40 ADDRESS. 



tions of public interest ; and it is believed that this can be best 

 accomplished by sending out vessels expressly provided for this 

 duty ; while the demand on the public treasury will be small, 

 compared with the good which may be accomplished. 



" The late British expeditions for the discovery of a northwest 

 passage, undertaken for scientific purposes, at great expense, 

 nevertheless richly repaid the British nation for her expenditure, 

 by transferring the whale fishery from East to West Greenland. 



"In like manner, in addition to the specific objects to be 

 attained by an expedition, many collateral advantages may be 

 secured to the whaler and trafficker in the Pacific, and the sealer 

 in the higher latitudes south. 



"While your Committee, in coming to their conclusion in 

 favour of recommending an expedition such as has been prayed 

 for by the memorialists, have been influenced solely by commer- 

 cial views, and place the policy of the measure solely on these 

 grounds, they are not indifferent to the valuable fund of knowledge 

 which may be gathered during the voyage ; and which, properly 

 analyzed and written out, may be interesting, not only to the 

 American people, but to the whole civilized world." 



What can be more liberal and decisive than the views and 

 language of this report ? There are no half-way measures and 

 time-serving policy in it. And yet, enlightened and statesmanlike 

 as it is, the subject was not, even at that time, before the Com- 

 mittee in all the strength in which it is capable of being portrayed. 

 For since the report which put into the hands of the Department 

 a more minute and accurate description of these seas than is 

 possessed by the admiralty of any other nation, additional and 

 important acquisitions have been made. 



During our sojourn in the South seas, and more especially 

 while in the Pacific, connected with our public service, we had 

 frequent opportunities of seeing many of our whalers, and of 

 learning from their own mouths the nature and extent of the dan- 



