The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-11-04 00:00:00

IN

`.'; I STOURBIUDGE OBSERVER.

Our DllOll arra-foe:ltd.

!We deem It right to state that we do aot at all times
identify ourselves with our Correspondent's opinions.]

The doubt whether Parliament would assemble for
an autumn session has now been effectually set at rest;
andalthough the date of prorogation has been nominally
fixed for the 12th December, there is little question
that it will then be again prorogued until the first week
in February, the usual time of meeting. The truth is
that it must be either a grave national crisis, or an
Indispensable necessity, to justify the summoning of the
Legislature for a pre-Christmas sitting. I can call to
mind two instances answering to this description
within the past twenty years. In December, 1857, the
financial collapse in the United States was followed by
one of such severity in London, that the government
of the day found it essential to suspend the Bank
Charter Act; and Parliament had to be called
together to pass a bill indemnifying the ministry
for what had been done. This did not occupy
long; for the legislature, meeting on the 3rd of
December, separated on the 11th until the 4th
of February following. That was the grave
national crisis; now for the indispensable necessity.
This arose in November, 1867, when, war being entered
upcn against the late Emperor of Abyssinia, Parlia-
ment had to be gathered together in order to grant the
supplies. It is the province of the Crown to declare
war but that of the people to find the means for carry-
ing it on. The Houses then sat barely three weeks;
they met on the 19th November, and separated early
in December. Since then no occasion has arisen for
an autumn session, to which no Minister resorts if he
can possibly avoid it. Members are scattered all over
the civilised world; they are seen in the United States,
India, China, Japan, and Australia—and so far as they
are concerned, they find it impossible to obey the sum-
mons in which the Lords spiritual and temporal, the
knights, citizens, and burgesses, and the commissioners
for shires and burghs in the House of Commons are
required and commanded to give their attendance at
Weetwinster vu 'Amiga day.

Although the Judicature Act effected such a revolu-
tion in our system of judicial procedure, it made no
change in the date which has for ages been chosen as
the beginning of the legal year—the 2nd of November.
That is the day on which, for time immemorial, the
Lord Chancellor has received the Judges and Queen's
Counsel at his residence, where, having breakfasted, they
start off in their carriages for Westminster Hall, where
a crowd always assembles on such an ocoasion. Yet
even Westminster Hall, which has looked down upon
so many historic scenes, will survive to witness no
more the gathering together of the lawyers. Upon
the north side of Fleet-street and the Strand, a vast
pile of buildings is slowly rising, and these, when com-
pleted, will form the new Palace of Justice. When the

bt4

top stone has been placed to that fabric there the
lawyers will assemble, and Westminster Hall will
; 'know no more legal terms. No longer will its ample
stone floor resound to the quick tread of bustling
baristers and dapper clerks; no longer will its
corridors re-echo the solemn tones of the crier
of the courts—" God save the Queen and my
Lords the Queen's justices." The luminaries
of the law will then pitch their tents away from the
banks of the Thames, and will take up their quarters
In a structure hard by one of London's busiest thorough-
fares. Temple Bar will then have passed away, to the
great relief of all who value expeditious vehicular
travelling between the City and the West End.
The presentation of the Lord Mayor elect to the
Lord Chancellor for the purpose of receiving the
formal approval of the Sovereign is one of those cere-
monials full of dignity which have came down to us
through long centuries of changing times and scenes.
The Lord Mayor of London is the only civic official in.

the three kingdoms whose election has to be ratified
by the reigning monarch; but on the other band the
citizens of London have the privilege of selecting
their own Sheriffs, while elsewhere these officials are
appointed by the Crown without right of appeal.
When the choice of a chief magistrate by the citizens
is placed before the Lord Chancellor for the Queen's
consent to be obtained, the Recorder, or in

hi a absence the Common Serjeant, delivers an
address, in which he tarnishes a brief biography

