ifficulty, made them tributary.
These being the immediate neighbours of the Kamtschadales, and likewise in
the habits of bartering with them, a knowledge of Kamtschatka followed of
course.

The honour of the first discovery is given to Feodot Alexeieff, a merchant,
who is said to have sailed from the river Kovyma, round the peninsula of
the Tschutski, in company with seven other vessels, about the year 1648.
The tradition goes, that, being separated from the rest by a storm, near
the Tschukotskoi Noss, he was driven upon the coast of Kamtschatka, where
he wintered; and the summer following coasted round the promontory of
Lopatka, into the sea of Okotzk, and entered the mouth of the Tigil; but
that he and his companions were cut off by the Koriacs, in endeavouring to
pass from thence by land to the Anadirsk. This, in part, is corroborated by
the accounts of Simeon Deshneff, who commanded one of the seven vessels,
and was thrown on shore at the mouth of the Anadir. Be this as it may,
since these discoverers, if such they were, did not live to make any report
of what they had done, Volodimir Atlassoff, a Cossack, stands for the first
acknowledged discoverer of Kamtschatka.[78]

This person was sent, in the year 1697, from the fort Jakutzk to the
Anadirsk, in the quality of commissary, with instructions to call in the
assistance of the Koriacs, with a view to the discovery of countries beyond
theirs, and to the subjecting them to a tribute. In 1699, he penetrated,
with about sixty Russian soldiers, and the same number of Cossacks, into
the heart of the peninsula; gained the Tigil; and from thence levying a
tribute in furs, in his progress crossed over to the river Kamtschatka, on
which he built the higher Kamtschatka ostrog, called Verchnei, where he
left a garrison of sixteen Cossacks, and returned to Jakutzk in 1700, with
an immense quantity of rare and valuable tributary furs. These he had the
good sense and policy to accompany to Moscow; and, in recompence for his
services, was appointed commander of the fort of Jakutzk, with farther
orders to repair again to Kamtschatka; having first drawn from the garrison
at Tobolsk a reinforcement of a hundred Cossacks, with ammunition, and
whatever else could give efficacy to the completion and settlement of his
late discoveries. Advancing with this force toward the Anadirsk, he fell in
with a bark on the river[79] Tunguska. laden with Chinese merchandize,
which he pillaged; and, i