The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-29

| be noted that the advance In this direction was
| facilitated by the course Of the rivers and the
| conilgurntion Of tho country. Though the great
Siberian rivers, the OBJ. tho Yenssei. the Lena
and others flow from south to north, their numer-
GUS nfnucnts, all navigable streams, spread out
cast and west The trifing elevation OF the north
ern plains offers no obstacle TO traders who
desire to pass from ono basin to another Thus
| the Cossacks were able TO drag their boats from
| the right afluents Of tho Oh TO the left ones Of
the Yenissci. and from the right ntnuents OF the
last named river 10 the left aluents OF the Lena,
or the Lena itself. The establishment OF the
Russians on the Yenissc took place about 1920,
and by 1882, the nucleus Of the town Of Yakutsk
was erected on the Lena. The progress oil the
Russians around Lake Baikal near which are stu
ated the headwnters OF the Yeniseei and the Lena,
was much retarded by the stubborn resistance
Of the Buriats Irkutsk now the most impor
tant town in Siberia was not founded until 1851.
or nearly twenty years later than Yakutsk.
In 1845. Michael Stadukhn discovered another
large river the Kolyma, which completed the
series OF Siberian waterways flowing into the
Arctic Ocean Communications with the Kolyma
were maintained by the route from the mouth
OF the Lena The distance between the two rivers
was not very great but was not easily traversed
by the Cossacks, who had TO launch their rude
river boats on the Arctic Ocean. Among the
Adventures who chose the sea as new route
Of discovery, the most remarkable figure is that
of the Cossack DejneiT. lie started from the
mouth Of the Kolyma on Juno 20, 1913, and
managed, with single vessel, to coast around
the whole northeastern corner of Asia He passed
through Behring's Straits eighty years before
the Danish navigator who has given them his
name; he reconnoitrcd the islands opposite the
East Cape and about October reached the mouth
Of the Anadyr which flows into the Pacific. Here
Dejnef struggled through the winter in a zimovie,
or log hut. around which afterwnrd arose the
ostrog, or stockaded town OF Anadyrsk. He
thus founded the most distant Russian settle
mcnt, over 5000 versts from Moscow "a verst
is about two-thirds Of n mile.
While the exploration OF the northeast angle OF
the Asiatic continent going on, the Russians
were slowly establishing themselves on the shore
Of the Sea OF Okhotsk The coast strip between
this seq and the bordering mountains is very mar
row. and, at times. interrupted by water courses
Of torrentlike nature. The only possible means
OF communication between coastwise settlements
was by boats An ostrog stock AIDED settle
ment, was started at a place named Okhotsk.
about 1647, but it was burned seven years later
by the native Tunguses. and not rebuilt until
reinforcements came from Yakutsk. II was only
by long struggle, and after cncountering heavy
losses that the Russians were able TO subdne tho
Tunguses. and secure peace for their settlements
on the Sea of Okhotsk Even worse obstacles
had to be surmounted by the Cossacks in still
more distan! region across the sea, namely. Kam-
chatka. The discovery and conquest OF this lin
sula were duo to Vladimir AtasofI. who in
1895. appointed a tribute collector in the dis
tant ostrog of Anadyrsk. Two years later, Atlas
of started southwark from Anadyrsk with force
Of sixty Cossacks and sixty natives. After a
victory over the Kamchadales, he was exposed
to great danger through a mutiny OF his native
allies, but he persisted In pushing forward. and
traversed the whole peninsula until he reached
Cape Lopatka at its southern extremity On his
return Atasoff built an ostrog on the Kamch atka
River and committed Its defence to garrison Of
sixteen Cossacks, Who however. were soon mas
sacred Order was not finally established in the
remote peninsula until q maritime route across
the Sea OF Okhotsk instead OF the circuitous route
by land. was adopted in INA. The conquest Of
Kamchatka was a detached episode Of the Rus
sian invasion Of Siberia Just as the peninsula
itself is an appendix of the great northern region.
did not take place until fifty years after the rapid
expansion of the Russians in an eastwardly and
enthusiastically direction had been stopped by tho
Arctic Ocean and by Behring Straits even the
Russians Of the time recognized II as an indepen-
dent fact, treating AtlasoG as the discoverer Of a
new land. and not as one of the many contributors
OF the great work Of Yermak The conquest Of the
remote peninsula is also noteworthy because il
marked the last stage Of degeneration Of the Cos
sacks corrupted by constant intercourse with
inferior races during century's march across
the continent 1t should also be borne in mind
that Khnmchatka gave Russia her first port on
the Pacific, Petropavlofsk. and, indeed, her only
one. as both Vladvostok and Port Arthur are
situated on the shores OF the closed seas Of Japan
and China The conquest Of Siberia Excluding
Kamchatka) considered a whole is chiefly
remarkable for its extraordinary rapidity, con-
trasting strongly with the general slowness Of
Russian expansion Ycrmak. as We have SEEN
crossed the Ural toward the end Of 1881. and
tho Cossacks had reached tho Sea OF Okhotsk
in 1896. II was In 1913 that Dcineff doubled the
Fast Cape and discovered Behring Straits The
northern part Of the Asiatic continent was thus
trGversed in less than seventy years. To appre.
cate these facts must keep in view that II took
the people Of the United States nearly two cen
turtles TO reach the Pacific. and the Australians
almost century 10 cross their island. II IL be
said that the attrac tons OF the fur trade explain
the rapid advance IL may he rcioined that the
Hudson Bay Company, formed in 1870 almost lost
its privileges in 1749 for non-use