ELEPHANT OF THE LENA. 137 
there had been discovered on the shores of the 
Frozen Ocean, near the mouth of the river Lena, 
an animal of extraordinary magnitude. The flesh, 
the skin, and the hair, were in a state of preser- 
vation, and it was supposed that the fossil pro- 
duction known under the name of Mammoth’s 
horns, must have belonged to an animal of this 
species. Mr Popoff had, at the same time, the 
kindness to present me with a drawing and 
description of this animal, and I thought it right 
to send them both to the president of the academy 
of Petersburgh* The news of this interesting 
discovery determined me to hasten the journey 
which I had in contemplation, for the purpose of 
visiting the shores of the Lena, as far as the 
Frozen Ocean ; wishing to preserve these precious 
remains, which might otherwise be lost. My stay 
at Jakutsk, consequently, did not last many days ; 
I set off on the 7th of June, 1806, furnished with 
some necessary letters, of which part were for 
the agents of government and the merchants, whose 
assistance I thought would be useful in my 
researches. On the 16th of June, I arrived at 
the little town of Schigansk, and towards the 
end of this same month, I was at Kuma-Surka ; 
* Telesius says, these are both preserved in the Academy, 
hut describes the drawing as very bad, representing a Pig 
rather than an Elephant, with red hair on the back. He 
nays that the description was quite worthy of the drawing. 
