The Hawaiian gazette., 1873-01-15
Arctic Explorations.

nth, gives the following information 10 regaru u
the explorations Of the Norwegian Captain Nils
johnson east of Spitzbergen
The Polar Search Expedition, which during
the past three years has increasingly given many
and extensive results, has also again in this sum-
mer made considerable progress, although the
first news from the Polar Sea has Just reached
US The land lying east Of -Spiizbergen, which
for 255 years has been danced about upon dltier-
ent positions on the map and which was Tor the
first time reached by Capt. Altmann' Of Ham
merfest. was reached for the second time by Gap
tain Nils johnson, Of Fromsoe, in August last,
who landed upon and more narrowly explored it.
Capt. Nils johnson sailed on May Sth, in the
sailing Yacht Lydiona, of twenty tons burden,
with n crew Of nine men, from Fromsoe, Norway.
He directed his cruise in June towards the west
ern haf Of the open sea- and in the second half Of
this month, when the Austrian exploring steam
ship Tegethof had Just left the German coast,
was already some fifty miles east-southeast of the
Islands of East Spitzbergen, in the middle of the
usual position Of the Polar stream, which gener-
ally carries an enormous mass of ice towards
.Spltzbergen and the Bear Islands.
In July and August of this summer the ice cur
rent held a more easterly course towards Nova
Zembla, and left the western half Of the sea free
from ice, as the reports alFeady received from
Capt. Altman at the end of August had an
nounced
Capt johnson, who during July and the first
half of August had been engaged in whale fishing
mot exclusively on the broad Spitzbergen bank,
which reaches from the Bear Islands over four
degrees of latitude toward the northeast, had at
noon Of August 10th pressed as far as rs deg. Is
min. 46 sec. north latitude and 80 deg east longi
iude, and shortly thereafter came in sight Of
land which first appeared upon the maps in 1877
as Wiche Land, and which was then given as ex-
tending from 7S15 degrees to 7524 degrees north
latitude.
The whole sea to the south and east of this
land Capt johnson found entirely free from ice
on August 10th. On the 18th of August he an
chOred near the point of this land in north lati-
tude 79 deg, S min. and east longitude 30 deg. Is
min, for the purpose of fishing and supplying
himself with fuel from the immense piles of drift
wood 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 a view
over a wide circuit. He thus discovered that the
land masses which by Capt. Altman had been
supposed to be separated by channels into three
large islands, were ultimately reunited so as to
form continuous though deeply indented islard.
There were also a number of small outlying isl
ands. On the evening of the 18th of August
Capt. johnson again set sail, and followed during
that night and two successive days (viz, the 18th
and 18th Of August the entire east and south
east coast of the land, which was everywhere, as
well as the open sea, far and wide, wholly desti-
tute of ice. The ocean lying towards the east
northeast was also perfectly free of ice, so far as
it was dstinguishable 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 " Geographische Mittheilun-
gen." with maps and charts illustrative of Capt
Johnsen's exploration, and also of those just
made by Captain Altman.
Among the most important discoveries made
BY Capt Nils johnson were the fauna and fora
Of these far northern lands Birds, seals and
reindeer abouEded the latter of remarkable fat
ness. The immense longitudinal piles of drift
wood, which ran along the eastern coasts some
twenty feet above the highest tidal mark are
suggestive Of the current conditions of the Arctic
Ocean, and also of the meteorologc and other
atmospheric connections in the icy seas"
THE PAYER-wEYPRECuT EXPEDITION.
Dr. Petermann has received information from
the Payer-Weyprecht expedition, dated from the
10th Of August, when it was near the Bear Isl
ands, in &c deg. IL min. north latitude, and 60
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 easily penetrable" AL
though" DIR. Petermann concludes, "the expe-
dition first arrived on the 25th of July at the ice
barrier, in 741S deg. north latitude and as deg.
east longitude it was enabled by the 10th of
August to make its way to its position in sight
of Cape Nassau, at least two hundred and twenty
leagues in a straight line"
TUF larre ndvance in the price of cnol in