found to be both scarce and shy, owing probably to the presence of wolves, for Russian fishers and hunters have not visited the locality for an age. A close examination of the strait between Taimyr island and the continent was made in the steam launch. It was found to be very shallow and muddy, and unfit for the passage of the Vega into Taimyr gulf, a strong current setting to westward. Actinia harbour, which is well sheltered, and has good anchorage, is recommended as a northern station for meteorological observations.

The rounding of the north extremity of Asia is narrated by Professor Nordenskiöld as follows:

"Despite the fog, which still lingered, the Vega and Lena weighed anchor on the 18th, bound on a course towards cape Chelyuskin. The experience that we subsequently gained of the temperature in these regions showed that we did right; otherwise we might have waited for clear weather until the sea was covered anew with ice. We steamed along the western coast of Taimyr island, where we found numerous small islets, which are not laid down on the chart. It is even possible that the island itself may be cut through by several channels. Moreover, the northern end of the island is not so far north as represented. We only encountered ice in small patches, and generally rotten; none sufficiently solid to bear the weight of two men. The gulf of Taimyr was almost free from ice, and what there was appeared to be slightly disturbed by the swell as we traversed the entrance.

"On the 19th, by the aid of steam and sail, we continued our route along the coast of the Chelyuskin peninsula, always surrounded by an extremely dense fog except in the direction of the land, where, by its occasional lifting, we were able to distinguish the contour of the coast-line. In the course of the day we steamed towards a large field of unbroken ice which projected from a bay on the west coast of the peninsula: in the fog, and seen in the distance, it appeared, owing to the refraction, to be high and thick, but when we approached nearer it turned out to be as rotten as any we had yet encountered. The fog still continued to obstruct our view, and I had already begun to fear that the northernmost point of Asia might be so thickly enveloped in it that we should be

unable to approach and examine the cape, but soon an ice-free promontory appeared to jut out towards the N.E.-ward; a small bay, open to the northward, and also ice-free, penetrated the land for a short distance. There, on the 19th of August, at 6 p.m., we cast anchor, hoisted the ensign, and, with one of the small guns on board the Vega, saluted; we had accomplished the first object of our voyage, and reached the most northern point of the Old World.

"The weather had cleared up, and the cape lay before us, glorious in sunshine and divested of snow. As on our arrival at the Yenisei in 1875, so now, we were accosted by a fine white bear. Before we had cast anchor we saw it trotting up and down the shore, now looking on, and now sniffing in the direction of the bay, apparently for the purpose of ascertaining what importunate guests approached a region where bears had hitherto exercised undisputed sovereignty; affrighted, however, at the noise of our cannon, it soon took to flight, and thus escaped the guns of our hunters.

"We remained here until noon of the next day to determine the geographical position of such an important point, and to allow our zoologists and botanists the opportunity of examining the neighbourhood.

"Cape Chelyuskin is a low promontory, terminating in two points, which are separated by the bay in which we cast anchor. High land, with a gentle slope, runs parallel with the eastern shore, and stretches southward. From our astronomical observations, and a rapid triangulation, we made the westernmost point to be inLat. 77° 36′ 37′′ N., Long. 103° 25′ 30′′ E., and the easternmost point, which extends a little further north, we found to be in—

Lat. 77° 41' N., Long. 104° 1' E.

"Inland the hills appear to gradually rise to the height of 1000 feet. There was scarcely any snow on the high land of which I have spoken, nor on the level. Here and there only might be seen large patches of snow on the rugged flanks of the hills, or in their deep and narrow gorges. Along the shore, however, there

was still a foot of ice all round.

"The soil of the plain is clay, split into six-sided figures, more

or less regular, generally bare, but here and there covered with verdure, mostly grass, moss, or lichen, such as we had seen at the spots previously visited. There was no granite; but we found vertical beds of slate, which yielded no fossils, and abounded in pyrites. At the outer point of the promontory the slate beds were traversed by thick veins of quartz.

"Doctors Kjellman and Almgrist could only find twenty-four species of phanerogamous plants, which were mostly remarkable for forming in hemispherical tufts. There was equal uniformity among the lichens, though there was plenty of them. It seemed as if the vegetation of the Chelyuskin peninsula, in pushing northward, had been suddenly arrested by the sea at the extreme points, and had there developed in quantity what it lacked in variety. Every plant of the district was collected within a limited area, so that no new discovery could be made by searching beyond. Animal life on the land rivalled the poverty of the vegetable world. Among birds, sandpipers were alone numerous; there were a few species of tringa, a diver, a large flock of barnacle geese, a few eider ducks, and traces of an owl. At sea we saw a single walrus, two white whales, and a small seal, so that warm-blooded animals appeared to be scarce. The dredge brought up many kinds of algae and many of the lower forms of life, some common to the Baltic and the large Swedish lakes, tending to prove that the waters here formed part of the glacial sea in the glacial epoch."

