ENPages That Mention Chamisso Is- land
Journey of the sloop Good Intent to explore the Asiatic and American shores of Bering Strait, 1819 to 1822. Part one
mss142-vasilevShishmarev-i3-033
- 83 -
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 appears 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 Island, and wishing to take refuge from the outer surf, we went to the other side of its high banks and dropped anchor at a