POLAR EXPEDITIONS.

Southland Times, Issue 1672, 6 December 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

POLAR EXPEDITIONS.

The well-known German geographer, Dr A.'Petermann, of Q-ofeha, has published in the last number of hia Mittheilungen an interesting account of the Polar expeditions which are now in progress. These are, first, the American expedition, under Captain Hall, which has been advancing northwards to Baffin's Bay since the 10th of June, 1871 ; second, a Norwegian expedition, under Captain Tobieaon, with the object of completing the circumnavigation of Spitsbergen ; third, Mr Whymper's expedition into the interior of Greenland ; fourth, the Austrian expedition of Count Wilczek, which has preceded the larger one of Payer and Weyprecht, and is to establish coal depots at certain points, besides effecting the ascent of the highest mountain in Spitzbergen ; fifth, the Norwegian expedition of Sevend Foyn to the Siberian Sea, where he is to be met byCaptainGk Jensen from Drammen ; sixth, the Swedish expedition under Professor Nordenskiold, who has been provided by the Government for this purpose with two ships of war and a subsidy of 15,000 rix dollars ; seventh, the French expedition to the Pole by way of the Karian Sea, directed by Captain G-. Ambert and the Norwegian seaman Mack ; and eighth, two Kussian expeditions, which are to pass the winter in Nova Zembla. Of all these undertakings, says Dr Petermann, the Austrian is the boldest, and promises the most satisfactory results. He adds that hitherto the total sum expended by the German and Austrian Governments (the two last expeditions being excluded) on Polar discovery is about 140,000 thalera (£21,000), i.e., as much as the cost of Captain Hall's American expedition alone. Barke's journey through Australia in 1860-61 cost more than 200,000 thalers ; the late Baron von der Decon spent 600,000 thalers on his expediton to Eastern Africa ; and the measurement of the Turco-Persian frontier by England, Russia, Persia, and Turkey in the years 1849-52, cost 1,500,000 thalers. From this Dr Petermann concludes that Germany has as yet made very small sacrifices as compared with other nations for such expeditions, which are of great importance both for navigation and science generally.