32 VITUS BERING. 



Ket, Yenisei, Tunguska, and Ilim, through regions 

 where there was scarcely a Eussian isha, on rivers which 

 were dangerous on account of hidden rocks and skerries,, 

 and where progress was constantly interrupted by the 

 transporting that had to be done between the streams. 

 September 29, the expedition arrived at the town of 

 Ilimsk and had to pass the winter there. Meanwhile, 

 however, Lieut. Chaplin had, in the spring, been sent 

 in advance to Yakutsk, in order, at the voivode^s (gov- 

 ernor's) to hasten the preparations for transportation in 

 the direction of Okhotsk, whither he was to send a 

 small command who were to fell trees and begin the 

 work of shipbuilding. Bering * himself went to Irkutsk 

 to obtain from the governor there information concern- 

 ing the climate and physical features of Eastern Siberia, 

 the modes of travel, and means of transportation in 

 that distant and little known country. Spangberg was 

 sent with mechanics and soldiers to the Kut, a tribu- 

 tary of the Lena, for the purpose of cutting timber and 

 building vessels for the voyages to be made in the spring. 

 At Ustkutsk there were built in all fifteen barges 

 (about 45 feet long, 12 feet wide and 15 inches deep) and 

 fourteen boats. On May 8, 1726, Spangberg sailed for 

 Yakutsk, and somewhat later Chirikoff started off with 

 the rear. By the middle of June, the expedition was 

 gathered at the capital of East Siberia, which at that 

 time had three hundred houses. Here Bering remained 

 until the 16th of August, busily engaged in making 

 preparations for the difficult journey eastward. He 

 had made two thousand leathern sacks for transporting 



* Note 5. 



