Vitus Bering: Discoverer Of Bering Strait, The

Description: Vitus Bering (1681-1741) was a Danish-born Russian navigator. He enlisted in the Russian navy and fought during the Great Northern War (1700-21) against the Swedish Empire. In 1725 he received a commission from Peter the Great to discover whether there was a land bridge between Russia and America. He sailed through what would later be called the Bering Strait, but was unable to reach America on this first attempt. He succeeded on his next voyage, later named the Great Northern Expedition, and set about mapping significant sections of North American coastline. He also charted the Arctic coast of Siberia, 'discovered' Japan from the North and became the first European to explore Alaska. Published in English translation for the American market in 1889, this sympathetic biography by the historian and geographer Peter Lauridsen (1846-1923) had originally appeared in Danish in 1885. It includes extensive notes and an index.

Contents: Introduction to the American edition Frederick Schwatka; Translator's preface; Author's preface; Part I. Bering's First Expedition: 1. Russia and England in the work of Arctic exploration; 2. Bering's nativity; 3. Plans for Bering's first expedition; 4. Bering's knowledge of Siberian geography; 5. The building of the Gabriel; 6. The task assigned by Peter the Great accomplished; 7. Bering's winter at the fort; Part II. The Great Northern Expedition: 8. Bering's plans for a second expedition; 9. The Great Northern Expedition on its way through Siberia; 10. Delay of the expedition caused by the death of Lassenius and his command in the Arctic regions; 11. Final preparations for the Pacific expeditions; Part III. The Various Expeditions: 12. The Arctic expeditions; 13. The discovery of the Kurile Islands and Japan from the North; 14. Preparations for Bering's voyage of discovery to America; 15. The discovery of America from the East; 16. Bering's place of landing on the American coast; 17. Explorations along the American coast; 18. The discovery of the Aleutian Islands; 19. The stay on Bering Island; Appendix. Bering's report to the Admiralty from Okhotsk; Notes; Index.