The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

850 The Eventful Voyage of H.M. Discovery Ship Resolute to the Arctic Regions in Search of Sir John Franklin and the Missing Crews of IL if. Discovery Ships Erebus and Terror, 1852, 1853,1854. To which is added an Account of her being fallen in with by an American Whaler after her;A.bandonment in Barrow Straits, and of her Presentation to Queen Victoria by the Government of the United States. By George F. M`Dougall, Master. London: Longmans. Sum is the somewhat cumbrous titlepage of Mr. G. F. M`Dougall's private journal while on board the Resolute, and which he has now given to the public, accompanied by a state ment, that but for the recent events connected with the restoration of that vessel, his journal would not have emerged from its original seclusion. Possibly this would not have been a source of deep regret to the reading public ; for the staple adventures of the Resolute are by no means more eventful than those of the Prince Albert, Pioneer, Investigator, or any other ship engagel in a voyage of Arctic discovery from the days of Parry to those of Belcher; and Mr. M'Dougall does not possess the literary skill of Sherard Osborn, without which even the discovery of the North-West Passage might have somewhat lost in interest. Moreover, to those who read books on Arctic subjects more for amusement than for any more serious causes, any two voyages are much alike. The ship always strikes against a certain proportion of brash ice—a certain quantity of bay ice is always being formed—a bear is always seen on sotn , 3 flue—auroras and paraselend are always visible—and it's always very cold. These are the facts that compose an Arctic journal, unless the journalist is gifted with the vivacity and observation of Lord Dufferin, and has the advantage of cruising where he likes in the Foam, instead of perforining the onerous and wearisome duties of master of the Resolute. The very circumstances, however, which tend to render Mr. M`Dougall's volume less amusing than such a hook should be for that important individual the General Reader, render it valuable as a scientific record to all whose sympathies are more closely bound up with Arctic adventure. The pre cisi of a ship's lug is traceable through out. The events of the voyage are always related in a careful detail, made graphic by diagrams and more than merely correct illus trations, which are lithographed from the author's sketches, and make ample amends for any deficiencies in literary style. The Resolute formed one of the Arctic squad ron that left Greenhithe on Wednesday, April 21, 1852, under the command of Sir Edward Belcher. We need not trace her voyage north wards, which passed evenly enough, with the accompaniments of some few heavy gales, and of alarms about " washing pieces " of ice that float level with and many feet below the surface of the sea, and thus are not easily dis tingnished on a dark night from the foam crests of the waves ; and many were the terrible " yarns " told by the icemasters of the dangers of those seas. Hero is one, par exemple The Shannon of Hull, when outward bound, fell in with a gale of wind, about 200 miles N.W. of Cape Fare. well. At midnight the ship was under snug sail, but the dark masses of heavy clouds, driving across a wild-lookin ,, sky, cast a dense shadow on the heaving sea, relieved only by the snowy crest of the toppling waves. The watch had just been relieved, when a fearful crash tild the awful tale.—the ship had struck a " washing piece !" the bows of the ill-fated ship were stove in instan ttneonsly, and, horrible to relate, the men of the watch below, who had just lain down, were crushed to death by the ice, whose progress was at length arrested by the foremast. The men on deck rushed to the rigging, but the ship commenced filling; and falling over un her broadside, launched the men on that side of the rigging into eternity. Few only now survived, and they were in momentary ex pectation of the ship sinking ; fortunately she did not, but they remained in this fearful state of suspense for many days, and were obliged to have recourse to sucking their own and each other's blood to sustain life. They were eventually rescued by a Danish vessel, and landed at Elsinore, where my informant then was. Strange to say, the captain of the Danish vessel had for several nights dreamt some dreadful catastrophe had be fallen a ship, in a certain latitude and longitude, and this vision had such an effect on his mind as to induce him to THE PRESS, AUGUST 29, 1857. steer in the direction pointed out, although quite out of his course ; which was usually along the coast, as they were accustomed to call at all the settlements. On the 24th of June the Resolute at last made fast to a floe, on a hich we have a sketch of a vigorous game of cricket, co-existent with leapfrog and foot-ball. Their course for some time consists in cutting docks in the ice, being nipped severely, and careening over, with