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Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right a; id top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de I'angle supirieur gauche, de gauche d droite, el de haut en bas. en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 8 6 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. SOMVEXIK OF Till.; LATK POLAH SKAKCII. J ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. SOUVENIR OF TUE LATE POLAR SEARCH. BY THE OFFICERS AND SEAMEN OF THE EXPEDITION. LONDON: ''OLBIJRN AXD CO., PUBLISHEllS, (il{|;.\T .MARr,HOKOr(MI -STKEKT. J. I. ON HON : Printed bv Scluil/c and Co., i;^ Poland Stittt. f -7 -]./, 1) E D I C A T E D , l!Y PKKMISSIO.N, THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY. iii> ^, Y U ^ djC * % -9 za* 9c« P 11 E F A C E. LL^ V"» On the 4ti\ ut* Miiy, 1850, un expedition, under the command of Captain Austin, C.B., sailed from the Tliames in search of Sir John Franklin and his missing companions. The ships composing this expedition were the ' Resolute,' commanded by Captain Austin, and the ' Assistance,' by Captain Ommanney, together with two steamers, the ' Pioneer' and ' Intrepid,' under the commands of Lieutenants Osburn and Cator. On the 24th of September, the little squadron was locked in the ice between the islands of Cornwallis and Grifiiths in which position it remained till the 11th of August, 1851 ; and on the 7th of October, the ships arrived off Woolwich, after an absence from England of about eighteen months, having passed more than two thirds of that time in the Arctic Oce ui. The vm iMr:F.\( E, tullowiiig work is not !i niirrativi' of the expedition, nor is it a journiil in tlu; usual acceptation of the term. It is siiiij)ly a eolleetion of articles on dif- ferent sul)je(;ts, extracted from a newspaper, which was edited hy one of the officers of the ' Assistance.' These articles were contributed by the connnanders, officers and men, of the exi)editi()n. Some of the ])apers are from the pen of the venerable Admiral Sir John Ross, and others, and not the least in- teresting, are from rough anil weather-beaten tars before the mast. This little newspaper was called the " Aurora Borealis," and was published on the Ijth of every month. It was hi manuscript, each number being arranged, and the ditterent articles e()j)ied into it, in a li'gible hand, by the editor himself. It is not for us, who only assist in bringing the woi-k before the public, to speak of its literary merits, or of the interest which it ought to excite, but we shall be pardoned in calling the attention of the reader to the fact, that the sid)j(jined pages are a faithful record of the thoughts and sentiments of a body of our countrymen, whilst exposed to extra- ordinary hardsliips and danger. They will also serve to show that an intellectual revolution has, to a gn.'at extent, taken place amongst our seamen, of which tlu; general public appear to have no conccp- 1 I'REFAL'E. IX 1 tioii. The populiir opinion seems to be, thiit the litiJiarv attainnionts of British sailors seldom exceed the acquisition of some boisterous song, and that only the very erudite amongst them can succeed in scra\vlinrs of" the E?;pedi- tion. When they loft England, tho Groat Exhihition was not yet in oxistenco, whon thoy returned it had already formed an opoch in the history of tho world, and had given undying lustre to tho name of its Royal founder. Those sentiments of devotion to their Queen, pride in their country, and admiration for its Government and institutions, which we find in almost everv page of the ' Aurora,' were eontirmed and incrc d hy tho Arctic travellers' visits to the Exhihition. In the peaceful contest which took place within those crystal walls, England had not always l)orne away tho palm from her rivals in arts and manufactures, hut in one point her pre-eminence was acknowledged. Suhlime in the strength of her free institutions, she stood calm and unmoved amidst the tempest of revolutions whieh swept over half the countries of Europe. Not one of Her Majesty's suhjocts but must have felt at heart a glow of pride at reading the eloquent speech made by Lord Palmerston at Tiverton a few months past, in which that great statesman described tho hajipiness and prosperity of this empire as contrasted with the condition of other nations. Never, indeed, has a country been more singularly favoiu'od by Heaven. Never was a Sovereign mon^ beloved or more deserving tho love PREFACE. XVU «1 /I of a pcopk', than is our Gracious Queen, and never has a Prince gaineti his fame in a more holy cause than lias the Royal founder of the Great Exhihition, nor has England been ever more respected abroad or been blessed internally with greater tranquillity and happiness. In introducing this little Arctic newspaper to the public, we cannot abstain from saying a word on journalism in general. The press is no-v put down throughout the greater part of Euro^.^.' But if [)ublic opinion has been illegally silenced in other countries, it is heard the louder in England. The intlucnce which the stern morality, the talent, and tin; wealth of our leading papers gave them over the civilized world has been immeasurably increased by the disasters which have fallen upon their cotempo- raries on the Continent. The tribunal of public opinion has only been transferred from less-favoured capitals to London : its power is still the same. A great paper like the " Times" no longer addresses itself to one empire or to a single people. The telcgiaph and the railroad have tlestroyed space, and a truth now uttered in London in a few minutes later vibrates through the heart of France, or is lu.'ard on the shores of the Adriatic. It was re- marked in the "Times" not long since, in one of the most eloquent urticie.^ ihat ever adorned the press of () ■•I I XVIU PREFACE. any country, that the profession of u journalist in England is that which is making the surest progress towards continued power and distinction, and the events of every day prove the gifted writer of that article to have been correct. The " Aurora Borealis" was the public organ of the little world on board Captain Austin's squadron in the Arctic Seas, and its pages are a reflection of the harmony and good-fellowship, the order and the Christian union, which prevailed in the Expedition. We fear that the time is far distant before " the peoples" of Europe will feel any of the brotherly spirit which animated " the Austin Happy Family." c^ 3 LONDON, DECEMBER, 1S51. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I. Baffin's I3nj, June, 1S50. It is pleasing for tiio human mind, after the troubles, revolutions and disturbances whieh have of late years convulsed Europe, to dwell upon and contem|)late the workings of humanity, and more especially where evinced in favour of Sir John Franklin and his daring band of companions. It is gratifying to find that— amid the many occurrences that daily interest and carry away the public mind— the voice of England has been raised for tb:ir rescue; and money, capital and other resources placed readily at the disposal of those in authority. Our Expedition has been fitted out under the most favourable and most glowing ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. i f I auspices ; f«'W hiivc ever left Eiipfland with so many and such ardent blessings ; the great, the good, the generous hav(i blessed us, and a nation has cast forth its wishes for our success and hap- piness. We cannot but prosper; each man, buoyed up by the lamp of Faith and Anticipation, assisted by the guiding hand of Providence, will do his best : the star of Hope will light us onwards, and, with energy and resignation on our part, will unfold to us the banner of success. Our hardships may be many ; but, with feelings such as now exist, these will be overcome; and in those regions " ^Micrc the North Pole, in moody solitude Spreads licr huge tracts and frozen wastes around," 1 I happiness, with a continual smile, will hover over and protect us. The Journal we have undertaken, has been for the amusement of the officers and ship's company of H.M.S. ' Assistance,' during the dark and dreary hours when " Mini,4inc; dav and niii-ht (Sweet iutcrclianjie which makes our labours light) Will be unknown," and our sacred mission will not demand our ser ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 3 vic(!.s. It will iinuisc iind instmcf, and \V(! hope il will 1)0 a bond to unite and kccj) iij) a spirit which will, we trust, rcin-n triumph-int throughout, and c'aus(^ our ship, in after years, t(j he fondly and dearly remembered by the name of Tin; iixri'V vnd .iorj,v ' assistwi i:." Tin; SUNKKX LA.NIJ OF liUS. On the 25th of May, 1850, l[er Majesty's ship 'Assistance' passed over that portion of the Atlantic beneath which the mysterious and tuinken land of Bus lies. Little did the sailor think, as his ship ploughed the mighty waves, that here, above these waters, a land full of hajipincss, of life and \itality once (jxisted, rich in the feelings of the heart, and prolific in the preciousness of its metals. This land, now no more, is mentioned by one of the two brothers Zeni (celebrated Venetian navi- gators), who, carried by a stomi into the Deuca- ledonian Sea, and after many hari ships ai d troubles, was, in 1380, wrecked upon a large and beautiful island, covered with a hundred towns and villages, and peopled by a ra(;e of Christians, j)rimitive in B 2 ^ i 4 ARCTIC MIS(EI.I..\Nins. the extreme, nnd enjoyinir a state of eiviliziitioii tar heyond ex|)e('tati()ii. lie was hospitably and kindly received by Zidiini, the Prince of this fair land, who welconried him, and advanced him in hit; favour and friendship. Ilei'c he lived for some time in hononr, accompanyinjj; this Prince in many of his cx|)editions. It was in this hapjn' Atlantis, that the wild and speculative minds of the Norsemen planted their land of Colchis, u land ahf)nndinir in ""old, in silver and precious stones, mid from whence, in sjiite of the (>]iposition oil'ercd by th(! ("vil ^cnii of th(.' land, an armament, in the time of Kinu* Ohms, brouu-ht away cargoes of these valuable objects. Over this sunlcen land, it was, that the famous navigator, Magnus Henningsen — sent by Frederick the Second, in 157S — was arrested in his expedition to Greenland. For days he tried to i)ush on, but his ships remained stationary in one spot, unable to move. Finding his endeavours of progressing fruitless, he was luider the necessity of shifting his course homewards ; and on his return, his excuse for his want of success was, that stopped by the magnetic powers of the Sunkcin Rock — which had for days held him S])ell-bound to one spot — \m considered it wrong (o dare further the power of the dec]). 'j '-'^.. ARCTIC MISCKLLANIKS. J Mystery liiiniis over this spot ; whaler^, luivc woiiiul iiroimd it a charm, pleasing" to the imagi- nation, and seductive to the fancy ; over it, tlio waters imceasingly and constantly wash ; and few seamen are hardy enough to trust tliemsolvcs to the liiddi'n dangers and |)erils that surround it. Some old mariners will tell you that, on a tine night, witii a fresh hreeze hlowing, a kind of light may he seen in the skies, resemhling distant smoke, arising from the waters, which, like the; ignis-fatuus, precedes the ship in her course, vanishing, as distance de- creases, into thin and i-mpty air. The decks of these ships, the next day, will he foimd strewed with fine sparkling sand, impalpahle to the touch, and ))ossessing qualities differing from sand gene- rally. As the ship dashed from its hows the mighty waves that rushed against it in its |)a'-:.-^ag:e over this land of mystery, the mind was lost in wondrous speculation as to the cause or convulsion in natui'e which could have swept away from the surface of the earth a land so large, so thickly p(jpulated, and so tlourishing, whether if once a tioating island, such as is mentioned hy old travellers, and fondly dwelt ii])on hy their imaginative minds, or whether, as the Island of Sahrina, or, in later years, Hotham Island — a volcano raised l)v some suhmarine force, and T ARCTIC IMISCELLANIES. iTtuniinu' to its original position on tlio abstraction of tiiis jiowcr — a cohnnn iipliftod by the genii of tbc ilcop, exhibiting its eajiital . above the waste of waters for a tinu^ to the wandering eyes of mortal man I ULTN OF A (iUKI'NLA^'I) (.or.OXY. 'Hiere is, ])erhaps, nothing that arrests the attention of the traveller sooner tiian the ruins of an ancient city, or the crumbling remains of an old castle or temi)le. The mind unconsciously flies l)ack to those times when the city or castle, which is now deserted, was once thronged with men, who have been long since dead, and when the lofty walls and towers echoed with the stirrinu' noise of the crowds beneath. Most of us who are now leaving the civilized world far bi'hind, and entering the regifHis of eternal snow and solitude, have but lately returned either from where the marble temples and palaces of Greece and Italy thrown their shadows over the blu(^ waters of the Mediterranean, or from some otlier region equally interesting from its antic|uities ; and we have all, perhaps, in whatever station our ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. sujoiirn may have l)(!on, indulged our minds in many a delightful reverie, as we gazed on the ruined temples and monuments of by-gone ages, which arc^ to be met with in every part of the world. The land which we have now entered upon is not entirely dcsiiiute of such interesting remains ; and the broken pillars, bells and urns attest the former magnificence of the Cathedral of Garda. The flourishing colony of Eirekstjord, situated not far from Cape Farewell, was, in the beginning of the fifteenth century, the seat of a bishopric; and a Cathedral. Founded by the Norwegian Eirek, it had gradually increased in size and opulence, until it had arrived, in a.d. 1400, at a high state of prosperity. It was about this time, that the impious Knjah Tahmasp, grandson of Shiebani Khan, the con- queror of Siberia, and descendant of the famous Genghiz Khan, was obliged, with a chosen band of followers, to tly his country, and seek new fortunes in the frozen lands of Kamschatka. After defeating several tribes on the banks of the Obi and Yenessei, they crossed Behring's Straits, and being joined by several thousand Esquimaux, and after sutJering incredible hardships, arrived on the coast of Labrador, a.d. 1399. Here they received tidings of the rich colony of i ' I I! 8 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Eireksfjord ; and the blood-thirsty Kajah Tahmusi) determined on its destruction. At that time, tlie venerable Henry, Bishop of Gardo, had ruled the destinies of the colony for more than thirty years. He had lived to see all his friends di(! around him ; and his only grand- child, the lovely Tnge])orga, was the solace of his old age. The old man received the news of the intended invasion with Chrisiian resignation : he prepared for the defence of the town, and sent his grand-child, in a small vessel, to Denmark, in charge of her lover, the youthful Frithiof. They had hardly, however, left the harbour, when the hostile fleet rounded Cape Desolation, and com- menced the chase : the little vessel was soon over- taken, and the ferocious Kajah Tahmasp murdered the lovers in each other's arms. The town was soon afterwards taken, (jvery soul put to death, and the venerable Henry fell dead, under the blows of the infidels, at the foot of the altar. The con- querors, however, soon quarrelled concerning the sharing of the spoil ; and the blood of Henry was avengt'd by the murder of Kajah Tahmasp. Not a vestige is now to be discovered, beyond u f(!W broken pillars, bells and jars, of the once flourishing city of Gardo. Like Babylon and Mem- phis, it has disappeared from the face of the earth, s fe ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 9 and left only its name, and a few scattered fact.'-,, to be collected by the indefatigable perseverance (jf Danish antiquaries. CCiaAjUax^ '^lAXAA /^{kuu < ) SONG. Air: Sailor's IIoRxriri;. Jog her out, jog her out, Come, wliat arc you about ? .Tog her out, jog lier out, For our spell is uearly oul. If okl Rice were only here, He'd helj) us with a cheer; ())• wiiat would still be better. He'd treat us all to beer, A\'e'vc jogged her each morning, Aud we've jogged her each uitrhl, Ahd now we're jogging lier \^:"itli all our main and niighl. The leak i' Is increasing, Our work it is unceasing, And I'm sure l)et'ore siie's dry U'e shall all be tagged out. Vast heaving ! vast hcavim;' ! For the jiumps begin to suck. Vast heaving ! va.t heaving ! AVe've jogged her out enough. t^r^ I I 10 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, blic'll nui auollicr diiy, Only give (o liur I'iiir play. So ;il tlic work don't griuit, Vov Mc'rc getting double pay. THE MULLEMUKKE. The sea bird which we have most trequeiitly seen around the ship in her passage across the Atlantic has been the Fulmar — thi Procellaria (jlacialis of Linnreus ; the Havcst of the Nor- wegians, and Mullemukke of tlie Greenlanders, which in their language signifies the stiq^id Jly, from its motions being quiet and heavy, and flying, as some have compared it, like a large moth, stupidly and noiselessly. It is said to be so voracious, that where food is plentiful, it will gorge itself until obliged to vomit what it has taken, when it will again return and glut itself. So greedy are the Mullemukkes, that whilst a whale is ' flensing' alongside, they may be knocked down with sticks, rather than move from their prey. On the banks of Newfoundland, where this bird is known by the name of ' John Down,' it attends the fishing vessels for the offal of the cod fish. Whalers tell vou that vou can trace the Finner iSr ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 11 6-. P. (Bdkma physalus) by the hoverings of this bird, which i)oiinces upon the leviathan of the deep as he rises to blow. At St. Kilda, one of the western islands of Scotland, they are found in great numbei's; they deposit their eggs on ledges of rock inaccessible to the foot of man. " Tl -sc birds," says Pennant, " are of much use to these islanders ; they supply them with oil for their lamps, down for their beds, a delicacy for their tables, a balm for their wounds, and a medicine for their distempers." They are eaten by the whalers, and by tlie inhabitants of Hudson's and Baffin's Bay, who salt them for winter provisions. From the listlessness of their flight, they have been considered to be the birds of Diomedes ; for a melancholy hovers about them as they piogress through the air. Their feathers make good down })illows. U b 1"() THE EDITOR or THE AURORA BOREALl^. Sir, Having heard tVoin an Arctic Voyager, that he lias seen crows' nests in those icy regions, 1 beg to inquire, through your columns, if they arc 12 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. built by the cnnv {Corvus tintmnahuhs), which, Goodsir, states, "to uttor a bdl-likc croak." My fast friend b(>gs mc to inquire when rook shootinu' commences in those clio:2:in2"S. ,. A NATUIIALIST. h We would >ccommend to ' A Naturalist' a visit to these crows' nests, which do exist in the Arctic regions; wc would also advise his fiist friend to investigate these said nests more thoroughly, he would then find them tenanted by very old birds (Ice Quarter-Masters), who would not only inform him as to the species of Corvus and the sporting season, but would give them a fair chance of showing him how a jjigeon may be plucked. U !.2>. II. of Wellington Channel, September, 1850. It has been considered advisable to have a Newspaper published regularly on board H.M.S. 'Assistance,' for the object chiefly, as has already been said in the first number, of whiling away the dreary winter hours, of stimulating inquiry, and of affording amusement and instruction. As an exp(!riment, the lii-st number appeared in June ; it took well, and generally pleased ; it was as a pioneer in the van of the numbers that will follow^ and so universal was the satisfaction, that the second was impatiently called for. The Editor promises himself to carry out, as much as lays in his powei-, this laudable object, but ,1 ll 14 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. witlinut ' Assistiincc' he. feels that iiotliinG; can be done ; he looks to his kind contributors fur support, from them he expects matter wherewith to deck and adorn the columns of the ' Aurora.' The ilible tells us that Pandora was made perfect, not by any cjuality inherent to herself, but by tlu; gifts with which the gods endowed her. The sheets of the ' Aurora' arc but the Tahulaj msec of the philosophers, the impressions upon them can only be made by the contributors. The Editor, therefore, recommends exertion and perseverance ; without his contributors he is inetficient and powerless as 'i workman without tools ; he is well aware of the many calls our present service have upon their time, nor would he wish a single moment to be taken from the furtherance of our mission ; but he still encourages and hopes that the ' Aurora' will not be permitted to sink and die of inanition, when they can so well and so easily supply her from their rich and well-hoarded stores of thouu'ht and oljservation. U 7) arctic: miscellanies. 15 i CROSSING THE ARCTIC CIRCLE. How many i)ers()ns are to be found who will complain and lament the downfall and abolition of old customs, n^gretting that innovation and new- fangled ideas have supers(>ded the good old fashions of former days. Men become bigoted to one idea; as years increase upon them, time mellows down all asperities, and the brightest spots of their youth's existence stand forth in high relief; they love to dwell upon them, and comparing their past with the present, talk of the rising generation as slow, and wanting in the spirit of the olden times. Among the hardy race who frccjuent the Arctic Seas in pursuit of the whale fishery, many there are who regret that the old custom of initiating the tyro into the mysteries on entering the Arctic circle, is flist falling into decay and disuse. It was a day of m(>rriment, of fun, of enjoyment, and th(w looked back upon it with affection, and the youthful reminiscences associated with the custom, warmed their old hearts, and caused them to live their youth over again. They looked back ui)on, and recalled the time T 16 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. when his iiKtst ;i(|U(!()iis, crystalline, itnd profound Majesty vested in the garments of submarine royalty, presented himself on board to claim th«! tril)ut(^ due to him as emperor of these realms. Alf/fc, of all beauties ; Fuci, of all colours ; Mcdm(C, of all transj)arency, flowing with cowries, ear-shells, oysters, and winkles, bedecked the person of his oceanic and hyperborean Majesty, and scented with the essence of whales, narwhals, and seals, he spread around the perfume so grateful to the olfactories of the epicurean Greenlandei'. Seated in his car* of arctic diamonds, studded with emeralds, sapphires, and opal, and surrounded by his suite : Monodons, Cetaccce, sea-serpents, and krakcns, he was a king, indeed. The trembling neophyte; was brought into the imperial presence, and after being subjected to the searching examination, and judgment passed, he was handed over to the mercies of the hyperbo- rean officials, who attended to perform rigidly and conscientiously the onei-ous duties imposed upon them. And dreadful indeed was the ordeal : trembling with fear and cold, the unfortunate shaker was shaved with razors made by the cooper, and * All icchoru. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 17 lathered over with slush and oil from the coppers, and then plunged into the icy waters; he was dragged forth regenerated, and a child of these seas. All this pleased these weather-beaten old Polars; and as they thought of the abolition of their cherished custom, a shade of sadness came over them. Some murmurings may have been vented as H.M.S. 'Assistance' crossed the Circle, but if heard, they were not heeded or cared for; the greenhorn decrying the ordeal strenuously, when he thought that he would have been the victim to their fun. It is a custom become now almost obsolete in the Polar Seas, and not many years will elapse ere it will be remembered only as a subject chronicled side by side with stories that excite and please the fancy of youth. FRANKLIN'S VISION. was and Sleep o'er my wasted form cast the sense- annihilating mantle of oblivion, and fancy lent her aid to paint in hues of happy by-gone days the imperfect associations of memory. c 18 ARf'TIC MISCKUVMES. Tlu.' hug<' blank front of ice thai reared aronnd, ii limit insurmountable, seemed rent in twain ; and tin'oiig'h the gapinfj walls of {•on, for wearied hope had almost vanisiied in the boundless ocean of despair. 'I The Ai-ctic day grows weary; and already tiie sun iiides its flattened sphere beneath the ice-bound hori/on. Winter is rapidly approaching; the end of this month most prohal)ly will be the latest possible period for advance. Yet we look forward with confidence to the dreary months of darkness, knowing that both officers and men are actuated by a right and proper feeling. To men of action, these months of night are far more trying than to those whose custom it is to hold sweet commune with the world through those moimments of men's id(>as — books. There are many who deem amusc^- ment useless; but let them mingle with the busy crowds, when freed from their usual labour, and C 2 f 20 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. see amidst the most trifling pastime how the purer and holier feelings spring fresh from their dormant state, and drop o'er the care-worn working-day face the smile of love and friendship, and hear in their simple expression of pleasure, the voice of grati- tude for such short respite from toil, then would they learn that we live but by contrast, that the bow, always bent, loses its elasticity. With us, still more do we require diversion to counteract the unusual depressing circumstances in which we are necessarily plac«'d. It is the duty of one and all to contribute to c;ach other's enjoyment. Let, then, any suggestion as it arises be made known for the benefit of the community. In amusement, we require thoughts to select that which will com- bine the greatest interest with some instruction. The eye and head of the unaccustomed grows weary by long leaning over book.-., and the song and dance supply their places ; the mimic keeps his little circle in a roar ; the spinner of old yarns has his group of Hsteners, and men naturally take their places where their tastes lead them. So that in endeavouring to encourage good-fellowship, the cha- racters of those to be directed must be studied. The suggestions of the men will spring from their wishes, and by their modifications the best means of diversion will soon be found. The object of I ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 21 these few words is to cx('itc a train of thought upon the subject ; if it has this effect, the end will be gained of a DRY IDLEll. c. e.M^ AIIGONAUTA ARCTICA. In lat. 65°, long. 55° 46', were procured, by means of a surface-net, some crustaceous and mol- luscous animals. Of the former, the Argonauta arctica was very abundant. This little crea- ture belongs to the second class of Mollusca, the Pteropodes; they swim like Cephalapodes in the sea, but cannot fix themselves there, nor creep for wmt of feet. Their organs of locomotion con- sist of fins, only placed at each side of their mouths. The species known are of small size, and few in number. They are all hermaphrodites. Cuvier calls it a Limacina, (Clio heliccena of Phipps and Gmel. ; Argonauta arctica of Fabricius; Faun. Groenl. 387.) It is not less abundant in the Arctic Seas than the Clio horealis, and forms an aU.nent for the whale. The body is terminated by a spiral tail, and is lodged in a shell of one whirl and a half, not umbilicated on both sides, as stated by Sowerby, r 22 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, but one side only, as says Fabricius. When placed in a basin of water, thev raise their boat-like shells to the surface by moving briskly their clear pearly- looking fins; when at rest these overlap the shell at the sides, nearly meeting in front. When lying at the bottom of the basin, they occasionally erected their fins. In colour they are of a deep olive- brown ; on placing a piece of the fin under the microscope, it was found to consist of a clear membrane with parallel lines, appearing to be a thickening of the subst;mce, like the rays in the fins of fish. The shell is transparent and cari- nated. E. c c.i^ '■■I I i tit can- III. Winter Quarters, (Jetuber, 1850. WiiKxN oiiu of the French writers of the duv was tukl the storv of St. Denis havinu" walked after decapitation, with his head under his arm, she wittily exchiimed : " Co n'est que le premier pas qui coutc." So has it proved with the contribu- tions to tlic 'Aurora.' The first steps taken, the rest were comparatively easy ; articles at first came in tardily, hut their followers have poured in mea- suredly and constantly, and an abundant harvest has been supplied to feed the flame of thought. The Editor takes this ojjportunity of thanking his contributors for the zeal and readiness with which they ha\'e responded to his call. 'ii t: 24 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. TO THE EDITOR OE THE AUROllA BOREALIS. Sir, I am an old bear, a reflective old bear, tooth- worn, rough-coated and fierce. Hearing that you arc connected with one of the bright objects that solace us in these regions, I oflfer you these my (bear) bare thoughts to make known amongst my race. You are aware my deeds are too frequently seaZ-ed with blood wherever my ice-olated track is found. I prefer the &ear-ded walrus to a tender turkey. The awful paw-ciiy of our race had better be believed than felt. A young acquaintance, wandering over the floe, was attracted by some strange forms upon the ice. "Why not be contented with your seal?" thought I. On he went, when a noise like the splitting of an iceberg attracted my attention, and to my horror, he fell dead ! " Your curiosity," thought I, " hath cost you dear." Feeling chilly at his fate, I walked towards a pool of water, where seal were sporting in num- bers. A dashing friend of mine set off at a smart pace in the direction of what appeared to be a seal double the usual size. He had approached M -■^., ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 25 within a short distance, when, startled, I beheld him limping away on three legs ; at the same moment, my eyes were dazzled by a flash of fire, and my car was saluted by a sharp sound. Had he contented himself with a moderate allowance instead of desiring one double the usual size, he would not have been crippled for life. Again instructed by my fellow's misfortunes and follies, I watched with some curiosity two bears, moving quietly along the floe, in search of food j an unusual appearance caused them to stop, sniff the air, and strain their eyes. The more prudent one remained at a distance, but the other, who had been striving to gain a name amongst us, boldly advanced, alas ! too far — he was killed ! It is true, he is to this day called the Great Bear, and is placed among the stars. " But a very poor compensation," thought I. After seeing these melancholy results of curiosity, avarice and ambition, I am determined to content myself with my own seal and bare subsistence. ,'■> 'c^ d^L. I i!i 26 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. CRADLE OF ODIN. Tliu Tiiuric; Chersonese, situated on tlu; bordiMS of Scythia, yet enjoying an even and delightful climate, and producing in abundance the olive and the vine, has shared the civilisation of the ancients, and bordering on the confines of the known world, formed one of the most remote of the Grecian colonies. When Sesostris had conquered the whole of Asia, he was at length checked by the warhke tribes that dwelt on the shores of the Euxine, and returning to Egypt, he left a colony in Colchis, which com- municated to the people of Taiu'ica the arts and civilisation that flourished on the banks of the Nile ; and the Chersonese was alike famous for the fabulous exploits of Orestes and Pylades, and the philosophy and learning of Anacharsis, the great inventor of anchors. This region was the cradle of the Norman race, and the birth-place of the renowned Odin, who in giving laws and religion to his subjects, probably derived benefit from his intercourse with the Greeks, and a knowledge of their governments and tra- ditions. I ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 27 After the conquests of Ponipey and the fall of Mithridates, the famous Odin — the chief of a |)eo])le that inhabited the Crimea — collected his tribe, and crossing the Baltic, migrated to the shores of Scandinavia, where he founded a king- dom and a system of mythology which was only superseded by the advance of Christianity, and which has given names to many of the familiar words in our own language. Odin died, after a long and prosperous reign, by cutting nine wounds in his body, in the shape of a circle, and rising to heaven, became the Father of Gods and Men. From his warriors were descended the valiant Norman knights who con- quered Neustria, England and Naples, and who made the Emperors of the East and West tremble on their thrones ; and from them also were de- scended the first discoverers of Greenland. In the mythology of the Norsemen, Odin was their Jupiter, and Friga their Venus ; Thor was the god of thunder, and Tyr of champions. Besides these, Loke was the evil spirit who was cliained in hell, and who at the twilight of the gods will burst his bonds and destroy both heaven and earth. He had by the fury, Angerbode, three children, Fenris and Midgard, the wolf and dragon, who devour the bodies of the dead, and Hela, 28 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. the goddess of death. Managarmar was a hell- hound that devoured the lives of sueh as were fated to die. CLIO. (j^ ^Li^A.^/K^L^'*^ SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF AN UNrilOTECTED AIICTIC OFFICER. i. I :| Mr. Muff being away on a shooting excursion, takes his dinner, and his day's allowance of rum, after which he feels inclined to slaughter a few bears. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 29 m^ After a little innocent recreation by killing an innumc'rablc number of imaginary bears, he dis- covers a native of a rough exterior, who on approaching, extends his arms, as a sign of amity, and welcomes the stranger. ^^ 1 'i^ ili 30 ARCTIC MTSCEU.ANIRS. Mr. Muflf hoing iiwarr of th(! great difficulty of obtaining provisions, and anticipating the pressing ontrcMitics of tlie native, declines the proffered hos- pitality and warm embrace ; and being of a retiring disposition, feels a great desire to make himself scarce. The native playfully follows him on all fours. •ff .;■';*'. '■' : Mr. Muff feeling warm, and being unable to bear his cap, bares his head, and leaves it for the native, who now bears a t>trong resemblance to a hear. The native having inspected the cap with savage curiosity, appears greatly annoyed at not having found a head in it. Mr. Muff is now convinced his follower is a bear, but is not consoled thereby — bruin steps out. Mr. Muff (after divesting -i!: ARfTir Miscr.u.ANir.s. 31 himself of his coat and inexpressibles) does the same : he reeollects having heard of a stern chase heiiii^ a lonj^ one, begins to doubt the triitli of the assertion. iii '■J iit^ ',\- Mr. Muff feeling the distance decreasing and his fears increasing, leaves all his clothing (save his shirt), hoping thereby lo ease his mind as well as his body, but fails in doing so. He is inclined to think it must be very cold when the thermomett'r is as low as his spirits : does not stop to register the same. Feeling it to be his last chance, he faces about, and levels his gun, which being a bargain dot's not go off; Mr. Muff' drops the weapon, and goes off instead. Tiie rellection that the bear's appetite Jt 83 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ' \ must be increased by his ex(Tciso does not prove consoling. Hears a report, and on turning round finds the bear mortally wounded, having fallen a victim to an ill-timed piece of curiosity. Mr. Muff returns, as does also his peace of mind. ENIGMA. Sir, ] I have for some time past taken an intcres an unfortunate individual, on whom the world appears to have set its veto. His life is one tissue of misfortune ; and that he is also the victim of malice, a perusal of the following accounts of the predicaments in which I have seen him placed, will, I think, fully prove. As far as I know, his principal duty consists in watching the premises of his master, and some suppose he has frequently important secrets intrusted to his care. One dark night, whilst performing his chief duty, he was attacked by a ruffian, and a knife thrust in his inside, which considerably damaged his inward functions, and being thereby incapacitated, the scoundrel of course succeeded in entering the premises. He has recovered, but it AIUTIf: MISrF.LLNNlES. 33 IS \V1 th sc rioiis (lisfisjiircmcnt to his face, vv hich also suffered in tliis affair. I liave seen him hang- ing hy the neck, and, more than once, nailed to tlu! door! because his inhuman master pretended he would not perform his duty properly, unless he was secured to the place. On another occasion, I have seen him choked in a canal (that h(; had been forced there on pur- j)ose, I fully b(!lieve), and had swalkwed so much water as to be considerably distended ; and it was only by applying the usual remedy he could be brought to his original size. It is more than probable most of your readers and yourself have seen this " imfortunatc," and if you or any of you can let me know who he is, that I may endeavour to give him some relief, you will greatly oblige* Yours to command. rnii,.vNTiiHOPir. TO THE EDITOR OF THE Ai'RORA ROREALIS. % * "Lock" appears to be the word, wliicli has I'uruislicd our porrespoudcut with the materials for his icIU'r. — Ed. A. B. /' P' c/. kl^oMuL D I ) ! M ! i! ^ 34 ARCTIC MISCET.LANIFS. ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE. W(; arc crclitably informed, that the grand building now in process of erection in the V'^Uey of Snowdrop, will be opened as the Royal Arctic Theatre in the ensuing month, under the auspices of so good a manager, we defy the Polar Seas to produce a better : the corps dramatique arc diamonds of the first water; the dresses are surpassed by none in the vale, and the scenery is such as might astonish the inhabitants of the civilized world. The pieces about to be produced are among the most select ; and mirth, fun, and wit of European boards tremble at the thought of finding their superiors in these regions. -i. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. .35 November Ui, 1850. OrEXTNO OF TIIK UOYAI, ARCTIC THEATRE. H.M.S. ASSISTANCE. IN IlOXorR OF TIIK lURTHDAV OF ir....(I. THE rRIXCF. OF WALES. ^rniiager, Captaix Ommaxxey. IXDER TIIK PATROXAGE OF CAI'TAIN HORATIO At'STIX, C.U. On Saturday, Nov. Qlh, 1850, Will he pcrforincd by the C-iplain and Olliccrs, the popular lan-hal)!.' Farce of MARRIED LIFE; or, Dlf) YOU EVER SEND YOUR WIFE TO CAMBERWELL ? AFTER WJIICH, SK\ERAL CO.MIC SONGS, And the Orchestra will perlbriu some of the most Select Pieces. THE WHOLE TO CONCLUDE WITH THE MLCIl AD.MIREI) FARCE Of THE LOTTERY TICKET. Which will be performed by the Ship's Company, and embraces scenes of great interest. The Scenery has been prepared by the most eminent artists, and is, together with the dresses, on a scale of unrivalled magniliceuce. ' A SPLENDID DROP SCENE, BY LIEUT. BROWNE. l-)«ors open at six o'clock. Pcrfonnance to commence at lialf-],as| six. T/io Pi.licc are dirvdcd to taki^ i„ chanje all dmrdovlij wmnou uitd dous. V I \ A I' K i: (i I X A ! . i) 2 36 ARCTIC MISCET-LANTES. II i GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT. i i THE FTUST fiUANl) BAL MASQUE F O ]l THE SEASON WILT, BE HELD OX R O A R I) M II.M.S. RESOLUTE, Dnviiig tlio niontli of December ncxl, when ca fashionable and erowih-il atteiuliinco en costume is fnlly auticipcitcd. A FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENT as to pariioulavs, will be given as soon as the ^lanager shall have eoniplcted his aiTannrnionts with all the able I'l'ot'cssors he intends ealling to his aid on this festive occasion. N.B. — The Manager has liad much experience in eatering for pnblii' aimisement. M ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 37 ADVERTISEMENT. To be sold or let, with immediate possession rble Villa and Cer distance to the s Two new cottages, called Ms in Cottage, situated a she ward of ' Assistance,' in a very picturesque neigh- bourhood ; they both foce to the south, having extensive undulating grounds in front, over which fine healthy exercise may be taken ; the climate is so well known, that it docs not require the flowery language of a Robins to say anything in its praise. The situation is very convenient for flimihes fond of theatricals. The Royal Arctic Theatre, and well known ' Intrepid' Saloon are within a few minutes' walk. The Wulhalla, or Gallery of Statues ; the skating grounds ; the tennis court and skittle gardens are easily accessible from tliem. A part of the purchase money may, if required, be left on security ; the premises may l)e viewed at any hour. For fiuthrr particulars apply at Marble Villa. If disposed of l)y private contract, due notice will be given. I i 1 t 38 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. N.B. — There are good quarries of building ma- terial close to the cottages, and any quantity of water can be obtained by sinking wells of a few feet. Wm. Knockemdown, Wanted. — By an Executive Officer, whenever the thermometer is below zero, a berth between dt-cks. To attend gun-room fires would be preferred. No objection to take charge of port-wine mulls. TO ASSURANCE COMPxVNIES IN GENEILVL. Wanted. — By a gentleman lately returned from abroad, a share in one of the above companies, the advertiser having a large stock on hand. Wanted for the forthcoming Masquerade, a Nose, with the following requisites : a good incli- nation, fitted for its position, without an inquisitive turn, not susceptible of cold; as it is expected to take a prominent part, stability and firmness of It ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 39 cliiiructcr ciinnot be dispensed with ; if of a ruddy, healthy complexion, it would be ))referred. For fut-ther particulars, inquire at the Intrepid Saloon. M Wanted immediately. — Lights for the break- fast table. x\pj)lications to be sent in without delay, as some persons cannot tell whether they require butter or mustard. A Painter wanted. — He must possess the highest qualifications, be a good and ready de- signer, effective colourist, and well acquainted with scene painting. He will be required to assist in scene-shifting, lamp-trimming, watering and sweep- ing the boards: in his leisure hours he will lend a hand in making dresses, or in taking an active part as a musician — the violoncello, serpent, or cornopean would be preferred : he will occasionnlly have to brush the actors' boots, and run their messages ; if porter or ale can be got, he must liave some ready when demanded. The ample salary of £10 per annum will be given. None need apply who have the least ])ropensity to growling. I i ?. i; ^1 k i 1 ! 1 1 1 j ■ } 1 ; i IV. Winter Quarters, Nov. 1S5(). The spirit of the old Asiatic warriors has revisited the Arctic regions ; civilization is making gigantic strides, and within a short period of time, has advanced to a pitch unparalleled in the history of the world. Not many months have elapsed since a colony of Anglo-Saxons landed on these shores ; and in spite of the drear desolation and extreme coldness of the clime, they have, by the energy, perseverance and genius inherent to that race, overthrown all obstacles, and have made even inhospitality hos- pitable. And great and sublime was the Mission that caused them to seek these regions, not to ARCTIC MlisCHLLANllilS. 41 50. ited ntic has of ony in tiess nee all lUS- ion to (•onqiKT and acquire territory, not to devastate nor to plunder, but to snatch from a death, fearful to contemplate, a band of tlieir brave; and adventurous coimtrymen, and to restoi'e to happiness and cheer- fulness many a desolate and despairing heart. May that Mission be crowned with success ! Although a drear land of dismay spreads its mighty expanse, and as far as human vision extends, ice follows ice, the spirit of a temperate zone holds its sc(!ptrc dominant. Tlie arts of a more genial clime have stepped forth from their warm dwell- ings, and have dared to put foot within the precincts of the Northern Pole. Daily upon the altars of the Muses is the incense burnt, and into the censer of each a votary is found to east his mite. Guided by humane laws, they prosper ; and within their halls specimens of painting, sculpture and arciii- tucture, that would do credit to Europe, are found. A Walhalla has been opened, and several competitors have entered the lists ; already have statues of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales burst their marble cer(!ments and started into exist- ence ; otlier statues are in progress, and the grand and gigantic forms of Egy[)tian art, hewn from blocl\S of the purest white, will be transferred to these regions and lands of ice. Now that the sun, " tiiat earliest imnister of the i:i- II 1 5 ii I !M I 51 r 42 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Almighty," hath k'f't us fur other and happier hinds, umusoments have hoon created to stand in Heu of that " Prime cliocrer, light I Oi' ill! niaU'rial beings (irsf, and l)('st ! Ellliix divine! Nature's res|ileiuleut i'ol)e I Willioiit wliose vesting lieauty all were wrapt In uuesseiitial gloom." The Intrepid Saloon ; the Royal Arctic Theatre ; the Bal Masque ; Soirees ; Concerts ; will prove sources of much happiness. The wings of old Time have heen gilded by these colonists, and the bright * Aurora' hath as- sisted in enhancing the colouring, furnishing quills to his pinions to facilitate and increase his flight. Amongst the vast advances we htiil with delight the birth of a new comforter, which under the name of the " Illustrated Arctic News" has come among us an interpreter of joys and hopes. The new colony anticipated its arrival with eagerness, and its advent was hailed with feelings approach- ing to enthusiasm. Who would not welcome, amid the ^^ternness of these seas, a new, instructive, and ha})py companion ? Smiles and laughter are our treasures ; they are the mines from whence a good inconceivable can ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 43 1)0 obtained, and the speculator who boldly thrusts his pickaxe beneath the surface, is deserving of much credit and thanks : and such, we offer our able cotemporary : his sheets have fallen happily among us ; they have delighted, instructed, and amused ; they have recalled to many, reminiscenci!S of by-gone days, and have raised in all the gentle hopes that stir mankind. Sincerely do we trust that this pioneer will march with a 'Resolute' and 'Intrepid' step, and with the 'Assistance' of the rising colony, show(!r among us wit, fun, merriment and happiness, en- hanced by its graphic and humorous illustrations. a U OIITGIX OF THE ARCTIC HIGHLANDERS. The Mongolian tribes are apparently more capable of being operated upon by the effects of climate and the nature of the country they inhabit, than any of the other races of mankind. In a vast, level, and fertile territory, wc find them settling down and improving in all the arts of civilization ; building magnificent temples and stately palaces, and establishing a system of religion and ethics which has lasted for nearly two thousand «! ■' !, i i I (: , I 44 AllCTK MISCELLANIES. years ; while at tlu' same time tliey have become t'tfeminati! and imwnrlike, and arc broiif!;ht to depend on foreigners and conquerors for protection and defence. On the otlier hand, \vh(!re the same race has peo])led the arid regions in the vicinity of the vast desert of Gobi, and the boimdless steppes of Tartary, we tind them simple in their manners, and leading for the most part the lives of shepherds, but at the same time warlike and adventurous, and occa- sionally collecting together in one enormous army, and spreading their conquests from the Pacific 0(;ean to the boundaries of Christendom, from the snowy wastes of Siberia to the plains of Bengal. Again, where the Mongolians have penetrated beyond the Arctic Circle, and spread themselves along the frozen shores of the American continent, they have lost both the civilization of the Chinese and the warlike bravery of the Tartar, Stunted in growth, and deficient in intellect, the Esquimaux (of course, with all due deference to the feelings of Erasmus York) has no thought, but for the grati- fication of his passions, no wish but to save himself from starvation. The tribes of MongoUan extraction, which first peopled the regions watered by the Obi and the Lena, and afterwards the whole of Siberia, wen; I' 'r>' il ARCTIC MISCKLLANIES. 4.") ])n)ba])ly iirircd l)y the scarcity of food, and \\\v opiM'cssion of the more powerful Tartars to seek liomcs on the o|)po,sitc shores of liehring's Strait, and tinchng tho more southern portions of North America ah'cady tenanted by the warlike and vin- dictive Red Indians, they were driven to take np their permanent abodes in the regions of everlast- ing snow, and gradually spread themselves from Kotzcbue Sound to the shores of Greenland. At a subsequent period (near the commence- ment of the fourteenth century), the overwhelming hordes of Mongols, which under the command of Zengis Khan issued from the centre of Asia, and overran China, Persia, Syria, Russia, and after- wards Siberia, probably drove fresh tribv^s to the north-east extremity of Asia, who in their turn compelled the original inhabitants of Kamschatka to migrate to the shores of America. The new-comers finding even these frigid wastes occupied by the wretched Esquimaux, were forced to seek still farther north for subsistence and a home. Passing the unknown portions of the Arctic regions, and the Parry xVrchipelago, these ill-fated emigrants at length found a resting-place on the shores around Wolstenholme Sound, where sick- ness and starvaiion have thinned their numbers, i)i W I 4(i ARCTIC MISCRIJ-ANIRS. weakened tlieii* minds, mid reduced them to the state ill which we found tliem. Vestiges of their resting-places arc still to Im; found at Melville and Bvam Martin Islands, near Capes Martyr and Hotliam, on Cornwallis Island, and at the harbour dis(;ovcred by Captain Om- inannev. These rennains, which are now near four hundred years old, have been objects of interest to us in our voyage to the westward, and have much relieved the monotonous sameness of the shore ; hoping therefore that this short attempt at an explanation of their origin has not been entirely unacceptable, I remain, Very sincerely, CLIO. 0^, ^Uj^^MJiLeu^A^, Tf) THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. Sir, Should you consider the following extract from my journal worthy a place in your neatly " got up" and exceedingly well-conducted paper, it is at vour service. I am, &c. A. u. tl>'*^(tA.