16 G. Amdrup. 



obliged to turn at Nanortalik owing to the advanced time of the year. 

 On September 13th he returned to the colony *. 



In the following year the Greenland Company of Bergen sent 

 out a ship with the object of penetrating through the ice in to the east 

 coast to search there for Osterbygden. But this expedition had no 

 better fortune than the earlier. The heavy mass of drift-ice which 

 lay along the land prevented the vessel from approaching the coast 

 and the expedition returned without accomplishing anything. 



In 1726 the Greenland Company of Bergen was dissolved and the 

 government itself now took over the management of the trade with 

 Greenland. For this purpose Major Claus E\ï:vold Paars was 

 appointed governer in Greenland in 1728 and journeyed there the same 

 year. Major Paars took horses with him, with the intention of endea- 

 vouring to ride across the inland ice and thus reach Osterbygden. The 

 horses died, however, before the plan could be carried out -. 



In the winter of 1728 — 1729 Lieutenant Richardt with the galiot 

 West-Vlieland stayed at the colony in Greenland. In the month of 

 June 1729 he sailed from the colony and on the homeward journey 

 made an attempt to approach the east coast. But as with the others 

 the ice prevented this ^. 



Right to 1736 Haxs Egede remained in Greenland and in the 

 course of these 15 years acquired a thorough knowledge of all things 

 in Greenland. In his book written on his return home to Denmark * 

 he explains, that the attempt to penetrate up along the east coast, to 

 be successful, should be made by boat along the land, as the water 

 flowing out from the fjords keeps the ice at some distance from the 

 land and thus forms a narrow channel of open coastal Avater. As we 

 shall see, it is just in this way that the east coast has been explored, 

 right from Cape Farvel to Scoresby Sound. 



The fir.st to follow Egede's recommendation was the Danish 

 trading agent Peder Olsen Walløe *, who had lived in Greenland 

 from the year 1739. On August 13th 1751 he sailed away from the 

 colony of Godthaab Avith a women's boat (umiak) and arrived on 

 October 2nd at Igaliko Fjord, where he stayed the winter. On May 

 20th 1752 Walløe continued the journey and on July 6th he set up 

 his tent for the first time on the ea.st coast. On August 3rd, according 

 to his own account, he had reached up to 60^56' N. Jat.^ but was then 



• Hans Egede. "Det gamle Grønlands nyt- Perlustration eller Naturel- 

 Historie", pp. 19 — 20. Kjøbenhavn 1741. 



Grønlands historiske Mindesmærker, Bd. III, pp. 729 — 730. 

 Meddelelser om Grønland, Bd. IX, pp. 28 — 29. 

 = Grønlands historiske Mindesmærker, Bd. III, pp. 732 — 734. 

 ' Hans Egede. "Det gamle Grønlands nye Perlustration eller Naturel- 

 Historie", pp. 2n — 21. Kjøbenhavn 1741. 



* Grønlands historiske Mindesmærker, Bd. III. pp. 741 — 750. 



' Both Graah and Holm, however, are of opinion that Walløe did not 



