396 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



[REPUDIATION OF AMERICAN DISCOVERIES BY ENGLISH GEOG- 



RAPHERS. 



THE following is an abstract of a paper recently read before the 

 National Institute, Washington, by Peter Force, Esq., on the English 

 maps of Arctic discoveries in 1850 and 1851. 



When the American Exploring Expedition, in 1840, discovered the 

 Southern Polar Continent, (a discovery that had baffled the efforts of 

 Europe for a century,) the discovery was repudiated by the com- 

 mander of an English expedition, and excluded from English maps. 

 The people and the press of this country submitted to the injury in 

 silence, leaving it to time to do the discoverer justice. But this for- 

 bearance has only invited a repetition of the wrong. England has 

 now repudiated the American discovery in the North in 1850. 



The manner in which this has been done, is as follows : the unsuc- 

 cessful efforts of the English explorers to find Sir John Franklin, 

 induced Lady Franklin to appeal to America for aid in seeking for 

 her husband and his companions. Her appeal was responded to by 

 Henry Grinnell. He purchased vessels, which, with the countenance 

 and aid of the United States Government, were sent to assist in the 

 search. This munificent act of Mr. Grinnell is without a precedent. 

 It was an undertaking by a private citizen of one country to seek out 

 and restore to their homes, if possible, the officers and crews of the 

 absent ships of another. None of Sir John Franklin's own country- 

 men came forward to do as much. Not a man was found in England : r 

 from prince to peasant, who was able and willing to send at his own 

 expense, an expedition to search for the English ships and their 

 crews, such as was projected and carried out by this great-hearted 

 American. The American searching vessels were placed under the 

 command of an officer of the United States navy, who had seen some 

 ice service in the expedition that discovered Wilkes' Land on the 

 Antarctic Continent. 



Without entering into the details of the voyage of the American 

 Expedition, which are generally known, it is sufficient to say, that on 

 the 18th of September, De Haven was north of Cape Bowden, the 

 most northern point seen by Parry in 1819, and further north within 

 Lancaster Sound than has been attained to this day by any vessel of 

 all the English exploring and searching expeditions. 



His discoveries began at Cape Bowden, on the 17th of September. 

 By the end of the month he was at 75 25' N. Here he saw hitherto 

 unknown land to the east and west, and far off to the north beyond 

 the land on the maps. Of this new-discovered land he gave names 

 taMaury Channel, Grinnell Land, Mount Franklin, and other places 

 around De Haven's Bay, which names, none that came after him had 

 a right to alter. He says : 



" To the channel which appeared to lead into the open sea, over 

 which the cloud of ' frost-smoke ' hung as a sign, I gave the name of 

 4 Maury,' after the distinguished gentleman at the head of our National 