. of the man whom his fellow-citizens have
gris delighted to honour. The Chancellor who is officially
LI known as the "Keeper of the Queen's conscience,'
graciously replies that he is commanded by her
elki Majesty to express her high approval of the selection
-zia then follows a warm hope that the Lord Mayor may be
blessed with health during his year of office, and the
lu if value of free municipal institutions is next pointed out
L" The loving cuts, a gigantic golden bowl filled with wine
and decorated with flowers is then passed round to each
411'
of the company, who retire from the apartment
with the same atataly dignity-with which they entered
Ow it. It is a long time since the approval of a Sovereign
was refused to the choice of the citizens; and although
' the ceremony may be looked upon now as merely a
formal one, it will last some time yet. Even the
iconoclasts who have voted the destruction of Temple
Bar would hesitate to propose a resolution in the Court
of Common Council, declaring it from that time
forward unnecessary that the selection of the Lord
Mayor should be ratified by the Crown.
• The mode of levying the Income-tax in this country
has often been a subject of controversy; but the
Australian papers show that the people of that colony
have also something to complain of. They have found
out that, however unpleasant it is to pay a tax, it is
made more obnoxious by the inquisitorial way in which
it is assessed. The land-tax is chargeable, on land,
exclusive of holdings, at the rate of is. in the pound on
£2OO annual value, and at Is. 6d. in cases above £2OO,
The property and income-tax is charged at 6d. in the
dijimpound on all sources of income in excess of ZOO. But
It is to the machinery and process of collection that
the colonists object, for they declare that every person
in the country is placed at the mercy of a few officials
who may dispute a taxpayer's sworn statement, ransack
1, his private affairs, and put upon him an arbitrary
a assessment. After all, the manner in which the income-
tax is got together in this country, objectionable as it
may be in many of its details, is not so inquisitorial as
in Australia.

The sudden and unexpected return of the Arctic
Expedition haa been received with satisfaction mingled
with disappointment. For months previously to the
sailing of the Alert and the Discovery, on the 29th of
May, 1875, the most complete preparations had been

made, and everything which science could suggest was
done in order to secure the success of the enterprise.
A vote of public money amounting to £100,090 was
cheerfully given, and the prevailing sentiment was
"It can be done, and England means to do it." But
the voice of One who is the Great Architect of the
Universe has once more declared that the eternal
barrier of ice which separates the North Pole from
the busy homes of civilized men shall not be passed by
human agency. When our gallant explorers arrived
witbin 400 miles of the Pole, they had to encounter
vast piles of ice over which their progress was at the
rate of a mile per day. Supposing they could have con-
tinued this, which is at least doubtful, It would have
taken 400 days to reach the Pole, with a similar time
back to the spot where they had left their ship.
Dues any one imagine for one moment that
human nature could have successfully battled
with such tremendous obstacles as were strewn in their

pathway through those frightful regions? How
strangely weird must their voices have sounded when
their slightest whisper broke the oppressive silence of
those vast solitudes! Some philosophers hold the
theory that a sound once launched upon the atmosphere
can never die. Where, then, have those whispered
words of the travellers gone which were spoken during

that long night of 142 days in which the sun never
•rose upon the horizon? Have they floated away upon
the rarefied air, and reached the Pole, there to find a
warm and summer water-way under sunlit sky? But
whatever the fate of the uttered words might have
been, all England will rejoice at he safety of the in-
trepid band which set sail from our shores nearly
eighteen months ago, knowing well that dangers stood
thick through all the ground OTerthey would have to pass.
Many a time last winter were they thought of amid
that utter desolation which guards the secret of the
Pole, and which, as now becomes increasingly clear,
:s not to he laid bare by man, let him be assisted by
science as much as he may.
It IS gratifYirg to know that the Metropolitan
Board of Works intend to make another effort next
session to relieve from toll those bridges over the Great
London river upon which a vexatious impost is now
levied. There is no other capital in Europe in which
such an institution as Waterloo Bridge would be al-
lowed to exist. Tee British tourist who has done
Paris in his travels knows full well that the splendid
bridges there thrown across the Seine are all free, for
they have been constructed at the expense of the
State. So was London Bridge; therefore it is free;
Blackfriars was built at the cost of the Corporation,
and it is also free. But Waterloo is in the hands of a
private company, and_fnever having paid its expeuses,
the toll-bar still stankat either end, practically estab-
lishing an obstacle to the free intercourse of half a
million human beings. The teen3irig populations of
Westminster and Lambeth are divided by a barrier
•,instead of being united by an unrestricted means of
- communication. Had the capital been possessed of
nrinic'pal institutions over its entire area, such an

arlorcaly as this would have ceased to exist long ago.

