CAPTAIN HALL'S DEATH NATURAL. 597 



the death of Captain Hall resulted naturally, from disease, 

 without fault on the part of any one. 



"All the persons examined testify to the uniform kind- 

 ness and care of Captain Hall, and to the good order and 

 efficient condition of the Polaris while under his command. 

 On the death of Captain Hall, Mr. Buddington succeeded 

 to the command of the Polaris, as had been provided for 

 in the instructions for the voyage issued by the Secretary 

 of the Navy." 



Thus the vague rumors, and the more positive charges 

 built on them, were swept away, and the people of the 

 country, while sincerely mourning their eminent fellow- 

 American and heartily deploring his death, were relieved 

 from the state of excitement that his supposed murder 

 had naturally produced. The gallant captain's most 

 ardent friends and admirers were gratified to have such 

 indubitable proof that his death had been in accordance 

 with God's own mysterious will, and that human passions 

 had had no hand in hastening it. The charges had had 

 no foundation beyond the ravings of a man in delirium, 

 in which he had spoken of being poisoned ; he had also 

 said " the cook has a gun here, and wants to shoot me," 

 and this, impossible as it was, was not more so than th 

 other delirious suspicion. As John Herron testified, "I 

 think every man respected Captain Hall ; I do not believe 

 there was any one who would have done anything wrong 

 to him." Captain Tyson, Mr. Meyer and the other wit- 

 nesses were equally clear on this point, but their testi- 

 mony is very voluminous, and necessarily uninteresting to 

 the general reader. 



As an item of great interest, we insert here a despatch, 

 his last official act, from Captain Hall to the Secretary of 

 the Navy. It is from the original draft, in his own hand- 

 writing, found among his personal papers in his writing- 

 desk, which was preserved on the ice by Esquimaux Joe, 

 and by him delivered to Secretary Robesou : 



