. ,ws .
turn
NEW SERIES, VOL. 9, NO. 34.
SUNBURY, NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, VA -SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1856.
OLD SERIES, VOL- 17. NO 8
3 I
61
it
TTho Sunbury American,
rCHMSHEO Vf lATCDAt
BY n. B. ltfASSER,
Market Square, Sunhunj, Penna.
... d a ft v HIIHSCRIPTION.
1 a i 1,1 w -
.. rOM.A-R9 per milium to he paid linlf yearly hi
tWniice
.a. it ... 1-1 - ..Inill.a
51)0
-rl.r ponies ' 1
... ..1,1.....
10(1"
V,nMU l.i "Wane, will Pr th'" "
, tiplion to " d frnnk
Saw Uhl ! iSi ItalUome. UW.
. mj a 11 V KRT18I N 0 .
, ii.... "I llincn. 1'
Oiiprnnmcoi i mho-, - .
Vv,rv luiwrq"""' "ertion,
(inefq'.""! 3 nwnlhs,
Six m 'nthe,
linn '' , , Piv. ijrtpn. ppr enn'iitl
31)0
Slid
300
ve,.T, with the priv.lo o. . ...unB )(lfl()
JOU PRINT1NI1.
. MTfll wiith win eS a. to exPCto
Mlw-tnl J"" ... .1 ,i,.tv of nriiilinK.
in the nemtwi sfcji, c.j
, r r: T.T1
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
Business attended to in the Counties of Nr
Ummhorlaiid, Union, Lycoming Montour and
Coiumbiu.
Inferences in VMUiMjili'm :
Comers Nl0ilm.s, I-". llh to
" ' L0 TJST IICUUTAIN COLLIERY
S U P E U I O H W II I T E A S II
ANTHBACITB COAL,
From the Mammoth Vein, for Furiiaces, Fou ml
rirs, Steamboats and Family use,
MT. CaKMKI., NoKTIIl'MBEKLASU PoCXTr, 1 A.
SIZES OK COAL.
LUMP, for U!st Fr.rnarea and Cupolas,
STEAMUOAT, for Steamboats, Hot Air
Furnaces and Steam.
yj!'' ?ot f'rlr'. s'.vt, nJ stc'
8TOVE, For Stoves, !team and burning
NUT, Lime.
1'EA, for Limeburnern and making Steam.
Or.lcra received at Ml. Cermel or Nortliuin
berlind Wharf, will receive prompt attention.
M. B. UKl.I.,
1). .1.1. KWIs,
WILLIAM ML'IK.
My 3, iar.f..-tf
DILWOKTn ERANSOH & CO.
Hardware Merchants,
Having removed from No. 59 to No. 73
Market Street, Philadelphia,
Are prepared, with Rreaily increased facilities,
to fill orders for HAKDWAKK of avery variety
on bebt terms, fiom n full assortment, including
KailroaJ Shovels, Picks, 4C.
Country merchants and others ill ind it to
their interest to call and examine our stock be
fore purchasing i lrfcn licre.
April 12, I H&C ly .
XT. S. OF"a.
't'.'ixl ami our Xatirc Land."
(Ti;fQi;r.lIANNA CAMP, No. 5'.', of the O.
3 oftheC.S. A. holds its stated sassioua every
Mnn.(i evening in their New Hall, opposite E.
Y. H rights store. Sunbury, Pa. Inilitution and
regalia, $!!,00.
JOHN fl. YOl'NU, W. C.
E'i. 'Wilvkut, R. K.
. Sunbury, Julv 12, lUf.r.. oct 20 'S5
SCNBVRY CtlUNCIL, No. 3d, O. of I'. A.
M. meets every Tt:si.ay evening in the
American Hall, opposite E. Y. Hriaht'a flora,
Market street, Snnbury, Pa. Members of the
order are respectfully requested to attend.
VM. A. HKUNEK, C.
G. W. Smith. R.S.
Sunbury, JuIvS, 1850 Oct 30, '5S.
OF Jr-.
"IVfASI! INOTON CAMP, No. 19 J. S. of A
holds its stated mcetinja every Thursday
rveniiiR, in the American 1111, Market Street,
fiuiuury. w jivssELMAX, P.
A. A. SlIISSLKU, It.
Sunbury, July S, lSSfi. tf.
JURE OLIVE OIL for table use two size
at 37J and 02J cents jiiat received ny
VM. A. BKL'NEIt,
June 21, '60.
SUE K M, fish, tanners, flaxseed and pina Oil,
paints, glass, putty, copal varni.h.'spts. tur
pentine, fluid and paint brushes for kilo bv
May 31, '56. E. Y. lUUtillT & SON
ISlackheri-y Eiranti) !
JUST received a fresh supjdy of blackberry
llrandy and invaluable remedy for Summer
coinplaintB by WM. A. UKUNEU.
Augusts, 1P50
' NEWabODS "
AT
V. W. GRAY'S STORE,
A larue assortment just received from Phila
delphia, and sold cheaper than ever for cash or
country produce. Among his stock will be
found
Fancy nrcxs Goortu,
of nil kinds and the latc.-t and most fashionable
atiles, lllack and Fancy Hresa Silks, Challies,
Uraizo He Lains, Ginshams, Lawns, Shawls,
Prints, Hress Trimmings, Hoso Olives, Stocks,
JJlotlkS, t'asaimeies, VestinRS, Linen Drills,
Irish Linens, MujUiis, Parasols and Umbrellas,
&c.., c.
II A RDWAKE a general assortment.
CaKOCEKIES, Fish,('heese, Raisins, Tobacco
and Cigars, Queenswaro, Hoots, Shoes, Hats and
Cai.s. and a general variety.
13?" PLEASE CALL AND KEE,J
P. W. UK AY.
Sunbury, May 21, 185C tf
FOUSALK!
s7 fcTEAM ENGINES 00 Horse power each,
Zfl with boiiers. Would make excellent pump
ing iingiuea, together with 2 Isrge blowing cylin
ders, suitable for a blast furnace. Apply to
HENKV LONUENEOKER & CO.
bhamokin Iron Worka.
