One of the most interesting items that we have learned from the whale men who have cruised the Arctic ocean the past summer, is the discovery of extensive land in the middle of that ocean, which may yet prove to be a polar continent. The existence of this land has long been known, but owing to the impassible ice barriers along its shores, of its extent and character nothing very definite has been known until this season. Baron Wrangell, the famous Russian explorer, first communicated to the world the knowledge of its existence as he learned it from the Siberian Indians, and it is simply marked on most Arctic charts, “extensive highlands.” It should be stated that the past summer has been the mildest and most favorable for whaling ever known by our oldest whalemen. One master says that he did not see a piece of ice as large as his hand till he reached the Straits, and even beyond that, up to 72 degrees the sea was generally free from floating ice. The weather, for the most part, haas been exceedingly mild, with southerly winds prevailing, which tended to meld the ice or drive it northward. As a result of the favorable state of the ocean and weather the ships have gone further north this summer than ever before, some having reached as high as 73 degrees 30 minutes.
Captain Long, of the bark Nile, who seems to have examined the land attentively, having cruised along the entire southern coast, has drawn a sketch of its appearance. It is quite elevated, and near the centre has an extinct crater cone, which he estimated at 2,480 feet high. He named Wrangell’s Lank, after the noted Russian explorer. The west point he named Cape Thomas, after the seaman on his ship who discovered it, and the southeast point Cape Hawaii. The names given by Capt. Long are so exceedingly appropriate that we doubt not geographical societies in Europe and America will adopt them, and call this land Wrangell’s Land. Captain Long has prepared for us an account of this interesting discovery, which we insert here:
Honolulu, Nov. 5, 1867.
Sir: During my cruise in the Arctic Ocean this season, I saw land not laid down on any chart that I have seen. The land was first seen from the bark Nile on the evening of the 14th of August, and the next forenoon at 9:30 the ship was eighteen miles distant from the west point of the land. I had good observations this day, and made the west point to be in latitude 70 degrees and 40 minutes north, and in longitude 170 degrees and 30 minutes east.–The lower part of the land was entirely free from snow, and had a green appearance, as if covered with vegetation. There was broken ice between the ship and land, but as there were no indications of whales, I did not feel justified in endeavoring to work through it and reach the shore, which I think I could have done without much danger. We sailed to the eastward along the land during the 15th, and part of the 16th, and in some places approached it as near as 15 miles.
On the 16th the weather was very clear and pleasant, and we had a good view of the middle and eastern portion of the land. Near the centre, or about in longitude 180 degrees, there is a mountain which has the appearance of and extinct volcano. By approximate measurement I found it to be 2,480 feet high. I had excellent observation on the 16th, and made the southeastern cape, which I have named Cape Hawaii, to be in latitude 70 degrees 40 minutes north, and 178 degrees 15 minutes west. It is impossible to tell how far this land extends northward, but as far as the eye could reach we could see ranges of mountains until they were lost in the distance; and I lear from Captain Biven, of the ship Nautilus, that he saw land northwest of Herald Island, as far north as latitude 72 degrees.
The first knowledge of the existence of this land was given to the civilized world by Lieutenant Ferdinand Wrangell, of the Russian navy (who I find in 1740, was an admiral in the same service). In his expedition from Nishne Kolymsk, in the consecutive years from 1820 to 1824, he obtained information from the Techuktsch that in clear days in the summer season, they could see land north from Cape Jakan.
From the appearance of this land as we saw it, I feel convinced that it is inhabited, as there were large numbers of walrus in this vicinity, and the land appeared more green than the main coast of Asia, and quite as capable of supporting man as the coast from Point Harrow to the Mackenzie river, or the northern parts of Greenland, which are in a much higher latitude. There is a cape a little to the Westward of Cape Jakan, which has a very singular appearance. On the summit and along the slopes of this promontory there is an immense number of upright and prostrate columns some having the appearance of pyramids, others like obelisks, some of them with the summit larger than the base. The character of the surrounding country, which was rolling with no abrupt declivities, made these objects appear more singular. They were not in one continuous mass, but scattered over a large surface, and in clusters of fifteen or twenty yards, with intervals of several hundred yards between them.
While at anchor near this place, Captain Philips of the Monticello, came on board, and drew my attention to a large black place on the slope of one of the hills, and said he thought it was coal. It glistened in the sun, and appeared like a large surface which had been used as s deposit for coal. It was about one and a half miles in length and on-half mile in breadth, the country surrounding that being covered with vegetation. From 170 east, there were no indications of animal life in the water. We saw no seals walrus, whales, or animalculae in it. It appeared almost as blue as it does in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, although there was but from fifteen to eighteen fathoms of water in any place within forty miles of the land. I think the position I have assigned to this land will be found correct as Mr. Flitner examined my chronometer on my arrival and found it only one and a half miles in error.
I have named this northern land Wrangell’s Land as an appropriate tribute to the memory of the man who spent three consecutive years north of latitude 66 degrees and demonstrated the problem of this open Polar Sea, forty-five years ago, although others of much later date, have endeavored to claim the merit of this discovery. The west cape of this land I have named Cape Thomas, from the man who first reported the land from the masthead of my ship, and the southeastern cape I have named after the largest island in this group. As this report has been hurriedly prepared, I would wish to make more extended observations on the subject, which may be of benefit of other cruisers in this direction, if you will allow me room in your paper on some future occasion.
Yours, very truly,
Thomas Long.