THURSDAY, JULY 17, 1873

THE PAY OF SCIENTIFIC MEN

'HERE are a good many points of interest attaching THE to the Parliamentary paper referring to the pay of the officers of the British Museum, which, thanks to Lord George Hamilton, has been issued during this week.

It shows in a striking manner what the Government thinks of Science and its votaries; nor is this all it shows in a not less striking manner how it behoves men of Science, if they consider that there should be a career for Science at all, to at once take some action, in order that their real claims may be conceded. Mr. Lowe, in defending not long ago the high rate of pay of Treasury clerks, who "begin" at 250l. a year and rise quickly to 1,200/. (if they are unfortunate enough not to get a staff appointment with much higher pay, long before they would, in the ordinary course of promotion, reach the senior class), stated that what was principally wanted at the Treasury, over and above the ordinary qualities of a clerk, was a certain "freemasonry," which was best got at the public schools. For this "freemason.ry" Mr. Lowe is

willing to pay 150%. a year over and above the 100%, which is the usual commencing pay of a junior clerk in the other

Crown offices.

Perhaps it is too much to say that this "Freemasonry' is required in the British Museum. But there is certainly something required in the case of the scientific appointments there, of as special a character; and that is a knowledge of Science.

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What then does Mr. Lowe do to secure this specialty? He gives the man of Science who enters the Museum the magnificent sum of 90l. per annum on entrance, with the still more magnificent--but, unfortunately, very distantprospect of attaining an income of 600l. So that :Public School Freemasonry: Scientific Attainments :: 250/.: 90%. This state of things has recently been brought home to the Trustees by petitions from all grades in the Museum, and a sub-committee of the Trustees has reported that, "owing to the insufficiency of the salaries, the slowness of their progressive rise, and the lowness of their maximum, the trustees are losing, and will continue

to lose, their best men.”

As a result of this report, in which we consider that higher ground might have been taken, the Trustees have proposed a new scale to the Treasury, the only fault of which is that—with the exception of the case of principal Librarian, who is not a specialist, who has no special work to do which could not be done by the keepers acting in turn as Dean, and who already has just double the salary of the most highly paid keeper-it is far too modest. As the Daily News has well put it, a maximum of 500l. is "certainly not a too lavish position for a man who must be a scholar and linguist, an archæologist, natualist, or chemist, and must in most cases be already in middle life."

The men upon whose heads, hands, reputation, and work the success and fame of the Museum depend, are No. 194-VOL. VIII.

the keepers, whose pay, even as revised, is a mere pittance for such service as they render.

Altogether, the eventual total increased annual expendi ture would amount to 5,700l. a year-the pay of one political or legal placeman, who has properly employed his "Freemasonry."

Here is the Treasury reply :

"Treasury Chambers, March 28, 1873 "My Lords and Gentlemen,-The Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have had before them two letters from Mr. Winter Jones, dated the 4th instant, submitting recommendations for the grant of increase of salary to the principal Librarian and Secretary, and to various other officers of your establishment, and they desire me to say that, after giving their most careful consideration to all the statements put before them, they regret that they would not feel warranted in acceding to any alteration in the present scale of salaries. "I have, &c.

We trust that some determined stand will be made by the Trustees-among whom is the Right Hon. Robert Love-against this monstrous letter; and we trust also that some general protest will be made by men of Science and Culture generally against this latest valuation of these acquirements by the Government.

The man of Science serves his country as well as the

politician, the lawyer, the soldier, or the sailor, although perhaps his claims are not stated in so blatant a manner,

nor are at present so generally acknowledged, whether they will be in the future must to a large extent depend upon men of Science themselves: but whether this be conceded or not, surely in a country where the State remuneration for services performed is extraordinarily high in the upper appointments, our scientific chiefs in the public service

should at all events receive the means of a decent liveli

hood, and such men as are employed in the British Museum, many of whom have world-wide reputations, should at least be treated as well as Government clerks.

Surely this is not to ask too much? Nay, it is already conceded by the Government in many departments where special scientific knowledge is required of no higher order than that which is so shabbily treated in the one Institution of which we have the greatest reason to be proud.

THE "POLARIS” ARCTIC EXPEDITION

WE have just received the printed Report, presented to the President of the United States by the naval authorities, of the result of their examination of those of the crew of the Polaris, who, in October last, were severed from that ship, and drifted on an ice-floe from about 80° north latitude during the whole of the winter until, 600 miles south from their startingpoint, they were picked up on April 30, of this year, by the Tigress off the coast of Labrador. The Report furnishes material for one more of those thrilling narratives of Arctic adventure, which will be the delight of the boyhood of all generations, and which, commencing in the 10th century with that of Bjorne the Norseman, have been accumulating in increasing proportion, and will never fail to be added to until not a shred of mystery remains to unravel within the Arctic circle. The advocates of Arctic exploration by way of Smith's Sound, needed

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only the narrative furnished in this Report, to render their arguments invincible.

