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TO THE NORTa^POLE I
:.? JThat renowned' ^Arctic explorer, Captain
Slierard^ -Oabbrne,;. addressed'^ ?brilliarit;
jnbetirigpf the ^by^'-^ographical Spciety
ori , the : 2t2na ; April,. ,? when Jie 'made' an
earnest ana - impressive - appeal- in favor
of another Government expedition; being
?fitted . out. to endeavor to ' reach; '.if pbs
.sible,,!th^Nbfjbhern,Bble. Kenukauig'the
.meeting ,pf the views he i.had promulgatgd
;seyen years ago as to the best route to-be
taken,; anid the 'likeliest means to be
adop$edv f or i the. -accomplishment of thje
idesired o.bj^t, jhe^fixrm^'thajb, the iwhole .
prpgresaof Arctic vbyaging^since that date
?only-proved-topre strongly than ever the
;cbrrecfcness of the views then ^eriunciated.
At. that tinie an^mirient. JGrernian. !gep
graplier advocate^., 'against three .cen
ttjriesv; of English f. experience, a
idjfferent route, fpllowihg- what^ he .?be
,Hpved»tP bej a 'cuirerit of warm- water
flowing to the -nprth-easi; towards Spitz
ber^en, and jfova Zembla, considering
that a way might be there found tb. 'the
circumpplar area, w^ierehe (the^Crerman)
thought a navigable, sea existed.' This
'difference of opinion in 1865 so unsettled-,
the mind, of the. then. First Lord -of the*
{ A-dnuraltyfr-the1 .Duke of ' Spmerset--^that
^hfe^refusea; tp ^haye^any thing io.. db:: wjith ,
'further, j^pedjtipns until Arctic authpri-j
ties haij made up their minds as tp which
was the proper nhite.; ; ?Theiresult bf the
'German efforts ''haa,lioweyer, coiifirnied
the: view held: by the, English ^royagers—
that there ? was no navigable passage ber. :
tween Greenland and Bpitzbergen, and,
Captain Carl Goldwegj who commanded
the German' exjieaitionj became satisfied
of It himself, forik May, 1871, he said:—.
'OneiCari hardly \ resist the conviction:
that the hope of - attaining, the North
Pole* by- ship; or- of finding ah open sea
around the Pole, .are alike ampng the
irio^t imptobabjle of things. I am. quite
-of Dsborne's opinion, that the best way
appears - to ;be through ; Smith's .Sound, ?
where you can penetrate every year to
tbe 78th parallel, where there is a line of ;
coast runri'iriw. north which .lias 'Been'1
sighted to 82°, along which one would
?haye to work one's way with . dog-,
sledges.' Captain Osborne then ., re
ferred- tP ? the Swedish expeditions
between 1858 and 1868, who recorded
their opinion that an open Polar sea was
mere hypothesis, destitute of all founda
tion from experience, and they, too, en
dorsed the opinion- of 'EngliBh^BxploTers
that1 thebon^rr pTobabifity-of^ucceedk^
^a4fby; dpg-Bledges' *ri tpie;: iBgring;' The'
gallant captain then .gaye^Bii interest1
ing - sketch of a voy;age, iriaae. by
two Austrian: omcers. .. in -.1871, ? who
thought ??? they could f bliow. . the I aupr
ppsett Gulf Strieam. ' ^tSrtiag1 onfthe
2l4€ \oi - (Jun|^ ;oti 7 thp 19th; pf; Aiigasii
they. reacHeiL. .Hope: jCsiajipL^ ^here :rSiey;
found a :current .runnw'g^W.S^^rjfchiFee,
knots an hdur.- On the 21st they Teached^
77 !-ie^. 17 inin: N, , iancl between: the 28th
Irid .36tli. degj bf longitude '.found.; ^uch
ighter ice, but they were ^envelppeii ^.an
eternal fog; and on the 29fch August, in
41 ideg. 30 min. E.longitude^iey struck
against the ice Pdge. -On, 2na September
they reached 78 aeg^ 37 iniri.' N.',:' where
they Jpuna. very .thick fog, .^rithcqntrjtty
winds -, but. , diminishing^ depth pf ;_ - water,
and many other signs which led them to
iiifer' the near.i;neighborhood jof - land.'
