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[Illustration: NOMAHANNA,
QUEEN OF THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.]
_London. Published by Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley. 1839._
A
NEW VOYAGE
ROUND
THE WORLD,
IN THE YEARS 1823, 24, 25, AND 26.
BY OTTO VON KOTZEBUE,
POST CAPTAIN IN THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL NAVY.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. II.
LONDON:
HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY,
NEW BURLINGTON STREET.
1830.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY SAMUEL BENTLEY.
Dorset Street, Fleet Street.
CONTENTS
OF
THE SECOND VOLUME
Page
KAMTSCHATKA 1
NEW-ARCHANGEL 27
CALIFORNIA, AND THE NEW RUSSIAN SETTLEMENT, ROSS 69
THE SANDWICH ISLANDS 151
THE PESCADORES, RIMSKI-KORSAKOFF, ESCHSCHOLTZ, AND BRONUS ISLANDS 267
THE LADRONES AND PHILIPPINES 279
ST. HELENA 305
ZOOLOGICAL APPENDIX BY PROFESSOR ESCHSCHOLTZ 323
LIST OF PLATES.
Page
Reception of Captain Kotzebue at the Island of Otdia,
To face Title of Vol. I.
Plan of Mattaway Bay and Village 200
Chart of the Navigators' Islands 250
Chart of the Islands of Radak and Ralik 288
Nomahanna, Queen of the Sandwich Islands,
To face Title of Vol. II.
KAMTSCHATKA.
KAMTSCHATKA.
The wind, which continued favourable to us as far as the Northern
Tropic, was succeeded by a calm that lasted twelve days. The ocean, as
far as the eye could reach, was as smooth as a mirror, and the heat
almost insupportable. Sailors only can fully understand the
disagreeableness of this situation. The activity usual on shipboard gave
place to the most wearisome idleness. Every one was impatient; some of
the men felt assured that we should never have a wind again, and wished
for the most violent storm as a change.
One morning we had the amusement of watching two great sword-fish
sunning themselves on the surface of the water. I sent out a boat, in
the hope that the powerful creatures would, in complaisance, allow us
the sport of harpooning them, but they would not wait; they plunged
again into the depths of the sea, and we had disturbed their enjoyments
in vain.
Our water-machine was several times let down, even to the depth of a
thousand fathoms: on the surface, the temperature was 24°, and at this
depth, only 2° of Reaumur.
On the 22nd of May, the anniversary of our frigate's leaving Stopel, we
got a fresh easterly wind, which carried us forward pretty quickly on
the still smooth surface of the sea.
On the 1st of June, when in latitude 42° and longitude 201°, and
consequently opposite the coast of Japan, we descried a red stripe in
the water, about a mile long and a fathom broad. In passing over it we
drew up a pail-full, and found that its colour was occasioned by an
infinite number of crabs, so small as to be scarcely distinguishable by
the naked eye.
We now began daily to experience increasing inconveniences from the
Northern climate. The sky, hitherto so serene, became gloomy and covered
with storm-clouds, which seldom threatened in vain; we were, besides,
enveloped in almost perpetual mists, bounding our prospect to a few
fathoms. In a short time, the temperature of the air had fallen from 24°
to 3°. So sudden a change is always disagreeable, and often dangerous.
We had to thank the skill and attention of our physician, Dr. Siegwald,
that it did not prove so to us. Such rough weather is not common to the
latitude we were in at that season; but it is peculiar to the Japanese
coast even in summer. Whales and storm-birds showed themselves in great
numbers, reminding us that we were hastening to the North, and were
already far from the luxuriant groves of the South-Sea islands.
The wind continued so favourable, that on the 7th of June we could
already see the high mountains of Kamtschatka in their winter clothing.
Their jagged summits reaching to the heavens, crested with everlasting
snow, which glitters in the sunbeams, while their declivities are begirt
with clouds, give a magnificent aspect to this coast. On the following
day, we reached Awatscha Bay, and in the evening anchored in the harbour
of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The great peninsula of Kamtschatka, stretching to the river Anadir on
the North, and South to the Kurilian Islands, bathed on the east by the
ocean, and on the west by the sea of Ochotsk, is, like many men, better
than its reputation. It is supposed to be the roughest and most desolate
corner of the world, and yet it lies under the same latitude as England
and Scotland, and is equal in size to both. The summer is indeed much
shorter, but it is also much finer; and the vegetation is more luxuriant
than in Great Britain. The winter lasts long, and its discomforts are
increased by the quantity of snow that falls; but in the southern parts
the cold is moderate; and experience has repeatedly refuted the
erroneous opinion, that on account of its long duration, and the
consequent curtailment of the summer season, corn cannot be
efficaciously cultivated here.
Although the snow lies in some of the valleys till the end of May,
because the high, over-shadowing mountains intercept the warm sunbeams,
yet garden-plants prosper. Potatoes generally yield a triple crop, and
would perfectly supply the want of bread, if the inhabitants cultivated
them more diligently: but the easier mode of providing fish in
super-abundance as winter food, has induced them to neglect the labour
of raising potatoes, although they have known years when the fishery has
barely protected them from famine.
