III Scientific observations made during the expedition During the expedition, urgent meteorological observations were carried out. During wintering - 112 meters from the ship, on an ice field, where a Kuznetsov system thermometric booth with a thermohygrograph was installed

Geographical discoveries of Russian travelers
XVIII-XIX centuries

Eighteenth century. The Russian Empire turns its shoulders broadly and freely and turns its gaze to the east, to where for thousands of kilometers everything is wild and free, where wild tribes and entire peoples live among nature and where great forces are hidden underground. Who will awaken these forces? For whom are untold riches prepared? For whom are these expanses, this earth, this sky and these waters, which have no end or edge? Why and where did Shelikhov, Rezanov, Kuskov, Baranov and, along with them, thousands of unknown pioneers go? How did these people live, what was their feat for? What drives a person from his home? What does he imagine beyond the horizon, where watery clouds envelop black rocks and where the freezing ocean is so majestically deserted?

1757
The sailor Bashmakov visited the Rat Islands.

1758 - 1759
The project (unrealized) of the Irkutsk merchant Bechevin of sailing from Okhotsk to Kamchatka and around the Chukotka Nose to the river. Lena.

1759
M. V. Lomonosov gave a speech “Discussion on the great accuracy of the sea route.”

1759 - 1762
Yarensky Posad Stepan Glotov visited the islands of Umnake and Unalaska and put them on the map.

1760
Lieutenant Colonel F. Kh. Plenisner was appointed chief commander of the Anadyr Territory.

1760 - 1764
Selenga merchant Andrian Tolstykh explored the islands, which later received his name.

1761
The merchant Bechevin's ship reached the Alaska Peninsula and spent the winter in the Isanak Strait.

1762 - 1763
Stepan Glotov visited Fr. for the first time since Bering. Kodiak.

1762
The first (unsuccessful) voyage of I. Sindt to the shores of North America.

1763
M.V. Lomonosov introduced Catherine II " Short description various journeys through the northern seas and showing the possible passage of the Siberian Ocean to Eastern India,” presented “Thoughts on the origin of ice mountains in the northern seas” to the Swedish Academy of Sciences. The first campaign of Sergeant Andreev from Nizhnekolymsk to the Bear Islands.

1764 - 1767
Expedition of I. Sindt from Okhotsk to the Bering Strait. During the navigation of 1766 on the galliot “St. Ekaterina” she managed to get close to the American coast in the Bering Strait area. Open. Matthew (1766).

1764 - 1765
N. Daurkin's travels around the Chukotka Peninsula. Visited about. St. Lawrence and visited Kolyuchinskaya Bay.

The beginning of the 60s of the XVIII century.
Olonchan resident Savva Loshkin circumnavigated Novaya Zemlya for the first time in two navigations.

1765 - 1766
Voyage of the first high-latitude expedition to find the Northeast sea passage from Spitsbergen to the Bering Strait under the command of V. Ya. Chichagov.

1764 - 1771
A secret Russian expedition to inventory and map the American territories of Russia and the Aleutian Islands under the command of Levashev and Krenitsyn.

1766
The Veliky Ustyug merchant Vasily Shilov presented Catherine II with a map of the Aleutian Islands to the island that he had compiled. Amki (Andrianov Islands). Yakov Chirakin walked through the Matochkin Shar Strait from west to east all the way to the Kara Sea and drew up a plan for the strait.

1768
The tallow fishery and herring trade were seized from Shuvalov's company and transferred to the ownership of the Arkhangelsk merchants.

1773 - 1779
Navigator Potap Zaikov sailed to the Aleutian Islands and gave the first map of them close to reality.

1778 - 1779
The expedition of the East India Company, led by D. Cook, visited the coast of Russian America (Alaska), passed through the Bering Strait to the north and visited Kamchatka.

1803 - 1853
Vessels of the Russian sailing fleet have completed sixty round-the-world voyages.

1804
On about. Sith founded Novoarkhangelsk - the residence of the main ruler of Russian possessions in North America.

1821
The expedition of the Russian-American company on the brig “Golovin” under the command of Khromchenko described the northwestern shores of Alaska. The Russian government banned foreign ships from sailing in the Pacific Ocean north of 51" latitude.

1838
The expedition of the Russian-American company on the brig Polyphemus under the command of Kashevarov made an inventory of the northern coast of Alaska from Cape Lisburne to Cape Barrow.

