Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-10-20
DIR. Knne's mud Lieut.. Hartsteiue,. -.
Expedition Returned In SAFE. A'cue

for provisions, which were supplied BY ,Ls 4.
habiiants. In the Spring they abandoDe1t d,
ship, and made their way soihward 10 sleJs.,
until they reached the town Of Uperpa,t .
Danish settlement on the West coas, Of Co..
land, from whence they returned in a Dr.
vessel TO the Island VI Discoe, ~here thew -
found by the searching expedition. We ous'
items Of interest from the brief report Of,
petition
"On the 23d Of August, 1853, in la,i,uds %
deg. 81 min. north. 1t will DO readily ne,,si,,
ed that The year in this latitude is divided a..
four portions, two Of which are alternate A,
md night, each Of two months duration a..
Of four month with the sun below the bo,;,,.
during the entire twenty four hours and one n
four months with the sun continually above 4.
horizon, revolving in one circle above the hon.
zon-as Tennyson says,
"The midnight sun
Sets into sunrise,'
On August 90 the party lost the Sun ala.
ge,her. 1t wen, at a dip below The horzpp "a,
the first time, and the nights began pradually ia
increase-grow longer-uniil October. %. when
having the day previous Just raised his face
above the horizon-ihe sun vanished again. and
did not honor them with his smiles for -four
months more. At twelve O'Clock for two O,
three weeks there was considerable twilight va,
very inconsidevable. The moonlight DAYS and
nights were beautifully bright. The vas, et.
panse Of snow and ice, with its millions Of nil.
rors rejecting the silvery rays ofthe moon. prO.
duced a brillancy, beauty and grandeur wholly
inconcei'able to those who have never made an
excursion to these regions. These illuminated
scenes we're generally edged by black, scraggy
and harren rocks, which added 10 the mys,er.
ious suSlimiiy Of the whole.
The first winter which this expedition erpe.
rienced is remarkable for being one Of the Sc.
yerest and the longest in darkness ever e1pe.
rienced by civilized man. When the cold be.
gan to increase it was 10 deg. below zero early
in September, and as the season advanced, al.
though it proved to be a much milder winter
than many described by the natives, IS and 50,
and even 60 deg. below zero was recorded
Early in November, if not on the last Of Octo
Der, a, a temperature Of 40 deg. below zero, Cd
Monongahela whiskey, SO famous for its strength
was converted into ice.
In the month Of March the party was visited
by some Esquimaux, Of whose existence in ths,
region DIR. Kane was not before aware. They
came in sledges, drawn by fine large dogs, er.
Ideally Of a very superior breed ihees dogs,
would make a journey of sixty miles a day for
several weeks, carrying a single man, and 10
some instances two men behind them. The
sledges were curiously formed some were made
of hundreds Of pieces Of bone dashed together
with strings made Of the oisOok, a large seal.
A few of them were made Of wood. There
can scarcely be a people less dependent upon
the assistance Of civilized men than these E.
qnimaux. To be sure they have pieces Of iron
in their harpoons, bu, even their lances are form
ed Of the sharpened horn Of the unicorn. 10
many respects these people present the lowest
form Of humanity. Their notions of religion
are exceedingly crude, and resemble that de-
scribed by Parry in his voyages as belonging to
the Labrador Esqnimaux.
They are grossly filthy in their habits, and
indulge in considerable ~loosness Of life, espec-
tally in the intercourse Of the sexes. They
have marriage rules and regulations which are
very singular, and apparently are derived from
various traditions. 10 this they also resemble
the Esquimaux described by Parry. They are
utterly regardless Of all honor except in a very
few instances, in which they appeared TO be
anxious to obtain articles OF useful value. They
are incorigible thieves. revoliingly filthy 10 their
persons and habiiations, and live as much on raw
as on cooked flesh, which they eat voraeiousy
and enormously. What chance they have Of
Heaven is a question for theologians; they az
pear to be happy and good-natured in their way
but it seems they are gradually dying out
Their principal support is the walrus, the bear
and the ank, "a small bird which swams IN The
Arctic regions } occasionally they catch seals
unicorns, and sometimes even, though rarely,
white whales. All their fishing has to be car
ried on in the cracks Of the ice.
No progress having been made during The
summer, nothing remained but 10 make prepare
lions for passing the second winter as comforts
bly, as possible. The outfit Of the expedition
had contemplated stay Of only fifteen months
and the provisions remaining were not ola chafa-
cter suited 10 the climate. Scurvy prevailed
considerably, hut by the uniElng asslduIly OIL
DR. Kane, this was so far checked that no lives
were lost by it although several men were severe
ly affected. BY this time the supply Of coal
was entirely exhausted. They were obllgediO
cut away The bulwarks and all the spare sPar'
of the ship indeed, everything which couldoe
cut away, and still leave them in seaworihy con-
in order 10 keep up ibeir small hte'
When the crepusclum began to show the ,ln,s
of The sunlight in the spring, they began to iooA
forward to all thai remained 10 them-a journey
10 the nearest station of fertilization, uPernavlS'
The distance, including detours, was at loas.S
thousand miles. This could only be Travelled
by conveying the boats on sledges to The near
est water, aud then placing the sledges on INC
boats and proceeding by waller until the ice eon'
them to reverse the order again.
The winter was an extremely cold ONE
Sixty degrees below zero was frequently record
ID, and the monthly averages were 80 ana ~
leg. below zero. The ice showed no Prospe''
II breaking up. Careful surveys were maze
ate as the LIST of May, when the water was y
east seventy or eighty miles from the ship
,eing, beyond question, that the ship must r'