, 1881-12-22
GETTING HOMIE.

sent tho Secretary OF State today the follow.
Ing letter With regard to the measures fur the
relief Of the survivors OF the Jeannctte:
WASHINGTON. D. t., Dec 2l.-1t1s skCRETARY;
As Travelled somo years ngn over each Of tho
alternative rot1tes which fnny be takou by tho
survivor Of tho Jeannctso in making their way
buck from tho Iona Nlvcs, in Eastorn Siberia,
to America. heR tcovo to respectfully o1ce
for your consideration tho following euEgcstlou
with regard to tho return OF Lieutenant -Cotn.
tnnndcr Do Long nnd his men to their homes.
Tho Board OF Naval Olieera bas, 1 am told,
had under discussion todny tho question of
sending q vessel around through Dchring' Strait
to tho mouth Of tho Lena to bring back tho
survivors Of tic 1cnunotte By sca. wuu1d re-
speotfully urxo that this plan IL tttery trn-
practIcabto, lrst because 1t Is by no means ccr-
taln TINT vessel pould reach Tho mouth Of tho
Lana either from th6 cnss or wcst On Mccount
OF loo; aud, accond, becauso II tito vessel should
succeed in doing 30 1t would not arrive nt ita
destination until lato next summer, or carly ia
tho fail, and would dltnost certainly fail to get
buck that year. In the meantime the survivors
Of tho Jcannetto would be compelled 10 1.-Two at
the mouth Of tho Iona, Aud endure eight or
nlne months more hnrdshlp and privat,on. 1t
seems to INC clear beyond even rho necessity OF
discussion that tho survivors Of tho jeannotto
must bc brought Up tho Lean River this winter
On doK.ssedges to
TIE CITY or 1AKouTsK.
Its in tho highest degroe probable that the
Russian Governor of Proniorski AbInst, or tho
| sca-coast provinces within whose jurisdiction
| Lteutonant.Commnnder De Long aud bis mon
| now nro, Will mako, or has alrrudy made, or
| rangpncnls for their transportation to fakoutak
Without any instructions from tho homo Govern
mcut. lint, as mcaAurc Of prccnutou, tho
necessary orders should be te!egsaphod from Vt.
I Petersburg to tho uorornor-0 General OF Eastern
Siberia, and money To dcftny the expenso Of
| carrying them Into execution bent by tce-
grnphio transfer to Iakoutsk. The survivors Of
tho Jcapnets6 ought to b0 able to reach fakoutsk
| from tho mouth Of tho Lena 10 a month or six
weeks. II shoy aro physically able to endure
| the hartishtps OF an Arctic sedKo Journey
| FROM 1AfsouTsK TO AMERICA,
they may tako any ono of three different
routes. First, thay may 60 overland 10 st.
| Petersburg, BY Imperial Russian post. via
1Tkoutsk, TonsK, Omsk, Ekatertneburg, md
Moscow; SECOND, they may be sent eastward
across tho stnnvot Mountetas,ln retudcer alcdga,
to tho seaport Of Okhatsk. and thoFo bo called
for naxt summer BY vessel from America; or,
third, they may go UP the Lena by post this
winter, or by steamer In tho spring, and
| thence BY post or Steamer down the
Amoor Ia Niko!oevsk. whore they may bo
callod for as soon nj navigation opena
In the summer BY ono Of our ships trom tho
Aslattc stations. Tho first OF these routes, taxi
| kAk AL tA9 V&4EI uCRNNApAs ~ <AAV 40R8D9Rt
and Involves tho most expense for trnusporta-
tion but. on tho othar hand It Is by far tito most
expeditions In point Of time II LEeutenant-
Commander De Long and his mea. or any part oi
them, should be brought tip tho Lena Nvcr this
wintor In time to leave 1akouts& BY post on the
1st Of February, they could reach Bt. Petersburg
boforo the end OF March. and be In Atncrica be-
forc tho ond Of April. There IL no other ROUTE
by which they could roach this country earcl
| than tnffisymH1cr. cHmo ty most
F1.ot IAKoUTsK 70 ST. PETERSBURG,
In tho winter Of 16G7-'6a. ID forty-fvo travelling
days, and Lieutenant Commander Do Long ant
bis mon, II not broken down In health. could dt
tho same. The Imperial Russian post has stu
tons md relays Of frosh horses every twenty Of
thirty miles throughout the eilt'ro distance be-
| tMe0n lnkoatsk and the Eastern Railway ter
minus Of European Nussia, and travellers hav.
