Survey of Northeast Greenland. 243 
В. CopELAND. The object was a thorough examination in all details 
as to whether a measurement of the length of the meridian.degree 
in North Greenland was practicable. The equipment and the arrange- 
ment of the work corresponded thereto. As to the performing of the 
work and the subsequent treatment of the material, BÖRGEN and 
COPELAND write"): 
“Wir haben sowohl bei der Beobachtung selbst, als nachher 
bei der Berechnung der Messungen, obwohl wir uns nie der Illusion 
hingaben, dass unsere Arbeit eine definitive sein kônne, doch stets 
so gehandelt als ob sie es wäre, denn gerade dadurch hofften wir 
manche Erfahrung zu machen, die einer wirklichen Gradmessung zu 
Gute kommen würde, die uns aber bei weniger sorgfältiger Aus- 
führung entgangen wäre.” 
Thus we are here dealing with a work which aimed at a far 
greater accuracy than the corresponding work performed by the 
Danmark-Ekspedition. 
A base of 709.1509 metres was measured by means of a base 
apparatus consisting of wooden rods, glass wedges and trestles. The 
measuring of the angles was performed by means of a universal 
instrument, the micrometer-microscopes of this permitting to esti- 
mate the readings in 0”.4. 
The observations also generally show an inner harmony, which 
altogether excludes errors of such a magnitude as to become of 
importance in the present research. 
The longitude of the Observatory in Germania Harbour was 
determined by means of seventeen moon culminations and four 
occultations of stars. The result of this was 
in the case of the moon culminations [ = 1515™16s.9 + 15.1 
| (probable error), 
in the case of the star occultations P= 1h15m1853 4 151 
(probable error). 
In spite of the same probable error a somewhat different weight 
is ascribed to the two values, i.”e. 3 and 4 respectively, and so the 
final result becomes: 
р 110177 AIS 005 5 5” (меав error). 
Converted into metres the mean error here becomes 124m, in 
other words very nearly half as great as at Danmarks Havn. 
Latitude and azimuth were determined with a corresponding 
degree of accuracy. During the triangulation the angles were 
measured in thirty-six sets. A general equalization was performed, 
7) Die zweite deutsehe Nordpolfahrt, Bd. II, р. 764. 