Although our ironclad a sometimes come to grief,
and one is occasionally lost the authozities are ever on
' the alert for the protection of these costly machines.
• An instance of this is shown in the fitting of the
Alexandra, the finest masted ironclad in the world,
with the electric light, at a cost of not less than £l,OOO.
'!'hen it is considered, however, that the ship is
wcrth hall a million sterling, this exp•nditme of 0,000

will be well invested if it answers its purpose. In time
of peace the light would act in the darkness like a
carriage lamp, while in war it could be employed for
searching the seas for torpedo boats meditating a night
attack. When we consider that it takes years to
build and equip an ironclad—for the Thunderer,
although launched in 1872, is still incomplete—such a
modeht expenditure as that upon the light to which I
have referred will be borne willingly enough by the
taxpayer, if it protects the ships from those hidden
dangers which surround them.

THE RETURN OF THE ARCTIC
EXPEDITION.
The following telegram from Rear-Admiral Hillyar,
at Queenstown, was received at the Admiralty at 5.45
p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27th :
g' Just received from Captain Nara, of Alert :—' Arrived
at Valentla ; all well. Pole impracticable. No land to
northward ; otherwise vorge successfuL Highest latitude,
83 20. Alert proceeds to Queenstown; Discovery expected
hourly.'"

The Secretary of the Admiralty forwarded to the
papers for publication the following copy of a telegram
received, late on Friday night, from Captain Nares,
the officer in command of the Arctic Expedition :

"Copy of a telegram from Captain Nares, Her Majesty's ship
Alert, Valentia, to the Secretary of the Admiralty.
Received the 27th of October. •

"Arctic expedition returned. Alert reached limit
of navigation on the south shore of impenetrable Polar
sea, and wintered off open coast, latitude 82deg.
27ncin. From Cape Sabine to north extreme Robeson
Cbannel constantly straggling with ice. President
Land has no existence. After very laborious journey
sledges unable tolkdvance more than one mile daily, so
rugged was the ice reached latitude 83min. 203eg.
Pole distant 400 miles. Discovery wintered latitude
81deg. 44min. Sun absent 142 days.
"Four deaths—Neil Peterson, interpreter, frost
bite; George Porter, gunner, Alert; James Hand and
Charles Hall, seamen, Disoovery's. Scurvy, which
attacked all the travellers. Remainder expedition all
well.
"Continuous land on American side of channel.
Explored to north point Cape Columbia, latitude 83
deg. 7min., longitude 70deg. 30min., and onward to
latitude 62deg. iumin., longitude eedeg. 30inin. it
then continues, trending south-west. Greenland ex-
tends to latitude 82deg. 51min., longitude 48deg. 33
min., then probably turns towards south. Lady
Franklin Sound is deep fiord. Petermann Fiord closed
by glacier. Haves's Sound remains unexplored. Is
very narrow. The Polar Sea is never navigable,
ordinary ice averages 801 t. in thickness. Animal life
and northerly migration of birds ends south of Cape
Col, nabia. Memorial tablet erected to Hall at Polaris
Bay. Esquimaux traces cease on west shore, latitude
81deg. 52inin., when they cross to Greenland. The
impracticability of reaching North Pole proved. All
neighbouring lands examined. Expedition returned
home. _

"Rich natural history observations. Numbers of
scientific observations. Excellent coal near Disco.
Many fossil corals extreme north. Experienced
coldest weather ever registered. Temperature 59
degrees below zero for 13 consecutive days. Lowest
temperature 104 degrees below freezing point. During
gale off Cape Farewell Alert's rudder-head badly
sprung. Steered home by rudder pendant. Intend
proceeding to Queenstown when rudder shifted.
Sighted Pandora, all well, south of Cape Farewell, on
16th. Screw slightly damaged by ice. She visited
stations at Lyttleton Island, Cape Isabella, unable to
reach Cape Sabine. Expedition did not call at
Lyttleton Island returning. Has missed letters left
there by Pandora. Parted company with Discovery
on 19th. Ordered rendezvous Queenstown. Captain
Nares proceeds to London, vidKillarney."
,
The following telegram, received October 29, &Orli Rear:
Admirallyar, was forwarded for publication by the
Admiralty;— A
"QUEEIisTOWN, Oct. 29.

"Discovery arrived this morning at 9.40. The Alert
arrived this afternoon at 1.40."

