BOOKS.

NORDENSKIOLD AND THE NORTH-EAST PASSAGE.*

EVERY ONE now knows that Professor Nordenskiold has per- formed an exploit which may do more to unite nations who at

present are too much inclined to regard each other as aliens and only as possible enemies, than almost any other achieve- ment of the present day. He has traversed the North-East Passage, and shown that it is practicable for commerce. What this implies, with regard to its by no means remote effects on intercommunication and good-will, will be at once conceived, when it is pointed out that one effect must be the opening-up of the hitherto dreary and isolated Central Siberia, which is rich in produce of value of many kinds. The Russians seem to regard his achievement in this light, and have already done him all honour; and it is perhaps cause for some regret that his book and his triumph have not caused more interest and excitement in our country, which has hitherto been forward in all matters pertaining to Arctic exploration and adventure. Professor Nordeuskiold, by dint of careful study, much experience, and resolution, has actually turned " impossibilities " into possibilities, and has attained what for more than 300 years has baffled all the efforts recurrently made, since the melancholy failure of the first expedition under Sir Hugh Willoughby and Chancelor.

English, Dutch, Danish, and Russian expeditions have entered on the task, only to retire from' t in discomfiture, if not in dis- gust,—at least, the reports of the tiavellers became less and less favourable as time went on, the Academician von Baer, in 1837, expressly declaring that the yet unexplored Kara Sea was nothing but an " ice-cellar ;" while Pachtusov, who started in 1832, with the intention of penetrating to the Obi Strait and. the Yenissej river, returned, after wintering in Nova Zembla, with no results, so far as the main object was concerned. The benefit of a North-East Passage was so evident to Russia, that no effort was spared to secure success, which has, however, eluded all the Russian explorers, and fallen to a Swede. And

as often happens in such cases, with some suggestion of the irony of Providence, the man to whom success has fallen was, on the whole, less concerned for the results that the mass of mankind will most value and appreciate, than some of those who had gone before him. Mr. Leslie, of Aberdeen, to whom we are indebted for this account of Professor Norden.

skiiild's Arctic voyages, with its very succinct closing chapter outlining the facts connected with the discovery of the North- East Passage, writes thus in his preface :—

" Professor Nordenskiold's Arctic experience extends over a period of twenty-one years, and more than half that time has elapsed since he carried the flag of his country to the highest latitude that has been reached by a vessel in the old hemisphere. In opening up com- munication by sea with the great Siberian rivers, he has rendered a ser- vice of incalculable value to commerce ; but he would doubtless prefer that his fame should rest on the contributions which have been made to our knowledge of the past history and present condition of our globe, by his own scientific labours and those of his colleagues. An accomplished and skilful mineralogist and geologist, Professor Nor. denskiiild has examined, on Spitzbergen alone, more than a thousand English miles of rock sections, and in all his expeditions he has been accompanied by a staff of naturalists and physicists, who have made thorough and comprehensive scientific surveys of the regions they have visited, and, by their collections, have made the Swedish museums the richest in the world in objects of natural history from the North Polar Basin."

That Professor Nordenskitild's success is not the result of

favouring circumstances merely, or of "luck," but rather of knowledge, skill, and determination, is very evident. This will be conclusively seen, if we note, first, some of the more salient facts regarding his last and greatest effort ; and then briefly indicate the manner in which he had prepared himself for the task. The 'Vega,' a steamer of 300 tons, specially fitted up

for ice-sailing, left Tromsoe on July 21st, 1878. She was accompanied part of her course by three other vessels, whose business was to convey coals and stores to points, as arranged. The cargo of the Lena,' which was intended to go farthest, consisted of sixteen months' provisions and coal. Cape Chelyuskin, the northernmost point of the Old World, was reached on August 20th. This, as we are told, forms a low promontory, divided into two parts by a bay. Elevated land, with gentle slopes, rims parallel with the coast from the eastern shore towards the south, while the plains consist of clay-fields, • The Arefie Voyages of Adolf Erik Nordenaliold,1868-18711. With IllastratIons and Maps. London : Macmillan and Co.

of which some are nearly bare, and split up into more or less regular six-sided figures ; and others covered with a mixture of grass, moss, and lichens, resembling that found at the places where landings had previously been effected. On leaving this anchorage, and steering in an eastward direction, in the hope of meeting with a continuation of the New Siberian islands, drift ice was encountered and fogs fell, and the ships had to be worked backwards into open water to seek a new course. By the end of August, notwithstanding, the mouth of the Lena was reached, and Nordenskiiild was full of hope that, should he meet with no extraordinary delay from ice, Behring's Straits would be gained by the end of September, when he would make his way to Yokohama. And he came very nearly to realising this ideal, the difference of a single day's time leading to a lengthened detention in the ice. He had actually arrived at the northernmost part of the Straits on September '28th.

