BY REQUEST. 
To the editors of the National Intelligencer, 
Gentlemen : Your paper of the 11th insf. 
contains an account of a Russian officer’s 
having journeyed from Siberia fifty days 
on the ice of the Northern seas, until an 
open sea was found. This is no more than 
f had expected, and indeed not so much, 
fori had expected land might soon be found 
to the Northeast(appat ent'on starting from, 
any part of the coast of Siberia. 1 think 
it highly probable that the explorers pro¬ 
gressed too much to the (apparent) north, 
to reach land in the nearest direction ; es¬ 
pecially,if they had not full faith in the ob¬ 
liquity of the meridians, described in my 
sevc/Y*. memoirs. 
A north course (apparent) from any part 
of Siberia, would according to my princi¬ 
ples, lead an explorer along a segment of 
an unequal or elliptical curve,between the 
two continents, unto the ninetieth degree 
in the Spitzbergen sea. The best course 
to be observed, would be the course the 
north point of the needle regarded, which 
would there first be (apparent) northeast¬ 
wardly, afterwards eastvvardly, and ultima¬ 
tely southeastward!} 7 . 
In case the needle fails to traverse well, 
it will--be highly probable that some terres¬ 
trial phenomenon may be found to affine a 
more suitable guide than the stars, for the 
stars will of course (apparently) turn with 
the apparent meridians. Probably an in¬ 
verse direction from the quarter of the 
heavens where the central part of the Auro¬ 
ra Loi eaiss most generady appearslt in c°sg 
it appears southwardly at the Sibeffiau 
coa^t, as it does in Baffin's Bay) would be 
correct; or, if there be a regular wind 
that prevails much in any one direction 
which maybe recognized by any peculiar 
characteristics, it can be laid under contri¬ 
bution as an assistant guide ; such a wind 
will not curve like the meridians, but pro- 
ceed, as direct as a monsoon or trade 
wind. 
