On the Navigation of Smith Sound, As a Route to the Polar Sea Author(S): G

On the Navigation of Smith Sound, as a Route to the Polar Sea Author(s): G. S. Nares Source: Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Vol. 21, No. 4 (1876 - 1877), pp. 274-287 Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1799958 . Accessed: 12/06/2014 17:35

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This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 274 THE NAVIGATIONOF S}IITH SOUND [AI.KR.2G, 1877-. coast in any quarterof the worldwhere he llad not done lTaluablework, and provedhis scientificaccura,cy, and the laboriousmode ill which he carriedout his sllrveys. Such men werenot easily replaced. There were but few in a generation,and when one of them passed away, those who lrnew what they had done were bound to pay them the tribute of affectionateregret. The specialbusiness of the evening Bas the Paperthat had been announced on Smith Sound by CaptainSir GeorCeNares. When the Society first gave a cordialwelcome to the officersof the Arctic Expedition at St James's lIally they were inforrnedthat as it wotlld be impossibleon that occasionto enter into any discussion,another opportunity would be affordedfor Menlberswho- were inclined to discllss the georraphicalresults that had been achieved. The- presentevening had been therefoleset apart for that ptlrposee The following Paper was read:- On the Xaviyationof SmithSound, as a Routeto the Pola} Sea. By Gapt.Sir G. S. NARES, R.N., E.C.B. MY present Paper on the navigation of Smith Sound will, I trusts be accepted as a continuation of the one on the Polar Area, whick I recently had the honour of reading before this Society; rather than as being in itself an exhaustive description of the locality. Our knowledge of the water-passage leading from Baffin Bay to t:henorthward into the Polar Ocean,is derived from observations madeby explorerswho have passed eleven summersand si2 winters in the neighbourhood. Of the four Expeditions specially equipped for the exploration of Smith Sound,three were despatchedfrom the UrlitedStates and one from this country. In 1852, the present Admiral Inglefield visited the entrance of the Sound, and discovered the south shore of Grinnell Land; alsa that the coast of Greenland,north of Cape Alexander, trended tcs the north-east for a considerablSedistance, but he did not land on either shore. In 1853 Dr. Rane, with his snall sailingwessel,- was the first who succeededin foreing a passage within the sea; but? after a xnost determined and spirited struggle, he was finally irnprisoned by the ice in ReusslaerBay for two winters. FroIn there one of his sledge-parties,under Morton,e:xplored the Greenlandshores to Cape (::onstitution;and another, under Dr. Hayes, landed on Grinnell Land; both journeys displaying the very highest qualities in alI engaged in them. He was followed in 1860 by Dr. Eayes, who unable in his sailing-schooner to enter the sea, was forced to willter in Port Foulke. In the following spring, after a most harassing and determined march across the heavy Polar pack in Kane Sea over which he

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions IAR. 26n 1877.] AS A ROUTETO THE POLAR SEA. 275

found it impossible to drag his boat he aseended Eennedy- Chan- nel; making one of the most brilliant Arctic sledge-journeys on -record. In 1871 Captain Hall, in a small steain-vessel, made his very successful run to the head of Robeson Channel, where he was stopped by icef and forced to winter in Polaris Bay. From thence, sledge-parties explored to the northward of New- man Bay; but, like all previous travellers except Sir Edward Parry, they mrereunable to drag their navigable boats over ths zough ice. On her return voyage, the Polariswas caught in the paclt and driven into Lifeboat Coxe, where she was obligecl to be run on shore. In. 187S, the lnost powerful Expedition of a.ll, consisting of two .steam-vessels,admirably equipped, was sent out froin this country un er my comrnand. We succeeded in reaehing the head of Robeson Channel, where ve were stopped by the ice, and passed the xvinter on the west shore of the channel. Sledge-parties explored the whola of the neighbouring shores, and determined the existence of an extensive sea; but, like all our predecessors,we were unable to transport navigable boats for any great distance across the ice, away from the land, during the short season wl-lenexploration by llleans of sledging is possible. The coast of GreenAandboldering Smith Sound, so far as can be sighted fronl the sea, lies completely imbedded in ice in summer as well as in winter without one mountain-peak showing itself <1bovethe very slightly inclined skyline of perpetual ice. The glaciers descending from this ice-cap are, however, mostly melted before reaching the coast7 leaving a border of land clear of ice near the sea. tiartstene Bay, situated at the head of BafEnBay, on the C8wreen- 3andshore, is washed by a warm ourrent eoming from the southward; and is proteeted fiom the cold Aretie floxvby the projeeting promontories, whieh form the western eapes of Greenland. In eonsequenee,the neighbourhood,as first pointed out ky Dr. Hayes, enjoys a eomparatively mild elimate; and on the vegetated lands fronting the ice-eap, as well as in the neighbouring sea, Aretie life is found in its greatest abundanee. As e2cperieneesllows that, in all but very exeeptional seasons,the position ean be yeally visited frorn the southward, the neighbourhood forms a valuable and important base for exploration in more northern latitudes. It is, in faet, the most norther]y position, where an abundanee of galne is procurableb; experieneed hunters