The winter, as I have already said, is very unpleasant, from the heavy
snows, which, drifting from the mountains, often bury the houses, so
that the inhabitants are compelled to dig a passage out, while the
cattle walk on its frozen surface over their roofs.
Travelling in this season is very rapid and convenient. The usual mode
is in sledges drawn by six or more dogs. The only danger is from
snow-storms. The traveller, surprised by this sudden visitation, has no
chance for safety except in quietly allowing himself and his dogs to be
buried in the snow, and relieving himself from his covering when the
storm is past. This, however, is not always practicable; should the
storm, or, as it is called here, "purga," overtake him in the ravine of
a mountain, such an immense quantity of snow becomes heaped upon him,
that he has no power to extricate himself from his tomb. These
accidents, however, seldom occur; for the Kamtschatkans have acquired
of necessity great foresight in meteorology, and of course never
undertake a journey when they do not consider themselves sure of the
weather.
The principal reason why the climate of Kamtschatka is inferior to that
of other places under the same latitude, is to be found in the
configuration of the country. The mountains of England, for instance,
are of a very moderate height, and broken by extensive plains; here, on
the contrary, intersected only by a few valleys of small extent, a
single chain of mountains, its broken snow-crowned summits reaching to
the clouds, and in many parts far beyond them, stretches the whole
length of the Peninsula, and is based upon its breadth.
The panorama of Kamtschatka is a confused heap of granite blocks of
various heights, thickly piled together, whose pointed, jagged forms
bear testimony to the tremendous war of elements amidst which they must
have burst from the bowels of the earth. The struggle is even now
scarcely ended, as the smoking and burning of volcanoes, and frequent
shocks of earthquake, sufficiently intimate. One of the mountains,
called Kamtschatka Mountain, rivalling in height the loftiest in the
world, often vomits forth streams of lava on the surrounding country.
These mountains with their glaciers, and volcanoes emitting columns of
fire and smoke from amidst fields of ice, afford a picturesque contrast
with the beautiful green of the valleys. The most singular and
indescribably-splendid effect is produced by the crystal rocks on the
western coast, when illuminated by the sun; their whole refulgent
surface reflecting his rays in every various tint of the most brilliant
colours, resembles the diamond mountains of fairy-land, while the
neighbouring rocks of quartz shine like masses of solid gold.
Kamtschatka is a most interesting country to the professor of the
natural sciences. Great mineral treasures will certainly be one day
discovered here; the number and diversity of its stones is striking even
to the most uninitiated. It abounds in hot and salutary springs. To the
botanist it offers great varieties of plants, little if at all known;
and the zoologist would find here, amongst the animal tribes deserving
his attention, besides several kinds of bears, wolves and foxes, the
celebrated sable whose skin is sold for so great a price, and the native
wild sheep, which inhabits the tops of the highest mountains. It attains
the size of a large goat; the head resembles that of an ordinary sheep,
but is furnished with strong, crooked horns: the skin and form of the
body are like the reindeer, and it feeds chiefly on moss. It is fleet
and active, achieving, like the chamois, prodigious springs among the
rocks and precipices, and is, consequently, with difficulty killed or
taken. In preparing for these leaps, its eye measures the distance with
surprising accuracy; the animal then contracts its legs, and darts
forward head-foremost to the destined spot, where it alights upon its
feet, nor is it ever known to miss, although the point may be so small
as to admit its four feet only by their being closely pressed together.
The manner in which it balances itself after such leaps is also
admirable: our ballet-dancers would consider it a model of a perfect _à
plomb_. The monster of the antediluvian world, the mammoth, must have
been an inhabitant of this country, since many of its bones have been
found here.
The forests of Kamtschatka are not enlivened by singing-birds; indeed
land-birds are all scarce; but there are infinite numbers of waterfowl
of many species. Immense flocks of them are to be seen upon the lakes,
rivers, morasses, and even the sea itself, in the vicinity of the shore.
Fish is abundant, especially in the months of June and July. A single
draught of the net provided us with as many as the whole crew could
consume in several days. A sort of salmon, ling, and herrings, are
preferred for winter stock; the latter, dried in the air, supply food
for the dogs.
Kamtschatka was discovered in the year 1696, by a Cossack of Yakutsh, by
name Luca Semenoff, who, on a report being spread of the existence of
this country, set out with sixteen companions to make a journey hither.
In the following years, similar expeditions were repeated in greater
force, till Kamtschatka was subjected and made tributary to the Russian
crown. The conquest of this country cost many Russian lives; and from
the ferocity of the conquerors, and the difficulty of maintaining
discipline amongst troops so scattered, ended in nearly exterminating
the Kamtschatkans. Although subsequent regulations restrained the
disorders of the wild Cossacks, the population is still very thin; but
under a wise and careful government it will certainly increase.
