he would 
 facilitate, in every way in his power, the execu- 
 tion of my California scheme. Several days after 
 this arrival were passed in festivity and mirth, 
 and business was entirely suspended. The ap- 
 
31 
 
 pearance of so distinguished a personage, whose 
 authority was for a time to supersede even that 
 of the Governor, was an event of great moment. 
 In conversation with Dr. Langsdorff on the 
 inconvenience of building and equipping a large 
 vessel where the necessary materials were so 
 difficult to procure, I observed to him, jocosely, 
 that I would sell them my ship, which would 
 obviate the necessity of building. The conver- 
 sation being communicated to his Excellency, 
 he wished to know whether I would really sell 
 my ship, and if so, what would be the price. 
 This was a subject on which I had not re- 
 flected, and which required some deliberation 
 on several accounts. Having about two thirds 
 of my cargo on board, it was necessary to as- 
 certain of what it consisted to estimate its 
 value, being well aware that I could not dis- 
 pose of my vessel by itself alone. How my 
 officers and crew were to leave the coast was 
 another serious difficulty. But while I was de- 
 liberating on the expediency of the measure, 
 the two small vessels, the Yermerk and Russis- 
 loff, which I mentioned above, returned from 
 the hunting expedition. The former, a craft of 
 forty tons, appeared to be suitable for my pur- 
 pose, and I therefore availed myself of the 
 
32 
 
 opportunity, and offered my ship, and the re- 
 mainder of my cargo, for the sum of $ 68,000, 
 payable in the following manner, viz. : bills of 
 exchange on the Directors of the Eussian Ameri- 
 can Company at St. Petersburg for the sum of 
 $ 54,638 ; 572 sea-otter skins for the sum of 
 $ 13,062 ; and $ 300 in cash ; together with the 
 fore-named vessel, the Yermerk, completely rigged, 
 two suits of sails, four carriage guns, thirty 
 muskets, with ammunition for the same, and pro- 
 visions for my crew for one hundred days. This 
 offer was accepted, and the Juno passed into 
 the hands of the Russian American Company. 
 On the 5th of October, I delivered her up, un- 
 der a salute from the fort and the ship, when 
 I hoisted the stars and stripes on the Yermerk, 
 which had become my property. 
 
 Having consummated our bargain by deliver- 
 ing up our ship, and taking possession of our 
 little craft, we set to work immediately to put 
 her into a condition to transport ourselves and 
 the sea-otter skins to Canton. This work was 
 completed by the 15th; and while we were 
 waiting for favorable weather to put to sea, 
 his Excellency suggested to me the advisability 
 of despatching the Yermerk for Canton, and 
 remaining myself at the settlement until spring, 
 
33 
 
 and then embarking with himself and suite for 
 Ochotsk, and proceeding to St. Petersburg by 
 land. The kind and courteous manner in which 
 this proposition was made to me was too flat- 
 tering to be received with indifference. After 
 duly considering the subject, having in view 
 the probable advantage of presenting my bills 
 of exchange in person the next winter, in ac- 
 cordance with the advice of my friends, I con- 
 cluded to avail myself of his Excellency's gen- 
 erous offer. I therefore gave the command of 
 the ; Yermerk to my first officer, Mr. George 
 W. Stetson, and the superintendence of the busi- 
 ness to Mr. James Moorfield. Storms and ad- 
 verse winds prevented them from sailing until 
 the 27th, when, with a favorable breeze, they 
 took their departure from Norfolk Sound, with 
 our most fervent prayers for their welfare and 
 safe arrival at Canton. 
 
 After taking a long parting look at the little 
 vessel fading in the horizon, I returned to the 
 village, full of melancholy forebodings of a te- 
 dious and dreary winter in that rude and inhos- 
 pitable region. But it was of no use to repine ; 
 the business was settled, and I concluded I 
 would take things as they came, and make the 
 best of them. I had retained in my service, as 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 valet, Edward D. Parker, one of my ordinary 
 sailors, but a very useful man of all work. A 
 barber by trade, he was also a tolerably good 
 tailor, and performer on the violin and clarinet. 
 This latter accomplishment I thought might be 
 useful in dispelling the blues, if we should at 
 any time be troubled with that complaint. An 
 apartment was assigned me by the Governor, 
 adjoining the room of Dr. Langsdorff, to which 
 I removed my goods and chattels. I had a 
 sleeping bunk fitted up in one corner, and made 
 everything as comfortable as possible for a long 
 siege. Having thus taken up my residence 
 among the Russians, I will pause to make some 
 explanations connected with my narrative. 
 
III. 
 
 NICHOLAS RESANOFF AND THE JAPAN EXPEDITION. THE HISTORY OF 
 THE EUSSIAN SETTLEMENT AT NORFOLK SOUND AND THE FOUNDING 
 OF NEW ARCHANGEL. THE CHINESE PROJECT. DR. LANGSDORFF 
 AND OTHER NEW FRIENDS. VlSIT TO THE INDIANS DRIVEN BY THE 
 RUSSIANS FROM ARCHANGEL. 
 
 IN September, 1803, an expedition sailed from 
 Cronstadt, Russia, for the Pacific Ocean, consist- 
 ing of the two ships Nadeschda and Neva, the 
 former commanded by Capt. Krusenstern, and 
 the latter by Capt. Lisiansky, both experienced 
 officers of the Imperial navy. This was the first 
 adventure the Russians ever attempted in the 
 Southern Ocean, and was prompted by the ex- 
 tension of the trade of the Russian American Fur 
 Company. It had the double purpose of sup- 
 plying the settlements on the Northwest Coast, 
 and negotiating a commercial treaty with Japan, 
 which, being near the settlements, would be a 
 convenient place to obtain provisions and dispose 
 of commodities. Encouragement had been given 
 by a letter received many years previous from 
 the Japanese, granting permission to come to 
 
36 
 
 the port of Nangasaki ; on the strength of this 
 letter, and in view of the advantages and facilities 
 for intercourse, it was thought expedient by the 
 Imperial government to send an embassy to this 
 strange people. Accordingly, Nicholas Besanoff, 
 a nobleman and Chamberlain to his Majesty, the 
 Emperor of all the Kussias, was appointed, and 
 embarked in the Nadeschda, with powers plen- 
 ipotentiary to negotiate with the Court of Jedo. 
 This part of the undertaking, as is well known, 
 proved a failure. After remaining at Nangasaki 
 six months, subject a part of the time to a partial 
 imprisonment, and throughout to absurd formal- 
 ities and ridiculous vexations, he despaired of 
 bringing about a favorable result, and was com- 
 pelled to depart for Kamtchatka, without even 
 obtaining an interview with the Emperor, and, 
 in fact, accomplishing nothing. 
 
 Baron von Resanoff was a person of rank and 
 distinction, possessed of many amiable qualities, 
 and highly esteemed by the Emperor Alexander. 
 He was kind and affable to all around him, 
 and always ready to hear complaints, and afford 
 every redress in his power for grievances. He 
 married the daughter of the famous Schelikoff, 
 who was the pioneer in the Russian discoveries 
 and settlements on the Northwest Coast. This 
 
37 
 
 circumstance caused him to be largely interested 
 in the Fur Company. His mission to Japan hav- 
 ing terminated unfavorably, his intention then was 
 to visit and inspect all the stations of the Com- 
 pany on the coast. He left the Nadeschda there- 
 fore at Kamtchatka, and embarked on board the 
 brig Maria. After touching at various Eussian 
 establishments, he finally arrived at Norfolk 
 Sound. The Neva, Captain Lisiansky, pursued 
 its course directly to the island of Kodiak, and 
 thence to Norfolk Sound, where it arrived Au- 
 gust 20, 1804, and joined, by previous agreement, 
 a small squadron of three vessels under the com- 
 mand of Governor Baranoff. 
 
 The Eussians had formerly a settlement on the 
 Sound, situated several miles from their present 
 location, called Archangel, which was destroyed 
 by the Indians, and all the inhabitants massa- 
 cred. The Indians then established themselves 
 on the spot, and erected strong fortifications. 
 The object of assembling the vessels was to chas- 
 tise and expel them, and this was accomplished 
 after a siege of four days. The Eussians then 
 selected an elevated and commanding situation 
 in the immediate vicinity. It was a singular 
 round piece of land with a flat top, standing out 
 in the sea, and bearing the appearance of a work 
 
38 
 
 of human hands. The only connection with the 
 shore was by a narrow isthmus. Here they put 
 up several buildings, mounted a considerable 
 battery of heavy guns, and gave the place the 
 name of New Archangel. 
 
 The Neva then returned to Kodiak, where she 
 wintered, and in the fall of 1805 proceeded to 
 Canton and rejoined the Nadeschda, which had 
 previously sailed thither. The aim in this move- 
 ment was to accomplish a third project of the 
 Eussian American Company, which, like the Japan 
 scheme, was unsuccessful. They desired to obtain 
 permission from the Chinese government to con- 
 tinue their intercourse with the port of Canton, 
 and so enable their ships to return by sea from 
 the settlements to Kussia, with the proceeds of 
 their furs. But the Chinese objected, and insist- 
 ed on their confining themselves to their inland 
 traffic at the north. Thus commerce for the 
 future with Canton was interdicted. I relate 
 these events because they took place but a short 
 time previous to my sojourn at Norfolk Sound, 
 and account for the presence there of several 
 persons of distinction. 
 
 George von Langsdorff, a native of Frankfort, 
 Germany, was by profession a doctor of medi- 
 cine and surgery, and by taste a naturalist. He 
 
39 
 
 was a volunteer on the Kussian American ex- 
 pedition, and was in pursuit of science. On his 
 arrival in Kamtchatka a second time, he was in- 
 vited by Baron von Kesanoff to accompany him 
 to the Northwest Coast of America, as his phy- 
 sician. He was particularly moved to accept the 
 invitation by the opportunity which was thus 
 offered for the collection of specimens of natural 
 history. The Doctor, unlike Baron von Kesanoff, 
 spoke the English language fluently. As I lived 
 under the same roof with him, we became almost 
 inseparable, participating both in each others' 
 pleasures and troubles. Lieutenants Schwostoff, 
 Davidoff, and Maschin were highly accomplished 
 and meritorious officers, as were likewise the 
 two ship-builders, Messrs. Popoff and Koriikin. 
 They all seemed to vie in attention and kind- 
 ness to me as their guest, and by general in- 
 vitation I dined with these gentlemen at the 
 Governor's table. 
 
 The stock of provisions at the settlement had 
 been very small and of the poorest kind, and 
 the increase of the population by the arrival 
 of the Ambassador and his suite made the sub- 
 ject of supplies for the coming winter a matter 
 for sober consideration ; but by the purchase 
 of the Juno they were relieved from all serious 
 
40 
 
 anxiety on that score, as a great part of her 
 cargo consisted of good wholesome provisions, 
 such as beef, pork, flour, bread, rice, sugar, mo- 
 lasses, rum, and tobacco. In fact, the desire to 
 obtain these stores had great weight in their 
 negotiations with me. There was still, how- 
 ever, some deficiency in inferior kinds of food, 
 and a small vessel had been despatched some 
 time previously to Kodiak. It was so late in 
 the season she did not return. Now they were 
 not afraid of winter storms, for they had the 
 Juno to send on the errand. She sailed, under 
 the command of Lieutenants Schwostoif and 
 Davidoff, on the 27th of October. 
 
 In the mean while the whole village, comprising 
 a population of 150 Kussians, and perhaps 250 
 Aleutians, was actively engaged in preparing to 
 meet the rigors of the approaching season. They 
 built log-houses, work-shops, and barracks. My 
 friend Langsdorff was all the time ranging the 
 woods and the shores with his fowling-piece, in 
 quest of wild game for specimens, with which, 
 after they had been skinned for science' sake, my 
 man Parker made stews of various descriptions. 
 Being merely a sojourner at the settlement, I 
 occupied myself in watching the labors of others, 
 getting acquainted with the different characters 
 
41 
 
 and localities of the place, and learning the use 
 and management of baidarkas. 
 
 By the beginning of November the novelty of 
 our situation had worn off; the circumscribed 
 range of our wanderings from the village became 
 monotonous and tiresome, and, as a number of 
 our associates had departed for Kodiak, we began 
 to look round for some new object of interest. 
 The Doctor had frequently expressed a desire to 
 become more acquainted with the Sitcha Indians, 
 and resolved on making them a visit at their 
 village, on the opposite side of the island, if I 
 would accompany him, to which I readily agreed. 
 As these were the very Indians who had recently 
 been so roughly handled by the Eussians, it was 
 considered by the Governor and other friends to 
 be a rather perilous adventure ; but we relied a 
 good deal on our not being Kussians, and upon 
 the fact that I had been among them during the 
 previous summer as a trader from a people with 
 whom they were on friendly terms. Perceiving 
 that we were bent on going, the Governor gave 
 his consent, and furnished us with baidarkas, 
 Kodiak Indians, and an Indian woman as an in- 
 terpreter. The latter was a daughter of one 
 of the principal chiefs of the tribe we were to 
 visit. She had lived with the Eussians five or 
 
42 
 
 six years, and with her as a companion we had 
 little fear of any other than a friendly reception. 
 
 We soon completed the preparations for our 
 departure. We took guns, pistols, powder, and 
 shot, for shooting as well as for safety ; rice, tea, 
 sugar, biscuit, dried fish, and brandy, for our food. 
 Beside some kitchen utensils for dressing these 
 provisions and a small tent to sleep in, we were 
 provided with several ells of linen and woollen 
 cloth, glass beads, needles, tobacco, large fishing- 
 hooks, looking-glasses, and various similar trifles 
 for presents to the Indians. Langsdorff, the in- 
 terpreter, and myself each occupied a baidarka, 
 and had two natives each to row. 
 
 We were three days in reaching the village, 
 but beyond a few Indians, with whom we en- 
 camped at night, we saw nothing of interest. 
 By nightfall of the third day we had nearly 
 reached the place of our destination ; but owing 
 to a strong wind and tide, which were directly 
 against us, we had the mortification of seeing 
 the sun go down before the whole distance was 
 accomplished. We were now in rather an un- 
 pleasant situation ; to return was impossible, 
 and to land might have excited suspicion, for 
 the fire which was necessary as a protection 
 from the cold must have betrayed us. We 
 
determined at last to make our way to the 
 settlement, notwithstanding we should reach it 
 in utter darkness. Scarcely was this resolution 
 taken, when we were observed from the land, 
 and hailed in a loud voice, but neither our in- 
 terpreter nor our Kodiak oarsmen would reply. 
 This sorely provoked Langsdorff and myself, 
 and we were on the point of expressing our 
 anger warmly, when a great commotion arose 
 on shore. Suddenly, some hundred naked In- 
 dians, armed with muskets, and holding fire- 
 brands in their hands, thronged to the water's 
 edge. No sooner had we made known who 
 we were, and approached the shore, than we 
 were surrounded in a tumultuous manner by 
 the Kaluschians, who dragged us towards their 
 fortress, seizing upon our effects at the same 
 time, whether to rob us of them or to restore 
 them we were then ignorant. I expected 
 nothing but an immediate and violent death. 
 The scene certainly was one to inspire terror; 
 the glare of the torches, the gesticulations of 
 the savages, the brandishing of the weapons, 
 the rough handling we received, were not cal- 
 culated to inspire confidence in men whom 
 from the outset we had distrusted. But hap- 
 pily our fears were groundless, and the dem- 
 
44 
 
 onstrations of the natives, as we afterwards 
 learned, were well intended offices of friendship. 
 
 We were hurried over a rather fatiguing 
 road to the top of a high rock, on which stood 
 the fortress, and were immediately introduced 
 into the very spacious habitation of the chief 
 Dlchaetin, the father of our interpreter. He 
 assigned us a place directly opposite the en- 
 trance, where we spread a carpet, and, by the 
 light of a very large fire on a raised hearth 
 in the centre of the room, were subjected to 
 the gaze of some hundreds of the natives. 
 Shortly after, to our great astonishment, our 
 packages were brought to us from our baidar- 
 kas, not the smallest trifle being withheld, al- 
 though there were undoubtedly many articles 
 among them which the bearers must have cov- 
 eted, and under the cover of the night might 
 have easily concealed. Even my musket, pis- 
 tols, and powder-horn, which in my hurry I 
 had left behind, were delivered to me without 
 the slightest injury. 
 
