This journey by Dr. Cook is unparalleled in the history of Arctic exploration. The bare idea of attempting to reach the North Pole, in one season, from the latitude of Annootok, was daring in the extreme. It is probably correct to say that no Arctic authority could expect that he would have the smallest chance of success. Many expeditions with much greater resources than Dr. Cook possessed had in the same region made the attempt from points hundreds of miles nearer the Pole, and had suffered utter defeat. Markham’s starting-point was about 240 geographical miles nearer the Pole, and his farthest north was 400 miles from the Pole. Lockwood’s base was over 200 miles nearer the Pole, and his record was only 4 miles farther than Markham’s. Dr. Cook was well aware that Commander Peary himself, by far the most experienced of Arctic explorers, had repeatedly made attempts from a base much nearer the Pole. Starting from Lockwood’s base in 1900, his farthest point reached was 370 miles from the Pole. A second attempt from the same point in 1902 reached a latitude 343 miles from the Pole. In 1906 his third trial was made from a ship situated more than 240 geographical miles nearer the Pole than Annootok, but the farthest north attained was still 174 miles from the Pole. This was the position when Dr. Cook decided to make the attempt from Annootok. It is not surprising, therefore, that those acquainted with the history of the subject should find a serious difficulty in at once accepting Dr. Cook’s statement that he had accomplished such an extraordinary achievement. His idea of avoiding the route through Kennedy Channel and adopting a course sufficiently west to escape the crushed-up land-ice was no doubt a good one, but making every allowance for this advantage, the contrast between his expedition and Commander Peary’s expedition of 1909 is very great. Commander Peary had relief parties to assist him until he was within 132 geographical miles of the Pole. His problem then was to travel these 132 miles and return to land 413 miles distant. Dr. Cook, on the other hand, was about 462 miles from the Pole when his last supporting party left him. To reach the Pole he had therefore to travel 462 miles against Peary’s 132, without being able to obtain any further supply of food. The return journey, again, was very different. Dr. Cook expected to find his cache 525 miles distant, but in reality the first land reached was more than 670 miles from the Pole. The total distance in latitude covered by Peary with the supply he was able to carry on his sledges was therefore 545 miles, whereas Cook states that he covered the extraordinary distance of 1132 miles. Dr. Cook has still to satisfy experts, but no one will question the fact that Commander Peary has reached the North Pole; so that, no matter what the result of the unfortunate controversy may be, to the American nation belongs the great honour of winning the coveted prize.