Part 64 (2/2)
E. Bruzewitz.
G. Bove.
A. Hovgaard. ]
We started for Paris on the night before the 1st April. We went by Boulogne-sur-Mer, whose Chamber of Commerce had invited us to a _fete_ to celebrate the first landing of the _Vega_ men on the soil of France after the North-east Pa.s.sage was achieved. Several of the authorities of the town and Dr. HAMY, a delegate from the Geographical Society of Paris met us in the waiting-room at the station. Here a breakfast had been arranged, in the course of which we were presented to a number of eminent persons of the place, with whom we afterwards pa.s.sed the greater part of the day in the most agreeable way. After making several excursions in the neighbourhood of the town and paying the necessary official visits, we partook of a festive dinner arranged by the munic.i.p.ality. From Boulogne we travelled by night to Paris, arriving there on the 2nd April at 7 A.M.
Notwithstanding the early morning hour we were received here at the station in a festive way by the Swedish-Norwegian minister and the _personnel_ of the Legation, a deputation from the Geographical Society of Paris, and a considerable number of the members of the Scandinavian colony in the capital of France. The famous Madagascar traveller, GRANDIDIER, President of the Geographical Society's Central Committee, welcomed us, with lively expressions of a.s.sent from the surrounding crowd. We were invited during our stay in the city to live with our countryman, A. n.o.bEL, in a very comfortable villa belonging to him, Rue Malakoff, No. 53, and I cannot sufficiently commend the liberal way in which he here discharged the duties of a host and a.s.sisted us during our stay in Paris, which, though very agreeable and honouring to us, demanded an extraordinary amount of exertion.
Our reception in Paris was magnificent, and it appeared as if the metropolis of the world wished to show by the way in which she honoured a feat of navigation that it is not without reason that she bears on her s.h.i.+eld a vessel surrounded by swelling billows. It is a pleasant duty for me here to offer my thanks for all the goodwill we, during those memorable days, enjoyed on the part of the President of the Republic, of Admiral LA RONCIeRE LE NOURY, President of the Geographical Society, his colleague, M. HECHT, M.
MAUNOIR, the Secretary of the Society, M. QUATREf.a.gE, and M.
DAUBReE, members of the Inst.i.tute, not to forget many other Frenchmen and Scandinavians. Among the _fetes_ of Paris I must confine myself to an enumeration of the princ.i.p.al ones.
Friday, the 2nd April. Public _seance de reception_ by the Geographical Society in the Cirque des Champs Elysee in the presence of a very large and select audience. Admiral La Ronciere delivered the speech on this occasion, which I replied to by giving a pretty full account of the Swedish Arctic expeditions, on which the President handed me the large gold medal of the Society ”as a proof of the interest which the public and the geographers of France take in the voyage of the _Vega_.” Dined the same day with the Swedish-Norwegian minister, SIBBERN.--Sat.u.r.day the 3rd. Invitation to a festive meeting of delegates from twenty-eight learned societies in France in the amphitheatre of the Sorbonne.[395] We were greeted by the Minister of Education in a masterly and eloquent speech, after which he conferred upon us, on the part of the Republic, Commander's and Officer's Insignia of the French Legion of Honour. ”A reward,” as the Minister of the _Republic_ expressed himself, ”for the blood of the brave and the sleepless nights of the learned.” After that an official dinner and reception by M. Jules Ferry.--On Sunday the 4th, an address was presented from the Scandinavian Union, under the presidency of Herr Fortmeijer. In the evening a brilliant entertainment on a large scale given by the Scandinavian Union in the Hotel Continental. Among those present may be mentioned Prince OSCAR of Sweden, the President of the _Fete_ Committee, Herr JENSEN, Fru KRISTINA NILSON-ROUZEAUD the Danish minister, the Swedish emba.s.sy, members of the Russian emba.s.sy, a large number of Scandinavian artists, many of the princ.i.p.al representatives of the French and foreign press, and lastly, what ought perhaps to have been mentioned first, a flower-garden of ladies, of which every dweller in the north might feel proud.--Monday the 5th. Meeting of the Inst.i.tute in its well-known hall, with speeches of welcome. Hence we were conducted to a grand festive reception, arranged beforehand to the minutest details by the Munic.i.p.al Council, in ”la Salle des etats,” situated in that part of the Tuileries where the Geographical Congress was held in 1878. The hall and the ascent to it were richly ornamented with French tri-colours and Swedish flags, beautiful Gobelins, and living plants. A number of speeches were made, after which the President of the Munic.i.p.al Council, on the part of the City of Paris, presented to me a large, artistically executed medal as a memorial of the voyage of the _Vega_[396]. In the evening a grand dinner was given by the Societe de Geographie, with several eloquent speeches for King Oscar (General Pittie), for President Grevy, for the prosperity of France (Prince Oscar), for the _Vega_ expedition (M. Quatref.a.ge), and so on.--Tuesday the 6th. Dinner given by the President of the Republic, M. Grevy, to Prince Oscar and the _Vega_ men then in Paris.--Wednesday the 7th. Dinner given to a numerous and select company of French _savants_ by the then President of the Geographical Society and of the Inst.i.tute, M.A. Daubree.--Thursday the 8th. Dinner to a small circle at Victor Hugo's house, where the elderly poet and youthful-minded enthusiast in very warm, and I need not say eloquent, words congratulated me on the accomplishment of my task. Reception there the same evening.
