118 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



[1852. 



Royal Geographical Society. 



At the last meeting of the Royal Geograi)hical Societj', Captain 

 Petermauu read a paper on "Sir Jolin Franklin, the navigableness of 

 the Spitzbergeu Sea, and the Whale Fisheries in the Ai'ctic Rc;;;ions." 



The author first referred to his plan of search, which he was induced 

 to submit again to the notice of the public for the following reasons :— 

 First. The assumption on which that plan was based, namely, that Sir 

 John' Franklin had passed up Wellington Cliannel, had been strongly 

 confirmed. Secondly. That it would take Sir E. Belcher two or tlu-ee 

 years at least to follow Sir John Franklin in his track, which had taken 

 him six years without being able to extricate himself, and return to his 

 country. Thirdly. Tliat the whole of the Asiatic portion of the Arctic 



reo-ious in which the missing expedition most probably had been 



arrested was at present altogether unprorided for in the search ; that 



that portion was the nearest and most accessible to Europe, and that 

 to it his proposed route was directed ; that route went through the sea 

 between Spitzbergeu and Novaya Zerabya, the subject of his present 

 communication. As the sea under consitleration had no name, and as 

 the denomination of "Spitzbergeu Sea" was superfluous in its present 

 use, being only applied occasionally to the sea more generally called 

 " Greenland Sea," he proposed, in his remarks, to apply that name for 

 the sea in question. That sea had been navigated by the Dutch, Rus- 

 sian, and other nations, besides the Engbsh ; but the author wislied to 

 impress upon the minds of his hearers, that the facts he was going to 

 draw their attention to were exclusively derived from English authors 

 of the highest authority, and stiU Uving. That sea was now-a-days 

 considered by every one as altogether impenetrable and impracticable ; 

 but he would show that that assumption was entirely groundless, and 

 rested upon the imagination, forming one of those curious geographical 

 preiudices which, when once they took hold of the public mind, were 

 difficult to eradicate. Birst, then, on the prima facie evidence, he 

 considered the Spitzbergeu sea to be the most practicable and easiest 

 of all openings for vessels into the Polar regions, because it was by far 

 the -widest, indeed the only oceanic opening. He then stated that Oapt. 

 Scoresby's' able work on the Arctic regions did not contain a title 

 of evidence to justify the assumption of its being impracticable. 

 On the contrary, it was distinctly stated in that work, that an 

 important whale fishery had been carried on at the eastern side of 

 Spitzbergeu, m the beginning of the eighteenth century. _ Captain 

 Beochey's work, the most important one on that region, con- 

 tained StiU more definite information to support his views ; and from 

 a communication of Mr. Crowe, British Consul at Hammerfest, an esta- 

 blisher and proprietor of a British settlement at Spitzbergeu, the fol- 

 lowing passage was quoted:—" Mr. Shordslin, an intelhgent Russian, 

 with whom I have frequently conversed, actually passed 39 wiuters on 

 Spitzbergeu, and resided therefor fifteen years without having once 

 left the island. He declares, that during his residence he invariably 

 found the coasts free from ice for four and sometimes for five months 

 in every year. I am enabled to add that my own vessels have fi-e- 

 quently navigated the coasts from Ryke Yse's Islands, the soutii east 

 extremity, round the west coast, to tha Seven Islands, at the northern 

 extremity^ and that four times out of six they might have circumnavi- 

 gated Spitzbergeu." The author then compared Spitzbergeu, reaching 

 bevond the latitude of 80 deg., with the regions on the American side 

 in'lat. 75 deg., and stated that Sir E. Harry, in little boats, had attained 

 the latitude of 83 deg., to the north of Spitzbergeu, in a voyage which 

 only took six months from the river Thames and back, and only cost 

 £9,977 ; whereas on the American side, where all the recent expe- 

 ditions iiad been accumulated, it had cost many hundred thousand 

 pounds, many lives, many years and vessels to attain the latitude of 

 only 76 deg. The voyage of' Captain Wood, in 1676, the last attempt 

 to effect the north-eastern passage, was then passed in careful review, 

 and it was proved that that unfortunate navigator, from being dis- 

 appointed in not being able to effect the passage, had given out many 

 false and groundless statements, in order to show the impossibility of 

 navigation in those seas, and, as Captain Beachy stated, "he seems to 

 have''been determined to create an imaginary barrier which should 

 deter any other persons from renewing the attempt." Those false and 

 absurd statements, tiic author said, seemed ever since 1676 to have 

 influenced the minds of tlie public, and cnnl.d tlic aforesaid prejudice. 

