to have been drifted by the wind, which must have been southerly, and therefore northerly on the other side, the fact will not militate against the idea above suggested.)
The Austro-Hungarian Expedition did not succeed in discovering the North-East Passage. We will now turn to the great Nordenskïold, who did succeed.
Chapter Thirty Three.
The voyages of Erik Nordenskïold—1870-1878.
Expeditions to the North—To Spitzbergen and the Yenissei—The Discovery of the North-East Passage.
Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskïold was born at Helsingfors, Finland, in November, 1832. His father was a distinguished naturalist; Erik often accompanied him in his expeditions, and thus early acquired a taste for natural history and research. He entered the University at Helsingfors in 1849. The stern rule of Russia subsequently compelled young Nordenskïold to go to Sweden. The governor of Finland, fancying he detected treason in some after-supper speech, Nordenskïold was obliged to depart; but this was the turning point in his career.
The illustrious Mosander received the student cordially. Nordensk’iold studied hard, and in 1858 made his first acquaintance with Arctic seas in Torrell’s Spitzbergen expedition. In 1861 he again accompanied Torrell to Spitzbergen. In July, 1863, he married. In 1864 he commanded an expedition fitted out by the Academy of Stockholm, and in 1868, aided by Government and Mr Oscar Dickson, he reached the highest latitude ever attained in the eastern hemisphere. From this expedition he brought home a rich collection of curiosities. Again, in 1870, Mr Dickson paid the expenses of a voyage to Greenland.