 We had scarcely refreshed ourselves with a 
 dish of tea and a glass of punch, when we 
 were invited by the eldest and most distin- 
 guished of the chiefs, the commandant of the 
 fortress, to come and visit him. He received 
 
45 
 
 us with much kindness, and presented me with 
 a sea-otter's skin, and Dr. Langsdorff with a 
 beautiful sea-otter's tail. Much fatigued, and 
 in need of rest, we returned to the habitation 
 of our host ; but we found ourselves in too 
 exciting a scene to permit of sleep. While 
 eating a very good dish of fish and rice pre- 
 pared by him, we were entertained with a lively 
 and pleasing melody, sung by a number of 
 men seated round the fire, which had been piled 
 up to a great height. Though the night was 
 cold and windy, the savages went barefoot to 
 the neighboring forest, and brought home large 
 blocks of wood upon their naked shoulders, 
 and heaped them on the hearth. It was in- 
 comprehensible how the roof, covered as it was 
 merely with bark, was not entirely consumed. 
 Once it did take fire ; but a boy ran like a 
 mouse up the side of the wall, and extin- 
 guished it. The sparks flew out of the open- 
 ing at the top, and the flames roared as in a 
 blacksmith's forge; and we could not close our 
 eyes till their fierceness had in a measure sub- 
 sided, and the danger was less imminent, though 
 the fire was very hot through the whole night. 
 On the morning of the next day we carried to 
 the commandant from whom we had received the 
 
46 
 
 presents the evening before the counter presents 
 due to him. At the same time, we made the 
 proper tribute of presents to the parents of our 
 interpreter, the latter having given us to under- 
 stand that the sooner it was done, the greater 
 would be their esteem for us. To her father we 
 gave some ells of woollen cloth, a large knife, 
 some fish-hooks, and some pounds of tobacco; 
 to her mother a shift, some needles, a small look- 
 ing-glass, some ribbon, and some glass beads. As 
 soon as we had performed these necessary cere- 
 monies, we were permitted to walk about wher- 
 ever we chose, without the trouble of guides. 
 Dr. Langsdorff even shot some birds close to the 
 fortress without attracting any attention. 
 
 The natives of the Northwest Coast of America 
 are called by the Kussians Kaluschians, but this 
 people call themselves Schitchachon, or inhab- 
 itants of Sitcha. Expelled from Norfolk Sound, 
 they had fortified themselves here, upon a rock 
 which rose perpendicularly to the height of sev- 
 eral hundred feet above the water's edge. The 
 only possible access to it was on the northwest 
 side, and here it had been rendered extremely 
 difficult by very large trunks of trees strewn 
 over it. The rock itself was secured against the 
 attack of an enemy by a double palisade, meas- 
 
47 
 
 uring from twelve to fifteen feet in height, and 
 from three to four in thickness. A natural wall 
 of earth beyond the palisading, on the side 
 towards the sea, conceals the habitations so 
 effectually, that they cannot be discerned from 
 a ship. 
 
 The houses within the fortress were placed 
 in regular rows, and built of thick plank, fas- 
 tened to posts which formed the frame-work, 
 and covered at the top with bark. The en- 
 trance was at the gable end, and was often 
 stained with different colored earths. The in- 
 teriors of their dwellings were indescribably 
 filthy, filled with smoke, and perfumed with 
 decayed fish and train-oil. The men painted 
 their faces, and, as well as the women, de- 
 lighted in profuse ornaments ; like other sav- 
 ages, they were particularly pleased with glit- 
 tering trinkets, or European garments. The 
 women on the coast had one very strange 
 fashion, which I think is peculiar to this part 
 of the world. At the age of fourteen or fif- 
 teen, they make a hole in their under lip and 
 insert a small piece of wood like a button. 
 This is increased in size as they advance in 
 age, until it is three or four inches long, and 
 one or two wide. I saw one old woman, the wife 
 
48 
 
 of a chief, whose lip ornament was so large, 
 that, by a peculiar motion of her under lip, she 
 could almost conceal her whole face with it. 
 You will naturally inquire the reason of this 
 barbarous method of adornment. I might reply 
 by asking the reason of some equally strange 
 fashions among civilized nations. But, without 
 casting any reflections on my countrywomen, 
 I may be allowed to make one observation, 
 which has probably occurred already to my 
 readers; and that is, that it is utterly impossi- 
 ble for the fair sex of the Northwest Coast to 
 enjoy the luxury of a kiss. 
 
 The occupations of the Sitcha Indians, beside 
 hunting and fishing, appeared to be making 
 canoes, fishing-lines and hooks, and wooden ware. 
 The women manufacture a kind of carpet out 
 of the wool of wild sheep, and are very expert 
 in wicker-work; some of their baskets are so 
 closely woven as to hold water. Both sexes 
 are expert in the use of fire-arms, and are ex- 
 cellent judges of their quality. I could not 
 find that they had any organized government. 
 Success in fishing and in the chase constitutes 
 the source of their wealth, and consequently 
 of their influence. In feuds between different 
 families the right of the strongest prevails, and 
 
49 
 
 they are only banded together against common 
 enemies. 
 
 Having passed two days at the Indian set- 
 tlement, we set out on our return to New Arch- 
 angel. On our route we visited the chief Schin- 
 chetaez, with whom we had passed a night on 
 our way to Sitcha. This man had been friendly 
 to the Russians, and was in consequence an out- 
 cast from his own people. He was glad to see 
 us again, and entertained us hospitably. We 
 gave him a few presents, which were thankfully 
 received, and, had he been able, he would have 
 given in return. While with him we saw some 
 Kaluschian Indians go into the sea to bathe, 
 when the thermometer was below freezing. They 
 ran for some distance over the ice, and then 
 plunged in, and performed all manner of antics, 
 with the same apparent enjoyment as if it had 
 been a warm spring. 
 
 After taking leave of our host we entered 
 our baidarkas and resumed- our journey; and 
 in due time reached New Archangel and our 
 friends, without any accident or occurrence of 
 sufficient interest to record. 
 
IV. 
 
 PREPARATIONS FOR WINTER. WINTER AMUSEMENTS. RESANOFF MAKES 
 AN EXPEDITION TO CALIFORNIA. BATTLE BETWEEN A WOLF AND A 
 RAM. I SAIL FOR OCHOTSK IN THE RlJSSISLOFF. 
 
 SHORTLY after our return from the excursion 
 narrated in the last chapter, our friends Schwos- 
 toff and Davidoff arrived from Kodiak with the 
 Juno, and brought a considerable quantity of 
 dried fish, oil, beans, &c., to increase our stock 
 of winter provisions. The dried fish was called 
 ukler, and was prepared by splitting and taking 
 out the backbone of the fish, and then laying it 
 in the sun. Thus cured, it was eaten as a substi- 
 tute for bread. The people having now a fair 
 allowance of provisions, the operations at the set- 
 tlement went on quite encouragingly. In the 
 course of the month of December the carpenter 
 got the keel of a new vessel laid, and made good 
 progress in cutting the timber and sawing the 
 plank. The two brigs, Maria and KussisloffJ were 
 hauled upon the beach and shored up out of the 
 tide's way. They furnished very good accommo- 
 
51 
 
 dations for a large number of the workmen. The 
 Juno remained riding at anchor in the harbor. 
 Watchmen were stationed along the shore, in 
 both directions from the fort, and shouted " All 's 
 well," from one end to the other, at intervals, 
 throughout the whole night. All were working 
 cheerfully, and hard enough to kill anybody 
 but Kussians. The Indians made us frequent 
 ceremonial visits, and displayed their talent for 
 long speeches and for dancing. They seemed 
 anxious to bury the hatchet, and renew inter- 
 course on friendly terms, which was also the wish 
 of the settlers. In short, everything was in good 
 trim for the winter. 
 
 The fare for the present allowed even to the 
 poor workmen was tolerable, as a small portion 
 of the cargo of the Juno was dealt out to them ; 
 but the officers had the control of all the luxu- 
 ries, if such they may be called; and these, 
 together with the game and fish that were con- 
 tinually brought in, supplied the Governor's table 
 with an abundance of good cheer. There were 
 seven of us who regularly dined at it, and by 
 invitation we frequently had ten. 
 
 By the last of the month the weather began 
 to grow cooler ; yet, though it was December, we 
 had little or no snow, but much rain and fog. In 
 
52 
 
 the forenoon I generally took a stroll along the 
 shore, with my gun, to the place where the new 
 vessel was building. One or two of the officers 
 usually accompanied me ; and after reaching the 
 spot we would turn and walk the same distance, 
 about a mile and a half, in the opposite direction. 
 Sometimes we carried home a little game. 
 
 January brought cold, but not severe weather. 
 The workmen began to flag. The poor fellows 
 had been driven too hard, regardless of wet and 
 snow. They were now getting sickly, and it was 
 found necessary to ease off their tasks a little. 
 The officers, on the other hand, lived comforta- 
 bly enough, and even started a new kind of 
 entertainment. The Eussians build their log 
 houses in a very substantial manner, of heavy 
 timber, and stop the cracks perfectly tight with 
 moss. Some of them were very large, accom- 
 modating after a fashion fifty or sixty persons. 
 Several such were completed just at this time, 
 and it occurred to us that they were well calcu- 
 lated for ball-rooms, and that we could pass away 
 the tedious hours of the night in dancing. We 
 made out bravely in cotillons and contra-dances, 
 but were rather deficient at first in female part- 
 ners. Many of the under officers had their wives 
 with them, and we picked out some of the Kodiak 
 
53 
 
 women, who were accustomed to the Russian 
 dances, and learned the figures easily. When 
 dressed in their finery they appeared quite re- 
 spectably. His Excellency the Plenipotentiary 
 was always with us on these occasions, and would 
 upon an emergency take the fiddle, on which he 
 was quite a good performer. Dr. Langsdorff and 
 my man Parker took turns at the bow, and with 
 plenty of good resin for the stomach as well as 
 the bow, we made " a gay season " of it. 
 
 In February the weather was rather more se- 
 vere than the previous month, but by no means 
 so cold as in the United States, latitude 42. The 
 harbors and inlets about the sound were free from 
 ice. With all our attempts to get up amusements, 
 the time hung heavily upon our hands, and we 
 did little else than sleep and long for spring. 
 The Sitcha Indians brought in excellent fresh 
 halibut, which they exchanged for fish-hooks and 
 old clothes. To me especially they were very 
 friendly, and came often to my lodgings, seeming 
 to know that I was not one of the Russians. 
 
 The waters of the neighborhood abounded with 
 numerous and choice varieties of the finny tribe, 
 which could be taken at all seasons of the year. 
 The poor Russians might have fared much better 
 than they did, had they been spared from their 
 
54 
 
 work to catch them. Labor and exposure began 
 to tell on them. The scurvy had killed a num- 
 ber of them, and many were sick. Dr. Langsdorff 
 frequently remonstrated in their behalf, but to 
 little purpose. 
 
 There had been much talk of late among the 
 higher officers upon the expediency of making 
 an expedition to California, with a view to obtain- 
 ing a fresh supply of provisions, and opening, if 
 possible, a traffic with the Spanish Mission at San 
 Francisco. By the first of March this enterprise 
 was resolved upon and well matured, and active 
 preparations were made to put it into immediate 
 execution. His Excellency, Baron von Kesanoff, 
 decided to take charge of it in person. This 
 arrangement gave me some uneasiness, lest he 
 should not return in time to fulfil his promise 
 to proceed with me in May in the Juno to 
 Ochotsk. I explained to him how great the dis- 
 appointment and inconvenience would be, if my 
 departure was delayed until late in the season. 
 But he silenced my complaints by assuring me 
 that he had ordered the brig Maria, Captain 
 Maschin, to be ready to sail for Ochotsk as soon as 
 the season would permit. With this promise I was 
 constrained to be satisfied. By the active exer- 
 tion of Lieutenants Schwostoff and Davidoff the 
 
55 
 
 Juno was quickly put in sailing trim, and weighed 
 anchor on the 8th of March for San Francisco. 
 I was invited to accompany them, but declined. 
 Deprived of my friends and companions, I occu- 
 pied myself, as best I could, in making excursions 
 in baidarkas about the shores and harbors. 
 
 Among the domestic animals of the village 
 and the number was very limited, there being 
 two old cows, eight or ten hogs, and as many 
 dogs there were two sheep, a buck and a 
 ewe, which I had presented to the Governor on 
 my first visit. The ewe in the course of the 
 winter had been devoured by the wolves or the 
 bears, as it was said ; but I thought it more 
 probable by some of the half-starved Eussians. 
 The buck became quite a pet with the settlers. 
 Towards spring he began to take advantage of 
 familiar treatment, and show many positive signs 
 of a pugnacious disposition, and with very little 
 respect for persons. As Billy and I were from 
 the same country town, and appeared to be alone 
 among strangers, I always made it a point, when 
 I passed him, to salute him with the familiar 
 phrase of "How are you, Billy?" and he would 
 seem to respond by a look of recognition. It 
 so happened, however, that one day, as I was 
 coming from the Governor's house upon the hill, 
 
56 
 
 after a good substantial dinner, and had reached 
 the beginning of the descent where stood the 
 sentinel with Billy at a little distance from him, 
 I gave him the usual greeting, and began to 
 go down, when, perfectly unconscious of having 
 offended man or beast, I received a contusion 
 in the rear, which sent me head-foremost down 
 the declivity with telegraphic velocity, and with 
 a shock which seemed to disturb my whole stow- 
 age, even to the very ground tier. I got up 
 as soon as I could collect my scattered senses, 
 and brushed the dust out of my eyes, when 
 looking up the hill I saw Billy, the ram, from 
 whom I had received the assault, making sig- 
 nificant demonstrations of another onslaught. I 
 had scarcely scrambled a little to one side before 
 he came down again full charge. This time I 
 dodged him, and, not meeting the check he ex- 
 pected, he went a considerable distance before he 
 could recover himself. Still unsatisfied with the 
 result, he was preparing to make another bolt 
 up hill at me; but now, having the advantage 
 of the ground, I was ready to receive him. The 
 current was this time against him, and his head- 
 way a good deal impeded. I caught him by 
 the neck and beat him, and endeavored to turn 
 him off ; but as soon as I let him go, he rushed 
 
57 
 
 upon me again. Finally, finding it impossible 
 to get rid of him, I took a stone to increase the 
 solidity of my fist, with which I was obliged to 
 pound the creature till the blood ran freely. 
 There was still no yield in him. The sentinel, 
 who had till now been looking on, to see fair 
 play, I suppose, seeing that I should probably 
 kill him, left his post and came to the rescue. 
 Thus ended the farcical scene of a battle between 
 a sheep and a Wolf, in which neither could right- 
 fully claim the victory. 
 
 April came, and no movement was made 
 towards getting the Maria off the beach, pre- 
 paratory to the voyage to Ochotsk. Captain 
 Maschin complained that he could not get men. 
 In fact, there was so much work to be done 
 at the settlement, and the number of hands so 
 much reduced by the California expedition, that 
 it was impossible to spare laborers for the vessels. 
 Moreover, many of them were sick, and among 
 the healthy there were no sailors ; so operations 
 in the navigation line were suspended. 
 
 May commenced with quite pleasant and 
 warm weather. About the 10th, the ship Okain, 
 Captain Jonathan Winship, arrived at the sound. 
 He came direct from the United States with- 
 out any cargo, but for the express purpose of 
 
58 
 
 obtaining Kodiak Indians and baidarkas for a 
 voyage to California to catch sea-otter, on the 
 same plan I had relinquished on the sale of my 
 ship. He made all the necessary arrangements, 
 and sailed about the middle of the month. 
 
 The mild weather melted the snow very fast, 
 and by the last of May the frost was all out of 
 the ground. Governor Baranoff was desirous 
 of having a good kitchen garden, and so, to 
 commence the business with a sort of flourish, we 
 made up a pretty substantial picnic party. A 
 little way back from the shore we found a con- 
 siderable clearing without underbrush, and here 
 we staked out about two acres of land. It was 
 good soil, deep and rich, and we all tried our 
 hand at the spade. The Governor setting the 
 example, we went to work with a good will. 
 Soon getting tired, we adjourned to the refresh- 
 ments, at which it was thought we showed more 
 talent than at the spade. Some of us, they told 
 us, got quite blue by the time we had finished 
 our labors. This was the first ground ever 
 broken for a garden at New Archangel. Another 
 diversion was taking salmon, which at this season 
 ran up into the creeks and inlets in great num- 
 bers. As many of the people as could be de- 
 tached from their regular occupations were set 
 
59 
 
 to catching them, and curing them for winter 
 provisions, in the manner I have before described. 
 
 While waiting impatiently for the arrival of 
 the Juno, I made many excursions about the 
 sound in my baidarka. About seven or eight 
 miles from the village, there was a hot-water 
 spring which I visited. Situated in a beautiful, 
 romantic place, the water runs down from the 
 foot of a high mountain, in a small serpentine 
 rivulet, for several hundred yards, and empties 
 into a broad basin, several rods in diameter, 
 which has a sandy bottom. The heat of the 
 water at its source is about 150, and as it 
 spreads over the basin below it cools down to 
 100. It is strongly impregnated with sulphur, 
 and with salt and magnesia. 
 
