Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-07-25
NUMBER 4.


STORY OF MAN WHO LIVES AT TIE SoRru
FoLE-A SPLENDID COUNTRY AND THE PEo-
PIE THE ANCIENT NORTfMEN OF HISTORY
ETC.
The New York Nar publishes what it
claims is a letter from Wm. North. one of |
tho Arctic explorers who ACCOMPANIED Sir |
John Franklin on his memorable expedi- |
tl0n from England in 1854. North i, still |
in the Arctic regions, and. according to his |
statement great continent exists beyond |
the seas of ice. The Munchausen narrative |
was written on the white side of pieces of !
skin laced together with sinews. enclosed in |
a morticed log and set adzift Ii was pick
ed up in lIudson's bay, coniided to a gen
tleman in La Conner, Washington Terrific
ry, and by him forwarded here" The fol-
lowing extracts arc taken from North's let
ter
In May. 1854, being desirOus of leaving
England, shipped before the mast on the
Erebus, under command of Sir John Frank
lin. on an Arctic voyage. Before winter
We reached lat. y degrees north, in Wei
llngtOn channel This Was the highest the
ships ever got Capt. Franklin died Of brain
fever in 1857. We abandoned the ships in
April, 1858. Capt. Crozier decided to 20 to
80 degrees south. hoping to reach Hudson
hNl- OuE lEOhlSiUln UttDA lN8 tANlu~ttl
all but myself perished. | lay on the snow
inscnsiblc, when was rescued by some E.
quimSu ux and lived with them several years
From my observations became convinced
that there was habitable land farther
north. The birds and the animals often
came in large numbers from that direction
and then suddenly returned. The Indians
all had a superstitious fear Of going far in
that direction, and none who did 50 were
ever seen again. 1t was Supposed that they
persisted of cold and starvation, or were
killed by inhabitants beyond the mountains.
! concluded to push on to the north, and
reach the North Pole. OF perish in the at
tempt. No one would 20 with me, - |
went alone, taking two dogs and boat that
had rigged on runners This was on the
Greenland shore, as lar north as the ice
mountains, known to navigators ~ the
glaciers.
1t was the early spring Of 1850 according
to my reckoning. The season was the most
favorable had ever seen, and in two months
| must have travelled fully GOO miles, living
on game and seals killed on the way. | will
not dwell upon the perils and priyatiOns of
my journey, except to say that | had killed
my dogs to save US from starvation. When,
ON the goth of June, 1860, according to my
calender, passed out Ofa crevice or gorge
between two great walls of ice, Just in time
to escape death by falling mass larger
than ship, INTO an open space Of table
land, from which could see below me, and
stretching away as far as the eye could
reach, land more beautiful than England
or any other country had ever seen.
When my feelings had become calmer |
descended the mountain at the foot Of which
| came upon 4 village, in which there was
great crowd OF people, who seemed to be
celebrating a carnival or festival, being
clad in skins. | was greatly affected by the
heat and tainted. remaining insenSible
about two days. | was carefully attended
by the priests, but closely guarded. Soon
after was taken before the chief, who Is
called the Jarl, and received by him with
distinction. lie i nearly seven feet high
and splendidly made. lie is a blonde, with
long faxen hair, and Is about forty years
of age. The queen Is also a pure blonde,
very tall and beautiful. am learning the
language, which i very similar in sound to
the swedish | am almost sure the ruling
race here are the ancient Northmea Of his
tory. am sacredly protected and treated
with the greatest consideration. bat care
fully watched. The peasantry or serls seem
to be entirely another race and are swarthy.
| The people here worship the sun in summer
and the moon in winter. Soon after ! ar
rived, the sun commenced declining and
I finally disappeared on the 18th of October.
| appearing again above the horizon IN the
| lst day Of March showing that the day OF
summer here i seven and a half months,
/ and night or winter four and halfmonthS
in length"
! The remainder %! the letter Is given tu dc
/ -cription Of the vegetation. animals and
! mineral Scsour.cs of tire country. The trees
are very far, nd inclade cottonwood, oak,
! elm, birch and pine. The vegetation, grows
I rapidly in summer grass growing to the
height Of a foot in two weeks in June. The
animals are moose, reindeer, musk OK, bu!-
/ falo. bears. wolves. foxes, rabbits, etc.
/ There arc also horses, very snail and highly
/ esteemed The walruS and seal are d0meS-
ticatcd. and arc used for towing hargcs and
canoes on the lakes and rivers. They have
| grain in abundance, being wheat, maize
and barley also potatoes. apples. plumS,
1 and many varieties of berries. Geese, ducks
| and swans are numerous. Fish OF many
| varieties abound in swarms. the -llm0n be
ing fayorite. Iron l. plenty, mostly mag
nclic. Stone is also found, and there are
large quantities of very fnc granite. Pre-
cious stones, aS also gold and silver abound,
and fine diamonds are frequently seen. Gold
and silver. hammered into 0val-shapcI
pieces, are used for money. In concluding
his letter, North says
'' | have now been here about eleven
months, this being, according % my caloH
der, the 22d Of Ai.y 1861. and the heat Is
growing somewhat oppressive. They have
not offered me any violence. and do not
think they will. a. the priests are too anx-
ious to learn from me what they are salts
fed know. am learning their language
slowly but faster than they are aware shall
put this statement properly secured, in "A
seal-skin into the river, hoping but scarcely
believing, that it may pass the cataracts
and be picked up by some whaling ship or
other craft.
II. NJ. ). Erebus. Sir John Franklin's eTpe-
dition enclosed May =. ~