Land, but the ice prevented his landing in the limited time at his disposal. No further news having been received, the party, if alive, is almost certainly on Ellesmere Land. Thus the proposed expedition, landing there at the earliest practicable date, will bring the only possible chance of relief. It will make the search for the lost party its first duty, to which everything else will be subordinated. In order to be fully equal to the requirements of the case, the party ought to receive a reinforcement of at least six men, to follow the east shore to Cape Faraday and beyond, while the south shore is examined by the party previously described.

AUXILIARY STATION AT CAPE WARREnder.

As previously stated, the party will make its way southward to Cape Warrender, on the north shore of Lancaster Sound, in September, 1895, to be taken on board a whaler and conveyed home. While this arrangement, without further provision, is quite safe, yet there would be a great gain in comfort and ease of traveling if a small house and depot of provisions were established at Cape Warrender in the summer of 1894, a party of, say, four men being conveyed to that point by the whaler after the main party has been landed on Ellesmere Land. By that means, almost constant communication might be maintained with the whalers.

PERSONNEL.

Up to January 9, 1894, 60 young men had offered their services. Of this number, 4 are physicians, 4 civil engineers, 2 mining engineers, 3 surveyors, 3 machinists, 1 chemist and physicist, 2 geologists, I taxidermist, 2 artists, 2 professional photographers (several others being amateur taxidemists, artists, and photographers), I mining prospector, I anthropologist; 3 have served three years in the German army, and many have traveled extensively in the western Territories and in Alaska. Only 3 have been definitively accepted, but at least 30 are regarded as suitable.

SYSTEMATIC EXPLORATION IN FUTURE YEARS.

A previous prospectus was accompanied by a supplement describing a plan of continuous exploration to be initiated by next

$30

year's voyage.

While that plan has met with warm approval on the part of some Arctic authorities, doubts have been raised by others as to its feasibility. As the plan will be incidentally tested by next year's explorations, it is not necessary at present to form a definite judgment concerning its prospects. It may suffice to enumerate a few arguments for and against its practicability.

If next year's expedition meets with the marked success that is expected, it may be possible to make the station at the entrance of Jones Sound a permanent base of operations, kept constantly supplied by the whalers, and from it a fan of secondary stations, about 150 miles apart, may be pushed as far into the unknown area as practicable, continuing exploration so long as any unknown area remains within reach. Each secondary station is to be occupied by no more than five men, one engaged in scientific work, the others in hunting. The number at the base station is not to exceed 15. The entrance of Jones Sound seems best suited to serve as a base; but if experience reveals a better site, the base may be shifted. The two requisites for each secondary station will be safe communication with the base and sufficient animal life to furnish the bulk of the food supply. No new station is to be established until the preceding one has been proved to be perfectly reliable. The manifest advantages of such a system, if practicable, will be cheapness, due to the continuity of the system; safety, due to the proximity of the base and the avoidance of hurry; and, above all, the instant utilization of experience and the skill arising from long-continued training.

That a permanent camp can be maintained at the entrance of Jones Sound with very little outlay, and that it would be of the utmost value for the whaling industry and for all future explorations, does not seem to admit of doubt. As regards the maintenance of the secondary stations, it is to be noted that many points in the Arctic show a surprising wealth of animal life. Peary, in 1893, secured in ten hours twenty tons of walrus meat-enough to feed five men five years. At the northern extremity of Greenland he could have secured enough musk oxen to support his party for a year. "Thousands of birds" are mentioned at Cape Hay in Lancaster Sound, on Franz Josef

Land, and on Bennett Island. Coal-mines have been found in Lady Franklin Bay, on Melville, Prince Patrick, and Bennett islands. Traces of permanent Eskimo settlements were found as far north as the 82d degree. In the palmy days of the Spitzbergen fisheries, the Dutch for many years maintained a village, called Smeerenberg, on the north shore of Spitzbergen, close to the Soth parallel. In all the regions thus far explored, communication within a radius of 150 miles has been found practicable, and it is not probable that the unknown Arctic area differs greatly from the known. Peary's superb achievement has revealed a new method of rapid travel, which may perhaps be applicable elsewhere than in Greenland. Above all, the gain from even the briefest experience has ever been most decided. To mention only one example: Lockwood and Brainard in 1883 accomplished in 6 days a distance which it had taken them 22 days to accomplish the year before.

On the other hand it is certain that many Eskimo settlements have been abandoned, owing, no doubt, to lack of food. McClintock doubted whether even Melville Island, with its wealth of animal life, could permanently support a party of white men. Even on the basis of McClintock's record of 1,030 miles in 105 days with 10 men and 2,280 pounds at starting, a depot sufficient for 5 men for one year could only be established 100 miles from the base by the labor of 15 men on three trips, if sledges were the only conveyance.

On the Greely expedition a steam-launch was used with great advantage and almost perfect safety in the tidal crack between the fixed land ice and the floating ice. The launch was lost when the party ventured out of the tidal crack. If such a launch should prove equally serviceable in other localities, the problem of Arctic communication would seem to be solved.

ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENTS.

The Board of Managers of the National Geographic Society having (in its endorsement dated December 8, 1893) recommended the formation of an advisory committee, and the names of Commodore Melville, Dr. Mendenhall, and General Greely

having been suggested, the consent of these gentlemen to act in that capacity was asked and obtained. The selection of the personnel and the purchasing of supplies and apparatus will thus be subject to the approval of this committee, and, in particular, no disbursement will be made without the consent of a majority of this committee. One of the most cautious and successful financiers of Washington has given a most cordial and sympathetic assent to the request that he act as treasurer; and, at his suggestion, a financial institution which has not its superior at the National Capital has been designated as depository. As a guarantee that no funds will be spent until it is certain that the expedition will start, it is agreed that no money can be used until the sum in the treasury shall amount to $7,000 (the $4,500 promised by intending members of the party being, of course, left in their control). No part of any contribution is to be spent in payment of salaries without the express consent of the contributor. So long as no disbursement has been made, contributors may at any time withdraw their contributions.

Up to January 9, 1894, $6,700 had been promised. The expenses are estimated at rather less than $1,000 per man, making $10,000 for a party of ten. The addition of a few men, however, will increase the results greatly out of proportion to the increase of the party. To do all the work that ought to be done, and do it to best advantage, the party ought to be constituted as follows:

To remain at the base,

To travel westward (4 to guard the advanced depot),
To search the east shore for the missing Swedes,
To establish the auxiliary station at Cape Warrender,

The six members of the east-shore party, with the rescued Swedes, would return with the whaler in the autumn of 1894. Arrangements for that purpose will be made. It will almost certainly be found advantageous also for one or more of the others to return at the same time, in order to obtain additional apparatus and supplies which the first summer's experience will doubtless

show to be desirable. These would be conveyed back to the base station by a whaler in the spring of 1895.

If no more than $10,000 can be obtained, the westward party will be limited to six men and the search of the east shore will be made by the four men intended for the station, the building of the house being delayed till their return in, say, two weeks. It is evident that in this case the work both of rescue and of exploration will be seriously handicapped. station would then be omitted.

The Cape Warrender

Cape Warrender