The name of Kamtschatka, pronounced Kantschatka, conferred by the
Russians, was adopted from the native appellation of the great river
flowing through the country. This river derived its name, according to
tradition, from Kontschat, a warrior of former times, who had a
stronghold on its banks. It is strange that the Kamtschatkans had no
designation either for themselves or their country. They called
themselves simply men, as considering themselves either the only
inhabitants of the earth, or so far surpassing all others, as to be
alone worthy of this title. On the southern side of the peninsula, the
aborigines are believed to have been distinguished by the name of
Itelmen; but the signification of this word remains uncertain.
The Kamtschatkans acknowledged an Almighty Creator of the world, whom
they called Kutka. They supposed that he inhabited the heavens; but had
at one time dwelt in human form in Kamtschatka, and was the original
parent of their race. Even here the tradition of a universal deluge
prevails, and a spot is still shown, on the top of a mountain where
Kutka landed from a boat, in order to replenish the world with men. The
proverbial phrase current in Kamtschatka, to express a period long past,
is, "that was in Kutka's days."
Before the expeditions of the Russians to Kamtschatka, the inhabitants
were acquainted only with the neighbouring Koriacks and Tchuktchi.
They had also acquired some knowledge of Japan, from a Japanese ship
wrecked on their coast. They acknowledged no chief, but lived in perfect
independence, which they considered as their highest good.
Besides the supreme God Kutka, they had a host of inferior deities,
installed by their imaginations in the forests, the mountains, and the
floods. They adored them when their wishes were fulfilled, and insulted
them when their affairs went amiss; like the lower class of Italians,
who, when any disaster befalls them, take off their cap, enumerate into
it as many saints' names as they can call to mind, and then trample it
under foot. Two wooden household deities, Aschuschok and Hontai, were
held in particular estimation. The former, in the figure of a man,
officiated in scaring away the forest spirits from the house; for which
service he was remunerated in food, his head being daily anointed with
fish-soup. Hontai was half man, half fish, and on every anniversary of
the purification from sin, a new one was introduced and placed beside
his predecessors, so that the accumulated number of Hontais showed how
many years the inhabitants had occupied their house.
The Kamtschatkans believed in their own immortality, and in that of the
brute creation; but they expected in a future state to depend upon their
labour for subsistence, as in the present life; they only hoped that the
toil would be lightened, and its reward more abundant, that they might
never suffer hunger. This idea of itself sufficiently proves, that the
fisheries sometimes fail in their produce.
The several races of Kamtschatkans frequently waged war with each other;
caused either by the forcible abduction of the women, or a deficiency
in hospitality on their occasional interchange of visits, which was
considered an insult to the guest, demanding a bloody revenge.
Their wars were seldom carried on openly; they preferred stratagem and
artifice; and the conquerors practised the greatest cruelties on the
conquered. If a party was so beleaguered as to lose all hope of
effectual resistance, or of securing their safety by flight, knowing
that no mercy would await a surrender, their warlike spirit did not
desert them; they first murdered their women and children, and then
rushed furiously on the enemy, to sell their lives as dearly as
possible. Their weapons were lances, and bows and poisoned arrows.
To treat a guest with the utmost politeness, and leave no cause for
hostility, the host was expected to heat his subterranean dwelling till
it became almost insupportable: both parties then cast off all their
attire, an enormous quantity of food was placed before the guest, and
the fire was continually fed. When the visitor declared that he could no
longer eat, or endure the heat of the place, all that courtesy required
had been done, and the host expected a present in return for his
hospitality.
At such entertainments the moucho-more, a deleterious species of
mushroom, was usually introduced, as a mode of intoxication. Taken in
small quantities, it is said to excite an agreeable hilarity of spirits;
but if immoderately used, it will produce insanity of several days'
duration. Animated by these enjoyments, the host and guests found mutual
amusement in the exercise of their peculiar talent of mimicking men and
animals.
The children when grown up showed little affection for their parents,
neglected them in old age, and did not even consider it a violation of
filial duty to kill them when they became burdensome. They also murdered
their defective or weakly children, to spare them the misery of a
languishing existence. They did not bury their dead, but dragged the
corpse into the open air, by a thong tied about the neck, and left it a
prey to dogs; under the belief, that those devoured by these animals,
would in another world be drawn by the best dogs.
The mode of solemnizing marriages among the Kamtschatkans was tedious,
and, on the part of the bridegroom, attended with many difficulties. A
man who wished to marry a girl went to the house of her parents, and
without farther declaration took his share in the domestic labours. He
thus became the servant of the family, and was obliged to obey all their
behests, till he succeeded in winning the favour of the girl and her
parents. This might continue for years, and even in the end he was
liable to be dismissed, without any compensation for his trouble. If,
however, the maiden was pleased, and the parents were satisfied with
him, they gave him permission to catch his beloved; from this moment the
girl took all possible pains to avoid being alone with him, defended
herself with a fishing-net and numerous girdles, all which were to be
cut through with a stone knife, while all the family were upon the watch
to rescue her at the first outcry: the unfortunate lover had probably no
sooner laid hands upon his bride than he was seized by her relations,
beaten, and dragged away by his hair; yet was he compelled to conquer
and overpower her resistance, or to continue in unrewarded servitude.