All these signs pointedi «aM the captainy
rto the existence of land^ ana bynbmeans
to an roperimg. ;into;thaP,olar seas. TTie
little' :.craf t ! possessed, by the Anstrians
(Pnly STO tons) was then (Compellejito. ifecirn
ba-ik, effecting its escape amidst iriuch
-peril. ; .After reviewing many Otnerpbints
of, the, argument, the', captain ~saSl;;-iha€— ?
; ?'. Another severi.years' ia^Qr^had^oj^coii
firmedV.plE -Arctic experience that the oUtponr
of &e Polar ice y^p.B tbb.Ji4ayyai^,vcpntSnxiqiis
from Gillie's, Land to Greenland f ojp .any ship
to, penetrate., throj^h it. ' TJiai outpour ; was'in
ces^atit both Bujnni.er and .Viater/and'Bledging'
experlitions ajb any seaison of the year north ^rard:
from .SpitzbergenY^otila encounter -the. sarnie
d^ool^iie^Vhioh -Parry' had ,;in J(8|!7.:,7^fhere
was 'evidently ;: land; to the :n0^rJihwiTa of 'the.
Kova Zembla aea, ,and the sojitli-^rest' gales of
the! Atlantic forced np a 5 hp&y 'of ^arm water
?ia the anttmn- by. ^iiich^a . rpp^ njijht_.be
found rouni^oVa Zambia' into the open witer
on the- Siberian coasts. That was already'
proved '? tb : i»e \ possible ' by ; iar Norwe^iaa,- Ca^-'
tain;Mack. On these grounds; and -those before
stated ifl his previous paper,- he urged the JSoyal:
GiepgrapbicS.1. Society -tomtom tteh- earnest at
tention dating the present summer and autumn
towards a resumptioii of- the exploration of the
PolaT area by way of BaflWs Bay land Smith's
, Sound, a'udby means ^ofj Pledge travelling par-
: ^ies, such as had. ' explored so many: turtdred
jnileB'of coaiBtiinBlatdraler yeira. r(Thatfoiite
recpniingHaBdifeBlf-^firBtj 'bedauBe^it' was the
naoat :advan'c€fd*knowQ j-63ttion towards the
Polar :afea3 ''with almost continuous land
o^tenaing -Jtb- 82 ^leg:= K. lat.? secocdlf,
tSat /'ffcbA it,'t-rihe Tnorth-east and vest, ^m-'
ipprt'antgeographicVl result awaited them 5 and
thirdly, .Because :that route ofiEered the best
guarantee fot^ie safety of ih7e people employed
in the exploration of rEpvSst'aii known area;1 -: He
trusteS,. fot 'the 'sate of hia^ottii&y and ban
profession, that the Admiralty might be induced
to open to the Rbyal Navy this fieldvfor glorious
enterprise and- national renown. :tt would; be
-a .'crying disgrscs ? if *he accomplishment - of
Polar a&ctfvfery-f-a labor undertaken by British
seamen and eiplbrers'iafihe time of Queen
'^iliaaljefchi afid^odtintied to that of Queen Tic
toria^-^hpuld be. achieved bythe sailbrs orek
plorers bf other naiions^ ' Hathef than Baa those'
laurels wrong ;ffo^n-»s,r he ,wonldi inuchjajs-he
oeneveq in sne, aayaniaga anq^jCertauity ot a
Govef ninent expedition, jwlyocate an': appeal on
the part ^of the ISociety Ja».j set.iortV a- private
expedition in - the i^prijig, pt tix&j&jf JL573. '' ;. .
';; It-is (mite, certain that any thing, Jike a
serious- Attempt to organise another* Go
vernment e;xpMitibn to tfep Kortbi'Fole'
will be met ;^ith;f esoiate-^j^oaM&n.' ; It
wiil_~be -.aenp'unied. asJ^.'Jiras'te:',o? jhpney.
a sacriBce ^^ofolijEejiand ^^ins^ineqlej^rmi-
nation: -to 'accomp^h tt'an«'I«bject:ntterly:
usjelesa rand ' wprthi^Sj'''even:: if attained.
