A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History; of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and; Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the; Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History; of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and; Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the; Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Having at length taken our leave of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, I shall
conclude this section with a particular description of Awatska Bay, and the
coast adjoining; not only because (its three inlets included) it
constitutes, perhaps, the most extensive and safest harbour that has yet
been discovered, but because it is the only port in this part of the world
capable of admitting ships of any considerable burden. The term Bay,
indeed, is perhaps not applicable, properly speaking, to a place so well
sheltered as Awatska; but, then, it must be observed, that, from the loose
undistinguishing manner in which navigators have denominated certain
situations of sea and land, with respect to each other, bays, roads,
sounds, harbours, &c. we have no defined and determinate ideas affixed to
these words, sufficient to warrant us in changing a popular name for one
that may appear more proper.
The entrance into this bay is in 52 deg. 51' north latitude, and 158 deg. 48' east
longitude, and lies in the bight of another exterior bay, formed by
Cheepoonskoi Noss to the N., and Cape Gavareea to the S. The former of
these head lands bears from the latter N.E. by N. 3/4 E., and is distant
thirty-two leagues. The coast from Cape Gavareea to the entrance of Awatska
Bay, takes a direction nearly N., and is eleven leagues in extent. It
consists of a chain of high ragged cliffs, with detached rocks frequently
lying off them. This coast, at a distance, presents in many parts an
appearance of bays or inlets, but, on a nearer approach, the head-lands
were found connected by low ground.
Cheepoonskoi Noss bears, from the entrance of the bay, E.N.E. 1/4 E, and is
twenty-five leagues distant. On this side the shore is low and flat, with
hills rising behind to a considerable height. In the latitude of Cape
Gavareea there is an error of twenty-one miles in the Russian charts, its
true latitude being 52 deg. 21'.
This striking difference of the land on each side Awatska Bay, with their
different bearings, are the best guides to steer for it in coming from the
southward; and, in approaching it from the northward, Cheepoonskoi Noss
will make itself very conspicuous; for it is a high projecting head-land,
with a considerable extent of level ground lower than the Noss, uniting it
to the continent. It presents the same appearance, whether viewed from the
north or south, and will warn the mariner not to be deceived in imagining
Awatska Bay to lie in the bight which the coast forms to the northward of
this Noss, and which might be the case, from the striking resemblance there
is between a conical hill within this bight or bay, and one to the south of
Awatska Bay.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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