([* '-UkA^^.^^ '' AIU'TIC MIsrRM.ANIKS. i'Assi\(, iiiKun.ii \N i( i;iii;iii;. 47 Suiiclay, June^{)th, 1850. — Wcatlicr beuutifullv clear iind calm When wc got to the en- trance of the arch, the transparency of the sea, which was of a fine ultramarine, enabled us to see that there was a sufficiency of water for us to pass through. We therefore pulh'd slowly under, when there burst upon our sight one of the most magnific(>nt and splendid specimens of nature's handiwork ever exhibit(.'d to mortal eyes ; tlu; sublimity and grandeur of which no language can describe, no imagination conceive. Fancy an immense arch of eighty feet span, about fifty feet high, and upwards of a hundred in breadth, as correct in its conformation as if it had been constructed by the most scientific artist : formed of solid ice of a beautiful emerald-green, and its surface of a shining smoothness, surpass- ing the most polished alabaster, and you may form some slight idea of the architectural beauties of this icy temple, tlie wonderful workmanship of time and the elements. When we had rowed al)out half way through, I obsei'ved that the berg was rent din-etly over inu' heads, the fracture extending tiie wht)le breadth of the arch, and in a ))erpendicular direction to its I f .jl 48 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. summit, exhibiting two vertical sections of irregulnr surfaces, " darkly, deeply, beautifully blue," here and there illumined by an Arctic sun, which darted its golden rays between, constituting a picture of ethereal grandeur, which no poet can cr>i:'3cive, no painter portray. I was so enraptured v» > the view, that for a moment I fancied the bhie vault of heaven had opened, and that I actually gazed on the celestial splendour of a world beyond. While mv eves were thus riveted on the do- rious scene, I observed the fracture gently close, then slowly open. An involuntary shudder ran through me ; I awoke, as it were, from a delightful dream, to all the horrors of a terrible reality. This immense body of ice, thousands, probably millions of tons in weight (in the centrt; of which we were), was afloat, consequently in motion, and about i "> luso its equilibrium, capsize, or burst into fragments. Our positioii was awful, and my feelings at the moment may be conceived, but cannot b-^ des- cribed. I looked downwards and around me, the sight was equally appalling ; I fancied the very sea was agitated. At last I shut my ey(>s from a scone so terribk^ : the men at th(^ oars, as if bv instinct, " gave way," and our little punt swiftly glided bi'yond the reacli of danger. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 49 We then pulled round the berg, keeping at a respectful distance fronn it, in order to form some idea of its magnitude. We supposed it to be about three-quarters of mile in circumference, and its highest peak about two hundred feet. Thus ended an excursion, the remembrance of which at this moment produces a feeling of horror. At ten p.m. that same evening, the berg halved with a noise resembling t!.under. I was the only one of my companions, as I subsequently found out, who had observed the rent when within the arch. AivCTIC NOTKS, KY \. 1$. [The Editor thanks the writer of the above, and hopes that this may be followed by many other extracts from his interesting journal]. TO THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA BORRATJS Mr. Editor, I come to you not for pity, not for commis- eration — I ask no remedy for my woes. Abandoned, 1 wander hungered and avoided ; and you have it not in your power to assist, except in my ruin. I ''1 I >'i I •I ^1 '■>:• I I fii ' i i 50 ARCTIC MISCKLLANIES. When your gallant expedition sailed for th(^ Polar Seas, I joined it with the anticipation of reaping a golden harvest ere many months had passed over your heads. During the passage out, I kept quiet ; and though lonely, my fainting heart was huoyed and supported by the prospect. Winter would come, when I might walk forth, and claim the power I felt belonged to me. I revelled in the idea : as a miser looks forward to the moment of counting his hordes, my dreams were centered on those dark months. Days passed heavily, but still the ray that supported was bright. The time had come, the sun had vanished from these seas, and with a heart elated, my reign was about to commence; but, alas! for hope — alas! for my bi'illiant dreams : as when a majestic tower is toppled by the earthquake, so were those visions crushed. Picture to yourself my disappointment; when expecting to reign a queen in these realms, I find myself expelled from all places — admitted nowhere : grim Death hourly stares me in the face. From ship to ship I have wandered, but upon all faces, and o\er all doors, inhospitality has set his seal. Amid the gay throngs that frequent the Com- modore's soirees, the Royal Arctic Theatre and the Intrepid Saloon, I have found none to care for mv — I alone have stood unhappy. ARCTIC MISCELLAMES. 51 Cast thus away, dospiiir has seized upon mo, and, miserable and wretched, I know not where to fly. I have miplored, I liavc bego-ed, I liavc en- treated ; but entreaties and prayers are vain : your hearts are stone : a dire conspiracy has been framed, and its ringleaders. Mirth, Cheerfulness, Laughter, and Fun. are my perfidious enemies. Fool ! fool ! to have abandoned the hip of luxury — to have quitted the haunts of wealth, where gentle l)reaths fanned my satiated heart. I feel that life is ebbing fast — my sand is almost run — the world fades before m(\ I leave you to my enemies, Hope and Industry ; and to your Exjie- dition I bid an eternal adieu. A dying and despairing wretch, KNNTl. n 3 riRANT) SOniEE OF TTFE 2m) OF NOVK^FRER.* An evening — a jovial, lively evening — full of good fellowship and warm-lieartedness, is tlic very thing we would desire in these regions ; ay, with laughter, English laughter, full-toned and natural, that would make the floe shake, and the iceljergs nod to (ine another in the plenitude of good spirits. * (liven liv (';iii1;iiii Aiisliii. (\\\. 52 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Such an evening \vc have had, and in the right quarter too ; not a room full of dry, scientific detail, but songs, toasts, and delicately-pointed sentiments, backed by liberal cheer. Right glad were we to hear that this was the first of many Resolute; bursts of merriment. Niglit — dark, grim Night — under such influence, will hurry through his round of duty, growing gradually paler. Health and long life, say I, to all promotei's of each other's amusement. Let the cynic say what he will, give me your laughter-mover, who dispels the gloom from the face as the sun lifts the Polar shade of night ; for, in truth, I do believe a right merry meeting maketh friends, and turneth away the green- eyed monster, jealousy. Fare thee well ! May this first gleam, that stands so brightly forward from the dark approaching night, be but the dawn of coming festivities. RISTJS. C\ -IcU ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 53 i i J ( MUTUARY. Departed this life, on Friday night, between the hours of twelve and one, Laura Glaucus.* She had been for some time ailing. Her death was sup- posed to have been caused from a want of her natural food ; but, on examination, it was found she had received an injury in the neck, supposed to have b(^en inflicted by Mr. Renard, who has a natural propensity for dead bodies ; and therefore, no doubt, did it to hasten her death, that he might save his own life by having a feast on her remains. She was regretted by all except Mr. Renard. OMEGA. DEPARTURE OF THE SUN. Departed these regions, on the 7th instant, uni- V(!rsally regretted, that material influence of our worldly attributes — that glorious " orb of orbs," whose presence is light. His disappearance had Jong been foretold by certain Arctic seers, and the hour having arrived, the precipitous steeps of * Larus glaucous (hurgoniaslcr). One of tlicso birds was kilk'd liv a fox ko[it oil board tlic 'Assistance.' t m I ^;i t I! i : 54 AllCTK' MlSCiaLAMES. Gririith's Island proved no barrier to obtain " one last fond, linj^-ering look ;" but, alas ! of no avail : a dense mist enshrouded the object of our desires, and from our snow-clad eminence, in silence, each instinctively reviewed the past; in fancy, wandered back to other climes — to homes, and all most dear — each moment recallinii: some bright oasis of davs gone hy. Time was, time is, time shall be — the past, th(> present, the future ; and he (the lost companion of our toils) the eternal regulator of it all. Why seeketh he a path 'mid other spheres ? Are we, then, so unjust as to wish him to re- main longer here ? Why deprive? the miserable south of that genial influence creation acknowledges V Hope, cheering hope, 'mid our own dreary desola- tion, sank into despondency, when suddenly we were aroused from our reverie ; a bright halo directed us, and, skirting the dim and distant horizon, we beheld, in characters of surpassing splendour. UliSUKGAM. Our melancholy forebodings vanished at the sight. Hope, smiling "like an angel of hght," again in- sj)ired us ; and we descended the IriU-side, wending " homeward way," each fondly antici))ating the reali- zation of our vision, when bidding the tinal good- ARCTIC IMISCKLLANMRS. 55 bye ;it our r(.'])0('tiv(' ships, thoug-ht, witli reference both to ourselves iiiid the departed sun, " \V(! vet luiiilit iiiccl amiiii." : ^ ARCTIC RECEIPT. C^^^^ajlUA, now TO TKEPAllE ONESELF TO ENJOY THE WINTER. ' y Joui an autumn travelling party, walk thirteen or fourteen miles through deep snow, in as many hours, you are unable to get through the luncheon of frozen pork ; your feet becoming too cold to stand still, and fingers so numbed as to be unable to hold a knife ; endure sundry frost-bites throughout the day, suffi- cient to keep you in a constant state of alarm about your nose ; just before encamping, tumble into a crack in the ice, and wet both legs ; wait two hours for your pemmican supper, by which time you wiU be cool all over ; devour it in two minutes, and lay down in a blanket-bag, to shiver all night — at least, as much as the confined space allotted to each person in the tent will permit. In the morn- ing, when you protrude your head without the bag, like a tortoise from beneath its shell, a shower of frost, dislodged from the co\ering, falls thickly over 1 1 1 ; 56 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 'I ' na ii i 111 ii ii i\ your face, and down your neck. With feet cold, almost without sensation, you hurry through your breakfast of luke-warm watery chocolate, and get your fingers benumbed in vainly endeavouring to draw on your frozen boots. At length, the united efforts of the party get them nearly on ; and you are able to limp along dispirited, unrefreshed, hungry, and miserably cold, and with a thorough conviction that the skin will be chafed off both ancles long before night again requiies you to exchange your boots for a blanket-bag. Repeat this process, until it is scarcely possible to continue it any longer, then in all j)robal)ility you will enjoy the remainder of even an Arctic wintei*. ' CtAMjtULAjLtxJ'. THE ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE. The 1 ight of the 9 th of November will be for ever celebrated in the annals of these regions, for it was on that night that the Royal Arctic Theatre was opened. At six o'clock the house began to fill, and in a (juarter of an hour every seat, from the whale lines in the roof to the dress circle, was occupied by an admiring spectator ; and then,' indeed was food for ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 57 i udmii'iition. The tasteful decorations of the stage- front, the magnificent chandelier, and the seat of honour, were above all praise ; and two exquisite snow statues, placed in conspicuous situations, also attracted attention. " Had Phidias, Praxiteles, or Canova, been restored to life ?" it was asked ; or '* had Gibson been transported by an invisible agency from "the Eternal City" to the Polar Seas?" No ! — but one, inspired with the genius of these great Masters, had produced from a lump of snow these speaking statues of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Princess Royal. The curtain rose at half-past six, and the as- tonished audience scarcely had time to feast their eyes on the splendid drop scene, which was indeed a master-piece of artistic talent, when the performance was commenced by the much-admired farce of " Married Life ; or, did you ever send your Wife to Camberwell ?" which was performed throughout with a degree of spirit and appreciation of character, which would have done honour to any boards ; and after three-quarters of an hour of infinite enjoyment, we saw the drop scene slowly fall with a regret, which however was amply made up for, by the inspection. of so splendid a work of art. A masterly duet, by Messrs. Ryder and Ricord; some songs, bv Lieutenant Akh'ich, and Messrs. 58 ARCTIC MISCRIJ.ANIES. V Osborne and Tullct, and the; highly-diverting Clown, art'onlcd great amusement, j)revious to the rising of the (h"()]) scene a second time ; when the well-known farce of " The Lottery Ticket " was performed. It would he needless, in this place, to descant on the inimitable acting of Mr. Capias, the quiet feminine dignity of Mrs. Corset, the exquisite humour of Wormwood, the artistic talents of Charles, or tbe sprightly cheerfulness of Susan ; for they arc too (U;ei)ly imj^ressed on the memory of the audience to require farther comment in this place : so we will merely observe, that if the tb.eatre is again to be honoured by such first-rate artistes, it will ensure another crovvdcid audience. The performance concluded by a well-timed ex- temporaneous epilogue, and " God save the Queen," which was sung by the whole force of the com- pany. The talented band, the well-painted scenery, the unheard, though first-rate ))rompting, and the ad- mirable attendance of the stage footman, cannot be too highly lauded ; and the whole performance re- flected the greatest credit on those concerned. The falling of the curtain was greeted by three enthusiastic cheers in honour of the birth-day of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, which were led by the master of the ceremonies, and heartily responded MIC'TIC MISCKLLANIKS. 59 lo l)y the ^iillaiit Comniodoro and all present; and the whole audience! returned to their respective N'essels, with — we feel justified in stating — a heartfelt satis- faction, and a regret for their philanthropic com- panions in Assistance! Hay, who, separated by an ico barrier from the Arctic Theatre, were! not enabled to share their eiijf)ym(\it ; and tor our part, in after years, the pleasure afforded us by the magniticent spectacle will be " In our flowing bowls freshly I'onuMiiljci'cd," fc i ()() ARCTIC M1S( KI,L\NII':s. I'OLK K NKUS. Yesterday tlie j)riiu;ii)al inhubitiinfs i)f the Arctic R(!gioiis were tlirown into a state of p^reat alarm, by a report having been spread tluit a most liorrible, cruel and diabolical murder bud been perpetrated on the day previous. •i i> One of our reporters immediately rushed to the spot. The following are a few particulars. It appeal's that police-constable B, on going his rounds, about two A.iM., his attention was sudilcnly called to an i ARCTir MTPCELLANIRS, (11 ; (il)j('ct dangling in tiic air, suspended i>y a ropi' from some poliis. Police-constable B immediately proceedcid to obtain f'urtber assistance ; 'I, l»1 ^giiiir',r.g 62 ARCTIC MISCELI-.VNIFS. and instantly repaired to the spot, accompanied 1 the populace. >.V The body was quickly cut down, and u))on exami- nation it turned out to be a Guy Fawkes, wliieh had been hung up (o dry ; it havino:, as usual, tm-ned out very wet on the 5th. Police-constabk; 1i sliuik away, ashamed, and hooted by the mob for raising a false re])()rt. ' U)aM^. f'o^OjtM^ ^^li^ Ldeutu)^ u AllCTir MISf'ELLAMES, {•.3 ",1 1 1 r i\ T I N { ; 1 X 'I' i; L L 1 c; ]-; n c i^:. 4^-- 1 On Tuesday, Nov. 5 th, the Royal Arctic boar- hounds again met in the vicinity of the squadron, when, after a httlc heating, two fine bcais were started ; the hounds immediately took the scent, and followed up in fine style ; but the Bruin having a good start, succeeded in running for cover. Never- theless, the boys had a good run. This is the second meeting this season, and we h()])e, weather jiermitting, to have many such. The bears had good coats, and appciirrd in line condition. m J 04 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. THE FIFTH OF NOYE.MBEll. Tho 5th of NovombtT has come and j^^asscd again, and ind'icd it was the same old day, and no mistake, fully rs gay as we remember it in our younger days. The morning opened with several processions, with their Guys as pioneers ; but strange to say, we saw a number wand(?ring about on the floe during the day v>'ho had not been taken in custody. Though all were prepared with great pains, and decorated with gr-iat skill ; it was evident to everybody that one "Intrepid Guy" was not only the most daring, but the most barefaced, and he had a right to be so too ; for he had a face of which nobody might be ashamed, and his clothes not only became him, but were handsome in the extreme, and he became them. A few Fawkes' had been taken before, and that no doubt was a salutary lesson to the others ; but we were less in numb(>r, in consequence of one having retired from the " busy scenes of public life" the previous d.iv. The most m:ignifi(,'ent tire- V "ks again l)rought them ni the evening before the public e\e, previous to their conflagration ; and we could not but notice the extren.e fear and gjJlBi ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ()5 ^ whiteness of countenance exhibited by two Fawkes', on seeing the different torments in preparation for their fellows. One Guy evidently laboured under an eruption of the head, and considerably suffered by it, ])ar- tieiilarly on the disease cxtendi-.g to his intes- tines, which finally, caused his dissolution. Alto- gether it was as jolly a day as could have been wished for, and all good royalists must have been extremely gratified to see the devil have one of the gentlemen in his charge. But even to the last, the ' Intrepid' Guy ])efore mentioned went out of the world bearing the palm from all com- petitors. // h. I. i!k.f^(LC^i ' ,*V,*k^^ >*Vy-v_/»^ N^*."*-^ -V '.-V^ ■ h u Wanted, for th(> approaching Bal Masque, a [)artner who can dance the polka, ma/.urka, era- coviennc, bolero, fandango, waltz, galopi^, sailor's hornpipe, and Irish jig : siie must also possess a ready flow of wit and repartee, in order lo answer the attacks that may Ije made on her partner, who is a distinguished foreigner, collecting m.'iterials for a work on Arctiij voyagers, and who much wishes to witness the anuisements. I'" |ii !l I i m i; f f. i '' 1 ; # j i 1 i ^i. i 1 (u; MIC'TJC MISCELLANIES. Nu DHL' iVoiJi (hf west need iipplv, i>s ;i pivtty foot and andu arc ncccssan . Black eyes would be pivfcrred. Apply, No. 2, lluti:' Kow. IKAAL AUCTK.' Till': AT KK. The manager avails hiniselt" throug-h the niediuni of these columns, to return his grateful acknow- ledgments to Captain 11. Austin, C.B., the officers, and the members of the Exi)(;dition in general, who so kindly contributed towards the success which at- tended the opening of this theatre on the 9th instant. The drop scene, which was painted by Lieute- nant Browne, justly (l( served th*; aj)plauso it received on beinu' disclosed to view. The effect it pi'oduced retiects the greatest credit, especially when the difficulties under which he laboured are taken into consideration, as it may not b(; generally known that the beautiful tints blen(k'd together so successfully, were procured by the aid of three ])iimitive cok)urs only. Great praise is also due to those officers, who kibuured st) zealou.sly in getting up other detailtd parts of the scencrv and ilecorations. (.■! L n... ARCTIC MISCELLANIIiS. (37 (."^ To those also who coiitrihuted so materially towards the evening's entertainment l)y tlieir musieal talent, both vocally and instrumcntally, the manager is equally desirous of testifying his gratitude for their disinterested exertions, nor ean he sufficientlv express his sense of obli'i'ation to all who aided in eompleting their sueei'ssful ctfort at a theatrical performance, with the limited means available in this country. There wr,s but one rcL'ret amidst such a merrv assemblage and display of loyalty, viz. : that the distane(i depri\-ed us of the pleasure of seeing those gallant friends and sharers in our noble enterprize, composing Captain Penny's and the veteran Sir John Ross's Expeditions, partake in the hilarity of the evening. In consequence of the unbounded applause manifested by a generous public, the manag(-'r will again endeavour to pro\'ide for another even- ing's entertainment at the earliest opportunity. He is at present in treat}' for a company possessing high dramatic powers, but he hopes soon to solicit a renewal of former favours. ► 11, M.S. ' Assibtaiico,' Nov. Utli, l'^.V). f 2 (58 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, a THE INTllEPID SALOON. Wc wore much gratified on the 14th instant by a visit to the Royal Intrepid Saloon. The performance commenced at about half-past six p.m., with some very talented " tableaux vivans," in which aU the passions which rend the breast of an imperfect man, were admirably depicted, and drew forth the loud plaudits of an aihniring audience. The touching- and pathetic song of ' Rattle his Bones,' was received with deep feeling by the spec- tators, and the comic songs of ' Sam Slack,' and others \\hich followed, were sung with infinite humt)ur, and much a[)plauded. An admirable recitation, which recalled to the mind the notorious deeds of the famous " Cid," or " Bernardo del Carpio ;" together with a most amusing song by * a cobbler,' and a medley of wit finishetl the entertainment. We can only say in conclusion, that a visit to the Intrej)id Saloon will well repay a walk — head to wind — over the rioe, and that the greatest credit is due to all who are concerned in the management. IJ I V. Winter Quarters, Dec. I'^.jO. The shortest day in the year is a«- hand, and winter travels apaee ; the sable mantle of an eternal nitrht spreads over us, and desolation and dismay stalk with the strides of giants. With minds otherwise constituted, and where hope burned not, the gloom of these regions would tend to rouse a superstitious feeling; the rocks and mountains crested with snow, and the inigged pinnacles of everlasting ice which surround, would lielp to elevate the fluicy to the interpreta- tion of signs and wonders, daily witnessed, as portents prognosticating evil. But no ; not so — the Aurora overarches our scjuadron, a crescent <>f 70 AKCTIC MIS( r,[J,\NlES. l)i';iut\ ; tin; noonday stars shed their li^'ht, riviillinp,' in brilliancy the vivid colours of the solar rainbow ; the luminous mot(\)rs tiiat shoot throuii'h the clear heavens, and the strange and unearthly sounds which arise from the crackling of the vast floe, are matters only for speculation, or for our mutual admiration. Surrounded by icy chains, and rendered power- less by natural causes, we live in anticipation and in hope of prosecuting — when liberated — the duties of our holy mission. To preserve that hope alive, it has been the dutv of all to assist in furnishino; food for a g(;ntle excitement of the mind ; y(!t though the pursuit of {)lcasure has been the pre- siding g(Miius — our chief aim is never forgotten. And now merry Christmas comes upon us, jovial, romping, glorious, happy Christmas, with all his fun and meri'iment, with his glowing cheek, happy with hospitality, his cordial laugh, and his benevolent smile, (>nlivening by his warmth, and subverting by his cheerfulness, all feuds and bit- terness. At this time he gathers his sul)jects tou'cther, and sends in amonost them his beauteous ) messenger # Mcck-cviMl I'l'Mf'c, ci'oM mil willi olive htcoii," and amid a thousand acclamations and hcartv I Lf '^ J AUCTIC MIs{•!^l,l \Mr.S. 71 sliouls, lie is j)r()cl!iim('(l tlio sovoroign of good cheer and Jollily. And now that he is near, though no advocate! for sueli droll and destruc- tive s|wrts, as the ancient j)rivileged ones of that niadcaj) i)otentatc, the lord of misrule, vvlio turned all lawful authority into ridicule, nor for the abuses of the once-famed wassail-howl, we long to see the milder ones of olden times re- vived ; to hear the swet't carols of the season sung, and to have that glory of our boyish days, pantomime, with his laugh-rousing attendants among us. As we aj)j)roach our glorious old friend, we do so with a sincere hopt; that his merry intkience will take possession of every breast, that joy and happiness will stand in lieu of our English holly, and be the garlands to bedeck and hang around every heart that throbs in our happy squadron. There is not one among us at tlrs season who do(;s not dwell with delight upon his happy home, and the many friends he sees assembled around its cheering fireside — where burns the Yule-log — friends, with whom his hap])iest joys are linked, and upon the meeting wil'i whom anticipation lingers fondly. Tliough an icy barrier and th(! wide Atlantic separate us, our warmest wishes are for theiu, ;inil in tlie height of our ha]ipiness wc; I If 72 ARCTIC MISCF.Ll-ANir:*!. shall not, wo ciinnot iorirct tlicni. As their names will ho handed round our festive hoards, \\c know that oiu's too, will tind an echo at theirs ; and as the howl goes round, the; crowning toast hy all, will he, " Success, and a speedy return to our humane Expedition." Would that w(; had with us the brave band of our missing (;ountrymen ! then indeed our happiness, amid these seas, would he complete. But to these gallant men, to all her(>, and to our good friends at home, we sincerely and most cordiallv wish \ ^I1•:IH!Y ClIIUSTMAS AND A TTArPV \K\V YKAU. cJ.Q. THE IIISTOHY OF (iRlFFlTII AND COl^NWALLFS ISLANDS. i NO, I. In writing a history of any country, it is, in the tirst place, necessary to inform the reader upon what authorities that history is founded. Now the \'ery limited knt)wledge we have of those two islands which hound our view on either flank, I i ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 73 1 \i renders it impossible to make their history interest- ing, without attempting to penetrate the thick niisi of inicertainty which hangs aroimd the events of former ages. Griffith and Cornwallis Islands (as far as lias yet been ascertained) are composed entirely of limestone, and the organic remains consisting prin- cipally of shells, coral, and bones of fish, prove that the rocks which compose them were formed in a deep and expansive ocean ; and in this con- dition, these regions remaini'd during a long series of ages, until the commencement of the carbonife- rous era. Then it was that the two islands first emerged from the waters, and the surface of the earth began to teem with animal and vegetable life. The climate; of these; regions at that remote period was much warmer than at present, huge fields of ice thon never wearied the eye, and those barren islands which now scarce offer the means of subsistence for the poorest mosses, wen! then clothed in luxuriant verdure ; tree-ferns forty and fifty feet high, and huge endogenous plants covered the land with rank vegetation ; shell-fish annelides, and corallines, peopled the waves ; and the voracious trilobite preyed on the more peaceful tenants of these pristine Polar Seas. llM iH^ ^. I. AM) ■}. I'liliTKiNS or Tltll.OlUTi;. llti. '.]. I'nKTKJN iH' liHTIInriCI! AS. "t I V < ARCTIC MlSCrj,LANlF>'. /:) have ns yet been found provided with foct, iind tl U'V t'VK Icntl V rcsi (Uul HI the water. TIk' extinct animal may bo supposed to be the parent, from which, during a series of ages, the more ])erfect lobster and crab have been derived. It entirely disappeared at the end of the ear- bonifero\is period. fe^ Wii ^^•fi 4 \ PART ()'■ AN I'.NDOr.r.NOrs THKK,* S INCHES LONG, I'OVNl) NT.AK (AIT. IIATIIAII, (OUNWAM.IS ISLAND. Tlic next important remains of animals are the shell-fish, which have been f.amd in great abun- dance! both on Cornwallis and Grittith Isles. Th(\v are mostly bivalvc^s ; but several very large ortho- ecras arc to be found on Griffith Island. Ibis was a sephuneled and chambered shell, like a nautilus uncoiled and straightiuu'd. That island * 'riii> sp(('iiiu'ii \v;is iiickcil up liy Mr. lliiiiultmi, on a liill, iioa.r Ciiiic llatliaiu. .0^ 76 ARCTIC MISCKLLANIFS. also abounds in cncrinitcs, a spocios of radiated animals in a fossil state, eommonly called " stone lilies," they found nourishment by moving their bodies through a limited space from a fixed position at the bottom of the sea, and were pro- bably in a fossil state before the commencement of the carboniferous period. Corallines, and im- pressions of annelides on the limestone arc common in both islands: but the most important fossils would have been the remains of those huije ferns and endogenous plants which formerly covered these islands ; and here again, independently of the coal in considerable quantities found in Melville and Byam Martin Islands, which consist of sandstone rocks : a branch of a fossil endogenous plant has been found in the limestone on Cornwallis Isliuid, ten inches long, and six and a half in circumfe- rence ; probably a part of those vast forests which formerly flourished on the island. Such then was the state of these islands during i V: 1 i i<-\ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 77 many agos previous to tho termination of the car- boniferous era, at which time vicjlent and exten- sive concussions took place over a vast tract of Europe and America, and the fractured and con- torted strata in these islands serve to show that they did not escape the general destruction of organic life. TO BE (-UNTINLKl). MIDNIGHT SCENE. 1!£SKT IN THE SKIRTS OF MELVILLE BAY. It was midnight — calm; the sky cloudless, and beautifully blue ; illuminated by an Arctic sun, shining in full splendour. Our weary tars had retired to rest, and all nature seemed hushed in one universal repose ; affording me, at the mast- head, a glorious opportunity of contemplating the stillness of nature, together with a maguitieent and correct view of Arctic scenery, in all its pecuhar features. I looked down and around me, on a splendid panorama — a world of ico, of unsullii'd and dazzling whiteness, not the smallest speck of water visible to 1 i! I •8 ARCTIC MISCF^J.F.VNMRS. (li'iiotL' tlio clement on which we rode. Thut section )f th jwn oramu to the north, exhil)itcd a chain of ber been tak<'n from these Arctic; doctrines of the Hindoos ; and accordingly wc find the isles of the Hyperboreans always described as the abodes of the happy and the virtuous; and even the gardens of the Hesperides, the Isle of Calypso, and tbc Elysian Fields, placed in juxta-position with Ultima Thule. No wonder, then, that numerous tribes, leaving- behind them the tempting shores of the Mediter- ranean, and the rich pastm-es on the banks of the Dnieper and Ihe Don, to search for these mysterious regions in the Arctic North, should eventually extend themselves over the frozen plains of Iceland and Lapland, and even to the inhospitable and })arren shores of Greenland ; and that in latter times, among the old navigators of the reign of Elizabeth, the tmc motives for their expeditions should have been not Lo much to discover a shorter route to Cathav, as to search in the snowy glaciers of the north for G 82 ARfTIC MIS('EM,\NIFS. mountains of jxold and j)r('cioiis stones , tlu- Ix-licf in wliich had oiitlivod the mythologies which had given rise to them. In these later times, when the light of Christianity has dispelled the heautiful, though anxious creations of poetic imagination, this mountain of Meru, of which the poet says, "Earth seems tliat iiiiiiiacle to rear Sublime, above this eavtlily s])here, Its cracUc, and its tdtar, and its throne," is changed into the desire of performing a sacred duty, which will ever he far more viJuahle than any mountains of gold or precious stones. 1 remain, Yours sincerely, (LIU. QUERIES FOR CHEMISTS AND MATHEMATICIANS. " Sic omnia fatis in pejus mere." The following philosophical queries are proposed, believing that the opportunity afforded hy this climate, and presence of all the necessary ehiments of calcula- tion, will greatly facilitate their solution. i I AiK'rrr miscf.tjames. 83 Xo, 1. Assutiiiiig the maximum tcmporaturo of the sacred ilariK; pt that the tomjieraturo has fallen to — 50 , and distance increased from the exciting cause — that is, the supporter of combustion — to four thousand miles ? No. 3. Whether the most ardent flame could survive a second winter in these (lesj)erately romantic regions ? No. 4. If so, what would be its general appear- ance — bright, pale, or ghastly — constant, dwindling, (»r flickering:? No. 5, TIk; efi'ect of the sun's absence — whether it acts as an extinguisher, or merely as a wet blanket ? No. G. If the ratio of decreasing intensity be- tween combustible bodies, respectively of 22" and 44°, is constant ? In this retrograde movement, we fear that youth will outstrip maturity. No. 7. At what period they may each be ex- pected to arrive at zero ? No. 8. The effect of time and space, without re- gard to any other chilling influences? G 2 84 AUCTIC MISCKLI.ANins. N.B. We insert this query, as it is said, liiai latterly fewer indications of overHowing affection, on the part of some seven-bellers, have been ob- served. No. 9. Same as No. 2, but, taking into account the cflFect of disturbing forces upon the exciting cause, as variation and decrease in magnetic intensity — return of comets (alias resuscitated beaux), witli increased splendour — appearances of new ones, witli dazzling brilliancy — visits of foreign ships of war, and other imagined evil influences at home ; our opinion is, that these causes will create certain fluctuations which may continue for a period (governed by our absence) as an ebb and flow. Hence our thermal lines will be reduced to mere zigzags. But we tmst that, on our return, it will be found, that if our stars now shine with unsteady light, 'tis purely owing to the deceptive atmosphere of an overwrought imagi- nation, through which they are seen. No. 10. Whether the air of tliesc regions contains such a reduced proportion of oxygen, as to diminisii the circulation through that part of the cerebellum supposed to be the seat of love, and thereby accoun for the less vigorous combustion noticed in No. 8 ? Now, we propose, upon the result of this winter's experiments, to construct a new instrument to measure the temperature of th(^ sacred flame. It shall be l\ AFUTU MISCELLANIES. SiJ called a " Sigli-o-mctcr," and he graduated to sighs, so many going to a gush of tiu' |)ur('st and most uncontrollahU' aftVction, and so many gushes h(;twecn love-heat and total indifferenre — the hoiling-point and zero of our scale; the various stages of self-devotion, constancy, tickleness, lukevvarmni.'ss, and coolness, to be carefully noticed. N.B. All below zero on this scale must result from jealousy, rivalry, or slight disappointment — (hsturbing forces — and therefon; cannot be estimated until subsequent to our return. l'\ TIIKAS. P: L . ^Zut^ Cts of linp]iy facos." But, oh ! would not they be more joyous still, wero some kind ministering angel to whisper an assuraneo of that happiness upon which their own so materially depends. Yet sucli is the reality. A number of beings congregated together, whose worldly pur- suits, dispositions, yea, even their very thoughts the converse of each other, uninfluenced by the; humanizing society of the fair daughters of the earth, and surrounded by scenes, o'er the deso- lation of which the Almighty for a time has kindly thrown a veil of darkness, undaunted by the past, with glowing expectations from the future, all seem imbued with a determination to defy care, and render an Arctic winter not quite so unbearable as might otherwise be supposed. Yet, reader, there is a cause for all this : that same principle which taught a poor defenceless little creature to regard with satisfaction the presence of its once mortal enemy, has been at work here, silently, though not unnoticed. Our leaders seem fully to understand this principle, and upon the threshold of a coming year, with whatever success our labours be attended. I ■I ) 96 ARCTIC MISCEl.LANIRS. by thfi aid of a Merciful [Vovidcncc we may yot look back witb pleasure upon tbe days wIkmi in- dividually \V(! constituted a n^ember of c.vrxAiN Austin's ilutv auctic family TO THE EDITOR OE THE AURORA P.OREALTS. It is with much regret that wo announce the departure of our old friend, November, for the more genial climate of the south. The regret vvc feel at his departure is greatly lessened by the recollections of 'lie many pleasant •^ours we have spent in his society, as well as by the arrival of our jolly old friend, December, who has always hitherto been the harbinger of mirth and jollity. The old gentleman was only attended by Mirth and Cheerfulness, iiis usual attendants, not being appreciated in these desolate regions, were left behind. As the old fellow wended his way along these icy wastes, with thoughts anything but pleasant, he suddenly ran against a dark mass, and before he had time to recover from his surprise, liis ears were astounded with a vehement cheering, mingled with rattling of ■"^ AlU TIC Mls( KLI,\NIi:S. 97 glasses and otluT sounds of fun and mirth, to which for upwards of thirty years he had heen a stranger in these regions. From his brother, November, whom truth comj)eIs us to record was not to be found till midnight, he learnt, on in- quiring of him what these unwonted noises meant, that they proceeded from the cabin of the gallant Commodore, who that evening had given one of his jolly and pleasant soirees in honour of the ap- proaching departure of our friend, who was so loath to leave us, that he offered to take December's duty for the month. The old gentleman, de- light(!d at the news, flatly refusi'd, saying he was determined to spend one jolly season out here ; nor did he contine himself to mere words, a dis- patch was immediately sent to summon Cheerful- ness and Mirth, who although surpiised at the unwonted order, immediately obeyed, and next morning we had the pleasure of seeing their smiling faces, and we now anticipate another month as rife in fun and good fellowship as the last. A dispatch was also sent for Father Christmas, re- questing him to show his joDy old phiz in this part of the world, an nyitatiok which, from his well-knovyn good heart, we are sure will be accepted, but as he is in a distant part of the world, we do not expect him till the end of the month. We H 98 ARCTIC MISCKLf-ANIRS. i I hope that lu- will be iiccompanied hv his usual satol- litos, Good Ciu'cr, and his cousins, Good F'ollowship, Mince-pic, Snap-draj^on, and that diverting vaga- bond, Pantonnimc. The next day, December and his companion, manifested their exuberance; of spirits by sundry particular jokes, such as tweaking people's noses, biting their cheeks, and preventing thi' re- moval of that impudent fellow, Frost. As neither threats or persuasion could k(!ep him away formerly, vvc arc afraid that with such allies he will become in- corrigible. The good example set by our old friend has been followed, and a constant fire of puns and repartee has been maintained since his arrival. Looking forward to a merry day with old Fath(!r Christmas, and a still merrier one next year in dear old England, I am yours truly, A LOVKH OF Fl'X IN ANY SlIAPK, I ARCTIC MISCKI.LANIES. 99 TO TIIK EDITOIl OF THE AUllOHA HOKEAhlS. in Many of us have; {razed with dflight upon the brilliant skies of the Tropics wliile listlessly watching tho rising or setting sun, and all of us have; hccn filled with admiration at the heautv, softness and variety they ])resent in these regions. One ap- pearance has frequently been remarked, probably from its being peculiar to these icy seas ; I allude to the purple tints, in beautiful gradation, seen opposite the sun. It is the custom of most painters to deny the existence of this colour in any sky ; but here there can be no room for doubt, nor can its depth, variety and intensity remain unnoticcnl. May not this arise from the rich orange, almost red, jwssing into pale yellow, and that portion of the atmosphere when illumined by the sun being reflected on to the deep blue of the air in shade. Hence, by the union of the orange and blue in different proportions, we have the graduated hues of purple, lilac, and even bluish- green. This, although strange to those who have never visited the Arctic Circle, forms one of the most pleasing subjects for the eye-wearied sojourner to admire. The appearance was noticed some days after the sun ceased to be visible above the horizon. i\ 2 i f^ ' 100 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Should my short iittcmpt at explanation call forth the latent powers of the scientific to elucidate more clearly the phenomena, the writer's end will be attained. i'uuruiiA. c. CJj^^ NORMAN ARCTIC DISCOVERIES. Issuing from the barren regions of Norway, th(! Norman race, which may be said to have had a separate existence from the eighth to the fourteenth century, spread the glorious light of its genius over the countries which it conquered and settled in. In 9 1 1 the province of Neustria was ceded to RoUo and his thirty thousand Norman warriors ; and here, after administering the laws so severely and successfully, that bracelets of gold hanging on trees were left untouched, he voluntarily abdicated in favour of his son William in 927 ; and the Normans of Neustria, without laying aside that dauntless valour which had been the terror of every land from the Elbe to the Pyrenees, rapidly acquired all, and more than all, the knowledge and refinement which they found in the country where they settled. Tlie rude dialect then common in Franc(3 became in their ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 101 M hands a regular and written language, embodied in their judicial codes, and in the poetry and romance which formed part of their literature. They re- nounced the brutal intemperance to which all the other branches of the great German family were too much inclined. Thcjir buildings, sacred and domestic, were substantial and elegant ; they pos- sessed that polish of courteous and chivalrous manners, and that taste for refinement which elevates a people above savage rudeness. That chivalric spirit, which has exercised so powerful an influence on the politics, morals, and manners of Europe, was found in its highest exaltation among the Norman nobles ; and every country from the iVtlantic Ocean to the Dead Sea witnessed the prodigies of their valour. From Normandy went forth the valiant sons of Tancred de Hauteville, who conquered the provinces of Calabria and Apulia, defeated Henry III. and Leo IX. at Civitella, took that warlike Pope prisoner and generously liberated him ; defeated the Emjieror Alexis in Greece, in one month, and the Emperor Henry IV. before Rome in another, and restored the far-famed Pope, Gregory VII. Their youngest hm- ther defeated the armies of tlie Saracens in the Battle of Misclmiri, expelled them from Palei'mo, and conquered Sicily, defeated the armies of Pope ( I, 1 102 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Adrian IV., and the Emperor of the East and West combined ; while Bocmond, the Norman — the Ulysses of the first -crusade — became Count of Antioch ; Robert of Normandy was among the first to plant his banner on the walls of Jerusalem ; and Tancred, the ^ orman, was celebrated throughout Christendom ;.s the bravest and most generous of the champions of the Holy Sepulchre. No people were ^^c much addicted to robbery and riotous frays as the Saxons, and the polite refinement of the Normans presented a striking con- trast to their coarse voracity and drunkenness ; and they were fast sinking under the despotic thraldom of their Earls, when the current of events was altered by one of those catastrophes which seem destined by God to arrest the cause of human degradation — that event was the Norman Conquest. The valiant William, with his Norman Barons, crossed the Channel, routed the unfortunate Harold in the great Battle of Hastings, and conquered Eng- land ; where they preserved that bold, energetic spirit which, as they extended their influence, stamped its impress so deeply on the general chivalry of Europe. In England William tlie Conqueror entirely repressed the lawlessness of robbery and rapine ; and there at a later period the Norman Barons, in enforcing the Magna Ciiarta, in a just solicitude for the people I i ^- ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 103 JKi and a, moderation which infringed on no essential prerogative of the Crown, displayed an enlightened and liberal patriotism. Even the beautiful Norman architecture embellishes our native land. The Norman achievem(;nts in the Arctic Seas have been equally glorious, and have equally con- duced to the good of mankind. A noble Norman, named Other, whose voyage was translated by Alfred the Great, sailed from Norway, and rounding Cape North, passed the shores of Lapland, and reached the White Sea and the country of the Lanroyeds. In 964, the Normans conquered the Orkney and Shetland Isles, and the north of Scotland; in 861, they discovered and settled the Feroe Isles; and in 874, Ingulf .and Hiorlief led a Norman colon}' to the barren shores of Iceland. For sixty years, numerous emigrants continued to arrive; and in 1001, they were con- verted to Christianitv. A national assemblv, or Thingvalla, was instituted ; a chief magistrate of the republic elected every ten years, with prefects of the four provinces and inferior judges under him ; and under this enlightened government, a Norman republic, situated ! ' n r i: :l 106 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Curnvvallis Islands, are about to penetrate to the inhospitable plains of Melville Island, and to unveil the hidden mysteries beyond Cape Walker, in search of their gallant and long-lost countrymen ? Then let every voice be raised in one unanimous prayer of " Success to the Travelling Parties." PACIFICUS, C>^. (UjuAMy^^^^'''^ A NIP OFF CAPE DUNGENESS. Amid the manv gay and noble company that look upon the glassy surface of the frozen Serpentine, to witness the manly feats of the thousand skaters, whirling in joyous circles, or gliding with railway speed, few there are who would suspect that so beau- tiftil a mirror can, under certain circumstances, become a formidable antagonist, against which the power of man is futile and vain. Experience has taught those who navigate these seas the treachery that lies hid beneath that smooth exterior ; and as we look upon these immense masses, we associate them with the dangers we have already run. Among these associations, the Nip off Cape Dungeness will (>ver be remembered by the crew of H.M.S. ' Assistance.' ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 107 ho eil ch us ^4it4tAA^ Having succeeded in establishing a depot of pro- visions on Cape Hotham, for the benefit of some future Arctic wanderer, and perhaps — may God avert the cause ! — for our own selves ; and having rounded and gained the westward of this Cape, we found before us vast moving floes, stretched as far as the eye could reach — barriers to our future progress. By means of that extraordinary power — steam — which has served us faithfully and well, we pushed through the openings left by the shifting of these huge masses, the steamer forcing away the smaller blocks, and making circuitous bends around the larger ones ; but even steam could not effect much where masses such as these were packing, and pru- dence loudly called for a refuge in some secure spot. A few days before, every arrangement had been made to abandon our ship, in the event of her being crushed by this moving sea of ice; and, as in all preparations attended with danger, a solemn feeling possessed each breast. Our gallant chief addressed us on this occasion, and recommended obedience, coolness, and readiness, and as he spoke, each eye hung greedily on his lip, (!ach ear drew^ in the words uttered. Unable to proceed, from the causes mentioned above, we made fast to the land ice on the 5th of 108 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. September last, in what sul)sequently proved to be the safest spot. During this and the following day, our position was one full of danger. Vast floes, several feet in thickness, and thousands of tons in weight, passed rapidly by, with the ebb and flow of th(^ tide, each crushing and piling in heaps against the land- ice, with a noise like to thunder, threatening our ship with immediate destruction. As the blocks were })rcssed up by an invisible power, they fell again with a fearful crash, assuming large massy forms. Astern, a mountain had risen near forty feet in height; whilst a pile of hummocks frowned upon us ahead. Aware of our danger, and every moment expecting the terrific onset of our ruthless tyrant, we felt it a duty to be in all things prepared ; but forethought and apprehension were at work in our breasts. Lest the floes coming down should drag us away with them, and thus defeat the object of our expedi- tion, precautions were taken to secure the ship as firmly as possible by anchors, ice-claws, cables, and hawsers. To have been encircled and carried away in the embrace of these despots of the Polar Ocean, would have been ruin indeed ; far better the being crushed amid the fearful glacier. It was on the morning of the 6th that we were aroused by a ra))id succession of sounds, as if a broadside of heavy metal were pouring into the ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 109 ship's sides. The ship quivered from stem to stern under it, like one in the throes of death's agony. A pause of some hours followed, when another and a more severe shoek was experienced ; the timbers writhed, and seemed about to wrench the bolts from their fastenings ; and the anchors whieh held the sliip to the floe were twisted into various shapes, the fluke of one being torn entirely off. After shaking like an aspen-leaf, the dark mass rose to the pressure, and heeling over, lay powerless in tlie grasp of the ice. Seen in this position, propped in air by huge blocks, white as Parian marble, one almost felt the ' Assistance ' had taken up her resting-place for ever. But that all-seeing Providence, which has, with a fatherly hand, guided us happily through these terrific seas, still protected us. On the evening of the 7th, the fog, which had hung the heavens in gloom, cleared away ; and the ice drifting, left a clear passage of open water. With the barometer, our spirits rose to a splendid pitch of anticipation ; and making sail, we cheerfully per- severed to the westward, where, in the bright heavens of these boreal climes, the pass-word of our humane expedition. ill letters of gold, shone like an angel of light, urgin«- i) no ARCTIC MISCKLLANIFS. US onwards ; and as the beauteous vision revealt^d to us Hope glowing as ever, our liearts swelled with joy, and every breast filled with inexpressible delight. (J- n.