Shainokin, Pa.
Shamakin, July 21, 1855,
STOVES'
iTOR gALE an excellent second-hand Cook
iiiK Stove, also aeverul Cylinder Coul
Moes. Empiire at this oliice.
"CTnilllla UcmiNi A fresH assortment
' j received by WM. A. HKt'NEll.
June 21.' 185(1.
relic (fojKAttttoiL
(From the New York Trihnnc
KANE'S ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Afptic Kxplotions. Tliefteconu Orlnnell Kxpeilitmii
in rienrch ol H.r John Franklin. By Klihu Kent
Kuiie, M. D., U B. N. vols. 8vo. rhilailelpliia :
C'liiMs & Peterson.
))r. Knne is one of the singularly fortunate,
men who ore permitted not ouly to petTorm
noblo octious, but to leave a worthy record
of their history." Tho admirable tpualities
which ho hns displayed in the discharge of
his official duties area sure pledge of perma
nent fume. Courage, wisdom, fertility of
resource, power of endurance, devotion to
an idea, and skill in accomplishment, ore
Btampod on his intrepid career of Arctic
research. 1 ho lulness ol monuooa gives a
lofty character to his adventurous course. He
might well bo content with his exploits, which
have culled forth tin honor of talent, that is
rarely combined with tho conditions of liter
ary excellence. Histinction as a writer was
unnecessary to give brilliancy to his achieve
ment, liut in the composition of these
volume?, lie has gained a new titlo to the
admiration of Urn public. If thoy presented
merely a narrative ot other men s pertorm-
iinccs, they would be counted as productions
of remarkable interest, for their graphic
vigor of description, and the richness and
novelty of tho information which thoy impart.
Hut us n trunscrii.t of personul experience,
they, occupy a unique place in literature.
Written with rare moilhety ol tone, great
simplicity of expression, and a certain cordial
frankness of manner, Securing the sympathy
of tho r. B'h r. which at the same time is
evidently taken for granted, they possess 'a
pectiliiii cliarni, apart trout tneir unquestion
able value as memorials of maritime discov
ery. .
I no spccilic lentorcB ol l'r. Knes,pian
of research consisted in making the land-
masses of the north of Oicetilund the basis
of operations, assuming, from the analogies
of Kooeraphu'iil structure, that Greenland
was to be regarded as n peninsula approach
ing the vicinity of tho Pole, rather than os a
cougeries of islands connected by interior
glaciers. On this Hypothesis, the course was
to pars up lialliu s Hay to the most northern
attainable noiut, and thence, pressing on
toward the Hole, as far es boats or fledges
could reach to examine the coast-lines for
vestiges of th lost party. Tho Kxpedilion
which sailed in the Advance consisted of 17
meu, besides the commander. The equip,
ment ws simple. A quantity of rcugli
boards to serve for bousing tlio vessel in
inter, soma lnma-rum.crand ennrnss tents,
and several strong sledges, built on a con
venient model, completed the outiit. . i or
provisions, they took a liberal supply of
peimiiieun, a parcel of Horden's meal-biscuit,
soino packages of prepared potato, a store
ot uricu iruitf and vegetables, besides pickled
cabbage, the salt beef and pork of the Navy
ration, hard biscuit and flour. A moderate
supply of liquors mado up the bill of fare,
although the party were pledged to total
abstinence from this article, unless dispensed
by special order.
Leaving New York on tho ?.0. of May,!
1P53, the Advance arrived at tho harbor of
l'iskernaes on the 1st of July. They pro
ceeded gradually along the coast, until on the
27th of July, they ncared the entrance of
Melville Hay. Here they encountered their
first serious obstruction from the ico ; Dr.
Kane promptly decidtd to attempt a passage
through the buy by a new truck, and after a
rouch transit of eight days, the wisdom of
the plan was confirmed by its success. In
less than a week they entered Smith's Sound
una am intr near Liittietou jsionu, oeposueu
n boat with a supply of stores, with the view
of securing retreat in case of disaster.
" e found to our surpuso mat wo were
not the first human beings who has sought a
elter in this desolutu spot. A lew ruined
walls here and there showed thut it had once
been the peat of a rude settlement ; and in
the little knoll which wo cleared iiway to
cover in our storehouse of valuables, wo found
the mortal remains of their lormer inhabi
tants. ' Nothing can bo imagined more sad and
homeless than these memorials of extinct
life. Hardly a vestige of growth was trace
able on the bnro ice rubbed rocks ; and tho
huts resembled so much the broken fragments
that surrounded them, that at first sight it
was hard to distinguish one from the other.
ulius bones lay about m all directions,
showing that this uuimal had furnished the
staple of subsistence. There were some
remains, too, ol the tux and tho narwhal ; but
1 found no signs of the seal or reindeer.
These Esquimaux have no mother earth to
receive their dead ; but they seul them as in
the attitude of repose, the knees drawn close
to the body, and inclose them in a suck of
skins. The implements of tho living man
are then grouped iiptund him ; they nro
covered with a rude dome of stones, and u
cai in is piled above. This simple cenotaph
will remain iuUct for generation ufter gene
ration. Tho Esquimaux never 'disturb a
grave."
On tho western Capo of Littleton Island,
they erected a cairn, which might serve us a
beacon to any following party, wedged a staff
into tho crevices of tho rocks, and spreading
the American Hug, hailed its folds with three
cheers as thoy expanded in the cold midnight
breezo. They immediately resumed their
course, beating toward tho north against
wind and tide, und soon arriving ut the
regions of thick ribbed ice, where they were
compelled to moor their vesel to tho rocks.
