Chapter I: Front Matter

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.

MDCCCXXIV.

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.

EDINBURGH:

_Printed by James Ballantyne & Co_.

FOR WILLIAM BLACKWOOD, EDINBURGH; J. MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET; BALDWIN, CRADOCK AND JOY, AND GALE AND FENNER, PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON; AND J. CUMMING, DUBLIN.

1816.

CONTENTS TO VOL. XVII.

CHAP. 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.

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.

CHAP. 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.

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.

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.

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 deg. 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.

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.

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

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.

VIII. Plan of our future Proceedings. Course to the Southward, along the
Coast of Kamtschatka. Cape Lopatka. Pass the Islands Shoomska and
Paramousir. Driven to the Eastward of the Kuriles. Singular Situation
with respect to the pretended Discoveries of former Navigators.
Fruitless Attempts to reach the Islands North of Japan. Geographical
Conclusions. View of the Coast of Japan. Run along the East Side. Pass
two Japanese Vessels. Driven off the Coast by contrary Winds.
Extraordinary Effect of Currents. Steer for the Bashees. Pass large
Quantities of Pumice Stone. Discover Sulphur Island. Pass the Pratas.
Isles of Lema, and Ladrone Island. Chinese Pilot taken on board the
Resolution. Journals of the Officers and Men secured.

IX. Working up to Macao. A Chinese Comprador. Sent on Shore to visit the
Portuguese Governor. Effects of the Intelligence we received from
Europe. Anchor in the Typa. Passage up to Canton. Bocca Tygris. Wampu.
Description of a Sampane. Reception at the English Factory. Instance of
the suspicious Character of the Chinese. Of their Mode of trading. Of
the City of Canton. Its Size. Population. Number of Sampanes. Military
Force. Of the Streets and Houses. Visit to a Chinese. Return to Macao.
Great Demand for the Sea-Otter Skins. Plan of a Voyage for opening a
Fur-Trade on the Western Coast of America, and prosecuting further
Discoveries in the Neighbourhood of Japan. Departure from Macao. Price
of Provisions in China.

X. Leave the Typa. Orders of the Court of France respecting Captain
Cook. Resolutions in consequence thereof. Strike Soundings on the
Macclesfield Banks. Pass Pulo Sapata. Steer for Pulo Condore. Anchor at
Pulo Condore. Transactions during our Stay. Journey to the principal
Town. Receive a Visit from a Mandarin. Examine his Letters. Refreshments
to be procured. Description, and present State of the Island. Its
Produce. An Assertion of M. Sonnerat refuted. Astronomical and Nautical
Observations.

XI. Departure from Pulo Condore. Pass the Straits of Banca. View of the
Island of Sumatra. Straits of Sunda. Occurrences there. Description of
the Island of Cracatoa. Prince's Island. Effects of the Climate of Java.
Run to the Cape of Good Hope. Transactions there. Description of False
Bay. Passage to the Orkneys. General Reflections.

Vocabulary of the Language of Nootka, or King George's Sound. April, 1778.

Table to shew the Affinity between the Languages Spoken at Oonalashka and Norton Sound, and those of the Greenlanders and Esquimaux.