No. 7.] INTRODUCTION. 7 
employed in addition to the above-named watches. The error and rate of 
the watches used have been kindly communicated to me by Professor Gret- 
MUYDEN who has also given me a table of the latitude and longitude of the 
places on the route where the magnetic observations were taken. In every 
case the hour is given according to local time, and to the nearest whole 
minute. 
After a few preliminary determinations of the terrestrial magnetic elements 
on the north coast of Siberia, in the beginning of August, 1893, the regular 
magnetic observations made during the drift in the ice, were commenced on 
October 7th, 1893, and were continued until July 8th, 1896. During this 
period, which comprises 33 months, magnetic observations were taken on 194 
different days, thus on an average every 5th day. As will be seen from the 
following tables, however, the observations fall somewhat irregularly, more 
than a month occasionally elapsing between two determinations, e. g. from 
December 12th, 1893, to January 25rd, 1894, from January 19th to March 
5th, 1895, and from May 24th to July 2nd, 1895, while at other times the 
observations were made on several successive days. The three above- 
mentioned periods of cessation in the work of magnetic observation were due 
to the following circumstances. On the 26th November, 1893, the appa- 
ratus was accidentally upset, as it stood upon its stand on deck. The 
pivot of the horizontal circle was thereby bent a little, and it was not until 
the middle of January, 1894, after repeated attempts to take out the pivot 
and place tin foil under it, that everything was brought into such constant 
order again, that the observations cculd be continued without any further 
fear of any inconvenience from the above-named accident. 
From the end of January and all through February, 1895, it was the 
preparations for Dr. Nansen and Jouansen’s sledge-expedition, and in June, 
1895, pendulum observations, and sharing in the work of fitting out the 
kajaks, ete., that prevented Scort-Hansen from making magnetic observations. 
On the 4th October, 1893, the work of setting up a tent on the ice was 
completed, and the magnetic observations were made in it; but no later than 
the 11th October, the instrument had to be taken on board on account of 
movement in the ice; and on the 15th, the tent also had to be brought on 
board, as the ship was getting under way in readiness for pushing farther 
northwards. The ice, however, did not relax, so the Fram remained where 