Among tho petty miseries which they row
began to suffer, was a pack of some fifty
dogs, which furmed a very iuconvenient ap
pendage to the travelling party. Theso
uniiiials wore voracious as wolves. It was no
easy matter to supply such a hungry luinily
with food. They devoured a couple ol bears
in eight days. Two pounds of raw flesh
every other day was a scanty allowance ; but
to obtain this was nlmost impossible. The
peminicun could not be spared corn meal or
beans they would not touch und suit junk
would have killed them. The timely discov
ery of a dead narwhal or nuieorn proved an
excellent relief, affording six hundred pounds
of good wholesome tiesh, though of a rather
unsavory odor.
Hut a more serious trial was at hand. The
vessel had been released from her moorings,
and hud fought her way through the ico for
several days, when the sky gave tokens of un
approaching storm. On the 2Uth of August
the tempest came on with unmistakable
Arctic fury. Its effects cau bo described in
do other words thau thoso of tho jouruul of
tho dauntless commander :
" Hy Saturday morning it blew a perfect
hurricane. We had seen it coming, and
wero ready with three good hawsers out
ahead, and all things snug on board.
' Still it came on heavier and heavier, and
tho ice began to drive more wildly than 1
I icujht 1 bad ever seen it. 1 had just
turned in to warm and dry myelf, during a
1
momontary lull, and wns stretching myself
oat in my bunU, when 1 heard the sharp
twangling snap of a cord. Our six-inch
hawser had parted, and wo were swinging by
the two others tho gale roaring Hue a lion
to the Southward.
" Half a minute more, and 'twang, twnngl'
came n second report. 1 knew it was the
whale line by the shrillness of tho ring. Our
noblo ten-inch matuiia sun neiii on. J was
hurrying my last sock into its seal-skin boot,
when McOary came waddling down the com
panion ladders ' Cnptojn Kane, she won't
hold much longor ; it s blowing the devil
uiinsoll, and 1 am nlraid to surge.
"The raanilla cable was proving its, excel
lence when 1 reached the deck, and the crew,
as they gathered round me, were loud in its
praises. 'We could hear its 'deep Kolenn
chant, swelling through all the rattle of the
running gear and moaning ol tbo shrouds.
It was the death song 1 The strands gave
way with the noiso of a (hotted gun, and in
the smoke that followed their recoil, wo were
dragged out by the wild ice at its mercy.
"We steadied and did some pretty warp
ing, and got tho brirf a cood bed in the
rushing drifts but it nil como to nothing.
w o then tried to bent back through the
narrow ice-clogged water-wny, that was
driving a quarter of a mile wide, between the
shorVund tho pack. It cost us two hours of
hard lubor, I thought skillfully bestowed ; but
at the end of that time we were at least Tour
miles off opposite tho great valley in tho
centra of liedevillo Reach. Aheud of us,
farther to tlio north, we could seo the straight
growing still narrower, mid the heavy ice
tables grinding up and clogging it between
the shore-clifl's on one side and the ledgs on
the other. Tbero was but ono thing left for
us, to keep in some sort tho command of the
helm, by going freely where we must other
wise be driven. Wo allowed her to send
under a reefed foretopsail j all hands watch
ing the enemy Its we closed, in silence.
' At 7 in the morning wo were close upon
the piling masses. We dropped our heaviest
anchor with the desperate hope of winding
the brig, but there was no withstanding the
ice torrent that followed us. Wo had only
time to fnstcn a spar as a buoy to the chain, j
and left her slip. Ho went our best bower !
"Down we went upon the ralo ne-uin. I
helplessly scraping along a lee or ice seldom
less than thirty feet thick : ono floo. mens.
tired by a lino as wo tried to fasten it, more
man torty. j Had seen such ice only once
before, and never in such rapid motion. One
upturned mass roso above our gunwale,
smashing in our bulwarks and depositing half
a ton of ice in a lump upon our decks. Our
staunch little brig bore herself through all
thiB wild adventure ns if sho hud a charmed
life.
" Bnt a new enemy came in sight ahead.
Directly in our way, just beyond the lino of
tioo ice against which we woro alternately
sliding and thumpiug, was a group of bergs.
We had no power to avoid them ; and the
only question whether we were to be dashed
in pieces ogainst them, or-whether they
might not oner its Borne providential nook of
refuge from tho storm. Hut, ns we ncared
them, wo perceived that they were at some
distanco from the floe edge, and separated
from it by un interval of open water. Our
hopes rose, ns the galo drove ns toward this
passage, and into it ; and wo were ready to
exult when, from somo unexplained cause
probably on eddy of the wind against tho
lofty icewalls we lost our headway. Almost
at the same moment wo saw that the bergs
were not ot rest ; that with a momentum of
their own they were bearing down upon the
other ice, and that it must bo our fate to be
crushed between the two.
"Just then a broad scpnce-piecp or low
wutpr-wiished berg came driving up from the
southward. The thought flashed upon me
of one of our escapes in Melville Bay ; and
as the scone moved rapidly close alongside
us, McO'ary managed to plant m, anchor on
its slope, and held on to it by a whale-line.
It was an anxious moment. Our noble tow-'
horse, whither than tho pale horse that
seemed to be pursuing us, hauled us bravely
on, the spray dashing over his windward
llauks, und his forehead plowing up the
lesser ice as if in scorn. The bergs en
croached upon us us wo advanced Our
channel narrowed to a width of perhaps
forty feet ; we braced the yards to cleur the
impending ice-walls.
" We passed clear; but it was n
close shave so closo that our port quarter
boat would have been crushed if wo had not
taken it in from the davits and found our
selves under tho lea of a berg, in a compuri
tively open lead. Never did heart tried men
acknowledge with more gratitude their
merciful deliverance from a wretched dontb.
"The day lad already its full share of
trials ; but there were more to come. A flaw
drovo us from our shelter, and tho galo soon
carried us beyond the end of the lead.. We
were ngain in tho ice, sometimes escaping its
onset by warping, sometimes forced to rely
on the strength ond buoyancy of the brig to
stand its pressure, sometimes scudding wildly
through the half opened drift. Our jibboom
was snapped oil' in the cap j wo carried away
our barricade stanchions, and were forced to
leuvo our little Erie, with three brave fellows
and their warps, out upon the floes behind us.
