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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Lee cartea, planchae, tableeux. etc.. peuvent Atre fllmAe A dee taux da rAduction diff Arants. Lorsqua la document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul cllchA, II est fllmA A partir da Tangle supArieur gauche, de geuche A drolte, et de haut an baa. en prenant la nombre d'Imegee nAceoaalra. Lee diagrammas suivents illustrent la mAthode. Its lurs, tx 12 3 1 2 3 ♦ 5 6 i'Bot. KVif Clwrfi. % m'ifi in*» ' euwoi / # Jf^^ii' ■mI\,m ,JnifitritlrMihamjr IS ka j,rr" N A > W THE ARCTIC DISPATCHES CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF THK NORTH-WEST PASSAGE By captain ROBERT MACLURE Commanding H.M.S. Invettigator. WITH A NARRATIVE OF PROCEEDINGS OF H.M.8. RESOLUTE, CAPT. KELLETT, C.B., AND THE DISPATCHES OF CAPT. SIR EDWARD BELCHER, C.B., CAPT. INOLEFIELD, AND COMMR. PULLEN. WITH A MAP OF THE DISCOVERIES IN THE ARCTIC RKOIOVH. Reprinted f mm the Nautical Magazine. LONDON: J. D. PO'ITER, Jn, POULTRY, AND 11. KINO STREET, TOWKH HILL. ., Uull' ol' ,\lli«llr ^**i.,-"",^2air-'H!:u^"' ^ '"**' fnlrMMi Hiiiui4 'yttrnf^l , I , '"i ■■/ L~— ^^-^-r-^il ^A Simtiil "X : I I i ^r- . 1 ! . UmAxkAJi^Ui&ity JJtrawtmUh.lO Sok< i^iwu* ^.^^LisiiLi '"T ^ •■■• • I* —»-*—»»— ■-»»-. —V,.. 1,.. K<*<^a^f♦'^ IKi^alwnJ ftt^^amui•7^ ^T'Dou^LiM «0 till J _- _J r L- ss Disixtveries Jtthe Arctic S fta. brtivaen BAFFFN BAT i- CAPE BATHUBST, liom nffiaui doaanmts . Drawn hy J. AnxivrMuith. J« 77 7« .fd4/IA« I* > ■-.. ' ' , i» I imtuM Mr '.;■•■ ' V' T- ■ ■ TT — C C i B 11 R N'. ' L A N f) T \. '''«;, "(n(»ii»l .^-*— -i .■ " t...i-.^.-J t^X ./ f...! .. .\ . — ^ — ti,,L.J li i 1 > .,1. 1.1.. "* V ^Xi --^ 1 ■- "--,1, ,.L..iL i T i_ ^2lJ ■ "'' .,.-.- '"H,..,^ .',>%t«.' I'll iMiill. l. No opening might have caught tho eye of the voyager, no more than it did that of Baffin, nevertheless, said Sir John, there must bo one, and Lord Melville, ralying on his judgment, dispatched Sir Edward Parry the following year to find it. How Sir Edward sailed through Lancaster Soimd, and took his ships into Winter Harbour of Melville Island, all the world knows ; and this was half way to the Pacific Ocean. It has fallen to M'Clure to accomplish tho other half; after numeroun struggles in tho wrong road ho has hit the right one, and claims (he honour for the British Navy of having discovered tho North- West PasHago. Although Mercy Bay, on tho northern shore of Bankn Island, (called Banks Land originally by Parry,) is yet some seventy miles fi(tm the nearest part of Molvllle Island, tho North- West Passage may virtually 1)0 Haid to Im) completed, aH Banki* Strait, which nopnrates (li(>ni, in navigable, but for ice. And it is roinarkablo that Parry was about a fortnight in rtiaching Mclvillo Islan«l from Baffin Bay, whih^ M'C*lure was about three weeks n^aching Banks Island fioin the wctnt. The correct view which waH taken of the subject by tliost* who framed the instructions to Sir «)ohn Franklin, is also remarkable. Ho wan advised to take tho iirst favourable op(r piMMing Capo Walker to tho MOuth-west. Had he Imhui able to do mo, (for all in uncertain in ice navigation,) (he strait found by M'Clure would have THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. led hitn on to Behring Strait. Failing to get to the south-west, which must have been the [case, it was left to him to take the Wellington Channel. Opinions appear to preponderate in favour of Sir John Franklin having taken his course to the west from the head of this chan- nel ; a course which if he has adopted must be fatal to him, in spite of the advocates of a Polynia. Were it not that he left no account of such intention on Boechey Island, and, above all, for certain reports about the vestiges of gardens being found there, we might subscribe to that opinion. But wintering, as he did, at the entrance of it, and with our knowledge of the seadiacovered by Penny, (although Sir Edward Belcher says he saw more than he should have seen,) wo cannot think that Sir John Franklin took that course, from his not having loft any notice of his intention at Beechey Island — a place of all others, where, knowing ho had passed one winter, we had a right to expect it. Wo say he passed one winter — who can say he did not do more than that, when vestiges of gardens an; reported, in the early dispatches, to have been found, tilings which require a summer's sun, and time to attend to them. Tliat some sad catastrophe has befallen Franklin's expedition, wo ai*u justified in concluding by the length of time which has elapsed since it sailed. Who can say that his ships were not driven on shore, as the North Star has been, by the ice. Erebus and Terror Bay, formed by Beechey Island, is not that sheltered place, according to Captain Ingle- field, that it was supposed to be. If the North Star lay a wholo winter on shore, as she has done, the same might have hap|)ened to Franklin's ships. But, alas, never was mystery \\» yet more complete than that which hangs over them. Wo have, first, a long unaccountablo absence ; we have then the discovery, five years after their departure, of whore they assuredly wore, but nothing to tell us whither they would next go ; wo have then the rumours of distress, and ill-treatment of people by Esriuimaux ; wo have then deserted ships seen on ice — no phantom ships wen; these ; and again from the West we have rumours of a boat and hor crew, and suspicious looking Indians. Were the ships those of Franklin ? Was the story of tlie distressed party true? Was the boat ami her crew a ix'soluto party from him, (leter- mined on iKunetratiiig to the mnilh-wesl ? We could put an endless string of (lucHlions, but who can answer them ? All that we do know in, that the ships were iiKSuredly at Beoehey Inland, and that nothing was I'ound (hert? to direct our further search for them. Mystery and miHmaiiageinent in thirt most important particular nlill luings over tliu fato of the unforttuiato Franklin. Will Sir Edward Belcher clear it away ? We have little hope of that. PosHlbly more may Im leai < from Home distant EiHipiimaux, or Monie articles known to have belonged to his party by some fortuitous eircuiuHtance coming to light. Such may hereafter lead to tlio discovtu'y of their fate. l^\t us, however, turn fi'om the sa«l pi<'tun; ; but not wlt!n»ut payltig our tribute^ of h(r fellow, lKH;amn another nnirtyr in the eause of Areli(! tliHcovery. Our own personal knowledge of him cui n^aliKe easily all the noble sentiments which SUE NORTH-WEST PAHSAGE. Captain Fullen has expressed ; those qualifications of the mind whicli constituted him the officer and tlu) man, the beloved friend and faithful companion in ontcrprizo and danger I Alas, poor Bellot ! * But is there no one else to engage our sympathy ? What has be- come of CoUinson ? Will Sir Edward Belcher tell us something of him? From his expressed opinion of the icy sea to the N.W. of his position in Northumberland Sound, wo have little hope there. And yet to the West wo must look for him. All wo know of him at pre- sent is, that he passed the Strait (Behring) in 1851. One summer sufficed for M'Clure to reach Banks Island. But two summers havo not sufficed for CoUinson — and hero is a third in which wo are still looking for tho intelligence of his presence anywhere to reach us. How long must wo wait for an answer ? — another and another year ? Has ho taken the ice to tho Northward ? the report of Sir Kdward Belclier on that subject awakens all our fears for him. But had he bt'cn ^to the Southward why have wo not heard of him ? Again wo must submit to susikjuso and look now for further inlelligenco from the North, when our anxiom) inquiries will not onlv be for vestiges of Sir John Franklin's party, but alHo is CoUinson sale ? The reader of our collection of the Arctic dispatches is referred to the little chart from the hand of our first of geographers Arrownniith. It will place him in possession of tho relative situations of tho main features of the question. With the information that Bi'hring Strait is about as far West of Banks iMliind (Land) as tlie East side of Baffin Bay is East of it, ho will havo a sufficiently clear conception of tho whole Arctic Sea in ({uoslion. But there is a very remarkablo coincidence, wo will call it, in one part of it to wliich we cannot help alluding. On tho 24th of May, 1851, an officer of Captain M'Clure's ship, Mr. Win- niett, was at his furthest East position, and on the 23d of May, 1851, Lieut. (Com.) Sherard Osborn, of Capt. Austin's expedition, was at his furtiic'St West position. Tlius the two expeditions, one from tho West and tho other from tho East, approached each otiier within about 70 miles, and that, too, only a day apart. A similar oceiincnce t(M)k place with Pullen and M'Clure, being cIokc to each other, in 1850, without knowing it; and another in 182(), when Ca)>t, Beeuhey'a party and Sir John Franklin himself turn(Ml back from each other in opposit^^ directions about lU) miles apart at the same time. These aii^ how(>ver, among the ciirioHities of the arctic regions, Wo now pro(^ld. who brought us the rest of the intoa|inu'K iit the Daili/ Ncwn, tliut it is Inteiiilcd to riiiH(> a iiioiinini'nt to his iiieiiiory : — MONIIMNNT TO THK r.ATK biKIITKNANT HkI.I.OT. liOrtl .lollll HllHHcll Utwl llio Karl of l''ll»'«iiii'n> Imvc nMincHteil Sir Hodrrick MundiiHon to pluoc tln'ir iinnu'N on t\w liitt ol' tlio coniiMittt'c, lor tlic |iiir|Hm(< of proiMiring tlio (>r(>rtion of II mouiimiMit to tiui nuiniory of tli(> liit<* gallimt Kmieli (tllifcr, liintitrnant Hrllot, mul liiivi' iMitliori/,('s may thus be early informed of the leading features of tho Investigator^ s discoveries ; but, ere 1 enter into tlii^ matter, I deem it to be my duty to acquaint tlieir lordsliips of the result of the exiK^dition I have the honour to conunand, and thougli I have carried out their lordships' instructions to the letter, and, 1 trust, to their entire satisfaction, it has not boon without great diificulty, considerable peril to the safety of this vessel, and tho total loss of tlic Iheudalhane trans^x^rt, without tho loss of a single life. Tiiis unfortunat(^ event, which occurred on tho morning of the 21st of August, olf Beechoy Island, no human power could have averted ; and my own voshoI, which at that time had the transjmrt actually in tow, barely esoaped a similar fate, receiving a sevoi'o nip, which rose th(! stern several feet, and arched the quarter-deck, destroying tho rudder aiul screw ; one of the beams forward was sprung, and the port bow partially stove, bricking one of the riders and forcing in the planking. The latter damage, there is some doubt, may have boon sustained in a heavy gale on the morning of the 18th of August^ when tho ship was severely nip))ed off Ca|K) Riley. Tho icemaster is of opinion it was received in Melville Bay, while forcing a passage under full steam through some heavy ice ; how(^ver this may be, I have littlo doubt but that for the solid nature of the stowage of our hold, and tho strengthenings fitted in England, wo nmst have shared the same fate as the unfortuiuite Hn'iatatttattc. By the J)iligtnve tlieir lordships will have l)cen informed of my prociH'dings up to the time of my arrival at Disco. 