“(4) That the exploration of this entire region is practicable from Port Foulke—having from that starting-point pushed my discoveries much beyond those of my predecessors, without any second party in the field to co-operate with me, and under the most adverse circumstances. “(5) That, with a reasonable degree of certainty, it is shown that, with a strong vessel, Smith Sound may be navigated and the open sea reached beyond it. “(6) I have shown that the open sea exists.” In returning home, Hayes visited Whale Sound and explored it as far as he could, and named Inglefield Gulf. At Upernavik news was received of trouble in the United States, but it was not till they put in to Halifax, Nova Scotia, that they learnt that civil war had broken out. This was terrible news to Hayes. He had intended to return to the Arctic regions with a ship fitted with steam-power, and to continue his explorations. The war altered everything. As soon as he reached Boston he wrote to the President, asking for immediate employment in the public service, and offering his schooner to the Government as a gun-boat. Hayes’ book is written in delightful language, but grave doubts have been cast upon the extent of his discoveries. It was afterwards found that Lady Franklin Bay was 6 degrees farther east than Hayes placed it, and the description given by Hayes of his farthest north does not agree with what is seen in the neighbourhood of Lady Franklin Bay. [Illustration: CHART of the Northern Portion of EAST-GREENLAND.] CHAPTER IV THE GERMAN EXPEDITION (1869−70) The German Expedition left Bremerhaven on 15th June 1869. There were two boats—the _Germania_ and the _Hansa_. The expedition was to make the east coast of Greenland and then penetrate to the north as far as possible. The ice was reached on 15th July. On the 20th of July the two ships were separated through a misunderstanding, and they never met again. From the 20th of July till the end of August the _Hansa_ struggled through the pack-ice which drifts along the coast of Greenland. According to instructions, it was to attempt to reach Sabine Island, but that was found impossible. At the end of August it became fast in the ice, and drifted south. On the 27th September the crew of the _Hansa_ began building a house with coal-tiles on the floe. It was 20 feet long, 14 feet broad, and 6½ feet in the gable, while the side walls were 4 feet 8 inches high. For cement, powdered snow was used, and over this water was poured, which soon froze the whole into a compact mass. About the middle of October the _Hansa_ was wrecked by the pressure of the ice. It sprang a leak and slowly sank, and the crew had sufficient time to save a good many necessary articles which were stacked round the house on the floe.