Star. — London, England, 1819-01-12 00:00:00

NORTH IfTST PASSAGE. NARRATIVR fIE 1711! LATE EIPTAHIIIOII, malt CAFTAN! lOU AND LIE( lENANI EARS'S, IN THE ISASELLA AND ALLIANDIA, TOIL TUX DISCOVERS' O. A NORTU-WILVE MASAO& BY AM OFFICIR OF III! ALEXANDER. 4. My DEAR Slit—You were pleased to say, en :r departure from England, that nothing would oratif, yoa more, than to learn from me,'as oppor t..:::':.ie; might occur, the progress we made in our rage 'if discovery. On the strength of this.fiatter ili.erc.-ar tge:nent I wrote to you a long letter to sea:ds Inc r. t.: of July, just as the last whalers were &boat to take their departure for England, which I find came safely to your hands. At that time our hopes and spirits got the better of all doubts and fears; for though we were then beset on every side with ice, yet we had seen enough, and learned enough, • both from the Danes below, and all the masters of ' the whalers around us, to be assured, that the ice was rapidly disappearing, partly from the heat of the son, but mostly I believe from the constant friction of one flier or mass against another, and from the ac tion of the salt water upon them. I believe I told you also of the fineness of the climate, and that we had once, on the top of an ice-berg, the temperature by raltrenheit's thermOteeter at more than SO deorees. when exposed to the sm., and that the effect of his powerful rays was not only felt, but very visible in the streams of water which pcitred down the sides of all these stupendous masses, like so many mountain cascades. It is nut, however, the sun's rays that chiefly contribute to destroy the ice—they are of too rare occUrrenee to produce any such permanent effect; for the torrents continue to fall, and the field-ice to dissolve, apparently just as much in the ordinary weather of the Arctic regions, which, generally speaking, is mild, hut foggy, and the atmosphere mostly loaded witli clouds, or some kind of vapour, as when the sun shines forth in all its glory ;—when I say mild, I mean that there is little or no wind, and that Fahrenheit's thermometer ranges from 32 de grees to 40 degrees in the shade; once, and I believe but once, it was down to 21. degrees, but very often above 40 degrees. lam now speaking of the month of August, and I may add that September brought with it no diminution of temperature,—it is true we were then ranging down the western coast of Baffin's Bay to the southward ; but we have learnt from ex perience, that in these regir as one does not increase the cold by increasing the latitude, as I shall now Foceed to shew you more fully. I must ' •.-e:nise, however, that I am writing to you without book. Our Commodore took possession of all the logs, jourti,ls, remark-books, and charts, and carried them off ss ith him from the Humber to the Admiralty, so that all our opinions and specula tions on what we irate done, and what we have left undone, are at head-tpwrters ;—I mention this in order to claim indulgence for any lack of precision in dates and numbers; but the main facts of the voyage are too strongly imprinted on my mind to need 3::y written monitor. t , About the 9 . . h of August we got so far up the coasoot Greenland as to recognise the Cape Dudley Digges of Baffin, but still hampered with the ice. When near this Cape, we very unexpectedly observed something like human beings moving towards us on the ice, which separated us from the shore about seven or eight miles. On a nearer approach we per ceived that they were actually men, sitting on low sledges; driven by five or six doge in each. When within a mile or less of the ships, they stopped short, hut hallooed and shouted at a great rate. Just at this time some sign ils were making between the ships, which probably alarmed them, for they suddenly wheeled round, and set off again towards the shore in full gallop, at a speed which we supposed to be at least equal to that of our mail-coaches; of course we 60011 lost sight of them behind the hummocks of ice, Every body regretted their sudden disappearance; and in order, if possible, to bring them back, and to explain our friendly intentions, Captain Ross caused a white flag to be hoisted on a hillock of ice, on which was painted a hand holding a green branch of a tree—a colour by the way, and an object not very common in this part oldie world; there were also left on the ice some presents placed on a stool, and an Esquimaux dog with beads about his neck ; every thing, however, remained untouched on our return from an attempt' to push to the northward through the ice, and the poor dog was lying down on the very spot where we left him. On the third day the natives were again observed at a distance, coming towards us, they now approached within a few hundred yards of the ship before they stopped, but perceiving that they had