216 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



measurements, meteorological and tidal observations, &c., as 

 Pachtussov.^ 



In 1837 the famous naturalist K. E. VON Baer undertook a 

 voyage to Novaya Zemlya, accompanied by Lieutenant Zivolka, 

 Lehmann the geologist, Rodee the draughtsman, and Philippov 

 the conservator.^ They visited Matotschkin Schar, penetrated 

 by boat to its eastern end and found the Kara Sea open, landing 

 afterwards at Besimannaja Bay, Nechvatova, and on an island 

 in Kostin Schar. The expedition thus nowhere penetrated so 

 far as its predecessors, but it is of importance as the first 

 examination of the natural history of the Polar Sea surrounding 

 Novaya Zemlya carried out by actual men of science. With all 

 the respect we must entertain for von Baer's great name as a 

 scientific man, it cannot be denied that, through his papers on 

 the natural history of the island, grounded on a cursory inspec- 

 tion, a number of erroneous ideas regarding the natural 

 conditions of the eastern Polar Sea obtained a footing in scien- 

 tific literature. 



In order to complete the survey of the island the Russian 

 Government sent out in 1838 a new expedition under Lieu- 

 tenants Zivolka and Moissejev. They wintered in 1838-39 in 

 Melkaja Guba on the west coast of Novaya Zemlya in 73° 57' 

 N.L. ; but on this occasion Pachtussov's -judgment and insight 

 were wanting, and the wintering was very unfortunate. Of the 

 twenty-five men belonging to the expedition most were attacked 

 during winter by scurvy ; nine died, among them Zivolka him- 

 self. During spring, excursions for the purpose of surveying the 

 neighbouring coasts had to be broken off because they had not 

 brought snow-glasses with them — a thing that Pachtussov 

 did not neglect, being accustomed besides to blacken the under 

 eyelid as a protection against the blinding brightness of the 

 snow. By the expedition, however, considerable stretches of 

 the west coast of Novaya Zemlya Avere surveyed, and valuable 

 contributions to a knowledge of the climatic conditions of this 

 region obtained. These turned out to be less severe than had 

 been expected. During winter the thermometer never sank 

 below — 33° ; in July there were only two nights of frost, and on 

 two occasions -|- 18° was observed in the shade ; in August there 

 were only three hours of frost. All this depends of course on 



1 The details of Pachtussov's voyages are taken partly from von Baei'^s 

 work already quoted, partly from Carl Svenske, Novaya Zemlya, &c., St. 

 Petersburg, 1866 (in Eussian, published at the expense of M. K. Sidoroff ), 

 and J. Sporer, Nowaja Semld in geofjixqMscher, naturhistorischer unci 

 volkswirthschaftlicher BezieJmng, nach den Quellen hearbeitet. Erganz-Heft. 

 No. 21 zu Peterra. Geogr. Mittheiluvgen, Goth a, 1867. 



2 Bulletin scientifiqiie puhJie par VAcademie Imp. de St. Petersburg, t. ii. 

 (1837), p. 315 ; iii. (1838), p. 96, and other places. 



