366 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [parti 
islands, obstructing and dividing the current, cause it to 
increase its force, so that here the ice floes are dispersed 
in July and August. Lieut. Holm began his return 
journey in July, was met by Lieut. Garde, who had 
made many excursions up the numerous fjords, and finally 
arrived at Copenhagen on October 3rd, 1885. 
The most important result of Holm's admirable 
exploring work was the discovery of the district of 
Angmagsalik, whence there could be annual communica- 
tion with Denmark. Baron Nordenskiold, in the Sofia, had 
penetrated the ice belt in 1883, and landed on September 
4th in 65°36'N., remaining until the next day, thus 
confirming the conclusions of Lieut. Holm. In 1894 
Holm, who had now attained the rank of Captain, had 
the great satisfaction of selecting a site, and founding 
the settlement of Angmagsalik in 65 0 30' N. It is 
situated on the slope of a hill, on the east side of a large 
island in the Tasuisarsik Fjord. The first colonial 
manager was Captain Holm's old comrade Johan Petersen, 
who has conducted the combined civilising and com- 
mercial undertaking with eminent ability for twenty 
years, in co-operation with two missionaries. The 
natives have concentrated their stations round the 
Danish settlement and have received help during periods 
of want and hunger. Nearly the whole East Greenland 
population, numbering 550, have now been baptized, and 
the people have adapted themselves to the use of the 
articles the Danish store contains. South of Angmagsalik 
the whole of this coast is depopulated, the last Eskimo 
in the extreme south having moved in 1900 to the west 
coast. 
The botanist H. C. Kruuse, with his wife, wintered 
at Angmagsalik in 1901-2, and has since published an 
exhaustive work on the flora of East Greenland 1 : and 
Hr W. Thalbitzer, also with his wife, passed the winter 
of 1905-6 at the same settlement, devoting himself to 
ethnological and linguistic researches and the study of 
Eskimo folk-lore 2 . In co-operation with Hr Thuren, 
1 "Botanical Exploration of the East Coast of Greenland between 
65 0 35' and 74 0 30' N." by Chr. Kruuse (1904), Meddelelser om Gronland 
(Heft. 30, Afd. 1), Kjobenhavn, 1907. 
2 Thalbitzer has published papers on the poetry and music of the 
East Greenlanders, on their angekoks or priests, and on their dialect. 
