90 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



We were naturally anxious to know the name of the river near 

 which we had landed. From a study of the charts and Arctic Pilot I 

 felt convinced it was the Torna river, while our captain and crew were 

 equally certain it was the Shoina. My chief argument in reply was 

 that if they were correct the log had been badly kept, for it showed 

 42 miles from Cape Kanin, agreeing with the reported position of the 

 Torna, whereas the Shoina was stated to be 50 miles distant from 

 Cape Kanin. In this dilemma I wrote to His Excellency Governor 

 Engelhardt, and received the following reply : — 



Dear Sir, — I have received your letters of July 8th and October 2nd. 

 My answer to your first letter has been delayed, because I had not sufficient 

 information respecting the Greek churches on the Kanin peninsula. 



After further enquiry I now learn that there are no churches or chapels on 

 either the Torna or Shoina rivers. On the whole Kanin peninsula there are 

 only seven chapels resembling simple warehouses ; of these six are on the 

 rivers near to the Njes, and the northernmost one is on the Bugrjanka 

 (Bugryanitza ?) river. Therefore I think the river you have visited this 

 summer, on which you found a chapel, was neither the Shoina nor the Torna. 

 — I remain. Sir, yours truly, 



(Signed) A. Engelhardt, 



Governor of Saratow. 



So that I can still give no certain information as to the exact spot 

 visited by us on the Kanin peninsula. The Njes mentioned by 

 Governor Engelhardt is probably the river Nes of the Arctic Pilot, 

 35 miles to the south of Cape Konushin, which again is 90 miles 

 south of Cape Kanin. It is most likely, therefore, that the six 

 chapels are all south of Cape Konushin, in which case the chapel we 

 camped near must have been that on the Bugrjanka river. The only 

 name in the Arctic Pilot at all corresponding with this is the Bugry- 

 anitza river, spelt Bogranetza on Messrs. Imray's chart of 1895 ; but 

 this river is only thirty miles from Cape Kanin, a great discrepancy 

 with the log of the Expres. If however this was the river, it will ex- 

 plain the remark in my diary (written when we believed we were at the 

 Torna) that the coast showed a far greater curve than that represented 



