Litchfield enquirer., 1880-03-25
An Easy Solution of an Old Problem.

The March Blackwood gives us the narrative of Lieut.. Palander. the Swedish naval officer, who commandedt the Vega on her successful trip around from the Atlantic north of Siberia. to the Pacific Ocean through the Behriug strait. Starting on the 25th of July, 1878, the Vega coasted along the Russian and Siberian shore, rounded Cape Tchelyuskin, the northernmost point of the Eastern continent, on the 2Oth of August, and had accomplished considerably more than half it's 4OO0 miles journey by the first of September. The winter of '78-9 set in, however, very early, and after struggling hard for several days through the growing ice, the Vega was finally fastened solidly in the foe on the 2Sth of September, when only one hun- dred and taoenty mi5es from Behring's Straits, and the end of all that was arduous in the voyage.
 Here, in the comparatively low latitude of 67 the Vega remained for near nine months till her release on the 18th ofJuly, 1879. The ship had been we'll supplied, and there was no suffering, scarcely any privation; above all, not tinge of scurvy. The remarkable suc- cess of this voyage was owing to shrewd guess of Professor Nordenskiold the leader of the scientific branch of the expedition, of which Lieut.. Palander speaks as follows:
 In the programme which Professor Norden. skiold drew out for the promotion of an ex- petition with the object of sailing through the Northeast Passage, he mentions as ground for the possibility of such voyage, among other | reasons that the warm current which is form. ed by Siberia's many and powerful rivers, and the direction of which, by reason of the earth's revolution, ought to be from west to cast, would be so strong, and would SO heat up the water lying nearest the coast, that navgable stream must be found there during the last summer months-namely, August and Sep. tember. This opinion has now proved per. fectlY correct.
 The real difficulty of the enterprise is to be encountered in the passage of Cape Tchelyu. skin. All along the northern coast of Siberia open water near the shore, precisely as Prof. Nordienskiold had predicted, which made the passage comparatively easy.
 The question now ar,ses whether important
 
 coast line. Lieut.. Palanier considers it yet doubtful whether the upper cape can ordinari- ly be passed early enough in the season to make certain whether the long stretch between tha, point and Bhering's Straits can be compassed in the rest of short arctic summer. He has DO doubt, however, that, for vessels cotning west through Behring's Straits, two thirds of the north coast of Siberia is readily accessible. The barrier on the West, and the ready ap- proach from the east would seem to throw the commerce of this region into American hands, and the discovery is one that may yet make our Alaskan purchase of more value than has hitherto seemed possible. Says Lieut. Palan- der:
 Unquestionably the way now lies open to Siberas three greatest rivers; and that land, so rich in mineral, timber, and grain, whose export and import trade has hitherto been conducted by means of caravans, ought now to obtain practicable route as a connecting link between the New and Old Worlds.