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

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ceived a report from the manager of the local office that he had no interpreters who knew the language of the North Americans, and that, therefore, requesting from him four baidars [umiaks, or skin boats] and six Aleuts, he left that island on the 19th. Going around St. Lawrence Island toward the NE he saw ice, and found Kotzebue Sound completely covered with it. This circumstance prompted him to sail for an inspection of Ratmanov Island [Big Diomede].* Although he passed the point where it should be visible in clear weather he did not see any sign of land. Returning again to Kotzebue Sound, he found no more ice there.

On July 18, C[aptain] V[asilev] put out to sea with both sloops, and decided to sail northward along the American shore for a most exact survey. Frequent fogs, an overcast horizon, and ice in various directions did not permit Cap. Vas. to execute this project. On the 29th, being at latitude 71[degree sign] 06', longitude 166[degree sign] 08' west of Greenwich, they approached the ice itself and saw that the entire expanse that the eye could see was covered with it. "It was possible to sail westward along the ice," says C. V. in his report. "but as we were 35 miles above Icy Cape and about four degrees farther west in longitude, it was desirable for me to examine Icy Cape and I turned around at a depth of 24 sazhens [168 feet]."

---------------------- *See the first part of this history, pp. 196, 197.³

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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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had not seen.

On July 31, the sloop Discovery neared Cape Lisburne, from which, as was noted from the crosstree, the coast turned northward, but Cap. Vasilev says, "The fog or the variable winds and calm prevented coming closer; we saw only heights at some places. On the morning of August 2nd, we encountered several pieces of ice, upon which were lying many walruses. The wind springing from the south, we took a course toward Icy Cape. Although the ice was getting thicker, it was still possible to go northward.

"On August 3rd," continues Cap. Vasilev, "we were, by observation, at latitude 70° 40', longitude 161° 27' west of Greenwich. The depth of the sea increased from 13 to 21 sazhens. Judging by the latitude in which we were, we had passed Icy Cape. The ice was seen continuously from N to W; from N to E less frequently. Toward Z [south?] there was no ice."

Cap. Vasilev, desiring to inspect and identify Icy Cape, bore up toward it, and on August 4th saw it at latitude 70° 23'. A very strong wind continued until the 9th. The sloop was surrounded by ice several times, and as Cap. Vasilev says, "The sloop was pressing toward the ice; we lowered boards, trapdoors, and such small masts as we had, laid them round the entire side, so that the ice would not damage the sheathing. The crew were used as much as possible to hold back the ice to soften the blows. However, some were so

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On July 4th, the sloop Good Intent was at latitude 62° 32', longitude east of Greenwich 193° 11', and from it they sighted a high shore extending from SETE to SE, at an approximate distance of 70 miles, but according to the map of [Editor: this is correct spelling for K. here] Mr. Khromchenko, it appears that Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev was only a distance of 45 miles from it.

Captain-Lieutenant Shishmarev, comparing it with all known maps, saw that this shore was located at a distance of 245 versts [a little more than 16 miles] from the mainland shore of America, and therefore acknowledged it very rightly as a new discovery. Wishing to survey this new unknown land, he directed his way toward it, but having gone 15 miles, he found the depth of the sea five sazhens, and for that reason did not dare to sail farther. Below we shall have occasion to talk about this new shore again.⁹

From this place, Captain Lieutenant Shishmarev went to St. Lawrence Island and surveying the northern part of it, collected much curious information about the inhabitants. On July 11, the sloop Good Intent entered St. Lawrence Bay and Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev compiled a very interesting description concerning the manners, customs, and character of the Chukchi people.¹⁰ It is noteworthy that he saw there two rifles, which they had received from an American brig [apparently the Pedler], which had come there because the Russians trading with them in Izhiga and Nizhne-Kovymsk [Lower Kolyma ] may not sell them firearms.

Until July 21st, Captain Lieutenant Shishmarev sailed