246 



ALASKA. 



MexeoroJofjkaJ abstract, cjc. — Coutiunetl. 



XoTE.--It will be noticed that I have not spelled the name Bchring in accordance with 

 the usual custom observed by English writers, who have thus given the phonetic value of 

 the Sclavonic characters used by the Eussiaus in writing the name of this celebrated navi- 

 gator : but by reference to the following statement made by Profes.sor Gill, of the Con- 

 gressional Library, it will be seen that the name in question may properly be spelled 

 " Bering.' Professor Gill says : " The name of the navigator which has been conferred on 

 the strait separating America and Asia, is unquestionably spelled Bering and not Beiiuixo. 

 I submit, in explanation, my reasons : 1st. The navigator himself was born in Jutland, antl 

 a .scion of a Danish family, whose members bore the name of Bering, and two represent- 

 atives of which had the same Christian name, viz, (1) Titus Bering, born 1617, died 1675, 

 some time professor of poetry at Copenhagen, and (2) Titus Bering, born 1682, died 1753, a 

 priest of OUerup and Ivirkeby. The form Behring, so far as I can ascertain, is unknown 

 in Denmark, (see Xyerups Dansk-Xorsk Litteratur-lexicon, v. i, pp. 56, 57, 1818.) 2d. The 

 form Bering is almost (but not quite) universally adopted in all non-English works ; for 

 example, Biographic Tniverselle, (Micbaud,) v. 4, p. 261, 1811, also, nouv. ed., v. 4, p. 28, 1854; 

 Xouvelle Biographic Generale, (Hoefer,) v. 5, p. 527, 1855 ; Allgemeine Encyclopiidie der 

 Wissenschaften und Kiinste, (Ersch und Gruber,) v. 9, p. 136, 1822; Xeues Konversations- 

 Lexicon. (Meyers.) v. 3, p. 238, 1862; Deutsch-Amerikanisches Conversations-Lexicon, 

 (Schem.) v. 2, p. 206, 1869, and numerous others. The exceptional cases, e. g. Tierer's Uni- 

 versal Lexicon, Grande Dictionnaire Universelle du xix. siede, &c. In English dictiocarii-s, 

 the true form Bering is adopted in the Brief Biographical Dictionary, by Holes, 1865, and 

 the Dictionary of Biographical Reference, by Phillips, 1871. and is gradually superseding 

 the more familiar English form. An explanation of the reason of the origin of the name 

 Behring is found in the fact that it was originally derived from the Pvussian, without a 

 knowledge of its primitive source, and was the nearest English phonetic expression of the 

 Russian characters. Inasmuch, however, (1) as the original form of a name, without re- 

 gard to its pronunciation, is universally adopted in our biograpliies and bibliographies, and 

 (2) as the original form of the navigator's name was Bering, such is the correct one, and 

 that which must ultimately supersede the other. It need only be added that Bering him- 

 self, and the Ku.ssians universally, (?) adopt that form when writing iu English characters, 

 and that the Russian letter (e) in his name, represented by 'eh,' is especially ordained by 

 the Rnssiaus to be rendered by the Latin character 'e." iu accordance with the pronunciar 

 tiou of the Latin and continental races generally." 



