It was hard to fay, whether the good prieft and his fam ily ,
o r ourfelves, were mod affedled on tak ing our leave o f
Major Behm. Short as our acquaintance had been, his noble
and difinterefted conduct had infpired us with the h igh -
eft refpedl and efteem for him ; and w e could not part with
a perfon to whom w e were under fuch obligations, and
whom we had little profpeft o f ever fee ing again, without
fe e lin g the moil tender concern. T h e intrinfic value o f the
private prefents we received from him, exclufive o f the
llores which m igh t be carried to a public account, muft
have amounted, according to the current price o f articles in
that country, to upward o f two hundred pounds. But this
generofity, extraordinary as it mull appear in itfelf, was
exceeded by the delicacy w ith w h ich all his favours were
conferred, and the artful manner in w h ich he endeavoured
to prevent our fee ling the w e igh t o f obligations, w hich he
kn ew we had no means o f requiting. I f we go a ftep fu r ther,
and confider him as fupporting a public character, and
maintaining the honour o f a great Sovereign, we fhall find a
ftill higher fubjedl o f admiration, in the ju il and enlarged
fentiments by w hich he was actuated. “ T h e fervice in
■“ which you are employed,” he would often fay, “ is for
“ the general advantage o f mankind, and therefore gives
“ you a r ig h t, not merely to the offices o f humanity, but to
“ the privileges o f citizens, in whatever country y o u may
** be thrown. I am fure I am a ilin g agreeably to the wiihes
“ o f my Miilrefs, in affording you all the re lief in our
“ p ow e r ; and I cannot forget either her character, or my
*| own honour, fo much, as to barter for the performance
“ o f a duty.” At other times, he would tell us, that he
was particularly defirous o f fetting a good example to the
Kamtfchadales, who, he fa id, were but ju il emerging from
a ilate
a flate o f barb a rtfm; that they looked up to the Ruffians via.
, . . , . M ay.
as their patterns in every thin g ; and that he had hopes they __
might, in future, look upon it as a duty incumbent upon
them to affiil ftrangers to the utmoil o f their power, and believe,
that fuch was the univerfal prailice o f civilized nations.
T o all this muft be added, that, after having relieved,
to the utmoft o f his abilities, all ourprefent diftrefles,
he fhewed h im fe lf not much lefs mindful o f our future
w an t s ; and, as he fuppofed it more than probable we fhouid
not difcover the paffage we were in fearch of, and therefore
fhouid return to Kamtfchatka in the fall o f the year, he
made Captain Clerke g iv e him a lift o f what cordage and
flour we fhouid want, and promifed they fhouid be fent
from Okotfk, and wait our arrival. For the fame purpofe,
he gave Captain Clerke a paper, enjoining all the fubjefts
o f the Emprefs, whom we m igh t happen to meet, to give us.
every affiftance in their power.
G g a C H A p;