• Trof. Nordenskiold — Expedition to Greenland. 291 



60° lat., is more impassable than at a corresponding latitude in any- 

 other part of the northern hemisphere. A broad, almost always 

 densely-crowded, stream of ice is constantly carried down by the north 

 polar stream, not only along the whole eastern coast of Greenland, 

 but, during a great part of the year, past Cape Farewell a consider- 

 able distance into Davis Strait. Among the many empty reasons 

 often adduced for the existence of an open polar basin, this stream 

 is also appealed to, by which it is alleged that the ice in the polar 

 basin must shortly be carried down into the Atlantic. A simple 

 comparison of the extent and velocity of the ice-stream with the 

 area of the polar -basin is sufficient to show the futility of this 

 argument. If we suppose the entire limit of the stream to lie in 

 5*^ west longitude from Greenwich, its breadth will be about 200 

 miles. With a velocity of four miles a day — (the German expedi- 

 tion, 1869-70, after the wreck of the " Hansa," drifted about 600 

 miles southward in 200 days) — by this process about 100,000 square 

 miles would be removed from the polar basin during June, July, 

 August, and September ; that is to say, in the course of the months 

 during which new ice is not forming in the polar basin, an area 

 which does not constitute the tenth part of that basin north of 80°. 

 The following enumeration of the attempts which have been made 

 to penetrate to the eastern coast of Greenland fully shows the 

 difficulties met with in this part of the polar basin. 

 1579.' Jakob Allday was sent out by the Danish King, Frederick 

 II., to rediscover Greenland, advanced so far as to see the east 

 coast, but returned, as the ice nowhere permitted him to land 

 (Eink). 

 1588 (1581 Eink, 1578 Graah), Mogens Heinesen was sent to re- 

 discover Greenland for the benefit of Denmark, but returned 

 without having been able to land. 

 1605. A new Danish expedition was sent out, under Godske 

 Lindenow, and reached a harbour, probably on the south-western 

 part of the coast (Eink). 

 1607. Carsten Eichardsen was sent out to Greenland, but was 



everywhere prevented by ice from landing. 

 1607. H. Hudson reaches the eastern coast of Greenland, at 73^° 



latitude. 

 1652 — 54. Three expeditions, provided by H. Moller, and com- 

 manded by David Danel. These expeditions sailed along a 

 considerable part of the west coast of Greenland, and had 

 nearly, but only nearly, succeeded in landing on the east coast. 

 1670. A Danish expedition, sent out under Otto Axelsen. The 

 expedition returned without accomplishing its object; hindered, 

 in all probability by drift-ice from landing on the eastern coast. 



' In this account, in which I have principally confined myself tO' the last generally 

 known Danish expeditions, because their especial object was to reach East Greenland, 

 I have followed partly W. A. Graah, Undersogelses-Reise til Osthysten of Gronland. 

 Kjobtnhafn, 1832, and partly H. Rink, whose excellent work, richly stored with 

 observations, '■'■Gronland, gengraphisk och statistisk beskrevct," 3 Delar. ICjobenhaf/t, 

 1852-1857, I have frequently made use of in this account. 