1 will, therefore, now l)ri(>tly st«te what we have sinco done, and then, in obediunco to the tU'th clause of their lordships' orders, relate what infornuition 1 havo obtained with reference to the ('X|)edition, and the discoveries which have been nui to obtain (^t(»r of North Oreenland eoneerning the disposal of tlu< lime of thill. On the iifternoon of the 1 Uh of »Iuly we reached this pliwie, and the ships heading otf while I landed, in two hours we proecH'ded up the coast. The following diiy, piMHJng C'ape Shaklelon in a calm, I look ad- vantngif of the tine weiithrr to obtain Home Iooiuk from the llookery for 6 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. tho use of tho Arctic ships, and in three hours we obtained a sufficient quantity to give each of our own vessels a day's fresh meat, reserving enough to supply the North Starts crew with provisions for ten days, independent of the sheep we brought from Ireland. On the 16th of July we entered Melville Bay, and found it packed with ice, in some places very heavy, from recent pressure, and tho land floe unfortunately broken away, thus depriving us of the advantage of its edge for docking the vessels, in case of a threatened nip. On the 1 1th of July, owing to damage sustained in the ice, it became necessary to shift the screw, and this was done while beset among heavy fioes, almost out of sight of land. From the mast-head no land could be seen at mid-day, or, indeed, any water but the pool in which tho ships were afloat, but at midnight we proceeded along a narrow lane which opened away to the northward. Thick fogs and southerly winds, which closed the ice up, prevented our getting througli Melville Bay till the 25th of July, when wo stretched away from Capo York for Cape Warrender. Fog prevented our taking observations while crossing over, and experiencing a strong southerly set wo found, on the weather clearing, that tho ship was within two miles of Capo Liverpool, though we had steered for Capo Warrender with due allowance for currents. Beaching over to the north shore, (which wo then kept close on board,) we steered up Lancaster Sound, passing large floes which wore driving to the westward. On the morning of tho 29th of July we found a barrier of ice stretching from shore to shoiv, and which evidently had never broken away this season. We followed its edge for several miles in tho hope of finding a lane through, but were eventually obliged to boar up for Dundas Harbour (in Croker Bay) there to await a change. In coasting towards this anchorage we were surprised at beholding several tents pitched on a point six miles to tho westward of Cape Warrender, but shortly found thorn to bo the habitations of a party of Ks(|uimaux, who had come over from Pond Bay. Among these people I found many preserved meat and potato tins, the former bearing Mr. Oohlner's name, candle-boxes, some spars, and other government stores, which led mo to fear that they had visited tho depot at Wol- laston Island. lit Dundas Harbour wo lay for eight days anxiously awaiting the breaking up of the ice ; and on the (ith of August, hoping that I might be able to (>xaniine, and if nod in my whale-boat, witli a month's provisions, at 9 a.m. on the loth of August, leaving written orders with the First Lieutenant, a copy of wiiich I enclose, marked '* M 1," in case of any unforeseen casualty preventing my return to the ship by the time the trans|M)rt was cleiinHl, to run no risk of the ships being caught for the winter, but to |>r(K'ee(l to ICngland without me. Wellington Chatinol was then full of ice, and so rough with largo rrackri and pools that it defied sledging, excepting with a strong party. Landing, therefore, on Cornvvallis Ishind, a little above Harlow Creek, we made an attempt to carry a small punt over the ice; but this )U'()V(h1 ineffectual, and I determined at last to proceed with Mr. Alston, nnite of tlie North Star, and twt) men, by lan«l, to Cape Rescuo. Kacli carried a blanket bag, with a fortnight's provisions, and reached, with mueh exertion, tlui CajK<, at /> p.m. of the 13th of August. A pieeeof epen wilier olf li<'len Haven pn'vonted our proceeding further, and Iiei'e Wi\ U'urnt by notice of Captain I'ullon's return to Ids ship, ami his having conununicaled with Sir Kdward Belcher. 8 THE NOnril-WEST PASSAGE. Depositing in tlio cairn duplicates of their lordships' dispatches for that officer, we commenced our return, and reached the tent on the fifth day of our absence, footsore and much exhausted with this new mode of journeying in the Arctic regions, having travelled 120 miles ; sleeping without shelter on the bare beach, at a temperature several degrees below freezing point, was a trial for all, more especially as we could not eat the pemmican, and subsisted wholly on biscuit and tea, with the exception of a few dovekies which I shot. Up till the 12th of August Wellington Channel was blocked with ice as far as the eye could reach. The plan marked " O 1 " shows its position at this date, and the alteration I have made in the coast line of the western shore. It is remarkable that we traced and followed, for many miles, thdi dog-sledge tracks of Mr. Penny, as fresh upon the sandy beach as though they had been made the day previous, and it must bo remem- bered that these were originally upon ice. I returned to the ship on the afternoon of the 15th of August, and found that wind and changes in the ice had obliged the first lieutenant to move the transport away from Capo Riley, and that the process of unlading had been carried on but slowly by means of sledges ; 856 packages had, however, been transported to the North Star by these means. On the 1 7th of August a heavy gale from the south-east set the ice on to the Capo so suddenly and with such violence that both ships narrowly escaped being lost. The Phoenix was severely nipped, the ice bearing down upon her with such force that the six hausers and two cables laid out were snapped like packthread, and the ship forced against the land ice, lifting her stern five feet, and causing every timber to groan. The hands were turned up to bo ready in case the ship should break up, though there would have been small chance, in such an event, of saving a man, as the wind blew so violently, with snow, that it was impossible to face it, and the ice in motion around the ship was boiling up in a manner tliat would have defied getting a sale footing to the most active of our crew. The plan marked *' C 2 " will show the manner in which wo were driven continually away from Ca|>o Rilev by pressure from ice until the 2()th of August, when the lirendulhane was carried out aoicmg some fioe pieces and set into the Straits. I pushed out under steam into the pack, and then only with considerable difficulty. Ilaving once more got hor alongside the derrick, we commenced to clear with all hands, as I intended to finiMJi the work without cessation if we laboured all night. While thus employed, I received by an official letter from Captain Pullen, a copy of which 1 enclose, marked "L 1," a report ot the melancholy int(>lligence of the death of M. Hellot, who had be(ast line ilcs, thrf cnch as remoni- ust, and •utonant ocoss of '8; 856 >y these the ice n ships m, the Drs and forced timber ^c ship n such snow, 10 ship a safe ' were I until tuong •team 3d to ation ptain ■ fho sent mo vard tlin lioro i on a floe ; and shortly after, while rcconnoitering from the top of a hummock, ho was blown off by a violent gust of wind into a deep crack in the ice, and perished by drowning. The two men were saved by a comparative miracle, and, after driving about for thirty hours without food, were enabled to land and rejoin their fellow-travellers, who gave them provisions, and then all returned to the ship, bringing back in safety the dispatches, but three of them fit subjects only for invaliding. A separate letter will give their lordships further information rela- tive to the death of this excellent officer, who was sincerely regretted by us all. His zeal, ability, and quiet unassuming manner, made him, indeed, beloved. The ice closing again obliged us to quit Cape Riley before midnight, and, in endeavouring to push the ship into a bight in the land Hoe, the Phoenix touched the ground, but came off again immediately with- out damage. The whole night was spent in struggling to get the ships into a place of security, but the ice drove both vessels fast to the west- ward, when at 3.30 a.m, of the 2l8t of August, the ice closing all round, both vessels were secured to a floe edge, but with steam ready to push through, the instant the ico should loosen. Shortly, however, a rapid run of the outer floe to the westward placed the Phmnix in the most i>erilous position. I ordered the hands to be turned up, not that aught could bo done, but to bo ready in case of tbo worst to provide for their safety. The ice, however, easing off, havin;; severely nipped this vessel, passed astern to the Breadalbane^ which ship either received the pressure less favourably, or was less ecpial to the emergency, for it passed through her starboard bow, and in less than fifteen minutes she sunk in thirty fathoms of water, giving the people barely time to save themselves, and leaving the wreck of a boat only to mark the spot where the ice had closed over her. Anti- cipating such a catastruph(>, I got over the stern of the Phirnix, as soon as the transport was struck, and was beside her when she filU'd, and can unhesitatingly state that no human power could have saved her. Fortunately, nearly the whole of tlie government stores had been landed. Enclosed, a list marked *' L 2 " sets forth the quantity and kind of stores that were landed at Cape Riloy and Becchoy Island ; also what were lost in the transport. Having taken on board the shipwrecked crow, every precaution was used with regard to the safety of Her Majesty's steam-vo^^sel ; but it was not till the morning of tlio 22nd of August that wo succeediMl in getting her to a safe position in Erebus and Terror Bay, where the shii) was again secured to the land floe. I now resolved to lose no time in getting to England; but, that T might have the advantage of the latest intelligetic(> from tli(« Arctic H(|uadron, I dcterniined upon taking tlu* opinion of i\u\ i('(>n)aHt«>r as to the latest tlate ho eonsidored I could safely reiimin at Beechcy Ishuul. Enclosed, nuirk(>d " L 3." is a <'opy of this report, and now I must beg to roi'er their lordships to the general onkus from the senior olll- c 10 THE NORTH-WEST t»A88AGE. cer,* delivered to me by Captain Pullen on his return from Sir Ed- ward Belcher, and while their lordships will readily understand how awkward was the position in which I thus became placed, still it was not without very serious deliberation, the written opinion of Captain Pullen upon the subject, a copy of which I enclose, marked " L 4," and the authority as granted to the senior officer at Beechey Island by their lordships' memorandum, May 11, 1853, that I replied to Sir E. Belcher's order by a letter, the copy of which, marked " L 5," I en- close, and which I acted on ; delaying to the last moment (and two days after my icemastcr advised our departure) with the hope of Sir Edward Belcher's arrival. Their lordships will, I trust, bear me out in the steps I have taken, and though I feel how serious is the responsibility I have thus incurred, it has been done with the single motive of the public good, and acting up to the full spirit of my instructions. On the 24th of August I sailed from Beechey Island, but was shortly forced to take shelter in a little harbour we discovered, and were obliged to run into in a fog. This harbour, eight miles east of Cape FoUfoot^ a plan of which I enclose, marked "C 3>" I named Port Graham, and it is a well sheltered position, with good anchorage and fresh water ; many hares were seen, and nine shot. Here we lay during a violent gale from the eastward, which was so furious in the gusts that, though the ship lay under the lee of a lofty hill, she drove with two anchors ahead, until she brought up in forty fathoms of water. The gale sot vast bodies of ice up the Straits, until it came to a dead stand, doubtless from it having filled up the whole channel to Beechey Island, and most fortunate was it that wo got away when wo did. For two days not a spoonful of water could do seen from the neighbouring hill ; and the temperature falling rapidly, with the pros- pect of an early winter, I began to fear we had found our winter quar- ters : indeed, it was a matter dependent entirely on the wind whether wo should got out this season. A watch was set to report the state of the ice ; the icemasters and officers frequently visiting tlio look-out- hill; on the morning of the 31st of August the ice commenced to move out of the harbour, and, carrying the ship with it, we narrowly escaped being driven into the pack, which was only prevented by slipping the cable (with a hawser attached) and forcing the vessel, under steam, through a crack in the floe. The hawser was cut through by the