1897.] HEILPRIN — REMARKS ON POLAR EXPEDITION. 463 



the full height of vegetation of the same region is measured by six, 

 eight and ten inches. 



The evidence appears conclusive to my mind that we had the 

 whole northern part of this tract of the world covered by a land- 

 mass uniting Greenland not only with Spitzbergen but also with 

 Franz- Josef Land and northern Siberia. Dr. Nansen, I believe, 

 gives the best evidence for assuming that Franz- Josef Land is 

 merely a fragment of what was once united with Spitzbergen ; 

 and if we had this connection it is practically certain that its rela- 

 tions were continental. What the result of such continental asso- 

 ciation may have been geologists have not yet been able to deter- 

 mine, but it will be one of the objects for explorers to make clear 

 to us in the future. 



I think it was the Austrian geologist. Prof. Eduard Suess, who 

 first clearly pointed out the enormous changes that are taking place 

 on the face of the earth through downward breakages, and that 

 even the Atlantic ocean is but a depression of a comparatively re- 

 cent date fof course from a geological point of view). It may not 

 have been in existence more than 200,000 years, possibly for one or 

 two million years. In the Arctic regions we have evidence that 

 what is now water was once land, not very many thousands of 

 years ago. A second proposition brought out by Dr. Nansen in 

 reference to the relation that Bering Strait bears to the geology and 

 geography of the region of land to the north, points to its having 

 been opened in comparatively recent times, and that breakages are 

 taking place to-day we have the best of evidence. The eastern 

 remnants of the old Asiatic connection, which atone time extended 

 to the outlying islands, are monuments of this form of destruction. 



This largely indicates the direction in w^hich to look for the solu- 

 tion of the problems that the results which Dr. Nansen has given to 

 us have raised. Scientific expeditions have been fitted out from 

 New York to explore that very Asiatic tract for further evidences 

 of these breakages. We know, too, that the foremost explorer of 

 this city — I refer to Lieut. Peary — is preparing for an expedition to 

 penetrate into the solitudes of the northernmost part of Greenland 

 and of the regions beyond ; and we have learned from recent re- 

 ports that Capt. Sverdrup is at the present moment preparing for 

 another exploration of the far north to supplement the brilliant 

 results of Nansen. 



It is not my intention to detain you longer, and I will only 



