New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-17

and Vancouver, the English Navigators; Gray, !
Drake, Jedyard ana other Soldiers of Fortune
1 VIII me t Mef S9as s on by IA =
syo. pp. xviii Sss The Macmillan Company.
Miss Laut in her new book has written a
worthy companion to her entertaining volume, |
The Pathfnders of the West''-the stories Of the
men who went exploring from the East west
ward. Now she relates the adventures of the
men who came from the West eastward sailing
across unknown seas some as discoveries, others
SIS fur hunters and traders Whichever was their
main object, they We're likely to engage to t
greater less extent in the other enterprise
Boring, the pioneer of North Pacific Coast adj
venturers, was commissioned by Peter the Great
to embark On voyage OF exploration only; but
his discovery of the habitat OF the sea otter,
among the Commander Islands, gave an i'm
mediate impulse to private endeavors; SO that to
secure monopoly. or, at least, a share, Of the
fur trade was the underlying if not the leading
motive IN most Of the later voyages, whether
undertaken by individuals, companies govern
nents. Picturesque and exciting as the expert
ences Of these daring navigators would read in a
bare recital of the facts, they lose nothing Of
their romantic quality in Miss Laut's vivid and
appreciative narrative She has sought her in
formation at first sources, but her rendering of
It retains no suggestion Of the dust or mould Of
The library Her presentation of laboriously
gathered facts has all the appeal Of a spon-
taueous product Of the imagination.
The motive that next to the fur trade, AMI
mated the efforts Of the early Pacific svoyagers
WIS the discovery of a northeast passage from
that ocean to the Atlantic; and although Be
rings III fated expedition proved, at least TO It's
members that no such open water ehannei eA-
listed his conclusions We're rejected, and the
search was persistently renewed by other men
and other countries, until Vancouver finally
settled its non-existence practicable water
Bay The energy expended in looking for TINS
mythical short cut was, however, far from
: wasted Through it the Pacific Coast OF NORTH
America was thoroughly explored and charteo'
and conflicting claims of rival nations 10 lhe1
8 vast territory finally adjusted In more than
one instance disastrous failure LED 10 results u
worldwide importance.
Take the case Of Boring. With St Petersburg
Is base he traversed two continents and sailed
T from Kanchatka to find a northeast passage
and 2 s7Ipposititious "Gamaiand" lying between
:. Asia and America He discovered neither lor
j neither existed and persisted ruiserahly IN the
attempt But he discovered Alaska "a country
IS large as from Maine to Florida or Baltimore
IN Texas with a river comparable only to the
NTfssissinpi The furs of this country for
q single wear more than paid all that Russia
snent TO discover it all that the United States
later paid to Russia for it, Then there was
I.edyard the boy from Groton- College bred IN
tended first for the law, then for the ministry,
the seq and he served as corporal of marines on
the Revolution under Cook On his third voyage
and WAS present at his captains death His am
bition was to explore the unknown coast Lolh
New snafn to Alaska and to acquire 1t for ms
own country Robert Morris, Paul Jones and
T47o-nas Jefferson encouraged him; but no snip
was forthcoming SO he decided TO tramp II
ac-oss the two Siberias On foot, and to chance
# over the Pacific Ocean IN Russian fur trao-
Ing vessel IL Jefferson could obtain PERMISSION
from the Russian Empress AeanWnue1 Oue
soldier of fortune without money or INFLUENCE
he lived on terms of intimacy with the Iasnlon
of Paris He actually got as far as HkuIsk-
and although by that time penniess, he Woulo
have persisted had he not been arrested on q
tr1Iulped I'D charge and reconducted TO *
Petersburg. Yet his madcap venture and coh-
tagfous enthusiasm were the inspiration TO Jei-
ferson of the Lewis and Clark expedition VIII
. al its significant results
The two most romantic figures In the chrohlcieS
Of West Coast exploration and adventure are
T,ervowslryg the Polish pirate, and Sir FRANCIS
Drake the English one, although their discoV-
cries were incidental to less worthy PURSUITS ana
OF little geographical Importance BenyoWsky' q
a political exile to Siberia by means Of forged
letters secured his transportation to BolcheresK'
Farucbafks incited q uutiny. captured the STA
s7oT shin .csoasted Alaska far as kaolaks