The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1869-01-06

NEW ARCTIC ExPEplTIoNs:-H any one supposeS
that the yoyagiug to the North Pole and The Vcrlhca
ton of the theoretical open Polar sea- are puzzles given
IN Ms insoluable, he very much undertakes the conf
dence, plaek and enthusiasm OF Arctic explorers. IL
should correct this false impression by reading the adj
dress Of Dr. Isaac J. Hayes, delivered before the Amer
lean Geographical and Statistical Society last month,
and lust published in pamphlet form. The New York
Journal OF Commerce read it through, and laid it down
with the conviction that the gentlemen who have the
unrddng Of these mysteries at heart will not let them
selves the world rest ait helf afdeAt outie
been accomplished:
.From each failure (says the 4oprnaD they take
fresh courage and the nonsuccess OF the German and
Swedish expeditions last simmer is alluded to by Dr.
HAYES in his opening sentence as awakening Stun,
berne interest the progress OF Aretlc discovery
This IS simply true Every who is frozen to DEATH
or starved to DEATH in the Arctic waste, every dollar
expended in the vain effort to get the Pole, are in
the opinion of some persons, but reasons why other
men should be frozen starved, and thousands oil
other dollars sunk in the same gallant but CONNER
caIly) Improbable enterprise. This is human nature
and il is folly to quarrel with IT, @ s@
Dr. HAYES discusses the merits OF four routes, eact
one Of which has its enthusiastic advocates. The first
his own CHOICES that by Smith Sound. BY this
route the Doctor in 1854 reached the highest northern
land known. (Grinnel I4and) which he subsequently
revisited in 1861. There he saw the open polar sea
and dwc for months within the sound Of its beating
surfthe 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 distinguished
namps-such as Gen. Thomas /. Kane and Capt. Sila:
Bent, Z. S. navy. An expedition By this route conlc
fit out ut San Francisco, and finally start from Alaska
would enter tile 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 spitzenbergen Sea similar to those which exis
in Behring Strait The distinguished German geograph
err Dr. Petemann fayors this route and is now reht
ting lis expedition with two steamers to return to the
ground occupied and abandoned by it last summer
The fourth route is that to the east of DIR. Peter
mann's, between spitzhergen and Nova zembla DR.
Hayes regards this route out of the question At
tempts to follow the current il that direction have
been bad failures and there y strong probability
that after the ice has been penetrated extensive land
will be found lying to the north and east cutting off ar
entrance to the Polar Sea. DR.. Petermann's cxpedi
ton will be off again before can be fitted out from
the United States, and we presume that the American
people will be willing 10 wait for the results OF thai
attempt before rushing enthusiastically to the support
Of Dr. Hayes.