leaders were killed, and three wounded. Not long after, the watch of the crew was fuddenly attacked, when several of the Ruffians loft their lives, and their huts were reduced to afhes. The following May, two other Ruffians were killed, as they were going to bathe in the warm fprings on the island, not far from the haven; on which feven of the innocent hoftages were put to death. The fame month, a general attack was made on the Ruffians; but having gained time to prepare their firearms, the natives were repulfed with lofs. The adventurers, however, finding themselves in continual danger, weighed anchor, and failed for Umnak, where they feized fome of the inhabitants, with their wives and children, to ferve as their guides in the difcovery of other iflands. Stormy weather fetting in, they were driven out to fea to the weftward with fuch violence, that all their fails were carried away. At length they ftruck against land, which was found to be in the diftrict of Stobolskoi Oftrog. Six men were immediately dispatched to land, in order to collect fome fupplies: meanwhile, the crew endeavoured to ply the fhip to the windward. When the boat returned, the men were with great difficulty drawn on board, and the fhip, without a fail remaining whole, was driven with impetuofity along the coaft of Kamtschatka, and ran into the bay of Kalatzoff, where their cargo was landed. During this voyage, the captain and his crew had behaved with fuch inhumanity towards the iflanders, that they were brought to trial for their crimes, and the preceding circumstances, with many aggravations, came out in evidence against them. It appears, alfo, they had carried away above twenty women and girls, whom they used with great brutality. On their first approach to the coaft, fourteen of these unfortunate women were fent on fhore to dig roots and gather berries for their oppreffors. Of thefe, two eloped, and a third was killed; when the rest, in a fit of despair, threw themselves into the fea, and were drowned. The natives, of the islands they had vifited, are defcribed as being tall and ftrong built. They make their clothes of the fkins of birds, and thruft bones through their under lips, by way of Their dwellings are under ground; and they have feveral apertures on the fides, by which they make their efcape, when the principal entrance is befet by an enemy. ornament. The island of Alakfu is faid to contain rein deer, wild boars, wolves, otters, and a fpecies of dogs, with pendulous ears, which are very fierce and wild. As the greatest part of thofe animals are not natives of the Fox Islands, it feems probable that they have been brought from the neighbouring continent of America. This ifland alfo produces large trees, and many efculent roots and berries. The coafts are frequented by large flocks of fea fowls. DISCOVERY OF THE ISLANDS CALLED THE St. Andrean, Captain Andrean Talftyke, weighed from the River Kamtfchatka in September, 1760, and in two days reached Behring's Iland. Soon after they were driven on the fhore by by a violent autumnal storm, without, however, fuftaining any confiderable damage. Here they paffed the winter, and having refitted their veffel, they put to fea in June, 1761, and paffing Copper Island, directed their courfe to the Aleutian Ifles, which they reached on the 6th of Auguft. They caft anchor in an open bay, near Atak, in order to procure an interpreter; and foon after ftood out to fea, in queft of the more diftant iflands, for the purpofe of exacting a tribute.. Steering to the eastward, they were driven by a high gale of wind towards an ifland, off which they immediately caft anchor. The following morning fome of them went on fhore to reconnoitre, but faw no inhabitants. This ifland they called Ayagh, or Kayaku; and another, at fome distance, Kanaga. As they were returning to the fhip, they faw two iflanders in canoes, one of whom was known to a gentleman on board, Near the place where they lay at anchor, a rivulet falls into the bay: it flows from a large lake, which is formed from a number of small fprings. In the fummer feafon, falmon, and other fith, afcend this ftream as far as the lake; and here the Ruffians employed themselves in fithing, while the Toigon of Kanaga, with a confiderable number of the natives, arrived, and was hofpitably entertained. The Ruffians feized this opportunity of perfuading the iflanders to acknowledge themfelves fubject to the emprefs, and to pay a regular tribute, to which they made no particular objection. By means of an interpreter, they obtained the following information from the Toigon: that the natives chiefly subfift on dried fish, and other fea productions; that they catch turbot of a very large large fize, and ftrike feals with harpoons, to which they faften bladders. The fhip being fecured, a party fet out in a kind of veffels, called baidars, to Kanaga; and from thence fome of them proceeded to Tfetchina, where the natives received them amicably, and promised to become tributary. Soon after, others were dispatched to Tagalak, Atchu, and Amlak, which lay to the eastward of Kayaku. As none of the inhabitants offered them the leaft moleftation, they remained in great tranquility in these islands till 1764. Their fuccefs in hunting, however, was not great, compared to that which other adventurers had met with in the different diftricts of the Northern Archipelago. The fix iflands, which were the scene of their transactions, obtained the general appellation of Andreanofikye Oftrova; or, the lands of St. Andrean, fo called from the principal conductor of the voyage, and are thus described: Ayagh is about one hundred and fifty verfts * in circumference, and contains feveral high and rocky mountains, with intervals of bare heath and moor land; but not a single forest tree is to be found in the whole island. Of berries, they have various fpecies; and of roots, the principal is the fnake-weed, of which there is fuch abundance, as to afford the inhabitants a plentiful fupply, in cafes of emergency. It is difficult to afcertain the population, as the natives are con◄ tinually migrating from one ifland to another. * An English mile is equal to one thousand five hundred and fifteen parts of a verft, confequently, two miles may be eftimated at three verits. Kanaga Kanaga, to the weft of the former, is about two hundred verfts in circumference. It contains a lofty volcano, at the bottom of which are hot fprings, in which the natives occafionally boil their provifions. There is no rivulet in the whole ifland. Tfetchina lies to the eastward of Kanaga, and may be about eighty verfts in circumference. It is full of rocky mountains, and has fome warm fprings, but very few inhabitants. Tagalak is forty verfts in circuit, and produces fcarcely any thing fit for the use of man. The coafts are rocky, and dangerous of approach. Atchu lies in the fame pofition with Tagalak, and is three hundred verfts in circumference. It has a harbour, in which fhips may ride in fecurity, and contains feveral rivulets, which abound in fith. Its inhabitants, however, do not amount to one hundred. Amlak, is a mountainous ifland, about the fame magnitude with Atchu. It has a commodious haven, and produces roots in abundance. Of feveral finall rivulets, it has only one which contains fifh. Its inhabitants are not numerous. The natives of all thofe iflands live in holes dug in the earth, in which they never light fires, even in the fevereft weather. They are clothed in a fimilar manner with the other inhabitants of the Northern Archipelago, and eat their fith As they are little provident in laying by a ftock of provifions, they fometimes fuffer greatly from hunger, when the ftormy weather prevents them from having recourfe to the fea, from which they derive their chief fupplies. raw. Whenever they pafs a night from home, they dig a hole in the earth, in which they lay them |