P- 234* it was the 14th before they reached the entrance of the Bay of Awatfchka.
In the courfe of that day, the Awachinikoy mountain emitted a great quantity
of fmoke, and during the night it was in a perfect ftate of eruption.
P-235* The next day, Thurfday the 15th, the whole bay appeared as i f in a fog,
occafioned by the vaft quantity of fmoke and allies from the volcano. The ihips
were in fome places covered near an inch deep with them. In the afternoon,
after a loud and violent noife, a heavy ihower of fmall ftones fell around them,
which was the cafe, more or lefs, till the evening, when, it thundered and
lightened pretty much. About ten all was Hill and quiet, and remained fo
during the night. At two the next morning, taking the advantage of a breeze
from the N. W. they got up their anchors, made fail, and Hood, out to fea.
p. 236. At the time Muller and Krafchininnikoff publiihed their Hiftory of Kamtfchatka,
the various parts of that province were in a flouriihing condition;
but the fmall-pox has, fince that period, committed fuch heavy depredations,
that many towns and villages have been entirely depopulated. In 1769 twenty
thoufand of the natives died of that diftemper, feven thoufand of whom paid
tribute.
p. 237. The town of St. Peter and St. Paul, or Petropaulouiki, is fituated upon a
fpot of low land that extends nearly acrofs the harbour. It at prefent confifts.
of only twenty-one buildings, including jourts, (huts partly under ground)
ballagans,. (houfes elevated upon poles) and houfes, the beft of which''are com-
pofed of wood, and the intermediate chinks filled up with mofs; the windows
' are all compofed of the ikins of falmon fewed together, except thofe in the
Serjeant’s houfe, which are made of talc, and admit the light nearly as well
as glafs.
Bolfchaia-Reeka is the largeft town, and coniifts of near a hundred houfes,
all of which are built on the fame plan as thofe at Petropaulouiki. It is like-
wife the refidence of the governor.
p. 238. The Kamtfchadales have in a great meafure adopted the manners and cuftoms
of the Ruffians, who marry and intermarry with them. Among themfelves
they
they enter into"the marriage ftate very young, generally at thirteen or fourteen
years of age. The women are very ordinary, being Ihort in ftature, with
broad faces, fmall eyes, very high cheek-bones, and little nofes; their nofes
are fo fmall, that when you view them in profile,- only the tip Is to be
difcovered.
In every village there is a Toyon or Chief, who, in any trifling difputes,
is always applied to; but if they are of a ferious nature, they come under the
cognizance of the principal perfon in the place; i f he finds it difficult to
fettle the affairs, they are transferred to the governor of Bolfchaia-Reeka,
from whence there is no appeal.
The falary of the government of Kamtfchatka amounts to a thoufand rubles p. 240.
a year. The pay of the Serjeant at Petropaulouiki is forty-fix rubles per
annum. The annual tribute of the province is computed at feven thoufand
rubles. None are taxed till they arrive at the age of eighteen years, when
each pays a fable ikin. A duty is likewife laid on articles of every kind that
pafs and repafs from Ochotlk to Bolfchaia-Reeka. Six galliots belonging to the
Emprefs are fet apart for that purpofe. In the whole province, which is
extenfive, there are not above five hundred of the military.
T ill the 24th of June the weather was in general foggy, when it cleared up p. 244.
and proved fine. They obferved a great number of common gulls, and.many
artic gulls: thefe chafe the former about, till'the poor frighted birds void their
excrements, which the others immediately catch in their beak, and greedily
fwallow, apparently much pleafed with it. Linnseus calls this bird the parafite,
from its nafty fordid way of living.
From this time till the 18th of July they failed to the northward, tracing the p. 264.
edges of thofe vaft bodies of ice with which the parts towards the pole are
covered, hourly obftrudted by the floating ice, and frequently embayed in it,
till they arrived as high as 70° 26’ N.-
The 19th they faw two white bears fwimming by them, which they fired at a66
and killed: they proved to be, a male and a female; the former appeared to be a •*’ '
young