Dec. 3, 1 8 74 J 



NA TURE 



87 



Land, but^that it was visited previously by Baffin and by Cornells 

 Roulc. His arguments are not at all borne out by the authorities 

 to which he refers. Nor will the British Government be guided 

 by any proposals not originating from those experienced arctic 

 officers upon whose advice they rely, so that Dr. Petermann's 

 suggestions about sending one steamer to the west coast and 

 another to the eist coast of Greenland might have been spared. 



English geographers have always fully recognised the valuable 

 services of Dr. Petermann as a cartographer, and the important 

 and useful work he has long done in collecting and disseminating 

 geographical information. But at the same time it cannot be 

 forgotten that his persistent adherence to an indefensible theory 

 has retarded discovery, and that in 1S65 his inopportune inter- 

 ference had a most injurious effect upon the prospects of arctic 

 exploration from this country. That danger is at last overcome, 

 but those who have borne the heat and burden of the day, cannot 

 but protest against Dr. Petermann's present assumption of the 

 position of an arctic authority and adviser. 



Nov. 23 Clements R. Markham 



The Present State of the Arctic Ice Barriers 



In' a letter from Capt. David Gray, quoted by Dr. Petermann 

 (Nature, vol. xi. p. 39), some very interesting observations on 

 the arctic drift ice of this year's summer are recorded, wliich 

 Capt. Gray regards as justifying the conclusion that "nearly the 

 whole of the ice was driven out of the arclic basin last summer." 



Capt. Gray's observations appear to be limited to the coast of 

 Greenland. If corresponding phenomena were presented in 

 other and distant parts of the Arctic Ocean, they must afford 

 strong confirmation of his conclusion. I have lately returned 

 from a summer visit to Arctic Norway, having sailed round the 

 North Cape and into the Varanger Fjord, stopping a few days 

 at Tromso and halting at Hammerfest, Vardb, Vadso, and other 

 arctic stations, and I was much surprised at the curious difference 

 between the climate I found there this summer and that which 

 I previously experienced at the same season. 



The following extract describes the temperature between 

 Tromso and Hammerfest during my first visit in July 1856 : — 

 " The weather was e.xcessively hot. During the hottest part of 

 the day the thermometer stood at 77° in the cabin, at 92° in the 

 smoking saloon — a little cabin built on deck — and 108" in the 

 sun : on shore, in the valleys, it must doubtless have been much 

 hotter. The contrast of this glaring Italian, or I might almost 

 say Brazilian sky, with the snow-clad rocks and glaciers dipping 

 almost to the sea-edge, is very striking. It was a continual 

 source of wonderment ; one of the few scenes which one does 

 not become accustomed to, but retainsitsnovelty day after day."* 

 Such was the prevailing weather during the summer (jf 1S56, 

 and such is the usual summer weather of Arctic Norway from 

 the beginning of July until a week or two after the'disappearance 

 of the midnight sm. This year it was miserably different, to the 

 great disappointment of the ladies I ventured to pilot thus far, 

 and vexation to myself. The contrast was strikingly shown in 

 the course of a walk up the Troms6d:il. This summer I made 

 two excursions up this valley with a fortnight's interval. On both 

 occasions the lower part of the valley was a mud swamp from 

 recent snow-thaw. In 1856, three weeks earlier in the season 

 han my second visit this year, the snow water had evaporated, 

 leaving the path hard and dry. In 1S56, the poor little Lapps 

 were outside their huts, gasping with heat and varnished with 

 oily perspiration ; their huts were so insufferably hot that only 

 one or two out of a party of seven or eight male travellers dared 

 to venture inside. This year, the ladies, as well as myself, were 

 glad to warm ourselves by sitting round the hut fire upon the 

 boulders that sen'e as chairs. Drizzling rain and cold mists 

 replaced the oppressive heat, the brilliant sky, and rainless 

 summer-time cf 1856. 



The Duke of Roxburgh, who has spent sixteen summers in 

 Arc'ic Norway (he has the Alten salmon river opening in lat. 

 70°), told me th it the low temperature and drizzling mistiness of 

 tliis summer «asquile exceptional to his experience; that the 

 summer of 1S68, >vhic'' «'as memorably cold, was not so bid as 

 this. The usuai ciops ol rj'e and potatoes were expected to 

 fail completely this ^umlner. 



