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her ikke strække langt til. De norske Skibe, som
fortrinsvis besøge disse Farvande, ere Sælfangerne. Fra disse kan
man fremdeles vente Bidrag til Kundskab om Havets
Vejrforhold, der efterhaanden ville sætte os istand til at lære
disse vigtige Momenter for Dyrelivet og Havboernes
Vandring at kjende. Sælfangernes Ophold i disse Egne
foregaar dog kun til en Del af Aaret, Marts til Juni, og
tildels langt Nord og inde i den med Drivis belagte Del af
Havet, som udgjør den allernordligste Del af det Felt,
hvortil vi her sigte. Endel norske Fartøjer fare tildels et
godt Stykke udenfor Kysten til og fra Arkhangel om
Sommeren. Ogsaa fra en Del af disse kunde man erholde
meteorologiske Iagttagelser. Hvad der paa denne Maade
kunde indvindes af Oplysninger, vil det meteorologiske
Institut bestræbe sig for at lade komme til Nytte for den
attraaede Kundskab om Havets Vejrforhold. Videre end
til saadanne Iagttagelser kunne Handelsmarinens
Bestræbelser ikke naa. Det har vist sig, at der med Maalingen
af Havets Temperatur i Dybet om Vinteren for
Sælfangerne er forbunden særegne Vanskeligheder, der have gjort
mere end en Skibsførers ufortrødne Bestræbelser til Intet.
Mere kunde vistnok udrettes, om en Videnskabsmand
medfulgte et saadant Fartøj. Men da denne ikke kunde
dirigere Skibet hen til de Steder, hvor hans Undersøgelser
vilde være af størst Interesse, og Sælfangerne, som nævnt,
opholde sig den meste Tid udenfor det Felt, der nærmest
skulde være Gjenstand for den mest lovende Undersøgelse,
vil ogsaa et saadant Middel blive for kortrækkende.
Vi blive saaledes staaende ved den Overbevisning, at
Undersøgelsen af Havet vestenfor Norge, for at blive
effectiv, maa udføres ved en dertil bestemt og udrustet
videnskabelig Expedition. Som Forbillede for en saadan staa
de Britiske Expeditioner med “Porcupine” og “Challenger”.
Den sidste, der gjælder alle de store Verdenshave og har
en stor kraftig Dampcorvet til sin Disposition, er udrustet
med alt hvad der til dens Øjemed kan fordres og er sit
Land i enhver Henseende værdig. Saa storartet et
Apparat vil til Undersøgelsen af vort Hav ikke være nødvendigt.
Vi ville i enhver Henseende være hjulpne med en
Expedition saadan som den med “Porcupine”.
Fra den Norske Stats Side har der, uagtet saamange
af vore Interesser knytte sig til Havet, ikke været
foretaget nogen Expedition af videnskabelig Art til de os
allernærmest omgivende Have. Undersøgelsen af de for vore
nordlige Egne saa vigtige Fangstfelter i Nordishavet har
ene og alene været overladt til den private Foretagsomhed,
som her foruden de rent praktiske Resultater have
medbragt skjønne Resultater for Videnskaben, saavel for
Geografien som for Naturvidenskaben. Vi kunne nævne
Carlsens Omsejling af Spidsbergen, hans Indtrængen i det kariske
Hav, hans og Tobiesens samt senere Altmanns, Nilsens og
to their full extent the limited means now at our disposal,
would certainly fail of its object. The Norwegian vessels
that navigate those regions are mostly sealers. From this
source we may indeed still hope to learn further valuable
particulars of meteorological phenomena, which may
eventually lead us to a juster estimate of their influence on
animal life and the migratory instincts observed in
the inhabitants of the deep. Meanwhile, the sojourn of
our sealing-ships in those high latitudes is confined to part
of the year only (from March to June), the vessels
keeping, too, nearly the whole time, among the drift-ice,
which constitutes the extreme northerly limit of the tract
referred to. Moreover, the Norwegian ships that trade to
Archangel, and which could also furnish meteorological
observations from the open sea, do not extend their voyages
beyond the summer months. Of all information from
these sources, the Meteorological Institute will of course
take advantage, to extend our knowledge of the causes
determining the weather at sea. With other and more
intricate observations it does not lie in the power of the
merchant-navy to furnish us. Observing the temperature
at any considerable depth in winter, is attended with very
great difficulty, so great indeed as to have rendered
worthless more than one captain’s indefatigable exertions. True,
greater results might be obtained were a gentleman whose
profession was science to accompany such a vessel; but
even in that case he could not shape her course and visit
the best localities for observations; besides, the Norwegian
sealers keep most of the season without the tract which, in
preference to any other section of those Northern Seas, it is
desirable to select as the field of exploratory research; and
hence the alternative offered has little to advocate its adoption.
In face of the facts set forth above, we will
emphasize our previously expressed conviction, that, in order
to investigate effectively the tract of ocean stretching west
of the shores of Norway, a special expedition must be
despatched. As models we have the “Porcupine” and
“Challenger” Expeditions. The latter, which has for its object
the exploration of the great Oceans of the globe, is
furnished with a powerful steam-corvette, has been fitted out
on a scale commensurate with its importance, and is in
every way worthy of the British Nation. But means so
extensive and costly are not required for investigating
the Norwegian Seas; an Expedition similar, for instance,
to that sent out with the “Porcupine,” would certainly be
adequate for the attainment of the end proposed.
Though so many of our national interests are directly
connected with the sea, no Scientific Expedition has yet
been undertaken by the State to those parts of the ocean
that lie next adjacent to the Norwegian coast. The
exploration of the extensive sealing-grounds in the Arctic
Ocean has been left altogether to private enterprise, which,
apart from merely practical results, has enriched Science
in the several branches of geography, physics, and natural
history. As a few instances in point, we have only to
mention Carlsen’s circumnavigation of Spitzbergen. his
exploring voyage far into the Kara Sea, and the discovery,
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