Anchor was weighed towards mid-day of the 20th, in a sea so free from ice that it was hoped the same might continue until the westernmost point of the New Siberia islands was reached. During that and the following day, however, they steamed among ice, which, though partially rotten, was still abundant, and at last got to be so thick that they were brought up by it; added to which the navigation became more perilous owing to the dense fog. The easterly course hitherto shaped was changed to a more southerly one, and at mid-day of the 22nd they lay alongside an ice floe, waiting for clearer weather. The dawn of the 23rd was brighter, and the way had to be threaded through a labyrinth of ice, of which they were not clear until 5.30 p.m. of that day, having lost four-and-twenty hours. The depth, which among the ice had

been 33 to 35 fathoms, began to gradually decrease as they approached the coast, which was sighted at 8.45 p.m. It was the N.E. point of the eastern peninsula of Taimyr, situated in lat. 76° 30′ N., long. 113° E. For 15 to 16 miles seaward there appeared to be no ice, and the depth at 6 miles from the land varied between 6 and 12 fathoms.

With a clear look-out around, and a breeze from the north-west, sail was made along the eastern side of the Taimyr peninsula in a smooth sea. Inland the mountains appeared to attain an altitude of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, and generally free from snow, though here and there some showed, as well as a few small glaciers, which, however, did not reach the sea level within 800 to 1,000 feet. Dredging in 35 fathoms, the result was a rich harvest of the fauna of the region, evidently forms of life exclusive appertaining to the glacial ocean, and without any admixture from southern seas such as would certainly be found in the vicinity of Spitzbergen. These researches lead up to important questions in connection with the last epoch of the world's history.

At times no ice was visible in any direction, and as the vessels had previously met with land where the charts indicated sea, so here they were shaping their course over what the charts indicated as land. At 11 a.m. on the 24th of August, the look-out announced, "land on the port bow." This was evidently Preobrashensk island, fronting the mouth of the Chatanga river, and which is fully four degrees westward of its position on the chart. On making the island, they anchored for a few hours to examine the locality.

But, impatient of delay, they started again at 10 p.m. Shaping a course between the parallels of 73° and 74°, with darker and longer nights, required great circumspection, especially with charts on which little reliance could be placed; moreover the depths rarely exceeded 5 to 8 fathoms as far as the mouth of the Lena. They had splendid weather after the 23rd, and were sailing in an ice-free sea. Nordenskiöld attributes this absence of ice along the northern shores of Siberia towards the end of summer to the quantity of warm water brought into the glacial sea by the great Siberian rivers. The waters of the Obi and Yenisei trend north-eastward with the lay of

the coast, and the waters of the Chatanga, Anabara, Olensk, Lena, Yana, Indigirka and Kolyma, which are situated eastward of Taimyr peninsula, take a more easterly trend, all, more or less warmed during the short but hot Siberian summer. Before starting, Nordenskiöld had anticipated this, and observations on the temperature and saltness of the water showed that he was correct in his estimate.

It had been the intention to anchor at the mouth of the Lena; but with a fair wind and ice-free sea, the Vega parted company from the Lena on the night of the 27th. The latter went for her destination, the river Lena, and the former steered for Fadey of island, one of the New Siberia group, whence a departure was to be taken for Behring strait and Japan; but as we now know she had to winter in the Arctic seas. She had, however, very nearly accomplished the N.E. passage in one season, for while we write intelligence has reached Europe that the Vega, all well on board, is frozen in near Serdze-kamen, in lat. 67° 3′ N., long. 171° 33′ W., and less than 100 miles from Behring strait.

Mr. Siberiakoff, the Russian merchant, who is most largely interested, from a commercial standpoint, in opening up the resources of Siberia, has prepared a steamer, already launched at Malmö, to meet the Vega; but it appears to be by no means unlikely that Nordenskiöld will pass into the Pacific without any extraneous aid. It is however proposed that the new steamer, proceeding via the Suez Canal to Japan, shall coal at Yokohama, and thence, taking a departure for Behring strait, try to round the north point of Asia from the westward.

Note.-It will be seen that from the observations of the Swedish expedition the whole of the Taimyr peninsula had been bodily placed on charts and maps several degrees too far to eastward.