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.