THE UNKNOWN NORTH.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4264, 29 March 1879, Page 3

THE UNKNOWN NORTH.

Prof. Nordevskiold's Report of his EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY. The following is the Swedish Prof. Nordenskiod's report of a portion of his recent journey to the northward of Siberia —a journey whioh is pronounced only second to. Stanley's in the importance of its discoveries. « On Board the Vega, East of Cape Tscheljuskin, August 20th, 1878. —-We have just sailed around Cape Tscheljuskin. As far as we can now see the ice will not interrupt onr journey, at least not before our arrival at the month of the River Lena, There the Vega wiU have to separate from her faithful companion, the aeeamer Lena, which will aaO up the river as far as lakutsk. I will, 4 h?"* fow, « 1° aU probability in a few days be able to een_ jru- -— «--_ T.kntsk A nd Irkutsk the report "f our journey from Dickson harbor, which I am now going to write. I am delighted to say at once, "_U as well as possible." WATER TEMPERATURE. After the departure Jn]the morning of the Frazer and the Express for the Simovies, somewhat further up in the river, I allowed the Vega to remain for twenty-four hours longer in Pickson harbor in order to give Lieutenant Bove an opportunity of fintßhing the maps ef that excellent harbor so well protected on all sides, which, doubtless, will become of great importance in the future. So the Vega and the Lena did not go under way until the morning of the 10th of August to continue their route. They steered for the moßt western of the Kammenui islands, outside the mouth of the Piasino. The sky overcast, the temperature of the air up to 10.4 degrees Celcius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), that of the water at first 10 degrees and later 8 degrees (46 degrees Fahrenheit), its saltness slight. No ice was seen during the day, Favored by a fine breeze from southeast, tbe Vega could start on her journey with full sails. But later in the day the aea began to be covered with fog. This obliged ua to advance with great care, especially as in the course of the day we sailed by small islands not indicated on the chart. DENSE FOGS. Fine weather and ice-free Bea favored also the next day's journey; but then the fog became so dense that already in the morning we were oliged to lie to one of the many small islands we passed on our way. The island was composed of a low bank of gneiss, only thinly covered with gravel, which was either perfectly sterile or covered with a very scanty vegetation of thin mosses or phauerogama. On the other side the humidity prevailing during the summer months in these regions had produced an abundant vegetation of lichenc, which was a rich harvest for Dr. Almqnisi. The water of the eea was but little salt, at least on the surface, and aea alga were consequently hardly to be found, where— the zoologiata were weU supplied by the dredger with pure forms of sea life. SAILING THROUGH ROTTEN ICE. On the afternoon of the 11th August the weather had cleared a little, so we could proceed. Now and then a floating piece of ice was to be seen, and during the night the ice increased to an alarming degree, but still not so is to arrest navigation. It rather j proved useful by allaying every trace of i motion in the sea. thus rendering it easy to take the temperature of the sea at different, depths and secure dredgings twice a day. j The ice now consisted almost entirely of bay ice, so eaten away that it was rather of the consistency of ice cream than solid ice. It was evident that it wonld disappear altogether in a few days. Although at _tervals | so thick a fog spread over the aea that the vessels could only keep informed of each ! other's position by means of the steam whistle we kept on toward the north-east on an unkown route filled with islets and probably also shoals. Sometimes when the fog became too thick we stopped at some block of ice, or a large floe, or at some of the small or large islets which are formingawaU or rooks between Dickson harbor and Cape Tscheljuskin. That we did cot a single time touch the bottom during that sail is a complete proof of the excellent manner in which lieutenant Paisnder and the officers who assisted in keeping the watch under his experienced supervision (the Lieutenants Brusewux and Govgaa'd) managed the navigation of the vessel. ARCTIC BIOLOGY. I Gradually the saltness of the water began to increase and the temperature to _minxiih. At the same time the organic life at the bottom of the sea became richer, so that Dr. Sinxburg, in the night between the 13th and the 14th August, while the ship was lying fastened to a piece of floating ice, t ok np a quantity of magnificent pure forms of sea life—large specimens of the remarkable crinolde aleeio eschrichtn, numerous starfish (asterias siniku and panople), pyenogonides, Ac. The dredging near the coast now began to yield Dr. X jQlmann some large sea alga. Bat on shore tho higher -__*» and flora were

