200 
THE A'OYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[CTIAP. 
was almost barred by a natural palisade-work of driftwood 
stems. 
August 1th. The Vega coaled from the Express. In the 
evening the Lena arrived, 36 hours after the Vega had anchored, 
that is to say, precisely at the appointed time. Concerning this 
excursion Dr. Almquist reports : 
'' On the 2nd August we—Hovgaard, Nordquist and I—went 
on board the Lena to make an excursion to Beli Ostrov. We 
were to land on the south-western headland and there undertake 
botanical and zoological researches. Thereafter we were to 
direct some attention to the opposite shore of Yalmal and visit 
the Samoyeds living there. 
‘AYe left the Vega at eleven o’clock forenoon. In the course 
of the day we saw here and there in the south scattered ice, and 
at half-past ten at night we ran into a large belt, about 300 
metres broad, of scattered ice, which lay stretched out from IST.E. 
to S.W. It was passed without difficulty. In the course of the 
night we now and then fell in with a little scattered ice, and in 
the morning with a belt of masses of ice of considerable dimen¬ 
sions ; sounding constantly in 10 to 3-|- metres water we succeeded, 
notwithstanding the fog and rain, in finding the straits between 
Beli Ostrov and the mainland, and on the 3rd August at eleven 
o’clock forenoon we anchored a little to the east of the southern 
extremity of the island. The Lena lay in 3|- metres water, 
about an English mile out to sea. The water was shallow for 
so great a distance from the beach that we had to leave our 
boat about 300 metres out to sea and wade to land. 
Beli Ostrov consists entirely of fine sand, and only on that 
part of the beach which is washed by the sea-water did we see 
any stones as large as walnuts ; higher up we did not find a 
piece of stone even of the size of the nail. The highest point 
of the island appears to be scarcely three metres above the 
surface of the sea. That part of the island over which the sea 
water washes, that is, the beach and the deep bays which indent 
the land here and there, shows the fine sand bare, without trace 
of vegetation. Where the ground rises a little, it becomes 
covered with a black and white varieo^ated covering^ of mosses 
and lichens; scattered among which at long intervals are small 
tufts of grass. First somewhat higher up, and properly only round 
the marshy margins of the numerous small fresh-water lakes and 
in hollows and bogs, is the ground slightly green. The higher 
