3 8 



NA TURE 



[Nov. 13, 1879 



variety of articles, they did not remove the smallest trifle. 

 They were not, however, altogether to be depended on in 

 the statements they made regarding the articles they 

 offered for sale. Thus, on several occasions what were 

 represented to be hares were found to be dead foxes 

 skinned and with the head and feet cut .off, and the 

 natives expressed great astonishment at the instant dis- 

 covery of the deception. When they had acquired a taste 

 for European food, they bartered drift-wood and the 

 bones of the whale for ship-biscuit, and the quantity dis- 

 tributed partly in this way, partly as gifts, was so 

 considerable as to contribute in no small degree to 

 mitigate the famine that threatened to break out among 

 the natives in mid-winter. None of them were Christian, 

 nor could any of them speak any European language, 

 except one or two who could say a couple of words in 

 English or a word of salutation in Russian. Lieut. 

 Nordquist studied their language with such zeal and 

 success, that in a fortnight he could make himself pretty 

 ■well understood. He has collected materials for a com- 

 prehensive vocabulary. 



When the Vega was frozen in, the sea next the coast 

 was covered with newly-formed ice, too thin to carry a 

 foot-passenger but thick enough to prevent a boat from 

 making any way. Cn October 3 the Tchuktches walked 

 on board over the ice. Up to the 10th there were weak 

 places between the vessel and the land, and a blue sky in 

 the east still indicated open water in that direction. On 

 the 13th it was ascertained that a belt of drift ice-fields, 

 compactly frozen together, at least thirty kilometres in 

 breadth, lay between the Vega and the open sea. The 

 thickness of the newly-formed ice was measured by Lieut. 

 Bruzewitz, with the following results : — 



The Thickness of the lee 



On December 1 56 centimetres. 



„ January I 92 ,, 



u February 1 108 ,, 



,, February 15 120 ,, 



,, March I 123 ,, 



,, April I 127 ,, 



,, May I .. 154 ,, 



,, June I 154 ,, 



„ July 1 103 „ 



For a distance of about six kilometres from the shore 

 the ice lay all winter nearly undisturbed, but farther out 

 it was in continual motion. So-called polynia, or open 

 places, says Nordenskjold, probably occur here all the 

 year round, and in favourable weather accordingly we 

 could see almost constantly a blue water-sky from true 

 north-west to east. A southerly wind in a few days 

 brought the open water within a few hours' walk of the 

 vessel. It then swarmed with seals, which indicates that 

 it was in connection with a sea always open. The neigh- 

 bourhood of such an open sea probably accounts for the 

 fact that in the fields of drift-ice that surrounded the 

 vessel there was not a seal-hole to be seen. On January 1 

 Lieut. Bove reached open water by a four hours' walk. 

 From the fact that from a hummock five metres high he 

 could see no boundary to the open water towards the 

 north-east and north, and from the extent of the water- 

 sky in that direction, he concluded that the breadth of 

 the open water was at least thirty-five kilometres. The 

 depth at the edge of the ice was twelve fathoms, the tem- 

 perature — 2° C. The water ran at a considerable speed 

 right from the coast (from south-south-east), apparently a 

 tidal current. The open water swarmed with seals. No 

 polar bear, no walrus, and no birds were seen. 



During the long-continued severe cold in the month of 

 January, in the course of which the temperature several 

 times fell below the freezing-point of mercury, the sea 

 appears to have frozen completely for a great distance 

 from the coast, but by February 7 mild weather again 

 commenced, with variable and southerly winds. The 

 same day a faint water-sky was seen at the horizon. 



Some kilometres to the east the beach was free of ice,. 

 and from the heights on land the seamen observed a high 

 sea in the blue streak of water which bounded the hori- 

 zon. The open water thus appears to have been very 

 extensive. The statement of the natives that it extended 

 to Behring's Straits was perhaps correct. 



The temperature during the wintering was as follows : — 



On two occasions the barometer was uncommonly high,, 

 viz., 



December 22, 6 A.M. 782-0 (0°) mm. 

 February 17, 6 A.M. 7S8 - I (o") mm. 



The lowest atmospheric pressure observed before April 

 1 was on 



December 31, 2 A.M. 72S"S (0°) mm. 



The weather during the winter was exceedingly stormy, 

 and the direction of the wind near the surface of the 

 earth was almost constantly between north-west and 

 north-north-west. But in a stratum of air at no great 

 height there prevailed, to judge from the motion of the 

 clouds, a similar uninterrupted current from the south- 

 east, which when it occasionally sank to the surface of the 

 eanh, brought with it heat and comparatively dry air. This 

 is explained by Behring's Straits forming a gate bounded by 

 high hills between the warm atmospheric area of the 

 Pacific, and the cold area of the Arctic Ocean. The 

 winds must here arrange themselves approximately 

 according to the same laws as the draught in the door- 

 opening between a warm and [a cold room. The cold 

 stream of air must go below, and the warm above. The 

 mountain heights which the natives say are to be found in 

 the interior of the Tchuktch Peninsula, besides, contri- 

 bute to the heat and dryness of the southerly and south- 

 easterly winds. For they give to the winds which pass 

 over their summits the properties of the "fohn." The 

 coldest winds have come from south-west to west, that is, 

 from the Siberian Plain. On the existence of two 

 currents of air which, at a certain height above the 

 surface, contend with one another for the mastery,, 

 depends again the speed with which the sky in the- 

 neighbourhood of Behring's Straits suddenly becomes- 

 cloudy and again completely clear. 



Nordenskjold remarks that the fall of snow was not 

 particularly great, but as there was no mild weather of 

 any continuance during the winter, so that the snow was 

 never covered with any continuous crust, a considerable- 

 portion of the snow remained so loose that it was carried 

 backwards and forwards by the least puff of wind. With 

 a storm or strong breeze, the snow was carried to higher 

 strata of the air, which was so filled with the fine par- 

 ticles, that it was impossible to distinguish objects at the 

 distance of a few yards. But even when the wind was 

 light and the sky clear, there went on a constant snow- 

 storm a few inches in height along the surface of the 

 ground in the direction of the wind, and so principally 

 from north-west to south-east, carrying an immense mass- 

 of water in a frozen state over the north coast of Siberia 

 to more southerly regions, and playing a sufficiently 

 important part in a climatic respect, among others as a 

 carrier of cold to the most northerly forests, to deserve 

 the attention of meteorologists. 



The most remarkable observations which the wintering 

 of the Vega has yielded appear to relate to the aurora. 

 Our voyage happened in one of the years, writes- 



