in contact with the natives at St. Lawrence Island was Otto von Kotzebue, on the 27th of June, 1816, and 20th of July, 1817. The inhabitants had not before seen any Europeans, and they received the foreigners with great kindness.

As Kotzebue, two days after, sailed past the north point of the island, he met three baydars. In one of them a man stood up, held up a little dog and pierced it through with his knife, as Kotzebue believed, as a sacrifice to the foreigners.*

Since 1817 naval exploring expeditions have landed on St. Lawrence Island, but always only a few hours. It is very dangerous to stay long here with a vessel. Captain Polander was, on this account, anxious to leave the place as soon as possible. On the 2d of August, 1829, we accordingly resumed our voyage.

Some account remains to be given of the discovery of Kamchatka. Volodomir Atlassov is considered its proper discoverer. While he was commander at Anadrysk, he sent out, in 1696, the Cossack, Lucas Semenov Sin Morosko, with sixteen men to bring the tribes living in the north under tribute. The commission was executed, and on his return Morosko stated that he was not only among the Koryaks, but that he also penetrated to the neighborhood of the river Kamchatka, and that he took a Kamchadel "ostrog" (fort) and found in it some manuscripts in an unknown language, which, according to information afterward received, had belonged to some Japanese who had stranded on the coast of Kamchatka. It was the first hint the conquerors of Siberia obtained of being in the neighborhood of Japan.

The year after, Atlassov followed the way which Morosko had opened up, and penetrated to the river Kamchatka, where, as a sign that he had taken possession of the land, he erected a cross with an inscription which when translated runs thus: "In the year 7205 (i. e, 1697), on the 13th of July, this cross was erected by the piatidesatnik (i. e., commander of fifty men) Volodomir Atlassov and his followers, fifty-five men." Atlassov then built on the Kamchatka River a simovie, which was afterward fortified and named Verchni Kamchatskoj Ostrog. Hence the Russians extended their power over the land.

In 1700 Atlassov travelled to Moscow, carrying with him a Japanese who had been taken prisoner after being shipwrecked on the

*The Chippewas, on a voyage, sacrifice a dog to propitiate the god of storms, by tying and casting it into the water. See Henry's "Narrative."

In one account, 1698-1699 are given as the years of Morosko's and Atlassov's expedition. Several authorities are quoted in "The Voyage of the Vega" in verification of the above facts.

coast of Kamchatka, and the collected tribute which consisted of the skins of thirty-two hundred sables, ten sea-otters, seven beavers, four otters, ten grey-foxes, and one hundred and ninety-one red foxes. He was received graciously, and sent back as commander of the Cossacks in Yakutsk, with orders to complete the conquest of Kamchatka. An interruption, however, happened, for some time in the path of Atlassov, as a warrior and discoverer, in consequence of his having, during his return journey to Yakutsk, plundered a Russian vessel loaded with Chinese goods. He was not set free till 1706, and then recovered his command in Kamchatka. Finally in 1711, Atlassov and several other officers were murdered by their own countrymen. Their murderers undertook to subdue the unconquered parts of Kamchatka and the two northernmost of the Kurile Islands. Further information about the countries lying farther south was obtained from some Japanese who were shipwrecked, in 1710, on Kamchatka.

At first, in order to get to Kamchatka, the difficult detour by Anadyrsk was taken. But in the year 1711 the commander at Okotsk was ordered to proceed by sea from Okotsk to Kamchatka, but this voyage could not come off, because at that time there were at Okotsk neither sea-going boats, seamen, nor even men accustomed to the use of the compass. Some years after, Ivan Sorokaumov with twelve Cossacks was sent to Okotsk to make arrangements for this voyage, but the same difficulties still existed, and after Sorokaumov had created great confusion he was imprisoned and sent back. Peter the Great now commanded that men acquainted with navigation should be sought for among the Swedish prisoners of war and sent to Okotsk; that they should build a boat there, and, provided with a compass, go by sea along with some Cossacks to Kamchatka and return. Thus navigation began on the Sea of Okotsk. Among the Swedes who opened it is mentioned Henry Busch. According to Muller, who met with him at Yakutsk as late as 1736, he was born at Hoorn, in Holland. He gave Muller the following account of his first voyage across the Sea of Okotsk. After arriving at Okotsk they built a vessel resembling the lodjas. This vessel was strong; its length was eight and a half fathoms, its breadth three fathoms, the freeboard when the vessel was loaded, three and a half feet. The first voyage took place in June, 1716. They wintered at the river Kompakova. During the winter the sea cast up a whale which had in its carcass a harpoon of European manufacture and with Latin letters. The vessel left the winter-haven in the middle of May (new style), 1717, and was for five and a half weeks beset by ice-fields. In the end of July

they were again back at Okotsk. From this time there has been regular communication between this town and Kamchatka.

Peter the Great, during the last years of his life, arranged one of the greatest geographical expeditions which the history of the world can show. It was not until after his death, however, that it was carried out, and then it went on for a series of years on so large a scale that whole tribes are said to have been impoverished through the severe exactions of transport that were, on this account, imposed on the inhabitants of the Siberian deserts. Its many different divisions are now comprehended under the name The Great Northern Expedition. Through the writings of Behring, Muller, Gmelin, Steller, Krascheninnikov and others, this expedition has acquired an important place for all time in the history not only of geography, but also of ethnography, zoology and botany; and even now the inquirer, when the natural conditions of North Asia are in question, must turn to these works.