ico in endeavouring to recover the anchor, which was thus lost. I now deemed it advisable for the safety of the vessel t« proceed to the inner bight of the harbour, which, lying behind a sliallow spot, perfectly Hcourcd her from ice driving in or out, and, should we bo utiablo to get away this year, would prove a good position for winter quarters. I was ill-proparod for suoli a contingency, as we had not left on board suffli^ient provisions for our now much increased orew, having • . * Miirkcd " M a." > . , THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 11 the people of the three other vessels of my squadron with me, besides supernumeraries and invalids. In the evening a small crack along the north shore to the eastward was observed, and we immediately shipped the anchor and steamed up, but it closed ere we could reach it ; we therefore returned for the night ; but in the morning I was glad to find it again opened, and wo proceeded under full steam and sail, with a light northerly wind, to- wards the eastward. Nothing but a powerful steamer could have ef- fected her escape at that period ; and now, with one or two slight de- tentions for a couple of hours, we made out of the Straits, passing Capo Warronder on the morning of the 2d of September ; and hero I beg you will call their lordships' attention to this position as one well applicable for a dispatch rendezvous. During my stay at Port Dundas, (which is immediately under the cliffs forming Cape Warrender,) I ordered a large cairn to be built on a remarkable rocky peninsula at its entrance. This cairn is upwards of 16 feet in height, 20 feet in circumference, and painted red with a white cross. Its position is such that a vessel sighting Gape Warren- der must perceive it, and as nearly all the whalers every year sight this capo, I conceived it to be an admirable position (should their lord- sliips desire to send any dispatches to Sir Edward Belcher next year by tlio whalers) for these dispatches to be deposited. For sailing marks I have made sketches of the coast in two positions. Among the drawings are three views, marked " D 1 and 2," duplicates of which I have loft with Sir E. Belcher ; and I believe it to bo Gapt. Pullon's intention, unless directed otherwise by his senior, to have f,n officer and party ready to receive any communication next year, ai i, in return, to forward his intelligence by the same opportunity. ShouL! a government vessel be s^nt out from England, she would of course carry the party on to Beechey Island. With light winds we succeeded in getting out of Lancaster Sound on the 3d of September, the ice proving unfavourable for examining the depot at Wollaslon Island, which I had intended doing. We arrived at Liovely, Disco, on the 9th of Soptembor, and imme- diately commonood coaling. Tlie barometer threatening a southerly gale, induced me to pass through the Waigat to escape it, and in tlio darkness of night, running under full sail and steani, we were nearly going stem on to an iceberg 100 feet in height, to avoid which wn ruutulod to within half pistol-shot of a rock awash at the entraiiue of the Moligatu, and wliich, though not laid down in ihu charts, wo sup- posed the ship was well clear of; a strong set through the cliannol to thu northward must have caused this deception. While the coaling was being comploted I made arrangements with the inspector of North Greenland concerning the disposal of the hull and spars of tho stranded whaler Itose. For the more convenient disposal of her remains I blow her up, and liaving lan," I enclose,) wo took on board for llrewood sfjcli of the debris of the hull 12 THE NORTH>W£ST PAS»AOE. t as would otherwise have been appropriated by the Esquimaux, leaving the remainder convenient firewood for vessels touching there, to be obtained at Hs. a fathom, the price to be received by the governor, and remitted by the Danish government to the British Admiralty for the benefit of the underwriters. Having completed these arrangements, coaled, watered, and refitted, wo were detained two days longer, by a strong N.E. gale ; but on the morning of the 17th of September, proceeded to sea. At Licveley I obtained information of a coal mine about 26 miles from the harbour, on the soutlicrn shore of the island, and I am told that the coal to be obtained here is in such quantities that a ship might take 1,000 tons. For burning in stoves it is preferred by the Danes to English coal. I obtained a sufficient quantity of an inferior sort to make trial in our boilers. A copy of the chief engineer's report 1 en- close, marked " L 7," and I have retained on board four casks of this fuel for their lordsliiiw' dis^()osal. On the 18th of September I put into Holsteinbourg to obtain sights, to complete our meridian distances, and satisfy me as to the rates of our clironomoters. In this harbour (a complete survey of which, made by Mr. Stanton, the master, during our first visit, and which is marked C 4) we found tho Truelove, Captain Parker, which had put in the day previously with her bow stove ; she had received this damage among the ice in the gale of tho previous Wednesday. I rendered her every assistance, with a carpenter and stores, and towed him to sea at daylight, on tho moniing of the 20th of September, carrying him out to an offing of 60 miles. He reports that all the whalers were caught among the ice in that gale, and he much feared they had received some damage, but, upon his ac()uainting mo they were all in such close company that tho crews of any disabled vessels would surely escape to tho others, I did not deem it ne- cessary to delay my return to England by going over to the fishing- ground. Since rounding Capo Farewell, a succession of Htrong northerly and westerly winds have favoured our I'eturn, and we sighted land on the 3rd instant. And now, Sir, I beg to relate, in a summary manner, the intelligence gleaned from tho searching squadrons ; and first, with reference to Sir Edward Belcher, I have little else to say but that he wintered in a spot ho had named Northumberland Sound, in lat. 76° 52' N., and long. 97° W., near the position now marked in tho charts of Wellington Channel as Capo Sir John Franklin. From Captain Pullcn I learnt that not the slightest traces of tho missing expedition had been met with, either by this or tho western branch of the searching sc^uadron, and that it was evidently the intention of Sir Edward Belcher to return to Becchoy Island as soon as possible. For tho rest, Sir Edward's dis- patches will convey all further information. Ca()tain Kellett wintered at Dealy Island, Melville Island. lie had a ntu'row escape of losing his ship on tho night of his depailure from Beedioy Island ; she grounded off Cape Colbourn, and was only got r THE NOHTU-WEST PASSAGE. is t off after the ice had set down upon her, casting her over on her br(!»ad- side, and with the loss of sixty feet of her false keel. It was a party from his vessel that discovered the dispatch of Captain M'Clure at Winter Harbour, and was thus led to the Investigator* a position, a brief account of the voyage and discoveries of which vessel I will now relate. Their lordships will I'emember that it was on the 6th of August, 1850, that the Investigator was last seen running to the north- eastward with studding sails set. They rounded Point Barrow with much difficulty. At the River Colvile, in 150° W., they were detained some days, and then thick weather, fogs, and contrary winds set in, the latter proving rather an advantage to us, as it kept the ice open, and the necessity of working to windward between the polar pack and the gradually sloping shore gave them the means of avoiding dangers. On the 26th of August they reached the mouth of the Mackenzie, the pack at this part being upwards of ninety miles distant. On the 30th they were off Cape Bathurst. When at Cape Parry open water to the northward induced Captain M'Clure to push for Banks Land, and when about sixty miles from this cape they fell in with an unknown coast, which was named Baring Island. Passing up a strait between this island and a coast that was called Prince Albert Land, they reached the latitude of 73°, where ice impeded their further progress. The season suddenly changing, the ship was beset and forced to winter in the pack. Drifting to the southward, they were ultimately frozen up in lat. 72° 40' N., and long. 117° 30' W. The travelling parties in the spring found no traces of the missing expedition, but discovered and laid down much of the adjacent coasts. On the 14th of July, 1851, the ico broke up, and, freeing the ship, an endeavour was made to push to the northward towards Melville Island, but an impenetrable pack in lat. 75° 35' N., long. 115° W., precluded their completing what their autumn travelling parties had proved to be the north-west passage. An attempt was now made to round the southern shore of Baring Island, and proceed up the west side : and with great peril to the vessel they succeeded in reaching as far as lat. 74° 6', and long. 117° 12', where they wore frozen in on the 24th of September, 1851, and have never since been able to move iho ship. Tlieir record was deposited at Winter Harbour the year fol- lowing Commander M'CUntock's visit, while employed on Captain Austen's expedition. There are two remarkable discoveries mentioned in Capt. M'Clure's journal, viz., some smoking hillocks and a petriflod forest. Ho also states that during his intorcouse with the natives he only once met with any hostile demonstrations. This occurred at Point Warren, near tlio Mackenzie^ where, on attempting to land, two natives, with tliroatening gestures, waived them off; it was not without much difH- culty that they were pacified, and then they related that all their tribo but the chief and his sick son had fled on seeing the ship, alleging as a 14 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGEi reason that they feared the ship had come to revenge the death of a white man they had murdered some time ago. They (through the interpreter) related that some white men had come there in a boat, and that they built themselves a house and lived there ; at last the natives murdered one, and the others escaped they knew not where, but the murdered man was buried in a spot they pointed out. A thick fog coming on prevented Capt. M'Clure from examining this locality, which is much to be regretted, as here is the probable position in which a boat party endeavouring to return by the Mackenzie would have encamped. I have now only to state further for their lordships' information on this head, that Commander M'Clure had made arrangements for de- serting the ship, to have been carried out a few days later than the opportune arrival of the officer from the Resolute, and that Captain Kcllett sent his surgeon to report upon the health of the crew. He also desired that should there not be among them twenty men who would volunteer to remain another winter. Captain M'Clure was to desert his vessel. The Intrepid was expected at Beechey Island with the crew, and Sir Edward Belcher had ordered the North iStar to be prepared on her arrival to proceed to England, sailing on the 1st of September, and to leave the Intrepid at Beechey Island in her stead. I have now, in concluding the intelligence gained concerning the Arctic searching squadrons, to acquaint their lordships of the dangerous position in which the North Star passed the winter. Shortly after I left Beechey Island in my yacht, che Isabel, a violent gale which I encountered in the straits drove the North Star on shore, where she remained during the whole winter, and was only got off this spring with much difficulty. Herewith I enclose a chart, showing the tracks of the vessels of my squadron on their outward voyage, and this vessel homeward ; also, the several alterations and additions made in the coast line of Green- land. This is marked C 5 ; also, a chart on Mercator's plan, marked C 6, showing the north-west passage, with all the latest discoveries, and the coasts explored by each expedition up to this date, in search for the missing squadron. From C 1 to C 6 are the surveys and plans made during the voyage, and alluded to in this dispatch. From L 1 to L 7 are the copies of letters therein spoken of, and enclosures M 3 to M 10 are copies of the memorandums and orders issued by me as senior officer at Beechey Island. The drawings sketched from D 1 to D 24 are made, exhibiting several positions of the ships during the voyage, and headlands, coast- line, and views taken at different times ; also a drawing of the Inves- tigator, wintering in the pack, made from a sketch, and the description by Lieut. Crcsswell. In natural history we arc able to ad ' a large collection of minerals to our nmsouni, neai'ly a thousand specimens of ores and earthy sub- stances have been obtained at different parts of the coast of Greenland, Spccimeus also of the flower, leaf, and root plants, of all the kinds wq \ \ THU NORTH-%VKST PASSAGE. 