4 FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT. 



portant of these was, of course, the sanction given to 

 the project by those associations whose opinions gov- 

 ern the mass of men in relation to scientific matters. 



The first pubHc announcement of it was made to 

 tlie American Geographical and Statistical Society, 

 before which body I read a paper in December, 1857, 

 setting forth the plan, and the means proposed for its 

 accomplishment. It was on this occasion that I first 

 experienced the discouragement to which I have al- 

 ready referred, and it became evident to all who had 

 thus far interested themselves in the subject, that it 

 would be necessary to instruct the public mind in 

 relation to the practicability of the proposed explora- 

 tion, and its comparative freedom from danger, before 

 any earnest support could be anticipated. 



To this task I at once addressed myself, although, 

 indeed, I might with some show of reason have aban- 

 doned the undertaking altogether; but at twenty-five 

 one is not easily discouraged. In concert with the 

 friends of the enterprise, I caused it to be understood 

 that I was open to invitations from any of the numer- 

 ous literary societies and clubs who were organizing 

 popular courses of lectures for the winter. Such lec- 

 tures were at that time quite the fashion, and almost 

 every little town in the country could boast of its 

 "course." The invitations which reached me were 

 very numerous, and I availed myself of them to the 

 full limit of my time. The scientific and literary jour- 

 nals and the press, ever ready to aid in the advance- 

 ment of liberal and enlightened pur^DOses, gave very 

 cordial support; and, when the spring of 1858 opened, 

 we had the satisfaction to perceive that we had dis- 

 pelled some of the popular illusions respecting the 

 dangers of Arctic exploration. Among the most ini- 