^ METEOROLOGY. The state of the wind and the weather may be eonsidered a very matter-of-fact subject, and one which is proverbially uppermost on an Eng- lishman's tongue when conversation flags. But after all, our happiness and comfort, especially in a naval hfe, are very dependent on caprices. Here the subject of Meteorology possesses greater interest than is generally the case in other por- tions of the globe, particularly to us at tliis season, when nature withdraws animation from the face of the earth. Let us now take a retrospective glance over the period since our entry within the Arctic Circle, and compare it with that of other navigators, w^ho have preceded us ; nor is it so dreary a subject to the admirer of nature, when he analvzes the various phenomena which call forth our admiration, at the same time that they exact our tribute of gratitude AllCTIC MISCELLANIKS. due to the Creator, " who saw cvcrythinjj; that He had made, and hciiold it was very good." At homo we are apt to associate everything that is miserable with an Arctic climate, but so far we have been agreeably surprised with the enjoyment of a large proportion of serene and beautiful days ; we cannot forget those bright sunny ones at the Whalefish Islands, in Melville Bay, and during the period of navigation. In prosecuting the north passage, southerly winds prevailed to greater extent than usual, which had its influence in checking the annual progress of the ice to the south. We have no cause to complain of fogs this season, there were few occasions when they caused any inconve- nience or delay in pursuing our voyage. As to gales of wind we can draw a favourable contrast with our experience in other regions. The gale of the 20th of August in Barrow's Straits is the only severe one we have to record : since we have been secured in winter quarters we can only recollect one day when we were deprived of taking exercise outside the ship with any degree of comfort. With reference to the temperature the general opinion appears to be, that the sensation of cold has not been felt with that severity which our con- ceptions had led us to anticipate ; the ample supply of everything requisite to comfort, together with • flil' 112 AIUTIC MISCKr.LANIKS. th(! interiuil accommodution of the shi|).s, has ni) doubt contril)ut('(I Viistly towards mitigiit'm<>; tli.^ sovt-rity of thu cliiimte cxi)('ii('iiccd by our prcdo- cc'ssors. The following table will sliow the com- parative temperatures registered during ditferent voyages, together with our own for tiie last three months, by which it appears our temperature for the month of September was below that of the same month at Melville Island in 1819. MKI.VII.I.t; 11 .I.CIOI.IK. I'OHT I'OIIT OIllKKITIl's ISl.A.Nl). low K.N. I.KOI'OI.U. lsl,.^M). 1>519. \>l^. ISJt. 1M8. Is.'iO. ■^ i.= 3 ; d 3 •^. ill. an. Ti .5 i ^ . »-. **. + 0^. + »^. 0^, •"• i -. + »-. + + + + + + + + + + + St'iiluiiiber +37 -1 •2-2 hi 37 11 ill.-) :u 10 e5h8 37'(i li i!i «l 3 ii\i + __ + __ + + + + _ + + _ _ DctoliiT . + ■2b 3- 10 ■I'i + y 1-711 + li 10-8.-. ■A-X + li-3 1(» 17 + Hi-.-, i):i XovL'iiibor (i ' 17 2l)-0(i 8 .1.1 l(i';i7 17 L'd ' tU'J 10 ;33-7|l;:8 U lilt (I'J Tliuniioim;tcr taken on llie llof, at a distance fnjin tlic ships, stands ~" lower ilimi lluil taken on board, iVee IVoiii the iiilluence of heat. It has been asserted by various authors that there is no thunder and lightning within the Arctic Circle ; this we arc able to disprove, from the fact of a vivid flash being seen, accompanied with a loud report, on the night of the 28th of August, when in Wellington Channel. ARCTIC MISCELT.ANIRS. 113 l:i-.-j oil % ,1 + ii:') (i'J luui lU;a \Vt' li!iv(» seen no liravy falls of snow. Occa- sionally, wlipn blowing hard, a snowdrift has hcon carried alonj; the surface of the ice with the wind, hut seldom extendinp; ahove the heij^dit of the mast-head. On these occasions, lookin^^ to the zenith, the sky is clear. The particles of snow cannot escape the ohscrvation of the most casual ohserver, which in tlu; process of crystallization assume symmetrical stellar forms in every variety of shape ; scarcely any two in fact are found similar. In most Arctic voyajjes the al)sene(! of snow durinnr winter is g(>nerally remarked. The Aurora Borealis, which has hitherto afforded other voya^^-ers so nmeh interest, and which some; writers allege to he almost constant in these regions, has not yet presented itself with any striking effect to our notice, except on the night of the 1st of Decemher. A very complete arch in a N.NAV. and S.S.E. (true) direction passing through the zenith, divided the celestial concave into two equal parts ; it measured ahout 5° in width, it lasted ahovit half an hour, and was of a whitish colour. Towards the north it became tinged with red before it diisiappeared, the stars were seen through it with great brilliancy, they assumed for the time the same colour as the Aurora. Somi' bright coriseations were seen I 114 ARCTIC MISCFiLLANIES. on the morning of the 5th shooting from the S.E. tow.u'fls the zenith. During October, and us the sun's altitude de- clined, several very beautiful parhelia were seen ; they generally appeared in a semi-circle of pris- matic hues, measuring about 30° diameter, with a mock sun at the extremities; sometimes accom- panied by a rich golden ray shooting up from the sun towards the zenith, and down to the horizon; on one or two occasions they demonstrated their proximity by appearing between the ships and the land, their base resting on the surface of the floe, producing a singularly beautiful effect, and contrast- ing with the surrounding wintry scene. With the low altitude of the sun the sky was tinged with most delicate and lovely hues, surpass- ing admiration, particularly that portion in opposition to the sun, composed of rose and violet colour blending harmoniously until lost in the deep cerulean vault above : it would require the per.cil of a Claude or a Wilson to dehneatc these incomparable tints. Falling stars have excited the attention of scien- tific men and the students of nature, and from the result of repeated observations, about the 12th of November has been assigned for the period when the greatest concourse are to be seen, as though the earth, at a jiartieular passage of its orbit, ])asscd I u ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 115 'i5 5cd throuG;h ;i ch^nse cloud of tlunn. It is recorded that Humboldt saw soitk; thousands fall between two and three o'clock on the mornini2: of the 12th of November, 1800, at Caraccas. On the night of the 10th of August, 1839, there fell at Breslau before three in the morning, one thousand and eight meteors: here they have not attracted our notice this season. A very brilliant meteor was seen on the 2nd of December, at half-past nine, a.?iI., bearing S.S.E., which excited the admiration of all who saw it. It shot through an arc of about 25° with great velocity, and on bursting, a globe of intensely bright pale-green, detached itself from a red nucleus ; it was visible only a \'ery few seconds, and quite eclipsed the dawning light for the time. The barometer appears to retain its reputation in these latitudes as a monitor to the seaman. In ^lelville Bay it indicated the approach of southerly winds, on several occasions with great fidelity. One of the most remarkable instances was on the 1 2th of July, when the mercury fell from 29' 25 to 28-88 in the space of six hours. During the last three months its range has been very limited. The prevailing winds have l)een N.W. Com- paring this period with other voyages we have been exempt from the storms experienced in other 1 2 r ^^ 116 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. localities : Parry mentions some instances at Mel- ville Island, being- confined to the ship for some; days in consequence of strong winds. The distinctness by which distant objects are seen is a remarkable feature in this climate. Cape Hotham was clearly seen from Griffiths' Island with the naked eye, at two o'clock, p.m., on the 11th of November, — a distance of more than thirty miles : the stars were shining at the time. TO BE COXTINVEIl. C^^C. ^ nAji^ were in a few minutes whirling round in the giddy waltz ; and though neither of us were proficient, we both talked Spanish in a manner that even wc ourselves were astonished at. Reader, should vou ever wish to excel in that sweet language, do not throw your money or time away upon useless books or grammars, hut take to the fair sex for instruction : and should \our heart be in the right place, as no doubt it is, the brightness of their eyes will light you through all ditficulties, and the harmony of their voices be the encourage- ment to persevere. Dance after dance followed, occasionally inter- rupted by some romance of old(?n time. Forgetful of everything but the scenes around us, we allowx'd the hours unconsciously to fly by, and were only at last aroused from our dreams of delight by the rough and discordant sound of th(,' Sereno calling, " Las dos y media." No time was to be lost. Our last boat was at three a.m., and we were nine miles from our spot of embarkation. A hasty, though affec- tionate, farewi'U was taken with our friends, aecom- [)anied by numerous " memoriacitas" and promises of > • ; 1' ^^ 120 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. lUiother visit; under a salute of good wishes for a pleasant voyage and a speedy return, we startid in a good hard gallop, which brought us down in time to reach the ship. In a few minutes after- wards we were standing out of the bay, under all sail, to the southward; many regretting so short a stay at a place known to us by numberless pleasant inci- dents, which will be for years stamped deeply upon our memories. ROYAL AllCTIC THEATRE H.ji.s. 'assistance.' Tile Royal Arctic Theatre, crowded to excess, has again (November 27th, 1850.) excited the wonder and admiration of the public. The improvements observed in the general ar- rangements could not have failed to meet with universal approbation. The temperature and ven- tilation of the body of the house, and the new inner box entrance added greatly to its comfort. The decorations of the proscenium were slightly altered, tlie beautiful crown being placed in front of the stage-box, and two original classical figures. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 121 for cd in jr- til, c^i- un ss, he ir- th n- )\\ rt. ly nt 11 Hercules and a Venus, tastefully d('sig:ned, but un- finished, occupied the places of the Prince and Princess. On the rising of the drop scene the stage fittings elicited great applause from the audience. The farce, entitled " Done on Both Sides," was most amusing, and the characters (which were dithcult to sustain) were done great justice to by all the actors. Brown- john and Phibbs, the principal parts, were carried out in excellent style, and the acting showed how perfectly they were appreciated by the talented in- dividuals who had undertaken them. The other characters, Mr. and Mrs. Whifiies and Lydia, were also performed by persons who thoroughly under- stood them ; and this highly diverting piece was concluded in a w'ay which drew forth the most clamorous applause from the audience, and was followed by songs by the gallant Commander of the ' Intrepid,' and other celebrated vocalists of the squadron. A well danced hornpipe also added to tlie numerous attractions of the evening. Then followed the laughable farce of " High Life Below Stairs," admirably and spiritedly performed. Here we have to announce the debut of many promis- ing actors. It would be vain to attempt to do justice to their merits, tliey must be seen to be appreciated. 122 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. i If 4 '.1 '5 We must however make especial mention of tlie musical talent, — not only was the evening enlivened by theii' instrumental performance, but the well- known and effectively sung glee, "Hail smiling morn," brought down thunders of applause from the delighted listeners. We are delighted to find that the coi'ps dramatique of the Royal Arctic had received such additional strength as must insure its success. At the end of the evening the calls for the various actors were numerous, and readily responded to. Before leaving, three hearty cheers were given for Captain Austin. B A L M A S Q U E. TI.M.S. 'resolute.' We crossed the dark, deceptive floe with a bundle under our arm, and as we emerged from the ob- scurity into the bright circle of inviting light, surrounding the ship, beheld the piratical looking guardians at the entrance, cross their staves. They questioned our right to pass, pointing significantly to the bundle : the obstmction was removed. A chandelier, quite a bijou, illumined the upper deck- ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 123 We (lined and reached our dressing-place unde- tected, thanks to the well-arranged flags. Attired hy a clown we stalked forth to see and be seen. Presenting a card to that prince of jollity, Punch, we received a hearty welcome. Sir Greasyhide Walrus, the Alayor of Griffiths Kitterwak, was then announced in a loud voice. lie came in a si)lendid carriage, drawn by eight fine horses, and as he en- tered the ball-room, preceded by officials — bearing the insignia of office — the brilliancy of his suite called forth universal praise. In a neat and elo- quent speech he gracefully touched upon the topics of the day, and concluded with a well-turned compli- ment to his gallant entertainers. Right nobly did the master of ceremonies greet all comers, and, thanks to his exertics, the most diffident repre- sentative of the tender sex was soon at ease. Pictures of various kinds added grace to the admirably executed transparencies and other tasteful decorations. Mingling in motley groups, the varied multitude, swayed by the ancient baton of Punch, entered with spirit and fine feeling into the jokes and laughter of the evening. Wandering through the crowd, we beheld every variety of costume, from the vivandiere to the Queen of the Iceni ; from the humble sweep to the Grand Turk ; devils and ghosts ; nondescripts and legitimate clowns, cum 124 ARCTIC MISCELLAMKS. n multis aliis. One fact struck us most forcibly, scarcely were there two dresses alike in the room and when we say that the assumed characters were cleverly adapted and well sustained, some slight idea may he formed of the effect produced. The unworthy representatives of our dear coun- trywomen used the privileges of a petticoat, and many a gay cavalier got well abused, but de- servedly, let it be said, for gallantry did not abound. Passing forward amidst dreaded pirates, bold smugglers and niggers, each of a different nation, and generally well mated, we were at length brought to the bar by the red devil, and here th(! good taste every wliere to b(i met with became positively sublime. Cake and punch to all comers. The neatness and respectability of the landlady who presided could not pass unnoticed. We were forced to in- dulge in some refreshment, pronouncing the cake excellent, and again we became lost in the gay multitude. Often during the evening we had passed an odd figure uttering the cry of " old chairs to mend !" the busy crowd seemed right curious to detect the well-arranged disguise, but for some time he retained his incognito. Again we caught a glimpse of him, leaning against a pillar, and from the respect slK)wn we became ARCTIC MISCICLLANIFS. 1-2: nirious to discnvcr the real bcanT of the ruslics. We entered into conversation, and something ludi- crous occurring in the neighbourhood, the well- known laugh spoke to us more clearly than the voice of our ever cheerful Commodon;. The time flew, and the whirling figures and bursts of merriment told how all enjoyed the ball. Silence ! a song ! An excellent glee was sung by the bandsmen, followed at intervals by various other performances. The music was played con amore, and they had need, for short were the respites allowed them, " God save the Queen !" the well-known signal of dismissal, came upon us before we thought of being weary. All left, boisterous and excited, satisfied and delighted. A petit souper with the Commodore prolonged the evening's mirth, and the hours of the clock became small ere the Mayor of Griffiths Kitterwak withdrew. We hope to enjoy another evening in like manner, encircled by merry faces and warm hearts. C 126 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. NOTICE. Whereas some evil-disposed person or persons liiive, under the cov(;r of darkness, feloniously en- tered this vessel, and abstracted from the quarter- master's lanthorn, a candle, commonly known l)y the appellation of " purser's dip." Notice is hereby given, that from the date hereof a better look-out will be kept; and should any such person or per- sons be seen prowling round the ship during the hours of darkness without carrying a light, they may be mistaken for cither foxes or be and will be fired at accordingly. N.B. — Tame animals will stand the best chance of being killed. I'lKATi). €iU^tC !' [ ^UxJIAkj.^jju€l(x(a/ dE., ^-HljO^ SPOUTING INTELLIGENCE. For the special information of sporting travellers, we have inserted the following copy of Sir James Ross's game-book during his land journey in 1849. It embraces a period of thirty-nine days, between the 15th of Mav and the 23rd of June. Shot ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 127 seven cider and king ducks ; ciglit ptarmigan, in winter plumage ; one glaucus gull ; two silver gulls ; one kittiwake ; three dovekies ; tsvo brown boat- swains ; one red-throated diver, and one snow bunting; a lemming was caught, three bears were seen, two of which were wounded ; tracks of bears, hares, foxes, lemmings, wolverines, and of a few reindeer were seen. The gulls arriv(,'d in May. Early in June a flock of sandpipers, and the fi_st ducks were seen; by the 15th the latter had become; numerous, and frequently flew past us along the coast in large; flocks. The temperature varied between zero and + 50°— Mean + 23° Fahr. ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE. On Thursday, Jan. Qtk, 1851, Tlic I'avountc Actors ol' lUc Sliijis' Coni)«iuics prcscnl, will jicrlorm tlic i'';u'co of THE TURNED HEAD, ANH Tin; I'AXTOMIME Of ZERO; OR, HARLEQUIN LIGHT. WRITTEN EXl'UESSLV 1-(JU THE OCCASION. And the OUicors Mill pcrfunu the Serio-comic riiiy of BOMBASTES FURIOSO. I'OU lUKTIliai rAUTIClLAKS, SEli JULLS OE THE h.\> . : IMTj I i 128 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. NOTICE TO BANKERS AND OTIIEKS. Whereas a Bank of England £5 note, No. 2462, was obtained from the advertiser under false pre- tences during the last performance at the Royal Arctic Theatre. — Notice is hereby given, that persons retaining the same are guilty of felony. Wanted for the Royal Arctic Theatre, a person who will undertake to sing all encore songs ; as the vocalists hitherto engaged find it too much for the remuneration they receive. SPOETTNG NEWS. During the last month little has been done, the increased severity of the weather having driven most of the game south. We have to record however the shooting of two bears ; one by the veteran sports- men of the ' Resolute' within a short distance of the ship, the other by two of the officers of the ' As- sistance' some miles from the vesL.^1; both animals 14^''-- ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 129 of large size. We regret that the thick weather which followed the shooting of the latter, rendered it impossihle to bring it on board. We trust that Captain Penny has been equally fortunate with our- selves, the lives of his valuable dogs being entirely dependent on his success with the gun. Wanted immediately. — A supply of gas for the Royal Arctic Th(!atre : the large quantity in the playbills, being found to be insufficient. On Wednesday the 1 1th instant, the committee for the arrangement of the spring travelling parties met on board H.M.S. ' Resolute.' Captain Horatio T. Austin, C.B., in the Chair. The subject of the general equipment was brought forward, during the discussion of which many in- genious propositions were started, and freely can- vassed. Every minute point tending to the safety and comfort of the men was ably inquired into, the opinions of some of the most experienced were heard, more especially as to the kind of food and Iv 130 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I I clothing necessary : specimens from the i)est artizans of the squadron were placed on the table, and compared carefully with those of previous travellers. The various questions that arose were attentively listened to, and satisfactorily arranged. After a lengthened consideration, which the importance of the subject demanded, the arrangements were com- pleted, and are at once to be carried out in all their detail. The committee sat from half-past ten, a.m., until half-past one, p.m. It was with a sense of great gratification that we were summoned to the convivial board of our gallant Captain on the 9th of December, to cele- brate the anniversary of the birthday of his amiable and accomplished lady. As faithful chevaliers, wheresoever a lady is con- cerned — her health, proposed by the gallant Com- modore, was drank with all honours, and the sound that rang through that company, was one of cordial feeling. Would that some Peri had wafted to her breast the heartfelt wishes, which, althougli frozen without, we showered upon her from our warm hearts # ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 131 within. Let us hope that her gallant hiishand may, ere twelve months elapse, return in health, crowned with the bright laurels of success, and meet her surrounded by every liappiness the world can g-ive ! m NUTS FOR THE ARCTIC PUBLIC. Will shortly be published, under the above title, a very amusing and laughable little work, contain- ing the original bon mots, puns, (niigmas, charades, riddles, faceticc, and racy jokes of the well-known and amusing punster of the Expedition. A chapter will be also given on the most approved method of pulling a leg, or what is generally known and called getting it on a stretch. Wc feel convinced this little work will be very popular wuth the public generally, and the Arctic public in particular. STOLEN GOCJDS RETURNED. It appears by the police report that a dip has been feloniously abstracted from a lanthorri of one K 2 ( ' 132 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES of H.M.S. ships present. Tlie undersigned begs to say the same will be returned, on application to him personally. F. H. Elopement. — It is with harrowing feelings that we announce the sudden and unexpected flight from her once happy home of Lady Tobina. She was suddenly missed ; it is thought that she has fled into the arms of that seducer, Liberty. No traces have been found of the fugitive. Her unfortunate husband, who used every means to recal her by watching and fretting, now lies in a state of almost hopeless recovery — a lamentable example of mis- placed confidence. Should this meet the eye of the lady who left her home on the 23rd lUtimo., she is entreated to return to her disconsolate husband without delay ; who takes no rest at night, and is misanthropic and miserable during the day, and all will be for- gotten, all will be forgiven. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 133 A. C. — If little Tommy Crank, who disappeared on the night of the opening of the Royal Arctic Theatre, vviU return to his heart-broken parents at Stoke Pogis, he vviU be allowed to take his port wine after dinner ; although little Tommy nose that portwine is bad for children's complexions. Hue and Cry. — £5 Reward ! As the well- known vagabonds " Slasher and Crasher" have been "going a begging" in this neighbour- hood for the last few days, the above sum will be given to any person who will take them up.* * At this time the farce of " Slasher and Crasher" liacl been detcr- umied ou by the iiiauagcr, for performance on the boards of the Royal Arctic Theatre ; but, from various causes, no one could be prevailed upon to take the two principal parts, being those from uhich the farce derives its title. 1,1 SUPPLEMENT. Christmas Day, 1850. Among the many countless events that crowd the history of the world, and the numberless associations that spring from our existence, none arc more pregnant with joys and hopes than those of this happy and cheerful festival. For the Christian, and more particularly for the Englishman, all things sacred and beautiful, all things pure, and all reminiscences of home, are clcsely connected with this day ; while even by us, separated as we are, by the dreary wastes around, from all we hold dear, the same inspired enthusiasm is felt that prompted the " star-led wizards" of the East to seek in a distant country the real Sovereign of the Universe. I ' I '^ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 135 Home and tried friends fill our thoughts, and as vvc give way to the enjoyments of the season, almost unconsciously our minds revert to the grand object of our Expedition, and the anxious countenances of those who await our return. Shut out by barriers of ice and snow from all commune with the companions of past pleasures, we summon, by the aid of that great magician, Imagination, the festive scenes that gladden our native land ; and although on every side gloom, desolation, and eternal silence dwell, " As if ihc geiiciat pulse of lite stood still," yet we are sustained by the knowledge that these deprivations are necessary to forward the sacred cause of humanity. Mirth and cheerfulness are to be found at our boards, and in the outpourings of every heart may be traced the same adventurous spirit that filled those who preceded us, strengthened by the noble mission on which we are bound — to save the missing brave. Who then can forget those associated with us in the search? — the veteran Sir John Ross, our good friends. Captain Penny, Captain Forsyth, the gallant Collinson, and tiie generous and purely disinterested Expedition from the United States. ' I 't \ ! ! 136 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Wc cordially hope that the fine feeling existing with us may dwell with them, and with wishes for their health and safety, we drink "Long life and prosperity to all." With a longing look towards England, we pledge in silence the dearest bonds of life, and overflowing with the joyous revelry of the season, we drink to all the world " A right merry Clu'istmas, and many of them." 10 GOOD OLD ARCTIC CUSTOMS. My subject, " Christmas fare," so long a matter of curiosity, has now become of considerable interest to us all. I th(3refore oifcr to the Arctic public a bin of fare of one of the former Expeditions, with some comments thereon. GUN-ROOM MESS. Jl.M.S. ' ,' DECEMBEK 25t11, IS — . Mock-tiu'tlc Soup. Qiuu'tcr of Mutton. Potatoes. Green Peas, Mutton Pic. liaiu. Green Peas. Potatoes. Hamburgh Beef. PL ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 137 ng les Plum-pudiling. Cruubcrry Tart. Miiicc Pics. Fridt Pic. Cheese, Ale niul Porter. Eiiglisli Pluiii-eakc. ng to ;er ;st a th AJinonds. Raisins. Nuts. Arctic fare affords so little variet}', that I do not expect even our ingenious caterers can add much to this simple list : they may, however, replace the " spiced Hamburgh " by good English roast beef; but the mutton we must retain — it is so nutritious, so well suited to the present delicate state of our stomachs. With appetites sharpened by old zero, we shall quickly demolish the ordinary routine of hams, po- tatoes, peas, &c., and thus clear away for the second course. Plum-pudding and mince pies are powerful stimulants to memory, and are therefore indispensable at this festive season. The imagination, thus ex- cited, pictures home as it was, is, or is to be, and dwells on ties too tender to be touched on here ; and thus we enjoy a delicious mental repast. But mark ! fruit pie, cranberry tart ; observe the ad- mirable tact and profound knowledge of human necessities in this rigorous climate, displayed by tempting with such invaluable antiscorbutics ! m J 138 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. \i\i ii I ! No doubt the same humane motives encouraged the consumption of ale and porter. Who could refuse their Dialt under similar circumstances, of craving within and pressure without ? To do so, would be an unpardonable breach of Polar etiquette, and contrary to the sanitary rules of the Ex])edi- tion, which requires us to drink beer whenever we can get it ; and that we may have it at Christmas, a large quantity has been expressly brewed. Strange to say, the faculty agree in pronouncing it to ho, an infallible antidote to scurvy, nor are our own experienced members of that learned body amongst the least zealous in maintaining this view of the matter. I once spent a very jolly Christmas, although in quarantine at Port Royal, and no wonder, since we revelled in antiscorbutics. Canoes were as constantly employed on one side of the ship in smuggling on board bottles of porter and oranges, as the myrmidons of the Board of Health were upon the other in endeavouring to prevent our communication with the shore. We may, I trust, as of old, look eontidently to our much-esteemed friends, Benedicts and Seven-Belli'rs, for a good supply of tirst-rate English plum-cake. In all these matters our predecessors were avowedly most discreet men; let us follow their laudable ex- AllCTIC MISCELLANIKS. 130 ample, and then, Father Christmas, we shall give thet' a right hearty English weleonie ; and if thon likest our rude style hut half as well as we love thine, hoth old and new, and fearest not the dreai'y darkness of the chilling north, thou mayest hospitahly linger with us, cheering our mirth, and dispelling our head- aches, until the new style becomes the old. IIYI'ERBOBEAN. P-L- UtC/^.^'<'^^A^ CllIllST^ilAS. Stand aside, ye care-worn faces ; make way, thou cynic, Time ; for hither comes Old Christmas ; and in his swelling train he brings ancient recollections and merry thoughts of quaint and by-gone revels. Now rich and poor make the palace and the cottage ring with joyous laughter. This day the world was taught to sacrifice self to the gentler feelings of humanity. Then let the smiles of innocence light up the bonds of friendship ; pile the Yule-log of hospitality, and pass, even to your bitterest enemy, the old feud - destroying wassail-bowl. The wanderer in e\'ery region of the wt)rld liath goodly thoughts to-day, and looks i)aek with a sigh 140 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. to the hours of youth, when round the festive board the ties of liomely love mivde glad the dawn of exist- ence. The true old English toast is given wherever a vacant seat exists, and amid the mirth-elated circles arc those who, sighing, consecrate with the unheeded tear the cup in which thi^y pledge the centre of their hope, and pensive muse o'er the bright past, until aroused by the mirth that surrounds, they smiling yield to the spirit of the time. The song, the dance, the joke, arc there ; but, above all, the loud, rich laugh of contented and happy hearts, that even on the confines of the morn, when the hour grows pale, frightens from country-seat and homestead the demon of ill-will, and that old cannibal. Care. Here, too, reposing trom the dangers o^ moving miles of ice and splitting mountains of snow, we hail the festive season as the shadow of others to come ; and with that hope, defy the extreme cold, siirouded in dismal night. Long may such customs live in our thoughts, and may the dull realities of existence be thrown into shade by the bright reminiscences of Christmas and its time-enriched privileges. Aiirnr miscri.lames. 141 TO THE KUITOll OF THE AURORA 150REAIJS. I " Come li't us, like oiu' joviid sires of okl, With gambols uud miucc-pics our Cliristmas hold." Sir, The good (}l(l English custom of faring well iit Christmas has lasted unimpaired to the present day, and I think we have found that it has not been tor- gotten even in the Arctic regions. Long after many other time-honoured Christmas usages had been forgotten, that of eating a good dinner was remembered, and has been so deeply implanted on the memory, and handed down with such veneration from father to son, that it exists now with all the vigour that it obtained three hun- dred years ago. But there is another old custom, which, next to the dinner, clings nearest to our hearts, and entwines itself around all our associations regarding a merry Christmas. Everybody can recollect gathering round the fireside, with the great Yule-log blazing upon it, and listening with feelings of delight, not unmixed with awe, to some jolly, well-told story about ghosts I.i 'n I ! 142 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. or rol)l)crs, in which dam]) vaults, ruined castles, church-yards, and violent tempests, are portrayed in such vivid colours, that it has made everyhody feel doiihly the warm, glowing comforts with which he is surrounded. The reason that this most jovial of customs has existed so long, is connected wiili <^he belief that none of th(.' demoniacal personages with which those old stories usually abound, are on that day prowling about ; which beli(>f was credited by some even in the days of Shakspeare, who tells us that "Sonic say thai ever '^■ain^st the spasoii comes Whcrciu Our Saviour's liirtli is celebrated, The bird of dawiiiiipc siiisetli all day long ; And then, thev say, no sjiiiit dares stir abroad." In these Arctic regions, where; we are keeping our Christmas, the weather outside is twice as cold, and we arc surrounded by fifty times the quantity of ice and snow that there is in England ; and for that ver\' reason should we make the inside as comfortal)le as possible, not only by eating fish, f)-esh beef and mutton, preserved chickens, green pe is, mince-pies, plum-pudding, fruit pie, double; Glcacestcr, with the royal standard on the toj), and plum-cake ; but also by keeping up the otlu>r good old Christmas custom of awakening our imagination by relating all the jolly .L H ~"5*BI ARCTIC MISCKLLANIES. 14 3 stories nbout tilhosts and robbers th;it we ever heard — bearin{x in minrl that a good story is never tolf^ ton often — and l)ringing to our minds again the times when, years ago, \\c used to listcui to similar stories around ovn* own happy firesides ; and thus shall we make each other as comtbrtal)le in the spirit, by recalling the by-gone associations of our child- liood, as we do in the gastric rec(^ptacles of our economy, by enj(j\ing the best cheer that the season will afford. I remain, Mr. Editor, Yours very sincerely, A VKXKR.VTOI! 01' Ii\-GONE TIMKS. OLD FATHER CIIRTST.MAS. Tlicrc are certain events in human affairs some- times worthy of nMnembrance, while others we wcnild gladly bury in oblivion ; and among the former, we may hope to cherish the recollections of an Arctic Christmas ; though perchan(M', in its minor details, tinged with melancholy and regr(>t. Yes — Christmas has come again. Something there is hallowed in the word. 1 1 F m A 144 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. i I J ■ ,'! I remember regarding Old Father Christmas as a venerable gentleman, who paid us an annual visit, but for what purpose I could never thoroughly ascer- tain ; nor do I recollect ever having personally seen him ; yet the preparations for his arrival are remi- niscences of childhood which neither time nor circum- stances can obliterate ; for though the boy becomes a man, his worldly character still retains its Christ- mas impressions. On those days, roast beef and plum-pudding, with a host of small fry, were subjects of materialism warmly discussed ; and when the bowl was handed round the festive board, illumined l)v the cheerful rays of a burning Yule-log, heartfelt were the re- sponses to the cry of " Wassail," as each dipped deeply into its potent contents, drinking to days gone by, and days that were to come. Often have we wandered far away to seek the mystic mistletoe and the time-worshipped holly, returning laden with the results of our search ; our wished-for reward a sister's welcome, and a mother's love ! Long years have wrought changes since then, not only in the scenes of our youth, but within our- selves. StiU Christmas steals upon us ; and anxiously looking forward for its arrival, we join lieadlong in its festivities, which seem for the time to unite all in perfect happiness. 1? ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 145 Then be it again so. Let our Arctic Christmas rival its predecessors. Although nature here denies us the accustomed decorations for his reception, let us give the good old Father a right jolly welcome, and I'll warrant we shall receive an ample return. iV^- Cl^^-h'^''^} ^M I lll'i wssmsm VI. Winter Quarters, Jan. 1S51. Another year has gone The first half of the ninetcentli century has expired, and is now (snroUed in the pa of the brightest, and as one surpassing its predecessors in th(^ immense advance made in civilization, in the arts and sciences. As the ninet(M'nth century dawned upon the world, it was darkened by the clouds of war, of desolation, and of famine ; but ere 1850 had passed away, peace with her gentl(>ness had breathed over the world a spirit of charity, of love, and of plenty. Almost the expiring act of the past half century ti ARCTIC MISCKLTANIES. 147 was the unfolding the broad banner of humanity, and the sending forth of several Expeditions to the rescue of the missing brave : — an act worthily crowning the many deeds which had gone before. As we look back upon 1850, we dwell with satisfaction upon the incidents which have occurred, and more especially, upon that bright moment of our existence when — prompted by the voice of philanthropy — w^o tendered our services in further- ing the object of these Expeditions. Years will glide away; the snows of many wint(»rs will centre on our heads ; but as we fall " into the sear and yellow leaf" of age, retrospection will cast a golden light upon 1850. Then* is not a soul in our Expedition who do(^s not feel proud of that year ; whose bosom does not bound with emotion, as thought gently whispers, " And I, too, form part of the Arctic Happy Family." It would be presumption to question the inscru- table decrees of an omniscient Providence. Thirty- one years have now elapsed since the gallant Parry — bursting the trcmcnidous bulwarks of the north — advanced to the 113th degree; of west longitude, and unravelling the mysteries of the Frigid Zone, had the glory of planting his country's tlag in lands never visited before. Although less fortunate in L 2 H ip ij 1 Aim if 148 ARCTIC MISCELT.ANIES. jMMiotrating the Arctic wilds, we ought in griititude to thank a Divine Providence for what we have; ah-eady performed, for having nm through dangers unscathed, and for having reached a longitude n(n'er attained since that successful Arctic navigator. The han'ier of ice that now separates us from Melville Island is insurmountable ; as well might a line of battle ship attempt to cross the plains of merry England from the German Ocean to St. George's Channel. A future lies before us in which much is to be done, and much we hope will be don(> : in a squadron where unity, dcn'otion, and hope, float their broad standards. Our endeavours must rise tdumphant, and consequently our happiness be made complete. Who is there among us who would not rally around them, and sacrificing all to the public good, do his utmost to accomplish this honourable mission ? The dark and gloomy Arctic night gives way to the coming sun, and with his appearance, a cheering smile will fill the heart. Health, ho])e, and happiness have been our attendants during the dreary night, and with such companions we shall commence the duties which 1851 has in store. As a proof of trie unity existing on board the ' Assistance,' we may recal to our readers the ■i) tf ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 149 creditable proposal of \\ir ship's company, of each man devoting three days' pay to the benefit of the widow, orphans, or friends of any one among them who should — ere the Expedition shall liave returned to England — meet his death in the execu- tion of his present duty. With the opening of the new year, we give our most grateful thanks to the many able and inde- fatigable contributors, who have so generously lavished their time and talent upon the " Aurora," and who have thus been instrumental in carrying out the grand objf;ct with which the journal origi- nally started. We trust that it has been the cause of much good feeling, and that it has conveyed some slight instmction, information, and amuse- ment, through its columns. If such have been its results, our time has been well spent, and our trouble fully repaid. J (J TO THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA 150REAL1S. Dear Mr, Editor, The " Clio" articles on the origin of the Esqui- maux race, 1 must plead guilty to having read with consid(,'riible interest, and I question much, f I M 1 in ,1/Ui*'- W 1 i'l I r I it 1 M 150 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. notwithstanding the severe eriticisms of " Examiner," vvhetiier many others in the squadron have not done so likewise. Neither prepared to argue the question witli " Clio," as to the geographieal position of the Mountain of Meru, nor to deny him tlu; right to place it in Melville Island, shouUl it so please him, at the same time it is no more my intention to adopt his views on that important snhjeet, than it is to concur with " Examiner" or Cuvier in believing the Red Indian, P(>riivian and Fuegean to have sprung from a common stock. To return to the Esquimaux, I think " Clio" has taken a somewhat hasty view of his subject in adopting the old-fashioned theory, that all the numerous traces of that race about us, are owing to extraordinary visits from the Esquimaux of the American continent. I can tind nothing to make me concur in such an opinion ; and yet the subject is too interesting to be thrown aside. Why not let us look to the fount whence sprang this and every other race, and endeavour to trace out some route other than the American continent by which it is possible they may have travelled. Rash and presumptuous ! — no doubt, dear " Ex- aminer ;" but show me how to reasonably believe, that the soutliei-n shores of these islands on our ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 151 northern hand were peopled, when immediately op- posite to them, the continent of America is an equally untenanted wilderness. Tell me how the Greenlanders of the present day, the Skraeling of the Scandinavians, preserved traditions of Lancaster Sound, and of beacons existing there, but by having come thence? Why should the Greenlanders of the Danish settlements and Sir John Ross's Arctic Highlanders point north- wards to the seat of their race ? And if the Green- landers crossed to Greenland in lat, 66° N., how came they to have traditional description of tiic land at the top of Batlin's Bay ? 1 grant the question may be dismissed by the assertion that at some by-gone period this race inhabited the various northern coasts on which their traces have been seen, and that increasing severity of climate, and consequent scai'city of animal life forced them southward. But I object to such an hy])othesis ; because, in the tirst place, in Europe we know the winters are decidedly milder than they were ; and in the next place, there was no lack of animal life, be it fish, flesh or fowl, up to the time of our passing Wellington Channel. Your geological correspondent clothes Gritlitli's Island — the antediluviim one — with waving forests \ I uH 11 '!' 152 AUCTK. M 1 SC K LLAN I KS. of palms ; others, again, dcclan; that there is poetry in an Arctic moon : — b— m. Ther. — 34°. Very good ! I shall mount my Pegasus, and bring a select party of Asiatics, call them Esqui- maux, Innuit, Skraeling, or what you please — by another road along the south shore of the Parry group, the north coast of Barrow's Straits, round the top of Baffin's Bay, and thence to Greenland — Parry has left us nothing else to do ; we, like Du- mont d'Urville, when following in Cook's footsteps, may say : " Ceux qui sont venas apr^s lui n'ont pu pretendre qu'au mcrite d'avoir plus ou moins per- fectionne scs travaux." In like spirit, it therefore behoves us to carefully treasure up the minutest detail of all we see, and to throw an interest around the same, if possible, by the erection of some reasonable theory. Strange and ruined traces of this people have been found by us and our gallant predecessors of Parry's Expedition, in almost every sheltered nook of this sad and solitary land. When were they constructed ? and where are their inhabitants gone whose home lay in such a clime ? are questions which naturally arise to eveiy inquiring mind. No one, we infer, would be prepared to show ill ^'ti ARCTIC MISCELLAMKS. 153 that wo an? wrong in imputing the remains found to that race known as the Esquimaux, or Innuit, one, to use the words of a talented naval officer, " of the most widely si)read nations of the globe," ranging over the majority of the ice-encumbered shores of the continents and islands washed by the Polar Sea. The seat ur this race (arguing from the tra- ditions still extant in Wrangel's time) might be placed in the north-east extreme of Asia, the western boundary being ill defined, for on the banks of the Lena and the Indiy-irka alonii: the whole extent of th(> frozen Tundra, and in distant isles rarely visited l)y even the bold seekers of fossil ivorv, the same circle of stones, the same stone axes are to be found, as to this day are used amongst, and only amongst, the Esquimaux of America and Behring's Straits, or the Greenlanders. The Tchuktches, a })eculiar race, are still to be seen in Asia, assuming amongst that portion of them living on the sea-coast, habits closely analo- gous to those of the Esquimaux of our d:),y. The Russian can tell how the tide of Cossack conquest was checked by the imconquerable patriotism of this race ; untamed and imtamcable, they offer another instance of the gradual extinction of an isolated people. « '( ' V I ")' ill ' \t I ' It ■ill 154 ARCTIC MISCliLLANlKS. Th(! hunters of Siberia tell how a similar raee, the Oinoivi, " whose heartiis were once more nu- merous on th(! banks of the Lena than the stars of the Arctic night," arc gone, none know whither. The TehuktcheS; however, aver that emigration from Asia towards a land — not an island, a con- tinent — had occurred within the memory of their fathers, and quoted, amongst others, a case : a tribe, the Onkillon, occupied the land of Cape Chelagskoi ; attacked by the Tchuktchcs, they fled, and headed by one, Krachnoi, took shelter in the land visible northward from Cape Jakan. This land Wrangel believed to exist only in the imagination of the natives. English sailors, Captains Kellett and Moore, have since proved the assertion to be a fact ; they saw " an extensive land," but did not lay it down as they could not reach it in their vessels. Tempting as it nay l)c, I will not enter into the rich field of disquisition upon the causes which brought about the emigration of the " Innuit." Pressure from hostile tribes, and the better ne- cessity of seeking food to support life, not choice, must have carried these fishermen, even in Asia, to localities, which caused Wrangel to exclaim: " What could have led men to forsake more favoured lands for this grave of Nature !" "t ARCTIC MISCi:i.LANli:s. 155 W(! Sfc in America, tiuit tlu* Esqiiimiiux lias strnirLrlcd hard to reach southern and more genial climes. In the Aleutian Islands, and on the coast (if Lahrador, loeal circumstances favoured the at- tempt. The Indian huntei- would have starved in a land, which was comparatively overflowing with suhsistcncc for the Arctic fisherman. This human tide, ever striving against tin; hlood- thirsty races of North America, flowed eastward along the American continent ; and although vast tracts, such as the " harren grounds"* between the Fish and Coppermine, are untenanted by them at the present day, neverthel(!ss the traces left by the emigrating tribes arc evident. Taking, therefore, as the basis of my argument, the generally acknowledged fact, that no people by preference alone would be induced to seek a home in more inhospitable regions than those they dwelt in ; I am inclined to deny that these ruins around us have ever been constructed by either emigrants from the continent south of us, or by hunters, during their hasty summer visits, when, as we all know, lodges of seal-skin, not deep sunk habitations, are their abodes. Why shoukl not those who reached the land otl" Cape Jakau have * From O'J" \V. to JO'J" West, loiigiliulc. I:M'| IIMIt If I l\ ^^:.: I of) ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. m tnivrllcd eastward in a parallel direction, to their brethren of the American continent. The question of land north of Behring's Straits, has b(!en set at rest by Captain Kellett's discovery. Geographers, from the gradual shoaling of the water in that direction, had long inferred it, and they likewise assert that the same causes produce the shoal, yet open sea, extending from the longi- tude of Cape Bathurst to Cape Barrow. If Captain CoUinson's Expedition should prove this to be a fact likewise, the connecting link between the ruined " Yourts" of Cape Jakan and Melville Island will be assured. Under the same di'gree of latitude, the savage, guided by the length of his seasons, and the periodical arrival of bird and beast, would fearlessly progress along the north shore of the great strait we entered on leaving Baffin's Bay. This progress, a work doubtless of centuries, was gradual and constant, but imperative. The seal, th(.' reindeer, and the whale, all desert or avoid places wher(! man or beast wages war on them whilst iiiultiplying their species ; they must be followed, as is found to bo the case by our hunters, sealers, and whalers of the present day. Offshoots from this northern stream of emigration very possibly struck to the southward : for instance, the natives of Boothia, who from tradition gave Sir John Ross a .'