top masts bending like whalebone, and every bell in the ship ringing at each new jerk, till on the Ist of September, at 3.40 p.m., they sighted Melville Island, at the same hour, on the same day of the week and month, that Sir Edward Parry had first seen it thirty-three years before. Shortly after, while they were making prepara• tions for wintering off Dealy Island, Lieute nant Mecham returned with a travelling party, having found on the sandstone boulder in Winter Harbour which Parry had inscribed with his name a journal left by Captain M . Clure commemorating the discovery of the North-West Passage. Their discovery of the Investigator, which had to he abandoned, and their abandonment of their own vessel, much against their own will, at the command of Sir Edward Belcher, compose the other events of the eventful voyage. With respect to Mr. M'Dougall's opinion as to the probability of any of Franklin's crew being alive, he says that he has " reluctantly come to the conclu " sion that no body of men could withstand " the rigour and privations attending so pro " tracted a stay amidst the dark and dreary " solitudes of the frigid zone, under the same " circumstances in which Sir John and the " officers and crews of the missing ships have " in all probability been placed." But though the voyage was dull in the first instance, their time did not pass without adven tures with bears, theatrical experiments, and all those kindred experiences that add life to the dry bones of an Arctic voyage. We have here an anecdote garnished with a telling illustra tion under the head of " Pursuit of Science under Difficulties ": Sunday 23rd, at one a.m., the quartermaster went outside on the floe, to register the thermometers, which were kept in a box secured to a table. In the act of reading off, his attention was attracted by a slight noise, and his surprise may be imagined when, on loukin roun.l, he observed a bear within five yards of him. His situation, to say the least of it. was not an enviable one, for one spring of the brute would have put an end to his registering thermome• tars for ever. Fortunately, however, the quartermaster ( Silvy) bad sufficient presence of mind to throw the strong light of the lantere full on the face of the animal ; it answered the purpose effectually, for Bruin (startled by such an unusual aurora) beat a hasty retreat; the alarm was immediately given, and two officers went in pursuit, and traced him to the mass of hummocks astern, where they lost the trail. Here is a ludicrous adventure, reminding us of the thief outstripping his pursuers, and hallooing " Stop thief !" in order to divert attention from himself:— With respect to the " lost man," as he has since been termed, it appears he left the Intrepid. with the intention of crossing to the Resolute. On reaching the first post, however, he lost sight of the Intrepid, though within fifty yards of her. Afraid of advancing or returning, he adopted the best, though somewhat laughable, expedient of calling out at the top of his voice, " A man lost ! a man lost !" lie was fortunately heard, and soon discovered crouching for shelter under a snow pillar. The circumstance, as might have been anticipated, gave rise to much pleasantry, and the soubriquet of the " lost man " was affixed to him by his shipmates. The account of the rescue of the Investigator's crew, though it has been almost as fully told in Commander Osborn's volume as it is here, bears repetition. To such a strait of provi sions had Captain M'Clure and his gallant fellows been reduced, that the prospect of two ounces and a half of oatmeal for breakfast next morning, as a reward for bringing home the carcase of a slain deer, caused an officer to pass a restless night. We believe this anec dote has not been given before : I now turn to a more pleasing anecdote, illustrating as it does the never•failing mercy of the Almighty. I have before observed in this Journal, that during the night previous to the arrival of Lieut. Pim in the Pay of Mercy, the first death occurred on board the Investigator since leaving England in January, 1850. The effect was such as might have been anticipated on the minis of men, already depressed by hunger and de spair; causes which were visibly affecting both mind and body. Captain M'Clure, therefore, with a view of re assuring the men and sustaining their drooping spirits, called "all hands" on the quarterdeck, and in a brief speech,—in which he adverted to the death of their ship mate,—implored them to be true to themselves and to the service to which they belonged ; not to despair, but lollc forward to the future with a firm determination to over come the difficulties of their present situation, and bear the vicissitudes which must befall them with all the fortitude of British s!anien. In conclusion, he reminded them they were as much under the providence of a merciful God, there as else• where; thus inculcating the same principles as did Sir Humphrey Gilbert, who (in