Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1853-10-29
I HE HIsroRy OF Ancrtc EXPLORATIONS.

Inc British navy, in demonstrating the pro-
olem OF an arctic ocean, and performing The
voyage from Behring's Straits to Baffins Bay
has ie.awakened attention to the previous
exploration Of the hyperborcan travelers.-
Much expenditure OF time, money and liie
has been wasted in this search, which viii
never be OF any practical advantage TO man.
Kind. The history of arctic explorations
shows that among the first adven,uiers in this
field OF research were two Portuguese broth
ers named CoRTEREA, who, in the early part
OF the sixteenth century, sailed toward the
Pole and were heard Of no more. An Eng.
'lishman, Sir HuGH WILLoucHBY, some fifty
years later, sought 10 find China beyond the
coast OF Labrador, but both he and his crew
Ieit their bodies on the frozen plains, where
they were found by the Esguimaux Indians
HUMpHREY GILBERT, al a subsequent period
went down of the coas, of Newfoundland, in
making similar experiment. In 1910
HUDSON, the famous navigator, from whom
The North River was named, after discover
ing Hndson's Bay, was set adrift, with eight
oil his sailors, by mu,inous portion Of his
crew, and was supposed TO have been de-
slroyed by the icebergs In 1923, pArrIN
added the knowledge Of the vas, inlet Of the
sea, since called by his name, 10 our Arctic
geography. In l74l, BEnR1YC, Russian
explored the straits on the eastern side of the
continent; and in 1873, Captain PHIppEs
made many explorations in the north; bni
the Arctic discovery of modern times may
be said 10 have begun in 1918, with Sir JOHN
Ross who passed through Davis Straits and
baitin's Bay 10 Lancaster Sonnd. The mex,
year FRANKLIN, about whose supposed loss
so much has been said, undertook to trace
the looket-for passage, from the mouth of
'ne Coppermlne river, eastward, by the shore
10 Hudson's Bay. He was acrompanied bv
Mr. Buck and DR.. RICHARDSON, and they
made one of the dreariest journeys on record
without meeting with much success:
Inc same year, Lieutenant Parry had
gone 10 Lancaster Sound, and, passing through
the Straits named by him Barrow's Straits,
had discovered Wellingtons Channel, Re
gents Inlet, Bahurst's, Byam, Martins
Melville, ard other islands, now called The
Parry Islands. These places have ever since
been the ultimate land mark of Arctic re.
search, tor no navigators have succeeded in
going beyond them, and all the discoveries
since made, have had only more or less re-
terence TO them. PARRY saw, too. and de
fned, Banks Land, 10 the southwest of Mel.
vile lsland-one of the points eff departure
IN MCLURE's more recent expedition. Par.
RY, Ross and Captain FRANKLIN made sub
sequent voyages, all of which added some.
'hlng to our information, and in 1880 and
1886, Captain BACH went eastward beyond
sfankln's Point; but these explorations
were nearly all carried on within and below
the delinealion of PARRY No one saws q
late writer, had ventured beyond Cape Wal.
ker' IN the direction OF Banks Land, 10 the
west and south Of North Somerset, or gone
oeyend Parry Islands to the northwest. or 10
Inc north through Wellington channel Ne-
'her had any attempt been made from Baf.
III Day above Lancaster Sound 10 enter the
Iemo'e waters suppose 10 flow around the
Pole.
IN 1913 and 1919, the whole breadth OF the
worm American continent, bordering the Po.
'd' oea, was iraversed-by Sir JOHN Rich
ARDsoN cn the one hand, who went overland
west to the mouth of Mackonzie's River
ana by Mr.. PULLEN, on the other. who ler,
the party under Captain KELLErr and Com.
manner Moore, after passing through Beh.
rlns's Straits in July, ls49, and followed the
coas' IN whale boats eastward from Point
barrow till he reached Mackonzie's River.
whence Sir JOHN RICHARDSON had already
returned. Subsequent exploration was made
OF The sea TO the north oil Mackenzie's River
ana OF the Straits extending norlhwardIy be.
tween Wolaston and Victoria Lands ,bropcb
which the tide flows from the North whence
u had been supposed TO connect with the
ocean The more recent investigations about
Jones and Smiths Sound, and Wellington
cnanhel, made by Captain AUSTIN and Pen.
NY, and by the Grinnel Expedition as well
aS 'hose oil CoLLINsoN, KELLETT and MooRE,
in The region Of Behring Straits, are familiar
10 our readers, Commander M'CIURr oi
Inc British navy, has accomplished what The
maritime enterprise of nearly Two hundred
years has failed to accomplish. He has sailed
DAVIS Straits on the east, through The great
Arctic ocean 10 near Behring's Straits on The
west, and has shown the existence of an un-
interrupted waller communication from the
North Atlantic 10 the North Pacific. His
course, as near as. we can gather il from the
oriei announcement Of the fact made by The
English Admiralty, was through the Prince of
W"ies' Straits connecting with Balrow's
slraiis 10 ciff south OF Melville Island. cal
Fed Banks Land, and thence through foes
and hummocks Of almost inpeneirabIe ice TO
place called Behring'S Island, in the Bay
Of Mercy. the precise position of this island
we are unable 20 ascertain, but it seems TO be
sufficiently far east and near to The outlet of
Behring's Straits, on The coast of Asia, to sell
tie the question of the pracicabilily Of the
passage. What Commander McCLuRR has
thus done, has been the dream of geogra 2hers
and pilots ever since CABOT discovered The
northern continent of America, as a short