of the four circles of Asiatic Russia, in the government of Irkoutsk. It extends along the gulls of the Eastern Ocean, called the Seas of Okhotzk, of Kamtschatka, and of Anadir. The climate is damp and unhealthy, being exposed to thick mists, from so great an extent of ocean; and the country is not only barren, but unwholesome. This damp and poisonous atmosphere continues for ten miles inland, when the sea air is arrested by a ridge of moderately-elevated hills. Beyond this boundary the country is more fertile, as trees are found to grow well, and rich meadows are seen.

The town of Okhotzk is built upon a long and narrow ridge, enclosed between the sea and the river Okhotz, and formed chiefly from an accumulation of marine débris. This town consists of 130 houses, extending in a line of about two thirds of a mile, though it is not more than from 100 to 300 feet broad. It has a church, some magazines, and a double row of shops. Okhotzk is the channel of trade between Irkoutsk and Kamtschatka. The goods are conveyed chiefly by water, there being a very short interval of land carriage. But it is a tedious and difficult voyage, and even dangerous from the barbarous nature of the people who inhabit the banks of the rivers. The land journey is likewise dangerous. So difficult is the country, that the goods can be carried only on pack-horses, or on men's backs, as there are no waggons of any description; and, on account of the danger of sinking in morasses, it can be performed only in the spring. The inhabitants of the town consist chiefly of mariners and Cossacks. Besides the officers of the court of justice, there are two priests. Long. of the town 142.44. E. Lat. 59.20. N. The Sea of Okhotzk is a large gulf of the Eastern Ocean, enclosed between Kamtschatka, the circle of Okhotzk, part of Chinese Tartary, and Saghalien. At its mouth are the Kurile Islands and part of Jesso.