mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i2-006

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- 39 -

Here are the interesting remarks of C. V. about the
northern shores of America. "The current of the sea was ob-
served from NE to SW at about a half knot per hour, but near
the shore it was swifter and changed direction. The decli-
nation of the compass was at its greatest, 35° 45' ,at latitude
[?]6 but at Cape Lisburne, 35°." Remarkably, Cap. Cook,
being at Cape Lisburne 42 years before Captain Vasilev (1778),
had almost the same declination of the compass. At latitude
69° 57', longitude 193° 41', he found its declination 35° 32'
east.

"At latitude 71° the declination of the magnetic needle
was found to be 78° 30'. The Réaumur thermometer rose to
about 11 1/2° and fell to 2 1/2° below freezing, but mostly
it was 5° to 6° [43° to 45° Fahrenheit].7 Near shore, the
depth of the ocean was sometimes found to be between five
and seven sazhens [35 and 49 feet]. Being 80 miles west of
the shores of America, we did not find the depth of the sea
to be more than 30 sazhens. The land was completely bare.
Here and there in the valleys moss showed itself, but stand-
ing timber was nowhere to be found. On the shores was seen
a quantity of driftwood; the trees were very large poplars
and fir [spruce] with roots." This remark about the forest
and shallow depth near the ocean shores serves as indisputable
evidence that there must be deep harbors and rivers flowing
from the interior of the continent at various places on the
continental shores of America between latitudes 70° and 65°,

Notes and Questions

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jessiesusan

Line 15 Reaumur needs a diacritic above the e

Samara Cary

Thanks! I added it. Here is a copy/paste one for future use: é