Adolf Nordenskiöld was a Finnish aristocrat, Finland then being a part of the Russian empire, who led the first expedition through the entire Northeast Passage in 1878-79. He was a dedicated bibliophile who built a magnificent collection of maps and atlases, now at the University of Helsinki Library, and was a published expert on the early history of cartography. As shown in the notes below, he was even able to use the Vega expedition for his collecting needs.
p. 216, when meeting the local Chukchi representative of the Russian empire: He was in any case the first with whom some of us could communicate, at least in a way. He could neither read nor write. On the other hand, he could quickly comprehend a map which was shown him, and point out with great accuracy a number of the more remarkable places in north-eastern Siberia. Of the existence of the Russian emperor the first official of the region had no idea; on the other hand he knew that a very powerful person had his home at Irkutsk.
p. 1: INTRODUCTION. THE voyage ,which it is my purpose to sketch in this book, owed its origin to two preceding expeditions from Sweden to the western part of the Siberian Polar Sea, in the course of which I reached the mouth of the Yenisei, the first time in 1875 in a walrus-hunting sloop, ‘the Proeven, and the second time in 1876 in a steamer, the Ymer. After my return from the latter voyage, I came to the conclusion, that, on the ground of the experience thereby gained, and of the knowledge which, under the light of that ‘experience, it was possible to’ obtain from previous, especially from Russian explorations of the north coast of Asia, I was warranted in asserting that the open navigable water, which two years in succession had carried me across the Kara Sea, formerly of so bad repute, to the mouth of the Yenisei, extended in all probability as far as Behring’s Straits, and that a circumnavigation of the old world was thus within the bounds of possibility.
p. 216, when meeting the local Chukchi representative of the Russian empire: He was in any case the first with whom some of us could communicate, at least in a way. He could neither read nor write. On the other hand, he could quickly comprehend a map which was shown him, and point out with great accuracy a number of the more remarkable places in north-eastern Siberia. Of the existence of the Russian emperor the first official of the region had no idea; on the other hand he knew that a very powerful person had his home at Irkutsk.
p. 218, on some documents intended to be sent to King Oscar of Russia:
This was placed, along with several private sealed letters, between a couple of pieces of board, and handed over to Menka with a request to give them to the Russian authorities at Markova. At first it appeared as if Menka understood the letter as some sort of further credentials for himself. For when he landed he assembled, in the presence of some of us, a circle of Chukches round himself, placed himself with dignity in their midst, opened out the paper, but so that he had it upside down, and read from it long sentences in Chukchi to an attentive audience, astonished at his learning. Next forenoon we had another visit of the great and learned chief. New presents were exchanged, and he was entertained after our best ability. Finally he danced to the chamber-organ, both alone and together with some of his hosts, to the great entertainment of the Europeans and Asiatics present.
p. 225-26, on the Chukchi Siberian coast: When some ptarmigan were shot, they were therefore willingly saved up by the cook, along with the hares, for festivals. For in order to break the monotony on board an opportunity was seldom neglected that offered itself for holding festivities. Away there on the coast of the Chukchi peninsula there were thus celebrated with great conscientiousness during the winter of 1878-79, not only our own birthdays but also those of King Oscar, King Christian, and King Humbert, and of the Emperor Alexander. Every day
a newspaper was distributed, for the day, indeed, for the past year. In addition we numbered among our diversions constant intercourse with the natives, and frequent visits in the neighbouring villages, driving in dog-sledges, a sport which would have been very enjoyable if the dogs of the natives had not been so exceedingly poor and bad, and finally industrious reading and zealous studies, for which I had provided the expedition with an extensive library, intended both for the scientific men and officers, and for the crew, numbering with the private stock of books nearly a thousand volumes.
p. 228ff. is a “spirited sketch of a day on the Vega, which Dr. Kjellman gave in one of his home letters”: “By three o’clock it begins to grow dark, and one after another of our guests depart, to return, the most of them, in the morning. Now it is quiet and still. About six the crew have finished their labours and dispose of the rest of the day as they please. Most of them are occupied with reading during the evening hours. When supper has been served at half-past seven in the gunroom, he who has the watch in the ice—house from nine to two next morning prepares for the performance of his disagreeable duty; the rest of the gunroom personnel are assembled there, and pass the evening in conversation, play, light reading, &c. At ten every one retires, and the lamps are extinguished. In many cabins, however, lights burn till after midnight. “Such was in general our life on the Vega. One day was very like another. When the storm howled, the snow drifted, and the cold became too severe, we kept more below deck; when the weather was finer we lived more in the open air, often paying visits to the observatory in the ice-house, and among the Chukches living in the neighbourhood, or wandering about to come upon, if possible, some game.”
p. 230 has a print of “An Evening in the Gunroom of the “Vega” During the Wintering” with one pipe-smoking man reading.
p. 355, on Bering Island: Every family has its own house. There is also a Greek church and a spacious schoolhouse, the latter intended for Aleutian children. The school was unfortunately closed at the time of our visit, but, to judge by the writing books which lay about the schoolroom, the education here is not to be despised.
p. 386-87, while recovering from the voyage in Japan: Remarkable was the interest which the Chinese labourers settled at Yokohama took in our voyage, about which they appeared to have read something in their own or in the Japanese newspapers. When I sent one of the sailors ashore to execute a commission, and asked him how he could do that without any knowledge of the language, he replied, “There is no fear, I always meet with some Chinaman who speaks English and helps me.” The Chinese not only always assisted our sailors as interpreters without remuneration, but accompanied them for hours, gave them good advice in making purchases, and expressed their sympathy with all that they must have suffered during our wintering in the high north. They were always cleanly, tall, and stately in their figures, and corresponded in no particular to the calumnious descriptions we so often read of this people in European and American writings.
p. 387: I had already begun at Yokohama to buy Japanese books, particularly such as were printed before the opening of the ports to Europeans…. But because the supply of old books in this town, which a few years ago had been of little importance, was very limited, I had at first, in order to make purchases on a larger scale, repeatedly sent Mr. Okushi to Tokio [his emissary for book purchases].The object of the Vega’s call at Kobe was to fetch the considerable purchases made there by Mr. Okushi. [A footnote here notes that Nordenskiöld, a great bibliophile, purchased over a thousand Japanese volumes, making over five thousand for the voyage, but mostly books of fewer than one hundred pages.]
p. 390: About six of the crew have finished their labors….Most of them are occupied with reading during the evening hours. After supper they “pass the evening in conversation, play, light reading, &.