from Spitzbergen to the North Pole. The nation which should first succeed in reaching the pole would gain the admiration of the civilized world, and Sweden hoped to win this glory.
The government began at once to look for a leader for this expedition, and very naturally selected Nordenskjöld, who had already made Arctic voyages and had thereby gained experience which made him a valuable commander.
The party was sent out in 1872, but did not succeed in advancing far toward the pole; yet the results of the journey were important, for the island of Spitzbergen was explored and a good deal of scientific information was acquired.
When Professor Nordenskjöld returned from Spitzbergen, he gave his attention to the northern coast of Asia. Some few whalers had sailed round Nova Zembla and entered the Kara sea, but the idea prevailed that this sea was always full of ice and dangerous to navigate. Nordenskjöld, however, made up his mind to explore the Kara sea and sail along the coast of Siberia to the mouth of the Yenisei river.
Supported by Mr. Oscar Dickson of Gothenburg, Nordenskjöld sailed on the Proven. He first visited Nova Zembla, and then, passing through Jugor strait, entered the Kara sea, which was entirely free from ice, and reached the Yenisei river without much difficulty. During this journey, he and his assistants made valuable collections of the products of the animal, mineral, and vegetable kingdoms. They succeeded in increasing the number of known insects to be found in Nova Zembla from seven to one hundred, and in the Kara sea, which had been thought barren, they found five hundred species of animal life. Upon reaching the mouth of the Yenisei river, Nordenskjöld
