New-York tribune., 1876-12-19
,ctsd that the North Pole would be reached

DecTeO JilhJ Lne NOith ViO "N
remain disappointed.
In this controversy the point OF mos'
J Importance with reference to future ex-
peditions is the question Whether tne
PalaOcrystic Sea is or Is not penetraoio'
Clements r. Markham, the geographer, nas
contributed valuable data on the suDJeet
showing thai in three or four previous IN
stances this sea has been reached by eX-
plorers, and that Capt. CollinsOn in the Enter
prise and Capt. Young in the Pandora nao
each started sledge parties on the ancient ice'
but found travelling upon it impracticapie'
It's boundaries are given as follows: south Dy
the shores of North America; east by Banks
and Patrick Islands, Grant Land, and the
north coast of Greenland; west by hellett
Land and other unknown lands north
of Siberia. This gives 1t about LOU miles
from north to south and the same from east 10
west. Mr.. Markham complies the descriptions
of those who have seen this ice; they agree as
to its rugged and formidable character Capt.
Payer adds his testimony as to the character
of circumpolar ice, though what he met was
not within the boundaries named, his expe-
dition having gone north between Spltzbergen
and Novaya Zemlya He thinks that the ice
surface grows more and more rugged with
higher attitudes There seems to be general
admission that no ship can penetrate this sea
with safety, for although inlets may at times
be found, they lead nowhere and are liable to
close suddenly. The theory of an open Polar
sea beyond this ice has few remaining
adhcrents.
But though all that is stated respecting the
a, DoJo IL Snan NAV
ted and given full weight, the possibilities of
a nearer approach to the Pole are not at all
exhausted. II is agreed that the ancient ice
moves at times, its direction OF movement
being determined by the prevailing WINDS.
The latest studies of DR.. Emil Bessels LEAD
him to n different conclusion about the tides
of Robeson Channel from the opinions he pro-
mulgated after his return from the P0arIs
expedition. He then regarded those tldes as
coming from the Pacific Ocean, by way
of Behring Strait; he is now convinced
that either the whole Polar basin has
tidal wave of its own or the tides observed
at the head of Smiths Sound come thlther
around the north coast of Greenland. IL the
aforementioned suppositiOn be correct the
Palaocrystic Sea is not land-lOcked on the east
by Greenland, and its ice may float out In fav-
orable years But il that coast does border 1t
and stretches northward to the Pole, the
Greenland shore may yet yield the coveted op-
portunity to sledging parties. What is needed
in Polar expeditions hereafter is permanence
in the undertaking. A sea voyage to the Pole
may perhaps be "mpracticable :" that attempt
need not again be made. But stations could
be fitted for the work of sending out cOasting
expeditions, at a fraction of the cost of dis
patching the Alert and Discovery, that could
be kept in operation steadily, year after year
1t may not be needful to place these stations
in the highest accessible ATTITUDES. DR.. Bes-
sells has recently shown, however, that the
general temperature of Polaris Bay is consid-
erably higher than that of localities south OF
it, and he concludes that the climate OF West
Greenland is of an insular character up to that
point, where 1t becomes continental ana
milder. From such considerations it is evident
that the time has not yet come to abandon
Smiths Sound as route for Polar expedi-
tions. though just at present it is much de-
cried by Englishmen.