256 Expedition of the Alert to 



tion, forty-two men, comprising the petty officers, crew and station 

 men. The ship in which we passed five long months was H. B. M. 

 s. s. "Alert/' which had been given to the United States by the Brit- 

 ish Government, to aid in the relief expedition which rescued Lieut. 

 Greely and his unfortunate party. After its return from that expedi- 

 tion, the American Government gave it back to the British, with 

 grateful expressions of thanks for the international courtesy. The 

 "Alert" is also famous for bavin-- penetrated the furthest northward 

 of any vessel in history, when she was under the command of Sir 

 George Nares, in 1876, on the arctic expedition of which he was 

 commander. 



Our table-ware in the ward-room was a substantial reminder of the 

 good feeling and enmity existing lietween (itvat Britain and the United 

 States. The china displayed the naval crown of the British Empire, 

 while the silver and glass bore the monogram of the United States 



They seemed to be mute memorials of a family quarrel which was a 

 thing of the past and of bitterness forgotten, pledges that the two 

 great English-speaking nations of the world were willing to work 

 shoulder to shoulder in the cause of civilization, of science, of pro- 

 gress and of humanity. 



At 11 a. m. on Wednesday, May 27, the hawsers were cast off and 

 the " Alert" left the wharf at Halifax on her northern cruise. 



The day was bright and pleasant. The entire ward-room contin- 

 gent passed most of the afternoon on or near the ship's bridge, with 

 the laudable purpose of getting aeiptainteil with one another. Captain 

 Gordon and Dr. Bell I had met before; of the others, Mr. Beaton was the 

 only representative of the press on board, Mr. Barry was the first officer, 

 while Messrs. Payn, Woodworth, Tyrrel, Mackenzie and Shaw were 

 officers of the Meteorological Department. These five latter gentlemen 

 were sent out to relieve others of the same service who, as already 

 explained, had been left at various points in Hudson's Strait a year 

 previous, and who will remain for a year in that region. Each one is 

 to have charge of a station with only two men — generally laboring 

 men — as companions. They are separated many miles, and in that 

 long time will see no human beings save Eskimos. Their duties are 

 to make the regular meteorological and other observations. 



The printed instructions given them by Captain Gordon, soon after 

 they came on board, read as follows : 



