A

GENERAL

HISTORY AND COLLECTION

OF

VOYAGES AND TRAVELS,

ARRANGED IN SYSTEMATIC ORDER:

FORMING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS

OF NAVIGATION, DISCOVERY, AND COMMERCE,

BY SEA AND LAND,

FROM THE EARLIEST AGES TO THE PRESENT TIME.

BY

ROBERT KERR, F.R.S. & F.A.S. EDIN.

ILLUSTRATED BY MAPS AND CHARTS.

VOL. XVII.

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH:

AND T. CADELL, LONDON.

1816

CONTENTS OF VOLUME XVII.

PART III.--continued

General Voyages and Travels of Discovery, &c.

BOOK III.--continued

CHAPTER V--Continued.

Captain King's Journal of the Transactions on returning to the Sandwich Islands.

SECT. VI. General Account of the Sandwich Islands. Their Number, Names, and Situation. OWHYHEE. Its Extent, and Division into Districts. Account of its Coasts, and the adjacent Country. Volcanic Appearances. Snowy Mountains. Their Height determined. Account of a Journey into the Interior Parts of the Country. MOWEE. TAHOOHOWA. MOROTOI. RANAI. WOAHOO. ATOOI. ONEEHEOW. OREEHOUA. TAAOORA. Climate. Winds. Currents. Tides. Animals and Vegetables. Astronomical Observations.

SECT. VII. General Account of the Sandwich Islands continued. Of the Inhabitants. Their Origin. Persons. Pernicious effects of the Ava. Numbers. Disposition and Manners. Reasons for supposing them not Cannibals. Dress and Ornaments. Villages and Houses. Food. Occupations and Amusements. Addicted to Gaming. Their extraordinary Dexterity in Swimming. Arts and Manufactures. Curious Specimens of their Sculpture. Kipparee, or Method of Painting Cloth. Mats. Fishing Hooks. Cordage. Salt Pans. Warlike Instruments.

SECT. VIII. General Account of the Sandwich Islands continued. Government. People divided into three Classes. Power of Erreetaboo. Genealogy of the Kings of Owhyhee and Mowee. Power of the Chiefs. State of the inferior Class. Punishment of Crimes. Religion. Society of Priests. The Orono. Their Idols. Songs chanted by the Chiefs, before they drink Ava. Human Sacrifices. Custom of Knocking out the fore Teeth. Notions with regard to a future State. Marriages. Remarkable Instance of Jealousy. Funeral Rites.

CHAPTER VI.

Transactions during the second Expedition to the North, by the way of Kamtschatka; and on the Return Home by the way of Canton and the Cape of Good Hope.

SECT. I. Departure from Oneheeow. Fruitless Attempt to discover Modoopapappa. Course steered for Awatska Bay. Occurrences during that Passage. Sudden Change from Heat to Cold. Distress occasioned by the Leaking of the Resolution. View of the Coast of Kamtschatka. Extreme Rigour of the Climate. Lose Sight of the Discovery. The Resolution enters the Bay of Awatska. Prospect of the Town of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Party sent ashore. Their Reception by the Commanding-Officer of the Port. Message dispatched to the Commander at Bolcheretsk. Arrival of the Discovery. Return of the Messengers from the Commander. Extraordinary mode of Travelling. Visit from a Merchant and a German Servant belonging to the Commander.

SECT. II. Scarcity of Provisions and Stores at the Harbour of Saint Peter and Saint Paul; A Party set out to visit the Commander at Bolcheretsk. Passage up the River Awatska. Account of their Reception by the Toion of Karatchin. Description of Kamtschadale Dress. Journey on Sledges. Description of this Mode of Travelling. Arrival at Natcheekin. Account of Hot Springs. Embark on Bolchoireka. Reception at the Capital. Generous and hospitable Conduct of the Commander and the Garrison. Description of Bolcheretsk. Presents from the Commander. Russian and Kamtschadale Dancing. Affecting Departure from Bolcheretsk. Return to Saint Peter and Saint Paul's, accompanied by Major Behm, who visits the Ship. Generosity of the Sailors. Dispatches sent by Major Behm to Petersburg. His Departure and Character.

SECT. III. Continuation of Transactions in the Harbour of St Peter and St Paul. Abundance of Fish. Death of a Seaman belonging to the Resolution. The Russian Hospital put under the Care of the Ship's Surgeons. Supply of Flour and Cattle. Celebration of the King's Birth-day. Difficulties in Sailing out of the Bay. Eruption of a Volcano. Steer to the Northward. Cheepoonskoi Noss. Errors of the Russian Charts. Kamptschatskoi Noss. Island of St. Laurence. View, from the same Point, of the Coasts Asia and America, and the Islands of St. Diomede. Various Attempts to get to the North, between the two Continents. Obstructed by impenetrable Ice. Sea-horses and White Bears killed. Captain Clerke's Determination and future Designs.

SECT. IV. Fruitless Attempts to penetrate through Ice to the North-West. Dangerous Situation of the Discovery. Sea-horses killed. Fresh Obstructions from the Ice. Report of Damages, received by the Discovery. Captain Clerke's Determination to proceed to the Southward. Joy of the Ships' Crews on that Occasion. Pass Serdze Kamen. Return through Beering's Strait. Enquiry into the Extent of the North-East Coast of Asia. Reasons for rejecting Muller's Map of the Promontory of the Tschutski. Reasons for believing the Coast does not reach a higher Latitude than 70-2/3° North. General Observations on the Impracticability of a North-East or North-West Passage from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean. Comparative View of the Progress made in the Years 1778 and 1779. Remarks on the Sea and Sea-coasts, North of Beering's Strait. History of the Voyage resumed. Pass the Island of St. Laurence. The Island of Mednoi. Death of Captain Clerke. Short Account of his Services.

SECT. V. Return to the Harbour of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Promotion of Officers. Funeral of Captain Clerke. Damages of the Discovery repaired. Various other Occupations of the Ships' Crews. Letters from the Commander. Supply of Flour and Naval Stores from a Russian Galliot. Account of an Exile. Bear-hunting and Fishing Parties. Disgrace of the Serjeant. Celebration of the King's Coronation Day, and Visit from the Commander. The Serjeant reinstated. A Russian Soldier promoted at our Request. Remarks on the Discipline of the Russian Army. Church at Paratounca. Method of Bear-hunting. Farther Account of the Bears and Kamtschadales. Inscription to the Memory of Captain Clerke. Supply of Cattle. Entertainments on the Empress's Name Day. Present from the Commander. Attempt of a Marine to desert. Work out of the Bay. Nautical and Geographical Description of Awatska Bay. Astronomical Tables and Observations.

SECT. VI. General Account of Kamtschatka. Geographical Description. Rivers. Soil. Climate. Volcanoes. Hot Springs. Productions. Vegetables. Animals. Birds. Fish.

SECT. VII. General Account of Kamtschatka, continued. Of the Inhabitants. Origin of the Kamtschadales. Discovered by the Russians. Abstract of their History. Numbers. Present State. Of the Russian Commerce in Kamtschatka. Of the Kamtschadale Habitations, and Dress. Of the Kurile Islands. The Koreki. The Tschutski.