, 1860-04-13
A New Arctic EnterpriSe-Further Search
for the Open Polar Sea.

The result Of DR.. Kane's Arctic Expedi-
ton in 1854, it may be remembered, was the
discovery Of an open polar sea, lying to the
north Of Smiths Sound, in latitude SO 81.
Some doubt has been thrown upon this dis,
covery by the Royal Geographical Society
Of London, and we are glad to perceive that
DR. Hayes, who accompanied Kane on the
second Grinnell expedition, is about to un.
dertake another voyage 10 Smiths Sound,
in order to settle the question of tie exist
ence of open water i1SAat direction, and
with the expectation oGseaching the North
Pole
This is the greatest problem in geograph-
ical science which remains to be solved in
this age, and we hope that, for the honor Of
American scientific discovery and American
enterprise, the solution is destined to be-
achieved by this country
England has, through the aid of her gov
ernment, been extending her explorations in
the Arctic regions for the last hundred
years, while America has had but ten years
experience in like enterprises. In the dis
covery Of an open polar sea by DR.. Kane,
we have obtained in our brief experience q
practical result perhaps more important than
anything which British explorators have ar
rived at-second hardly to the discovery of
the Northwest Passage by Mcclure in 1858;
and it should be a matter Of national pride
and ambition to complete what we have so
well begun, when we find man like DR.
Hayes eager to brave the dangers and pri-
yations Of an Arctic journey, Of which he
h~- b.I !. ,,,...ss,l,o oxr-,a,s,r,eo
Dr. Hayes undertakes bis enterprise un-
der the auspices Of the American Geograph-
ical Society Of New York, whose action has
been sustained by the cooperation of almost
every scientific body in the United States
for instance, "the American Association for
the Advancement Of Science" in Baltimore;
the American Philosophical Society; the
Academy of Natural Sciences, Of Philadel
phia; the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Of
Boston; the Boston Society Of Natural His
tory, the New York Lyceum of Natural
History, and other learned bodies, have Ia
ken up the enterprise with warmth, and itsl
practicability has been advocated by such
men as Professors Henry, FELTON,, Bache,
Agassz, Silliman, Lowering, Hitchcock, and
other eminent men in the scientific world
The Geographical Society of Paris, and the
Royal Geographical Society of London,
among foreign societies, have also expressed
themselves favorably towards the enterprise
DR.. Hayes proposes, we understand, to
sail next May for Rensselaer, Harbor, in
Smiths Sound, where DR.. Kane made the
winter quarters Of the AdpaNoe in 1854,
and taking the western shore of the Sound,
which is more free free from the drift ice
than the eastern shore, which Kane follow
ed, to push on in boats run on sledges to-
wards the open Polar Sea, and on reaching
open water to make for the North Poe.-l
In the event of not finding everything IA
Vorable for water journey to the Pole, he
will return to the ship for the winter, and
at the opening Of spring will start with
sledges over the ice towards the Pole, hav-
Jug previously established depots of proyi-
sions along the route. The sum required
to carry out this enterprise will be about
twenty thousand dollars, of which ten thou
sand have already been raised. The FEAST
biity of the undertaking has been endors-
ed, as we have stated, by all the leading
scientific associations of the country; and
as an evidence of the interest which scien-
ti6c men individually feel ia it, and the
hopeful light in which they view its results,
we may state that Professor Bache has con
tributed the liberal sum of thousand dol
lars towards it. Being u matter not of
personal but of national interest, we pre-
sumo that the required amount will be cas-
ily realized from our merchants and others
who take q natural pride in the success Of
ON important enterprise like this, and we
hope to see the expedition of DR.. Hayes
put under way early in the coming summer.
1t is unnecessary to say that the projected
expedition has not for its purpose any search
after Sir John Frankliu'S crew-their fate
having been finally decided by McClintock's
voyage in the FOr-but simply confined to
the navigation of the open sca discovered
by Dr. Kane, aud reaching the long sought
for North Pole.
Sooner or later this object will be attain
ed, and we hope it is reserved for this
country to accomplish it. If success should
crown the efforts Of this new expedition,
the American Geographical Society, and
the other societies throughout the United
States which have co-operated with it, will
have done something more for science, in a
practical way, than anything they have
heretofore accomplished.-N Y Herald.