1840
Etolin on the brig of the Russian-American company "Chichagov" undertook a voyage from Novoarkhangelsk to the Bering Strait and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

1842 - 1844
Lieutenant L.A. Zagoskin examined the river basins in Alaska. Kwihpak (Yukon) and Kuskokwim and compiled a “pedestrian inventory” of a significant part of Russian America.

1867
The tsarist government sold the possessions of the Russian-American Company to the United States - Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.

Accumulation of geographical knowledge in Russia until the end of the 17th century. its successes were due mainly to the initiative, enterprise and courage of Russian people who were in no way connected with science. The famous campaign of Ermak in 1581-1584. the beginning of great geographical discoveries in Siberia and the Far East was laid. Small detachments of Cossacks and hunters fur-bearing animal in a little more than half a century, they expanded the borders of the Russian state from the Urals to the Pacific Ocean (1639); they reported the first reliable information about this huge region, which formed the basis for geographical maps and descriptions of Siberia.

Valuable information about plants and animals, their way of life has been accumulated in Russia since ancient times as a result of practical experience and observations of farmers and hunters. This information was reflected in the “herbalists” and “healing books”, which in the 16th-17th centuries. were quite widely circulated. However, systematic research in the field of biology in Russia actually began only at the beginning of the 18th century. An important role in this was played first by the Kunstkamera, and then by the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. The basis of the anatomical, embryological and zoological collections of the Kunstkamera were the preparations of the Dutch anatomist F. Ruysch and the zoological materials of A. Seb. These collections were subsequently replenished with anatomical, teratological, zoological, botanical and paleontological materials, who gathered throughout Russia by special decree of Peter I. The first members of the Academy of Sciences who arrived in St. Petersburg found interesting objects for their research in the Kunstkamera, which was transferred to the Academy, and their first works were related to the study of materials available in the Kunstkamera.

At the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. a new period of development of research in Russia began, associated with the state policy of Peter I. The broadly conceived transformations of the country required expanding information about nature, population and economy, drawing up geographical maps with precise designations of state borders, rivers, seas, and communications routes. In search of trade routes to India, a number of expeditions were undertaken to the regions of Central Asia. The most important of them was the expedition of 1714-1717. to the Caspian Sea, to Khiva and Bukhara under the command of Peter I’s associate, the Kabardian prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky. The expedition made a handwritten map of the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea. In the first quarter of the 18th century. The Russian government paid more and more attention to Siberia. Peter I invited D.G. from Danzig. Messerschmidt and entrusted him with searching for medicinal herbs and studying the nature of the interior regions of Siberia. His journey lasted from 1720 to 1727. Messerschmidt collected and processed colossal material in ethnography, geography, botany, zoology, linguistics and other areas of science. Messerschmidt collected extensive collections of mammals and birds, for the first time describing, in particular, the wild ass (kulan), the Central Asian sheep (argali) and other animals. He described in detail the geographical distribution, lifestyle and seasonal phenomena in the life of many Siberian animals. The travel diary he compiled was used and partially published in the second half of the 18th century. Pallas and Steller, and in the 19th century. - Brandtom.

At the end of 1724 - beginning of 1725, Peter I prepared instructions and a decree on the expedition, called First Kamchatka. The expedition was to determine whether Asia is connected by land to America, determine the distance separating them and, if possible, come into contact with the population in North America, open a sea route through the Arctic Ocean to China, India and Japan. An officer of the Russian fleet, a native of Denmark, Vitus Bering, was appointed head of the expedition, and his assistants were naval officers A.I. Chirikov and Danish origin M.P. Spanberg. On January 25 (February 5), 1725, the expedition left St. Petersburg. She had a difficult and long journey ahead of her. Only on July 13 (24), 1728, on the boat "Saint Gabriel", the expedition left the mouth of the Kamchatka River and headed north, along the eastern coast of Kamchatka and Chukotka. During this voyage she discovered the Bay of the Holy Cross and the Island of St. Lawrence. On August 15 (26), 1728, the expedition reached 67 ° 18 "48 "" northern latitude. And although the expedition passed the strait separating Asia from America, the question of the connection of the continents remained unclear for its participants. This happened because Bering, fearing dangerous winter, rejected Chirikov's proposal to continue sailing to the mouth of the Kolyma River and ordered the team to return back. Because of the fog, the American coast remained unnoticed. And yet, despite the fact that the expedition could not fully solve the tasks assigned to it, its significance was great. She brought information about the islands and coast of the sea and the strait, later named after Bering, and collected material that proved that there should be a strait between the Asian and American continents.