 The author then slated that a voyage Willi ,■! sl.jiuer could settle the 

 rimf.tion at issue iu a fortnight, ami a nin^l ii illini;- .-ost compared with 

 the millions wliic-Ii liail Ii'tii si>i'ut in Arrlic :inil Antarctic discoveries ; 

 nnd 1h' sr.i.j llnil invsiin.'l 1 '. .'1\ "i'lln' l-'miik lin snnrcli, lln' cxiilnral Ion of 

 llnit \:y'i- Mini v,.|-vn,Tc^sll.l''sc:i,«..nM ni..sl |,n.l«lil V lr:nl to rcsullsof 

 tiu'lii'dnsl inii.url.-nnctolhr Itrilish ^^ lial.' lislnTV. The 1 iivcnland sea 

 had l.e.n " lislic ,1 nut ;" bul In the S,.ilzl..r-,n m-;, Ihc « Inilns had uc^vor 

 beondistnrl.nd ■ ;nnl ho adancnd oeftain la.'ls In sln.w lln.t I hn nnniher of 

 whales in thai dirccti..n mnst be prodi-i.n.s. He linn nlludiMl to the 

 Americans, who had fished up iu the Bchring Straits whale-fishery 

 the value of .illH.niin.OOf) in the short space of two years, and hoped 

 the English would nut allow themselves to he anticipated in like 



it was evident that when Sii- E. Perry had been able to reach the 

 latitude of 83 deg. in little boats, with the assistance of steam, results 

 might be attained which would eclipse in interest all other Arctic 

 discoveries yet made. This paper excited a great deal of interest, 

 and a lively and prolonged discussion upon it followed, chiefly between 

 the author and Captain Beechy, E. N". This gentlemen said that the 

 Spitzbergeu sea had been frequently tried without success ; that Sir 

 E. Perry had found much ice ; aud that, if any expedition was to be 

 sent up that way, it should go on the western side of Spitzbergeu, 

 and not on the ea.steru side, as Mr. Petermauu proposed. To these 

 objections Mr. Petermann replied that since 1676 no attempt what- 

 ever had been made to proceed to the east of Spitzbergeu ; and that 

 even of the slight attempts previous to that date, that of Barentz — the 

 very first — had been exceedingly successful. Those early voyages 

 altogether could form no just criterion for the present day. Admiral 

 Lutke, wlio had been employed for four successive years in surveying 

 Novaya Zembya, had distinctly stated that a vessel, as fitted out by 

 the English in their Arctic expeditions, would be able to navigate 

 those seas. As to Sir E. Perry, that gentiemen himself, at the con- 

 clusion of his work, had emphatically stated, "that a ship might 

 have sailed to the latihide of 82 deg. almost without touching a 

 piece of ice." At all events, he hoped that the geographers and navi- 

 gators, as well as the authorities of this county, would agree with him 

 in considering it desirable aud important that the great Spitzbergen 

 sea should be thoroughly explored, for the cause of humanit}', as well 

 as for commerce and geographical science. 



The Electric Light. — Mr. Thoma.s Allan, of Edinburgh, who has 

 successfully introduced several valuable modifications iu the construc- 

 tion of the electTic telegraph and its working detaUs, has just suggested 

 a novel arrangement for keeping up a constant and equal distance 

 between the carbon points in the production of the electric light. The 

 two electrodes are formed spiraUy, or on the principle of the screw, 

 and each bearing its carbon point, they are placed perpendiculaily to 

 each other at a proper distance, aud made to revolve slowly 6y a 

 simple clock-work movement. As the distance bj' the action of the 

 current is gradually being increased, the points are always gaining 

 their proper position by tlie rotation of the electrodes presenting fi'esh 

 pouits of action. The proper distance between the points, is therefore 

 constantly kept up, aud a steady, as well as a brilliant light is the 

 result. The plan is said to promise to be highly effective for lighthouse 

 purposes. 



New Alcohol — M. Wurtz, Professor at the Ecolc de Medicine, has 

 succeeded iu extracting from the oil of potatoes a new alcohol, whicli 

 he calls " Alcool entylique." It is obfciined by repeated distillations. 

 Its composition is Cs Hio O2 . 



in the Spitzbergen 



Aud as to Rcographical discovery, 



MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. 



DOniSSTIC. 



Toronto Northern Railroad; Election of Director?. 



On Saturday, December 10th, the election of Directors of the Onta- 

 rio, Simcoe and Huron Railroad Union Company, took place at the 

 oflice of the Company, on Wellington Street, iu conformity with the 

 provision of the amended Act of Incorporation. The President of the 

 Company, Charles Berczy, Esq., presided, and explained the object of 

 the meeting, when some desultory conversation arose, and explanations, 

 in answer to questions, were macle by Mr. Morrison, the ^'ico-1'resideut, 

 and other members of the Board. Mr. Sladdeu ofllciated in his place 

 as Secretary, and Messrs. Arnold and MiUer were ajipointed Scrutineel'S. 

 The voting was continued until four o'clock, P. il.. when the Secretary 

 and Scrutineers commenced to sum up the votes, which was an oper- 

 ation that occupied several hours. The return of the followiug names 

 of gentlemen duly elected, to fcn-m the new Board of the Company, 

 was formally made at eight o'clock, P. M. We put the uames iu the 

 order of the votes, with the numbers opposite to each ; — 



B. W. Smith 5,8.i2 



Isaac Gilmor 5,747 



C.J.Orton , 5.739 



J. C. Morrisou, M. P. P 5,699 



HughScobie 4,908 



James Mitchell 4,891 



Duncan Macdonnell 4,570 



G.H. Cheney 4,998 



E. C. Hancock 4,955 



Angus Morrisou 4,238 



W. A. Baldwin 4,192 



The above named gentlemen are, therefore, the members of the Board 

 of Directors of the Ontario, .Sinicoc and Huron Railway Union Comp.any. 



At the first meeting of Ihe uewlv elected Directoi's, held at the Board 

 Room on Tuesday, Decombor 13th, Josejih C. Morrisoii, Esq., was 



