ATTEMPTS TO COLONIZE SPITZBEROEN. 201 



them to make the hazardous experiment of trying 

 whether human life could be supported there dur- 

 ing the winter. For a long time this was believed 

 to be impossible; and, as no volunteers could be 

 prevailed upon to risk their lives in the solution 

 of the interesting problem, an English company hit 

 upon the ingenious and economical idea of trying 

 it upon some criminals who were under sentence of 

 death in London. Accordingly, they procured *'a 

 grant" of these culprits — probably sheep-stealers, 

 papists, or some such atrocious criminals — and of- 

 fered them their lives on condition that they would 

 pass, or try to pass, one winter in Spitzbergen. 

 Of course they were glad to purchase their lives on 

 any terms, and at once acceded to the conditions. 

 They were taken out in one of the whalers, and a 

 hut was erected for their winter-quarters ; but when 

 the fleet was about to depart, and they saw the aw- 

 ful gloomy hills, already white with the early snows, 

 and felt the howling gales of northeast wind, their 

 hearts utterly failed them, and they entreated the 

 captain who had charge of them to take them back 

 to London and let them be hanged, in pursuance 

 of their original sentence, rather than leave them 

 to perish in such a horrible country ! The captain 

 seems to have had more of the "milk of human 

 kindness 11 in him than his philanthropic employers, 

 for he acceded to their request, and took them back 

 to London. As hanging them would not have 

 been of any pecuniary benefit to the company, they 



