The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-09-25

ana Russia, Dut also In the commerce
of the world. The English, in the
meantime, did not lose sight of their
original aim. In the year 1856 Stephen
Burroughs was dispatched northward,
and he arrived at Nova Zembla and dis
covered Waigatz Sound. He sailed
through the sound into the Kara Sea,
then turned back in the full belief that
he had found the route to Japan and
China In 1880, during the reign of
Elizabeth, Arthur Petit and Charles
Jackman set out for Waigatz Sound to
follow in the wake of Burroughs, and
they even entered the Kara Sea, but
found it so full of ice that, after en-
countering many dangers, they were
obliged to return, and the English
abandoned for the time all hopes of
penetrating any farther on this route.
The Dutch, rivals of the English in
the field of commerce, were not idle,
however, and they sent out in 1894 an
expedition of three ships with view
to discover the northeast passage.
These vessels were commanded by Cor
nelius Nail(who was also the Admiral,)
Brand Yszbrandsy and Willem Bar
rentsz, and they went as far as the Oh
River, but turned back in consequence
of the ice. In the following year a
squadron of seven vessels took their de-
parture, under command of Cornelius
Mai, as Admiral, and Willem Barrentsz,
as one of the Captains, but this expedi-
ton did not even 60 as far as the pre-
vious one. In the year 1896 third
Dutch exploring expedition set sail. 1t
consisted of three vessels, commanded
by Jacob Heemskerks, Willem Bar
fret ofE This
expedition, also, did not reach further
in an easterly direction than its pre-
cursors, but it is extremely noteworthy
because the Dutch then discovered
Spitzbergen, which they fancied was
part of Greenland. The expedition
spent the winter in Nova Zembla, where
Barrentsz died in June, 1897. Being
unsuccessful with reference. to- the
northeast passage, the Dutch lost all
relish for further operations in that
direction. They settled, however, in
Spitzbergen, and carried on an extern
sive whale-fishery in its waters. In
stead of gold and precious stones from
China, Japan and the East Indias, they
thus got oil and other products of the
whale, but this paid splendidly, and the
Hollanders founded a town in Spitz-
bergen with most expensive warehouses
and oil refineries, and this settlement
received the significant name of
"Smeerenburg," the Dutch word
smeer" signifying grease. Again,
during the period 1607-161O, the En-
glish fitted out three expeditions in
search of the northeast passage, all
three under the command of Hudson,
the celebrated navigator, but they mis-
carried. and the same fate was in store
for a couple of similar undertakings ON
the part of England at a later date.
This much is as far as regards ex-
peditions originating in western Eu-
rope, with the route to India as an OBJ
ject. We now approach another range
of expeditions, which in a great meas
ure have appeared in less grandiose di-
mensions and the principal purpose of
which was to levy taxes for the Russian
Government and thus enriching its
treasury. Having thus got possession
of Siberia in the year 1887, it is natural
that the Russians gradually endeavored
to get a firm footing in all parts of that
vast territory, and with such a view
their emissaries were dispatched in all
directions. These were generally com
mon individuals, not bent upon geo.
graphical discoveries, though many of
them became real discoveries, to whom
science is greatly indebted. Little is
known, however, of most of their ex-
plorations, and when any knowledge of
such has been CLEANED it has resulted
from some legal dispute or other which
made it necessary to ransack the ST.
berian archives. Wrangel, the Russian
naval officer, in his travels, has given
some geographical information. As
early as 164S, Deschneff, Cossack,
went with three others from the Arctic
Ocean, passing East Cape along the
eastern shore of Kamschatka, and in
this way the great discovery was made
that Asia and America were not con-
tiguous, but separated by sound,
which subsequently received the name
of Behring Straits, This nomenclature
has been conferred on the sound in
memory of Vitus Behring, q native OF
Denmark, who, with several other Dan
ish mariners, had enlisted in the service
of Peter the Great. In the year 1725,
few years before the death of, 1.-THE Gear,
Behring, together with Martin Spangs-
berg, another Dane, went overland
through Siberia in order to discover
whether Asia and America were con-
nected or not. Thev first went along
the coast of Kamschatka, and were,
after four weeks northward sailing,
convinced that there was no connection
by land between the two parts of the
world. After an absence of five years
Behring and Spangsberg were again
back in st. Petersburg, where they re-
ceived great honors. Three years later
they were again sent travelling. This
time Behring, among other things. was
to explore the whole of the north coast
of Siberia. While Spansberg set out
for Japan, Behring went to Kamschat-
ka. During the year 1741 he sailed
around considerably in the bay of Kam-
schatka, and finally arrived at desert
island, where he died on the 9Th of De-
cember of that year. and the island,
which lies northeast of Kamschatka,
was called after him. Almost SIM
ultaneously with Behring's explora-
tions other parties were coast
ing along the northern shores
of Siberia, using in their expeditions
small and miserable river boats, built
in the interior of Siberia. In this way
about as much information was gained
as was needful to drew up maps of the
whole northern range of the Siberian
shores, though, to be sure, in an i'm
perfect manner. Of individuals who
have proved themselves meritorious in
these explorations we may here men
ton the mate (Tjeljuskin) for one, as
it was he who discovered the most
northerly promontory of Asia a deg.
north latitude, and it received the name
of its dlscoverer. Also at a later period
a number of smaller expeditions were
undertaken in these regions, but all of
them were fitted out in such manner
that Professor Nordenskjold in a geo
graphical periodical in the beginning
Of last year justly remarked that :. a
great portion of the ocean north of ST.
6eria had never been plowed by the
keel of really seaworthy vessel"
Having by repeated voyages to Spitz-