Nov, 23, 1876] 



NATURE 



83 



with completing our knowledge of what has been dis- 

 covered, and carrying on observations on the plan pro- 

 posed by Lieut. Weyprecht. Still that there will be 

 attempts to penetrate farther northwards we think is very 

 likely ; and should any other nation surpass the latitude 

 attained by Markham's party, or even find the secret of 

 the pole itself, the English nation will not grudge it the 



honour. Ballooning has, since the return 



of our expedition, been frequently advo- 

 cated as a means of polar exploration, 

 and it may be interesting to meniion that 

 more than twenty years ago Parry used 

 balloons as a means of scattering mes- 

 sages while his ship was frozen up. 



The meteorological observations of the 

 Austrian expedition are likely to be of 

 the greatest value when fully published. 

 Some data are given in the appendix, and 

 a few extracts in the text from Admiral 

 von Wiillerstorf-Urbair's analysis of them. 

 The observations made use of by Ad- 

 miral V. Wiillerstorf-Urbair are those of 

 the winds, including both direction and 

 force, and such of the astronomical obser- 

 vations as served to fix the positions of 

 the ship while it drifted in the ice from 

 Novaya Zemlya to Franz Josef Land. 

 The results were published in two charts 

 in Petermann's Mittheilungen in 1875, 

 which show the positions of the ship from 

 August 24, 1872, to November i, 1873, 

 and the mean direction of the wind at the 

 same times. They are deeply interesting from the light 

 they seem to cast on the air and sea currents over this 

 portion of the Arctic Sea. Speaking generally, during 

 the first half of the course, or from October to the 

 beginning of February, westerly and southerly winds pre- 

 vailed and, during the latter half 

 easterly and northerly winds ; these 

 winds being, it may be remarked, in 

 accordance with the mean distribu- 

 tion of atmospheric pressure for the 

 different regions and months respec- 

 tively. The ice-drift followed ap- 

 proximately a similar course, subject 

 apparently, however, to deflections 

 which may be supposed to be due to 

 the coasts of Novaya Zemlya and 

 Franz-Josef Land, and to powerful 

 ice-drifts from the Kara Sea and from 

 the sea to eastward of Franz-Josef 

 Land. From the investigation so 

 far as carried out, it is concluded 

 that in the sea lying between Novaya 

 Zemlya and Franz-Josef Land the 

 existence of a gea-current is probable, 

 the prevaiUng winds being also in 

 accordance with this supposition, and 

 that a great expanse of sea to the 

 north and north-east of Novaya 

 Zemlya is also probable. 



We look forward with much inte- 

 rest to the publication of the detailed 

 account of the meteorological work of 

 this expedition for the elucidation of 

 several questions, such as the remark- 

 able changes in the course of the ice- 

 drift in the end of 1872 and beginning of 187 3, viewed in con- 

 nection with the weather of Northern Europe at the time. 

 Thus, at Archangel the barometer rose on November 4 to 

 30476 inches, fell on the 8th to 29*1 18 inches, and on the 

 following day the temperature rose to 33°"8 ; immediately 

 after this the wind shifted from S.W. to N.E., temperature 

 fell to - i3°'o on the nth, and the barometer rose to 



30717 inches on the 13th. The great deviation in the 

 course of the ice-drift, which extended from November 

 9, 1872, to February 2, 1873, began with this rise 

 of the barometer, shift of the wind, and fall of the 

 temperature at Archangel. Again, during January, 1873, 

 the mean height of the barometer was 30*027 inches 

 at Archangel ; 29'826 inches at Kem, on the west ccas^ 



Parhelia on the Coast of Novaya Zemlya. 



of the White Sea ; 29-838 inches at Vardo and 29770 

 mches at Alten, both in the extreme north of Norway ; 

 29*229 inches at Thorshavn, Faro ; and 29-131 inches at 

 Stykkisholm, Iceland. In connection with the remark- 

 ably disturbed state of I' i 1 ; jsphere in this arctic and 



Ice Pressure in the Polar NighL 



sub-arctic region, as indicated by these figures, it is to be 

 remarked that it was just during this time that the most 

 remarkable deviation from the general course of the ice- 

 drift took place. On January 2 the course suddenly 

 changed from a north-north-westerly direction to a 

 direction almost due east, which was steadily maintained 

 untill February 2, when it again suddenly changed 