" A little pool of open water received us
nt last. H was just beyoud a lofty cape that
rose up like a wall, and under an iceberg that
uuchored itself between us and the gale.
And here, close under the frowning shores of
Greenland, ten miles nearer the Hole thau
our holding-ground of the morning, the meu
have turned in to rest.
" 1 was afraid to join them, for the gale
was unbroken, and the floes kept pressiug
heavily upon our berg at one time so heavily
as to sway it on its vertical axis towurds the
shore, and make its pinnacle overhang our
vessel. My poor fellows had but n precarious
sleep before our littlo harbor was broken up.
They hardly reached the deck w hen we were
driven astern, our rudder splintered, and tho
pintels torn from their boltings.
' Now began tho tiippiugs. The first
shock took us on our p r- ,u.n ter ; tho brig
bearing il well, and, ulter u moment of the
old-fushioned suspense, rising by jerks hand
somely. The next was from a veterun Hoe,
tongued and honeycombed, bnt floating in a
single table ovet twenty feet in thickness.
Of course, no wood or iron could stuud this ;
but the shoreward face of our iceberg hap
pened to present an iucliued plane, descend
ing deep into tho water, ond up this the brig
was driven, as if some great steam screw
power was forcing her into a dry dock.
" At one time 1 expected to see her carried
bodily up its face and tumbled over on her
side. Hut one of those mysterious relaxa
tions, which I have elsewhere called tho
pulses of the ice, lowered us quite gradually
down again into tho rubbish, ond we were
forced out of the line of pressure toward the
shore. Here we succeeded iu curying out a
warp and making fust. We grounded as the
tide fell, and would have heeled over to
seaward but for a mnss of detached land-ice
thut grounded alongside of us, und, although
it stove our bulwarks as we rolled over it,
shored us np."
We must also give Lis account of the
soqnei :
" I could hardly get to my bunk, as I went
down into onr'littcred cabin on the Sunday
morning after our hard-working vigil of
vim ij-riA uuiiio. jaga oi doming, looci,
tents, India-rubber blankets, and the hundred
little personal matters which every man likes
to save in time of trouble, were scattered
around in places where the owners thought
they might have them at hand. The pem
micun had been on deck, tho boats equipped,
and everything of real importance ready for
a march, ninny hours before.
"During tho wholo of the scenes I have
been trying to describe, I could'not help be
ing struck by the composed and meanly de
nienuor of my comrades. The turmoil of ice
under a hoavy sen often conveys tho impres
sion of danger when the reality is absent; but
in this fearful passage, the parting of our
hawsers, the loss of our anchors, the abrupt
crushing of stoven bulwarks, and the actual
deposit of ice upon or docks, would have tried
the nerves of the most experienced icemen.
All officers and men worked ulike. Unon
each occasioti of collision with the ice which
formed our ice coast, efforts; were made to
carry out lines; and some narrow escapes
y.cro incurred, by the zenl of the pr.it ies lead
ing them into positions of dancer. Mr. Hon-
still avoided being crushed by leading to a
floating fragment ; and no less than four of
our men ut one time were curried down by
the drift, and could only be recovered by a
relief party after tho gnle had subsided.
"As our brig, borne on by the ice, com
menced her ascent, of the berg, the suspense
was oppressive. The immense blocks piled
against her, range upon range, pressing
themselves uuder her keel, und throwing her
over upon her side, till, urged by the succes
sive accumulation, she roso slowly, end as if
with convulsivo efforts, along the sloping wall
Still there was no relaxation of the impelling
force. Shock alter shock jarring her to her
very centre, she continued to mount steadily
on her precarious cradle. Hut the groaning
of her timbers, and the heavy sought of tho
floes, we might have heard a pin drop. Aud
then, as she sett.ed down into her old posi
tion, quietly taking ht-r place amonrr the bro
ken rubbibh, there was a deep-breathing si
lence, ns though all were waiting lor some
signal beforo tho clamor of congratulation
und comment could burst forth."
Hythe22dof August, they had reached
the latitude of 78-' 41' a distance greater
tliuu had been attained by any previous ex
plorer, except Parry on his Spitsbergen foot
tramp. Abont this time some of the party
began to exhibit symptoms of discontent.
The rapid advance of winter, the deprivation
of rest , and the slow progress of the expedi
tion, tended to produce depression. One
person volunteered an opinion in favor of re
turning to tho south, and giving up the at
tempt to winter. It was no time fur half-way
measures. Dr. Kane at once called a council
of hio olliaoru. nnd listened to their vinwa in
full. With but a single exception, they de
clared their convictiou that a further progress
to the north was impossible, and urged the
propriety of returning southward to winter.
The commander maintained the opposite
view. Explaining the importance of securing
a position which might expedite future sledge
journeys, ho announced bis intentiou of WArp
iug toward tho northern headland of the bay.
Onco there, he could determine the best point
for the operations of tho spring, and would
put tho brig into winter harbor at the nearest
possible shelter. His comrades received the
decision with a cheerful acquiescence, and
zeulously entered upon the perilous duties
which it involved. During tho progress the
gallunt little vessel ran aground, "und in the
night hud n narrow escape from fire. A
sudden lurch tumbled the men out of their
berths, and threw down the cabin stove, with
u full charge of glowing anthracite. The
deck blazed up violently, but by the sacrifice
of a heavy pilot-cloth coat the lire was smo
thered until water C ni d be passed dowu to
extinguish it, The powder was not fur off.
A few moments more might have brought tho
expedition to a sudden close.
