ANTICIPATED RESULTS. 3 



It would be needless for me to attempt to illustrate 

 the value of such a centre for the purpose of scientific 

 inquiry. It was not alone the prospect of the satis- 

 faction to be achieved by completing our geographi- 

 cal knowledge of that portion of the globe, nor that 

 of solving definitely the problem of an Open Polar 

 Sea, that encouraged me in the task which I had 

 undertaken. There were many questions of physical 

 science to be settled, and I hoped to take with me a 

 corps of well-instructed observers. The movements 

 of the currents of the air and water, the temperature 

 of these elements, the pressure of the former and the 

 tides of the latter, the variations of gravity, the direc- 

 tion and intensity of the "magnetic force," the Au- 

 rora Borealis, the formation and movement of the 

 glaciers, and many important features of Natural His- 

 tory remained to be solved by observations about the 

 centre indicated. Years of profitable labor might in- 

 deed be expended in that locality by an enterprising 

 force of skilled workers. 



With these objects in view, I applied with great 

 confidence to the scientific men of the world and 

 to the enlightened public sentiment of my country- 

 men. 



The response, although in the end highly gratify- 

 ing, was more tardy in its coming than had been at 

 first anticipated. There were indeed many circum- 

 stances of discouragement, not the least of which was 

 an impression which then had possession of the public 

 judgment, that any further efforts toward the North 

 Pole must be fruitless, and must involve an unjusti- 

 fiable loss of life. It was only after many endeavors 

 that here and there the influences favorable to the 

 design began to affect the community. The most im- 



