Review by Karen Ackermann
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The 18th century's Age of Reason was a time characterized by philosophers and scientists determinedly attempting to dispel myth, superstition, and ignorance. Critical observation and measurement became important features of exploration, whether in the field of medicine, agriculture, geography, or elsewhere. It was also the time when belief in a convenient, watery, northwest passage across the western hemisphere's continent reached its peak. Belief in such a passage was originally conceived not long after Columbus stumbled upon Central and South America. Subsequent explorers endeavored to find a short-cut to the East by going west but instead found an every-larger land mass in their way. Explorers approaching the American continent from the Atlantic side were repeatedly thwarted in their attempts to find lengthy, navigable rivers. The explorers moved to the Pacific side; although long stretches of coastline from California northward were charted, no passage was found. By the 19th century, speculators were convinced that the Northwest Passage was to be found in the nightmarish labyrinth of ice and islands dotting the Arctic Ocean. Men went, explored, and oftentimes died in their cold-water search. It would not be until Roald Amundsen's 1903-1906 voyage that the Northwest Passage was first navigated in one continuous trip. The author discusses the early voyages of James Knight, Christopher Middleton, William Moor, Francis Smith, and James Cook, as well as the intervals between voyages. Why look at the time when exploration was not actively being done? These quiet years reveal arguments and intrigues that also tell us something about the ways in which men can delude themselves about the attainability of objects they desire. |
