The “Eira” Arctic Expedition

Abstract

THOSE who advocate the despatch of a Government vessel in search of Mr. B. Leigh Smith's expedition betray only a partial acquaintance with, the circumstances of the case. His having failed to return this season is no evidence whatsoever of his having met with disaster; for previous to his departure from England, certain people well understood that he was prepared to spend the present winter far north if he found it worth while to do so. It was this which prevented me from going with him (natural history work on hand precluding my absence from London for upwards of a year); for as I had collected plants and animals with him on a former expedition in Spitzbergen, he invited me to accompany him on his present trip to Franz-Josef Land. The Eira was well-provisioned for upwards of eighteen months, and in summer time fresh meat in abundance can be secured, which, hung up in the rigging, will keep good for almost an indefinitely long period. Thus the expedition has provisions enough for at least another year and a half from the present time, and there would be no need for them to starve two years hence. It is therefore rather early to begin to feel uneasy about their safety on account of provisions.