ka from America, is full of islands, which lying over against the southweft end of America, extend to wards the ftreights of Anian, in fuch an uninterrupted feries as the Kurilian islands do towards Japan. That row of islands is found between 51 and 54° of latitude, and lies directly eaft; and it begins not farther than 5 degrees from the Kamtchadalian fhore.

Steller thinks, that Company's land is to be found between the Kurilian and American islands (which many doubt of), if one fetting out from the fouth-weft extremity of America advance fouth-weft: for, in his opinion, Company's-land muft be the base of a triangle, which it forms with the Kurilian and the American iflands. This seems not to be deftitute of foundation, if Company's-land be rightly laid down on the maps.

The American land is in a much better ftate, with regard to climate, than the farthermoft eastern part of Afia, though it lies near the fea, and has every where high mountains, fome of which are covered with perpetual fnows; for that country, when its qualities are compared with those of Afia, has by far the advantage. The mountains of that part of Afia are every where ruinous and cleft; from whence they have, long fince, loft their confiftency, they have loft their inward warmth; upon which account, they have no good metal of any kind; no wood nor herbs grow there, except in the valleys, where is feen small brush-wood and ftiff herbs. On the contrary, the mountains of America are firm, and covered on the furface, not with mofs, but with fruitful earth or mold; and therefore, from the foot to the very top,

they are decked with thick and very fine trees. At the foot of them grow herbs proper to dry places, and not to marfhy ones; befides that, for the most part, those plants are of the fame largeness and appearance, both on the lower grounds and on the very tops of the mountains; by reason that there is every where the fame inward heat and moisture. But in Afia, there is fo great a difference between them, that of one kind of plants growing there, one would be apt to make feveral kinds, if one did not observe a rule, which holds generally with regard to thofe places, viz. that in lower grounds herbs grow twice as large as on the mountains.

In America, even the sea-shores, at 60° latitude, are woody; but in Kamtchatka, at 51° latitude, no place fet with small willows and alder-trees, is found nearer than 20 verftes from the fea: plantations or woods of birch-trees are, for the moft part, at the distance of 30 verftes, and, with regard to pitchtrees, on the river Kamtchatka, they are at the distance of 50 verftes, or more, from its mouth. At 62°, there is no wood at Kamtchatka.

In Steller's opinion, from the aforementioned latitude of America, the land extends as far as 70°, and farther; and the chief caufe of the abovesaid growth of woods in that country, is the cover and fhelter it has from the weft. On the other hand, the want of wood on the Kamtchadalian fhores, efpecially on the fhore of the Penfhinian fea, doubtlefs, comes from a fharp north wind, to which it is much expofed. That thofe parts which lie from the Lopatka, farther to the north, are more woody and fruitful, is owing to cape Tchukotki, and the land

that

that has been obferved over against it, by which thofe parts are sheltered from the fharp winds.

For this reafon alfo fifh come up the rivers of America earlier, than thofe of Kamtchatka. The 20th of July, there has been obferved a great plenty of fifh in those rivers; whilft at Kamtchatka, it is then but the beginning of an abundant fishery.

Of berries they faw there an unknown kind of rafberries, which bore berries of an extraordinary bignefs and tafte. As to the reft, there grow in that country black-berries, with feveral other kinds of berries, called in Rufs, jimoloft, golubitsa, brufnitfa, and fikha, in as great plenty as at Kamtchatka.

There are creatures enough, good for the fupport of the inhabitants of thofe parts; particularly feals, feadogs, fea-beavers, whales*, canis tarcharias, marmottes [marmotta minor] and red and black foxes, which are not fo wild as in other places, poffibly because they are not, much hunted.

Of known birds, they faw there magpies, ravens, fea-mews, fearavens, fwans, wild ducks, jackdaws, woodcocks, Greenland pigeons, and mitchagatki, otherwife called northern ducks. But, of unknown birds, they obferved more than ten forts, which it was not dif. ficult to diftinguifh from European birds, by the liveliness of their co

lours.

With regard to the inhabitants of those parts, they are fuch a wild people, as the Koriaki and Tchutchi. As to their perfons, they are well fet, broad and ftrong fhouldered.

The hair of their head is black, and ftrait, and they wear it loofe. Their face is brown, and flat as a plate; their nofe is flat, but not very broad; their eyes are as black as jet; their lips thick; their beard small; and their neck short.