In 1732, surveyors I. Fedorov and M. Gvozdev on the boat "St. Gabriel" sailed from Kamchatka to the northwestern coast of America and were the first researchers to put it on the map, thus truly proving the existence of a strait between the continents.

As a result of the work of the First Kamchatka Expedition, a fairly accurate map of the coast of North-Eastern Siberia was compiled, but the expedition did not resolve a number of important geographical problems: all the northern shores of Siberia remained unexplored, there was no accurate information about relative position and the outlines of the coasts of Asia and America, about the islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about the path from Kamchatka to Japan. Knowledge about the interior regions of Siberia was also insufficient.

It was ordered to clarify these issues Second Kamchatka expedition, which consisted of a naval part under the leadership of Bering, Chirikov and Shpanberg and a land part under the leadership of professors (academicians) of the newly created St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences I.G. Gmelin and G.F. Miller; Participants in the expedition also included Academy adjunct G.V. Steller and student S.P. Krasheninnikov. The expedition also included northern marine detachments that explored the coast of the Arctic Ocean, which actually worked independently (hence another name for the entire enterprise - Great Northern Expedition). Among the expedition participants were assayers, sailors, artists, surveyors, translators and technical personnel total number up to 2 thousand people. Divided into several detachments, the Great Northern Expedition explored vast areas of Siberia, the coast of the Arctic Ocean and the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. As a result of ten years of work (1733-1743), valuable geographical, historical, ethnographic and other data were obtained about the interior regions of Siberia, Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands were explored, the shores of North-West America and Japan were reached, and some Aleutian Islands were discovered. Thousands of kilometers of the coast of the Arctic Ocean were mapped from the Kara Sea to Cape Baranov, located east of the mouth of the river. Kolyma.

Student, and later academician, S.P. Krasheninnikov, who studied Kamchatka, published a number of works, including the remarkable two-volume “Description of the Land of Kamchatka” (1756), which for the first time introduced the world to the nature and population of this distant and interesting peninsula in many respects. Krasheninnikov's book has been translated into English, Dutch and German. One of the results of the expedition was “Flora of Siberia” by Gmelin (1747-1769), which contained a description of 1178 plant species, many of which were described for the first time. Krasheninnikov, in his work “Description of the Land of Kamchatka,” described, among other things, the fauna of Kamchatka, describing several dozen species of mammals, birds and fish inhabiting it, reported information about their geographical distribution and way of life, economic importance Kamchatka animals and the prospects for livestock farming in Kamchatka. It also contained materials on the fauna of the Shantar and Kuril Islands, on the spawning migrations of fish from the sea to the rivers; he also collected information about the plants of Kamchatka, especially those with practical significance. The third member of the expedition, zoologist Steller, using his observations, as well as the data collected by Krasheninnikov, in 1741 wrote a well-known essay “On Sea Animals,” which contains descriptions of the sea cow, sea otter, sea lion and fur seal named after him. Steller, together with Bering, reached the shores of America. While wintering on Bering Island, he compiled its first topographical and geological description. Steller is the author of such works as “Journey from Kamchatka to America with Captain-Commander Bering.” Steller also left works on ichthyology, ornithology and geography.

The expedition was not without casualties: along with many ordinary participants in the campaigns, Captain-Commander V. Bering, the head of the Olenek detachment V. Pronchishchev and his wife Maria died. The names of some expedition members are immortalized on a geographical map (Laptev Sea, Cape Chelyuskin, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, etc.)