still so poor that the coast ia here a complete desert compared, with the rocky shores of Spitsbergen and Nova Z;mbla. Auks, redbreasted geese, puffins, black guillemots, and terns, which congregate at Spuzbargen in thousands and thousands are here entirely lacking. Seagulls and " Lestres," which there fill the air with their ceaseless chattering screams, and quarrelling for f od, appear here but rarely, each in two species, and it seemed as if they quarrelled less here. ! Only snow sparrows, six or seven species of waning birds, and some species of geese, are found on shore in larger numbers. _ If we add to those an occasional ptarmigan, a mountain owl (stryx nyctea), and a species of falcon the whole bird life of the region is enumerated, at least as far as we became acquainted with it Of warm-blooded animals in the sea outside, only two walruses, some large seals (phoca barbate) and a crowd of other seals (phoca hispida). Fish probably exist here abundantly. _XKAROLOGICAL DI3COV —IT. I must here mention a very remarkable discovery. While the ship was lying moored to ene of the few pieces of floating ice which we encountered and found to be of sufficient strength to bt-ar a dozen men. Lieutenant Nordquist and I descended on the ice to see whether I here oould find any trace of the remarkable substance of cosmic origin which I found in 1872 oa the ice at the northern coast of Spitsbergen. I could find nothing of the sort here. But lieutenant Nordquist directed my attention to some yellow spo'B on the ice, which I asked him to collect and hand to the botanists of the expedition for examination, thinking that they proceeded from some diatomous mud. At the examination afterwards made it was discovered that the substance in question was of no organic product, but ooarse sand, consisting exclusively of very beautifully formed crystals, of a diameter reaching even up to a couple of millimeters. I have not yet had time or opportunity to examine them more cloaely,but,as an experienced mineralogist, I can see that this mineral is a no common terrestrial one, bnt that it, perhaps, is a substance crystallised from the sea water by the severe winter frost. ACTINIA HARBOR. Waiting for clear weather, we were lying at anchor from the 14th to the 18th August, iv an excellent harbor iv the sound between the Inland of Taimyr and the continent, which I have named Actinia harbor on aocount cf the numerous actinias here dredged. FLORA AND FAUNA. The land was free from snow and covered with a gray-green carpet of plants, composed of a thick growth of different kinds of grass, mosses and lichens. Tbe number of species of tho phanerogamous plants was very Fcinty, but mosses and Rchens were abundant. The whole formß evidently a pasture for reindeer much finer than that which exists in the vaPeys rich in reindeer at the Belsound, the Tcef jord and the Storfjord of Spitsbergen. Russian hunters have surely not for a century visited these regions, and yet we only saw here a few reindeer, which, unfortunately, were too *hy to reward the skill of our sportsmen. Captain Johnansen attributed this fact, perhaps correctly, to the presence of the welves in the vicinity. He told us that he had seen wolves' tracks and a reindeer just killed by a wolf. SITE JOB A STATION On the steam launch we carried with us Lieut. Psiander, accompanied by Lieut. Hovgaard, made some excursions to examine the sound, which separates the Taimyr island from the continent. That sound was found too shallow and obstructed, and the current running westward in the sound too strong for the Vega to penetrate safely on that route to the Taimyr bay. But in case a station of observation should not be established at the very Cape Tscheljuskin I can recommend the Actinia harbor as a station for the meteorological observations which, according to tho proposal of Mr Weyprecht, are to be made simultaneously at many different places in the far north. The harbor formß a bay, sheltered on all Bides and offering a good anchorage. Although tbe continuous fog had not yet lifted the Vega and Lena again set sail on the 18th, continuing their route for Cape Tooheljuskin. The experence we have later giined of the weather ia these regions provedthat we acted wisely. W e would probably have been obliged to wait for clear weather till the sea was again covered with ice. ONCHAHTID ISLANDS. We steamed on along the western coast of the Taimyr island. It is surrounded by a number of islands which are not to be found on the map, and is possibly itself divided by sounds into several parts. TAIMYB ISLAND. ' The northern extremity of tiie Taimyr island does not seem to extend as far forward north as indicated on the chart. Ice hardly see a pices strong enough to bear a couple of men. All that ice must soon hays melted. Even the Taimyr bay was almost free from ice, We were even during our journey again exposed to some motion of the sea. On the 19th of August we again steamed on and sailed along the coast of the peninsula of Tscheljuskin in an