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[[preprinted]] UNITED STATES NORTH POLAR EXPEDITION.
               STEAMER "POLARIS."

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{To the Hon. Secretary of
 the United States Navy
 Geo. M. Robeson}

     {6th Snow House Encampment
      Cape Brevoort, N. side entrance to Newman Bay
      October, 20th 
      [[preprinted]] 187  [[/preprinted]] 1
      [[preprinted]] Lat. [[/preprinted]] 82° - 3' N 
      [[preprinted]] Long. [[/preprinted]] 
                                       61° - 20' W }

[[hand-written report:]]
Myself & party consisting of Mr. Chester 1st Mate, my Esquimaux "Joe" & Greenland Esquimaux "Hans", left the ship, in Winter Quarters, Thank God-Harbor, Lat 81° - 38' N; Long 61° - 44' W, west side Robeson Strait, at Meridian, Oct. 10th on a journey by 2 sledges drawn by 14 dogs to discover, if possible a feasible route inland, for my sledge journey next spring to reach the North Pole, purposing to adopt such a route, if found better than a route over the old floes & [[hammocks?]] of [[underlined]] the Strait [[/underlined]] which I have denominated Robeson Strait, after the Hon. Secretary of the U. S. Navy.

[[hand-written report continues in left margin]]
Up to the time I & my party left the ship all have been well & continue with high hopes of accomplishing our great mission
Our ^[[long]] Arctic night commenced Oct 13th having seen ^[[only]] the upper limb of the sun above the glacier at Meridian of Oct 12th.
We find this a much warmer country than we expected. From Cape Alexander the mountains on either side of the Kennedy Channel & Robeson Strait we found entirely bare of snow & ice with the exception of a glacier that we saw commencing about Lat. 80-30 on [[strikethrough]] W [[/strikethrough]] E. side the st & extending E.N.E direction as far as can be seen from the Mountains by Polaris Bay.
    This Dispatch to the Secy. of the Navy I finish at this moment VIII^[[h]]-23^[[m]] PM having written it ^[[in ink]] in our snow Hut 
    Then outside -7° yesterday all day  Then [[snowstr--?]] -20° to -23° that is 20° minus to 23 minus [[Fahrenheit?]].
[[/hand-written report in left margin]]

[[preprinted text in center of page]] Whoever finds this paper is requested to forward it to the Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D.C., with a note of the time and place at which it was found; or if more convenient, to deliver it, for that purpose, to the U. S. Consul at the nearest port.

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[[Signature "C F Hall" is written over the following preprinted section:]] 

    Quiconque trouvera ce papier est prié d'y marquer le temps e lieu où il l'aura trouvé, et de le faire parvenir au plutôt au minstre de la marine, à Washington en Amérique.

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Cualquiera que hallare este papel, se le suplica de que lo envie al Secrtario de la Marina, en Washington, con una nota del tiempo y del lugar en donde se halló.

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Een ieder die dit Papier mag vinden wordt Liermede verzocht, om het zelve ten spoedigste te willen zenden aan den Heer Minister van de Marine der Nederlanden in 's Gravenhage, of vel aan den Secretaris der Amerikaansche Admiraliteit te Washington, en eene Nota daar bij te voegen den tijd en de plaats meldende, alwaar dit Papier is gevonden geworden. 
 
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Finderen af dette Papier ombedes naar Leilighed gives, at sende same til Admiralitets Secretairen I Washington, eller til den nœrmeste Embedsmand i Danmark, Norge, eller Sverrig. Tiden og Stedet hvor det er blevet fundet önskes venskabeligt paategnet.
 
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Wer dieses Papier findet, wird hiermit ersucht dasselbe an den Marineminister in Washington zu schicken, und gefälligst zu bemerken an welchem Orte und zu welcher Zeit dasselbe gefunden worden ist.
[[/preprinted text in center of page]]

[[hand-written report continues at bottom of page:]]
We arrived here P M of Oct. [[strikethrough]] 19th [[/strikethrough]] 17th having discovered a lake & a river on our way; the latter our route - a most serpentine one which led us onto this Bay 15 miles distant from here to the southwest & Eastward. From the top of an Iceberg near the mouth of said river we could see that this Bay which I have named after the Rev Dr Newman, extended to the High Land Eastward & Southwest of the position about 15 miles making the extent of Newman Bay from its Headlands on Capes full 30 miles. 
The South Cape is a ^[[high,]] bold & noble Headland. I have named it Sumner's Headland after the Hon. Charles Sumner, the orator & U.S. Senator & the North Cape I have named Cape Brevoort after J. Carson Brevoort, a strong friend to Arctic Discoverers.  On arriving here we found the mouth of
[[writing continues up the right side of the page]]
Newman Bay open water having numerious seals in it bobbing up their heads; & this open water making close up to both Sumner's Headland & Cape Brevoort; & the ice of Robeson Strait on the move, thus debaring all possible chance of extending our journey on the ice up the Strait.  The mountainous land (none others about here) will not admit of our journeying further North, & as the time of our expected absence was understood to be for 2 weeks we commence our return to-morrow morning.  To-day we have been storm bound to this our 6th [[spot?]]  From Cape Brevoort we can see land extending on West side of the Strait to N22° W & distant about 70 miles thus making land we discover as far as 
Lat. 83° - 5'N.  There is [[underlined]] appearance [[/underlined]] of land further North & extending more Easternly than what [[strikethrough]] we [[/strikethrough]] I have just noted [[words obscured by small flap of page]] bi--? peculiar dul--? [[/obscured words]] Nimbus Cloud that constantly hangs over what seems may be land prevents
[[symbol resembling a circle containing a cross surrounded by four dots refers to the report continued upside down across the top of the page]]

[[symbol resembling a circle containing a cross surrounded by four dots marks the continuation of the report:]]
my making full determination.  On Aug. 30: 1871 the "Polaris" made her greatest Northing, Lat 82°-
29',N. but after several attempts to get her farther North she became beset when we were drifted down to about Lat 81°-30' when an opening in the ice occurred & we ^[[then]] steamed out of the pack & made Harbor, Sept 3d where the "Polaris" now is wintering.
We have found that the country abounds with cape-seals, geese, Ducks, Musk Cattle, Rabbits, Wolves, Foxes; Bears, Partridges Lemings etc. etc. Our sealers have shot 2 seals in the open water while at this spot.
[[underlined signature]] C F Hall [[/underlined signature]] U.S. North Polar Expedition

Transcription Notes:
George M. Robeson, Secy of Navy, 1869 – 1877