The Folaris, an ordinary wooden vessel, lf: New London, Connecticut, on July 3, 1871, well furnished with provisions, but otherwise ill fitted for an Arctic expedition, under the command of Captain Ha'l, an enthusiastic explorer, who firmly believed he was “born to discover the pole," but apparently deficient in the firmness and decision necessary to manage a crew amid the trials of an Arctic winter; the officers and crew, moreover, seem to have been collected at haphazard, and were by no means well assorted. The second in command, Captain Buddington, who has now the command of the Polaris, ought never to have been taken on such an expedition, and, even though the most lenient construction be put upon his conduct, is deserving of the severest reprehension. After a delay of a week at St. John's, Newfoundland, the Polaris sailed for the West Coast of Greenland, and after calling at several places on that coast, arrived at Disco, which she left on August 17. After calling at the settlements of Upernavik and Tessiusak, the latter in 73° 24′ north lat., the Polaris commenced her exploring work in earnest, leaving Tessiusak on the 24th August. Hitherto there had been no difficulty whatever in navigation, nor was the vessel destined to meet with any obstruction until passing through Smith's Sound and Kennedy Channel, she reached 82° 16' N. lat., a point far beyond the limits of previous navigation. This she did on August 30, within a week after leaving Tessiusak. After making unsuccessful efforts to find a way through the ice, Captain Hall resolved to return and take up winter quarters, which he did on September 3, in a small sheltered cove or bent of the coast in what he called Polaris Bay, the “ Open Polar Sea" of Kane, where the ship was protected by a stranded icebergProvidence Berg. This was in 81° 38 N. lat., 61° 44′ W. long. Had the vessel been specially built for Arctic exploration, it appears to us that Captain Hall by good management could have pushed even farther north before requiring to return to winter-quarters as it is this is one of the most wonderful and successful Arctic cruises on record, considering the distance accomplished in less than a week so far within the ice-bound region. It affords the strongest ground for hope that with a vessel specially fitted for ice-navigation, a skilful captain may ere long complete the 8° that remain to be traversed before the North Pole be brought within the sphere of the known.

From Polaris Bay on October 10 Captain Hall left the Polaris, accompanied by Mr. Chester, first mate, and Hans the Esquimaux with two sledges and fourteen dogs. In the progress of the journey he discovered, as appears by his

despatch, a river, a lake, and a large inlet. The latter, in latitude 81° 57′ north, he named "Newman's Bay," calling its northern point "Cape Brevoort," and the southern one "Sumner Headland."

Captain Hall, it appears, had hoped, when he left the Polaris on this journey, to advance northward at least a hundred miles; but after having gone about fifty he was compelled, by the condition of the shore and of the ice, and by the state of the climate, to return and await the approach of spring for another attempt. He reached the ship on October 24, apparently in his usual fine health, but was attacked the same day with sickness, and, taking

to his bed, the next day was found to be seriously ill. After rallying once or twice he died on November 8, and was buried on the shore. The commissioners who examined the crew reach the unanimous conclusion that the death of Captain Hall resulted naturally from disease, without fault on the part of anyone. After this sad event, the command of the expedition devolved upon Captain Buddington, who expressly declared, according to the evidence, that he had no inclination and no intention to pursue discovery further; he determined to make his way south to the United States as soon as the ice would permit. During the winter little was done, and on August 12, 1872, the Polaris began to move southwards. On the 16th of August the ship was made fast to a large floe of ice in the latitude of Sɔ° 2′ north, and longitude about 68° west, and whi'e still fast to this floe drifted south through Smith's Sound nearly to Northumberland Island. On the night of the 15th of October, 1872, in about latitude 79° 35′ north, during a violent gale of wind and snow, the ship was suddenly beset by a tremendous pressure of ice, which was driven against her from the southward and forced under her, pressing her up out of the water, and by successive and violent shocks finally throwing her over on her bean-ends. In the words of the Report,

Captain Buddington directed the provisions, stores, and materials which had been put in readiness on deck, to be thrown over on the ice, and ordered half the crew upon the ice to carry them upon a thicker part to the umHe mocks, where they would be comparatively sue. also sent all the Esquimaux, with their kyaks, out of the ship, and lowered the two remaining boats upon the floc. While so engaged, in the darkness of an Arctic night, in the midst of a fierce gale and driving snow-storm, the hawsers of the Polaris failed to hold her, and she broke adrift from the floe, and in a few minutes was out of sight of the party who were at that moment busily at work on the ice.

