Year: 1871

\ Honolulu paper recently pub
lisled a statement that whale had


been captured in Behring sea with a


Larpoon in its body bearing the


the mark of a whaling-vessel known


to he cruising on the other side of
the continent. The story was re-
published in California and the East.
and brings out letter from an OBJ
server, who writes to the Tribune:


Many years ago a similar incident


was discovered in Nantucket. when


that port was the great whaling sta


ton OF the world \ harpooner.


who had Just arrived from a whaling
voyage, discovered a harpoon at his


hoarding- house. and recognized it as


a weapon which he had lost in a
whale il Baffin's Bay To his sur
prise he Was informed that the whale


had been captured Oft the Coast of
Japan in which the harpoon had


been found bv its new owner, and


on the men comparing dates. it was
found that not thirty days had inter
venel from the loss Of the harpoon


until the final capture oi the whale.


OF course it WAS impossible that
the animal could have gone around
Cape Horn in thirty days, but many


believed this to he the true sDlution


Of the enigma. and east doubts upon
the statements of the harpoonerS.


Bat these sailors were examined un


der oath, the officers Of their re-


opective vessels were communicated
with. and nothing could shake the
correctness OF their first statements.
The logs of hundreds Of vessels
were compared. with view to learn
the habits Of the right whale, and
to trv and discover some other cir
cumstances which would strengthen
the now growing belief of Polar
Sea. Much important testimony
was elected hv these examinations.


1t was discovered that the northern
and southern right whales We're dis
tiuct species. the former never going
further south than the 3Oth parallel.
while the latter never advanced
above the 10th parallel Of south lati


tude, the heated seas of the tropics
being apparently sea of fire
through which neither cared to pass.
SO the Cape Horn theory fell to the
ground. In corroboration of the
Polar Sea theory were the facts that
the breeding grounds of the right
whale of the north had never been
discovered; that these animals visited
the Arctic regions periodically for
that purpose, and that an open sea,
with a temperature moderate enough
TO admit Of the growth of the proper
food for the su~tenance of young
whales. must exist in that region.
Then. from the fact that currents of
warm water from the equator might
reach the North Pole with Il cores !
ponding decrease OF temperature,
which would make 1t about seventy !
five degrees. or fOrty-seven degrees !
warmer than the mean temperature |
Of the waters Of the known Arctic |
regions. The probable effect OF a
body Of water Of such a temperature |
near the pole was, OF course. mani |
fest to all. The waters of the sea
would be teeming with life, while !
its shores would be covered with |
verdure. even though it was shut OFT
from the rest of the world by an APP
parentiy impenctrable barrier Of ice.
Then arose the various exploring eX-
peditions, one after the other prov


ing unsuccessful, the most disastrous
of which was the unfortunate expe-
dition of Sir John Franklin. The
lamented DE-. Kane discovered an
open body of water, but whether it
was the true Polar Sea. or some |
smaller body of water living adjacent
to it, is question for further expe-
Gitions to discover.