extremely thick fog, which only occasionally lifted so much that the contours of the country were visible. Daring the day we passed an extensive field of unbroken ice, which occupied a bar on the western aide of the peninsula of Tscheljuskin. Owing to the mirage, caused by the refraotion near the horizon, the ice appeared to be thick and high, but on our arrival at the border of the ice itself it seemed that also this was solid ice, almost as porous as that which formed the bands of ice which wo met sometimes in the sea. THB NOETH CAPE 0* ASIA. The fog prevented us from seeing far, and i I already feared that the most northern point of Asia might be so enveloped that we should not be able to land there; but soon peeped out again the ice free cape in the northeast. A little creek, open toward the north, and there free from ice, run inland. The vessel cast anchor in that creek on the 19th of August, at 6 p.m., flags flying and firing a salute with one of the small guns the Vega carried. We had reached the first goal of our journey, the most northern point of the old world. A SHY I—CEPTION COH—ITTEB. The Bky had cleared and the promontory lay before us in the sunshine, and free from snow. Just as on our arrival at Yenisei in 1876, here, too, we were received by a large polar bear, who, even before we had cast anchor, was Walking to and fro on the beach, now and then looking and snuffing in the direction of the creek, as if to ascertain what uninvited guests were now approaching a ! region where until now the bear had held undisputed sway. Frightened by the salute he took to his legs in haste, and thereby escaped the balls of our sportsmen. I LANDING AND OBSERVATIONS. In order to take an astronomical observation on this important spot, and to give our zoologists and botanists an opportunity to make Borne excursions, I remained here until the following noon. Cape Tscheljuskin is formed by a low promontory divided into two parts by the creek, where the vessels had cast anchor. A hill, with gradually sloping eides, extends from the eastern beach parallel with tbe coast southw-xd. According to approximate calculation from the astronomical observations and the triangular measurements which were made the western point is situated in latitude 77 degrees 36 minutes 37 seconds north, and longitude 103 degrees 25 minutes 5 seconds east of Green- ! wich. The eastern point is a little farther toward the north—viz., at latitnde 77 degrees 41 minutes north and longitude 154 degrees 1 minute east. Inland the mountains seem gradually to mount to about 1000 feet. This hill, as well as the flat land, was almost free from ice. Only here and there Large white fields of snow were visible in the hollows in the mountain sides or in some deep and narrow ravine ia tbe plain. Near the shore itself the ice remained at the most places. The soil of the low lands consists of layers of clay, which in places are almost bare and divided by cracks into more or less perfect hexagons, and in other places covered by a carpet of plants, composed of grass, mess, and places where we landed the previous day. The stone formation here was not granite, but perpendicular strata of slate, containing no petrifactions, but rich in crystals of pyrite. At the farthest point tbe strata of slate were traversed by large veins of quartz. Dr Kjillmann was only able to discover here tweuty-fonr species of phaserogamous plants, tbe most of them distin gnished by a tendency to form thick hemispherical mounds, Alsoftbe lichens were*, according to the report of Dr Almquist, uniform but luxuriant in form. It almost appeared as if the plants of the peninsula of Tscheljuskin bad tried to advance further northward, bnt en meeting the sea had stopped on tbe very ntin»-6 point. H_i»

one founds very small area almost all tho plants—-phari—ogamoaas well as oryptogaxoes —which the country can show, many of whith aro sought in vaia further up on the plain. The fauna on shore was as poor as the higher flora. Of birds only a number of swimming snipes was seen, somo apeoiea of sandpipers, a few elder ducks, a loon, a very numerous flock of " Anser bernicia," and the remains of a mountain owl. In the sea j outside, which, with the exception of & few floating bits, was free from ice, a single walrus, two shoal a of dolphinopterus lucas, and some few small seals (phoca hispida) were seen. Also there was a very marked lack of warm-blooded animals. On the ether aide the dredger brought up from the bottom several large alyd (laraiuaria a_arohi a.0.), and a number of lower animals, among whioh very largo up. citneus of the idothea entomon, a species of the isapodo), which is also found in the Baltic and our larger lakes, and which ia con idt.red to be a proof of their having cohered with the Arctic sea in the ice period. Tho alyd collected were so far of in" crest as they gave a further proof of the incorrectness cf the theory which has long prevailed that tho Siberian Arctic sea was en'irely destitute of ths higher forms of alyd.