About the 10th of September the vessel
was brought into a sheltered harbor between
tho inlands of tho buy, in which she had been
lying for some time, and all hands prepared
for wiuter quarters. Of their mode of life
during the long darkness of nn nrctic winter,
a vivid idea is given by the following extract
from Dr. Kane's journal :
"How do we spend tko day when it is not
term-day, or rather the twenty-four hours ?
for it is either all day here, or all night, ot a
twilight mixture of both. How do we Bpend
the twenty-four hours?
"At six in the morning McGary is called,
with ull bauds who have slept in. The decks
ore cleaned, the ice-hole opened, the refresh
ing beef-nets examined, the icu-tubles mea
sured, and things aboard put to rights. At
half-past seven ull hands rise, wash on deck,
open the doors for ventilation, aud come be
low for breakfast. We are short of fuel, and
therefore cook in the cabin. Our breakfast,
for all fare alike, is hard tack, pork, stewed
apples, frozen like molasses candy, tea and
collee, with u delicate portion of raw potato.
After breakfast, tho smokers take their pipe
till uiue, then all hands turn to, idlers to idle
und workers to work, Ohlsen to his bench,
Hrooks tohis piepurutious in cauvas, McGury
to play tailor, Whipple to make shoes, Hou
sull to tinker, Baker to skill birds and the
rest to the 'officu !' Take a look into the
Arctic Hureau. One table, one suit pork
lamp with rusty chlorinated flame, threc
btools, as many wnxeu freed men with their
legs drawn under them, the deck ut zero be
ing too cold for thoir (Vet. Euch bus his de
partment; Kane is writing and sketching
and projecting niups; Hays copying logs
and tneteoroloyiculs ; Sunt.ig reducing his
work ut Pern Hock. A fourth, us oue of the
working members of tho hive, bus long been
defunct ; you will hud him in bed, or study
ing Little's Hiving Age. At 12, a business
round of inspection, und or 'ers enough to Mil
up theduy with work. Next tho drill of the
Esquimaux dogs my own peculiar recrea
utiun a dog trot, specially referring to legs
thut creak with every kick, und rhcumutic
shoulders tkat chronicle every descent of the
whip. And so we get ou to dinnertime; the
occasion of another gathering, which misses
tho tea and ootl'ce of breakfast, but rejoices
iu pickled cubbago aud dried peaches
instead.
" At dinner, as at breakfast, the raw
potato conies in our hygienic luxury. Like
doctor stuff generally, it is not as appetizing
us desirable. Grating it down nicely, leaving
out tho ugly red spots liberully, ond udding
the utmost oil us a lubricant, it is as much
as 1 can do to persuade the mess to shut
thair eyes ond bolt it, like Mrs. iBqneers's
molasses und brimstone at Dotbeboy'g Hull.
Two absolutely refuse to take it. 1 tell them
of the tiilosiuus using its leaves as spinach ;
of the whaler iu the South beat getting
drunk ou tho molussea which had, preserved
tho lurge potatoes of the Azores ; 1 point to
this gum, so fungoid aud angry tho duy
before yesterday, and so flat and amiable to
day all by a potato poultice. My eloquence
is waited j they persevere iu rejecting the
admirable compound.
" Sleep, exercise, amusement and work at
will, carry on the day till our tt o'clock sup
per a meal something like breakfast and
something like dinner, only a littlo more
scant, and the officers come in with the re-
fiorts of the day. Dr. Hays shows -trie the
og, I sign it; Sontng, the weather, 1 sign
the wouther; Mr. Housull the tides aud
thermometers. Thereupon comes in mine
ancient Hrooks, and I enter in his jonrnal
No. 3 all work done ninler his charge, and
discuss his labors for tho morrow.
" McGary comes next with the cleaning
up arrangement, inside, outside and on decks,
and Mr. Wilson follows wth ice measure
ments. Aud last of all conies my own record
of the day gone by; every line, as I look
buck upon its pages, giving evidences of a
weakened body aud a harrussed miud.
" We have cards sometimes, aud c??h
sometimes, and a few magazines Mr.
Littelfs thoughtful preseut to cheer away
the evening."
Towards the end of April, tho arrange
ments for a iournev of exploration were
completed, and leaving the brig iu charge of
a trustworthy detuchment, four able-budied
and six disabled men, the commander, with
seven others, set out upon the tour over the
ice. His plan was to follow the ice-belt to
the Great Glacier of Humboldt, and from
llmt point to stretch alonir the face of the
glacier to the northwest, and muke an attempt
to cross the ice to the American side. The
stores of the party consisted of pemmican,
bread, and tea, a cuiivssh tent five feet by six,
and two sleeping baus of reindeer skia. "1'he
sledge was light, built of hickory, and but
nine feet long. A soup kettle, lor melting
snow and making- ten. was arranged to boil
either with lard or spirits., A subdivision
of the party with another sle Ige started two
days before the departure jf Dr. Kane, which
toon place on the 27th. He reached the
Ureut Glucier in safety. The coost of
Greenland in the vicinity is ef a highly
picturesque character. The red suuddtouo
present un impressive contrast with the blank
whiteness, associating the cold tints of the
dreary Arctic Laudscnce with the warm
coloring of more southern lands. The dif
ferent layers of the cliU' have the appearance
of jointed masonry, and the narrow line of
greenstone caps them with natural battle
ments. At one place rose the dreamy sem
blance of a castle, flanked with triple towers.
completely isolated aud defined. To these
ut. Kane guve the namo r the "Three
Brother Towers." A still more striking
object was a single cliLf of greenstone, uortii
of latitude 7'J degrees, which reared itself
from a crumbled buse of snnditones. like the
boldly chisseled rampurt of au ancient city.
Ou one extremity stands a solitary column
or minaret tower, as sliurply Cuished as if it
had been cast for the Place Veudome. The
length of the shaft alone is four hundred aud
oitiitty Lot, n it ,ieea uu u plluiti or pedes
tal itself two hundred and eighty leet hij:h.
