mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i5-026

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various chores awaited us, and where it was too difficult for
three officers, they detailed Lieutenant Zelenii to us from
the "Discovery," and when he moved over, we and the "Discovery"
moved out of the harbor on the mentioned date, our taking a
different course from its course because before his move, our
captain received from the commander the following instructions:
"Upon leaving the harbor take a course toward Transfiguration
Island, seen by some trader, and determine its existence, then
go to Anderson Island put on the map by Captain Cook, but
afterward not found by anyone; survey St. Matthew and St. Law-
rence islands, and finally, try to reach the Arctic Sea by the
7th of July and to sail along the Asiatic shore as high as
possible, searching for a westward passage around this part of
the world."

Having a different course from the "Discovery," we went
WNW, and it, in company of the boat detailed to survey Bristol
Bay, toward Cape Newenham to the NE. Soon we lost sight of
each other, which was aggravated by a dense descending fog.

On July 1st, we reached the place where Transfiguration
Island was indicated on the map, that is, latitude 58˚ 48˚
and longitude 183˚ 24˚. The weather was rather clear, and
the horizon unencumbered, but even from the crosstree, which
I climbed with a telescope, it was not possible to see anything.
For this reason, the captain, without much ado, erased the
island off the face of the earth, or rather, off the face of
the sea.

Finishing this business, we continued our course to St.