mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-020

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rock on which is seen not the slightest vegetation. On its
low banks lay thousands of sea lion-seals and sea otters, which
at our approach, with noise and roaring plunged into the water,
crowding each other. Toward the northwest at
a distance of six miles from Amchitka, Semisopochnoi Island
present itself to sight, a sight unique in the world. It re-
ceived its name from seven conically-shaped volcanoes of al-
most the same height, called sopki in these regions. Three
of these volcanoes smoke constantly, and according to the
Aleuts on Unalashka only recently had strong eruptions.

With our entrance into the Kamchatka Sea, the constant
SW winds left us, and changeable weak ones blew more from the
SE and E instead of them, which slowed down our sailing con-
siderably, and we were able to approach Bogoslof Island only
on the first of June.

This island appeared from the water and rose to its present
height of about 250 feet above the surface during a violent
earthquake and eruption of the Umnak and Unalaskan volcanoes
in 1797 [1796]. Since it had not been more closely explored
by anyone as yet, and the weather was quiet and clear, the
captain ordered us to lower the tender for a trip there by our
naturalist. The management of the tender was entrusted to
Lieutenant Lazarev, who was assisted by the junior pilot, Ved-
eneev. Stocking up with provisions and water for seven days
in the event of fog or other unforeseen events preventing his