New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-09


p,or ,hc Creat who first conceived the AMBITIOUS
nroiect which Bering in the face OF almost over
,rbelming difficulties was TO undertake; pub the
Russa of Peters time, and for many generations
thereafter. WINS far too backward TO deal lnteli-
gentlv with geographical problems, even IL the
administration Of the country had not Doeh SO
hopelessy corrupt and inefficient as to renaer the
most precise and stringent OF Government orders
virtually futile Mr.. Lauridsen has here under
taken 10 vindcate Behring'S memory and fame
against the msstatemens Of his earlier biographies
and of the cabinet geographers who stayed al
home and contested the accuracy OF all discover
les which FLASHED in any way with the 1ahths.io
cartography they had evolved from general Ig-
norance and special fancies. 1t is neither neccs
sary nor desirable 10 follow Mr. Laurldsen IN MS
detailed analysis of the events OF Berhgs hrsV
expedition TO discover the Northwest rassase'
is enough to state that the navigator maue ouo
partial investigation; that he turned pack-it "nV
ters little for what reason-when fcw days sail
inc in the Same direction would almost certainly
have settled the question that the sciohsts OF the
St Petersburg Academy at once fell FOUL OF MS
report because things as they existed proved II
rooonoilobla with the crude guesses OF the DE
UIs,oe-a family of sham geographers who had oo'
,aipcd wholly undeserved standing ana authority
and that moor Boring, after going through much
hardship. found himself disbeeved snuoped anu
put down. ,.a;.;o,, 10
The history of the second or great ehpeui'ioh Is
bighlv interesting, though from the NATURE Vi 'no
conditions under which it was orsanHeu' ~ az
complished CON paratiyey little. lidu DEFINE oe,n
rermitteI 10 have his own way, the reeu's "oui'
have been very different, Tor ne khe" "n"V III
,,'an,od and no had shrewd idea of the way TO
r.
Start ont from Kamchatlia tC explore and chart
~. ,,os,orr coost of America and establish COM
mercial relations with that country. thence 10
,;sit Jonan and Anon for the same purpose ana
erollv m chart either by land or sea, the Arctic
ooost of Siberia. namely, from the Obi to the
Lana Through these three enterprises and MS
Ever ovpedition. il was Behring'S object 80 fill
a.. ,.ocort snace on his chart between the known
west and the known east-betwecn the Nara Sea
aud rho Japan Islands lie refused to corroDorate
his first observations by again WISHING 'he same
localities and he rightly concluded that absolute
nroof Of the separation OF the continents would
be ascertained if the American coast were cha'C u.
At this time the Russian party iaNorlhg Ieer
policv was in power Il 100 under Anne Naho'h"
The EXPANSION and aggrandizement OF Russia were
aimed at and therefore the idea OF the great eA
nedition was eagerly taken up. The Admiralty
,ho conoto and the Academy however combined
70 divest il of the elements OF success Dy the
u,ost foolish and mischevous meddng and
muddlinp. Each Of these bodies kept adding to
the work Of the expedition until the burden I'M
posed on Bering, who was to be ltS noinlial chei
was altogether ntolerable. In the hrst place u
was TO colonize the Siberian coast, to establish
iron works and shipyards and other industries
In the second place it was to chart the Oid World
from Archangcl to Nipon-even to MeXlco-and the
Academy insisted upon scientlnc exploration VI
the whole of Northern Asia
The sham geographer Joseph De L'Isle was
ordered TO draft Il graphic account of the existing
knowledge of the North Pacific and to furnish
Bcrinp memoir. instructing him how TO find
America from the East But it would not be
nossibe even 70 outline here the enormous and
wholly im unavoidable scheme which these learned
men devised and elaborated. 1t must suffice to
saw that al the expeditions TO start ont from
the creat Siberian rivers, the Dwina, the Obi and
the Lena and that Siberia had to be crossed by
the expedition and several ships and many boats
had TO he built on the coast before real be-
ginning could be made. Preliminary orders OF
the most extensive kind were dispatched 10 the
Siberian authorities 10 prepare PROVISIONS
transportation and men on grp"'
scale To these orders the siberian
authorities paid not the least attention. nor conld
they he spurred into action for two years there-
after As if TO render any prospect OF Success
quite hopeless the command was DIVIDED be'lhR
had no control over the scientific department. ana
even in naval affairs he was compelled 70 hold
councils with his subordnates before undertaking
ANYTHING important. An enormous quantity OF
baggage was collected by the scientific members
of the expedition. There were for instance, scores
Of wagon loads of astronomical Instruments All
this had 10 be transported across Siberia, IN The
absence Of roads, over mountains, streams ana
plains. and without the help which the Govern
ment had called on the Siberian authorities 10
furnish.
II was tremendous task and necessarily oc-
cupied long time Not only all the commits ariat
but all the rigging guns and metal work for the
ships and boats TO he constructed after reaching
the coast had TO he ragged all the way-evcn to
the anchors. Then Boring soon found that no
dependence could be placed upon the ulases OF
the Government, which were calmly ignored at
that distance from Petersburg. All Siberia kne"
that the executive was mpotcnt in that Wilderness
and as the expedition threatened to be costly and
troublesome il was hindered MS much as possible
instead Of being assisted The labor Of Rering
during that frightful land journey would have
made the reputation Of any man at the present
time. but in the eighteenth century and in Russia
they either counted for nothing or they brought
The leader into disrepute for he was held response
bic for all the delays and dsappointments spring
ing from the natural difficulties of the enterprise
and the faithlessneSs and incfliciency Of the
Sibcrians and his own subOrdinaes II is to be
wished that a detailed narrative Of that long, pain
full, hrart-breaking journey could now be con-
structld from the Russian archives As it is, one
can only gather the nature Of the trials and suf-
feringS experienced in general way. The
Arctic coast at length reached, long time had 10
be occupied in building ships and fitting them,
supply depots, etc, and when finally
The various expeditions were ready, Boring had the
modification Of realizing that he was fatally