THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE. 



" There is conclusive evidence that aside from trivial 

 difficulties, such as occur on shipboard even under the 

 most favorable circumstances, and which had no influ- 

 ence in bringing about the disasters of the expedition, 

 and no pernicious effect upon its general conduct, every 

 officer and man so conducted himself that the court 

 finds no occasion to impute censure to any member of 

 the party. In view, then, of the long and dreary mo- 

 notony of the cruise, the labors and privations encoun- 

 tered, the disappointment consequent upon a want of 

 important results, and the uncertainty of their fate (and 

 apart from a natural desire to tread lightly on the 

 graves of the dead), the general conduct of the per- 

 sonnel of the expedition seems to have been a marvel 

 of cheerfulness, good fellowship, and mutual forbear- 

 ance, while the constancy and endurance with which 

 they met the hardships and dangers that beset them 

 entitle them to great praise. Beside the mention al- 

 ready made, however, special commendation is due to 

 Lieutenant-Commander De Long for the high qualities 

 displayed by him in the conduct of the expedition ; to 

 Chief-Engineer Melville for his zeal, energy, and pro- 

 fessional aptitude, which elicited high encomiums from 

 his commander, and for his subsequent efforts on the 

 Lena Delta ; and to Seamen Nindemann and Sweetman 

 for services which induced their commander to recom- 

 mend them for medals of honor." 



This decision was reached by the court after the full- 

 est hearing of testimony. The reader of u The Voyage 

 of the Jeannette " is in possession of the same general 

 evidence. It is the record of an expedition which set 

 out in high hope, and returned broken and covered 

 with disaster. It is also the record of lives of men 

 subjected to severer pressure than their ship met from 



