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                   RUSSIAN EXPLORATIONS, 1725-1743.

                             VITUS BERING:

                   THE DISCOVERER OF BERING STRAIT.


                                  BY

                           PETER LAURIDSEN,

    MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL DANISH GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY,
          EDITOR OF JENS MUNK'S "NAVIGATIO SEPTENTRIONALIS."

       REVISED BY THE AUTHOR, AND TRANSLATED FROM THE DANISH BY

                           JULIUS E. OLSON,

  ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF SCANDINAVIAN LANGUAGES IN THE UNIVERSITY OF
                              WISCONSIN.

            WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AMERICAN EDITION BY

                          FREDERICK SCHWATKA,

   MEDALLIST OF THE PARIS GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, AND OF THE IMPERIAL
     GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF RUSSIA: HONORARY MEMBER OF THE BREMEN
  GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, AND THE SWISS GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY OF GENEVA;
    CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ITALIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ETC.,
       ETC.; AUTHOR OF "ALONG ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER," ETC., ETC.

                               CHICAGO:
                        S. C. GRIGGS & COMPANY,
                                 1889.


                           COPYRIGHT, 1889,
                     BY S. C. GRIGGS AND COMPANY.

                               PRESS OF
                         KNIGHT & LEONARD CO.
                               CHICAGO.




CONTENTS.


  LIEUT. SCHWATKA'S INTRODUCTION                                     vii

  TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE                                               xii

  AUTHOR'S PREFACE                                                    xv

  PART I.

  BERING'S FIRST EXPEDITION.

  CHAPTER I.

  Russia and England in the work of Arctic exploration.--Vitus
  Bering's rank as an explorer                                         3

  CHAPTER II.

  Bering's nativity.--Norwegians and Danes in the service of
  Peter the Great.--Founding of the Russian navy                       6

  CHAPTER III.

  Plans for Bering's First Expedition.--Peter the Great's desire to
  know the extent of his empire.--The Northeast passage               12

  CHAPTER IV.

  Bering's knowledge of Siberian geography.--Terrors of traveling
  in Siberia.--The expedition starts out.--The journey
  from St. Petersburg to the Pacific                                  19

  CHAPTER V.

  The building of the Gabriel.--The discovery of Bering Strait        29

  CHAPTER VI.

  The task assigned by Peter the Great accomplished.--History of
  the cartography of East Siberia.--Captain Cook's defense of
  Bering                                                              35

  CHAPTER VII.

  Bering's winter at the fort.--Indications of an adjacent
  continent.--Unsuccessful search for this continent.--Return to
  St. Petersburg.--General review of the results of the First
  Expedition                                                          50

  PART II.

  THE GREAT NORTHERN EXPEDITION.

  CHAPTER VIII.

  Bering's plans for a second expedition.--The greatest geographical
  enterprise ever undertaken                                          61

  CHAPTER IX.

  The Great Northern Expedition on its way through Siberia.--Difficulties
  and dangers encountered and overcome                                77

  CHAPTER X.

  Delay of the expedition caused by the death of Lassenius and
  his command in the Arctic regions.--Dissatisfaction of the
  Senate and Admiralty with Bering's work                             91

  CHAPTER XI.

  Final Preparations for the Pacific expeditions                      99

  PART III.

  THE VARIOUS EXPEDITIONS.

  CHAPTER XII.

  The Arctic expeditions.--The Northeast passage.--Severe criticisms
  on Nordenskjoeld                                                    107

  CHAPTER XIII.

  The discovery of the Kurile Islands and Japan from the north       117

  CHAPTER XIV.

  Preparations for Bering's voyage of discovery to America.--Founding
  of Petropavlovsk.--The brothers De l'Isle                          127

  CHAPTER XV.

  The discovery of America from the east.--Steller induced to
  join the expedition.--The separation of the St. Peter and
  the St. Paul                                                       135

  CHAPTER XVI.

  Bering's place of landing on the American coast.--Captain
  Cook's uncertainty.--The question discussed and definitely
  settled                                                            143

  CHAPTER XVII.

  Explorations along the American coast.--Steller's censure of
  Bering for undue haste.--Bering defended.--Dall, the
  American writer, reprimanded.--The return voyage                   150

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  The discovery of the Aleutian Islands.--Terrible hardships of
  the voyage.--Steller's fault-finding.--Bering confined to his
  cabin.--Deaths on board from exhaustion and disease.--Bering
  Island discovered.--A narrow escape                                164

  CHAPTER XIX.

  The stay on Bering Island.--Fauna of the island.--A rich field
  for St