and the fu n k rocks that are off the' Cape. From Cape Ga-
vareea to Lopatka, the coaft trends South Eaft. South o f
Achachinikoi, the land is not fo high and broken as between
that Bay and the mouth o f Awatfka, being only o f a
moderate elevation toward the fea, with hills gradually
rifing farther back in the country. T he coaft is fteep and
bold, and fu ll o f white cha lky patches.
At noon, the weather fallin g again to a calm, afforded us
an opportunity o f catching fomefine cod. We were, at this
time, in' forty fathoms water, and about five or fix leagues
from Cape Lopatka. Both in the fore and afternoon, we had
obfervations, with different compaffes, for the variation,
and found it to be s° ao' Eaft.
We flood on all night, under an eafy fail, to the South
South Weft, having the wind Wefterly. At midnight, we
founded, and had fixty fa th om s ; and, at day-break o f the
Wedner.13. 13th, we faw the fecond o f the Kurile Iflands (called by the
Ruffians Paramoufir), extending, from North Weft by Weft,
to Weft h a lf South. T his land is very high, and almoft
intirely covered with fnow. At noon, the extremes bore
from North North Weft h a lf Weft, to Weft North Weft h a lf
Weft; and a high peaked mountain, from which fome
thought they faw fmoke iffuing, North Weft by Weft h a lf
Weft, about twelve or fourteen leagues diftant. At this
time our latitude, by obfervation, was 49* 49', and 'our
longitude 157° o'. In the courfe o f the day we faw many
gulls and albatroffes, and feveral whales.
Paramoufir is the largeft o f the Kuriles under the dominion
o f Ruffia, and well deferves a more accurate furvey,
than we were at this time allowed to take. For, in the a f ternoon,
the gale increafing from the Weft, we were never
able
I f f
‘i H
m m
Oftober, able to approach it nearer than we had done at noon j and
were, therefore, obliged to be contented with endeavouring
to afcertain its fituation at that diftance. We place the South
end o f the ifland in latitude 490 58'; the North end in lati—;
rude so° 46', and in longitude 10' Weft o f L opatk a; and as
this pofition is found not to differ materially from that given
b y the Ruffians, it is probably very near the truth. Whilft
we were abreaft o f this ifland, we had a very heavy fwell
from the North Eaft, though the wind had, for fome time,
been from theWeftward; a circumftance which we have
already remarked more than once during the.courfe o f ou r
voyage. In the night we tried for foundings, but found ncv
ground with fifty fathoms o f line.
On the 14th and 15th, the wind blowing fteadily and freili Thurfdiy 14»
from the Weftward, we were obliged to ftand to the South- n flp $ s
ward ; and confequently hindered from feeing any more o f
the Kurile iflands. At noon o f the 16th, the latitude, b y Saturday i&
obfervation, was 45° 27'; the longitude, deduced from a
number o f lunar obfervations taken during the three days
paft, 1550 30'. The variation 4° 30' Eaft. In this fituation, we
were almoft furrounded by the fuppofed difcoveries o f
former navigators, and uncertain to which we ihould turn
oUrfelves. To the Southward and the South Weft were
placed, in the French charts, a groupe o f five iflands, called
the Three Sifters, Zellany and Kunaihir. We were abouc
ten leagues, according to the fame maps, to the Weft-
ward o f the land o f De Gama, which we had paffed to>
the Eaftward in April laft, at a diftance rather lefs than
this, without feeing any appearance o f i t ; from w h ich
circumftance we may now conclude, that, i f fuch land
exift at all, it muft be an ifland o f a very inconfiderable
3, fizei