Here ended our visit to the capital of France. Thoroughly exhausted, but bringing with us memories which shall never pa.s.s away, we travelled the following day to Vlissingen, whither the _Vega_ had gone from Falmouth, under the command of Brusewitz. We had been compelled to decline warm and hearty invitations to Holland and Belgium from want of time and strength to take part in any more festivities. The anchor was weighed immediately after we came on board, and the course shaped for Copenhagen. At noon on the 15th we pa.s.sed Helsingborg, which was richly ornamented with flags for the occasion. Already at Kullaberg we had been met by the steamer _H.P.
Prior_, with Lund students on board, and eight other steamers with deputations of welcome and enthusiasts for the voyage of the _Vega_, from Copenhagen, Malmo, Helsingborg, and Elsinore. The number of pa.s.sengers was stated to be 1,500, including a number of ladies.
Songs were sung, speeches made, fireworks let off, &c. At night we lay at anchor in the outer road of Copenhagen, so that it was not until the following forenoon that we steamed into the harbour, saluting the fort with nine shots of our little cannon, and saluted in turn by as many. While the _Vega_ was sailing into the harbour, and after she had anch.o.r.ed, there came on board the Swedish Minister, Baron BECK-FRIIS, the Swedish consul-general EVERLoF, the representatives of the University, of the merchants, and of the Geographical Society under the presidency of the former President of the Council, Count HOLSTEIN-HOLSTEINBORG, to bring us a welcome from the corporations they represented, and accompany us to the Toldbod, where we were received by the President-in-chief, the Presidents of the Communal Authority, and the Bourse, and the Swedish Unions of Copenhagen. We then drove through the festively ornamented city, saluted by resounding hurrahs, from a countless throng of human beings, to the Hotel d'Angleterre, where apartments had been prepared for us. On the 17th a _fete_ was given by the Geographical Society in the Casino Hall, which was attended by the King, the Crown Prince, and Prince John of Glucksborg, and nearly all the distinguished men of Copenhagen in the fields of science, business, and politics. The speech of the _fete_ was delivered by Professor ERSLEV. Thereafter a gay and lively banquet was given, at which the Crown Prince of Denmark presided.
The 18th April. Grand entertainment given by the King.--The 19th April. Magnificent banquet given by the Society of Merchants to the members of the _Vega_ expedition at the Bourse, the rooms being richly ornamented with flowers and flags, and with busts and paintings executed for the occasion by eminent artists. Councillor of state MELCHIOR presided, and amongst those present, were observed the Crown Prince, the ministers, the speakers and vice-speakers of the _folke-_ and _lands-ting_, and a number of the princ.i.p.al scientific and military men and officials. Speeches were delivered by the Crown Prince, State-councillor TEITGEN, Manager of the Great Northern Telegraph Company, Admiral BILLE, Professor MADVIG, State-councillor Melchior, &c. At another place, an entertainment was given at the same time to the crew. In the evening, _fete_ of the Students' Union, the Swedish National Union, and the Norwegian Union.
I was obliged to decline an invitation to Lund, because his Majesty, King Oscar, had expressed the wish that we should first set foot on Swedish ground at the Palace of Stockholm.
It was settled that our entry into Stockholm should take place in the evening of the 24th April, but we started from Copenhagen as early as the night before the 20th in order to be sure that we would not, in consequence of head winds or other unforeseen hindrances, arrive too late for the festivities in the capital of Sweden. In consequence of this precaution we arrived at the archipelago of Stockholm as early as the 23rd, so that we were compelled during the night between the 23rd and 24th to lie still at Dalaro. Here we were met by Commander LAGERCRANTZ, who by the King's orders brought our families on the steamer _Skoldmon_ to meet us.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE CREW OF THE ”VEGA.” After a photograph taken at Naples. ]
On the 24th at 8 A.M. the _Vega_ again weighed anchor in order to steam on slowly, past Vaxholm into Stockholm. We met innumerable flag-decked steamers by the way, fully laden with friends, known and unknown, who with shouts of rejoicing welcomed the _Vega_ men home.
