The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. II., No. 2, May, 1890Various
Science
The National Geographic Magazine, Vol. II., No. 2, May, 1890
Various
Geography -- Periodicals
On this chart the main features of the coast on either side of the
strait are correctly indicated, though several of the inlets and bays
are wanting. The Diomedes and Fairway Rock of modern charts are located
but left without names, King's Island is named; Arakam was not
recognized as an island nor was Point Chaplin (Indian Point) observed.
St. Lawrence Island was seen in foggy weather. Its isolated hills
connected by very low flat land led Cook into the error of supposing
that it comprised several islands, one of which he correctly referred
to that named St. Lawrence by Bering and the rest he lumped under the
name of Clerke's Islands. A single fictitious island, midway between
St. Lawrence and King's appears on the chart, but is not named or
mentioned in the text. St. Lawrence Bay is named and discovered. Bering
and Müller's Chukotski cape is correctly identified. East Cape is well
delineated, and the name Serdze Kamen (Heart-Rock) originally given to
a cliff or bluff point at the entrance of Holy Cross Bay is transferred
to a point on the Arctic shore of the peninsula. There is a confused
and somewhat curious history connected with the use of the names
Serdze-Kamen and Chukotski Cape. After the travels of Deshneff, Popoff
and others and the reception at various times of information from the
natives, it was pretty generally understood among the hunters and
traders of this region that the extreme of Asia was a cape or point on
or near which the Chukchi dwelt, or which they described, which was not
definitely located, and which was vaguely known as the Chukchi Cape or
the Cape of the Chukchis, Chukotski Noss in the Russian tongue. Cape
Serdze Kamen will be found on the chart of Billings' Voyage. It was the
point where the Chukchis successfully defended themselves against the
invading Russians who sought to force them to pay tribute. Beyond it,
for the Russians all was mysterious Chukchi country with an unknown
coast. This cape being their _ne plus ultra_ it is probable that it was
more or less confounded by these illiterate and ignorant hunters with
the supposed eastern Cape of Asia, otherwise the Cape of the Chukchis
as used by Müller. Admit this and it is not difficult to frame an
hypothesis which shall account for the confusion, without recourse to
the absurd charges with which Lauridsen attempts to soil the reputation
of Müller, Steller and others.
When Bering named a cape near which he met a baidar-load of Chukchi who
gave him some geographical information (among other things that the
coast made a turn after passing it) he called this cape with great
propriety the Cape of the Chukchis, as observed by Cook (ii, p. 474)
and with no reference to the legendary Cape of the Chukchis above
referred to.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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