Nov. 9, 1876] 



NATURE 



41 



further, as the sledges were necessarily advanced each 

 stage singly, we are enabled to estimate the exact rate of 

 progression which may be expected should anyone con- 

 sider it desirable to push forward with light sledges with- 

 out any additional means of returning later in the season 

 in the event of the ice breaking up in his rear. The 

 maximum rate of advance in this way was at the rate of 

 2| miles a day, the mean being at the rate of i^ miles a 

 day. 



It may be necessary here to state that the much to be 

 deplored outbreak of scurvy, which certainly shortened 

 the journey to the extent of some ten or twenty miles, in 

 no way affects the conclusions to be derived from it. 

 When the first two men who were attacked complained 

 of sore legs, the disorder so commonly experienced by 

 travellers in all countries, and particularly those employed 

 to drag Arctic sledges, the loss of their services at the 

 drag ropes was fully balanced by one of the two boats 

 being left behind, thus, the daily distance accomplished 

 during the first twenty-five days of the outward journey 

 was not materially altered, and it was only during the 

 latter fourteen days, that owing to the gradual break- 

 down of three more of the crew, the rate of advance was 

 necessarily much retarded. The previous rate, however, 

 had been so slow that the party gallantly continued their 

 advance to the utmost limit of their provisions, confident 

 that with the help of the manual labour of the officers, 

 who from the first took their places at the drag ropes and 

 pickaxes and worked as hard as the men, they could 

 readily return to the land along the road on which they 

 had expended so much labour in somewhat levelling 

 during their outward journey. 



The scurvy by this time having with very few excep- 

 tions, attacked the whole ship's company, I was somewhat 

 anxious concerning the health of Lieut. Aldrich's men 

 returning from their western journey ; particularly when 

 I observed that the cairn erected over his depot of pro- 

 visions, thirty miles to the north-west, remained untouched 

 on the day appointed for his arrival there ; accordingly I 

 sent Lieut. May with the dog sledge, and three strong 

 men to meet him. On June 20 the two parties joined 

 company at the depot and signalled their arrival to the 

 ship. Lieut. Aldrich had crossed the land only just in time, 

 for on the following day a gale of wind from the south- 

 ward commenced bringing warmer weather, and the thaw 

 set in with such rapidity that the snow valleys on the land 

 were rendered impassable for sledges for the remainder of 

 the season. Lieut. May met the party on the very last 

 day, when most of them were able to travel, having suc- 

 ceeded in reaching, after a very severe journey most 

 courageously borne, the same position to which Com- 

 mander Markham's party had returned without assist- 

 ance ; but there the same blight that attacked the 

 northern party, and against which the western division 

 had long been struggling, gained on them so quickly that, 

 with the exception of Lieut. Aldrich and Adam Ayles 

 (P. O., 2nd class), the whole crew were placed hors de 

 combat, James Doidge(ist class P.O.) and David Mitchell 

 (A.B.) still gallantly struggling along by the side of the 

 sledge, the other four invalids, having held out until the last 

 moment, were obliged to be carried. Under these circum- 

 stances the arrival of Lieut. May with relief was most 

 providential. With their assistance Lieut. Aldrich suc- 

 ceeded in reaching the Alert on the morning of the 26th, 

 when, after again publicly returning thanks to Almighty 

 God for his watchful care over the lives of the party, they 

 were placed under Dr. Colan's charge, the officer being 

 the only one not attacked by scurvy. 



Notwithstanding a bad start, owing to the necessity of 

 crossing the land with heavily laden sledges, Lieut. 

 Aldrich with great energy succeeded in exploring the 

 coastline to the westward for a distance of 220 miles 

 from the position of the Alert. Trending first to the 

 north-westward for ninety miles to Cape Columbia, the 



extreme northern cape in lat. 83° 7' N., and long. 70" 30' 

 W., the coast extends to the west for sixty miles to long. 

 79" o' W. and then gradually trends round to the south- 

 ward to lat. 82° 16' N. and long. 85" 33' W., the extreme 

 position attained. No land or appearance of land was 

 seen at any time to the northward or westward, and owing 

 to the continued heavy nature of the ice. I conclude that 

 no land can possibly exist within an attainable distance 

 from this coast. Although most of the party sufferec] 

 more or less during the outward journey, the attack was 

 supposed to be merely transient, and it was not until they 

 were returning home when the scorbutic symptoms oi 

 sore gums first made their appearance, that the real 

 nature of the disease was in the least suspected. To 

 these men equal praise is due as to their comrades em- 

 ployed in the northern division for the endurance and 

 intrepidity with which each individual performed his 

 respective duty. Crippled nearly as badly, they if possible 

 suffered more severely ; for being so distant from reliel 

 none could be carried without imperilling all, and each 

 was obliged to remain toiling at the drag ropes making 

 forced marches. 



It is to Lieut. Aldrich's judicious care and energy during 

 the long and anxious homeward march, seconded by the 

 spirited example of Joseph Good, acting chief boatswain's 

 mate, captain of the sledge, himself one of the most en- 

 feebled of the party, that they owe their lives. Lieut 

 Aldrich's services on this, as on all other occasions during 

 the three years he has been under my command, calls foi 

 my unqualified admiration ; he is a talentt-d and zealouj 

 officer, and in every way deserving of their Lordships 

 consideration. 



Again, Sir, I have to bring to your notice the valuable 

 services of Lieut. May and James Self, A.B. ; the thaw 

 having set in, it was principally due to their incessant 

 labour that the party arrived on board before the rapidlj 

 advancing disease had further developed itself. 



With regard to the outbreak of scurvy, which attacked 

 the crew of the Discovery as well as ourselves, when the 

 sledge crews started early in April, a finer body of men 

 in apparently perfect health it would have been difficult 

 to pick anywhere, and I trusted that, owing to the excel- 

 lent condition of our provisions, we were secure from any 

 attack, but I must now conclude that disease was even 

 then lurking among us, and that the heavy labour ol 

 sledge travelling intensified and brought it out, as has 

 been the case in nearly all former journeys when the tra- 

 vellers have been unable to procure large supplies ol 

 game, and were unprovided with lime juice. It attacked 

 first the weakly men, afterwards the strong men who 

 were predisposed for it, and most severely of all those 

 who were employed on the longest and most trying 

 journeys. Had there been no sledging work I believ< 

 that the disease would not have betrayed its presence 

 amongst us, and had the officers been called upon froji 

 the first to perform as severe daily labour as their men ] 

 think that they would have been equally attacked. 



On July 9, fifteen days after the return of the last sledge 

 party, thirty-six of the crew of the ship had been, anc 

 twenty-four were, under treatment for scurvy. This large 

 number of patients, most of them requiring constant anc 

 special attention, necessarily taxed to the utmost the ser- 

 vices of Dr. Thomas Colan, Fleet Surgeon, and his able 

 second. Dr. Ed. Moss, Surgeon. Nothing could exceec 

 their indefatigable patience and care. The deprivatior 

 of necessary rest and exercise cheerfully submitted to b) 

 Dr. Colan, upon whom the chief responsibility fell, con 

 siderably impaired his own health, following as it did sc 

 closely on his long anxious watch by the bedside of Nei 

 Petersen. 



In order to preserve the continuity of the narrative, 1 

 will here report the result of Lieut. Beaumont's explora 

 tion on the Greenland coast, but which I only learnt some 

 time afterwards. 



