The New York herald., 1879-10-16

been set nm Here ON constant duty one of the
officers and two of the crew of the Vega. Their
task was mentally hardly light or corporeally .
pleasant one Each watch was OF six hours. Those
on duty occupied IN hour in going from and return
ing to the ship in q temperature almost always at
least forty degrees below Fahrenheit and had
to remain for five hours virtually motionless in
house where the thermometer marked average of
five degrees below
SICKNESS.
The trial involved in this work was necessarily
severe one; but no one complained and no suf-
fered in health. No sickness occurred board and
not trace OF scurvy ever manifested itself. Good
provisions aud good discipline may doubt. be
largely thanked for this though much is doubtless
owing to the superior physique OF the members OF
the expedition. These all picked men. most OF
them below thirty-hvc years Of age. only two
arc trihe older than their iliustrious leader.
who is forty-six years of age. little fresh meat
bear and rendeor-was procured by hunting. or
from the friendly natives during the severest
months. There were also some hares and ptarmi-
gan. but scarce and hard to get. As spring ad-
vanced game became plentiful and ut last
flights of birds, in dense and numerous masses.
came and provided sport and food for the explorers.
BIOLOGICAL STUDIES.
Nordenskj0ld with his vast experience of Arctic
regions had supposed, before leaving Sweden. that
the ornis OF Northern Siberia would closely
BILE that of North Greenland and SptzberGen. He
actually found It, however. poorer In specimens. but
much richer in kinds. and possessing several forms
not known before. Mary Of the birds supposed
to winter in Japan and not very northern parts of
North America. Lieutenant Nordqvist had the
special task OF collecting and examining them. He
takes home large assortment, the classification and
adjustment Of which expected to be Of special in
America and sbora While the voyage lasted extensive
dredgings made in the sub-Arctic Sea by the
naturalist. DIR. stuxberg. who charged with the
investigation of the invertebrate forms to be met
with Aided by an excellent apparatus he was
enabled to discover that waters previously supposed
to be almost devoid of animal life really remark
ably rich in that respect Ho has already sent to
the Academy of Science In Stockholm
predatory memoir this subject. He has
numerous specimens Of crustaces. echinoder-
Inata and crnoida Of extraordinary
size and many before unknown. Botanical investi-
cations were conducted by Drs. Kjellman and AIM
qvist. the former being specially busted in inquiries
into the alge and Towering plants Of the regions
visited. At the time the party left Sweden not one
single specimen of alcs was known to science
having habitat between the Kara Sea Shd Beh-
ring Strait, and a general notion obtained that
none existed. Kjellman examined the bottom of
the sea in q number Of places. and found that.
though comparatively poor. 1t still contained
no insignificant number of species. Those
procured in the western correspond with Euro
pean algine fora; those to the cast with Pacific
kinds. In Behring Sea the geological and botanical
researches continued. with tho result that
Stuxberg collected largo number Of invertebrates,
while Kjeliman was equally fortunate in his addi-
tions to his store Of alge, hnding many large and
beautiful specimens in waters before deemed to be
without such kinds Of life.
ARCTIC FLORA.
. Indeed. very correct knowledge Of these regions
was available before the explorations Of DALI the
American scientist. No more accurate notions were
entertained the subject Of the phanerogamic
fauna Of North Siberian lands OF which tracts the
eminent Russian naturalist. Middcndorff. says that
they are .'almost destitute Of higher species OF
plants as ia the Antarctic continent" and that ION
the eastern shore nothing but mosses and lichens.
and those few in number, are to be met with"
Already the Investigations made by the English
and American Franklin expeditions have proved that
this estimate was not accurate. Now Kjellman
brings the additional intelligence that the whole
coast with the exception Of q few barren intersec-
tions. is covered with glowing vegetable life. He
has made o collection Of more than one hundred
and fifty specimens, whereof twenty three were
extreme eastern point Of Asia. South OF Behring
Strait the vegetation most luxuriant and much
mixed with southern forms. In places the
soil was literally covered with flowers. so as to
resemble nothing more than gorgeous Brussels
carpet. Greater luxuriauce could seldom be found
in tropical countries DR.. Almqvist's accumulation
OF lichens. which he found In vast quantities in the
north. but less multitudinous in more southerly
directions will enable him to describe justly all
lichenography of Northern Siberia. Unfortunately,
the Of the expedition did not permit Of the
services Of specialist for being attached to
it. Nevertheless number of specimens OF this
division of cryptogamia were gathered and will be
classified.
- SEA TEMPERATURE
The photographic department was under the con-
troll OF Lieutenant Bove. talented young officer OF
the italian navy. who has enriched the work Of the
party by important annotations. 1t must be
mombered that he had to take notice Of the phe-
nomera apparent q sea between Yenisei and
wrsngel Land. never before traversed by any ship.
He found the surface temperature OF the water
trcmely variable. 1t was tolerably high near the
mouths of the large rivers. which empty their
paratvely tcpd floods into the silent and frozen
Sometimes the surface liquid fresh that it
was palatable to drink. fathom or two deeper it
might be intensely salt and cold. and then tho bot
tom water would bo temperate or even warm by con-
trast registering little two centigrade degrees
below the freezing point. 1t was found that water
from the surface bottled and sunk to the bottom
would freeze there. and thar IL had the effect Of
deadly poison upon the living forms which move in
regions Immediately below 1t.
A THEORY OF THE AURORA.
While his subordinates we're thus busy the mas
ter himself experimenting and arranging the
results of their toll. His special attention was. be-
sides devoted to the observation and registration Of
suroral phenomena. He announces that,the year Of
his captivity was minimum one of such Appearances
and sun spots. Throughout the winter he did not
observe that the Northern Lights attained tho
magnificent development acquired by them in Scan
dinavia. But whenever the sky was clear. and there
sun or moon. he saw. constant In the north