THE WELLMAN POLAR EXPEDITION 503 



map, that was but another evidence that in Arctic exploration 

 it is a good thing to have plenty of optimism, served in daily- 

 rations and carried in imperishable packages. 



This journey was subsequently made, however, by a party 

 led by Meteorologist Baldwin, and the result of it was that, 

 whereas when the Wellman expedition arrived in Franz Josef 

 Land the eastern limits of that land were unknown and formed 

 a topic of discussion among geographers, they are now carefully 

 marked out upon the map. By means of these two sledge 

 journeys and a voyage in the unexplored parts of Markham 

 sound subsequently made in the steamer Oapella, which was 

 sent after the expedition at the expense of my brother, Arthur 

 Wellman, some 20 new lands or islands were added to the map 

 of that archipelago. Upon these new lands, their capes and 

 straits, we had the pleasure of placing the names of well-known 

 American scientific and public men who had befriended the 

 expedition, including that of the President of the National 

 Geographic Society. 



We bear testimony to the surprising accuracy of the survey of 

 a part of Franz Josef Land which had been made by Payer, 

 the discoverer of that region, 25 years before. His one great 

 error, the location of an enormous glacier, capping a land of 

 continental dimensions, extending northward from Wilczek 

 Land, had been in part demolished by Dr Nansen, who had 

 landed at the Freeden islands and crossed in his journey over 

 the sea ice the spot where Payer had placed his Dove glacier. 

 We completely finished the destruction of that geographic error. 

 The Dove glacier does not exist, nor has Wilczek Land the form 

 or dimensions ascribed to it by the Austro-Hungarian explorer. 



Four times did we cross the path of Dr Nansen — twice on our 

 sledge journey to the far north, where we saw, but did not reach, 

 three islands which he had passed without seeing, as they lay 

 a considerable distance to the westward of his course, and twice 

 in our steamers in the British channel and along the coast of 

 Northbrook island at Cape Flora. We regret, of course, the ac- 

 cident which deprived us of our chance to wrest from the gal- 

 lant Norwegian the honor of the farthest north ; but if we have 

 in a modest way been able to contribute something to the world's 

 knowledge of the world, we feel amply repaid for all the hard- 

 ships mid ;dl the sacrifices. 



Above all,weare glad to subscribe to that cosmopolitan spirit 

 which knows no frontier lines in the pursuit of knowledge. We 



