86 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



nothing to suit them and are hanging around in a state 

 of indecision. 



[to HON. R. W. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.] 



Arctic Steamer Jeannette, Ounalaska Island, 



August 4, 1879. 



The revenue cutter Rush, during her visit to St. 

 Michael's and her cruise to the northward, passed 

 through Behring Strait, some twenty miles to the 

 northward and eastward of East Cape in Siberia, with- 

 out having encountered any ice Avhatsoever. Suppos- 

 ing that Professor Nordenskjold had already passed 

 south, no communication was had by the Rush with St. 

 Lawrence Bay. No communication from St. Lawrence 

 Bay had been received at St. Michael's at the date of 

 the sailing of the Rush on the 23d July, and conse- 

 quently there was no knowledge of the safety or move- 

 ments of Professor Nordenskjold's party. It was my 

 intention originally, as communicated to you in my let- 

 ter of July 8th, to stop at St. Paul's Island, after leav- 

 ing this place; but as the fur clothing which I was to 

 have received at that place can be furnished here, I 

 have concluded to proceed directly to St. Michael's in 

 Alaska, leaving here on Wednesday morning, the 5th 

 August. From all the intelligence received from the 

 northward it appears that the last winter has been an 

 exceptionally mild one, and that no obstruction to nav- 

 igation in the shape of ice has been encountered. I 

 can but deplore that the necessity of loading the ship 

 so deeply at San Francisco has made our progress thus 

 far so slow, owing also to head winds and swell, as to 

 make it doubtful whether we shall be able or not to 

 profit by the open water in the Arctic Sea in our efforts 



