GREENLAND BY THE POLAR SEA 



Right opposite to me was the north-east coast of Grant 

 Land and, as a blue line in the horizon, the faint contours of 

 Floeberg Beach, the Alert's winter harbour. 



Nares' Expedition of 1875-76 was made at the expense of 

 the British State during the reign of Queen Victoria, and was 

 equipped with everything which at that time was considered 

 necessary for Polar exploration. Expense had on no point 

 been considered. 



The expedition left Portsmouth on the 29th of May and 

 arrived at Disko with three imposing ships ; from this harbour 

 one of the ships, the Valorous, was returned, so that Nares 

 had now command of two big, strong ships, the Alert and the 

 Discovery. The plan was that one of the ships should go no 

 further than N. Lat. 82°, where it was to take up its winter 

 quarters. The other ship was to push on as far north as 

 possible. 



The goal of the expedition was the North Pole, and, as 

 soon as it had passed Cape York, it worked its way system- 

 atically northward, leaving in all suitable places depots to 

 be used in case of shipwreck. Simultaneously beacons were 

 built where information was laid down for eventual search expe- 

 ditions. It was one of these depots which we found at Cape 

 Morton, as previously described. 



According to plan, the Discovery took up its winter quar- 

 ters in Lady Franklin Bay, whilst the Alert made its way up 

 to the north point of Grant Land, which it reached on the 

 25th of August. The winter was spent on Floeberg Beach. 



In the beginning of April, 1876, all the long sledge jour- 

 neys started, which, due east, seaward due north, and due 

 west, were to accomplish the task of the expedition. I will 

 mention here only Markham's voyage. 



Markham's task was to push northward as far as possible, 

 preferably to the North Pole itself. He started with a train 

 of nineteen men with sledges whereon provisions and baggage 

 were distributed in such a way that each man would have a 

 load of 230 pounds. Besides the sledges they also brought two 

 boats much too heavy and unwieldy for such a long sledge 

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