REVIEWS. 
197 
by the American Senate for furthering the progress of Arctic exploration, 
-and for the discovery of the North Pole ; and by his energetic exertions, the 
Periwinkle, afterwards christened the Polaris, was fitted and equipped for 
the voyage in a manner more complete than had ever before been accom- 
plished. Besides the ordinary ship’s officers, the expedition took out men of 
science qualified to report upon the Natural History, Meteorology, and 
Geology of the region visited, and to observe such Astronomical phenomena 
as might present themselves, the scientific staff being under the direction of 
Dr. E. Bessels. 
Capt. Hall had at first contemplated proceeding by Jones’ Sound, but sub- 
sequently found cause to abandon this intention, and eventually steered his 
course for Smith’s Sound, which he reached on the 28th August, and which 
he found, contrary to all previous experience, quite free from ice. On the 
next day he reached his highest sailing point, which was afterwards deter- 
mined by the U.S. Hydrographic Office to be in lat. 82° 11' N. Here it was 
that the troubles of the expedition fairly commenced, and the Polaris, beset 
by ice, was drifted towards the south until she was finally brought to anchor 
in a bay subsequently named “ Thank God Harbour,” in lat. 81° 38' N. 
From this place Capt. Hall made what unfortunately proved to be his last 
journey towards the north, travelling a little beyond Cape Brevoort in about 
the 82nd degree of latitude, on his return from which he was attacked by 
sickness, which terminated fatally on the 8th November, 1871, when the 
command of the expedition devolved upon Capt. Budington and Dr. Bessels 
conjointly, and under their charge various sledge and boat journeys con- 
tinued to be made or attempted towards the north. 
With the summer of 1872 efforts to reach a higher latitude in the Polaris 
were renewed; and though she had received severe injury from the “nips” 
to which she had been subjected, and when sawn out of the ice leaked so 
badly that it was necessary to keep the pumps constantly at work, she was 
got under way, but failing to make progress she returned to “ Providence 
Berg,” a stranded iceberg of large size, which afforded considerable protec- 
tion to the ship when anchored under its friendly shelter. 
At length, further progress towards the north being deemed impossible, 
the commanders reluctantly determined to make their way south, and finally 
left their harbour of refuge on the 12th August, 1872, having then in the 
bunkers only coal sufficient for six days’ steaming. Constantly encountering 
close and impenetrable packs, the Polaris was at last moored to a large floe, 
with which she continued to drift, and on which a store-house was erected 
and a large quantity of provisions deposited in case of accident to the ship. 
Before this labour was brought to an end the high winds of early spring 
arose, which, breaking up the already weakened ice, forced the ship away 
from the party at work near the store- house, leaving a large part of the 
crew and many Esquimaux afloat upon the large floe, or upon smaller ones 
in its immediate vicinity. The Polaris continued to drift, chiefly in a 
southerly direction, until in the middle of October she was driven ashore, 
when the party on board forsook her, and passed the winter in a hut which 
they built on land ; in June of the following year they once more set out 
on their return journey in boats which had been built by one of their party, 
and three weeks afterwards were picked up by the Pavenscraiff, which car- 
ried the rescued crew to America. 
