The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-30
Nordenskiold's New Arctic Voyage.

Few events in the recent history of
explorations have been more noteworthy
than Prof. Nordenskiold's voyages to
the north coast of Asia. Hitherto he
has gone no further eastward than the
mouth of the Yenisei, but he now pro-
poses to push forward, in the course of
the coming summer, from that point to
Behring's Straits. We find the projected
route of the new expedition outlined
in memorial submitted by the discov-
erer to the King of Sweden.
We need not dwell on the i'm
portant commercial and scientific re-
suits which have already attended the
achievements of the Swedish explorer
im-this iquarter. Besides revealing to
the enterprise of Europe new fishing
banks and valuable deposits of coal and
phosphates, he laid open the maritime
route to China, vainly sought by Will
loughby and Chancellor, making his
way in small steamer to the mouth of
those great rivers which are navigable
through the heart of Siberia to the
boundaries of the Middle Empire. Yet
it was, perhaps, the capital advantage
of his previous success that it made for
the first time possible the voyage which
he now contemplates. Here, even in
our day of telegraph and steam, the re-
searches of the scientists may still find
a virgin field. That vast section of the
Arctic Ocean which stretches over nine
ty degrees of longitude from the en-
trance of Yenisei, past Cape Tcheljus-
kin, as far as Wrangle Land, has never
if we except some boat journeys
along the coast-known the furrow of
keel, and certainly has never seen the
smoke of a steamer. Enthusiasm is
the virtue of discoveries; but when we
consider the immensely of this untrav-
eled sea, we are little disposed to gain
say Prof Nordenskiold's assertion that
no expedition of greater promise and
interest has been planned since Capt.
Cook set sail for the Pacific.
The Swedish traveller proposes to
start from Gothenburg in the beginning
of next July. The first part of his voy-
age, round the North Cape and past
the entrance to the White Sea as far as
Kola, is now safely accomplished by
thousands of vessels every year, al
though it was on this very peninsula of
KOla that Willoughby persisted three
centuries ago. With the knowledge,
moreover, now possessed regarding the
ice conditions of the gulf between the
last-named coast and Nova Zembla, you
may sail without the least hindrance in
the latter half of summer from the
White Sea to the Matotshkin Strait,
which bisects the Zembla Island. In
deed, an active seaman may now with
an ordinary vessel effect more in these
waters during a single season than the
Russian Government expedition, sent
out half a century ago, contrived to ac-
complish in four. From the Thurman
Gulf, as the eXpanse between Kola and
Nova Zembla is called on the old maps,
there are four ways of reaching the
Kara Sea, the best of which seems to be
the above-named strait, a narrow but
deep channel some thirty miles in
length, and usually free from ice in the
second half of July. This is the route
which the Swedish navigator means to
follow, and, although he expects to be
detained for some days by floating ice
masses in the Kara basin, there is no
reason to place his arrival at Dickson
Harbor-the entrance to the Yenisei-
later than the middle of August. In
1875 he reached this point on the 18th
of the month with a sailing ship, and
might have gained fortnight with a
steamer. In 1876 the ice conditions
were less favorable in consequence of
cold summer and protracted north
east wind; but, having the advantage of
steam vessel on this trip, he came to
| anchor off the mouth of the Yenesei by
the 10Th. In Dickson Harbor Prof.
Nordenskiold will probably tarry few
hours in order to leave a package of
letters on one of the neighboring isl
ands in case he should have no oppor-
tunity, as is probable in the present in
choate state of Siberian trade, to send
report of progress by homeward-
bound ship
Thenceforward the explorer must
shape his course according to his own
| Judgment, in the almost total dearth of
useful observations regarding hydro
graphical condition. hetween the mouth
of the Yenesei al lpe Tcheljuskin.
| AS above stated, Ssel of considera-
BILE size has ever ded him in these
waters. OF the RI IN boat journeys
conducted by Wrangle and others, very
little is known, and no trustworthy
conclusions can be drawn from their de-
tached researches and incomplete re-
ports as to the navigability at certain
seasons of the year of the boundless
sea to the northeast. AS for the great
Russian expeditions successfully dis
patched between the years 1913,
their efforts were almost wholly fruit
less. But our knowledge of the seasons
and conditions essential to a prosper
Gus voyage has been signally aug
mented during the last ten years, main
" through the contributions of Prof.
Nordenskiold himself; and there is good
reason to hope that navigator able to
reach Dickson Harbor by the beginning
of August may succeed in traversing no
small part of the unknown eastern
ocean, and perhaps come forth through
Behring's Straits.-N y. Sun.
REV. JOB WAsHBURNE, of Rockport,
Me-, ninety-two years old, has just left