| Show I 1 if I 1 U t vair THE keo fiO laal LAai 1 n 1 tj 1 1 k CONTINENT I 1 JW it A I 1 dcamp of oe tha actie B explorers realized zed trie INTI joemi jy EMI eui lp ip a pre presenting setting to ther world a an hi at account count of til a noi northern thern arctic continent 11 I 1 hunot cannot bd better er explain the manner in which I 1 became acquainted with tapp aryl t ha E bf the ofa A which 1 I have lave po j gerok of the univ university rosity ot 0 bannin in athe J fadl tani occupied 11 I 1 claim hio fio no credit credle for the con cob consider sider myself fortunate in being allowed I 1 tto too lma ake ert it public I 1 hag tightly considered the ada acquisition ril rii personally ally aily m mine i b daes hadt came 1 I tip the th e pe 6 til the sclest sc leht b inis sioto td alaska alash with alth which I 1 f am m c charged b arg ad arida vate have chosen to publish it firall firsti ip ap this since chave X have falt that it would thence be ba most widely and most rapidly diffused the tho translation hal hai been made as literal asis mis consistent with rend rendering efing it intelligible and the only additions made to it are the head lines to distinguish gul gui h the different topics tarn fana certain that tha I 1 the importance of the disclosure made will be readily appreciated elated by intelligent tell teil igent lit jit readers and more especially by all men of science and ada I 1 therefore submit the document without comment upon the interest and value it has bar in m mind A B new york december 1868 etter etter TO GEROK NEW YORK youn y W Y dec 1868 prof isidor gerok un university 1 diversity iver lver sity of bonn germany dear sir my pre llin inary report upon the floraann flora fiora and aud fauna of shenew unite united states territory or ory of ot alaska to you by the last albre menate me cenate nAte mor mer 1 I trust it mil will prove bawa bala caory my reason fon for remaining bedad behl nd a few months in 14 this city wiil will 11 I 1 li hopa ds loe ioe he held sufficient jent when I 1 assure yol you a that the special pause of my detention will not noh delay thet the writing out in full fall of ch e abundant notes I 1 have taken nor non th uhe tho a p roper proper i preparation of the specimens for the university cabinet which are liun numerous ae rous and valuable alad and rainy many of t hep codex novel L have he hest best juhls igho a ao iu n both mth these duties and ind con cod dently I 1 expect act to pre pry present i ent put myself to you yow in u March arc are N withey work wore completed and yo I 1 n goo good a ao condition fon for your jour in knect sp estipa j I 1 I 1 alist must beg you sou to poem consider idar confided tia I 1 t disclosure I 1 am about tomake to make i asao asto iia s the tho matter matten that has induced me to td remain here for tor the tho winter since I 1 wish nothing published 1 in relation to it af until moi X am ready to make a fullan full fuli an no The facts I 1 briefly aa as possible i while at kodiak island off the south of the promontory of alaska whence I 1 wrote you yu I 1 made the thene theae acquaintance of the widow of a german hunter named earned bockler zoe Zoc kler kier who laho after she bhe bama came to understand my character and business busl busi hess in jn the country bou confided to me that she had come into possession of a als pis MS AIS that she believed to be important written in a language unknown to her and which had been entrusted to he her hen r by a stranger when at the point of de death athy under i a solemn colemn promise that she would he keep 66 it until she could find some man jbf of education who would undertake to deci deel decipher blier and publish it to the world J L gouid gould make nothing of document thel the I 1 aften after several examinations as the characters chai rae bab rac iab imperfectly written with a lead penell pencil engli were entirely unknown to me arut abut at alt the eardest solicitation of the gupman who seemed to feel its custody lo 10 toabe ke a urdene hurdest and to harbor some superstitious notion nation in respect to it I 1 consented to take it with me and to 10 use every means to acquire a knowledge of its conte contents nes nis the widow zoc Zoo kiers klers lera account t which I 1 have no reason to 0 discredit is that the man who agave e her i the mk MS drifted isi ashore forein in a boat much battered bartered by ice some three years lye lie before fore helas