26

THE RUSSIAN FLEET

Captains.

Captain- Lieutenant.Lieutenants.

(Peter Sievers.Cronenburg. 1Nelson.

Bering. 2(Conon Zotoff.{Zacharia Mishecoff.

Notwithstanding this court usually met by 4o’clock in the morning, and never missed a dayunless upon extraordinary occasions, yet they werenear three months before they came to a determinateresolution. At last in February notice was givento all officers, that had a mind to hear the sentencepronounced, to appear. The room was not halflarge enough to receive the audience ; however, thePresident began with the sentence of Vice-AdmiralCruys as follows :

For not having embraced the opportunity oftaking or destroying the two Swedish ships and onesnow in 1712, and when, in chase of three Swedishships of war in 1713, his own ship struck on a rock,for not going on board another ship to hoist his flagand pursue the enemy ; not giving the signal to theother commanding officers to board or pursue ; forneglect of duty in these articles he was by the courtadjudged to lose his life, but his Majesty hadmitigated the sentence, and he must next day besent into banishment to Kazan. To this he repliedwith a bow, ‘ What his Majesty pleases.’ Thissentence was again read over to him in Hollands 3by Captain Sievers, and he answered as before.

Then the court sentenced Captain-CommodoreScheltinga for not taking the command upon him, to

1 MS. 1 Crownbergh.’

* 2 Vitus Jonassen Bering, the famous discoverer. Born 1681at Horsens, in Denmark ; died December 19, 1741.

3 Dutch.