322 On the Practicability of reaching the North Pole. 
determine whether they have been destroyed or driven within 
their ice-locked fortress. This last I think highly probable; and 
it would seem to be shown by a fact, stated by Dr. Kane in a 
paper read before the American Geographical and_ Statistical 
Society in December, 1852, upon “ Access to An Open Polar Sea:” 
viz. that he observed the White Whale (Delphinapterus Beluga) 
passing up Wellington Channel, northward, through a broken sea 
of ice for four days in October. The Barbed Seal (Phoca barbaia), 
was seen by Morton sporting in the waters of Kennedy Channel. 
These animals must have been denizens of the north, for since 
this species is not endowed with mechanical powers for opening 
breathing places in the ice, they could not have reached this 
water from the south, for this would have required them to pass 
underneath an unbroken belt of ice more than one hundred miles 
in width, which, I need hardly say, would be impossible. In its 
proper place I might have cited this fact, as well as the capturing 
y Morton and Hans of two Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) near 
the same spot, as bearing strongly upon the existence of contin 
ual open water. ) 
The lower forms of marine life have not been studied, and 
resent a broad field for the investigations of the naturalist. 
mportant problems are invyolyed in the determination of their 
aC, tage distribution. 
The 
pheric precipitation. The excess of this precipitation over evap” 
oration—for dy oem I may mention, takes place continually 
y the river and icebergs, have an im t bear- 
‘than is generally supposed ; 
Kane above latitude 78°. The great glacier of a 
rpendicr tude, is but a great frozen river—if I may 
the term—slowly flowing seaward, and discharging; 
jiece, its congealed fresh water into the salt sea, an! 