They wear fhirts with fleeves which reach lower than the knee; and they tye them up, with thongs of leather, below the belly. Their breeches and boots, which are made of the fkins of feals, and dyed with alder, much resemble the Kamtchadalian. They carry at their girdles, iron knives with handles, like those of the Ruffian boors. Their hats are platted of herbs, as with the Kamtchadalians, without a rifing top, in the shape of an umbrella; they are dyed in green and in black, with falcon's feathers in the fore part, or with fome herb, combed, as if it were a plume of feathers, fuch as the Americans ufe about Brafil. They live upon fish, fea animals, and the fweet herb, which they prepare after the Kamtchatka manner. Befides this, it has been observed, that they have also the bark of poplar, or of the pine-tree, dried, which, in cafe of neceffity, is made ufe of as food, not only at Kamtchatka, but likewife throughout all Siberia, and even in Ruffia itself, as far as Viatka: also feaweeds made up into bundles, which in look and in ftrength, are like thongs of raw leather. They are unacquainted with fpirituous liquors and tobacco; a fure proof, that, hitherto, they have had no communication with the Europeans.

They reckon it an extraordinary ornament, to bore, in several places,

the

the lower parts of the cheeks, near the mouth; and in the holes they fet fome stones and bones. Some wear, at their noftrils, flate pencils, about four inches long; fome wear a bone of that bignefs, under the lower lip; and others a like bone on the forehead.

The nation, that lives in the inlands round about cape Tchukotfki, and frequents the Tchutchi, is, certainly, of the fame origin with those people for with them alfo it is thought an ornament, thus to inlay bones.

Major Paulutfkoi, deceased, after a battle which he once fought against the Tchutchi, found, among the dead bodies of the Tchutchi, two men of that nation, each of whom had two teeth of a fea-horse under the nose, fet in holes made on purpose: for which reafon, the inhabitants of that country call them Zubatui [toothed]. As the prifoners reported, these men did not come to the affiftance of the Tchutchi, but to fee how they used to fight with the Ruffians.

From this, it may be inferred, that the Tchutchi converfe with them, either in the fame language, or, at least, in languages of fo great affinity, that they can understand one another without an interpreter, confequently, their language has no fmall refemblance with that of the Koriaki: for the Tchukotchian comes from the Koriatfkian language, and differs from it only in dialect: nevertheless, the Koriatfkian interpreters can speak with them without any fort of difficulty. With regard to what Mr. Steller writes, that not one of the Ruffian

interpreters could understand the American language, poffibly that comes from the great difference in the dialect, or from a difference of pronunciation; which is obferved, not only among the wild inhabitants of Kamtchatka, but also among the European nations, in different provinces. In Kamtchatka, there is hardly any fmall* oftrog, whose fpeech differs not [fomewhat] from that of another that lies nearest. As for those fmall oftrogs, which are at fome hundreds of verftes from one another, they cannot even understand each other, without trouble.

The following remarkable refemblances between the American and Kamtchadalian nations, have been obferved:

1. That the Americans resemble the Kamtchadales in the face.

2. That they eat the sweet herb, after the fame manner as the Kamtchadales; a thing which was never obferved any where else.

3. That they make use of a wooden machine to light fire with.

4. That, from many tokens, it is conjectured, that they use axes made of ftones, or of bones; and it is not without foundation, Mr. Steller thinks, that the Americans had once a communication with the people of Kamtchatka.

5. That their cloaths and their hats do not differ from the Kamtchadalian.

6. That they dye the skins with alder, after the Camtchatkamanner.

Which marks fhew it to be very poffible, that they came from the fame race. This very thing, he rightly judges, may help alto to folve that question, "Whence came

the inhabitants of America?" For though we should fuppofe, that America and Afia were never joined; nevertheless, confidering the nearness of those two parts of the world at the north, no one can fay, that it was impracticable for people from Afia to go over to fettle in America; especially, as there are lands enough, and at so small a diftance, which might facilitate not a Ettle fuch a paffage in order to fettle.

Their armour for war is a bow and arrows. What kind of a bow it is, we cannot fay, as it did not happen to our people to fee any; but their arrows are much longer than the Kamtchadalian, and greatly refemble the Tungufian and Tartarian arrows. Thofe, which came in the way of our people, were dyed black, and planed fo fmooth, that they left no room to doubt of the Americans having alfo iron tools.