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 276 THE NAVIGATION OF SAIITH SOUND, [AIAR. OG, 1877> within a restricted area. At no other northern position yet explored is game now to be obtained in sufficient quantities to enable even a party of Eskiino to exist throughout the year on their own l esources. On the opposite coast of Ellesmere Land, on the west side of the- channel, the country in the interior is not so completely buried in ice as the Greenlandhills, and the Inountain-topsall project above the ice-cap. South of Cape Sabine, the glaciers on the hill-sides extend into the sea, and few bare places are left fit for feeding-grounds; but northward of it, along the southern shores of Hayes Sollnd, the line of perpetual snow and ice as on the Greenland coast-is at a considerableheight above the sea-level; consequentlythe glaciers, instead of estending to the sea, are fronted by vegetated Nalleys, and heights free from ice. One spot partially exploredby the late Expedition-Twin Glacier Valley and the heights about Alexandra Haven exhibited many recent traces of Arctic life; and the nunlerous ancient Eskinlo reanainsfound there would denote that game had alwaJTsfrequented the neighbourhood. An e2mploringparty travelling up the Sound, on the interesting dutJrof ascertaining whether a water-passage exists extending to the Western Sea, may thereforeexpect to obtain a small supply of fresh food on the south coast of Grinnell Land. North of Hayes Sound, the lnountains are remarkably free of any ice-cap; the valleys contain small glaciers; but extensive tracts of land are free from snow durint, the short summer, yet the ]ocality is decidedly unfavoured by game. While our ships were detained by the ice near the coast, only a few hares and ptarmigan were obtained. Sledge-travellerswill be unusually fortunate if they there obtain any gatne at all. In Rawlings Bay, at the south entrance to Rennedy Channel,a iw ancient decayedmusk-ox bones were foulld; but I think that few of these animals wander so far away from the morefavoured grazing- grounds in the large valleys near Mount Grant, in the United States Range. As we advance to the northward, up Kennedy Channel, the sea-life rapidly diminishes, and tlle bears who prey upon it are found in ever-decreasing numbers. At Polaris Bay, where the winds and currents contribute to keep the water-spaces more open than elsewhere, a few seals and sea-birds congregate during the summer. North of RobesonChannel, few, even of these, are met with, and the bears and dovekies are quite left behind. Throughoutthe whole area north of Srnith Sound the lllibratory

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions DIAR 26, 1877.] AS A ROUTETO THE POLAR SEA, 27, birdsin small numbersrear their young in the favouredvalleys and plainsduring the shortsurnmer. The nearerwe approachthe Pole, the later in the seasondoes the sun makeits appearance,and the lower the altitude it attains at noon. Consequently,the spring and the reanimationof the non-migratoryArctic life are rnorebackward than in moresouthern latitudes. At the Pole, the birdscan have very little time to sparebetween the late spring and the returningautllmn frosts in whichto rear their young. So pressedare they for time that, as I have already related, many that visited Floeberg Beach, finding the season morebackward than they anticipated,were obliged to returnto a morefavoured locality farther south. Thus I reason,that as we advanceto the northward,less dependencecan be placedon obtain- ing an appreciablesupply of wingedfowl. With reg;ardto migratorybirds in high northernlatitudes, it is remarkablethat the men of our party who resided at Polaris Bay during July and August,the best seasonfor game,and who were estremely anxious to obtain a supply for the use of their sick comrades,were unable to find birdsin as greatnumbers as the crew of the Polarishad found them at the same place. And I cannotbut concludethat the birdsresort yearly to the samelocalit- for the purposeof breeding,and that when they are all shot down in any one neighbourhood,it takes some years beforethat neigh- bourhoodbecomes fully stockednvith game again. This opensup the questionas to whetherthe large numberof necessarilyruth- less sportsmenwho last year hunted the district between Lady iFranklinSound and Cape Joseph Henry have not for a time devastatedthat districtby destroyingall the parentbirds. The same considerationwill apply to musk-osen;for EXans,the Eskimo,who was the most successfulhunter on boardthe Polarts in 1872, could find none of those animalson the same feeding- groundsin 1876. It will be convenientif we considerthe districtunder discussion as consisting of two narrow channels, Robeson and Kennedy Channels;and two broadenedparts Qr seas,Eall Basinand Kane Sea, with Smith Sound ol Strait as an outlet into BaffinBay. During the navigableseason, that is duringAugust and the first week of September,after the ice has brokenup, and is drifting about at the mercyof the winds and currents,in consequenceof the prevailing winds coming from the lvestwardand the ocean- currentfrom the northward,the shoresof the channelsand seas having a north-westerlyaspect are more liable to be encumbered

