Stockton^ s Arctic Voyage. 199 



Above her was the gray Arctic sky, colder even to behold than the blue 

 ice itself. All around was the silence of the far north — the terrible Arctic 

 silence that drives men mad with the longing for some sound. Only the 

 coming and going of the vessel's crew gave life to the scene. 



"The vessel was Her Britannic Majesty's ship Investigator, Captain 

 McClure ; the place was the mouth of the great river Mackenzie ; the 

 island was that named in honor of the famous astronomer, Sir William 

 Herschel. 



"For nearly two score years no vessel crossed the waters of Mackenzie 

 bay. Herschel island, unvisited for more than a generation, was but a 

 name on the maps. At last one summer drove back the ice farther than 

 before in forty years, and the west wind helped it, and then through the 

 naiTow lanes of water and through the shifthig ice came nine vessels> 

 eight of them dingy craft — whaling vessels — but the other a trim ship, 

 whose sails were white, whose metal-work shone, from whose peak flut- 

 tered the stars and stripes — the United States steamer Thetis, commanded 

 by Lieutenant - Commander Stockton, the first man-of-war that ever 

 reached Herschel island, the first vessel ever to fly in that lonely place 

 the flag of the United States." 



The Arctic voyage made by the late Captam (afterwards Ad- 

 miral) Sir Richard CoUinson in H M S Enterprise^ from 1851 to 

 1854, was perhaps, everything considered, the most successful 

 expedition made in Arctic research prior to the use of steam. 

 Collinson passed point Barrow in 1851 and wintered for that 

 season in Walker bay (71° 35' N., 170° 39' W.), on Prince Albert 

 land, to the east of Bank's or Baring's land. The next season, 

 1852-3, he wintered in Caml^ridge bay (69° 3' N., 105° 12' W.)- 

 He left Cambridge bay in the summer of 1853, on August 10, 

 and on September 15 reached Camden bay, near Flaxman island, 

 between the Mackenzie and point Barrow. The sea was nearly 

 open, but strong easterly winds, packing the ice to the west of 

 the bay, formed a sufficient barrier to prevent Collinson escap- 

 ing from the ice, especially as he was depending entirely on sail. 

 The Enterprise here wintered in 70° 8' N., 145° 29' W., and in 

 the ensuing summer, on July 20, 1854, was able to sail eastward 

 to Bering strait. 



As already said, Collinson's voyage was remarkably success- 

 ful. Herschel island, which was reached by Stockton and the 

 American wdialers under steam, is about 15° in longitude east of 

 point Barrow; but Collinson took his vessel under sail about 

 40° east of that point, or nearly three times as far beyond point 

 Barrow. 



