516 The Arctic Expedition. [October, 
the east coast of Greenland; but no results of importance 
were obtained. In 1869, a second expedition, consisting of 
two ships, commanded by Captain Koldewey, was again sent 
out to the east coast of Greenland. A certain amount of 
coast line below Cape Bismarck was surveyed, and the 
highest point reached was just above the 77° lat. The coast 
was carefully surveyed between the 73° and 77° N. lat. 
The Swedes in 1870 explored the northern coasts of 
Novaya Zemlya, and in 1872 and 1873 they sent out an ex- 
pedition to winter in Spitzbergen. No important results 
were obtained, but it is said that a new expedition will 
shortly be organised. A very important expedition was 
organised by the Austrians in 1872 under the command of 
Payer and Weyprecht. The object was to sail to the east 
of Spitzbergen, and if possible to follow the Gulf Stream 
into the sea which some suppose surrounds the Pole. 
Starting from Troms6 on July 14, the first ice was seen on 
the 25th, and on the 29th Novaya Zemlya came in sight. 
By the middle of August the vessel was near the north coast 
of Novaya Zemlya and was soon afterwards enclosed in the 
ice. Preparations for passing the winter had now to be 
made and the deck was converted into a house. The sea- 
son had become excessively gloomy and the Arctic winter 
was aboutto commence. ‘The sun disappeared for 109 days 
on Otober 28th, and for five months it was necessary to 
burn lamps. The sun appeared again on February the 16th 
and the severe pressure of the ice ceased. The mean tem- 
perature of the air was — 31° F., and towards the close of the 
month it reached —51° F.; the maximum summer tempera- 
ture was—45'5° F., and the mean temperature of the whole 
year 2°75, F. Towards the end of October, still drifting 
with the floe, they came in sight of land within 3 miles in 
lat. 79° 54’ N., and to this was given the name of Wilczek 
Island. The sun again deserted them on October 22nd and 
they passed a second polar night of 125 days. During the 
winter they built a house upon the floe. The cold was very 
severe : mercury remained frozen for more than a week, and 
even brandy was changed into a solid mass. When spring 
returned they found that their ship was still firmly fixed in 
the ice, and as there appeared no prospect of its being liber- 
ated even in the height of summer, they determined to 
abandon it (May 2oth, 1874), and to make their way to 
Europe by means of boats and sledges. In the preceding 
March a sledge expedition had started for purposes of ex- 
ploration ; the result was the discovery of a country as large 
as Spitzbergen, consisting of large masses of land, inter- 
a 
