July 31, 1787

St. Petersburg , June 15 [1787]. By order of the Government, a frigate (with 36 cannon and a complement of 3 boats) is a being prepared for the task of reconnoitring, surveying and charting the coasts of China, Japan and Kamchatka, in order to make new discoveries that will render navigation of those seas safer, and to obtain detailed knowledge about regions infrequently visited. From Kronstadt they will set course for the Indian Ocean, sailing directly to the Cape of Good Hope . This expedition is entrusted to the command of Captain Mulovsky, who went in person to Kiev to receive instructions from the Empress herself.

Original Spanish text courtesy of Robert King. Translated by Maria Guadalupe Soto de Podritske, Lorill Ireland and John Black.