14 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



There are, besides these, only three sea voyages, or perhaps 

 more correctly coast journeys, known in this part of the Kara 

 Sea, all under the leadership of the mates Minin and Sterlegoff. 

 The first attempt was made in 1738 in a "double sloop," 70 feet 

 long, 17 broad, and 7^ deep, built at Tobolsk and transported 

 thence to the Yenisej by Lieutenant Owzyn. With this vessel 

 Minin penetrated off the Yenisej to 72° 53' N. L. Hence a jolly 

 boat was sent further towards the north, but it too was com- 

 pelled, by want of provisions, to return before the point named 

 by me, Port Dickson, was reached. The following year a new 

 attempt was made, without a greater distance being traversed 

 than the summer before. Finally in the year 1740 the Russians 

 succeeded in reaching, with the double sloop already mentioned, 

 75° 15' N. L., after having survived great dangers from a heavy 

 sea at the river mouth. On the 2nd September, just as the 

 most advantageous season for navigation in these waters had 

 begun, they returned, principally on account of the lateness of 

 the season. 



There are, besides, two statements founded on actual observa- 

 tions regarding the state of the ice on this coast. For Midden- 

 dorff, the Academician, during his famous journey of exploration 

 in North Siberia, reached from land the sea coast at Tajmur Bay 

 (75° 40' N. L.), and fo7md the sea on the 25th August, 1843, /rce 

 of ice as far as the eye could reach from the chain of heights along 

 the coast} Middendorff, besides, states that the Yakoot Fomin, 

 the only person who had passed a winter at Tajmur Bay, declared 

 that the ice loosens in the sea lying off it in the first half of 

 August, and that it is driven away from the beach by southerly 

 winds, yet not further than that the edge of the ice can be 

 seen from the heights along the coast. 



The land between the Tajmur and Cape Chelyuskin was 

 mapped by means of sledge journeys along the coast by mate 

 Chelyuskin in the year 1742. It is now completely established 

 that the northernmost promontory of Asia was discovered by 

 him in the month of May in the year already mentioned, 

 and at that time the sea in its neighbourhood was of course 

 covered with ice. We have no observation as to the state of 

 the ice during summer or autnmn in the sea lying imme- 

 diately to the west of Cape Chelyuskin ; but, as the question 

 relates to the possibility of navigating this sea, this is the 

 place to draw attention to the fact that Prontschischev, on 

 the 1st September, 1736, in an open sea, with coasting craft 

 from the east, very nearly reached the north point of Asia, 

 which is supposed to be situated in 77° 34' N. Lat. and 



^ Th. von WiAAenAorS, Reise indem aussersten Nordenund Osten Siheriens, 

 vol. iv. I., pages 21 and 508 (1867). 



