The Press. — London, England, 1855-12-01 00:00:00

DECEMBER 1, 1855. utter want of taste, and intolerable vanity (both national and individual), would disgust any intelligent reader with verse of a much higher order than we find here. His com position is not like " sweet bells jangled, harsh " and out of tune," but like the senseless bellowing sound of a bassoon when the player has no more skill than to pour his breath into it. Will it be credited that he compares the storms of life to the cleaning of a boot ? Boot ! that trodden under foot, Seekest not to change thy state; Happy art thou, lowly boot I Shining in thy humble state. • • • Even as upon thy form Cast they now a covering black, So the clouds of earthly storm Darken aye the good man's track. Even as the driving brush Rubbeth roughly over thee, So the heavy tempests rush O'er the good man's destiny. We have often marvelled at the want of taste conspicuous in many American works pre tending to an imaginative character, but never met with a more ludicrous exemplifica tion of it. As to the author's tendency towards glorifi cation of whatever is American the extracts given will suffice. Can patriotism be pleaded in excuse for such folly? Allowance must be made for the pride of every people, but such boasting as Mr. Duganne indulges in must be much more attributed to the self-complacency born of ignorance and conceit, than to intelli gent patriotism. Genuine love of country should lead us to close examination of what is defective as well as admirable in our country's disposition and conduct. Continual self laudation is as absurd in a people as in an in dividual: it must flatter error, prevent im provement, and perpetuate folly and vice. Better by far than this wearisome chorus of vanity is the grumbling which will admit nothing to be moderately good, because it might be better. Patriotism, to be worth a rush, must be honest, and the honestest patriots have been invariably those who dis daining sycophantish laudation of their country have aspired to raise it higher by pointing out its faults and correcting its abuses. The Last of the Arctic Voyages. By Captain Sir Edward Reicher. Two Vols. London: Lovell Reeve. THESE volumes are carefully and elaborately produced. The scientific observations are copious and complete, and the notes on natural history are by some of the most eminent professors of our time. The plates illustrate the most striking phenomena and animated incidents of the voyage ; but a few of them might well have been spared in favour of more charts—the most useful illustrations that can possibly accompany voyages of dis covery. Of the matter we must speak with more ::eserve. Sir Edward Belcher is not an agree able narrator. He attaches excessive impor tance to his own opinions and doings, and thinks it necessary to reason minutely upon his instructions and his interpretation of them. Much of his book bears the character more of a defence than a narrative, which may, perhaps, be attributed to the fact that of the five vessels sent out under his command he brought but one back. Reserving the details of this expedition to another opportunity, we confine our immediate remarks to the main object of the expedition —What of Franklin? Not a trace of his ships was found either to the north of Wellington Channel by Captain Belcher, or to the west at Melville Island by Captain Kellett; or by either Collinson or M'Clure, in their extensive explorations from Behring's Strait to the very entrance of Barrow's Strait. At the close of his narrative, Captain Belcher proceeds to analyse the information brought home by Dr. Rae, and comes to the conclusion that as regards the scene of the catastrophe, it was at least two hundred miles removed from the spot stated by the Esquimaux. He supposes that Franklin's ships never went west or north of Wellington Channel; that from Beechey Island they entered Regent's Inlet; were there lost, and that the crews disFersed into three THE PRESS. parties, one gaining Cape Riley, another pro ceeding to I'ond's Bay on the west shore of Baffin's Bay, and another, under Sir John him self, endeavouring to reach a Hudson's Bay post. It would be utter waste of space to examine Captain Belcher's theory. It proceeds upon the wildest conjecture of unfettered fancy. It has not a single fact to support it. All is assumption, and moreover of the most irrational and arbitrary character. On this point he speaks like a man bereft of reason. Probabilities are strongly against the ships having ever entered Regent's Inlet. The bottom of this Inlet (Committee Bay) was thoroughly explored by Dr. Rae, in 1846 and 1847, when he connected his own discoveries with those of the Bosses on oue shore of the gulf, and with those of Parry on the other. No trace of Franklin's ships could he find, nor from any of the Esquimaux could tidings be gained of them. Sir James Ross with his ships wintered at Leopold Island, at the very entrance of the Inlet, in 1848.9, and in the spring of the latter year explored, by travelling parties, the neigh bouring shores, but without finding a trace of Franklin. In 1851, Mr. Kennedy (with Lieutenant Bellot as a volunteer) sailed in the Prism Albert, for Regent's Inlet, wintered at Batty Bay, on the west shore of that gulf, and in the following spring performed the most extensive journey on record—proceeding south till they reached Bellot's Strait, then journeying west till they struck the sea, and returning home by Cape Walker, yet were wholly unsuccessful in the object of their search. Is Captain Belcher ignorant of these facts ? It would seem so by his supposition that in 1846 the ships of Franklin were driven into Regent's Inlet. No part of the Arctic region has been so thoroughly explored as this. Franklin and his crews have unhappily been sacrificed to the weakness and indeci sion of the Admiralty. He has never been sought where he was directed to proceed. That expanse of sea to the south beyond Cape Walker, which he was expressly enjoined to explore, has, by a deplorable fatality, not even yet been properly searched. Franklin has been sought in every direction but the right one. The ignorant clamour in favour of Wel- lington Channel did infinite mischief, by put ting research on a false scent. It was impossible for Franklin to mistake his instructions. In