292 Trof. ISfordensMdU — Expedition to Greenland. 



1671. A new exiDeditioE, sent out under the same person. The 

 . expedition never returned, being most probably wrecked amidst 

 the drifting ice, 



1751 — 1753. Peder Olsen Valloes' remarkable expedition in an 

 "umiak" (Greenlandish boat rowed by women) from the west 

 coast round Cape Farewell, in which he, in spite of a thousand 

 difficulties amidst the crowded ice-masses, succeeded in reach- 

 ing 60° 28^ 



1786 — 1787. Expeditions under Lovenorn, Egede, and Eothe en- 

 deavoured to penetrate from Iceland to east coast of G-reenland, 

 but could only see its lofty hills at a distance. The land being 

 rendered quite inaccessible by ice. 



1819. Scoresby succeeded in reaching the east coast of Grreenland, 

 which during his many years of whaling-voyages he had 

 always previously found completely blockaded by ice. 



1833. Sabine and Clavering sail from Spitzbergen to the eastern coast 

 of Greenland, which they reach in latitude 74° — 75°. 



1828 — 1831. Graah's journey round Cape Farewell, in a " kone- 

 boad." He succeeded with great difficulty in reaching 65*^ 15' 

 N.L. His account of his journey, which Dr. Petermann ad- 

 duces as evidence that the east coast is free from ice, gives us 

 clearly to understand^ that it is only under very unusually 

 favourable circumstances that a ship can make its way in these 

 parts through the packed ice-masses. 



1868. Dr. Petermann's expedition, under Capt, Koldewey, strenu- 

 ously but vainly endeavoured to approach the eastern coast of 

 Greenland. 



1868. The Scottish whaler David Gray finds the east coast of 

 Greenland free from ice at 74° N.L. 



1868. The Swedish Polar expedition endeavours twice to approach 

 the eastern coast of Greenland to the north of the 78th degree, 

 but was, in the longitude of Greenwich, hindered by impene- 

 trable masses of ice from proceeding farther towards the east. 



1869. The second German Polar expedition under Koldewey and 

 Hegemann. One ship lost in 70° 50' N.L, among the ice- 

 masses on the eastern coast, and the brave crew borne down 

 among the densely packed ice-masses to the southern extremity 

 of Greenland. The other ship reaches land at 75° — 76°, but 

 finds the ocean to the north completely blockaded by ice. 



When we consider that all the Danish expeditions were under- 

 taken with the expectation of recovering almost a northern Eldorado, 

 which (as they imagined) had formerly been every year sailed over 

 in frail Vikings' vessels, — and that these expeditions were conducted 

 by efficient seamen well practised in their work by expeditions to 

 Iceland and Finmark, at a time when not only Dutchmen and 

 Englishmen, but also the Danes themselves, in other jjarts of the 

 polar regions, had penetrated so far that even up to the present time 

 in many places no farther advance has been made, — their repeated 

 failures must surely prove, not only the impossibility of reaching 

 the Pole by this coui'se, but also the unfitness of East Greenland as 



