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Chapter 2

Berkh's Summary

Berkh wrote his account of this expedition as a summary
in The Chronological History of all Voyages to the Arctic, and, therefor
it is in somewhat dry, outline form. But this first and most com-
plete account of the activities of both ships provides the con-
text for the voyage of the Good Intent as described by Hillsen.

Captain-Lieutenants Vasilev and Shishmarev
1819

The famous reign of the Alexander I, so glorious
in the annals of Russia so far as it concerns its political
benefit to all of Europe, will also remain very memorable for
its geographical discoveries.

Although Russia had a fleet from the beginning of the
eighteenth century, her ships cruising the Baltic, the North,
and the Mediterranean seas did not extend beyond the Arctic
Circle. The Pillars of Hercules [at the Strait of Gibraltar]
were the limits of their voyages. In 1803, they went beyond
this point and made their first trip around the world. But
because there are to be included in this work only voyages made
to the northern arctic regions, in that case not mentioning
various [other] voyages undertaken by the Russians during the
period of 16 years, I direct my attention to the year 1819.

In that year a highest sovereign edict was made concern-
ing the equipping of two expeditions. The first one, under