H. G. SIMMONS. [SEC. ARCT. EXP. FRAM 



at Cape Hold with Hope, south of which the great fjord district hegins, 

 -ti-e-lchiiig to the south side of Scoresby Sound (about lat. 70) and 

 showing a climate and other natural conditions that make it little apt 

 to be drawn into comparison with North-Western Greenland. I shall 

 mt here enter further upon the question about the possibilities of distin- 

 guishing phyto-geographical subdivions of this coast-land, but will only 

 mention that when in the following pages, I speak of North-Eastern 

 Greenland. I draw the southern boundary at Gape Dalton in 69 25', 

 when- the comparatively well-examined area of Scoresby Sound ends 

 and a coast-strech with many great glaciers begins. 



Of these different parts of Greenland, the first mentioned is by far 

 the best surveyed in botanical as well as in other respects. The Danish 

 colonization, now of nearly two hundred years' standing, has made it 

 more easily accessible, many of the officials of the colonies have 

 materially contributed to our knowledge about it, and the Danish Govern- 

 ment has encouraged and supported the scientific exploration of its 

 colonial districts in many ways, so as to make that district the best 

 known of all the arctic lands. The other parts of the country have 

 been explored only by casual expeditions, many of them even lacking 

 members qualified for careful and reliable scientific work; long stretches 

 of the coast have never been visited, at least not during the favorable 

 season and therefore they still form a veritable terra incognita so far 

 a- their natural conditions are concerned. 



This also is the case with North-Western Greenland, notwithstand- 

 ing the many expeditions that have visited at least some parts of it. 

 I am now going to give a sketch of the nature of this region, so far 

 a> it may be compiled from the works of the different explorers; but 

 tir-l I will give a historical summary of the expeditions which have 

 contributed to our present knowledge about Greenland north of Mel- 

 ville Bay. 



The first European who sighted the land north of that wide bay 



was WILLIAM BAFFIN', who in JGKi navigated up through the great 



inland sea now bearing his name. After passing Melville Bay by the 



"middle passage" as the \vhaler> have since termed it, he entered the 



'North water" which led him up to Smith Sound. His northernmost 



I imw leave quite out of ron sidera I M >ii the very problematic voyages of Hit* first 

 Scandinavian colonists of (ireenlaml \vli<> are thought to have gone beyond 

 Melville l'.;iy. Some pa-sages in the chronicles of the (Greenland colonies point 

 indeed In Ilieir having visile il the .N'cirlli \\.-il. -r" hut Iliey corlainly did not 

 pass Smilli Suiiml. .-mil Ilieir disroverii-s \\rre at all events lost. 