15 liave been made acquainted with, are carefully preserved ; and such crustaceous and other creatures from the animal kingdom as our limited means have allowed us to collect, are prepared for the naturalists. A careful meteorological journal has been kept, a tide register at Hol- steinberg, and a great many observations made on the direction, dip, and force of the magnet. These have been carried on by Mr. Stanton and the late lamented M. Bellot, whose industry in this branch of science is well proved by the mass of valuable matter he has left behind. I have only now to beg their lordships will accept my assurance of the perfect satisfaction I have received in the conduct of every officer and man in the expedition during a period of incessant labour, con- tinual hardship, and frequently imminent peril ; each has done his duty with a zeal and alacrity that I find it hard to individualise. On all occasions I have received the most prompt co-operation from my first lieutenant, Mr. Elliott, who, as an old officer, I would beg to recommend to their lordships* notice. Among our numbers six only of the officers and men had been among the ice before, yet I invariably found them as active in their employ- ment, while engaged with that treacherous element, as the most experienced whalers; and whatever the service, the danger, or the emergency, I had only to order and it was promptly executed. Without such hearty co-operation on the part of both officers and men, I must say I could scarcely have completed all that has been done ; and I have only further to state for their lordships' information that to the officers this expedition has been a very serious expense. Obliged to equip themselves and store their mess for an Arctic winter, they have returned to England, after an absence of little more than four months from the time they sailed from Cork, and thus their pay cannot cover the expenses of such a costly outfit. It is more particularly heavy to the juniors, whose expenses were the same, while their pay is consi- derably less. My remark book contains much information I have gathered during the voyage upon many subjects, and this accompanies my charts and drawings. I bog you will assure their lordships of my anxiety to learn of their approval of my proceedings, more especially as I found it necessary upon so many occasions to take upon myself a responsibility which nothing but the circumstances in which I was placed could otherwise have justified. I especially refer to the dispatch of the Diligence to England, and the delicate task of disregarding the orders of my senior officer. I omitted to mention that on our return south through Baffin Bay, wo tried for soundings at a spot marked in the track chart, with 2,870 fathoms, without getting bottom. The line was upwards of three hours and a half in running out, and the lead employed more than a half hundred weight. I have also to state, in conclusion, that I ordered Mr. M'Cormick to join my ship for a passage to England, learning that he had finished tlio work that he was appointed to the Norh Star to perform, and his 16 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. desiring to leave the ship. I also ordered, as per Memorandums 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 10, certain exchanges among officers and men belonging to this ship and the North Star. Tlie pay-books of this ship are made up, and are enclosed with the dispatches. I have the honour to bo, Sir, Your most obedient, Iminble servant, E. A. Inolefield, Commander. Admiralty Office, Oct. 7. Sir,— 1 have the honour to acquaint you for the informivlion of the Lords Commissioners of tlie Admiralty, of my arrival in London this morning, with Captain Tnglefield, of H.M.S. Pluenix, hav-ing been charged with Captain M'Chiro's dispatches by Captain KoUctt, ol H.M.S. Itcsotute, which are herewith transmitted, together with a copy of the orders 1 received from Commander M'Clure and Captain Kellett. . , , . „ I have the greatest satisfaction in reporting, that dunng tlie pro- longed service on which we W(!re employed in search of tlu; crcAVrt of tho^iuissing ship^, we liavo only lost three men,— in the spring of the pro8(*nt year. , rr i f 1 left, tho Investigator on t)io l.'JMi of April last, in tho Harbour ol Mercy, lut. 74° 6'*N., long. 117"4.';'W., and, crosning the ic(^ with sledges, reached the Jtesohtte, at Melville Island, on tlu? 2nd of May. Assisted by a party I'rom tho It- .olutc, I reached the North Star, Beechoy Island, on the 2nd of June, with Lieut. Weymouth, .vhoiu it givt>s me great pleasure to speak of in the highest terms. 1 have tl»o honour to be. Sir, your most obedient servant, A. G. CiuisswKLL, Lieutenant, II. M.S. InriKti(/otor. Hy Robert MK'lui'o, Esq., Conunander of IT.M. Discovi'ry Ship luvvHtujator and Senior Of- fleer Ticsent. Considering it of the utmost imj)()rtanco that the crew should be divided, as th(i only means of carrying the views which I entinent on board; I Ihereloro deem no further preamble re(iuisite, but direct your attention to th(« following : — Having most opportunely received intelligence, conveyed under v('portlng yourself to Captain Kellett, C.B., you will then, of eom'sc, be under his orders, which you will follow for your future guidance. Given luider my haml, on board II.M. discovery ship Investufator, Bay of Mercy, Itaring Island. KoBEiiT M'Cluue, Conuuander. To Lieut. CresswoU, of II.M. discovery ship InvvMigator, in charge travelling-party. By Ileiny Kellett, Esq., C.B., Captain of II. M.S. HcmlHtv. It being of importance that an olfu^'r of ll.M.S. InvrstKjntor sho\iId reach England by thu (^ulicst op[)ortunity, and it being possible that those ships may not break out tliis season, You will take charge r's information, ano Hecher, July 2t>, iHoM Rm, — The very unexpected arrival of ('oimnander Piillen in his boat olV Dundas Island, just as 1 had recovered my dispnielies, (de|to- siti^l for him at ('ape Hecher in May lanl,) places me in lli(< position of addressing to tiieir lordships a very hurried dispatch. First, l)(M'iiiis(ni mile gained in this dreaded Strait isaeonsiderntion for riiiking wintering here. Next, (onnnamhr Pullen lias to retinii by tlie 18 THK NORTH-WEST PASSAOE. west of Dundas and Hamilton Islands, and I cannot strain his crew by carrying them much out of their way. After my dispatch of April last, I proceeded to the N.E. as far as the connexion with Jones Strait in 90°, where I found the sea open, and all progress obstructed on the 20th of May. Polar Sea as far as the eyo could range, from 1,500 feet elevation, "rough sailing ice." This elevation Ih in lat. 76° 31', and about 90° W. ; but the whole survey, I trust, will be (on IJ inch scale to 1 mile) ready for trans- mission before the Ist of September, at which date I purpose sending one of the vessels home. Being cut off by sea, I now pursued an ojKJning from Cape Separa- tion, (nearly nortli 20 miles of Prince Alfred Bay,) and I'eachcd Wel- lington Channel. T next, having noticed loom of land from the high land of Britan- nia Cliff, started from Princess Royal Island, and rcached the western- most, in 7H° 10' N., calling the group " Victoria Archi|)elago," and the easternmost, forming the cliannel to Jones Strait, •* North Kent," in honour of his Royal Highness the late Duke. Reports of " open water," the reception of the missing dispatches, and other causes, rendered my return to the ship to look out for the interests of those still absent imperative. I reached the ship without casualty on the 22d of ilune, after an absence of 52 days, bringing my men back in good working condition, and not subjects for the list. Conunander Richards peri'ormed his work nobly, so did Lieutenant Osborne, his companion. In the llrst place, by a curious precoiiception, ho deposited his dis- patches for Captain Kellett, on the 30tl' of April, at a point i*. 7(>° 32', 105° 4' W., my point agreed on btMUg 77° and 105°. Ai'U r having advanced 120 mil(>8 he met Lieutenant Hamilton seeking these dis- patches, lie forthwith put him efi route to obtain tlie dis])atches, to overtake LiLUtenant Oslmrne, anrland Sound, Sept. 22, IH52, lat. 7()° r)2' N., long, 97° W. Silt,— Being at this inotnent about to examine the coast (by sh'dge) easterly to ('tip(< Berlicr and Hamilton Island, I tiik(t this prtM'aution, ill the event of any party from the North Star visiting our cairns, to atford the latent iiilorniutioii of our proceedings. On tlu^ 11th of August, as my p imlentalions of tlm new chart, nor tlu> Mount Kraiiklin of l)e Iluveii. On the morn- ing of the l(y\\\ \\v itoticiMl a very rcinarkalih^ pil(« on a hill, apparently the work of inaii, and 1 iinmediiiti'ly moved on in the fionrrr, exaniinrd it, and obtailu^d my llrst well fixed position in these regions. The 20 THB NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. pile was found to be merely the remains of a dike, whicb, being harder than the Hurrounding matter, had remained until it had acquired n height of 20 feet, — about 14 in tiie meridian, and 6 feet E. and W. The ix)sition of our cairn (^about 100 yards south of it) was in lat. 76° 12' 52" N., long. 92° 48' 42" W., evidently t\»o rise from the point whore one of tlie searching parties observed, in 76° 13' distant about two miles west from us. But the bays, formed north and south, free from ice, do not exist in any manner worthy of more than slight in- dentations. The ice or snow, as the southern land is very low, must have deceived the previous visitors. I think I may safely say, that not tlie iTiost distant liope of any communication by sea exists in this direction witli Jones Sound. Although, from the fogs and vapours which were particularly noticed from the crow's nest on board, and by myself from the deck, exhibiting at times the appearance of smoke from lires, I am inclined to suspect extensive lakes or arms of the sea, iltc, running parallel to the northern land, and, possibly, connecting by some very narrow neck, but westerly much, as it would otherwise materially iuHueuce the tides in this region. I now speak determinedly in calling tilings by their proper names, — at least, if any tides are ac- knowledged in the Knglish Channel, — regular rise and fall, ebb and flood. Leaving this position, and having already made my mind up not to interfere witli any hind which could liave been seen and named by Cai)tain IVnny's people, I pushed on to the westward, reaching Cap(5 IJeclier about midnight, where a deposit of 42 days' provisions for ten men was w»'ll sieured, and notice of our njovements left. Pass- ing westerly, we reached, about 4 p.m., the (jxtreme land. Here I creeled a very eoiiHpieuous cairn, and from tlie summit (about 1,000 feet above the sea) obtaiiu'd a view of tlie distant land, easterly and soutlicrly, to S.VV., where it ceased at what 1 shall contiiuie to consider as (!ape Lady Franklin, n^serving iUv name of Sir .lohn for the baso of my hilt. IJut hen(!o the view l'n»m [? of] Cape Uechcr was entirely ciit(»irhy an iuterveuing pciint n(»t h'S.s than 12 miles. The coast line, diniinirthed much in hiigth, will, however, acconunodate Captain Penny's names, giving to the i.sland next to nu^ Cracroft and Point Sophia, and liu^ points of others his ditlerent names. The land on whi(!h I wtood being veritably newly discovered, I ttrnk possession of it in due I'orni us Mount I'ercy, and the territory, Northum- iKtrland of North Ihitain, at the same time naming the expanse of inK't-eovered sea bi'Mealh nie Norlhuuiberland Sound. The llo(f ieit having closed in here on the outlying islands, con\polled me to sei'k for security for the vessel, which the Sound happily all'orded. lint, as it continued to press in, no litu(« wiis to be lost in selecting a spot where she might, securely winter This, forliniately oll'ered about three miles wenli-rlv, wIk i(* the vessels are now well frozen in. On the iKth I uiiide iiu excursion to one of ih(« highest peaks of tlie oiillviiig ntirth-western Isluiwl, from which I obtained iingles to Ciijie liiuly Franklin, as well as to liie southern and weslerunioHt lands, where it scented to trend awiiy S.S.W.. true; thi> next very distant land bore N.N.K., iiboiil iiO to .'lo miles, being nearly tlu« computed t THE NORTH-WEST PASSAOK. 