The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-15 00:00:00

1 sin sorry to add, that in endeavouring to de this, while
approaching too close to the shore, in the search fur whales,
this vessel struck, and was totally lost on a reef off the
smith-east side of St. Lawrence Island, • few days after-
wards. The Ajas had fallen in with her Majesty's ship
Enterprise', on the let of June, in lon. 176 V., at the edge
of the ice, which at this period appears to have extended
aeries from Cape Thaddeus (Asiatic coast) to Cape Rott-
man:off on the American cout.
On the 19th we sighted the ice, and found cruising of the
edge of it several whale-ships awaiting for en opening to
proceed northwards. We were detained off the N.W. point
of St. Lawrence Island till the 24th, when, having anchored
with the stream near it, we were closely beset with the
ice, which extended in every direction as far as the eye
could reach, and left us no alternative but to remain at
anchor to avoid being drifted near the shore. On the 27th,
the northern shore of the island being partially cleared of
ice, and the ice free, we weighed, and stood to the east-
ward, in the hope of finding a clear passage in that direc-
tion. We succeeded, however, in getting but a few miles,
and from this period till the 9th July we were almost con-
stantly bast with ice, the only clear water being occasion-
ally 131011 C in to the shore, where we were forced to remain at
anchor, sustaining a heavy pressure of ice against the bows
front the strength of the tide, which made the ship drive;
and it was generally found better to weigh ou these occa-
sions, and, having no ice anchors to secure the ship with
warps and the beau' anchors to ;he largest floes of ice, and
in this manner we gained some miles to the eastward. On
one occasion we made sail, and strove the ship through the
ice into clear water; but the thumps and shakes she re-
ceived were so great, that I should not have attempted it
again but as • last resource.
On the sth, whilst at anchor, the weather being very
thick, • field of ice, above a mile long and half a mile
broad, was set across the ship's bows, and the ship, unable
to withstand such a pressure, drove, our efforts to break it
by degrees, by the use of our spare miren topmast, as a
bumper, and ases and pickaxes, being quite ineffectual. A
the s
heavy jerk about midnight, and the ice passing on clear of
hip, showed that something had given way ; and next
morning, finding the ship again driving, we sighted our
anchor, and found both flukes, the shank having broken
half about • foot from the crown. The part that name
up, as well as the cable, was quite bright; but so great was
the strain, that I should have been surprised if neither
anchor or cable had given way.
It is worth remarking, that on the 12th August, or 31
lays afterwards, we picked up the buoy of this anchor
(which was • wooden: temporary one we had made to save
our new buoys whilst amongst the ice) lying on the beach
on the north shore of Port Clarence. It was about 50 feet
from the water's edge, and about 20 feet further up than
the ordinary high-water mark, and had no doubt been
drifted up on the nth, when the tide ruse unusually high,
in • S.E. gale which blew on that day. The distance
from where it was lust was about lid miles, which would
give only about four miles ands quarter a-day to the north-
ward,
but part of this time the sea was almost filled with
ice, and the winds prevailed more than usual from the
northward. It may be considered, however, as confirming
the supposition that all the large quantity of drift wood in
this vicinity, and in the midst of which the buoy wu found,
comes frura the southward.

