Birth and parentage. Early education.-Begins the study of the

law. Enters Dartmouth College with a view to qualify himself to be

a missionary among the Indians.-State of the Indian missions at

that time. His fondness for theatrical exhibitions while at College.-

Travels among the Indians of the Six Nations. His return to Col-

lege, and adventure in visiting a mountain.-Constructs a canoe at

Dartmouth College with his own hands, and descends the Connec

ticut river in it alone to Hartford.-Dangers of the passage.-His

singular appearance when he met his friends. His enterprise com-^

pared to that of Mungo Park on the Niger

His singular letters to President Wheelock. Commences the study of

theology. His embarrassments on this occasion.-Visits several

clergymen on Long Island, and pursues his studies there for a short

time. Proposes teaching a school.-Returns to Connecticut, and

meets with disappointment in his hopes of being settled as a clergy-

Iman. Abandons his purpose of studying divinity.Sails from New

London on a voyage to Gibraltar.-Enlists there as a soldier in the

regular service.-Released at the solicitation of the captain of the

vessel in which he sailed.-Returns home by way of the Barbary

Coast and the West Indies.-Resolves to visit England, and seek

for his wealthy family connexions in that country.-Sails from New

York to Plymouth.--Travels thence to London in extreme poverty.

-Realizes none of his expectations.-Enlists in the naval service.-

Gains an acquaintance with Captain Cook, and embarks with him on

his last voyage round the world, in the capacity of corporal of marines. 26

CHAPTER III.

Ledyard's journal of his voyage with Captain Cook. --Testimony in

his favour by Captain Burney.-Sails for the Cape of Good Hope.-

Thence to Kerguelen's Islands and the south of New Holland.-

Character of the people on Van Dieman's Land.-Present State of

the Colony there.-Arrives in New Zealand.-Account of the peo-

ple, their manners and peculiarities.-Remarkable contrasts ex-

hibited in their character.- Love adventure between an English

sailor and a New Zealand girl.-Omai, the Otaheitan.- Vessels

depart from New Zealand, and fall in with newly-discovered islands.

-Affecting story of three Otaheitans found on one of them.-Ar-

rival at the Friends Islands.-People of Tongataboo. Their con-

dition, mode of living, and amusements.- Ledyard passes a night

with the king.--Wrestling and other athletic exercises described.

Fireworks exhibited by Cook.-Propensity of the natives to thieving.

-An instance in a chief called Feenou, and the extraordinary mea-

sures used to recover the stolen property.- Departure from Ton-

gataboo

-

Page

48

CHAPTER IV.

Society Islands.-Otaheite.-Ledyard's description of the language,

customs, religion, laws, and government of the natives.-Their pro-

bable faith in the doctrine of transmigration.-Remarks on his mode

of reasoning on this subject.-His theory of the origin of customs and

superstitions. Notions of a Deity among the Otaheitans.-Conduct

of Omai.-Difficulties attending the efforts to civilize savages.-

Sandwich Islands discovered. The vessels proceed to the American

continent, and anchor in Nootka Sound.-Appearance and manners

of the people.-Indian wampum. - The abundance of furs.-Canni-

balism.-Curious digression on the origin and practice of sacrifices.

- Captain Cook passes Bering's Strait, explores the northern ocean

till stopped by the ice, and returns to the island of Onalaska.- Sends

Ledyard with two Indians in search of a Russian establishment on

the coast. His account of this adventure.-In what manner he was

transported in a canoe.-Village of Russians and Indians.-Hot

baths.—Their habitations and manner of living described.— Bering's

vessel.-Ledyard returns to the ships, and reports to Captain Cook.

- Expedition returns to the Sandwich Islands

-

CHAPTER V.

The ships anchored in Kearakekua bay.--First interview with the

natives. Reverence with which they regarded Cook.-Tents

erected for astronomical observations.-Ceremonies of the meet-

ing of Cook with the old king.-Ledyard forms the project of

ascending the high mountain in Hawaii, called by the natives

Mouna Roa.-Description of his ascent, and cause of his ultimate

--

failure. The natives begin to show symptoms of uneasiness at

the presence of the strangers, and to treat them with disrespect.

- Offended at the encroachment made on their Morai.-Cook de-

parts from Kearakekua bay, but is compelled to return by a heavy

storm, that overtakes him, and injures his ships.-Natives receive

him coldly. They steal one of the ship's boats, which Cook en-

Ideavours to recover.- -Goes on shore for the purpose.-Is there

attacked by the natives and slain.-Ledyard accompanied him on

shore, and was near his person when killed.--His description of

the event. - Expedition sails for Kamtschatka, explores again the

Polar seas, and returns to England. - Ledyard's opinions respect-

ing the first peopling of the South Sea Islands.- Other remarks

relating to this subject, founded on the analogy of languages, and

manners of the people.-Characteristics of Ledyard's journal. -

Estimation in which he held Captain Cook

CHAPTER VI.

Page

120

Ledyard's return to America.—Interview with his mother after an

absence of eight years.-Passes the winter in Hartford, and writes

his Journal of Cook's Voyage.-Visits New York and Philadelphia

to concert with the merchants the plan of a commercial expedition

-Robert Morris agrees to engage in a trading voyage, under his

direction, to the Northwest Coast.-Proceeds to Boston, and

afterwards to New London and New York, to procure a vessel for

the purpose.-Failure of the enterprise, after a year had been

spent in fruitless attempts to carry it into effect.-Letters to his

mother.-Makes a trial in New London to enlist the merchants of

that place in his scheme.-Was the first to propose a voyage for a

mercantile adventure to the Northwest Coast.-Sails for Cadiz.-

Letters from that city, containing. political remarks.- Sails for

L'Orient.-Makes an agreement with a company of merchants

there to aid him in such a voyage as he had proposed in America.

