New-York tribune., 1882-03-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA

nv otaal
Co 1882 Crown octave. pp aoo. ,vns Wos NV ~
portraits numerous maps and illustrauoh''
First Notice.
r,;s volnme ;s as scientific in its method Of pre-
~oro,iop as practical and definite In scope ana as
,horongb in all details of execution as the expeo
t;on of which il is an exhaustive record, and con-
seonently. il is as completely successful "o'A
ewbodyInC one half, one-Quarter or even one
ss~s,,, ~ the research and erudtion with which
these pages are trimming would have lustinou
nonnlar expectation. But nothing short OF a com
nlete record of the expedition In it's relations 10
previous explorations and to the existing cohui
tiops of geographical and scientific Rhowleoge
,vonld have satisfied so conscientious and lnueiat-
;obla n scientist as Baron NordenskiOld Regarding
with nardonable pride the opening OF the Northeast
Passage as the elimination OF centuries OF hulnan
eeort he determined to llarge the recital ol MS
own voyage until II should be at once ie'ie" vi
all that has been DONE from the ninth or 'enth
century TO the present tine to dehne ana explore
the norti ern edge of the Old World, and also SUM-
-, of all that is now known to science respecting
,hot ouarter of the earth. The volume is thus an
od.ouate record of the crownng geographical
aehieyem ent of modern times
The mechanical execution of "A work when
will have permanent value in the history oil Arctlc
exuloraton is all that could be reasonably askeu
of n book.maker. The two volumes OF the origlhal
London edition have been brought within a single
public. The paper and letter-press are excellent
'rbe wood cut illustrations are characterized Oy
clearness of design and accuracy of execution, the
hnlk of the engraving being done in Stockholm
There are 29S of these. many of them OF hlgh
order of merit, and those which are based upon
photographs taken, or drawings made py the ON
GERS and scientific corps of the vessel being remark
ably spirited. There are also five steel portraits
engraved in London, OF Baron NordensRiolu' Zap
tain PaIander and the three patrons OF the eApeul-
tion King Oscar Oscar Dickson ana a. SloirlakoH
which are of rare beauty and exceptional hnsh
There are len autographed maps. the most mpor-
tant heing an elaborate outline i'll two sheets oil the
North Coast of the Old World from Norway TO
Rebrng Strait. This gives the track OF the " cga'
with its position from day TO day. together Win 'he
soundiucs taken and the rectiicatlons IN tho nus
sian charts which rendered necessary oy Tue
observations made during the voyage uhIortu-
,oteIv the exploration OF Wrangell Island 10y the
Rodgers last summer was not made III the 10 olsPei
the illusions respecting its extent which are
.,,relv indicated in this map. but in all other re-
spects it is the only chart that gives an approx
matelv correct outline of the north coast OF ASIA
Thc diaicultles of translation have been almost
wholly mastered by Alexander Leslie. The strain
md nressure of the process sometimes Indicated
nv lack of balance in sentences. and occasionally
Nv the use of an Informed word like sell dead'
which Is applied to SEAL walrus or birds which nave
met with natural DEATH but these instances OF
defective style are extremely rare.
Passing now to a critical examination OF the
contents. we find ourselves under the necessity oil
1i,,io,nc tbe volume into the four books which in
reality II comprises. The lines of division are not
followed y the author in the successive chapters OF
his work but if they can be artihcially marked
ont and constantly kept in mind, the variety ol
+onics and the thOroughueSs of treatment VIII be
more readily appreciated These natural divisions
are: l. The narrative Of the Vegas voyage-the
Northeast passage. the wintering and the return
q An historical sketch of previous explorations on
the northern coast of Europe and Asia 3. con-
tIibuton to comparative sociology in the form OF a
detailed account of the habits traits language ana
probable origin of the native races OF Northern
Sileria A. A summary of scientific knowledge
,clatnp 10 land air. water. ice and organic life IN
that quarter of the Arctic world. together WIN q
practical manual on the organization and CONNER
cial results of exploring EXPEDITIONS conducted as
this was for definite purpose on a thoroughly
scIentinc basis.
Could anything be simpler or more unaffected
than the recital of this memorable cruiser Inc
p}ain facts are given without rhetorical embellish
ment and personal DEF ails and incidents OF moment
ary interest are rigidy suppressed In this way
space is husbandcd for scientific and historical
dipressions which make every chapter permanently
valuable Baron Nordenskiold is a most serious
explorer He is too thoroughly i'll earnest to waste
time or space in ornamenting hls narrative with en-
Ivering epjsodes or pictorial effects. When the two
boat-loads of honest savages board the vesSel-the
FIRST bnman beings who have been seen IN the long
stretch of coast from Taimur Bay to Cape Che
,ocsko-tbe whole crew rushed on deck, with the
execution of the cook, " who could be induced by
no catastrophe to leave his pots and pans, and who
had cIcumnaveated Asia and Europe perhaps
without having been once on land" such GRIM
rleasantrv as this is very unusual. Few glimpses
are afforded of the Vegas gun-roOm ana the per-
sonal characterstics of those who occupied 1t. The
by-play is left out; the real work is quietly and
unerringly recorded.
The origin. plan and outfit of the expedition being
concisey explained in the introduction the North
east passage is recCunted in portions OF seven chap
ters. with numerous and protracted dgresslons.
The Vega lett KarlsBrona on June %, 1878, and
ofter stoppinQ at Copenhagen and Gothenburg
completed its equipment at TrOmsoe on July Il. III
was here that Baron NOrdenskOld assumed COM
mand Of the Swedish expedition. The vessel Ieit
the harbor in company with the Lena. which was
destined to be the first ship 10 reach the river OF
that namo from the Atlantic; and third steamer,
the Fraser and sailing vessel, the Express which
were bound for the mouth of the lenlsej, were al
ready on their Yugor Schar at the entrance OF
the Kara Sea- wheIe they had been ordered TO await
the arrival OF the other steamers. The first stage
of the Journey, $50 miles, occupied nine days
owing 10 serious detention in the harbor OF
Maosoe the most norhery postoffice in the world
q The conrse had been shaped for OooSeland the
southern quarter of Novaia Zemlya and thence
along Yaygats Island to Yugor Schar the strait sep
arating tho islands from the mainland. some ue-
tention was caused here by the backwardness OF the