the words of the inspired Longfellow) is made to say to his frightened mariners, Do not fear! Heaven is as near By water as by land. Captain M`Clure wound up his harangue by pointing to a cloud edged with a bright light, and assuring his attentive listeners that not that only, but every cloud had its silver lining; and added he, " it is my firtll conviction that the cloud of adversi'y under which we now are will not move an exception to the rule !" That very day the exploring party from the Resolute reached them. - - - - The following morning, the captain again sent for the crew, and pointing out the manifest workings of an all. seeing God, as displayed in their behalf, he concluded by saying—" I was therefore right, my men, when I stated that every cloud had its silver lining—the arrival of the little band from the Resolute is ours; and let me implore you my lads to remember, on your return to yoar families and homes, that there are churches in England as well as public•houses. The great question whether Sir Edward Belcher was justified or not in his unprece dented desertion of his squadron, is discreetly avoided by Mr M•Dougall ; although. from the prominence with which the bald sentence of the court-martial—that Sir Edward Belcher " be acquitted "—is noted, in the face of the complimentary terms in which Admiral Gordon was pleased to express himself when returning the sword of Captain Kellett, sufficiently shows that the master of the Resolute enjoyed with his captain perfect confidence as to the result of another winter or two in the old ship. But if the abandonment of the ship was without precedent, her recovery was not less remarkably.. The Resolute was abandoned in latitude 74 deg. 41 m. N. in May, 1854, and on the 10th September, 1855, the master of the American whaler George Henry, Captain Bud , dington, then in lat. 67 deg. N.. sighted her in the distance bearing N.E. about twenty miles from Cape Mercy : He ascended the rigging of his craft, and, looking at the strange ship through the glass, pronounced her, from her ap• pearanee, to be an abandoned vessel. The head of the stranger appeared to be dui east, and during the whole of that day and the one following the course of the ship did not vary more than a point or so from the east. "We kept gradu• ally nearing one another," as Captain Buildington says, " although I could not exactly say what caused the thing to come about, except, perhaps, the ship may hove been struck by a counter current from Davis Straits, and driven towards us in that manner. For five days we were in sight of one another, and continued to drift towards each other." Ou the sixth (lily after making the discovery, and when the shin was about seven miles off, Captain Bu ldington ordered the two mates and two of the crew to proceed to the abandoned vessel across the packed ice, and, after inspect ing her, to return to the barque as soon as practicable. Soon after the departure of the party a south-easter sprung up, and in consequence thereof no communication was had with those on board the ship for two days. As soon as the wind subsided, and it was safe for the party to retrace their steps, they left the shin, and after a tedious and hard march arrived on board the barque in safety. They immediately represented the facts to Captain Bud dington, saving that the abandoned vessel was her Britannic Majesty's ship Resolute. The ship of course was in a deplorable plight, and it took some days before she could be re fitted to any extent. Captain Buddington, without a chart or a chronometer, and with an inaccurate compass, then, taking eleven of his o..vn crew, embarked on board, and pre pared to bring home his prize : From the time that Captain Bullington took charge of the Resolute up to the 16th of October, she continued to drive in a S.W. direction with the pack of ice, when she sncceeded in getting clear. Wishing to be in company as long as possible with the barque, Captain Buddington waited on the outside of the floe for throe or four days, with the hope of meeting her, but the vessels missed one another, and did not meet again during the remainder of the eventful voyage. While here waiting for the George Henry, the British barque, Alibi, hove in sight, and on being signalled, came alongside the Resolute. The news of the recovery of the Resolute was communicated to Captain Stuart, of the British barque, and a pair of Captain Kellett's epaulettes, found on board the abandoned vessel, were intrusted to him by Captain Millington, with instructions to have them forwarded to the owner as speedily as possible. They were sent by Captain Stuart to Mr. Barrow, who forwarded them to Commodore Kellett in the West Indies, and were duly received by him in perfect order for attending a drawing room if required, not being soiled in the slightest degree. A letter for the owners of the George Henry, in forming them of what had occurred, was also placed in the hands of Captain Stuart, who promised to mail it home•