" 1 remember well," says Dr. Kune, " the
emotions of. my party ns'it first broke upon
our view. Cold and sick us 1 was, I brought
back a sketch of it, which may have interest
for the reader, though it scurcelv sucirests
tho imposing dignity of this magnificent
landmark. Those who re happily familiar
with the writings of Tennyson, and have
communed with his spirit in the solitudes of
a wilderness, will apprehend the impulse that
inscriueu tue scene wim nis name." No
description can do justice to the Great
Glacier itself. Hising in solid glassy wall,
three hundred foot above the water level,
with an unknown unfathomable depth below
n, us curved lace sixty miles in length Troiii
Cape Agasir. to Cape Forbes vanishes into
unknown spaco at not more thau a siuule
day's railroad travel from the Pole. The
interior with which it communicated and
from which it issued was nu unsuiveyed sea
of ice apparently of boundless dimensions.
The journey, however, failed of success iu
forcing a passage to the north. On the
sixth day the party were attacked by scurvy,
from which they hud suffered terribly during
tho winter. Two of the number were taku
with snow blindness, and one was condemned
ns altogether uufit for travel. To crown
their discomfitures, they found that the bears
hnd got hold of their peminicun casks, aud
thus destroyed their chances of recruiting
their supply of provisions nt tho several
caches. Dr. Kane himself was seized with
violent illness ;' his limbs became rigid, and
certain tetanoid symptoms made their ap
pearance. In this condition he was unable to
make more than nine miles a day. He wus
strapped upon a sledge, aud the march con
tinued ; but he was soon so much reduced us
to find the moderute temperulure of 0- below
zero intolerable. His left foot wns frozen tip
to the ankle joint, and the same night it
became evident that the difficulty in his
limbs was caused by dropsical illusion. The
next day he grew delirious aud fainted when
ever he was taken from the tent to the
sledge. Every man in tho party was so far
gone as to make the continuance of the
journey impossible. Scarcely uble to travel,
they bore the coiiiiiiuiider back to the brig,
w hich they reached by forced marches on the
fourteenth. Dr. Kune was entirely prostra
ted for abont a week. The firat business
after his convalescence was to urrunge new
parties for exploration. They returned in
safety, with ample experience of the perils of
Arctic discovery.
Passing over tho remainder of the summer,
without further extracts from tho interesting
narrative, we find the little party prepared to
encounter the terrors of a second winter in
that dreary region. The brig wns fast in the
ico, and every effurt 'for her liberation had
proved unsuccessful. At this crisis Dr.
Kane called till hand.i together, und ex
plained to thiMii tho reason which had decided
h'iui not to forsake the brig. He left it to
tho choice of each man, however, t9 attempt
un escape to open water, or to stand by the
fortunes of the expedition. Eight of the
seventeen survivors of tho party resolved to
remain with their coutnmndcr ; the others
were fitted out with every appliance that
could bo furnished, and departed on their
utmost desperate enterprise. Tlicy curried
wilh them every assurance of u brother's
Welcoiliu eliould ll.ry bo OriTun tu.U , k. 1,
wus not until ufier many weury months of
trial und hardship thut they were, seen
again. .
The arrangement of the Winter-quarters
now occupied the whole attention of the
little baud. Dr. Kanik-determined to adhere
to the rontine of observances which had
mado up the sum of thoir daily life. No
accustomed form was to be surrendered. The
importance of systematic employment was
fully appreciated. The distribution and
details of duty, the religious exercises, the
ceremonials of the table, the fires, the lights,
the watch, even the labors of the observatory
and the notatiou of tho tides and the sky,
it wus decided bIiouUI go on as they hud
before. In the material arrangements, many
useful hints wero borrowed from the Esqui
maux. The brig was thoroughly lined and
padded with moss ond turf. A pile of
barrels on tho ice contained their supply of
water-soaked beef and poik. Flour, buuns,
and dried apples, formed a quadrangular
block-house. The boats and spare cordage
were placed along an avenue opening abeam
of the brig. There was but a small store ol
vegetables. . Tho pickled cabbage, dried
apples and peaches bud lost much of their
anti-scorbutic virtue by constunt use.
The species were all gone. Nothing re
mained but a few small bottles of horsera
dish to season the standing faro of bread,
beef nnd pork. A kind of root-beer was brew
ed by thu Doctor from the.'branchcs of the
crawling willow, of w hich a stock had bnen
laid iu some weeks before. The gun procur
ed them an occasional supply of fresh meats.
Hear's flesh was a fovorito dish, but the liver
of that animal proved poisonous. A less
noxious article of diet was the rat. A per
fect warren of this tribe was on board the
brir. They had become impudent and fierce
with their increase of numbers. Nothing
could bo saved from their racity. Furs, Wool
lens, shoes, specimens of natural history,
were gnawed into and destroyed. They har
bored among the men's bedding in the fere
castle, and at last become itilollcruble nui
sances. Dr. Kane took his revenge by deci
mating them for his private table. His com
P'.iuioiis did share his taut, and he thus had
the frequent advantage of a fresh meat soup.
To this inviting fare ho ascribes his compara
tive freedom from scurvy.
The want of fuel before the close of winter
compelled them to rely upou their lamps for
heat. Pork-tat, boiled to les.-tn its salt, whs
the substitute for oil ; and hy the use of me
tallic reverberator, a sinule wick was suffi
cient to keep liquid ten ouuees of lard with a
surrounding temperature ot JU Deiow aero.
Haw meet was now voted the most agreable
diet. A slice of blubber or a cbuuk of frozen
walrus-beef was taken with infinite relish.
The liver of a walrus eaten with little slices
of fat was a dainty morsel. The flesh and
blubber of that animal is stated to be "the
very best fuel a nun cau swallow." Hut of
the savors viands the party were now desti
tote. The sick begun to suffer for waut of
meat. They were reduced to three dnys' al
lowance of frozeu flesh, at the rate of four oz.
a day for each man. In this emergency, Dr.
