April 12, 1858.] RINK ON THE NORTH COAST OF GREENLAND. 199 
the side of this open water, and as he said formed a quarter-deck there, and 
began to think of his wife and children. While he was thus lost in contem- 
plation, a huge walrus rose up within a few feet of him, and so frightened the 
boatswain, who had never seen one before, that he ran on board and swore he 
had seen the devil. I only state this as one of many instances to show 
that wherever there is an open stream-hole, animals and birds invariably flock 
to it. As to the land which is said to have been seen, I may simply state 
what you have already heard — that Morton, who was the steward of the ship, 
seems to have been singularly qualified above all stewards that I ever heard 
of ; inasmuch as he knew how to make observations and other nice calcula- 
tions, seldom found except in men of superior attainments. Be that as it may, 
I give him full credit for his knowledge. He says he ascended a hill 500 feet 
high. Now it is not very difficult to calculate at what distance the land 
might be seen from that height ; but as my friend Captain Collinson has 
something to tell you on this subject, I leave the explanation to him. 
Captain R. Collinson, r.n., f.r.g.s. — I think it very fortunate with 
yourself, Mr. President, that on this occasion we are acting the part of 
mediators, and not accusers, and that it has fallen to a Dane, and not to an 
Englishman, to write this criticism. But I feel assured that we all ever shall 
acknowledge the debt of gratitude which we owe to the noble individual who 
made this voyage. It appears to me that we have nearly exhausted all that 
can be said upon the subject. There are certainly one or two points which 
require attention. One point which I would advert to is that the existence of 
the Humboldt Glacier gives a colour to the theory of an open sea, because we 
never could have a mer de glace without great change of temperature. If it 
were perfectly cold there during the whole season the snow would remain snow 
as it drifted, but there must be a change of temperature to turn it into ice. I 
think that is one reason why we may place faith in Morton’s account of there 
being open water. Still I will say this, that as far as my experience goes, it is 
almost impossible that it could be open w r ater throughout the whole of the 
year, because I am sure it would have affected the temperature which Dr. 
Kane experienced at his winter quarters ; so that I look upon it as a tempo- 
rary opening, or water-hole. And I must add that I think Morton is mis- 
taken in his statement with regard to the current. I cannot conceive it 
possible that a tide should run to and fro at the rate of four knots an hour, 
the liquid being from 7 to 11 degrees above freezing point, without sweeping 
the ice out of Peabody Bay and rendering Smith Sound entirely free up to 
Kennedy Channel. This must only be looked upon as a remark on my part, 
that possibly Morton may be in error with regard to the current. But 
there is one other point also I think it right to allude to, for the sake 
of meteorologists, in which I believe Dr. Kane is mistaken. In his series 
of observations for temperature he has taken the mean of his thermometers. 
Now t the thermometers supplied to the former expedition were essentially 
bad. I had not one that registered the freezing point of mercury within 
12 degrees. Dr. Kane has taken the mean of these thermometers. In 
the course of all our observations we corrected each thermometer by 
the freezing point of mercury, so that in the case of Dr. Kane’s tempera- 
tures being compared with ours, there is the necessity of a correction. I will 
now refer to the vexata qucestio : that is — the extent to which Morton really 
got. Dr. Kane tells us that these positions are the mean of the uncorrected 
dead reckonings. As geographers, we cannot accept that ; we must stick to 
observations. What the sun tells us, is more convincing than what we suppose 
we have gained. By way of elucidating how extremely Morton’s reckoning got 
the better of his judgment, I would just remark that at Cape Maddison he 
left his sledge and set off for Cape Jefferson. From Cape Maddison to Cape 
Jefferson is 34 £ miles, as the crow flies. From Cape Jefferson to Cape Con- 