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE NAVIGATIONOF SWIITHSOUND, 278 with ice for long periods [MAR. 2G, 1877. one. than tllosewith a southerlyor This consideration,coupled easterly Kane, with the knowledgethat althoughworking with rerearkable Dr. was unable to force patienceand perseverance, his way beyondReusslaer east shore of liane Sea, Bay, on the sonth- and was irnprisonedthere the season,owing to the ice in the following him to neighbourhoodnever move, determinedme, both perlnitting turning,to when going North and re- keepon the westernshores as In a channelof muchas possible. varying breadth,owing to the winds,tides, and ocean-currents strengthof the thanin the being greaterin the broadchannels, the ice is contracted outof the morereadily carried away narrowsand depositedin the thebroadened parts. more sluggishwaters of Thus,in KennedyChannel, there is gationthroughout the comparativelya free navi- great sumlner; while in Kane Sea accumulationof ice, with there is a anda a constantinflus at the dischargeinto BaffinBay at northend, latter the southernentrance. At point,where the ice is first met the southward,as with when comin fromthe the currentruns stronger in thesouthern edge the offingthan inshore; of the ice, extelldingacross towardsLittleton Island, fromCape Sabine assumesa horse-shoe;shape, northward,with a water-spacein CUrViDg to the is mid-channel,from whence the readilycarried to the southward. ice BaffinBay are Thus,vessels arrivingfiom usually able to penetrate for farthernorth in this a short distance bight than they can do byr themore closely-packedice keeping among laterto inshore; but they are sure meet the southernedg;e of sooneror Itcan the main pack-icein Eane only be in very rare seasons Sea. extendso far that the water-bightcan north as to colnmunicatewitll EennedyChannel. the more open sea in Itis a mistaketo supposethat the inthis palt as Polarisdid not encounterice she ran to the northward. LittletonIsland, she From a positionnear steereda direct course for Cape foundthat she was running Frasel; but then into a bight in the ice. turnedto tlle south-west,and, CaptainHall passedup to the roundingthe edge of the pack, northwardclose along the western awater-channel existing shole, through same between the pack and the manneras the Alertand land,in tlle being Dtscoverydid; the only that while we had to fight difference nately for everymile, the Polaris found a continuouschannel, fortu- westerlywind. probablyowing to a previous InHall Basin there is an accumulationof WaneSea, with a few ice similarto that in open-water-spacesin the narrowestpast of

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions AS A MAR. 26, 1877.] ROUTETO THE POLARSEN. 279 BobesonChannel. But the large stores of ice in the PolarSea to the northward,and in Lady Franklin Sound to the westward, readilymovable by the prevailingwind, renders the navigationof this part even more difficultand dangerousthan in the largerbut somewhatsimilar Rennedy Channel. In conductinga vessel to the northward,the greatestdifficulties maybe lookedfor when passingalong the shoreswhere the pressure of the currentsets againstthe land. This is particularlythe case nearthe southernexit to the two br()adseas, Hall Basin and Kane Sea. Happily both are furnishedwith good and convenient harbours. CapeSabine, a difficultpoint to pass,has Port Payermost advan- tageouslysituated for use as a resting-stationwhile waiting for a westerlywind to blow the ice out of Iayes Soundand opena passage to VictoriaHead and to GrinnellLand. If stoppedon the way by the ice, the groundedicebergs in the indentationon the eastside of Bache Island will aSord a slight an:lotlntof protection; btlt after leavingPort Payer,Norman Lockyer Tsland and WalrusShoal are the only secureresting-places until BesselsBay or DiscoveryBay is leached; both of whichare valtlableharbours, although the former is muchenculnbered by icebergs. The open bays on the south-eastcoast of GrinnellLand, owing to their large si2e, atfordvery little proteetionto a ship. In the early season they are generally filled with one season's ice of ordinarythickness, in which a dock may be cut when the .shipis eompelledto wait; but by the middleof August,the height of the navigableseason, this bay-icehas generall,ybloken up and drifted out,givin^, place, when the wind blowson shore,to the heavyPolar ice fromtbe mainchannel. Whereverlarge icebergs have g;roundedin clustersnear the land -as is the case insideWashington Irving Island,north of Hayes Point,and in JoinerBay-if the ice inshore of them has broken upand driftedout of the way, they oftenafford convenient protection from iminediatedan^,er when the outer ice closes in. At otherparts, such as MauryBay, small ones becomestranded, and aleuseful as fixed stationsto which the ship may be temporarily secured;but if the outer ice closes in with force, both the ship and icebergor foeberg, whichever it might be, would be forced upon theshore. With this consideratiorl,a light draught of water is of theutmost importancein an AIctic vessel. North of Baffin Bay, ice-saws are only of use when meeting with theone season's icefloes of froan 3 to 6 feet in thickness, which have been formed ill the bays durint, the previous wiIlter. Thek