When, however, the catching was accomplished, the fair one herself
proclaimed the victory, and the marriage was celebrated.
The present Kamtschatkans are an extremely good-natured, hospitable,
timid people; in colour and features nearly resembling the Chinese and
Japanese. They all profess the Christian religion; but secretly retain
many of their heathen customs, particularly that of killing their
deformed children.
The town, or rather village, adjoining the harbour of St. Peter and St.
Paul, where the present Governor of Kamtschatka, Captain Stanizky,
resides, though the principal place in the peninsula, contains but few
convenient houses. The rest, about fifty in number, are mere huts,
irregularly scattered up the side of a mountain. The inhabitants of this
place, which bears the same name as the harbour, are all Russians,
officers of the crown, sailors, disbanded soldiers, and some
insignificant traders.
The Kamtschatkans live inland in little villages on the banks of the
rivers, but seldom on the sea-coast.
From Krusenstern's representation, Kamtschatka appears very little
altered in five-and-twenty years. The only advance made in that period,
consists in the cultivation of potatoes by the inhabitants of St. Peter
and St. Paul, and the entire water-carriage of various goods and
necessaries of life, which were formerly needlessly enhanced in price by
being brought overland, through Siberia to Ochotsk.
The northern part of the peninsula and the adjoining country, even to
the icy sea, is inhabited by the Tschuktschi, a warlike nomad tribe,
removing with celerity from place to place by means of their reindeer.
They were not so easily conquered as the Kamtschatkans, and for
five-and-thirty years incessantly annoyed the Russians, to whom they now
only pay a small tribute in skins. Our cannon at length forced a peace
upon them, which had not been long concluded, before there was reason to
apprehend a breach of its conditions on their part, and an ambassador
was sent to their Tajon, or chief, to discover their intentions. The
chief drew a long knife from a sheath at his side, presented it to the
ambassador, making him observe that it had a broken point, and addressed
him as follows: "When my father died he gave me this knife, saying, 'My
son, I received this broken knife from my uncle, whom I succeeded in the
dignity of Tajon, and I promised him never to sharpen it against the
Russians, because we never prosper in our combats with them; I therefore
enjoin thee also to enter into no strife with them till this knife shall
of itself renew its point.' You see that the knife is still edgeless,
and my father's last will is sacred to me."
According to an accurate census taken of the population of Kamtschatka
in the year 1822, it amounts, with the exception of the Tschuktschi, who
cannot be computed, to two thousand four hundred and fifty-seven persons
of the male, and one thousand nine hundred and forty-one of the female
sex. Of these, the native Kamtschatkans were only one thousand four
hundred and twenty-eight males, and one thousand three hundred and
thirty females; the rest were Koriaks and Russians. They possessed
ninety-one horses, seven hundred and eighteen head of cattle, three
thousand eight hundred and forty-one dogs, and twelve thousand reindeer,
the latter belonging exclusively to the Koriaks.
Unimportant as was the place where we now landed, a change is always
agreeable after a long voyage; and the kind and hospitable reception we
met with from the commander as well as the inhabitants, contributed
greatly to our enjoyments.
We were gratified with a bear-hunt, which produced much sport, and gave
us the satisfaction of killing a large and powerful bear. This animal is
very numerous here, and is consequently easily met with by a
hunting-party. The usually timid Kamtschatkan attacks them with the
greatest courage. Often armed only with a lance and a knife, he
endeavours to provoke the bear to the combat; and when it rises on its
hind legs for defence or attack, the hunter rushes forward, and, resting
one end of the lance on the ground, plunges the other into its breast,
finally dispatching it with his knife. Sometimes, however, he fails in
the attempt, and pays for his temerity with his life.
The following anecdote evinces the hardihood of the bears. Fish, which
forms their chief nourishment, and which they procure for themselves
from the rivers, was last year excessively scarce. A great famine
consequently existed among them, and instead of retiring to their dens,
they wandered about the whole winter through, even in the streets of St.
Peter and St. Paul. One of them finding the outer gate of a house open,
entered, and the gate accidentally closed after him. The woman of the
house had just placed a large tea-machine,[1] full of boiling water, in
the court, the bear smelt to it and burned his nose; provoked at the
pain, he vented all his fury upon the kettle, folded his fore-paws round
it, pressed it with his whole strength against his breast to crush it,
and burnt himself, of course, still more and more. The horrible growl
which rage and pain forced from him, brought all the inhabitants of the
house and neighbourhood to the spot, and poor bruin was soon dispatched
by shots from the windows. He has, however, immortalized his memory, and
become a proverb amongst the town's people, for when any one injures
himself by his own violence, they call him "the bear with the
tea-kettle."
