342 General Notes. [ April, 
back hills, which probably reach an elevation of 2000 feet, were 
" quite white. To the north of the northern bearing given, the 
land ends entirely or becomes very low. The atmosphere was 
very clear, and we could easily have seen any land above the hori- 
zon within a distance of sixty or seventy miles, but none could be 
seen from the masthead.” 
Captain Hooper considers it doubtful if Wrangell Land is ever 
free from ice. The immense body of warm water which is con- 
stantly passing through Behring Strait into the Arctic is carried 
to the east along the shore of the American Continent, and does 
not pass within two hundred and fifty miles of Wrangell Land. “I 
believe, however that it is possible, at times, for a strong vessel, 
properly equipped and fitted, to work her way in shore far enough 
to reach a safe harbor among the grounded ice within easy travel- 
ing distance of the land, where she could remain in safety, and 
exploring parties be sent out to examine the land. I am of the 
opinion that Wrangell Land is a large island, possibly one of the 
chain that passes entirely through the polar regions to Greenland. 
That there is other land to the northward there can be no doubt. 
“Captain Keenan, then commanding the bark Yames Allen, 
reports having seen land to the northward of Harrison’s Bay, 4 
few degrees east of Point Barrow. He was boiling out, and stood 
north under easy sail, during thick weather, eighty or ninety 
miles. When the fog lifted high land was visible to the northward, 
along distance away but perfectly distinct. Large numbers of 
geese and other aquatic birds pass Point Barrow going north in 
the spring, and return in Aygust and September with their young. 
As it is well known that these birds breed only on land, this fact 
alone must be regarded as proof positive of the existence of land 
in the north. Another reason for supposing that there is either 
a continent or a chain of islands passing the polar regions, is the 
fact that notwithstanding the vast amount of heat diffused by the 
warm current passing through Behring Straits, the icy barrier 1s 
from 614° to 8° further south on this side than on the Greenland 
side of the Arctic Ocean, where the temperature is much lower. 
The Tchukches have a number of legends in regard to some of 
these people having left the mainland and crossed over the ice to 
a ‘great land’ further north; and also of herds of reindeer having 
crossed over from,the north. There may or may not be ounda- 
tion for these legends. 
“To attain a high latitude with a vessel in this part of the Arctie 
is impossible. The whalers follow the ice-pack very closely be- 
tween Herald Island and Point Barrow, and never have been able 
to reach the seventy-fourth degree of latitude as yet, while only 
one or two claim to have been as far north as 73°. In the Green- 
land seas, on the contrary, it is no uncommon thing for whalers 
to reach the seventy-eighth degree, or even higher. 
From what I can learn from the accounts of those who have 