Kane determined on a trip over the ice to a
Bettllemeut ot Esquimaux huts at tho distance
of about a hundred miles, lie was accompa
nied by Hans Christem, a native Esquimaux,
uud five dogs. During the journey, a fright
ful storm came on. Uefore it had fairly com
menced, the party succeeded in reaching an
old hut, which hud been abandoned by the
Esquimaux. Tuking in the dogs, with the
blubber lamp food and bedding, which form
ed part of the burden of the sledge, t'uey clo
sed up the entrance with blocks of snow.
They were hardly housed before the storm
broke out iu all its fury. Completely cut off
from the outer world, they here passed many
miserable hours. They could keep no note
of tlmn. Tim oLly Indication of the stute of
the weather was tho whirring of the drift
against the roof of the kennel. The time was
divided between sleeping and preparing cof
fee, which they drunk with a relish. When
warned by their instincts of the lapse of 1 2
hours, they treated themselves to a meal, di
viding impartial bits out of the hind leg of a
fox to give zest to their biscuits spread with
frozen tallow. It wua 2 duysbeforelhey weie
released from their uarrow prison, reckoning
the time by tho increased altitude of the
moon. Unon attuiiiotiuir to resume their
journey, they found it impossible to work
through tee piles ol drillod snow. Sludge
dogs and drivers were buried in the attempt.
The two travelers harnessed themselves to
the sledge, and "lifted, livered, twisted and
pulled," but ull iu vain. They were compel
led to give it up, and returned to tho wretch
ed hut. Tukinir the back truck, they reach
ed the brig the next morning, and fur sever
al days were incapable of the slightest exer
tion. On the lust duy of January Dr. Kuuo
writes in his jauruul :
Our sick uro worse, for our traps yield no
thing, and wo are still without fresh food.
The ubseuce of raw fox-meat for a siugle day
shows itself in our scurvy. LUmori huge are
becoming common. My ciow I have uo
crew any longer the tenants of my buuks
cannot bear me to leave ineui a single wutcu
Yet 1 cauuot muke l'etersou try the new
path which 1 discovered and found practica
ble. Well, the wretched month is over. It
is something to be living, uble to write. No
one bus yet mude the dark voyage, and Janu
ary the 41st is npou us.
One week afterward we Dud the following
entry. What a world of misery does it re
re veu I !
' Still no supplies. Three of us have been
out all duy witlicut getting u shot. Iluns
thinks he suw a cuuple of reindeer ut a dis
tance ; and his eyes rarely deceive hiui. Ho
will try for them to-morrow. 1 have fitted
out for him a tent and a Bleeping bag on thu
second table laud ; and the thermometer is
now so little below zero that he will be able
to keep tho field for a steady hunt. Our sick
are sinkiug for-thu waut of fresh food. It is
the only specific. I dislike to ute the unpuil
osophieal term, but iu our cued is the
truu one. In large quantities itd.aaipalea the
disease; ill ordiuury rutious it prevent its tc
cunence ; iu smull doses it checks it, w lulo
sustaining the patient. We have learned its
value too well to waste it ; every part of ev
cry animal has its use. The skin makes the
busis of a soup and the claws cau be boiled
to a jelly. Lungs, larynx, stomach and en
trails, nil are available. 1 have not permitted
myself to tui-te more than an occasion en
trail of our lust half dozen rabbits. Not t at
1 am free from symptoms of the universal
pest. 1 am conscious of a atill'uees iu tno
loudous, uud a ahoiiness of breath, and a
weariness ot the bones, that should naturally
attend the eruption which covers my body.
Uut 1 have none of the more fearful signs.
I can walk with euui jfy alter 1 get wuimed
up. 1 have no bleeding of the gums, and,
better than all, than God, 1 uin without thut
horrible ilispoudeucy which the dueuso nour
ishes and feed on. 1 sleep sound ami ilreuin
ploasuully genorally about succotaus in tho
hunt, or double ration ut ruiudeer or puUruii-
gun:
On Sunday tho twt'ity-fifth of February a
vliinnbH was obtained ot the returning sun.
' To-day, blessed uo wt a,.--. ,r
Liuht! Ihiiveoiicu more looked upon the
. ' . . j: ... .l.,,.l- ( l,!tiL- il, ir ,v..r
suu. 1 was aianuiuj; ou in-m, .'
our prospects, wheu a lauiiliiur ooig, vimcu
had long been hid in shadow, Hashed out, in
sun-birth. 1 knew this berg ngm wen ; ii
stood between Charlotto W ood Fiord aud
Little Willie's moiiuineut. One yeur uud cuo
day ago 1 truveled towurd it from Peru Hock
to catch the sunshine. '"'Then 1 bd to climb
tho hills beyond, to get the luxury, batnug
in its brightness ; but now tuougti tue euu
was but a single degree above the true hori
zon, it wus so much elevated by retraction
that the sheen stretched across tuo v.""b"
the fiord like a flaming tongue, 1 could not or
would uot resist tho influence. H wub anuu-
day act of worship- I started oU at an eveu
run, and caught him as ho rol!cd slowly along
the horizon, and before he sank. 1 was ngain
the first or my party to meditato in sunshiue.
It is the third sun 1 have seen rise for a mo
ment nbovo the long night of on Arctic wiu
ter." ,.
It, wns not until tho 20th of May that Ilia
party wsreenablod to leave the vessel, which,
lias irrecoverably imbedded iu tlio ice, and
take up tho line of march for tho settlement
on the Greenland coast. During the inter
vening timo they had not been idle. On cv,
cry respite from their incredible sufferings by
cold, fumino and disease, the search was con
tinued for tho object of tho Expedition, but
after various fruitles attempts, they wero
obliged to reliqnish all Lope of success. We
navo no npneo to detail the perilous journal
to the Danish settlements, at which they ar
rived about tho 1st of August.
The expedition under Dr. Knne, although
not sncceeding in the groat purpose for which
it was despatched, has contributed important
and yaluublo addition the geography of the
Arctic regions. The highest point reached
was nearly eighty-one nnd a half degrees of
latitude, within about live hundred miles of
the Pole.