. - AllCTIC MISCKLLANJKS. 157 c'oiTort description of the outline of North Somerset, told him, thiit by passing round it he could get westward, " and spoke of their forefathers having fished and lived in more northern lands." The Expedition of 1848 proved them to be pcjrfectly eorn.-ct; ruins at least two hundred years old were found at or about Leopold Harbour, and the coast trended after rounding Cape Bunny exactly as they had said. The ruins seen bv the ' Assistance' on the north shore of Lancaster So\md, are by far the best that have yet been fallen in with, and evincing in the construction of the huts and neat finish of the graves, a comparative degree of comfort and civi- lization. Still following the land round, we reach the top of Baffin's Bay, where, according to native tradition, there arc or were beacons as guide-posts on different points. No one has published any account of the shore between Lancaster Sound and this inlet. For aught we know, on the west as on the east side, " Arctic Highlanders !" mav exist still. At anv rate. Sir John Ross's belief seems to be implicit that more of his friends lay north of Wolstenholme Sound : some arc near there now we know, a great many died the winter previous to our arrixal : every whaler who ever sent peo|)le on shore about Cape York H £ 1l: 158 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. li h reports numerous desiTted huts and detid bodies, yet the people are not extinct ; wliencc does this supply of human life come ? — there was one woman with the party of natives under Cape York. I should point northward for an answer : southward we know they have not come. At Bushnan Island the natives are stiil found ; the prodijj;ious glaciers of Mtlville Bay have l)arred from Europeans the land, vv'hich appears as if struggling for life and light through the sea of superincumbent ice; but close to the Devil's Thumb graves have been seen. We saw those of both women and children on the islets near the Sugar Loaf, and it ap})('ar.s ♦'o be a question whether the late visitors to that neigh- bourhood from Upernavik have been other than Esquimaux seal hunteri^ ; in my own o]iinion, after a careful perusal of both ' Graah and Crantz on Greenland," I am fully convinced that the move- ment of the Esquimaux is towards its soutlicrn and more genial localities. Such, Mr. Editor, is my idea of the origin of the Esquimaux traces around us ; neither time nor space will allow me to give your readers all the rounds Luon which I base it. He who wishes to seek for proofs, may come t(j the same conclusion mayhap, by carefully reading Baron Wrangel's ARCTIC MISCF.LLAXIRS. 159 Arctic .Tourney, and at the same time I do not deny there is ahundant field for far more inire- nious explanations of the origin or wanderings of " Ross's Arctic Highlanders." The year 1851 may and will do much to remove the veil from the hidden things* of the Arctic world. Four hundred British sear, ^n now wintering within the Frozen Zone will, in the execution of their hightu" purpose, throw open to the world the geography of the lands from Siberia to Greenland, and on the observations and remarks of the officers sent on the different travelling parties, our characters as an intelligent body will much depend, and the dis- credit avoided of having " travelled from Dan to Beersheba, and said all was barren." OSly^MyiA. ii SCRIBLEKTJS {Mlli4^' [, i • TO THE EDITOR OP THE AURORA B0REALJ8. .^^c~-. SOCIAL AXU INTELI-ECIUAD ENJOVMKXTS OJt' GIUFFITII S ISLAND. Jail. 1st, IS.Vl. Sir, Th(! bell nas tolled the hour of twelve; eighteen liundred and fifty has breathed its last ; and with dnim and fife, we welcome in the infimt year. May iM r i j • I!. ; Ji 160 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. it treat us as kindly, and part with \is as friendly, as its predecessor has done. Time speeds rapidly on. The Arctic night is on the wane, and that il " Glorious orl), sire of the seasons, Monarcli of the clinics," hastens to gladden us with his revivifying rays. There are some, who, when speaking of tiiese re- gions, continually make use' of the epithets, " long, dark, monotonous winter," " dreary prospects," "sombre precipices," and "sunless skies." I say, away with such unintelligible nonsense — the mere phantom of a glnorny imagination. If we cannot here contem- plate nature arrayed in the gorgeous robes of sunny climes, let us not exaggerate her terrors. Others might have found it difficult to make life tolerable during an Arctic winter ; but the wild, rattling, careless, but generous and noble-hearted tars of the Expedition of 1850 have succeeded in rendering it delightfully agreeable. How can it be otherwise? 'Tis true, Jack is an odd tish, having an inordinate appetite for fun and frolic ; but surely we have got a bellyful of it at Griffith's Island ; to say nothing of bear-hunting, fox-trapping, Christmas festivities, New Year's-dav's festivities. Then we have theatrical en- tertainments of every descri|)tion — operatic, comic. J y^ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ini extra vagnnzic, and statiios(|\ic ; in short, from the aristocratic bal masque to the " penny gaff." Wc have also libraries, suited to all classes of readers, together with newspapers, ably conducted, and beau- tifully illustrated. It is even whispered that a growl- ing club is to be established, so that the old and garrulous may have an opportunity of indulging in their propensities. The schoolmaster has likewise found his way to Griffith's Island. Every evening, with the exception of those devoted to the saloon and the theatre, schools arc open for persons who wish to better their education, and improve their morals ; and it is not a little interesting to see the pupils of all ages, from the spirited youth of twenty to the hoary-headed veteran of threescore, busily engaged at their various tasks, from the making of pot-hooks and hangers to the higher branches of the mathematics. What would old Benbow and Boscawen think, were they to sec the tars of 1850 puzzling their brains over binomial theorems and conic sections '? I believe, only that there is rather a scarcity of professors at Griffith's Island, we should have Jack studying the Classics ; fjr the other evening, during school hours, I observed a rather steady-looking tar poring over a volume, when at the moment his messmate addressed him, rather unceremoniously, M \'% % V < \: '';r»s^ I 1G2 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. in the words, " Why, Old Jiill, you've got the l)ook upside down !" The old man, as the best means of atoning for his mistake, shut the book, and quietly lit his pipe. The volume in question turned out to be a Latin cojiy of " Ovid's Metamorphoses," Such is lifi? at GrifHth's Island. Surely time can- not lag, nor monotony exist, amidst such a com- bination of social intercourse and intellectual enjoy- ment. In confirmation of what I have said, I fear- lessly assert, that I heard last night one messmato whispering to another the words, " I say, Bill, I hope this winter will last for ever." Away, then, with that foolish, unmeaning, and often misapplied word, monotony ; it is of Greek origin ; it has no business in the society of English nouns: let us banish it from our vocabularies, and erase it from our journals, so that it may never again intru le, while we remain in command of these realms. I remain. Sir, Your obedient servant, X. Y. Z. I ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 63 TO THE EDITOR OE THE AUROllA ROREALTS. Sir, Permit nw, tli)-ough the medium of your Viilual)l(> columns, to answer n few chemical and mathe- matical queries, signed " Pythcas," which appeared in a late numher of your interesting journal. On reference, you will perceive that they stand simply thus : — Suppose hetwecn two bodies a certain sympathetic influence existing, which your querist terms the " sacred flami; of love." Now, will those bodies be affected by the action of, firstly, dimi- nished temperature ; secondly, absence of light ; tliirdly, space or distance ; fourthly, time ; fifthly, magnetic intensity ; and, sixthly, increased or dimi- nished s'ttpjily of oxygen ? Now, Mr. Editor, " Pytheas " seems placed in a most unenviable position. He is apparently " trying it on," or, in other v^'ords, under a very specnous and plausible disguise, soliciting information directly applicable to his own individual case. Discovering premature symptoms of the " heart's misgivings," he either doubts his own constancy, or the worthinc.'ss of the object upon which he once centred his aflec- tions. But to the queries. M 2 'J ■ I U: \ i \P. tmii i 164 ARCTIC MTSCET.LANIES. Firstly. To use his own words, " if Love hr a fliimc," lie certainly ought to be aware; that a re- duced temperature causes slower combustion ; and consequently, for a given amount, his " sacred flame;" will burn the longer; but not flickering, as he in- sinuates. Secondly. Assimilating the animal with the vegetable world, as aff^ected by light, the certainty is, that, during the sun's presence, poor " Pythcas" would always remain p(;rfcctly c/reen ; but I assiu'c him he need not feel alarmed at the absence of that luminary, for as he reappears, evident traces of returning verdure will again be manifested. Thirdly. Love, according to his own statement, being a " flame," producers light ; and the cffl'ct of that agent being inversely as the square of its dis- tance, I leave it to your querist's school reminiscences of " Walkinghame " to answer his own questions numerically. Fourthly. I will reply to him, in the language^ of Moore : "The lioiii't that lias loved truly, never forgets, But as truly Incs on to the close ; As the suiilh)\\or turns to its God wiien it sets The same l(M)k it turned when he rose." Fifthly. The magnetism he alludes to must siu'ely l)e animal, not terrestrial. Now, local attraction of MJ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 165 that kind is often u (listurl)infi; ciiusc ; but I should like to know it' he hiis yet found any out here ? Let him cahnly rest assured, that when his vessel's liead once gets turned the magnetic way, he will again discover positive proofs of its hitherto latent existence. Sixthly. After repeated and careful analysis of the atmosphere in the neighljoiu'liood, I have been unable to detect the slightest increase or diminution in the relative proportions of its constituent elements. Of oxygen, it is still the old thing about 210 parts in every 1 ,000 ; his last query, therefore, amounts to nothing. Still, however, there; is a possibility of the united action of all th(! " disturbing forces upon tlie exciting cause," (very flowery, but decidc'dly vague and indefinite, unless he means his own fickle mind), tending to reduce him to that miserabk? state of neutrality midway between love and perfect indif- ference, just exactly as a chemist applies an acid to an alkali, the resulting compound possessing no characteristics of its primitive elements. Yet what have " foreign vessels of war " and " resuscitated beaux " to do with chemistry and mathematics ? Irrelevant in the extreme, and I confess my utter Ignorance. I have one more subject yet to allude to. and that is, his vile suggestion of an instrument wliich he ' • I % 11 •'-V ■ ;, \C)G ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ' (losij^natt'S ii " Sigh-o-mcter ;" littTiiUy equivalent to turning a man inside out, to nsccji'tain iiis thoughts. Do his sighs come " so few and far between," that he wants them registered ? No, Mr, Editor. If tlie public press of this country has any influence at all, it cannot too strongly exert that influence against so infamous a |)roposal. Poor Pytheas ! If hv. does not shako off this lethargic state into which he is too surely falling, he's a " gone coon." I am truly soiTy for him, and shall deem it a duty, at my ciirlicst leisure, to offer him a little tender advice, probably conducive to his future happiness. Yours, &c. VKRITAS. P.S. For his want of discernment in introducing iKje, I leave him in the hands of your merciless readers. " ^.^-<^t^ "^ ( (^Ai . S '^^McJ AUCTIC MISCELLANIES. Hi7 BAFFIN'S BAY. Although two hundred iind thirtv-fivo vciirs have cLipsed since the discovery of this great hay hy our renowned countryman, whose name it perpetuates, yet the puhlic store of geographical knowledge re- specting its northern and most interesting part has not since heen increased. An attempt was made in 1818, hut, owing to the state of the ice and othtT adverse circumstances, its deep inlets could not he examined, and the coast line only sufficiently approached to verify, in a general manner, the accuracy of their discoverer. We can- not, therefore, do hetter than quote some portions of Bartin's letter, which contains a condensed account of this, his fifth voyage, to that liberal patron of Arctic discovery, Sir John Wostenholme. Commencing, as he tells us, " without preamble, compliment, or circumstance," he thus proceeds : " and therefore 1 will only tell you, I am proud of any remembrance which exposes your worth to my conceit ; and glad of any good fortune, when f can avoid tlie imputation of ingratitude, l)y acknowledging }our many favours, &c. And to s|)eak of no other matter than of the hopeful passitge to the north-west ; IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) A 1.0 I! 1^ ■iilM |2.J ■ 50 ^^~ ■■■ Hi m |2.2 I 2.0 U 111.6 V] ^ >^ '^> V '/ -<^ Photographic Sdences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) S73-4S03 -4 i\ <^ fv - if 6^ <^ ■<> '% Vj 168 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. !• lii liow many of the best sort of men have set their whole endeavours to prove a passage that wayes ; and not only in conference, but also in writing and publishing to the world ; yea, what great summes of money hath been spent about that action, as your Worship hath costly experience off; neither would the vaine-glorious Spaniard have scattered abroad so many folse maps and journals, if they had not been confident of a passage this way ; that if it had pleased God a passage had been found, they might have eclipsed the worthy praise of the adventurers and tme discoverers. Neither was Master Davis to be blamed in his report and great hopes, if he had anchored about Hope Sanderson, to have taken notice of the tydes ; for to that place, which is in 7*2° 12', the sea is open, of an unsearchable depth, and of a good colour ; only the tydes keepe no certaine course, nor rise but a small height, as eight or nine foote ; and the flood commeth from the southward ; and in all the bay, beyond that place, the tyde is so small, and not much to be regarded ; yet, by reason of snow melting on the land, the ebbe is stronger than the flood ; by means whereof, and the windes holding northerly the fore part of the yeere, the great isles of ice are set to the south- ward .... and until thi.s yeere, not well knowne where thev were bred." ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 169 The accuracy of those observations on the sea, the ice, the wind, and tides, is truly astonishing ! BafHn was not a man of theories, but one possessed of a comprehensive mind — who knew how to ob- serve, and who faithfully described the novel scenes he witnessed. He describes the advantages to be derived from his discovery ; these advantages were not followed up until 1818, when the correctness of his conclusions was clearly shown, and that he was at least two centuries in advance of his time fully proved. " And, first, for killing of whales. Ccrtaine it is, that in this bay are great numbers of them, which the Biscainers call the Grand Baye whales, of the same kind which arc killed at Greenland, and as it seemeth to me, easie to be strooke, because they are not used to bee chased or beaten ; for we, being but one day in Whal(!'s Sound, so called from the number of whak's that we saw there, sleeping and lyinp; aloft (in the water, not fearing our ship or ought else, that, if we had beene fitted with men and things necessarie, it liad beene no hard matter to have strooke more than would have made these shippes a saving voyage Neither are they only to be looked for in Whale Sound, but also in Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, Wostenholme Sound, and divers other places. ! ■ I!. I '■ i i 170 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. " For the killing of sca-morsc, I can give no cer- taiiitie but only this, that our boat being but once ashoare in all the north part of this bay, which was in the entrance of Alderman Jones' Sound, at the returne our men told us they saw many morses along by the shore, on the ice ; but our shippe being under saile, and the wind comming faire, they presently came on board without further search ; besides the people inhabiting about 74 degrees, told us, by di\'ers signs, that towards the north, were many of those beasts, having two long teeth, and shewed us divers pieces of the same, &c But here some may object, and aske, * why we sought that coast no better?' To this I answer that while we were thereabout, the weather was so exceeding foule we could not; for first, we anchored in Wostenholmc; Sound, where presently our ship drove with two anchors a-head ; then were we forced to stand forth with a low saile. '* The next dav in Whale Sound we lost an anchor and cable, and could fetch the place no more; then we came to an anchor near a small island, lying between Sir Thomas Smith's Sound and Whale Sound ; but the winde came more outward, that we were forced to weigh again, &c. " But the ehiefe cause we spent so little time to seeke a harbour, w as our great desire to perfornie tlu! ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 171 (liscovcrie, having the sea open in all that part, and still likelihood of a passage, but when we had coasted the land so farre to the southward, that hope of passage was none, then the yeere was too farre spent and many of our men very weake, and withall wc, having some belicfo that shippes the next yeerc would be sent for the killing of whales, which might better doe it than we Yet I am persuaded those Sounds, before named, will all be cleared before the twentieth of July ; for we this yeerc were in Whale Sound the fourth day among many whales, and might have strooke them without let of ice . . . . . . and above all, the variation of the compasses, whose wonderfuU operation is such in this bay. increasing and decreasing so suddenly and swift ; being in some part as in Wostenholme Sound and in Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, varied about five points, or 56 degrees ; a thing almost incredible, and matchlesse in in all the world beside ! So that without great care, and good observation, a true description could not have beene had." Much loose ice prevented a near approach to Lan- caster Sound ; he further states : " From this Sound to the southward we had a ledge of ice between the shoare and us, but clear to the seaward ; .ve kept close by tliis ledge of ice till the 1 4th day in the afternoon, by vvliieh time we were I \ 172 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. i ; t in the latitude of 71^ 16', and plainly porceivod the land to the southward of 70^^ 30' ; then we liaving so much sea round about, were forced to stand more eastward." Although some considerable knowledge of Baffin's Bay exists among whaling seamen, but few additions have been made to the public stock of geographical information ; their life is one of constant anxiety, astronomical observations are unnecesf^ray where known headlands are almost constantly in sight, hence positions upon the chart are but rarely assigned to the places of interest they occasionally frequent. The most important of their recent discoveries that we know of is the exploration of an inlet by the 'Prince of Wales,' Lee, master, in 1848; feeling confident that they were off the entrance of Lancaster Sound, although the weather was very thick they sailed as they supposed sufficiently far up it to be off the entrance of Prince Regent's inlet, and there hove to ; during this time the wind blew strongly from the southward, with thick hazy weather ; at intervals the tops of the cliffs along the north shore were visible above the driving mist. When the return of clear weather enabled them to distinguish distant objects, they found themselves in a much narrower inlet than Barrow Strait, its width at this part being from twelve to twenty miles ; a i ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 173 fiord or inlet was seen to the southward corre- sponding in direction to Prince Regent's inlet, but having an island in it ; there was much loose ice about, but no land visible to the westward. Many large icebergs were seen, and tlu; southern inlet seemed choked with them ; a boat landed near its eastern entrance where a small cairn of stones, pro- bably an Esquimaux mark, was seen. The northern shore was very lofty, the southern land was lower, and rose gradually from the sea. MuUemukkes (Fulmar Petrel) were bre(;ding in im- mense numbers upon the cliffs ; a dead narwhal was picked up, having an Esquimaux harpoon deeply buried in its side. A rock showing a wash like the back of a dead whale, 'vas seen near the middle of the inlet, and about twenty miles up it. As the ' Prince of Wales' returned into Baffin's Buy (which she did with all speed), the entrance of this inlet was observed to be only six or eight miles in width, the northern cape was bold and lofty, and the southern land terminated in a low point. From subsequent observations. Captain Lee places this inlet between Cape Horsburg hand Cape L(M)pold ; possibly it may be Jones' Sound, although from its narrow entrance this does not seem likely. As it is (somewhat gratuitously) supposed tliat no human beings exist bt!twccn Wiiale Sound and '9 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Pond's Buy, at both which places thoy arc tolerably numerous, wc can only account for the dead narwhal's being found by the ' Prince of Wales,' with harpoon and inflated seal-skin bag still attached, by supposing that when wounded it retreated or was drifted thither by winds and currents. Wc are quite ignorant of the movements of the latter, but that floating bodies arc occasionally carried northward, the instance of the ' North Star' proves. Also, when oflf Jones' Sound, in 1818, Sir John Ross picked up a ' piece of fir wood having nails in it, and the marks of the plam^ and adze were also evident.' Baffin's voyage was performed in the ' Discovery,' a vessel of, I believe, 55 tons, and a crew of 17 men ; he reached the north water on 1 st July, in which he esteemed himself fortunate, for in speaking of the difficulties to be contended with, he states : " The chiefcst and greatest cause is, that same ycere it may happen, by reason of the ice lying between 72|^ degrees, and 76 degrees no minutes, that the ships cannot come into those places till towards the middest of July." It is probable that more favourable seasons than that of 1615 occasionallv occur, as our whalers sometimes reach Lancaster Sound by the middle of June. He makes no mention of seeing natives, further north than 74^^ ; but as the Arctic High- .^.LUk^ ARCTIC MI.,..£LI.ANIES. 175 landers have no kayaks, he did not land. At present none exist between 73" and 76°. The fate of this great man, than whom our country cannot boast a more skilful navigator, or dauntless seaman, is (juaintly ri'lated by Purchas : " Master Baffin told me that he would, if he might get employment, search the passage from Japan, by the coast of Asia ; but in the Indies he dyed, in the late Ormus businesse, slain in fight with a shot, as lie was trying his mathematieall projects and conclu- sions. r;lL , 'Zuc C^^-^u^^'^c\^ "!' VENETIAN ARCTIC DISCOVERY. While the great nations of Europe — engaged either in those cmsades which effectually stemmed the advance of a false religion, or amid the disputes between their kings, nobles, and burghers — were preparing the way for a new and more glorious civilization ; the mercantile republic of Italy continiusd to supply the rest of Christendom with the silks and spices of the Indies, and the furs of the remote north. \ s -, J i i 176 ARCTIC MISCiZLI.ANIRS. Among these, none were richer, none more pros- perous, than the Queen of tlu; Adriiitic. Ruled l)y a close aristocracy, and peopled hy an enterprising race, the E^epuhlic of Venice for a time continued to bo all-powerful in the Mediterranean. Trading, through Egypt, with the remote countries of the East, transporting the valiant champions of the Cross to the Holy Land, and proudly mediating between an Emperor of Germany and a Roman Pontiff, she rapidly acquired possession of the Isles of the Archi- pelago, Cyprus, Candia, and the Morea; and at length her victorious Doge planted the Lion of St. Mark on the walls of Constantinople, while her citizens penetrated to the remotest corners of the earth, received honourable employment from the Emperor of China, and conducted the fleets of tht; North to the shores of an unknown continent. Among the noble families of this proud republic, few were more famous for valour and wisdom than that of the Zenos. In 1252, Rainiero Zeno became Doge of Venice, and conducted the first war with the Genoese; in 1377 the brave C.irlo Zeno seized upon Tenedos, and in 1830, when Venice was in danger of destruction from the attacks of the Genoese, he drove Doria into the Chiozza, and though receiving a wound in the throat, and falling down the hatchway into the main hold, he defeated the Genoese at Brondolo, and V i W-L ARCTK: MISfKM.ANlF.S. 177 forced tlicm to ciipituliitc ; jind his l)rotli(Ms added an impnrtar/ iiiiji-e to the annals of Arctic discovery. Sailing through the Straits of Gil)raltar, Nicole Zeni arrived at the Feroe Isles in 1380, and was made commander of the lleet hy Zichmi, their Earl. In this ca))acity he visited Greenland and Iceland, described the active volcano and boiling springs of the latter ; and on his death his brother Antonio succeeded him in his lionours, and being sent on a voyage of discovery to the westward he discovered Newfoundland and the coast of America ; found the remains of the Norman colonies, and received in- formation concerning the great empire of the Aztecs. Such were the important discoveries of these Venetian adventurers. John Cabota, too, a citizen of Venice, led a crew of Englishmen to the re-discovery of Nevvfoimdland, and the coasts of North America, from Florida to Labrador ; while his son Sebastian received a pension from Edward VI., and being placed at the head of the merchant adventurers, he extended British com- merce, kept alive the spirit cf enterprise, and j)ro- moted the expeditions of Willoughby, Chancelor, and Frobisher. But the glory of Venice passed away when Vasco de Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope. The nations of Europe which formerly confined their N , CI ; i { 1 178 AIUTIC MlsfF.l.r.AMES. i! ' ; I (•ntt^r|)ris)' to the (lestruction of infiihls, or to intestine; wars, now found a wider and more j)r()fitabl(' field in inaritinK! discovery, and tlic advaneenDcnt of their comnnerce ; and while they no longer required the aid of the Italian republics, for the acquisition of the luxuries of the East, tlie evil effects of a close aristo- cracy, the loss of her lucrative Indian trade, and the employment of foreign mercenaries, quickly reduced the once powerful Venice to poverty and insignifi- cance. One hy one her possessions in the Levant were torn from her grasp by the arms of the Turks ; and that Rej)ublic whose flijets were once the terror of her enemies, and whose merchants were among the princes of the eurth, added one more name to the long list of those states, who, trusting to commerce for their stability and power, "relying on that daughter of Ibrtune — inconstant and deceitful as her mother — who chooses her residence where she is least expected, and shifts it when her continuance is in appearance most firmly seated," have, like Phoenicia, Carthage, Amalfi, Pisa, and Genoa, before her, been conquered by those nations who live by the product of their own land, improved by their own labour. Sunk in the lap of luxury and effeminacy, the former mistress of the Mediterranean heard with terror the imperious mandate of Napoleon ; Manini, h(!r last Doge, vacated his throne, her golden l)ook ■^.tiiUfc ARCTK MISC'KI.I.ANIES. 179 was publicly Inirnt, and thclinrst'S of Praxiteles, timse \)ro\u\ trophies of the venerable Dandolo, were sent to g^ace tiic capital of tbe (lespoilcr ; and on the iSth of January, 171)8, (lie dnuble-licaded ea^le of Austria proclaimed to the world that the Ucpublic of Venice had ceased to exist. I'Af Ib'ICIS. TIIK HISTOHV OK nini'FTTIl'S AND COIINWALI.IS' ISLANDS. NO. IT. The teemin^i; myriads of animals and rank vege- tation of those times, when Cornwallis and Griffith's Islands assumed the appearance; of tropical countries, were succeeded, in course of time, by those won- drous, and, to us, distorted beings — those hup;c Batrachians, distorted Ichthyosauri, and tiding Saii- rians, which peopled the world during the new red sandstone era. The rocks which compose this system, and which are usually deposited upon and around the broken tracts of the carboniferous strata, have been found in some parts of North Somerset, where gypsum and red sandstone exist in considerable (|uantities ; but N 2 li ! i'r the land during the winter months, and whieh would never have accumulated had the climate been milder, now forms deep channels throughout all parts of both islands, the beds of which are dry during the greater ])ortion of the year ; thus leaving magnificent ravines, bounded by perpendicular cliffs ; and sometimes, where parts of the rock have resisted the force of the torrent, lofty pillars and bridges of limestone, which add to the sublimity of the view. The pressure of the surrounding ice on their shores have very little altered the shape of the land. On the eastern part of Cornwallis Island, the pebbles of the beach have indeed been forced up into great heaps, extending for a considerable distance from the base of the rocks ; and pieces of quartz and gneiss have been transported by the ice from some other distant land, and lodged on these shores ; while at the south side of Griftitli's Island some large boulders of granite, full of garnets, have been thrown upon the beach. These two agencies — the melting of the snow, and the action of the ice — are at tlu' present moment of constant recurrence, and will probably, in course of time, alter still more the physical formation of the land ; and the former will ren.ler the dithculty of travelling in the interior still greater, l)ut subter- Ji j^ IJ |i ( ■v^.Li* 182 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ranean force, which evidently at one time was so powerful in its action as to alter the shape and character of the country to a great extent, has long since ceased to act ; so that nothing remains but to describe those parts of the islands of Griffith and Cornwallis that are now known as they exist at present. TU HE CONTIXUKD. ^€,^MU.^* ' , lioi'eiis. ' J I F.iuhciizu uivalib. imio. I ("Between hit. 7t5 and] < ~('>i, on the Green- \ | L land Coast. J j "■ Wellington Channel. (■Melville Bavand Wel-i I lington Cliaiinel. J A few as specimens. Whale Islands. r Along the coast ofl L Greeidand. J Seen along the Grecn- ind coast and in Laii- ister Sound. Common everywhere. ' They were found only . upon one range of elill's. Not seen north of 72". Extremely numerous about Cape'Vork. Seen throughout. Two young birds obtained in September, / Four young birds were \ shot in September. ] Seen tla'oughout. I [■ Very numerous, and I < almost constantly in 1 L sight. f Occasionally seen j Uhroughout. f Most numermis lo tlie I \ southward of 72". Oidy a few were seen. Seen w herever we landed . V^L.. luc CL^-QU^ AH(JT1C MISCELLANIES. 187 TO THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA ROREALIS. Sir, My well-meant remarks on Clio's production, which appeared in your last number, do not appear to have been received in the same gO( J part as they were offered ; but even this shall not deter me from again requesting you to admit a short review of the Mountain of Meru into your valuable and well-filled columns. This article appears to have been written for the purpose of relieving the author's brain of an extra- ordinary idea which found an analogy between the migratioii of certain supposed tribes from the plains of Bengal, and the present purposes of our Expe- dition. This perhaps on the whole is a harmless and laughable conceit, but in its details we are grieved to remark several gross and unpardonable inaccu- racies. The first worthv of notice is, that the Hindoo religion is the oldest recorded in profane history ; of course Cli(j entirely fi)rgets, for his own purposes, the religions wt' Chiddieu and ancient Egypt: I ^•f 11 Ml 188 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 1 i '' i 1, 1 secondly, his dcriviition of the Teutonic nations from India (which, by the bye, is copied from Schlegel), is far fetched in the extreme, and, as he confesses, is only supported by a supposed resemblance of the German and Hindoo languages : thirdly, he states, without a single proof, or even probable reason, that the migrations into Scandinavia were solely for the purpose of discovering a golden mountain. Several other mistakes might be mentioned in his remarks on the Grecian mythology, but this will suffice to expose the habitual slovenliness and inac- curacy of the author, who only aiming at convincing his readers of the probability of this principal theory, neglects all correctness in his minor details. Hoping that these few v.ell-intcnded remarks will prove not quite so unpalatable as my last, I remain, Sir, Your obedient servant, EXAMINER. I I U: \ RCTK MISC'ELLAN I KS, WHALING. The many exciting and intiTcsting scones which vvc witnessed among the large fleet ot whalers in crossing Baffin's Bay will doubtless be for ever re- membered by us all. Their knowledge in assisting us with their valuable advice, as well as the seaman- like manner they managed their ships, frequently imder most trying circumstances, reflects the greatest credit upon these hardy seamen ; and although, w'e fear, their effbrts during that season were not crowned with success, we shall always hear with pleasure of any improvements, which may insure to them a more prosperous and certain issue to their labours, known only to those who have watched their slow and toilsome progress amidst dangers which human powers have as yet failed to avert. We regret no opportunity ever occurred, while in th(;ir company, by w'hich we might have witnessed the use of many instruments, which seem but frail weapons to attack an animal of such tremendous size, and strength as thc^ whale. We who have iilready witnessed the bustle caused by the welcomi; cry of " There she spouts," can un- 190 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. dcrstand th(i breathless anxiety with vvliich the hardy whalers approach their prey ; the rapidity witli whicii their lines whirl round their bollard-heads, and the springing of the oar, as each man strains every muscle to regain a position for lancing and renewing their attack. The danger connected with the whoL; process is immediately (ivident, and naturally tends to a train of thought as to how they eflFected the same purpose before experience, and the various im- provements in manufacture, put into their hands the means of lessening the danger, and of securing their prey with more certainty. It has been our good fortune to visit the N.W. coast of Am(U'ica, where the sea ahounds with fish of many species. We here saw whaling in its infancy, hut carried out with considerable success by the Flattery and Makaw Indians, two savage tribes who inhabit the shores at the entrance of the straits of Juan de Fuca. These men were unprovided with iron, rope, or any European material for fishing, but the natural resources of their country have supplied their places. The all-seeing Providence has gifted them with ex- traordinary ingenuity, displayed wonderfully in making articles to serve in the room of those used in our fisheries. From forests of lofty pine they build canoes, ARCTIC MISCF.LF.ANIFS. 19 lulaptod to tlic hca\'y seas they frequently have to (encounter ; they made; their lines of the sinews of wild animals, partieularly tlie deer, and their harpoon is fashioned out of the mussel-shell which abound on the shores of their native land. The hncs nv'd (about four fathoms lon{^, and two inches and a half in circumference) are laid up left-handed in three strands, and sewed over with twine made from the fibres of the cedar-tree : to this line their shi'l) har- poon, with its barb of deer-horn, is attached by means of gum and resin ; the edge of the former is sera])t'd perfectly sharp, the latter smooth, and ex- tendinu; about three inches on each side of the shell. At the other end of the rope is a seal-skin, blown out, and made perfectly water-tight. Upon whales being seen in the offing, the Indian encampment immediately becomes all bustle, noise, and confusion, presenting a picturesque scene. Th(; savage features, dark skins, and loose hair of the Indians reaching to their waist, together with the peculiar gloom of the surrounding forest excite in the breasts of civilized people a degree of interest which can scarcely be described. Some are seen launching canoes, others l)ringing down their paddles and appa- ratus, while the women are collecting ^jrovisions and water. As they are ready the canoes assemble, and lav off until their whole force is mustered, when \ I 192 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 1,1 their chiefs give peremptory orders respecting tlie chaso, and at a given signal, with a savages yell off they all go, each striving to be first in reaching the object of pursuit. Upon nearing the fish, as many as arc in • Jvancc prepare their haqioons, which art; tiirown l)y means of a h(>avy \n)\c pointed I)etwcen the fangs of the barb, and so loosely as to come out upon the whole sounding. As the fish again rises, the seal-skin denotes its direction, whi-n a fresh volley of harpoons and lances is prepared, and the operation repeated until the fish becomes exhausted. The latter instruments arc the same as the har- poons, but without lines or bladders. Not having the means of trying down their blubber they expose it to the sun upon the rocks, and the oil is allowed to drain Into vessels for the purpose. During our stay, we procured great quantities for a trifiing amount of barter, but their principal object is to supply the Hudson's Bay factory at Victoria. G. c. ^pi^AJLcM- AVC^/ s ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 193 TO MY LOYiVL SUBJECT TIIK EDITOR OF THE AUKOIl.V BOREAUS. Sir, I am a Queen : my dominions extend from pole to pole ; and like the torrid zone, encircle the world. My subjects an; to be found in all climes, in all regions. I pervade all things that have life. Man, under every circumstance, may be na- turalized as my subject. I except no race — the Caucasian, the Ethiopian, the Mongolian and the American are my children. The vegetable kingdom acknowledges my dominion ; trees have bowed to my power, and in my absence have shrunk, as the sensitive plant, within themselves. From time immemorial I have looked upon my beautiful England as the fairest portion of my dominions, and around her I liavc strived to cast my most genial and richest influence. She is the brightest gem in the coronet that encircles my brow, and my heart throbs with the hcavings of a mother's love as I feel how well and truly che- o H -. 194 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. rishcfl I am in that briirlit land It has been erroneously stated, that I cannot ivign without the clu'erinp: influence of tlie sun's golden presence. That luminary is but a scmrcc of mvself. A faithful and trustworthy servant, he has been deputed as my ambassador on a mission to the Antipodes, with vice-regal powers. In his absence I govei'n triumphant, beloved and adoi'cd by all the good and the virtuous of the world. Proud do I feel of the late accession made to my sceptre in that land bounded by Cornwallis and Griffith's Islands. Here, indeed, are fiiithfnl sub- jects ; my laws by them are readily obeyed and my decrees cheerfully enacted. My children, Content- ment, Occupation and Union, arc fondled ; and my enemies. Idleness, Discontent and Envy, are exiled from these realms. Let these, my faithful subjects, go on as they have commenced, and I must ever remain with them ; let them, however, not mistake me for Pleasure, she is a fick'le goddess, and places those within my dominions who coquette with her cup in merely skimming its surface, but grants no passport of admission to him who, seizi';g it greedily, drinks it to the dregs. I have resolved upon continuing here as long as your Expedition dwells in these regions. I shall return with you to the happiest part of my do- i S-J fl ■kW,L. ARCTTC MTSCRTXANIRS. 195 ininions, nnd then confiding my trust, to others, T shall place upon your laurelled brow the crown which bedecks the glorious front of Your Imperial Mistress, and cheerful Sovereign, llAPrlNESS. JO. METEOROLOGY. NO. II. During December we experienced some 1)oistcr- ous weather at the commencement, middle and end of the month, accompanied at times by thick gloomy weather, which interrupted the communication be- tween the shi]«. With only one exception we have enjoyed exercise under the lee of tlic ship; the greater portion of the days however were clear, and the heavenly bodies shone brightly. The most dreary and the darkest period having past, it must be generally admitted that the sensation at the de- privation of daylight has not produced th(,' gloom anticipated. The daih" decrease of light gradually habituates the mind to tlie unnatural clrange ; but even when the sun reached the winter solstitial o 2 W 196 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. colura the south horizon was illuminated by re- fraction of the sun's rays, and the colouring thus afforded a relief to the eye amidst the icy wilder- ness. At this period also a full moon opportunely favoured us with her light for several days. Christmas-day was a specirien of a clear Arctic win^^^er day in its brightest colours, the peculiar brilliancy of the southern horizon contrasted with that of the heavenly bodies, shining from their deep azure vault, excited general admiration, and en- hanced the sacred associations of the festive season : " the heavens declared the glory of God, and the firmament showed His handy work." The prevailing wind has been N.W., and blew from that quarter for twenty-two days of the month ; it blew a fresh gale on the 2nd and 3rd, also on the 13th and 1 4th; the heaviest gale yet experienced in these quarters, and of the longest continuance, set in on the evening of the 30th, and blew with great force constantly until the morning of January 1st, 1851 ; these gales caused a vast accumulation of snow drift along the northern sides of the ships. December set in with a rapid fill of temperature to — 31°; the preceding midnight the thermometer havinjx stood at zero. The severest dayvvas the last of the year, when the thermometer showed — 40^°, at a distance from the ship. On this occasion mercury ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 197 congealed. The following table shows the respective temperatures for Decennber, in six different years: I'ositioii. Ycuv. Melville Iskiud AVintcr Iskuid Igloolik . . . Port l?o\vcn . Port Leopold . OH' Grillitli's Island* ISIO 1S21 1S22 1821 1818 1850 Mean Tciu- Miiximuin. Minimum. liuruUire. —21-70 + G" — i:i —12-0 1 + 12" —20 -27-80 —10" — \'\ — 1U05 — 1-5 — ;?5 —^2-5 —12-3 —17-5 —22-2 — -1 -30-5 Cloudy weather is generally attended by a rise of the thermometer, a fact observed by other Arctic navigators, but no conclusion has been arrived at respecting the cause. The mean height of the barometer with its extreme range is here given for the last four months, together with the same for similar periods at Melville Island : OFF GKIFFITlt's ISLAND, 1850. MEt.VII.I.K's ISLAND, H19. Montli. Mean.l M:u-. Min. Month. Meiin.j Max. Min. Sqitemlicr . . ■ Octolier . . . • Noveiubei' . • • Deeemlier . . . • ■ 9-b5 29-9:! 29-91 29-St ;50-('i uiassc.^ sptjut from 218 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. !i' I ■! • underneath the niaiii floes making a wonderful clear- ance, grapnels over tlie how, hook on the pieces, take a turn inhoard — tiu'n astern — stop her — un- hook th(; grapnels ; this manceuvrc was repeated over and over again with similar success, until the nohle craft seemed no longer a piece of mechanism, but a thing of life ; some ferocious beast bounding on, and crushing the barric^r that opposed it. To the spectator the scene was novel and inte- resting, the "gallows" men-o'-war's men hurrah'd and laughed at the sport, while " hoary-headed expe- rience" — those veterans who had grown grey in Arctic service, stood gaping with astonishment at the " ice-destroyer," smashing a floe six feet thick as if it had been a sheet of glass. She now makes a desperate and final eff^ort, the harrier is broken, she is through — she is free, and the silent shores of Melville Bay echo the astounding cheers of a hundred seamen, as she dashes with lightning speed towards her consort the ' Old Assist- ance ' 'tis true, the ' Intrepid' was adrift three days from the squadron, but during that period she performed feats unparalleled in the annals of Arctic navigation. No human perseverance, no degree of physical energy, no known mechanical power save the " strong arm of steam," could have enabled us to regain our position ; and the day is not ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 219 fiir distant, when thiit mighty power (I speak of steam), whieh is gradually revoliitioni/iiig the eivi- liz(Hl world, will estahlish a new era in the history of the Arctie regions. I remember the tirst steamer that ever floated on British waters, I saw her make her maiden effort in 1812 on the glassy waters of the Clyde; and I have lived long enough to see a steam-ship of war navigate the Polar Seas. How gratifying must it be to the shades of Fulton and Henry Bell, should they be permitted from their emjiyreal abodes to survey the irmumer- able offspring of their genius, bearing the flag of every nation, erowding every harbour, and traversing the sea from the Indus to the Poles * I remain. Sir, * I might have bccu eleven or tlurtccu, as I quote from memory, and was then very young; although T still recollect the dress, figur(^ and features of the person i)ointed out 1o me as lleiu-y Bell, as he. stood alone and apart from tlu- assembled hundreds that crowded Greenock quays, awaiting the arrival of the little 'Ctmiet' from her first trip to Glasgow. As she approached the quay, the old tt)\vn of Greeuoek rung with the cheers of the crowd, with the e\(T|)tioii of the wateniuMi ami others who get their living on the water, wlio assailed IVll witli hisses and e;roans. A.M..ViA.A-^«-^ 2 -20 AllCTIC MISChl.LAMES. IIISTOUY or COENAVALLIS AND GHiri'lTll ISLANDS. NO. III. Sitiiat(!(l between the seventy-fourth and seventy- sixth parallels of latitude, and bounded by Welling- ton Channel on the ea.st, and the Polar Sv.n on the south, Cornwallis Island is ])erhaps one of the most dreary and desolate spots that can well be conceived. Its seventy or eighty miles of known coast line present an unbroken ridge of monotonous limestone hills, where the action of a vigorous frost has rent large masses of the rock to pieces, and rolled them in extensive landslips on the beach. This is more especially the case on the eastern coast to the north- ward of Barlow Harbour, whieh has been explored for the distance of about ten miles ; and beyond, as far as the eye can reach, the forbidding hills were seen to tread away to the northward far — far perhaps into the great Polar Basin towards regions never seen by mortal man, and forming the west(;rn shore of Wellington Chaimel. On this coast, two streams — one of them a I i H <' ARCTIC MISCi:i.I,ANIKS. 