Three Accounts of the Vasil'ev-Shishmarev Expedition of 1819-1822

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could not keep up with the sloops, Cap. Vasilev took it in tow, and continued on the way to the Aleutian chain. Upon approaching Unalashka, Cap. Vasilev entered the harbor in order to repair some damages.

Here Cap. Vasilev formed a new plan for the impending voyage in arctic waters. He instructed Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev, upon putting to sea, to proceed toward the northeastern shores of Asia and to look for a passage into the northern sea. In case of failure in that, he was instructed to survey the shore of Chukotski land [Chukchi Peninsula]. Cap Vasilev kept the boat for himself and intended to survey the shore of America between Bristol Bay and Norton Sound with it. After that, he planned to go to the Arctic Sea along the northwest coast of America and look for a passage into the Atlantic Ocean.

Vasilev's Voyage, 1821

On June 27th, Cap. Vasilev put to sea. The sloop Good Intent made its way to the shores of Asia, and the Discovery and the boat sailed towards [St.] Paul and [St.] George islands, and again verifying their geographic position sailed toward Cape Newenham, casing anchor on the southern side.

Here Cap. Vasilev appointed Lieut. Avinov commander of the boat, and giving him in assistance Midshipman Hall, son of the Honorable Vice-Admiral Roman Romanovich Hall, who had sailed those seas under the command of Cap. Billings in 1790 and 1791. Cap. Vasilev instructed Lieut. Avinov to survey

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by poles and hung with skins, forming the warmest part, the bedroom.

"The baidars, the same as all of the inhabitants of both shores of Bering Strait, are all almost the same size with room for eight oarsmen and one helmsman.

"Their weapons are spears, bows and arrows. The spears are made mostly from wood with bone hafted on both ends, one end for animals, the other for men, but they have some of iron as well, received from Kolyma. The bows are bound with sinew, with arrows also from wood with bone or flint tips and feathers at the base. The bowstring is drawn on by a special plate of bone or iron. The quivers, sewn from deerskin, painted, and embroidered, are very pretty. But the main weapon is a large knife, about an arshin long, always carried with them and kept in a case, often likewise embroidered. Some have, in addition, one or two smaller knives, usually hidden in a pocket or behind a sleeve. We saw on one Chukchi, two muskets of English manufacture, probably received from Americans, because it is prohibited to sell firearms at the Kolyma fair.

"The men make small statues of men, animals, and birds from walrus bone, rather roughly however, and from wood--also in the likeness of men--small wooden boards which are rubbed to obtain fire. Women sew and embroider quivers, gloves, and other things, being much inferior in this art to the women of the Aleutian Islands.

3

Alaska published before 1868 (Yale 1969), but I found that he discusses this book under his No. 88, page 312. However, he says that this is Wickersham's No. 6585 5685, but in checking the Wickersham, I find that 6585 refers to Berkh's Aleutian Island history. Thereofre, LadaMocarski's Bibliography is the first reference to this publication, although I vaguely recall a reference in some German account to something like "Berkh's journeys to the north" -- I can't dredge it up at the moment. The Library of Congress does not have Volume II of this history--only Volume I, which has only a little applicable [attn for] Alaska.

Therefore, my entire project is this: Combine Berkh's summary of the expedition, Hillsen's account of the Good Intent (1820-1821), Shishmarev's observations of the Chukchi (1821), and the short progress reports into one publication about this expedition. It will be tied together with my bibliographic observations and an introduction and notes that will place it historically and ethnographically, geographically, etc. with northern affairs at that time, including the overlapping journeys of Khromchenko and Etolin in 1821 and 1822.

I have just finished this chapter of Russian exploration so all of the material is still fresh in mind.

I shall forward the pages and translations as soon as Mrs. Josephson and I have been able to get together, hopefully this week-end.

With best of wishes, and many thanks,

Sincerely yours, Dorothy Jean Ray Dorothy Jean Ray

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To the Aleutian Islands

Toward noon of the 21st, the wind gradually started to abate, and toward evening, completely died down. Immense heavy seas continued to rock the sloop and did not permit us to begin the necessary repairs, which we could start only in the evening of the next day. Hoisting new topsails and attaching a brand-new suit of sails, we directed our course with a steady SW toward a group of small islets. The usual passage from the ocean into the Kamchatka Sea [i.e. the Bering Sea] for ships sailing to Unalashka, goes through Umnak Pass, in the middle of which stands a tremendous rock resembling a ship under sail [Polivnoi Rock?] for which it is was so named. For this reason, and because of the narrowness of the pass in which the current sometimes is very strong; also because the captain intended to examine John the Theologian Island [Bogoslof Island], which lay more to the west and which had surfaced at the end of the last century, we directed our course toward the pass near Amchitka Island.

At dawn of the 27th we saw the whole northern horizon bordered by a long chain of high wild islands, and directly in front of us Amchitka. Toward midday we approached this island, and toward three o'clock, safely sailed through the pass and entered the Kamchatka Sea. Amchitka Island is lower than all the rest of the Fox Chain [ Aleutian Islands ]. Its length from E to W is about 1 1/2 miles and its width from N to S is about 3/4 of a mile. [ Amchitka Island is 35 miles long and about three miles wide.] It consists of bare red

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already existing.

There were then in Novo-Arkhangelsk about 300 residents, the majority of whom consisted of Aleuts that had been transported there from the Fox Islands [the Aleutian Islands] 3 and Kadiak Island. The rest were Russian traders employed in the work of the dockyards and serving as sailors on the vessels of the Company. The Aleuts, however, caught fish and went in their baidars into the straits of the archipelago to catch beavers [i.e. sea otters]. Their toions [leaders] came to our sloop every Sunday to wish the captain a good holiday and to receive a glass of rum and a few leaves of tobacco.

The condition of the colony at that time, with reference to stores of provisions, was very good. The grain storehouses were full, but despite that, they allowed only one pood of wheat flour per person from the stores, and the management sent the office manager, Mr. Khlebnikov, on a large ship to California for the purchase of new provisions. Such precaution was necessary in colonies not producing their own grain because if the California monks suddenly decided not to sell wheat, or if the ship sent out should encounter a misfortune, then the residents would have to feed themselves with just yukola [dried fish] and fish, quite inadequate for so many people. And this time these measures proved beneficial. Mr. Khlebnikov, who was expected back in the middle of September, did not return, and came back only at the end of January of the next year. He suffered a shipwreck near Bodiaga