■ which they dip in frefh water and draw out to the fe e of
a fine packthread.
As foon as the veflel was laid up in a fecure place,
Tolftyk, Vaffyutin and LafarofF, with feveral others,
went in four baidars to Kanaga. The fir It remained
upon that ifland, but the two others rowed in two baidars
to Tfetchina, which is feparated from Kanaga by a
ftrait about feven verfts in breadth : the iflanders received
them amicably, and promifed to pay tribute. The
feveral parties returned all fafe to Kayachu, without
having procured any furs. Soon afterwards Tolftyk dif-
patched fome hunters in four baidars to Tagalak, Atchu,
and Amlach, which lay to the Eaft of Kayachu : none of
thefe party met with any oppofition from the natives:
they accordingly remained with great tranquillity upon
thefe feveral iflands until the year 1764. Their fuccefs
in hunting was not however very great; for they caught
no more than 1880 full grown fea-otters, 77^ middle-
aged, and 37 a cubs.
Defcriptionof The following is Lafaroff’s defcription of the above-
nofflkye mentioned fix iflands^ "which lie in a chain fomeWhat
Iflands.
to the North Weft of the Fox Iflands, and muft not be
blended with them. The firft certain account was
brought by this veflel, the St. Andrean and Natalia,
* Thefe are the fix Iflands defcribed by Mr. Stahlin in his defcription
o f the N ew Archipelago. See Appendix I. N°. V,
X from
from whence they, are called the Andreanofffkie Oftrova
or the Iflands of St, Andrean.
Ayagh is about an hundred and fifty verfts in circum- Ayagh.
ference : it contains feveral high and rocky mountains,
the intervals of which are bare heath and moor ground :
not one foreft tree is-to be found upon the whole ifland.
The vegetables feem for the moft part like thofe which
grow in Kamtchatka. Of berries there are found * crow
or crake-berries and the larger fort of bilberries, but in
fmall quantities. Of the roots of burnet and all kinds of
fnake weed, there is fuch abundance as to afford, in cafe
of neceflity, a plentiful provifion for the inhabitants.
The above-mentioned rivulet is the only one upon the
ifland. The number of inhabitants cannot fufficiently
be afcertained, becaufe the natives pafs continually from
ifland to ifland in their baidars.
Kanaga ftands Weft from Ayagh, and is two hundred Kanaga.
verfts in circumference. It contains an high volcano
where the natives find fulphur in fumrner. At the foot
of this mountain are hot fprings, wherein they occafion-
ally boil their provifion. There is no rivulet upon this
ifland ; and the low grounds are fimilar to thofe of
Ayagh. . The inhabitants are reckoned about two hundred
fouls.
$ Empetrum, Vaccin, Ullginofum, Sanguiforba, & Biftorta.
L 2 Tfetchina