ts in an unknown language, which,
according to information afterwards obtained, had belonged to some
Japanese who had stranded on the coast of Kamchatka.[308] It was the
first hint the conquerors of Siberia obtained of their being in the
neighbourhood of Japan.

The year after Atlassov, with a larger force, followed the way which
Morosko had opened up, and penetrated to the river Kamchatka, where
as a sign that he had taken possession of the land, he erected a
cross with an inscription, which when translated runs thus: _In the,
year_ 7205 (i.e. 1697) _on the 13th July this cross was erected by
the piaetidesaetnik Volodomir Atlassov and his followers_, 55 _men_.
Atlassov then built on the Kamchatka river a _simovie_, which was
afterwards fortified and named Verchni Kamtschatskoj Ostrog. Hence
the Russians extended their power over the land, yet not without
resistance, which was first completely broken by the cruel
suppression of the rebellion of 1730.

In 1700 Atlassov travelled to Moscow, carrying with him a Japanese,
who had been taken prisoner after being shipwrecked on the coast of
Kamchatka, and the collected tribute which consisted of the skins of
3,200 sables, 10 sea-otters, 7 beavers, 4 otters, 10 grey foxes and
191 red foxes. He was received graciously, and sent back as
commander of the Cossacks in Yakutsk with orders to complete the
conquest of Kamchatka. An interruption however happened for some
time in the path of Atlassov as a warrior and discoverer, in
consequence of his having during his return journey to Yakutsk
plundered a Russian vessel laden with Chinese goods, an accessory
circumstance which deserves to be mentioned for the light which it
throws on the character of this Pizarro of Kamchatka. He was not set
free until the year 1706, and then recovered his command in
Kamchatka, with strict orders to desist from all arbitrary
proceedings and acts of violence, and to do his best for the
discovery of new lands. The first part of this order he however
complied with only to a limited extent, which gave occasion to
repeated complaints[309] and revolts among the already unbridled
Cossacks. Finally, in 1711, Atlassov and several other officers were
murdered by their own countrymen. In order to atone for this crime,
and perhaps to get a little farther from the arm of justice, their
murderers, ANZIPHOROV and IVAN KOSIREVSKOJ,[310] undertook to subdue
the not yet conquered part of Kamchatka, and the two norther