wnish-green turf, probably of the same nature
as that we saw on Taimur Island.

During the forenoon we had splendid clear weather, and often we
could see from the vessel no trace of ice. We saw a large number of
walruses, and to judge by the fire which this sight kindled in the
eyes of our hunters, it will not be long till the Norwegian hunting
voyages are extended to the sea north and east of the north point of
Asia. We saw besides a large number of looms and black guillemots,
the former accompanied by young of the year, as large as rotges.
About noon we sighted "land ahead to larboard." It was evidently
Preobraschenie Island. I determined to land on it for a few hours to
carry on researches in natural history, and to fix the position of
the place by astronomical observations, if the weather should
permit. The distance of this high-lying island was however greater
than we expected. So that it was not until six o'clock in the
evening that we could anchor off its south-west side, near the
almost perpendicular face of cliffs abounding in sea-fowl.

During the last two days we had been sailing over a region, which on
recent maps is marked as land. This shows that a considerable change
must be made on the map of North Siberia, and I shall therefore
quote here the observations on which the determination of our course
is grounded.

Latitude. Longitude
Cape Chelyuskin[196]................. 77 deg. 36.8' 103 deg. 17.2'
On board the _Vega_[197] at noon of the
21st Aug. 77 deg. 25' 109 deg. 12'
,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 22nd Aug. 76 deg. 33' 116 deg. 9'
,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 23rd Aug. 76 deg. 48' 115 deg. 0'
,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 24th Aug. 73 deg. 0' 113 deg. 33'

At the last mentioned point we had laud to starboard of us at an
estimated distance of 4'. Preobraschenie Island lay S. 21 deg. W.
17.5' off. It is on the ground of these data and of the courses
recorded in the log, that the track of the _Vega_ has been laid down
on the map, and no doubt can arise that the position of the east
coast of Taimur peninsula, as indicated by us, is in the main
correct.

Preobraschenie Island forms a pretty even grassy plain, lying from
thirty to sixty metres above the sea-level, which in the north-west
terminates towards the sea with an almost perpendicular rocky wall,
but to the south-east sinks gradually down to