Voyage of
Otcheredin it
the St. Paul,
*765-
C H A P . XII.
Voyage of Otcheredin— He winters upon Umnak— Arrival
o f Levalheff upon Unalalhka— Return of Otcheredin to
Ochotfk.
T N the year 1765 three merchants, namely, Orechoff
of Yula, Lapin of Solikatnfk, and Shilcrff of Uf-
tyug, fitted out a new veflel called the St. Paul, under
the command of Aphanaffei Otcheredin. She was built
in the harbour of Ochotfk : his crew confifted of fixty-
two Ruffians and Kamtchadals, and fhe carried on board
two inhabitants of the Fox Iflands named John and Timothy
Surgeff, who had been brought to Kamtchatka
and baptifed.
September 10, they failed from Ochotfk, and arrived
the 2 2d in the bay of Bolcherefk where they wintered.
Auguft 1, 1776, they continued their voyage, and
having palled the fecond of the Kuril Illes, fleered on the
6th into the open fea; on the 24th they reached the
neareft of the Fox Iflands, which the interpreters called
* Atchak. A ftorm arifing they call anchor' in a bay,
but faw no inhabitants upon the fhore. On the 26th
* Called in a former journal 4-tchu, p. 63.
' ‘2 - they
they failed again, difcovered on the 27 th Sagaugamak,
along which they fleered North Eaft, and on the 31ft
came within feven miles of the ifland Umnak ; where, Arrival at
on account of the latenefs of the feafon and the want of
provifion and water, they determined to winter. Accordingly
on the 1 ft of September, by the advice of the
interpreters, they brought the veflel into a convenient
bay near a point of land lying N. W. where they fattened
it to the fhore with cables.
Upon their landing they difcovered feveral pieces o f a
wr ec ka nd two iflanders, who dwelled on the banks of
a rivulet which empties itfelf into the bay, informed
them, that thefe were the remains of a Ruffian veflel,
whofe commander’s name was Denys. From this intelligence
they concluded that this was. ProtaflofFs veffel,
fitted out at Ochotfk. The inhabitants of Umnak, Una-
lafhka, and of the Five Mountains, had aflembled and
murdered the crew, when feparated into different hunting
parties. The fame iflanders alfo mentioned the fate
of KulkofPs and Trapefnikoff’s fhips upon the ifland
Unalalhka. Although this information occafioned general
apprehenfions, yet they had no other refource than
to draw the veffel afhore, and to take every poffibLe precaution
againft a furprize. Accordingly they kept a con-
ftant watch, made prefents to the Toigoms and the principal
inhabitants, and demandedfome children as hoftages.
For fome time the iflanders behaved very peaceably, until
the Ruffians endeavoured to perfuade them to become
tributary t