Sir George Nares appointed to the _Alert_ and _Discovery_--Overtaking a Season--Red Snow--The Greenland Mosquito--Peculiarities of Eskimo Dogs--And Dog Whips--Dangers of Kayaks--Advantages of Steam for Polar Regions--An Unpleasant Experience--A Huge Walrus--Arctic Scenery--A Big "Bag"--The Ships part Company--The _Alert_ reaches the Polar Sea--Winter Quarters--The North Pole attempted--Adventures and Sufferings of the Party--Lieutenant Parr's Heroism--Deliverance--The Greenland Attempt--Scurvy and Snow--Repulse Bay--In Pitiable Plight--Lieutenant Rawson to the Rescue. "Her Majesty's Government, having determined that an expedition of Arctic exploration and discovery should be undertaken, My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have been pleased to select you for the command of the said expedition, the scope and primary object of which should be to attain the highest northern latitude and, if possible, to reach the North Pole." Such was the opening sentence of the official instructions sent to Sir George Nares to take command of the _Alert_ and _Discovery_, two steam vessels, which constituted the first expedition the British Government had sent to the Arctic regions since the search parties for Sir John Franklin. It was confidently expected that the introduction of the screw steamer into Arctic navigation would result in startling achievements, and those expectations were fully justified. The two ships, with H.M.S. _Valorous_ in consort with provisions, &c., on board, left Portsmouth on May 29, 1875. They were home again by November 2, 1876, and during the intervening eighteen months they had reached the most northerly point attained by man up to that period, and only since exceeded, on the sea, by the _Fram_. No greater contrast can be given of the enormous strides which had been made in navigation during the thirty years which had elapsed since Franklin sailed away on his last and fatal voyage, than the fact that whereas after six weeks' journeying Franklin had barely reached the region of drift ice, in six weeks from the date of leaving Portsmouth the _Alert_ and _Discovery_ were almost in the region of perpetual ice. And all owing to the application of steam to ocean travelling.