On his return, the latter was wrecked in the island which
bears his name, where he died.
About four years after the death of this navigator, which happened in 1741,
the sea between Asia and America was visited by some Russian merchants, who
obtained permission from the government to make discoveries, hunt and
trade; the vessels employed for this purpose were formed of a few boards
fastened together with leathern thongs; yet in these were discovered the
Aleutian Islands. Soon afterwards another group of islands were discovered;
and then a third group, the Black Fox Islands, which are near the American
continent. It was not, however, till the year 1760, that the Russians
learnt that Ochotsk was only separated from America by a narrow strait; and
it is said that in 1764, a Russian mercantile company sent out some
vessels, which passed through a strait to some inhabited islands in 64 deg.
north latitude; these were supposed to belong to the continent of America;
but if a strait was discovered by these adventurers, there must be an error
in the latitude, as in 64 deg. there is no opening known to exist.
It was reserved for an English navigator to ascertain the truth of the
report which the Russians had received from the inhabitants of Ochotsk,
that their country was separated from America only by a narrow strait.
This was done during the third and last voyage of Captain Cook; the
principal design of which was to ascertain the existence and practicability
of a passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, either to the
north-east or north-west. For this purpose he carefully examined the north-
west coast of America, beginning this examination in the latitude of 44 deg.
33' north. Previously to this voyage an act of Parliament was passed,
granting a reward of 20,000_l_. to any person who should discover any
northern passage by sea between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in any
parallel to the northward of the 52 deg. of northern latitude. This voyage
of Cook began in 1778; on the 9th of August, in that year, he ascertained
the position and latitude of the western extremity of America, and soon
afterwards he determined the width of that strait which divides the two
continents. He then steered to the north, and continuing up the strait till
he was in the latitude 70 deg. 41', he found himself close to the edge of the
ice which "was as compact as a wall," and ten or twelve feet high. He was
of course obliged to return to the south, and in this part of his voyage he
observed, on the American side, a low point in latitude 70 deg. 29', to which
he gave the name of Icy Cape. After the death of Cook, Captain Clarke
entered the strait on the Asiatic side, and reached the latitude of 70 deg.
33'; he afterwards got sight of the land on the American side in latitude
69 deg. 34'. Such were the results of the last voyage of Captain Cook,
respecting the proximity of Asia and America, and the nature of the strait
by which they were divided.
Although the Spaniards seemed to be most interested in whatever concerned
the west coast of America, yet they made no attempt to explore it from the
commencement of the seventeenth century till the year 1774. In 1769,
indeed, being alarmed at the evident design of the Russians to settle in
the north-west coast, they formed establishments at St. Diego and Montory.
In 1774 they traced the American coast from latitude 53 deg. 53' to latitude
55 deg., and it is said discovered Nootka Sound. In the following year an
expedition was sent from St. Blas, which proceeded along the north-west
coast, and reached to latitude 57 deg. 58'.
The voyage of Cook roused the Russian government to further exertions; and
they accordingly fitted out an expedition to explore the sea between Asia
and America: the command of it was given to an Englishman of the name of
Billings, who had served as a petty officer under Captain Cook. He was,
however, by no means qualified for his situation, and abandoned the
enterprise in the latter end of July, having proceeded only a few leagues
beyond Cape Barrenoi: the whole amount of the information procured during
this voyage being confined to a few of the Aleutian Islands, and some
points in the coast of America and Asia.
A few years afterwards the Empress Catherine sent out a secret expedition;
the principal object of which was to ascertain the situation of the islands
between the two continents. Little is known respecting this expedition,
except that some observations were made on Behring's Straits, which,
however, were not passed. The distance between the continents was estimated
at forty-eight miles.
About the same time, the great profits which it was expected would be
derived from the fur trade on the north-west coast of America, induced
several commercial vessels to visit it; and during their voyages, nearly
all the parts of it which had not been visited by Cook, were examined as
far as the inlet which was named after him, in latitude 61 deg. 15'. This
extent of coast was found to consist of a vast chain of islands; and the
appearance and nature of it revived the hope which Cook's last voyage had
extinguished, that in this part of the coast there might be a practicable
passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.
This hope was again extinguished in the opinion of most people, by the
result of two of the most celebrated voyages which have been performed
since the death of Captain Cook:
