Candidly speaking, a voyage to the North Pole has many advantages. In
the first place, the Polar bears are the finest in the world for bear's
grease, and it makes the hair stand on end merely to look at them.
The North Pole is generally supposed to be a sort of sign-post, embedded
in ice, in latitude 0° 0´, longitude x° x´; and it is popularly believed
that Captain Ross not only cut his name on the pole itself, but nailed
the English standard to the top of it. It has been contemplated by some
who take an interest in these matters, to bring the North Pole to
England, and place it in the Museum as a companion to Cleopatra's
needle. Whether the passage to the North Pole will ever become a
favourite with those who travel for mere pleasure is somewhat
questionable, but there is no knowing what mercantile enterprise may do,
and an expedition to obtain bear-skin coats—particularly if undertaken
by such a house as Baring Brothers—would, if it only proved barely
remunerative, say a great deal for British enterprise.
There is only one disadvantage attending a voyage to the Pole, which is
the difficulty of getting there, to say nothing of the extreme
improbability of getting safely back again. The forcing a passage to the
Pole is a grand achievement. And as the road is frozen up before the
expedition can return, it is always necessary to force another passage
back again. Nature certainly seems to have written up "No Thoroughfare,"
and the pole itself appears to be inscribed with the words "No
admittance except on business;" but this warning has no effect upon
those enthusiasts who are determined to rush to the Pole at any
sacrifice.