In noticing the arrival of ihe Alert at Valentia, a
correspondent of The Times gives the following details
of the voyage :

After leaving Port Foulke the 29th of July 1875, they
entered the ica off Cape Sabine. After a severe and continuous
struggle, they reached the north side of Lady Franklin Bay,
where the Discovery was left in winter quarters. The Alert
reached the limit, of navigation on the shore of the Polar
Sea, the ice varying up to 15011. thick. President Land does
not exist. Wintered in 8287. The sun was absent 142 days.
The Expedition experienced the lowest recorded temperature,
73 deg. Spring travelling was intensely laborious. A
detachment travelling northwards over the Polar floes was
absent 70 days, and reached E 3•20. The party rounded
Cape Columbia, the extreme north point of American
land in 8387, and traced the shore 220 miles west.
Greenland was explored far eastward. The *ledgers all
suffered from scurvy. Met no game. Hans Christien Peter-
sen died of frost-bite ; George Porter. of the Alert, James
Hand, and Charles Paul, of the Discovery, died while
sledging. There were no Esqnimaux met with; all traces of
them ceased north of 81'52. There were no icebergs beyond
Cape Union, but one bear was seen during absence from ship.
So rugged was the ice that the sledgers could only advance
one mile a day; but they reached lat. 83 20 after a terrible
struggle, being within 400 miles of the Pole. While in
winter quarters parties from the ship made rich natural
history collections, and many valuable 'scientific observa-
tions were taken. Coal, too, of excellent quality was found..
near the Discovery, and beautiful fossil remains of
coral were met with in the extreme north. The
Expedition experienced the coldest weather ever re-
gistered, the temperature being 59 deg, below zero for a fort-
night, the extreme lowest temperature op any day boing toe
deg, below freezing point. The Alert put into Val.ntia in
consequence of her rudder shifting. She sighted the Pandora'
all well, south of Cape Farewell, on Oct. 16; screw slightly
damaged by the ice. The Pandora called at stations on-
Littleton Island and Cape Isabella, but was unable to reach
Cape Sabine. The Expedition, not calling at Littleton Island
in returning, mimed the letters left there by the Pandora:.
The Alert parted company with the Discovery on OW
19th ; the latter has gone on to Queenstown The health ,
of the crew, with the exceptions above referred to, halal
been good. Frostbites were severe, but not numerous.
Scurvy attacked several of the sledge parties. There was no
sickness on the ice. Petersen, the in,erpreter, died 40 days
after amputation of both feet from frostbite. Among th -
curiosities brought home by the officers ot the Alert is
specimen of wheat deposited by the Polaris when that vessel
was quartered in the Arctic Regions. Both officers and crevf
speak in unmeasured praise of Captain Nana. He has id'
anxious times, been on deck, with the exception of a few
hours, night and day, for 30 days, encouraging and assisting
his well-tried crew.
Upon arriving at Valentia, Captain Nares, with three
officers, left immediately by special train to meet the oven
lug express from Killarney, en route for Loudon. He took
with Mm many interesting relics of the Expedition, photo-
tographs, charts, dee A touching memorial has been
erected by the officers and crew of the Expedition 'over
the graves of their deceased comrades, photographs
of which have been taken. The absence of fresh meat
for such a lengthened period has been much felt by
all, and, next to home, the eight of mutton has been the
long-cherished wish of their hearts. An old whaler of
great Arctic experience, who has been no fever than 25
times to the Arctic Circle, declares that no other Expedition
has ever obtained such satisfactory results as the present,
sni its success has been much more than he anticipated. he
says the Pole, of which they were within 400 miles, is
surrounded by ice, the thickness of which he actually gave
us as 200 feet. The opinion of all connected with the Ex-
pedition is, that to reach the Pole, or to do any more with
the Alert and Discovery, is simply impracticable."
Further particulars state:—" The Alert parted with her
consort owing to severe weather in the Atlantic. In lat.
87'30 they met with icebergs 200 feet deep. Both ships were
at this time about sixty-seven miles apart, each sending out
separate sleigh expeditions on the ice, which, looking north-
wards, appeared interminable Each took different routes
and returned tb their respective ships after great exertion,
one party having been away eighty-fora days and the other
aeventy-flve, and in each case the men were in every helpless
condition. The officers were obliged to bring some of them
back on the sleighs. In this high latitude they have not met
many living things. They saw some traces of the Esquimaux.
Fowl was scarce, any obtained being exclusively used for the
invalids suffering from scurvy."

