New-York tribune., 1882-03-12

his uneasy out to sea IN order 10 lhscs.s to
what remarkable guests had now for the hrst umG n5
come to his kingdom. boat was put OH 10 Nh Nh
him. Brusewtz was the chosen shot, put on .n,s @
occasion the bear took care not TO form any S .%a
acquaintance with our guns. The nring VI tI TiJ
salute put him thoroughly to hight tnaa nc J a
not as bears wont, return the following r uay'
which bav divides into two. the eastern arm pro
ectipg little farther to the north than t1e VS. W.,
ridge of hills with gently siop'ng S % annears
into the land from the eastern point ana 3P1bt Of
within sight of the western 10 reacn a tba snm
800 metres. Like the plains lying below rhe niy sun,
mts of this range nearly free Oh snoM. "a iy
on the hill sides or in deep furrows e3ch.aGou ,I IS
the streams of melted snow. ana III ui1oo go - VA
plains largo white snow neins oss W o oIon% the
shore But no glacier rolled its bush-wmte ice,
masses down the mountain Sides ana no ,niu .n,aHu
lakes no perpendicular cliffs, no hlgh MOUNTAIN
smm,its a te anv natural beauty to the landscape,
which was the most mOnotonOus ana lhe lhos' uo'o
late | have seen in the ftlgn Nortn'
According to the plan of the voyage the course
was TO be shaped directly from Cape Chelyuskln 10
the New Siberian Islands in the expectation that
groups of islands might be discovered on the pas
sage For two days the explorers went forward in
that diIec lion, but there was so much Ice and the
fog was so dense that the course was changed. The
coast was followed southwark to PreObraschenle
Island and thence eastward to a point opposite the
mouths of the Lena, which was reached on August
27-765 miles from Cape Cheyuskin. Here the
vessels parted company, the Lena ascending the
river s far as Yakntz and the Vega continuing her
course eastward. Semenoffskoj and StolDovoJ
Islands of which the Jeannette's boats were sepa"
rated by gale last September, were easily passed
late in August. and Ljachoi1's Island was subse-
quently discovered 10 be tolerably free from ice
From these southernmost islands of the siberian
group the course was shaped for the Bear Islands
and Irkaipil or Cape North, the last point being
| 26O miles from tho months of the Lena 1his
beadland was reached September u. By that
time new ice beginning to form, ana progress
which had been unimpedcd by the old ice so long
as they followed the coast had become very
laborious During the next ten days they ad-
yancel 235 miles to an open rOadstead beyond
Kolyutschin Bay.
1t was here that the Vega suddenly went into
winter quarters within less than 200 miles OF Behr
ing STRAIT. The was covered during the hlght
of September % with thin sheet of newly frozen
ice which bound together the fields of drift ice col
lected of the coast so firmly that the Vega could
not force her way through them. Remembering
that American @halers had frequently renamed III
these waters as late as the middle OF October
Baron Nordensliod was not at first disconnected by
the delay expecting that the belt of ice about SIX
and a half miles in breadth which barred his way
would be broken up by southerly wind; but
when fortnight passed without bringing the Vega
release from her ICY fetters he reluctantly made
preparations for wntering. What rendered the
detention peculiarly eXasperaing was the fact that
il could have been avoided so easily II the danger
had been apprehended, or if a little time had been
saved The Vega would have proceeded on her
course if she had reached the eastern side of
Kolyutschin Bay some hours earlier; and this time
might easily have been saved at Port Dickson
Toimar Island. the New Siberian Islands or at
Irkapii Consoling themselves with the reflection
that il was an accidental misfortune brought about
bv the unusual state of the ice in the North Behrng
Sea- the officers made preparations for wlnterlng
that WAS to last ten months lacking only ten days
A less serious man than the author could not nave
resisted the opportunity of giving an entertaining
account of the wlnteTng. after the manner OF pop
uar writer's on Arctic exploration lie devoteS,
however a single chapter to it, contcnting himself
with describing with the utmost gravity the nature
Of the surrounding country the Intercourse carried
on with the natives, the health diet, and dress OF
the ships company, the extremes of temperature
and the excursions scientific work and occupations
nv which the mOnotony of so pTOtracted a soIOurn
on so bleak and barren waste was rendered endur-
able. While the weather was unusually stormy
the winter was not nearly so cold as the winters IN
the Franklin Archipelago or III the mainland OF
Siberia. The extremes Of temperature observed
were AZ degrees below zero OH January 2j and 43
degrees below on February 2. The health of all on
board was excellent. Holidays and birthdays were
duly observed, and on Christmas Eve drttwood
stem artifcally branched with willow bushes was
illuminated with wax lights and decked with flags
aud varlegated strips of paper The leaders Of the
expedition were evidently too wise and too serious
to devise effective schemes of recreation. There
were scientific lectures III the gunr0om; there was
industrious reading and Jealous study, n large
library being at the disposal OF the company; but
there were no amateur tncaricas and concerts, nor
anv of the ordinary devices for willing away ttec-
dous hours of Arctic confinement If the ohcers were
at loss 10 amuse themselves and the crew they knew
how TO busy themselves in scientific work and also
how to make themselves as comfortable as the cir
cumstances permitted. The course OF everyday
life is described with considerable ANIMATION IN one
of the home-etters cited in this chapter the scene
opening with the smoking promenade on deck alter
breakfast and the eye resting desolate family
lighted landscape, with the mercury at .thlrty-hVe
degrees below zero:
The daily market begins. They have various
things to offer, which they know to be of value to
us, as weapons, furs ornaments, playthlngs, hsh;
bones of the whale, alg@ vegetables eIc' for an
this only "kauka" is now asked. Today the
supply of whales bones is large In consequence OF
our desire, expressed on previous DAYS 10 oDrit
II EN-. One has come with two VertebI&, one WIN
a rib or some fragments of II, one with shoulder
blade They are not shy in laying heavy loads on
their dogs. After the close OF the promenade and
the traffic with the natives, the gumOOm personnel
have begun their labors. Some keep in their
cabins others in the gunroOm itself. The magnet
zeal and meteorological observations made the day
before are Transcribed aud subjected to prellmi-
nary wOrkingout, the natural history collections
are examined and looked over, studies and anthor-
slim are prosecuted. The work is now and then
interrupted by conversation partly serious, partly
ocular From the engine-TOOm in the neighborhood
we hear the blows OF hammers and the raSpng ol
files. In the 'tweendecks, pretty well heated, but
not very well lighted, some OF the crew are EN-
poycd at ordinary ships work and III the region
nf he cook
preparations for dinner. He is in good humor rs
usual but perhaps grmbes a little at the