1 6 FARTHEST NORTH 



" Some people are perhaps of opinion that one ought 

 to defer the examination of regions Hke those around the 

 Pole, beset, as they are, with so many difficulties, till 

 new means of transport have been discovered. I have 

 heard it intimated that one fine day we shall be able to 

 reach the Pole by a balloon, and that it is only waste of 

 time to seek to get there before that day comes. It need 

 scarcely be shown that this line of reasoning is untenable. 

 Even if one could really suppose that in the near or 

 distant future this frequently mooted idea of travelling to 

 the Pole in an air-ship would be realized, such an expe- 

 dition, however interesting it might be in certain respects, 

 would be far from yielding the scientific results of expe- 

 ditions carried out in the manner here indicated. Scien- 

 tific results of importance in all branches of research 

 can be attained only by persistent observations during 

 a lengthened sojourn in these regions, while those of 

 a balloon expedition cannot but be of a transitory 

 nature. 



" We must, then, endeavor to ascertain if there are 

 not other routes — and I believe there are. I believe 

 that if we pay attention to the actually existent forces of 

 nature, and seek to work with and not against them, we 

 shall thus find the safest and easiest method of reach- 

 ing the Pole. It is useless, as previous expeditions have 

 done, to work against the current ; we should see if there 

 is not a current we can work zuitJi. The Jeannette expe- 

 dition is the only one, in my opinion, that started on the 