t -ftw

the

A correspondent, writing from Valentin on Saturday
to the Daily News, says : - -

I headed

-
"From conversations with the officers and men I learn
that the poor fellows who succumbed suffered greatly before
death mercifully put an end to their misery. It was found
necessary to drag them Ur many miles on sledges. Throughout
this mournful journey the officers worked like slaves, dragging
the sledges aloog, and encouraging the men in every possible
way. On reaching the vessel some of them, to sustain or
restore the little animation lef tin them, were hung by
their heels to the rigging. Poor Petersen, the interpreter,
as already announced, survived forty days after amputation
of fore part of both feet, which had been severely frost-
bitten. He bore up bravely under the melt terrible sufferings.
The graves were dug by the officers, and the dead were buried
with all honours A few of the crew were affected by scurvy;
the men appeared very reluctant to believe it was really that
disease, and used ail the liniment brought oat to bandage
their swollen legs. But this, of course, they found no
remedy, and were forced to give in and submit to the proper
treatment. An officer's foot was frostbitten, and his great
toe bad to be amputated. During the whole of the time the
vessels were in *inter quarters each man was compelled
to take two hours' exercise daily, as it was considered
almost impoasible to keep the men in good health with-
out it. For ibis purpose a path half a
the nalieinieenxgptehdiwenast
made on e ice; but as it was, of course, pitch dark, the
question arose how to prevent the going and returning par-
ties from coming into collision. An Ingenious
was hit upon—mounds of empty preserved meat tins were
placed at intervals of three yards down the centre of the
path, thus forming a sort of wall between the moving lines
of walkers. The effect of the wind on the face, even when
protected, was likened to a sharp knife slowly cutting its
way into the flesh. One night an exciting scene took place on
board the Alert. Abcut midnight, the engineers were called
up by the officer on duty to get up steam instanter to allow
the vessel to shift her moorings to avoid an enormous berg,
which was slowly and majestically crushing its way towards
them. No time was lost in 'casting off, and the Alert
escaped by not more than one hundred yards, the large
have' h u m
wmeoi
gc kh
e'
ohniadanbdeetnomx
breeind,gwehoinichplietsteelifymsuub.st
merged by the monster.
dtonewarhilcyhashthe
"Another incident, though of a more amusing nature,
occurred to one of the officers while travelling with Esqui-
maux in the highest latitudes. Requiring water, they dug a
hole in the ice many feet deep. While drawing up the water
a fish, apparently some kind of trout, was seen. The officer
happened to be an ardent angler, and he determined to seize
the opportunity of following his favourite sport in the Arctic
regions. Accordingly a rod and hook were formed by sticking
a strong pin through a piece of wood, which was then
fastened to a line and let down into the hole. After fishing
for three hours and a half, the magnificent result of three
small fishes was obtained.

hest to
kindness and solicitude for all on board, from thehig
_a
is
Captain Nares has been the idol of the Expedition. HU
the lowest, have gained for him the title of lather. H
the start to the finish, and, as an old weather-beaten able
known by no other name. Be has worked untiringly from
seamap feelingly told me 'But for father, Valenti& would
have been far away to-day.' . . . . An Irishman named
O'ltc gan anpears to have greatly distinguished himseLt dar-
ing the Expedition, and is universally spoken of as a
'thorough stayer ;' he is one of the crew of the Di-covery
The men of the Alert, generally speaking, bear sensible
signs of the fatigue and privation which have necessarily
been their lot. They look much worn and pale, which to
me is the more striking as I saw them a few days before
they left England In Slay of last year. But, with the excep-
tion of two invalid, all are In fair health. they mturally
laok forward with pleasure to a few months' leave.
No animals of any kind, with the exception of the ship's dog
'Nellie' and a favourite cat, have been brought home The
dogs purchased on the journey out for sledging purposes have
all been made over to their driver. 'Fred,' and left vvit.li him
at Dritco. He certainly deserved the gift, for his courage,
patience, and ingenuity, are very highly spoken of.
Nellie ' suffers occasionally from a complaint peculiar
to Arctic
dogs, but is otherwise none the worse for her ad-
hered the voyage admirably
venture*. Puss ' has weat
,
'

I broken

Ithem
arevin!

