A great deal had been accomplished by this expedition. The _Alert_ had explored the west coast for two hundred and twenty miles, the _Discovery_ had surveyed the Greenland coast, and Captain Stephenson placed a tablet over the grave of the brave Captain Hall of the _Polaris_, with a suitable inscription. The _Alert_ men had attained the highest lat.i.tude ever reached, viz, 82 degrees 27 minutes North.
The idea of the open Polar Sea then received its "quietus," for nothing but ice is there.
The Queen commanded the Admiralty to thank Captain Nares and the officers and men under his command, and Captain Nares was knighted.
Some little dissatisfaction was expressed, but the effects of the work so ably done quickly extinguished any hostile feeling.
In concluding these Notable (Polar) Voyages we regret we cannot find s.p.a.ce to relate the adventures of the plucky _Pandora_ (afterwards the _Jeannette_), the _Eira_ expedition, and others of less importance which have been undertaken since 1875. The _Alert_ has lately been presented to the United States Government for their Arctic expedition, of which we shall soon hear something.
There are many chapters yet to be written concerning maritime discovery, but those we have selected appear to us to embody the greatest interest for our readers, for public curiosity and a.s.sistance has been lately so often directed to the Arctic which are slowly yielding their secrets to the enterprise of modern scientific and naval explorers.