221 Iniiidrcfl feet ncross at its mniitli, and tlic otlicr forining a splendid cascade, which, falliiip; over a cliff three hundred feet hi^j^h, presents a picturesque and heautiful appearance — are the only things which i)rcak the dreary sameness of the coast. Barlow Ilarhour, which, with a narrow entrance for a distance of about half a mile, opens out into a large basin, is bounded by the same limestone hills rising abruptly from a broad shingly plain ; and on their summits an extensive tabl(? land stretches far around \\ith an apparently luibroken level, but which is probably intersected by those j)i' .ipitous ravines which are not detected until the observer is on the brink. The sides of one of these indeed, which runs up from the south corner of Barlow Harbour, are almost perpendicular, and so steep that the crossing over it would be; attended with much danger. Cape Hotham, at a distance of about six miles from Barlow Harbour, and forming the south- eastern extreme of the island, is a bold and lofty rock running uj) into a peak with an appearance which resenil)lcs the well-known Corcovado at Rio dc Janeiro. Beyond it the two remarkable table lands described by Parry as " somewhat resembling boats turned bottom upwards," are the most prominent objects in the whole line of coast, and when much refracted assume tin; shapes of haystacks, boats, and 222 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. buttresses. The soundings close to the shore between this point and Barlow Harbour vary between four and sixteen fathoms. The coast westward of Cape Hotham runs for a distance of nine or ten miles without presenting any- thing!" very i-emarkahlc in feature, save some rugged though picturesque ravines, which are, however, to be found in most parts of the island. At this distance a deep bay, with a broad entrance, and soundings of from ten to three fathoms in every part of it, would form a commodious harbour of refuge ; from the breadth of its entrance it is proljablc; that the ice clears out of it at a very early season of the year ; and Assistance Bay will be found to ])ossess more advantages as a winter harbour than any other known in Parry archipelago. Frequented by hares, foxes, and ptarmigan in the autumn, and by probably all the animals that were found at Melville Island in the spring, and supplied with fiesh water b\' several streams, and a chain of lakes which run up the counti'y in a north-svesterly direction, ;s far as has yet been explored ; this bay certainly possesses more attractions than any other object on the coast of this desolate island. Proceeding along the coast for a distance of thirteen miles we next arrive at a d(!ep inlet which has received the name of Resolute Bay, and the hills at this place ARCTIC MISCKLLANIES. 223 recede for a considerable distance from the beach, which has more gradual ascent than in any other part of the island cast of Bruce Bay. Near the bay arc two small lagoons. Cape Martyr — a bold headland — rises from this low beach, and the view from its summit extends on a clear day over a large tract of country, which, with occasional irregularities, on the whole decreases gradually in height until at a distance of thirty miles to the north-wcF*. where it approaches very close to Bathurst Island, the coast becomes very low. Cape Martyr forms to a south-east jioint of a small bay, and beyond it are two or three small islets. Such is the coast of Cornw^allis Island as far as has yet been ascertained. The interior has never been explored, and except over the low land beyond Cape Martyr, and along the chain of lakes at the head of Assistance Bav, it is to be feared that from the frequi'ncy and perpendicularity of the ravines, the ditRculties of an inland iourncv wniuld be very grejit. Griffith Islund, at a distance of about ten miles south of Cape Martyr, and with its south-east extreme bearing west-south-west from Cajie Hotham, is about fourteen miles long and seyen broad, and with bold limestone cliffs rising to a height of about li\ c 224 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. f i i ii { ji!'r hundreu feet, is but a miniature of its more extensive prototype. Its ravines, though on a small(;r scale, are of the same character, as are also its table lands, and shingly beach ; and while it possesses no bay or inlet, yet a deep indentation of the coast at its north-west ex- tremity, whi^re the ice has forced up the shingle into broad terraces, though probably from its position never entirely clear of ice, yet forms a very remai'kable feature of the island. Parry — for what reason it does not appear — thought that the south-east part of this island was com- posed of sandstone, and remarks that the dip of th(! strata was at a considerable angle to the south-east. In the ravines, however, on the north side of the island they point in a different direction, and though of a sufficiently gloomy and forbidding iippearance, yet possess many of those beauties which would make fitting scenes for some of the creations of a Salvator Rosa or a Caspar Poussin. TO HE (C)NTlXn;i>. C^ AAXa^^AA^d \A*^ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 225 WOLSTENHOLME SOUND. WoLSTENHOLME Sound, discovered by Baffin in 1615, was not again visited until 1818, when Captain Sir John Ross, breaking throngh the darkness that enveloped the geography of the Frozen Ocean, con- firmed the discoveries, and brought to light the accu- rate and truthful statements of that great and energetic navigator. This Sound, in long. 69° 30' W., and lat. 76° 34' N., extends in a north easterly direction for about thirteen miles from Cape Athol; the large island of Agpen divides its entrance into two, and a tongue of land forms two bays, in one of which the " North Star" wintered. The shores of the Sound, from Cape Athol, rise suddenly and loftily to the height of one hundred and eighty to two hundred and fifty feet, and are stratified in appearance ; as you proceed to the northward these shores gradually slope, until becoming more gentle, they terminate in fertile valleys covered with moss, over w^hich, as we walked we felt as if Persia had sent her softest material to give comfort to the Arctic Highlander. On these green spots might be Q i I: 226 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 1: III ! seen grasses, the ranunculus, poppy, sorrel, the dwarf willow, and saxifrage in tolerable plenty. Beyond the tongue of land mentioned above, the settlement of Igloo Umanak stands, more regularly and more solidly built than the habitations on the eastern shores, and beyond this again, we saw an opening, which, according to the Esquimaux, ter- minated in a large bay. The animals which frequent these shores are, deer, white bears, seals, walruses, foxes, hares, lemmings, wolverine ; and eider ducks, rotges, dovekies, looms, glaucus gulls, kittiwakes, and ftilmar petrels, abound. This Sound has only been visited by Baffin, (who called it after his patron, Sir John Wolstenholme), the " North Star," and ourselves. Our visit to this Sound was replete with interest. Jumbled and incoherent reports of two vessels ha^■ing passed by Cape York ; of their having visited some large and open bay to the northward, and of their crews having been murdered by the natives, made it incumbent upon us, ere crossing Baffin's Bay, to search these places and investigate the matter tho- roughly. These reports were obtained from the Arctic High- landers of Cape York, through Sir John Ross' inter- preter, (an Esquimaux, from South Greenland), who but imperfectly understood their dialect. We felt that ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 227 there existed in them a solution of the mvsterv which for several years past had hung over the miss- ing Expedition, and hope, which had burned steadily as the flame on the altar of Vesta, now, for the first time, wavered in our breasts. If these reports proved tme, our brave countrymen had met their fate ere they had opened the portal of their discoveries, and the object of their expedition crushed at its birth. But a second visit to the natives of the Cape, to confirm these reports, became necessary, when Mr. Petersen, the Danish interpreter of Captain Penny's Expedition, accompanied us. He could find no foun- dation for the report from the Esquimaux, all he could ascertain was that a ship had wintered in a bay to the northward. We determined, however, to allow no doubt to exist concerning this report ; the search was determined upon, and Captain Ommanney, who commanded it, took with him one of the natives (Erasmus York), who volunteered to accompany. We entered on our search on one of those calm and beautiful days only to be seen in these regions, the reality of which dwarfs all description. Shaping a course between Wolstenholme Island and the main, we opened the magnificent Sound which bears the same name, and here our eyes were gladdened by the diversity of curved lines which, in the far distance, limited the powers of vision, though beyond, the Q 2 228 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. eternal glacier of Greenland was lost in the faint blue of the heavens. As the " Intrepid" — the first steam-vessel that has ever entered this Sound — ploughed her way through the glassy surface, we passed several large blocks of ice, upon which lay basking in the sunshine the huge walnis, the elephant of these waters, his tusks glisten- ing with each roll of his enormous head. Every object on these shores became, from the nature of our search, interesting in the extreme; every nook and recess was examined by telescopes, and every means taken to discover traces of those we were in pursuit of. Upon a gentle slope which, from the high granitic peaks above, came calmly to pay its obeisance to the waters below, several huts were observed. An excla- mation of joy was elicited by the discoverers, and preparations were made to explore these footprints of human beings. Landing on a shingly beach, the first object we stumbled upon was a Goldncr's preserved meat tin ; in this small article a positive proof existed of one of our Arctic ships having visited the spot ; further on another was picked up, and as we proceeded, many small articles with the broad arrow were found. As with the discovery of these objects, and the knowledge that Goldner had suppUed Franklin's expedition, the [ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 229 suspicion we had entertained now tended to a realiza- tion ; we approached the huts with feelings of dread, and when we stepped into these dwelling places the scene of desolation that offered itself was one that struck a damp and gloom upon the heart. Huddled together in numbers, lay a heap of human beings, neglected and abandoned, as if the angel of death had taken possession of the land, and by some sudden stroke had extinguished the flame of life in these regions. Here then had we come upon dead bodies. Appre- hension and a fearful anticipation swayed our breasts, the thought that these might be the remains of our unfortunate countrymen made us gloomy and sad ; but anxious to clear up the dreaded doubt, we raised the seal-skin which served them as their winding- sheet, when the long black hair, the copper-coloured skin, the high cheek-bone, revealed them to us as the remains of the unfortunate Esquimaux, victims — as we afterwards learned — to a recent epidemic. It was a sight that struck a chill through the heart, and one that cannot easily be effaced from the memory. Age and youth ; the manly father by his stalwart son ; the tender mother by her cherished babe, lay here without distinction of years, of sex, of relationship. We have stood on the field, after battle and carnage had done their worst ; we have witnessed 230 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. human beings, by hundreds, dug out from beneath the ruins caused by the explosion of a powder magazine, and mangled and torn by the cannon's shot — the sight was indeed a wretched one ; but the excitement, the pillage, and plunder, that were doing their deeds of infamv, tended to obliterate all sense of compassion and of fellow-feeling: but here, where a beautiful sky and a scene of placidity reigned above and around, the contrast was too great ; and the unfortunate Arctic Highlander, lay- ing dead in his hut, produced an effect more striking, and aroused more piteous and more me- lancholy feelings. Saddening as this spectacle was, the having made certain of the bodies not being those of our coun- trymen, took away the heavy load which had pre- viously oppressed us. Relieved from our present fears, we urged on- wards towards the head of the bay, where stood a magnificent pile of nature's fashioning. Like the huge masses which spot Egypt's sandy deserts, this mound rose a vast truncated pyramid. Anxiously did York point to it as to the key that was to open to us the mystery which as yet remained un- explained. Onwards we steamed ; but ere doubling North Star MiHUit, we discovered cairns on the south-east shore : ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 231 I these we left to be examined on our return. We anchored in a small harbour, and landing at the settlement of Igloo Umanak, vvc discovered that the huts were empty, but in their construction more comfortable than those we had lately examined. Further vestiges of our countrymen's visit were also found about them. Extending our search beyond this, we discovered several graves — loose stones piled in guise of a cover- ing — in which the bones of an Arctic Highlander lay blanching, the characteristics of the race stumped upon these remains. Several articles were picked up ; a tub, a check shirt, hose, a leaf from the " History of England," a sheet from the " London Journal," broken bottles, &c. : still we found nothing that could account for their presence. The cairns we had seen, ere coming to an anchor off Igloo Umanak, became now our especial search ; these, we felt sure, would raise the veil of darkness that as yet hung over us. At the foot of North Star Mount, the first cairn was examined ; and as the stones forming the pile were pulled down, an expression of eager anxiety was depicted on each countenance, which increased as from amidst of its stony covering a tin cylinder was discovered, from whence the following document was extracted : 232 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. f If ;li " This paper is placed here to certify, that H.M.S. * North Star ' was beset, at the east side of Melville Bay, on the 29 th of July, last year, and gradually drifted from day to day, until, on the 26th of September, we found ourselves abreast of Wolsten- holme Island ; when perceiving the ice a little more loose, and the Sound perfectly clear, wc made all plain sail, and pressed her through it, anchoring in the lower part of the Sound that evening, and ar- rived in the Bay on the 1st of October, where she remained throughout the winter. " It is my intention to leave as soon as the breaking up of the ice will permit, and prosecute my voyage in search of the Arctic ships. (Signed) "J. Saunders, MASTEll AND COMMANDEK. ■ North Star Bay, Wolstonliolmc Souud, "AprUlSth, 1850. " Lat. 76" 31' N. ; long. 09" 30' W." The two cairns on the opposite shore were also visited: each contained a document similar to the one deposited in the first. At the foot of the largest and most regularly built one, we found four graves, with tombstones, on which the names of seamen, belonging to the ' North Star,' were written ; ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 233 and in the paper the following list of their names was added : "William Sharp, A.B., died 1st of November, 1849. "William Brisley, boatswain's mate, died 31st of January, 1850. " Richard Baker, A. B., died 7th of April, 1850. "George Deverell, A.B., died 17th of May, 1850." On the back of this paper the date, " 3rd July, 1850," was written. As we contemplated these sad memorials of our departed countrymen, one consolation was felt by us— they had died surrounded by friends, and by all the appliances which a Christiar. charity could afford ; and their last wishes were confided to those who had been their fellow-sufferers throughout a dreary and wretched Arctic winter. Thus far they had been happy ; but when we recal the glowing anticipation that swelled our breasts, on joining our Expedition; when we think with what fondness we dwell upon the happiness that will gladden our hearts, as the shores of dear England will again burst upon us ; we may be permitted to let fall a tear, and to pity the lot of those whose remains lay amid the granite monuments of nature, thousands of miles from their native homes. 1 1! I; I i m i 1 234 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. These; papers speak plainly the history of the * North Star,' which vessel, thwarted in her ori- ginal design, had been forced into the Sound, and had, unprepared, wintered amid these regions of eternal ice. Substituting for these documents other details of our proceedings, we rebuilt the cairns ; and placing a separate memorial on the heights of Wolstenholme Island, we crossed the Bay of Baffin, with hope newly raised, and ready and anxious to set about the search anew. , ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 235 TO THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA BOREALIS. QUESTION llELATIVE TO TIIL LINK 01' rROl'ULSION. . Sir, You arc in a boat in a proper position for pulling ; your oar is in a crutch, on the port gunwale : you pull, and the boat will go to starboard, of course. Suppose, then, from the outside of the starboard gunwale, you erect an outrigger or platform, on which you may sit or stand, removing the oar from the port gunwale to the starboard, placing it in a crutch sufficiently high so as to work clear of the opposite gunwale — then pull; will the boat still go to starboard? I remain, Sir, &c. A. B. " liAJUiMlM^/ l^.^U^AAAAi^^(^^ ^-^^'# a, ^h<.t oi ^< d.-^ ! ii/'j i l\ ilk t H ffl II 11 r • 5 |i ; iii 1 1 L 236 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. PORTUGUESE ARCTIC DISCOVERIES. In the desperate struggle between Christianity and Islamif.m, which raged in Spain for several centuries, a kingdom arose in its western extremity, which was destined to play a conspicuous part in the great revolutions of Europe. Alphonso, Count of Besancon, who, from a simple French knight, became the first King of Portugal, was the ancestor of that illustrious line of monarchs who gave so great an impulse in after-ages to mercantile discovery ; and his follower, De Costa, was the ancestor of those gallant adven- turers who were destined to throw a passing lustre on Portuguese Arctic discovery. From the expulsion of the Moors, and the destruc- tion of the prehensions of the Castilians by Nuno Alvares, in the famous battle of Aljubarrota, a.d., 1385, to the conquest of the Ceuta by John in 14 1 j, the power of the Portuguese gradually increased ; and under the auspices of his son their geographical dis- coveries commenced. Seated in the balcony of his beautiful retreat of Sagres, on the summit of Cape St. Vincent, the ! ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 237 munificent Prince Henry, the navigator, viewed the vast expanse of the Atlantic, and sent forth expedi- tions from 1418 to 1463, which rounded Cape Nun, discovered Porto Santo and Madeira, peopled the Azores, and doubled Cape Blanco. In 1463 this noble-minded Prince died, in the 67th year of his age ; but the incentive he had given to Portuguese adventure was not destined to die with him, for soon afterwards Bartholomew Diaz sighted the Cape, and Cavilham and Payva, starting from Lisbon in search of the famous Prester John, and descending the Red Sea, the one was murdered, and the other, after visiting Calicut, Goa, and Sofala, died covered with honours in Abyssinia, a.d., 1525. From this time, the commercial ardour of this nation continued to increase. Vasco de Gama, for the first time, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and reaching Calicut, returned in safety to Lisbon — Cabral discovered the Brazils — the famous Albuquerque con- quered Goa, Calicut, Or muz, and Malacca, and established settlements in the Spice Isles — while the marvellous adventures of the notorious Mcndez Pinto in China and Japan astonished Europe, and tempted Shakespeare to incredulity. In the meanwhile the Arctic expeditions had pro- ceeded apace. John Cortereal, the descendant of that knight who had accompanied Alphonso of Bcsancon, .jsssamm 238 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. sailed from Lisbon in 1460, and after rediscovering Newfoundland, proceeded for several hundred miles along an unknown coast — probably Labrador — until he was stopped by icebergs, and discovered the entrance of the famous straits of Anian, that chimera which was so long supposed to be the true north-west passage — it might have been the entrance to the Gulf of St. Lawrence? His sons Caspar and Michael sailed to complete the discoveries of their father, but were never again heard of The Portuguese fisheries on the banks of Newfoundland, however, flourished until the downfal of the nation, and at one time reckoned three hundred vessels from the ports of Viana and Aveiro alone. The prosperity of Portugal was destined to be but short lived. For a period of about one hundred and ninety years it blazed forth with unrivalled splendour, creating a complete revolution in the ideas of Euro- peans, destroying the mercantile power of Venice and Genoa, by her discovery of the Cape, settling both the Brazils and great part of the East Indies, and producing one of the finest epic poems of modern times ; but the monarchy had no sound foundation, ordained as it w'as to play for a time a very important part in the history of the w^orld ; the heroic reign of Sebastian was its last transient gleam of glory ; the battle of Alcassar was its death knell, it passed under i ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 239 the yoke of Spain, and its greatest poet truly ex- claimed on his death-bed. " I have returned not only to die in my country's bosom, but to die ivith her," for she has now fallen so low in the scale of nations as to have become a bye-word and a reproach. Camoen sung her earliest glories in describing the battle of Aljubarrota, and says Schlegel, " at the proudest moment of that brief and glorious period, a great national song broke forth like the dying notes of the fabled swan, a dirge for the dei)arted hero- nation," rAciricrs. TO THE EDITOR OF THE AURORA BOREALTS. Sir, Having, early in life, visited the shores of Den- mark, and subsequently her colonies on the coast of Greenland, I venture to give you a brief sketch of those parts of that country which I saw, and of her progress in Arctic discovery. Copenhagen, the caj)ital of Denmai-k, is a large and elegant city, about six miles in circumference, and has one hundred thousand inhabitants. Many 240 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. of the streets are intersected by canals. The fronts of the buildings are of Norwegian marble, and exceedingly handsome. The most remarkable build- ing is the Royal Observatory, so constructed that carriages may ascend to its very summit. On the road between Copenhagen and Elsinore there is a noble avenue of elm-trees, of vast size, which bespeak the growth of centuries. There is something about these stately trees, with their huge branches meeting over the centre of the road, which puts one in mind of Gothic architecture, and gives an effect of romantic grandeur. Elsinore, a place at which ships trading to the Baltic, pay toll, is of great importance as a har- bour of refuge. Cronenburg Castle is the only remarkable building in the place, and opposed Nelson, before his attack on Copenhagen, by whom one of the pinnacles on its tower was shot, and has never been replaced. From Copenhagen, many adventurers have sailed in search of unknown countries in the Arctic seas. Munk's voyage, in 161 9, when he entered Hudson's Bay, is well known ; and, in addition to this, the Danes sent five or six expeditions in search of the lost colony of Greenland, between that date and 1741, when the famous missionary, Hans Egede, sailed with forty persons from Bergen, to establish ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 241 a settlement in Greenland. This great and good man endured terrific hardships, hattling with the ingratitude of the Esquimaux and the lukewarmncss of his own countrymen, till 1736, when having been relieved by the philanthropic Moravians, he returned to Denmark, and died a.d. 1 740. Meanwhile the Moravians, under their chief mis- sionary, Stack, continued in the laudable and Chris- tian endeavour which Egcde had l)egun ; many Esquimaux were converted, the settlements of Leich- tenfels, Godhaub, and Lcifly, were founded, and the Danish colonies became permanent. In 1771, Stack died; but still the pious work commenced by Egede, and ably followed out by him, has gradually progressed, and the condition of the natives of Greenland has been greatly ame- liorated by their Danish masters, whose colonies still exist on these inhospitable shores. It now only remains for me to hope that this short narrative of what I have seen and heard will not prove wholly iminteresting to yoiu' readers. I remain. Sir, Your obedient servant, vv. ft R 242 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. RELIGION OF THE ESQUIMAUX. i'i ■'" i m (I ; ''■ I I i No people in the world ever existed that had no idea of a God ; and though the grossest and most ahsurd superstitions and the most puerile conceits have disgraced many of the heathen creeds, yet, however numerous their deities have been, however low their idea of a God has sunk, the belief in an Omnipotent and Supreme Being has always re- mained. The complicated mythologies of Hindostan, Greece, and Scandinavia, all had their Siva, Jove, or Odin ; and whether He appeared under these names, or under those of Jehovah, Pachacamar, Allah, or Buddh, He always retained the same attributes as an Al- mighty Spirit. We find that the character of the religion of a country has depended generally on the peculiar tem- perament of the people. Where they have led a simple and pastoral life, their religion has been e(jually simple. Zenghis Khan established a pure theism among the Tartars ; Mahomet introduced the worship of One God among the Arabs ; the mountaineers of ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 243 the Alps, and the Ccvennes, embraced the simple doctrines of Paulieius ; and the agriculturists and hunters of Peru bowed down before their benefactor, the sun. On the other hand, when we examine the reli- gions of those countries who have settled in large communities, and early obtained a facility of com- munication, from their proximity to large navigable rivers or the sea-coast, we tind them to be mixed up with the speculative philosophy of one people, and the poetical creations of anothei-, and generally sujiporting a numerous and powerful hierarchy. Again, among the Esquimaux of Greenland, whose powers of thought are so small, we find rcjligion made subservient to the grossest superstitions, and used by the angekoks or magicians for their own knavish purposes. No trace is to be found of the religion of their remote ancestors, save two or three traditions concerning the Creation and the Deluge, and most of them go no farther back than the time of their arrival in Greenland. They believed that the first man, named Kallah, cauK,' out of the earth, and that a woman was produced from his thumb. She it was that introduced death into the world, by saying, " Let these di(^ that those who follow may have room to live :" a doctrine which lu'r descendants put to practical utility, b\ nuu'dering R 2 i if I' 244 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 1: I nil aged persons who have no children to provid(? them with food. She hrought forth the Kablunat, or foreigners, who were exterminated by the Innuit. This tradition obviously alludes to the destruetion of the Norman colony ; but it is possible that it may also ])oint to an older one, concerning the children of Seth and Cain. They believed also that there was once a great flood, and that every soul perished but one man, who struck the ground, and a woman rose, and they repeopled the world. Their religion, properly so called, is a most wretched superstition. Their good spirit is called Torngarsak ; and he, of course, is the oracle of the Angekoks. The evil spirit is a woman named Erloersortok, who is very thin, and eats the entrails of departed souls. Lillagiksartok is the spirit of the winds ; Tunnersoit, of the mountains ; and many others, that it would be useless to mention. TL y believed in a future state, and that their souls, after hovering round the body for five days after death, became stars. The crafty angekoks, who cheat the people by their pretended ability to foretel future events, are initiated by retiring to a desert for some days, where they die, and come to life again ; after which, they may call down the good spirit to have an interxiew i ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 245 with him, whenever it suits them. They arc pro- hahly the lazy and cunning part of the population, who wish to live on the toil of their neighbours. Any superstition so absurd as this can scarcely be conceived, and yet the Moravian missionaries have found great difficulty in converting the Green- landers to Christianity, from their indifference and obstinacy. Such is the religion of this wretched people. Their belief in a good spirit is only caused by the knavery of their magicians, and their fears people the elements with innumerable evil demons of fantastic shapes. It is based entirely on selfishness ; and the Esquimaux will never feel the passion of love, or the ardour of friendship, until, by the laudable^ perseverance of the Moravians, these superstitions have been supplanted by the glorious light of Chris- tianity. I remain. Sir, Yours very sincerely, CLIO. Jtl 240 AIUTIC MlSClCLLANiliS. Till-: insl' AM) I'lJOdHKSS OF I'KINTlX(i IN TllK AKCTIC SHAUCllINd KXI'K DITION^ The oriu-iu of printing in tlu-so (l(;sol!ite regions arose out of tlie desire to acquaint those who havi' so lonu" been uiissinG:, tliat their relief was at hand. Tims we find, in a nianuer littl(! to have been ex- pected, ])rinting forwanhng, even here, the great cause of humanity. Thousands of sli))s of paper and silk with the ni'ws of our arrival starnjK-d upon them have been scattered in everv direction by the means of balloons. Should these tidings by good fortime hav. reached their destination, tbey will have raised up at once fresh hoj)es and fresh endurance. We next find piinting employed as a means of making known the forthcoming amusements of the s(|uadron, by which the tedium of the long night has been wonderfully lessened. Htire, let us remark, were first observi'd the improvements arising from leisure and emulation. In the first of a series of well-executed bills, announcing the various amuse- ments, we meet with the introduction of large caj)ital letters, giving at once llir appearance of art to the ( ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 247 work. Then followed the shaded letter, the douhlo- lincd letter, and the white letter in blaek relief. Soon after, to the surprise of most, ai)|)eared an illuminated hill, announeing a p(;rformance in honour of His Royal Hifrhness the Prince of Wales's birth- day, with a neatly-executed heading, consisting of the plume and motto. Then came the bills of tlie Royal Arctic Casino ; and here the tastefully carved coat of arms which graced it called forth the ad- miration of e'V'cry one. When, to crown all, the last progi'amme of the Royal Arctic Theatre came forth in great splendour; the coat of arms, thi' Prince^ of Wales's plume, the delicately-carved rose, sham- rock, and thistle, the bor(l(;r of oak leaves, acorns, and laurel, spoke well for the industry and artistic merit of all concerned. Having thus traced, up to the present time, the various stages of progress, let us now inquire into the means possessed by those who have produced such gratifying results. The press, and materials belonging to it, were only sufficient for the purpose of printing the papers attached to the balloon ; hence a limit was placed to the ambition of the di- rectors. The eagerness with which all the productions were sought after, requires to be seen to be understood. were not content with appli )pK 248 AKCTIC MISCELLANIES. impressions on paper, l)ut every variety of material \V(!nt to press in a most liulieroiis manner; silk pi le'ket- handkerchiefs, shirts, calico, satin, and even a blanket. Here we fancied the furor would havi; cciased, but, to our surprise, one person brought a monkey-jacket, and another a chamois-leather. This indeed must luivc been gratifying to the printers ; and, to their credit be it spoken, during the greater part of three days there was a rapid despatch of business. May they, in their future attempts, succeed as well. Should the art of print- ing at this estabhshment continue; to improve at the same rate as heretofore, we will back our Arctic press against the world. In years to come, every little souvenir of our sojourn here will be prized for the; recollections it will give rise to — of the comfort and amity that existed among the members of the ' Austin happy family.' . li!H ARCTIC MISCRI.LANIES. 240 METEOROLOGY FOR JANUARY 1S)1. January was ushered in during a heavy gale from the north-west, and throughout the month the average force of the wind has exceeded that of the prece(hng months. The temperature also has heen considerably lower. The following table shows the comparative tem- peratures for January for six different years in Arctic voyages : IMaco, Year. Mav. .Mill. Alcaii. Laliliide. I,oiii.'itiule. Melville Islimd . , 1^:2(1 0,, - 17" — oOd!) 71" tS'.N. 11(1" is'W- Winter Ishiiul . . . Is-:-: — r," - .'iri- — i2!m (id" 11' X. K\" 1(1' W. Ijiloolik ^^■:■^ + ii" — i.-)" - 171I7 (19" 21' N. H-2" 50' \V. I'lirt liiiwcii . . . IMT) — ii'-)" l-n" — is 91 7;^ 14' N- 8S" r, 1' W. I'(irt l.eiipuld , . , ISK) — H-(i" - l.V — ;ns(i 7*' i'.O'X. i)(l" IJ'W. OlIGiillilli'a Isluml. lh.-,l -11 -470 — lUiiii 74" W S. 95" 20' W. ■ From the 1 3th to the 20th of Januarv inclusive, the weather was unusually severe, the mean tem- perature of these eight days being — 42*5 ; the maximum — 34, and the minimum — 47, showing a range of only 1 3°. The winds have still prevailed from the north-west quarter, and they may be said to be almost constant from that direction, having continued for twenty- six II I 2oO ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. '1! (lays out of the month in the north-west; the remaining- (lays th(!y \V(;re variahli;, changing suddenly in gusts to various points of the compass. At times, an upper current of wind has been perceptible, th(> heavens having bccom(; obscured by a mist carried up from a southerly direction in oj)position to a nortn- wcst breeze, a fall in the barometer, with a rise of temperature at the same time, indicating some atmospheric chang';. On these occasions snow has fallen in very minute particlcc On the 23rd, the barometer fell to 29*34, th(^ only appariuit cause being a fog-bank then pervading the south horizon, vrhieh on the following day, was observed to overspread the sl\y in opposition to a north-west wind. Snowdrifts have always accompanied strong winds, causing a thick mist, though clear in the zenith. The Aurora Borealis has been seen more fre- quently, though never with that brilliancy by which it is often characterized in these regions. The number of observations in the month of any im- portance amounts to twelve, the coruscations when detached flitted from various points of the horizon in light flee(>y clouds towards the zenith, sometimes of a straw colour. Wh(>n it has appeared in an arch, its direction has been nearly north and south, passing across the zeuilh. On the evening of th(! ARCTIC MISCliLLANIES. 25 1 20tli, luminous beams of the Aurora were froquciit from the south-west to the north-west points, and eontinued for several hours ; on tlie following day we had fresh winds from the south-west. It has been observed that when this phenomenon appears unusually intense in any partieul;u' quarter, that a strong breeze has succeeded it from that particular direction of the compass. Th(! first week in Janiiarv was remarkable for the number of falling stars : on the 2nd of January sixteen were counted by a casual observer in the space of a quarter of an hour. They were visiblo in all parts of the heavens during this week, but were most numerous to the south-west. In other countries scientitic men have assigned fixed periods for the prevalence of these meteors ; it is th(>refore importaiit to notice the time when they were most prevalc ut during the winter. One very bright meteor was seen on the; 3rd of January at 6 P.M., shooting towards the south-west, leaving a train of pale green light, and makiiig an angle of 20° with the horizon. "'here has been a larger proportion of tailing snow this month than in the foregcung, tliough in England our definition of the term snow differs so materially with its shape and appearance ; it is therelbn^ neeessarv to state that in this locality it consists ^ I I )\^ Sill i 1 : ^ ll M^TOHPf ' ^--'JlHiX 2':2 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. of very minute particles, iilmost imperceptil)le until observed to fall on some dark substance, but in the course of an hour or two, the quantity which accumulates is surprising. It may not have escaped observation during the summer, when looking through the rays of the sun, to percei\''e minute particles of frozen vapour, sparkling as they descended — though the atmosphere to all appearance was quite clear — like motes in a sunbeam. Paraselence were seen, but mostly imperfect, without any remarkable feature, and an elliptical halo oarrounding the moon ha., been frequent during its first and last quarters. Some very remarkable cises of refraction oc- curred when the moon rose in the south-east. As this luminary appeared on the horizon, her shape was so distorted as hardly to be recognized, parti- cularly on the 8th and 9th. The weather ^it Ihe time was tranquil and clear ; light airs from north- west; Bar. 29-85, Ther. —30°. The edges of the moon, when seen through a glass, were fringed with a light green and crimson border. An increase of lijjht was perceptible in the first week of January, when the arcii to the south daily expanded, showing that the sun was evidently on the return. The lOth was tlic fir^3t dav the tinffe ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 253 tinge of rose colour was obsorvod in the northern part of the sky, such as had been watched during th(^ departure of the sun. From some atmospheric cause these tints were not visible again until the 21st, when a beautiful arch again appeared towards noon extending from north-east .0 north-w^est, the centre of arch being 10° above the north meridian. It first appeared blue and indigo, changing to violet and rose colour of most delicate hues. As the light at noon increased, these tints became more brilliant. On the 22nd, none but stars of the first magnitude were visible at noon, and on the 26th, the increase of light rendered them altogether Invisible. None but those who have been deprived of the influence of light can appreciate the charm and interest which is excited in the mind on beholding the gradual return of this indispensable agent which produces such important effects on man, and the organized creation in general. A partial eclipse of the moon was observed on the 17th; the umbra of the earth was cast over nearly one half of her upper disc. It commenced about 8 A.M., and terminated at a (|uarter before 1 P.M., and occurred during the moon's circuit of the northern part of the heavens, and her passage across the meridian. i^P rill 254 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. The thickness of the ice, as deter)Tiin(.'(l by mea- surement on the 2 1 st of January, is as follows : 01(1 floe In canal Pressed up ice Last found ice Feet. luchoH. 4 1 4 4 4 I 4 f VI t; Fog-banks have been fr(?quent along the southern horizon, and in clear weather light vapour or frost smoke has often been seen in the channel. The strongest winds were experienced whilst the moon was in apposition and conjunction. ^Z, d^ut^M/t-uu/(^ . v:*M'^ lea- liern frost the ///^t . ARCTIC MISCKLLANIES. 255 B A L M A S Q U E. H.M.S. RESOLUTE. On Wednesday, the l'2th instant, the splendidly- iitted up asscmhly room of the Royal Arctic Casino was again filled to overtltjwing by all the rank, fashion, and beauty of Griffith Island. On the second occasion of a masked ball being held on board of H.M.S. ' Resolutt>,' we cannot but tender our best thanks to the officers of that sliip for having so successfully added to the public amuse- ments of our little colony. Well indeed may the bills of the day liavc declared there would be " an enormous outlay of time, talent, and material." The two first of these promises, without doubt, were most amply fulfilled; and we were only sorry tliat tile circumscribed means of the; last, consequent on our situation, sliould cause so great an outlay of trouble and time to those engaged in the prepara- tions. Yet, were we to enter into minute details of all the decorations, the i):alaxv of light, &e., on their ; i 256 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. yr, i.ji being road by those in our own dear land, they would at once exclaim, " But where have all these come from : in the wilderness you tell us of?" That everybody might have ample opportunity of arranging their dresses with the greatest degree of secrecy, and in the best manner, a house attached to the ship was, as on the tirst occasion, decorated, heated, lighted, and rendered comfortable and con- venient, far beyond our most sanguine expectations. At the same time, the officers had kindly vacated their cabins, and left them at the disposal of any friends that chose to take them ; so that none became aware who passed in or out. Flags, pictures, transparencies, and chandeliers, formed the staple of the decorations ; but one that attracted more attention than the others, if we may judge from the numb(>r who paid their devoirs to it, was a supper, prepared both in the Commander's cabin and in the officers' mess, where, it is needless to say, the utmost mirth and good fellowship pre- vailed, and a hearty welcome was given. We cannot say there was quite such a variety of masks as on the former occasion, the characters par- taking more of the fancy than the masked costume. There were, however, scores of masks still, and the incognitos well preserved. Of course, many of the former costumes were there ; but nearly all on dif- fe:**^ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 257 fcront persons. Among tlu' jM'incipal of the now ones were the M. C, as King Artaxominous, in " Bombastcs Furioso ;" a Spanish sonorita, who liad transferred the star-spangled firmament to lier dress, forming, in connection with gold lace, a com])lete chain over every part of it; a travelling tinker, with an admirably-sustained cry of " Old kettles to mend ;" a Jew clothesman ; Mr. S , just sent out in night costume by his wife, to see what the noise was ; a man, half white, half black, with a face both at front and back of his body ; Sairey Gamp ; and last, though not least (being, we must say, an incumbrance to everybody around, and perfectly un- fitted for these rooms) a jar of Warren's blacking. Missing a white and black Carmelite monk for some short time, who hurried off when asked if he was bound for Ostend, we were induced to search for him, but ineffectually, for some hours ; at last, as a mendicant friar, we detected this for- merly joyous old monk. Some people say, whilst going down in the world, he had even lent himself to puff for Warren's Blacking manufactory, by peram- bulating the thoroughfares in tlie aforesaid monster jar. If it becomes not invidious to distinguish, when all did so admirably, vyc would certainly give tlie palm, both in dress and sustainment of character, to s If |.i !■! :'\ ■ n I ill iiii 258 ARCTIC MISCRU-ANIES. the criivcllin^' tinkcM- ; and for effectual disguise, witii- out roverinu- the face, to Mr. S . On the whole, vvc enjoyed ourseh'cs more, if possible, than on the former occasion ; and went away with the rest, gratified throughout. \\ ! ROYAL INTREPTl) SALOON. II I f\ iiii imiij ?. j w On Friday, the 17th of .Jiinuary, vvc had again the pleasure of witnessing one of those dchghtful little entertainments given on board the ' Intrepid.' The Intrepid Saloon has been several times men- tioned in our columns ; therefore, we shall only say, that on this last occasion it, in our opinion, sur- passed all that has hitherto been done, and richly deserved the plaudits which were liberally be- stowed. The great attraction of the evening was without doubt the " gallantee" show, consisting of various scenes take>\ from our outward-bound voyage. They had two good qualities, which strongly recommended them to our notice — originality in the Arctic regions, and for being exceedingly amusing in themselves. r n AIUTIC MISCKLI, AMI'S. 259 with- re, if went .oMt,) again ghtfiil lid.' mcn- ly say, , sur- richly |y be- ithout ai'ioiis They icndcd }gions, L'S. " '^riu! Life of ii S;iil(ir " was also well got up, and we arc persuaded, were this pcrtormcid on an Eng- lish stage, would meet with much applause. Then there were several songs, hotli seiitinicntal and comic ; and the song of a " Little Soldier," showing how he had heen enticed from his home, was rapturously encored, when the talented artist gave a short original })roduction, which was also w(!ll received. An individual, familiarly known as "Kate's Young Man," next proceeded, with a little ditty concerning a young lady, named Miss Do1j1)s. This was his third appearanc(.' on tl\e i)oards, so that his fame is too well established to stand in need of further praise. The " Standard Bearer " was beautifully sung by another talented artist ; and the cv(;ning passed ott" verv aji'reeablv ; the onlv inconvenience felt being the confined state of the atmosplu^re in the saloon, which was as full as it could possibly be, Wc hear it rumoin-cd that there is to he another night at the Intrepid Saloon, but we cannot vouch for the truth of the report. " $>LlU,i>MM. '[ s -i io^^ ZLtJUUL.l>^(th,, J^^, n^A-^t^u:^. n G^t. i^^l-cuti^u^j '200 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I TO COUTlESrONDENTS. AXSWKU TO QrKSTIOX l!KF,.\TIVi; TO Till', I.INK OF mol'lLSlON. No : the boat will then go to port, bcraiisc tlio force which you aj^plicd, in the first case, t(j the jiort gunwale, you now apply to the starboard. An oar is a lever of the second order; the weight W to be moved (that is, the boat) is between the fulenim E and the power P ; the power is, of course, the force applied ; and the point of th(> l)ladt' at which the blade of the oar is nvsisted by the water, is the fulcrum. fL . Ijulc Cl^LCbeA^ TO THE EDITOR OF TlIK AUUOT^A F.OR KALIS, Mr. Editor, May we not call this " our middle age ?" and for these reasons, it is the middle of the month and century, of our preparations for spring travelling, of our beard growing, and here it is also a truly bar- barous au:e. Our season of aLjricultun! is also far ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 2GI I udvancL'd — witness uur boxes of musturd jmd cress. We arc midway between the winter night and jierpetual day ; also, wo trust, midway through our sojourn at winter quarters. Zero has reached his zenith, the auroras decrease in number and brilliancy ; but '* our Aurora" now enters upon its second half-dozen numbers. May it flourish, notwithstanding the natural decline of the bright and mysterious phenomenon after which it is named ; and may it shed rays of light as interesting and less transient, to stimulate us to meet cheerfully our future trials, and to trace in unfading lines the iiis- tory of the dark ages, from wiiich we have just emerged. ' ON SHAVING BEING CONTINUED. Several iron-hearted old servants, who have sharply attended upon their former masters for the last twenty years, arc in want of ])laccs. Adikcss to tlic Association oi' Razors. l\S\ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 12.8 no |2.5 ;^ 122 i 2.2 m 1.4 U^ M 6" — ► V] Va % '/ .^^:^v ^"^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 >>. ^ ) li i B ; « :i I i: 1 ' '^ |J;J 264 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. from one of the gran(l«'st siglits which will have gladdened our land sinee the visit of the Alliid Sovereigns, we do most heartily sympathise in her welfare and commercial grandeur; hut howsoever anxious to he a witness of these sights, we would not be otherwise engaged than on our present mission, for here is our stand of honour, and we feel convinced that not one single backward mind is to be fomul among the searching ships which now lie icebound within the Polar Seas. TO THE EDITOR OE THE AUROi{A lUJUEALls, UE1» SX(J\V. One of the most novel and interesting subjects in natural history, which was discovered and ob- served during my voyage of 1818, and which led to more controversy than any other, was the coloiu'cd snow seen on the cliifs between Cape York and Caj)e Dudley Digges. These eliflfs were, at the time the ' Isabella' ])assed within half a mile of them, entirely covered with snow of a bright crimson AUCTU; MISCi:iXANIES. 265 folour, as rcpivscntcd in tli(! plate by tlic narrative of that vova^^c, which althouu;!! taken carefully bv rlv handled bv a cyanomoter, was unsparni^ly handled oy some, h()\V(;vcr, and subsequent navigators, neither of whom had seen it in the same state. It was brought homo by me in these conditions: 1st. The snow in which it was found (six feet deep) was dissolved and bottled, when the liquid resembled muddy pert wine ; 2ndly. The water of the dissolved snow was strainc'd off, but the substance, kept in a moist state, was preserved in a \ial bottle ; and 3rdly, The same substance was dried by the air and put up as seeds in ])a])er parcels. On it being examined by me under the powerful microsc(jpe I had on board, I saw on each globule a small speck, which I considered to be the " eye of the si'cd," and which made mc conclude it was a vegetable peculiar to that region, which opinion I sealed up and jnit into the hands of Dr. Leach, of the British Museum, to be opened after the following suvans, Di-. Wollaston, Professors Brande, Thompson, of Glasgow, and Mr. leaner, the bo- tanist of the Royal Gardens at Kew, to whom a portion in each stati'. w:is submitted, had given their opinions. Mr. Brande was the first, and being desirous (»f the merit of the discovery, published (without anv intimation to me) in his " Journal of i li ^1 ^1 ^ ! I '' 1 ! ! 