) No difficulty in making from $50 TO 1T5 mile
cvcry twcnty-four hours. Tho cost OF trans
portotion from .1aknutsk to 9t. Petersburg b.
this routo I estimate at $500 for zach man Id
cludlng aubslstenoe. The second route man.
toned, from lakontsk to okhatsk. ncross sht
stanyol Mountains, ID tho shortest rs regard
actuhl distance, hut travel over It Involves I
great deal Of hardship, and am not suro thA
tho transportation facilities which It afford
would meet the requirements Of rs lnras q part,
as TINT Of Lieutenant Commander Do Long. Th
Russian Government relies for transportation
OF its malls over this route upon waudortn
bands Of Tornooz, who Inhabt tho mountains
md who carry coHriers aud travellers from on
OF their cncampmonta to another on roindceE
alodges. The distance FROM .Iakoutsk 10 th
| Okhutsk eeAcoast IL abuut GOO miles, and mad
1t IL the autumn OF 1857, With very bad roads, T.
! swenty.oue days.
THE THIRD ALTERNATIVE ROUTE.
! viz: up tho Lena to Irkputsk, down tho Amoo
to Nlkolaovsk, u entirely practicable. bot
Atrskm
Tho distance, following tho niudfnEs Of th
rivers, IL 200 miles or moro but four fGths 9
it CON be made In summon by ktdaueEs at tn
! tho Lena and Anioor River Navigation Con
pauios. Taking into constdo rntlon the advnI
tagcs aud disadvantages Of the above outline
, | routes, nil nt which I hayo travelled who'll
or In part, 1t seems to mo tho Arst and last III
those from which tho choice should b. mada
II the survivors OF tho Joannctto arrive dt II
koutsk carly enough In the winter, It they al
physically In q at condition to undertake a
overland journey, aud II this Government or ii
ilennett will furnish the necessary means, It
my dudgtncnt thAt Lieutenant Commander
, Loug and hts fnon should come houae throuR
Asia by tho Imperial russian post. II, on Ii
othnr haud, they do not reach Iakoutsk by Fet
ruary, OF, 1t tho!r health aud strength arc nj
suoh as 70 u,nko On overland Journey aafo IN
practicable, they should wait Mt lakoutsk unit
tho opening season OF naylRatlons and then 3
up tho Lena to Iakoutak. and down tho Amoe
to NIkolAeysk By steamer. From N!kolaoys
they eau be brought to America by u ahlp d
tailed for tho purpose.
q ',,s THE EXTEN6E
: Of transporting tho party to America by th
route will not bo half a. Rrcat as that insolvt
in an overland trip to 6f. petorsh,,rg, and Il
mon, 1t they take this oortae, will not ba clll'
upon to suffer ths har3shlps Of another Hnt
Journey In climate OF extraordinary sovcrit
( Should II pe necessary, as It doubtless will i
to cotnuuatoata with Lieutenant Command
Dc Long, after hla arrival at 1akoutsk, tho al
patch can DO sent him by telegraph al far
Irkoutsk, and by courlor from there and "
reach h!ta In about tweRty days. Until tho bh'
Wrecked party Is at l4koutsk, tbero will 10 son
, ground for anxioty, With regard to them, on
count Ut tho physlaal condition to which ta
:. havet doubtlesa,' bean reduced by tho teEr1h
haedah!ps shey havo undergone.
! -. .s. At IAKOuTSK
" however, they will Ind everything which II.
:, need to' restore them to health sud atrongt
| sod <hor 3nnrr1ou t,rn, ri frnh1 tFtlI