No dbubt.mnch may b^::;saidt»i' each 'of
thiese' grounds ';:ft|ut1ti^e', is ^?eit^.fprce;
in| ;SheEard; Osbprne's.cjpsuig remarks,
that it ^ould. be a lasting :disgrace'tp
England i£, after having -for titu?ee-«en-j
tdri^ kept the lead in every; -deyenpfion
pfi njarfiiiie entefprise, she V^ere ijtovr to
surrender to the flag;of '«pn\e ^ pther ppuni^ry
lite crowning j*1ioi.y which ironld .accrue
frpm Jhe' Bolutipnof sd-greai^a - physical
problem^ - atfd,that the 1 problem^w^lbe!
w-lv)eai-fif, inb^by; '.!Qxf0, ;^BfitSSni '?tTifen
by^ome^ofher 'iisttipn-^ria ii^feJthan'prQr
bable. : . -.; TherCaare jnumerous eypedlfeipnf.
no wr^eparingto.start.'aponthis haaiBicdousi *
yet sFascina'ting; enterprise/ and- af -least
pikej^ pr two. have, .in all ':!probabtliir^
aliread/ s^edr7THe^w^bK-expea^io'nj'
nndei . Brpf e|p^ ^:Ndrp?e^kio|p^ isi,ieady
to star^.VanaJ.great.t]iing6 .are; anticipated
from it «± 'Stockholm, as it ia equipped
lA 'the1 ?most -: thotongh -manner, with;
e^eirv' descriptfen'of iicieJitffie appliances,
and. three ^years' ^tpre^ 'of aff kuids.;' A;
nfew Austrian expedi^Hpi^w!^: tp jsaiijBrpm
Bremen .HaVen about the ? end pf .Jtiine,
iwlhich ' -Dr» Pefcermann, : and ri the: other
leading^ German -gebgfaphefs,: desipriate
;'ithe greatest : event in; 'the histpry rpf
modern' Arptip explpiiatioih..''f . This is' also;
prQvisione.a for itjirjee: yearsi the V firat
winter to' be spent oa Oape Tschelinskin
,.{the most northern promontory of Asia),
thence^in the^Jfoiiowing summerr^ex
pidring tke central, i^plar Qce^nj ^witi. an
'pffp^-to-ieach the Pole;: i&e .secpna
wiirferiio be,«pent on the new Siberian
Inland, -and the tbird«summer to'-be spent
in'rea^yng' Behrihg's Straitk r.^nd ' an;
?Americaii or '^iatic'.liav.en, There are
also .several private: expeditions.' .Opiint
Wilezek has chartered a vessel, and- will
accompany' the Austrian ? party to the
most northern ? coast: of {. Nova Zembla:
Two Nbtwegiari steaniers of the 'seal fleet
will make a venture this year, and
another whaling captain of 'm\ich: iexpe
riehce has signifiedhls intention of search
ingtheSiberianiee-sea. Ia France, Gustave
Ambert has? advertiser! 'that;:he weuia
take an expedition ? out this summer:
Theii theM is an American expedition,
under Mtessra. Hall and Bessejls, which
-rill start rfroni -the American piae, and
attempt to reach the Bole ,-in. the coarse,
oiEthe present sutnnier. There may also
be others, ana brbbably will be, when
once- ihe.' supreme; .. e^orfe is : deterniined
upon:;-:and it,''is-?^erefore, not to' be.
Pondered aC . that 1 Captain. Sherard'
Osbome's; /appeal in' behalf of the
BJiaritime : glories ;' of ' Britain .should
l^ave been. .wariniy: ;suppbrted by, all
the veterans and. herpes -:pf Arctic travel
ana' aiscovery,, byvwnom-! his.- raddress'
was repeatedly: and -enthusiastically ap
plauded. . : ;
; **.'* Since writing the above, we learn
that the Austrian; Government steamer
Admiral Tegefchoff jsaUed from '? Bremen,
June 13, on its North Pole; expedition.
A farewell jbanquetj at whichCount Zichy
and Dr. Petprmann were present, was
giyen.tp.fche .members of the eifpeditipn^
at (xeesteniunde.' -.-
It- is beginning 'to be a rarity for the
town mail to sirrLve: at*'Wallit-ro6 on ths proper
day. On Wcdnesilay night there was no. de
livery-; neither was there oa rl burariay nor on
Fiiday. At Kadiaa the track waits for it two
hoars .and' a half,- and if it:is nri*; then down
comes on without Ui—WaUaroo 'Times.
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