Dec, 22, 1881 | 
interest suggested by the arrival of the Expedition at the 
mouth of the Yennissei. Evidence is given to prove that 
the lower Yennissei inust at one time have been thickly 
inhabited, but is now quite deserted, probably owing to 
the difficulty of procuring food, a difficulty that may be 
solved by the enterprises begun by Baron Nordenskjéld. 
A long list of phanerogams is given, collected during the 
stay of the expedition. Some interesting dredging results 
were obtained, and on this subject Baron Nordenskjéld 
writes :— 
“For the science of our time, which so often places the 
origin of a northern form in the south, and vice versa, as 
the foundation of very wide theoretical conclusions, a 
knowledge of the types which can live by turns in nearly 
fresh water of a temperature of + 10. and in water 
cooled to -- 2°°7, and of nearly the same salinity as that 
of the Mediterranean, must have a certain interest. The 
NABORE 
183 
most remarkable were, according to Dr. Stuxberg, the 
following: a species of Mysis, Dzastylis Rathket, Kr., 
Idothea entomon, Lin., Idothea Sabinei, Kr., two species 
of Lysianassida, Ponfoporeta setosa, Stbrg., Halimedon 
brevicalcar, Goés, an Annelid,a Molgula, Voldia inier- 
media, M. Sars, Yoldia (2) arctica, Gray, and a 
Solecurtus.” 
On the long Yalmal Peninsula on the west of the Gulf 
of Cbi, the author collects all the information known, but 
that is not much. The ground everywhere seems to 
consist of sand and sandy clay, and Baron Nordenskjéld, 
when he landed, could not find a stone so large asa bullet 
ora pea. Two chapters are devoted toa history of the 
navigation of the North-east Passage from 1556 to 1878 ; 
an admirable summary, containing much that is the 
result of the author’s own research, and which never 
before has seen the light. Especially is this the case 
Fic. 6.—The Vega and Lena saluting Cape Chelyuskin. 
with the numerous Russian voyages of the seventeenth, 
eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, of which little is 
known, but the results of which Baron Nordenskjéld 
acknowledges have been of the greatest service to him in 
forming his own plan. To the efforts of the Norwegian 
walrus hunters, too, Carlsen, Tobiesen, Johanessen, and 
others, he does full justice ; and indeed their contribu- 
tions to science have often been of substantial value; 
Johanessen, was awarded two medals by the Swedish 
Academy for his discoveries. 
Port Dickson was left on August 10, and as the Vega 
steamed north-east to Chelyuskin over an imperfectly 
mapped coast, she came across many new islands, and 
other novelties which we cannot refer to in detail. 
Animal life along the Taimur coast was much scarcer 
than in previous parts of the voyage, though on the other 
hand the sea yielded some fine specimens. We give as 
an example a hairstar (Fig. 5) from off the coast. 
The northern promontory of Asia was reached on 
August 19, and Baron Nordenskjéld describes the land- 
scape as “the most monotonous and desolate I have 
ever seen in the High North” (Fig. 6). Here, however, 
we must leave the l’ega till next week. 
(To be continued.) 
NOTES 
TAKING a retrospective coup «wil, in a recent issue of his 
paper, of the Paris Exhibition, Count du Moncel notes, amons 
other points, the marked success of the lectures, and the eager- 
ness of the public to be instructed. A permanent electrical 
exhibition, with like facilities, would greatly promote the deve- 
lopment of electric industries. The number of practical electri- 
cians in France is at present very limited, and while there are some 
very skilful makers of telegraphic apparatus and instruments for 
