present record is held by the
Greely expedition, two members of which reached 83 deg. 24' north
latitude. The farthest north reached by Lieutenant Peary in his last
expedition was 82 deg. north latitude, which is some eighty-four
geographical miles south of the point reached by Lieutenant Lockwood
of the Greely party. Then, as already mentioned, a complete survey
will be made of Inglefield Gulf, and also of the entirely unknown
stretch of land on the northeastern coast of Greenland, between
Independence Bay and Cape Bismarck.

In addition to this, the main object of the expedition is to make a
complete map of the land lying to the north of Greenland, or, rather,
the Archipelago, for it is believed that this region is occupied by an
extensive group of islands. Unfortunately there is reason for thinking
that the lofty ice-cap which will allow the explorers to reach the
northernmost point of Greenland by sledging over the inland ice does
not continue in the same way over the islands to the north of
Greenland. Both Lieutenant Peary in his observations on the east, and
Lieutenant Lockwood on the west, remarked that the land stretching
away to the north was in many places bare of ice and snow, and rugged
in its character. One reason for this absence of an inland ice-cap
here is the fact that these islands to the north lie low in the ocean
compared with mountainous Greenland. Hence, in the summer, which is
the only season when an advance would be possible, the ice and snow
melt to a great extent and leave the land bare. Now in case Lieutenant
Peary finds that there is no continuous ice on this northern land, he
will skirt around the shore on the ice of the open sea, for this is
present winter and summer alike. It is likely that such an advance
over the ice-pack will be attended by very serious difficulties, the
ice being heaped up in broken and uneven surfaces, with mountains and
chasms to baffle the party. There may also be spaces of open water
where boats or rafts will have to be used instead of sledges. At any
rate, the advance will be made as far as possible, and the land to the
north of Greenland studied and mapped as far as may be.

It is not the purpose of the expedition to seek the North Pole itself.
They may and very probably will get nearer to the Pole than anyone has
hitherto done. Lieutenant Peary is confident that he will make the
farthest north, and General Greely is inclined to admit this, and told
me some da