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of adding to the knowledge of this world of ours which men have 

 already acquired. But too often, the tale of Arctic Exploration 

 has been one of disappointment and failure; too often the discoverer's 

 voyage has ended in his own grave. To very few has a brilliant 

 success such as yours been given. Indeed we may say there are 

 not many Geographical problems remaining of the magnitude and 

 importance of that which the voyage of the Vega has solved. The 

 satisfaction to yourself of having earned such a reward by your 

 twenty years of labour among the dangers of the Northern Ocean 

 must be very great. 



"Whether the North-East passage comes to be used as one of 

 the ordinary routes between Northern Europe and China, or not, 

 the advantages of your difficult journey cannot fail to be real and 

 lasting. If, as has been suggested in England, it should be found 

 to demonstrate the possibility of placing meteorological stations — 

 which can be duly supplied and relieved — at the most favourable 

 points for observation on the coast of Northern Asia, so " doubling 

 " the range of time over which our weather predictions now extend, 

 " and immensely increasing the range of surface for which predie- 

 " tions are issued," the beneficial results are indeed incalculable. In 

 imagination we see countless sailors avoiding the storm which, had 

 it not been foretold, would have overtaken and probably destroyed 

 them ; and countless merchants rejoicing over the added security 

 which attends their ventures. Perhaps too it is not too great a 

 stretch of the imaginative faculty to picture to ourselves the toil- 

 ing populations and the anxious Governments of this great Conti- 

 nent escaping or mitigating the horrors of famine by the timely 

 provision which forecasts of unfavourable seasons would enable 

 them to make. And if such things as these are likely to result 

 from increased opportunities of observing meteorological fluctua- 

 tions in the Arctic regions, it will be a vast multitude, both on sea 

 and land, that will have reason to admire the skill and courage 

 which made such opportunities attainable. 



On the other hand, when merchant ships from the East and 

 from the West are traversing in safety the course which your jour- 

 ney has marked out ; when new markets are being formed for the 

 manufactures and the natural products of both Europe and Asia : 

 and when the produce of the richest province in Siberia is being 

 distributed over the world ; when, too, the material comforts of 

 civilization, and the light of religion and education are being con- 

 veyed to such peoples as the Tschutschis, whose misery and desti- 

 tution your charity relieved, it will be impossible to estimate the 

 additions to the sum of human happiness which this voyage of the 

 Vega will have made. 



As we believe this is the last evening of your stay here, we beg 

 you to accept our warmest good wishes for your journey home. 



