1875]. The Arctic Expedition. 517 
sected by fiords and skirted by islands. The large sound was 
named ‘‘ Austria Sound,” and the land on each side of it 
Vichy Land and Wilczek Land, and more to the north 
Petermann Land and King Oscar Land. The latter is above 
82° N. lat. On the 2oth of May, having nailed the flags 
to the masts of their abandoned ships, they returned to 
Europe. 
Since the return of McClintock’s expedition in 1859, and 
the conclusive knowledge obtained by it of the fate of the 
crews of the Erebus and Terror, England has taken no part 
in Arctic research until the great expedition which started 
last May. Interest was revived in the subject in 1865 when 
Captain Sherard Osborn read his first paper before the Geo- 
graphical Society on the further prosecution of Polar explor- 
ation. In this he pointed out the various advantages to 
science to be derived from such researches, and the value of 
the training to naval officers, and he strongly advocated the 
route by Smith’s Sound. A second paper was read on the 
same subject in 1872. Inthe same year a deputation was 
received by Mr. Gladstone’s Government which urged the 
sending out of an expedition in 1874. An unsatisfactory 
reply was received from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, 
and the matter remained at rest until, after further solicita- 
tion, the application was again refused by Mr. Gladstone, and 
soon after the Ministry resigned, and Mr. Disraeli came into 
office. In August, 1874, an influential deputation waited 
upon Mr. Disraeli, and in the following November a letter 
was forwarded to Sir Henry Rawlinson which stated that 
‘‘ having carefully weighed the reasons set forth in support 
of such an expedition, the scientific advantages to be derived 
from it, its chances of success, as well as the importance of 
encouraging that spirit of maritime enterprise which has 
ever distinguished the English people, Her Majesty’s 
Government have determined to lose no time in organising 
a suitable expedition for the purposes in view.”” Whereupon 
an Arétic Committee of old and experienced Arétic explorers 
was appointed, Captain George 8S. Nares (then in command 
of the Challenger, and formerly mate of the Resolute in the 
Arctic expedition of 1872) was chosen to command the ex- 
pedition, and two ships were fitted up with every modern 
appliance. For various reasons the route by Smith’s Sound 
was selected. The general instructions given to the expedi- 
tion were that the ships should proceed to Disco, an island 
on the west coast of Greenland, lat. 70° N., where they 
would touch, and afterwards continue their course further 
north to Upernavik, where dogs and Esquimaux drivers 
