Vol. 56.] ANNIVERSARY MEETING — MURCIIISON MEDAL. xHii 



first time in 185S, with Torell. Again, in 1868 he organized and 

 started another Arctic expedition, and in 1872 he discovered the 

 great masses of native iron of Ovifak, originally described to our 

 iSociety as meteorites, and also brought home a large collection of 

 fossil plants, from which we learnt much as to the long-past climatic 

 conditions of the Arctic regions. 



In 1875 he went up the Yenisei from the Kara Sea ; three years 

 later he first doubled the northernmost point of the Old World,, 

 and reached Japan in the latter part of 1879, making what is known 

 as the North-east Passage. 



In 1883 he undertook a second voyage into the interior of 

 Greenland, adding largely thereby to our knowledge of its glacial, 

 conditions. 



Among the records of these expeditions, his book entitled 

 ' The Voyage of the Vega,' which has been translated into English, 

 and whence we derive much information as to inland ice, glaciers,, 

 and icebergs, as also his work on ' The Second Swedish Expedition, 

 to Greenland,' are notable. 



We have also to thank him for giving us an English version of 

 some of his work, chiefly in the pages of the Geological Magazine, 

 in vol. ix of which (1872) is a set of papers on the Expedition to 

 Greenland in 1870, while in the volume for 187o we find the Lecture 

 on the Former Climate of the Polar Regions, and in that for 187b' 

 a set of papers on the Geology of part of Spitsbergen and a discourse 

 on the distant Transport of Volcanic Dust. 



Both as an observer and as an organizer of expeditions of dis- 

 covery has Baron Nordenskiold earned our gratitude, of which this 

 Murchison Medal is a token. 



His Excellency replied in the following, words : — 

 Mr. President, — 



On behalf of Baron Nordenskiold, I beg to express his deep, 

 gratitude for the great distinction conferred upon him by the 

 Council of the Geological Society. I shall not fail to transmit the 

 Medal at once, but I may perhaps be allowed to mention that I 

 have been asked to present the accompanying cheque as a donation 

 from Baron Nordenskiold to the British Antarctic Fund. It is a 

 great pleasure for Baron Nordenskiold to have this opportunity of 

 proving his good wishes for the success of this expedition. 



