mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-033
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light breeze, could get to the middle where we dropped anchor
only toward evening.
Kotzebue Sound, from Cape Krusenstern to its northeastern
end, extends for 75 miles, and its greatest width to 20. Its
depth is from five to eight sazhens. The northern shore is
hilly and high, and the southern, sloping and low. Fifty-six
miles from the entrance in the very middle, at the place where
the mouth begins to narrow, is an islet called Chamisso Island
by Captain Kotzebue, after the naturalist and astronomer who
was with him. From this island the bay widens again and ap-
pears to be a round lagoon, the eastern shores of which look
blue in the distance.
We scarcely had time to drop anchor when we saw vistors
in three large baidars. They stepped fearlessly on deck, and
traded marten and otter skins for axes, cast iron pots, knives,
and needles, but immediately went back without having traded
even one tenth of their cargo. They took almost no tobacco
and wanted only big knives, guns, powder, and lead, but as it
was forbidden to sell them these articles, they stopped trading
and returned to shore. 4
On the 11th, a light W wind started blowing. We weighed
anchor and went farther into the sound. Passing Chamisso Is-
land, and wishing to take refuge from the outer surf, we went
to the other side of its high banks and dropped anchor at a
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