. In the different explorations by members
of the party, the northern coast of Greenland
was surveyed to its termination in tho great
Humboldt Glacier this glacial mass was cx
nmiued nnd described as tar as its northward
extension into the new land named Washing
ton a largo tract of I.md forming tho exten
sion noi thwurd of tho American continent was
discovered and the existence ascertained of
an opeu and iceless sea toward the Pole. mak
ing nn area, with its channel, of over four
thonsand miles. The discovery of this Polar
Sea is ono of tho most interasting iesulta of
Arctic exploration. It had long been sus
pected thut such a truct of w ater was to ba
found in the vicinity of the Pole, and the sus
picion was confirmed to somo extent by actu
al or supposed discoveries. Hnt hitherto no
satisfnetory proof of the fact had been obtain
ed Tho evidenco which Dr. Kano has had
the rare good fortune to collect is founded on
facts of immediate observation. Tho cnust
of this mysterious sea wbb traversed for niu
uy miles the water wus viewed from an ele
vation of five hundred and eighty feet, pre
senting the suHie limitless spectacle, moved
by a heavy swell, free from ice, aud dashing
in surf egainst a rock-bound shore. In con
nection with this discovery, several fact3 wero
brought to light indicating a milder climato
near the pole. Crowds of murine birds, tho
advance of vegetable life, the melted snow np
on the rocks, uud the rise of the thermome
ter in the water, suggested tho supposition
ofacliinntie melioration towards the Pole,
although Dr. Kane declines engaging iu thu
discussion of the question.
in concluding our extended notice of this
work, we cannot but repeat the expression of
our sense of the heroism, energy and intelli
gence of the intrepid chief of .the Expedition.
His modest narrative has a certain autobiog
raphical fascination, unconsciously revealing
the highest order of manly qualities, whilo in
the interest of its incidents, it is almost super
fluous to say, it surpnssess the most exciting
wonders of romance. A vein of beautiful hu
manity pervades its composition, and oven iu
the describing of the most desperate scenes,
a lurking humor often peeps lorlh, showing
the importance of uucogeniul circemstances
to depress an elastic nnd generous nature.
The ethical lesson of the volumes ic a no loss
precious gift to the reader than its scientific
iustructiou r.nd picturesque declinations.
Pradlv ErrECT ok Nicotian a Tabaotm.
W e are indebted to Hon. O. E. Potter, of
this city, lor the following instance of tbo
deadly effect of icn!finl ''tlftn flint u-liinl.
came under his notice recently. In tho lm-
iiiini iti-ii latai uose ot tobacco rarely
manifests itself in nntng t,f d,u ,,lt.,.t.,a
of animal life, while in tha lower animals
in which the motory muscles are more strict-
if uimer uio junuence ot tne spina( fystem,
such a remit is moro common aud eus'ily ac
counted for.
" A bluek snake, about six feet iu length,
which hud been enptured, was grasped byotio
l,..,,.l n ..I ,1. 1 1 . , ! .
...m niuilliu ll.H I1BCK B11U SOI110 lOOaCCO JU1CO
thrown into its month. After writhing spas
modically a few moments, the snake bocamo
rigid, and after its death actually retained
the position in which it was held, its head el
evated from tho ground and its body curled
around beneath. The experiment has been
tried successfully on several smaller snukes,
und other reptiles, iu propuring them for cab
inet preservation." ,Y. JIuwp. Journal of
Med.
Foisox of tub Smdkr. We tare- no!!c?t
in several instances recently serious results
attributed to the bite of a spider. The latest
occurred in Cincinnati, on Thursday last,
which is stifled to have resulted fatally.
A young mun named Wiliam Haughton,
employed in a dry goods store was taken to a
physician's office in a stute of great sntl'erin"
caused by a spider's bite near tho abdomen,
received a few hours before. The sufferings
of Mr. 11. continued to increase until lutein
the afternoon, when he died, apparently from
the effects of the bite. Tho case has excited
considerable attention in the medical profes
sion and the physicians of that city state that
it is the only ulf.iir of the kind which lias ev
er come within their knowledge.
To Mcatnrc drain in Hindu, multiply the
length and width together, and that product
by the heigth in cubic inches, nnd divide by
2,150, aud you have tho number of bushels.
To Kftork Stainkp Lixrv. Rub the stniu
on each side vitli wet brown soap ; mix somo
starch to a thick pasto with told water and
spread it over the soaped plac.-s ; then ox
p...e the linen to the oir. If the stain do
noi then disappear in three or four days, rub
o'f the mixturo and repeat the process with
the soap and starch. Then dry it, wet it with
cold water nnd wash it.
A VOIlllf l.ldv hv tkn IKim. i,nr,,n,ni..
i. o j ... , ui,i,tji-ir
was tiiii-d s.V in A 11, Lin- r t',;,i.. r...
ting in another lady's face. Nic-j buisness for
CuvKru Hi'HKR.r. Tlio I ulIiPrniiChurfli at
Loss !.V00Uori20,0,ia the i;rL'fliiVwhioi
Oiit (Will w i a nUn I'nnsnmml tv lt K ,1
"' - ------- . nu Mil UU
j fiing building, (in which the fire oii 'hiatal)
i... I ,,. I,.l, l,'.,l;. l. .. ..'
ur.niittiiig iv vv.iu j-uguou, SHUSH lOS? Jft
fsfiUOO.
71, T.nttrr ft 7'.in nf TTnt. On 1,r,n,ln...l
cubic of buy, in a soli j mow or stuck, will
ucigu a ion.
The Springfield Republican savs a had
was caught iu the, Connecticut, river on Tues
day, by a Mr. Converse, whilo li.uiug for yio-"
keicl.
Two lioircba.ida uriinw Kllfrnr tin first, fit-
the crop were received ut New 6ileaus cn
the .'1st nit;
i