C H A P . II I.
1Continuation of FranfaSlions in the Harbour of St. Peter
and St. Paul.— Abundance of Fifh.— Death o f a Seaman
belonging to the Refolution.-— The Ruffian Hofpital put
under the Care o f the Ship’s Surgeons.— Supply of Flour
and Cattle.— Celebration o f the Kings Birth-day.—
Difficulties in failing out of the Fay.— Eruption\ of
a Fdcano.— Steer to the Northward.— Cheepoonfkoi Nofs.
— Errors o f the Ruffian Charts.— Kamtjchatfkoi Nofs.
— Olutorfkoi Nofs.— TfchukotJkoi Nofs.— Ifand o f St.
.Laurence,— View, from the fame Point, o f the Coajls of
A Jia and America, and the Ifands of St. Diomede.—
Various Attempts to get to the North, between the two
Continents.— QbflruEled by impenetrable Ice.— Sea-horfes
arid white Bears killed.— Captain Gierke s Determination,
and future Defigns.
FT AVI N G concluded the laft chapter with an account o f
A our return from Bolcheretlk, accompanied by Major
Behm, the Commander o f Kamtfchatka, and o f his departure;
I lhall proceed to relate the tranfaitions that paffed in the
harbour o f St. Peter and St. Paul during our abfence. On
the 7th o f May, foon after we had left the bay, a large
piece o f ice drove acrofs the cut-water o f the Refolution,
and broughtfhome the fmall bower anchor. This obliged
them to w e igh the other anchor, and moor again. The
carpenters,
carpenters, who were employed in flopping the leak, were w
.obliged to take o ff a great part o f the iheathing from the 1 * .
bows, and found many o f the trunnels fo very lcofe and
rotten, as to be ealily drawn out with the fingers.
On the 11 th, they had heavy gales from the North Eaft, Tuefday u.
w h ich obliged both the ihips to ftrike yards and topmafts ;
b u t in the afternoon the weather b e in g more moderate, and
th e ice having drifted away as far as the mouth o f the
harbour o f St. Peter and St. Paul, they warped clofe to the
•ihore for the greater convenience o f watering and wooding,
and again moored as before; the town bearing North h a lf
Weft, h a lf' a mile diftant, and the mouth o f the bay, ihu t
in b y the Southernmoft point o f Rakowina harbour, South.
T h e next day a party was fent on fhore to cu t wood, but Wednef. 12.
made little progrefs on account o f the fnow, w h ich ftiil co vered
the ground. A convenient fpot was cleared away
abreaft o f the lhips, where there was- a fine run o f water ;
and a tent b eing ereCted for the cooper, the empty caiks
were landed, and the fail-makers fent on Ihore.
On the i j th , the beach-being c lear o f ice, the people were Saturday
fent to haul the feine, and caught an abundant fupply o f
fine flat filh fo r both the ihips companies. Indeed, from
this time, during-the whole o f our flay in the harbour, we
were abfolutely overpowered with the quantities o f fiih which
came in from every quarter. T he 1 'oions, both o f this town,
and o f Paratounca, a village in the neighbourhood, had received
orders from Major Behm to employ all the Kamt-
fchadales in our fe r v ic e ; fo that we frequently could not
take into the ihips the prefents that were fent us. T h e y
confided, in general, o f flat fiih, cod, trout, and herring.
T he fe laft, w hich were in their fu ll perfection, and o f -a
delicious