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE NAVIG-

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions AS A riOUxE TO THE POLAR SEA. ZIAR. 26, t877.] 281 ItennedyC:hannel, in an almostdirect lille, to the neighbourhoodof Littleton Island between the middleof August and Ocsober a distanceof 120 miles in sixty days. Her drift also shows that, although all regular navigation is over for the season by the middleof September,the ice is not firmlyfrozen before October O1 November;but after the latter monthall nlotionceases exceptin the very narrowchannels. A strong culrent, even svhenthe temperatureof the water is sery low, is a powerfulagent in retardingthe formationof ice, and in preventingice once formedincreasing in thicknessas fast as it would if the water were stationary. It also decays and destroys the ice beforethe powerof the sun is able to makeitself felt. In Bellot Straits,leading mrestward out of PrinceRegent's Inlet, wherethe tide runs with great rapidity,Sir LeopoldM4Clintock informsus that the water remainsunfrozen throughout the winter. In othernarrow channels the ice onlyattains a minimumthickness, even duringthe coldestweather. Early in the spring,long before the temperaturerises above the freezing-point,the ice in the Ilarrows decaysand polyniasare formedsurrounded by fixedfirm ice. I thereforereason that becauseRobeson Channel was opennearly all the winter of 1871-72, it does not necessarilyfollow that the ice in the ArcticSea was also in motionat the sametime; and yet I cannottake UpOD mJself the responsibilityof suggestingthat the ice in that sea always remainsunbroken and quiet as late in the season as it did last spring,that is, until the middle of July. V\Terewe perfectlycertain that the ice in the PolarQcean always remainsstationary until even the end of June, sledges un- providedwith boats might be despatchedtowards the :aortll,and the possibilityof reachinga higher latitude would then be very considerablyincreased. It must be gratifyingto all interestedin Arcticmatters to hear that in the United States it is contemplatedto send out another Arctic Expeditionto extend our knowledgeof these seas, which may be said to peculiarlybelong to themselves. Thereis sti]l a wide field there for geographicaland scientificresearch; but I am afraid that great difficultywill be found in advancingmuch nearerto the Pole by the SmithSound route than has alreadybeen attained, either in a ship, or by boat, or sledges,unless, indeed, the coast of Greenland contraryto my expectations-trendsto the northwardbeyond lat. 83?20' s. Admiral Sir RICHARI)COLLINSON said his experienceof the Arctic Regions had been confinedto a differentpart from Smith Sound,but there were some statementsin the interestingPaper which had just been read, which he cotlld

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions DISCUSSIONON ARCTIC 'Si2 EXPLORATION. [iNI.PW,26,1877. corroboratefrom what he had himself pointed out seen. Many years acroCaIrtain Parry that in order to explore the Arctic stick to the land; never Revions it ssas necessaryto had that been more stronglyproved Expedition. Not only must the than by the late CIeorCeNares explorers stick to the land, but, as sil had said, they IllUSt find Paperhad out shich was the weathershore. referredto the fact, that in certain The animal life was so rare portionsof the .&rcticRegions that probablyone or two exhaust it. His expeditionswould completely own experienceconfirmed that lriew. CaptainParry, and Captain Sir RobertM'Clure Kellett found musk-osen and deer on Melville Island, and the north in abundance Collinson) end of BanlSs Land, but he followinfflthe coast of Amelica, (Ndmiral neiChbourhoodof and beint, continually in the the Eskimo, thouChmuch further musk-ox,and obtainedbut a south, only saw one live small numberof deer. It would mistake for future travellersto expect thereforebe a themselves that they would be able to on freshmeat. The occurrenceof support and the continual pools of waterin some places nzotion of the ice +rasa most svhichmust be well studied interestingfact, and one by any succeedingexplorers in the BaronWrangel, proceedincto the Arctic Ocean. the early northwar(lof Siberia,calne upon water spring, and was prevented from in sledgesfallinffl continuinChis journey by the throu>ll the ice. On the other (AdmiralCollinson) hand, during the winter he spent on the nolth coast of Americahe erackor movementof the ice. It neversaw a single inthe was difficultto accountfor the open reCionsnorth of Siberia,which were +rater partof the world. supposedto be tlle most inclement NVhereverthere was a projecting; Barrow,and the coast headlan(l,such as Point trended away, thc ice, affected by sprint,-tides,and ly the mrind, the water of the open hrokeoW. This accountedfor the water which nas freqtlentlyseen by presenceof whichshe spent H.M.S. Plouer durinfflthe winters there,and it had led peopleto beliel7e weresometimes called in the existenceof what polynia. rl'heterm polynia,hosvever, openhole extendinCfor a short merely meant an through distance. If any attempt were made the ice because of tne presenceof to (ro intothe same these holes, the vessel would ,et difficultyas the TeyetAto.g,and be thecllrrent. There was entirely dependent upon one thinCX ilowever, which beredby Arctie shouldalways lJe remem- voy?lgers,and that was that tlle time of oftenthe lrerymoment of safety. greatestdant,er was AdmiralRICHARDS, SS one of those theroute who were in some sense responsible taken by the late Expedition, said for thatE>:pedition it was very well known before sailed that there xvasa divergence meansof reachingthe of opinionas to the best Pole, but therewas no diSerence.of Soundbeinc the best route opinionas to Smith for such a sledginc expeditionas Therehad been very good reasonto was proposed. distance believe that land estended a beyond the most northerlypoint considerable thatland trended reachedby the Polarz.q, and that northward. Had that been so, there butthat the late Expedition could be llo qllestion would have reacheda nauchhigher tudethan it did If the coast-line, northernlati- theeast, which was exploredto the west and +^rereturned north, it would estend to holvever,be adnaitted nearly to tlle Pole. It must now that if the discoveriesof the coveryhad been known previously, Alest and the l)is- leensent those vessels would certainly not to Slnith Soun(3, because esrery have +arellthat it was quite Arctic traveller knew perfectly impossiblefor sledve-joulneysto be ,reatestent wherethere was no carriedout to any So land alonCwhich the sledaescoul(l soon as Sir Geo. Nares found that be draCged. iturould be there utasno lalld to the north, he itnpossibleto reaGhthe Pvle, and knew west,which was all thereforehe exploredeast and that was left for him to do. Smith regardedas a closedrollte to the Soundmust now be able Pole by sledCes,and he knexvof no sledz,e-route. ;Hedid not say that otheravail- there would never be any moresledge-

