The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-30
neck, in case the dogs were not called eff
in time.-Nc,cs and Courier.
NOrdcnskiOld, the Explorer.

The New York HeralPs Japan CORES
pondent furnishes many interesting de.
tails of Professor Nordenskjold's Arctic
experiences, cleaned from the Professor
himself while in Toxic. His ship, the
Vega, was arrested in her passage by the
ice on the 2Sth of September, 1873. Two
days more of open weather and she
would have entered Behring's Strait, and
reached Yokohama two months earlier
than she did. The winter was spent on
the cast side of Koljutshan Bay, one mile
from shore, in latitude 81 deg. Z n,in.,
and longitude 1871 deg. west from
Greenwich, the Vega obtaining a release
on the 18th of July. The cold was in
tense, with mild weather at some inter-
walls. During their detention the Vega
was the constant rendezvous of the hap
py, peaceful and indigenous inhabitants
of the mainland, called the Tschuktschi.
They transact a trade between Siberia
and Alaska in winter by sledges over the
bridge of ice, and in summer by the open
sea. The winter was q hard one, and
the visitors to the Vega received 5000
pounds of bread among them. These
people, though paying slight tribute to
Russia for permission to trade, admit no
allegiance. They have no government,
no laws, and almost no religion. Thou
sands of them were seen by the officers
of the Vega, but they never saw o,
heard of single case of quarreling
among them. Pefect harmony prevailed
in their villages and families; the wo-
men were treated by them with great
Difference and politeness. Their IAN
guage is peculiar, and shows no affinity
to any other known tongue. The young
women are very fair, of perfect symme-
try and fine proportions. The men are
tall, above the average height, and some
were seen equal to the best specimens of
Northern Europe. One woman was
seen of gigantic proportions, her height
being over seven feet. Not an article
was stolen from the Vega during her stay
among these people, though they were
daily visitors. 1t is impossible to fancy
more Arcadian race. Without chiefs
or criminals, they experience no difficult
ty in distributing the joint product of
their hunting and fishing, and their
whole pride is to own boat little lar
ger than ordinary.
A SEA BEAR FARM.
The Vega visited Behring's Island,
now occupied by the American Alaska
Trading Company. The most important
industry is the export of the skins of the
sea bear. From 10000 10 $4,000 are
slaughtered on Behring's and Copper
Islands annually, but only at the Time
when the hair is in the best order. No
young or females are allowed to be kill
ed, and otherwise stringent regulations
are enforced for the preservation of q
valuable species. The result is that their
numbers are now augmenting, and they
display no fear or anxiety on the ap-
proach of men. Under these precautions
the animal is thriving and multiplying
enormously. On one promonotory could
be seen as many as 100000 of these ami
mails, which not long ago threatened to
become extinct in consequence of their
indiscriminate slaughter.
COMMERCIAL RESULTS.
Professor Nordenskjold expresses the
opinion that the northeast passage be-
tween the Atlantic and Pacific will be
frequently repeated, and commerce can
be established so that the underwriters
will be willing to take risks on vessels
engaged in it. He apprehends no OBJ
stacles in the way of experienced navi-
gators yearly plying from the Pacific on
one side and the Atlantic on the other to
the mouths of the Lena and then, when
the sea is available for intercourse be-
tween Lena, Yencsci and Obi and the
vast oceans, almost all Siberia, and even
some parts of North China will be Access
sible by water. He deems that the ex-
tent of Siberia, the rich virginity Of its
soil and its other natural riches are only
comparable to the same conditions in
North America one hundred and fifty
years ago, and he thinks that the future
development of the rich tracts of Asia
may equal that attained in the past by
the United States.