In 1741-1742 within the framework of the Great Northern Expedition V.I. Bering and A.I. Chirikov made their famous voyage from Kamchatka to the northwestern coast of America (Alaska). On June 4 (15), 1741, "St. Peter" under the command of Bering and "St. Paul" under the command of Chirikov left Petropavlovsk to search for the shores of America. On June 20 (July 1), due to heavy fog, both ships diverged out to sea and lost sight of each other. From this moment on, Bering and Chirikov's voyages took place separately. July 16 (27), 1741 Bering reached the shores of America. During the voyage, he discovered the islands of St. Elijah, Kodiak, Tumanny, and Evdokeevskie. Meanwhile, cases of scurvy were discovered among the crew, so Bering decided to return to Kamchatka. On way back he discovered the Shumagin Islands and a number of islands of the Aleutian chain. The voyage of "St. Peter" took place in very difficult conditions. On the way back, the ship encountered severe storms. Difficulties were aggravated by scurvy that raged among the crew, which claimed the lives of 12 people. The surviving crew members could barely control the ship. Supplies are depleted drinking water and food, the ship lost control. On November 4 (15), land was finally spotted. The plight of the ship forced the detachment to land on the shore of an unknown land. The newly discovered land turned out to be an island, which later received the name Bering. Here the brave commander found his last refuge. His surviving companions, in the spring of 1742, built a two-masted sailing ship from the wreckage of the St. Peter, on which they returned to Petropavlovsk. As for the fate of A.I. Chirikov, then he is on the ship "St. Paul", having lost sight of the "St. Peter", on the morning of July 15 (26), i.e. more than a day earlier than Bering, reached North America. Continuing to sail along the coast, Chirikov examined the American coast, about 400 miles long, and collected valuable information about the flora and fauna of this territory. On the way back to Kamchatka, which, like Bering, passed in difficult conditions, Chirikov discovered part of the islands of the Aleutian ridge (Adakh, Kodiak, Attu, Agattu, Umnak) and Adek Island, which belongs to the group of Andrean Islands. On October 10 (21), "St. Paul" returned to Peter and Paul Harbor. Of the 75 crew members, only 51 returned with him.

Of great importance for the development of geography and biology in Russia in the second half of the 18th century. had academic expeditions in 1768-1774, which covered the most important areas of the European and Asian parts of the country. Five expeditions collected a large amount of scientific material about the nature, economy and population of the country. Much material and its analysis were contained in the works of Lepekhin, Pallas, Falk, and Georgi. The results of Lepekhin's journey - an adjunct, then an academician - are presented in an essay abbreviated as "Daily Notes..." (vol. 1-4, St. Petersburg, 1771-1805). It is distinguished by its simplicity of presentation and practical orientation of research. Of Lepekhin's theoretical conclusions, noteworthy is his explanation of the reasons for the formation of caves (under the influence of flowing waters), as well as the conviction that the earth's topography changes over time. An important role in the expeditions of 1768-1774. played by Pallas. The results of his research were presented in his five-volume work “Travel through the Various Provinces of the Russian Empire” (1773-1788) in German and Russian. Pallas deciphered the orographic features of the Crimean mountains, established the boundaries of the transition between the black earth strip and the semi-desert of the Caspian lowland, studied the nature of the soils and hydrographic features of this region; He also carried out research on the flora of Russia, zoology and zoogeography. The expeditions of 1768-1774 produced especially great results. Pallas (with the participation of V.F. Zuev, I. Georgi and N.P. Rychkov) to the Orenburg region and Siberia, Gmelin - to the Astrakhan region, the Caucasus and Persia, Georgi - to Baikal and the Perm region, Lepekhina and N .I. Ozeretskovsky to the Volga, Ural and Caspian Sea, as well as to the White Sea. Later (1781-1782) V.F. Zuev explored Southern Russia and Crimea. These expeditions attracted close attention from the scientific community.

Pallas's works "Russian-Asian Zoography", "Flora of Russia" and others contained a lot of new materials. Pallas described a large number of new species of animals, provided information about their geographical distribution and living conditions, and about the seasonal migrations of birds and fish. A lot of faunistic and ecological information related to the animal population of Western Siberia and the Ural Mountains is also contained in Lepekhin’s travel diary, published in 4 volumes in 1771-1805. He published materials concerning the fauna of southern Russia in 1771-1785. Gmelin, who described, in particular, the southern Russian wild horse - tarpana, which was completely exterminated in the second half of the 19th century.

The northeastern astronomical and geographical expedition of Russian navy officers I. Billings and G. A. Sarychev, which worked in 1785-1793, gained worldwide fame. Its main task was to explore still unknown parts of the coast of the Arctic Ocean from the mouth of the Kolyma to the Chukotka Peninsula. The results of this expedition are presented by Billings in brief notes, as well as in Sarychev’s book “The Journey of Captain Sarychev’s Fleet in the North-Eastern Part of Siberia, the Arctic Sea and the Eastern Ocean over the course of eight years during the Geographical and Astronomical Marine Expedition, which was under the command of Captain Billings’s fleet from 1785 to 1793" (parts 1-2, with atlas, 1802).

