INDUSTRIAL PliOGKESS DURING THE YEAR 187G. cxxv 



President Land, marked on recent charts as in latitude 84 N., is 

 shown not to exist, the land at the northern entrance of Robeson 

 Channel trending sharply to the westward from Cape Union. 



In spite of every jDrecaution the sledge parties suffered dreadfully 

 from scurvy, but showed the utmost fortitude and self-devotion. 

 Fortunately only four deaths took jDlace, three from this disease 

 and one from frost-bite. The jjrevalence of this malady, and the 

 very clear demonstration that no new discoveries were to be an- 

 ticipated from protracting the stay of the exjoedition through an- 

 other winter, decided Captain Nares to proceed to England as soon 

 as the advancing season should liberate the ships. The Alert^ how- 

 ever, was bound fast by the ice till July 31st, when a start was made, 

 the Discovery being reached after much difficulty and danger. On 

 August 20th both ships commenced their homeward voyage ; but it 

 was not till September 9th that, by clearing the ice and reaching 

 open water, a certainty was assured of avoiding another winter in 

 these dreary regions. Both shijDS reached Queenstown on October 

 29th, and after a few days proceeded to Portsmouth. 



The results of the various observations, physical and meteorolog- 

 ical, can not, of course, be known for some time, but will doubtless be 

 very important. Large collections of natural-history subjects were 

 made, among them some fine fossil corals, and the dredge and trawl 

 were used several times with great success. 



This is not the place to discuss the general results of the expedi- 

 tion ; but its whole conduct is an ample guarantee that, when pub- 

 lished, they will be in an eminent degree interesting and trust- 

 worthy. 



In connection with arctic research, Lieutenant Weyprecht, of the 

 Austro-Hungarian expedition, points out in an address delivered at 

 Griitz, in September, 1875, the advantages wdiich would accrue from 

 the establishment of fixed observatories at various points over de- 

 tached expeditions, which devote the best part of the year to sledge 

 journeys. Arctic research he considers of the highest importance, 

 but jDoints out that independent series of observations, especially if 

 chiefly devoted to geography, have but little value compared with 

 stationary observatories encircling the arctic lands, and working on 

 synchronous magnetic-term days and other agreed times. 



These considerations have been fully presented by the German 

 commission to which the subject was referred, with Lieutenant 

 Weyprecht as a member. The commission also urges that a proper 

 understanding be had between different nations, so that the labor 

 of one party need not be duplicated by another. 



An imjiortant contribution to arctic discovery is made by the pub- 

 lication, in Petermann's MiUlieilungen^ of the finished map and de- 

 scription of Franz-Joseph Land, discovered by the second Austro- 

 Hungarian expedition in 1873. Hitherto only an outline sketch 



