sideration the lateness of the season, and that we had to pass homewards through 1000 miles of sea strewed with ice islands, with long nights, and probably attended with fogs, I could not determine otherwise than to take advantage of this favourable wind for returning."

In this voyage, Mr. Weddell, penetrated within the antarctic circle 3° 5, or 214 miles further than captain Cook or any preceding navigator. This part of the ocean, hitherto unexplored, was named by him George the Fourth's Sea. It deserves to be remarked, that he did not find the difficulties arising from ice increase as he proceeded southward; on the contrary, he found all the appearance of a deep sea, a milder temperature, and an open ocean. He found, also, that the compass manifested the same sluggishness in a high southern latitude, which captain Parry had the opportunity of observing in his voyages in search of a north-west passage.

The little vessels of our navigators being separated by violent gales, repaired to South Georgia, which had been appointed as the rendezvous. This island is about ninety-six miles long, with the mean breadth of about ten: its shores are deeply indented, affording numerous coves and secure harbours. The mountains are lofty, and perpetually covered with snow; but the valleys, during the summer season, display an abundant though homely vegetation. The only natural production of the soil is a strong coarse grass, in general about two feet high, and growing in tufts. South Georgia was discovered by La Roche in 1675, but it was not explored, nor its position fixed, till the voyage of captain Cook in 1771. "I need not remind the reader," says Mr. Weddell, "of the great advantages which navigation, and geography in general, have acquired from the discoveries and investigations of that able navigator; but the public may not be aware of the great extent in which his researches, in the south in particular, have been beneficial to Great Britain.

"His official report regarding the island of South Georgia, in which he gave an account of the great number of sea elephants, called by him sea lions, and fur seals, found on the shores, induced several enterprising merchants to fit out vessels to take them; the elephants for their oil, and the seals for their skins. These animals are now almost extinct; but I have been credibly informed, that since the year they were known to be so abundant, not less than 20,000 tuns of the sea elephant oil has been procured for the London market. A quantity of fur seal-skins were usually brought along with the cargo of oil; but formerly the furriers in England had not the method of dressing them, on which account they were of sò little value as to be almost neglected.

"The number of skins brought off from Georgia by ourselves and foreigners cannot be estimated at fewer than 1,200,000. I may here also remark, that the Island of Desolation, which captain Cook likewise visited, and first made known, has been a source of scarcely less profit than the Island of Georgia: hence it may be presumed, that during the time these two islands have been resorted to for the purpose of trade, more than 2000 tons of shipping, and from 200 to 300 seamen have been employed annually in this traffic."

CHAP. XX.

EASTERN SHORES OF ASIA.

Progress of the Russians.-Voyage of Billings from the Kolyma.-He meets with Ledyard. He visits the Aleutian Islands.-Journey through the Country of the Tshuktski.-Baron Wrangel.-The Japanese Seas unknown.-Labours of Broughton.-Russian Embassy to Japan.-Voyage of Krusenstern.-Ill Success of the Mission.-The Survey continued.-Sagaleen.-Golownin proceeds to examine the Kurile Islands.-Taken Prisoner by the Japanese.-His Description of Matsmai.-He effects his Escape.-Retaken, and confined in a Cage.-Kindness of the Japanese.-Golownin obtains his Freedom.-Geographical Labours of the Missionaries in China.-British Embassies.-Voyage of the Alceste and Lyra in the Chinese Seas.-The great Wall.-The Corean Archipelago.-Errors of the Maps.-The Loo Choo Islands.-Amiable Character of the People.-Their Intelligence.-Wreck of the Alceste.

THERE is nothing that exemplifies more forcibly how little the active genius of man is deterred from the pursuit of interest by considerations of distance or of dangers; and, on the other hand, how little all the advantages of proximity conduce to inquiry, when the motives of interest are removed, than the fact that European nations were tolerably well acquainted with the intricate north-western coast of the New World, while they still had but a very obscure and imperfect knowledge of the eastern coasts of Asia. The examination of those coasts, indeed, was chiefly to be expected from the Russians, who had not, however, as yet attained that share of nautical experience and skill which is requisite in a navigator who attempts to examine unknown shores. Yet the sovereigns of Russia were not indifferent to their interests, nor blind to the advantages that might result to their vast empire by the careful examination of its boundaries, and by obtaining a knowledge of the countries adjoining it to the south, particularly near the sea shore.

Mr. Joseph Billings, an officer who had sailed with captain Cook in his last voyage, was induced to engage in the Russian service, and was appointed by Catherine II. to descend the Kolyma, and to examine the northern coast of Siberia, from that river to East Cape. Two light vessels being built at the Koly

ma, captain Billings embarked in the spring of 1787, as soon as the ice broke up. The river, however, was so swoln by the melting of the snow and ice, as to render the navigation exceedingly dangerous, the vessels being often forced by the current out of the channel of the river into the woods, which were inundated. After sailing for about three weeks to the north and east, and having fallen in with much ice, Billings thought it unadvisable to proceed. The furthest extent of his progress in this short voyage was about five leagues beyond Cape Baranoi Kamen. Captain Sarytcheff, who accompanied Billings, offered to proceed eastward in an open boat; but to this proposal Billings would not give his assent. On returning to Yakutsk, Billings was surprised to find there his former comrade John Ledyard, who was corporal of marines on board the Resolution in Cook's last voyage. Ledyard was animated by an enthusiastic love of adventure, and with no other funds than a sum of about fifty pounds, raised for him by subscription by sir Joseph Banks, he undertook to travel across the old world; and, crossing from Kamtschatka to America, to cross that continent likewise on foot in its broadest part. At Irkutsk, however, he was arrested as a spy by order of the Russian court; and Billings, from whose knowledge of his character and intentions he expected some advantage, declined to interfere in his behalf, as if he were desirous of engrossing to himself the imperial favour, which he was conscious he did not deserve.

