LETTERS OF A FRIEND TO THE NAVY. 88 



apprehensions of those who might embark in this expedition, that 

 their lives were to be unnecessarily exposed among icebergs near 

 the pole for the purpose of testing certain wild theories that had 

 long been before the public. It was an assurance to them that 

 they should not be carried within the verge of that great opening 

 of sixteen degrees around the pole leading to a concave and hab- 

 itable world, according to the " Citizen's" former theory as exhib- 

 ited in his lectures ; nor required to do what the " Citizen," in his 

 late address, considers as quite practicable, viz., to " circle the 

 globe within the antarctic circle, and attain the pole itself; yea, to 

 cast anchor on that point where all the meridians terminate ; where 

 our eagle and star-spangled banner may be unfurled and planted, 

 and left to wave on the axis of the earth itself! where, amid the 

 novelty, grandeur, and sublimity of the scene, the vessels, instead 

 of sweeping a vast circuit by the diurnal movements of the earth, 

 would simply turn round once in twenty-four hours !" 



In a letter of a former secretary of the navy, of the 29th of 

 January, 1829, to the chairman of the committee on naval affairs, 

 to the Senate of the United States, respecting the objects of the 

 South Sea exploring expedition, proposed at that time, it is stated 

 " that the examinations of both known and unknown islands, &:c., 

 will be, in part, in high southern latitudes, and the instructions 

 would naturally and necessarily be to find and describe all ichich 

 exist there ; and as far to the south as circumstances w^ould per- 

 mit them safely and prudently to go ;" so that the views of the 

 former and present secretary are much alike as to the regions in 

 high southern latitudes to be visited by a South Sea exploring 

 expedition. Whether they approach the South Pole as nearly as 

 may be without danger, or advance as far to the south as circum- 

 stances would permit them safely and prudently to go, must be 

 nearly one and the same thing. 



And does the " Citizen" intend that the object of visiting high 

 southern latitudes, such as can be approached without danger, 

 shall be abandoned ? Does he think that such purpose cannot be 

 entertained, because we send out a botanist to regions where no 

 vegetation exists, and a philologist wdiere there are no inhabitants ? 



After the great preparations that have been made for exploring 

 the South Seas with vessels as strong as wood and iron can make 

 them, constructed for the express purpose of making their way 



