ii6 SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
The ships had already nearly completed their prepara- 
tions for sea, and lay at Cronstadt where the new com- 
mander had scarcely six weeks at his disposal before set- 
ting out. He was personally to command the Vostok 
(Orient) a corvette barely 130 feet long and of almost 33 
feet beam, built of pine at St. Petersburg the previous 
year, and specially sheathed in copper below water. 
The moment Bellingshausen saw the lofty masts and 
slender spars of his ship he gave orders for them to be 
Cut down, the sail-area diminished, and the ship rigged 
and strengthened for rough weather. 
The second in command of the expedition, who had 
received his commission on April 5th, was Lieutenant 
Lazareff, a promising officer who had served as a vol- 
unteer for four years in the British navy and then, enter- 
ing the Russian service, had commanded a ship of the 
Russian-American company and had circumnavigated 
the world on his voyage to Alaska and back. His ship 
was an old Baltic trader, the Ladoga, of 530 tons, 120 feet 
long and of 30 feet beam, also built of pine and specially 
strengthened for the cruise. Lazareff had her masts 
reduced and other changes made, and the Emperor is- 
sued a decree changing her name to Mirni (Pacific) ; 
but Bellingshausen observed drily that despite the change 
of name any naval officer could see at a glance that she 
could never keep pace with the Vostok. As a matter 
of fact the leading ship had to make almost the whole 
voyage under shortened sail in order not to run away 
from her clumsy consort. While the repairs were being 
carried out with feverish haste Bellingshausen had a hard 
time of it selecting his officers and crew. The number 
of candidates was so great that the selection proved ex- 
tremely difficult but at last the requisite reduction of the 
