4 LIFE OF STELLER 



report of their findings until some time after Steller had departed 

 on his way to the capital. When the Senate heard again of 

 Steller he was in the Urals. Thinking that he was trying to evade 

 the law, a special messenger was sent to take him back to Irkutsk 

 to stand trial. The messenger found him in the neighborhood 

 of Solikamsk and made him retrace his steps. In the meantime 

 the acquittal of Steller reached St. Petersburg (August 20, 1746), 

 and a special courier was ordered to proceed in all haste to tell 

 him that he was at liberty to go where he pleased. By that 

 time he was some distance to the east of Tobolsk. He faced 

 about once more, and when he had reached the neighborhood 

 of Tyumen he was taken ill and died on November 12, 1746, 

 being then only thirty-seven years of age. 



The nine years of strenuous life, the hard summer of 1746, 

 and the marching back and forth as a prisoner had much to 

 do in undermining Steller 's vigorous constitution, but the 

 greatest single factor in causing his death was strong drink. It 

 is said that after his return from Bering Island in 1742 Steller 

 took to drinking. Each year the habit grew stronger and fastened 

 itself on him. More than once his friends had to put him to bed. 

 He was drinking heavily during the summer of 1746 and gradu- 

 ally ruined his health and lowered his vitality. When in the fall 

 of 1746 he had come as far as Tobolsk he was already a sick man 

 burning up with fever. His friends tried to persuade him to go 

 no farther and to give up drinking, but he would do neither. He 

 hired a sleigh and started for Tyumen. It was very cold weather, 

 and on the way the driver stopped at an inn to warm himself, 

 leaving Steller in a drunken stupor outside. After a long time 

 the driver returned and found Steller almost frozen. He was 

 hurried to Tyumen, but nothing could be done for him. His 

 strength was gone. 



Steller was an interesting man and a great scientist. His 

 discoveries in America and Bering Island assure him eternal fame. 

 He was blessed with a retenti\e memory, a keen power of 

 observation, and an ability to generalize and to interpret his 

 data. The facts which he recorded and the conclusions which he 



