Notes

Abstract

THE Valorous, which accompanied the two Arctic ships, the Alert and the Discovery, as far as Disco, with coals and provisions, arrived at Plymouth on Sunday. She has really nothing remarkable to tell, which is so far satisfactory. Severe storms were met with in crossing the Atlantic, but all three vessels seem to have borne themselves well, though the Alert and Discovery each lost a whale boat, a loss which was made up to them by the Valorous before leaving Disco. The Valorous was the first to reach Disco, which she did on July 4, the other two not coming up till the 6th. The ships remained together at Disco till the 15th, the two exploring vessels filling up from their consort as much coals and provisions as they could stow away. During their stay at Disco, officers and men seem to have enjoyed themselves and to have been treated with the greatest courtesy and kindness by the Danish officials and the natives. Mr. Kraup Smith, the Inspector of North Greenland, had orders from his Government to pay every attention to the Expedition, and he carried out his instructions most liberally. He provided the Expedition with sixty-four dogs and an Esquimaux. While at Disco the naturalists of the three ships were employed collecting botanical and geological specimens on shore and dredging in and outside the harbour. A very large number of plants were found, some believed to have been previously unknown in this part of Greenland. The Alert and Discovery having been put into complete trim, the Expedition left Godhavn on July 15, and on the 16th the Valorous took leave of her consort ships, after seeing them fairly on their way to their work in the high north. The Danish officials' reports as to the weather are favourable, leading to the belief that the navigation of Melville Bay and northwards will be comparatively easy. It is hoped that suitable winter quarters will be found for the Discovery on the north shore of Lady Franklin's Strait, from whence hunting parties will issue. The Alert will then press on wards alone to the north, landing depots, building cairns with records at intervals of about sixty miles. The surest way of reaching the Pole, in Captain Nares's opinion, is not to risk failure by pushing forward away from the land. The Alert will probably winter in 84° and begin sledge travelling· so as to get information of the country, and then in the summer of 1876 will push boldly northwards. The grand achievement will be done by a system of depots and auxiliary sledges, enabling the foremost to be absent about 112 days, and to advance upwards of 500 miles from the ship. The Discovery, in the meantime, will go on exploring and advancing slowly. At the British Association on Tuesday, a paper by Mr. C. H. Markham, who accompanied his cousin to Disco in the Alert, was read; and Mr. Carpenter, who with Dr. Gwyn Jeffreys sailed in the Valorous for dredging purposes, added a few words. He said, when they parted with the Alert and Discovery they had every reason to believe from the state of the wind and weather that the Expedition would go on favourably. He thought it was more than probable that the Discovery was now in her winter quarters, and the Alert was somewhere further north. The letters which the ships would deposit would probably reach England before Christmas, and after that it is not likely they would hear anything of them until next summer, or perhaps later. On its way home the Valorous struck on a sunken rock to the north of Holsteinberg, but happily came off without serious damage. Temperature, soundings, and dredgings were made by the Valorous in its homeward journey, many interesting forms having been obtained. In a series of temperature soundings taken, 33° and a decimal was found to be the lowest. When the Valorous parted with the Expedition everybody on board the two ships was in perfect health.