knowledge; and we were soon after surprised to find in our house four bags
of tobacco, weighing-upward of a hundred pounds each, which he begged might
be presented, in the name of himself and the garrison under his command, to
our sailors. At the same time they had sent us twenty loaves of fine sugar,
and as many pounds of tea, being articles they understood we were in great
want of, which they begged to be indulged in presenting to the officers.
Along with these Madame Behm had also sent a present for Captain Clerke,
consisting of fresh-butter, honey, figs, rice, and some other little things
of the same kind, attended with many wishes that, in his infirm state of
health, they might be of service to him. It was in vain we tried to oppose
this profusion of bounty, which I was really anxious to restrain, being
convinced that they were giving away, not a share, but almost the whole
stock of the garrison. The constant answer the major returned us on those
occasions was, that we had suffered a great deal, and that we must needs be
in distress. Indeed the length of time we had been out since we touched at
any known port, appeared to them so very incredible, that it required the
testimony of our maps, and other corroborating circumstances, to gain their
belief. Amongst the latter was a very curious fact which Major Behm related
to us this morning, and which, he said, but for our arrival, he should have
been totally at a loss to account for.

It is well known that the Tschutski are the only people of the north of
Asia who have maintained their independence, and resisted all the attempts
that have been made by the Russians to reduce them. The last expedition
against them was undertaken in the year 1750, and terminated, after various
success, in the retreat of the Russian forces, and the loss of the
commanding officer. Since that time the Russians had removed their frontier
fortress from the Anadir to the Ingiga, a river that empties itself into
the northern extremity of the sea of Okotsk, and gives its name to a gulf
situated to the west of that of Penshinsk. From this fort Major Behm had