ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. 283 



bergen, and by tentative voyages of reconnoissance through the Kara 

 Sea and as far as the mouth of the Yenesei River, qualified himself to 

 achieve what has so long baffled the navigators of earlier ages, the 

 accomplishment of the northeast passage. This he performed in 

 1878-79, by rounding the most northern point of the old world, sailing 

 along the northern coasts of Europe and Asia, and thus passing by 

 sea from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This splendid achievement must 

 be regarded as one of the greatest geographical feats of the present 

 century ; not only was it of exceptional interest from a geographical 

 standpoint, but it proved to be of the utmost value and importance to 

 every other branch of science. A knowledge of the geological for- 

 mation of the various countries situated in high latitudes is indispen- 

 sable, in order to enlighten us with reference to the early history of the 

 earth. Nordenskiold's researches in this particular branch of science, 

 together with his observations on physical geography, ethnology, nat- 

 ural history, meteorology, and terrestrial magnetism, are replete with 

 interest; nor must I omit to mention the very valuable dredgings that 

 were made at the bottom, which were found to be exceedingly interest- 

 ing and important. 



Nordenskiold sailed, it will be remembered, in the summer of 1878, 

 in the steamship Vega, under the command of Lieutenant Palander of 

 the Swedish navy, who had been his companion in some of his former 

 expeditions. On August 19 they reached Cape Chelyuskin, the extreme 

 northern point of the old world where, contrary I think to expecta- 

 tion, he found the depth of the water to increase somewhat rapidly to 

 124 meters at a distance of about 8 miles from the cape. On the 27th, 

 in spite of fogs and mist, he passed the mouth of the Lena, and three 

 days later sailed to the southward of the New Siberian islands. East- 

 ward of this the sea was so free of ice that for three days they were 

 able to push on at the rate of 150 miles a day. On September 3 they 

 passed Bear Island, and on the 6th Cape Chelagskoi was reached; 

 thence their progress was much impeded by loose ice. On the 12th 

 they were abreast of North Cape, but from this time onward great dif- 

 ficulties were experienced in forcing their way through the ice, besides 

 being seriously handicapped by the gradually shortening days and cor- 

 respondingly lengthening nights. On the 28th they had to acknowl- 

 edge, to their great mortification, that further progress for that year 

 was impossible and the ship was accordingly secured in winter quar- 

 ters, although they were aware that only a few miles of sea — but, alas! 

 it was an ice-blocked sea — lay between thein and the open water in 

 Bering Strait. They had been running a race against time, and had 

 only been beaten by a few days — indeed, it may be said by a few hours 

 only. Two days after the Vega was released the following year she 

 passed East Cape, and steamed into the Pacific Ocean. 



In reviewing what has been accomplished in this particular part of 

 the Arctic regions, we must not forget the valuable services that have 