266 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. Science," thiit it was animiil, taking great credit to liimselt" that lie did not know at the time of his puhlieation, that myriads of the little auk (genus Mergidus) were found in that locality, and of which birds he supposed it was the dropjiings ; 1)ut this was contradicted by Dr. Leach, who, in o|)position, published that the droppings of these and all other birds found in that region, was of a much liu'litor colour than that in the plate. Thompson, and some of the foreign sai'uns, who had sei-n the red snow on the Alps, pronounced it to be metallic. Dr. WoUaston was inclined towards the vegetable origin, but not quite decided ; but as his account appeared to be most elaborate and satis- factory, I published it in my first (.'dition, not having then received the opinion of Mr. Bauer, who it ap- peared naturally (as a gardener) planted it in snow, where he found it generated ; was first colourless, then green, and, finally, when ripe, of the bright crimson colour, exactly as represented in the plate, of which he gave mc an unsolicited certificate. Hi; found it to be of the genus Ureda, (vulgarly known as the smut in wheat) ; and in my second edition, 1 gave it the name of Ureda nivalis of Bauer, as he was the first discoverer. He informed me that the ripe globules when put under his powerful mi- croscope, which lias a divided object-glass, were ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 2(}7 ciich the IG.OOOth part of mi incli, of which he g-ave mc a coloured (h-awing, and which most fullv proved the truth of the much ahused plate ! On this voyage, when we passed in the Felix, these clitis were almost hare of snow, and it was only in some of the ravines that the crimson snow could he ohserved, but what I did i)rocure was nearly of the same colour, though evidently in a state of decay. Some was since procured at Beech(iy Island in a monj perfect state, and being examined by the microscojx' completely ^'erifics the conclu- sions of Mr. Bauer. JOHN ROSS (admiral). Felix, I'Vl) :i7ili, 1S51. 2r)S ARCTIC MISCFJ-LAMKS. SPANISH AlUTTC DlSCOVEllY. Since the dcdino of tho cnmmrrcial pro-cmincnco (»f the ltali;in republics, four crcat nations have succes- sively become supreme upon the seas; namely, Portuj^al, Sj)ain, Holland, and England ; and all in their turn have attempted discoveries in the Arctic regions. Spain, however, whose e?ii])irc for a short time was undoubtedly the most splendid that ever existed in the world, has j)roduced, next to England, the groatest navigators. An expedition fitted out by her, discovered America, another sailed round the world ; she possessed all the Portuguese settlements of India : all the silver mines of Mexico, and Peru ; all the talent of Cervantes, Ercilla, and Murillo ; all the valour of Cortez, Don John, and Cordova ; and all the diplomacy of Gran- velle. While with one hand she conquered the New World, circumnavigated the globe, and supplied her neighbours with the luxuries of the East, with the other she crushed the growing power of the Turks, and held the balance of power in Europe. A nation possessed of so much power, and so much wealth ; a nation which sent periodical tleets from ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 2(1!) Ciidiz to Diiricn, and from Acaj)iil('o to Miinilla, while Elizabeth was contenting lierself witli piratical expedi- tions ; a nation whose sons had, with a handful of men, penetrated into the hearts of populous empires ; a nation whoso ships were the carriers of t^M! civilised world, naturally attempted to discover the North-west Passage, " a shorter route to Catlay," and penetrate the famous Straits of Anian, which had been dis- covered by the Portuguese, their predecessors in maritime j)ower, in the expedition sent by them, under Caspar and Michael Cortercal, in 1500 — 1 — 2. Accordingly, Estevan Gomez, in 1524, and Mcndoza Coronada, in 1542, attempted to discover these Straits, but faili.'d ; Gomez only reaching the coast of Labrador, and seeing nothing to satisfy him- self respecting their existence ; Cort)nada returned. But it was on the side of the Pacific, where her rich dependencies stretched from the Straits of Ma- gellan to the Island of Quadra, that Spain was destined to perform with success her great maritime enterprises. From the coast of Mexico it was that the heroic Grixalva sailed, when he discovered Cali- fornia; and the Manilla galleons, when they are supposed to have touched at three; of the Sandwich Islands ; and from Callao it was that Mandaua sailed when he discovered the Marquesas ; Quiros, when he sighted Satrittana (the modern Tahiti) ; and 1 , T i i nip i %M 270 ARf'Tir MISCKI-I-ANIKS. 1 i! 8armi(.'nt(>, when he t'ortiticd tlic Stniits of Ma- gellan. Juan (1(; Fuca, In 1592, sailed from tlio coast of AI(!xico with ordiii's to discover, if possibles, tiic supposed Straits of Anian, the road to thc^ Atlantic. H(.' coasted along the land discovered hy Drakt; and CJrixalva, and rounding Cape Mendocino, commenced liis perilous voyage. At 1( ngth he discovered a broad opening, which he sailed up in diifcrcnt direc- tions during twenty days, finding it t(j be twenty or thirty leagues in breadth ; and conceiving that it led into the Atlantic, he considered his mission accom- |)lished, and returned. In 1G40, also, another Spaniard, named Bernarda, atHrmed that he sailed through a strait to the north- ward, wheii he reached an isthmus, from which he could discern the sea both to tluj east and west. Tiie Straits of Juan de Fuca have been usually placed between Vancouver's Island and the Oregon ; but Sir John Ross, with some degree of plausibility, suggests that both these navigators passed through Bi'hring's Straits, and reached the Tstlunus of Boothia. This has been the extent of the Arctic discoveries of the Spaniards. Floin'i.shing for a brief space, they were feared and respected by every nation in Europe ; and tlie power of Napoleon, in the height AKCTU MIS(FM, ANTES. • of Nfii- J coast of iililc, the Atlantic. >rakc and mmonccd ovcrcd a 'lit (lircc- wenty or liat it led 1 accom- of his glory, was never etpial t(i that (.f Philip 11. Like a bla/.inLT tlaml)lea\i, they threw all other nations into the shade ; hut the caiis(^ of their p-eatness was the cause of their decay. They are now fallen. But though Spain no longer stands in the tirs. rank amongst nations, she is yet an important iMu-opean power, and still po.s.sesses in abundance all the re- sources which, wh(>n projicrly directed, make a people prosperous and ha))|)y. I'AflFKTS, 5ernarda, le north- vhich he St. : iisuall}- Oregon ; usibility, througli mus of icoveries f space, ition in 2 heiii'ht IIISTOHY OF GlUFFITIl AXD COllNWALLIS ISL.VNDs. NO. IV. The extreme cold has rendered orranic beine in these Arctic isles very precarious; and the mosses, po]ipies, sorrel, saxifrage, stunted willow, grasses, stellaria rossii and ranunculus are the onlv veire- table j)roduetions known to exist; and even these arc few and far between. The animals almost all migrate to a milder climate during the winter, and while the stronger prey upon the weak, while the bears wage endless war upon the seals, the narwhals '•\ <\\ ii 272 AKCTIf MISCF,I,I,.\Nins. I ;iff m 3,r li upon the fishes :in(l cnistucca, iind the toxrs u|)i)n the Icminii's ; the birds enjoy comparutivt! freedom, 110 birds of prey have as yet been seen, and the small fish which inhabit the; fresh-water lakes, are free from the attacks of those V(jracious enemies which destroy them in other climates. Man — that wonderful animal, wlios(! traces are to be found from tiie naked wastes of Terra del Fue^o to the granitic clifl's of Spitzberp-n — lias also left them on these barren shores. Two small circles of mould and moss, almost imperceptible, show that the Esquimaux have penetrated to a stream ten miles to the northward of Barlow Har- bour; while at Cape Jlotham several huts were found, the most recent being Iniilt of stone and about two feet in height, while traces, like a fairy's circle, was all that could be discerned of the most ancient. Near Cajic Martyr there appears to havti been a very extensive settlement ; the outline of some of the huts were very recent and clear, and the number of bones of whales seemed to indicate that the Esquimaux had resided on this spot for some time ; and farther inland, there was a grave, neatly built of limestone slabs. For conjectures whither the original occupiers of these huts have gone, or whence they have; come, we refer our readers to the alilc artick; of ' Scrib- \l<( Tl( MIS(i:i,|,\MKS. 273 li-nis'* on that siihjcct ; Imt it is at loast clK'crinpj to luci't with some traces ot" the ahodcs of man, he they ever so wrctcliod, on this dcsolatf island. How lonf; an interval elapsed hetween the depar- ture of the Es(|uimaux and the year ISIO, we have no means of ascertaining;: ; hut when the seoiu'f^e of Europe had heen hanislied to St. Helerr.i and tran(|uillity wa.s restored to the world, that mighty nation who.sc; arms and money had produced a general peace, sent forth her sons to explore the; luiknown Arctic seas; and in 1811), Parrv's two ships passed tiie hitherto unknown portals of Lan- caster Sound, and tluju* cn^ws were the first Euro- peans who cast their eyes on Cornvvallis and CirifHth Isles ; and Parry de.scrihed the shores of the former as " rising with a gradual ascent from a heach that was apj^arently c()mi)os(!d of sand," and passing eagerly in quest of a north-west passage, he left them far astern; while in 1820, on his un.successful return, ho again passed close to Griffith Island, hut without landing, and returned to England. Fiom that time to the year 1845, they were never approached ; and how far the; long-missing Expedition has explored them, is, alas ! unknown. We eagerly picked up part of an oar, on Cape * See page It'.). 274 ARCTIC MISCEI.LANIEff!. A'i) \ ■M. If '•' \ \. ' ITotham, with ' Friondshij)'* marked upon it, and with yet deeper interest did another party trace the tracks of a licaA'ily-latk'n sledge, near Cape Hotham, for thirty yards, till they were lost in the shingle. Since that, the happiness of our ships has made the winter pass swiftly hy, and the frowning ravines of Griffith Island have rung to unaccustomed sounds ; while in Assistance Bay our colleagues have emulated our good-fellowship. In the spring, while searching for a far more important end, our knowledge of the shores of Corn- wallis Island will be immensely increased, and on the ha])py return of the travelling parties, we intend that our narrative shall he r(,'sumed ; and therefore, with a sincere ])rayer that the missing may be found, let us all join in the unanimous cry that a happy result may crown the efforts of the traveller's. ■•'■ A M liiilrr, lost several years before, in Bafllu's Bay. TO UK CONTIXLEI). ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 275 n it, and irty trace car Cape Dst in the has made ig ravines cciistomed colleagues far more J of Corn- , and on wc intend therefore, be found, a iiappy s. Bav. tA.^ We W(-r(> mucli gratified at the receipt of the following letter from oiu- friends in Assistance Bay ; we insiirt it, convinced of the deep interest tMt hy our readers for our brothers in the same mission. TO TtTE EDTTOIJ (W THE AURORA r.OKEAlJS. In this cold ri^gion, a lin(! or two tVom a wai-m friend may not be unacceptable; as you will no doubt be desirous to know how it fares with the inhabitants of Assistance Bay, one of the most delightful localities, situated between th(! latitudes of 74'' and 75'' north, the fashionable resort of the most splendid yachts that were ever frozen up witliin the Arctic regions. Foxes, hares, birds and fish {Scdnio aulopus) abound, if we could only catch them; and from the summits of the gently-rising hills, dear (deer) creatures, who love Arctic scenery, can have a splendid view of Cape Bunny, &c. ; while numerous icebergs occuining Barrow Strait, in splendid magnificence, defy all foreign invasion, and aflbrd that kind of security to the peaceful and patient sojourners of Assistance Bay, that is nowhere else to be found. \Vh;ic an enviable situation, when compared to tliosevho ;u-e, perhaps, now dreading the powerful armi(!S of France and Russia ! T 2 I i'l 276 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. i"i ! «■ ! i The fact is, people don't know when tlw>y nrv well off. Anv one who \y,u\ seen how nitioniiUv, happily, and merrily, we spent the Christmas holi- days, would say the Arctic regions is the plaL.; to live. No cholera, no yellow fiver, and nothing to do but keo]) yourself warm and comfortable ; and those who cannot live upon salmon and venison, both of which are expected, have no business to come here. On Christmas-day, after Divine service, the three happy crews dined together, drank the Queen's health and that of Sir John, Lady Franklin, the Commodore, officers and crews of Her Majesty's ships. In the evening, we had a visit of the Ethio- pian sereuaders, whosd by the elite, as well as the mobility ; and the pcrformanee gave imiversal satisfaction. The 4th of February being the day on which our worthy neighbour, Captain Penny, lost his liberty by committing matrimony, that interesting event was duly celebrated; and on the 17th, our ici; couriers arrived from our gallant Commodore, with despatches of importance ; which shall be the subject of our next communication, should this be found worthy of your notice. xe:\ius. A.ssistance liay, (.'(jrnwallis Island, Feb. 21st, 1S51. $Li ,0tWt^«^ V^i^ hl't •278 AllCTIC MISCELLANIES. SNOW BLINDNESS. MAL 1>E XEKiE. I M r,i Tlic effects of the rays of the sun, reflected from the snow upon the eyes, has been found to be very painful, and is frequently attended with very dis- tressing circumstances. In ^lelville Bay, the neces- sity of defending the eyes was experienced ; and accordingly green veils \Yere distributed, and goggles of many fantastic shapes and various colours, miuh their ap))carance amongst us. The same effects are felt, but accompanied with most excruciating pain, and followed by attacks of j)urulent ophthalmia, from the intense glare of the burning sands of the deserts of Africa. TIk; army of Napoleon in Egypt, and an English regiment afterwards quartered near the sandy beach at Hythe, suffered severely from this disease^ while the Belgian ijrmy has long been afflicted with it, from which one hundred thousand persons have suffered from it since the year 1830; but its most terrible form is to be found among the Peruvian Andes. In those lofty regions, it produces u (Useasi; called i)y tlie ; 1 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 279 inhabitants the " surumpi," which occasions blin(hicss and excruciating tornK^nts ; tiic conjunctiva becomes inflamed, and the smallest ray of light being- abso- lutely insupportable, blindness is the consequence. The relief o;enerallv used bv the Indians is a poultice of snow ; but as that melts awa\', the tortures return. During the Peruvian War of Independence, the following very remarkable cases of summpi oc- curred. As the diN'ision of the Patriot ai'my, com- manded bv G(!neral Cordova, was marchino; from the city of Cusco to Puno, all the men were struck blind, with the exception of the guide, who gal- loped forward to procure a hundred Indians to assist in leading them. Many of the suff<'rers, maddened by pain, had in the meanwhile strayed from the columns : many perished on the road, and others fell down precipices, and were never heard of more ; while the Indians took charge of files of the poor sightless S(jl{liers, clinging to each other with agonised and desperate grasp. Out of three thousand men, Cordova lost one hundred. The other case; occurred in 1824, when two hundred patriot prisoners, having escaped from their escort, fled to the mountains of Cochabamba. On the very first night, it was necessary to light fires, and mount guard, to preserve themselves from the '! i| [:■*] ;'i.i I 280 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. jaws of ferocious animals ; and every man who sepa- rated himself from the ein-le, was sure to he carried off and speedily devoured. On the third day tiiey were caught in the snow-storm ; and on the fourth, the survmipi attacked them ; and those who did not perish on the spot, were seized hy the fierce wild beasts with which this mountainous and unfrecjuented country is infested, and torn to pieces. The Indians, however, provid(; themselves against this calamity by means of a shade round the head ; and when they feel its approach, a snow poultice, constantly renewed, is applied to the eyes. This infliction, together with an exhausted trea- sury, and the dissensions of party sjjirit, were among the principal causes which so long 'etarded the com- pletion of Peruvian emancipation. Such hav(i been a few of the distressing circum- stances which accompany these several forms of ophthalmia ; and the absence of light having weak- ened our eyes during the winter, it will be found more necessary to guard against snow-blindness in the ensuing spring, than in Melville Bay last season. I remain, Sir, Yours verv sincerely, CLIO. ^^ , "Iu^kmAA r occasion, and still assert tlmt it is splendid in the cxtiTmc, To such a piece \v(! have not the doscrii)tivo powers to do justice — to say there never was anythinj^ like it before produced within the Arctic Circle^ would he but faint and dubious praise ; but to say it is equal to anythin*^ of the kind wc have ev(!r seen, would be but fair and just. There was on the stage! evervthintj; that is worth seeing in these frozen regions, independimt of Old 7jVYo, who makes his appearance in an appropriate dress, thermonii'ter in hand ; there was bear-shoot- ing, fox-trai)ping; travelling parties with sleigh; ti'nt-i)itching, &c. ; all which were done to the life ; some excellent original songs were also sung during the performance. These songs were all composed by an officer in the Expedition, and do great credit to his lyric powers. We had almost forgot to men- tion that the pantomime is written by the same officer, which docs him honour. It merely wants a little dressing up by Alfred Crowquill or Albert Smith, then placed in the hands of some of our clever pantomimists for per- formers, and we are positive that it would not only electrify a cockney audienc, but immortalize the author, fill the coffers of thv; lessee, and have an vm- precedented run of a thousand nights. We are, however, sorry on the present occasion to report that m t\ 280 AUCTH MISCKMANIF,*:. notwithstanding tlu; miiny iiltcrations made in tlio pii'co by the author for the bettor it was not l)y any nncans so well |)('rfonn('(i as on the tirst night. Mr. C however played the clown as usual, in a manner worthy of Flexniore or a Barry. Thus ended the ])antomime : after whieh, the gallant manager spoke a lu^at and appropriate ej)i- logue, at the conclusion of which a unanimous burst of acclamation arose from the whole house, or rather from every soul on board II. M.S. ' Assistance,' at which moment the curtain fell, and the theatre closed for the season. We have spent many a pleasant hour within the walls of a theatre, but never have we enjoyed our- selves to a greater degree than at the Royal Arctic on the evening of the 4th of March, 1851. It is true no " Eyes, as diamonds, sparkling bright," I W illumined the deep circle, nor beauty of the opera or ballet adorn(>d the stage ; we were neither enrap- tured by the melodious warblings of a Jenny Lind, nor fascinated by the smiles of a Madame Wilson ; but we had the novel gratification of looking around on an audience and a company of actors, composed exclusively of British seamen, health glowing on their AUCTIC MISrF<:i,LAN'IES. 287 chocks, and (Idormiiiation Ix'aniinir in tlicir eves — their country's j)ri(le, iuul the world's terror. Tlio Arctic Tlu'iitre was closed for th(! season, and its f^alliint manager has ])rove(l a successful caterer to the i)ul)lic amusement durin<; a lonj^ winter. We iiope he has l)een equally fortunate in tillinu: his treasury, and sliould he ntrp'.-i deign to oj)en his small, hut splendid and commodious theatre during the fortiicoming season, wo hope that a generous and discerning public will shower down on him that |)atronage his taste and talt-nts eminently deserve. Tlic manager bco;s to offer his best thanks to all who have so kindly aided him in carrying out the theatrical entertainments during the past winter, not only to those who have contributed their talents to the performance, but also to those who have by great personal labour exei'ted themselv(.'S in com- pleting the arrangements, scenery, decorations, and material of the hous(\ The lease having expired, the manager highly appreciates the many favours received from a gene- "ii !i' 1 :i 1 1 ' i i I 288 AUfTIC MISCELLANIIDS. rous public by their cordial support ; and if tb(>y btivo derived some amusement during the darkness and privations of an Arctic winter, it will ever be a source of gratification. In taking leave of his friends in this capacity fit the conclusion of the season, he trusts that the late happy occasions, where all joined in contributing to the general amusement, may always be remembered with satisfaction. May success and prosperity attend each througii life ! 3a.f)C. CXaa >U.c. Ck^ tAUV I li ARCTIC MISOHLLANIES. '289 th(>y havo kncss and ever be a liis friends reason, he all joined ent, may 1\ tlirougli M 1-:TE0110L0GY for FElUIUAllY, Isr.l. Aceording to anticipation, and the experience of most previous voyagers, February has proved to be the severest of the winter months. The force of the wind lias generally been greater, we have had a greater proportion of obscm*e days, and more tailing snow than any of the preceding months. In addition to the usual table, the temperature is given for the same months of the three successive vears in Boothia Felix. Vliiee. :\rclvillc Island AViutcr Isluiul . . l.U'loolik . . . . Tort JJiiwcu . . 15o()lliia Felix . . Ditio Dilto Port Leopold . . OtfGrillltli Island* Year. Max. isoo 1S:2;2 is-',-) ]s;}o is:u 1 ^\vi isM) IS.VI _i;o — I" + 20" — S" + Li" (),\n — J^" — J.rlJ" — Hi" Mill, -\K'aii. — 51)" — ;i2i9 - ;i7" ~;2I!)7 — i;i" --MM — 1 ,V' — ilW-l - !■;" — i\)\) — !',)" — '.Vl\\\ — 1 li" — ;i;i-C)0 - :,;i" — :ii:i - IS" — li ;>"'.) S In consequence of thick wcatlicr the sun could not he seen until three davs aftei- the one calculated iiUiHiit u r Si * Ou scvcn-al occasions a thornionictrr i)larod at a distanof of a luuidrcd yards, lias indicated 2" lower temperature. U ! s' i ■HI M III ,,, ^ „ II^Hh lil ■ :|l 1 M Hm il 11 fi 1 t I IB 1 ■ 1 1 i ! ii IB in I m SH wj ij i :{' iH M II ' 1 1 J! I fffl r :'■ 'i Hi 1 ^^^ '; ■! ill i ^ i\ ]\i 1 ! 1 ' H T' ! ^ 1 1 * f' ; ! I l-J 1 ;'| i i: f Ii 1 ^ 1 ^ il r III 1 i ' 1 '^ 1 1 r i 1. II s i| 1 ' ' If f III ' if ■: :1m \ I 1 Ir iii. ft m^ m 290 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, for its iippoarance on the horizon : on the fourth, about noon, a vertical pink streak near the meridian indicated its position ; on the seventh, at eleven, A.M., the glorious orb was seen from the mast-head, and immediately after was visible from the deck, bearing south-south-e;\st. Owing to a fog bank along the south horizon, its upper semi-diameter only appeared. The jiltitude of its upper limb was about 1^ degree; for this position, at :o low an altitude, its brilliancy was very remarkable, the day was colder than any other of the season ; the thermometer showed — 47°, bar. 29-75. It was absent from our sight ninety-five days, every heart gladdened to see it once more, for besides being an important epoch in the Arctic Calendar, it was an occasion which could not but inspire feelings of gratitude to an all merciful Creator. The influence of the sun's rays was soon per- ceptible. On the 10th, a thermometer, being placed on a black board, exposed directly towards the sun, showed 26°, while in the shade it stood at 32°. As in th(! two former months, we wxTe visited with gales of wind, at the full and ehangi; of the moon, attended with heavy snow-drift, causing great accumulation round the ships ; and the month con- eluded with a strong north-west gale. The winds AHCTIC MlSf'ELI,\MF.S. 2!)1 have blown twenty days from the north-west, and eight days varial)lc and southerly. The Auroi'a has appeared brig-ht on four occa- sions; generally in the form of an arch, from the south-east quarter, towards the north. On the night of the 25 th, it was more brilliant than on any other occasion this season, making an arch, from the south- east to the north, Avith coruscations shooting off laterally from it, towards the zenith. Parhelia and haloes have been visible durino; the day, almost daily, since the return of the sun, more or less brilliant ; generally one on each side of the sun, at the extreme of the lialo's diameter, which measured about 40°, coloured with the prismatic hues. Sometimes a faint one was seen on the ver- tical extreme, bisected by a segment of an inverted halo. The mean height of the barometer for the month was 29.83; extreme range, from 30.60 to 29.17. 41'!' Ca,^ C . ^^x-c -a*^ sl-^ « tt^ Y •J hi u 2 IX. 1i !l Bafiiu'sBay, Sept. 1851. With the extended soaieh made by our ships, and more especially by our travelling parties, and nothing having been discovered by them, the hope which buoyed us on leaving England, and made us look forward to being the instruments to our missing countrymen, is now quenched for ever. Hundreds of miles of coast, hitherto unknown, have been examined, and have been added to the stock we already possess of Arctic geography; but not a vestige of the missing Expedition, beyond what was discovered at Cape Riley and Bcechey Island, has been found. *;■ ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 293 N Throughout the sciirch, the most earnest anxiety was manifested; but day followed day, and month succeeded month, without any clue to their where- abouts. Various and many have been the surmises regard- ing the Me of the ' Erebus ' and ' Terror,' yet the wildest of these may perhaps be the one nearest the truth. A mysterious cloud envelopes their history. No one can doubt that much has been encountered by the missing ships ; privations endured, and hardships undergone. Men like Franklin, Crozier, and Fitzjamcs, do not easily abandon an object. Without looking over the list of those men who have sought glory amid savage nations, amid pesti- lential climes, and in countries teeming with obstacles innumerable, we shall limit ourselves to a few in- stances known in Arctic navigation. In 1743, a vessel sent by Jeremias Ottamkoff, of Mesen, in Sergovia, for the purpose of fishing, was frozen in off East Spitzbergen. Unprepared for wintering, and anxious to secure to themselves a home on land, four men were sent in search of a hut, or its remains, which they had heard had been left by a ship, that had wintered in the same place, some time before. These men provided them- selves with a musket, powder-horn, containing twelve charges of powder, some lead, an axe, a small kettle, i! :i! l!t:|l^ n J Ml 294 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES mm n M uw ii ill n a stove, a piece of touchwood, a knife, a tin box, full of tobacco, and each man a pi])c. They succeeded in tinding the hut, when the wind, which had been blowing hard, now increased to a gale, and obliged them to take shelter that night within the wretched dwelling. To their horror, on seeking the beach thc! next morning, they found that ice, ship, and all hands, had disappeared. Despair at the thought of being thus abandoned, seized upon them ; but yielded to the pressing neces- sity of seeking food. Luckily, reindeer abounded, and the twelve charges produced as many deer. The flesh of these animals was almost consumed, when a portion of wood and a nail were found on the beach, with which they made a lance, and suc- ceeded in killing a bear. Of the tendons, they made strings for a bow, and with arrows they killed all the reindeer, blue and white foxes, which served them for food during the period of their stay on this deserted spot. After six dreary years had passed over their heads, thev lost one of *their comrades. The remainin i I ,1 I ii! unshaken constancy and persijveruncc, in situations the most arduous, the nnost distressing, and some- times the most hopeless, that can befal human beings." Can vvc, without feelings of the deepest sympathy, recal to our minds the sufferings they underwent? the hunger, that made them prize food, which, from its putridity and aclfl nature, excoriated their lips, and which reduced them to so low a state, as to cause one to say, " Dear me ! if we are spared to return to England, I wonder if we shall recover our under- standings ?" We arc astonisht'd how men could have undergone so much, without losing their reason. Great indeed must have been their sufferings. In terminating his interesting, though mournful narrative, Dr. (now Sir John) Richardson, says : " It is impossible to describe our sensations, when, on attaining the eminence that overlooks it, we beheld the smoke issuing from one of the chimnies. From not having met with any footsteps in the snow, as we drew nigh our once cheerful residence, we had been agitated by many melancholy fore- bodings. Upon entering the now desolate building, sve had the satisfaction of embracing Captain Franklin ; but no words can convey an idea of the filth and wretch- AUCTIC MISCELLANIES. 297 cclncss that mot our eyes on looking around. Our own misery had stolen upcjn us by degrees, and we were aeeustomcd to the contemplation of each other's emaciated figures : but the ghastly countenances, dilated eyeballs, and sepulchral voices of Caj)tain Franklin and those with him, were more than we could at first bear." And with such examples shall we say that England's proud sons have succumbed without a struggle ? Causes above the power of man have been at work, and have arrested them in their hopeful expectations. Our duty is done in these seas, and we now turn homeward, yet in doing so it is with the hope that the missing ships ha\'e proceeded west- ward, and that to Collinson's Expedition is re- served the humane honour of rescuing those brave and so long missing adventurers ; and that we may yet have the heartfelt pleasure of welcoming them to England, and congratulating them on their escape through the many dangers and dreary winters they have passed in the Polar regions. v..) . / >' 298 AllCTIC MISCELLANIES, A TARTING WORD TO OUll HEADERS. !ii i\ I 1 r It is with a certain degree of regret that wv announce this as the last number of the *' Aurora." This paper was estaUished in the first instance for the purpose of creating amusement, arousing in- quiry, and eliciting information ; and now that its final number is about to appear before the public, we may venture to say, without fearing that the boast will draw upon us the imputation of vanity, that the " Aurora Borealis" hath succeeded in its object. We here offer our thanks to our kind contri- butors for the very ready manner in which thev have always assisted in ably filling its pages, and to our readers for the leniency exhibited in their criticism. Another debt of thanks is due to the pioneers who were the first to astonish the Arctic wnlds with the " hundred voiced cry of the public press ;" to Sir Edward Parry and to Colonel Sabine, the institutors of papers in the Arctic regions, to whom we are indebted for the idea of establishing our own. As we take our final farewell, we entertain hopes that, when years will have made us older men, the ARCTIC misc[-:llaniks. inornents employed in writing!; for- — or reiidinji' — tlie " Aurora," will not be looked upon as the least bright ones of our existence, and that th(! after life of our mess, ship, and squadron-niatcs may ever have for their motto the one chosen l)y our ])aper " Spes b('iii[)er hiccus." T R A V E L L T N CI T A R T I E S Tlie spring travelling parties of this Expedition have effected infinitely more of the cxti'nsive search for Sir Jolm Franklin and his missing crews, than has been achieved by the ships during the navi- gable season. Issuing forth from the north-west point of Griffith Island, they have penetrated far into the unknown west, searched and discoN'cred vast tracts of coast, and starting earlier, and travelling longer than any parties that have gone before them, have borne up against the rigorous climate of an Arctic April, and endured hardsliips of a most trying nature. From the 4tli of April to the ciul of the month ! m' lit 300 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. there was (with th(; exception of one day) a travellinjr party constantly away from the ships ; and during- that time the temperature was seldom up to zero. The cutting wind frequently blowing in their faces, together with the hard uneven ridges of snow, and lines of heavy hummocks over which the sledges were obliged to bt; dragged, rendered the work of the travellers very laboricjus. Their faces were con- stantly frost-bitten, scarcity was one :'heek restored when the other would be caught. Their feet were so affected by the cold that in several cases serious accidents were the results. The glare of the sun upon the snow, caused snow-blindness and soreness of the eyes, and on one occasion there were fifteen men attacked with it, out of four sledges' crews, con- sisting of thirty persons. When the tent is pitched, and the fire lighted for supper, the miseries of this travelHng are for from ended. With the thermometer below — 1 0°, the fat of salt pork becomes hard, and breaks like suet ; the rum becomes thick, and to drink out of a pannikin without leaving the skin of the lips attached to it, requires considerable experience and caution. The steam of the cooking, together with the moisture of the breath, condenses in considerable quantity on the inside of the tent, so that each fla]) of the canvas causes a shower of fine snow to fall over >v9 ARCTIC MISCEIXANIKS. 301 its inmates, pcnctratint; and welting tlicir blanket bags. Besides this, tb(! men experienced great ditH- cnlty in getting (jff their buuts, and felt numbness in their legs. On several occasions the cold was so intense that it even penetrated the sl''eping bags, fingers were frost-bitten, and skup j)revented. The l)oots, too, which had contracted during the mild weather of the IGth and 1 7th from perspiration from the feet, soon froze hard; and the boot with which the Duke of Lauderdale tormented the Scotch Covenanters, was brought to the Arctic traveller's recollection, when forcing his foot into these frozen receptacles of torture. But let it not be supposed that these hardships and privations were not attended with concomitant comfort — a comfort whose extent can never be felt by those who are accustomed to the luxury of beds, or even to the bare ground in less rigorous climes. Not the tired soldier, when after a long march, he wraps himself in his cloak, and lays him down by the watch-fire : not the South American horsemen, to whom sleep has been a stranger for thirty hours, when overpowered by drowsiness, and with his bridle twisted round his arm, he drops from his saddle and falls into a delightful slumber : not the labourer who after a heavy day's work returns to his humble if «',': :l! I'll I i|:^ I'-' hiii. 1' ■■1!:' f/i 1 '1; 1 i! 1 -■ * ! i l(t|: 11 1 ■1 1' II 1 1 ■■'i * f '; |j 1 11 m 1 A ' i; 302 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. thvelliiifi: to rcfrt'sli himself in sleep : none of these ean iniiijiine the enchantino; dr(>ams and delicious re- ])os(! experienci'd by the Arctic traveller, when with one pound of pemican stowed comfortably away, he ensconces himself for the night in his blanket bag. The agreeable passages of the past, and all that imagination can prompt as delightful, for the future pass across the dreamer's mind, and banquetting halls with tables groaning under the profusion of luxuries are laid out before him. This latter image is more vivid, if the day's meal has happened to bo more meagre than usual. Such were tiie hardships, and such the comforts experienced in the month of April. In May the weather became gradually warmer, and by the end of .June the water on the floe had become so deep as to make the sknlges float in many pliices, and to rise above the sea-boots of the travellers, while the ice underneath was so smooth and slippery as scarcely to aiford a footing ; so that the cold and frt)st-biies of one month were replaced by the wet and discomfort ot another The two great divisions of travelling parti(,'s left the north-west blutli' of GritHth Island on the night of the i5th of A\ml Tiie Cape Walker division slej)t on the first day over ice, which was frequently heard to crack and grind undei- ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 303 these can cious rc- n', when mfortiibly it in his the past, l(>lightful, •'s mind, ng iindci' x)rc him. meal has comforts May the he end of leop as to , and to rs, while [ slippery the cold h1 by the arties left 1 on the c Walker •e, which id under the tents. On the 21st, after crossing a heavy ridge of hummocks extending to the north- west by lightening and double manning the sledges, they reached the beach, and encamped at midnight. Cape Walker was the spot on which it was almost universally believed that Sir John Franklin would have left a cairn, if proceeding in that dii'ection, and great was the mortification of the travellers when not a sign or vestige was to be found. It is a range of high cliffs rising 700 or 800 feet perpendicularly above the level of the sea, com- posed of sandstone conglomerate, the debi'is of which form slopes that extend from about halfway up its face down to the beach. The highest part to the south-south-east may be assumed as the Cape itself, and the whole is fissured by deep ravines. Five miles north- north-west of the Cape is a promontory where the cliffs ter- minate in a rounded point, in lat. 74° 7' north, and long. 97° 38' v/est. Huge hummocks are pressi>d upon the beach, in some places to a height of fifty feet. The coast treads south-west by west with very low land, whicli was comj)l(jtcly coverc.'d with snow, and low project'.ng points extending every five or six miles, where the grounded masstis of ice were forcibly pressed up in great jn'ofu- m 304 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I' ill! i sion. Th(3 land is gonorally of limostone, witli boulders of granite. About nineteen miles westward of Cape; Walker, an island was discovered, very low and flat, and about eight miles from the shore. The ice ap- peared to be of many years formation, and several heavy pieces were grounded at least one mile and a half from the shore. From a low point in long. 99° 25' west, the land turns to the south-east, forming a (channel about four miles and a half wide ; after several miles it turns to east by iiorth and here the land assumes a bolder appearance, and rises to a height of two hundred and fifty feet. From this point the channel turns cast by north ; the soil here, favoured by a southern as- pect, is deep, and well-covered with grass and moss. On the southern coast was a magnificent range of cliff^s intersected by ravines ; and at last it turns due south, and the channel opens into a sea be- tween North Somerset and the newly-discovered land, thus making the land on which Cape Walker is situated, an i.sland of about one hun- dred miles in circumference. Beyond the northern outlet of this channel the land extends north-west to a very low cape. It then turns west-south-west for twenty-five miles of low dreary coast without anv remarkable feature. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 305 jc, with Walker, flat, and ice ap- [1 several mile and in long, mth-east, i a half by iiorth pcarance, ind fifty cast by thern as- md moss. ;nt range ; it turns I sea be- liscovered ch Cape one hun- annel the 3ape. It ive miles le feature. A deep gulf reaching to 72° 49' north, and about fifty miles in circumference, whose shores consisted of low uninteresting land is bounded by a point from which the land again trends nearly south, and here ended the search in this direction. In lat. 73° 52' north, long. 101° 14' west, the mag- netic needle showed its maximum declination. The coast to south and east of Cape Walker was also examined as far south as 72° 42' north, it consisted of high and barren land. Along the whole three hundred miles of newly- discovered coast, not a sign or vestige of Europeans was to be found : a few very ancient and scattered Esquimaux remains, a few fossils, and the cliffs near Cape Walker comprehend all that can excite the smallest interest; all else that was seen was a barren coast covered with snow, and bounded by the frozen sea — monotonous, dreary, and inhos- pitable. In the meanwhile the north-west division had proceeded along the shores of Cornwallis and Bathurst Islands. On arriving at Cape Cockburn on the 28th, it was found necessary to send several men back to the ships, severely frost-bitten in the feet, several of which ended in mortification, and one unfortunately had a fatal termination. On the 6th of May, Byam Martin Island was reached, Il or 1 ij !"'' i.'i : W . ;! ' !■:' j: i I'llii I? f ill'' 306 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. which with a margin of very low land rises in the interior to a height of one hundred to three hun- dred feet. This island is of an ohlong form, the singular margin by which it is surrounded consists of sandy and muddy flats, rescm1)ling the large islands at the mouths of great rivers ; this resemblance im- pressed the recent visitors with the idea of its having an analogous or delta origin ; and this view is perhaps favoured by its position at the mouth of a wide strait, or at least a very deep gulf. On the 1 1 th, the parties landed on Melville Island — that Ultima Thule of modern discovery ; and were the first visitors since 1820. One party discovered its eastern coast as far north as 76° 15', and travelled round Byam Martin Island, while the other advanced to the westward. Passing the winter Harbour of Parry, th(> land near Cape Pro- vidence was found to consist of ranges of hills with a narrow belt of low land, containing many well sheltered and fertile spots, with innumerable tracks of deer and musk oxen. Cape Dundas was rounded, and fi-om the summit of a cliflf seven hundred feet high, Banks's Land was distinctly visible, where the ravines and some snow patches on the cliffs were plainly made out with a glass; the longitude of 114" 26' west wos i'l'i ses in the; hree him- ; singular 5 of sandy islands at lance im- lea of its this view mouth of df. 1 Melville discoverv ; One party s 76° 15', , while the issing the Cape Pro- f hills with many well ahlc tracks ;he summit iks's Land , and some made out ' west was ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 307 reached, the farthest yet attained by any European in these regions, and after discovering at least one hundred and twenty miles of coast west of Cape Beechey, and a broad channel to the westward between Melville Island and Banks's land, which from their position subtended an angle of 57°, the party proceeded up Liddon's Gulf. Bushan Cove, on its northern shore, was reached by the 1st of June, and here it was expected that Sir John Franklin, or some of his parties, if they had wintered anywhere to the northward of Melville Island, would have left traces in their attempt to reach the continent of America ; but not a vestige was to be found. In this picturesque spot, Parry had left his traveUing cart on the 1 1th of June, 1820, and our party found the wheels, several tin water bottles, one of which contained a mixture of tallow and linseed-oil, used probably to grease the cart- wheels, and some ammunition in a preserved meat tin, but spoiled by wet. The bones of the ptar- migan Parry had dined off were still strewed about the encampment. Parry's record was also found ; it was only removed because almost destroyed by wet ; it was replaced by another, and a cairn erected. Leaving Winter Harbour on the 1st of June, Parry had been a fortnight away, and travelled over X 2 ; I ik > I'u, 308 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. In f !l 1 1 r I 8' • a one hundred and eighty miles, his party dragging a cart with eight hundred pounds weight on it. Travelling in the Arctic regions was then in its infancy ; since that time it has gradually improved by experience, and become more extended in its operations ; Franklin, Richardson, Dcase, Simpson and Rae have explored the shores of Arctic America ; James Ross has discovered the Magnetic Pole ; Parry himself has attained the highest north latitude ever reached by man ; and at last the travelling party in 1851, leaving the shores of Griffith Island, has attained a distance of three hundred geogra- phical miles direct from the ships, and re-visited the place where the first Arctic travellers had encamped. Crossing the land from near the head of Liddon's Gulf, the party arrived at Winter Harbour on the 5th, and encamped near the mass of sandstone at its entrance, on which the names of the ' Hecla' and ' Griper' were carved. The foundations of the observatory w^re found, with pieces of wood, coal, broken glass, nails and a domino lying in and near them ; but the grave of the seaman who died in 1820, could nowhere he discovered.* The foot * These shores were still deeply covered with snow, thawing had not yet commenced, the temperature ranging from + 17° to 35°, so that it is probable the grave was covered over. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 309 dragging- a it. ;hen in its improved led in its Simpson 1 America ; 'tic Pole ; th latitude travelling [ith Island, 'd geogra- re-visited ellers had if Liddon's »ur on the indstone at he ' Hecla' ons of the ,vood, coal, ig in and I who died The foot V, thawing had -17° to 350, so of man had not trod on this interesting spot since Parry's merry crews, the writers in the " North Georgian Gazette" and the actors in a " Miss in her Teens" and " The Mayor of Garrett" had win- tered here in 1819 — 20, and a more convincing proof of this could not he found than the tameness of a hare, which almost allowed the men to touch her. On the 6th, a cairn of Parry's was found at the entrance of Fife Harbour, containing a record in good preservation, which stated that the land was taken possession of in the name of King George III. on the 5th of September, 1819. This interesting document was replaced, and on the 13th, the party turned their backs on Melville Island, reaching the ships on the 4th of July. They had been eighty days absent, part of the time during the most rigorously cold weather, and had dragged the sledge over seven hundred and seventy-one miles of ice and snow. Melville Island, as in Parry's time, had been found to abound in musk oxen, reindeer, ptarmigan, hares, brent geese and ducks, which supplied ex- cellent fresh meat to the party, the musk oxen yielding one hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds of beef. Th(^ plentiful supply of game forms a striking ''"|MI 1 i. 1 ^ i f ' , I 1 !( i j ! !? 310 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. contrast with the almost dearth of it on the newly discovered land to the southward, which must have greatly increased the monotonous sameness met with by the searching parties in that direction. Besides these parties, the west shore of Bathurst Island was discovered, and searched as tar north as 76° 11'. A deep bay between Bathurst and Cornvvallis Islands was found to exist, and with the exception of a narrow inlet in its north-east corner, was examined. Lowther, Garrett, Somerville, Brown and Young Islands have been thoroughly examined, and Penny's Expedition has explored both shores of Wellington Channel for more than a hundred miles. With very small crews, and using dogs during the first, and a boat during the latter part of the spring, Mr. Penny has penetrated into regions hitherto unknown, discovered several islands, but without attaining the desired object ; while Sir John Ross, in hopes of reaching the northern shores of Cornwallis Island, detached a party, which he himself accompanied for several days, and which aftei- penetrating as far inland as 75° 40' north, was obliged to return. During the progress of our parties, when the ice was tolerably smooth, and the wind favourable, sails and kites were used on the sledges with great ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 311 the newly nust have ness met direction. Bathurst tar north lurst and I with the ist corner, He, Brown examined, ith shores I hundred gs during art of the ;o regions ands, hut while Sir ern shores which he v'hich after orth, was when the favourahle, with great advantage, frequently, with a fresh breeze, over- taking the men at the drag-ropes, forcing them to run on either side, and continuing, without aid, their onward course. Such have been the (,'xertions made during the spring of 1851, to discover and relieve our long- lost countrymen. Five parties have been away from their ships much longer than any that have pre- ceded them, " travelling over fast-frozen seas, pre- senting scenes of peculiar solitude, and gloom," as one of the travellers describes it, " with nothing but a snowy desert, encircled by the horizon — with- out a speck for the eye to rest on; so gloomy, that human life seems obtrusive and unwelcome in such a scene of desolation," and braving the hard-^ ships of a month, the mean temperature of which was — 7°, and the minimum 30°, at the ships. They have, although unsuccessful in their main ob- ject — the relief of their gallant countrymen — at least done their utmost to effect that noble object ; and have surpassed the efforts of .^very Arctic tra- veller that has gone before them. Though it has been positively ascertained that Franldin's ships are neither on the south nor the west shores of the islands of Parry's Archipelago ; that thev are not within one hundred miles of the entrance of WeUington Channel ; and that they 1 1 m ii 312 AKCTIC MISCELLANIES. have; not proceeded cither to the westwiird or south- ward of Cape Walker ; yet their fat(; still remains an unsolved mystery. Little or no hope can now, it is to be t'eared, be entertained of their ultimate safety ; but in their noble and glorious attempt to extend and improve universal knowledge, they have fallen in a higher and a better cause, than if a ball or cutlass-woinid had laid them low, on a field covered with the bodies of their fellow-creatures, or on a deck reek- ing with human blood. " Hunuiiicly gloriuus, iiicu will wct'p for tliciii Wlu'U many ii guilty niarlial fame is iliiii, Tiicy jilouglii'il the deep to bind no captive's chain, , Pursued no rapine, strewed no deck with slain, And save; that in the deep themselves lie low, These heroes plucked no wreatii I'roni human woe, Yet they that led discovery o'er the wa\e Still lill themselves an undiscovered grave." ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 313 or snutli- l remains fi'iired, be ; in their 1 improv(! a higher iss-vvound with the h'ck reek- II, hk THE HISTORY OF GRIFFITH AND CORNWALLIS ISLANDS. NO. V. C O X C L L S I O N. Since the return of the travelhng parties, Corn- wallis Island has been found to bend north-west, until it is only bounded from Bathurst by a narrow inl(!t ; and the land north of Barlow Inlet has been explored for a distance of about one hundred-: and sixty miles. The warm svm of June and July soon thawed the snow, and large lakes were formed in (!very direction, frequented by brent geese, red- throated divers, ei^':;r, king and long-tailed ducks. Numerous phalaropes and sand-pipers appeared in the marshy ground, and ptarmigans on the bleak, inhospitable hills ; while the beautiful purple saxi- frage, dwarf willows, and other plants, peeped forth as the snow gi-adually disa])peared. Griffith Island, too, has also appeared in a more eluerful and inviting light. In the south-east point. i'ii : !;■;' '^•, If™' 314 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. which is a perpendicular cliff of iil)i)ut five hundred feet hii2:h, with an <'xtensive landslip of huge hlocks of limestone, from twenty to thirty feet in height, swarms of dovekies and gulls hegan to breed dur- ing the summer months. This is by far the most picturesque spot in the island. The prodigious masses of rock, strewed about in every direction, with purple saxifrage; and mosses growing thickly between them, present a scene of wild confusion, which is increased by a view of the broad, desolate tloe, stretching out to the horizon. On the west coast of the island, there ' • a broad barren plain, sloping down from the in, hills to the sea ; and here was a large; boulder of granite ; the ground, on one side of it, was covered with moss, and strewed with bones — the last resting-place of an aged bear. The whole plain, indeed, was covered with several patches, and the bones of bears, foxes, birds, &c. ; and this wild and desolate spot was apparently the great cemetery of Griffith Is- land. In addition to these two interesting scenes, a deep inlet, on the north-west coast, whose shores are en- circled by large patches of grass and moss, and pools frequented by the eider-duck, brent goose, and phalarope, is another feature of the island which has been discovered since the arrival of summer. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 3lo hundred g(! blocks 111 height, reed dur- thc most prodigious direction, g thickly confusion, ., desoluto ' • ii broad hills to (f granite ; ,'ered with sting-pluce ideed, was ;s of bears, solate spot Griffith Is- les, a deep •es are en- moss, and 'cnt goose, land which nmer. During the month of Marcli, scattered bodies of men, clothed in white, with banners displayed, might liave been seen winding uj) the frowning ravines, crossing the l)leak and snow-clad hills, or advancing along the beach, or on the neighi)ouring Hoes of Gritfith Isle. Here were tiic Maltese cross, the arm transfixing a bleeding heart, the severed tree, the Cornish arms, and many others, waving in the; breeze ; while those; who marched under these several colours exercised their power . of endurance, ))revi()us to starting forth on their sacred mission. It was on the gloomy ;aid threatening evening of the 15th of April, that they all assembled under the north-west bluff, where tlu' tents were pitched previous to departure. For no hostile purpose was this large body of men, armed with guns and knives, busily employed in preparations for a long march. Those hi'arty (,'heers, which preceded their final departure, were no prelude to a murderous onslaught on an enem\', as an ignorant spectator would naturally have sup- posed, but the leave-taking of thosi' who were about to brave fearful hardships, for the purpose of saving, not of destroying. And the north-west bluff beheld the return of these parties, one by one, as they dropped in, from their extensive, but fruitless search ; and gladly was it hailed by many an anxious tra- m'l^ 316 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I I •Y'S ' vellcr, as he pursued his weary way towards the ships. Meanwhile the heat of the sun had made a sen- sible difference both on the floe and in the ravines. The splendid snow sculpture had disappeared : Britannia had dwindled into a little hummock, the bear was buried in drift, and the symmetrical vase had fallen from its pedestal ; while the Observatory — a Pantheon in miniature — had sunk, and, " like a basel(!ss vision," left not a trace behind. But these perishable works of art were about to be replaced by more durable monuments of our residence in the Arctic regions. On the summit of the south-east point of Griffith Island, a broad table-land, strewed with fossil re- mains, commands a magnificent view of Barrow's Straits, and the land to the eastward ; and this spot was chosen as the site of a superb cairn, thirteen feet high, and about thirty feet in circumference, and surmounted by a lofty pole, to commemorate our wintering in the adjacent floe ; while anothcn* of similar dimensions was erected on Cape Martyr. Other cairns, of different sizes, remains of en- campments, heaps of preserved meat-tins, and espe- cially a stratagetic wall, commanding a view of two lakes, near the south-west point of Cornwallis Island, and intended to conceal the ducrv-shooter : all these ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 317 iwards the lade a sen- le ravines, sappeared : mock, the itrical vase (bservatory d, "like a But these »e replaced nee in the of Griffith fossil re- f Barrow's d this spot n, thirteen [;rence, and norate our another- of artyr. ins of en- and espe- iew of two lUis Island, • : all th(^S(; will testify to future voyagers, that these islands were once frequented by the jo\nal crews of the Expedition of 1850—51. A more melancholy testimony will be found in the presence of a solitary tomb, on the eastern shores of Griffith Isle, with a head and foot-board, neatly carved, and planted around with the moss and saxi- frage — the last re£,iing-place of one who fell a martyr to the humane cause in which he was engaged, dui'ing the rigorous winter of an Arctic April, But the time soon arrived for the ice to break up, before the beneficial power of the summer sun ; the floes were in motion, broad lanes of water opened, and at length, on the 1 1 th of August, the four vessels bade farewell to their winter quarters ; wliile, on the 12th, the brigs and schooner in As- sistance Bay, also departed for England. Eleven months had we been fixed in our winter home, with nothing to look upon but the broad desolate floe, and the barren, inhospitable islands ; yet during that time the frozen plain had almost assumed the appearance of an inhabited coun- try. Finger-posts and snowy architect-are marked the roads between the difl'erent vessels ; crowds of people were constantly to be seen passing and re- passing ; while, on particular occasions, a carriage f f I f ■;•.. Vi ] 1^1 i :: . . .!! 9 1 ^ ' ' 1 '( i ' Hi ' H 1 1 ( ?18 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. lighted l)y torches and blue-lights; the high priest of Japan, clothed in yellow cap, flowered gown, and crimson belt, and other rare specimens of what people can do when they are put to it, might be seen crossing the dreary road towards tlie Arctic Casino. The shores of the island, too, were also crowded by the constitutional promenaders of the squadron. During the summer, a noisy party of dovekic de- stroyers, commanded by the licenced sportsmen of the Expedition, were encamped on the south-east point; and, in short, the years 1850 — 51 were perfect anni mircihiles in the annals of Griffith and Cornwallis Isles. No human foot will probably, for ages, tread their dreary shores. Our remains will lay unnoticed along the snowy beach ; and our proud architectural monuments will rear their lofty heads in solitude, with no admiring eyes to gaze upon them ; while with no bright protecting abodes to defy his might, the despotic Zero will exercise his life-destroying power, and spread bleak desolation along the deserted floe. Winter after winter will follow each other, the bears and foxes will roam unmolested over the ground where once the vocal and theatrical arts were brought to such perfection ; and as summer returns, the sea- birds, ducks, and ptarmigan, will breed without injury ligh priest gown, and i of what might he the Arctic so crowded squadron, lovekic do- )rtsmon of south-east —5 1 were rrifRth and iges, tread unnoticed rchitectural n soHtude, em ; while 1 might, the ing power, !serted floe. , the hears the ground ere brought is, the sea- hout injury ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 3iy in the frowning crags, or along the unfrequented lakes ; and no better proof can be given that vast tracts of country were never intended as abodes for man, and that the immense uninhabited tracts of Arctic land were set apart solely for the increase and enjoyment of those lower classes of God's created beings, which were never brought into existence only for our use. When, in after years, the mind looks back upon the jovial hours spent near Griffith's Island, it will be with a mor(^ kindlv feeling towards that wretched place, as associated with many pleasing and amusing circumstances in the history of our winter quarters ; but if those feelings and associations did not exist, it might safely be asserted that more desolate, miser- able, uninteresting, and frightful regions do not exist on the surface of the globe, than the two islands of Griflith and Cornwallis. 320 ARCTIC MISCELLANIKS. ( J:' I- El i It tlV'!: .i •]] ■t) I Ij i 1 ii ^ ^k ii I 1 ' 1 ■ k 1: SEQUEL TO THE ORIGIN OF TIIE ARCTIC HlGflLANDERS. Sir, A description of the very interesting Esquimaux remains discovered by our travelling parties, while searching for the long-lost Expeuliiun will form a natural sequel to an article on the origin of the Arctic Highlanders, which appeared in a former number of your paper.* From Cape Dundas to the entrance of Lan- caster Sound, the whole coast is strewed with very ancient remains of both the winter and summer habitations of the; Esquimaux, which, though of different ages have evidently been several centuries untenanted, th'jy arc however strong evidence of extensive emigrations at diffe- rent periods from the westward towards Baffin Bay, and these emigrations may be accounted for, not only by the irruption of Shiebani Khan into Siberia, as suggested in tlie former article, but also * Sec p. 43. LCTIC Esquimaux rties, while will form igin of the a former e of Lan- ewed with vinter and IX, which, :>ntly been e however s at diffe- irds Baffin ounted for, Khan into [e, but also ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 321 by the other great conquests of the Mongols. Four times in the history of the world have the mighty hords which inhabit the southern slopes of the Altai chain, supposed by Cuvier to be the cradle of the Mongolian race — burst forth like a destroying d(,'luge, to spread t(>rror and desolation into every country of th(i old world. Attila in the fifth century at the same time overawed the Empire of China, and entered Im- perial Rom(! in triumph. In the ninth, the Hun- garians spread desolation to the foot of the Pyrenees and the shores of the Atlantic, and burnt at the same time Ravenna on the Adriatic, and Bremen on the Baltic. Genghis Khan, in the thirteenth boasted that he had slain thirteen million of his fellow creatures, and in the end of the four- teenth Tamerlane aspired to the empire of the world. And these terrible scourges of mankind appear not to have rushed forth in one direction, like a mountain torrent destroying everything that imjK^dcs its progress, but to have spread out on all sides as the bursting of some mighty engine. Not only did the grandsons of Genghis Khan proceed in their career of conquest from Samar- cand to the plains of Silesia ; but they also pene- trated into the frozen wastes of Siberia, and founded a dynasty on the ruins of the Chinese Y 322 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. house of Soong. Not only did Tamerlane defeat the Ottoman on the field of Angora, and con- quered the country of the Muscovites, but he also *led his army to the conquest of China, and his descendants founded a dynasty in the luxuriant vale of Rohileund. These successive outpourings ^ of the Mongolian tribes, must have been felt even to the remotest parts (jf Kamtschatka, and driven the wretched inhabitants of these sterile regions to migrate to the shores of another continent. Thus may the different ages of the ruined huts in the Parry Archipelago be accounted for, and their great number will attest the extent of the migrations. The following is a description of the principal remains from the western parts of Melville Island to Cape Warrender : — MEIiVlLLE ISLAND. h ' 1. On the south shore of Liddon's Gulf, were the remains of six huts, six feet in diameter, and two feet high. 2. Esquimaux remains, found near Dealy Island, and on the western entrance of Beverly Inlet. BYAil MARTIX ISLAND. 1. Near Cape Gillman were Esquimaux remains, bones of an oxen, and jaws of a bear. me defcnit and con- ut he also I, and his luxuriant utpourings 1 felt even md driven regions to mt. Thus its in the their great ^rations, e principal v\][g Island Gulf, were imeter, and ealy Island, r Inlet. ux remanis, ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 323 2. On the eastern shore were five or six Esqui- maux huts, some decayed fur, and an antler ; supposed to have been the same that were examined by Colonel Sabine in 1819. RATHtRST ISLAND. 1. To the eastward of Allison's Inlet were the remains of six or seven Esquimaux huts, consist- ing of circles of stones nearly covered with moss. 2. On a point some miles beyond, there was a hut, and a bear's skull without the canine teeth, which had probably been killed by the Esquimaux, to whom these teeth are useful. 3. On the west point of Bedford Bay, there were six ruins of huts ; they were circles of stones, each having a much smaller circle within it, they were all very old, although evidently of different ages. 4. On Cape Capcl, were ten ruined winter habitations with bones of bears and seals; some of them had been cut with a sharp instrument ; the general form of these huts resembles an oval, with an elongated opening at one end, their size about seven feet by ten. They appear to have Y 2 lii M I' iv! 324 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. been rooted over with stones and earth, and these supported by bones of whales. 5. A little beyond were the ruins of six summer huts, scattered along the shore. f :l CORNAVALLIS ISLAND. ,: • :|., |||, 1. North of the autumn depot point on this island were the remains of four or five summer huts, near each of which was a circle of stones, probably the fire places ; in one of these charred fragments of bones were still remaining. 2. On an island west of the south-west point were three summer huts. 3. On the south-w-est point was a hut roofed over, several circles of stones, and a very perfect fox-trap. 4. On an islet, and a point between this place and Cape Martyr, were several summer huts and fox-traps. 5. East of Cape Martyr was an extensive settle- ment, many bones of whales, and a neat grave of limestone slab. 6. Between Capes Martyr and Hotham the whole coast is strewed with Esquimaux remains, and there are several on Cape Hotham. and these IX summer it on this '0 summer of stones, sc charred west point hut roofed ^ery perfect I this place I- huts and nsive settle- !at grave of II the whole s, and there ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 325 GRUTITH ISLAND. 1. On the south point were three huts with fire- places. 2. On the west coast was a covered winter habitation, and 3. near the north-west point five summer huts were found, in one of which was part of a runner of an Esquimaux sledge, and a long willow switch. CAPE WALKEU AND NEWLY-DISCOVEKED LAND. 1. The remains of several Esquimaux encamp- ments were found near Cape Walker, but very old. 2. Some miles up the channel, dividing the island upon which Cape Walker is situated from the newly-discovered main land, several old re- mains of Esquimaux huts were found with bones much decayed in one of them. 3. On the shores of a deep gulf in about 100° west longitude, an old cairn of stones was dis- covered, which on examination, proved to be an Esquimaux cache of provisions. When the stones were removed the bones of seals and bears were found buried. (ArE WARRENDEll. 1. On a peninsula at the entrance^ of a harbour, to the westward of Cape Warrcnder, were several .li'in 326 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. winter habitations, some of them two feet in height, with an entrance in one part, and a recess opposite. They were evidently of different ages, and the oldest only showed a mark like a fairy's circle. In one of them was a narwhal's horn. About a quarter of a mile from these huts, were twelve tombs, built neatly of limestone slabs, and each containing a human skeleton. n Jones's soukd and cary isles. In Jones's Sound an Esquimaux skull was picked up, and on one of the Cary Islands were several caches of provisions, evidently left by the Esquimaux, and containing the bones and skins of guillemots and other birds. From the foregoing remarks, it will be found that the northern shores were infinitely more covered with Esquimaux remains, than the newly- discovei-ed land to the south-west of Cape Walker, in consequence, evidently of their southern aspect ; and thus the whole route of the emigrants may be easily traced from Melville Isle to the eastern shores of Baffin's Bay, where their descendants are still living. Surrounded by mighty glaciers, " those palaces ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 327 feet in a recess aj^es, and )''s circle. About a I'c twelve and each ikuU was inds were ft by the i skins of be found tely more he newly- e Walker, m aspect ; rants may le eastern ndants are »se palaces of death and frost, so sculptured in this their terrible magnificence by the adamantine hand of ne- cessity ;" the Arctic Highlanders, the most northern inhabitants of the world, slightly clad, and de- pendent on the animals who visit their coast for a precarious existence, still lead a wretched, though apparently contented life, and when seen on the 1st of August last, appeared in perfect health and spirits. One of them has resided amongst us for more than twelve months, and though slow to learn the Enghsh language, has yet by his constant cheerful- ness and good humour, and willingness to make himself useful, become a general favourite, and the remarkable accuracy of York's chart, wiiich, though differing widely from that supplied by the Admi- ralty, has invariably proved perfectly correct, is no mean proof of the sagacity of these poor fellows, who depend on their knowledge of the coast, for the means of procuring food. Whether the Arctic Highlanders in their iso- lated position are destined to increase, to obtain the blessings of Christianity, and to render their condition as tolerable as the climate will admit; or whether they are t\ited to die off and dis- appear from the face of the earth, it is imiJossible to form a c()nj<>cture ; therefore hoping that these ii' i m I 328 ARCTIC MTSCELLAMKS. details will not j)rovc unintcrostinjj:, I have the honour to sign myself, I fear, for the last time, Ever your's, Very sincerely, II. lo. C^. iA.C4LM^L{> VVA-' ICE BLASTING. h::. Probably there arc but few arts that haA'e been more callcfl into play during the last half centur\ than that of engineering and mining. Hills havt' been removed or tunnelled, valleys , lied up, and railroads constructed by the genius of t\w, age, aided by gunpowder — an agent whose utility and won- derful power is only equalled by that of steam. Indeed, the exertions of the miner and enquipment. Such a novel application of gunpowder on board o' ship — to save live instead of to destroy — cannot be otherwise than interesting; we tlusreforc purpose attempting a short description of the manner in which it has been used, and the cireumstanc(!s under which we found it most useful, althcmgh we much fear the results have fallen far short of the antici- j)ations of many scientific and practical persons who kindly interested themselves about it previous to our departure from England. Our slow and tedious progress through the ice- encumbered seas of Baffin and Melville Bays, were frequently arrested altogether by large fields or floes of ice drifting against each other, and obstructing or shutting up our passage, where the obstruction, or " nip," was not more than a few hundred yards in width, we immediately had recourse to our valuable; auxiliary, without which nuieh tinu; would fre- quently have been lost and exposure to pressure It 11' 330 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. I i i;ti t* li'l II i incurred. The custom of the whalers in similar positions is to saw a passage through, or wait until a change of wind or other natural cause clears away the ice. In such a case, to make a passage for the ships, our plan was to commence .vcrking at each ex- tremity of the " nip," horing iiulcs through the ice, and sinking charges of powder heneath it ; these usually consisted of from two to five pounds, in proportion to its thickness. Tiie average thickness of the floes met with here was four or five fi jt ; two-pound charges were exploded two feet and a half beneath it, and the ice cracked all round for several yards ; the pieces thus detached were easily removed. Where the floes had met with much force, their jagged edges were oftentimes crushed up, overlapped, and finally dovetailed together, and on these occasions four and five-pound charges were used to insure their separation. vVhcre the " nip" was formed by great pressure, large pieces were forced beneath and on the top. forming a barrier of several layers of ice, twenty or twenty-five feet thick ; and here we often found that small charges at first, would liberate several masses and consi- derably diminish the formidable nature of the ob- struction. Powder was sometimes used in connection witli the ice-saws ; in one instance, a cut was sawed ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 331 11 similar .vuit until E?ars away :he ships, each ex- Dugh the it ; these mnds, ill thickness five f( ^t ; it and a •ound for ere easily th much i crushed ther, and rges were he "nip" 'CCS were a harrier -five feet 11 charges nd consi- ■ the ob- onnection i?as sawed parallel to the nip for two hundred and sixteen feet, and thirty feet from it, with four transverse cuts at equal distances from each other : five two-pound charges were exploded in this space, and the ice, amounting to above five hundred and fifty tons, broken up and cleared away. The ships were always moved close up, ready to take advantage of the opening when made, but it sometimes hap- pened that the ice closed before they got through, holding them fast as m a vice; small charges of one or two pounds were then lodged under the ice along the sides of the ships and exploded at the instant that a heavy strain was hove upon the hawsers. This method was generally successful. Great caution is necessary in exploding charges near the ship when ice-bound ; a five-pound charge was once exploded nine feet from the stern, and gave her such a violent shock as to make the bells rmg. To liberate the ships from their winter quarters, blasting was carried on upon a more extensive and varied plan. The ic(^ in the proposed canal was so much eaten away by the gravel and ashes strewed over it, that but few places could be selected where sufficient resistance was given to the (explosion to crack the surrounding ice to any distance; two- pound and four-pound charges were exploded seven 332 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. ,M ; I ,) (jr eight feet below the ice, and usually effected its separation along the sides of the canal. A blasting party was employed for twelve days in detaching the floe from part of the eastern shore of Griffith Island ; with two hundred and sixteen pounds of powder and thirty-two yards of the safety- fuze, they cleared away a space twenty thousand yards in length, and averaging four hundred yards in breadth; this ice varied from three to five feet in thickness, with occasional patches of heavy-grounded hummocks. The estimated weight of the ice removed, exclusive of these heavy masses lying aground, was therefore about 216.168 tons. This seems a very insignificant result, when com- pared with the assertion, that " ten or fifteen miles of four feet ice might be cleared in one day." Probably the experiments which led to such a con- clusion were made in fresh-water ice, which is much more brittle than that formed of salt water, and where strong currents aided the explosions, by re- moving the fractured ice. We have found floe ice so clastic, as to undulate and lift at each explosion, for more than fifty yards round, without any part of it being split, except immediately over the charge. During the foregoing operations at Griflith's Is- land, W(! were favoured by a strong wind, which ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 333 doared away the ice after each explosion. The heaviest charge was sixteen pounds, lowered ten feet below five-feet ice: its effect was most satis- factory, breaking up a space of four hundred yards square, besides splitting the ice in several directions. Four-pound charges were sometimes used, lowered seven feet below the ice, and in positions where it offered the greatest resistance. Where the ice was thinner, and its surface much covered with pools of water, many of which com- municated with the sea beneath, two-pound charges were used. As the effects varied so much under circumstances to all appearance precisely similar, we were unable to arrive at any accurate results ; but gene- rally found, that where the charge was judiciously placed and lowered so that the whole effect of the explosion was expended upon the under-surface of the ice, no fragments were thrown up, and the sound resembled that of a very distant gun, that then the effect was most satisfactory. Where the ice is much decayed, it becomes almost a matter of chance whether the charge is in a suitable position or not. Our blast- ing charges were contained in glass bottles, earthen- ware jars, or preserved meat tins ; the cork or bung, through which the fuze is inserted, was rendered water-tight by luting, and the fuze cut to twelve inches in length : the charge was made fast to a 334 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. m. i ! i !■ Vl line, and lowered below the ice to the required depth ; previous to lowering it, the fuze was lighted. By this method, much fuze, as well as time, was saved ; the fuze used, burnt about two feet in a minute. With regard to the use of shells for destroying ice, it appears only necessary to mention a few of the objections to them ; lirstly, their weight, to be carried over uneven and slippery ice ; secondly, the great danger attending their use; and thirdly, their expense. It seems to us that nothing can be more simple than a bottle of gunpowder and a foot of fuze, and that any method not equally simple and speedily executed would be ill adapted to the pur- pose, seldom available and often fraught with danger; in fact the scene of bustle and hurry during these active and exciting operations is such as w'ould at once convince the most incredulous of the dis- advantage of materials at all intricate, or of com- bustibles requiring more than an ordinary degree of care. It frequently becomes necessary to cut a dock in the floe as a reflige for the ship, and this at a time when any delay may involve her destruction; when performed entirely with ice-saws, it is a labour of several hours ; were the side cuts alone to be made by the saws, and the area of the dock broken up by one or two small charges of powder, certainly ARCTIC MISCELLANIES, 335 one-half the time and labour, and perhaps the ship would be saved. This would be a useful hint to the whaling masters surely, the trifling expense of a case of blasting powder, and a few feet of fuze would be more than compensated for, by the many hours of anxious toil saved, and perhaps often induced them to dock their ships at times when the thickness of the ice, or the fatigue of their crews would otherwise oblige them to continue in exposed positions. GARY ISLANDS. ii r During the passage of the ships across Baffin's Bay they were obliged by the nature of the ice to pass northward of the Gary Islands. On approach- ing the north-westernmost island of the group, the quarter-master observed a cairn on one of the most conspicuous heights, a boat was sent to examine it, and found it to consist of a pile of stones with an upright piece of spruce deal, a portion of ship's berthing, five feet in length and five inches broad. The letters, I— I M— R D, with the date 1827 on one side, and on the other T M — D K, were nearly obliterated. ik i! 33G ARCTIC MISCKLLANli:.* Fourteen whalers were to the northward of these islands in 1827, most prohably this was left as a record of their visit, by one of the ships whose crew landed. Sir John Ross in the ' Isabella' sightt^d but did not pass to the northward of the islands, these are the only instances of any vessels having approached them since BatHn's time. They are in lat. 70° 45' north, and in long. 7'2° 50' west. Five of them are from one mile and a half to two and a-half miles in diameter, and three smaller besides detached rocks above water. The weather falling calm, two boats were sent on the morning of the 22 nd of August, one to replace the cairn by a moi-e conspicuous mark containing an account of our visit, and the other to preserve birds for the shi})'s company. For many days past flocks of loom were seen flying in the direction of the land, from which we justly inferred that their breeding place would he found on the sheltered aspect of the islands. With ditHculty we forced through the closely-packed ice that surrounds the shores, and the more so as our boats' crew were keen sportsmen, who attracted by the temerity of a stray biixl would leave their oars and blaze away most fruitlessly. We entered a small bay formed by three of the largest islands remarkable for their position and abrupt bold outline, and landed on the ice that still ' ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 337 of these left as a lose crew ' sighted 3 islands, Is havincr ey are in St. Five two and !r besides cr falling ig of the )y a more ' our visit, he ship's oom were om which 1 would be is. With tacked ice so as our tracted by their oars rce of the iition and ; that still adhered to tlie rocks. Thousands of loom were passing to and fro laden with food for their callow young, the noise of their ceaseless wings harmonizing well with the wild towering pinnacles of frost-shat- tered rock which seemed alive with the social birds. The formation is greiss rising to the height of about four hundred feet above the level of the sea, the debris sloping from half way up down to the water's edge, and covered with vegetation, chiefly the scur\'y-grass {cochlearia grcenlandica) , ranunculus, and poppy. The looms must have resorted here for ages, from the quantity of the tenacious ammoniacal soil which filled the interstices of the fragments forming the slopes and in many places reached above the ancles. A short distance from our landing-place we found the remains of the once numerous Esquimaux ; they were of extreme age, and consisted of the mined huts, caches and graves ; in one of the latter a bone of the fore-arm {ulna) was picked up. On another point of land one of their fox-traps, in a perfect state, was met with. Where are they now those simple children of the snow, whose footsteps we trace in every sheltered spot along these sterile shores ? Can they be represented by the mere hiuidful that live in the 1^ I neio-hbourhood of Whale Sound ? If so, what weary z I !il 1 if ;;i. )i| ili m 1 ^1 m iffi \\ lit ^n IRI ' V ffi ^D H i! ' 1 338 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. years of suffering must have thinned them, and how many are yet left to this vestige of their race ? Near to these silent historians we found portions of casks, and a piece of what appeared to be the side of a poop-ladder of a whaler, that seemed to tell of a stout ship wrecked and ground into fragments by the resistless ice. Wherever we landed on or near the shores, hits of wood have been picked up by the floe, all much worn, and apparently of some age. By different routes we climbed the sides of the Loomery, for so we termed it from its inhabitants; and after some difHeulty and danger, for a false step would have set many of us rolling down a steep for two or three hundred feet, we took up our position within shot of the startled birds. The view from this height, although barren and desolate in the extreme, was highly picturesque. The dark irregular cliffs stood out in fine relief against the delicately- tinted skv, while the clear smooth water reflected the hues of the gloomy grandeur of the one, and the varied shapes of the pale masses that seemed to sleej) upon its surface, giving a solemn stillness to the scene, broken only from time to time by the rever- berating report of the guns, and the rushing of a myriad wings, which, hastened by danger, seemed to vie in speed with the fatal shot that paralysed them. ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 339 , and how e? 1 portions )e the side ;o tell of a ^ments by n or near up by the e age. les of the ihabitants; I false step a steep for ir position view from ite in the k irregular delicately- iflected the e, and the led to sleep ess to the ' the rever- shing of a , seemed to sed them. Necessity, or rather the prospects of a goo 1 basin of soup, soon banished all sympathy with the birds and admiration for the scene, and shot after shot sent them tumbling, whirling far below, frequently in their death agony overthrowing the scarcely fledged young. At each discharge the birds fled out to sea, making a few miles, and then returning to be again lessened in number, while their greedy enemy cm- ployed the interval in brousing on the scurvy grass. But very few of the young could fly, and many were still in the egg. About nine hundred loom {Bnm- nicKs guillemot) were procured by the two ships during the 22nd and 23rd, and numbers must have perished from their wounds. Dovekies and the little auk also breed at these islands, but in small numbers, and each colony is confined to its own species. The rocks beneath the water are covered with sea- weed, on stirring which numerous shrimps swim frantically about. In the passage between two islands we saw a large whale, that rose to the surface very leisurely, blowing its jets of water into a mimic rain- bow. After six or seven hours' shooting, we grew weary, and returned to the boat to go on board. As we passed the broken pieces of floe, we saw several large burgomasters feasting on our stray birds, which they managed to clear of their flesh in a most skilful manner. At difi^erent parts of the island, sorrel, z 2 I ii 340 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. tripe lie roche, two kinds of willow, a few mosses, and lichens have been found. The breeze springing up, wc bade adieu, with some satisfaction and yet regret, to the Gary Islands, and made the best of our way to Wolstenholme Island. ARTICLES OF FOOD FOUND IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. M' The Esquimaux, from dire necessity, have been taught the value of a well-filled larder ; and these seal-clad residents of the Arctic circle employ the constant light of summer in laying in a store for the long dreary night. But without entering into the question as to the possibility of Europeans maintain- ing life upon the productions of the country, it will not be uninteresting or uninstructive to consider what are the varieties that have appeared upon the Arctic refreshment bill. To the feathered tribe we are chiefly indebted, and foremost in the list for flavour and delicacy of fibre stand the ptarmigan [Ptarmi- chan tctrao lagopus), and the willow grouse [Tetrao saleceti). These may be used in pie, stewed, boiled, ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 341 mosses, 3U, with Islands, cnholmc 'dJL, REGIONS. avc boon nd these ploy the •e for the into the maintain- ry, it will ider what he Arctic ^ we are 9r flavour {Ptarmi- e {Tetrao id, boiled, or roast, at pleasure, and are easily shot. Next in gustatory joys the small birds rank, a kind of snipe and a curlew sandpiper, both are however rarely met with, and do not repay the trouble of procuring them. The brent goose {Anser torquatus) is excellent eating, { nd its flesh is free from fishy taste ; then follow the littl'j auk, or rotge {Mergulus melano- leucus), the dovekie, or black guillemot {Uria grylle), the loom, or thick-billed guillemot (Uiia brunnichii). The first two are better baked with a crust, and the last makes, with spices and wine, a soup but little inferior to that of English hare. All these are found together in flocks, but the easiest method of obtaining them is either to shoot them at the cliff's, where they breed, or as they fly to and fro from their feeding-ground. The ducks no.v come upon the table, and are placed in the following order by most Polar epicures. The long-tailed duck {FuUgiila gladalis), the king duck {Somateria spectahiUs), and the eider duck {Somateria mollissimu) . They require to be skinned before roasting or boiling, and are then eatable, but arc always more or less fishy. The divers are by some thought superior for the table to the ducks, but the difl'erence is very slight. Tiic red-throated diver {Cohjmbus septentnonalh) was most frequently seen, but few were shot; and ill 342 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. > i' of the great northern diver [Coli/mbus glacudis) none were brought to tabh;, tv.o only having been seen. Some of the gulls were eaten, and pronounced equal to the other sea-birds ; they were the kittiwake (Larus tridactylus) , the tern {Sterna arcticu), and the hen-ing or silver gull {Larus argentatus). Of the quadrupeds, the reindeer {Cervus Ta- randus) is most valuable, its flesh being juicy, nutritious, well flavoured, and easy of digestion. They abound in Greenland, and arc tolerably numerous in Melville Island. The musk-ox {Ovibos moschutus) is of much importance, from its size and palateable rich meat. The Arctic hare {Lepus glacialis) differs considerably from the English in the colour and quaUties of its flesh, being less dry, whiter, and more delicately tasted: it may be dressed in any way. The white bear {Ursus maritimus) is eaten by the Esquimaux and the Danes of Greenland, and when you t', and cooked after the manner of a beef-steak, is by no means to be despised, although rather insipid ; the fat, however, ought to be avoided, as unpleasant to the palate. The denizens of the sea have fallen Uttlc under our notice, and they may be dismissed with the remark, that curried narwhal's skin can be tolerated, but not recommended. Some fresh-water flsh were caught, and proved ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. 343 acid lis) »g been lounced ittiwakc a), and 0- ms Ta- g juicy, a. They erous in schatus) alatcablc f) differs Dur and ter, and in any is eaten •eenland, anner of altliough avoided, to be very good ; they are said to be a kind of trout. The vegetable; kingdom affords but little for man's support ; and as the quantity found by the pr(>sent Expedition, in the Parry group, was confined to the sorrel {Oxyria reniformis), it may be said to have furnished nothing towards our culinary comforts. At the Gary Islands, however, the scurvy grass {Cochlearia Groonlandica) provided us with salad for a day or two, and by the majority was relished. This, had the weather permitted, might have been obtained in large quantity ; and a visit to these islands, when possible?, might be well worthy the consideration of any whaler whose crew were suffer- ing from a want of fresh food, This short list is given from observations made during the passage of the ships from the Whalefish Islands, and from that time until their leaving Baffin's Bay. F! l! f, ii le under with the tolerated, proved %l n I ■ ^11 344 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. DUTCH ARCTIC ADVENTURE. In the height of the pride and power of Philip II., a few httle provinces in a corner of his dominions dared to brave his resentment, and after a desperate; stniggle, during which they eluded the conciliation of Margaret of Parma and the cunning of Perrenot, and withstood the valour of Farnese and the cruel butchery of Alva, they gained their independence, and rapidly became a rich and flourishing republic, which founded at the same time an opulent city in the tropics, and a flourishing settlement far to the northward of the Arctic Circle ; drove the Portu- guese from the Cape and the East Indies, and pil- laged theu' settlements in the Brazils ; held a doubt- fiU contest with Cromwell in the zenith of his power, and with Charles II. when backed by the money of his Commons, and the gallantry of Rupert, Sandwich, and Monk. They sent forth one expedition under Schouten, which first ro\mded Cape Horn ; another under Roggewein, which circumnavigated the globe ; another under Tasman, which discovered the exten- sive continent of Australia, the Friendly Islands, and Van Diemen's Land ; and another under Barrciitz, ARCTIC MISCFLI.ANIES. 345 Miilip II., ominions desperate iliiition of Perrenot, the cruel pcndence, republic, it city in ar to the le Portu- , and pil- a doubt- lis power, money of sandwich, m under ; another he globe ; lie exten- mds, and 13arrentz, which penetrated to S])itzbergen and Nova Zembla ; while the mighty armies of the " Grand Monarque," thundering at the gates of its capital, only added to its glory, by forcing the proudest potentate of Europe to retreat before a people, who rather than bend to the will of a conqueror, would let the waters in up(jn their own fatherland, and resolve to seek in another continent that liberty which they feared was passing from them in Europe. In the Arctic regions, also, the republic of Holland has added to the wealth of its p(.'ople, and the glory of its name. Feeling the utility of discovering a short passage to the Indies by a north-east passage, the enterprising Barrcntz was three times sent to accom- plish this design. In his first expedition he crossed the White Sea, sighted Nova Zembla, and returned to the Texel A.D, 1594. In his second, which was sent out bv Prince Maurici; of Orange, he passed the island of Waigatz, and had intercourse with the Samoyed tribes. Landing on this island, a " great, lean, white bear" tore to pieces and eat two of his men, drove many others into their boats, and was with ditiiculty killed by the purser; and returning through the Strait of Waigatz, the expedition arrived in Holland in 1595. His third and last expedition sailed in 1596, and discovered in 80' N. the extensivt; island of Spitzbergen, where, finding some barnacle #WK*y*-^ 346 ARCTIC MISCELLANIES. im gccse hatching their young, he succeeded in refuting successfully the prevailing opinion that the eggs of these birds grovv on trees. Having reached the coast of Nova Zembla in July, he attempted to return, but was beset by the ice, forced to abandon the ships, wintered in great cold, poverty, misery, and grief on the shore, and died in the spring ; while only fifteen men, after having passed for one thousand one hun- dred miles in two open boats, and being picked up by a Dutch vessel on the coast of Lapland, remained to tell the tale. In 1614, several joint-stock companies, for the purpose of fishing for whales, were chartered by the States' General in Spitzbcrgen, they bulls their factories and o;her edifices, which being frequtnted yearly by two ov three hundred Dutch whalers with twelve or eighteei thdisand men, soon became a l;u*ge village, and received the name of Smeerenlerg. This fishery was in the fulness of its splendour from 1614 — 41 ; but in 1770 it began to decline with its mother republic, and in 1795 there were only sixty Dutch whalers. Such has been the short but brilliant career of the commercial eminence of the United Provinces, both in the Arctic Regions and in othrr parts of the world. FACIFICUS. tiii C'-/^ ^Iu-MkA^^ y\Ay\^ AHCTFC MISCELLANIES. 34 LIST Of ANIMALS KILLED BY TllK OFFICKHS AND SHIPS COMPANY OF ir.M.s. 'assistance' and 'intrepid,' 1851. {■OMMIIN NAMES. I'JlOrKR NA%KS. Ml. I.OC.Vr.lTY. UEMAIIKS. rOiic at Cape Wal-I Ui'ars Ursiis iiiavitiiiius. 7 1 ker. 1 j Six ill tlic Parry r L group. J rTliey were seen in niiiniiers I aliout tlie I'arry group. AVolves . Canis luinis. Melville Island. One seen and wounded. Foxes Caiiis lagopus. G Parry group. r Seen liy all tlu; travelling \ parties. Musk oxen Ovilios inodiatus. ■t Melville Island. /Forty-six were seen on 1. the same island. ("They were also seen at the Deer Ct-rvus taraudus. I nitto. < ot"lier islands of the t group. rTliey were numerous and Hares Li'pus glacialis. 8 f Cajie Walker, Par- 1 I ry group. J J ill" good eiimlil ion, weigh- 1 iu^' upwards ol' ten 1, pduiuls. Leiiiiiuiigs Arvicola Ihidsonia. Parry group. One only seen. Ptnrmigari Tetrao lagopus. 8i r Cape Walker, Par- -1 \ ry groui). J r Plentiful at Cape Walker < and western part of I Parry's group. Willow grouse Tc'trao saleceti. (! Ditto ditto. (■ But few seen, andonennly \ sliot on the I'arry grouii. Brent geese Aiisor tiirquatiis. 1 Parry group, f Seen in larg(^ tlueks, lly. \ ing westward. Long-tiiiled ducks . Alias glacialis. 11 Ditto. rOue lloek of thirty, seen L at Coniwallis Isliiiid. King ducks 1 Auas sjiccfaliilis. U Ditto. /More seen on the I'arry 1 group than of Kider. Kider ducks .Vuas inolissiiiia. f. Ditto. r None seen to the west- l ward of Grillith Ishiud. Plialiirojic r I'lialaroiiiisliyper-"! I llillfUS. ' J :i Ditto. (•Small lloeks met with in 1 early sjiriiig. Ring duttiM'cl . Plianidius. 1 Ditto. One pair only seen. Siiow limiting Kiuliei'iza nivalis. M Ditto. Numerous in small flocks. Curlew saiidiiiiirr . Triuga suliacquata. 10 Ditto. Seen in paii's. Loom I'ria liniiiiiicliii. GUo f Carey Island audi I Parry group. J 1 None seen to the west- l ward of Grillith Island. Dovekie . Uria grjUe. 70 r Grillitli Islauilaudi I Carey Island. J rTliey bred at both these l places. Rotcliie . Uria alle. 8 Baflin's Bay. f None seen to the west- 1 ward of Ballin's Bay. Lestris . Lestris parasiticus. 1 Grillith Island. Oeeasionally seen. I\ory gulls Larus eburneus. 1-2 Ditto. Seen frecpicntly. Silvi'i' gulls Lariis argi'ntatus. m Parry group. Seen throughout. liurgoniastcrs . Larus glautiis. 1 Ditto. Ditto. KittiwakCb Larus tridactylus. it) Griffith Island. f None to westwiu^d of Grif. \ hth Island. MuUcniukkes . ProcfUaria glacialis. ,-} Ditto. Ditto. Tern Sterna arctica. •JO Parry group. fOiie at Bvani Martin Is- \ laud. ' Gyr Falcon Falco islandicus. Baflin's Bay, {One wounded but leit oli- "■ taiued. Snow)- owl Strix njctca. 1 Parry group One seen 1 1 THE END. ^.^, ^j Review. " A valuable contrilnition to historical knowledge. It contains a mass of every kirid of historical matter of interest, which indust'y and research could collect. Wc have derived much entertainment and instruction from tL(> work:'— Alhcnmim. HISTORY AND BIOGHAniY. 