THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 59, 3 January 1877, Page 2

THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

The narrative of the Arctic expedition ig published. It relates that on the first encounter with the ice the expedition was detained for seven days at Port Payer. It started thence on Btb August, but before reaching the shore of Grinneß Laud the vessels were caught iv ice pae|. 4-fter this progress northward was incessant straggle through chance openings made in the tee by the wind and currents, through which the ships moved, and which were constantly closed beyond than. The Discovery wintered in a well sheltered, harbor on the west side of Hall's Basin, ti few miles north of Polaris Bay. The Alert pushed forward and rotted the north-east point of Grant's Laud, but instead of finding, as expected, a continuous coast a hundred miles towards the north, she found herself ou tbe border of an extensive sea, with impenetrable ice on erery side, and no harbor. The ships wintered behind a barrier of grounded ice closeto land. The floating masses of thick polar ice had, in meeting, pressed np large quantities of intermediate blocks frequently a mile in diameter, and varying in height from 10 tp 50 feet, obstacles of this kind destroyed all hope of reaching the pole by sledges. Before an attempt was made the sledge party were obliged to make a road with pick-axes nearly half the distance it travelled. It was always necessary to drag the sledge loads by instalments. The psrty really travelled 275 miles though they only proceeded 73. All the cairns erected by tbe Polaris expedition were visited. At a boat depot in New Map Bay the chronometer was found in as perfect order as when left by the Polaris. When at Polaris Bay the party discovered aad hoisted an American flag and fired a salute. A brazen tablet with the following inscription was placed on the grave of Captain Hall :-—" Sacred to the memory of Captain Hall, of the Polaris, whosacri'* ficed his life in the advancement of science, This tablet is erected by the British Polar Expedition, who following his footsteps have profited by his experience." Two saiiors of a Greenland sledge party were buried near Captain Hall's grave. ' The sufferings of the sledge party from ' scurvy were frightful. An expedition 1 under Markswain and Farr, wbich en--1 dearored to reach the people consisted of 17 persons. Nine became utterly helpless and bud to be carried oc sledges. ! Three could barely walk aod were unable 1 to render any assistance.