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Okhotsk, February 15, 1866.

Colonel Charles G. Bulkley
Engineer in Chief of
Overland Telegraph

Colonel.

August 24" 1865, I left Port Petrofurlowsky with Messrs G. Kernan and J. Dodd, desiring to advance to the northward as rapidly as the limited means of the country and the advanced season would permit.

The reasons which induced me to undertake the overland travel have been stated already in the report I had the honor to forward to you before we left. Petrofurlowsky. I have also considered that an exploration of the peninsula could be useful to us, in case the only natural route through Eastern Siberia should be found impracticable. The route I determined to follow from Petroparlowsky was the eastern coast as far as village Elovka where we had to cross the mountain ranges, traversing the peninsula from one end to the other, and to come out in Sigil small town on the Western or Okhotak sea coast. I gave the preference to this route with the intention to avail myself of the Kantchatka River as well as of River Elovka, both navigable for canoes, and the only points where timber