Straits; and, in the evening of wednesday, Sept. 2nd, passed the East Cape of Asia, which he found to be in lat. 66° 6', long. 190° 22'; and only 13 leagues distant from Cape Prince of Wales, on the American continent. Advancing along the Asian coast, he passed the Bay of St. Laurence, and two other bays, came in sight of Tschukotskoi Noss, and of Behring's Island of St. Laurence; and then steered over to examine a part of the American coast, which had been left unexplored in the voyage northward. He was the more desirous to survey this coast correctly, as he found the maps and charts of it, hitherto published, to be grossly erroneous: a large island called Alaschka, which he found to have no existence, being laid down in the strait between the two continents, while the space between them had been strangely magnified.
On the 7th, the ships arrived off the American shore, and following it to the eastward, came into an inlet, or bay, which was named Norton Sound; where they anchored on the 8th, in lat. 64° 31', long. 197° 13'. Several days were spent in exploring the sound, and the adjacent coast The land was high in the interior, and woody on the shore: some parts were covered with heath; and quantities of wild currant-berries, hurtle-berries, heath-berries, &c., were collected. The natives, who were of the same race with those of Oonalashka, were very civil and friendly; selling salmon and other fish, for knives and trinkets. The ships received here a supply of wood, with some fresh water: and proceeded on the 18th, in a southerly direction, along the coast. On arriving at the latitude of 63°, our navigators found the
