19B THE PEOGEESS OF MAE1TIME DISCOVEEY. 



CHAP. XXVII. 



Scoreshy. — The Arctic Navigators. — Eoss. — Parry. — Sufferings of Franklin and 

 his Companions on his Overland Expedition in 1821. — Parry's Sledge-journey 

 to the North Pole. — Sir John Franklin. — M'Clure. — Kane. — M'Clintock. — 

 South Polar Expeditions. — Billinghausen. — Weddell. — Biscoe. — Balleny. — 

 Dumont d'UrviHe. — "Wilkes. — Sir James Eoss. — Eecent scientific Voyages of 

 Circumnavigation. 



Although the undaunted courage and indomitable perseverance 

 of the great navigators whom I have named in the preceding 

 chapters had gradually circumscribed the bounds of discovery, 

 and no vast ocean remained to be explored by some future Cook 

 or Magellan, yet at the beginning of this century many secrets 

 of the sea still remained unrevealed to man. 



The north coast of America and the Arctic Ocean beyond 

 were still plunged in mysterious darkness ; and although Cook 

 in several places had advanced far into the Antarctic seas, yet 

 here also a wide field still lay open to the adventurous seaman. 



Many coasts, many groups of islands scattered over the vast 

 bosom of the ocean, awaited a more accurate survey, and would 

 no doubt have remained unexplored, if gold, as in former times, 

 had still been the sole magnet which attracted the seafarer to 

 distant parts of the world. But fortunately science had now 

 become a power which induced man, without any prospect of 

 immediate profit, to spare no expense and to shrink from no 

 danger, that he might become better and better acquainted with 

 his dwelling-place the earth. 



It cannot be denied that our century has laboured at the 

 solution of all these various geographical questions with an 

 energy and perseverance unexampled in the history of civilisa- 

 tion ; and the prominent part she has taken in their investigation 

 is undoubtedly one of the great glories of England. At no 

 other time have more voyages of discovery and more scientific 

 expeditions been undertaken ; never have more courageous Argo- 

 nauts gone forth to conquer the golden fleece of knowledge. It 



