A Voyage of Discovery, into the South Sea and Beering's Straits, for the Purpose of Exploring a North-East Passage Undertaken in the Years 1815–1818, at the Expense of His Highness the Chancellor of the Empire, Count Romanzoff, in the Ship Rurick

An admirer of Captain Cook, Otto von Kotzebue (1787–1846) was a leading navigator, in Russian service, circumnavigating the globe three times. His 1815 expedition set out to find a passage through the Arctic, study the coastlines of Kamchatka and Alaska, and explore the Pacific. Among the personnel were the naturalist Chamisso and the artist Choris, who both contributed valuable information to the published account, while Eschscholtz, a physician, collected zoological specimens. Originally published in 1821 in Russian and German, this English translation, presented with many plates and charts, appeared the same year and formed part of Darwin's library aboard the Beagle. Volume 3 continues with Chamisso's detailed observations as well as contributions by other members of the expedition. Flora and fauna are identified, mineral samples taken, and aerometric readings recorded along with the temperature of the sea.

Remarks and opinions of the naturalist of the expedition, continued: Teneriffe; Brazil; Chili, with notices from Father Alday, and a tabular view of the missions; California; The Philippine Islands; The Mariana Islands. Guahon; Extract from the archives of San Ygnacio de Agaña; On our knowledge of the First Province of the Great Ocean; Radack, Ralick, Repith-Urur, Bogha, the Cornwallis Islands; The Caroline Islands; The Penrhyn Islands; The Low Islands. Romanzoff Island; Waihu, or Easter Island; The Sandwich Islands. Johnstone Island; Methods of kindling fire; Kamtschatka. The Aleutian Islands and Beering's Straits; Meteorology. The magnet; Appendix by other authors: General remarks on the voyage; On the coral islands; On the nature of the rocks Moritz von Engelhardt; List of minerals J. F. Eschscholtz; Description of a new species of monkey J. F. Eschscholtz; Observations on the Medusae, Velellae, and Porpitae J. F. Eschscholtz; Description of new foreign butterflies J. F. Eschscholtz; Aerometrical observations, from 18th of July, 1816, to the 13th of April 1818; Temperature of the sea-water at different depths in the years 1815, 1816, 1817, 1818; Remarks on the observations on the specific gravity of the sea-water in different latitudes, and on the temperature of the ocean at different depths J. C. Hörner; Postscript Adalbert von Chamisso.