 To our great joy, on the 21st of June the 
 Juno returned from California, with all our 
 friends and a tolerable supply of wheat, jerked 
 beef, English beans, &c. ; but his Excellency failed 
 to make any arrangement for the future. The 
 Governor of San Francisco remonstrated against 
 sending Kussian subjects to hunt sea-otter on the 
 shores and in the harbors of New Albion, and 
 prevailed upon Baron von Eesanoff to promise 
 to put a stop to all adventures of that nature. 
 
 I immediately applied to Kesanoff to know 
 
60 
 
 how and when he intended to fulfil his promise 
 of providing me a passage to Ochotsk. It was 
 now the last of June, and there were no prep- 
 arations in either of the vessels for that purpose. 
 He told me that the Juno should be got ready 
 as soon as the little vessel could be rigged to 
 accompany her ; but the little vessel was yet 
 on the stocks, and it did not appear to me, from 
 the rate at which the work was progressing, 
 that she would be in sailing order before August. 
 In fact, I became quite alarmed, lest the season 
 should be so far advanced that I should be 
 obliged to make a winter journey across the 
 Russian Empire. I had had some conversa- 
 tion with Dr. Langsdorff about taking the brig 
 Russisloff, if they would allow me, and making 
 my own way to Ochotsk. The Doctor eagerly 
 caught at the idea, and resolved to go with 
 me, if I could obtain her. I accordingly made 
 the proposal to his Excellency, and it was readily 
 accepted. He offered to put as many men to 
 work upon the Russisloff as I needed. She was 
 a little craft of twenty-five tons burden, built 
 by the Russian American Company at Bhering's 
 Bay, and in construction a kind of nondescript. 
 She was lying high and dry upon the beach, but, 
 with the assistance rendered, I had her ready 
 
61 
 
 for sea in less than a week, well stored with 
 a plenty of the best provisions the place afford- 
 ed. My crew consisted of seven men, three of 
 whom were Indians and natives of Alashka, mak- 
 ing with Dr. Langsdorff, my man Parker, and my- 
 self, ten in all. I am happy to say that every- 
 thing was done by the authorities to expedite 
 my departure, and they all seemed anxious to 
 show me every kindness and attention in their 
 power. Having been furnished with the neces- 
 sary papers for my voyage, I took leave of his 
 Excellency Baron von Eesanoff, Governor Bara- 
 noff, and my other friends, and put to sea on 
 the 30th of June, 1806, shaping my course for 
 the island of Kodiak. 
 
V. 
 
 DULL SAILING. I TOUCH AT KODIAK AND ALASHKA. TAKE IN PAS- 
 SENGERS AT OONALASHKA. No PROSPECT OF COMPLETING MY VOY- 
 
 AGE THIS SEASON. DETERMINE TO WINTER AT PETROPOWLOWSK. 
 
 BEING at sea again, and on my own vessel, I 
 had leisure for a more deliberate view of the step 
 I had taken, in attempting to seek my own way 
 to Ochotsk, in preference to waiting for the Juno. 
 My little craft was large and safe enough for the 
 purpose ; but I was now convinced by her slug- 
 gish motion that it was very doubtful whether I 
 gained the port of my destination before it was 
 too late in the autumn to pursue my journey 
 across Siberia. Our best sailing before the wind 
 was hardly five knots, and by the wind two and 
 a half. We had a voyage of 2,500 miles before 
 us, and at a season of the year in that water 
 most subject to calms, light winds, and fogs. 
 
 This tract of ocean, from longitude 130 west, 
 along the entire coast of Alashka and through 
 the seas of Kamtchatka and Ochotsk, was at that 
 time the great place of resort of the right whale. 
 
63 
 
 Persecuted in all its other haunts, it had sought 
 refuge in this northern region, where as yet a 
 whale-ship had never made its appearance. We 
 were frequently surrounded by them. Sometimes 
 they would take a position at the windward, and 
 come down towards us, as if they were deter- 
 mined to sink us ; but when they had approached 
 within eight or ten rods, they would dip and go 
 under, or make a circuit round us. Most of them 
 were much longer than our vessel, and it would 
 have taken but a slight blow from one to have 
 smashed her into a thousand pieces. 
 
 On the 13th of July we saw the high land 
 near the entrance of Cook's Inlet ; and on the 
 17th arrived at the harbor of St. Paul, in the 
 island of Kodiak, after a passage of eighteen 
 days, and which might have been performed by 
 an ordinary sailing craft, with the same winds, in 
 ten days. Here my letters of introduction made 
 me acquainted with Mr. Bander, the Company's 
 Superintendent. He received us with great cor- 
 diality, and readily procured me a man to serve 
 as mate. He likewise furnished all the supplies 
 we were in need of, and saw that they were put 
 on board ; so that Dr. Langsdorff and myself 
 had little else to do than to look about and see 
 the lions. The village consisted of about forty 
 
64 
 
 houses, of various descriptions, including a 
 church, school-house, storehouse, and barracks. 
 The school-house was quite a respectable es- 
 tablishment, well filled with pupils, under the 
 especial care, as teacher, of the " Pope," or eccle- 
 siastic. He instructed them in reading, writing, 
 arithmetic, and keeping accounts. Many among 
 them were excellent scholars in these branches. 
 The Doctor and myself made an excursion to an 
 adjacent island, where the Pope had a consider- 
 able tract of land under cultivation, raising po- 
 tatoes, cabbages, turnips, cucumbers, and other 
 vegetables. He also kept several milch cows, and 
 appeared to live in quite a farmer-like style. We 
 concluded to pass the night with him, and were 
 hospitably entertained by his wife. 
 
 Having taken on board some freight of skins 
 and sea-elephant's teeth for Ochotsk, and a cask of 
 brandy for the island of Oonalashka, on the 23d 
 of July we took leave of our friends, Mr. Bander 
 and the Pope, and started again on our route. 
 The wind was so strong from the southeast that 
 I found it impossible to weather the southern 
 point of the island, and thus to get to the west- 
 ward of it. I concluded to bear up, and pass 
 through the SchelikofFs Strait. This is a chan- 
 nel formed by an archipelago of islands (of which 
 
65 
 
 Kodiak is the principal), and the peninsula of 
 Alashka. But by reason of light and contrary 
 winds, we did not get fairly into the strait until 
 the 26th, and shortly after encountered a strong 
 wind from the west, with heavy squalls, which 
 soon increased to such a severe gale, that we 
 were compelled to seek shelter on the Alashka 
 shore. Here I found my Indian sailors, who had 
 proved good men from the beginning, to be of the 
 greatest service. I mentioned above that they 
 were natives of Alashka, and they were perfectly 
 acquainted with the shore. They pointed out to 
 me- a good harbor, for which I steered ; and as 
 we rounded the point at its entrance, which was 
 called Kudak, a baidarka containing one man 
 came alongside. He turned out to be the father 
 of one of my sailors, and they had not seen each 
 other before for two years. They did not appear, 
 however, to be over-rejoiced at this accidental 
 meeting. They embraced each other after the 
 Russian custom, had a little chat together, and 
 then went about their business, without showing 
 any disposition for further communication. 
 
 In the course of the night the gale increased 
 so much that I deemed it prudent to let go our 
 best bow-anchor ; but with the return of light 
 the wind abated, and the weather became quite 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 pleasant. Doctor Langsdorff and myself took 
 our baidarka, and went to the village, which was 
 situated on the opposite side of the harbor from 
 where we lay. It consisted of eight or ten habi- 
 tations, which looked more like mounds of earth 
 than houses. They contained but one room, of 
 an oval form, and about fifteen feet across. The 
 earth was dug out about three feet in depth, 
 and raised from the surface about three feet 
 more, and to enter we had to crawl on our 
 hands and knees. The light was admitted 
 through windows of transparent skins, as a 
 substitute for glass. Their quarters were cer- 
 tainly comfortable for winter. The floors were 
 covered with spruce boughs, and mats were laid 
 over them, which made the apartment dry and 
 warm. An aperture was left in the top for ven- 
 tilation. The outside was covered with a luxu- 
 rious growth of grass. The occupants were 
 principally women, with a few old men ; the 
 young men had all gone out hunting the sea- 
 otter, in the Russian service. Those at home 
 seemed to be quite happy and contented, and 
 were all employed in making water-proof gar- 
 ments from the entrails of sea-lions, for their 
 husbands and sweethearts. We bought of them 
 a number of articles of their manufacture, 
 
67 
 
 curious and very neat work, such as pocket- 
 books, baskets, &c., and paid them in tobacco 
 and beads. 
 
 On the 28th of July, the wind being moderate 
 and favorable, we put to sea again, and pursued 
 our course to the westward along the coast of 
 Alashka. We made but slow progress on our 
 voyage, and by the 9th of August we had only 
 reached the end of the peninsula. The same 
 day we passed through between the island of 
 Oonemak and the easternmost of the Fox Islands. 
 On the 12th we arrived at the island of Oon- 
 alashka. I had no cause to stop here beyond 
 the desire of replenishing our water-casks and 
 stores. Owing to our tardy progress, having 
 as yet, performed only one third of the distance 
 from Kodiak to Ochotsk, our provisions were 
 more than half consumed. I therefore felt my- 
 self constrained to put in for a further supply. 
 
 The Company's Superintendent, Lariwanoff, a 
 gentleman highly esteemed by them, had died 
 a short time previous to our arrival, leaving a 
 widow and an only child, a daughter about 
 eighteen years of age. I was received by his 
 successor with much kindness, and with an ap- 
 parent disposition to facilitate my voyage. The 
 harbor, Illuluk, was spacious and well sheltered 
 
68 
 
 on all sides. There was a good anchorage in 
 four or five fathoms of water, on a sand and 
 clay bottom, at a convenient distance from the 
 shore. While making some necessary repairs on 
 my little vessel, and getting supplies aboard, 
 Madam Lariwanoif learned that I was bound 
 to Ochotsk. She immediately came, and on her 
 knees entreated me to have compassion on her 
 lonely and bereaved condition, and let her and 
 her daughter take passage with me. Irkutsk in 
 Siberia was her native place, and thither she 
 was desirous of returning after a residence on 
 this island ten years. Her solicitations were so 
 earnest that I had not the heart to refuse her, 
 and notwithstanding our contracted accommoda- 
 tions, entirely unfit for a woman's occupation, 
 I resolved to take her under my protection. I 
 went aboard, and set about making the best 
 possible arrangements for her comfort, gave up 
 my bunk, enlarged it sufficiently for the mother 
 and child together, and partitioned off the little 
 cabin with a canvas screen. I immediately com- 
 menced taking on board their goods and chattels, 
 with which, however, they were not overbur- 
 dened ; but she had been preparing to leave the 
 island for some time, and had accumulated a 
 goodly stock of provisions of various kinds, 
 
69 
 
 several barrels of eggs, put up in oil, smoked 
 geese in abundance, dried and pickled fish of 
 an excellent quality, and other things equally 
 good. Thus our fare promised to be the best 
 the island afforded. In the mean time the Super- 
 intendent began to make objections, and throw 
 difficulties in the way of the old lady's going 
 with me. She might make reports which would 
 not redound to his credit. But I had it in my 
 power to silence all his objections, having on 
 board the cask of brandy, which it was at my 
 option to leave with him, or take to Ochotsk. 
 On his application for it, I demurred until he 
 withdrew all his opposition to the widow's leav- 
 ing, and was willing to grant anything on the 
 island we wished. He was a dear lover of " the 
 ardent." 
 
 Everything now went on smoothly, and in a 
 few days we were ready for sea ; but adverse 
 winds detained us, and I seized the opportunity 
 to take a stroll over the island with the Doctor 
 and Superintendent. It was totally bare of trees 
 and shrubs, and with little or no game but foxes. 
 The whole value and importance of the Aleutian 
 group consist in the sea animals taken on their 
 shores and bays, such as fur-seals, walruses, sea- 
 lions, and sea-otter ; though of the latter there 
 
70 
 
 were few. This is likewise the principal depot 
 of the fisheries of the smaller islands, and from 
 here the furs are periodically shipped to Ochotsk. 
 In the course of our ramble we ascended some 
 high table-land with the hope of obtaining a 
 view of the new island, which we were informed 
 had recently made its appearance in the Sea of 
 Kamtchatka, to the northwest of Oonalashka ; 
 but we were disappointed by a thick mist's setting 
 in, which obscured all distant objects. After 
 wandering about in the numerous fox-paths, and 
 with great caution, to avoid the many traps 
 set for those animals, we returned to the village, 
 somewhat hungry and leg-weary, and with but 
 little satisfaction to boast of, beyond traversing 
 a region rendered classic by the verse of Camp- 
 bell, in the " Pleasures of Hope " : 
 
 " Now far he sweeps, where scarce a summer smiles, 
 On Behring's rocks, or Greenland's naked isles ; 
 Cold on his midnight watch the breezes blow, 
 From wastes that slumber in eternal snow ; 
 And waft, across the waves' tumultuous roar, 
 The wolf's long howl from Oonalashka's shore." 
 
 But, in fact, I was the only Wolf ever known 
 upon the island. Nevertheless, I came near ver- 
 ifying the poet's language, as I barely escaped 
 being caught in one of those fox-traps ; in which 
 
71 
 
 event I should have probably howled lustily, for 
 they were terrible instruments. 
 
 August 16th, the wind and weather being fa- 
 vorable, Madame Lariwanoff, her daughter, and 
 man-servant, came on board, and we put to sea ; 
 and I have every reason to believe with the fer- 
 vent prayers of every individual upon the island 
 for God's blessing upon their patroness, and good 
 speed to our little craft. The next day we saw 
 the new island, to which I was desirous to get 
 near enough to send a baidarka, particularly as 
 the Doctor was anxious to get some specimens 
 of natural history ; but a thick fog coming up, 
 and having a leading wind, we concluded to con- 
 tinue our voyage without loss of time. On the 
 18th we lost sight of the islands, and, with a light 
 wind and rain, slowly pursued our course to the 
 westward, across the Sea of Kamtchatka, to the 
 north of the Aleutian group ; but such was our 
 tardy progress, that by the 28th we had only 
 reached the neighborhood of Atter, the most 
 western island. Then for ten days in succes- 
 sion we had calms, fogs, and light adverse winds. 
 Our patience was sorely tried, but the monotony 
 of our life was alleviated by the numerous and 
 great variety of sea-birds, which were constantly 
 flying round us, and furnished endless sport with 
 
72 
 
 the musket. And here I feel bound to record 
 the marvellous skill, or good luck, of the Doctor, 
 as he killed a whole flock of four wild geese at 
 one shot ; and, what was still better, we got out 
 our baidarka, and took them all aboard. 
 
 Still creeping along with the same dull winds 
 and disagreeable weather, on the 3d of Septem- 
 ber we found ourselves in latitude 52 north, and 
 longitude 170 east, which placed us a considera- 
 ble distance southwest of Atter. We began to 
 entertain fears lest we should not reach the port 
 of our destination in season ; but on the 6th, for 
 the first time since leaving Oonalashka, we took 
 a strong northeast gale, which carried us into the 
 vicinity of the Kurile Islands. Our hopes began 
 to revive, and the prospect of reaching Ochotsk 
 to brighten; but again were we doomed to dis- 
 appointment. A severe blow from the southeast 
 obliged us to heave to, with a heavy sea run- 
 ning; and we drifted back over the course we 
 had just sailed, at the rate of two miles an hour. 
 A considerable quantity of the provisions for the 
 sailors consisted of whale's blubber, which was 
 hanging on our quarter, and was of course well 
 soaked with oil. This we found to be a great 
 advantage, for it made a " slick " to the windward 
 for nearly a mile, and prevented the sea from 
 breaking over us. 
 
73 
 
 Strong westerly winds continued to baffle us 
 until the 14th, when, having no hope of reaching 
 Ochotsk before the autumn was so far spent that 
 we should be obliged to make a winter's journey 
 across Siberia, we concluded to alter our course, 
 and sail for the harbor of St. Peter and St. Paul, 
 or Petropowlowsk, in Kamtchatka. We made 
 port on the 22d, and anchored abreast the village. 
 We were kindly and hospitably received by the 
 Company's Superintendent, as well as by the 
 officers of the military department, and especially 
 by Major Antony Ivanah and lady, who showed 
 me many civilities. Madam Lariwanoff and 
 daughter were taken in charge by the Superin- 
 tendent, and provided with comfortable quarters. 
 The Doctor and myself at once took temporary 
 lodgings on the shore, until we could make per- 
 manent arrangements for the winter. Having 
 discharged all the cargo, and dismantled our lit- 
 tle craft, we hauled her up on the beach at the 
 first spring tide. Provisions and accommodations 
 were provided at the settlement for the crew as 
 well as ourselves ; and in fact the people seemed 
 desirous to do everything in their power to 
 render our stay amongst them as comfortable 
 and agreeable as the nature of the place would 
 admit. 
 
 10 
 
VI. 
 
 SETTLED FOR ANOTHER WINTER. ARRIVAL OF OLD FRIENDS. DOGS 
 AND SLEDGING. A RUSSIAN CHRISTENING. 
 
