1881.] Geography and Travels. 255 
they came upon block ice in 75° 50’ latitude and about 5° east 
longitude, and had to go eastwards towards Cloven Point—a 
well-known landmark to the north-west of Spitzbergen. Passing 
that point they anchored to a floe of land ice off Welcome Point 
on the 18th. The intention at this point was to steer north; but 
after more battling with the ice they had again to bout ship and 
make the best of their way to the open sea. It is mentioned as 
an unusual circumstance that the islands known as the Norways 
and Fair Haven were closed with ice. They anchored at the 
head of Smeerenburg Bay and took in water on the 2oth; and, 
having sailed at once, were taken in a strong gale and had to seek 
shelter in Magdalen Bay. They lay there three days. The gale 
over, they sailed southward, and cleared the South Cape of Spitz- 
bergen at midnight on the 30th of July, and next day came upon 
loose floating ice, which, as they advanced, got much closer; and 
about 9g Pp. M., when within twenty-four miles of Hope Island, they 
had to takea south-westerly course to get clear of the ice. They 
reached a point 76° latitude and 25° longitude, and wanted to work 
northward after rounding the ice towards Wiches or King Charles 
Land, but finding this impossible, they took a north-easterly 
course with the idea of getting to Franz-Josef Land. They reached 
the pack ice on the 6th of August in 77° 14’ lat., and the course 
had again to be changed, Thence they continued in a north- 
easterly course, leaving the ice to the west, until the 8th, when 
they reached 79° 4/ lat. and 45° 38’ east long., and met with ice’ 
again. From this point they took a northerly course, and en- 
countered very misty weather. On August 10 they reached 79° 40’ 
lat. and about 46° 50’ east long.—the farthest north point yet 
reached in this direction. Nothing could be seen but ice in very 
large and heavy floes, although it was expected that land would 
have been in sight. They returned in the afternoon with the in- 
tention of making for Franz-Joseph Land, and after getting clear 
on the,11th were caught in a strong gale and driven south as far as 
78° 17’ lat., and 46° 19! east long. From this point they steamed 
right up, and on the 14th, at 8 a. mM. they sighted the land. In 
the afternoon they anchored to a land floe, attached to an island 
off the mainland—some one and a half miles long. Here they 
found large numbers of walruses, and that evening the party shot 
no fewer than seventeen of them. : 
_ Next day they had to shift on account of the drifting of the 
ice, and in the afternoon anchored to a floe some two miles long 
at a distance of ten miles from the jand. . Far “inland” they found 
an enormous tree with branches and roots apparently complete 
as it had been torn out of the ground. It is a common thing to 
find driftwood in these regions, but an entire tree is a rare sight. 
It is likely that the tree was a Siberian larch, and that it had been 
washed down by some of the Siberian rivers. On the 16th they 
came upon another island, on which they landed, and erected a 