The nearer we came to Stockholm, the greater became the number of steamers, that, arranged in a double line and headed by the _Vega_, slowly approached the harbour. Lanterns in variegated colours were lighted on the vessels, fireworks were let off, and the roar of cannon mingled with the loud hurrahs of thousands of spectators.
After being greeted at Kastelholmen with one salute more the _Vega_ anch.o.r.ed in the stream in Stockholm at 10 P.M.
The queen of the Malar had clothed herself for the occasion in a festive dress of incomparable splendour. The city was illuminated, the buildings round the harbour being in the first rank. Specially had the King done everything to make the reception of the _Vega_ expedition, which he had so warmly cherished from the first moment, as magnificent as possible. The whole of the Royal Palace was radiant with a sea of lights and flames, and was ornamented with symbols and ciphers in which the name of the youngest sailor on the _Vega_ was not omitted.
An estrade had been erected from Logaorden to the landing-place.
Here we were received by the town councillors, whose president, the Governor, welcomed us in a short speech, we were then conducted to the Palace, where, in the presence of her Majesty the Queen of Sweden, the members of the Royal House, the highest officials of the State and Court, &c., we were in the grandest manner welcomed in the name of the fatherland by the King of Sweden, who at the same time conferred upon us further marks of his favour and goodwill[397]. It was also at the Royal Palace that the series of festivities commenced with a grand gala dinner, on the 25th of April, at which the King in a few magnanimous words praised the exploit of the _Vega_. Then _fete_ followed _fete_ for several weeks.
On the 26th the Swedish Yacht Club gave an entertainment in the Grand Hotel under the presidency of Admiral Lagercrantz. Among those who were present may be mentioned his Majesty the King, the Crown Prince, Prince Oscar, Oscar d.i.c.kson, and Baron von Otter, Minister of Marine. On the evening of the same day there was a torchlight procession by pupils of the Technical High School. On the 27th there was a gala-play, to which all the _Vega_ men were invited. On the 28th at a festive meeting of the Academy of the Sciences, a medal struck on account of the _Vega_ expedition was distributed, the meeting being followed by a dinner given at the Hotel Phoenix by the Academy under the presidency of the Crown Prince. On the 30th April and 5th May banquets were given by the Publicist Club, and by the Idun Society, by the Naval Officers' Society to the officers of the _Vega_, and by the Stockholm Workman's Union to the crew. On the 7th and 8th May there were festivities at Upsala, the princ.i.p.al attraction of which consisted of gay, lively, and ingenious carnival representations, in which we received jocular addresses and homage from fantastically dressed representatives of the peoples of different countries and periods.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ENTRANCE OF THE ”VEGA” INTO STOCKHOLM ON THE 24TH APRIL, 1880. ]
During this time there were daily received deputations addresses, and telegrams of welcome, among others from the _riksdag_ of Sweden, the _storting_ of Norway, and the princ.i.p.al towns of Norway and Finland, from the student corps at Upsala and Helsingborg, from the St. Petersburg Geographical Society, from women in Northern Russia (the address accompanied by a laurel wreath in silver), &c. In a word, the Stockholm _fetes_ formed the climax of the remarkable triumphal procession from j.a.pan to Stockholm, which stands unique in the history of festivities. Even after the Expedition was broken up in Stockholm, and the _Vega_ had sailed on the 9th May for Karlskrona and Gothenburg, where she was again taken over by the whaling company that previously owned her, the _fetes_ were repeated at these towns. They commenced anew when the _Vega_ exhibition was opened with appropriate solemnities by His Majesty the King in one of the wings of the Royal Palace, and when some months after I visited Berlin, St. Petersburg, and my old dear fatherland, Finland.
But I may not weary my reader with more notes of festivities. It is my wish yet once again to offer my comrades' and my own thanks for all the honours conferred upon us both in foreign lands and in the Scandinavian North. And in conclusion I wish to express the hope that the way in which the accounts of the successful voyage of the _Vega_ have been received in all countries will give encouragement to new campaigns in the service of research, until the natural history of the Siberian Polar Sea be completely investigated and till the veil that still conceals the enormous areas of land and sea at the north and south poles be completely removed, until man at last knows at least the main features of the whole of the planet which has been a.s.signed him as a dwelling-place in the depths of the universe.
Hearty thanks last of all to my companions during the voyage of the _Vega_; to her distinguished commander Louis Palander, her scientific men and officers, her petty officers and crew. Without their courage and the devotion they showed to the task that lay before us, the problem of the North-East Pa.s.sage would perhaps still be waiting for its solution.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
[Ill.u.s.tration: Map of the North Coast of the Old World from Norway to Behring's Straits, with the track of the _Vega_, constructed from old and recent sources, and from observations made during the Voyage of the _Vega_, by N. Selander, Captain in the General Staff. ]
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