NORDENSK/JOLD'S LABORS. 303 
A strenuous effort was made by Nordenskjéld, during the summer of 1868, 
to reach a high northern latitude in the iron steamer ‘‘Sofia,”’ * far too weak, 
both in build and steam power, to contend successfully with the ice-pack usually 
found north of Spitzbergen; nevertheless, he reached the very high latitude of 
81° 42’ N., on the 18th of September, this being the highest well authenticated 
latitude reached by any vessel (Parry’s boats in 1827 excepted) at this date. 
Later on in the season, the vessel leaked so badly, from a blow against an ice 
floe, that she was with difficulty brought back to her old anchorage in one of the 
Spitzbergen harbors, where she was beached and the damage patched up. 
On his return from this expedition, Nordenskjéld was awarded the Foun- 
ders’ gold medal by the Royal Geographical Society of London. . 
I am happy to find that this experienced, truthful, and distinguished ex- 
plorer is of opinion that, ‘‘in a not too unfavorable year, it would certainly be 
possible to reach, from the northwestern extremity of Spitzbergen, a far higher 
latitude than Sir George Nares’ vessel attained during the last English Polar Ex- 
pedition.” f 
In 1872, that admirably generous and public spirited gentleman, Mr. Oscar 
Dickson, again nobly volunteered the funds requisite for another Polar expedi- 
tion, with the same object as the last, but on this occasion sledging over the ice 
was to be attempted. 
Nordenskjéld closely discussed the question as to whether reindeer or dogs 
were best as draught animals, and to settle this question satisfactorily he paid 
Greenland a visit in 1870. So as to utilize this Greenland tour to the utmost, he 
made an excursion over the inland ice of this illnamed country, which is cer- 
tainly the reverse of ‘‘green.” He was accompanied on the ice by the botanist, 
Berggren, and on this of all places the most unlikely for a botanist to find any- 
thing worthy of notice in his own special science, the remarkable discovery was 
made that this ice was everywhere covered with a scanty vegetation of micro- 
scopic alge. Their progress was interrupted by many crevasses, so that they 
reached only about thirty miles inland. 
Nordenskjéld determined on taking with him reindeer instead of dogs, be- 
cause they would serve as food, each deer being counted upon as yielding up- 
ward of too lbs. venison; but the deer required so large a supply of mosses and 
lichens for food, that an extra vessel had to be hired for their transport. 
This year (1872) the state of the ice on the northern shores of Spitzbergen 
was found unusually rough and unfavorable, and, to make matters worse, the 
reindeer all escaped very soon after they were put on shore. The auxiliary ves- 
sel already mentioned and another which had been required, were to have re- 
turned to Sweden immediately after discharging their cargoes, but were unfor- 
* An iron steamer is not so good for Arctic service as one built of wood. The cold makes the iron brittle. 
—J. R. 
+ This line of route I have consistently advocated for more than a quarter of a century, chiefly on ac- 
‘count of Parry’s experience of 1827, and because there is, as far as yet known, a channel 300 miles wide for 
the ice to move freely in, instead of narrow straits leading northward, which, according to my own experi- 
_ -ence, and that of others, are impenetrably blocked up with ice, either at one end or the other.—J. R. 
IV—23 
