266 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



and that this animal life should not suffer any harm from the 

 complete darkness, which during the greater portion of the 

 year prevails at the bottom of the ice-covered sea. 



When we got out of the ice we steamed towards the land, 

 which was sighted on the 2ord at 8.45 p.m. The land was low 

 and free from snow ; the depth of the sea at a distance of ten 

 kilometres from the coast varied between thirteen and fifteen 

 metres. The coast here stretched from north to south. We 

 followed it at a distance of seven to ten kilometres. A north- 

 westerly breeze here carried the vessel, without the help of 

 steam, rapidly forward over a completely smooth sea. 



On the 24th Auo-ust we still sailed along the land towards 

 the south. The depth of the sea now increased to thirty-three 

 metres at a distance of ten kilometres from land. The land rose 

 gradually, and some distance from the coast beautiful mountain 

 chains were seen, which, judging by the eye, rose to a height 

 of from 600 to 900 metres. They were, like the plains along 

 the coast, quite free from snow. Only in the clefts of the 

 mountains there remained some few collections of snow or ice, 

 which at two places appeared to form true glaciers, which however 

 terminated at a considerable height above the sea. The snow- 

 free slopes between the foot of the mountain and the shore 

 bank, thirty to sixty metres high, formed an even plain, covered 

 by a brownish-green turf, probably of the same nature as that 

 we saw on Taimur Island. 



During the forenoon we had splendid clear weather, and 

 often we could see from the vessel no trace of ice. We saw a 

 large number of walruses, and to judge by the fire which this 

 sight kindled in the eyes of our hunters, it will not be long 

 till the Norwegian hunting voyages are extended to the sea 

 north and east of the north point of Asia. We saw besides a 

 large number of looms and black guillemots, the former 

 accompanied by young of the year, as large as rotges. 

 About noon we sighted " land ahead to larboard." It was 

 evidently Preobraschenie Island. I determined to land on it 

 for a few hours to carry on researches in natural history, and 

 to fix the position of the place by astronomical observations, if 

 the weather should permit. The distance of this high-lying 

 island was however greater than we expected. So that it was 

 not until six o'clock in the evening that we could anchor off 

 its south-west side, near the almost perpendicular face of cliffs 

 abounding in sea-fowl. 



During the last two days we had been sailing over a region, 

 which on recent maps is marked as land. This shows that a 

 considerable change must be made on the map of North Siberia, 

 and I shall therefore quote here the observations on which the 

 determination of our course is grrounded. 