no inclination to come nearer, Jack Saccheus, the Es quimaux whom you saw with his canoe on the Thames, volunteered to go out to them. It required no small degree of courage to undertake this enter prize, as the southern LsTiimatix are firmly per suaded• that there is a race oF giants dwelling in the mountains to the northward, who are exceedingly ferocious, and great cannibals, and Jack of course believed this story of his countrymen. It happened, however, fortunately perhaps for all parties, that, at the place where they hatted, the ice had separated, leaving a canal a few feet in width. They immedi ately began to talk and bawl in a language which Jack at first did not understand, but by a little at tention he discovered that the language they made use of was that of the southern Esquimaux, some• what different in the pronunciation, as well as in many of the words themselves, but he soon found that he could make out their meaning. The ques tions they put to him, with great eagerness, were to Oze following purpose :—Who are ye ?—What are ) e? —Where do you come from ?—Are you come from the moon?--What are those two great birds?— Jack told them in re ; ,ly, that Le was a man like them ; that he had a father and mother: that he was made of flesh and bones, and that he wore clothes ; that the great thin g s which they called birds were louses to live in. On hearing this, they all called oit, No, no, we saw them Hap their wings, and they were sure that they were Angckuk, or evil spirits, come to dertrcy them, at the same time one of them pulled from his brzx a sort of rude knife, which he held out in a threatening posture, and said he would kill him. Jack threw tncnt a shirt across the canal, that they might be convinced he carried about with him substantial matters, and rEAt such as spirits could carry ; they asked him what skin it was made of? Thus, by del.,recs, they coavirscd togcsher ; when Jack aal thing that pleased theta. b: contiraect) THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 181 g. THE FUNDS. PRICE Of STOCKS THIS DAT AT TWELVE O . CLCCK Reduced 78it —3 per Cent. Cons. 77bi cx. div. Cons. for Account, 794-91) ?er Cent. 871 4 :er Cent. 9.5i-5 per Ct. Navy.lo6 to6i ex. div. India Bonds 84 pre.—Omnium 41 pre. Exchequer Bills (2d.) 19 20 pre. The accounts brought from Java by the Kingston are highly interesting, and will be read with interest by every one qualified to form any correct ideas re specting the value of the trade in the Eastern Archi pelago. The Governor of Fort Marlborough, Sir THOMAS STA NI eon D RAFFLES, of whose energy and enterpris ing character too high an opinion cannot be enter tained, has been exerting himself greatly to counter act the rapacious and lawless proceedings of the Dutch ; who have been using every artifice, not merely to undermine the British interests in those Seas, but to shut us out entirely from all commerce with that quarter—though they themselves owe to British generosity alone (perhaps we should say Bri tish folly) the power of sheaving their face in that quarter. Since his arrival in Sumatra, the Governor has 4 been strenuously endeavouring to extend the British influence over the whole of that valuable and eaten- I sive island. Weiately apprised our Readers of the I encroachments and aggressions of Dutch commercial speculators in that interesting quarter of the globe, but we confidently anticipate that the measures I which he has taken as Political Agent for the Archi pelago, to check the progress of Dutch domination until orders shall have been sent out from Europe, will prove efficient. Sumatra has hitherto been very little known. The European establishments are entirely on the coast— Europeans had never penetrated into the interior— and, judging from the ruinous establishments main tained by England, the Island itself was considered of but little value. Nothing could exceed the apathy, indifference, and ignorance, which prevailed among Europeans respecting the Island generally. AU attempt: to penetrate into the interior were reckoned desperate ; no European would embark in them.— The population of the interior were considered as savages, and the mountains impassable, and yet the natives would still bring down their gold and cassia, and camphor, &c. for which Sumatra had, from the earliest ages, been famous. The Governor felt there was but one alterlative, and that was, to open the road by going himself. His enterprise was crowned with success. He penetrated into the interior in three different directions—to the southward inland of lklauna, to the important Provinces occupied by a people called the Passummahs—to the northward to Menangcabon, the far-famed capital of the Malay Empire—and inland of 11:ncoolen, across the Island to Palembang. The result has been the discovery of a mine of wealth—a country