 DETAINED for another winter, we endeavored 
 at once to make the acquaintance of the in- 
 habitants of the village, and to become familiar 
 with the country in its vicinity. We were in- 
 troduced to all the people of note, and kindly 
 entertained by them. We made pedestrian ex- 
 cursions for several miles in every direction, and 
 visited all the common places of resort. The 
 scenery was picturesque, and the view from the 
 elevations was beautiful and grand. The Awats- 
 ka Bay, or outer harbor, as it is called, is com- 
 pletely land-locked, and at the same time so 
 extensive, that a thousand ships might ride at 
 anchor in it with safety. The distant mountains, 
 and particularly the high peak Awatska, add 
 greatly to the landscape. The latter presents 
 the imposing spectacle of a volcano in full blast, 
 always overhung with a cloud of smoke, and 
 constantly belching fire and lava. 
 
75 
 
 We had only one source of annoyance at the 
 village during the early part of our stay, and 
 we soon became well used to that. I refer to 
 the barking of the numerous dogs, though it can 
 scarcely be called barking, for they howl like 
 a wolf. At sunset regularly they would begin 
 their serenade at one end of the settlement, 
 which, by the way, extended all round the har- 
 bor, and in the course of half an hour all the 
 voices would join in the chorus, and keep it 
 up all night long. With this single temporary 
 drawback, we passed our time very pleasantly 
 until the first of November. By then we had 
 visited on foot all the places in the more im- 
 mediate neighborhood, and we concluded to make 
 a short boat excursion to a small river named 
 Paratunka, to see some warm springs situated 
 several miles from its mouth. This spring issues 
 from the ground in a boiling state, and spreads 
 out over a basin excavated for its reception. It 
 forms an excellent bathing-place, being of suit- 
 able depth, with a sandy bottom, and the bather 
 can choose any degree of warmth he pleases. 
 The water is impregnated with sulphur and other 
 minerals. We found here some Eussian invalids 
 who had come to enjoy the use of the spring. 
 All the rivers in the neighborhood abounded 
 
76 
 
 in salmon, though it was so late in the season ; 
 and we protracted our stay for a day or two, 
 hunting and fishing, and boiling our game in 
 the hot water of the spring. 
 
 On our return to the village we were surprised 
 to find one of our old Norfolk Sound friends, 
 Lieutenant Davidoff, who had arrived at the 
 harbor in command of the little new vessel built 
 at Sitcha, and called the Awos. He had left 
 the Sound in August, accompanied by the Juno, 
 under the command of Lieutenant Schwostofi^ 
 and having Baron von Kesanoff on board to 
 be carried to Ochotsk. He had parted with 
 them off the Kurile Islands. About the middle 
 of November Lieutenant Schwostoff made his 
 appearance with the Juno. After landing his 
 Excellency about Ochotsk, he received orders to 
 proceed to one of the southernmost of the Kurile 
 Islands, and break up a Japanese settlement re- 
 ported to have been established there. He found 
 at the place four Japanese, with a large stock of 
 goods for trade with the islanders, consisting of 
 rice, tobacco, fish-nets, lacquered ware, salt, cot- 
 ton, silk, and many other articles ; all of which 
 he seized without opposition, and brought Japan- 
 ese, goods, and all to Kamtchatka. Thus we met 
 our old friends in a very unexpected manner. 
 
77 
 
 As we were doomejl to pass another winter in 
 this region, their company was very pleasant, 
 and to have the Juno in sight again was espe- 
 cially agreeable to me. 
 
 I now took lodgings in a shanty owned and 
 occupied by a very clever old man, named Andra, 
 and his wife and little boy. I called him in a 
 familiar way Starruk, that is old man, and his 
 wife Starruke, old woman. He was quite thrifty 
 for the place, and was one of the few in the vil- 
 lage who owned and kept a cow. This was a 
 fortunate circumstance, for good milk was a rarity 
 in that section. His shanty was warm and com- 
 fortable, and was divided into three apartments. 
 In one corner of the largest they made a bunk 
 for me, and curtained it round. My man Parker 
 slept in the same room on a movable bed. In 
 the next room, which was the cooking-room, 
 there was a large brick oven, or furnace, and 
 on the top of this slept Starruk, his wife, and 
 little boy. The third apartment was devoted to 
 the cow and her fodder. At this place I took my 
 meals at night and morning, but dined by gen- 
 eral invitation at the Company's table, at the 
 house of the Superintendent. Comfortably set- 
 tled in my new quarters, I prepared for a long 
 winter's siege. 
 
78 
 
 It was necessary to be provided with a set of 
 good dogs and a sledge. With the assistance of 
 Starruk I was soon possessed of five of the best 
 animals of the kind, and had them tied up near 
 the house, that they might get accustomed to 
 me, and be ready for use. In the spring of the 
 year the dogs are turned loose, and left to pro- 
 vide for themselves, in the best way they can. 
 Hence they are great thieves until the herring 
 season comes, when they have an abundant sup- 
 ply of food, which they go into the water and 
 catch for themselves, until they become very fat, 
 and unfit for use. At that season, too, great quan- 
 tities of the herring are caught by the owners 
 of the dogs, and split and dried in the sun, to 
 feed them in the winter, when they give them 
 nothing else. 
 
 I also purchased a first-rate sledge, at once 
 light and handsome, fur garments, Kamtchatka 
 boots, bear-skin, and everything needed to make 
 my equipage complete ; and, now fully prepared, 
 I waited impatiently for the snow. There had 
 been already several squalls, but about the last 
 of November the ground was well covered and 
 the winter set in. My dogs were in good trav- 
 elling condition, and I now made my first essay, 
 with three of them to begin with. The style in 
 
79 
 
 which they tumbled me about in the snow was 
 " a caution/' as Paddy says, and furnished great 
 amusement to the villagers. But I persevered, 
 with a determination to make myself master 
 of the business, and at the end of a week was 
 quite an adroit performer. The sledges were 
 so constructed, that it required nearly as much 
 skill and practice to keep in equilibrium as in 
 skating ; but when well understood, they afforded 
 a most splendid recreation and agreeable exercise. 
 Being soon able to harness and manage my five 
 dogs with dexterity, we used frequently to make 
 a party, consisting of Langsdorff, Schwostoff, Da- 
 vidofF, and Miasnikoff, and go out on excursions 
 to the neighboring villages, from ten to twenty 
 miles distant. When the weather was unfavor- 
 able, we had balls and parties ; and in this way 
 the weeks and months of the long winter passed 
 off quite cheerfully. 
 
 About the 1st of January, 1807, the Governor- 
 General, Koscheleff, who resides at Nischney, 
 which is the capital of Kamtchatka, made his 
 annual visit of inspection to all the military posts 
 on the peninsula. His entrance into Petropow- 
 lowsk with a long handsome sledge, a Kamtcha- 
 dale on each side, as conductors, and a string of 
 twenty dogs, was quite a new and pleasing sight 
 
80 
 
 to me. During his stay of five days, we had 
 royal feastings and visitings ; and when he left, 
 half the village accompanied him to the distance 
 of ten or fifteen miles, myself among the num- 
 ber. We made a string nearly a mile long. 
 
 The sledging in Kamtchatka is not without 
 some adverse casualties to the best of managers. 
 One occurred to me which I will narrate. I was 
 coming from Melka, an interior village, with a 
 load of frozen salmon, in company with my land- 
 lord, Starruk, and, my dogs being better than his, 
 I got several miles ahead of him. The snow was 
 deep, but the top was crusted, and the under- 
 brush all covered. The surface was perfectly 
 smooth, but interrupted by numerous large trees ; 
 and to avoid them our track was serpentine. At 
 last we came to an inclined plane of a mile or so 
 in length, and, my sledge being heavily laden, it 
 became necessary for me to be constantly on my 
 guard, and keep a sharp lookout. Accordingly 
 I took the usual preliminary precaution in such 
 cases, of sitting sideways, with the left hand hold 
 of the fore part, left foot on the runner, and my 
 right leg extended ; my foot, slipping over the 
 snow, operated as a sort of an outrigger. The 
 dogs at the same time, fearful lest the sledge 
 should run on to them, went down the declivity 
 
81 
 
 like lightning. The trees seemed to grow thicker 
 and thicker, and to avoid them it soon became 
 hard up and hard down with me. At last, coming 
 to a sharp curve to the right, the sledge, sheering 
 to the other side, struck with such force as to 
 scatter my whole establishment, and I received 
 such a blow on the head that it stunned me, and 
 laid me out on the snow unconscious. When 
 I came to a little, and looked up, I saw my sledge 
 was partly a wreck, four of my dogs had broken 
 from their harness and gone on, while one, left 
 fast in his gear, was sitting on his haunches, and 
 watching me with wonder, as much as if to say, 
 " How came you here ? " It was not long before 
 Starruk came up. He asked me what was the 
 matter. I replied, that some one in passing had 
 run foul of me. " No," said he, " I guess you run 
 foul of that tree " ; which, on collecting my scat- 
 tered thoughts, I found to be the fact. But as 
 there were no bones broken, I brightened up, 
 and, with the old man's assistance, caught my 
 dogs again, repaired damages, and pursued my 
 journey, not a little worse for my tumble. 
 
 I will mention another circumstance which 
 occurred to me, not that there was anything 
 extraordinary in it, but merely to show the sa- 
 gacity of dogs, and the convenience of travelling 
 11 
 
82 
 
 with them. I was coming from a village about 
 ten miles distant. It was dusk when I started, 
 and night soon closed in with Egyptian darkness 
 and an arctic snow-storm. I could not see even 
 my dogs. The new snow soon covered and oblit- 
 erated the old track. It was difficult to tell 
 whether I was going ahead or standing still, 
 without putting my foot through the new-fallen 
 snow down to the old crust. In this way I went 
 on for an hour or so, the dogs making very slow 
 progress, and very hard work of it. Not being 
 able to see anything, I somehow or other be- 
 came persuaded that the dogs had inclined to 
 the left of the beaten track, and consequently I 
 kept urging them to the right. Thus I went on 
 for some time, until I found myself in a forest of 
 large trees, and had much difficulty in keeping 
 clear of them. At last I became decidedly be- 
 wildered, but convinced that I had lost my way. 
 Not knowing whither I was going, and fearing 
 that I might wander, the Lord knew where, dur- 
 ing the long night, I concluded to halt, and make 
 my dogs fast to a tree. I then sat awhile on my 
 sledge, and listened, to see if I could hear any- 
 body, and finally prepared my bear-skin and fur 
 garments for a night's bivouac. I had not lain 
 more than an hour before I heard the howling of 
 
83 
 
 dogs ; my own immediately answered them. I 
 found they were approaching, and when I judged 
 them to be within hailing distance, I called out. 
 A man called out in return, and soon drove up. 
 It was a Kamtchadale coming from Petropow- 
 lowsk. It appeared that I had urged the dogs 
 a considerable distance from the proper track, 
 which, with the new-comer's assistance, I regained. 
 He told me not to attempt to guide the dogs, but 
 to let them pick their own way. I accordingly 
 sat on my sledge for an hour or so, scarcely real- 
 izing that I was moving, till at last I turned my 
 eyes up, and found myself right under the light 
 of my own window. 
 
 These little mishaps occurred while I was yet 
 a novice in the art of sledging ; but I soon be- 
 came acquainted with the habits and dispositions 
 of my dogs, and they became accustomed to me, 
 so that I travelled fearlessly, alone or in com- 
 pany, and made excursions to all the villages in 
 the southern part of the peninsula within a hun- 
 dred miles of Petropowlowsk. While I was amus- 
 ing myself in the southern, the Doctor was trav- 
 ersing the northern part of Kamtchatka all by 
 himself, and collecting specimens of natural his- 
 tory. 
 
 I was always an admirer of the rigid adherence 
 
84 
 
 of the Russians to their religious forms and cere- 
 monies. I never saw a Russian, high' or low, 
 who did not, both before and after eating, ask a 
 blessing, and give thanks to God for his bounty, 
 apparently with a sincere and thankful heart. 
 Yet there are some things very absurd in their 
 ceremonies. For instance, I was invited to the 
 christening of a child at the house of the Super- 
 intendent, and requested to stand as godfather 
 with Dr. LangsdorfF, as it was necessary, I was 
 told, to have two godfathers and two godmothers. 
 At the appointed time we repaired to the house, 
 where we found the pope and numerous guests 
 already assembled. The pope had brought with 
 him a small box, resembling a tea-caddy, con- 
 taining, as was said, consecrated oil. A large tub 
 full of water was placed in the centre of the 
 room, and the pope's apparatus near at hand. 
 He then commenced the operation with prayers, 
 after which, he took the child in his arms and 
 plunged it under the water. Then, with a small 
 brush and some oil from the box, he crossed the 
 child all over its body and legs, and afterwards 
 marched round the tub, and we, the godfathers 
 and godmothers, followed, in Indian file, three 
 times round. The child was then given to one 
 of the godfathers, crossed again, and round the 
 
85 
 
 tub we went three times more. And so it con- 
 tinued until we all had taken our turns, and 
 made fifteen circuits of the tub. Now I thought 
 this, or the greater part of it, a nonsensical cer- 
 emony, and a piece of rigmarole ; but it was not 
 my part to find fault or object to it, and I will- 
 ingly conformed to the custom. 
 
 When it was over, the tub taken away, and a 
 table put in its place, madam, the mother of the 
 child, brought on the goodies, pies of flesh and 
 pies of fish, cakes of various kinds, preserved 
 berries, and many other things ; but what as- 
 tounded me most was that a bottle of real ardent 
 spirits found its way to the table on this extra 
 occasion, an article which had disappeared from 
 among our stores several months previous. The 
 pope paid his respects to it with peculiar unction, 
 and a glowing countenance, and the rest of us 
 were not slow in following suit. This was one 
 of the friendly gatherings to which I made it a 
 point never to refuse an invitation ; and I found 
 the Kussians were very fond of celebrating birth- 
 days, christenings, and as many holidays as they 
 could make an excuse for. 
 
VII. 
 
 VOYAGE TO OCHOTSK. JOURNEY FROM OCHOTSK TO YAKUTSK. 
 
 ABOUT the last of March the snow began to 
 disappear rapidly, and by the middle of April 
 the ground was so bare that our sledging par- 
 ties were abandoned. The ice had left the 
 bay, and all hands were at work, under the 
 directions of Lieut. Schwostoff and Davidofi^ 
 sawing and breaking up the ice in the inner 
 harbor, in order to extricate the Juno and 
 Awos, which had been preparing to sail for 
 some time. By the 25th the channel was 
 cleared, and the two vessels put to sea, with 
 the four Japanese who had passed the winter 
 with us. Their destination was the northern 
 Japanese Islands, where they intended to land 
 their passengers, and make some further at- 
 tempts to establish an intercourse with the 
 people. 
 
 By this movement I was prompted to get 
 my little craft afloat and prepare for the re- 
 
87 
 
 mainder of my voyage. I was admonished, by 
 those acquainted with the breaking up of the 
 ice in the rivers at the head of the Ochotsk 
 Sea, not to be in a hurry; but my anx- 
 iety to be off rendered me deaf to all remon- 
 strances ; and on the 22d of May I was ready. 
 At this point I was beset by a number of 
 persons, both male and female, for a passage to 
 Ochotsk. I concluded to take five in addition 
 to Madam Lariwanoff and daughter, viz. one 
 elderly widow woman, one old woman and 
 her daughter, one very respectable young man 
 in the Company's service, and one other gen- 
 tleman. Our party now numbered eighteen. 
 We were tolerably well equipped, and had an 
 abundant supply of such provisions as the 
 place afforded. When our arrangements were 
 all completed, Doctor Langsdorff and myself 
 devoted a day to taking leave of the many 
 friends who had entertained us during the 
 winter; and I particularly of my old landlord 
 and landlady, Starruk and Starruke. To the 
 former I paid what he thought a very liberal 
 compensation for the apartment I had occu- 
 pied at his house. I also made him a present 
 of my sledge, its equipage, and my dogs, with 
 the exception of one, which I took with me. 
 
88 
 
 To Starruke I gave my bedding, curtains, and 
 furniture. I then bade good by to these warm- 
 hearted people, and left them with their warm- 
 est prayers for a prosperous voyage. Our pas- 
 sengers now came on board, and, after making 
 the best accommodations for them our contracted 
 quarters would admit, on the 26th, with fair 
 weather, we bade adieu to Petropowlowsk, and 
 weighed anchor. 
 
 Favorable winds continued just long enough 
 to give us a good offing, when they became 
 light and adverse, with calms, and so continued 
 for several days. On the 30th, having just 
 taken a brisk breeze, which was driving us 
 along, for a wonder, at nearly five knots, we 
 ran into a large whale which was lying near 
 the surface. We somehow slid up on his back 
 so as to raise our little vessel two or three 
 feet and throw her over on her side four or 
 five streaks. It was like striking a rock, and 
 brought us to a complete stand-still. The 
 monster soon showed himself, gave a spout, 
 66 kicked " his flukes and went down. He did not 
 appear to be hurt, nor were we hurt, but most 
 confoundedly frightened. I sounded the pump 
 immediately, and found that all was safe as to 
 leakage, and we continued on our course quite 
 satisfied with the result. 
 
