Swedish North-Polar Expedition. 229 
The expedition left Beeren Island on the 27th of July. Our 
course was directed to the eastern coast of Spitabergen, which 
had not been visited by any of the previous Swedish expedi- 
tions ; but already at South Cape we met with ice, which, as 
we approached the Thousand Isles, became more and more 
abundant, and we were obliged to turn back. After some hesita- 
tion as to whether we should wait at South Cape till the water 
became more free from ice, in order to proceed farther eastward, 
or immediately begin the scientific operations on the west coast — 
of Spitzbergen that entered into the plan of the voyage, we em- 
braced the latter alternative ; and it was very fortunate that 
we did so, for on our return home we learned that the east coast, 
during the whole summer of 1868, had been rendered completely 
Inaccessible by the ice. : 
ur course was now directed to Ice-fjord, where the Sofia 
cast anchor on the morning of the 31st of July. We continued 
a fortnight in the different harbors of that extensive fjord, and 
penetrated, in our boat-excursions, to the innermost parts of 
the fjord’s northern arm, which had not previously been visited 
by the Swedish expeditions, During this time all the members 
of the expedition were busily occupied in scientific researches, 
and in collecting objects of natural history. The change was, 
indeed, advantageous, as well for our zoological and botanical 
a8 especially for our geological investigations. 
The previous Swedish expeditions had pretty fully explored 
the principal features of the geology of Ice-fjord, and had found 
it, In consequence of the varying strata on its shores, full of 
erent types both of animal and vegetable remains, and un- 