On the 14th of July, M. Preuss observed an eclipse of the sun, from
which he determined the geographical longitude of St. Peter and St. Paul
to be 201° 10' 31". On the same day Dr. Siegwald and Messrs. Lenz and
Hoffman happily achieved the Herculean task of climbing the Owatscha
Mountain, which lies near the harbour. Its height, according to
barometrical measurement, is seven thousand two hundred feet. An
intermittent smoke arose from its crater, and a cap let down a few feet
within it was drawn up burnt. The gentlemen brought back with them some
pieces of crystallized sulphur, as evidence of their having really
pursued their examination quite into the mouth of the crater.
After having delivered all the articles which we had taken in for
Kamtschatka, we left the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul on the
morning of the 20th of July, and with favouring breezes sailed for the
Russian settlement of New Archangel, on the north-west coast of America.
At sunset the majestic mountains of Kamtschatka appeared for the last
time within our horizon, and at a vast distance. This despised and
desolate country may perhaps one day become a Russian Mexico. The only
treasure of which we robbed it was, a swallow's nest! I mention it,
because it long supplied the whole ship's company with amusement.
In the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, there is sufficient depth of
water close to the shore to admit of landing by means of a plank only.
This proximity led a pair of swallows to mistake our frigate for a
building upon terra-firma, and to the infinite delight of the sailors,
who regarded it as a lucky omen, they deliberately built themselves a
nest close to my cabin. Undisturbed by the noise in the ship, the loving
pair hatched their brood in safety, fed their young ones with the
tenderest care, and cheered them with joyous songs. But when on a
sudden they saw their peaceful dwelling removing from the land, they
seemed astonished, and hovered anxiously about the ship, yet still
fetched food for their young from the shore, till the distance became
too great.
The struggle between the instincts of self-preservation and parental
love then became perceptible. They flew round the vessel, then vanished
for awhile, then suddenly returned to their hungry family, and
stretching their open beaks towards them, seemed to lament that no food
was to be found. This alternate disappearing and returning continued
some time, and terminated in the parents returning no more; the sailors
then took on themselves the care of the deserted orphans. They removed
them from the nest where the parents warmth was necessary, to another
lined with cotton, and fixed in a warm place, and fed them with flies,
which seemed to please their palates very well. The system at first
appeared to have perfectly succeeded, and we were in hopes of carrying
them safely to America; when, in spite of the most careful attention,
they fell sick, and on the eighth day, to the general sorrow, not one
of our nurslings remained alive.
They however afforded an additional proof how kindly the common people
of Russia are interested in all that is helpless.
NEW ARCHANGEL.
NEW ARCHANGEL.
The swallows brought us no good fortune. The very day after we left
Kamtschatka, one of our best sailors fell from the mast-head into the
scuttle, and immediately expired. He had climbed thither in safety in
the most violent storms, and executed the most difficult tasks with
ease; now, in fine weather, on a tranquil sea, he met this fate.
These accidents happen most frequently to the best and cleverest
sailors: they confide too much in their own ability, and consider too
little the risks they run. It is impossible to warn them sufficiently.
This fatal accident produced a general melancholy among us, which the
cloudy, wet, cold weather we soon encountered perpetually increased,
till we reached the coast of America. Fortunately, we had all the time a
strong west wind; by its help we passed the southern coasts of the
Aleutian Islands, and on the 7th of August already approached the
American coast. On this day the sun once more smiled on us; the sky
afterwards continued clear, and the air became milder and pleasanter as
we neared the land.
From our noon observation we were in latitude 55° 36', and longitude
140° 56'. In this region, some navigators have imagined they observed a
regular current to the north; but our experience does not confirm the
remark. A current carried us from twenty to thirty miles in twenty-four
hours, setting sometimes north, and sometimes south, according to the
impulse of the wind; close to shore only the current is regularly to the
north. The inhabitants concurred in this observation.
We now steered direct for the bay called by the English Norfolk Sound,
and by the Russians Sitka Bay, and the island at its back, which the
natives call Sitchachan, whence the Russian Sitka. This island, called
by the Russians New Archangel, is at present the principal settlement of
the Russian-American company.
On the morning of the 9th of August, we were, according to my
calculation, near land; but a thick fog concealed us from every object
so much as fifty fathoms distant. At length the mid-day sun burst forth,
and rapidly dispelling the curtain of cloud and fog, surprised us with a
view of the American coast. We were standing right for the mouth of the
above-mentioned bay, at a small distance from the Edgecumbe promontory;
a table-land so elevated, that in clear weather it serves for a safe
landmark at a distance of fifty miles.
We were all day prevented by a calm from making the bay, and were
obliged to content ourselves with admiring the wild high rocky coast,
with its fir forests. Though now in a much higher latitude than in
Kamtschatka, we yet saw no snow, even on the summits of the highest
mountains; a proof of the superior mildness of the climate on the
American, compared with the Asiatic coast.
The next day we took advantage of a light wind blowing towards the bay;
but so gloomy was the weather, that we could scarcely see land, and not
one of our crew had ever been in the bay before. It stretches from the
entrance to New Archangel twenty-five miles in length, and is full of
small islands and shallows; a pilot was not to be thought of; but we
happily overcame all our difficulties. We tacked through all the
intricacies of this navigation amidst heavy rain and a thick gloom, till
we dropped the anchor within musket-shot of the fortress.
