The New York herald., 1874-11-13

grapny, the exploration OF the In
terror OF Africa, and more especially
OF the sources or the Nile. ana con-
sider how many have been at work
on 1t for $40 years (since Pranziscus
Alvarez, in 1520), without accomplish
ing the desired result, you will not
wonder that q Polar expedition OF
two years. duration leaves yet some
things to be done. But the road 10
final success has been paved from o
side which, In the 800 years OF the
history or Arctic exploration no one
since Barenrs had dared TO attack.
There Ia neither the space nor the
time TO enter, upon this occasion, In
to the details OF the results, The de.
spatcnes anL reports are IN every
description is still new and always
the drst task OF this publication.
therefore refer to the original maps.
The one W the right was drawn
after preliminary sketch made by
Payer, which l received September
81, and on which filed up the merid.
tans and nomenclature after the first
reports. The other original map to
the left gives areSunle OF the present
knowledge OF the Arctic regions in
the scmicircle extending from Smith
Sound to the Kara and Siberian Seas,
grouped andcOlored after the explor.
ati0ns via Smiths Sound, on the east
elm coast Of Greenland, north OF
Spitzbergen, In The East SpilzDergen
Sea, near Nova Zembia and in the ad-
jacent seas, particularly the Kara
Sea. Quite new on this map Is also
the precise and hitherto unpublished
course of the nrSt Austrian eXpedi-
ton under Weyprecht and Payer In
1871.
THE GREAT PROBLEMS IN QUESTION.
The prosecution OF some ann al
ways precedes discoveries, and the
liking OF such an aim Is dependent
on the maintenance OF views which
in their very nature must be more OF
less hypothetical IN proportion as
the goal is more or less unknown.
Tne North Pole Is In It's very nature
the learned world have been quarrel
ling TO this day Is TO whether 1t be
composed OF land or water, OF q solid,
eternal. Interchangeable, unyieldlng,
and hence constantly growing, In
Creaslng and giacier-transi0rming
ice ''calotte." or whether 1t be OF Ice
subject to the ordinary laws in other
portions Of the earth, yielding, lri-
able, ike our own glaciers, or, nm
ally, whether tc be capaole OF parting
and opening under the influence or
warm sun and air and water like our
rivers at home. The Austrian expe-
ditlon was equipped and sent forth by
large hearted men, VINO did not re-
prise, liked programme and the
prospects Of grand results. There
was q painful s0llcltude on every side
to make no promises, and, some
what after Moltke's silent fashion,
they only said that explorations
would be undertaken In the Siberian
sea, which begins at Nova Zembla.
In order to meet all One-sded inter-
pretations they declared positively
"rhe expedition expects neither an
open Polar sea nor does it expect to
reach Behring Strait, although these
are their ideal aims. We shall not
attempt to penetrate TO the North
Pole" "To reach higher attitudes
and 1t Is Sell-understOod that the Sibe-
rian coasts must be avoided as much
as posslbie,n &c.
A GREAT ERROR.
The moment the expedlrion has re-
come prominently rward-namely,
the North Pole, and whether 1t can
be reached or not: the Arctic Sea,
and whether 1t be navigaDle or not,
&c. Anu judging from the experience
OF this expedition. although 1t could
explore but comparatively small
part OF the great and yet unknown
Arctic world, some people presume
to pass upon the great and yet un.
solved problems and the still undis-
covered universal natural laws OF the
Polar regions with q monkey-like
readiness. The flowing D0wl-jolllty
OF the reception festivities has FUR
nished some statements which, from
q scientific point ofview, appear most
queer. This or that theory Is de-
ciared as "untenable and disposed
or" and the newly discovered Franois
Joseph's Land iB 8ff1rmed to be so
constituted '@s to end all the posi-.
bllities OF q discovery Of the North
Pole" Even the wires are pul In REQ.
ulsitiOn In order to start these theO-
rios (which nrobahlv were nor auan