The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-21 00:00:00

ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

THE NORTH-WEST I'ASSAGE.

CAPTAIN m'euran's DFSPAIt HE.;,
lier Majesty's Discovery Ship Investigator,
off Point Warren, Pilir SJa, Au,z. 21
1850, in lat. 69 4 N , long. 131 57 NV,
have the honour to report to you, for the
information of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty,
that we arrived oft the Mackenzie upon the 21st inst. The
letters that 1 forwarded by ber Majesty's ship liaald, from
whom I parted company upon the 30th ult., oil' Cape L,.
burne, will have put you in possession of tLy ediogs up
to that date.

After parting with the Herald I steed to the N.N.W.
I with a fresh breeze from the N E , with the intention of
making the ice, which was accomplished te.ou the tuoreing
of the '2nd of August, in let. 72 1 N. ; long. listi 12 W., and
at 11 a.m. stood into the hose ice for the purpose et ex-
amining the peck; the wind, however, felling befute we
got tar in, I was induced to run out to avoid bc.ng bract,
having ascertained that the pack was very clots and heavy,
extending fromE. at E. toW. atW.,and,seeing no hope of get-
Sag thruugh,vrerked along its edgein soundings from 2i to
26 fathoms (mud) ; the number of walruses that were lying
upon the icc, thickly huddled together like sheep in a fold,
was most astonishing. We continued working along the
ice, occasionally getting drifted in until the sth, wheu the
weather, which had been previously cle ir and misty, cleated
a little, and, no ice being in sight, I shaped a coarse for
Waiewright's Inlet, with the intention et getting between
the park and shore; in running exchanged numbers with her
Majesty's ship Plover, and, at 11.30 a.m , observed • low
beach, apparently shingle, distant about two miles. The
weather again having become thick, we went entirely by
our soundings, which varied from 14 to .73 fathoms, in
which latter we rounded Point Barrow at 11.30 gene
without, however, observing the land, and steered I. the
eastward, direct for Banks' Land, finding that the ice
was loose and practicable for sailing through. These
hopes were sonn, however, dissipated ; for, upon the fore-
noon of the 6th it suddenly cleared, when I tumid that we
had been running directly into the pule, which was very
heavy and impenetrable, extending from S.E. to B.W (by
the north), in Ist. 71.3.5 N., and len. 115.12 W., and tee
sea through which we had sailed looking nearly as white
as the ice ahead, except that lanes of water were sham.
able. We instantly hauled to the wind, and come
menced working out. During the night the bretee
freakened considerably, bringing showers of rein with
thick weather, while, being compelled to carry a press
of canvas through very heavy and close sailing ice,
rendered the navigation extremely critical. The
vessel occasionally struck with seine viols see. This
continued till the afternoon of the 7th, when char water
was reported front the crow', nest. The wind ,:most im-
mediately failing, the boats were all massed, and towing
commenced amid songs and cheers, which continued with
unabated goed humour for six hours, when their laborious
work WAS brought to a successful termination, h.ing in per-
fectly clear water in Smith's Bey; a lightair spriteging up,we
worked to the outward. At 2 a.m. of the Bth, being off Point
Dew, sent Mr. Court )sccund master) on shore to erect a
cairn, and bury a notice of our having passed. Upon Ind-
ing they were met by three natives, who at tits'. we very
timid, but upon exchanging signs of friendship, which CCM..
Sibted of raising the grins three times over the head, they
approached the boat, and, atter the pleastent eteutetion of
rubbing noses, became very cornmunicetive ; e een, by the
allowance of our invaluable interpreter, Mr. M.ertsching
(the selection of this gentleman tor this impeteent cetera
does infinite credit to the discernment of those who sent
him), we found the tribe consisted of ten teats (this being
the only approach to their numbers he could obtain), bad
arrived only three days previous, and that they hold com-
munication with a party inland, who trade with the Rus-
sian Fur Company. The evening before they had observed
us, but could not imagine what large trees they were move
ing about (our masts), and that all the tribes had assembled
on the beach to look at them, when they eerten that it was
something very extraordinary, and left the three men who
met the boat to watch. They also gave the pleating intele
ligence that we should find open water along the coast from
about three to five miles distance during the summer ; that
the heavy ice very seldom came in, or never yeti the land
further than at present ; that they did not know if there
were any islands further north, as they fouud it impassible
to go in their kyacks, when in pursuit of seals, further than
one day's journey to the main ice, and then the lanes of
water allowed of their proceeding three-quarters of a day
further, which brought them to very large and high
with not space enough in any part of it to allow their
