Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1868 — The Swedish Arctic Expedition. [ARTICLE]

The Swedish Arctic Expedition.

We gave a brief account of the results of toetiwedieh Atatio uxpudlUun The follqw- 1 urn, fro it (lit Stockholm ooareepumlen.-t | oftyi.- London New*, givf* further parflfoa-1 "lho ffe'edAlfcice Lite expedition, qjiierl the direction of Professor Nordcnskiold, after haring spent acme months at Spitsbergen this summer for the purpose of measuring a degree of longitude, had terminated iIM ]g])ur» by lOs end of UsptsMiT>er. when ftveof the acieptlfic members took the opportunity of a whaler's sailing for Norway to return in her to Bergen, carrying home with them a rich au*l valuable collection of the flora nnd fanna, os wclj as geological specimens of that. Inhospitable end almost unknown island {whilst the professor himself and two or tkrtc other genITemsn bribe expedition probesded to fnlAl the other part of ttar mission in endeavoring to reach as high a latitude as {toesibhs before their return home.. The Steamboat fin (jo, belonging to the Swedish Pest office Department, has been fitted out by the gov. rnnteiit, and the command given to a scientific and promising young officer, Lieutenant Von Otter, of the Swedish navy, and it was placed at the disp.m il of the expedition under professor Nordcnskiold. Whilst the scientific observations were lieing carried 00 at'fipitzbergen. the Sofia was employed iumirveyiug different parts of the coast hitherto imperfectly known, anil, taking 1 soundings in varionii’places which have been executed in a most satis-

factory manner. “About ttie beginning of this month the Sofia started from Amsterdam Island, on the northwest coast of Spitsbergen, on her exploring cruise, and the news of her safe return to Kylo, on the coast of Norway, has just been received by a telegram from Frofcssor NordenskioM to Count von Ehreusward, the Civil Governor of Gotln üburg. The substance of the communication is that alter doing battle with tpc Ice' aud making four difierent attempts to penetrate the harrier, UlO little steamer wns overtaken by a severo storm in eighty-two degrees uorth latitnde. in which she was dashed with such violence against the ice that she sprang a leak, and they had to pump incessantly day and night till they reached a sheltered nook on a small rocky island; where they could repair damages.

’ They Ihen proceeded in an easterly direction, bnt were also baffled in their attempts to get through the barrier of ire, and after knocking about for several duys longer, were obliged to give up further endenvors, and return to the southward, anchoring aafely at Tromsoe. on the 20th instant The Sofia’s furthest point to the northward WM ascertained to.ba 82 deg. 42 min. Nr lat.. having proceeded higher by 1 deg, 37 niin. Than Dr. Petcrmami h Gmnnn Kune— Utlion, anil within three miles of Sir Edwnrd Barry’s furthest, advance in his ice lmats over the ioe. The lowest Observation of the thermometer made during the cruise was mine* fifteen degl.Oluvis (equal to plus 4 deg. Fahrenheit). The Pro/essor adds that during the month he passed in the parallel 82 deg. N. lat. be had ah opportunity of making some extraordinary observations on the temperature of the- North Polar Basin, which nave led the most interesting and unexpected results.”