lxxxii GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



Christiania, and Mr. G. O. Sars, the eminent Norwegian zool- 

 ogist, will probably be entered upon during the coming 

 year. 



The Arctic Regions. No new enterprises in the way of 

 Arctic exploration of any special moment were initiated dur- 

 ing the year 1874, the much-talked-of British expedition 

 having failed to be organized. It is now, however, author- 

 itatively announced that the British government has decided 

 to proceed at once to the fitting out of a first-class expe- 

 dition for 1875, to include two vessels; one, probably a 

 steam whaler, to be stationed at some convenient point, to 

 serve as a relief, the other, a government ship, to move as far 

 forward as the ice and other physical conditions will permit. 

 The labor of fitting out the expedition will be under the 

 charge of Admiral Sherard Osborn, a veteran arctic explorer. 

 It is said that Captain G. O. Nares, of the Challenger , has 

 been appointed to command the entire expedition, while it is 

 probable that Captain Alfred H. Markham will also be en- 

 gaged in it, perhaps as commander of one of the vessels. 

 Captain Nares has already had an arctic training, as he 

 served on board the Resolute in the expedition of 1852-54 

 with M'Clintock. More persons have already volunteered 

 than would be needed for a number of vessels. 



Our last Summary announced the safe return of all the 

 members of the American Arctic expedition, which left under 

 the charge of Captain Hall in the steamer Polaris in 1871, 

 the only casualty, as there stated, having been the death of 

 Captain Hall himself. Since then a report of the cruise has 

 been published by the Secretary of the Navy, with a brief 

 summary of the scientific results, accompanied by a map 

 showing the nature and importance of the discoveries made 

 by the expedition. Dr. Bessels, the surgeon of the Polaris, 

 and the chief of the scientific party, is now in Washington, 

 engaged in making up a full report upon what was accom- 

 plished during the voyage; and the first volume will proba- 

 bly be ready for the press early in 1875. 



Several small parties left Northern Europe in the spring 

 of 1874 for the purpose of proceeding to Spitzbergen, and 

 elsewhere in the North ; among them Captain Wygand, who 

 chartered Mr. Lamont's steam-yacht the Diana, and left Dun- 

 dee about the first of June. He spent some time in Nova 



