Three Accounts of the Vasil'ev-Shismarev Expedition of 1819-1822

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[Karl Karlovich Hillesem]	Helinsgem	(This is K. K. Hill
		sen) [Good Intent]

Pilots:
[Mikhail Rydalev]	Rydalev	[Discovery]
[Vladimir Petrov ]	Petrov	[Good Intent]

Astronomer
[Pavel Tarkhanov]	Tarkhanov

Naturalist
[Fedor Shtein]	Shtein

The Voyages of 1820

Captain Vasilev, with the sloop entrusted to him, arrived safely at Kamchatka. He sent Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev to Unalashka [ Unalaska ] Island to take on interpreters, instructing him to sail from there to the shores of America to the sound described by Lieutenant Kotzebue in 1816.

On June 27, 1820, Cap. Vasilev left the harbor of Petropavlovsk and made his way toward Bering Strait. Near St. Lawrence Island he sighted an American brig [the Pedler] and upon questioning it, learned that it had come here from the Sandwich Islands [ Hawaiian Islands] to buy furs from the Chukchi. On June [July] 16, Cap. Vasilev arrived at Kotzebue Sound where he found Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev, who had been at anchor near Chamisso Island for five days.

Captain-Lieutenant Shishmarev reported to Cap. Vas., that on June 32d he had arrived at Unalashka Island and re-

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Bering Strait during the whole of September."

Coming into sight of St. Lawrence Island, Cap. Vasilev instructed Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev to finish surveying it, and he sailed toward the American shore. The gradual decrease in the depth of the sea from the eastern end of St. Lawrence Island was the reason that Cap. Vasilev turned west. and sailed toward the islands of [St.] Paul and [St.] George. Determining their geographic position, he continued his way to Unalashka and arrived there on August 19.

"Being in the Arctic Sea," says Cap. Vasilev, "I saw the necessity for a small sailing vessel, which could keep quite close to shore." On the sloop Good Intent there were parts of a disassembled boat in the hold. Therefore, Cap. Vasilev set his course from Unalashka to Novo-arkhagelsk port [NovoArkhangelsk, or Sitka ] where there were more facilities than elsewhere to assemble that boat. He arrived there on September 15, and entrused Lieutenant Ignatev with the assembling of the mentioned boat, sailed from there on October 25.

Having spent the winter season in southern regions, Cap. Vasilev arrived in Sitka on May 13, 1821, at the port of NovoArkhangelsk. Finding that the boat was completely ready, he took on a reserve of water and wood,and receiving interpreters from the Chief Ruler of the American district, Fleet Cap. Lieut. Matveia Ivanovich Muravev, he put out to sea with all three vessels on May 30.

Taking in consideration that the newly assembled boat

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could not keep up with the sloops, Cap. Vasilev took it in tow, and continued on the way to the Aleutian chain. Upon approaching Unalashka, Cap. Vasilev entered the harbor in order to repair some damages.

Here Cap. Vasilev formed a new plan for the impending voyage in arctic waters. He instructed Cap. Lieut. Shishmarev, upon putting to sea, to proceed toward the northeastern shores of Asia and to look for a passage into the northern sea. In case of failure in that, he was instructed to survey the shore of Chukotski land [ Chukchi Peninsula]. Cap Vasilev kept the boat for himself and intended to survey the shore of America between Bristol Bay and Norton Sound with it. After that, he planned to go to the Arctic Sea along the northwest coast of America and look for a passage into the Atlantic Ocean.

Vasilev's Voyage, 1821

On June 27th, Cap. Vasilev put to sea. The sloop Good Intent made its way to the shores of Asia, and the Discovery and the boat sailed towards [St.] Paul and [St.] George islands, and again verifying their geographic position sailed toward Cape Newenham, casing anchor on the southern side.

Here Cap. Vasilev appointed Lieut. Avinov commander of the boat, and giving him in assistance Midshipman Hall, son of the Honorable Vice-Admiral Roman Romanovich Hall, who had sailed those seas under the command of Cap. Billings in 1790 and 1791. Cap. Vasilev instructed Lieut. Avinov to survey

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the coast of America lying between Capes Newenham and Darby. He told him to join the sloop Discovery on July 20 at Stuart Island, but if Lieut. Avinov had not succeeded in finishing the survey of the mentioned shore by that time, he was permitted to remain there [at Stuart Island ] until August 15, and if he did not meet Cap. Vasilev in Norton Sound then, to winter on Unalashka Island or at the harbor of Petropavlovsk.

On July 6, the boat went on its appointed way, and Cap. Vasilev, going at the same time to Cape Stephens, discovered, on the 11th, a coast not indicated on the maps. Coming to a depth of eight sazhens he cast anchor, and going ashore with the interpreters, was informed that they were standing off an island called Nunivok [Nunivak Island], located not far from the mainland coast of America, and which is inhabited, and that until now its inhabitants had had no contact whatsoever with Europeans. The latitude of the place of anchorage was 59° 54'; longitude, 193° 17' east of Greenwich. Cap. Vasilev named this island after the name of his sloop, Otkrytie [Discovery].

On June [July] 12, Cap. Vasilev weighed anchor, and directed his course to Norton Sound. Arriving at Cape Darby on the 19th, he remained there at anchor for 24 hours, and since Lieut. Avinov had not arrived with the boat, Cap. Vasilev sailed north. At latitudes 68° 01' and 68° 21' Cap. Vasilev sighted two noticeable capes, which Captains Cook and Clerke

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11th he arrived at Goodnews Bay, and collected reliable information from local inhabitants that along the whole American shore northward, so far as is known to them, lived one nation. The report by those who were in these places with the land expedition in the years 1818 and 1819 undertaken by the [Russian-] American company in Kadiak [Kodiak], that to the north of the Kuskokvin [Kuskokwim] River on the mainland coast lived some European people, proved to be incorrect.⁸

On July 13th, Lieut. Avinov came from Goodnews Bay, and extending a course northward, found shallow banks in many places, which in his opinion were dry at low water. In Goodnews Bay he noticed an approximate 13-foot tidal rise of water.

Captain Vailev says, "Lieuten. Avinov found sailing near the banks dangerous since the boat drew four feet (loaded), and with cross winds and light seas could not hold in the wind. The bottom was unsuited for anchoring in the open sea. In addition, the crew started to show signs of scurvy from continuing wet weather and crowding." For these reasons, he decided to sail to Kamchatka, and arrived at the port of Petropavlovsk August 19.

Shishmarev's Voyage, 1821

Captain-Lieutenant Shishmarev, on June [July] 27th, directed his way from Unalashka Island to Transfiguration Island, which was discovered in 1766 by Lieut. Sind, and not finding it, concluded, "If Transfiguration Island exists at all, it is not near that place where it is indicated on the maps."