296 Frof. Nordenskibld — Exjyedition to Greenland. 



ally a private trading company), which has for its object to trade 

 with the inhabitants for the benefit of the Danish state, that is to 

 say, to buy up at certain, often merely nominal prices, train oil, skins, 

 down, and other of Greenland's hunting and fishing productions, 

 and to supply the Greenlanders with European wares instead, many 

 of which, as for example firearms, ammunition, coffee, sugar, bread, 

 have long been necessaries to the inhabitants. The chief manage- 

 ment of the Greenland trade is confided partly to certain Directors 

 residing at Copenhagen, partly to two resident Inspectors immedi- 

 ately appointed by the ministry. Under these are at present eleven 

 Colonial Governors resident in Greenland ( Julianshaab, Fredrikshaab, 

 Godthaab, Sukkertoppen, Holsteinsborg, in the inspectorate of South 

 Greenland; and Godhavn, Egedesminde, Jakobshavn, Eitenbenk, 

 Omenak, Upernivik, in the inspectorate of North Greenland). To 

 aid the Colonial Governors, they have "assistants" and "volunteers " 

 (aspii-ants to the place of colonial governor), as also "emissaries" 

 ("utliggare"). These last-mentioned offices are sometimes given 

 to Greenlanders, the others exclusively to Danes. There are also 

 in every colony some Danish artisans. 



The shipping business in Greenland is carried on by the Greenland 

 trade in the Company's own ships, which, as the cabins are fitted up 

 to receive three or four passengers, offer a cheap though slow passage. 

 The time of starting from Copenhagen is from the month of April 

 to June, and all the vessels, unless hindered by ice, as sometimes 

 happens in the harbours of South Greenland, return in the autumn, 

 usually in the middle or at the latter end of September. A few 

 of the ships, that have sailed earliest, return however in July, so 

 as to make a second journey during the summer. The passage out 

 usually occupies five to eight, the return voyage three to six weeks. 



In the veteran ship of the company, the brig " Hvalfisken," com- 

 manded by Captain Sejstrup, the Swedish expedition departed from 

 Copenhagen on the 15th of May, 1870. My original intention was 

 only to make a short visit to Greenland, in order to take some steps 

 preparatory to the contemplated polar expedition. I was however 

 but little inclined to consecrate the whole summer to that purpose, 

 and determined accordingly, with the permission of one of the most 

 liberal patrons both of the preceding and the coming expeditions, 

 Mr. Oscar Dickson, to expand the tour to Greenland into a little 

 unpretending expedition, having for its object not only to make 

 preparations for the future polar expedition, but also to carry on such 

 researches in natural history, geology and geography as might be of 

 importance in arranging the collections and observations made at 

 Spitzbergen. For this reason the number of members of the new 

 expedition was increased to four, including, besides myself. Dr. 

 Sv. Berggren from Lund, also Dr. P. Oberg and Dr. Th. Nordstrom 

 from Upsala. 



Our plan was, on arriving in Greenland, to set in order and com- 

 pletely man, either with Danes or natives, two whale-boats. With 

 .one of these Dr. Nordstrom ] and I were to penetrate into Auleitsi- 



1 During the voyage over Dr. Nordstrom caught a cold, which fortunately was not 