89 
 
 June 3d, we passed through between the second 
 and third Kurile Islands from the southern part 
 of Kamtchatka, and entered the Sea of Ochotsk. 
 Here again we were annoyed by the calms, 
 which continued with but little variance until 
 the 14th, when we had reached latitude 58. 
 We now began to meet ice, at first so scattered 
 that we thought it possible to push through it ; 
 but after working in amongst it for a few hours, 
 it became so compact as to be impassable, and 
 extended east, west, and north as far as the eye 
 could reach, even from the masthead a solid 
 mass. Finding it impossible to proceed any far- 
 ther, and as the ice was closing rapidly around 
 us, I deemed it advisable to avail myself of that 
 better part of valor, discretion, and pole out as 
 we had poled in ; for I had soon discovered that 
 our little craft was too slight to deal freely with 
 heavy ice. Having gained the open water, I 
 steered to the eastward all day without finding 
 any passage-way. The wind proving unfavorable 
 for sailing in that direction, we turned and went 
 westward. Thus we continued for ten days, 
 making various attempts to get clear of the ice, 
 and at last succeeded. On the 26th, at merid- 
 ian, we found our latitude 59 20', and the land 
 was in sight. On the 27th, we anchored off the 
 
 12 
 
90 
 
 mouth of the river Ochota. At 2 P. M., the tide 
 turned, and we crossed the bar, entered the har- 
 bor of Ochotsk, and made fast to the Company's 
 wharf. Thus terminated a long and tedious pas- 
 sage of thirty-three days. 
 
 We were told here that the ice had only left 
 the rivers and bays four or five days. We were 
 likewise informed, to our great grief, that his 
 Excellency Baron von Eesanoff had died at 
 Krasnojarsk in Siberia, on his route to St. Peters- 
 burg. He had fallen from his horse on the road 
 from Ochotsk to Yakutsk, which was supposed 
 to be the cause of his death. The passport and 
 letters I had previously received from his Excel- 
 lency at once made me acquainted with the 
 Company's Superintendent, Mr. Petroff; like- 
 wise with the commandant of the port, Captain 
 Bucharin. By both these gentlemen I was 
 treated with the utmost kindness and civility ; 
 and, knowing my desire to be on my way to 
 St. Petersburg, they were both anxious to afford 
 me every facility in their power. A taboo was 
 immediately put upon a sufficient number of 
 the first horses that arrived from Yakutsk. 
 With the greatest possible despatch, it was 
 necessary to wait a few days, and in the mean 
 time I was taken round the place to see the 
 
91 
 
 lions. They did not amount to much. The 
 town was situated on a sand spit, washed by 
 the sea on one side and the river Ochota on 
 the other. The river Kuchtin unites with the 
 Ochota near the harbor's mouth, which, at the 
 best, is an indifferent one, and not accessible to 
 vessels drawing more than eight feet of water. 
 The town is joined to the mainland by a narrow 
 neck of marshy ground, which is often inun- 
 dated. In fact, it appeared to me that any extra 
 rise of the river or sea would swamp the whole 
 place. Some ship-building was going on here, 
 and many convicts were employed in the gov- 
 ernment service. 
 
 For my convenience, the privilege was ac- 
 corded to me by the Company of selecting a 
 Kussian subject to accompany me on my road, 
 as a kind of an assistant. A young man by 
 the name of Kutsnetsoff, or Smith, was pointed 
 out as one desirous of going with me, but the 
 Superintendent did not feel authorized to re- 
 lease him from the service, unless I should think 
 proper to select him, and I accordingly did so. 
 He had been ten years at the settlements on 
 the Aleutian Islands, and was anxious to return 
 to Irkutsk, his native place. He had a brother 
 in Moscow, a merchant of high standing, who 
 
92 
 
 was at the head of the Company's establish- 
 ment there. 
 
 On the morning of July 3d, my horses, eleven 
 in number, were brought out. They did not 
 look very promising, as they had been over- 
 worked on the route hither. This was rather 
 discouraging, for it was important that they 
 should be in a good condition for a journey of 
 500 miles, through a country with no signs of 
 a settlement except a few log shanties at great 
 distances asunder, and no road but a serpentine 
 footpath ; moreover, we had a fair amount of 
 luggage, and for comfort and convenience we 
 were obliged to carry a tent, cooking-utensils, 
 and bear-skins, &c. for bedding. Bad as they 
 were, these horses were better than none, and 
 I must make the best of them. 
 
 Having completed my preparations, I took 
 leave of my highly esteemed friend, Dr. Langs- 
 dorff, who intended to remain a week or so for 
 the promotion of his favorite object ; also of 
 Madam Lariwanoff and her daughter, my other 
 passengers, and sailors, particularly of the three 
 Alashka Indians, who had proved themselves 
 excellent men, and rendered me good service. 
 They fell upon their knees and entreated me to 
 take them with me. As this was impracticable, 
 
93 
 
 I could only make them a gratuity in rubles, 
 and recommend them to the kindness of Mr. 
 Petroff, in whose employ and charge they were. 
 Having finished our leave-takings, we mounted 
 our horses. There were five of us, myself 
 and two aids, Parker and KutsnetsofF, and two 
 Yakutas, the owners of the horses, and acting 
 as guides. Three of the other six horses car- 
 ried our luggage, and the remaining three were 
 kept in reserve for a change on the road. Dr. 
 Langsdorfi^ the Superintendent, Captain Bucha- 
 rin, and other friends, accompanied us to the 
 outskirts of the town to take another and a 
 final farewell, and we then put spurs to our 
 horses, and struck into the woods. We went on 
 at quite a spirited pace until five o'clock, when 
 we arrived at a small clearing called Medwe- 
 scha Golowa, or Bear's Head, where there were 
 a few huts. Here we dismounted to lunch, and 
 rest our horses for half an hour; and then re- 
 sumed our journey. At seven in the evening 
 we pitched our tent, and camped for the night, 
 in a good place for our horses to graze. As 
 we carried no provender, this was a matter of 
 great importance throughout our whole jour- 
 ney. We turned our beasts loose, and the 
 Yakutschians watched them by turns through 
 
94 
 
 the night. The distance we travelled this day 
 since eleven o'clock was 45 versts.* 
 
 Ochotsk is situated in latitude 59 30', and 
 Yakutsk in about 63. The direction of our 
 course was west-northwest and the distance in 
 a bee-line 500 miles; but by reason of the 
 tortuous nature of the route we were obliged 
 to pursue, the distance was much increased. 
 In such an extent of wild country there were 
 doubtless many objects that would have at- 
 tracted the attention of the man of science; 
 but being myself neither naturalist, botanist, nor 
 geologist, I had no call to search to the right 
 or to the left for specimens. My business was 
 to push on as fast as my horses could carry 
 me, having an especial regard for my bills of 
 exchange. I paid but little attention to the 
 names of the numerous small rivers and moun- 
 tains which we crossed, merely noticing some of 
 the principal. To me the country wore even 
 a greater degree of sameness than other unset- 
 tled regions. 
 
 July 4th. We collected our horses and struck 
 our tent at 7 A. M., mounted, and continued 
 our journey. Several large caravans of horses 
 
 * A verstis 212^ rods, or, roughly, five eighths of a mile. 
 
95 
 
 passed us in the forenoon, laden with flour and 
 provisions for Ochotsk. In the afternoon, we 
 crossed a ridge of tolerably high mountains, and 
 then came upon swampy ground. At five 
 o'clock we reached a small river ; but it was so 
 deep we were obliged to ferry our luggage over 
 in a boat, and swim our horses. We went on 
 until eight in the evening, when we encamped. 
 The distance travelled this day was 47 versts. 
 
 July 5th. We had a thick fog and rain 
 through the night. It cleared up in the morn- 
 ing, and we mounted at seven, and continued 
 our journey through valleys and over moun- 
 tains, with extremely bad travelling, the whole 
 day. The weather growing hot, we were sorely 
 annoyed by the mosquitos, and were obliged to 
 wear leather gloves and a kind of hood in the 
 shape of a sun-bonnet, with a gauze veil to protect 
 the face. Our white horses became perfectly pink 
 with the blood drawn from them by these insects. 
 We pitched our tents at six in the evening. 
 The distance travelled this day was 55 versts. 
 
 July 6th. Started at seven, and had pleas- 
 ant, but rather warm weather. In the course 
 of the day we forded several small rivers with- 
 out unpacking our horses, and passed four cara- 
 vans with stores for Ochotsk. At five in the 
 
96 
 
 afternoon we came to a small group of shanties 
 where was kept a magazine of provisions and 
 a stud of horses for government emergencies. 
 This place was 190 versts from Ochotsk. Taking 
 tea here, we proceeded until seven o'clock, and 
 then encamped in a tolerably good grazing-place. 
 The distance travelled this day was 55 versts. 
 
 July 7th. Started this morning at six. The 
 travelling was extremely bad, and the ground 
 swampy ; the horses sank in the mire up to their 
 saddle-girths. By noon we came to better going. 
 Passed to-day, beside caravans, several droves 
 of cattle on the way to Ochotsk. Distance, 60 
 versts. 
 
 July 8th. Fine weather, but the travelling 
 very poor again. At ten in the morning arrived 
 at the banks of the river Allacjun, one of the 
 largest tributaries of the Aldan. We ferried our 
 baggage across, and swam our horses. At three 
 in the afternoon we halted and turned our 
 beasts out to graze. Owing to the uneven and 
 miry road they had passed over, they were 
 very much fatigued and galled. Distance this 
 day, 40 versts. 
 
 July 9th. Started at six in the morning. 
 Passed several caravans, and at five in the after- 
 noon met the government post for Ochotsk. At 
 
97 
 
 nine, pitched our tent on the bank of a small 
 tributary of the Allacjun. Distance this day, 65 
 versts. 
 
 July 10th. Kained all the fore part of the 
 day. Our route was through a gorge between 
 high ridges of mountains. Distance travelled, 
 50 versts. 
 
 July llth. The weather was pleasant and 
 warm, the country rugged and mountainous. At 
 four in the afternoon we came to the foot of 
 a high and steep mountain, and halted to make 
 preparations for the ascent. Our horses had 
 already become so weak and travel-worn, that 
 it was doubtful whether they would succeed in 
 crossing it. My Yakutschian guides lifted their 
 tails to ascertain their strength. On those that 
 had limber tails the weight of the baggage was 
 reduced, and increased on those that had stiff 
 tails. I noticed them also pulling hair from the 
 manes, and tying it to the branches of trees ; 
 whether this was done to invoke the good, or 
 propitiate the evil spirits, I could not make out. 
 After they had adjusted things to suit them, we 
 took off our coats, and started, leading our 
 beasts. The ground was so very springy that 
 it was with great difficulty that we could pick 
 our way. Two of the baggage horses mired 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 before we reached the top, and we were obliged 
 to unload in order to extricate them. We final- 
 ly gained the summit, which after all was 
 not so very high, and, having rested a little, 
 descended. Continuing our course through a 
 narrow valley, at 6 P. M. we crossed the river 
 Allakum, and stopped at a small cluster of 
 shanties on its left bank. There was a ferry 
 for bipeds, but such of the poor horses as were 
 able were obliged to swim. The stream was 
 so rapid, that mine had a hard tug to get across. 
 Distance this day, 50 versts. 
 
 It was necessary to make a halt soon for a 
 day or two to recruit, and this was a favorable 
 place. The government had a station and pos- 
 tilion here. Four of my horses were completely 
 broken down, and I left them, and hired six 
 fresh ones. We also replenished our stock of 
 provisions. 
 
 July 14th. Mounted at 5 A. M., and passed 
 over a very high mountain, and descended into a 
 narrow, serpentine valley, in which we travelled 
 the better part of the day. We passed several 
 caravans and droves of beef cattle. Distance, 55 
 versts. 
 
 July 15th. Our route this day over boggy 
 ground again, and the travelling was therefore 
 
99 
 
 as poor as ever. Our horses' backs were very 
 sore, and they were all nearly exhausted. We 
 pitched our tent early in the afternoon at a good 
 grazing-place, to give them a little rest. Dis- 
 tance, 40 versts. 
 
 July 16th. The weather this day was warm 
 and pleasant, and road not so mountainous as it 
 had been. At 5 P. M., one of our horses gave 
 out, and we left him. Continuing on until seven, 
 we pitched our tent on the banks of the White 
 River. Distance, 50 versts. 
 
 July 17th. At 6 A. M. we mustered to- 
 gether our horses, and found that four were 
 missing. We spent half the day in a fruitless 
 search for them, and then concluded that they 
 were either killed or frightened away by the 
 bears, which are very plentiful in this region. 
 We pursued our journey, much of the way 
 through mud and water up to the saddle-girths. 
 Distance, 30 versts. 
 
 July 18th. Struck our tent at 7 A. M., and 
 at nine crossed the White River. All the early 
 part of the day, until within twenty versts of 
 the Aldan, we found the road very good. Here 
 we saw before us an extensive morass, to avoid 
 which it would be necessary to go the distance of 
 thirty versts. This morass was about a quarter 
 
100 
 
 of a mile in breadth, and partially covered with 
 water, interspersed with little grass knolls, which 
 were soft and unsteady. Disagreeable as the 
 prospect was, we concluded to go straight across. 
 We accordingly fastened on the baggage tighter, 
 stripped off all our clothes but shirt and pants, 
 and secured them to the saddles, and started, 
 leading our horses, each one picking out the 
 way for himself. In about half an hour we suc- 
 ceeded in flouncing through without accident ; 
 but it was a tiresome job, and we got well plas- 
 tered with mud. Putting ourselves and luggage 
 in order, we proceeded until 10 P. M., when we 
 reached the government station on the right 
 bank of the Aldan, having left two of our horses 
 on the road exhausted. 
 
 We had now reached the principal station on 
 the route, which was about two thirds the dis- 
 tance to Yakutsk ; and I determined to halt for 
 a day or two to recruit, after passing fifteen in 
 the saddle. At first I was quite pleased with 
 the idea of this land excursion, but I found in a 
 very little while that it was no joke. I was sore 
 all over, from head to foot. The clumsy saddles 
 we rode upon were anything but convenient. 
 The pommels were of wood and raised about 
 six inches, and in the hollow between sat the 
 
101 
 
 rider. There was just space enough for an 
 ordinary-sized man ; and being myself light 
 and spare of person, there was plenty of room 
 for me to shake in my seat. I soon hit upon 
 an expedient, however, to alleviate my suffer- 
 ing. I bolstered up with pillows, so that by 
 the fourth day my pains and aches subsid- 
 ed, and afterward I was tolerably comfortable. 
 Still the incessant torments of the mosquitos 
 and miry roads were hard to bear. I soon 
 grew sick of this horse-marine navigation, and 
 came to the conclusion that the spray of the 
 sea was far preferable to a mud bath. We 
 made up as well as we could for the annoyance 
 of bad roads, bogs, and small rivers, by taking 
 reasonable care of the inner man. I mentioned 
 before, that we took our cooking apparatus and 
 provisions with us. We had bread and sugar, 
 and the tea-kettle was in constant requisition 
 morning and evening. Sometimes at the shan- 
 ties on the route we obtained a little milk. 
 At noon we generally had a substantial lunch 
 of Bologna sausage or corned meat, and a glass 
 of schnapps. 
 
 Having rested and refreshed ourselves suffi- 
 ciently, I made an arrangement with the pos- 
 tilion of the station to take us through the 
 
102 
 
 remainder of the distance, as from here to the 
 banks of the Lena there were relays of horses 
 at points twenty-five or thirty versts asunder. 
 
 July 21st. Being all ready for a move, our 
 horses were gathered together at the river's 
 side. There was only one small boat belong- 
 ing to the place, in which we made out to 
 ferry ourselves and baggage over ; but the poor 
 horses were obliged to swim. Such was their 
 dislike to the water, that we were detained 
 half a day trying to force them in. At last 
 we succeeded, by taking two of them by the 
 halter, one on each side of the boat, and letting 
 the others, five in number, follow on their own 
 hook. The current was so rapid that they 
 swam the distance of two versts, when the 
 width of the stream at this point was only one, 
 before they reached the opposite shore. They 
 crawled up on the bank quite exhausted, and 
 we were obliged to remain awhile for them 
 to recover. At 2 P. M. we mounted and 
 pursued our journey. At eight in the evening 
 we pitched our tent at the first post-station 
 after leaving the Aldan. The distance travelled 
 was 35 versts. 
 
