we may judge of the nature
of these craft from those now used on the Siberian rivers, we ought
rather to be surprised that any of them could venture out on a real
sea, than consider the unsuccessful voyages just described as proofs
that there is no probability of being able to force a passage here
with a vessel of modern build, and provided with steam power.

It remains, finally, for me to give an account of the attempts that
have been made to penetrate westward from Behring's Straits.

Deschnev's voyage, from the Lena, through Behring's Straits to the
mouth of the Anadir, in 1648, became completely forgotten in the
course of about a century, until Muller, by searches in the Siberian
archives, recovered the details of these and various other voyages
along the north coast of Siberia. That the memory of these
remarkable voyages has been preserved to after-times, however,
depends, as has been already stated, upon accidental circumstances,
lawsuits, and such like, which led to correspondence with the
authorities. Of other similar undertakings we have certainly no
knowledge, although now and then we find it noted that the Polar Sea
had in former times often been traversed. In accounts of the
expeditions fitted out by the authorities, it, for instance, often
happens that mention is made of meeting with hunters and traders,
who were sailing along the coast in the prosecution of private
enterprise. Little attention was, however, given to these voyages,
and, eighty-one years after Deschnev's voyage, the existence of
straits between the north-eastern extremity of Asia and the
north-western extremity of America was quite unknown, or at least
doubted. Finally, in 1729, Behring anew sailed through the Sound,
and attached his name to it. He did not sail, however, very far (to
172 deg. W. Long.) along the north coast of Asia, although he does
not appear to have met with any obstacle from ice. Nearly fifty
years afterwards Cook concluded in these waters the series of
splendid discoveries with which he enriched geographical science.
After having, in 1778, sailed a good way eastwards along the north
coast of America, he turned towards the west, and reached the 180th
degree of longitude on the 29th August: the fear of meeting with ice
deterred him from sailing further westward, and his vessel appears
to have scarcely been equipped or fitted for sailing among ice.

After Cook's time we know of only three expeditions which have
sailed