REPORT OF THE VOYAGE. 



Greenland a great deal of the coals for the expedition had been lost. Notwithstanding the fact that 

 ♦ the Roval Greenland Company* had done all in its power to make up for this misfortune, it had, 

 however, a very impeditive effect on the mobility of the cruiser during the remaining part of the 

 voyage, for which, on account of the difficult means of conveyance, the supply of coals already 

 beforehand was small enough. 



On the 15 th of June the cruiser left for the Davis-Strait, and after a very favourable passage 

 with good scientific results arrived in Godthaab on the 26 th of June. 



After we had coaled ship and completed different kinds of ship's work, the cruiser proceeded 

 again on the 30 th of June on a northwesterly course into the Davis-Strait : , taking soundings and 

 trawlings eta on the bank along the coast till we fell in with the western ice which was lying very 

 easterlv this vear. The course was then altered to East towards Sukkertoppcn, at which place it was 

 intended to call, but on account of continual stiff breeze and fog, this plan had to be abandoned; the 

 cruiser steered again into the Strait for explorations and arrived at Holstcnsborg on the 7 th of July. 

 The cruiser was retained at this place one day on account of its assistance being required in con- 

 sequence of illegal fishing by American fishing-vessels, and, when this case was settled, the cruiser 

 sailed again into the Strait and towards the western ice, which again proved to be lying very easterly. 

 On the 12 th of July in a thick fog, the course was shaped NE. to try to get to the northward by 

 following the edge of the ice, but this latter proved to be lying in an easterly-westerly direction, so 

 that the course made good, in spite of repeated attempts to get through to the northward, proved to 

 be East Owing to this, it was not long before the cruiser found herself on the «Storc Hellcfiskcbankev 

 with only 18 fathoms of water, which proved that the distance from the coast was not great, but a 

 thick fog prevented us from getting a clear view of the situation. 



Hoping that the fog would lift, we brought up for a kedge anchor, but shortly afterwards the 

 ice cet in on the ship from the northward, so that no time was to be lost to proceed to the south- 

 ward; there was no doubt that all passage to the northward was blocked, which also later shipping 

 intelligence has confirmed, and however much I objected to it, I had to give up all further attempts 

 of getting through to the northward, as being too dangerous under the present condition of the ice, 

 partly on account of the unfitness of the vessel to meet large masses of ice, and partly on account of 

 the insufficiency of our supply of coals. Having called at Sukkertoppcn and continued our work in 

 the Strait, the cruiser arrived at Godthaab on the 19 th of July. At this place we coaled and performed 

 some ship's work, while the naturalists availed themselves of the opportunity to make an expedition 

 to the Ameralik-Fjord. 



Having been detained one day by fog, the cruiser left Godthaab on the 26 th of July steering 

 to the westward, but after a few hour's sailing we found ourselves in the middle of the field-ice, and 

 it was not till after a great deal of sailing in a northerly direction that we succeeded in getting out 

 of it, whereafter the course was shaped to get out of the Strait; we had fine weather and an excellent 

 result of our work as far as Cape Farewell, but from that place the cruiser met with constant stormy 

 weather, greatly decreasing our not very large supply of coals, and making it necessary to run in to 

 Reykjavik, a determination which I took but reluctantly, because, by doing so, the outward and home- 

 ward course between Iceland and Greenland would be nearly the same line. 