kyacks to eater; the probable distance Mr. :sliertsching,
therefore, estimates, from his knowledge of the Esquimau
habits, to be about 40 miles off shore, and, (rein what I
have seen of the pack, I am inclined to thirk this is per-
fectly correct, fur a more unbroken mass I never witnessed;
they also mentioned seeing the boats with white men going
eastward last year (which I supposed was Lieutenant
Pullen), but had not 'CCU any other white persins or any-
thing like this vessel before ; they had, the refers, no acme
of sufficient grandeur to give the great " omi we' so they
called her the "fast moving island." Seven al of them came
off to the vessel, but had little to barter, as all their
hunters were away, but immediately we bad been observed,
they were sent for, and would soon arrive. Then said
they, " You will be gone, and how disappointed they
will be," They appear a simple, kind pcuple, very poor,
very filthy, and, to us, looked exceedingly wn tehed. The
time of oar return was repeatedly inquired for by them.
They would have a quantity of skins ; they were anxious
for to to wait a little, that they might send off a supply of
reindeer; but the boat returning, and the wind fair, I
made them a few presents, and gave them a letter to be for-
warded to the Russian Fur Company, and made sail to
the eastward, the wind being light as we ran close along-
shore, in from four to six fathoms ; we had a great many
visitors; many of them had been their whole lives between
the Coppermine and Feint Barrow. These could give no
information of the missing expedition. lam certain that
had any of them reached these shores we lined heve heard
of it. The coast is inhabited throughout, and the natives
are, to all appearance, a kind and merry race, end
when we gave them presents, through the medium
of the interpreter, we told them that we were looking for
our lout brothers, and if they saw any white men in distress
they were to be very kind, to which they assented, by ssy-
ing they would, and give them plenty of "deep' flesh."
While running along the land, which is exceedingly low,
observed upon Point Pitt two conical mounds ; thinking
they might have some communication buried beneath, ran
in to examine them. 'While in stays the vessel took the
ground, but was hove off almost immediately without
any damage, the bottom being soft clay. The boat sent to
examine the mounds reported them old Esquimau do
chies, where they deposit their venison. They left a bottle
containing a notice of our passing. Upon rounding Cape
Halkett, upon the morning of the 9th, bound the ice was
set close to the shore, which rendered it a patens: of much
anxiety, great labour, and imminent risk, as the wind
was strong with thick fog, and the sea closing
around us fast, so that we had barely space to work
in, tacking frequently in five, and never beyond 10minutes,
standing upon one tack into three and a half fathoms, and
upon the other to four and a half and six fathoms. This
operation was continued the greater part of the middle and
all the morning watch. A 9 cm. the weather cleared a
little, and open water was observed in Smith's Bay. Our
soundings gradually increased, the reaches became longer as
we rounded the cape, end all apprehension of being forced
on shore was over. Aug. 10.—In Crossing Ilerrisan's Bay
found the influence of the Colville to extend 12 or 14 nodes,
the surface of the water being of a dirty mud colour, and
scarcely salt. The weather, thick and foggy, prevented any
land being seen. The soundings were very regular on one
tack ; the ice allowed of our standing off to 8 fathom', and
on the other, the land to 31 fathoms, black mud. Aug. 11.--•
lie the morning the weather cleared a little, and air
I covered to us Jones's Island. An erect piece of wood on
the shore attracted the attention of the officer of the watch;
a boat was sent to examine, when it appeared to be a
piece of drift wood, which had been squeezed up by the ice.
The shore was strewed with it, and one piece was as large
as our mainmast, and 45 feet in Tenth. We erected a tans
and left a notice. In the forenoon about thirty natives
came off in two insiders, from whom we obtained some fish
and ducks, in exchange fora little tobacco. Trey had been
about two months on the coast, and trade with the Russian
Fur Company. Their surprise, of course, was very great,
particularly at the size of our handkerchiefs (the eerie) ; the
whale boats attracted their attention, and they asked if
trees grew in our country sufficiently large to make them.
The head man possessed a gun, with " Barnett, 1e40," upon
the lock ; this he obtained from the Russians. As a fair
specimen of the observation of these people and their apu-
titude for trade, the following may be taken :—Seeine that
we cut the tobacco into pieces to give in exchange for their
fish (salmon trout), they began to do the game with the fish.
i This, however, we would not admit, so they were obliged
to come to our terms. During the afternoon, while stand-
iegelieneegx parslesibewellee) uponisland,
es a lo we
observed
pole.eveda floe
( 'nntt
'eueaisete)
skin