From October 15, 1872, until April 20, 1873, when thev were picked up in latitude about 59° north, these nineteen men, women, and children remained through the whole of the dark and dreary winter upon the ice. In their first endeavours to reach the land, they occupied for a time different pieces of floating ice, but, forced finally to abandon all hope in this direction, they rested at last upon the floe upon which the Polaris had made fast.

At the time of their separation from the Polaris every one belonging to the expedition was in good health. She had plenty of provisions, but not much coal-probably about enough to last through the winter. She was last seen, apparently at anchor, under Northumberland Island, where it is most likely she remained for winter-quarters.

Mr. Robeson has already given preparatory orders to proceed, at the earliest practicable moment, to Disco, and the United States steamer Juniata, now at New York, to if possible to Upernavik, for the purpose of carrying for

ward the necessary coal and supplies, communicating with the authorities of Greenland, obtaining information, and, if practicable, sending forward some word of en

couragement to those on board the Polaris. This last will most likely be impossible, but an attempt will be made.

It is also proposed to fit out at once an expedition of relief, to be sent to Northumberland Island, where the Polaris was last seen, in the Tigress, about 200 tons

burden, built and fitted to contend with the ice, and the same ship by which the nineteen persons were rescued. The following, in the words of the Report are a brief summary of some of the scientific results of the illmanaged expedition :

species of butterflies, specimens of which were collected; also, flies and bees and insects of like character.

The geographical results of the expedition, of which the accompanying map will give a good idea, so far as they can now be ascertained from the testimony of Messrs.

While the records of the astronomical, meteorological, magnetic, tidal, and other physical departments of the exploration appear to have been extremely ful, and the observations in each appear to have been conducted according to approved methods, the collections of natural history are shown to have been not less extensive, the store-rooms of the Polaris being filled with skins and skeletons of muskoxen, bears, and other mammals; different species of birds and their eggs: rumerous marine invertebrata; plants, both recent and fossil, minerals, &c. Not the least interesting of these collections are specimens of driftwood picked up on or near the shores of Newman's and Polaris Bays, among which Mr. Meyer thought be recognised distinctly the walnut, the ash, and the pine. Among the numerous facts that appear to be shown by the testimony elicited on the examination, we may mention as one of much interest that the dip of the needle amounted to 45°, and its deviation to 96°, being les, than at Port Foulke and Rensselaer Harbour, as given by Dr. Kane and Dr. Hays. Auroras were frequent, but by no means brilliant, generally quite light, and consisting sometimes of one arch and sometimes of several. Streamers were quite rare. Shooting-stars were so constantly seen that, although no special shower was observed, it was scarcely possible ever to look at the star-lit sky without noticing them in one direction or another. The rise and fall of the tides were care fully observed, the average being about five and a half feet. The greatest depth of water noticed was about 100 fathoms. The existence of a constant current southward was noted by the expedition, its rapidity varying with the season and locality. The winter temperature was found to be much milder than was expected, the minimum being 58° in January, although March proved to be the coldest monto.

The prevailing winds were from the north-east, although there were occasionally violent tempests from the southwest. Light winds were noticed, however, from all points of the compass. Rain was occasionally observed, only on the land, however, the precipitation presenting itself over the ice in the form of snow. During the summer the entire extent of both low lands and elevations are bare of both snow and ice, excepting patches here and there in the shape of the rocks. The soil, during this period, was covered with a more or less dense vegetation of moss, with which several arctic plants were interspersed, some of them of considerable beauty, but entirely without scent, and many small willows scarcely reaching the dignity of shrubs. The rocks noticed were of a schistose or slaty nature, and in some instances contained fossil plants, specimens of which were collected. Distinct evidence of former glaciers were seen in localities now bare of ice, these indications consisting in the occurrence of terminal a: d lateral moraines.

Animal life was found to abound, musk-oxen being shot at intervals throughout the winter.

Wolves, also bears, foxes, lemmings, and other mammals, were repeatedly observed. Geese, ducks, and other water-fowls, including plover and other wading-birds, abounded during the summer, although the species of land-birds were comparatively few, including, however, as might have been expected, large numbers of ptarmigan or snow-partridge. No fish were seen, although the net and line were frequently called into play in the attempt to obtain them. The waters, however, were found filled to an extraordinary degree with marine invertebrata, including jelly-fish and shrimps. Seals are very abundant. Numerous insects were observed, also, especially several