CHAPTER IX. 



THE GREAT NORTHER]^ EXPEDITION OIT ITS WAY 

 THROUGH SIBERIA. — DIFFICULTIES Al^B DAlfGERS 

 ENCOUNTERED AND OVERCOME. 



TN the early part of the year 1733, the expedition 

 -L began to leave St. Petersburg by detachments. It 

 consisted of the chief Vitus Bering (his Eussian name 

 was Ivan Ivanovich Bering), Captains Spangberg and 

 Chirikoff, eight lieutenants, sixteen mates, twelve physi- 

 cians, seven priests, skippers, stewards, various appren- 

 tices, ship-carpenters, other workmen, soldiers and 

 sailors, — in all about five hundred and seventy men. Of 

 these, three officers and one hundred and fifty-seven men 

 — a number which was greatly increased in Siberia — 

 were assigned duty in the Arctic expedition, the remain- 

 der in the Pacific expeditions. In this estimate, the 

 Academists, constituting an expedition of thirty or forty 

 men, are not considered. The list of names of those 

 engaged in these expeditions throws interesting light on 

 Russian social relations of that period. Over half of the 

 officers, many mates, and all of the physicians were 

 foreigners. The Senate sought to inspire the zeal of the 

 officers by large increase of salary and promotion in rank 

 and service after a successfully completed expedition, but 

 the rank and file were to be forced to a performance of 



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