New-York tribune., 1874-09-23

AUSTRO- Fl UNGARTAN POLAR DLSCOVERIES.
To Austrian enterprise belongs the honor of
having discovered the most northern land yet
reached by polar expeditions. The narrative
of the adventurers tho Tegetthof as re-
lated in telegram from Capt. Payer to the
Neue Freie Presse, is full of interest to all
who have followed the history of Arctic ex
plorations Capt. Payer and Lieut.. Weyprecht
have secured for themselves and for Austria
a permanent lease of fame. In leaving Bremen
June 10, 1872, their expectations appear to
have been limited to the hope of exploring
the coast of Northern Siberia, and did not
include the intention of reaching much
higher latitudes. Count Wilczec conveyed to
them some stores and provisions in his yacht
while they were off the coast of Nova
Zembla, and left them there in the following
August provisioned for three years. From
that time till their return nothing was heard
from them, except in the negative evidence of
Capt. Isaksen, Norwegian fisherman, who
satisfied himself by circumnavigating the
northern extremity of Nova Zembla with
out finding traces of them, that the explorers
had departed thence.
During two years they continued to make
which the night was seven months long. In
the Summer of 1873 they made desperate en-
deayors to free their ice-bOund vessel, but
their work of saving and blasting met no
success. Carried onward by the ice-pack, in
the Fall they were Unexpectedly conveyed to
the shores of mountainous country
200 nautical miles north of Nova Zembla.
They spent the Winter of 1874 at distance
of three miles from this land, without any
harbor, in lat. 790 81 N, long. so E. Between
March and May of the present year, they
made the series of excursions on sledges over
this mountainous country which have so re-
bounded to their credit: these extended from
79o "a to above 63o. The new found country was
named in honor of the Emperor, Francis-Joseph
Land. Its longitudinal development is at
least 15o, and from the highest mountain tops
they were unable to perceive any boundary.
1t is principally plateau, the hight being
about 5000 feet; the most elevated portion
visited was in lat. S2o s.. The difficulties en-
countered in crossing the glaciers and broken
ice are represented as extreme. The most
northerly point, in lat. 83', was named Cape
Vienna.
Life in those dreary solitudes was not attract
i've they failed TO nnd any considerable
amount of game, and vegetation was exceed
ingly scanty. Even in the Sound adjoining,
driftwood was scarce and only icebergs were
abundant. The mountains consist of dolOrite
certainly not cheerful mineral. The tenn
perature during the sledge excursions fell to
$50 Fab. below zero, and on the vessel to $40.
The ice lifted their vessel and she became
unseaworthy. On May 20 they at length re-
solved TO abandon her, and began q journey
of 90 days in boats and sledges that was full
of danger At 20 miles from the North Cape
Nassau, in lat 10 40, they left the pack ice
forever behind them, and on Aug. Is were
skirting along the coast of Nova Zembla in
the open sea- But the day of their deliv
erance was at hand. On Aug. "a they
hailed the little Russian schooner Nikolaj,
Capt. Feodor Boronin. wnich safely landed
them at Vard0e, on the Norwegian coast.
Norway gave the adventures hearty recep-
ton; the towns they passed through were
bright with flags and rejoicing, and at Ham
merfest they met the returning English expe-
dition which had been dispatched to ascertain
their fate. '-"SA~ "a,-..a'
These discoveries lend anew Significance TO