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Show t THE SEAUCH FOH THE TOLE t The knowledge of the regions around i the North Pole has, during the bygone century constantly advanced by greater great-er or less degrees; and the closing years of the period have witnessed the approximate solution, at any rate, of several of the most important problems, prob-lems, writes Dr. Nansen in the Pall Mall magazine. The English Arctic expeditions, especially those of , the middle years of the century, explored and mapped the coasts of the North 'American Arctic Archipelago, and determined de-termined In broad outline its extension towards the north. American expeditions, expedi-tions, and the English expedition of 1875-76, explored the northern coasts man Expedition, Mr. Baldwin also , succeeded in discovering a new island east of Wileek's Land, the most eastern east-ern island of Franz-Jo ef Land seen bj us In the cotuse of our expedition. Mr. Baldwin has thus possibly determined the eastern extension of Franz-Josef Land, although from our observations I regard it as not improbable that lai d may be discovered still farther east. Finally, the brilliantly executed Italian expedition, under the Duke of Abruzzl, determined the northern ex- J tension of the Franz-Jcsef Land group, Captain Cagni's magnificent dash towards to-wards the "farthest north" having proved that neither "Sherard Osborne dm of Grinnell Land and the northwest north-west coast of Greenland. Peary and his companion, compan-ion, Astrup, i pushed their way right across the northern portion of Greenland to a point Independence Inde-pendence Bay on the northern coast. A Norwegian Norwe-gian expedition traversed the southern portion of Greenland from coast to coast. Numerous Danish expeditions expedi-tions have greatly great-ly added to our knowledge of the physical condi- ' THE AMERICA MR. BALDWIN'S SHIP. . tlttns of Greenland and other Arctic lands. ' The most important geographical problems yet remaining to be solved upon the Greenland-American side of the Polar area are the determination of the northern limits of Greenland, Island," "Petermann Land," nor King Oscar's Land" exists at all. Cape Flicgely, on Crown Prince Rudolf Land, which was found to lie In about 81 degrees 5 minutes, thus forms the northernmost point of this group of islands, and at the same time the THE ARCTIC, COMPILED KWMraE LWEST MAF farthest north land as yet known on this side of the Pole. The many Swedish expeditions to Spitzbergen and the North Siberian waters have contributed greatly, by means of their admirable scientific Investigations, In-vestigations, to our general knowledge of the physical conditions of the Arctic area. How far have we progressed tbn, at the present moment? On almost all sides we have left the coasts behind be-hind us, and have penetrated far over the Ice-covered Polar sea, right up to 86 degrees 33 minutes N. reached on April 24, 1900, by Captain Cagni. 'As before stated, there is only one point where the northern limit of hitherto known land has not yet been reached, and that is Greenland, where the Fram is at present. ana the ascertaining whether there lies a deep sea, or possibly as yet unknown un-known land, to the north of the American Am-erican Arctic Archipelago. On the Asiatic side of the Polar area the most important problems were solved by the Fram Expedition. The experiences of the Fram expedition expedi-tion render it probable, moreover, that large portions of the as yet unknown Polar area are occupied by a similar sea, over which the Polar ice drifts in a similar way. By finding a deep sea to the north of Franz-Josef Land, the Fram Expedition further disproved disprov-ed the original theory which saw in it only the south coast of a considerable expanse of land or continent. We were able, indeed, to ascertain that Franz-Josef Land was a comparatively small group of i'ands, whose exten- t rion towards the northeast we settled. ! The extension of the group toward the i west was accurately determined and mapped by the Jackson-Ha. h-sworth expedition. In the course of the American Well- |