Correspondence vjith Professor Bache. 35 



best I have ever seen were drawn by some of tlie intelligent Eskimos,* to 

 whom the sliips are often indebted for acts of liumanity and kindness. T\w latest 

 J'^nglish charts and the reports of the Eskimos say that a new channel can be 

 found leading from Baffin's Bay to "Fox's Furthest"; could this be proved by act- 

 ual passage it would be of great use to our ships. I wish you every success in 

 your proposed voyage, and have no doubt that it will redound to the advance- 

 ment of business interest of our merchants and the enterprise of our people. 

 Very truly, yours, 



R. H. CHAPELL. 



Contemplating" a leng-thened residence in the localities visited by 

 the whalers, Hall expressed his purpose to reach all such as would 

 appear to be promising for the extension of the whaling interests. 



How near at this date he sanguinely supposed himself to have 



arrived towards the maturity of his arrangements for setting out, may 



be learned from the letter which follows. It was addressed to one 



who had more than once expressed much interest in his plans, Prof 



A. D. Bache, the distinguished Superintendent of the United States 



Coast Survey : 



June 5, 1863. 



Dear Sm: Your favor of May 22d was duly received. I have tran- 

 scribed a few lines from it : "If you Avill give a brief outline of your plan and 

 state what observations you intend to make, and what instruments you have not, 

 I will try as an individual to aid you, and I think that Professor Henry will do 

 so too." 



In reply to this I will say : It is now arranged that I leave the port of Xew 

 York on or about the 1st of July next, in a vessel of one hundred tons, the vessel 

 specially selected and strengthened for ice navigation. On reaching the north 

 side of Bay of Frobisher, lat. 02° 33' N^., long. 05° 00' W., I take aboard four (1) 

 additional Eskimos (I have now two (2) with me). These Eskimos are to be my 



*For some sketches of coast line drawn by Eskimos for Hall, see chapters xii to xiv, 

 186()-'69. For statistics of the whale-fishery of the region referred to, see Report of Prof. S. F. 

 Baird, U. S. Fish Commissioner, for 1875-7C, and U. S. Consul McDougall's tabular statements, 

 Appendix No. VIII of this Narrative. 



