IV.] LAND IN SIGHT. 145 



but when the Fraser soon after joined us we learned that this 

 was a mistake. The shore, which, seen from our first anchorage, 

 appeared to be that of the mainland, belonged in fact to the 

 pretty extensive island, off which the haven itself is situated. 



After an excursion on land, in the course of which a covey 

 of partridges was seen, and Dr. Kjellman on the diorite rocks of 

 the island made a pretty abundant collection of plants, belonging 

 partly to species which he had not before met with in the 

 Arctic regions, we again weighed anchor in order to remove to 

 the proper harbour. 



Captain Palander went before in the steam launch in order to 

 examine the yet unsurveyed fairway. On the way he fell in 

 with and killed a bear, an exceedingly fat and large male. Like 

 the bear Dr. Theel shot here in 1875, he had only mosses and 

 lichens in his stomach, and as it is scarcely probable that the 

 bear in this region can catch a great many seals in summer, it 

 is to be supposed that his food consists principally of vegetable 

 substances, with the addition perhaps of a reindeer or two 

 when he can succeed in getting hold of them. In the year 1875 

 we saw here an old male bear that appeared to pasture quite 

 peaceably in company with some reindeer, probably with a view 

 to get near enough to spring upon them. Bears must besides 

 be very common in that part of the north coast of Siberia, for 

 during the few days we now remained there, two more were 

 shot, both of them very fat. 



The haven, which has now been surveyed by Lieutenant Bove, 

 was discovered by me in 1875 and named Port Dickson. It is 

 the best known haven on the whole north coast of Asia, and will 

 certainly in the future be of great importance for the foreign 

 commerce of Siberia. It is surrounded on all sides by rocky 

 islands, and is thus completely sheltered. The anchorage is a 

 good clay bottom. The haven may be entered both from the 

 north and from the south-west ; but in sailing in, caution should 

 be used, because some rocky shoals may be met with which are 

 not shown on Lieutenant Bove's sketch chart, which was made 

 in the greatest haste. The water probably varies con- 

 siderably as to its salinity with the season of the year and 

 with ebb and flood tides, but is never, even at the surface, com- 

 pletely fresh. It can therefore be used in cooking only in case 

 of the greatest necessity. But two streams on the mainland, 

 one debouching north and the other south of the harbour, yield 

 an abundant supply of good water, in case snow water cannot be 

 obtained from any of the beds of snow which up to autumn are 

 to be found at several places along the strand escarpments in 

 the neighbourhood of the harbour. 



At our arrival six wild reindeer were seen pasturing on Dick- 

 son's Island ; one of them was killed by Palander, the others were 



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