THE SECRET OF THE NORTH POLE. H3 



appear tliat no impassable barriers rendered such a 

 course impracticable. They quickly found that the 

 American Continents present an unbroken line of land 

 from high northern latitudes far away toward the ant- 

 arctic seas. But it is a circumstance worth noticing, 

 that if the American Continents had no existence, the 

 direct westerly course pursued by Columbus was not 

 only not the nearest way to the East-Indian Archi- 

 pelago, but was one of the longest routes which could 

 possibly have been selected. Surprising as it may seem 

 at first sight, a voyager from Spain for China and the 

 East Indies ought, if he sought the absolutely shortest 

 path, to set out on an almost direct northerly route ! 

 He would pass close by Ireland and Iceland, and so, 

 near the North Pole, and onward into the Pacific. 

 This is what is called the great-circle route ; and if it 

 were only a practicable one, would shorten the course 

 to China by many hundreds of miles. 



Let us return, however, to the consideration of the 

 information which arctic voyagers have brought us con- 

 cerning the north-polar regions. 



The most laborious researches in arctic seas are 

 those which have been carried out by the searchers 

 after a northwest passage. We will therefore first con- 

 sider the limits of the unknown region in this direction. 

 Afterward we can examine the results of those voy- 

 ages which have been undertaken with the express 

 purpose of reaching the North Pole along the three 

 principal routes already mentioned. 