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions DIAR. 26,1877.] DISCUSSIONON ARCTICEXPLORATION'. 98t) expeditions; but he maintainedas stron,glJras possible that sledge-travelling with a view to reachingthe Pole was at all enelfor ever. The lolest distance ever accomplishedby any one sledg;e-party,or by any combinationof sledges, in one direction,did not exceed.860 geographicalmiles in a straiahtline, and that distancehad only been travelledby one party,under exceptiona]ly favour- able circumstances. 1'hreeother partieshad made on the outwardjourneys about 300 geoaraphicalnliles. Of course the necessity of deviatinafrom the straight line, to avoid rough ice, made the actual numberof miles travelled much areater,but 360 geoaraphicalmiles was the lonaest distanceever passed over in a straiahtline by any sledae-partyon their outwardjourlaey. Proposa]s llad been made for extendincrsuch jotlrneys by means of balloons or steam. The idea of ballooninamay be at once dismissed,but the use of steam rollld appearvery feasible to many persons. Steam had overcomeall difficultiesof locomotionbut this one; and if an unlimited extent of ocean solidly frozen over could be found, no doubt a traction-enginecould traverse it- in fact, a railway train could go over it easily. But stlch a solid oceanhad never yet been discoveredaway fromthe neiahbourhoodof land, and in fact never could be. He thereforeneed not say what would be the fate of a traction-engine if it got upon thin ice or into a hole. The Americans appearedto have an intention to colonise Lady Franklin Bay. He wished them success in so originalan enterprise,for none were more entitled to it; and if they carriedit Otlt,some very remarkableresults no doubtwould ensue, but he was boundto give a decidedopinion that lao expeditionwould ever reachthe North Po]e, or approachnear it, by a sledae-expeditionthrouCh Smith Sound. It should be rememberedthat sledae-travellinfflNva3 not introducedto discovernew land, but ratherto searchfor the missing crevwsunder Sir John Franklin. Such a mode of travellinCnever would have bcen adopted to discovernew land in the Arctic Regions,at the rate of three or five miles a day. He beiieved it had been brouClltto the highest pitch of perfectionot which it was capable while human beinas were constituted as at present; l)llt it did not follow from what lle had eaid and he should be very sorry to think it did- that the AtorthPole could not be reached. Twelve years afflo Dr. Petermann,who has been the constantand consistent advocate of reaching the Pole by the SpitzberCenroute, communicatedhis vie,wsto the Society in two letters to the President,which were readand printed in the ' Proceedings'- of that date. He supportedthose views by evidence to my mind the most conclusive short of actual experience,that is, by the most industriousand perseverinCresearch on the subjectof isothermsand other physical phenomenar I see here this evenina Arctic officerswho were in accordwith Dr. Petermann on that occasion,and I repeatwhat I said then, that no papersI have heard read beforethe Society on the subjectof reachingthe Pole have appearedto me so sound, so loCical,or so convincinC,as those papersof Dr. Petermann's. 'l'he subjectwas a speclllativeone then, more than it is now, but the papers have stood the test of twelve years, and they force themselves more on my conviction now than they did even then. Briefly, the propositionwas that two stout and well fotlndsteamers, such as the tert and l)iscoveryX shouldK seek an opening throut,hthe ice nolth of Spitzbergen,an attempt which has never yet been made. It is the only rollte which oSers a prospectof success by ships, and it is impossibleto deny that it does hold out a very fairprospect. It could be effectedin one summer,and if unsuccessfulcould be resumedthe next. It need not involve.a winter in the Arctic Regions, thouChI should much prefer,if necessary,to pass one at Spitzbergen,where it miOhtbe spent profitablyand not unpleasantlfr. AdmiralOMMANNEY said, after the very interesting Paperwhich had just been read,he thollChtthe country ha(l been fully rewardedfor the e:xpenseof the late Expedition. VVithregard to geoaraphicalresults, the terlllinationof

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 284 DI:CUSSIONON ARtCTICEXPLOR.&TION. [3IArv,26, 1877.

