INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 
23 ' 
Siberia, chiefly by ships passing through Behring’s 
Strait, next call for attention. The Lena was dis¬ 
covered by Cossacks in 1630 ; and the Jana by Busa, 
in 1638, and in 1639 he proceeded east to the Tshen- 
dorna River. About this time, also, Ivanoio discovered 
the Indigirka, and followed the coast to the Alaseia, in 
163° E. Staduchin coasted from the mouth of the 
Kolima to Cape Chelagskoi, which is in about 70° N. 
In 1648 Deschnew passed from Cape Chelagskoi 
to the Gulf of Anadyr. In 1710 Permakow heard of 
the Liakhow Island off the Svatoi-Nos, and subse¬ 
quently made an unsuccessful attempt to explore it. 
In 1770 Liakhow discovered the group of islands bear¬ 
ing his name, but their correct positions were first 
ascertained by Anjou in 1823. The largest islands 
are called Kotelnoi, New Siberia, and Fadejevkoi. 
The Herald Islands, in 71° 26' N. and 175° 16' W., 
were discovered by Capt. Kellett in 1849, but doubts 
were thrown on the facts. It is probably the land to 
which Wrangell had previously alluded as sometimes 
visible from Cape Yakan. In 1867 portions of this 
land were seen by several captains. Captain Bliven 
saw land north-west of Herald Island, extending as far 
north as 72° N. The coast has been distinctly traced 
for one hundred miles or more, and portions sighted, 
which would give it a length of more than five liun- 
