N° XIAttempts
of tbe Ruffians to difcover a North Eaft paffage—
Voyages from Archangel towards tbe Lena— From the
Lena towards Kamtchatka— Extract from Muller’s account
of DefchnefPs voyage round Tschukotskoi Nofs—
Narrative of a voyage made by Shalauroff from the Lena
to Shelatskoi Nofs.
* I ' H E only communication hitherto known between
-*■ the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, or between Europe
and the Eaft Indies, is made either by failing round the
Cape of Good Hope, or by doubling Cape Horn. But as
both thefe navigations are very long and dangerous, the
great object of feveral late European voyages has been
turned towards the difcovery of a North Eaft or a North
Weft paffage. As this work is entirely confined to the
Ruffian navigations, any difquifition concerning the
North Weft paffage is totally foreign to the purpofe ; and
for the fame reafon in what relates to the North Eaft, thefe
relearches extend only to the attempts of the Ruffians for
the difcovery of that paffage.
The advocates for the North Eaft paffage have divided
that navigation into three principal parts; and by endeavouring
to ihew that thefe three parts have been
paffed
paffed at different times, they conclude from thence,
that the whole when taken colledlively is practicable.
Thefe three parts are, i . frdm Archangel to the Lena;
2. from the Lena to Kamtchatka ; 3. from Kamtchatka'
to Japan. With refpedt to the latter, the connection
between the feas of Kamtchatka and Japan firft appeared
from fome Japanefe veffels, which %vere wrecked
.upon the coaft of Kamtchatka in the beginning of this
century ; and this communication has been unqueftion-
ably proved from feveral voyages made by the Ruffians-
from Kamtchatka to Japan*.
No one ever afferted that the firft part from Archangel
to the Lena was ever performed in one voyage ; but feveral
perfons having advanced that this navigation has
been made by the Ruffians at different times, it becomes
neceffary to examine the accounts of the Ruffian voyages
in thofe feas.
In 1734 lieutenant Morovieff failed from Archangel Voyages from
Archangel to
toward the river Oby ; and got no farther the firft yearthe n a than
the mouth of the Petchora. The next fummer he
paffed through the ftraits ef Weygatz into the fea of
Kara ; and coafted along the Eaftern fide of that fea, as
high as latitude 7 20 30', hut did not double the promontory
which feparates the fea of Kara from the Bay of
* S.R. G. HI. p. 78, and p. 166, &c. R r Oby.