The Cork Correspondent of The Times telegraphed
on Monday night :
"At half-cast one o'clock to-day to Alert aucl Due-ovary
left the hatbralr tQf Pottemoutlu Qt h dap were visited

we
who
Informs-
Totaling
an the
through
)rought
precipt-
such
Work 441)
No

during the mornin gby large ntur.bers from Queenstown, _
traded with the sailors for all kinds of fruits and vegetables
that were in season. Many ladies and gentlemen also - mt
on board, and were led round the ships by the officers,
showed great anxiety to give them all such general int
tion as could be conveyed in general conversation IF
on board the ships attracted more attention, th
huge saws which had been used in cuttizt ii
the ice and the long crooks which were bj
into requisition when the ascent of any '
• tons fl )es had to be made. The appearance o
great weapons gave some idea of how desperate the
was which they failed to be of use in accomplishing.
one apart from those who went through the terrible hard.
ships of the journey can appreciate what that labour Ares.
When Commander Martham and Lieutenant Parr started on
the 3rd of April from Cape Columbia, in Grant's Land, to
reach the Pole, they had wall after wall of ice to cut
through. The party of 15 men, who hag then been a
long time already from their ship, had two sledges and
two boats and provisions for 40 days. The men had
to drag the boats and the sledges up the side of the floes
until they could with safety go no higher, and then
hew passages 181 t. and 2011. deep to enable them to pass -
through. When this was accomplished the boats and sledges
had to be dragged over, and this was a work of great labour.
They never had more than a clear space of a mile before the
floe bergs piled one on the other (called hummocks) made a
barrier again, which had to be cut through into the pack.
The average work represented one mile of progression for 10
miles of travel, and this terrible wearing labour, repeated
day after day for 20 days, wore out the men, who were
already very ill from scurvy and exposure. Be it remembered
that in this terrible march the men had to work ten hours a
day, and to carry from point to point a great amount of
baggage. Their work began at six each morning, and they
rested for a while in the middle of the day. They carried
their tents with them, and their sleeping arrangements ap-
pear to have been perfect. They were covered each night 11
the tents, and a waterproof sheet was laid on the snow,
upon which their beds were then placed. The men, covered
in heavy winter clothing, then rolled themselves up in their
bags so tightly that the cold air was excluded.'

CROoSHAVEN, Oct. 80.
The Arctic ship Pandora, Captain Allen Young, passed
here at noon en route for Portsmouth. All well.

The following offir:ial notes of this remarkable ex-
pedition have been publ'shed :
"The two ships composing the Arctic Expedition, which
left these shores in May of last year, under the command of
Captains Nares and Stephenson, with the hope of reaching
the North Pol, have just returned, the Alert reaching
Valentia on the 27th inst.

"The DiBcovery parted company on the 19th inst., with
orders to rendezvous at Queenstown, where she has probably
arrived.
"Instead of land extending far towards the north, as
reported by tam r.l%rie, Robeson Channel opens directly into
the Polar Sea.

"Pushing to the Northward beyond the Channel the Alert
was stopped by heavy toe and compelled to pass the winter
off an exposed coast in latitude 82deg. 27m1n. N.
"The sledge crews, with very seven° labour, travelling
northward over extraodinarily heavy and broken up ice,
were unable to advance beyond latitude 83 deg. 20 min.,
leaving a distance of 400 miles still to be travelled over
before the Pule is reached. Owing to the travellers being
unable to obtain game of any description, coupled with the
extreme labour of the sledging, and assisted doubtless by
the previous long winter's darkness, scurvy attacked nearly
all the men employed in sledge travelling, resulting in three
deaths :—viz, George Porter, gunner, R belonging to
the Alert, end James Hand and Charles Paul, seamen belong-
ing to the Discovery.
"Besides these Niels Christian Petersen died on the 14th
of May from the effecta of a severe frostbite received while
travelling to months previously.
"With these exceptions the Expedition has been remark-
ably healthy, and all on board are now in good health.
"Between Melville Bay and the entrance to Smith Sound
no ice was met; but on the 30th of July the pack was sighted
off Cape Sabine, in latitude 78 deg. 41 min. Here the Expe-
dition was detained in Port Payer for several days ; an at-
tempt being made to proceed further northward by passing
to the westward of the islands in Hayes Sound, but that
opening not leading in the wished-for direction, the ships
returned.

