1877O 
Notices of Books . 
551 
regions immediately around them ; or whether they are utterly 
undistinguished by any physical feature from the ardtic wastes 
already explored. At present we can only infer, with more or 
less probability, as to what may be the condition of the earth at 
the extremity of its axis, and with this uncertainty we cannot 
feel satisfied. 
Among the many who have sought to solve the “ mystery of 
the Pole ” none can claim a higher place than Capt. Charles 
Francis Hall, who, if merit could command success, might well 
have hoped to plant the flag of his country on the most northern 
part of the globe. He belonged to a class of men for whom we 
entertain a particular admiration. Like all true specialists, he 
had devoted his whole being to the solution of one question. 
For this he had thought, and studied, and prepared himself in 
every possible way, so that when the crowning opportunity came 
he might not be found wanting. To this end he sought to stir 
up public opinion in favour of a polar expedition under national 
auspices. He ledtured in various cities of the Union ; he cor- 
responded with official personages, and, in short, left no stone 
unturned towards the completion of his chosen task. This part 
of Capt. Hall’s life, indeed, reminds us of the journeys of 
Columbus when he went from court to court soliciting the means 
to put his project into execution. In pure, self-forgetting devo- 
tion to a great idea these two explorers are singularly alike. 
The American, however, unlike the Genoese, had to deal with a 
Government which honours and appreciates Science. 
The work before us — whilst it recounts the progress of the 
Expedition, the illness and the lamented death of Capt. Hall, 
ancl the heroic struggles of the party after his end — does not 
detail the scientific results of the Expedition. The various 
journals and reports in which the observations made by the 
Expedition lie scattered have not yet been completely digested. 
Some of the documents, as well as of the specimens collected, 
appear to have been lost when the Polaris had to be abandoned. 
Many interesting fails, however, are recorded in these pages. 
Those who imagine that mosquitoes are an exclusive feature of 
tropical climates will perhaps be surprised to learn that these 
pests, along with other two-winged flies, haunt even the far north. 
Two caterpillars were also found among moss, but of what kind 
it is not stated. The Mammalia of the region explored consist 
chiefly of musk-oxen, foxes, seals, lemmings, bears, wolves, and 
walruses. The Expedition therefore, though it approached the 
boundaries of animal life, did not adlually cross them, as Captain 
Nares and his followers seem to have done. The fauna and the 
flora of the two Expeditions, when published, will be welcome as 
a contribution to our knowledge of the geographical distribution 
of organic life. 
A curious physical fadt recorded is the freezing of kerosene oil, 
which hydrocarbon at - 44 0 F. assumed a consistence like that of 
