724 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



of animal life between the equatorial countries and the Polar 

 regions we have named. On the whole animal life in the 

 coast lands of the highest north, where the. mountains are 

 high and surrounded by deep water, appears to be richer in 

 individuals than in the south, and this depends not only on 

 the populousness of the fowl-colonies and the number of large 

 animals of the chase that we find there, but also on the 

 abundance of evertebrates in the sea. At least the 

 dredgings made from the Vega during the voyaore between 

 Japan and Ceylon gave an exceedingly scanty yield in 

 comparison with our dredgings north of Cape Chelyuskin. 



Aden is now an important port of call for the vessels which 

 pass through the Suez Canal from European waters to the 

 Indian Ocean, and also one of the chief places for the export of 

 the productions of Yemen or Arabia Felix. In the latter 

 respect the harbour was of importance as far back as about 

 four hundred years ago, when the Italian, LuDOVico de 

 Vakthema, was for a considerable time kept a prisoner by the 

 Arab tribes at the place. 



In the harbour of Aden the Vega was saluted by the firing of 

 twenty-one guns and the hoisting of the Swedish flag^at the main- 

 top of an Italian war vessel, the despatch steamer Esploratore 

 under the command of Captain Amezaga. The Esploratore took 

 part in an expedition, consisting of three war vessels, charged 

 with founding an Italian colony at Assab Bay, which cuts into 

 the east coast of Africa, north of Bab-el-Mandeb, on a tract of 

 land purchased for the purpose by Rubbattino, an Italian 

 commercial company. On board was Professor Sapetto, an 

 elderly man, who had concluded the bargain and had lived at 

 the place for forty years. It was settled that he should be the 

 administrator of the new colony. On board the Esploratore 

 were also the savants Beccari and the Marquis DORIA, famous 

 for their extensive travels in the tropics and their valuable 

 scientific labours. The officers of the Italian vessel invited us 

 to a dinner which was one of the pleasantest and gayest of 

 the many entertainments we were present at during our 

 homeward journey. When at the close of it we parted from 

 our hosts they lighted up the way by which we rowed forward 

 over the tranquil waves of the Bay of Aden with blue lights, 

 and the desert mountain sides of the Arabian coast resounded 

 with the hurrahs which were exchanged in the clear, calm 

 night between the representatives of the south and north 

 of Europe. 



The Vega left Aden, or more correctly its port-town. Steamer 

 Point, on the 9th January, and sailed the following day through 

 Bab-el-Mandeb into the Red Sea. The passage of this sea, 

 which is narrow, but 2,200 kilometres long, was tedious, 



