Disairpointmcnts 37 



His insurmomitablu difficulties at tlic time may be referred to in brief 

 as these : 



Although, at the instance of Judge Daly and of Mr. Waddell, the 

 secretary of the American Geographical Society, its council had made 

 two efforts to hold a conference with the Chamber of Commerce of 

 New York to indorse the plans referred to, and secure pecuniary assist- 

 ance for them, it was found impossible to get together a quorum of 

 the Chamber for n hearing. A second disappointment was met with 

 in the failure to secure, either from the Navy Department or from the 

 Smithsonian Institution, the loan of instruments for the expedition. 

 The Navy Department did not feel authorized to loan the public 

 property for use by a private expedition. ^Ilie Smithsonian regretted 

 that the magnetic apparatus furnished to Dr. Kane had been after- 

 ward lost in Mexico; and in communicating this information added 

 that "scarcely any results could be obtained, unless some one properly 

 educated for the business of observation should devote his whole time 

 to the instruments." The Institution inquired at considerable length 

 whether Hall would not find it in his power to make extensive col- 

 lections in natural history, as it possessed but little on that subject from 

 Northeastern America. 



Hoping for assistance by a grant from the Chandler of Conmierce 

 or by the City Council of New York, and encouraged by some dona- 

 tions. Hall had anchored at the wharves of the city, on the same day, 

 The Active, a schooner offered at a low price by his New London 

 friends, and a yacht, presented by Capt H. Robinson, of Newburg, 

 N. Y., for the strengthening of which latter vessel lumber had been 

 also contributed in Newburg, and a furtlier most generous offer had 

 been made for its e(iuipment l)y Messrs Poillou, of New York. He 