highly cultivated, and abounding in precious metals. The Passummahs are an athletic fine race of men, as superior to the people on the coast as it is possible to conceive : they are agricul tural and numerous. At Menangcabon he was gra ' tified with a population and country fully equal to any part of Java. Within the space of twenty miles ithe population does not fall short of a million. In ishort, it is the Governor's opinion, that, with a little encouragement, far greater resources are to be found in Sumatra than the British could have derived from 1 Java. But much remains to be done. A Central Go vernment must be established; the whole Island must be brought under controul ; and the avenues of com merce, now closed up, re-opened. Some of our Readers are aware, that Menangcabon was the place whence all the gold that gave Malano the name of the Golden Chersonsus was carried, and that in opening a trade with that country we shall find a great vend for our manufactures, and in re turn receive what we most want—money ; which, under existing circumstances, will be more profitable than colonial produce. These discoveries have not, however, been made without great personal risk and fatigue. The coun try could only be explored on foot—mountains 6.000 feet high were to be crossed, and rocks, precipices, and forests, to be traversed. For many nights the patty had no shelter but the leaves they could col lect after their day's journey, and their journies were seldom less than from twenty to thirty miles a day over the very worst roads that ever were passed. In this expedition the Governor was accompanied by Lady RAFFLES. She was occasionally carried or. a man's back, but generally walked, as the roads were too bad to admit of her being carried in a chair, Doctor ARNOLD, Physician and Naturalist, fell a sa crifice to the fatigue, and died of a violent fever. Dr, Hottsrlato, who accompanied the Governor to Me nangcabon, was, on the 12th of August, the date of our last intelligence from Fort Marlborough, dart, gerously ill, with a dysentery, but we hope his life will be spared to bring home the important collec tions he'has made, both in Java and Sumatra. As this was the first ippeaxance of the European authority the utterly, Lady RATZLIS was the most peaceable standard the pasty could host. It was impossible for the natives to consider their object warlike, when the Governor proceeded unarmed, and confided his wife to their hospitality. They found the country beautiful and Magnificent. Sir TDOMAR STAMFORD RAFFLES has thrown the trade open, and reformed all the Establishments. Treaties have been now entered into with tie! Princes of Menangcabott, and it only remains for the British Government to uphold and maintain the system he has commenced. As might be expected from the intelligence already given in this Paper, he is at issue with the Dutch in many essential points; but the question has at last been brought to such a crisis, that unless the Autho titles in Europe immediately interfere, we can never think of holding up our head again. The British 'character has been insulted and degraded in the grossest terms, and the Governor has personally pro tested against the pretensions and principles on which the Dutch act. It would seem that they look upon him to be fully as dangerous in those seas, as NAPocr.oN would be in Europe—they would proscribe him, and confine him to another St. Helena, if they dared. If Ministers Would but turn their attention to the value of these Islands, they would see the import lance to Great Britain of the struggle he is making. livery one must know under what circumstances the Dutch obtained the Convention of 1811., in contemplation of an union between the Houses of llanover and Orange. Had they not been too greedy, that Convention might still have stood un modified ; but by grasping at too much, we hope they will now receive a complete check. By that Convention it is stated, all Colonies in Asia, in pos,es sion of the Dutch on the Ist of January, 1803, are to revert. Not satisfied with this, they claim all they ever had in those seas, although many of them have not had the Dutch flag flying fine the last fifty years. Is it not time they were checked ? Their system is, in the first instance, to send a large force to overawe and intimidate the natives, and having once got thei to sign a deed, then studiously to prevent the English from ever after having communization with the port. It was merely owing to his position in Sumatra that Governor RAFFLES has been enabled to know what they we:c doing in Palembang ; the possibility of his crossing the island over the mountains had never oc curred. It may be fairly presumed that their conduct has been equally disgraceful at Banju Ma sin.