The Americans fail upon the fea in canoes made of skins, in the fame manner as the Koriaki and the Tchutchi. Their canoes are about fourteen feet long, and about two feet high. The fore part of them is fharp; and they are flatbottomed. Their inward frame confifts of sticks, which are linked together at both ends, and in the middle are preffed outwards, in a rounding or belly, with crofs-fticks, which keep the fides at a proper dif tance. The fkins, which they are covered with, all around, feem to be those of fea-dogs, dyed of a cherry colour. The place where the Americans fit is round, about two arfhines (four feet eight inches) from the poop; there is fewed upon it the ftomach of fome great fish, which one may gather and

loofen as a purfe, with the help of thongs of leather, paffed through fmall holes, at the edge. An American, fitting in that place, ftretches his legs and gathers round him the ftomach abovementioned, that water may not fall into the canoe. With one oar, fome fathoms long, they row on both fides alternately, with fuch a progreflive force, that contrary winds are but a small hindrance to them; and with fo much fafety, that they are not afraid to go upon the water, even whilft the fea rifes in terrible furges. On the contrary, they look with fome terror upon our larger veffels, when they are tofied, and advile thofe, who fail in them, to beware, left their veffels fhould be overfet. This happened to the boat Gabriel, which, fome years fince, was going to cape Tchukotki. As to the reft, their canoes are fo light, that they carry them with one hand.

When the Americans fee upon their coafts people whom they do not know, they row towards them, and then make a long speech: but it is not certain, whether this is by way of a fpell, or charm, or fome particular ceremony used at the reception of ftrangers; for both the one and the other are in ufe among the Kurilians. But before they draw near, they paint their cheeks with black lead, and stuff their nof trils with fome herb.

When they have guests, they ap pear friendly; they like to converse with them, and that in an amicable manner, without taking off their eyes from them. They treat them with great fubiniffion, and prefent them with the fat of whales, and with black lead, with which they used to befmear their cheeks, as was before obferved; doubtless from a

notion, that fuch things are as agreeable to others as they are to themselves.

With regard to the navigation about those parts, it is fafe enough in fpring and in fummer; but in autumn it is fo dangerous, that hardly a day paffes, but one has reafon to fear being fhipwrecked; for they (the Ruffians fent upon the fea expedition) experienced fuch a violence of winds and ftorms, that even perfons who had ferved forty years at fea affured, with an oath, that they never faw fuch in their lives.

The marks by which they obferve there that land is near, are particularly the following confiderable one: 1. When there appears a great quantity of different kinds of the (fo called) fea-cabbage, fwiming upon the water. 2. When one fees the herb of which, at Kamtchatka, they platt cloaks, mats, and bags, for it grows only on the feafhores. 3. When there begin to appear at fea, flights of fea-mews, as well as droves of fea animals, fuch as fea-dogs, and the like; for tho' fea-dogs have a hole open at the heart which is called foramen ovale, and a duct called ductus arteriofus Botalli, and, upon that account, may remain long under water, and confequently go to fome distance from the fhore, without danger, inafmuch as they can, at a greater depth, find food proper for them; nevertheless, it has been obferved, that they feldom go farther than ten German, miles from the fhore.

The fureft fign that land is near is, when there are feen Kamtchatka beavers, which live only upon crabs; and, from the make of their heart, cannot be under water above two minutes at a time: confequent ly, they cannot get food at the

depth of 100 fathoms, or indeed at a much leffer depth; upon which account they also breed always near the fhore."

It remains to speak of fome islands nearest to Kamtchatka, which are not found in a trait line with the above-mentioned, but north of them; efpecially of Berings ifland, which now is fo well known to the inhabitants of Kamtchatka, that many of them go thither to catch fea-beavers, and the like fea animals.

That ifland extends from the S. E. to the N. W. between 55 and 60° Its N. E. end, which lies almost direaly over against the mouth of the river Kamtchatka, is at about two degrees distance from the eastern fhore of Kamtchatka; and its S. E. end is about three degrees from cape Kronotski. This island is 165 verftes long, but its breadth is unequal. From the S. E. end to a rock, which hangs perpendicularly over the fea, and is at 14 verftes distance from that end, the breadth of the island is from three to four verftes; from that steep rock to Suiputchei bay, it is five verftes; from Suiputchei bay to Beaver's steep rock, it is fix verftes; at Whale's stream, it is five verftes; but from thence farther on, it grows

gradually broader. Its greatest breadth, viz. 23 verftes, is over against the north cape, which lies 115 verftes from the above-mentioned end.

if

In general, it may be faid, that the length of that island is fo difproportioned to its breadth, that our author doubts whether there can be, in other parts of the world, any lands of fuch a fhape; at least, he never heard or read of any fuch; and he adds, that the islands which they faw about America, and all the rows of them lying to the caft, have the like proportion.