Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-20

Pole. She reached Disco on the 9TH of Au-
gust, and sailed from Upernavik on the 18th.
Melville Bay was unexpectedly clear Of ice,
and was crossed without any mishap. The |
ice foes were first reached in Lancaster |
Sound, and here were encountered the first |
great difficulties Of the expedition The
vessel was forced through the vast fields or
packs Of ice across the Sound, and then the |
entire length of Barrow's Strait. Naviga-
ton was here impeded by dense fogs which
made objects at few feet distant invisible
Proceeding slowly, however, the steamer
reached Beechy Island on the 25th OF Au-
gust. Here considerable excitement was
caused by the discovery Of the schooner
Mary, which had been abandoned on the
beach there by Capt Ross twenty-five
years ago. The schooner was still standing
with riasts upright, where it had been keep
ing its lonely yigils over the wild wastes Of
Arctic desolation since 1850. The buildings
and store.house erected for the benefit Of the
castaways Of the ice-bound vessel had been
broken into, and the clothing and provisions
had been scattered aud destroyed by the |
Polar bears, who seem TO be the only rob |
hers in that region. The tracks of the rob |
bors were visible in every direction, leaving
no doubt as to who the offenders were.
Here also the headboards over the graves
of Sir John Franklin's men were discovered
standing upright, and in good preservation.
Al. ..gt ~ tkf
dora left Beechy Island, for Peel Strait, and
there she encountered vast fields of pack ice,
which made the passage Of the vessel almost
impossible. But with great difficulty, she
worked her way on, and soon passed the
farthcst point reached by McClintock, when
in search of the relics OF Sir John Frank
ill., From King Williams Island, the Pan
dora proceeded to the west coast of Prince of
Wales Land, and there the adventurous
yoyagers experienced the most delicious
weather. The sun was its maximum hight
above the horizon, aud there was no evening
or morning, but day without night. The
ship at length made Behring's Straits, and
the captain hoped to reach Bellot's Straits,
but on reaching Rouquette Island, 1t was
found that recently formed ice, and ice al.
ready forming, stretched across from side to
side at the mouth of the Straits and per-
fectly blocked its entrance. The vessel re-
NAMED at this point till the 9TH of Septem-
Der, when finding no hope of being able to
effect the passage this season, its officers de-
cided 10 return at once. The return voyage
was made without adventure or any note.
worthy event.
The scientific results of this expedition
are inconsiderable-n much more, perhaps,
than those connected with the late observa
tions Of the transit of Venus. No dscoverie,
fore. The North Pole still remains invisible
Even its peak could not be discerned abov,
the horizon, and we are as yet ignorant OF
what national colors float from its top. The
novel music of the waves of the open polar
sea was not heard as they beat quietly OF
the rocky and ice-bound shore. There /,
only one thing that this expedition has as
certained, aud that is the feasibility of steam
navigation in Arctic expeditions. Thi,
makes it possible to reach as high atitud,
as men can reach, and return before the win
ter sets in. The celebrity of such voyage
does not diminish the opportunity to make
all necessary scientific observations, and ye
allows the navigators to return without max
ing sacrifice of their lives TO mere chmera
or to an utter impossibilty. The whole lin'
of Arctic travel is strewn with the bones Of
persisted sailors. Nature, with its impassa
BILE barriers of ice, has forbidden human ap
proach to its utmost regions. There arr
lonely Businesses, whose character is know
well enough 10y deduction and analogy, OF
which she has placed her mterdict. To at
tempt to reach them is like the attempt /,
reach the batteries of Balaklaya. 1t may b,
heroic. but it is impossible. 1t may be al
venturous, but it is absurd.
This recent expedition has shown all tn
desirable results Of such adventures as cai
1t is true, it has added nothing to our stool
of knowledge. 1t has not given us a nortl
west passage, any more than the recent oil
servations of the transit of Venus across tn
disc of the sun has given us a route TO tn
moon. II has not discovered the ruins q
tho cities of an extinct civilization, on IN
shores of an open polar sea. 1t has knocke,
like all former expeditions, vainly againi
the frozen gateways Of the North. But
has shown IA how they who desire to i'm
tate the perilous past may do it with IL
least risk TO their lives.
Scientific men are wont to comment on Il
absurdties of religious teachers, and smi
at the crcdulities and extravagances
faith. But faith may equally laugh at Il
absurd movements of science. Paul, decla
ing the unknown God to the ignorant Ath
nians Luther, mailing his theses on the doC
of the cathedral Edwards, sounding II
depths of the moral government and unye
ing the nights of religious faith, are no mo
absurd, if half so much so, as Huxley, vii
his microscope and nettle, searching for Il
origin Of life, as Darwin, with his monke
and apes, looking for the prototype man
as Ross, Kane, McClintock aud Mares, pus
ing their researches into the boundess, il
passable fields of northern desolation, to fl
the point of the earths axis.
We admire daring spirit Of investig
ton and inquiry. So long as anything
mains possible TO be known, IT is mob
thing TO search for it, at any expense
risk. But it is well to recognize the lilni
of knowledge, and TO accept the fact tn
there are things which are rigidly denied
sense or reason. The North Pole is one
those things. The secret OF life is anoth,
The origin Of man is another. The desee
Of the species is another. The mystery
evil aud death is another, aud the realms
life and Immortality are another Nature h
its penetralia, into which science cam
enter, which it is permitted only to faith
traverse. Religion also has her seer
things which are known only to faith
know where to begin TO believe, aud whe
to stop investigation, is the point Of hum
wisdom. But that there are things TO
seen and known, that lie beyond the ken
vision or science, Is as obvious as that Il
aud two make four. II will, doubtless, ne,
be given TO man to look on the spot whC
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