326 



Letter to the Majority of the Trustees of the Dudley Observatory, by 



an Observer. Albany, 1858. 8vo. 

 Journal Soc. Arts. VI. 276-279. London, 1858. 8vo. 



The committee to which was referred the paper of Mr. 

 Chase, read at the last meeting, made request that Prof. Hal- 

 deman be added to the committee, which was agreed to. 



The committee appointed on the 7th of May last, on the 

 subject of further Arctic explorations, by Dr. L L Hayes, made 

 the followipg report: — 



The committee to whom was referred the subject of the Arctic ex- 

 ploration proposed by Dr. I. I. Hayes, respectfully report, — 



That, beside any reflections of their own upon that subject, they 

 find in previous proceedings of the Society ample warrant for the 

 opinion, that the verification of the alleged open sea about the north 

 pole, and the probable contributions to be made from that region of 

 the earth to the collections of science, constitute sufficient reasons for 

 an earnest interest on the part of the Society, in any reasonable at- 

 tempt to complete our knowledge in these respects by further explo- 

 ration. After the signal manifestations which have been given by 

 men of science throughout the world, of their estimate of the impor- 

 tance of circumpolar discovery; and with the advantage of recent re- 

 ports, from a high latitude, received from our lamented fellow mem- 

 ber, the late Dr. Kane, whose efforts were accompanied by warm so- 

 licitude on the part of the Society, your committee have believed it 

 proper to confine themselves to a consideration of the. grounds upon 

 which Dr. Hayes rests his conviction of the practicability and season- 

 ableness of his proposal. These have been already briefly submitted 

 to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and 

 have received a very prompt acceptance by that body, the members 

 of which referred the subject to a committee, with instructions to co- 

 operate with Dr. Hayes. They have been also published through 

 the Smithsonian Institution, at an invitation from which. Dr. Hayes 

 announced thom in one of the lectures of its last course. Neverthe- 

 less, your commiltcc think proper to mention the principal of them as 

 forming the basis of their own conclusion, that the proposal in ques- 

 tion is sustained by sufficient evidence of its feasibility to engage the 

 continued attention of the Society. 



It is well known that one result of voyages of exploration prior to 

 that of Dr. Kane, was the establishment of an opinion that a barrier 