 July 22d. Changed horses and started at 6 
 A. M. The travelling was much improved, and 
 
103 
 
 at 5 P. M. we came to the second stand, on 
 the bank of the Anger, after a ride of 50 
 versts. We passed over this river in the usual 
 manner, and went on 25 versts more to the 
 third station, where we paused for the night, 
 quite satisfied with our day's progress. 
 
 July 23d. At 9 A. M. started with fresh 
 horses and continued on our route. The trav- 
 elling was still more improved, and the country 
 generally had a more agreeable appearance. 
 The high mountains had disappeared, and we 
 rode over level prairies, beautifully diversified 
 with grasses and a great variety and profusion 
 of flowers. Among the latter the red pink pre- 
 dominated, the odor of which scented the whole 
 atmosphere, and made the journey delightful. 
 At 1 P. M. we changed our horses at the 
 fourth station, and at six arrived at the fifth, 
 where we passed the night. Distance, 60 versts. 
 
 July 24th. We had pleasant weather, and 
 at 7 A. M. started on our route. At 8 P. M. 
 we arrived at the seventh station, where we 
 encamped for the night, and paid the pos- 
 tilion 35 rubles for the use of his horses, this 
 being the last station to which he had authority 
 to take us. Distance, 60 versts. 
 
 July 25th. At 7 A. M. we resumed our 
 
104 
 
 journey under the charge of another postilion. 
 Our horses, since leaving the Aldan, had gen- 
 erally been very good ; but this morning I found 
 myself on a splendid animal, of a cream color, 
 singularly and beautifully marked. A dark 
 brown stripe about a hand's breadth ran from 
 the crupper to the withers, and then spread 
 over the shoulders in a broad patch; his mane 
 and tail reached nearly to the ground. I could 
 see that he was well groomed and cared for, 
 but I was rather shy about mounting him at 
 first. I was assured, however, that he was well 
 broken and gentle, and I found him so. He 
 was certainly the most perfect creature of the 
 kind I ever rode or set eyes on. The plains 
 over which we travelled this day were dotted 
 over with innumerable cattle and horses graz- 
 ing. At 9 P. M. we arrived at the tenth 
 station and pitched our tent. Distance, 75 
 versts. 
 
 July 26th. At 7 A. M. we continued on our 
 route, and at 4 P. M. reached the right bank 
 of the river Lena, which I crossed, and was kind- 
 ly received and entertained at the Company's 
 establishment at Yakutsk. This town, the cap- 
 ital of the province of the same name, covers a 
 large space of ground. The houses were mostly 
 
105 
 
 of logs, but some were spacious and tolerably 
 handsome, and surrounded with large gardens. 
 The churches and other public buildings, with 
 their cupolas, made quite a conspicuous and pleas- 
 ing appearance as we approached the place, but 
 the streets were irregular, unpaved, and muddy. 
 The latitude of the town is 62 30' N. 
 
 The breadth of the Lena at Yakutsk is about 
 two miles. This magnificent river takes its rise 
 in the southern part of Siberia, in lat. 52. Its 
 general course is northeast, and it empties into 
 the Arctic Ocean in lat. 75. With its tributaries 
 it forms the principal channel for the discharge 
 of the great water-sheds of the eastern part of 
 the empire, and the thoroughfare of communica- 
 tion with the provinces of Ochotsk, Kamtchatka 
 and the Aleutian Islands. Down this stream ves- 
 sels carried the various articles needed in those 
 distant regions, such as bread-stuffs, liquors, and 
 manufactures, and brought up in return the furs 
 and other commodities which found a ready mar- 
 ket in China and Kussia. 
 
 14 
 
VIII. 
 
 YAKUTSK. DIFFERENT MODES OF TRAVELLING. VOYAGE UP THE 
 LENA. I ARRIVE AT IRKUTSK. 
 
 I DETERMINED to remain at Yakutsk a few days, 
 to look around and ascertain the best mode of 
 proceeding up the river to Irkutsk. The dis- 
 tance in a straight line was about 1500 miles, 
 but by following the stream it would be much 
 increased. There were post-stations the whole 
 way, mostly on the left bank, and at intervals of 
 twenty or thirty versts. At these horses were 
 kept by the government, and one mode of making 
 the proposed journey was in a small open boat, 
 which was towed by them after the manner of 
 a canal-boat, except that passengers changed 
 boats at every station. Another mode, and that 
 which I decided to adopt, was to hire a larger 
 craft, with mast and sails, and perform the whole 
 distance without changing ; but I was to have 
 the privilege of receiving assistance from the 
 horses whenever necessary, and for this purpose 
 I obtained an order from the government called 
 a deroshner or poderoshner. 
 
107 
 
 As soon as I had come to this conclusion, I 
 commenced a search for a suitable boat, and at 
 the same time I took the opportunity to look 
 round the town. Accompanied by one of the 
 gentlemen of the establishment, who devoted 
 himself to my service, I visited all the public 
 places, including the monastery, churches, and 
 forts. I also called on several families, and was 
 introduced as an American captain. Some of 
 them were very inquisitive, and anxious to know 
 where America was. It was a mystery to them 
 how I got there, if I did not come by the way of 
 St. Petersburg and Moscow. I explained as well 
 as I could without an interpreter, but after all 
 they appeared to be rather sceptical. The Com- 
 mandant, a cheerful and clever old man, was very 
 kind and obliging, and we exchanged several visits. 
 He asked for information with regard to our gov- 
 ernment and constitution, which I explained as 
 well as I could ; and as he understood no English 
 and I very little Euss, it is quite possible I was 
 taken for a very knowing chap. When I made 
 a call at any one's house, no matter what time 
 of day it was, if I stayed long enough for the tea- 
 kettle to boil (which, by the by, was almost al- 
 ways kept boiling), I was asked to take a cup of 
 tea, and it was considered almost an insult to 
 
108 
 
 refuse. The second cup was usually laced with 
 a little ardent spirits. This tea-drinking I found 
 to be the universal custom in Siberia. 
 
 The sables collected in the vicinity of Yakutsk 
 are the finest and most beautiful in the world, 
 and command a much higher price than those 
 from Kamtchatka. As I had already collected 
 a few skins as specimens, in my travels, I re- 
 quested the Superintendent of the Company's 
 establishment to supply me with a pair of the 
 very best this district produced, and he kindly 
 complied. They were certainly of great beauty, 
 very dark-colored and shiny, with very long and 
 thick-set fur. 
 
 I found a boat in a few days, belonging to a 
 couple of itinerant merchants, who had come 
 down in her from the head-waters of the river, 
 which I thought would answer my purpose. It 
 was quite a nice boat, of about twenty feet in 
 length ; a little aft the centre there was a small 
 round-house, with a sleeping-berth on each side. 
 It had a keel, but was of light draft. The mast 
 carried one large square sail ; and we could row 
 with two oars forward and two aft. I chartered 
 the boat for the passage, and was to deliver it up 
 to the merchants, or their agent, when we had 
 arrived at head-waters. One man who came 
 
109 
 
 down in it was to return with me, on condition 
 he worked his passage ; and I found that the 
 owners themselves desired to accompany us to 
 their home. I had no serious objection to this, 
 provided they supplied their own provisions ; 
 and, in fact, I thought it might be rather an ad- 
 vantage, as they were acquainted with the river. 
 I gave them to understand at the outset, how- 
 ever, that the cabin must be at my exclusive 
 disposal, and to this they readily agreed. I ac- 
 cordingly sent on board my goods and chattels, 
 cooking utensils, and provisions. The Command- 
 ant, at my request, very obligingly appointed a 
 Cossack to go with me, and a smart, energetic 
 little fellow he was. 
 
 Having made everything ready, I took leave 
 of my friends in Yakutsk, and assumed the 
 command of my little craft, on the morning of 
 the 30th of July, and thus commenced what 
 was to me an entirely new phase of navigation. 
 The wind being adverse, I had the horses 
 hitched on, and away we went. My crew con- 
 sisted of my man Parker, Kutsnetsoff, the Cos- 
 sack, the man who worked his passage, and 
 together with the two merchants and myself 
 made seven of us in all. My weapons of de- 
 fence (of which, by the way, there did not 
 
110 
 
 seem to be much need) consisted of a pair of 
 double-barrelled pistols with spring bayonets, 
 and a large broadsword, with a conspicuous 
 gilt hilt finished off with an eagle's head. 
 These implements looked dreadfully formidable 
 and warlike, and I deposited them in a con- 
 venient place in my cabin. I assigned to Parker, 
 Kutsnetsoff, and the Cossack the berth which I 
 did not use, and they were to turn in and 
 out by watches. The two merchants and the 
 other man were to select the best place to sleep 
 they could find elsewhere. With matters ar- 
 ranged in this way, we went on in good style, 
 the horses going most of the time at a gentle 
 trot. In the course of the day we passed two 
 post-stations. 
 
 On the morning of the second day, having 
 accomplished about 150 versts of my journey, 
 I stopped at a postrstation, where the official 
 appeared to be a much more wide-awake man 
 than any we had passed. I sent my deroshner 
 to be written on, and my Cossack ordered the 
 horses to be attached. This order not being 
 obeyed at once, I saw there was some difficulty, 
 and sent Kutsnetsoff to see what was the mat- 
 ter. On returning, he asked me to go into the 
 office myself. So, hauling up the collar of my 
 
Ill 
 
 shirt, and, assuming such an air of importance 
 as I thought the case might require, I went and 
 demanded the cause of my detention. " The 
 horses are all ready for you, Sir," said the pos- 
 tilion, "but those two merchants cannot go in 
 that boat. The government don't keep horses 
 to accommodate travelling traders. If they want 
 horses, they must pay for them." There was 
 no alternative, but that the fellows should leave 
 the boat ; and, to my surprise, they did it with- 
 out a word of objection. Perhaps they were 
 conscious that they had taken advantage of my 
 ignorance to get a passage home free of charge. 
 I was not sorry for their removal, although 
 they appeared to be good men; for one of 
 them was a constant singer of love-songs which 
 were all High Dutch to me, and from his prox- 
 imity to my quarters his well-intended music 
 became very annoying. This difficulty removed, 
 we proceeded again, under three horse-power. 
 By the time we reached the next station, the 
 wind became favorable, we hoisted our sail to 
 the breeze, and cast off from the horses. By 
 keeping near the shore, out of the main cur- 
 rent, we made better progress in this way than 
 we had done previously, and passed several sta- 
 tions without stopping. And so we went on by 
 
112 
 
 sail or by horse-power, according as the winds 
 were favorable or adverse. 
 
 August 6th, we reached Olakminsk, which is 
 about 600 versts from Yakutsk. By this time 
 I began to think the mode of travelling I had 
 chosen very pleasant. The season was delight- 
 ful, and the scenery as we passed along was 
 diversified with objects of sublimity and beauty. 
 At times we were moving through level country, 
 and at times among high mountains ; in some 
 places the river was contracted to a narrow span 
 by precipitous ranges of cliffs, and again its broad 
 expanse embraced many islands. To relieve the 
 monotony of the confinement on board my boat, 
 I occasionally rode on horseback from one station 
 to another, and found the change very agreeable. 
 The country in some places was thick-wooded, 
 chiefly with fir and birch ; in others, it was 
 clothed with shrubbery, and I noticed currant 
 and gooseberry bushes, and frequently alighted 
 to refresh myself with the fruit. We passed 
 a number of small clusters of shanties, inhabited 
 by Tunguscans, in the vicinity of which herds 
 of cattle were grazing. Near the houses were 
 domestic reindeer of a large size. The children 
 were playing about in little groups, and the 
 older ones were amusing the younger by hold- 
 
113 
 
 ing them on the backs of the deer, and teaching 
 them to ride, making quite a rural and domes- 
 tic scene. 
 
 We had at no time on our route any lack of 
 good milk, and once we had about a gallon of 
 rich cream given us. The idea struck me that 
 it might be converted into butter ; I therefore 
 had it put into a large pot, and with a kind 
 of pudding-stick sat down at my cabin door, 
 and as we were moving along began to stir it. 
 In the course of half an hour I produced a 
 lump of butter that would have put to shame 
 seven eighths of the dairy-maids in this country. 
 
 I had long since noticed the great deference 
 shown to the military in these parts, but I saw 
 it particularly illustrated by my Cossack, in ex- 
 erting his authority among the people at a post- 
 station. He was scolding them for their laziness 
 in hitching on the horses, and I could hear that 
 he was making a very great lion of me. " Start 
 quick, you rascals," said he, u we have got a 
 great American captain in the boat, going on 
 government business ! " And this seemed to 
 accelerate everything, even the horses, for they 
 travelled better after it. 
 
 On the 15th, we passed Witim, which is about 
 1,400 versts from Yakutsk. Here the favorable 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 winds, of which we had availed ourselves for 
 several days past, left us, and we took, as usual, 
 to horse-power. A short time after, we came 
 to a station of some ten or twelve houses, where 
 the inhabitants were in great perturbation on 
 account of the small-pox, which was raging 
 among them. Some had fled from the place, 
 and others would have gone had they not been 
 detained by their families. The disease existed 
 among them in all its stages, from the symptoms 
 to the full pox. I had had considerable experi- 
 ence with it, and thought I might mitigate the 
 suffering by inoculation. They were all desir- 
 ous that I should do so, and gathered anxiously 
 around me. I called for a needle and thread, 
 and selecting one of the subjects whose pox 
 was ripe, drew the thread through the pustules 
 until it was saturated with matter. Then pre- 
 paring the maggot (as I believe it is called), 
 by cutting the thread into very short pieces, with 
 my penknife I made a little incision in the upper 
 arm, placed in it one of the maggots and bound 
 it there. I went through this process on seven 
 or eight, and instructed them how to perform it ; 
 and as to their diet, to eat no fat or salt meat, 
 but to confine themselves to bread and milk. 
 They were very grateful for the advice, and for 
 
115 
 
 what I had done for them, and were desirous 
 of manifesting their gratitude in some more sub- 
 stantial form, but it was declined. 
 
 After passing through an extensive grazing 
 country, interspersed with large fields of grain, 
 about 300 versts from Witim we came to rapids, 
 with high precipitous banks on either side, where 
 the velocity of the current was so great that we 
 were obliged to hug the shore to avoid it. In 
 some parts of it we could only get along by 
 sending a small boat ahead to carry a line to 
 warp by. This was a slow and laborious opera- 
 tion, and we were heartily rejoiced when we 
 were through with it. The rapids once passed, 
 the scenery soon became as interesting as it 
 had been before, and the country, if anything, 
 rather more populous and thriving. We saw, be- 
 side farming and grazing, a number of men en- 
 gaged in fisheries along the banks of the stream. 
 I could not see but that there was as great a 
 degree of happiness here as in any other part 
 of the world. The wants of the people were 
 abundantly provided for by the produce of the 
 soil and the river, and beyond this they seemed 
 to have no desire. 
 
 After passing through some more rapids, where 
 we were again obliged to cast off our horses and 
 
116 
 
 warp the boat, on the 19th we reached Kirinsk, 
 which is about 1,650 versts from Yakutsk. From 
 here we went on quickly, owing to the good path 
 for the horses on the shore, and on the 26th 
 reached Wercholinsk. This was a considerable 
 town, situated on the right bank of the Lena; 
 but we pushed by it without stopping. We 
 now began to be troubled with the shallowness 
 of the water, but we made out with difficulty to 
 reach Katschuk, beyond which there was hardly 
 enough to float a canoe, and we concluded we 
 had reached the head of navigation. According 
 to agreement I delivered up my boat here, and 
 took a post-carriage for Irkutsk, where I arrived 
 on the afternoon of the 28th of August, 1807, 
 and drove into the court square of the Com- 
 pany's establishment. 
 
IX. 
 
 IRKUTSK. JOURNEY TO TOMSK. NEW TRAVELLING COMPANION. 
 TOBOLSK. RUSSIAN LEAVE-TAKING. 
 
 I PRESENTED my letters of introduction from 
 the Chamberlain, Baron von Kesanoff, and was 
 kindly welcomed by the Superintendent. He in- 
 vited me to make his house my home while I 
 remained in the place. I replied that my stay 
 must be short, and begged him to assist me in 
 procuring a convenient vehicle for my journey, 
 so that I might not be obliged to change at 
 every station, as I should if I went in a public 
 conveyance. 
 
 I discharged my Cossack when I gave up my 
 boat, and made him a present of fifty rubles, all 
 my cooking utensils, provisions, and some other 
 articles. He took his leave, with many thanks 
 and good wishes, which I cordially returned. I 
 had brought Kutsnetsoff home to his native 
 town, from which he had been absent ten years. 
 He started off immediately to find his mother. 
 The next morning he made his appearance at 
 
118 
 
 my room, leading her in. She was a very digni- 
 fied-looking elderly lady, dressed in black. As 
 he introduced her to me, she dropped upon her 
 knees, and, while the tears from an overflow- 
 ing and grateful heart were coursing down her 
 cheeks, poured out her thanks for the interest I 
 had taken in the return of her son. It touched 
 me so deeply, that I could scarcely refrain from 
 tears myself. It carried my thoughts home to 
 my poor mother, and I raised her up, and as- 
 sured her that, if I had done her son a favor, or 
 brought comfort and consolation to her, I was 
 amply compensated by the pleasure and satis- 
 faction the deed itself afforded me. Kutsnetsoff 
 had previously observed that he should like to 
 go on with me to Moscow to see his brother, if 
 his mother were willing. When it was suggest- 
 ed to her, she readily gave her consent, being 
 also desirous that he should see his brother. 
 
