New-York tribune., 1906-09-30

/. In obedience 20 popular sentiment In NORWAY
: ysns rJaalxon has approached recently the vari-
Gus maritime powers OF the world. through oipiO-
matte channels with the view 20 arriving III
some international agreement on the subject Oh
spitzbergen and the various polar regions po'i'
I Arctic and Antarctic. Negotiations are III Pioe
ress about the matter. and King Leopold Is ue
q voting a considerable amount of trouble war
secursnR the selection OF Brussels as the rendez
vous OF the congress now in process of orsaniE"-
tion for the settlement of the question FOR Nc
realizes that since Belgium is not strictly SPEAK
4 ing . maritime power. # would have no voice
in a congress of that kind; whereas. If 1t was 10
i. be held in his capital and under his presidency
IN would be difficult TO exclude him from par
: ticiukting in the deliberations or from the ao-
ventages accruing 10 the nations represented at
the convention. with the object Of inducing the
powers 10 accept his invitation he has secured
the cooperation OF Nordenskjold' Nanseh'
( sverdr7lp De Geriache. Of the Duke OF the
Abruzzi of Commander Perry. Of Won Drygal-
ski and OF nearly all the living polar explorers
fn a scheme for a system Of international expe-
citions OF discovery 10 the Arctic and Antarcuc
regions monster subscriptions being opened for
the purpose in the various countries. The idea
!, which is a plausible one. is that hencefortn
) su VOYAGES Of exploration should be so arranged
as 10 work in unison with one another, instead
9 OF tndependently and IN rivalry, as heretofore.
The King has already subscribed very large
sum TO the enterprise the chieftainship OF which
he conteInplates retaining IN his hands. There
"a one probable drawback TO the project. which
does not seem until now to have received the
necessary attention. Heretofore, the principal
atncentive 10 Arctic and Antarctic exploration
has consisted in the competition on the part OF
the various leaders to win the distinction of
planting the flag of their particular nation at
either the North or the South Pole 1t is
question whether the absence Of this incentive
viii not impede rather than promote discovery.
4! since. whatever a patriotic explorer might be
sready 10 endure in the ray of hardships and
danger for his own country. he can scarcely be
expected to suffer for the sake Of an enter
prise destined to promote the honor and glory Of
King Leopold.
. II Spitzbergen has become once again an in
ternational issue II Is because Of the recent dis
/, covery of vast mineral deposits in the archi-
pelago which are exciting the cupidity not
merely OF adventurous people in various parts
OF the world, hut also OF number Of govern
nents 1t is 20 the whaling. the eiderdown and
the fur industry that the Spitzbergen Archi-
pelago has owed its Importance for the last three
hundred years, and at times tie rivalry in thess
! trades has been keen enough to give rise 70
bloodshed and to international controversies !n
connection Herewith But the discovery of gold
and other mineral deposits is calculated TO rem
der the disputes for the possession of these
islands much more acute, and, moreover. with
the development OF American, British and Rus
sian interests within the Arctic Circle, there
are grave political reasons why Spitzbergen
and ether polar territories should not be left at
the disposal ef any power that sees At TO TAX,
armed and commercial possession thereof. re-
gardless of prior rights.
It is this question Of prior rights that the In
sternational Polar Congress Will be called upon
to determine. Those relating 10 the SptZbergen
p Archipelago are Of a rather complicated char
acter and have already formed the subject Of
fierce debate in the reign Of King James l. when
England put forth claims thereto on the pre-
text that the islands had first been discovered
by Sir Hugh Willoughby. This contention can
not be maintained For we know to-day that
the lands discovered by Sir Hugh were not
Spitzbergen but formed part Of what is known
to-day Nova Zembla- The first discovery Of
6pitzbergen was made more than forty years
subsequent 10 the expedition Of Sir Hugh Will
loughby, by the Dutch under the command of
sthe explorer Barentz, in May, 1886. He like
wise visited Bear Island, which was rediscov-
cred ten years afterward by English ship be-
longing 10 the Russia Company Of London.
Henry Hudson was the first after Barentz TO
visit the main island Of Spitzbergen, in 1907.
using the Dutch explorers chart. and he brought
back news OF such an extraordinary profusion Of
whales. walruses and seals on the coast and in
the bays OF the island that thenceforth il
became the great hunting ground for the whaI-
Eng and fur ships 1t was not, however. until
1913 that any power attempted 10 obtain exclu-
Eive possession Of Spitzbergen, when the great
London corporation known the Russia Com