—Thei r object is to obtain a despotic authority over all the Archipelago, and to exclude the English from all trade at the independent ports ; and in order to effect this object, they in the first instance sacrifice ever y unfortunate Prince who was acknoss ledged by, and attached to the English. The discoveries made by Governor RAFFLES 1:i his expedition into the interior, in a iiii:leralogical and botanical vlew, are nut less interesting than•in political one. Charleston Papers to the 7th ult. arrived this morn ing. They state the receipt or information from Detroit, that the Hercules, Captain etturteit, had been wrecked in a storm on Lake Michigan, near Chicaquo, and that every person on board perished. Two Officers of the American Army were among the passenget c. By the brig Byron, from Trinidad, and a: rived at Cork, we have received letters, hut they are not so late as those we had previously published to I`lth November from the same quarter. We have never thele;s made the following illustrative extracts : " You will probably have heard before this reaches you, that some officers who propagates! so many false reports respecting Admiral Brion, in t►is Island, have shewn their real character, by piratically cutting out and running away with the brig Colum bia, one of his squadron. from Grenada. She was just hauled nut of the carenage; and being under the protection of a Bri tish Port, was left with only four men on board to take care of her, most of the British sailors having been induced to desert. Thomas was the ringleader in all the calumny, as well as in the piracy. It is not known here where they have gone to, nor have any accounts, to be depended on, reached us respecting Admiral Brion since. Ile sailed for St. Bartholomew's and Margarita, and it is said, which is probable, that he had arrived at the lat ter, where the brig Intogen, with Don Palace and Mr. H. and his family bad preciously gut safe. In the mean time, Commo dore Solis, with his vessels and the decheras of Margarita, have cleared the coast as far as La Guayra, and taken in six weeks twenty-three prizes : so that Margarita svas 'juice in a bustle: with their good fortune. " My last letter from Angostura is dated the sth ultimo. General Bolivar was then going to set out for the Army; he had appointed a Consefu de Gubiersle for foreign relations dining his absence. This is composed of the General of Division Urdaneta ; the Director-General Don Roscio, and the Intendant Penalver. Writs were also to be issued for a.sseinbiing a general Congress of the Proviaces ; and it was hoped it would be installed in Caraccas. fa case of delay In occupying that city, they were ta meet at Guayana, or rather Angostura. We have arrivals from Guayana within these two days, but they bring nothing of any importance, except fine fat cattle In abundance, which we are not likely to want, while Guiria is in the hands of the Patriots, and the Gulf thereby secure. Colonel Wilson arrived in one of these vessels. He was, I understand, condemned to some years ptesidio, by sentence of a Court Martial, but they let him escape . . " General Marino has moved from Matur n upon Cumana ; his army, consisting of 2,000 men, marched on the lOili ult. and General Bermudez, with a detachment of about 100 Men, pro . ceeded, with the gun-boats under Dias, to join him at the Port of Esmeralda, and alarm Rio Caribes and Carupano previously, itnd divert the enemy's forces in that quarter. In a landing at Rio Caribes, he had a smart skirmish, lost three men, and the enemy being reinforced with 200 inen from Carupano. he re embarked. We have not learned his subsequent motions ; but I understand Marino would dislodge them from Rio Caribes and Carupano, previous to attackinz the capital of Cumana by sea aad land." TRIVELLFAS AP DEPL:.%. EXTII 1C f FROM A PRIVATE LETTEtt " Liciu.Lsr 13=0e -hill 19, "The Dowager Empress of Russia, who ca , in 1775 to meet her husband, the Grand Duke (afterwards Emperor of Russia and successor mother, Catharine,) to whom she teas betrothe, : honoured us with a visit, Her Majesty arri v . Potsdam or. the 23d instant, where she was r, 'by the King and the whole Cour:. The g, Paraded, and a Play was performed at the P, Theatre. On the 24th she made her entry it lin, where she arrived at a quarter-past three, whole ganisori was under arms, and a file of extending from the lintndcnburgh-gate to the performed the mi:itary honours. The King, rated with the Russian Orders, rode before th. carriage in which the Empress was sitting. Empress bowed most graciously while she w. ing down the Linden. By her side sate the Duchess of ‘Veimar, her daughter, and oppl her the Princess William, consort to Prince M brother to the K . ing. In the evening a gre. t i people of rank, two of the Secretaries of the A( of Science, the first Counsellors of the sever; partments, Scc. were introduced to her. Being