390 Scientific Intelligence. 



the world's water power, including both the developed and the 

 potential resources. The present developed capacity of the 

 world is 23 million horsepower and the potential water power is 

 440 million horsepower at ordinary low-water stage. Africa 

 leads in undeveloped water power, with 190 million horsepower ; 

 Asia has 71 million; North America 62 million, South America 

 54 million, and Europe 45 million. North America has devel- 

 oped 12 million horsepower, more than all the rest of the world ; 

 of this amount 9,243,000 horsepower are installed in the United 

 States. The quantitative distribution of these resources in the 

 several continents and by States in the United States is shown 

 graphically on an excellent series of maps (plates 2-8). 



ADOLPH KNOPF. 



7. The Friendly Arctic; by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Pp. 

 xxxi, 784. New York, 1921 (The Macmillan Co.).— This 

 volume is the narrative of five years of Arctic exploration 

 in the great archipelago lying north of the American con- 

 tinent. The author was commander-in-chief of an expedition 

 supported most generously by the Canadian Government — 

 "the most comprehensive polar expedition that ever sailed." 

 It included a scientific staff of fifteen men, who were to investi- 

 gate the anthropology, biology (both terrestrial and marine), 

 geography, geology, oceanography, and terrestrial magnet- 

 ism of the region explored. The expedition sailed from Nome 

 in July, 1913, in the Karluk, accompanied by two 30-ton 

 auxiliary gasoline vessels. Owing to the loss of the Karluk, 

 which carried most of the "equipment regarded as essential to 

 polar exploration, the commander decided to try out the method 

 of "living off the country," in order to carry out his geographic 

 program. The weight of all evidence was against this bold idea 

 — "geographers, explorers, whalers, and Eskimos alike were of 

 the opinion that our plans were unsound and that the attempt to 

 carry them out would be disastrous." The scientific associates 

 felt this way about the commander-in-chief's project and there- 

 after, according to the author, became firmly insubordinate. In 

 justice to them, however, it must be said that they do not present 

 their own case in this book. The volume is largely an account of 

 the triumphant success of the commander, accompanied by two 

 sailor companions, in exploring great areas of frozen Polar seas 

 north of Canada and the archipelago on the east of these seas, and 

 it describes the important geographic discoveries that resulted 

 from this new method of polar exploration. The lifeless Polar 

 Sea, as it was termed by the foremost authorities, was found to 

 be stocked abundantly with food and fuel. The book makes 

 absorbingly interesting reading. The "friendliness" of the 

 Arctic is much overemphasized, however, and our dissent from 

 the overdrawn picture of its kindliness is heightened when we 

 read the roster of the brave men who perished on the Karluk. 