We here found the frigate Kreissac, under the command of Captain
Lasaref, sent here by Government for the protection of trade, and whom
we were destined to succeed.
The appearance of a vessel of our native country, in so distant and
desolate a corner of the earth, naturally produced much joy amongst our
people. I immediately paid a visit to Captain Lasaref, and then to the
Governor of the Colony, Captain Murawief, an old acquaintance, whom I
had not seen for many years. At so great a distance from home,
friendships are quickly formed between compatriots, even if previously
unknown to each other,--how much then must their interest increase, when
long ago cemented in the native land! My intercourse with this
gentleman, equally distinguished for his noble character and cultivated
mind, conduced much to the comfort of a tedious residence in this
desert.
To my enquiry, whether my vessel must now remain stationary at the
colony, he replied, that until the first of March of the following year
(1825), my time was at my own disposal, but that after that period my
presence could not be dispensed with. I therefore proceeded to visit
California and the Sandwich Islands, and returned to New Archangel on
the 23rd of February 1825.
The nearer we drew to the land the milder the weather became, and we
were astonished, in so northern a country, to see the mountains at this
season of the year entirely free from snow to a considerable height.
Throughout this winter, however, which had been particularly mild, the
snow in many of the vallies had never lain above a few hours together.
Here, under fifty-seven degrees north latitude, the climate is much
milder than in European countries similarly situated; as again the
north-east coast of Asia is much colder than countries of an equal
latitude in Europe.
On the morning of the 24th, after passing a stormy night on this
dangerous coast, we happily succeeded in reaching the harbour, and
anchoring before the fortress, just before another and most violent
tempest set in.
We were received with great rejoicing; and on the following day placed
the frigate in such a position, and at such a distance from the
fortress, as was most convenient to accomplish the purpose of our
mission. To explain this, we must take a short review of the Russian
settlement here, and of the affairs of the original inhabitants.
From the highest antiquity to the present day, examples are not wanting
of men trusting themselves in small and frail vessels to the perils of
the ocean, and performing astonishing voyages, without any of those aids
which the improvements in science and mechanical art place within our
reach. The children of the Sun in Peru, and the founders of the regular
political constitution which existed in Mexico before its invasion by
the Spaniards, probably floated in little canoes over the trackless
surface of the ocean, as the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands do to
this day.
The voyages of the Phoenicians and Romans are sufficiently known; as
are those of the Norman heroes who discovered Greenland, Iceland, and
even North America.
In vessels just as defective, destitute of the instruments requisite for
observing their course, and of any fixed notion concerning the
conformation or extent of the earth, often even without a compass,
ignorant Russian adventurers have embarked from Ochotsk, and rounding
Kamtschatka, have discovered the Aleutian Islands, and attained to the
north-west coast of America. Year after year, in more numerous parties,
they repeated these expeditions, tempted by the beautiful furs which
were procured in the newly-discovered countries. Many of their vessels
were lost,--many of those who ventured in them were attacked and
murdered by savages; yet still new adventurers were found yearly
encountering all these risks, for the sake of the profitable traffic in
these furs, especially that of the sea-otter. By degrees they formed
themselves into commercial societies, which obtained a firmer footing on
the Aleutian Islands, and even on the northern parts of the western
coast of America, carried on a regular trade to Siberia, but lived in a
state of continual violence and dissensions.
Superior to the natives by the possession of fire-arms, they became
overbearing, treated the timid Aleutians in the most cruel manner, and
would perhaps have quite exterminated them, had not the Emperor Paul
interposed. By his order, in 1797, a Russian-American mercantile company
was established, which was to supersede the trading societies hitherto
existing, and possess the exclusive privilege of carrying on trade and
founding settlements in these regions. The directors, in whose hands was
vested the administration of the affairs and appointment of the governor
of these settlements, were to reside in Petersburg, under the control of
the government, to which they were responsible.
At first the sea-otters were plentiful, even on the coast of
Kamtschatka; but the unlimited pursuit of them diminished their numbers
so rapidly, that the Company was obliged to extend their search for them
over the Aleutian Islands, and even to the island of Kodiack, lying on
the American coast, where they had fixed their chief settlement.
From thence the chase was continued to the bay of Tschugatsk and Cook's
river. The poor otters were severe sufferers, for the beauty of the skin
nature had bestowed on them. They were pursued in every possible
direction, and such numbers annually killed, that at length they became
scarce, even in these quarters, having already almost wholly disappeared
from Kamtschatka and the Aleutian Islands.
The Company therefore resolved to extend their settlements farther
south; and thus, in the year 1804, arose the colony on the island of
Sitka, whose natives call themselves after their island, but are styled
by the Russians Kalushes.