-After eight months' preparation, it is given up.-Goes to Paris. 167

CHAPTER VII.

Meets with Mr. Jefferson at Paris.-Project of a voyage to the

Northwest Coast with Paul Jones, for the purpose of establishing

a trading factory there.-Proposes travelling across the continent

from Nootka Sound to the United States.-Thinks of going to

Africa with Mr. Lamb.-Remarks on Paris, and various objects

that came under his notice.-The king at Versailles.-Mr. Jeffer-

son and Lafayette.-The Queen at St. Cloud.-Application through

Page

-

Baron Grimm to the Empress of Russia, to obtain permission for

him to travel across her dominions to Bering's Strait.-Colonel

Humphreys.-Contemplates going to Petersburg, before the Emstal

press' answer is received.—Curious anecdote of Sir James Hall.

Visit to the hospitals in Paris.-Tour in Normandy.-Proceeds to

London, where he engages a passage on board a vessel just ready,

to sail for the Northwest coast.-Colonel Smith's letter to Mr. Jay.

-The voyage defeated.-Resolves anew to go to Russia.Sir

Joseph Banks and other gentlemen contribute funds to aid him in

his travels
203

CHAPTER VIII.

Ledyard proceeds to Hamburg.-Goes to Copenhagen, where he

meets Major Langborn, another American traveller.-Endeavours

to persuade Langborn to accompany him on his tour, but in vain. {

-Continues his route to Sweden, and is disappointed in not being

able to cross the Gulf of Bothnia on the ice. Journey round the Gulf

into the Arctic Circle on foot, through Sweden, Lapland, and Fin-

land.-Maupertuis' description of the cold at Tornea.-Arrives at

Petersburg, where he is befriended by Professor Pallas and others.›

-Procures a passport from the Empress, through the agency of

Count Segur, the French ambassador.-Sets out for Siberia, and

travels by way of Moscow to Kazan, a town on the river Wolga.-—

Crosses the Uralian Mountains. Some account of the city of To-

bolsk.-Proceeds to Barnaoul and Tomsk.-Descriptions of the

country and the inhabitants.-Character and condition of the

exiles at Tomsk.- Fossil bones.-Curious mounds and tombs of

the ancient natives.-Arrives at Irkutsk .

CHAPTER IX.

Residence at Irkutsk.-Miscellaneous remarks on the inhabitants,

and the productions of the country.-Accounts of the Tartars.—

Unsuccessful attempts to civilize them.-Fur trade on the Ame-

rican coast.-Visit to the lake Baikal.-Further remarks on the

character and manners of the Kalmuks and other Tartars.-

Leaves Irkutsk for the river Lena.-Scenery around the Baikal.

-Rivers flowing into it.-Extraordinary depth of its waters.-

They are fresh, but contain seals and fish peculiar to the ocean.

-Estimate of the number of rivers in Siberia, and of the quan-

tity of water they pour into the Frozen Ocean.- Ledyard proceeds

down the Lena in a bateau.-Romantic Scenery along the margin

of the river.-Hospitality of the inhabitants.-Ends his voyage at

Yakutsk

236

275

Interview with the Commandant at Yakutsk.-Stopped at this place

on account of the advanced state of the season.-His severe disap-

pointment at this event.-Detained under false pretences.-Takes

up his residence in Yakutsk for the winter. -Elephants' bones on

the banks of the Lena, and in other parts of the country.--General

remarks on the various tribes of Tartars in Siberia.-Characteris-

tics of savages in cold and warm climates.-Kalmuks have two

"modes of writing.-Their manner of living.-The Yakuti Tartars.

-Influence of religion upon them.-The love of freedom common

to all the Tartars.—Their dwellings.—Intermarriages between the

Russians and Tartars.-In what degree the colour of descendants

is affected by such intermarriages.-Peculiarities of features in the

Tartar countenance.-Form and use of the Tartar pipe.--Dress.-

Difficulty of taking vocabularies of unknown languages.—Marriage

ceremonies.- Notions of theology.-Practice of scalping.- Wam-

pum. Classification of the Tartars and North American Indians.

--Language a criterion for judging of the affinity between the dif-

ferent races of men.- Causes of the difference of colour in the

human race. Tartars and American Indians the same people.... 300

CHAPTER XI.

Climate in Siberia.-Extreme cold.-Congelation of quicksilver.-

Images in Russian houses.-Attention paid to dogs.-Ice windows.

-Jealousy of the Russians.-Moral condition of the Russians in

Siberia. Ledyard's celebrated eulogy on women.-Captain Bil-

lings meets him at Yakutsk, on his return from the Frozen

Ocean.-Bering's discovery of the strait called after his name.-

Russian voyages of discovery. -Bering's death.-Russian fur

trade. Billings's expedition.-His incompetency to the under-

taking. His instructions nearly the same as those drawn up by

Peter the Great for Bering.-Some of their principal features

enumerated.

339

CHAPTER XII.

Ledyard departs from Yakutsk, and returns to Irkutsk up the Lena

on the ice. Is seized by order of the Empress, and hurried off in

the charge of two guards.-Returns through Siberia to Kazan.—

His remarks on the peculiarity of his fate.-Further observations

on the Tartars.-No good account of them has ever been written.

-Passes Moscow and arrives in Poland.-Left by his guards,

with an injunction never to appear again in Russia.-Health much