Grant'sLand had been ascertainecl,and perhapsthe terminationof the great continent of Greenland,while for the first time the real Polar ice-sea,lying lvetween80? arldthe Pole, had been visited. He did not think that Parry ever came near that greatmassive ice whichhas beendiscovered on this Expedition. IIe quite agreedwith AdmiralRichards as to the irtlpracticabilityof reaching the Pole by sledges and he believedthat the conditionsof the North Pole were somewhat similar to those of the South Pole{)ne huge glacier, the borders of which, however,did not extend into so low a latitude as that in the South Polar Pieaions. This is the first Expedition that has reachedthe boundaryof the so-namedPalxocrystic ice, and he believed that on all future attempts to reachthe Pole the same formidableobstacle wilL be encountered. Captain Nares had alluded to the tracesof iEDskimoon the western coast of Smith Sound,,and the native who was with him (AdmiralOmmanney) in the Arctic Seas eIrewa chart,and showedthat his ancestorshad visited those shoresand foundmusi-osen there. Ile wished to pay his tribute of admira- tion to CaptairLNares for the lnannerin which he navigated his ships, takint, them as far North as there was a dropof water to be found to float them. CaptainFEILDEN said he agreedwith Sir GeorgeNares as to the paucity of +animallife in those regions,and the probabilitythat the animalswhich had been seen there werepermanent residents. There could be little doubt that the musk-os:ensecn in the northernpart of Grant'sLand remainedthere continually. Therewas no more reasonwhy l;heyshould not spendthe winter there than the reindeerin Spitzbergen,nvhich was nearly as far North. The absencelast year of musk-osen at Hall's Lan(l was probably owinfflto the Polariscrew having kille(l them all. Evidently at a time not rery remote there nltlSt hanreleen a much greatel amotlntof animallife in Slnith Sound than at present ltecauseat variotlslocalities, stlch as RawlingsBay and dEIayes Sound,remains of large Eskimo settlementswere found, hannt, the roofsof the huts made of thc skeletonsof large whales and cetacjeansthat at Gne time must have penetrated Slaith Sotmd,though dllrin the late Expeditionno trace of them wns seen. Beyond Cape Union one of the sTedgin-parties picked up a tusk, or canine tooth, of a narwhal,97hich anitnal certainly did not come throughRobesorl Channel at the presentdate, and he also procured a rib-bone of some large whale. It was thereforeprobable that there had been an alteration in the climate since the Eskitno inhabitedthose +7illages hich were now deserted. The PRESIDENT:lIave you any data as to the time when the Eskimo were settled there? Catain :FEILDENsaid all he cotlld safely say was that it must haarebeen at a very ancient date, for the bone remains which had been used for sledges were often quite exfoliated from a<,eand exposure,and there were no recent tracesof any kind. Dr. RAE,referling to Admiral Richards'statement, tbat if CaptainBeau- montvs wonderful journey were joirled to that by Captain Aldrich, and estended northmalds,it zrould almost reach the Pole, said that the total distancetravelled by those two explorersin a strait,htline was not more than 260 geoCraphicalmiles, while frornthe winter quartersof the Alertto the Pole was 460 geographicalmiles, a diSerence of 200 miles each way, or 400 altogether. AdmiralRichards had also said it was not possibleto travel over the icFsea to the North; but that was only the experienceof one party, and it had never been attenlpted elsewhere. He thought it;was still quite possiblethat sledfte-journeysmietht be made to the 3!5orthtInder more favour- able circumstances. All travellerswho had been to the North more than once would state that they seldom fotlud ice in the same situation in suc- -cessiveyears, and thereforeone season was not sufficient to prove the im- practicabilityof any rot te. Adiniral Richardshad said that sledgeshad not

