XV.] 
PASSAGE TO JAPAN. 
295 
The Vega left Behring Island on the afternoon of the 19th 
August, and anchored at Yokohama on the evening of the 2nd 
September. The first part of the passage, while we were still 
in the cold northerly Polar Sea current, was favoured by fair 
winds and moderate heat. The surface temperature of the sea 
was from +9° to +10°. On the 25th August in 45° 15' N.L. 
and 156° E.L. from Greenwich the temperature of the sea-water 
began to rise so rapidly that the thermometer in 40° Lat. 
and 147° 41' Long, already showed +23°*4 at the surface. 
This indicated that we had come from the cold current favour¬ 
able to us into Kuro-sivo, the Gulf Stream of the Pacific. The 
wind was now at times unfavourable and the heat oppressive, 
notwithstanding the frequent rain showers accompanied by 
liglitning and heavy squalls. In such unfavourable weather on 
the 31st August the mainmast of the Vega was struck by 
lightning, the flash and the report being of excessive violence. 
The vane was broken loose and thrown into the sea along with 
some inches of the pole. The pole itself was split pretty far 
down, and all on board felt a more or less violent shaking, the 
man who felt it most standing at the time near the hawse-hole. 
The incident was not attended by any further noteworthy 
unpleasant consequences. 
On our arrival at Yokohama we were all in good health and 
the Vega in excellent condition, though, after the long voyage, 
in want of some minor repairs, of docking, and possibly of 
coppering. Naturally among thirty men some mild attacks of 
illness could not be avoided in the course of a year, but no 
disease had been generally prevalent, and our state of health had 
constantly been excellent. Of scurvy we had not seen a trace. 