Then, unfortunately, a north wind began to blow, "At first with violence, but afterwards more gently, heaping up greater and greater masses of ice along the coast, and by degrees bringing

down the temperature to — 26° C. The newly-formed ice was nearly two feet thick by November 25th, and there was no

longer any hope of getting free before next summer. Very careful observations were made of temperatures, as of other matters, from day to day, with encouraging results, for future navigators in these seas. It was incontestably shown that a warm and only slightly salt surface current runs from the mouth of the Obi and the Yenissej, along the coast in a north-easterly direction, and afterwards, under the influence of the earth's rotation, in a more easterly course. Other similar currents proceed from the Olenek, Lena, Jana, and other rivers, which all pour their waters, more or less warmed daring the hot summer of Siberia, into the Polar Sea, and make it, during a short season of the year, nearly ice-free along the coast. It was a correct apprehension of these facts which led Nordenskiold to draw up the programme of this expedition."

However, the slight miscalculation of a day was fatal. The ship was fixed in the ice, and for 264 days the party was de- tained in winter quarters, while the greatest concern was felt

for their fate, especially after certain reports had reached home respecting them. But they were far from uncomfortable or in- active. The time was profitably spent in making observations of many kinds, and in geological, botanical, and zoological researches. The expedition was, fortunately, free from scurvy, fresh meat being had in abundance ; and in consequence of their being so far south, they had no dark period :—

" When we were frozen in," writes Nordenskifild, "there was ice- free water some minutes further east. A single hour's steaming in the 'Vega' at full speed had probably been sufficient to traverse this distance, and a day earlier the drift ice at this point would not have formed any serious obstacle to the advance of the vessel. This mis- fortune of being frozen in so near the goal is the one mishap during all my Arctic journeys that I have bad most difficulty in reconciling myself to, but I console myself with the brilliant result, almost un- exampled in the history of Arctic exploration, that has already been won with our excellent winter harbour, and with the prospect of of 1;eing able to continue our voyage next summer. A winter's meteorological and magnetic observations at this place, and the geological, botanical, and zoological researches, which our being frozen in will give us an opportunity of prosecuting, are besides of sufficient interest to repay all the difficulties and troubles which a wintering involves."

The 'Vega' was released from the ice on July 18th, 1879, and passed East Cape, Behring's Straits, on the 20th. Professor Nordenskiiild considers the voyage from Europe to the east coast of Asia certain of accomplishment, and safe, with a little more experience. He believes that all the northern seas, from Japan to the Lena, present no difficulty to skilful navigators, and looks forward to a large prospective trade with Central

Siberia, towards which it were well if the energies of Russia were directed, and all the more if they were drawn away from war and greedy extensions of territory elsewhere. What this implies can only be realised when the common notion of Siberia as a frost-bitten desert are set aside. For its natural resources are rich and great. Minerals of many kinds, grain of the finest, ivory, timber, fish, and cattle can be furnished abundantly, as soon as transport can be found. Even wine of a good quality is produced in Siberia..

From the biographical chapter which Mr. Leslie has prefixed to the volume, we are able to gain a fair notion of the explorer's character, as well as of his career. He is the son of a well-known naturalist and chief of the mining department of Finland, and was born at Helsingfors in November, 1832. For generations the Nordenskiolds have been known for their love of nature and of travel. Adolf from early years showed the tra- ditional proclivities in fullest measure, and combined with them a remarkable independence and fearlessness. When a mere boy, he accompanied his father on many tours, and as a student, chemistry, natural history, and physics- chiefly attracted him. Mineralogy and geology later claimed a greater share of his attention. He was highly distinguished at the University, and obtained the Alexander stipend for a tour of study through Europe ; but owing to some- words spoken at a students' festival, which were unreasonably interpreted by the authorities as disloyal, if not treasonable, he never enjoyed the benefit of it, and after some scientific &aver he settled in Stockholm. He has through life suffered a good: deal through what have been regarded by those in authority as ultra-Liberal ideas. He made his first Arctic voyage to Spitz- bergen as geologist to Torell's first expedition, and was success- ful in finding some fossil plants of the tertiary period of great value. He went several voyages after this with more or less of result—exploring thoroughly a great portion of Spitzbergen- but his voyages of 1875 and 1876 to the Yenissej, in which he makes most careful observations on a large portion of the coast of the Kara Sea, as- having suggested to him the attempt to discover a North-East Passage, eclipses the former voyages in. significance. Mr. Leslie has given most readable summaries of all these voyages, with consensus of their results, which we could wish that we had space to epitomise, more especially as the forms of vegetable and animal life found in the sea that washes the north coast of Siberia throw much light on the for- mer history of our earth. We should have liked also to say something about that peculiar race—the Tchuktches —of which we have a good sketch -at pp. 370-380. But we must content ourselves with sending curious readers to the book itself.

The volume has been produced with the greatest care. It is, admirably illustrated with numerous well-executed woodcuts, the maps are clearly done, and are calculated to be very helpful. It is in every way fitting that the work should be dedicated, as it is, to Mr. Oscar' Dickson, the successful and wealthy mer- chant of Gothenburg, who has done so much to encourage Arctic enterprise, and without whose liberal aid, indeed, this great and crowning achievement of Nordenskifild could not have been attained. The volume is noteworthy also, inasmuch as it must have been produced with great speed. On September 2nd, 1879, Professor Nordenskiold telegraphed from Yokohama that he had succeeded in making the first North-Eastern Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and Mr. Leslie's preface is dated September 30th.