PETER THE GREAT'S INTEREST 5 



responsibility, and carried the undertaking through successfully, 

 although at the time his success was somewhat doubted. When 

 Bering's second expedition came to an end in 1749, Bering 

 Strait had been discovered, the Arctic coast of Asia from the 

 White Sea to the Kolym.a River had been charted, and the North 

 Pacific coast of America from Cape Addington to Bering Island 

 had been placed on the map. This was Russia's share in the 

 work of discovery and exploration, and a very important con- 

 tribution to geographical knowledge it was. 



