440 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
They were instead taken on the Vega, and now, though quite 
too fragile for the hard fingers of Chukches, answered well for 
smaller bargains, as gifts of welcome to a large number of 
natives collected at the vessel, and as gifts to children in order 
to gain the favour of their parents. I besides distributed a large 
quantity of silver coin with King Oscar’s effigy, in order, if any 
misfortune overtook us, to afford a means of ascertaining the 
places we had visited. 
For the benefit of future travellers I may state that the wares 
most in demand are large sewing and darning needles, pots, 
knives (preferably large), axes, saws, "Spring tools and other iron 
tools, linen and woollen shirts (preferably of bright colours, but 
also white), neckerchiefs, tobacco and sugar. To these may be 
added the spirits which are in so great request among all savages ; 
a currency of which, indeed, there was great abundance on the 
Vega, but which I considered myself prevented from making 
use of. In exchange for this it is possible to obtain, in short, 
anything whatever from many of the natives, but by no means 
from all, for even here there are men who will not taste spirits, 
but with a gesture of disdain refuse the glass that is offered 
them. The Chukches are otherwise shrewd and calculating 
men of business, accustomed to study their own advantage. 
They have been brought up to this from childhood through the 
barter which they carry on between America and Siberia. 
Many a beaver-skin that comes to the market at Irbit belongs to 
an animal that has been caught in America, whose skin has passed 
from hand to hand among the wild men of America and Siberia, 
until it finally reaches the Russian merchant. For this barter a 
sort of market is held on an island in Behring’s Straits. At 
the most remote markets in Polar America, a beaver-skin is 
said some years ago to have been occasionally exchanged for a 
leaf of tobacco.^ An exceedingly beautiful black fox-skin was 
^ C. von Dittmar, Bulletin hist.-philolog. de VAcad, de St. Petersbourg, 
XIII. 1856, p. 130. 