mas Eve, and the birth-day of the Emperor der, the Empress's son, the feast received an tional enhancement from these circumstances. the evening the whole town was illuminated , while the healths the Emperor and the Dow, Einpres Were drank, Itor.l salutes were fired. On the tOlicus iag thy the Empress scent' the kwtisenstiOtoi,!i, or, Asylum for' 'Young , where they we broty . ht np and instructed in acquirements net.essat y to tLem—such as dra) music, Ezc. an Institution which derives its from our late Queen. Ilcr Majesty neat prnct the Lying-in Hospital, which has late:y been blished, under the superintendence of the eel Professor of Midwit,:ry. Siebold, of \V al with which the Empress • 'was uncommon, pleased, so much so, that *she 'has ordered M. de Siebold's wv-invented instruments to copies 01 fur the Lyiag-in Hoipitalat St. Petenbul " On the fulluw:ng day, (the 25th,) the Ei went to Chatiottenhu•:g. to see the tomb of Queen, where she descended the vault to see fin, and remained some time there. From thi went back to town to pay a visit to the tarn wbich had been left unaltered, and ni the same saloons, a of china and of iron , had been displayed. Ilete she received a 41' a Member of the Academy of _kits, which w vered to her by the Minister. Altenstein, a; graciously received. lier Majesty nest went Charity llospitAl, Nst ere she staid for an hour, aft.•rwards returned !o town. ‘. 4itter. diaper, (at hie ticlock,l she rep; Prince It adzivil's Pa'act, %There the Singing A, had the honour to perform several musical before her, which were introduced by a full performing " Con save the king," ad.Ntiar4 having been adapted to the original music. Prince Iladzivirs Palace she repaired to the where she was received by the whole Coin. as the Empress entered, she was welcome, nourish of trumpets, and greeted by au over-ci :louse with reiterated acclamations. A national composed by the famous M. S i ontine of (whose compositions arc great favourites w' King,) was sung by Mrs. Milder-IlanptenaT famous singer ; and a kind of musical, cn lancing introduction was performed, prepara the great Tragedy, by Schiller, of the Maid leans, which was performed with the utmost and splendour, the Empress having desired a Play of Schiller's, and not an Opera or a 13; a great many illustrious personages do. the acts she spoke both to the King and to ti cesses. Old Blucher, the great favourite of tion,, vas also.introduced to her Majesty. V came over to her side, she rose for a momenl suppo4c, said a great many handsome things as I saw the old General continually boss scraping. The Play concluded at half-past the Empress left Betlin on the next day at nine " Professor Siebold received from her a ring; and she is said to have left 8000 ducat distributed. Oa her departure a Royal sal' fired, and the Cavalry of the garrison escot out oithe city. The Royal Family accompani to Fredericksfield, a village about ten Engli from Berlin, and the Grand Duke and DUI Weimar went with her to i Sluncheberg, farther, where the Empress dined, and at; continued her journey to St. Petersburgh. " The King himself conducted 11::.r ever: She was expected to view the Royal Library Collections at the University, where, howev" did not make her appearance. The Duke berlaad, who, though he was not at the EA: count of the mourning, waited upol the after the performance, and left towa yesti Strelitz. The Grand Duke and Duchess of will most probably make a stay of some da: Yesterday, at three o'clock, another Cabinet cil was held at Lord CASTLER.!:AGII'S hour' James's-sqiiare, in consequence of the Nolylel' continued indisposition. The Council ~ : at ti five o'clock. The deliberation of the Cabinet dcfstood to be on the subject of arrani: .tent: mectir.:; of Parliament. ;„it.:111 se P tilt C' rrive,... etc :Lct:l7• ; garri•- Eitie ;ad lent, ee. •rlsats 'l!,r f ern.. : -lace tg• 1":4 I Ts vas clri•:. Agee e Grar..; :ache posit! It !at ntrq Leadenly ); oral De. Liu! an ad,!"... res. : 1 :ed ; and Dowag^: ed. broi It to r:;: alt Lot g on I a ail er.e Ito; drawing, rao its narrk cee:lcd. tr, esta. elebrated 171 urzburg, rne nip• well ere sorest et bn be made El msburgl: an Empress At 7 our late foi e the eel- ience Exhibi• fa There, b rcn-ware plonsa :s bl was sleli• $ and mat nit to e.e OW, aai iM paired to kFade:ny al pieces it chor L:s ltt: Nerds ism le (Opera. l As scan • , ed by a • nal song, . If Paris, with the .111:1, OUT 1 :)r rather ratory to 'd of Or- st pomp d to see Ballet, as Between the P.:a- the na- When ha st, and I :s to him, sing ten, aad o'ck , :k. diamond !ars to be alute.was orteei bet lanied her lish Miles )uchess cf 25 miles fterwar_l, rw y and •72 -ever, s'. - e of Cum- ty, On se• Empress terday for Weimar Lys." ;net Cow- Ise, in St. Viscount's till abet t was 1:71.• tar • . • • • Oft I ! I