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 3lAr. 26, 1877] DISCUSSIONON ARCTIC EXPLORATION. 285 lbeenintroduced for surveyinc purposes; but in 1846 he (Dr. Rae), with tell men, surveyed in sledCes,under the auspicesof the Hudson'sBay Gompany, at an expenditureof under1400z., his own pay included,600 or 700 miles which had baffledthree Governmentexpeditions-one 1lnder Parry with two ships one underCaptain Lyons with one ship, atld one utlderSir GeoraeBack-and cost the countrysomething like 60,0005.or 80,0005. The survey,too, was done in such a way that he wouldnot be afraidof even the late Eydrographerto the Admiralty,Admiral Richardshimself, going over the ground acain. Unfor- tunately, he brokehis chronometers;but after finding what rate per day he Scouldtravel at, he calculatedthe distances,and, after journeying over 300 miles he orderedhis men to build a snow-house,as he thotlght he was close to his point of destination,and afteranother hour's walk he joinedhis surveywith that hy Sir James Ross. AdmiralRichards also said that if the land reportedby the AmericanExpedition had existed,the late Expeditioncould halte got to the Pole; but surely no one was in such a fool's paradiseas to supposethat that Wchannel,Smith Sound,led right away to the Pole. The land laid downon the Potaris'chart nvas only about70 miles north of 82? 11t,which wouldbe upwards of 400 milesfrom the Pole; and if the longestjourney that couldbe performedin sledgesin a direct line was 350 miles, how could the Pole have been reached remembering,too, that the lonCestjourney on sledgeswas whereanimal life was abundant? In the excellent Paper which Sir GeorgeNares read at St. James's Hall, he said that the drift on the east coast of Greenlandand down Baffin Bay was at the rate of 4 miles a day and he instanced the drift of the Polarts crew on the ice from the mouth of Smith Soundtill thev were picked up by the Tigress. The distance was stated in the I'aper to be 740 miles in 166 days, or nearly 4 miles a day, but the actualdistance measured on Peter- mann'schart was nearly 1600 miles, and the time occupied 201 days, givinffl an averaCeof about 73 miles a day. All the whalerswith whom he had con- versed stated that the drift in summer was far greater than iD the winter. Sufficientallowance had not been made by Sir GeorgeNares for tlle inamense frictionand the destructionof the ice causedby the great riversflowing out of Siberiaand the Americancoast. Those rivers not only- wore the ice away but they openedlarge spacesof water, and the gales of wind rot room to raise a sea, which brolSeup the ice in a nlannerwhich no personcould imaCinewho had not seen it. Sir GeorgeNares also saidthat the ice formedto a thickness of 7 feet or 72 feet: this is true as to the open spaces, but the great floes of which the Expedition met such a quantity were not likely to increasein the same ratio. Ice 40 or 50 feet thick must sink a great deal in the water, and the lower surfacemust be in warmerwater. If the ice &Tasincreasincr at the rate that Sir Geor(JeNares supt)osed, we should all be in a glacial periodvery soon. WVhenalluding to the open pool of araterwhich he saw in latitude 82? in AprilXswarminc with sea-birds,Lieutenant Payer said nothinc aboutany stroncrcurrent there, and thereforethe conclusionwhich he (Dr. hae) drew from that circumstancewas quite diSerent from that arrived at by Captain Nares. NVhereverthere was a channel of waterhaving a very shallow place in it between two deeperparts-one on each side even with a moderate current, the warmerunder-water, in passing over the shallow part, mixed with the surface-svater,and it never froze- There were such poolsin all the large rivers of America. One which he had seen several times was in the St. Lawrence,close to Lachine. There vvas an island there, and the lvhole riverwas frozenabove and below; but in a narrowchannel of about100 yards3 the waterremained open the whole winter, the currentnot runnint,more than a mile or a mile and a half an hour. The open water was very shallow com- paredwith the partsof the riverabove and below. Oneother point he wished to refer to was the kind of sledge that should be used. Sir George Nares had said that the H. B. plan of sledgingmight do for liChtloads. He wished

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 286 DISCUSSIONON ARCTlCEXPLORATION. [AR. 26,1877.

to assuretlle Society that the contentionhe had formerlyhad on this subject did not arise fromany personalconsiderations. He simply wanted the Alert and Dilscoveryto try his plan with theil own. He also thought that snow- shoes would have been useful, and he even sent a pair on board, which ploved useful beforethe winter was over. He had known an Indian womarl halll a sledae,with 200 lbs. over and above the weight of the sledge, to the fort at Athabasca,throuah deep sno-w,with snow-shoeson. Sir GEORGENARES: HOW marly days at a time ? Dr. RAEsaid they dra(Tcedit for weeks together, and he had hauled the same weilt hinaselfwhen wearingsnow-shoes. Tbe sledgehe proposedcould not sink in the snow, and was thereforefar better than the runner-sledCe. lf CaptainBeaumont had had flat sledves,he could probablyhave roundedthe point of Greenlandseen to the north-east,and CaptainAldrich would have gone 70 or 100 miles fulther with such sledges,and brollChtback his men not half so broken-downas they actually were. It had been said that Sir James Ross had tried the flat sledges,bllt those were a wretchedand useless itnitation,simply three or four so-calledNorwegian snow-shoes tied toCether. The reasonwhy the Eskimo dicl not use flat sledgeswas that they had not touah wood to make them of, and they seldomor never went upon rough ice because they neverfound walrus or seals there. He could not concludehis remarkswithout a word of praisefor those gal]ant men who had strllraledso valiantly aaainst so many difficultiesto attain the object for which they went out. SIR HENRYRAWLINSON said, althoughhe had had no personalexperience in Arctic travellint,,he had always taken the very greatest interest in the subject,and had done everything in his power to promote alld stimulate Arctic discovery. He had experienceda good deal of discouravementand disappointmentfrom the prospect,which Admiral Richardsheld out in the early part of his address,of their never beina able to make much advancein excess of their presentdiscoveries in the Nolth, but in the latter part of his address he stated sonle facts which tended to relieve that disappointnzentw No doubtif any further advancewas to be made, it must be in the direction of Spitzber,:,en;but therewere sorneindications that landassistance miaht be obtainedeven tilere. At the very farthest point reachedby Payer he saar land in the extremedistance, trending away towardsthe Pole, and it was far fromimprobable-at any rate, the contraryhad not been proved--that there might be a ranaeof land stretchinCaway from Franz Josef Landin the direction ofthe Pole, which llliaht enable sledge travellinc to be resorted to. Thes thereforehad two strin^,sto their bow; first,the chanceof sea naviCation,and next the chanceof sledge travellinC,and he was thereforevery loth to give up tileprospect of advancingful ther North without moreexamination. He wished also to impressupon the Meetingwhat he thouChthad neveryet had sufficient importanceattached to it, namely, the actual e2ztentand value of Sir Georgeb Nares'bonafide geocrraphicaldiscoveries. Reaching the Pole, supposingit to be ice or sea, would have led to no geographicalresult whatever,the map wouldnot have been changedone iota; but 25? of longitudein one direction, andbetween 10? and 15? in another,had now lzeenexplored. From the top of Kennedy ChannelCaptain Aldrich towardsthe westand CaptainBeaumont towardsthe east had discoveredand laid down a lonfflline of coast, but there wasstill a wide field for discoveryin that direction. AVhatmust yet be (lone wasthe complete delineationof the otltline of Greenland,connectinC Beau- moIlt'sfurthest with Parry's furtheston the east side. Until that was done geoarapherswould not be satisfied. Whether it was accomplishedby tlae Swedes,the Americans,or the English, was really of no greatimportance, but sciencerequired that the wholeof (ireenlalldshould be, if not circumnaviCated circunlsledDed.The GeoU,raphicalSociety fully appreciatedthe results of the

