The New York herald., 1876-12-30
THE LAST ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
NEW YORK. DEC 27. 1879.


ton of important intelligence | promised in my last
communication some further rcmarks, but there secms
TO be nothing peculiarly except the following par.
agraph which quote from she Official account OF the
expedition gwen to the Admiralty by is com.
mander Captain George s. Mares, r. \.
Captain Mares says 't is necessarily an unthankful
ONCE TO lind fault with our predecessors Navigators
be careful how they from the chart
names given by the original discoverers, merely be.
dnring gallo OF wind bearing or an estimated
distance triae wrong; and when the corrector
in:prover is also himself considerably wrong. and In
fact produces more unreliable chart than the arss
one. he deserves blame The names given to the head
lands undoubtedly discovered by Admiral lngleneid
should not have been altered Drs Kane aud Hayes"
All persons interested scientific discovery antici
pated, and not without reason most important re.
from tins masnGcenlly equipped expedition.
Nothing equal TO II had ever been known beiora
Hitherto private enterprise had, for tho most part
developed what the world knew OF the Arctic regions
In act the merchant had in that quarter in ever,
other been the real the promoter OF ds
covery through others IL WIS the merchants who
sent out Balfn and Hudson and Barreniz, and almost
every other navigator who figures in Arctic history;
and, in fact, where the world has the merchant not
been before any other who represented the recog
nizcd civilization OF the age? Asia tie dcid Of his
exploits before the world even known bc round.
II was tho merchant who nrst sent the sailor into
South Sea, and the merchant who hrst conceived OF
northwes passage to India. In later tmos gov
ernments have organized expeditions discovery,
the OF Parry Ross, franklin and Others but
no instance was there such free Will Offering made
that which brought forth the expedition,
comprising the two fine SHIPS Alert and Discovery,
which, under tho command Of Captain Narcs were
expected finally do what British pluck and vaor
and patience had failed to do during than three
centuries OF persistent effort. But now turns
that the best that be given why the North
pole was not reached by Captain Mares were, In the
first place, that his peopo were stricken with the
scurvy in the second that his American predecessors
did not make good maps; and, in the third, that he
came upon Pal;eocrystic sea.
Smith Sound tho field OF Captain Nares' ex-
piots. Banin discovered II in 1915, Ross looked into
1t 1918. and Captain lngleled (now Admiral) entered
II IN 1852 and sighted certain points OF land both
upon the eastern and the western sides, giving them
certain lngeleld is gallant sailor and =
keen-eycd photographer and less energetic mau
might well, under tho peculiar circumstances of gale
OF wind and u danger from drifting ice, have done
nothing at ALL But he did land, and located
best no could. After him camc Dr. Kanc,
who, with better opportunities for observation,
failed 10 recognize the points laid down BY
his predecessor but in every case he retained
the names used by Captain Ingcleld In designating
headands where It possible to reconcile tho point
Of previous discovery. More than this. IngleAed.
having applied name LouisAN apocon Island, which
must clearly have been discolored iceberg, DR..
Kane selected the conspicuous point OF Grlnnel
Land lying the direction OF this supposed island and
my suggestion, as Its real discovercr gave II
the name Cape Louis Napoleon. II Captain Mares bad
troubled himself examine DR.. kane's maps would
have found thereon Cape Hatherton Littlcton Island
Capc Sabine and many other easily recognized land.
marks having Captain lngieheld's names attached
thereto. II he will look my charts he Will lind
thereon nearly every name which was used by Captain
Ingefcld his discoveries More than that
he may lind something 10 hts satisfaction down the
less important hale Sound, where Admiral lnglehed
thought he had discovered four large Isanos-to wit
Northumberland, Herbert, Milne anu Tyrconnel-
which Stands separated, he conjcctured, from
the mainland by q strait, supposed by him 80 lead
through Greenland, and which he called Nurchson
Strait 10 1861 made pretty thorough survey Of
that supposed strait. Milne and Tyrconne Islands
proved 10 Capcs. These names werc however, re-
tanned my CHART were indeed all others which
he had applied aud Murchlson strait proving to be
only great inlos as The only means had OF mani
testing my admiration or a brave and accomp pushed
navigator. called II Ingleield Gulf And here may
add that Tor this well courtesy have had tho
thanks, compliment 10 good Infections which
my last successor IN smiths Sound has, II would
seem failed TO appreciate, IT. indeed, II should prove
that be had even 50 much as acquainted himself with
the charts With which he finds iauL In my last letter
l explained the peculiar difficulties under which my
charts made, aud should certainly be very much
surprised II they had proven TO be entirely accurate
From the outset, Mr.. Editor, have entertained but
opinion with respect to tins British expedition liz
results rot commensurate with Its promises
opportunities. Yet tor this there might be many K.
which would be satisfactory upon explanation.
but to be told by captain ol the Royal Navy that
navigation among floating ice fields troubled him
cause Americans had not laid down the land with
winch had iittlc do) exactly his hiking strikes
me something rather odd when recall the
OF other British captains like Cook and Parry.
But this paHocrystc sea or that Is what Captain
Mares calls the great impeachment his progress after
he had nearly to the end OF the American charts
which he hnds troublesome TO his uticxl soul.
Paseocryst,cl Referring to the dictionary lind
aiai 10 mean "iong ago. and krystic, or k,ystaOs,
clear crystal and putting the together
and referring 10 The map, md there ancient
long a.o sea OF crystal which people asked 10
believe in, aud which they might perhaps believe in
only for the little circumstance that lead line
dropped through hole the Pa:eocrystic and that
seventy oda iathoms OF clear water ound there
Now II the Greek krysdtio had reference to clear
water might understand this. But the Greek MUD
evidently did not so corcelvc II. Hc meant frozen
water ia other words ice, aud clear ice no doubt a
that Then how could ncre have been a sen Of water
and OF Ice. and the whole palieocrystic? And
how much palnocrystc did Captain Mares aug hroughf
The whole matter rs confusing The pa.;eocrystic was
he reports, I50 feet thick. WELL he dug all the
way tnrough, as reported then II would seem as II
Captain Mares X. NJ should he entitled TO moro
reputation practical engineer than has earned
s Arctic explorer
A word in conclusion n letter which read In this
murnng's HERALD relative to plan tor reaching the
North Pole. he plan Is practically modification Of
my own, published many time during the past ten or
twelve and founded personal experience was
simply to establish permanent depot Port Foulkc
the mouth OF smith sound, latitude IS deg. IL
min, where game is abundant-such reindeer.
bears, birds, walrus and sea--and the always
open during hall the year and accessible as
the coast oi Labrador. From this port a steamer
should be pushed north as far possible. Communi.
could always be kept up between this advance
ship aud the port. The port should be annual CON-
murication with home Suppl es always thus ccr
tanly furnished sick men annually south and new
recruits coming TO take their places, pcrmanen or
ganzaton could be established tor the survey OF the
whole region. once went far q 10 write land
! have not changed my mind that profit enough
might be derived from the colony al Port Fouke, in
the shape OF oil, furs, walrus IVORY cider down, &C.
TO Keep up the work. Had the Brush expended
$50 900 IN this manner instead OF fifteen times that
sum, they did, vast amouLt OF good would have
resulted to science. and in te end Pole would have
been reached However, be this " may OF one
thing we may be SURE and thai ~, finding captious
auIt with American charts will hardly mend matters
with Captain Mares, X. ~ ISAAC HAYES