proposing his expedition, the late Sir John Barrow said : A. distance of three hundred leagues on a clear sea, keeping midway between the supposed Banks' Land and the coast of America, would accomplish an object which, at intervals during three hundred years. has engaged the at. tention of crowned heads, men of science, and mercantile bodies. His instructions were decisive : In proceeding to the westward you will not stop to examine any openings either to the northward or south. ward of that strait [Barrow'sl, but continue to push to the westward without loss of time, in the latitude of about 741, till you have reached the longitude of that portion of land on which Cape Welker is situated, or about 98 deg. west. From that point we desire that every effort be used to en• deavour to penetrate to the southward and westward, in a course as direct towards Behring's Strait as the position and extent of the ice, or the existence of land at present unknown, may admit. We direct you to this particular part of the Polar Sea as affording the best prospect of ac complishing the passage to the Pacific. Can any one read attentively the above instruction and doubt what Franklin's course would be? "His first endeavour," said Sir John Richardson, who knew him well, " would " be to act up to the letter of his instructions." Parry, James Ross, and Richardson, when examined before the Commons' Arctic Com mittee, all unhesitatingly expressed their con viction that Franklin, after passing Cape Walker, had penetrated to the south-west. What did Franklin say himself? In Fitz james's journal of June 6, 1845, we read : At dinner to•dq Sir John gave as a pleasant account of his expectations of being able to get through the ice on the coast of America. We make no manner of doubt that he did act up to his instructions; that he found the sea to the south-west of Cape Walker open, and that he penetrated the channel, which there is every reason to suppose is continued between Prince of Wales' Land on one aide, and Prince Albert's Land on the other. Whether his ships were lost in this unknown, and perhaps extremely difficult sea, or whether be remained with them in expectation of help, till driven forth by famine, it would be vain to conjecture. There cau be no doubt that he perished in the endeavour to fulfil the design ho had always entertained to " get through " the ice on the coast of America." If we put together his instructions, his avowed intention, and the place where his party were last seen, " near the north shore of King William's Land, travelling southward over the ice," can it be doubted that they must have come from that unexplored region which lies south-west of the Furthest land yet traced from Cape Walker ? Mr. Kennedy, when he struck this sea, could see no land to the south or west, nor could Lieut. Osborne from his furthest point in Ommaney's expedition, though he says he advanced over the ice fifteen miles to the west. To the opinion that this sea was never navigable, it is impossible to attach credit, considering how different is the aspect of such seas at different times. When the shot es are fast ice -bound, there is often clear water in mid•channel. We feel certain that a well-organised expedi tion from the American shore, having for its ob ject to thoroughly search the tract yet unex plored, would find some traces of Franklin — perhaps his ships—sufficient to clear up the darkness which still shrouds his fate. It is for theihonour of the country that the search should be made. Dr. Rae is the man to conduct it. We cannot conceive any object more worthy the attention of the Geographical Society, or better entitled to the liberal support of the public. It is grievous to reflect that the whole party have most likely been lost, through vigorous and persevering efforts not having been made in due time from Melville Sound on one side, and the American coast on the other. The Poetry of Creation. In Seven Parts. By Nicholas Michell. London : Chapman and Hall. " THE Poetry of Creation" is certainly rather an ambitious title, and we should have thought the sub ject might have presented some difficulties in the way of avoiding plagiarism. On this head, however, we must congratulate Mr. Michell. Ile borrows from no one. Though constantly touching on the same themes as Milton, he wisely treats his subject in so tli&rent a style as to afford no grounds for comparison between his verse and that of the bard of Paradise. This is an evidence of great skill on the author's part, and exhibits to advantage both his judgment and his originality. The work displays considerable power of versifica tion, and many felicitous images are dispersed throughout it. It is the careful production of a man of taste, who if he is not a poet still loves poetry ; and that is a sufficientcl aim to our sympathy, if not to our admiration. My MSS.: A Tale of Olden Islington. By the Author of "Anne Boleyn." London: Hope and Co. How this book came to be published at all, except on account of its oddity, is more than we can conjecture. Of the story we can only say there is none, of the style much the same, and of the inguage that it sets all grammar at defiance. It consists of twenty-nine chapters and 104 pages, with the usual allowance of vowels and conso nants in each. The whole is decidely a literary curiosity; and those who are fond of prodigies in any shape will do well to peruse "My MSS." N armo and Aimata : A Tale of the Jeruits in Tahiti Dublin : Oldham. Tins little story is written with very considerable power and earnestness, but the odium theologicum is rather too prominent for our taste. We have always sympathised with Queen Pomare and her wrongs, and we daresay the Jesuits were the cause of them ; but we scarcely think it wise to rake up the history now, or anything but ludicrous to predict for Eng land the fate of Nineveh because she neglected Tahiti. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. BOOKS. The Adventures of the Caliph Haroun Alrasehid. Hall, Virtue, and Co. Malvern; or, The Three Marriages. Mrs. Flubback. Skeet. Handbook of the Arlo; of the Middle Ages and Rennaimance.l M urray. Faith and Praeliee. Rev. John Penrose, MA. Ditto. Poems of Ten Years, 1848-1866. Mrs. D. Ogilvy. T. ltosvtorth. Principki of Government ; or, Meditations in Exile. W. Smith O'Brien . Puffyq