 While we were talking about the matter, 
 who should drive into the court square but 
 Dr. Langsdorff. I was rejoiced to see him, but 
 could not account for his being so close upon 
 my heels. It appeared that he had arrived at 
 Yakutsk shortly after my departure, and, mak- 
 ing but a short stay, had been pushing on in 
 the small boats, hoping to overtake and sur- 
 
119 
 
 prise me on the river. He had gained two 
 days on me, but encountered all kinds of 
 troubles and vexations, such as leaky boats, 
 drunken boatmen, an inefficient Cossack guide, 
 the upsetting of the boat, and loss of papers. 
 He was quite chagrined when I told him that 
 I, by taking a larger craft under my own con- 
 trol, had avoided all these difficulties, and had 
 made quite a pleasant excursion of it. 
 
 The Doctor having decided to make a longer 
 stay than I desired to, that he might visit 
 Kiakta, across the Lake Baikal, I purchased a 
 vehicle which I thought would answer my pur- 
 pose. It was called a pervoskka, and was noth- 
 ing more than a box rounded at the bottom, 
 and fixed firmly to the axle tree without springs. 
 A covered top reached from the back part 
 nearly to the middle, resembling the top of a 
 cradle. The forward part of the box was cov- 
 ered far enough to make a seat for the driver, 
 from which a boot extended to the cradle-top. 
 On the bottom of this outlandish concern I 
 must either lie or sit upright throughout my 
 whole journey. I therefore procured a good 
 substantial feather-bed and put it in, with which 
 and two or three well-stuffed pillows, my lug- 
 gage, and other wadding, I thought I might get 
 
120 
 
 along without much chafing. As this carriage 
 was only calculated for one person, I took a 
 post-carriage of much the same construction for 
 Parker and Kutsnetsoff. 
 
 Being now all ready for the road, I decided 
 to stay a day or two, and look round the place 
 with my friend the Doctor. I shall not attempt 
 a description of this large, and I might say 
 handsome town. It is the modern capital of 
 Siberia, and is situated on the banks of the 
 beautiful river Angara, which is one of the lar- 
 gest tributaries of the Yenisei. It was in that 
 day, and I suppose still is, the great commercial 
 emporium of the eastern part of the empire, 
 whence the more distant provinces are supplied, 
 and whither are brought the furs and the prod- 
 ucts of the fisheries from Kamtchatka, Ochotsk, 
 and the Aleutian Islands; and through the fron- 
 tier town of Kiakta, across Lake Baikal, the 
 teas, nankins, silks, and other articles which are 
 obtained from the Chinese in exchange for the 
 sea-otter and sable skins, and find such a ready 
 market in Kussia. 
 
 Having a journey before me of 3,500 miles, 
 and desirous of reaching St. Petersburg before 
 the close of navigation in the autumn, I was 
 prepared to travel day and night, and of course 
 
121 
 
 passed many towns and villages without no- 
 ticing them, only making short halts for a day 
 or two at some of the larger or shire-towns 
 to rest. I was provided with a new deroshner, 
 and a good supply of copper money to pay for 
 fresh post-horses. On the 31st of August, hav- 
 ing hitched the horses to our vehicles, that 
 is, one in the shafts of each, and one on each 
 side, and having again taken leave of Doc- 
 tor LangsdorfF and the Company's Superintend- 
 ent, the Yemshik, as the driver is called, 
 mounted his box, cracked his whip, and away 
 we went, leaving the capital of Siberia behind 
 us. The post-stations were about 25 versts, or 
 15 miles, asunder, and we were well attended 
 at them. If we desired it, we could obtain 
 something to eat, and I generally availed my- 
 self of the opportunity twice a day, taking a 
 substantial meal, and topping off with a cup of 
 tea, preparatory for which we almost always 
 found the kettle boiling. The Yemshik's signal 
 for starting was the crack of his whip, and at 
 that the horses would bound off at full speed, 
 and he would begin to sing. The song, as well 
 as the speed, was generally kept up from one 
 station to another. The music was sometimes 
 quite pleasant and cheering; the horses, at 
 
 16 
 
122 
 
 any rate, seemed to know that it meant " Go 
 ahead/' 
 
 In this way we continued night and day. On 
 the 6th of September we passed through Kras- 
 nojarsk, where the Chamberlain Baron von Re- 
 sanofF had died. We continued on without stop- 
 ping, and on the 7th reached the town of Poim, 
 where I halted a couple of hours to deliver a 
 letter from the young man Chlabnekoff, whom I 
 took as a passenger from Kamtchatka to Ochotsk, 
 to his brother. He called on me, and insisted on 
 my going to his house, if it was only for an hour. 
 His family wanted to see me. I took KutsnetsofF 
 with me, and we gave them all the information 
 we could about their brother. We found a splen- 
 did collation prepared for us, with Madeira wine 
 such as we do not have in these days. After con- 
 cluding the entertainment with a bottle of cham- 
 pagne, we started off; and whatever the facts 
 may have been, we certainly felt much lighter 
 than before. I merely mention this circumstance 
 to show that there was no lack of " the good 
 stuff" in Siberia. The Maine Law was not en- 
 forced there half a century ago. 
 
 On the 10th I reached the shire-town of 
 Tomsk, and was constrained to acknowledge 
 myself pretty well used up. I can assure those 
 
123 
 
 who have not made a trial of this mode of trav- 
 elling, that to lay on one's back in a carriage 
 without any springs, for eight days and nights in 
 succession, is no joke. When I alighted occasion- 
 ally my whole frame was in a perfect tremor, yet 
 the roads were not stony, but tolerably good. 
 There was no regular hotel in the town, and so 
 after a little inquiry we drove up to a large log- 
 house, with a square enclosure in front, the owner 
 of which was kind enough to entertain us. I 
 immediately set Kutsnetsoff upon the lookout 
 for a more easy and convenient carriage, and 
 told him if he should find one to endeavor to 
 dispose of my old one in part pay. In the mean 
 time, having a letter from my friend Lieutenant 
 Schwostoff to his uncle, who was Governor of the 
 place, I waited on him. I was very cordially 
 received, and invited to dine the next day. 
 
 In a short time Kutsnetsoff succeeded in find- 
 ing a vehicle much better than the old one. It 
 was quite a stylish affair, on springs, and two per- 
 sons could ride in it conveniently ; but I had to 
 pay as much to boot, perhaps, as both carriages 
 were worth. I called upon the Company's agent 
 to furnish me with 200 rubles, but he had re- 
 ceived no particular instructions to advance me 
 money, and was reluctant to do it. He was quite 
 
124 
 
 reasonable, however, and was willing to listen to 
 my story. While I was explaining to him who 
 I was, and why I wanted money, there were sev- 
 eral persons standing by. Among them was a 
 good-looking, well-dressed man, who spoke up 
 and said he would let me have as large a sum as 
 I wanted, at which the agent said he was willing 
 to supply me. After I had finished my business 
 the gentleman who made the kind offer of his 
 purse informed me that he himself was going to 
 Moscow, and, if I had no objections, would like to 
 take a seat in my carriage, and share the expense. 
 I hardly knew what to answer, and I scrutinized 
 him very closely. His face wore an honest look, 
 and he had about his person two conspicuous or- 
 ders of merit ; so I concluded to accept his prop- 
 osition. I found no reason afterwards to regret 
 it. He was a Greek by birth, and a merchant of 
 high standing. His name was Dementy Simon- 
 itch, and he had done several meritorious acts, for 
 which he received medals from the Emperor 
 Alexander, and likewise a present from him of 
 a splendid gold watch and chain. 
 
 Having arranged this matter, I repaired to the 
 Governor's to dine and take leave of him. I 
 found a great many gentlemen there, but not 
 one who spoke English, so that I was almost a 
 
125 
 
 dummy amongst them. I understood enough 
 Kuss, however, to learn that they were desirous 
 of inquiring into the nature and organization of 
 our government. I explained all the prominent 
 points as well as I could, and they appeared to 
 understand, for they praised our institutions high- 
 ly. If I was able, under the circumstances, to 
 form a correct opinion, there was a good deal 
 of the spirit of reform among them. After tak- 
 ing leave of the Governor, I commenced prepara- 
 tions to start the next morning. As I saw but 
 little of the town, I can say but little or nothing 
 of it. It was quite a large place, the houses 
 nearly all of wood, and the streets broad and 
 in some places planked in the centre for the 
 convenience of fooi>-travel, and yet in others so 
 muddy that there was no comfort in moving 
 round out of a carriage. 
 
 On the 12th of September I started with my 
 new companion, and went on at the same break- 
 neck pace as before. My new coach was far 
 superior to the old one. We could sit up or lie 
 down as we chose, and were not annoyed by the 
 intolerable jarring of the body. My companion 
 was very agreeable, and although he could not 
 speak a word of English, and my vocabulary of 
 Euss was too limited to hold a continued, in- 
 
126 
 
 telligible conversation, we soon became accus- 
 tomed to each other's pantomimic gestures, and 
 got along quite understandingly. On the 19th 
 we arrived, without any casualties worthy of re- 
 mark, at Tobolsk, the ancient capital of Siberia, 
 and put up, as usual, at a private house. 
 
 Here my carriage-mate, Dementy, had ac- 
 quaintances. He introduced me to the family 
 of Mr. Zelinzoff, or Green, a highly respectable 
 and wealthy merchant, and the proprietor of 
 large iron-works at Ekatereinburg. He was 
 himself absent from home, but, together with 
 Dementy, I was invited by his son, who officiated 
 as major-domo, to dine with his family while I 
 remained in the city. I take pleasure in partic- 
 ularizing in regard to this family, on account of 
 their marked civility and kindness to a stranger. 
 It consisted of Madam Zelinzoff three sons, a 
 daughter, and a young man named Duro, who 
 was a teacher of French, and spoke English flu- 
 ently. They lived in splendid style, and spread 
 a table for fifteen or twenty persons every day. 
 Among the numerous invited guests was a 
 French military officer in the Russian service, 
 who spoke English well, and with whom I had 
 a good deal of chat. After dinner the ladies 
 and gentlemen retired to a large hall, where 
 
127 
 
 there was a billiard-table and a piano, violins 
 and flutes, on which the amateurs displayed 
 their skill. This was the agreeable practice 
 daily while I was there. 
 
 Perhaps I may be allowed here to make a 
 few remarks in regard to the city of Tobolsk, 
 though I cannot give a minute description of 
 it. It is very singularly divided into the upper 
 and lower town. The lower town seems to have 
 been once the bed of the river Irtich, which 
 now, uniting with the Tobol, runs through the 
 western part of the valley, leaving both the 
 upper and lower town on the eastern side, but 
 divided distinctly by a steep bank, which was 
 probably in former days the margin of the 
 stream. The lower town is sometimes, though 
 rarely, inundated ; and on the other hand the 
 upper town is inconvenienced by a want of 
 water. Taking both sections together they 
 formed a very large place, with a numerous 
 and mixed population of Tartars, Buchanans, 
 and Kalmucks. The public buildings were 
 mostly of stone, but the private houses, with 
 few exceptions, of wood. It was the great mart 
 of trade with the eastern part of the Empire, 
 and all the caravans from China and the distant 
 provinces concentrated here. 
 
128 
 
 This place had formerly been the Botany 
 Bay, or penal settlement, of the Kussians, and 
 from the descendants of convicts a great and 
 flourishing city had sprung up, with its wealthy 
 merchants, thrifty traders, and literary and sci- 
 entific men. The German and French languages 
 were taught and spoken by all the better classes. 
 All kinds of provisions were so cheap, that the 
 poorest inhabitant never need suffer for food; 
 and I could see here, as throughout Siberia, the 
 kindliest feelings manifested toward the lower 
 orders of society. 
 
 Having remained at Tobolsk six days, we 
 prepared to continue our journey. Two of the 
 young Mr. Zelinzoffs were to accompany us as 
 far as their father's estate, at Ekatereinburg. 
 Accordingly, after dining and making some pre- 
 liminary arrangements for departure, the whole 
 family, with their guests, assembled in the large 
 room for a little chat and to take leave. Now 
 this leave-taking was a somewhat formal piece 
 of business, and I had misgivings as to how I 
 should acquit myself with becoming gallantry. 
 The custom with the gentlemen was for each to 
 lay the right hand on the other's back, and to 
 kiss each other on both cheeks; not unfrequent- 
 ly the noses came in rude collision. A lady 
 
129 
 
 presents you the back of the hand to kiss, and 
 at the same time she kisses you on the cheek. 
 Being all ready for action, the ladies and gen- 
 tlemen placed themselves in a row round the 
 room, and then the performance was commenced 
 by the two sons who were going with us, and 
 continued by my friend Dementy. By this time 
 the perspiration had begun to start upon my 
 forehead ; but I saw it was of no use to be 
 lagging, and so, summoning all my courage, I 
 turned to, and went through the ceremony like 
 a veteran courtier. The last of the ladies I came 
 to was the daughter, a great beauty, and I was 
 greatly tempted, in violation of Russian etiquette, 
 to kiss her cheek, but I managed to restrain 
 myself. 
 
 17 
 
X. 
 
 FLYING FERRY-BOAT. EKATEREINBURG. KAZAN. A DINNER-PARTY. 
 Moscow. ST. PETERSBURG. GOOD NEWS. 
 
 AFTER the ceremony described in the last chap- 
 ter, we took to our carriages and proceeded to 
 the ferry which crosses the Irtich, where we 
 found what was called a flying ferry-boat, of suf- 
 ficient size to transport several teams at once. 
 The hull of the craft did not swim deep in the 
 water, but was furnished with a very deep keel 
 along its whole length. It had a short mast, 
 placed about as far forward as in sloops, and sup- 
 ported by shrouds. Now an anchor was sunk in 
 the centre of the river some distance above, and 
 from the anchor a rope, sustained on the surface 
 by buoys, was extended and fastened to the bow 
 of the boat. By means of a block and pulley this 
 rope could be elevated about half the distance to 
 the mast-head. When ready for starting, the bow, 
 which was always pointed directly up stream at 
 the landing-place, was pushed off a little, so that 
 the current might strike the keel at an angle. 
 
131 
 
 This position was maintained by the use of the 
 rudder ; and as the boat could not drift down the 
 river, on account of the anchor to which it was 
 attached, it was driven sideways to the opposite 
 shore. By this ingenious contrivance passengers 
 and freight were carried across without the least 
 trouble or labor. 
 
 On the 24th we arrived at Ekatereinburg. 
 During our stay here of one night, our young 
 friends showed us about the iron-works, and we 
 saw all the operations, from smelting the ore to 
 working it up into bar-iron. Gold ore was dug 
 here by the government, and the pure metal 
 extracted by pulverizing, and washing it on an 
 inclined plane covered with ridges, which stopped 
 the gold, while the lighter substances were car- 
 ried off with the water. It did not appear to 
 be a very money-making process. The next day 
 we took leave of our young friends, and pursued 
 our journey westward to Kazan, on the river 
 Volga, which we reached on the 30th. Here my 
 carriage-mate, Dementy, was quite at home again, 
 and we concluded to halt for a couple of days. 
 The city was large and well built, and the most 
 important place in the eastern part of Russia 
 proper. 
 
 I had for some time experienced the good 
 
132 
 
 effects of Dementy's badge of distinction, but it 
 did us especial service here. It procured us an 
 invitation to dine with the military Governor, 
 who was himself of Greek extraction, and some- 
 what acquainted with my friend. I had no great 
 desire to go among great folks, as my wardrobe 
 was scanty, and the few clothes I possessed had 
 grown pretty threadbare with the wear and tear 
 of my three years' cruise. I wished to decline, 
 but Dementy said it would give offence. He had 
 probably given an account of my adventures, and 
 of my negotiation with the Chamberlain, Baron 
 von Resanoff; and this, together with the mark 
 of the Emperor's approbation which he himself 
 wore, had brought us into notice. 
 
