, 1876-11-16
ARCTIC EVAPORATION.

Extracts from Cnrt. SAres' OiElcinl Report to
tho EnElial, Admiralty.
LONDON, Oct. 3l.-The following particulars
regarding the stay Of the Alert aiid Discovery
~ tho Arctic Occnn aru COUPLED lrutn Capt
"lnstcad of land extending far toward the
north, .aa reported by the Polaris,. Roheson
Channel opens dircctly into tile .rolar Sen.
Pushing to tho nortllwar1l hcyond the chan-
Il II a sS 1Ssf saessa wr to s'pss sss y aSy VIZ
ter of nm exposed coas. in latitude 81 deg. Il
luln. north. Tho slcslgo crews, Will, very severn
labor, travelling northwara over extraordinarily
snvy n sf %e.s una11 ,.v,,s t1 a.
distance III 400 miles still to l'o Travelled oyer
l,cforc the polc is rcachctl. between Melville
hay anl tho entrance IL Smith Susnl no ee VIVA
met; but on tl.o 3all otIu!y the pack WIS sight
Purt Payer TOR several tlays; IN at
tempt being male to Ersccc,l further
nor.llward BY, passing to tIlo westward. Of
not ,ca'llnE into tho wlshctl-for direction t!oo
ships returned. 1t IL still uncertain whether u
ci,anncl exlhts communicating with the wcstcrn
sca hy llnycs Sound. The npcHing cxtuntio II
OTIS t>lr,., which prevent tho lce frs'n' etcarlng
out until late III tlle srasot. ~ fast start waA
mac IN Aug. q, but before reaching tho ell1ro
uf t;rinlel! Land the ships wcrg ct.ught IN liz
pack. After this tatc thu procrcrs to tho
nUrthwaru WIS n1 Mps3a,It struggle with
thu ivc; mud. nltluuytl HI snylc nppnr-
ttlhIty wa4 lust, aIlyAllcc WAS only r,sn!hit fnr
short distances ut n tiIin whenever tho wind
or current fnrfttti lanes Of water hstwcen the
Ire mud thu land: Sd CLOSE was the IL, TINT o,,
every nesasm thr water channel by whcl, the
ship advanced v.vy tu,, clnAetl hehti,l II, rem.
lcrlns Il rs difficult tu return as u prsrrrd
nurth. In tht 2Stli uf August. after many
llaiflirra4th escapes, wcll-ihtltrrsl lariur was
relrllc.t uh tho wrst shse uf flalFs lnsin, North
of l.na!y Franklin Sound, III Latitude ii degrees
A minutes ,n,rth. Hero tho Discovery wns s..-
carri fnr the wlntcr, u few mlfra nntth 1T
r"lxrls l'ay, whtcl! was IN sight un the "p1o'tc
'rte Alert. pushing onward, rhllVlul tho
northeast pusnt of Grant l.aEa, but inettasi II
finding rnniiniuus cuast-ltn lcatllns l1l IuIles
further toward the n9rtl, as every o',e la !!, ss.
was evidently very extensive sea, with I'm.
VaNrtrahe fru nn every SIDE. M harth}r being
Nhtainuhlr, the ship WIS srenvel Us fnr nprth rs
E'sslhlc, insflo shcltcrlnE lAsrcr nf grounded
The winter. During her stay. III eleven
months na lavl.aIo elansW u wntcr
Iscr,attng further nlva,nV 10 thr norlllwnrtl
ever presented I!ssll. In lIcl. u il'nlHg M
asc anl lh!tknrrs, Resembling, III Il ''srkc'! ic-
gree, sA,th IN appearances aud turnlatill,, Inv
l'uattE icehcrgs, rather than ordinary saltwater
Ice. II las tM,w iccn termed he "Sea af Awicnt
4fc1'-kltS ll1iCtk@ f9ktE VI AUA IL
slrn,uled n,ass nf t.c broken awny from MI leo
iioc las ltcrn ,Ia,Itctl I!ucl,crg. Whereas nrl-
nary ,ru IL usually frun twu feet tu ten feet IN
tAkncss. that III the Polar s.'a ~ consequence
10 tl,s southwark In nuy lp,,rec.ablo
quantity, gradually increases In nse and
tlrkness uutll Il H,caalEps iron, eighty feet tn
lsD feet, floating with its surface Vt tho lH~cst
Us II may appear, ahls extraordinary tllirkntss
II the L:n savtal tho shEp from being driven on
shoru; lus owlug ~ Its Greai depth VI lotatlor,
Vi ueaIiug tbs shallow bc1gh II grounded aud