Introduction. 41 



travellers and Arctic authorities declared, more or less 

 openly, that it was sheer madness. The year before we 

 set out, in November, 1892, I laid it before the Geogra- 

 phical Society in London in a lecture at which the 

 principal Arctic travellers of England were present. 

 After the lecture a discussion took place,'" which plainly 

 showed how greatly I was at variance with the generally- 

 accepted opinions as to the conditions in the interior of 

 the Polar Sea, the principles of ice navigation, and the 

 methods that a polar expedition ought to pursue. 

 The eminent Arctic traveller, Admiral Sir Leopold 

 M'Clintock, opened the discussion with the remark : 

 " I think I may say this is the most adventurous 

 programme ever brought under the notice of the 

 Royal Geographical Society." He allowed that the 

 facts spoke in favour of the correctness of my theories, 

 but was in a high degree doubtful whether my plan 

 could be realised. He was especially of opinion that 

 the danger of being crushed in the ice was too great. 

 A ship could, no doubt, be built that would be strong 

 enough to resist the ice pressure in summer ; but should 

 it be exposed to this pressure in the winter months, 

 when the ice resembled a mountain frozen fast to the 

 ship's side, he thought that the possibility of being forced 

 up on the surface of the ice was very remote. He firmly 



Both my lecture and the discussion are printed in The Geographical 

 Journal, London, vol. i, 1893, pp. 1-32. 



