Year: 1865

THE EXPLOITS OF ExPLORA.


TION.


There is an old nursery rhyme about man
who had Travelled, who his story unrayeled,
until he declared to them ell that he leaped
from The dome Of st. Peters at Rome, without
being hurt BY the fall. This jumping gentle.
man was universally regarded by his most in
innate friends as great liar, yet so was poor
Bruce when he brought back his wondrous
tales OF Abyssinian travel-tales the absolute
yeracity Of which has been amply confirmed
by more modern voyagers. A world without a
terra ineognid; with every square mile OF its
surface explored and mapped. with every
mystery Of It's geography reveaed; world
all civilized. with all its Wild beasts
either exterminated or domesticated, and
with all u wild men reduced
to peace and pantaloons; with the
North Pole fairly detected standing in its naked
simplicity of no latitude and no longitude at all
what dull, prosaic, clod-hopping world will
that be! Yet we doubt if the curiosity OF man
will ever be satisfedwith less. So long as there
Is known to be any corner unvisited, there will
be somebody burning to go there at the risk oil
being killed and probably eaten by the epicures
of the locality. SO long as there is one Alpine
peak, upon the very apex Of which human foot
has never pressed, therc will always be some
body icoparding his neck to get to the top OF
il, with q flag, basket Of champagne, and
barometer.


1t must have been something Of this feeling
which sent off Mr.. Boyle in 1c63-his book Is
lust published-inAamcd with the desire OF be-
ing the first white man to traverse the country
Of Borneo, from Sawarak to Pontianak. lie
failed in getting through; but he brought back
wonderful stories of the Dyaks, who believe IN
no Supreme Being except the Devil, and hold
even him in the greatest contempt, who get
very drunk on sour milk, and who keep colec-
tions of the dried heads of their enemies MIR.
BOYLE obtained these remarkable facts at the
risk OF his life. Now that the way is opened,
other travellers will run in, and risk their lives.
1t does not appear that anybody would be inn
medately profted, although our information
about the Dyaks should be rendered perfect;
but that will not prevent adventurous gentle
men from bringing us the information. 1t is
the old story of the North Pole, repeated with
tropical variations.


From quite another quarter, we receive anothc:
evidence of human proves One of the Alps,
the Aguille Verte, has thin crest rising to the
hight of 3,i32 feet. Nobody had ever reached
its summit. Tho happiness.of the human race,
perhaps, did not depend upon the accomplish
ment of this ascent, but the happiness Of a GER
tain Mr.. whymper did. So, Mr. Whymper
tried three times, and three times he failed.
Nothing daunted he made fourth attempt,
reached the top, and came down, with his bones
whole and his reputation established forever!
OF course, all Alpine explorers who have ever
gone up in glow Of exultation and come down
with their noses frozen, will now be miserable
until they have equaled the exploit of the great
Whymper. Some Of them will meet with the
fate of the young gentleman in Longfellows
Excelsior;" but that will make no difference
with the rest. They will keep going up to
glory or death.


A great transcendenta philosopher tells us
that it is worse than useless to travel, and that
one finds nothing abroad which, if he but keep
his eyes open, he will not find at home. This
calm view of domestic joys the world never has
accepted, and probably never will. 1t was
restless explorer who added whole continent to
the civilized world, augmented immeasurably
human happiness, and changed all the purposes
and prospects of human society. The first step
toward rescung country from barbarism is to
find the way into ii, and to master its
geography. 1t can scarcely be considered a
profitable use Of any land to leave 1t q nero
hunting ground, fall Of beings hardly