THE LAST EXPEDITION OF CHAELES FRANCIS HALL. 783 



young. It was for them a land of plenty, for the birds ■were so abundant that the 

 supply was only limited by their power of consumption and of carrying away. 



Then they again set out, laboriously rowing through the slush, and skirting the solid 

 ice-floes, until the 2(Jth of July ; two days before the Tigress set out from New York 

 in search of them, the party caught sight of a vessel. They were discovered and taken 

 on board. This proved to be the Ravenscraig, a Scottish whaler, by which they 

 were taken up. This whaler, not having her cargo filled up, and wishing to complete 

 it, transferred the men to the Arctic, another steam-whaling vessel, which, being full, 

 was starting homeward. They reached Dundee, Scotland, in the afternoon of Sep- 

 tember 17. Before night closed, the telegraph had conveyed the news from Dundee 

 to London, and thence across the Atlantic to America ; and the New York morning 

 newspapers, of September 19, contained the report of the safety of the men of the 



Polaris. 



Here ends the story of the most remarkable of all Arctic voyages. Of the forty 

 persons, men, women, and children who, at one time or another, took part in it, only 

 one perished. But that was the one who, of all, could be least spared. With Hall, 

 died out the heart and soul of the expedition. The men were subsequently brought 

 to America. But so far as yet appears, they had nothing to tell of any value. Mo.st 

 likely the reports of the scientific portion will add a little to our knowledge of the 

 natural history and meteorology of the Arctic regions. 



Still later, other expeditions have been proposed. But it may be confidently 

 assumed that years more will elapse before anything important will be added to what 

 is now embodied in " The Polar World." 



THE END. 



