, we again made sail,
and stood in for the land. At noon, our latitude was 51 deg. 0', longitude 157 deg.
25'. The northernmost land in sight, being the point we have mentioned as
first opening with Cape Gavareea, bore N.N.E. A head-land, with a flat top,
which is in latitude 51 deg. 27', and makes the south point of an inlet, called
Girowara, bore N. 1/4 E.,.and the southernmost land in sight, W.3/4 N.,
distant six leagues. At this time we could just perceive low land
stretching from the southern extreme; but the wind veering round to the
N.W., we could not get a nearer view of it. At six in the afternoon we saw,
from the mast-head, Cape Lopatka, the southernmost extremity of
Kamtschatka. It is a very low flat cape, sloping gradually from the high
level land that we saw at noon, and bore W.N., about five leagues distant;
and the high land, N.W. by W. 1/2 W. As this point of land forms so marked
an object in the geography of the eastern coast of Asia, we were glad to be
able, by an accurate observation, and several good angles, to determine its
precise situation, which is in latitude 51 deg. 0', longitude 156 deg. 45'. To the
N.W. of it we saw a remarkably high mountain, the top of which loses itself
in the clouds; and, at the same time, the first of the Kurile Islands,
called Shoomska, appeared in sight, bearing W. 1/2 S. The passage between
this island and Cape Lopatka, the Russians describe as being three miles
broad, and very dangerous on account of the rapidity of the tides, and the
sunk rocks that are off the cape. From Cape Gavareea to Lopatka, the coast
trends S.E. South of Achachinskoi, the land is not so high and broken as
between that bay and the mouth of Awatska, being only of a moderate
elevation toward the sea, with hills gradually rising farther back in the
country. The coast is steep and bold, and full of white chalky patches.

At noon, the weather falling again to a calm, afforded us an opportunity of
catching some fine cod. We were, at this time, in forty fathoms water, and
about five or six leagues from Cape Lopatka. Both in the fore and
afternoon, we had observations, with different compasses, for the
variation, and found it to be 5 deg. 20' E.

We stood on all night, under an easy sail, to the S.S.W., having the wind
westerly. At midnight we sounded, and had sixty fathoms; and, at day-break
of the 13th, we saw the second of the Kurile Islands, (called by the
Russians Paramousir,) extending from N.W.