fair th re e days. O n tiie tliirteeiitl, day (J a n e I5 tli), in lat. S3" N., long. 198” W ., it shifted
suddenly to N. W . by W . I was now n ea r tlie situation I had been desirous of reacliiiio-, and
re ad y for this wind, b u t it did n o t c o n tin u e ; aud for five days we were re ta rded by lig h t
winds from all points o f th e compass, ex c ep t th a t q uarte r. O n th e SOth Ju n e we had a
N. E . wind ag a in , which vee red to E ., S. E ., S., and on die 5tli day to W . S. W ., when it left
us ill 46" N . and 199" W . An ea ste rly wind succeeded, b u t, before the twenty-four hours
we re expired, veered round by S. to W ., which, with th e exception o f a few hours N. N. E.
wind, carried us close off the light-house o f Awa tska B ay on the 28th Ju n e .
The we atlie r d n n n g this time had been m o d e ra te ; it had scarcely been necessary to take
in top-gallant sails tile wdiole period. I t will be seen th a t, with d ie exception of th ree days,
we had a leading wind th e whole o fth e way, and tliat our g re a te s t delay was occasioned by
lig h t winds ab o u t th e parallels o f 34" and 35" N. T l.e trade-wind may be said to have a ttended
us as far as 30 ' N. and 185" W . About the 3 0 th parallel, a S. S. W . wind brought thick
ra in y weather with squalls, whicli was cleared away by a nortlioply breeze iu latitude 34 “ N.
W e bad now lig h t winds an d clear weatlier, b u t from tbe 39tli parallel to the day of making
th e land o f Kamsehatka, with the exception o f one day in latitude 50“ N., we were attended
by a thick fog and drizzling rain.
On comparing the route o f the Blossom with those o f C aptains Cle rke and K rusenstern,
wlio quitted the Sandwicli Islands for St. P e te r and St. P a u l’s, ami both o f whom, as well
as myself, endeavoured to ru n down the longitiule u n til sufficiently far to tlie westward to
reacli th e place of destination without inconvenience from westerly winds, it appears that a
pre ference is due to th e course pursued by the Blossom. As the th re e tracks from the parallel
o f 33" or 34.“ N. and long. 166" or 168“ E . n e a rly coincided, I shall divide the passage into
two p a rts ; th e first from the Sandwich Islands to th a t situation, and the second from tliencc to
th e d ay o f mak in g the land o f Awatska *.
Cap tain Cle rke ran down his longitude n ea r the n o rth ern tropic, lost th e trade-wind in
la t. 28 “ N., and long. 172“ E ., on th e twenty-first day o f his depa rture , an d reached the above
Situation on the twenty-sLxtli day.
Kru sen stern k ep t to the southward of 20° N., lost th e trade in 27" N, and about 176* E.
on the sevente enth day, and reached the above place on the twenty-second day.
T b e Blossom k e p t to tbe northwa rd of 30°, lost the trade in 30° N. and 175“ E , on the
te n th day of her depa rture , nnd was in th e above-meiitioned situation on th e thlrtoeutli day.
l r o m this situation to the second point or the day of arrival off Awatska, it is remarkable
th a t th e tliree passages are nearly o f th e same duration, that o f Captain Clerko occupying
th irte en d a y s ; o f Kru sen stern th irteen ; and o f th e Blossom th irteen and a half. B y wliicli it
IS evident lliat the advantage was gained by the Blossom in the first p a rt o f the passage, hnt
ex tended to personal comfort, and this was n o t confined to time alone, as tiie Blossom escaped
th e h e a t o f a tropical climate, o f which Captain K in g complains so much, and on the whole
b ad be tte r weather.
T h e currents on the first p a rt o f this passage we re very irre g u la r, v arying tlieir direction
lrom N. N. E . to W . N. W . ; tlie preponderance b ein g in th e la tte r direction, and in one day
• I limit the passages to the time of making the land, as Captain Clerke was five days off the port.
amounting to th irty -e ig h t miles. Afte r losing th e trade-wind we had no c u rre n t o f consequence,
ex c ep tin g on th re e days in lat. ab o u t 35° N. and long. 194° AV. d u rin g very light
winds. On one o f these clays it ran S. 45« E . forty miles, on anothe r S. six miles, and on the
th ird S. 31" E. n ineteen miles. T h e whole effect of the cu rren t betwe en Oneehow and
Petrap au lsk i was N. 25« 30' W . fifty-two miles.
FROM AWATSKA BAY' TO KOTZEBUE SOUND.
J u l y 5th to 22(1, 1826, a n d J u l y 2t)th to 5tJi A u g u s t, 1827.
A fte r clearing the outer b ay, betwe en Cape Gavare a and Chepoonski Noss, in both years
we experienced much fo g ; b u t it cleared away iu the vicinity o f th e islands o f Beering and
o f St. Lawrence. T h e we ather in both seasons was fine, and we m e t no impediments from
winds until after passing the island of St. Lawrenc e, and th en only for a day. T h e situation
o f B e e rin g ’s Island is now' well fixed, and so far it may be approached with s a f e ty ; b u t th e
soundings decrease very fast n ea r the land. F ifty -th re e miles S. AV. by AA'". from th e island
we had no bottom with four hundred and tw en ty fathoms; twenty-seven miles in th e same
direction no bottom a t two hundred fathoms ; b u t a t four miles w e sounded iu sixty fathoms fine
dark sand. I t is not advisable to stand within two miles o f the we ste rn shore of this island,
as th ere are breakers and low rocky points projec ting from th a t p a rt of th e co a st; two miles
and a half from tliese breakers we had only n in etee n fathoms dark sa n d ; nor should the
southern shore be approached within six miles, on account o f Seal Rock, unless the weather
be fine. From here I would recommend ste e rin g for S t. Lawrence Island, in preference
to the main land. Ships will come into soundings o f fifty-four fathoms’ mud in ab o u t the
latitude 61" 25' N. and 175" 17' W . long., which depth will gradually decrease to thirty-
one fathoms, when the bottom will almost immediately change from mud to fine dark sand.
Tw o miles and a half S. 73" W . from th e S. AV. cape tliere are fifteen fa th om s; b u t off the
N. AV. end of the island there is a shoal upon which th ere are only nine fathoms, stony
bottom, four miles’ distance from the land. I t is narrow, and the wa te r soon deepens again,
and the bottom changes to fine sand as before.
From St. Lawrence Island th ere appears to be a cu rren t ru n n in g to the northward a t
the ra te of about th ree quarte rs o f a mile an hour, wliich increases as the sea narrows towards
the S tra it of Beering. Ships may pass eith e r side of the Diomede Islands, b u t they should
n o t ru n between them, as the passage is not y e t explored. Cook passed between the F air
AVay Bock and Krusenstern Island, and had deep w a te r; b u t no person has, as yet, I believe,
been between llatmonoff and the n ex t island. Ne ar tliese islands the water deepens to
twciity-seveu and th irty fatlioms, and the bottom in some places changes to stones. T h e
channel to the eastward of th e Diomede Islands is the w id e s t; and th e only precaution
necessary is to avoid the shoal to the northward o f Cape Prince o f A\’ales, upon which the
wa te r shoals almost immediately from twen ty fathoms to four and a half. Its outer edge lies
about north (true) from Cape Prince of W a les. From here, ships may run along shore in
safety in ten fathoms n ea r the land.
I t is unnecessary to give any directions for the sea to the northward o f K otzebue Sound,