Sverdrup accepted; the _Fram_ was lent by the Government, and a crew of sixteen selected. Victor Braumann, a first lieutenant in the Royal Norwegian Navy, aged 28, was Sverdrup’s second. The cartographer was a lieutenant of cavalry named Gunnerius Ingvald Isachsen, and the mate Olaf Roanes of the Lofoten Islands. A Swede named Simmons went as botanist, Edward Buy as biologist, and Schei as geologist. The _Fram_ sailed from Laurvik (where Colin Archer had made some repairs) on the 25th June 1898, obtained dogs at Lievely, and proceeded to Smith Channel, where she was stopped by impenetrable ice just north of Cape Sabine. On August 18th she anchored in Rice Strait, which became her winter quarters. A visit was received from an Arctic Highlander named Kolotangva. Excellent exploring work was done during the spring of 1899. Sverdrup himself crossed an isthmus rich in musk oxen and other game, and discovered the western shore of Ellesmere Island. Isachsen was on the inland ice, and Schei did some excellent geological work. In the summer Sverdrup found the ice in Sir Thomas Smith’s Channel closely packed, and therefore resolved to attempt discoveries up the channel named by Baffin after Sir Francis Jones, taking with him an abundant supply of walrus meat. Jones Sound had previously been visited by whalers, and in August 1851 Captain Austin had entered it with the _Pioneer_ and _Intrepid_ and proceeded up it until he was stopped by ice extending from shore to shore. Captain Inglefield had the same experience in 1852. Sverdrup was more fortunate, and on September 3rd found winter quarters on the northern shore, at a place which was named Havnfjord. The autumn travelling during October was devoted to laying out depôts. Sverdrup had two-man tents, double-lined, 6 ft. by 5 ft. and 5 ft. high in the middle, the lower part of the sides being vertical for a foot. There was just room for two men and the cooking apparatus. They had a capital smith and metal-worker on board, named Olsen, who made odometers for the sledges. The diet for travelling was unusually varied. Besides pemmican, biscuit, cocoa, and sugar, which are necessaries, there were coffee, butter, pea-soup, vegetables, dried fruit, egg powder, groats, potatoes, meat fat, golden syrup, and fish flour.