82 I. P. Косн. 
suffering by ıt, and it requires a sure, instinctive feeling of what is 
the central point, which feeling can only, as a rule, be acquired by 
practical training. 
These considerations have, to a certain extent, guided me in the 
preparation of certain parts of my account of the surveying of North- 
east Greenland. As regards the work in the Observatory, the base 
measuring, the triangulation with the attendant levelling, I have taken 
pains not only to set forth the facts in such a manner that they 
may be critically appraised, but also to emphasize the purely prac- 
tical conditions, to such an extent that a direct imitation ought 10 
be possible for any man who, though possessed of some theoretical 
training, yet lacks the requisite practical knowledge. An exception 
is made in the case of the extremely unimportant spirit levelling of 
the base. I have here omitted mentioning practical conditions, be- 
cause my instrument was of a very antiquated make. Among other 
things the reticule of the instrument was not adapted for measuring 
the distance, and this process had to be carried out by means of the 
micrometer screw. 
Also in writing about the purely geographical surveying, I have 
thought it right to mention certain conditions which, according to 
my experience, are interesting from a practical point of view. 
The Cartographic Object of the Expedition. 
In 1870 the Germaniaexpedition!) had sent out a hand 
sledge party in a northern direction from the Pendulum Islands. It 
reached as far as 77° 2’, but in consequence of the forced and partly 
unfavourable travelling conditions the charting from Haystack (75° 45’) 
became more superficial than was desirable; in particular the coast 
round Teufelkap and in Dove Bay as well as the outer coast at Kap 
Bismarck was left practically unexplored. 
In 1905 the Belgica”) traversed the open land water along the 
outer islands from about 76° to 78°. During this trip a successful 
attempt was made to determine roughly the position of the outer 
coast as far as 78°, as well as to indicate the existence and approxi- 
mate position of the land as far as about 79°. 
From 79° to 82° no data respecting the country were available. 
In 1892 and 1895 PEARY”) had crossed the inland ice from Cape 
York, and at 81° 40’ and 35° west of Greenwich he had found a 
1) Die zweite deutsche Nordpolfahrt in den Jahren 1869 und 1870 unter Führung 
des Capt. KoLDEwEy. Leipzig 1873—74. 
*) рос D’ORLEANS: Croisière océanographique dans la Mer de Grönland еп 1905. 
Bruxelles 1907. 
3) Northward over the Great Ice by R. E. PEAry. London 1898. 
