May 25, 1857.] OBITUARY. 397 



beloved by all those wbo knew him, and his death at the premature 

 age of forty -four, occasioned general sorrow throughout Sweden. 



Lastly, let me close this enumeration of our deceased friends by 

 alluding to our late honorary Foreign Member, Dr. Elisha Kent 

 Kane ; although no language of mine can express the deep regret I 

 feel at the premature decease of this heroic young Arctic explorer. 



The son of a distinguished Judge of Pennsylvania, he was born in 

 1822, and educated at the Universities of Virginia and Pennsylvania. 

 Accompanying as a medical officer the first American Expedition to 

 China, he explored the Philippines, chiefly on foot, and made maps 

 of those islands. Having survived severe attacks of fever he ex- 

 amined the volcanic region of Java, and was the first to descend 

 into the great crater of Tael and make a sketch of its interior. In 

 this early eifort, the zeal of the youth seemed to have no bounds, for 

 he was lowered upwards of 700 feet by a bamboo rope, and from 

 the effects of the strong sulphurous fumes was senseless when hauled 

 up to the rim of the orifice. He not only traversed India and 

 Ceylon, but also visited Egypt, where he was associated with Lep- 

 sius ; but unfortunately lost his notes and papers, and being stricken 

 with the plague, narrowly escaped death. Subsequently he sailed 

 to the west coast of Africa, examined the slave factories, and pro- 

 posed to make a journey to Abomey, which he never accomplished, 

 owing to a violent fever, from which he suffered during his life — a 

 fact which is not to be passed over without the comment, that his 

 Arctic sufferings were not the cause of his decease ; for he returned 

 from his last perilous exploits in perfect health. His bravery, 

 ability, and generosit}^ were next conspicuously elicited in the 

 Mexican war ; and even then he endeavoured to find time to make 

 barometrical observations on the height of Popocatepetl. Having 

 volunteered his services as surgeon to the first American expedi- 

 tion in search of Franklin, he published a narrative of this voyage 

 under De Haven. Finally, he performed those extraordinary re- 

 searches beyond the head of Baffin Bay, which obtained for him 

 our Gold Medal at the last anniversary and the unqualified admira- 

 tion of all geographers. At that time, however, we had not perused 

 those thrilling pages, which have since brought to our mind's eye 

 the unparalleled combination of genius, with patient endurance and 

 fortitude, which enabled this young American to save the lives of 

 his associates. With what simplicity, what fervour, what eloquence, 

 and what truth has he described the sufi'erings and perils from which 

 he extricated his ice-bound crew! You must, indeed, all agree 



2k 



