THE POLAR SEA.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 68, 13 June 1877, Page 3

THE POLAR SEA.

I have always believed m the existence of an open Polar sea, says Dr. H%e>, m the " New York Herald." . I think I stood upon its shores m i 861.. I believe that seu is navigable, and I am utterly at^a loss tp understand why the Albert and Discovery did not sail upoh its watevs, unless Ye assume that the spirit which animated Baffin, Ross, Parry, and the long list of Arctic herpes has died r! out with the advance of steam, the telegraph and home comforts. Now, please remember that this great English expedition -really started where -I leit off. The North Pole was only ap^proactied; by'.sbirie 80 iriUes nearer thari I apprPached it. ' ;It is ' stated that the , ice was 80 "f eet ' tMfek. In .plain, English:, I 'don't believe it 5i arid ; dbri't under- ■■ stand how it happen'eid' that a. grarid expeditiori, fitted out with such a great iflounsh. of Jtrumpets, at such enormbu's cost, should have got frightened after one. winter, and- hurried .back; .withthe , ; old ciw that the Pole can't, jbe J reached-. They did ript stay there long : enough .to prove . it or "• to tell anything : about^iit. To be 'stlre>;;th6 matter pf! going to the North Pole i^ : of little consequence iri a. : business point of view, jlt may be of iid ctfnseqttence whatever, but here is ari expedition fitted, out expressly to do it, has unlimited time ; has every, possiblte'ftdvantaige'; -has the uri* qualified support of the British Govern* merit-, arid yet, frightened by one winter's j experience, hurries home 'to report an*Other failure. . The Polarii did bette.r-, for even after the death of poor Captain . Hall, it stuck until it was crushed %" ..the ice. Had daptain Budding^tbjii b|ien imbued with the .same' as actuated .Qaptain, Hall) I Relieve he could have '■ steamed "to the North Pole, and 'I^ venture ; ; to ' si^;thativwhether;%he ! Alert J cduldor, : cbind'notha^ there, one gear's experieride Was riot; enough /tpprbve;^:-;;,;,';::,;'" ,; V i'- y Vi'; r: \ :"■■[ -■ I airi a/ firril believer m ari open ■ polar sea; iv X is ript ;a, jsea^ ayaiiible i -^for 'the purpbse of comme'feev biit it i is-certainly a sea or ocean, as you may. please to, cdll : ifc. Whatever iriterest attaches to it is of a.purely scieritific;sharacte*. Tapursue science requires, patience, and to with a ,great gb^erririierit expeditibni, especiaUy tb; make §<iieritific discoveries, with the ; di^tmct uriderstandirig. that there is rid other^motiye^ seems 'to me to require ; something more 'than a simple If it cdri be dßrie;" "So far as" 'getting to tls North Pole; is cdnce.rned; ; I: am. it can be done; and, m failing to do it aftef. drily orie^year^s trial, I think; the English expedition has shown a, lamentabld ldck pf pluck; ;' They say that they - had -a dreadful time ' bf it ; sdtiiS pebple were frozen, and three pr fpur pf^themdied. ;;.. That w^as^ their pWn f aiilt-. Travelling m• the Arcficregwns is : < nbt more; tefrribie or '; dangerous: -than ! : #ave"lluig an^wKgrfe* Iblsib: "It^a^iiatfer i of ttdre arid. jridginerit.; . Accidents, •.iriay ijbapperij but it is ; the;*duty of d bpinmander to see that they don't happen. I believe. l ha"^e' made as lpngi- a sledge, journey as any one on record. I experienced; '•}&, temperature during tHat jburney df 70 degrees below zero; and yet there ;was never iri ; all "the 1 days occupied jbiirriey so much as "a frpst-tite "to any pf the : party; and yet this was m the exac t region -w.her^ the English eipeditipri had been finding as they saf,'BO' fdet df icer Tlie Polaris was m the same o^uarte'rjdrid got nearly as far riprth; . . ; „ , - .• : ; ".:,-. . ; •The Polaris Met' with rio :\ 3ucn ice, but met with the sanie' evident demoralisatipn:, Iri niy dpiriibri there is rip serious trouble about gettirig to the Ndrth Pole; -but I don't believe it cdribe-done m drie" year, andniay be not iti twp, : butlriiust say; and. that mj^stetH^ r^siiits pi ]pMs idstof the Arbtic expedi; tipri are in'^ no . way . comiierisrirate withits pretbrisidns any more" thdritljey are with its opportunities. Its' like ; willlever be- 'ieen; dgain; ■ and iihe chMoe for ■(&. grand achiefeiaerit has, been .tKrown away. In short; the whole thing is a failure without 'the exphinatpry cfduSe, "We stuck till the last morrient? arid did what we could." Thpy had food and all mdririer bf for jwo' ye*ars i iridr>j and should, iri niy judgment, have staid the*e until these stores were eaten up. . In the Arctics it is generally down to 29 degreesybttt even .there it, : do;es not fteeze" unless, the air is entirely calm; for water m nlptiori does riot. freeze. lihave. #ayes rblling ,at 50 ddgreesibelow izerb; wihprit. a particle? of ice;in.sight. The next day When fche airfoil to calm, the whole sea was coyered with a.crystal maritle. The Ardtib Ocean is over 2000 miles m diambterj and if anyorie onee 1 get over, the land-clinging idp belt and into the middle bf the Arctic Sea, he might sail there to his heart's content, arid I, for; one, cannot see why thisEnglisb expedition .should so. sdon? have ajjandoned the fieldl Theise' dre certain averiiiesto" this great, mysterious; and unknown waiter; There is the oft-tried Behring Strait j- there is Baffiri- :Bay, there is Spitzbergen sea j,nd the Greeniarid i sbS* fo this. Mst bjudrter" ibhV Germaris have found a new land. This land lies midwaj between Spitsbergen! and Nova 1 Zeriiqla, which land Ipref dieted matey yedrs ago m an siddress before". ;;ffi^;;A^OT Society/ It completes the almost cbri-' tinuous line- of land that irivests titb greaifcppla'r' basin. _ v- ; . - In cbrie'liision, allow nie^ ti&f say that this great English expeditipri; which;, so much was expected; ' looks very like, a farce. ; v ai :