The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1867-11-09
Arctic Land DIscoHcric--

AEsfNl ls.Alid ASl-to tElf-
One Of the most interesting items that we have
learned from the wh@leInen, who have cruiScd in
TIE Arctic Ocean tie past summer, i tie discovery
Of extensive land in tie middle oT tiat ocean.
which Iaay vet Prove - be "A Polar Continent.
the existence OF this land has long been known,
bat owing - the impossible ice barrie. along it,
shOre-, Oi it, cxtent and character nothing very
definite has been known, until ihis season. Baron
Wnngell. the famous Russian explorer. first com
INUNDATED - tine world the knOwiedsc OF it,
existence. -. he lea ned il from tie Siberian
Indians. and IL i simply marked On most Arctic
charts b. extensive high land"
Il should be stated that the past summer has
been the millest and mo-t favorable for whaling
ever known by cur oldest whalcnen. One master
-ay- that he did nut -ee a piece of ice A. large ~
bis hand till lie reached tie straits, aad even
beyond that, up - -. the -a Was generally
free from floating ice. Tie weather. for the
most part, La- been exceedingly mild. with s1u,h-
ery winds prevailing, which Las tcnfci to melt
the ice OF Dive it n1EthSaId. A a result Of the
favorable state Of the ocean and weather, the
ships have gyEe farther north this summer than
ever before, some having reached az Lish IL
latitude 50 30.
Capt. Long. Of the bark Nae, who seems to
have examined the land most atientiVely, having
crui-ei along the entire southern coast, has
drawn a sketch OF it, appearance. Ii is quite
elevated. and near the center has an extinct
crater cOne. which Inc estimated u be 2,+sO
feet high. lie namcl it WrGRgeTs Land,
after the noted Russian explorer. The West
point he named Cape Thomas, after the seaman
on hi ship who discovered il, and the >. +.
point, Cape Hawaii.
The name- given by Capt. Long are So exceed
inSiy aIproIriate, that ve doubt not tne Geo
graphical Societies of Europe and America will
adopt them and call this land =. Wrangcll's land.
Capt. Long Las prepared for u an account Of
this interesting discovery, which We insert here
HosoLrLr. Nov. 9th. 1867.
II. VI. WHITNEY. ESQ -SrE during my cruise
in the Arctic Ocean this season, / saw land no, laid
dOsn On any charts that I have seen. The land was
first seen from the bark Nile on the evening Of the
18th q august, and the next day at \ O'Clock, a. ".
the ship wa- l. miles distant from the ives; point Of
the land. / had good observations this day, and
made the west point 20 be in latitude 167 45' north
anil longitude us 90 east.
The lower parts Of the land we're entirely free from
snow and had a green appearance. as if cJyerei with
vegetation There vas broken ice between the ship
and land, but ~ there were no indications II whales
dill not feel justified in endelyoring 70 work through
it ani reach ,he shore, which I think could have been
lone without much danger.
We slilel 70 the eastward along the land during
the 18th and part q the 10th, and in some places
approached it as near a. 10 miles.
On the 10th the weather was very clear and
pleasant. AMI we had a good view Of the middle and
portion IF the land. Near the centre or about
in the longitude Of lSD= there is a mountain which
measurement l found il TO lie 2isO feet
high.
hal excellent observations on the 10th, and made
the southeastern cape, which I have nanel CAFE
HAWAII, 20 lie in latitude 20 90 north, and long
itude 17s= 81 west. 1t Is impossible to tel how
this land extends northwarl. but rs far as the
eve could reach We could see ranges Of mountains
until they were lost in the distance and I learn from
Capt. Bliven Of the ship .lau.Rus that he saw land
OF Herald Island. rs far north as latitude
The first knowledge Of the existence Of this land
E.s given 10 the civilized world by Lieutenant Fer
linani wrangeIl, Of the Russian Navy, (who 1 find
in 1870 was an Admiral in the same seryice). In
ls expeditions from Nishue Kolymsk in the conse-
-utiye years from ls20 TO Is24 he obtained informs
ton from the Tschuktschi that in clear days in the .
summer season they could see land north from Cape :
Iakan. In an interview with the kgmGkGi or chief /.
u one Of The Tschuk;schi tribes wrangell says: 4
" When asked him whether rh-r- 49, any other Land 10 tie :
.ad then AID that bs.wecn Cair EEa ScAsaE-<sD and Cape I
IL .iaID- tCsGs NoIiaJ tt~s res q pat T re e.a,f; HA"s :
RON ss"s et[s sssr re masf4 Ola Tirt-, one nigA', ia a ,
>r~T"' ffg- 4F"-r" 'reT -1se-'f ~rFrs7f7s ~fr ]