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1To Mrs. Saville, England. St. Petersburgh, Dec. 11th, 17--. You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied
2the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my
3first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking. I am
4already far north of London, and as I walk in the streets of Petersburgh, I feel a cold northern breeze play upon my
5cheeks, which braces my nerves and fills me with delight. Do you understand this feeling? This breeze, which has
6travelled from the regions towards which I am advancing, gives me a foretaste of those icy climes. Inspirited by this
7wind of promise, my daydreams become more fervent and vivid. I try in vain to be persuaded that the pole is the seat of
8frost and desolation; it ever presents itself to my imagination as the region of beauty and delight. There, Margaret,
9the sun is for ever visible, its broad disk just skirting the horizon and diffusing a perpetual splendour. There--for
10with your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in preceding navigators--there snow and frost are banished; and,
11sailing over a calm sea, we may be wafted to a land surpassing in wonders and in beauty every region hitherto discovered
12on the habitable globe. Its productions and features may be without example, as the phenomena of the heavenly bodies
13undoubtedly are in those undiscovered solitudes. What may not be expected in a country of eternal light? I may there
14discover the wondrous power which attracts the needle and may regulate a thousand celestial observations that require
15only this voyage to render their seeming eccentricities consistent for ever. I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with
16the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man.
17These are my enticements, and they are sufficient to conquer all fear of danger or death and to induce me to commence
18this laborious voyage with the joy a child feels when he embarks in a little boat, with his holiday mates, on an
19expedition of discovery up his native river. But supposing all these conjectures to be false, you cannot contest the
20inestimable benefit which I shall confer on all mankind, to the last generation, by discovering a passage near the pole
21to those countries, to reach which at present so many months are requisite; or by ascertaining the secret of the magnet,
22which, if at all possible, can only be effected by an undertaking such as mine. These reflections have dispelled the
23agitation with which I began my letter, and I feel my heart glow with an enthusiasm which elevates me to heaven, for
24nothing contributes so much to tranquillise the mind as a steady purpose--a point on which the soul may fix its
25intellectual eye. This expedition has been the favourite dream of my early years. I have read with ardour the accounts
26of the various voyages which have been made in the prospect of arriving at the North Pacific Ocean through the seas
27which surround the pole. You may remember that a history of all the voyages made for purposes of discovery composed the
28whole of our good Uncle Thomas' library. My education was neglected, yet I was passionately fond of reading. These
29volumes were my study day and night, and my familiarity with them increased that regret which I had felt, as a child, on
30learning that my father's dying injunction had forbidden my uncle to allow me to embark in a seafaring life. These
31visions faded when I perused, for the first time, those poets whose effusions entranced my soul and lifted it to heaven.
32I also became a poet and for one year lived in a paradise of my own creation; I imagined that I also might obtain a
33niche in the temple where the names of Homer and Shakespeare are consecrated. You are well acquainted with my failure
34and how heavily I bore the disappointment. But just at that time I inherited the fortune of my cousin, and my thoughts
35were turned into the channel of their earlier bent. Six years have passed since I resolved on my present undertaking. I
36can, even now, remember the hour from which I dedicated myself to this great enterprise. I commenced by inuring my body
37to hardship. I accompanied the whale-fishers on several expeditions to the North Sea; I voluntarily endured cold,
38famine, thirst, and want of sleep; I often worked harder than the common sailors during the day and devoted my nights to
39the study of mathematics, the theory of medicine, and those branches of physical science from which a naval adventurer
40might derive the greatest practical advantage. Twice I actually hired myself as an under-mate in a Greenland whaler, and
41acquitted myself to admiration. I must own I felt a little proud when my captain offered me the second dignity in the
42vessel and entreated me to remain with the greatest earnestness, so valuable did he consider my services. And now, dear
43Margaret, do I not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? My life might have been passed in ease and luxury, but I
44preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path. Oh, that some encouraging voice would answer in the
45affirmative! My courage and my resolution is firm; but my hopes fluctuate, and my spirits are often depressed. I am
46about to proceed on a long and difficult voyage, the emergencies of which will demand all my fortitude: I am required
47not only to raise the spirits of others, but sometimes to sustain my own, when theirs are failing. This is the most
48favourable period for travelling in Russia. They fly quickly over the snow in their sledges; the motion is pleasant,
49and, in my opinion, far more agreeable than that of an English stagecoach. The cold is not excessive, if you are wrapped
50in furs--a dress which I have already adopted, for there is a great difference between walking the deck and remaining
51seated motionless for hours, when no exercise prevents the blood from actually freezing in your veins. I have no
52ambition to lose my life on the post-road between St. Petersburgh and Archangel. I shall depart for the latter town in a
53fortnight or three weeks; and my intention is to hire a ship there, which can easily be done by paying the insurance for
54the owner, and to engage as many sailors as I think necessary among those who are accustomed to the whale-fishing. I do
55not intend to sail until the month of June; and when shall I return? Ah, dear sister, how can I answer this question? If
56I succeed, many, many months, perhaps years, will pass before you and I may meet. If I fail, you will see me again soon,
57or never. Farewell, my dear, excellent Margaret. Heaven shower down blessings on you, and save me, that I may again and
58again testify my gratitude for all your love and kindness. Your affectionate brother, R. Walton
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