Thus, geographical and other studies of the vast territory of the Russian Empire acquired in the 18th century. big scope. It was a research assault on the remote outskirts of the country, amazing in its scale, which introduced a lot of new things into world science.

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What important geographical discoveries were made in the 18th and 19th centuries

The expedition of F. F. Bellingshausen and M. P. Lazarev discovered Antarctica in 1820. In the 19th century Territorial discoveries are associated with the disappearance from the world geographical map of vast “white spots” within the internal regions of Asia (P. P. Semenov Tian Shansky, N. M. Przhevalsky, G. N. Potanin, etc.), Africa (D. Livingston, G. Stanley and others), North America (M. Lewis, D. Thompson, J. Fremont, L.A. Zagoskin and many others). South America (A. Humboldt, R. Schomburgk, etc.) and Australia (C. Sturt, etc.). In the European-Asian Arctic, as a result of the voyages of industrialists and scientific expeditions (P.K. Pakhtusov, A.E. Nordepskiold, T. Long, Y. Payer, B. Lee Smith, F. Nansen, etc.), new islands were discovered and archipelagos. A number of territorial discoveries of the 19th century. in the American Arctic is associated with the search for the Northwest Passage (J. Ross, W. Parry, J. Franklin, R. MacClure, etc.). Discoveries in Antarctica concerned mainly certain parts of the Antarctic coast.

1. Using the map “Major Geographical Discoveries and Explorations”, answer the questions.

Which islands did the Normans reach in the 10th and 11th centuries?

Iceland, Greenland, British Isles, North American islands.

Which three seas did A. Nikitin’s route pass through?

Caspian, Arabian, Black.

In what direction did A cross North America?

6. Scientific expeditions and geographical discoveries of Russian travelers in the 18th century

Mackenzie?

From the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.

Which Asian cities did M. Polo's route pass through?

Cilicia, Mosul, Tabriz, Kerman, Hormuz.

Indicate the name of the southernmost geographical feature that J. Cook reached.

Australia.

In which city did the first Russian trip around the world begin and end?

Kronstadt.

Who was the first to reach the North Pole?

Robert Peri.

The names of which travelers are associated with the discovery of the South Pole?

Roald Amundsen, Robert Scott.

What geographical objects are named after travelers?

Tasman Sea, Barents Sea, Bering Strait, Laptev Sea, Bellingshausen Bay.

2. Mark on the contour map the route of F. Magellan’s trip around the world. Answer the questions and complete the text.

What strait was discovered as a result of this trip around the world?

Magellanic.

Label it on the outline map.

Which islands does this strait separate from the mainland of South America?

Tierra del Fuego.

Which ocean did F. Magellan name? Why did he call him that?

Pacific Ocean. During the journey, the weather remained good and the ocean seemed calm to the traveler.

As a result of F. Magellan's expedition, the presence of an ocean between Asia and America and the unity of the World Ocean were established; The sphericity of the Earth was confirmed.

3. Using the atlas map, fill out the table.

IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES

4. Find on the map in the atlas and put on the contour map:

1) travel routes of a scientist who explored Central and South America for many years and who was nicknamed “the second Columbus” for this;

2) D. Livingston’s travel routes in Africa. Sign geographical feature, named after him.

Russian travelers. Russia was becoming a great maritime power, and this put forward new tasks for domestic geographers. IN 1803-1806 was undertaken first Russian round the world expedition from Kronstadt to Alaska on the ships “Nadezhda” and “Neva”. It was headed by Admiral Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern (1770 - 1846). He commanded the ship "Nadezhda". The ship "Neva" was commanded by captain Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky (1773 - 1837). During the expedition, the islands of the Pacific Ocean, China, Japan, Sakhalin and Kamchatka were studied. Detailed maps of the explored places were compiled. Lisyansky, having independently traveled from the Hawaiian Islands to Alaska, collected rich material about the peoples of Oceania and North America.

Map. The first Russian round-the-world expedition

The attention of researchers around the world has long been attracted by the mysterious region around the South Pole. It was assumed that there was a vast Southern mainland(the name “Antarctica” was not in use at that time). English navigator J. Cook in the 70s of the 18th century. crossed the Antarctic Circle, encountered impassable ice and declared that sailing further south was impossible. They believed him, and for 45 years no one undertook a south polar expedition.

