324 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



one spot most suitable for such a base." * Being in assured an- 

 nual communication through the Scotch and Newfoundland 

 whalers, a well-housed and well-provisioned party, with some 

 Eskimo families, will be as safe there as anywhere on earth, and 

 will have before it a field unequaled in richness and extent. To 

 the north, the west coasts of Ellesmere Land and Grinnell Land 

 are to be explored ; to the northwest, the triangle between those 

 coasts and the Parry Islands is to be rescued from the unknown ; 

 to the west, the interior of North Devon is an interesting prob- 

 lem ; to the southwest, Prince Regent Inlet may present an avenue 

 to the magnetic pole ; to the south, Baffin Land with its Eskimo 

 settlements, its herds of reindeer, its wealth in fishes and birds, its 

 fossils and minerals offers a tempting field, larger than the Brit- 

 ish Isles. Even Greenland may not be beyond the sphere of that 

 strategic point. 



Such a system, once initiated, will cost very little. Lecturing 

 tours and the sale of collections will defray a large part of the 

 cost. Considering the enormous sums spent on arctic explora- 

 tion in the past by governments and by individuals, it seems 

 probable that when the system is once in running order it will 

 not lack patrons. The cost of the initial expedition is estimated 

 at five thousand dollars. Much smaller sums will probably suf- 

 fice in subsequent years. 



OPINIONS. 



Mr. Stein's plan is to establish a permanent station at the entrance of 

 Jones Sound, to be occupied by from four to six white men and several 

 Eskimo families, and from there carry on systematic scientific explorations 

 northward, northwestward, westward, and southward as far as can be done 

 with safety. 



This plan is justly called by Julius von Payer " the best imaginable," 

 for the reason that 



1. It is one of the safest, because its base station is annually reached by 

 the whaling steamers. 



2. It promises extensive scientific results, because that base gives access 

 to a wide and rich field. 



3. It is the cheapest, because of the possibility of utilizing the whalers as 

 means of transportation. 



4. It avoids hurry, which is a great source of danger and of imperfect 

 work. 



5. It permits the utilization of experience, allowing the same force to 

 remain in the field for several years and to train their successors. 



The main object of the first season's work will be the installation of the 

 party. From my experience I am convinced that this initial work is prac- 



* The advantages of the Jones Sound route were pointed out by Dr. Boas in 1887, and 

 by Eiisee Reclus in 1890. A gradual and systematic advance has been advocated by many 

 geographers. 