Billings was now ordered to examine the islands on the northwest coast of America, and two ships were built at Okotsk for that purpose. In June, 1790, he visited the Aleutian Islands; and he has the merit, if not of contributing largely to our stock of geographical information, at least of vindicating the rights of humanity, by revealing the tyranny and oppression exercised by the Russian traders over the unhappy islanders. Notwithstanding the exertions made by the Russian government, in consequence of his representations, to shield the American islanders from the tyranny of the Russian merchants, the intolerable burden of slavery, and the hardships of the hunter's life, in which their employers keep them constantly engaged, have had the effect of nearly extirpating the aboriginal race of island

ers.

From the Bay of St. Lawrence, on the south side of Behring's Strait, Billings proceeded over land on the 13th of August, 1790, to examine the country of the Tshuktski. He was desired by his instructions to examine the north-eastern coast of Siberia, as far as the Kolyma. It does not appear that in this journey he followed the sea coast, or that he made any attempt to trace its windings. His attempts to explore a country but little known were feeble and fruitless: he made short journeys, and halted

often; and added nothing to geography by his various expeditions, except, perhaps, by ascertaining with tolerable correctness the longitude of the Kolyma. Of the bold and independent people who inhabit the north-eastern portion of Siberia, the following account is given in Sauer's history of the expedition:-"We passed three villages, and halted at a fourth for the night. The huts were dug under ground, covered with earth, of a square form, with a fire-place in the middle, and four large stones made the hearth. We were obliged to treat with them for the water, and for fuel to boil our food, and to pay for it immediately. Observing our good nature and want of power, they took a liking to the buttons on our coats, and cut them off without ceremony. The men were tall and stout, and the warrior had his arms and legs punctured: the women were well made, and above the middle size; healthy in their appearance, and by no means disagreeable in their persons: their dress was a doe's skin, with the hair on, and one garment covered their limbs and their whole body. They wore their hair parted and in two plaits, one hanging over each shoulder, their arms and face being neatly punctured." The Tshuktski were not pleased to see the Russians measuring their country; and, in consequence, took from them their measuring lines; neither would they permit them to write any notes or observations.

The Russians have, since 1818, made many attempts to push their discoveries into the Northern Ocean. Baron Wrangel, an enterprising officer, made a journey of fifty-eight days on the ice, but could not discover any of those islands which former adventurers had reported to exist. He determined the latitude of North Cape, and has contributed to discountenance the opinion that the shores of America any where approach those of Siberia.

But it is in the Japanese seas and among the Kurile Islands that the Russians have been most successful in their hydrographical labours. There are no seas in the world with which Europeans have become acquainted so slowly and imperfectly as those of Japan and of the archipelago to the northward along the coast of Tatary. This is to be attributed to the dangerous nature of those seas, and to the jealousy of the Japanese, who allow no foreign vessels to take refuge in their ports. The accurate knowledge of the coast of Tatary began with the voyage of La Perouse, whose survey extended from Corea, with little interruption, to the southernmost of the Kurile Islands. About nine years later, captain Broughton surveyed nearly the same shores; making, however, valuable additions to the labours of the French navigator. Captain Broughton sailed up the Bay of Aniwa, the deep gulf or channel which separates Sagaleen

from Tatary; and, when he had reached lat. 52°, he saw a low strip of land which seemed duced to believe, by what he heard to terminate the channel to the north

ward. La Perouse

from the natives, that Sagaleen was an island separated from the main land of Tatary by a narrow and shallow channel; but Mr. Broughton seems to have ascertained that it is a peninsula.

As soon as Russia was taught to know, from the circumstances of the fur trade, the advantages of her seaports on the east coast of Siberia, she began to turn her eyes upon Japan. That rich and remarkable empire, which had remained quite unknown to Europe till the middle of the sixteenth century, observed so mistrustful and cautious a policy, that Europeans were still much less perfectly acquainted with it than might have been expected from its commerce, industry, and civilization. After the expulsion of the Jesuits and Portuguese, the Dutch alone were allowed to carry on any trade with Japan; and they, willing to secure themselves in the monopoly of a paltry traffic by numberless humiliations and acts of baseness, calumniated other European nations, so as to widen the breach between the Japanese and the civilized nations of the West. It is remarkable that no people so addicted to commerce, so enterprising in their system of trade, and so well instructed, have furnished fewer materials to the geographer than the Dutch. Whatever information they obtained respecting Japan they seemed to have concealed from the rest of the world; and for some knowledge of that singular empire the learned are chiefly indebted to the industry and intelligence of Kæmpfer a German, and Thunberg a Swede, who were at different times allowed to accompany the Dutch embassy to Japan.

But though Europeans were strictly forbidden to enter the ports of the Japanese empire, it was not clear that the Russians were included in this prohibition; and an opportunity occurred about 1780, which the empress Catherine thought might be improved into the means of opening a friendly correspondence with that country. A Japanese merchant ship was wrecked on one of the Aleutian Islands; the crew with their commander were saved and taken by the Russians to Irkutsk, where they lived about ten years. At the end of that time, general Pihl, the governor of Siberia, was ordered to send back the Japanese to their own country, accompanied by an envoy of inferior rank, who was to convey to the emperor of Japan the compliments and presents of general Pihl, and not of the Russian empress. These precautions were taken, lest the pride of the Japanese, if flattered in the first instance, might raise insuperable difficulties. In the course of their negotiations, lieutenant Laxman was selected as the envoy; and, in 1793, he arrived at Matsmai,