NATURE 



49 



THURSDAY, NOVEMBER i8, i8So 



THE FUTURE OF POLAR RESEARCH 



WE have had quite a flood of Arctic news during the 

 last few weeks, and the question as to the direc- 

 tion to be taken by future Polar research is attracting 

 attention in various quarters. Evidently those interested 

 in this department of exploration are thinking that "some- 

 thing ought to be done" ; but as to what that something 

 should be, there is likely to be difference of opinion. It 

 is unfortunate that the United States expedition sent out 

 at the instigation of Capt. Ilowgate to found a Polar 

 colony at Lady Franklin Sound, had to turn back through 

 some defect in the engines of the Giibtare. Had this ship 

 been successful in reaching the proposed ground of the 

 expedition's work it would no doubt have given an im- 

 petus to the scheme of Polar research which has gained 

 the approval of the Arctic authorities of nearly all nations 

 except our own. On the other side of the American con- 

 tinent no news has been received from Mr. Gordon 

 Bennett's expedition in the Jeatuiette of later date than 

 August, 1879, when that vessel was off Cape Serdze 

 Kamen, all well, and on her way to Wrangel Land. All 

 the sea within Behring Strait, both on the American and 

 Asiatic side, was searched this summer by the Corwyn, 

 but no trace of the Jeanncite was found. The conclusion 

 from this that the expedition has come to grief, we have 

 already pointed out is too hasty. Everything was in her 

 favour when off the coasts of Kamtchatka last year, and if 

 she had fair sea-way there can be no doubt that the expe- 

 dition would take advantage of it, and push on as far 

 northwards as was safe. We should not be surprised if a 

 year hence the Jeanneite might emerge by Behring Strait 

 or by Novaya Zemlya with news of equal importance to 

 that brought back by the Tt-gcii/ioffyz3.rs ago. 



But perhaps the most generally interesting expedition 

 on the part of the Americans is that which returned some 

 weeks ago from searching for further relics of the crews 

 of the Erebus and Terror. With the details of this expe- 

 dition our readers are already familiar. So far as further 

 information concerning the fate of the Franklin expedition 

 is concerned, the results have not been of much import- 

 ance, though it would seem that the scientific results are 

 of some value. What precisely these are remains to be 

 seen. Had the handsome volume recently published by 

 the U.S. Government under the able editorship of Prof. 

 Nourse, containing the narrative of Capt. C. F. Hall's 

 second expedition, been issued before Lieut. Schwatka set 

 out two years ago, we doubt if he would have thought it 

 necessary to go over the same ground again." Hall's 

 devotion to the memory of Franklin is well known, and 

 his enthusiasm for Arctic exploration was almost a 

 religion ; his Polaris expedition will never be forgotten. 

 In order to obtain certain news of the fate of Capt. Crozier 

 and the 105 men who, in April, 1848, abandoned the Erebus 

 and Terror, Hall lived with the Eskimo in the neighbour- 

 hood of Repulse Bay and King William Land for five 

 years, 1S64-69. He, like Barry, also had heard of records 

 possessed by the Eskimo, and to obtain these records he 



I " Narrative of the Second Arctic Expedition made by Charles F. Hall." 

 Edited under the orders of the Hon. Secretary o£ the Navy, by Prof. J. E. 

 Nourse, U.S.N. (Washington: Government Printing Office.) 



Vol. xxiii. — No. 577 



submitted to become an Eskimo himself for all these 

 years. With infinite tact and patience he carried out the 

 object of his expedition, succeeded in visiting the scene of 

 the memorable disaster, saw many signs of the presence 

 of white men, obtained many relics, heard many stories 

 from eye-witnesses of the sufferings of Crozier and his 

 men when tiding to make their way to the Fish River, 

 but obtained not a shred of any kind of record. Among 

 the things abandoned by the men in their last despairing 

 efforts to reach a white settlement were certainly some 

 books, but whether written or printed could not be ascer- 

 tained. The poor Eskimo had no use for such strange 

 things, and gave them to the children to play with, and 

 long before Hall's visit all trace of them had vanished. 

 Indeed the information he obtained was of pretty much 

 the same character as that just brought back by the ex- 

 pedition under Lieut. Schwatka. The stories told to Hall 

 by the Eskimo as to the wanderings and sufferings of the 

 white men arc interesting, though sad. Apart from the 

 immediate object of his expedition. Hall's long residence 

 with the Eskimo, with whom he lived as one of them- 

 selves, yielded results of great interest. He lived in their 

 igloos, ate their food, wore their clothing, shared their 

 joys and sorrows, joined in their feasts, their dances, and 

 their hunts ; in short, saw more of Eskimo life than 

 probably any one has done before or since. The details 

 given in his journals are a contribution of great value to 

 a knowledge of the Eskimo, and the self-denial of the 

 high-minded and sterUngly honest man in submitting 

 to this kind of life for so many years, for so noble 

 a purpose, raises him to the rank of a hero. The 

 volume edited by Prof. Nourse, with its many illus- 

 trations and handsome get-up, might well put our own 

 Government to shame. Prof. Nourse has done his part 

 of editor admirably, and his volume will be of permanent 

 value. So successful has the work been that we believe 

 a second edition has been issued. As the work is only 

 recently published, it may fairly be recognised as a con- 

 tribution to a knowledge of the Arctic situation. 



This is a good suminer's work for America. On the 

 opposite side of the Pole some good work has also 

 been done. The Dutch in their tiny vessel the Willem 

 Barents have done some good dredging in the sea 

 between Spitzbergen and Novaya Zemlya, while Mr. 

 Leigh Smith has added greatly to his fame as an Arctic 

 yachtsman by his work in Franz-Josef Land. He has as 

 we have already told, greatly extended the known area of 

 this archipelago, and shown fair grounds for believing 

 that it extends polewards for a considerable distance. 

 He has proved, as was done last year also, that this 

 Arctic land is by no means difficult to reach in an 

 average year, and this has an important bearing on 

 Arctic research. Last week we gave a few details of 

 what had been done along the Murmanian coast and the 

 White Sea by the Russian party under Prof. Wagner 

 and we know that Baron Nordenskjold is spending the 

 winter in St. Petersburg preparatory to undertaking his 

 expedition next year to the New Siberian Islands. 



All this is encouraging, though it would be still more 

 so were these various efforts undertaken on some well- 

 concerted plan. Already has the Geographical Society 

 been asked to lend its influence to an expedition which 

 we cannot but regard as an anachronism. W^e hear 



