The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-14 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 1853.

Third and Cheaper Edition, in 2 vols., 165.,

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evidence of the high latitudes which others have reached ;
the enterprising owners of the vessel (the Messrs. Ward,
of Hull,) will no doubt feel pleasure in permitting him
to inspect it. We were that season in 82j degs. north
latitude, and from 12 degs. to 15 dogs. east longitude, with
an open sea to the north east free from ice. It is probable
that the Captin Martin referred to by Mr. Petermann was
the commander of the Eclipse, of Peterhead, as I find
that vessel in company with us in high latitudes. It is also
probable that others were quite as far north as ourselves.
I find in my private memoranda that in lat. 79 deg. 30',
16 vessels were in company. Leaving unthouchea the
piestion has to whether the Pole itself is land, ice, or
water, and the practicability or impractica,biliiiy of reach-
ing it by land, I would state my conviction to be that the
east coast of Greenland extends considerably beyond the
180th parallel of latitude. The strong current of the Nor-
thern Ocean sets the ice towards the coast of Greenland
in a pack abont 300 miles wide ; when the current reaches
the slrallower bed of the :ocean near the coast, it turns
south and keeps an open channel about 50 miles wide be-
t Ween the coast and the pack of ice. In sailing north wo
found the edge of this pt r,ek gradually tending N.N.E. to
82 degs.—how much further I cannot say.
" I am satisfied that the probability of reaching the
Pole by water is much g7eater than by land, for we had
in 82j dogs. an open sea to the N.E. quite free from ice,
no apparent obstacle pre muted itself to our progress ; we
might have reached the Pole with the same ease and safety
that we reached the latittude we then were in. I should
remark, that the season of 1837 was remarkably fine ; my
journal, under date of June 21st, states, that, ' there has
been n
continuouseve kne fiwneawnyeatil;hinerg likesin since April 10th ; the oldest
captain
" I give below a few dates, and corresponding latitude
and temperature :
- - - -

April 25
29... 79'-30
Ma„ y 7
„ 29
• "An observation is app tended to the temperature under
the last date as follows :- —" A very warm day.' I have
felt the cold more at Edi nburgh in any ordinary winter
than I did in these latitud os. I beg further to say, that a
screw steamer, properly constructed, well manned, and
efficiently commanded, we •ald prove the practicability of
the attempt in a voyage c .f three months, and might, in
addition to its main objet t, discover now fishing grounds
to the east of Spitzbergen .for our whalers. The months
should be April, May, and. June. In July the navigation
of the Arctic Ocean becoi nes dangerous from the dense
fogs which prevail,--I am, &c.
" HRITRY WHITWORTH, M.D.
" St. Agnes, Cornwall, :Kov. 25."

From this letter it appears that the writer has been
upwards of two degrees. further north than Captain
Beechey, and that he cow m3quently speaks from personal
experience on the sea to which I have drawn attention,
and on all the essential points of my views which he cor-
roborates. Indeed, if a fair investigation of the matter
from.all existing authorities were to be made it would, I
doubt not, be found that ai:perience is rather in favour of
my plan than otherwise. Even by the experience of the
last two years many points connected with it have been
confirmed.

From the manner in which the case has been put before
the public, the opinion co: me to must have been that I ad-
vocated the continuation o Rho search after Sir J. Franklin,
than which nothing could be more erroneous. I proposed
my plan two years ago, (!), while at present, and since the
last Arctic dispatches, I have altogether refrained from
offering any fresh sugges Lion as to whether the search
should be continued in thi s direction of my plan. I have
simply explained and defer ided my Arctic views generally,
which, independently of th o Franklin search, affect matters
of the most important description. It was neither for sel-
fish nor party interests, m Er merely for geographical pro-
blems, but also for what I: conceived to be the national
interests of this country, tl tat I laboured to draw attention
to the exploration of the si ias beyond Spitzbergen as being
a great desideratum,.
The Times, some 12 mo oaths since, advocated so promi-
nently the importance of t 3 lie Arctic whalefisheries, and it
is with regard to this poin t entirely lost sight of by Cap-
tain Beechey that I beg yi en will kindly insert this letter
as a kind of supplement to the communication of that gen-
tleman. It will be remembered that the American whale-
fishes ies in Behring's Strai:is amounted, in two years, to
the enormous value of $B,O 00,000. That sea had frequently
been traversed, even by Captain Beechey himself, and no
such treasure was prognositicated, although whales were
certainly seen. Now, the old navigators always fell in
with whales in the sea east—of Spitzbergen, and it is quite
reasonab!o to suppose that. they may still be found where
they have never been distill. :bed, in the same numbers as in
Behring's Straits.
It has been said by soim s of my opponents, that these
prospects, if so brilliant as represented, shut themselves
out from public help. But it may appear to others that
an investigation as to wheth my the seas east of and beyond
Spitzbergen offer new whaleflahing grounds, is of a class of
objects wich deserve the attention and co-operation, if not
the exclusive power of paternal Governments rather than
private individuals. The survey of the Darien Isthmus,
the search after guano islands, the exploration of inner
Africa, and inner Australia, are precisely of the same chac-
ter, and without material assistance and hearty counte-
nance of Government, would. probably fail to be satisfac-
torily solved, or be considerably delayed.
The British whalefishers entered spiritedly into the sug-
gestion of The Times, to employ steam ; a company for fit-
ting out two steamers was started last year, but, for want
of certain hoped-for assistan cc from the Government, ulti-
mately dropped. So nnanimkusly were the British whale-
fishers convinced of the desiirableness of acting on certain
of my suggestions that a petition was addressed to me last
year, signed by 18 of the principal managing owners of
British whalefishing vessels requesting me to use all my-
influence for inducing the dovernment to lend their a,-,sist-
ance in the investigation of the said sea. They vainly sup-
posed, from my publicly adNrocating these most important
interests. my position to be such as could be of any use to
them. It was gratifying lk me so far to see that my en-
deavours were appreciated in. a quarter most directly inte-
rested by them, and that th ey were considered to consist,
not so much in the wish to 1 rave a " pet theory put to the
test of experiment," as in time object of advocating the
interests of the British commur. ity at large.
As the subject of the whale fisheries has remained ex-
actly as it stood last when the Titnes took it up so earnestly,
I hope you will not refuse 'me the favour of this oppor-
tunity to draw again attention to it. Now that 1,000,0001.
has been expended in making the North-West passage,
which is simply of an imaginary value, and of not much
geographical interest (for so little has it advanced our
knowledge of the principal portion of the Arctic regions,
that its chief features are still discussed as theories,) it
remains to be seen whether a few thousand pounds will
be grudged in the investigation of an object where, quite
irrespective of Franklin expedition and geographical dis-
coveries, there is reason to hope $8,000,000 may be fished
up in two years.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient humble
servant, AUGUSTUS PETERMANN.
9, Charing-cross, Dec. 8.