The island is only separated from the mainland by a narrow inlet of the
sea. It extends over three degrees and a half of latitude; and, in fact,
consists of three islands, as I ascertained by personal examination in
boats. The channels, however, which separate them are so narrow, that
the three might easily pass for one. The coast of Sitka Bay is
intersected by many deep creeks, and the neighbouring waters thickly
sprinkled with little rocky islands overgrown with wood, which are a
protection against storms, and present a strong wall of defence against
the waves.
The harbour of New Archangel is equally well defended by nature, and
needs no assistance from art.
A bold enterprising man of the name of Baronof, long superintended the
Company's establishments. Peculiarly adapted by nature for the task of
contending with a wild people, he seemed to find a pleasure in the
occupation. Although the conquest of the Sitkaens, or Kalushes, was not
so easily achieved as that of the more timid Aleutians and Kodiacks, he
finally accomplished it. A warlike, courageous, and cruel race, provided
with fire-arms by the ships of the North American United States, in
exchange for otters' skins, maintained an obstinate struggle against the
invaders. But Baronof at length obtained a decisive superiority over
them. What he could not obtain by presents, he took by force, and, in
spite of all opposition, succeeded in founding the settlement on this
island. He built some dwelling-houses, made an entrenchment, and having,
in his own opinion, appeased the Kalushes by profuse presents, confided
the new conquest to a small number of Russians and Aleutians. For a
short time matters went on prosperously, when suddenly, the garrison
left by Baronof, believing itself in perfect safety, was attacked one
night by great numbers of Kalushes, who entered the entrenchments
without opposition, and murdered all they met there with circumstances
of atrocious cruelty. A few Aleutians only, who happened to be out in
their little baidars,[2] escaped by standing out to sea, and brought to
Kodiack the news of the annihilation of the settlement at Sitka.
This occurrence took place in the year 1804, when the present Admiral
Krusenstern made his voyage round the world, and his second ship, the
Neva, was bound for this colony. Baronof immediately seized so excellent
an opportunity for revenging himself on the Kalushes. He armed three
vessels, and sailed in company with the Neva to Sitka. When the Kalushes
heard that the warrior Nonok, as they called Baronof, had returned,
terror prevented their attempting to oppose his landing; and they
retired in great haste to their fortification, consisting of a great
quadrangle closely set round with thick, high beams, broken only by one
very small and strong door. The pallisadoes were furnished with
loop-holes, for the firing of muskets and falconets, with which the
besieged were amply supplied. This wooden fortress, enclosing about
three hundred fighting men with their families, held out several days;
but no sooner had the heavy guns of the Russians effected a breach, than
the besieged, finding their position no longer tenable, surrendered at
discretion, and delivered over the sons of their chiefs as hostages for
their submission.
Though peace was now established, and they were allowed to retire
unmolested, yet, mistrusting the Russians, they stole away secretly in a
dark night, having first murdered all who, whether from age or infancy,
might be burdensome to them in their flight. Morning discovered the
cruelty perpetrated by these barbarians, who, in their fears, judged the
Russians by themselves. From this time Baronof remained nominally in
possession of the island, and actually of a hill upon it forming a
natural fortification, and formerly inhabited by a chief of the Kalushes
called Katelan.
The savages thirsted for revenge; and, notwithstanding the treaties
concluded with them, unceasingly sought to gratify it by secret arts and
ambushes; so that the Russians, unless well armed, and in considerable
numbers, could not venture beyond the shelter of their fortress without
the most imminent danger of being murdered.
Baronof re-founded the settlement, and having strengthened by scientific
defences the high hill, which falls on every side in abrupt precipices,
has rendered it perfectly safe from every attack. The necessary
dwelling-houses were soon erected; and this place, under the name of New
Archangel, became the capital of the Russian possessions in America,
stretching from 52° of latitude to the Icy Sea, and including also two
settlements lying farther south, of which I shall hereafter have
occasion to speak.
Baronof himself resided from this time in New Archangel, and the chase
of the sea-otters proved very advantageous to the Company; but so scarce
are these animals now become, even here, that the numbers caught only
suffice to cover the expenses of maintaining a force sufficient for
protection against the savages. For this reason, the Company have
contemplated the necessity of entirely abandoning the settlement at New
Archangel, and making Kodiack once more their capital. It were,
however, a pity this plan should be adopted, as it would afford
facilities to other nations, by settling in these regions, to disturb
the trade of the Company. But the Company may possibly be compelled to
give up New Archangel, by their resources not permitting them to retain
it, unless they should receive some assistance from Government.
The climate of Sitka is not so severe as might have been expected from
its latitude. In the middle of winter the cold is not excessive, and
never lasts long. Agriculture notwithstanding does not appear to be
successful here. There is not perhaps a spot in the world where so much
rain falls; a dry day is a perfect rarity, and this would itself account
for the failure of corn; the nature of the ground is however equally
inimical to it.
