The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-25
NOVA ZEMBLA UNDER RUSSIA.
The Paternal Government of the Gov
ernor of Archangel.


| ernor of Archangel.
Nova Zembla-that long island divi-
| ded by the three narrow straits, the
Yongoiski, the Kara Gates and the Ma
| tostchin Shar Cor straits), from Wal
| gatz Island and the mainland of Rus
| STA, stretching from seventy degrees to
! seventy-seven degrees north latitude, off
| the coast of Siberia in Europe and ly-
| ing right between those two vast, drea-
| ry, dangerous, icechoked seas the Bar
ents and the Kara (this latter we'll
called by DR.. Nansen the ice cellar of
the World)-this land to most persons
conjures up visions Of men in fur, Arc
tic expeditions, sledges ships crushed,
and a thousand horrors, not, as my trip
was, summer picnic in fine mail
boat of twenty five hundred tons, with
a French cook and a well stocked cell
lar and band to play at dinner. But
this was the experience of the author
when in 1896 he visited the island on
board the Russian mail steamer Lo-
monosof, chartered by the Governor of
Archangel-"the Father of Nova Zem-
bla," as he is called by the Samoyads,
Alexander Platonovitch Englehardt'
(the beloved, as he is called by all.s
Up to 1872 Nova Zembla was No
Mans Land, or was only the land of the
bear, reindeer and walrus, and an occa-
sional band of extra bold Waigatz or
arberona SamOyads who visited its
shores to hunt, Or rarer still, scienti-
fic expedition But in 1873 it was taken
by Russia and placed under the HUI
name society, which built three huts at
cost of four hundred pounds, and put
six months food there, in case Of re-
qurement by the Russian or Norwe-
gian walrus hunters, who annually Wis
tied its shores, and who might be, as
they often are, shipwrecked and bound
to winter in this desolate land, where
it is perpetual darkness from Novem-
Der 10 to February l, and perpetual day
from May rs to July IS, when the sun
never sinks. It's climate is one long
winter and some of the bays and in
let's never thaw, and on the land lies
Gin spite of it's southerly degree) eter-
nal snow; its summer temperature Is
one degree to three degrees r., and its
winter temperature sixty degrees r.,
and in autumn rain deluges every val
ley and floods are the order of the day
But in November, 1892, Nova Zembla
was put under official Russian rule-i
e., under the protectorate of the goven-
ment of Archangel, and at first all ex-
penses We're paid by the state. Now it
pays itself well, for on that date the
government shipped three families of
Samoyads from the Plethora to Nova
Zembla, numbering eighty-eight souls;
in 1898 there were one hundred and
twenty, one Russian priest, and an I'M
qualified peasant doctor (called a fell
cher) There are now two settlements,
the largest. Karmenkula, consisting of
three big wooden houses, a church,
wooden parsonage, a store, a bath and
six to twelve chooms, or native skin
wigwam- like huts. The other settle
ment, purely native one, consists of
chooms only, eight in number. 1t is a
few miles from the entrance of the
Matostchin Shar, that curious natural
canal or strait dividing the island into
two great halves.
Now vessel visits this island twice
a year-in July and September-an
stays day or two at each settlement.
Barring that, and between those times,
lIGlt is uO WudltNGL
with the mainland, for no one is al
lowed to land without a special permit.
This is to discourage what used to hap
pen in the old days when foreign fish
ing boat would land, and after dosing
the Samoyads with brandy, would in
duce them to part with all their years
catch for a few more bottles of ''vod-
ka" to continue their bust" on; so
now the governor, when he cannot go
himself, sends his secretary every year
to negotiate with them.
The product of each mans hunting is
taken to Archangel, and an account in
his name is kept at the bank. If he Is
poor or unlucky, the governor helps
him; If not, he gets his money, and
can, through the secretary, order what |
he wants up to his balance, the goods |
being brought to him next voyage. To |
show their income, for example, one |
the champion hunter-on my visit had |
seven hundred rubles (seventy pounds) |
as the result of his years work, and |
the least prosperous-a lazy n1an-had |
fifty kopeclSs Zone shilling). Each af-
ter the sale of his skins, was told his |