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Beport on the Collections and Geological Observations made 

 in 1838 and 1839, during the French Northern Nautical and 

 Scientific Expedition. By M. Eugene Robert, one of the 

 Members of the Expedition. 



In order that it may be in a condition to give the opinion that has been 

 asked of it by the Minister of Marine and of the Colonies, the Academy 

 has requested us (the Commissioners) to present an account of the results 

 of every kind, which have been obtained by the Nautical and Scientific 

 Expedition of the North, during their proceedings in 1838 and 1839. 

 Your Commissioners have naturally divided a task of such considerable 

 labour. On the present occasion we mean to speak of the geological 

 results of the Expedition, for which we are indebted to M. Eugene Ro- 

 bert, Member of the Geological Society of France, and to M. Durocher, 

 a distinguished pupil of the Royal Corps dcs Mines, who joined the Scien- 

 tific Commission in its Expedition of 1839. In the present report we 

 shall give an account only of M. Robert's labours; those of M. Durocher 

 are altogether independent of his ; and we will submit a notice of them to 

 the Academy, as soon as the last collections made by this traveller shall 

 have arrived in Paris. 



When the Academy of Sciences, in 1838, was called upon to supply 

 instructions for the Northern Nautical and Scientific Expedition, it had 

 already completed three campaigns, each of them lasting for a year. 

 Thus the expedition has in reality existed for five years. During that 

 period its object has been successively modified and extended. 



In 1835, the corvette La Recherche, then commanded by Captain Tre- 

 houart, and having on board a scientific commission, consisting of a few 

 individuals, left tliis country, principally with the design of renewing the 

 attempts made, on the preceding year, by Captain Dutaillis, in the brig 

 La Bordelaise, to discover, if possible, some traces of the lamentable 

 shipwreck of the Lilloise, commanded by the gallant Captain Blosseville, 

 which was entirely lost among the ice of the north pole. This expedi- 

 tion of 1835 led to few important results. The continuity and extent of 

 the fields of ice prevented it arriving at Greenland, and the naturalists, 

 being landed on Iceland, could only commence their labours. 



In 1836, the corvette La Recherche penetrated as far as Greenland, 

 where officers of the royal navy made various observations and collected 

 numerous and highly valuable series of rocks. During this time the mem- 

 bers of the scientific commission, and particularly M. Robert, who had 

 always been a member from its commencement, completed the examina- 

 tion of Iceland when they had been landed. 



The publication of the results of these two expeditions having been im- 

 mediately ordered by the Minister of Marine, the members of the scien- 

 tific commission were authorized to employ the expedition of 1837 in 



