The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-06-03 00:00:00

THE "PANDORA."

Exactly a year ago last S s-turclay—the anniversary
of the Q reen's hirthda's (the 27th rewarke The Times)
the Discovery, and comthaudEd by Captsiu Na,res,
—the Arctas Egpedition. of the Ale t and
sailed frour Portsmouth ; aud this year the same day
was fitf d upon by Captain Allan Young for thee-ailing
of the Pandora with letters and papers for the officers
and crews of the Arctic ships. At a quarter to one,
Admiral Sir Leopold M'Clintock, with whom Captain
Allan Young served in the Fox, having bade farewell
to his formur shipmate, the steamer parted from her
moorings and proceeded into the Solent, with the inten-
tion, however, of ren.aining at Cowes until Monday
morning before setting out on her arduous voyage.
Her departure excited little attention, as most people
were watching the evolutions of the troops on
the Queen's birthday. In passing the Valorous,
however, which was anchored at Spithead. and
which, it, may be remembered, accompanied the Arctic
Expedition as a store-ship as far as Disco, the ufficers
and crew cave her a cordial greeting. The crew of
the Pandora consists of thirty-two all told, many of
whom were present during her cruise of last year to
Franklin's Straits. The ship is very deeply laden,
having been provisioned for two years, as a timely
precaution against the eventuality of being blocked in
by the pack, and has 132 tons of coal on board, the
whole of which has this time been stored below, in con-
sequence of a commodious ward-room for the officers
and a cabin for the captain having been constructed on
the upper deck. In addition to the now famous handle
organ which was presented by the late Prince Consort
to Lady Franklin, and which now goes for the fourth
time to the Arctic circle, the ward-room contains a
large musical box, the gift of the Baroness Meyer de
Rothschild, who, in presenting it to Captain Young,
expressed a hope that it might serve to amuse the
sailors during the long and tedious nights of a Polar
voyage.

- - The principal object of the Pandora's present cruise
is to communicate with the Alert and the Discovery at
the entrance of Smith's Sound, up which Captain
Nares hoped to penetrate the mystery of the Pole ;
but Captain Young is anxious that it shall be clearly
understood that it is by no means certain that he will
be able to deposit the mail which he conveys at the
point mentioned, or that, in case he should so succeed,
that he will be able to bring back letters from the Ex-
pedition on his return to England, which will probably,
should all go well, be about the end of October next.
The letters which he carries out will be deposited at
the depots on the chance of Captain Nares or Captain
Stephenson being able to communicate with the entrance
of Smith's Sound, by means of a sledge party, in the
autumn of this year. The uncertainty as to whether the
letters will ever reach their destination has exercised a
considerable effect upon the number of correspondents,
which is smaller than might have been expected. Never-
theless, the post-bag, which is in charge of Mr. Beynen,
of the Royal Dutch Navy, in addition to two or three
heavy sealed parcels of letters and newspapers from
the Admiralty, contains about 1,000 letters and small
packets for the officers and crews. Among the printed
matter sent is a complete series of the contributions to
Good Words, in which Professor Wyville Thompson
gives an account of the scientific results of the Chal-
lenger expedition, of which Captain Nares was the
first commander, and it was a happy circurestance that
the arrival of the Challenger at S pithead on Wednesday
last would exable the Pandora to carry ont to the bleak
and inhospitable North the news of the satisfactory
conclusion of the scientific cruise. But although
the principal purpose of the Pandora's voyage is
to effect a communication with the Alert and Discovery,
Captain Allan Young has doubtless other important
objects in view; but with regard to these he observes the
utmost reticence. It is, however, allowable to suppme,
considering the elaborate character of the preparations
he has made, and the fact that, though the distance to
the entrance of Btllot Strait, which he last year,
reached, is considerably less than to the entrance of
Smith's Sound, to which he is this year bound, the
Pandora has sailed 3 month earlier. We believe it is
generally understood that, after depositing his mail,
the Captain will make another attempt to push his
ship through Feel Straits, or Bellot Straits, and Frank-
lin Channel, and so on into Behring Straits, and thus
be the first to make the North-West Paßsage by sea. As
be hircself has remarked, "The doubtful place is
between Ballot Straits and King William Island,
about 120 miles. If, therefore stoLp3d at eellot Straits,
bothing more can be done; but, once through Franklin
Btraits, the North-West Passage i easy, as the natives
told us that the channel east of King William Island
is always open in summer." Those who have read the
story of the previous cruise of the Pandora, and of how
near she was accomplishing the exploit above men-
tioned, will readi:y agree that with a month's advan-
tage in point of time, Cap.,Rio Young has every reason
to believe in his abitity to perform the voyage between
'sea sea.

and