nearly famished when sha eha took him from the boat with the assistance 0 of a i nei nel neighbor gilbor and carried him to her hut and was only so far recovered by he the stimulants she administered ss as to utter litter the injunction i in regard to the nis ma when he ajsa sank back and expired madame Mit mii darpe bockler seem seemed edi to feel the fulfillment of the dying wish of her unknown countryman revealed to her jn in euch such peculiar circumstances to to the peace of his soul t it was not till I 1 1 reached new N ew york in in july that I 1 found time to look again J at the manuscript and might not have aone done so then had bad I 1 not turned it over while hile hiie taking some specimens from my 1 large arge chest to show to a scientific visitor tol tor and aa as I 1 lifted the bundle of MS which hicl hiel iwas was closely written upon the u unused spaces of leaves from a ships log and ad other odd scraps of paper a small sheet dropped from it more freshly written than the rest which I 1 saw was in very fair enman german erman though somewhat misspelled and evidently written by an illiterate person after my visitor had left I 1 returned at once to this s scrap serap cr apt which 1 I found to my delight furnished likey aikey to the whole MS the MS was written in a crude cruda but compact and c comprehensive stenography devised by the author the german note also gave me the astounding information th thattie atthe thal thai the writer was a sailor lost from ship in the northern ocean near spitz bergen and that he had drifted to lin an ar arctic c coutin continent ent oz orf island which he fouti found q a Jn inhabited habited by bya peculiar men nen and had remained there isome ten tn yee years yearb Until weary of a meagre and me monotonous noton opall iloe life fe tandi pandi andi pining for home he had boldly put pul out upon the north ern sea again in thel same small boat in which he iio ai hadi badi ad reached th polar epolar country ow jong long hoj had drifted OE or by what current currents and winds winda his frail vessel had ve deen au brought around through themar T ON vl traits which separate the eastern and aud western continents unfortunately he did jagt z this ig the toi tot be regretted aa his hia memoranda are very defective and doubtless a beien belen tl lw fie ile que moner Woner might have obtained from important facts that thathy did ft it worth records that ho he survived however long enough to reach neach the outskirts of alad klad wat WAs able abie to confide the brief aee ace account gunt dunt ol 01 abie able jd adventures ventures auf aud and discoveries hands bands pla ila jig y matter matten for tor wonder and gratitude to be the medium abdiu m for or mak mah making log ing these interesting discoveries ot 0 another known to the scientific world I 1 count great honor and good fortune aud I 1 feel thestil the SI m ulus uius to thus he ia an itic itle explorers tho ijo the statement of bf this thi als AIS va b verified a ia d a he deiv and most mosi ot niue country bejado he made ad 1 cas sible to tego research arch aroh so greatly interested have I 1 become in the suh sub jeet whilo laboriously the hia sal gai sailors lors MS into german and a aldin mn mr Il bravn roWn my capable Ameri amerl american cali catt ossi s stant stint in i rendering it into english engi Engl ishi lili that I 1 have havia fully to resign my connection with the university 1 iby and embark with the next arctic aretia expedition from if 1 can induce induke professor its to accept M my y services should prefer t 1 1 his 1 s expedit expedition loh foh as the tall tali ve of our university if this can be arranged I 1 have scarcely a doubt that thab I 1 shall be able at theand of three or four foun years to give to the world aa ar acour accurate afrand aud and goin copi copa piete of the voir olar continent of which we for the first time obtain a gliese in the mhd document I 1 have haver the good food fortune foru fort tine to possess 7 the MS is nearly translated and the translation will be bb printed in it few weeks I 1 shall take plea pleasure gure dure in 11 sending copies toyba to yon you the german co copy b y I 1 shall transmit or carry barry for bubli publication c at bonn I 1 I 1 with many good wishes for madame gerok and your fair daughter whom I 1 regret that I 1 shall not ilot hiees at christmas masi I 1 remain kour your friend and pupil 0 0 adolina RIED bied loc lot 1 |