91 I ■ '■ I distanco which we were from Gape Lad/ Franklin. I especially ro- inark these computed distances to show that, under the most favour- able circumstances in this climate, and with first-rate instruments, I could barely, at such distances, be sure of the objects presented to my view ; and even then I asked my assistant to satisfy himself that it really was land which I took. As far, therefore, as my observations from this point, and those of Commander Richards, from a much higher mountain, about five miles easterly of me on the main, are concerned, there is no visible loom of land between Capo Lady Franklin and the newly-discovered land, N.N.E. ; or, by actual observation, 1 43°'2 of the horizon. From tlie free motion of the tides and floes in this direction, here parallel to the cliannel, (say N.N.W. and 8.S.E.,) I am satisfied that wo ai*o now in the Polar Sea, composed, in all probability, of a great archipelago of islets and sandbanks. Time was now too precious to lose in waiting for open water for the ship ; indeed, I judged correctly in estimating the season closed, and immediately determined on boat and sledge work. It was first intended to take two boats, but the former Arctic men thought that appearances indicated firm 'ce or floes. For my own part, I determined to secure my great objt ..> of settling the position of all we had seen, and of being properly prepared for further operations. The light ice-boat, built after a model lent to me by Captain Hamilton, and named after him, was attached to my sledge. Commander Richards had the second sledge, and Lieutenant Osborno the third, provisioned for twenty-one days, and, with a precautionary dep^jt sent overland to a bay likely to afford shelter, the party started on the 23rd of August. It was soon found that the pools and cracks between the floes could not be managed by one boat, and she little better than piuiteboard as to thickness ; a whale-boat was tlierctbro added. It is immaterial now to mention particulars, but on the 25th wo landed on a low point, whei'e the coast sudd(fnly turns to the eastward, and discovoreil tlio remains of several well built KH(|uiiiiaux houses, not simply circles of sniall stones, but two lines of well laid wall in excavated ground, filled in between by about two feet of fine gravel, well paved, and withal presenting the appear- ance of gi'eat ear<^ — more, indeed, than 1 am willhig to attribute to the ru(h) inhabitants or migratory E.s(|uimaux. liones of ilcer, walruSi seals, ^(!., nnnierouM. Coal found. The addition of the wiiale-boat rendered the moveinentH of the other ]>arty so Hh)W that I was cotnpclicd to move on singly, leaving Com- mander Uiehiinis lo ar('ii IVoni his advanced station as long as his provisions wmdd last (one sk dge having swamped and spoiled the gn>i«t«M' pivrt). On the evening of the 27th of August, the anniversary of tim action at Algiers, 1 took possession of the first large island s{«en iVoni the t'ornier station, naming it, in eom)>liment to the gallant Connnander- in-Chief, FiXmoiilh Island. The siunmit ninnetl Milne Peak, — our second in eonunand. To the eastwanl of mo lay a long tabh' island, to which CVtnnnander Hichardf* would repair, and eonnect it with our 22 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. survey. From the summit of this island, 580 feet above the sea, and in lat. 77° 15' N., I had anticipated the satisfaction of commanding a most extensive range. I was miserably disappointed; and, after watching two successive days, for hours, through snowstorms, for merely some glimpse of the land I had now to seek, I was barely re- warded by ascertaining that an open sea, of about seventeen miles, would enable me to reach it, if the wind permitted ; for the boat, when sledge-laden, with tent, bedding, provisions, &c., was not very safe, even on the Thames above bridge. Fortune favoured us, and, by aid of sails (tent-bottom) and paddles, we reached our destination the next afternoon, after six hours' toil. The ice then moving on to the land completely entrapped us, but we were safe on terra firma. Thick' snowy weather continued with light gleams at times, affording us occa- sionally glimpses of Exmouth and Table Islands. I took possession of this new addition to Her Majesty's territories under the title of North Cornwall, in compliment to his Royal Highness the heir apparent. Waiting to secure this position, which was determined to be in lat. 77° 33' 30" N., long, about 97° W., and having ascended the liighest point of land (within t;»ree miles N.E.) and satisfied myself that I commanded the north-west extreme for a radius of five miles at least, and that no land within the range of Exmouth Island (seventeen miles distant) existed westerly of me, I returned \io the beach, and, having hauled the boat overland, to clear the ice which had entrapped us, launched into the open water, and pulled along the south-western lino of the island about seventeen miles, where we landed and encamped for the night. This position proved to be the southern angle of North Cornwall, situated in 77° 28' 50" N. The weather still continued thick, with occasional snowfalls, and hiding most of the objects which I was so anxious to obtain ; indeed, barely sufficient of Exmouth and Table Islands to secure my position. But in the eastern horizon, where the sun at times shone brightly, I was enabled from a very elevated [K)sition to satisfy myself that no land was visible in tlie eastern horizon for thirty miles ; and the eastern low extremity of tliis land, North Cornwall, distant about ten miles E.N.E. Throughout this very interesting search not a particle of drift wood has been noticed 8iu(;e ({uitling V^illage Point, and not a trace of human beings. Animal life seems to fail after ({uitting Exmouth Island. It is possible that the snow may have covered many objects, but w(^ noticed thcnj even when heavier snow had fallen (m Table Island. If our unfortunate eountrytnen have "taken the ilot^ and drifted with it," their <'um(» is hopclesH. If we may jinlgc from the aspect of the floes, wlicm tliey liapot there, for ('omnninder Pullen. CircumstaneeH, now to be detaih'd, prevented our getting more than one thinl of the distanei; ; our return wv had to be ^niteful for. On tli(^ nu>rnii\g of tlu^ 22nd the Hame HledgcH and leading oiUeers started on this service, uninrtiniiitely without a boat. Having reac^hed nnd pitched our tents for tin* third night on an islatjd iibout twelve nulcs to the stxithward of IVIo\u»t Percy, oreighte<>n iVoni thr ship, the ice also Im-I raying symptoms of great wcaluicss, bud wenther set ill, brok(! up the ice, and (Mit us ot!' from conniiiinication with the 94 THE NORTH-WEST PAS8AOK. main land for more than a week, reducing us to half allowance, and materially depressing the spirits of our men. Food we had in a walrus, which we killed ; also plenty of fuel. But no one knew how long this imprisonment was to last, and the anxiety too often expressed for very low temperatures was uncommon in these cold regions. At length qui wishes were in some measure realized; the comminuted floes froze once more into ice that bore, and we escaped to tlie main, skirting its edge, until we gained a safe landing at night, after .sundry un- pleasant escapes. Further expeditions this season were cut off, not only by the severity of the cold, but by the sea maiutaining a temperature which prevoniod heavy ice from forming. I now (having retained this letter) proceed to add my observations on our late cruise. The subject is one which requires but little com- ment, viz., the visual discoveries of Penny. It is my wish to giv(! him every credit, for ho is entitled to much for what lie has done. He has evinced a masterly and vigorous intellect beyond the usual powers of men not educated for surveying operations. Here, however, I cease. It is probable that he saw beyoiid what he had any right to sec, but our longitudes, &c., will evince not in the right direction. Therefore, , although I disclaim any mathematical right he has, I willingly give him up all his possible radius of vision from any point which we can see, and from which, although never visited by him, we might be seen. I have, therefore, throwing overboard the true bearing, as well as the possibility of his seeing our [)oints of (he termination of the Queen Channel, i-etained the names of Sir John and Lady Franklin as our turning points (notwithstanding an island intervenes, cutting olf Cape Bccher at about 12 miles to the southward). The names he has given may bo scattered over the intermediate points. On my return the ship was housed in, stores landed, and every pre- paration made for winter. As it had been intimated to mo that mag- netic observations on a complete scale during the winter would bo im- portant, an observatory was constructed on shore, and the declination magnetometer set up. I am happy to say that volunteers from both vessels are engaged on this delicate, but tedious, duty, and I trust that our roconls may be able to tell their own tale. As my next dispatches will be sent by the spring travelling parties to meet Captain KciUett to the S.W., and Commander PuUon to the S.E., I will wait until the period for starting arrives, when I liope in bo able to statu our prospects and intentions more fully. I have the honour to be Sir, Your most obedient servant., Edward Belohgu, Ca[)tain, Commanding Arctic Expedition. The Secretary of the Admiralty, London. THE NOUTH-WEST PASSAGE. H H.M.S. North Star, Aug. 12, 1863. Dear Sir, — You having so gallantly volunteered to lead the party I propose sending on to Captain Sir E. Belcher, I gladly avail myself of the offer, and, as time is short and of consequence, I do not enter fully into detail, merely giving you a few remarks and a light equipment. You are already acquainted with my views as to the probable spot in which you will find the Assistance, and Point Hogarth being a prin- cipal point of rendezvous, make for it as speedily as possible, keeping as much as you can the eastern shore on board, as I know it is Sir Edward's intention to travel this way if he cannot get on with tho ship ; it is, therefore uncertain when he will leave. There is nothing within a reasonable distance of the shore to pre- vent a light sledge getting on ; keep a sharp look out, and I hardly think ho can pass you. You have one of Halkett's large boats ; I have therefore no fear for your success, for the ice is still heavy in Wellington Channel, and I hardly think it will break out this month ; at all events, should you see any signs to suppose such likely to hap- pen, make for the shore, and use your own discretion as to advance or retreat. The boat will track well in shore. Captain Inglcfield, it is possible, may cross you, but it can bo only when well to the north- ward. However, should such be the case, I advise your going on together, more especially should he have his largo boat. Provisions are en cache at Point Bowden and Point Rescue, but I trust you will reach the Assistance before you are out, and she will bo apitroaching you. Pray show this to both Sir Edward and Captain IngleHeld. Wisthing you God speed and every success, I remain, yours faithfully, W. J. 8. PULLEN. To Lieutenant Bellot. H.M.S. North