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

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New obstacles did not permit Cap. Vas. to carry out this intention either, and therefore, he cruised southward on July 31. "Toward 8 o'clock in the morning," he continued, "we saw Cape Lisburne, and against it, ice toward the shore from the ENE to the NNE. The thermometer rose 2 1/2° [Réaumur]. I cannot say whether the ice, seen by us from Lisburne toward the north at the shore, was stationary." This observation of Cap. Vas. is very correct; the great [James] Cook said, says [Sir John] Barrow: "But C. cook observes, he dit not sypposesuppose any part of this ice to be fixd; on the contrary, he considered the whole as a movable mas,"⁴ that is, Captain Cook noted, that in his opinion, all of the ice sighted by him was not stationary, but on the contrary, he considered all of it to be shifting.

All of the above-mentioned circumstances probably prompted Cap. Vasilev to leave the arctic regions. On this day, he said, "August 9 came out of the Arctic Ocean, was therein for 26 days. The shore was rather well explored from Cape Lisburne to Cape Krusenstern, except that we could not see Cape Mulgrave because of the haze. The American shore has no bays whatsoever. We did not see any rivers flowing into the sea. In some places water was seen beyond low-lying banks." This remark leads to the conclusion that the whole coast of America from Icy Cape to Cape Newenham consists of islands. The Honorable Davis concluded back in the year 1587 that the northern shores of America were formed of islands."⁵

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Here are the interesting remarks of C. V. about the northern shores of America. "The current of the sea was observed from NE to SW at about a half knot per hour, but near the shore it was swifter and changed direction. The declination 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 standing 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°,

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the coast of America lying between Capes Newenham and Darby. He told him to join the sloop Discovery on July 20 at Stuart Island, but if Lieut. Avinov had not succeeded in finishing the survey of the mentioned shore by that time, he was permitted to remain there [at Stuart Island ] until August 15, and if he did not meet Cap. Vasilev in Norton Sound then, to winter on Unalashka Island or at the harbor of Petropavlovsk.

On July 6, the boat went on its appointed way, and Cap. Vasilev, going at the same time to Cape Stephens, discovered, on the 11th, a coast not indicated on the maps. Coming to a depth of eight sazhens he cast anchor, and going ashore with the interpreters, was informed that they were standing off an island called Nunivok [Nunivak Island], located not far from the mainland coast of America, and which is inhabited, and that until now its inhabitants had had no contact whatsoever with Europeans. The latitude of the place of anchorage was 59° 54'; longitude, 193° 17' east of Greenwich. Cap. Vasilev named this island after the name of his sloop, Otkrytie [Discovery].

On June [July] 12, Cap. Vasilev weighed anchor, and directed his course to Norton Sound. Arriving at Cape Darby on the 19th, he remained there at anchor for 24 hours, and since Lieut. Avinov had not arrived with the boat, Cap. Vasilev sailed north. At latitudes 68° 01' and 68° 21' Cap. Vasilev sighted two noticeable capes, which Captains Cook and Clerke

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Chapter 5 Part Three of Hillsen's Journal

In the Hawaiian Islands

Leaving the port of San Francisco we took a course to the SW and followed it with variable winds to latitude 27. Reaching this parallel, we started to hold to it as far as possible, continuing our voyage to the W. The purpose of this action was the intention of finding two islands, Rico d'Ora and Rico-plata, put on the map near this latitude by two Spanish navigators, islands that were not found by anyone, not Cook, nor Clerke, no Vancouver. Our efforts, too, were futile, although twice we had signs of a coast nearby, because shore birds flew toward us, and the sea was covered with grass and driftwood, but the shore itself we could not see. Therefore, reching longitude 202 we bore away south toward the island of Ovaihi, or Hawaii.

We saw this island on March 17.¹ The wind blew strongly from the NE, and so successfully pushed us ahead that at about midday we crossed the strait between the islands of Ovaihi and Muve [Maui]/ Both of these islands are part of the highest of the whole chain. On Atoi [Kauai] Island ^{[ Ovaihi Island?]} the farthest one to the north, rise three high mountains called Mona-Roa

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[ Mauna Loa ], Mona-Kaa [ Mauna Kea ], and Mono-Morotai [Puu Hualalei] . The first one is 8,700 feet above sea level and is located on the northeastern [southwestern] end of the island. Next in size is Mono-Kaa, located at the southern [northern] end, and finally, Mono-Morotai on the northwestern, not far from Kiarakua [Kealakekua] Bay, famous for the death of Cook.²

When we crossed the mentioned strait about two o'clock in the afternoon and took refuge behind the island of Hawaii; its heights shielded us from the wind and we were completely becalmed. Standing in one place, we had time to contemplate the beautiful charming landscapes presented by these islands. To begin with, a low shore starts gradually to rise at a certain distance, reaching to the highest mountains, and varying from darkest to light vegetation until it disappears completely. The top of the mountains present to the eye a view of naked rocks flowed over by lava, whose long hardened streams extend, in places, all the way to the seashore where the houses, or rather, the huts, of the natives are located, surrounded by coconut groves, and banana and bread fruit trees. In short, the view is so enchanting that one cannot have enough of it. A light breeze blowing now and then from the shore brought us the fragrance, but our impatience to get on a land that was capable of producing such aromas, was futile--the wind would not let us get closer to Kiarakua Bay, almost the only anchoring place near the island. In addition, thinking that in the settlement of the same name or in the nearest one to it