174 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
rise to a height of 1,000 to 1,200 metres. On the other hand 
there are to be seen around Yugor Straits only low level plains, 
terminating towards the sea with a steep escarpment. These 
plains are early free of snow, and are covered with a rich turf, 
which yields good pasture to the Samoyed reindeer herds. 
Most of the vessels that wish to sail into the Kara Sea through 
Yugor Schar require to anchor here some days to wait for favour¬ 
able winds and state of the ice. There are no good harbours 
in the neighbourhood of the sound, but available anchorages 
occur, some in the bay at Chabarova, at the western entrance 
of the sound; some, according to the old Dutch maps, on the 
eastern side of the sound, between Mestni Island (Staten Eiland) 
and the mainland. I have, however, no experience of my own 
of the latter anchorages, nor have I heard that the Norwegian 
walrus-hunters have anchored there. Perhaps by this time they 
are become too shallow. 
When we sailed through Yugor Schar in 1878, the sound was 
completely free of ice. The weather was glorious, but the wind 
was so light that the sails did little service. In consequence 
of this we did not go very rapidly forward, especially as I wished 
to keep the three vessels together, and the sailing ship Express, 
not to be left behind, had to be towed by the Fraser. Time was 
lost besides in dredging and taking specimens of water. The 
dredgings gave at some places, for instance off Chabarova, a rich 
yield, especially of isopods and sponges. The samples of water 
showed that already at a limited depth from the surface it had 
a considerable salinity, and that therefore no notable portion 
of the mass of fresh water, which the rivers Kara, Obi, Tas, and 
Yenisej and others pour into the Kara Sea, flows through this 
sound into the Atlantic Ocean. 
In the afternoon of the 1st August we passed through the 
sound and steamed into the sea lying to the east of it, which 
had been the object of so many speculations, expectations, and 
conclusions of so many cautious governments, merchants eager 
