Vitus Bering: the Discoverer of Bering Strait

by Peter Lauridsen

20. Harris's Collection of Voyages, II., 1021, Note 34.

21. V. Berch: The First Voyage of the Russians.

22. Beiträge zur Kenntniss des Russ. Reiches, XVI.

23. The name appears earlier on the chart which accompanies Gmelin's Reise durch Sibirien, IV., 1752, and in Steller's Reise von Kamtschatka nach Amerika. But both of these authors must here be considered an echo of Müller.

24. See Müller's own review of the Russians' early knowledge of the peninsula in Vol. III. of Sammlung Russ. Geschichte. Even as late as 1762 the Cossacks could travel among the Chukchees only in disguise.—Pallas: N. Nord. Beiträge, I., 245.—During Billings's expedition hostilities were still smoldering.—East Cape is 600 miles from Anadyrskoi Ostrog.

26. J. D. Cochrane has, in Narrative of a Pedestrian Journey, London, 1825, App. p. 299, attempted to establish Pavlutski's route, unsuccessfully, however, we think. On the whole, accounts and opinions concerning Pavlutski are so uncertain, that it is impossible by means of the literature on this point, to give a final opinion. See Fr. Lütke: Voyage autour du monde, II., 238. "Sauer dit que Pavlovtsky vint jusqu'au détroit de Bering; ce qui, au reste, n'est pas en lui même vraisenable."

26. Pallas: N. Nord. Beiträge. I. Chart.—Martin Sauer: An Account of Com. Billings's Geog. and Astr. Expedition. 1785-94. Chart.

27. M. Sauer: An Account, etc., p. 252, Note.—Fr. Lütke: Voyage autour du monde, II., 238. Note and chart: Carte de la Baie de Sct. Croix. Levée par les emb. de la Corvette le Seniavine, 1828, where the original Serdze Kamen is found in its proper place with the original Chukchee name, Linglingay.

28. Steller: Beschreibung von dem Lande Kamtschatka, p. 15. Steller sways back and forth between Müller's views and the account that he himself obtained of the real state of affairs. He met Müller in West Siberia in 1739, when the latter was filled with his supposed epoch-making discoveries in Yakutsk archives. In Reise nach Amerika, p. 6, Steller says: "So verblieb es nichts desto weniger auf Seiten der damals gebrauchten Officiere bey einer kurzen Untersuchung des Landes Kamtschatka, von Lopatka bis zu dem sogenannten Serze Kamen, welche bey weitem das Tschuktschiske Vorgebirge noch nicht ist." He has so little knowledge of Bering's work that he can immediately go on to say: "Gwosdew ist viel weiter und bis 66 Grad Norderbreite gekommen."