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.31 on Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:35:09 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions MAR. 26,1877.] DISCU?ION ON POLAR EXPLORATION. 287 late Expedition, and he was sure the Fellows would be delighted if the Councildetermined to awardtheir hiahest honour to Sir GeorgeNares, as he had alreadsr been honouredby Her Majesty,the Fountain of Honour. SIRA1EXANDM;R MILNE said he held a positionat the Admiralty when the late Expeditionwas fitted out, and indeedwhen every es:peditiorLsince 1847 had been despatched,and he was pretty well versedin what had been going on. The objectof the Expeditionno doubt was, if practicable,to reachtbe North Pole. From the discoveriesof Hall it was supposed that the land beyond the point reachedby the Polaris trendednorthward; but Sir GeorgeNares had fouTldit trendedto the west oll the coast of America,and to the east on the coast of Greenland,and that it was impracticableto pass over the great Frozen Sea, which stretchedbeyond the point at which the Alert wintered. The sledge-party under Captain Markham could only carry seventy days'

provision7 thirty-five of which was for the returnjourney, and must have been sensible that they were on a forlorrlhope. It was not expected that when Sir George Nares arrived at his northernmostpoint he svould have to send travelling parties east and west, and so reducethe strengthof the Expedition. From all he had read and heard, he believed it was perfectlyimpossible for the Expeditionto have done morethan they had done * and when the autumn arrived,what was the use of their again w;nterin in the iw ? They would only go overthe sameground; andiSir GeorgeNares esercised a wise discretion in returningto England,and had addedlargely to the georraphicalknowledge of the northernpart of Americaand Greerlland. Sir GEORGENARES, in reply, said the only remarkshe felt it necessaryto make were iIl answerto those by Dr. Rae, whom all Arctic tralrellerslooked upon as being about the best critic they could possibly have. Perfectly honest criticism always did goods and from such a successfultraveller as Dr. Rae, the more criticismsthe better. But it should not be forgottenthat even I)r. Rae himself had not done any greater distance in tlle matter of sledCe-jourIleyinfflthan naval parties had done. With regard to the drift, it was only a matter of 2 or 3 miles a day, and what he had said he must stick to. On a formeroccasion, he mentionedthat the riversof Sil)eriaand other parts did break uptthe ice in the Polar area, and that the ice first melted away at the mouths of those rivers,so that Dr. Rae and himself were at one with reCardto that point. He could IlOt now enter upon the questionof the temperatureof the water. It was still a moot questionwhat was the temper- ature inside a glacier. All he had stated was that he had seen ice 100 feet thick, and had noticed water running 1lnderneatha glacierlong after that wratermiaht have been expected to have been frozen. On board of the Ciiallengerhe used to tell Sir Wyville Thomson,that waterunder the great glaciers in the Alps could not be below 32?, but he had since found tbat it could, althoughhe had never met with any explanationof it. Ee would not enter tlpon the qlaestionof the kind of sledgesto be used, but even Dr. Rae, on one occasion came to very rouChice, and had to leave his flat sledges behind, and carry the weiahts on the backs of his men. Dr. RAEsaid the sledes he had on that occasionwere not flat but high runner-sledges,such as were used by the late Expedit.ion,which he took good Ecarenever to use a^,ain. The PRESIDENT,in conclusion, obserared that the discussionhad been most interestint and instructive. Although, accordingto Sir AlexanderMilue, the Admiraltycontemplated that Sir George Nares could reach the North Pole the Royal GeoCraphicalSociety simply desired that the vast Polar area 1,000,000 or 1,300,000 miles, should be exploredas far as possible,and the Expedition had explored a very considerablepart of it, doing all that the gallalltry aawdcourage of me:rlcould accomplish.

VOL. YXI. z

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