 At the proper time the military carriage of the 
 Governor came for us, and away we went in fine 
 style. We found a great number of persons as- 
 sembled at his house, including officers, military 
 and civil, and many ladies. I was introduced as 
 an American captain. I felt a little uncomforta- 
 ble lest I should be questioned with regard to 
 my official grade, as it might not have been good 
 policy to have explained my claim to a captaincy. 
 It was a splendid entertainment, however, and, as 
 I could not converse very intelligibly, I had lit- 
 tle else to do than ply the knife and fork, while 
 
133 
 
 Dementy, who had somehow picked up all the 
 particulars about me and my business, gave them 
 my whole story, much to my satisfaction. After 
 dinner we retired to another room, where coffee 
 was served. The ladies questioned me about our 
 country, and to show that they had some knowl- 
 edge of American history, they spoke of Wash- 
 ington and Franklin in high terms. We con- 
 versed upon the subject until I had exhausted 
 my whole stock of Euss in eulogizing those 
 men. 
 
 October 2d, we started on our route for Mos- 
 cow, our next stopping-place. We met with 
 nothing remarkable excepting muddy roads and 
 frequent altercations at the post-stations. There 
 was evidently less respect paid to my friend's 
 decorations, and less alacrity in attending to us. 
 We, however, reached the great city of Moscow 
 on the 8th, and passed within the first circle, 
 which is called the Zemlanoigorod. We wound 
 along through the streets, as it seemed to me, 
 for miles. At last Dementy pointed out a public 
 house, where we stopped awhile to brush up and 
 make ourselves look respectable, after which 
 Dementy left us. Kutsnetsoff sought at once 
 the whereabouts of the Company's establish- 
 ment, and we started again, passed through the 
 
134 
 
 Bale gate into the circle of that name, and drove 
 to the Company's house. I entered the spacious 
 stone building with Kutsnetsofiy and met his 
 brother, the Superintendent, on the great land- 
 ing-stair. He was a splendid-looking man. After 
 the brothers had embraced each other, and 
 while tears were rolling down their cheeks, I 
 was introduced. I was cordially welcomed, and 
 led into a large hall, where I was presented to 
 the Superintendent's lady, and Kutsnetsoff to a 
 sister he had never seen before. She was a 
 very handsome woman, and richly dressed in 
 the latest French style. 
 
 After exchanging mutual inquiries, I was told 
 by the Superintendent that his house must be 
 my home while I remained in the city. I 
 replied that I was desirous of reaching St. 
 Petersburg before the close of navigation, and 
 consequently my stay must be short. They 
 concluded that I could well spare a week. In 
 that time I thought I could replenish my ward- 
 robe with the latest European fashions, and at 
 my request, a draper was sent for ; he took 
 my dimensions, and I was soon fitted out com- 
 pletely. My Kamtchatka sable-skins were con- 
 verted into a lining for a great coat, as 
 something of that kind had now become ne- 
 cessary, and they made a splendid article. 
 
135 
 
 In the mean time, having leisure, I availed 
 myself of the politeness of a young gentleman 
 of the house, who offered to go round with me 
 and show me the city. I made no note of 
 what I saw at the time, and since then half a 
 century has rolled by. I can only recall some 
 of the leading features of the great metropolis, 
 which may be interesting, as the date of my 
 visit was but a few years before the conflagra- 
 tion which drove Napoleon from the country. 
 The city is situated on an elevation which 
 in shape resembles a turtle's back. The river 
 Moskva sweeps round nearly two thirds of it, 
 and the land rises gently from the margin to 
 the centre, which is so high as to command a 
 splendid panoramic view of its whole extent. 
 The city was divided into four departments or 
 circles. The first, the Kremlin, situated on the 
 crown of this eminence, and enclosed with heavy 
 ramparts of stone, formed a sort of fortress of 
 very ample extent. It embraced within its walls 
 magnificent cathedrals, palaces, and public build- 
 ings, all gorgeously decorated. Here also was 
 the great bell, which stands on the ground, with 
 a triangular piece broken out of the rim. Its 
 weight is said to be four hundred thousand 
 pounds. The next circle was the Kitaigorod, 
 
136 
 
 or Chinese Town, also containing several cathe- 
 drals, convents, parish churches, and many noble- 
 men's houses, interspersed with mean-looking 
 wooden buildings. The third circle, which sur- 
 rounded the former, was the Beloigorod, or 
 White Town, and had a white wall. This was the 
 business part of the city, and the streets, though 
 mostly paved, were muddy and filthy. There 
 were here, however, many public edifices, and 
 handsome private houses, the residences of 
 the merchants and traders. The fourth circle, 
 called Zemlanoigorod, or Land Town, was sur- 
 rounded with an earthen embankment, and en- 
 closed an area of nearly ten miles. In this as 
 in the other circles, there was a great diversity 
 in the cost of the different structures, the very 
 extremes of magnificence and meanness being 
 mingled together promiscuously. I was very 
 much impressed with the grandeur and beauty 
 of the whole city ; spread over more than 
 twenty square miles of ground, adorned with a 
 countless number of costly and elegant buildings, 
 with thousands of spires and cupolas covered 
 with silver and gold, when viewed from the 
 Kremlin it afforded one of the most pleasing 
 spectacles I ever gazed upon. 
 
 I was loath to leave when the time allotted 
 
137 
 
 for my stay had expired, but there was no 
 help for it. So, equipped in the fashionable rig 
 with which the draper furnished me, I turned 
 my face toward St. Petersburg. The Superin- 
 tendent was kind enough to propose that 
 Kutsnetsoff should accompany me to my jour- 
 ney's end, which proposal I gladly accepted. 
 On the morning of the 17th, I took leave of 
 the good friends who had shown me so much 
 kindness, and stepped into my carriage, rode 
 through the suburbs, and at noon emerged into 
 the open country. We passed many villages 
 and large towns, but continued on without 
 stopping at any of them except to take our 
 meals. 
 
 On the 21st of October, 1807, we reached the 
 gates of St. Petersburg, and, after going through 
 a thorough examination of passports, were per- 
 mitted to go on. We drove at once to the 
 Company's establishment, where I was kindly 
 received and entertained by Mr. Booldakofi^ the 
 first director of the Kussian American Company. 
 It was evening when I arrived, and as neither 
 Mr. B. nor any one in the house could speak 
 English, I remained partially ignorant of the 
 business which most interested me until the 
 next morning. A gentleman then came in who 
 
 18 
 
138 
 
 accosted me in good round English, and I was 
 quite overjoyed at the sound. This was Mr. 
 Benedict Cramer, a gentleman with whom I 
 became very intimate in business afterwards. 
 He was the senior partner of the house of 
 Cramer, Smith, & Co., and was also one of the 
 directors of the Company. 
 
 He soon threw light upon my whole business 
 by saying that his partner, Mr. Smith, was in 
 the United States, and had seen my owners 
 and assured them that the bills of exchange, 
 the duplicates of which had reached them 
 through the hands of Mr. Moorfield, were good. 
 Mr. Moorfield had been out with a ship in the 
 course of the season, the bills had been ac- 
 cepted and paid with fifteen per cent advance, 
 because Spanish dollars, in which they were 
 payable, commanded that premium. The pro- 
 ceeds had been invested in hemp, iron, and 
 manufactures and sent to America; and the 
 business had been transacted through his house. 
 " You have now nothing to do," he concluded, 
 "but to take all the pleasure you can while 
 you remain with us." I shook him heartily by 
 the hand, and made him a low bow ; after 
 which we walked out together to his place of 
 business. He introduced me to his brother and 
 
139 
 
 Mr. L. Harris, the American Consul, who was 
 connected with his firm ; and in the same way 
 I became acquainted with a number of influen- 
 tial gentlemen, from whom I received many 
 civilities. 
 
 Mr. Booldakoff, whose house I made my home, 
 showed me every attention. He took me in 
 his carriage to all the places of note in the 
 city, and had an audience with the Count 
 Kamansofl5 the Prime Minister, to whom I was 
 presented. In short, every mark of respect 
 that could be accorded to a stranger was shown 
 me. 
 
XI. 
 
 I SAIL DOWN THE BALTIC IN A DUTCH GALIOT. TAKE PASSAGE AT 
 
 ELSINORE IN THE MARY FOR PORTLAND. PUT IN AT LIVERPOOL. 
 HOME AGAIN. CONCLUSION. 
 
 THINGS went on so smoothly and pleasantly at 
 St. Petersburg that I took no note of time. Six 
 days had already slipped by before I began to 
 think of making a further move. There were 
 no American ships at Cronstadt when I arrived, 
 but I was told that there were always opportu- 
 nities till the last of November to obtain a pas- 
 sage to England, so that I felt quite easy. Just 
 as I commenced preparations for starting, how- 
 ever, war was declared between Russia and 
 England, and all foreign ships left Cronstadt. 
 I now thought it doubtful whether I could 
 obtain a passage to England, but I made all 
 haste for the port, to make a trial, at least. 
 Mr. Booldakoff gave me a letter to the harbor- 
 master, the Consul one to his Vice, the Messrs. 
 Cramer one to Messrs. Belfour, Ellah, & Co., at 
 Elsinore. With these I took leave of my St. 
 
141 
 
 Petersburg friends, and started ; but when 1 ar- 
 rived at the Mole I was quite discouraged to 
 find that there was not a merchant-vessel in 
 sight. I called on the Vice-Consul, but he knew 
 of no way to help me. Though thinking it would 
 be useless, I determined to present my letter to 
 the harbor-master. He read it, and after a little 
 reflection, and a number of questions about my 
 journey, said that I had better go down to the 
 Mole head with him, and see what could be done. 
 We found, on inquiry, that there was one soli- 
 tary vessel, a small galiot, lying at anchor below 
 the Tolbeacon, about three miles off. She was 
 bound for London, and he thought I could get 
 a passage in her, if I were willing to try ; at the 
 same time he offered to send me aboard. I 
 jumped at the proposition, and told Parker to 
 get our goods and chattels into the boat as soon 
 as possible. Thanking the harbor-master for his 
 assistance, I started off for the galiot. She was 
 a small craft, of seventy or eighty tons burden, 
 loaded with tallow. The skipper was a little 
 old Dutchman, short of five feet in height, and 
 a mate and cook composed his crew. I asked 
 him if he would take me as passenger to London. 
 " Yaw," says he. " And will you let my man 
 work his passage ? " " Yaw, goot," says he. I 
 
142 
 
 paid the officer of the boat for his trouble, and 
 he left us. Being now at leisure, I began to 
 look round to see what kind of a ship and accom- 
 modations we had got. She was rather a flat- 
 bottomed vessel, carrying lee-boards, to keep her 
 from drifting to the leeward when sailing by the 
 wind. I questioned the skipper about the pro- 
 visions, and he believed that there were enough, 
 such as they were. The cabin was a trunk, so 
 called, above the deck, abaft the mainmast, in 
 which there were two boxes with slide-doors. 
 One was his berth, and the other the mate's. 
 He informed me that I must sleep with him, 
 and my man must turn in and out with the 
 mate. I thought this a fair arrangement, and 
 so we settled it. 
 
 It was morning when I went on board ; and 
 after dinner, which consisted of beans and buck- 
 wheat pudding, we got under way. The wind 
 was light but favorable, so that we crept along 
 down the Gulf at about the same rate we used 
 to go in our little Russian vessel. The weather 
 was moderate and the sea smooth, and after so 
 much land-travel I enjoyed the change very 
 much. We continued to grope along until we 
 reached the island of Bornholm, in the Baltic. 
 Here we took a westerly gale, which would have 
 
143 
 
 put a stop to our progress if we had not fortu- 
 nately got under the lee of the island, and con- 
 tinued sailing from one end to the other of it 
 for two days, when the gale abated, and the 
 wind changed. This enabled us to continue on 
 our course, so that on the 13th of November we 
 reached Elsinore. Here I presented my letters 
 from the Messrs. Cramer, and was kindly re- 
 ceived by Messrs. Belfour, Ellah, & Co. 
 
 Though the galiot was detained by contrary 
 winds, as long as there was no alternative, I con- 
 cluded to stick by her ; but on the second day I 
 was standing on the pier and looking up the 
 sound towards Copenhagen, when I saw a ship 
 coming down with a large American ensign fly- 
 ing, at the sight of which my heart leaped right 
 up into my throat. I waited until she came to 
 anchor, and then called a shore-boat and went off 
 to her. She proved to be the Mary of Portland, 
 Captain David Gray, and was homeward bound. 
 This was joyful news, and affected me so deeply 
 that I could hardly tell the Captain my story. 
 At last, after making known who I was, and 
 from whence I came, I asked him if he would 
 take me as passenger, and he readily consented. 
 I went immediately to the galiot to settle with 
 the little Dutch skipper. To the question, how 
 
144 
 
 much was I to pay him, he answered that he 
 only wanted "Was billig 1st, das ist mir recht." 
 Not knowing exactly what that was, I tendered 
 him twenty Spanish dollars, with which he was 
 well satisfied, and made him a bonus of a pair of 
 leather breeches, which he had worn ever since 
 we left Cronstadt. Wishing him a prosperous 
 voyage, I took my leave and my baggage and 
 went on board the Mary. She was a fine ship, 
 in ballast, and had a splendid cabin for the times. 
 The captain was a social, clever fellow, and we 
 soon became well acquainted. We left Elsinore 
 on the 20th, and proceeded down the Kattegat. 
 When we got down as far as Gottenburg, we 
 found the wind blowing in heavily through 
 Sleeve, which obliged the pilot to put into Mar- 
 strand, a small port in Sweden. Here we lay 
 two days. 
 
 On the 24th, we put to sea again. We passed 
 the Naze of Norway, and steered for the Ork- 
 ney Islands; but, owing to adverse winds and 
 stormy weather, it was the 2d of December be- 
 fore we got through Fair Isle Passage. We 
 then encountered a series of westerly gales, in 
 the course of which it was discovered that one 
 of the ship's rudder-braces had worked loose. 
 It was deemed unsafe to pursue our course 
 
145 
 
 across the Atlantic, and Captain Gray accord- 
 ingly altered his course for Liverpool, where 
 we arrived on the 15th. This was a great 
 disappointment to me, particularly as my pecu- 
 niary resources were exhausted, and I saw be- 
 fore me unavoidable expenses ; at the same 
 time, I had no relish for the storms of a north- 
 ern passage and a winter's coast. I reconciled 
 myself, however, with the prospect of seeing 
 England ; and as Captain Gray offered to supply 
 me with money until I reached Portland, I was 
 quite content. I went with him to a boarding- 
 house, where we remained while the ship was 
 undergoing repairs. In the mean time, I made 
 myself acquainted with the city and its envi- 
 rons. At the end of two months the Mary 
 was ready for sea again, and, having taken on 
 board a quantity of salt, we sailed on the 7th 
 of February. We had a pleasant voyage, and 
 arrived at Portland on the 25th of March. 
 Here I settled with the Captain, to whom I 
 was indebted for my passage, board, and sundry 
 loans, the whole amounting to the sum of two 
 hundred and fifty dollars. I gave him a draft 
 on Mr. John Park, of Boston, and it proved 
 quite fortunate for him that I did so. His own- 
 ers had failed just before our arrival, and, as 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 they were indebted to him, he would have been 
 a loser but for this draft. 
 
 You may suppose that I started with as little 
 delay as possible for Bristol. I arrived there 
 on the 1st of April, 1808, and thus terminated 
 an absence of three years and eight months. 
 In two years and six months from the time of 
 my departure, the owners were in receipt of 
 the proceeds of the voyage, which resulted in a 
 clear profit of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. 
 
 I have now reached the end of my story; 
 but before I lay down my pen, let me say a 
 word more of the friends mentioned in the pre- 
 ceding pages. I continued in the Eussian trade, 
 in which I had made so successful a beginning, 
 and returned to St. Petersburg in 1809. It so 
 happened that I found Dr. Langsdorff and Lieu- 
 tenants Schwostoff and Davidoff there. The lat- 
 ter two gentlemen, since we last met, had been 
 engaged in the war with Sweden, and had be- 
 come honorably distinguished. While I was 
 visiting the Doctor, they came over to pass an 
 evening with us, and we sat talking of old times 
 until two in the morning. They then started 
 for their own lodgings, which were on the 
 other side of the river. LangsdorfF and myself 
 
147 
 
 accompanied them to the drawbridge, which 
 was open for ships to pass in the night. Our 
 friends, therefore, passed over a plank which 
 lay from the bridge to a vessel in the river 
 and regained the other side of the bridge by 
 another plank, calling to us and wishing us 
 good-night, when they were safe over, and we 
 then went back to our quarters. The next 
 morning we received the melancholy intelli- 
 gence that two naval officers had been drowned 
 in the Neva during the night, and, upon fur- 
 ther inquiry, we learned that they were our 
 friends. After we had parted from them, they 
 became desirous, God knows for what purpose, 
 to return to us again, and, in order to get 
 over quicker, they attempted to spring from 
 the bridge upon a bark that was going through. 
 They mistook a sail for the deck of the vessel, 
 and both fell into the water. The people in 
 the bark endeavored to rescue them, but the 
 night was so dark, and the current so strong, 
 that they went under before they received any 
 assistance. Though fifty years have gone by 
 since the death of these young men, I cannot 
 forbear to recall their many virtues and lament 
 their untimely end. 
 
GWO