estion
concerning the state of the ice and the marine currents at Cape
Chelyuskin gave occasion to an exhaustive discussion. It ended by
His Majesty first of all declaring himself convinced of the
practicability of the plan of the voyage, and prepared not only as
king, but also as a private individual, to give substantial support
to the enterprise. Dr. Oscar Dickson shared His Majesty's views, and
promised to contribute to the not inconsiderable expenditure, which
the new voyage of exploration would render necessary. This is the
sixth expedition to the high north, the expenses of which have been
defrayed to a greater or less extent by Dr. O. Dickson.[1] He became
the banker of the _Vega_ Expedition, inasmuch as to a considerable
extent he advanced the necessary funds, but after our return the
expenses were equally divided between His Majesty the King of Sweden
and Norway, Dr. Dickson, and Mr. Sibiriakoff.

I very soon had the satisfaction of appointing, as superintendents
of the botanical and zoological work of the expedition in this new
Polar voyage, my old and tried friends from previous expeditions,
Docents Dr. Kjellman and Dr. Stuxberg, observers so well known in
Arctic literature. At a later period, another member of the
expedition that wintered on Spitzbergen in 1872-73, Lieutenant (now
Captain in the Swedish Navy) L. PALANDER, offered to accompany the
new expedition as commander of the vessel--an offer which I gladly
accepted, well knowing, as I did from previous voyages, Captain
Palander's distinguished ability both as a seaman and an Arctic
explorer. Further there joined the expedition Lieutenant GIACOMO
BOVE, of the Italian Navy; Lieutenant A. HOVGAARD, of the Danish
Navy; Medical candidate E. ALMQUIST, as medical officer; Lieutenant
O. NORDQUIST, of the Russian Guards; Lieutenant E. BRUSEWITZ, of the
Swedish Navy; together with twenty-one men--petty officers and crew,
according to a list which will be found further on.

An expedition of such extent as that now projected, intended
possibly to last two years, with a vessel of its own, a numerous
well-paid _personnel_, and a considerable scientific staff, must of
course be very costly. In order somewhat to diminish the expenses, I
gave in, on the 25th August, 1877, a memorial to the Swedish
Government with the prayer that the steamer _Vega_, which in the
meantime had been purchased for the expedition, should be thoroughly
overhauled and made completely seawor