Star, Beechey Island, Aug. 20. Sir, — It is my melancholy duty to inform you that two of my men, who loft this ship with Lieutenant Bellot, have just returned with tho sad intelligence of, I fear, his being drowned. Tho particulars of an examination of tho two men I have entrusted to Lieutenant Crosswell, who was present at the time. It is in a rough shape ; but being anx- ious that you shuuld Ix; made acquainted with the nad event, I deemed it necessary to dispatch him immediately. The dispatches are saft^ tho nten having brought them back. I have thorrfore to request your opinion as to whether, from tho state of the ice in the channel, which Lieutenant Cresswell will inform you of, it is advisable to dJHpalch another i>arty or not, immediately, to endea- vour to coininunicate with Sir Edward Belcher. I have, &c., W. J. S. PuLLKN, Commander. THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. H.M.S. North Star, Beechey Island, Aug. 24. Sir, — Commander Inglefiold having yesterday informed me that it is his intention to leave as soon as the dispatches can possibly be got ready, I hasten to close my proceedings in a condensed form up to this day, forwarding to their Lordships a copy of the same, together with all dispatches received and every document likely to advance the ser- vice in which we are engaged. I forwarded on the 12th inst., by Lieutenant Bellot, the French officer of the Phoenix^ who had volunteered to conduct a party with dispatches on to your ship, full accounts of my proceedings since leaving you ; but, unhappily, and which it is my melancholy duty to inform you, in the execution of which, by a sudden and unforeseen disruption of the ice in Wellington Channel, he has lost his life. The four men who accompanied liim returned to the ship— two on the 20th, and the remaining two on the 21st, worn out with fatigue and ex- haustion ; their depositions were immediately taken, a copy of which I enclose, only remarking that, up to this time, and during their trying work, they have done their duty well, and speak of Lieutenant Bellot, although of a different nation, as an officer that they would gladly follow as their leader. All here feel his loss most acutely ; ho was well known to us when in the Prince Albert, and I consider it a most fortunate thing his volunteering to lead the party, for the only officer I had was away with Captain Ingleficld, myself and Mr. Shellebear only having returned the previous night. I gave him no orders, merely a letter of remarks for his guidance (see enclosure), considering his experience sufficient under nny circumstances. I therefore feel his loss most painfully, for ho was a good and worthy young man, a credit to his profession, and, although a foreigner, lias shown such zeal and energy in the cause wo are engaged in that I should feel myself honoured in being associated with him in any way. On the 21st inst., at ten minutes after midnight, the ice in the bay began to drive out at a rapid rate, taking us with it ; the inshore piece, however, happily received a check, by which wo held on, and have since maintained our position off Northumberland-house. The Phcenix and transport were also observed setting out of the Bay and off from Cape Riley, where they had been discharging provisions. The wind at the time was light from the esstward. At 2.15 a.m. of that morning both vessels got so far to tho westward, and outside Beechey Island, that we lost sight of them from our deck. At 3.30 the steamer alone was soon again coming to tho eastward, under steam, but was soon checked by a largo floe-piece. I therefore concluded sho had left the transport in a safe position, perhaps in Union Bay, which was clear. At noon she signalized •* Transport is lost," and we could see from our mast-head that tho steamer herself was completely surrounded with heavy ice, and their saws at work, as if endeavouring to cut a dock. In tho evening tho ico cased off, when she reacheil Capo Kiley, took up a position, and commenced (liHcluu'}j;ing. Tho next morning, the ice still opening enabled her to roach the fast ico in this Bay. (Wind northerly at tho time). THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. n I have discharged all my crew who wished to leave, also those unfit for Arctic service, together with Mr. M'Cormick, surgeon, and Alston, mate, who were desirous of returning to England. An officer and two men were sent on the return of the first two men to relieve the others, and also examine the state of the jce in Wellington Channel, and to see if it was practicable, by boat or other- wise, to communicate with you. Look-outs also from the top of the Island have been kept, and such is their reports that not only myself, but Captain Inglefield, consider it imprudent to detach any more par- ties to endeavour to communicate. I have acquainted Commander Inglefield with all your orders, wishes, and intentions, taking from him every available article of provision, &c., for travelling he could sparc, and necessary for the expedition under your command. From the long continuance of east and south-east vnnds, packing the ice up so much to the westward and on these shores, I fear the Intrepid will be very late, if able to reach at all. I cannot venture an opinion on the season at present, merely noting that it is a late one, and very different from last year. I confidently expect, and am pre- pared for, being driven out of this the first strong N.W. wind. How- ever, I hope to be able to return again, even, if so, pnor to your arri- val ; and, considering all those circumstances, a ship being hero from England, the lateness of the season, &c., your opinion respecting this as a winter quarters coinciding with my own from actual experience, I shall, if you are not here by the 1st of September, if possible, remove to Gascoine Inlet. I herewith enclose the copy of a notice set adrift on the 1st of August, and, in conclusion, regret to say that, having only so lately returned from travelling, and time being so short, I am unable, at present, to forward a separate report, as requested by you, relating to the strand- ing and recovery of the ship. Three of the men of the late Lieutenant Bellot's party have also exchanged into the Phcenix, so that we have now almost a new ship's company. I cannot wonder at so many leaving, for the severe and heavy work that has fallen to them from the position in which tlie ship was unfortunately placed, and the actual necessity of being obligcl to keep them so continuously at it, induce me to think that, if I may so say it, they are disheartened, and do not like the tliouglits of another winter. Had it not been tor the good example shown by the executive ofticers, I hardly think wo should have kept them up to the work. I cannot refrain from bringing to your favourable notice Mr. Elliott, the clerk in charge, wliose duties, from every document conncctod with the expedition passing through this sliip, having to be copied, have not only been Innvvy. but so continuous that ho has been most unremit- tingly employed. 1 have the honour to be. Sir, your obedient servant, W. .1. S. PuLLEN, Commander. To Captain Sir E. Belcher, C.B., II.M.S. Assistance, connnanding Arctic expedition. < 28 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. Extract from Sir E. Belcher's Orders. It is probable that the Assistance will be at or near Cape Bechcr during the month of August, therefore any dispatches which may ar- rive are to be forwarded to meet the ship by the east side of the Wel- lington Channel, calling at Point Hogarth, which will be a principal rendezvous ; at all events, as the distance on the present position where the ship may be icebound is not more than four days' easy march, the officer should be instructed and provisioned to move on and to commu- nicate with me. Indeed, this duty must be imperative, as the final determination of my movements must depend on the co-operation of the external division, should it be found necessary to abandon the ves- sel next season. I left the ships well to the eastward of Dundas Isle, and the ice breaking away fast. Therefore, I think you will meet them well ad- vanced towards us. W. J. S. PULLEN. Copy of Notice set adrift in a Cask. Set afloat from H.M.S. North Star, lying in Erebus and Terror Bay, Beechey Island, on the 1st of August, 1853. The ice only opened out sufficiently tliis day. The North Star was driven on shore by ice and a heavy south-east gale last September, and only got off again on the 30th of June, by cutting, blasting, and clearing a space in the ice to heave her into. No intelligence yet of Sir E. Belcher in the Wellington Channel. The Resolute and her tender, the In- trepid, are at Dealy Isle, Melville Island. A party arrived here from the former on the 30th of May last, with the intelligence of the In- vestigator being in Mercy Bay, Baring Island, 167 miles from the Resolule's present winter-quarters. Baring Island is newly discovered land a continuation of Banks Land. The Investigator has been there since September, 1851. If not able to get through into Barrow Straits this season she is to be abandoned, and all hands come on to the Beso- lute. A party is now away from this ship on another visit to Capo Becher for intelligence. Any person picking this up, it is requested it may be forwarded to the Secretary of the Admiralty, London, with the date when and where found. All well. W. J. S. PuLLEN, Commander. Another cask was set adrift with this ; and last September one with two bottles, each containing a notice. » Statement of William Harvey, Boatswain's Mate, H.M.S. ''North Star." Loft the ship on Friday night, tlio 12th of August, 1853, and on- camp(!d about three miles from Cape Innis. Second Journey. — Encami)ed about three miles this side of Cape Bowden, on broken ice. Third Journey— -After leaving Cape Bowden on Sunday night we passed u crack about four feet wide, running across the cliunnel ; wc THE NORTH-WliST PASSAGE. m were then about three miles off shure. After croesing this crack kept on up channel. On being asKd as to the state of the ice, replied no doubts were entertained as to its safety ; and M. Bellot expressed a wish to get up to a cape, which he said was Grinnell, cheering on the men, saying he wished to get in-shore to encamp, assisting with his track-belt himself. On arriving at the open water off Cape Grinnell (?) M. Bellot tried twice to land in the indiarubber boat, but in consequence of a strong breeze from S.E., could not succeed. William Harvey, boatswain's mate, and William Madden, A.B., then both got into the boat, and reached the shore, taking a line with them for a hauling line each way. By this means three loads were landed from the sledge ; and the men on the ice were hauling the boat off a fourth time when Madden, who was up to his middle in water, with the hauling line in his hand, hailed M. Bellot, to say the ice was on the move, driving up and off shore. M. Bellot told him to lot go the line, which he did. Those remaining on the ice with M. Bellot then ran the boat up to windward on the sledge, but, the ice being so fast in motion, before they could reach the wished-for point it had drifted considerably off the shore. I now went on the high land to watch, and saw them drifting up the channel, and off the land. I watched in this position for six hours, but lost sight of them after two hours. When I last saw them the men were standing by the sledge, and M. Bellot on the top of a hummock. They appeared to be on good solid ice. Wind at the time from S.E., blowing hard, and snowing. After waiting for six hours commenced our return, (all open water in the channel at this time,) walked round Griffin Bay with a little provisions, and reached Cape Bowden, where we remained to take some rest. We had not been there long when Madden called me, and said two men were coming. I jumped up inunediately, and liailod them, asking where M. Bellot was ; they replied that he was gone. On coming up to us Hook said M. Bellot was drowned. I asked him if he was sure he was ; he said, " He was almost sure, because he saw his stick in the water, and could not see him." After this we made the best of