The Russians have been making considerable exertions to explore the northern regions. Baron Wrangle made an attempt of this kind, in the year 1821. And a second attempt was made in the year 1822, by travelling with sledges, drawn by dogs.[47] But, probably owing to the party not having faith in the winding meridians about the verge of the polar opening, or being unacquainted with their direction according to the theory of concentric spheres, they were bewildered, and kept travelling in the neighbourhood of the verge, the region of greatest cold, instead of proceeding in a direct course towards the pole, until they were finally obliged to return without accomplishing the object of the expedition.
At the present time (August, 1824) an expedition is fitting out in Russia at great expense, under the auspices of that distinguished patron of science, Count Romanzoff, for the purpose of making discoveries in the northern regions, with the intention of exploring over land, or on the ice, as far as it may be found practicable. The celebrated Admiral Kruzenstern, is to exercise a general superintendance over the expedition, while the immediate command is to be conferred on some distinguished Russian officer.
The continent of North America, would, in my opinion, be a more suitable place, for an exploring party to set out from, than the coast of Siberia. A company of men, well armed, could travel over land, and draw their provisions and baggage on hand sledges, on the snow or ice, as Hearne did during his journey, with light canoes for the purpose of crossing rivers and lakes, should such be found to obstruct their progress. In this manner, the party would soon cross the verge, or "barren grounds," as Hearne calls it, and arrive in that country of abundant game, of which the Indians informed him. Hearne, according to his journal, reached nearly the seventy-second degree of north latitude, and his general course is laid down as being north-westwardly, from Fort Churchill to the mouth of Copper-Mine river, which he says disembogues itself into the Northern sea, flowing in a northerly direction. Me-lo-no-bee, the Indian chief, who served as Hearne's guide from Hudson's Bay, pointed out the mouth of Copper-Mine river, as being in a north-eastwardly direction from Fort Churchill, and flowing in an eastwardly course. Subsequent discoveries have, I believe, determined Me-lo-no-bee to be correct in this particular, as that river has been ascertained to empty into the waters of the Atlantic north of Repulse Bay, several hundred miles distant from where Hearne lays it down on his map. It is so laid down in the map accompanying Ross' voyage of discovery. How Hearne could be so much mistaken in the course he travelled, as to lay it down at nearly a right angle from its true course, is rather unaccountable: he must have been deceived by the winding meridians of the verge, which turned him to the right; when to have passed directly into the concave, he ought, on arriving at a certain point, to have proceeded west of north, then west, and finally south-west, which would probably have conducted him to that country, which the Indian represented as being far to the west, or south-west, and so warm that there was never any frost. In this direction, an exploring party ought most probably to travel, first north until they come to the verge; where (if they are on the continent of America) the meridians begin to wind to the right, then gradually, as they advanced, incline to the west, then true west, then south of west, and finally, when entirely beyond the apparent verge, to the south-west, if not due south. In crossing the verge, the cold would no doubt be considerable: but cold in those regions, as measured by the thermometer, appears to us much greater than the feelings of those exposed to that temperature indicate. Hence it was, no doubt, that Parry's crew could hunt in winter, when the medium was below zero. And the Russians set out on their expedition over the ice in 1821, when the cold was thirty-two degrees Reaumur; and this too accounts for Hearne's sleeping in the snow, without fire, by only digging a hole, and lying therein, with his sledge turned up to windward. It does not appear that he complained of excessive cold; though he travelled nearly all winter. He had also several Indian women in company. The regions through which he passed, as well as that in which Ross and Parry were, are alleged to be the coldest of the earth; and that those men experienced as great a degree of cold as would be in passing the verge into the concave regions.