river, and proceed along the north-west coast of America through Behring's Straits, round to the Atlantic; or, if impeded by ice, a party might pursue their journey on foot, with sledges, on the ice, and along the coast quite round to Hudson's Bay. The accomplishment of this, I deem no chimera. The writer of this, for one, (and he has no doubt Captain Symmes, and a sufficient number of others) would volunteer to accomplish the enterprise. And should such an expedition be authorized and fitted out by the government, rest assured, if they did not penetrate the interior of our sphere, or plant the American standard beneath the _great Northern Bear_, they would at least furnish a correct map of the coast of America, from the mouth of Oregon round to fort Churchill;――or make the snows of the north their winding sheets. Within a few years, several expeditions have been fitted out for the purpose of discovery, by different nations in Europe, and particularly by the English. Ross, and Parry have visited the arctic regions; and Parry now is out on his third voyage, as though there were some hidden mystery there, which the English government is anxious to develope. It is not likely that they would have fitted-out, and dispatched four successive expeditions, merely to view Ice-bergs and Esquimaux Indians. As for the discovery of a north-west passage to the East Indies, it cannot be their sole object, as the continent of America has been explored by land to seventy-two degrees of north latitude; and, according to the old theory, beyond that latitude the seas are so incumbered with ice as to render their navigation extremely difficult, if not impracticable; from which, I am induced to believe, that they have discovered something in those regions which indicates a state of things different from that heretofore believed to exist. Under the protection of the Russian government, Kotzebue, and Baron Wrangle, have been engaged in similar enterprizes, and although these different attempts have afforded considerable light on the subject, yet they are rather calculated to awaken than satisfy curiosity. Many of the facts, however, which are urged as proof of the theory of concentric spheres, have been confirmed or corroborated by the personal observations of those skilful navigators. But so long as they lack confidence in the theory, it can scarcely be expected they will make the discovery; the winding meridians which they will pursue, when intending to proceed straight forward, will keep them bewildered among the ice, along the circle of the verge, or finally bring them out towards the exterior surface of the sphere, no wiser than when they set out.