"It is still uncertain whether a channel exists communica-
ting with the Western sea by Hayes Sound. The opening
extends a considerable distance, but is narrowed by numerous
islets, which prevent the ice from clearing out until late in
the season.
"At last a start was made on the 6th of August, but
before reaching the shore of Grinnell Land the ships were
caught in the pack. After this date the progress to the
northward was an incessant struggle with the ice; and,
although no single opportunity was lost, advance was only
possible for short distances at a time whenever the wind or
current formed lanes of water between the ice and the land.
"So close was the ice that on every occasion the water
channel by which the ships advanced very soon closed
behind them, rendering it as diftioalt to return as to proceed
north.
On the 251 h of August, after many hairbreadth escapes, a
well-sheltered harbour was reached on the west side of
Hall's Basin, north of Lady Frankin Sound, in latitude
81 deg. 44 min. N. Here the Discovery was secured for the
winter a few miles north of Polaris Bay, which was in sight
on the opposite aide of the channel.
"The Alert pushing onward rounded the northeast point of
'Grant Land,' but instead of finding a continuous coastline
leading 100 miles farther towards the north, as every one had
expected, found herself on the border of what was evi-
dently a very extensive sea, with impenetrable ice on every
side.
"No harbour being obtainable, the ship was secured as far
north as possible, inside a sheltering barrier of grounded ice,
close to the land, and there she passed the winter; during
her stay of eleven months no navigable channel of water
permitting further advance to the northward ever presented
itself.
"In lieu of finding an 'open Polar sea,' the ice was of most
unusual age and thickness resembling in a marked degree,
both in appearance and formation, low floating icebergs
rather than ordinary salt water ice. It has now been termed
the Sea of Ancient Ice '—the Palaaocrystic or Palm zruic Sea;
and a stranded mass of ice broken away from an ice-floe has
been named a floeberg.
"Whereas ordinary ice is usually from 21t Vl.Oft. in
thicknes, that in the Polar Sea, in consequence of having so
few cutlets by which to escape to the southward in any ap-
preciable quantity, gradually increases in age and thickness
until it measures from 801 t. to 1201 t., floating with its service
at the lowest part 15ft, above the water-line.
"Strange as it may appear, this extraordinary thickness of
the toe saved COo ship 'Lulu Indus slrlYeei 00 shore ; fur, uv.lug
to its great depth of flotation, on nearing the shallow beach
It grounded and formed a barrier inside which the ship was
comparatively safe. When two pieces of ordinary ice are
*riven one against this other and the edges broken up, the
brushed pieces are raised by the pressure into a high, long
wall-like hedge of ice. 'When two of the ancient fiJes of the
I.Polar Sea meet, the intermediate lighter broken-up ice which
[may happen to be floating about between them alone suffers:
it is pressed up between the two closing masses to a great
height, producing a chaotic wilderness of angular blocks of
all shapes and sizes, varying in height up to 5011 above
water, and frequeally covering an area upwards °La mile in
diameter.
"Stich an icy road, which
,was sure hi be cantiencius, des-
-tros ed all hope of the Pole itself being reached by sledges.
Nevertheless, it was determined by Captain Nares to advance
*afar as possible, and during the Spring of thief yearit party,
,headed by Commander Markham and Lieutenant Parr, made
a most gallant and determined attempt. They were absent
72 days from the ship; and on the 12th of May succeeded in
planting the British flag in latitude 83 deg. 20 min. 26 sec N.
/from this position there was no appearance of land to the north-
-ward, but, curiously enough, the depth of water was found
.to be only 72 fathoms.
"Owing to the extraordinary nature of the pressed-up Ice,
a roadway had to be formed by pickues for nearly halfithe
distance travelled bef,re any advance eould be safely mktie,
even with light loads ; this rendered it always neeessarY to
drag the sledge loads forward by instalments, and therefore
to journey over the same road 'several times. The advance
was consequently very slow, and only averaged about 1} mile
daily—in fact, much the same rate attained by Sir Ea ward
Parry in his somewhat similar attempt during the intamer of
1827. I
"Although the di.tance made good was only Unifier m
the ship, 276 miles were travelled over to accomplish it.
"It is quite impossible for any body of men ever to e cel
the praiseworthy perseverance displayed by this gallant
party in their ardu,ns struggle over the roughest and most
monotonous road Imaginable. Their journey, considering
the ever recurring difficulties, has eclipsed all former ones.
"The result of their severe labour proves the utter im-
practicability of travelling over the Polar Sea to any great
distance from land, and also that Baron von Wrangel was
perfectly correct in his expressed opinion that before the
North Pole can be reached it is first necessary to discover a
continuous coast line leading towards it.
"In the autumn of last year, immediately the Alert was
secured in` winter quarters, provisions and boats were
advanced by sledge parties along the shore to the north and
westward, ready for use by the travelling parties in the fol-
lowing spring, the depot being established within a mile et
the farthest north position hitherto reached by civilised man.
On the 14th of October, two days after the sun had bid the
Expedition good-bye for an absence of 142 days, the travellers
returned from their cold and arduous journey of 20 day', •
(duration. Owing to a very heavy snowstorm, which, by pro-
tecting the sloppy ice from the intense frost, caused very,
wet travelling, a number of people were frost-bitten in the
feet, and three amputations were necessary—one officer and
two of the men being the sufferers.
"Lieutenant Aldrich, engaged in pioneering the way :for
the main party, which was led by Commander Markham, oti
the 27th of September, advanced three miles beyond Sir
Ed ward Parry's most northern position, and from a mountain
2,0001 t. high, sighted land towards the W.N.W., extending
to latitude 83 deg. 7 min. No land was seen to the north-
ivard.
"Thus within four months of leaving England the mystery
concerning the 'open Polar Sea' was cleared up. The Alert,
advancing to the limit of navigation, had reached a higher
northern latitude than any ship had previously been able 141,1
attain, and is sledge party had proceeded a few miles beyond-1
the position gained with so much labour ar..cl privation by,
the gallant men commanded by Sir Rivard Party and Si'
James Ross, the Union Jack planted by them passing into
the guard and keeping of their countrymen to be again
pushed forward in advance during the following Spring.

