SMITH SOUND ADVOCATES. 
343 
Who has not looked on with pain akin to shame, at the 
reckless waste of time and money on so-called scientific 
expeditions ? We trust a change has now come over 
the feelings of scientific men, and that they feel 
greater responsibility attaches to the important offices 
they fill, and that we shall hear no more of such 
things; but we maintain that private enterprise can 
and always will produce equal, if not greater, benefits 
to science than enterprise carried out by Government. 
It had been stated that so satisfied were the advo¬ 
cates of the Spitzbergen route on the continent of 
Europe, of this their favourite project being likely to 
prove unproductive, that the Swedes and Germans in 
particular had abandoned their hobby, and that there¬ 
fore the Smith Sound people were entitled to their 
fair share of praise for so constantly adhering to their 
pet scheme ; but at the very time this statement was 
being made in London, Nordenskiold was intently 
busy upon his project, and night and day he was 
devoting himself to the task of collecting the money 
requisite for the venture, and in directing the minutest 
details for the successful carrying out of the expedi¬ 
tion he is now entered upon. Again, if the Smith 
Sound project is carried out—if, after encountering all 
the difficulties of approach to the point where the 
Americans left off defeated ; if after they have passed 
