AMERICAN SEALERS 
I0 5 
boat fifty miles from his ship, and in extricating the 
schooner from deadly peril in the pack. This last ex- 
ploit illustrates his presence of mind and his rhetorical 
instinct, for in giving orders for a manoeuvre requir- 
ing instant action, he quotes a speech of ninety-one elo- 
quent words in which he adjured the men to ex-ert 
themselves ! 
On his return, Morrell at the age of twenty-seven, was 
given command of the Wasp and sent off on a South Sea 
sealing voyage, leaving New York on June 30, 1822. 
He was permitted by his owners to make explorations in 
the Antarctic regions and he did not lack confidence in 
the powers of the human race or of himself, for as he 
put it: 
“ The march of intellect is irresistible ; and were the 
earth itself one globe of ice, the fire of genius, directed 
by the wand of science, could melt a passage to its centre. 
The day is not far distant when a visit to the South Pole 
will not be thought more of a miracle than to cause an 
egg to stand upon its point.” 
The truth of Morrell's voyage has been so seriously 
questioned that many geographers prefer to ignore it. 
We cannot altogether share that view, for a man 
may be ignorant, boastful and obscure, and yet have 
done a solid piece of work, though his account of it is 
crusted thick with exaggeration and mistake. Such a 
description may stimulate a more sober-minded explorer 
to outdo the deeds of the boaster and advance knowledge 
more than if he had had no claimant before his eyes to 
confirm or confute. Hence, since Morrell's Antarctic voy- 
age is little known, we shall give an abstract of his ac- 
count of it, with such remarks as may be necessary. 
Several months were spent in surveying the coast of 
