Nov. S, 1883] 



NA TURE 



41 



metres. The distances enumerated fully show the 

 nature of the ice. It was at first excellent, particularly 

 in the morning, when the new snow was covered with a 

 layer of hard ice ; but on the latter days we had great 

 difficulty in proceeding, as a sleet fell with a south-east 

 wind in the night between the 20th and the 21st. The 

 new snow, as well as that lying from the previous year, 

 became a perfect snow bog in which the sledges con- 

 stantly stuck so that it required at times four men to get 

 them out. We all got wet, and had great difficulty in 

 finding a spot on the ice dry enougli to pitch the tent. 

 On the 22nd we had to pitch it in the wet snow, where 

 the feet immediately became saturated on putting them 

 outside the indiarubber mattresses. A little later on in 

 the year, when the surface of the snow is again covered 

 with ice, or earlier, before the thaw sets in, the surface 

 would no doubt be excellent to journey on. 



When we, therefore, on July 21, were compelled to 

 pitch the tent in wet snow, as no dry spot could be 

 discovered, and it was impossible to drag the sledges 

 further, I sent the Lapp Lars Tuorda forward on 

 " skidor " to find a dry road. He came back and stated 

 that the ice everywhere was covered with water and 

 snow. For the first time in his life he was at a loss what 

 to suggest. It being utterly impossible to get the sledges 

 further, I had no choice. I decided to turn back. 



I wished, however, to let the Lapps go forward some 

 distance to the east to see the country as far as possible. 

 At first I considered it advisable to let their journey only 

 last twenty-four hours, but as both Anders and Lars in- 

 sisted that they were most eager to find the " Promised 

 Land,'' and said they could do notliing towards disco- 

 vering it in that short period, I granted them leave to 

 run eastwards for four days and nights, and then return. 



On leaving I gave them the following written orders : — 



"Instructions for Lars and Anders's 'skid' run on 

 the inland ice of Greenland, viz. : — 



" Lars and Anders have orders to proceed on skidor 

 eastwards, but are allowed to alter the course, if they 

 may deem it advisable, to north or south. 



"At the end of every third mile the barometer shall be 

 read and the direction run noted. 



" The absence is to be four days, but we will wait for 

 six days. After that, viz. on the morning of July 28, we 

 return. If not returned, we leave behind m a sledge 

 provisions, brandy, mattresses, &c. 



"Lars is warned not to be too boli. Should land be 

 reached, you are to collect as much as you may gather of 

 blossoms and grass, if possible several kinds (specimens) 

 of each. 



" Given on the inland ice in Greenland, July 21, 1S83, 

 "A. E. Nordenskjold" 



They were allowed to select what provisions, &c., they 

 desired, and were furnished with two conpasses, aneroid 

 barometers, and a watch. 



At 2.30 a.m. on July 22 they started. The days we 

 waited for them were generally spent in the tent, as water 

 surrounded us everywhere. The sky was covered with a 

 thin veil of clouds, through which the sun shone warmly, at 

 times even scorchingly. From time to time this veil of 

 clouds, or haze, descended to the surface of the ice and 

 hid the view over the expanse, but it was, remarkably 

 enough, not wet but dry, yes, so dry that our wet clothes 

 absolutely dried in it. We have therefore, I consider, 

 witnessed a phenomenon on the inland ice of Greenland 

 which is related to the " sun-smoke "phenomenon of Scan- 

 dinavia, viz. what Arago has described under the name 

 " brouiUard sec." 



On the 24th, after an absence of fifty-seven hours, 

 the Lapps returned. It was the want of drinking- 

 water and fuel which compelled them to return. The 

 surface had been excellent for their journey, and they had 

 covered a distance out and back of 230 kilometres, an 



estimate which I consider perfectly reliable. During the 

 march forward the barometer was read every third hour. 

 It gave the point of return a height of 2000 metres.' 



As to the run, Lars rendered the following report : 

 When they had reached thirty miles from the camp no 

 more water could be found. Further on the ice became 

 perfectly smooth. The thermometer registered - 5"^ C. 

 It was very easy to proceed on the " skidor." At the point 

 of return the snow was level and packed by the wind. 

 There was no trace of land. They only saw before them 

 a smooth ice covered by fine and hard snow. The com- 

 position of the surface was this — first four feet of loose 

 snow, then granular ice, and at last an open space large 

 enough to hold an outstretched hand. It was surrounded 

 by angular bits of ice (crystals). The inland ice was 

 formed in terraces — thus, first a hill, then a level, again 

 another hill, and so on. The Lapps had slept for four 

 hours, from twelve midnight on July 23, in a hollow 

 dug in the snow while a terrific storm blew. They had 

 till then been awake for fifty-three hours. On the first day 

 there was no wind, but next day it came from the south, 

 and lasted thus until twenty-four miles on the return 

 journey, when it changed to west. On the return journey, 

 when forty miles from our camp, two ravens were seen. 

 They came from the north and returned in the same 

 direction. The Lapps had for a moment lost the track 

 of the "skidor" in the snow. The ravens flew at first, 

 they found, parallel with the track, and then turned to 

 the north. 



On July 25 we began the return journey. It was high 

 time, as the weather now became very bad, and it was 

 with great difficulty we proceeded in the hazy air between 

 the number of crevasses. The cold, after the sun sunk 

 below the horizon at night, also became very great ; and 

 on the morning of July 27 the glass fell to - 11^ C. 



As to the return journey 1 may be very brief. The 

 rivers now impeded us but little, as they were to a great 

 extent dried up. The ice-knolls had decreased consider- 

 ably in size too, and lay more apart, but the glacial cre- 

 vasses had greatly expanded, and were more dangerous, 

 being covered with snow. Even the cavities and the 

 glacial wells, of which many undoubtedly leave a veritable 

 testimony of their existence behind them in the shape of 

 corresponding hollows in the rock beneath, had expanded 

 and increased in number. On a few occasions, on the 

 return journey, we saw flocks of birds, most probably 

 water-fowl, which were returning from the north. 



On July 3t we again sighted land, which was reached 

 on the afternoon of August 4, and proceeded to " Sophia 

 Harbour," where Esquimaux were, as arranged, waiting 

 for us. For convenience sake I now divided our party 

 into two, one of which sailed in the lifeboat of the Sophia 

 to Egedesminde, where the steamer was to take us on 

 board, and the other, in which was myself, marched to that 

 place across the low but broad promontory which sepa- 

 rates Tessiusarsoak and South-East Bay, and then in two 

 Esquimaux " Kone" boats to Ikamiut and Egedesminde. 



On August 16 the Sophia arrived from the north, 

 embarked us, and made for Ivigtut, where we arrived on 

 the 19th. 



Of the expedition carried out under Dr. Nathorst 

 during my absence he will himself make a report,- and I 

 have no doubt that the results of the same will prove 

 very important. Particularly will the very rich collec- 

 tions of fossil plants, which he has made with the greatest 

 regard to the geological condition of the strata, be 

 of great value to science, as they will furnish us with 

 many new materials and detailed illustrations of the 

 flora of the Far North during the epoch when forests 

 of fig-trees, cycadi, ginko, magnolia, and tulip-trees 

 covered these regions. Dr. Forsstrand and Herr 



■ I have as yet been unable to verify the barometer calculationf, and the 

 figures Slated here may suffer some modification. 

 - NAxaRE, vol. xxviii. p. 541. 



