294 Chronicles of Science. [April, 



appealed, therefore, to the President of the Society to second and 

 forward his views in this matter — an appeal which elicited a hearty 

 response from Sir Roderick Murchison, as well as from General 

 Sabine, the President of the Royal Society, Mr. John Lubbock, the 

 President of the Ethnological Society, and others. Of course a 

 subject of this kind is received with various feelings, and this paper 

 has excited much controversy and excitement beyond the rooms of this 

 Society. 



Dr. Augustus Petermann, an Honorary Corresponding Member of 

 the Society, has addressed a communication to Sir Roderick Murchi- 

 son, from Gotha, on the subject of Captain Sherard Osborn's paper. 

 Whilst most anxious for the prosecution of discovery towards the North 

 Pole by British seamen, he urges very strongly the route by way of 

 Spitzbergen, in preference to that by Smith's Sound, for eight principal 

 reasons: — The Spitzbergen route to the North Pole is (1) the 

 shortest from Great Britain, (2) the widest ocean route, (3) most free 

 from ice, (4) it offers only drift ice as an impediment, and this is least 

 in spring and autumn, (5) the sea to the north of Spitzbergen cannot 

 be frozen over owing to great currents, (6) Sir E. Parry reached 

 within 465 miles of the Pole in open sea, which extended far to the 

 north of his position, (7) all facts lead to the conclusion that under 

 the Pole is open sea and not land, but if it should be land, this would 

 easily be crossed in sledges from a ship, whereas a land party coming 

 to sea would be checked entirely, (8) the cost of the journey would 

 be less. Sir E. Parry's expedition from the Thames to 82° 40' N. 

 (the highest point yet reached) and back was only 9,977Z. 



Dr. Peterman supports his theory that the Pole is occupied by 

 sea rather than land by many ingenious arguments, and in this theory 

 he is backed by the opinion of Captain Maury. He quotes the 

 result of all antartic exploration that a barrier of some five or ten 

 degrees of ice is found, beyond which open sea is again reached. If 

 this theory be true, the learned doctor's idea that a screw-steamer 

 might take a trip to the North Pole and back in two or three months 

 might be realized, thus making the cost insignificant. It is also said 

 that not only might much scientific knowledge be added to our stores 

 by such an expedition, but that also a great deal of information might 

 be acquired that would be of the utmost value to the whale fishers. 

 Should it be found possible to endorse this statement, but little com- 

 parative difficulty might be found in starting an expedition. At 

 present a great deal of contention is going on as to possibility of 

 inducing the Government to forward the plans of the Society. Of 

 course much may be said on both sides. It is evidently not the 

 province of the Government of a great nation to expend the money 

 of that nation in purely scientific pursuits ; at the same time all that 

 has reference to the material well-being of the people must fall 

 within the duties of those who receive the proceeds of taxation. That 

 the honour of England is enhanced by the discoveries of her great 

 men is true enough, but her honour is in the hands of voluntary 

 societies. If it can be shown that some material advantage to a large 

 mercantile class, such as our whale fishers, will result from an ex- 



