820 
Proceedings of Societies. 
[December, 
during what he considered to be the navigable season — namely, 
during the month of September. For the cruise he had hired 
the little Norwegian cutter Isbjorn, already rendered historical 
by her exploits under Payer and Count Wilczek. The Isbjorn 
was a vessel of 48 tons burden, 55 feet long, with a beam of 
17 feet. She was built in 1870, and made her first voyage in 
the following year with Weyprecht and Payer. The crew con- 
sisted of a skipper, mate, two harpooners, and five seamen. 
They met the first ice on the fourth of June at a distance of 40 
miles from the part of Novaya Zemlya coast called Goose Land. 
The Matochkin Shar was then impassable, and they therefore 
cruised along the west coast of Novaya Zemlya until they were 
stopped by the ice off Cape Nassau on July 15. They succeeded 
in passing through the Matochkin Shar on July 31, and found 
the Kara Sea full of heavy ice. Returning they met the Dutch 
exploring vessel Willem Barents on August 18. Here Captain 
Markham bore testimony to the great kindness they received 
from the officers and crew of that vessel. Everything they had 
was placed at their disposal. They then again shaped a course 
northward, along the Novaya Zemlya coast, and this time suc- 
ceeded in passing Cape Nassau, and in reaching Cape Mauri- 
tius — the extreme north-western point of that land — on Septem- 
ber 6. Finally they pushed northward on a meridian midway 
between Novaya Zemlya and Spitzbergen, and on the 12th they 
met the ice in latitude 78° north, and longitude 47 0 east. They 
pushed on and penetrated through loose streams of ice to 78° 
24', about 80 miles from Franz-Josef Land, and six miles further 
than that attained by the Dutch expedition last year. Captain 
Markham had the honour of first carrying the British flag to the 
northward of Novaya Zemlya. His conclusion was, looking at 
all the voyages in that direction, that a steamer would have no 
difficulty in reaching the south coast of Franz-Josef Land during 
the last week in August, or during the first two weeks in Sep- 
tember. If a vessel were once able to establish herself in 
winter quarters on the west coast of Zichy Land the results 
would certainly be satisfactory. So long as the land continued 
to trend northward with a western aspect either a ship or a 
sledge would follow it without great difficulty, even if it went as 
far as the Pole. What was wanted in Arctic exploration was 
perseverance. He trusted that next season a vessel would pro- 
ceed to Franz-Josef Land prepared to winter, and if it had to 
return it should be sent out again the following year, and from 
that starting point attack the work of exploration. With regard 
to the results of the 1879 expedition, although geographical 
knowledge had not been greatly increased, yet the observations 
that had been made with regard to physical geography would 
prove of the utmost value in future explorations. The Franz- 
Josef Land route, in his opinion, was the one that would lead to 
the greatest discoveries in future. The specimens of rocks and 