This unusual summer is the more remarkable when compared 

 with that of England, which, judging by the abundance of the 

 wheat crop, must at least have reached, if not exceeded, the 

 average of mean warmth. The exceptional arctic summer must 



• *' Through Norway with a Knapsack," p. 139, 



have been due to some exceptional arctic influence. The south- 

 ward drifting of large quantities of polar ice, and consequent re- 

 moval of some of the barriers that stand between us and the 

 north pole, will account for what I have described, provided the 

 loosened ice was sufficient in quantity and eastward extension. 



The North Cape, though in lat. 71°, is not visited by icebergs • 

 the sea there, and for some distance further north, is suffi- 

 ciently warmed by the Gulf .Stream to remain quite open all the 

 year through. The free northward exposure must, however, 

 render this part of the Arctic Ocean very susceptible to the 

 cooling influence of an unusual southward drift of polar ice, and 

 the peculiarities of this year's summer were exactly those which 

 such an abnormal cooling of the sea would produce. These 

 were evidently exaggeraled over the open sea a little further 

 north. During the few fine days we had while going round the 

 island of Magero, the sun was visible until about 11 or 11.30 

 P.M., but on approaching the north horizon it dipped into a 

 mist-bank which hung with apparent permanency over the 

 northernmost and most distant part of the sea. As we -were 

 desirous of seeing the actual orb of the sun quite at midnight, 

 this repsated disappearance just at the critical time was of course 

 especially noted. I afterwards learned that on these same 

 nights, when the midnight sun thus played at hide-and-seek with 

 us over the Arctic Ocean, it was clearly seen by spectators further 

 south, who had a land or near coast horizon. 



These facts, in conjunction with "the important information" 

 given by Capt. Gray, justify us, I think, in looking forward very 

 hopefully for important results from the proposed Arctic Expe- 

 dition, and afford strong reasons for avoiding any possible source 

 of delay that might stand in the way of an early start to make 

 full use of next summer. W. Mattiku Williams 



Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park 



I MUST trouble you with r fev/ words in reply to your corre- 

 spondents "Viator" and Mr. C. Traill (vol. .xi. p. 67.) 



It is quite true that our gardens in the Regent's Park are 

 " too small in area." We have for many ycirs endeavoured to 

 get them enlarged ; but all we have succeeded in obtaining is the 

 slip of land on the north side of the Regent's Canal, where the 

 new North Entrance has been made. If "Viator" has any influ- 

 ence with the First Commissioner of Works, and can persuade 

 him to grant us a further extension on the south side, we shiU 

 be truly grateful. 



I admit also that the larger carnivora are at present badly 

 housed, and that their dens are much too confined. This, how- 

 ever, will, I trust, be remedied by the erection of the new Lions' 

 House, which will be commenced early next year. 



The plan of establishing a second Garden for breeding purposes 

 out of London was adopted by the Council some years ago, but 

 was not found to answer. It has, however, many advantages, 

 and m^y be again tried when our funds shall permit of it. 



" Viator" finds great fault with our drain.age. He cannot be 

 aware that the Sanitary Authorities of the district, who have 

 been much exercised i.i this matter, have pronounced us free from 

 all blame. 



Finally, I may say, without any wish to disparage the conti- 

 nental gardens (with all of which I am well acquainted), that 

 none of them can vie with those of this Society in the extent, 

 v.ariety, and completeness of its living collection, or in the 

 rarity of many of the objects exhibited. That this collection is 

 a|)preciated by the public is fully evident from the yearly increas- 

 ing number of visitors and the continual augmentation of the list 

 of members. 



As regards the remarks of Mr. Traill, I have to observre that 

 the Society's " Proceedings " cont lin several papers by the Secre- 

 taries and Superintendents of the Gardens relating to points in the 

 economy of the animals in them ; and that the Prosector (whose 

 office was created mainly with the hope of utilising the collection 

 more completely in a scientific point of view) has lately devoted 

 considerable attention to this subject, on which he will, no 

 doubt, ultimately give us the benefit of his observations. 



Dic. I P. L. Sclater 



Utilisation of Aquaria 



I SH.VLL be glad if you will allow me to use your columns as a 

 medium of inquiry with regard to the Brighton and Manchester 

 iYquaria. Are there any arrangements in force already, or con- 

 templated, whereby these fine institutions can be utilised for the 

 promotion of zoological research? If I am not mistaken, the 



