IG THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



ought to remember that even a very weak current exerts an 

 influence on the position of the ice, and that, for instance, the 

 current from the Plata River, whose volume of water, however, 

 is not perhaps so great as that of the Obi and Yenisej, is still 

 clearly perceptible at a distance of 1,500 kilometres from the 

 river mouth, that is to say, about three times as far as from 

 Port Dickson to Cape Chelyuskin. The only bay which can be 

 compared to the Kara Sea in respect of the area, which is 

 intersected by the rivers running into it, is the Gulf of Mexico.^ 

 The river currents from this bay appear to contribute greatly 

 to the Gulf Stream. 



The winds which, during the autumn months, often blow in 

 these regions from the north-east, perhaps also, in some degree, 

 contribute to keep a broad channel, along the coast in question, 

 nearly ice-free. 



The knowledge we possess regarding the navigable water 

 to the east of Cape Chelyuskin towards the Lena, is mainly 

 founded on the observations of the expeditions which were sent 

 out by the Russian Government, before the middle of last 

 century, to survey the northern part of Asia. In order to form 

 a correct judgment of the results obtained, we must, while 

 fully recognising the great courage, the extraordinary per- 

 severance, and the power of bearing sufferings and overcoming 

 difficulties of all kinds, which have always distinguished the 

 Russian Polar explorers, always keep in mind that the voyages 

 were carried out with small sailing-vessels of a build, which, 

 according to modern requirements, is quite unsuitable for vessels 

 intended for the open sea, and altogether too weak to stand 

 collision with ice. They wanted, besides, not only the powerful 

 auxiliary of our time, steam, but also a proper sail rig, fitted 

 for actual manoeuvring, and were for the most part manned 

 with crews' from the banks of the Siberian rivers, who never 

 before had seen the water of the ocean, experienced a high 

 sea, or tried sailing among sea ice. When the requisite 

 attention is given to these circumstances, it appears to me 

 that the voyages referred to below show positively that even 

 here we ought to be able during autumn to reckon upon a 

 navigable sea. 



The expeditions along the coast, east of Cape Chelyuskin, 

 started from the town Yakoutsk, on the bank of the Lena, in 

 62° N. L., upwards of 900 miles from the mouth of the river. 

 Here also were built the vessels which were used for these 

 voyages. 



^ Compare von Middendorff, Reise im Norden u. Osten Siberiens (1848), 

 part i., page 69, and a paper by von Baer, Ueber das Klinia des Tajmur- 

 landes. 



