SIR GEORGE NARES 248 From a photograph SLEDGES USED BY SIR LEOPOLD M'CLINTOCK AND SIR GEORGE 254 NARES (In the collection of Edward Whymper) BISHOP PAUL EGEDE 258 From the Frontispiece to _Efterretninger om Grönland_ (Copenhagen) GREENLANDERS 260 From Hartwig's _Polar World_ (Longmans) ON LEVEL GROUND 262 Nansen's _First Crossing of Greenland_ (Longmans) THE ALLAN LINER "SARDINIAN" AMONG ICEBERGS 264 From a photograph THE "GERMANIA" IN THE ICE 266 From _Le Tour du Monde_, 1874 (Hachette) THE REGION ROUND MOUNT PETERMANN 268 From a drawing by Lieutenant Julius Payer THE LAST DAYS OF THE "HANSA" 270 From _Le Tour du Monde_, 1874 (Hachette) ROBERT E. PEARY 280 With autograph, from a letter in the possession of Edward Whymper From _Nearest the Pole_, by Commander Peary. By permission of Hutchinson and Co. SECTIONAL MAPS 1. SPITSBERGEN 12 2. CAPE CHELYUSKIN 84 3. THE LENA DELTA 106 4. BERING STRAIT 128 5. THE PARRY ISLANDS 174 6. GREENLAND 272 ROUND ABOUT THE NORTH POLE CHAPTER I SPITSBERGEN Iceland—Greenland—America—Sebastian Cabot—Robert Thorne—The North-east Passage—Willoughby—Chancellor—Borough—The North Cape rounded—The White Sea reached—The First Arctic Search Expedition—Pet and Jackman—Brunel—Cornelis Nai—Barents reaches 77° 20´—Second voyage of Nai—The Samoyeds—Rijp, Jacob Van Heemskerck and Barents—Bear Island discovered—Spitsbergen discovered—The Dutch reach 79° 49´—Stephen Bennet—Welden—Jonas Poole—Henry Hudson reaches 80° 23´—Poole starts the British whaling trade—Baffin's voyages to Spitsbergen—Pellham winters at Green Harbour.