2 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



if we view it in the light of a circumnavigation of the old world, 

 had, for thousands of years back, been an object of desire for 

 geographers. I determined, therefore, at first to make use, for 

 this purpose, of the funds which Mr. A. Sibiriakoff, after my 

 return from the expedition of 1876, placed at my disposal for 

 the continuation of researches in the Siberian Polar Sea. For 

 a voyage of the extent now contemplated, this sum, however, 

 was quite insufficient. On this account I turned to His Majesty 

 the King of Sweden and Norway, with the inquiry whether any 

 assistance in making preparations for the projected expedition 

 might be reckoned upon from the public funds. King Oscar, 

 who, already as Crown Prince, had given a large contribution 

 to the Torell Expedition of 1861, immediately received my pro- 

 posal with special warmth, and promised within a short time 

 to invite the Swedish members of the Yenisej expeditions and 

 others interested in our voyages of exploration in the north, to 

 meet him for the purpose of consultation, asking me at the 

 same time to be prepared against the meeting with a complete 

 exposition of the reasons on which I grounded my views — 

 differing so widely from the ideas commonly entertained — of 

 the state of the ice in the sea off the north coast of Siberia. 



This assembly took place at the palace in Stockholm, on 

 the 26th January, 1877, which may be considered the birth- 

 day of the Vega Expedition, and was ushered in by a dinner, to 

 which a large number of persons were invited, among whom were 

 the members of the Swedish royal house that happened to be 

 then in Stockholm ; Prince John OF Glucksburg ; Dr. Oscar 

 DiCKSOX, the Gotheuburg merchant ; Baron F. W. voN Otter, 

 Councillor of State and Minister of Marine, well known for his 

 voyages in the Arctic waters in 1868 and 1871 ; Decent F. R. 

 Kjellman, Dr. A. Stuxberg, the former a member of the expedi- 

 tion which wintered at Mussel Bay in 1872-73, and of that which 

 reached the Yenisej in 1875, the latter, of the Yenisej Expedi- 

 tions of 1875 and 1876 ; and Docents Hjalmar Theel and A. N. 

 LuNDSTROM, both members of the Yenisej Expedition of 1875. 



After dinner the programme of the contemplated voyage was 

 laid before the meeting, almost in the form in which it after- 

 wards appeared in print in several languages. There then arose 

 a lively discussion, in the course of which reasons were advanced 

 for and against the practicability of the plan. In particular the 

 question concerning the state of the ice and the marine currents 

 at Cape Chel3mskin gave occasion to an exhaustive discussion. 

 It ended by His Majesty first of all declaring himself convinced 

 of the practicability of the plaA of the voyage, and prepared 

 not only as king, but also as a private individual, to give sub- 

 stantial support to the enterprise. Dr. Oscar Dickson shared 

 His Majesty's views, and promised to contribute to the not 



