530 DISCOVERIES OF 1786 and 



now called Julianshaab, which is at this moment 

 inhabited by the Danes; and that this part has 

 received the name of East Greenland, only be- 

 cause it happens to be situated a little to the east 

 of that part which is commonly called the western 

 coast. 



The Danish government, however, was of a 

 diiferent opinion. The only question with it was, 

 whether Frobisher had actually passed through a 

 strait which, crossing from the eastern to the 

 western coast, cut off and insulated a large portion 

 of Greenland; and Mr. Lowenorn, before his de- 

 parture, wrote a memoir to prove the fallacy of 

 such a supposition, which in fact had been proved 

 long before by the old English navigators. 



Bishop Egede was of opinion that the most 

 favourable season for commencing this voyage 

 would be in the beginning of the spring, before 

 the masses of ice should come down from the 

 north and fix themselves to the coast; but Captain 

 Lowenorn preferred making the attempt to reach 

 the coast in the middle of summer, or even later, 

 and to depart from the west coast of Iceland for 

 that purpose, as the ice would then have floated 

 down farther to the south and have left the east 

 coast of Greenland open. The ship Greo Ernst 

 Scheinmelmann of 246 tons burden, usually employed 

 on the whale fishery, was engaged by government 

 for this expedition. There was also attached to her 

 a small vessel of 60 tons, which was placed under 



