letter one to Mrs savil England you will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an Enterprise which you have regarded with such evil for boings I arrived here yesterday and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking I am already far north of London and as I walk in the streets of Petersburg I feel a cold Northern Breeze play upon my cheeks which braces my nerves and fills me with delight do you
understand this feeling this Breeze which has traveled from the regions towards which I am advancing gives me a foretaste of those icy climes inspirited by this wind of Promise my Daydreams become more fervent and Vivid I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of frost and desolation it ever presents itself to my imagination as the region of beauty and Delight there Margaret the sun is forever visible its broad dis just skirting The Horizon and diffusing a Perpetual Splendor there
fore with your leave my sister I will put some trust in proceeding Navigators their snow and frost are banished and sailing over a calm sea we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in Beauty every region hither to discovered on the habitable globe its Productions and features may be without example as the phenomena of the heavenly bodies undoubtedly are in those undiscovered Solitude what may not be expected in a country of Eternal Light I may there discover the wondrous power which
attracts the needle and may regulate a thousand Celestial observations that require only this Voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent forever I shall satiate my Ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man these are my enticements and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence this laborious Voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks i
n a little boat with his holiday mates on an expedition of Discovery up his native River but supposing all these conjectures to be false you cannot contest the inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind to the last generation by discovering a passage near the pole to those countries to reach which at present so many months are requisite or by ascertaining the secret of the magnet which if at all possible can only be affected by an undertaking such as mine these Reflections have disp
elled the agitation with which I began my letter and I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven for nothing contribut UT so much to tranquilize the Mind as a steady purpose a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye this Expedition has been the favorite dream of my early years I have read with ardor the accounts of the various voyages which have been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean through the Seas which surround the pole you may r
emember that a history of all the Voyages made for purposes of Discovery composed the whole of our good uncle Thomas Library my education was neglected yet I was passionately fond of reading these volumes were my study day and night and my familiarity with them increased the regret which I had felt as a child on learning that my father's dying in Junction had forbidden my uncle to allow me to Embark in a seafaring life these Visions faded when I perused for the first time those poets whose effus
ions entranced my soul and lifted it to heaven I also became a poet and for one year lived in a paradise of my own creation I imagined that I also might obtain a niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated you are well acquainted with my failure and how heavily I bore the disappointment but just at that time I inherited the fortune of my cousin and my thoughts were turned into the channel of their early event 6 years have passed since I resolved on my present und
ertaking I can even now remember the hour from which I dedicated myself to this great Enterprise I commenced by nearing my body to hardship I accompanied the whalefishers on several expeditions to the North Sea I voluntarily endured cold famine thirst and want of sleep I often worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my nights to the study of mathematics the theory of medicine and those branches of physical science from which a naval Adventurer might derive the greatest p
ractical Advantage twice I actually hired myself as an undermate in a Greenland Whaler and acquitted myself to admiration I must own I felt a little proud when my captain offered me the second dignity in the vessel and entreated me to remain with the greatest earnestness so valuable did he consider my services and now dear Margaret do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose purp my life might have been passed in need some luxury but I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed
in my path oh that some encouraging voice would answer in the affirmative my courage and my resolution is firm but my hopes fluctuate and my spirits are often depressed I am about to proceed on a long and difficult Voyage the emergences of which will demand all my fortitude I am required not only to raise the spirits of others but sometimes to sustain my own when theirs are failing this is the most favorable period for traveling in Russia they fly quickly over the snow in their sledges the moti
on is pleasant and in my opinion far more agreeable than that of an English Stage Coach the cold is not excessive if you are wrapped in Furs a dress which I have already adopted for there is a great difference between walking the deck and remaining seated motionless for hours when no exercise prevents the blood from actually freezing in your veins I have no ambition to lose my life on the Post Road between Street Petersburg and Archangel I shall depart for the latter town in a fortnite or 3 week
s and my intention is to hire a ship there which can easily be done by paying the insurance for the owner and to engage as many sailors as I think necessary among those who are accustomed to the whale fishing I do not intend to sail until the month of June and when shall I return ah dear sister how can I answer this question if I succeed many many months perhaps years will pass before you and I may meet if I fail you will see me again soon or never Farewell My Dear excellent Margaret Heaven show
er down blessings on you and save me that I may again and again testify my gratitude for all your love and kindness your affectionate brother AR Walton
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