764 



THE POLAR WOKLD. 



" From personal examination of all the witnesses, we reach the unanimous opinion that 

 the death of Captain Hall resulted naturally, from disease, without fault on the part 

 of any one. During his illness he was under the medical care of Dr. Bessels, and as 

 none of the persons now here are capable of giving a more particular account of the 

 nature and symptoms of his fatal sickness, the return of the Polaris must be awaited 

 for precise information." 



Out of a thousand picked men it would be hard to select one whose chances of life 

 were so good as those of Hall. He was slightly above the middle height, strongly 

 built, with large head, broad chest, and muscular limbs. In all his habits he was 

 strictly temperate, and even when he returned from his second expedition he pre- 

 sented the ideal of robust health, as he did when he set out on his last one. The in- 

 structions, however, had provided for the possible contingency of his death, in which 

 event the command was to fall upon Buddington. Tbe long winter was passed as 

 usual in the Arctic regions, but without any suffering from want or even from cold. 

 Indeed it seems fairly established that on the western continent at least the line of 

 greatest cold runs considerably south of latitude 80°. The highest points where a 

 continuous series of extreme cold have been noted are in about latitude 72° on the 

 American continent and in Kamchatka. Scientific observations were carefully kept 

 up, a considerable extent of coast was surveyed, and Ebierbing and Hans Christian 

 hunted whenever opportunity presented, and with no inconsiderable success, the store- 

 rooms of the Polaris being filled with skins and skeletons of musk oxen, bears, and 

 other animals, with birds of many species, and their eggs, and other objects of natural 

 history. To all appearance the waters were wholly destitute of fish ; for although 

 nets and lines were continually set, none were obtained. But marine invertebrata, 

 such as jelly-fish and shrimps, were abundant, which were believed to constitute the 

 chief food of the numerous seals. Many pieces of drift wood were picked up, the 

 walnut, ash and pine being identified. These must have been drifted from a warmer 

 climate, and have come either through Bering Straits from the west, or around the 

 northern coast of Greenland from the east ; all the probabilities being in favor of the 

 latter. Indeed it is more than probable that the northern coast of Greenland does 

 not extend much nearer the pole than latitude 83°. As has been previously men- 

 tioned, the Germania and Hansa expedition discovered an apparent sound stretching 

 westward into the eastern shore of Greenland ; and it is not improbable that this 

 communicates with the one which the Polaris saw running north-eastward, and so 

 defines the northern coast of Greenland. 



Two or three weeks after the death of Hall, a strong gale swept down from the 

 north-east, forced the Polaris to drag her anchors, and drove her against the ice-island 

 at the mouth of the cove, to which she was then made fast, and so remained until the 

 following June. During the winter a pack of moving ice drove her higher up the 

 berg, where her bow remained fixed, resting upon the ice-bed, while her stern swung 

 up and down with the rising and falling tides. The strong stem-piece was strained, 

 some of the planking started, and when at last she settled into the water she leaked 

 somewhat ; but after being once cleared by the steam pumps, she was kept clear by 

 working the ordinary deck pumps for about six minutes in an hour. 



Early in June, Buddington ordered a boat expedition, under Chester and Tyson, 

 to go up the shore as far as possible. One boat was crushed in the ice almost at the 



