p. 206.
p. '207.
p. 208.
p. 209.
p. 210.
p. an.
Secured by a forti.fkaeion, mounted with forty guns* to, their great furprrze,
they ©oly difcQvered a- few huts at the, bottom of a fmall bay, which, conftituted
only a poor hamlet, containing only twenty-one wooden buildings,;* with a
formidable battery of two guns* one of which was a two-pounder, the other a
fwivel. This place is, called' St. Peter aind St- Paul, or in the Ruffi-an: tongue,
P ctropaul o.u fk i.,
The 281th,,, Mr. King, firft Lieutenant o f the Refolution, was fent on ¿hone,
to fee i f it was. practicable to open any kind of intereourfe with the Ruffians,
or Kamtfchadales. When he landed, feveral perfons. on fledges came to re-
connoitre, but foon made off with all the expedition the dogs, which drew
them, could make. He, however, proceeded towards the village, where he
\yas met by a party, whom he joined, and was afterwards conducted to; one of
the houfes, which was flnall, and built of wood, and tolerably clean, though
very hot.
A breakfaft was foon, prepared of tea, and rye bread and butter ; after which
Mr. King was conducted to the different houfes of the village. Upon their
return, about three hours after, they found dinner made ready, which con-
flited of beef cut fmall, fome baked rice,, mince-meat puffs, a large bird, fup-
pofed to be a goofe, or fomething of that kind, with bread and butter; the drink,
which was guafle, tailed like fmall beer mixed with water,, and had a flight
acid flavour. During this repail, at which was only the mailer of the houfe and
Mr. King (his wife, according to the cuilom of that country, not being permitted
to fit at table) the former informed the latter, as well as figns would
permit, that he held the rank of ferjeant, and had the command of the place,
the Governor of Kamtfchatka reiiding at Bolfchaia-Reeka.
The next day, feveral of the gentlemen went on ihore to vifit the ferjeant,
and two bottles of rum were fent to him' by the Captain. In return for which,
he fent on board a fine fowl of the groufe kind, and twenty trout.
May the 2d, the weather was very cold, thick, and heavy, with ihowers of
imall fnow; the thermometer was as. low as 28 d eg re e s in the afternoon it
cleared
cleared up, but froze very feverely in the night. ^ On their arrival they had
found the interior.parts of the bay covered with ice, which ilill continued;
ib that the boats, in attempting to go on ihore the 3d, were io entangled, as
not to be able to reach it. But the next morning, the ice making its way out
of the bay with the tide, the boats were recovered without their having
received any material damage.
About nine o clock in the morning, on the 3d, a number of fledges being dif- p- 212»
covered coming from the Oftrog to the border of the ice neareil the ihips, *
the pinnace was fent to them, and brought on board fix Ruffians and a German.
On being introduced to Captain Clerke, the German delivered him a p. 213.
letter from Major Behm,-the Governor of Kamtfchatka, which was written in
German. Fortunately there were feveral people on board who both fpoke and
wrote that language. The purport of it was, that he had fent one of his
domeilicks to treat with them for every thing they wanted, and that they could
be fupplied with freih provifions from Bolfchaia-Reeka, together with many
other articles. His demands, however, were rather exorbitant, charging a
hundred rubles for an ox, and other things in proportion.
After breakfaft they all returned to the ihore, and at two in the afternoon p. 214.
the German came on board again, attended by a Ruffian merchant and a prieft :
the latter had quite the appearance of a gentleman; they were much pleafed P. 215.
with their reception-,, and at fix in the evening returned to the ihore.
The next day, Wednefday/ May the 5th, they dined on board the Difcovery,
and in the afternoon, by permiffion of the Captains, a trade was opened for
beaver and other flcins, many of which the merchants very gladly purchafed.
The 7th Captain Gore, Mr. King, and Mr. Webber, who adled as interpre-
ter, attended by the merchant and the German, fet off for Bolfchaia-Reeka ‘
upon a vifit to the governor.
Moll of the Ruffians that refided at the Oftrog ¿ f St. Peter and St Paul
were moll terribly afflifted with the fcurvy. This diforder is entirely occaiioned
by their filthy manner of living. In the winter feafon they Ihut. themfelves
Y y up