The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-04-24
Now Arctic Expedition.

Ifanv one supVo>es that the v~oyagiuG 70 the
North Pole ami the verihcauon OF the theoretical
ouen Polar Sca are puzzles given up a. insOluble.
he very much undertakes the confidence, pluck,
and enthusiasm ct Arctic explorers. lie should
correct his false impression by reading the address
Of Dr.. Isaac |. Hayes, delivered before the
American Geographical and Statistical Society
last month. and Just published IN pamphlet form.
The Journal ~ Commerce read II through, anu
laid it down with the conviction that the gentle
men who have tie unrlddiinS of these mysteries
ar heart Will not let themselves nor the world rest
until their arden: desires have been accomplished:
From each failure (Savs the JOIiyEcD they take
fresh courage. aud the non-succcSs of the German
and Swedish expeditions last summer IL alluded TO
by DR.. Hayes in his opening sentence a " awak-
cuinr a slumbcring interest IN the progress OF
Arctic discovery" This IL simply true. Every
man who IL frozen 10 death or starved II death
in the Arctic waste, every dollar expended IN the
vain effort to get to the Pole, are. IN the opinion
of some persons, hut reasons why other men
should bc frozen or stsryed, ami thousands OF
other dollars sunk in the same gallant but (com-
mercially) improbable enterprise. This Is human
nature. and it is folly 10 quarrel with II.
DIR. HAYES discusses the merits of four routes,
each one of which has its enthusiastic advocates.
The frst-hIs own choIce-is that by way of
Smith Sound. By this route the Doctor in 1854
reached the highest northern land known Grin
nell Iand) which he subsequently revisited IN
1851 There he saw the Open Polar Sea, and
dwclt for months within the sound of its beating
surf-the thermometer at the time registering as
low as forty degrees below zero.
The route by Behring Strait is the second which
he considers. This is championed by some dis
tinguished names-such as Gen. Thomas ID. Kane
and Capt. Silas Bent, L. ;. y. An expedition
hv this route could fit out at San Francisco. and
finally start from Alaska, would enter the Strait
and steer north and west in the wake of the
whales. which always seek open water.
On the side of the Pole opposite TO Behring
Strait, and ten degrees nearer to it, conditions are
to be found in the Spitzhergen Sea similar 10
those which exist IN Behriug Strait. The diStin-
guished German ge0graIEer, DIR. Petermann,
favors this route, and is now %refitJing hs eXpedi-
ton with two steamers to return to the ground
occupied and abandoned by it last summer.
The fourth route IL that east of DIR. Peter
mann's, between Spitzhcrgcu and Nova Zembla.
DIR. Hayes regards this route as out oftIe question.
Attempts to follow the current in that direction
have been bad failures; and there is a strong
probability that, after the ice has been penetrated,
extensive lands will be found lying to the north
and east, cutting off an entrance 20 the Polar Sea.
DIR. Petermann's expedition will he off again be-
fore one could be fitted out from the United
States and we presume that the American people
Will be willing to wait for the results of that at
tempt before rushing enthusiastically 10 the sup
port of DIR. Hayes.