The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third VoyageKing, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third Voyage
King, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
The outermost garment is of the shape of a carter’s frock. Those worn in
summer are of nankeen; in winter they are made of skins, most commonly
of the deer or dog, tanned on one side, the hair being left on the
other, which is worn innermost. Under this is a close jacket of nankeen,
or other cotton stuffs; and beneath that a shirt of thin Persian silk,
of a blue, red, or yellow colour. The remaining part of their dress
consists of a pair of tight trowsers, or long breeches, of leather,
reaching down to the calf of the leg; of a pair of dog or deer-skin
boots, with the hair innermost; and of a fur cap, with two flaps, which
are generally tied up close to the head, but in bad weather are let to
fall round the shoulders.
The fur dress presented to me by a son of Major Behm (as already
mentioned) is one of those worn by the _Toions_, on ceremonious
occasions. The form exactly resembles that of the common exterior
garment just described. It is made of small triangular pieces of fur,
chequered brown and white, and joined so neatly as to appear to be one
skin. A border of six inches breadth, wrought with threads of different
coloured leather, and producing a rich effect, surrounds the bottom, to
which is suspended a broad edging of the sea-otter skin. The sleeves are
turned up with the same materials; and there is likewise an edging of it
round the neck, and down the opening at the breast. The lining is of a
smooth white skin. A cap, a pair of gloves, and boots, wrought with the
utmost degree of neatness, and made of the same materials, constitute
the remainder of this suit. The Russians in Kamtschatka wear the
European dress; and the uniform of the troops quartered here is of a
dark green, faced with red.
As the people situated to the north and south of this country are yet
imperfectly known, I shall conclude the account of Kamtschatka with such
information concerning the Kurile islands, and the Koreki and Tschutski,
as I have been able to acquire.
The chain of islands, running in a south-west direction from the
southern promontory of Kamtschatka to Japan, extending from latitude 51°
to 45°, are called the Kuriles. They obtained this name from the
inhabitants of the neighbourhood of Lopatka, who being themselves called
Kuriles, gave their own name to these islands, on first becoming
acquainted with them. They are, according to Spanberg, twenty-two in
number, without reckoning the very small ones. The northernmost, called
Shoomska, is not more than three leagues from the promontory Lopatka,
and its inhabitants are a mixture of natives and Kamtschadales. The next
to the south, called Paramousir, is much larger than Shoomska, and
inhabited by the true natives; their ancestors, according to a tradition
among them, having come from an island a little farther to the south,
called Onecutan. Those two islands were first visited by the Russians in
1713, and at the same time brought under their dominion.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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