Letter I

Robert Walton writes to his sister, Margaret Saville, from St. Petersburgh on December 11, announcing his safe arrival and growing confidence in his polar expedition. The northern breeze exhilarates him, feeding visions of a luminous, discoverable Arctic where practical discoveries and scientific gains await.

Walton explains that accounts of polar voyages in their Uncle Thomas’s library first shaped his dreams, though his father’s dying wish thwarted an early seafaring life. A brief, failed attempt at poetry diverted him until an inheritance restored his means to pursue exploration.

Committed to preparation, Walton trained his body and skills by sailing with whale-fishers, enduring hardship, and studying mathematics, medicine, and relevant sciences. His competence earned him an offered promotion on a Greenland whaler, confirming his readiness and pride.

Walton sets immediate plans: travel to Archangel within weeks, hire a ship and seasoned sailors, and delay departure until June for favorable conditions. He balances exultant purpose with fluctuating spirits, recognizing his duty to sustain the crew’s morale and his own.

He concludes by acknowledging the expedition’s risks and uncertain duration—promising a long absence if successful, or an early return, or possibly never—before bidding Margaret a loving farewell and asking for blessings on his venture.