(which is also on my map, located within 
the verge,) who say that they always have 
' their hardest winters when we have our 
| mildest: also information derived from 
; fishermen, who say that when the winter 
is mild in 'England they are sure to find a 
superabundance of ice in the northern 
seas. 
All the preceding statement being ad¬ 
mitted, it follows that the coming winter 
will afford a favorable time for a steam 
vessel to penetrate by the way of Spits¬ 
bergen, up some principal river heading 
in the. inner temperate zones; because as 
this appears to be a rainy year, the rivers 
may be expected to keep unusually high ; 
and as the straits and wider parts of the 
rivers, have been well cleared out by a 
high spring ft < od, large channels will be 
likely to be kept open all this winter,— 
especially when it is considered that the 
well replenished rivers w’ill be flowing 
j from a tropical region, and probably with 
a brisk current 
The worst to be apprehended is,that the 
ice accumulated this summer between 
Spitsbergen and Greenland may not be 
sufficiently melted or drifted south, to af¬ 
ford a free passage between Greenland 
arid Spitsbergen: but I think there is lit 
tie risk on that score,as the Russian hun¬ 
ters say the sea is entirely open all winter 
quite across the north end of Spitsbergen; 
and well informed writers state that the 
sea is open a!I winter, midway between* 
Spitsbergen and Greenland. 
As my Theory is now well matured, 
and the above stated seasonable concur¬ 
rence of favorable circumstances invite 
to immediate enterprize ; and as a suita¬ 
ble steam-ship is afloat on the sea (the Ro¬ 
bert Fulton*) what is to prevent an explo¬ 
ring expedition from departing under fa¬ 
vorable auspices this winter? I believe 
• here is nothing to prevent but the want 
of a general concurrence of public opin¬ 
ion favorable to my Theory. The nation 
is now at peace, and every part is caim ; 
our resources are improving, our citizens 
are generally enterprising, and other na¬ 
tions evidently expect from us something 
signal. Shall we not now be roused to 
