The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-06-18

mountain peaks, composed OF granite &C
the base, and Of trachyte at the SUBMITS,
attain an elevation Of Q. 600 feet. The 20
ologists and botanists OBJ aimed somewhat
limited supply Of specimens on this shore;
but, on the north side Of the Bay, to which
excursions were made With the steam
sloop, we found grassy slopes with copses OF
shrubbery, and great variety Of flowers,
with which DIR. Kjellman's collection Of the
higher orders of plants Of the north coast
of Asia was replsnished by seventy varie-
ties. In this locality We met the first land
molluscs on the peninsula.
Three Refn-1 schukss had pitched thor
summer teofs near the mouth Of brook
carrying &c Cd supply Of water, on the
northwest side Of Kopyam Bay. The hsb-
lis differed brit little from those Of other
natives of the peninsula, except that they
carried number of small bells In their
belts. They had about 400 reindeer, thus
much less than necessary 10 support Lapp
family; but beIe was &C .sss 10 an abund-
auce OF fish and more game than The I.apps
enjoy. They do dot drink coffee, and gath
or all the vegetable food they need for
tbemselveI They treated us very friendly
and offered to sell, or rather exchange, tb-ee
reindeer, transaction which was noe con-
cluded because Of our Sudden departure.
In the cliffs and caiions between the noun
tains, there were still great snowdrifts, but
no glaciers were visible. l am convinced
however that the valleys and fjords were
once filed with ice, though, by ref son of
the loose character OF the tfachyte, the
sfriated mountain surfaces bad long since
crumbled into gravel aod he norains lev
elled with the earth. 1t is probable, also,
that the icy incrus ation ones extended
westward, as far as the mouth Of the Ana
dyr, and northwest TO St. Lawrence Bay,
and that the southern portion OF the Tsch-
ukt peninsula therefore had a tmall glacier
c'inlaud ice.")
July G1st p. N. We cast anchor on the
northeast coast Of St. Lawrence Island, or,
as the Tscnrkts name it, Enigma" At
At some distance OF the Senjavio Sound
We saw drift ice foe the last time. On The
whole, the quantity of ice the Polar current
carries through Behring's Strait is trifiing;
and the main body Of that which Is met
durpg spring on the Asiatic side Of Beb-
rings Strait is, obviously, formed on the
coast.
For the same req son, We did not see here
single iceberg; but all the Ice we came in
contact with was recent ice.
Engua IS the largest island in the sea be-
tween the Aleutia Islands and Behring's
Strait. 1t lies nearer Asia tbao Amer
lea, but IS considered D, belonging to Amer
ica, and wa, therefore coded by Rossia to
the United States of Nor b America simul-
taneously with Alaska. 1t is Inhabited by
small number Of Esquimaux families, who
support, however, such close iuter-com-
nunicatlon with their nsigbuors on the
Asatic side that they have adopted some
Tschukt terms in their language. Their
costumes also bear some resemblance, ex-
cept that for want Of reiadeer skins, they
use the skins Of birds. Their rain coats of
entrails have the same nut but are more
ornamental. Like the Tsch they 20 bare
headed during the summer; the men, with
black, fsxy bair cropped short, to the very
scalp, except q narrow circle around the
head. Toe women plat their bal, aud Or
nament with beads; they are freqGeatly
barefooted, aud nearly always with bare
shins. They are we'll shaped aod many are
good looking; bot all merciIess beggars.
Their um ner tents consisted Of irregular
bur light and moderately clean sheds made
of seal skins and eotrails. Their winter
haDitatioos resemble drawing which Mr..
Whymper gives from those of Yuko In
dams, that Is, they consist of hollows In
the earth which, except square formed
opening at the top, was covered with drift
wood, whalebone aud sod aud above which
was pitched sealskin tent. This exie.-
nal teot was taken down for the time be-
ing, 10 order that the sum uer's heat might
penetrate to the subterraueaa parts and
thaw the snow and ice that had formed on
the walls in the raa wiutsr. Whalebooe
was found in gteat quantities on the shore,
and 1t is frequently employed for building
material AZ framework for teDss. Close to
the winter babitations were commonly seen
great, clumsily- hewed neth,r jawbones Of
the whale raised up, with holes bored in the
tops.
The rock formation was granite. Of the
same kind which formed the base for the
trachyte at Konyam Bay, crumbliDg readi-
ly, and it must certainly form fertile soil,
The vegetation was, TO say the least, pro-
life, and displayed fo' al ragnidcence to
which have seldom seen counterpart.
It now seemed to be the ha, vest time with
the natives; at any rate they were occupied
In gathering vegetables for their winter
use, mainly the Rb idiola leaves.
DIR. Kjellman got a rich collection Of the
higher plants, and likewise handsome COL
lection Of laod and marine animals, lichens,
and algo.
1t seems there is no harbor on st. Law
renee Island, at least the Vega rode at an
Choir 10 an open roadstead.
1t. Palander was anxious 10 leave this
locality rs soon as possible, and We contin-
ued the voyage August I'd at 5p. m. steer
ing frst toward the island Of Karaginsk on
the eastern coast of Kamschaska. It vas
my intentian TO snchor in this locality to
make comparison between the middle
Kamschatka and Tscbukt Peninsula; bat
A. the contrary winds for q longer time
than anticipated prolonged, relinquished,
though reluctantly, my purpose 70 90 on
shore here, oar next destination being Beh-
rings Island. We anchored here August
14th In the evening 10 . rather indifferent
harbor, on the northwest coast Of the is
land, pc rfectly exposed toward he WNW
and toward the south.
| TO BE CONTINUED.
JOHN MARCHloN's
| 49, Hat 1ro~Lo& 49,