3 MEMOIRS OF HORACE WALPOLE AXI) HIS CONTK.MPOllAiaFS, IXCLUDINQ NUMEROUS OHIOINAL LETTERS, CHIEFLY FUOJI STRAWIIERUY HILL. EDITED BY ELIOT WAR]5UrJ0X, ESQ. AUTHOR OF "the cuescknt and thk cross," etc. 2 Vols. 8vo, with Portraits, 28s. IjouiuI. Perhaps no name of nioderii tinus is productive of so many pleasant associations as tliat of " Horace Walpolo," and certainly no name was ever more intimately connected witli so many diH'erent siihjccts of importance in connexion with Literature, Art, Fashion, and Politics. Tiie position of various members of his family connecting Horace Walpolo witli the Cabi- net, the (Joint, and the Le;;isiatiire — ins own inteieourse witli those I'ha- raeters who i)eeiime remarkable for inilliant social and intellectual (jiiali- ties — and his rpjnilation as a Wit, a Scholar, and a Virtuoso, cannot fail, it is hoped, to render his Memoirs efiually amusing and instructive. it OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " The biography before us is in all respects eminently satisfactory." — Morning Chronicle. "These ^lemoirs offer a qood subject, well treated, and indeed a necessary addition to the library of every Knglisli gentleman. The ' Memoirs of Horace Wal pole and bis Contemporaries' nearly completes the ebain of nnxed personal, political, and literary history, eommcncinj^ witii ' ICvelyn' and 'I'epys,' carried forward by ' Swift's .Fournal and Correspondence,' and ending almost in our ow)i day with the Instories of Mr. Macaulay ami Lord Mabon, I'esides its Instorical value, wbieb is very considerable, it cannot be estimated too bigbly as a book of mere annismient." — Siamlitrd. "Two more interesting or entertaining volumes than tliose 'IMemoirs of Horace WaljKile' may be searched for for a long time before they will be found. The writer has woven into Ins narrative a rich fund of contemiiorary anecdote •and illustration. Most of the nobles, wits, and literati of the period are judi- ciously introduced." — Morning Pn^t. " Horace Walpole was the most rcmarkalile man of his time; and posterity •will do him the justice, now tiiat bis career is fully elaborated, to place liim in the niche \\ bicb belongs to him, as one whose inlhienee in the alfairs of bis country has been far beyond the avi'rage of other men." — ^ft^sscng('r. "This lifi' of Ilcn'acc Walpole is a very valuable and interesting addition to the historical library. We should be' glad to see every part of our later history illustrated with C(iual clearness and impartiality." — Wcc/tb/ Chronicle. "Few works of the present day contain more matter fitted for entertainment and instruction." — Morniny I/crahl. B 2 h COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. BURKE'S rEEllAGE AND BARONETAGE, roil 1852, NEW EDITION, IlEVISED AND CORRECTED THROUGHOUT FROM THE PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS OF THE NOBILITY, &c. With llie AKMS (1500 in number) accnratuly engraved, and incorporated with the Text. Nu\Y ready, in 1 vol. (comprising as mutli matter as twenty ordinary volumes), 3Ss. bound. I r The following is a List of the Principal I. A full and intcrestinr; history of each order of the English Nobility, showing its oriiriii, rise, titles, immunities, ])rivileges, &c. II. A complete Jlemoir of the (Jueen and Royal Family, forming a brief genealogical History of the Sovereign of this country, and deducing the descent of the I'lantagenets, Tudors, Stuarts, and Guelphs, througli their various ramifications. To this section is appended a list of those Peers who inherit the distinguished honour of (Quartering the lioyal Arms of Plantagenet. ill. An Authentic table of Precedence. IV. A perfect HisroiiY 01' Alt, the Pkkrs ani> Bauonkts, with the fullest details of their ancestors and descendants, and particulars respecting every collateral member of each family, and all intermar- riages, &c. Contents of this Standard Work : — V. The Spiritual Lords. VI. Foreign Noblemen, subjects by birth of the British Crown. VH. Peerages claimed. VIII. Surnames of Peers and Peeresses, with Heirs Apjjarent and Presumptive. IX. Courtesy titles of Eldest Sons. X. Peerages of tlie Three Kingdoms in order of Precedence. XI. Baronets in order of Precedence. XII. Privy Councillors of England and Ireland. XIII. Daughters of Peers married to Commoners. XIV. All tiik Orders of Kskjiit- Hoou, with every Knight and all the Knights B.achelors. XV. Mottoes translated, with poetical illustiatious. OPINIONS OP THE PRESS. " The most complete, the most convenient, and the cheapest work of the kind ever given to the public.'' — Sun. " The best genealogical and heraldic dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage, and the first authority on all questions afl'ecting the iristocracy." — Globe. " For the amaziTig ([uantity of personal and family history, admirable arrangement of details, and accuracy of information, this genealogical and heraldic dictionary is without a rival. It is now the standard and acknowledged book of reference upon all questions touching pedigree, and direct or collateral afTinity with the titled aristocracy. The lineage of each distinguished houss is deduced through all the various ramifications. Every colUl 111 hnineii, however remotely connected, is introduced; and the alliances are so carefully inserted, as to sliow, in all in.stiinces, the connexion which so intimately exists between the tiileil and untitled aristocracy. We have also much most entertaining historical matter, and many very curious and interesting family traditions. The work is, in fact, a complete cyclopa:dia of the whole titled classes of the empire, supplying all the information that can possibly be dcsi;'cd on the subject." — Morniny Pgst. :tage, ronouT F ivitli lliu Text. >), ot<,s. bouml. ork : — bjects by birlli and Peeresses, esuniptive. est Sons. Kingdoms in rccodencc. f England and ers married to S OF KXIGIIT- 1 all the Knights , ^Yith poetical kind ever given metage, and the arrangement of ary is without a )n all questions ;y. The lineage cations. Kvcry alliances are so ntiniately exists oit entertaining I. The work is, ipplying all the HISTORY AND BIOGRArilY. BURKE'S HISTORY OF THE LANDED GENTRY, FOR 1852, ^ ffienenlogicnl Bictionnrg OF THE WHOLE OF THE UNTITLED ARISTOCRACY OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND : Comprising Particulars of 100,000 Individuals connected with them. A COMPANION TO THE PEERAGE. In 2 volumes, royal 8vo, WITH A SEPARATE INDEX, GRATIS, CONTAINING HEFEKENCES TO THE NAMES OF EVERY PERSON MENTIONED. Beautifully printed in double columns, comprising more matter thin 30 ordinary volumes, price only 21. 2s., elegantly bound. The Landed Gentry of England are so closely connected with the stirring records of its eventful history, that some acquaintance with them is a matter of necessity with the legis- lator, the lawyer, the historical student, the speculator in politics, and the curious in topo- graphical and antiquarian lore ; and even the very spirit of ordinary curiosity will prompt to a desire to trace the origin and progress of those families whose influence pervades the towns and villages of our land. This work furnishes such a mass of authentic information in regard to all the principal families in the kingdom as has never before been attempted to be brought together. It relates to the untitled families of rank, as the " Peerage and Baronetage "does to the titled, and forms, in fact, a peerage of tiie untitled aristocracy. It embraces the whole of the landed interest, and is indispensable to the library of every gentleman. The great cost attending the production of this National Work, the first ot its kind, induces the publisher to hope that tho heads of all families recorded in its pages will supply themselves with copies. "A work of this kind is of a national value. Its utility is not merely temporary, but it will exist and be acknowledged as long as the families whose nanu'ts and genealogies are recorded in it continue to form an hitegial portion of the English constitution. As a cor- rect record of descent, no family should be without it. The untitled aristocraey have in this great work as perfect a dictionary of their genealogical history, family iniuu'xions, and heraldic rights, as the peerage and baronetage. It will be an enduring and trustworthy record." — Mornbuj Post. " A work in which every gentleman will find a domestic interest, as it contains the fullest account of every known family in the United Kingdom. It is a dictionary of all names, families, and their origin, — of every man's neighbour and friend, if not of his own relatives and immediate connexions. It cannot fail to be of tiie greatest utility to profes- sional men in their researches respecting the members of ditlerent familie,<, heirs to ])ro- ])erty, &c. Indeed, it will become as necessary as a Directory in every ollice." — lidVs Mcfsaifjer. i» COLBUim AND CO.'S NEW I'UBLICATIONS. r >: '■lC. if H I I*'; GERMANY; ITS COURTS AND PEOPLE. BY THE BARONESS BLAZE DE BURY. Second and Cheaper Edition. 2 vols. 8vo, 2 Is. bound. This work comprises a complete picture of tbo various courts and people of the Continent, as they appear oniidst the wreck of the recent I'evoliitions. The author possessed, throuirh her inlliiential connexions, peculiar facilities for accpiiring exclusive inforniation on the topics treated of. She suc(.'eeded in pcnetratiiiLi: into provinces and localities rarely visited by tourists, and still glowing with the embers of civil war, and fol- lowed the army of I'russia in Germany, of Russia in Hungary, and of IJaili'tzky in Italy. Her pages teem with the sayings and d(jings of almost all the illustrious cliaracters, male and female, whom the events of the last two years have brought into European celebrity, combined with graphic views of the insurrectionary struggles, sketches of the various aspects of society, and incidents of personal adventure. To give an idea of the scope and variety of the contents of the work, it need only be men- tioned that among the countries visited will be found Prussia, Austria, Hungary, ]Ja\'aria, Saxony, Servia, Styria, the Tyrol, Hanover, Bruns- wick, Italy, &c. To enumerate all the distinguished personages with whom the writer had intercourse, and of whom .anecdotes are related, would be impossible ; but they include such names as the Emperors of Austria and liussia, the Kings of Prussia, Hanover, Pavavia, and Wur temberg, the Count de Chambord (Henry V.), the Queens of Bavaria and Prussia, the ex-Empress of Austria, the Crand Duke of IJaden, the Arch dukes John, Francis, and Stephen of Austria, Duke AViliielm of Bruns- wick, the Prince ofl'russia. Prince John of Saxony, the Ccnintess Batthy- anyi, i\fadame Kossuth, (!vc. Among the statcsnu'n, generals, anil leading actors in the revolutionary movements, we meet with Badowitz, Von Gagern, Schwarzenberg, Bekk, Esterhazy, the Ban Jellaeie, Windisch- gratz, Badetzky, Weldeuj Haynau, Wrangcl, Pillersdorf, Kossuth, Blum, Gorgey,Batthyanyi,Pulszky, Klapka,Bem,Dembinski,IIeeker, Struve,&c. " An important, yet most anuisinf; work, tlu'owing much and richly-coloured lislit on matters with which every one (icsires to be intbnncil. All the courts and pco[)le of Germany are passed in vivid review bofore us. The ac- count of tlie Austrians, INEagyars, and Croats, will be found especially inte- rcstin.sr. In many of its lijjhter passages tlie work may bear a comparison witli Lady Mary Wortley Montagu's Letters." — Muinimj l hivnkle. IIISTOKY AND BIOGHAl'IIY. ourts and tilt! recent oiuiexion.s, )ic,s treated lies rarely ir, and fol- vy, and of s of almost nts of the billed with the various Ive an idea ily be men- ia, Austria, er, Eruns- nages with re related, niperors of and Wur lavaria and , the Areh of limns- ■ss Batthy- nd leading iwitz, Von ^Vindisch- Lith, liluni, 5truve,&c. ly-coloured the courts The ac- cially inte- ;oniparison NOW COMPLETE, THE CHEAP RE-ISSUE, IN FIVE VOLUMES, TOST OCTAVO, wrrii rouTRArrs, &o., handsomely bouhd, trice 353., PEPYS' DIAllY AND COUrtESPONDENCE, ILLUSTRATIVK OF THE RTvIGXS OP CHARLES II. AND JAMES II. EDITED BY LORD BRAYBROOKE. This Edition contains all the passages restored from the obiginal MANUSCRIPT, and all the Additional Notes. CRITICAL OPINIONS. EDINBURGH REVIEW. "Wo uuhositatincly characterise this journal as the most remarkable production of its liind wiiicli lias ever been given to llie world. P'.'pys paints tlic Court, the Mo- narehs, aiM tlic times, in more vivid colours tlian anyone else. His Diary makes us coniprelieiul tlie (jreat liistorical events of tlio age, and tlio people who boro a part in tliem, and gives us more clear gliuijises into tlie true English life of the times than all tlio otlier memorials of theiu tliat have come down to our own." ATHENJEUM. "The best book of its kind in the English language. The now matter is extremely curious, and occasionally far more characteristic and entertaining tlian the old. The writer is seen in a clearer light, and the reader is taken into his inmost soul. "Pepys' Diary' is the alilest pieture^of tlie age in which tlio writer lived, and a work of standard importance in English literature." QUARTERLY REVIEW. "'Pepys' Diary' throws a distinct and vivid light over the picture of England and its governuient during the period succeeding tlie Restoration. If, quitting the broad path of history, wo look for minute iuformatioii concerning ancient manners and customs, the progress of arts and sciences, and the various branches of antiquity, we have never seen a mine so rich as these volumes. The variety of Pepys' tastes and pursuits led him into almost every (l(>i)artracnt of life- He was a man of business, a man of informa- tion, a man of whim, and, to a certain degree, a man of pleasure. lie was a statesman, a if^c6"/)/'(7, a virtuoso, and a connoisseur. His curiosity made him an unwearied, as well as an universal, learner, and whatever ho saw found its way into his tables." IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) r// ^ <.^^ C;?^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 \ iV Sj :\ \ 6^ 6^ i ^1 COLBURN AND CO.'S XF.W PUBLICATIONS. THE LIFE AND REIGN OF CHARLES L By I. DISRAELI. A NEW EDITION. REVISED BY THE AUTHOR, AND EDITED BY HIS SON, B. DISRAELI, M.P. 2 vols., 8vo, uniform with the " Curiosities of Literature," 288. bound. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " By far the most important work on the important ago of Charles I. tliat modern times have produced." — Quarterly Review. " Mr. Disraeli has conceived that the republication of his father's ' Commen- taries on the Life and Reign of Charles I.' is peculiarly well timed at the present moment ; and he indicates the well-known chapters on the Genius of the Papacy, and the critical relations of Protestant sovereigns with Roman Catholic sub- jects, as reflecting, mirror-like, ' the events, thoughts, passions, and perplexities of tlie present agitated epoch.' In particular, he observes, that the stories of conversions to the Romish faith, then rife, seem like narratives of the present hour, and that the reader is almost tempted to substitute the names of his personal acquaintances for those of the courtiers of Charles. No apology was needed for reintroducing to the world so instructive and original a work as that of Isaac Disraeli." — Times. " At the end of 230 years, Rome and England are engaged in a controversy having the same object as that in which they were committed at the commence- ment of the seventeenth century ; and no where will the reader find ♦he cir- cumstances of that controversy, its aims, the passions which it evoked, ±e in> struinents which it employed, and its results, better described than in this ex- cellent book." — Standard. "The position attained by the late Mr. Disraeli's admirable and learned com- mentaries on the great events of the Revolution, and the times that led to it, would at any period liave warranted its republication. To those, however, to whom the bearing of its remarks, and the effect of the author's researches are known on tlie religious question of that day, their apt and effective bearing on the most vital topic of our present religio-political existence, will give the reap- pearance of tlie work an additional value." — Britannia. " Tiie history of Charles I. required a Tacitus, and, in our opinion, this work ought to have that standard character." — Gentleman's Magazine. ULES I. IDITED 38. bound. Dharles I. that r's ' Commen- at the present of the Papacy, Catholic sub- id perplexities ; the stories of of the present names of his 3 apology was I work as that a controversy he commence- r find ♦he cir- voked, ihe in- lan in this ex- l learned com- that led to it, J, however, to researches are ive bearing on give the reap- ion, this work HISTORY AND BIOGIlAniY. IIYES OF THE PRINCESSES OF ENGLAND. By aiRS EVERETT CREEX, KDITOIl OF TIIK "LETTKKS OF ROYAL AND ILLUSTRIOUS LADH'S." 3 vols., post Svo, witl'. Illustrations, 10s. Gd. each, bound. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " A most agreeable book, forming a iiicet companion for the work of Miss Strickland, to wliirli, inileii!, it is an indisfjcnsable addition. The authoress, already favourably knowu to tlie learned world by licr excellent collection of ' Letters of Royal ft!id Illustrious Ladies, has executed her task with great skill and fidelity. Kvery page displays careful research and accuracy. 'I'hore is a graceful combination of sound, historical erudition, with an air of romance and adventure that is highly pleasing, and renders the work at once an agreeable companion of the boudoir, and a valuable .addition to the historical library. Mrs. Green has entered upon an untrodden path, and gives to her biographies an air of freshness and novelty very alluring. The first two volumes (including the Lives of twenty-five Princesses) carry us troni the daughters of the Conqueror to the family of Edward I. — a highly inte- resting period, replete with curious illustrations of the genius and m.anners of the Middle Ages. Such works, from the truthfulness of their spirit, furnish a more lively picture of the times than even the gr.aphic, though delusive, pencil of Scott and James." — Britannia. " The vast utility of the ta.sk undertaken by the gifted author of this interesting book can only bo equalled by the skill, ingenuity, and research displayed in its accomplishment. The field Mrs. Green has selected is an untrodden one. Mrs. Green, on giving to the world a work which will enab'e us to arrive at a correct idea of the private histories and personal characters of the royal ladies of England, has done sufficient to entitle her to the respect and gratitude of the country. The labour of her task was exceedingly great, involving researches, not only into English records and chronicles, but into those of almost every civilised country in Europe. The style of Mrs. Green is admirable. She has a fine per- ception of character and manners, a penetrating spirit of observation, and singular exactness of judgment. The memoirs are richly fraught with the spirit of romantic adventure." — Morniiuj Post. " This work is a worthy companion to Miss Strickland's admirable ' Queens of England.' In one respect ihe subject-matter of these volumes is more interesting, because it is inure diversified than that of the ' (Jucens of England.' That celebriited work, althtugli its licroinos were, for the most part, foreign Princesses, related almost entirely to the his- tory of this country. The Princesses of England, on the contrary, are themselves English, but their live.^ are nearly all connected with foreign nations. Tiieir biographies, conse- quently. alTord us a glimpse of the manners and customs of the chief European king'lc)in.«, a circumstance which not only gives to the work the ch.irm of variety, but wliich is likely to render it peculiarly useful to the general reader, as it links together by association the contrmporancous history of various nations. The histories are related with an earnest simplicity and copious cxplicitness. The reader is informed without being wearied, and alternately enlivened by some spirited description, or touched by some pathetic or tender episode. We cordially commend Jlrs. Everett Green's production to general attention; it is (necessarily) as useful as history, and fully as entertaining as romance." — Sun, ^i ']\i ii ir ''\i 10 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. MADAMIi PULSZKY'S MEMOIRS. Comprising Full and Interesting Details of THE LATE EVENTS IN HUNGARY. With an Historical Introduction by FRANCIS PULSZKY, Late Under- Secretary of State to Ferdinand, Ftnpcror of Austria and King of Hungary. Dedicated to the Marchioness of Lansdowne. 2 vols, post 8vo, 21s. bound. OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. " TIio n.itiiMialily of llip iicoplc, tlicir martial iimwoss, and prosput uiiliaiipy fate, luivo iiivoHlctl Hunmry witli tlio iiitcnst of a spcoihI I'olaml, and Western Enroi)e must l)u iialurally desirous to learn sometliiuf; of their civil aud soeial life. These vohuiiosaro the joint iiroiluetiou of !JI. ami Jladamu I'ulszky. While the latter records her iniprts- sions and reeoUeetions (if lluiiirarian life, we have to thank JF. Tnlszliy for a very able summary of the history of JluuL'ary, from the days of Arpad to the reiirn of Terdinand the first, and the reform movement— a history wliieh abounds in interestin.i,' ineidents and Msi'fid lessons for the statesman and the ithilosophic historian. JIadamo I'ulszky's narrative of her wanderinirs and dangers is nerreeably diversilied with sketches and anec- dotes from JIaifyar life, as well ns with ancient lepends from lliniparia)) history and modern passaices in the late war of independence. It cannot fail to excite an intoiest in all classes of readers- in those who ojien ,a book oidy for amusement, as well as in those who look for somethinir more enduring."— 7v/(«i«)Y//i licciiu: " We need hardly inform our re.iders that the authoress of this work is the arcomplisliod wiffl of the irentleman who was orifrinally accredited to the English cabinet by the provisional Kovernmcut of llnnpary. Tlio private interest attaching to the recital of events which have become so famous would insure a wide popidarily for Madame Pulsuky's book. J5nt we should very nuu'h under-estinuito its value if vve so limited our praise. The memoirs, indeed, contain sketches of social life wliieli are worthy of a place by the side of Jladiimo de Stael de Laun.iy and Madame Campau. U\it they arc also rich in political and toponraphical information of the first character. Madame I'ldsnky was in the habit of direct iiitereoiu'so with the foremost aiul most distinguished of the lluufi.irian ircnirals and statesmen, and has (ri\cn a complete sunnnary of the political events in llinifrary, from the arrival of the Hunparian dep\itation in 18tn,to the treason of General GorKcy on the I'itli of August, is n». AI. I'ulszky has also prcllxed a valuable introduction, whichjiives the most complete history of Hungary that has ever issued fr nu the Knprlish press.'"— (Ilnhc. "With all the charms of romance, these volumes possess the praver interest of his- tory. Full of personal anecdotes, historical reminiscences, and legendary associations ; teeming with interesting aiu torcst of his- associations ; .opoierapliical lite indopon- ctod a narra- onioirs of an lesof Latour h and oilier final breach find a liisto- •e anxious to JOHN EVELYN, F.R.S., Author of " Sylva," &c. A NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED, WITH NUMEROUS ADDITIONAL NOTES. UNIFORM AVITII THE NEW EDITION OF ITl'YS' DIARY. In 4 vols., post 8vo, price 10s. 6d. each, with Illustrations. N.B.— The First Two Volumes, comprising " TIio Diary," are now ready. The Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn has long been regarded as an invaluable record of opinions and events, as avcU as the most interesting expo- sition wc possess of the manners, taste, learning, and reli'jion of this country, during tlie latter half of the seventeenth century. Tlie 13iary comprises obser- vations on the politics, literature, and science of his age, during his travels in Trance and Italy; his residence in England towards the latter part of the Protectorate, and his connexion with the Courts of Charles II. and the two subsciiucnt reigns, interspersed with a vast number of original anecdotes of tlio most celebrated persons of tliat period. To the Diary is subjoined tiie Cor- respondence of Evelyn with many of his distinguished contemporaries; also Original Letters from Sir Edward Nicliolas. private secretary to King Charles I., during some important periods of that reign, with the King's answers; and numerous letters from Sir Edward Hyde (Lord Clarendon) to Sir Edward Nicholas, and to Sir Richard Brown, Andwssador to Erance, during the exile of the British Court. A New Edition of this interesting work h.iving been long demanded, the greatest pains have been taken to runder it as complete as ])ossible, by a careful re-examination of the original ]\Ianiiserii)t, an a complete I and of the ulars of tiie IS I rrendi. most splcn- of its beams, AJ(ECDOTES OF THE AllISTOCriACY, AMP EPISOUES IN ANCESTRAL STORY. By J. BERNARD BURKE, Esq., Author of " The History of the Landed Gentry," " The Peerage and Baronetage," iS;c. Secuxi) and CiiE.vrEU Editiox, 2 vok, post 8vo, 21s. bound. The memoirs of oui- great families are replete with details of the most striking and romantic interest, throwin<5 light on the occurrences of public as well as domestic life, and elucidating the causes of niany importaiit national events. How little of the personal history of the Aristoci-acy is generally known, and yet how full of amusement is the subject! Almost every eminent family has some event connected with its rise or great- ness, some curious tradition interwoven with its annals, or some calamity casting a gloom over the brilliancy of its achievements, which cannot fail to attract the attention of that sphere of Society to which this work more particularly refers, and must eiiually interest the general reader, with Avhom, in this country, the records of the higher classes have always pos- sessed a peculiar attraction. The anecdotes of the Aristocracy here re- corded "o far to show that there are more marvels in real life than in the crea'aon's of fiction. Let the reader seek romance in whatever book, and at whatever period he may, yet nought will he find to surpass the unex- aggjrated reality here unfolded. " 3Ir. IJuvke has licre given us tlic most curious incidents, the most stirring talcs, and the most remarkable cireumstaiues connected with the histories, public and private, of our nolilo houses and aristocratic families, and lias put them into a siiajie which will preserve them in the library, and render them the favouriti; study of tliose who are interested in the romance of reiil life. These stories, with all the reality of establishe(l fact, read with as nmch spirit as the tales of Boccacio, and are as full of strange matter for reflection and amazement.'" — BviUinnla. " \Vc cannot estimate too highly the interest of Mr. IJnrke's entertaining and instructive work. For the curious nature of the details, the extraordinary anecdotes related, the strange scenes described, it would be difficult to liud a parallel for it. It will be read by c.-ery one." — Sundiiy Times, ROMANTIC RECORDS OF DISTINGUISH!:!) FAMILIES. Eeing the Second Series of "Anecdotes of the Aristocracy." By J. B. BUKKE, Es.^. 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bcuml. " From the copious materials afforded by the history of the Knglisli Aristocracy, Mr. IJurkehas made another and a most hajijiy "seh'ction, adding a second wing to his interest- ing picture-gallery. Some of the most striking incidents i,:\ record in the annals of high arid noble families are here presented to view." — John Bdl. 14 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW rUBLICATIONS. IIISTOIIIC SCENES. By AGNES STRICKLAND. Author of " Lives of the Queens of England," &c. 1 vol., post 8vo, elegantly bouml, witii rortriiit of the Author, los. fkl, " Tills attractive volume is replete witli interest. Like Miss Stricklaiiil's Coniifr wniks' it will be found, we doubt not, in tiic hands of youtiiful bniiiclies (jf a t'amily, as well as in those of their parents, to all and each of whom it cannot fail to be alike ainiisiiig and instructive." — JJrikinnia. " This delightful book will speedily become n reigning f ivmirite These deeply in- teresting composi'iona abound in delicate and refined sentiment, glowing lliglits of imagination uud the utmost poetic beauty." — Weekly Chivnide. LETTERS OF HOYAL AND ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES OF GREAT BRITAIN, ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND. Now first published from tho Originals, with Introductory Notices. By MARY ANN EVERETT GREEN, Author of "Lives of the Princesses of Kngland." Cheaper Edition, 3 vols., with rucsimile Autographs, &c., 1 5s. bound. GENERAL PEPE'S NARRATIVE OF THE WAR IN ITALY, FROM 18-47 to 1850; INCLUDING THE SIEGE OF VENICE. Now first published from tho oriKinal Italian 3Ianuscript. 2 vols., post 8vo, 21s. bound. " Tho errand features of tlin rceeiit Italian movement in favour of a national exisloneo have liad no otlicr sueh autlientie portraituro as tli('S{> volumes convey. The .State doeiiments and letters wliich th(Mvork contains make it indispensable to the historian of these times. Tho whole panor.anui of the Itevolution is here pone iiver— the reform movomcnt betrinninj? at Rome— tho agitation paused there! vy in Florence and Naples, thence spreading to Sicily, Piedmont, and Austrian Italy— the threats and hostile atti- tude of the Couftof Vienna— the spirited revolt of the .Sieilians— the increased tyranny of German irenerals in J^omhardy- -the crash of the Parisian Revolution the ris(! cif the poijulaecbf Milan airainst Radetzky, tho declaration of C'harl("s Albert, and advance of the Sardinian troops — the battle of Goito— tho exultation of feeling in Rome and Florenee— the llisht of the Grand Duke of Tuscany— the revolution in Naples— the treachery of Pope and Kinir—tlu; dreadful massacre in Naples— the disasters of Charles Albert— the bombardment of lireseia— the glorious defence of Venice— the (liL-ht of the Pope from Rome— tho arriv.il of Mazzini— the i)roelamatioii of the Reiiublic from the Caiiitol— the invasion of the Roman States by the armies of Spain, Austria. Trance, an lie I'ope fmiii Llio Capitol— iind Xaples- - \ the Pontiff's I of the grPEt • I commenda- ! MEMOIHS AND CORRESPONDEXCE OF Sm ROBERT MURRaY KEITH, K.B., Miiiisfcr Ploiipotciilhirji at the Courts o/DresiIen, Copeiihofjeu, and Vienna, from 17G9 to 1793; irith Blo(jraphical Memoirs of QUKEN CAROLINE MATILDA, SISTER OE GEORGE IIL EDITED BY ]\IRS. GILLESPIE SMYTH. 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portraits, 21s. bound. Sir Robert Murray Keitli, it will be recollected, was one of tbc ablest diplomatists of the last century, and held the post of Ambassador at the Court of Copenhagen, when Caroline .Matilda, Queen of Denmark, tbe unfortunate sister of George III., was involved in the conspiracy of Struensce, and was only saved from tbe severest punishment her vindic- tive enemy the Queen-Mother could inflict, by the spirited interposition of the British Ambassador. Sir liolieit Keith also for a lung period represented his Sovereign at the Courts of Dresden and A'ieiina; and his papers, edited by .1 member of his family, throw considerable light on the diplomatic history of the reign of George III., besides conveying many curious particulars of the gi'cat men and events of the period. Among the variety of interesting documents comprised in these volumes, will bo found — Letters from Frederick, King of Prussia; Caroline JIatilda, Queen of Denmark; I'rinccs Feidinand of liuuiswiek, Kaunitz, and C/.artoriski ; the Dukes of Cumberland, York, Qtieensbury, Montagu, and Newcastle; Lords Stormont, St. Asaph, llcathfield, Ilardwickc, Darlington, Au.kland, Apsley, Barrington, Stair; Counts Bentinck and llosenbcrg; Baron Trenck; Field- Jlar- slials Conway and Keith; Sirs Walter Scott, Joseph Yorke, Nathaniel Wraxall, Jolin Sebright; Dr. IJobcrtson, Mr. Pitt, Howard, Mrs. I'iozzi, Mrs. Montagu, &c., &c. " A largo portion of this important and bi,i;bly Interesting work consists of letters, that w-e venture to say will bear a comparison for sterling wit, lively humour, entertaining gossip, piijuant personal anecdotes, and brilliant pictures of social life, in its highest phases, both at honie and abroad, >\ ith those of Horace Waljiole himself." — Court Journal. m IG COLBUKN AND CO.'S NKW PUDLICATIONS. CAPTAIN CRAWFOHD'S IIKMINISCENCES OF AD^VIIUALS SIR E. OWEN, SIR H. IIALLOWELL CAllEW, AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED COMMANDERS. 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portruiti', 21s. bound. " A work wliich rniinot fail of bciiif; poimJar in every portion of our spii-Rirt isle, and of licing rem] witli dcliclit liy nil wlio i'ccl interested in the right hiind of our country— its Niivy." — Pli/mouth Herald. REVELATIONS OF PRINCE TALLEYRAND. By M. COLMACIIE, TIIK I'UINCK's I'UIVATK SIXUKTAUY. Second Kdition, 1 volume, post 8vo, with Portrait, 10s. Gd. hound. "A more interesting work lias not issued from tlie press for many years. It is in truth a complete Boswell sketch of the gi'eatest dijilomatist of tlio age." — Siimlay Times] '•':^ Now ready, A'olume XI,, price 7s., of M. A. TRIERS' HISTORY OF FRANCE, FROM THE PERIOD OF THE CONSULATE IN 1800, TO THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. i! I A SEQUET, TO HIS IIISTORV OF THE EKENCII REVOLUTION. Having filled at difl'erent times the hiuli oftices of Jlinister of the IiUorior, of Finance, of Foreign Atlairs, and President of the C'ounril, M. Tiiiers has enjoyed facilities beyond the reach of every otlier hiograjilur of Xapolcou fur proturing, iVom exclusive and autlinitic sourees, tiio choiecst materials for liis present wurk. As guardian to tlio archives of the slate, he had areess to dijilomatic )ia]iers and otlier doeuments of the highest iiniwrtanee, hitherto known only to a privileged few, and the nuldieation of wliieh cannot fail to )iroduce a great sensation. From i.rivate sourees, 'M. 'i'ldcrs, it appears, has also Mi'r;\ed niueii valuahlc inforniatiun. JIany iiiliresting mi'nioii-s, diaries, and letters, all liitlierto unjiulilis)'. d, and most of tliein destined for jjolitical reasons to remain so, h.-ive Ik'cu ])laced at ids dis])osal ; wldlo all tlu' leading cliaraeters of tlie empire, who were .alive when the author imdertook tiie present liist( ly, have snjiplied him with a mass of incidents and anecdotes whieli have never hefore ;i]i)'earc'd in print, !iud the .'iccuracy and value of whkli may be inferred i'roni tlie faet of tliese ])arties having been themselves eye- witnesses of, or actors in, the great events of tliejiirind. *»* To prevent disaiipointment, the jmlilic are reiiuestud to be jiarlieular in giving their orders for "Comukns AtriionisKii 'i'ltANsi.ATioN." HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 17 CES L CAKEW, •:i{s. fiirt isle, nnd of ur country— its um. ind. Tt is in trutli I Tim eg] HISTORY OF THE IIOUSK OF COMMONS; I'llOM THK CONVKXTION rAni.IAMKNT OF 1G88-0, TO TIIK PASSING OF TIIK IJKFOKM IJILL IN' 1S32. By WM. CHARLES TOWNSEND, ESQ., M.A., Recorder of Macclesfield. 2 vols. 8vo, 12s. bound. " We Iiavo here a collection of biographical notices of all the Speakers who have presidod during the liunilrcil and forty-four years above defined, and of several Members of I'arlia- nient the most distinguished in tliat period. Much useful and curious information is scat- tered throughout the volumes." — Quarterly Review. DIARY AND MEMOIRS OF SOPHIA DOROTHEA, CONSORT OF GEORGE I. Now first puhlislied from the Orij;inals. Cheaper Edition, 2 vols., 8vo, with I'ortrait, Il's. bound. " A work .'ihounding in the rnmanco of real life." — Messcmicr. "A book of marvellous revelations, estabiisliing beyond all doubt the perfect innoceneo of the beautiful, higlily-gifted, and inhumanly-treated Sophia Dorothea." — Sacal and Militarij Gazette. CE, IN 1800, TION. or, of Finance, acilities beyond excdusive and uardian to tlie cumeuts of tlic '.'ition of whiili it appo.nrs, has ifs, and lettens, i to remain so, ipire, wlio wore witli a mass of e iiccuracy and hemselves eye- in giving their LETTERS OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS. Illustrative of Her Personal History. Edited, with an His' orical Introduction and Notes, By AGNES STRICKLAND. Cheaper Edition, with numerous Additions, uniform with Jliss Strickland's " Lives of the Queens of England." 2 vols., post 8vo, with Portrait, &c., 12s. bound. " The best collection of authentic memorials relative to the Queen of Scots that has ever appeared." — Morning Chronicle. MEMOIRS OF MADEMOISELLE DE MONTPENSIER. Written by HERSELF. 3 vols,, post Svo, with Portrait. " One of the most delightfiil and deeply-interesting works wo have read for a long time." — Weekly Chronicle. LADY BLESSINGTON'S JOURNAL OF HER CONVERSATIONS WITH LORD BYRON. Cheaper Edition, in Svo, embellished with Portraits of Lady Rlessington and Lord Byron, price only 7s. bound. " The best thing that has been written on Lord Byron." — Spectator. " Universally acknowledged to be delightful." — Athenceum. 0f^^^i "-«' 18 COLHUllN AND CO.'S NKW PUBLICATIONS. I NARRATIVE OF A TWO YEARS' RESIDENCE AT NINEVEH; AND TIIAVELS IN MESOPOTAMIA, ASSYRIA, and SYRIA, WITH KKMAItKS ON THE fllAI.DEASS, NKSTORIANS, YKZirJKKS, &C. By the Rev. J. r. FLETCIIEK. Two vols., post 8to, 218. bound. These Travels embrace not only Nineveh and its antiquities, but various new and interestinj,' piirtieulars respecting the Yc/.iilees, tiio Nestorians, and Orien- tal C'liristians, as well as notices of the country between Mosul and Aleppo, which bus been explored by few ICuropean travellers. The intimate relations with the natives of the country entered into by Mr. Fletelier, who resided some years at Mosul, during his inquiries into the condition of the Oriental Churches, have furnislied bim with a vast fund of anecdote and illustration. 'J'lie work also comprises disquisitions on tho ancient cities of Mesopotamia, and on the successive empires established between tho Tigris and Euphrates, with remarks on the hypothesis advocated by Major Kawlinson as regards the early Assyrian kings. OriNIONS OF THE TRESS. " A work of prcnt merit— the remarks of a hittlily intelligent and acute oliserver. The work is not loss ncccptalile as a Vumk of travel tliaii it is valiiablo as an auxiliary to tilt' aicli;i'olo}.'y oftlie Jloly Scriptures."— ,S7((H(/t/r(/. " At a time wlicu the st;irtliiip discoverirs of ^Ir. l.ayard have ealled imblle attention to till' eiadli' of A -iatie <'i\ilisation, the notes of a two years' rcsiilcnee on the nii^-'lity jilain of Nineveh, and of cxem^ions into the remotest jiarts of Assyria, from the pen of iinotlii'r travelh'r, eannol fail to exeite more than ordinary interest. Mr. I'Meteher, well versed in the questions eoiineeted with the ireofrraphy of Scripture, and with the his- tory and position of the dill'crent t'hurehes of the Kast", mad(^ his observations on the countries wliieli he visited, not as an ordinary traveller who picks \\\> his knowledjje casnallv, hereand Lhere, hut as anexperieuced stndeid, wlio knows beforehand upon what jioiuls he is to din •! his in(iuiries. His volumes form an instrnetivo and a«reeal)le pen- dant to -Mr. Laycrd's more exclusively anti(|uarian researches. The reader will meet with nuich valualil ' iiiformalion which he would look for in vain elsewhere."— ^o/uj Jlidt, " \ hook whicli lets us more into tlie secret of the habits and ideas of the natives of Eastern Asia, more especially of the Christian poi)nlation, than any work we could jioiut out. Jlr. Fletcher brintrs fresh and valuable information from tliat new centre of anticiuarinu research. He had the rare ifood fortune to he preseid at the lirst disco- verii-s of JI. liottu; and In; is not without claims to be ranked as a discoverer himself, lint his disposition and his opportunities make him a better describcr of tho living than of the dead. Tlu; eirch" of his iu([uiries was hv no means conlined to Nineveh, biit ex- tended to tho whole Cln-istian prinilation oi Asiatic Turkey, of whose liabits, ideas, oliservauces, and freneral condition he trives a minute, interestinp, and, we ai'c convinced, autheutie account. The condition of tho Eastern Churches is exeitinit nnich curiosity at present, and his detailed descriinion of them will bo most interesting to the religious world. Our extracts will sutliciently show what varied, interesting, and u.seful matter these volumes contiiin."— Daily Xcws. " Two volumes abounding in lively and graphic sketches of scenes visited and of charac- ters encountered."— yl^/if /Iff !(»(. "There is a great ATE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY. By Mr.«. IIAHKIKT AVAKl) (WifL' of Captain Ward, 'Jlst. Kcgt.) Second luhtion, 2 vol^., j.ost J^V", with IVtraits, &c., 21s. bound. THE WAN]) ERE 11 IN ITALY, SWITZERLAND, FRANCE, AND SPAIN. By T. ADOLPHUS TKOLLOrE, Esq. 1 vol., 10s. Gd. lioniid. PniNClPAl, Contents. — Venieo—Uonie—I'"l(ii'once—/urieh—I.iieeriie— Heme — Inter- lakoii — Ci'rtaldo— Arlos —Ue/.iers — Toulouse — I'aii— Orthoz — St. Sebastian — Aziieilia — Saragossa— .laea— Taiitieosa — Jiayoiuio, iStc. " A deliffhtful tablc-huok fur seaside or fireside — fur any place where there are cul- tivated tastes. The volume is a gallery of pleasant pictures' far more than a guide-book." — Athenmum. im ' ■ n I i 20 COLBUUN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS- LOUD LINDSAY'S LETTERS ON THE HOLY LAND. Fourth Edition, Eeviscd and Corrected, 1 vol., post 8vo, Gs. bound. " Lord Lindsay has folt and rccordrd what ho saw wntli the \\Tsdom of a philosopher, and the faith of an enlightened Christian." — Quarterly Beview, TEE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS; OR, ROMANCE AND REALITIES OF EASTERN TRAVEL. By ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq. EioiiTii AND CiiEArER EDITION, 1 vul., with numerous Illustrations, 10s. 6d. bound. " Independently of its value as an original narrative, and its useful and interesting in- formation, tliis work is remarkable for the colouring power and play of fancy with which its descriptions are enlivened. Among its greatest and most lasting charms is its reverent and serious spirit." — Quarterly Review. " We could not recommend a better book as a travelling companion." — United Service Magazine. HOCHELAGA; OR, ENGLAND IN THE NEW WORLD. Edited by ELIOT WARBURTON, Esq., Author of " The Crescent and the Cross." Fof KTH AND CiiEAPER EDITION, 2 vols., post 8vo, with Illustrations, 10s. 6d. bound. " We recomm ;nd ' Hochelaga ' most heartily, in ease any of our readers may as yet be unacquamtcd with it." — Quarterly Review. " This (vorkhas already reached a third edition. We shall be surprised if it do not go through many. It possesses almost every qualification of a good book — grace, variety, and vic!our of style — a concentrated power of dcp'viption, which has all the eflect of elaborate painting — information carefully collected and judiciously communicated — sound and en- larged views of important questions — a hearty and ~?nerous love of country — and the whole pervaded by a refined but sometimes caustic humour, wliicli imparts a constant attraction to its i)ages. We can cordially recommend it to our readers, as well for the amusement of its lighter portions, the vivid brilliancy of its descriptions, and tlic solid infonaation it contains respecting Canada, and the position generally of England in the new world." — John Bull T LAND. jound. philosopher, and 5; TRAVEL. lOs. 6d. bound. i interesting in- xncy with which lis is its reverent •United Service RLD. , lOs. 6d. bound, s may as yet be d if it do not go •ace, variety, and ffect of elaborate —sound and cn- ountry — and the parts a constinit , as well for the IS, and tlic solid Kngland in the mSCELLANEOUS. 21 LIGHTS AND SHADES 01*^ MILITARY LIFE. Edited by Lieut.- Gen. Sir CHARLES NAriER, G.C.B., Commander-in- Chief in India, &c. 1 vol., 8vo, 12s. bound. " A narrative of stirring interest, which should be in the hands of every officer in her Majesiy's service."— G?()?>c. , -^r . > , . -i. . x, " On(! of the most interestiiiR and, as rcpards General Napier s share of it, one of the most original productions of the day ."-i)u/(a)i Kcws. Sm JAMES ALEXANDER'S ACADIE; OR, SEVEN YEARS' EXPLORATION IN CANADA, &c. 2 vols., post 8vo, with numerous Illustrations, 12s. bound. " Koplete with valuable information on Canada for the English settler, the English soldier, and the English Government ; with various charms of adventure and description for the desultory reader." — Morning Chronicle- " Xo other writer on Canada can compare with the gallant author of the present volumes in the variety and interest of his narrative." — John Bull. STORY OF THE PENINSULAR AVAR. A COMPANION YOLUJIE TO MR. GLEIG'S "STORY OF THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO." With six Tortraits and Map, 5s. bound. " Every page of this work is fraught with undying interest. We needed such a book as this; one that could give to the rising generation of soldiers a clear notion of the ev^"' ■ which led to tlie expulsion of the French from the Peninsular."— L'jitVet^ Service Guzet cnts ette. LADY LISTER KAYE'S BRITISH HOMES AND FOREIGN WANDERINGS. 2 vols., post 8vo, 10s. bound. " Unrivalled as these volumes are, considered as portfolios of aristocratic sketches, tliey are not less interesting on account of the romantic history with which the sketches are interwoven." — John Bull- THE NEMESIS IN CHINA; COMPKISING A COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE WAR IN THAT COUNTRY; With a r articular Account of the Colony of Ilomj Kong. From Notes of Captain W. IT. HALL, R.N., and Torsonal Observations br W. D. RERNAKD, Esq., A.M., Oxon. Cheaper Enniox, with a new Introduction, 1 vol., with Maps and Plates, Gs. bound. " C;,j,t. Hall') narrative of the services of the Nemesis is fu'" of interest, and will, we are sure, be vahuihle hereafter, as atlbrding most curious materials for the history of steam navigation." — Quarterli/ Jieview- "A work whidi will take its place beside that of Captain Cook "—Weekly Chromc'.e. I 22 COLBURN AND CO.'S NEW PUBLICATIONS. THE YEAR-BOOK OF THE COUNTRY] OR, THE FIELD, THE FOREST, AND THE FIRESIDE. By WILLIAM HOWITT, AUTHOR OF "the BOOK OF THE SEASONS," &C. SECOND AND CHEAPER EDITION. 1 VOLUME; WITH ILLUSTRATIONS, 6S. BOUND. iri :i ■=• OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. "The world is always happy to hear from 3Ir. Howitt concerning ' the seasons and their signs'— the garden, the woodland, and their ever-changing shows of beauty— and the characters and humours which animate and chequer rural life. Ho treats of these topics with tliat adlnencc of poetii'al imagination and experience which there is no counterfeiting — with tliat thorough love which, coining from the heart of the writer, goes direct to the lieart of tlie reader. TIio present volume is as fresh in s))irit and as ricli in matter as if it were the first of its family. The illustrations by Mr. Foster arc excellent. Thcliook is at once welcome to read and goodly to see. It is richly, poetically, picturcsriucly various. AVo cannot doubt of its having a welcome as wide as its range of contjiits, and as cordial as the love of man and of nature, which every line of it breathes." — Af/ieiucnm. "To all lovers of country life v.e recoinineiid this excellent volume, as abounding in thoughts and suggestions eminently calculated to enlarge the sphere of their enjoy- ment as well as thcur usefulness ; and to all lovers of the town wc recoinmend it as likely to reform their tastes, and awaken them to pure delights which tliey have not yet tasted. The work is a complete country companion for the whole year— in the field, in the forest, and at the fireside. It is divided into twelve sections, each of which relates to a par- ticular month of the year, and not only describes all the natural features of the season, but the habits of life and customs approjn'iate to each." — Morning Post. "A highly amusing book, supjilyiiig, from rural anecdote, description, and observa- tion, something appropriate to each season. The illustrations are very beautiful."- y Kirby and Spence, no work'in our langmige is bettor ealeulati'd tlian the ' Zuologic-d l,'ecre:itiiins' to fulfil the avowed aim of itsantiior — to furnish a hand-book which may clicrish or awaken a love for natural history." — (luarlcrli/ A'ei'/e«'. TALES OF IIUXGARY. BY FRANCIS and THERESA PULSZKY. Cheaper Edition. 3 vols., 15s. bound. " The authors of the pre.sent charming tales liavo not only produced these most inte- resting volumes, l)ut have opened a region of fiction which will be eagerly explored by many readers." — Messmyer. . THE DREAMER AND THE WORKER. By R. 11. IIORNE, Esq., Author of " Orion," &c. Clicapcr Editioa. 2 vols., post 8vo., 10s' bound. ADVENTURES OF A GREEK LADY, THE ADOPTED DAUGHTER OF THE LATE QUEEN CAPtOLIXE. WuiTTEK BY Ilr.itsKi.i". 2 Vols., post 8vo, J2s. bounil. " The chief interest of this more tlian ordinarily interesting book lies in the no .res it furnishes of the unfortimate (Jucen Caroline. l'r OPINIONS OF THE PRESS ON COLBURN'S UNITED SERVICE MAGAZINE. I t " This truly national periodical is always full of the most valuable matter for professional men. It abounds with excellent articles, the personal memoirs of distinguished officers of both Services, results of valuable military and naval experience, fragments of interesting travels, and light tales of adventure, all of which are well blended, and form a most harmonious ensemble." — Morning Herald. '"Colburn's United Service Magazine' is always a welcome visitor. Its numbers contain an absolute redundancy of able and important articles, the value of which is not merely confined to any peculiar distinc- tive interest that military and naval men may attach to them. Independent of its attractions to the two Services, there is a mass of sterling reading which no class of intelligent persons will fail to appreciate." — Morning Post. "A magazine which is not only an honour to the Services that patronize it, but also to the literature of the country." — Standard. " To military and naval men, and to that class of readers who hover on the skirts of the Services, and take a world of pains to inform them- selves of all the goings on, the modes and fashions, the movements and adventures connected with ships and barracks, this periodical is indis- pensable. It is a repertory of facts and criticisms — narratives of past experience, and fictions that are as :ood as if they were true — tables and returns — new inventions and new \ loks bearing upon the army and the navy — correspondence crowded with intelligence — and sundry unclaimed matters that lie in close neighbourhood with the professions, and contri- bute more or less to the stock of general useful information." — Atlas. "The 'United Service Magazine' is an invaluable repository of excel- lent articles on naval and military warfare, with respect to the science, the statistics, and the management of the two branches of the Service. It is, moreover, a most useful chronicler of all current events relating to our mercantile and national marine, and to every branch of our army, whether under Government or in the service of the East India Company. Its attention to colonial affairs and miscellaneous subjects is most useful." — Weekly Dispatch. " This is one of the most permanently useful of the magazines, con- taining matter valuable not only to the naval and military reader, but to the historian and politician. It has, moreover, sketches of manners, scenery, and adventure, from the pens of some of the most popular writers of the day. Its digest of news is admirable, its lists of the posts among which our armies and fleets are divided are of the last utility, while its amusing and able correspondence is another excellent feature." —Brightan Guardian. COLBURN AND CO., PUBLISHERS, 13, Groat MnrlboroHKta Street. TO BI! HAD OF ALL BOOKSELLERS THROUGHOUT THE KINGDOM. lZINE. ible matter le personal if valuable , and light in a most me visitor, important ar distinc- dependent ig reading —Morning t patronize vho hover )rm them- ments and il is indis- es of past tables and y and the unclaimed nd contri- -Ailas. ' of e.\cel- le science, le Service, relating to o'lr army, Comjjany. I is most mes, con- ler, but to manners, t popular the posts st utility, ; feature." DOM.