"Owing to the ice in the neighbourhood remaining in
motion until a late date the Discovery was unable to send
saaweaaey
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consort, although the two ships were only 70 miles distant
from each other, Lieutenant Rawson made two most de-
termined attempts to do so without success. Owing to the
broken-up ice in Robeson Channel remaining unfrozen, he
and his crew were obllged to pass their winter on board the
Alert.
"Owing to the high latitude attained—both the Alert and
Ducovery wintering farther North than any ships had pre-
viously—the darkness of the winter was of longer duration
and greater intensity than had eVer before been experienced.
BY this date last year they had already lost sight of the sun
for 17 Gays ; but it was passed by all with much cheerfulness
and in hopeful spirits, penny readings, theatricals, and songs
in character, being kept up regularly once a week, and
a school on the lower deck being well attended by nearly all
the crew, the officers being the teachers.
'elhhelycogrldeeexteprerthi.enncetdhadturiningmtehree
seoareltyheSrplyrirneggiweneas, con-
siderably
puts an end to the idea that 'a warm country exists at
the Pole, teeming with flee'
"The lowest temperaiaLre observed was 72 deg. below
zero of Fahrenheit, or 104 deg. below freezing point The
mean temperature for 13 consecutive days was 69 deg. below
zero—by far the coldest weether ever experienced before;
and the mercury was frozen 47 days during the winter.
"With the return of the atm on the 29th of February, after
Its long absence cf nearly five months, preparations were
made for the sledging ciumpalgo.

"On the 12th of March Mr. Rgerton and Lieutenant
Rawson, accompanied by Petersen and the dog sledge,
started from the Alert to open communication with the
Discovery; but, unhappily, on the second day out the latter
was taken 111 when the temperature was 40deg. below zero.
The camp was immediately pitched, but no improvement
taking place the two officers were obliged to return to the
ship. At the utmost risks and a noble disregard of them-
selves, they succeeded in retaining heat in the poor fellow's
body by alternately lying one at a time alongside of him,
while the other by exercise 'WM recovering his warmth, and
thus managed to oring him alive to the ship; but both fort
were very bedly frost-bitten, and he ultimately sank from
exhaustion two months afterwards.
"During the following week the same two ()fibers accem.
panted by Simmons, seamen of the Alert, and Regan of the
Dtscovery, in similar weather—the usual weather experienced
by Arctic travellers in the early Spring—succeeded in reach-
ing the Discovery, and relieving the doubt and anxiety of SU
on board her with regard to the proceedings aed positiorApfe
the Alert. When commiserated about their frost-bitten
noses, cheeks, and fingers, Lieutenant Rawson Jovially
replied, 'Well, at last we feel that the cheers from Southsea
beech have been fairly earned.' All the travellers were
everted off during the first week in April, each ship being left
with only half a dozen officers and men whose duties kept.
m onboard. Alter that date sledges. Were continually
'log and departing, carrying forward provisions to be
Placed in dap/et, ready for the return of the advanced parties,
Basin
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