14 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



tions prosecuted entirely or partly at its own expense, or made at its 

 suggestion by Government expeditions and private parties. An exten- 

 sive correspondence and more or less intimate association with men ot 

 science resident in the different localities has also been utilized to sug- 

 gest points of inquiry and invite the communication of information. 



The year 1884 has been no exception to the statement just made. In- 

 deed, it is doubtful whether any of its predecessors has exceeded it in 

 the amount of results obtained. This is, of course, largely due, as in 

 many previous years, to the cooperation of the United States Signal 

 Service, under General Hazen; the United States Geological Survey 

 and the Bureau of Ethnology, under Major Powell; and the United 

 States Fish Commission. 



As heretofore, I shall give in geographical sequence a short account 

 of the various expeditions and of their results, leaving the full account 

 of the collections themselves to be reported upon by Mr. Goode, the 

 Assistant Director of the National-Museum. 



Greenland. — The most interesting chapter of the exploration of Green- 

 land is that connected with the history of the Greely Relief Exijedition, 

 which was fitted up by provision of Congress for the purpose of rescuing 

 Lieutenant Greely and his fellow members of the Signal Service from 

 their imprisonment in the Polar Seas. After the two futile attempts, 

 made in 188'i and 1883, to communicate with the International Arctic 

 station at Lady Franklin Bay, and to relieve Lieutenant Greely and his 

 command, a new expedition was organized by a special act of Congress, 

 at an early date in 1884, under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, 

 and Secretary of War. Subsequently the Dundee whaler "Thetis-' and 

 the " Bear" of the Newfoundland sealing fleet, two stout steamers of 600 

 and 609 tons burden, were jjurchased by the Government, and taken to 

 the Brooklyn navy-yard to be overhauled and refitted. The English 

 Government generously presented the steamer "Alert," one of the ves- 

 sels of the late Arctic expedition under Captain George Nares, to be 

 used in the search, and the collier "Loch Garry" was chartered to act 

 as lender. The expedition was placed under the command of Comman- 

 der W. S. Schley, U. S. N., who selected the "Thetis" as flag-ship, and 

 under whose superintendence the squadron was thoroughly fitted out. 



On April 23 the "Bear" left the United States bound for St. John's, 

 Newfoundland, followed by the "Thetis" on May 1, and by the "Alert" 

 on the 10th of the same month. The "Thetis" arrived at Disco 

 on May 22, accompanied by the "Loch Garry," where she learned 

 that the "Bear," having reached that port on the 15th, had left the 

 day previous, to continue to Upernavik. Convoying the " Loch Garry," 

 the flag-ship sailed again from Disco on the 24th, touching five days 

 later at Upernavik, where she met her consort. In the afternoon all 

 the whalers which had gathered there left with the "Thetis" and 

 " Bear," the tender remaining behind to await the convoy of the " Alert" 



