president's address. 149 



depdts are to be established from Franz-Josef Land towards the 

 North Pole, which should constitute well- stocked larders for the 

 travellers as they return. Seven men, each of special skill or 

 scientific attainments, accompany Mr. Jackson on this well found 

 expedition. 



The latest news of it which has reached me is to the 

 effect that, towards the end of August, the Windward was 

 seen by the captain of the walrus-sloop Betsy in latitude 75° 45' 

 N., and longitude 44° E., "steaming in the direction of Franz- 

 Josef Land without let or hindrance, the ice being in this locality 

 brashy and rotten, the Windward actually steaming up a lead of 

 which no termination northward was visible.""^ 



A somewhat no v^el proposal, which is likely to lead to the actual 

 fitting out of an expedition to carry it into execution, comes from 

 the famous Arctic explorer Julius V. Payer. He proposes to send 

 an artistic expedition to paint the North Pole.f 



The expression to " paint the town red " is a familiar one, but 

 Payer does not propose to do anything so frivolous. No attempt 

 has ever yet been made to do justice to the beauties of Arctic 

 scenery, of which he gives a glowing account in the article just 

 referred to. He proposes to take, on a 400 ton ship, two land- 

 scape painters, an animal painter, and a photographer. Movable 

 glass studios lighted Ijy electricity supplied by benzine or petroleum 

 motors are to be provided, and oils which remain liquid at very 

 low temperatures may be used instead of water colours. Cape 

 Franklin, at the entrance of the little-explored Kaiser-Franz-Josef 

 Fiord in East Greenland may be selected as the first camping 

 ground. It is proposed that the expedition should start in June, 

 1896. 



Antarctic Exploration. 



Just now Dr. John Murray, of Challenger renown, has strongly 

 stirred the hearts of the English people to fit out an expedition 

 to the South Pole on somewhat similar lines to the great exploring 



* The Geogr.. Journ. Feb. 1895, Vol. v. No. 2, p. 173. 

 t The Geogr. Journ. Feb. 1895, Vol. v. No. 2, pp. 106-112. 



