stefansson-wrangel-09-01-003-001

Borden

October 30th, 1920

Dear Sir Robert:

I have just heard from the Geodetic Survey that they are
at last about ready to send you the maps to illustrate my narrative.
As a base the maps will have a photograph of the latest Admiralty
whart, showing the state of knowledge when we sailed. The maps will
be one for each year and it is intended that each map will show in
red the state of our knowledge at the end of the work of that season.
It will be only the final map, that of 1917, which will show the map
as finally revised to show all the results of our work.

Although the manuscript of my book is finished, the pub-
lishers now say that they will not bring it out until the autumn of
1921. This is because of the very bad conditions in the publishing
trade. I have thought it best, therefore, not to send you the manu-
script in the present unrevised condition but to wait till it has been
thoroughly revised and a clean and correct copy made for your reading.

Meantime I am sending a copy of the summary of our work, of
which I spoke in a previous letter.

I had the opportunity of a good talk with Mr. Meighen about
the importance of Canada’s exploring the whole unknown ocean so as not
only to add to knowledge but to get a clear title to any lands that
may be discovered. The signs are continually multiplying that other
countries are beginning to suspect there may be considerable economic
value in even the remotest lands. Any that are hereafter discovered are
sure to go to those who discover them, for with a clear realization of
their value a discovery is likely to be followed by occupation.

It seems that there are many now in Ottawa who see clearly
the importance of making good our claim to Ellesmere Island and the
other islands in the vicinity of Greenland. I want to urge the equal
importance of an occupation of Wrangel Island and an exploration of
the ocean to the north. Ellesmere Island is already valued enough by
Denmark for her to question our title, but nobody has as yet taken
any steps with regard to Wrangel Island. A quiet occupation by us
now will probably not bring forth any protest for several years and
by then our title will be clear, especially in view of the fact that
it is originally a British discovery and that the only people who have