Geography of the Land. 37 
requisite to continue operations to completion. The failure of 
this company has imparted a fresh impetus to the Nicaragua 
scheme and ground was broken on this route in October last. As 
the Nicaragua route presents many natural advantages and is free 
from such stupendous engineering works as were contemplated at 
Panama, we may hope for its completion. The surveys were con- 
ducted with deliberation and have evidenced great skill on the 
part of those who supervised them, so that we may reasonably 
expect the construction will proceed with the same care, and re- 
solve the question of success into the simple problem of cost. 
A partial account has been furnished by Dr. Nansen of his 
journey across Greenland a year ago. The result will be disap- 
pointing to those who anticipated the discovery of open country 
with green fields and the general reversal of the Arctic conditions. 
He describes the region as being covered with a great shield of 
ice, dome-like in shape, and which he estimates to have a maxi- 
mum thickness of six or seven thousand feet. For a great part 
of his journey he traveled at an elevation of about eight thousand 
feet, and the cold at times was so intense that he believes the tem- 
perature must have been at least 50° below zero on the Fahren- 
heit scale. No land was visible in the interior and he estimates 
the highest mountains must be covered with at least several hun- 
dred feet of snow ice. The expedition was one of great danger, 
and we may say was accomplished only through the good judg- 
ment of the explorer. The scientific results have not yet been 
considered, but the explorer suggests it is an excellent region to 
study an existing ice field, and estimates that persistent observa- 
tions might prove productive of value in the science of meteor- 
ology. 
The Canadians have been active during the year in the explora- 
tion of the vast territory to the northward of their supposed hab- 
itable regions. In the report of Dr. Dawson relating the result of 
his labors in the northwest, up to the date of its compilation, we 
find much that is new and a great deal that is of interest. We 
cannot enter into the details of his itinerary, but we may note as 
one fact that surely will excite surprise, the conclusion he reaches 
that there is a territory of about 60,000 square miles, the most part 
to the northward of the sixtieth parallel, in which agricultural 
pursuits may be successfully followed in conjunction with the 
natural development of the other resources of the territory. This 
does not imply that it may become an agricultural region, and 