The Great Northern Expedition was ushered in by the first expedition to Kamchatka. The commander of this expedition was the Dane, Vitus Behring, who was accompanied by Lieutenant Morton Spangberg, also a Dane by birth, and Alexei Chirikov.

They left St. Petersburg in February, 1725, and took the land route across Siberia, carrying with them the necessary materials with which in Kamchatka to build and equip the vessel with which they should make the voyage of exploration. More than three years were required for the voyage, or, rather, for this geographicoscientific campaign. It was not until the 16th (4th) of April that a beginning could be made at Nischni Kamchatskoj Ostrog of building the vessel, which was launched on the 21st (10th) of July, and on the 31st (20th) of the same month Behring began his voyage. On the 21st (10th) of August St. Lawrence Island was discovered, and on the 26th (15th) of the same month the explorers sailed past the northeastern promontory of Asia, in 67° 18', and observed that the coast trends to the west from that point. Behring, on this account, considered that he had fulfilled his commission to ascertain whether Asia and America were separated, and he now determined to return. It was during this voyage that the sound which has since obtained the name of Behring Strait is considered to have been discovered; but it is now known that this discovery properly belongs to the gallant hunter Deschnev, who sailed through these straits eighty years before. Several statements by Kamchadales regarding a great country towards the east on the other side of the sea induced Behring, the following year, to sail away in order to ascertain whether this was the case.

In consequence of unfavorable weather he did not reach the coast of America, but returned, after which he sailed to Okotsk, where he arrived on August 3d (July 23d), 1729, whence he went to St. Petersburg, which he reached after a journey of six months and nine days. In maps published during Behring's absence Kamchatka had been delineated with so long an extension towards the south that this peninsula was connected with Yezo, the northernmost of the large Japanese Islands. The distance between Kamchatka and Japan, rich in wares, would thus have been quite inconsiderable. This nearness was believed to be further confirmed by another Japanese ship manned by seventeen men and laden with silk, rice and paper, having stranded, in July, 1729, on Kamchatka south of Avatscha Bay. In this neighborhood there was, along with a number of natives, a small party of Cossacks, under the command of Schtinnikov. He at first accepted several presents of the shipwrecked men, but afterwards withdrew from the place where the wreck took place. When the Japanese, on this account, rowed on along the coast, Schtinnikov gave orders to follow them in a baydar and kill them all but two. The cruel deed was carried into execution, on which the malefactors took possession of the goods and broke in pieces the boats, in order to obtain the iron with which the boards were fastened together. The two Japanese who were saved were carried to Nischni Kamchatskoj Ostrog, and sent to St. Petersburg, where they learned the Russian language, while some Russians learned the Japanese. The Japanese, who were both from Smetsua, died between 1730 and 1739. Their vessel had been bound for Osaka, but having been carried out of its course by a storm, had drifted about at sea for six months, stranding at length, with so unfortunate a result for the greater part of the crew. Schtinnikov was hung for his crime.*

CHAPTER XXXV.

The Voyage of Marco Polo, 1291-Jewish and Egyptian Types among Indians in America-The Voyages of the Norsemen (860–1000 a.d.)—Their Route to America—Their Relics on Baffin's Bay-The Voyage of Leif Eireksen— The Viking Vessel of Gokstad, Norway-The Voyage of Captain Magnus Andersen on the Viking, 1893 A.D.

IT has been shown that the northern coast of Asia is inhabited for twenty degrees of longitude west of Behring Strait-from Chaun * "Voyage of the Vega," by Baron Adolf Erik Nordenskiold.

Bay to Behring Strait; that the eastern shore of the strait is also inhabited, and the coast on that side for several degrees north of the strait; that intercourse exists, and has existed, between the inhabitants of the eastern and western shores of the strait; that the northern coast of Asia has been inhabited for hundreds of years; in fact, it is not known how long it has been inhabited beyond the existence of the present evidences of its habitation centuries ago. From these facts there is reason to believe that intercourse has existed between the inhabitants of the northwestern part of North America and the northeastern part of Asia ever since these parts have been inhabited. And there are reasons to believe that China and Japan in remote ages had intercourse with America.

Kublai-khan, the Grand Khan of all the Tartars, and fifth in succession from Ghengis-khan, reigned in the city of Kambalu, the capital of Cathay, or China, when Marco Polo arrived there about the year 1273 or 1274. It happened, while Polo was there in the service of the Grand Khan, that the wife of Argun, sovereign of India, died, about 1287. Argun deputed three of his nobles, attended by a numerous retinue, as his ambassadors to the Grand Khan, with request that he might receive at his hand a maiden to wife from among the relatives of his deceased queen. Under the directions of the Grand Khan, choice was made of a damsel aged seventeen years and extremely handsome and accomplished.

The ambassadors having left with Kagatin-such was the name of the bride-and travelled by land for eight months, found their further progress obstructed, and the roads closed against them by fresh wars that had broken out among the Tartar princes. The ambassadors were therefore constrained to return to the court of the Grand Khan.

About the time of their reappearance at Kambalu Marco Polo happened to arrive from a voyage he had made with a few vessels under his orders to some port of the East Indies-probably the island of Sumatra and other islands of the Indian Archipelago. The three ambassadors, having learned of this voyage of Polo, and being extremely anxious to return to their own country, from which they had now been absent three years, obtained from the Grand Kahn permission that Marco, as being well skilled in the practice of navigation, might convey them and the bride by sea to the kingdom of Argun. Preparations were accordingly made for the equipment of fourteen ships, each having four masts and capable of being navigated with nine sails. Among these vessels there were at least four or five that had crews of two hundred and fifty