In 1819, Russia equipped an expedition on two sloops to the southern polar seas under the leadership of Thaddeus Faddeevich Bellingshausen (1778 - 1852). He commanded the sloop Vostok. The commander of Mirny was Mikhail Petrovich Lazarev (1788 - 1851). Bellingshausen took part in Krusenstern's voyage. Lazarev subsequently became famous as a combat admiral, who trained a whole galaxy of Russian naval commanders (Kornilov, Nakhimov, Istomin).

“Vostok” and “Mirny” were not adapted to polar conditions and differed greatly in seaworthiness. "Mirny" was stronger, and "Vostok" was faster. It was only thanks to the great skill of the captains that the sloops never lost each other in conditions of stormy weather and poor visibility. Several times the ships found themselves on the verge of destruction.

But still Russian expedition managed to get to the South much further than Cook. On January 16, 1820, “Vostok” and “Mirny” almost came close to the Antarctic coast (in the area of ​​​​the modern Bellingshausen ice shelf). Before them, as far as the eye could see, stretched a faintly hilly icy desert. Perhaps they guessed that this was the Southern Continent, and not solid ice. But the only way to obtain evidence was by landing on shore and traveling far into the desert. The sailors did not have this opportunity. Therefore, Bellingshausen, a very conscientious and accurate man, reported in a report that a “continent of ice” was visible. Subsequently, geographers wrote that Bellingshausen “saw the mainland, but did not recognize it as such.” And yet this date is considered the day of the discovery of Antarctica. After this, the island of Peter I and the coast of Alexander I were discovered. In 1821, the expedition returned to its homeland, having completed a complete voyage around the open continent.

Kostin V. "Vostok and Mirny off the coast of Antarctica", 1820

In 1811, Russian sailors led by captain Vasily Mikhailovich Golovkin (1776 - 1831) explored the Kuril Islands and were taken into Japanese captivity. Golovnin's notes about his three-year stay in Japan introduced Russian society to the life of this mysterious country. Golovnin's student Fyodor Petrovich Litke (1797 - 1882) explored the Arctic Ocean, the shores of Kamchatka, and South America. He founded the Russian Geographical Society, which played a major role in the development of geographical science.

Major geographical discoveries in the Russian Far East are associated with the name of Gennady Ivanovich Nevelsky (1814-1876). Rejecting the court career that was opening up to him, he achieved appointment as commander of the Baikal military transport. He is on it in 1848 - 1849. made a voyage from Kronstadt around Cape Horn to Kamchatka, and then led the Amur expedition. He discovered the mouth of the Amur, a strait between Sakhalin and the mainland, proving that Sakhalin is an island, not a peninsula.

Amur expedition of Nevelskoy

Expeditions of Russian travelers, besides pure scientific results, were of great importance in the matter of mutual knowledge of peoples. In distant countries, local residents often learned about Russia for the first time from Russian travelers. In turn, the Russian people collected information about other countries and peoples.

Russian America

Russian America. Alaska was discovered in 1741 by the expedition of V. Bering and A. Chirikov. The first Russian settlements in the Aleutian Islands and Alaska appeared in the 18th century. In 1799, Siberian merchants engaged in fishing in Alaska united into the Russian-American Company, which was assigned a monopoly right to use the natural resources of this region. The board of the company was first located in Irkutsk, and then moved to St. Petersburg. The main source of income for the company was the fur trade. For many years (until 1818), the main ruler of Russian America was A. A. Baranov, a native of the merchants of the city of Kargopol, Olonets province.

Russian ships off the coast of Alaska

The Russian population of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands was small (in different years from 500 to 830 people). In total, about 10 thousand people lived in Russian America, mainly Aleuts, residents of the islands and coast of Alaska. They willingly became close to Russians, were baptized into the Orthodox faith, and adopted various crafts and clothing. Men wore jackets and frock coats, women wore calico dresses. The girls tied their hair with ribbons and dreamed of marrying a Russian.

The Indians who lived in the interior of Alaska were a different matter. They were hostile to the Russians, believing that it was they who brought previously unknown diseases to their country - smallpox and measles. In 1802, Indians from the Tlingit tribe (“Koloshi”, as the Russians called them) attacked the Russian-Aleut settlement on the island. Sith, they burned everything and killed many of the inhabitants. Only in 1804

Geographical discoveries of the 18th-19th centuries. What are their meaning and consequences?

the island was retaken. Baranov founded the Novo-Arkhangelsk fortress on it, which became the capital of Russian America. A church, a shipping dock, and workshops were built in Novo-Arkhangelsk. The library contains more than 1200 books.

