IV.] PROGRESS OF THE EXPEDITION. 143 



get away from the other vessels, and does not observe the 

 flag which was hoisted as the signal agreed upon beforehand 

 that her Captain should come on board, or at least bring his 

 little vessel within hail. The Fraser was therefore sent in 

 pursuit, and succeeded in overtaking her towards night. 



August orcl. In the morning Captain Johannesen came on 

 board the Vega. I gave him orders to take on board Dr. 

 Alraquist and Lieutenants Hovgaard and Nordquist, and go 

 with them to Beli Ostrov, wdiere they should have freedom for 

 thirty-six hours to study the people, animals, and plants, as they 

 pleased ; the Lena was then, if possible, to pass through the 

 Sound between the island and Yalmal to Port Dickson, where 

 the three other vessels should be found. Almquist, Nordquist, 

 and Hovgaard were already quite in order for the excursion ; 

 they went immediately on board the Lena, and were soon, 

 thanks to the great power of the engine in proportion to the 

 size of the vessel, far on their way. 



In the course of the day we met with very open and rotten 

 ice, which would only have been of use to us by its moderating 

 effect on the sea, if it had not been accompanied by the usual 

 attendant of the border of the ice, a thick fog, which however 

 sometimes lightened. Towards evening we came in sight of 

 Beli Ostrov. This island, as seen from the sea, forms a quite 

 level plain, which rises little above the surface of the water. 

 The sea off the island is of an even depth, but so shallow, that 

 at a distance of twenty to thirty kilometres from the shore there 

 is only from seven to nine metres of water. According to a 

 communication from Captain Schwanenberg, there is, however, 

 a depth of three to four metres close to the north shore. Such 

 a state of things, that is, a uniform depth, amounting near the 

 shore to from four to ten metres, but afterwards increasing only 

 gradually and remaining unchanged over very extensive areas, 

 is very common in the Arctic regions, and is caused by the 

 ice-mud-woi'k which goes on there nearly all the year round. 

 Another remarkable effect of the action of the ice is that all the 

 blocks of stone to be found in the sea next the beach ai e forced 

 up on land. The beach itself is formed accordingly at many 

 places, for instance at several points in Matotschkin Sound, of a 

 nearly continuous stone rampart going to the sea level, while 

 in front of it there is a quite even sea bottom without a 

 fragment of stone. 



August 4th. In the morning a gentle heaving indirated that 

 the sea was again free of ice, at least over a considerable space 

 to windward. Yesterday the salinity of the water was already 

 diminished and the amount of clay inrreased ; now the water 

 after being , filtered is almost drinkable. It has assumed a 

 yellowish-grey colour and is nearly opaque, so that tl e vessel 