There are no plains of any extent; the small valleys being every where
surrounded by high steep rocks of granite, and consequently overshadowed
the greater part of the day. Some vegetables, such as cabbages, turnips,
and potatoes, prosper very well: the latter are raised even by the
Kalushes, who have learned from the Russians the manner of cultivating
them, and consider them as a great delicacy. Upon the continent of
America, the climate, under the same latitude, is said to be
incomparably better than on this island, although the cold is rather
more severe. Great plains are there to be met with, where wheat could
probably be successfully cultivated.
The forests of Sitka, consisting principally of fir and beech, are lofty
and thick. Some of their trees are a hundred and sixty feet in height,
and from six to seven feet in diameter. From these noble trunks the
Kalushes form their large canoes, which sometimes carry from twenty-five
to thirty men. They are laboriously and skilfully constructed; but the
credit their builders may claim for this one branch of industry is
nearly all that belongs to a barbarous and worthless race of men.
Wild and unfruitful as this country appears, the soil is rich, so that
its indigenous plants, of which there are no great variety, attain a
very large growth. Several kinds of berries, particularly raspberries
and black currants, of an enormous size but watery taste, are met with
in considerable quantities.
The sea, near the coast and in the bays, abounds in fish and in
mammalia. Whales, sea-hogs, seals, sea-lions, &c. are very numerous; but
of the fish, which chiefly afford subsistence both to the natives and
the Russians, the best are herrings, salmon, and cod, of which there is
a superfluity. There is no great variety of birds native to this coast;
but the beautiful white-headed eagle, and several sorts of pretty
humming-birds, migrate from warmer climates to build their nests in
Sitka. It is extraordinary that these tender little creatures, always
inhabiting hot countries, should venture thus far northwards.
Among the quadrupeds frequenting the forests is the black bear, whose
skin fetches so high a price in Russia, and a species of wild sheep
known to us only by the descriptions of the Kalushes, and in which our
natural histories are still deficient. It differs greatly from that of
Kamtschatka: its wool rivals silk in the delicacy and softness of its
texture. The most remarkable animal, however, is the sea-otter, that
which has allured merchants hither from distant countries, and which, if
such intercourse should improve the morals and intellects of the
natives, may be considered as their benefactor. This animal inhabits
only the north-west coast of America, between the latitudes of 30° and
60°, in smaller numbers the Aleutian islands, and formerly the coast of
Kamtschatka and the Kurile islands. Its skin makes the finest fur in the
world, and is as highly prized by the Chinese as by the Europeans. Its
value advances yearly, with the increasing scarceness of the animal; it
will soon entirely disappear, and exist only in description to decorate
our zoological works.
Attempts have been made to identify the sea and river otter, because
there is a considerable resemblance in their form; but the skin of the
former is without comparison finer than the latter, which inhabits only
lakes and rivers, where the sea-otter is never found.
They are often seen on the surface of the water, many miles from land,
lying asleep on their backs, with their young, of which only two are
produced at a birth, lying over them sucking. The young cannot swim
till they are some months old; but the mother, when she goes out to sea
in search of food, carries them on her back and brings them back to her
hole in the rocks, when she has satisfied her hunger. If seen by the
hunter during these excursions, she is a certain prey, for she never
forsakes her offspring however they embarrass her swimming, but, in
common with the male, defends them courageously against every attack.
The lungs of these animals are so constructed that they cannot subsist
for more than a few minutes under water, but are necessitated to
re-ascend to the surface for breath. These opportunities are seized by
the hunters, who would seldom succeed, if the otter could remain long
under water, where it swims with great rapidity and skill. Even with the
above advantage, the chase is very toilsome, and sometimes dangerous. It
is carried on in the following manner.
The hunters row in the little Aleutian baidars round the coast, and for
some miles out to sea, provided with bows, arrows, and short javelins.
As soon as they see an otter they throw their javelins, or shoot their
arrows. The animal is seldom struck; it immediately dives, and as it
swims very rapidly, the skill of the hunter is displayed in giving the
baidar the same direction as that taken by the animal. As soon as the
otter re-appears on the water, it is again fired at, when it dives
again; and the pursuit is continued in the same way till the creature
becomes so weary that it is easily struck.
They tear out with their teeth the arrows which wound them; and often,
especially if their young are with them, boldly fall upon the canoes and
attack their persecutors with teeth and claws; these conflicts however
uniformly end in the defeat and death of the otter. The more baidars are
in company, the safer is the hunt, but with experienced hunters two are
enough. They often encounter great perils by venturing out too far to
sea, and being overtaken by storms.
I now proceed, though with some reluctance, to the description of the
natives, the Kalushes. They are, as I have already said, the most
worthless people on the face of the earth, and disgusting to such a
degree that I must beg fastidious readers to pass over a few pages. The
truth of my narrative makes it necessary for me to submit to the
revolting task of showing to what point of degradation human nature may
sink.
The Sitka Islanders, as well as their neighbours on the continent, are
large and strongly built, but have their limbs so ill-proportioned, that
they all appear deformed. Their black, straight hair hangs dishevelled
over their broad faces, their cheek-bones stand out, their noses are
wide and flat, their mouths large, their lips thick, their eyes small,
black, and fiery, and their teeth strikingly white.