The "Glory of Russia" Medal Instituted by Catherine the Great Is Linked to the First Russian Circumnavigation

The expedition was conceived "on the occasion of the attempt by English trading entrepreneurs upon the conduct of trade and the hunting of beasts in the Eastern Sea" and in order to preserve "our right to the lands discovered by Russian navigators".

Among the expedition's tasks was the taking of measures to secure Russia's rights to the lands in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean, and Mulovsky was charged not only with guarding the lands and islands discovered by Russians, but also with seeking out new ones and exploring them. The instruction given to him provided for the following: to survey Sakhalin, the mouths of the Uda and the Amur, and the Shantar Islands.

On visiting islands and lands previously unknown and belonging to no one, the members of the expedition were to "solemnly raise the Russian flag" and fix on elevated ground a post bearing the Russian arms and an inscription in Russian and Latin. "In addition" they were to place in a "vessel one silver and one copper medal", together with a cast-iron coat of arms with a note, and bury all of this in the earth. In all, 200 coats of arms were made, along with a great quantity of gold, silver and copper medals.

A squadron of five vessels was ready by the autumn of 1787, but owing to the war that had begun between Russia and Turkey and the war with Sweden that was brewing, a decree was issued in October cancelling the expedition and sending the ships prepared for it to the Mediterranean.

The tasks of Mulovsky's expedition were transferred to the Billings–Sarychev expedition, originally planned to discover a waterway from the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic Ocean.

For Billings's North-Eastern Geographical and Astronomical Expedition (Billings, incidentally, was an Englishman), two vessels were built: the large ship was named the "Glory of Russia", the small one the "Good Intention". But on leaving port the schooner "Good Intention" was thrown onto the shore and so damaged that to continue the voyage in her was impossible, and only the "Glory of Russia" set out on the expedition.