176 EEPORT 1871. 



from side to side with dog or other sledges, provided the party started under 

 experieuced guidance, and sufficiently early in the year before the snow was 

 melted off the ice. Whether they could return without assistance on the other 

 side was, however, a matter of doubt. No fjords now stretched across within the 

 explored limits of West Greenland. If they did, it was north of Smith's Sound, 

 where perhaps Greenland ended in an archipelago of broken islands. Little doubt 

 existed but that in former times one or more fjords stretched across the country, but 

 these are now permanently closed by the spread of the " inland ice," 



C'agayan Sidu Island. By Captain Chimmo, Ii.N. 



On the Second German Arctic Expedition. 

 By Dr. Copeland, Astronomer to the Expedition. 



It stated that the two expeditions sent by the German nation in the year 18G8 

 and 1869 to endeavour to add to the geographical and general scientitic know- 

 ledge of the Arctic regions were equipped entirely by private contributions, and 

 the honour of starting and forwarding the whole scheme belonged to the eminent 

 geographer Dr. Petermann, of Gotha. Tlie object and aim of the second expedi- 

 tion was the scientific examination and discoveiy of the Arctic central region 

 contained within the 75th parallel of north latitude, taking the coast of East 

 Greenland as a basis. The aim involved two problems: — (1) The solution of the 

 so-called polar question ; (2) the discovery, survey, and examination of East 

 Greenland, and those countries, islands, and seas connected with it, and extending 

 in a northerly direction towards Behring's Straits, a measurement of a meridional 

 arc in East Greenland, excursions on the glaciers of the interior of continental 

 Greenland, &c. The two vessels engaged in the expedition were the ' Germania,' 

 145 tons. Captain Koldeway, and seventeen men, and the ' Hansa,' 100 tons larger, 

 Captain Ilegemann, vdth a crew of twelve. The expedition sailed from Bremer- 

 haven on the 15th of June, 1809, and after a tedious voyage of five weeks up to the 

 parallel of 75°, the vessels were separated in a dense fog. The ' Germania ' 

 reached Sabine Island on the 5th of August, and four days were spent in survey- 

 ing the neighbouring country, observing an eclipse of the sun on the 7th, deter- 

 mining the magnetic constants, &c. On the 10th they proceeded northwards, but 

 their progress came to a dead stop on the 13th, in latitude 75° 31', or 23' fiu'ther 

 north than had been reached by Clavering and Sabine forty-six years before. At 

 this point the land-ice lay quite fast, and extended fully ten miles in a N.E. 

 direction from the nearest land, since called Cape BiJrgen ; while against its outer 

 edge the enormous fields of pack-ice were so heavily pressed as to render all pro- 

 gress impossible. Towards the N. and N.E. no water was visible; this was just 

 as Captain Clavering and Sir Edward Sabine found matters twenty-three miles 

 further to the south, and within a day of forty-six years before, and it was also 

 their lot to encounter the same obstacles in latitude 75^ 29' in the following sum- 

 mer. Captain Koldeway determined on returning to the Pendulum Islands, and 

 there to await in safety a change in the state of the ice. Tlie remainder of the 

 month of August and the beginning of September was spent in obtaining geolo- 

 gical, botanical, and ethnological specimens, and in making Aarious observations. 

 A sledge excursion, under Koldeway and Payer, into a fiord to the N.N.AV. of the 

 Pendulum group, from the 13th to the 22nd of September, resulted in a confirmation 

 of a previous supposition of the existence of a large island on that part of the 

 coast, and showed how much might be attempted in the exploration of the interior 

 of Greenland at this season of the year. A second sledge excursion at the end of 

 October and begimiing of November was made by Payer and himself round the 

 north of Clavering Island, thereby proving its insularity', which had been suspected 

 by Clavering in 1823. On the 5th of November the sun disappeared for the winter, 

 but still they accomplished about 180 nautical miles in nine days, including the 

 penetration into a new fiord, whose termination they succeeded in reaching. From 

 the 12th of October to the beginning of May, while frozen in, observations were 



