Year: 1875

10 THE EDITOR OF THE d8BALO:-


In answer TO the request for my views respect
ing Arctic exploration will give them as fully as
am able to DO at present, being very much occu-
pieo. believe that the North Pole can ana viii
be reached. The Importance OF reaching 1t does
not consist merely in the geographical achieve
ment OF getting to the Pole, but in the scientific
results that win follow, and the large amount Of
scientific Information that can In any event be
gathered by well appointed expedition. There
Is no portion OF the globe where exploration is
more important, in scientific point OF view, than
in the region OF the Arctic. II would taKe
TOO much space in q letter like this to
enumerate the objects OF inquiry and point
out the great value to the world OF exact tnforma-
tion respecting them and It Is the less necessary
as they have been set forth at length and with
great clearness by Admiral Sherard Osborn, =
distinguished Arctic explorer and author. and by
DR.. Hooker, the most eminent man in England In
his particular department


LEGITIMATE MOTIVES OF 1xPLoRATIoN.


voyages OF discovery, moreover. 70 the unknown
parts oil the earth are not to depend upon the 40.
surance beforehand OF what they viii achieve.
They are not susceptible Of q commercial cal.
culation az to their results, nor is tha result
Of the undertaking insured as In an ordinary
voyage of commercial adventure. They are un.
dsrtaken because the region is unknown; because





specting the earth OF which he is an inhabitanr,
and because civilization, the well being Of man
and all that he now is is largely due to the growth
and Advancement OF suca knowledge. II mas not
unirequently happened, moreover. that the object
for which voyage Of discovery was undertaken
to unknown regions has not been attained, but
something different and greater. The object Of
the voyage Of Columbus was not the
discovery OF great continent, nor
did he suppose he had discovered one,
but died in the belief that The land he had found
was part of India. Voyages ior the discovery of
territory, Inhabited or lnhabttable by man, are
now very limited. bat thorough exploration of
the Arctic may, and in my judgment will. lead to
results relatively as important In the acquisition
OF large amount OF Information bearing upon
physical laws, now imperfectly understood, that
relate to the whole Globe, and will affect and
benenr every one who Is hereafter to live upon 1t.


THE BEST ROUTE TO THE POLE.


In respect to the most feasible route by which to
reach the Pole 1t s now pretty generally conceded
that the one by the way OF Smith Sound offers
the greatest advantages and Is the one also where
the largest amount OF scientific Information is to
be obtained. It s the one that Kane, Hayes and
Hail have done 80 much TO explore and which tho
many years insisted upon - the best and ear.
nestly advocated when, unlike the present gen.
eral Impression In favor Of 1t, there were only
q few persons In the world who like Admiral
Sherard Osborn. maintained that II was che most
practicable. By that route Hall went further
to the north with Q vessel than has yet been done
by any one. and did so In favorable season. with
out any obstruction or dlfnculty. 1t Is the route
to be taken by the expedition to be sent by the
British government next June. and, as far as such
a matter can be anticipated, the indications are
NnA eha AI>


MILD ARCTIC SEASON PREDICTED.


1t has long been observed BY our American
whalemen that severe winter in the temperate
regions Is generally accompanied BY an unusual de.
gree OF mldncss In the region OF the Arctic. I
called attention to this observation In my
annual address to the Geographical Society
In 1872, when the PoiarIs had long
been absent without being heard from. as holding
out the hope that the summer OF 1879 would be .
favorable one for getting to the north, which
proved to be the fact. The present winter. so far
has been one OF great severity. and Captain Gray,
from his observations OF the Arctic drift last sum.
mer, 10 OF the impression that nearly the whole OF
the ice was during the summer driven out Of the
Arctic basin. His observations, however, were
limited to the coast Of Greenland; put
other observers have noted that The low
temperature and drizzling mistness OF last
summer was quite exceptional, which is supposed
to be due to some unusual Arc:c influence. such 40
the southwark drt oflarge bodies OF Polar Ice and
possibly the removal Of some OF the barriers which
exist lween us ana the Pole. This suggestion Is
strengthened by the TACT ol the unusual number
oficebergs seen In the Atlantic last summer and
their existence 10 the Bay OF Blscay, an unususl
occurrence, as they generally drin southwark and
melt III the Middle Atlantic.


ExIsTENcE OF THE POLAR SEA DOUBTED.


The ability OF an expedition to reach the Pole
does not depend upon tho existence Of an open
Polar sea. The theory OF such o sea has been
maintained now Tor more tnan two centuries; put
80 lar a. my own judgment could be exercised, I
have never found anything In the arguments ad.
vanced 10 convince me OF the probability Of its
existence. Isay this however, vita great defer.
ence TO the opinion OF the eminent Arctic ex-
plorers who have heretofore thought. and those
VINO still think, otherwise. The indications, 1
think, from the discoveries made. are that the
,fta "A