Reindeer 
the air has to traverse hundreds of miles over 
the ice before arriving at this island. Then for 
four months in the summer the sun shines both 
day and night, the air is extraordinarily bright 
and rare, and the atmosphere so clear that the 
distances seen are very deceptive. I started 
one morning to walk to a point of land I wanted 
to investigate, but found that after two hours’ 
hard work I did not seem to have made any 
appreciable progress towards my goal, whilst the 
steamer, from whence I had started, seemed 
close at hand. I should not be at all surprised 
if one day this island were to become a con- 
sumption sanatorium for the world: given that 
proper accommodation were provided, I feel 
sure that incipient cases would receive nothing 
but benefit from a visit. I may still live to see 
this, who knows ? 
The owners of the steamer went so far as to 
have made a special postage stamp in two 
denominations. These, of course, are but tokens, 
and were used as postage fees for any letters 
sent by the steamer to Norway, where they 
would require restamping. I bought a sheet or 
two of these stamps as curios. I, at times, have 
given away specimens to my children friends 
who collect stamps, explaining to them at the 
same time that they are merely curios and not 
a Norwegian issue. 
Sir M. Conway had brought out to this place 
153 
