1875.] The Arctic Expedition. 521 
if there is any more to be said as to the objects of the ex- 
pedition, we say that the discovery of new truths, the en- 
largement of the sum of human knowledge, is object enough 
in itself for the expedition. Inthis land we should have no 
difficulty in manning a dozen Arctic expeditions having that 
object alone in view. The man who enquires the imme- 
diate practical use of the expedition is not of one blood with 
these men. What, pray, was the use of Galvani’s experi- 
ments with frogs’ legs or Benjamin Franklin’s kite experi- 
ment? The practical man may answer if he pleases. 
However, there is something to be said as to the practical 
results to be expected from the members of the expedition. 
They will probably not discover new whaling grounds, or 
stores of fossil ivory, or gold mines, or easy routes to the 
Indies; possibly not even seams of coal and new veins of 
cryolite. But they will penetrate within an area which con- 
tains 2} millions of square miles of unexplored country, 
they will observe physical phenomena under extreme and 
unusual conditions, and they will survey many hundreds of 
miles of sea and land. An old Arétic explorer (Sir Edward 
Sabine) asserts that the completion of the circuit of Green- 
land and the survey of its northern and western coasts is 
‘‘the greatest geographical achievement which can be 
attempted.” Oceanic currents, tides, and deep-sea tempera- 
tures will be investigated ; pendulum observations will allow 
us to determine the intensity of gravity at or near the pole, 
and will conduce to our knowledge of the figure of the earth. 
In meteorology we shall have determinations of the tem- 
perature and pressure of the air and the nature of prevailing 
winds. The magnetic and electrical results will be of peculiar 
interest ; the spectroscope will be applied to the study of the 
Aurora ; the nature of the eleCtricity existing at any particu- 
lar time in the air will be determined. In geology and mine- 
ralogy the field is likely to be as fruitful—a number of rare 
minerals have already been found in high latitudes; the 
existence of a palzozoic coal formation has been proved, 
and knowledge of its position and extent is much desired. 
Already the fossil flora of the east coast of Greenland has 
been proved to contain no less than 200 species of highly 
organised forms such as are not now found in the Polar 
Regions. As regards the existing flora of Greenland, 300 
kinds of flowering plants are already known. In Zoology 
we have many facts to learn in regard to the migrations of 
birds to northern latitudes, and although the land fauna 
may not be extensive, the sea is full of creatures many of 
which have been but partially examined, and many of which 