our way on board, leaving them there. William Madden, A.B., corroborates the above. " Did you think the ice was dangerous ? — Yes, I certainly did, Sir." ** Why, for fear of breaking through, or breaking off the land ? — Both, Sir." " Did you mention your feors to any one ? — No, Sir." He also states tliat tiicy nmst have been drifted back and got on shore near the same place where the accident happened. Statement of WiUium Johnson^ A.B., who was on the ice with Lieutetuint Bellot. We got the provisions on shore on Wednesday, the 17th. After wc had done that there remained on the ice David Hook, A.B., Lieut. Bellot, and myself, having with us the sledge macintosh awning and 30 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. little boat. Commenced trying to draw the boat and sledge to tho southward, but found the ice driving so fast ; left the sledge and took the boat only, but the wind was so strong at the time that it blew the boat over and over. We then took tho boat with us under shelter of a piece of ice, and M. Bellot and ourselves commenced cutting an ice- house witli our knives for shelter. M. Bellot sat for half an hour in conversation with us, talking on the danger of our position. I told him I was not afraid, and that the American expedition were driven up and down this channel by the ice. Ho roplied, "I know they were ; and when the Lord protects us, not a hair of our heads shall bo touched. I then asked M. Bellot what time it was ? He said, " About a quarter past 8, a.ni. (Thursday, the 18th); and then lashed up his books, and said he would go and see how the ice was driving. He had only been gone about four minutes when I went round tho same hummock under which we were sheltered to look for him, but could not see him, and on returning to our shelter saw his stick on the opposite side of a crack, about five fathoms wide, and the ice all breaking up. I then called out, "Mr. Bellot!" but no answer (at this time blowing very heavy). After this I again searched round, but couhl see nothing of him. I believe that when ho got from the shelter the wind blew him into the crack, and, his south-wester being tied down, he could not rise. Finding there was no hope of again seeing Lieutenant Bellot, I said to Hook, " I'm not afraid ; I know tho Lord will always sustain us." We commenced travelling, to try to get to Cape do Haven, or Port Phillips ; and, when wo got within two miles of Cape de Haven, could not get on shore, and returned for this side, ondv3avouring to get to the southward, as tlie ice was driving to the northward. We were that night and the following day in coming acro-fs, and came into the land on the eastt^rn shore, a long way to the northward of tho place wiiere wo wore driven off. We got into tho land at what Lieut. Bi^Uot told us was Point Hogarth (?). "How did you get on shore? — In drifting up the Straits towards tho Polar Sea saw an iceberg lying close to the sttore, and found it on the ground. Succeeded in getting on it, and remained tor six hours. T srtid to David Hook, * Don't be afraid, we must make a boat of a piece of ice.' Accordingly we got on to a piece passing, and 1 luul a paddle belonging to the indiarubber boat." On being ttsked what l)ecame of tlio indiarubber boat, he replied, ** It was left wiierc^ Lieut. Hellot was loHt." liy tliiH piece of drift ice we managed to reach tho shore, and then proe(^ed(?(l to whcrc^ tho accident happened. Uea<'lie, and in the morning got Home bread and penuuican out of (he vavhf; and after wo had refn>Hhed onrH(«lv»r ex an THE NORTII-WKST l>ASSAtain Jul let t. II.M.S. Jtesolutr, Melville Island, 12th A[)ril, (last date 2ml May,) 18/^3. On the night of tlu^ 14th of August all hands were assembl(>d on the floe, vvlu'ie we bad prayi'rs. Speechifying and Mcr(>echlng succeeded, all, I sn|)poHe, in g. The masts bent like a r(H>d ; you might have sheep- shanked the rigging. The ice continued to grind past us, and mounted, several times, liigher than our gunnel. All hands on tho fl(K>, dragging the pressed up ice from our side and blasting it with heavy charges. At length we were a good deal relieved, having been sh'wed more than JK)° by lh(! heavy pressure. The io(> now took our bow and passed «|uietly along our m\v. As the water flowed, the ice went off. 7n- trtpiil CMwv in and took ns in tow. At midnight, after a good deal of luMiving and tow, we went off by being relioveil of sixty feet of our false keel, forty of which we picked up. We now proceeded merrily towards (JrifTlth Island, boring through loose but heavy ice; the craft getting numy heavy era, to a conqmet and old (loo, extending in the diret^tion of Yoimgs Island, 'I'liis floe was, nevertheh'ss, in motion, and at Hi, p.m., on the iHtli, we broke adrift TItE NOnXII-'W'KST PASSAOI'. 33 fi'om it. After having drifted easterly with it about three miles, ran down under the lee of Lowliicr, and worked ahout in a pool of water. This we continued to do for a couple of days, the men perfectly fagged out with constant tacking, &c. Fortunately there was a piece of land floo on the eastern side of the Island ; to this I made fast, sending an i(!e (luarter-masier, a couple of men, and a tent to keep watch on the movements of the ice. I went in Intrepid to follow the pack, hoping it might lead mo in the same direction that Sir E. Parry went ; but we found it impenetrable and imbroken, after we got within about thive miles of Youngs Island. Our only hope now was in the direction of Cornwallis Island. The winds continued strong from north and N.W. ; carrying or driving to the eastward vast floes. The western side of Lowthor displayed one of the most awfnlly grand sights that could be witnessed, and showed what would ho the effect of these immense bodies of ice in motion. These six feet floes overran one another to a height of thirty or forty feet. Largo fragments, of many tons, some on end, others just l)alanccd, were forced up the beach many yards. A ship would be nothing more than an egg if caught in such a position. Water to be seen under C/ornwallis Island, but no getting into it; and I almost made my mind up that Lowther wouhl be our winter quarters, for easterly I did not intend to go. The 23rd passed, (the very day Parry left Heechey Island in 1H19,) nn»l no alteration. On the morn- ing of the 2Hth, accoujpanied by M'Clintock and Meeham, I went to tii(^ top of tij(^ Island. There was an apparent lead into the water under Cornwallis Island, with the exception of a short nip. Wo cast olF and made prcpuralions to assail this gentleman with lire. He, It was not necessary ; for, aided by a fresh and fair breeze, wo bored through it at the expense of some heavy blows. I suppose there is some limit U> what these ships will stand, but we i passing Grillith on the 17th, lucre was fast ice between it aiul Cape Martyn: now there was not a bit to be seen. Hero wo pi(^ked up a strong north wind, with which we proceeded westerly, passing between Hrown and Sonuncrville, whore we experienced a lieavv sw(*ll : a sure indication of open water. Wo now went merrily along the land, and reached Point Cockburn At 2h. p.m. on the 'J})th, where I hinded a depot, and just got past the point before the ice set <»n it. I had an anxious night ofl'this point, wind luMiding us oir, and V(^ry strong. In th<< int(>rva'.s of eU-ar between tho snow show(canie calm. Towing westerly through a flue op(>u lead of live miles width, passing between humnux'ks I thought aground on the shoal dcscrilK-d by Parry. At Ih, ii.m., 31st August, reached the s(»utli point of Hyani Miirlin Islaiul ; where we wern stopped. Made fast, (^ast olf to keen in open water. Made my mind up to cut into tlio fust Hue (extending from (iraham Moore Hay t() Hyaiu Martin) near some humuioeks on east point ol" the I»l«n«l. Ran down to look at tlii^ posilioii and worked back ii^niii, ns them weri' inilicalions of a northerly wind. At 7h. n.m. oji the Ist Septom- 84 THE NORTH-WEST PA6SAOK. ber the wind shifted to N.W. ; ice cased off Point Gilman. We took advantage of it and, after a sharp beat up the west side of the Island, got into a fine open IcaH, due west, sailing our course. And at 3h. 40n). p.m., wo sighted Melville Inland ; M*Clintock making the signal " I wish you joy." On the 2nd, at 3h. a.m., landed a dep6t at Point Griffith, and proceeded, working along the land ; wind too strong for towing. Parry's description of this coast is so faithful, that we could recognise if not the same hummocks others certainly in their positions. About 3h. p.m., we were again in tow, as the ice was very close on Point Ross, and evidently closing as the wind lightened. All glasses were at work. Soon, a herd of ten musk oxen were seen on west side of Beverly Inlet. We passed this Inlet, and were stopped about five miles west of Point Palmer ; where we made fast. Here, again, I thought we had arrived at the end of our navigation. Went in In- trepid to examine Beverly Inlet. Got on shore on a spit running off Point Palmer. Went off' in an hour. Found Skene Bay well pro- tected and well adapted for winter quarters ; five fathoms within fifty fathoniH of tlie beach. Here I fully determined to place the ship if the ice did not open in a day or two. Young ice very strong. Two musk oxen nhol in the morning, and, after I returned, a herd of eight were seen. Permission was given to go after them ; they w(!re all shot, bulls, cows, and calves. All Bridport Inlet appeared to be clear of 'ce, and ri<;lit up to Capo Bounty ; but no means of getting into it. We were detained in tliis position until noon of the Gth, when the ice streamed off', leaving us a passage of half a mile into the water in Bridport Inlet. PusHcd Cape Bounty at 5h. p.m., and, after a very unpleasant anxious night, working between pack and land ice, made fast, at 5h. a.m., 7th September to land Hoe, off* Wint^-r Harbour, four miles from the sandstone. The wind wan so strong and the floe edgo breaking away so fast, that we had great difficulty in holding on. Nevertheless, I managed, in the evening, to land a small ship depAt and dep<1ts for n)v travelling parties in the spring. Finding that I could not wintoi there in sai'ety, on the morning of the Sth, I proceeded easterly, intending to go into Skene Bav. At 9h. p.m. we reached and made fast in our old position, five miles west of it, having been a good deal impeded by sludge and young ice ; a calm for a few hours would have fixed us anywhere. 