of the two pendulums. We met with no land in the North Polar Basin, 

 and thus the ordinary conditions for making pendulum observations did not 

 exist. But SCOTT-HANSEN thought that the strong ship frozen firmly into 

 the drifting ice, or the ice itself, might possibly afford a sufficiently solid 

 base for the pendulum apparatus, and decided to make some observations 

 as an experiment. Thus the first series of pendulum observations, which, 

 to my knowledge, have ever been made over the sea, were made over the 

 deep North Polar Basin. We had some doubt as to the value of the 

 observations taken under such extraordinary circumstances; but thanks to 

 Prof. SCHIOTZ'S able elaboration and discussion of the material, it now 

 appears that these observations afford perhaps some of the most important 

 results of the expedition. 



I desire here to convey my hearty thanks to the contributors to this 

 volume, and to Prof. G. NEUMAYER, Prof. AD. SCHMIDT, and Colonel 

 VON STERNECK, for their valuable assistance and contributions. 



GODTHAB, LYSAKER. January, 1901. 



FRIDTJOF NANSEN. 



