330 PROMOTION OF ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC DISCOVERY. 



ward to connect with Lockwood's farthest. But it appears that Peary 

 is also bitten with the "beating the best record" mania, and thinks of 

 pushing due north with the object of reaching the highest latitude 

 attainable. It is to be hoped that this fancy will not be allowed to mar 

 the real work of the expedition, which is to complete the outline of 

 Greenland. 



Mr. Peary is again accompanied by the hardy young N^orwegian? 

 Eivind Astrup, who was with him throughout his first journey. 



Tlie Falcon steamer is to sail next June and proceed to Peary's quar- 

 ters in Whale Sound: but it is not certain whether he will return or 

 resolve to continue his work during another year. His, decision will 

 probably depend on the extent of his explorations this year and on the 

 amount of work he Avill have completed. We shall all look out for the 

 X)articulars of his achievement with the deepest interest. For my own 

 part, I look upon Peary as an ideal explorer. He chose one of the 

 greatest and oldest of the geographical i)roblems tliat remain to be 

 solved, and he set to work as if he really intended to find the solution. 

 Every detail of equipment was thoughtfully considered, gear was tried 

 and tested before being used, a brilliant preliminary journey over the 

 inland ice was made. All was done in the workmanlike style of a true 

 discoverer. I therefore believe that Peary will succeed. I am sure that 

 he deserves success. 



I now come to the saddest part of my Arctic story. Next to northern 

 Greenland, the most interesting part of the unknown region is the land 

 on the western side of the north part of Baffin Bay, between Smith 

 Sound and Jones Sound, and extending along the north side of Jones 

 Sound to the west and north. It was named Ellesmere Land by Sir 

 Edward Inglefield, who saw it from the deck of the Isabella in 1852. It 

 is called Umiug-mak (the land of the musk oxen) by the Eskimos. No 

 one, so far as we know, has ever landed between Jones Sound and 

 Smith Sound." But in August, 1851, the Intrepid and Pio»eer went up 

 Jones Sound for 40 miles, and Sherard Osborn gave a very interesting 

 account of tlie cruise. Two of his officers landed on a small island at 

 their farthest i^oint. and found Eskimo remains, abundance of vegeta- 

 tion, and some reindeer antlers. In the following year Sir E. Inglefield 

 entered the sound in bad weather, but did not effect a landing. This 

 is all we know of Ellesmere Land south of Smith Sound. 



The absence of knowledge respecting Ellesmere Land, and the cora- 

 liarative ease with which its eastern coast may be reached, induced an 

 accomplished and adventurous young Swede, named Alfred Bjorlmg, 

 to turn his attention to its exploration. His original plan was to pro- 

 ceed up Baffin Bay in a St. John's whaler, and to land as near as pos- 

 sible to Cape Sabine, within Smith Sound. During the next ten weeks 

 he proposed to travel by boat and sledge through Hayes Sound 

 toward the Victoria Archipelago, or North Kent. Bjorliug is a bota- 

 nist, and he believed that this region, while quite unknown geograph- 



