XIII.] 
HEDENSTROM’S EXPEDITIONS. 
205 
Chancellor of Russia, to order once more these distant territories 
to be explored by Hedenstrom/ a Siberian exile, who had 
formerly been secretary to some eminent man in St. Petersburg. 
He started in dog-sledges on the^|th March, 1809, from Ustjansk 
going over the ice to Ljachoff’s Island, and thence to Faddejev 
Island, where the expedition was divided into two parts. 
Hedenstrom continued his course to Novaya Sibir, the south 
coast of which he surveyed. Here he discovered among otlier 
things the remarkable “tree mountain,” which I have before 
mentioned. His companions KoscHEViN and Sannikov ex¬ 
plored Faddejev, Maloj and Ljachoff’s Islands. On Faddejev, 
Sannikov found a Yukagir sledge, stone skin-scrapers, and an 
axe made of mammoth ivory, whence he drew the conclusion 
that the island was inhabited before the Russians introduced 
iron among the savage tribes of Siberia. 
The explorations thus commenced were continued in 1810. 
The explorers started on the ^ March from the mouth of the 
Indigirka, and after eleven days’ journey came to Novaya Sibir. 
It had been Hedenstrom’s original intention to employ reindeer 
and horses in exploring the islands, but he afterwards abandoned 
this plan, fearing that he would not find pasture for his draught 
animals. Both Hedenstrom and Sannikov believed that they 
saw from the north coast of the island bluish mountains on the 
horizon in the north-east. In order to reach this new land the 
former undertook a journey over the ice. It was so uneven, 
however, that in four days he could only penetrate about seventy 
versts. Here on the quite open water, 
which appeared to extend to the Bear Islands, i,e. for a distance 
1 Matthias Hedenstrom, Aulic Councillor, whose' name indicates that he 
was of Swedish birth, died at the village Hajdiikovo, seven versts from 
Tomsk, on the 2nd October (20tlr September), 1845, at the age of sixty-five. 
Biographical notes regarding Hedenstrom are to be found in the Calendar 
for the Irkutsh government for the year 1865, pp. 57-60 ; I have not, 
however, succeeded in procuring this work, or in finding any other notices 
('f Hedenstrom’s birthplace and life. 
