1888-89.] the Coasts of Lapland and Siberia. 445 



Narrative of the Voyage. 



On the 19th of July 1888, we left Newcastle on board 

 the Arctic steamer " Labrador," which, under the command 

 of Captain Wiggins, had for her destination Goltschieka, an 

 anchorage in the estuary of the river Yenisei. We rounded 

 the North Cape on 1st August, and after sheltering for a 

 day in the fiord of K0lle, arrived at the little fishing port 

 of Vard0, a town of 1500 inhabitants, situated on an island 

 in the extreme north-east of Lapland. On the very eve of 

 departure from this port a telegram let us know that the 

 river-steamer " Phoenix," which we were to meet at Golt- 

 schieka, was aground ; in consequence we were delayed for 

 five weeks until a substitute could be sent out to ascend the 

 river in its stead. On 5th September we left Vard0 in the 

 company of this steamer, but next day we were separated in 

 a storm, and so arrived alone on the 11th at the Yugor 

 Straits, the southernmost entrance into the Kara Sea. 



After waiting there some days for our companion steamer, 

 Wiggins steered his vessel into the Kara Sea, he rounded 

 the drifted pack-ice, which, in that exceptional year, was 

 abundant, and on 27th September (delays having made it 

 useless to proceed farther) he shaped his course back towards 

 Vard0. There we found our companion, the " Seagull," laid 

 up for the winter, the crew having feared to proceed 

 alone when separated from the " Labrador." After a short 

 stay we steamed homeward, calling in at Troms0 on 14th 

 October, Wiggins having navigated his vessel among the 

 magnificent fiords of the Loffodens. We arrived in the 

 Tyne on the 23rd of October. 



Despite this unfortunate miscarriage of all plans, I had 

 the opportunity to see something of the flora of the north- 

 west of Siberia, and also that of the north of Lapland, 



When we were anchored in, or near to, the Yugor Straits 

 (lat. 69° 40' N., long. 60° E.), during a few days in the 

 middle of September, I was able to pay longer or shorter 

 visits to the mainland. These were not so satisfactory as 

 could have been desired, for drift-ice was in the neighbour- 

 hood, our stay was every day uncertain, and, finally, during 

 the latter part of the time, the ground was covered by a heavy 

 fall of snow, the frosts of winter having just commenced. 



