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Show HORTK POu HUNT. The undertaking of Mr. Jamas Gordon Bennett to discover the Norm Pole, is tbe most difficult and will probbly prove the moat expensive of the great enterprises ot thai energetic and ambitious individual. The successful suc-cessful solution by private enterprise of the geographical question of the kilo's source, lads us to hope that the Polar expedition may result equally satisfactory. Though lor huudreda of years nations have exerted themse ves, at a coat of millious of money and thousands of lives, in uuauccesaful efforts toexplore Central Africa, the work was at last only accomphsbed by tbe generosity a ad enti rpnse of an American newspaper news-paper proprietor. It cannot be said that Mr. Benn.t engages in auch undertakings na a financial specula tion. Of course his paper is assUted by them, but tbe actual money returned is not at aU iqtial to the vast out i ay. A fow letter, valuable to the world in a scientific and geographical geo-graphical sente, first appear in the .New York Herald, where they are eagerly sonant, and then tbe money beutftil to il.-t journal ia praclullj over. An ambitious deaira lo become lamjua, and a couiinendabl- anxiety to ben tit mankind are tbe great mcsutiveo that urge Mr. Bennett Ben-nett to undtriake auch mighty enterprises. enter-prises. As nations, with all their resources, Wealth, auJ greed (or new territory, Jailed W Gild Vue souroa of the Nile and Cingo, leaving the work to indl-1 vidual enterprise and tbe energy of a newspaper correspondent, they have ' also failed to reach tbe north pole, and aolve that other and more difficult diffi-cult problem of the existence or not of a northwest passage. Since tbe fourteenth century nuinoroua expedition expedi-tion have been dispatched on the errand, but ao far all have failed of success. The British governmeut had a standing reward from 1745 to 1818 of -I100.0U0 ior tbe discovery of such passage; subsequently the reward re-ward was modiGtd, thu government promising to pay $2o,000 when either HO, 120, or 130 degrees W. longitude should be passed, one of which pay mentB was made to Captain Parry in 18J4. In 1553 Sir Hugh Willeuyh-by's Willeuyh-by's expedition to find a northwest passage to Cniua, sailed from the Thames. In 1508 tho ships were lost in tbe ico off Lapland, and the whole party perished. Io 15TG rfir Martin Frobiahor Bailed on a simi-' simi-' lar errand and reached what is now known as LIudaon'B bay. Iu 15So Captain Davia' expedition went forth and Bailed to tho atraita which bear hia name. In 150-1 the Dutch aont out an expedition under Captain Bar-rautz. Bar-rautz. Weymouth and Knight's aailud in lti02. Iu 1010 Captain lieury Hudson began his Arctic ex plorationa. Ho made fjur voyages, and ou tbo last, while wintering in Hudson's boy, waa thrown into a boat wilh four others by his sailors and left to periah. Sir Thomas Batton'a expedition expe-dition aailed in 1G12; William Baffiu'e I Baffin's bay being named after bim) in 1G16; Foxe'e in 1631; Middle ton's in 1742; Mooro and Smith's in 17-16; Huarue'a laud expedition in 17G0; Captain Phipps in 17713; Captain Cap-tain Cook'a (he who wae killed by the cannibals of Hawaii in 1779) in 177G; D.muau'a in 1789 and 1790; Lieut. Koizabue'e in 1S15; Rosa' in 1818; Parry's in 1819, 1821, 1S24 and 1827; Buchan and Franklin's iu 1S19; Franklin'a in 1S25; Sir John Fnuik-, Fnuik-, hu's fatal expedition in 1815; Com mander Collinson, in search of Franklin, Frank-lin, 1S50, in the Invesiiyatur, the firat Bhip which traversed the Polar aea from Behring atraita to Bebringialiind. From 184S to 1S65 not lees than t-.venty-one expeditions were sent in tiearch of Franklin, five of which were equipped by Lady Franklin at her own expense. In 1853 the American expedition under Dr. Kane Bet sail; in 1858 the Swedish-Norwegian; in 1S60, Dr. Hayce'; in 18G8 the German; in 1S71 tho ill-fated Polaris under the gallant American, Captain Hall, act out, and reached a higher latitude than any ship bad yet attained. Tbe aad dory of the crew being cast aahoro at Smith'a sound aad aubaequently rescued by an English Eng-lish whaler, ia.', , th in the minda of our readers. In 1872 the Auatrc-Hungarian Auatrc-Hungarian expedition under Lieutenants Lieuten-ants Weyprecht and Sayer left Bre-merhavan, Bre-merhavan, returning in 1S75. In view of tbia long list of failures, uud the Bad ending of bo many ot them, Mr. Bennett's undertaking is of no amalf magnitude. That he will be successful tne world at large, and Americans Bpocially greatly desire. If it lies , within the scope of human possibility, we believe Mr. Bennett will plaut the stara and stripes on the north pole, and if thero be a Polar sea bis veasel will navigate it. Nations have about given up the idea of ever aolv-ing aolv-ing the problem and scientific societies socie-ties are exhausted, and now is the time for this onlerniUing newspaper owner to take hold of'the matter and win. |
