324 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



the most northerly point of Asia, and had safely reached 

 the mouth of the Lena, the news having been conveyed by 

 a small steamer up the river Lena to Yakutsk, and thence 

 by Russian post to Irkutsk, a distance of 2400 miles. Let- 

 ters from the members of the expedition, dated August 27, 

 confirm this information, and state that during the voyage 

 many islands were* discovered and located, the coast-line of 

 Siberia examined and the charts corrected, numerous meteor- 

 ological observations made, and other valuable scientific in- 

 formation collected. It was then hoped by Professor Nor- 

 denskjold and his officers that a few weeks would suffice to 

 reach their next point, in Japan ; but it appears that the ship 

 has been stopped by the ice and compelled to spend the 

 winter to the westward of Behring's Strait, some of the 

 Tchuktchi Indians having reported a vessel embayed about 

 forty miles from East Cape. If the expedition has really 

 reached as far as reported, there is hardly a doubt that by 

 July, when the ice usually breaks up, the eastern passage 

 w T ill be an achieved fact. As they were well fitted for en- 

 countering an Arctic winter, no anxiety need be felt for their 

 safety. The passage of Cape Cheljuskin has been vainly at- 

 tempted for centuries, but always hitherto by sailing-vessels. 



The labors of the Norwegian North Atlantic Expedition 

 in the Vdringen, which have continued during the last three 

 years, have been brought to a close. Commencing the work 

 of the summer by sounding, trawling, and dredging in some 

 of the northern fjords of Norway, the first line of deep-sea 

 soundings was made towards Bear Island, returning when 

 necessary to Ilammerfest for coal ; two more cruises were 

 made during the summer, making numerous soundings, 

 temperature observations, and dredgings in the neighbor- 

 hood of Spitzbergen and Bear Island. On September 4 the 

 Voringcn returned to Bergen, having, during the three sum- 

 mers, made 375 soundings and 113 serial temperature ob- 

 servations. 



The officers of the expedition speak highly of a new deep- 

 sea thermometer made by Messrs. Negretti & Z am bra. The 

 general results of the current observations for the three 

 years have not yet been published ; but Dr. Mohn states 

 that on the 80th parallel of latitude the warm Atlantic current 

 was found still running to the northward, while north and 



