1734-1743, were sent into the North Polar
Sea from the Dwina, Obi, Yenisej, Lena, and Kamschatka. ]

[Footnote 14: _Petermann's Mittheilungen_, 1868, p. 1, and 1869, p. 32. ]

CHAPTER I.

Departure--Tromsoe--Members of the Expedition--Stay at
Maosoe--Limit of Trees--Climate--Scurvy and Antiscorbutics--
The first doubling of North Cape--Othere's account of his
Travels--Ideas concerning the Geography of Scandinavia
current during the first half of the sixteenth century--
The oldest Maps of the North--Herbertstein's account of
Istoma's voyage--Gustaf Vasa and the North-east Passage--
Willoughby and Chancelor's voyages.

The _Vega_ left the harbour of Karlskrona on the 22nd June, 1878.
Including Lieutenants Palander and Brusewitz, there were then on
board nineteen men belonging to the Swedish navy, and two foreign
naval officers, who were to take part in the expedition--Lieutenants
Hovgaard and Bove. The two latter had lived some time at Karlskrona
in order to be present at the fitting out and repairing of the
vessel.

On the 24th June the _Vega_ called at Copenhagen in order to take on
board the large quantity of provisions which had been purchased
there. On the 26th June the voyage was resumed to Gothenburg, where
the _Vega_ anchored on the 27th. During the passage there was on
board the famous Italian geographer, Commendatore CHRISTOFORO NEGRI,
who, for several years back, had followed with special interest all
Arctic voyages, and now had received a commission from the
Government of his native country to be present at the departure of
the _Vega_ from Sweden, and to make himself acquainted with its
equipment, &c. At Gothenburg there embarked Docent Kjellman, Dr.
Almquist, Dr. Stuxberg, Lieutenant Nordquist, and an assistant to
the naturalists, who had been hired in Stockholm; and here were
taken on board the greater part of the scientific equipment of the
expedition, and various stocks of provisions, clothes, &c., that had
been purchased in Sweden.

[Illustration: TROMSOE. After a photograph by Glaus Knudsen,
Christiania. ]

On the 4th July the _Vega_ left the harbour of Gothenburg. While
sailing along the west coast of Norway there blew a fresh head wind,
by which the arrival of the vessel at Tromsoe was delayed till the
17th July. Here I went on board. Coal, water, reindeer furs[15] for
all our men, and a large quantity of other stores, bought in Finmark
for the expedit