Original Suggestion of the Modern Arctic Eccpeditions. 95 



and with whom, for many years, I was in the habit of correspond- 

 ing. 



In that letter, written from Whitby, and bearing the date 2d 

 of October 1817, I mentioned the fact of a large body of the 

 Usual ices having disappeared out of the Greenland Sea, and the 

 consequent openness of the navigation towards the west, where- 

 by I was enabled to penetrate within sight of the eastern coast 

 of Greenland, to a meridian which had usually been considered 

 as having become totally inaccessible. After some account of 

 the state and configuration of the ice, and our progress amongst 

 jt, I proceeded to remark on the facilities which on this occasion 

 were presented for making researches in those interesting regions. 

 The examination of the coasts of both Spitsbergen and Green- 

 land ; the determination of the fate of the ancient colony establish- 

 ed by the Icelanders in the latter; explorations affecting the im- 

 provement of our whale-fishery ; and researches towards deciding 

 whether or not a navigation into the Pacific hy a 7iorth^east or 

 nortJi-west passage existed, — were among the subjects suggested 

 as the most interesting and important. I also expressed a wish 

 to be employed in such researches through a series of voyages, 

 that the most favourable seasons might be improved to the best 

 advantage, and that the most complete investigation might be 

 accomplished ; and, by the way of avoiding unnecessary expense, 

 I proposed to combine the object of the whale-fishery with that 

 of discovery on every occasion when the situation of the ice was 

 unfavourable for research. 



Whether it was in consequence of this letter or not, it becomes 

 not 771^, perhaps, to hazard an opinion ; but there can be no im- 

 propriety in stating what actually occurred, namely, that, in the 

 latter end of November, (about seven weeks, I believe, after my 

 letter to Sir Joseph Banks was dispatched), a notice appeared in 

 the pubhc prints of the day, " that, owing to the statements of 

 the Greenland Captains respecting the diminution of the polar 

 ice, the Royal Society had applied to Ministers to send out 

 vessels for discovery in the Polar Seas.** 



In the beginning of December I addressed another leticr to 

 Sir Joseph Banks, submitting an outline of objects for research, 

 classed under these several heads : — Investigations for the ad- 

 vancement of geography, commerce, and science ; under the lat- 



