ey were not
far from the mouth of the Indigirka. Several Yakuts had settled on
the neighbouring coast, where was also a Russian _simovie_. Laptev
and his men wintered there, and examined the surrounding country.
The surveyor KINDAeKOV was sent out to map the coast to the Kolyma.
Among other things he observed that the sea here was very shallow
near the shore, and that driftwood was wanting at the mouth of the
Indigirka, but was found in large masses in the interior, 30 versts
from the coast.

The following year, 1740, Laptev repaired as well as he could his
vessel, which had been injured during the voyage of the preceding
year, and then went again to sea on the 11th Aug./31st July. On the
14th/3rd August he passed one of the Bear Islands, fixing its
latitude at 71 deg. 0'. On the 25th/14th August, when Great Cape
Baranov was reached, the progress of the vessel was arrested by
masses of ice that extended as far as the eye could reach. Laptev
now turned and sought for winter quarters on the Kolyma. On the
19th/8th July, 1741, this river became open, and Laptev went to sea
to continue his voyage eastwards, but did not now succeed in
rounding Great Cape Baranov. He was now fully convinced of the
impossibility of reaching the Anadyr by sea, on which account he
determined to penetrate to that river by land in order to survey it.
This he did in the years 1741 and 1742. Thus ended the voyages of
Dmitri Laptev, giving evidence if not of distinguished seamanship,
of great perseverance, undaunted resolution, and fidelity to the
trust committed to him.[326]

6. _Voyage for the purpose of exploring and surveying the coast of
America_--For this purpose Behring fitted out at Okotsk two vessels,
of which he himself took the command of one, _St. Paul_, while the
other, _St. Peter_, was placed under CHIRIKOV. They left Okotsk in
1740, and being prevented by shoal water from entering Bolschaja
Reka, they both wintered in Avatscha Bay, whose excellent haven was
called, from the names of the ships, Port Peter-Paul. On the
15th/4th June they left this haven, the naturalist GEORG WILHELM
STELLER having first gone on board Behring's and the astronomer
LOUIS DE L'ISLE DE LA CROYERE Chirikov's vessel. The course was
shaped at first for the S.S.E., but afterwards, when no land could
be discovered in this direction, for the N.E. and E. During a storm
on the 1st July/20th June the vessels were separated. On the
29th/18th July Behring reached th