After Baranov’s resignation, the position of chief ruler began to be occupied by naval officers with little experience in commercial matters. The fur wealth was gradually depleted. The company's financial affairs were shaken, and it began to receive government benefits. But geographical research has expanded. Especially in the deep areas, which were marked as a white spot on the maps.

The expedition of L. A. Zagoskin in 1842 - 1844 was of particular importance. Lavrenty Zagoskin, a native of Penza, was a nephew famous writer M. Zagoskina. He outlined his impressions of the difficult and lengthy expedition in the book “Pedestrian Inventory of Part of the Russian Possessions in America.” Zagoskin described the basins of the main rivers of Alaska (Yukon and Kuskokwim) and collected information about the climate of these areas, their natural world, life local population, with whom he managed to establish friendly relations. Written with liveliness and talent, the “Pedestrian Inventory” combined scientific value and artistic merit.

I. E. Veniaminov spent about a quarter of a century in Russian America. Arriving in Novo-Arkhangelsk as a young missionary, he immediately began studying the Aleut language, and later wrote a textbook on its grammar. On about. Unalaska, where he lived for a long time, through his labors and care a church was built, a school and a hospital were opened. He regularly conducted meteorological and other field observations. When Veniaminov became a monk, he was named Innocent. Soon he became the bishop of Kamchatka, Kuril and Aleut.

In the 50s of the XIX century. The Russian government began to pay special attention to the study of the Amur region and the Ussuri region. Interest in Russian America has noticeably decreased. In the years Crimean War she miraculously escaped capture by the British. In fact, the distant colony was and remained unprotected. For the state treasury, devastated as a result of the war, the considerable annual payments to the Russian-American Company became a burden. We had to make a choice between the development of the Far East (Amur and Primorye) and Russian America. The issue was discussed for a long time, and in the end an agreement was concluded with the US government on the sale of Alaska for $7.2 million. On October 6, 1867, the Russian flag was lowered in Novo-Arkhangelsk and the American flag was raised. Russia peacefully left Alaska, leaving the results of its efforts to study and develop it for future generations of its residents.

Document: From the diary of F. F. Bellingshausen

January 10 (1821). ...At noon the wind moved to the east and became fresher. Unable to go south of the solid ice we encountered, we had to continue our journey, waiting for a favorable wind. Meanwhile, sea swallows gave us reason to conclude that there was a shore in the vicinity of this place.

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon we saw a black spot. When I looked through the pipe, I knew at first glance that I could see the shore. The sun's rays, emerging from the clouds, illuminated this place, and, to everyone's delight, everyone was convinced that they could see a shore covered with snow: only screes and rocks, on which the snow could not stay, turned black.

It is impossible to express in words the joy that appeared on everyone’s faces when they exclaimed: “Beach! Shore!" This delight was not surprising after a long, uniform voyage in continuous disastrous dangers, between ice, in snow, rain, slush and fog... The shore we found gave us hope that there must certainly be other shores, for the existence of only one in such a vast expanse of water seemed to us impossible.

January 11. Since midnight, the sky was covered with thick clouds, the air was filled with darkness, and the wind was fresh. We continued to follow the same course to the north in order to turn around and lie closer to the shore. As the morning continued, after the cloudiness that hovered over the coast cleared, and when the sun's rays illuminated it, we saw a high island stretching from N0 61° to S, covered with snow. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon, having approached a distance of 14 miles from the coast, we encountered solid ice, which prevented us from getting any closer; it was better to survey the coast and take something of curiosity and preservation worthy of the museum of the Admiralty Department. Having reached the ice with the sloop "Vostok", I drifted on another tack to wait for the sloop "Mirny", which was behind us. As the Mirny approached, we raised our flags: Lieutenant Lazarev congratulated me via telegraph on the acquisition of the island; On both sloops they put people on the shrouds and shouted a mutual “Hurray” three times. At this time, it was ordered to give the sailors a glass of punch. I called Lieutenant Lazarev to me, he told me that he saw all the ends of the coast clearly and clearly determined their position. The island was quite clearly visible, especially the lower parts, which are made up of steep rocky cliffs.

I named this island high name The culprit behind the existence of a military fleet in Russia is the island of Peter I.

§The Golden Age of Russian Culture I
§The Golden Age of Russian Culture II
§Russian Orthodox Church 19th century
§Metropolitan Filaret
§Persecution of Old Believers