that it is very uncommon to have clear weather for five
days together, even during fummer.
Krenitzin The St. Catherine wintered in winters at the ftraits of Alaxa-,
Alaxa' where they hauled her into fhoal water. The inftruftions
given to the captain fet forth, that a private ffiip had
in 1762 found there a commodious haven; but he
looked for it in vain. The entrance of this ftrait from
the N. E. was extremely difficult on account of flats, and
ltrong currents both flood and ebb : the entrance however
from the S. E. was afterwards found to be much eafier
with not lefs than 5^ fathoms water. Upon Purveying
this ftrait, and the coaft of Alaxa, many funnels
were obferved in the low grounds clofe to the
fhore, and the foil produced few plants. May not
this allow one to fuppofe that the coaft had fuffered
confiderable changes fince the year 1762? Few of
the iflands produce wood, and that only in the val-
lies by the rivulets. Unalga and Alaxa contain the
molt; they abound with frefh water ftreams, and even
rivers; from which we may infer that they are exten-
five. The foil is in general boggy, and covered with
mofs ; but Alaxa has more foil and produces much grafs.
Levaiheff The St. Paul wintered in Unalaffika. This wintering
unaUttka. j,|ace Was obferved to lie in 53° '29' North latitude, and
its longitude from the mouth' of Kamtchatka river,
comcomputed
by the ffiip’s journal, was z j 'o s 'E aft». Unalaffika
is about fifty miles long from N. E. to S. W.
and has on the N. E. fide three bays. One of them
called Udagha ftretches thirty miles E. N. E. and
W. S. W. nearly through the middle of the
ifland. Another called Igunck, lying N.N. E. and
S. S. W. is a pretty good harbour, with three and a half
fathom water at high tide, and fandy ground. It is well
ffieltered from the North fwell at its entrance by rocks,
fome o f which are under water. The tide flows here
five feet at full and change, and the fhore is in general
bold and rocky, except in the bay, at the mouth of a
fmall river. There are two burning mountains on this
ifland, one called Ayaghiffi, and the other (by the Ruffians)
the Roaring Mountain. Near the former is a
very copious, hot fpring. The land is in general rocky,
with loamy and clayey grounds but the grafs is extremely
coarfe, and unfit for pafture. Hardly any wood
is to be found on it. Its plants are dwarf cherry (i Xy- ur^u^ons of!
lofteum of Tournefort), wortle berry, (Vaccinium Uli-
ginofum of Linnaeus), rafberry, farana and fhikfhu o,f
Kamtchatka and kutage, larch, white poplar, pine and
* According to the general map o f Ruffia, the mouth o f the Kamtchatka
river is in 178° 25 from Fero. Unalaihka therefore, according
to this eftimation, is 205° 30' from Fero, or 187° 55' 15" from Greenwich.
The Lonicera Pyrenaica o f Linnaus. It is not a dwarf cherry,
but a lpecies o f honey fuckle..
Jr
birch