The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-12-20
from the n. Y. Herald.l
REDfsCOvENY OF THE OPEN POLAR
SEA.
The Explorations OF Captain Niis johnson
Ia tho seas East Of spitzborgen.

by Or. Augustus Petcrfnan, OF y othH.
The intelligence that now reaches US
gives new discoveries in the Arctic
Ocean lying east Of Spitzbergen, and
also northeast Of the islands which
Wis skirt its eastern shores. The new
ion Of the open Polar Sea, like every
former observation of this mysteri-
Gus phenomenon, will be OF uniyer-
sal interest. The following is u
translation Of DR.. Psterman's circu-
lar announcing the facts:
Tue LAND TO THE EAST OF sprrzpEsdgs
MORE CLOSELY EXPLODED gY CAPTAIN
NILS JOHNSON IN AUGUST, 1872.
GoTnA. Oct. IL, 1S72.-The Polar
Search Expedition, which during the
past three years has increasingly
given many an extensive result, has
also again in this Summer made con-
siderable progress, although the first
news from the Polar Sea has just
reached US. The land lying east Of
Spitzbergen, which for 255 years has
been danced about upon different
positions on the map, and which was
for the first time reached by Captain
Altman, OF Hatnmorfest. was reach
cd for The second time by Captain
Nils Johuson, Of Fronsoe, in Au-
gust, who landed upon and more
narrowly explored it.
Captain Nils Johnson sailed on
May s, in the sailing yacht Lydtona
.,f ttra It.r,lAN .kfs4l, n
crew of nine men, from Fromsoe,
Norway. He directed his cruise in
June toward the western half Of the
ogen sea. and in the seeoud half of
this month, when the Austrian ex-
ploring steamship 7sgethcE had just
left the German coast, was already
some fifty miles southeast Of the is
lands Of East Spitzbergen, in the
ia:ddlc OF the usual Polar stream,
which generally carrier an enormous
mass of ice towrd Spitzbergsn and
the Bear Islands.
IL July AND AUGUST
OF this Summer the ice current held
Il more easterly course toward Nova
Zembla aud loft the eastern half of
the sea free from ice. as the reports
already received from Captain Alt
mann at Tie snd of August had an-
nounced.
Captain Johnson. who during July
aud the first half OF August had
been engaged in whale fishing mot
exclusively on the broad Spitzber-
gen bank, which reaches FROM the
Bear Islands over four degrees oil
latitude toward the northeast, had at
noon of August 18th pressed as far
as 1o deg. 10 min. iG soc. north lati-
tude toward the northeast, had at
noon OF August l9th pressed a. far
IL IS deg. - min. 46 REC. north lati-
tude aud 30 deg. east longitude, and
shortly thereafter came iii sight Of
land, which first appeared upon the
maps in loi7 as Wiche Land, which
was then given as extending from
7S5 deg. to 75i deg. north latitude.
THE WHOLE SEA TO THE SOUTH.
and east of this land Captain john
son found entirely free from ice on
August 10Th. On the 18th ofAugust
he anchored near the point of this
land in north latitude 40 deg Smin.
aud east longitude 80 deg. Is min.
for the purpose of fishing and sup
plying himself with fuel from the
immense piles of driftwood which
were accumulated along the shore.
Landing to explore the land which
he was the first TO set foot upon, he
ascended mountain near the coast.
from which he obtained view over
a wide circuit. He thus discovered
that the land masses which, by Cap
tain Altman had been supposed to
be separated by channels into three
large islands, were ultimately reu-
nited SO as to form q continuous
though deeply indented island.
There were also o number OF out
lying islands. On the evening of
the 17th of August; Captain John
son again set sail, and followed dur
ing that night and the two successive
days (viz., the 18th ard 10Th of Au-
gust) the entire east and southeast
coast of the land, which was every
where. rs we'll as the open sea, far
and wide, wholly destitute of ice.
The ocean lying toward the east
northeast was also perfectly free of
ice, so far as it was distinguishable
from the summit of the hills. Only
on the north coast was there any ice.
FULLER COMMUNICATIONS,
as soon as possible, will appear in
the Geographical Matheilungen. with
maps and charts illustrative of Cap
tain Johnson's exploration, and also
those just made by Captain Altman.
Among the most important discov-
cries made by Captain Nils Johnson
were the fauna and flora of these far
northern lands. Birds, seals and
reindeer abounded, the latter of re-
markable fatness. The immense
longitudinal piles of driftwood, !,
which ran along the eastern coasts
some twenty feet above the highest
tidal mark, are suggestive of the cur
rent conditions of the Arctic Ocean,
and also of the meteorologic and
other atmospheric connections in the
"icy seas"
THE pAYER-wEYpREcHr EXPEDITION.
DIR. Petermann has received infor-
nation from the Payer Weyprecht
expedition, dating from the 10th, of
August. when it was near the Bear
Islands, in 76 deg. II min. north
latitude. and GO deg. A min. east
longitude. The expedition found
immense masses of thick ice-since
it is driven to the west half of the
sea-but Payer wrote, "For steam