Page:Narrative of the extraordinary adventures of four Russian sailors (2).pdf/3

 transmitted from thence to the ingenious Mr. Banks, who, with several other Members of the Royal Society, were so well pleased with the account that they directed a translation of it to be made into English.

In the year 1743, one Jeremiah Okladmkoff, a merchant of Mesen, a town in the province of Jugovia, and in the government of Archangel, fitted out a vessel, carrying 14 men : She was destined for Spitzbergen, to be employed in the whale or seal fishery. For eight successive days after they had sailed, the wind was fair ; but on the ninth it changed : so that, instead of getting to the west of Spitzbergen, the usual place of rendezvous for the Dutch ships, and those of other nations annually employed in the whale-fishery, they were driven eastward of those islands ; and, after some days they found themselves at a small distance from one of them, called East-Spitzenbergen ; by the Russians, Maloy Broun ; that is, Little Broun. Having approached this island within almost three wrests, or two English miles, their vessel was suddenly