Russian Expansion on the Pacific, 1641-1850; An

I BOUGHT WITH THE rNCOME OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Henrs W. Sage 1891 i3AMS^. 3.0J/777/.7-- 086 365 388 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis bool< is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924086365388 RUSSIAN EXPANSION ON THE PACIFIC 1641-1850 y" 'J. iKftlft 9ue Ion eh , '^, -fiosierpariii ^Ixe) jept&nirion /aroo/eAB Z'okhota a oo/charareAa ef/ environ ne acetfue liad/t Je Copliaine Beer/nqs /eferme Seja rouff ianS la cjuellei/ a Toujcuri/wvi la qcte ^ e/f le point C/ous 'j la laf/lude de ^7 "/a el a ^ j2l.ds^rB6 alk,Jtc/umendiendii.1ihohk "^"'^ e/, i//,e fio/nfe ^11 ^"J"'*^ ^ers E vis c v,5 de /a relle,/ya^/o,if / des g/c,o»S Cfu, empec/,o,enf /e phs Joo.ent dehdouikr qulapres cela laterre foutnoH vers F ou /e dechc^rqeoient les rivters 'he Jio/ima ef /c, Lena p-Q, Sketch illustrating Bering's first voyage Made by J. N. Delisle and based on his conversation with Bering [Delisle Manuscripts, xxv, 6\ RUSSIAN EXPANSION ON THE PACIFIC 1641-1850 AN ACCOUNT OF THE EARLIEST AND LATER EXPEDITIONS MADE BY THE RUSSIANS ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST OF ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA; INCLUDING SOME RELATED EXPEDITIONS TO THE ARCTIC REGIONS BY F. A. COLDER THE ARTHUR H. CLARK COMPANY CLEVELAND: 1914 j\.3(<i.S5 5H COPYRIGHT, I9I4, BY F. A. GOLDER In appreciation of their friendship and inspiration I dedicate this work to the professors at Harvard under whom I studied CONTENTS Preface . -13 I The Administration of Eastern Siberia in the Seventeenth Century . • i7 II Russia and China on the Amur to 1689 . 33 III A Critical Examination of Deshnef's Voyage . 67 IV Kamchatka and the Kurils . -97 V Terra deJeso . -117 VI Bering's first Expedition . -133 VII The Chukchi and the Discovery OF America . 151 VIII Bering's Second Expedition .... 165 IX Completion of the Survey of Northeastern Si- beria and the Amur Region . .251 Appendix A - Muller's Account of Deshnef's Voyage . 268 Appendix B - Deshnef's Report .... 282 Appendix C - Treaty of Nertchinsk .... 290 Appendix D - European Opinion regarding Kozirefski . 294 Appendix E — Navigation and Discoveries made by the Rus- sians in the Eastern Ocean between the two Voyages of Cap- ' tain Beerings during the Years 1731 and 1732 . 298 Appendix F - Memoir presented to the Senate with Map which Bering used in going to America . 302 Appendix G — The Inhabitants found on September 20, 1741, in a Port near Kamchatka by Captain Alexis Chirikof . 314 ' Appendix H — Discovery of America by Way of Moscovy . 326 Appendix I - Documents bearing on the Voyage of Captain Spanberg from Kamchatka to Japan in June, July, and August, 1739 • • • • -330 Bibliographical Note . -335 Bibliography ...... 341 ILLUSTRATIONS Sketch illustrating Bering's first Voyage . Frontispiece Jakutsk about 1675 41 Godunof's Map of Eastern Siberia .... 69 Remezof's Map 79 Ys Caap in place of the Russian mapmakers Impassa- ble Cape 89 The So-called Shestakof Map 111 Sketch illustrating Gwosdef's Voyage . 154 Plan of Okhotsk Ostrog 167 Sketch of the route from the Maja River to Okhotsk 175 Harbor of St. Peter and St. Paul in 1741 . 179 Facsimile of extracts from Deshnef's Report (two plates) 283 PREFACE I became interested in Alaska during a three years' residence in that territory in the service of the United States government. On my return I began investiga- tions with a view of writing the story of Alaska as a part of American history and of giving but little time to topics connected with the Asiatic side of the North Pacific Ocean. But as I proceeded I was compelled to modify my plans. I could not make intelligent head- way with the Bering voyages without a sound knowl- edge of the cartographical and geographical ideas of the period in which they were undertaken. This led to the study of Terra de Jeso. In my expectation of work- ing up the background of Siberian history from sec- ondary authorities I was disappointed for they proved to be unreliable and I was obliged to go to the sources. Gradually it developed that which was planned as the background became the principal part of the picture. My point of view had in the meantime undergone a change : the discovery of Alaska which I had regarded as a beginning chapter of American history, I found to be the closing chapter of a period of Russian expansion. I realized also how closely the history of Alaska is bound up with that of Siberia, and that in order to know the one it was necessary to understand the other. Under the circumstances I concluded to devote this en- tire monograph to a careful study of the conditions and the history of Russian expansion on the Pacific up to 1750 and at some future time to follow up this movement and bring it up to date. This change of plan 14 RUSSIAN EXPANSION ON THE PACIFIC called for investigation of certain topics not originally contemplated, such as the relations of Russia and China on the Amur, and the administration of Siberia. The results of the investigation of the last named topic are used here as an introductory chapter, and it is hoped that it will clear up a subject much talked about by writers but not clearly understood. In this work the question as to the comparative merits of the officers who took part in the Bering voyages has not been brought up for discussion, because it seemed profitless; for the same reason speculation as to what might have been, if some one had acted differ- ently than he did, has not been indulged in. Entirely too much emphasis may be laid on the actors in the play at the expense of the play itself. The Siberians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were part of a movement in which they were caught and carried along without leaving any impress of their personal- ities. They were men of, more or less, average ability, yet from the time of Muller to the present it has not been possible to speak of them with calmness. As soon as the banner, bearing the magic word "promyshlenik," is waved we are expected to fall on our knees and bow to heroes. As a matter of fact they were, at best, very ordinary men and some of them were vicious and de- praved. To appreciate them at their full value one has but to study their descendants at Unalaska, Kodiak, and Sitka. If contemporary documents are to be be- lieved, the race of Siberians has not degenerated by being transplanted into American soil. In every sea port town and in every frontier community one will find men who risk their lives and suffer hardships for the sake of pleasure and gain just as the Siberians did. PREFACE 15 There is nothing heroic about all this and if we stop to think it will be seen that it is very commonplace. The materials for this investigation were found at Harvard University, the Library of Congress, the Bib- liotheque Nationale, and the Archives de la Marine in Paris where the Delisle manuscripts are preserved. The more important of the last documents have been copied and may be found in the Appendix. Several years ago the Library of Congress purchased the valu- able Yudin collection of books on Siberia, among which were the publications of the Archaeographical Society containing source material on seventeenth and eighteenth century Siberia. A study of these original documents has forced me to reject many of the views that I had accepted on the authority of Muller and others and to rewrite a number of the chapters. In the spelling of the Russian names of places I em- ployed the system in use by the United States Bureau of Hydrography. The word "Cossack" is not used in a technical sense but synonymously with the term "Rus- sian." Dates, wherever they apply to Russian events, are according to the old style. It may not be out of place to mention that in Russia during the seventeenth century, September was the first month of the year. If one will bear in mind that the nautical day was reck- oned from noon and not morning he will be able to ex- plain the seeming confusion in the accounts as to the day when a certain event occurred. I am glad to have this opportunity to express my gratitude to Professor Channing for helpful sugges- tions during the first stages of this work. Professor Coolidge has been ever ready to assist me and I have profited by his advice. Mr. L. R. Wells of Cambridge 6 1 PREFACE has criticised in a helpful manner two of the chapters. Professor W. A. Morris of the University of California and Professor W. G. Beach of the University of Wash- ington read the complete manuscript and it has gained much from their criticisms. To all these good friends I am very grateful and I trust that they may not feel that their efforts have been in vain. F. A. GoLDER. Pullman, Washington, February i, 19 14. Since writing the above I have carefully examined the archives at St. Petersburg and have made many val- uable and important corrections and additions. F. A. G. St. Petersburg, Russia, August i, 1914. I. THE ADMINISTRATION OF EASTERN SIBERIA IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY^ By Eastern Siberia is meant the region bordering on the Pacific Ocean, its western boundary being the Lena River and the southern the Stanovoi Mountains.

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