The wreck of the American whaler, Mary Mitchell'
lost about the same time on the west side of Er. Law-
rence Island, drifted also to the northward, and through
Behring's Straits, and was fallen in with by the linglish
schooner, Elise, of Hobart Town, in August, to the north-
west of East Cape.
In the course of the Gth we weighed, and soon after
securing the ship to the field of ice above mentioned,
drifted with it ten miles further to the eastward. Finally,
we observed early on the 9th clear water to the north-
ward, and shortly after had the plower, once more of
making sail, after three weeks being obstructed and almost
constantly beset with ice.
We were not, however, able to reach King's Island, as
the pack extended 30 miles to the westward of it in a nearly
north and south direction, and had the weather not been so
very thick, in standing over to the Asiatic coast, I should
have gone into St. Lawrence Day, but the fogs were so thick
we could hardly see a ship's length. On the loth we found
the tee had cleared away, sod succeeded in anchoring in
Port Clarence, when I found that the Enterprise had sailed
on the 10th on her Arctic service, and that the Plover had
proceeded on the 11th to Norton Sound, leaving her decked
boat in Brantley Harbour in charge of the storehouse; 1,
therefore, took advantage of the fine weather to get our
topmasts down and refit our rigging, and had the bows
caulked, the pitch having been forced out and some copper
rubbed off by the ice, which caused a trifling leakage.
On the 30th of July the Plover arrived, and I emit the
carpenter and a carpenter's mate of this ship aboard to exa-
mine into her condition and report on her defects, and I have
the honour to enclose herewith (No. 1) a copy of their
report, from which it is evident that in their judgment the
vessel is quite fit to continue the service she is now em-
ployed in for the period she is ordered to remain. Com-
mander Moore had instructions from Captain Collision to
proceed to Hong Kong, in case no man of war arrived
during the summer, in consequence, I imagine, of the
Plover's crew having suffered much from scurvy in the
pest winter.
He had also a discretionary order to proceed previously
to the northward of Ltehring's Straits for a short period, if
he thought it likely to be of any service in gaining in
formation ; and as he was anxious to do so, I de-
layed the repair of his defects, and supplied him with
stores and provisions, till his return, and I proceeded in
this ship in company with the Plover to St. Lawrence Bay
on the 2nd of August, to ascertain if any dispatches had
been buried on the island there, in the position pointed
out by Captain Collinson in his letter to the Admiralty
last year. We bad parted Company in very thick wea-
ther, and on the 4th, on entering the Bey, we observed
the MIRK also running in while we were communicat-
ing with an English lowed& from Hong-Kong, out of
which vessel we took a bag of letters fur the Enterprise.
The Plover navantlusa had an4nreol miklu the harboug,
which is formed by • low sandy islet, on the northern
shore.

e had neither chart nor railing directions, hut as I
understood that the passage was safe on either side of the
islet, we steered for the eastern one, but the water 'healing
v.ry quickly the best bower anchor was let go in four
fathoms and a half, sail shortened, and on bringing up the
ship swung into three fathoms, and tuuched very 1 ightly
a few times, owing to a slight swell that was setting in.
Shortening in cable and laying out the stream anchor,
we hove her into deeper water immediately, without a poe
sibility of her having received the slightest damage, and
then entering by the western channel we anchored in the
harbour, where we :found several whale ships, principally
under English and American colours.
No despatches having been found, I quite agreed with
Commander Moore, that although there was very little pro-
bability of his either seeing or obtairing any Intelligence of
the Enterprise, or bearing of the position in which. the In-
vestigator had loused the last winter, it would be satisfac-
tory that I should be able on my return to carry informa-
tion so to the state of the ice to the northward, as the un-
usual time to which the sea to the southward has been tilled
with ice, would render it probable that the packed ice would
be found much further to the southward of its position that
in the previous years.
Te assist in working the Plover I sent from this ship Mr.
Buckley, acting mate, and Mr. Scott, second master, with
ten seamen (with whine conduct and exertions Commander
Moore, on his return, expressed himself se much ',lewd),
and on the 9th of August the two reads sailed together,
the Daedalus anchoring in Port Clarence the following day.
On the 214th the Plover returned, having reached only
70 deg.. 30 mine. north latitude, where he found the pack,
being 160 miles further south than last year. lie therefore
visited Kotzebue Sound, ascertained that the ease of provi-
sions was untouched, and made the hest of his way back to
Port Clarence. We immediately commented caulking her
and repairing her defects, which, with the exception of
replacing some copper rubbed off under water, was com-
pleted by the 6th of September, and on the 9th she moved
into Orantley Ilerbour to prepare for passing the winter.
I have completed the Plover with stores, provisions,
clothing, and fuel to December, 1843, as per statement