No. 595.
Count Lewenhaupt to Mr. Evarts.
Washington, January 8, 1880.
Mr. Secretary of State: On the 1st of October last a conference was held at Hamburg with a view to examining the question of a scientific international exploration of the polar regions, at which conference several governments were represented.
The majority of the delegates were not authorized to contract formal engagements on behalf of their respective governments. However, the representative of the ministry of public instruction of Austria, Lieutenant Weyprecht, who was at the same time the delegate of the Count de Wilczek, was able to promise that an expedition would be sent to Nova Zembla. The assurance was given, moreover, on the part of the Russian Geographical Society, that measures had already been taken to occupy the mouth of the Lena, and it was stated that Prussia would take charge of the occupation of the east coast of Greenland, and would send one or two expeditions to the Antarctic Seas. Scientific observations, it was announced, would be taken in Finmark under the auspices of Norway; others would take place in Western Greenland at the expense of Denmark. As to the occupation of the Asiatic coast of Behring Strait, the conference expressed a desire that Holland should take charge of this. The representative of France refrained from making any promise, but he alluded to a French expedition to the Antarctic Seas as a possible thing. Cape Barron and probably Sitka were to be occupied by America. Sweden was expected to establish a station of observation in Spitzbergen.
The conference subsequently expressed the opinion that the meteorological observations at the stations designated ought all to take place during the year 1881–’82.
The work marked out by the conference being of such a nature as to require official co-operation, the government of the King has instructed me to let it know to what extent the Government of the United States is disposed to lend its support to the plans which were discussed and approved by the conference, and for the obtainment of this information I beg your excellency to permit me again to have recourse to your kind mediation.
I avail myself, &c.,