9th September. — Proceeded in tow for Skene. To my great dis- appointment, found it i»erieetly blocked with ice. Having no time to hise, wo again tinned our heads wtoierly and, very fortunately, just fteraped through into Hi-idport Bay. Hie wlioh* of this bay was clear, and north of Dealy Island to the mouth of the Inlet. The position nori!: nf the Island would have been safe, but I feared I might not break out soon in tli<^ sununer. Finding sufficient water alongside an old fioo running from Dealy Island easterly to the main, I dt^termined to cut into it, and make it our resting place for the winter. Both vesseU cut in l/XOyanls; heads to th(< N.N. W. (true), and separaUnl about 1(K) yards; our dii^tance from Dealy Island 940 yards. On the I Ith we were frozen in. On the loth, M'Clintock started with a curt and three days' provi- * saiil THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 85 sions to reconnoitre the route across the land, as vre proposed, if prac- ticable, to search the north west of the island. He returned, and left again in two days with a depdt ; returned again in fourteen. Started again and returned in eighteen days, having deposited at Point Nias, in Hecla and Griper Bay, more than a ton of provisions and stores with a cart. This was a most arduous piece of work, well and cleverly performed, without accident; his people looking better than when they started. Trusting a good deal to Providence, I commenced land- ing deck cargo, boats, and stripping ship and lashing spars for housing. Considering wo wore well fast, and that the ice was strong enough along the coast to bear sledge travelling, I despatched five sledges to the westward, to place there depots for Spring operations, on the morning of the 22nd September, under the following officers, and on the following routes. Lieutenant Mecham, ten man sledge, Mr. Narcs, Mate, six man sledge, auxiliary. — South-west Melville ; to cross the land at Winter Harbour. Lieutenant Pim, seven man sledge. — To place depot at Capo Dundaa for search of west Banks Land. Lieutenant Hamilton, seven man sledge. — To place dep6t at Point Hay, for search of east Banks Land. M. DeBray, (Ensign do Vaissoau,) seven man sledge, auxiliary. — To Litmtenants Pirn and Hamilton. With considerable labour in crossing the land, Lieutenant Mecham placed his depot at Point Hoppner ; bringing back his party all well after an absence of twenty-flvo days. Lieutenant Pim placed his at Capo Providence, not being able to get farther west, the shore bein^^j clear of ice. liieutonant Hamilton placed liis at Cape Hay. His slodge broko in, and was only saved by tlie activity of his crew ; a narrow escape from a very Horious accident. All his bedding and clothing got wet and wore, of course, frozen as hard as steel. Yet still his cn^w nobly pre- ferred proceeding to returning leaving their work unfinished ; all came back with a few slight nips. Lieuttmant Mecham, on liia return through Winfci* Harboiu", viHif«(l the sandstone, and found on it a record left by Captain M'Clure in May, 1852, w..li a chart of his discoveries. I think you will rea, I was aiuioyed at not finding this record myself when at Winter Harbour. Not that I (umld have duni^ anything. The strait was too niut^h broken u[> to attempt to eoniniunieat'<« with stedg<^s ; no boat navigation prac- ticable at that season, on account of young ice ; and not open <>nougti for ships. It is beautiful to see how exactly M'Cture has completed all that was l(>ft by Austin and Ua«s and how exactly their work joins. Osborne and Mr. Winnyat both commenced their return on tho same day, and only soparatetl about twenty niilcM. M'Clure has actually dmove red the NortU-iyest PasHayv Somt- 06 TH1% NOKl II- WEST TASSAOK. thing in the annals of our country ; achieved by the industrious perse- verance of one of her own officers, who I hiope will bo considered worthy, and receive marks of high distinction. You should write this circuni. stance in red letter in your record. To this expedition is still left a fine field. I hope we may be able to make our efforts too worthy of a red letter record. This concludes our summer and autumn campaign. Wg commenced our winter by losing suddenly on the 20th October Thomas Mobley, a marine, a most excellent man ; his complaint, disease of the heart. 10th November. In coming from Intrepid, my attention was ar- rested by a noise like the rushing of strong winds in squalls, which continued all night and part of next day ; the wind moderate at S.W., with thick weather. On clearing up, we were astounded to find that the noise was occasioned by the crushing of tlie ice a short half mile astern of us. When the old floe came in contact with the young floe (not more than a foot thick) it broke it in pieces of three feet square, and raised them in a wall of fifteen to twenty feet. The nip extended etist and west about two miles. From the summit of Doaly Island, it put me in mind of some of the very much enclosed parts of Ireland,* minus the emerald green. We now (iOth November) completed our housing in. Put snow nine inches thick on the decks, and macadamized it with a mixture of snow, gravel, and water ; which matle a sohd rough coating all over. With blocks of snow, we built a wall round the ship, four feet from lier side, which was filled in with snow as high as her decks. Our school was organized under the Master and Purser. Our first theatrical performance took place on 23rd November. I never saw anything better done; dresses magnificent. It was an affair of a month's pre[)aration, and a nine days wonder after. On the 12th December, we unfortunately lost, from consumption, a most excellent man belonging to Intrepid, named George Drover. In the early part of the winter wo haed within about eight miles of the ship. A furious northerly gale came on during the night, which detained them in their tents for four days. This was the earliest, and with the lowest temperature that travelling has been attempted in these regions before. I commu- nicated with them on the fourth day ; all well. No accident of conse- quence; a nipped finger, face, or ear the greatest. On the 14th they made another start, assisted as far as Point Hearne by a 10-man sledge. Dogs doing wonders. One man sent back; another went on in his place. The weather continuing beautifully fine and mild ; temperature zero. On Monday, 4th April, we made our grand start, in two divisions. Mecham, with a fair wind, westerly. Conunander M'Clintock, Ha- milton, DeBray, Rocho, and myself, northe ^y, with five sledges and thirty-pine men. Master, purser, boatswain, and carpenter, with five men who could not travel, were left on board Resolute. Master, assistant surgeon, two engineers, and four men who could not travel, were left on board Intrepid. On Sunday I read prayers, and made a short address to the men, which they appeared to understand. I hoped they would leave little for any one to do coming aft^r us, and that they would render the expedition (by their exertions) so remarkable, that every }H.>rson would feel proud in having belonged to it. We will do our best, w»w their response, and they will I am convinced. As there was not niaiiy to cheer us, we cluiered one another and parted. I ac- companied M'(.'lint(>(:k and my depot sledges out for three days and a half, to nmnl tiieni thr(aigii their greatest dilHculties. This brought us to the t«)p of the island, and clear of the heavy dragging ice, and out of ravines. There I left theuj, as they were (ili'iged to encamp in a strong North wind. I reached the ship on the seventh day, having iH'en eonflncd to the tent for two in a heavy gale from North. Tho number of mon we \\w\ tdgcther greatly faeilitated our journey. In Home of the passes out of the ravines 1 was obliged to clap all hands {'.\\i men) on to oiu> sledge. Tliin madt^ tlu^ work light and rapid, but even with this number we had to 1, 2, 1^ haul frequently. 88 THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. I have been a long time at sea, and seen various trying services, but never have seen (for men) such labour, and such misery after. No amount of money is an equivalent. The travelling parties ought to have some honorary and distinctive mark ; the captain of the sledge something better than the others. Men require much more heart and stamina to undertake an extended travelling party than to go into action. The travellers have their enemy chilling them to the very heart, and paralyzing their limbs ; the others the very contrary. I should like to see the travelling men get an Arctic medal. I would gladly give £50 towards it, and I am sure every Arctic officer would be anxious to subscribe, but to be of value it ought to be presented by the authority of Her Majesty.* This concludes my narrative until Domville's return, which I look for anxiously every hour. In the mean time I shall add any remark I may think of. Our provisions are all of the best quality. We by some mistake sailed rather short of preserved meats. It was supposed North Star had them, but no, they went back to Deptford. Game was plentiful in tlio autumn. Musk oxen remain with us all the winter ; one was shot in March. You cannot fancy a man wishing for a good tough beefsteak, but after preserved meats there is a great pleasure in getting between your teeth something to bite. The venison eaters of England ought to come here for it ; nothing can exceed a haunch of a good reindeer buck, tender, and highly flavoured. Hares were shot in winter, and four or five ptarmigan, with full crops and in good condition, a fine cock weighing two pounds and a half. Our winter has been comparatively a very cold one, with a great deal of wind. For several days together we had the thermometer down to — 50, for some hours — 57, and for a considerable time the mer- cury frozen. 1 7th April. Lieutenant Hamilton returned, having left M'Clintock fairly started on the floe to the north-west ; all his party in high spirits. The forty miles over the land takes more out of the men than five times that distance on the floe, particularly if they have preserved meats in lieu of pemmican. With preserved meats they can not do half the work, and fall away to thread papers, whereas with pemmican they can work well, and it keeps their stamina up. 19th April, 1853. This is really a rod letter day in my voyage, and shall be kept as a liolidav by my heirs and successors for ever. At 9 o'clock of tins day our look-out man made the signal for a party coming in from the westward. All went out to meet them and assist them in. A second party was then seen. Doctor Domvillo was the first person I met. I cannot doscribo to you my feelings when ho told mo that Captain M'Clure wa,s amom/at the nvnt party. I was not long in reaching him, and giving him many hearty shakes. No purer were ever given by two men in the world. * Tliu promwiil ofiui Arctic mcdiil in no now idoii, having been repeatedly talkud of, Wu sliuuid Ihi glud tu hcu it utirriud out. Ill I TIIK NOttTlI-WEST PASSAGE. 39 M'CIure looks well, but is very hungry. His description of Pirn's reaching the Harbour of Mercy would have been a fine subject for the pen of Captain Marryatt, wore he alive. M'Clure and his First Lieutenant were walking on the floe. Seeing a person coming very fast towards them, they supposed he was chased by a bear, or had seen a bear. Walked towards him. On getting within a hundred yards they could see from his proportions that he was not one of them. Pirn began to screech and throw up his hands, his face as black as your hat. This brought the captain and lieutenant to a stand, as they could not hear sufficiently to make out his language. He was a considerable way ahead of his sledge — a solitary man, and that man as black as Old Nick. M'Clure says he would have turned and run if he had seen a tail, or a cloven foot. At length Pim reached the party, quite beside himself also. Stammered out, on M*Clure asking him, who are you, and where are you come from ? " Lieutenant Pim — Herald — Captain Kellett." This was more inexplicable to M'Clure, as I was the last person he shook hands with in Behring Strait. He at length found that the solitary stranger was a true Englishman ; an angel of light he says. He soon was seen from the ship. They had only one hatchway open. The crew were fairly jammed there in their endeavour to get up, to see — they did not know what. The sick jumped out of their hammocks, and the crew forgot their despondency ; in fact, all was changed on board Investigator. One man had unfortu- nately died, by accidentally poisoning himself, the morning of Pirn's reaching here. On the 15th of April M'CUu'e had thirty men and three officers fully prepared to leave for the depot at Point S[)encer. What a disappointment it, would have been to them to find the miser- able Mary yacht and four or five casks of provisions, instead of a fine largo depot. Another party of seven were to have gone by M'Kenzie, with a request to the Admiralty to send out a ship to meet him at Port Leopold in 1834. The thirty men are on their way over to me now. I shall, if possible, send them on to Beechey Island, with about ten men of my own crew. To be taken homo the first opportunity. The seven remain by the ship. Investigator will now have thirty- five men, officers, and all. I nmst stay here myself another winter, if Investigator does not break out this year. But Intrepid will go, please God, direct to England, with half Investigator* s crew, and the portion of mine sent to Beechey Island. She nmst bo sent back to me again in 1854, with a transport fViU of provisions. Solids, preserved meats, vegetables, pemmican, (a large qtiantiti/f some tons, ten at leasl,J blankets, mits, wigs, mocassins, 8(c. Intrepid, with M'Clintock her captain. The Lady Franklin and Sof. \ia,* filled with grub and fuel. I feel satisfied with a Uttle assist- ance from a large steamer (Desperate) beyon