e
succeeded in forcing his way with a vessel from the Lena to the
Yenisej. Prontschischev had, however, turned on the 1st September,
1736, only some few minutes, and Laptev on the 2nd September, 1739,
only about 50' from the point named, after voyages in vessels, which
clearly were altogether unsuitable for the purpose in view. Among
the difficulties and obstacles which were met with during these
voyages, not only ice, but also unfavourable and stormy winds played
a prominent part. From fear of not being able to reach any winter
station visited by natives, the explorers often turned at that
season of the year when the Polar Sea is most open. With proper
allowance for these circumstances, we may safely affirm that no
serious obstacles to sailing round Cape Chelyuskin would probably
have been met with in the years named, by any steamer properly
fitted out for sailing among ice.

From the sea between the Lena and Behring's Straits there are much
more numerous and complete observations than from that further west.
The hope of obtaining tribute and commercial profit from the wild
races living along the coast tempted the adventurous Russian
hunters, even before the middle of the 17th century, to undertake a
number of voyages along the coast. On a map which is annexed to the
previously quoted work of Mueller, founded mainly on researches in
the Siberian archives, there is to be found a sea route pricked out
with the inscription, "_Route anciennement fort frequentee. Voyage
fait par mer en_ 1648 _par trois vaisseaux russes, dont un est
parvenu jusqu'a la Kamschatka_."[10]

Unfortunately the details of most of these voyages have been
completely forgotten; and, that we have obtained some scanty
accounts of one or other of them, has nearly always depended on some
remarkable catastrophe, on lawsuits or other circumstances which led
to the interference of the authorities. This is even the case with
the most famous of these voyages, that of the Cossack, Deschnev, of
which several accounts have been preserved, only through a dispute
which arose between him and one of his companions, concerning the
right of discovery to a walrus bank on the east coast of Kamschatka.
This voyage, however, was a veritable exploring expedition
undertaken with the approval of the Government, partly for the
discovery of some large islands in the Polar Sea, about which a
number of reports were current among the hunters and natives, partly
for extending t