2 04 The National Geographic Magazine 



Antarctic research) , was launched at Kiel 

 early in April. The German ship, like 

 the Discovery, is built mainly of wood, 

 the only material which is elastic and 

 strong enough to resist ice pressure and 

 the boisterous seas of the south polar 

 regions. She is some twenty feet shorter 

 than the English vessel, but is broader, 

 and her displacement is 300 tons less. 

 The crew will consist, in addition to Dr. 

 von Drj^galski, of four scientific assist- 

 ants, a captain, a first officer, two mates, 

 an engineer, ten seamen, six assistant 

 engineers and stokers, a cook, and a 

 steward — 28 in all. Each of the officers 

 has a cabin to himself, while the crew 

 have four large rooms. All the dwell- 

 ing-rooms will be heated by steam, and 

 it is calculated that a temperature of 50° 

 Fahr. will be maintained within when 

 that outside is as low as — 22°. Electric 

 light will be provided throughout prac- 

 tically the whole ship, and an acetylene 

 apparatus may possibly also be installed. 

 Laboratories and other special arrange- 

 ments are provided for scientific work, 

 while, as in the British ship, dredging 

 and sounding apparatus have been pro- 

 vided. Dr. von Drygalski is planning 

 to take 50 dogs. He, as well as the Eng- 

 lish captain, has included a balloon in 

 the equipment. 



A map showing the routes of the Eng- 

 lish and German expeditions was pub- 

 lished in this Magazine, in No. 8, vol. x. 

 The English expect to establish a station 

 on Cape Adare, Victoria Eand, which 

 will be the base of their land parties, 

 while the Germans plan to make their 

 base on some point in Wilkes Eand. 

 Each vessel will carry sufficient stores 

 for 3 years, as it is probable that each 

 party will remain that time within the 

 Antarctic Circle. 



The Swedish Antarctic Expedition^ 

 under Dr. Otto Nordenskjold, has en- 

 gaged the Antarctic, the vessel with 

 which Dr. Nathorst made his notable 

 explorations on the east coast of Green- 

 land in 1899. This party may possibly 



leave in September, but the chances are 

 that they will not set out until 1902. 



Plans for the Scottish Antarctic Ex- 

 pedition are progressing. This expedi- 

 tion will probably not set out until the 

 3^ear 1902. 



The Duke of Ahtuzzi is organizing a 

 south polar expedition to start in June, 

 1 902 . He is enthusiastically supported 

 by all Italians. 



AN AMERICAN FLOATING EXPOSI- 

 TION 



THE suggestion for a floating expo- 

 sition made by the Chief of the 

 Bureau of Statistics of the Treasury De- 

 partment in the February number of this 

 magazine has aroused much discussion 

 not only throughout the United States, 

 but in other parts of the world. Mr. 

 Austin has received letters from various 

 countries in Europe asking about the 

 proposed enterprise, and many inquiries 

 from manufacturers and merchants in 

 the United States desiring to participate 

 in an undertaking of this character. 



This suggestion of Mr. Austin has 

 been followed b}- the announcement that 

 a floating exhibition, to visit the cities 

 bordering upon the Gulf of Mexico and 

 Caribbean Sea, has been organized at 

 Buffalo, and will leave in the autumn of 

 the present year for that field. A num- 

 ber of other enterprises of this character 

 have also been suggested. 



The Bureau of Statistics has received 

 the following statement, published in the 

 Moniteur Offi-ciel du Commerce ( Paris, 

 March 28, 1900), regarding a floating 

 exposition recently organized in Ham- 

 burg, Germany : 



' ' The earliest exhibition of this kind 

 was organized about two }>^ears ago, and 

 it must be said that the results of the en- 

 terprise were in excess of the most san- 

 guine expectations: Total value of trans- 

 actions, 22,000,000 marks ($5,236,000), 

 at a cost of about 800,000 marks, or 

 about $190,400. The details, of opera- 



