is vessel for the winter here, at some summer yourts built by
fur-hunters in 72 deg. 54' N.L. The winter passed happily, and the
following year (1736) Prontschischev again broke up, as soon as the
state of the ice in Olonek Bay permitted, which, however, was not
until the 15th August. The course was shaped along the coast toward
the north-west. Here drift ice was met with, but he nevertheless
made rapid progress, so that on the 1st September he reached 77 deg.
29' N.L., as we now know, in the neighbourhood of Cape Chelyuskin.
Compact masses of ice compelled him to turn here, and the Russians
sailed back to the mouth of the Olonek, which was reached on the
15th September. The distinguished commander of the vessel had died
shortly before of scurvy, and, some days after, his young wife,
who had accompanied him on his difficult voyage, also died. As
these attacks of scurvy did not happen during winter, but immediately
after the close of summer, they form very remarkable contributions
to a judgment of the way in which the Arctic expeditions of that
period were fitted out.

A new expedition, under Marine-Lieutenant Chariton Laptev, sailed
along the same coast in 1739. The Lena was left on the 1st August,
and Cape Thaddeus (76 deg. 47' N.L.) reached on the 2nd September,
the navigation having been obstructed by drift ice only off Chatanga
Bay. Cape Thaddeus is situated only fifty or sixty English miles
from Cape Chelyuskin. They turned here, partly on account of the
masses of drift ice which barred the way, partly on account of the
late season of the year, and wintered at the head of Chatanga Bay,
which was reached on the 8th September. Next year Laptev attempted
to return along the coast to the Lena, but his vessel was nipped by
drift ice off the mouth of the Olonek. After many difficulties and
dangers, all the men succeeded in reaching safely the winter
quarters of the former year. Both from this point and from the
Yenisej, Laptev himself and his second in command, Chelyuskin, and
the surveyor, Tschekin, the following year made a number of sledge
journeys, in order to survey the peninsula which projects farthest
to the north-west from the mainland of Asia.

With this ended the voyages west of the Lena. The northernmost point
of Asia, which was reached from land in 1742 by Chelyuskin, one of
the most energetic members of most of the expeditions which we have
enumerated, could not be reached by sea, and still less had any on