sank so that from the 16th January the mercury
was frozen for five days. On the 22nd January the reading was -9 deg.. On
the 26th the mercury froze again, and on the 29th the temperature was
-6 deg.. During the month of February the temperature never rose above -24 deg.;
the mercury was frozen on the 20th, 25th, 26th, and 28th. This was the
case on the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 14th, 16th, and 18th March; on the 22nd
March the reading was -7 deg., on the 30th -29 deg.. April began with -31 deg., but
the temperature afterwards rose, so that on the 16th it reached -11 deg. and
varied between -21 deg. and -6 deg. (the 25th). On the 2nd May the reading in
the morning and evening was -12 deg., at mid-day -2 deg. to -5 deg.. On the 8th May
it was +0, on the 17th -10.5 deg., on the 31st +0.5 deg.. June began with +1.5 deg..
On the 8th the reading at mid-day was +11 deg., on the morning and evening
of the same day +2 deg. to +3 deg.. During the remainder of June and the month
of July the temperature varied between +2 deg. and +21 deg..

It was in such circumstances that Nummelin and his four companions
lived in the ill-provided house of planks on the Little Briochov
Island. They removed to it, as has been already said, on the 5th
October; on the 20th the ice was so hard frozen that they could walk
upon it. On the 26th snowstorms commenced, so that it was impossible
to go out of the house.

The sun was visible for the last time on the 21st November, and it
reappeared on the 19th January. On the 15th May the sun no longer
set. The temperature was then under the freezing point of mercury.
That the upper edge of the sun should be visible on the 19th January
we must assume a horizontal refraction of nearly 1 deg.. The
islands on the Yenisej are so low that there was probably a pretty
open horizon towards the south.

Soon after Christmas scurvy began to show itself. Nummelin's
companions were condemned and punished criminals, in whom there was
to be expected neither physical nor moral power of resistance to
this disease. They all died, three of scurvy, and one in the attempt
to cross from the Briochov Islands to a _simovie_ at Tolstoinos. In
their stead Nummelin succeeded in procuring two men from Tolstoinos,
and later on one from Goltschicha. On the 11th May a relief party
arrived from the south. It consisted of three men under the mate
Meyenwaldt, whom Sidoroff had sent to help to save the vessel. They
had first to shovel away the sno