CHAPTER V 



VOYAGE OF THE POLARIS (1871-73) 



Captain Charles Francis Hall, after having dwelt with 

 the Esquimaux about eight years, during which he lived 

 like one of them and acquired their language, returned 

 to America in 1869. 



He had a great ambition to reach the spot " where 

 there is no North, no East, no West/ 1 Early in 1870 he 

 began his agitation for an expedition to the North Pole. 

 He lectured in various parts of the United States, and 

 received encouragement from the Hon. George M. 

 Robeson, Secretary of the United States Navy. Ulti- 

 mately a wooden river gun-boat of 387 tons, called the 

 Periwinkle, was given to Hall, and was afterwards 

 rechristened Polaris. Congress also granted 50,000 

 dollars. 



Hall, who was not himself a seaman, engaged Captain 

 S. O. Budington as sailing-master. Captain Budington 

 had made thirteen whaling voyages to Baffin's Bay, and 

 was therefore an experienced ice-navigator. Dr. Bessels 

 was naturalist, and Mr. Meyer meteorologist. Morton, 

 of Kane's expedition, also accompanied Hall. Mr. 

 Grinnell, the munificent promoter of expeditions for the 

 search of Franklin, presented Flail with the flag which, 

 in 1838, had been with Wilkes to the Antarctic regions, 

 and which had since been in the northern Polar seas with 

 Dc Haven, Kane, and Hayes. 



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