1*2 INTRODUCTION. 



pensive scientific and many patriotic undertakings : 

 it was therefore, perhaps, as difficult a problem as 

 the north passage itself, properly to plan such an 

 undertaking, without its exceeding the abiUty of 

 the Count. It was first resolved to send the tim- 

 ber for a small vessel of 25 or 30 tons on board 

 one of the ships belonging to the American Com- 

 pany, to the north-west coast of America : the 

 officer to whom the undertaking was to be confided, 

 was to embark at the same time with his pilot and 

 some cliosen men, and have the vessel put toge- 

 ther at Oonalashka or Kodiak. This plan, which 

 would have been the cheapest, was given up, be- 

 cause the frame of the vessel would have taken up 

 too much room on board one of the Company's 

 sliips, which are but small vessels. It was then 

 resolved to have a vessel of 70 or 80 tons, with 

 moveable keels, on the plan of the EngUsh Cap- 

 tain Shank, built of oak in the imperial dock-yard, 

 by the able ship-builder Rasumoff ; this plan, how- 

 ever, could not be executed, and as there is no 

 private dock-yard in St. Petersburg, and the oak 

 timber is exclusively in possession of the admiralty, 

 the only alternative was either to purchase abroad 

 a ship built of oak timber, which would have been 

 too expensive, or to have one built of fir ; and as 

 very durable ships are built of this timber in Fin- 

 land, it was determined to have such a one built 

 at Abo, or Wasa, thougli it seemed a hazardous 

 ex})erimcut, to undertake a voyage which might 



