The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-12-19
A STRANGE ARCTIC REGION.

When the sea closed In upon the Vega, and
left the stout ship enslaved in those northern
soIitudes Prof Nordensktold wrote letter
to DR.. Oscar Dickson, the main contributor
to the fitting out of the expedition, describ-
ing the scenes along the coast The letter
despatched on the 20th of February, has at
last reached its destination and is now pub
lished in the London Standard. The letter
calls attention, in the first place to group
of Islands which is very remarkable from a
scientific point of view These Islands, the
New Siberian, open the book of the history
of the world at new place. The ground
there Is Strewn with wonderful fossils. Whole
hills are covered with the bones OF the mann
moth, rhinoceros, horses. uri, bison, oxen,
sheep, etc. The sea washes up ivory upon
the shores. In this group is possibly to be
found the solution Of the question of the an
cestry of the Indian elephant, and import
ant facts with regard to the vertebrates
which existed at the time of mans fist ap-
pearance upon earth. How came horse and
sheep in region now locked in the fetters
of an eternal winter, uninhabited by man,
not now supporting animal life in any form
and almost impossible of access Prof
Nordenksjold was unable To solve the queS-
tion himself, and he suggests that 1t is of the
utmost Importance to science to send a light
draught steel steamer to those islands for a
thorough exploration.
At cape Schelagskoff the Vega passed the
point where the Siberian merchant Schalaw-
rolf ended his persistent and intrepid at
Lena, by a lonely death with his whole com
pany of men in a hut on the snow clad
shore. Upon rounding this cape NOrdenkS-
jOld met his first natives seen along that
whole coast Not comprehensive sentence
cOdid they utter in any European language.
They lived in tents pitched on the sand
banks separating the lagoons peculiar to this
coast from the sea. A hardy, jovial, hand
some race, fur-clad, keen at barter, ignorant
of the value of money, and preferring red
chi hirt no
piece of tin foil on Il cake of soap to golden
Tubies and silver coins they live an active
and healthy life, use stone and bone imple-
ments, and are without trace of religion in
their customs. Their tents are double, one
within the other The children are totally
naked within the inner tent, and were often
seen outside running about on the frozen
ground with the temperature down below
81 deg. The women wear nothing when
within the tents except n girdle, and the
meE have Shaven heads. y remarkable SINH
larity was noticed between the implements,
dresses and customs of these people and
those of the EsquimauX and North Ameri-
can Indians. These people are the TSchukt-
Schers. Though armed with stone and bone
weapons, and though wild and itinerant,
they evidently nave history. They drove
off the original inhabitants of the region 200
years ago, the OnkIiOnS, whose houses, places
of sacrifice, circles of moss-grown bear skulls
and weapons are still to be found almost
everywhere OH the coast. Lieut.. NOrdquest
devoted himself to learning their language.
/ These Indians are on the original highway
between the cradle of the human race and
| the home Of the aborigines of the northern
part of North America, and it is not thought
that the resemblance between them and the
I GreenlandeTs is accidental. The arrival of
the Vega on the Tschulitscher was an event
. like the landing of Columbus III the new
world. 1t was an unprecedented occuTance
and made sensation throughout the region
East of the Lena, Prof. Nordenskjold
found on shore no scattered blocks of StOnC
such as are distributed over a continent by
, glaciers and such are found elsewhere il
Siberia.
This fact was held to point to the absence
of land out to sea north of that coast, and i
cXciteS anticipatiOnS to the possible dis
coveries which are to be made by the Jean
nette. Not the least of the peculiarties o
this strange region is the fact that the coas
appears to be rising slowly out of sea. Th'
inhabitants have to shift their villages a
times nearer to the edge of the water, whicl
is gradually receding from them. Prof
NordensjOlds letter is full of facts Iik
these, and the scientific world will wait witt
impatience the further publication of the re
suits of his discoveries.-N. Y. Tribune.