Achievement of provincial status has been the dream of many Yukoners since the early 1900s. This paper reviews the struggle for provincial status by Yukoners, and examines the hurdles that must be overcome to achieve provincehood, and the consequences of not being a province. It concludes with recommendations for building a strategy that could assist the Yukon Government in achieving the goal of provincehood.

Victorian and Edwardian travellers who ventured into little-known parts of the world formed essential links between the early pioneer geographical and scientific explorers, and modern tourists of today. While they were generally cultured people, interested in making useful observations in the areas they visited, they often indulged in travel for its own sake, devoting much of their lives to it almost as an addiction. Aubyn Bernard Rochfort Trevor-Battye (Figure 1) was just such a person. He was a gentleman of means who spent much time travelling, and can be considered a minor explorer. He excelled as an observer of peoples and wildlife; he was an adequate draughtsman, and his writing holds the attention of the reader though it lacks finesse. Of his verse, possibly the less said the better.

In September 1909 Captain Scott announced his intention to utilise dog transport in his dash for the Pole - this being his intention until as late as February 1911. In May 1911, Scott lectured expedition members about a new plan for their Southern Journey. His lecture notes include detailed calculations, based solely on ponies and men hauling the sledges – dogs and motor sledges were now surplus to requirements. In less than three months, Scott had supplanted his published scheme of advance. This article investigates evidence relating to Scott’s change of mind. A substantial amount of research has been undertaken and a credible explanation emerges. The First Depot Journey, with its loss of ponies, inadequate animal nutrition (both dogs and ponies) and crevasse incident wrecked Scott’s original scheme of advance. When he commenced detailed planning in April 1911, it became apparent his dogs could not reach the Pole. Scott’s leadership technique for getting his men to understand and support the new transport plan is examined and its influence on current perceptions of the expedition and its men is investigated.

The T-3 ice island case involved two trials in the United States of a Mexican-American, Mario Escamilla, for allegedly causing the death of a Negro coworker, Bennie Lightsey, on an ice island then at lat 84°45.8'N, long 106°24.4'W, on the High Seas, about 240 km north of Ellesmere Island on 16 July 1970. A federal judge in Virginia allowed Escamilla's first trail to proceed without definitively deciding on objections to jurisdiction, for he expected a ruling on this point on appeal. Issues raised by that trial are covered elsewhere (Pharand, 1971; Wilkes, 1972).

Oil has been known in one locality of the Soviet Arctic since the second half of the seventeenth century (Probst, 1957). This is the deposit in the Ukhta region of Komi ASSR, known now as the Timano-Pechorskaya petroliferous province. Occasional attempts were made to obtain it, but intensive exploration started only in 1929, and significant exploitation in 1935. The oil is Devonian, aiid some of it is highly viscous. This led to development of a special mining technique for obtaining the oil, the extra cost being justified on the grounds that heavy oil of this type is particularly suitable for certain uses in the north. The refinery is at Ukhta itself, on the Pechora railway (Shishkin, 1959). Output figures have not been released, but are believed to have reached 1200 000 metric tons a year during World War II, but to have dropped in 1950 to 800 000 and in 1955 to 553 000 (Hassmann, 1953; Hodgkins, 1961). In the post-war period natural gas production was encouraged and it reached in 1960 about 1100 million m. per year (Rochev, 1961).

Between 1851 and 1877 Stephen Pearce (1819–1904) painted, among many other subjects, portraits of most of the distinguished 19th century British Arctic explorers. This article outlines Pearce's life, presents his most celebrated painting ‘The Arctic Council discussing a plan ofsearch for John Franklin’, and catalogues the 25 Arctic portraits held by the National Portrait Gallery. A selection of four portraits spanning the artist's working life is illustrated.