CHAPTER XL 



DR. KANE'S OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE SECOND GRINNELL 



EXPEDITION. 



No inconsiderable portion of Dr. Kane's eminence 

 resulted from his unquestionable ability in the de- 

 partment of authorship. A prominent peculiarity 

 of all his productions is the clearness and accuracy 

 with which they reflect his own distinctive qualities 

 of mind and heart. They are, to a great extent, 

 faithful mirrors in which the reader can behold the 

 image and the idiosyncrasies of the man. The size 

 and value of these works render them in some degree 

 inaccessible to the great mass of the community ; yet 

 a biography which would contain no specimen of his 

 literary productions would inevitably fail to furnish a 

 satisfactory portrait of his character and his genius. 

 We therefore insert in the present chapter extracts 

 from the Official Eeport which Dr. Kane rendered 

 to the Secretary of the Navy at Washington of the 

 incidents and results of his celebrated expedition ; 

 and although very little opportunity was afforded in 



this essay for the display of scientific or literary 



ill 



