The Evening critic., 1882-02-09

THE JOURNEY before the two young naval
officers recently detailed to assist in the
search for the Jeanette survivors is, all
things considered, the most formidable
undertaking of the kind possible in any
explored part of the globe. Their destina-
tion is the town Of Yakutsk, the capital of
Eastern Siberia, situated on the Lena River,
in latitude $50 north and longitude 130 east
from Greenwich. The route of travel is as
follows: From New York to st. Petersburg
by steamship and railway; from St. Peters
burg to Ekaterinburg, at the eastern base
of the Ural Mountains also by rail, the
whole distance being not far from 1000
miles, or twice across the American conti-
nent. Seven thousand miles, even by
steam, is long road to travel. But when
this is accomplished and Ekaterinburg
reached, the real difficulty of the journey
is fairly begun.
At that point modern modes of convey
ance end and recourse must be had to the
facilities of the Imperial Russian post-route,
which cover stretch of nearly four thou
sand miles more by the simple sledge drawn
by horses or reindeer. From Ekaterinburg to
Tobolsk, the capital of Western Siberia, the
road is good, particularly in winter, and as
Lieut.. Harber and his companion will
probably traverse this part of their route
during the month of March--when the
Siberian winter is in full blast-the journey
will be not altogether unpleasant. From
Toboisk to Tomsk, thence to Krasnoiarsk
and thence to Irkutsk, the Imperial post
sledges are hauled partly by reindeer and
partly by horses, and, if the spring is late
the journey will still be as favorable as the
unbroken snow of Siberian winter can
make sledge travelling in the latter part of
March and early April. But from Irkutsk
to Yakutsk "a distance of nearly 1000 miles,
the trip must be made during the transition
period between winter and summer travel,
which, as all who have ever traveledlin ST.
IBERIA bear concurrent witness, is as disagree
blea state of things as can be imagined.
Leaving Irkutsk the route skirts the north
western bank of Lake Baikal to the town
of Litoy, at the northeastern end of that
inland sea, distance of several hundred
miles. This, one of the best of snow roads in
the heart of winter, is described by Erman,
Atkinson, Hill and other Siberian trav.
elers as terrible during the spring thaws.
From Litoy the route crosses a wide, barren
steppe some 500 miles to Vitimsk, situated
at the confluence of the Vitim and Kiren
rivers, which there form the Lena. From
Vitimsk to Yakutsk, nearly thousand
miles, the route follows the left bank of
the Lena, the travel in winter being on the
ice, by sledge, which makes il at that sea-
&c la g 4I,a
journey; but in the spring, when the sledge
roads are breaking up, and before the ice
has run out of the river, the thousand
miles between Vitimsk and Yakutsk must
traversed principally upon the backs of
reindeer, a mode of transit of which Erman,
Atkinson, Bush and other Siberian travel
ers have given in their published works
very disagreeable impressions.
In short, the whole trip amounts to half
the circuit of the globe, nearly fve-sevenths
of the travel being by land and more than
half of that by the most primitive convey
ances.
Finally, when they have arrived at
Yakutsk the intrepid rescuers will still
have about thousand miles more to travel
down the Lena River before reaching the
field Of search; but for this part of the way
they will enjoy comfortable little steam
boat, provided in advance by the Russian
authorities.
The country through which Lieut.. Har-
Der and his companions are to travel forms
a field of the most absorbing interest to the
student of history and science. But less
has been written about it than about any
other region. Some years ago we under.
took to make collection of works on 81.
IBERIA and it was not long until we discov
cred that not more than twenty books hai
been written about it, most of which were
notes of rapid travel by fur traders o.
special scientists, which served mainly h
excite an appetite for more satisfactor,
knowledge of the country and its quee
inhabitants. So far as our research en-
ables us to judge, no compre
hensive work on the social his
tory of Siberia and its people ha
ever been written. Even Central Africa
impenetrable as its Businesses are TO civil
ization and forbidding as is the savager
Of its inhabitants, has received ten time
the literary attention that has been bl
slowed upon Siberia though there can
no comparison between the two in point {
historical, scientific or social interest. W
hope that Lieut.. HARDER, who is an acut
observer and an accomplished writer, will
after discharging the humane duty upo
which ba is 1ataiIad he tarrnitfad tn N.