THE NORTH WEST PASSAGE. 247 



got three miles nearer to the pole than the British, 

 and that it does not seem to be quite established which 

 of these expeditions did so, if the point is deemed 

 worthy of debate. 



As regards the still older voyages, it is, as we have 

 said, not a little remarkable, how nearly they came 

 up to the very best results obtained by the aid of 

 steam, aided by all the means and appliances within 

 reach of modern navigators. These fine old sailors, 

 many of them, as we know, set sail towards the frozen 

 north in quest of what is now ascertained to be a 

 fallacy ; namely, to discover a short route to the Indies, 

 via the North West passage. This North West passage 

 it is true, was effected by Captain M'Clure in 1850 

 but the only useful result which followed that discovery 

 was to satisfy the world, that as a trade route it was 

 as impracticable as if it did not exist at all. Still it 

 is not the less wonderful to think that so long ago as 

 1607, Hudson, in the clumsy galleons of nearly three 

 centuries back, made his way in pursuit of this idea, 

 to Lat. 80 2$' N., a point only about 180 miles short 

 of the furthest point reached up to the present time. 



This must be regarded as a remarkable achieve- 

 ment, considering the state of nautical science at 

 that period. 



Turning however, from what we must call these 

 somewhat disheartening results of modern efforts at 

 Polar exploration, let us endeavour to picture in our 

 mind's eye, what sort of country it is, for the discovery 

 and examination of which so many costly expeditions 

 have been fitted out, and so many valuable lives 

 sacrificed. Have the results that have been obtained 

 been worth all this expenditure of life and capital ? 



