THE SIBERIAN ISLANDS 107 



ice ancient enough to carry a deep covering of moss. 

 Though he stated that other islands could be made 

 out in the distance, nothing was done to verify his 

 discoveries, real or imaginary, until thirty years had 

 passed, when Thaddeus and Stolbovoi were reached. 

 Next year (1806) New Siberia, to the eastward, was 

 discovered by Sirovatskof. and two years afterwards 

 Bjelkof was added to the southerly portion of the 

 archipelago. 



In 1809 Hedenstrom, assisted by Sannikof, began 

 his series of surveys extending over all these, and 

 cleared up much of the mystery concerning them. 

 From Thaddeus, Sannikof sighted, away to the north- 

 ward, what is now known as Bennett Island ; and, 

 from New Siberia, Hedenstrom sighted Henrietta and 

 Jeannette Islands, and set out for them, and would 

 have reached them had his sledges not been stopped by 

 open water. Like his predecessors he was astonished 

 at the mammoth remains on Liakhoff Island. 



According to his account, "these bones or tusks 

 are less large and heavy the further we advance 

 towards the north, so that it is a rare occurrence on 

 the islands to meet with a tusk of more than 108 Ibs. 

 in weight, whereas on the continent they are said often 

 to weigh as much as 432 Ibs. In quantity, however, these 

 bones increase wonderfully to the northward, and as 

 Sannikof expresses himself, the whole soil of the first 

 of the Liakhoff Islands appears to consist of them. 

 For about eighty years the fur-hunters have every 

 year brought large cargoes from this island, but as yet 

 there is no sensible diminution of the stock. The 

 tusks on the islands are also much more fresh and 



